The Oracle- May 2017

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THEORACLE Henry M. Gunn High School

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Friday, May 19, 2017

Volume 54, Issue 8

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Children’s Health Council Launches Intensive Outreach Program

Aleks Tycz Centerfold Editor

Jeffrey Yao

Kaya van der Horst Forum Editor The Children’s Health Council (CHC) launched its first Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) on May 8, marking a pivotal point in expanding local teen mental health services. The program will address the needs of high school teens ages 14 to 18 who show signs of significant anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.

According to CHC Head of Adolescent Mental Health services and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Lynette Hsu, the IOP will offer a higher level of care, suitable as a middle ground treatment for patients transitioning to different levels of care. Patients going from more intense levels of care such as residential treatment or hospitalization will have an easier transition to regular outpatient work. The IOP also helps adolescents whose symptoms have not greatly improved from weekly outpatient care. “Patients may be having difficulty getting better or having their symptoms significantly reduced with just regular outpatient care, so the IOP is great if they need a step up [in the] level of care,” Hsu said.

The IOP will accommodate up to eight teens at a time and be offered on a rolling basis. According to Hsu, this intimate, small-group setting effectively fosters stronger relationships between patients and their mental health providers. The program will run for 12 weeks, four times a week from 3 to 6:15 p.m., enabling teens to keep their daily routines as normal as possible.

While it is not mandatory for patients to disclose their participation in the program with their respective schools, the strenuous time commitment may result in scheduling conflicts. However, mental health providers are sworn to confidentiality by law and will only share information

PAUSD selects new counseling provider

with the permission of the patients. This is where communication plays a key role in the success of overall improvement, according to Hsu. “We would encourage communication with schools because people get better when they receive support from more than one area in their life,” she said. “School is such a big part in a teenager’s life and it’s a lot of time to be in a program, so the school could make accommodations to make it more accessible for teenagers to be in such an intensive program.”

Another unique feature to CHC’s IOP is its basis on Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT), a therapy designed to be particularly effective among individuals struggling with behaviors that interfere with their normal activities and life pursuits. Unlike other forms of therapy, DBT is very support-oriented, placing a heavy emphasis on collaboration and learning how to regulate emotions. Its multiple components incorporate individual, group and multifamily therapy. “There is a feel-safe learning component, which is typically taught in a group, an individual therapy component and a parent-skill component,” Hsu said. “Because we’re talking about teenagers, parents and family are very important.”

CHC psychologist Dr. Anna Parnes described how a typical day in the program starts off with a check-in and snacks. “The first part of the day is more experiential and about practicing mindfulness by doing mindfulness movement and mindfulness art,” she said. Considering that patients are coming directly from school, expressive forms of art such as dance and poetry give patients the opportunity to stay grounded. The latter part of the day transitions to a skills training group where patients learn coping and problem solving skills.

IOP—p.2

After a 20-year relationship with the nonprofit Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS), Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) decided to cut ties with the middle and high school counseling provider in April.

ACS currently provides counseling to students in PAUSD’s five middle and high schools. Through the use of licensed therapists and supervised interns, the nonprofit offers services to an estimated 650 to 800 individual students.

Following two previous budget increase proposals, ACS recently requested an additional $50,000 in funding for their programs. In light of recent district budget shortfalls, this additional funding would be a significant increase to the $100,000 the district currently pays to the provider. In response to this change in cost, the district elected to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for counseling services. The RFP brought in proposals which included possible care plans and budgets from several potential new providers.

Principle Dr. Denise Herrmann cited the change in cost as the reasoning behind the RFP. “There are aspects of school-based funding that require us to do an RFP,” Herrmann said. “Costs have historically fluctuated around 10 [thousand] to 20 thousand [dollars] and therefore did not garner the need for an RFP.” Superintendent Dr. Max McGee described the decision to release an RFP as a standard and necessary business practice. “The ACS proposal came in significantly more than it had been in the past and we had not had a review of their services for a long time,” he said. “After so many years it makes sense to go out and test the market.”

Following the RFP, the district received no proposal from ACS; the non-profit decided not to respond to the RFP. “Our goal as an organization has always been to provide quality long-term treatment, and recently the schools have seen a large volume of students seeking short-term services,” ACS School and Community Based Services Director Christine Tam said. “While a short-term-oriented provider does make sense in some ways, the release of the RFP drove us to reevaluate our priorities and our organization’s growth. We wanted to recommit to our long-term, family-involved treatment method, and because of that, decided against entering the RFP.” According to the district, the decision to switch providers did not pertain with short versus longterm care treatment. “We made the decision based on cost and the services you get for the money. It was also helpful that the same group providing care to our primary schools would now work in our secondary schools,” McGee said. “This will be a school- based model, and for longer-term care we will need to refer students to where their needs are best met.”

ACS and the new counseling provider, nonprofit Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY), plan to work closely to provide the smoothest transition for students previously receiving ACS services.

COUNSELING—p.3

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News

Monthly Snapshots: Inter national Week “Every year, we celebrate International Week by offering all kinds of activities that are run by the five different language teachers and clubs. In the future, our students are going to have opportunities to travel around the world, so it is very important for them to know, in high school, that it is good to know people from other cultures that are different from us.”

—Yanan Vrudny, Chinese Language Teacher

“The pot luck is my favorite event during international week because there’s food from a lot of different cultures, and it’s sort of interesting to explore all of these. It’s delicious!”

“Besides the food, I like learning about new cultures, new ideas from different people and combining them to see what is the coolest thing ever.”

—Kyle Vasquez, 11

—Ryan Mei, 10

“It’s important to understand other people’s culture.”

—Tyler Butner, 11

“It’s a week when everyone can celebrate their own culture, and the entire school can celebrate everyone’s different culture. It’s inclusive.”

—Nicole Smith, 9 —Compiled by Julia Cheunkarndee Photos by Max Wang and courtesy of Tim Chau

Middle school sex education class causes controversy Ayala Tzadikario Reporter

In Jan. 2016, the new California Healthy Youth Act was passed. It requires all California school districts to provide unbiased comprehensive sex education to all public school students. To comply with this act, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) schools decided to implement a curriculum from Health Connected in middle schools.

Health Connected is a local nonprofit agency that has been instructing high school Living Skills teachers for the past six years.

After hearing about problems with the curriculum in Cupertino, Palo Alto parents started a petition against the Health Connected curriculum, currently with over 1300 signatures. According to their official website, many parents feel that the curriculum is inappropriate for middle schoolers and that there should have been more parent input when selecting the new sex education curriculum.

Superintendent Dr. Max McGee feels that, although parents should have had more of a voice in the deciding process, they did have an opportunity to learn about the Health Connected curriculum before it was presented to students. The curriculum was already taught at Terman and Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) Middle Schools without a problem, and McGee believes that a possible problem with the curriculum at Jordan is the lack of parents who went to the information sessions. “We had about 100 parents

attend sessions at JLS and Terman, but only two parents showed up at [the] Jordan session,” McGee said.

The reason that middle schools picked the Health Connected curriculum is that it aligned with the new California law. According to PAUSD Communications Director Jorge Quintana, schools found the Health Connected curriculum to be the best option for middle schools because it included all the new state-required subjects and it will help students better understand similar material in high school. “While PAUSD has taught health standards “The law states that we cannot have an abstinence-only education: it has to be medically accurate, culturally appropriate and have teachers that are well-trained.”

— Lynne Navarro , Living Skills Teacher

using a variety of supplemental resources for more than 15 years, the Health Connected resources are a response to the mandated topics required by California law and ensure consistency of information to all students,” Quintana said “Selecting Health Connected to provide elementary and middle school sexual health information allows for K-12 alignment in the district and continuity for our students and families.”

Living Skills teacher Lynne Navarro has been teaching the Health Connected curriculum at Gunn for the past six years and believes that it has all the state-mandated topics that should be taught in schools. “I think their curriculum is really good; their curriculum actually follows Ed Code very strictly and it is really important that the curriculum we’re using be aligned with what the law says we should do,” Navarro said. “The law states that we cannot have an

abstinence-only education: it has to be medically accurate, culturally appropriate, and have teachers that are well-trained.”

Parents who signed the petition feel that the curriculum is neither age nor culturally appropriate. According to their change.org petition description, parents believe that the curriculum encourages students to partake in sexual or dangerous activities that go against family values. On their petition description, they claim that the program is not sex education, but "sex seduction."

Navarro believes that Health Connected is instead encouraging students to have important conversations with parents. “The Health Connected curriculum that we use here is very careful not to step on family values and we talk about what the law states,” Navarro said. “We don’t talk about what is good or bad, right or wrong, and we constantly say that is a conversation to have with parents.”

Quintana thinks that sex education does sometimes seem to be going against family values, even if that is not the intention. “Realizing that these topics and others may not be aligned with some family values, California Law, PAUSD and Health Connected all provide the right to opt out of this unit,” Quintana said.

Parents disagree that opting out is a preferred option.

According to their website, parents believe that sex education is very important and needs to be taught to their students. Although they believe that some of the curriculum is unsuitable for middle schoolers, they do not want their children to miss crucial information.

McGee understands that this curriculum is not working out right now without modifications, and he wants to encourage parents to suggest other options. “We have already surveyed the students; we are going to survey the parents and our own teachers and get their thoughts on the curriculum and things we could adapt or retain, or if there is anything we can substitute for next year,” McGee said.

CHC opens new IOP program IOP

The components are all led by licensed clinicians and therapists who specialize in working with teens.

In addition to group therapy and phone coaching, weekly individual therapy and medication management run by psychiatrists like Dr. Hsu are also available to patients. Although patients may often have a history of clinical depression, self-harm or suicidal thoughts, a pre-existing diagnosis is not necessary in order to be admitted into the program. Admittance is based on referrals, be it through self-referral or from a pediatrician or current therapeutic treatment team. According to Dr. Hsu, CHC uses patient referrals and a conversation between the IOP mental health providers and the family to evaluate the patient’s needs. “We encourage people to call the general CHC number and then one of the providers in the program would schedule time to talk in order to understand if our program would be a good fit for their needs,” she said.

According to Dr. Parnes, the IOP will be accepting private insurance. “We’ll be taking insurance and we also have a sliding fee scale because we don’t want cost to be a barrier,” she said.

While the IOP is a significant milestone in filling a crucial gap in the high demand for local mental health services, CHC strives to continue expanding its services.

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Deiana Hristov Managing Editors Grace Ding Janet Wang News Sohini Ashoke Carolyn Kuimelis Amanda Lee Forum Caroline Ro Kaya van der Horst Kristen Yee Features Emma Chiao Chelsie Park Grace Tramack Centerfold Stephy Jackson Aleks Tycz Sports Paulo Frank Bridgette Gong Jack Mallery Lifestyle Megan Li Yael Livneh Katie Zhang Changing the Narrative Joanna Huang Photo Editor Richard Yu Graphics Editor Sherry Chen

Staff

Friday, May 19, 2017

District hires new counseling provider for schools ACS

“We are in the process of evaluating individual student needs and will proceed to make recommendations to the families, wellness centers and new provider,” Tam said. “These may be referrals into the community, continuation of care through the new provider or, if the student feels confident, a possible ending of treatment.”

Copy Editors Laurel Comiter Jennifer Gao Liza Kolbasov

Joy Huang Reporter

This year, due to many students opting out of the annual California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests, the school did not meet the 95 percent participation rate required to receive additional federal funding.

Students were able to opt out of testing because California Education Code section 60615 states that parents or legal guardians may submit a written request to the principal to excuse their child from any or all parts of the CAASPP Summative Assessments.

The email sent by Superintendent Max McGee to junior parents on Feb. 21 stated that the attendance rate is used to determine additional funding for the district.

According to Palo Alto Partners in Education, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is considered a "basic aid" district, meaning its local tax revenue exceeds the state minimum school funding threshold, so only nine percent of funding comes from the state.

Assistant Principal Heather Wheeler says that additional funding could have been possible if the attendance requirements were met, but the lack of it is not significant to PAUSD. “It means that we aren't able to implement some new initiatives or innovations that we might

However, Herrmann does not see the decrease in staff causing a significant impact. “We will have more therapists with licensure who will have the experience and training needed to provide the same and more in regards to student services,” she said. “There will be fewer, but they will be able to manage a larger caseload and provide greater expertise.”

Photographers Max Wang March 31, 2017 I think Lifestyle draws me in the most, because this issue, there was a page on pets and unique animals, and I love animals a lot.

—Jimmy Lee, 9

out for the following reasons: parents don’t want their students to participate in standardized testing, students have demanding schoolwork they would rather study for or students simply do not have motivation to take it. “I think the most common reason was that there was no incentive,” he said. “If your options are choosing between taking a test and not taking a test, kids don’t feel compelled at all to take the test, and I felt that most students thought that there was no reason to take the tests."

Powell agrees that some students opted out because they would not receive any personal gain for taking the test. She feels that they should have taken it for civic responsibility—to serve the school and help teachers accumulate data. “I think it’s disappointing [and] a little bit disgusting that in a community that prides itself on civic engagement, parents would support their kids in being selfish and teach their children that it’s okay to just opt out of this because you don’t get personal gain from it,” Powell said. “It’s understandable for a student to feel that way, but it’s unconscionable for a parent to support their students in that. There was nothing for a kid to lose by showing up and taking that test.”

For Tannenwald, students should have a choice in taking the test. "I guess you can see it as a responsibility of being a student," he said.

"But I think students have the legal right to opt out, and I think they should be able to exercise that right if they and their parents want them to."

According to Wheeler, the administration will work on improving testing attendance for next year. “In order to increase it year to year, we talked about ways of communicating to the community, adjusting the schedule and making sure that the district sends out the letters soon enough to make sure we have enough students,” she said. “We always try to brainstorm ways to make it easier for the students to attend.”

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 or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current students.

The last story I remember I enjoyed reading was the one on how the environment was being affected everyday by usage of methane. Overall, though, I love how you guys mix it up every time and give us interesting news.

—Sakshi Sapathy, 10

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[have been] able to if we had the federal funds,” she said. “But it wouldn't end up cutting our core curriculum and everything will stay the same.

In other districts that are very reliant on federal funds, this would be a huge cut for them.”

In addition to determining additional funding, participation in the CAASPP is also crucial for teachers to revise their curriculum and for the state to refine the newly piloted California Science Test that seniors took this year. Science teacher Maria Powell says that the scores allow teachers to follow student progress. “If we are going to meet the needs of students, we are going to have to know what their strengths and weaknesses are, individually and collectively,” she said.

Additionally, the lack of data makes it difficult for teachers to determine whether the curriculum accurately ref lects the state learning standards. “We can use our best professional judgement to read the standards that are in front of us and design curriculum to meet the standards,” Powell said. “But we are just in our own bubble of 15 science teachers hoping that we are interpreting the standards correctly. We need to have Sherry Chen an outside objective data to see if we are actually meeting the standards as intended.”

Junior Eli Tannenwald opted out because he had two midterms the week of testing. "I think [my parents] realized it's better that I prioritize actual school and actual grades that affect me than something that wouldn't affect me at all," he said. According to Tannenwald, students opt

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.

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Reporters Joy Huang, Seungik Shin

Tam believes that there will be a period of transition following the switch. “CASSY is very experienced in providing school-based services, so I have no concern of their ability to work well with the district,” she said. “A potential challenge I see in the transition is the decrease in [staff] in comparison to our program, but we will have to wait to see how that will impact the school.”

Low test attendance rates affect additional school funding

Business/Circulation Eric Epstein Assistant Business/Circulation Ryan Manesh

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I enjoyed quite a few parts of The Oracle, including short stories of students lives (Nikki Verhulp, who was adopted from China as a baby), interesting pets students have, as well as the sports section. I liked that coaches and team members were interviewed and that I can read real life responses. Being on a sports team and knowing the people that are featured or interviewed on The Oracle made the reading much more interesting.

—Gloria Xiao, 9

I'd think it would be interesting to see student surveys on various topics.

—Tiffany Mu, 10 I would like to see more investigative reporting in The Oracle. You could write articles similar to what the Wall Street Journal did with Theranos, except about Gunn issues.

—Patrick Gersh, 10

The Oracle is the first place winner for General Excellence at the 2017 San Francisco Peninsula Press Club High School Journalism Awards

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Forum

Is ‘13 Reasons Why’ effective for suicide prevention EFFORTS? PRO:

It starts progressive conversations

Grace Ding

er r Sh

“13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix original series adapted from Jay Asher’s novel, has quickly garnered attention—from adults and teens, critics and fans alike—after its release on March 31. The 13 episodes follow 13 audio tapes that high schooler Hannah Baker made to detail the reasons why she died by suicide.

Through its honest and often painful portrayal of suicide, depression, bullying and sexual assault, “13 Reasons Why” is a step in the right direction for suicide awareness and prevention efforts. Media is a powerful influence that can have a profound impact on adolescents’ thinking and behavior; as such, the popularity of the show effectively sheds light on and opens discussions on relevant and important issues.

Through the narration of all the events in Hannah’s life leading up to her suicide, the show confronts the real and harmful effects of bullying, gossip, rumors, harassment and rape. In an effort to represent the challenges teenagers may inflict on each other, “13 Reasons Why” shows Hannah’s negative experiences with her peers, including being bullied and slut-shamed by her classmates and those she considered to be friends. The show’s portrayal of Hannah’s narrative before her death and the reactions of her peers after her death provide a contrasting perspective that illustrates an important and universal lesson—think before you act and don’t underestimate the power your actions have to impact others. On a similar note, the show demonstrates that a cry for help may not always be obvious. The audience, knowing how her story ends, is able to pick up on Hannah’s suicidal signs. Hannah’s friends, family and classmates, however, can only retroactively look back on the signs they missed. This unfortunately common occurrence provides a powerful message that we can do much more to understand Stephy Jackson suicidal signs. Thus, in addition to reminding us that we don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s life and that it’s crucial to be kind to each other, the show brings awareness to potential signs of suicide. This increased awareness ultimately helps society approach suicide, bullying, In late March, the show “13 Reasons Why” was released on Netflix. peer-pressure, sexual assault and more related issues.

It is about a high school girl named Hannah Baker who kills herself In addition, “13 Reasons Why” does not shy away from the rawness of and the 13 reasons why she did. The producers have stated that this show Hannah’s suffering, which is important in showing the honest pain of death is attempting to raise suicide awareness. However, the show not only fails to by suicide. The show’s decision to not sugarcoat or gloss over the advocate for suicide awareness, but also dangerously harms society’s view on devastating effect of her suicide on her friends and suicide, bullying and sexual assault. Two primary problems of the show are how family—particularly seen through Clay’s recurit shows that Hannah gained power through suicide and its complete lack of ring breakdowns while getting through the awareness around mental illness or mental disorder. tapes and the uncomfortable scene in which The fundamental f law is that the series sends a message to the viewer that Hannah’s parents discover her dead—is crucial people can earn inf luence after suicide. Throughout her time in high school, in shedding light on the real impact of suicide Hannah encounters emotional and physical challenges that cause her an endon the community left behind. Some critics have less amount of suffering. The events following her death show that Hannah claimed that the show glorifies suicide by emphacan control her own pain and suffering through inf licting similar pain upon sizing the attention Hannah receives only after her classmates. Following her death, the school has a memorial for Hannah and her death and through her tapes. However, the she receives a lot of attention. This depiction of the outcome of suicide sends a show’s commitment to honest and painful scenes message that those who die by suicide receive praise and glory more than they would does the opposite of glorifying her choice, instead ever experience in life. In no way is this to say that grieving is a bad thing when it showcasing how difficult her decision was on herself and comes to death and suicide; however, the romanticized way that the aftermath of Haneveryone around her. nah’s death is shown sends the incredibly dangerous message that Hannah was able to At the end of the day, “13 Reasons Why” is a fictional story whose become more powerful because of her death. Someone in high school who in any way success depends on a captivating plot and engaging characters; relates to Hannah or is already considering self-harm could be watching this show and as such, it is not a documentary, nor is it meant to generalthink that they could be more powerful dead than they ever could alive. This spreads ize all suicides, accurately portray mental health or dangerously false conceptions about the realities of suicide and leaves out the possibility offer a solution to any problem. Instead, the of mental disorders or illnesses being treatable and the fact that suicide is preventable. show effectively portrays struggles of high Since its release on March 31, “13 Reasons Why” has received immense praise from noschool and adolescence that may not table magazines such as Forbes, Variety and TV Guide for its authentic plot and valuable receive as much attention as they lessons. However, these “lessons” are deplorable misrepresentations of suicide. Many deserve. Rather than criticizing reviews have stated that “13 Reasons Why” approaches difficult and sensitive topics the flaws of the show, it is more “head-on” rather than shying away like other shows and films. Yet the content of “13 productive to appreciate its imReasons Why” defies the American Association of Suicidology and the American Founportant message. The story sheds dation of Suicide Prevention’s “Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide,” which applies light on parts of the adolescent to films, novels and other forms of media. Through glamorizing suicide, the show disregards experience, but beyond that, the resuicide contagion, or “copycat suicide,” which occurs when one or more suicides are depicted or happen sponsibility shifts to parents, adults, in a way that provokes additional suicides. The way that the show romanticizes Hannah’s death could lead and society to continue fostering better to someone following in Hannah’s footsteps with the hopes of obtaining popularity and ending their pain. understanding and improvement on how “13 Reasons Why” is not a realistic representation of what people are going through when they think about we address issues that the show tackled. suicide. Over 90 percent of those who die by suicide suffer from a mental illness, and the show does not represent this. Due to the series’s ignorance, viewers are led to believe that since mental illness is out of the picture when it comes —Ding, a junior, is a Managing Editor. to suicide, then the friends and family can be adequate sources of blame for suicide. The show completely disregards how students should reach out for help and assistance through counseling rather than relying on their friends to fix the situation Resources for students in crisis: they are in. Due to the fact that the show does not discuss or shed light on the possibility of mental illness, the blame is put If a student, you or someone you upon the friends and family of Hannah Baker and it seems that it is their responsibility to save her life. Additionally, the know, is in need of immediate support producers of the show stated they chose a more graphic way to depict her death to send “the potentially life-saving message at school, reach out to a trusted adult or that suicide is never a glamorous choice.” This statement is fairly hypocritical considering the show depicts suicide as the visit the Counseling Office or Wellness only choice Hannah could make.

Center. If you are in crisis outside of This series is disturbing because the producers are profiting off of a show that is entertaining a significant viewer pool school, the Crisis Text Line offers free, with the bullying, abuse, rape and death of a young girl—a girl who thought that suicide was the only option to escape her 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text unavoidable pain, that reaching out for help was a hopeless cause and that by dying she could gain the power over her own “Connect” to 741741 to talk to a trained life that she always wanted. This is not a message that helps suicide prevention efforts.

Crisis Counselor.

—Jackson, a sophomore, is a Centerfold Editor. yC

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glamorizes suicide

Forum

Friday, May 19, 2017

Knowledge is powerful: Second languages provide endless tools There are many difficulties when it comes to foreign travel: currency exchange rate, new environments and even culture shock. But the most difficult barrier of all is language. Being bilingual enhances travel experiences, allowing travellers to connect and network together. Many languages stem from a common ancient language, such as Latin. The Roman language branched into what’s known as the Romance languages: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, French and more. Because these languages come from a Latin root, they are all fairly similar. For example, the word “night” is nuit in French, noche in Spanish, Nacht in German and noite in Portuguese. Understanding several languages allows a multilingual speaker to understand some words and phrases in any similarly-rooted language. Reading a pamphlet about milk on your family’s trip to Cancun using your middle-school French 1A skills?

Done: lait and leche.

It’s no secret that speaking more than one language gives you a professional advantage. There are endless workplace benefits, such as increased mental ability, quick problem-solving and heightened communication skills. Employers generally search for employees based on their experiences and education. By listing the ability to speak another language, a resume shines brighter and stands out more than others. In 2013, CNN Money named bilingualism as the most attractive skill for job seekers. A study conducted by BeHiring found that recruiters only spend around five to seven seconds on any individual resume. Four seconds are generally set aside for going over job titles, companies someone has already worked at, start/end dates and education. Anything else will only receive about two seconds to leave an impression, but having multiple languages on a resume will leave a lasting impact on the interviewer.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, a whopping five million Americans live with the disease, and this number could rise as high as 16 million by 2050. Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s, and the disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the country. In a 2012 study conducted by the University of California, San Diego, 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals were evaluated for their language proficiency. The research found that the higher your level of proficiency, the later you were likely to experience Alzheimer’s symptoms. The bilingual brain contains a higher density of gray matter, which in turn contains most of the brain’s neurons and synapses. Speaking two languages can work wonders for the brain in the long run, from improving memory to preventing early onset of incurable conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

Knowing two languages is not only a cool party trick. Several studies have found that speaking multiple languages changes your brain structure, improving mental function and memory skills. Most languages have varying syntax and structures, forcing bilingual speakers to work much harder than monolingual speakers.

This extra mile of effort makes it easier to focus and understand other words, speeding up the thought processes of the neurological pathways. A 2014 study conducted by the journal Brain and Language found that people who speak more than one language are more capable of filtering out unnecessary words than single-language speakers. Being bilingual is a constant brain exercise, helping out in smaller tasks and improving the brain’s ability to process faster in the short run.

Sherry Chen

—Compiled by Yael Livneh

Language facts around the world Sherry Chen

In 2011, 34.3 percent of working-age adults (age 25 to 64) in the European Union-28 reported that they didn’t know any foreign languages.

About 15 to 20 percent of Americans consider themselves multilingual.

There are over 2,000 living languages spoken in Asia.

Africa is the most linguistically diverse continent, with an estimated 1500 to 2000 different languages.

Portuguese is the most spoken language in South America, followed closely by Spanish.

Statistics from Australian Bureau Statistics, Eurostat Statistics, Nations Online and Ethnologue.

53 percent of first-generation Australians can speak a language other than English at home. Only 1.6 percent of third-generation Australians can do the same.

—Compiled by Kristen Yee, Caroline Ro and Kaya van der Horst

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Bilinguality enriches cultural perspectives

Liza Kolbasov Throughout my whole life, I’ve found myself straddling two continents. Being bilingual, I speak Russian at home and English at school.

But having these two languages to juggle comes with more than just more words—it comes with two cultures, two distinct sets of etiquette rules and two constantly changing sets of letters to rearrange in my mind. Speaking Russian along with English has provided me with a bigger picture of the world and its customs and people.

My first language was Russian, and I remember being baffled when I first transitioned out of the sheltered world of my house into the wider, English-speaking universe of my preschool. Often, a joke or an interesting story in one language just doesn’t sound as good in another. It can be hard to explain to my parents the subtleties of a funny incident that occurred in English class or recall a Russian camp story to my friends. With a little bit of time, I can usually find the right words, but I’m always lagging a couple of seconds behind everyone else in the conversation.

It can be hard to figure out the subtleties of two different cultures. When traveling to Russian-speaking countries, I’m expected to fit in, not be strange and nerdy, as is acceptable in the U.S. Even small things matter. In Russia, for example, it is rude to ask someone how they are doing, unless of course you would like a cynical and deep complaint about someone’s life. In English, we regularly exchange the phrase as a greeting.

I also change the way I hold myself when I change the language I speak. In Russian, I am generally more confident, outspoken and relaxed. In English, on the other hand, I’m quieter and more reserved. It’s as if there are two different Lizas—Russian Liza and English Liza. Of course, this also poses an issue when I’m speaking Russian and English at the same time: the two Lizas get confused as to which one should show herself. Most of the time, however, they balance quite nicely, letting me fit in in both Russian and English society.

As language is constantly changing, I sometimes feel like I’m stuck in a totally different time period than both my Russian and Englishspeaking friends. Last summer, I attended a Russian summer camp, with mostly native Russian speakers. I was nervous about many things—fitting in, finding friends, even the culture—but language wasn’t one of them. After all, I was fluent in Russian… right? However, to my shock, I couldn’t understand half of what my fellow campers were saying when I arrived. Evidently, the slang that made up half of a typical Russian teen’s vocabulary did not exist 20 years ago, when my parents immigated to the U.S. I picked up bits and pieces, but I still felt hesitant using the stream of new words myself. When I came back home after a whole summer of speaking only Russian, it took me some time to adjust to a predominantly English-speaking world.

Although speaking two languages sometimes comes with minor inconveniences, I am still thankful that my parents offered me the opportunity to grow up with two cultures. Speaking a second language has provided me with twice as many books, movies and shows to enjoy. Getting to appreciate another culture through the back door of its language has given me insight into the subtle differences that exist between Russia and America otherwise unnoticable without the language. For me, speaking two languages has served as a window into a different reality.

—Kolbasov, a freshman, is a Copy Editor.

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FORUM

gunn should teach more Financial preparedness

Grace Tramack T h e manage their own money is a skill students must acquire at purpose of some point, so the sooner they are exposed to the financial t h r o u g h school is to pre- world, the more self-sufficient they will become earlier on. out an entire pare kids for the According to a Capital One sponsored survey in 2011, 87 semester. T h is real world. This edu- percent of students report that their parents causes the expecation applies not just to are their primary source of informarience to be future jobs or career paths, but tion about money management, watered down also to navigating the economy. but only 22 percent report and not as ex87 percent Personal finance can be a daunting talking to their parents about tensive in terms topic for students to think about in high it frequently. By not discussof content as a reguof students school, but with the help of classes that focus ing these topics with their lar living skills class; report that their on money management and tasks such as paying parents earlier, students therefore, students are parents are their bills, students will have more confiwill become even more not as familiar with the topdence going out into the world on dependent on their ics, and it allows for no extra primary source of their own. Schools should have p a re nt s at a time to discuss other subjects such information about 65 an obligation to teach students time in their as financial management. All Palo money manageabout managing their perlives when Alto Unified School District middle percent ment. sonal finance before they t h e y a r e schools currently offer a course called of American go off to college, whether supposed Money Matters for seventh and eighth students give it be through a required to be f igurgrade students that focuses on saving themselves a C, D or semester class or a foing out who they money and investing. By introducing these cused Liv ing Sk i l ls want to be as an indiconcepts early on, kids will be able to build upon F grade when assessunit on the subject. vidual.

Therefore, personal finance that knowledge in high school without feeling pressure ing whether they can First, teaching teens classes will assist students in becom- to learn it all right before or even during college. Expossuccessfully manage how to manage their ing more independent and allow them ing students to their future financial responsibilities is their finances and money will help relieve to focus on other aspects in their lives. beneficial in the sense that they will not only be smart stress going into college.

Financial education will not only about purchases they make in high school, but will money.

According to a 2012 survey teach students valuable personal lessons have a better grasp on the importance of making and of Gunn and Palo Alto High in self-reliance, but will be beneficial to spending money in the way that works for them once School (Paly) graduates, 38.4 preventing larger mistakes in the long run as they begin thinking of possible college and career paths. percent of alumni said that the most well. According to a survey report from U.S. Ba n k, Schools around the country should have an obligation challenging part of college was managing 65 percent of American students give to teach their students financial skills to take with them money. College is typically the first time students are themselves a C, D or F grade to college and beyond. This will help relieve stress expected to be financially independent, so prepar- when assessing whether they for new college students, teach important 38.4 ing them in the best way possible would be highly can successfully manage life skills such as accountability and percent of beneficial. Students already have so much to learn their finances and money. responsibility and will overall allow about living on their own, and having the added People that venture into students to learn more about how Gunn and Paly stress of not understanding how to manage the world by themselves the world functions. Gunn alumni said that money is an avoidable issue. Educating stu- with no prior knowledge specifically has the option the most challengdents about personal finance gives them on finance or the economy of making this a class, or ing part of college the chance to feel less pressure as they have a greater risk of error focusing Living Skills was managing move on to new stages of their lives simply because they do not more on the skills stubecause they already know the basics know any better. Educating dents will need once money. of handling taxes and investments. kids on the basics of finance they graduate. AddPersonal finance lessons in ensures that they have a sufficient ing another graduschools would help teach stu- background to successfully pursue a ation requirement or dents more independence career or goal in life while making savvy starting to prepare for and self-responsibility. financial decisions. Although Gunn already mandates Liv- life after college could High school students, ing Skills as a graduation requirement, it does nothing to understandably add especially juniors and help prepare students for managing personal finance later stress to teenagseniors, have a lim- in life. Living Skills’ main focus is on and alcohol aware- ers’ daily life, but ited nu mber of ness, mental health and sex education, but it does not cover it would be a years until they financial education. Therefore, this class is not as beneficial v a l u a b l e are expected as it could be, as managing money is arguably one of the lesson in to live inde- most important life skills a student can learn. In addition, the long pendently. many students take a condensed Living Skills course over r u n .

Knowing the summer that allows them to complete this part of how to their graduation requirement in four weeks rather than —Tramack, a sophomore, is a Feature Editor.

Photos by Max Wang and courtesy of the Gunn BEAM Facebook page.

Features

Friday, May 19, 2017

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Departing teachers share memories, future plans After 40 years as a physical education (P.E.) Chris Horpel teacher and wrestling coach, Chris Horpel is retiring. Horpel decided to come back to stay at Gunn Physical Education after teaching industrial arts and coaching at both UCLA and Stanford. His decision to come back to Gunn in 2003 led him to continue to teach P.E. and coach wrestling at Gunn for 14 years.

After retiring, Horpel is looking forward to relaxing and traveling to places that he did not have enough time for when he was teaching and coaching. “One objective is to travel a little more and go during slower times when other people are not traveling,” Horpel said. “First up is a trip to Uluwatu in Bali to try surfing at some of the famous breaks there. I wouldn’t mind moving to Maui for a few months each winter, if I can convince my wife to do this. [There are] lots of surfing and windsurfing spots there too.”

Although Horpel is sad about leaving his wrestling athletes and students, he is grateful for the experiences he has had with those he worked with. “I Max Wang did not get to know my P.E. students as well as my athletes, but they have both been great kids,” Horpel said. “Most of them share a desire to be very good [at] what they do. I have been very lucky!”

Even though Horpel will be leaving at the end of this school year, there are messages that he wanted to pass on to both current and future Gunn students. “It has been my pleasure getting to work with such great kids,” Horpel said. “I love them all and will miss getting to know all the future Gunn students. Maybe I will come back and coach again if all my ‘fun in the sun’ does not do it for me.”

Special education teacher Sharon Yost will be retiring this year after 26 years working in the deaf and hearing impaired program in the district. She also currently co-teaches contemporary world history with David Bisbee.

During her time teaching, Yost has watched students with disabilities grow and prosper. She feels that working in this field has given her the opportunity to make a difference in these students’ lives. “I loved watching each group of students mature as they progressed from entering freshmen to accomplished graduates,” she said. “Each achieved his or her goal and began university or career with confidence and an excellent academic foundation.”

Although she enjoyed working at Gunn, Yost often encountered challenges with the rigorous academic atmosphere. “Sometimes academic demands overwhelmed students,” she said. “In those cases, they worked with me to find successful avenues of approach so that ultimately each was awarded a diploma.

Graduation night, then, was always a source of such Max Wang abiding happiness and reflection.”

Yost has several plans for her retirement, including becoming more involved in politics. “My goal in retirement is to campaign for progressive candidates who, among other goals, support the United States playing an integral role in the acceptance and support of Syrian refugees,” she said.

She also wants to spend more time enjoying her hobbies, such as running and cycling. She is planning to prepare for the Ironman triathlon and bike across the United States. “I’ve cycled the Pacific coast from Canada to Mexico; I’d love to shift that effort 90 degrees California to New York,” she said.

—Written by Katie Zhang

—Written by Liza Kolbasov

After four years of teaching both freshman biology honors and marine biology, Navneet Schworetsky Navneet Schworetzky is going on maternity Science leave as an expecting mother in August.

Even though Schworetzky is glad to take time off and rest for a few months before her baby arrives, it is still very difficult for her to depart from Gunn. “The hardest part about leaving Gunn will be leaving the wonderful people here. My colleagues are some of the most thoughtful and creative people I have ever met,” Schworetzky said. “The time and effort they put into not only teaching but also cultivating relationships with students, the community and their own families is nothing short of amazing.”

Although Schworetzky is sad to be leaving, she is able to reflect on her favorite memories as well as offer some insight to students’ futures. “As a teacher, I don’t want to tell students everything they should know,” Schworetzky said. “I want to share enough Max Wang knowledge to help students gain valuable skills and a natural curiosity about the world around them. I hope this will encourage them to go learn more on their own throughout their lives. I want to thank each and every student I have taught while at Gunn for a wonderful experience. Remember to be a life-long learner. It’s what you are good at!”

Sharon Yost Special Education

Biology and chemistry teacher Mark Grieb will be departing from Gunn next year to become the head football coach at Sacred Heart High School full time.

In Grieb’s year of instructing three biology classes and a chemistry class, he has observed how hardworking and dedicated the students at Gunn are. “It’s been impressive to see how much the students do and how conscientious they are about studying and doing their homework,” he said. “It’s really been a fun environment to be in because it makes teaching fun when kids want to learn and know what’s going on by asking you questions.”

Grieb’s favorite part about being a teacher is the relationships he builds with his students. “I really enjoy getting to know many of them and I think it’s hard to get your students on a really personal level, but you do get to know a lot about them and each student has different situations and challenges so I just enjoy their perspective,” he said.

Furthermore, Grieb enjoyed teaching chemistry Max Wang because he watched students problem solve in class.

“Those have been really fun because it changes your role as a teacher and allows you to watch the thought process that students have,” he said.

Although Grieb has only been a teacher here for one year, his experience has been positive and memorable. “I am very fortunate to have worked here at Gunn because I think it’s a special place in terms of the students and community and how everyone treats each other,” Grieb said.

Mark Grieb Science

—Written by Katie Zhang

—Written by Jenny Gao

Graphics by Sherry Chen

Jessy Li World Languages

Richard Yu

The red window-flower decorated walls of the Chinese classroom will be a little more bare when part-time Chinese teacher Jessy (Xiaojie) Li leaves Gunn next year.

After ending her second year of teaching at Gunn this year, Li will be leaving due to a decline in enrollment of Chinese classes and her pregnancy. “I will have too many things to handle next year,” she said. “ [It will] be impossible to handle too much work next year.”

Li will, however, continue teaching Chinese classes part-time at Los Altos High School. “In this year I’m already teaching part-time at another school, I am [currently] teaching two part-times so next year, because in the other school they still have Chinese classes for me to teach, so I will still teach in the other school but here because [there are] no more extra Chinese sessions I cannot teach anymore here,” she said.

She especially cherishes her relationships with her colleagues and students during her brief time at Gunn. “[My colleagues] have been so nice and supportive whenever I have any needs or when I was new here and they helped me to blend into the new environment,” she said. “I think I have a lot of good memories with my students because they’re cute and curious and inquisitive and they care so much about Chinese learning and for many times I have been amazed, you know, surprised to see how well they do from the work they turn in.”

As she moves on to another chapter in her life, Li will carry all these memories with her. “There are a lot of wonderful memories [at Gunn] and I really enjoyed working at Gunn for the past two years,” she said.

—Written by Kristen Yee

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Features

Photo courtesy of Alex Mei

Junior Julia Wu

Junior Elizabeth Mankey

Richard Yu

Richard Yu

a le x m e i c o o @ : i e ki n m x g A le We’ve all been there: you’re sitting on your couch watching Food Network, drooling over the mouth-watering dishes shown in slow motion, plated to perfection. Most of us can only dream of these gourmet meals as the sad, microwavable lasagna we prepared stares mockingly up at us from our laps. For sophomore Alex Mei, however, cooking shows served as an inspiration for him to begin his culinary journey. He started experimenting in the kitchen in 2014, and after some trial and error, cooking has developed into a passion of his. “There weren’t any fires in the kitchen, but the first few times, it didn’t go so well,” he said. “It was a big mess that I had to clean up, but after the first few times, it started getting better and better.”

When he first expressed interest in cooking, Mei’s parents were more than willing to support him. “It’s one thing to cook for yourself, but it’s another thing to cook for your family,” he said. “My mom is sometimes really busy, so I like to cook for her so she doesn’t have to cook so often.”

The joy of cooking isn’t all in the final product, though. Mei values cooking as a way to relieve stress and have something to put his energy into during busy times. “Your mind has to be completely focused on cooking, and by doing that you’re relieving any outside stresses; you’re focused solely on cooking and making that dish to the best of your ability,” he said. “Nothing else is affecting you while doing that.”

Mei also runs an Instagram account where he posts pictures of the dishes he creates in hopes of spreading the joy of cooking. After he started sending photos of his creations to his extended family in China, he figured that sharing the photos on social media was the next logical step. “I hope it’s an inspiration to others that they can pursue cooking if they wish to do so,” he said.

Having an online presence has also helped Mei form friendships with people who share his interest. “I remember one time, a chef from Europe found one of my photos of sushi pizza,” he said. “It was an interesting creation, and since he made sushi pizza too, he asked for advice on how to make his better.”

The two shared tips and compliments, and the conversation eventually blossomed into a friendship.

In addition to his Instagram account, Mei also has an account on Allrecipes, where he posts recipes for his family and friends to follow. Although recipes are initially private when posted onto the site, Mei’s recipe for pickled cucumbers was approved by the Allrecipes team and was published on the website for the public to view. “It’s one of the first dishes I’ve made, and I’ve been working to improve that dish a lot over the years,” he said.

Mei hopes that his photos and recipes inspire people to give cooking a try and to share that joy with others. “It’s really rewarding to see other people enjoy your food,” he said. “Being able to do something for someone else is really heartwarming.” As for the future, Mei hopes to live out his dream of being a contestant on Food lis Network’s“Masterchef." m i Ku n y l Photos courtesy of Alex Mei ro Ca y b n —Writte e

Sophomore Alex Mei

Students Share cooking passions on social media

Features

Friday, May 19, 2017

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Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Mankey

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Junior Julia Wu finds a way to combine hard work with fun and enjoyment through her career as a personal chef. Her appreciation for cooking and food developed in her early years. “I really like food,” she said. “When I was young, my parents wouldn’t let me watch Disney Channel, so I would watch Food Network instead. My grandma really likes to cook so she influenced me a lot.”

Since then, her sparked interested has grown and turned cooking into more than just a hobby. Similar to a food blog, Wu has a Facebook album full of pictures of the dishes she’s cooked and the work she’s accomplished. It is her hungry-for-more audience that motivates her to keep posting. “A lot of other people like seeing food pictures and I like having them in one collection,” she said.

The first dish she made served not only as an important milestone in her life, but also a very memorable moment. “The first thing I ever made was a pavlova,” she said. “It's an Australian dessert. I made it with my grandma and it was very cool.” Since then, Wu has experimented with new foods and recipes. “I like to try new things so I don’t really have a favorite thing to cook,” she said.

However, when it comes to personal favorites, some foods do come to mind. “I really like pesto,” Wu said. “Pesto on anything is so good.” Wu also has a favorite restaraunt. “There’s this place called La Bodeguita Del Medio on California Avenue and it’s a Cuban place,” she said. “It’s so good and I highly recommend it.”

Because her name is on a list of Stanford kids who are available for doing different kinds of jobs, a family reached out to her and her career took off. “They emailed me and originally it was just to prep their salads and easy things like that. I’ve been working with them for four years now and the tasks have increased,” she said.

Although being a personal chef is a commitment of both time and effort, it is one that is well worth it. “I generally work around four hours a week and I work for a family and go to their house and cook for them,” she said. Her job has taught her not only how to cook a delicious meal, but also skills that can go a long way in the future. “It’s taught me a lot about work experience,” she said. “Not necessarily working in an establishment, but working for myself and learning how to deal with other people.”

Like any other hobby, there are still some difficulties that must be overcome. “Sometimes a recipe is just really hard to make and it can get frustrating because you waste a lot of ingredients and the end product isn’t good,” Wu said.“You just have to try it again until it works.”

As for culinary schools or a future in cooking, Wu isn’t so sure. However, her years involved in cooking have given her abilities that will follow her through to her future. “I think it’s possible that I e et g pursue cooking, but it’s not that likely,” she said. “But d ri I know it's a good skill to have and I’ll be able yB b to cook for the rest of my life.” en ritt W —

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Two years ago, junior Elizabeth Mankey went vegan to do her part in saving the planet. At first, she simply omitted animal products from her diet, but eventually she realized that getting more involved in the vegan community would require more than just eating vegan meals.

The idea of starting her own food Instagram formed in the wake of this realization, becoming reality not long afterwards.

Now, Mankey boasts a healthy 170-some followers and weekly posts of both home-made and store-bought delicacies. The comments are comprised of many positive reactions from fellow vegans, which have definitely not gone unnoticed by Mankey. “Whenever I post a picture, people are always commenting, ‘Oh this looks so good!’ or ‘Did you make this?’ and it’s really nice to feel validated and have people actually be interested in what I’m doing,” she said.

A good number of Mankey’s followers reside nearby, the close proximity forming a Bay Area bond. “I’ve definitely found a lot of people in the area who are vegan. It’s really nice to be welcomed so warmly,” she said. However, the likes and warm comments have not been kept strictly to home either, with many being sent from all over the globe, including Australia, Germany and even Bali. The community that she sought to not only join, but to genuinely interact with, received her with open arms and empty stomachs.

Unsurprisingly, veganism and the food that comes with it have become an integral part of Mankey’s life ever since she made the decision to alter her lifestyle in her freshman year. Although the idea of following a culinary pathway is not necessarily something she sees in her future, her Instagram is here to stay as a creative outlet and a gratifyingly delicious way to spend her free time.

It may be difficult for aspiring Instagram food bloggers to continue when met with a demoralizing lack of followers or likes, but it’s important to press on and keep posting. From Mankey’s experience, giving support to other fledgling blogs can be an easy way to gain it back. At the same time, she doesn’t believe that likes are what is most important. “[I]t’s not only about how many likes you get,” she said. “Instagram is mainly an excellent way to express yourself.” i nL a g e

by M n e itt —Wr

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Photos courtesy of Julia Wu

Photo by Richard Yu

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, , the thir Mark Zuckerberg in Febr and was only available to H Ivy League schools as we and moved the company usage among college stud with an email address in as the nation took advan and most importantly rem March 2015, Facebook m on 1 Hacker Way, Menlo power and strategic place energy use for heating an but does not have a single way to connect all of his across the globe.

Silicon built innovation foundation

Joanna Huang

Silicon Valley, in Santa Clara County, Calif., was once referred to as “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” because of its pleasant scenery, climate and fruit trees. In time, the area went from being known for its orchards to being known for its startups and worldchanging technological innovations.

Silicon Valley was first introduced to the culture of technological innovation by Frederick Terman, a Stanford University engineering professor. With the help of Stanford’s bargain leasing practices, Terman connected Stanford students to the emerging technological industry around them. Terman stressed the importance of entrepreneurship and mentored the founders of Hewlett-Packard (HP), an information technology company started in 1939.

One of the most important landmarks in the history of this valley was the introduction of silicon, a crucial element in technological advances. Silicon was brought into Silicon Valley by physicist and inventor William Shockley. Through his time at the renowned Bell Labs in the East Coast, Shockley learned how silicon semiconductors could produce smaller, more energy-efficient transistors than germanium semiconductors. After conflicts with the lab’s management, Shockley left the East Coast, the center of high tech at the time, and started the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory near his aging mother in Mountain View. In this lab, he gathered young Ph.D.s together to work towards the vision of silicon-based innovative advances.

Like many of his colleagues at Bell Labs, Shockley eventually won the Nobel Prize for his achievements in physics. Winning the prize increased his ego and made him an authoritarian manager. As a result of Shockley’s autocratic leadership, eight employees, dubbed the “Traitorous Eight,” left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. Their departure was an enormous risk—workers of their time tended to dedicate entire careers at one company and the employees of other large semiconductor companies such as Texas Instruments thought the Traitorous Eight were bound to fail.

Luckily for the Traitorous Eight, investor Sherman Fairchild and the government saw great potential in

silicon transistors. Through Fairchild’s investment, the Traitorous Eight founded the company Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. One year later NASA, eager to win the space race, began purchasing large quantities of reliable chips for rocket missiles. Fairchild Semiconductor became prominent in the semiconductor market as it invented and produced for the government.

The company had so much talent that the founders left to directly compete with each other (those who did so were nicknamed Fairchildren). Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, for example, left the company and founded Intel, a circut manufacturer. Thus, Fairchild Semiconductor was responsible for scattering hundreds of companies across the valley, producing the modern Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley grew to have more Ph.D.s in high tech than anywhere in the world. Residents today live up to the area’s history by being innovative, risktaking and competitive. Through Silicon Valley’s consistent innovation, people around the world are continuously affected by a revolutionizing technological industry.

While Silicon Valley started with semiconductors, it focused on computer innovation in the 1970s. Apple created a variety of user-friendly devices. Soon after, Silicon Valley residents developed internet services such as Google to increase information accessibility and apply big data. Social media sites like Facebook then became a popular pastime. Recently, Airbnb and Uber have begun challenging the traditional service industry. Venture capitalists concentrate large amounts of capital on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park because they, along with many others, await Silicon Valley’s next impactful innovation. Silicon Valley is a center of remarkable history that has produced groundbreaking innovations time and time again.

With those innovations, the scientists, researchers and technology companies of Silicon Valley continue to make history.

—Huang, a junior, is the Changing the Narrative Editor.

erfold

Friday, May 19, 2017

rd most visited website in the world, was founded by ruary 2004. Originally, it was called “The Facebook” Harvard students, but it soon expanded to a few more ell as Stanford. In June 2004, Zuckerberg packed up y to Palo Alto, Calif. Following the website’s growing dents, Zuckerberg decided to open Facebook to anyone n Sept. 2006. Facebook became explosively popular ntage of the network to stalk exes, play arcade games member their relatives’ and co-workers’ birthdays. In moved into an expansive 430,000 square foot campus Park. The facility is very eco-friendly it utilizes solar ement of natural foliage to cut down on consumable nd cooling. The campus houses over 3,000 employees e cubicle or isolated office. Zuckerberg designed it this s employees, much like how his site connects people

—Written by Eric Epstein

is just one of the major tech companies in the Silicon Valley. The company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 in the garage of Jobs’ house in Los Altos, Calif. Originally, the company was named Apple Computers Inc.; it was changed in 2007 to Apple Inc., to indicate its ventures into non-computer products. Apple’s roots are in Silicon Valley, the first headquarters were built in 1993 on 1-6 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. A newer campus is currently being built in Cupertino; it is dubbed “spaceship campus” for its resemblance to a saucer, but its official name is “Apple Park.” Amongst the most anticipated fixtures is the addition of the Steve Jobs Theater, the site of future product launches. Other buildings include a publicly accessible Apple Store and cafe, a fitness center, research and development facilities as well as running and walking paths for employees. Following the completion of Apple’s new headquarters, people from all around the world can look forward to even greater and more innovative products.

—Written by Kristen Yee

is one of the most widely known companies in the world. Since its creation, Google has steadily taken over the internet as the world’s number one search engine. Google currently holds 89 percent of the search engine market share, with its many other services including email, chat, hardware, music and more. This multibillion dollar company began as a research project in the Stanford University dorms of Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998. They created a processor that used backlinks to locate specific data from the mass of information on the internet, which was much more efficient than methods at the time. Google’s headquarters, Googleplex, is located in Mountain View and was purchased by the company in 2006. The Googleplex campus sprawls over a large area of land, including a park. Google is ranked the number one company to work for

by Business Insider and is famous for its brightly colored and playground-like interior.

Not only does Google offer gourmet meals, but employees can also enjoy yoga classes, massages, fitness rooms and company bikes.

—Written by Chelsie Park

Graphics by Sherry Chen

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Features

Non-profit 2Bikes supports sexual assault survivors Sohini Ashoke News Editor

Junior Rachel Barkin is involved in 2Bikes, a nonprofit organization supporting sexual assault victims and raising awareness about sexual assault while empowering individuals to stand up.

Barkin’s goal with 2Bikes is to call attention to a new issue while keeping the angle pertaining to Gunn students. “I have always been interested in advancing the conversation about sexual assault, especially victim blaming and not really understanding the scope of what it means to have a rape culture on campus,” Barkin said. “I really wanted to make an impact on this issue and bring light to it, but in a different way than it has been done in the past and in a way that high school students can relate.”

According to Barkin, 2Bikes also aims to create safer communities by educating people on how to recognize the signs of sexual assault or harassment. Barkin believes that if people see sexual harassment on campus, no matter the situation or the form of harassment, they should stand up for victims. “[The purpose of 2Bikes] is educating the community on what the subtle signs of sexual assault of are, and also empowering people so they can make a change in the community,” Barkin said. “We want to create a safer campus on Gunn.”

In terms of future plans for 2Bikes, Barkin is starting with small steps. “Currently what we are doing is selling merchandise that comes with information about how to prevent sexual assault,” Barkin said. “The proceeds from that go to organizations that help sexual assault victims or

teach classes on preventing sexual assault, but our broader goal is to start our own classes.”

Katie Cooney, a founder of 2Bikes and staff member of Deborah’s Palm women center in Palo Alto, hopes to provide a safe place for people to connect. “I think having a platform like we do on the 2Bikes website where you can write your story anonymously is really helpful,” Cooney said. “We are all about giving people a space to talk about this and hopefully build that empathy to deter people from sexually assaulting in the first place.”

Cooney believes that sparking discussions about sexual assau lt includes involving parents and advocates against victim blaming. “I think sometimes students talk about sexual assault but parents aren’t really involved because it is uncomfortable to talk about that with parents,” Cooney said. “People feel like if something like this happens to you it’s Sherry Chen embarrassing; it’s shameful.”

Barkin believes that common activities associated with sexual assault, such as alcohol usage, can make victim blaming more common. “Maybe you were drinking or you were supposed to be at this house with somebody— that compounds things even more,” Cooney said. “So we want to get parents and even people a few generations beyond students to really let go of the aspects where there is some kind of punishment or shame involved and really just embrace their son or daughter with where they are.”

She hopes that 2Bikes can serve the purpose of empowering sexual assault survivors everywhere and encouraging young women to step up in the business world. “[The

aim of 2Bikes] is to remind [survivors] that they can go after whatever they want,” Cooney said. “Particularly to empower [women] and tell them that sexual assault is not okay so that they have a place at the table when they get up, and women can get out of college to change the ideas about women in business and working.”

Richard Yu

Junior Rachel is a member of 2Bikes.

Courtesy of 2bikes.org

2bikes sells necklace merchandise on 2bikes.org.

Juniors win first at Synopsys Science Fair Andrew Zhao Tech Editor

On March 23, juniors Alex Gao and Kevin Frans placed first in the Physical Science and Engineering Category at the Synopsys Science Fair. Their winning project was a novel algorithm that teaches robots to perform tasks such as gathering materials.

The pair devised an algorithm that teaches robots to move cooperatively, behave and follow instructions. For example, the algorithm can teach a robot to pick up balls. The program first instructs the robot to try out various things. If the robot successfully picks up the ball, the algorithm makes a note to perform the action in the future. Eventually, the robot will consistently pick up the ball.

This trial and error process is known as reinforcement learning.

Gao and Frans perfected this method using various techniques. Once they had the theoretical process worked out, they began testing. Robots were trained to perform various tasks. “One example is a ‘swimming’ robot, where the robot was trained to wriggle and crawl on the ground,” Gao said.

Since they did not have access to physical robots for testing, Gao and Frans used multiple online resources to test their algorithm with virtual machines.

The hard work and testing produced powerful results—their algorithm was found to be twice as fast compared to regular reinforcement learning.

At the Synopsys Science Fair, Gao and Frans were not expecting to win first place.

The competitive science fair had numerous projects competing for first place, but Gao and Frans’ project had an advantage. “Our talk and communication with the judges really boosted us up compared to the other contestants,” Gao said. Gao and Frans also focused on the practicality and the accessibility of their project compared to those of

the other contestants.

The functionality of their algorithm lies in its versatility, as theoretically it can teach a robot to perform any type of task. One application involved a honeybee simulation: the algorithm trained robots resembling bees to gather resources. Gao and Frans note that this application can potentially help the ecosystem. “Honeybees are going extinct, yet they are the basis for reproduction. We can solve this problem by making robotic bees and having the algorithm direct the bees to the flower,” Frans said.

Gao and Frans have a couple tips for aspiring science fair contestants. “Pursue what you’re passionate about,” Gao said. “Do the stuff that you find cool. Do it especially if it has an impact on society.”

Max Wang

Juniors Alex Gao and Kevin Frans stand proudly with their medals f ro m th e Sy n o ps y s S c i e n ce Fa i r.

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Friday, March 31, 2017

13

Sports

14

Hydration keeps body healthy during summer Bridgette Gong sports Editor

As the days get longer, so do the opportunities for physical activity and exercise. While it can be easy to get caught up in the moment and forget to prioritize health, it is crucial to remember to stay hydrated, especially with the rising temperatures of summer around the corner.

Whether someone is a recreational exerciser or serious athlete, it is incredibly important to drink enough water throughout the day. “You lose more water as you exercise, so if you don’t replenish that water then you run the risk of becoming dehydrated,” former Gunn Health Tech Nurse Deborah Grant said.

When it comes to exercise, water can take care of the body in more ways than meet the eye. According to the American Heart Association, water is critical for heart health by keeping the body hydrated, which increases muscle efficiency and aids the heart in pumping blood throughout the body. As a result, there is less strain on the heart. In addition, water also helps regulate body temperature and transport nutrients to keep the body refreshed and energized. In other words, without proper hydration, the body is not able to perform at its highest potential. “Some of the symptoms [of dehydration] include what you normally would feel as dry mouth, fatigue, tiredness, sleepiness and headaches,” Grant said. “You can also see symptoms that are harder to notice like irritability and mood changes.” During exercise, dehydration can diminish performance level.

Muscle cramping, decreased strength and reduced endurance severely impede athletic ability and can result from improper hydration.

According to Harvard Health, a healthy person needs anywhere from thirty to fifty ounces of fluid daily. During regular body functions, water is lost through respiration, elimination and perspiration. There are several factors that can affect the amount of water necessary: level of physical activity, intensity of exercise, humidity and heat.

When temperatures rise in summer, keeping water at hand is essential whether playing sports, exercising, walking or just being under the sun.

Jeffrey Yao Hydration, however, is not just important when it comes to phys-

ical activity. “In hotter weather, you lose more fluids so on those days, you need to hydrate more,” Grant said. This advice is not only applicable to active people but to anyone who is simply spending time in the heat. When thirst is felt, the body is already dehydrated.

For all the summer athletes out there, there are a number of different sports drinks from Gatorade to Powerade that don’t necessarily bring the same results as just drinking plain water. “Water is the best way to hydrate but sports drinks do offer benefits,” Grant said. Sports drinks are more beneficial for activities that last longer, as they supply the body with the energy needed in order to keep going. “Sports drinks aren’t necessarily good for you, but they are effective if you are being active for over fifteen minutes because then you use up all the short supply sugars in your muscles and you start going into the long term muscle sugars,” nutritionist Jarrod Pagan said. The sugars , carbohydrates, and electrolytes in sports drinks are critical to keeping the body energized during more strenuous types of physical activity. “If you look at athletes who are performing long term versus drinking stuff that has carbohydrates in it, the athletes drinking stuff with carbs will have energy for longer than those just drinking water,” Pagan said. Nevertheless, water is the best source used for hydration as sports drinks can often contain an unnecessary amount of extra calories.

Over a long period of time, dehydration can lead to serious results damaging to one’s health. “Some of the long term effects of dehydration include fever or loss of conscious, confusion, inability to keep fluids down and vomiting,” Grant said. “If you see any of these symptoms then you’ll definitely want to seek a physician’s advice or see a doctor right away.”

The importance of getting the necessary amount of water for the body is quite often underestimated, as dehydration can have a titanic health effects.

As summer rolls around and outdoor activities become more common, don’t forget to keep that water bottle close at hand.

Local sporting events present opportunity for entertainment San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s Games July 31, August 1-3

NBA Finals June 1 Tickets will be hard to come by but worth it to see Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors redeem themselves from last year’s defeat. It’s sure to be a match for the ages.

Catch games featuring these classic rivals, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s. Local fans will have four opportunities to catch these games.

US Open of Surfing July 29-August 6

International Champions Cup July 23

Check out the largest surfing competition and festival in the world taking place at Huntington beach. This free nine-day event makes for the perfect end of summer adventure.

Every soccer fan is aware of this rivalry and knows this game is one that can’t be miss, so be sure to drop by the Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. Real Madrid and Manchester United will be travelling across the world to compete.

Graphics by Sherry Chen

Faces in the Crowd What sporting event are you most looking forward to this summer?

“I’m excited for Formula 1 racing because I’m interested in cars.”

Theo Makler (9)

“Swimming World Champs because I know people competing.”

Ashley Stahmer (10)

“I’m looking forward to the summer league of basketball.”

Jun Han (11)

—Compiled by Laurel Comiter

“NBA Playoffs because I’m excited for the Warriors to win another ring.”

Leila Tuma (12) —Compiled by Caroline Ro

Sports

Friday, May 19, 2017

15

Students make a splash in water sports Surfing Palo Alto’s distance from the sand and waves means that surfers are hard to find.

However, sophomore Cameron Powell is a resident of Half Moon Bay. A beginnerintermediate surfer, Powell first began taking surfing lessons in fifth grade; to her excitement, she found lessons through the Nor Cal Surf Shop, a sports store located in Pacifica, and began surfing soon afterward.

Although Powell is passionate about the sport, a combination of colder winter months and a heavy load of school work means that she surfs less often than she wants. Powell can surf more frequently during the months of summer and fall. “I always look forward to October, because in Northern California at least, that’s when the water is just better,” she said. “It’s clearer and it’s warmer because the water’s been warming up all summer, and the waves are nicer. ” During these months, she has experienced several distinguishing moments that stand out in her memory. “I think my favorite memory for surfing is when a seal came up near me,” Powell said. “Another time there were some dolphins off in the distance a little ways away, but it was cool because I was in the water.”

According to Powell, surfing’s focus on balance differentiates it from other sports.

Since Powell doesn’t surf that often, she prefers to use longboards over shortboards.

For her, longboards are easier to balance on since they are larger and more buoyant.

As a result, they are more suitable for surfers whose skills range from beginner to intermediate level. However, learning to balance on longboards is still difficult, and Powell recommends to practice as often as possible. Her history with other sports, such as snowboarding and gymnastics, has helped her pick up the skills necessary to surf well and provided her with a good foundation for balance.

Water Skiing People strapping skis to their feet and flying across the water may not be a very common sport, but it has been in junior Mollie Sampson’s family for generations.

For Sampson, water skiing has become somewhat of a tradition since she skied

Courtesy of Mollie Sampson

Junior Mollie Sampson gracefully glides across the surface of a lake.

Open water swimming Alcatraz looms on the horizon in the early morning sun as senior Viraj Ghosh cuts through the surrounding icy waters with crisp strokes. While there is no tangible prize at the end of the grueling swim, the satisfaction from the achievement is enough to motivate him. To Ghosh, open water swimming was an inviting change from the normal repetitive laps in pools. It represented an opportunity to explore the sport he loved while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of his body while creating connections with those close to him. “Open water swimming has always been a sort of family event for me, and it’s great to go out and compete,” Ghosh said.

Not only does the family aspect of these competitions appeal to Ghosh, he revels in the training needed. “Training for events is probably my favorite part because even though you’re cold and miserable, you know everyone else is, and there’s always hot chocolate and a meal at the end,” Ghosh said.

In addition to the family bonding and training, open water swimming presents an opportunity to learn valuable life skills. “Long distance swimming teaches you to push past the pain, and knowing that you have the grit and determination to do something hard makes other hard challenges in life seem trivial,” Ghosh said.

While Ghosh might be motivated by the prize of hard work and pure persistence, there are certain perks that make him favor certain swim spots over others. “Swimming in Aquatic Park is definitely a go-to place to practice because this one cafe at the corner of Ghirardelli square is definitely a sweet spot for me,” Ghosh said.

Open water swimming is a sport that changed Ghosh’s life and he highly recom-

Most of all, Powell appreciates the sport’s individuality and its closeness to nature, in comparison to simply playing on a field. “With surfing, you really have to know the ocean well and understand how to work with your environment to do it,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun because you get to try new things.”

Powell would advise all beginner surfers to understand that there is a steep learning curve for the sport. “Don’t give up after trying once or twice,” she said. “Get real comfortable in the ocean.”

Courtesy of Cameron Powell

Sophomore Cameron Powell goes scouting for a calm spot on the beach.

for the first time when she was seven. Prior to her first venture, Sampson had trained for water skiing through other sports. “We would do a lot of similar water sports like knee boarding, [where] you sit on a board and don’t have to do anything,” she said. “It’s a good stepping stone.”

For Sampson, there are many difficult parts of water skiing, but the most challenging part is getting back up on the skis after falling over. Not only does the struggle build character, but to Sampson, it’s a fight with the body’s willingness to use energy.

“It takes a lot of energy, so if you struggle getting up, then by the time you actually stand up you’re really tired, and so then you can’t put as much energy in it,” she said.

One of her most memorable moments was when she got up on doubles for the first time (two skies instead of one) and the sense of achievement that it imbued in her.

“My dad had told me, ‘Mollie, whatever happens, don’t let go of the rope.’ Because when you start going, all the water pushes against you so you feel like you’re being dragged down [and] your instinct is to let go,” she said. “It was the first time that I [had] a shot at getting up, but my skis were way too big and one of my skis fell off.

My dad [had said], ‘Don’t let go,’ so I just skied for five or seven seconds with one ski and the other leg was floating in the air.”

While water skiing may be a fascinating sport on its own, it has also led Sampson to pursue other water-related sports. “Pretty much anything behind a boat, I’m down to try,” she said.

When Sampson taught her friends how to water ski, she found it very rewarding, and is considering teaching on a more professional level in the future. “Teaching other people how to ski is really fun. Seeing them get up for the first time is always good,” she said. “I would love to [teach].”

mends that others try too. “Even if you’re a slow swimmer, or you think it’ll be too long, come out and try an open water event,” he said. “It’s tons of fun and at the end of the day, you’ll have done something pretty cool.”

Courtesy of Viraj Ghosh

Senior Viraj Ghosh poses with his medal after finishing a multi-step race.

—Written by Julia Cheunkarndee, Clara Kieschsnick-Llamas and Jack Mallery

16

Sports

Explore lax facts Flow Bucket is a fake hair attachment for guys that they put on the back of helmets if their hair does not meet the sufficient lax length standards.

Jaxson, Bella and Lexie are all common names for lax sticks. You are required to name your stick because their stats are your stats and it is your best friend. For lax bros, your stick is your girlfriend.

Guys’ helmets need to have tilt, so you should be looking out the top bar. For the poor unfortunate souls that look out the middle bar, you have been diagnosed with second bar syndrome.

For guys’ lax, obnoxious celebrations are a must for looking cool. Whether it’s dancing in the opponent’s face or taking a victory lap, celebrating is part of the game.

For girls lax, an absence of physical conflict is made up for by verbal abuse and “pure uncont r o l l e d h a t r e d .”

—Compiled by Jack Mallery Graphics by Sherry Chen and Jeffrey Yao

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Be sure to subscribe to The Oracle through the SAC webstore. Subscriptions are $45 a year.

Sports

Friday, May 19, 2017

17

Staffers face off in NBA Conference Finals predictions San Antonio Spurs Versus Golden State Warriors

Eric Epstein Business Manager

Ryan Manesh Assistant Business Manager

The San Antonio Spurs will dominate the 2017 NBA finals to spoil the third consecutive matchup of Warriors vs.

Cavaliers. The key to the Spurs’ success starts and ends with the emotionless basketball machine that is Kawhi Leonard.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has stepped up his offensive game this season and solidified his position as the best two-way player in basketball. Being a top-five player across the entire league, the playoff-experienced Leonard undoubtedly has the capability to lead his team to victory. Lucky for him, though, he will not be forced to win by himself. The Spurs have a very solid all-around roster, with emphasis on athleticism and defense. Lamarcus Aldridge creates a nightmare of a matchup in the post and Patty Mills provides playmaking and sharpshooting to keep the opposing defense honest. The Spurs bench is filled with the perfect mix of veteran experience, such as Manu Ginobili and David Lee, and with young energy, such as Jonathan Simmons and Dejounte Murray. The last component that makes the Spurs so dangerous in the postseason is their coach, Gregg Popovich. Popovich is one of the most successful NBA coaches of all time, and has coached the third-most playoff games of all time. Spurs in seven.

When thinking of who will win the NBA finals this year there is one obvious choice: the Bay Area’s own Warriors. The Warriors have a stacked team with four 2017 All Stars, which is more than any other team in either conference. The Warriors are also going to be hungry for a win after last year’s heartbreaking 3-1 choke. The Warriors also have beef with the predicted Eastern Conference winners Cleveland Cavaliers, who have swept every team they have played in their first two rounds. Warriors have a dead eye in Steph Curry, who has limitless range and a monster in Draymond Green, who has gotten a triple double with only steals, rebounds and assists. They also have Kevin Durant, who has been deemed a cupcake by his former fans but has been killing the game ever since he came to the Warriors. Last but not least they have Klay Thompson, the man who once scored 60 points in only three quarters and who has a 42 percent field goal percentage from beyond the arc. But if any of this is going to happen the Dubs will have to win their current series against the Spurs who have the likes of Kawhi Leonard. Warriors in five.

Paulo Frank Sports Editor

Boston Celtics versus Cleveland Caveliers

The Boston Celtics will be the Cleveland Caveliers’ undoing in this postseason. The Celtics were able to take 53 wins this season and the number one seed in the east, though admittedly due to Cleveland’s habit of resting their star players. Boston has averaged close to three more assists than Cleveland this season, along with being tied with Brooklyn for most fourth quarter points in the league.

This can be attributed to Boston’s star point guard: Isaiah Thomas. Thomas is deservedly dubbed king of the fourth quarter, putting an average of over 10 points per final quarter on the scoreboard. Standing at 5’9”, Thomas was the final draft pick of the 2011 NBA draft. Overlooked by many because of his height, Thomas has had to climb his way up to stardom and recently made his second All-Star appearance. He is sure to play with a fire, as the death of his sister was followed by his 53-point game against the Washington Wizards on the day that would have been her birthday.

Additionally, while Boston has played a total of 13 games in the playoffs, the Cavs have only played eight. This extra practice will come in handy during the Celtics’ meetup with the Cavs. Thomas’ Celtics have been out fighting on the court regularly, while the Cavs have just sat around, something Lebron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are more than used to. Celtics in seven.

Jack Mallery Sports Editor

Without a doubt, the Cleveland Cavaliers will reach the NBA Finals. First off, there’s the star player differences. Lebron James may be a total wimp who falls over when the wind blows, but the man is dishing out 34 points per game on average in the postseason this year, and you have to respect that. Couple this with the slightly ridiculous fact that the Cavs have gone 8-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and it’s pretty obvious that they are going to sweep the Celtics. Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics’ best (and smallest) player, is averaging a measly 28 points per game (coincidentally also his height in centimeters) with few defensive contributions to add. It took the Celtics seven games to get past the Wizards, which means they will be exhausted.

On the other hand, Lebron and the Cavs swept both series, enabling them to rest while the Celtics were trying desperately to beat a mediocre team and let’s face it: no one wants to see Boston win anything. It’s a place full of good food and obnoxious people. People need to wake up and see that while the Cleveland Cavaliers may not be popular, they are statistically the better team. Cavs in five.

Photos from Cleveland.com and Expressnews.com

Intramural basketball presents new athletic opportunities during Flex Time Sohini Ashoke News Editor During Flex Time in the last few weeks, junior Matthew Anthony and sophomore Akhil Kumar have hosted intramural basketball with the goal of establishing a competitive pastime which allows students to make the most of an off-season sport. Both active members of the Palo Alto Youth Council, Anthony and Akhil used the existing infrastructure to create their Flex Time activity.

Anthony describes the purpose and goal behind intramural basketball. “We found a lot of students who weren’t utilizing Flex Time so we wanted to give them a fun way to use those 50 minutes,” he said.

The two have come a long way in improving this event at Gunn, as it has previously been attempted but didn’t succeed. “We thought of the past intramural basketball attempts for Gunn and kind of how they had failed, so we kind of implemented it like that,” Anthony said. According to Kumar, the work to set up intramural basketball was challenging and took many months.“We first came up with it in Palo Alto Youth Council by talking to our advisor Jose [Perez-Sanchez], talking with school officials,” Kumar said. Creating the interworkings of the tournament was no easy task: Kumar and his group worked many months to get everything set up. “We spent since the beginning of the school year in our subcommittee trying to get it together and contact all the people,” Kumar said.

A member of the winning intramural basketball team, sophomore Sooyoung Yoon feels that intramural basketball was a memorable experience. “The experience was great not just the winning part but being able to play with my friends and having fun in general,” Yoon said.

Throughout the tournament, sophomore Connor Page and his team faced many challenges that required good teamwork. “The toughest challenge we faced was the team Hidden Phoenix, because they took a late lead and it was pretty tough. We had to choose one person to put all of our faith into, and [sophomore] Jake Humble gave us that last

point for the win,” Page said.

Humble also participated as part of the winning team, and attributed his success to his motivation to succeed. “We wanted to go out and prove that we are the best threeon-three intramural basketball team that this school has produced, and we wanted to go out and have a good time,” Humble said.

According to sophomore Michael Oh, the competition ran very smoothly. “It [intramural basketball] was very organized and I highly encourage other people to do it next year because the more people we have the more competition there is, and the more fun it is,” Oh said.

Richard Yu

Sophomore Zachar y Rosner uses his dribbling skills to get past a defender during a match on the basketball courts outside Titan Gym.

Lifestyle

18

Expanding your linguistic horizons with slang slang /slaNG/ (noun): a type of language that is regarded as very informal, to be used with friends or in a friendly matter.

LITTY:

Definition: When someone or something is more lit than regular lit; extra lit.

When to Use: Use this word when describing something or someone that you think is the coolest.

Ex: “Bro, the party is going to be litty!”

Guide to slinging slang 1. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Start using your own slang and don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense. Zaza? Clip?

Those don’t make a single bit of sense, but do people care? Not at all.

U-EY:

SAUCY:

Definition: Very stylish, or having a fresh and unique personality.

When to Use: Can be used to describe clothes, people, personalities or belongings.

The word can also be used in noun form (sauce).

Ex: “Stacy’s new clothes made her look saucy.” "Dude, I'm lost in the sauce."

2. I am currently trying to give new meaning to the word “bent.” Definition: cool, dope (it hasn’t caught on yet, but I remain hopeful!).

Definition: Short for a “U-turn.” A U-turn is a car turning 180 degrees making the shape of a “U." When to Use: When your friend is driving and you’re feeling lazy enough to shorten the English language. This can also be used to confuse parents or anyone who doesn't know the term.

Ex: “Go left… yeah… make a u-ey here and we

should be at McDonalds.”

ZAZA:

Definition: When someone is hot, charming or saucy.

When to Use: Use to describe an attractive person, or one with a confident aura.

Ex: “Simon Cowell’s got zaza.”

3. Replace your entire vocabulary with slang. And don’t just use it with your friends and family—English teachers love creativity! Integrate “litty” into your essay about Romeo and Juliet, and you’re guaranteed an “A.” 4. On that note, just burn every normal dictionary you see. Forget every other word you ever knew. Who needs Merriam or Webster? Urban Dictionary is now your only source of strength in this world.

DOWNTIGHT:

Definition: The opposite of uptight; laid- back.

When to Use: Use this word when something or someone is being hardcore chill.

Ex: “Jack Mallery is so downtight; I think the temperature just lowered three-and-ahalf degrees.”

5. Whatever you do, know that you can’t go wrong! Misuse a slang word?

Don’t fret, no one else knows how to use it either!

CLIP:

Definition: A taste so uniquely amazing it can’t be described with the word “delicious.”

When to Use: This word should be used to describe a food or anything that tastes out of this world. Synonyms for such tastes are “indescribable” and “god-like.”

Ex: “That guac from Chipotle is so clip.”

—Written by Carolyn Kuimelis —Compiled by Seungik Shin

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While based primarily in San Francisco, Allie explores both famous and undiscovered foodie must-eats around the Bay Area. Following guarantees an inexhaustible list of restaurants to try and weekend outing ideas.

Graphics by Mina Kim. Photos courtesy of @siliconvalleyprobs, @ruckustheeskie, @michel_e_b. and @allie.eats —Compiled by Caroline Ro

Lifestyle

Friday, May 19, 2017

19

Meet the best friends on The Oracle Laurel Comiter & Mikaela Wayne

Ryan Manesh & Jack Mallery

Grace Ding & Emma Chiao

Unlike how many friendships begin, Mikaela and I were forced into one. Not only are my sister and her oldest brother best friends, but our parents are about as close as four people can get. So it was obvious that at one point, one of us would have to break the ice and see if a friendship lay underneath. Mikaela has turned into much more than just that one upperclassman who tolerates me. She has become a friend, a role model and especially a sister.

I marvel at all that she has done for me and I can’t imagine what my high school experience would be like without her. From seven-hour car rides back from camp to beating Palo Alto High School in both water polo and lacrosse, we have created countless memories. Throughout these many activities, she has been a mentor by reminding me that I can always mix a little fun into whatever I’m doing.

From my first day on The Oracle, Mikaela has been by my side, helping me with the ins and outs of journalism, while also constantly making me laugh, giving me advice and having fun. Our shared sense of humor is what connects us the most; there is never a time where I’m not laughing when I’m with her.

Even though she is heading off to college in a few months, she will continue to be more than just my best friend on The Oracle: she is the person I go to for advice and, above all, my sister.

Ever since I joined The Oracle, I have met a mentor: the great Jonathan “Jack” Mallery. Talking about soccer, intense life discussions and extreme gossiping are all things you overhear when listening to our amazing conversations. Whenever I have a question about anything, no matter how weird, Jack is ready to answer.

We often watch soccer matches during The Oracle, roasting the players and debating about different players and teams. Our discussions aren’t just limited to soccer: we talk about pretty much anything and everything, including the juicy Gunn High School buzz.

Other than his amazing water polo player build, another great feature Jack has is his sparkling sense of humor. He is constantly cracking jokes during work time, which is probably why he barely gets any work done. He has always been nice to me even though he is two years older, which means a lot, and he never fails to include me on conversations in class.

Although there’s a lot of time for fun and games, there are many instances where Jack, surprisingly, helps me with work. He always gives advice when I’m writing my stories and tells me what classes I should and shouldn't take. If it were not for him, I would have had a much tougher time coming into high school and dealing with everything. I’m proud to call him one of my best friends and look forward to another year on The Oracle with him!

Grace and I often reflect back on the times during eighth grade when we sat in the same lunch group but never exchanged a single word and how far we’ve come since then. When we started Beginning Journalism, we acknowledged each other, but it wasn’t until we went through our first production together that we slowly became more than just classroom friends.

From there on out, our friendship grew exponentially.

Journalism was the one course we had together in freshman year, so it was the only time where we could ask each other academic questions. Soon, The Oracle became the place where Grace and I went on long walks and talked. Topics varied from life to the tree in front of our classroom. It was the time of day I looked forward to the most, until we were yelled at by Mrs. Blackburn in sophomore year. We often enjoyed dinner with an episode of "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette," and after that we would sneak out the back of the school to take a late night stroll through Bol Park.

As junior year fell upon us, we became more and more reliant on each other and our conversations to get us through each week. Sometimes, even a simple “tomorrow is Monday, eww” was enough for us to understand how the other was feeling. Even though The Oracle was the only class we have had together for the past three years, it was what brought us to where we are today.

—Comiter, a sophomore, is a Copy Editor.

—Manesh, a freshman, is the Assistant Business Manager.

—Chiao, a junior, is a Features Editor.

Photos by Richard Yu

20

Which The Oracle best friend pair are you & your BFF? Which iconic Palo Alto food duo are you?

Boba tea and phở after school.

Do you stage photo shoots together?

Regularly! How else would we admire each other’s beauty?

From time to time, but gentle teasing is more our style.

Would you audition to be on a reality TV show?

Um, of course. We would win basically every competition.

Reality TV show?

More like reality TV no.

In-N-Out burgers and fries at two in the morning.

How often do you roast each other?

Literally always. We don’t talk to each other any other way.

Nope. The mirror tells us all we need to know.

Do you spend more time on the field or in the sidelines?

We’re always on the field grinding 24/7/365; Division one bound.

On the sidelines. We have jerseys for every possible occasion.

You’re Grace and Emma!

You’re Mikaela and Laurel!

You’re Jack and Ryan!

At times, people mistake you two for siblings, which is forgivable since you’re almost there anyway.

Sometimes a single glance is all you need to communicate.

The definition of a team; your closeness is enviable. Whether it be sprinting down the field or just chilling, every moment can be turned into a bonding experience.

You make the worst decisions, but that’s what makes your friendship special. There are always endless opportunities to have fun and crack constant jokes when you’re together.

—­Compiled by Deiana Hristov, Megan Li and Yael Livneh ­Photos by Richard Yu ­Graphics by Mina Kim, Grace Liu and Jeffrey Yao