Issue 9, 04/19/19 by The Campanile

Friday April 19, 2019

The Campanile

Vol. CI, No. 9

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

Community unites to commemorate, remember Mischa Nee

After unexpected death of former Campanile editor, friends and family honor his lively spirit during memorial service on April 11 By Annie Chen & Tien Nguyen Lifestyle Editor & Staff Writer

ischa Nee, a Stanford junior, Paly graduate and former editor-inchief of The Campanile who died recently in a hiking accident, was eulogized last week as a young man who “said yes to life over and over and over” during an emotional memorial service before hundreds of mourners at Stanford Memorial Church. Nee died on the island of Mallorca, Spain, while traveling with a group of Stanford University undergraduates who had been studying in Europe during the winter quarter. They were hiking together on the afternoon of March 22, but other group members lost sight of Nee, who had climbed a small nearby hill alone, according to his father, Eric Nee. At the April 11 memorial service, Rabbi Patrice KarlinNeumann, Stanford University Senior Associate Dean for Religious Life, compared Mischa to “joy in motion.” Friends and family members described Mischa as a multifaceted artist, a computer programmer, an expert juggler, a deep thinker and an irrepressible explorer with an insatiable curiosity who embraced life. To his father, Mischa will be remembered as a motivated and creative son who had a unique way of thinking and loved exploring. “(Mischa) excelled academically but he really put that into perspective,” Eric said in an interview with The Campanile. “He

would always take time to hang out with friends, go out and do things and have fun. I think that aspect of him was really pretty special, especially in Palo Alto; there’s a lot of pressure to perform and excel in everything that you do … He also was just really naturally curious; he had a large range of interests and he would explore, as a kid, in high school and in college.”

“He handled everything with aplomb, never shying away from challenges, while maintaining an enviable confidence.” Melinda Mattes

Mischa graduated from Paly in 2016, where he participated in many school activities, including Speech and Debate Club, junior varsity lacrosse and varsity cross country. Mischa also worked in the Dominican Republic through Amigos de las Americas, a popular program for Paly students. According to Mischa’s former teacher advisor and Advanced Placement Psychology teacher Melinda Mattes, he stood out because of his engaging personality. “Mischa once told me, ‘I am not afraid of failure,’” Mattes said in an email. “‘It is a phobia that impedes many in their attempts to solve problems, but I have learned that there is always a solution.’ He handled everything with aplomb,

MISCHA NEE'S FAMILY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Top left: Headshot of Mischa Nee from 2016. Top right: Mischa Nee surrounded by the 2016 editorial team and Esther Wojcicki, current coadviser of The Campanile. Bottom left: Group photo of the editors-in-chief and managing editors of The Campanile in 2016. Bottom middle: Selfportrait of Mischa Nee in sketchbook. Bottom right: Final sketch included in Mischa Nee's sketchbook, dated to March 22, 2019 in Deia, Spain. ing she shared a special bond with him. Filppu said she witnessed Mischa grow and mature throughout his time at Paly into an extraordinary young man. “I watched him transform in front of my eyes,” Filppu said. “He was a disheveled sophomore who didn't wash his hair. He lit up the entire room. He was brilliant. He was gifted. He was imperfect. He used to come talk to me about

never shying away from challenges, while maintaining an enviable confidence. He was a student of everything he attempted, and he was intelligent enough to master the intricacies of any chosen endeavor. He was a natural and comfortable leader who was committed to his academic and extracurricular activities.” Mischa’s former English teacher Lucy Filppu agreed, say-

stress. And he had talents beyond many people I've seen in my career of teaching.” According to Filppu, though Mischa excelled as a student, he stood out because of his ability to be vulnerable. “I would say given that he was so well known on campus, my memories aren't about his public persona,” Filppu said. “They were about the intimate relationship

he and I had … It was his humor and his energy, but also that he was real and he trusted me enough to not be perfect all the time. Because he was perfect on paper. He was absolutely perfect. But my favorite memories of him were the moments when he was so vulnerable. He knew how to be vulnerable, and he knew how

Mischa Nee

PAUSD mislabels student graduation requirements in Paly, Gunn transcripts By Alyssa Leong

alo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) erroneously labeled about 200 Paly and Gunn students from the Class of 2018 as not having met A-G graduation requirements, however this mistake did not affect college eligibility, according to District officials. The A-G graduation requirements are the set of high school courses that students must complete with a grade of C- or higher to be eligible to attend Universities of California (UCs) and California State Universities (CSUs). The mislabelling was found in a recent report conducted by PAUSD. “From our manual review of transcripts, we identified patterns from the student course work that

JOHNNY YANG/THE CAMPANILE

A proposition to update the auto shop building has sparked conversation among students and teachers.

Administrators consider renovating auto shop despite teacher concerns By Johnny Yang

Staff Writer

ollowing the completion of the new library, the facilities steering committee is now considering a proposal to renovate the auto shop, a possibility that has been discussed for years. The facilities steering committee, made up of Paly administrators, department leaders and parents, is in charge of creating construction plans with the current funding and proposing the plans to the Board of Education for a final decision.

“I'll still try to make (the class) as hands-on as it is now, with little lecture (and) mostly learning by doing." Doyle Knight

According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the committee is now discussing the potential use of a $54 million fund that Paly recently received for construction. Automotive technology teach-

INSIDE 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

er Doyle Knight, who has been teaching and working in the shop for 27 years, said he hopes the school can keep the old building instead of starting from scratch. “The shop has been around for 70 or 80 years, and I’m kind of sentimental,” Knight said. “I kind of hate seeing old things being taken down for updates … But I understand that they think the shop needs updates, and I’m OK with it as long as I get to keep my program.” Despite understanding the intentions behind the reconstruction, Knight said he is concerned about how the automotive technology class will run during the estimated two years of construction if the proposal is accepted. “I might be able to move one of the lifts outside and use that for class, but then I have to protect it from weather and other factors, since it’s not really made for outside use,” Knight said. “It will just be a lot harder without the lifts and other facilities in the shop.” Besides the curriculum of the course, another concern of Knight’s is that fewer students will enroll in the class — which relies heavily on the facilities — during construction.

“I just worry that students will not be as interested in the class when (the shop) is being rebuilt,” Knight said. “I hope that’s not the case … I’ll still try to make (the class) as hands-on as it is now, with little lecture (and) mostly learning by doing.”

Staff Writer

o tie it closer to general education and thereby eliminate confusion and increase efficiency, Superintendent Don Austin said the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD)’s special education department is being reorganized. The reorganization brings the special education services under the district’s overall educational services, according to an announcement on March 29. “Other districts traditionally have special education as a part of educational services, which means they’re more closely tied to the general education part of curriculum and instruction,” Austin said. “Here, it has been a little less connected and a little more of a standalone, which creates some issues when it comes to efficiencies and being able to serve our students and staff. In other places,

Auto Shop A3

Spotlight

Perspectives on virginity

Misreporting Grades A3

By Alex Liu

According to Knight, both students and parents are concerned about the fate of the auto shop, partially because of a rumor that the school may decide not to bring the auto shop back in the future. “This year, I have heard a rumor saying (administrators are) planning to close (the auto shop) and possibly not bring it back,” Knight said. “(Students) always ask me about what would happen to the shop. I’ve also gotten

Exploring student sexual experiences not represented in the media.

cause problems in the future. The mislabelled students from Class of 2018 were still able to graduate, according to Stevenson. “This reporting (of mislabelled A-G eligibility) to the state did not affect student applications to UC/CSU schools,” said Christopher Kolar, PAUSD’s Director of Research, Assessment and Evaluation, another author of the report. The Class of 2018 was the first to have gone through all of high school since the School Board’s revised 2010 graduation requirements were implemented. According to Stevenson, the report’s original purpose was to review transcripts of 2018 graduates listed as non A-G complete, identify reasons students did not meet those requirements and use

District finds ways to integrate special education into curriculum

Doyle Knight

RIMABIE/CC BY 3.0

helped us identify why the transcripts were incorrectly identified by the Infinite Campus (IC) system as not meeting A-G,” said Miriam Stevenson, PAUSD’s Director of Student Services and one of the report’s authors. “Some courses were miscategorized in Infinite Campus, so the system did not correctly identify them as A-G Courses.” For example, problems occurred with transcripts that included courses taken outside of PAUSD. In another instance, six courses at Gunn were misidentified in Infinite Campus. While they were approved by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) as A-G courses, they were not labeled as such in Infinite Campus. According to Stevenson, these courses have been updated and they should not

Plans to reorganize special education

“The shop has been around for 70 or 80 years, and I'm kind of sentimental."

Lifestyle

PAGE B1

Photo Editor

HARIADHI/CC BY 3.0

Culture of dishonesty

Examining the driving forces behind dishonesty in Generation Z. PAGE B4-B5

PALY BEST BUDDIES CLUB/USED WITH PERMISSION

Best Buddies Club works towards including special education students. it has been much more integrated as a part of general education.” Austin points to the lack of centralization as the reason why some district initiatives failed. “I saw the District make some attempts over time, things like multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and (they were) hitting roadblocks because it was either being introduced through small pockets of general education or more likely through special edu-

Science & Tech

JESPER SEHESTED/CC BY 2.0

Living with dyslexia

Students share personal experiences with unconventional learning styles. PAGE B8

cation,” Austin said. “If that (had become) a global district initiative we could (have) put a lot of resources behind it. We can put more money behind it, more training, more people, more time, more energy and that will lead to a better result than having things parsed out.” Though the separation of the two departments seemed to have

Special Ed A3

Sports

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Learning to cope with loss

How athletes manage the aftermath of losing important matches. PAGE C1

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

NEWS

Film festival features student submissions By Emily Asher

ANTONIA MOU/THE CAMPANILE

A woman confronted an elderly man for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat at a local Starbucks, an event that went viral on social media.

Starbucks confrontation stirs controversy

Customer faces backlash for harassing man wearing Make America Great Again hat By Sophia Moore

Staff Writer

fter Palo Alto resident Rebecca Parker Mankey publicly harassed Victor F., a 74-year-old man, at the Starbucks on California Avenue for wearing a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat, a cluster of criticism has arisen, revealing the political polarization within the Palo Alto community. A cellphone video of the April 1 incident depicts Mankey yelling loudly at Victor (who wouldn’t give his last name for fear of retribution) while following him out of the coffeehouse. “Go — leave — nobody wants you here,” Mankey said. “Get your f-----g, Trump-loving MAGA hat out of my goddamn town, you a----e … It is not OK.to be a racist. It’s not OK to be a Nazi.” Not only did Mankey confront Victor for wearing the MAGA hat, but she also wrote in a Facebook post that she wants to “publicly shame him in town and try to get him fired and kicked out of every club he is in,” “go to his house and march up and down carrying a sign that says he hates black people” and “organize protests where he works to make him feel as unsafe as he made every brown person he met today.” As a consequence of publicly harassing Victor in addition to threatening to show further hostility online, Mankey has been fired from her own job at Gryphon Stringed Instruments and received online death threats, according to published news reports.

The confrontation also led to a series of comments from Palo Alto residents on the Palo Alto Online article “Political polarization sparks confrontation at Starbucks, triggering online fury.” One such comment was from a user named @Palo Alto Res, who wrote that wearing a MAGA hat at Starbucks is “not shoving politics down your throat any more than wearing a sports jersey for your local team is shoving sports down your throat.”

“What is really chilling here is the extremist backlash that (Mankey) is subjected to.” Becky Sanders

Another user, identified as Nayeli, indicated the irony of Mankey’s remarks, specifically referencing a term Mankey used — “Nazi scum” — to describe Victor. “(Victor is) a 74-year-old Jewish man who may have had family escape concentration camps 73 years ago,” Nayeli wrote. “This entire public-shaming debacle is like something out of 1930’s-era Nazi Germany.” While most commenters view the incident as a lack of empathy on Mankey’s behalf, some remain in support of her while she faces repercussions as a result of the confrontation, including the loss of her job and the harassment of her family.

“What is really chilling here is the extremist backlash that (Mankey) is subjected to,” Ventura resident Becky Sanders wrote in the comments section of the same article. “She exercises her free speech — albeit in a not constructive way — and then gets the four horses of the right-wing apocalypse threatening her very life.” According to Victor, this incident reveals the political polarization within the Palo Alto community. “There is no intelligent dialogue,” Victor told the Palo Alto Weekly. “People watch right-wing websites and left-wing websites. There’s no intelligent discussion at all. There used to be some sense of two political parties.” Debate over expressing minority political viewpoints is also prevalent on Paly’s campus — junior Jackson Druker experienced bullying as a result of wearing a MAGA hat three and a half months after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. Druker said he was not wearing the hat for the purpose of expressing his political beliefs at the time, but rather as a social experiment. Over the course of one month, Druker collected data reagarding the total number of unsolicited comments directed toward him due to the controversial clothing. According to Druker, out of the total 140 student and adult responders (96 male, 44 female), 50% of comments were negative, 37% were positive and 13% consisted of students asking for an explanation of why Druker chose to wear a MAGA hat.

“The negative treatment I received from so many students, verbal and physical, who were unwilling to ask what I was doing or why was shocking to say the least,” Druker said. The shortage of conversation between people who hold different political views is also noted by Palo Alto Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) Chapter president Yasmeen Gavande, a club whose goal is to provide students with the opportunity to hear conservative ideas. According to Gavande, Paly has double standards in regards to politics, an example being a Paly policy indicating that controversial speech in public on campus must have people representing both sides to the argument present. “What this really does is stops conservative speech from existing,” Gavande said. “Our pro-life speaker was not allowed to speak in the MAC.” Although some believe there is an inconsistency in which political views are allowed to be voiced on Paly campus — and in the Palo Alto community as a whole — some Palo Alto residents still have hope that respectful and informational conversation can ease polarization within the Palo Alto community. “In the Bay Area, conservatives are a political minority,” Nayeli wrote. “It takes a great deal of courage to even share your voice. It is an exercise in empathy. If people got to know one another face-to-face, I think that incidents like what happened at the California Avenue Starbucks could be avoided.”

ith videos ranging from comedies to dramas, Paly’s sixth annual film and animation festival took place in the Performing Arts Center on Friday, April 11, drawing a large and diverse crowd of students, parents and teachers. According to junior and filmmaker Max Rosenblum, the festival is an opportunity for student filmmakers to showcase projects they have been working on for months. “The festival is meant to celebrate the work done by Paly student filmmakers and show it to a large audience of students on the big screen,” junior and filmmaker Max Rosenblum said. “It’s a really fun time because the films are always entertaining, and it’s 100% Paly students behind and in front of the camera. As a filmmaker, it’s great to see how the audience reacts to your work, and as an audience member, it’s a lot of fun to see what your friends and classmates have been working on for so long.” Paly film classes, such as Video Production and Graphic Design, require students to submit a film to the festival is required; however, submissions are open to all Paly students. “In my years at Paly, I was enrolled in Video Production, a class that required the students to submit to the film festival as part of the final grade,” alumnus Leo Trejo said. “Outside of that requirement, however, I was compelled to put my work out there for people to see and hopefully enjoy.” While there are many worthy films submitted, only around 20 are selected to be displayed at the festival due to the time restrictions, according to Rosenblum. Rosenblum has been participating in the festival since he was a freshman and his films have been selected to be screened every year.

“The festival is meant to celebrate the work done by Paly student filmmakers and show it to a large audience of students on the big screen.” Max Rosenblum

This year, the festival showcased two of Rosenblum’s films — “Blooming Spirit,” his fantasy drama film about inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s movie “Pan’s Labyrinth ” and “A Rose Colored Filter,” a drama romance film about a boy named Elliot who is looking back at his toxic relationship. “Filmmaking, unlike many other art forms, requires you to work in the real world to make it happen,” Rosenblum said. “All of the locations, actors and props need to be real. In order for (the film) to look technically polished, there also need to be some crew members other than myself. Trying to line up the schedules of several unpaid high

Paly Choir sings at Stanford Memorial Church Students perform reflective Compline showcase for religious service attendees By Bruno Klass

Staff Writer

andles flicker and illuminate the steps of the elegant Stanford Memorial Church as the Paly Choir steps onto the stage for its Compline performance. The 30-minute showcase of non-stop singing, held on April 14, centered around songs that are more thoughtful and reflective compared to the choir’s typical performances.

“We’re performing in this beautiful grand European style cathedral, and everything is quiet, and there is this beautifully peaceful atmosphere.” Audrey Ganz

In this performance Brittney Kerby, a Living Skills teacher and choir conductor who has been at Paly for almost four years, led the Stanford Memorial Church performance alongside Paly choir teacher, Michael Najar.

“We have been able to sing there (the Church) for many years, and one of the reasons we go back time and time again is because it is one of the most beautiful spaces in Northern California,” Kerby said. Kerby said the church is great place for the choir to perform. “The choir sings in the back of the room in the choir loft and the space is built for beautiful singing,” Kerby said. Kerby said Compline is not a performance in the sense of audience members watching the choir. Essentially Kerby said the choir is trying to get the people who attend this service to experience the music rather than watch a show. At various points in the performance, audience members are encouraged to take deep breaths and contemplate their mindfulness, thoughts and overall state of mind. While this performance is held at a church, the service is nondenominational, and not meant for members of any specific faith, Kerby said. As the choir prepared for the concert, some challenges came along with performing in a space like the church, Kerby said, including adjusting to the acoustics and finding practice time. “There is not any rehearsal time in the actual space,” Kerby said. “We get about 20 minutes before

we sing so the acoustics are different than singing in our room 110.” Although these challenges set the choir back, it still tried to make the music of each piece sound as meaningful and moving as possible.

“Through my experience in choir, I have learned how to work well with others, had tons of fun, and experienced so many meaningful life experiences that I will never forget.” Loren Olsen

In addition to overcoming such challenges, Kerby said, as a conductor, she tries to perform a variety of songs ranging from pieces in Latin from the Renaissance to pieces in Hebrew. Songs are chosen to reach a wide audience while still keeping the music sacred. Sophomore Loren Olsen said, from a student perspective, that these were not the only challenges facing the choir for this performance. “It’s really challenging to get

everybody to one look presentable and two for everybody to be unified in their sound. It is also challenging to make everyone pay attention because the transitions between songs are dead silent so when a group is finished with their song you can hear everyone talk,” Olsen said. The intonation in a concert like this is unique in an area like the Memorial Church but the main problem with that, Olsen said, is anyone who is flat or sharp stands out more than usual. She added that the sound in their choir room, room 110, is very different than that of the church. With only 20 minutes of practice time, many kids are thrown off due to how different they sound. Junior Audrey Ganz who has been a Paly choir student for three years agrees. “If the music is long or tedious, it can be particularly difficult for Compline,” Ganz said, adding that whatever noises one makes in a church are amplified, so if there is one mistake or off-key note, then everyone can hear it. Ganz said, “I really like this performance because the whole theme is different. We’re performing in this beautiful grand European style cathedral, and everything is quiet, and there is this beautifully peaceful atmosphere.”

Staff Writer

schoolers for several hours at a time during the school year is incredibly challenging.” This year, the theater and video production classes teamed to produce the films. Senior Will Statler, who is enrolled in the theater program at Paly, was in two films: Elliot in “A Rose Colored Filter,” directed by Rosenblum and narrating for “Memento Mori,” directed by Ori Nirpaz. “I got involved in the film festival through a collaboration between theater class and advanced video,” Statler said. “We had auditions in the MAC, after which I was contacted by directors to participate in their films.” One of Trejo’s films, “Rest and Relaxation,” detailed the story of a young girl who discovered a relaxing audio track which subconsciously hypnotizes her to commit horrible crimes in her sleep and had actors like Statler perform in it. After filming is wrapped up, producers move into post-production, which Trejo said is a long and meticulous process.

“Seeing my film on the big screen was fantastic to view.” Leo Trejo

“Post-production took quite some time,” Trejo said. “We had spent over 100 hours in the editing room, perfecting the film, with a strong focus on sound mixing.” While Trejo spent a lot of time after school working on his film, Brett Griffith, Paly’s Video Production teacher, never requires students to spend time polishing their pieces outside of class — instead, Griffith encourages his students to get their editing done in class. Despite all the hard work the producers put into the festival, a flaw seen year after year is lighting issues. Many films, such as Rosenblum’s and Trejo’s, contained night scenes which viewers had difficulty seeing during the screening. “My film included a lot of night scenes and at some points during the screening, the screen was pitch black and the audience could not tell what was happening,” Trejo said. According to Trejo, it is always rewarding to see his work screened in front of a large audience. “Seeing my film on the big screen was fantastic to view,” Trejo said. “To view it in a large theatre was surreal, and hopefully the first of many to be screened in theaters. It’s an honor to have been selected for such a privilege.” As for the upcoming years, Rosenblum would love to see the festival increase in popularity. “I would love it if we got more attendance,” Rosenblum said. “A good amount of people show up, but I love the environment of a packed house that our theater program gets and it would be cool to have that for our films. It also might be because unlike theater, our films are easily viewable online, but trust me when I say that theaters are definitely a much better experience.”

UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL

APRIL

MAY

PASSOVER BEGINS Skipping school for Passover - one of the perks of being Jewish. PALY SERVICE DAY Pretend to care about the community for a day to bolster your college apps. 4TH QUARTER PROGRESS REPORTS DUE Beg your teachers to round up.

CAREER PROGRAMS FAIR Where to go to find a job you’ll never get.

SPRING CHOIR CONCERT Will they finally perform a song we know?

MAY FETE PARADE PALY PEP BAND For people who enjoy marching for no reason.

AP TESTING BEGINS Time to learn an entire year’s worth of information in one day.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

NEWS

Misreporting Grades

Auto Shop

Special Ed

that information to find ways to address the problem. “Our team was tasked to complete a deep analysis of student A-G outcomes in order to identify patterns and opportunities for immediate improvements to our systems and practices,” Stevenson said at a School Board meeting. “We hope that this analysis provides a more complex look at those same things and answers some long unanswered questions.” PAUSD plans to use the results of this report to make sure records are accurate from now on. “We’re very excited this is going to change the way that we go into the end of the year for the Class of 2019 because we know … what we didn’t know before,” Kolar said. “That’s going to give us a chance to have a much more solid set of numbers to work with.” In terms of next steps, the team that created the report is going to continue to meet and focus on ways that A-G attainment and reporting can be improved, according to Stevenson. Stevenson said that administrators sharing the data from the report in a clear and detailed way with instructional leaders, counseling departments and student services teams would be powerful. They “really need to reflect on these patterns to better inform their next steps on how to support all students in achieving A-G or their post-high school plans, whether that be college or career,” Stevenson said. “And I do want to highlight, as a school counselor, that those don’t always align.”

ask me about what would happen to the shop. I’ve also gotten emails from parents asking about it. I told them that it should still be around, so don’t worry, but it is kind of nice that they don’t want to see it go away.” Senior Claire Qiao, who has been taking automotive technology for one and half years, said the unique part about the auto courses at Paly is that one gets to actually experiment with their hands, which explains the importance of the shop to the curriculum of the class. “The auto shop gives one opportunities to actually work on cars and use machinery,” Qiao said. “I really love this hands-on aspect of the class, because (working with hands) is a skill that I will take with me for the rest of my life, and I use this knowledge on a day-to-day business.” Similar to Qiao, senior Christopher Clark, who is also taking automotive technology, said he does not think construction is necessary. “I like the class environment and how the old auto shop looks like now,” Clark said. “Everything is at a good place.” According to Principal Adam Paulson, the facilities steering committee has not made a final decision regarding the reconstruction plan. “We have a facilities steering committee that has just begun the process of discussing future projects a Paly,” Paulson said. “I will let the student press know when we have some developments.”

outweighed by the drawbacks, according to Austin. “When you separate out a department like special ed, it could receive more of a laser-like focus, but I think the downside of not being combined with a huge part of our district, which is the general education program, tipped the scales to a point where the benefits did not outweigh the downsides,” Austin said.

Mischa Nee

The Campanile’s teacher advisor Esther Wojcicki and some of Mischa’s friends from Paly — Aiva Petriceks, Nick Cook and Alisha Kumar — also spoke at the service. “You feel so much pride because you not only knew him, he was your friend,” Petriceks said. “He’s the high school friend you want your college friends to meet.” In an interview with The Campanile, Petriceks said Mischa truly changed her for the better. “For some friends, it’s like you love your friends and you think they're cool and you have really great memories with them,” Petriceks said. “But at the end of the day, they don't change who you are as a person, they don't change you to your core. Mischa wasn't that. In all honesty, if I had to name one friend that has changed me for the better, it's Mischa… He's the one person that I really do think I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for him and if it wasn't for everything we’ve been through together.” Three friends from Stanford University — Patrick Kurzner, Matthew Blaisdell and William Kenney — also recounted memorable moments they spent with Mischa, who was majoring in

computer science and planning to minor in art history or studio art. Kurzner said he and Mischa had once been on a turbulent flight and talked about what they would have wanted others to know if they had died. Mischa said he wanted to “tell his friends and his family how much he loved them and that he lived a great life,” Kurzner said. “Mischa lived with a spirit for life.”

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 to be vulnerable. He knew how to be vulnerable, and he knew how to create intimacy with teachers, at least me... I thought of him as a son.” Mischa’s family spoke at his memorial service, with Eric’s speech followed by speeches by Alex (Paly, 2009) and Nadya Nee (Paly, 2013), Mischa’s brother and sister, who said the family believed Mischa would change the world. A recording of Mischa’s fifthgrade graduation performance at Addison Elementary School of the song “Imagine” by John Lennon was then played, which Eric said in an interview was one of his favorite memories of his son. “He was very excited to graduate out of Addison and move onto Jordan, and he wanted to do something,” Eric said. “He was a little nervous about performing in front of everyone and you know in fifth grade, you’re going to be a little self-conscious about how everyone sees you and he decided he was going to perform the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon a capella. And he was nervous about that, but I think he was a very brave person. He got up there and did it — and I was so proud of him.”

Continued from A1

“I would like all teachers to have the tools to be able to best serve all students sitting in their classes, knowing that there is a spectrum of students.” Don Austin

According to Austin, this reorganization will involve the hiring of a director of secondary special education, a position left empty due to the recent departure of the previous director. The new special education director will work alongside the current director of elementary special education, Alma Ellis. Additionally, Assistant Superintendent Lana Conaway will no longer oversee special education and will instead focus on other areas. “(This) allows (Conaway) to be shifted over into doing work in equity and access, guidance, social and emotional learning and

"(Mischa) transcended (the idea of a perfect student), he proved the idea that you can become your true self in high school, and that would be the greatest gift for any kid." Lucinda Filppu

According to Petriceks, The Campanile Lifestyle Editor in 2015-16 when Mischa served as an Editor-in Chief, Mischa’s natural inquisitiveness drew him to journalism and prompted him

student services that have not received her full attention,” Austin said. “So by changing the structure of special education, it’s going to have a double benefit of allowing us now to really focus in some of these equity areas that we have not made enough progress in.” By including the special education department in general education, Austin hopes to equip all teachers with the necessary skills to work with all students. Under the current structure, any students with disabilities, specifically dyslexia, are required to go through the special education department to receive a learning plan. “I would like all teachers to have the tools to be able to best serve all students sitting in their classes, knowing that there is a spectrum of students,” Austin said. “When special education is so separated out, the average general education teacher feels like special education is something else -- somewhere else, (but) when we start looking at professional development plans that really make special education plans part of our daily conversation, it's going to better serve our students.” Special education teacher Bridgette Malatesta looks to this reorganization as a step in the right direction. “Any move that we make as a staff and as a school district in this school towards more inclusion will always be more positive,” Malatesta said. “Good teaching is inclusive of all kinds of techniques, so you don't have one technique for special ed, one technique for ELD, and one technique for general ed. You have good teaching techniques across the board.”

to join the publication. “I think journalism in general really added to Mischa’s curiosity, to put it simply,” Petriceks said. “It gave him the means and a way to kind of get to know situations and get to know people better and understand why things were the way they were … He loved the challenge of having this difficult article in front of him and writing this beautiful piece and making sure that things got the appreciation they should.” Throughout his time on The Campanile, Mischa made many significant contributions, from facilitating creative class conversation to developing a new design style for the Opinion section and creating a great environment through his creativity and supportive presence, according to the other Editors-in-Chief he worked with. “(Mischa) brought a lot of character to our Editor-in-Chief class and the paper itself,” coEditor-in-Chief Stephanie Cong said. “He was always such an indepth writer; he wrote about a lot of topics that people had never covered before and was really great with design. As an Editorin-Chief, I think he just brought a lot of entertainment and light for all of us during production.

ASB busy planning end-of-year activities By Cameron Legrand

Senior Staff Writer

he start of the fourth quarter signals the beginning of the end for many students. For ASB, however, this time of year ushers in the elections of many of next year’s positions, as well as the revised appointed positions system within ASB. After elections concluded near the end of March, many of the new electees have begun preparing for next year. Pooja Akella, ASB Presidentelect and current ASB Clubs Commissioner, hopes to achieve many of the ideas she has in mind for the coming school year. “I’m hoping to incorporate more spirit days throughout the school year and work with Gunn’s SEC to host a successful rally, an event that hasn’t happened for the past couple years,” Akella said. Akella also looks to improve certain aspects of school life that students have complained about. “A couple of the biggest changes I’m hoping to implement next year are regarding the advisory system and tutorial,” Akella said. “Many of the students I chatted with while campaigning mentioned that tutorial is often inflexible and that the advisory curriculum is not always interesting. I want to work with my fellow ASB officers and ad-

He always had a really positive attitude.” Mischa’s charisma made him a strong leader and a role model for his peers and members on The Campanile staff, according to Miranda Chen, another Editor-inChief with Mischa. “I was just always impressed by Misha, he just exuded this sense of liveliness,” Chen said. “He not only was incredibly smart academically, but he had so many unique interests (and) he was really witty and funny. He was always so adventurous … He was always very present and he just seemed to love life.” Specifically, Mischa helped others build their confidence, according to Mattes, and he was a fierce and loyal supporter who believed in his friends. He sought to improve not only himself, but also to actively help others, according to Cong. Mischa brought a lot of character and his personality with him everywhere he went, Cong said in an interview. She, like many of his peers, learned valuable skills from him and seeks to emulate his drive and self-confidence. “Especially in high school, when you haven't had the time to discover who you are outside of your home and school environ-

min to make meaningful changes that benefit all students.” Although the semester is winding down, ASB is continuing to host events around school and end the year on a high note. Some of those upcoming events include Field Day and Senior Grams, the latter of which is a form of valgram for the departing senior class.

“I want to work with my fellow ASB officers and admin to make meaningful changes that benefit all students" Pooja Akella

ASB Vice President Ben Rapperport says there is much to look forward to with regard to student life. “We have Field Day coming up on May 17 and that is going to be a ton of fun for all students,” Rapperport said. “We also have World Week starting on May 2. It’s like a new week-long event that will embrace a ton of different cultures.” ASB will also continue hosting campus events such as Quadchella, the last of the Quad Concert Series, on May 13 through 16.

ment, it's really hard to understand who you are and what you want,” Cong said. “And I think Mischa had such a defined sense of self in the best way already in high school. He knew who he was, he showed it to the world, and everyone loved him for it. There were certain things that you knew were just so Mischa.” Though Mischa was bright academically, he will be remembered most for the brightness he brought into so many people’s lives. “(Mischa) transcended (the idea of a perfect student), he proved the idea that you can become your true self in high school, and that would be the greatest gift for any kid,” Filppu said. “Where he went to college, that's all exciting, but that's not really the essence of this kid. There was something much bigger about him than that. That's why he was so special — he took risks to be who he was. And he must have felt safe in who he was, his family, his peers and his school to do that. So in that way, to me, he's not the role model of the genius student, even though he was a great student; he’s a role model that at Paly, you can be who you are and thrive if you're willing to take the risk to do it. And that's what he did, he thrived here.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

NEWS

Paly students promote Climate Challenge Palo Alto introduces Environmental clubs take action to reduce city carbon emissions By Olivia Ericsson

bike sharing venders By Nicholas Le

Staff Writer

ith the goal of addressing climate change through meaningful and environmentally conscious actions, a group of Paly students has partnered with the Community Climate Solutions organization to promote the Palo Alto Climate Challenge. The challenge will take place from April 22 to May 23 to reduce the carbon footprint in Palo Alto as well as neighboring cities. The challenge is composed of different activities to combat climate change and students will receive points based on their actions. Signing up for the challenge will allow students to earn community service hours and win prizes.

“Our hope is that all students feel welcome and like they can make a difference, and that participants continue to spread the word and take actions to reduce their impact even after the challenge is over.” Chris Hunter

Sophomore Zander Leong, co-president of Zero Waste Initiative Club at Paly, explained that the challenge is easy to register for and that there are many different ways to earn points. “Students at Paly and Gunn can sign up on the website and create a profile and take actions and sign up their friends and neighbors to join teams,” Leong said. “Taking actions will help you gain points, and at the end of the challenge, the top three people will win prizes.” Prizes for winning include Patagonia jackets, fleeces, Hydroflasks, water bottles, reusable straws and utensils. Ranging from easy and fast solutions to more challenging

REBEKAH LIMB/THE CAMPANILE

Even simple actions such as turning off the sink while brushing your teeth can better the environment. ones, there are many ways to earn points to encourage everyone to do something to save the environment, no matter how small. To begin with, students can earn points by registering teams of up to five and working together to get neighbors and friends to join the challenge. Some other simple actions to improve the environment include taking the train or subway, installing solar panels, walking or biking, reducing air travel, carpooling, retiring extra refrigerators and buying locally sourced food. Sophomore Aileen Wu, copresident of the Zero Waste Initiative Club, said the club partnered with Community Climate Solutions because they wanted to get local students engaged in tackling climate change. “We took on the challenge and we are really interested in helping reduce our carbon footprint and encouraging students to join the challenge to help fight against climate change,” Wu said. According to the Community Climate Solutions organization, they want to create a safer and healthier future based on online tools for communities to help the Earth and fight climate change. According to Community Climate Solutions member Chris Hunter, there is no set goal for the number of households who sign up. The mission is purely to spread the word on climate change. “We don’t have hard goals in

terms of number of households signed up or emissions reduced, but we do hope that every household that signs up takes at least one energy or water-saving action through the platform,” Hunter said. “Our hope is that all students feel welcome and like they can make a difference, and that participants continue to spread the word and take actions to reduce their impact even after the challenge is over.” Climate change has resulted in many intense weather changes in California as well as flooding and storm watches across the U.S. Additionally, the rates of deadly storms and fires have continued to increase. Animals have also suffered as their habitats are being destroyed by strong weather patterns. Junior Kayla Brand, co-president of Paly’s Climate Vision Club, has been promoting climate change at Paly as it has big effects on us and the future.

Prizes for winning include Patagonia jackets, fleeces, Hydroflasks, reusable straws and utensils. “I would ask that you think about the California wildfires whose smoke brought air pollu-

tion at Paly to an AQI of over 200 and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of people,” Brand said. “Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria, from which people are still recovering. The polar vortex break which dropped temperatures below zero Fahrenheit in Chicago. These are some more prominent examples of how climate change is affecting our nation, and the problems will only get worse unless we change something. However, I believe we have the power to make a difference.”

The mission is purely to spread the word on climate change. Brand believes even small changes in one's life can have a big difference on climate change. “Changing our diet to eat Mediterranean, vegetarian or vegan is listed as one of the top solutions for climate change, with the potential to reduce the equivalent of 66.11 gigatons of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere by 2050,” Brand said. “Just by going the simple step of replacing low-efficiency lighting with LED bulbs, we could make a difference. Drawdown predicts a reduction of the equivalent of 7.81 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2050 and $1.73 trillion in net savings if 90 percent of worldwide households used LED lighting by 2050.”

Senior Staff Writer

fter multiple failed attempts in 2016 and a failed negotiation in 2017, Palo Alto is taking another shot at establishing bike-sharing services in 2019. Unlike past attempts, Palo Alto will be taking a more free market approach that will allow bike or scooter sharing venders to set up shop in Palo Alto. In the past, attempts to provide rides sharing vehicles in Palo Alto have failed. Thirty-seven bikes distributed by Motivate were pulled back after failing to gain consistent users; they averaged around 0.17 riders per day according to Palo Alto Online.

“Areas like downtown already have so much car and foot traffic, I believe that the ride sharing bikes and scooters would just create even more traffic.” Conor Kennedy

During the second attempt, negotiations never broke through. The city attempted to negotiate a deal for 350 GPS-tracked bikes, but required $1 million from the city. But now the city is making another attempt. This time, they are planning to allow multiple venders to compete and distribute their own ride sharing bikes and scooters. This is a free market approach compared to the past attempts. Riana Cayabyab, a San Francisco citizen, believes that ride sharing bikes are incredibly useful for local communities. “Ride sharing services like the Bird and Lime Scooters have been really useful for me in San Francisco,” Cayabyab said. “The parking situation and traffic have pushed me away from using my car and using these ride sharing scooters and bikes to travel around town to get groceries or

hangout.” Some Palo Alto citizens have concerns over the traffic it would create in areas like Downtown. Palo Alto citizen Conor Kennedy believes that it would create chaos in Palo Alto.

The city attempted to negotiate a deal for 350 GPS-tracked bikes, but required $1 million from the city. “Areas like Downtown already have so much car and foot traffic, I believe that the ride sharing bikes and scooters would just create even more traffic,” Kennedy said. “I can see why people would like it, but I feel that Palo Alto just doesn’t need any more traffic as of right now.” The return of ridesharing bikes, however, may only be temporary. The ride sharing device will be in a trial period until March 2020. Kennedy believes that the trial period will be more successful than past attempts. “I think that implementing scooter will increase the number of riders," Kennedy said. “I think the scooter provide a lot more convenience than a bike, they’re more compact and easy to just leave around.”

“I can see why people would like it, but I feel like Palo Alto just doesn’t need any more traffic right now. ” Conor Kennedy

Senior John Labib, believes that ride sharing bike and scooter will provide Palo Alto a fun mode of transportation to get around town. “I think that it will be really fun to have in Palo Alto,” Labib said. “From the outside perspective I feel like in other cities I see people use these all the time.”

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

OPINION

ASB speeches should be live, broadcast to the entire school

ART BY KAITLYN LEE

By Sidd Sahasrabuddhe

Staff Writer

ew things are certain in life: death, taxes, the San Antonio Spurs. For Paly students, however, one more thing is certain: almost no one watches Associated Student Body (ASB) campaign speeches. While this may seem too much of a generalization, the average amount of views per ASB speech was a shade under 194.

In live speeches, candidates must directly prove that they deserve a vote over their competition.

Out of a student body of approximately 2,000, less than 10% of students made the effort to inform themselves before voting. To remedy the overabundance of uneducated voters, ASB election speeches should be presented live.

Most students who attended Greene Middle School remember trudging to the Multi-Purpose Room during the school day in order to hear Student Council candidate speeches. While some may have found the speeches boring or a waste of time, listening to live speeches was, and is, a very important part of the election process. In live speeches, candidates must directly prove that they deserve a vote over their competition. Left to their own devices, most students just vote for the person they know best and do not bother to evaluate the other options. Furthermore, if live speeches were implemented, voter participation would skyrocket, as students would vote immediately following speeches. ASB speeches should be live because for a multitude of reasons, such as better communication between candidates and their con-

stituents, a more issue-driven election and making the election less of a popularity contest. First, communication of goals between candidates and other students is severely lacking. Some students barely know who the candidates are. Having live speeches would lead to students definitively knowing who the candidates are and why they are running. Additionally, ideas proposed by candidates would be clear to voters. Furthermore, the communication allowed through live speeches will allow students to see the candidates’ demeanor. Charisma and likeability are important in a leader, and students who do not watch the YouTube speeches will likely have no idea how likeable their chosen candidate is. Second, requiring candidates to actually present to students would make ASB elections far more issuedriven. Right now, most

speeches are filled with cliches and platitudes, such as, “making your voice heard in student government” and “increasing transparency.” Something that would truly increase transparency is live speeches. In a live speech, candidates would have to offer up ideas that resonate with students to get elected. A more issue-driven election is better for the school as a whole, as ASB will be able to identify things that need fixing and its members will already have identified solutions. Live speeches will make elections less of a popularity contest. Despite this, a lot of people will only vote for their friends. That is their choice. However, if elections become more issue-driven, students will make their decisions based on what someone says they will do, rather than on how well-known the candidate is. As a result, students will be listening to speeches, they will be wellinformed and will be able

to make decisions based on issues. There are several ways live speeches could be integrated into students’ schedule. One solution to allow live speeches is to hold them during tutorial. Like other assemblies, students would check in with their teacher advisers and then proceed as a class to the Performing Arts Center for speeches. If one tutorial period is not enough time, the speeches could be spread out over a week. In this case, students would only view the speeches of the candidates for the positions they are voting for. For example, freshmen would only view speeches for candidates running for sophomore positions, not for senior class president. Some may say that this would take away important time from students. However, students generally have tutorial time devoted to things like Spirit Week rallies. Shouldn’t the

elections of the people who plan rallies be as important as the events themselves? Another solution is airing candidate speeches on InFocus over the course of a week. With each speech this year being around two minutes long and with 23 candidates, the 46 minutes required would fit into the 50 minutes of InFocus per week.

One solution to allow live speeches is to hold them during tutorial.

While many of Paly’s decision-making groups have little room for student opinions or perspective, ASB is an exception. Students on ASB arguably have the most decision-making power of all students. As ASB students represent us, we have a right to be better informed about their goals and ideas, and live speeches are the path to doing so.

Athletic department should sanction student exercise sessions By Yusra Rafeeqi Online Editor

any Paly students are enjoying the luxurious addition to their physical education classes and sports practices with a brand spanking new $44 million gym on campus, complete with a weight room, dancing room and an aerobics room. However, outside of these activities, the gym is underutilized — while several students frequent the new space for weight-lifting or cardio, many others choose not to spend their time in the gym, due to its intimidating nature or simply a lack of knowledge about the gym’s resources.

Integrating a healthy routine can provide substantial benefits for students in the long run — especially if the decision to exercise comes of their own violation. In order to encourage more students to utilize the space and take advantage of its various features, Paly should allow students to lead workout sessions, such as yoga classes and Zumba classes. According to Paly’s PE teacher Sheri Mulroe, this can only be done with great interest shown from students who wish to participate in such activities. She says that only then can she and the Athletics Department lobby to have a dance teacher supervise these sessions for the next school year. The gym is already open under a strict schedule — it currently only opens during flex, class periods and

ART BY LARA NAKAMURA

for some hours after school, but is often locked. However, a better method to not only stimulate student-tostudent interaction but also make use of the gym would be for Paly students themselves to lead others in exercise sessions throughout the various spaces in the building. Furthermore, with sports teams often using the gym and liability issues with minimal supervision, there is not much opportunity for juniors and seniors to go to the gym. Paly Associated Student Body Treasurer Riya Kumar said introducing this type of activity would strengthen collaboration within the student body, as well as al-

low for students to have more fun with their friends right on campus. Since students often do not have time to go to the gym during the available hours, Kumar said more structured sessions within the building, would excite students, especially upperclassmen who might want to de-stress during the school week when they no longer have the opportunity to do so in physical education classes. Even hosting fun exercise activities during tutorial or lunch times would benefit the student body greatly, especially in regards to relaxing during stressfilled school days.

Integrating a healthy routine can provide substantial benefits for students in the long run — especially if the decision to exercise comes from their own volition. Often, students go to college and the workplace with a static, sedentary lifestyle that is hard to drop — according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for aerobic activities. This is a habit that starts early on, with only one in three children being physically active every day, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

This is why, for example, companies like Google and Facebook encourage their employees to relieve stress with onsite group fitness classes and an open gym, in an effort to both provide them with comfort and maximize their potential in the workplace. Although physical education classes are a requirement to graduate, they often do not urge students to pursue exercise as a habit. Rather, frequently viewed as an unnecessary and burdensome use of school time, according to Kumar. Whether it be in small group or large, an idea such as simple yoga or a specific workout classes, led by stu-

dents who are well-versed in the area or teachers who are willing to spend their tutorials or after-school time in the gym, this would be an oppurtunity avaliable to our school community.

Even hosting fun exercise activities during tutorial or lunch times would w the student body. They would give a greater purpose to the gym and encourage a school-wide prioritization of personal health, which is just as important as academics.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

OPINION

Student parking permit application system should be reformed By Adora Zheng

Staff Writer

enior Ashutosh Bhown circles the parking lot, eyes scanning for a strip of open space — but there are no open spots in sight. The bright pink glare of guest parking permits sitting on the dashes of dozens of cars momentarily catches his eye as he shifts to searching for street parking, only to see that it is full. The time is 12:09 p.m., and his stomach sinks as he realizes he will have to walk into fifth period late. Bhown is one of the dozens of students with parking permits, which cost $100 for the entire year, who are sometimes hardpressed to find parking on campus. According to a poll conducted this year, when The Campanile surveyed 70 juniors and seniors through a Google Form distributed on social media, 72 % of student permit holders have been unable to find parking on campus at least once.

Students illegally park unpermitted vehicles on campus, as it is easy to avoid being ticketed. With no choice but to find parking off campus, students must turn to El Camino Real or nearby residential streets for a parking spot — additionally, students are not allowed to park in the Southgate neighborhood by Churchill Avenue, which limits options even further. These students spend valuable time looking for a place to park, which can result in them coming to class late — according to the same poll, nearly 60 % of the upperclassmen with parking permits are late to class at least once a week because they cannot find parking. Of those students, nearly

18 % are late three to four times a week. According to Main Office Secretary Jennifer Gardiner, students come into the office with parking issues at least once every two or three weeks. Being habitually late to classes interferes with teaching and disrupts the entire class’s learning — finding parking clearly contributes greatly to this problem, and there are many simple solutions that would help alleviate these issues. If the enforcement schedule were randomized, the staff parked in staff-only spots, and the guest parking permit system were modified, the number of tardy students would decrease and those who bought permits would be able to consistently find parking. Paly’s parking is currently enforced by the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD). According to Gardiner, each lot is checked one to two times per day, and any vehicles without valid permits in plain view are ticketed and fined a minimum of $46. However, the PAPD never does checks after their daily lunchtime check — many students without permits take advantage of this by moving their cars out of the lot at the beginning of lunch, then re-parking after lunch. To help combat students working around PAPD’s enforcement, PAPD ought to randomize the times each lot is checked — a main reason that students without permits decide to park on campus is that they know they will not be ticketed during certain times, and creating an internal rotation or randomization of enforcement times eliminates that guarantee, thus decreasing the number of spots taken up by students without permits. According to senior Alex Daw, who drives to school every day, another issue that makes finding parking even more difficult for students is that staff members occasionally park in student spots.

Staff are permitted to park in any spot — however, according to Daw, some staff members park in student sections when staff-only spots are still available. Daw said some mornings he spends around 10 minutes trying to find spots in the on-campus lots and occasionally has to park outside his friends’ houses or along nearby streets. The guest permit system also perpetuates parking difficulties on campus. According to Gardiner, 25 to 100 one-day guest permits are typically issued every day — on rainy days or during campus events, that number, along with the number of students who come to Gardiner with parking issues, tends to increase. These permits can be obtained relatively easily — guests sign in at the front office, and Gardiner

hand-writes them a permit. However, there is no limit to how many guest permits can be given, and every time Gardiner writes a permit, a spot could be taken away from a student or staff member with a permit. There is a limited number of parking spots on campus, and even fewer are available to students — if guest permits are issued with no regulation, there is nothing to stop spots from simply being “oversold.” The way to fix this issue and prevent student spots from being taken is to regulate the number of guest permits issued on any given day. The number of student permits, staff permits and possible guest permit ought to add up to the total number of spots — that way, the possibility of giving too many guest permits and taking away student spots is eliminated.

SAT, ACT and AP exams. The actions displayed by SCUSD to work towards a more fair and equal-opportunity education system are an example PAUSD should strive to follow, especially since the District is trying to close the achievement gap. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson attributes the high prices to proctoring and materials costs, as well as to the high volume of students taking exams every year. This year at Paly alone, 913 students are taking 2,154 AP exams, an average of 2.36 tests per person. The number of registered students has increased by 126 % and the number of exams has increased by 139 % in comparison with the 2018 AP exams. Berkson estimates that Paly lost money from AP testing fees last year, and his calculations of AP Language exams this year indicate breaking even. Although Paly offers fee waivers and reductions for students in the free/reduced lunch program,

and tries to provide financial assistance for those who do not qualify, PAUSD ought to reduce prices or cover the cost of at least one AP exam per student. Having such high prices and taking multiples APs can cause students to have to pick and choose between the classes for which they want to broadcast their knowledge and classes for which they want possible college credit. This can be executed by designating a percentage of Paly’s budget solely towards AP testing. However, Berkson has doubts about the prospect of lowering costs and maintains the perspective that Paly is merely a testing center for AP exams as opposed to the producer of exams. “We’re not here to make a profit,” Berkson said. “If we were making money, sure, we can look at those figures. I don’t think we’re going to make money on this, so (reducing prices) would be tough to do. Even if we did, I don’t think it would be a significant amount.”

Berkson said the uncertainty about reducing prices comes from both The College Board’s insufficient contribution to proctoring and organizational costs, and the fact that students are making a pesonal academic and financial decision to take an AP class. “Since it’s a choice to take this test, I’m not sure why (the District) would pay for (a student) more than what they’re paying,” Berkson said. “Students are encouraged (to take the AP exam while in an AP class), not forced.” However, sophomore and AP Seminar student Sabrina Chan believes the competitive academic culture and “college race” at Paly creates pressure to take AP courses and exams during high school. Chan believes the tests are overpriced, especially if a low score is received, and that AP classes should be chosen based on a student’s interest, rather than what looks good on a college application. Some Paly parents also feel as though the price of AP exams are

ART BY KAITLYN LEE AND TIEN NGUYEN

Students who purchase per-

Guest passes given out daily can overshoot the capacity of lots, leaving students with nowhere to park. mits ought to always have a place to park on campus, no matter the weather or what events may be going on. Spreading awareness about staff parking in student spots, as well as randomizing the times that parking enforcement checks the lots and modifying the guest parking permit system, would help diminish issues around parking on campus and lessen the number of students who are routinely tardy.

The costs of AP Exams should be uniform across all districts By Antonia Mou

Staff Writer

s Schoology is flooded with bold and colorful posts reminding students to register for Advanced Placement (AP) exams, thoughts about the extensive cost of enrollment remain in various students’ minds. With the click of a button on the Total Registration website, more than $100 is sacrificed just to display the knowledge students have acquired from vigorous collegelevel courses. Every year, hundreds of Paly students enroll in AP courses and pay upwards of $115 to take the College Board’s standardized tests. The costs quickly pile up for students taking more than one AP course, adding on extra stress to their already intense course load. To reduce anxiety for students and parents, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) and Paly should allocate funds to reduce the price of AP exams for all students. This would decrease the burden on students who feel pressured to only register for select AP exams due to the excessive costs. Currently, PAUSD lists the price range of AP exams as $115 to $145 on the Total Registration website, and The College Board lists its baseline price as $94, citing possible higher fees to cover proctoring and administration costs. However, many other school districts in the Bay Area have lower baseline AP exam costs than PAUSD. For example, Pleasanton Unified School District charges $100 per exam, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District charges $105, and Santa Clara Unified School District, (SCUSD), provides free AP exams to all students.

Discrepencies in the base cost for AP exam registration between school districts are the basis for controversy regarding the topic Dr. Laurie Stapleton, the SCUSD director of secondary education, said their school board has allocated funds through one of the programs created intended to promote equity and a collegegoing culture in their school district to pay for students to take the

ART BY SHANNON LIN

unreasonably high for what they provide. Chan’s father, Ken Chan, believes AP exams should be free and incorporated into the school’s budget because he already pays property tax for public schools. Chan advocates for free AP exams to be a part of public education because AP classes and tests are now seen by many as almost a basic requirement for college admissions. Additionally, the AP exam represents an opportunity to display mastery of the course material and validate a challenging course load. So, while registering for an AP exam is a personal choice, PAUSD has an obligation to take into account the number of students taking APs and who view it as a standard part of high school academics While the price may be high, an equal chance at a higher education for students with less privilege is a rewarding enough outcome to justify the expenditures.

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Dear Paly: Letter from the Editors-in-Chief of The Campanile

hen the five of us stepped into the Editor-in-Chief role a year ago, we knew the next 12 months of our lives would be a whirlwind of breaking news and deadlines, picas and headlines. We expected to be immersed in the culture of The Campanile and knew many of our nights would be spent in a computer lab with a bizarre juxtaposition between the teenage spirit of throbbing EDM music and an intense atmosphere of dedication. However, what we didn’t predict was the profound impact serving as editors would have on our lives and our perception of the Paly community.

Whatever you wish to call it — toxic, competitive, cutthroat — the dynamic set by skewed values can result in students missing out on a crucial part of the high school experience. The work and energy put into a publication isn’t limited to the time spent editing stories and designing pages during production. The Campanile seeped into our everyday life, and as we embraced our role as editors, we found that the position influenced how we

view Paly culture. Paly is an incredible school. The resources we have access to — whether it be state-of-the-art facilities, intelligent and passionate teachers or a staff that genuinely cares about student well-being — are unparalleled. We are incredibly grateful to have spent the last four years here. However, it is undeniable that the culture within the student body can be improved. Whatever you wish to call it — toxic, competitive, cut-throat — the dynamic set by skewed values can result in students missing out on a crucial part of the high school experience: building relationships, discovering passions and developing soft skills. Throughout our time at Paly, we’ve witnessed — and, admittedly, sometimes contributed to — the ugliest parts of this culture. Paly fosters a goal-oriented student mindset, and we often allowed this mindset to dictate our own self-worth and our view of our peers. As seniors, we have emerged from the dark cloud of the college admissions process and have witnessed firsthand the way that it erodes one’s sense of value and place. Frankly, no one can be blamed for valuing the glitz and glamour of a prestigious institution or high GPA. But there’s more to being human than achievement — we think the drive for traditional measures of validation can force students to miss some of the most valuable lessons and experiences

high school can offer. The carrot of college corrupts. Every three weeks, our publication gets to see 21 days of hard work manifest itself in print. This process, which means so much to all of us, could not take place if we were all pursuing individual ends. Being part of a team where every person is integral to the final product has given us a glimpse of what really matters in a work environment. We have not been perfect leaders. But after 12 months full of mistakes and occasionally clouded judgement, it’s nice to know we have emerged more mature, resilient and confident in our ability to face the world.

A healthy life has space within it to do something for its own sake, knowing full well that it may not bear any long-term fruit. Solving a difficult differential equation or regurgitating the details of the Crittenden Compromise can be satisfying, as can earning high scores or receiving awards. But there is something equally fulfilling, if not more so, in succeeding as a group and knowing those around you are just as invested and have worked just as hard. The skills necessary to form such a dynamic — effective communication, collaboration,

Admin, teachers ought to refine process for skipping prerequisites

ith Palo Alto’s increasingly fastpaced nature, more kids are spending time outside of school honing in on their passions and specializing in various skills. As a result, many students find that, by the time they enter high school, they’ve achieved an advanced proficiency in a certain field through their extracurricular studies and activities. When these students enter high school, they are eager to continue developing their skill at the high level they have worked hard to reach. However, certain advanced courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science and AP Studio Art have prerequisites — classes students are required to take before enrolling in a more advanced course. Students who have gained extensive knowledge of a subject before taking a prerequisite class are sometimes able to skip the prerequisite, given the permission of the teacher of the higher course. However, the process of skipping a prerequisite is currently unstructured and subjective. In order to ensure all students are able to enroll in classes that match their skill levels and maximize their learning potential, The Campanile thinks administrators and teachers should collaborate to create a streamlined process for skipping prerequisites. According to Assistant Principal Katya Villalobos, who oversees academics and guidance, the current process begins with the student getting permission, in the form of a signature, from the teacher of the course the student wishes to enroll in. After obtaining the teacher’s signature, a student can go to the guidance department and request the schedule change without any dis-

cussion about their preparation to skip the prerequisite. Villalobos said whether or not the teacher decides to approve the request is entirely up to them — typically, the teacher will ask the student to demonstrate their experience and tell the teacher what curriculum content they have covered in the past. However, this is not always the case. According to senior Daniel Jin, he was able to skip a year-long prerequisite and go straight to the AP course without demonstrating any knowledge to the teacher. Jin said he simply spoke to the teacher, who quickly signed the required form.

The Campanile encourages administrators to communicate with teachers and create a specific process for both administrators and teachers to approve a class skip. On the other hand, art teacher Kate McKenzie has a set procedure for approving students who want to skip the Art Spectrum prerequisite to get into her advanced drawing and painting classes. McKenzie said she said she asks students to compile a portfolio and checks that it displays an understanding of the principals from Art Spectrum. An assessment like this, which thoroughly checks a student’s understanding and skill, for each class would ensure all teachers have the same expectations for allowing students to opt out of

prerequisites, as opposed to a subjective process. In addition, a more structured process would eliminate bias against younger students — according to McKenzie, she sometimes factors age into her decision about whether or not to approve a class skip. The Campanile understands that this bias gives upperclassmen more leeway with their schedules, as they have less time to take the prerequisite in question before graduation. However, underclassmen have the same number of slots in their four-year plan, and enrolling in courses that teach them material they’ve already mastered still presents the same downsides — a lack of challenging instruction and a suboptimal utilization of time. McKenzie also echoed Villalobos’ statement about administrators’ hands-off approach to the prerequisite-skipping process, adding that the sometimes students who have neither taken the prerequisite nor gained approval to skip it will appear on the roster for higher classes. McKenzie said she looks through the rosters before the school year and removes these names herself. In order to standardize the system for skipping prerequisites and ensure all students are adhering to it, The Campanile encourages administrators to communicate with teachers and create a specific process for both administrators and teachers to approve a class skip. This would also entail administrators creating a minimum criteria for students to meet if they wish to skip a prerequisite. Such a system would give students the same opportunities to enroll in advanced courses, and the decision should be made solely on skill and understanding of material.

APRIL'S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Excuses To Cut Class 10) I stayed late at production the night before. 9) I scheduled a doctor's appointment to cure my senioritis. 8) I'm excused for Service Day. 7) I need to go to the Wellness Center. 6) I'm visiting colleges. Yes, I'm a freshman. 5) I have to leave early for a sports game against Los Gatos. 4) I thought this class was blended. 3) David and Annie said Elimination can now take place in class. 2) I'm sick. 1) I didn't feel like going.

–ANNIE CHEN AND OLIVIA ERICSSON

interpersonal respect — cannot be taught. They come from experience, experience which is not cultivated in high school unless students actively seek it out. The majority of our student body’s current system of values prioritizes a competitive cycle of chasing unfulfilling goals, fueling a rat race that can continue throughout one’s entire life. There is nothing wrong with pursuing prestige, whether it be at an elite university or a high paying job — these things can better one’s life, and wanting them is not a sign of greed. However, a healthy life has space within it to do something for its own sake, knowing full well that it may not bear long-term fruit. We couldn’t be here, 10 issues in, without loving every bit of our jobs — every three-hour-long video call, every iteration of “Mo Bamba” in the lab, every time we saw our work in print. This activity and the outlet it provides has helped many of us through difficult periods in our lives or academic careers and kept us afloat. Having something in your life you can love for its own sake is freeing. The burden of improving Paly culture ultimately falls on students — administrators and teachers can only do so much. It is the responsibility of students to spend time on things that matter to them, and it is the responsibility of their peers to not judge them for it. At Paly, we’ve created a culture of achievement. But sometimes, the superficial glory

The Editors-in-Chief pose on their last day leading production. of goal-oriented accomplishment isn’t enough to make someone happy on its own.

Being part of a team where every person is integral to the final product has given us a glimpse of what really matters. For all five of us, serving as an editor has been the most rewarding experience of our time at Paly — it has pushed us to learn and grow beyond what we ever expected. We are humbled to have received a platform so large and

gym

hope we have made the best use of this opportunity. As student journalists, our primary goal is to inform. But throughout our time as editors, we hope you’ve pictured The Campanile as a window into the culture and issues that define the Paly experience. As our tenure ends, we hope The Campanile can continue being the outlet for student voices we love and cherish. Through administrative scandals, community outrage and celebrations of the best parts of Palo Alto, we would like to thank you all so much for reading over the last year. Sincerely, Ethan, Kaylie, Leyton, Ujwal and Waverly

900S

LIBRARY

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

Staff Writers

Board Correspondent Samantha Hwang

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 • Olivia Ericsson • 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 • Kaitlyn Lee • Miranda Li • Rebekah Limb • Shannon Lin • Lucy Nemerov • Lara Nakamura • Tien Nguyen • Leela Srinivasan • Kiana Tavakoli • 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

L FESTYLE

Friday, April 19, 2019

Design & Text by Shannon Zhao Design by Paige Knoblock Design & Art by Jaures Yip

sex, relationships & virginity The norms of intimacy, pleasure and sexuality for impressionable adolescents have largely been established by portrayals of sex in mainstream media and popular culture. However, when those portrayals neglect to narrate the stories of non-heteronormative relationships with any real depth or complexity and the individuals who abstain from sex, questions and expectations about virginity and sex can become even more muddled for adolescents whose experiences are not depicted in the media.

the power of virginity

he pressure and urgency to lose one’s virginity is one of many ways toxic masculinity manifests itself in society and the home environment, according to Paly senior James, who agreed to be interviewed if his name was changed. James’ perception of sex and the expectation to have it at a young age was heavily influenced by his upbringing. For the majority of his adolescence, James lived under the guardianship of his uncles, as his mother had been incarcerated from the time he was in fifth grade t o his

sophomore year of high school. Growing up in a male-dominated household without a strong maternal presence led James to view himself and his relationship with sex through a lens hazed by machismo — having sex was understood as not only a rite of passage to manhood, but also to adulthood. “My uncles, they were all older, and I knew they all did stuff like that and I felt like I had to get older and be like them, so I felt like that (having sex) was one step closer to doing that.” James said. On his 14th birthday, James lost his virginity to a girl in his grade whom he had been dating on and off in middle school. According to James, neither of them had received any formal sex education in school about how to have safe sex for pleasure. “I was exposed to porn when I was young, because people would f--- around and play it infront of me and s---, so I kind of just knew about (sex),” James said. “It was not at all from school, though.”

Although James said, in retrospect, hookup culture at Paly follows the aslosing his virginity at such a young age sumption that if one does not “hookup” has led him to become more cautious and with others, it must be because of one’s thoughtful about his sexual decisions, he inability to do so or one’s attempt to still regrets engaging in something that he mask something rather than a result of their personal knew little about choice, according to at the time. “I shouldn’t “I have always vaguely James. “With guys, say have (had sex) so known I was bisexual, you’re in a friend early because it group and you’re but did not really led to not only a that one guy who lot of drama, but accept it until after rarely hooks up with it also hurt that I lost my virginity, girls, your friends person ... ” James which definitely helped will legit in their said. “I wish I was older and construct the power of back of their head think you’re gay and understood the virginity.” crack gay jokes on situation better you, but not on the instead of just person who hooks Jasmine going at a such a up with other girls,” young age.” James said. To many hetFor others, virginity is a lens that erosexual boys, virginity carries a stigma that subordinates them by questioning empowers them to question their sexutheir sexuality. A large component of the ality and explore the most intimate parts

different definitions of virginity

T purity “To me, virginity means being protective of yourself and respecting yourself as a modest girl/boy, woman or man.”

Noor Navaid

of themselves. For Paly junior Jasmine, who agreed to be interviewed if her name was changed, losing her virginity during her freshman year of high school allowed her to discover her bisexuality. “I have always vaguely known I was bisexual, but did not really accept it until after I lost my virginity, which definitely helped construct the power of virginity,” Jasmine said. According to Jasmine, embracing her sexuality has broadened her definition of sex to encompass more types of intimate interactions between people other than the traditionally thought of male-female intercourse, which further muddles the borders at which virginity is lost. “Many people engaging in sexual acts still claim they have not lost their virginity, and as it is not a clear cut thing, it is easier to see that it really does not have that much importance,” Jasmine said. “Sex as a whole is important and deserves to be thought out, yet the enigmatic virginity is not what people make it up to be.”

he unique interpretations of sex by people of different sexual orientations contributes to its lingering ambiguity, prompting the question of what virginity really is. Senior Robert Vetter, who identifies as gay, defines the experience of losing one’s virginity as anal sex to completion. Though anal sex is correctly interpreted by the public to be the primary form of sex used between two men, there is little general information beyond the fact. “Anal sex, in terms of sexual differences between men and women, is that men have a prostate gland, which is inside of their a-----e, and that is what makes anal sex good,” Vetter said. “And not many people know that.” Moreover, the definition of sex portrayed in mainstream media is often misleading, as it fails to include truthful experiences

of those who are not heterosexual. According to Vetter, storylines about gay romances in the media are often warped for entertainment purposes and distort the realistic experiences of queer people. “I think it’s a big trope in movies and the media — the closeted jock or the closeted bully secretly f------ the gay guy he’s bullying — and that is just not something that exists at all,” Vetter said. In addition, due to the lack of discussion in the media and popular culture about the sexual experiences of non-heterosexual people, queer students are often left with inadequate resources and support systems for gaining knowledge about their physical and mental sexual health. “When I first came out, there were not a lot, or any other gay boys, so I had to get everything about not being straight from TV and movies, which is just terrible because it does not turn you

into a well-rounded person and it doesn’t allow you to develop into your own person because you’re so influenced by TV and movies,” Vetter said. According to Vetter, premarital sex for pleasure was not taught in the Living Skills course he took over the summer. “The teacher never really told us about anything other than heterosexual sex to make a baby,” Vetter said. “I think that’s something that definitely needs to be changed in PAUSD because there are plenty of people at Paly having sex for pleasure.” The current sex ed curriculum attempts to methodically teach students about a topic that cannot be condensed into PowerPoint and video lessons; Vetter said teachers, instead, must approach sex education by embracing all of its complexities, including its emotional and psychological components, The socioemotional

elements of sex, specifically in hookup culture, are often discussed exclusively in heterosexual terms — if talked about at all. According to Vetter, gay men are particularly susceptible to health issues concerning body image. “I think gay men are at a pretty high risk for eating disorders and I think that goes along with the hookup culture because for most LGBT people, a lot of what your worth feels like is placed on your outer appearance.” Vetter said. “So on one hand it’s like yay sex, sex is fun, but on the other hand it’s like I feel s--about my body, you know.”

reasons behind abstinence

hile sex has been constructed by the media and popular culture to be a hallmark of the American teenage experience, sex, for many students, does not represent a significant, if any part of their high school reality. Senior Noor Navaid has chosen to remain abstinent until marriage due to her faith, which has consequently influenced her to personally want to abstain from engaging in sex in high school. “I’m Muslim and in Islam, there is an emphasis on avoiding premarital sex or really any intimate action before marriage or commitment to a partner,” Navaid said. According to Navaid, in Islam, if a man impregnates a woman, he is to take full financial responsibility for supporting the child and the woman during her pregnancy. his tradition contributes to why premarital sex is discouraged, as often times, when

Paly junior Dillon, who agreed there is no moral or legal obligation to his partner, it is easier for the man to be interviewed if his name was changed, is another student who is to avoid the responsibility. Although Navaid grew up with choosing to remain abstinent in high an understanding of virginity that school. Although Dillon’s choice to not was predetermined by her religion, have sex is she has discovnot influered her own enced by sense of with virginity that “I don’t feel any pressure religion, he from the media or soci- a t t r i b u t e s is larger than his personal the act of simety, really, and it hasn’t about ply abstaining affected my life much.” beliefs virginity from sex. largely to the “To me, virDillon influence of ginity means his parents’ being protecconservative tive of yourself and respecting yourself as a modest values and the similar values held by girl/boy, woman or man.” Navaid his friends. Some of it is my parents, since said. “It also carries the responsibility to not place oneself in compro- my ideals are what they are mainly mising situations or giving in to because of them, but also my friends momentary emotions, or social pres- mostly have similar beliefs as me.” Dillon said. “All of my friends haven’t sures.”

Lifestyle

SCIENCE & TECH

Juice cleanses

LEILA KHAN / THE CAMPANILE

had sex.” According to Dillon, while some students feel pressure from societal expectations or their peers to have sex, there are many students who are untroubled by the emphasis to have sex. “I don’t feel any pressure from the media or society, really, and it hasn’t affected my life much.” Dillon said. According to Jasmine, regardless of the student’s sexual experience, there is a general agreement among students at Paly that the social stigma to have sex has shifted from the cliche that has long dominated Hollywood plots to be more respectful of students’ varied decisions. Jasmine said, “I think in the modern social scene most people respect that people make the choice to lose their virginity at different times.”

Explaining the science behind the potential pitfalls of juice cleanses through outlining the positive and negative implications of undergoing a dietary detox. PAGE B7

CREATIVE COMMONS / CC0 1.0

Students choose vegetarianism Vegetarian meal options can be affordable for students. PAGE B2

purity “I think in the modern social scene, most people respect that people make the choice to lose their virginity at different times.”

Lifestyle

Jasmine

Lifestyle

SHIVA MOHSENIAN /THE CAMPANILE

Salt & Straw review

The new popular ice cream parlor catching everyone’s attention. PAGE B3

CREATIVE COMMONS

Popularity of fake IDs

Students share their experiences with false identification cards. PAGE B3

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Affordability, challenges of a Seniors continue traditions Class of 2019 participates in Rejection Wall, Decision Day vegetarian, plant-based diet By Paige Knoblock & Bernie Koen Staff Writer & Senior Staff Writer

NOA LEHRER/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Noa Lehrer runs an Instagram account called @lehrer.eats and has been vegetarian since sixth grade.

By Kaitlyn Lee Staff Writer

s junior Noa Lehrer sits down at the dinner table, she snaps a quick picture of the home-cooked meal her father prepared and posts it on her family’s food Instagram account. The account has become popular among her friends, as it showcases her gourmet meals, almost all of which are vegetarian. Lehrer has been vegetarian since sixth grade after researching animal cruelty for a school project. “I did a project at school about how being vegetarian has benefits for the environment,” Lehrer said. “I read ‘Eating Animals,’ which was an intense book on the consequences of consuming animal meat.” According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), vegetarianism helps cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, as producing a calorie of animal protein requires 11 times as much fossil fuels as growing a calorie of grain does. It also conserves water, as it requires 2400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce one pound of wheat, according to One Green Planet. Vegetarianism also helps save the planet from deforestation and habitat destruction, which often occurs when farmers attempt to clear land for their livestock. Cutting meat out of her diet was not hard for Lehrer, as her father adjusted the meals he prepared. The only complications Lehrer said she finds with being vegetarian result when she travels outside of America. “It can be difficult traveling to

countries where meat is a big part of the diet, but I figure it out,” Lehrer said. “When I visited Hong Kong, eating was a little difficult because there was a lot of fish and meat.” She also said being vegetarian is no more expensive than a traditional diet. “I haven’t noticed vegetarian options are more expensive, because in most cases meat is more expensive than vegetables,” Lehrer said. Another limiting non-animal diet is veganism, which is the practice of not using or eating any animal products. Many vegans, including junior Zoe Wong-VanHaren, who has been vegan her entire life, adopted this diet because her parents favored its positive environmental effects. According to an article by Brendan Koerner, veganism shares all the environmental benefits as vegetarianism, but on a larger scale, as one’s dependency on livestock and animals is cut off. Vegetarians can still bring down their carbon emissions by several hundred pounds a year if they adopt veganism. Full vegans do not drink dairy products, eat eggs, eat honey or wear clothes made from animal products. However, Wong-VanHaren finds some exceptions to this. “A question a lot of people ask me is whether or not I was breastfed,” Wong-VanHaren said. “I was, but I don't really consider it not being vegan because human breast milk is meant for a baby, but that's just personal opinion. Another thing to note is my family eats honey, which for most people isn't considered vegan, but we do.” When ordering food in restaurants, Wong-VanHaren finds it to

be more expensive. “One of the problems these days is people are starting to turn towards healthier diets, sort of as a fad, which causes high-end restaurants and food producers to cater towards this trend and raise prices on healthy food just because they can,” Wong-VanHaren said. “However, another issue is just smaller vegan restaurants have to have higher prices to be able to stay alive.” She said being vegan is more affordable when meals are homecooked. “I would say the number one way to be vegan at a low-budget level would be to cook meals yourself,” Wong-VanHaren said. “It's so much cheaper and much more fun. You get to make the food for yourself and actually know what's in the food you're eating.” Paly graduate Katie Gibson was vegetarian for four years and has been vegan for three years. She also said being vegan is a costly lifestyle, but has found ways to work around the high cost of being vegan. “If you want to be vegetarian or vegan at a lower cost, you could try buying in bulk, especially things like beans or lentils,” Gibson said. Controversy can arise when advocates for veganism say everyone can and should help the environment by going vegan. She understands she can do her part by avoiding animal products, but others might not be able to. “Being vegan is way more expensive than not being vegan, which is one of the reasons why I don’t bother other people to become vegan,” Gibson said. “I realized it might not be economically feasible for everyone.”

very spring, anxious seniors wait to hear back from colleges they applied to several months prior. For some students, what seems like a prayer is answered as they receive the coveted admission to an elite school. For others, their dreams of attending some schools are crushed, and they are heartbroken to have been denied admission to one of their dream schools. For many students, rejection can be difficult to deal with, especially if some of their peers are accepted into schools they were rejected from. Most years students place their rejections on a communal “Rejection Wall.” Senior Emily Tsoi placed a few of her college rejections on the wall with the goal of contributing to fostering a community in which rejection is accepted. “It shows people that rejection is fine,” Tsoi said. “Seeing the other rejections that are up made me feel less alone, so hopefully contributing to it helps other people too.” On most posted rejections, students will underline, scribble or highlight parts of the letters and poke fun at the admissions officers or the school itself. Tsoi doesn’t feel that there are any drawbacks to the wall. “People can cross out their names," Tsoi said. "Which lets them post their rejections anonymously, knowing that they don’t have to be afraid of being judged.” The fear of rejection at Paly is real, exacerbated by the fear of not being one of the few students heading to elite schools across the nation. Being rejected from such a school can feel lonely and heartbreaking. According to Tsoi, the wall helps her and other students come to terms with a college rejection. “I think (the ‘Rejection Wall’) creates a more open culture where rejection isn’t something to be ashamed of,” Tsoi said. “Seeing other people be open about their rejections has definitely helped me feel more accepting of the idea of rejection…I think it’s helped others

feel more okay with it, too.” Senior Dominic Thibault, who has not yet posted any rejections on the wall, but plans on doing so, agrees. “I think it’s a pretty healthy activity for everybody to air out their grievances with the colleges that rejected them,” Thibault said. Thibault also said that some of the rejection letters on the wall may have been falsified or edited. “I just know there might be a couple that have been tampered with if you look closely at the wall,” Thibault said. The rejection wall is not the only college-centered senior tradition at Paly. On May 1, known as “Decision Day,” a day in which all seniors across the nation must accept or decline their admission into schools that they had been admitted to, at Paly, seniors wear the shirts of the colleges they plan on attending.

"It shows people that rejection is fine. Seeing the other rejections that are up made me feel less alone, so hopefully contributing to it helps other people too." Emily Tsoi This tradition is meant to bring excitement to seniors after a grueling admissions process. However, in recent years, this tradition has brought a new discussion to light: do these traditions perpetuate more competition among already stressed students? Students as students feel it can cause embarrassment to those who are not attending top universities. Students attending community college, for example, have said they felt alienated, or out of place as their peers walk around flaunting the gear of “elite” schools. Though the tradition is not in any way meant to hinder those not attending top universities, many say it does. Paly class of 2017 graduate Arthur Halsted felt alienated after deciding to attend community college. “At the time, I did feel alienated,” Halsted said. “ I felt like I wasn’t good enough. Over time

though, I actually began to realize that Community College was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

"I think it's a pretty healthy activity for everybody to air out their grievances with the colleges that rejected them." Dominic Thibault For others, this tradition causes students to proclaim a school before they know every option, as students on waitlists of schools may not hear back from the school until later in the spring or over the summer. Due to being put on waitlists, many students end up wearing shirts on May 1 of schools they don’t end up attending. Paly graduate Sydney Lathi wore the shirt of the school she had been waitlisted on with a sheet of paper taped on that read, waitlisted. Lathi thinks the college teeshirts tradition is an opportunity for students to brag about the schools they are attending, which is why she tried to poke fun of the tradition. “I think it’s a flex tradition," Lathi said. “Like a time for people to flex what college they are going to.” Paly graduate Steven Marinkovich was waitlisted at three schools. Because of this, he wore a shirt of a school he did not attend, resulting in him not having the opportunity to wear his schools shirt with his peers. “I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as unfair,” Marinkovich said. “I just think it’s something that’s a little flawed, but I don’t really think there’s a good solution to it.” The t-shirt tradition has spanned many years of graduates and despite students’ and parents’ many viewpoints on the issue, there still seems to be a general consensus of students in support of the classic tradition. Halstead said, “I am in full support of graduation caps and tshirts."

Gap year opportunities provide students, alumni with valuable experiences

Students who choose this pathway say they feel a newfound sense of determination, understanding, purpose in life By Miranda Li

Science & Tech Editor

or senior Ella Thomsen, taking a gap year was never a decision to make, but something she had always known she would pursue. Thomsen was inspired by American author Mark Twain, widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the English language, who once said, “Don’t let school get in the way of a good education.” This is a mindset Thomsen takes to heart, and is the reason why she made the decision to take a sabbatical year, or gap year, between her senior year of high school and freshman year of college to explore herself, as well as the world. “To me, (Twain’s quote) means that school can’t teach everything, and that to learn certain things we need to be exposed to things outside of the classroom,” Thomsen said. “I think that the benefits of a gap year are infinite.” There are numerous motives for taking a gap year, ranging from wanting to learn about and gain exposure to the world to needing some time to learn about oneself and gain new perspectives before attending college. Thomsen said she plans to spend her free year in Ecuador, where she will live with a host family, help out at a local school, play soccer and gain fluency in Spanish. Through this experience, she said she hopes to focus on her personal growth and gain

transferable life skills outside of academics. “It’s a year of living somewhere else and doing all sorts of things, but it’s also a year of learning about yourself and being present,” Thomsen said. “I think that it’s preparing me for the rest of my life and I will gain so much out of it that I can apply later on.” According to Gunn alumna Olivia Toft, who is currently in her gap year, the extra time outside of her home in a non-structured environment has allowed her to grow more independent.

"It's a year of living somewhere else and doing all sorts of things but it's also a year of learning about yourself and being present." Ella Thomsen “I am already pretty far along in my gap year but I think I went into it hoping that I could prove to myself that I could be more self-sufficient,” Toft said. “I think it has helped me realize that, even though I might’ve liked to think so, I wasn’t as mature and responsible beforehand. Sure I could drive myself to soccer practice, take care of my studies, and cook a couple

dishes, but it’s not the same as having to budget your finances, grocery shop when you’re broke, figure out taxes and more.” For Paly alumnus and current college sophomore Conner Donnelly, a gap year gave him time to think through his life and decide whether or not he wanted to continue on the college pathway. During his gap year, Donnelly attended a National Outdoors Leadership School program in New Zealand, where he kayaked, backpacked, sailed and took an extended summer vacation. “I took a gap year because I didn’t feel like I was ready to go to college,” Donnelly said. “I needed time to think about what I wanted to do and had some personal troubles to sort through.” According to a survey conducted by the Gap Year Advantage in 2006, 60 percent of students who took a gap year said the experience either “set them on their current career path/academic major” or “confirmed their choice of career/ academic major.” This was a major factor that inspired Paly senior Lucia Amieva-Wang to pursue a gap year. “I think a lot of people say that after taking a gap year they have a better direction of what they want to study or a better sense of who they are, which, going into college, is going to be very helpful for me,” Amieva-Wang said. “Having that time to reflect and figure out me as a person more is going to make me

ANNA MEYER/THE CAMPANILE

Some of the opportunities available to students planning to take gap years include outdoor adventures. feel more comfortable and ready for the college experience.” For Donnelly, a year of selfdiscovery was successful in helping him decide that he wanted to continue his educational journey and go through college. “The gap year gave me time to reevaluate my life (and) confirm what I wanted to do,” Donnelly said. “(It) gave me time to think about what I wanted to do and interact with a larger variety of peo-

ple with different life experiences: people in college, graduated but didn’t like the degree, dropped out, graduated with a degree they liked or no college. From these people I concluded that I wanted to go to college and graduate.” Amieva-Wang said gap years are an opportunity to capitalize on, one she did not consider at first due to the stigma at Paly around them. “There is a stigma of taking gap years here because there’s just

this pressure that there’s only this one pathway to success," AmievaWang said. "That is, you go to a high school, you go to a good fouryear college, you go to graduate school. And I feel like people think so far ahead that they’re not living in the moment, and they miss opportunities and just don’t grow as much as a person. And that’s why I think it’s important sometimes just to slow down and take the time to figure out yourself.”

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

LIFESTYLE

Two members of Paly Debate qualify to Nationals

Speech and Debate team sets record by sending eight students to State, National tournaments By Kris Risano & Andrew Wang Staff Writers

wo members of the Paly Debate team — senior Nisha McNealis and junior Maya Levine — recently qualified for the national tournament. Placing top three in the national qualifiers, the two Paly contestants will compete in the national debate tournament in Dallas in June. McNealis qualified in Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, which is a form of one-on-one debate. Typically, LD focuses on controversial social and philosophical topics.

“I can’t wait to meet amazing debaters from all around the country and I can’t think of a better way to cap off my time in an acitivity that has meant so much to me over the past four years.” Nisha McNealis McNealis has had extensive experience as a debater, having participated in the team for all four years of high school. “Debate is the most terrifying, challenging, energizing, rewarding activity I’ve done in high school,” McNealis said. “And while I do love delving deep into research, coming up with creative arguments and exposing logical flaws, our community is really what makes it worth joining.” In order to qualify for nationals, McNealis competed at National Qualifiers for LD. Her ticket to nationals did not come easy. “You have to place in the top three at a tournament called National Qualifiers,” McNealis said. “It’s a tournament at Bellarmine (College Preparatory) with a maximum of four debaters from each school in the area. The whole tournament was a great experience. Every debater I hit was strong, and I think having challenging opponents really pushed

NAVID NAJMABADI/THE CAMPANILE

Column: Second Semester Seniors By Vivian Feng

Multimedia Editor

JENNIE SAVAGE/ USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Dominic Thibault, junior Ryan Wisowaty, sophomore Alex Selwyn and junior Maya Levine had a strong performance in the National Qualifiers for Congress.

me to elevate my argumentation and speaking style.” This is the first time anyone from Paly Debate competing in LD has qualified to Nationals in over a decade, and McNealis said she feels exhilarated about her achievement. “I’m incredibly excited — I think it’s been either 10 or 16 years since we’ve qualified someone to Nationals — so it feels pretty special,” McNealis said. “I can’t wait to meet amazing debaters from all around the country, and I can’t think of a better way to cap off my time in an activity that has meant so much to me over the past four years.” Throughout her years of debate, McNealis said she had an encouraging and supporting team around her. “I’m so grateful to the brilliant coaches who have helped me every step of the way,” McNealis said. “Our head coach Jennie (Savage) is one-of-a-kind. My teammates have given me unconditional support and assistance.” Nevertheless, McNealis will take no time off in preparing for the upcoming event. She plans to undertake thorough and comprehensive preparation with the help of the Paly Debate staff. “I’m really lucky to have one of our coaches, Sarah Youngquist, to help me prepare for Nationals, so

I’ll definitely be casing and going over arguments with her,” McNealis said. “Nationals is a circuit tournament, meaning that people use more elaborate techniques such as theory and spreading that I’m not too familiar with, so I’m going to practice responding to circuit arguments. Hopefully I can do Paly proud.”

“It was a thrill for the team to qualify double the number of Paly competitors that we’ve ever had to the State Championship.” Jennie Savage Over the past two seasons, the Paly Debate team has had two Congressional debaters qualify for the national tournament. Congressional debate is a form of debate where 12-18 competitors debate the merits of different resolutions and bills. Last year, Dominic Thibault, senior and captain of the Congress team, qualified for the national tournament and was able to advance to the semi finals. Thibault said the national tournament was the coolest experience

of his debate career. “One of the most impressive things was getting to meet fellow debaters from all across the country and hear their perspectives and stories,” Thibault said. According to Thibault, one must prepare vigorously in order to succeed at a Congressional debate tournament. Thibault said preparation consists of plenty of background research, in addition to the writing and memorization of speeches that will be used during the tournament. “Preparing for Nationals was a similar process (to other tournaments),” Thibault said. “The only difference was the magnitude of preparation required and the importance of research.” This year, Levine was able to qualify for the Congressional Debate National Tournament that takes place this summer. This is Levine’s third year on the team and first time qualifying for Nationals. Levine credits her recent success to her newfound ability to improvise during her rebuttals this season. This skill is something Levine has not always had, as her experience over the past three years has allowed her to become more comfortable straying from her pre-written speeches. “I’ve been working on being more flexible and it was really

helpful, as I essentially improvised several speeches during National Qualifiers,” Levine said. “Being able to throw away your previous plan and give speeches that are essentially just rebuttal is a really important skill in (Congressional debate) and it’s what carried me through.” Levine offered praise to her coaches and teammates, saying she would not have been able to make it to Nationals without their help and guidance. Thibault acknowledges all the hard work Levine has demonstrated this season and believes it will lead her to finish the season strong. “(Levine) is incredibly hard working, attentive and listens better than anyone I have ever seen,” Thibault said. “That enables her to provide context and perfectly encapsulate and summarize the debate for the judges.” Paly Speech and Debate Head Coach Jennie Savage is proud of the team and hopeful of the successes that have yet to come. “It was a thrill for the team to qualify double the number of Paly competitors that we’ve ever had to the State Championship,” Savage said. “The eight students who are preparing for States in May and Nationals in June are all working closely with their coaches and teammates to get ready.”

Teenagers share experiences with using fake IDs

Underage students turn to fake IDs to illegally buy alcoholic beverages, nicotine products Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Source: United States National Library of Medicine

Source: DrugRehab Advanced Recovery Systems

Binge drinking is responsible for over 4,300 deaths of minors each year.

Fake ID ownership increased from 12.5% before college to 32.2% by the students’ fourth semester.

Consequences for being caught with a fake ID range from a minimum $250 fine to a maximum $1,000 fine and/or six months in the county jail.

The average age that teenagers first try alchohol is 14 years old.

MIRANDA LI & ANDREW WANG/THE CAMPANILE

By Eve Donnelly

Staff Writer

outh is often coveted. To some Paly teens, however, age can be a burden. Some students take issue with the restrictions that come with being a minor, such as not being able to purchase liquor and nicotine products. Rather than sit and wait for the day where they are legally allowed to buy alcohol and Juul pods, some students have acquired fake identifications (IDs) to circumvent the requirement.

“Kids either ignore the law and drink anyways or wait until they are 21 ... which usually leads to a trip to the hospital.” Rosa The most common way to procure a fake ID is through online ordering. Sites, normally based

in other countries, allow minors to submit their picture, signature and a false date of birth. Most IDs manufactured now can be scanned at any establishment and appear as authentic IDs. Out of state IDs are most common, as they are usually cheaper and harder to recognize than ones from California. With many teens finding roundabout ways to cheat the system, it calls into question the necessity of having to be 21 to purchase alcohol. Eric, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, bought a fake ID at the start of his senior year, but not many new doors were opened to him once he had it. “My life isn’t much different with a fake ID because I’ve always had friends my age or older with fakes,” Eric said. “So I guess the only difference would be the convenience to go out and buy illegal contraband on my own.” Eric questions the necessity of such a high drinking age requirement, since teenagers are able to do arguably more dangerous activities.

“The drinking age should be lowered,” Eric said. “If you can be 18 and blown up by an (Improvised Explosive Device) in the Middle East, you should be able to drink a beer.”

“My life isn’t much different with a fake ID because I’ve always had friends my age or older with fakes.” Eric Since her sophomore year, senior Sophia, whose name has also been changed to protect her identity, has used a fake ID. According to Sophia, her first fake ID, ordered from a website, was poor quality. “My old fake was bad and got taken away, but my new one has never been questioned,” Sophia said. “I got (the fake ID I have now) junior year from a friend in San Francisco, and it’s a really good California ID. I use it for everything (minors are unable to do) and it has never not worked when

trying to get into a bar or a club.” Sophia has always been successful in her illegal endeavours and does not see the drinking age law as something that prevents her from doing so. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among minors in America. This is most often in the form of binge drinking, which entails consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in one sitting. Binge drinking is responsible for over 4,300 deaths of minors each year. Rosa, a Paly student from the class of 2013, took to Reddit, an online forum for posting and discussion, to look for reputable fake ID websites. “I ordered my first batch with two other people and from there other people started asking me to place orders,” Rosa said. “I used the ID mostly just for buying alcohol from Safeway and liquor stores around town. Later on, I used it in bars and to order alcohol at restaurants. I would sometimes buy alcohol for people’s parties.” Rosa estimates she provided

fake IDs to at least 20 people over several years, but does not see anything wrong with supplying this service.

“If you can be 18 and blown up by an (Improvised Explosive Device) in the Middle East, you should be able to drink a beer.” Eric “America has such a toxic culture around drinking,” Rosa said. “Kids either ignore the law and drink anyways or wait until they’re 21 and don’t know their limits, which usually leads to a trip to the hospital.” Rosa said this is an issue unique to America, since most other countries only require being 18 to purchase alcohol. Since all activity is done under the radar to avoid consequences, no adult guidance or supervision is offered to minors trying alcohol for the first time.

very second semester, the graduating class of seniors embark on their journey to completing the easiest and most fun semester of high school. However, workload from the many AP and honors courses you signed up to take on as a second semester senior (SSS) for as an ambitious junior is now setting into reality. The last weeks we spend as students at Paly will fly by whether we like it or not. Here are some tips on how to make the most of being an SSS. Wear college gear for schools you’re not attending Keep people guessing where you’ve committed to by repping a different college every day. Once you step on your university’s campus, you won’t be able to walk around in other collegiate gear without being sideeyed. That pile of sweatshirts, Tshirts and sweatpants branded by colleges you applied to, didn’t commit to or didn’t get into aren’t going to wear themselves. You might as well get good use out of them while you can in the safe haven of Paly. Celebrate something every day Having difficulty getting excited for school? Make an occasion out of every day of the week. Although the “Bachelor” TV show season is over, you can still catch up on previous seasons with your friends by dedicating two hours every Monday towards watching the show: many have named this day “Bachelor Monday.” By Tuesday, many may already be drained after a long night of Bachelor debating and Snapchatting. To celebrate and commemorate that hardship, “Treat Yourself Tuesday” is a popular holiday celebrated by seniors. Indulge in the $14 pastry from Douce France that would, in any other circumstance, be considered outrageously expensive. Halfway through the school week, peers often congragulate one another for making it to “hump day,” also known by others as Wednesday. As defined by Urban Dictionary, hump day is “the middle of a work week; used in the context of climbing a proverbial hill to get through a tough week.” Another frequently celebrated holiday is “Friday Eve,” otherwise known as Thursday. With other major holidays such as New Year’s and Christmas, people celebrate the “eve,” and so why not celebrate the eve of the weekend. Even when it may seem impossible to make a holiday out of a regular day, seniors will continue to surprise you. Last but not least, a new senior tradition has arisen: dressing fancy on Fridays. Whether it is late homework, a test you haven’t studied for or both, at least you’ll play your part in Paly’s Duck Syndrome. Go to libraries and cafes to socialize Although libraries have previously been a place of concentration and procrastination, this semester it is a hub for seniors to meet, pull out homework and put it on the desk, and then chat about everything else without picking up their pencils once. By avoiding other work, seniors may find themselves with an abundance of free time. At popular locations such as Rinconada Library and Coupa Cafe, second semester seniors can fill their time by distracting fellow underclassmen who have real deadlines, or counseling eager juniors on how to score higher on the SAT as AJ Tutoring alumnae.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

*The names of sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity have been changed

SPO LIGHT

The Truth Abo

Unpacking the driving forces and imp

verybody’s doing it,” embattled college coach William Rick Singer said in a 2013 YouTube video, “it” referring to high school students doing all they can to boost their chances at college admissions. What appeared to be an innocent pep talk video was recently unveiled

as a small aspect of the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted in the U.S., ensnaring celebrities and global CEOs and prompting Americans to reflect on the fairness of college admissions. More broadly, the scandal highlights an issue that has become ubiq-

tanford University freshman Alex, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has only been at Stanford for the past seven months. But like many of his classmates at Stanford, Alex said he is well-aware that the prestige and perfection associated with his elite university often mask the pressure students experience — a phenomenon known as the “Stanford duck syndrome.” “Duck syndrome,” a term coined at Stanford University around five years ago, compares the happy façade college students often project to the way a duck appears to glide calmly and gracefully while actually frantically paddling underneath the water’s surface to stay afloat. “The duck syndrome is totally present at Stanford,” Alex said. “If someone scores a B and

s baby boomers and Generation X start to leave the workforce, and Millennials start to replace their higher ranked white-collar and blue-collar jobs, Generation Z is expected to fill the holes in society. Honest and dishonest students progress through high school and college

a n d enter important professional roles, such as doctors, lawyers, and politi-

Introduction

uitous: a sinister culture of dishonesty. Silicon Valley is no stranger to lying, from the defunct Theranos claiming to have revolutionized blood testing to Apple purposely slowing down older iPhones via software updates and telling consumers the updates prolonged battery life.

Perhaps even more pernicious and relevant to people’s daily lives than corporate wrongdoing is the lies students and parents spread. Rather than becoming the exception, dishonesty appears to have become the norm in the everyday lives of the younger generation – at the expense of mor-

Duck Syndrome

they’ve never scored a B in their life, they’re just said. “It takes you some amount of time to realgoing to be like, ‘We’re OK with it,’ and ize that not everything is OK … But it’s very show everyone prevalent once you they’re happy, get to know about because it’s it.” the status According to quo here.” Alex, this systemDespite the atic hiding of true popularity of emotions leads to def. a phenomena coined the term, Alex hiding of perat Stanford University to describe how the said he initially sonal struggles people portray calmness superficially did not realize at competitive how prevalent institutions — while frantically trying to keep up. the duck synbe it at Stanford, drome was unPaly or elsewhere til late fall quarter. — at the expense of sleep and mental “(The duck syndrome is) very subtle,” Alex health.

duck syn·drome

Generational Differences

cians. Unlike previous generations, as a generation that was raised with a specific emphasis to win at all costs matures into adults, the potential for societal consequences is real. James Doty, a Clinical Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, said a generation that was taught to cheat and lie to survive as children will act the same as professionals. “Somehow those parents believe it was OK for them to (win at all costs) in high school or college, but when they become a doctor or lawyer or professional, they will be a good human being,” Doty said. “No — they’re going to demonstrate the same type of ruthless behavior and cheat, steal, do whatever’s necessary to be number one or to win.” In addition to a set of degraded morals, another generational difference with potential consequences is Generation Z’s reliance on technology – specifically social media, a form of communication widely used by students and society alike. According to Jessica Clark, a Paly Counseling and Support Services for Youth head therapist, social media is part of the dishonesty that people experience today. “We’re in a phase of our society (where social media) is a symptom, but also represents that duck syndrome,” Clark said. “You put your best face out to the world and hide your struggles underneath.”

al integrity, interpersonal trust and mental health. As Generation Z is taught to win at all costs, and morals are questioned, a powder keg is set up to explode as the current generation of professionals is phased out and a new breed of people with different values and worldviews replace them.

“You still have to show you’re happy, and (for) a bunch of my friends, academically, this puts a huge pressure on us because … we’re struggling,” Alex said. According to Paly junior Brian, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, the duck syndrome has managed to infect younger audiences aswell, and has become a typical part of academic life for many Paly students too. “I think that the duck syndrome is present in everyone, but it’s kind of localized,” Brian said. “So if you look at some random person you hardly know at Paly and see how they're doing, you're probably like, ‘Yeah, they're doing fine and are totally chill,’ but (if ) you talk to any one of your friends, and they're all totally freaking the f--- out.”

As technology and daily life intertwine A 2017 report from the Royal Society for tighter, a constant stream of carefully curated Public Health in the UK found that Instaand misleading gram is the most highlights can detrimental social have a detrimedia app to the mental effect mental health of on the mental people aged 14 health of usto 24, followed ers, and also by Snapchat. The reflects the report found that mental health while Instagram of the one who can be a positive portrays their outlet for self-exlife perfectly pression, the app online. can also negative“The sad ly affects body imthing about inage, sleep patterns dividuals who and encourages have to be perthe phenomenon fect on Instaknown as “Fear of gram in terms Missing Out.” Percent of each generation that of their looks “You’re not agrees with the statement: "Lying posting pictures or present this extraordinary of you waking is morally wrong." lifestyle is that up out of bed Courtesy of Barna Group they are also with your hair all suffering from messed,” Clark a need for acsaid. “You’re postceptance and ing the highlights love,” Doty said. of your life. So as “... it’s their peers (encouraging online dishon- you’re comparing someone else’s posts to your esty), it’s marketing, marketers using un- life, it looks like everyone else has this wonderreasonable perceptions of beauty… ful, pretty life, and it can be a false sense of what they’ll do anything, even be other people’s life really is.” dishonest, to appear that way.”

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

SPO LIGHT

out Dishonesty

plications of a culture of dishonesty

aly senior Andrea, who spoke back from many schools. It wasn't unon the condition of anonymity, til very later on did I tell her I didn't said when she told her mother get in.” Andrea said her parents’ view she had been deferred at the Univer- about academics caused her to be dissity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, honest with them throughout high her mother school. had an ex“Myparents plosive reacare brutally tion. honest “ S h e when it freaked out comes to because she grades and thought that schools,” I wasn't goAndrea ing to get in said. “They anywhere, ” a r e n ' t Andrea said. afraid to “I told her, say that a ‘It's fine, I B is bad Paly senior Andrea already got or that into another this school school,’ but isn't good she didn't enough … like the school that I got into — Ari- If I do poorly on a test, I’d rather not zona State University. She thought tell them. I would usually just say that that despite the rankings and what- I didn't get it back yet … because that not, ASU was a school everyone got way they can't critique it. They don't into, and it wasn't going to be good see the trends that happen and just enough.” focus on the individual.” Andrea’s mother’s reaction proved According to Brian, parents do consequential. not understand the pressure Genera“Because of this reaction, when I tion Z, those born between the midgot deferred from Case Western, I 1990s to the early 2000s, faces. didn't tell her because I was scared “Every parent will say that they of her reaction,” Andrea said. “For know it’s more intense for our genmonths, I said that I hadn't heard eration, but I don't think they really

"For months, I said that I hadn’t heard back from many schools. It wasn’t until very later on did I tell her I didn’t get in.”

Parenting

understand,” Brian said. “Like it’s hard, and sometimes it’s dirty — morally ambiguous.” In fact, Brian said parents may have misconceptions about which students are inclined to cheat in school. “Parents think, ‘It’s probably some degenerate who’s a drug dealer and whatever,’ or ‘Some overachieving nerd who wants to get into Stanford,’” Brian said. “Nah, dude, everyone does it.” In addition, parents sometimes play an active role in perpetuating their child’s dishonesty by lying themselves – for example, when a parent calls their student in sick or excuses them from class when they aren’t actually ill. According to David, this is common among him and his friends. “Yeah, I cut class a decent amount,” David said. “My parents always knew when I cut class and always approved — they emailed the attendance office and had me excused as needed.” David said he was willing to be dishonest with the attendance office due to the demands of pressing extracurriculars and difficult classes. “Neither I nor my parents had any qualms about lying to the attendance office,” David said. However, according to Doty, when children learn to sacrifice honesty in

order to further themselves, it can Bella, who spoke on the condition of send the message that achieving what anonymity, said she asks her parents one wants is more important than to call her in sick for various reasons. anything else. “Usually (I ask my parents to call "Unfortunately, there are some in) for mental health reasons, which I parents or authority figures which feel is justified because it is part of my children will look up to and they give health,” Bella said. “If I feel unprethe children the impression that they pared for a class or test, I skip periods should try to win at all costs," Doty to study and prepare and then go to said. "It is school late. not related I don’t feel to values, guilty for it is not lying to the related to attendance fairness, it’s office; I not related feel embarto justice, rassed that it’s simply they hear you must from my win. And family so that means much.” someone AccordPaly junior Bella else must ing to Doty, lose. And if a child is when a pressured child is by parents presented with that type of an atti- to achieve it can result in depression tude, it’s not about learning for learn- or suicide. ing for learning’s sake, it’s not about "If your only value is to those who being a role model for others, it is look to you for love, and they define about winning, and that winning can you those criteria, well then you do be translated into straight As, that behaviors to attain what you believe can winning can be translated into will bring you love," Doty said. "And getting into an Ivy League school, or sadly, that will often times involve a very prestigious school." cheating or doing other behaviors to For example, Paly junior student get ahead."

"I don't feel guilty for lying to the attendance office; I feel embarassed that they hear from my family so much."

Academic Dishonesty

hen people think of aca“Cheating is very common,” Brian demic dishonesty, they of- said. “There’s only two to three people ten think of students lazily I know who refuse to cheat … When asking their classmates if they can it's such high stakes … you do what copy their homework, or a student you have to.”Brian describes a culture furiously at Paly that copying he said aldown their most forces classmates’ students to answer comproon a test, mise their frantically moral inalternating tegrity simbetween ply because glancing at so many the paper other stuand the dents are Paly junior Brian teacher. doing it. How“To not ever, acacheat is a demic disconscious honesty is as broad as plagiarizing effort to put yourself at a disadvanan essay, hoarding old exams or nar- tage,” Brian said. rowing down possible College Board And, according to Brian, there is Free Response Questions that are no shortage of ways to cheat with guaranteed to be on the unit exams in little chance of getting caught. Paly AP classes. “I’ve heard of some instances Brian said he and many others where entire tests were copied down take advantage of the various meth- on scratch paper and distributed,” ods of cheating out of what he said is Brian said. “I managed to narrow a sheer necessity to keep his grades down the possible FRQ questions up, especially if it’s squeezed in (Free Response Questions) down to between letter grades. five to six questions I got from Col-

"To not cheat is a conscious effort to put yourself at a disadvantage."

lege Board because I knew cheat.’ Well, that’s how I imagine (my teacher) got them from there. If school. Everyone cheats, and if I don’t there’s a study guide someone made, cheat, then I risk losing … School is some people will highlight which testing my ability to cheat.” parts people should study. People alAccording to Brian, part of the ways share essays, (and) as far as I can problem is student herd mentality: tell, as long as you're not a complete since so many other people cheat, idiot, you can manage to fool turnitin. people feel the need to cheat to keep com.” up with their peers’ artificially inflatBrian compared Paly’s academic ed grades. environment to the Kobayashi Maru, Paly junior Emma, who spoke on a training exercise in Star Trek de- the condition of anonymity, said stusigned to train cadets for a scenario dents are even dishonest with their where there is no way to win, forcing friends about their test scores because the cadet to cheat by hacking the sys- of a fear of seeming inadequate in tem. comparison “Captain to their peers. Kirk cheated “I lied (to by hacking the my friends) computer, and about my when authoriSAT score,” ties interEmma said. rogated him, “I feel like he said this: (the issue ‘Cheating is is) more like the solution,’” me comparBrian said. “‘If ing myself Paly junior Ava the goal is to to other stuwin, and there dents, and is no way knowing through orthodox methods, the only that the kids at this school are really way to win is to cheat. So the test smart.” was designed to see how well I could Another high-achieving student,

"Even now, I work harder because I'm scared of my parents' reaction."

Ava, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said unlike Emma, her pressure to maintain high grades comes mostly from her parents, citing their immigrant status as a unique factor in her upbringing and perspective on academics. “(Having) parents that are immigrants, I feel like it’s a common theme with immigrant parents that they want their kids to succeed, even if it means through ways that aren’t really the best for the kid,” Ava said. “Since elementary school, my parents have been talking about elite colleges like Stanford and how I have to get super great grades, and it’s just manifested.” However, Ava said even if all parental pressure was eliminated, she would still feel the same pressure to succeed and potential lifelong inadequacy because of the values ingrained in her by the community. “There’s a feeling of … inadequacy,” Ava said. “No matter where you are, being a child and growing you are cultivated and in a way you are groomed by your community. Even now, I work harder because I’m scared of my parents’ reaction, but at this point, it’s also for myself.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Salt & Straw offers quality ice cream at exorbitant prices By Ben van Zyll

Sports Editor

s one of the newest ice cream shops to join Downtown Palo Alto, Salt & Straw, located at 250 University Ave., has established itself as one of the most popular, with lines consistently out the door, above-average ice cream and high prices.

ASHLEY ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE

Paly and Castilleja students and parents participated in a walkout in March 2018 that advocated for increased gun control laws.

Social activism goes beyond social media action

Paly students believe positive action beyond protest sparks effective change By Lucy Nemerov Business Manager

enior Rebecca Cheng carefully applies paint to a canvas, writing “ch-nk” and “yellow face” in vibrant colors. These cruel words hang from the painted hands of a woman in a traditional qipao dress. Cheng’s work is a unique way of fighting social injustice — she said her piece is meant to bring awareness to the racism many Asian Americans face. Through local protests and social media, students have utilized their voices to promote positive change. Although these actions raise awareness, some student activists believe they are only the beginning of a long march for change. Certain students have gone beyond protest, however, pushing for change by creating conversation through art, becoming involved in the political process or organizing clubs within the community. Social media has become a common tool for speaking out about social issues. Although posting can spread information to others, it can sometimes be viewed as lazy activism. The term “slacktivism” has been defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterized as involving very little effort or commitment.” According to some Paly student activists, these efforts are not to be condemned as worthless but

further involvement is needed to successfully enact change. Cheng has gone beyond social media posts, approaching social activism through a unique lens — her artwork, which serves as an outlet for her to reflect on social issues. “I try to make pieces that show my point of view and to make a statement about my stance,” Cheng said. “For example, I’ve made a drawing that protests gun violence and another one against racism.”

“I try to make pieces that show my point of view and to make a statement about my stance.” Rebecca Cheng

Regarding her art, Cheng said she views her work as a conversation starter, rather than a direct reason for change. “I think the most direct reaction that I’ve gotten would be like, ‘I didn’t know about this before’ or something like that, and it usually starts conversation,” Cheng said. Senior Warren Wagner said he has found success in fighting social injustices by becoming involved in politics. At a young age, Wagner said he became interested in lessening inequalities in his local community. Motivated to seek direct change, he

volunteered for local politicians who shared similar goals. “When I lived in Sacramento, I volunteered for mayoral candidate Darrell Steinberg, and he went on to win,” Wagner said. “Now, as mayor, he’s been a leader on fighting homelessness and his policies have really helped revitalize downtown, and I always know that I played a part in helping give back to my city.” Although Wagner has attended multiple protests and values their effect, he feels it is necessary to take a step further in fighting injustices. According to Wagner, educating voters on issues and different candidates is an easy way to have a positive impact. “The most effective way to fight injustice is the day-in, day-out work that goes into supporting the candidates or causes that you’re passionate about,” Wagner said. “The first step is always to start talking about the issue and attending protests and rallies to raise the profile of an issue — but that rarely changes anything on its own. Once you’re doing that, though, the most important thing is easily to pitch in by going door-to-door or making phone calls or doing whatever you can to help really convince voters and make change.” Although Wagner said the best way to have a positive effect is to become directly involved with these issues, he said he has mixed feelings on the intersection between social justice and social media. “Social media activism gets

a pretty bad rep, and it’s not all warranted, because it’s important for people to express their beliefs through whatever platform they have,” Wagner said. “But it does get to a point where people just complain incessantly on social media without doing anything else to help create change, so then that stops being productive. But social media is also essential for promoting events, spreading word and just organizing in general.” Junior Arianna Ma, president of the Intersectional Feminism Club, has participated in various protests. Although she values her participation, she said these marches are to raise awareness instead of initiate direct legislative effects. “While I believe that perhaps protests that I have been a part of have raised awareness for relative social issues and maybe sparked some public interest, I don’t feel that these protests have achieved intended legislative, social change,” Mao said. According to Mao, these issues can be misunderstood when promoted through protests. “Constant rallying and protesting with reactionary, emotional impulse has made the public more desensitized to the issues that such activist groups are trying to raise awareness for,” Mao said. “I definitely believe that if one is going to hold a protest, that they have to organize well and gather a lot of people and resources to really have meaningful impact for social change.”

I recommend Salt & Straw for those who do not mind dropping a few extra bucks to get quality ice cream, because it is good ice cream, but the prices are ugly. The wait to be served varies depending on the time of day that you go to get ice cream. To simulate a typical trip to a local ice cream shop, I went at 8 p.m., right after most individual’s dinnertime. After about 35 minutes of waiting in line, it was time to order. The process was nothing out of the ordinary. As a customer, you can sample flavors, then order and pay. The line moved slowly and the store seemed understaffed as there were unmanned registers that could have been put to use to speed up the process. The quality of the ice cream just about made the long wait in line worth it. However, I would say that despite having some of the best ice cream around, Salt & Straw’s prices are too high to make it a go-to spot. A single scoop of ice cream was upwards of $5, which seems ridiculous. To make your dessert even more expensive, you can order a sundae instead, which comes with a brownie or a blondie. Salt & Straw makes milkshakes as well, but they are no exception to the price standard. In many cases, with increasing price comes increasing quality, which is true of the ice cream here. I tried a multitude of flavors, including Chocolate

Brownie, Orange Sorbet, Strawberry Tres Leches and Cookie Dough. I am happy to say that all four of these flavors impressed. The Chocolate Brownie was my favorite. The base chocolate ice cream was good enough to stand alone, and the addition of brownie chunks certainly made this one stick out. The ice cream was smooth and rich enough to taste like I was getting what I paid for, but not so rich that I felt sick after eating a scoop.The brownie chunks were spaced out perfectly so I could get about one piece in every bite without even trying. I have never been a big fan of sorbets, but the Orange Sorbet quickly put that to the test. It was a bit sour, which I appreciated, but anyone with an aversion to highly sweet or mildly sour sorbets should steer clear of this item. The Strawberry Tres Leches was delicious at first, but after getting through about half of the scoop, it tasted so rich that I had enough. It is very good ice cream, but I would not buy it again because of the ice cream’s price. The Cookie Dough is one of Salt & Straw’s signature salted ice creams, and it was definitely a close second to the Chocolate Brownie. The light hint of salt complimented the cookie dough chunks perfectly, and the product was a smooth, tasty, creamy and balanced ice cream.

I would say that despite having some of the best ice cream around, Salt & Straw’s prices are too high to make it a go-to spot. Overall, I recommend Salt & Straw for those who do not mind dropping a few extra bucks to get quality ice cream, because it is good ice cream, but the prices are too high. One who truly cares about the quality of their ice cream is getting what they are paying for, but one who just wants a random sweet treat should look elsewhere.

Paly alumni, seniors reflect on maintaining post-high school friendships

Childhood friends are able to keep in touch through social media apps despite not meeting often By Hyunah Roh

Staff Writer

ast May, dressed in her classic green graduation gown and decorated cap, then-senior Chelsea Fan took pictures at her high school graduation with her closest friends, those who made her high school career memorable. Now, finally free from high school, Fan has started a new chapter of her life at Carnegie Mellon University.

“You really have to make an effort to take time to text or FaceTime a high school friend in order to stay in touch.” Hannah Darby

For many graduated high school students like Fan, college was an opportunity to meet new people, since they were entering a new environment and starting over. But since students dissipate to schools all over the country, most high school friend groups, no matter how tight-knit, end up parting ways after high school. Fan said because all her friends enrolled in different colleges all around the U.S., going from spending almost every day with her close friends to not seeing each other for months was a big challenge for her. To help with this separation, many college students use social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, FaceTime, VSCO and Facebook Messenger to stay in touch with high school friends, according to Hannah Darby, a freshman at Colby College. “I talk to my friends on FaceTime once a month and Snap-

chat,” Darby said. “We also follow each other on Instagram and VSCO so we keep up with each other’s photos.” Since college students are so busy with school and socializing with their new friends, it’s hard for them to balance moving forward to a new part of their life with maintaining old relationships, according to Darby. “You really have to make an effort to take time to text or FaceTime a high school friend in order to stay in touch,” Darby said. “I have stopped talking to some of my close high school friends as much as I used to without meaning to or thinking about it.” But despite these challenges, some Paly graduates still manage to find the time to talk to at least one of their friends every day with the help of social media. “It is totally worth it to continue old friendships that are meaningful,” Darby said. In addition to keeping in touch through social media, Darby said she also meets up with her friends around five times a year in person during winter and spring break.

“We are all having unique experiences at college, and we are all eager to hear about how different it is for each of us.” Julianna Roth

“When I am home and they are also home, we usually get a meal together or go out,” Darby said. Seniors at Paly are now preparing to finish their high school careers and head off to college, knowing that their friend groups will most likely separate as they pursue different paths.

Senior Prashanti Anderson said throughout her high school experience she has been in a friend group with friends who were older than her, so when they left for college, she felt as if she was left behind.

“It’s good to move on and try to form new friendships in college rather than giving up those opportunities (in order) to go meet up with old friends and try to hold onto new friendships.”

Chelsea Fan, third from the right, celebrates with her close friends at graduation before going to college.

“We still do keep in touch, but it’s different, since we are growing apart and both have our own lives that don’t intersect as much anymore,” Anderson said. Anderson said high school friendships are worth keeping, but only to a certain extent. “It’s good to move on and try to form new friendships in college rather than giving up those opportunities (in order) to go meet up with old friends and try to hold on to old friendships,”

Anderson said. However, this could be difficult for some seniors, such as senior Cole Sotnick, who said he has been in the same group of friends ever since kindergarten at Walter Hays Elementary School. “My friends are like brothers to me and it would be hard to imagine forgetting this time period in my life,” Sotnick said. Since many seniors are still deciding which colleges to attend, Sotnick is still unsure if any of his friends will go to the same

Prashanti Anderson

BRITNEY FAN/USED WITH PERMISSION

college as him. But knowing that they will not all be together, they have already begun to plan ahead of how to keep in contact with each other. “In college, we will most likely stay in touch via Snapchat or text message,” Sotnick said. “We’ve talked about making weekend trips to each other’s schools.” Although college will temporarily split up friend groups, the moment when everyone gathers again throughout the breaks will

be more memorable, according to Julianna Roth, a freshman at Grinnell College. Since Roth has known her friends from home a lot longer than her friends from college, she said it will be easy to get back to where her friendships left off. “We are all having unique experiences at college, and we are all eager to hear about how different it is for each of us,” Roth said. “And your high school friends are the ones you would want to share these experiences (with).”

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

SCIENCE & TECH

Students try juice cleanses as a way to lose weight, improve health Dietitians warn of ineffectiveness of method, dangers of insufficient nutrients, counterproducitivity to well-being By Leila Khan

Staff Writer

ith natural ingredients and promises of health benefits, juice cleanses attract many Palo Alto teens interested in finding ways to improve their health. However, dieticians and nutritionists are beginning to scrutinize this form of dieting and point clients in a more sustainable direction. A juice cleanse is an extended period of time in which one is discouraged from eating any solid food, consuming only pressed fruit and vegetable-infused juices. “We recommend the cleanses for people who want to do a reset to either their taste buds or if they want to flush out any toxins,” assistant manager at Pressed Juicery Stephanie Sanchez said. “We have Cleanse One, which we recommend for first timers, Cleanse Two and Cleanse Three, which has less sugar and calories than the (other two) which we recommend to the most experienced (customers).” The juice cleanse trend caters to those seeking a fresh start or a new diet in the hope of ridding the body of unwanted chemicals. Many Paly students have tried this type of dieting. “I first chose to try a one-week long (juice) cleanse because I had just gotten back from a trip and I wanted a fresh start and to try a different kind of eating,” senior

Siena Brewster said. As people aim for these weeklong cleanses, they hope for a quick turnaround of their health and vitality. “The chlorophyll that we also include in the cleanses is a natural energizer and helps people get through the day, just because we don’t recommend people have anything caffeinated (while on a cleanse),” Sanchez said. Customers are drawn to these cleanses as a means of detoxification, according to Sanchez. “I think there is something appealing about all of the fruits and vegetables in the juices because you can be sure you aren’t (ingesting) any unhealthy foods while on a cleanse,” senior Maddie Yen said. “But I definitely think it’s unhealthy for someone to do it for a long period of time.” However, the juice cleanse approach is not as idealistic as many may believe, and can often lead to a chain of health risks according to Joy Dubost, a dietitian in Washington, D.C. and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Denise Henry, a Palo Alto parent and fitness and wellness consultant, suggests that her clients consider adding cleansing juices to a regular diet in order to achieve a healthier lifestyle, instead of substituting them in for meals regularly. “I’m an advocate for the benefits of adding detox drinks to

your diet — before or after a workout or to supplement a meal — or spending a week focusing on whole, healthy ingredients and eliminating CRAP: carbonated drinks, refined sugar, artificial foods and processed foods from your diet to reduce toxins in the body,” Henry said. “But, generally speaking, if you eat healthily a majority of the time, your body naturally detoxes every day. Switching to a juice-only cleanse can wind up doing more harm than good.” According to Dubost, one of the many drawbacks of juice cleansing is the limited fiber content in the juices. Fiber allows for the gastrointestinal tract to function properly and causes regular fullness. When there is a lack of fiber and this bodily function is altered, satiety is manipulated and customers may experience irregularity with how they process foods, according to Dubost. A common claim about juice cleanses is they can cause weight loss, but this is not the case for most people, according to Henry. “Juice cleanses can reduce your metabolic rate which means you will burn less calories throughout the day,” Henry said. “It’s been proven that chewing solid food helps your satiety and feel more full than drinking meals.” Another issue that arises with this type of nutritional therapy is the lack of protein that consumers receive when they eliminate solids

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

Juices from places such as Pressed Juicery have become popular for people looking to become healthier. from their daily food intake. “If you’re trying to build lean muscle, a juicing diet will work against your efforts,” Henry said. “Because your body can’t get protein from what you eat, it’ll turn to where it can find it (which is your) muscles.” Another potential pitfall is the danger of exerting an unhealthy amount of energy on physical activity while relying on a juice-only diet. Those who are participating in a cleanse may not have sufficient energy to exercise, but do so anyways, according to Dubost. Additionally, juices tend to contain more sugar than the fruit that is being juiced, which is counterproductive when the goal is to cut out unwanted substances, according to Henry.

“For clients who want to pursue a healthier lifestyle I tell them to eat clean — whole foods only with lots of lean, organic/pastured meats, variety of vegetables and whole grains and no dairy or gluten — for 21 days and then follow the 80/20 rule,” Henry said. “Eighty percent of the time eat clean, and 20% of the time eat what you want.” Henry also proposes that, in order to achieve a more sound lifestyle, clients should begin each day with warm lemon water and work out at least five times per week. With a cold-pressed juice section in almost every grocery store and a juice bar on nearly every corner of downtown Palo Alto, the juice cleanse business is un-

doubtedly still weaving its way deeper into the lifestyles of Silicon Valley residents. By advertising the opportunity for better skin, more sleep, cured cravings and an overall healthier lifestyle, pressed-juice companies are enticing people to reach for green liquids, instead of real food when they need a change of pace. Nonetheless, dieticians are finding more and more evidence to disprove the effectiveness of the juice cleanse technique and expect the popularity of this craze to take a dig in upcoming years. Henry said, “Fresh pressed juice can be consumed in the morning, but add in a hard boiled egg and/or oatmeal with fresh organic berries, almond butter and chia/hemp seeds, etc.”

Physics teacher Gul Eris describes Artificial intelligence technology cultural experiences living abroad enhances educational experience By Anna Meyer

By Byron Zhang & Jaures Yip

Managing Editor & Staff Writer

ighteen years ago, when Paly physics teacher Gul Eris moved to Palo Alto, she began as a substitute teacher. However, she was able to solidify her abilities as a full-time teacher after giving a lesson on light rays, causing her Instructional Supervisor to dub her a “natural” educator. This initial evaluation has since proven to be accurate, as students have commended her classes as compelling. Junior Brion Ye, a student in her Advanced Placement (AP) Physics class, notes how her passion towards the subject translates to efficient lessons and interesting labs. “Ms. Eris has a really traditional lecture-based style of teaching, which is straightforward and effective for teaching students,” Ye said. “She's a respectable teacher.” However, it took several years before Eris was able to establish herself as a valuable educator at Paly. Raised in Turkey, Eris said she showed promise of becoming a teacher since elementary school. “I always found myself trying to gather up all the kids on the neighborhood and trying to teach them how to draw straight lines or make things,” Eris said. Eris was then inspired to pursue a career in education by her physics teacher in high school. That teacher’s strict guidelines and heavy course load did not impede Eris’ thirst for knowledge. According to Eris, she handled the class with ease, developing a passion for physics, and the idea of becoming a teacher took root. “Everybody thought that he was really strict and the course was really tough,” Eris said. “But it wasn’t tough for me and I loved it for some reason. And I was thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I could be as knowledgeable as him.'" Due to her husband’s job, Eris

YUSRA RAFEEQI/THE CAMPANILE

Gul Eris lived in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before immigrating to the U.S. immigrated to Saudi Arabia after finishing her education in Turkey. “I was there with the other foreigners mostly, you know, American citizens," Eris said. "You get to live in separate community, and it’s called compound.” Eris described the compounds’ provided facilities as nice as a “five-star hotel.” Security guards surrounded the compounds so that no Saudi Arabian citizen could approach or access the facilities there. However, she faced significant sexism. As a woman in Saudi Arabia, Eris was not allowed to drive a car, which hindered her transportation. In order to perform activities outside of the compound, women needed to wear a full-body veil, covered from head to toe. Since Eris was a foreigner, the rules were a little looser, and she was allowed to wear an abaya, which revealed her face. However, she still needed to cover her face when religious policemen were present. Moreover, in Saudi Arabia, only men are allowed to speak and interact with the general public, while women can only work in closed environments that are accessible by solely women. Inside the compound, Eris began working at an American school as a substitute teacher. “It wasn’t very satisfying because the kids were very unruly, and didn't listen at all,” Eris said. “And all I had to do was prevent

them from going to internet and doing bad things in there.” Her transition to Paly therefore brought upon a drastic contrast to her work in Saudi Arabia, as Eris found students to be “engaging, interesting and kind.” However, Eris ran into confusing situations at first. Since she learned British English in Turkey, her pronunciation of some English words often amused students. “I am not very close to the culture, so maybe I cannot give the correct references to things,” Eris said. “When students make jokes to one another, I’m just looking. I’m not understanding, (but I’m not) feeling ashamed about that, I’m happy because I feel a connection in the classroom.” Students have, in turn, acknowledged Eris’ enthusiasm to interact and assist them with the class material. Senior Dion Li, who is one of her teacher assistants, notes how many students appreciate her efforts to be available for extra help. “I think one of the biggest reasons why I love her is her willingness to help,” Li said. “I never hesitate to ask her anything." However, possibly one of Eris’ most enduring qualities to her students is simply her openness as not only a teacher but as person. “She is one of the kindest teachers I've ever had,” Li said. “It's a lot of fun chatting and spending time with her.”

Staff Writer

early every science fiction movie or book involving artificial intelligence (AI), from "Frankenstein" to "Ex Machina," ends in disaster. However, according to people familiar with AI technology, this is not a likely outcome for AI, at least in the field of education. As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, as well as more integrated into the learning experience, AI stands out as possessing incredible potential to revolutionize the way we learn. AI, which is software intended to perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence, is expected to grow 47.77% in the education sector between 2018 and 2022, according to the Artificial Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector 2018-2022 report by TechNavio. In 2012, Daphne Koller, a Computer Science professor at Stanford, co-founded Coursera. Coursera is an online learning platform that offers virtual courses, specializations and degrees from outside organizations. Since then, Coursera has begun using AI to enhance the user experience. “Artificial intelligence has the potential to personalize the learning experience to fit the needs of students,” Koller said. Coursera uses AI in its software to identify students at risk of falling behind in the courses in order to prevent enrolled students from dropping out. “AI can help students by figuring out where students are mak-

ing mistakes, how to help them when they’re not paying attention and what they still need to learn,” Koller said. Junior Kate O’Connor, who is currently enrolled in computer science at Paly, is optimistic about these applications of AI. “I think (AI) would be really helpful, because it would allow each student to learn at their own pace, whereas right now, in a class of 30 kids, that’s not really possible,” O’Connor said. AI could help each student get individualized attention. "(AI) would revolutionize the way school is taught and allow the teacher to give effective and high quality education to each student," O'Connor said.

“(AI) has the potential to personalize the learning experience to fit the needs of students.” Daphne Koller Another way AI can enhance education is by helping the teacher ensure that the content is complex and worth teaching, according to Paly Computer Science teacher Christopher Kuszmaul. “It becomes a matter of beating the AI,” Kuszmaul said. “If the AI forces us to make our classes and students more thoughtful, then there’s an opportunity.” In an age where traditional mathematics is often being replaced by newer technologies that can quickly and easily solve prob-

lems, it is critical for students to learn skills beyond simple calculations, according to Kuszmaul. “It is difficult and frightening to try and figure out what you can do usefully in the context of mathematics, logical thinking and problem solving,” Kuszmaul said. AI can theoretically be used for grading papers, as well. However, Kuszmaul is skeptical of this type of technology, as it would most likely adopt teacher biases, making the grading process unfair. “If the AI can give out grades on the first day of class, then it exposes the teacher, exposes the institution, exposes the students as not using grades in the way that they need to be used,” Kuszmaul said. In addition to the impact on academics, another area that AI could potentially improve is helping to identify personal problems that students have such as depression, according to Kuszmaul. “Having an AI that sort of automatically (identifies the indicators of depression) could help raise a flag, so give you an extra day or two of warning about a student being depressed or something like that,” Kuszmaul said. Ultimately, it is nearly impossible to predict how the development of AI will affect the way that students are educated. “Anyone who claims to know what's going to happen is fooling themselves,” Kuszmaul said. “I think the key thing here is to be humble — I don't know what AI is going to do with respect to anything. As soon as you soon as you make a guess, you are almost always proven wrong.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

Personal stories of diagnosis, struggles spark conversation about stigmatized term ‘disorder’

imes New Roman, double-spaced, to, at least in elementary school, a learn12-point font. Autopilot kicks in ing deficit, which is just a blanket term to most student’s brains as they for any sort of learning disability.” subconsciously format their writing to The distinct reading levels and exfit the standard MLA forpected growth at the elemenmat, a style teachers intary stage made it easy troduce at the beginfor Berndt and his ning of freshman teachers to make year English and comparisons. reinforce through“When they out high school. were reading ‘The However, seMagic Tree“I would much nior Otto house,’ I was B e r n d t still reading rather just be treated takes issue picture books, as a regular student.” with Times and there’s a New Roman, clear, large differCARLOS DIAZ or any serifed ence in reading font, for that comprehenmatter. sion,” Berndt A serifed font said. “(Adminentails embellishistrators) didn’t do ments on the lettering, much about it at the time meaning slight projections, — I was just put in some alor serifs, from the edges of ternate resource courses.” each letter. Most people may not think K ate, a senior who requested for twice about the subtle details of fonts, her name to be changed for anonymbut for Berndt, these slight variations can ity purposes, said she recalls being strikchange the way he grasps the meaning of ingly self-aware as an elementary school a text. student — despite being so young, she “When I’m reading serifed fonts, picked up on certain symptoms and had sometimes certain letters right next to suspicions of her dyslexia. each other will combine to look differ“I was always a terrible speller, and I ent,” Berndt said. “For example, a ‘u’ next was also always sort of slow at reading,” to an ‘l’ will look like a single ‘d’ to me, Kate said. “I remember actually thinking and then I have to go back through and that I was dyslexic, and I told my mom, read it again, pick out that word that I who asked some of my teachers, but they read incorrectly, and then I can under- said that I was doing well at school and stand the sentence.” there was no such issue.” Berndt is one of millions of AmeriWhat Kate was recognizing was a cans with dyslexia, a learning disorder slight deficit in the phonological comthat affects one’s ability to process lan- ponent of language, or more specifically, guage, making reading more challeng- an impediment in her ability to notice, ing, according to the Mayo Clinic. Most think about and manipulate the indiindividuals are diagnosed with dyslexia vidual sounds in spoken words, according when they first enter elementary school, to Sally E. Shaywitz (Dyslexia the Gift). since it is difficult to recognize symptoms Kate hit a roadblock once she began before children begin to read, but Berndt enrolling in language courses — the sheer said he didn’t receive his official diagnosis amount of spelling in Spanish classes was until he was nearly halfway through high inherently difficult for her. Kate said her school. struggle in Spanish sparked a moment of realization. Following eighth grade, Kate was DIAGNOSIS tested for dyslexia and her suspicions were confirmed. The evaluation entails a erndt said he first noticed symp- series of tests that hone in on particular toms of dyslexia at a young age, a skills, such as phonological awareness, time at which his school’s acco- the ability to decode, reading fluency and comprehension and rapid naming, acmodations were vague. “When I first began to read in el- cording to Shaywitz. Despite acquiring the new identiementary school, it began to be clear that I was never reading as quickly as my fication, Kate said learning she had the peers,” Berndt said. “This was accredited disability didn’t spark large adjustments to her daily life, only to her mindset. “Having the label of dyslexia was just an affirmation of something I already knew,” Kate said. “However, having a vocabulary term to describe my learning was liberating, because all of a sudden, there was a lot more that I could look into. There were a lot of books, there were a lot of people experiencing similar things to me and there was more of a community around me.”

IN THE CLASSROOM

Dyslexia entails a slight deficit in the phonological component of the language, impeding one’s ability to notice, think about and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words.

aly senior Carlos Diaz, another student with dyslexia, said he often finds himself frustrated with the constant reminder of accommodations in the classroom, as he believes it dampens a student’s incentive to apply themselves. “When I have extra time on tests, teacher notes and other things, I just don’t find myself using them at all,” Diaz

said. “I tend to find myself just going on about class like everyone else.” According to Diaz, the special treatment can be both distorting and demotivational, and there are other ways to compensate that can be selfinitiated. “I’m told that it takes longer for me to comprehend concepts, but I really don’t find that to be true,” Diaz said. “To me, it’s more just that if you study, you’ll understand it. It’s as simple as that.” Diaz has been enrolled in a course called Academic Planning for the last four years, a class that acts as a study hall and allows students to seek help on their homework assignments. Some dyslexic individuals One of the graded assignments was to send an email to have found that audiobooks all of the student’s teachers at support them and improve the beginning of the school reading comprehension. year to inform them about dyslexia, but for the past four years, Diaz has chosen not to, and lost points for neglecting STIGMA to do so. “I would much rather just be treated as erndt said people tend to have a regular student,” Diaz said. “I just want many far-fetched notions about to know that I am capable enough to do dyslexia that are often perpetuated the work.” by stereotypes. “I think that people have this idea ADJUSTMENT that dyslexic people are seeing the words pon discovering the benefits of moving around on the page, swimming audiobooks, the world of reading all around in the air,” Berndt said. “It’s requickly changed for Berndt — he ally not like that for everyone.” Kate said in her experience, people can found that listening to a speaker while simultaneously reading a physical text subconsciously look down on dyslexic inmade understanding the material much dividuals as incapable. She accredits this to misconceptions that stem from words easier for him. “When you have an audiobook on, like disability or disorder. With the prefix there’s almost a second voice in your head ‘dis,’ these words inherently hold negative that’s correcting the mistakes that your connotations. “To me, the word ‘disability’ usually brain might be making,” Berndt said. “It made it easier and more enjoyable to read means providing aid to something that’s large volumes while still comprehending wrong,” Kate said. “I think that a lot of what’s being said and understanding at a dyslexic people are unconventional, and yes, they may have some weaknesses, higher level.” Kate echoes Berndt’s sentiment, ex- but also, the more and more I learn and plaining that she began to make an effort connect with dyslexic people, I realto learn via spoken word whenever pos- ize that many of them have very similar strengths.” sible. According to Kate, she’d like to see “I’ve become extremely interested in podcasts — hearing someone’s voice is society shift the manner in which dyslexa much more relaxing experience for me ia is portrayed in order to eliminate the negative stigma surthan reading off of paper,” Kate said. All three students expressed differ- rounding dyslexic ent coping mechanisms, demonstrating individthat there is no specific recipe for dyslexia uals. treatment — each individual has to learn about the personal accommodations or techniques that best support their needs through trial, error and experience. “People have Kate said she quickly recognized that languages were an impossible battle for this idea that dyslexic her. Through self-initiative, she made a people see the words schedule shift that would allow her to pursue something more rewarding. moving around on “When I was going into my sophomore year, I proposed to my parents, the page.” ‘What if I took computer science next OTTO BERNDT year instead of Spanish?’ and they were supportive of it,” Kate said. “I ended up calling different colleges and saying, ‘Hey, you might think this is bizarre, but how “Picturdo you manage the different high school courses that dyslexic people take and what ing dyslexia as an unconvenlanguage requirements must be met?’” For Berndt, personal accomodations tional learning style as opposed to a came in the form of manipulating the text disability is really important in terms of acceptance,” Kate said. “Stanford (Unihe was reading using technology. “Most books are printed in Times versity) recently held a public neurodiNew Roman or other similar serifed versity conference that was really inspirfonts, and I have a Kindle that allows me ing, and I just really appreciate that they to change the font of a written text, which used the term ‘neurodiversity,’ a word that is a huge help to me,” Berndt said. “I can really changes the whole portrayal of dysalso adjust the size to the ideal font size. I lexia. It just goes back to looking at dyshave everything on my computer set to a lexia as a different way of learning rather non-serif font, such as Arial, just to make than using the word disorder, which is really uplifting.” things easier for myself.”

TEXT, ART & DESIGN BY LEELA SRINIVASAN • TEXT BY KENNEDY HERRON • DESIGN BY TIEN NGUYEN & ANTONIA MOU

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

SP RTS

ThE agony of EXploring how Athletes COPE with lOsing HIGH-STAKES Games

he University of Florida is a point away from winning. As the volleyball hits the floor and the final whistle blows, the crowd’s eyes are drawn to the Florida team as it celebrates its 2017 national semifinal victory over defending national champions Stanford University. As reporters and fans swarm the Florida players, Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer, the national women’s volleyball player of the year, and the Stanford team look to each other in dismay and disappear into the locker room. During high-stakes games such as championships or playoffs, the winners will inevitably get the spotlight. Rarely do people know what happens to the team that puts in equal amounts of work but comes up short. Whether at the collegiate, professional or high school level, most athletes know the pain of losing a monumental game. “We (Stanford) were playing really tight, and that didn’t translate well into good volleyball,” Plummer said. “After the match, I felt really disappointed because I knew that I didn’t play well and that our team didn’t play well, and we still only lost in the fifth set.” M e a n while, at Paly, junior wide receiver Jamir Shepard is not only a student athlete, but a national football recruit who has played in a multitude of impactful games. Shepard is also familiar with the dissatisfaction of losing a crucial game. “The toughest loss was the football game against (Menlo-Atherton High School) in the (Central Coast Section) semifinals,” Shepard said. “I felt very prepared for this game. I was ready for them all week, but after that loss it hurt me a lot.” Sports psychologist Michael Buckle works with the Stanford Athletics Sport Psychology Services to provide specialized training in sport and performance psychology and student athletes’ mental health. According to Buckle, athletes having trouble coping with losing high-stakes games is a prevalent issue at Stanford. “This is quite common, and many athletes struggle with not performing well during high stakes games,” Buckle said. “Sometimes athletes will catastrophize a poor perfor-

D e feat

mance or practice, as if all their work to date has been for nothing. Others may assume that their teammates, coaches or families are thinking poorly of them. All athletes struggle differently.” Buckle said he understands the hardships student athletes endure day-to-day. So, when the games become increasingly important, Buckle knows dealing with losing can be a complex process. “Usually, coping with these losses is not simple,” Buckle said. “High level athletes put in so much time and effort into their preparations that it can be heartbreaking to lose. Losing also has difficult implications for athlete’s self-concept and identities.” Plummer said accepting the outcome of the national semifinal game was difficult, but she knew exactly what she had to do in order to manage the defeat. “I cope by taking some time away from what I did not accomplish,” Plummer said. “I usually do this by spending time with my family and friends — people that I know will love me regardless of how I perform. When the frustration settles away, I analyze what I did, specific al l y looking at film. I think that once you step back from failure and are able to separate the emotions from the failure, you are able to accept that it didn’t work out.” According to Buckle, the process of healing from tough losses is in no way streamlined, as Stanford sports psychologists work closely with student athletes and their individual struggles. Although the process may be lengthy, it is essential to provide support. “I start by listening to each athlete’s struggle and trying to understand their experience,” Buckle said. “I offer support, empathy and validation of how they feel. I try to explore their thoughts, feelings (and) behaviors related to the loss and how these relate to their distress. I give the athletes time and space to grieve the loss and process their feelings around it.” Along with debriefing and fully understanding athletes’ troubles, Stanford sports psychologists also try to encourage their athletes to think about the bigger picture, ac-

“I start by listening to each athlete’s struggle and trying to understand their experience.””

MichaeL buckle

cording to Buckle. By proposing new training goals to the athletes, psychologists constantly seek improvement by mentally training for the next competition. Looking to the future is a common theme for athletes. In the exhilarating football game against Menlo-Atherton, the Paly football team was devastated after their defeat ended its promising season. However, the team later used the loss to further their goals. Determined to overcome this crushing defeat, Shepard said he now uses the game as a reason to improve for next year. “That game motivates me to work harder and harder so next year it won’t happen again,” Shepard said. “I want to be the best team in the league next year.” Plummer said she has learned to constantly embrace a growth mindset when it comes to athletics. With encouragement from herself and her peers, Plummer can look back at the Final Four

“That game motivates me to work harder and harder so next year it wOn’t happen again.””

Jamir Shepard

Mental health in sports

Art, text & design by Rebekah Limb

Soccer

Athletes find that open conversations helps reduce stigma around the mental health in sports.

Next Steps

JAY/CC BY 2.0

Abby Wambach

PIXABAY/CC.0

PAGE C4-C5

design by Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe & BrunO KLASS SPORTS SPREAD

defeat versus Florida and develop as a player. “After the loss, I immediately was focused on what we could do next year to change the little things that kept us from our goal,” Plummer said. “I dialed in with the team to making our team a more cohesive unit to ensure that the same thing didn’t happen again. The whole year, whenever we felt disconnected, we referenced the Florida game, and this snapped us right out of it.” Oftentimes losing games at the highest levels can entail more recovery than meets the eye. However, with personal or professional guidance, athletes can learn from their losses and continue to grind at the sport they love. “They (athletes) learn something from each experience and incorporate that learning into their next effort,” Buckle said. “Their motivation is guided not simply by wins or losses, but by how well they can master their skills. They never stop building and learning for as long as they compete — they are quite resilient in that way.”

U.S. national soccer star speaks to Paly students. PAGE C6

DAVID HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE

Signing day preview

A quick look at the future of collegiate athletes. PAGE C7

College

AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE/CC BY 2.0

Community college

Varsity athletes continue to play sports at community colleges. PAGE C8

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

SPORTS REPORT

By Emma Todd

BOYS LACROSSE Paly vs. Los Altos 3/26, W, 20-1 Paly vs. Burlingame 3/28, L, 9-14 Paly vs. Burlingame 4/9, W, 17-10 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Altos 4/23, 4 p.m.

RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Los Altos 3/27, W, 16-14 Paly vs. Mountain View 3.29, W. 11-10 Paly vs. Gunn 4/12, W, 11-68 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 4/19, 5:15 p.m.

BASEBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Wilcox 4/10, L, 1-8 Paly @ Wilcox 4/12, L, 5-8 Paly @ Saint Francis 4/16, W, 4-2 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Burlingame 4/20, 12 p.m.

SOFTBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Monta Vista 4/10, W, 21-4 Paly @ Gunn 4/12, L, 2-12 Paly vs. Saint Francis 4/16, L, 1-17 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Cupertino 4/24, 4 p.m.

BOYS GOLF

SHIVA MOHSENIAN/THE CAMPANILE

The distance team takes a practice lap, determined to work hard though top athletes’ absences due to injuries.

Track and field face an abundance of injuries, remain optimistic for SCVAL and CCS Finals By Adora Zheng Staff Writer

even weeks into the season, multitudes of injuries, personal records and dual meet wins and losses have culminated in an extremely important home stretch. The track and field team is preparing for its final few meets before Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) trials kick off next week. “The hardest part over the last couple weeks is that we’ve had a couple injuries — some of our top athletes have had some injuries,” head coach Michael Davidson said. “Some of them are coming back now, and the hope and the expectation is that they’ll be able to perform down the stretch.” Senior and girls varsity captain Avery Bocksnick is one of these athletes, and has been dealing with injuries for the majority of this season. “Individually, it’s been kind of rough,” Bocksnick said. “But I feel like I’ve ventured out and (tried) more events, which the coaches have wanted me to be doing — so it’s positive in that aspect.” At the Serra Top 7 Invitational on March 23, the girls junior varsity team took eighth place overall. Junior and girls varsity captain Kai Douglas placed third with a season record in the 800 meter race, and senior Leon Lau placed second in the high jump with another season record.

UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Cupertino 4/23, 2:30 p.m.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Fremont 4/10, W, 3-1 Paly @ Santa Clara 4/12, W. 3-0 Paly @ Gunn 4/17, W, 3-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Burlingame 4/19, 6 p.m.

BOYS TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Wilcox 3/28, W, 4-3 Paly vs. Los Altos 4/11, W, 4-3 Paly vs. Gunn 4/16, L, 1-6. UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Santa Clara 4/23, 4 p.m.

“Overall, I think our team is pretty strong,” Bocksnick said. “Injuries have just been stopping everyone, and the season is a lot shorter (than) past years so it is harder to (give) yourself rest.” On March 26, the team competed away at Los Gatos High School — both boys frosh/soph and girls junior varsity won. In the 1600 meter race, senior and boys varsity captain John Tayeri, The Campanile’s business manager, came in first, while senior Benjamin Huang came in third with personal records.

“The hardest part over the last couple weeks is that we’ve hand a couple injuries.” Michael Davidson

“We have a few people who are strong contenders to be in some of the top spots at CCS, so we’re hoping for a good performance (at qualifiers),” Davidson said. The varsity teams competed at the Stanford Invitational that took place March 29 to 30, and the boys distance medley relay placed fourth in the event. “My favorite part of this season (has been) invitationals,” Bocksnick said. “You get to see the mass majority of people who are just so (great) at this sport — the Stanford meet was just incredible to watch because

there were Olympians there.” The Arcadia Invitational took place April 5 to 6, and senior Henry Saul placed 12th in the seeded 3200 meter race. “The girls (distance medley relay) had a great performance, and they had a (personal record) by 25 seconds over the course of the season, which is huge,” Davidson said. “Our time would have put as at tenth overall out of about 40 teams — but unfortunately we were disqualified due to some technicalities, so we are still trying to protest that.” On April 16, the team competed in their final duel meet against Gunn High School and celebrated their senior night. Team members found amusing and unsightly photos of the seniors at meets and had the whole team sign the frames before gifting them to the seniors. In addition, underclassmen also gave brief speeches for each senior. “Before, there were always people to look up to — now, being a senior and a captain, it’s different because people are looking up to me now,” Bocksnick said. “You have to be a role model not only for yourself but for others too.” In the upcoming week, SCVAL trials are on April 23 and 25, followed by SCVAL finals on May 3. Athletes who qualify through will then compete at Central Coast Section (CCS) Semi-finals on May 11, and CCS Finals on May 17 — the season will end with the California Interscholastic Federation State Championship Finals on May 25.

“We’ve gotten closer as a team and I think that’s really affected how we communicate and connect in games.” Lulu Gaither

Sophomore midfielder Lulu Gaither said the team has been working on improving for the past few months and made a couple changes during practices, such as different types of warmups that will help them perform better in the game. “We want to go in as strong as we can physically and as a team,” Gaither said. “Our coach has implemented a new warm up and drills, along with more footwork and strength building conditioning.” With the end of the season approaching, Gaither said the team bonding has positively changed the way they have played in games. “We’ve gotten closer as a team and I think that’s really affected

Baseball experiences mid-season struggles, loses four of five games By Siddartha Sahasrabuddhe

RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Milpitas 3/27, L, 209-197 Paly vs. Gunn 4/11, W, 190-200 Paly vs. Saratoga 4/15, L, 184-179

Staff Writer

earing the end of the regular season, the girls varsity lacrosse team picked back up where it left off last month and kept its winning streak against Los Altos (1614), Mountain View (11-10) and Gunn High School (116). Although the team has won five games and lost four, its only SCVAL league loss came from Los Gatos High School.

RECENT SCORES

GIRLS LACROSSE

Girls lacrosse makes a comeback after losses

Staff Writer

fter starting off the season by winning 10 of its first 12 games, Paly baseball has struggled, dropping 4 of 5 heading into a game against Burlingame. Paly has fallen from first in the De Anza Baseball league to fourth as Los Altos, Los Gatos and Wilcox High Schools have surpassed them in the standings, riding winning streaks of their own. Paly dropped both games in a recent home series against Wilcox. Sophomore first baseman Matthew Caren said the losses came from out of character play. “We had a tough series against Wilcox,” Caren said. “I don’t really think we played like ourselves

on Wednesday, but we definitely showed some fight during yesterday’s game in the later innings. It just wasn’t enough to get us the win.” Sophomore outfielder Stephen Lee said the team is not currently performing up to standard, however he offered optimism for the future. “We’re in a little slump right now, but in our last game (8-5 loss to Wilcox) we came together a little bit,” Lee said. “I feel like we are going to come out of this slump and we will go into the playoffs hot and ready to roll.” Lee said the team’s recent losses to Wilcox were a result of bad timing, rather than Wilcox fielding a more talented team. “In my opinion, (Wilcox) isn’t better than us or has more talent than our team,” Lee said. “They just caught us after a long break

and at a bad time. There aren’t any opponents that we can’t beat when everything is working well.” Lee believes that the team’s recent losses may have been caused by internal discord. “I would say that our recent losses (are) more because of internal struggles,” Lee said. “In our first game against Wilcox we didn’t have enough energy in the dugout, and our players weren’t doing their jobs. The players on the field didn’t execute, and the players on the bench weren’t supplying the energy we needed.” Despite the struggles the team is facing, Lee said he remains confident in himself and his teammates moving forward. “None of the other teams were any better than us,” Lee said. “We have a lot of talent on this team and I don’t think there is any team we can’t beat.”

Badminton finishes challenging season

After losing five games, team defeats rival Gunn High School By Paige Knoblock

Staff Writer

he badminton team came off an exciting win, beating their rival Gunn High School on Tuesday after having lost their past five games, and making their current record 2-8. The team hopes to regain their strength in upcoming games. The team’s current record is due in part due to their size. This year, the team is smaller than ever, as the absence of players who graduated last year negatively affected its performance this year. Junior Aidan Bannon says the team has struggled due to the decrease in players on the court. “Unfortunately, our team seems to be smaller than ever, as many have not returned to play

this year,” Bannon said. Championed by their new coaches Jesi Marquez and Alex Adamethe, the team had hoped to win more games this year. However, it is staying hopeful as the players work towards winning future games.

“I hope that we can break through and continue to bring the big wins.” Laura Kim

“Our greatest strength is our unity, as even though we don’t all play on the same court, everyone cheers their teammates on and does their best to help everyone

else perform their best,” Bannon said. The team can all agree that their greatest collective strength is their community. Junior Laura Kim said that the team’s enthusiasm in cheering one another on boosts spirits. “We have players cheering on teammates all the time during games. And on days where we have away games, there is always some sort of Paly cheer going on in the bus ride,” Kim said. Though the team has been facing challenges this year, they hope to improve in the future. “I hope that we can break through and continue to bring the big wins,” Kim said. “There is potential in a lot of the players, and I’m excited to see our team strengthen throughout the season.”

how we communicate and connect in games,” Gaither said. “We’ve been working hard all season for all of our games, but some of our toughest competition include Gunn and Los Gatos.” Girls varsity lacrosse coach Jamie Nesbitt reflects on the overall performance of the team. “I think this year has been a year of challenges, including injuries, schedule updates, etc., but I’ve been impressed how the team keeps coming together to fight through them,” Nesbitt said. Along with performing certain drills during practice and learning new skills, Nesbitt said that one of the important things the team is currently working on is how to adjust immediately to improvements in-game. “We have the talent to execute, but if there are changes we need to react to the other team, that only comes from game experience and preparing for uncommon situations,” Nesbitt said. Sophomore varsity player Andie Tetzlaff also believes the team has improved since the start of the season. “We’ve been conditioning more and building our stamina and it has greatly affected our ability to play in games,” Tetzlaff said. “We are also cracking down on executing plays on offense which has also helped us a lot.” Tetzlaff said what she will miss the most about the team is the seniors when they graduate. “When the seasons over I’ll definitely miss the seniors the most,” Tetzlaff said. “They’re all very supportive and welcoming and they’re amazing role models for me and the other underclassmen.”

DAVID HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE

Junior Tyler Yen spikes the ball in a game against Gunn High School.

Boys volleyball strengthens team bond, continues wins By Leila Khan

Staff Writer

s the second half of the spring season approaches, the boys varsity volleyball team continues to climb its way to the top of the ranks. “We are currently 7-1 with our win tonight against Santa Clara,” senior captain Raymon Chen said. As the team has racked up wins, the members have gained confidence and now hold higher goals for the remainder of the season. “We are going for first place in the league,” junior Lachlan Stayte said. “I think we’re third right now, but we’re hoping to make it up.”

“It’s that time in the middle of the season when everything really starts coming together.” Raymon Chen

Earlier on in the season, the boys discussed ways to increase their success by hosting more bonding activities and attempting to add to their overall team chemistry. “Our team chemistry is really clicking now,” junior Dejo Al-Najjar said. “It’s (improved) from the beginning of the season.” Recently, the team has been on a winning streak while forging their way through the league, according to Stayte. “All of the games this week were easy wins, none of them were that interesting,” Stayte said. After beating Santa Clara High School, the team has conjured up

the passion needed to make it to the next level. “It’s that time in the middle of the season when everything really starts coming together,” Chen said.

“Our team chemistry is really clicking now. It’s (improved) from the beginning of the season.” Dejo Al-Najjar

According to Chen, the relationships among teammates along with the confidence the players have acquired has led to their continuous success. The team will face off against their crosstown rival at Gunn High School on April 17 at 6:30 p.m. “We’re hoping to beat Gunn for the second time this season,” AlNajjar said. Moving forward, the boys hope to maintain their strong intrateam relationships, and are aiming to land a spot in the team championship match. They expect to beat Wilcox and Gunn in the second match this season. “For the future, we’re playing Wilcox (High School and Gunn) which should be good games,” Chen said. “(They) will decide whether or not we’ll be able to pull away in first place at the end season.” As the boys move into the final matches of the season, they bear with them increased team chemistry and spirit. With eyes set on the first place award, the team plans to reach its goals by continuing to train hard and work together, according to Stayte.

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

SPORTS

Softball team aims to end season strong By Rebekah Limb

MIRANDA LI/THE CAMPANILE

Freshman Thomas Rimsa and sophomore James Fetter begin warming up during practice in preparation for Leagues starting April 23.

Girls, boys varsity swim and dive teams push for improvement as CCS approaches By Tien Nguyen

Staff Writer

he varsity swim team won its recent meet against Homestead, building momentum to close out the season. Girls varsity won by 103-82 and boys varsity won by 111-75 on April 11, with the boys team continuing its undefeated streak. “We won our last meet against Homestead and one of our relays beat the other girls relays by 0.01 seconds, which was an awesome race to watch,” senior and varsity captain Mary Fetter said. As the season kicks into gear, the swim team continues to train hard to improve as much as they can. “We have an amazing team atmosphere and practices have been hard, but also super fun,” Fetter said. “We have had some really rough five plus mile practices this

season, but the team has been so great through all of it, and I’m excited to see how we can do at our championship meets in the coming weeks.” Junior Dexter Gormley agrees, saying the strenuous training differentiates this season from previous ones. “This season we’re much more focused and training harder,” Gormley said. “As a result, we’re currently undefeated and well on our way for a league title. We also have a much younger team with a lot of points coming from the freshman class.” Freshman Harrison Williams, one of the new additions to the team, is already predicted to be a star swimmer, according to his teammates and coach. Within his first year, he has already gotten into the flow of the season and become close with the rest of the team.

“(The teammates) can be really funny and are there when you need them,” Williams said.

“This season we’re much more focused and training harder. As a result, we’re currently undefeated and well on our way for a league title.” Dexter Gormley

According to both Williams and Gormley, the boys swim team has been breezing through a large majority of their meets and is well on its way to winning league. “The season has been pretty easy so far — (we’ve been) winning all our league meets by large

margins,” Gormley said. “Although we did beat Gunn — a very talented team — by only a bit. Overall, we’re training harder and focusing better and the team as a whole is set on reaching our goals.” Throughout the season, Coach Danny Dye said that he can definitely see the team’s improvement, and is excited for the meets to come. “The athletes are training hard, they’re swimming hard, the boys are undefeated in leagues, girls have had a good back half of the season, improving a lot,” Dye said. “We’ve had some real surprises with some young athletes getting faster times and good amount of people qualified for CCS so it’s an exciting time. Divers have been doing fantastic as well, probably the best diving teams we’ve had at Paly so everything is really gearing up well.”

Staff Writer

fter losing 12-2 in a difficult game against crosstown rival Gunn High School, the Paly softball team dropped to third place in the El Camino Division. The softball season is underway as the varsity team completes the first half of the season with a 7-6 record. After a string of regular season wins, the varsity team took its first league loss against Cupertino High School on March 27, 15-4. However, Paly bounced back in its next game, defeating Monta Vista High School 21-4. According to senior catcher Sydney Liu, the success and progress of the team can be attributed to the team’s patience during practice. With a different roster from last year, she said the team channels its focus to generate improvement.

“The season has gone surprisingly well, considering that our team is about half new players.” Ella Jones

“During practice we really try and focus on the fundamentals, whether it’s hitting or fielding,” Liu said. “But we always end the day with a clean infield and outfield practice, making sure that we feel prepared for the game ahead.” According to junior shortstop Ella Jones, playing Gunn has always been a big deal for every softball season. Having been on the varsity team since a freshman, Jones said she loves the intensity and the competitive environment of the game. “The Gunn games are usually the biggest event of our season,

as they draw the biggest crowds and past players come and watch,” Jones said. “This year, it’s even more exciting because we are evenly matched.” As the softball season approaches the second half of league games, Jones reflects on the season so far.

“During practice we really try and focus on the fundamentals, whether it’s hitting or fielding.” Sydney Liu

“The season has gone surprisingly well, considering that our team is about half new players,” Jones said. “We have also managed mercy rule a couple times, which is exciting not only in the wins but also it shows what great skill and potential we have.” Although the varsity team is midway through its season, junior left fielder Zoe Silver said the team still has potential to grow. “I think we can improve our consistency, because right now we sometimes play badly against teams we beat easily,” Silver said. “Once we overcome that, I think we’ll be even better.” Because of constant dedication in practice and great team chemistry on the field, according to Jones, the team is excited about their success and are optimistic for the postseason. “The performance I see on the field and outside the field is telling of a successful and prosperous second half of the season and future for Paly softball in general,” Jones said. The varsity team will have its next league game at home against Cupertino on April 24 at 4 p.m., then will compete at Fremont on April 26 at 4 p.m.

Boys lacrosse optimistic about season after roster changes By Olivia Ericsson

Staff Writer

hree months into the boys varsity lacrosse season, the team is working to meet its goal of going undefeated and winning the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL).

“Our roster has been in a lot of turmoil for various reasons but our team has kept going and played hard.” Aidan Gans

With a strong start to the season, lacrosse coach DJ Shelton said he believes the consistent effort from the team will bring them through the league. “The season is going well given some unplanned circumstances,”

Shelton said. “We are looking forward to finishing the season strong and winning out so we can be at least the number two seed for SCVAL playoffs.” With some strong new junior teammates, Shelton believes the team can go far. “The team dynamic is good — we have a core of great seniors and captains,” Shelton said. “The juniors are learning quickly and showing themselves to be quite mature and composed.” Despite losses against both Menlo-Atherton and Los Gatos High School in league, the team is looking forward to winning the second matches against them and improving their placement leading up to SCVAL trials. “With a positive goal differential, we might be able to move past them in the rankings,” Shelton said. “Making playoffs is the current goal, and after that it’s just one game at a time.” Junior Ryan Bara said he be-

lieves a strong team dynamic will enable the team to reach its goals. “We are working towards winning leagues by practicing hard,” Bara said.

“With a positive goal differential, we might be able to move past them in the rankings.” DJ Shelton

Although there were some hardships throughout the season, senior Aidan Gans believes with a competitive group of strlacrosse players, the season will end well. “Our roster has been in a lot of turmoil for various reasons but our team has kept going and played hard,” Gans said. “We should be on track to reach our goals, hopefully we can cement our roster and win the championship.”

Boys golf hopes to continue win streak after rough start By Shiva Mohsenian

Staff Writer

fter suffering an initial rough start to its season with two losses, the boys golf team has recovered, winning all four games since.

“We started the season pretty poorly, however we have now made a lot of progress as a team.” Doyle Knight

“We started the season pretty poorly, however we have now made a lot of progress as a team,” coach Doyle Knight said. “Now we are 5-2, which means that in order to win our league, we would have to continue to remain undefeated throughout the rest of the season.” The team struggled with adjusting to the new competitive

climate and lack of leadership after two of Paly’s top golfers and captains, Sergi Matta and Ahmed Ali, graduated. However, with time, the team recuperated and proved its ability to maintain last year’s winning reputation. “I knew that when we started off rocky, we could soon recover,” Knight said. “It just took some time for the newer players to step up, but they did, just as I had assumed they would. Now we are doing well, and mathematically, we still have a good shot at winning our league.” According to sophomore Austin Harrison, the boys golf team’s ability to move beyond its initial rough start had a lot to do with the relationships formed within the team. “Everyone on the team (is) friends with everyone else, which is nice because having a group to go and practice with makes a big difference in developing our game, and also makes the team a lot more fun,” Harrison said. According to Harrison, fans of the team, along with players, all

anticipate a victorious season. “The team is doing well so far, considering that we had a slow start,” Harrison said. “However, now everything is going really well.” The team will face Gunn, Los Gatos, Monta Vista and Milpitas High School a second time to determine which team will eventually qualify for Central Coast Sections.

“It just took some time for the newer players to step up, but they did, just as I had assumed they would.” Doyle Knight

“So far, we have played and beat Gunn, Los Gatos, Monta Vista and Milpitas, which is really great,” Knight said. “We will be facing them all again, and I know our players will continue to step up and take the team all the way to win our league.”

HYUNAH ROH/THE CAMPANILE

Senior varsity player Nathan Ellisen sets up for a backhand slice in a match against Gunn on April 16, 2019.

Boys tennis struggles to succeed after injuries to several players By Hyunah Roh

Staff Writer

ith a 6-4-0 league record, the boys tennis team is in second place in the El Camino league and is now focused on one of its main goals for the season: winning Central Coast Sections.

“We have gotten used to each other’s playstyles enough to trust (in) each other’s ability to perform well in matches.” Sonny Young According to junior Sonny Young, the team struggled to build a cohesive community due to a skill gap between newcomers and returning members at the beginning of the season. This was also because the previous members have had so much history together. But as the season has progressed, the gap has closed. The team went on an overnight trip to Fresno and was able to settle in and bond.

“We have gotten used to each other’s playstyles enough to trust (in) each other’s ability to perform well in matches,” Young said. Even though team chemistry is no longer a challenge, the boys tennis team is not satisfied with its record, as they have lost several close matches. According to junior Brion Ye, the close losses were because the team had to deal with the temporary absence of some of its top players. “Our top four players were rendered unplayable for several weeks due to injuries,” Ye said. The injuries caused the team to have a shortage of players, and it was difficult for the coach to construct the optimal lineup to maximize the team’s performance, according to Young. Despite this challenge, the Vikings have kept every match close. “Even when someone loses, it is never without a good fight to the end,” Young said. “I find it impressive that every member on the team is at a high enough level that we can depend on each other to perform well.” The individual players are seeing improvements in personal skills from these close matches and playing every day during practices, according to Ye.

“Every practice and match is an opportunity to refine techniques,” Young said. “I’ve been able to learn a lot from other players in the team who possess different strengths and abilities than I do.”

“I find it impressive that every member on the team is at a high enough level that we can depend on each other to perfom well.” Brion Ye Practice after practice, every member on the team is working to improve their skillset, according to Young. As the season comes to an end, the Vikings will have their last league game on April 23 against Santa Clara and are bound for SCVAL Championships from April 24 to 25. “It is exciting to see everyone (on the team) grow as tennis players and as people,” Young said. “I look forward to beating the schools we faced as we near the end of the season.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

MENTAL HEALTH

Text & design by Kai vetteth art by miranda li

"TOUGH

How team culture affects athl

olomon Thomas, San Francisco 49ers defensive end and Stanford alum, stands at the front of a Paly psychology classroom, his hulking figure towering over the crowd. His lunchtime audience, comprised of student-athletes and members of the Bring Change to Mind Club, hangs onto his every syllable as he recounts his struggles with mental health following his sister’s suicide in 2018. Through collaboration with school clubs and organizations such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Thomas aims to normalize discussion about mental health for people who might otherwise feel uncomfortable discussing their experiences. According to Thomas, many professional athletes whom the public perceives as successful regularly face debilitating mental health issues. “I would feel guilty being depressed sometimes because I live this life — I’m in the NFL, I have all this mon-

ey, I live in my dream life — but I’m sad,” Thomas said in his talk. According to Thomas, his struggle to acknowledge and treat his mental health issues is part of a per vasive trend in athletics. “ Yo u don’t realize how big of a problem (mental health can be) until you’re affected by it,” Thomas said. “You don’t realize the stigma (around mental health) until you’re affected by it. It’s such an old school theme that we talk about — ‘tough it out’ or ‘be a man.’” Thomas said this mentality and the resulting stigma affects

not only professional athletics, but every level of sports culture. This was certainly the case for senior D wayne Trahan, a Paly varsity football and basketball player who recently began suffering from anxiety. “Playing football is considered a very macho sport, ( a n d ) talking a b o u t mental health can actually be very difficult,” Trahan said. “(Football) is a very tough sport, and mental health issues are kind of seen as ‘soft’ in that type of environment.” Trahan said his anxiety began as a result of post-concussion syndrome following a football-related injury in November. “In the beginning, it was really difficult,” Trahan said. “I couldn’t sleep. I did not feel like myself. I couldn’t

“I would feel guilty being depressed sometimes because I live this life — i’m in the nfl, i have all this money, i live my dream life — but I’m sad.” Solomon Thomas

“(Athletes) experience spebe in bright rooms or loud places, and I would have (an) anxiety at- cial demands for balancing both tack almost every day. But, with academic and sport-related pritime, I’m getting better at control- orities and forming interpersonal ling it, and I’m slowly starting to relationships while managing the physical demands of training,” feel (like) myself again.” Bring Change to Mind Club Post said. “A tendency toward perfecPre s i d e n t , tionism senior Lia and the inSalvatierra, fluence of who invited a distinct Thomas to athlete speak at identity Paly, said inlace selfthe club esteem aims to desand mentigmatize tal health conversaboth positions about tively and m e n t a l negatively.” health so P o s t Trahan and said a others athgrowing letes face awareness fewer obSource: British Medical Journal of athletes’ stacles on issues has their jourled many teams to increase player ney to recovery. “I found a really important access to mental health profespathway to discussing mental sionals to reduce stigma around health through athletics as one of mental health. “Many athletic programs have the main reasons mental illness is stigmatized is through a mind- now invested in providing inbody separation,” Salvatierra said. creased access to mental health “We do not treat mental health as advisors and counselors,” Post said. “Reducing barriers to entry (a matter of ) physical health.” According to Professor Lisa helps reduce stigma.” Salvatierra, whose club has Post, director of Stanford Sports Medicine in Psychiatry and team hosted several other events with psychologist for the 49ers, ath- professional and collegiate athletes’ experiences can vary signifi- letes, said the talks also help raise cantly compared to the rest of the awareness about the nature of athletes’ mental health problems. student body.

1 in 3 female athletes exhibit depressive symptoms

The Campanile

Friday, April 19, 2019

MENTAL HEALTH

IT OUT"

design by Adora zheng & sophia moore

letes’ mental health struggles “When physically strong people relay their stories of emotional struggle, it can be really empowering for an audience that may view them as invincible,” Salvatierra said. Senior Annie Niethammer, a member of the Bring Change to Mind Club, said her participation in the club as well as her experience on the Paly basketball team has improved her mental health. “ There were some p o i n t s where I felt like I had so much on my plate, and I even told my coach that I was having a panic attack and I just couldn’t go to practice that day,” Niethammer said. “He was being super helpful and understanding and that is what really calmed my nerves.” According to Niethammer, the unwavering support from her coaches and teammates has helped her manage her anxiety

and get through difficult times. “We are a very close group of girls, so it is easy to get along,” Niethamm e r s a i d . “ W e always m o tivate e a c h other w h e n people a r e down.” Scott Pe t e r s , the girls varsity basketb a l l coach, said he deliberately c r e ates an atmosphere among the team in which students can feel comfortable talking about their issues. “On the basketball team, I hope they feel connected with each other,” Peters said. “The more people can be connected in high school, the more support networks they are going to have.” According to Peters, the girls varsity players feel especially close because his team is led not by a

“When physically strong people relay their stories of emotional struggle, it can be really empowering for an audience that may view them as invincible.” Lia Salvatierra

captain, but by the teammates collectively. Peters said eliminating the captain position in 2008 to prevent unnecessary disputes among teammates, but soon realized the change allowed players to speak more freely. “After I implemented (the system without captains), I realized that it allowed the freshman and the sophomores who wanted to speak out to do so,” Peters said. Peters said the system significantly benefits the players by allowing them to more easily seek help for their mental health issues. “(We try to) create an environment where players are not afraid to speak up,” Peters said. “The more communication you have and the more players are allowed to say what they want, the safer the players feel. They can voice their opinion, they feel valued and they feel that people care about them.” According to Peters, he often refers students who approach him to the Paly Wellness Center or counseling services if he believes they lack effective support systems. “(Players) might not be able to talk to me,” Peters said. “The number one

question I ask is ‘do you have someone you can talk to?’” Varsity football coach Nelson Gifford shares a similar philosophy to Peters regarding athletes’ mental health. Gifford said he encourages players to strengthen their relationships through non-

1 in 5 male athletes exhibit depressive symptoms Source: British Medical Journal competitive activities. “We do team dinners every week before games and so guys can sit and eat and talk,” Gifford said. “We have opportunities on Saturday after meeting to sit and talk with coaches, and then I, generally speaking, have an open door policy with all our guys.” According to Gifford, he has made several changes designed to

encourage athletes to talk about their problems. “One of the points of emphasis that I made when I took (over) the program was telling the members of the team that it was really important... that (they) took care of their mental health first and foremost,” Gifford said. According to Niethammer, Paly might better address athletes’ mental health problems by cultivating a similar atmosphere of openness in all sports, where everyone feels comfortable discussing their experiences. “It is important to know that there are lots of people who have mental health issues, whether (they) are (athletes) or not,” Niethammer said. “What is important is that people start talking about it, because they are not alone.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Dance team qualifies to Nationals at competition in Anaheim Close-knit team has shown vast improvement, earns bid to Nationals 2019 after competing against 2,000 different performers By Shiva Mohsenian Staff Writer

agerly anticipating the notice of qualification for the USA Varsity Dance Nationals 2019, freshman Riley Herron huddled with members of the varsity dance team awaiting the news. As they learned that the team would yet again represent Paly at Nationals, the group immediately erupted and vowed to perform to the utmost of their capabilities.

“It was really nervewracking to go to such a big competition and having so much responsibility in the outcome, especially because we were representing Paly.” Riley Herron

Held at the Anaheim Convention Center, the USA Varsity Dance Nationals 2019 Competition hosted the arrival of almost 2,000 performers, with nearly 4,000 spectators. The event began on March 17 and lasted through March 19, and continues to be the most well-regarded dance competition of its category in the western region of the country.

Varsity coach of four years, Alanna Williamson, has continued to utilize dance in her life for over 23 years. According to Williamson, although the team did not place as well this year as expected, the overall progress of the team this season has vastly improved, considering that two of the three dances that were performed placed. Also, the cumulative scores of the competition were comparatively much higher than years previous. “Each year the girls impress me more and more with their work ethic and talent and passion for the athletic art,” Williamson said. “Coaching each year teaches me something new about dance and my students, and it also keeps me so connected to the Paly Vikes spirit. I am really grateful to be able to continue my own training as a dancer through coaching and choreographing. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.” In addition to their ranking at nationals, senior and team captain Abby Cummings takes great pride with the progress of the team throughout the season. “Speaking for the team as a whole, we were thrilled with how we did at nationals this year,” Cummings said. “Our scores at nationals were much higher than those at our local and regional competitions, which always feels really great considering how much time and work we out in to make each routine the best it can be.” According to Herron, the

team practices habitually for an hour and 45 minutes daily as of summer. Additional practices that can last the entire duration of the day are also enacted in weeks prior to the competitions. Each year, the team initially begins learning routines in August, and continues to perfect technique up until competition season begins in January.

“Coaching each year teaches me something new about dance and my students, and it also keeps me so connected to the Paly Vikes spirit.” Alanna Williamson

According to Williamson, another crucial aspect of the preparation for competitions are team bonding exercises. “In March, especially when we all start to feel a little burnt out, we play games, organize team lunches, and spend a lot of time having fun to balance the incredible amount of hard work they have put in,” Williamson said. After previously dancing for 11 years outside of school, Herron became a member of the varsity team as a freshman. “It was really nerve-wracking to go to such a big competition and having so much responsibility in the outcome, especially be-

ALANNA WILLIAMSON/USED WITH PERMISSION

The dance team had an impressive showing in Anaheim, qualifying to Nationals for the fourth year in a row.

cause we were representing Paly,” Herron said. “There are so many fun and scary experiences from being a part of the varsity team as a freshman. The upperclassmen were so welcoming and nice which made it a lot easier to join the team.” According to Cummings, the team is extremely tight

knit as a result of its small nature. “As a captain of the team, I feel no different than any of the other team members in the sense that there really is no hierarchy regarding officer positions, we are just a really close group of girls,” Cummings said. “Yes, my co-captain and I do a lot more behind

the scenes, but our main job is to make sure everyone’s happy and heard throughout the year, whether that’s inside or outside of the dance studio. I definitely spend more of my time with the dance team than I do with any other people, and I couldn’t be more glad that I do.”

Abby Wambach speaks at Performing Arts Center on book tour American soccer star spoke at Palo Alto High School and shared her experiences as a soccer player and renowned activist By Frida Rivera

Staff Writer

elivering a message of female empowerment and equal rights, Abby Wambach, former member of the U.S. women’s soccer national team and two-time Olympic gold medalist, spoke at the Performing Arts Center Tuesday, with former teammate Brandi Chastain joining her on stage. “Not only are (Wambach and I) friends, but we were teammates,” Chastain said. “And we are in the same business of trying to help support young women and girls so they may find their true potential and have the world see them for who they are.” Wambach holds the current record for the most international goals scored among women’s soccer players, as well as the record for the most domestic goals in California. During her career as a professional athlete, the U.S. women’s team won the Women’s World Cup in 2015. According to Wambach, after

retiring from soccer, she felt passionate about fighting for women’s rights and decided she would dedicate the rest of her life to trying to solve inequalities between the sexes. In fact, on International Women’s Day on March 8, the U.S. women’s soccer national team filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, claiming discrimination.

“Women have to embody and understand that everything that they’ve done in their life has gotten them to a certain point.” Abby Wambach

“I know this lawsuit is not just about more money in their bank account,” Wambach said. “That’s not what this is about. This is about respect. This is about freedom. On average, a woman who does the same job as a man has to

work for 12 years longer to earn the same amount of money.” Wambach said she plans to provide emotional and monetary support to help the women’s team win the lawsuit. According to Wambach, the U.S. Soccer is a not-for-profit organization, but the organization has $100 million in its bank account and doesn’t use it to benefit the women’s team. “It’s not because we’re unappreciative,” Wambach said. “It’s because the mission statement of U.S. Soccer is to grow the game and the United States, not just grow the game for the men in the United States.” Wambach’s recently published book, titled “Wolfpack,” aims to encourage young girls to foster a tough, pack mentality, and sends the message that women should band together and demand their rights. “Women have their tribes and their pack in high school and in college, and they stick together,” Wambach said. “But then you go into the business world, or you going to the work world, or you

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Wambach addresses the audience on topics such as women’s empowerment and her newest book release. get married and you have children, and then you become alone. You just are isolated, and you just lose that pack mentality, and the only way that women can actually achieve real success is if they have people around them that are supporting them.”

“My message is we have to find a way to bridge this gap in figuring out how to make human beings seen as equals is my mission on this planet.” Abby Wambach

She also said that a pack mentality — by supporting women and joining their ‘pack’ — is one way men can help eliminate discrimination based on sex, especially in sports. “Men can learn a little bit about what we’ve been going through on a daily basis and learn a little bit about the insidious behavior that sometimes can creep up on us,” Wambach said. “All of us.” According to Wambach, one

of her main goals in writing her book is to encourage girls to become aware of how they have been conditioned by society to have a mindset where they feel grateful about something instead of feeling pride. “Women have to embody and understand that everything that they’ve done in their life has gotten them to a certain point,” Wambach said. “Nobody’s giving (them) anything, (They) are earning it. And once you start to have that mindset, you believe that you can be grateful, both things can be true at the same time. You can be grateful and demand what you want.” She also said she hopes to inspire girls from around the world to uplift each other and use each other’s success as healthy competition, as opposed to being jealous of others’ success. “If you score a goal,” Wambach said. “And a teammate runs to you and she’s celebrating with you, then she’s a good teammate. But a lot of times what you see is girls initially get jealous or envious of each other.” This is what it was like on the women’s national team, she said. “That competition had a positive connotation,” Wambach said. “It was about getting better and

pushing one another to our absolute limit. And ultimately, at the end of our team winning.”

“(Wambach and I) are in the same business of trying to help support young women and girls so they may find their true potential and have the world see them for who they are.” Brandi Chastain

Above all, Wambach said she wants to dedicate her life to ensure equality between the sexes in her lifetime. “My message is we have to find a way to bridge this gap in figuring out how to make human being seen as equals is my mission on this planet.” Wambach said. Wambach’s appearance at Palo Alto High School was cosponsored by Books, Inc. and the Paly Media Arts Boosters, with a percentage of the funds raised through ticket sales going to the MAC Boosters to benefit Paly’s media arts program.

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Racing and freestyle BMX, mountain biking gain popularity By Vivian Feng & Samantha Hwang

I JENNA HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Alex Evans runs in the Coyote Point 5K race, which benefits an organization to empower those with Type 1 Diabetes.

Students participate in fun runs

Fun runs provide positive environment for participants By Emma Todd

Staff Writer

e could feel the McCalmont boy sneaking up on him from behind. His legs were burning and his heart was beating fast. Almost burnt out from the race, rolling hill after rolling hill, he raced toward the finish line. But this wasn’t the only race that he was preparing for. Along with qualifying in this race by two points for cross country CCS, senior Alex Evans also prepares for fun runs around the Bay Area.

“I like fun runs because they’re a good way to meet people, especially when they’re within your community.” Alex Evans

Evans competes in all types of races from the fall to the spring. Evans said training for cross country and track helps him perform better, whether it’s a marathon or a friendly race. “I like fun runs because they’re a good way to meet people espe-

cially when they’re within your community,” Evans said. “One upcoming run I might go for is the (San Francisco) Half Marathon this summer with a bunch of other friends from cross country.” Whether training for fun runs or marathons, it’s a lot of work. But senior Donald Taggart said he extensively prepares for any race he competes in, knowing that this training will help him no matter what kind of running he’s doing “Before every race and workout, we’ll do one to two miles, some stretching, dynamic drills and sprints to get us warmed up,” Taggart said. “I’ve run in three fun runs in the last year. One of them was a half marathon that about 10 other runners from Paly’s cross country and track teams ran in.” This particular race was the Irvine Half Marathon. Taggart has also competed in Stanford Summer Scamper and the Coyote Point 5k. Taggart said he likes running in general, and fun runs can be an easy race and way to chase after the goals he has. “The environment at races is also so positive because they have the kindest people and everyone’s excited for the event,” Taggart

said. “Finishing a race is extremely satisfying if you’ve accomplished your goal and especially if it’s a longer distance one that you’ve been training a long time for.”

“The environment at races is also so positive because they have the kindest people and everyone’s excited for the event.” Donald Taggart

Another cross country and track athlete, junior Ronald Hu, has participated in the San Francisco Hot Chocolate Run and the San Francisco Half Marathon in the past year. Hu said he likes to prepare for races and marathons by a big bowl of oatmeal before the competition, and to make sure he is wearing his lucky pair of running shorts. According to Hu, fun runs are a low-stress environment for runners to push themselves. Hu said, “I like to participate in fun runs because it’s a great way to test your ability to go the distance without putting a big strain on yourself.”

Multimedia Editor & Board Correspondent

n the past two decades, BMX, or bicycle motocross biking, has experienced a surge in popularity. With the start of the X Games, and as its recognition as an Olympic sport in 2008, the number of BMX bike participants have increased from 1.96 million to 3.44 million people over the past several years, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. BMX biking involves either competitive racing or freestyle biking. “It basically comes from guys (who) used to ride motorcycles on tracks out in the desert across jumps and doing turns,” Craig Bark, a former Paly teacher and former BMX biker, said. “A lot of kids who were younger wanted to do that on their bikes, and we were on the streets.” Accoring to Bark in the early stages of BMX biking, most biking tracks consisted of vacant lots and biking around in the streets. However, as the sports picked up in popularity, more and more tracks were starting to be built. “In the mid 70s, [people] started building actual tracks for kids to race on in Southern California,” Bark said. “In the mid 70s, they had a race at The Coliseum down in Los Angeles during the middle of an NFL game. In the 1970s, off-road motorcycle racing was really popular, and this was a way for kids to do that when they couldn’t get out in the desserts or didn’t have motorcycles. They would try to emulate the motorcycle riders on their bikes.” Bark’s interest in BMX biking started when a friend invited him to a track, but his interests in bikes and competition in general have always been an important part of his life. “I got my first motorcycle when I was three,” Bark said. “My

FATBOYSLIMBIBI/PIXABAY

BMX involves both free style biking and track racing style competions.

dad used to race off-road motorcycles and I used to ride on his gas tank. I’ve always had motorcycles and bikes for as long as I can remember. I think (biking) was just natural. I started riding motorcycles then bikes, and one day my friend in fifth grade said his mom was taking him out to a local track. I had been out to motorcycle racing but I had never been at a bicycle track. I had only been on the streets and in the fields. So my first time I went with him and his mom. My dad had never been so he ended up coming too. And after that it was cool so I started racing.”

“It basically comes from guys (who) used to ride motorcycles on tracks out in the desert across jumps and doing turns.” Craig Bark

What started as casually biking on tracks and in the streets quickly became a profession for Bark when the brand GT Bikes started sponsoring him. GT would supply his bike and his jersey, and would fly him out from tournament to tournament. Flying from country to country and competing in national and even world championships, Bark

gained worldwide recognition. Along with BMX biking, there has been a surge in popularity in the related sport of mountain biking. Mountain biking stems from BMX biking, and has lots of overlapping characteristics. “When you’re on a BMX, it requires a lot of technical skills like jumping,” senior and mountain biker Miles Schulman said. “Like the ‘bunny hop’ BMXers work a lot on that and the same kind of motion is used in mountain biking. If there’s a rock in the trail it helps to be able to bunny hop over it.” Schulman first started mountain biking in eighth grade, following his parents’ footsteps who frequently go on bike rides. According to Schulman, he prefers mountain biking to BMXing because people can mountain bike on any terrain whereas BMX biking requires a certain venue or terrain. Students and mountain bikers in general typically mountain bike through the Arastradero Preserve, which is more of a beginner trail, or the Santa Cruz mountains, according to Schulman. “I like mountain biking a lot because it uses the same skill sets that you need when BMXing,” Schulman said. “You can kind of (mountain bike) anywhere, which is kind of the purpose of mountain biking. BMX is more specialized.”

Friday, April 19, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS The path less traveled Graduates continue athletic careers in community college

fter hanging up their route.” Viking jerseys, some Fung said attending a comPaly athletes go on munity college allows for a trito play Division I, II and III al period that could help stusports. However, others find dents decide if they would like that the next step of their ath- to continue pursuing athletics. letic careers is not at four-year “The junior college route is colleges, but local community a great route,” Fung said. “It colleges, also known as junior gives you a little taste of colcolleges. lege and then you decide, ‘AlAll local community col- right, am I ready for another lege athletic programs are a two years (of college)?’ ... (At) part of the California Com- the junior college level, you get munity College Athletic As- a glimpse of college (sports).” sociation (CCCAA). The Being a former junior colCCCAA oversees over 100 lege athlete himself, Fung said schools and 26,000 student participating in sports while athletes, who compete in 24 at community college allowed different men’s and women’s him to continue to do what sports, ranging from wrestling he loved, while not being far to track and field. from home. Within the Bay Area, the “I did track at Foothill and community colleges are divid- loved it,” Fung said. “For me, ed into different conferences at the time, it was the ideal — while Foothill College and pathway. It helped me get my College of San Mateo com- credits and I didn’t really care pete in the to ‘go away to North Coast school.’ I was Conference, fine just run“My best next De Anza and ning locally West Valand doing step was to run ley are part local stuff. I at junior college, t r a n s f e r re d of the South Coast Contwice.” to make those ference. For Paly J a s o n alumnus Ty(previous) offers Fung, a Paly ler Marik, and hopefully (a playing comphysical education coldivision one offer) munity teacher and lege sports former athwasn’t always an opportunity letic director, part of his again.” said there are plan. a few reasons A f t e r Tyler Marik a student running athlete may track for all choose to atfour years at tend a junior college. Paly, Marik graduated in 2018 “(There’s a) grade factor and was set to attend Saint that is an important determi- Mary’s College of California nant (in the decision of going in Moraga, Calif. for the next to community college),” Fung four years, not playing sports. said. “(Some athletes) went to However, after one semesthe junior college know- ter, he left Saint Mary’s and ing that their grades transferred to De Anza Colweren’t the best, but lege in Cupertino, where he still wanted to play, say, is currently on the track and football (or any sport). field team. (There are also) kids “(I regret) not pursuing (who) went away to my sport out of high school,” school and decided, Marik said. “I had Division II, ‘Hey, it’s not (going to) NAIA and Division III offers work for me, I’m (going to run college track.” to) try the junior college However, Marik said not

TEXT BY LARA NAKAMURA

running track for a semester had to be, since practices and revealed just how big of a role weights happen just about all it played in his life. year round.” “After being away from the De Anza College baseball sport, I realized its importance player and Paly alumnus Nato me,” Marik said. “My best than Willis also credits high next step was to run at junior school for preparing him for college ... Hopefully (a Divi- handling the academic and sion I school will offer) an op- athletic balance of being a portunity again.” community college athlete. Marik said his transition “(I have) morning workfrom Paly to college and then outs four days a week and practice (and) to junior colgames six lege wasn’t days a week,” always the “(I regret) not easiest, both Willis said. physically schoolpursuing my sport “The and menwork did not tally. out of high school. change very much, since “It’s an e g o - c h e c k I had division II, Paly was such rigorous coming from NAIA and division a high school, Palo Alto, where our III offers to run but the time commitment stigma about college track.” (to sports) junior colstill makes lege is genTyler Marik school more erally negadifficult.” tive,” Marik A f t e r said. “I took time off (from track), since I graduating from Paly, the athwas initially not competing, so letics programs at the local the athletic transition was not community colleges are what ultimately led Newman to deeasy.” In comparison to high cide which junior college she school athletics, Marik said he would attend. “At first I was going to atconsiders junior college athletics a level above, in terms of tend Foothill College, but I found out they did not have competition. “You still have people com- a track team,” Newman said. peting for fun, but you also “The head coach for De Anza’s have people training to go (to team found out I was going to a Division I school) who are Foothill, so he reached out and already at that level,” Marik recruited me to come and run said. “One of my teammates at for him at De Anza.” For many community colDe Anza is 15th in the country across all divisions in his lege student athletes, junior event so far this year. You are college is a two-year stepping expected to devote more time stone to eventually being at a and energy into your sport four-year college. Newman said the committhan ever before.” Adee Newman, junior col- ment to athletes is another lege athlete and former Paly piece to balance in eventually hurdler and runner, said she pursuing transfering to a fouryear university. agrees. “You need to make sure “(Sports are) still just as much hard work as being a you get into all the classes four year student athlete,” you need to transfer after two Newman said. “(The transi- years, but they can’t interfere tion) wasn’t too hard for me with any practices,” Newman academics wise, since Paly said. “Even though it is conprepared me very well, but it sidered ‘not as good’ by many definitely was a wake up call we still put in the same work in (terms of ) how involved I as an athlete in the NCAA.”

DESIGN BY NOAH BAUM,

ART BY TIEN NGUYEN & MIRANDA LI

NAVID NAJMABADI & JOHNNY YANG