Issue 6, 02/01/2019 by The Campanile

Friday Feb. 1, 2019

The Campanile

Vol. CI, No. 6

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301

www.thecampanile.org

Renovated library to open its doors City Council approves affordable housing act By Kiana Tavakoli Staff Writer

KAYLIE NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE

Paly administrators hope to open the new library on Feb. 6 after nearly two years of construction, according to resident librarian Rachel Kellerman. Kellerman said the design of the library focuses on embracing the many different ways students work. It offers features such as private collaboration rooms, a maker space, state-of-the-art insulation and acoustics and natural lighting. The library will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Spotlight: Moving toward assimilation in the U.S.

SOURCE: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT OF THE VISA OFFICE

Story on B4-B5

ifty-nine families will have access to affordable housing in Palo Alto as a result of the City Council’s recent approval of the Wilton Court development. The proposed housing units on El Camino Real will be available to those earning 30 to 60 percent of Palo Alto’s median income and over 21 studio units will be reserved for adults with developmental disabilities. The approval marks significant progress, as it has been seven years since the last affordable housing project on Maybell Avenue was considered and overturned by voters according to Palo Alto Online. Many families will be positively impacted by the Wilton development, including Linnea Wickstrom and her son, Per Maresca, who has a developmental disability. “The lack of affordable housing affects our family directly by reducing the chances that our developmentally disabled son will be able to live in Palo Alto near all his natural supports,” Wickstrom said. “Wilton Court may offer my son a chance to live long-term in the city in which he was born and raised, in inclusive housing — housing for a variety of people.” Maresca, who works in Palo Alto, is 27 years old and spoke at a recent City Council meeting in support of the project. “Wilton Court is the kind of housing that will meet (the needs of developmentally disabled people) for affordable and inclusive housing . . . right in the town we know and where our support sys-

tems are,” Maresca said. Though the project will impact the lives of its residents positively, those who live nearby to the proposed site say they are concerned about certain aspects of the project. Initially, neighbors in the Ventura area had concerns regarding the building’s density, parking and traffic. These concerns were addressed by Palo Alto Housing, who adjusted the project’s plan in order to reach a compromise with concerned residents.

“Wilton Court is the kind of housing that will meet (the needs of developmentally disabled people) for affordable and inclusive housing.” Per Maresca

The number of housing units was reduced from 65 to 59, allocating more units to adults with developmental disabilities. This, in addition to public transportation passes and bike sharing provided to residents under the Transportation Demand Management Plan, reduced the number of parking spaces needed. In addition to these alterations, the City Council has now agreed to do a traffic study on the area in order to improve overall traffic-related issues in the area. While many are satisfied with

Affordable Housing A3

Fast Tony's Chicken Khoury's Market to open in College Terrace relocates downtown New chain to replace previous neighborhood grocery store, JJ&F, off El Camino By Kai Vetteth

Staff Writer

fter closing its Town and Country pop-up store on Jan. 5, Fast Tony’s Chicken rebranded as Roost House and relocated to downtown with a new focus on dietary trends and youth mentorship programs, according to owner Frank Klein. Klein said Oren’s Hummus will open a new shop at Tony’s Chicken’s former Town and Country location within a month. Oren's Hummus Senior Account Manager of Public Relations Brooke Secor said they cannot confirm any new Oren's Hummus locations. Klein cited space concerns as a reason for the move. “We wanted 30 interior seats and beer and wine and a cool beverage program, (none) of which we could have had at Town and Country (due to limited space and city restrictions on alcohol),” Klein said. “We love Town and Country — the landlords are the best and fairest in the business. But we decided, in the end, we wanted to do a more upscale neighborhood restaurant.”

“I don't think that a place that serves fried chicken should be a formal, sit-down restaurant.” Jackson Druker

Klein, who co-founded and served as CEO of the Asian Box restaurant chain until Aug. 1, 2018, said Roost House plans to use catering and delivery to build clientele for the store’s official opening in March at 561 Emerson St. Junior Jackson Druker, who regularly purchased lunch from Fast Tony’s Chicken last year, said

INSIDE

the restaurant’s shift to upscale cuisine might make it a less appealing option for some students. “I don't think that a place that serves fried chicken should be a formal, sit-down restaurant,” Druker said. “It's a quick comfort food, order-at-the-counter kind of thing.” According to Klein, however, Roost House used concepts their chefs experimented with at the Town and Country location to create a menu more aligned with the needs of the community. The main changes include the addition of salads, grain dishes and alcoholic beverage options.

“We love Town and Country — the landlords are the best and fairest in the business.” Frank Klein

“Now, Roost House is the elevated brand of Fast Tony's — still great food (and) an expanded menu,” Klein said. Klein said he plans to open more Roost House restaurants eventually, and believes his prior experience with Asian Box will contribute to their continued success. “As CEO of Asian Box, I took (my food) to 10 stores, (and it) all started at Town and Country,” Klein said. According to Klein, Roost House plans to contribute to the Palo Alto community with every new location through mentorship initiatives and donations to local charities. “My co-founding partner in Asian Box, Chad Newton, and I have always been involved in mentoring in our industry,” Klein said. “The (mentorship) program

Fast Tony's Relocates A3

By Jeffrey Wang

Staff Writer

ver since the JJ&F Market was forced to close its College Terrace location in 2013, College Terrace residents have been anxiously awaiting a suitable replacement for their neighborhood grocery store. Now, their wish has finally come true. The Khoury family, former owners of JJ&F and longtime supermarket veterans, have recently opened Khoury’s Market at JJ&F’s former site at College Terrace Centre, a block-long property off El Camino Real near Stanford University. The Khoury family operated JJ&F from its 2011 reopening, after its former owners decided to sell the market, to its 2013 closure, when it was demolished in order to make room for mixeduse development. Running a grocery store is nothing new to the Khourys; in fact, they’ve been doing it for decades. From a young age, Khoury family patriarch Joe Khoury learned the basics of running a successful grocery store from his father, and he has made sure to

YUSRA RAFEEQI/THE CAMPANILE

The new Khoury's grocery market has fresh fruits and vegetables, a deli, a bakery and ready-made food. pass his knowledge down to his sons. “I was born and raised into [the grocery store business] … we’ve just always been in it since we were kids, and I enjoy it, and I really do like it a lot,” said Mark Khoury, co-owner of Khoury’s Market and Joe Khoury’s son.

Working in the grocery business is a Khoury family tradition, with more than 40 Khoury family members employed in the field worldwide. In the Bay Area alone, the Khourys own half a dozen grocery stores, with a restaurant, Courthouse 2021 in Redwood City, to boot. However, while the

Khourys have plenty of experience, the College Terrace Centre location has been challenging to manage in the past. Take, for example, the Centre’s previous tenant, the College Terrace Market. It opened in June 2017 with

Khoury's Market A3

PG&E files for bankruptcy following lawsuits After being deemed responsible for causing multiple California wildfires, utility falters By Shannon Zhao & Loic Bosch

Senior Staff Writer & Staff Writer

acific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), California’s largest investorowned utility, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Jan. 14 amid the onslaught of lawsuits over the company’s role in the Northern California wildfires. The approval of PG&E’s bankruptcy request would allow the company to stay in business while relieving the liability costs

Opinion

of the wildfires allegedly caused by its faulty equipment and service. Through the Chapter 11 process, the debtor is afforded a number of ways to restructure its business; and because PG&E is a public company, taxpayers pay off the debts, while the company continues to provide services to its customers. While PG&E does not provide energy to Palo Alto, it does provides gas and electricity for more than two-thirds of Northern California. According to Michael Wara, the director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at

Lifestyle

Stanford University, the bankruptcy of the company will have costly implications for its customers. Wara explained bankruptcy in economic terms. “Think about it this way: what if you had a friend that you knew probably wouldn’t pay you back, and they came to ask you for a loan,” Wara said in an email. “Would you charge them a high or low interest rate? In this story, you are the financial markets. Your friend is PG&E and its customers.” If granted bankruptcy protection from the bankruptcy courts,

Science & Tech

PG&E would be able to transfer the liability costs of the wildfires to its customers by raising electricity rates. “In general, PG&E needs to borrow money to replace parts of its system as they wear out (happening all the time), and customer bills pay for the interest on that borrowing,” Wara said. “So we will all pay for this. ” This is what happened when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001, resulting in steep electricity rates.

PG&E Bankruptcy A3

Sports

the edition

News. . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5

FOUNDRY / PIXABAY

Passion v. Moneymaking Students should be set up to be satisifed with their life, not rich. PAGE A6

NIAID / CC BY 2.0

MARK MAUNO / CC BY 2.0

Military after high school A closer look into an alternate pathway after graduation. PAGE B3

Flu shot misconceptions

Debunking common myths about the influenza vaccine. PAGE B7

DAVID HICKEY / THE VIKING

Hierarchy on varsity

Breaking down the social dynamics on Paly's varsity teams. PAGE C7

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

NEWS

Requirements for ID added Parental leave policy updated

New standards hope to increase security in federal facilities Policy provides all Palo Alto employees with paid absences By Kaitlyn Lee

ART BY FRIDA RIVERA

By Olivia Ericsson

Staff Writer

ollowing the new requirements for boarding domestic flights, the Department of Motorized Vehicles (DMV) is currently in the process of issuing the REAL ID, which helps increase security throughout federal facilities. Over 87 percent of people over the age of 16 in the U.S. have a driver license. It is thin and pocket-sized, making it a convenient form of identification. However, people in many states, including California, will soon be required to provide additional information for proof of identity when boarding domestic flights. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, which sets standards on state-issued driver licenses and on which documents prove one’s residency and identity. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this new method of identification is intended to increase security at federal facilities and combat terrorism. DMV worker Cristina Valdivia Aguilar, who works with REAL ID, said the purpose for the REAL ID was to standardize the documents all states use to establish a person’s identity. “The Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver licenses and identification cards and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards,” Aguilar said. In California, the state agency of DMV will require Social Security numbers and proof of residency when issuing new driver licenses. According to dmv.org, individuals requesting the REAL ID driver license must “provide proof of identity, such as a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, employment authorization document, permanent resident card or foreign passport with an approved form I-94.” Another document which must be shown to the DMV at the appointment is proof of Social

Security number. Other residency documents may include school documents if under 18, a utility bill, or a mortgage bill. The California DMV has presented people with two options for driver license/ID — the REAL ID and the Federal NonCompliant Driver License. The REAL ID driver license will be marked with a bear and star to signify that the driver licence is real.

“There was so much pressure on me because if I failed the test, I knew I had to come back the next week and waste another day.” Stella Essenmacher

This new driver licence can only be used as a form of identification for people entering federal facilities such as airports and military bases. The Federal NonCompliant Driver License will be given to people who do not fly on commercial flights and don’t enter federal facilities. There will be a ‘federal limits apply’ marking in the top right corner of the license to designate the Federal Non-Compliant Driver License. Currently, when boarding domestic flights, people are able to present Federal Non-Compliant Driver Licenses as proof of their identity. However, after October 2020, this will no longer be a valid form of identification. According to DMV, it has faced issues with the number of people rushing in to get their REAL ID’s before the deadline, causing the DMV to be packed. However, this is not the only problem, as the DMV has faced many issues with the old-computer system leading to many other disabled operations. The crowds gathering at the DMV as a result of this act have impacted many Paly students who are in the process of taking their permit tests. With many appointments filling up with people

applying for the REAL ID, the DMV now has a waitlist of over three months. Students such as sophomore Stella Essenmacher have to wait months to schedule permit tests and other appointments. “My mom and I did not want to wait as long as three months to take my permit (test), so we decided to drop in on a Monday morning,” Essenmacher said. “We got there at 9:15 a.m. and we left at 1:30 p.m. We stood in line for one and a half hours and then we had to sit in this area and wait.” With DMV facilities overcrowded, Stella Essenmacher, found it difficult to take her permit test. “It was really hard to focus when I was taking my test because there were so many people in the room that were waiting,” Essenmacher said. “There was so much pressure on me because if I failed the test, I knew I had to come back the next week and waste another day.”

“We stood in line for one and a half hours and then we had to sit in this area and wait.” Stella Essenmacher

Junior Devan Shah, who has had his driver licence for a year, has mixed feelings about the identifications requirements for 2020. “I think that this law brings both some positives and negatives,” Shah said. “First, it does increase safety for air travel, as it will make it harder for terrorists or other people with bad intentions to complete tragic acts. However, many people in this country don’t have drivers licenses, voter IDs, or other documents of identification. It would thus be impossible for them to travel across the country by plane, which could be very problematic for many individuals and families. Overall, it is difficult to determine if this law is just or not as we don’t know how flexible it is, how well it stops criminal acts and if it allows exceptions for people without certain identifications.”

Staff Writer

fter Palo Alto city employees campaigned for an improved parental leave system, the Palo Alto City Council approved a new policy on Dec. 10 that gives employees of all genders at least six weeks of parental leave at full paid salary. The new policy also applies to employees who are adopting children or becoming foster parents. English teacher Kari Snell, who has taken two maternity leaves, said this policy is step in the right direction. “I think any improvement to paternal leave is fantastic,” Snell said. “But I still think six weeks is just such a short amount of time.” Previously, employees received job security and continuation of benefits for 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave, but did not get paid leave unless they used their vacation or sick days. However, many employees did not have enough vacation days saved up, and would either have to take a shorter leave than they would have liked or take time off without pay. “(It is hard) to look at a sixweek-old baby and think that being away from their parent would be a good choice, and I still have a hard time with that with my own children,” Snell said. “(It makes one think) how do some people go back to work, but in some situ-

ations you have to, but this is definitely a step forward.” According to a report by the City of Palo Alto’s Human Resources Department, the new policy “is better than the benefit currently provided by other local government employers and is progressive in that it is genderneutral and not impacted by the employee’s marital status or sexual orientation.”

“I love to see that it could be for any parent whether it’s adoption or birth.” Kari Snell

Many see this part of the policy as very positive and forwardthinking. “I love to see that it could be for any parent, whether it’s adoption or birth,” Snell said. “I love how it applies to anyone.” Many members of the Palo Alto community supported the new parental leave policy. According to the report, employees believe that the lack of a paid leave policy is “negatively impacting recruitment, retention and employee morale.” Some employees even brought their children into meetings with City Manager James Keene to make a statement and show why

parental leave needed to be improved. Among them was Lacy Lutes, an accountant representative in the Utilities Department. Lutes spoke to the Council and shared her story of how she saved up and accumulated leave days, but had to use them all when she attended training for joining the Air National Guard. “When I got back, my husband and I decided to start our family, and I had absolutely nothing,” Lutes said, according to a Jan. 3 Palo Alto Online article. However, while this new policy benefits employees, it translates to more costs for the city. Palo Alto officials predict it will cost between $100,000 to $200,000 per year. This money would be used to backfill jobs, or replace employees in the profession, related to public safety, such as police, firefighters, utility workers and more, according to the Palo Alto Online article. Other jobs would not be backfilled, as their roles do not involve the safety of the public, but this could lead to less productivity due to less workers, the report stated. Snell, though, said the positives of the policy outweigh the negatives. Snell said, “I definitely think this is necessary from a parent’s perspective for sure. In the end, I do think it would outweigh the cost, but it would be interesting to see what that really is.”

Skate, scooter racks installed

District implements new racks on campus for students to use By Frida Rivera

Staff Writer

eturning from winter break, Paly students found that the school had installed new skateboard racks on campus. Paly senior Ashutosh Bhown first suggested campus skateboard racks to the school board in November 2018 during open forum at a board meeting. “I was kind of sick of carrying my longboard around school all day when I longboarded to school,” Bhown said. “After that, I invested in a foldable board that I could store in a locker.” According to Bhown, he wanted the racks for people who skateboard to school but do not have foldable boards and are forced to carry them around all day. “I researched online and contacted a company that sold (skateboard racks),” Bhown said. “I contacted them and got specifications and a quote for two units of racks.” According to Palo Alto Unified School District Board Member Melissa Baten Caswell, Superintendent Don Austin assigned Chief Business Officer James Novak to look into purchasing skateboard racks after Bhown’s suggestion. According to PAUSD Maintenance, Operations and Trans-

ANTONIA MOU/THE CAMPANILE

Recently installed skate and scooter racks are located by the bike cage portation Secretary, Doa Morsy, members of the Maintenance, Operations and Transportations (MOT) department came to Paly in order to assess the need for this system. The systems were paid for by MOT and cost $1,400 for the rack and $750 to install. Paly senior Cameron Miller disapproves of the new skateboard racks and believes they are a poor investment for the school. “I skate to school everyday and I always carry my skateboard around school,” Miller said. “It used to be annoying but I have been carrying it everywhere for so

long it has become part of me.” Skateboard parts are expensive and easily stolen, according to Miller. “Even the small percentage of students who skateboard to school probably won’t use the racks,” Miller said. “If skateboard parts are left out, people will take them.” Bhown hopes that with time, students will use the racks. According to Austin, he enjoys seeing students pursue their passions and was proud of Bhown. Austin said, “(Bhown) was a tremendous advocate on behalf of his peers.”

UPCOMING EVENTS FEB

CLUB DAY Sign up for lots of clubs so you have extracurriculars for college applications.

FEB

AMC MATH TEST Thank god I’m not in honors.

FEB

CHOIR POPS CONCERT Maybe they’ll sing some Kodak songs.

FEB

ACT TESTING Three hours of pure joy!

FEB

WINTER FORMAL DANCE A chance for underclassmen to pretend they’re going to prom.

FEB

PRESIDENT’S DAY A time to thank our founding fathers for giving us a four day weekend.

FEB

PALY/GREENE JAZZ CONCERT An opportunity to confuse the freshman with the eighth graders.

7-8 9

18 21

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

Fast Tony's Relocates Continued from A1

now will entirely be run by my new restaurant Roost House, which is entirely separate from Asian Box.” Klein said the Roost HouseFreight Farm Entrepreneur Initiative, one of the restaurant’s new initiatives, will utilize and develop the skills of local and at-risk youth by giving them the opportunity to contribute to the growth and preparation of the restaurant’s food. A freight farm is a modified shipping container with artificial lighting and nutrient dispersion that allows the owner to grow various plants at any time of year. “The new program has

Khoury's Market Continued from A1

much fanfare, yet was shuttered after only six months. Customers and residents alike cited a number of reasons for its failure, ranging from its lack of signage to an inconvenient location to its relatively high prices. But Mark Khoury says the Khourys have taken note of their mistakes and have already taken steps to address some of these concerns. “We are making some changes … more and better signage … the windows won’t be tinted, so it won’t look like an office building,” Khoury said. “We’re giving it a whole different theme from

Affordable Housing Continued from A1

these adjustments, neighbors who live directly adjacent to the building still have concerns. According to one Palo Alto resident who asked The Campanile not to use her name because she is employed by for a prominent company in Palo Alto, the building will encroach on her property and the new adjustments will block natural sunlight for large portions of the year. “The new four-story building will tower over my building and

PG&E Bankruptcy Continued from A1

According to a statement released by the company, the Chap-

NEWS

morphed into a freight farm program where the students (and) kids in the program will be able to run their own micro-business that will provide vegetables for multiple restaurants,” Klein said. Sophomore Winter Hope is the first student to participate in the program at the new location and will bake desserts for the new restaurant, which she hopes to continue later in her career. “Mr. Klein has offered me a possible position (making) desserts for his new restaurant Roost House,” Hope said. “I would be mentored by him and some of his staff.” Hope said spending time in the Roost House kitchen will provide her with unique insights into the restaurant business and

the specifics of its operations. “I think (the program is) really cool because it gives students a chance to experience if they want to go into the restaurant field,” Hope said. Klein said Roost House aims to eventually expand its student initiatives to include more students who want to pursue culinary arts from different geographical areas. “We are still exploring different corporate partners that want to be a part of the growth of this program, potentially locally and nationally,” Klein said. According to Hope, the mentorship might encourage people to support the restaurant. “I think this is a really great thing for the community because

they get to see that Paly (students) are working at this restaurant and people can be drawn to that,” Hope said. Klein said he also plans to use profits from Roost House to advance local development. “Asian Box gives 3 percent of their catering revenues to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital,” Klein said. “Roost House will give back through our initiatives and involvement with local charities.” According to Klein, these practices embody his philosophy of restaurants making an effort towards a active community involvement. Klein said, “The more you are involved in the community for the right reasons, the more the community supports your business.”

the front so it looks like a market, and driving by, you’ll notice it’s a market.” Despite the numerous challenges ahead, Khoury said that his family was optimistic about the future of their market, with grand plans for a dedicated deli and an exclusive onsite menu. Above all, the Khourys’ number one priority is to consistently provide excellent customer service. “We’re going to give more attention to the customer, get to know everyone by their name hopefully, sooner or later,” Khoury said. “I walk into corporate markets all the time, and they don’t know me. I don’t know them.”

One example of the Khoury family’s customer-oriented approach is their introduction of a membership system into the market. To become members, customers must first enter their phone numbers into specially-designed kiosks at the checkout lines. Afterwards, customers will periodically receive notifications about new items, deals or offers from the store. Additional perks of membership include grab-and-go groceries and special discounts on future purchases, according to cashier Anna Khoury. On the other hand, the market does have its own drawbacks, ac-

cording to shopper Pat F. She said that the store was a little small and lacking slightly in the selection of organic and vegan foods. However, she praised the location and saw potential for the store to become a suitable replacement for the beloved JJ&F. During their brief period running JJ&F, the Khourys said they fell in love with Palo Alto and its people and were eager to return in order to start Khoury’s Market. Khoury said, “I feel like this place can make it … we’re gonna push [ourselves] to the limits and do our best to make everyone happy and … stay here for a long, long time.”

therefore (block) all natural sunlight from my two-story, eight unit building, especially in the winter months,” she said. “It is absolutely unfair to those who pay a lot of money to live here, to force them to live in the dark while these new residents are living the dream, with all the amenities ... everything you could ask for a fraction of the cost.” In addition to the aforementioned concerns about her own property, this resident said the project could impact the broader community by increasing congestion, particularly on Wilton Av-

enue and in the alleyway behind the property. She said a potential solution would be to place the entrance on El Camino. “Over the last 10 years I’ve lived in Palo Alto, I have seen office building after office building being built along with multiple hotels,” the resident said. “Many of these locations have few, if any, residents living in close proximity, therefore reducing the impact this building would have had on the neighborhood. There has been and continues to be plenty of other locations more appropriate to

build this ridiculously large, dense building. This is simply the wrong location.” While the impact of the building on the neighborhood remains uncertain, the approval of Wilton Court marks a significant shift in the city’s formal efforts towards expanding access to affordable housing. Wickstrom said, “We are pleased at the approval and hope that this is just the beginning of bring much more Palo Alto housing for people at low and extremely low income levels — throughout the city.”

ter 11 process will “assure the company has access to the capital and resources (the company) needs to continue to provide safe service to customers." The California Public Utilities

Commission unanimously voted Monday to grant PG&E $6 billion in relief loans pending bankruptcy. In a press release following the bankrupcy declaration,

PG&E’s interim CEO John Simon said,“We believe that this process will make sure that we have sufficient liquidity to serve our customers and support our operations and obligations."

A3 New ASB events

SkoGlobe, Club Day kick off semester

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Rein Vaska and juniors Leo Marburg, Aaron Campbell and Henry Jurney perform jazz on the quad during SkoGlobe event.

By Cameron Legrand

Senior Staff Writer

s students filed into the big gym on Jan. 22 for the first major event of the new calendar year sponsored by the Associated Student Body (ASB), senior Henry Saul took his seat in the senior section, ready to cheer on his class in the Seniors vs. Staff basketball game. The hard fought game brought the best out of both the staff members and students, ending in a tie. “It was amazing to see my friends and peers go up against teachers that they have had for four years,” Saul said. “After watching previous senior classes play, I was very excited to see our class get out there and try to beat the staff.” The basketball game was a part of ASB’s annual Winter Rally that included Paly Dance and Cheer performances as well as the reveal of this year’s prom location, the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. According to senior class vice president Annie Tsui, ASB decided the location in part because of its affordability. ASB also organized SkoGlobe, the newest installment of the Quad Concert series that previously included Quadchella and Quadsidelands. According to Tsui, SkoGlobe was a success. “I got to hand it to our committee who plans it," Tsui said. "They know what they're doing. Every time I go to a quad concert,

I think about how cool and Californian Paly as a school is.” The concert took place over four days during the third week of January and hosted a variety of acts including musical performances and dances. “SkoGlobe was a great representation of what ASB can accomplish,” Saul said. “With so many diverse musical acts, we are really able to see what Paly students have to offer.” During the fourth week of January, ASB organized an intramural basketball tournament culminating in a championship game on Feb. 1. In addition, ASB is also hosting Club Day on the quad on Feb. 1, where students can sign up for clubs for second semester. On Feb. 9, students will have the opportunity to attend the Winter Formal, a semi-formal event that will be hosted by professional D.J. Kue. “We’re super excited, as we know a lot of the students who don’t get to go to prom are really looking forward to winter formal,” said ASB vice president Benjamin Rapperport. “We’ve put a ton of time and work into it, and we’re really excited at the prospect of a pre-prom dance.” On Feb. 13, ASB will sell Valgrams, stuffed animals with a personalized message that students may send to their peers, who will receive them during third period on Feb. 12. Valgrams will be on sale through Feb. 8, starting at $3 for one Valgram and $2 for each additional one.

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

NEWS

Paly Choirs host special performance in Performing Arts Center Tuesday night’s a capella concert featured Deke Sharon, musical director of the ‘Pitch Perfect’ series, as a special guest By Tien Nguyen

Staff Writer

he musical director of the “Pitch Perfect” series and a leader in the a capella singing community made a guest appearance at a special a capella choir concert in the Paly Performing Arts Center on Jan. 29. Deke Sharon, known as “The Father of Contemporary A Capella,” coached Paly students in master classes during the day and then appeared in the performance in the evening. Paly’s freshman choir kicked off the free concert with “Hey Ya,” by Outkast. The three PAUSD middle school choirs were featured and performed a joint a capella rendition of “The Climb,” by Miley Cyrus. The concert also included Paly Choir’s AcaFellas, Madrigal Singers, The Heartbeats and more. They performed renditions of favorite contemporary songs such as “No Air,” “Cry Me a River,” and “Toxic.” Other songs that were performed were arranged by students. “This was a very special event,” Paly senior Jessica Weiss said. “He worked with all the groups in Paly Choirs including the a capella groups specifically “We had a concert to show off our works and it was more of a private event, a smaller event. And it was not meant to show a finished result like most of our concerts are but more to give a look inside the process of learning.”

Paly junior Alan Moss agreed. “This was really cool because he held master classes in which he basically would stop us throughout our performance earlier in the day and refine us and refine our work,” Moss said. “Honestly, it just gave us a lot of confidence on performing with a lot of emotion and excitement.”

“I truly believe our world is a better place when people are singing and making music.” Deke Sharon Sharon was invited to appear in the performance because of his fame and accomplishment in the world of a capella music. “I have worked with him in the past,” Paly Music Theory teacher Michael Najar said. “If you know the father of ‘rockapella,’ it’s like working (with) phones and knowing Steve Jobs.” Sharon has been performing professionally since he was eight years old, when he toured North America. He is credited with the current sound of modern a capella. He was the music director and arranger for the “Pitch Perfect” series and produced the television series “The Sing-Off,” a worldwide show that was the third-highest rated show on

ANTONIA MOU /THE CAMPANILE

The award-winning Paly Choir singers performed student-arranged acapella songs, including pop and classic songs such as “Cry Me a River.” NBC in 2010. “The Sing-Off ” is best known as the launching pad of the group Pentatonix. At the end of the concert, Sharon took questions from the audience and shared how important he feels music is for keeping harmony and bringing the world together. He said he takes it upon himself to spread the happiness that music brings. “My life’s work is to spread harmony through harmony,”

Sharon said. “Not only do I help school groups get started but I also started something called the Contemporary A Capella League, which is for amateur, maybe semi-professional, casual groups, all across the country.” The League has grown to include 50 to 70 a capella groups and new groups are starting all the time, he said. He tries to help keep music a part of everyone’s lives by emphasizing his open-

ness and availability to anyone who needs help.

“Honestly, it just gave us a lot of confidence on performing with a lot of emotion and excitement.” Alan Moss

“You can email me now, you can email me 15 years from now,”

Sharon said. “I will answer you because I truly believe our world is a better place when more people are singing and making music.” Sharon’s upcoming projects include working with DCapella, an international a capella singing group created by Disney. Another Paly choir concert will be held in the near future, this time accompanied by a full professional band.

Longest government shutdown in American history finally ends By Noah Baum & Paige Knoblock News & Opinion Editor & Staff Writer

uring the U.S. government’s recent 35-day shutdown, from Dec. 21 to Jan. 25, the longest in U.S. history, community members and Paly parents who work in government positions had their jobs furloughed and went more than a month without receiving pay. The government jobs stationed locally include those for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “There is a lot of frustration,” said Dave Loftus, a medical officer at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View and parent of a Paly student from the Class of 2018. “There is also a lot of apprehension about going without paychecks — which can be difficult for anybody.” During a shutdown, the federal government, which hires both civil servants and contractors, deems certain civil servants “essential,” asking them to continue to work without pay for the time being. Contractors, which the U.S. Government Accountability Office describes as personnel whose work “involves basic management functions,” often are most hurt by government shutdowns, as the federal government typically has no plan to pay them for their time out of work during a shutdown. “The contractors (at Ames) can range from support staff, such as janitorial staff and people who help take care of the facilities, all the way up to scientists who work side-by-side with the civil servants,” Loftus said. The government does not allow government employees who are not deemed “essential” to come into work. The shutdown, caused by Congress’ disagreement with the President over border security, was “partial,” since not all government operations stopped and many people continued to work, even though they weren’t receiving paychecks. Jake Martin, a Bay Area-based member of the U.S. Coast Guard, worked without pay during the

shutdown. He was on active duty, meaning the U.S. Coast Guard required him to show up to work, but he feared the repercussions of going to work without pay. “I am on edge,” Martin said during the shutdown. “The real question is, is how long would my apartment be understanding if I couldn’t pay rent. Would I be evicted?” The Coast Guard is the only branch of the military not being paid, as they fall under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense. Because of Martin’s worries about paying his bills, including rent, water and power, he has taken advantage of the resources available to members of the Coast Guard. “I had to get a loan with USAA to cover three months of my paycheck just in case. If I didn’t get approved, I would be in a world of hurt,” Martin said.

“I’m afraid that this additional stress ... will push people over the edge.” Kevin Bruin Coast Guard contractor and Bay Area resident, Kevin Bruin had been furloughed since Dec. 21 and although he said he did not experience the hardships of members of the Coast Guard, he did start to become progressively more concerned about what he and his family might have had to sacrifice at the hand of the shutdown. “I’m afraid that this additional stress, of having no money, will push people over the edge,” Bruin said. The Trump administration chose to keep national parks, which California is tied for the most in any state, open during the shutdown. Without park rangers, the parks accumulated trash and feces. Palo Alto High School alumnus and park ranger Mark Blackburn said he started feeling mounting pressure of paying bills during the 35 days without pay. “I’m beginning to worry about being able to pay our bills,” Blackburn said. “In particular, our mortgage payments.”

NADER MOUSSA/USED WITH PERMISSION

The Palo Alto City Council convened in City Hall for the first time with seven members on Jan. 7, a change that was passed by a 10,495-9,048 vote.

City Council drops from nine to seven members Last time membership changed was in 1972, where six seats were removed By Bernie Koen

Senior Staff Writer

he newest Palo Alto City Council was installed on Jan. 7, 2019, bringing into effect a 2014 voters decision to reduce the council from nine members to seven in hopes of increased council efficiency. The only newcomer to the Council, Allison Cormack, secured the victory alongside incumbents Eric Filseth and Tom DuBois, who will be serving their second and last terms on the Council, due to the two-term limit. Council members Greg Scharff and Karen Holman were ineligible to run for a third term due to the same two-term limit, and incumbent Cory Wolbach failed to be re-elected. The idea of reducing the Council size originally surfaced from community members who argued the minimal benefits of a larger council, such as more representation and opportunities for relations, were heavily outweighed by the drawbacks, such as less efficiency. The Council agreed for the measure to be put on the ballot by a narrow 5-4 vote. It was passed by the Palo Alto City voters by a comfortable 10,495-9,048 vote. This is the first time the Coun-

cil has seen changes to its membership number since 1972, when it reduced the number of seats from 15 to nine. Supporters argue that reducing the size of the council will increase the efficiency of Council meetings. The Council often has debates that go past midnight, resulting in the Council having trouble getting through agendas without pushing items back.

“I think in 1919, there was a justification for the larger Council because the council had to do everything.” Steve Staiger This change aligns Palo Alto’s Council more closely to that of the governing bodies of neighboring communities with similar population size. For example, Mountain View and Sunnyvale have seven council seats, and San Mateo and Menlo Park have five. Some argue this smaller size will impede the relationships between council members and the people who elected them. Their

argument is straightforward: fewer representatives means fewer opportunities to build relations with council members and more people that each council member has to represent. In terms of balance and fairess, according to the newly elected council members candidacy platforms, it appears that the political battlefield will not be turned in one way or the other due to this change. The balance between those who support more limits on growth and those who support more freedom has remained equal. However, there was a point when a larger council seemed to have wider support and city-wide confidence in its ability to function efficiently — all the way back in the 1930s. From accounts of the 1930s, it appears as though the 15 member council system functioned efficiently, with Palo Alto being small enough that the Council could have meaningful relationships with a larger portion of the residents, and there was simply less controversy and disagreement in discussions. The accounts suggest that following World War II, a surge in population and in demand for services lead Palo Alto to a state of

inefficiency, with too many hands involved, and the inability to continue strong relationships. Palo Alto City historian Steve Saiger believes the time changed pretty rapidly. “I think back in 1919, there was a justification for the larger Council because the Council had to do everything,” Steve Staiger, Palo Alto’s city historian, said. “You had this new streetcar system … this little library … (and) a lot of things in the city that other towns of its size didn’t have. Then there was a reality check in the 1960s ... people figured (they) don’t need it anymore.” The smaller, newly-elected Council will meet in early February for their annual retreat, where they will decide on their priorities for 2019. According to the Council’s website, the priorities for 2018 were transportation, housing, budgeting and finance and grade separation. Outside of grade separation, the other three priorities were carried over from 2017. Palo Alto citizens will await and see if priorities will remain for a third consecutive year, and if going forward the change to the Council’s size will increase productivity and efficiency.

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

OPINION

Social media education should be incorporated into curriculum

ART BY KAITLYN LEE

By Leila Khan

Staff Writer

s the day-to-day lives of younger generations become more enmeshed with technology, teenagers across the nation are constantly bombarded with new variants of social media, each offering unique ways to pull the user away from the present moment.

If education on facing the dangers of social media can be incorporated, teenagers wouldn’t be so anxious or unprepared.

Teenagers are becoming more reliant on their devices. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the progression of internet dependence parallels the influx of online harassment cases and

depression and anxiety due to social media. Education on how to safely and efficiently maneuver through the repercussions that arise as a result of heavy reliance on social media, including anxiety and online harassment, should be conducted for high school students in a structured school manner. Whenever a break is offered in class, or even when a lecture gets a little too dull, the immediate reaction of many teenagers is to turn to the internet. The dependence that teens have on their devices and social media accounts can foster many dangerous side effects. These effects, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, include addiction, social media anxiety, loneliness, sadness and even depression. One of the less talkedabout dangers that sometimes comes with the excessive use of social media is

online harassment. This can present itself in many forms, including receiving unsolicited messages containing sexual content, threats, blackmailing or any unwanted comments. As incidents involving online harassment and negative emotional effects caused by excessive time spent online continue to occur in our community, the need for a space to discuss the effects of social media and learn how to use it constructively has become more and more evident. Dana, a female student who asked that her name be changed to protect her privacy, said she has experienced several threats through social media, and ended up deleting her accounts because she felt overly vulnerable online. According to Dana, a male student threatened to expose very personal information to all of their classmates if she did not send

him nude photos over Snapchat. She remembers feeling violated and unsure of how to handle the situation. Given the technologically reliant world that we live in, education regarding social media use should be a mandatory topic for all students. In the past, the administration has set up sexual harassment assemblies designed to help students make the right decisions in sexual situations. Some students decided to skip these assemblies, so incorporating this education into a more structured classroom environment would be the best way to guarantee attendance. This education could be incorporated into the Paly curriculum in several different ways. Grade level-wide assemblies during advisory usually draw the largest turnout, but during these assemblies, it is difficult to foster student input and ac-

tually converse about the issues. Bringing this conversation into advisory class and allowing students to express their opinions and personal questions would serve as a more efficient and interactive way of receiving information. Another option is the inclusion of this education into Living Skills. Living Skills, a class required to graduate, offers information and procedural tips on a wide variety of topics that are relevant in today’s world. The teachers of this course possess the skill set and experience to address sensitive topics such as sex, drugs, family, ethics and more, so tackling sexual harassment could tie into the curriculum. Letitia Burton, one of the Living Skills teachers at Paly, believes that education surrounding online harassment and the dangers of social media are is most effective when introduced

before students have begun high school. According to Dana, knowing exactly what to do in an uncomfortable situation online should be common knowledge in schools, and should begin sooner rather than later.

learning history. Contemporary World would start where World History left off freshman year, and students would have a better recollection of U.S. Government before U.S. History. Students would be able to better connect what they are currently learning to what they have already learned. After one semester of Government, students would then enter Contemporary World History second semester, where they would pick off right where they had left off in ninth grade. At Paly, concepts are generally built up linearly. There is no better example of this than in the math department, which serves as an excellent model for linear academic progression.

First, students must take Algebra, then Geometry, then build upon those concepts in Algebra 2, Analysis and Calculus. It is clear that the history department could benefit from adopting a similar model. Students are currently thrust into World History in ninth grade, the curriculum taking them through World War II, and through the beginning of the Cold War. In the first semester of tenth grade, when World History is still fairly fresh in the heads of students, they are instead thrown into a U.S. government class, where most information from the previous year is useless and gets promptly forgotten. Contemporary World History then starts where World History left

off: the Cold War. All of a sudden, students have to remember dates and facts that they haven't though about in months. One reason that sophomore history teacher Mary Sano would be against a potential switch is that sophomores do a project on elections in U.S. Government every other year. The elections take place during the fall semester, and in off years, students study the midterm election campaigns. The election also leads to class discussions regarding current events. Currently, only 50 percent of Paly’s student body, those who are sophomores during an election year, benefit from having the election project in the fall. As those in odd years only study the midterm campaigns, they

would be better served by having U.S. Government in the spring, as they would be closer to the date of the actual elections. Furthermore, in some Contemporary World History classes, teachers make a point of discussing current events every day. Regardless of which semester U.S. Government is held, discussion of current events is still very possible. One solution to the election project dilemma is that, during election years, teachers could assign the election project as an out of class extra credit assignment. Finally, switching Government and Contemporary World would give students better preparation for U.S. History as a junior, as they would have a stronger recollection of how the government works before learning

U.S. History. By switching the two sophomore year history courses, students will have a more linear learning path.

The dependence that teens have on their devices and social media accounts can foster many dangerous side effects. If education on facing the dangers of social media can be incorporated into a class similar to Living Skills or in assembly-form, teenagers wouldn’t be so anxious or unprepared when these issues arise. They will have the means to tackle routine dilemmas regarding online harassment and feel safe while using social media.

Sophomore history classes should reflect chronological progression By Siddhartha Sahasrabudhe Staff Writer

aly prides itself on helping develop the skills of its students. While most Paly courses build on past classes taken during a student’s high school career, tenth grade history looms as an outlier. Currently, students take World History freshman year, U.S. Government during the first semester of sophomore year, Contemporary World History during the second semester of sophomore year and U.S. History during junior year. A lack of continuity is clearly present in the chronological progression of history education at our school, which leads to students forgetting and having to relearn things that they have already studied.

U.S. Government and Contemporary World History should be switched, with sophomores taking Contemporary World History first semester. One solution is to switch the order of sophomore social studies requirements, with Contemporary World History first semester and U.S. Government second semester, because it would lead to more continuity and easier understanding for students. Right now, students are required to take U.S. Government before Contemporary World History because the United States holds its elections in the fall, meaning that students can study the elections then. Despite the election project, switching these two classes would overall benefit students, as they would have increased continuity while

ART BY LARA NAKAMURA

Students will have a more linear learning path, with tenth grade history picking up where ninth grade left off, and eleventh grade history building on where government ends.

It is in the best interests of the students that such a change take place, as the current system hinders understanding and retention of the material. If our students aren't here to learn, then what are they here for?

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

OPINION

Educators should prioritize happiness over money-making By Yusra Rafeeqi Online Editor

ilicon Valley is the home to innovation, creative minds and academic excellence. However, the pressure put on high school students to pursue a career path not of their liking but rather one that is STEM-focused, is unparalleled. Because of our STEM-focused culture, many students feel the need to pursue majors and internship opportunities they don’t really care about. Then, when students arrive in college, they feel unreasonably confused and disinterested regarding their futures, unprepared for major-hopping or even dropping out of school, according to the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation. For many, the possibility of seeking an education or career in visual and performing arts can seem too risky; an uncertainty in job-settling and salary often casts doubt on the potential success one can obtain. Although it is true that only 10 percent of arts graduates are working artists, according to a study from Artists Report Back, more current artists do not have bachelor’s degrees, much less arts-related degrees — specifically about 40 percent do not have any degree. These artists are able to pursue their interests, usually without the overbearing loans that may come with attending art school.

Parents’ and society’s pressures put upon students’ career decisions are very short-term.

Senior Rebecca Cheng will attend the Rhode Island School of Design next year and said art has always been part of her life. Although her parents suggested other pathways, she set her mind towards following her ambition. Cheng said people tend to look down on artists, assuming they are unable to handle rigorous and challenging fields like STEM. Oftentimes, social pressure exists on students to give up their passions for a

ART BY ZANDER LEONG

future that ensures a higher socioeconomic status. This is prevalent in competitive school environments; yet, as an artist, Cheng said she does not fear the stereotype known as the “starving artist” because she plans to actively seek out a variety of future opportunities. As Cheng said, the pressure on students to prepare for money-making rather than developing a talent can easily affect future mental health and happiness.Although Paly does have excellent arts programs, a stronger focus is given to AP courses and required classes. The result is that all art classes are electives, and some are cancelled at the start of semesters due to low enrollment. Creative classes should be more heavily emphasized, whether this be through more credits or a change in the stigma regarding exploring unconventional education. Cheng said introduc-

ing more classes, especially in the visual arts, as well as upgrading current classes could give students a better opportunity to consider different options. Photography teacher Margo Wixsom said she has expressed her disappointment in the school district’s intention to spend funds on computer education rather than arts, especially due to several electives programs being unaffordable. Parents’ and society’s pressures put upon students’ career decisions are very short-term. In fact, Wixsom, who cites her children’s experiences from college loans and inability to find jobs with sufficient wages, said that it is crucial for students to experiment with potential interests before coming to a decision in their careers. However, this cannot be done without erasing the paradigm of chasing money, for this easily leads students down

a frustrating path with several expenses in the form of loans, to happiness. Although students are told from a young age to “pursue their passion,” their interests can change as they research colleges and majors. Wellness Center Coordinator Elizabeth Spector and Outreach worker Angelina Michael said pressure that comes with having to shape a future in high school, along with pressure from parents, causes students to become lost in finding the right job to fit their desires. According to Michael, intrinsic goals and aspirations often contrast with extrinsic motivators having to do with social expectations. Therefore, high schools should be better equipped to expose students to several different potential career paths that may be encompassed in a passion. Spector said an example of this could be the art

of singing. A student may think that the way to follow an interest in singing would be to take lessons and eventually get a degree in vocals, but they may not be aware of all the potential career paths in that field, from being a vocal agent to working in a studio. Since colleges expect a certain direction from students, Paly should help students navigate other career options within pathways they may be interested in. Not only that, but the societal climate needs to grow towards setting a more realistic and high-achieving environments for students — especially through realizing the value that atypical careers bring to the world. Michael points out that teachers in various districts statewide are on strike because of their financial situations, yet, here in the Silicon Valley, PAUSD teachers are looked upon as

the most influential and beneficial resource to students. Particularly in this area, it is necessary to value other creative paths that will allow for further diversity in students’ future intents. As for now, for those who continue to struggle to deal with the social, familial and personal pressures, there is a need for greater emphasis on the support that outside advisors can give students thinking about the future. Wixsom and Michael both agree that rather than focusing on students’ completion of college requirements teacher advisors and counselors shoud focus on how to be successful in college. Parents are where the change can begin — they are the guiding forces in students’ lives, and especially in a setting such as Palo Alto, where several students are already financially supported, it makes sense to chase dreams rather than money.

English classes should include more non-traditional curriculum By Annie Chen Lifestyle Editor

acbeth.” “1984.” “Lord of the Flies.” “Of Mice and Men.” “Romeo and Juliet.” In ninth and tenth grades at Paly, teachers introduce most of these classics to their students. However, although English teachers give lessons on generally the same literature, their teaching methods vary greatly. While some teachers opt for traditional reading, answering closereading questions followed by writing an essay on the book’s theme, others encourage students to engage with the literature through more interactive methods, from watching related films to acting out passages, or even committing what many teachers and students consider a crime — using online study guides like SparkNotes.

Students and teachers are going to value different aspects of literature. More English teachers should embrace non-traditional literary analysis and incorporate more interactive in-class activities rather than just teaching through reading and writing. Interactive learning can make reading more engaging and also help students better understand and relate to the central themes of a text. English 10A and Humanities teacher Mimi Park said that providing students with other resources relevant to the assigned reading can promote stronger connections between a literary work and a student’s own life ex-

ART BY ANNIE CHEN

periences. For example, while having her students read “Bless Me Ultima,” a coming-ofage novel about a young boy who seeks to reconcile his various cultural identities, Park showed her students parts of the film “Fresh Off the Boat,” in which the main character’s Taiwanese family members adjust to their new lives after immigrating to America. Both stories convey a feeling of being an outsider and allow students to observe common themes. By learning that these themes transcended cultures, students could feel more empathy with the characters and make connections with the literature. Watching film adaptations and different takes and perspectives on novels

can help students better understand a book’s content and themes, especially if the language is difficult to comprehend. English 10A and Social Justice Pathway teacher Marc Tolentino said this proved helpful when his students studied “Macbeth.” In his class, students alternated between reading and watching interpretations of the play, enabling them to better appreciate the text and obtain more meaning from it. If students are able to witness a visual and audio interpretation of what they read, it makes written concepts much more real and tangible. Although many teachers implement such practices with “Macbeth” or “Romeo and Juliet,” this interactive learning style is helpful

beyond Shakespeare, and should also be used more widely. Alternative learning includes reading reviews or opinions and perspectives on a book, as well as referencing other sources. According to Kindel Launer, who teaches World Literature, AP English Language and English 9A, the literature that students read in class is important work and should be studied in the same way as important concepts in biology or math — by using various texts and interpretations. She even suggests using Shmoop, which offers homework help, teacher resources and test prep similar to Sparknotes, and watching related TED Talks. This can help students understand the basics of the plot

more quickly, allowing them to move on to understanding deeper messages sooner. Additionally, after acquiring the basics of the plot, students are often more interested in continuing to read the book. By teaching students using non-traditional techniques, teachers are trying to help students who may not have enough experiences to connect with texts. Launer said a teacher’s experience is very different from a student’s, and students and teachers are going to value different aspects of literature. While students may not have the history or life experience to immediately connect with the meaning of a piece of literature, using other people’s interpretations of the story, whether in films or reviews, can help fill in the gaps for the students.

More English teachers should use interactive, non-traditional teaching methods in order to provide many learning benefits.

If students are able to witness a visual and audio interpretation of what they read, it makes written concepts much more tangible.

At the least, it will, allow students to find more meaning and connections between the text and their own life experiences. And at its best, it may turn today’s reluctant reader into a lifetime lover of literature.

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

OPINION

Living Skills should be integrated into freshman advisory

ART BY KIANA TAVAKOLI

By Adora Zheng

Staff Writer

ike a Cyber Monday sale, students sit primed and ready to register for the summer session of Living Skills the second the clock ticks 8 a.m. every March. Mere seconds later, all spots are full and students pile on the waitlist — chances are, only a lucky few will be offered spots from drops. The remaining students will be forced to fit the semester-long course into their busy schedules, requiring some to drop desired courses.

Living Skills covers a wide range of valuable material and gives students vital knowledge.

Living Skills is one of the many courses students are required to take in order to graduate from Paly or Gunn High School. The class covers a wide range of valuable

material and gives students vital knowledge they should have before entering their sophomore year. However, much of the class typically consists of seniors scrambling to fulfill their graduation requirements, resulting in many students learning important material far too late. Living Skills dives deep into the use of substances such as marijuana and alcohol — substances students may be exposed to in their four years of high school. It also focuses on how to lead sexually healthy lifestyles and relationships. These issues are touched on during sporadic, surfacelevel assemblies — consequently, many students do not fully understand important concepts like consent until they learn about them in depth in Living Skills. For some students, Living Skills discussions are their only chances to be educated about these multifaceted issues. Knowing this information is crucial to staying safe

throughout high school, but the issue remains that students are not being exposed to this sort of education when they ought to be — the curriculum is only effective if students learn it before they are exposed to what it covers. Sophomore Jace Purcell, who took the course during the first semester of his sophomore year, said the curriculum — the section on drug use in particular — ought to be taught freshman year at the latest. For some, taking the course in the summer may seem like the perfect solution to this issue. However, summer classes are capped at a certain number of students, and many of those who register do not get to take the course. Integrating the curriculum into freshman advisory would be the all-inclusive solution to this issue — all students would learn the material in their freshman year. The Campanile surveyed 195 random students of

all grades through Google forms and found over 80 percent of students said they are in favor of integrating Living Skills into freshman advisory. Since Living Skills can be viewed as something of a hindrance on student creativity and freedom in choosing courses, students put off taking it till senior year. According to The Campanile’s poll, over 50 percent of students were unable to take courses they wanted to take because they had to take Living Skills. Living Skills teacher Leticia Burton said with careful planning and course selection, it is possible for a student to take the course early and make room for electives later in high school. However, underclassmen are particularly hard-pressed to fit the course in to their schedules. Six of their seven class periods are filled by the mandatory core classes, physical education and, for most, a required language. Additionally, a large por-

tion of the student body takes repeating year-long electives such as band, choir, art or theatre — courses many wish to enroll in for all four years of high school. Students are further restrained by the other graduation requirements. The Visual and Performing Arts and Career Technical Education requirements require all students to take both an art and vocational year-long course — which take away two more class periods in one’s schedule. These difficulties are even more complex for juniors and seniors; upperclassmen take more classes related to the career they intend to pursue, and even as the number of elective slots increases, finding space for Living Skills remains burdensome. These restrictions all culminate in many students putting Living Skills off until it is long overdue. According to Burton, the underlying issue surrounding Living Skills is the student body’s mindset.

Because of the negative effects it has on course selection and academic planning, students view the course in a dismissive light — and the only remedy is to disassociate the course from this perspective. The way to do so is to integrate the curriculum into advisory. If the limiting effects Living Skills has on course selection are eliminated, students will no longer view the course as a hindrance.

Integrating Living Skills into freshman advisory would be the comprehensive solution. With all students learning how to keep themselves safe early on while still taking the courses they love, integrating Living Skills into freshman advisory would be the comprehensive solution to all of these issues and would benefit the entire student body.

CROSSWORD

Hello Campanile readers! The answers to this crossword puzzle can be found in the articles in this issue. When your crossword puzzle is complete, bring it to MAC 103 to get a free cookie! Down 1. This middle school provides skateboard racks. 3. The number of disabilities covered by IDEA to qualify for an IEP. 4. The minimum number of weeks that the new paternal leave policy grants employees. 7. The former CEO and cofounder of Asian Box and owner of Roost House. 10. Some Paly seniors apply to international schools in the U.K. and ____. 14. The city that “If Beale Street Could Talk” is set in. 15. The group of clubs seeking to promote sustainable environmental practices.

1. Chemistry teachers Ashwini Avadhani and Samuel Howles-Banerji have shared a classroom for ____ years. 2. On Snapchat, you can maintain ____ by talking to the same friend every day. 5. The DMV will issue the REAL ____ to help increase federal facilities’ security. 6. The last name of the Paly

college counselor who runs the First Gen Club.

13. The last name of the male lead actor in “A Star is Born.”

8. The acronym for a famous association of college sports.

18. The name of the NASA center in Mountain View.

9. Inspired by her grandfather, Avadhani took up this hobby.

20. The restaurant that will replace Fast Tony’s Chicken in Town and Country.

11. Ghosting is a method used to ____ digital relationships. 12. The last name of the sophomore girls varsity basketball player who takes whey protein.

22. The acronym for a federal agency that encourages the public to get flu shots early. 26. The college application program used in the U.K.

27. The number of members on the cross country team in the 2015-2016 school year. 28. The program that Paly alumnus Varun Dutta is in. 29. Students who are the first in their families to go to college are first ____ students.

24. An estimated 300,000 sport-related traumatic brain injuries occur annually among high school and collegiate athletes in the ____. 25. The ____ concussion test is taken at the beginning of the season. 35. In the 1990s, this company started one of the first web browsers. 37. A recently approved affordable housing development will be located at the corner of El Camino and this street. 39. The season when the U.S. holds presidential elections.

16. Squash is played by two players in a ____ court.

40. The air ____ is a device that cooks food without oil.

17. This English teacher showed her students clips of “Fresh Off the Boat” to supplement “Bless Me Ultima.”

45. Many athletes have to ____ or take a break from playing sports after multiple concussions.

19. The Palo Alto ____ has reduced its membership from nine to seven members.

46. Contractors at this space agency worked without pay during the government shutdown.

21. This compound is released by caterpillar hairs and causes allergic reactions.

Across

23. The College and ____ has played a significant role in helping seniors with their college admissions process.

32. Squash players typically play ____ points per set. 33. The Sports ____ Club supports aspiring athletes of minority backgrounds. 34. The name of a cofounder of the PACPC.

30. Excessive social media usage can cause ____.

36. Paly sports enthusiast Superfan Dan’s speeches often contain references to ____.

31. The acronym for the Peer Tutoring Center’s old name.

38. The National Guard position that requires a degree.

47. The scientific word for caterpillar hairs.

41. Various media platforms such as ____ cover high school basketball games. 42. Photography teacher Margo Wixsom describes chasing money as a ____. 43. A student needs to complete ____ required classes in high school to participate in a college sport. 44. In the PTC, ____ can teach other students who seek additional help in their classes.

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Teacher feedback forms should Vaping crisis calls for direct be available throughout the year action from administrators

ny student who has gone to Paly for more than a semester should be familiar with the feedback forms their teachers hand out every semester. Twice a year, every student is asked to provide input on curriculum and teaching methods, with the expectation that this information will be passed on to their teacher. Ideally, this system would allow teachers to learn and improve with every semester and better tailor their classes to the needs of their students. The system was mandated under a pilot program agreement between the teachers’ union and PAUSD. Unfortunately, the reality of the teacher feedback system hasn’t lived up to these noble goals. According to Chris Kolar, the PAUSD Director of Research, Assessment, & Evaluation, PAUSD teachers and administrators felt that the data gleaned from the surveys wasn’t as useful as they wanted. Meanwhile, the agreement between the union and the District expired at the end of the last school year. Thus, as of last May, the district survey form ceased to exist. One main reason the form system was not successful was because teachers didn’t receive the feedback from the surveys until the middle of the following semester.

This delay made it hard for teachers to turn it into tangible positive changes for current students. For feedback received in the first semester, teachers had the last half of second semester to act on it, while feedback received at the end of the second semester isn’t seen by teachers until after they have starting planning out the next year’s lessons. Furthermore, because of the way that these surveys are presented to the student body, many students don’t fill them out at all. A system that is meant to benefit teachers and students ended up minimally impacting both. One potential way to reboot the system would be to change the feedback forms so that they are available for submission all year long instead of just at the end of each semester, with the teachers receiving responses immediately, instead of waiting for months. A few teachers at Paly already have self-devised systems in place to allow students to provide more immediate feedback. Math teacher Scott Friedland and history teacher Andrea Struve are two examples. Friedland currently offers an anytime-you-want online anonymous Google form to his students and also previously used the endof-semester mandated feedback form Friedland said the real-time anonymous feedback form has

two main purposes: first, to encourage students to share their thinking before the end of the semester, and second, to provide a release valve for any frustration they may be feeling. Struve, on the other hand, uses post-unit reflections to provide students the option to provide comments after every unit. Her system allows her to receive more immediate feedback and implement changes in future units. Teachers who have taken it upon themselves to solicit feedback and discussion deserve praise and respect. The Campanile believes that the administration should either set up a system similar to Friedland’s or Struve’s or actively encourage teachers to seek out more immediate feedback from their students. Even experienced teachers have room to improve, and it is imperative that, for the good of present and future students, teachers have access to the thoughts and concerns of their pupils. The failure of the District’s previous feedback system to accurately convey the voices of students to their teachers in a timely matter should be an issue of utmost importance and urgency to the District. There is no tool more powerful for education than discussion. It’s time to open up a better space for it.

hile the plague, malaria and ebola are well known epidemics, a new health crisis is emerging among teenagers — vaping. What makes vaping especially dangerous is that it’s advertised as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, luring teenagers with marketing such as unique flavors. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who declared vaping an epidemic, said vaping among high school students increased by 900 percent from 2011 to 2015.

While educating parents is a good step towards discouraging vaping, The Campanile believes a more effective solution would be directly educating students. However, many are unaware of the detrimental health effects that accompany vaping such as nicotine addiction and damage to adolescent brain development, according to Yale Medicine. Although Paly administrators have taken strides to educate students about the dangers, The Campanile urges a more direct approach. According to Principal Adam

Paulson, administrators are making an effort to teach parents about vaping so they can help their kids if they find out their child is vaping or to ensure their child does not go down that path.

In addition to their efforts to educate parents, administrators have increased the campus supervisors' awareness of the issue. Paulson said the administration has started an awareness campaign, beginning with sending parents national news articles about the rise of vaping as well as giving them resources to use to start a conversation with their kids. In addition, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) recently started hosting parent nights about vaping. While educating parents is a good step towards discouraging vaping, The Campanile believes a more effective solution would be directly educating students. According to Paulson, students are educated about the harmful effects of vaping after a first offense, in addition to a call home. Unfortunately, such intervention is already after the student has started vaping. In order to

actively dissuade student vaping, administrators must intervene before the issue has developed. Through advisory discussions, teacher advisors can provide a place for students to talk openly about the issue. Through schoolwide assemblies, administrators can deliver crucial information to the entire student body at once. These methods will allow administrators can teach students about the harmful effects before they think about trying it.

By educating students directly, adminstrators will encourage a shift in the school culture. In addition to their efforts to educate parents, Paulson said administrators have increased the campus supervisors’ awareness of the issue. By having more administrators monitoring restrooms for the scent of vape or for large crowds entering at once, they are able to catch more students. By educating students directly, administrators will encourage a shift in the school culture — if students truly understand the harmful effects of vaping, they will be more likely to discourage one another from making bad choices, creating a solution from within.

Study abroad opportunities expand student perspectives

n the heart of Silicon Valley, it’s no secret that many Paly students live in “the bubble.” Without the opportunity to live in another country, students can develop a skewed perspective of the world. The Campanile thinks one of the best ways for students to experience other cultures and understand world issues from multiple viewpoints is through study abroad and foreign exchange programs, both as hosts and participants. Paly does not officially offer study abroad programs because it would not be feasible to complete the required visa applications and other necessary paperwork in time, according to Assistant Principal Katya Villalobos. While Paly does not offer programs through the school, we encourage students to look at the many private programs that offer the same benefits.

Paly does not officially offer study abroad programs because it would not be feasible to complete the required visa applications and other necessary paperwork in time. One such program is School Year Abroad (SYA), a year-long, intensive study abroad host program. Students spend 10 months with a host family and take part in extracurriculars in addition to completing classes. Enrique Granados, alumnus of SYA and now Assistant Director of Admissions, recently visited a French class at Paly to talk about the program’s

curriculum in Rennes, France, which covers French politics, art history and literature.

Paly should invite more speakers to world language classes and publicize upcoming trips and other relevant activities, even if the school can't sponsor these trips themselves. The Campanile commends SYA’s efforts to invite Paly students to take part in such immersive opportunities. We think study abroad programs are not only a great way to learn the language in a community that is fluent, but also to learn about the host country’s traditions and culture firsthand. Paly also welcomes students from other countries to study here, an experience beneficial to all parties involved. Students who wish to study at Paly must go through a private program that guarantees a host family in PAUSD, Villalobos said.. Amelie Munthe Vassbotn, a student with Student Travel Schools (STS) from Norway, is studying at Paly for 10 months. She chose this program because it allowed her to choose this school as well as her host family. Vossbotn attests to the benefits of studying abroad, saying it is an amazing experience that helps with growing your independence. Short of going to another country, The Campanile thinks interacting with students from other countries is the best way to gain a global perspective.

The Campanile understands that studying abroad is a major decision that can make completing graduation requirements a challenge. According to Villalobos, students who choose to study abroad have to work with their guidance counselor and the program to match up credits. Granados echoed that sentiment, saying that SYA will work with each individual high school to make sure students complete necessary coursework even while abroad. Given that Paly is willing to work with students and study abroad programs to make the coursework transfer correctly, students should take full advantage of the opportunities available. Granados added that SYA even has a separate fund for public school scholarships, hopefully making cost less of a non-factor.

One of the best ways for students to experience other cultures and understand world issues is through study abroad programs. Paly students are fortunate to have access to world-class study abroad programs and should seek them out. To help them, Paly should invite more speakers to world language classes and publicize upcoming trips and other relevant activities, even if the school can’t sponsor these trips themselves. Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime experience and The Campanile thinks doing so will only benefit Paly’s students.

FEBRUARY'S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Ways to Nail Second Semester 10) It's almost track season, start training by sprinting to class. 9) Post a minimum of 10 different prom dresses in the dress Facebook group to keep people guessing. 8) Go to Boba Guys as much as possible because stores at Town and Country never seem to last long. 7) Contract staph infection in the weight room while trying to get big. 6) Caption every IG post with #SSS to hide the fact that you're actually drowning in all 7 of your classes. 5) Be late to all of your classes because truancy letters don't actually mean anything. 4) Take a quick 20 minute break during class by trying to find an open bathroom. 3) Score a week of free lunch by pretending to be interested in the Career Speaker Series. 2) Get the weighted 2.0 GPA so the UCs won't rescind you. 1) Stop going to all the clubs you joined just for college apps.

–SARAH O'RIORDAN & SHANNON ZHAO

The Campanile

Editors-in-Chief Leyton Ho • Waverly Long • Kaylie Nguyen Ethan Nissim • Ujwal Srivastava Online Editor Managing Editors Yusra Rafeeqi Kennedy Herron • Byron Zhang

News and Opinion Editors

Lifestyle Editors

Noah Baum • Neil Kapoor

Annie Chen • Leela Srinivasan

Science & Tech Editor

Sports Editors

Miranda Li

Navid Najmabadi • Ben van Zyll

Multimedia Editor

Business Managers

Vivian Feng

Lucy Nemerov • John Tayeri

Distribution Manager Khadija Abid Emily Asher Loic Bosch Eve Donnelly Olivia Ericsson Leila Khan Bruno Klass Paige Knoblock Bernie Koen Kaitlyn Lee Nicholas Le Cameron Legrand Rebekah Limb

Photo Editor Alyssa Leong

Board Correspondent Samantha Hwang

Staff Writers

Alex Liu Anna Meyer Shiva Mohsenian Sophia Moore Antonia Mou Lara Nakamura Tien Nguyen Sarah O'Riordan Henry Queen Yusra Rafeeqi Maya Rathore Kris Risano

Photographers Khadija Abid • Emily Asher • Leila Khan Alyssa Leong • Yusra Rafeeqi • Shiva Mohsenian Antonia Mou • Johnny Yang

Frida Rivera Hyunah Roh Sid Sahasrabuddhe Kiana Tavakoli Emma Todd Kai Vetteth Andy Wang Jeffrey Wang Johnny Yang Jaures Yip Shannon Zhao Adora Zheng

Illustrators Annie Chen • Frida Rivera • Zander Leong Miranda Li • Shannon Lin • Lucy Nemerov Lara Nakamura • Tien Nguyen • Jaures Yip

Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki

Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien

Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds19@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or

sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!

Our Vision Statement: The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling. Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

LIFES T YLE

A deeper look into the world of first generation college students at Paly

PERCENT of Paly students are first

gen college students, per Sandra Cernobori

tress levels are high as senior Bryan Kagiri awaits the college acceptance season along with the rest of his class. Soon, he will determine where he will be spending the next couple years of his life. The difference however, is that being accepted and attending college next year will mean being the first to do so in his family. When a student has parents or legal guardians who either haven’t attended a college or completed a bachelor’s degree, they are deemed first generation college students. According to the U.S Department of Education, in 2012, one-third of the U.S undergraduate population are first generation students. In Paly’s highly competitive environment, striving for acceptance into highly ranked universities is a focus. With so much pressure on students, it may be easy to forget that some students are ultimately trying to lead the way for their families. According to college counselor Sandra Cernobori, approximately 10 percent of the Paly population is first generation students. Kagiri, a first generation college student, will graduate this year with not only the pride of completing high school but also the gratification of becoming the first in his immediate family to attend college. “(Being a first generation college student is) an achievement for my family, coming from a place that’s known for being a third world country, where I predominately grew up,” Kagiri said. “It’s been a big goal to set for me and my family.” Kagiri moved from Kenya to Palo Alto in 2014. It was a culture shock, as Kenya was just coming off Apartheid, a period of political and racial segregation. Not speaking English, trying to fit in with the culture of Paly and dealing with the pressure of being a first generation college student all intimidated Kagiri. “It’s something scary, but it’s more motivating than scary,” Kagiri said. “It’s the fact that I’m the first of a very large line of family who is actually going to say that they went to college and they achieved something.” According to Kagiri, being the first

to attend college in his family has many advantages and he said it will help him financially in the future. “Of course, I’m going to be the first one to actually be able to have a good job in payment, because I’m actually planning on studying computer science,” Kagiri said. “A big advantage is more job opportunities. I don’t know if there are any disadvantages. I feel like it’s all positives.” Senior Gerzain Gutierrez, also a first generation college student, sees his status as beneficial, as he has been presented with many opportunities his other family members did not have. However, with these advantages also comes adversity. Being the first in the family to attend college can mean a student lacks information about the higher education others can receive. “The disadvantage of being first gen, especially for me, is not knowing the correct path to college,” Gutierrez said. The College and Career Center has played a significant role in helping seniors with their college admission process, and assisting first generation college students is an area of expertise according to Gutierrez. Being first generation themselves, all the college counselors understand and recognize the hardships these particular students may go through. “Their families often don’t have the abilities to support them, and they don’t have the familiarity because they haven’t been through the p r o c e s s themselves,” Cernobori said. “They might not know the questions to ask, you know, those kind of resources that you can tap into. They might not even be encouraged to go to college,

especially if money is an issue they need them to go to work.” With all the adversity that first generation college students endure, their troubles may pay off when it comes to their college application process, according to Cernobori. “It’s potentially an advantage in the admissions process, because the admissions officers want to reward these students in spite of all this and who have succeeded enough to do college level work,” Cernobori said. According to Cernobori, Paly’s college counselors receive lots of questions and concerns from first generation college student families. In 2013, Cernobori, college counselor Crystal Laguna and retired college counselor Alice Erber tried to address this need with the creation of the First Gen Club. The college counselors invite families to meetings, give them support and host family nights where parents are informed about college applications. “An advantage of being first gen is that there are people like Ms. Laguna, Ms. Mendoza and Ms. Cernobori who wanna help us get to college,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez attends the First Gen Club meetings along with peers from his grade, and said the club has been valuable in helping him make his future plans a reality. “At the meeting last week, (college counselors) helped us find financial aid opportunities outside of what colleges give,” Gutierrez said. “(First Gen Club) benefits me because it’s run by the college counselors, so any questions we have, they’re right there for us.” With college slowly approaching, seniors have an immense responsibility for their futures and careers. So while high school is hugely centered around preparing for college for many students, for first generation college students, it is a pivotal step in their family history. “It’s really scary because I don’t want to disappoint anybody,” Kagiri said. “Everyone’s looking forward to me (attending) college, and it’s a big role in the family that I have to take, but it’s a privilege. Going forward, hopefully my kids and my kids’ kids can make the Kagiris proud.”

“(First Gen Club) benefits me because it’s run by the college counselors.” Gerzain Gutierrez

“I don’t know if there are any disadvantages. I feel like it’s all positives.” Bryan Kagiri

Art, Text & Design by Rebekah Limb

PERCENT of U.S.

undergrads are first gen college students, per the Dep. of Education

Design by Kai Vetteth Art & Design by Cameron aaaaaaaaa aLegrand

Art by Miranda Li

SCIENCE & TECH

Intersection of food and tech

Examine the applications of science in cooking from the use of chemical heating in the preparation of complex meals to physical heating in the air frying of chicken drumsticks.

MAURINA RARA/CC0 1.0

PAGE B4-85

Science & Tech

Lifestyle

WOLF GANG/CC0 1.0

ANTONIA MOU/THE CAMPANILE

Oscar movie reviews

From volunteer to teacher

PAGE B2

PAGE B7

Preview some of this yearís best picture nominees.

Science & Tech

Read about Ashwini Avadhaniís personal and professional life.

PEXELS/CC BY 2.0

Caterpillars on campus

Discover how this allergy-inducing insect affects student life. PAGE B8

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

'Valley of the Boom' explores the early Internet

Documentary recounts first Browser War, downfall of Netscape, technologial revolution that ensued By Emma Todd

Staff Writer

ewlett-Packard was founded in a one-car garage in Palo Alto in 1938. Google was founded in Menlo Park in 1998. Apple in Los Altos in 1976. Netflix in Scotts Valley in 1997. Twitter in San Francisco in 2006. All these companies and many more boosted the sudden growth of the technology firms in Silicon Valley. But one company that is not as well known is Netscape. Founded in 1994 in Mountain View, Netscape played an important role in the history of the web browser, and 'National Geographic’s' new TV show 'Valley of the Boom' starts at the beginning of this revolution. "Valley of the Boom" is a documentary-drama about the birth of the internet in the 1990s. Directed by Matthew Carnahan, it details the beginning of the first Browser Wars, which included Microsoft and Netscape racing to be the best internet company. The show goes specifically into detail about Netscape, one of the first web browsers. In "Valley of the Boom," some events are dramatized, but most are based on real-life events. Netscape began as small startup in Silicon Valley to challenge the dominance of Microsoft. In the ‘90s tech companies were becoming successful fast. But today people don’t know much about Netscape or what it is because its downfall came just as fast. Kirt Thompson, who currently lives in Menlo Park, worked for Netscape during the ‘90s when 'Valley of the Boom' takes place. “Netscape was the first hyper growth internet company,”Thompson said. “It was a rocket ship back then, and we were all proud to be a part of such an innovative company

KHADIJA ABID/THE CAMPANILE

Column: How to dress well By Nicholas Le

aly’s student body is made up of a large variety of people, many of whom lack a real sense of fashion and dress quite repulsively. How will these people solve their issue? Don’t worry, I’m here help.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/FAIR USE

"West Wing" star Bradley Whitford plays CEO of Netscape James Barksdale in National Geographic’s new documentary "Valley of the Boom." that was enabling people all over the world to use the new power of the internet to push the boundaries of knowledge.”

“People are fascinated by Silicon Valley — the past and the present.” Michelle Quinn Thompson said Microsoft, at first, wasn’t even a competitor to Netscape. In the browser space, Netscape was on top, with very little competition. “Once Microsoft started to turn on their massive marketing

machine, many of us started fielding questions from large corporate clients,” Thompson said. “Rumors began to circulate that Microsoft would be bundling their Internet Explorer browser into their Windows operating system for free and concerns began to grow.This started to slow down Netscape's rapid growth and management. In 1998, the Justice Department, along with 20 states, launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft's monopolistic practices against Netscape. Many of us held out hope that the government would intervene to level the playing field but concerns grew as our rapid growth declined. It was at that time that we began to see some Netscape employees leave for other companies here in the Valley.”

Michelle Quinn lives in Berkeley, and wrote about the growth of Silicon Valley and "Valley of the Boom" for the print version of 'National Geographic.' “People are fascinated by Silicon Valley— the past and the present—and the National Geographic TV series is responding to that interest,” Quinn said. Silicon Valley tech companies have had some bad press recently about how they handle user privacy and data, and since "Valley of the Boom" is about the tension between two tech companies, it has many parallels to today. “The concerns today are about whether tech firms, now super successful, are properly overseeing what they have created,” Quinn said. “Are they good shepherds of

our data? Are they paying attention to who is using their services for nefarious ends? Do they have standards for who can be a customer or partner?” Sophomore Audrey Joachim said she watched the first episode of the show and said it was more of a drama than a documentary and some of the events seemed over exaggerated. “I think that many people who end up watching the show who don’t live here will most likely (get) a false impression of what Silicon Valley is truly like,” Joachim said. “This is one of the first TV shows that (talks) about what it was like in the tech community before the 2000s. Who knows what this could bring for many people here to come?”

Top Best Picture nominee reviews By Lucy Nemerov

M01229/CC BY 2.0

The classic Shackburger is nothing too special — however, the crinkle cut fries are crisp and delicious.

Review: Stanford Shake Shack is decent

Famous chain's first NorCal location opens in Palo Alto By Ben van Zyll

Sports Editor

s one of the latest additions to the bustling Stanford Shopping Center, Shake Shack, located on 180 El Camino Real, epitomizes modern dining and has become a Palo Alto hotspot, serving decent food and solid milkshakes. After waiting for about 30 minutes in a line stretching at least 30 yards out the door, I managed to make my way to the iPads that await customers in the front. Instead of a system with cashiers taking orders, customers add food and drinks to ‘Your Cart’ on one of many devices lined up by the door. In my case, about 15 minutes after ordering, I received a text message that my order was almost ready. This unique ordering technique quickly established itself as efficient, as I was able to make it through what I first thought would be a multi-hour line rather quickly. However, with efficiency comes a need for seating, which was where I was most let down during my trip to the establishment.Since the iPad ordering system made it possible to accommodate so many orders and the restaurant lacked much available seating, the atmosphere was hectic, and I had to wait 10 minutes with my tray in my hand before I managed to scramble to a table––which I was lucky to even get to. The iPad system was essentially ahead of the restaurant itself. Luckily, I managed to secure a table outside. If I had sat inside, I would have been surrounded by frantic people wandering around me, disrupting my meal. Then, with half my meal to go, I was asked by a customer if they could have my table when I finished, and they annoyingly waited right by my tabel until I finished eating. This is a recipe for a slightly frustrating dining experience.Because the restaurant did recently open, the busy crowds

Senior Staff Writer

will likely disappear with time, and will hopefully develop into a more enjoyable atmosphere. The food menu at Shake Shack was diverse, filled with various options for both food and drink. There were several different types of burgers, hotdogs, french fries, milkshakes, frozen custard and much more.

I struggled to find any taste beyond what a standard burger would offer. Of all the items of the menu, I narrowed down my sample meal to the standard Shack Burger ($5.29), cheese fries ($3.99), different flavored milkshakes ($5.29 each), and a mix of chocolate and vanilla frozen custard ($4.59). The Shack Burger was not bad but was nothing special. Alleged to have a unique “ShackSauce,” I struggled to find any taste beyond what a standard burger would offer. While a restaurant like In-NOut Burger has a special sauce that defines its signature burgers, Shake Shack presents an ordinary piece of meat between two somewhatsoggy buns and some condiments. The french fries, unlike the burgers, were wonderful. The crinkle cut strips were fried to perfection and had a delicious crispy texture. The salt ratio in the fries was perfect; every bite was flavorful and not a single bite felt too salty. I also decided to get the cheese fries, which has a self-explanatory name. The cheese was a great touch. Unlike many restaurants that tend to overdo the cheese aspect of cheese fries, Shake Shack had a perfectly distributed amount of smooth, melted cheddar and American cheese. For dessert, a milkshake is the best choice. The frozen custard was practically just

chocolate and or vanilla ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love both chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but when you are at a place called Shake Shack, you should probably take the hint and get a shake. Simply put, the shakes did not disappoint. I tried a chocolate malted, cookies ’n cream and strawberry shake. The chocolate malted shake was exquisite. It was just rich enough that it felt like more than just a fast food shake, but it was not too rich to the point where I felt sick to my stomach after finishing it. The cookies ‘n cream milkshake was definitely an enjoyable dessert, but was not much more than any other cookies ‘n cream milkshake from any other restaurant. I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary, as there is only so much you can do with a milkshake made of vanilla ice cream and Oreos, but it was certainly tasty.

Shake Shack epitomizes modern dining and has become a Palo Alto hotspot. By far the best shake of the three was the strawberry. I assumed it would be my least favorite, as I tend to lean towards chocolate options when it comes to desserts, but the strawberry milkshake was simply something else. It was sweet and may have been the best strawberry-based dessert I have ever had. Overall, Shake Shack struck me as a restaurant of desserts. Offering only average burgers, I would go back if I was craving something sweet, and the french fries were impressive. But the prices were high and not necessarily worth it for anything but the shakes, as fast food restaurants with lower prices tend to have just as good or better meals available.

Business Manager

ominated for the category of best picture, these four films stand out for being unique and thought-provoking. These picks tackle a range of difficult topics such as addiction, tense race relations and power struggles. The creative set production, direction style and exceptional acting all make these films stand out as potential winners. In 'A Star is Born', Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga bring a timeless love story to the big screen, putting a modern twist on the 1937 film. ‘BlacKkKlansman’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ both tackle race relations in the 70s. However they differ in approach. ‘BlacKkKlansman’ does so with the use of dark comedy and 'If Beale Street Could Talk' explores the lives of a young black couple living in Harlem in a romantic drama. Exploring a twisted love triangle, ‘The Favourite’ delves deep into the life of Queen Anne and her two competing maids. Overall, these films dive into thought-provoking stories that change the viewer's perspective on relationships and the world around them. 'A Star is Born' Since its first release in 1937, ‘A Star is Born’ has been retelling the story of a struggling rock star and his muse. In its fourth installment, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga deliver a heartbreaking story of love, loneliness and addiction. Focusing on Jack Maine, an alcoholic musician, and Ally Maine, an aspiring singer, the film depicts the journey of two characters as they become incredibly vulnerable to the audience. However, this is no perfect love story; alcoholism and the chaotic world of fame create problems for the struggling couple. Ally falls into a world of super stardom, while Jack slowly falls into a deep pit of depression, alcoholism and cocaine addiction. Despite these ongoing struggles, the beauty of their relationship feels intimate particularly during the raw, haunting renditions of songs such as ‘Shallow’ and ‘Always Remember Us this Way.’ Although predictable and cheesy at times, this film offers a raw glance into the ups and downs of a vulnerable relationship and the manipulative world of Hollywood stardom. 'BlacKkKlansman' In Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ the first African American police officer in Colorado Springs,

Ron ( John David Washington), launches an infiltration of the Klu Klux Klan, speaking to infamous Neo-Nazi David Duke over the phone and using his white colleague (Adam Driver) as an inperson spy. This movie is refreshingly different, skillfully balancing polarizing issues and dark comedy. The use of comedy to expose the idiocy of the Klan members creates a captivating viewing experience. Lee’s use of juxtaposition also adds power to the film — in one scene, Klan members are pictured laughing and enjoying themselves, while across town, black student protesters hear the story of a lynching. At a time in America where race relations are tense and heavy issues have polarized the nation BlacKkKlansman serves as a powerful call to action. 'The Favourite' 'The Favourite' brings the audience into the dramatic world of Queen Anne’s darkest secrets. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz play Queen Anne’s closest maids, engaging in close competition to gain the Queen’s trust and approval. From towering white wigs to a large collection of pet rabbits, this perspective on Queen Anne’s life takes many unexpected turns. Director Yorgos Lathimos is not afraid to bring uncomfortable moments to the screen, making the viewer hang on the edge of their seat. This movie may not be a fan favorite — although many may appreciate the film’s superb acting, set design and creativity, many aspects of the movie are unsettling. The film features scenes involving frequent sex and dark humor that could leave many viewers uncomfortable. 'If Beale Street Could Talk' From the creative minds behind “Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” brings the audience into an intimate and meaningful love story set in Harlem. Shown through the eyes of Tish Rivers, the story follows her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Alonzo Hunt, and exhibits the struggles that African Americans face through the justice system and in their everyday lives. Although set in the 1970s, this film gives audiences a glimpse into current issues of injustice in relation to both race and the justice system. Compiled with beautiful shots of downtown Harlem, vibrant ‘70s style and unique perspective on race relations, this film manages to tackle difficult issues through a lens.

The 'I’m So Unique' Look If you’re looking to be unique, the best place to shop is definitely Brandy Melville, and maybe even Urban Outfitters if you’re feeling adventurous. These stores can guarantee you won’t match anyone else in the school. By wearing clothing from these stores, you gain the ability to brag about how unique you are and how you don’t “just go with the wave.” You must also acquire a pair of Nike Air Force 1s, or, if you’re uber unique, go for those awkward clunky Filas. If you’re really feeling special, complex patterns like checkers and stripes will make you look out-ofthis-world. On lazy days, pick between either sweats or Lululemons with a hoodie, but never forget to let people know how comfortable you are. Remember, no one will notice how well you dress unless you constantly remind them of it. The 'I Know Nothing About Streetwear But Act Like I Do' Look If you’re interested in looking like a genuine, non-clout-chasing individual, this is the style for you. The easiest way to master this fuego look is to wear brands you have no clue about. The go-to brand you will always revert to is Supreme. When purchasing Supreme, avoid the tasteful items. Instead, go for horridly large and attention grabbing logos so that people will recognize you as a Supreme god. You also have to act colorblind; just wear all the brightest colors that don’t match. I guarantee that the colors and large logos will get you more attention — not necessarily good attention, but attention nevertheless. After all of this, you have to take a picture of your fit for your Instagram. Remember to hold your hand over your face and use a Drake or Travis Scott lyric as your caption to prove that you are “for the culture” and flex your drip. The only other brand you’re allowed to talk about is Off-White. Talk about how Virgil Abloh, the head designer and creator of OffWhite, is a creative genius, even if you have no idea what he’s done other than put diagonal lines and quotation marks around everything on his products. Lastly, you can’t make a rookie mistake and forget about the footwear. Either go for a pair of Adidas Ultra Boost or the McDonald’s wrapper yellow Yeezys because your parents won’t give you the money for a good colorway. The 'I’m a Thrifter' Look Thrift is life. In order to dress like this, you have to take trips to San Francisco every weekend to go to the real thrifts and carry an aura of superiority. Keep your eyes out for improperly fitted jeans, corduroy and really washed out crewnecks. If you choose this style, anytime someone brings up a mall or regular stores, you have to scoff in disgust and state how you strictly thrift. Constantly brag about how cheap your clothes are. You also have to keep the chronic thrift store smell on the clothing to emphasize how absolutely thrift you are. The Rest There’s too many different dresser to each get their own sections, so the rest of these are easier to pull off. If you view yourself as a gym rat, purchase yourself some Gymshark or some other brands that makes it obvious you grind. These brands will make you look like an absolute unit even though you’re disgustingly scrawny. This next one is more for you underclassman: just wear the basic trefoil adidas hoodie and your light washed jeans. People will notice your originality. Conclusion You’re welcome: your complete lack of fashion is now mostly fixed. You can know talk down to others because of your fashion superiority. Also, you can now walk around with unearned confidence you never should have had.

Friday, Februrary 1, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

The student military pathway Students often overlook this post-high school opportunity By Kris Risano

Staff Writer

ver since Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadet and Paly alumni Varun Dutta was little, he knew he wanted to serve his country, but it was not until after high school could he fully pursue his dream. Dutta is one of only 136,000 high school graduates that end up joining the Army each year, according to the Army Times. This is a number that the Army is looking to vastly increase, as 3.3 million students graduate high school each year. People frequently talk about going off to college, taking a gap year or studying abroad when graduating from high school. However, one option that is seldom mentioned is joining the Armed Forces. As the years go by, it is getting harder for the Army to meet its recruiting goals. One of the main reasons is that they are not able to advertise to high school students as much as they would like. This is because of frequent rule changes regarding federal funding. “The National Guard has always wanted to maintain a presence in the community, but there is not enough personnel to represent our organization as much as we would like,” Sergeant Daisy Mendoza of the National Guard said. The National Guard would ideally like to budget additional funds to advertising to teens, and have more personnel visit high schools in order to inform more students about the organization, according to Mendoza. One benefit is that the National Guard does not require students to be active soldiers — in fact, it even offers scholarships that send students through college while receiving their National Guard training as part of the ROTC.

“The National Guard has always wanted to maintain a presence in the community, but there is not enough personnel to represent our organization as much as we would like.” Daisy Mendoza

“If a Paly student wants to do ROTC, they would need to submit an application similar to a college application,” Dutta said. “After that, the National Board of Officers reviews the application and then determines who is qualified for a scholarship.” If a student who wants to join the National Guard does not receive a scholarship from the National Board of Officers, they can still join the National Guard and pursue a college education. Many colleges have ROTC programs that allow students to join and receive the same training

MENDOZA, DUTTA/USED WITH PERMISSION

Mendoza and Dutta joined the U.S. Military soon after high school. as a contracted cadet. The students who join through this process are non-contracted cadets. If a student joins as a non-contracted cadet, they will be constantly evaluated throughout the various training drills. Non-contracted cadets are always at risk of being asked to leave the program due to underperformance and not meeting the standard in the training drills. “In this case, your college’s cadre will evaluate you and make the decision whether to bring you on as a contracted cadet or to cut you from the program,” Dutta said.

“The army requires officers to have a degree. With that being said, they generally want officers to be in a field that aligns with their degree.” Varun Dutta

Students attending college while training for the Army can take courses that are not directly related to the Army. However, to qualify for certain positions in the Army, an individual should have a degree that somewhat matches their desired role. If a soldier wants to be part of the infantry, for example, no degree is necessary. “The Army requires officers to have a degree,” Dutta said. “With that being said, they generally want officers to be in a field that aligns with their degree.” While the National Guard does not require members to become active soldiers, when a disaster strikes or, in some cases, when a big war begins, members of the Army may be required to help. If none of those events occur, all that is required of Guard Soldiers is completion of a training course that simulates a national disaster, two weeks of summer training to ensure that they are prepared when disaster strikes and participation in training one weekend each month. “All you have to do is serve your community one weekend each month and let the National Guard pay your tuition — this way, you can focus on your education,” Mendoza said. Another more well-known

option that allows high school students to pursue an education as well as a career in the armed forces is attending a federal service academy, in which attendees receive undergraduate education and officer training. West Point is a service academy dedicated to training people for the Army. Education, training, housing and food are all provided by the U.S. Army if students receive four-year cadetships. To get accepted into West Point, students must have about a 3.7 GPA, around a 1400 SAT, and around a 24 on the ACT. “Service academies are 24/7 military life,” Dutta said. “You do not get summers or normal college breaks off, and classes are conducted in military fashion.” A Naval Academy application is not comparable to a college application, or the National Guard application for that matter, as it takes multiple steps to apply to the Navy. What the Navy recommends if you get denied is almost identical to what the National Guard advises. “If you do not get accepted, they encourage you to join an NROTC program,” Paly senior Walker Rosenthal said. The NROTC is the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. It is the Navy’s version of the ROTC. In this program, soldiers will prepare for situations they could face when in the Navy. For people who want to pursue a career in the armed forces and want to help defend the U.S. as soon as possible, this option would make the most sense, according to Dutta. However, before enlisting, students must meet certain requirements. There are tests that candidates must pass, and all applicants need to have a high school diploma. One of these tests, the Armed Forces Aptitude Vocational Battery Test, helps determine what field best fits the applicant. Another test examines the applicant’s physical attributes, determining what role might be right for that person. “For a student who wants to go to college, the National Guard is the best choice — they are the only military service that offers both federal and state benefits, (and) tuition is one of them,” Mendoza said. “But if not, going directly into active duty may be right for you.”

MICAELA WONG/USED WITH PERMISSION

Members of the Zero Waste Initiative Club make arts and crafts to promote environmental awareness.

Zero Waste Initiative Club aims to increase recycling awareness By Emily Asher

Staff Writer

educe, reuse, and recycle. These three words have been ingrained in peoples heads since they were children in an effort to limit the amount of waste one puts into the environment. But to what extent do people follow these terms? Recently, many environmentalists have taken it upon themselves to stray away from producing the average 4.3 pounds of garbage per day, reducing it to an 8-ounce Mason jar per year, according to National Geographic. This is a relatively new phenomenon called Zero Waste. “Zero Waste is a movement that seeks to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills to zero over time,” environmental science teacher Nicole Loomis said. “This means more composting, recycling, reusing and changing one’s lifestyle to buy products with less packaging, etc.” Paly’s Zero Waste Initiative Club has taken up the responsibility of helping to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. “Zero Waste Initiative focuses on reducing waste through sorting, educating students and staff about the environment and making Paly cleaner and more ecofriendly overall,” sophomore and co-president of Zero Waste Initiative Zander Leong said. While Paly has made great progress in reducing the amount of littering there is on campus, there is still a lot more students can do. Specifically, according to Leong, sorting our waste is an area Paly needs improvement in. “We get a lot of trash from students and staff, especially with Town and Country across the road,” Leong said. “A lot of people either don’t know how to separate out their garbage or don’t want to, and our main goal is to try to change those mindsets.” Through organized events, hosting speakers and working with other Paly environmental clubs such as the Tap Out Club and Paly’s Root Club, Zero Waste

Initiative has started to make a big difference at Paly, according to Leong. Earth Week is one of their most popular events, with daily themes, events on the quad and a week-long raffle. Along with this, the Zero Waste Initiative has taken action by installing a class set of trash, recycling and compost bins along with creating posters to help people sort their waste correctly and setting up a marker recycling system in staff offices. Practices like these are some of the ways people living a Zero Waste lifestyle reduce a large portion of their everyday waste and find the most effective and efficient ways to minimize their carbon footprint.

“Zero Waste Initiative focuses on reducing waste through sorting, educating students and making Paly cleaner and more eco-friendly overall.” Zander Leong

However, adopting and maintaining these practices is often more difficult than expected. “I believe most challenges for Zero Waste occur because, though more and more people are becoming aware of it, products that encourage the cause aren’t the most common and some are hard to get,” senior and co-president of Zero Waste Initiative Aileen Wu said. “Many around the world are trying to develop systems that will be available to the public and easy to use.” Everyday objects such as grocery bags, food packages, food scraps and styrofoam are all items that will eventually be sent to landfills, which release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. People who live a Zero Waste lifestyle find ways to help combat this problem. “People can help reduce the amount of waste they produce by simply bringing their own reus-

able cups or travel mugs to buys beverages, and not using a plastic straw when it isn’t needed,” Wu said. “For clothing, (people should) not throw away items that can be wore by someone else, (but rather) donate. Many houses in Palo Alto already compost, but I want to state it again – all food scraps go into the compost bin.” According to Lauren Singer, who lives a Zero Waste lifestyle, transferring to produce zero waste was easier than she thought. By composting and buying things in bulk, she was able to reduce around 80 percent of her waste. According to Singer, simple things like bringing one’s own reusable containers to grocery stores and buying from local vendors reduces the amount of trash and plastic a person uses daily. Replacing everyday objects with compostable or recyclable ones is yet another way people reduce waste. For example, plastic toothbrushes can easily be replaced with compostable bamboo ones, paper towels can be replaced with cotton napkins and makeup can be replaced by organic vegan makeup in reusable containers. Not only is producing less waste benefiting the environment, according to Loomis, it also benefits Palo Alto financially,. “In Palo Alto, our landfill has closed, so any landfill waste we produce has to be taken to another city’s landfill, (which) is expensive,” Loomis said. While a Zero Waste lifestyle is not for everybody, it may be the norm in the future, according to environmental science teacher Alicia Szebert. “The convenience and prevalence of single-use plastics makes it difficult to live completely waste-free, and the use of these items is so normalized in our society that alternatives are not yet as widely available,” Szebert said. “As material extraction becomes more expensive and our resources become more depleted, I believe that a zero waste system will no longer be an option but a required way of life.”

Students share experiences applying to international schools

Universities in England, Canada are beginning to appear as an option on more students’ college lists, offer a number of benefits By Hyunah Roh

Staff Writer

hen senior Maraleis Sinton was asked what her dream schools were, universities from London, Scotland, Dublin, and Quebec all came into her mind, eager to major in either politics or international relations. According to the website of ACS International School, opportunities to try new things and live in a different country are offered by attending an international school. International schools are communities with a diverse enrollment of many nationalities and celebration of different cultures. According to senior Natalie Churchley, who is interested in attending a school in the U.K., international schools are much more specialized. Instead of taking a range of requirements for general education, like most American schools require, students are able to focus more on a specific major. Students who plan to attend international school apply with a declared major. This allows students to focus more on specific topic and bolster their knowledge about a specific field. However, there are limits to which interna-

tional schools students can apply to, since each one has its own set of specific Advanced Placement and other requirements, depending on the major, in order to be eligible to apply.

“Some students just want to study what they want to study.” Sandra Cernobori

Many international schools require students to write a personal statement sharing their personality and suitability for the chosen degree program, including the extra curriculums that provides preparation for the specific major. However, from a perspective of a student like Churchley, who has a variety of interests, a downside to this system is that she isn’t given much opportunity to dabble in these interests, since she will start right away with her major. The decision to attend an international school is a big one, and there are many things to consider. College Counselor Sandra Cernobori said students should consider the academic and the social aspects to each international school before applying. Most international schools

consist of more lectures and less collaborative and group work than their conventional counterparts according to Cernobori. She also mentioned that international schools tend to treat students independently, as they assume students are managing everything on their own. The social match between the school and the students depend on how good they are at making decisions and how much they are willing to get themselves involved in a new community. Cernobori said around 14 percent of the senior class of 2018 applied to international schools, but only 1.5 to 3 percent actually decided to attend them. The collection of The Campanile’s PostPaly Plans map from the past four years show seniors who are interested in studying abroad typically send applications to schools in the U.K. and Canada. Often, the reason students attend international school involves having personal connections to that country. Churchley, for example, has family in England and is also familiar with that environment from previous vacations. “The process involve(d) a lot of research on my own, especially because I don’t have a college counselor, but I found the

overseas applications to be more straightforward and less labor intensive than American apps,” Churchley said. Most international school applications emphasize numbers from test scores, grades and the specific classes that particular student took, potentially because they can’t monitor the class curriculum that the American system follows as closely. In addition to SAT and ACT scores, AP scores are highly encouraged. “I don’t know if the process is easier or harder, (but) I think it’s different,” Cernobori said. Sinton said the vocabulary and word phrasing on the UCAS (an application program for U.K. schools) was a little difficult to navigate, but learning the process was the starting point of her international avenue. Throughout the process, students and parents will realize that the application fee is much cheaper than U.S. schools. While a U.S. school application fee costs around $70 to $80 per school, it only costs 25 pounds to apply to five British schools, which is equivalent to about $33, according to Churchley. The decision to study abroad is not just about the student, however. For parents, having their

child far away from home, where students have to moderate their own behavior and study in a foreign environment, can be stressful. Many would expect convincing one’s parents to allow them to study abroad to be a big obstacle, but Tim Roake, a father of a student currently attending Waseda University in Tokyo, said he was open to the option because of his son’s reasons behind the decision to go to school abroad.

“It seemed very interesting in terms of academic challenged and showed a healthy willingness to try something different from most people” Tim Roake

“It seemed very interesting in terms of academic challenge(s), and showed a healthy willingness to try something different from most people,” Roake said. One major disadvantage international students have is the lack of connections that would assist them in finding a good job if they intended to join the workforce in

America following their college years. Also, since the school terms and breaks do not align with U.S. breaks, getting internships back home can also prove to be a challenge according to Roake. “I’m worried it might be more difficult to come back to the U.S. afterward if I receive an international degree,” Churchley said. Considering the pros, studying at an international school is the perfect opportunity to travel and experience cultures completely different from the U.S. Many international schools offer a lot of social events at local clubs, guest speakers and opportunities to engage with fellow peers to create a welcoming environment for all the students, international or not. “I look forward to meeting new people, especially when they’re from several different countries,” Sinton said. Sinton said she is especially excited to take on this big decision since she’s been interested in traveling and going abroad ever since she was a child. As her high school career is coming to an end, what she hopes will be a new chapter of her life is about to begin as her passion creates an international avenue, full of valuable and life-changing experiences.

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

From Immigratio

Chinese community increases involveme

s debates over weighted grades, middle school renaming and a cluster of other concerns rippled through the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in recent years, an increasingly influential group — Chinese parents — coalesced outside the spotlight. Palo Altans with roots in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore have turned to a private, primarily Mandarinlanguage online messaging space on WeChat, a popular multipurpose Chinese app. There, for the past six years, hundreds of parents have hashed out — and formed opinions on — a range of District topics, from Gunn High School’s zero period to weighted GPAs to renaming Jordan Middle School. Most recently, support was gathered last fall for PAUSD board candidate Kathy Jordan. This modern technology has lent a new dimension to the age-old challenge of assimilation. Palo Alto has long been a melting pot, and proud of it. Immigrants from all parts of the world have settled here, enriching the community with their ideas, perspectives and involvement and enrolling their children in public schools. Like all other immigrants throughout American history, newcomers to Palo Alto try to find a balance between participating in the community and keeping their home countries’ cultures and customs alive. More and more, the balance is shifting toward involvement. Chinese parents increasingly have been reaching out to the Palo Alto community by joining District forums and hosting their own inclusive events. Their children also are becoming evermore integrated into mainstream American practices, f ol low-

ing in the footsteps of other second-generation Americans. According to Monica Arima, an active WeChat user who immigrated from Hong Kong more than 40 years ago, the transition to a more assimilated community will require the eﬀorts from both the Chinese and non-Chinese residents. “The challenge that we face,” Arima said, “is how we’re going to give ourselves the opportunity to understand others more and have others understand us more.” At the same time, the Chinese community’s growth is slowing. Fewer immigrants are moving to Palo Alto. Buses of potential Chinese home buyers no longer tour Palo Alto’s neighborhoods, a result of tighter U.S. immigration, a Chinese crackdown on exporting funds and a general real estate slowdown.

BACKGROUND The first wave of Chinese immigrants to California arrived in the mid-1800s and were mainly males who worked in railroad construction, agriculture, mining and other types of manual labor; many faced discrimination while they helped build the state. But the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and other restrictions on non-European migrants nearly eliminated Chinese immigration altogether until the 1960s. With policy changes in the 1960s and 1970s and stronger U.S.China relations, Chinese immigration boomed again. By 2016, Chinese immigrants represented the second largest foreign-born group in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. Palo Alto, with its top public education, nearly perfect weather and proximity to Stanford University and the tech influence of Silicon Valley, was a popular destination for Taiwanese and later mainland Chinese immi-

grants, many of whom landed in the area for graduate school or for jobs in high tech using employer-sponsored visas. In 1990, five percent of Palo Alto’s population had Chinese ethnicity, according to the U.S. Census. By 2010, the city’s Asian population had grown to 27 percent, and although the Census no longer specifies ethnicity, Chinese is the second-most spoken language in the city today. PAUSD also does not break down enrollment by ethnicity, but Asian students make up 37 percent of District enrollment and 34 percent of Palo Alto High School’s student body, according to PAUSD. Save for a contentious debate in 2007 over instituting Mandarin immersion in PAUSD, it wasn’t until earlier this decade that the impact of the steady Chinese immigration made headlines in Palo Alto. That’s when mainland Chinese home buyers came to the Bay Area. About five years ago, according to published reports, Chinese nationals accounted for 15 percent of home purchases in the city, many of them with all-cash offers. During the real estate rush around 2012-2016, “There could be six offers on a home in Palo Alto with four cash offers by Chinese buyers,” said Kim Heng, who co-founded the Heng-Seroff Group at Keller Williams Realty after leaving DeLeon Realty. A realtor for almost 15 years, Heng had led DeLeon’s outreach to Asians, including its infamous tour bus for prospective Chinese buyers; the buses were DeLeon’s most popular form of Bay Area real estate advertisement. The limo bus would drive through Palo Alto neighborhoods and highlight the “highquality education, clean air, prestigious universities, direct-flight access, abundant venture capital and

entrepreneur-friendly environment,” Heng wrote in a research document sent to The Campanile. The inflated prices brought about by the generous all-cash oﬀers “created some resentment, because local people compete with cash buyers from China,” Heng said. “People have saved hardearned money and still find themselves losing in the bidding war.”

WECHAT When first arriving, new immigrants blanketed longtime residents with a slew of unorganized emails requesting advice and assistance. Among the recipients was Debra Cen, who had migrated from mainland China in 1987. Recognizing the ineﬃciency of this decentralized hodgepodge, Cen decided roughly six years ago to use the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat to create a more streamlined form of communication, specifically for the Chinese community in Palo Alto. “We use it as a kind of community bulletin board,” Cen said. “We share information, and everyone found it really useful and convenient.” What began as a 100-person chat grew and grew until it reached the app’s maximum of 500 participants. Beyond the initial forum are separate chat groups on specific topics — there are groups for different classifications, such as each school in PAUSD and high school graduation years. Today, these WeChat groups are the cen-

tral hubs for all inquiries and announcements in the Chinese community, from tutor recommendations to advice for after-school care, with much of their appeal coming from the use of Mandarin rather than English in the casual online conversations. “It brings a lot of practical use to many Chinese parents because they feel like they have a community to help guide them — and it’s free,” Cen said. “We’ve become very organized because we can instantly reach 1,000 to 2,000 people within minutes.” Around the same time WeChat arrived as the private focal point for sharing news and input in Palo Alto’s Chinese community, Cen also cofounded the Palo Alto Chinese Parents’ Club (PACPC), a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening connections among the Chinese community. What was at first simply another WeChat group quickly became a system where two parent representatives from each school would be part of a chat, allowing news to spread even faster. These groups also provide a significant resource for newer immigrants in the area who need assistance settling in. Qiping Cai, whose son is a junior at Gunn, immigrated from China five years ago and noted the support he and his family received from WeChat groups. “When we first came to this place, to assimilate as fast as possible, we needed to learn how people’s lifestyle are like at this new location, and we needed to learn it from community members who have lived here for a longer time,” Cai said through a translator. “A lot of members from the Chinese community gave us some tips.” All this organi-

zation paid oﬀ beyond finding plumbers and tutors, evolving into a significant, though low-profile, force within the PAUSD community. In recent years, the influence of the Chinese community has become more noticeable, as WeChat groups oﬀer a convenient place for discussion and debate over various District issues. “We had discussions about weighted GPAs and the PAUSD School Board in the Paly parent WeChat group,” Paly parent Hanping Hou said through a translator. As a result, Chinese parents have gradually become more vocal, and the 2018 PAUSD board elections was something of a turning point. “Various campaign support groups were formed on WeChat,” PACPC member and WeChat user Catherine Xu said. “Active debates and fact findings took place in those groups, and people were mobilized to support their desired candidates. As a result, the candidates with strong Chinese community support got strong financial backing and wide public attention.” Candidate Jordan, who ultimately lost the race, received significant support from the Chinese community; the majority of Jordan’s endorsers listed on her website had Chinese surnames. “I believe our campaign message resonated with the Chinese community, as well as with other community members, because we stood for academic excellence for students of all levels, complying with the law, and for providing needed oversight and accountability for the school district, to make sure that our students would come first,” Jordan said in an email.

Text, Des Text & Design by Additional Reportin

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

SPOTLIGHT

on to Assimilation

ent in the Palo Alto Unified School District According to Xu, these online groups have begun to evolve from simply a means to oﬀer advice and information for parents to a platform to advocate and spread awareness for certain issues; the groups link the Chinese community to school board members and other community leaders. Xu said, “I believe more local advocacy groups or political candidates will try to reach the Chinese community via WeChat in the future, and this will further expand the Chinese community’s impact to the local community.”

CHINESE ASSIMILATION Some Chinese community members say they are aware they have been viewed as a bloc and as “separate” from the rest of Palo Alto. According to Arima, an active PACPC member, it might prove beneficial for both parties to close the gap that she said is largely caused by the Chinese culture’s tendency to be more reserved. “(WeChat users are) not really connected to the outside world,” Arima said. “They’re more like an inside bubble, within themselves, and there are the good things and there are the bad things. The good thing is that they’re very happy, very comfortable, because it’s like home. The bad thing is, I think that as a (Chinese) community member … we should reach out more so they can learn more about how other cultures are.” The eﬀects of a disconnect between cultures can be observed through the misun-

derstandings that often occur in minor interactions, but also in more widely debated issues such as changing Jordan Middle School’s name. When a committee suggested Yamamoto Middle School as a possible name, this sparked protest among Chinese residents because of the historical sensitivity of the name Yamamoto. According to a petition created by several Chinese residents, although the renaming was proposed to honor Fred Yamamoto, a World War II veteran from Palo Alto, there was strong opposition due to its resemblance to the surname of Isoroku Yamamoto, a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Navy who was responsible for wartime tragedies in China. “There was a lot of inappropriate behavior,” Cen said. “Some even labeled Chinese people as racist against Japanese.” Cen said some in the Chinese community wanted to make amends and were active in donating money for setting up a memorial for Fred Yamamoto. The root of many misunderstandings can be traced to discrepancies between Chinese and American values. “The main diﬀerence (between Chinese and American cultures) is that Chinese culture is more individual — you work hard and achieve,” Cen said. “While (in) American culture you also have to work hard, another component is … teamwork.” According to Arima, the Chinese are making eﬀorts to bring the two communities closer. Five years ago, Arima created the annual Palo Alto Emergency Awareness Fair, which is now the Palo

Alto Emergency Awareness & Crime Prevention Seminar. Though the seminar was aimed at the Chinese community, several non-Chinese residents also participated. About two years ago, the first annual Chinese New Year Fair, although predominantly attended by Asians, welcomed other residents to learn about Chinese culture. “It’s celebration for our own culture, but we welcomed anyone who wants to come,” Amira said. “So I thought that was a good way … to involve everyone together.” The PACPC invited nonChinese, including city council members, to volunteer at the Chinese New Year Fair and make dumplings. The PACPC has continued to add more events, including potlucks and seminars both for exclusively Chinese parents and the community as a whole. “When I get to a new place, as a minority, we will bring the best of our culture here,” Cai said. “I think we should be not only a consumer, but also a contributor in this community.”

of 2012-2016, this length has be making some Chinese more become almost 15 years long, increased to about 30 days. hesitant to come to America. discouraging more Chinese “We definitely see a trend “Tensions from the current families from applying. Addiin terms of … less overseas trade war have impacted a lot tionally, the EB-5 is undergomainland China buyers com- of Chinese activity in Silicon ing scrutiny by the U.S. goving here to purchase proper- Valley, and China’s own capital ernment for misuse. ties,” said Alex Wang, a realtor controls in 2017 have also had “Last time I sold a home with Sereno Group. a major impact on Chinese due to an EB-5 visa was a year According to Heng, the people moving money abroad,’’ and half ago,” Heng said. majority of recent Chinese said Matt Sheehan, a former Although the first-generbuyers are ation buyclients alers have ready in the decreased, “The challenge that we face is how we’re area who Heng said want to inshe now fogoing to give ourselves the opportunity to vest in a seccuses on sellond home or ing to the understand others more and have others those who children of understand us more.”’ have amassed her original savings outbuyers — side of Chi30-year-olds na, includwho are ing in Hong “productive” Kong and members of the United States. editor for The Campanile and the community. This shift reflects current researcher of Chinese real esHeng’s experience with national policies on both sides tate investment trends. newer buyers is emblematic of the Pacific. Nationwide, One of the pathways used of the larger evolution of the Chinese direct investment into by Chinese to invest in Ameri- Chinese community in Palo America fell by 83 percent can real estate and business was Alto and beyond. It’s not just from 2017-2018, according to the EB-5 visa, which enables that “resentment has faded,” the international law firm Bak- immigrants to receive a green Heng said, as immigrant buyer McKenzie — the result of card for American perma- ers dwindle. It’s also that ChiChinese government restric- nent residency if they invest nese parents are using WeChat tions on moving money out of $500,000 to $1 million in proj- and other support groups first the country, higher American ects that create at least 10 jobs. as a tool to become informed real estate prices and growing The EB-5 was a particularly and then also to reach out into uncertainty about American popular avenue for Chinese the broader community. immigration policies. families arriving in Palo Alto. Members of the PACPC “A lot of my friends want to The United States issues have become more involved immigrate to other countries, 10,000 of these visas per year. with PAUSD and other The evolution of the Palo but in the past two to three China became the only coun- boards and commissions, Alto Chinese community ap- years, it’s difficult … a lot of try where the number of ap- such as Leadership Palo Alto. pears to be at an inflection people want to immigrate but plicants significantly surpassed They have also become more point, not just because of ef- they can’t move money from America’s annual quota and engaged in city projects, inforts to fit in, but also because China,” Cai said. accounted for the vast majority cluding raising funds for the fewer newcomers are arriving. President Donald Trump’s of EB-5’s issued. As China be- planned Palo Alto History “The market frenzy is tighter immigration policies comes wealthier, more people Museum so one of the rooms somewhat over,” real estate and increasingly tense U.S.- can afford the visa. The waitlist will recognize the Chinese broker Heng said. Chinese relations could also in China for the EB-5 visa has community’s influence. The six-offers-with-fourThe increased level of activcash-offers scenario has diity in the community reflects minished to a scant three ofthe hope among some Chifers on a home, with one cash nese immigrants that they not offer, Heng said. Furthermore, be viewed by others as a bloc while a house might have been but as contributors to the enon the market for six to tire community, something seven days during the that had been made more difboom years ficult as more Chinese settled in Palo Alto, according to Xu. Arima applauds the shift from separation to assimilation. “Gradually you become part of the community,’’ she said, “and that’s why participating in the mainstream community is so important — other people can see your face, other people can see your involvement and other people can see your member Lu Tian said. ome members of the Chicontribution.” Another overlooked aspect of nese community in Palo

MONICA ARIMA

INFLECTION POINT

sign & Art by Jaures Yip y Alyssa Leong & Sophia Moore ng and Translation by Byron Zhang

Alto are concerned about being misunderstood. They also worry that they may be viewed as a bloc and that the diversity within their own community isn’t recognized by others. “I think there are a lot of misconceptions from small things — for example, our culture is to be modest, and you don’t look at the people directly,” PACPC cofounder and community member Debra Cen said. “In American culture, you always make eye contact when people are talking to be polite ... so people might wonder why is someone behaving like that.” Often times, barriers such as these can cause even short interactions to be misinterpreted as rude or awkward, as people are unfamiliar with what is considered normal in different cultures. “In my opinion, I think that the Chinese first generation, the immigrants from the mainland especially, ... do not have the necessary sensitivity to the multicultural environment in the United States because here, to some degree, is a country of immigrants,” Chinese parent and community

the community is that it’s hardly as homogenous as some people might assume. “You have first generation, second generation, third generation. You have mixed marriages. You have Chinese from Cambodia, Chinese from Vietnam, Chinese Taiwan ... everywhere including born in the USA,” WeChat user and parent Monica Arima said. “The Chinese are composed of so many different backgrounds, so you cannot label them all under the same thing.” According to Arima, the diversity within the Chinese community mirrors the diversity within Palo Alto itself. “Within the Palo Alto community there are different sides, same as in the Chinese one,” Amira said. “They can think very different from me, and I can think very different from them.” This is especially apparent between first and second generations of immigrants. The second generation, according to several parents, is more integrated into American culture, although often still speaking Chinese or retaining some customs.

37.13%

Percentage of Asian students in PAUSD Source: PAUSD

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Peer Tutoring Center offers more than help with schoolwork

Along with providing a space to help with studying, learning, the Peer Tutoring Center also fosters a tight-knit community By Neil Kapoor

News & Opinion Editor

s the end-of-the-day school bell rings, a growing murmur and shuffling of notebooks accompanies the packing-up routine for most Paly students waiting to return home after a tiring school day. But for sophomore Ethan Hwang, that school bell signifies the start of another period of teaching and learning — tired or not. Hwang is one of many tutors and tutees in Paly’s Peer Tutoring Center (PTC). Nestled in the corner of the 400 building, the PTC sits as a welcoming place for all students to receive tutoring help, collaborate with other students, study quietly and borrow books. “It’s really great that I can help someone out in a class where they’re struggling, and I can also receive help for a class I’m struggling in at the same time,” Hwang said.

“I tutor because it’s a great way for myself to learn subjects while also helping out others who may need help.” Ashley Guo

Open every day during lunch, tutorial or after school, the classroom is modestly decorated, adorned with a couple of tables and chairs and enveloped by whiteboards. Yet, its unassuming ambiance belies the utility and friendship that it fosters on a weekly basis for countless Paly students. According to Maria Lim, the PTC Coordinator, the PTC started 15 to 20 years ago as the Academic Resource Center (ARC), serving as a testing center and a

place for peer tutoring. About six years ago, the new Testing Center was created and the ARC was only used for peer tutoring. “Last year, I decided to rename the ARC to the Peer Tutoring Center to more accurately represent what occurs here,” Lim said. “Not only does the tutoring help students who may be struggling, but it also provides good experience for the tutors. Tutors learn how to explain ideas in a way that others can understand and tutoring helps reinforce concepts for the tutor.” However, as Paly courses remain rigorous and challenge students, the number of tutoring sessions has significantly increased since last year, with over 135 sessions scheduled each week. For sophomore Will Ballentine, the PTC has been an effective method to complement his studying. “Tutoring has been a really big help for me since I started struggling in science,” Ballentine said. “I (receive tutoring) every tutorial, and I get help with the previous day’s lesson. My test scores have improved dramatically. It also showed me that there are many people available at the tutoring center to give me help when I need it.” But for a number of students, the PTC is more than a place to learn new concepts and material so they can improve their test scores. Initially looking to earn extra credit for his math class, Hwang found his time tutoring other students and receiving tutoring in the PTC to be a new avenue to get involved with the Paly community. “We’ve all been there — struggling for a class or trying to cram for a final,” Hwang said. “I think (the PTC) fosters a really great sense of community that we help each other out when school gets tough, and no one feels like they

SHIVA MOHSENIAN/THE CAMPANILE

Ethan Hwang helps a student with his math work in the Peer Tutoring Center in the 400 building. Hwang began tutoring students this year. have to do it alone. We all have our own unique strengths and weaknesses.” For example, Hwang tutors a student who recently moved to Palo Alto in the middle of the school year from Dubai. “Having to deal with the switch in curriculum is really tough,” Hwang said. “It makes me really happy to see that I’m able to (make) a difference in someone else’s experience at Paly and make their transition easier — given the other challenges that they face moving from a different country.” Junior Ashley Guo agrees with Hwang and said tutoring in the PTC serves more than an academic purpose. “I tutor because it’s a great way for myself to learn subjects while also helping out others who

may need help in class and with homework,” Guo said. “I feel like the PTC creates a space where students can genuinely sit down and help each other out with no judgment or competition.”

“Not only does the tutoring help students who may be struggling, but it also provides good experience for the tutors.” Maria Lim

According to Veronique Rasky, one of the PTC coordinators, as the PTC has grown in popularity

and importance for Paly students, the coordinators have made an extra effort to maintain the quality of the program and its role as a welcoming space for students. “I really feel it’s a special place because, at least personally, I try to make everybody feel welcome here,” Rasky said. “I really feel (the PTC is) an alternative place for students to meet, especially after hours, after all day long. We really strive to make it friendly for students. We are hoping that it is a place where (students) can feel connected. That is really my philosophy.” Although the core purpose of the PTC is to provide a place where students can receive free help from other students who have already proven mastery in an academic subject, Rasky said the

PTC plays an important role in reminding us why we are here in the first place.

“I think (the PTC) fosters a really great sense of community.” Ethan Hwang

Rasky said, “I’ve had continuous positive feedback from some students. I hope they learn that people can help each other, that we’re all in this together and it’s not all about competition. Values like these and the support … (mean) students definitely have an opportunity here to get a different angle on life than what they get elsewhere.”

504 plans, IEPs help students Romance blooms on social media

Specialized programs allow teens to succeed academically Snapchat, Instagram work as platforms for low-stakes flirting By Sarah O’Riordan

Staff Writer

n the ever-changing and often times stressful academic climate of Palo Alto, many students, just like junior Ella Henry, find themselves seeking accommodations and different learning styles than what Paly traditionally offers. “I’ve been struggling with pretty severe anxiety my whole life,” Henry said. “With some teachers at school, I had tried to explain it myself — I’d be really worked up and stressed about other classes, personal anxieties and the likes, and I often found myself unable to muster enough confidence to present or even be involved in discussions in class.” According to Paly guidance counselor Susan Shultz, in public schooling, there are two main ways to get legally-enforceable academic accommodations, either through a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP). A 504 plan is a roadmap for how a student will have access to learning while dealing with certain issues that can make learning harder, while an IEP is a plan for a student’s whole special education experience at school. Both of these plans come at no cost to the student’s family. A 504 plan generally includes the specific accommodations and support for the student and the name of the person responsible for ensuring the plan is implemented. 504s are applicable to any students with a disability that interferes with the student’s learning in a general education classroom. This includes many learning or attention deficits, extreme anxiety or depression, and many other conditions which may alter how a student is able to absorb information, according to Schultz. “I would just feel so nervous and embarrassed to go up to my teachers or say something if I wasn’t feeling or doing well,” Henry said. “I thought my problems weren’t valid enough or important enough to be able to ask my teachers for help.” If a student is eligible for a 504, a team of people who are familiar with the student, the evaluation data and service options (such as teachers, guidance counselors and parents) will help the student to create a 504 plan that includes specific accommodations needed and names of the individuals who will help the student. According to Henry, getting a

504 felt like a way for her to ease the stress and pressure that her anxiety causes without feeling undeserving of asking for help. “The 504 is a big deal to me, and in the preliminary meeting, it was nice to know that most of my teachers wanted to know what was going on with me and how they could help me move forward,” Henry said. According to her, acquiring a 504 has been extremely helpful regarding both her performance and confidence in school. “The plan really helps a lot,” Henry said, “I felt like when I got it that I finally had a legitimate reason for needing extra help, and that it backed up what I’ve been going through —it makes me feel like I’m not overdramatizing or asking for the easy way out.” In addition to just the plan itself, the people who enforce it and endorse it are often a huge source of support for the student. “My parents are and have been very supportive,” Henry said. “ Going in, they both reassured me that there was no need to be embarrassed — that this was something that my teachers should and would support me with, and that I had a legitimate problem to ask for help with. ” Though the overall result of getting a 504 makes life easier, the process of getting one isn’t always as straightforward. “Though my parents came to the eligibility meeting, I was definitely pushed out of my comfort zone, being in front of all my teachers talking about my personal struggles,” Henry said. Despite her momentary discomfort, Henry is glad to have stuck it out through the parentteacher meeting. “I think in the end, it was good to be able to show them who I really am and show them that I really do get overly nervous,” Henry said, “Now, I feel that they see how my anxiety really does affect me in class while testing, and that being in a classroom full of people can be really nerve racking for me, especially if it’s a performance or presentation.” In comparison to the alternate option, 504’s have a much broader range of what is accepted as a disability and what accommodations should be allowed than an IEP. According to Schultz, for a student to obtain an IEP, they must not only have one of the 13 disabilities listed by IDEA (an act first passed in 1975 under the name The Education for All

Handicapped Children Act), but must be able to prove how this disability affects their basic learning abilities and prompts a need for an individualized special education plan. According to an article on Understood.org, students with disorders like ADHD who are not struggling at all in school may not be covered by IDEA. If a student has completed IDEA’s comprehensive evaluation, which details not only if the student has a disability, but also which disability it is and what services should be provided to accommodate the student, the student’s school holds an eligibility meeting to determine whether or not accommodations should be given to the stude. If the student is eligible, they will then work with a team comprised of the student’s parents, at least one of the student’s general education teachers, at least one special education teacher, a school psychologist or other professional to interpret evaluation results and a district representative with authority over special education services to create their IEP. Colin Giffen, a junior with an IEP for dyslexia, attests to the value of the program and its results. “Having an IEP definitely has improved my progress in school,” Giffen said. “I can get the extra help I need with problem areas like reading along with other school work, which has helped me improve educationally and with my own confidence in school.” Though having such intense adult involvement in his life can seem overwhelming, Giffen said the people working with him aren’t there to babysit him — they’re there to help him advance in whatever area you need. “I think it’s very helpful to work with the adults on my team,” Giffen said. “They are all very patient and genuinely nice, and I know that they really want me to continue to make progress.” Though IEPs can be an instrumental part of student’s success in schools, there can also be a pernicious stereotype surrounding the program. “I have seen that people who don’t have IEPs sometimes think that the kids who do have them are stupid or can’t do things by themselves,” Giffen said. “I personally don’t worry what other people think about it though, because I know it’s a legitimate program that helps people with tons of different disabilities.”

By Vivian Feng

Multimedia Editor

n an age when an accidental Snapchat can lead to a streak and Instagram DMs can lead to the start of a relationship, flirting can come at any time of day and in many forms of social media. Valentine’s Day is coming up and while red roses and boxes of chocolates are still in high demand, 21st century high schoolers have more subtle ways of confessing to their crushes. The Campanile publicized a survey to high schoolers through social media and word of mouth, and received the response of 124 high school students through Google Forms, 92.7 percent of whom attend Paly. Of the survey participants, 95 percent of students have either contacted or been contacted by their crush through social media and 90 percent said it is easier to approach crushes through social media. “I think it’s easier to talk to new people through social media,” said senior Zach Weitzman, who uses Snapchat, Instagram and iMessage. “A lot of face-to-face interactions can be scary sometimes … On social media, it’s a lot more acceptable to reach out to someone you don’t know that well.” Junior Joey Passarello also said communicating through social media is less of a hassle. “Ghosting,” a term that stems from the Snapchat ghost logo, is a tactic that Passarello has heard of his peers using to reduce the difficulty of ending digital relationships: where one just stops responding to Snapchats or messages. Of the survey participants, 85 percent said they had been contacted or contacted their crush through Snapchat, making Snapchat the most popular form of contact.

Of (The Campanile’s) survey participants, 95 percent of students have either contacted or been contacted by their crush through social media. “If someone posts a photo (on Instagram), you could comment a compliment on it,” Weitzman

said. “Or, you could send them a Snapchat and say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’ There (are) always filters for that. That might’ve give them a clue that you’re into them.”

“There’s less interaction (when texting) and it creates this barrier between people.” Zach Weitzman

According to senior Anna Thie, filters are one of several excuses students can use to contact their crushes through Snapchat. “People will do something more subtle, such as, when it’s their (crush’s) birthday, Snapchatting (their crush) ‘happy birthday,’ and a lot of the times it’ll continue into a conversation,” Thie said. As opposed to other social media platforms, Snapchat can also be a more convenient method of staying connected. Snapchat users can send pictures to stay in contact with their friends, which is not as hard as maintaining a text conversation. “If you’re in a relationship with somebody, Snapchat is easier than constantly needing to find something to talk about,” Weitzman said. “You’re still showing you’re interested without trying to think of something to say.”

“It used to be that you buy flowers and chocolates and Valentine’s gifts (for) your valentine, but now I think a lot of people text someone ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’” Joey Passarello

According to the survey, the second most popular form of communication is Instagram Direct Message (DM)—50 percent of survey participants have contacted or been contacted by their crush through DM. Instagram released its direct message feature in 2014 hoping to include a more intimate method of communication for their users. Unlike other social media platform, DMs include the ability to delete sent messages, even after they have been read,

which can reduce embarrassment if someone doesn’t respond. “(Instagram DM) is easy to delete,” Thie said. “It’s harder to walk away from an in-person conversation.” Yet according to Weitzman, there is the dangerous possibility of becoming dependant on social media relationships. “I think that instead of meeting up and hanging out with the person you like, you’ll just text them, constantly,” Weitzman said. “There’s less interaction, and it creates this barrier between people. They’re very comfortable talking to them on the phone, but when you get to school it’s kind of like, ‘Oh hey, I don’t really know you.’”

“On social media, it’s a lot more acceptable to reach out to someone you don’t know that well.” Zach Weitzman Even for Valentine’s Day, the holiday dedicated to love, affection is not received the same way through text as it is in-person, even though digital interactions are much more common among high schoolers, according to Weitzman. “It used to be that you buy flowers and chocolates and Valentine’s gifts and you give those to your valentine, but now I think a lot of people will more often text someone ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ or send some digital form of it instead of getting the real gifts, which I find kind of sad, because it’s the real gifts and real interactions that are a lot better,” Weitzman said. Eighty-eight percent of survey participants reported feeling interactions through social media are not as genuine as those that occur in-person. According to Thie, the vulnerability of inperson interactions helps establish a connection deeper than a Snapchat streak. At the end of the day, rejection, even in-person, is not half bad if you look at it through an optimistic lens, according to Passarello. “I would say just go for it,” Passarello said. “Talk to your person, get to know them and maybe if they’re not actually your lover, that’s just another good friend you’ll have.”

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

Debunking common misconceptions about flu shots

In the midst of flu season, community members discuss specifics about getting a shot By Maya Rathore

Staff Writer

s California and the rest of the United States trudge through the flu season, more cases of death and complications from the influenza virus are popping up on the news. Every year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) pleads for the public to get their flu shots starting as early as September to prep for the upcoming flu season. Every flu season, like clockwork, the general public usually does not listen. In the past 12 months, according to the CDC, only 33.4 percent of adults aged 18-49 received their flu vaccine. Despite the annual warning from the CDC and grisly predictions from flu scientists, it seems most people just don’t get their flu shots. Last year, the 2017-2018 flu caused 80,000 deaths according to the CDC. The same organization also said, during this same season, only 43.3 percent of adults received a flu vaccine. The flu can range from a mild inconvenience to a pandemic that can decimate entire countries and generations. And still, the majority of people choose not to get flu vaccinations. At Paly, many people say they don’t get the flu vaccine because they’re either lazy or they underestimate the virus. However, if people could separate fact from myth regarding common misconceptions about the flu shot, maybe the number of vaccinations would rise. What is the flu? “I feel like everyone has had some bad experience with the flu. The symptoms are really bad,” junior Rachael Richmond said. “You can’t get comfortable and you feel nauseous constantly.” The “flu”, or influenza, is a respiratory viral infection that infects the nose, throat and lungs. It’s categorized as a mild to severe illness by the CDC, but in some rare cases it can kill. Every year, the U.S. experiences a flu season, which lasts from October to as late as May, where influenza incidences rise

dramatically. Flu symptoms are similar to the common cold: cough, sore throat, runny nose, but with more headaches, chills and fatigue. How is it spread? Influenza is spread like any respiratory virus: through droplets that infected people release while sneezing, coughing, or even talking. These infected droplets get into another person’s throat or lungs, and that person becomes infected too. “Flu viruses spread very quickly and easily — through the air in air droplets, especially with coughs and sneezing, through skin contact and surfaces such as doorknobs,” school nurse Jennifer Kleckner said. “We can start spreading them up to 24 hours before we know we are coming down with the flu.” How do flu shots work? Reluctance to get a flu shot is partly due to a common fundamental misunderstanding of vaccines. Vaccines work by exposing the body to a tiny weakened bit of the disease you’re trying to fight off. It’s enough of the disease to cause your immune system to generate immunity to it, but not enough to actually infect it. This is also why immunocompromised people are sometimes advised not to get vaccines because their immune system isn’t strong enough to fight off the imitation infection. The flu vaccine works like every other vaccine, except every year before flu season, flu scientists predict what strains of flu will be prevalent that year. Depending on what they find, the CDC recommends the general public get immunized against those predicted strains with a traditional trivalent flu shot, or three-strain flu shot. This three-strain shot consists of two influenza A viruses, H1N1 and H3N2, and an influenza B virus. With that in mind, here are some of the most common excuses on Paly campus for not getting your flu shot, debunked. Misconception #1 I’m a healthy young adult. If I’m not really young or really old,

I don’t need the flu vaccine. This is a common misconception, especially for young adults who tend to think they have iron-clad immune systems that can handle anything that gets thrown at them. Most providers encourage everybody who’s not an infant to get the flu shot, and it’s because the flu, unlike the common cold, has the ability to spread like fire through people and can easily complicate underlying disewases. “The flu can lead to hospitalization when symptoms become more severe and are complicated by a person's other underlying health conditions such as asthma, heart disease, pregnancy or other metabolic disorders,” Kleckner said. Even if you think you can hack out the illness yourself, that doesn’t mean you can’t still spread the virus. If one gets sick, they might spread it to people who are medically vulnerable, like the elderly or very young children. “By getting the flu shot, you are helping to protect both yourself and those around you such as your grandmother, a young child or infant, or someone who has other chronic health conditions that would be complicated by getting the flu,” Kleckner said. Misconception #2 The flu is just a bad cold. I can handle it. I should tough it out and go to school. Despite sharing similar symptoms, the flu is not just a bad cold: it is a different animal. The flu can be especially dangerous when it complicates an underlying disease, such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or sickle cell disease. According to the CDC, the most common complications of the flu and causes for hospitalization are pneumonia, dehydration, and ear or sinus infections. Colds usually do Wnot result in more serious health problems, while the flu often does. “Most people, not just students, do not really understand the difference between symptoms of a cold and those of the flu, and that is a concern because flu viruses affect our lung tissues,

HANNAH SMITH/KOMU

With the flu season here, flu shots are vitally important, yet many people are still reluctant to get them. possibly leading to more serious problems either for ourselves or those more medically vulnerable,” Kleckner said. The major difference between the two is that the flu virus specifically attacks the lungs while most colds are just upper respiratory infections, according to Kleckner. That’s why pneumonia, an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs, is more often a complication of the flu. In terms of symptoms, according to the CDC, influenza typically makes the body feel more exhausted and universally worse, with symptoms such as fever, aches, chills, fatigue and headache. The common cold, however, is more of a discomfort, with flu-like symptoms being rare and symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing and coughing being more common. However, on the offchance you do get the flu, it can be treated at-home. “The flu can usually be managed with proper self-care at home, but if recognized early, your doctor can prescribe the antiviral medication Tamiflu, which can help you recover much more quickly,” Kleckner said. Misconception #3 There’s mercury in the flu shot, which can cause autism.A common excuse from people who don’t get a flu shot is there’s mercury in vaccines.

Avadhani impacts Paly community Science teacher leaves positive impressions on students, colleagues alike

ANTONIA MOU/THE CAMPANILE

Chemistry teacher Ashwini Avadhani pours herself a hot beverage in preparation for the upcoming day.

By Antonia Mou

Staff Writer

he lunch bell rings loud and clear in the Science Resource Center. A few minutes later, Paly chemistry teacher Ashwini Avadhani strolls in with a smile to greet her colleagues. She reflects on her last period’s chemistry lab with a fellow teacher, discussing ways to improve the methods and accuracy. Many Paly students and teachers know Avadhani as the very knowledgeable and organized AP and Honors Chemistry teacher. “She actually gets the concept she’s teaching — Ms. Avadhani clearly knows and understands chemistry,” Honors Chemistry student and sophomore Ellen Fang said. “And when she makes mistakes, she admits to it, so I think that (is) really interesting and kind of cool.” Before becoming a teacher, Avadhani had gotten her master’s degrees in organic and inorganic chemistry, and was a stay-athome mom for many years. Her two children were raised in Palo Alto, have since graduated from Paly and are now attending college. Avadhani has been teaching for 10 years, the last six of which

she has spent at Paly. Avadhani said because her mother was a language teacher, she believes teaching runs in her blood. She first began teaching through volunteering at her childrens’ elementary school, Duveneck, where a teacher encouraged Avadhani to get her own credentials. “I said, ‘Hey, that’s not a bad idea,’” Avadhani said. “So, I did my credentials and then I thought ‘I like what I did,’ so I got into teaching.” Avadhani’s expertise goes much further than what can be seen on the surface. Avadhani possesses an array of different experiences and a fascinating background. While growing up in India, Avadhani acquired unique perspectives from her family members. She said they made her more aware of what freedom meant and the choices she had. “Not a lot of people know that my grandfather was a freedom fighter for India,” Avadhani said. “He was a follower of Ghandi and he made his own thread, cotton, for the movement, and he taught me and the kids.” After being taught to create her own thread, Avadhani now incorporates parts of her family history into her favorite hobby and daily life. “I used to knit a lot,” Avad-

hani said. “I haven’t done that in a long time, but now that I have an empty nest here I’ll get some time to do that. I love to knit. Another thing people don’t know about me is that I can totally change a flat tire in ten minutes if I have the right tools.” It is clear that Avadhani’s has a drive for hands-on work, both in and out of the classroom. According to Fang, Avadhani’s teaching style is interesting and interactive because she often teaches through labs, leading to a deeper understanding of the material. “When we were studying the different common ions, we were given name tags that we wore and I was MgO4 [permanganate] but I accidentally said I was pomegranate,” Fang said. “I remember that [activity] a lot.” Avadhani’s labs and activities help students gain more concrete insight and create memorable moments that increases the likelihood of students to have thorough comprehension of the lesson. In her classes, Avadhani tries to forge a connection and relationship between herself and her students. She believes that teachers should get to know who their students are and find a way to relate to them. “When I grew up in In-

dia, teaching was a very different world,” Avadhani said. “The teacher never knew who you were in the class because there were 60 students in a class...So there was no connection, there was no relating to students, (no) knowing what they do, who they are…I always thought the teacher should get to know a student.” Fang initially thought Avadhani was intimidating, but quickly came to admire her as a teacher and person. “After getting to know her and getting to talk to her about chemistry and college, she’s a really nice and a down-to-earth person,” Fang said. Fang and Paly chemistry teacher Sam Howles-Banerji offer similarly outstanding praise for Avadhani’s knowledge of chemistry. “My first impression of her was that she is somebody who really knows her science and that she is really really organized,” Howles-Banerji said. Avadhani and Howles-Banerji work together in the science department and often communicate about lessons and labs they have developed over the years. “We collaborate informally, practically daily,” Howles-Banerji said. “(Avadhani) and I have shared a classroom for all four of my years at Paly. So we’ve worked together, whether or not we were teaching the same subject, we were still interacting and working on the same material.” Despite many years of teaching at Paly, Avadhani maintains the same passion and enthusiasm for her work and the community. “I love my time at Paly,” Avadhani says. “And what I like is: I live in the community, I teach in the community. I'm a parent and I'm a teacher. So in the last few years, I got to see both sides; what students go through and what parents go through. It made me more humble, I could relate to my students better, and the other way is because I’m a teacher, it made me a better parent. So I love what I do.”

What most people don’t know is that there are two types of mercury humans are generally exposed to: methylmercury and ethylmercury. Methylmercury is the type of mercury found in some fish, and if it’s ingested in high amounts, can be potentially toxic. Ethylmercury, the kind of mercury used in vaccines, including the flu shot, is much safer because it doesn’t stay in your body or build up in your tissues. It clears out quickly, which makes it automatically less toxic than its counterpart according to the CDC. The ethylmercury in vaccines is a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal, which is used to prevent the growth of bacteria inside the vaccine. So yes, there is mercury in your annual flu shot, but it’s not nearly enough to hurt you in any capacity besides causing a little swelling at the site of injection. “The amount of mercury in vaccines is so infinitesimal, the benefits of taking the shot are far outweighed by the risk from mercury,” Kleckner said. After countless studies over decades, there is no evidence that suggests thimerosal is linked to autism. But still, if you’re really worried, you can get a thimerosal-free vaccine in lieu of the normal one. Misconception #4 It’s already February. It’s worthless to get a flu shot this

late. As long as flu viruses are circulating, which depends on the community, there’s a chance you may get infected.

“Most people, not just students, do not really understand the difference between symptoms of a cold and those of the flu.” Jennifer Kleckner

“The flu seasons usually continues through March and peaks in February. It's not too late to get the shot,” Kleckner said. It takes about 10 days for the vaccine to make any difference, so the sooner you act, the better. Last year, according to the CDC, the flu season stuck around through the beginning May, so it’s definitely better option to get the flu vaccine sooner than later. “In addition to getting a flu vaccination, our immunity can be improved by getting plenty of sleep, not being overly stressed, eating a balanced diet including fruits and vegetables, and regular exercise," Kleckner said."High school is such a stressful time, and it is far too easy to become overextended and overwhelmed. Try to take the long view, and take care of your body so that it can help you.”

New cooking techniques employ chemistry, physics By Byron Zhang

Managing Editor

sing just physics and chemistry, scientists have developed devices to cook food in creative, efficient ways.

Lazy Hot Pot The purpose of this apparatus is simple: to satisfy the need of those who are lazy and want to consume hot pot, an East Asian dish consisting of sliced vegetables and meats cooked in a pot of boiling broth. To prepare a delicious hot pot, one needs a decently large pot, a long list of raw ingredients and a selection of broth. Of course, there is also the less tedious option of driving to a nearby restaurant. Lazy Hot Pot can yield a full-size meal for two in just 15 minutes, using simple science one can understand after taking a high school chemistry course. The process is quite simple: unbox the lazy hot pot, and the user will find the box itself divided into two layers. The top layer provides a place for the raw ingredients and broth that came with the package, while the bottom layer is designed for the heating process. In order to use both layers to cook the hot pot, dump all the vegetables, meats, water and spices into the top layer. Then, place tap water in the bottom layer with the heating pack, designed to boil the water, and immediately close the lid of the box. Finally, sit back and wait for the magic to happen. After 15 minutes, the hot pot will be fully cooked and ready to serve. "Lazy Hot Pot actually tastes surprisingly delicious," said senior Ruby Shen, who has tasted both traditional and Lazy Hot Pot. "It tastes like actual hot pot, although I don't advise drinking the broth — it's too greasy." What cooks the hot pot meal? The answer lies in the heating pack, which relies on a similar technique to instanthand warmers — an exothermic reaction, which releases heat to its surroundings. Most heating packs include chemicals such as

sodium carbonate, iron powder, aluminum powder, activated carbon, sodium chloride and calcium oxide. When the heating pack is soaked in water, the chemicals disassemble into smaller units of aqueous ions, which regroup to form new compounds while releasing heat to the surrounding water. The heating packs are made with the precise amount of chemicals to cause reactions that generate heat for about 15 minutes, the same amount of time it takes the water vapor inside the box to reach 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) Air fryer Cooking crispy food now requires no oil, just air. Invented in 2010, the Air Fryer uses a convection system to deep fry food with no ingredients other than the air we breathe. “I did not know that air fryers work before we got an air fryer,” senior Jennifer Xu said. “We get frozen food items like drumsticks and fries, which makes them a lot (more) crispy than (an) oven (does), because you can’t really deep fry oven foods.” According to Phillips Industries, the convection system of an air fryer works similarly to a lazy hot pot in that the air fryer also comes in two layers. The inner layer is a container for the food ingredients while the outer layer is a concentric shell with special patterns designed to transport heat to the surface. At the top of the inner layer, a heater warms the air around the food and directly insulates it in the inner container. On top of the heater, a fan with high frequency circulates the warm air all around the inside layer, aiming for an internal temperature of 200 degrees Celsius, according to the Phillip Industries website. Since heat is delivered from the top while also being fanned around the inner layer, the food is cooked from all angles. This simulates the effect of deep frying — the only difference is that the food is submerged in warm air instead of boiling oil.

Friday, Feburary 1, 2019

The Campanile

SC ENCE & TECH

c at e r p i l l a r se a s on t h e En v i r on m en ta l I m pa c t of r e c u r r i n g c at e r p i l l a r i n f e s tat i on s

ith spring approach- cycle of the ing, sophomore Cath- Tussock popuerine Reller recalls the lation tends to vary deeerily familiar feeling of running pending on the year. During face-first into the fuzzy little cat- winter, the females lay eggs which erpillars that dangle from the oak hatch in late February. They retrees on campus and around her main caterpillars through spring home. Almost every year, Reller while they overindulge on oak finds herself maniacally checking leaves. Most years, the caterpillars her hair, clothes and face to ensure are present until halfway through that there are no colorful insects summer. Once the larvae have matured, they weave light brown, stuck to her. Periodically prevalent in states hairy cocoons to house themlining the Pacific coast during the selves during their metamorphomonths of spring, the Western sis into adult moths. Biology and Environmental tussock moth caterpillar is haScience teacher bitually found Nicole Loomis suspended said the caterpilfrom oak trees, “ W e f i n d t h e m lars are able to inwhere it feeds flict painful, itchy off the tree’s e very where, rashes by releasing leaves before a compound called enveloping but the y histamine via the itself in a coa r e u s ua l ly hairs along their coon to initibodies, which are ate the transon benches more formally formation into a moth. Once a n d h a n g i n g known as setae. Histamine is a their numbers from the compound that is exceed the carregularly used in rying capacity Oak trees.” the body to fight of their desoff allergens by ignated tree, serafin increasing blood the caterpilflow to the affectlars make their Barr on ed area. way to the Direct contact ground on silk threads, where they are frequently with the histamine is likely the cause for the rashes they can give found by students. According to the U.S. De- students. Allergic reactions can partment of Agriculture, these also be caused by inhalation of caterpillars remain in their larval setae, which could lead to probstate for up to two months before lematic respiratory complications. Reller said she experiences becoming moths. The caterpillars can grow up to two inches in allergic reactions from the caterlength and are generally gray with pillars, in addition to an annual multiple various colored spots recurrence of an infestation in her across their bodies. They have two backyard. “They are super gross and hard tufts of white hair on their front and back ends, along with another to clean,” Reller said. “I have to be four white tufts lining their backs. really careful when getting rid of Full grown male moths can them because I get a rash whenever I touch them. have a wingspan We have a lot of of up to two inches, while females “ I h av e t o b e oak trees near and above our house, of varying Tussock species are flight- r e a l l y c a r e f u l so they come in large numbers. less and short winged to stay on w h e n g e t t i n g Sometimes they the cocoons with r i d o f t h e m . ” even come down from the trees their offspring. C at h e r i n e and find their way The females reinside the house. lease pheromone, Reller I see them every a chemical subyear all over Palo stance that affects the physiology of other insects Alto and other cities in Silicon around them, in order to attract Valley, and I am so sick of them.” According to Loomis, the catmales to them during mating season. As the females are flightless, erpillars not only affect students, they rely on this act to further but the environment as well. In large numbers, the caterpillars produce offspring. With a population that fluc- defoliate trees, slowly killing the tuates from year to year, the life trees and leaving the leaves with

a moth-eaten, tattered appearance. Most of the time, trees are able to withstand the stripping of their leaves; however, smaller trees are often too weak to survive the infestation and die. Ordinarily, the caterpillar population is kept in check by walls and the floor, natural predators, which include a but we never use variety of birds, beetles and wasps. chemicals. Because In response to a particularly large Paly has so many infestation of the caterpillars in trees, it really is a hasthe spring of 2018, Stanford and sle to clean them every many PAUSD schools moved toward additional measures to re- year.” According to Barron, because duce the caterpillar population. According to a Stanford News coming in direct contact with the article, the Stanford Grounds caterpillars is likely to cause an Services department initiated allergic reaction, the removal of the release of predatory spined the Tussock population has besoldier bugs to decrease the cat- come exceedingly difficult as their erpillar population size, following population size grows. Because chemicals are not an another large infestation the preideal method for reducing the vious spring. This predation has a selective Tussock population, natural predation is one of the effect on future only safe solutions populations, which “Sometimes for an environmeans that it will ment so immersed decrease the reprothe y e ven with people. With ductive success of future caterpillars, c o m e d o w n oak trees heavily occupying thus helping their from the many schools in numbers signifithe district in adcantly decline with trees and dition to Stanford each year. campus, the use Possible solufind their of chemicals and tions to minimize other non-natural after-effects of the way i n s i d e products is likely to annual infestation t h e h o u s e . ” cause more harm include eradicatto both people and ing masses of imC at h e r i n e the environment mature larvae, These caterpillars eggs and cocoons Reller not only cause ismanually and using sues for the janitowater. For smaller trees, removing rial staff, but also with students, branches that have become in- who express dissatisfaction with fested with caterpillars and co- the management of the Tussock coons is a way to prevent them population. Reller said, “The caterpillars spreading to the whole tree. Custodian Serafin Barron said infest the trees and all over Palo he spends up to two weeks clean- Alto, and you can almost always ing the caterpillars in the summer see them eating away at oak leaves when they are not on or near stuand until the start of school. “It is really hard to clean dents. They are just so gross and them,” Barron said. “We find disgusting and hard to clean up. I them everywhere, but they are feel like every season, their numusually on benches and hanging bers just get larger and larger and from the trees. We have to use a I doubt it is doing good for the wire scraper because they stick to environment or us.”

Tussock c at e r p i l l a r hairs act as a

Before their

self defense

t r a n s f or m at i on

mechanism with

into moths, the

v e n o m t h at c a n

c at e r p i l l a r s

cause an allergic

are able to

Design by

reaction.

e at u p t o 1 , 0 0 0

emily asher

times their S o u r c e : N at i on a l C a p i ta l P oi s on C e n t e r

body mass. Source: ThoughtCo.org

text & Design by shiva mohsenian

Art & Design by Lucy Nemerov

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

SP RTS

Entering the glass box players’ perspectives on the growing sport of squash H

e enters the glass box. As he shuts the door with a ball and racket in hand, he finds himself on a 9.75 by 6.4 m court right next to his opponent. Balls on this court can reach up to 170 mph, a terrifying speed for some, but for squash player and junior Ben Scheve, it’s just another day on the squash court. As squash’s popularity continues to rise, more people, young and old, have found themselves drawn to the peculiar sport. For the past five years, excluding 2016-2019, squash has seen a 66 percent spike in participation globally, according to U.S. Squash, the national governing body for the sport. Requiring a wall, a ball and a racquet, squash shares many characteristics with sports such as tennis, badminton and racquetball. “Squash is a ball sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players must alternate in striking the ball with their racquet and hitting the ball to the front wall of the court,” Scheve said. “If they hit the ball above the top line or in the tin or don’t have the ball reach the front wall or if they don’t return the ball before it bounces twice, (they lose).” Additionally, according to U.S. Squash, squash players typically play three to five sets per game and 11 points per set. Each point starts with a serve. Should the server win the rally, the server retains the

“

serve. However, should the server lose the rally, the server loses the serve. Squash was first played in 1830 at Harrow School, London. School pupils, from Harrow School, began experimenting with a punctured racquetball found that, when the ball hit the wall, it produced a game far more complex and demanding than traditional racket sports. This sport would not become an official sport until 1864, when the first squash courts were built. Later, in 1904, the first professional squash tournament began in Philadelphia with only six entries. 12 years later, the very first American squash championship was created. Then in 1928, a group of professional American squash coaches formed the very first American squash association, the United States Professional Squash Racquets Association, the same association that would later become known as U.S. Squash. Fast forward 100 or so years to the current day, squash now has varsity teams in Ivy League schools and in top liberal art colleges and boasts a global following of 20 million players in 185 countries. According to Scheve, who has played squash since second grade, the sport is fast-paced and requires one to be quite proficient with one’s racket. “(Squash) is really fast paced and takes a lot of hand eye coordination,” Scheve said. World records confirm Scheve’s claim;

squash is extremely fast-paced, as balls can reach up to 176 mph in a closed court. This fast paced state of the game can be explained by configuration of the courts. “Because you're playing in a closed court, you can essentially hit the ball as hard as you want,” former Paly student and nationally-ranked squash player Aman Mittal said. “The amount of technique, footwork, agility and focus needed to play (squash) is huge.” Mittal started playing squash around the age of six after being introduced to it by his father and some family friends. After trying out some other sports, Mittal decided squash was the best fit for him and, at around the age of 12-13, began playing at a competitive level. Mittal would eventually become nationally ranked among the top 60. “I had been trying other racquet sports like tennis, but squash resonated with me a little bit better, so I stuck with it,” Mittal said. Additionally, Mittal said squash has made a positive impact on his life by allowing him to deal healthily with nervewracking situations, situations similar to those he experienced on the court. “It definitely helped me competitively in a lot of aspects in life -- in order to healthily deal with stressful situations on and off the court,” Mittal said. “It’s honestly an amazing workout.” For every hour of squash played, play-

“

(Squash) helped me competitively in a lot... in order to heAlthily deal with stressful situations on and off the court.

I had been trying other racquet sports like tennis, but squash resonated with me a little bit better.

Aman mittal

”

Aman mittal

Workouts

SPREAD

Tryouts

Understanding the mindset of coaches tasked with selecting a team out of several qualified player

MARCO VERCH/CC BY 2.0

The power of protein powder TIEN NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE

PAGE C4-C5

ers can burn up to 750 calories. Additionally, the sport provides an upper and lower body workout through the sprinting and running around the court and through swinging and hitting. In 2003, Forbes rated squash as the number one healthiest sport to play. Unfortunately, despite these benefits, Paly hosts no squash team, and thus, squash players must look elsewhere to practice their sport. Similarly, although the World Squash Federation is recognized by the International Olympic Committee, squash is not part of the Olympic Games despite numerous petitions for its incorporation. However, squash has been a medal sport for prominent international events such as the Maccabiah Games, Pa n - A m e r i c a n Games, World Games, World University Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Arab Games and World Master Games. Additionally, a World Games for squash was created in 2005, and has been hosted annually since. Although squash continues to grow in popularity, it still remains relatively unknown despite the thrill and excitement that surrounds it. Mittal said, “A lot of East Coast high schools have squash programs, and in parts of Europe and Asia it's pretty popular, but in general I don’t think it gets the recognition it deserves.”

Students take protein supplements to gain strength and get nutrients. PAGE C6

Clubs

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE PIERRE WHITSEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Sports Inclusion

New club brings together athletes of all backgrounds. PAGE C7

”

Fans

MIRANDA LI/THE CAMPANILE

Superfan Dan

Paly alumnus keeps Viking sporting spirit decades after graduating. PAGE C8

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

SPORTS Wrestling squad gears up for CCS, Colt Invitational REPORT Wrestlers continue to challenge themselves by competing in higher level postseason tournaments

BOYS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES

Gunn vs. Paly Jan. 22, W, 53-64 Homestead vs. Paly Jan. 25, L, 60-56 Paly vs. Cupertino Jan. 29, W, 40-39 UPCOMING GAMES

Los Gatos vs. Paly Feb. 1, 7:45 p.m. Paly vs. Mountain View Feb. 4, 7 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES

Saratoga vs. Paly Jan. 23, W, 51-47 Santa Clara vs. Paly Jan. 25, W, 52-40 Paly vs. Mountain View Jan. 28, W, 62-36 UPCOMING GAMES

Los Gatos vs. Paly Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m. Wilcox vs. Paly Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. Paly vs. Saratoga Feb. 11, 7 p.m.

By Kaitlyn Lee Staff Writer

As the postseason tournaments rolls around, the wrestling team is making sure it is in optimum shape by attending difficult tournaments to test its readiness, according to coach Jonathan Kessler.

The boys team is currently ranked sixth in CCS, and the girls are ranked sixteenth. “We are putting ourselves in position to win tough matches by scheduling tough tournaments so our wrestlers can get battle tested,” Kessler said. “This is beneficial for postseason tournaments such as leagues, CCS and CIF.”

“We are putting ourselves in position to win tough matches by scheduling tough tournaments so our wrestlers can get battletested.” Jonathan Kessler

The boys team is ranked sixth in the Central Coast Section (CCS), and the girls are ranked 16th. On Jan. 5, the boys team attended the Cupertino Bianchini Wrestling Tournament at Cupertino High School. The team placed third with seven boys competing. Senior Charlie Williams

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Charlie Williams pins a Gunn wrestler to the mat in the match that took place on Jan. 22, from which the Vikings emerged victorious. won first, junior Dara Heydarpour took second, and freshman Max Felter, sophomore Adar Schwarzbach, sophomore Halo Lynch and senior Tyler Weaver-Escobar all placed third. On Jan. 4 and 5, senior wrestler Ashley Wang competed at the Napa Valley Girls Classic Tournament at Vintage High School, which is the toughest high school

girls wrestling tournament in the country, according to Kessler, and took sixth place, a significant feat for the Vikings. On Jan. 25 and 26, the team attended the Mission San Jose Tournament at Mission San Jose High School. The boys Vikings team placed fifth in the tournament. Schwarzbach won first, avenging a loss earlier in the year.

Senior Andrew Wang placed second, and Heydarpour scored third. In preparation of CCS and CIF, the team’s practices have been shorter in duration but much more intense, leaving players exhausted, Kessler said. “It consists of a warmup, drilling technique, live wrestling and conditioning,” he said. “The team

Girls soccer hopes to rebuild momentum

BOYS SOCCER RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Mountain View Jan. 11, T, 2-2 Los Gatos vs. Paly Jan. 14, T, 0-0

Team prepares to face Mountain View

Paly vs. Homestead Jan. 23, L, 0-2

By Johnny Yang

Mountain View vs. Paly Jan. 30, T, 1-1 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. Paly vs. Saratoga Feb. 4, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Los Gatos Jan. 14, L, 6-2 Santa Clara vs. Paly Jan. 18, T, 0-0 Homestead vs. Paly Jan. 23, L, 1-0 Paly vs. Mountain View Jan. 30, L, 3-0

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Jackson Chryst goes up for a layup in 52-38 home victory while the Los Altos defender trails behind.

Boys basketball aims for CCS

The team treats each game as a test for what is in store By John Tayeri

UPCOMING GAMES

Los Gatos vs. Paly Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. Saratoga vs. Paly Feb. 4, 4 p.m.

WRESTLING RECENT SCORES

Napa Valley Girls Classic Tournament Jan. 4 and 5 Ashley Wang placed 6th Mission San Jose Tournament Jan. 25 and 26 Boys placed 5th UPCOMING

Colt Invitational Tournament @ El Camino High School Feb. 2 and 3

is coming along together nicely.” The team has its last tournament, of the season, the Colt Invitational, scheduled for Feb. 2 and 3 at El Camino High School. This will lead them into postseason. Kessler said, “This should be a nice tuneup tournament and a way for our athletes to get extra matches in before our postseason competitions.”

Business Manager

fter a number of matches that have come down to the last quarter, the boys basketball team finds itself in a tight situation at the final stretch of the season.

“Between every game, we need to stay locked in and focused during practices to win our remaining games.” Josh Wong

According to senior Josh Wong, there are a number of things the team can improve on before the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, and there is limited time left before the tournament will be facing them head on. It’s easy to get caught in the rhythm of games and practices during the hectic high school season, but the team needs to make sure they make every moment count. “Between every game, we need to stay locked in and focused dur-

ing practices in order to best prepare for the games,” Wong said. “Some things we could improve on could be our defense, and some goals could be to win our remaining games. I think it’s certainly possible.” The team has four remaining league games in the regular season: Los Gatos High School, Mountain View High School, Los Altos High School and Gunn High School, all crucial games that will determine their seed.

“We are trying to improve on limiting turnovers and taking smart shots — just by trying to pass the ball around more and getting the defense moving.” Matthew Marzano

In the past, the team, led by coach Peter Diepenbrock, has done exceedingly well, and expectations for the group’s success are high. Basketball, next to foot-

ball, has one of the largest Viking fanbases; the stands are typically bursting with student spectators. As of Jan. 25, the boys had a 10-10 record, with a league record of 4-4, which shows that the competition in the league is relatively even this year, and that other teams have certainly stepped up to the challenge. On solely its home court, the basketball squad has a 4-2 record. Although a bracket for the CCS tournament has not yet been established, the boys are aware that their competition will be tough. Their league competitors have kept them challenged, and they know there are stronger teams in store. According to junior guard Matthew Marzano, there are still a few things the team can work on before the postseason begins. According to Marzano, improvement can also be made simply trying harder and putting in a stronger effort. “The season is going alright,” Marzano said. “We have lost five or six close games that could have gone either way. Things that we are trying to improve on from last game is limiting turnovers and taking smart shots, just by trying to pass the ball around more and getting the defense moving.”

Staff Writer

fter losing to Homestead 1-0 on Jan. 23, the girls soccer team is trying to rebuild its momentum and finish the season strong. Coach Ernesto Cruz said there were some controversial calls that he was not happy about in the game against Homestead. “I was very disappointed,” Cruz said. “I don’t want to find excuses for the loss, but the calls last game were not good. We could have tied the game.” At the end of the game, the center referee raised his arm and blew his whistle, awarding the Vikings a corner kick. However, a few moments later, he decided to blow three short tweets on his whistle, indicating that the game had ended. The corner that he had just called was no longer viable. However, the result of the game cannot be solely blamed by poor decision making on part of the referee. According to junior midfielder Kaitlin Meyer, the team did not show enough cohesion and cooperation in the game against Homestead, which led to its downfall. “The game on Wednesday was super disappointing because it was a team that we could have beat,” Meyer said. “As a team, we have been playing more individually than as a group, and this definitely is something we should work on.” According to goalkeeper Mikayla Rimsa, the result could have been different if the team could better transition.

“I don’t want to find excuses for the loss, but the calls last game were not good.” Ernesto Cruz

“I think we got stuck trying to get the ball from the defensive line up to the midfield,” Rimsa said. “We might have a different result if we could transform quicker between offense and defense.” Fortunately, according to Cruz, the loss did not hurt the confidence of his players, and they’ve developed a new strategy for their next opponent.

“The girls are still very optimistic, which I think is good.” Cruz said. “You always need to take things positively. We just got a new plan, and I hope that would work.” Cruz decided, after careful consideration, that the team could benefit from a change in formation. The new shape would allow them to put more numbers into the attack and obtain a fresh start, freeing them from the slump that had taken over during the last few matches. The team had played in a 4-33 formation, but transitioned to a 4-4-2, which would keep two forwards planted at the top, ready to transition when the ball was turned over to the Vikings. After the game, the team sits with a 2-7-4 record, and will face Mountain View on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

“We have looked better in practice and have a new formation that has worked very well.” Mikayla Rimsa

Even though the game could be tough, according to Cruz, it will be a great opportunity for the team to rebuild momentum. Mountain View have been consistently been placing first in the league for many years, and have always been a Viking rival. In the first match against Mountain View, the game was relatively even during the first half, and thus, the Vikings know that they have the ability to compete at the level. “They might be the best team in the league,” Cruz said. “But if we want to rebuild our momentum, it has to be from the best team. We are capable of beat ing them, we just need to put in enough effort on Wednesday.” Rimsa agrees with Cruz, and said she is excited for the upcoming game. Rimsa said, “We have looked better in practice and have a new formation that has worked very well. This game could determine the time for the rest of the season, and if we win, it shows the other teams in our conference that we can beat the best teams.”

The Campanile

Friday, Febuary 1, 2019

SPORTS

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Annika Shah skillfully dribbles the ball past her opponent, looking for an open teammate to pass to in order to shoot another basket. The girls team beat Mountain View in a Jan. 28 game 62-36.

Girls basketball anticipates competing in league playoffs

Despite several injuries and loss of vital senior players, team has displayed strong performance, remain undefeated with 8-0 league score By Maya Rathore

Staff Writer

nee-deep into the regular season with a 8-0 league record and a 16-3 record overall, players on the girls basketball team have faced some injuries. However, the team still has its original pre-season positivity and is improving rapidly, spurred by its perfect league streak, according to junior guard Alana Abeyta. “The season is going very well so far,” Abeyta said. “We had a couple injuries, but now we’re all back and feeling good. Right now,

we haven’t lost any of our league games and are working very hard to keep up that streak.”

“Something we really need to improve is our defense.” Annika Shah

Despite being too far into regular season, the team is still hard at work every day and still values every win they get, according to Abeyta. “We have not lost any league

games,” Abeyta said. “All our wins are good wins because we work so hard each day to prepare and improve and it’s nice to see that work translate onto the court against our tough Beating Gatos is always nice too.” Rival teams had doubted the team’s ability to play after they lost their sole senior and shooting guard Carly Leong last year, according to sophomore shooting and point guard Annika Shah. “Everyone started counting us out as a top team since we lost Carly Leong, but we knew from the beginning that we were ready to prove everyone wrong and

show them what we are really capable of doing,” Shah said. Despite their 8-0 record, the team still struggles with defense in games against more offensive and difficult teams, according to Shah.

“I am proud of all my teammates because they have all contributed something to make us better.” Alana Abeyta

“Overall, we are working on every aspect of the game, but something we really need to improve is our defense, specifically our ball pressure and help side,” Shah said. “We are working on our defense every day, and it is improving every day. Once we get our defense on point, it just makes offense easier.” Still facing the rest of the regular season, Abeyta said the girls are working hard every day and striving to improve constantly. “I am proud of all my teammates because they have all contributed something to make us better,” Abeyta said. “(Coach)

Scott constantly encourages us to challenge failure, and I think we have all been doing a good job of improving parts of our individual game that will help the team as a whole thrive.” The team is looking forward to the league playoffs this year according to Shah, with a strong track record of Division 1 championship titles. Shah said, “I absolutely think we have a chance of winning league this year, and if we keep working hard and improving every day the chances of winning league and going farther are greater.”

Boys varsity soccer team competing hard to qualify for CCS

Although struggling to keep up its record to make the playoffs, the team is still hopeful about finishing off the season strong with more wins By Kiana Tavakoli

Staff Writer

s the regular season winds to a close, the Paly boys soccer team looks to overcome a rough stretch of games to qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Though the team has faced many obstacles, the team’s resilience and teamwork has allowed it to make improvements this season. In their most recent game against Mountain View High School, the varsity team tied 1-1. The team’s overall record now stands at 6-3-6. “This season we’ve probably improved the most in passing,” senior and defender Nathan Seto said. “Usually in high school ball it’s a lot of long balls and kicking it, but this team passes really well and finds the open man.” The ability to pass well rather than rely on individual play indicates the team’s sense of teamwork.

“We haven’t been able to produce the best results, but we continuously get back to training.” Kenzo Morabia

Unfortunately, some of the team’s best players have recently been out of its action. According to Seto, a big difficulty for the team has been both long and short term injuries throughout the year. Despite this, the team was victorious against one of its biggest rivals. “Our best game this season has been a victory against Los Altos

(High School), a team that has been very strong for the past few years,” Seto said. “As it was our first game, it was good to see who would step up.” Its successes in close wins can be attributed to the teams comraderie and how they work togethor. “Our wins against Los Altos, Menlo Atherton and Sequoia High School were all games where we had to push together until the very last minute,” senior captain Kenzo Morabia said. “It is always nice to celebrate those hardfought victories with the teammates whom you’re so close with.”

“We’re starting to get our injured players back so that will be a huge plus as we try to get into CCS.” Jason Shorin

While the team’s close bonds have resulted in some success, in order to remain on the level of other competitive teams in the area, the players must constantly improve in various other aspects of their training. “During regular season, we haven’t been able to produce the best results, but we continuously get back to training and work on whatever needs improvement,” Morabia said. One improvement the team hopes to make is preventing injuries and finishing off chances during games in order to score. “This season we’ve faced a lot of injuries and we haven’t finished our chances in game,” senior and striker Jason Shorin said. “We’re starting to get our injured players

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Seniors Juan Aguila and Isaiah Schoenberger celebrate a goal, eventually coming out victorious 3-0 in a game against Menlo Atherton. back so that will be a huge plus as we try to get into CCS. Looking forward, we need to stay healthy and finish chances.”

“This season we’ve probably improved the most in passing.” Nathan Seto

In general, the team’s games have been close calls, many of

which have resulted in ties. The team hopes that, by putting in even more hard work this season, these close games will soon start to turn out in its favor. “In the regular season we have hit some more bumps as we have players in and out of injury as well as really close games that didn’t swing our way,” junior Marcus Ama said. The ultimate goal for the team is to qualify for the CCS playoffs in which only the best teams in

the region are able to compete for the championship. “In general we’ve been able to keep playing at a high level as a result of players being able to step into starting positions for our injured players and keep the intensity high,” Ama said. “It’s been great to see my teammates develop around me and I look forward to the bright future our team has when I become a senior.” A majority of the varsity players are in their last year of high

school, however these older players are confident that their younger teammates will step up and fill their spots well when they leave. Morabia said, “Being a senior in the squad, I have seen a lot of underclassmen step up to fulfill that void in the team. They have all contributed to our successes and I believe they will do so in the future. Our hope is to make CCS as a team. I hope to see all the guys working endlessly to achieve that goal.”

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

TRYOUTS

The coach’s conund

Exploring how coaches run tryouts a

hen Michael Jordan dejectedly walked out of the gym of Emsley A. Laney High School in the cold winter of 1979 after failing to make the high school varsity team, no one could have expected the unwanted player to be selected as the third pick in the NBA Draft, dominate the league for 15 years and win six championships. Jordan’s story brings a crucial aspect of school sports into question: tryouts. As evidenced by the many trophies and league title banners displayed in the Peery Center, Paly sports have a rich history. In order to compete for titles, however, Paly can only select the most talented athletes of the study body to play on its sports teams. Tryouts can be a grueling, sometimes brutal process, and prompt a tough question: how do coaches determine who will make the team and who won’t? In certain sports, tryouts have a simple structure. According to boys golf coach Doyle Knight, his tryouts are MATTHEW straightforward. “My criteria for a golf team (are) pretty simple,” Knight said. “(The players) get four days where they are out on the court playing, and the 10 to 12 players who score the most get to stay on the team.” According to Knight, besides natural golfing talent, players are also expected to actively participate in team events and fulfill their responsibility to the team. “It’s mostly just how well they play,” Knight said. “But they also have to actually commit to (golf ) even if they play well. They still have to be there when everyone else is there (during practices

and tryouts), and that’s probably the hardest.” Matthew Marzano, a guard for the boys varsity basketball team, also thinks attitude is an important aspect of a good player. “I think that if you are the hardest working person, you should make the team,” Marzano said. “Skills should not be the only criteria. There are other things that players should be chosen for like being a good person, leadership, teamwork and working hard.” According to Marzano, the ability to get on well with others is important for both the player and the team because cohesion improves performance. “The things that I appreciate most about my teammates is that they all care about me outside of the sport and that we are all a family,” Marzano said. “Whenever we see each other outside of school, we make sure we say, ‘Hey’ to each other, and I think that is pretty cool. This is important because it ultimately makes us better on MARZANO the court when we are friends off of it.” While friendship and cohesion are important components of a team, based on his past experiences of coaching basketball four years ago, Knight said coaches might have their own expectations about what the team should look like, and that can also factor into how the team shapes up. “A coach has a certain way that he wants his team to play,” Knight said. “And you will be looking for the players that are going to fit that style. That sometimes makes things tough, because some kids just don’t play that way. But mostly, I was able to work with the kids and conform them into that

“I think that if you are the hardest working player, you should make the team.”

Text & Design by Johnny Yang

if they were athletic and good enough to be in the team.” In addition, Knight said the criteria of selecting players might be different between the varsity and freshman team. “(The) varsity team might care more about winning the games, which is totally reasonable,” Knight said. “But for me, from the freshman point of view, attitude is a big thing. Their attitude determines how much they can learn from their experiences of participating and how much they would be prepared by the time they try out for varsity.” Social studies teacher and boys lacrosse coach DJ Shelton said there are many different characteristics coaches look for in players, and many traits that can contribute to a winning team. “I think you can ask any lacrosse coach probably in the world, and they’ll probably agree that there is not one kind of good lacrosse player,” Shelton said. “You can have slower kids that have really good skills, and you can have really fast kids with lower skills. They are both really important components of the team.” While talent and skill is important, Shelton said a good lacrosse player needs to have a good understanding of the game. “Being able to understanding the game is what separates a good athlete from a good Lacrosse player,” Shelton said. “But I try not to judge a kid on it during tryouts, because the understanding comes from experiences.” According to Shelton, however, there is a standard that has to be met before a player is allowed to participate in the team — a minimum GPA of 2.0. “We are not

Art & Desig

The Campanile

Friday, February 1, 2019

TRYOUTS

drum: To keep or cut

and Their effects on student athletes going to keep people in the team this year if their GPA ever goes below the minimum eligibility standard,” Shelton said. “Participating in a sport is usually a really big time commitment, and it’s important for kids to be able to balance their schedule. Even after they go to college, they are student athletes, not athlete students.” According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a student needs to finish 16 required classes from high school (including four years of English and three years of math), and have an average GPA higher than 2.3 in order to participate in a college sport. Despite the inflexible standard of grade evaluation, Shelton said the lacrosse team always welcomes new players. “Our (junior varsity) program is noncut, and partly because lacrosse needs more players than other sports like basketball,” Shelton said. “But beyond that, I actually enjoy having more kids in my team that are learning the sport. It is really cool to see people, especially seniors, just pulling kids out of a drill and teaching them. Those are the moment when they are having a good coaching experience, and more importantly, spreading their love of the game.” The current system of preparing the kids step by step from beginners to experienced players, in Shelton’s opinion, is better for students as it’s more consistent to the style of college sports. “There is no way that most freshmen are starting in a college sports team, regardless of the sport,” Shelton said. “You ride the bench freshmen year, and it’s just about learning, developing, going to the gym more ... That is a more

typical process of developing for kids. That’s why I of them ended up make varsity. Being cut is not would rather have a group of kids that are learning the end of the world. It just tells them that they the sport, and by the time they become juniors and need to work a little bit harder to make the team seniors, they would be ready for varsity because next year.” they have been in the system for a while already.” Sophomore Dylan Chang, who tried out for the According to Shelton, a coach should be able to junior varsity team last season but did not make it, develop the skills of his thinks that while not kids and improve difmaking the team was ferent aspects of their frustrating, it helped game. him realize where his “I think (having problems were and more learning-level how to improve. kids) is a testament “I was disappointed of the team dynamic,” and kind of frustratShelton said. “And it’s ed at myself when I also a testament on heard the news of me coaching in terms of not making the team,” ‘can we improve kids.’ I Chang said. “But from look at it as a personal my experiences of trychallenge to prepare a ing out, I realized that kid who is either early my problem is the lack in his stage of learning of on-court experiencor never hs learned bees. And now I’m lookfore, and have them be ing forward to more ready to play by the end practices and games of the year.” to build up my experiDespite the efforts ences.” of many coaches to As part of his trainkeep more players in ing plan, Chang choosDJ SHELTON the team, many pases to participate in the sionate and talented National Junior Basplayers were not able ketball (NJB) league to make the team for a and hopes to gain more variety of reasons. experiences from it. Ernesto Cruz, the “I chose to particigirls soccer coach at Paly, said not making the team pate in the NJB league for gaining more experidoes not necessarily mean a player is not good. ences,” Chang said. “These experiences help me “We get so many bodies trying out, and we candevelop my leadership and teamwork skills, as well not keep all of them,” Cruz said. “We let a lot of as my ability to make the right decision on the good players go, and it breaks our heart. But this court.” is tryouts. They are very good players, but there is According to Chang, the passion toward bassomeone better than them.” ketball is what motivates him to keep training Speaking from the perspective of a basketball himself for better. coach, Knight said tryouts are a good process for “I really enjoy the feeling of cooperating with the players to know where they are and understand my teammates for the win,” Chang said. “This what the next steps are, regardless of the result. ardor is what motivates me to keep playing. One “I’ll always tell (the players being cut) to join a should never stop trying on things they have pasleague, play in a tournament, practice their skills, sions on, and that’s how Michael Jordan becomes and try again next year,” Knight said. “And a lot the god of basketball.”

gn by Tien Nguyen

““It’s important for kids to balance their schedule ... They are student-athletes, not athlete-students.”

Design by Kiana Tavakoli

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Overlap of social media, sports Athletes suffer from concussions creates opportunities for students By Andy Wang

Staff Writer

rom trash talking to watching highlights to intensely debating who the best player is, social media has become an increasingly important component of the sports world including as direct means for zealots to view games and highlights. The use of social media has escalated enormously over the past decade. Apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter have had an immense impact on our cultures and our way of life. However, the impact of social media on sports is particularly profound. Almost every professional sports team and athlete has a social media profile which allow them to engage with a global audience instantly. Athletes can interact freely with the public and post information about their own personal life and their sport. Dieter Kurtenbach, a sports columnist for The Mercury News, said social media has completely changed the sports industry, but in a detrimental way. “Sports was always an entertainment product, but social media has forced sports teams and leagues to spend a tremendous amount of emotional and political capital to feed the incessant public relations machine,” Kurtenbach said in an email. “It seems to me as if that matters more than anything else these days. That has diluted some of the beauty of sports and diverted some of the attention away from winning and losing and all of the innovation and creativity that comes from it.” Kurtenbach said it is up to society to work together to try to have sports and social media achieve a positive influence on the industry. Social media is not only impacting professional sports, but is also creating an influence on high school student athletes. Social media can influence all athletes ranging from professionals to younger ones. There are various media platforms such as Overtime and Ballislife that cover high school basketball games. They film high school basketball games and post them on Instagram and YouTube. Their videos gain massive viewership and publicize athletes featured in those videos. Junior and varsity basketball team member Anthony Yu

Students’ sporting careers terminated by traumatic injuries By Anna Meyer

MAX BONNSTETTER / USED WITH PERMISSION

Max Bonnstetter interviews an 87ers player at the Junior NBA. has been featured in several viral videos. He said social media has a major impact on high school sports. “Social media plays a huge part in sports,” Yu said. “It spreads a lot of content that is accessible to all. It connects people because even if you didn’t watch a particular sports game, you can still see what happens through social media. This makes sports games more available and known to everyone.” As someone who’s gained over 100,000 views on multiple YouTube videos, Yu says he has gained numerous opportunities for his basketball career through social media. “Social media has brought me into the spotlight and has created a lot of opportunities for me,” Yu said. Social media platforms often film Yu’s basketball games and some have gotten hundreds of thousands of views. According to Yu, there are both pros and cons to being featured in numerous videos online. “It creates a lot opportunities for younger athletes that want to become seen and widely known,” Yu said. “However, there can be negative things and hate on social media that spreads.” For example, Yu has received many comments that are unpleasant and discriminatory. Some of the comments have been derogatory to his ethnicity and his basketball skills. Paly freshman basketball player Max Bonnstetter is a junior reporter for the NBA and Sports Illustrated. He said social media has a huge positive impact on sports.

“Social media has completely changed sports in many ways,” Bonnstetter said. “For example, it has allowed fans to have instant access to sports news, scores, trades and so on. It has also allowed athletes to share their own stories.”

“Social media has brought me into the spotlight and has created a lot of opportunities for me.” Austin Yu Bonnstetter said he uses social media to share his interviews with NBA players. “Platforms such as Instagram have allowed me to share my interviews in order for others to get to know the players more,” Bonnstetter said. “It has also allowed me, at such a young age, to have a platform for sports that would otherwise not exist.” Bonnstetter also said social media is only getting started and there will be many more opportunities for social media to thrive in sports. “We will continue to see social media influence sports as dominating businesses like Facebook and Apple could possibly acquire the rights to major league broadcasts,” Bonnstetter said. Social media is a strong motor that will continue to drive the interaction between fans, teams, and athletes. It will inevitably continue to impact and change the sports industry.

Staff Writer

unior Katherine Buechler grew up playing soccer. But during her sophomore year, she suffered her second concussion and was instructed to abstain from playing soccer for the next two weeks. Buechler, anxious to return to soccer, assured her parents and doctor that she was ready to return earlier. Her first game back was the first of a fourgame tournament. As the ball soared towards her head, Buechler headed it. While the pain in her head was becoming more intense, she continued playing. Later in the game, Buechler again headed the ball, still neglecting the ever-stronger pain in her head. For a third time that game, the ball came towards her, and Buechler headed it. Although she could feel her symptoms worsening, she said nothing to her coach, hoping to continue playing for the rest of the tournament. However, the trauma to her head was severe enough for doctors to instruct her to completely stop playing soccer, as her brain would not be able to heal unless she stopped entirely. After more than 10 years playing the game, Buechler’s athletic career was abruptly ended when she got her third concussion. Concussions are common among athletes. According to the Journal of Athletic Training, an estimated 300,000 sport-related traumatic brain injuries, predominantly concussions, occur annually among high school and collegiate athletes in the United States. Many athletes have to take time off or stop playing sports entirely after multiple concussions to avoid permanent brain damage and allow their brains the time to fully recover. Common symptoms of concussions include nausea, headaches, disorientation and difficulty focusing. When a student believes they may be concussed, they are advised to visit an athletic trainer, who administers tests and compares the results to the baseline tests athletes playing high-risk sports are required to take at the beginning of the season. If it is determined that the player has a concussion, the return-to-learn protocol is followed. This protocol consists of

conditioning which involves doing increased activities to test recovery status every day to return to full physical capacity followed by a doctor evaluation once symptoms subside. The doctor’s recommendations are then given to the school, so that students’ accommodations (such as frequent breaks, longer testing time, etc.) can be met. “The protocol helps makes sure that you’re progressing into activity safely, and so once you get a concussion, you’re more susceptible to another concussion,” Paly athletics trainer Justine Iongi said. These injuries are not always recognized immediately, which can lead to further injury and long-term consequences, according to the University of Utah Health. Junior Mitali Kessinger said she did not immediately realize she was concussed when she got a concussion during soccer practice. “At first I thought I was fine, but before bed (about an hour later), I was very out of it and in extreme pain,” Kessinger said. “I also was very sensitive to noise and light and was nauseous.” After recognizing the symptoms from her previous two concussions, Kessinger went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a concussion.

“(After my second concussion), I went back to soccer before I should have and headed the ball three times, which ended up ending my soccer career.” Katherine Buechler “My specialist believes that the best way to stay safe moving forward is to make [sure] my head is completely healed before I return to sports,” Kessinger said. To try to avoid concussions, Paly football coach Nelson Gifford said he teaches his team techniques to minimize head impact. “We talk (about) using appropriate technique — making sure that we’re, in the case of football, taking the head out of the game and focusing on making sure that we’re using our hands and our shoulders when contacting the opponents,” Gifford said. “We also do things in practice to minimize unnecessary contact.”

Iongi also believes technique is the most important strategy for avoiding concussions. “You can always account for your actions in the game, but you can’t account for the opposing player’s actions,” Iongi said. Since some concussions are inevitable, the state of California has established a protocol for when this occurs during a school activity. California State Assembly Bill No. 2007 mandates that athletes who are suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school athletic activity be “immediately remove(d) … from an athletic activity for the remainder of the day. It prohibits the athlete from returning to the athletic activity until the athlete is evaluated (and given clearance).” However, club teams have no such protocol, which can lead to injured athletes returning prematurely. “(After my second concussion), I went back to soccer before I should have and headed the ball three times, which ended up ending my soccer career,” Buechler said. Not only are concussions detrimental from an athletics perspective, but they also have harmful effects on academic life, as many of the commonsymptoms make it difficult to remain in a classroom environment and continue learning. “I was not able to focus for more than 30 minutes without getting a headache—it was very frustrating,” Buechler said. Kessinger also faced challenges at school as a result of her concussions. “I missed a week and a half of school, (including finals), and was completely miserable,” Kessinger said. According to Iongi, there is not a set amount of time that one should wait to return to normal activities after being diagnosed with a concussion, as it varies between people based on the severity of their concussion. However, it is critical to wait to return to school and sports until one is fully recovered, to prevent further damage. “Honestly, if you get a concussion, take it seriously and make sure you’re fully recovered before you go back to your sport.” Buechler said, “If you go back too early, it could end up ending your sports career just because you didn’t take those few extra weeks or even days off.”

Students use workout supplements to help in areas of weakness

Increasing use of artificial methods allows for athletes and and non- athetes alike to have necessary nutrition in their diet supplements. As senior Callum Day Ham said, a person’s body needs around 26 amino acids, but fails to produce nine of them. “If your diet lacks any of these (amino acids), you won’t be able to grow as efficiently,” Day Ham said.

“Protein powder is a high demand for many athletes, so it doesn’t come cheap. Most are priced between $30-50, making it hard for a lot of people to purchase this product.” Annika Shah SHIVA MOHSENIAN/THE CAMPANILE

Many students use supplements, including Pure Protein, to articially increase their athletic ablilities like strength and speed.

By Bruno Klass

Staff Writer

ver since I started playing “ basketball, many people have told me to give up and stop, since I was not expected to be tall,” said varsity basketball player and sophomore Annika Shah. “I knew I had to get stronger, because my predicted height wasn’t going to help me. I started doing everything. These things included going to the gym more often, eating healthier, or taking protein powder.” In competitive sports, athletes aim to obtain and sustain a body based on the standards of the sport. To reach this goal, some professional athletes take supplements like creatine, beta-alanine, or whey protein. Protein supplements or protein powders added to foods, shakes, or smoothies are becoming a growing trend among high schoolers as well. Jason Fung, Paly’s Physical Education teacher and ten-year bodybuilder, believes these sup-

plements can be beneficial for athletes and nonathletes alike. “Supplements should not be only for athletes. There is a good supplement for everyone — from kids all the way to grandparents. This is just an extra way to get protein into your system,” Fung said.

“Do some research on why you are taking it — not just because your favorite athlete is taking it. People want to look good and feel good about themselves.” Jason Fung There are many forms of supplements, each of which serve a different purpose. Whey protein, contains essential aminoacids which are not produced by the body. This is the most common supplement used by teens.

Healthline.com said whey protein can help increase strength through developing muscle mass, and at the same time reduce body fat. “The main cause of taking these supplements is just to receive more protein and build muscle,” Shah said. “Also, I am vegetarian, so I need more protein since I don’t get any from meat.” She takes the extra boost to fulfill the daily amount of protein that she needs as a growing teenager and an athlete. While some may argue that these products can be unhealthy and harmful, Shah extensively researched the product before purchasing it, and stands by her decision. She mentioned that she buys the best and healthiest product she can find so that she, as well as her parents, don’t have to worry about side effects. In general, whey protein is beneficial for more than athletes, like individuals who exercise daily. Really, it can help anyone who

struggles to get all the protein their daily diet requires. Nutrition specialist Diana Schnee from clevelandclinic.org said protein is also beneficial for individuals who are underweight, picky eaters, or have a metabolic condition. Although these conditions are quite specific, one can take this supplement even if they don’t fall in any of these categories.

“The main cause of taking these supplements is just to receive more protein and build muscle, Also, I am vegetarian, so I need more protein since I don’t get any from meat.” Annika Shah Overall, Paly students showed to be well informed regarding

According to Day Ham, there are no downsides to these products as any excess is excreted in your urine and taking more can help supplement a lacking diet. Day Ham said he was able to grow his body in a pretty natural way by taking this product. To remain healthy, Day Ham uses essential amino acids instead of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) — which are a cheaper alternative. Although Mr. Fung has a generally positive view about whey protein and supplements in general, he warns that cost and consistency in usage should be considered carefully. Cost can add up quickly when you take them regularly. Taking protein for a month may not produce the effect one desires. Thus, most people consume it for an extended period of time. Also, Shah reinforced this idea when shedding light on how costly this habit can become. “Protein powder is a high demand for many athletes, so it doesn’t come cheap,” Shah said. “Most are priced between $3050, making it hard for a lot of

people to purchase this product.” One concern of protein supplements are their side effects. Diana Schnee from Cleveland Clinic, also added that supplements like whey protein and essential amino acids can adversely affect teen’s health in three ways. First, it can lead to weight gain if calories are not burned off through exercise. Second, it can lead to organ damage when the kidneys work harder to filter out waste products. Lastly, supplements can cause problems in children with weak immune systems. Also, many supplements in the market do not label all their ingredients. Some contain stimulants or substances that can take a significant toll on anyone’s immune system. Students interested in taking whey protein should follow Day Ham as he always consults with his doctor before taking any supplements.

“If your diet lacks any of those (amino acids), you won’t be able to grow as efficiently.” Jason Fung Supplements can be a good complement for a healthy diet and bodybuilding. However, before taking them it’s important to understand the different types, their usage, and possible side effects. It’s essential to inform yourself on what supplements do to your body and be conscious that it can give different effects on different people. “Do some research on why you are taking it -- not just because your favorite athlete is taking it,” Fung said. Thie said, “I have always had a Paly coach that has cared for me not only as an athlete, but as a friend and as a role model.”

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Age range on varsity sports teams creates social hierarchy

Underclassmen in athletics often feel amiss due to age difference, experience of players By Leela Srinivasan

Lifestyle Editor

reshmen: inevitably stereotyped as small, wimpy, prepubescent, naive, lacking in the height department, quite immature, overly enthusiastic and as junior varsity material. But not all of them are. Nearly every year, a select number of freshmen defy these stereotypes by stepping onto the high school campus with a set of skills and vigor and landing themselves a position on a varsity sports team. Competing against players that have one, two or three years of high school level experience over them, they demonstrate to the coaches that they are worthy of the varsity spot, oftentimes in place of upperclassmen. When senior Henry Saul first arrived at Paly, he was in the midst of transitioning from a different school district, so he already had many social adjustments to make outside of solely athletics. “It was difficult, coming into an entirely new school as a freshman and knowing nobody,” Saul said. “(The) cross country season starts right at the beginning of the year, too, so there was no adjustment period for me, or time to get settled into the new environment.” Saul said that the team selection process for cross country is different than in most team sports — for example, basketball coaches’ roster choices are much more subjective. Each coach will hold differing opinions, looking for their preferred traits in a player, whether it be skill, technique, physicality or height, but this variability is not the case for running. “I had to race my way into the varsity cross country spot with my times,” Saul said. “Being good enough, in terms of running, is not really like other sports. Once I had the right times, I was automatically on varsity.” Whether Saul was deserving of the spot or not was not arguable — he simply raced faster

than his competitors. “I remember talking to one mom, who said, ‘my son is worried that you’re going to take his spot on varsity,’ or something along the lines of that,” Saul said. “But she understood that there was no sense of unfairness in the process, or any bad decision-making on the coaches part. The times speak for themselves — they are clear evidence of how fast you are and they are not up for interpretation.”

“Even after my entire freshman season was through, I felt like I had never really fit in.” Henry Saul Despite being able to prove how fast he was, the social transition onto the varsity team was difficult for Saul; even though he rightfully earned his varsity position, Saul said it still felt like a privilege to be on the team as the only freshman and there was an invisible barrier between him and the rest of the runners. According to Saul, the seven-person varsity cross country squad was extremely tight-knit and hesitant to welcome a newcomer, especially a freshman. “The members of the varsity team were all good friends already; they knew each other really well from their time racing together in the previous years,” Saul said. “Honestly, even after my entire freshman season was through, I felt like I had never really fit in.” However, after some time had passed, Saul eventually gained their respect — it took one particular event for him to break through a barrier and gain acceptance on the team. “In the beginning, the varsity runners used to not want to run with me at all,” Saul said. “I think that they still thought I was undeserving, or they didn’t think I was strong enough or fast enough. I remember having to do a lot of runs on my own, training alone, or

with people who were not on the varsity squad. It wasn’t until that one day, when I beat one of their own members in a formal race, that they really saw me (as) worthy. Then, they finally let me train with them.” Girls varsity soccer coach Ernesto Cruz, who pulled up two freshman onto his roster this year, believes that though athletes undeniably undergo physical growth over the course of the four high school years, a player’s potential cannot be determined by their age or grade. “When I am looking at players during tryouts, I don’t see freshmen, I don’t see sophomores, I don’t see anyone for what grade they are (in),” Cruz said. “I just see a whole group of girls that are competing, and as the coach, I am going to treat them equally. They just have to prove to me that they can compete.” Cruz holds the same philosophy throughout the season, treating each player equally and granting them the same opportunities on the team. Saul has a naturally outgoing and sociable persona, but for the duration of his freshman season, he held himself back, tentative to say anything that would irritate the upperclassmen.

“You have to be explained everything and everyone has to tell you how everything works, so it feels like you’re inexperienced.” Ashlyn Callan “The bottom line is that I was inexperienced,” Saul said. “I was always asking people questions that everyone on the team knew the answers to, and it was embarrassing at times. I was quiet, and often kept my comments to myself because I didn’t want to step out of line. I knew I was a freshman, I was always aware of that.”

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Amelia Gibbs, the only player to make the varsity team her freshman year, prepares to serve the ball. Senior Ashlyn Callan brings herself three years back in time to her freshman season on the varsity girls volleyball team. Though Callan participated in a thoroughly different sport than Saul, their experiences as the only freshmen on the teams have distinct similarities. “I knew my place,” Callan said. “I never talked much in huddles or anything because I felt like I didn’t deserve a voice. I think part of that may have come from having an older sister at school, because my teammates were her friends and they saw me as her little sister, creating a barrier.” On some sports teams, freshmen are delegated the “dirty work,” such as cleaning up sports equipment and setting up drills, but Callan said that she was never

treated differently on the team, or forced to do these tasks. However, her distance from the rest of the group was more apparent in the general feeling she had as a member of the team.

“I never talked much in huddles or anything because I felt like I didn’t deserve a voice.” Ashlyn Callan “There are so many traditions that exist on the volleyball team, just like any other team, and as a freshman coming in, you just don’t know about them,” Callan said. “You have to be explained everything and everyone has to

tell you how everything works, so it feels like you’re inexperienced and just different.” Though her experience pushed her outside of the realm of comfort, Callan sees the benefit in the age range competing within the varsity sports system. “Yes, I was terrified,” Callan said. “But having people from every single grade on your team and on your competitors teams is part of what makes it fun and unique. You get to interact and play with people that are between one and three years older than you, which I didn’t do in club volleyball. During freshman year, there are no other experiences like that; you are stuck for the most part within your grade, and volleyball is what allowed me to step outside of that bubble.”

Sports Inclusion Club aims to unite athletes of all backgrounds

Lunchtime meetings strive to serve as support system for athletes of minority backgrounds By Eve Donnelly

Staff Writer

hen playing sports in Palo Alto, junior Dylan Duncan said he’s always felt like the odd man out. “Whether it be at practice, games or tournaments, I got used to being the only black person there,” he said. When I played Little League baseball, at tournaments I would always get stared at and received weird looks from the other kids.” Stereotypes in sports aren’t hard to come by. For every popular sport, there seems to be a cookie cutter image of the player that goes along with it, but Duncan along with junior Dante Garetto are athletes who feel they don’t fit the mold of the typical player of their sport. But through their development of the Paly Sports Inclusion Club, they both say they have hope to encourage other students who may feel this way to band together. Garetto, the only self-identi-

fying gay player on the boys varsity water polo team, decided to create the sports inclusion club in hopes of building a support system for aspiring student athletes of minority backgrounds.

“The status quo is all about being tough and hyper-masculine in the locker room” Dante Garetto “I feel like a lot of kids feel out of touch with sports, because there’s a whole culture in America that is centered around needing to be masculine,” Garetto said. “The status quo is all about being tough and hyper-masculine in the locker room and all this other stuff to be a part of the team, but I feel like kids from all different backgrounds, from all different types of sexualities or races can get together and play a sport.”

Garetto decided to recruit fellow athlete Dylan Duncan to help him start the club. “I saw an article written about him about being the only black kid on the (lacrosse) team,” Garetto said. “And I felt like maybe we could both come together. Even in water polo, I’ve played with kids where if the other team has a black player everyone is like, ‘Oh my god they have a black kid. He must be raw,’ and then he is. It’s pretty funny to see that.” When Garetto first introduced the idea to Duncan, he was immediately intrigued. “I joined (lacrosse) and didn’t know many people that were like me,” Duncan said. “I know from experience it’s kind of tough to play a sport where you don’t know many people that look like you and you sort of feel like an outcast. This is a club where you come in andyou meet people that play different sports. If you want to get into something that you think you may not feel included in, you have people to talk to and

to get information from.” Duncan uses the example of how the club could encourage members to go to try-outs together using a buddy system, so everyone always feels supported.

“I feel like a lot of kids feel out of touch with sports, because there’s a whole culture in America that is centered around needing to be masculine.” Dante Garetto Meetings will commence in February, centered around mainly social activities to create a community of athletes where anyone is welcome. Both Duncan and Garetto have been trying to publicize their club through social media (@sportsinclusion on Ins-

tagram) and in person. The sports inclusion club’s teacher advisor, Mary Sano, agreed to sponsor the club because she fully agreed with its message and goals. “Dante came and proposed it pretty clearly and it’s unique,” Sano said. “He explained what it was about and I thought, ‘Of course we need something like that,’ because (although) I’ve never taken data of who plays what

sports, the idea is that it’s open to all kids, so there is not a typical profile of (types) of athletes.” Garetto said, “We’re simply a group to connect students to student athletes that are at least in some way similar to them to just give them a chance to try out sports. There’s no pressure to be really involved as you’re out there trying something new. I think that’s what’s most important.”

Friday, February 1, 2019

The Campanile

SP RTS SUPERFAN DAN: THE STUDENTS' M.V.P. OVERCOMING PERSONAL HARDSHIPS THROUGH CHEERING ON PALY ATHLETES

inutes before the swim meet arated with his family and was bebegins, a man dressed in a Paly coming accustomed to living on his jersey pumps his fist in the air, own, his father committed suicide. “I was probably something of a surrounded by a circle of student (Paly sports) fan by the fall of ‘93, but athletes. “ …This is the last day of the Re- what really pushed me into it was those crises,” Starrett said. “(Going public. Fire!” he yells. to games) helped “Vikes!” the me get through students respond. them. I chose to The Star be a high school Wa r s - t h e m e d sports fan inspeech is led by stead of becomDan Starrett, being a druggie or lovedly known as an alcoholic.” “Superfan Dan” Wa t c h i n g by the Paly athPaly athletics letic community. provided StarThe title is well rett with inspiearned; Dan has SUPERFAN DAN ration to keep attended nearly going, allowing every Paly home him to overcome game, regardless of the sport, for the past 25 years. his grief and channel his time into While almost every Paly student something he loved: supporting and knows of Superfan Dan, few know encouraging students. He discovered this passion while his backstory. A Paly graduate himself (Class of watching the Central Coast Section ’85), Superfan Dan did not begin at- (CCS) track and field event at San tending Paly games until 1993, fol- Jose City College in 1995. “(As I watched), a feeling of lowing a series of crises in his personal life which ended in tragedy. A great love welled up in me,” Starfamily crisis that year likely caused rett recalled. “I felt very Starrett’s father to have a heart at- happy.” Since then, tack the following year, and a few months later, after Starrett had sep- Starrett has

"SINCE I STARTED BEING A FAN, (I'VE BEEN TO) FIVE OR SIX THOUSAND PALY GAMES."

been regularly attending Paly games not just for the athletics, but for the students. “I like to lead the cheers (to) help the students win … Even now, when I’m facing some challenges, (attending Paly games) helps keep me going,” Starrett said. According to Paly swimmer and volleyball player Dejo Al-Najjar, Starrett’s stalwart presence at athletic events is mutually beneficial. “Having Dan at all of the games definitely affects how I play, simply because of the positive energy that he brings as he steps into the gym,” Al-Najjar said in a message. “I generally find myself more pumped to play after hearing the crowd chant one of his iconic cheers.” Paly runner Henry Saul agrees, adding that Dan’s support is greatly appreciated by student athletes. “Superfan Dan can give some pretty motivating speeches and having him at every meet is something you can depend on,” Saul said. “Having another person cheering means a lot.” Starrett’s dedication as a fan is unrivaled; he regularly attends nine or ten sporting events a week, alternating between different sports

in order to watch all of his favorites water polo matches. and cheer on the players. Despite these extreme acts of “(Dan) is a consistent source of dedication, Saul considers the most support and passion for the pro- important part of Starrett’s role in gram,” Paly varsity swim coach the Paly athletics community to be Danny Dye his genuine love said. “He has no for Paly sports qualms about and students. trying to get “I think the people psyched most memorable up. He shows up thing is just talkto all the events ing to (SuperFan and I think it Dan) and knowreally means a ing that he is an lot to the kids ordinary guy that to have someone is invested in Paly there that is passports for no othsionate about the er reason except sports like Dan.” for that he loves Starrett’s supit,” Saul said. port for Paly Above all, athletes extends Starrett said he beyond Paly’s considers himcampus — one self lucky to have example of his found a passion SUPERFAN DAN exceptional dediwhich brings him cation is his anjoy and encournual trip to the cross country CCS ages others to do the same. championship meet in Watsonville, Starrett said, “I want Paly kids to a distance of almost 60 miles. know I love them very much, and In addition to his willingness to that if you’re ever faced with trials travel lengthy distances in order to or difficulties, don’t resort to drug or support the team, Starrett goes out alcohol abuse; be resilient, be couraof his way to attend games that are geous and find something you like to not in season at Paly, including club do and do it.”

"MY FAVORITE SPORTS ARE WATERPOLO, SWIMMING AND DIVING, BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, LACROSSE, TRACK AND FIELD, CROSS COUNTRY AND WRESTLING."

T EXT BY M I R A N DA L I DES I GN BY O LI V I A E R I CS S O N , LEIL A K H A N & M I R A N D A L I AR T BY SH A N N O N L I N

"DAN HAS NOT MISSED A HOME GAME, HE IS SOMEONE WHO IS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR ALL PALY ATHLETES." MARIA FLETCHER SENIOR VOLLEYBALL PLAYER

"HE COMES OVER BEFORE EVERY GAME AND GIVES US A PEP TALK THAT REALLY HYPES THE TEAM UP." JAVID ALASTI SENIOR WATER POLO PLAYER

"EVEN JUST WHEN HE WALKS INTO THE GYM, HE LIGHTENS THE MOOD." ANNIKA SHAH SOPHOMORE BASKETBALL PLAYER

"HE USUALLY COMES OVER BEFORE EVERY HOME GAME AND LEADS A TEAM CHEER THAT GETS EVERYONE SUPER EXCITED." MARCUS AMA JUNIOR SOCCER PLAYER

"(DAN IS) ALWAYS SUPER INVOLVED AND SHOWS HIS SUPPORT IN EVERY SPORT." ALLI MILLER SOPHOMORE SWIMMER