Winged Post Volume 16, Issue 4 by Harker Aquila

Winged Post wednesday, january 28, 2015

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 16, NO. 4

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AMC SCHEDULE tara parimi

Aquila copy editor The American Mathematics Competition (AMC) will be held on Feb. 3 at the Upper School. Students participating in the test should arrive on campus at 7:30 a.m., with period one beginning at 9:45 a.m. 110 students are registered for the two exams, the AMC 10 and 12. While the AMC 10 is restricted to only ninth and tenth grades, the AMC 12 is open to all students, grades nine through 12. Each exam is one hour and 15 minutes long and contains 25 questions. Shaya Zarkesh (9), who qualified to USAMO in the eighth grade, is hoping to repeat his success this year. “I hope to do well and get a perfect or near perfect score on the test,” Shaya said. If their AMC scores are in the top 2.5 percent (AMC 10) and the top five percent (AMC 12), students will qualify to take the AIME. A high score on the AIME results in an invitation to the U.S Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO). Last year, 39 Upper School students and nine Middle School students scored high enough on the AMC to qualify for the AIME. A high score on the AIME guarantees an invitation to the (USAMO). 11 students went on to qualify for the USAMO.

Three seniors named Intel Science Talent Search finalists, most in school history 9 of 40 finalists from Bay Area, record 15 Harker semifinalists kshithija mulam & vijay bharadwaj

setting a standard but also proving and passion and hard work does create possibility,” science department chair Anita Chetty said. “To know that a smaller school such as ours can fare better than larger, magnet schools that draw from larger populations is an important achievement.” The Intel Science Talent Search (STS) is a program of the Society for Science and the Public, an organization for public interest in scientific research

and education. STS originated in 1942 and is currently one of the most highly regarded competition for high-school photo editor & reporter seniors. Since 1998, it was sponsored by Intel and continues to grow as a Three Harker seniors were selectcompetition. ed as finalists in the annual 2015 Intel “You must find a question that Science Talent Search on Jan. 21, and you are so curious in answering that fifteen seniors were named semifinalyou will spend hours and hours searchists on Jan. 7. This year, Harker not only ing for answers. You must craft your has the largest number of finalists and own research question and find what semifinalists in Harker history, but also it is that you are interested in,” Chetty more than any other high school in the said. “Do not look for somecountry. one else to tell you what your The following students project ought to be and do were named semifinalists: not try to find a project that Shikhar Dixit, Andrew Jin, represents a ‘hot topic’. Find Rohith Kuditipudi, David something and then take it Lin, Rachel Wu, Cindy Liu, as far as you can.” Neil Movva, Pranav Reddy, This year, Intel has triAnokhi Saklecha, Nikash pled the top award money Shankar, Sriram Somasundaand added new categories. ram, Kailas Vodrahalli, Steven Each student receives $1000 Wang, Leo Yu, and Andrew for becoming a semifinalist, Zhang. Andrew Jin, Steven and $1000 from Intel goes Wang, and Rohith Kuditipu- SEMIFINALISTS (BACK ROW) Seniors Steven Wang, to the school. 40 students di went on to become Intel Nikash Shankar, Neil Movva, Shikhar Dixit, Pranav Reddy, Sriram Somasunduram, Andrew Jin. (FRONT ROW) are selected as finalists for finalists. Seniors Kailas Vodrahalli, Cindy Liu, Andrew Zhang, STS out of the 300 semi“Our seniors have paved Leo Yu, David Lin, and Anokhi Saklecha. 15 seniors finalists. Nine of those 40 the way for our younger stu- were named Intel STS semiﬁnalists on Jan. 7, the most students are from Bay Area dent researchers by not only in school history. Not pictured: Rohith Kuditipudi and

high schools. Several of the seniors conducted their research through summer research internships at colleges such as Stanford and NYU. Many were also aided in their research by Harker staff, who provided them with certain guidelines while writing papers and kept them on track with due dates for the projects. “Mr. Pistacchi was really helpful,” Rachel said. “When he looked over my paper, he pointed out a few big picture things that people in my lab didn’t really realize because they were so familiar with my project, so it was good to have an outside perspective.” Harker’s Science Department continues to encourage students to pursue the sciences, especially with the increased success of students in recent years. “Our whole student body is talented. If you can finish a Harker class, you can do science research,” Rohith said. “If you can get excited about it, you can do it well. And it’s really just as simple as that.”

Rachel Wu.

inside the projects

A NEW DIMENSION Steven Wang (12) took cellular models into 3D by placing minced mouse tissue in a collagen framework. The new models allowed for more reliable representations of tumor cells, especially their interactions with neighboring healthy tissue.

ANOKHI SAKLECHA - WINGED POST

A3 WINTER CONCERT A5 CHARLIE HEBDO A6 EDITORIAL A8 CHEMISTRY OF LOVE A10 WINTER FASHION A12 WINGSPAN MAGAZINE

Multimedia coverage of winter sports postseason

KYLE CAVALLARO - OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION

WHAT’S INSIDE

500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

KAITY GEE - HARKER AQUILA

the

NETWORKING Rohith Kuditipudi (12) draws a basic visual representation of the networks he worked with on his project. He studied factors that cause liver disease to progress to liver cancer,

SHAKESPEARE CONTEST meilan steimle opinion editor

Harker will be participating for the first time in the English Speaking Union’s National Shakespeare competition during long lunch in the auditorium Feb. 18. Students in grades nine to twelve can compete, preparing an at maximum twenty-line monologue from the Shakespeare Folger’s Library. The Harker winner will go on to compete at regionals in San Francisco on March 7, for which he or she will also prepare a sonnet. Regional qualifiers will then advance to Nationals in New York in April. English teacher Charles Shuttleworth was inspired to start the competition at Harker after moving from his previous school, Dwight High School, where participation was mandatory. “I think Harker students with their competitive spirit are naturals for this contest,” he said. “I think we have a chance of doing very well.” Students interested in the contest can attend the informational meeting on Wednesday, January 28 at 11:15 in Main room 9 for further information.

RESEARCH CLUB (LEFT) Research Club officers Steven Wang (12) and Andrew Jin (12) lead a club meeting in the research classroom. All three finalists were in the same fourth period Advanced Research class in first semester.

NATURAL SELECTION Andrew Jin (12) wanted to “understand why our bodies are the way they are,” developing a predictive method to ﬁnd areas of recent evolution in the human genome.

Q&A with ﬁnalists apoorva rangan & kacey fang

editor in chief & managing editor Winged Post: How do you guys feel 12 hours after hearing the news? AJ: It’s still a really big surprise. It’s such an honor to be named a finalist and go on to the next competition in March. RK: I definitely didn’t expect it, so it was a very pleasant surprise. It’s always a surprise for stuff like this. SW: I wasn’t expecting it at all, and I just came out of dance when I got the phone call, so it really wasn’t on my mind at all. It’s an honor to be among all the other finalists who are incredibly brilliant and I think it will be a great experience. WP: Can you guys talk about

WINTER BALL, A4

how you’ve been involved in research at Harker or if there’s something about research at Harker that you think was involved in that number? AJ: For me, Harker has just been a really supportive environment for me to pursue my interests and explore. I just started out doing research in seventh grade, and I really enjoyed it. Ever since then I’ve been doing research at Harker. The science classes prepare you really well and provide you with a solid foundation for research in such complex research areas, and the teachers are just really great. I know for me Mr. Pistacchi and Ms. Chetty and Mr. Spenner did so much to help me through reading my paper and providing feedback on my presentations. RK: Harker’s science department and math department are great about getting students excited about science.

They put a lot of work into things like the Symposium, and they provide a lot of resources for you to succeed, and there’s definitely a big emphasis on it. A large part of why Harker is so successful is because of the effort they’ve put into getting the student body these types of things. SW: I would just describe the research program as just very supportive. One example is in our research class, Mr. Spenner had time to review my paper two times which really helped to get it into shape to submit to competitions, and we also did a lot of feedback in class, so it’s just a very supportive environment that really helps sharpen your research skills. WP: You were all in the same Advanced Research class, right? AJ: Yeah. RK: Though that’s more of a correlation than causation, I think. SW (laughing): Actually, Spenner

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definitely liked us best. WP: Are you planning to continue your research in the future? RK: What I’m working on this semester is writing a more complete paper that will hopefully get published soon. I’m definitely excited about it. AJ: For me I’m definitely going to continue expanding my methodology and work for the rest of this school year. If I end up going to school on the East Coast, I’ll definitely be really interested in working in the same lab, the Broad Institute. This summer, it was my first time doing research in this area, but I found it was really fascinating, like evolutionary genetics. SW: I’m probably going to continue just going deeper into some of my analysis that I already did over the summer, and I’m starting to transition back into lab just after the college app frenzy. Continued on A8

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT GUIDE, A11

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS

Returns and departures Science teachers to return from maternity leave, kitchen staff member departs OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

maya jeyendran & emma yu

MAYA JEYENDRAN - WINGED POST MAYA JEYENDRAN - WINGED POST

PROVIDED BY MIRIAM ALLERSMA

Several faculty and staff changes happened during the start of second semester at the Upper School campus, including the return of computer science teacher Marina Peregrino and physics teacher Lisa Radice and the departure of Samantha Brailey, manager of the hot kitchen. According to Assistant Head of Academic Affairs Jennifer Gargano, the main effect of faculty entering and exiting will be reassigning classes. “[Despite the changes], no faculty member is really leaving, though, because we are redispersing classes,” she said. Brailey left her position at the Upper School to pursue work as a sous chef at a care home in Los Angeles. “[While at Harker], her duties were to oversee the hot kitchen and chowder house and just make sure her part of the kitchen was running smoothly,” cold kitchen manager Samantha Hipol said. Peregrino returned from an eight-week medical absence stemming from surgery. Her substitute teacher, Anu Datar, exited at the start of semester two after Peregrino resumed her position. “It took a little longer [than eight weeks] for me to recover but I’m so happy to be back,” Peregrino said. “I’m also lucky that all my classes for this year are semester classes [...] so there won’t be a [disconnect].” Radice resumed her position at the beginning of semester two after returning from maternity leave. She gave birth to twins Aaron and Theo on April 26, 2014. Physics teachers Eric Montany, Scott Pflaumer, and Anuradha Aiyer covered her classes while she was on maternity leave. “My Physics colleagues have been incredibly supportive and helpful. We met several times at the end of the first semester and we continue to meet on a regular basis to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible [...],” Radice said. “The hardest part hasn’t been in the classroom, it has been trying to get out of the house on time in the morning.”

PROVIDED BY LISA RADICE

Aquila lifestyle editor & reporter

NEW LIFE (TOP) Physics teacher Lisa Radice gave birth to twins Aaron (left) and Theo (right) on April 26, 2014. She resumed classes at the beginning of semester two. (BOTTOM LEFT) Alice Pearl Allersma was born on 1:17 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2014. Physics teacher Miriam Allersma will resume her classes in mid March. (MIDDLE RIGHT) Programming teacher Marina Peregrino returned from an eight-week surgery-related absence at the start of semester two. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Lisa Radice resumed her classes, covered by Physics teachers Eric Montany, Scott Pflaumer, and Anuradha Aiyer.

Miriam Allersma, also a freshman physics teacher, plans to return to campus in March after spending as much time as possible with her newborn daughter Alice Pearl Allersma, who was born on Sept. 30 last year. Allersma anticipates minor difficulties in resuming teaching after an ex-

tended break. “I know it will be challenging for the students and for me to adjust,” she said. “I would like to continue with as much of Mr. Montany’s style as possible to make the transition easier for students. Plenty of clear communication between me and the students

[...], flexibility and patience will help smooth the bumps.“ All the returning teachers hope to have a successful second semester with their students.

Statewide drought continues into new year sanjana avula & alex wang reporters

DRIED UP (TOP) The large reservoir along Highway 5 lacks water. In December, the reservoir was nearly dry. (BOTTOM) The line of grass shows the normal water level of the reservoir along Highway 5. According to the Mercury News, 2015 began with dry weather.

bucket in the shower, collect that water and then pour it on their lawn or use it however is needed. Some students have been implementing techniques into their lifestyles in order to save water. “I have been trying to take shorter showers. [Our family doesn’t] really water the lawn [be]cause we don’t use [it] anyways, so we stopped doing that,” Gwyneth Chen (9) said. Other students are aware of the water conditions, but have not modified their water use.

SANJANA AVULA - WINGED POST

Repercussions of California’s 2014 record-breaking drought continue to interfere with California’s agriculture. Heavy rainfall and storms at the end of 2014 left California residents hopeful for more in order to end to the drought, but 2015 started off with dry weather. Unfortunately, California’s water levels are still below average. According to the California Department of Water Resources, as of April 1, 2014, the statewide water content of snowpack is at 18 percent of the historical average. 2014 has been the third driest Water Year for California in 119 recorded years. There were more snowcaps this year than last, yet it is still 43 percent of the all time average.With the drought still happening, and the water reservoirs still more empty than usual, there are ways to preserve the water supply and possibly end the drought. “We can help reduce our impact by conserving water, making sure our faucets aren’t dripping, making sure that we aren’t using excess water, doing things that we shouldn’t be doing,” Jeff Sutton, AP Environmental Studies teacher, said. He recommends that people should turn their lawn sprinklers off in the winter and should collect shower water. He says that a lot of people run their water in their shower for three or four minutes, waiting for it to heat up, but they can actually put a

“It’s affected how I’ve felt about water. Its availability has not affected my consumption much,” sophomore Andrew Rule said. Though the drought in California has gotten less drastic because of recent weather, it still remains a problem in the coming year. “What I have heard from NPR, and NASA, and the National Weather Association is basically that the drought is not anomalous,” Sutton said. “Not that it was not expect-

ed, but its not an extreme drought thats caused by global warming, but of course it is exacerbated by global warming. We are still in the drought, even though that we have snow and some snowcaps, still technically we are in the drought.” Though the drought is still going on, state of California still continues to develop innovative ideas and ways to conserve water and end the drought in 2015.

DECORATED Vikram Sundar (‘14) alongside his teammates at the International Physics Olympiad in Astana, Kazakhstan. The team went on to win the gold medal.

Students to take upcoming olympiads tara parimi

Aquila copy editor North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad’s (NACLO) qualifying exam for semifinalists will be held tomorrow, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with check-in beginning at 8:40 a.m. A computational linguistics competition attracting thousands of student participants, NACLO is a three hour-long examination where students solve puzzles involving obscure or disappearing languages, such as Japanese Braille and Movima. In the past, Harker students have advanced far in the competition, with alumnus and former Linguistics club president Erik Andersen (‘13) winning a bronze medal at the international level with the U.S. team. According to club President Jessica Zhu (11), NACLO and the linguistics club have expanded exponentially of late in terms of participation and interest. “The olympiads in the STEM fields tend to be more popular especially among Harker students,” Jessica said. “Through linguistics club, I hope to encourage more students to take NACLO as I believe that it is a great way to explore the beauty of language and challenge the mind in a way that emphasizes logic and deduction over memorizing formulas and complex derivations.” The Upper School also has a large number of student participants in the U.S. National Physics Olympiad (USAPhO), the U.S. Biology Olympiad (USABO), the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (UNSCO), the U.S. Computing Olympiad (USACO) and the U.S. Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO). USAPhO was held on Jan. 19 in Dr. Eric Nelson’s room. Last year, Harker alumnus Vikram Sundar (‘14) was among five Harker students to become a national finalist and went on to win a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). Computer science department chair and physics teacher Dr. Nelson comments on the competition. “We don’t do extra preparation, we don’t have a physics olympiad after school club[...][but] last year five students were [national] finalists [and] we’re a small school,” Dr. Nelson said. USACO is an online programming competition that will be taken in four three-hour long parts composed of three to four algorithms such as line sweep, flood fill and shortest path. Student are given a four day window in which they are required to take one part. Co-president of the Harker Algorithms club and participant in last year’s national training camp, Lawrence Li (11), shares his goals for the competition. Both the Harker Algorithms and Programming clubs run a series of programming contests during the year in preparation for the olympiad. “My hope this year is to qualify for the training camp again and make it into the U.S. team,” Lawrence said. “I also hope that I can share what I’ve learned from these experiences with younger students and introduce them to useful resources so that they can develop a passion for computer science.” The first part of USACO is conducted between Dec. 12 to 15, the second Jan. 16 to 19, the third Feb. 20 to 23 and the fourth and last April 3 to 6.

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 NEWS • JANUARY 28, 2015

Winter concert Aquila social media editor & reporter The Upper School orchestra, Jazz Band, Lab Band, the Middle School orchestras, Middle School chamber groups, and the Middle School Jazz Band performed in the annual Winter Concert at the Mexican Heritage Theater on Jan. 16. The Winter Concert marked the first concert of the year for these performing arts groups. In order to prepare for this concert, performers rehearsed in sectional groups with their respective instrumental separations. “I’m the most excited because this is the first concert of my senior year,” said Vishal Vaidya (12), before the concert. “I think this is the best sounding group that we’ve had in the four years that I’ve been here.” First, the Lab band, led by Dr. Hart played Caravan, Groove Merchant, Bernie’s Tune, and Aim High. Mr. Florio then led the Upper School Jazz band in playing Spain, Sitka Shuffle, and then I Just Called to Say I Love You and Skylark with vocalist Julia Wang, who is also a member of the Upper School Orchestra. Following an intermission, the Upper School Orchestra performed La Forza Del Destino by Giuseppe Verdi, Antonín Dvorák’s New World Symphony and Bernstein’s Profanation. The pieces played this year by the Upper School Orchestra were over-

all more difficult than songs played in The students were able to learn years past, with constantly changing and perform the complex pieces detime signatures and very high and low spite the initial troubles. notes. “The most memorable part of “The hardest part [of learning the learning the music was when I first got pieces] was the flat out difficulty level,” the music, and there was this moment said Mr. Florio, conductor of the Upper of ‘What am I going to do?’” clarinet School player JesO r sica SkinThere was over an hour’s worth of music chestra ner (9) said. and the that was all professional level, very com- “Now, I Upper plex and difﬁcult music. It was just a huge learned that School I can actuchallenge. J a z z ally play it, CHRIS FLORIO Band. so that’s a “ There good thing.” was over an hour’s worth of music that Audience members, students and was all professional level, very complex conductors alike were very pleased with and difficult music, there was no rest for the turnout and results of the concert. anybody. It was just a huge challenge.” “It was amazing. It was the best

outcome I could’ve asked for.” Mr. Florio said. “For the first time in my career I walked away sure that we did the absolute best that we could.”

LAUREN RUSSELL - WINGED POST

ashi gautam & lauren russell

Harker’s instrumental groups perform in annual winter concert at Mexican Heritage theater

JAZZED UP (LEFT) Vocalist Julia Wang accompanies the Upper School Jazz band in the song “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Julia also plays the cello in the Upper School Orchestra. (CENTER) Matthew Huang (12), cello section leader, stands along with the rest of the Upper School Orchestra after completing their second piece, Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony. (RIGHT) Rishabh Jain (12) plays a saxophone solo in the Upper School Jazz band’s piece “Spain.”

CNN anchor speaks at Foothill College

Young journalists interview Anderson Cooper apoorva rangan

PROGRESS The new members of Congress take an oath of ofﬁce. The new congress has 12 new senators and 52 new representatives.

New U.S. Congress begins term derek yen reporter

LEGENDARY (TOP) Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Sabrina Sidhu (12) speaks to CNN and 60 Minutes anchor Anderson Cooper, who presented a keynote as the third installment of Foothill College’s Celebrity Forum Speaker Series. Other speakers in the 2014-15 series include Bill Nye and Soledad O’Brien. (BOTTOM) Cooper poses with seniors Apoorva Rangan, Shannon Su and Sabrina Sidhu.

hard to know that at the age of 17 or 18. In a sense, uncertainty is almost a gift because it pushes you to explore.” During a question-and-answer session following his speech, he offered more advice to aspiring journalists. “I just hate that feeling of being afraid of anything,” he said when asked how he maintains fearlessness during high-profile interviews. ”But I’m glad you have that impression, because I’m actually a huge wimp.” Shannon commented on the evening’s serendipity.

ELLEN AUSTIN

“It’s unbelievable,” said the Flint Center usher as he swept back the curtains, revealing the staircase to the auditorium’s backstage. “You’re in.” And with that, the three Upper School journalists Shannon Su (12), Sabrina Sidhu (12), and this reporter clambered up the stairs with their adviser Ellen Austin. Waiting backstage was CNN and 60 Minutes anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper, who agreed to meet the staff members after his address for Foothill College’s Celebrity Forum Speaker Series from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m on Friday. “We heard from someone whose life has been spent going around the world covering not stories, but people,” said Austin. “I hope they learned that getting to that human element, that through people, there’s the potential to change the world for the better.” Cooper’s speech covered his journey to his successful career as a Peabody-winning journalist, as well as his salient memories of war and disaster reporting. “I had this extremely privileged upbringing, but we were treated with respect,” Cooper said about growing up in a wealthy Vanderbilt household. “We were never at the kids’ table. We sat at the table with Truman Capote and Charlie Chaplin.” Cooper’s tenacity and mastery of the “hustle” were, according to him, independent of his upbringing. He graduated high school a semester early to spend his senior spring trucking through sub-Saharan Africa. “Sure, you can have your foot in the door, but it’s what you do with your foot in the door that makes a difference,” he said in an interview after the event with The Winged Post. He ended up working an entry-level job with ABC1, eventually forging a press pass to cover the Somali civil war with a borrowed videocamera. “I could definitely relate to what he said about being uncertain,” Sabrina said. As seniors, we’re often expected to have an idea about what we want to do with the rest of our lives, but it’s pretty

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

editor-in-chief

“I tried to stay as optimistic as I could when the usher went backstage to check on the situation because I was really hoping that we could talk to Anderson,” she said. “We definitely made the right move in doing so, and I’m so still so happy that we got to meet him.” The next speaker in the 2014-15 Celebrity Forum Series is award-winning photographer Platón, and other speakers this year include Bill Nye, Soledad O’Brien, and Walter Isaacson. Tickets can be purchased at celebrityforum.net.

The 114th United States Congress held its first meeting on Jan 3, 2015 at the United States Capitol building to swear in the new senators, and will be in effect until Jan. 3, 2017. Three of the first topics for congress are net neutrality, legalizing same-sex marriage, and repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. In the new congress, both the Senate (54 percent R) and the House (56.6 percent R) have a Republican majority. This makes it far easier for congress to pass bills; the former congress was split between the parties, causing indecisiveness. Net neutrality is the ideal that internet carriers should put equal priority on data. Without net neutrality, carriers can assign higher priority to those who pay premiums, such as corporations, causing general data rates to lapse. Some members of Congress have proposed that the internet should be considered a common carrier. If this were the case, the Federal Communications Commission would be able to enforce net neutrality. “It’s unlikely that we can implement the rules necessary to preserve an open Internet without reclassification,” senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote during a Q&A session conducted on Reddit. “More aggressive enforcement of anti-trust laws will also be necessary to promote competition in broadband.” While same-sex marriage has

been legalized in 36 states, and congress has removed the Defense of Marriage act from the legal sphere, it is not nationally legal. Congress is deliberating over passing Respect for Marriage Act, which would nationally legalize same-sex marriage. “It shouldn’t be other peoples’ choice, who you should marry,” Shaya Zarkesh (9) said. Some politicians have pushed for Obamacare to be repealed. Obamacare introduces a mandatory insurance plan, mandates that large companies fund their employees’ insurance, and that the government aids the poor by taxing financially stable households. A study done by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projects that Obamacare will boost American spending on Obamacare by about $621 billion in the next 10 years. Furthermore, it forces households which are legally not eligible to receive help to pay for insurance, causing financial stress. Despite the large effects Obamacare has on American healthcare and taxpaying, students are largely uninformed about it. Four students out of around 20 interviewed were able to answer what Obamacare is. “It does provide some subsidies for people who can’t afford healthcare,” Edgar Lin (9) said. Others pointed out that the funding for Obamacare comes at a cost. “I don’t like it,” Markus Wong (9) said. “It takes money from middle-class and upper-class people. It’s affected my family a lot.”

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 NEWS • JANUARY 28, 2015

Students party at Bond-themed Ball Nichols hall atrium, rotunda redecorated in 007-style splendor by Spirit Commi ee jackie gao & kaitlin hsu Students attended Winter Ball, which was organized by the Spirit Committee, on Jan. 17, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., in Nichols Hall. This year, the Winter Ball theme was “James Bond 007,” and the Spirit Committee was allowed an initial budget of $6,000 to redecorate Nichols Hall. Tickets for an individual person cost $20, while couples could buy tickets for $30. According to Spirit Club Co-President Katy Sanchez (12), 260 students bought tickets to attend the dance, which was more than last year. “The only thing that I would have changed would have been the amount of the decorations that we had,” Katy said. “I wish we could have spent more I’m really money on glad that they all the decoshowed James rations, because I think Bond movies. it would have Whenever I looked nicer.” To regot tired or flect this year’s bored of danc- theme, Spirit ing, I watched Committee members pursome of it. chased elegant furniture and DARREN GU (9) decorations. Chandeliers and soft lights that illuminated the hall replaced the hanging Siemens Science Fair posters while white sofas decorated the back of the building. Circular tables draped with black cloth were also set along the sides of the room. On a screen under the staircase, James Bond movies were shown throughout the dance. “I’m really glad that they showed James Bond movies,” Darren Gu (9) said. “Whenever I got tired or bored of dancing, I watched some of it.” The Spirit Committee opened the entrance at 8 p.m., and students were greeted with loud music, an assortment

KAITLIN HSU - WINGED POST

reporters

HAVING A BALL (TOP LEFT) Senior Caroline Howells dances with her friends. (MIDDLE LEFT) Jon Dobrota (12), Vivek Sriram (12), and Jackelyn Shen (12) dance and sing along. (BOTTOM LEFT) Zarek Drozda (11) and Jonathan Hochberg (11) chat with friends while drinking apple cider. (RIGHT) Sarah Bean (12), Eddie Shiang (10), and Shannon Su (12) join hands with other students and dance together during Winter Ball. Winter Ball took place in Nichols Hall on Jan. 17.

of snacks and party lights. As more and more people started to trickle in, groups of students migrated onto the dance floor in small pods. Soon, a large crowd of students who were dancing to the music formed in the center of Nichols Hall. After several songs, girls began to run out to take off their shoes, and high heels piled next to the tan landscape of the hall.

The DJ played popular songs, including “Black Widow” by Iggy Azalea, “Drunk In Love” by Beyonce, and “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. When the DJ decided to play the classic slow dance song, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, the crowd thinned out, and couples started dancing together. The majority of the student body

did not attend the Winter Ball, mainly because of studies and extracurricular activities. “I had a lot of pressures at the time because I was training for the Pre-Olympic Trials [for archery] in April 2015 and taking a mock SAT,” Linus Li (9) said. “Even though I really wanted to have some time to relax and go to winter ball, I felt there was a lot of

stress coming in from other subjects.” Others did not attend because the majority of the students or their friends did not. “I feel at times that attendance to these dances have been somewhat flimsy,” Kevin Su (12) said. “I would prefer where there’s a better attendance and try to save the experience for then.”

New courses oﬀered next year VINEET KOSARAJU - WINGED POST

vineet kosaraju & jenna sadhu

HABLAS ESPAÑOL Spanish teacher and Foreign Language Department Chair Abel Olivas teaches an AP Spanish class. Next year, the Upper School will be offering an Honors Spanish 4 class to bridge the gap between Spanish 4 and the AP course.

Aquila asst. STEM editor & reporter New courses offered next year include a new semester elective, English 4: Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation, a year long Honors Spanish 4 class that is more fast-paced than the current option, Spanish 4,, and several additional new courses available on the Global Online Academy (GOA). In terms of logistical changes, the semester Ecology science elective has been renamed Marine Biology, Modern International Affairs has been made an Honors class, and the two semester courses AP Microeconomics

HELM themes new magazine “Revolution”

heads talk about it and try to figure out what’s missing. Maybe an individual teacher has a neat idea in general, and we work together to see how it can best fit into our existing curriculum,” he said. To graduate, students are required to obtain a minimum of 22 academic credits. Some classes are also required to be taken a specific number of years: English classes must be taken for four years, science, history, and math for three, and students also must pass level three in a foreign language. An additional semester of computer science and a year long course about visual or performing arts are requirements for graduating.

School welcomes grammy-nominated jazz pianist

Taylor Eigisti Trio to perform third concert series lauren russell & jenna sadhu

alix robinson-guy & kaitlin hsu

LIFT-OFF Last year’s HELM was volume 15, featuring a photo of a hot air balloon submitted by an alumnus.

HELM co-editor in chief said. “It’s so interesting to hear freshman perspectives.” Though the staff are still sorting through submissions for the new issue, the editors look forward to what lies ahead for the publication. “Preparing for the future of HELM and everything is going to be a very emotional experience,” Gupta said. “But that’s definitely what I’m most excited about.”

Two-time Grammy-nominated pianist Taylor Eigsti will make his third appearance at the Harker Concert Series tonight with the Taylor Eigsti Trio. Eigsti has been performing with bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis for about 15 years. Shifflett and Lewis both live in the San Jose area, while Eigsti, who grew up in the Bay Area, now lives in New York. The trio has three records all together, including “Resonance” in 2003. At Harker, they have hosted a master class for the Upper School Jazz band in the auditorium of Nichol’s Hall. At their last three concerts that they have performed featured works including “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”, “Distress” which he composed for the soundtrack of “Detachment” starring Adrien Brody, along

FLYING FINGERS On the piano, Taylor Eigsti engages the audience at last year’s performance. He and his trio work to create a calm, soothing atmosphere for their listeners.

ALLISON SUN

COURTESY OF HELM

reporters

Harker Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM) will accept submissions until February 28 and publish its 2014-2015 issue around March 10. Though HELM has released multiple issues before, this is the first time there has been a designated theme. “Everyone really liked the idea, so we had a list of thirty themes that people suggested, and then we voted on them within our staff,” Juhi Gupta (12), HELM co-editor in chief said. With the addition of the theme, there was also an increase in younger staff members. The HELM staff considers the freshmen voices equally important as the rest. “The [most fun] part of HELM is when we all get together in a room, and we judge submissions,” Juhi Muthal (12),

and AP Macroeconomics have been combined into a yearlong AP Economics course. Each year, the specific advanced topics offered in each subject swap. Next year, Signals and Systems, and Differential Equations II are the two available math advanced topics, Expert Systems, and Computer Architecture are the two avaliable computer science advanced topics, and for students taking Latin, the only advanced topic is Honors Advanced Classical Studies. According to Dean of Studies Evan Barth, changes to the courses offered at Harker usually come from individual teachers’ ideas. “Departments and department

with many of the trio’s own compositions. Eigsti’s trio mainly focuses on playing a variety of upbeat jazz for their audiences. Middle School’s Performing Arts director and director of the upper school Lab Band, Dr. Dave Hart has been a childhood friend of Eigs-

ti, and was invited to perform during one of the concert series and closed out last year’s show with his trumpet interpretation of Kenny Dorham’s “Lotus Blossom.” “Taylor is one of the most talented musicians I’ve met in my life because he’s able to play so many vast styles,” he said. “I think what people are going to hear [tonight] is his voice influenced by a lot of different things whether it’s popular music or Jazz standards.” After being considered a child prodigy and releasing his first album at 14, Eigsti has received two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Solo and Best Instrumental Composition after releasing his own album, “Lucky to Be Me” in 2006. He travels internationally to play at premiere venues around the world. Musicians from all different types of backgrounds come to perform in the concert series. Tickets are on sale for the performance for $25.

GLOBAL

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

” e i l har

C s i Su

e k a w e h t n i e h J c “# free spee attacks o t d n b e e d H e Stu i l r a h C of “I believe that free speech should be preserved at all costs because it is a very powerful tool for the people; and the fact that violence is provoked as a result of it proves just how powerful it is.”

DAVID LIN (12)

JE SUIS CHARLIE: A man pays respect to the 12 innocent victims killed during the Charlie Hebdo shooting at a vigil in Paris. More than 3.5 million people from around the world gathered together to show their solidarity and protest terrorism.

Terrorists attack magazine offices priscilla pan & anokhi saklecha

features editor & global editor Twelve people were killed in an Al-Qaeda directed attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine headquarters in Paris on Jan. 7. Controversial portrayals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad reportedly sparked the assault, prompting a global movement to support free speech. Eleven journalists and one security guard were shot by two brothers, Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi. After an extensive manhunt, the brothers were cornered at Creation Tendance Decouverte, where they were both shot and killed by police officers. Meanwhile, gunman Amedy Coulibaly held innocent victims hostage at a Kosher supermarket, threatening to execute them unless the Kouachi brothers were set free. After police heard explosions in the building, they charged inside, killing Coulibaly and liberating 15 hostages. Four victims were found dead. On Jan. 11, over 3.5 million people united in solidarity demon-

CREATIVE COMMONS

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATER

“Free speech is important because it allows us as student journalists to genuinely express our opinions in our publications.”

SABRINA SIDHU (12)

YEARBOOK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Students compare free speech rights Rights in U.S. more broad than Pakistan, Kazakhstan elisabeth siegel, trisha dwivedi & praveen batra

strations in Paris. The shooting also triggered an outpour of social media responses with the hashtag “#JeSuisCharlie,” meaning “I am Charlie.” The following day, Charlie Hebdo published a “survivor issue,” depicting a cartoon of Muhammad holding a sign reading “Je Suis Charlie,” with the French words for “All is forgiven” above. The Modern International Affairs class, taught by Damon Halback, discussed the Charlie Hebdo case to understand the nature of free speech and coverage in different countries. “I think [the Charlie Hebdo case] amplifies existing perspectives [on free speech],” Halback said. “There are people [who] do not believe in a more full definition of freedom of speech. And there are people who will say in order for there to be a truly free and egalitarian society, we need to be able to have the opportunity to have satire that is cutting and sometimes uncomfortable.” Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests continue globally, as France recovers from the shooting incident.

news editor, business manager & reporter

The Charlie Hebdo shooting has sparked many conversations across the globe about free speech and journalistic ethics. Student free speech rights vary throughout the United States and the world, as do opinions on the ethics of Charlie Hebdo. United States According to an article from the American Civil Liberties Union’s website in 2003, students attending public schools have free speech rights, but these rights are not valid for profanity or disruptive speech. “In general, the court defers to a very paternalistic sense of First Amendment rights for students in school,” history teacher Tim Case said. “In some ways, the First Amendment rights that students have with school are viewed in the context of a legal system that views students not as fully rational agents.” The origins of some student free speech protections are in the 1969 Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines, which ruled that students of public schools “do not shed their con-

stitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Two additional Supreme Court cases limit student free speech. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988) gave schools more control over student publications, and School District 43 v. Fraser (1987) reinforced the absence of free speech protection for profanity. Global While policies of free speech vary around the globe, many schools still maintain student-run journalism programs. The Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Assana (NISA), Harker’s sister school in Kazakhstan, has a student-led magazine called iBusy. “We receive articles, we read them, and if it does not contradict the opinion of the editors we publish it,” said Assiya (NISA 12), one of the editors of iBusy, who said she preferred that her full name not be printed. “We do think we have free speech, but we have not received any words that contradict school policies or anything, so we have not faced that issue very much.” The Paris killings, according to Assiya, should provoke more discussion along the lines of journalistic ethics rather than free speech. “According to the information

we read, the cartoon had warnings on provocative information that they were publishing,” she said. “They should have been aware of the consequences and the implications of what they write. It was not very ethical from our point of view. But we are still very sorry for what has happened in France.” Sana Saleem, an A-level student at Cosmic Campus tuition center in Karachi, Pakistan, thought that she perceived a double-standard within the attitudes of France and the world concerning free speech. “Whereas I’m glad France showed that they won’t stand for this type of terrorism, I feel it’s more reflective of France becoming more Islamophobic in the years to come, as the distinction between Islam the religion and the actions of extremists isn’t being made,” Sana wrote in an email interview. “The fact that Charlie Hebdo is allowed to post content which is offensive to Muslims and is not penalised due to free speech, raises questions about why the French government seems so blasé in this respect but seems horrified at anything anti-Semitic. Now, the idea isn’t to encourage anti-Semitism, but if one can have regard for the beliefs of Jews then that can surely extend to Muslims.”

United States and Cuba begin to normalize diplomatic relations shay lari-hosain

THE WHITE HOUSE

design editor

WELCOME HOME: Alan Gross is welcomed back to the United States after spending five years as a prisoner in Cuba. The U.S. and Cuba agreed to swap prisoners in December of 2014.

February 2014 National poll found that 56% of Americans support normal relations with Cuba.

December 2013 President Obama and Raúl Castro met and shook hands at the Mandela memorial.

December 2014 The U.S. and Cuba exchange prisoners.

December 2014 President Obama declared that the U.S. will normalize relations with Cuba.

On Dec. 17 of 2014, President Obama and President Raúl Castro announced plans to resume U. S.-Cuban relations, marking the start of a historic effort to end U. S. policy that harkens back to the Cold War. “We will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries,” Obama said in a press statement that day. A Pew poll indicates that 56 percent of Americans approve of the administration’s decision to open up relations. Diplomatic ties with Cuba, a country of 11 million, were originally cut off a year after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, when tensions between the White House and the Kremlin peaked. The federal government has eased travel restrictions for American citizens. Tourist travel to Cuba remains prohibited, but as of Jan. 15, travel to Cuba for family visits, journalistic, humanitarian or research/educational purposes is permitted. The New York Times reported that the first round of talks began between American and Cuban officials in

Havana last Wednesday and closed the day after. Both sides maintained the talks were “productive.” “Well, I think [the move is] very good. It’s long overdue,” said Dr. Francis Fukyama, author of Falling Behind: Explaining the Development Gap between Latin America and the United States, in a phone interview. “I think the sanctions and embargo have been a big failure, and if a policy doesn’t work for 50 years, I don’t think waiting another few years is really going to prove the case.” AP Economics, AP U. S. History and Modern International Affairs teacher Damon Halback offered his insight into why he believes the Obama administration’s decision is advantageous. “The policy regarding Cuba was always an anachronism, grounded in 1950s and 1960s Cold War policies,” he said. “Second-generation Cubans want to see relatives [and] the island that their parents talked to them about. It is just simply a different issue than it used to be. Cuba does not offer a security threat to the United States, and for that reason, the way to think about the embargo should change.” Although the Cuban regime has remained socialist for over half a century, President Raúl Castro has begun

to open up the economy in recent years. “In every country that has a command economy like Cuba, the opening up of borders to greater amounts of competition and information access has transformed the experience of its people,” Halback added. “This is not to say capitalism makes it better for everybody, [or that] it is without flaws, but there is no doubt that this will be better for Cuba.” Some remain skeptical. Questions remain about the eventual extent to which policy will change. Jay Paranjpe (10) supports the move but feels that relations between the U. S. and Cuba will not ameliorate. “It doesn’t seem that [the U. S. is] really trying to go through and lift sanctions. They’re trying to make a step toward making the situation better by taking [Cuba] off the terror list, but it’s really not going to help anyone,” he said. “As long as sanctions still remain, [removing Cuba from] the terror list is just of an act to make the Obama administration look better.“ The embargo on Cuba cannot be lifted without Congressional authorization. According to the White House, Cuba’s designation on the State Department’s Sponsors of Terrorism list is currently being reviewed.

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

Editors-in-Chief Apoorva Rangan & Sheridan Tobin Managing Editor Kacey Fang Copy Editor Kavya Ramakrishnan Design Editor Shay Lari-Hosain News Editor Elisabeth Siegel Opinion Editor Meilan Steimle Features Editor Priscilla Pan Lifestyle Editor Riya Godbole Global Editor Anokhi Saklecha Sports Editor Roshni Pankhaniya Tech Editor Vivek Bharadwaj Business Manager Trisha Dwivedi Photo Editor KJ Mulam Magazine Editor-in-Chief Sindhu Ravuri Magazine Assistant Editor Shay Lari-Hosain Aquila Editor-in-Chiefs Alyssa Amick & Vasudha Rengarajan Adviser Ellen Austin, MJE Aquila Contributors Megy Appalaraju Maya Jeyendran Sharanya Balaji Raveena Kapatkar Tiara Bhatacharya Vineet Kosuraju Ria Gandhi Tara Parimi Ashi Gautam Shannon Su Kaity Gee Mariam Sulakian Vivian Isenberg Vedant Thyagaraj Reporters

Sanjana Avula Vijay Bharadwaj Adrian Chu Jackie Gao Meena Gudapati Kaitlin Hsu Ashley Jiang Maya Kumar Melina Nakos

Alix Robinson-Guy Lauren Russell Jenna Sadhu Sahana Srinivasan Aditya Varshney Derek Yen Emma Yu Stanley Zhao

Visit The Winged Post Online at www.harkeraquila.com Follow us on social media with the handle /harkeraquila

The Winged Post is published every four to six weeks except during vacations by the Journalism and Advanced Journalism Newspaper Concentration courses of Harker Upper School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129. The Winged Post staff will publish features, editorials, news, and sports in an unbiased and professional manner and serve as a public forum for the students of The Harker School. Editorials are the official opinions of The Winged Post. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Winged Post. All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Winged Post in no way reflects the official policy of The Harker School. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers and not the Harker board, administration, faculty, or advisor. Advertisements are accepted in the Post. However, The Winged Post reserves the right to deny any ad. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to wingedpost@harker.org and must be signed, legible, and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Post style. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities, and letters which call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication. Letters sent to the Post will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff. Mast eagle courtesy of photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen. The Winged Post is the official student newspaper, and it is distributed free of cost to students. 2012-2013 Silver Crown-winning publication 2010-2011 Gold Crown-winning publication 2009-2010 Silver Crown-winning publication 2007-2008 Pacemaker Award-winning publication 2010-2011 Silver Crown-winning www.talonwp.com 2009-2010 Gold Crown-winning www.talonwp.com

OPINION

Focus on free speech:

Terrorist a acks are not an excuse for Islamaphobia ciple of free expression to interfere with its proliferation. EDITORIAL At the same time, we are conTHE OFFICIAL cerned to see an issue that should be about affirming our freedom of exOPINION OF THE pression and mourning for the dead WINGED POST becoming a tool with which to villainTwenty days after the terrorist at- ize an entire religion. The actions of a tacks on the French satirical newspa- few extremists are not representative per, Charlie Hebdo, the world is still of Islam, and Muslims who have had recovering. In the past few weeks, peo- nothing to do with the attack should ple all over the world have expressed WIKIMEDIA COMMONS support for freedom of speech, raised concerns about national safety and begun discussions on journalistic ethics. The Winged Post stands with the families of those lost. The magazine’s bombing has made us think about our role as promoters and protectors of free speech. The editorial staff of The Winged Post have divergent opinions on whether the Charlie Hebdo brand of satire is appropriate or offensive, but we can all agree that they, like everyone else, have the right to self-expression. The problem with censorship of any kind is that it justifies larger infringements of speech. One day someone censors questionable satire, and the next newspapers are under strict regulation. Even if we disagree with something, it is against the prin-

On senioritis

not be made to answer for them. This animosity toward Muslims has real repercussions--just two days after the attack on the magazine newsroom, over 15 instances of Islamophobic violence were reported to law enforcement in France. The events that occurred in Paris on Jan. 7 are tragic. To use them as a platform for Islamophobia is to desecrate the lives lost. Our rights to freedom of expression are too essential and too sacred to be used as a facade for Islamophobia. Moderate Muslims shouldn’t be the apologists for all acts committed in the name of Islam, just as moderate Christians are not constantly asked to vocally condemn the Oslo attacks or abortion clinic bombings, for example. We can’t and shouldn’t control the expression of others, but we must be mindful of our own. Our voices are a very powerful weapon, and moving forward, we should think about how they affect others. AFTERMATH Debris litter the ground outside of the Charlie Hebdo ofﬁces after a November 2011 attack. The building was ﬁre-bombed after a controversial cartoon about Islam.

MEILAN STEIMLE - WINGED POST

Using second semester to grow

APOORVA APPROVED apoorva rangan editor in chief

I saw my dad as a 17-year-old for the first time this weekend, in a photo circulated through my family on WhatsApp. He had a shock of black hair and a jaw. He’s gentler now, his hair salt white with a sprinkling of pepper, a smile in his softened eyes. But in his youth, he was angular, ready to slice into life. I was on one of those unplanned bonding trips with my

the scene of adulthood and identity. Today, the possibilities have become literally endless. Without legal qualms, I could leave home. I could protest on the streets. I could even get my license. Yesterday was my last day of using the excuse that “I’m too young to do what I want.” The institutions that I’ve been surrounded by at this college-prep school seem to be melting away so quickly. I’m no longer bound by grades, nor by age, nor by the Olympic-level pole-vault that is the college applications process. Uncannily, my dad was going through the same emergence of constraints. He told me the photo was taken in the months after he took India’s college en-

“I always believed that his success came from a plan he had decided on at birth, that his pre-determined fate was to be a successful software engineer and entrepeneur.”” dad, where he took a couple hours off of work to eat lunch with me. He whipped out his phone as we ate Indian fast food and began talking about his high school years. And I realized that that was the first time that I’d thought of the infinite other paths he could have taken on the threshold of adulthood. Seventeen’s a weird age. I experienced my last day of 17-year-oldness yesterday, my last year of being legally dependent -- today’s my eighteenth birthday. Like my dad in that photo, I’ve burst onto PROVIDED BY APOORVA RANGAN

trance exam, so his stressors had melted away too. I always believed that his success came from a plan he had decided on at birth, that his pre-determined fate was to be a successful software engineer and entrepreneur. But that photo was a reality check to the vast amount of potential that he had held in that moment, the self-confrontation he had to make about what he wanted from life. I could see it in the grainy film, his belief in his ability but the uncertainty of his path. And I’m simultaneously scared and excited to explore what fraction of me is left after erasing my external motivations. This is the onus of senioritis. I’ve spent the last four years telling myself that the activities I’ve pursued aren’t because of college. I’ve arrived at the six-month period where I have to confront myself honestly about my interests, to pursue goals that I set up truly for myself. If you took a photo of me now, I think I’d convey the same sense of responsibility tinged with potential and fear.

Making new friends

Straight Talk sheridan tobin

editor in chief As the first wave of college decisions rolled out in mid December, the majority of my stress began transitioning away from fear of rejection to fear of the giant steps to come.

face around every corner. Though it’s likely that I’ll go off to the same school as at least a few of my classmates,one or two friends in a class of thousands is still incredibly daunting. In the midst of panic, I’ve found that my greatest solace lays in remembering that anyone matriculating into a college class of 2019 next fall will face the same situation. We’ll all be starting at new schools. We’ll all be branching out and making new friends. We’ll all feel

“We’ll all feel a little out of place sometimes.” It’s easy to get so caught up in researching schools, writing essays, and choosing majors, that we neglect to think about the gravity of actually transitioning into college, living away from home and starting over. Despite years of watching older classes go through the same process, now is the first time that going off to college really feels like an approaching reality rather than an eventual step on a calculated path, and I’m sure it hasn’t all hit me yet. Aside from leaving my family, what scares me the most is having to make an entirely new set of friends. As a lifer, a lot of the people I pass in the hallways everyday are people I’ve known for the majority of my life. Even going into kindergarten, I had my preschool (and current) best friend by my side. For the first time in 14 years, I won’t be able to count on seeing a familiar

a little out of place sometimes. I’ve also found surprising comfort in the pages of the admitted students Facebook groups. For weeks, people have been enthusiastically posting blurbs about themselves and their interests. Regardless of whether or not they’ve committed to the school, there’s a consistent, genuine effort to create relationships before arriving on campus. Through the endless stream of hometowns, Netflix preferences, rush plans, and majors, I can’t help but feel connected to these groups of possible future classmates. Although I’m still terrified of the thought of navigating and settling into a vast collegiate unknown without the friends I grew up with, I’m also excited by the beginnings of relationships that could last for the rest of my life.

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 OPINION • JANUARY 28, 2015

talk around campus What will you be doing diﬀerently second semester?

“I’m planning to improve my study habits.” -Tyerrin Pollard (9)

“Instead of programming, I’ll be taking economics. I’ll be coaching a basketball team second semester.” -Rahul Shukla (10)

“As a goal, probably stay more organized.” -Doreen Kang (11)

“This semester I might just take it a bit more chill, socialize more, hangout with my friends, bond in those last few months of high school.” -Rahul Jayaraman (12)

“I’m not going to procrastinate as much.” -Sameep Mangat (9)

Growing up atheist

Learning to fail:

Religious diﬀerences don’t deﬁne friendships

meilan steimle opinion editor

I was nine years old when my atheism first affected my friendships. In the summer between fourth and fifth grade, I went to claymation summer camp during the day, and I became fairly close friends with a boy I met there. One day, about a week into the camp, he cocked his head to the side and asked me what my religion was. “Christian?” he asked. “Jewish?” “Atheist, actually.” I said. I remember his face darkening. “You’re garbage,” he said, and he spat on me before walking away. We never spoke again. I’m not going to pretend that my childhood has been significantly more difficult than my religious peers’ because of my being raised atheist. Still, there were always little things, everyday reminders that I was different, like the “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the “in God we trust” on our currency. Personally, I’ve never really cared. But consider the converse: what if our elementary schoolers recited “under nothing” in the Pledge of Allegiance, or our one dollar bills read “there is no God.” It would be highly offensive to force religious Americans to deny their beliefs on a daily basis, so why is it ac-

provable, vaguely sentient being, and the other believed the universe was created by an improvable, infinitely small particle. To me, this seems like a semantic difference. One theory made more sense to him, and the other made more sense to me. Personally, I don’t think that distinction was worth losing a friendship. How did we come to be? What happens when we die? Is it moral to eat other animals? There is no denying the importance of these questions, but they don’t have to define us.

MEILAN STEIMLE - WINGED POST

Meianderings

ceptable to do the same to atheists? In our society, it seems to be incredibly difficult to talk about religion. A pundit on Fox News said that if atheists don’t like the ‘under God’ in our Pledge of Allegiance, “they don’t have to live here.” Meanwhile, certain internet atheists mock religion online. Conflicts between religions are self-evident; just look at the religious wars that span from the B.C.E. to today. It seems almost impossible to even discuss differences in religion without the conversation devolving into a fight or worse. What no one seems to want to admit is that the Fox News pundits and the Reddit trolls are just variations on a theme: someone too stubborn and to try to see someone else’s point of view. There is nothing wrong with strong convictions and closely held beliefs, but nothing should be so sacred that it is off limits to discussion. We can’t ever expect to practice religious tolerance if we can’t even consider the possibility of another, or lack of, faith. What saddens me the most about what happened during claymation camp years ago is that the boy and I were not that different. One of us believed that the universe was created by an im-

vineet kosaraju

aquila asst. tech editor

Redeﬁning intelligence Sighing out of frustration and experiencing a familiar sinking feeling in my stomach, I stare blankly at the black ink numerical equations floating off page one of my calculus quiz and dissipating into the air. Almost immediately, any progress gained during my late-night studying disappears, and my anxiety levels skyrocket. Math has never been my strong suit, or at least that is what I have always told myself. “I don’t find it interesting,” or “I don’t need it to succeed in real life anyways,” are always my go-to excuses. Over the years, I have convinced myself that being “bad” at math is not my problem. I tell myself it must be a result of my lack of talented math genes or a poor start in mathematical education at my public elementary school. It finally took studying a randomly selected article for the intelligence unit of my AP Psychology class about fixed mindsets to realize my faults. Reading about studies that showed children who were praised for being able to complete easy work at early ages were more likely to give up when confronted with harder problems later on struck a chord with me. I was brought back to the transition between third and fourth grade math, when everything I had previously been able to finish quickly and accurately suddenly became challenging; I found myself feeling as though my intelligence was under attack. For many years I have considered my inability to perform in math relative to other subjects to be a result of external factors. I distanced my actions from my failures and instead preferred

vivian isenberg

Aquila humor&satire editor

to fault my lack of inherent talent. I realize now that the conception I had of my intelligence as being a concrete entity, a hand of cards I had been dealt at birth that would dictate my achievements, was entirely wrong. Ingrained into my beliefs by a society that is fascinated with prodigies and lauds inherent ability over the capacity to learn, I had become my own greatest obstacle to success. I have gained an appreciation for people who can sit through a class that might not be their strongest, yet remain fascinated and dedicated to the subject. There are so many facets to intelligence, but we as humans continue to place so much value on inherent talent. An ability to embrace learning and forge through when confronted with a perceived insurmountable problem is a greater measure of intelligence and mental strength that should be equally appreciated. It sometimes feels impossible to change a mindset I have had my entire life. I still find myself pulling away from problems that test my wounded mathematical ego. It may be a little late for me to change my perception of these obstacles but it is something I will attempt to remedy in the future, especially as I enter college. It would be a shame to lose out on enlightening experiences as a result of my learned academic insecurities. But who knows, I might just take that next advanced math course peeking out at me from my college course catalog.

Remembering our place on the socioeconomic ladder t.b.h.

tiara bhatacharya Aquila opinion editor

Faded teal paint, ancient magazines in seat pockets, and a graying steering wheel, smooth from wear. My ’95 Honda Accord bears the brunt of almost endless mockery (mostly of my own making) - an anomaly in a sea of Priuses, Benzes, and Teslas. Having a vehicle that’s older than I am does come with its perks. I don’t face the terrorizing pressure of crashing a car my parents just bought for me, but I also end up yearning for the GPS systems and aux cords in my friends’ cars. Somehow, the inherent privilege of having my own car ends up consistently lost on me. Privilege is so ingrained in our community, it’s not even

a question of whether we have it -- it’s In the past 13 years, I haven’t ever witbecome of a discussion of how much. nessed a student being maliciously As students, we are all well aware of the judged at this school because of how incredible array of resources provided much money they do or do not have. by our school, and the accumulation of Yet, the underlying factor for that stems from a general assumption that we all resources it took to get us here. But I think the extent of our priv- come from the same place: a two-parent household ilege is lost with a stable, on us. Two if not relaweeks ago at “We casually, almost callously, distively high, a L.I.F.E. ascuss multi-million dollar donations income. sembly, most And so of the senior to prominent universities, execepforms a stuclass agreed tionally expensive, professional dent body althat sociolab equitment, or vacations spent most insensieconomtive to money. ics weren’t parasailing on remote islands.” We casually, a source almost calof division lously, disamongst the student body. Instead, we attributed cuss multi-million dollar donations to our differences to academic pressure prominent universities, exceptionally expensive, professional-level lab equipand the products thereof. In one sense, I completely agree. ment, or vacations spent parasailing on

remote islands. Our privilege manifests in a series of micro-aggressions - unintentional, awkward, and surprisingly common. One of the things I have anticipated most throughout high school are the hopeful arrival of senior privileges, essentially granting an open campus to the Class of 2015 (shoutout to my fellow second semester seniors!). Alongside many of my peers, the prospect of going off campus for lunch is so exciting that the ridiculousness of buying a lunch separate from the massive eight dollar buffet included in our tuition quickly dissipates into a passing concern. I am a part of the problem, and as I look forward to joining a larger and exponentially more diverse school community in the coming months, I’m also striving to be more conscious of my privilege. TIARA BHATACHARYA - WINGED POST

STEM A8 Q & A with Intel Science Talent Search ﬁnalists KYLE CAVALLARO - OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

SCIENTIFIC MINDS Seniors Andrew Jin, Steven Wang, and Rohith Kuditipudi were named ﬁnalists for the Intel STS competition on Jan. 21. They will travel to Washington D.C. in March to present their research to judges.

Continued from A1 WP: How many hours did you put into your projects? AJ: I did mine in a summer program, so that was probably 10 hours every day over the summer and I still did a lot at home after the program ended. RK: I was working remotely because it was a computational project, so I would just get on weekly or biweekly conference calls for checkups. That was part of a larger project. For the Intel project, I really put the most work into it starting at the beginning of October. A lot of people spend almost a year working on their projects and start writing the papers a couple months before, but that’s definitely not me. I’m more of a procrastinator, and I think a lot of my teachers can attest to that.

STEM Updates

SW: I basically worked throughout the entire summer and into the year, so I went into the lab maybe eight hours a day, and maybe on the weekends or after the lab time I worked on some computational computer analysis as well on my project, so that took up the whole summer. During the school year, I started the paper-writing process. WP: What impact do you hope your work will have? SW: I hope my work will have impact in two main areas. First, just having new leads into how we understand how cancer forms and evolves. Another is that a lot of the times most of the big research is just going into fields like drug discovery or personalized medicine, which are incredibly interesting topics, but what my topic exposed me to is how we always have

Updated Google driverless cars hit the road ashley jiang & meena gudapati

COURTESY OF GOOGLE

Signups for the United States of America Biology Olympiad (USABO) close today. The AMC 10/12A exams will be given on Feb. 3 at 8 a.m.

The third USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) contest of the season will be held online from Feb. 20 to Feb. 23. WiSTEM

The chemistry behind good chemistry The science of neurochemicals and falling in love vivian isenberg & maya kumar

Aquilla humor and satire editor & reporter

JWA

RAD GED

WIN T

TRUST HORMONE The oxytocin molecule pictured above promotes bonding in both humans and other animals.

POS

Love is a seemingly intangible emotional concept - a purely subjective experience that varies from person to person. Society and the media influence our perception of the emotion, evident from the commercialization of Valentine’s day and the endless stream of romcoms showing at theaters each February. Yet though there are so many nuances to love, we all share the reaction as Homo sapiens. While the sensations of warmth and happiness associated with love may seem magical, they are really caused by biochemical reactions in our brains and emotional psychology instead of Cupid. At each step of the romantic process, from love at first sight to bitter heartbreak, chemicals in the brain play a specific role. When first falling in love, brain receptors release a hormone called dopamine, which has a similar effect to that of drugs like cocaine. While obsessive actions are often associated with deep emotional attachment, Dr. Donatella Marazziti of the University of Pisa has found that this obsessive behavior is actually caused by lower levels of sero-

tonin, a calming hormone found in people who are falling in love. Although true love does breed attachment, so do other hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin, the same hormones that cause mother-child attachment. “Oxytocin develops bonds and relationships between humans, so touching can help stimulate that - hugging too,” said psychology teacher Jeff Sutton. Though breakups may be commonly be considered depressing, they genetically signify the failing of a human’s primary goal: continuation of the species. While many believe that depressing post-breakup traditions, such as eating too much ice cream or watching too many movies, stem from the loss of a lover, Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University believes that rejection involves similar symptoms to addiction. This includes “separation anxiety” and illogical attempts to regaining the affection of their partner. Maybe that age-old cliché of drunk phone calls can actually be attributed to a biological response and not to a lack of common sense. Whether or not you believe in true love, the reactions and feelings that come with the phenomena do have a basis in biology.

BHA

Applications for the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program are due on Feb. 21.

greatly reduce parking and traffic flows so they’ll just make everything faster and more convenient,” David Zhu (10) said. “It’ll really help handicapped people who can’t drive easily move from place to place.” In May, the initial design for the car was unveiled. At the time, the car did not have a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals, headlights and other controls. “I think it’s a pretty cool idea; I’ve actually seen a video of it before and I thought it was very futuristic,” Sonali Netke (12) said. “I think it will especially help people who are blind and can’t drive, or people whose disabilities affect their driving–they’ll be able to get around a lot easier without relying on their family members so it’ll definitely benefit them.” Google plans to release the car for to the general public between 2017 and 2020.

INTERNSHIPS

ONE SMART CAR Google’s new driverless car cruises through the streets, using the sensor array mounted on the roof to steer. The car is equipped with manual controls to comply with California state law.

reporters Google released its first fully functional self-driving car in December that included real headlights and temporary controls. Though these driverless cars haven’t been put on roads yet, they are anticipated to be released in the near future. The cars, which the company has worked on for five years, were driven over 700,000 miles to ensure reliability. The recent prototype has manual that are necessary in order to abide by California state law. The first autonomous car, Stanley, was created by Sebastian Thrun, a part-time professor at Stanford, and his team of fifteen engineers. The car went on to win the 2005 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grand challenge. Thrun is currently in

charge of Google’s project to develop autonomous cars for the use of the general public. After encountering an accident at the age of 18 that involved losing his best friend to a car accident, Thrun was inspired to create these self-driving cars to reduce car accidents and to help save lives. Engineers at Google initially tested out the technology on Lexus, Toyota, and Audi car models. In 2012, Google released a video of a legally blind man, Steve Mahan, going for a ride in a modified. autonomous Toyota Prius. “Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things,” said Mahan in the video released by Google. “I think Google’s self-driving cars are absolutely amazing because they are pretty much like limitless taxis. They’ll

VIV

WiSTEM will take a ﬁeld trip to Electronic Arts on Feb. 17.

likely to progress to cancer than other people. WP: How do you feel science competitions impact how students approach research? RK: I think at Harker in particular there is a sort of celebrity associated with these competitions and they put a huge emphasis on it. I think it’s great because it does get a lot of kids excited about science and that’s one of the benefits of these competitions and that’s tremendous, but I think at the same time you have to keep perspective and realize that it’s not the end of the world. There are other ways where you can demonstrate your passion for science research than by just winning these select few competitions. SW: The way I see it is that it has both pros and cons. If I weren’t involved in any of these competitions I

Mountain View company rolls out automated driving vehicles

STEM CONTESTS

Semiﬁnalists for the physics olympiad will be revealed on Feb. 15

to be questioning current methods, so we have to question how cell culture methods are being done and what we can do to improve on them. I hope that my project will also address these challenges and hopefully revolutionize just how we conduct standard protocols, not just big medical discoveries. AJ: I researched evolution, so a lot of it will be valuable across many different disciplines like anthropology and developmental biology. Specifically I looked at mutations in natural selections, so a lot of that is really important to how humans evolved over the last thousands of years to adapt to selective pressures such as disease. RK: I looked at a disease that progresses in stages with the final stage being a type of cancer, so hopefully my work will help people understand why some people with the disease are more

probably wouldn’t have written any sort of technical papers, but I still would’ve done the research. So it kind of goes both ways in that the competitions aren’t necessary to really get deep into the research process, but they do help in terms of teaching you what to expect out of a presentation or how do professional writers actually write a paper. The best way to describe it is that if you have a person who won a competition and had a super deep passion into research, if you take that competition away, it’s still that same person that really loves doing research but he might have learned a lot of things in the way of the competition. AJ: I’ve seen some people who I’ve worked in labs with. I’ve seen some Harker kids [whose] parents before they start the internship like, “We need a good project that can be submitted to Intel or Siemens that has a great application,” and I don’t think that’s the way to go about doing it. I feel like you just truly find something you’re passionate about, and just work at it throughout the summer, work at it for the purpose of discovering something new and just getting the skills to be a great researcher at the end. You’ll have all the stuff you did and won’t be thinking of the competition at all and spend like a month or so working on a technical paper that you can submit. RK: As much as you can strive for these competitions, another trap that a lot of people fall into is limiting themselves by focusing on these competitions. So if your mentor says that I have a really cool idea that might take 6 months to a year, the worst thing you could possibly do is try to take shortcuts just to get a product out in a shorter amount of time. If you just enjoy the process then good things will happen.

KAITY GEE - WINGED POST

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 STEM • JANUARY 28, 2015

Team 1072 vies for robotics championship

SPARKS FLY Michael Lin (12) dremels a bolt in the robotics lab. The team has six weeks to plan, construct, and test a robot to compete with other schools.

vivek bharadwaj & kavya ramakrishnan

aging the team’s backend. “We’re the management section. We focus a lot on marketing and PR and the image of the team, but we also try to have team bonding events. We coordinate a lot of things with the team so that things are more cohesive,” Matthew said.

STEM editor and copy editor

BUILD SEASON (TOP) Juniors Cameron Palte (left) and Michael Monkton (right) mount a battery to an old robot’s drive train for a test outside Nichols Hall. The motors in the drive train control each of the four wheels and are remotely operated by a human driver. (BOTTOM) Members of robotics leadership meet to discuss strategy.

From Jan. 4 to Feb. 17, robotics team members work around the clock to finish building their robot. For the six weeks of build season, the robotics shop remains open for four hours after school on weekdays and for eight hours on Saturdays. Members often squeeze in homework assignments while waiting in the shop, while parent volunteers bring snacks and dinner. “The lab is open until eight and there’s usually five to ten people still around at that time, and we just work really hard to finish it,” team member Nina Levy (10) said. This year’s First Robotics Competition (FRC) challenge, Recycle Rush, is a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots on a large rectangular playing field. The game consists of robots scoring points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping them with recycling containers, and depositing pool noodles that represent litter within them. In keeping with the theme of recycling, teams can reuse or recycle all of the game pieces at the end of the season. Each robotics team member belongs to one of four sub-teams, three of which involve engineering and building the robot. Members of the mechanical and electrical sub-teams spend their time in the machine shop, milling parts and wiring components. Members of the programming subteam write and test the code that controls the robot. “We have an autonomous period where the robot has prebuilt code that

VIVEK BHARADWAJ -WINGED POST

Bot-building

it has to run for a 15-second period. In that time period, you have to make sure it’s coded to be able to see whatever target you want it to see, reach the target and move it to its proper location,” VP of Operations Neymika Jain (10) said. “Then there’s the teleop period, where the human player goes ahead and moves the robot. “ Not just engineering While engineering sub-team members deal with the feat of building the robot, members of the fourth robotics sub-team manage a part of the funds, take care of public relations, and

organize a kickoff breakfast for other robotics teams every year. “[The kickoff breakfast] is an annual event where we […] provide breakfast for the other teams around this area that come together to see this game,” Operational subteam president Matthew Cheng (10) said. He stated that the team courts donors, such as IHOP, to give the funds for the meal. Last year, the operations subteam won the First Entrepreneurship award for their business plan at the Central Valley competition. According to Matthew, members of the operations team do not often participate in shop work, instead focusing on man-

[The team record] is slightly demoralizing, but hopefully we think we can all do better and change. NAMAN JINDAL (11)

In 2014, Harker robotics placed 38th in their in the Central Valley tournament and 35th in the Silicon Valley regional tournament. The year before, they placed 31st and 42nd respectively. “The team has not done quite so well as, say, the rest of Harker’s teams do in competitions like this,” team member Naman Jindal (11) said. Within the past five years, the team’s highest competition rank was 10th place standing at the 2011 Silicon Valley tournament. “It’s slightly demoralizing, but hopefully we think we can all do better and change,” Naman said. Team 1072’s last national championship bid occurred in 2005. Alumnus Vijay Umapathi (‘06) was a member of the team during the winning year and became President of robotics the subsequent year. “[That year] I think we picked the right strategy, and then we implemented well on pretty much everything. Strategy is a huge part of it,” Vijay said. The team did not qualify for the championship the following year. “I think that was a mistake we made when I was president. We didn’t have a super-systematic way of thinking through strategy,” Vijay said. Despite not advancing, the team has won other awards in competition. In 2012, robotics adviser Dr. Eric Nelson was a finalist for the Woodie Flowers mentor award. Looking Ahead Despite the team’s setbacks, Naman stated that the team hopes to correct previous mistakes. “Last year’s design kept breaking, and that didn’t really help with winning,” Naman said. “We’re looking to build a more effective and robust robot design.” For members of the team, crafting a robot can be more than a complex engineering problem - it’s a labor of love. After shipping the finished robot in February, they face their first contest on 18 March at the Sacramento Regional Tournament.

KAVYA RAMAKRISHNAN - WINGED POST

Dealing with Defeat KAITY GEE - WINGED POST

The clang of metal parts striking together echoes through Nichols 312, a room filled with programmers staring at their computers. In the robotics machine shop behind the room, a horizontal band saw in the center of the garage whirrs as it slices diagonally across an aluminum beam. In a corner, team members stand hunched over an unfinished metal drive train as they assemble the parts for a robot. Scattered across the room, other members drill, cut and measure, focusing intently on their work. The clock ticks on from 4 to 5 p.m. Snacks are scattered and parents bring in dinner. Six days per week for six weeks, this scene will play out over and over as Team 1072 chugs through the 184 hours it has to plan, build and construct a robot for the First Robotics competition (FRC).

Q & A with Sophia Shatas

vivek bharadwaj STEM editor

Winged Post: What do your responsibilities include as Executive President? Sophia Shatas (12): It includes working with the Operational President and Technical President to oversee the management of the schedule. Right now we’re in build season, so that means we’re actually building the robot - we have finalized the design of the robot, [and] now we actually have to implement all of our designs and actually build the robot. I manage all the projects and schedules for them. I lead the design design discussions and just make sure that the right people are communicating with each other so that ideas are being spread and everyone’s voice is heard. WP: How many hours each day would you that this team meets? SS: During build [season], we are open right after school until eight o’clock at night. It may go [until] nine or ten, depending on the day, but that’s our normal hours. Then on Saturday, we meet from... eleven AM to eight PM. Those are our build hours, every day for six weeks, starting from January and then mid-February. WP: I’m just curious- I just saw the mech team was milling and building. What are the software teams and everybody else doing? SS: They’ll do robot code. They actually code the movement of the robot on the field.

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

HOW TO SURVIVE A CALIFORNIA WINTER Five fashionable ways to conquer the cold

sahana srinivasan

maya jeyendran & melina nakos

reporter

Aquila lifestyle editor & reporter

✓

Faux fur adds an instant touch of lavishness to any outfit. Besides being incredibly warm and soft, faux fur elevates and glamorizes your ensembles. This luxurious trend is available in a variety of forms, such as vests, scarves and stoles, lined mittens, and earmuffs. Options range from classic colors such as black and brown to brightly-colored original pieces and even leopard-printed alternatives. Faux fur accessories and clothing items can be located at stores such as Nordstrom and Forever21.

DO SOMETHING NICE FOR A FRIEND

VIVEK BHARADWAJ - WINGED POST

If it’s their birthday, make them a card. If you don’t see yourself as an artistic person, get them some cupcakes or balloons as a surprise. Not only does it serve as a fun activity to temporarily get your mind off school and work, but it will make you and your friend happy. On regular days, even the little things can make a difference: waiting for them after class if you usually don’t or grabbing them a chocolate chip cookie when there are only a couple left. Even if they don’t notice, maintaining that holiday giving spirit and doing something nice for someone else will likely make you feel a little better too.

LOL Seniors Aaron Huang, Leo Yu, and Andrew Zhang share a laugh during Extra Help.

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GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS

CONCENTRATION Srivinay Irrinki (12) and Arjun Ashok (12) study for a statistics quiz during their free period.

KJ MULAM - WINGED POST

PICK A WEEKEND TO SLEEP IN

SWEATER DRESSES Sweater dresses are a warm alternative to a traditional sweater or dress. They combine both fashion and comfort to provide an optimal outfit for a chilly day. Sweater dresses also enable layering: for the chilliest of days, consider adding a long-sleeve shirt under the dress, a cardigan over the dress, and a pair of fleece-lined tights for extra warmth and comfort. These unique dresses are also available in a variety of patterns and colors that will suit every individual’s needs. Both Madewell and Urban Outfitters provide both neutral and unique sweater dresses for purchase.

ALYSSA AMICK - HARKER AQUILA

RIYA GODBOLE - WINGED POST

When you’re not in the mood to do work but still have to, use websites and apps, such as StayFocusd, SelfControl, or ColdTurkey, to block other websites for a specified period of time. Find a quiet space to work and sign out of Facebook: it’s much easier to restrain yourself from slipping back into holiday mode if your choices for the afternoon are either doing homework or twiddling your thumbs.

✓

FAUX FUR

RIDING BOOTS Riding boots are a classic, essential shoe that never go out of fashion. These elegant shoes are worth a solid investment; their durability and tolerance to harsh weather conditions make them worth a slight, if not steep, splurge. Riding boots can be paired with a variety of outfits, ranging from different colored jeans and pants to both dresses and skirts. These boots also elevate an outfit in terms of formality due to their timeless elegance and ability to match with nearly all colors. Steve Madden and Frye are two options to consider when shopping for riding boots.

Admittedly, this isn’t for everyone. While some people are perfectly fine with hibernating for 10-15 hours a day, others prefer to wake with the sun. If you’re someone who’s always asking for “just a few more minutes,” free up a weekend morning to sleep in. Don’t ditch the SAT or a meeting with the President or anything, but if the world seems to be crashing down around you, see if there’s something you can move around on the weekend to catch up on sleep.

PJ DAY Upper School Head Butch Keller speaks to the sophomores and their Eagle Buddies during a pajama day event.

The juicy truth

Juice diets for weight loss In a juice cleanse, a person eats less than 1,000 calories per day and replaces their food with juices of organic vegetables and fruits. If buying the cleanse from a store such as Pressed, a person can choose to purchase a 1, 3, or 5 day cleanse, which contains three juice bottles per day. Many people choose to make the juices at home instead of purchasing the cleanse programs from juice stores. Although juicing has become a popular method of losing weight, there has been controversy surrounding this cleanse’ effectiveness. First, there is no scientific evidence that drinking juiced versions of fruits is better than eating the fruit itself. When the fruits and vegetables are juiced, they lose most of their fiber and protein. Without essential proteins and fiber, a person will not feel full after drinking a juice instead of eating a meal. In addition to not feeling satisfied, a person may have high levels of potassium in the blood to due excessive juice consumption, which can be dangerous for people taking medications and those with kidney disease. High levels of antioxidants and low levels of protein can be dangerous for those undergoing chemotherapy. Juice detoxes will however shift you away from bad habits and foster healthier habits. W65 percent of Americans struggle daily with excessive weight and obesity and some even go as far to argue that detoxes will benefit your health.

Like plant-based diets, juice cleanses can reverse severe chronic disease. While juice cleansing may raise concerns regarding its effectiveness, it allows a person to revive the body. According to the Huffington Post, juicing helps rest the gut and liver, reduce junk-food intake, and rehydrate the body. By restricting one’s diet to three juice bottles a day, one stops eating harmful foods that clutter the digestive organs. Pressed Juicery has begun selling its juices and frozen yogurt at its new store in Santana Row. Founded in the summer of 2010, Pressed Juicery has brought health and wellness juice to California. This famous store offers a range of freshly squeezed and packaged juices and frozen yogurt. People can buy the juices in cleanse programs, which can be for one, three, or five days.

PRESSED Pressed Juicery recently opened in Santana Row as an establishment that offers juice cleanses and cold-pressed juices. Pressed’s juices are made with a hydraulic press, which is a machine that extracts three to four times more pulp than an average juicer.

MELINA NAKOS - WINGED POST

Aquila multimedia editor & Aquila social media editor

ASHI GAUTAM - WINGED POST

kaity gee & ashi gautam

ALYSSA AMICK - HARKER AQUILA

and the thought of actually doing it sends you spiraling. Here are a few tips for whenever you find yourself experiencing post-holiday blues.

ALYSSA AMICK - HARKER AQUILA

Even the best of us can fall into a slump right after the holiday season, a period where even the thought of homework is too unappealing to bear

CHUNKY CARDIGANS Chunky cardigans are the epitome of California winter outerwear. While they fail to offer optimal wind and cold protection, their chicness and cozy appearance nearly makes up for their shortcomings. Available in primarily neutral colors, these cardigans can be worn over jeans, dresses, and skirts. The most popular colors for a chunky cardigan include white, cream, and grey, which can all be paired with nearly every other color to add an instant layer of warmth. Both Brandy Melville and Zara sell wide selections of neutral colored chunky cardigans that can be dressed up or down to accommodate your outfit needs.

FLANNEL SHIRTS In addition to being warm and comfortable, flannel shirts are a stylish, vintage option to wear to school. They also provide room for layering on a particularly chilly day, as students can layer clothing both under and over their flannel shirts to take the edge off the bitter California cold. If you’re currently searching for a standout flannel shirt, both Forever21 and Urban Outfitters carry affordable yet fashionable options that are warm and trendy.

MELINA NAKOS - WINGED POST

BEATING THE POST-HOLIDAY BLUES

DAWN ASHLEY

LIFESTYLE

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 LIFESTYLE • JANUARY 28, 2015

do s and don ts of giving gifts to your significant other Valentine’s Day is one of the few days of the year that you are socially mandated to buy your significant other a gift, preferably an expensive and/or romantic one. But thinking of a thoughtful present on your

meilan steimle

flowers

opinion editor

own takes time and effort, so we at the Winged Post have provided a comprehensive list of what not to give your significant other on Valentine’s Day.

PROVIDED BY ZOE WOEHRMANN

Do: A potted rose, or a cactus if your significant other is low-maintenance and afraid of committing to the time and effort a rose requires. Like an intrepid plant with strong roots, your relationship can go the distance! Don’t: Cut flowers. They may seem pretty, spontaneous and romantic, but they telegraph the end of your relationship. At first everything will be rosy, but as the days wear on, your love will begin to wilt and shrivel away. Before you know it, the person you used to think was beautiful and romantic is little more than a withered up version of their former self, and you wonder why you ever bothered taking them off the doorstep in the first place.

food

FRED CHANG - TALON

clothing Do: A gift card so they can buy something they’d actually want, like palazzo pants or something. Those are in these days, right? Don’t: Matching T-shirts. Nothing says, “I’m incredibly annoying and I want you to be incredibly annoying with me” like matching relationship-themed T-shirts. There are only two possible outcomes here: a) You and your significant other will rejoice in your mutual cheesiness and skip through local malls eliciting the eyerolls and groans of everyone in a 10-foot radius or b) Your significant other will balk at your clear lack of taste and dump you on the spot.

ALYSSA AMICK - HARKER AQUILA

Don’t: Half-eaten chocolate. By giving your significant other a box of half-eaten candy, you are essentially saying “I’m a boring person who lacks self-control.” When giving gifts, there are two schools of thought you can subscribe to. You can a) impress your significant other with your sensitivity by giving a meaningful gift or b) shower your significant other in cash to make up for your lack of creativity. Chocolates, a cheap and cliched gift, fail in both categories.

RIYA GODBOLE - WINGED POST

Do: Literally any food item (cake pop, pizza, cheese stick, fruit bouquet, etc.) If it’s really that hard to suppress your appetite, buy two.

coupons

Do: Give your significant other a hug on a regular basis without being asked. Sometimes, it’s the little gestures that mean the most.

Don’t: Hug/kiss Coupons. If you and your significant other can’t exchange affection without monetary compensation, there’s something wrong with your relationship that no Valentine’s Day gift can fix.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS trisha dwivedi, maya kumar & emma yu

ALL PHOTOS MAYA KUMAR - WINGED POST

business editor & reporters

With new years come new goals, dreams, and ambitions. The Winged Post asked the Upper School community what they resolved to do during 2015.

“My resolution is to make someone smile every day. I feel better when other people are happy.” - MARY NAJIBI (11)

“Sleep earlier. I used to sleep pretty late before. I had a lot of work, but since I’m in second semester now, there’s not as much work, so I want to sleep earlier.” LEO YU (12)

“Do exercise on a regular basis, about two or three times a week. I used to go once or twice a month last year, so I really want to be healthy and lose weight. After I exercise, I feel so much better and I feel I have more energy.” KEIKO IRINO, JAPANESE TEACHER

“Last year, I was really bad at getting presents on time. And so, this year I’d like to be on top of that.” - KAITLYN NGUYEN (9)

“I started writing a journal, but I haven’t been that consistent although I really enjoy writing in it because I can look back in a few years and realize how much I have grown.” - MAY GAO (10)

“Be consistent with deadlines I make for myself: posting consistently on my fashion blog, and also just getting work done on time so I can get a better sleep schedule.” - JULIA WANG (12)

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

BACK PAGE

BEHIND THE SCENES

of Wingspan’s launch Magazine adds depth to Upper School journalism

Winged Post friday, november 21, 2014

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THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 16, NO. 3

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CCS SEMIFINALS

Students light up Santana Row vasudha rengarajan Aquila editor in chief

Upper School Conservatory groups Downbeat, Varsity Dance and JV Dance performed at the annual Santana Row Tree Lighting Ceremony on Tuesday. The show also featured Middle and Lower School groups High Voltage, Showstoppers, Vivace, and Dance Fusion. The Harker portion of the show began with an introduction from senior Downbeat members Madi Lang-Ree and Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari followed by Varsity Dance. The student performers’ next show will be the annual holiday tour of all three campuses on Friday, Dec. 12.

Class of 2014 gi s orchard to late English teacher kavya ramakrishnan copy editor

PAM GELINEAU’S FUNERAL alyssa amick

anokhi saklecha & raveena kapatkar

global editor & Aquila copy editor Computer Science teacher Richard Page recently announced his retirement from the Upper School. Page began his Upper School career in the fall of 2004. In addition to teaching AP Computer Science with Data Structures and Compilers and Interpreters, he also founded the Computer Architecture class, a popular semester-long course for post-AP students. Page plans on retiring at the end of this school year. “I think we’re all pretty sad that Mr. Page is leaving,” Srivatsav Pyda (10) said. “He’s a great computer science teacher. He’s very accommodating of all his students, so I think we’ll miss him dearly.”

CINDY LIU - TALON

Aquila editor in chief

PAGE’S RETIREMENT

REMEMBERING Students, faculty, and staff honored Jason Berry on Wednesday afternoon at the unveiling of the “Berry Orchard.” The orchard consists of a memorial statue, fruit trees, and two benches to commemorate Berry, who passed away last August. (INSET) Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine addresses the crowd at the dedication ceremony, reﬂecting on his time coaching Girls’ Lacrosse with Berry.

Community dedicates statue in Jason Berry’s honor

Ria Gandhi (10) and Lindsey Trinh (10) high-five before their CCS semifinal match against Soquel High School on Wednesday. The girls won 3-2 to advance to CCS finals at Independence High School this Saturday. Check page B11 and Harker Aquila for full coverage of the girls’ season.

Long-time member of the Harker community Pam Gelineau passed away Nov. 15 after battling cancer. She started at the school 24 years ago teaching first grade before moving to second grade, and ultimately to her position as lower school admissions director. “Pam understood the younger students and their families. She had an intuitive grasp of their viewpoint, giving her a strong and wonderful way of interacting with them,” Head of School, Chris Nikoloff, said in an email to the community. The funeral will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of the Flowers in San Jose. A vigil and service will be held the day before starting at 5:30 p.m.. If you wish to extend condolences to the family, email nicoleh@ harker.org.

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WHAT’S INSIDE A2 BLOOD DRIVE A5 PALESTINE RECOGNITION A6-7 VETERANS DAY A8 EDITORIAL A10 GOOGLE FLU A12 STUDENT WELLNESS

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POST SEASON VOLLEYBALL AND CROSS COUNTRY COVERAGE

SANTA BABY (TOP) Darby Millard (12) and Erika Olsen (12) perform with Varsity Dance at the Santana Row tree lighting ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 18. (BOTTOM) Downbeat performs “Deck the Halls” during the show.

Head of School Christopher Nikoloff led the dedication ceremony of an orchard and a bronze statue, a memorial to the late English teacher Jason Berry on Wednesday. Nikoloff began the ceremony by stating the purpose of the 2014 senior class’ gift in remembering Berry, nicknamed “Bear,” who “represented for Harker everything we would want in a great teacher”. “Bear represents our best standards with humor, warmth and connection,” Nikoloff said. Alumna Sonya Chalaka (‘12) followed, remembering Berry’s impact on Harker and his humor and wisdom. Berry “left a deep and permanent mark on this community,”

she said. English teacher Brigid Miller spoke next, describing her and Berry’s shared passion for literature, reading the last paragraph of James Joyce’s short story “The Dead.” Head Varsity girls’ lacrosse coach and chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine described his relationship with Berry, the assistant coach, as the “Harker odd couple.” He stated that Berry’s halftime speeches often could “double as presidential inaugurations.” Head of Upper School Butch Keller, former Director of Alumni Relations MaryEllis Deacon, and math teacher Jane Keller unveiled the bronze statue of a bear, which was designed by art teacher Jaap Bongers, Deacon, and Jane Keller. Nikoloff concluded the cer-

emony by urging members of the community to appreciate one another every day. “The Berry Orchard,” donated by the Class of 2014 as its senior gift, consists of three citrus trees, two apple trees, two apricot trees, two benches and a bronze statue of a teddy bear with a tie. Berry’s good friend, class of 2014 dean and Upper School mathematics teacher Dr. Victor Adler, remembered Berry’s impact on the Harker community. “For me, he was a great resource to the students, he was a great advisor, and a great teacher, and a great coach,” Adler said. “The students really loved him dearly, and he loved the students, so that is what we remember him by.”

Honor Council releases expanded survey results Out of 60 responses to the optional questions, “What tenets would you like to see revised or added to the Honor Code?”:

36 16 8

The principles of the Honor Code help prepare you for life beyond Harker.

were suggestions. “I would like to see ‘tolerance’ removed. It should be about respect only.” contained criticism. “There is a cheating problem in the community and I think the Honor Code is too complicated at this point for everyone to be clear.” said the Honor Code was ﬁne as is.

kacey fang & elisabeth siegel managing editor & news editor

The 2014 Honor Council survey results have been released in full today, including minority percentages and free response answers. After the survey was sent out on Oct. 7, 514 participants gave their opinions on the Honor Code. 60 individuals, or 11.6 percent, responded to optional questions. Of those responses, 36 were suggestions, 16 were complaints, and eight said that the Honor Code was fine as is. “One response that we saw a lot on the survey was the call for more transparency. We’re going to release a survey to find out more about what people are

thinking about the cheating problem,” Honor Council representative Sahana Rangarajan (12) said. To increase transparency, Honor Council also provides the option to submit questions via the student portal and has a bulletin board in Main. Representatives announced their efforts for transparency during class meeting last week. As of now, the Honor Council has not made changes to the Honor Code based on the survey responses. “The responses we saw were so across the board that it was hard to get concrete changes from them,” Sahana said. A second survey will be sent out by the Honor Council before finals. Check Harker Aquila for the full survey results.

“AD AMORE”, A3

Harker faculty and staff emulate the Honor Code in their actions.

BORN 1999

TALON

This document as it currently stands meets the community’s needs.

SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST

SIEMENS REGIONAL FINALISTS, A11

EDITORIAL, A8

BORN 1998

HARKER AQUILA BORN 2010 RENAMED 2013

HATCHED!

BORN 2011 DIED 2011

apoorva rangan & riya godbole

editor in chief & lifestyle editor

The first issue of the feature magazine Wingspan, the Upper School journalism’s newest publication, will take flight on campus today. The magazine centers on the theme “The Real Silicon Valley,” with eight articles looking at the valley’s tech culture and the industries beyond it. The reporting process began in spring last year, with staff members pitching article topics and conducting interviews. “When I decided the magazine would have a distinct theme tying all the different pieces together, I knew that the magazine was breaking new ground,” Editorin-Chief Sindhu Ravuri (12) said. “I felt proud that we as a publication had the courage and innovation to introduce a new idea to our magazine that really hadn’t been done before. It also was heartwarming to see all the writers craft impactful pieces (creative non fiction, really) that spanned so many different topics and revealed discrete yet inconspicuous facets of Silicon Valley, but were still tied to the same main theme.”

With dozens of interviews and documents, writers began the process of structuring and collating information for their 1000 to 2500-word pieces. “The hardest part for me was probably being able to combine all the information from different people and synthesize a thought,” said Sharanya Balaji (11), whose piece on Silicon Valley’s art scene spent three months in edit cycles. “I still had to make sure I represented their actual views.” After seeing their articles in the print publication, the magazine reporters will pivot to the online editorial board for Harker Aquila, the Upper School’s online journalism platform. The pieces will pick up additional video and infographic elements in order to avoid a “static” translation from print to online. “It’s a tough act for the editors, because the design in the magazine needs to be completely redone for online,” said Vasudha Rengarajan (12), Harker Aquila’s Editor-in-Chief. “It needs to feel like you’re in the story.” The magazine’s next issue will be released in early spring.

d en

AUG. 2014

SEPT. 2014 n

p Ga

n Sile

“I think right now the environment is pre y important, so I’d like to see more of that.”

SHIVANI AWASTHI (10) “Maybe like Top 10 hidden spots that no one knows about for fun, for hanging out. A theater or mall for instance.”

NEIL MOVVA (12) “I’d like to see more global issues.”

ENGLISH TEACHER BRIGID MILLER “Lack of diversity in Silicon Valley.” and “Sexual assaults on college campuses.”

O me

n n liticia o i s o s imen nop g h in ild ond D e Tec u B OCT. 2014 DEC. 2014 to a Sec of th s m g se ssoveilin Ri o l B Un m o Fr

ONLINE TRANSLATION SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST

DAVID ZHU (10)

RELEASE: JAN. 28, 2015

WHEN IT ALL GOT STARTED MAY 2014

WHAT STORIES DO YOU WANT TO SEE IN DEPTH?

Starting mid-January, the near-ﬁnal versions of the magazine articles start to accumulate elements like video, SoundClouds, and interactive infographics for a life online.

y alle V on ilic y) lley S a V r n p i l Sto icon ends U Sil d Tr ing l Rea o w a Fo Gro e Re (Th PROVIDED BY JESSIVA (FRED) CHANG

JOINING A FAMILY OF PUBLICATIONS

See online versions of the articles at harkeraquila.com

IN IT TOGETHER Anika Mohindra (11), Nitya Mani (12) and Cindy Liu (12) discuss their experiences pursuing STEM at Harker. Elisabeth Siegel (11) and Kacey Fang (12) conducted this interview for their article on gender equity in STEM.

IN A NUTSHELL Priscilla Pan (12) and Jessica (Fred) Chang make food and ﬁlm the process in one of their many online installations. For this issue of the magazine, they featured Silicon Valley’s food trends.

OTHER MAGS IN THE AREA VERDE MAGAZINE PALO ALTO HS

EL ESTOQUE MONTA VISTA HS

THE EPIC LYNBROOK HS

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2013

VOLUME 45, ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2014

VOLUME 50, ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2014

WHAT’S INSIDE B2 DEBATE RECAP B4 SEMESTER IN REVIEW B7 SPRING SPORTS PREPARATION B8 KICKS AGAINST CANCER

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

ﬁles and B2: Director pro tudent show recap for S ase Directed Showc

FEATURES

Kicks Against Cancer Soccer teams go undefeated, raise money for children’s cancer camp

ALL PHOTOS PRISCILLA PAN - WINGED POST

kshithija mulam photo editor The Varsity boys’, Junior Varsity boys’ and Varsity girls’ soccer teams won all three games at the sixth annual Kicks Against Cancer fundraiser last Friday on Davis Field. The JV and Varsity boys faced off against Woodside Priory at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. respectively, while the Varsity girls competed against Notre Dame at 4:30 p.m. The JV Eagles kicked off the event with a 7-0 win against Priory. The Varsity girls followed up with a 2-0 win against Notre Dame with goals from Alyssa Amick (12) and Kailee Gifford (10) in the second half of the game. The Varsity boys’ team ended the night with a 2-0 win against Priory with Jeremiah Anderson (12) and Omar Hamade (11) scoring goals for the Eagles. “We’re going to give it our best, and we always go out on the field to win, so we’re expecting a win,” Omar

said prior to the last game of the night. All the proceeds from the event, including the sales of baked goods, t-shirts, scarves, other accessories and snacks from Mrs. Carley’s Cafe are being donated to Camp Okizu, an organization that supports children with cancer and their families. “We meet the families every year, and I guess you see the impact that you can really have. We’re not just donating to some big charity where you don’t know where the money is going; you get to actually meet the people that are going to be benefiting,” Varsity girls’ captain Gabi Gupta (12) said. “I think it’s pretty important to have this every year. Not only is this a fun experience for everybody else, [but I also] think we’re really doing something that counts.” Several of the players and parents of the soccer teams baked brownies and cookies for students to buy at the bake sale. Prior to their games and while selling, the players wore Kicks Against Cancer t-shirts. Between the Varsity

GOAL ORIENTED (TOP) Omar Hamade (11) races for the ball against Woodside Priory. Omar scored a goal during the Varsity boys’ game, bringing the ﬁnal score to 2-0. (BOTTOM) Faculty members prepare for the “Butts Up” event, where students shoot penalty kicks at the line of teachers. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Camp Okizu, a summer camp for children with cancer.

boys and girls’ games, an announcement was made with all of the soccer players on the field to honor the families at Camp Okizu. “It’s a chance for us to play something that we enjoy, which is soccer, and raise money for kids who are less

fortunate than us and have a disease,” Omar said. “They didn’t choose it, but they got put in a situation where they have to go through a lot of pain and suffering, and their families are put through a lot, so it’s a chance for us to raise money for them and show them

that people actually care.” Students, faculty, and family members attended the event, many donning purple in honor of Kicks Against Cancer. The crowd actively participated in the game, cheering for the Eagles on the field during all three games. During halftime of the Varsity girls’ game, students participated in the infamous “Butts Up”, where students had a chance to take a penalty kick at their teachers, who were standing with their butts facing out from the goal. Prior to the start of the varsity boys’ game, the cheerleaders performed a brief routine on the field. “[Kicks Against Cancer] is one of the bigger events for the year, and people love to watch soccer games anyways, so this is fun for everyone,” Taylor Iantosca (10) said. The Varsity girls play Menlo tomorrow at 2:45 at Menlo, and the varsity boys play Sacred Heart Prep today at 3:00 on Davis Field.

Dance show preparation: In the jungle, the dancers piroue e tonight neil bai & vedant thyagaraj Aquila STEM editor & reporter Donning sweatpants, a shirt with an animal face, and a gold beanie, Aditya Dhar (10), Alexander Lam (10) and David Zhu (10) are looking forward to as part of their dance “Animal Beats.” The annual Upper School Dance Show will take place in the middle school on Friday and Saturday, with this year’s theme focusing on the “Jungle.” This year’s dance show, partitioned into about 20 different dances, include many dancers involved in multiple dances. There will be 135 dancers participating, wearing 240 costumes in the show. “[In] the first act, all the dances are based off of a jungle theme, whether it’s the environment, the temperature, [or] the sounds,” Upper School Dance Director Karl Kuehn said. “The second act is called ‘Animal Inhabitants’ and it’s all related to jungle animals.” According to Kuehn, the show will be featuring a mix of some new songs, classic songs, and interesting instrumental music. With the theme centering on the jungle, Kuehn is excited for the variety of projects possible. “This theme really provides a lot of room for creativity” Kuehn said. “Our costumes and music will directly relate to the jungle. The choreographers - both student and professional choreographers - are given some freedom too.“ Student choreographers of this year’s dances include Ryan Pachauri(12), Sindhu Ravuri (12), Darby Millard (12), Erika Olsen (12), Ashir Bansal (12), Andrew Zhang (12), Jac-

qui Villarreal (12), Noel Banerjee (12), Helena Dworak (11), Ankita Sharma (11), Allison Wang (11), and Emily Pan (11). Senior Ryan Pachauri thinks that there will be many new dance styles stemming from the theme of the jungle. “Since the theme is [the] Jungle, there’s going to be lots of different interpretations of what a Jungle is,” he said. “Mr. Karl and Mrs. Haun worked really hard to tie everyone around the theme. We have the most student choreographers ever, so there’s going to be lots of innovative styles along with some beautiful mixes of dance.” Natasha Mayor (11), a performer in the Howl and Tribal Dance segments, is looking forward to the upcoming show and has enjoyed the practice thus far. “I’m really glad I decided to be in the dance show this year,” Natasha said. “The rehearsals have been fun; I met some new people, and I’m excited to perform in front of my friends.” Jerry Chen (9) is performing in the “George of the Jungle Boogie” dance and believes that the Upper School productions have been an improvement over the middle school’s shows. “There is better choreography, more grade diversity, and there is a theme to it.” However, he thinks improvements can be made to the costumes. “It’s a zebra slash leopard skin print tank top” he said. “It is interesting because it has animal prints and stuff and it reflects the theme.” Showings for the Upper School Dance production start on Jan. 30 at the middle school and tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students.

ALL PHOTOS SHERIDAN TOBIN - WINGED POST

JETÉ IN THE JUNGLE (TOP LEFT) Erika Olsen (12) dances to a cover of Katy Perry’s “Roar” along with the senior girls of the Varsity dance troupe. JV Dance and Varsity Dance open the shows, which run on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening. (TOP RIGHT) Rachelle Haun, a Harker dance teacher, directs “Black Cat.” (MIDDLE RIGHT) Eleanor Xiao (9) performs during a run through of “Little Lion Man” on Saturday. (BOTTOM) Brendan Tobin (10) and Ashir Bansal (12) jump in the air in the middle of rehearsing their dance, “Animalistic Beat.” Saturday’s tech rehearsals set the lighting and positions for the show.

FEATURES Juniors begin college counseling

ENTER STAGE LEFT Kayvon Solaimanpour (10) and Rachel Renteria (11) perform in Madi Lang-Ree’s (12) play, “We Live Here.” Madi’s play was one of the three performed on Jan. 9 and 10 for the Student Directed Showcase.

raveena kapatkar Aquila copy editor

SHARANYA BALAJI - WINGED POST

Behind the curtain: Student Directed Showcase reporter & Aquila asst. multimedia editor Four plays. Four directors. Two performances. Seniors directed and students performed four one-act plays for the Student Directed Showcase (SDS) on Jan. 9 and 10 at the Blackford Theater. The four shows, “Almost Maine,” “Exit,” “We Live Here” and “Check Please,” directed by Caroline Howells (12), Zoe Woehrmann (12), Madi Lang-Ree (12) and Jai Ahuja (12) respectively ranged from romance to witty humor. The directors were chosen through an interview and application process and picked their one act plays over the summer. Casting began in early October, and rehearsals continued all the way up until January. SDS is a Harker performing arts tradition. Performing Arts Department Chair Laura Lang-Ree remembers having the first SDS show, which consisted of seven plays and was held at the place that is now Harry’s Hofbrau. “Somehow we got access to go inside, and we performed all around the restaurants, and we brought in rigging and lighting, and everyone came, and it was really cool,” Lang-Ree said. However, now the SDS process has been narrowed down to three or four plays to make for a two or three hour show. She plans to expand the SDS program in the future with the advent of the Event Center. “How Mr. Larsen and I envision this in the future is that there would be a hands-on class that runs concurrently with Student Directed [Showcase] where there would be student designers working on the set and student lighting designers working on the lighting program,” Lang-Ree said. Harker Conservatory’s next performance is the dance show this weekend. “Almost Maine” Caroline Howells (12) knew that she wanted to be a part of SDS ever since she participated in her first acting experience in freshman year during SDS. Caroline discovered her play when a friend at a college intensive for musical theater suggested it to her. She instantly fell in love with it. The play was “Almost Maine.” She knew that casting was going to be difficult, but remembers it being a lot simpler than she thought it would be. “Everybody who was cast was perfectly suited to their role, and sometimes you only discover that once you get to the performances,” she said. Howells made a point to schedule rehearsal every week even if it was just

to play games and bond. She even made her cast members do a trust walk with each other since her show depended on the basis of connections and trust.

“I struggled at first with letting go of all my previously formed conceptions and ideas, but I quickly was able to let go and see my vision come to life,” she said. “As soon as I found the “Exit” right people for the parts, everything The director of just clicked into place, and it became “Exit,” Zoe Woehrmann a really rewarding and exciting experi(12), was first inspired ence.” to get involved with On opening night, Madi rememSDS by two of the SDS bers being nervous but more excited shows that she had parthan she had ever been for actually actticipated in directed by Hannah Prut- ing in a show. As the shows closed, she ton (‘13) and Shenel Ekici (’14). felt incredibly emotional about the fact One of the first steps for Zoe as a that this long and fulfilling process was director was casting. coming to a close. “We had been preparing for audi“I lost it and was just sitting there tions for a couple days, but when per- bawling,” she said. “I went out of the son after person was auditioning, I was theater to greet [my cast] and we stood typing notes so quickly outside for over 10 and trying to figure out As soon as I found the right minutes crying in where I could see them people for the parts, every- giant group hugs. in my show that I got It was indeed very pretty frazzled,” she thing just clicked into place. cheesy and sappy.” said. The cast plans MADI-LANG REE (12) She hoped that she on meeting a year would get everyone she from now, sitting needed since her cast around and eating cewas designed differently—requiring at real like the dysfunctional family they least five people in each scene rather were on stage. than two or three like the other directors. “Check Please” After her cast was set and she had Jai Ahuja (12) directed the comher first rehearsal to discuss character edy centered around backgrounds, she knew that the whole two people going process for her was going to be reward- through horrible blind ing. dates. His desire to be “I was so impressed with the an SDS director lied depth of their answers, and they came primarily in his curiup with backstory that connected their osity to experience the characters in ways I hadn’t even imag- other side of a show. ined,” she said. Jai’s primary vision for his show The cast had a retreat over Winter changed constantly. He had to keep reBreak where they played “Escape the working each of the parts to figure out Mysterious Room,” a game designed which sections were actually funny. But for people to try to find a way out of he was finally able to come up with exbeing trapped in a room. This game actly what he wanted. was synonymous to the actual plot of “We got it to be what we wanted the play. through hard work, trust, and through As the curtain was about to open learning from each other,” he said. on opening night, Zoe felt slightly exAlthough it was very difficult for cited and nervous because she start- him to decide which person would play ed to doubt some of her choices and each role best, he was still able to dehoped that the audience would like her rive inspiration for the process despite work. But it did all work out. some of the struggles he faced. “Saturday night was the first time “So many people could have been I actually just sat down in the audience in various different roles and it was and watched it without taking notes - tough trying to figure out the best fit,” it was such a satisfying experience to he said. see something you’ve put so much work But he finally got his cast togethinto come together,” she said. er and they went straight to rehearsals. They played hide and go seek, Wii “We Live Here” games, and quizzes to bond. For “We Live As opening night approached Here” director Madi though, Jai had last minute anxiety Lang-Ree (12), SDS about if the comedy in his show was has been something actually translating the way he hoped. she has always wantBut yet his most memorable moment ed to do after watchwas also before the show when his ing the shows in past whole cast huddled around to take years. Applying for SDS was not some- some time to enjoy the last few mothing she had to think about; it was just ments of being the Check Please cast the natural thing to do. before the show. When casting came around, Madi “I miss my cast,” said Jai. “They’re was happily surprised with what she funny, spontaneous and amazing peosaw even though some of her visions ple.” were not exactly matched.

ALL PHOTOS SHARANYA BALAJI - WINGED POST

praveen batra & sharanya balaji

SHOWCASING TALENT (Top) Mary Najibi (11) and Akhil Arun (9) perform in Madi Lang-Ree’s (12) play, “We Live Here.” (Middle) Janet Lee (11) and (bottom) Medha Shah (10), Ayla Ekici (11) and Jeremy Binkley (12) act in Zoe Woehrmann’s (12) play, “Exit.” “We Live Here” and “Exit” were two of the four plays shown the Student Directed Showcase on Jan. 9 and 10.

The junior class began its weekly college counseling meetings on Jan. 20 during extra help. College counseling marks the beginning of the college application process for many juniors, and will continue through the end of the first semester of senior year. Counselors Nicole Burrell, Kevin Lum Lung, Andrew Quinn and Martin Walsh guide the students throughout the process and help them with any questions or concerns. “[We] calmly lay out what we are actually doing here,” Burrell said. “[The students] actually have a lot more time than [they] think, [and] we are going to walk [them] through this process step by step.” Malvika Khanna (11) believes college counseling plays an important role in her high school career. “College counseling seems pretty daunting to me, but I’ve seen my brother go through the process, so I understand how important it is,” she said. “I know that the counselors are here to help me and that in the end, the process will be worth it.” Lum Lung stresses the importance of what juniors should be doing to prepare themselves. Senior Savi Joshi enjoyed her college counseling experience because many of the people she knew were going through the same situations and could relate with each other. “Even though it was really stressful and the writing was really frustrating at times because you always want to give out this good piece and you look at it one day and it is amazing, and you look at it a week later and it is the worst thing you’ve ever written, the people, the counselors, your friends, we’re all going through this process together and your teachers become really understanding,” Savi said. “I think it is just a different process and out of it you become a different person because you’re forced to reflect on yourself so much. The whole college process is more of a self reflection.” The junior class will continue to meet their counselors in their designated locations every Tuesday during extra help.

RAVEENA KAPATKAR - WINGED POST

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

TUESDAY MEETING College Counselor Andrew Quinn teaches the junior class at its ﬁrst meeting. The juniors attend the class every Tuesday.

tiara bhatacharya & sahana srinivasan

Aquila opinion editor & reporter The Upper School’s Forensics team is ramping up for its final series of tournaments before the post-season National Championships. The team has become a national powerhouse, especially through performances by Lisa Liu (11), Pranav Reddy (12), Ayush Midha (12), Abhinav Ketineni (11) and Aditya Dhar (10). Under the overarching categories of speech and debate lie several events for competitors; forensics consists of Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum and Congressional Debate, while speech hosts multiple Interpretation, Oratory and Extemporaneous events. “[Debate has] taught me everything from critical thinking, to research skills, to being able to speak articulate-

ly,” said Pranav, currently ranked 9th nationally in Lincoln-Douglas debate. “Debate is only as much as you put into it, and the more time you put into it, the more you get out of debate.” In February, nearly everyone on the team will travel to Berkeley for the Cal Invitational. It will be the last tournament for the seniors, unless they qualify for the post-season Championships. “It’s kind of like their senior night,” said Carol Green, Communication Studies Department Chair. Aditya was the runner-up in the Blake Congressional Debate Round Robin, making him eligible for this April’s Tournament of Champions. He echoed Pranav’s sentiments on the level of work required for debate to be rewarding. “I think the hardest part of debate is basically the research you have to do and the prep work you have to do for a

tournament,” he said. “But I think that if you do it, and you do it well, it really pays off at the end.” To do all of this preparation, students often receive help from other students in addition to their coaches. Mentorship is a huge component of forensics, both within the Upper School and to the Middle School. Along with her success in individual speech events, Lisa volunteers to help younger students with their research. “Sometimes I go over to the middle school campus to help middle school speech and debate students prepare for upcoming tournaments and work on their skills,” she said. Last year, the Upper School qualified the most number of teams to the Elite Championships. “It’s the Harker cupcakes!” Green said. “It’s the combination of being able to work in class, which is really unique

PROVIDED BY CAROL GREEN

Forensics team prepares for ﬁnal tournaments

EAGLES DEBATE Leon Chin (12), Sarisha Kurup (10), and Rishabh Gargeya (10) gather around an eagle at the Emory Speech & Debate tournament this past weekend. At Emory, seniors Vamsi Gadiraju and Nikhil Kishore reached Quarter Finals in Public Forum.

to Harker, and the students [being able to have] access to such great resources.” For example, teachers in other departments, such as History & Social Science teacher Damon Halback often come to the debate classes to provide

insight on featured topics. Upcoming tournaments include the Stanford Invitational the weekend of Feb. 7 to 9 and the Berkeley Invitational, which is the weekend of Feb. 14 to 16.

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 FEATURES • JANUARY 28, 2015

GOING BACK TO “BACK TO THE FUTURE” megy appalaraju & justin su

Aquila sports editor & reporter

What they got right:

S ON ATI STR ILLU ALL

Video Calling

In the movie, Future Marty McFly is fired through a Video Conference with his boss. This sort of technology is now widely available through services such as Skype, Oovoo, and Facetime.

In Back to the Future, drones would walk the owner’s dogs, which is a meaningless convenience, because what is the point of having a dog if you’re not going to walk it? This technology, however, does not exist.

wrong: Automatic Dog Walker

Hoverboards gliding down the sidewalk and shoes that instantly tie themselves were once merely stereotypes of the far-off future, but the human race may be a lot closer to these sci-fi fantasies than anyone could have ever imagined. “Back to the Future 2” was a popular movie that was set in 2015, but was made in 1989. The movie showcased many guesses on what arrays of technology would be available in the future. Here are some of predictions that the producers got right (and wrong)!

What they got wrong:

hoverboard

Marty McFly made the hoverboard famous with the movie, and a group of people have made a prototype already functional. Hendo Hoverboards plans on releasing their first batch of hoverboards in October this year.

Food hydrator

In Back to the Future 2, there was a food hydrator that changed a mini-pizza to a steaming full sized pizza, and while we could all fantasize about something like that existing, sadly, no food hydrators exist.

Self-tying shoes

Marty wore Nike MAGS in his trip to the future, and now Nike is confirming the release of these shoes, along with the self tying sensor technology. Only 1,500 pairs are being released, and all the proceeds will go to Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Self-drying jackets

Self-drying jackets would definitely be advantageous, as humans would not have to dry their jackets off after a big rainstorm, and they would be ready for storage right after being used. However, this technology also does not exist.

Tablet

WIN G ED ST

Tablets are used throughout the movie, however, the producers may have not anticipated just how big the tablet market would be in 2015. The tablets of today are much sleeker and advanced than the bulky computer tablets that Marty uses to save the clock tower.

Phone Booth

The producers of the movie never could have guessed the explosion of the use of cell phone in 1989, so they put phone booths into the movie. However, since cell phone technology has since become very popular, phone booths have become obsolete, so the producers got this aspect of technology wrong in their movie.

Biometric Identification

MEGY APPALARAJU - WINGED POST

Apple has released their iPhone 6 Plus with Biometric Identification, which allows people to unlock their phone with their fingerprints. However, technology coming out soon will allow a person to start their car or pay for services with bands tied to their heartbeat, very similar to the technology offered in Back to the Future 2.

jaws 19

Jaws is an iconic four-part horror movie; however, it did not deserve 15 more after Jaws 4.

What new technology would you like to see emerge in the next 30 years? Laya Indukuri (12) “I think people always over estimate how far technology is going to come in the future. I don’t think that flying cars, holograms, or mind readers are anywhere in our near future.” Rahul Jayaraman (12) “I want to be able to travel to the other side of the world in less than two hours.”

y hne s r a ao ya v adit ackie g & j orters

E M E S T

Numerous major events pertaining to clubs, the student body, and student government impacted the Harker community last year. Here are some of the top events of 2014. Dress Code Changes: In August, prior to the start of school, the administration altered the dress code to a requirement of minimum knee length skirts and dresses because enforceability was a recurring issue, according to ASB Vice President Jessica Chang (12). “Enforcing dress code was such a big hassle from what I have heard from the administration,” Jessica said. “So [changing it] was just easier for everybody from their standpoint.” A dress code committee was later established by the administration to propose a revised dress code. Meanwhile, the administration reverted the dress code to the four-inch rule. Capital Giving Campaign: At the Harker Harvest Festival in October, the administration revealed

that contributors had donated more than $26.1 million dollars for the Capital Giving Campaign between April and October to build a new Events Center at the Upper School. According to Executive Director of Advancement, Joe Rosenthal, the new events center will improve the Performing Arts and athletics programs. “It’s the same old thing in athletics when you got a big crowd cheering you on - you’re much more likely to work harder, train harder and prepare harder because you’ve got the support of the community behind you,” Rosenthal said. Junior class rafting trip change: Last spring, the sophomore class of 2016 elected to switch the junior class trip from a sailing or kayaking trip to a river-rafting trip on the American River before the school year begins. According to Biology teacher and Junior Class Dean Dr. Matthew Harley, the feedback from the juniors who participated was generally positive. “We think it was a very worthwhile trip,” Dr. Harley said. “The plan is to continue this, and this year’s sophomores should look forward to this fantastic trip.” New Traffic Route: As of last August, the traffic route

THROWBACK (Left) Justin Yen (12) and Srivinay Irrinki (12) participate in the senior class dodgeball sit-in. (Right) Apurva Gorti (‘14) and Dora Tzeng (‘14) plant one of the orchard’s saplings together in memory of Jason Berry.

for morning drop off in the front loading zone was modified to reduce backup on the I-280 off-ramp into the Upper School campus. “[Traffic] goes a lot easier and a lot better because there is more room for [the cars] to go, so we can get more people in,” Upper School Security and Traffic Director, Emily Manigo said. The new performing arts center and gymnasium, to be completed by 2016, may force the administration to change the morning traffic routes in the upcoming year. Dodgeball Sit-in: In September, students participated in the annual dodgeball tournament, a tradition of homecoming week. The juniors won the tournament, defeating the seniors in the final round. However, some seniors refused to accept defeat and sat in the center of the court, resulting in a senior class sit-in. The seniors’ protests could bring some officiating changes for next year’s homecoming events. “If we play it again next year, we’ll just try a little harder to have more referees and have more people out there to make it fair,” Enzensperger said. Diabetes Week: The Women in STEM Club (WiSTEM) hosted a diabetes aware-

ness week last November. The club organized Bollywood dancing and hip-hop classes, set up diabetes information booths, and encouraged healthy eating during lunch. The club sold items to raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). “[WiSTEM] was able to show that everyone in our community knows someone who is affected by diabetes and just the magnitude of how large the problem of diabetes is,” WiSTEM Publicity Officer Adele Li (11) said. Varsity Girls Volleyball NorCal Semifinalists: The varsity girl’s volleyball team earned second in CCS and, for the first time since 2007, advanced to the NorCal volleyball tournament in late November. They were defeated by Sonora High School, ending their record season as semifinalists. According to Melissa Kwan (9), a setter for the team, the team’s cohesiveness enhanced her tournament experiences. “We were just really strong and resilient throughout [the games],” setter Melissa Kwan (9) said. Red Cross Blood Drive: Students and faculty from the Upper School participated in the an-

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nual Red Cross Blood Drive in early December. Through the latest drive, donors gave 24 units of blood, enough to save 72 lives. Club members still wish to see more people overcome their fears and donate to make each drive more effective. “A lot of people are scared of needles, and I think this is one of the biggest reasons that people don’t donate,” Red Cross Club vice president Nitya Mani (12) said. “If we can get people to overcome that hurdle, then we would have a lot more donations.” Jason Berry’s Orchard: A statue of a teddy bear holding a plaque was unveiled last December in memory of Jason Berry, an Upper School English teacher who passed away in August 2013. A gift from the senior class of 2014, the statue and the orchard that surrounds it were revealed as students, faculty and parents across the Harker community gathered in front of Nichols Hall to remember Berry. At the event, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine, Head of Upper School Butch Keller and alumna Sonya Chalaka (2012) gave speeches in his honor.

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SPORTS

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

SPORTS FANS (LEFT) Samantha Madala (12) poses with Sharks forward Logan Couture at a game last season. The Sharks are currently in second place in the Pacific Division. (TOP RIGHT) Anish Velagapudi (11), Natasha Mayor (11), and Edward Sheu (11) pose for a picture at a Warriors game. The Warriors currently hold a 34-6 record. (BOTTOM RIGHT) The 49ers line up for the start of a preseason game. The team had a 8-8 record this year.

Bay Area sports recap Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors have had a stellar season, compiling 34 wins and only six losses to put them atop the Western Conference rankings. This season comes after many years of rebuilding that have propelled this team to the level at which it plays today. The additions of Stephen Curry in 2009 and Klay Thompson in 2011 have had a sizable impact on the team’s performance over the past years. With Curry averaging 23 points per game and Thompson scoring around 21 points per game, the Warriors look to make a deep run in the upcoming postseason. The highlight of the team’s season comes with their 16 game win streak, the longest set of consecutive wins in franchise history. The win streak finally came to an end, with the Warriors facing defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. Winning their games by an average of 11.3 points, the Warriors have truly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Students express their opinion on the Warrior’s performance this season. “The Warriors are the best team in the league this year. I really think they can win the championship,” Aathira Menon (11) said. With a well-rounded and a young roster, the Golden State Warriors are poised to make a run for the 2015 NBA championship. The most impressive part of the Warriors’ season is the depth of their roster. With key players such as David Lee and Andrew Bogut missing a sizable number of games, Golden State has proved to have a second string of

players that can rival the starting fives of other teams in the NBA. San Francisco 49ers The 49er’s season has been lackluster in comparison with their 8-8 record ending a three year streak of qualifying to the NFC Championships and a tumultuous . Poor performances from tight end Vernon Davis, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the offensive line, numerous injuries, and linebacker Aldon Smith’s two suspensions plagued the team. Vernon Davis ended the season with two touchdowns and 245 yards compared to his thirteen touchdowns and 850 yards last year. Colin Kaepernick along with the offensive line also had a dip in performance throwing ten intercepted passes while getting sacked 52 times. The lack of key players hindered the team. The defense of the team failed to perform at their highest level with pivotal players including Patrick Willis, Navorro Bowman, and Aldon Smith playing a minimal number games due to a toe injury, a knee injury, and a suspension for the violation of the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies. Once the season had concluded, former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh left due to disagreements with management and was replaced with Jim Tomsula. Harbaugh coached the 49ers for four years and was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2011. He will be coaching for University of Michigan next season.

ria gandhi & adrian chu

Aquila asst. sports editor & reporter Harbaugh’s departure generated controversy within the fan base. “I’m not in assent with the firing of Jim Harbaugh since he was one of the best coaches we’ve ever had,” Sushant Thayagaraj (9) said. “Since 2011 when he came, he not only brought us to the Super Bowl but also to the championships three straight times.” With a new coach and plenty of room for improvement, the 49ers have great potential for the next season. San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks have had a fairly inconsistent season, currently holding a 2517-6 record to put them in second place in the tough Pacific Division. Centers Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture lead the team with 24 and 18 goals respectively. Beating the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 21, 2015, the Sharks hope that the win will help them improve on their performance throughout the rest of the season. The team’s average performance is attributed to the apparent lack of internal drive. Players, coaches, and fans have all expressed concern over whether or not the Sharks are capable of handling a tough upcoming schedule. The San Jose Sharks will play their next game against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Jan. 29.

New Year, New Me 2015 fitness resolutions tara parimi

Aquila copy editor Two-thirds of the New Year’s resolutions of adults deal in part with fitness. According to a study conducted for Bodybuilding.com, 73 percent of those people give up before meeting their goal. New Year’s resolutions are a tradition spanning many centuries, with the custom’s roots tracing back to Babylonian times. This 2015, students explore ways to stay in shape and abide by their fitness resolutions. Sarisha Kurup (10), who has recently started practicing yoga, has been replacing chocolate with quinoa and Pinkberry with Pressed Juicery in a bid to eat healthier. “My resolution was to worry more about being healthy rather than trying to look a certain way. I want to try out juice cleanses and try to get myself to eat a little more kale,” Sarisha said. “Always think long-term. You don’t want to wake up one day when you’re 60 and wish you had been fit before. Live your life with the intention of having no regrets.” Sophomore Anahita Far has created an Instagram account dedicated to the art of healthy eating. Through her Instagram platform, Anahita endeavors to both showcase her Farmer’s market based creations and educate others. “My wish for my followers is to [be] inspired and to get up and make something healthy. I want to teach people that the food they put in their bodies should not only taste good, but be good for you as well,” Anahita said. “[To stick with a resolution] Take it one day at a time, keep your goal in mind.” Meanwhile girls’ varsity tennis player Maya Valluru (10), who is aiming to stay in shape for tennis season, has enumerated several specific goals she has for the coming year. “This year, I am working to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising multiple times a week and making sure I eat three meals each day,” Maya said. “One of my main goals is to build greater stamina as well as speed for the tennis season in fall, so that I [can] reach more short balls and play with my full power throughout matches. Maya believes that incorporating one’s resolutions into their daily routine is the most effective way to reach goals. “Make sure you make your fitness resolutions a daily routine that you don’t deviate from. You just have to be strict with yourself.” Varsity basketball captain Jordan Thompson (10) attributes her successes on the court to her discipline in regards to her constant workout and practice schedule. “I think that in order to be successful, you have to work hard and put in the time to practice or else you’re not [going to] get any better. And when you’re consistent with your workouts, that’s when you’ll start seeing results.” Whether it be eating clean and healthy, training and becoming strong enough to run that half marathon, or partaking in biking sessions at your local SoulCycle, 2015 is the time to be inspired and make a change.

ATHLETES OF THE MONTH ria gandhi & kshithija mulam

Aquila asst. sports editor & photo editor

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Varsity guard averages 21.2 points per game Varsity girls’ basketball captain Jordan Thompson (10) has played a leading role in many of the Eagles’ victories this season. Jordan plays guard for the team, and is consistently one of the top scorers on the team, with an average of 21.2 points per game. She also averages 7.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. “Her season highlight was definitely during the championship game of the Pescadero Tournament in November against Stevenson,” teammate Aishu Murari (11) said. “The game was pretty close, and part way through the fourth quarter, she made this awesome four point play that really boosted our

momentum and helped us close out the game.” Jordan’s performance led to her to being crowned as the Pescadero Tournament MVP and a Harker first place finish. She was also mentioned in the San Jose Mercury News’ highlight reel for her 38 points and 11 rebounds in the Eagles’ victory over Woodside Priory on Jan. 6. She also scored 26 points in a win over Crystal Springs Uplands and 18 points in a game against Mercy-Burlingame. Jordan’s skills reach way beyond her performance on the court, and she remains a good teammate to those

around her. “She’s a great player and captain, and she motivates us to work hard and play together,” teammate Aathira Menon (11) said. “Jordan is a really good friend of mine and the rest of our team.” As a second-year varsity basketball player, Jordan is no stranger to performing at a high level. During her freshman season, she was named to the WBAL Second Team for her achievements. The varsity girl’s basketball team currently holds a 10-5 record overall and 4-1 record in league. Jordan and the rest of the team hope to build on their success for the remainder of their season.

SWEEPING THE COURT Jordan Thompson (10) dribbles the ball across the court in a game vs. Pacific Collegiate School, which the team won 39-20. Jordan is captain of the team and averages 21.2 points per game.

Varsity boys’ soccer player Omar Hamade (11) has helped lead the Eagles to several victories this season. Omar plays striker for the team and has scored a total of 11 goals in the first nine games this season. “Omar motivates the rest of the team to do their best,” varsity boy’s soccer captain Brandon Aguilar (12) said. “I mean a lot of the kids are pretty young; we have three freshman this year and some sophomores and some new guys on varsity, but Omar having the experience — this is his third year on Varsity — brings a new atmosphere to the team.” Omar’s teammates also compliment

his compatibility with the rest of the team and look to him for encouragement throughout the season. Several of his teammates referred to him as “the goal-scorer.” “He’s a clown during practice, but that brings the team together because we’re all trying to be serious and stuff. Sometimes we’re like ‘Oh, what if we lose?’, and he’ll be the one who brings us back up. He’s our goal-scorer, and we love him,” teammate Rajiv Sancheti (11) said. One of the most notable games of Omar’s season was a 5-2 win against San Mateo High School on Dec. 12. “His best game of the season has

to be against San Mateo in preseason because we were down 1-0, but then he kind of went off on them and scored five goals,” Brandon said. Omar also scored two goals in a game against Menlo and one against Saratoga High. Omar and the Eagles continue to persevere through the rest of the soccer season in hopes of succeeding in league matches. “[Omar] knows that we need to work and dedicate ourselves to practice time to reach our goals, which are at this moment trying to win league and get to CCS for the first time,” Brandon said. said.

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Striker leds team with 11 goals in 9 games

KICKIN’ IT Omar Hamade (11) runs for the ball in a game vs. Terra Nova last year. Omar has helped his team to several victories, having scored a total of 11 goals this season.

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 SPORTS • JANUARY 28, 2015

Spring into action: Eight teams prepare for season raveena kapatkar & lauren russell

Super Bowl preview Seahawks and Patriots prepare for Feb. 1 championship roshni pankhaniya sports editor

MEGY APPALARAJU - WINGED POST

The 49th annual Super Bowl will be played this Sunday between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. For the first time in a decade, an NFL team will play in consecutive Super Bowl games, with the Seahawks having defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. This will be the eighth Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots and second for the Seahawks. Senior Rohith Kuditipudi will be attending his first live Super Bowl game this Sunday. “I’m most excited about seeing my two heroes, Tom Brady and Katy Perry, in action,” he said. “I’m [also] looking forward to a fourth championship for the Patriots, who I’ve liked from the time they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2005 Super Bowl.”

Significant controversy surrounds the Patriots participation in the game due to allegations that they used under-inflated footballs in the first-half of the Jan. 18 AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, which the Patriots won 45-7. Though the NFL is currently investigating the incident, it does not appear that they will have made a decision on the issue prior to this Sunday’s game. The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, historically the most watched musical event of the year, will be headlined by Katy Perry, along with rock & roll icon Lenny Kravitz. In addition, the pregame show will feature John Legend performing “America the Beautiful” and Idina Menzel singing the national anthem. Over 95 percent of ad slots, selling between $4.44.5 million per 30-second spot, have sold out to 15 advertisers as of Jan. 7. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 3:30p.m. The game will be aired nationwide on NBC.

BID FOR EIGHT The New England Patriots play the Dallas Cowboys during the 2012 NFL Season. Though they ended their season that year 12-4, Sunday’s game will mark their eight Super Bowl appearance.

Lacrosse The varsity girls’ lacrosse team will practice at the Blackford campus until soccer season is over, and will then move to Davis field. Sabrina Sidhu (12), Hannah Bollar (12) and Allison Kiang (12) are the captains for the team, and Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine is the coach. Pre-season workouts began in November and were mandatory for players looking to join the varsity team. In addition to these workouts, some players joined club lacrosse outside of school in the off season. “I enjoy doing club lacrosse because it gives me the chance to play with other talented people and learn from their strengths and forces me to rise to the same level that they are at,” Alayna Richmond (10) said. Allison looks forward to bonding with the team this season. “I’m looking forward to working with the underclassmen and playing hard,” she said. “And really developing a cohesive team comradery.” Lacrosse team practices will begin on the Blackford track on Feb. 2 Track and Field The Upper School track and field team began open gym workouts on Jan. 6, which take place every Tuesday and Thursday after school at the Blackford campus. Track and field provides a variety of events for students to participate in, such as shot put, discus, 400 meter relay, long jump, pole vault and many more. Each event is separated by gender, division and heats. Niki Iyer (10) enjoys the competitive atmosphere on the track. “I really like how it is so competitive and it is just a place for me to be competitive,” she said. “I also really like the team.” This year, Stephanie Wilson, Zach Wolford, and Katy Rees, will be joining Scott Chisam and Mike Bassoni in coaching the team. The track and field season will begin in February and practices will take place at the Blackford track. Boys’ Golf The boys’ golf team will begin its season this February and anyone is welcome to try out. Last year only eight boys participated in the golf program, so there was

Girls’ Softball The girls’ softball team will begin practicing at the Blackford softball field from Feb. 2. This year’s captains are Sarah Bean (12), Vivian Isenberg (12) and Alisa Wakita (11), with head coach Raul Rios, the Head of the Shipping and Receiving Department, and assistant coaches Dan Hudkins, the Director of Information Technology Service and Support, Rikki Martinez and Ray Fowler, the History and Social Science teacher. Co-Captain Alisa comments about what she expects for this season. “I’m looking forward to working with the new girls as well as helping them and others out as we grow to become a team,” Alisa said. “My expectation this year is for each player to be able to believe in themselves on and off the field. I would also like everyone to have fun but practice how we play.” The team ended last year’s season with a 6-2 record. The girls will play their first game at Gunderson High School on March 3 at 3:30 p.m. Boys’ Baseball Varsity boys’ Baseball began pre-season conditioning in January, and their official season will begin in February. The baseball team is coached by Mike Delfino and the captain for this season is Keanu Forbes (12). Last year the baseball team had a season record of 3-22. Sophomore Kedar Gupta is enthusiastic to begin the new season and meet the new players. “[I am] looking forward mostly to meeting new players and also the season, since we seem to have a lot more talent this year than previously,” he said.

Practices begin Monday Feb. 2 at Blackford, and the boys will play their first game at Mills High School on March 10 at 4:00 p.m. Boys’ Volleyball The boys’ Volleyball team has begun to practice at several open gyms during previous weeks. Currently, head coach Tristan Burton and assistant coach Mike Aitken have yet to choose the team captains, but the teams themselves have already been set. Several players, such as Jonathan Schwartz (10), are excited to play in the upcoming season with their teammates. “I’m looking forward to seeing the team improve and hopefully people who haven’t played come out and join the sport.” The first game of the season is on March 11, against Oak Grove High School. Swimming The swimming team has begun practicing this January in preparation for upcoming meets. This year, Alisha Garcia will be the team’s head coach. Swim team members will be able to compete in team, individual, and IM events during the meets, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. Justin Culpepper (10) comments on the current state of the team. “Right now most of our team members are returning members,” Justin said. The first swim meet of the season will be held on March 18, against King’s Academy at the Saratoga campus. Boys’ Tennis This year varsity Boys’ Tennis will be led by head coach John Fruttero and assistant coach Hanna Pajunen. The team will have equal members on both teams, with 12 members on Varsity and 12 on the JV team. Tennis does not have any preseason conditioning, and is set to begin practicing in February. Several players, including Sohil Singh (12) look forward towards the start of the tennis season. “I enjoy learning more about the sport and being around other people that are also dedicated to improving their skills and generally love playing tennis,” he said. Both Varsity and JV teams have their first matches against The King’s Academy on March 3.

Boston wins U.S. bid for 2024 Olympics derek yen reporter

After months of deliberation, the United States Olympic Committee announced on Jan. 8 that Boston, Massachusetts has been chosen as the American candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. A preliminary round reduced the number of applicant cities from 35 to a mere four: Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Boston will continue into an international round, where a city from around the world will be chosen to host the Olympics. Students seem mostly indifferent to the fact that a local city did not win the bid. “I’m not very affected by the Olympics,” sophomore Michael Jin said. “I know some other people may, but I don’t have as much preference about where they’re held.” However, an American Olympics would be more accessible by an American audience. “It’d attract people from all over the nation since it’s in America, and that’s a first in a while,” Taylor Iantosca (10) said. Being an Olympic host is a very large commitment for any city, requiring years of coordination, building facilities, and logistics. Some residents of Boston believe that hosting the games is an opportunity for growth, and may boost the economy. Boston

Winter Sports Recap:

ALYSSA AMICK - HARKER AQUILA

GETTING INTO SHAPE (TOP) Sophomore Alayna Richmond participates in the pre-season conditioning for Lacrosse. Practices will begin on Feb. 2 at Blackford. (BOTTOM) Ray Song (10) performs the Russian Twist during pre-season conditioning for boys Volleyball. Volleyball practices will begin on Feb. 2.

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Aquila copy editor & reporter

one varsity team. This year the program looks to expand and create a junior varsity team, as more players plan to join the golf team. The golf teams are coached by Tom Vaughan and Ie-Chen Cheng. Sandip Nirmal (10), who played golf last year as well, looks forward to starting out the new season. “We have a lot of fun and a lot of good talk in the bus on the way there so I’m looking forward to that and just having fun with the guys,” Sandip said. Golf does not require any pre-season conditioning. Their practices are held at Los Lagos Golf Course in San Jose and Pruneridge Golf Club in Santa Clara. Practices will begin Feb. 2 and continue everyday after school.

CITY SCAPE On Jan. 8, the U.S. Olympic Committee picked Boston to be the U.S. bid city for the 2024 games. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in 2017.

2024, a campaign for Boston as host, believes that the Olympics will be an opportunity to “accelerate the delivery of improvements in transportation, infrastructure, and housing.” “I think it would be a tremendous opportunity […] in so many different ways,” Boston’s mayor Martin Walsh said in an interview with the Boston Globe. “I think it adds value to our convention business. I think it adds value to our tourism business.” Other Bostonians have pointed out the cost that comes from hosting the Olympics. Historically, the costs of the games have been under estimated. For instance, London’s estimate for their 2012 games was originally at four Boys’ Soccer: 6-2-1 Girls’ Soccer: 6-3-1 Wresting: 0-3

billion, yet ultimately cost around 20 billion. “The average price tag for hosting a Summer Olympics is $15 billion,” the anti-campaign No Boston Olympics website claims. “[That’s] more than what the Commonwealth of Massachusetts collects annually in income taxes.” Regardless, the prospect of an American Olympics is still exciting. “I grew up in Boston, so I think it would be cool to go and visit family and watch the Olympics,” Taylor said. The Olympics Committee will release more information on the games in the upcoming years.

Boys’ Basketball: 10-6 Girls’ Basketball: 9-5

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VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2015

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TRIPLE VICTORY kicks against cancer scores

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3 p.m. JV boys vs. woodside priory 7-0 4:30 p.m. Varsity girls vs. Notre Dame 2-0 6:00 p.m. varsity boys vs. Woodside priory 2-0

BABY GOT BACK Upper School Mathematics teacher Troy Thiele sets up soccer balls with his son Skyler for “Butts Up,” where audience members could shoot soccer balls at faculty’s posteriors. Thiele helped found Kicks Against Cancer as the former girls’ Varsity coach six years ago.

SCHOOL SPIRIT The cheerleading squad performs during the girls’ game halftime.

GO EAGLES Jason Chu (12) cheers for the Varsity boys’ team as he watches the game with friends.

BUTTS UP Biology teacher Dr. Matthew Harley anticipates the sting of soccer balls as part of the “Butts Up” fundraiser.

RACE Rishi Chopra (9) and his opponent run head-to-head.

FANCY FOOTWORK Joelle Anderson (10) dribbles the ball, keeping it just out of reach of her opponent.

FAMILY A Camp Okizu family gather together between the girls’ and boys’ games.

Cea (9) races ahead.

12 BAKE SALE The Varsity boys’ team sells baked goods and accepts donations to Camp Okizu during the girls’ game.

12 MEILAN STEIMLE - WINGED POST

11 GETTING AHEAD Dominic

10 SMILEY MAILE Maile Chung

(10) reaches for the ball. Seconds later, she steals it from her opponent.

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managing editor

MEILAN STEIMLE - WINGED POST

FAST AS LIGHTNING Oisin Coveney (11) dives in for the ball.

kacey fang

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Q&A with

brent & miles lang

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SCORE! Kailee Gifford (10) battles for the ball with her Notre Dame opponent. Kailee scored during the second half of the game.

PRISCILLA PAN - WINGED POST

KSHITHIJA MULAM - WINGED POST

PRISCILLA PAN - WINGED POST

After being diagnosed last April, 13 year-old Miles Lang, his father Brent Lang, and their family attended Camp Okizu for a week last summer and hope to again this year. Winged Post: How was your time at Camp Okizu? What are you looking forward to this year? Miles Lang: It’s a really fun camp, and it’s going to be even better with all the donations. I’m looking forward to doing the ropes course and archery again. Those were my favorite parts. Brent Lang: I think it’s just fabulous that the teams are doing work to raise money for the camp. It really is a special place. WP: Can you talk about the daily life of living with cancer? ML: Once you get into maintenance, it’s not that much different. You just take your pills when you need to and go in when you need to go in, but other than that it’s pretty normal. BL: Miles has kept a really positive attitude about the whole thing. I think that’s helped. WP: What’s the community like at Camp Okizu? BL: We met other families who had gone through a lot of things that we were going to be facing. We ended up learning a lot of the questions that we should go back and ask his doctor about his treatment. The best part is just to see other families who were many years past where we were. Their children had had cancer when they were much younger, and they’d all grown up and gone on to live totally normal lives, so it gives you hope that you can get through this and you’ll go back to living completely normal lives in the future.

Meet “Dr. mike”

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Michael amylon, 33-year medical director of okizu

I was one of the people at the table when the idea for Camp Okizu was first born. I’m a doctor that takes care of kids with cancer. Initially my involvement was just going up in the summer to the health center, but I began to see how the community that forms in the natural camp setting was the perfect kind of peer support, and I got more interested in that aspect. When the idea for Kicks Against Cancer first came up, I came down to talk to the teams, help them get to know the families, and bridge that gap. I think it’s wonderful of the soccer teams to put their time and energy into helping such a good cause.

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