Winged Post Volume 15, Issue 5

Winged Post Wednesday, March 12, 2014

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 15, NO.5

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500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

EXTENDED COVERAGE OF NORCAL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

SAT format changes include optional essay

WHAT’S INSIDE

elisabeth siegel copy editor

Five laptops were taken from the girls’ locker room on the Upper School campus during a lacrosse game Friday.

The laptops, belonging to members of the JV lacrosse team, went missing during the 90-minute JV lacrosse game against MenloAtherton.

“We don’t know who could have done it. We’re still looking into it,” Varsity lacrosse goalie Christine Lee (12).

Varsity midfielder Hannah Bollar (11) reflected on the details surrounding the theft.

“We have had previous problems in the past with theft,” she said.

“There are no physical lockers in the locker room. There’s just so much stuff in there [so] that it’s very easy for someone else to take something.”

Athletes are given precautions on handling their belongings in the event of strangers on campus for sports games.

“I think in the future people should always bring their stuff on the field, so… their bags aren’t left unattended,” JV player Taylor Lantosca (9) said.

Security remains a top priority for members of the Harker community. Tor Wormdahl, head of security, imparted some advice for students and athletes.

“I think the student should just be able to say, ‘Is there any means of securing this area when we leave?’” he said.

The girls’ lacrosse team plays an away game against Santa Catalina this afternoon.

APP CHALLENGE mariam sulakian

Boys’ basketball team starts NorCal playoff run today

nikhil dilip editor in chief

sheridan tobin

T

opinion editor

he varsity Boys’ basketball team made school history by placing second in the division four Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament on Saturday.

Despite a strong comeback effort to start the second half, the boys lost the final game 37-48 to league rival Sacred Heart Preparatory in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Independence High School.

Both teams had slow starts to the game, but Sacred Heart gained a 23-17 lead before the end of the second quarter. The boys came out strong to begin the second half and nearly caught up by the middle of the third period, but were unable to maintain their momentum against Sacred Heart’s defense.

“It was a great opportunity for us to play in such a big game it’s a disappointment that we lost,” Nicholas Nguyen (11) said. “We could have done a lot better, but we still have NorCals, which is really exciting.”

The boys’ 8-6 league record earned them the number six tournament seed.

To make the finals, they defeated Carmel High School, the number eleven seed, 40-46 in the second round of CCS; Soquel High School, the number three seed, 49-42 in the quarter finals; and Seaside High School, the number two seed, 71-61 in the semi finals.

In the quarter final game, they began the fourth quarter down 28-40, but outscored Soquel 21-2 in the final eight minutes to secure their spot in the semi finals.

“We’re the number six seed. We upset two and three,” Head Coach Butch Keller said after the semi final game. “That’s what’s fun about it. We’re not supposed to be doing this.”

The team has also dealt with injury throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.

Willliam Deng (12), a starter, has been out since the middle of February, before the CCS tournament started.

QUICK NICK Guard Nick Nguyen (11) drives the ball toward the basket Saturday, passing his opponents from Sacred Heart Preparatory.

Continued page 10

The College Board announced last Wednesday sweeping changes to the SAT effective in 2016, saying that the new test will focus more on assessing skills necessary for students in academic and professional environments.

Among the changes are the abolishment of a penalty for guessing incorrectly, making the essay an optional, and redesigning vocabulary questions to test for words more likely to be encountered in the classroom or workplace.

Countering criticisms that the SAT benefits wealthy children who can afford preparation classes, the College Board will team with Khan Academy to offer test-preparation materials online for free.

Students who take the test and meet certain income-specific eligibility requirements will receive four fee waivers for college applications.

“I think that’s a step in the right direction,” college counselor Kevin Lum Lung said. “I think it’s great, and hopefully it’s not just for PR. Hopefully it’s something that students can use and it’s really good quality preparation for them.”

According to a survey of 166 seniors collected by the college counseling department in December, 69 percent of Harker students used a test preparation company to help study for the SAT or ACT. With the changes set to take place in 2016, this year’s freshman class will be the first to take the new test, in their junior year.

“I guess it will make it easier and less stressful,” Hazal Gurcan (9) said.

“For the essay part, I guess it’s kind of more relieving because I don’t like writing essays.”

Many of these changes make the SAT more similar to the ACT, its chief rival in college admissions testing.

The ACT currently offers students the opportunity to take the exam with or without the writing component and does not penalize for wrong answers on multiple choice questions.

For more information, go to page 15.

Community protests SCA-5 at Cupertino library kacey fang

Aquila news editor

features editor

The 18th Congressional District initiated the ongoing House Student App Challenge as part of the first annual Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academic Competition on Feb. 1.

To participate, students must formulate an app for mobiles, laptops, or tablets and upload either a YouTube or VIMEO video describing the fundamentals of the app by April 30.

“This is a great opportunity for high school students because a lot of these hackathons in the Bay Area are more tailored toward college students,” David Lin (11) said.

A board of qualified individuals will assess the submitted apps and select one from every participating district to display on the U.S. House of Representatives’ webpage and the U.S. Capitol array.

For more information, visit www.eshoo.house.gov.

Bay Area community leaders and members gathered on March 2 to discuss Senate Constitutional Amendment 5, which would allow California’s public universities to consider race as a factor in admissions. While several volunteers conducted a protest of the amendment outside the Cupertino library, a panel of four politicians and experts debated the issue inside the Community Hall.

Panelists included Bob Huff, State Senate Republican Leader; Linchi Wang, past chair of the Ethnic Studies department at the University of California, Berkeley; David Lehrer, President of Community Advocates; and Henry Der, past Deputy Superintendent of the California Department of Education. The panel gave the speakers the opportunity to explain their individual views of SCA-5 to the audience.

“The question that you need to answer is do you want to hold your elected officials accountable, as we have the opportunity to do, living in a de-

A LOOK INTO STEM WEEK, 2

mocracy, or do you want some name- employment, public contracting, and “For what I can see in the amendless bureaucrat or committee making public post-secondary education since ment, [...] the intent was to recruit and the decisions?” Huff said. “Do you want its approval in 1996. to admit students throughout Califor[admissions] based on merit, when While several protesters expressed nia under the U.S. Constitution with you’ve had your children working after concern that removal of this protec- all the U.S. Supreme Court decisions school, when you’ve had them studying tion would instate racial quotas, Der and as the other panel members have while others are out playing [...] do you hoped that the amendment could be stated, the U.S. Supreme Court does want it based on merit and their scores, improved to reflect its true intentions, not allow quotas to be applied in unior do you want it based on some other which in his view does not involve the versity admissions at UCs and CSUs,” unnamed, unaccountable committee or implementation of such quotas.

Continued page 3 person?”

State Senator Ed Hernandez proposed the amendment to address “a precipitous drop in the percentage of Latino, African American and Native American students at California public universities.”

“I think the intentions are all very nice with regard to SCA-5, but it begs the question because it really is a solution in search of a problem. [...] It would be a terrible message to go back to the quotas and preferences as they once existed in California,” Lehrer said.

If passed, the amendment would effectively reverse the prohibition by Proposition 209 of considering racial factors in higher public education. The NO TO SCA-5 Cupertino City Council member Barry Chang leads a proposition has covered the govern- demonstration against SCA-5, which would allow California’s higher public ment institutions involved in public education to consider race in admissions.

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

LAPTOPS STOLEN

Eagles make history

SHERIDAN TOBIN - WINGED POST

2 ADMISSIONS REVIEW 4 FEMINISM TODAY 8 FOOD MATH 9 UKRAINE CRISIS 10-11 ROAD TO CCS 12 SPRING FASHION 17 TEAM MANAGERS 19 NET NEUTRALITY 20 LGBT RIGHTS

BACTERIA BREAKDOWN, 7

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW, 16

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NEWS

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Admissions to release acceptance le ers kacey fang

features editor The admissions office will release decisions for next year’s new Upper School students tomorrow. This year’s number of applicants across all campuses saw an approximate 30 percent increase from last year, according to Nan Bassoni, Director of Admission and Financial Aid. Applicants to the Upper School numbered close to 250, with about 200 applying for the ninth grade. Typically, openings for ninth grade range from 25 to 40 spots, depending on the year.

“I think that as our reputation for a school grew, the number of applications certainly has increased. That’s impacted by the economy sometimes.

If the economy is down, then the applications rate drops. When people are confident in the economy, then applications go up,” Bassoni said.

Shreya Dixit (11), who entered Harker as a freshman, recalls her application experience.

“It was my first time ever doing an admissions process, and it was a lot of work because we had to write so many essays, ” she said. “I think it was a really good experience because now as an incoming senior, I’m going to be applying for colleges soon, and it was nice to have some sort of preliminary experience that prepares you for the process.”

Applicants are evaluated based on their grades, activities, essays, and teacher recommendations, among other things.

“We want to make sure that the student is going to be comfortable in the academic environment. We want a student who wants to learn, who loves to learn,” Bassoni said. “But there’s a range of test scores that are acceptable.

There’s a range of students that are very comfortable here at Harker, [..] and

because we have so many applications from students who fit that bill, then we look very hard at how else will the student contribute to the school community.”

In some years, students are given additional consideration based on the school community’s needs.

“We’re often looking for male singers because they’re harder to find.

One year, about half of the jazz band was graduating, so Mr. Florio told me when you’re going for the applicant pool, we’re going to be looking for brass instruments,” Bassoni said. “It’s those kinds of things that we really find has an impact.”

While the admissions committee is often on the lookout for potential athletes, the school community had no particular needs for certain students this year.

The admissions process began in the fall with outreach events, such

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

Number of applicants up approximately 30 percent across campuses

ADMISSIONS Director of Admission and Financial Aid Nan Bassoni works on reading and rating applicant files. Decisions for net year’s Upper School students will be released tomorrow and contracts are due on March 21.

as open houses, to attract and inform applicants. Applications came in from October through January.

“This time of year, between the end of January and early March, I’m reading files; that’s what I’m doing right now. I rate them. And then the committee will meet, and we’ll discuss

Students prepare projects for Synopsys Science Fair vedant thyagaraj tech editor

Over 65 students will be participating in the Synosys Science Fair today at the San Jose Convention Center, presenting the research projects they have worked on since the beginning of the year.

For the competition, students must create a posterboard and write an abstract describing the research which they will then present to judges on competition day. They will have to walk their judges and exhibitors through their experiments and results.

Participants have the option of presenting either a research or engineering project.

Research projects span a wide variety of areas, some of which include microbiology, bioinformatics, neurology, physics, medicine/health, botany, and chemistry. Engineering projects range from electronic systems to material sciences to mechanical engineering.

Some students have been participating in

the Synopsys Science Fair for many years.

“I’ve participated in Synopsys since I was in seventh grade. I really enjoy competing at Synopsys because it gives me a chance to interact with professors and industry professionals and explain my work to them,” Vikas Bhetanabhotla (12) said. “For me, it’s a very interactive way to convey the research I’ve done, as opposed to other competitions where you just submit a paper.”

This year, some protocols regarding project submissions have changed.

“The biggest change this year is that because of the increasing number of students who are attending Synopsys, we applied an early deadline for students to submit applications. That allows teachers and sponsors time to give a good evaluation and give feedback all at once,” said physics and research teacher Chris Spenner.

To conduct their research, many students are using the school’s Open Lab program, which gives students dedicated lab space

and equipment to complete experiments that might not be possible outside of school.

“Open Lab provides students with great opportunities to do science research in their free time and apply to many of the demanding competitions without having to take a school course,” Sriram Somasundaram (11) said. “[Open Lab] is open everyday and the mentors are really accommodating and provide you with materials and knowledge.”

Sriram has been participating in Open Lab since his freshman year.

For freshmen interested in competing, Research Club has helped design a mentoring program to assist with their projects. By having an upperclassman mentor in their area of interest, freshman will be able to learn more about research and clear any doubts they have about the process.

Many students who complete research projects will also be presenting their results at the annual Harker Research Symposium on March 29.

to explore topics that interest them. According to WiSTEM, activities that are fun capture the interest of the preschoolers and provide a starting point for future development.

WiSTEM members visited the preschool last November and prepared a variety of activities following a biology and plant science theme.

“We had activities such as corn husk doll-making, seed planting in jewel boxes, and hands-on worm observation using dissection,” said Allison Kiang (11), STEM Buddies organizer.

The next event in January followed a chemistry theme.

“We had a chemistry themed event where we helped the kids make glow in the dark slime and crystal gardens,” Allison said.

“We also had a mini-chemistry magic show.”

Freshman Neymika Jain enjoyed working with her buddies during a botany activity in November.

“I was part of the “Paper Pots” workshop during the botany meeting, and these inquisitive students kept asking questions about why each step was necessary and how they could create a useable pot,” she said.

The next STEM Buddies event will take place soon in the upcoming quarter.

STEM Buddies visit preschool catherine huang reporter

Harker WiSTEM has started a STEM Buddies program where members of the club visit the Harker preschool and lead fun science activities.

The goal of STEM Buddies is to foster growth at a young age, allowing the students

them,” Bassoni said.

Next year, Bassoni will be overseeing only high school admissions instead of financial aid and admissions across all three campuses as she does now. She will retire the following year.

Contracts for accepted students are due back on March 21.

• 2014 SYNOPSYS CHALLENGE •

March 12 Date of science fair

12

Categories ranging from biological sciences to physical sciences

55

Projects, both individual and group

65

Participants, spanning freshmen to seniors

April 6

Awards ceremony

RAVEENA KAPATKAR - WINGED POST

STEM WEEK (Top) Chemistry teacher Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri freezes vegetables with liquid nitrogen at her booth during the STEM fair, which took place Wednesday. (Left) Senior Nikkan Ghosh blows a large bubble during the fair. (Right) Junior Kelly Wang collects science facts on cards in an activity held by FEM club on Monday.

KJ MULAM - WINGED POST

RAVEENA KAPATKAR - WINGED POST

STEM Week showcases science clubs ashi gautam & kj mulam

Aquila opinion editor & reporter WiSTEM and nine other clubs and organizations hosted the annual STEM Week last week and raised funds for the Children’s Club at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Tanzania, which is where Upper School students plan to visit in the summer.

While the entire event was led

by WiSTEM officers Daniela Lee (11) and Kristine Lin (12), The Green Team, Triple Helix Club, Chemistry Club, Medical Club, Research Club, Clean Tech Club, Math Club, Female Empowerment Club (FEM), and the students traveling on the Tanzania trip also collaborated with WiSTEM on the week.

This year, the clubs participating in STEM Week are raising funds for the Children’s Club by raising money through bake sales after school. St. Elizabeth’s Hospital began its Children’s Club to help children through understanding what it means to have HIV. “[STEM Week] also helps bring awareness to problems around the

world. We are helping out HIV kids,” Kristine said.

The week’s events began with an activity led by FEM Club on Monday during both lunch periods in which students had an option of taking a quiz on abortion statistics or writing science facts on cards for elementary school students.

“I think that they try to do a lot of involvement between [students] and the actual people who do the demos,” Neymika Jain (9) said.

During Tuesday’s lunch periods, the STEM organizations held a lava lamp station for students to make these lamps with various supplies. Since the booth had technical difficulties, FEM club opened their activity once again as a backup. In the second lunch period, the lava lamp activity booth was functioning properly.

The main event of STEM Week, the STEM Fair, was held on Wednesday during long lunch. All science clubs involved in STEM Week created exhibitions and posters in Nichols Atrium for students and faculty to enjoy.

“STEM Week raises the interest in sciences, especially for young women who are interested in engineering and

mathematics,” said chemistry teacher Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri. “This is a great showcase for the clubs and also for the students to show the demos as far as chemistry experiments are concerned.”

On Thursday, these students hosted a lunch activity that included a crossword puzzle about the Children’s Club.

STEM Week concluded on Friday with a Fermi Problem, an estimation problem involving analysis. Students who solved the problem correctly won prizes in each lunch period.

“STEM Week showcases all the science clubs on campus and it helps expose us to different activities that Harker offers,” Kristine said.

During advisory, extra help periods, and after school, the clubs sold baked goods such as brownies, cake pops, and other sweets in order to raise funds. Students enjoyed participating in activities during lunch and purchasing food from the bake sales while gaining awareness about world issues.

As a part of their journey to Tanzania, the group of students involved with this summer STEM trip will be taking the proceeds from STEM Week with them to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 NEWS • MARCH 12, 2014

Quick tips to conserve water during the drought

WHERE IS THE RAIN? 1977

last major drought

4.73

inches of rain since July 2013

vineet kosaraju

90%

of California is affected by the severe drought

copy editor

It has been over 10 years since California has faced a drought. As Governor Brown declares a state of emergency, urging officials to take precautions to prepare for the drought, civilians should also look to save water around the house and the home.

Here are six easy ways to save water in preparation for the drought.

1

Showering instead of bathing, and spending less time taking a shower are easy ways to save water in a pinch. Bathers can reduce their shower time down to 10 minutes or fewer, saving several gallons of wa-

2

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC-UNL. Map as of March 4. Statistics from the California Department of Water Resources.

ter a week. Additionally, installing low flow showerheads, which maintain high water pressure, will reduce water usage by 20 to 60 percent, saving 500 to 800 gallons per month, according to Energy.Gov.

4

When washing dishes or clothes, use the dishwasher or washing machine only with a full load. This saves up to 400 gallons of water per month. Designating one glass for drinking water also reduces

5

Watering yards uses several gallons of water, but it is easy to quickly become efficient with water usage. Use compost and mulch when planting, as they help retain moisture in the soil and help control weeds that will compete with the plants for water. Adjust the sprinklers so that the water only lands on the lawn, and also set up a rain barrel to help collect excess water.

UC Cooperative Extension advisor Chuck Ingels said in a press release that the easiest way to save water is to conserve it outdoors.

“Trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawns naturally use less water in winter’s cool temperatures, and so an inch of rain provides enough moisture to forego the need for sprinklers for up to several weeks depending on temperatures,” he said.

Installing water reducing devices is a great way to prepare for the drought. Consider using the aforementioned low flow showerheads to control the amount of water on faucets and toilets. Dual flush toilets, like those found in Nichols Hall, are also an easy way to save water. Also, immediately fix any leaks in toilets or faucets. Fixing one leaky faucet saves over 3000 gallons of water

3

while waiting for hot water and use it to water plants or even pour back into the toilet reservoir after flushing.

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tiara bhatacharya reporter

The Junior Classical League ( JCL) will be hosting an “Up, Up, and Away!” themed Sadie’s dance in the gym on Friday.

Sadie’s is an annual event planned by JCL, modeled after the Sadie Hawkins dance in which the girl traditionally asks the boy.

“Sadies gives the girls an opportunity to ask a guy without the pressure of social norms,” Raghav Jain (10) said.

Many students are particularly excited by the theme JCL picked for Sadies this year.

“Hopefully there will be a bigger turnout at Sadies, especially because the theme is super cute,” Lekha Chirala (11) said.

Members of JCL spent much time deciding on the theme after last year’s Wild West dance.

“We came up with the theme through lots and lots of deliberation,” Tiffany Chu (12) said. “I think it will be a lot better because it’s not just cowboys.”

Junior Maya Nandakumar, California JCL First Vice President, particularly looks forward to decorating the gym for Sadies.

“I think our theme allows for the decorations to be a little more innovative,” she said.

JCL hopes to fill the gym with lights, lasers, balloons, and a bubble machine. The dance will ad-

ditionally feature “Sharoncake,” cupcakes that senior Sharon Babu bakes and sells for charity.

Many students, such as junior Arjun Ashok, consider Sadies a couple’s dance.

“Well, a lot of times going without a date is a pain. I mean, if a lot of my friends end up going, then I’ll probably go as well,” he said.

Although in the past JCL has typically collaborated with other clubs, such as Global Empowerment and Outreach Club (GEO) and Harker Business Club (HBC), to organize the event, the dance will be solely planned by JCL this year.

“With the timing of the DECA conferences, we need to focus on the competitions rather than fundraising,” said Savi Joshi (11), HBC Membership Officer.

Varsity Girls Basketball Assistant Coach Jonah Alves’ experiences with Sadies were “awesome,” and she attended the dance all four years of high school.

“Take initiative to be the leader of what you want to wear,” Alves said. “Don’t let the guy tell you what to wear because this is your day, so if you girls want to wear hot pink, do that.”

JCL will be selling tickets to Sadies during both lunches for $15 per person.

Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the International Rescue Committee, a charity dedicated to assisting refugees.

100 gallons of water a week. Instead of using a dishwasher, wash dishes, or even produce, in a pan that is partially filled with water instead of letting the tap run.

Cont’d from page 1 SCA-5 protests

• SADIES DANCE •

He called further attention to the lack of funding facing all of California public education.

“What I find to be the real problem with university admission is not the fight between Asians and blacks and Latinos and whites for a limited number of admissions to UCs,” he said. “The problem today is our California politicians, and ultimately the California public, do not want to invest enough money to support the UCs and the CSUs.” Many predict that the amendment will lower the percentage of Asian Americans accepted to UCs and CSUs. “I think it’s fair to curve out Asians because we’re benefiting from the whole education system structure, so we’re basically the majority in this case,” Archana Podury (11) said, “but I am not sure if grouping it by race is the right thing to do. It should be by economic status.”

March 15 Date of dance

Featuring

Sharoncake

$20 $25

a year as stated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and is a quick and easy way to save both water and money.

The Department of Water and Power advises California residents to quickly check plumbing and faucets to reduce the risk of leaks. “Fix leaky faucets, plumbing joints and your sprinkler system. Saves 20 gallons a day for every leak stopped,” they said.

Single At the door

All proceeds donated to International Rescue Commi ee

Resistance to what many protesters have deemed “Skin Color Act 5” has occurred through several grassroots movements throughout the state as well as two online petitions.

In the midst of this opposition and media coverage, Wang cautions against the potential implications that debate over the amendment can have for race relations in the state.

The amendment was passed by the State Senate on Jan. 30 and is currently awaiting a decision in the Assembly. If approved, the amendment could go on a ballot for decision by the voting public.

“I really feel like there could be an opportunity by the [Democratic party] to make this a racial issue,” said George Yang, candidate for lieutenant governor.

The petition on change.org to stop SCA-5 currently has 105,103 signatures and needs 94,897.

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

JCL to host Sadies dance on Saturday

The simplest way, by far, to save water is to simply turn off water when it is not necessary. By turning off the water tap while brushing or shaving, one can save over

MERIT OVER RACE State Senator Bob Huff argues against using race as a factor in admissions. A panel of four speakers voiced their differing opinions on the amendment, which was passed in the Senate on Jan. 30 and awaits decision in the assembly.

TRISHA JANI - WINGED POST

Instead of running the tap every time drinking water is needed, store drinking water inside the refrigerator. Catch the cold water that comes out of a faucet or sink

the number of times needed to run the dishwasher. Replacing old washers with Energy Star washers will also help reduce water consumption, as they use up to 50 percent less water, according to the Energy Star website.

UP, UP, AND AWAY! Seniors Tiffany Chu (left) andHelena Huang (right) sell tickets for the Sadies dance on Saturday, March 15. Tickets are $20 this week and $25 at the door.

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Nikhil Dilip & Meena Chetty

Managing Editor Apoorva Rangan

Copy Editors

Vineet Kosaraju & Elisabeth Siegel

Design Editor

Mercedes Chien

Assistant Design Editor Shay Lari-Hosain

News Editor Trisha Jani

Opinion Editor Sheridan Tobin

Features Editor Kacey Fang

Lifestyle Editor Samar Malik

Global Editor Sindhu Ravuri

Sports Editor

Anishka Agarwal

Assistant Sports Editor Vivek Bharadwaj

Tech Editor

Vedant Thyagaraj

Business Manager Stephanie Chen

Aquila Editor-in-Chief Darian Edvalson

Adviser

Ellen Austin, MJE

Aquila Contributors

Alyssa Amick

Emily Lin

Ashi Gautam

Roshni Pankhaniya

Riya Godbole

Vasudha Rengarajan

Juhi Gupta

Shannon Su

Kaity Gee

Mariam Sulakian

Maya Jeyendran

Allison Sun

Reporters

Megy Appalaraju

Raveena Kapatkar

Sharanya Balaji

KJ Mulam

Tiara Bhatacharya

Melina Nakos

Riya Chandra

Priscilla Pan

Lavinia Ding

Tara Parimi

Trisha Dwivedi

Kavya Ramakrishnan

Ria Gandhi

Anokhi Saklecha

Alexis Gauba

Meilan Steimle

Catherine Huang

Stanley Zhao

Vivian Isenberg

Visit The Winged Post Online at www.harkeraquila.com Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/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.

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The Winged Post is the official student newspaper, and it is distributed free of cost to students. Annual subscription cost: $25.

2012-2013 CSPA Silver Crown 2010-2011 CSPA Gold Crown 2009-2010 CSPA Silver Crown 2007-2008 NSPA Pacemaker winner

Shi ing the scale towards gender balance EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST Feminism may seem like a fight of the past, but in reality, it can’t be cast aside or taken for granted.

Just last week, a female WestJet pilot received a note on her seat from a male passenger that read “the cockpit of an airliner is no place for a woman. A woman being a mother is the most honor, not as captain.”

Last month, a Duke freshman stood up for herself after being cast in a negative light by the campus newspaper for resorting to pornography as a means to pay for her college education.

These are only two of many feminist issues that have made headlines recently. Society has created an image of women influenced by gender categorization and a formerly male-dominated culture. In several media and film outlets, women are stereotypically portrayed as shopaholics and housewives.

Gender disparity is often most

noticeable, and most heavily criticized, in professional spheres, especially those in the sciences. According to The New York Times, only one-fifth of the physics Ph.D.’s in the world are awarded to women. Additionally, women still earn between 4.8 and 7.1 percent less than m e n for the s a m e j o b s , according to a 2009 analysis by the United States Department of Labor.

Despite the monumental strides towards occupational equality that have been made in the last decades, the gender inequality still exists.

American culture still regards certain professions, such as librarians and nurses, as “reserved for females.”

This discrepancy is also evident in Harker classrooms. Although we’re closer to gender-balanced classrooms than many other schools in our area, we still perpetuate the “girl sciences” versus “boy sciences” stereotype, even if unintentionally. Discussions among students during course select i o n reveals assumptions t h a t girls are m o r e likely to take advanced classes in subjects like chemistry and biology, whereas boys often take physics or computer science. With only one female enrolled in an 11-person Engineering class, the gender imbalance is worth noting.

Establishing gender balance in classrooms containing the students KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

Editors-in-Chief

who will become the future of the workplace is one step closer towards diminishing occupational inequality.

Gender stereotypes aren’t just workplace concerns. In a truly equal society, it would be just as normal for a girl to ask a boy to a dance as it is for a boy to ask a girl. Although that’s not yet the case, events like Sadies promote independence and gender equity and encourage young women to transcend the generally accepted norm.

In 1972, the senate passed Title IX, an Education Amendment that prohibited gender discrimination in school programs and activities. That law is the reason that we have a girls’ soccer team and a boys’ basketball team that made school history this year.

Being a feminist is no longer about protests or propaganda. It’s about taking advantage of the equal opportunities we do have, it’s about supporting our girl sports just as much as our boy sports, and it’s about taking the classes that we want to take, regardless of stereotypes.

What the weather’s really like down here rum e e n ations culing those who are different and do not conform to standards, which in this case is a perceived social height requirement.

I am frequently asked if being short bothers me. I always stop and think for a moment before answering this question, because the answer isn’t quite so simple. There are, of course, a few (okay, many) things about being minute that irritate me. My legs will never look as alluring in dresses as some of my taller friends whose legs seem to go on not just for days, but rather for millennia. Towering audiences eternally obstruct my view in movie theaters and school assemblies.

VERTICALLY CHALLENGED It is better to love being short than not a-tall.

But then I remember all the riya godbole my own, I’d be lying if I said they nev- things I love about being small: never Aquila lifestyle editor er bothered me. Though I know that being taller than my date, killing it at the jokes come with a lighthearted hide-and-seek, snagging prime front “Sorry Riya, didn’t see you intention, they still rub me the wrong row spots in group photos, and being, there!” way if made continuously, unsparing- as my friends would say, “extreme“Riya, are you tall enough to go ly, and most importantly, irrelevantly. ly huggable.” Plus, if I ever feel the on rides at Great America?”

It’s one thing for someone to joke urge to be tall, there’s always a great “Hey Riya, are you a legal midg- about my height when seeing me pair of stilettos. My decision to stop et?” struggle to reach a book on a high hating being short and to begin emThese three examples are merely shelf in the bracing it came grains of sand on the vast seashore of library, but when I realI remember all the things I love height jokes I have endured for my quite ized that being anwhole life. about being small: never being teased about other when I’ve always been petite and was I am frusmy height was taller than my date, killing it at teased about my height throughout trated with much better elementary and middle school. I had a s s i g n e d hide-and-seek, [and] snagging than being hoped that my classmates would out- A P U S H teased about prime front row spots in group grow these immature jokes as we en- reading and other things. photos. tered high school, but I was horribly s o m e o n e Isn’t it better to mistaken. Here my height was even jokes that be teased about more pronounced—a pathetic 4 feet, the chapter is larger than me. height rather than, say, a terrible per11 inches alongside my many 6-footI’ve never really understood why sonality? ed peers. My advisory once chose short stature is often mocked in our As my doctor apologetically in“Let’s Measure Riya” as an amusing society, but maybe that’s because I’ve formed me at my last appointment group activity and forced me to stand always been on the receiving end of that she didn’t think I was going to against the ruler in the weight room the teasing. Perhaps if I were taller, grow much more, I don’t think I’m while Jaron, my advisor, regretfully I would be the one taunting others going to stop being short any time informed me that I had not yet bro- about their proximity to the ground. I soon. For now, it’s better to love all ken five feet. believe that height jokes, like all oth- four feet and eleven inches of myself While I laugh at many of these er forms of teasing, stem from ridi- as much as I can. height jokes and often crack some of SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

The Winged Post

OPINION

Finding solace in a gratitude journal I am a pessimist.

I have always seen the glass as half-empty, and I have never been able to make anokhi saklecha out the silver reporter lining.

As high school students, pessimists or not, we have all been bogged down by negativity at one time or another, whether it’s because of a bad test grade or a small misunderstanding.

I have always tried to justify my pessimism by believing that if I expect the worst, I will not disappoint myself. But, after years of living with this attitude, I have finally come to understand its antithesis -- gratitude and optimism. As cliché as it may sound, I realized that we truly do forget to be thankful for the day-to-day happenings that make life just a little bit better.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, I started a “gratitude journal:” a diary in which I write

one positive thing that happens to meaning to put a smile on my face. me each day. At first, I found myself Perhaps the most impactful part pondering journal entries for hours of the journal, however, is re-reading on end, unable to recall a single posi- my entries. Going through my jourtive occurrence. I repeatedly zoomed nal frequently relieves my stress and in on the unfavorable incidents of increases my productivity. During the day, merely overlooking the hun- bad times, it reminds me to keep my dreds (yes, hundreds) of “good” ones. chin up, because circumstances are I was stuck in the mindset that each never as dour as they seem. entry had to consist of a grand event After I began my journal, I such as winning an award or taking progressively became more aware of a vacation, when, in fact, it should the positives in my life. Constantly have been just the on the look out for potential opposite. journal entries, appreA s ciation-wortime moved t h y forward, the daimoly accounts slowly T S O became a routine part DP ments GE N I of my life. The entries beW suddenly HA came increasingly easier to started emerging EC KL A S formulate, to the point where I anywhere and everyH OK I had to decide between a few N where.

I later registered that A possibilities. I realized that I was these phenomena had always been surrounded by things to be thank- there; I just hadn’t noticed them beful for, from the friend who lent me fore. a pencil to the nine hours of sleep I And ever since, I have fully got the night before. While my en- cherished every subsequent trip to tries were simple and seemingly in- Baskin Robbins and family movie consequential, they held just enough night – the little things in life.

Looking for lupines

meena chetty editor in chief

As an almost high school graduate, I like to think that I have changed from my five-year-old self—and hopefully for the better.

I’m starting to realize, however, that that’s not necessarily the case.

The other day, I was going through my mom’s reserve of my brother’s and my artwork and projects from when we were kids.

Amidst the bent papers of abstract crayon scribbles, handmade pop-up birthday cards, and half-finished friendship bracelets, I found a tattered, yellowing book that caused my nostalgia levels to reach an alltime high: Miss Rumphius, my favorite childhood picture book.

Despite its elementary target, Barbara Cooney’s masterpiece taught me one of the most valuable lessons I have learned to date.

Her book details the life of Miss Rumphius, The Lupine Lady, who strives to make the world a more beautiful place by planting lupine flowers everywhere she goes.

Every time I read those 28 pages as a little kid, Cooney’s simple yet profound words inspired me to find my own version of a lupine and share it with the world. As a naïve child, there were no limits to how each of us could make our mark on the world: I dreamed of saving lives with superpowers, going to outer space and discovering a new planet, becoming Doctor Dolittle’s star disciple, and inventing time travel.

As I reread the delicate pages of Miss Rumphius, I could not help but momentarily revel in the unwavering certitude that we had when we were younger. Now, I’m not even sure what I want to major in as I prepare to enter college, let alone what my lupine is and how I will find it.

Granted, we have more questions to answer as we grow up. Our parents ask us how we will support ourselves as independent adults.

Our teachers ask us how we will apply ourselves and our education.

And we ask ourselves who we are and who we aim to be.

At this point, however, I wouldn’t mind regressing to my five-year-old state of mind. Just as Cooney’s words motivated me 12 years ago, they continue to comfort me now. Miss Rumphius reminded me that one’s age isn’t a justification for lacking that childlike sense of wonderment.

There may be more to worry about now that we are older, but there is just as much to dream about. Putting limits on our aspirations is what causes us to feel like we are aging. So, despite all of my uncertainty about the future, at least I know that I can find some constancy in my goal to discover my lupine.

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 OPINION • MARCH 12, 2014

The ups and downs of being raised by a single mother MARIAM SULAKIAN - WINGED POST

know what is.

The truth is, even though I drive my mom crazy on a daily basis, I really do admire her strength and unfaltering dedication to me, her favorite child (at least that’s what I’d like to think). After spending the last decade and half with my mom, I am just beginning to understand the hardships that she has endured raising me as a single mother.

Since my father MOTHER KNOWS BEST Mother-daughter relapassed away when I was tionships last a lifetime. young, my mother has worked tirelessly to ensure that my mariam sulakian older sister and I, mere children, do not Aquila news editor feel his absence.

A few months after his death, our For the past 16 years of my life, home became increasingly lonely. My there is only one person who has nevsister and I felt lost and confused, uner left my side—my mother. Although able to understand the tragedy that had she may not have had much of a choice, just occurred.

Th ough times were hardshe deserves commendation for endurest on my mom, she threw my sister ing years of my wrath, mood swings, and me a joint birthday party in hopes and sass without throwing me out of that we could still have the same privithe house. If that isn’t devotion, I don’t

Dilip’s Dissertations

night’s rest. “Make sleep a priority,” he advised. The simplest of suggestions often fly over our heads, but it’s factors The sleep like sleep that we must keep in mind all the time. If an activity consumes a manifesto third of our lives, it’s probably important.

“Sleep is for A part of me feels like I miss out the weak.” on some of the world if I tuck myself nikhil dilip The mantra in promptly at 9:45 every night. But editor in chief repeated in my making this minor sacrifice allows me head until it had to enjoy the 15 hours for which I am lost all meaning. After all, I have to awake even more. push myself through these last 30 Sleeping nine hours a day is a pages of reading before tomorrow’s difficult adjustment to make. From test, right? I’ll sleep over the weekend. numerous academic assignments to Gotta keep going. the evil temptress that is Netflix InI knew it was a lie, as the weekend stant Stream, prioritizing sleep does would only bring more assignments. not happen overnight. But the gradual So then when does the busy Harker adaptation is worth the extra time and student find rest? So went the tale of effort. my last seven semesters.

The difference is like a commerFinally free from the fetters of cial for Claritin Clear: ingesting that college applisleep drug cations, I outkeeps me A part of me feels like I miss out thinking posilined a list of resolutions for on some of the world if I tuck tively more ofthe final semyself in promptly at 9:45 every ten and more mester of high attentive in night. But making this minor school. Amid class, so I don’t the clutter of sacrifice allows me to enjoy the have to stay up movies, teleat night 15 hours for which I am awake late vision shows, relearning even more. and books to what was disexplore was cussed in class, my goal of thus breaking sleep: this that nasty cysemester, I aim to sleep at least nine cle of sleep deprivation. hours three nights a week.

Now this isn’t to say that nine I had prioritized academic work hours of sleep a day is absolutely necand social engagements over sleep for essary for all. Some can do function too long that I had eventually grown just as effectively on less, but it’s hard habituated to my sleep-deprived state. for the majority of us. I’ve learned that Disregarding the lessons of sleep dis- making the prioritization of sleep a cussed in my psychology and biology hard-and-fast rule is difficult; certain classes, my sleep cycle had grown so situations show that the benefits of out of whack that I felt chronically staying awake another hour to study tired. What you learned in class tends or socialize can outweigh those of not to sink in when you’re re-reading sleeping. the book at 2 a.m. Harker students I do not aim to preach on the sometimes take pride in their lack of values of sleep to my readers; rather, I sleep: it is not uncommon to overhear hope that you can learn from my expeconversations about studying that de- riences and draw your own conclusions volve into “who slept the least” com- about sleep. The school’s study-now, petitions. sleep-later culture proves unproducLast year, Harker alumnus and tive for our community, and personally, current Stanford student Curran Kau- changing sleep habits have proven sucshik (‘10) wrote a letter to the edi- cessful for the most part. Now put this tor regarding the benefits of a good down and take your well-deserved nap.

S traight Talk

Not so standardized testing

“I decided freshman year sheridan tobin that I wasn’t goopinion editor ing to play the game,” she said.

“I didn’t even study for my SAT.” At first, my friend’s bold statement was shocking—not studying for the SAT? It seemed a little rash, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she had a point.

I understand why colleges want to take a standardized look at all of their applicants. I would too, if I had to compare tens of thousands of students. In its beginning, the SAT was just that— until entrepreneurs saw a business opportunity. Since then, it’s become more of a measure of whether students can

leges as other children.

Though nothing can make up for the lingering agony forever suspended in our home, I would say my mother has done more than any other parent out there. I often feel as though I have not one parent, but five or six.

At age 11, I threw a tantrum after my mother told me that she could not take me to a friend’s party because she was already taking my sister elsewhere that day. My fury and desperation did nothing to change my mom’s mind. I never quite understood that she was only one person who could not juggle so many different things at once.

She wasn’t prioritizing my sister like I thought, but rather just couldn’t please both her children at once.

In fact, most of my mom’s life still consists of similar situations—my sister and I battling over who receives the most attention. Whereas most kids can turn to another parent in times of need, we have just one mother who has to please the both of us.

Having one parent isn’t too terrible, though. Since my sister and I always turn to our mother for advice and comfort, my mom seems to have

Read it Or Weep Saying no to the “Say No To Size Zero” campaign kaity gee Aquila asst. multimedia editor Skinny-Shaming (n.) – the act of abashing thinner people because of their build.

There has been significant attention drawn to the “Say No To Size Zero” campaign. Founded by model Katie Green the petition aims to “stop all size zero models and models with an unhealthy BMI (below 18.5) from the fashion catwalks.”

As much as I hate the lack of body type diversity on our fashion catwalks, the idea of banning all size zero models is beyond me.

We live in a size zero world.

Thinness is equated with perfection, and media portrays thin body types as perfect. Unfortunately, there are many who take unhealthy means of becoming thin.

The Pro Anorexia (Pro Ana) thinspiration trend especially takes the skinny-obsession to extremes by promoting eating disorders. In a study in the American Journal of Public Health, 84 percent of the sites’ members endorse anorexia and 64 percent consider bulimia desirable.

When perfection is demanded as the standard, it isn’t uncommon to shame those who defy the norms.

Today, many people understand that fat-shaming is wrong. The public recognizes that no one should be disadvantaged or ridiculed for being of a

spend the time and money taking prep classes, practice tests, and tutoring ses- what it was intended to be?

Almost everyone who takes the sions.

SAT gets roped into spending some As much as it makes me cringe, amount of money. The test itself has a I’d be lying if I said I didn’t give in to fee, but it often accompanies the larger the game. I gave up part of my summer costs of prep books and prep classes. By to study for the SAT and begrudgingly the time the whole process is over, it all drove myself to prep classes. As the two adds up. weeks dragged In an aron, I realized I SAT prep companies have ticle last May, was only doing Th e Fiscal managed to break down what’s it for reassurTimes wrote ance that I had supposed to be a reasoning test that data from a shot at keepthe College into something essentially ing up with my Board showed peers. formulaic. that students More surfrom families prisingly, I rewith annual alized that the class didn’t teach me incomes of less than $20,000 scored anything new in terms of the academic approximately 400 points lower than material, but rather how to take the those with annual family incomes exam. If SAT prep companies have managed to break down what’s sup- greater than $200,000.

This disadvantages students who posed to be a reasoning test into someoften plan on using college as a means thing essentially formulaic, isn’t that a to create more promising futures for pretty surefire sign that it’s no longer themselves. Shouldn’t they be reward-

an omniscient role in our house, never without an answer to our problems.

My mom and I once began bickering on the drive home from school about my “lack of responsibility.” After our bitter dispute, she claimed she would not talk to me for the rest of the week. Yet, in a matter of minutes, we began laughing once again. Even though our opinions frequently clash, I have always believed that the more you love, the more you fight.

Unlike most kids, I don’t return from school to two parents, siblings, and other family, but rather one woman who is all of the above. Despite our daily disputes and silly disagreements, my last three words to my mother every night are “I love you.”

My mom can be stubborn and hard to deal with 99 percent of the time, but she is, after all, the only parent I have ever really had. Although I never tell her out loud how much I appreciate all that she’s done for me, I have no doubt that she knows she’s the reason I’ve come so far today. Shoutout to my mother for single-handedly putting up with all of my...well, you can fill in the rest. heavier weight. But what about the reverse: If fat-shaming isn’t okay, then why do we continue to skinny-shame?

Models like Katie Green are taking offense to the Size Zero models, accidentally antagonizing an entire group of people who cannot help the bodies they were born with. Say No to Size Zero and similar affiliates perpetuate yet another negative message: skinnier models “had it easy.”

The fashion industry does have a bias when it comes to body diversity.

According to Rader Program’s Statistics on the Media and Eating Disorders, fashion models weigh 23 percent less than the average woman. Even mannequins’ waist sizes decreased from 37 to 31 inches by 1990.

The quest to be thin deeply influences our youth. In a study completed by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 69 percent of ten-year-old girls reported advertisement photos influenced their idea of perfection. In contrast, that “ideal” body type is only possessed naturally by five percent of American females who remain a viable part of the population. Natural size zero women in the world do not deserve wrath any more than overweight women, or anyone else.

At the vanguard of our catwalks, models of healthy, diverse body types should walk with confidence. Girls should have different and unique models in advertisements to associate themselves with, rather than a singular, media-produced idea of beautiful, regardless of her body type. Instead of judging each other for our body types, let’s support one another for our healthy, natural state. We should embrace diversity and love each other for who we are without shaming others.

KAITY GEE - WINGED POST

ed for trying make college an option rather than set back by an unnecessary financial road block?

By the time we graduate, we will have learned so much more than what could possibly be tested on one exam, so why should that one exam have the weight that it does in college applications?

Because the SAT clearly can’t test everything we learn in high school in one exam, maybe the college board should test on how well we can live on our own, do our own laundry, or cook our own food if it wants a standardized comparison of how prepared students are for college.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t prepare for the SAT—we should definitely put in our best efforts—but we should treat it how we treat our other tests, because, in reality that’s what it is. As hard as it is to believe, it is just another test, so it shouldn’t become another exhausting hurdle in an already consuming junior year.

5 talk d aroun s campu

What’s on your bucket list? vasudha rengarajan Aquila features editor

“I want to go volunteer on a medical mission.

I want to have a dog.

I want to be able to go bungee jumping without freaking out because I am afraid of heights.”

Kimberly Ma (12)

“I want to learn how to kickbox, I want to work as a humanitarian in a third world country, and I want to go to the speech and debate national championships.”

Shreya Sunkara (10)

“I want to be on every continent in the world skydiving. It will also be cool to take a cross country drive.”

Arjun Ashok (11)

“I would like to go and study food and champagne in France and then maybe go to Italy for a while and live there.”

Julie Wheeler, History Teacher

6

BRANDON AGUILAR (11)

“Even though there’s this disease that doesn’t let people remember anything, they still remember the most important events in life.”

Brandon volunteers regularly at the Alzheimer’s Activity Center in San Jose, and has been doing so since the beginning of last year. He enjoys listening to friendly residents talk about their pasts and seeing families travel from out of town to visit their loved ones.

CORDELIA LARSEN (10)

“It takes a lot of ki, which is the natural energy flow of your body, to hit the drum with enough force.”

RISHAB GARGEYA (9)

“It’s really taxing on the body because you have to work really hard to persevere and get the points you want.”

Rishab Gargeya began playing squash about a year ago, and is currently a member of the Upper School Squash Club. His favorite thing about playing squash is the rewarding feeling he gets when he does well, despite the sport being physically strenuous.

elisabeth siegel copy editor

“And 3...2…1!” Boom.

These are not the sounds you would normally hear in any sort of academic setting, but an exception arises in the form of science classes at the Upper School—more specifically, chemistry classes.

Demonstrations and labs are commonplace in science classrooms, even when they tend to be on the more dangerous side for added effect.

Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine uses a variety of demonstrations ranging from reacting thermite to making samples of contact explosive nitrogen triiodide to engage students and promote enthusiasm.

“Nobody gets hurt in my classroom, because the environment is excessively safe,” Irvine said. “It’s a way to get that ‘what-if ’ out of the system of the student so that we can [see] what would happen in [my] safe setting. I’m the chemistry teacher, so I have a certain responsibility to take care of that intellectual curiosity.”

Many students favor these more daring choices of curriculum because of the added hands-on opportunities.

“It makes the class so much more interesting,” said Kurt Schwartz (10), a current student in Irvine’s class. “The class is actually involved in learning because they see practical uses of it, so more interest in the class would help students pay attention.”

=

According to Irvine, accidents have been infrequent throughout all of his classes, but he remembers one in particular during his first year teaching at Harker.

“The most dangerous experiments are probably the alkali metals.

When you put them into water they react violently. I do it outdoors now, because the first year I did it indoors in Dobbins, and it went up, hit the ceiling, bounced off the ceiling, and landed on some kid’s head and some girl’s blouse,” he said. “And it didn’t give them major injuries. It gave them a small little burn, but it was terribly scary as a new teacher.”

He also recalled an accident during his first year when he suffered second-degree burns on his hand while attempting a demonstration on his own. More recently, he and the Chemistry Club attempted a hydrogen explosion in a large water jug.

“If you let hydrogen mix with the air, you’ll get more surface area,” he said. “The reaction rate will increase, so instead of getting this large, concussive boom where the hydrogen is burning outside the bubble of hydrogen and eventually it burns into the middle, you’ll get a big gunshot sound because it’s so rapid.”

Another chemistry teacher, Robbie Korin, reflected on his own class’ experiences in demonstrations and labs. A notable demonstration he does for his chemistry students involves the

melting and freezing of wax, causing the vapor above the wax to combust due to the exothermic reaction.

“We always do that as a demo, because it’s kind of fun to do,” he said. “For demonstrations, we keep the students back, and then we do it far enough away, and we have a safety shield that we can use if we need to.”

Other departments may not have the same explosive factors as chemistry classes, but biology teacher Michael Pistacchi stressed the importance of hands-on learning.

“When you are a scientist, you spend most of your time actually working with your hands [...] so it’s pretty vital for students to spend a lot of time doing hands-on work,” Pistacchi said. “That’s the best way to interact with the material, to see how the structures work. You can talk about the respiratory system, but actually seeing the lungs is a key way to understanding what you’re doing.”

Other students still have fond memories of exciting science periods.

“All of the demonstrations were really fun,” Sophia Shatas (11) said.

“We’re teenagers. We thrive on close danger experiences, even though we know that we’re safe, so I think it just adds excitement and makes it interesting.”

Students can also join the Chemistry Club for further exposure to chancy demonstrations and experiments.

Robotics build season comes to an end Team will compete at regional competitions in coming two months

AVINASH NAYAK (12)

Avinash began playing and competing in table tennis at age 11.

In addition to competing as part of the club The Top Spin, located in San Jose, he also plays league and tournament matches. His favorite part of playing is the energy he gets from competitiveness of the sport.

2Al + Fe2 O3 +

ELISABETH SIEGEL - WINGED POST

Humans of Harker, based off Humans of New York, documents the unique, inspiring, off-beat, or surprising injuhi gupta dividuals that breathe life into this Aquila multimedia school. Each issue, five students are editor chosen at random.

Cordelia began playing taiko, a type of traditional Japanese drum, at the age of nine. Currently a performer in San Jose Taiko, Cordelia’s favorite thing about the percussion instrument is the energy it brings her.

FEATURES Labs and demonstrations ignite passion for the sciences VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

priscilla pan & ria gandhi reporters

“It provides me with rejuvenation that I can have for the rest of the day.”

EMMA DOHERTY (10)

“Each one has its own kind of plot and mystery behind it, but there’s always backstories behind each character and you get to keep up with that too.”

Emma keeps up with crime shows in her free time, including NCIS, NCIS: LA, Hawaii Five-0, Bones, Intelligence, and more. Her brother introduced her to her first crime show, NCIS: LA, at age 12, and her favorite one is NCIS.

The Upper School members of the Robotics team prepared for two competitions in which their six-week built “shooter” robot will throw yoga-ball sized balls to score goals and collaborate with other teams.

During build season, which lasted from Jan. 6 to Feb. 18, members of the robotics team, called 1072, created a robot. Members were split up into several groups: electrical, mechanical, and programming.

Some team members found it a challenge to keep up with time restraints this year.

“We had to rush at the end to get everything done. Because we weren’t able to get the shooter on in time, we will have to get that done at the conference when we get there,” Nina Levy (9) said.

During the build period, students worked the entire week: school days, weekends, and breaks.

“It’s definitely intense; we were staying after school every day until about eight, and we were here all of break for up to 10 hours working on the robot,” President Sarika Bajaj (12) said.

Even though the build season ended last week, members of the robotics team are allowed two extra weeks to work on any remaining parts of the project.

The robotics team will attend two competitions: the Central Valley Regional held at the Madera South High School from March 7 to 9 and the Silicon Valley Regional at San Jose State from April 3 to 5.

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Goal!

This year’s robot posed a different challenge compared to last year’s. Last year’s competition involved having the robot spin around and shoot out Frisbees.

This year, the robot is required to pick up and shoot an air-filled exercise ball over a net using a slingshot mechanism.

In the competition, called “Aerial Assist,” teams have to not only shoot the yoga ball into a target, but also work in conjunction with other teams in order to score higher.

1 2 3

The Projektyle’s main component is a U-frame shaped mechanism, which picks up the exercise balls. A manipulator changes the angle of the U-frame to face the direction that the ball is pushed in.

The linear shooter pushes and shoots the ball out with a rod and is powered by a winching system.

The drive train, which has wheels, moves the robot around.

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 FEATURES • MARCH 12, 2014

Most

#T-1

Aquila managing editor

72% do not work

4%

work year round

5% work during the school year

19% work during the summer

monica thukral (12),

abercrombie employee

Despite the copious amount of time school takes up, several Upper School students have found time for a job in order to gain experience.

Taylor Mahal (12) has worked as a lifeguard at the pool in her neighborhood for the past two summers.

She received the job after 28 hours of training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED).

“I wanted to get a job because I wanted to make my own money. At the same time, where I was going to do it was at a place where I knew people, I had friends, and other friends were going to be working with me,” she said. “It was just a good atmosphere.”

Taylor enjoys many aspects of lifeguarding such as blasting music while she and the other lifeguards clean up for the day, but there are also scary parts to the job.

“My scariest experience was when there was a woman having a stroke.

We had to secure the area and make sure that people were giving her space so that we could do our job with her,” Taylor said. “In the end she turned out to be okay. It was a big deal, but we had to make sure that everyone stayed calm.”In addition to summer time jobs, several seniors decided to add a job to their workload now in the second semester. Monica Thukral (12) recently began her job at Abercrombie Kids.

“I decided to get a job because it’s the second semester of senior year, so I’ve finished college applications,” she said.

“I also wasn’t swimming this year so I had extra time and just to make money to spend to hang out with people.”

Monica, like other student employees who come into direct contact with customers, must follow the guidelines for personal appearance.

“They give you a booklet where you can choose the outfits that they recommend and you can buy those, but I get a discount,” she said. “The only makeup I can wear is like foundation and mascara, and I can’t wear nail polish which is making me crazy because I love red nail polish.”

Navsher Singh (11) currently has a paid internship at Ampush, a social technology company that, according to him, “helps clients execute and manage large scale advertising campaigns on Facebook.” He began his work over President’s Week break and will continue over the summer.

“So far, I’ve worked on small stuff like client invoicing and an intern budgeting project,” he said. “The experience has been great so far. It’s definitely a lot of work, but I love the atmosphere and all the great people there.”

Dobbin s BOYS restrooms door handle

#T-1

#T-1

LAST

Paper Towel Dispenser

TABLES in The Edge

TABLES in The BISTRO

bacteria

breakdown

vivek bharadwaj asst.sports editor

Thousands of microbes cover the surfaces of objects that we touch every day. Benign molds, yeasts, and bacteria coexist with us on the surfaces of common objects that we frequently come into contact with.

Specific locations from around the campus, with consultation from Upper School Biology Teacher Dr. Gary Blickenstaff, were swabbed with dry Q-tips, which were then rubbed on Petri dishes filled with nutrient-enriched agar. The colonies were incubated at room temperature for three days, photographed, and analyzed for the number of microbial colonies that formed.

Many Petri dishes, such as those from swabs taken from the tables the

Bistro and Wedge, kitchen utensils, and stairway handrails in Shah Hall showed little to no microbial growth.

Petri dishes with the largest number of bacterial colonies came from the Dobbins boys restroom door handle, Nichols girls’ restroom paper towel dispenser, and a table from the main section of the Edge.

Amount of microbes present on the Petri dish does not quantify the literal amount of microbes present on a given surface, since Petri dishes provide an enriched nutrient supply that allows colonies to grow larger than they naturally would. Instead, the samples provide comparisons between the relative amounts of microbes on different surfaces.

Microbe colonies cultured with the Petri dishes include numerous varieties of molds, yeasts, and bacteria.

Many of these are harmless and live

Symposium set to feature student and keynote presenters trisha jani

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

features editor

MAD SCIENCE Efrey Noten (12) works on his Research Symposium project. He will be one of many students presenting at the event.

Members of The Winged Post conducted a study in February to identify surfaces around bacteria, molds, and microbes around the Upper School. Surfaces are ranked below, starting with #T-1 for surfaces tied for the most colonies.

Study across campus measures bacteria count of common surfaces

The annual Harker Research Symposium, featuring student projects, corporate exhibits, and keynote speakers, will take place in the Nichols Auditorium on March 29, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Salman Khan, founder and executive director of online classroom Khan Academy, will be delivering his afternoon keynote, “Education Reimagined” at 2 p.m.

The morning keynote speaker is Dr. Claire Max, professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at University of California Santa Cruz. Dr. Max has been involved with the JASON project, which aims to use laser technology for military defense purposes.

Science department chair and advisor of WiSTEM Anita Chetty looks forward to the event.

“I am very excited about the Symposium this year because my objective each year, of course, is to celebrate and honor the hard work of our students and to also invite our whole community to share in the fun and excite-

ment of STEM,” she said.

Students from the Middle and Upper School will be presenting about 50 posters and 25 power-points to the school community. Many Intel Science Talent Search, Synopsys, and Siemens competition winners will also showcase their research. In addition, corporations including Kno, Google, Tesla, and Kaiser Permanente will hold exhibits.

WiSTEM is in charge of preparing and running the event.

“We basically organize everything. We are in charge of moderating the speakers, registration, and staffing,” publicist of WiSTEM Shivani Gillon (12) said.

In an effort initiated by treasurer Leslie Tzeng (12), WiSTEM has extended its reach this year and will be inviting girls from the Si Se Puede Academy to participate in a STEM Challenge.

“I am most looking forward to the STEM challenge, where fifth graders approach challenges,” Leslie said. “I also look forward to test driving a Tesla and listening to Sal Khan.”

Tickets for the event are $5 for Harker students and $10 for general admission. Lunch is available for $6.

on everyday objects.

“They are under ideal circumstances in terms of their food supplies,” Dr. Blickenstaff said. “That’s why we see visible colonies[on the petri dishes] instead of on the door handles.”

Upper School staff member and Shah Hall custodian Jose Carrora said that door handles and desk surfaces are cleaned daily with a chemical agent.

“For the handles and the knobs, we spray, leave it a few seconds, and wipe it [off ],” Carrora said.

Kilian Burke (12) believes that washing hands is the best method to stop the spread of germs.

“At school, you’re always touching doorknobs, lockers, or people,” Kilian said. “I guess the main thing is washing your hands to prevent the spread of disease.”

More info •Special thanks to Dr. Blickenstaff for advising this project and providing agar-filled Petri dishes. Special thanks to Maya Jeyendaran and Ashi Gautam for volunteering to count bacterial colonies present in Petri dishes.

•For more images from this study, visit www.harkeraquila.com.

What to Expect

keynote speakers dr. claire max & salman khan

CREATIVE COMMONS

alyssa amick

least

DESIGN - SHAY LARI-HOSIAN - WINGED

Students balance work and school

Dr. Claire Max currently

teaches astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and works as an astronomer at the UC Observatories.

With a B.A. from Harvard in astronomy and a Ph. D. from Princeton in Astrophysical Sciences, the professor focuses her research on the application and development of adaptive optics. After working at UC Berkeley once she received her doctorate, Max expanded her knowledge of plasma physics at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2004, The U.S. Department of Physics awarded Max with the E.O. Lawrence Award in Physics for her research. Aside from teaching at UCSC since 2001, Max is also the Director of the Center for Adaptive Optics.

Salman Khan

founded the nonprofit online Khan Academy after quitting his job as a hedge fund manager in 2009. The free educator has posted more than 4,800 videos on his website explaining various topics in academic fields: KHAN ACADEMY Salman Khan, for- math, science, economics, programmer hedge fund ming, and more. Khan has a B.S. in analyst turned Mathematics, a B.S. in electrical enonline educator, presents at a TED gineering and computer science, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and talk In 2011. He will be coming to computer science from MIT. In addithe Upper School tion, he has an M.B.A. from Harvard later this month to Business School and was named in guest speak at the 2012 as part of the Time 100.

Symposium.

8

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 FEATURES • MARCH 12, 2014

apoorva rangan & vasudha rengarajan

Behind every 45 minute lunch period is the careful work of the Upper School kitchen staff. Each school day, the kitchen staff prepares food for approximately 2000 people. To keep up with the demand for fresh food, the staff cooks in batches and caters some of the lunchtime favorites.

1500-2000

pounds of fries served a day

1500-2000 pounds of food each day

= 2 horses

pounds of food each day

managing editor & online editor

30

table

to the

15% are

vegetarian vegeratian

= 2 horses 85% are

POPULAR OPTION A chef serves fries to students during long lunch.

Fries are an extremely popular option.

Art club crosses to fantasy

LONG LUNCH rush hour

Spinach-artichoke dip and pita bread. Pumpkin ravioli in a brown butter sauce with cranberries.

Four-cheese potato gratin.

The Upper School lunch menu rivals those of gourmet restaurants.

“It’s not the norm,” Head Chef Stephen Martin said. “I try to make sure the program is chef-driven as opposed to manager-driven.”

Martin writes a new menu each week, ensuring different options each day.

According to the kitchen staff, Wednesday long lunches are the most chaotic, due to the combined lunch period.

On other weekdays, the lunch staff cooks batches of food for meat-eaters the first lunch period, gets a break, and then finishes the last batches for the second lunch period.

“Every Wednesday is the most chaotic. We get hit from all angles. We just get bombarded,” Chef Steve said. “It’s a day when everyone steps up and we make sure that we service the kids quickly.”

In addition to catering to the 15 percent of Upper School students who are vegetarian, Martin incorporates organic and fresh products “whenever possible.” The ongoing California drought, with only 4.73 inches of rain this year, sometimes complicates Martin’s quest for freshness.

“It’s all really high-quality stuff,” he said.

“Now with the drought, the organic produce isn’t even good, because they can’t mess with it, so that’s a challenge.”

reporter

FAIRYTALE CROSSOVER Junior Suzy Lou works on a Rapunzel drawing for the fairy tale-themed Art Club coloring book. The book is expected to come out in April.

The Harker School Art Club is launching a project called Art Book, in which they will showcase various students’ artistic talent.

The idea came from seniors Christina Liang and Monica Kumaran.

The book will be 9x7 inches in dimension, 20 pages long, and will be featured in full color, with glossy pages and a soft cover. This year, the theme will be fairy tales. Features include popular children’s’ stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Rapunzel, and Hansel and Gretel. Simple crossovers of no more than two fairy tales are allowed.

Most media are allowed for the Art Book, including pencil, digital, oil, photography, and even clay and wire for sculptures.

Each artist will get one or two

pages of artwork, depending on the dimensions of the piece. One of the central ideas is to have a boy and a girl who are long-lost siblings travel through different fairy tail worlds and meet each other in the middle of the book, all using art. The boy will be ages ten to fourteen with brown hair and blue eyes, while the girl will be the same age and have red hair and brown or black eyes. Their clothing can be adjusted to fit the artists’ drawings.

“We hope to showcase the creative talent of our artists and create a compendium of works that the viewers will enjoy,” Suzy Lou (11), a member of the club, says. “We also hope our viewers will be entertained by the journeys of the two characters.”

Deadlines for all submissions are on April 18, including photographs.

lavinia ding

Feb. 2

Art Book announced

April 18

Submission deadline

April 19

Prototype finished

April 30

Pre-orders and selling

15% are vegeratian

APOORVA RANGAN - WINGED POST

Game Plan: What's on the menu

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

APOORVA RANGAN - WINGED POST

meat-eaters

85% are

VARIETY Kitchen staff serves pasta to hungry students during long lunch. Each day, many different sauces are served with the pasta.

Students reflect on affluenza virus • def • i • ni • tion •

Laura Thacker (12)

According to dictionary.com, “affluenza” is the guilt or lack of motivation experienced by people who have made or inherited large amounts of money. This term comes from the combination of the words affluence and influenza.

“I feel like it is a lack of knowledge. If you ground yourself and realize how blessed you are, then you can be glad that you have all this wealth and great education.”

Chirag Aswani (11) shannon su

“It should definitely be treated as a problem. Children whose parents are rich believe that they can get away with anything because their parents can pay for their mistakes, which means they do not care about the outcomes of their actions.”

Aquila copy editor

Texas teenager Ethan Couch caused the death of four people while drunk driving last year in June.

He is allegedly a victim of “affluenza,” though the judge did not take that into account when examining this case.

This year in early February, the judge ordered the teen boy to attend a rehabilitation facility, which will be paid for by his parents, for an indefinite amount of time.

Ethan was sentenced to ten years of probation but will not serve any jail time for his actions. Not only is he prohibited from drinking alcohol during this time period, but he is also not allowed to drive.

Many Upper School students have the privilege to drive and will face the consequences if they take the rules lightly.

David Zhu (9) “I think most people at Harker work pretty hard. It is a very privileged school.

Parents won’t send their kids to Harker just to have them slack off. I feel like ‘affluenza’ is more like an excuse. It’s not really a problem here at Harker.”

Ray Fowler, History teacher

SHANNON SU WINGED POST

global editor

Three upper school students, Ayushi Gautam (10), Ishanya Anthapur (11), and Shazdeh Hussain (12), performed at Carnegie Hall in the High School Honors Performance Series on February 16, amongst the world’s elite musical students.

In order to be selected into the program, these students underwent an application process including their complete performing biography and an audition recording. Prior to going to New York for the five-

day excursion, students also had to prepare 6 differing songs to prepare for their training. Once they arrived, this practice was supplemented by three rigorous eight hours rehearsals with the conductors of the show.

The three high school students were placed in a choir comprising as many as eight varying musical parts of both boys and girls from Shanghai and Doha to Ohio. They worked under under Dr. Lynne Gackle, the associate professor of ensembles at Baylor University, during their entire stay. Dr. Gackle helped them organize their performance songs and combine their voices before the show.

“Working with someone as inspiring as Lynne Gackle was an absolute treat, yelling at us, calling out to ‘Jesus’ (very often may I add) for his help, but, hey, it paid off ? Making a collective unit out of 178 people that had never even met before, seeing that progression, was a true honor,” said Shazdeh.

The students performed in front of several audience members for the final show in Carnegie Hall. They introduced the entire program before the invited college and professional representatives of global music programs came to perform.

“The experience was mind-blowing. Just being in the hall is such an

“I think most people at Harker work pretty hard. It is a very privileged school.

Parents won’t send their kids to Harker just to have them slack off. I feel like ‘affluenza’ is more like an excuse. It’s not really a problem here at Harker.”

ASHI GAUTUM - WINGED POST

Three students perform at Carnegie Hall on scholarship sindhu ravuri

APOORVA RANGAN - WINGED POST

Journey from

honor. Actually performing there is indescribable. The resonance is perfect. I remember being able to hear the overtones of out intricate harmonies and the echoey, majestic feel when we finished a piece,” Ishanya said.

Shazdeh also agreed that the performance was a surreal experience.

“I remember snapshots of looking up at the rows upon rows of audience members and laughing pretty loudly on stage when I almost tripped in my heels. That’s a long-winded way of saying it was an out-of-body kind of moment for me,” Shazdeh said.

“I just remember exhaling, wow... this is never going to happen again.”

Though much time was dedicated to preparing for the performance, students also experienced the New York City’s performing arts and tourist sights, including visiting Broadway, seeing celebrities, and roaming lower Manhattan.

“I saw a jazz review called After Midnight starring the singer Fantasia and Dulé Hill from Psych. That was extremely awesome- it is one of the experiences I’ll never forget- also because the review was very audience involved and at one point, I couldn’t help but start like rockin’ out to …. jazz classics,” Ishanya said.

GLOBAL

9

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Around the world in a day Students begin their day around 6 a.m., ensuring that they get to school for morning activities prior to the school day.

“I start off...mornings with Concert Band, Stage Band, Orchestra, and Clarinet Quinent from 7:15 a.m.”

- Emma Josey (SSC)

“We have theme parks, and two of them are called Wet and Wild and White-Water World. We normally end up there or at the beach.”

- Chiara Marx (SSC, Australia)

priscilla pan reporter

“Tutor group” (homeroom) precedes the official beginning of school, at 8:30 am. After the first two classes there is “morning tea.”

Bathed in summer heat and humidity, the Gold Coast has a temperature in the 80 to 90 degree range.

“It’s bloody humid,... it’s like breathing in soup.”

- Nicola Geldenguis (SSC, Australia)

“The night market is a great place to go! ...We also go to the movies, we go biking, we can go downtown, where there are a lot more exciting shops and restaurants, [and] we go hiking.”

- Berlin Cheng (TAS, Taiwan)

Students from the Taipei American School attend five 80-minute periods followed by another four classes.

The Winged Post talked to students from Saint Stephen’s College (SSC) in Australia and Taipei American School (TAS) in Taiwan to learn about global students’ varying lifestyles, from the humid weather to their favorite television shows.

“I watch Vampire Diaries! I also love Pretty Little Liars, The Originals, Revenge, and Top Gear.”

- Lauren Tricky (SSC, Australia)

After returning home via their daily transportation, students finish their homework, which takes about two or three hours on average.

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sindhu ravuri global editor

A recent CollegeBoard survey revealed a public static void of females in three different states among the 30,000 students worldwide who took the AP Computer Science exam.

The trend doesn’t stop there, though. In the 47 states where girls can take the AP Computer Science exam, the percentage of females who actually did ranged from 4 percent to 29 percent.

To this day, women struggle to be professionally established in technology and engineering, holding a mere quarter of available jobs in the field.

A main reason for this trend lies in the lack of academic and educational courses involving computer science within public schools across the nation. In fact, 15 percent of the total 15,000 high schools in the United States offer AP Computer Science. Of this 15 percent, private schools make a large portion, according to EducationWeek.org.

Female students involved in computer science, including senior Preethi Periyakoil, believe that computer science at the Upper School has provided a unique experience in helping her find her passion.

“I love how Harker has so many classes that other schools have never even heard of...the advanced topics can only be found here,” Preethi said. “I don’t think these courses are available in most other high school. Because I got a big more exposure to the field via Harker, I decided to pursue computer science.”

Senior Christine Lee, who is also actively involved in computer science, believes that this field has re-evaluated gender roles.

“I think it’s a field where women can be less concerned about oppression, and that allows them to reach their fullest potentials,” Christine said.

On the other hand, not all schools around

LUNCH TIME: “Although we have ‘designated areas’ which we mostly stick to, we sit all over the school. [...] My group usually sits in the undercover area around our canteen.”

- Chiara Marx (SSC, Australia) At SSC, after a total of six classes in the day, school ends at 3:15 p.m.

Extra-curricular activities include Concert, Stage, Funk bands, Drumline, Orchestra, Cantica Ludi, debate, public speaking, chess club, badminton, World Vision, newspaper, and Latin & Greek Honor Society.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY VASUDHA RENGARAJAN, LAVINIA DING, CATHERINE HUANG, MEILAN STEIMLE, AND SHAY LARI-HOSAIN

Women in Computer Science CollegeBoard survey reveals low numbers of females taking AP Computer Science exam the world have an equal distribution of girls in the computer science classes.

In the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools of Kazakhstan, students are provided with the IT, or Introduction to Computer Science, course, which covers website design, cloud computing, database programming, and multimedia editing. The class not only teaches how to create such tools, but also how to analyze their ethical and social impact.

“Eighteen students take the class on a standard level, while 21 have it on Higher Level.

Hence 39 out of 44 students take the course. The remainder of five are girls,” said Assiya Utzhanova, a senior at the school.

Despite this shortcoming in Kazakhstan, Assiya feels that this trend is rapidly changing and girls in her generation are increasingly becoming involved in this field.

“However, there are around 22 girls in my grade, and 17 have the IT subject on their agenda.

Even if computer science is not usually considered to be a course for girls, in my case evaluating the IT impact on society makes it more open for girls,” she said.

In order to further expand female involvement on a global front, the College Board is attempting increase availability of computer courses in several academic curricula and collaborating with national educational organizations.

30 UNDER 30 Alumnus Surbhi Sarna (class of ‘03) is the founder of nVision Medical, a medical company targeting ovarian cancer.

The 28-year-old took a computer science course at the Upper School.

COURTESY OF OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION

Crimea riya chandra, alexis gauba, & meilan steimle reporters

Crimea’s parliament voted for a referendum to join Russia on Thursday.

Crimea, where Russian troops have been stationed for over a week, is currently an autonomous region of Ukraine, but 59 percent of its population is ethnically Russian.

Crimean citizens will be able to vote on whether they will join Russia on March 16.

However, many Western officials, including the current governing body of Ukraine, do not consider Crimea’s government to be legitimate and state that decisions of this nature must go through Ukraine’s official government.

Ukraine was plagued with debt and corruption in 2013. The United Nations (UN) and Russia both offered financial aid, and even though many Ukrainian citizens wanted help from the UN, President Viktor Yanukovych accepted Russia’s assistance, causing widespread dissention. As the protests continued, Yanukovych fled Ukraine and took asylum in Russia. He was subsequently impeached.

In response, Vladimir Putin stationed troops near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine formed an interim government with acting President Olexandr Turchynov. Hostility became especially high in Crimea, a land mass coveted for its strategic access to the Black Sea. Yekaterina Mironova (12), a student of Russian descent, describes what she thinks of Russia’s interference in Ukraine.

“I think that Ukraine is an independent country from Russia and should solve it’s own conflicts. Russia is merely trying to calm the increasingly dangerous protests by bringing in the army,” she said.

Many western nations are worried about Putin’s influence and interference in the region,

Students react to recent crisis in Ukraine causing the EU and US to discuss economic sanctions. Russia retaliated, saying that if sanctions were imposed, they would not pay back loans to US banks and would not recognize the dollar as a reserve currency.

Michael Tseitlin (9), who has relatives in Russia gives his perspective on the economic sanctions.

“Sanctions will fail; Russia doesn’t care because any EU sanctions will destroy the European economy, and Russia has many trading partners left throughout the world,” he said. “This will be of little consequence to them.”

Officials, including US Secretary of State John Kerry are currently abroad, trying to resolve the situation diplomatically, holding closed door meetings throughout Europe.

Michael has low expectations for the efforts of diplomats to resolve the crisis.

“The problem is that Russia doesn’t care about war, it’s not a problem to them; while the West fears it, Russia will relish the opportunity,” he said. “We need to ignore the short-term losses and focus to the future.”

Currently, Putin has 16,000 troops in Crimea prompting calls of an invasion. However, Putin claims that military intervention was necessary to protect ethnic Russians in Crimea after the fall of a pro-Russian government.

Mikhail Ivkov (9), who has relatives in both countries, believes that Crimea should join Russia.

“Many Crimeans have declared their ‘loyalty’ to Russia, and Yanukovych fled to Russia, but personally I believe that with no leader, Ukraine is powerless as a country,” he said. “In such a disarray, Crimea should, in my opinion, join Russia, as other countries of the EU may also want to take advantage of Ukraine’s situation.”

With tensions high throughout Eastern Europe, the situation will continue to unfold as the world watches in anticipation.

“Because of all the injuries, we don’t know what our potential could have been. So I think the six game win streak we went on without Will was amazing. Everyone pulled together to make that happen,” Keller said. “To be where we are, we’ve done a lot considering the circumstances we had to go through.”

The team was the first Boys’ team and only the second ever Harker team to qualify for CCS finals.

Throughout the tournament, top scorers included Srivinay Irrinki (11), who led the team with 43 total points, and Wei Buchsteiner (12), who had 39 points. Behind them were Nicholas, Eric Holt (11), and Huck Vaughan (12) with 37, 35, and 22 points, respectively.

The team’s CCS run improved its overall season record to 1910.

By qualifying for CCS finals, the boys also earned the thirteenth seed in the Northern California Bracket of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) division four championship tournament. The winner of the NorCal bracket will play the winner of the SoCal bracket for the state championship title.

“I’m just so happy for the kids and for the program,” Keller said. “It’s new territory for the school, it’s new territory for the boys.

We’re in it for having fun now.”

Cont’d from page 1 | CCS Finals recap

Season recaps and photos by Sheridan Tobin and Alyssa Amick

The Eagles finished fourth in the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) with a league record of 8-6.

Due to numerous injuries, Keller believes the team was never able to realize its full potential. The highlight of league play was the final week. The Eagles beat both Sacred Heart Preparatory and Pinewood, who were tied for first in league.

The team had a total of 1549 points in the season, an average of 53.4 per game. Wei Buchsteiner (12), Eric Holt (11) and Will Deng (12) led the team in points scored with 270, 217, and 215 respectively.

LEAGUE PLAY VS. SACRED HEART JUSTIN YEN (11)

Missed

Made

Field goals attempted at the CCS Finals

WHERE WE SCORED

In their first CCS game of the season, the boys defeated Carmel High School, the eleventh seed, 46-40 to advance to the quarterfinals.

They were outscored 10-14 in the first quarter, but didn’t let Carmel score at all in the second quarter. Scoring was relatively even throughout the second half. Although the team felt that it wasn’t their best game, they came together to achieve the result they wanted.

Srivinay Irrinki (11) was the player of the game for his five three-pointers and 19 total points. Huck Vaughan (12) also had eight points.

2ND ROUND CCS VS. CARMEL SRIVINAY IRRINKI (11) The team beat Soquel High School on Saturday, March 1, 4942 to advance to the CCS semifinals.

At the end of the first half, the Eagles were down 17-21. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were still losing. In the last quarter, the boys came back outscoring the opponent 21-2 to win the game.

Nicholas Nguyen (11) was named player of the game for his all-around play, totaling 10 points, three rebounds, and four assits. He also sank three free throws in the final quarter, sealing the win for the team. Eric Holt (11) also left his mark on the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

This is the second time in Upper School history that the varsity Boys’ basketball team has qualified for the CCS semifinals.

CCS QUARTERFINALS VS. SOQUEL WEI BUCHSTEINER (12)

The boys upset the number two seed, Seaside High School, 71-61 on Tuesday, March 4 to advance to the CCS finals.

The score remained close during the first three quarters, but the Eagles pulled away in the final minutes to secure the victory.

Wei Buchsteiner (12) was the player of the game following his double double. He had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Srivinay Irrinki (11) and Nicholas Nguyen (11) also scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, to contribute to the win.

The enthusiastic crowd helped motivate the team, according to the players and Keller.

CCS SEMIFINALS VS. SEASIDE ERIC HOLT (11)

THIS SIDE OF HISTORY

us

CCS Finals becomes a community event

By Vivek Bharadwaj

WHITE-OUT

VS.

St. Patrick-St. Vincent First round NorCal playoff Tonight, 7 p.m.

Vallejo

TEAM COLORS: them

WHO: WHAT: WHEN: WHERE:

THE NORCAL GAME

The team plays St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School, the fourth seed, tonight at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick-St. Vincent. Because the game is in Vallejo, students and faculty who wish to attend the game can ride on the team’s bus. Sign ups are available on a first come, first served basis outside of the office of Assistant to Director of Athletics Chris Collins.

Check out www.harkeraquila.com for coverage following the game.

Dozens of eager Eagle eyes fix on the Boys’ Varsity Basketball players as they play defense against the Sacred Heart Gators. The fervent chanting of “DE-FENSE!” echoes throughout the gym. As the Eagles regain possession of the ball and begin driving down the court, dozens of Harker students, parents, and faculty members all dressed in white rise from the stands and let out a yell of triumph.

Eagle fans whited out the stands when they supported the Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team during the CCS finals at Independence School.

“It was the greatest accomplishment in our school’s sports history in that faculty, students, graduates, we were all together,” Adithram Rengaramchandran (12) said. “We all had that big social feel that we’ve never had at Harker, so I’m very proud and I know we can be more spirited like this.”

Attendance was free for all students and was sponsored by an anonymous donor.

“It was great. I think the crowd wearing all white showed a lot of support for the team,” Sarah Bean (11) said.

Upper School Athletic Director Dan Molin requested all fans attending the game to wear white clothing in support of the schol.

“I thought it was a very special, fun, Pre-K through 12 experience,” Upper School Athletic Director Dan Molin said.

Between the third and fourth quarters, Jithin Vellian (12) dressed as the Eagle mascot, dropped to the floor to perform push-ups while the crowd counted behind him.

“I love supporting my school,” Jithin said through his Eagle costume.

Eagle fans will be able to continue supporting the team as they begin to play NorCal games.

Girls Basketball and Wrestling compete in CCS

By Sheridan Tobin and Megy Appalaraju

The Varsity Girls’ basketball team won two Central Coast Section (CCS) play off games before their season ended in a third round game on Feb. 27.

They defeated Oceana High School 58-49 and Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA) 52-44 in the first two playoff games before losing a close game to Mercy Burlingame 27-30.

Due to a mishap in determining the CCS bracket, the

The Harker wrestling team ended their season with a 1314 record, with Darian Edvalson (12) and Davis Howard (9) qualifying to the CCS tournament that took place from Feb 28 to March 1.

Darian, in the 195-pound weight class, took 18th place at the tournament.

“I was battling injuries including broken bones throughout the latter part of the season, and just wrestling at leagues felt good,” Darian said.

team originally did not receive a tournament spot. To resolve this, the girls’ first round game was an extra “play-in” game, according to Upper School Athletic Director, Dan Molin.

“We were the last team in and had to play two games in a row and came out victorious,” head coach Alfredo Alves said.

“The team [took] their play to a whole new level and [rose] to the occasion.”

Davis, the third Harker freshman ever to qualify for CCS in wrestling, lost in the first round of the 285-pound weight class to a senior from William C. Overfelt High School.

“My personal highlight was probably qualifying for CCS,” Davis said. “I only needed one win, but I was pretty nervous because I was wrestling the guy who just set the weight. ” Darian is hopeful for the underclassmen to continue to improve and expand the program.

CCS ACHIEVEMENTS

TOP: WEI BUCHSTEINER BOTTOM: HUCK VAUGHAN Photos: Megan Prakash

12

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Spring Fashion

LIFESTYLE

This season’s ho est and most popular trends from the runway shannon su & meilan steimle

Aquila copy editor & reporter

Time for Tea

Be Bold

Julia Wang (11)

Michael Jin (9)

In between midi and maxi, the tea length will be trending for the springtime. Skirts with this specific hemline give you a sophisticated look, while showing a little skin to keep your outfit playful and fresh.

It can easily be dressed up or down depending on the style of the pieces paired with it and the material of the skirt.

Though prints can be found on the runway year round, they will be bolder for this upcoming spring.

Look out for fabrics with larger, more graphic prints like the lions shown, straying from the traditional plaid, stripes, argyle, and polka dots.

Not only are the colors strong, but the prints are also styled together to create unique looks that seem to clash. If you’re looking to make a daring statement, you can pair multiple eye-catching prints together.

Mad for Metallic Manthra Panchapakesan (11) Springtime fashion is often stereotyped to mean pastels and floral sundresses, but this season, there’s an edgier way to stay on trend.

Metallic clothing brings the brightness of spring into your wardrobe, but does so through sheen rather than color. Since metallic fabrics generally range from grayscale to earth tones, these reflective pieces will keep you looking appropriate for the season, even if bright colors aren’t your cup of tea.

Blocked up

Kenny Zhang (12)

A trend that’s been popular on runways for several seasons, color blocking is brighter than ever for spring.

Juxtaposing two loud colors against each other gives your outfit an infusion of energy, but it is simple enough to not overwhelm your face. Along with being graphic, this trend is incredibly versatile. You can find a color blocked version of virtually any clothing item, from socks to gowns.

Cut it off

Gabriele Stahl, Mathematics Cropped clothing is a recurring trend to look forward to for this spring. Even with winter coming to an end, a jacket is essential for evenings and chilly days, especially since the weather has been unpredictable lately. So what better way to give the classic jacket a twist for spring than to crop it?

This fun trend keeps you warm while accentuating your waist and acting as the focal point of your outfit.

FAST FACTS

Harker’s favorite clothing stores

1. Forever 21 2. Nordstrom 3. Urban Outfitters

ALL PHOTOS SHANNON SU AND MEILAN STEIMLE - WINGED POST

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

13

14 Online Celebrities: YouTube stars on the rise

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 LIFESTYLE • MARCH 12, 2014

alexis gauba

From makeup gurus to video game commentators, YouTube has given rise to a plethora of stars, creating a new celebrity culture. As a popular video sharing service, which provides a platform where anyone can post videos, YouTube presents the opportunity for anyone to achieve fame by simply uploading a clip.

reporter

The Slow Mo Guys are a duo consisting of Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy, who create slow motion videos of various scenarios, ranging from blowing up watermelon to putting paint in speakers for their over 3 million subscribers.

The two use digital high speed cameras to film their videos and then play them back at a normal speed in Bubbly teen Bethany Mota creates YouTube videos ranging from Do it Yourselfs (DIYs) to make-up tips, and has a large following of “motavators.” With her own clothing line with Aeropostale, YouTube has launched Mota’s success. Mota is continuing to post beauty videos to her over 5 million subscribers along with updates on her life in general

on her secondary vlog channel called Bethany’s Life.

Shivani believes that Mota’s approach to creating YouTube videos has been a great factor in her success.

“I think that her warm personality, as well as her amazing beauty tips and tutorials have helped her create a loyal subscriber base, and win over just about everyone’s hearts,” she said.

Former “America’s Got Talent” contestant Lindsey Stirling, also known as the dubstep violinist, has risen to YouTube fame with her videos, featuring her playing the violin and dancing. With over four million subscribers and an album released, Stirling is currently on tour and will be in San Francisco on May 16.

Stirling regularly covers songs

Swedish Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, also known as popular YouTuber PewDiePie, initially began creating videos in the form commentaries on various video games. He has now expanded to creating funny videos on different topics in general.

With a large following of “Bros” making up his “Bro Army,’”PewDiePie has a subscriber base

of over 23 million that keep up with his uploads regularly.

“He laughs a lot and he plays games which I enjoy,” Anthony Luo (10) said. “He overreacts to everything, and it’s really funny how he screams and shouts.”

PewDiePie is one of Youtube’s most subscribed to channels.

Phantogram “voices” their return allison sun

With meshed layers of resonating synths and sensual vocals, the music of New-York based electronic band Phantogram crafts a multidimensional ambience that truly reflects its name, defined as two-dimensional images that appear three-dimensional. Its latest album, “Voices”, is no exception.

Released on Feb. 18, “Voices” shatters any doubts the public may have had for the sophomore album after Phantogram’s successful 2009 debut album Eyelid Movies, proving that it was worth the five-year wait.

The highly anticipated album featuring 11 tracks shows the progression of the band as the sound delves into darker tones.

Album opener “Nothing But Trouble” starts off the album strong with a pulsing drumbeat, guitar riffs, and the ever so gentle yet hauntingly powerful vocals of singer Sarah Barthel.

Barthel continues to spearhead the album in the following tracks “Black Out Days” and “Fall in Love,” where her vocals are interlaced together in echoing layers. “Voices’” most popular track to date, “Fall in Love,” is surprisingly not a love song as the name may suggest. Barthel boldly sings, “Love, it cut a hole into your eyes. You couldn’t see you were the car I crashed. Now you’re burning alive.”

In addition to the evident synthpop the track also incorporates hints of hiphop that drives the energy.

Phantogram’s other half, Josh Carter, showcases his vocals as well in “Never Going Home” and “I Don’t Blame You.” Though not as potent as Barthel, Carter delivers a poignant side of Phantogram.

D.I.Y. u r s el

f

Yo

REPUBLIC RECORDS

Aquila webmaster

it Do

order to create a slow motion effect.

Neymika Jain (9) is a fan of their unique approach towards their video subject matter.

“I find them really interesting. I like how they developed this concept and really went through with it,” she said. “It just shows how much dedication they put into their projects.”

The only negative elements are the chorus lyrics of “Never Going Home: “If this is love, I’m never going home,” whichsounds like something taken directly from a cheesy love song.

Another standout track of “Voices” is the slow and melancholic “Bill Murray.” The swirl of Barthel’s soulful voice, synths, and guitar line is absolute perfection. It’s music that you can lie down at night and listen to on loop for hours on end.

The last two songs “Celebrating Nothing” and “My Only Friend” further showcases the fresh, deep, and distinct sound Phantogram has come to embody, a perfect conclusion to a solid album.

Phantogram recently played at Fox Theater in Oakland on Feb. 20, a day after the release of Voices.

The next time you give someone a present, ditch the Hallmark card and try out a simple and meaningful handmade card instead. From the classic Simple Square to the adorable Itty Bitty Box, these crafty ideas will add the perfect finishing touch to your gift.

riya godbole

Aquila lifestyle editor

Visit www.harkeraquila.com for step-by-step videos, instructions, and templates to get you started.

Need an incentive? Here are 5 reasons to opt for a handmade card: 1. Shows a deep appreciation for the recipient that a store-bought card cannot convey.

2. Allows for serious customization 3. Gives you the opportunity to embrace your inner artist and creativity.

4. Handmade cards are stand-out gifts in and of themselves 5. They are truly one of a kind.

and plays original music; she received a YouTube Music Award in 2013 for her cover of “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons.

“I think she’s really creative and she obviously puts a lot of work into it,” Serena Wang (11) said. I respect her a lot.”

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 LIFESTYLE • MARCH 12, 2014

Samartime eat. drink. be healthy. samar malik lifestyle editor

GRAPHIC SHAY LARI-HOSAIN AND MERCEDES CHIEN

Looking forward to the future is an important step in remaining inspired and motivated, but we very easily run the risk of looking forward to happiness.

I often hear people commenting on how they’ll be happy when they get the car they want, when they graduate, or when they start dating the person they like. Claims such as these make it apparent that the rest of life is just a string or series of events waiting for something to happen. Frankly, I find that this sells everyday life short due to a mere lack of desire or realization for change.

The truth is, everyday life is going to be mundane - more days will be average than not, but having the right perspective is important.

When good things happen in life, it is often because you worked for them, not because an item, an event, or a person transformed you. Things don’t get better until you change your perspective and see the good in the average things, the beauty in the mundane.

Negative energy feeds off itself, contributing to a vicious cycle of pessimism. When we feel insulted or have a bad day, we hold a grudge and bring down other people with us. Having mere “hope” for happiness or anticipation for a happy event, as opposed to taking action to be happy in the moment, fills our emotional voids with gloom.

Learning to embrace the positive moments, though they may seem few and far between, fends off disparity between brooding and radiant thought. The habitual practice of cleaving to happy moments and looking back upon them leaves us less likely to feel the pressure of an overwhelmingly negative world.

maya jeyendran & kavya ramakrishnan

Aquila global editor & reporter

"I think girls should feel like they can ask guys whenever they want to. I don't think there should be a special dance just for that."

Ankita Sharma (10)

“I think it’s a good idea because guys usually ask girls [...].

It’s harder [for a girl to ask guys], though, [...] because it’s not the norm.”

Vincent Lin (12)

“The experience is just [...] different. I’m fine with it because the pressure is not really on us [guys].”

William Park (9)

“I don’t see the big deal about a guy asking a girl or a girl asking a guy. I’m just neutral toward [the situation.]

Anna Levine (12) “The fact that there’s a dance just so girls can ask boys is kind of representative [...] of the lack of gender equality, almost that there is a standard that boys have to ask girls.”

Nephele Troullinos (11)

S A D

“I don’t think it should matter [...]. Guys should be able to ask girls, girls should be able to ask guys, guys should be able to ask guys, and girls should be able to ask girls [at any time].”

Sanjana Kaundinya (11)

I

ALL PHOTOS MAYA JEYENDRAN AND KAVYA RAMAKRISHNAN

How do you feel about...

"I think it's a refreshing take on the standard of [boys having to ask girls...]. There's a lot of pressure involved, [...] and sometimes it's nice to be on the receiving end of [being asked]."

Sanil Rajput (10)

E S ?

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

SPORTS

Soccer makes history

Cutting weight to wrestle

For non-wrestlers, wrestling already seems like a formidable sport.

Even so, many athletes wrestle with an additional opponent outside of the ring—their weight.

With 14 weight classes in each gender division, wrestlers often find that they need to adjust their weight for the highest performance possible.

In preparation for meets, male wrestlers can lose up to seven percent of their body fat through weight-cutting, while female wrestlers can lose up to 12 percent, according to Central Coast Section (CCS) assistant commissioner Duane Morgan.

“The total weight loss is controlled, and the rate at which you can lose that weight is controlled,” he said. “[The process] has been about nine years in the making. It works pretty well […] and what it has stopped is kids just willy-nilly thinking they can lose 20 pounds and start cutting all that weight one week before they’re supposed to make league finals.”

The objective for competing wrestlers is to stay near the upper boundary of a weight class without crossing over to the next, aiming for maximum weight advantage during competition. Each class covers about 10 to 20 pounds. On the day before weigh-in, when class is determined, wrestlers attempt to drop even more in water weight by working out and hydrating less.

Balancing daily meals and exercise around that narrow range can require a lot of maintenance, according to Davis Howard (9). “[Some wrestlers] have to cut a couple pounds a week because their weight classes are very close to their limit,” he said. “Whenever they eat, they gain a little bit, so they’re going to have to cut a lot.”

As a heavyweight, a class with a wide weight range of 65 pounds,

WEIGHT, WEIGHT, DON’T TELL Senior Vincent Lin steps up on a scale to measure his weight. Wrestlers need to rise to the highest in their weight class through carefully moderated diets.

“If you maintain a balanced diet, with protein and carbohydrates, and you stay well hydrated, you can cut weight in a healthy way,” she said.

The California Interscholastic Federation and CCS mandate a body composition assessment program to determine safe weights for individual wrestlers. Testing includes measure-

ments of body fat and hydration.

According to Livestrong.com, cutting body-weight for wrestling can have negative and long-lasting effects on the wrestlers themselves.

In an article written in Oct. of 2013, Livestrong outlines the unhealthy ramifications that can continue into adulthood, such as fluctuating and detrimental eating habits, organ damage through dehydration, and eating disorders.

The article also highlights the benefits that go along with the sport, including a strong sense of self-discipline, gained by an athlete through the harsh discipline of weight-cutting.

CCS Assistant Commissioner Duane Morgan, however, states that CCS does not require that wrestlers follow specific dietary or nutritional restrictions.

“The National Wrestling Coach Association program gives wrestlers information and education about nutrition—what’s good, what’s bad, and how to safely cut any weight that they do want to cut without crashing down too hard and being unsafe,” he said.

Back in 1997, weight-cutting practices, especially at a collegiate level, came under intense scrutiny after deaths of three wrestlers due to extreme weight-loss in preparation for wrestling matches and tournaments. According to The New York Times, the deaths “occurred during strenuous weight-loss workouts.”

These events resulted in serious alterations to weight-cutting policy, as stated on the NCAA official website. Changes include banning the use of saunas and rubber suits, a seven-pound weight allowance around each weight class, and moving the weigh-in time up to two hours before a wrestling match rather than the original 24-hour policy.

For the Upper School wrestlers, healthy weight cutting has not been an impossible challenge.

“It’s not fun at first, but it’s part of wrestling,” Vincent said. “And my overall wrestling experience was really good.”

nikhil dilip & mariam sulakian

editor in chief & Aquila news editor

Huck Vaughan (12) Boys’ Basketball

ALYSSA AMICK - WINGED POST

Position: Forward-Center Jersey Number: 44 Games played: 26 Season high: 23 Total points: 126

ADVENTURES OF HUCK VAUGHAN Huck Vaughan (12) scores in the first CCS game this year against Carmel High School on Feb. 27, where the boys won 46-40.

Forward-center Huck Vaughan (12) helped lead the Varsity Boys’ Basketball team to its first-ever CCS Finals appearance, stepping in for an injured teammate and exceeding expectations.

“We have now made this six game run with Huck as a starter, and he’s done a fantastic job,” said Head Coach and Upper School Division Head Butch Keller. “He’s performed better than we gave him credit to do, quite frankly.”

Starting in place of injured center William Deng (12), Huck led the team in scoring with 23 points in the Eagles’ 71-65 victory over first-seeded Sacred Heart Preparatory Feb. 18.

Huck opened the CCS playoff run for the sixth-seeded Eagles with eight points in a 46-40 win over Carmel High School on Feb. 27. He added nine points in the team’s 71-61 victory over Seaside High School on March 4, helping the team to qualify for the Division IV Northern California Championships.

“These are memories he’ll carry with him all his life. No one can ever take them away,” said Lauri Vaughan, Huck’s mother and Upper School Librarian.

Huck scored three points in a 37-48 loss against Sacred Heart Preparatory in the CCS Championship game on Saturday. The team opens play in the Northern California Championships at St. Patrick - St. Vincent today.

GIRLS SOCCER Nikita Parulkar (11) and Kailee Gifford (9) dribble down the field during the game against Hill High School. The team went on to win the game 5-0.

ATHLETES OF THE MONTH Jordan Thompson (9) Girls’ Basketball

Varsity shooting guard Jordan Thompson (9) set the court on fire in her first high school season, scoring 287 points in 26 games.

Jordan averaged 13 points and eight rebounds in nine games during the month of February. She notched her season-high of 19 points in a 36-22 win over Alma Heights Christian on Feb. 10.

Her teammates attribute her success to her willingness to continue improving her game.

“In the beginning of the year, Jordan didn’t exactly drive to the basket,” teammate Lekha Chirala (11) said. “But one day our coach talked to her, and the next practice Jordan was going to the basket without any fear.”

Jordan scored 13, 18, and four points in the team’s three Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff games against Oceana High School, Immaculate Conception Academy, and Mercy High School Burlingame, respectively.

The coaching staff emphasized that her character is important in her improvement.

“She is a true basketball player and is humble about her talents. In only this season, she has grown to be a pivotal part of the girls’ Harker basketball program,” coach Jonah Alves said. “I can only see her progressing.”

Position: Shooting Guard Jersey Number: 32 Games played: 26 Season high: 19 Total points: 287

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

copy editor & business manager

Davis rarely needs to cut weight.

Wrestlers in lighter weight classes, like Vincent Lin (12), must watch their intake more carefully.

“I try not to eat calorie dense foods,” Vincent said. “Out of season, I’d get food from the main [lunch] area—I’d get guacamole and all that—but during weight cutting, I’d get fruit and salad, and I’d hydrate.”

Upper School nurse Clare Elchert emphasized the importance of maintaining a regular diet while cutting weight. The biggest dangers in cutting weight are rapid weight loss and dehydration.

STEPHANIE CHEN - WINGED POST

elisabeth siegel & stephanie chen

ALEXIS GAUBA - WINGED POST

OFFSEASON VS. IN SEASON While in season, wrestlers must carefully watch their daily meals, avoiding carb-loaded foods like pasta and fruit juice. Instead, they focus on hydrating, reducing calories, and maximizing protein intake.

This year, the team introduced a new award created in Berry’s honor copy editor because of what he meant to the team The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team as a whole. As Berry helped encourage placed first at league championship, the the importance of teamwork, the award highest accomwas given to the plishment that team member the team has who was the This season was absolutely ever earned in most coachable Harker history. incredible. I couldn’t be prouder and worked best Despite with the rest of of the team. We came in with difficulties the team, right from the loss back Gabriella a lot of difficulties, but we had of their beGupta (11). incredible talent in the freshloved mentor, The girls men class, and everyone came Coach Jason credit their Berry, and the success to the together to make the most graduation of teamwork porsuccessful season Harker soccer five seniors, the trayed both on team came toand off the field, has seen.

APURVA GORTI (12) gether for the as well as the most successful talent shown by season the girls’ the freshmen soccer team has ever seen. Currently, class. the team is coached by English teacher “This season was absolutely inJohn Docherty. credible. I couldn’t be prouder of the “I was thrilled with the girls’ per- team,” Apurva said. “We came in with formance this season. Coming in as a a lot of difficulties [...], but we had innew coach is always challenging, but credible talent in the freshmen class, add to that the fact that I was bring- and everyone came together to make ing in a new philosophy and style of the most successful season Harker socplay, doubly so,” Docherty said. “But cer has seen.” the girls rose to the challenges I set for them and played an attractive and sophisticated passing game by the end of the season. I couldn’t be happier.”

To remember the impact Berry had on them, the team decided to dedicate the season in his honor.

“Coach Berry meant a lot to our team, obviously. His leadership throughout the past two years is what has made soccer such a close-knit family, and its because of that, that we never forget the impact that Jason Berry had on the girls soccer team,” said forward and captain Apurva Gorti (12). “That’s why we want to thank him for everything he did for us. That is why we dedicated the season to him. It felt right, and it felt appropriate; this league championship was for him.”

ALEXIS GAUBA - WINGED POST

STEPHANIE CHEN - WINGED POST

vineet kosaraju

AIR JORDAN Jordan Thompson (9) dribbles down the court in the Eagles’ 58-49 win against Oceana High School on Feb. 25.

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 SPORTS • MARCH 12, 2014

Spring Preview

ANGELINE PAN - TALON

ROSHNI PANKHANIYA - WINGED POST

Upper School Varsity athletes are swinging, putting, and setting their way through spring sports, which started last month. The teams are setting their sights on success and working hard to emerge as champions in May. Practices, scrimmages, and league games are in full swing, so make sure to come out to support the Eagles!

JUHI GUPTA - WINGED POST

Aquila multimedia editor & Aquila sports editor

ROSHNI PANKHANIYA - WINGED POST

juhi gupta & roshni pankhaniya

Boys Volleyball

Lacrosse

Softball

Baseball

Boys Tennis

Track & Field

Swimming

Boys Golf

Next Home Game: Monta Vista (3/13/14)

Next Home Game: Burlingame (3/18/14)

Next Home Game: Silver Creek (3/12/14)

Next Home Match: Pinewood (3/13/14)

Next Meet: Saint Francis Invitational (03/15/14)

Next Home Meet: Small School Swim Meet (3/12/14)

Next Home Match: King’s Academy (3/13/14)

“I’m really looking forward to building up the team. It’ll be really fun to get to know all the people who are new to lacrosse,” Mabel Luo (12) said.

“We had a really successful season last year, and I’m looking forward to this season because it has the potential of being just as strong as the last. I hope that we can turn a lot of new players into softball lovers,” Sarah Bean (11) said.

Next Home Game: Crystal Springs Uplands (3/13/14) “We’re looking to rebuild this year. The goal is to make the season a learning experience for the underclassmen and keep it productive for the juniors and seniors,” Ayush Midha (11) said.

“I’m really looking forward to turning up this season. Also, showing the entire school how much work we put in [...] and how much effort we give in practices,” Jason Chu (11) said.

“I think that we have a “The team is really working hard this year lot more swimmers this “It’s an individual to replace the produc- year compared to last sport but we work tion of the graduating year. [...] I am looking well as a team. The forward to seeing the team dynamic is pretty seniots. [...] We are growth in our team hoping to continue good, and the freshas the years progress,” men came in strong,” our pace of breaking Head Coach Ronni records from last year,” Zarek Drozda (10) Gautschi said.

Arjun Kumar (12) said. said.

New Niners Stadium

Team managers of Harker

A behind-the-scenes look into what team managers do

The San Francisco 49ers’ home moves from San Francisco to Santa Clara

riya chandra & kavya ramakrishnan

ALYSSA AMICK - WINGED POST

trisha dwivedi

MANAGE AWAY Emma Doherty (10), team manager of Boys’ Basketball, passes out water bottles and Gatorades to players during halftime at the semifinal game against Seaside.

The Harker Eagles defeated Seaside 71-61 to advance to CCS finals.

off their talent and potential,” he said.

Seniors Vincent Lin and Andrew Wang are the first-ever team managers in girls lacrosse. As of now, they will keep track of scores and statistics, bring food to games, and provide support for their teammates.

Andrew Irvine, Head Coach of girls lacrosse, expressed his excitement for the new addition to the team.

“It’s a new thing for me so we’re going to see how it works. [...] They get to define their own role and whether or not we’re going to this again,” said Irvine.

Contact the head coach of a sport for more information on becoming a team manager.

reporter After 53 years, Candlestick Park, the former home of San Francisco 49ers, will be replaced with the new Levi’s Stadium.

Levi’s Strauss & Co. has agreed to sponsor the $1 billion stadium, which is over 30 times the cost of the 1960s stadium. Santa Clara’s stadium comprises twice the number of suites and a scoreboard screen approximately 12 times larger than Candlestick’s.

Levi’s Stadium, located next to California’s Great America, utilizes photovoltaic panels and stadium-wide WiFi, for not only football games but also other events such as concerts and ceremonies.

According to the Levi’s Stadium website, the new area offers approximately 3,000 more parking spaces and a safer community for families.

“The new stadium is actually going to make me more excited for games,” Sahithya Prakash (12) said.

“I feel like the stadium is going to

be in a more centralized location so everyone around me will be really pumped too, which will make the whole season a lot more fun.”

Levi’s Stadium sells Stadium Builders Licenses, which allow buyers to purchase season tickets that provide money for the construction as well as lifetime ownership of the seats.

Positioned right next to the ocean in San Francisco, Candlestick Park’s low temperatures are often a disadvantage, contrasting Santa Clara’s generally warm climate.

“I went to Candlestick Park a few times to watch the game,” Lucas Wang (9) says. “It was freezing in San Francisco and it was unpleasant, but it was an awesome game.”

Levi’s Stadium, the host of Super Bowl L, will be completed later this year in time for the 2014-15 NFL season. The 49ers website states that Major League Soccer teams Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes will compete on Aug. 2 in the first event held at the stadium.

TRISHA DWIVEDI - WINGED POST

ends, you start missing that family bond and those moments you share as teammates,” Savi said. reporters Roles and responsibilities of team managers vary depending on the team.

Beyond the usual coaching staff Boys Basketball team managers Emma and players, many teams have another Doherty (10), Madhavan Nair (11), essential element – team managers that Ajay Chitkara (11), and Ransher Dhahelp keep their teams motivated. liwal (11) manage statistics, keep track Along with the basic responsibili- of the scoreboard during practice, sweep ties of controlling equipment and keep- the floor, fill up water dispensers during ing statistics, team managers become a games. In basketball, out of the four part of the team and ensure practices team managers, at least one is always and games come together seamlessly. present at every practice.

“It’s a great opportunity for those “They’re definitely part of the team, who want to stay involved in their sport things are much easier when they take and it doesn’t stats and help necessarily have us improve,” to be about playAathira It’s a great opportunity for those said ing or competMenon (10), ing.” said Dan who want to stay involved in Girls’ BasMolin, Upper ketball team their sport and it doesn’t necesSchool Athletic member.

Director. “There’s sarily have to be about playing M o s t a lot that goes on team manor competing. There’s a lot that behind the scenes agers feel a goes on behind the scenes to to keep the propersonal congram going and keep the program going and nection to the team managers sport. Emma team managers are a vital part are a vital part of decided to that,” of that. manage the DAN MOLIN Savi Joshi, basketball co-team manager team after of Girl’s Basketwatching her ball, echoes similar sentiments, becom- brother, J.P. (‘13), play throughout his ing team manager after she did not have years at Harker. enough time to commit to the sport but Fellow team manager Ajay acceptstill wanted to be part of the team. ed the job after a friend on the team “These girls become a part of your asked him during his sophomore year. family, and you get so accustomed to “Throughout the time I have spent them being there that when all of a being a manager, I have got to spend sudden you don’t have to be at Black- time with the players, most of whom ford for practice 20 minutes after school are my friends, and watch them show

ANISHA PADWEKAR - TALON

SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST

ROSHNI PANKHANIYA - WINGED POST

NEHA SUNIL - TALON

“I would like to see us get better every match.

Everyone’s working very hard. I’m very pleased with the dynamic of the group. The kids are having fun; I’m having fun,” Head Coach Dan Molin said.

FUTURE STADIUM While other parts remain in the middle of construction, Levi’s Stadium’s exterior has mostly been completed. The bright red sign and seats match the 49ers’ colors.

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VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Classic viral Youtube videos 25%

Substitute Key & Peele: Teacher

25%

“Tech” Talk With Thyagaraj

Other

Harlem Shake Date Published: Oct. 17, 2012 Comedy Central 46,621,616

TECH

Rebecca Black Double Rainbow

Feb. 10, 2013 Sept. 16, 2011 Kenneth Hakonsen rebecca 99,784,289 65,545,633

vedant thyagaraj tech editor

Jan. 8, 2010 Yosemitebear62 39,183,885

With Bitcoin becoming one of the latest trends of the 21st century, many who previously dismissed it as a speculative investment are probably shaking their heads in regret.

What exactly is this “virtual currency” that so many people are talking about?

Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment system that was introduced in 2009. It uses cryptography, a form of secure communication, to create and transfer money between individuals and different markets. Users send and receive Bitcoins directly; neither intermediate “Bitcoin defibanks nor sellers nitely does have are present in the the potential payment process. to become the In addition future currento preserving anVIVEK BHARADWAJ - WINGED POST cy; however, onymity when it needs more making purchasregulation and The Winged Post reviews your favorite viral es, Bitcoins are stability bemercedes chien Youtube videos of the decade. Data was colnot associated fore common design editor lected from a survey conducted online; a total with any country people can set of 97 people were polled. in specifi c and aside their bank payment processnotes and tranDESIGN & GRAPHICS BY MERCEDES CHIEN es do not have sition to this rigorous guidedigital payment lines. Some indisystem.” viduals buy Bitcoins just as they kaity gee a small company. the details in a collaborative progress. do stocks, hoping & raveena kapatkar “We started our initial conversa“The mobile application offers an to make money tion June 2012, so soon after I gradu- intuitive process for contacting groups of Aquila asst. multimedia editor off the initial purchase. ated, and at that time we didn’t really people and coordinating decisions more & reporter Since its launch in 2009, many have any intentions of pursuing, it was efficiently than text-messages, messagcountries have been actively trying to Alumni Daanish Jamal (‘12) and more that we had kind of talked about ing apps, social media, or event-creenforce regulations on Bitcoin mining Adhir Ravipati (‘05) recently released this idea,” Daanish said in an interview ation services,” says the company on its that would control the supply and utilthe app NextSpot on both Apple and with The Winged Post. “Once I had got- Linked-In profile. “In essence, NextSpot ity of the virtual currency. Two weeks Android markets. ten into college, I realized that college aims to be the primary service for orgaago, one of the world’s largest Japanese The two friends talked about form- was the perfect playground for an app nizing the full spectrum of group activBitcoin exchange sites, Mt. Gox, shut ing the app over the summer of 2013, like this.” ities.” down. In a dollar equivalent, that’s in order to making coordinating get-toThe free app, developed by The app works on an Evite-like like saying the New York Stock Exgethers simpler.

NextSpot Inc., is designed to help users planning base with a user friendly operchange suddenly shut down. More than Daanish was skeptical over starting organize everyday meetups and arrange ating system. The host selects a proposal 744,000 Bitcoins, equivalent to $423 event, time, and location which can be million in current currency, were lost. found via Yelp. After being invited and As a result, many international finance creating an account, other group memcommittees have been more aggressivebers can discuss the details via chat sysly trying to control the currency. Unittem. ed States Federal Reserve Chairman, “I think NextSpot sounds like a Janet Yellen, stated that implementing great tool for keeping in touch with outnew methods to control the currency side of school friends who we don’t often would be worthwhile. That is, if the meet up with because of our busy lives,” currency survives. Many have already Alayna Richmond (9) said. proclaimed it dead; with this big Bit“High school kids are definitely MEETUP NextSpot offers a convenient coin “scandal,” many have lost faith in active in their social lives- the weekends application for connecting users and organizing everyday meetups. Alumni the virtual currency. tend to be the primary focus for them,” I recently read about what makes Daanish Jamal (‘12) and Adhir Ravipati said Adhir. The only downfall for the (‘05) started building the app in midcurrency legitimate in my economics highly productive app is that all mem- 2013. class. To be recognized as currency, bers must have an account in order to something must not only serve as a mecontinue the discussion process. Users events with friends.

NextSpot is currently available on dium of exchange but also measure and can connect using either Facebook, Twitstore value. Does Bitcoin truly achieve ter, or their email to set up an account. In the iOS and Android markets. All quesany of these? spite of this setback, NextSpot is fresh tions and feedback is encouraged to be Although many supporters do SOCIAL Tamlyn Doll (9) bends over her phone along with her friends. NextSpot and easy way to connect and organize sent to Contact@nextspotapp.com. is designed to help users organize everyday meetups and keep in touch. argue that Bitcoin is the future of currency, it does not serve as a feasible medium of exchange for most people.

When at the local grocery shop, we can easily take out two US dollars to pay for the milk carton we need. How would become even safer, reducing the numwe do this with bitcoin? This currency vineet kosaraju ber of accidents. Transportation secreis not even a physical entity; it’s comcopy editor tary Anthony Foxx informed reporters pletely virtual and as a result would imThe National Highway Traf- that new innovations merited further pede our daily transactions. fic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety mechanisms.

Also, do we estimate the value of “A lot of innovation and safety plans to require newly made cars to our cars in Bitcoins? No. We assign a broadcast their location, direction, and to this point has been about protectdollar-value to the worth of our vespeed to other vehicles, in order to ing the occupants of a vehicle after an hicles. Associating a bitcoin value to avoid collisions through vehicle-to-ve- accident occurs, [but now] the safety cars seems ludicrous currently, but who advances kick in before an accident ochicle communication technology. knows what might happen in the future.

Three years ago, the Department curs,” he said.

Regarding the final stipulation of storThe proposed system currentof Transportation published the origing money, most individuals, I presume, inal plan for the vehicle-to-vehicle ly provides drivers with warnings and who sell items would prefer to receive communications technology, explain- would not automatically take control actual cash. Even though Bitcoin is still ing what kinds of data would be trans- of the vehicle. Instead, the warnings a currency, it has not reached its matuwould show up either on a display mitted. rity yet to compete with fiat currency.

“Data that may be exchanged in- screen, or perhaps through a vibrating Even though I might seem a litcludes each vehicle’s [...] time, heading steering wheel.

COMMUNICATION New automobile communication technology will allow cars tle harsh towards the virtual currency, In the future, experts hope that to transfer data such as vehicle length, width, and mass from one to another. I am only discussing its practical uses. angle, [and] speed,” the plan mentioned. Other data included “vehicle the system will allow people riding in Experts hope that the system will allow people riding in vehicles to remain safer.

Bitcoin definitely does have the polength, vehicle width, vehicle mass, vehicles to remain safer and to make from Edward Snowden, some experts Venkat Sankar (9) said. “Although it tential to become the future currency; bumper height, and the number of oc- the process of driving more controlled. remain concerned that the new system might make driving safer, it seems far- however, it needs more regulation and Additionally, the new system could cupants in the vehicle.” will grant the government more con- fetched and I think it won’t help much stability before common people can set Currently, vehicles contain several possibly help those with disabilities. trol over more sectors of personal life, until the technology is completely cre- aside their bank notes and transition to “We think of cars as mechanical tools that help drivers stay safe on the this digital payment system. in this case, vehicles. ated.” road. For example, Volvo car models systems, but they are actually rolling Needless to say, the digital revOthers simply do not trust the Foxx hopes that the law concept automatically stop to avoid collisions, computers. These computers are changolution is well underway. How it will new system, because they believe that will start to be implemented before or can remain at a fixed distance be- ing what it means to drive,” said Unitransform traditional banking and curthe technology does not exist, and President Obama leaves office in 2017. hind another car. Others can also avoid versity of Washington professor John rency exchange is hard to predict but would be infeasible.

He believes that eventually, the system drifting and steer back into a lane au- Lee in a Senate Commerce Commitdefi nitely fascinating to ponder over.

“I don’t think that vehicle-to-ve- could be expanded to herald a new tee. tomatically. hicle technology is really a good idea,” generation of technology.

However, with the revelations With the new law, vehicles would

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ARTHI IYER - WINGED POST

NEXTSPOT

Two alumni release NextSpot in the app store

THE CAR CONNECTION

New vehicle technology to reduce collisions

TECH

19

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

Future of 3-D printing vivian isenberg reporter

3D printers are helping save lives by providing 3D model scans Companies such as Cubify sell 3D printed fashion and 3D furniture

asst. sports editor

INTERNET Net neutrality is the idea that all internet traffic is given equal traffic by ISPs. Cable companies argue that net neutrality impedes innovation, while proponents argue for free internet.

Potential demise of net neutrality shay lari-hosain asst. design editor

The contentious topic of network neutrality has surfaced into the public discourse once again. In January, a federal appeals court determined that the Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) has exceeded its authority in regulating Internet service providers’ (ISP) policies.

In a case filed by Verizon against the F.C.C., the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down the F.C.C.’s ability to prevent ISPs from being partial to certain content. This ruling raised concerns about the future of net neutrality. So what is net neutrality?

Columbia Law Professor and author of Who Controls the Internet and The Master Switch, Tim Wu coined the term “net neutrality” in 2003.

In an exclusive phone interview with The Winged Post, Wu defined net neutrality as “the principle that when you request something on the Internet you get what you ask for, as opposed to whether it gets interfered with.”

Net neutrality enables all content on the Internet to get to you, the end user, at the same speed. Proponents of net neutrality argue that without it, large corporations would be able to purchase priority from ISPs (like Verizon), therefore stifling startups or small businesses unable to pay for extra treatment.

Wu has raised the question of whether eBay, Google, Skype or any other once-small startup, dwarfed by large corporations of the time, would have been able to flourish in the absence of

net neutrality.

Brian Bieron, currently the Executive Director of the eBay Inc. Public Policy Lab, shared the company’s viewpoint on net neutrality in a phone interview with The Winged Post. Bieron led eBay’s US Government Relations Team in Washington, D.C., which dealt with issues such as net neutrality, from 2004 to 2012.

“We believe that the global open Internet is critical for entrepreneurship, and we believe the fact that the Internet does not have gatekeepers is one of the reasons that it’s such a powerful, global tool,” Bieron said.

Bieron shared eBay’s concern about the potentially detrimental effect of Internet regulation by ISPs. “We are concerned about the effect on the users of our various services all around the world. The Internet allows somebody in California to list an item to sell, and some person in France might see it and might decide they want [it],” he said. “All of the sending of information back and forth may travel across four or five different networks.

The idea that each of those individual networks would have an ability to slow down the data, or effectively charge somebody extra money for the data to travel over that Internet, would be a negative.”

Charter Communications, which recently lost the bid to acquire Time Warner Cable to Comcast, is a prominent player in the cable business. A former executive from Charter shared his insights with The Winged Post into the perspective of the cable companies regarding network neutrality. John Molise

was the Senior Director of Operations Strategy at the company until 2008.

“The bottom line is, cable companies carry large debt burdens derived from the fact that they had to raise large amounts of capital to build their networks,” Molise said. “It is inconsistent to think that any industry will invest the capital required to deliver services and then have all of the revenue and value go to content providers, who sit on the opposite side of the delivery network.”

Critics of net neutrality argue that it and prevents infrastructure enhancement and impedes innovation in the cable and telecommunications industry.

The former director also shed light on cable companies’ recent forays into the content creation business.

“I would bet that Comcast Sportsnet has almost as much local viewership as ESPN, and Comcast does not have to pay programming fees,” Molise noted.

Some argue these ventures by the distribution industry into the content creation business will result in the degradation of the delivery of third party content.

“I don’t think corporations should have the power to block or inhibit other websites for consumers,” Rishabh Chandra (10) said.

Comcast, a major player in the cable industry, is bound to an F.C.C. neutrality condition which expires in 2018.

On Feb. 19, F.C.C. chairman Tom Wheeler announced that the agency will take steps towards “preserv[ing] a free and open Internet.” In the meantime, keep watching YouTube. You won’t be paying extra anytime soon.

Google Drive Price: Free Rating: 3/5 The Google Drive mobile app supports editing Google documents stored on a Google Drive account from a smartphone or tablet. While it may not have the polished interface of the Desktop version, the app is invaluable for mobile document viewing and minor editing.

The Google Drive app connects to the Google Drive service, a free 30 GB capacity cloud storage account associated with any Gmail account (including student emails).

Documents are stored and updated in the Cloud, allowing users to make edits on a smartphone or tablet and then access the latest version of the document from a computer. The app also supports downloading local copies of a document to view and edit offline.

The Google Drive app also allows viewing of photos, videos, PDF’s, and some Microsoft Office files. The app also allows users to access content from Google Drive through other mobile applications, such as the ability to open Microsoft Word documents with Pages, Apple’s mobile word processor, or videos with iMovie, Apple’s video editing app.

The app also lets several Drive users collaborate in real-time on a single shared file. Changes to a document made by other Drive users are updated shown on the app as soon as they are made.

The Google Drive app is free

GOOGLE

FAST FACTS

vivek bharadwaj

SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST

As the logical next step in transforming pixels into something tangible, 3D printers have begun to find their place in a number of industries, as the possibilities for their use appear to be almost unlimited.

Starting from the medieval printing press to the modern printer, the ability to transfer words and ideas has revolutionized the processing and distribution of information.

The black and white, or even color, printer is a staple found in almost every home and business in the world of modern technology.

The advantages of 3D printing over the normal 2D method are obvious. The new type of printing allows for an array of objects to be made with a multitude of materials.

The method in which 3D printers work is more complex. The desired object originates as a digital, 3D designed file created using special software.

Next, the object is broken down into incredibly thin layers, which are then built from the bottom up with subsequent layers of molten plastic, ink, or other materials.

“I think that as of now, [Wake Forest University] has a lot of testing and 3D printers in terms of like how to print out arteries and human body parts. In that sense I think it will be really effective because right now there is a shortage of human organs because a lot of people aren’t willing to donate, and this will be a good substitute.” Avik Wadhwa (11) said.

Shapeways, another 3D printing based company allows users to choose songs from their Soundcloud accounts and have the sound waves of their favorite song printed onto a totally customized iPhone case.

Although 3D printing still has a ways to go in terms of cost efficiency, rapid innovation has brought the technology to the greater attention of society.

What’s the best way to watch popular TV shows & content? emily lin

Netflix: With over 40 million global streaming subscribers, Netflix has dominated the on-demand streaming market for the past few years.

The monthly membership of eight dollars gives customers access to thousands of tv shows to stream instantly. Many students like Netflix for its wide selection of content and user-friendly features.

“I use it on multiple devices like my phone, my iPad, and my television. Also, the streaming is very fast,” Areej Hasan (12) said.

In 2011, Netflix began acquiring original content to stream on its website. In 2013, the company debuted the first “Netflix Original” series, House of Cards. The widely-popular series paved the path for other “Netflix Original” series like Orange is the New Black and a reboot of the critically-acclaimed Fox comedy Arrested Development.

“The series are amazing because you don’t have to wait for advertisements and there are no cliffhangers.”

Brian Tuan (12) said.

Because “Netflix Original” series are released in their entirety all at one time, the company has been able to harness the growing shift towards television consumption through binge-watching, where viewers watch upwards of two episodes at a time in one sitting.

SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST

Aquila opinion editor

Hulu: Hulu offers a free version of its video streaming service, with an option to upgrade to Hulu Plus for $8 a month. The free version of Hulu runs on advertisements, while Hulu Plus airs less commercials and has licensing deals to provide content from Fox, NBC, Disney, MTV, and other cable channels.

Kristen Ko (10) watches “dramas on Hulu, and because other

websites have a lot more advertisements. Hulu has a tolerable amount of advertisements.”

Hulu also adds new episodes soon after they air on television, so its users get access to more fresh content. They can stream content from their iPhones, iPads, video game consoles, laptops, “I like it because it has more recent episodes than Netflix does,” said Mishi Vachav (11).

Hulu’s streaming service is currently available only in the United States and Japan. Hulu Plus currently has more than three million users.

Hulu itself is a joint venture created by many broadcasting companies, including Comcast, Fox Broadcasting Company, and The Walt Disney Company. The company has over 1.5 million users.

Amazon Prime Instant Video: Amazon’s instant video membership operates through the Amazon Prime program, which offers free two-day shipping and free Kindle books for a $79 yearly membership.

Most students use Amazon Prime’s video services because they have already purchased the membership for its free two-day shipping feature.

“It’s really convenient because it comes with the Prime subscription. I think they’re inferior to Netflix because their selection is not as great, but they do have a lot of British television shows that aren’t on Netflix,” Gerry Zhou (12) said.

In February, Amazon followed in Netflix’s footsteps to provide original content by releasing a Pilot Series program on its website. Because it’s a relatively new concept, it has yet to gain a significant amount of press or visibility.

“I’ve heard about [the Pilot series], but I haven’t watched any of them,” Ashir Bansal (11) said.

The program allows users to vote on which shows become full-length series based on pilot episodes of each show. The selection ranged from kids shows to comedies and dramas.

Netflix still provides the widest selection of content and most user-friendly features, but it does not give users access to the recently aired episodes that Hulu does.

20

VOLUME 15 • ISSUE 5 MARCH 12, 2014

"this is the defining issue of

your generation." kate kendell, executive director, national center for lesbian rights (NCLR)

K

by APOORVA RANGAN

ate Kendell, the Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, spoke at the Upper School last week about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) representation in marriage equality and sports.

The Upper School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) coordinated the assembly.

Kendell repeatedly called the cultural shi towards pro-LGBT rights “breathtaking.” Since she spoke at the

Upper School eight years ago, 13 states have legalized gay marriage.

“I think it’s important that young people have a sense of the moment we’re in,” Kendell said in an interview with The Winged Post.

Kendell discussed LGBT representation in professional sports and the media, as well as her own story of coming out in a Mormon family and her journey to becoming a “professional lesbian.”

GSA adviser and Spanish teacher Abel Olivas found resonance in her message, calling it “important” to hear LGBT allies speak.

“First of all, while there are a few LGBT kids who are out at Harker, there are others who struggle in isolation,” Olivas said. “These talks can provide them support.”

russia

78 countries have antilgbt legislation

7 countries uphold the death penalty for homosexual behavior

new zealand, uruguay, brazil, and france legalize same-sex marriage in 2013

at the olympics

india

Dec. 2013 supreme court

recriminalizes homosexuality

uganda

Feb. 25 first-time offenders of an anti-lgbt LAW face

14 years in prison

Macklemore & ryan lewis's "Same Love" reaches #11 on billboard hot 100

2014

2013 jason collins becomes the first openly gay active professional athlete IN THE U.S

RUSSIAN ACTIVISTS STAGE A "KISSING PROTEST" AGAINST THE " GAY PROPAGANDA" BILL

harker alum voices support Fashion designer Alexander Wang (MS ‘98) created a cashmere beanie emblazoned with “P6” along the front in support of Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter to protest anti-gay legislation in Russia, the location of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Principle 6 says that discrimination or prejudice “with regard to a country or a person on grounds

of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise” is unwelcome at the Olympic games.

A wide range of celebrities have both posted images of themselves on social media and have been photographed wearing the beanies. These individuals include Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, Zachary Quinto, and Olivia Wilde.

resources for lgbt youth Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center: provides individual counseling and support groups (408) 293 2429 Trikone: promotes legal and cultural acceptance for South Asian LGBT youth (775) 573 8745 Gay-Straight Alliance Network: works to end harrassment and discrimination in schools (408) 552 4229 PFLAG San Jose: offers scholarships for HS seniors; a support organization for parents with LGBTQ children (408) 270 8182

all photos juhi gupta, alexander wang, and creative commons

Contributing reporting by Meilan Steimle, Tara Parimi, Alexis Gauba, Sharanya Balaji, and Juhi Gupta

"gay propaganda"

page design by apoorva rangan

P

resident Yoweri Museveni of Uganda signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law on Feb. 24, dictating a 14-year prison sentence for LGBT members and life sentences for repeated occurrences of LGBT-related events.

According to BBC News, “The new law allows life imprisonment as the penalty for acts of ‘aggravated homosexuality’ and also criminalizes the ‘promotion of homosexuality,’ where activists encourage others to come out.”

Lesbians are included in these policies, and it is also against the law not to report marginalized gender and sexuality groups to the government. According to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), tabloids in Uganda have already begun publishing the names and photographs of LGBT members.

On an international scale, many, including U.S. President Barack Obama, have inveighed against the new law. Rights organizations such as Amnesty International, the aforementioned IGLHRC, Human Rights First, Human Rights Campaign, and more have also expressed great concern.

Activists in Uganda say that they intend to challenge the ruling in court.

Feb. 7-23 state duma unanimously approved a law banning