The MArk - October 2013

The MArk MENLO-ATHERTON HIGH SCHOOL 555 MIDDLEFIELD ROAD., ATHERTON, CA VOLUME IV ISSUE I OCTOBER 2013

October 2013

With this issue, we bring you the long-awaited fourth volume of The MArk. As we enter our fifth year of publication, we can confidently say that this year’s dynamic new staff will help us elevate our magazine to a higher journalistic standard.

We are expanding our content to cover a wide array of topics, including a focus on the underlying racial tensions at M-A. We analyze the evolution of this tension from our school’s founding to today, discussing subjects such as the lack of diversity among the teaching staff, on sports teams, and around our campus during lunch. Let the lion on the cover of this issue inspire courage in you, the M-A community, to break down these cultural barriers and fully embrace our school’s unique diversity; let it remind you of the acronym our school aspires to fulfill.

We hope that this issue provokes conversation. Please share your thoughts with us by emailing themarkjourn@gmail.com.

Thank you, The MArk Editorial Board

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Photography Beach Bum Blanca Viña Patiño, 11th

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STAFF

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITORIAL BOARD

Volume IV, ISSUE I October 2013

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Gabe Cohen Megan Kilduff

CREATIVE EDITOR JOANNE CHO

MANAGING EDITORS LINDY LAPLANTe CAYLA STILLMAN

SPORTS EDITOR

NEWS Not good Enough 6 shifting boundaries 7 Leadership makes a change 8 The am-azing Presidential race 9 ssoa and the gsa at m-a 10

BRETT MORIARTY

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

SARA SOLOMON

WRITING STAFF

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Sami Andrew Alex Argente Sofia Bergmann Sarah Dairiki Matt DeTrempe LisSette EspinoZa Tara Fahimi Marta Fatica Alexa Finn Eliza Fitz Elena Fox Nina Fox Jonah Guenther-Schmidt Amir Heidari Ben Hickman Molly Kearnan Amirteymour Moazami Ivana Petani Nico Plume Sarah Reichow Ian Robinson-Lambert Liz Sommer Sabina Vitale Kristen Walsh Katie Webb Katie Weiner

26-27 introduction 28-29 Evolution from racial tension at M-A 30 Lunchtime diversity, or lack thereof 31 so close yet so far...

32-33 Leading By Example?

A&E

FRANCESCA GILLES

SUBMISSIONS EDITOR

On the cover

Horoscopes 12 Oh snap-ple! 13 Trendy melville 14 all you can’t eat 15 the sound of music 16 fall photo spread 24-25 Ask.fm 36 ratemyteachers.com 37

Columns 38 Forget about the whole “college thing...

39 All By myself & parking mayhem

Sports Opinion Rave culture 17 rally for diversity18 ap sleep deprivation 19 roll those shorts down 20 Entrepreneurial Spirit 21

43 Real rivals 44 the rise of sports clubs 45 ain’t no squad like an m-a squad

SUBMISSIONS 2-3 introduction 11 Truth, innocence, and guilt 34-35 Black and white collage 40-41 color collage 46-47 closing

Cover Art Pink Lion Emily Sykes, 12th

A CALL FOR RESPECT When is it ever acceptable for a teacher to both verbally bully and encourage violent actions on a student? While logically this seems like an issue that would never arise or have to be confronted, last year at Sequoia High School on November 6, Andrew Hutchinson, a European History teacher and coach of the Track and Field team, allegedly encouraged a student to physically assault her classmate. According to reports, both his classmates and teacher verbally assaulted the victimized student, Daniel Milburn, because of his of Canadian heritage on a regular basis. When Hutchinson allegedly permitted a female classmate to punch Daniel Milburn in the face, ultimately breaking his nose, the teacher ignored his duty to his charge.

This incident should have all together been avoided.

Instead of moderating the situation and disciplining students, Hutchinson promoted violence and enabled further conflict.

As advocates for nonviolence and mutual respect between both fellow students as well as teachers, we believe that the

situation commands severe action. Though the Milburns’ lawsuit against the district filed on October 10 calls for a $300,000 settlement, there is most definitely a better way to go about resolving this. Perhaps a more thorough resolution would include a slightly smaller cash settlement, and instead, stringent repercussions for Hutchinson. Such repercussions should include the revocation of his teaching credentials, resulting from his irresponsible and disgusting actions.

As students in the district, we are familiar with the cultural tensions that exist in this area, even those that seem innocuous. With the myriad surrounding communities populating our public schools, we understand the tenuous nature of conflict. However, students’ backgrounds should not impact how we treat one another. Furthermore, we look to our teachers to keep peace and advocate tolerance; as such, teachers should act as examples worthy of this esteem. Our district should be setting the model of cooperative relations, instead of serving as the opposite.

HIGH MARK/LOW MARK

by Simone King &

Club Rush expands to The Green, includes over 70 clubs.

Donut Club still only allowed to “sell cans.”

Teachers get pied.

Football beats St. Ignatius in Game of the Week.

Sophomores start driving.

Peter Freschi

Government shutdown postpones Economics homework.

by The Editorial Board

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s students, we know better than anyone the pressures of academic success; getting a bad grade can be devastating. But why is this? What is motivating this incessant focus on grades? It seems that from the view of our society, intelligence and self worth is in direct correlation with a student’s ability to regurgitate information. Those who specialize in more creative outlets may be labeled as “slow” or “inadequate. ” This blatant labeling of students can not only make these students feel as if they are academically deficient, but can also make them feel as if their labels apply to who they are as people.

Hanna Bobrowicz, a sophomore at Summit Preparatory High School, has been living with dyslexia her entire life and often finds herself drawn to the more creative facets of the world.

“Well, in high school, or even middle school, the ‘smart’ kids are thought of as the ones who get straight A’s, and that is true to a certain point, but that’s just one style of learning and it’s just one side of your brain. But other kids, like myself, are equally as intelligent but in a more creative way, and that’s not being measured in high school,” Hanna asserts.

The current school system appears to be designed for only one style of learning, often leaving many students with different styles of learning behind. The spectrum of intelligence among people is so broad that it is impossible to entirely judge a person based on his or her accomplishments in school.

Intelligence is an interaction between the various ways a mind can view the world. It involves not only an ability to comprehend instructions, but also encompasses creativity, maturity, and many other inspiring attributes.

However, with school’s intense focus on the first aspect, students are unable to explore the others. M-A sophomore Ellen Murphy observes that even with her relatively high grade average of 85-95%, she has always felt criticized for her grades.

“My intelligence isn’t only based off of school related things. For instance, I’m an expert on Harry Potter trivia, but that’s obviously not included in the school curriculum.”

A kid may miss out on a lecture because they are doodling in the margins of their notebook.

But does this mean that the kid will fail in life as a result? Of course not. Perhaps this student will go on to be a world-renowned artist or a successful designer.

A student may miss an assignment because they care more about whatever it is that they are passionate about. Or it could be that their school work is keeping them from their passions. Kids’ passions are often brushed off as hobbies, distractions from what is most important: an impressive report card. Instead of pursuing their interests, kids have been trained to obsess over good grades, as it is accepted that success in school means success in life.

Mr. Cotter, a freshman world studies teacher, has been teaching for twenty-four years and has taught classes at the AP level, classes at a basic level, and classes of mixed abilities. In all his years of teaching, he has come to understand that “the students whose grades are on the lower side are often really smart.” He believes, “There is no correlation between grades and intelligence because the kids who set out to get good grades, get good grades, and there’s not necessarily a connection to intelligence.”

It is important to understand that there is a wide variety of obstacles that may be keeping a student from succeeding.

Whether it is because of a learning disability, differing family values, limited time, or just a lack of will to learn, it should never be assumed that the student is simply less intelligent than a student with higher grades.

As we have been students for the majority of our lives our world is confined to the hallways of our schools. It’s difficult to break out of this bubble and understand that the world has more to offer than just a letter scrawled across the top of an essay. It is comforting to think that after leaving school, if we have to be judged, we will be judged by more than whether or not we were able to conform to the school system. In reality, however, a high school dropout, no matter what they have achieved in life, will always have a much harder time earning respect than a top-tier college graduate.

The fact that this demoralizing way of thinking stays with people even after school is further proof that not only does the educational system need to be altered, but society’s perception of worthiness needs to be changed as well.

As students, it is important that we are given the opportunity to explore the vast world around us and not be limited to the strict academic structure imposed on us at school. The purpose of growing up is to improve who we are as people, not just as students.

As Erica Goldson of CoxsackieAthens High School aptly states in her 2010 Valedictorian speech that went viral , “I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.

And quite frankly…

Now I’m scared.”

Photography Light Bulb Nina Fox, 11th

by Molly Kearnan

Shifting Boundaries

NEWS

by Katie Weiner

The contrast between Sequoia Union High School students who travel over 11 miles to get to school every day and those who pedal through Menlo Park’s leafy avenues is impossible to ignore.

The majority of the district boundaries are unsurprising; many M-A students are here because of their proximity to the school. However, kids living in a small portion of the district in East Palo Alto are sent to schools miles away from their homes, seemingly without explanation.

At first glance, these boundaries might seem to give preferential treatment to the generally wealthier kids living in Menlo Park who attend schools such as Hillview and La Entrada. Ellen Mouchawar, who volunteers in the Ravenswood district and serves on the Ravenswood Education Foundation board, shares, “When I showed the map to three of my seventh grade students, girls who had been close friends and classmates since kindergarten, they looked to me, and asked ‘Why do they do this to us?’ From that moment on, I knew things had to change.”

The vast majority of these kids are zoned for Menlo-Atherton High School, which most people consider to be the more desirable school, though some of them live closer to Woodside High School. The small portion of La Entrada families who are zoned for Woodside have the automatic right to transfer to Menlo-Atherton, a rule that the district created because of its desire to keep communities together.

That desire is completely understandable, and most people would agree that it’s important for kids who are going to a completely new school to have some sense of community during this transition. The problem is that this same right is not offered to kids living in Ravenswood— communities they are split between M-A, Woodside, and Carlmont.

School board president Chris Thomsen explains, “In the Ravenswood area, you don’t get cohorts of kids going to schools together. The transition can be a lot more overwhelming; at Hillview, through siblings and friends, you know what to expect in high school, but students from Ravenswood going to Carlmont and Woodside don’t know what’s coming.”

Because the rules for Menlo Park kids are different from the rules for East Palo Alto kids, it may initially seem that the district is treating children differently based on race or socioeconomic group; however, it’s not that simple. The current boundaries were drawn in the 1980s, after a court recognized that Ravenswood High School offered an inferior education and shut it down. After that school closed, an entirely new group of students had to be reassigned to new schools. Naturally, they could not all go to the school closest to them (Menlo–Atherton) as that would lead to huge growth in M-A’s population in a very short period of time. The clear solution was to split them between three schools: Carlmont, Woodside, and M-A. Mouchawar sees clearly the extreme inequity between different areas in the district, pointing out that “My children have known since kindergarten that they would attend M-A. In sharp contrast, under the current system, Ravenswood students do not know their high school until midway through their 8th grade year.”’

The topic of race, while sensitive, is impossible to ignore in this conflict. Kids in Menlo Park who are generally wealthier and are usually white are sent to nearby schools and have a large group of cohorts that they already know going to high school with them. In contrast, the highly Latino population of Ravenswood does not have the same benefits. While nobody in the district is consciously trying to treat students differently on the basis of race, it could certainly seem that way initially. In a district that works hard to promote diversity, this inequity is certainly surprising. While the district is not trying to differentiate because of race, background is notable and this must be a subject of their discussion during the attempts to create more equitable boundaries. One of the goals

of this process needs to be to fix the unfair policies which give priority to the wealthy white kids, whether or not these policies are intentional.

There has been a recent movement to change the boundaries and make it easier for students in all parts of the district to go to schools closer to their homes. Currently, students living in East Palo Alto have to go to schools up to 11 miles away, even when they live only three miles away from a different school in the district. The school board recognizes that this distance makes it difficult for kids to get involved in their school because of the fact that getting rides to or from school is not always a simple task.

Public transportation is not an option for most kids, because of the fact that the trip may take up to an hour and a half. The district does try to resolve this issue by providing buses that pick up students and take them to school, but getting involved in activities that meet after school or on the weekends often poses as a problem.

The resolution seems clear—change the boundaries so that all students in the district are able to go to schools nearby.

This is definitely possible, but not without shifting the boundaries so that some kids no longer go to Menlo-Atherton. And the mere suggestion of sending kids, especially Menlo Park kids, to a school like Woodside, is facing major pushback from involved parents.

“La Entrada parents come unglued at the idea of, even as a whole district, being rezoned for Woodside, even though in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s they were zoned for Woodside,” explains M-A principal Matthew Zito. There is a belief throughout the district that M-A and Carlmont are the “best” schools, and while test scores support this notion, it’s not quite that simple. Woodside offers classes that are just as rigorous as the ones at M-A, and has teachers who are just as dedicated and smart.

Woodside’s bad reputation is actually more a reflection on the relative level of academic preparation of its incoming students than a comment on the school’s basic capacity to educate effectively. So, while parents of La Entrada kids are initially uncomfortable with the prospect of sending their kids to Woodside, it might not be such a bad outcome.

The threat of one huge comprehensive high school still worries some people—Zito shared that he “think[s] the most important thing is to make sure you create a boundary that doesn’t make one high school significantly larger than the others…If you push our boundaries all the way to the county line, then what you’ve created is the largest area with the most students for M-A… It doesn’t matter whether the campus can physically accommodate them.”

The school board also has another option on the table: create a new campus to deal with the growing population and to ensure that students are not facing ridiculous commutes just to attend school.

Thomsen says, “A new school is absolutely on the table. We’d be looking at schools of around 600 students… I’m anxious to see the work from the task force, and if one or two new schools are the best way to go.”

This issue is not one that will be solved easily—any resolution will face criticism and the period of change will not be easy.

According to Ellen Mouchawar, “changing the boundary map will not alone solve these problems, but will create a foundation where we can attack the real problems that face our schools, teachers, parents and students.” The movement to change boundaries combined with the growing number of kids in the area means that the Sequoia Union High School District faces major decisions and changes in coming years. However, if administrators, board members, and parents in the district are focused on doing the right thing for all the 7 kids in the district, a fair resolution to these problems is possible.

October 2013 NEWS

Leadership Makes a Change

by Sarah Dairiki

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s the announcements during third period described the activities that would be new to M-A this year, Leadership was surprised by the sudden increase in participation from students of all grade levels. Whether the topic of the activities on The Green were brought up in class or between friend groups, students were excited to openly express their opinions. Sophomore Diana Bojorquez claimed, “I think the activities are a great way to get everyone involved in school and to also get people of different backgrounds to hang out.” With the addition of these new activities, students of different grades, ethnicities, and backgrounds have started to interact with each other, something that would not have occurred organically had the activities not been introduced. This year’s Leadership class has been working hard from the start and their efforts are clearly noticeable, whether it’s through the shaving balloon contest held on The Green, the music choice at the dances, or the personality and character brought to morning announcements.

Along with the introduction of new activities, the atmosphere of the class has also changed in the eyes of both the students and the teachers. “We are trying to increase school spirit with more lunchtime activities, and are maintaining traditional dances but are keeping prices for dance tickets relatively low. By doing so, more people will attend the dances, and the students will be able to have more fun,” says Mr. Amoroso, one of the Leadership teachers. The newly-lowered prices of the dance tickets are something every student can relate to, as the prices have been admittedly high in the past, making students less interested in attending the dances. ASB President Sophi Bock, a returnee to Leadership, also stated her opinion about the changes in 8

Leadership this year: “We have a lot of students with new ideas, and a lot of room on our campus for these ideas to take place. This year I feel like we’re bursting with energy, life, spirit, and good work ethic, and we look forward to class, planning, and just doing all the important things we do.”

The Leadership class has taken on such a new perspective this year, and they are continuing to improve each day as they learn to think outside the box. “The Leadership program has been great, as we’ve been planning fabulous and effective events for years. Everyday there’s a new idea that inspires us to work as hard as we can,” says Bock. Bojorquez immediately jumped in to praise Amoroso’s and Senigaglia’s hard work, saying, “They’re great teachers, always on top of things. They’re also good at making everything exciting. They’re definitely people to look up to.”

Leadership has started out strong from the start of this year, and they are becoming more flexible with the intense amount of planning and activities that need to be carried out. Everyone part of Leadership is working hard, dedicated to making M-A proud. Mr. Amoroso and Mr. Senigaglia believe their class will become stronger as the year goes on and new ideas are introduced every day. With Ms. Todd’s switch from a Leadership teacher back to teaching English full time, many wondered what the future of the class would be, along with who would take her place.

Her organized manner will always be missed, but this year, the students are thrilled to work on the plan to encourage more school spirit and interaction of students. Mr. Amoroso was quick to back this point: “Leadership is a revolving door, it opens to new ideas and closes to old ideas.” With this in mind, we look forward to the success of the 2013-2014 leadership class.

NEWS

The

Am-azing Presidential

Race

Are you ready for the M-A Presidential Race?

•

Join Leadership • Become a Leadership officer t I • Fill out a packet How that will turned into the Leadership w o teachers ks N r • Get signatures from o W your peers • Go to an interview that the Leadership teachers will hold • Congratulations! You could be picked to be the next M-A School President!

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nt

se Pre

• • •

by A

lexa

Finn

15

20 n i rk

Wo

Need to have at least 2.5 GPA : s n • Give the tio a c student body a fi i l voice Qua • Advisor for 5 1 Senior Week and 20 most Senior class Have to be part activities such as of Leadership Senior shirts Need to have at • Be involved in the M-A least 2.5 GPA news Be able to give • Connect the students opinions to the student body Leadership and the administration a voice • Do not need to be a part of Leadership, but want to be a representative of the students to Leadership

*Not all information for 2015 is final

Qua

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•

ns:

io

at c i if

ill

tW ow I

• Any Senior can become president • Campaign • Debate • School wide election (only for Juniors and Seniors) • Popular vote will decide who will become President!

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n the past, transgender students have been forced to use single-sex locker rooms and play on single-sex sports team according to their biological gender. Now, they will be allowed to use the facilities and play for the teams of the gender they identify with. On August 12, 2013, California governor Jerry Brown passed the School Success and Opportunity Act (SSOA). Going into effect on January 1, 2014, SSOA requires that all California public schools allow transgender students access to the school-based resources related to the gender they associate with. With the passing of this new legislation, M-A has proven to be ahead of the curve M-A’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) has been working the past two years to make significant changes to M-A’s campus. GSA co-president Victoria Ellis shared, “In the past, transgender students have been using the nurse’s bathroom to change,” instead of locker rooms. Auguste Schmidt, a transgender student who graduated from M-A last year concurs, explains that, “You end up missing out on a lot with the way things are set up now.” At M-A’s senior fashion show last year, he felt unable to fully integrate himself. “I did not participate in the dance part of senior fashion show because of how gendered it was,” he shared. “The boys literally did push ups while the ladies swayed their hips.” SSOA aims to lessen these feelings of exclusion throughout the public school system.

Despite the change in legislation, Schmidt added that it can still be hard “for those who don’t have their parents support and can’t dress aligned with their identity or don’t identify within the binary” to choose a bathroom. As a result, the GSA began looking for funding options for gender-neutral bathrooms and hope to present their goal to the administration later this year. Although they have yet to find the money necessary to build gender- neutral bathrooms, the GSA is still hopeful that this monumental change can be made at M-A. The GSA has been leading other efforts to decrease and eventually eliminate homophobic culture from M-A, including the gender-neutral bathrooms. Along with the bathroom project, they have begun programs to educate middle-school students. Ellis says that “educating teens is hard” because of peer and societal pressure. As a result, GSA began building a middle-school program for local Menlo Park schools Hillview and La Entrada, in an attempt to make high school seem less threatening to members of the LGBTQ community. Schmidt says that “Being trans in public high school is still really exhausting,” and hopes that these new programs will alleviate some of the stress. Despite earlier attempts to coordinate sessions with the younger students, the GSA has been unable to go; this year, however, they have already planned visits to these two schools.

Although the new legislation is “a step in the right direction” according to Ellis, there is still a lot more to do regarding the enforcement of these laws and the overall cultural of the American public school system. Schmidt believes that “SSOA is not going to be helpful if the staff is not educated on it, and educated on the laws that already exist to protect trans students. Teachers and staff need to learn to avoid gendered language and activities. Being misgendered [is] really degrading.” Furthermore, it will take time for other students, even those who are not necessarily homophobic, to become comfortable with the idea of sharing facilities with those that are biologically different from them. With this in mind, M-A will hopefully remain as a pioneering school regarding the treatment of transgender students in the coming years.

by Katie Webb

SSOA & the GSA at M-A

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October 2013 NEWS Ally: someone who supports and stands up for members of the LGBTQ community Bisexual: someone who is attracted to both men and women Cisgender: someone who fits society’s expectation of their gender Cisgenderism: the belief that everyone is cisgender, or that cisgender individuals are superior Gay: men attracted to other men Gender: the mental state of being male, female, or anything in between Genderism: the belief that there are only two genders, male and female, and that gender and sex are the same thing GSA: Gay Straight Alliance; student-led organizations throughout North America dedicated to creating a safe enviroment for LGBTQ students Intersex: someone who is biologically neither a conventional male nor female Lesbian: women attracted to other women LGBTQ: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Pansexual: someone with a fluid sexual orientation or identity Queer: a general term used to refer to someone who does not identify with any specific labels Sex: the medical terms (either male, female, or intersex) used to distinguish individuals based on biological characteristics Straight: someone attracted to the opposite gender Transgender: someone who feels psychologically the opposite gender as they are biologically Source: U.C. Berkeley Gender Equity Research Center

Truth, Innocence, and Guilt

submissions

Amara Trabosh

My hair is lank and unkempt. What once shone black as night is now brittle. I’m sure my face is dirty and worn, but I haven’t seen a mirror since that fateful day when they sentenced me.

A life of imprisonment.

Of all the inhabitants of the cells I am the only one who will stay longer than a few years. I wonder what the point is in being here. Day after day, the same routine. Food. Thinking. Some Exercise. Visiting. Food. Thinking. Sleep.

“Here,” the new guard shoves the bowl of cereal at me. Then a glass of water comes. I accept both silently, but today he starts up a conversation. The new guards are always chatty. “So what are you in here for?”

I wish they wouldn’t ask. The memory is painful.

Reed is dead, and he’s never coming back.

I stare at him through my half-crazed eyes.

His gray ones look startled. “Murder,” I say casually. They all want to blame me. It makes them feel better if I don’t show the pain; if I act like a guiltless murderer.

“And you don’t care? It doesn’t mean anything to you?” This guard is asking more questions than he should. I glare at him. He is going to get me into trouble. Well, at least it will break the monotony.

I didn’t kill him.

I didn’t kill him.

Two days passed, and the guard didn’t speak to me. On the third day he approaches me again.

“Why?” “Why not?” I can’t feel guilty if I didn’t do anything.

I didn’t kill him.

“Who was it?” I can in all honestly say that this guard is not attractive; his nose is crooked, and his shaved head looks a little misshapen. However there is a certain gleam in his eyes. He is much too curious.

It will get him into trouble, but I don’t really care.

That’s his problem.

“My fiancé.”

“And you killed him?” he asks incredulously.

I crawl to the back wall of my cell and stare at the peeling gray paint as I eat. I loathe beef stew.

I didn’t kill him.

I didn’t kill him.

From behind the steel bars of my cell I watch the new guard get reprimanded for talking to the prisoners. One prisoner in particular.

“Flirting with the prisoners will not be tolerated!” Then he adds, “She’s not even pretty. You can do better than a murderer.” Officer Smith glares directly at me as he spits the last words. He blames me for everything I’ve done. He is right of course. I am not pretty. Maybe I was once. Reed certainly thought so, but I have wasted away in this prison cell.

I didn’t kill him.

I swear, I didn’t.

I sob silently tonight. I don’t want Jess to hear, but I’m sure she knows what the gasps of air mean. She doesn’t know anything, but I can’t do anything about it locked in this cell. Jess is twice the size of me, but that never stopped me before.

Photography 11 Black and White Gabby de Saint Andrieu, 10th

October 2013 A&E

{ Horoscopes }

by Joanne Cho and Nina Fox

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCer

MAR 21 - APR 19

APr 20 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 20

JUNE 21 - JULY 22

When Mercury aligns with Saturn on the 29th, you will experience extreme pain in your left thumb.

You are going to gain weight, and then lose it again without noticing.

You are mean and crabby on the outside but on the inside you are not at all shellfish.

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

JULY 23 - AUG 22

AUG 23 - SEPT 22

SEPT 23 - OCT 22

OCT 23 - NOV 21

Be cautious when unzipping your backpack, you never know what wild animals could have snuck in.

Give your pal Obama a call and help him out with the economy.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21

You, being a human, will meet the love of your life. Eventually.

Maybe.

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You will develop vertigo.

CAPRICORN DEC 22

- jAN 19

Avoid elevators, don’t question it.

Just do it.

You smell really bad. I mean honestly have you heard of personal hygiene?

AQUARIUS

JAN 20 - FEB 18

You will develop cancer.You learn to make meth, become a murderous druglord, and live happily ever after.

Better get some sewing kits prepared, the crotches of all your pants will rip.

PISCES

FEB 19 - MAR 20

Eating sushi will result in a night spent on the porcelain throne, only for you.

A&E

Oh Snap-ple!

}

by Cayla Stillman

Pigs get sunburns.

Cows give more milk when they listen to music.

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

The watermelon seed-spitting world record is about 70 feet.

Frogs never drink.

All polar bears are left-handed.

Raindrops can fall as fast as 20 miles per hour.

A chalkboard eraser is one of the best ways to wipe a foggy windshield.

Every two thousand frowns creates one wrinkle.

Fish cough.

All porcupines float in water.

Underwater hockey is played with a 3-pound puck.

Almonds are part of the peach family.

The only food that does not spoil is honey.

It is not possible to tickle yourself.

The dragonfly can reach speeds of up to 36 mph.

A duck’s quack doesn’t echo.

A hummingbird weighs less then a penny.

Lizards communicate by doing push-ups.

The pineapple is a very big berry.

Mosquitoes have 47 teeth.

A spider’s silk is stronger than steel.

Ketchup was once sold as a medicine.

Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza a day.

The mango is the most consumed fruit in the world.

the MArk

{

Over the years, we have collected some Snapple Cap facts that we wanted to share with you.

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October 2013 A&E

Trendy Melville A

by Tara Fahimi

lthough most teenage girls usually have no problem finding clothes to buy at the mall, Brandy Melville, a popular shopping destination in the US as of late, presents a challenge with their “one size fits most” motto. Even though naturally slim and medium sized girls can fit into the brand, not everyone fits into these limitations. Broad shoulders, height, wider hips and other prominent features of the average teenage girl prevent some from feeling comfortable in Brandy Melville’s clothing. The adolescent population of the world cannot be categorized into just one size. With the diversity we have at M-A, it’s unreasonable to expect all the girls to fall under the classification “one size fits most.”

With overflowing stores and unimaginable lines outside the dressing rooms, Brandy Melville has truly hit a home-run right into the hearts of most teenage girls. The first store opened in Italy 15 years ago, and since then the company has spread worldwide. Affordable fashion, trendy styles, and major popularity—this brand seems perfect for fashion-forward teens. However, many overlook the fact that Brandy Melville only carries one size.

When asked about the controversial topic, senior Kimberly Klustner responded, “I don’t understand how you can make

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clothing where ‘one size fits most.’ Girls come in all different body shapes and sizes and by making this model that may not fit everyone, it brings down girls’ self esteems dramatically.” Wearing Brandy has almost become a statement of being skinny enough to fit into their clothes. Girls all over the globe are willing to look beyond Brandy Melville’s exclusive nature in order to follow current trends. However, freshman Cameron Montalvo is wary of the problem and shares her opinion: “Even though Brandy Melville has cute clothes, I think it makes girls feel like they aren’t thin enough if they don’t fit, which makes them feel bad about themselves because it’s such a big trend and if they can’t fit into the ‘one size’ they don’t fit in with the rest of the teenage society.”

In the end, there is no way of ignoring the brand completely. Teenage girls just need to be more conscientious of the fact that not everyone can fit into this brand; and that is okay. No two people’s bodies are identical; therefore a store with only one available size seems inherently impossible. While it is unreasonable to ask girls to boycott the store, it is fair to ask them to be aware of the impact it could have on those who are unable to enjoy Brandy Melville because of their “one size fits most” theme.

Photography Store Theresa Siri, 10th

A&E Photography Burgers Nina Fox, 11th

vs.

All You Can’t Eat T

he Speedway food is extremely popular; many M-A students waste all of their lunch waiting to get one of the “gourmet” options that this quasi-cafeteria offers. I wanted to figure out just what made their food so special, so I decided that for one week I was going to attempt to eat every food that the Speedway offered.

On Monday, I decided to play it safe with a Speedway classic, the spicy “chicken” sandwich. When the bell rang, I immediately ran out of my classroom, to find half the school already in line for the Speedway. After waiting 20 minutes in line squashed between two 8 foot-tall rugby players who were apparently unaware that there was anyone in between them, I bought my spicy chicken sandwich and a chocolate milk. I took a bite and immediately realized I had made a mistake; whatever was in my mouth was not a chicken sandwich.

Never had I previously eaten “chicken” that had the texture of Play-Doh and tasted like hatred and despair. Thankfully the food is a reasonable price; the chicken sandwich and chocolate milk was $3.75. In perspective, a double-double from In-NOut is $3.05, so $3.75 is completely reasonable for a piece of what I’m positive is not chicken in between two pieces of some unidentifiable material. In short, the first day was not a success.

On Tuesday I decided to go for the pizza, I had tried a piece of the crust and hadn’t thrown up in my mouth, so I was optimistic. Once again, after leaving my classroom, which

is about a ten second walk to the Speedway, I still somehow managed to be 101st poor soul in line. This time, however I was not sandwiched between two giants, which made the wait slightly more enjoyable. I got the pizza and, in all honesty, compared to the other food from the Speedway, it is a gourmet French meal with a $100 price tag and the food equivalent of 9.5 on IMDb. Wednesday was by far the most traumatic day of my week, and has a place among one of the top ten most disturbing days of my life. I chose to eat the burger that day, disregarding all of my misgivings, common sense, and the warnings of everyone I know. When I got the burger I was worried that the “cooking” process that the meat receives (30 seconds in a microwave) might not get rid of all the diseases that are a danger in beef: e-coli, mad cow disease, etc. After having eaten that burger I realized that because it had no beef, or really any organic material in it all, I was in no danger of getting any sort of disease. When I bit into the burger, my body screamed out in abject horror; I began to shake uncontrollably and foam at the mouth, my eyes rolled back into my head and I nearly fainted. When I looked at the inside of the burger it had perfectly preserved the shape of my teeth, like the goo used to make my eighth grade retainer. Not only was the experience of eating this scarring, but the after effects caused me to quit my week long Speedway experiment short. Now if I could just get the Donut Club to sustain me five days a week.

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October 2013 A&E

d n u c i o s s u e M h T of C

ountry music can often bring to mind images of flannel shirts, cowboy boots, and sepia-tinted camera filters. However, these wholesome stereotypes are rarely represented at country concerts. Even though the name “Luke Bryan” may be well known among M-A students, it is doubtful that many of you could name a single song, even if you went to the concert. Sure, people wear flannel shirts to the concerts, but they don’t exactly have the same effect if they’re tied up over high-waisted shorts and a lacy bandeau. And don’t forget the perpetual desire to obtain some prime Mary Jane from a twenty four year-old college dropout preying on naive Sophomores! Seems legit.

A

re you bored of the mundane sea of North Face jackets, Uggs, and Lululemon leggings seen at school? Do you tire of the banal pop music played during our weekly hall sweeps? A good old-fashioned music festival may be the place for you. The attendees of these sacred events, often surrounded by mysterious clouds of sweet-smelling smoke, are clad in the very best “vintage” garments (only $59.99 at Urban Outfitters!) in attempts to blend in with the flocks of hipsters that frequent the grassy fields of Golden Gate Park. Though many of these bespectacled, hatwearing, cat-toting, lanyard-flashing, bike-riding hipsters are there for the thrill of seeing the most famous underground bands (yeah, the Arctic Monkeys are SOOO mainstream… try the Glacial Baboons and the Indigo Keyrings instead…) much of the clientele risks its virginity for the sole purpose of obtaining beer from poorly-regulated drink vendors.

U

nce unce unce unce WHA wha wha WHA wha wha. The sounds of Dubstep might not be the most relaxing of tones, but the wide and diverse attendance at raves would suggest otherwise. It seems impossible that people would willingly listen to this “skillful” sound mixing voluntarily, but the selection of sketchy pharmaceuticals accessible at raves could drown out the splitting headache created by the, cough, “music.”Of course, a trip to American Apparel to buy a series of 80s-esque spandex in a myriad of metallics and neons is absolutely necessary before attending a rave!

Drugs and provocative attire are the two main attractions; the sound of air pollution couldn’t possibly draw such zealous crowds simply on merit.

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by Sarah Reichow

Opinion

art | poetry | creative writing | news | opinion | Sports | feature

Rave Culture

D

rinking, smoking, revealing clothing. When M-A students who do not frequent raves are asked about these popular social gatherings these are often the things that come to mind. For the 0.05% of you who have not seen the constant posting and disseminating of rave related statuses and pictures through all forms of social media and consequently do not know what a rave is, basically it is an electronic music concert whose audience consists of mostly naked teenage girls and a heavy amount of mentally skewed adults due to the influences of drugs and alcohol.

As an uninvolved bystander who has never attended a rave in person, I am perplexed by the pictures that are shared on Facebook and Instagram that provide solid evidence of student’s involvement in such activities. While I respect a students decision to attend such an event, their desire to publish pictures about it after or even during the concert makes me believe they have one of two motives: 1) The attendee does not or did not enjoy his or her time at the concert and therefore resorts to social media to keep his or herself interested while they endure the deafening sound of dubstep and suffocating atmosphere caused by crowds and marijuana or 2) The attendee wants people to observe his or her practically nonexistent outfit, obviously unaware of how many people can in fact see the body he or she so freely flaunts about. In addition, after seeing pictures of people in these circumstances, I find it hard to have a serious conversation with them because of the presumptions I automatically make about their behavior at the rave. The stereotypes commonly associated with raves such as pill popping and alcohol abuse are not things one typically wants to identify with.

While I stick by my belief that anyone should be allowed to do whatever they want, though I find it hard to believe that anyone would truly enjoy the sounds of what Urban Dictionary describes as “the music that is created from transformers having sex,” I remain skeptical about the action that often follows of posting evidence of involvement on the internet to be viewed by all audiences, including future college admission officers and job interviewers. I urge my fellow students to think twice the next time they publish such incriminating evidence.

the MArk

by Sabina Vitale

11 17

I

n support of M-A’s diversity, we need to rise above the cliché that the high school experience can be distilled only as the story of extroverts. Pep rallies are loud, crowded, and stimulating, featuring dance and cheer performances, lots of whooping, and slang-ridden ovations. However, these kinds of rally elements only energize the extroverted portion of M-A’s population. Not all students respond to this kind of frenzied, pre-game hype. This is not to say that all cheerleaders are extroverted and that all those unaroused by rallies are introverted, but simply that M-A has the opportunity to consider more inclusive forms of school spirit.

Why not require the school to attend an art showing? Because more people care about football than about paintings or ceramics?

Of course not, but this assumption places a premium on the more gregarious and outgoing portion of our student body. Whatever their talent, all of M-A’s students should be able

to find an avenue to showcase their gifts in a way that reflects M-A’s opportunities. Our school’s pep rallies definitely fulfill their purpose for the football team, but similar support and enthusiasm should be directed towards the other various and equally popular programs at M-A. Will Tully, a lacrosse player at M-A, highlights rallies’ tendency toward exclusion and argues that while “It’s fun to get everyone together…they should have every sport go out there.” Staff member Andy Stuart notes that he values and enjoys them. “They make me feel like I am in a movie. One year, everyone in the gym sang ‘Where Is the Love’ by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s special when everyone participates.

It should be more about celebrating everyone being together, because that’s when the highlights happen.”

“I don’t go,” says a student who wishes to remain anonymous, “The they are crowded and uncomfortable. “I don’t play any sports, so they aren’t fun for me.” When asked if

the rallies could be improved, the student answered, “It would be cool if everyone was partying, even teachers.”

Regardless of perspective, all of the interviewees agreed on one thing: the best part of pep rallies is the togetherness that they encompass.

Mr. Amoroso, the staff member newly in charge of putting together M-A’s rallies, recognizes this, stating his goal to “include a broader representation of M-A’s awesome student body”.

Strolling down the halls of M-A are musicians, artists, athletes, poets, dancers, scientists, robotics enthusiasts— and more. This incredible diversity is part of what makes M-A the lively and engaging community that it is. And yet, the only sanctioned way to express school spirit is through the pep rallies for the sports. While some students like to express their support through cheering and dancing, not every student does. Pep rallies surely boost the football team’s spirit and inspire Bear pride, but this is a narrow manifestation of what school spirit can be.

by Eliza Fitz

Opinion

AP Sleep Deprivation

by Marta Fatica

I

f you ask Ms. Kleeman about taking AP classes she will direct you straight to her website, where it is part of her FAQ’s. Ms. Kleeman recommends taking AP classes only if you are interested in the subject, not because it looks good on college applications.

She believes that AP’s should not detract from others classes or a social life outside of school. However, according to a small scale survey perform on AP students reveal that 90.2% of them take AP classes to look good for colleges while only 80.4% take AP’s because they like the subject. That means that 10% of people surveyed exclusively take their AP classes to look better for college.

Along with taking AP classes for college instead of for themselves, students are subjected to high stress levels and little sleep. The participants in the study averaged 6.2 hours of sleep per night, as opposed on the 9 hours recommended for teenagers. With only 3% of survey participants getting the suggested amount of sleep, these sleep deprived AP students can suffer drastic negative effects. According to the National Institute of Health, sleep deprivation can lead to microsleep, most dangerous when driving, and an estimated 100,000 car accidents a year. Also; the study participants averaged a 7 on a scale of one to ten in regards to stress level , can manifest itself into physical symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, stress can cause headaches, pains, and sleep problems. So our classes make us stressed, our stress makes us not sleep, and our sleep deprivation makes us stressed all over again.

AP classes created this never ending cycle of stress and no sleep. Falling asleep in classes is very common, but then you have to stay up even later just make up what you missed while you were asleep during class. Going to bed early used to be lame in middle school, now going to sleep before 10pm makes you the luckiest out of all of your friends.

*Statistics as reported by US News

Demographics* 43% 95% 4.3

of M-A takes at least 1 AP class passing rate for courses

86%

passing rate for exams

the MArk

tests per student

11 19

October 2013 Opinion

Roll Those Shorts

DOWN

by Sofia Bergmann

I

t seems a little excessive to claim that Nike shorts reflect negatively upon our parents and are too provocative for school. Nonetheless, this seems to be a controversial conflict between the girls at Menlo-Atherton and the school staff. The handbook clearly states: “Students are expected to dress in a manner conducive to the advancement of their education and dress in a manner that is not disruptive nor a safety hazard to others...Students will dress in a manner that reflects positively on themselves, their parents, and their school...No shorts or skirts shorter than an inch above mid-thigh.” But is this really where the line should be drawn?

Girls complain that they are suffering strict consequences for simply wearing “normal” shorts. An anonymous student explains, “I’ve been dress-coded for my sport-shorts. Sorry about the sexy Nike swoosh [on the shorts I’m wearing] while another kid is walking by with boobs and weed all over his shirt.”

This brings up a more serious issue. Why are only girls targeted for violating the dress code? Shouldn’t boys be ordered to pull up their pants when they are sagging? Why do they seem to face no consequences for alcohol and drug references, or sexually provocative images of women? One sophomore girl, who has been punished for violating dress code guidelines protests against this skeptical argument: “Why is it that we are considered vulgar or promiscuous for wearing shorts? Why are we forced to hide ourselves just so guys aren’t ‘distracted’ by our exposed legs? We’re basically being sexualized by the male population and we have to pay for it by restricting our clothing options.”

Another contributing factor to the dress code issue is that many argue that the dress code affects their level of comfort during hot summer days and claim that they just want to wear weather-suitable shorts without seeming like a promiscuous criminal. Zoe Peterschild-Ford has a similar complaint, “It’s hot and I just want to wear comfortable shorts without being taken to the office, having my name written down, and it being put on my record as if I’m a convict or something.”

Furthermore, it is close to impossible to find shorts that truly follow the dress code. It was calculated that

“

out of all the mainstream stores that girls shop at, only approximately three percent of shorts sold, actually follow the dress code guidelines. Clearly it is very difficult to find shorts that are “school appropriate.” Not to mention the fact that they are just not very trendy. In fact, some students have mentioned that their moms own shorter shorts than required for the dress code claiming that wearing shorts is simply not a disgrace to her family. And to add on to this statement, fashion in general plays a big role in the media. Almost every celebrity in a magazine fashion section is seen wearing skirts or shorts above the knee. Summertime billboard ads for stores, movies and commercials, tv shows, magazines, newspapers etc., show shorts that are technically not following the dress code. It is clearly a trending fashion statement that females cannot escape. One Sophomore claims that “[We] are being pushed into this look of showing legs, it’s part of the current wardrobe and it seems like the school cannot keep up with it.”

However, at the end of the day, there must be a certain limit for the restrictions. It is clear that many girls at MenloAtherton are not content with these regulations, but how short is too short? One campus aid says, “I just don’t want to see your little booty hanging out, that’s all.” But are do these words really explain the underlying problems behind the dress code?

It’s one thing if the school restricts girls for wearing booty shorts with their entire derrière hanging out, but is punishing girls for wearing running shorts, or just normal jean shorts really justified? There have been many complaints about the guys wearing explicit images on their t-shirts and suffering no consequences. It is an issue that conflicts with feminist rights. Why should girls have to hide themselves so the rest of the public doesn’t feel uncomfortable? What is wrong with showing your thighs as long as your business is tucked away?

Clearly there are bigger issues in the world, and for that matter, there are bigger issues at Menlo-Atherton. Nevertheless, it is something that every girl struggles with every morning while picking out her clothes. It is a topic open for discussion; however the big question remains: how short is too short?

Why is it that we are considered vulgar or promiscuous for wearing shorts?

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Opinion

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October 2013 Opinion

A

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s high schoolers we are looking to the future, trying to ďŹ gure out who we are and what we will be. But what if the real obstacles we are facing now relate to events from when we were kids? a residual occurrence when you were small that did not lead you to your end, but helped your course of becoming lost? It is awful to think little girls are entering a world where everything from what is playing on T.V., the magazines, and all other types of media, with their pervasive opinions, are exploiting and criticizing her for her

E

F

LL A C

ETTY AND YOU COU R P LD RUI IRL G N HE E L T RL T I L I A

appearance, teaching girls the world holds higher esteem for their looks rather than their intellect.

It is not that teenage girls are incapable of being serious leaders, but what is lacking for girls in society are proper support and encouragement. One can argue that boys do not receive proper encouragement either--taught to believe their only option in this society is to take the road most taken, which leads to ďŹ nancial security and most often a desk job.

Not all want to admit that there is still tension between boys

Opinion and girls, but the edge is there. When considering their class performance, contribution to class discussions, and goals for their future careers, either gender can feel competitive, and also isolated, as the blame for their failure to make it to where they want to be is often theirs alone.

But a grand, small difference is that is different for girls is their support system; they are not equally motivated to stick to the more difficult path. It is prudent to place our focus on young girls since teenage girls today are struggling with feeling heard and being comfortable with having strong opinions. Many struggle with the feeling of instability that comes with trying to balance being ethical and yet well-liked by everyone, something totally impractical and not even worth the effort. The intrinsic value of being a person has been warped and teenage girls have developed into competitors in this battle of the sexes, the goal being, ironically, who can be the better man. With this battle there is no real winner for girls as they are not becoming stronger women. What you often see on campus are girls who are not joining academic and techoriented clubs because these things are not popular among girls; girls not joining male-dominated activities because it is intimidating being the only female; deciding not to raise their hands in class during a discussion because they are embarrassed of seeming foolish at the chance of having no one else agree with them--in these situations girls often feel alone, as if they have to constantly prove themselves to someone; prove they are capable of being taken seriously. As well, girls with passive judgments will often believe they ought to dress in a certain fashion, think they have to act a certain way, and perform predominantly as the neutralizers, like women are entitled to the role of making things bearable for others, even if that means their own opinions are left unheard. It seems girls have picked up the duty of being everyone else’s everything before they are anyone to themselves.

So how do they fall into this hole, where the majority of girls feel, when being themselves, they do not measure up in school, relationships or beauty? Starting from when they were young, girls develop the idea that their self-esteem is tied directly to their appearance. Young girls and teens especially seem to believe that if they simplify their opinions and scope of understanding they will prove to be no threat to the male ego or their own image and will then seem more appealing, since then they will not have to prove themselves in cases that require them to express their knowledge and abilities-unable to show their “flaws”. Though the numbers for women attending university and college have increased in recent years, the desperate struggle to not seem desperate remains.

Too afraid, women often are trying not to seem they are more emotional than men because women have often been labeled as being overly-emotional, their “fits” are just symptoms of PMS; they and their hormones do not reflect the discipline successful men have acquired. Smart and successful men are usually depicted as reserved and aloof, not at all distracted by their own emotions like women are. This prejudice creates the idea men and women both have to be something before they have the chance of discovering themselves.

The impulse to remove all blemishes and inklings of imperfection is a more substantial concern than one’s appearance or the mass-created illusion of the mythical attainable idealism. Our society has this habit of believing it can be ul-

timate and supreme, that its people can be perfect; yet, this has proven to never be the case. Events like the Temperance movement and Prohibition have shown us how far we will go to gain some type of order and control over ourselves--eliminate the substance and cure all havoc. For example, during these times, many were firm believers in drinking only beer or never drinking at all to reduce violence, but the movement to ban all for all--on the belief that it would bring success to every marriage, make a better man out of every man--was a hostile solution to an issue of indecency. Because of misinformation and lack of understanding, children at a young age were brought up believing horrific events were caused by drink, not people.

Healing will always be a long journey back into health. Being that friend who does not know how to handle things perfectly, or being that person who is completely unsure of themselves, can leave one feeling powerless--and that is okay. So, how can we help the women of tomorrow feel like they deserve equal opportunity?

You talk to small kids.

Well, okay, first: do not follow kids around in the park, chasing them around, telling them they’re cool. When you do come across a small child, though--a little girl in particular--be involved in the conversation. You may believe small kids have nothing important to say, and you know, sometimes, when the little one is repeatedly calling your name and when you finally turn around all they wanted to tell you is that the sky is blue...No, no it is not exciting, but the conversations you share with children are vital because these are their channels to the real world.

When speaking to a small girl, do not let the only thing that comes out of your mouth be, “you’re so cute!” because, quite honestly, why is that going to be the only thing you tell them? This may be the icebreaker, but what is actually being said to them is that the most important thing about them is their appearance--I mean, it has to be, when the same person suddenly after becomes disinterested, right? You cannot help a child build a healthy self-esteem with constant compliments on their appearance.

So next time, consider what you want to say to the little girl and practice getting to know this person. You may be surprised by how difficult it is to restrain yourself from the impulse to compliment the small child on superficial qualities.

Ever considered asking a child what they are reading? Many of us probably think kids do not read, but kids are usually reading a ton, if not, they are playing sports at school during recess or have joined a small club after school; or maybe the kid likes painting. Children are filled with wonderful amounts of curiosity and have tremendous creative powers. To have that energy diminish because society is telling them if they are not sweet enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough, they are nothing. There is no measurable amount to our existence or our purpose, so allow a child’s imagination and ambition to flourish. These small changes will not promise to save society or bring any period of enlightenment, but when a small child first experiences a failure and when real things come into question, the example you set for them will be their model for 23 who they can be--at least for a day.

by Lissette Espinoza

Au t

umn

By Nina Fox

strength in diversity?

COVER

W

e have some thinking to do. Our school prides itself on its extremely diverse student body: M-A is a virtual color wheel so vivid that even its motto reflects student demographics. However, the blatant racial and socioeconomic stratification in higher-level classes, at lunchtime, within the staff and administration, and basically every aspect of student life would suggest that our diversity makes us weaker rather than stronger. Division resulting from racial tensions, though they occur in a diverse venue, can only be construed as damaging. In a school defi ned by overcoming inequity and intolerance, it is ironic that our student body is so irrevocably divided.

One of the most prominent visual clues of our racial separation is the seating arrangement at lunchtime: the PAC patio and The Green are crowded with affluent kids who attended La Entrada and Hillview, while the G-Wing and the area around the Speedway represent a different demographic. One of the main contributions to this inadvertent segregation is the physical location of the Speedway. Thirty-one percent of M-A’s student population receives lunch as a part of the free-lunch program, the criteria for which entails being socioeconomically disadvantaged. Unfortunately, many of the socioeconomically disadvantaged students belong to minority groups, which creates a divide between the kids who bring or buy lunches and the students who receive them as a part of this program. The geographical layout of our school is inherently flawed in such a way that clear lines are defi ned between certain racial and socioeconomic groups.

The administration challenges us, the students, to overcome

these differences, to make new friends, and to stir the melting pot, yet it chastises us again and again for our lack of integration-- a problem embedded within the very fabric of our school.

In this issue we explore the facets of student life and how race is an undeniably prominent aspect of M-A student life. We will explore in depth the lunchtime division, homogeneity of teachers, stratification of students on certain sports teams, and remove ourselves from the present to understand the historical issues that have defi ned M-A. Because our school emerged during a period of relative harmony and, admittedly, racial ignorance (the diversity of the school at the time of its establishment was next to none), yet the students were forced to integrate as a result of the closing of Ravenswood High School, we, as students of the twenty-fi rst century have to understand our roots if we are to understand the inequity that occurs in the present. Our school’s diversity is never so highlighted as it is within the And, most importantly, we’ll demonstrate both the merits and the detriments that our diversity has presented, with the end result being a change in our attitude.

The jump from middle to high school is not an easy one; in my experience, I felt that my flaws were magnified within the fishbowl of M-A life. Consequently, new students flock to groups where they feel some semblance of familiarity. Events like Challenge Day attempt to combat the historic division within the student body. However, in a school where every aspect of our education is underpinned by attempts to force integration, it seems that the boundaries are thrown into even sharper relief. I challenge the administration to, rather than passively administering the banal encouragement to integrate, to take the initiative to change M-A for the better. 27

by Francesca Gilles

October 2013 COVER

EVOLUTION FRom RACIAL

By Elena Fox, Megan Kilduff, Lindy LaPlante “After Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, the whole country rioted including MenloAtherton. The Black Panthers came onto campus and disturbed the campus by throwing the police K9 unit German Sheppards and garbage cans on fire through glass windows. The National Guard had to come onto campus because the militants overwhelmed the Atherton police department and the school closed for 7 days. The Black Panthers were eradicated after Coach Parks transferred to M-A and got rid of all the black militants in 72 hours.”

- Grant Anderson ‘70

“Menlo-Atherton opened in 1951 to serve a white, affluent community, then over the years drew more students of color as communities such as East Palo Alto changed almost overnight, first from white to black, then more recently to predominantly Latino.” - The Mercury News

1951 Menlo-Atherton High opens with 1015 students., two-thirds of the student body was white.

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“Coach Parks, myself, and several other coaches at that time were trying very hard to blend people in and make people understand that we were all in this together no matter what the color of our skin was or what religion we were. I think people were hard at work trying to make changes.” - Ms. Wimberly

1954

Brown v. Board of Education ruling calls for the desegregation of the country’s public schools.

1968

The Olympic Black Power salute and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination spark nationwide controversy.

1970 M-A struggles to resolve tension in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement.

COVER

1976

Ravenswood High School closes. Dstrict boundaries change and students from an even wider variety of neighborhoods come to M-A..

1989

Race riots ensue again, campus closes for one day..

1997

SF Gate praises the class of ‘97 for total school integration programs.

Today M-A looks for a solution to combat cultural stratification in higher level classes and around campus.

“You couldn’t go through a day without meeting somebody from a different type of background.”

- Robert Salome ‘72

“A lot of it has to do with knowing this school is so diverse, you have to come together or there would be another generation of stereotypes.”

- Sam Finau ‘97

TENSION AT M-A

29

October 2013 COVER

LUNCHTIME DIVERSITY, Or Lack Thereof “’Cause that’s where all the white people sit.” To me, that is a blatant example of the racial problems at our school. It does not matter how the people of Menlo-Atherton try to hide it, but the fact is that lunch at M-A is ethnically divided. As Junior Carlos Manacia explains, The Green is a sea of white; from the white people huddled around the Donut Club table to the white people eating lunch near the D-wing lockers, The Green is most definitely an area claimed by Caucasians. Yet as one walks towards the library and turns left, approaching the Speedways and blacktop, the ethnicity of the people eating lunch takes a drastic turn. The white-dominated Green transforms into a multi-ethnic eating area, which includes many races-- except Caucasian. This lunchtime area consists of African-Americans, Latinos, and other ethnicities, yet encompasses an insignificant population of white students. As one continues their journey into the G-wing, the racial diversity expands to include Caucasians as well as other races. The G-wing, conveniently located near the Speedway, may have the most racially diverse population that exists during lunch at M-A. A frequent of the G-wing, Alfonso does not “believe that lunch is divided” along ethnic lines. However, outside of the Gwing, lunch is most definitely not integrated. Why is lunch ethnically divided?

And why has no one taken the needed actions to equalize the lunchtime seating arrangements?

For most M-A students, lunchtime is the period of the school day in which they can relax and hang out with friends. Therefore, students tend to eat lunch with their friends and will sit around other similar friend groups. Multiple students, including sophomore Ethan Tasch, claim that they chose everyday to eat lunch at specific places because “it’s where [his] friends are.” They do not, they believe, take into consideration who is around them or what location they eat in, the only factor that matters is “this is where most of [their] friends are,” and so they should eat here. However, if this were true, why then would white friend group after white friend group repeatedly chose to sit on The Green and other racial friend groups periodically chose to eat lunch in the G-wing or Speedway areas?

I believe that students not only base their lunchtime seats on their friend group, but also on the friend groups around them. During lunch, students want to feel comfortable. They achieve this level of comfort by sitting near groups of other people that they are familiar, or can identify, with.

As a result, students tend to sit near those that have a similar skin color. I do not want to sound like I am accusing the student of Menlo-Atherton as being racist or insecure around other ethnicities, but instead I am merely stating that the dynamic of our school and society has created a pattern during lunch that reflects ethnic separation.

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The belief by students that they chose their seating arrangements based on friends is sound, but it does not transfer to the lack of diversity between friend groups. Why can a group of white friends not sit next to a group of Latino friends? The answer lays in the fact that the two groups are simply not comfortable sitting next to each other. The members of each group do not interact with each other during school: they do not have many, if any, classes together; they do not play a sport together; and they do not have a similar friend group. Therefore, they are not comfortable sitting next to each other, and the color of their skin does not matter. So the real problem with lunch dissociation lies not in racism, but in the racial separation of friend groups and the unwillingness of students to acknowledge the problem.

“People eat in their friend groups, and their friends groups are usually people they know from childhood, and that usually ends up being who they went to middle school with and middle schools are in different areas.” True. Junior Alex Iverson’s point is sound; coming into high school, the majority of friend groups are not diverse, and that is largely because of the lack of diversity in middle schools. Yet why does this pattern continue into high school?

Because students are not forced to interact with people they are uncomfortable around, and so they do not. As a result, people create new friendships with others who share classes and interests. Sadly, as a cause of the dynamic of our school, those people tend to be others with a common skin color.

Another problem that arises when trying to address the imbalance of races during lunch is that many students are unwilling to acknowledge the problem and take the necessary actions. As I stated before, students believe that they eat lunch with their friends, and that is true, but does not change the fact that they do not eat near other ethnicities. Students also are unwilling to take action to end this separation, because they do not want to be the person to take the first initiative. For example, Manacia would eat lunch on the Green “if [his] friends were there.” His belief is shared with many M-A students; if someone would take the action, then they would move, but they are not going to be the person to take action.

I believe that lunch at Menlo-Atherton is definitely ethnically divided. However, I do not believe that this separation results from racism among students, but rather an aversion because of uncomfortable feelings, resulting from a lack of shared interests and classes. This dissociation can most definitely be overcome, but calls for individuals to take the lead and make the first actions to push M-A’s lunchtime dynamic towards equilibrium. While we may have “Strength in Diversity,” we have yet to establish “Strength among Diversities.”

That’s where all the white people sit.

”

by Nicolas Plume

COVER

SO CLOSE YET SO FAR..

D

iversity is a quality that uniquely defines the campus life of M-A. In the 2012-2013 school year 44.5% of the students were white. 40.5% Hispanic, 4.1% AfricanAmerican, 5.4% Asian, and 3.4% Pacific Islander. However, diversity is not reflected within the after school sports programs.

There are 2,020 students at M-A who have integrated together from thirteen different feeder schools, representing multiple different ethnic groups and cultures.

That diversity is not exhibited on our sports teams. 47% of the student body participated in a sport last year, but of those 930 student-athletes only 14% came from schools besides Hillview, La Entrada, Corte Madera, or private schools in Menlo Park or Atherton. The primary reasons students from East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park, and Redwood City do not participate in athletics at M-A stems from feelings of self-consciousness and peer pressure that overwhelm many of them.

Lakai Mataaele, a senior on the girls’ basketball team, believes that “It kind of is like peer pressure to not go out for sports.” Lakai is Tongan and many of her friends feel too self-conscious to try out for sports, especially when the uniform is revealing. “People stereotype other people based on appearances. The real world makes a picture of a typical athlete for each sport,” states Lakai. “Girls do not want to wear spandex in volleyball or want to wear mini skirts in tennis.”

Lakai explains how she feels self-conscious when she plays a game a basketball. “It pressures someone if they are a different color.”

This past winter, Lakai was the only Tongan islander on the varsity girls’ basketball team. As she looked at the other teams, she felt uncomfortable being around all white and Asian kids. Her race made her stand out.

Other than Lakai, virtually all the other kids on both the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams at M-A are Caucasian.

The importance of cultural acceptance throughout different ethnic groups and cultures also affects the trends for different sports.

Mr. Kryger, one of the Athletic Directors, believes that, “What kids are exposed to by their parents decides what they do in their life.”

The boys’ water polo team is notorious for consisting of mostly Caucasian boys. Since “most people on the water polo team are white, no Latino would want to join the team because they have no friends who play,” comments Efrain Garcia. “Latinos would feel that people look down on them if they play a sport like water polo. “ Efrain is one of the stars on the varsity soccer team at M-A. Soccer is very popular in the Hispanic community and is an important part of their culture. For that reason, soccer is the most diverse of all the sports at M-A. Football is also more diverse than most other sports at M-A. Several star players on the football team are African American or Tongan. Freshmen Marquise Reid and Terrance Matthews-Murphy joined the freshman football team based on their love of the game and as a way to meet new people.

The M-A athletic directors have acknowledged the problem of lack of diversity in sports at M-A. They are working to find ways to help integrate a more diverse group of kids into the sports program. The athletic directors are trying to reach out to local youth groups to increase the use of M-A facilities. PASA swimming, M-A Vikings Pop-Warner youth football, and Juventus soccer are among the clubs and organizations that benefit from M-A fields and the pool.

“Our goal is to get more kids and families familiar and comfortable with the campus so they will have interest in going out for sports,” notes Mr. Krieger.

Lakai encourages more students from different cultures to go out for sports at M-A. “It doesn’t take a lot just to try out for a sport, but if you think you’re not going to make it just try out and you might actually get into that sport. Just try. Don’t let anyone say you have to do this or don’t do this, or you’re going to look hecka weird in that outfit. Just follow what you want to do.”

by Sami Andrew

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October 2013 COVER

Leading by Example?

by Ian Robinson-Lambert and Sara Solomon

M

-A’s motto is “Strength in Diversity” - it’s inscribed in plaques at the front of the school, splashed across the headline of our school website, and seen almost as much as our famous mascot, the M-A Bear. We see this motto reflected most through our student body, which is comprised of six vibrant racial groups, and through the classified staff, which includes our security team, office aides, and custodial staff. However, there is one major group that our motto simply does not seem to apply to - our faculty.

M-A was visited in March 2013 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) to assess whether the school was fit for six-year accreditation.

As part of the report that M-A prepared for WASC, the demographics among students and teachers were published.

The student demographics fell perfectly in line with expectations of such a diverse school, with six racial groups - White, Hispanic, Asian-American, African-American, Pacific Islander, and Other. However, a look at the faculty demographics tell us that something is wrong - these demographics do not uphold our motto of “Strength in Diversity.”

The report showed that 81% of our certified staff (teachers, psychologists, special education specialists, and counselors) were Caucasian, while only 12% were Hispanic, 4% were Asian, and 2% were African-American. Our certified staff is comprised of 119 faculty members - that means that, of those 119, less than 21 are minorities.

There’s no doubt that this is a problem at M-A. Our student body is incredibly diverse, so shouldn’t we expect the same of our teachers? And who, or more importantly, what is at fault for this problem? We were able to interview Matthew Zito, principal of M-A since 2007, who gave us his thoughts on the controversial issue of staff diversity.

Mr. Zito acknowledges, “It is unfortunate that our motto does not describe our teaching staff.” However, he stresses that this is a result of the pool of applicants that apply for teaching jobs at M-A. The Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) primarily uses a website called EdJoin to recruit new staff members, which is an impartial process because the potential teachers are not required to record their ethnicity. Therefore, there is no way to monitor the diversity among the staff. Instead, Mr. Zito firmly believes that it is the responsibility of graduate universities to promote different minorities to attend their institutions.

However, despite a lack of racial balance among the staff, Mr. Zito maintains that the teachers do not separate into “groups” based on race, instead noting that they separate more based on the department they work in. He asserts that, while there may be

“

imbalance, it does not affect interactions between staff members.

When asked if teacher diversity had changed for the better over the course of his time at M-A, Mr. Zito admitted that it was definitely “different,” but not necessarily positive. Due to a rise in hirings because of affirmative action (hiring teachers based not only on merit but on whether or not they were members of underrepresented ethnicities), a large number of African-American teachers were hired in the 1960s and 1970s, among them longtime physical education teacher, Pam Wimberly. However, the state of California banned affirmative action statewide in 1996, leading to a decline in African-American teachers at M-A. But is the school really at fault for this? Is the administration really to blame for the lack of diversity among the faculty? Perhaps not. As Mr. Zito explained, the root of the problem lies in the simple fact that there are not as many minorities as there are Caucasians who apply for teaching positions, especially teaching positions at M-A. “90% of our teaching applicants are Caucasian,” he offered, adding that there is no feasible way to ensure a balance of Caucasians and minorities without discriminating against Caucasians themselves. Instead, the hiring committee looks at academic merit rather than the ethnicity of a potential teacher, and because 90% of the teaching applicants are Caucasian, the administration is unable to control their diversity among the staff.

To better understand the issue of staff diversity at M-A, it is essential to see the issue from the perspective of the minority groups themselves. Susie Choe, a member of the M-A English Department, provided the MArk with her thoughts. “[The lack of faculty diversity] was one of the first things I noticed,” Ms. Choe remarked.

“I’m Asian.

There weren’t a lot of people who looked like me.”

M-A’s Asian teachers make up only 4% of the faculty (which is equal to around 5 teachers out of 119), and are not even recognized as a separate racial group in the classified staff, instead included as part of the “Other” category.

“Obviously, I would like more staff diversity to repre-

It is unfortunate that our motto does not describe our teaching staff.

32

”

“

I would like more staff diversity to represent a greater population

.

”

COVER sent a greater population,” Ms. Choe explains. “As a teacher, I believe it would send a stronger, more positive message to our students.” However, she acknowledges that it is difficult to strike a racial balance among the staff. “Our teaching staff is not very diverse, that’s true. But I don’t really know how to go about recruiting a large number of minority staff members, how something like that would work.” In this, she and Mr. Zito are agreed - there simply aren’t enough minority teachers who apply for positions at the school.

When asked if she thought the school was in any way at fault for the lack of staff diversity, Ms. Choe again responded similarly to Mr. Zito. “I’m sure if we came together with an HR team and tried to pull in more minorities, we could figure something out,” she notes. “But it really comes down to who in the area is willing to work here.”

Pam Wimberly, one of our physical education teachers and an M-A staff member since 1968, spoke about her hiring in the midst of the affirmative action years. She mentions, “I don’t see our staff right now as being very diverse and it doesn’t reflect our student body. In a way, I do believe that the adults at the campus are role models and students of color miss those role models so I think that a diversification would show students that a person of color can be a teacher, or an administrator. As I mentioned, when I first came that was happening. I would like to see a change, not to bring in anybody, but qualified teachers, not just African-American but teachers of color to help out our

“

it really comes down to who in the area is willing to work here.

”

“

I don’t see our staff right now as being very diverse and it doesn’t reflect our student body.

”

student population.” Ms. Wimberly and Ms. Choe both stress that a more diverse staff would send a more positive message to our diverse student body.

There is no doubt that staff diversity is a complicated and controversial issue at M-A. However, it is multi-faceted, representing issues that are unable to be solved solely by the M-A administration.

Nonetheless, our teachers remain optimistic about the future of M-A and the diversity among the faculty.

M-A ] demographics Taken from M-A’s Wasc Self-Study Report

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS: White: 44% Hispanic: 40.5% Asian-American: 5.4% African-American: 4.1% Pacific Islander: 3.4% Other: 2.1%

Staff Demographics:* White: 81% Hispanic: 12% Asian-American: 4% African-American: 2% Other: 1% *Certificated Staff 33

October 2013 submissions Photography Santiago de Compostela Nina Fox, 11th

34

Photography Carmel Carolyn Watson, 11th

Photography Untitled Jaya Blanchard, 10th

submissions Photography Untitled Helmi Henkin, 12th

Photography Twist Katrina Wijaya, 11th

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October 2013 A&E

ask.fm ?

Home Questions (21) Profile Search Settings

60

MA BEARS

35

answers likes

“After all, you’re anonymous! There’s no repercussions!” mabears.org

+ Follow

Ask me a question This social networking website now consists of over 65 million users and serves as a question and answer site that allows users to pose questions that anyone can answer anonymously. Users everyday exchange over 30 million questions and answers. These users are largely under the age of 18, with its popularity soaring in middle schools and high schools across the U.S. Ask.fm has said their site consists of users from 150 countries, with 200,000 joining each day. The site claims that on average, visitors spend 100 minutes a month on Ask.fm. The site has become a growing trend for students here at M-A. Students have commonly seen their friends repeatedly post links to their Ask.fm accounts on their Facebook pages. Facebook newsfeeds are now swarmed with links of Ask.fm accounts, opening advertising to their friends to ask them questions. It allows students to freely pose questions and confessions to their peers anonymously. Frequently asked questions come in the form of complements and questions to fire a debate or questions to start drama, as well as questions asking their peers to rate people in terms of attractiveness. Ask.fm has sparked controversy and has become a new haven for bullies, who can target victims online without fear of being discovered. The categories listed below displays the most frequently asked questions seen from the public Ask.fm accounts from M-A students.

Ask anonymously

Ask

Obsessive Compliments You are so pretty :) Thanks <3 You are stunning . Be my baby?

Only if you are mine <3 The way you look and dress is just perfect Thank you :) I’m glad my 5 min routine is working out lol

You have the most beautiful eyes and eyelashes Awe :)) thanks !!

Stop being gorgeous it’s bad for other peoples self esteeme awh thanks girl your gorgeous your self! :)

Confessions You smiled at me today!

Yeah I smile a lot:) i want u soooo bad but i dont think i match this guys description I’m sorry:( MSG me ?

Do u wanna get with anyone this summer? does my pillow count?

Have you gone to second base with a girl I am not much of baseball player..

I have had a crush on for 3 yrs, so please sir, stop being so perfect and charming. dude honestly message me :)

Hate i don’t think you have a soul.. is that good or bad Ur ugly af im aware thanks I really dont know a lot about you but from what i see you are a complete loser. yeah i am

#butherface #oh and no butt #leave Gives the names of the hottest girls/boys at M-A i dont answer questions like that cuz feelings get hurt

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by Kristen Walsh

A&E

Rate my

TEACHERS

by Liz Sommer TEACHERS

REVIEWS

.COM

HIGH SCHOOLS

by Liz Sommer

COLLEGES

MORE

Rate My Teachers Now: Teacher

School Name

Location Helpfulness

Sign Up How to Rate

Easiness Clarity

Ever wanted to give your teacher a grade? Are your friends bored of hearing your endless complaints about your 4th period teacher? Do you have some beef with a member of the M-A staff? Looking for a place on the web where you can anonymously type random letters and numbers (grhjkw atyr7iwerhdsuy tewq3y734ygerhbfdj)?

Ratemyteachers.com may be the place for you.

At M-A, where we can choose our classes but not our teachers, ratemyteachers.com provides a forum in which students can grade their teachers on a 100 point scale based on their easiness, helpfulness, and clarity. M-A students and even several (disgruntled) parents have evaluated dozens of past and present M-A teachers and administrators, giving scores reflective of their experiences, or maybe just their latest mood swing.

The feedback on the M-A page of ratemyteachers.com includes the good, the bad, the bizarre, and the horribly mispelled.

On the site, students rave, “my fav teacher,” “he So sick,” and “[I] didnt learn anything. FUNNY AND AMAZING WOMAN THOUGH!!!!”

More negative reviews include “reminds me of Dolores Umbrage, but not as nice,” and “She obveously hates children.”

However, the true beauty of ratemyteachers.com lies in reviews with absolutely no basis on reality or coherence, such as: “she is not allowed to hold knives at home,” “awesmoe.....peoj[ek e[ke [pke]pke]pel]eke]keek[ekekp,” and “he is an awsome and funny teacher..wow .....lalalalala LALALALALALALlalajmringieqakgbweuoi G;.U4WEABGFW;EI OUGB.” Some students were able to pinpoint teachers’ unique characters and teaching methods, writing that they “make a lot of bad jokes that helps you remember everything,” and ”he is the guy you wish was your uncle.” (sic).

Unfortunately, if you are using the site to find helpful, insightful, or even just coherent reviews, ratemyteachers.com will provide you with very little useful information. However, in this sea of confusing typos, grammatical errors, and often complete lack of punctuation, some M-A reviewers were able to provide some honest, and only slightly irrelevant advice for present and future students. Students wrote “he doesn’t care if you swear” and “she is really pretty which is slightly distracting.” Others sagely provided wisdom such as “he’s not afraid to tell you that you’ve totally BSed,” “this class is fun, if you are an English Wizz,” and, “don’t ask him to play chess- he will beat you hard.”

Hopefully, the quality and coherence of these reviews is an inaccurate representation of the writing and grammatical skills our M-A teachers have taught us. Ratemyteachers.com can be more than an outlet for students to roast their teachers; it can be a place for us to reflect on our classes and for us to give future students tips on what to expect from certain teachers. Sadly, it will likely remain a place for us to vent our frustration, to make spielling errors and to fjhsdjk/@ghrwoit4?4wt8[w9eyo shid#knck;SCM!88tarwth…

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October 2013 COLUMN

FORGOT ABOUT THE WHOLE “COLLEGE” THING...

by Amir Heidari

S

itting in your 5th period final class, during the last of day school, you may think that high school is basically over since in a mere few minutes junior year will end.

All those tough moments during AP testing, SAT/ACT testing, Subject Test testing and now finally second semester finals are behind you. The bell rings; junior year is finally over! A couple of hours after school has ended, you log onto Infinite Campus for one last time and you see that you didn’t at least fail that physics final and that all your classes’ grades are now highlighted in green, indicating that they are finalized. More importantly, you’re delighted to see that none of your grades went down after your finals, and you enter summer happily.

Over the summer, you are reminded of the whole “college” thing again.

You start to think of creating a college list.

Feeling confident after getting 5s and 4s on your AP’s, and a successful set of second semester grades, you think to your self that the only barrier between you and an Ivy is the application. However, as you start to look at your college’s median SAT score and acceptance rate, that wave of pride is completely destroyed. Now for the first time in your life you think, “Wow, I am not such a hot-shot after all.” You see that you’re even barley in your dream schools SAT range, or maybe not even in it. But, you think to yourself that a hundred more points or your SAT and your good to go. You tell yourself that you’ll study all the summer for the October test. After reassuring yourself that you’re good to go, you forget about colleges for the rest of the summer.

During the first weeks of school, you suddenly start to think of colleges again. As you hear about how your classmates have all ready written their Common App personal statement, you start to get worried. Then you remember that you were going to study for the SAT over the summer, but didn’t. Your sense of panic is exacerbated when you realize that you actually have to do well in your classes first semester. Why am I taking

AP Spanish again? To make yourself feel better, when you get home that day, you go on the Common App website and start your profile. As you start adding colleges to your list, you begin to see the ridiculous number of essays you have to write. But, you see yourself as a pretty good writer so you think that the essays will be easy. As you finish adding colleges to your list, you start reading the essay questions and are left in shock. At first sight, you have no idea of how to answer the very personal and detailed question that the colleges are asking. But after a couple of hours, you have finally written your fi rst draft.

However, you’re shocked that the college has only allotted you 150 words; you have 600. How do they expect you to summarize one of your “life changing experiences” in just 150 words?

You move to another essay prompt and are shocked at how strange some questions are. For example, The University of Chicago prompt asks you to compare apples to oranges. How does that even show deeper side of you? You move to another college’s essay. But you see it’s not just one essay- it’s five. Why would they want five essays? Furthermore, they ask you what distinguishes that college from other colleges your applying to. The only problem is that this school is a back-up school, practically your last choice. Distraught, you suddenly think that you should start the Georgetown essay. Psych, they have their own application along with four supplemental essays. Come on Bulldogs, you’re killing me.

Accepting defeat, having been over run by the shear number of essays you have to write, you decide to start your homework. Except that it’s midnight and you have a Calc test tomorrow that you have to study for, along with hours of other homework assignments that you think you’ll never finish- a perfect allegory for the college application process.

How do they expect you to summarize one of your “life changing experiences” in just 150 words?

38

P.S.: Those teacher recommendation packets were like due in July...

COLUMN

T

oday is finally the day. Tears, hugs, and overly-emotional goodbyes are dealt out, and to be honest, I couldn’t help but feel sad myself. Sixteen years of memories all rushed through my mind as I watched my older brother leave for college. First ensued the overwhelming sense of emptiness and relentless crying of my parents, which lasted for roughly a week. Then, for the next couple of days, an eerie quietness consumed the house. However, eventually it settled in that Ethan really was gone, and we would have to carry on with our lives. Unbeknownst to me, my brother’s absence would emerge to be the least of my newfound issues.

All of the sudden, my freedoms and liberties became squashed faster than you can say North Korea. It was 11:04 on the first Saturday of the school year, and I strolled through the garage, returning from a night out on the town. I walk into the living room to find my father and mother staring intently at me, with disapproving eyes. My mom sternly asked, “Where were you Gabe? You missed curfew.” I shrug off her comment and head to the kitchen for a snack, while saying that I was just at a friend’s house. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, Gabriel. I said, you missed curfew. What were you doing that made you late?” I stumbled back into the living room and

by Gabe Cohen said, “I literally just sat around all night, but I had to drop someone off on the way home and it was kind of out of the way.” My dad patrols me with eyes and announces that I smell like weed. “Dad, no I don’t. I don’t smoke,” I reply, clearly frustrated. My defense went on to be ignored, and my parents instead determined that my night was filled with drugs, alcohol and partying, and to top it all off, that I had driven home under the influence.

Sounds reasonable, right?

As I would learn, when your older sibling leaves for college, and you become an only child at home, everything begins to change. That rough 11 to 11:15 curfew that you had grown to love, now becomes 10:59. An A- on a homework assignment is now worthy of a full-on dinner discussion as to why your grades are falling, and where your motivation for school has gone. Also, be prepared for a thorough interrogation in regards to your alcohol and drug consumption. But at least that makes sense, because in the month since my brother left, the appeal of heroin has really been growing on me.

But why does this happen? What has triggered this Soviet-style authoritarianism in my normally semi-mellow parents? It’s not as if my brother got into an absurd amount of shenanigans during high school that drew attention away from me. What this must boil down to is an attempt by parents to grab hold of their last few years of direct control over us.

From my perspective, as I speak for all younger siblings out there, this is garbage. Why do we have to be penalized for things that genuinely do not merit discipline? I swear to God if my mom continues to ask me how I plan on studying for my APUSH quiz every fifteen minutes, as if I had planned on just winging it day of, or if my dad explains again how “Marijuana these days is much stronger then it was when [he] was a kid,” and how it can no longer be used recreationally, I’ll lose it. However, if this is truly what our parents need in order to cope, then maybe we should just sit back and absently tolerate it. After all, there is no way that this could last all the way until I leave for college…right?

ALL BY MYSELF

PARKING MAYHEM

W

by Megan Kilduff

aking up that foggy Friday morning, I had a smile on my face. I was sixteen years old and had been licensed an entire fourteen hours; the world was mine.

It was finally my day: my turn to pull my parents’ car into the M-A parking lot for the first time alone, to be accountable for getting myself to school, to pay forty dollars for less than a semester’s worth of parking, to finally grow into a liberated and responsible adult.

So, at 8:20, I walked out my front door, unlocked my car, buckled up, and started the engine. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for my first step, or drive, into adulthood. I paused for extraordinarily length of time at each stop sign, turned cautiously, and patiently waited my place at each light, as any mature and responsible adult would.

Some ten or twelve minutes later, I rolled into the senior lot in my parents’ beaten 2000 Toyota Camry like royalty. I lowered my windows and blasted a scratched mix-CD I’d found under the passenger seat to announce my arrival. I found a spot close to the front and parked. And re-parked, and parked again, until my car was reasonably distanced between the sidelines of the parking spot next to the one I had initially aimed for. I got out, headed toward class, realized I’d foolishly forgotten to lock my car, and turned back. When I left my car for the second time, a senior who’d parked next to me gave me the nod, and instantly I was uplifted. I was one of them, part of the in-crowd; I was a student driver.

The day went on and the sky cleared up, and all the while I could hear my keys jangling in my backpack with every step, ringing as a reminder of the newfound maturity and freedom I now possessed as a licensee. As the final bell rang, I strutted out to the parking lot with some friends, eager to head out into a weekend of open road and youthful independence. At 3:21, I started the engine and turned to pull my car out.

But I could not back out. Cars had already filed up behind mine in dozens, waiting their turn to make for the lot’s main gates. My path was crossed and blocked, so I waited, assuming the line would die down soon enough. Two and half songs, several texts, and a couple Snapchats later, no end to the line of cars was in sight. I realized that I my approach to the situation had been entirely flawed, that to be able to leave the parking lot I would have to assert my dominance as a driver. I was mature and licensed, too, and today was my day; the other dr had nothing on me. Maneuvering through misplaced islands, turning into spots far too narrow for teenage drivers, illegally parking in teacher spots when the lot filled up, affirming authority over other cars, and getting cut off by sophomores were all to be part of my new, adult life; they were something I shared now with my licensed peers.

And so I pushed through. I backed out shamelessly and continued on my way, unsympathetically edging past other cars wherever necessary. But I still found myself waiting in the perpetual stop and occasional start of the M-A parking lot for what seemed like hours. At 3:47, after enough time had past for me to finish my math homework and study for an APUSH terms quiz, I finally exited those famous gates onto 39 Ringwood and drove into freedom.

October 2013 submissions

40

Photography Untitled Lauren Nathan, 12th

submissions

Photography Santorini Kate Rumann, 1tth

Photography Untitled Gabby de Saint Andrieu, 10th

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October 2013 sports

S T R O SP

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Photography Untitled Michael Mainiero, 11th

REAL RIVALS

sports

by Alex Argente

Photography Untitled Connor Woods, 11th

A

s many school teams begin to play games against other Sequoia District schools, a feeling of pride manifests itself in players and students alike. Ever since Menlo-Atherton was established in 1951, the student body has united against several other schools in a number of sports rivalries. While school rivalries can lead to excessive aggression, they also help to build school pride and unity.

When an M-A student hears the phrase “school rivalry,” some of the first schools that pop into their head are Woodside, Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep. But what is it about schools such as SHP that gets everybody so riled up for a sports game? After a discussion with our very own Sports Director, Mr. Kryger, there are several main causes for high school rivalries. The most popular of school rivalries and arguably the most exciting are between two teams with equal skill levels. Teams such as these often have experienced an upset the previous year or simply a close game. Possibly the most prominent reason for a high school sports rivalry is the location of the two schools. It is often articulated that the reason SHP and Menlo-Atherton are such close rivals is because we are just half-way across town from one another. In addition, many students just want to stick it to their friends from middle school who now play on the rivaling team.

An undeniable characteristic of rival sports games is that they are often much more exciting and hardly-fought. This is largely due to the huge crowds that often show up to these games in anticipation of the rival game. These games are much more important to the players and at times the coaches due to personal ties within the teams. While most games are played respectfully, many can turn ugly when frustration turns into dirty play. Luckily, M-A puts a huge stress on sportsmanship and most, if not all, games in a given season can be played with respect and admiration for the opposing team. As more and more people flock to these popular rivalry games, the ultimate goal remains to defeat the other team and win bragging rights. School sports rivalries are beneficial to the school as it develops school pride and incentive to win.

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October 2013 sports

THe Rise of

SPORTS CLUBS

I

44

f there is one thing that can pump up the crowd and ignite a team’s confidence, it is a cheering section.

Menlo-Atherton’s sports teams have experienced a dramatic increase of fans at their games. Now, instead of having a few select cheering clubs, there are many for various sports. You have the traditional 6th Man Club for basketball, the new 12th Man Club for football, and the ever-growing 7th Woman Club for volleyball. I was curious why the presidents of these sports clubs started these clubs and if it actually helps these sports teams win games.

This year’s leader of the 7th Woman Club, Josh Weiner, has been a part of this uprising club since freshman year, when his brother founded the group.

The last few years, the 7th Woman Club has been lacking attendance, so Weiner is trying to make this club reenergize.

“This year I realized the 7th Woman was the highlight of my high school career and something I had been missing out on for a few years, so Aditya Sinha and

I decided we would revamp the club, and we have had a ton of success”, Weiner says. He believes that the crowd contributes to the girls’ energy on the court; “Obviously we are not coaches, so we aren’t helping the players with technique or fundamentals, but I think the main thing we contribute is energy.”

Meanwhile, also on the court is M-A’s classic 6th Man Club, which is entering its 10th consecutive year.

President Grant Johnson is a legacy in this club following his two brother’s footsteps. “Becoming the 6th Man president this year was a huge honor.

Not only is this club filled with tradition, but I’m following in the footsteps of my brothers who were also presidents. It’s also really cool that I’m the president for the 10th anniversary,” Johnson explains.

He believes that the club energizes the team, and their main purpose is the support the team. Grant also added, “Last year we only lost one Friday home game and I think that a lot of the team’s success can be attributed to us. The

best part of being a leader is when the players on the team tell me how much they appreciate us going and cheering, it is nice to have confirmation that what we’re doing is helpful.”

Lastly, on Coach Parks field there is the 12th Man Club for the football team, led by president Jordan Long. Long started this club because he has many friends on the team, and wants them to finish strong their last year. “I asked my friends on the team and they said they would love the support, I did it for my boys on the team like Big G (Grant Henninger) and Ice (Isaiah Nash),” Long claims. He believes that the team’s recent success can be partially attributed to the 12th Man cheering section; “I believe it helps the team with support because having an organized fan group really makes a big difference” Jordan stated. Hopefully, with the recent increase in students at games, the Menlo-Atherton sports teams can have the most legendary seasons in M-A history.

by Brett Moriarty

sports

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Varsity football has also had an extremely successful he dominance of Menlo-Atherton sports has been a very consistent reccurrence for the past few years, especially few years, making it to the CCS playoffs the past four years. when it comes to league play. As this is the fall edition, it Despite playing in the PAL Bay, an A ranked division, one of is only fair that the sports discussed be fall sports. These are the most prestigious divisions in the CCS, the varsity team arguably, some of the most dominating sports the high school has managed to go a rugged, well-earned thirteen win, seven loss over the past four years in the Bay division. In fact, under has, with a fantastic track record to prove it.

We begin with the Girls Varsity Volleyball team, head coach Sione Tau’foou, The Bears have always had great which has had one of the most successful track records in success in league, have made the CCS playoffs every year, and school history. In fact, since 2009, the Lady Bears have have even made it to the CCS Division I championship game, had a staggering record of sixty-five wins and five losses in where they nearly overcame West Catholic Athletic League league, winning out right each of the past two years as well giant, Juniperro Serra High School. Brian Jaggers, a third-year starter for the Bears’ resilient defense and team captain as going undefeated during those seasons. Pauli King for the past two years, discussed what it meant to is a senior on the team, and a four year varsity make it so far and do so well in that inspiring starter. When asked about the success the 2011 finalist season. “The fact that everyone team has had, King had this to say; “We was so close was what really allowed the have a very strong talent base, as well team to do so well,” says Jaggers, “It as excellent coaching that had allowed wasn’t just eleven guys out there playing our team to excel during my time a game. It was the heart and mind of at the school.” Excelling would be all forty-something guys on the team an understatement for the Lady playing for each other, as a unit.”

Bears. Over the last four years, When asked about the football the volleyball team has racked team’s success, Brian reciprocated up two league championships, King’s earlier sentiments. “The coaches four playoff appearances, two CCS have been fantastic, breaking down each championships, and two state finals team to find their best weaknesses, and appearances. King also cites the

by Matt Detrempe keeping us disciplined and teaching us “tough preseason games preparing the how to exploit them has allowed the squad team for league play” as a very helpful. to excel. We have also had a large talent pool The future of the volleyball team to help us get to where we are today.” When asked is also of great concern, as the team and to elaborate on those beliefs, the stalwart, “meatsack” school would love to watch the squad continue of a linebacker followed up stating, “The coaches have had to dominate the competition. King apparently doesn’t figure this to be a problem. “I believe the team will continue to 100% faith in us every week. Sione [Tau’foo] has always been do great things over the next four years as it has in the past,” one of us at heart, no matter how angry he might get. The she says, “Just this year we managed to create a freshman same goes with Adhir Ravipati, the offensive coordinator. They team, and even held cuts for it. There is also a swarm of talent schedule a hard non-league schedule for us in order to prepare in the sophmore class, and I have heard that the 8th grade the team for the competition of the league games.”

Both teams have had large margins of success in class even has some very good players.” The volleyball team has been on the rise, and thanks to Pauli’s testimony and the the past four years, displaying just how good the high school teams statistics, it appears as though the volleyball team is has become recently. The dominance of Menlo-Atherton High going to be at the top of the Bay Area squads for quite some School’s fall teams has never been more obvious and it doesn’t 45 look like its going away anytime soon. time.

Ain’t No Squad like an M-A Squad

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