Palo Alto Weekly 11.18.2011 - Section 1

www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Inside:

2011 Holiday Guide How we’re depriving teens of a sense of purpose page 33

Inside: Palo Alto Adult School winter class guide

Spectrum 14 Movies 21 Eating Out 23 Holidays 48 Puzzles 69 N News More clashes over high-speed rail

Page 3

N Arts Rhapsodizing over viola memories

Page 18

N Sports Axe at stake in 114th Big Game

Page 26

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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Critics and advocates clash over high-speed rail Palo Alto rail hearing draws hundreds

by Gennady Sheyner

S

upporters and foes of California’s proposed high-speed rail system faced off Tuesday in Palo Alto over a $98.5 billion question: Is the voter-approved project a desperately needed job engine or

an out-of-control boondoggle that needs to be stopped?

Both sides came out in full force to hear top officials from the California High-Speed Rail Authority, legislative analysts and leading rail

advocates and critics testify about the authority’s latest plans for the rail line. More than 200 people, including dozens of union workers and community activists, crammed into the Council Chambers for the afternoon hearing, filling every bench and foldout chair and spreading out against the chambers wall.

The hearing centered on the rail

authority’s newly released business plan, a document that showed the rail system’s price tag spike from an initial estimate of about $33 billion in 2008 to $98.5 billion. The document attributes the tripled cost to new design elements such as tunnels and aerial viaducts, inflation adjustments and an increase in development over the past decade,

which made purchases of land more expensive.

The plan, while generally seen as an improvement over the rail authority’s 2009 effort, has prompted a fresh set of concerns from city officials, state legislators, rail watchdogs and nonpartisan analysts — all (continued on page 6)

NEIGHBORHOODS

Mysterious meat peddler in Palo Alto Door-to-door salesmen falsely claim other neighbors bought meat, residents said

by Sue Dremann

B

Triptych by Veronica Weber

Flutterings of fall Whoever said California lacks seasons must have missed Palo Alto’s fall foliage bursting in color this week, especially notable along Waverley and Ramona streets near downtown.

HOMELESS

Palo Alto softens stance on living in cars After considering ban on vehicle dwelling, city looks at less drastic options

by Gennady Sheyner

P

alo Alto officials are backing off their proposal to ban people from living in their vehicles and are now considering less stringent approaches, including designated lots for the homeless and no changes at all.

The city had considered in July a new ordinance that would ban vehicle dwelling and make repeated violations subject to a $1,000 fine and six months jail time. After hearing from concerned homeless advocates and church leaders, staff decided to delay discussions of the new ordinance and to work

with the community on alternative ideas.

The proposed ban was prompted by complaints from several neighborhoods, most notably College Terrace. Curtis Williams, the city’s planning director, said most of these complaints involve safety and sanitation issues.

Staff said most cities in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties already ban vehicle dwelling. Palo Alto’s proposed ordinance was modeled on those.

Over the past few months, however, staff and members of the

Community Cooperation Team, which includes advocates for the homeless, have developed new possible solutions, such as an ordinance similar to the one in Eugene, Ore., where certain churches, businesses and city facilities designate lots for vehicle dwelling.

The Palo Alto City Council’s Policy and Services Committee Tuesday, in its first discussion of the controversial issue, was sympathetic to the group’s idea. Though the committee didn’t vote, members agreed that the city should consider various alternatives to its earlier proposal for a full-on ban.

“We do have a quandary here — we have a mixture of objectives,” Councilman Pat Burt said. “We want to continue to be a safe community, and we want to continue to not just have compassion but to have programs that have people move out of difficult circumstances to the degree that we’re able.”

Burt called the Eugene model a positive one, particularly if commercial properties benefit from

their arrangement with the vehicle dwellers. Councilman Larry Klein also said he would like staff to further consider the Eugene model.

But he said another option on the table should be the “no action” alternative — doing nothing at all.

“Maybe we were better off before we started poking around with this problem,” Klein said.

Klein also had major reservations about allowing city facilities to be used as designated sites for vehicle dwellers. He said he would not support use of city facilities, arguing that this would create a significant bureaucratic process.

Councilwoman Karen Holman agreed with Klein that the solution should not involve city facilities.

She and Councilwoman Gail Price also advocated getting the city’s Human Relations Commission involved in this issue.

Williams said staff plans to hold more meetings with the community group over the next month (continued on page 8)

arron Park neighborhood residents have been puzzling over mysterious meat salesmen in blue trucks who have been knocking on their doors recently.

Mid-to-late last week, the salesmen from the company Prime Selection, Inc., claimed to have overstock to unload after selling the meats to neighbors whom they specified by name. But several residents said that when they checked, their neighbors hadn’t bought any.

Lynnie Melena, Barron Park Association president, said a salesperson stopped by her home.

“When we declined, they said they were actually wanting to give it away. We declined again, and they drove off,” she said.

Prime Selection offers beef, poultry, seafood, wild game and other meats and has offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose, according to its website.

Some residents said this was not their first encounter with door-todoor meat vendors. In the past few months salespeople have shown up in the Duveneck-St Francis and Old Palo Alto neighborhoods.

But high-pressure sales tactics, only one brochure, no business cards and the previously mentioned non-existent customers have residents leery, they said.

Francoise Lang said a salesman became upset last week after she told him her husband said she should not buy from them. He began to “argue” with her, demanding to know why, she said.

“It wasn’t a pleasant experience as I felt I couldn’t just say ‘no’ and had to justify myself,” Lang said.

A few years ago she experienced (continued on page 11)

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Upfront 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant, Special Sections Editor Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Kelsey Kienitz, Photo Intern Dale F. Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Yichuan Cao, David Ruiz, Editorial Interns DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Gary Vennarucci, Designer

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City/Zip: _______________________________ Mail to: Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610. Palo Alto CA 94302

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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SHOP LOCALLY ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Maybe we were better off before we started poking around with this problem. — Larry Klein, Palo Alto City Councilman, regarding a proposed ban on people living in cars. See story on page 3.

Around Town A BLOOMING CAMPUS ... Palo Alto cloud-computing giant VMWare made headlines earlier this year when it took over the massive Stanford Research Park campus formerly occupied by Roche — an acquisition that will allow the company to double its workforce and make it the largest employer in the city. This week, the company delighted the city’s Architectural Review Board with its ambitious proposal to create a “campus in the forest� atmosphere at the Hillview Avenue site. The property will feature various groves and pathways, along with a new central plaza, branded “Town Square,� featuring fountains, oaks and sycamores. “Visitors arrive and they know they arrived at the new VMWare,� said David Walker, the landscape architect for the project. The company, whose campus now makes up close to 3 million square feet, is thinking big. To accommodate the added workforce — which will boost its employee base to roughly 6,000 — it plans to build four new office buildings and three new parking garages, as well as two new “amenity buildings� featuring gyms and food services. The board didn’t vote on the project Thursday, but members had words of praise for the company’s plans, which will continue to evolve in the coming months before they go through the formal reviews. Board member Judith Wasserman called it “generally a quite wonderful and exciting project,� while her colleague Alex Lew called the company’s landscaping plans “stunning� and “really beautiful.� The board expects to begin its formal review of the project early next year.

A HOLIDAY TREAT ... Palo Alto shoppers will get a slight reprieve from the city’s parking laws this holiday season — an extra hour of free parking in the city’s garages. The city is extending the length of time drivers can park at all parking garages from three to four hours between now and Jan. 1, 2012. The idea is to support the city’s downtown economy during the hopefully busy shopping season, according to an announcement from the city. Visitors can also purchase all-day passes. “Extending the hours ... affords customers the opportunity to linger in downtown Palo Alto to enjoy the unique retail and hospitality experience,� Paul Wright, interim CEO of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, said. The new rules apply to all public downtown

garages — City Hall; Bryant Street and Lytton Avenue; Alma and High streets; Cowper and Webster streets; and Ramona Street and University Avenue. They do not apply to designated permit spaces and surface lots. Street parking in color zones will maintain the two-hour limit.

THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR ... The Palo Alto Children’s Theatre has much to celebrate these days.

This week, supporters of the theater announced that the facility received a National Big Read grant of $12,750, becoming the only children’s theater in the nation to get this grant. It will provide funds to engage teens in the novel “In the Time of the Butterflies�

by Julia Alvarez, said Sylvia Sanders, president of the Friends of the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre board of directors. The booster group also had a surprise for the City Council — an $80,000 check to commemorate the theater’s 80th anniversary.

GODDESS-SPEAK ... Tara VanDerveer, Stanford University head women’s basketball coach, received the 25th annual Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Athena Award Wednesday for excellence in her profession and for empowering other women.

She credited her mother with keeping her grounded. In August VanDerveer was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but she was characteristically humble as she received the Athena. “I’ve been called many things in my life, but never a goddess,� she joked.

BOOK PRIZE ... Palo Alto’s library system continues to evolve, but according to one industry publication, it is already one of the best in the nation. For the third straight year, the Library Journal ranked the Palo Alto City Library as one of America’s Star Libraries. The ratings are based on library visits, items checked out, attendance at library programs and public Internet use. Mayor Sid Espinosa said in a statement that he was proud — though not surprised — by the latest recognition. “We Palo Altans love our libraries, as evidenced by our citizen-financed library reconstructions, but even more importantly, this national recognition is a tribute to our incredible library staff and volunteers,� Espinosa said. “We have world-class libraries because of their hard work every day.� N

Upfront TECHNOLOGY

HOLIDAY FUND

Offering comfort in grief Kara’s counseling service supports locals who’ve lost loved ones

by Yichuan Cao

N

Kelsey Kienitz

Fred Mitchell, left, Justin Brock, Ryder Booth, Garrett Mitchell, Holmes Futrell and Colin Gilboy — all developers of the app “Notability” — get together at the Mitchells’ home in Palo Alto to work on improving their top-selling iPad app.

Locally developed app hits No. 1 on iPad best-seller list Milestone offers window into the universe of app developers around the world

A

Palo Alto company’s iPad app last week shot to the No. 1 spot on Apple’s list of “top paid apps.”

The youthful six-member development team celebrated by lighting candles, eating cake and blasting “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang.

The story behind the note-taking app Notability — combining Stanford University and University of California engineering talent and the efforts of several graduates of Gunn and Palo Alto high schools — offers a glimpse into the universe of thousands of app developers working in dorms, kitchens and home offices around the world.

Like several competing apps such as Notes Plus and AudioNote, Notability allows a user to record a presentation and simultaneously take notes. Later, the user can tap a piece of text in the notes and hear what was said at the same point in the lecture, or any audio recording.

“For students, doctors and coaches, among others, this feature will be highly useful,” wrote New York Times “App Smart” columnist Bob Tedeschi of Notability last week.

That small mention — plus the recent addition of a handwriting fea-

by Chris Kenrick ture to Notability — is what developers believe propelled them to the top of the charts last Friday (Nov. 11), where Notability remained as of the Weekly’s press time Thursday.

More than 140,000 apps have been developed for iPad users. Apple does not post the proportion of paid versus free apps.

“It was a great surprise to me,” said lead developer Colin Gilboy, who has worked on Notability, and a predecessor app for the hearing impaired, since earning a master’s in electrical engineering from Stanford several years ago.

“We try to do what we do, and people like it.”

The six full- and part-time members of the Notability team are physically scattered — from San Diego to Los Gatos to Palo Alto to San Francisco — and do much of their work through Skype video and chat.

Engineer Holmes Futrell met his colleagues in person for the first time just last week after working remotely for more than two years from San Diego, where he is a graduate student in computer science at the University of California.

Bay Area team members gather once or twice a week in the Palo Alto dining room of Fred Mitchell,

a former senior executive at Adobe Systems who in 2008 launched the app development company Ginger Labs. The company is named for the Mitchell family’s 13-year-old yellow Labrador retriever.

Using customer feedback — Mitchell gets about 100 e-mails a day — team members go round and round about how to improve the Notability product.

“We’re always thinking about the next app, but in the first week that we shipped the current version of Notability we heard from customers and tallied up the number of new features they requested — and it was over 100,” Mitchell said.

“So, as complete as it seems, users have lots of ideas, and we’re going to keep pressing on Notability and improving it.”

Mitchell estimates Notability will have 500,000 customers by the end of December.

Besides Gilboy, Futrell and Mitchell, the team’s members are graphic designer Ryder Booth, Mitchell’s son Garrett Mitchell, who focuses on the app’s “library” or organizational screen, and Justin Brock, who does marketing.

ot long after Carol Pugh moved back from San Diego to the Bay Area in 2008, a tragic event struck her family. Her husband was murdered by a coworker, leaving behind Pugh and their two young children. Faced with the sudden loss, Pugh, new to the area, was not sure what to do.

“I had no sense for the community yet. All of a sudden this happened to me, and I had no idea about how life should go on,” she said.

Her friends, concerned, referred her to Kara, a Palo Alto nonprofit grief-counseling organization serving the Bay Area. Since its founding in 1976, Kara has offered peer counseling, providing clients with emotional validation and support from trained volunteers.

After meeting and talking with people who had gone through similar experiences, Pugh said she learned what to anticipate in the process of grieving. She was able to gradually face the harsh facts and move forward.

“They let us, especially my 5-year-old and 3-year-old kids, know that we are not alone,” Pugh said of her Kara peers. “I have learned that I was not crazy at all and the whole process of walking through grief is all natural.”

This year, the agency received $5,000 from the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund to continue and expand its work.

One of the key aspects of Kara’s approach is the peer-counselor match. A first appointment is made when a counselor who shares a common experience or personality with the client is identified.

“Grief work is a very unique niche, and you have to find the right person that is extremely comfortable with an uncomfortable subject,” said Stephanie Demos, development director for Kara. “We know our volunteers so well. That’s why we are able to find the right match. Even if it’s not, both parties can say, ‘It’s not the match,’ and change.”

Kara’s office is located inside an old house on Kingsley Avenue, a cozy alternative to a sterile therapist’s office or hospital. According to Demos, everything in the Kara office is maintained to make people feel at home.

“It’s like going to grandma’s,” said Jonathan Frecceri, community outreach and education director for Kara.

Due to the complicated nature of human emotions, Demos said that what Kara does on a daily basis has always been very challenging.

“Grief is an individual fingerprint,” she said. “And the problem is that we are a culture that doesn’t acknowledge death very well. It’s always going to be a hurdle.”

Unfortunately, Demos said, the fast-paced corporate culture many people work in does not allow time for grief to be relieved, though she acknowledged people are sometimes better off busy.

Today, Kara has grown from a peer-counseling service to include a variety of programs such as end-oflife counseling, a youth and family program, Community Outreach and Education (CORE) and a grief-related therapy program, all tailored to meet different needs of clients.

Apart from grief-related therapy, all Kara services are free of charge.

Daily operations, including training volunteers, need support from the local community, staff said.

As a Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund recipient, Kara is now looking to expand its reach in surrounding communities, such as East Palo Alto.

“After the recent crash that killed a school girl, we were there working with the Ravenswood School District to counsel students,” Frecceri said.

“We found almost every kid there knows someone in his or her family who was shot or killed. There’s no reason that we should not help those on the other side of the freeway.”

Training volunteers, especially those who are bilingual, to achieve a greater network is also on Kara’s outreach agenda.

“I have not volunteered for Kara yet,” Pugh said. “But it is the thing I want to do in the future, to give back.” N Editorial Intern Yichuan Cao can be emailed at ycao@paweekly.com.

DONATE ONLINE

www.PaloAltoOnline.com The annual Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund drive has a goal of raising and giving away $250,000 to local nonprofits serving children and families. People may donate at www.

PaloAltoOnline.com/holidayfund. One hundred percent of donations go to the selected organizations, which will be chosen in April. The campaign runs through early January 2012.

(continued on page 10)

SHOP LOCALLY ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Support Your Community Shop Local on Small Business Saturday visit: www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday

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Upfront

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High-speed rail (continued from page 3)

of whom were represented Tuesday.

Farra Bracht, principal analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, said her office has several major concerns about the new business plan. Chief among them: Where will the money come from? “The funding available now would only complete the initial construction segment,� Bracht testified. “That leaves a lot of questions about where funding would come from to complete the rest of the project.�

Bracht also criticized the business plan as failing to analyze a number of possible impacts of the rail line, including jobs and economic activity that would be lost because of businesses that would have to be displaced by the new line and increased congestion near station locations.

William Kempton, who chairs a peer-review group that vets the rail authority’s reports, was more optimistic and called the plan “a reasonable approach to proceeding in a way that will allow high-speed rail to be implemented segmentally or incrementally into the future. “I think the plan does lay out a reasonable, logical sequencing approach and makes a very good case for segmented construction,� Kempton said.

But he voiced some concerns about the extension of the project’s completion from 2020 to 2033. He said his committee would continue to evaluate the rail authority’s revenue and ridership numbers, a subject of major dispute among transportation experts.

The rail authority is banking on getting most of the funding for the line from the federal government. The federal money would be matched by funds from the $9.95 billion bond state voters approved in 2008 for the project. The rail authority also is counting on local contributions and about $11 bil-

lion in private investments, which it anticipates receiving after the first segment is built. “What that initial operating segment would do is trigger the buildout of the rest of the high-speed-rail system both by establishing ridership and bringing in further investment to help build out further segments,� said Dan Richard, a newly appointed member of the authority’s board of directors.

Tuesday’s hearing was organized

by Assemblyman Rich Gordon, DMenlo Park, who chairs a budget subcommittee focused on transportation spending. Gordon was also one of three Midpeninsula lawmakers — along with state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto — to call for a blending of high-speed rail and Caltrain on the Peninsula, a proposal that the rail authority largely embraces in its new business plan.

The meeting was a rare public visit for top rail officials to a city that has gradually emerged as a leading critic of the rail project. The Palo Alto City Council, which in 2008 urged voters to support the bond measure, last year took a position of “no confidence� in the rail authority. On Monday night, the council began considering whether to urge legislators to either kill the project or bring it back to the voters. It opted for continued deliberations.

Michael Rossi, who along with Richard was recently appointed to the rail authority’s board of directors, defended the business plan and its finding that the rail system would operate under a profit. “The finances in the plan are documented; they are transparent; they are current; and they are public,� Rossi said. “We have a plan that justifies the statement that this is an operating-profit organization, and I’m pleased to have that discussion with anybody, anytime.�

Elizabeth Alexis, co-founder of the Palo Alto group Californians Advocating Responsible Rail De-

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING Of the City of Palo Alto Transportation Division

Public Meeting Notice California Avenue Transit Hub Corridor Streetscape Improvements Project Park Boulevard Plaza Design DATE: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 PM PLACE: Escondido School 890 Escondido Road, Multi-Purpose Room This public meeting will be an opportunity for the community to provide input on preferences for the design of the Park Boulevard Plaza including landscape treatments, outdoor seating areas, streetscape furniture and bicycle parking facilities.

For further information contact: transportation@cityofpaloalto.org or call (650) 329-2442.

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sign, said the new business plan is an improvement of the previous version but called the new document a “very risky plan.� Alexis, whose group was the first to point out flaws in the rail authority’s ridership methodology, urged the agency to take its time and to come up with a more realistic ridership model. “You need another year to gather data; you need another ridership model,� Alexis told the rail officials.

Jessica Zenk, transportation policy director for the Silicon Valley Leadership Council, said her group is now reconsidering its earlier support for the project because of all the recent changes.

But Rail Authority CEO Roelof van Ark said the new business plan is based on fair, reasonable and conservative assumptions. He also defended the rail authority’s decision to build its first segment in the Central Valley, between north of Fresno and north of Bakersfield. The decision had led some state legislators and U.S. Congress members to dub the proposed system a “train to nowhere.� “This is the way the experts in the rest of the world have implemented the high-speed rail systems in other countries,� van Ark said, referring to the agency’s decision to start construction at the center of the line.

Labor leaders remained steadfast in their support for the project, which the rail authority estimates will create 100,000 jobs during construction. Union workers rallied outside City Hall just before the meeting, holding signs in support of the project.

Cesar Diaz, legislative director for State Building and Construction Trades, said the rail project is exactly what the state needs at a time when so many construction workers, electricians and other tradesmen are out of a job. Some parts of Central Valley, he said, are seeing the unemployment rate for those in the construction industry rise above 45 percent. “We need high-speed rail. We need more efficient transportation, a cleaner environment and less dependence on foreign oil,� Diaz said. “Most of all, we need jobs,� he concluded, earning an ovation from the union workers in the crowd.

While most proponents focused on job creation and improved transportation, critics burrowed in on the details. Some said the rail authority’s latest proposal does not comply with the requirements of the 2008 bond measure, which specifies that bond funds could only be spent on a “usable segment� between two stations. The authority’s initial construction segment will not meet that objective, said David Schonbrunn, president of the Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund, one of the nonprofit groups participating in the suit against the rail authority. “The emperor still has no clothes,�

Schonbrunn said. “They’re clearly hoping that politicians will overlook the project’s inconsistencies with Proposition 1A in their eagerness to do something to create jobs. “We hope you won’t succumb to this pressure.� N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Upfront EDUCATION

Eeensy weensy preschools Tiny schools provide no small amount of nurturing, growth for tots, parents say

by Elizabeth Lorenz

J

for their kids — and to those uncomfortable with sending their children to kindergarten before they are ready, a growing trend.

Stephanie Agnew, parent education coordinator at Parents Place in Palo Alto and San Mateo, expects the demand for alternative programs for younger 5-year-olds will increase as the required birth date for kindergarten entry gets later.

Therefore, she said, the need for these smaller preschool programs will likely increase.

Many parents see larger schools as attractive because they have more resources. While those benefits help some children, Agnew said, a shy, slower-to-warm child can increase in confidence at a smaller school.

“The biggest advantage is that the children get individual attention, and it’s less over-stimulating,” she said.

Debbie Baker, a former kindergarten teacher, started her small preschool — Circle of Friends on Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park — to meet children’s developmental needs and to keep her in the classroom.

“Could it grow beyond this? Yes, but then I’d be sitting in an office,” Baker said, while showing a visitor her cheerful classroom with a painted sky and skylights on the ceiling. “It would be hard to keep (my) philosophy going in more than one classroom. This way, I can live the dream.”

Baker tore down her old detached garage, received a license to run a home day care program from the state of California, and built a light, airy and compact preschool classroom where the garage used to be.

Behind tall, double wooden gates, the school is invisible from the street and there is no sign.

In less than 1,000 square feet, there is a rug area for miniature building projects, and a dress-up area tucked under a set of stairs leads to a cozy

Kelsey Kientiz

ust before 10 on most weekday mornings, a handful of young children swing or slide at Johnson Park on Hawthorne Avenue in Palo Alto.

Then out of nowhere, a dozen small tots — like ducklings behind their mother — trot into the park.

It’s clear they are from some sort of preschool, but it’s not obvious where, since there are no advertised ones nearby.

In fact, the school, known as Periwinkle, is in a deep brown Craftsman house on Byron Street four blocks away. There is no official sign out front saying that it’s a school, only telltale signs, like an easel, bright colors and a whiteboard on the porch with a schedule.

Founder PJ Lents said the main advantage of her 12-child school is the ability to spend more time on activities. Formerly a kindergarten teacher who taught classes of 20, Lents is now able to split her class of 12 and have one half work with one teacher and one with another.

“We make faster progress, which allows us to have really rich learning opportunities,” she said.

Started by a group of Bing Nursery School parents in 2005, Periwinkle focuses on “young 5s” — children whose birthdays place them at the younger end of their peer group.

Lents and her family live in the upstairs part of the house.

More expensive than traditional preschools, several other “pocket” preschools, with enrollments under 15 children, have popped up in the Menlo Park-Palo Alto area. Most do not advertise, only one has a website, and tracking down a phone number or email address may involve a chance post on the ratings site Yelp.com. Yet these schools have no trouble filling up, as word of mouth among parents creates long waiting lists.

They seem to appeal to people looking for something tailor-made

Children draw in the cheery classroom at Circle of Friends Preschool on Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park. The school, with room for 12 children, is run by a former kindergarten teacher. loft book nook. Art project and puzzle areas await little hands, and the flexible space allows children to move from activity to activity. Two adults oversee 12 children. Some children come daily while others only attend two days a week.

Circle of Friends enrolls 3- and 4-year-olds in a class together for very specific reasons.

The mixed age group “allows the children to mentor each other,” Baker said. “When younger children learn skills, they usually do it imitating older children or adults. The older child scaffolds the younger child’s skills.”

The smaller class size allows for a slightly quieter room and provides an opportunity for children to learn

problem solving. Baker is able to hear nearly everything going on in the room and can intervene immediately.

Baker’s school is far from a simple home day care program, she said. She has stringent standards for herself and the other teachers. She also conducts twice-yearly developmental assessments of each child to track their progress.

Baker said another advantage of the diminutive size of her school is she gets to know families intimately and often enrolls a succession of siblings from the same family.

Avery Olesen, who teaches part time at Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto, sent all four of her daughters to Circle of Friends.

“The smaller size, at this age, enables each child to have a voice,” Olesen said. “The teachers really seem to know each child well and work to develop their strengths and support their learning needs.”

Olesen’s youngest daughter just started kindergarten this fall.

“My girls all did fine socially and academically. They seemed to adjust well to kindergarten. They have a healthy appreciation for learning and seem very inquisitive,” she said.

That innate curiosity is also fostered at another small preschool, aptly named Our School.

Located in the Willows neighborhood in Menlo Park, it is well known among both Willows and Suburban Park parents, but nearly unheard of in west Menlo Park. The school has no website, is unlisted in the telephone book, and one nearly has to stumble across a telephone number or email address to find it.

Willows parent Jodi Robbins, on the other hand, had no trouble finding Our School and put her child on the waiting list at 18 months.

Robbins also enthuses about the school’s way of teaching through experience. Most afternoons, the children are taken on an outing to get popsicles, hear a symphony, or go to a local bagel shop where each child is encouraged to order his or her own.

“Regular preschools don’t focus on the things that her preschool does,” Robbins said. And kindergarten teachers can tell, she said. Her daughter’s teacher said she can recognize those who’ve gone to Our School because they can hold their attention better and they form tight social bonds with fellow preschoolers that carry over to elementary school.

A Suburban Park mother said she chose Our School for her second daughter knowing that, with a fall birthday, she’d be starting kindergarten at almost 6.

The school, said this mother, who is a former third-grade teacher, is “experience rich.”

The children learn about spiders, look for spider webs, or talk about chameleons and blow toy whistles to practice making chameleon calls.

Her daughter, she said, “skips” to school every day.

“It gets her out of bed and she’s thrilled.” N Freelance writer Elizabeth Lorenz can be emailed at elizabeth_lorenz@yahoo.com.

EDUCATION

Principals present anti-bullying efforts ‘Social kindness’ programs among many discussed in yearly presentation

by Chris Kenrick

“S

ocial kindness” and “student connectedness” are oft-heard phrases among Palo Alto school administrators this fall.

In a recent presentation to the Board of Education, Palo Alto’s three middle-school principals enumerated efforts to address bullying on their campuses, a particular challenge in the pre-teen years. The

discussion was part of the annual “Single Plan for Student Achievement” presentation mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “We’re working very hard to improve student connectedness and reduce bullying,” Terman Middle School Principal Katherine Baker said.

Baker said the school has a “so-

cial kindness” program aimed at teaching empathy and inclusion, in which each grade level focuses on a different area.

For sixth-graders, it’s Tiger Camp, a middle-school orientation program involving community-building activities.

In seventh grade, students get anti-bullying curriculum connected to the content of a class. For exam-

ple, students write “I poems,” with a focus on what they stand for and believe in.

The emphasis for eighth-graders is on leadership and teaching students how they can be role models and “upstanders” for others who might be bullied or need help. About 45 members of the class volunteer to become leaders in this regard.

In other activities, Terman makes

an effort to mix students in various activities, pairing new students with eighth-graders or having eighthgraders play board games with sixth-graders, for example.

“If we have a bullying incident, we’ll have a lesson on that,” Baker said. “If there’s cyberbullying, we’ll develop a lesson on cyberbullying.” (continued on page 12)

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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a public meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, November 30, 2011 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items.

Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date.

Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday.

NEW BUSINESS. Study Session: 1.

1875 Embarcadero Road (Palo Alto Golf Course): Request by City of Palo Alto Community Services Department for Study Session review of the conceptual designs to reconfigure portions of the Palo Alto Golf Course and related Golf Course Master Plan

Other: 2.

SB375 Update: Update regarding the status of review and responses to Alternative Scenarios and the One Bay Area Grant Program.

Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2441. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26.

ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities.

To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org.

*** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment

Upfront

Living in cars (continued from page 3)

and a half and then hold a public hearing before returning to the council in February with specific proposals.

“There has been a very positive approach on everyone’s part to try to work together, try to come up with, first, some direction for an approach to provide an alternative,” Williams said of the community group. “Then, if we need to regulate, how do we do that in

CHRISTMAS TREES &WREATHS Nativity School will be selling Christmas Trees & Wreaths beginning Friday, November 25th and ending on Saturday, December 17th.

This is a fundraiser for Nativity School.

HOURS – Closed Mondays Opening day has extended hours from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday .....................4:00 Friday ......................................4:00 Saturday ..................................9:00 Sunday ....................................9:00

p.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. -

8:00 9:00 9:00 5:00

NATIVITY SCHOOL

Corner of Oak Grove & Laurel, Menlo Park For information go to www.nativitytrees.com Fire-Proofing and Delivery Service are available THIS SPACE IS DONATED AS A COMMUNITY SERVICE BY THE PALO ALTO WEEKLY

Page 8ÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ

p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

a way that does not criminalize those who aren’t causing a problem?”

Williams said Palo Alto’s homeless residents are homeless for many different reasons. Some suffer from mental problems, while others are victims of the nation’s economic slump.

“There are certainly those that we heard from who a few years ago had jobs and homes, and this wasn’t an issue. And now they lost their jobs, and they’re in financial straits,” Williams said.

“There are others who find that while they’re homeless, living in a vehicle is a more secure environment for them than living out of the vehicle.”

Fred Smith spoke to the committee Tuesday, saying he was forced to live in an RV after he lost his job as a software engineer. Smith said he’s now living off Social Security payments and looking for work. So far, however, he’s had no luck in finding any.

“This is the only place I have to live,” Smith said. “It’s like I’m being punished for being out of work and trying to survive.”

Complaints about vehicle dwellers making a mess are exaggerations, Smith said.

“I don’t enjoy living in a vehicle.

I want to get out of this as soon as I can,” he added. “Please do something that doesn’t hurt us.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Still by Your Side

We are pleased to announce Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital have reached new health insurance provider agreements with Anthem Blue Cross. The contracts are retroactive to September 1, 2011. We wish to thank our patients during this period of negotiation. We are still by your side to take care of you and your family.

To ensure easy access to a Stanford Primary Care Physician or Specialist, or if you have any questions about Anthem Blue Cross, please call us at 1.877.519.6099 (toll-free) 650.736.5998 (local).

For information about Packard Children’s physicians and services, please call 1.800.308.3285.

*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 9

Upfront

CityView

Held at The Santa Clara Convention Center Hours: Fri & Sat 10-7 pm and Sun 10-3 pm

November 18-20, 2011

FREE Kids Treasure Hunt Sat 11-2pm

A round-up of

OVER 500 OF THE NATIONS TOP DEALERS IN COINS, STAMPS, PAPER MONEY, POSTCARDS,JEWELRY, EXONUMIA, MEDALS, TOKENS, CASINO CHIPS, GOLD NUGGETS, BULLION, COIN & STAMP SUPPLIES, collectibles & more.

Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Nov. 14)

Gas lines: The council heard a presentation from PG&E officials about the company’s plans to test, upgrade and replace sections of gas mains running through Palo Alto. Action: None Rail principles: The council directed its Rail Committee to consider adopting as the city’s official stance a position of opposing high-speed rail, asking legislators to either halt the project or send it back to the state voters. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd, Yeh No: Klein

$6 Admission For all 3 Days For More Info Call (805)962-9939 or Visit us on the Web at www.SantaClaraExpo.com

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Council Finance Committee (Nov. 15)

Affordable daytime care for your aging parents

PaloAltoGreen: The committee recommended creating a new feed-in tariff program for energy generation and recommended getting local businesses involved in the program. The committee also recommended changing the program’s name to PaloAltoClean. Yes: Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Abstained: Yeh Electricity: The committee discussed the status of the city’s effort to place the city’s overhead electric lines underground and directed staff to return to the committee with options for the conversion. Yes: Unanimous Fiber: The committee discussed the city’s plans for a citywide ultra-high-speed broadband system. Action: None

Council Policy & Services Committee (Nov. 15) Vehicle dwellers: The committee discussed a proposal to prohibit vehicle dwelling and voiced support for considering an ordinance similar to the one in Eugene, Ore. Action: None Magical Bridge: The committee heard an update on the Magical Bridge Playground, a proposal to build a universally accessible playground at Mitchell Park. Action: None

Historic Resources Board (Nov. 16)

Main Library: The board discussed a proposal by the Public Works Department to make modifications to improve circulation between the Main Library, the Palo Alto Art Center and the community gardens facility. Action: None

s 3AFE ENVIRONMENT s )NTERESTING ACTIVITIES s 3OCIALIZING s 4HERAPIES s .UTRITIOUS LUNCHES

Council Rail Committee (Nov. 16)

Lobbyists: The committee voted to reopen the request-for-proposals process for a Sacramento lobbyist and to reconsider the pool of applicants in December. Yes: Burt, Price, Shepherd No: Klein Business: The committee discussed the Nov. 15 public hearing on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s new business plan. Action: None

s 'ROUP EXERCISE s (EALTH MONITORING s 4RANSPORTATION

Architectural Review Board (Nov. 17)

Call for your free visiting day!

VMWare: The board reviewed but did not vote on a proposal by VMWare to build four new office buildings, two amenity buildings and three parking structures, and to renovate several existing buildings at its campus, 3431 Hillview Ave. Action: None 1213 Newell Road: The committee discussed a proposal by the Public Works Department to modify the circulation between the Main Library, the Palo Alto Art Center and the community garden facility. Action: None

-OUNTAIN 6IEW #ALL OR VISIT WWW AVENIDAS ORG CARE

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Upcoming Events

Holiday Mixer

wnfest/ EE! To

FR

er 7 6 6–8 pm Wednesday 6 Decemb Alto 0 Cowper Street 6 Palo

52 Garden Court Hotel 6

la Evening of Join the Chamber for a Ga g Opportunities— and End-Of-Year Networkin res euv D’o rs Ho , nks Dri Holiday e.

All in a Festive Atmospher 2012 Board Officers PLUS Official Installation:

Toy donations

InnVision Opportunity Services Center Holiday Toy Shoppe Please Bring Unwrapped Gifts for Local, Low-Income Families Sponsor: Garden Court Hotel

harrington design

Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce

400 Mitchell Lane

Page 10ĂŠUĂŠ ÂœĂ›i“LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž

Palo Alto

650.324.3121

.PaloAltoChamber.com

iPad app

(continued from page 5)

Brock keeps tabs on “campus reps� in K-12 and higher education who are willing to share their experiences with the product.

It was feedback from math and science students, among other things, that drove the addition of Notability’s handwriting feature, for easier use in the lab.

Despite the proliferation of iPad apps, Fred Mitchell thinks it’s “still the beginning� for the app business. “Ninety-eight percent of the opportunity is in front of us,� he said. “The iPad will get faster, thinner, lighter, with a more high-resolution screen. And the quantity of them sold so far is a small number compared to cell phones. So that’s a lot of growth opportunity for developers. “It’s a very democratic place because we have hundreds of reviews by people we don’t know, and they can say anything they want. Luckily, they’re saying mostly favorable things these days.� N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.

Public Agenda

A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hear a presentation on Project Safety Net, the community effort to promote youth well-being; and to consider a monthly report on the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center construction project. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).

Upfront

Meat peddler (continued from page 3)

the same thing, she said.

Vanessa Leighton, who is a vegetarian, said the salesmen also approached her a few months ago when she lived in Old Palo Alto.

“Same story ... extra meat, delivering to others in the neighborhood,” she said.

Pepa Richardson, also a vegetarian, said salesmen approached her a few months ago, too.

“I told them we were vegetarians, and that shut him up, and he left,” she said.

Palo Alto’s city ordinance does not allow door-to-door solicitation without a permit, and Prime Selection does not have the permit, Code Enforcement Officer Heather Johnson said Monday.

She had not received any complaints, but said she would contact the company.

Prime Selection President Glen Dimino said the tactics residents are describing are “wrong” and that the company does not condone vendors trying to build their customer bases using such techniques. There is no reason for a vendor to misrepresent the product, Dimino said, adding that he stands behind his products’ quality.

Online This Week

These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on “News” in the left, green column.

Mountain lion kills three goats in Woodside A large mountain lion entered a fenced enclosure containing three dwarf goats and two alpacas, killed the goats, and carried one off to feed on it outside a home on Tripp Court in Woodside sometime after 6 p.m. Monday (Nov. 14), the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office reported. (Posted Nov. 17 at 8:52 a.m.)

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Local passes Good Samaritan gift forward

444 S. California Ave., Palo Alto

After realizing his leather wallet had slipped out of his pocket during a trip to the Starbucks in Sharon Heights, Palo Alto resident Dr. Julian Gomez figured it was gone for good. (Posted Nov. 16 at 4:54 p.m.)

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Menlo Park approves new union contract Despite a flood of emails protesting a time-off policy that gives some city employees a minimum seven weeks off a year, no one spoke during public comment as the Menlo Park City Council prepared to vote on a proposed two-year contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) on Tuesday (Nov. 15). (Posted Nov. 16 at 1:43 p.m.)

Attempted rape reported at Mountain View motel Police are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a female employee of a Mountain View motel on Sunday (Nov. 13). (Posted Nov. 16 at 11:50 a.m.)

Palo Alto is California’s ‘most educated city’ Palo Alto is California’s most educated city, according to a report by California Watch. Nearly eight in 10 residents aged 25 and older have earned at least a bachelor’s degree. (Posted Nov. 16 at 9:52 a.m.)

PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26

***************************************** THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE:

http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp

LEGO robotics tournament needs volunteers

‘I told them we were vegetarians, and that shut him up, and he left.’

— Pepa Richardson, Barron Park resident

The company does sell to outside vendors who purchase from the processing plant, he said. The vendors buy the product by the pallet to resell. Those vendors can also carry products from other companies on their truck. The contractors are responsible for all licenses and permits and obeying laws, he said.

The company also leases its trucks to vendors. The salespeople would not have Prime Selection brochures or business cards, since they often represent many other company products, he said.

If residents are having a problem with a vendor who is delivering meat in a Prime Selection truck, they should note the truck number and the telephone number that is painted on the vehicle and call Prime Selection, he said.

“If there are more than two complaints about a contractor, we won’t lease the vehicle to them.

You want your representatives to be honest. Residents can call us to complain,” he said.

Dimino said that about 90 percent of meat vendors sell other companies’ products from an unmarked car or truck. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

Palo Alto’s first LEGO robotics tournament is happening this Sunday (Nov. 20) but the event is still short on volunteers, organizers said.

(Posted Nov. 15 at 4:41 p.m.)

Drive-by shooting wounds two in Menlo Park Gunfire shattered a quiet Sunday morning in Menlo Park along Sevier Avenue around 10 a.m. on Nov. 13. (Posted Nov. 14 at 5:37 p.m.)

‘Youth of the Year’ finalists share their hopes Words like “perseverance” and “sagacious” peppered the speeches of eighth-graders vying to be named “Youth of the Year” in a competition of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula. (Posted Nov. 14 at 12:36 p.m.)

Big rig overturns on 101 in Menlo Park The driver of the north-bound big-rig truck likely fell asleep at the wheel at about 2:20 a.m. Sunday (Nov. 13), causing the truck to overturn on U.S. Highway 101 in Menlo Park and block traffic for six hours, a California Highway Patrol officer said. (Posted Nov. 13 at 10:24 a.m.)

Palo Alto traffic stop yields shooting victim A driver stopped by Palo Alto police Saturday night (Nov. 12) was found to have been shot moments before in East Palo Alto, but the 22year-old man’s injuries were not life-threatening, police said. (Posted Nov. 13 at 10:19 a.m.)

Palo Alto residents honor veterans with gifts Carrie Manley leaned toward U.S. Army veteran Doug Tharp’s hospital bed at the VA Palo Alto Spinal Cord Injury Center, the light in her eyes twinkling. (Posted Nov. 11 at 5:37 p.m.)

Stanford’s Hennessy updates faculty on ROTC In a briefing to the faculty on Thursday (Nov. 10) — the day before Veterans Day — Stanford University President John Hennessy presented an update on the university’s plans to re-establish a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Stanford. (Posted Nov. 11 at 4:51 p.m.)

Equity prepares to buy East Palo Alto apartments Despite protests from the community and concern from the City Council, Wells Fargo Bank is now finalizing its sale of more than 1,800 housing units in East Palo Alto to a single buyer with a nationwide portfolio. (Posted Nov. 11 at 9:13 a.m.)

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(TENTATIVE) AGENDA - REGULAR MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS November 21, 2011 - 7:00 PM SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 1. Community Group Presentation - Developmental Assets Initiative, Project Safety Net CONSENT CALENDAR 2. Approval of a Water Enterprise Fund Contract with Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction, Inc. in a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $3,135,200.00 for the Seismic upgrade of the Mayfield and Boronda Reservoirs WS-08002-501 3. Approval to Adopt Networking Equipment Standardization Based Upon Hewlett Packard Network Switching Equipment 4. Approval of City of Palo Alto Response Letter to Metropolitan Transportation Commission Regarding One Bay Area Grant Proposal 5. Approval of a Contract with RBF Consulting, Inc. in the Amount of $140,000 for Southgate Neighborhood Storm Drain Improvements and Green Street Project, Capital Improvement Program Project SD-10101 6. Approval of Final Map to Merge Four Parcels into a 3.62 Acre Parcel for Condominium Subdivision Into a Hotel Unit and 26 Residential Units, Located at 4301 and 4329 El Camino Real 7. Adoption of a Budget Amendment Ordinance in the Amount of $111,487.75 to Fund the Purchase of seven (7) Diesel Particulate Filter Devices; the Approval of a Purchase Order with Emissions Retrofit Group in an Amount Not to Exceed $60,550.72 for the purchase and installation of four (4) Diesel Particulate Filter Devices and the Approval of a Purchase Order with Diesel Emission Service in an amount not to exceed $50,937.03 for the purchase and installation of three (3) Diesel Particulate Filter Devices (Vehicle Replacement Fund Capital Improvement Project VR-07002) 8. Clarification of Percent for Art Policy in Municipal Projects ACTION ITEMS 9. Submittal of Mitchell Park Library and Community Center Monthly Construction Contract Report and Council Direction to Staff to Continue Construction Contract Monthly Reports

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Upfront

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369 Lytton Avenue Downtown Palo Alto (650) 462-5903 Fax (650) 462-1433

Family owned and operated for 17 years

w w w. j a n t a i n d i a n r e s t a u r a n t . c o m NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, December 1, 2011 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144.

2650 Birch Street [11PLN-00083]: Request by Hohbach Realty Company Limited Partnership for Architectural Review of a new four-story mixed use building consisting of eight multiple-family residential units, ground floor office space, underground parking garage and related site improvements replacing three single family residential homes on a 19,862 sq. ft. site. Zone District: PTOD. Environmental Assessment: A Mitigated Negative Declaration has been approved for this project. The project was continued from the 5-19-11 meeting.

250 Hamilton Avenue [11PLN-00380]: Request by Palo Alto Rotary Club, on behalf of the City of Palo Alto, for Architectural Review of one special purpose free-standing directional type sign (9’-6.5” tall) pointing to Palo Alto’s “sister cities”. Zone: PF. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, per section 15311 Accessory Structures.

Amy French Manager of Current Planning

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board [HRB] 8:30 A.M., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 Downtown Library, 270 Forest Avenue, Community Room. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144.

Historic Resources Board Retreat The Historic Resources Board (HRB) will discuss items of interest related to the City’s historic preservation program, the administration and function of the HRB, and other related items. Possible topics may include: s (ISTORIC REVIEW PROCESS STREAMLINING AND COST reduction s 5PDATE ON 0ROFESSORVILLE $ESIGN 'UIDELINES s 3USTAINABILITY AND HISTORIC REVIEW Additional agenda topics may be added to the agenda prior to the meeting.

The HRB will not conduct official business nor review any specific public or private projects at this retreat. Members of the public are invited to attend.

Steven Turner, Advance Planning Manager Page 12ÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ

News Digest

Anti-bullying

Firefighters lose legal challenge against Palo Alto

Terman also has continued with “Project Wisdom” — a weekly inspirational message read over the school intercom, ending with the statement: “You have a choice to be responsible or not.”

“A lot of what we do is try to empower students at the middle school and give them increasing amounts of responsibility,” Baker said.

In another activity, Baker said she had a group of students translate the school’s “bulky and wordy” mission statement into “children’s language.”

Teachers meet weekly “to make sure students don’t fall through the cracks,” Baker said. A student’s name goes on the agenda if a teacher is worried about academic achievement or notices the child is spending lunchtime alone, she said.

“This year we’re expanding to a social-inclusion effort, collaborating with parents of a special-needs child and looking for ways to help students who are socially awkward — how they can be more comfortable at a dance or during lunchtime,” she said.

Jordan Middle School Principal Greg Barnes and JLS Middle School Principal Sharon Ofek struck similar themes in their presentations to the school board.

At Jordan, Assistant Principal Christine Wang runs a “school climate committee,” and the school last year launched work on the youth-wellness framework known as “Developmental Assets.”

“We’ve also had the National Equity Project come in and look at the cultural differences we’re experiencing with kids with a wide variety of backgrounds,” Barnes said.

“It’s important for us to be aware of that and build connections with these students and try to get to know them.” The National Equity Project is a nonprofit group that offers coaching to teachers and schools on how to boost their effectiveness in culturally diverse classrooms.

At JLS, Ofek said, “ABC — academics, belonging and creating wellness — is a guide for everything we do.”

Ofek said the school’s popular three-day “Panther Camp” orientation for sixth-graders, now in its fifth year, has been tweaked every year and barely resembles what it was at the start.

“It’s completely different from its original year in terms of the character-education component,” Ofek said. “Every aspect is revised based on surveys of students, parents and staff.”

Barnes said he visited Panther Camp as well as Tiger Camp at JLS and will borrow ideas for use at Jordan.

“We’ve invited lots of folks to come visit and offered to support anyone who wants to know how Panther Camp is implemented,” Ofek said.

“We’re trying really hard to share what’s going well with JLS.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.

(continued from page 7)

A week after Palo Alto firefighters lost their three-decades-old right to take labor disputes to arbitration, they suffered another defeat when a state labor-relations board threw out their legal complaint against the city.

The state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on Tuesday dismissed the “unfair labor practice” charge the firefighters union filed against the city prior to last week’s vote on Measure D, which scrapped binding arbitration from the City Charter. The 1977 provision had empowered a three-member arbitration panel to settle disputes between the city and its public-safety unions. The measure passed with about twothirds of the voters supporting it.

The decision by Chief Administrative Law Judge Shawn P. Cloughesy to dismiss the union’s complaint cements the repeal of binding arbitration. Had the union prevailed, it would have requested that PERB issue an injunction for approval by Superior Court, which could have invalidated Measure D and restored binding arbitration.

In its complaint, the International Association of Firefighters, Local 1319, maintained that the City Council had failed to negotiate in good faith with the city’s public-safety unions before placing the issue on the November ballot. The city had maintained that binding arbitration is not a subject that requires its negotiators to meet and confer with union representatives.

In his ruling, Cloughesy concluded the fire union failed to demonstrate that it ever requested to consult in good faith with the city. N — Gennady Sheyner

City rethinks plan to scrap composting operation Palo Alto’s composting operation, which was slated to shut down within about a month, could get a new lease on life thanks to the voters’ decision last week to make a portion of Byxbee Park available for a waste facility.

The city was planning to halt Palo Alto’s composting operation as part of the process of shutting down the Baylands landfill, said Phil Bobel, assistant director of public works. Last week, however, voters passed Measure E, which will allow 10 acres of former landfill — previously expected to become parkland — to be considered for a new composting facility for local yard trimmings, food scraps and sewage sludge.

Proponents of Measure E immediately asked the city to revise its plans to shut down the current composting operation. Members of the group, led by former Mayor Peter Drekmeier, Walt Hays and Bob Wenzlau, attended Monday’s City Council meeting to urge the council to extend the life of the composting operation.

Hays told the council it would make no sense to start trucking waste to Gilroy — as the city has been planning to do — when a local option is available. N — Gennady Sheyner

San Antonio Road construction to delay traffic Construction on San Antonio Road from Middlefield Road to the U.S. Highway 101 interchange could lead to traffic delays for one year, the City of Palo Alto Public Works Department has announced.

Starting Monday, Nov. 28, the city will be installing new landscaping, irrigation, medians, curbs and gutters; repairing uplifted sidewalks and driveways; and repaving streets, according to Elizabeth Ames, Palo Alto Public Works senior engineer.

Removing existing pine trees, which have severely damaged the roadway and sidewalks, will be the project’s first step. The tree removal has been the subject of numerous community meetings and public outreach, and notices were posted Nov. 14, giving a final 14-day notice of the removal, Ames said.

At least one lane of traffic will remain open in each direction of San Antonio at all times to minimize traffic disruption. Drivers should expect some delays during the construction hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays for approximately one year, Ames said.

The construction is the second part of a two-phase project. The first phase was completed in 2010 and involved similar work on San Antonio between Alma Street and Middlefield. Prior to the first phase, an environmental assessment was done for the entire corridor. Public outreach took place for all project components, including landscaping design and traffic management, she said. N — Palo Alto Weekly staff

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Pulse

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto Nov. 9-15 Violence related Battery of peace officer . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Driving w/ suspended license . . . . . . . . .4 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 15 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .8 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of paraphernalia. . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Casualty/fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Concealed weapon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .2 Misc. municipal code violation . . . . . . . .5 Missing juvenile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Stalking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Menlo Park Nov. 9-15 Violence related Assault with a deadly weapon . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle accident/injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .4 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/non injury. . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Drug registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of paraphernalia. . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Located missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Prohibited weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Solicitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Atherton Nov. 9-15 Theft related Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Parking problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Ticket sign-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Traffic details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/non-injury . . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence of drugs/alcohol 3 Narcotics offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Be on the lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Building/perimeter/area check . . . . . . . .2 Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Civil matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Construction site check . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Construction complaint . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Pedestrian check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstance . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Tree blocking roadway . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Unlisted block Park Boulevard, 11/8, 9:15 p.m.; child abuse.

200 block El Camino Real, 11/11, 9:12 p.m.; domestic violence.

200 block Hamilton Avenue, 11/11, 11:06 p.m.; battery of peace officer.

Unlisted block Quarry Road, 11/14, 1:39 p.m.; domestic violence.

Menlo Park 1200 block Sevier Avenue, 11/13, 10:11 a.m.; assault with a deadly weapon.

Anthony De Meo Anthony “Tony” Salvatore De Meo died Friday, October 28, 2011, at the age of 85 of a heart attack in Palo Alto, CA. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Eugenio and Maria Tortora De Meo, the fifth of eight children, on January 24, 1926. He married Geraldine “Geri” Marie Basinger on July 30, 1955. She and their three children, Peter Albert, Licia Marie, and Antonia Marie survive as well as two brothers, John and Armond. He was preceded in death by siblings, Anna, Frances, Madeline, Albert, and Angelo.

Tony enlisted in the United States Navy & served 2 years in WWII in the Asiatic Pacific on the destroyer, USS Cunyingham. He is a graduate of San Francisco State College with B.A. & M.A. degrees, Life Credential for Orthopedically Handicapped, & Specialist Credential for Learning Handicapped. He came in 1961 to PAUSD as a special education teacher for emotionally, culturally, & educationally handicapped. He was a member of Palo Alto Elks Club, an avid handball player, an Arthur Murray and Avenidas dance instructor.

A Memorial Service will be held Monday 21 November 2011 at 1pm in First Congregational Church Palo Alto.

Memorial gifts may be given to Abilities United, the Betty Wright Swim Program, formerly CAR. PA I D

OBITUARY

Transitions

Palo Alto icon Ruth Spangenberg dies

uth Beahrs Spangenberg, 92, co-founder of the Committee for Green Foothills and a longtime contributor to the Palo Alto school system, died Oct. 30, 2011.

Born Ruth Fay Beahrs on Nov. 17, 1918, in Eufaula, Ala., she grew up in Pomona, Calif. After graduating from Pomona College in 1940 she taught high school math, history and psychology in Ontario, Calif.

While studying for a master’s degree at Stanford University, she met Karl R. Spangenberg, a professor of electrical engineering.

They were married the first day of spring, March 21, 1943, and started their lives together in Palo Alto.

Her husband died in 1964. Spangenberg Theater in Palo Alto was named after him in appreciation of his service to the Palo Alto Schools. Ruth Spangenberg, widowed with six children, returned

R

to Stanford University and earned her master’s degree in counseling and guidance in 1965. Considering “education a great leveler,” she taught in the San Mateo Community College district for 25 years, first at San Mateo Community College and then four years later at the newly opened Cañada College as an educator and counselor.

In addition she set up a private practice as a marriage and family therapist and was a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family counselors.

She joined the advisory board of the Stanford Learning House from 1960-1979 and served as a board member of the Mid-Peninsula Family Agency from 1962-1978.

She was a co-founder of the Committee for Green Foothills, which began in the Spangenberg living room in 1962. She served as a board member of the Stanford Y.W.C.A. and chaired the building fundraising committee for the Mid-Peninsula Y.W.C.A. In 1985 she joined the Board of Regents of John F. Kennedy University and served for 20 years, chairing the fundraising campaign for a permanent campus in Pleasant

Hill, where the atrium is named in her honor. In 1997 her community service was recognized with the Avenidas “Lifetimes of Achievement” Award.

She was much loved by those who knew her, and she will be greatly missed, loved ones said.

She is survived by her brother, John V. Beahrs; children, Kristin L. Spangenberg, Eric Karl Spangenberg, Karen Spangenberg, Karla Lane, Kathy Spangenberg and Rudy Spangenberg; three grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Jan. 21, 2012, at the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Committee for Green Foothills, 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto CA 94303 (www.greenfoothills.org); California Pops Orchestra, 3790 El Camino Real, Mail Suite 341, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (www.calpops.org); or Jacqueline Kennedy Endowed Scholarship at John F. Kennedy University, 100 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523-4817 (www.jfku.edu).

Louise O. Sexton Louise O. Sexton died on October 11th, 2011. Born September 29, 1915, in Worchester, Massachusetts to Charles E. and Theresa (Murphy) Oehlert and raised in Hartford, Connecticut by her father and stepmother, Irene (Schaefer). A 1932 graduate of St. Joseph’s College (BA) in Hartford, she earned a Master of Arts in French at Middlebury College in 1942, and taught French. Louise met the love of her life, Joe Sexton, at an officer’s club during World War II. They married in 1944, and centered their lives in Menlo Park. Louise was a charter and life member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Louise taught and participated in conversational French and German in AAUW groups for over 50 years. She was an active member for over

40 years of the Palo Alto Auxiliary to the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and spent many enjoyable hours volunteering at the Guild. Louise and Joe, who died in 1996, had three children: Suzanne (Howard) Leichman of Gig Harbor, WA, David Sexton of West Linn, OR, Sally (Bill) Hvidt of Los Gatos, CA; six grandchildren: Julia Leichman, Leland Leichman, Lisa Martin (Mark) Baker, Joe (Jenn) Sexton, Shannon Hvidt (Chris) Foote, Scott Hvidt; and five great grandchildren. Louise was a gracious, cultured, and loving lady.

PA I D

O B I T UA RY

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Editorial The achievement treadmill Parents are fueling a competitive environment that is jeopardizing the health of our teens and their development of “purpose” in life

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here is some irony that the same week we learn that Palo Alto is the most educated city in California, if not the nation, the Weekly publishes an extensive look at the culture in our community surrounding student “success” and the effects that this culture is having on our kids as they try to find their way in the world.

Even as the academic achievements of our teens are widely celebrated by school administrators, teachers, parents and the students themselves, there is much evidence that our kids are struggling under the pressures of exceedingly high expectations and are leaving high school with unprecedented anxiety and lacking a critically important sense of purpose.

We are a parent community increasingly obsessed with the college admissions process and with gaining every possible competitive advantage in achieving the brass ring of an elite college acceptance.

And we are all complicit.

As parents, we see other parents managing their teens’ lives, arranging for tutors, test prep classes, college advisors, essay coaches, high-level club sports teams, extracurriculars and the best teachers to write the allimportant recommendations. What kind of extraordinary willpower does it take as a parent to resist seeking these tactical advantages, and to instead opt for helping their child find the passion or purpose that will propel them into adulthood and a college (or not) that is the best fit rather than the most prestigious?

Teachers and school administrators, proud of and professionally bolstered by working in a school district that repeatedly ranks among the top in the nation by measures such as AP test scores and participation, National Merit Finalists and acceptance to top colleges, see the stress and anxiety but either feel helpless to do anything about it or consider it their duty to bootstrap every possible student into a college that will leave parents, teachers and school administrators feeling successful.

Teens themselves are often the most driven, feeling intense competition with their peers, high expectations from their parents and like failures if they don’t achieve top standing in their class. In a school district where being in the 25th percentile academically translates to the 75th percentile in California, the “middle” students are especially vulnerable.

And the media, including the Weekly, reinforce the existing culture by publicizing the impressive academic and athletic achievements of local students.

As a growing number of parents and students are trying to sound the alarm about the culture we have created for our kids, the elite colleges themselves are joining in.

Stunned by the rising level of stress, depression and alcohol- and drugabuse problems among today’s college students, college administrators are having to rapidly expand counseling and other services and many are re-examining their admissions process.

As Stanford Dean of Freshmen and Palo Alto parent Julie LythcottHaims said in today’s cover story, “...many of today’s high-achieving students seem to accomplish that high achievement at the cost of something even more important, which is their sense of self or their sense of purpose.”

Stanford psychologist and education professor William Damon has made purposefulness the centerpiece of his research, and says that “the biggest problem growing up today is not actually stress, it’s meaninglessness.”

There is no easy response or solution to the culture in which our teens are growing up, nor even agreement that it needs to change. This is a high-achievement community with parents who have succeeded by seizing every opportunity in front of them. Ironically, many Palo Alto parent success stories do not revolve around traditional academic success, but have come through passion, determination and innovation — exactly what our current culture is discouraging in its frenzied focus on resume and credential building.

So where is the leadership to change this environment going to come from?

Some insist it must start with the elite colleges, through strong action to stop rewarding those who try to gain advantage with excessive AP classes, extracurricular activities and over-the-top summer experiences. Reform of the college admissions process, including the AP system, is urgently needed.

But we must also act within our community. Known around the world for its innovation and success, what better city than Palo Alto to undertake a fundamental reassessment of our values and our definition of success in educating our kids. Many private schools have done it. Why can’t our public schools follow suit?

There are faint signs that Palo Alto school board members are beginning to listen, and next year’s school-board election will hopefully provide an opportunity for a wider and constructive community dialogue on these issues.

Talk with almost any high school teacher in Palo Alto and you will hear concern and worry over the achievement arms race and how it’s impacting our teens. But ultimately, teachers and administrators are taking their cues from the parent community. Change will come as parents realize that today’s culture is unhealthy, unsustainable and leaving most kids without purpose at the very time they need it most.

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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Pipeline test

Occupy Wall Street

Democratic awakening

Editor, I would like to suggest that you try to provide a less biased report to the sophisticated audience you are addressing in Silicon Valley by taking the hype out of your headlines. The fact is that the PG&E gas pipe you reported on failed a hydrostatic pressure test. Yet your headline stated, “PG&E pipeline explodes in Woodside.”

There is a significant difference between a stress test and everyday operation. My understanding is that hydrostatic tests are conducted at significantly higher pressures than those used in regular service.

By the way, I am a homeowner not in any way connected with PG&E or any utility.

Klaus Brandt Southampton Drive Palo Alto

Editor, I’ve been trying to follow what’s happening with the Occupy Wall Street movement. It started a few weeks ago as a grassroots response to the economic situation, the financial bailouts given to investment bankers, and huge salaries and bonuses they continued to pay, and the tax dodges of the rich.

Some people realized that a strong message needed to be sent, and to their credit, they adopted the well-known tactics of Ghandi and Martin Luther King. They have marched, they have sat/camped and they have stubbornly stayed to demand resource distribution.

Yes, there may be some among them who seem unattractive or whiny. But they have patiently borne the curiosity, the scorn and the very real danger of confrontation with the police or the military.

They are, after all, pointing the finger at the very real failures of U.S. capitalism to meet the needs of the people.

Dana St. George Campesino Avenue Palo Alto

Editor, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom members are joining those who are occupying Wall Street, Oakland, Palo Alto and other sites where nonviolent, “leaderless” groups are part of a movement that seeks to reclaim a government established by the people and for the people.

We join our sisters and brothers — of all ages, colors, ethnic origins, gender, sexual orientation, and social and political statuses — in a “democratic awakening” that reverberates with the voices of individuals who collectively call out for a fundamental shift in power and resources — where the needs of human beings are valued over corporate profits and military might.

Together with others of the enlightened commons, WILPF protests the systems and institutions that support endless war and unrestrained corporate greed.

Bernice Fischer Peninsula Chapter of the WILPF Sand Hill Road Palo Alto

‘J. Edgar’ review Editor, In Tyler Hanley’s review of the film “J. Edgar” (Nov. 11, 2011) he states that the protagonist (Hoover) “is neither likable nor despicable.”

J. Edgar Hoover was an ogre who was the epitome of despicable. The man ruined untold numbers of lives and discredited countless others. He created illegal spying in the U.S. Mr. Hanley says that the film “reminded this critic of sitting in a dimly lit history class after tossing back a tablespoon of Nyquil.” May I suggest respectfully that Mr. Hanley go back to that history class, skip the Nyquil and learn who J. Edgar Hoover really was.

Jack Comerford Selby Lane Atherton

Egg wars Editor, Really? Yes egg wars. A tradition between Paly and Gunn for as long as I can remember. I remember getting attacked by Gunn when I was at Paly (Class of ‘88). Harmless fun rivalry. This city needs to learn to let kids be kids and pick your battles. Who are they hurting?

It’s eggs! I haven’t heard of any egg injuries the last 20+ years since I’ve graduated so just leave it and all the other fun traditions alone.

It’s silly things like this that make high school fun. It feels like Palo Alto has an issue with kids being kids and having fun around here.

I’d love to run Jordan or Paly just to bring back all the great things we did there. Our classes did things far worse than throwing eggs and no one got hurt, no one damaged anything, it’s just good, clean, fun pranks.

Relax, people!

Andrea Roucoule Oxford Avenue Palo Alto

YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.

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Guest Opinion

Finding a college fit right in your own backyard

By Betsy Bechtel and Barbara Klausner tudents who are successful in Radu Toma’s highest lane math classes at Palo Alto High School go on to Stanford, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton.

Daniel Raburn was one of those students.

Daniel was gifted, one of his strongest students, recalls Toma, head of the Paly math department. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Daniel went on to earn a Ph.D. in plasma physics from Princeton. But before he got to Cal and Princeton, Daniel started his undergraduate studies as a full-time student at Foothill College, right here in our own backyard.

This is the time of year when families of our Palo Alto school district Class of 2012 whittle down the list of college applications. In a community where academic expectations and achievement appear to know no bounds, Foothill College in Los Altos Hills and its sister college, De Anza in Cupertino, are often overlooked as options. In fact, every year between 11-16 percent of Palo Alto school district graduates go straight to Foothill and De Anza. An additional number attend sometime during their undergraduate career as part of their journey to earning a four-year degree.

So while local community colleges may not typically appear on senior year wish lists of colleges, our students have reaped significant academic benefits from this Foothill-De Anza support network. Their families also reap significant financial savings.

A student today who follows Daniel’s path

S

of combining two years at Foothill with two years at a UC would pay tuition and fees of approximately $27,000 over four years for a UC degree — about $1,170 a year at Foothill and an average of $12,150 a year at UC. Tuition and fees for all four years at UC would run about $48,600. Mike Scott, a 2008 Palo Alto district grad and outstanding student-athlete, parlayed his Foothill experience into an even better deal. After spending two years as captain of the Foothill football team, he transferred to the University of Idaho, where he is playing wide receiver on full scholarship.

Cost savings, however, is not the sole reason Palo Alto students choose Foothill and De Anza. For those who want certainty about their next educational step, Foothill and De Anza offer Transfer Admission Guarantee agreements (TAGs) with a number of public and private four-year universities. TAGs guarantee students admission as juniors to a particular university if they meet specified course and grade requirements. Foothill and De Anza have TAGs with seven UC campuses — Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.

Another route is the one taken by Catherine “Cat” Chiang, a 2009 Palo Alto district graduate. Initially a student at Tulane, Cat came home after one semester and enrolled at Foothill with a goal of transferring to UCLA, where she is now majoring in political science. As a participant in Foothill’s Honors Institute and its Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) with UCLA, Cat

maximized her chances of landing a coveted spot at UCLA the moment she set foot on the Foothill campus. “If you just follow the instructions,” she explained, “it is almost always a sure thing.”

The Honors Institute provided Cat with excellent transfer preparation. “The work was challenging and professors actually gave you oneon-one attention,” she said. Her Foothill honors instructors required participation and active thinking in class while small classes allowed for more long assignments and papers.

Cat suggests that more students consider attending community college for their first two years before transferring. “The only thing preventing people from going to Foothill is the stigma around community college, which is so unfortunate,” she said. “I met some of the smartest people at Foothill and in the end you will be at a university you really love.”

Caitlyn Kozelka is another Palo Alto district graduate who, like Cat, came to Foothill after a brief stint at a four-year college. Today Caitlyn is attending UCLA where she is pursuing a combined linguistics and psychology major.

“A large contributing factor to my experience at Foothill, and in the honors program in particular, was how much the professors care about you doing your best work, and how much they are really willing to help you succeed,” Caitlyn said. In hindsight, she added, “Entering Foothill really gave me time to figure out what my academic goals really were.’’

Caitlyn found inspiration and support from outstanding professors. Two Foothill political science professors particularly challenged her to become a better student — Fulbright scholar Dr. Meredith Heiser, a Stanford graduate with a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Dr. Joe Woolcock, a

Stanford Ph.D. whose instructional strategy for teaching American government is featured in a New York Times toolkit. For another Palo Alto district grad, it was award-winning astronomy Professor Andrew Fraknoi, a Harvard and Cal grad who contributes frequently to NPR, serves on the SETI Institute board and was Carnegie Foundation’s 2007 California Professor of the Year.

Daniel, Mike, Cat and Caitlin are not alone in their success. Some 80 percent of students who entered Foothill College directly from Paly and Gunn since 2004-05 either completed preparation for transfer or successfully transferred to a university.

In fact, Foothill-De Anza ranks No. 1 among California’s 72 community college districts in the number of students who transfer to a UC campus. In the words of Michael Kirst, president of the California State Board of Education, “Community colleges play a key role in America’s economy, and Foothill-De Anza sets the gold standard.”

Many high school grads are still searching for that sweet spot in their quest to fulfill their hopes for a successful, meaningful and rewarding life. Foothill’s open access and the accessibility of its professors offer a rare opportunity for students to find their way in a hurry-up, high-stakes world.

We as a community should join leaders like Michael Kirst and Brian Martin in savoring the educational opportunities available at Foothill and De Anza for PAUSD graduates and their families. ■ Betsy Bechtel is a trustee of the Foothill De Anza Community College District and the former mayor of Palo Alto. Barbara Sih Klausner is a Palo Alto Unified School District parent, teacher and a current district board member.

Streetwise

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Asked on California Avenue, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by David Ruiz.

Marilyn Mayo

Retiree California Avenue, Palo Alto “I’m just thankful for the beautiful, clean air that we have to breathe here.

It’s so wonderful.”

Maxime Rieman

Intern Woodside Road, Woodside “I’m thankful for the general kindness of everyone around me.”

Jacob Knobel

Principal Developer Laurel Street, Santa Cruz “I’m thankful to have a job that I love.”

Ruby Anaya

Product Manager Market Street, San Francisco “The ability to try new things with all the awesome people in my life, especially my boyfriend.”

Barry Hayes

Software Engineer St. Francis Drive, Palo Alto “I’m thankful for my good health.”

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A community health education series from Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Seeking Solutions to Peaceful Sleep Sometimes Leads to Special Surgery For as long as he could remember, Christian Roth needed a very long time to fall asleep. “You learn to adapt,” he said. “I thought I was wired this way and I felt pretty powerless.”

Even when he was able to get some sleep, he said “I never felt refreshed, I really had to pace myself at work, and if I wanted to go out at night with friends, I’d have to take a nap in the afternoon.”

Going to sleep became something he dreaded, “and nighttime was the longest part of my day,” he said.

The rest of his life was good: He met his wife, Liza, in college. They’d married and almost three years ago, their daughter, Emily, was born. Roth’s insomnia and lack of sleep was a challenge. “During the day, he’d be in this fog,” Liza said. “It became harder and harder for him to fall asleep.” He’d put on some weight over the years and, unusual for someone his age, developed high blood pressure. The snoring his wife had learned to tolerate, despite its progressive worsening, evolved into something else, something frightening. “He’d stop breathing,” she said.

“There’d be loud snoring then all of a

“I really had to pace myself at work…and nighttime was the longest part of my day.”

– Christian Roth, patient, Stanford Sleep Medicine Center Hearing about that breathing stop and subsequent gasp for air pushed Roth to call a doctor. “That’s when I took it seriously, and the dominoes started to fall.” He went to Stanford’s Sleep Medicine Center in Redwood City, just a few miles from his home and the nation’s first medical clinic established to specialize in sleep disorders.

Remarkable revelation After describing his symptoms to physicians there, he was asked to spend a night in one of its state-of-the-art bedrooms so a more detailed and technical picture of his sleep health could be built, in part through dozens of electrodes attached to his body. The results were striking: Roth was demonstrating the kind of obstructive sleep apnea more typically seen in someone 50 years his senior. His Sleep Center physician, Robson Capasso, MD, board certified in sleep medicine and an otolaryngology surgeon, had found a long list of physical impediments that stacked the odds against Roth ever drawing a fullyfunctional breath.

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Roth’s problems with sleep made him one of many millions. Capasso said that one in four middle-aged men suffer from some form of sleep apnea— those moments when our breathing either pauses or becomes shallow, limiting the amount of oxygen From the time Christian Roth was an infant, he had trouble sleeping. By the coming into the body. time he reached his 30s, his sleep problems had begun to affect his health and That normal out-withalmost every other aspect of his life carbon-dioxide and positive airway pressure pump in-with-oxygen balance is disrupted, that gently pushes air into the nose with serious consequences. The brain and down the airway to prevent it needs oxygen to function and an excess from collapsing. of carbon dioxide in the blood derails the respiratory center in the brain.

The struggle inside the body to reset itself includes the heart, whose regular rhythm is then altered, triggering anSurgery is not what Capasso suggests other set of physical changes. as a first option for his typical patient.

“Surgery comes with its own side effects and results are not completely predict“The first night he was home after able,” he said. If someone can learn to the surgery, I almost couldn’t sleep use the CPAP machine, that can be the because it was so quiet in the room.” easiest solution. For others, their sleep apnea may be caused by their weight; – Liza Roth, wife of Christian Roth, patient Stanford has a 12-week weight loss proat Stanford Sleep Medicine Center gram Capasso suggests to patients.

Finding a solution

“Having sleep apnea diagnosed and treated is very important,” said Clete Kushida, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Stanford Sleep Medicine Center and Director, Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research. “It can have profound impacts on the cardiovascular system.

There is also evidence that people can have problems with brain function.”

Typically, the first step in treatment is the CPAP machine—a continuous

Norbert von der Groeben

Norbert von der Groeben

Roth’s wife, Liza, had become accustomed to her husband’s snoring, but when she noticed he’d begun to stop breathing, as if he were holding his breath, she was alarmed.

His tonsils were obstructively large, his palate was too soft and his septum— the wall that separates one nostril from another—was deviated far beyond normal. His tongue was set far back in his mouth; his jaw was also set back in a way that narrowed his airway.

Any one of those conditions would have been a significant barrier to the flow of air in and out of Roth’s nose and mouth. His physiology was a veritable basket of

bad news that added up to a case of severe sleep apnea whose effects had already reached beyond just feeling sleepy.

Norbert von der Groeben

He tried all sorts of approaches: no caffeine after 3 pm, no electronics use within an hour of bedtime, over the counter sleep aids, candles and lavender, hot baths, even a pre-sleep shot of whiskey.

sudden just nothing. Then there would be a big burst of air, like he’d been holding his breath. It didn’t dawn on me he had sleep apnea. He was a pretty active guy—a non-drinker and a non-smoker.”

Before Roth’s sleep surgery, he created a complicated strategy for sleeping and for managing his energy so he’d have enough at the end of the day to do things with his daughter, Emily.

special feature

Uncovering Sleep’s Mysteries

Should you see a doctor?

For many of us, sleep is often elusive in quality or quantity. Understanding some of its complexities can be the first step toward a more peaceful relationship with this important component of life.

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale can help gauge your sleep health. If you score 10 or more on this test, then your sleep health definitely needs attention. You may want to consider talking with your doctor or a sleep specialist.

What is sleep apnea? t Snoring is usually the first sign of sleep apnea. The noise of a snore is made most often when breathing in, which vibrates the soft palate and the uvula, the small piece of tissue that hangs down at the back of the throat. When an obstruction completely blocks airflow, which can last for several seconds, the sleeper will struggle to take a breath, snorting and gasping. t If the snoring is loud enough to wake another person, then sleep apnea is likely to be present as well. The irregular breathing prevents a restorative night of sleep, which causes sleep deprivation and may lead to daytime sleepiness, difficulty with memory, concentration and attention.

Sleep apnea is now considered the leading treatable cause of hypertension. It is also a risk factor or causative agent of stroke and heart disease.

2 = moderate chance of dozing or sleeping 3 = high chance of dozing or sleeping

0 = would never doze or sleep.

1 = slight chance of dozing or sleeping ____ Watching TV ____ Sitting inactive in a public place ____ Being a passenger in a motor vehicle for an hour or more ____ Lying down in the afternoon

____ Sitting and talking to someone ____ Sitting quietly after lunch (no alcohol) ____ Stopped for a few minutes in traffic ____ while driving

For more information about sleep diagnosis, treatment and research at Stanford, phone 650.723.6601 or visit stanfordhospital.org/sleep.

Are you at risk for sleep apnea?

Your risk for sleep apnea is higher if you are male, more than 50 years old and have a body mass index greater than 28.

Join us at stanfordhospital.org/socialmedia.

Watch the new Stanford Hospital Health Notes television show on Comcast: channel 28 on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.; channel 30 Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. It can also be viewed at youtube.com/stanfordhospital.

Researchers are also working on a way to capture sleep on an MRI video. “It’s under investigation, but we’ve had some interesting results,” Capasso said.

However, if someone young and not substantially overweight has sleep apnea caused by physical abnormalities, and that person has tried and failed with the CPAP, the surgery becomes a more sensible possibility, in some cases even the initial treatment approach.

Innovations in the works

– Christian Roth, patient, Stanford Sleep Medicine Center Roth was back to work two weeks after his surgery. He has seen the benefits of getting enough sleep, and healthy sleep, from the moment he wakes up to when bedtime comes. “It’s been pretty remarkable,” he said. “I have plenty of energy; I don’t feel deflated by early afternoon. I have more energy with my family when I come home from work. I

Apnea does have a strong genetic component, but it goes beyond the obvious skull and airway features, Capasso said. “There are researchers here at Stanford who are looking at the genetic role in how you control the muscle strength in your upper airway, to keep it open while you sleep, and how your brain responds to variations in oxygen and carbon dioxide. The whole mechanism of obstructive sleep apnea is very complex.”

The best future for the treatment of sleep apnea will be those new technologies combined with methods to better evaluate what treatment will work best for an individual patient, Ca-

Roth still marvels at his own history with sleep. “It’s amazing how many things are tied to it—so many symptoms just all went away after my surgery.” He’d done what so many do— learned to live with it—“until I realized it was life-threatening,” he said.

“When Christian mentioned sleep apnea, I looked it up on the Web and read about it and it mentioned all the different health effects,” Liza said. “It was an ‘aha!’ moment.”

Norbert von der Groeben

all went away after my surgery.”

Norbert von der Groeben

Capasso straightened Roth’s septum, removed his tonsils and reorganized his soft palate tissue. The results were Since Roth had surgery to correct some of the physical abnormalieven better than Capasso ties that interfered with his ability to sleep, he can work a full day, without naps, and come home ready and able to be an active dad. thought they would be. “The first night he was home afcan run and bike and play volleyball— ter the surgery,” Lisa said, “I almost it’s like night and day.” couldn’t sleep because it was so quiet in the room. I just kept staring at him to Roth’s investigation into his sleep see if he was still breathing.” problems prompted his brother to do “It’s amazing how many things are the same, and physicians found that his four-year-old was already suffering tied to it – so many symptoms just from apnea. He has been treated.

CPAP machines are continually developing, becoming smaller and lighter and more comfortable. Beyond that treatment method, however, are new ideas that give Capasso and his Sleep Center colleagues great hopes for very different options. Stanford is part of a multi-center randomized controlled trial to test a nerve stimulator that would act as a pacemaker for the nerve of the tongue. The device pushes the tongue forward to instigate breathing if it senses that a patient is not breathing well during sleep. The pacemaker would be implanted in the chest, with one silicon wire going up to a nerve in the neck and the other to the rib cage. “We are very excited about that technology,” Capasso said.

passo said. “The important thing is to have all possibilities available.”

Christian, Liza, Emily and Pismo are a much happier family now than they’ve ever been; sleep surgery not only enabled Christian to get enough sleep, but he no longer has high blood pressure, he’s lost weight and he’s able to lead a full life without hindrance.

Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. It is currently ranked No. 17 on the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list and No. 1 in the San Jose Metropolitan area. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. The Stanford University Medical Center is comprised of three world renowned institutions: Stanford Hospital & Clinics, the Stanford University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in the Western United States, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, an adjacent pediatric teaching hospital providing general acute and tertiary care. For more information, visit http://stanfordhospital.org/.

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Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace

Kelsey Kienitz

Bernard Zaslav plays the viola with his wife, the pianist Naomi Zaslav.

Memoirs OFAViolist MUSICIAN TOOK HIS HUMBLE INSTRUMENT TO THE HEIGHTS OF A STRING-QUARTET CAREER

Above, from left: Bernard Zaslav, top, with the other members of the Stanford String Quartet in 1987; a recording of viola sonatas by Bernard and Naomi Zaslav, released in 2006; the poster for the couple’s Carnegie Hall debut; Zaslav, second from left, on a 1985 record made by the Vermeer Quartet; the cover of Zaslav’s new book.

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M

by Rebecca Wallace

any an autobiography writer begins with the day he was born. Stanford musician Bernard Zaslav picked the day in 1946 that he switched from violin to viola.

It wasn’t his plan. He’d just graduated from Juilliard (then called the Institute of Musical Art) with a violin degree. His parents had bought him a sleek, sweet and very expensive 1748 Italian violin.

Plus, let’s face it: Violas don’t get no respect. Kids think they’re just big violins. Dvorák ˇ was a violist, and even he didn’t write any viola

concertos. Zaslav himself said, when he got the offer to be in the backup band for crooner Andy Russell at the New York Paramount Theater, “Why would I have to be the palooka playing viola?”

Turned out he was one fortunate palooka. Zaslav fell hard for the viola, with its rich sound and a longer fingerboard that matched easily with his left hand.

“The viola’s bottom C string, just five notes lower than the violin’s G string, provided a dimension of dark sonic beauty that was simply too tempting to pass up,” he wrote in his

new book, “The Viola in My Life: An Alto Rhapsody.�

Viola in hand, Zaslav went on to play in the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell, and in the orchestra pits of Broadway shows including “Fiddler on the Roof.� He is best known for being a member of many quartets: the Vermeer String Quartet, the Fine Arts String Quartet and the Stanford String Quartet, to name a few. And he and his wife, the pianist Naomi Zaslav, debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1962 as the Zaslav Duo. Over the decades, he recorded 134 works of chamber music.

Sitting in his Stanford home, next to a refrigerator liberally covered with photos of his wife of 64 years, children and grandchildren, Zaslav beams as he reflects on his love for the humble viola. Part of the reason he wrote his book was to draw attention to the instrument.

In a long, amicable conversation with a Weekly reporter, Zaslav also looks back on the successful career that allowed him to support his family with music, travel widely, premiere exciting new works and surround himself with creative people. “I was amazed that it went where it did, and gratified and happy,�

Zaslav, 85, says.

Pictures and paintings of musicians proliferate in the neat home, along with concert posters and Naomi’s grand piano, which she still plays. Longtime New Yorkers (though Naomi originally hails from Winnipeg), the Zaslavs came west so that Bernard could join the Stanford String Quartet in 1985. He also taught at Stanford University.

Zaslav gave his last performance at Stanford in 2004. Then he retired from performing due to eye problems. “Instead of going into a depression,� he says, “I went back to my datebooks.� These meticulous calendars had once kept track of a dizzying progression of performing gigs, recording dates and touring plans.

Now they became the backbone of his book. Zaslav finished it in five years, also aided by his wife’s memories and by editor Elaine Fine.

Friends Robert and Becky Spitzer, who own the Palo Alto-based Science and Behavior Books, published the 400-plus-page volume, which comes with two CDs of chamber music recorded by the Zaslav Duo and Bernard Zaslav with various string quartets.

The book is written in a conversational style, filled with anecdotes and big names as Zaslav goes from orchestra player to freelance musician to string-quartet denizen.

Readers are brought into the hectic schedules, financial struggles, artistic challenges and just plain gossip of a string player’s world in the midto late 20th century.

Freelancing in orchestra pits wasn’t Zaslav’s main career goal (he called it “bowing for dollars�). But it did allow him to be part of some memorable shows. He was playing “Once Upon A Mattress� OffOff-Broadway when a young Carol Burnett made a comedic splash in 1959.

Later, he was in the pit for “Take Me Along,� a Jackie Gleason hit based on Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness!� “Jackie was simply dazzling on stage,� Zaslav wrote. “He was incredibly light on his feet, but being ‘on the sauce’ took its toll ... occa-

sionally he fell asleep while mumbling his lines. I saw Walter Pidgeon try to save the situation by improvising, while Jackie’s head sank ever lower onto the table.�

Broadway had its appeals, but classical music was where it was at for Zaslav. When he joined the Kohon Quartet, he started becoming known as a quartet player, and that was the path he followed.

Reminiscing in his home, Zaslav clearly feels a particular nostalgia for playing in string quartets: their intimacy and rapport. “You learn how to give and take. You are so fortunate to be there hearing the thoughts of the greatest composers,� he says.

Zaslav also played during a fortunate time. Throug the book, as he tells his own story, he also depicts the lost years when there was a broader audience for a string quartet in residence or an avant-garde piece of new music.

In New York at mid-century, fresh sounds were emerging all over the place. Zaslav and violinist Matthew Raimondi got inspired to form the Composers Quartet to showcase new American voices. The foursome performed works by Milton Babbitt, Henry Weinberg, Billy Jim Layton and others. “Those were great times,� Zaslav says. “Music was moving in new directions.�

Minimalism in music has had its times of being all the rage, but Zaslav also remembers the “maximalism� of Babbitt, who painstakingly notated every pitch, rhythm and other facet of his work. “All this attention to detail gives a special clarity and beauty to Milton’s music. Describing the amount of rehearsal time required to learn Milton’s music could sound like boasting (or it could be perceived as a kind of sadistic addiction),� Zaslav wrote.

Babbitt’s Second Quartet (1959) was on the program when the Composers Quartet debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1965, receiving a favorable review from the New York Times, Zaslav recalled.

Another highlight of Zaslav’s string-quartet career was joining the Chicago-based Vermeer String Quartet — though it meant living in a lakeside apartment where the wind was so strong that Zaslav once returned home from tour to find a bedroom window blown out.

Of playing with the quartet, Zaslav wrote: “This was serious stuff, and our goal was nothing less than perfection. ... We scrupulously analyzed and assessed everything we did, and it paid off.�

Many critics agreed. In a 1982 review of a Beethoven recording made by the Vermeer Quartet when Zaslav was a member, a critic from Gramophone magazine wrote: “In terms of refinement of tonal blend and unanimity of approach, they can be numbered among the very finest ensembles currently before the public. Not only are they technically in the first flight but musically they are artists of keen sensitivity and awareness.�

Technical skill sometimes took other forms. Zaslav recalls many times when violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi’s music fell off the stand, and he kept playing without missing a measure.

Musicians may move from quartet to quartet, but one thing has remained constant for Zaslav: his belief that playing the “Grosse Fuga�

Op. 133, Beethoven’s original final movement of his Op. 130 String Quartet, is the “peak viola experience.�

Stravinsky once described the work as “an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever.� Zaslav says it’s one that will forever challenge and exhilarate its players.

He writes: “Beethoven reveals his audacity, and we navigate his diabolic twists and turns of thematic counterpoint. He has created a work of infernal complexity and musical logic, something undreamed of by either his predecessors or his contemporaries.�

Nowadays, Zaslav occasionally

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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Transportation Division Public Meeting Notice Arastradero Road Re-Striping Trial Update Public Open House DATE: Thursday, December 8, 2011 TIME: 6:30-8:30 PM PLACE: Juana Briones Elementary School 4100 Orme Street, Palo Alto, CA This public meeting will be an opportunity for City Staff to provide an update of the Re-Striping trial and on-going data collection effort. Members of the community are encouraged to provide input on parking strategies and the current parking permit program. The meeting will provide input and Comment to City Staff.

AGENDA

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&OR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT transportation@cityofpaloalto.org or call (650) 329-2441. *>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ ÂœĂ›i“LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 19

Arts & Entertainment

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‘Stones’ showcases local talent, but is weighed down by overly serious plot

by Jeanie K. Smith

“S

tones in his Pockets,”

by Irish playwright Marie Jones, opened at the Dragon Theatre in Palo Alto last weekend to much anticipation, since it features two actors playing more than 15 roles, with different accents and genders and of course personalities. Tom Gough, chair of the Theatre Arts Department at Foothill College, and Robert Sean Campbell, a popular South Bay thespian named an “actor to watch” by the late Wave Magazine in 2010, get to use their agility and talent for two hours in this quirky play.

They begin as two extras on a movie shoot, a film that is revealed to be standard Hollywood fare with an Irish setting. Jake (Campbell) and Charlie (Gough) become acquaintances and then friends as they participate in the mind-numbing exercise of waiting for hours to do one minute’s worth of filming. We learn enough of their pasts to know why they’re both here, earning a few quid a day, hoping to catch a lucky break while rubbing elbows with Hollywood stars and moguls.

Each actor steps easily into the skin of other characters almost immediately, and usually signals the move with a change of hat, or sweater or headscarf. Sometimes

THEATER REVIEW the costume changes are distracting, and the truth is we scarcely need these visuals. The characters are so distinct, and individuated, and it’s amazing to watch the actors’ faces literally transform before your eyes.

Amongst others, we meet the Hollywood star Caroline Giovanni, all liquid and sexy, the object of desire for all the lowly extras (Gough), and production assistant Ashleigh (Campbell), efficient and full of spit.

A mostly bare stage with a few boxes and chairs serves for all the various locations, and a plain muslin backdrop reflects changing light to help distinguish scenes.

As the story unfolds, we hear Jake’s and Charlie’s dreams and aspirations, and see them run up against the other characters: resisting the authority of the film crew, lusting after Caroline (and Jake getting up close and personal), and bonding with other extras. A side plot having to do with Jake’s drugged-out cousin Sean takes center focus later in Act One, and is a catalyst in moving Jake and Charlie to find their own destinies.

Playwright Jones captures some-

thing essential to Ireland and the Irish sensibility, but it’s also endearingly familiar, reminding us all of our tendency toward inertia and limited thinking about our capabilities. She uses humor and the device of actors playing multiple roles to distract us while bringing her message home.

Gough and Campbell are both hugely talented, and it’s great fun at first to watch them move like chameleons from role to role, often with remarkably subtle gestures and facial expressions. But the device can wear thin if the characters are always exactly the same in every incarnation.

Even Ashleigh and Caroline need to evolve as the plot develops.

There’s also a great deal of shouting that tends to nullify potential humor. In addition, the scene turns too deadly serious in Act Two, losing much of its charm and poignancy.

Still, director Meredith Hagedorn and her actors are to be commended for tackling this challenging piece of meta-theatre. Those who appreciate the difficulty of tackling all those roles will enjoy seeing Gough and Campbell strut their stuff. N What: “Stones in his Pockets,” by Marie Jones, presented by Dragon Productions Theatre Company Where: Dragon Theatre, 535 Alma St., Palo Alto When: Through Dec. 4, with 8 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays Cost: Tickets range from $16 to $30.

Info: Go to dragonproductions.net or call 650-493-2006.

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Viola

(continued from previous page)

coaches music students, but at most concerts he’s simply an audience member. In this area, that’s a treat, he says. He’s a fan of Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, and he and Naomi often attend string-quartet performances presented by Stanford Lively Arts.

When Zaslav retired from performing, he gave his treasured 1781 Guadagnini viola to Dextra Musica in Norway, which buys instruments and loans them to performing Norwegian musicians.

And he continues to figuratively pass the bow. Earlier this month, when the Pacifica Quartet performed at Stanford, violist Masumi Per Rostad visited Zaslav at his home. He tried out one of his bows, and then Zaslav showed him the recordings he had been on over the years.

The younger violist was particularly taken with a record of Dvorák’s ˇ string quartets. “He said, ‘I grew up on those recordings!’” Zaslav says.

Zaslav also spends a lot of time on the website viola.com, learning about new compositions for his beloved instrument, and connecting with both peers and up-and-coming violists. He smiles thinking about it.

“We’re a special community.” N Info: Bernard Zaslav’s book “The Viola in My Life” can be found at amazon. com. For more about the musician, go to viola.com/zaslav.

Movies OPENINGS

Into the Abyss ---

(Palo Alto Square) Basic cable has been chockablock with truecrime coverage for some time, but the new feature documentary “Into the Abyss” — about murders committed by teenagers, the American justice system and capital punishment — has an ace in the hole: the distinctly off-kilter perspective of German director Werner Herzog.

Like other Herzog docs (including “Grizzly Man” and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”), this film comes with Herzog’s quirky Teutonic narration and investigative style. The director plops himself down smack in the middle of Texas to talk to convicted criminals serving hard time and the hardest time (on Death Row), and to their keepers, police, clergymen and victims’ family members. It seems unlikely that Katie Couric would ask a death row chaplain, “Why does God allow capital punishment?” or a woman who lost her mother and younger brother in a crime spree, “Why did they die?”

Perhaps there’s a coldness to this existential curiosity, but Herzog shows an interest in personality and the psychic toll of the strange events on which he performs a post-mortem. Much of the film (subtitled “A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life”) picks through the crime scenes and the timeline that made the case against Jason Burkett, now serving a 40year sentence, and Michael James Perry, who is scheduled for imminent execution when Herzog interviews him. While the slow-paced true-crime sequences add little (beyond confirming the senselessness of the crimes), the interviews that make up the balance of the film yield plenty of oddities of modern American life.

A former bartender who had a brush with the perpetrators admits, plainly and disturbingly, “I have seen so many awful things.” It’s safe to say that’s true of the other interviewees, including a local acquain-

tance of the killers who expresses gratitude for having learned to read in jail, and Berkett’s dad, Delbert, who is serving his own life sentence for murder in a facility facing that of his son. In a coup of editing, Herzog cuts from Jason, reflecting on what he’ll be like in 40 years, to Delbert, who appears as if he could be Jason in 40 years. It’s an eerily affecting moment.

Delbert goes on to describe his terrible guilt as a father who holds himself responsible for his son’s failures and, in a small measure of redemption, his son’s escape of a death sentence. That Berkett will live while Perry dies is but one of the glaring absurdities the film implicitly points out. While it’s not hard to figure that Herzog stands against the death penalty, his film takes pains to give voice to victims’ families (indeed, the film is dedicated to them). Essentially, “Into the Abyss” is the documentary version of the superior 1995 drama “Dead Man Walking.”

If Herzog’s scavenger hunt of emotion can seem exploitative (especially in the late-breaking tabloidfriendly surprise), ultimately the film’s collection of voices provides another opportunity to reflect on a polarizing issue that isn’t likely to go away any time soon.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and some disturbing images. One hour, 47 minutes.

— Peter Canavese

Happy Feet Two --1/2

(Century 16, Century 20) If you’ve ever wanted to see Brad Pitt and Matt Damon play life partners, now’s your chance: Hustle on down to the multiplex to see “Happy Feet Two.” OK, so they do so in the form of two krill traveling through Antarctic waters in the company of a giant swarm of invertebrates, but

Those darn dancing penguins return in “Happy Feet Two.” their double act is no less amusing as the obviously committed friends offer each other moral support and sing swatches of pop tunes. And this should come as no surprise to viewers of the 2006 movie “Happy Feet,” which, like its sequel, has for its director George Miller (“Mad Max”) and features movie stars singing mashups as the voices of animated critters (not my favorite trend in animated film, but whaddaya gonna do?).

Elijah Wood returns as the voice of Mumble, now a penguin dad fretting over the direction of his son Erik (Ava Acres). Erik fears he has two left not-so-happy feet, but he excitedly latches onto an impossible dream of flight. An airborne puffin named The Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria) passes as a penguin, causing the confusion, but more intimidating problems face “the Penguin Nation” in the form of a dangerously shifting landscape (due to climate change) and how best to get the attention of passing humans (depicted mostly in live action).

One of the main attractions here, at least for kids, is Robin Williams, reprising his double role of Mumble’s Argentinian buddy Ramón and jumbo-sized penguin preacher Lovelace. Mumble’s mate Gloria is in the picture (with Pink subbing in

for the late Brittany Murphy), while new girl Carmen (voiced by Sofia Vergara of TV’s “Modern Family”) rubs noses with Ramón. Again supplying behind-the-scenes oomph are top choreographers, including Savion Glover.

For the “Happy Feet” franchise is all about celebrating dance, anticipating “Glee”’s similar (and, for some, similarly annoying) celebration of popular song. Songs ranging from “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” to a Puccini aria play important roles, but it’s mostly about the tapping penguin claws and hip-hop-popping flippers, as waves of computer-generated penguins boogie for the delight of young audiences against a photo-real Antarctic backdrop.

Adults who venture here will wonder if Miller has “lost the plot,” since the somewhat redundant, nar-

ratively sluggish “Happy Feet Two” doesn’t really have one. Instead, it has what feels like dozens of microstorylines, including the journey of Will the Krill (Pitt) and Bill the Krill (Damon), all dovetailing in an extended climax before being tied in a bow.

So why do these penguins dance?

One theory goes that “it’s a momentary relief from the existential terrors of existence,” while another puts it more simply: “It brings out my happy.” For kids facing a potentially rough adulthood, it’s probably a message worth hearing, maybe more than once.

Rated PG for some rude humor and mild peril. One hour, 40 minutes.

— Peter Canavese

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 21

Movies MOVIE TIMES Fri 11/18

Movie times for the Guild, Aquarius and Century 20 theaters are for Friday through Tuesday only unless otherwise noted. For Wednesday and Thursday times, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies.

Into the Abyss - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50 Like Crazy - 2:30, 5:00, 7:20, 9:45 Into the Abyss - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50 Like Crazy - 5:00, 7:20, 9:45 Into the Abyss - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15 Like Crazy - 2:00 Into the Abyss - 2:30, 5:00, 7:20 Like Crazy - 2:00, 4:45, 7:15 Into the Abyss - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15 Like Crazy - 2:30 Into the Abyss - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50 Like Crazy - 2:30, 5:00, 7:20, 9:45

Sat 11/19 Sun 11/20 Mon 11/21 Tues 11/22 Weds & Thurs 11/23-11/24

2 For 1 - Moneyball/The Ides Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 2:05, 4:40, 7:25 & 9:35 p.m. of March (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)

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WERNER HERZOG “ A MODERN ‘IN COLD BLOOD.’�

Paranormal Activity 3 (R) (Not Reviewed)

Century 20: 10:15 p.m.

Happy Feet Two (PG)

Century 16: 3:10, 6:10 & 9:05 p.m.; Fri. also at 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.; Sat.-Thu. also at 12:20 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 9:50 a.m.; In 3D at 4:10, 7:10 & 9:55 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 10:40 a.m. & 1:10 p.m.; In 3D Mon.-Thu. also at 11 a.m. & 1:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:05 a.m.; 12:50, 1:40, 4:15, 5:55, 7 & 9:35 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:35 a.m.; In 3D at 11:55 a.m.; 2:30, 3:20, 5:05, 7:40 & 10:15 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 10:25 a.m.

Puss in Boots (PG) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 5:30 & 10:30 p.m.; In 3D at 12:05, 2:35, 5, 7:30 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m. & 3:55 p.m.; In 3D at 12:25, 1:35, 2:50 & 6:15 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Mon. also at 5:15, 7:35 & 9:55 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 10:45 a.m.

It Happened One Night (1934) Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 7:30 p.m.

GRIPPING.

I can’t stop thinking about this one.�

–Jesse Hawthorne, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

,172 7+( $%<66 A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE. STARTS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18TH

Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:40 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri., Sat., Wed. & Thu. also at 9:50 p.m.

(((

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

CINEMARK $*/c"354 "5 1"-0 "-50 426"3& 3000 EL CAMINO REAL

Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. at 3:05 & 7:30 p.m.

Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 2:10, 4:50 & 7:30 p.m.

Into the Abyss (PG-13)

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Footloose (2011) (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

In Time (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 5:10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:45 a.m.; Mon.-Thu. also at 11 a.m. Century 20: 7:55 & 10:40 p.m.; Fri. & Sun.-Tue. also at 12:10, 2:45 & 5:20 p.m.; Sat. also at 5:25 p.m.

SURPRISING AND DEEPLY MOVING.â&#x20AC;?

Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. at 5:25 & 9:50 p.m.

Century 20: Sun. at 1:30 p.m.; Tue. at 6:30 p.m.

Palo Alto Square: Sun. at 1:30 p.m.; Tue. at 6:30 p.m.

Immortals (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:50 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; In 3D at 1:40, 2:40, 4:30, 7:20, 8:30 & 10:20 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 10:50 a.m.; In 3D Mon.-Thu. also at 11 a.m.

Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 5 & 10:25 p.m.; In 3D at 1:20, 2:15, 4:05, 6:55, 7:45, 8:50 & 9:40 p.m.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 6:05 & 8:50 p.m.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Bolshoi Ballet Presents Sleeping Beauty (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Amy Biancolli, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Joshua Rothkopf, TIME OUT NEW YORK

Morning Glory (1933)

Century 16: 12:50 & 3:05 p.m.; In 3D at 5:20, 7:50 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; In 3D at 1:25, 3:40, 6, 8:15 & 10:30 p.m.

EXTRAORDINARY.â&#x20AC;? .

Century 20: Sat. at 9:55 a.m. Palo Alto Square: Sat. at 9:55 a.m.

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (R) (Not Reviewed)

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE

))))

The Metropolitan Opera: Satyagraha (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)

Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 7:30 p.m.

((1/2

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Guild Theatre: 4, 7 & 9:55 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 1 p.m.

A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

â&#x20AC;&#x153; â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Melancholia (R) ((1/2

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview Aquarius Theatre: 5:15, 7:15 & 9:15 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) also at 3:15 p.m.

Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise (1931)

Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 6 & 9:25 p.m.

Tower Heist (PG-13) ((

Century 16: 12:50, 3:50, 7 & 9:55 p.m. Century 20: 12:15, 2:55, 5:25, 8 & 10:35 p.m.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: 11 a.m.; 12:30, 1:20, 2, 3, 3:30, 4:20, 5, 6:10, 7, 7:40 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:30 a.m.; noon & 8:20 p.m.; Fri. also at 10 a.m.; 10:10, 10:40 & 11:30 p.m.; Sat. also at 9 & 9:40 a.m.; 10:10 & 10:40 p.m.; Sun. also at 9:40 a.m.; 10 & 10:30 p.m.; Century 20: 11 & 11:30 a.m.; noon, 12:30, 1, 1:25, 1:55, 3:25, 3:55, 4:20, 4:50, 5:50, 6:20, 6:50, 7:15, 7:45, 8:45, 9:15, 9:45, 10:10 & 10:40 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 10:30 a.m. & 11:05 p.m.; Fri. & Sun.-Tue. also at 2:55 p.m.; Sat. also at 2:50 p.m.

J. Edgar (R) ((

Century 16: 12:10, 1:50, 3:20, 7, 8:10 & 10:05 p.m.

Century 20: 12:45, 4, 7:10, 8:35 & 10:20 p.m.

( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding

Jack and Jill (PG) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: 11:10 a.m.; 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 7:05, 8:05 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 1:40, 4:10, 6:40, 7:50, 9:05 & 10:20 p.m.; Fri., Sat., Mon. & Tue. also at 12:35, 3 & 5:30 p.m.

Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)

Like Crazy (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

Palo Alto Square: Fri., Wed. & Thu. at 2:30, 5, 7:20 & 9:45 p.m.; Sat. at 5, 7:20 & 9:45 p.m.; Sun. at 7:20 p.m.; Mon. at 2:30, 5 & 7:20 p.m.; Tue. at 2:30 p.m.

CinĂŠArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456)

Margin Call (R) (((1/2

Aquarius Theatre: 4:15, 7 & 9:55 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 1:30 p.m.

1-800-FANDANGO 914# PALO ALTO

WWW.SUNDANCESELECTS.COM

Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com.

CONSTRUCTION ZONE AHEAD H ER W Y

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LEGEND

Stanford University Medical Center is beginning construction work to rebuild and expand its medical facilities in Palo Alto.

Please be advised of traďŹ&#x192;c changes around the medical center due to construction.

Road/Driveway Closure

Stanford University School of Medicine

EďŹ&#x20AC;ective Monday, November 7th, South Pasteur Drive will become a two-lane, two-way road. North Pasteur Drive will no longer be accessible due to construction activities. Stanford Hospital & Clinics will continue to be accessed via South Pasteur Drive.

Please also note that Welch Road will continue to be a one-lane, one-way road going West between Quarry Road and South Pasteur Drive.

Vehicle Routes

Thank you for your patience during construction.

MORE INFO: SUMCRenewal.org | info@SUMCRenewal.org | 24-Hour Construction Hotline: (650) 701-SUMC (7862) Page 22Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iÂ&#x201C;LiĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;ÂŁn]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;䣣Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;

Eating Out FOOD FEATURE

A taste of Bolivia Three sisters cook up treats at 3Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe

by Andrea he daily specials are a tipoff that 3Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe is not your typical coffee shop.

Outside the cafe, which is tucked away on Cambridge Avenue just one block off Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy California Avenue, a sandwich-board sign announces lattes, salteĂąas, peanut soup and cuĂąapes. While a full complement of coffee drinks are available, so is yerba mate. The menu is peppered with Bolivian fare.

The idea for the cafe has been marinating for the past six or seven years, Gloria Justiniano says. She and her sisters Roxana and Fatima â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 3Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stands for three girls â&#x20AC;&#x201D; spent years fine-tuning family recipes and testing them out at potlucks before deciding to open the

Veronica Weber

T

Gloria Justiniano, one of the owners of 3Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cafe in Palo Alto, brings out a plate of freshly baked salteĂąas.

DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

Pizzeria Venti

ays d i l o h happy

Gemmet cafe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody loved the food,â&#x20AC;? Justiniano says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thought, why not provide these flavors to the community?â&#x20AC;?

They took the leap this summer, opening 3Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the end of August.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve relied mostly on word-ofmouth, Justiniano says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today we got 11 students from Stanford, all from Bolivia,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were waiting for the salteĂąas.â&#x20AC;?

The salteĂąas ($3-$3.25) are made from a family recipe that goes back generations. Her mom, Elva, oversees the two-day process of making the savory pastry pockets, similar to empanadas. A tender, slightly sweet dough is filled with

(continued on next page)

Ossobuco is a classic dish from Milan and features braised Veal shanks in a white wine and tomato sauce. Our simple, yet elegant recipe will be a family favorite for years to come. For your dining pleasure, we offer this recipe.

From our kitchen to yours, BUON APPETITO! Pizzeria Venti Recipe - Chef Carlo Maeda

OSSOBUCO s TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL s SMALL ONION CHOPPED l NE s CARROTS CHOPPED l NE s STALKS OF CELERY CHOPPED l NE s VEAL SHANKS CUT ABOUT INCHES thick, each tied tightly cross-wise s m OUR SPREAD ON A PLATE

s CUP DRY WHITE WINE s TABLESPOONS BUTTER s CUP CHICKEN BROTH s CUP TOMATOES CRUSHED WITH their juices s FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER TO TASTE s SALT TO TASTE

Preparation instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in foil pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes then drain the oil.

3. Meanwhile, heat the other 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a foil pan. Dredge the veal shanks in the ďŹ&#x201A;our, coating on all sides and shake off the excess ďŹ&#x201A;our. When the oil is hot, slip in the shanks and brown them on all sides. This should take about 6-7 minutes per side. Remove the veal shanks and place them in the ďŹ rst pan on top of the cooked vegetables.

4. Add the wine, butter, chicken broth, tomatoes, pepper and salt to the pot. The liquid should come at least two thirds of the way to the top of the shanks. If it does not, add more broth.

1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.mvpizzeriaventi.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

5. Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Cook for about 2 hours, turning and basting every 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender.

6. Transfer the Ossobuco to a warm plate and carefully remove the strings.

To serve place Ossobuco on a plate with Risotto Milanese, or Pastina pasta in herbed olive oil and garlic.

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BUY ONE GET ONE at 1/2 PRICE or BUY ONE at 25% OFF *

Eating Out *

*Applies to devices $2000 or greater.

Offer expires 11/30/11.

(continued from previous page)

Here you'll find a warm and vibrant environment with a loyal and committed long-term staff and management.

beef or chicken stew in a light gravy, and baked until golden. They’re all made by hand, because there’s no mechanized way to create the dough and seal in the gravy so it doesn’t leak out, Justiniano says. She makes a face at the thought of a dry salteña that’s lost its juicy filling.

The hearty salteñas are eaten all day long, hot or cold, as breakfast or a snack, although few Bolivians make them at home, she says.

“When I visit back home, I go straight from the airport” to get a salteña, she says.

The cafe also offers more typical fare, with made-to-order sandwiches, salads, cookies and scones. But there are also slices of brazo de gitano ($1.85), a light white cake rolled around a thick, caramel-colored filling of dulce de leche. Crumbly alfajores ($1), cookies sandwiched around dulce de leche and rolled in shredded coconut, share a pastry case with chocolate chip cookies.

The cuñapes ($1.50) are similar to a savory cheese biscuit, but are made with yucca instead of flour, which gives them an unusual texture. Pan de arroz ($1.50) is made of rice flour studded with chunks of cheese that’s baked on a banana leaf. The peanut and quinoa soups ($3.25-$4.25) are also typical Bolivian fare, although the creamysmooth blended texture comes from Justiniano’s family recipe.

While many of the menu items won’t be found at a Starbucks or Peet’s, Justiniano says there’s been a great response, and a surprising number of people who are familiar with the dishes.

“We’re surprised: The community has really responded,” she says. “I’m encouraged.”

Besides seeing homesick Bolivians, 3G’s is welcoming a lot of patrons from Central America, Chile, Argentina and Peru, she says.

“Many of the items are the same, but have different names,” Justiniano says. “In our heads, it’s close enough; it reminds us of home.”

While the weekday crowd is mostly people who work nearby, on the weekends people living in the nearby neighborhood venture into 3G’s, often to check out the weekend specials, where Justiniano and her sisters test out new recipes.

Recent weekend specials have been pico de gallina, chicken with spicy red sauce served with rice; and majado, a rice dish with dried beef that’s topped with egg and fried plantains.

On Sundays, shoppers at the California Avenue farmers market have begun to discover 3G’s, Justiniano says.

Justiniano and her sisters don’t have any previous experience in the restaurant business — one sister is a dentist, the other does medical billings, and Justiniano quit her job as

Please call for a personal tour and be our guest for lunch. We look forward to seeing you.

SHOP LOCAL

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a dental assistant to work full-time at 3G’s.

Make that more than full-time.

Since its opening, Justiniano has been putting in 16- or 18-hour days. Her sisters work in the cafe on weekends, and they all pitch in to make the pastries, soups and other dishes 3G’s serves.

“We were well-prepared to work hard,” she says. “It’s fun, but it’s hard work.”

Part of that is because everything is made fresh daily. “We don’t have a microwave,” she says, gesturing toward the small space behind the counter that’s dominated by a large oven. “I’m that type of person.”

3G’s doesn’t have full breakfasts because there’s no stove, and Justiniano isn’t interested in using the microwaveable egg-mixes available.

While she said it’s been surprisingly easy to find local sources that carry specialty ingredients like yucca flour, quinoa and yerba mate, getting other Bolivian specialties has been a little more frustrating. She says she’s been trying to get Buena Vista coffee from Bolivia, and the coca tea won’t get past customs in Miami. “I keep banging my head against the wall,” she says.

Despite the challenges, Justiniano seems confident that 3G’s is going to be a success. “We got some regulars from day one,” she says. “We’re trying to create that atmosphere.”

Working in a dentist’s office, she appreciated the friendly atmosphere, where she not only knew her patients, she knew their children and their families, too.

“I like that environment and I want to create the same kind here,” she says. N 3G’s Cafe 456 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto 650-473-6511 3-Gscafe.com Hours: Weekdays 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cuñapes Ingredients: 3.3 pounds grated cheese, such as queso fresco 1.1 pounds yucca (also known as cassava or tapioca) starch 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons milk salt to taste 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix grated cheese, yucca starch, sugar and salt (if the cheese is not salty).

Finally add milk, pouring little by little until you have a smooth, but not dry, dough.

3. Place dough on a work surface sprinkled with some yucca starch. Knead until the dough is smooth and even.

4. Make small balls. With your finger, make a small hole at the bottom of each ball. Place the cunapes in a yucca-starch-sprinkled baking sheet, with the hole in direct contact with the sheet.

5. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cuñapes are golden.

MEXICAN Celia’s Mexican Restaurants Palo Alto: 3740 El Camino Real 650-843-0643 Menlo Park: 1850 El Camino Real 650-321-8227 www.celiasrestaurants.com

of the week

Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto Õ}iÊ i ÕÊUÊ iÃÌÞ iÊ,iV «iÃ

AMERICAN

CHINESE

Armadillo Willy’s 941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00

Su Hong – Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323–6852 To Go: 322–4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac “Best Of” 8 years in a row!

Hobee’s 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village, Palo Alto 327-4111

Burmese

Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688 129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days

CHINESE

Jing Jing 328-6885 443 Emerson St., Palo Alto Authentic Szechwan, Hunan Food To Go, Delivery www.jingjinggourmet.com Ming’s 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com

Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com

INDIAN

Green Elephant Gourmet 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine Janta Indian Restaurant 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (650) 462-5903 Fax (650) 462-1433 (Charleston Shopping Center) Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto www.greenelephantgourmet.com Lunch Buffet M-F; www.jantaindianrestaurant.com

Chef Chu’s 948-2696 1067 N. San Antonio Road on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos 2010 Best Chinese MV Voice & PA Weekly

PIZZA

ITALIAN La Cucina di Pizzeria Venti 254-1120 1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View www.pizzeriaventi.com Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food Spalti Ristorante 327-9390 417 California Ave, Palo Alto ÝµÕ Ã ÌiÊ `ÊUÊ"ÕÌ` ÀÊ }Ê www.spalti.com

JAPANESE & SUSHI

POLYNESIAN Trader Vic’s 849-9800 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm Available for private luncheons Lounge open nightly Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm

Ming’s serves distinctive Chinese fare in grand fashion. With more than 200 dishes covering nearly every permutation of meat, seafood, vegetables, rice and noodles, Ming’s aims to please even the finickiest of appetites.

SEAFOOD Cook’s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95

1700 Embarcadero East, *> Ê Ì ÊUÊnxÈ ÇÇää www.mings.com

THAI Siam Orchid 325-1994 496 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto Organic Thai Free Delivery to Palo Alto/Stanford/Menlo Park Order online at www.siamorchidpa.com

STEAKHOUSE

Sundance the Steakhouse Fuki Sushi 494-9383 321-6798 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto New Tung Kee Noodle House 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Online Ordering-Catereing-Chef Rental 947-8888 Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr. Sushi Workshops-Private Tatami Rooms Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Online Gift Card Purchase Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘04 Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm Prices start at $4.75 fukisushi.com & facebook.com/fukisushi www.sundancethesteakhouse.com

Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com

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Sports Shorts

PREP GOLF . . . Gunn freshman Anna Zhou capped a sensational first season by tying for sixth at the CIF NCGA Girls State High School Championships on Tuesday at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Zhou shot a 3-over par 75 on the par-72 layout that played 6,066 yards. She was only four shots behind Sarah Cho of Torrey Pines and Cha Cha Willhoite of Palm Desert. Both shot 1-under 71, with Cho winning the state title on the second playoff hole. In other prep golf news, Menlo School junior Andrew Buchanan has given his verbal commitment to play golf at Southern Methodist University. Buchanan helped the boys’ golf team (10-0) to a West Bay Athletic League championship last spring and a CCS scholastic title.

ON THE AIR Friday Men’s basketball: Stanford at UC Davis, 7 p.m., Comcast Sports Net Bay Area; KNBR (1050 AM) Women’s volleyball: Oregon at Stanford, 7 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)

Saturday College football: Cal at Stanford, 7:15 p.m., ESPN; KNBR (1050 AM); KZSU (90.1 FM)

Sunday Monday Women’s basketball: Stanford at Connecticut, 4:30 p.m., ESPNU; KZSU (90.1 FM)

READ MORE ONLINE

www.PASportsOnline.com For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com

The 113th annual Big Game produced a lot of happiness and celebration for Stanford as the Cardinal took back the Axe with a 48-14 victory.

Plenty at stake, along with the Axe Football emotions will be high as host Stanford and Cal battle for coveted postseason bowl game berths

by Rick Eymer t is an honor and a priviledge to present some Big Game facts and figures, degrees of separation and other useful trivia surrounding Big Game Week. After all, what’s hype without the hype?

This is the biggest Big Game since at least last year, with bowl bids waiting for both the winner and loser. Seniors from both schools want to walk away with the Stanford Axe for one last time. The halftime battle of the bands will be fierce and

I

competitive.

There’s such a great build up to the actual game itself, the week needs its own team captain and I nominate Tyrone Willingham, who should be invited to every Big Game Week activity, if just to see some of his Big Game magic rub off.

In his 10 years as an assistant coach and head football coach at Stanford, his record against California was spotless: 10-0. That includes six victories by a touchdown or less, once in overtime, and the

100th Big Game.

Willingham was there in 2001 and 1991. He will likely be around this year as well. Is it too late to name him an honorary captain to the honorary captain?

“I think what happens in this football game, because of the emotions involved, is that its often hard not to come in and have emotions,” Willingham said after beating Cal, 3528, in 2001. “Our guys were prob(continued on page 29)

TV: ESPN, 7:15 p.m.

Radio: KNBR (1050 AM); KZSU (90.1 FM)

MEN’S SOCCER

NCAA SOCCER

Gunn grad leads Menlo into nationals

Stanford women hope to host own Big Game

by Rick Eymer

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(continued on next page)

by Rick Eymer he top-ranked and top-seeded Stanford women’s soccer team would love to put an exclamation point on Big Game week with its own victory over California, and it could very well happen.

Curiously there is one event leading up to the Big Game in which Stanford fans can actually root for a California victory. That would be Friday afternoon, when the Bears (12-6-3) and Boston College (125-2) meet at Stanford in the second round of the NCAA tournament at 4:30 p.m.

The Cardinal (20-0-1) would have to do its part by beating No. 22 South Carolina (16-6) in the 7 p.m. nightcap on Friday in the first-ever

T

T

here are a lot of things to like about Sam Zippersteinís soccer game and the Gunn High grad has gained the respect of his Menlo College teammates through his unmatched work ethic, his dedication and his commitment to the team.

Oaks’ coach Mike Keller just wishes he’d be a little more vocal.

“He’s a quiet leader,” Keller said.

“The intensity he brings to practice every day is excellent. He’s a good student and he does all the little things.”

Perhaps most telling is that Zipperstein has scored once all season, a game-winning goal, and he leads

Jim Shorin/stanfordphoto.com

Women’s volleyball: Oregon St. at Stanford, 1 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)

Don Feria/stanfordphoto.com

LOCAL COLLEGIANS . . . Palo Alto High grad Scott Mielke (Class of 2008) helped the UC Santa Cruz men’s water polo team finish eighth at the 2011 National Collegiate Club Championships held last weekend at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Banana Slugs qualified for the event for the first time ever by winning the Sierra Pacific Division . . . Palo Alto High grad Allison Whitson had 20 kills for UC Davis, but it wasn’t enough as the Aggies dropped a 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21 decision to Big West Conference champ Long Beach State on Saturday night at UC Davis. The Aggies dropped their fourth straight match, moving to 20-10 for the season and 6-9 in conference. One night earlier, Whitson produced 16 kills and 15 digs in a 18-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-12 loss to visiting Cal State Fullerton . . . In the Ivy League, Palo Alto grad Hillary Ford and Gunn grad Michaela Venuti capped their college careers with a victory as Princeton defeated Columbia, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-6 to clinch sole possession of second place. Ford and Venuti were among three seniors honored before the match. Ford started and finished with 18 digs in her final match as the Tigers finished 18-8 overall and 11-3 in the Ivy League. Also in the Ivy League, Castilleja grad Taylor Docter had 15 kills and 16 digs to pace Harvard to a 19-25, 27-25, 25-16, 25-19 victory over visiting Brown on Saturday. The Crimson closed out its 2011 campaign with a 12-12 overall record.

Castilleja grad Lindsay Taylor, who scored in a 3-0 win over Montana to open the NCAA tournament, will be back in action Friday.

(continued on page 29)

as many as two more victories to Bowen’s total this season until Tuesday’s loss.

The defending champion Knights (17-9), who beat Los Altos in last season’s semifinals (18-6), couldn’t do it again as Menlo gave up more than 10 goals for only the third time this season. Despite holding a 7-4 halftime lead, the Knights’ inexperience — Menlo lost five of seven starters off its 2010 championship team — showed in the second half as the Eagles outscored the Knights in the final period, 4-0.

CCS ROUNDUP

It’ll be a busy day for these SHP teams Three of four Sacred Heart Prep teams playing Saturday will be competing for section championships in the section playoffs this weekend (football, volleyball and two water polo squads), but only three teams will be playing Saturday. Rodriguez has all four on the same day.

Two SHP teams put that scenario in motion with victories on Wednesday.

With senior Pippa Temple pouring in seven goals, the SHP girls’ water polo team advanced to the CCS Division II championship match with a 17-5 dunking of No. 4 Burlingame in the section semifinals at Gunn High. Bridgette Harper added four goals and sophomore goalie Kelly Moran had 13 saves for the Gators (23-5). Los Altos (19-7) will be playing in only its first CCS title match.

The Eagles advanced with a 13-10 win over No. 3 St. Ignatius.

“We’re excited to play in the finals on Saturday,” said SHP Jon Burke, who in his six years with the Gators is 147-27 with six straight appearances in the CCS division finals.

“We’ve prepared for this opportunity and we’re hoping to play up to our potential.

“We’re going to need to play great defense against Los Altos. They have a number of scoring threats.

Our counter-attack will be important, as well. We have to use our team speed and conditioning for four quarters.”

The Sacred Heart Prep volleyball team will play for a third straight CCS Division IV championship on Saturday after sweeping aside No. 5 seed Harbor, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 in the semifinals on Wednesday at Menlo School. The top-seeded Gators (23-6) will face No. 2 Soquel (30-4), which will be making its first appearance in any CCS title match since 1992.

Sacred Heart Prep, which has won 12 section titles and reached the finals 15 times since 1988, got 12 kills and five blocks from junior Ellie Shannon while senior Jesse Ebner added nine kills and six blocks in the quick victory.

Senior Olivia Bertolacci had nine digs while Helen Gannon played well in the back row as a defensive specialist.

Men’s soccer

Vazzano, who works in the Menlo Sports Information office, plans to take a red-eye out of the Bay Area on Friday night.

The Oaks traveled Thursday, have a practice scheduled Friday and an NAIA sponsored banquet in the evening.

Southern Poly, located in Marietta, has a 4-2-2 record against teams in the NAIA field. Menlo is 0-0-1, playing No. 19 Biola to a draw on Sept. 17. The Oaks have won 11 straight since that contest.

Joining Zipperstein are Sacred Heart Prep grad Alex Vukic, the Oaks’ second-leading scorer with nine goals, and Menlo-Atherton grad Enrique Ortiz. Vukic also serves as a co-captain with Zipperstein.

“Alex always tries to be positive and gives maximum effort,” Keller

F

(continued from previous page)

Menlo with 11 assists.

“The team respects his level of play,” Keller said. “They respect him for what he does.”

Zipperstein is one of several local athletes on Menlo’s men’s soccer team who will participate in the school’s first-ever appearance at the NAIA tournament this weekend.

The Oaks (13-3-1) travel to Georgia to meet sixth-ranked Southern Poly (15-2-2) in Saturday’s firstround match. The contest will be streamed live over the web beginning at 10 a.m. (PST) The direct link is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/men-s-soccer. Announcer Dylan

Keith Peters

by Keith Peters or one who likes to support his teams as much as possible, Sacred Heart Prep Athletic Director Frank Rodriguez will be a busy man on Saturday with four of his squads participating in Central Coast Section playoffs — three of them in championships.

If everything works out as planned with no overtimes, Rodriguez just might be able to watch all four. But, it will take a bit of driving.

The top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep girls’ water polo team will go after a record fifth straight CCS Division II title on Saturday morning, taking on No. 2 seed Los Altos at Independence High in San Jose at 10 a.m.

Following that match at 11:30 a.m., the top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep boys’ water polo team also will take on Los Altos, seeded No. 3, in the CCS Division II title match in the same pool. The Gators are looking for a fifth section crown.

At that point, Rodriguez will have to put the pedal to the metal and head back to school to catch the No. 4-seeded Gators’ football team hosting No. 5 Scotts Valley in a CCS Division IV opener that starts at 1 p.m.

Once that game finishes, Rodriguez will head back to Independence to watch the Gators’ top-seeded girls’ volleyball team take on No. 2 Soquel in the CCS Division IV championship match at 4:30 p.m.

“I will be at water polo for both games and be a bit late for football (last year I got there at the end of the 1st quarter),” Rodriguez said.

“I’ll then head back down to Independence for volleyball. This is the same schedule I used last year (the first year I missed the boys’ CCS championship water polo game to get back here to oversee our firstever home CCS football game).

“It is a crazy day for sure but one we feel so fortunate to experience . . . several of our “Gator Nation” students/parents/fans will be hustling to all four events, so I’m nothing special.”

St. Francis is the only other CCS school that has four teams playing

Sacred Heart Prep senior Erin Sheridan and her water polo teammates will seek a fifth straight CCS Division II title on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the Sacred Heart Prep boys’ water polo team overcame a one-goal deficit with under five minutes to overtake No. 4 Soquel, 16-13, and advance to the CCS Division II finals.

The Gators (18-10) will play No. 3 seed Los Altos (20-5) for the title on Saturday at Independence High.

This will be SHP’s seventh-straight appearance in the finals. The Eagles upset No. 2 seed and defending champion Menlo School in the other semifinal, 11-8.

SHP coach Brian Kreutzkamp is hoping for healthier players come game time.

“We are very under the weather,” he said. “We had six guys miss practice the day before this (semifinal) game, and (goalie) Will (Runkel) is certainly sick. So, our game plan for Saturday is to get healthy and be at 100 percent physically, first and foremost.

“Los Altos has two big, strong 2-meter men in Orton and Warmoth that we will need to stop. Although they have less weapons offensively than Soquel does, their team defense is very strong.”

In other CCS playoff action this week:

semifinals in the Knights’ gym on Wednesday. The No. 3-seeded Knights (24-8) wrapped up a fine season despite a 25-12, 24-26, 2520, 22-25, 16-14 setback.

Girls’ volleyball Menlo School saw its season end in a five-set loss to No. 2-seeded Soquel in the CCS Division IV

Boys’ water polo Palo Alto saw its solid season end in a 16-5 loss to No. 2 seed Bellarmine in the Central Coast Section Division I boys’ water polo semifinals on Wednesday at Serra High. The No. 6-seeded Vikings (17-13) fell behind by 5-1 after one quarter and trailed 8-1 at the half to the Bells (19-9), who will play No. 1 St. Francis (an 11-5 winner over Leland) in the CCS finals on Saturday at Independence High at 2:30 p.m.

Sophomore Will Conner and freshman Nelson Perla-Ward each scored twice for the Vikings with senior Aaron Zelinger adding one.

Zelinger is one of only four seniors on the team. The others playing in their final match were goalie Daniel Armitano, Peter Rockhold and Ethan Mellberg.

A rematch of last season’s Division II final was wiped out by Los Altos in the second semifinal on Tuesday at Serra, which saw Menlo coach Jack Bowen’s march toward a milestone end.

While Bowen will win his 300th game next season after improving his 12-year record with the Knights to 297-76, Menlo could have added

said. “He’s likable because he’s well-meaning and treats people with respect.”

Keller, in his second year with Menlo, set the foundation with last year’s group, which included Zipperstein and Vukic.

Keller said Zipperstein “recruited himself” to Menlo after spending time at Foothill College. The former All-SCVAL baseball player turned out to be one of the most productive players.

“It all started last year with a group of guys who came in and created a great atmosphere,” Keller said. “That core of guys really fostered a winning attitude themselves.

Our goal was to win a conference championship and go to the national tournament, though I don’t think we could honestly say it would happen

so quickly.”

Menlo’s confidence soared after beating defending champion Holy Names, 1-0, at home on Oct. 15.

The miracle that is junior goalkeeper Alex Palomarez showed up that day as he made two incredible saves that clinched the win and sparked the playoff run.

The Oaks allowed 13 goals in their first 10 games. They have allowed one since.

“You could really see that confidence soar and it showed the rest of the way,” Keller said. “Alex worked very hard and had a great year. All of the goalkeepers worked hard.

Alex was at his best when his best was needed.”

Palomarez was recognized as Cal Pac Conference Player of the Year for his efforts while Keller was

Girls’ water polo Senior Elizabeth Anderson scored 132 goals this season for Gunn.

Only one, however, came in Tuesday night’s 15-9 loss to No. 2 Leland in the CCS Division I semifinals at Gunn High.

Anderson, the key to the Titans’ offense all season, was held in check by the Chargers. While seniors Missy Barr and Soumya Kannan each came through with three goals each for the No. 3-seeded Titans (21-7), Leland (23-5) rode six unanswered goals into the lead and ended Gunn’s season in the semifinals for the second straight year.

“This was obviously not the way we drew it up, and I’m very sad this team won’t get to play together again,” said Gunn coach Mark Hernandez. “But, Leland deserves all the credit in the world. They played an excellent game. They came out aggressive and were relentless on offense, and remarkably quick on defense.”

The Menlo-Atherton and St. Francis girls’ water polo teams, meanwhile, met the three previous seasons in the CCS Division I finals with all three matches decided by just one goal.

That was not the case in their fourth meeting as the No. 1-seeded Lancers (21-6) handed the No. 4 Bears (14-11) a 9-4 defeat in the section semifinals on Tuesday at Gunn High. The loss ended M-A’s streak of four straight appearances in the finals.

Girls’ tennis Menlo School wrapped up its season with an 11-5 loss to top seed Monta Vista in the CCS tournament semifinals Monday at Courtside Club in Los Gatos. The No. 4-seeded Knights finished with a 20-5 overall mark.

The Knights faced Monta Vista (23-0) three times during the season, but the third time still wasn’t a charm for Menlo. N named Coach of the Year and Eric Angell was honored as Newcomer of the Year.

Angell, Matheus Barbosa, Palomarez, Eric Tilbury, Vukic and Zipperstein were named all-Cal Pac. Menlo is one of seven teams making its first appearance in the national tournament.

“It’s one thing to say you want to win a title and play in the postseason,” Keller said. “Now we have proof that we can do it. That helps open the door for recruits who are looking to play for winning programs and want an opportunity to play on a national stage. It definitely raises the bar another level.

This becomes the new standard.

We’ve won the conference title and now we want to win it again next year.” N

*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 27

Sports YOUTH FOOTBALL

A chance to end a drought Palo Alto Knights send two teams to AYF nationals looking for a first title

Linda Cullen

S

ix times Mike Piha has been a bridesmaid and never a bride.

Now, heading to the national championships for a seventh time, he says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finally time to wear the ring. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is time to get it done,â&#x20AC;? said Piha, who coaches the Palo Alto Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pee Wee football team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not getting any younger . . . I have a good feeling about this team!â&#x20AC;?

The Knights will have two opportunities to bring home the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Youth Football National Championship as Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Unlimited 9/8th Grade and Pee Wee squad both won regional titles this past weekend.

The Unlimited team (10-0) won in the last second, 18-12, over Vallejo in a game played in Sacramento on Saturday. The Pee Wees (9-2), meanwhile, romped to a 32-0 victory over Grant (Sacramento) at Oak Grove High in San Jose on Sunday. Both teams advanced to the American Youth Football National

The Palo Alto Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pee Wee team captured an AYF Regional Championship last weekend with a 32-0 victory over Grant (Sacramento).

Championships next month in Orlando, Fla. The Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pee Wee team will be returning most of the same players from Pihaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jr. Pee Wee team that played for the national championship in 2009 and 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; finishing fifth in both of those years.

The Pee Wees have not allowed a touchdown in the past four games, including the NorCal Championship and the AYF Regional Championship on Sunday, while scoring 102 points in those four contests.

The Palo Alto Pee Wees domi-

Page 28Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iÂ&#x201C;LiĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;ÂŁn]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;䣣Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;

nated the regional championship game from the opening kickoff with touchdown runs from Ethan Stern and Jamie Cullen. The defense, meanwhile, shut down a fast Grant team by only allowing three first downs. Jordan Schilling sparked the defensive effort by intercepting a pass and returning it 64 yards for a Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; touchdown.

The Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first season to field an unlimited-weight team has produced a real winner. Against Vallejo, the Knights had a solid running game led by Maua Teo, who had 86

yards.

With 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 12, Alfred Pohahau forced a Vallejo fumble that was recovered by Christian Rodriguez â&#x20AC;&#x201D; giving the Knights the ball on the 50. With 10 seconds left in the game, Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; quarterback Robbie Beardsley hit fullback Charlie Roth on a play-action pass for the winning TD. Willie Teo-Clifton and Malcolm Gates had outstanding games defensively and Skylar Lautalo had a solid offensive performance.

Palo Alto head coach Law Johnson hopes to join with Piha to bring the Knights two national titles in the coming weeks.

The Knights are in need of support to assist in financing the trip to Florida, a week-long stay that will cost $50,000 for both teams. Donation can be sent to: Palo Alto Knights National Championship PO Box 344 Palo Alto, CA 94301 Or e-mail/call: Mike Piha at mike@in2change.com / 269-6100. N

Sports MEN’S SOCCER

Stanford’s Simon calls it quits after 11 years

S John Todd/stanfordphoto.com

Cal and Stanford will meet for the 114th time on Saturday in the annual Big Game in Stanford Stadium.

Big Game

(continued from page 26)

ably a little out of sync in having too much emotion and not enough ability to execute the way we wanted to.

So it was an indication that we were a little more emotional than “surgical” in terms of our play.”

Stanford was 24-point favorites against a winless Bears’ team that season.

“We know that in 104 years that we’ve played, all the games are basically close against California,” Stanford quarterback Chris Lewis said.

“You throw everything out when you play the Big Game because you know they will bring everything they have.”

Also, this from receiver Teyo Johnson: “We knew what they were capable of and its been that way throughout the history of the Big Game. We would have liked to put the game out of reach early, but that’s just not the nature of this game. It’s a great rivalry and we knew that they would come out here with their guns blazing.”

Current coach David Shaw was around in the Willingham years as a player. When Denny Green moved on to the Minnesota Vikings following the 1991 season, Willingham joined him.

Current KNBR 1050-AM analyst Todd Husak was Willingham’s quarterback for the Rose Bowl season of 1999.

Maybe, just maybe, a bit of that Willingham magic remains stuck somewhere on Shaw and Husak and, perhaps, it can be transferred from both the sidelines and press box during the 114th Big Game, the muchanticipated gridiron contest between Stanford and California, which follows the much-anticipated contest of last week, kicks off at 7:15 p.m.

Saturday.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will get much of the attention, seeing that he has been named one of five finalists for the 2011 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is presented to the top quarterback in the nation that best exemplifies outstanding character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic accomplish-

ments.

Luck was also the runner-up to Cam Newton in last year’s Heisman Trophy voting and entered the year as the odds-on favorite to win the award this time around. He’s also projected as the NFL’s overall No. 1 draft pick.

“My vote still goes to Andrew Luck,” ESPN talk show host Dan Patrick said. “He exemplifies everything good about the award. Andrew Luck wants to be a role model.”

Luck joins Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden as this year’s Golden Arm finalists.

Luck, who has led Stanford to a 9-1 record this season and a No. 8 ranking in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, has completed 221 of 313 passes for 2,695 yards and 29 touchdowns.

His 29 touchdown passes are tied for first in the Pac-12 Conference and rank second on Stanford’s alltime single-season list, just three shy of his own mark set last season.

Luck enters Saturday’s game against California with 74 career touchdown passes and needs just three more to tie John Elway for first place on Stanford’s all-time career list.

If you missed Monday’s Bearial, Tuesday’s Big Sail (won by Stanford) and Big Sing, Wednesday’s Guardsmen Big Game Luncheon and the 100th anniversary of the Big Game Gaieties, Thursday’s Big Chill, Big Jeopardy and Big Game Rally, there’s still time to climb aboard Big Game activities.

The Big Splash takes place Saturday, beginning at 5:15 p.m., at Avery Aquatic Center. Every year this contest gets the blood pumping. It’s even better than tailgating. Oh, wait.

Maybe not.

So, now that the actual football game is upon us, it’s time to turn the attention to the players, who will ultimately decide the outcome anyway.

At stake is any number of bowl possibilities, including a BCS game.

Oregon could go to the national championship game, hosted by the Sugar Bowl this year. In that case, Stanford (7-1, 9-1) could be in line for one of the other BCS games.

Even if Oregon gets snubbed for the national title game, the Fiesta Bowl may be an attractive alternative. In that case, the Cardinal could play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 11 years.

Other bowl possibilities for Stanford include the Alamo, Holiday and Las Vegas games depending on which bowl game takes which team.

The first thing, of course, is to win the game. And just as Willingham talked about emotions 10 years, Shaw talked about them this week.

“This game is going to be emotional,” he said. “You have to gear up for that and control the emotions so they don’t sneak up on you. We have to make sure not to create any extracurricular activities but at the same time we have to match the intensity of the game.”

Since the only Pac-12 team Luck has been on the losing side of the past two years is Oregon, he might still be shaking his head over lost opportunities. It’s more likely he’ll be even more focused.

“It’s impressive how he bounces back, like most things he does,” Shaw said. “He’s out there rousing everybody. Sunday was hard, but we still have the opportunity to put our mark on the season over the next two weeks.”

It’s not just Luck, but all the older players who will have a say in the team’s preparation. Stanford’s leading receiver Griff Whalen will be as ready as anyone.

“He’s always made plays the last three years when called upon,” Shaw said. “He came into this training camp and had his camp ever. Every single time we need something he’s the guy who has come through.

Over the last month we’ve leaned on him even more.”

The Cardinal will be without offensive threats Chris Owusu and Zach Ertz again, and could be without kicker Jordan Williamson and strong safety Delano Howell.

But then, sometimes the unlikeliest of players become the hero of the Big Game. Casey Moore, a horse of a fullback, owns the Big Game record for longest run from scrimmage at 94 yards in the 1999 season.

That next unlikely hero is waiting to be discovered on Saturday. N

tanford men’s head soccer coach Bret Simon has resigned, effective immediately. The 11-year veteran of the program posted a 94-89-30 record over his time on The Farm, including three NCAA tournament appearances and two trips to the College Cup. “I have been truly blessed to have worked at Stanford for the past 11 seasons,” said Simon.

“Stanford University is the best environment in the world to develop young people to their fullest potential.

“It has been a privilege for me and my Bret Simon family to be a part of this great educational endeavor. I appreciate the opportunity to work with so many exceptional studentathletes, talented coaches, and dedicated administrators and staff.”

Stanford just completed the 2011

season with a 3-0 win over California last Friday in Berkeley. The win completed a 6-10-2 campaign that included a tie for fourth finish in the Pac-12.

Simon’s best seasons came in 2001 and 2002, his first two at Stanford. Those teams went a combined 36-7-4 and both played in the College Cup. The 2002 team made the final, losing 1-0 to UCLA. The other trip to the NCAA tournament came on 2009, when the Cardinal finished 12-6-2 led by future MLS first-round pick Bobby Warshaw. Stanford won two games in the tournament before eventually losing to top-seeded Akron in the Round of 16.

A nationwide search for Simon’s replacement will begin immediately. N

NCAA soccer

Grimsley named Offensive Player of Year and Sabrina D’Angelo named (continued from page 26) both Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. meeting between the two teams.

Castilleja grad Lindsay Taylor, Should both Pac-12 teams win, it who has 10 goals in the last eight would set up an extra edition of The games, was named the Pac-12 Player Big Kick, with added importance, of the Year, Chioma Ubogagu was on Sunday at 1 p.m., also at Stan- named Freshman of the Year and ford. Sunday’s winner advances to Paul Ratcliffe earned his fourth conthe Regional final secutive Coach of the next weekend.

Year honor.

Cal’s goalie, EmTaylor led the Pacily Kruger, graduated 12 in scoring (14th in from Woodside High. the nation, and tied Senior defender Danfor eighth in goals ielle Brunache is a scored) while GrimsBelmont resident and ley is South Caroattended St. Ignatius lina’s all-time leadPrep. ing scorer and the The Gamecocks, only active Division I meanwhile, are danplayer with at least 40 gerous in that they goals and 30 assists. are making their Palo Alto grad Teresa fifth consecutive Noyola led the Pac-12 trip to the postsea- Chioma Ubogagu in assists and goalson party, and have keeper Emily Oliver won three consecutive first-round led in goals-against average. matches. They also own a victory Stanford advanced by beating over a top-ranked opponent, beat- Montana, 3-0, last weekend while ing North Carolina in the 2007 sea- the Gamecocks downed Texas, 1-0. son opener.

Boston College took care of Marist, Stanford looks to continue both its 6-1, and Cal advanced past Santa home winning streak, currently at Clara on penalty kicks.

47, and its consecutive home streak “Every week is a new week,” in the NCAA, currently at 13. The Quon said. “Even after our Friday Cardinal also owns a 51-match games, we want to learn what we home unbeaten streak. The senior need to learn from that game and class has never lost at home. move on to Sunday’s game. I think “We take it game by game,” Stan- the coaches have done a good job of ford junior midfielder Rachel Quon keeping the team focused, and staysaid. “Our two goals that we set up ing focused every weekend.” this spring are winning the Pac-12 The Pac-12 went 4-0-1 in the first and winning a national champion- round, with UCLA and Washington ship. The journey, obviously, is a State also earning victories, while huge part of it. Not losing is key Oregon State and Portland played to to our success, so we’ll see how it a 1-1 tie, with the Pilots advancing goes.” on penalty kicks.

South Carolina, traveling to the South Carolina has played two PacPacific Time Zone for the first 12 schools this season, beating host time in 10 years, swept the SEC top Arizona, 1-0, in overtime and losing, honors, with Shelley Smith named 2-0, at Arizona State. Both matches Coach of the Year, senior Kayla were played in late August. N *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 29

Sports CCS CROSS COUNTRY

Robinson’s choice to run a good one meet and at the Footlocker West Regional, which Robinson is considering.

Robinson’s record effort helped the Gunn girls finish a semi-surprising second in Division I and earn a state meet berth. The Titans also were second last year with the Robinson sisters running second and third.

“Every girl ran their race of the year,” said assistant Ernie Lee. “You can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Gunn scored 87 points, trailing only Carlmont’s 58. Senior Kieran Gallagher was 12th overall in 19:24 after overcoming a recent illness, senior Christine Prior was 13th in 19:26 while senior Melia Dunbar was 35th (20:16) and sophomore Eliana Ribbe was 36th (20:20) to send Gunn to Fresno.

Robinson wasn’t the only local finisher who also helped her team qualify for state as Priory senior Kat Gregory won her third straight title in Division V and helped the Panthers advance.

In all, five teams and three individuals advanced to the CIF State Meet.

For Gregory, it was special three times over as she made the most of her final race at Crystal Springs by running away with the girls’ Division V title in 18:23. While it was well off her best of 18:12 on the course, she still won by 40 seconds and helped her team qualify for the state meet.

“I’m honored and I’m very proud,” Gregory said about her third straight title, which she achieved despite suffering an ankle sprain two weeks ago. Last year, she couldn’t run at the state meet due to a stress fracture, which she ran through while winning CCS. Gregory won her first crosscountry race while winning the CCS title as a sophomore. Thus, it was appropriate that she end her career at Crystal Springs the way she

Gunn sophomore Sarah Robinson won the CCS Division I race in a sizzling PR of 17:12. started it.

Also earning state meet team berths were Castilleja in girls’ Division V, the Priory girls in Division V, the Priory boys in Division V and the Sacred Heart Prep girls in Division IV. Sacred Heart Prep’s title was also for the record books as the Gators, who finished fourth overall, earned their first trip to the state meet in Division IV after making earlier trips in Division V. “I thought if that if everyone had good races that we could get fourth,” said SHP coach Marissa Beck. “If we had great races, we could get third.”

The important thing was that the Gators moved on, achieving a goal they set during the summer.

“So this has been the carrot for them to chase this year,” Beck said.

“It’s great for them to achieve it.”

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Priory senior Kat Gregory won her third straight CCS Division V title while clocking 18:23.

Beck was a little surprised by her team’s finish because her No. 1 runner, freshman Gillian Belton was so far out in front of her teammates.

Belton finished seventh in 19:07 while junior Kathryn Leahy raced home 21st in 20:07.

The biggest finish for SHP, however, was the 25th place by junior Courtney Schrier as the team’s No. 3 scorer in 20:40. Last July while finishing up a training run, Schrier was hit by a car while crossing El Camino Real in Atherton. She suffered a broken pelvis among her numerous injuries and was inactive for 2 1/2 months. Saturday’s race was only her third of the season.

“She couldn’t even walk right away,” Beck said of Schrier’s debilitating injuries. “She didn’t start running until mid-October.”

Meghan Holland and Brooke Neider rounded out SHP’s scoring.

Castilleja earned another berth for state by taking second in Division V. Junior Fiona Maloney-McCrystle led the Gators with a sixth-place finish of 20:26.

The Priory boys also earned a return trip after a second straight third-place finish. Sophomore Johnny Trudelle paced the Panthers with a second-place finish of 16:58.

The individual qualifiers for the state meet were Gunn senior Andrew Prior in Division I, Pinewood freshman Nicole Colonna in Division V and Paly freshman Katie Foug in Division I. Prior, who finished 10th last year at Toro Park in Salinas, was third Saturday. His 15:23 time was a personal best.

“My coach (Ernie Lee) said if I ran under 15:30 that I had a chance to make state,” said Prior, who

earned a second straight trip to Fresno. “I knew I had to run faster than at the league meet (15:50). I’m very happy.”

Colonna finished fourth overall in 20:07 to earn her first trip while Foug also made it to Fresno in her freshman year while clocking 18:58 for eighth. Junior teammate Chika Kasahara finished two places behind Foug, but missed out as Foug grabbed the final spot.

Menlo senior Daniel Pugliese suffered a similar fate as he took eighth in boys’ Division IV in 16:17 and also missed an individual state berth by one place. N

Keith Peters

S

arah Robinson was content just to play soccer as she prepared to enter Gunn High in the fall of 2010. Then she listened to some advice from her sister and everything changed.

Erin Robinson, entering her senior year at Gunn, persuaded Sarah to give cross country a try, in addition to continuing her soccer career.

Sarah agreed and now she’s busier than ever.

During a recent three-week period, Sarah Robinson trained with the U.S. Soccer U17 National Team in Southern California, returned to win individual honors at the SCVAL El Camino Division cross-country championships and topped it off by winning the Division I race at last weekend’s Central Coast Section Championships while helping the Titans earn a trip to the CIF State Meet on Nov. 26 in Fresno.

Robinson won her first section crown in spectacular fashion as she ran away with the title in a personal best of 17:12.

Robinson’s dominating finish — she won by 56 seconds — not only is the second-fastest in Gunn history but ranks No. 2 all-time among sophomores over the 2.95-mile layout at Crystal Springs in Belmont.

In fact, Robinson’s time is the fastest by a sophomore in the past 32 years and is tied for the 11th-fastest alltime for all girls.

“My coach (Matt Tompkins) said I could definitely run a PR today,” said Robinson. (But) I didn’t think it would be that big of a PR.” Robinson finished third last season as a freshman, but improved by 1:38 on Saturday. She had the second-fastest overall girls’ time of the day, trailing only Division III winner Nikki Hiltz (17:05), a junior at Aptos.

“I still don’t know how fast she can run,” said Tompkins. “She’s never been tested.”

That should happen at the state

Keith Peters

by Keith Peters

Keith Peters

Gunn sophomore races to her first individual section title after getting started in the sport less than two years ago

Gunn senior Andrew Prior qualified for the state meet.

Sports PREP FOOTBALL

Palo Alto is in unique position as it begins defense of state title

by Keith Peters ne way to look at the Central Coast Section football playoffs is that it’s a new season, a chance to correct the flaws from earlier games and perhaps meet or exceed expectations.

Palo Alto is not exactly in that situation. The Vikings won last year’s CIF Division I state championship game to cap a 14-0 season, the most single-season victories in school history.

Thus, as the 2011 CCS playoffs get under way Friday, Palo Alto is in a unique position as a defending state champion. Yes, there is a title to defend.

The Vikings, however, are 8-2 and not 10-0 like last season. So, chances are, a third trip to the state finals are not likely. Paly would have to win a second straight CCS Open Division title just to be in the conversation.

That title defense starts right away as the No. 4-seeded Vikings play host to No. 5 Leland (9-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.

In other CCS openers, No. 2 Menlo-Atherton (7-3) will host No. 7 Santa Clara (8-2) in Division I and No. 7 Menlo School (7-3) will tangle with No. 2 Carmel (10-0) at Pacific Grove High in Division IV action, also at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep (7-3) will open defense of its Division IV title by hosting No. 5 Scotts Valley (8-2) at 1 p.m.

Palo Alto, meanwhile, heads into its opener against a team it has never

O

faced in the postseason. The Vikings are 20-12 in the section playoffs while the Chargers are 24-19-1 — a total of 76 games — and yet the teams haven’t met since 1973 when Paly held on for a 7-6 nonleague decision.

Both teams are quite a bit more explosive since that last meeting.

The Vikings are averaging a CCSleading 40.2 points a game while the Chargers aren’t far behind at 37.9.

Neither team has played a common opponent this season and so scouting, game films and chats with coaches who played against either team likely came in handy during this week of preparation.

Palo Alto offers up a balanced offense that averages 187.3 yards rushing and 168.2 passing. The senior running back tandem of Dre Hill (126 carries for 824 yards and 12 TDs) and Morris Gates-Mouton (62 for 567 and nine TDs) has been more than a pleasant surprise. Senior B.J. Boyd, moved to wide receiver in the second game of the season,

Matt Ersted

Palo Alto senior B.J. Boyd has scored 20 touchdowns this season, seven coming on kickoff returns for the defending state champion Vikings.

has responded to his new position with 24 catches for 843 yards and 13 scores. Boyd is equally dangerous returning kickoffs, bringing seven back for touchdowns, of which he has 20 this season.

Sophomore Keller Chryst has adjusted well to his new team and teammates after transferring from the East Coast. He has settled in at quarterback and completed 81 of 154 passes for 1,640 yards and 20 touchdowns, with just five interceptions.

The offensive line of left tackle Michael Lyzwa, left guard Tory Prati, center Spencer Drazovich, right guard Sam Moses, right tackle Chris Ramirez and tight end Austin Braff has been a big part of the running game’s success.

Palo Alto’s defense, which was last season’s star while holding opponents to under 10 points a game in 14 outings, once again is doing the job with just 17.4 points allowed.

The defense must contain Leland quarterback Jason Habash (126 for 201 for 1,943 yards and 22 TDs) and running backs Kenny Portera (91 carries for 751 yards, eight TDs) and Chris Santini (79 for 716 and 12 TDs). Portera also has caught 46 passes for 716 yards and 12 TDs and is an obvious person the Vikings need to contain, along with Habash.

When the Vikings have struggled this season, it has been defending the pass.

Palo Alto opted up to the Open Division after Gates-Mouton and Hill combined for 261 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a 62-35 victory over host Milpitas last week to clinch a third straight SCVAL De Anza Division title.

Gates-Mouton had 149 yards and Hill added 112 as the Vikings rolled to 304 yards on the ground while improving to 6-1 in the division.

Senior Gabe Landa and sophomore Malcolm Davis each had interceptions against Milpitas and will have to be at their best against Leland.

The 35 points given up to Milpitas was the most this season by Paly, which also allowed 337 passing yards also a season high. The Vikings, however, raced to a 35-21 halftime lead and wound up holding the Trojans to just 63 yards rushing.

Palo Alto then had to survive a coin flip with Terra Nova, which won the PAL Bay Division title and had the same amount of power points (28.5). The Vikings won the flip and the Tigers ended up with the No. 7 seed and a road game against No. 2 Bellarmine — which could have been Paly’s fate just as easily.

While Palo Alto escaped the Bells in the first round, top-seeded Oak Grove (9-1) possibly awaits in the semifinals the following weekend.

Bellarmine is the likely choice to emerge out of the top bracket and reach the championship game on Dec. 2 at San Jose City College. (continued on next page)

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Sarah Robinson Gunn High The sophomore won the CCS Division I title with a personal-best 17:12, the No. 2 all-time sophomore time at the Crystal Springs course, to help the Titans finish second and earn a trip to the CIF state crosscountry championships.

Dre Hill (L) Morris Gates-Mouton Palo Alto High

The senior running backs combined for 261 yards rushing and six touchdowns overall as the Vikings outscored Milpitas, 62-35, to claim the outright championship of the SCVAL De Anza Division football race.

Honorable mention Nicole Colonna

Willy Fonua

Pinewood cross country

Laura Gradiska

Menlo-Atherton football

Jack Heneghan

Menlo tennis

Menlo football

Kat Gregory

Nelson Perla-Ward

Priory cross country

Giannina Ong

Palo Alto water polo

Andrew Prior

Menlo tennis

Gunn cross country

Courtney Schrier Sacred Heart Prep cross country

Anna Zhou

JJ Strnad* Gunn football

Johnny Trudelle

Gunn golf

Priory cross country * previous winner

To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com

2011 CCS FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS OPEN DIVISION

Saturday

First round All games Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 5 Leland (9-1) at No. 4 Palo Alto (8-2) No. 8 St. Francis (5-5) at No. 1 Oak Grove (9-1) No. 6 Mitty (6-3-1) at No. 3 San Benito (7-2-1) No. 7 Terra Nova (8-2) vs. No. 2 Bellarmine (9-1) at San Jose City College

No. 5 Sobrato (7-3) at No. 4 Aragon (8-2), 1 p.m.

DIVISION I First round Friday (All games 7 p.m.)

No. 7 Santa Clara (8-2) at No. 2 Menlo-Atherton (7-3) No. 6 Salinas (6-4) at No. 3 Homestead (7-3) No. 5 Mountain View (6-3-1) at No. 4 Milpitas (7-3) Saturday No. 8 Wilcox (3-5-2) at No. 1 Serra (8-2), 1 p.m.

DIVISION II First round Friday (All games 7 p.m.)

No. 6 Willow Glen (4-5-1) at No. 3 South San Francisco (8-2) No. 7 El Camino (6-4) at No. 2 Pioneer (7-3) No. 8 Leigh (6-4) at No. 1 Los Gatos (8-1-1)

DIVISION III First round Friday (All games 7 p.m.)

No. 7 St. Ignatius (3-6-1) at No. 2 Aptos (9-1) No. 5 Sacred Heart Cathedral (5-5) vs.

No. 4 Monterey (8-2) at Monterey Peninsula College No. 8 Del Mar vs. No. 1 Christopher (9-1) at Gilroy High Saturday No. 6 Burlingame (5-5) at No. 3 Valley Christian (5-5), 7 p.m.

DIVISION IV First round Friday (All games 7 p.m.)

No. 7 Menlo School (7-3) vs. No. 2 Carmel (10-0) at Pacific Grove High No. 6 Half Moon Bay (6-4) vs. No. 3 Monte Vista Christian (9-1) at Cabrillo College No. 8 Soledad (6-3-1) vs. No. 1 Palma (8-1-1) at Salinas Sports Complex Saturday No. 5 Scotts Valley (8-2) at No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep (7-3), 1 p.m.

*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊ£n]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 31

Sports

CCS football

(continued from previous page)

Menlo-Atherton, meanwhile, should have little problem against Santa Clara on Friday night in a battle between the Bears and the Bruins. It will be M-A’s first-ever CCS home game under the lights.

M-A will have to be better than it was in a 16-3 nonleague win over host Woodside last week.

The Bears’ normally explosive rushing attack was limited to just 84 yards on 29 carries, but quarterback Willy Fonua picked up the slack with 201 passing yards, including a 26-yard scoring strike to Richard

Cornew as M-A improved to 7-3 with the help of three interceptions and a defensive effort that held the Wildcats to 241 total yards.

Menlo-Atherton and Santa Clara have never met in the postseason.

This will be the Bruins’ 10th CCS appearance (2-7) while the Bears (10-11) are making their 22nd.

Menlo, meanwhile, must find a way to stop an explosive Carmel team that is averaging 55.4 points a game. The teams have met once before, in the 2008 CCS Division IV championship game. The Padres won that, 56-35.

Menlo earned an at-large berth into the playoffs with a 26-0 nonleague win over Sacred Heart Prep

in the annual Valpo Bowl last Friday. Knights’ sophomore quarterback Jack Heneghan threw for 169 yards and ran for 92 more to lead Menlo. He set the table early by throwing for 120 yards and running for 52 in the first half alone.

The injury-riddled Gators didn’t have much flow throughout the night, committing five penalties and only getting 61 yards in the air from backup quarterback Kevin Donahoe, who has be subbing for the injured Jack Larson.

Sacred Heart Prep and Scotts Valley met earlier this season, with the then-healthy Gators posting a 31-15 nonleague victory on Sept. 23. Since then, much has changed. N

Award for Menlo’s Newton enlo School football coach Mark Newton has been named the Charlie Wedemeyer Memorial Coach of the Week by the San Francisco 49ers’ Foundation.

Menlo School defeated Sacred Heart Prep, 26-0, on Nov. 11 in the ninth annual Valparaiso Bowl at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. The victory earned the Knights (7-3) an at-large berth into the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs.

Newton and the Menlo School football team will receive $1,000

M

from the 49ers Foundation. Newton was invited to the 49ers’ home game against the St. Louis Rams on Dec. 4, during which he will be recognized on the field before the game.

The 49ers also have invited Newton to visit the team facility in Santa Clara to watch a closed practice, and he will receive a certificate from 49ers’ head coach Jim Harbaugh. Newton and the other coach of the week winners are eligible to win the 49ers’ High School Coach of the Year presented at season’s end. N

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