The Talon | Issue 8 | 21 May 2013 by The Talon

Talon

It’s that time of year again...

201 Almond Ave. Los Altos, CA 94022 Los ALtos high school VOLUME XXVIII, Issue 8 May 21, 2013

dodgeball Daily Updates online at lahstalon.org

Senior projects expand horizons NewsWeek

Ranking: #132

Arman Khayyat Joey Malgesini Staff Writers

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Marching band attempts to get sports credit Pg. 2

Columnists respond to South Dakota’s new gun law PG.4

television show finales to look for Pg. 10

TALONONLINE >> Want more from The Talon? Sports scores, news and more updated everyday online at lahstalon.org

News

May 21, 2013

LAHS ranks in top 150 public schools nationally CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

per student, average SAT/ACT score, average AP/IB/AICE score and percent of students in AP/ IB/AICE courses. According to Newsweek, this year’s calculations were changed in that “instead of considering the number of courses offered, which is limited even for the most ambitious high school curricula, [Newsweek] weighed the percentage of students enrolled in an AP, IB or [AICE] course.” At the Monday, May 13, school board meeting, the board discussed the school’s ranking. “We’re very proud of both schools,” Board President Judy Hanneman said. “I’d like to thank all the staff, the volunteers, and all the students for the hard work they’ve put in to get us this far.”

Los Altos High's Newsweek Ranking

2013 Newsweek Rankings of Selected Local High Schools**

2010 - 2013

#103 #122 #132 #161 #229

0 Rank (out of 2,000 schools listed)

“We attribute our successes, in part, to the collaboration and support of Wynne Satterwhite, our principal, and her administrative team,” Math Department Chair Betty Yamasaki said in the press release. “We brought in support classes in Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II for those students who struggle in math, [and] for high achieving students, we have added [classes such as] Multivariable Calculus, Statistics AP and AP Computer Science.” The Newsweek rankings considered six components: graduation rate, college acceptance rate, AP/International Baccalaureate (IB)/Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) tests taken

100 200 300

Monta Vista High School, Cupertino Lynbrook High School, San Jose Los Altos High School Palo Alto Senior High School Mountain View High School

Data from ‘America’s Best High Schools 2013’ by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. Ratings are based on graduation rates (25%), college acceptance rates (25%), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25%), average SAT/ACT scores (10%), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10%) and percent of students in AP/IB/AICE courses (5%). All schools considered are public.

400 500 600 2010

2011*

2012

2013

*No data available for 2011. **Due to a reporting error, Gunn does not have an accurate rank so it was not included.

rEBECCA dESHETLER

Marching band petitions for PE credit Math department gets class set of 30 iPads Maya Acharya Staff Writer

The marching bands and color guards of Los Altos and Mountain View High School are requesting second year physical education credit for participants. This would mean five P.E. credits for each fall a student participates in marching band or color guard after their freshman year. Gaye Heck, co-president of LAHS Instrumental Music Boosters, and Bill Heye, president of MVHS Instrumental Music Parents Association, submitted the request to the school board on May 6 and presented the request, along with others associated with the bands, at the Monday, May 13 meeting. “The Mountain View and Los Altos Marching Bands and Color Guards both perform the Modern Drum and Bugle Corps performance style, which is a fast moving, physically demanding style of marching band and color guard performance that requires intense physical training by the students,” Heye and Heck said in their request to the district. The request also says that students spend about 300 to 350 hours at practices over the course of the 16 week season. The LAHS group has practices and competitions six days a week during the fall season. If the board approves the request, participating in two fall seasons of marching band and color guard would fulfill a student’s second year requirement. The

David Wu Staff Writer

Ciera Pasturel

The marching band performs on the football field. The group presented to the school board requesting P.E. credit. written request to the district also argued that many other schools in the area offer credit. “With P.E. credit, most of our students would have two extra semesters in high school to have a deeper high school experience,” Heck said at the meeting. “They could take a class that they would not have time to take, maybe take an AP or honors class instead of its regular equivalent.” At the meeting, drum major senior Megan Stuart and senior Kelcey Negus spoke about the LAHS Marching Band and Color Guard’s training schedule. Megan and Kelcey have both been in the LAHS Marching Band for the past four years. “In order to prepare for a good show, you need to be in proper physical condition,” Kelcey said at the meeting. “This means having proper technique that is taught

to you during rehearsal and practiced every day.” MVHS P.E. teacher Barbara Kaufman, on the other hand, spoke at the meeting against giving credit. “We are here once again to tell you we believe that what we do is best for kids,” Kaufman said. “We are experts in our field and we teach physical education to our students through activity... Critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. All those skills are embedded in our course... The discipline of marching band and physical education are not even close to having the same standards, nor the same outcomes. Our course is not labeled physical activity. Our course is labeled Physical Education.” The board will decide on the request at a future board meeting.

Administration completes SIS update Ariel Machell Staff Writer The district updated the Student Information System (SIS) on Thursday, May 2 to provide a more user-friendly database. The website was down briefly as changes were made but the updated version is now online. Traditionally, packets were sent home at the beginning of the school year, but now parents and students will be able to change their emergency forms, demographics and contact

information online. This will move the school toward its goal of zero waste. “We chose to make the changes now so that students and parents can get used to it before the start of the fall term when they need to fill out the documents online,” Associate Superintendent of Personnel and Technology Steve Hope said. A number of minor graphical changes were also made to the portal and home page. “One of the main things is that the portal page now allows you to

choose the language you’re most comfortable with,” Hope said. “So if you’re not a native speaker... you can change the language to fit your preference.” Now, students can see their gradebook summary, calendar events, attendance records and grade trends on the homepage. In order to access the new website, students and parents should go to mvla.net and click on the Student Information System tab on the Los Altos home page. Typing in sis.mvla.net or using a bookmark leads to the old version.

This spring, the Math Department purchased a class set of 30 iPads. The department was encouraged by the expanding number of teaching applications on electronic devices and supported by STEM funding from the MVLA foundation. Although the iPads are currently only being used in Algebra Enhanced classes, they will be used by the entire department next year. “We had a presentation by Kristin Joseph in the career center for a project the students will be working on,” Department Coordinator Betty Yamasaki said. “She navigated through Naviance as students were able to explore using their own accounts. Gordon Jack [the school librarian] also came in for a presentation to navigate the students through a web resource page he created specifically for our project from the library website.” In addition to their teaching applications, iPads will also be used by students to work on projects. Teachers will independently decide how often the iPads will be used in their classrooms. The introduction of these

iPads represents only one of the major shifts in technology use at the school. The library received a $10,000 grant from the Parent Teacher Student Association to purchase technology for the library. A wide range of equipment has been and will be purchased, including a laptop cart, e-reference books, desktop computers, Adobe software, film studio equipment, a projector screen, an Epson wireless printer and a f lat screen television. Other fundraising projects provided the library with a class set of Google Chromebooks. Earlier in the year, social studies teacher Stephanie Downey fundraised for 20 Chromebooks for students in her class. Yamasaki hopes that the iPads will help bring “increased in-class engagement and [the ability] to use another type of technology for resources and skill building.” The iPads, in addition to helping students learn math, will teach students how to use technology more proficiently. “Future 21st century skills will involve being able to use up-to-date technology and this will provide students that platform,” Yamasaki said.

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Editorial

The Talon May 21, 2013

Reckless driving in the parking lot poses dangers, creates unnecessary annoyances

Editorial Opinion of The Talon Every morning and every afternoon, hundreds of students and parents weave their way through a chaotic parking lot. Not only does this create a nuisance for everyone trying to get to school, it also poses a serious threat to students (and their cars). Part of the problem is inconsistent ticketing in the lot, which leads to congestion and overcrowding. This is especially the case toward the end of the year, when many underclassmen without permits begin to park in the lot. On a typical day, The Talon counted over 25 cars, or 1 in 8, parked illegally in the school lot. The sum of all the parking ticket fines that those cars would collect if ticketed would exceed $700. Ticketing on a regular basis would bring in money, and it could also decrease the amount of overcrowding in the parking lot. However, the bulk of the responsibility for creating a dangerous environment lies on students. Everyone expects teenage drivers to

be reckless, but on some days the LAHS parking lot takes the stereotype to new levels. Students find dents on their cars on a regular basis. Trying to get out of the parking lot after sixth period on Wednesday is a panicked ordeal. It has become all too common to see cars parked in areas that aren’t even parking spots—a result of overcrowding, but one that creates even more dangers for others parked in the lot. Even discounting the possibility of serious accidents, the parking lot situation causes unnecessary stress. Traffic in the parking lot is annoying, but honking horns and screeching tires make it unbearable. It doesn’t make sense to create even more problems in attempts to beat the rush, since we’re all stuck waiting in line at the end of the day anyway. Don’t speed. Let other cars in and don’t cut other people off. It’s not that hard—and even if it is, it’s definitely easier than scraping up the money to pay for the dents you put on someone else’s car. Driving is a privelege and we should all treat it as such.

thumbs Thumbs up to ASB’s organization of this year’s dodgeball tournament. Compared to years past, the organization of all the teams and the bracket was more efficient, which bodes well for a wide-open tournament that is filled with intensity and excitement. Competitors and spectators are flocking to the gym at lunch to enjoy the daily matches. Teams have dressed up in all forms of costumes in spirit of the event; the Pirate Booties wearing hooks and pirate hats with contrasting short shorts, and Chunche’s Last Stand showing off the image of Mr. Allen’s favorite stuffed animal. It is great to see our school come together, especially during a stressful academic time before finals, and enjoy a little nostalgic schoolyard fun. Los Altos dodgeball is a one-ofa-kind event that everyone on campus should be proud of.

Thumbs up to the school’s active civic engagement. The California Department of Education recently honored the school with an award for its participation in local and global matters. Even more impressive, however, was the scope and breadth of the projects for which the school received special mentions: a muckraking project by United States History classes, various installations by Haiti Solidarity, and the first annual History Week, hosted by the History Department. The school has also added to its civic participation recently when history teacher Seth Donnelly’s civics classes went to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office to petition to free Bradley Manning. The variety and amount of civic engagement at the school build a foundation for students to be active citizens later in their lives.

3 The Talon Los Altos High School

201 Almond Avenue Los Altos, California www.lahstalon.org May 21, 2012 Volume XXVIII, Issue 8

Editor-in-Chief Libbie Katsev Managing Editors Sarah Corner (Publication) Catherine Hua (Web) Mark Schreiber (Publication) News Editor Zoe Morgan Opinions Editor Rebecca Cohen Features Editor Christina Luk In-Depth Editor Ben Marimon Entertainment Editor Brenna Reid Sports Editor Josh Cohen Media Editor Ciera Pasturel Copy/Content Editors Shiktij Dave Jared Eng Dhruv Madhok Hongyi Shi Business Managers Emily Sims Jordan Stout

Senior Writers Anthony Bello, Paul Bergevin, Casey Pao, Ed Sartor, Sparsha Saxena, Shilpa Venigandla Staff Writers Maya Acharya, Riyana Basu, Robert Chin, Carly Cohen, Zach Cohen, Alex Cortinas, Cassidy Craford, Chang Cui, Chase Eller, Arman Khayyat, Sam Lisbonne, Ariel Machell, Joey Malgesini, John Naumovski, Tony Sun, David Wu, Yuki Zaninovich

Letters to the Editor School should improve communication about AP

tests

Dear Editor,

Despite hiring a dedicated coordinator for AP tests this year, the school’s communication about tests was confusing and disorganized. Start times for both morning and afternoon tests were not communicated well: I saw many kids arrive promptly at 8:00 (as posted online) for their tests only to be locked out of the room. This issue could have been solved with a mass email or robocall home about arriving early. Additionally, ID’s were inconsistently checked. We were not informed about a

new rule banning bringing your own writing utensils, and many people had the experience of having them distractingly confiscated without explanation while taking the test. Overall, the proctors did an excellent job of keeping things on time this year, but the school needs to implement a few simple solutions to ensure everyone is fully informed about their tests. Amelia Evard Senior

The Talon welcomes letters to the editor. E-mail letters to lahstalon@gmail.com or drop them off in room 409 or the box in the attendance office. If you have any questions, send an e-mail or call (650) 960-8877. In the case of spelling or grammatical errors, obscenities, libelous or personal attacks, a letter may be edited or not run. Letters must be signed, but a name may be withheld upon request. Letters may be published online, in print or both.

With the earth’s carbon footprint increasing more and more every year, The Talon gives a thumbs up to the school for its initiative in seeking out and implementing ecofriendly policies. These last few years especially have been marked with many environmentallyfriendly developments. In addition to the zero-waste recycling bins and waterbottle saving fountains in the library, the solar panels that have provided the school with over 1,600,000 kilowatts of energy, the school is constructing a new zero-emissions building.

To this end, some features will include windows that open and close automatically to adjust for temperature, and lights that are motion sensitive to avoid the use of excess energy. Furthermore, the newly implemented Student Information System (SIS) has posted all the required forms for the upcoming school year in an effort to reduce paper usage. In an age of environmental panic where many are merely pretending it doesn’t exist, thumbs up to the school for spearheading the environmental campaign for a greener and healthier earth.

Photographers Chloe Arrouye, Juliet Moore, Jade Perry Graphic Artist Rebecca DeShetler, Taidy

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Videographers Nathan Becker, Anthony Bello, James Brewer, Mark Schreiber Web masters Jerry Liu, Kaitlin Mueller Adviser Michael Moul Los Altos High School’s Compositional Journalism class is solely responsible for The Talon, which is published eight times a year. The Talon also updates its website, www.lahstalon.org, with full-time coverage. The Talon is a public forum for student expression. The Editorial Board sets the policies of The Talon and crafts its editorials and thumbs. Its members are Josh Cohen, Rebecca Cohen, Sarah Corner, Catherine Hua, Libbie Katsev, Brenna Reid, Ed Sartor, Sparsha Saxena and Mark Schreiber. Please send subscription and advertisement inquiries to Emily Sims and Jordan Stout at lahstalon@gmail.com.

Talon Supporters

Honorary Pulitzers Vivi Chan, Andy and Holly Cohen, Emily Goto, Kefeng Hua, Brett and Pam Lytle, Drew Lytle, Mary E. MacLellan, Ralph and Diana Marimon, Ken and Susan Sims, Shirley and Allan Solomon, Ratna and Tripura Venigandla, Bernard and Miriam Yenkin, Michael Zaninovich Silver Supporters Catriona Cooke, Big Skenny’s Fish and Chips, Victoria Johnson, Jacqueline and Geoge MacLellan, Claire and John Moore, Sungmin Park, The Pasturel Family, The Rigodanzo Family, Gail and Don Sims, Linda Taylor

Opinions

The Talon May 21, 2013

Do what you love with your summer Sam Lisbonne Staff Writer

As summer draws closer, it is inevitable that conversation turns to summer plans. For many, a competitive spirit bred during the year and heightened during testing is powerful motivation to carefully plan their summers around activities or programs perceived to “boost” college applications. However, the most advantageous activity is to simply do what you are passionate about. While grades and test scores used to suffice as a method of distinction between college candidates, the volume of applicants has increased enough that additional metrics evaluate capability and achievement. Students have evolved their planning to accommodate this change. The summer previously embodied relaxation and freedom from academic rigors, but now the summer can be a medium for students to further demonstrate their abilities and character. Consequently, students try to secure the best internship or most unique volunteer program. Though students should be commended for their dedication, often the motivations for these selections are ill-founded. College admission officers are experienced, and after thousands of applications, it is likely that they can deduce which activities students do for college only, as opposed to what they do for personal enjoyment. A simple transition in thinking can remedy this consequence. Students should participate in activities or programs based on passion, instead of the perceived application “boost.” This approach has two distinct benefits: it provides depth, substance and

meaning to college essays, and it appeals to the college admissions officers by presenting them with a unique individual. As every English student understands, voice is crucial to excellent writing. College application essays in particular demand voice, as it provides the reader with a look into an individual’s personality and experiences. Strong voice reveals true emotion, whether that is the intention or not. The implications of this are profound. If students choose to spend their time on programs which they are uninterested in, the boredom and monotony they felt during their time is evidenced in their essay. On the other hand, passion fosters meaning, and the portrayal of genuine fascination or revelation in essays is simplified when the experiences legitimately felt engaging. “Classes that help you gain an advantage are not worth [the time],” mathematics teacher Carol Evans said. “If you want to see if you will enjoy medical school, don’t take a class in advanced biology. Go volunteer in a hospital.” The second benefit relates to what applications are truly about. The basis of the admissions process is a search for bright students who exhibit characteristics similar to those of college students. These attributes include independence, selfmotivation, taking initiative and community participation. One of the distinguishing traits between high school and college is the ability for students to decide which field or area of study they enjoy the most. According to the MIT website, the prestigious university looks for students to “take the time to really explore things that interest you, both inside and outside of school.”

By choosing a summer activity that reflects sincere interest, admissions officers are presented with a strong student, selfmotivated, who demonstrates the desire to further study a particular area. “At this point you don’t know what you will enjoy doing,” Evans said. “Summer, if you have the means, is the time to figure out which opportunities are out there. That is the best use of your time.” Several current seniors used their summer this way, with excellent results. Senior Claire Bowie went on a ten-day hiking trip in New Mexico, complete with horseback riding and backpacking meals. She felt as though the experience allowed her to learn about

rebecca deshetler

new skills and passions, with originality as a side beneit.. “While just about everyone can say that they worked at a summer camp on a college resume, I can now say that I got skills like horseback riding...experiencing something few others have,” Bowie said. Students, plan your summer around what you love. Restore an old car. Learn how to play a new instrument. Develop a mobile phone application. Passion inherently results in genuinely meaningful experiences, and when the summer concludes and the essay writing begins, every student will have a unique voice that they can share with the admissions world. And that, more than any other factor, is what will set you apart.

Zach and Maya: Guns in school make the environment unsafe for everyone involved By: Zach Cohen and Maya Acharya On March 8, South Dakota passed the first law that explicitly allows school staff to carry guns with them in their classrooms. The law gives school districts in South Dakota the right to “create, establish and supervise the arming of school employees, hired security personnel or volunteers.” Eighteen states, including South Dakota, allow adults with written permission to carry loaded weapons on school campuses. Unlike South Dakota, these states do not explicitly state that school staff can carry guns on campus, but these states have no restrictions on firearm possession on campus. The law in South Dakota includes a provision in which the school officials are given the option to promote a security guard of the school, assuming one exists, to become the “school sentinel.” This sentinel would undergo training and would be required to have prior experience with weapons. This provision is meant to give people a sense of security that the school staff member carrying the firearm knows how to use it, but bringing more guns onto the scene may not

be safe or even rational. Introducing guns in schools could offer more safety. If a dangerous person were on campus, having an armed guard or teacher can help protect the students. But introducing weapons can also increase the chances for disaster. There is no way to fully account for any misstep made by a teacher who is armed, which not only calls into question the efficacy of these programs, but also puts the students’ lives in further danger in a dangerous situation. Gun-control advocates have become unsettled not only about the laws, but also the possible outcomes. In February of this year, when an East Texas sentinel program was in effect, a staff member accidentally shot himself while preparing to defend himself. Following the Newtown

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tragedy, a police officer assigned to patrol a school in New York City was suspended for accidentally firing his weapon in the school hallway. Evidently, standard training programs are not effective. There is no guarantee that students will be safer. No statistics or credible

studies have been done concerning the safety of children in a classroom with an armed teacher. No one can denote the “good in evil” in this situation. How can a law enforcement officer ensure that a teacher doesn’t have a mental breakdown, lapse in judgement or simple accident that leads them to act in dangerous ways? Other solutions besides arming school staff are also available. While the NRA has raised the idea of creating a national registry for people with mental health issues, health care officials don’t generally associate mental illness with an increased risk of committing gun violence. “Gun violence is a mental health issue only to a very small extent and to a much smaller extent than most people assume,” Paul Appelbaum, a psychiatrist and Columbia University director said in a Huffington Post article. What officials should be doing is setting restrictions on ammunition. While the Constitution does ensure the right to bear arms for every individual, it does not explicitly state that ammunition must be freely available. “While guns are ‘durable goods’ that can last centuries, bullets last only one shot, and the trail between purchaser and shooter is generally a short one, making it easier to follow,” Peter Henderson and Daniel Trotta wrote in their article “Gun Control Debate Neglects To Address Bullets” in Reuters.

Tighter restrictions on ammunition could possibly reduce the amount of violence related to guns. Instituting a national registry that tracks the amount of ammunition any licensed individual buys at one

time is not much different or more complicated than keeping a registry on mental health. When someone buys ammunition in excess, investigation could be warranted and disaster could be avoided.

SUMMER SHOES! at European Cobblery

(650) 941-0143 201 1st St, Los Altos, CA

Features

May 21, 2013

Broken Box says farewell at Senior Showcase

photos by chloe arrouye

Yuki Zaninovich Staff Writer The spotlight beamed onto the platform. Seniors walked toward the beckoning light, knowing it would be their last time to take center stage at the school. The Broken Box Theatre Company hosted the annual Senior Showcase on Friday, May 10 to honor the senior members of Broken Box. During the showcase, every senior acted out an original skit. This included Andrew Leidenthal singing “Blackbird” by The Beatles, Ian McColl doing a dance from Napoleon Dynamite, Nikki Kashani singing “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse and Liliana Medina performing a monologue. Because it was their last performance in Broken Box, the seniors had a more personal experience on the stage. “I tried not to think about this being my last stage performance in Broken Box because I

definitely would have broken character,” senior Prashant Nathaniel said. “It made me realize that I was still in disbelief that I am leaving Broken Box.” After the skits, underclassmen of Broken Box presented their speeches on the outgoing senior members. The speeches were an opportunity for underclassmen to openly express their gratitude for outgoing members, making it both a memorable and emotional experience. “Standing up there with the stage lights beating on my forehead with my classmates standing beside me in mutual emotional vulnerability was one of the most intense and satisfying experiences I’ve ever had,” junior Amanda Choy said. “Delivering words about the seniors in front of an audience full of strangers was incredibly powerful. Everybody left the theater in tears, members, parents and friends alike.” A slideshow presentation followed the

speeches, which consisted of pictures from the Broken Box performances throughout the year. The new Broken Box King and Queen were announced, juniors Terence Rabuzzi and Amanda, who took the positions of the past King and Queen, seniors Tom Rigodanzo and Miriam Schachter. The following members were also awarded: sophomore Sam Sauerhaft for Most Improved Male, senior Sam Gavenman for Best Actor as Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”, senior Amanda Spielman for Best Supporting Actress as Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol,” senior Michael Johnson for Best Supporting Actor as Wall/Snout in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Tom for Best Thespian, which goes to the member who has shown outstanding commitment to the group on and off stage during the year. While the primary objective of the showcase was to recognize the leaving

senior cast, Broken Box also welcomed incoming members. The members tried to introduce new members to the Broken Box environment by eating together prior to the show and socializing. “One thing I wanted to accomplish was to make the incoming members feel welcome,” Sam said. “I really wanted them to get excited about being on the cast next year as well as get to know them better.” The Senior Showcase let seniors enjoy their last experience as Broken Box members. Seniors left the cast recognized for their hard work and dedication to the group and aware that they will always be a part of the Broken Box family. “Senior Showcase acknowledged the breadth of work they have accomplished all year,” Broken Box adviser Nancy Moran said. “There were plenty of laughs and tears. In the end these kids will always be connected through this experience.”

Senior pursues goal of being a professional dancer with gap year Shilpa Venigandla Senior Writer

Since she saw ballerinas at her dance studio at the age of 12, senior Megan Girczyc has been a ballet dancer. Initially, Megan was a tap dancer, but she switched to ballet and successfully mastered pointe at the age of 13. At that point, she didn’t know that ballet would play such a pivotal role in her life. Since then, Megan has been part of many shows and even played the lead role Sugar Plum Fairy in “The Nutcracker” for two years in a row. “I’ve done so much choreography; there’s so much dance in my head,” Megan said. Now 18, Megan is continuing her passion by attending The Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts, a premiere ballet academy located in Torrington, Connecticut for a year. From there, s h e hopes to get a job and become a professional dancer for a ballet company. “[Nutmeg Conservatory] is a good

stepping stone [to] a professional dancing career,” Megan said. “In some ways I’m just going to ballet college. Because it’s so small, I’m more likely to get individualized attention than if I went to a bigger school.” Megan will be living in a small condo near the premises of the school and plans on getting a job while perhaps taking community college classes. “[I’ll be dancing ballet] from 10 am to 9 pm everyday,” Megan said. “I’ll probably take community college classes so I’ll still be in the intellectual sphere ... If I get a job [at Nutmeg], I’ll be either an apprentice or a trainee.” Megan is also considering a job through another dancing company in California. If she does get the job, she will not be attending Nutmeg. However, Megan still plans on being a professional dancer. “It’s a stretch—let’s be honest here,” Megan said. “There are a lot of people who want do it, but not a lot of people do. Your body starts falling apart. I already have hip problems and I’m only 18 ... The thing is, I’ll only be 18 once. I won’t ever be this young and I won’t ever be this fit.” If everything works out, Megan plans on being a professional dancer for 10-15 years. From there, she hopes to go back to college and to study robotic prosthetics. “[In ten years] either I’d be at a company or retired, attending college,” Megan said. “I want to work in robotic prosthetics. I know a bunch of retired dancers who are doctors and chemists. It’s interesting how art and science aren’t mutually exclusive.” After her performance in “The Nutcracker” her junior year, Megan began thinking about becoming a professional dancer, but she never considered it as a possibility until she had a conversation with her dance instructor. “I’m really looking forward to Nutmeg,” Megan said. “I realized that I couldn’t give [dancing] up. It’s what I love, this is what keeps me sane and brings me

the most joy. There’s no possible way I could just stop.” For Megan, the most difficult part about deciding to become a dancer was the uncertainty associated with her career. At first, her parents were also reluctant about her career path, and wanted her to stick with the traditional four-year university path. “My mom is afraid I will never go back [to school] and lose all inertia but I know I won’t,” Megan said. “It is an uncertain choice and I don’t know 100 percent what’s going to happen in the future. Everyone going to college [now] knows their path. By inserting this gap year, I have another branch of choice.” Despite an uncertain future, Megan knows she wants to be a dancer. According to her, if she had gone to college without trying this path, she would still be wondering about the “What if’s.” Megan is more than thrilled to continue pursuing her passion for ballet. “My advice to anyone is that it’s never too late to start anything,” Megan said. “Whatever it is, just go for it. And don’t be afraid of the unknown.”

Senior Megan Girczyc performs in multiple dance shows, including “The Nutcracker” (left) and “Arabian Nights” (right). Megan will be taking a gap year to attend a premiere ballet academy, with hopes of becoming a professional dancer. courtesy megan girczyc

May 21, 2013

In-Depth

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cursor quickly dances across the screen, drawing a pair of ribosomes and a piece of messenger RNA. The voice of Salman Khan emanates out of speakers, narrating the steps of this protein synthesis. There are over 4,100 other free videos like this on the Khan Academy website, covering subject material from basic World History to Linear Algebra. Now this non-profit organization, which found its beginnings in academic tutorials Kahn posted on Youtube, has integrated into Egan Middle School. Los Altos School District Superintendent Jeff Baer’s latest theme is innovation, a word that attracted Sal Khan to the schools in the district. After developing a partnership, Khan Academy began its pilot program in the math classes at the Santa Rita and Covington Elementary Schools. To introduce the program to older students, Egan was brought on board. The original purpose of Khan Academy at Egan was to raise lowperforming students to grade level. However, it quickly caught on and is now used in basic and advanced math classes. Algebra teachers Susan Marley and Jacob Sproule have adapted their own classes to use Khan Academy. One part of modifying their teaching methods has been incorporating modules. These are lessons and problem

sets from Khan Academy, into the academic curriculum. Yet there is still freedom in teaching styles, and both have found unique ways of bringing Khan Academy into their classrooms. Sproule has found that modules work best to reinforce what he has taught his students earlier in the class period. “I’ll assign a Khan Academy module for them to work on that’s related to the ideas [learned in class] so they can really get in and see ‘what do I know, what do I understand, what do I still need to work on’ and start asking questions the right way,” Sproule said. On the other hand, Marley assigns a module every two weeks, allowing the students to work on them at home and further understand the problems that they will later be tested on. Although their approaches differ, both teachers have seen a positive impact in their classrooms through the immediate response Khan Academy offers. After every problem, students can see whether students were right or wrong and understand every step needed to complete the problem. Furthermore, through individual student analysis Khan Academy offers, teachers can see where each student is struggling and plan accordingly. “One of the features of Khan Academy is that teachers have such a great record of what the students have done, how much time they have spent on doing it and how they are progressing,” Egan Principal Brenda Dyckman said. “That opened up this ability to differentiate. In a classroom you can see that one child

is progressing, that they can go on ahead, where another child you might want to sit with and get them caught up.” Khan Academy provides other resources for students too. If students aren’t understanding a concept, they can be linked to the Khan Academy video associated with the material. Even if a student is having trouble while working outside the classroom, there is help just a few clicks away. However, despite the positives that Khan Academy brings to the classrooms at schools such as Egan, there are certain problems that exist. There is a huge assortment of videos and modules to choose from, making it very time-intensive for teachers to find the videos that best suit their lesson plans. Some students have also been discouraged by a new “progress bar” feature. The progress level partly depends on the amount of time it takes a student to complete the module, meaning that even if the student gets 100 percent of the questions correct, their progress bar could be very low if they took a substantial amount of time on it. Despite these minor kinks, Khan Academy has proven its worth and is expanding into Junior-level math classes at the high school. “It gives kids an ongoing resource,” Dyckman said. “Once they know about it, they can go back to it. Letting kids know who don’t have the resources or money to hire tutors, this is a source that is open and free and they can use. I feel like it’s a valuable tool that they can take forward.”

drawbacks to online learning

an Jose State University (SJSU) has taken the idea of online education to a whole new level, replacing lower division curriculum courses with online classes. SJSU President Mohammad Qayoumi feels that streamlining online classes will solve some of the problems that public higher education faces. Primarily, California’s public education funding is decreasing which has lead in part to the increasing cost of higher education. SJSU hopes that by allowing students to take online courses, more students can satisfy course requirements earlier without worrying about graduating in time. Qayoumi also believes that SJSU needs more Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates in order to compete with those in other countries, such as China. Consequently, the university is working to increase the diversity of STEM courses offered through their system, called Udacity. However, the philosophy department at SJSU is against the STEM online movement, saying that it does not amount to the actual college learning experience. SJSU Professor of History Dr. Bruce Reynolds said that human interaction is an important part of the learning process, be it with teachers or students, that online learning takes away. In addition, he believes there is inherent value in the classroom environment

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May 21, 2013

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By Cassidy Craford, Staff Writer | Carly Cohen, Staff Writer | Dhruv Madhok, Copy/Content Editor | Zoe Morgan, News Editor | Sparsha Saxena, Senior Writer

both the student and the school by that online learning lacks. “Students need to develop the offering a greater ability to integrate capacity to comprehend lectures multimedia. “The advantage of having an and read books, not just tweets and text messages, if they are to become online course is number one it’s educated citizens,” Reynolds said. “All economical and number two you get learning, including online learning, to use multimedia in a way that is not requires discipline, which many necessarily easy to use in a classroom,” Messner said. students lack.” However, Messner finds that many of Social studies teacher Derek Miyahara has a similar belief. Online the actual merits of education for teachers education offers a greater level of are missing in online education. “You can’t see the ah-ha moment independence and ability for students to learn at their own pace, which he from a student,” Messner said. “You says can act as a double-edged sword. can’t have that conversation with “Online education allows students students in the same way, you can’t to self-pace, so that's good,” Miyahara do it the same way online as you’d do said. “On the other hand, online it in person.” Messner also shares the opinion with education allows students to selfpace, and that's bad. It depends on Reynolds that the interaction among peers is also the students, lost in an online really. If they're “You can’t see the ah-ha motivated to moment from a student. You environment. “I think for the learn and take initiative, they can’t have that conversation students they’re can use the online with students in the same way, going to miss the of course to self- you can’t do it the same way experience what education’s pace. If they're online as you’d do it in peron.” all about,” not motivated, — history teacher Michael Messner said. then not having “It’s not just a teacher or Messner about me being some third-party pushing them to move on could be the sage on the stage telling you what the wisdom is. It’s a different paradigm very damaging.” History teacher Michael Messner, if you don’t have that person who’s who instructs a group of students sitting with you and asking well what from Skyline Community College do you think about this, which is a lot in addition to his classes at the of what we do at the high school.” Having students learn through high school, also sees positives and negatives with online learning. To online sites and resources can also begin, he does believe there are some make cheating easier. Furthermore, practical benefits, such as making with the absence of a teacher, cheating education more economical for can be more difficult to catch and

prove. “How do I know that I don’t have 10 people in a room all working on it together, or looking at a book, or websites or something else?” Messner said. However, Miyahara believes that if online education were to expand, demand will bring about a “technological fix to cheating.” “Someone will create it when the move to online gets so large that there are significant productivity gains to assessing students in the traditional ways online,” Miyahara said. “When that happens, schools and universities will be willing to pay … and someone will develop it.” Both teachers agree though that if an open enrollment online education were to entirely replace the current education system, it is doubtful that each and every student would take advantage of the resource. “The question becomes how wide open a door that to be,” Messner said. “Do you want that to be where everyone can decide they can opt out of the classroom experience?” While online education does have its practical benefits, it should not entirely replace the current education system in place, because it loses the interpersonal communication essential to education. Instead, technology should serve as a support for education, enabling teachers to supplement their curriculum, and students to access information outside of the classroom. “It’s fine as long as we use technology to be in the support of education and not the other way around,” Messner said.

hen it comes to students learning online, most of the educations is done for a grade and credit on a transcript. However, there are many programs available which are intended almost solely to be used by those seeking additional knowledge. One such program is EdX, founded by MIT and Harvard with the goal of providing courses in a wide breadth of disciplines to students. Over the last few months, I have been taking a course entitled “Justice” for the site, which covers many of the famous moral philosophers and also attempts to apply their work to modern problems. The way the course works is that each week two lectures are posted with supported readings. Every few weeks there is a graded multiple choice quiz on the material and then at the end of the course there will be a final exam. This format works relatively well. One of the nice things about the course is that it is self-paced, the only requirement is that it gets finished by the time the course ends in late July. This means that you can work the course around your own life. If one week is busy you can catch up the next week. However, there are also negatives to this freeform style of coursework. Because there is no requirement that you work every week, it is incredibly easy to get behind. The course does require a significant amount of work and once you get two or three weeks behind it can get really hard to catch up. In terms of the actual content of the course, this one at least is quite good. The universities who put courses on EdX are some of the biggest-name colleges in the country, so many of the courses have national experts as the teachers. The lectures are interesting and easy to get wrapped up in. The downside is that because it is online, there is little interaction taking place. They do have discussion boards, but because so many people are taking the course, the discussions are often of poor quality. However, this isn’t an issue inherent to EdX; it is very hard to engage in quality interaction over the internet, no matter what the site. However, while there are lots of people taking each course, there aren’t a ton of courses available. Currently there are 35 courses either in progress or scheduled to start. This may seem like a lot, but when you consider that these courses cover the entire breadth of education (science, math, history, English, technology etc.) there aren’t that many in any one subject. However, despite the problem with EdX, overall the courses which are provided are high quality and in depth. If there happens to be a class in the area you want, it is well worth taking.

Features

May 21, 2013

A look behind the scenes at the film festival Casey Pao Jordan Stout Senior Writer, Business Manager

Every year, the school hosts the film festival where seniors in the Film Analysis have a chance to showcase their creativity. While the community had the chance to see these final products on Tuesday, April 23, the process and inspiration behind each of the films was largely unknown. Here are the stories behind a few of the films. Shelby Pefley: “Short Circuit” Senior Shelby Pefley nabbed the Best Technical Achievement award for all the hard work that went into the 13 minute film based upon the tricky idea of fate. “What are the chances that you will cross paths with someone with whom you want to spend a significant chunk of your life?” Shelby said. “There’s a reason why so many people thank fate for finding their significant other.” The film follows the story of a teenage boy named Jason, played by senior Noah Schramm, who travels through time to save the girl he loves, played by junior Emma Orner, combining coincidental relationships and time travel. “I’ve always found the idea of time travel fascinating,” Shelby said. “Despite the overwhelming evidence against it, we haven’t been able to disprove its existence entirely.” When Jason travels back in time, the plot thickens when he meets another girl, Tessa,

played by senior Alice Carli. Their automatic connection was meant to convey the idea that so many relationships are based upon chance and pure coincidence, even what some may call fate. “Jason is going about his life, completely parallel to Tessa, who could potentially be the love of his life,” Shelby said. “I found the idea interesting ... I grew up listening to the story of how my parents met. So many things could have gone differently and then I never would have existed.” For Shelby, the death scene was especially entertaining to film. “I made a concoction of honey, syrup and assorted food dyes for the fake blood,” Shelby said. The filming process also showed Shelby that she wanted to keep writing later on even though she didn’t know if she would have the chance to create another film. “I like telling stories, even if I’m the only one who ever hears them,” Shelby said. Lorraine Watkins: “A Walk Through Childhood” Senior Lorraine Watkins took audiences on a trip back down memory lane with childhood cartoons such as “Tom and Jerry” and “Calvin and Hobbes.” “I just wanted to create a light-hearted, fun film that would remind me and others of the characters we used to love as kids,” Lorraine said. Using stop-motion animation, Lorraine drew frames of these characters having limited interaction but passing by each other

In the making of “Short Circuit,” “Broughnuts” (top right) and other films made by the Film Analysis class, seniors went though extensive editing and planning. To see the films, what happened behind the scenes and to read about more films, visit www.lahstalon.org/features

courtesy shelby pefley

courtesy tyler polen

to create continuity. “One can recognize ‘Tom and Jerry’ chasing each other, but they were in the kitchen of ‘If You Give A Mouse A Cookie’ with the mouse who wanted milk to go with his cookie,” Lorraine said. The process of creating the film was especially difficult because with stop-motion animation, each frame is drawn by hand then photographed to string together as a film. “I really underestimated how much time that it needed for just a couple minutes of film,” Lorraine said. “Though I understood the work involved, sometimes it was hard to keep working at it.” There wasn’t enough time to finish drawing the last of the frames; Lorraine ended up cutting out the ending, ultimately finishing with only a few of the characters on screen instead of all of them as she originally planned. “I wasn’t always entirely sure I was doing it the ‘right’ way, but the images flowed relatively well in the end,” Lorraine said. “I was satisfied with the end product.” Paul Bergevin, Jack Schonher and Tyler Polen: “Broughnuts” The makers of “Broughnuts” were not trying to win any awards with their movie. “We just tried to make the funnest movie for high schoolers to watch,” senior Jack Schonher said. “A lot of the humor was modeled after the ‘Harold and Kumar’ movies.” With the goal of making “Broughnuts” the funniest movie possible, most scenes of the

movie were thought of well after the original screenplay was finalized. “The humor was original, most of the jokes weren’t written before we started shooting,” senior Tyler Polen said. One example of this was the scene in which the two main characters were picked up by a “throwback boy band,” which became another source of improvised comedy. “We really just pulled that out of nowhere,” Tyler said. Jack and senior Paul Bergevin, originally wanted “Broughnuts” to be about two guys going to get food after a night of partying. But as the story developed, a larger plot began to grow. “We realized that the audience can actually have a relationship with these characters and it can still be that laid back kind of movie,” Jack said. As the movie began to take shape, Jack and Paul had to find the appropriate actors for the roles. “We really wanted people that most students knew, then we could just really exaggerate their personalities and make them a little ridiculous,” Jack said. Tyler was in charge of the technical aspects of shooting the movie. The most difficult parts for Tyler in shooting the movie were the car scenes because of the constantly changing lighting and the difficulty in getting good angles. “I had to hang out of car doors and hang on the back of cars,” Tyler said. “But it was a chance to do something new. It was fun.”

Students expand horizons with hands-on senior projects CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

Blaine Dzwonczyk focused her project on the rites of passage for teenagers. Blaine went on to research these traditions as well as ways to restore significant rites of passage applicable to the modern American teenager. Her handson entailed her going on a hike up Black Mountain by herself. “I think my project fulfilled the necessary components of traditional initiation,” Blaine said. “I completely separated from my family and friends by doing the 10 mile hike alone; I overcame a purposeful challenge, because climbing the mountain was definitely difficult for me; and I was accepted back into the community by my friends and family, celebrated as an adult.” Blaine planned out her final phase to be a celebration in order to recognize among her peers that this was in fact a significant event in her life. Without being treated differently afterwards, her project would have been to no avail. “My friends planned a very symbolic celebration for me at the end of my hike, waiting with balloons and decorating me with face paint to acknowledge my new phase in life,” Blaine said. “I had also planned beforehand with my parents what new privileges

and responsibilities I would bear after entering adulthood through this project.” Blaine reached the summit of Black Mountain with a beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay. Symbolically, she had reached the peak of her childhood. “The adjustment of ending senior year and heading off to college in a few months has definitely been emotional and overwhelming for me,” Blaine said. “So this project allowed me to mark this major transition into a new phase of my life, and to say goodbye to my childhood and California – all of which added closure in a way I hadn’t realized I was craving.” Emily Cheng always had a passion for art. Since she couldn’t fit AP Art History in her schedule, the project allowed for her to explore the world of graphic design. “When I found out that we could focus our senior project on any topic we wished, I instantly knew I wanted to do something related to graphic design so I could continue my passion for art,” Emily said. For the research paper part of her project, Emily discovered how aspects of graphic design communicates specific messages and influences human behavior.

Through her research, Emily found various studies on how visual senses impact thoughts and actions. Specifically, Emily focused on the effects of color and topography. She also studied how corporations create logos and advertisements. Focusing on these various parts of graphic design enabled her to devise a cohesive paper that covered her interests. “I was very surprised to learn how much our visual senses impact how we learn and act,” Emily said. “I was able to use all of these elements in my paper and show how they are all connected.” In addition to her research paper, Emily expanded her graphic design interests in her hands-on project. Emily worked on a series of infographics about the top 50 universities in the U.S. After her infographics were complete, she shared them with juniors and underclassmen. In doing so, she hopes to give them helpful information about colleges, and help them with their application process in the coming years. “I am really excited to present the project to the class,” Emily said. “Hopefully my project will also be helpful for other students who are looking to gather information about colleges.”

Publication Date

Features

The Talon May 21, 2013

Entertainment

Talon Book Review: ‘The 5th Wave’ Rick Yancey’s new novel follows a fight for survival in a Dystopian world Steven Cui Staff Writer In “The 5th Wave,” Rick Yancey attempts to start a dystopian series that at times feels very similar to “The Hunger Games.” He provides readers a dystopian world wrought with destruction and chaos. True to his background as a science fiction writer, Yancey implements much action and drama in the story, complete with an alien mothership and characters fighting for survival. With a strong female lead in teenage “Cassie for Cassiopeia” Sullivan, “The 5th Wave” is truly set apart from its peers through the perspective that Yancey creates for the reader. By telling the story through the perspectives of different characters in the book, Yancey is able to convey the thoughts and feelings of each character and make them all feel real. Similar to many other alienbased science fiction books and movies, “The 5th Wave” is set in a dystopian world where waves of alien attacks have killed most of the population on Earth, complete with destructive alien

New

technology that can level cities with the same power as an atomic bomb. The first wave brought a huge electromagnetic pulse that disabled all of human technology. The second wave brought mass tsunamis that destroyed cities close to the shore. The third wave brought pestilence in the form of a deadly airborne disease meant certain death except for the few immune and the fourth wave brought snipers that took out any survivors. The story takes place during the final fifth wave, the one designed to wipe out the rest of humanity. Following the set principle of the book that “only one rule applies: trust no one,” Yancey does a spectacular job building up suspense and releasing it at the right moments, creating such a web of truths and lies in the story that readers will feel like they are the survivors themselves; they can’t trust anything, or anyone. “The 5th Wave” provides descriptive and thorough background of the characters, mainly through the use of flashbacks. However, Yancey focuses on the main characters of Cassie and Ben Parish, but

Mountain

“The 5th Wave,” Rick Yancey’s new YA novel follows the story of Cassie, a teenager in a dystopian world. Cassie and her peers fight for survival against the Aliens that destroyed Earth. neglects to fully develop some of the minor characters like the rest of the survivors, and leaves them as obscure strangers. He instead opts to furnish his main characters with relationships, expanding on their personal experiences and encouraging the reader to focus on them as well. Thus, if you don’t like Cassie or Ben, you probably won’t like the book at all. The book’s unique quality largely comes from the perspective from which it is written. Switching between the perspectives of Cassie and Ben, Yancey is able to apply his story to a teenage audience very effectively, often using modern abbreviations in order to get the feeling right. Cassie’s point of view comes from a

View

Crepevine Ariel Machell Staff Writer

Jade Perry

Crepevine has opened a new location on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View. Despite its prime location, it fails to live up to its reputation.

“I’ve seen alien movies, this isn’t what it’s like” standpoint, often mentioning other works, such as “War of the Worlds” and comparing her own stories to the others. Yancey’s ability to portray the psychological aspects of fear on the human race and the chilling methods with which the aliens massacre the humans is another positive aspect of the book. Like all books, however, “The 5th Wave” does come with its flaws. The story starts very abruptly, drawing you without warning into a ruined Earth with almost all of its population exterminated. Throughout many parts through this story, the action is so fast-paced that at times, the reader may have trouble realizing what is

Ideally located on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View, the Crepevine seems the perfect place to sit down for some food with its outdoor seating and wide-open windows. The first impression when walking into the place is the large and fantastically colorful menu written in chalk behind the counter. The inside is very open and lighted, seemingly beckoning you to sit down, relax and enjoy some delicious crepes. However, don’t let the beautiful setting fool you; this restaurant doesn’t live up to the reputation of its Palo Alto location. I went with a few friends at around 2 p.m. The place was not crowded at all but the staff seemed very harried and stressed. Although genial enough, they were not very helpful with food suggestions and were very impatient when we took our time with ordering. They have a very large selection

fails

actually occurring. It’s slightly disorienting at first, but once you realize what’s going on, the pieces fall together and the story starts to make sense. Even so, there are disorienting sections near the end of the story with an abrupt and completely unexpected ending theat leaves the reader with a sense of dissatisfaction. The story also leaves behind so many unresolved loose ends it seems as if Yancey just decided to stop writing and put left over ideas and answers into the next book in the series. With its constant action and interesting new perspective on alien invasions, “The 5th Wave” is unique in its own aspect. Even with its disorienting aspects, it is still a very engaging book, and is definitely worth a read.

of food, with a wide variety of both sweet and savory crepes, and we wanted to be prudent in our perusal. After a less than satisfactory welcome, we ordered our food and were given a number to sit down at a table of our choosing. The food didn’t take very long to arrive, which somewhat made up for their rudeness at the counter. Between the three of us, we ordered an appetizer of sweet potato fries, the Santa Fe crepe (from the savory crepe menu), the Riviera crepe (from the sweet crepe menu) and a Caesar salad. The portions were huge, but the taste of the food was sorely lacking. For one thing, the lettuce that was used in the salad was limp and did not seem fresh at all. Stuffed to the brim with flavors and ingredients, the Santa Fe looked delicious but was almost inedible because of the grease that overflowed from it, making the crepe slightly soggy. It was served with home potatoes that were cold and

impress

not nearly crispy enough. The Riviera, a buttery, lemony and brown-sugary concoction, was served with whipped cream and ice cream. The ice cream was delicious but the crepe was slightly hard--the sauce seemed to have crystallized the edges. Even the sweet potato fries were flimsy and rather tasted like steamed carrots. On the whole, the food was very disappointing and did not live up to standards. The best thing that could be said about it was the freshly squeezed orange juice but even that was luke warm. The pricing, at least, was fair considering the large portion size. All of the sweet crepes are totaled at $6.95 and the savory crepes range from $8 to $10. If you’re only looking for a nice place to sit down to enjoy the day, then the Crepevine might not be a bad choice. But, if you’re looking for a quality food experience, it may be best to continue your search down Castro.

Entertainment

May 21, 2013

TV Finales: Some greats and some to look for Zach Cohen Staff Writer

Everything comes to an end; and, like relationships or other long-term commitments, every television season must end at some point. Sometimes, a season’s finale can be miles better than the episodes leading up to it, leaving the viewer in agony, desperation and sometimes tears. This is meant to leave the longest lasting impression possible so that the show can rope in more viewers if it returns the following year. Here are some shows with excellent finales that you should consider watching.

saved for the next series. However, as “Game of Thrones” executives have hinted at a major event being used as the finale, it’s likely that at least one of these episodes will serve as the penultimate or season finale.

Shameless

Game of Thrones

showtime

“Shameless” was adapted from British television about three years ago. The show tells the story of an a family living in urban poverty in the slums of Chicago. The family consists of Fiona, the caretaker-older sister; Lip, the genius son who has a tendency for substance abuse; Ian, the gay, ROTC-bound teenager; Debby, the maternal 12-year-old; Carl, who always finds himself in trouble; and Frank, the HBO alcoholic father who only shows up when he needs money. Originally, the show’s only appeal was its rather staunch Weddings might not seem like the most dramatic of and bold tendency to break social norms and to produce events considering the gore and jaw dropping revelations of some of the most explicit content on television. For the first previous “Game of Thrones” season finales, but as wedding season approaches Westeros, there are bound to be dramatic season, there wasn’t very much character development, and the characters were hard to relate to. nuptials that will likely end in disaster. As the show progressed, though, it tended to focus less While the finale is farther away than the others (June 9), “Game of Thrones” usually follows the book quite closely, on gratuitous nudity and sex (which are still a large part so for those who’ve read the series it’s easier to predict what of the show), and more on relationships, both between the characters and with the viewer.The emotions between Fiona will happen in the finale. There are a few weddings that will prove as turning points and Jimmy slowly became more romantic and dramatized, in the intertwined plot lines of the series. One of them, said which made the characters less distant. Ian and Lip came to be the most important wedding in all of Westeros, will to light as love-chasers, driving them both into awkward unite the Lannisters and the Tyrells, and have consequences and devastating situations. Everything about the show was that disrupt the balance of power of the kingdoms, and likely made more real because the absurdity of their lives was replaced with passion. plunge the kingdoms into a tumultuous winter. The season finale was so especially dramatic, I had to Another wedding that will irreparably alter the political take a breather for a couple minutes, alone, in my room, landscape of Westeros unites the Tullys (the family of Robb’s mother, Catelyn) and the northern family of the Freys. In contemplating what my life had come to. If anything, the typical “Game of Thrones” fashion this event is laced with finale of “Shameless” not only ruined my sanity, but it also deceit and betrayal that will undoubtedly stun fans who reeled me in for next year, when I will certainly be watching the show. haven’t read the books. The finale saw relationships broken and repaired, the “Game of Thrones” was picked up for a fourth season uncertain departure of a couple of characters and the immediately following the premiere of the first episode of season three, so it’s possible that one of these events will be collapse of the family’s dynamic as Frank jeopardizes his short-lived sobriety. “Shameless” is on Showtime, so if you don’t have access the channel, you unfortunately Education Services can’t watch the show. Fortunately, there are other public broadcast and cable shows whose www.ivyclimbing.com (408) 930-0148 finales are just as good.

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The Carrie Diaries This precursor to “Sex and the City” is the CW’s attempt to move into the retrospective theme that other networks are working with. The show stars Carrie Bradshaw in her teenage

years before New York City became her playground. While the setting is different, the story themes are rather similar (sans the explicit sexual content and language). Carrie and her suburban pals encounter the many struggles that come with adolescence, all while dreaming of making it to The City. Among their many struggles are getting ready for college, romantic struggles and fitting in. The finale saw Carrie continue with her aspirations for moving to the city, securing an internship under a fashion diva. Also, her best friends started to go through full realizations of themselves, either continuing with past relationships or diving head-first into new ones. If nothing else, the finale successfully addressed a lot of issues involved with teenage angst. After AP testing and maybe as a way to unwind from finals, watching “The Carrie Diaries” is an effortless way to detach mentally from everything around you and connect with characters in a sort of strong sense of solidarity and empathy. What will happen next season? It’s actually not very clear. There were no gripping cliffhangers for this finale, which begs the question of what “The Carrie Diaries” plans to do to rope in viewers for the next season. Perhaps a slur of promos will be enough? Maybe the show isn’t being picked up again.

Elementary

CBS

“Elementary” is the CBS modern interpretation of famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller), and his investigative partner Dr. John Watson. “Elementary” puts a spin on the traditional setting, placing the show in New York and giving Sherlock a female partner in crimesolving, former surgeon Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). Elementary’s first season has danced around the mystery of Sherlock’s arch-nemesis, James Moriarty. Sherlock and Joan have already faced off against his sidekick, Sebastian Moran and some of his other henchmen. The season has also built on the backstory involving the murder of Sherlock’s past love interest, Irene Adler (Natalie Dormer). The two-hour season finale which aired on May 16 included Adler herself, and dealt with Moriarty more closely than before. “Elementary” does not mimic the original Sherlock stories, so it’s hard to speculate on specific references to Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. The first season certainly went out with a bang though, and delivered the drama and suspense that its viewers have come to expect and crave.

Electronic Music For the Summer Eddie Sartor Carly Cohen Senior Writer Staff Writer

John Newman is one of the few new pop singers that can truly sing and produce good music. Newman has been touring with UK electronic band Rudimental after finding success featuring on their single, “Feel the Love.” The record hit the top of the UK Singles Chart, and Newman’s also appeared on Rudimental’s hit single, “Not Giving In.” Newman’s first single “Love me Again,” is a catchy upbeat song that bodes well for his first album “TBA” which will be released this summer. Newman brings forward a unique sound that centers around an edgier dance-pop sound tha’s sure to get him noticed.

New UK artist John Newman’s debut single “Love Me Again” debuted May 8th on BBC Radio1. He’s one of many up-and-coming artists to be listening to this summer. Much more well known that Newman, Daft Punk is also releasing a new album this summer, with the duo’s first single off it “Get Lucky” already a hit. Known for being on the breaking edge of Electronic music, Daft Punk’s new album introduces a new feeling from the

duo that’s sure to receive a lot of critical attention. Some other artists to keep your eyes out for this summer are UK duos Disclosure and AlunaGeorge who’s singles have already established them as up-andcoming new artists.

Entertainment

Publication Date

Entertainment

Sports

May 21, 2013

Juliet Moore

Sophomore Matt Schonher (right) and AJ Guralas (left and center) work the ball around on offense. Both Matt and AJ have served as key pieces of the Eagles’ offense this year. With the rest of the team, they have helped to secure the team’s second consecutive league title.

Lacrosse takes league title for second consecutive year Alex Cortinas Staff Writer

Lacrosse paralleled the success of last year’s team by claiming the league title this season. Even though the team was relatively young this spring, it still managed to excel and meet its high expectations. The team ended its season at the top of the El Camino division, but its success wasn’t immediate. Early in the season, the relatively young team faced off against some of the top teams in the Bay Area, and as a result sustained a few losses to teams like St. Mary’s High School, St. Francis High School and Dougherty Valley High School. In addition, the team was hindered by the absence of two seniors due to injury.

Co-captain senior Daniel Kahan broke his collarbone in a skiing accident just before the start of the the season and senior Andrew Thomas sustained a knee injury during rock climbing that also kept him from participating. After persevering through injury and tough matchups early in the season, the Eagles came out with fire as the season progressed. Early difficulties helped the team rally together, and the team was able to finish the season with a 10-2 inleague record. By the end of the season,

the Eagles had claimed the El Camino League title for the second time in school history. Along the way, Los Altos took down top teams like Saratoga, Woodside and Sequoia. Daniel cites the team’s athleticism as the driving force for the teams success in such a short period of time. Many of the players were on the younger side, but the already present athleticism among the various players lent to a team that was able to learn and adapt quickly. Some key, experienced players also

Keys to the season 3/12............................................LA vs Sequoia.............................9-7 (W) 4/1......................................LA vs. Carlmont.........................8-7 (W) 4/23....................................LA vs. Woodside.......................14-11 (W) 5/1...............................................LA vs. Saratoga ........................9-8 (W)

contributed to the success of this season. One of those players, sophomore AJ Guralas broke the goals record this year by scoring 63 of the 85 goals in the season. “[The goals count] well surpassed the point total for anybody else who’s played lacrosse,” Daniel said. “He played a large part in our success.” As the season came to a close, the team had a lot to be excited about. The team overcame the challenge of playing with younger, more inexperienced players and yet managed to match the accomplishments of last year’s team. “Highlight of the season I’d definitely say was watching the team grow and come together, making it to playoffs and winning the league championship,” Daniel said. “We didn’t do it as easily as last year.“

Volleyball caps first season ever with league championship David Wu Staff Writer

The varsity boys volleyball team showed the league exactly why they were the champions in emphatic fashion, clinching the El Camino championship title by defeating Fremont High School 3-0 on Friday, May 3. To say that the Eagles’ run was unexpected would be an understatement. The boys volleyball team was nonexistent a year ago and has battled through inexperience and other adversities throughout its first season. The Eagles found their way quickly and steamrolled through nearly

every opponent in the league, ending the season with a record of 11-2 and advancing to the CCS. This run would be considered impressive even for an experienced team. Factor in the team’s relative inexperience with the sport, and the Eagles’ story is even more remarkable. Only four of the 12 players on the roster had prior club volleyball experience, and players were given little time to form a cohesive team. With athletic backgrounds in a variety of other sports such as water polo, swimming and tennis, one of the biggest challenges of the season was channeling players’ athletic skills into volleyball fundamentals.

Another was standing toe-to-toe with more experienced teams. These difficulties presented the team with a minor setback in the beginning of the season, as Los Altos lost four of its first non-league matches and its first league match. Despite early season obstacles and a rocky start at the beginning of the season, the Eagles’ hard work, determination and team spirit have since come into play to form a well-oiled machine. “It took a team to accomplish what we did, which goes beyond the seven guys that mostly played this season,” boys volleyball coach David Radford said. “Everyone from the bench to the court made this season possible and enabled us to accomplish so much. It was great that the boys never settled for good volleyball; they focused on improvement. Lastly, the boys never gave up. After being defeat[ed] in our first game the boys did not hang their heads and think the season was over, rather they put their noses to the grind and kept at it.” The team’s determination and team spirit were put on display in their match against Eastwood Prep early in the season. With senior Ian McColl, one of the team’s key defenders, sitting out the game, Los Altos was hard-pressed out of the gate. Tensions escalated even further when the Eagles lost the decisive fourth set of the game. However, the intense two-and-a-half hour match ended in favor of Los Altos and cemented the Eagles as viable contenders in the league, but not without pushing the team to both mental and physical brink. The Eagles proved their worth in a powerful way, reminding other teams in the

Chloe Arrouye

Seniors Alex Blackburn (left) and Ian McColl (right) makes big plays in a recent league match. The team ended the season with an 11-2 in-league record. league that they were certainly not going to let inexperience hinder their progress. Further into the season, the Eagles played their league championship game on May 3. Los Altos defeated Fremont High School 3-0, but not without stiff opposition. By the time the second and third sets came around, Fremont’s offense had been gearing up for a comeback — they came within four points of Los Altos in the second set and three points during the third set. The Eagles responded accordingly, shutting Fremont down with “aggressive serves, powerful hits, a sturdy block and a scrappy defense,” according to senior Alex Blackburn.

Despite losing to Homestead in its first CCS playoff game, Los Altos’ performance has only improved throughout the season. Since its last league loss in mid-March, the team has outshined seven teams in nine games, clinched the league championship and qualified for CCS — all in a matter of months. Even with their playoff run being cut short, the Eagles are optimistic about the season’s achievements and are looking ahead to rebuild the team. Six seniors graduate this year. “Throughout the season we were able to grow,” sophomore Cesar Mejia said. “It was an honor to play with all of these guys.”

Sports Boys Tennis 12

Rallies behind senior leadership Paul Bergevin Senior Writer

about the format change because it forces a lot more players to play three sets, which many players aren’t used to, and The boys tennis team had another strong it is completely different from how all of season in the De Anza Division, finishing the teams have played all regular season,” second behind Monta Vista. The team Spencer said. “I personally have come to advanced to the quarterfinals of CCS and like it though, because it makes it so teams also had their two senior team captains, can’t stack, even though this format change Spencer Simonides and Anthony Bello, is an imperfect way to prevent the problem win the CCS doubles championship for the of stacking.” second straight year. In the second round of CCS, the Eagles Even though the Eagles were not able to faced off against St. Francis on a brutally hot grab the elusive league title, they did manage day. The Eagles got out quickly to a 5-1 lead, to beat Monta Vista twice, once in league and took a 10-3 lead soon after the second and the other in the Fresno Tournament. round of sets to seal the win. Monta Vista is known around the Bay Area The next match for the team was a to be a tennis powerhouse, so taking them quarterfinal matchup against the number down twice is no small accomplishment. four seed Bellarmine, where the Eagles lost This year’s squad 6-12. Bellarmine came had plenty of out ready to play against Going into the finals, we didn’t Los Altos and jumped experience as every take anything for granted. one of the players out to a 6-0 lead against returned from the — Co-Captain senior Spencer the Eagles after the first 2012 team. round of sets. Simonides “It helped that “I think going down we didn’t lose anyone from last year’s team, 6-0 just made it hard for our team to dig so the same leaders were continuing to lead back into that match because we were and the fact that everyone was comfortable down, and everyone knew we couldn’t together on the team was definitely big for lose four more sets in the rest of the 12 this season,” Spencer said. sets, which is mentally difficult,” Spencer For CCS, the Eagles were the fifth seed said. “Bellarmine is a really strong team, and received a first round bye. As they they have a lot of highly ranked national entered the second round of team CCS, tournament players, and we knew going in they had to contend with a new format it was going to be a tough match.” designed to prevent teams from stacking After the the loss to Bellarmine the season their lineups. This year’s new rules dictated still continued for two of the Eagles, Spencer that each school would have three doubles and Co-captain senior Anthony Bello. Last teams and three singles players, and every year, Spencer and Anthony were the first singles player and doubles team would play doubles team in Los Altos history to take one set against singles players and doubles the CCS doubles title. Knowing that they teams from the opposing school. Whichever would have targets on their backs this year, school won more sets would win and if the duo came out hungry for another title there was a 9-9 tie, total games would be the this spring. tiebreaker. Under the new rules, winning “[We thought] it would be really fun to nine sets effectively secured a win. win doubles once and then win it again,” “I know a lot of coaches have complained Spencer said. [Winning one title] had

“

May 21, 2013 never been done before at our school, let alone having a repeat winner for the tournament. So we thought we’d do it both for the school and because it would be a lot of fun and a lot of competition.” The two qualified for CCS after winning the SCVAL doubles championship before CCS began. Spencer and Anthony were the number one seed in the tournament, and did not drop a set en route to their second straight CCS doubles title. They beat the Valley Christian doubles team of Bryce

McElvie and Bernardo de la Cabada 6-4 6-2, to win the title. “We got a couple of [favorable] matches that helped us work our way into form and I feel like the finals of that league tournament we started to hit form,” Spencer said. “Going into the finals we didn’t take anything for granted.” Both Spencer and Anthony will both be playing tennis at Pomona College next year, and they will go into college as two time CCS doubles champions.

”

Ciera Pasturel, Courtesy Anthony Bello Ciera Pasturel, Courtesy Anthony Bello

Co-captains seniors Spencer Simonides and Anthony Bello (top left) celebrate after taking their second CCS doubles title. Juniors Michael Zhu (top right) and Jack Sullivan (bottom) compete in a recent league match.

Sophomore takes cycling to the national level Sophomore Adrien Costa competes in races across the country, and plans to take his career to the professional level. Some of his races span up to 120 miles. Courtesy Adrien Costa

Yuki Zaninovich Staff Writer Students at LAHS are involved in sports both inside and outside the school, and compete in sports that range from football to lacrosse to horseback riding, whether it be for competitive or recreational purposes. In the midst of this diversity, sophomore Adrien Costa competes in something many students do to simply get to school: biking. Adrien is a road cyclist, competing in a bike races ranging from local junior races to the country’s top amateur races, such as the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. He is also a part of Slipstream-Craddock, a competitive biking team based in Texas with members who compete both individually and as a team i n

local and international races, stage races and time trials. Adrien was first inspired to start competitive cycling when he watched the Tour de France on TV when he was eight. When he went out for a bike ride shortly after, Adrien knew this was the sport for him. “After going out on an old mountain bike on the local hills, I was hooked,” Adrien said. “I love the speed, freedom and exploration that is possible through cycling. Riding to breathtaking places that nobody knows of is really special to the sport, which makes training so much more enjoyable.” Due to the rigor of the sport, Adrien spends a lot of his time outside of school training for races. His usual training hours consist of climbing local hills, completing interval workouts and sprinting to improve his capacity on every terrain. Because the races he participates in can be as long as 120 miles, Adrien finds himself on the road up to 25 hours a week. Although he enjoys the time he spends to improve, Adrien acknowledges that it has its drawbacks — he

has to sacrifice time from other activities and follow a strict diet. However, Adrien believes that the pros outweigh the cons. “There are countless physical benefits to cycling, including health, mental clearness and the ability to overcome obstacles,” Adrien said. “Cycling has also brought me to beautiful places throughout the world that would otherwise be overlooked by normal people.” One day, Adrien hopes to become professional and join a European team. While he plans on going to college, Adrien only wants higher education as a backup plan if cycling itself isn’t able to financially support him. But regardless of what he decides to do, Adrien knows that cycling will definitely be a part of his future. “I want to live the dream life — getting paid to do what you love and travel the world,” Adrien said. “But really, enjoying the sport, the countless adventures, the fresh air, the views, the exhilaration of going down a descent, pushing yourself to your physical and mental limit — the little things that make the sport beautiful — is what I want the most.”