Issue 1, 9/18/15

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

The Campanile

Vol. XCVIII, No. 1

Palo Alto High School • 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.palycampanile.org

Friday, September 18, 2015

Hanover Research evaluates PAUSD course alignment

ASB introduces new night rally for Spirit Week SUSANA CACHO

Grading policies found to have discrepancies

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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CLAIRE DENNIS

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

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anover Research, an independent firm hired to report on course and department alignment in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), released a report of its findings, highlighting areas of success and potential for improvement.

Hanover reported back to the district in July after conducting research on Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School during the 2014-15 school year.

Research tactics included surveys for students, parents and administrators, a series of student focus groups and comprehensive reviews of course documents such as syllabi and homework calendars.

Hanover’s main goal was to evaluate alignment in PAUSD courses and departments by comparing the workloads and levels of difficulty of similar interschool courses and those taught by different teachers within the same school.

Hanover discovered that the Math departments at PAUSD high schools had the best levels of alignment, while the Social Studies departments were the least aligned. This finding was supported by document review of grading policies, assessments and homework practices. Despite noting similar course formats between the two high schools, Hanover found discrepancies between grading policies at Paly and Gunn. Gunn math teachers require students to have 90 percent in a class to receive an A, while most Paly math teachers require students to have 88 percent in a class to receive an A.

Despite noting similar course formats between the two high schools, Hanover found discrepancies between grading policies at Paly and Gunn.

According to Paly math teacher Herb Bocksnick, the Math department attributes its alignment to frequent communication between instructors.

Teachers teaching the same course assign the same homework and alternate writing assessments to ensure alignment.

Science courses within Paly appeared to have similar course documents, comparable work loads and remained consistent with what PAUSD outlines in its homework policy. However, the Science and Math departments were found to underestimate the amount of time students spent completing homework assignments, which students claimed, on average, to be over three hours in actual work.

In English and Language Arts, Hanover noted differences in course setup in underclassmen courses.

Gunn offers two semester English courses for ninth and tenth graders, while Paly offers a single, year-long course for ninth and tenth graders.

Also, Gunn students typically read three to four books per semester in their English classes, while Paly students tend to read only one to two books per semester. These discrepancies, however, subside in HANOVER

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JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

Paly alumnus James Franco works with Bay Area high school students to revamp the script at the first of eight workshops.

Franco leads first film workshop Forty high school students selected to attend professional filmmaking class CLAIRE DENNIS AIVA PETRICEKS ALICE ZHAO

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alo Alto High School alumnus James Franco began the first out of eight film workshops for 40 local high school students on Sept. 13 in the Media Arts Center.

Throughout the workshops, which meet once a month, students will be working in small groups to film, edit and direct scenes that will eventually culminate in a feature film to be entered in film festivals.

Franco has been teaching film courses at the University of Southern California (USC), University of Los Angeles (UCLA) and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) at the graduate level for over six years.

However, much like the courses he teaches at the graduate level, many

film classes available to high schoolers today are limited to those who already are proficient in filmmaking. There are very limited chances for students who are not necessarily committed to filmmaking to take film courses. Feeling his opportunities for creative expression were limited in high school and even in college, Franco decided to create a workshop similar to his classes offered at the graduate level for high schoolers who are interested in filmmaking.

“When I was younger... all these programs, like film writing programs or creative writing programs all required some sort of audition or application process or weren’t available,” Franco said. “When I was at Paly we had nothing like this. I always felt like I was on the outside and there where all these things I wanted to do but I didn’t have access to. So now that I have been making movies for

almost 20 years, I want to give opportunities to other people and give the opportunities I would have wanted at that age.”

However, Franco envisions that teaching a course to high school students may present different challenges compared to the ones he faced while teaching more experienced graduate students. To make up for the potential lack of experience, this course will focus more on the technical side of movie making. Nonetheless, Franco intends to keep the core of his teaching style the same. Franco advocates for project-based learning, where students work towards an end assignment or goal that is applicable to the real world.

“One of the things I try to do as a teacher is always make my classes project based,” Franco said. “We FRANCO

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ollowing the conclusion of freshman elections and Spirit Week theme voting, Associated Student Body (ASB) has started planning a revamped Spirit Week and the homecoming dance.

According to ASB President, senior William Zhou, there is much to look forward to in these upcoming months, including new events such as a night rally.

“For the first time [in recent years], there’s going to be a night rally during Spirit Week, and this year’s homecoming is shaping up to be the best it has ever been,” Zhou said.

This year’s new night rally has been inspired by Henry M. Gunn High School’s night rally and will give students the opportunity to be more engaged.

“Every year, we go to Gunn’s night rallies to judge their air bands and they’ve always been a blast,” Zhou said. “We’re always looking for new ways to make Spirit Week more fun and exciting and we think the night rally can do that. If all goes to plan, expect to see hamster ball races among other new games at rally.”

The night rally will replace the Thursday after-school rally since the Big Gym is no longer available.

Senior Kate Abed thinks that the night rally will be a positive change and will encourage more students to participate.

“It [the night rally] will be more engaging for a larger group of students rather than those who are good at or enjoy basketball,” Abed said.

As of now, ASB does not have a theme for the homecoming dance but with the Small Gym unavailable, ASB will have to find an alternative location for the dance.

“Since both of the gyms are gone, this year’s homecoming will be off campus,” Zhou said. “I don’t think I can share the venue yet, but trust me, it’s really good.”

CCC provides admissions guidance programs to seniors Events planned in order to prepare seniors for the upcoming college admissions process JEREMY FU

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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alo Alto High School’s College and Career Center (CCC) has a number of upcoming programs for seniors looking for guidance in the college admissions process.

Representatives from many colleges around the country have begun their visits to Paly. To sign up for these events, students can visit Naviance for dates and times. College Advisor Sandra Cernobori believes that these visits provide students with valuable insight into colleges and the programs they have to offer that is not delivered online.

The CCC is also hosting events to help with the college application process for schools that do not use the Common Application and University of California (UC) schools.

“For non-Common Application schools that require paperwork, school reports and transcripts, there will be two workshops, one for the early round and one for regular decision.” Cernobori said. “I also do a UC application essay case study where we go through example essays and break down what the UC is looking for.”

This year, the annual Palo Alto College Fair will be held at Paly’s library and student center, as the big gym which has traditionally housed the event is undergoing demolition in preparation for a new complex. The fair will be on Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

“Seniors should target specific colleges to help build a list, or just to ask some questions. For juniors, it is a good time to investigate,” Cernobori said.

The CCC also provides counseling to help seniors form college lists, review essays and discuss strategies for early action or demonstrated interest.

JEREMY FU/THE CAMPANILE

Students listen intently to a college representative in Paly’s College and Career Center.

During College Awareness day, which is on Oct. 14, seniors can receive help with the California State University or UC applications, Common Application, community college applications and financial aid.

“There is a whole host of events for seniors,” Cernobori said. “In terms of essay specific workshops, the English department also hosts workshops for students.”

The CCC also provides counseling to help seniors form college lists, re-

view essays and discuss strategies for early action or demonstrated interest.

Cernobori recommends all seniors meet with their college counselor at least once to discuss plans.

“For students who haven’t met with us [college counselors] yet, we would strongly recommend that they do.” Cernobori said. “We keep track of people who have made meetings and at some point we will call in students who have not had a meeting to check in.”

Cernobori also offers advice to parents who are helping their kids through the process.

“Try and set a tone that is accepting of a wealth of your student’s

choices,” Cernobori said. “I feel like the tone that they set will set a tone for their children.”

Cernobori also believes that it is important that parents are involved in the college application process, but are also sensitive to their student’s emotional well-being.

“Be aware that this can be an emotion-filled time and be sensitive to how it impacts you and your own child,” Cernobori said. “Parents, be involved in the process. Do not — for the lack of a better word — nag your students. Maybe set aside an hour every week to check in about college apps, so your students do not feel like they are always being asked about it.”

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Check us out at www.palycampanile.org

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ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Parking Permits

The City of Palo Alto enforces a new parking policy in residential areas.

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Friday, September 18, 2015

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NEWS TO KNOW

The Campanile

NEWS Residential parking permits to be issued Students’ parking options limited due to implementation of new permit parking system ANNA MORAGNE

STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF UNHCR.ORG

@ Refugees Worsening conditions inside #Syria + the region fuel despair, driving 1000s towards #Europe @NBCNews Cops hunt for gunman after professor Ethan Schmidt killed on campus

@latimes Los Angeles is now the only North American bidder for the 2024 Summer Olympics after Toronto says no

@nytimes 3 major California wildfires rage, largely out of control.

@Pontifex War is the mother of all poverty, a vast predator of lives and souls.

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@White House We honor those we lost.

We salute all who serve to keep us safe.

We stand as strong as ever. #911Anniversary

@TIME Michigan sees first-ever case of bubonic plague

@BritishMonarchy Today Queen Elizabeth II has officially become the longest reigning British Monarch

@washingtonpost Donald Trump earns ovation from Texas crowd when he proclaims: “We are a dumping ground for the rest of the world”

@cnnbrk Taliban frees hundreds of prisoners during Afghanistan jail raid early Monday

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s of Sept. 18, the City of Palo Alto has begun to enforce parking permits in the Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) district, requiring anyone who wants to park within the district for over two hours to have a permit.

Due to the limited amount of parking available at Palo Alto High School this year, many have chosen to park in nearby residential areas and walk the remainder of the way to school.

“I’m not going to have a place to park any more,” junior Quinn Knoblock said. “I mean, I’ve had to think about doing a carpool or something else now. I don’t have a plan yet, and I’m sort of stressed out about how I will get to school.”

The RPP is displacing the drivers who have been parking on High Street, Emerson Street and Kingsley Avenue, all of which are near the Embarcadero Road entrance to Paly.

The many juniors, and some seniors, who were parking in these locations, must find other places to park.

“At the end of last year I parked on Kingsley because they had permits in the Paly parking lot,” Knoblock said.

“I had my license so I just drove to Kingsley and I can’t park there this year since there’s going to be residential permits.”

The RPP district also includes the area from Alma Street to Guinda Street and from Palo Alto Avenue to Lincoln Avenue and Embarcadero Road. Permits will be required for parking on any of the streets within the district.

Thomas Conn, a resident who lives within the RPP district, has had

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

The new Residential Parking Permit distric spans from Palo Alto Avenue to Embarcadero Road and Alma Street to Guinda Street.

to put up with many Paly students as well as downtown workers parking in front of his house and along his street.

“I don’t like it, I think [Paly students] should park on their own campus because we don’t have a driveway, we don’t have a garage, and we have three drivers and when they take our place we have to park a few blocks away,” Conn said.

Palo Alto decided to start the RPP because residential streets were becoming overly crowded with people who work downtown and did not have another place to park. However, some residents are more skeptical about the new program.

“I don’t see how having parking permits here won’t just move the problem somewhere else,” resident Meredith Ackley said.

Students who don’t have a Paly permit have the option of carpooling with a senior who has a permit, parking in residential areas near the

Churchill entrance to school or using alternative means of transportation such as biking or taking the shuttle.

According to the City of Palo Alto website, “an RPP program is intended preserve the integrity of residential neighborhoods which have an influx of non-resident parking, either from tourists and visitors, commercial employees and local business owners or commuter parkers.”

However, there are still times when people are able to park within the RPP district without a permit.

Permits will only be checked from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. People are still able to park within the RPP district on weekends or on weekdays for less than two hours.

Employees who work downtown are able to obtain permits that enable them to park in the RPP district, but the city will regulate how many employee permits will be given out in order to prevent overcrowded streets.

Construction of new gym facilities begins Old gym torn down, new facilities expected to be completed within 20-month period JARED STANLEY

STAFF WRITER

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he building plans for the new gym have been in the works for almost three years now, and it has just been torn down. Many Palo Alto High School students saw nothing but rubble as they walked past the area where the old gym used to stand tall.

This project is expected to take 20 months to build both a new subterranean big gym and a second smaller gym. This new complex is modeled after the Arizona State Gym and should be completed in April 2017.

There will be an above ground hallway connecting both gyms running parallel to the pool. The gyms and hallway will create a sort of perimeter around the pool. This new

gym will have a larger weight room, modernized dance room and bigger locker rooms.

“This [new gym complex] is going to be like the MAC [Media Arts Center], like the new theater and like the new math and history classrooms,” bond project manager Bob Golton said.

The construction alone is expected to total $36.4 million, $13 million of which the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is paying. Donors contributed the other $23.4 million for the completion of this state of the art complex.

In addition, there is a $1.8 million provision. Golton added that the district has never ran through a reserve provision.

“We believe that number is a very conservative number,” Golton said.

“It is used to take care of unforeseen conditions and changes to design.”

According to one of the project managers, the pool will never be drained and is being treated with the right amount of chemicals for the duration of the project. Theoretically, the pool is usable during construction, but for liability reasons it has to be shut down.

This is going to be like the MAC, like the new theater and like the new math and history classrooms.

Bob Golton Bond Project Manager Many athletes who participate in aquatic sports such as swimming and waterpolo have expresssed frustration

“Shrek The Musical Jr.” and a choir social also coming this fall

SEPT

PROGRESS REPORTS DUE The report card that you don’t care about, but your parents do.

SEPT

CLUB DAY They can take away our candy, but they can’t take away our long lunch.

SEPT

FOOTBALL GAME VS. OAK GROVE We’ve never heard of them either.

OCT

SHREK THE MUSICAL JR. Come ogre to Haymarket and Shrek it out!

OCT

NO SCHOOL: PRO LEARNING DAY We don’t know what it means, but we’ll take it.

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RACHEL FARN

BUSINESS MANAGER

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JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

The Fiery Arts Fall Glass Sale will feature pieces from students and professionals.

From Sept. 25 to Sept. 26, Paly will also be hosting the annual Fiery Arts Fall Glass Sale. Every year, Steve Ferrera, Paly’s sculpture and ceramics teacher, organizes the fall glass sale, where professionally made glass sculptures and creations can be bought by the Palo Alto community.

Previous glass sales featured a variety of creations including terrariums and pumpkins as well as cups, bowls and vases. This year, the sale will also include elephants, trees and cherries.

“Every year we try to include a few new items just to make it so that every year, when people come back, it’s not the same stuff,” Ferrera said.

Glass pieces are mostly made by adult professionals, but some ad-

vanced students help in production as well.

Prices can range anywhere from $5 for small pieces to $100 for larger pieces and all proceeds from the sale of the items will go to Paly’s art program. Money from the sale also benefits students.

“With the money from last year’s sale, we sent eight students to the Glass Art Society conference,” Ferrera said.

As the first play of the new school year, from Oct. 1 through Oct. 4, Paly’s theatre department will be performing “Shrek The Musical Jr.” All three departments — choir, theater and art, are prepping for the upcoming school year.

about having to practice off-campus at facilites like Gunn High School.

Some wonder why the district, with a $378 million bond program could not spare some of the money to be used for renovations on the pool.

According to Golton, the donors would not have accepted anything less than a $36.4 million complex.

“There would not have been a project if we had put up less than $13 million,” Golton said. “This is not a ‘we’ll give you $23.4 million do whatever you want with it.’ The donors were with us all the way through the design process.”

PAUSD has other projects planned, including expanding the science building and renovating the library which are expected to total almost $16 million, according to Palo Alto Online.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Fiery Arts Fall Glass Sale approaching ver the next two months, Palo Alto High School’s art and theater departments plan to host many events, including a choir social, a Fiery Arts Fall Glass Sale and “Shrek The Musical Jr.” performances.

On Sept. 24, Paly will hold its second choir social in the Media Arts Center. Although the choir social will be open to anyone, the event is mainly for choir members, both new and old, as well as for their parents to socialize and get a feel for upcoming choir events.

“The choir social is an event held at the beginning of the year for parents, students and basically everyone to get together, talk about the year to come, listen to some casual performances and just have a good time,” senior Jenny Xin, the choir president, said.

The event will include numerous activities and performances, including karaoke sessions and acapella group performances. “[You] get to sit around, eat food, talk with friends and just watch or participate in various performances,” Xin said. “It’s always fantastic.”

Though these employee permits will be given out to non-residents, Paly students will not be able to get the parking permits and will have to look elsewhere for parking.

There are two different phases of the RPP program. Phase one will be in effect during the first six months of the program, and phase two will last for one year after the first phase is complete.

In phase one, all residential permits are free and there is an unlimited amount of employee permits. These employee permits will be priced at $233.

In phase two, a household can get up to four parking permits, with the first being free. In addition, the number of employee permits will be limited.

In phase two, additional residential permits will be $50 and employee permits will be $466. Visitor permits are available for $5 and are only valid for one day.

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The Campanile

Friday, September 18, 2015

NEWS

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Film workshops California Avenue to limit to be held at Paly chain stores and franchises Paly alumnus to teach an 8-part film class CONTINUED FROM A1

“We always make a movie, in my graduate classes and here,” Franco said. “I bring in the material, and I try to bring in material that the class can handle. Here, I brought in my mom’s [Betsy Franco] novel, “Metamorphosis,” that is about teens in high school. The book was inspired

by Paly, and it is material that these students are very equipped to engage with and handle.”

Currently, the workshop is working on rewriting Betsy’s original script and will have small groups direct different sections of it and combine them later. Franco enlisted Iris Torres, a producer of his film company, Studio Four, to facilitate the workshops.

“We divided the script into eight different episodes — so we are creating the outline for each episode,” Torres said. “Once we get the script 100 percent locked, then we will move into [casting, animation] and how the film is going to look in terms of photography. There is a lot to do.”

When the workshop was initially publicized without Franco’s name, it received a minimal amount of applicants. On Sept. 4, Franco posted a selfie on his Instagram account announcing that he would be teaching an 8-part film class for high school students.

“No one was signing up when [the course] was taught by a ‘mysterious celebrity’ so I wanted some students,” Franco said. “Fortunately, I have a fair [amount of ] followers on Instagram and news outlets pick up things that I post and I knew if I put it out there it would get some attention.”

After Franco’s announcement of the course, over 500 high school students around the Bay Area applied for 40 spots in the exclusive film program.

Initially, only 24 students were going to be accepted. However, the workshop was expanded due to high

demand among Bay Area students.

Applicants were asked to submit a brief essay describing their interest in filmmaking and a short video shot on a smartphone. The students who did not make it into the Franco workshop were offered an on online course by Cinequest, the number one rated film festival according to USA Today ratings. Many students were happy about the alternative offering, according to Franco’s co-teacher Esther Wojcicki.

Senior Dylan Griffith, a student who is participating in the workshop, admires Franco’s laid back teaching style that allows students to feel comfortable.

“In terms of his teaching style, I really like how [Franco] approaches things and communicates with a colloquial tone,” Griffith said.

This workshop can serve as a bridge for students interested in the industry, which can be hard to break into. Opportunities to work with experienced professionals can be scarce.

It is easy for those in the industry to get caught up in thinking about what is next and how to enhance their careers. But for Franco, teaching courses like this allows him to take a step back from the film industry and his own career and focus on enhancing others’ skills.

“If you are in the film industry or a highly competitive industry where it is hard to break into, you spend a lot of time focusing on yourself,” Franco said. “You have to raise yourself to a certain level or you do not have a chance. If you do make it or you do have a career in film or whatever, you get to a point where it is like, ‘all I do is focus on myself or focus on my career.’ I got to a point in my career where I made enough movies that I was proud of where it was like, ‘I made this thing, but what’s next?’ By teaching universities and here, it is great for me because it gets my mind off of myself and takes me out of that self-centered careerist attitude.”

Palo Alto works to protect mom-and-pop stores within the city

COURTESY OF CITY-DATA.COM

The Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission voted to limit the amount of chain stores located on California Avenue.

ELI GWINKERR

STAFF WRITER

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alo Alto’s Planning and Transportation Commission gave the proposal to limit chain stores on California Avenue a unanimous answer on Aug. 26: the commission voted in favor of limiting the number of chain establishments in the city’s “second downtown.” The decision followed a long conversation over the details of the ordinance and its impacts on the city.

Some commissioners, however, expressed concern over the proposal.

Commissioner Mark Michael proposed that franchises be excluded and Commissioner Kate Downing questioned why the city excluded nail salons and barber shops from their definition of “allowed retail.”

Nonetheless, given the 7 to 0 vote, the council is set to review and approve the ordinance. If passed, it would add to the current 2-year period of retail restrictions on California Avenue.

The chain store ban, which will affect both California and Cambridge avenues, would prohibit all retail businesses and restaurants with more than 10 U.S. locations from developing new venues. Recently, the commission has split with the City Council on other major issues, most notably the proposal to create an annual office cap in Palo Alto’s business districts. However, everybody seemed to be on the same page about the shops on California Avenue. Owners of California Avenue shops such as Jessica Roth, fourth-generation owner of European Cobblery, have spoken out in favor of the proposal.

“I feel there are great spots in Palo Alto for big businesses — Stanford Shopping Center and some big spots downtown,” Roth said in an interview with Palo Alto Online. “If we don’t do anything to protect Cal Avenue, we’re going to lose the small mom-and-pop shops eventually.”

California Avenue has always lived up to its original motto, “small town shopping in the heart of the city,” and

the proposal aims to keep it that way.

For years, it has been a destination for many Palo Altans due to its mix of restaurants, grocery stores, boutiques and the year-round farmer’s market takes place every Sunday.

Residents of the nearby neighborhoods Evergreen Park and College Terrace have expressed concern that the ordinance would backfire and drive up the already high rent prices, potentially forcing out mom and pop businesses. If the ordinance passes, it could heavily affect the atmosphere and the amount of revenue being generated in this business district.

“I feel like it’s a good idea because it gives a chance to the smaller businesses to make some money,” junior Eric Kim said. “But I also feel like they would need bigger chain stores down there to attract people in the first place.”

The commissioners all approve of retaining an “eclectic, vibrant and diverse collection of retail and personal services establishments,” as stated in the ordinance.

Students to debut a variety of Course inconsistencies clubs on annual fall Club Day highlighted by Hanover New clubs will be introduced to expand extracurricular options THOMAS RAUNERSWAN

STAFF WRITER

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everal new student clubs have been added at Palo Alto High School this semester, including the Untaught History club and Wilderness club.

This year, Untaught History club hopes to fill in the gaps that Palo Alto High School social studies classes miss.

“I found that [the AP U.S. History] curriculum...was lacking in diversity, particularly because we failed to discuss the AIDS crisis,” senior Clare Kemmerer, president of the Untaught History Club said. “I wanted to show kids that everyone has a history, because that’s one of the things that made me fall in love with the subject.”

By creating the Untaught History club, Kemmerer hopes to increase students appreciation of history.

“I know to many students it’s a mandatory core class, not a love, and I want to change that,” Kemmerer said.

The Untaught History club is hoping to attract students who are not only excited about history, but also members who are willing to learn about student leadership.

By combining leadership and history, passionate students will be able to teach other club members about topics that interest them.

If you are interested in Untaught History club, look out for them at the quad during the annual fall Club Day on Sept. 21.

Another new club this school year is the Wilderness club, where students who are interested in the outdoors can explore wilderness conservation.

Presidents and founders Teddie Stewart and Clara de Martel were motivated to start the club in order

Report showed discrepancies between the district schools and academic departments CONTINUED FROM A1

AP Literature courses, whose reading list was mirrored across both schools.

According to the Hanover report, “History and Social Studies courses display the greatest degree of variability by instructor both within and across PAUSD high schools.” Varying homework assignments, assessments and projects in the History and Social Studies department are attributed to the lack of departmental alignment.

COURTESY OF SAMUEL DESRÉ

Students from the Multiracial Club recruit members at the annual fall Club Day.

to expand their love for nature to the school.

“I really enjoy backpacking, hiking, rock climbing… and I wanted to find more people at Paly who enjoyed

I know to many students it’s a mandatory core class, not a love, and I want to change that

Clare Kemmerer President of Untaught History Club the same thing,” Stewart said.

Stewart believes that her club could be a possible answer to the recent epidemic of student stress across the school. “[I] wanted to introduce the outdoors and everything that goes along with that,” said Stewart. “[The wilderness is] a really great stress reliever and a good place to go and find peace and I wanted to share this with the rest of the Paly community.”

According to Stewart, liability issues play a big part in club activity restrictions.

“We wanted to go on hikes with our club and wanted to even take a backpacking trip at the end of the summer or something cool, but we can’t do any of that stuff with that club because legally if someone gets hurt they can sue us,” Stewart said.

Even though backpacking trips are not going to happen during school hours, the Wilderness club still has excitement planned for the duration of the year.

The Wilderness club meets twice a month on Mondays during lunch in Ms. McDermott’s room.

Stewart hopes to discuss wilderness conservation and the Sierra Club on meeting days and to get guest speakers to talk with the club.

To find out more information about both these clubs, look for them during Club Day..

In evaluating alignment, Hanover discovered that the Math departments at PAUSD high schools had the best levels of alignment, while the Social Studies department was least aligned.

After outlining PAUSD’s areas for improvement, Hanover’s report then offered several solutions to increase vertical alignment, alignment in courses across grade levels, and horizontal alignment, alignment of classes within the same course or grade level.

These suggestions included additional meetings highlighting horizontal and vertical alignment, followed by revisions to course curricula.

Teachers would then develop “curriculum maps,” visual representations of the revised curricula, aimed at making the curricula more accessible and transparent, both for students and teachers.

Hanover additionally released many excerpts from high school staff member and student responses to survey questions in regards to current alignment and ways in which schools

could improve alignment in the future.

Many teachers agreed that there should be more time dedicated to meetings to facilitate discussions and increase communication within district schools and departments about alignment.

“If we had less of our subject area collaboration time taken over by WASC meetings, etc, it would be easier to collaborate,” an anonymous teacher wrote. “Also, a commitment to giving teachers teaching the same courses a shared [preparatory] period to meet too would work. Generally the main obstacle is just time.”

Some teachers, however, criticized the pressure to align their courses.

They feel that alignment could stifle teacher and school autonomy within PAUSD. “Our initiative in such an innovative district is to remain innovative,” another teacher wrote. “However, when you align everything, it prevents people from being innovative because people will be afraid of not being aligned.”

Hanover additionally polled students regarding their suggestions for teachers to improve alignment.

42 percent of the high school students who were polled suggested that teachers need to better understand constraints on their time in addition to schoolwork.

Many other students complained of frequent days with “test stacking,” where a student has multiple tests scheduled on the same school day, causing an uneven workload throughout the week.

“They think we have infinite amounts of time to do homework assignments, projects, and study,” one student wrote. “We do not.”

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

A4

NEWS

Social Justice Pathway encourages positivity through art The program’s latest project hopes to show appreciation for the community and inspire students to participate months to obtain the materials and create the stencils. Junior Sara Sundemeyer created the stencil designs, and then students voted on which designs to use. Students use a hydrophobic spray that creates a barrier between the pavement and water, so when it rains the surface behind the art darkens and a message appears.

Even students who are not part of the Social Justice Pathway participated in the project.

“It’s really satisfying working on it because we had this idea and to see it put on the pavement for everyone to see, and actually being able to do it is really fulfilling,” Li said. “That’s why we put an ad on InFocus for other people to join us because it would be great if other people could feel fulfilled and make fun art projects.”

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

A Rainworks art piece outside the Media Arts Center activates when splashed on by water. The art project is now open to all Paly students interested in participating.

BETHANY SHIANG

STAFF WRITER

S

tudents participating in the Social Justice Pathway are creating rain-activated art every Friday after school as a creative way to spread positive messages throughout the Palo Alto High School campus. Social Justice Pathway is a three year lane that promotes projectbased learning and allows students to learn the practice of social justice by analyzing global issues at the local level. This art project, called Rainworks, was originally exclusive to students part of the Social Justice Pathway, but has now opened up to all Paly students interested in participating in creating these artworks around campus.

These student-created messages are hidden on the ground when dry, but begin to appear when it rains.

Currently, there is a Rainwork outside of the Media Arts Center that says, “Think outside the box.”

Erin Angell, English teacher and co-founder of the Social Justice Pathway, initially saw Rainworks featured on the news in Seattle, and thought that the cheerful messages would be able to benefit students at Paly.

“It’s a student-for-student action,” Angell said. “Instead of it being beautification from outside the Paly community, it is beautification from within the inside of the Paly community, and that is a nice gesture.”

Although California is in the middle of a drought, students who are part of the Social Justice Pathway

claim the art will still be as impactful as rain is expected this winter.

“The message will appear on a rainy day when a lot of people are feeling down, and there [will be] something to brighten someone’s day,” junior Ahana Ganguly, Media Coordinator for Social Justice Pathway, said.

The Social Justice Pathway made these rain-activated artworks as a token of appreciation for the community. Plans for further messages such as “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” are intended to uplift students during those upcoming rainy days. “[Sometimes] you’ll have a really bad day that is not going well, and you see one thing that gives you hope,” junior Yotam Ponte, a Social

New English elective focuses on public speaking, leadership and communication English teacher Lucy Filppu introduces and implements new Communications elective course available to juniors and seniors

Justice Pathway student, said. “Well, I hope Rainworks does that for students at Paly.”

After the first prototypes of Rainworks, students hope that the innovative designs will continue, and that more students will be inspired to participate in the project. Some students hope that Rainworks will make future generations interested in Social Justice.

“I think people should do stuff like this more in the future, because it makes Paly a better place to be,” junior Nicole Li, Human Relations Director for Social Justice Pathway, said.

“During rainy days when people see something inspirational it may seem like people are looking out for them.”

The project has been going on since last year, but it took a few

CHRISTINA LE

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

T

he Communications English Elective course is in progress for the first time at Palo Alto High School, taking a new perspective on literature by focusing on practical life skills.

The new English elective is taught by teacher Lucy Filppu and is available to both juniors and seniors. Filppu has a passion for starting new classes, as she also started Comedy Literature, another English elective.

“I wanted to teach an English class that incorporated real world speaking and listening skills into literature,” Filppu said. “The class is a new spin on English, teaching communication and leadership skills. In the class, the students will examine the foundations of communication and leadership techniques as well as study texts both past and present to raise questions about how communication affects the ability to actualize an authentic relationship with oneself and others.”

Filppu plans to help students create their own digital portfolios for future business plans as well as improve presentation skills.

“Right now we’re just starting the how-to presentations and it’s going great,” Filppu said. “Just this morning I learned how to speed read and how to tie ice skates.”

The class has spent the past weeks preparing for one of its bigger projects: a how-to speech.

“The goal of the project is to practice giving speeches on potentially technical topics to a general audience,” senior Lilia Tang said.

I wanted to teach an English class that incorporated real world speaking and listening skills into literature.

Lucy Filppu Paly English Teacher The curriculum focuses on public speaking, leadership skills and different forms of communication such as business etiquette. The class combines global competencies such as understanding international issues and business models with literature.

The class is also recommended for students participating in the “sports pathway.”

The class adopted some of its curriculum from Gunn’s Commu-

nications class. However, Communications at Gunn is a required semester course taken by all freshmen and sophomores while the course at Paly is one of many available elective courses.

Tang, a Communications student, believes that this course builds people skills and will be useful to her future.

Though Communications is a new addition to Paly, many students already recommend the class to others.

According to senior Shaun Pike, the class is different than any normal English course.

“I think it’s run a lot smoother and is a lot less stressful because it isn’t as based on essays and things like that,” Pike said. “It’s a good class because it’s the best at preparing you for real life.”

Senior Aidan Van Vleck agrees with Pike, in that the new course differs from other classes and that the class is applicable to day-to-day life.

“It’s a Psychology [and] English class that has a useful social practicality,” Van Vleck said. “It’s certainly very practical as English classes go because it’s basically training in communication, and understanding others who struggle with communication.”

While the students are still deciding on potential areas of the school to put the designs, they have already planned on placing some designs by the history and math department.

Once rain falls, the artwork will be visible for everyone on campus to see.

With these Rainworks designs, the Social Justice Pathway students hope to inspire students to create artwork, become participants of artistic expression and contribute to spreading positivity around Paly’s community.

“The messages are just daily reminders for people to think positive and lead the lives they would like to live,” Sundemeyer said.

Residents and local politicians seek to divert airplane flight paths around the city CLAY WATSON

I

English teacher Lucy Filppu explains to her students how to improve and execute a how-to speech, the class’s latest project.

Ahana Ganguly Media Coordinator

Palo Alto community hopes to reroute local aircraft traffic

STAFF WRITER

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

The message will appear on a rainy day when a lot of people are feeling down, and there [will be] something to brighten someone’s day.

ncreased flight traffic over the city of Palo Alto has citizens and politicians fighting for a change in airplane flight paths coming from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Since 2006, planes departing from and arriving to SFO, over Palo Alto, have increased by 185 percent.

This increase in flight traffic over the city is also caused by a recent surge in additional flights after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rolled out its new NextGen flight system. The NextGen flight system requires aircrafts to travel over much more specific, narrow paths in order to free up airspace for military and commercial drones.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve rushed from the garden,” Amy Christel, a Palo Alto resident, said in an interview with the Palo Alto Weekly. “The planes are flying so low I can read the number on the tail.

My perception was, ‘Oh my God, we bought a house under an air-traffic path.”’

The planes are flying so low I can read the number on the tail. My perception was, ‘Oh my God, we bought a house under an airtraffic path.

Amy Christel

Palo Alto Resident This concern over airplane noise is shared by many Palo Alto residents and has inspired members of the community, including Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman, to create a political action committee by the name of Sky Posse Palo Alto. With the ongoing support from the Palo Alto City Council, the Representative for California’s 18th congressional district, Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, Sky Posse Palo Alto hopes to convince SFO to divert flight paths to less populated areas.

Rachel Kellerman personally monitors airplane noise in her own home.

“The sound measured 65 decibels, that is approximately the sound of a vacuum cleaner going off over one’s head,” Kellerman said. “In one half hour last night between 5:30 and 6 p.m., 10 such flights roared overhead.”

“It’s great to finally be gathering some data to back up the complaints being lodged at SFO,” Kellerman said.

I raised the concerns of the many constituents I’ve met with in my Palo Alto office with the administrator, and he agreed to reexamine flight altitudes passing over our region.

Anna Eshoo

U.S. Representative Recent action has been taken by Eshoo, who sent an airplane-noise survey to the FAA. This survey has been filled out by hundreds of constituents since its initial release in January, and Eshoo hopes to gain more momentum through more survey responses.

With SFO receiving complaints and concrete evidence to support the claim that airplane noise is a problem for Palo Alto residents, an intervention in flight paths seems likely. According to Bert Ganoung, head of Noise Abatment at SFO, they recieved 45,000 complaint in July.

“I raised the concerns of the many constituents I’ve met with in my Palo Alto office with the administrator, and he agreed to reexamine flight altitudes passing over our region,” Eshoo said in a letter to her constituents. “He also agreed to have the FAA regional administrator hold a meeting with select community representatives in the near future. If we can bring the testimony of the people of the 18th Congressional District affected by this problem to the FAA, it will help demonstrate how urgent it is for the agency to address them.”

Eshoo and Sky Posse Palo Alto suggest contacting the Noise Abatement Office of SFO at 650-8214736 or by email at sfo.noise@flysfo. com to encourage flight path reform.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

OPINION A5 Compost bins are beneficial New Zero Waste Bins are essential to keep Palo Alto environmentally friendly

program too costly

Expensive compost project is unnecessary

MAGGIE ROSENTHAL

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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YES

he small compost bins given to nearly all Palo Alto households in July may seem like an insignificant change to some residents, but in reality they are anything but a small change. The City of Palo Alto took an important step on July 1 when it began the Residential Food Scraps Collection as part of its Zero Waste Program.

The food scrap collection allows all Palo Alto residents to dispose of their food waste through the large green compost bins that are collected weekly curbside, which were previously limited to yard trimmings.

This initiative diverts residents’ food waste from landfills to a specific composting plant in San Jose, the site of the Zero Waste Energy Development Company.

The City of Palo Alto has simplified composting through this program. Residents were supplied with convenient kitchen composting bins and pamphlets outlining exactly what can and cannot be composted through the new system.

There are also workshops offered nearly every month for residents who need more guidance. Residents can even gather friends and host “compost parties.” While some of these measures may seem a little excessive, the general sentiment of help that Palo Alto officials are offering to residents to encourage composting and make the transition easy is admirable. With all of the resources available to residents of Palo Alto, there is no excuse not to compost.

Though the ease of composting is certainly an important factor for residents to consider, the environmental aspect of composting is also key.

According to a progress report put out by the City of Palo Alto this month, only 29 percent of the material found in Palo Alto garbage in 2013 was actual garbage waste.

Thirty-nine percent of the material found in Palo Alto garbage was actually compostable.

Additionally, the program is expected to eliminate roughly 1,140 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. To put this in perspec-

CLAIRE DENNIS

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

P GILLIAN ROBINS/THE CAMPANILE

Compost bins are now delivered to Palo Alto residents for the new compost project.

tive, this eliminates as much carbon dioxide as over 900 acres of U.S. forest do in a year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Certainly, there are some issues with the bins and the program as a whole. Many have been concerned with the small size of the bins as well as the intended placement in the kitchen. However, these problems are simply not as large of an issue as one may think, and do not affect users after the initial adjustment.

One potential issue is the dirt and grime that could build up in the bins. This problem is easily solved however, by using relatively inexpensive compostable bags or by simply lining the small bin with paper towels, which also happen to be compostable.

Only 29 percent of the material found in Palo Alto garbage in 2013 was actual garbage waste.

At first glance, the size of the bin may seem too small for practical use.

However, just as one does with recycling oversized items, such as large boxes, anything that does not fit in the small composting bin or would potentially cause a mess can be taken directly out to the large green composting container.

Another issue raised is the cost of the program. And yes, there are absolutely issues with the costs involved with implementing the new program. Despite this, the cost of the bins and implementation of the

program are effective ways to spend money on helping the environment, a certainly worthy cause.

Nearly every resident of Palo Alto is able to take part in this program, as opposed to other environmental actions that may only be applicable to certain demographics.

Everyone generates garbage, and composting is a feasible solution for all to participate in.

Because of the current state of the environment and Palo Alto’s subpar track record of non-garbage items being thrown out, as evidenced in the previously mentioned progress report, it is inevitable that part of the budget must be spent in some way on the environment.

The compost bins are a necessity, just as any other public works project, like maintaining sidewalks and streets, is necessary. The way the City of Palo Alto has chosen to designate this money that needs to be spent on the environment is commendable, due to its widespread applicability to residents.

Clearly, the program is not perfect, far from it, in fact. However, the slight inconveniences to Palo Alto residents do not outweigh the overall positive movement the compost bins spur.

Simply put, Palo Altans should take advantage of the efforts the City of Palo Alto has taken to ease the transition into composting.

Residents can and should deal with the little effort it takes to put apple cores and crusts of bread in a separate bin.

NO

alo Alto is getting greener, or at least trying to. Zero Waste, a City of Palo Alto initiative, aims to reduce trash and educate Palo Altans on composting. While the concept of reducing trash is commonly accepted, the method by which this goal is achieved leaves citizens wondering if the cost really adds up.

As of July 1, Palo Alto residents received an additional compost container, in which residents could store food scraps before disposing of them in the larger container for yard trimmings.

This container features a “strong, rugged closure,” “many grips” and a “removable lid.” The manufacturer also promises that the container provides “maximum odor control.” These compost buckets retail for $14.95, a hefty price for a vessel for food scraps. While the City of Palo Alto most likely paid less than $14.95 per household, considering the population of Palo Alto, the price of a compost container can quickly add up, especially when a cheap bucket could have done the same job.

Much controversy has stirred regarding the “maximum odor control” claim. Given the holes on the lid, odors can easily permeate an entire kitchen.

It is not practical to expect residents to place smelly food scraps that can attract bugs and mold on a kitchen counter, in close proximity to meals are prepared. Thus, residents must purchase special biodegradable bags to line their containers.

Zero Waste alternatively suggests that residents place their buckets in the freezer to minimize smell. However, that odor could just as easily permeate frozen food as well. Also, placing the bucket outside is not plausible, as it could easily attract pets, squirrels or raccoons to one’s backyard.

While saving the environment may seem a worthwhile cause, the Zero Waste initiative is not cheap, considering the minor impact compost has in comparison with reducing water waste or planting trees. According

to the Palo Alto Weekly, the City of Palo Alto will spend $387,000 on the new buckets and educational materials alone this year. The program itself will cost an additional $532,000 per year. It is also interesting to note that in June the city passed a measure increasing trash prices by nine percent in the next year and eight percent in the two years to follow. So, despite reducing their trash, citizens are expected to pay more for the city to pick up trash they do not create.

To accompany the implementation of the new compost containers, Zero Waste designed pamphlets to educate citizens about their new buckets. A glossy, colored labels adorn the front of the container, featuring compostable food items. These pictures depict items like banana peels, fish bones, pizza boxes (although how someone could fit a pizza box in the small box is beyond me), and several other indecipherable items.

If this sticker is attempting to encourage residents to compost, they should at least be able to understand the items pictured. The information on the pamphlets is basic and is an unnecessary cost for the program.

Additional glossy, colored mailers were included with the container.

While also extremely costly, these redundant and self-explanatory pamphlets contribute to the waste that the city claims to be reducing. The information contained in these flyers was pictures that are easily accessible on the Internet.

The program itself will cost an additional $532,000 per year for the forseeable future.

Instead, the City of Palo Alto could have directed residents to a website, saving considerable amounts of paper and cost. The comprehensive website linked on the City of Palo Alto webpage seems to overlap much of the information contained in the expensive and wasteful pamphlets.

The manner in which the Zero Waste initiative was instituted will not motivate enough residents to participate. Those who already compost in their own backyards will find no problem switching to a convenient container and curbside pickup.

According to an Aug. 21 email sent from the environmental outreach manager of GreenWaste of Palo Alto to the Palo Alto Weekly, only 60 percent of citizens were utilizing the new compost program. However, for those who have yet to hop on the compost bandwagon, the new policy leaves much to be desired. Those who already compost will continue to compost, but the city must improve its current course for the Zero Waste initiative to truly catch on for all citizens.

Students relieved Back to School Dance is cancelled

Due to dismal attendance and old gym demolition, ASB votes to abolish dance for second consecutive year In reality, the Paly dances, aside from Homecoming and Prom, consist of awkward conversations with strangers and reminiscing about middle school dances.

Student Activities Director Matt Hall said there has been low attendence in the previous years for the dances.

The Sadies attendance last year was around 200 students, and in the previous years only a small percentage of Paly students have shown up at KATE DEANDRE STAFF WRITER the dances, while even fewer stay for the duration of the dance. If such a he Palo Alto High School low number of students are attendBack to School dance has ing, then the dances should be eradibeen around for years, with cated completely to make room for little attendance by students and new activities that students will enjoy depriving the students of money for and attend. new activities.

As a Paly student, many are glad In reality the Paly dances, to hear that the Back to School dance consist of awkward has been cancelled for the second conversations between strangers year in a row. This is due to the lack of attendance in previous dances and the demolition of the gyms, leading Why continually waste money on to a lack of space. dances that majority of the students Incoming freshmen think their do not attend? Many may say that it first Paly dance will be similar to was an easy way to garner more monthese hosted by their middle schools, ey to subsidize more dances in the where everybody is mingling and future. However, a much better use prepared to have a great night. of funds could be put to the biggest

T

COURTESY OF CHRONICLE.AUGUSTA.COM

This year’s Back To School dance will no longer be hosted at Palo Alto High School due to unsatisfactory attendance in past years.

dances, such as Homecoming and Prom, and more unimportant dances could be eliminated.

Associated Student Body (ASB) has made the decision to remove the Back to School dance and hopefully will eventually abolish the rest of the second-rate dances, with the exception of Homecoming and Prom.

Although many people may think that by taking away the majority of the dances there will be fewer possibilities for underclassmen to take part in school activities, this would make the main dances, Prom and

Homecoming, more significant. It will make underclassmen as well as upperclassmen value the remaining dances much more. There will also be greater freedom for other activities on school premises that the majority of students will end up attending.

Another issue with the preservation of the dances is absence of locations for the dances to be held. The ongoing renovations of both of the gyms leaves ASB without a venue on campus to host the dances. Finding an external venue takes away even more funds that could be going to

other activities students will take part in.

“We usually break even or lose money on most dances. That’s because we’re subsidizing tickets for people who can’t afford to pay for them, and we’re usually breaking even or going below market price. If we made prom a for-profit business, it would be $200 a ticket,” Hall said.

By abolishing the Back to School Dance, ASB can conserve money for schoolwide activities and spend it on something students will attend and appreciate more.

The Campanile

Friday, September 18, 2015

A6

OPINION

Paly should bring back live ASB speeches Without live speeches, students vote for class representatives solely based off of popularity and not eligibility

CATHERINE YU

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

L

ive is better than online.

As of the 2013 school year, the approach Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) has taken during elections is to upload candidates’ speeches onto YouTube. Before then, students, along with their respective classes, were required to listen to candidates as the prospective class officers delivered their speeches live in Paly’s Haymarket Theater. However, even with the limited space inside the theater and the major construction, there still remain some areas at Paly with enough space to host an entire class of students to watch live candidate speeches. Without this in-person experience, students will miss out on the opportunity to truly understand their class candidates.

This year, the freshman class broke the record for voting, and the winning candidate for presidency was Caroline Furrier. Furrier’s candidate speech on YouTube received 248 views. However, the Frosh Election poll counted 285 students who actually voted. This gap in the number of viewers and voters shows that students are making decisions without the necessary information to make informed choices. Even then, other videos received up to 95 or less views,

suggesting election success was reliant on candidate popularity. Freshman Shannon Zhao, who also ran to be her class’s president, felt as though students were more likely to vote for the person they knew best, not the best candidate.

“I had just moved to Palo Alto last year,” Zhao said. “So being a new face while running for class president was especially challenging. I felt as though people were voting for the candidate they knew the most, and not actually for the best candidate, whoever it may be. Caroline and I shared some of the same friends and because she has been their friends for a longer period of time, I felt as if they were obligated to vote for her over me.”

With content solely online, students unfamiliar with the candidates can only rely only on one resource to connect with their possible future representatives. Thus, the majority of students are ultimately left to make impactful decisions without being well-informed. Processes of democratic decisionmaking only works when enough people participate to form an informed majority. In order to increase participation in all classes and to have students make well thought-out choices, ASB candidate speeches should have mandatory attendance. This way voters will make more informed decisions.

Junior class President Noa BenEfraim, who was the sophomore class president the year before, advocates for a well-informed student body.

“I think it’s beneficial for students who aren’t familiar with the candidates to experience their speeches either online or in person to make a more informed decision,” BenEfraim said. “With more publicity and teachers giving reminders about the elections, there will be a greater voter turnout.”

COURTESY OF PALY ASB

Recently, ASB candidates have been posting election speeches to YouTube, giving voting students the option of viewing speeches.

By restricting candidate speeches to be solely online, there is an expectation that students will seek the videos out on their own accord. This is problematic. Some students do not have computer access at home. In the Minority Achievement and Talent Development Advisory Committee’s 2015 report to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education, members claimed to be “surprised to hear from students about their lack of access to computers and printers at home.”

While this data is focused on minorities in PAUSD, there was no other data on students’ at-home access to computers found online, nor in the 2015 Western Association of Schools and Colleges’ Final Report on Paly.

Paly students, with a tendency to strive twoards high achievement, are often busy with activities such as schoolwork and extracurriculars.

The natural inclination for a student would be to forget about the online

candidate speech videos. Even if a student did remember, it would likely be a low priority among other more pressing tasks, namely extracurricular activities. Paly students are given the responsibility to learn about their potential representatives, but the convenience of online videos does not encourage them to participate.

In fact, it takes away the incentive to participate.

Voting for an ideal representative is difficult if one cannot experience his or her character first-hand.

While this may be more immediate and available, it hinders interpersonal connection.

A live speech creates an authentic atmosphere for both the candidate and the audience. Additionally, live speeches help eliminate students voting for the candidate they know best and not the best candidate. Though some may argue the simplicity of an online approach, face-to-face communication ensures that students are

at least somewhat exposed to a candidate’s speech. The current online system creates a disconnect, which must be overcome to create a truly representative ASB. “I think students should have to attend their grade’s candidate election speeches because this ensures that all the students would have seen and heard what their future class representatives have to offer and what they will fulfill during their term,” Zhao said.

The standard for having a voice in Paly’s electoral process is too low.

It is too reliant on technology when older methods are more effective. At the very least, teachers should utilize the online system and show their students ASB candidate videos. This could easily be done during advisory periods or tutorial. The student body,, must be informed to make educated votes. Also, not only will cooperation increase, but the students’ best interests will be better represented.

Lunch breaks ought to be extended for students With long checkout lines and construction detours, students need more time to enjoy their lunches and relax

SAMUEL YUN

STAFF WRITER

M

any Palo Alto High School students have experienced the crowded noon-time commute to Town and Country during lunch and the subsequent 20-minute wait in line for many restaurants. Given the increasing number of students attending Paly every year, this wait will likely worsen, especially if there is no change to the current schedule at Paly.

Evidently, long lines result in shorter amounts of time to eat. The current 40-minute lunch periods are already divided into the walk to Town and Country (a task made harder with the construction), waiting in lines, eating and rushing back to campus to avoid being late for class. Ultimately, this lack of adequate lunchtime leaves students with minimal time to actually sit down and eat, let alone to socialize with friends.

The easiest solution to this problem would be to make lunch periods longer. Of course, the long lines at Town and Country would not disappear, but students, at the very least, would be able to sit down and relax for lunch with less worry of being late to the next class.

The primary issue arising from a longer lunchtime would be a longer school day. This may impact a student with an after school itinerary, since every class after lunch would have to be pushed back. Despite this, the change would ultimately benefit

all and have a positive impact on the student body as a whole.

Students deserve a longer lunch break not only to reduce the trouble of having a short amount of time to eat their lunch, but also to have time for relaxation. Time spent to unravel after a long morning can help refresh a student’s mind.

The current 40-minute lunch periods are already divided into the walk to Town and Country (a task made much harder with the ongoing construction), the wait that ensues and eating and rushing back to campus to avoid being late for class.

Furthermore, students who participate in clubs that meet during lunch would also benefit from this new structure. It is often the case that students end up needing to choose between attending meetings or getting lunch from Town and Country.

This problem usually results in them bringing lunch from home or skipping the meal altogether, an inconvenience under either circumstance.

“I skip lunch almost every day, so a longer lunch would really help since then I wouldn’t have to run or skip class to get food,” junior Candace Wang said.

A student’s social life is also an important aspect that schools should further promote. Having the time to socialize with peers will help students build a lifelong skill of communication. Currently, the only free time available for students is brunch, a meager 15 minute gap. Though academics are important, time to socialize should not be outweighed by such a large margin.

More time during lunch results in more restaurants to choose from.

Students could go into downtown Palo Alto or El Camino where lines may be shorter. Students would no longer be confined to the repetitive restaurants in Town and Country.

Furthermore, students would be given more flexibility on how they would like to spend their lunch break.

Some would like to use the time for meeting with teachers and discussing issues with advisors.

“Even if it means that our school day has to be longer, lunch time would be much more helpful than tutorial, because tutorial is at the end of the day and most people are tired and want to go home,” Wang said.

A lunch break extended by a mere 10 minutes would have a significant impact on students lives. Time to relax will result in higher productivity later in the day, improving a student’s overall academic life. The break would also become more flexible for students to use and those participating in a club would be able to have a healthier lunch schedule, as well as have the benefit of socializing with friends. If such a small change in the schedule can help in so many ways, it seems nearly obvious to implement such an alternative.

The Campanile

Friday, September 18, 2015

OPINION

A7

Police should stop blocking bike lanes before school By pulling drivers into bike lanes on Churchill Avenue in the morning, police are creating danger for bikers

JACKY MOORE

STAFF WRITER

O

n weekdays from 7:50 a.m. to 8:10 a.m., one to three adults can be seen on the corner of Churchill Avenue and Alma Street with their phones in hand, photographing Churchill Avenue’s bike lane. Hordes of student bicyclists maneuver into Paly’s Big Gym lot, sometimes dangerously moving into the street to avoid cars pulled in the bike lane by the Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD).

With a larger freshman class joining Paly’s student body than those of recent years prior, there has been an increase in students biking to school, making the already busy bike lanes even more congested than before.

The bike commute in the area near the entrance to the Big Gym parking lot has been further worsened by the presence of members of the PAPD and the police vehicles stationed in this traffic-heavy bicycle lane, which ultimately forces cyclists to merge with traffic.

In order to maintain the safety of bicyclists riding to Paly via Churchill Avenue on weekday mornings, the PAPD should keep Churchill’s bike lane clear for students by not pulling cars over to the side of the road before the turnoff into to the Big Gym parking lot.

The plethora of students and parents driving on Churchill Avenue and turning into the lot, bicyclists face considerable difficulty in attempting to cut into the morning’s heavy traf-

WILLIAM ZHOU/THE PALY VOICE

Students face the challenge of crossing Churchill Avenue in the mornings due to the congested narrow paths; the additional police cars creates a greater risk of bike accidents.

fic. Cars that police pull over into the bike lane have the potential to backlog up to ten bicyclists, who are effectively stranded, and at the mercy of those in motion on Churchill Avenue.

Communication between bikers and drivers is limited, making it hard to know when a driver is yielding to a bicyclist or not. To ensure rapid, unhampered passage into the parking lot, many students choose to swerve suddenly into the flow of traffic, putting themselves at risk of being in an accident.

“You can’t really tell if a car’s going to let you in or not,” junior Kevin Chen said, referring to bikers trying to enter the traffic lane. “Sometimes you just gotta go for it.”

Chen mentioned the dangers that accompany said lane changing technique, noting the difficulties that drivers on Churchill face with it.

“I guess it’s hard to know what the [student bicyclists] going to do, so it’d

be pretty easy for an accident to happen,” Chen said.

The police’s conscious decision to position cars illegally crossing Alma onto Churchill in the bike lane is highly illogical, as it puts cyclists at a greater risk of being involved in an accident. However, the PAPD has stated it will continue to station officers at this intersection to cite bicyclists and cars that break the law.

We know it displaces the bicyclists. But when we do go out there, that’s where we’re gonna stop the cars.”

Sgt. Kratt Palo Alto Police Officer “That’s where we’re gonna continue doing it because that’s where it’s safest for us, it’s where we’re able to see the [automotive] violation, and it’s a safe place for us to put the cars

to keep us safe,” Sergeant Ken Kratt said.

Sgt. Kratt, the supervisor of the City of Palo Alto’s traffic team, did not mention any concerns with either bicyclists moving rapidly from the bike lane to the traffic lane or potential accidents that could stem from said spontaneous lane changes.

“We know it displaces the bicyclists,” Sgt. Kratt said, “but when we do go out there, that’s where we’re gonna stop the cars.”

When the police are not present at the intersection of the parking lot turnoff and Churchill to block the bike lane, both bicycle and car traffic move smoothly and safely.

Without obstacles in their path, bicyclists remain in the bike lane and, in turn, cars stay within the boundaries marking the edges of the traffic lane. No dangerous swerving takes place, and both cars and bikes travel fluidly and safely. This isn’t to say

that the police should refrain from pulling over bicyclists who aren’t wearing helmets and cars that illegally cross Alma onto Churchill; the officers should simply stop cars past the turnoff into the parking lot to prevent a backlog of bikers.

Few bicyclists ride in the segment of the bike lane 35 feet past the Churchill entrance to Paly, meaning that the police should use this less-populated stretch to stop vehicles rather than the lane’s more congested portion. The PAPD’s mistake to block a crowded division of Churchill Avenue’s bicycle lane can be easily remedied with a minor shift in location. By stopping cars past the turnoff into the Big Gym parking lot rather than before, bikers would no longer have reason to cut into and out of heavy traffic, preserving student safety and alleviating the concerns of both bicyclists and drivers alike.

Paly needs to make a greater effort to conserve water By upgrading its facilities and cutting back on waste water, Paly can significantly reduce its water footprint

DAVID TAYERI

STAFF WRITER

A

s California enters its fourth year of extreme drought and wildfires char over 270,000 acres of the state, it has become increasingly important for everyone to do their part to help conserve water. While the State legislature, Stanford University and even state prisons have made efforts to preserve California’s most valuable resource, Palo Alto High School has largely failed to contribute. Essentially, Paly needs to make more of an effort to conserve water.

As a state, California reduced water use by 31 percent in July. This massive saving of water has come at the cost of thousands of lawns, gardens and even public restrooms. Paly, on the other hand, appears to have sacrificed close to nothing in its attempts to help save water, and even more importantly, have done very little to promote awareness when it comes to conservation.

Paly spends an average of $14,700 on each student every year – $6,200 more than the California median.

This extra funding is taken from the high property taxes in the neighborhoods surrounding the school.

The money is spent on everything from laptop computers to ambitious building projects. It follows that Paly should be able to expend some more resources to conserve water, consider-

MISCHA NEE/THE CAMPANILE

Paly should conserve water by practicing efficient watering techniques so that areas such as the quad are not excessively watered.

ing how many untold thousands were spent to plaster the Media Arts Center with effectively useless flat-screen televisions.

Drop by drop, gallon by gallon, this school can claw its way out of a perpetual state of water waste and emerge as a shining example of conservation and eco-friendliness.

Money becomes even less of an issue when one considers that many of the ways that Paly can try to preserve water, such as installing low-flow toilets, which are ultimately costefficient. Low-flow toilets, which use less than one-third the water of a regular toilet, pay for themselves in less than a decade after installation. Low-flow toilets were recently implemented in Orange County’s largest correctional facility, as part of a broad effort to preserve water. Paly

should try to be at least as progressive as prisons, at least when it comes to saving water.

Saving water at Paly does not necessarily have to entail extensive retrofitting of campus bathrooms either.

It could be as simple as solving the quad’s irrigation problem.

If Paly can just correct some blatant water wasting errors, there may be no need for major changes to take place on campus. Why is it that a student walking across the quad at brunch may suddenly find themselves ankle deep in thick mud?

If the quad is truly being over watered, while so many other fields and lawns across our state go yellow, then Paly is committing a grievous sin. It is not necessary for the grass on the quad to be allowed to die, but as long as it is riddled with six-inch deep puddles, something must be done.

Perhaps the ground needs to be levelled out in some place, or there is a leaky pipe in the irrigation system.

To be honest, Paly does not currently appear to be making a particularly strong effort to preserve water.

The new theater and gym, two huge construction projects, are consuming thousands upon thousands of gallons of water.

Saving water at Paly does not necessarily have to entail extensive retrofitting of campus bathrooms either. It could be as simple as solving the quad’s irrigation problem.

This water is used for dust control, concrete, and drinking water and air conditioning for the workers. If only the water used for construction could be reduced by 5 or 10 percent, Paly could stand to save huge amounts of water. Although this may be somewhat outside of Paly’s influence, water can be saved at construction sites by using “grey water,” which is

recycled water that contains no human waste.

There are less obvious ways for Paly to conserve water as well. For example, increasing the digitization of learning materials could save untold gallons of water. Just one sheet of copy paper can take over 13 ounces. of water to produce.

How many pieces of paper do you think each student at Paly uses every school year? If only a few extra lessons could be put online, Paly could prevent even more water from being wasted.

However, it is not only administration that is responsible for saving as much water as possible at Paly. Any student can make an impact when it comes to reducing water waste.

Saving water can be as easy as bringing your own water bottle to school instead of buying a SmartWater at CVS pharmacy. It typically takes 1.39 liters of water to produce a one liter bottle of water. In addition, students can try to stop buying meat heavy lunches, and avoid driving when possible.

While few will say it out loud, many of those reading this article may be thinking: “Why should I care? Why should I change my lifestyle to accommodate the drought?”

Californians simply can not afford not to adapt. It is a matter of either saving enough water to hold out until the drought ends, or running out completely.

Paly will not become a water efficient school overnight. Drop by drop, gallon by gallon, this school can claw its way out of a perpetual state of water waste and emerge as a shining example of conservation and ecofriendliness.

Governor Jerry Brown has mandated the state to use 25 percent less water in the remainder of 2015. Paly ought to aim to not just meet this standard, but surpass it, a perfectly attainable goal.

Friday, September 18, 2015

A8

The Campanile

EDITORIAL

OCR emails prove Dauber triggered investigation, undermining transparency

I

f a parent catches his or her child performing illicit acts, the typical reaction would never be to dial 911. Instead, the issue would be resolved within the family.

The same can be said for concerns expressed by those affiliated with Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) regarding PAUSD’s improper handling of Title IX, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex in federally-funded activities.

However, in a recent article in the Daily Post, it was uncovered that PAUSD school board representative Ken Dauber had phoned 911, so to speak. In emails that the Post accessed via a Freedom of Information Act request, it was found that Dauber notified contacts at OCR, his previous employer, of the mishandling of a Title IX violation within the district.

The Campanile believes that Dauber acted inappropriately by contacting a federal office rather than pushing to first resolve the conflict within the district. Moreover, the two-year delay in disclosing his email communication with OCR contradicts the transparency he advertised throughout his campaign for the PAUSD school board in 2014.

The chain of events Following Verde Magazine’s April 9, 2013 publication of “You can’t tell me I wasn’t raped,” an article that decried an alleged rape culture within Paly, Michele Dauber, Ken Dauber’s wife, wrote a letter to the district, emphasizing its legal obligation to investigate the specific accounts described in the story. On May 16, 2013, then-PAUSD Superintendent Kevin Skelly publicly discussed the measures that the district took to ensure the safety of the individuals mentioned in the story. Around the same time, Skelly contacted OCR directly for technical assistance.

Dauber emailed contacts at his past employer, OCR, on May 29, 2013. In the email he specified, “I think these facts should have triggered a Title IX investigation… I was happy to learn… that OCR is able to unilaterally offer PAUSD technical assistance on this issue… I hope that OCR will consider doing so.”

To this request, Sandra Battle, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement at OCR, responded, “I will have OCR-SF contact the Superintendent as early as tomorrow.”

On June 3, 2013, Skelly received a letter from OCR that stated, “OCR will make a prompt investigation whenever a compliance review, report, complaint, or any other information indicates a possible failure to comply with regulation… OCR has received information that the High School has not provided a prompt and equitable response to notice of peer sexual harassment.”

The OCR investigation, or compliance review, into sexual harassment at Paly was launched on June 3, 2013, just four days after Dauber’s email.

More than the media Dauber has continued to cite the cause of the investigation as the “local and national media coverage [of the Verde story]” and continues to cite that “according to former Superintendent Kevin Skelly, OCR informed the district in early June 2013 that the reason for the compliance review was the information contained in the media coverage of Paly.”

Yet Skelly made this comment before Dauber’s emails became public, when he believed the only contact with OCR had been initiated by himself and the media coverage appeared to be the only logical explanation for the “received information.”

Now, examining the wording of the OCR email with the knowledge of Dauber’s contact just four days earlier, The Campanile strongly believes that Dauber was actually the trigger.

It would be unprecedented for OCR to launch an investigation purely based off of media coverage.

In September of 2012, a 15-yearold student attending Saratoga High School, Audrie Pott, took her life because of both sexual harassment and bullying. Pott was assaulted by three teenage boys, and pictures of Pott during the incident were circulated online. This incident and the court case which followed were covered heavily by local and national media

up until the verdict was decided in April 2015, yet no OCR investigation was launched on the Saratoga Union School District.

The fact that Dauber continues to refer to the extensive media coverage as the cause of the investigation proves either his naivete or his deception.

In the case of the Paly sexual assault investigation, no formal complaint was filed, and Verde editor-inchief Evelyn Wang, who oversaw the publication of the controversial article, even stated in the May 16 story by the Palo Alto Weekly, “This will cause more trauma and it simply isn’t good for our sources at all.” Furthermore, the Weekly states, “Wang said the student journalists feel people asking for an investigation had ‘mischaracterized and conflated’ elements of the Paly story.”

Title IX dictates that a district must inform and obtain consent from the affected student, and if consent is not given, investigate to the best of its ability. This caveat could have impeded the district’s ability to examine the Title IX violation.

According to Wang, the girls in the story did not want an investigation. Can the district truly be blamed for its weak attempt to provide assistance when it was unwanted and even thought to “cause more trauma”?

SEPTEMBER’S TOP 10 LIST

The final say But the issue does not lie in Dauber’s questioned conflict-of-interest as he would like us to believe.

Dauber’s shortsightedness led to an investigation that has cost the district upwards of $900,000

Costs of myopia Dauber maintains that the OCR investigation, regardless of why it was started, has been hugely beneficial to Paly on the whole. He says it “should be viewed as an opportunity to improve our schools for all students” and that improvements have been made.

Teachers have routinely had bullying and sexual harassment training for years, and while there were additional sessions as the result of OCR, teachers did not see these sessions as necessary since the previous training had been effective. The only impact of the investigation has been the loss of $1 million.

Since 2012, PAUSD has paid the legal firm Fagen, Friedman, and Fulfrost (FFF) around $923,200 in legal fees, and projects it will pay the firm $250,000 in the 2015-16 school year for handling the two remaining open cases. FFF is responsible for handling legal conflicts between PAUSD and OCR. “We need to move on,” current PAUSD Superintendent Max McGee said, in reference to the OCR investigation. “If there’s changes that need to be made, [we want to] make them, if there’s findings, we want to address them, but right now, we’re in limbo.”

Clear as mud But it is hard “to move on” when the school board has been fighting OCR over its investigative practices and spent a large deal of time struggling to discover why the compliance review began. Dauber claims to have informed the Palo Alto Weekly of his email communication with OCR in his 2014 campaign, but school board President Melissa Caswell and Superintendent Max McGee say they had no knowledge of it until approached by a Daily Post reporter in September 2015.

Dauber consistently advocates for both transparency and visibility and claimed, “I am particularly interested in bringing to the school board clearer and more transparent decision making” during his campaign.

This apparent transparency is part of the reason that The Campanile gave him support in the 2014 school board election. However, this new information makes Dauber’s fixation on transparency appear hypocritical.

It has taken far too long for Dauber to come forward with the information of his contact with OCR, and only did so when compiling the story to send to the California Fair Political Practices Commission to determine whether or not he should vote in school board matters involving OCR. Dauber was determined to not have a conflict-of-interest, as he should be considering he has no financial ties to it.

The true mistake has been in his resistance to come forward as the inciting informant for the ongoing investigation.

Despite arguments for the necessity of the OCR compliance review, Dauber has lost the support of The Campanile primarily because of his evasiveness that has wasted the district’s time and resources, when an internal solution should have been examined more closely first, before “calling the cops.”

Top 10 Tips for Freshmen 10) Run to class — sweat stains are great for looks 9) The Deck is reserved just for you 8) Ten points for the freshman if you wear a toga with the Seniors during Spirit Week 7) Listen to tunes while your teacher is lecturing — nothing better than focus music!

6) No one goes to Lulus, so don’t 5) Freeze in the middle of the math stairwell during passing period to talk to your friends 4) Paly is just like High School Musical, don’t worry 3) Complain about all your homework to the upperclassmen 2) Stand in the front of the student section bleachers during football games, they’re there for you 1) Show the upperclassmen who’s boss, younger generations know more anyways

-ADRIAN SMITH & ANNA MORAGNE

BO FIELDS/THE CAMPANILE

“I DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO ASK FOR A WATER CUP.”

The Campanile Editors in Chief Miranda Chen • Stephanie Cong • Owen Dulik Lauren Klass • Mischa Nee • Nikhil Rajaram Online Editor in Chief Jeremy Fu News and Opinion Editors Claire Dennis Peter Maroulis

Lifestyle Editors

Business Manager Rachel Farn

Design Editor Bo Field

Aiva Petriceks Carissa Zou

Sports Editors Kai Oda Ethan Teo Photography Editor Dami Bolarinwa

Staff Writers Yael Ben-Shachar Josh Brigel Susana Cacho Kate DeAndre Greg Eum Joanna Falla Maddie Feldmeier Mackenzie Glassford Eli Gwin-Kerr

Jamie Har Cole Hechtman Antonio Kieschnick Masha Konkov Christina Le Will Leighton Tiffany Liang Anant Marur Mads McCluskey Jacky Moore

Anna Moragne Josh Ng Thomas Rauner-Swan Gillian Robins Maggie Rosenthal Bethany Shiang Tommy Smale Adrian Smith Noah Smith Jared Stanley

Avi Tachna-Fram David Tayeri Annalise Wang Sarah Wang Clay Watson Jessica Wong Catherine Yu Samuel Yun Alice Zhao

Photographers Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa

Yi Ge Daniel Hammerson

Jacky Moore Jordan Schilling

Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds16@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis.

We reserve the right to edit submissions.

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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 policy of The Campanile is to publish editorial content that represents at least half of the staff.

The Campanile

Friday, September 18, 2015 TECHNOLOGY

Apple Reveals Updates

L FESTYLE

Apple unveiled the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus at its most recent event.

PAGE B3

HIP HOP HOPEFULS: KANYE WEST

WEST’S RUN FOR PRESIDENCY AND HIP HOP AS A POLITICAL POWERHOUSE

K

anye West is nothing short of a Christ figure in his own careening story.

One that reads like a podracing scene in Star Wars, full of mumbled expletives and grandiose statements flung defiantly at the heavens while everyone from Jay Z to Taylor Swift hangs on by his coattails. All the while, Kanye charges on, led by unwavering ambition, like an amoeba in a petri dish, always eager to consume the stragglers up ahead. The public has always subliminally condoned this behavior, where its words say, “No! This man is a selfserving egomaniac,” but its eyes say, “Yes! This is pure, raw, freebased entertainment that verges on perfection.”

Because the thing is, Kanye makes points many can not help but agree with. Critics and supporters alike cannot deny the social relevance of Kanye’s heavily anticorporate message — one that promotes introspection and trodding out one’s own path in life.

Kanye’s early albums like “College Dropout” and “Late Registration” were widely acclaimed as instant classics not just for their production, but also for their lyrical content.

Nonetheless, in the last few years, Kanye is no longer the critically and publicly acclaimed wild child of hip hop; instead, it seems his personality and egotism have overshadowed his music and his message. His newest album “Yeezus” was met with heavy criticism for its arrogant tone.

is heavily linked to police brutality in the public eye, can run for president, so can Kanye. Hell, if Hillary Clinton, who has faced plenty of criticism for her heavy corporate ties can run for president, so can Kanye.

The point is, it is possible Kanye’s presidential run is not so crazy as we think it is. The only difference is public relations. Kanye’s highly provocative facade generates serious antipathy from the general public, but it also sells millions of records.

If anything, Kanye has become a pop culture icon as a result of this hornets-nest pugilism. If he had simply stuck to making music, Kanye would have long faded from the public’s conscious attention. Instead, it seems he is only increasing in popularity; more people know Kanye the celebrity than ever knew Kanye the musician.

There is, of course, a flip side to Kanye’s presidential campaign, and that is the possibility that this might all just be more self-promotional grandstanding. Kanye is most likely releasing an album within the next year, and announcing his presidential bid could very easily just be a ploy to gain more publicity for his next album. Nonetheless, Kanye will still have to prepare quickly if he wants to genuinely have a chance as a presidential candidate in 2020.

At the end of the day, if Kanye just had a problem with society’s fallacies, that is not something that

TEXT BY ANTONIO KIESCHNICK

Senior Staff Writer

Even so, although his message may have been obfuscated by his controversial behavior in the last few years, it remains just as powerful and to ignore Kanye would be a myopic error.

It was in keeping with his notoriously controversial persona that Kanye announced his presidential campaign for the 2020 election at the MTV Video Music Awards. The announcement was originally met with mockery and tongue in cheek articles in the media scorning his candidacy. However, there are some suggestions that perhaps Kanye might not be such a bad candidate for president. One only has to compare Kanye to the other current candidates to rethink their stance.

If someone with radically right-wing views like Donald Trump can mount a serious campaign, so can Kanye. If a candidate who is half of the required age for a candidate can run with a meme-name like “Deez Nutz” and garner a significant number of votes in Iowa, so can Kanye.

If politicians with homophobic views like Rick Santorum or Scott Walker can be taken seriously, so can Kanye. If Martin O’Malley, a man whose name

he could realistically fix as a politician. If Kanye just wants to promote self-confidence, he should remain a pop culture icon and not throw his proverbial hat in the political ring.

However, if Kanye genuinely wants to run for presidency, he needs to be just as capable of discussing the shortcomings of the veterans administration as he should about “BlackSkinhead[s].”

In a sense, the true gauge of how serious Kanye is about this presidential bid will be how much he changes his own image into one that the American public will stomach. Either way, Kanye will always be Kanye and, to quote Mr. West himself, “Nobody can tell [him] where [he] can and cannot go.”

So now, let’s zoom out, and instead of talking about Kanye West, let’s talk about the rap industry in which Kanye cut his teeth. Because now the question has become: If Kanye’s running for president, why isn’t Jay Z? Why not Dr. Dre? To understand why this question needs to be asked, we need to go back to Dr. Dre’s departure from the rap group N.W.A., where, along with his bodyguard Suge Knight, he created Death Row Records. There, Dr. Dre was responsible for the pressing and release of some of the most important rap albums in rap history, including “The Chronic,” “Doggystyle” and “All Eyez on Me”, all of which form a vital part of the rap canon.

This move into enterprise would pave the trail for others like New York rapper Jay Z to move into business themselves. Jay Z actually founded Roc-A-Fella in order to release his first album after it was snubbed by major record labels at the time. The fact that we are still talking about Jay Z’s success should tell you all you need to know about his success in the music industry and ascension to the pantheon of true rap greats alongside N.W.A and Tupac Shakur, amongst others.

What made Jay Z unique or perhaps simply a sign of things to come was his willingness to expand out from music into other arenas, including sport — he

force to be reckoned with in the political coliseum. For example, if the top five earners in the rap industry were to amass their wealth, they would have enough financial clout to match Hillary Clinton’s campaign (even if there wouldn’t be that much left over) and without any of the negative corporate connotations her election is currently plagued by.

Although Kanye may not be the ideal candidate for the hip hop moguls to back, a candidate coming out of the rap industry might still be a legitimate possibility. If anything, hip hop would be a more powerful force than any the U.S political landscape has ever reckoned with before. Why? Hip hop defines cool. Hip hop has the sort of pop-culture clout that the Koch brothers could only ever dream about. Because, as much the Koch brothers might be able to pay for political advertisements, Hillary Clinton never produced “Straight Outta Compton” (Dr. Dre) and Jeb Bush never wrote “The Blueprint” ( Jay Z).

Hip hop has the ability to appeal to a younger generation and potentially make under-30s show up to voting booths in droves.

Appealing to an older generation would simply be a question of finding a candidate with a squeaky clean image and policies that weren’t overly idealistic. As a matter of fact, hip hop’s cool factor would give it leeway to go much further right than any standard leftist campaign could.

A l though

DESIGN BY JESSICA WONG & ANTONIO KIESCHNICK

Staff Writer

founded Roc Nation Sports, an agency whose current signees include Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder — as well as fashion and movie production.

However, Jay Z isn’t even the biggest rapbusiness crossover. In the last year or so, Dr. Dre declared himself “the first billionaire in hiphop” after he sold his line of headphones Beats to Apple for $3.2 billion, of which he had a $600 million share that left him with a net worth of about $800 million. Although this leaves Dre $200 million off of being hip hop’s first billionaire, he’s closing in on the title and the likelihood is he will soon be able to truthfully state he is hip hop’s first billionaire.

Now, it is probably at this point that you might be asking yourself why exactly one would care about Jay Z or Dr. Dre’s net worth. The point is that as its major artists start to reach new financial heights, the hip hop industry could become a

Kanye West getting heavy backing from hip hop would be an interesting prospect, the industry has yet to muster up the financial clout necessary for Kanye to be backed purely by hip hop.

Even if the hip hop industry has yet to reach the point where it might completely finance a gale-force presidential campaign, it is slowly edging towards the point where it could finally power a candidate through to the White House.

Most probably, this could happen in the next 20 years as the industry grows.

Ultimately, the hip hop industry is a nascent political force that politicians would do well to acknowledge, because, despite the waves of scorn he faced following the announcement of his presidential bid, “Kanyeezy” is just the tip of the iceberg.

Senior Realizations

AIVA PETRICEKS

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Let’s be honest — you have dreamt of the day when you roll up with your squad to Palo Alto High School in a car decked out in window paint, clearly indicating that you are a part of the senior class. For me, that day came on Aug. 17, 2015, and oh was it a glorious day. Being a senior is great (minus college applications), but there are a few unspoken things about being a senior you realize once you start the 12th grade at Paly.

Good news for you, because as an award-winning journalist, it is my job and duty to tell these unknowns to the world.

Camo Wearing camo pants gives you way more power than you would think. I felt like I could run the world and no one had anything on me. It even made me think I could be Mr. Bungarden’s equal. But then I realized, no one is Mr. Bungarden’s equal, and he is superior to us all. With great power comes great responsibility, and that responsibility is dealing with the thickest ever pants in 90 degree weather. On a hot day in August, camo pants are not your friend.

However, beauty is pain, and you just need to suck it up because you have been waiting for that glorious day where you can wear camo on the first day.

The Deck The second you walk onto the senior deck, you know you have made it in life. I always thought there was a secret passcode to get onto the deck, so I was disappointed when I realized I can just walk onto it. I often look out to all the underclassmen who I know want to be me and my ego goes up just a little bit more. Much like with wearing camo, with great power comes great responsibility, and that is dealing with how hot the deck is. If you have not have realized, the deck is wood painted in dark colors. As we learned in sixth grade science class, dark colors absorb heat, so as you sit on a black patch of the senior deck in the middle of August, you may burn alive. As a senior may question if the heat of the deck is worth it, they remember, the deck > quad so they just deal with it.

Underclassmen As a senior, you are the top of the high school foodchain. And while at the top, you get a pleasant view of the bottom. Senior year, you perceive the underclassmen in different ways.

Freshmen: cute, naïve little people who have not been mentally wrecked

by Paly (yet). Sophomores: to be honest, sophomores are just there. Nothing else to it. Juniors: well, that’s another column on its own. Let’s just say, you guys do not know it all and need to get your act together. This brings me to the point of parking.

Dear juniors, I do not care if you unicycle, rollerblade, heely, waveboard, or skip to school, DO NOT TAKE UP SPOTS IN THE LOT. END OF STORY. ALSO END OF MY COLUMN. BYE PALY PALS.

SPOTLIGHT

Drug Dealing at Palo Alto High School Shedding light on the unexposed culture of student drug dealing within Paly, through the perspectives of student dealers, student drug users and administration.

PAGE B4-B5 COURTESY OF COVE CENTER FOR RECOVERY

COURTESY OF BERNADETTE STARZEE

COURTESY OF KEVIN WINTER

COURTESY OF NATIVEBLVD

LIFESTYLE

ENTERTAINMENT

FASHION

Fill your week with fun activities to enjoy with friends and family.

Justin Bieber’s infamous downfall and shocking comeback.

Gear up for fall and stay up to date on this season’s essentials.

Fun Times in Palo Alto PAGE B2

Lamborghinis to Tears PAGE B2

Fall Fashion Trends PAGE B8

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

B2 LIFESTYLE Miley Cyrus’ unannounced, Bieber’s comeback free album shocks her fans attracts attention Pop star takes a step away from typical club bangers to produce an album filled with abstract music inspired by her personal life

Defamed singer climbs back into spotlight following hit song and public breakdown

ANNALISE WANG

JESSICA WONG

STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

M

iley, what’s good? On Aug. 30, between hosting the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and dealing with some beef from fellow singer Nicki Minaj, pop princess Miley Cyrus announced the release of a surprise album, entitled “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.” The album debuted after the show aired and is available for free online.

Just from the title, one can infer that the album features many unique lyrics and inspirations behind said lyrics. “Unique” is not used lightly when talking about Cyrus — the crazy, provocative, statement-making Pasties’ queen.

Senior Portia Barrientos was definitely thrown by the title.

“Her album title is angsty and sounds like an emo, late 2000’s Avril Lavigne album,” Barrientos said.

Cyrus seems to be making a shift away from pop music and transitioning into, well, no one is quite sure just what it is yet. But the album certainly does contain plenty of muses about life and loss, loved ones, aliens and yes, her many dead pets. The album has 23 tracks and features collaborations with Big Sean, Ariel Pink, producer Mike WiLL Made-It and alternative rock band The Flaming Lips.

Junior Nora Danie believes that Miley has somewhat passed her musical prime.

“I used to idolize her in her Hannah Montana days but, well, let’s just say it’s gone downhill from there,” Danie said regarding Miley’s new album.

While this album does reference a lover affectionately named “space dude,” her dead blowfish and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, it does not focus on wild pop songs as her recent erratic shenanigans and last year’s raunchy album “Bangerz” may have predicted, although there are still a few in there.

Instead, with ballads like “Karen Don’t Be Sad,” “Milky Milky Milk,” and “Slab Of Butter,” the album is a foray into psychedelic reflection and an outpouring of heartfelt emotions.

The songs feature Cyrus crooning to The Flaming Lips’ ethereal keyboards, most of the tracks topping four or five minutes in length. Each one is a glance into Cyrus that the public has never seen before, or possibly didn’t even know existed –– her emotional, creative side, that no one really tends to see past due to her obnoxious partying nature.

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COURTESY OF SMILEY MILEY INC.

Cyrus’ unique album cover and new songs reflect her attention-grabbing persona.

To give a taste of the album, two stand-out songs include “Miley Tibetan Bowlzzz,” and “BB Talk”. In “Miley Tibetan Bowlzzz,” Cyrus vocalizes and makes strange noises that are heavily coated with autotune for the duration of the track. In “BB Talk,” Cyrus, in addition to ranting angrily about baby-talk and making her distaste for public displays of affection clear, gives her opinion on armpits and her obsession with sniffing them, and mentions that she really wants to lick teeth.

I used to idolize her in her Hannah Montana days but, well, let’s just say it’s gone downhill from there.

Nora Danie Junior Amidst Cyrus’ strange noises and drawn out words, it is easy to miss the actual lyrics. To get the full experience, one should try to listen to all the words.

Due to lyrics such as “the purple is collapsing,” “watching my friends eat my friends ruined my appetite” and “the sun is a giant spaceship tangerine,” many people have varied opinions on Cyrus.

Junior Titi Bolarinwa has a less than favorable opinion on Cyrus’ transition.

“She’s extremely immature, and she doesn’t know when to stop,” Bolarinwa said.

On the other hand, junior Maddie Frick is okay with Cyrus’ transition.

“I wasn’t really a fan of her when she came out with Wrecking Ball, but during the VMAs she just got really weird, and I think I’m fine with it,” Frick said.

The album can definitely be labeled as creative and heartfelt, as the creation of the 92-minute album must have been an exhaustive labor of love for Cyrus.

However, the most unusual thing about this album is not the lyrics but the fact that the album was released completely for free. Cyrus’ record company RCA did not drop a penny on this album; it all came from Cyrus’ own personal funds. Furthermore, Cyrus mentioned that the album was kept secret from her own record label.

“Nobody at the company was even aware that [the album] existed until it was finished,” Cyrus said in a personal interview conducted by Forbes Magazine.

Cyrus is a multi-millionaire celebrity who knows how to work the media and has produced carefully crafted, hyped-up songs to maximize her profits.

So, why did she drop a surprise album for free? Perhaps Cyrus wanted to show her fans and the public that for her, making music is primarily about expressing herself and not about what makes her the most money.

Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz is a bold new move for Cyrus and a unique experience for listeners.

et’s face it — Justin Bieber is a journey, and the rest of us are just along for the ride.

After being scouted off YouTube, Bieber’s rise to fame has not been easy; he has been ridiculed to the point of no return and criticized so fiercely that his own name became an insult.

Thrust into the spotlight as a barely teenaged phenomenon, he was a natural target for criticism from all angles, backed by a majorly female fanbase millions strong. While many were sure he would never last, Bieber went on to defy the odds, smashing international sales records and collaborating with top artists.

As time passed, Bieber gained experience and momentum, producing his 2012 album “Believe” with a deeper voice and more favorable reviews.

Though not everyone’s favorite artist, Justin Bieber had become a household name. Once the infamous mop bucket video surfaced, however, the lengthy downhill battle began, all documented in high definition and posted online for the world to see.

By the time he announced his potential retirement from the music industry in December 2013, Bieber had become such a laughingstock that even his most dedicated fans had little defense to offer. Following his DUI arrest in Jan. 2014, it was no surprise that the world seized the opportunity to beat him down for good.

Shunned by the press, Bieber laid low for the remainder of the year, only surfacing in the media upon his various run ins with the law — until now.

This past February, Diplo and Skrillex released a surprise track, “Where Are Ü Now,” featuring vocals by Bieber. The song was an instant success, reaching platinum status in the U.S., peaking in the top 10 in eight countries, as well as top 20 in an additional four.

It was Bieber’s highest charting single in the UK since “Boyfriend,” (2012) and first top 10 since “Beauty and a Beat” (2012). The track also marked Bieber’s seventh top 10 hit, reminding the industry of his musical influence while showing off a newer, more mature sound.

It was not until the end of July that Bieber dropped the announcement of a new single, “What Do You Mean,” through social media. The track was to be Bieber’s first official release since “Believe.” Over the next month, countless high profile figures

uploaded photos to Instagram and Twitter promoting the song, all leading up to the MTV VMAs, where it was announced Bieber would perform the single for the first time.

Just two days before the VMAs, “What Do You Mean” was released worldwide. The positive reaction was instantaneous, and in true Justin Bieber style, the track broke Spotify streaming records and quickly shot to the #1 iTunes spot in 90 countries.

The song also garnered widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom dubbed it Bieber’s best work.

As his first live performance since 2013 neared, anticipation continued building throughout the VMAs. When the moment finally came, Bieber opened with “Where Are Ü Now,” before transitioning to “What Do You Mean,” complete with dance numbers and a short monologue.

As the performance came to a close, Bieber received a standing ovation from the crowd, the applause and screaming continuing long after the music had ended.

And then it happened.

By the time he announced his potential retirement from the music industry in December 2013, Bieber had become such a laughingstock that even his most dedicated fans had little defense to offer.

As a full audience looked on and millions of viewers watched from home, Bieber suddenly hunched over, face twisted with distress, sobbing.

In a post-performance interview with Jimmy Fallon, Bieber claimed this influx of tears was triggered by a desire of approval from the crowd, and on a grander level, the public.

Whether the toll of a two year hiatus had finally caught up to him, or if he was simply relieved to not be booed off stage, the moment was immortalized, quickly becoming the top trending topic of every website.

Bieber’s tears were plastered across social media, his most prominent media coverage since his string of citations over the last two years, marking the beginning of the newest chapter in his career.

Between the comeback performance and subsequent breakdown, dropping the music video for “What Do You Mean” just minutes after the live performance and the impending new album, there is no telling where Bieber will go from here. Based on the past few years, there is no doubt that it will be a journey.

Explore exciting activities every day of the week From football games to farmers’ markets, discover entertaining ways to fill your free time around Palo Alto MADS MCCLUSKEY

STAFF WRITER

E

veryone knows that there are fun things to do on the weekends, but few realize that there are just as many things to do on weekdays. Local farmers’ markets, yoga workshops and football are all local and provide amazing opportunities to have a good time. Quick hour-long activities are a great way to relieve stress while also spending quality time with friends and family.

MONDAY

Food trucks are an excellent option for anyone; they provide fast, delicious food at reasonable prices.

Every Monday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Crowne Plaza holds an event hosted by “Off the Grid” at which multiple food trucks gather to sell food. Trucks serving anything from lobster rolls to ice cream tacos come and offer unique combinations. Each Monday brings an entirely new set of trucks and musicians. Live music from a different

artist is played at every event, creating a remarkable experience and a diversity of style. The great environment with delicious food and fun music is a great way to end the day.

TUESDAY Multiple types of yoga, zumba and water aerobics are offered on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the local family Young Men’s Christian Association. Two great options to try would be Pilates and Hatha Yoga — both challenging classes with their own respective styles and techniques. While Pilates is a more upbeat, musclebuilding and strength-focused class, Hatha is focused on breathing and meditation to clear the mind.

Another great class is Zumba, which focuses on fitness through dance. The instructor plays upbeat music and leads attendees in a pattern of strengthening dance moves.

Lastly, water aerobics is a class in which participants can experience low gravity simulations in an easy workout routine while splashing around with their friends.

WEDNESDAY

The Cantor Arts Center is a great place to relax and look at thought-provoking, original art with friends and family. The center displays an array of sculptures outside and gorgeous paintings inside.

It is currently hosting Piranesi’s Paestum: Master Drawings Uncovered, Pop Art from the Anderson Collection at SFMOMA and Shifting Currents: Highlights from the 20th-Century Chinese Collection. A delicious cafe right inside also provides food, drink and great views of the garden.

THURSDAY Farmers’ markets are great stops for locally grown food. They provide a large range of foods and snacks in a traditional environment with people and music. Los Altos hosts a farmers’ market from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 2nd Street every Thursday.

Near the market, there are many little boutiques and stores that are a real treat to step into for a few minutes. Be careful though — parking can sometimes be hard to find.

FRIDAY

Fridays are great days to attend Palo Alto High School’s very own football games, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Whether at home or away, be prepared to don black face paint and cheer as Paly scores touchdowns.

Also, the snack shack provides a nice variety of food for anyone who is hungry. For those who want to stay indoors, many new movies such as The Scorch Trials, Everest and Hotel Transylvania 2 are coming out soon.

SATURDAY Not enough football? Great!

Walk across the street to Stanford where home football games are hosted almost every other weekend.

Starting around 7:30 p.m., football games are great social experiences and highly entertaining.

Before the game, Saturday is a perfect day to spend at the beach.

A local favorite would be Half Moon Bay, with warm bakeries and homey sandwich shops providing outdoor music and lovely gardens to sit in. The beach itself is a long

strip of white sand and has a great view of the coast. Make sure to check the weather before you go; it can be very windy and cold there.

In this case, Santa Cruz is also a great option with fun rides, volleyball courts and the Boardwalk, but it is definitely more crowded with fewer views.

SUNDAY The Palo Alto Farmers Market has many delicious food stands and is also conveniently located on California Avenue with delicious restaurants and stores. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Dec. 12. Locally grown fresh fruit and veggies proudly stand in the booths surrounded by eager customers.

At the end of the street, shoppers can find an array of deliciously prepared foods despite long lines.

Hosting glass blown jewelry, dairy products from nearby farms and fresh fruit, the California Avenue farmers’ market is the perfect place to go find a gift for that special someone.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B3

Apple releases new iPhones with 3-D Touch, new camera

Eight years after the first iPhone was introduced, Apple has revolutionized the way people navigate their phones JOSH NG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

O

n June 29, 2007, Apple reinvented the phone. They introduced to the world a phone that provided multi-touch capabilities, allowed users internet access and contained a plethora of other functions that a normal phone could not perform. Fast forward eight years later and according to Apple, “the only thing that’s changed is everything.”

On Sept. 9, 2015, Apple introduced the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in San Francisco. Apple implemented a multitude of new features in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that separate themselves from the first generation iPhone. Features such as a multitouch system, a new camera and enhancements to the award-winning design of the phone are among the factors that will enamor Apple iPhone fanatics into buying its newest product.

The most important and most notable feature that Apple implemented was the introduction of the 3-D Touch system. Apple went on to implement the same functionality that is used on the trackpad on its new MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The 3-D touch system allows users to “peek” or “pop” in order to more efficiently use the applications they would like to use. With a light press on the screen, a “peek” allows users to peek into an app through a small bubble of information without having to go through the hassle of waiting to boot up the application. With a stronger touch, a “pop” opens up a bubble that contains more information that fills up half of the screen without actually having to boot up the application.

Another function that the 3-D Touch system contains is the Quick Action feature. The feature works by pressing on the icon of an application

and dragging down a list of options to a specified function. For example, if one would like to take a selfie on the camera application, rather than having to press the application, wait for it boot up and swipe left in order to use the front-facing camera, one can immediately take a selfie by pressing on the icon and dragging down to “Take Selfie.” More minor features that come with the 3-D Touch system include pressing on the left side of the home screen to seamlessly transition between applications and changing the thickness of drawing lines depending on how hard one presses on the screen.

Besides the implementation of the 3-D Touch system, another major update would be that the iPhone 6s gained is a new camera. For the past four years, the iPhone’s camera has remained static with the same iSight 8-megapixel camera. Apple bumped the back-facing camera from eight megapixels to 12 megapixels and the front-facing camera from 1.2 megapixels to five megapixels. Improved local tone, optical image stabilization and faster image processing were added as well.

“Live Photos” (essentially GIFs) is a new feature that allows image stills to move when the user presses on the screen. Though “Live Photos” is an automatic feature, it takes more storage space and the frame rate is lower than that of an actual video. Apple has also implemented a front-facing camera flash, though not in the way that one would expect it. Rather than installing a camera flash on the front like the iPhone has on the back facing camera, Apple took advantage of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus’s new LED screen by allowing the entire screen to flash. These upgrades and new features not only improved the picture aspect of the iPhone camera improved, but the video aspect as well In terms of aesthetics, the body of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus looks

COURTESY OF IMORE

Apple implemented Quick Action on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, a new feature that gives users shortcuts to application functions.

strikingly similar to its predecessor; however, the body actually contains a slightly thicker and heavier chassis and has a stronger aluminum body and glass screen. The body is slightly thicker in order to fit four layers to allow the full functionality of the 3-D Touch system.

The most important feature that Apple implemented was the introduction of the 3-D Touch system.

The bottom-most layer contains a taptic engine in order to give the feel that one is actually pressing down on the screen (the taptic engine vibrates to send out the illusion that one is pressing down on the screen, when in actuality, when the user presses down on the screen, the screen is pressing on the user). The next layer contains a blanket of capacitive pressure sensors to discern where the user places his or her finger to trigger the command the user would like to employ. The

third layer contains the Retina HD display with 3-D touch, and the final layer contains the new cover glass screen.

Not only did Apple implement this new 4-layer screen system, but it also replaced the type of aluminum that the iPhone 6 was composed of.

A few incidents that took the web by storm last year contained images of the iPhone 6’s slim and fragile aluminum chassis victim to unintentional bending and breaking. Apple took note of these incidents and implemented Series 7000 aluminum, the same type of aluminum used in the aerospace industry.

Not only did the durability of the iPhone improve, but the durability of the screen did as well. Through a “special dual ion exchange process,” Apple constructed the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus’s screen to rival that of a sapphire glass screen.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus also contain performance enhancements.

Both models are powered by the 64-

bit A9 core chip. Apple boasts that the A9 core chip’s central processing unit is 70 percent faster and its graphical processing unit is 90 percent faster than last years A8 core chip. Inside the core chip contains the M9 chip, a motion coprocessor that permits the iPhone to connect to the accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and barometer for application use. The M9 chip is integral for users to say “Hey Siri” when the phone is asleep, rather than having to hold onto the home button to activate Siri.

Besides enhanced processing power, other enhancements include Touch ID, Apple’s fingerprint scanner system, which can authenticate a user’s fingerprint 50 percent faster than last year’s model and utilize a user’s fingerprint to make online purchases.

Although Apple did not implement a massive overhaul on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it was still able to make one of 2014’s best smartphones even better.

Money chosen over merit for rap artists in label releases

Popular rap artists have shifted their focuses from producing high quality music to seeking profitable collaborations BO FIELD

DESIGN EDITOR

T

here is no question that music has become increasingly commodified at the cost of artistic merit for a long while now.

The majority of top 40 list aspiring singles in genres like pop and country are composed with algorithmic choice of chord progression and melody, designed specifically to earworm their way into success.

“Success” is defined nowadays by incessant playtime on commercial radio, licensing to other media and placement in advertisements until listeners’ ears bleed. This generates revenue for labels, since in the modern industry, profits come less and less from actual record sales, who now opt to pirate or stream content instead with little to no monetary gain for the label or artist.

In contrast, the musical underground has never been stronger, with millions of amateur talents releasing homegrown projects online with complete creative freedom, a dynamic which can result in some of the best modern works coming out of nowhere by complete unknowns. These projects generate huge amounts of buzz. So what happens when said individuals are scooped up by labels in an attempt to bring this success into the mainstream business model, and these two worlds collide?

A benefit to getting signed by a record label is a higher budget with which to create music. This means studio time instead of microphone in your bedroom time, the ability to reach out to prolific producers and mentors with whom to hone your craft (and brag about to critics) and connections with high profile features and collaborations. The latter is an ever-growing scourge in hip-hop in particular.

The genre benefits from its especially collaborative nature, but labels have always known that high profile or controversial features can do wonders to hype or sell an album. Today it is almost impossible to find a major label release with at least a few big names attached on the tracklist (a

DANIEL HAMMERSON/THE CAMPANILE

Record labels such as RCA offer large amounts of money to their clients, a strong incentive for artists to sign to their companies.

notable exception is J. Cole’s excellent newest record “2014 Forest Hills Drive”, which has lead to an influx of forced, often half-baked guest verses that lead to criticisms of the continuity or auditory consistency of a tape).

The most recent example of this is G.O.O.D. Music affiliate and Kanye West protégé Travis Scott’s most recent release on Epic Records, “Rodeo”. Coming after an excruciating year-long wait following Scott’s acclaimed and impeccably banging pre-release mixtape, “Days Before Rodeo”. The album was a huge success and followed Scott’s established, all-important vision and aesthetic, but suffered from boasting a confoundingly large and disjointed list of guest appearances. “Days Before Rodeo” established Scott’s well curated brand of dark, Atlanta trap influenced experimental hip-hop with multiple verses from frequent collaborators and influencers, including T.I. and Migos. The tape held a consistent sonic flavor and its features, spread out and relatively sparse compared to other current mixtapes, served mainly to accent Scott’s inspirations and pay homage to his style’s origins while

adding something fresh to the track.

In contrast, on “Rodeo,” Young Thug is the only of the above featured, and on a single song, “Maria I’m Drunk,” which also includes an obviously shoehorned Justin Bieber appearance. The original leaked version, “Drunk,” only featured Thugger and Scott. Bieber’s artistic merit itself is not at all to blame, as he has had an incredibly successful year cementing a newly grown fanbase through a series of fairly well received pop ballads and collaborations.

Success is defined nowadays by incessant playtime on commercial radio, listening to other media and placement in advertisement until listeners’ ears bleed.

The issue arises from trying to mesh Bieber’s neo-Timberlake style pop R&B vocals with Scott and Thug’s signature warbled autotune and moody Zaytoven production.

The sonic contrast is jarring and distracting from an otherwise excellent track.

Despite its disparity from the rest of the record, the Bieber feature im-

mediately garnered much applause, shock, discussion and general attention online, fueling the zeitgeist surrounding the album’s release and Bieber’s comeback and undoubtedly helping its numbers. So, forget musical consistency says the label, we need to include this feature no matter what. But is the label exclusively to blame? Likely not. There is a good chance that Scott saw the opportunity to work with a legend such as Pharrell or a surprisingly promising talent and emerging powerhouse like Bieber and could not pass it up — such are the temptations of a big feature budget and prolific connections.

The fact that these collaborations exist in the first place is not necessarily a bad thing either.

The result is the sanctity of the album as a form of art suffering from the inclusion of these features just based on the hype they provide, encouraged strongly by the labels releasing the album. This is why “Days Before Rodeo” sounds infinitely more consistent than Rodeo itself — it is possible that Rodeo was so mulled over and to an extent, overthought, that there are ten unreleased versions

of the album that sound much more consistent or possibly include no guests.

All is not lost for those who want to hear these versions, however, as Scott can still drop a mixtape anytime he wants with any of his unreleased tracks that could be either a return to his previous form that some fans would appreciate, or an even further significant sonic progression. The same goes for many major artists who compliment their major label releases with mixtapes or “free album” releases in between commercial label productions to keep their fans happy, retain total creative control and maintain relevance in the quickly-changing musical scene.

Recent examples of this include Juicy J’s “100% Juice,” Drake’s “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” RATKING’s “700 Fill,” and Future’s “Monster” and “56 Nights.” These tapes are widely acclaimed and appreciated, and quench fans’ thirst for new, authentic material from their favorite artists.

It is arguable that the different, more pop-friendly direction that “Rodeo” adapts to would be more reviled if Scott’s followers weren’t sated by “Days Before Rodeo” before.

In this way, the works compliment each other and serve as a testament to Scott’s stylistic diversification and ability to succeed in various genres.

Where “Days Before Rodeo” succeeds in tearing up the street with its otherworldly darkness, “Rodeo” can be a powerhouse in the club or on the radio while still being palatable by the same fanbase.

While in a bygone era, the success of an artist’s work was solely judged on their label releases, though nowadays they are only a small part of a discography and can offer many aspects that a free release could not, and vice versa. Although the temptation of adding potentially dissonant collaborations and commodification for profit can have adverse effects on artistic merit, they can also serve as a window into a different side of an artist’s potential without disrupting their discography overall flow or consistency too greatly.

Friday, September 18, 2015

B4

The Campanile

POTLIGHT

One Transaction

“Jake”

“Whenever I needed money, I would sell the weed I had to get cash, then people started asking again,” Cameron said. “Dealing doesn’t take that much time. It’s just one transaction.”

Cameron, a Palo Alto High School junior whose name has been changed along with all other students who appear in this story, is a typical high schooler, balancing classes, family responsibilities and extracurricular commitments. He is also a drug dealer.

While Paly is known for its outstanding academics and impressive array of after-school activities, it is also home to a network of student drug dealers, whose discreet daily sales have fostered a hidden drug culture on campus.

“It’s kind of like a community, [where] every smoker knows all the other smokers, so they just ask around,” Cameron said. “My clients are usually different most times, but I have some returning customers. Nobody just smokes — everyone who has possession of weed [doesn’t] just smoke it all, they usually sell a little bit to get more money for more weed.”

Underneath the unassuming facade of Paly lies a story of cash, connections and close calls: the lifestyle of the student drug dealer.

There are about 15 student drug dealers currently operating at Paly, according to several student dealers’ estimates, most of whom employ similar strategies to Cameron. Students like Cameron practice methods of dealing which have allowed them to mostly remain under the radar of school officials and law enforcement. Jake, another Paly junior and former dealer, is a prime example of a successful yet elusive student dealer.

“A lot of people started hitting me up to get them weed,” Jake said.

“I also had a steady supply and a lot of backups, so it was easy access.

I realized that I could use [dealing] as a way for me to not have to pay for my weed and also get some cash.”

With a common motivation and style of selling, Jake and Cameron are the epitome of the well-connected Paly student drug dealer. They had access to generous quantities of marijuana from their own outside suppliers and a large number of friends looking to purchase. This perfect combination encouraged them to sell in order to make money, both to spend and to fuel their own drug habits. Unfortunately, the ease at which student dealers are able to game the system has negative effects on the community as it promotes drug use and showcases drug dealing as an attractive and lucrative practice. Despite the high incentives to deal, at times, Jake felt overwhelmed.

“I had this situation where people were giving me money to buy [marijuana] for them before school, and I ended up buying for them during lunch,” Jake said. “Towards the end of lunch, I was separating everybody’s weed in the library bathroom and it absolutely just danked hella hard. I walked out and saw teachers pointing to the bathroom saying ‘what’s going on,’... and that scared the s— out of me...so I got off campus.”

Ultimately, the pressure of similar close encounters prompted Jake to give up drug dealing permanently. After the library incident, the pressure and paranoia brought on by a few subsequent events — the slowing down of a police car during a deal and an investigations done

by Paly school resource officers — became too much for him.

“I was just sick of it; it started to stress me out,” he said. “It was hard because I do two extracurriculars.”

Though it might sound odd, Jake viewed dealing as just another extracurricular to shuffle in his already busy schedule — like most after school commitments, dealing cost him time and stress. Herein lies the phenomenon but also the central struggle of dealers at Paly, a group of students smarter than the stereotype that put school before selling drugs. Where else but in Palo Alto is dealing relegated to the status of an extracurricular activity?

“Dealing isn’t as sketchy as it necessarily sounds,” Jake said.

Jake’s casual perspective on the clearly illegal act of selling marijuana reflects the relaxed attitude of Paly’s drug culture as a whole: basically, drugs aren’t perceived as dangerous.

“I definitely feel like dealers here are a lot more reasonable because we live in California and there’s a lot more weed around compared to a lot more places where it’s sketchy or unreliable like in the Midwest,” Jake said. “I have never been caught by teachers or cops [with marijuana], but my parents have had some suspicion from extra cash I’ve had for no reasons,” he added.

Yet even though he saw dealing as a hobby, Jake’s sales gave him a new understanding of transactions, unattainable through school. “[Dealing] sure as hell taught me a lot about business and the real world,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it negatively impacted my life or positively, aside from the cash and paranoia. It was a good learning experience.”

In both Cameron and Jake’s experiences, a uniquely Palo Altan culture of drug dealing is evident. Paly dealers aren’t just mindlessly committing crimes: they have set their sights on a market and capitalized in true Palo Alto fashion, through hard work and innovation.

“Cameron”

Student drug dealing at Paly is facilitated by a substantial number of users willing to buy, affluent parents willing to supply their children with money and the unique Silicon Valley mentality of business through shrewdness and connections. Moreover, student dealers at Paly do not resemble typical hustlers, relying not on street corners and addicts, but on friendships and networking to grow their trades.

“I’d just like it to be known [that] these [student] ‘dealers’ are more like resellers in a sense; the majority aren’t selling weed as a primary source of income,” Cameron said. “In most cases, it’s just a person asking another to sell something — for conveniency; if you have what they want at the time and don’t mind giving it up.”

Cameron, a regular user and purveyor of marijuana, believes that student dealers almost always start out as users themselves, easing into the process of selling when they have a surplus supply of drugs and are approached by other people looking to buy. However, citing his personal first experience as a dealer, the circumstances aren’t always friendly.

“Freshman year, my friends and I were smoking at a park and two random guys walked up...[they] asked us if we had any weed they could buy, I said yes, and gave them some to show,” Cameron said.

“Then they just started walking away, and we’re like ‘what the f— just happened’ and they didn’t acknowledge us and kept walking. The next day we saw them at Starbucks and were like ‘yo what the f—’ where’s our money.”

From that first botched deal, Cameron learned to be careful with his product, selling mostly to friends and acquaintances in order to ensure a solid return on his investment and a lower risk to reward ratio — and it worked. By analyzing risk and reward, he began understanding business, and looked (in classic Palo Alto fashion) to safely expand his enterprise. Cameron is just one of a number of Paly students who choose to engage in drug dealing. His transition from a user to a dealer may have been simple, but in the eyes of the law he instantly became guilty of both possession and possession with intent to sell. The scariest element of Cameron’s story is the precedent of casualness it sets for other student drug users who are debating whether or not to sell.

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The Campanile

Friday, September 18, 2015

POTLIGHT

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B5

“Liam”

Outside Perspectives

Liam, another junior, has always taken dealing very seriously and continues to put himself in potential danger because of what he believes the “stoner lifestyle” stands for.

“There are so many people, good or bad, who are just trying to kick back, chill and smoke, and honestly dealing builds great friendships and makes you realize a lot of things too,” Liam said. “I continue to sell because I believe that if people want weed they should be able to get it and have no worry of it being unsafe. I take my weed very seriously and only go with the top shelf strains.”

Liam not only cares about the quality of his “inventory,” but also his clients’ satisfaction throughout a sale. He believes that smoking marijuana is just another form of bringing a diverse group of people together.

Like a businessman, he takes pride in the quality of product he distributes and the manner in which he conducts his sales (his brand).

Liam, yet another quintessential example of a student dealer, is not a full time professional, but he is by no means a novice.

“I’m not exclusive to Paly, although I enjoy hooking up people from Paly because it just brings me joy to see how our grades can connect so much better through weed,” he said.

Liam used to go to Paly but has since moved to another high school, though he has still been able to stay in touch with the friends he made in Paly’s drug community. Liam also makes new connections often through his dealing and has consequently created a close bond with many different people all over the Bay Area. His style of dealing is quite similar to that of Jake and Cameron, all of them sharing a love for drugs and seeking out effective means of selling. However, Liam sees himself as more of a dealer in happiness rather than substance, using marijuana as a means of building lasting relationships in addition to a solid supply of cash.

“Drug dealing has impacted my life because I get to meet all kinds of people and make new friends along the way,” Liam said. “When talking to new people or old ones too, after a smoke sesh you get sorta bonded with other stoners because all in all it’s one big community; everyone smokes and they all have their way of smoking it.”

In drugs and dealing, Liam found his niche: the possibility of bringing joy into other people’s lives and his own. What’s truly astonishing is that, somehow, student dealers in Palo Alto manage to make money and have fun, attaining an enviable extracurricular balance.

The situation is almost perfect, but for the fact that the extracurriclar in question is both damaging and in direct opposition of law. Liam too says that he prioritizes school over dealing.

“I balance weed [with] school,” Liam said. “School is tough and it’s important to stay on top of things, so smoking always needs to be conserved and limited because smoking can affect your grades and it’s really on how you use weed and how it’s gonna affect you.”

While the lifestyle associated with marijuana is treated much more casually at Paly, the daunting fact remains that there are significant consequences if people like Liam were to be caught with possession or usage of marijuana. However, Liam is rather cavalier about the law enforcement and the potential repercussions that he would face if he was caught.

“Sometimes I’m worried, but sometime it’s really not a big deal, like c’mon, it’s just a little grass,” Liam said. “Cops who aren’t d­— usually just throw away your weed and tell you to make better choices as long as you aren’t doing hard drugs.”

While California is known for its laid-back opinions towards marijuana and treating smoking like a harmless recreational activity, there is still a risk of injury when smoking marijuana, particularly when the substance is mixed with other drugs. “[I] smoked some laced s— one time... it was pretty scary because I was alone; I didn’t realize what I smoked was laced so I just stuck through it,” Liam said.

Liam often puts himself in danger through drugs. Yet, he has found what he loves in Paly’s largely unrestricted culture of association with illicit substances.

Looking past the perspectives of sellers, Paly’s drug culture thrives around users, who supply money to keep their dealers in operation.

Matthew, a Paly senior who uses marijuana regularly, feels that a major drug community exists on campus.

“It’s a very large community that deals and smokes together, and everyone is friends with at least one of those people [users or dealers],” Matthew said. “So I would say a larger percentage of people are a part of it or have friends who smoke than those who don’t.”

As a user himself, Matthew has come to understand the preferred methods of operation in selling drugs.

“The more weed you get, the more weed you would have to sell to get your money back, or make more, but that’s the basis behind how people at Paly deal,” he said.

With such a fluid and easy means of acquiring marijuana, drug use can quickly become widespread. Matthew spoke of the existence of a major drug community on campus, a community much larger than the average Paly student or even parent might predict. Student user estimates paint a frightening picture in the minds of law enforcement and school administration.

“There’s so much drug use in Palo Alto that it’s becoming sort of a social norm, and by the end of high school, I’d say roughly 85 percent of people end up smoking at least once,” Charles, a former Paly student, said.

Charles added that the primary motivation to use drugs is from the strong influence of dealers and users on their friends who might not otherwise associate with illegal substances.

For their part, Paly administration is concerned about drug use, though they do not fully recognize the true severity of the issue because the whole lifestyle surrounding drugs is largely kept under wraps. This secrecy is due mostly to the prudence of student users and dealers, who do their best to keep school officials and authorities from discovering their illegal activity. In most instances, their best is enough. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson acknowledged that in the heart of Silicon Valley, it is often difficult to catch student dealers.

“In 10 years, I’ve only had one or two cases of student drug dealing,” Berkson said. “The fact that we haven’t caught them [means that] we obviously work with a bunch of smart kids. They know their laws and they know their rights, so I guess they do a good job of hiding things.”

Berkson further expressed frustration at the futility of association with drugs.

“You’re looking at a small window of your life where a lot of things teens do look like a good idea at the time and you don’t realize it’s a bad idea until you get in trouble,” Berkson said. “We’re talking about life altering events. You don’t know who’s on the other end of deals, whether you’re buying or selling. What seems like a harmless act can be life changing.”

With the highly intelligent population at Paly, illegal activity could just as easily be engaged in as hidden. The issue of students and drugs is not anything to worry about if one looks at the records of reprimanded students. Behind the scenes, though, drugs are much more widespread. As a deterrent, Berkson cited events from his personal life in an effort to warn current dealers.

“I’ve got a guy I went to high school with whose serving 10-15 years [in prison] because he had gotten such a big operation [started back in high school] and I’m really not sure that’s what he intended when he first started dealing,” Berkson said.

Following the interpretation of past student records, Dean of Students Adam Paulson does not think student dealing at Paly is a particularly pressing concern as of now.

“I think its a problem,” he said. “But a school wide problem? I don’t think so.”.

However, he did agree with Berkson that looking into students’ futures, dealing is detrimental.

“Anybody that’s dealing drugs or taking drugs, I just encourage them to not,” Berkson said. “I’ve never seen or met anybody in a situation where that [activity] turned out to be positive in the long run. It just leads to more problems in life.”

Though it is clear that administration recognizes the existence of drug use and dealing at Paly, it seems to have a hard time apprehending and disciplining dealers, a testament to the strength of Paly’s relaxed, yet elusive drug culture.

Paly dealers aren’t just mindlessly committing crimes; they have set their sights on a market and capitalized in true Palo Alto fashion, through hard work and innovation.

The Future Silicon Valley has proven to be the heartland of America’s innovation industry, a label that extends from Google all the way to Paly’s student dealing operations. In Palo Alto, some teenagers have begun practicing a reasonably risk-free way of dealing that has even their school administrators perplexed. These students are using their intuition and personal connections to make money, fulfilling the true Silicon Valley dream of entrepreneurship through hard work.

Through both student dealers and users, an underground culture of drug use has thrived at Paly, a culture that builds friendships and provides dealers with a considerable amount of money. However, no matter how smoothly executed, the acts of drug dealing and using constitute a very real and dangerous lifestyle that many at Paly have embraced as part of a social norm.

Dealers decide that the net gains of their venture are worth the risk and the gravity of these consequences, and that the easy profits and built-in network of clients’ consistent demand are tempting enough to leave alone. Yet, one cannot ignore the fact that, using and dealing culture is alive and well at Paly and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Disclaimer: All names used in this article are pseudonyms, and bear no relation to any student.

Friday, September 18, 2015

B6

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Students reflect on international summer service trip Global Glimpse allows students to go on worldwide excursions to tutor locals and renovate local businesses MADDIE FELDMEIER

STAFF WRITER

S

tudents in Palo Alto often mention that they live in a bubble, but many of them do not really know what that means. Over the summer, a group of rising Paly seniors decided to participate in a program to explore the world outside of Palo Alto by embarking on 17-day trips with Global Glimpse, a nonprofit whose goal is to “open the eyes of tomorrow’s leaders.”

Global Glimpse aims to show students how others throughout the world live and encourage them to act as responsible global citizens. The organization strives to be accessible to all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, as it truly believes that the exposure that students get on the trip will provide them with enhanced knowledge and awareness of the world as a whole. On these exploratory trips, students travel in groups of 20, along with a few staff members.

They spend their time helping the natives, learning about the local life, and building connections.

In November of 2014, Paly juniors were nominated by their history teachers to participate in the trip. If they passed the application process, they then participated in six workshops to prepare for the journey. The students had the choice to travel to various cities in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua. They immersed themselves in the native cultures of their chosen cities because Global Glimpse believes that immersion, rather than just learning about those cities, is the most effective method of educating students.

Sophia Campbell was one of the 22 seniors who participated in these

COURTESY OF GLOBAL GLIMPSE

While on her Global Glimpse service trip, senior Claire Krugler teaches students in her English class in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

trips. Campbell went to Jinotega, Nicaragua at the beginning of June and thoroughly enjoyed her time there.

“It was probably the best experience of my life,” Campbell said.

Campbell decided to go on the trip because she was interested in seeing a different perspective of the world and felt that the community action projects that she participated in — making murals, signs and Tshirts for a community of poor students trying to create an identity for themselves — were very effective methods of achieving this.

Claire Krugler, also a senior, traveled to Matagalpa, Nicaragua for her Global Glimpse trip. Krugler’s favorite parts of the trip were the projects and service. These included a community action project where students renovated a local jewelry business and English tutoring where students tutored natives from the ages of 18

to 45. The natives were extremely appreciative though Krugler believes did not realize what a large impact she had on them until the very end of her trip. “[Our English students] gave us a little speech about how thankful they were for us and they gave us all bracelets and a nice wallet,” Krugler said.

“It was really nice coming from them because they don’t have that much.”

History teacher Steve Foug, Palo Alto High School’s Global Glimpse leader last year, also felt like the English tutoring was a great learning experience.

“It was fun to watch them try to figure out how to teach English,” Foug said.

Foug was surprised by how much he too enjoyed participating in all of the service activities and learning with the kids. In fact, he felt as though each day’s activities outdid

the previous ones. Foug was exhausted but mentioned that he still loved every moment.

“I was surprised because I don’t have a real high threshold for discomfort,” Foug said.

Aside from the service projects, the students got opportunities to live like the natives by challenging themselves to live off of one dollar for a day. Campbell felt like this experience was life changing. “[Living on a dollar a day] was very eye-opening as to how so many people in the world live,” Campbell said. “We took bucket showers and ate rice and beans. That day I also went to spend the morning with a rural family.”

Through her time with her host family for the morning, Campbell gained a lot of knowledge into how billions of people in the world get through each day.

“They had dirt floors and houses made out of scrap metal,” Campbell said. “The thing that was very surprising to me was how happy all of the people were. They had never experienced anything else.”

Krugler echoed Campbell stating that seeing the cultures and lifestyles of different people were important parts of the trip.

“You know that there’s poverty out there and you know that there’s different ways of living, but it’s one thing to read about it or hear about it and it’s another thing to experience it,” Krugler said.

A leadership and service trip like Global Glimpse not only has a huge impact on the natives receiving the service but also on the students giving it. Krugler believes her trip gave her a lot of awareness to her as to how diverse the world really is.

“There’s a lot more out there in the world and a lot more that you can experience,” Krugler said.

Foug noted how the level of maturity of leadership the students achieved was incredible. “[The skills they developed] were what anyone would learn through experiences like a job, but [the students] were just getting it from the trip,” Foug said.

Both Campbell and Krugler were blown away by their experiences on the trip and would recommend it to any juniors nominated this year.

“It exceeded my expectations,” Krugler said. “I think that going into Global Glimpse, a lot of us didn’t really know what to expect because it was the first time that Paly has been involved with this program. But when I showed up I made friends with the other students really quickly and we had so many amazing experiences.”

Technique to balance time management Online satirical publication Pomodoro method uses work intervals to maximize productivity

JOANNA FALLA/THE CAMPANILE

The Pomodoro technique is used to help individuals manage their time efficiently.

CARISSA ZOU

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

SARAH WANG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

T

he struggle with time is real.

There always seems to be enough of it at first, but in the blink of an eye it always seems to run out. With a myriad of activities to keep track of every day, from schoolwork to sports to extracurriculars to a social life, staying on top of what to do and when to do it can be an activity to keep track of in itself. How much time should a person spend on each activity? Should there be a break at some point and if so, when and for how long? At what point has a person been working for too long and is starting to get inefficient? This is where the Pomodoro Technique comes in.

To utilize the time-management practice, the Pomodoro Technique offers a variety of ways to participate, both for free and at a price.

Francesco Cirillo, the entrepreneur who founded this technique in his novel “The Pomodoro Technique,” first used a Pomodoro (Italian for “tomato”) shaped timer as a university student to create specific periods of productivity followed by constant breaks. Based on his university

experiences, Cirillo discovered that short spurts of optimal focus condition the brain to remain committed to working diligently for a concrete time span, while regular breaks reward the brain and reinforce motivation and creativity.

More specifically, the Pomodoro Technique is a time-management practice that maximizes concentration through short, 25-minute intervals (called Pomodoros) of productive activity intercepted by regular 5-minute breaks. One of the main rules of the technique, however, is that the 25 minutes must be an uninterrupted period of absolute productivity, so that the authentic effects of both the Pomodoros and the breaks are ensured. After one completes four consecutive 25-minute intervals with all the appropriate breaks, the Pomodoro Technique calls for a longer break that ranges from 15 to 30 minutes in order to recharge the individual’s mindset and assimilate new information.

To utilize the time-management practice, the Pomodoro Technique offers a variety of ways to participate, both for free and at a price. Different Pomodoro timer applications for smartphones are available, with the more advanced apps without advertisements and with more customization available for purchase. On the Pomodoro Technique website, users can download tables to list and record tasks as well as track progress. To

delve even deeper into the technique, the website also offers the original book and physical Pomodoro timer for purchase as well.

By following the steps of the Pomodoro Technique, users can potentially gain four main benefits that Cirillo claims to be unique to his technique. The first is the ability to work with time. Many people constantly find themselves working against time, struggling to finish a task by a certain deadline. The Pomodoro Technique strives to eliminate this struggle with time by incentivising users to look forward to their break time, making them work with time rather than against it.

The second benefit eliminates burnouts. By making people work in 25-minute intervals with breaks in between, working with a tired and burned out brain is avoided. These short intervals allow for people to work in efficient bursts, and the breaks allow them to refuel before the next Pomodoro. By eliminating burnouts, users can spend their time as a whole more efficiently.

The next benefit allows users to manage their distractions. While working, people are constantly tempted by distractions, whether they be text messages, other tasks to do or a desire to eat. The Pomodoro Technique allows users to keep track of their distractions through prioritization. Since each Pomodoro is short, users can often ignore typical distractions until their next break.

Finally, the technique creates a better balance between work and life.

By creating a timetable and following the Pomodoro schedule, users save time by doing work more efficiently, allowing more time for life.

Even within the Pomodoro Technique, there is time to relax built into each break. Users get to enjoy their free time without the guilt of feeling unproductive, since the technique allows for efficient work and wellearned breaks.

Though opportunities to waste and misuse time will continue to present themselves everywhere and every day, the Pomodoro Technique endeavors to help users sensibly budget and spend their precious time.

The struggle with time may be real, but the management of time is, too.

rejuvenated by new members

The Daily Pillage surges with bigger staff SARAH WANG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“S

tudent discovers biblical symbolism in class syllabus.” “PiE leaders allocate Chromebook funds to new nuclear testing facility.” These headlines would catch the eye of any reader, and would probably result in serious shock if they were true. But, they are completely fabricated, and are the headlines of stories from Palo Alto High School’s unofficial online satirical publication, the Daily Pillage.

Founded in 2013 by 2015 Paly graduates Emil Ernström and Will Robertson, the Daily Pillage endeavors to provide humorous and satirical content while also contributing insights to Paly culture and lifestyle, according to its website. Articles written for the publication fall under one of four possible categories: health, living, local and sports. The publication, like most others, aims to educate its readers, but it stands out because of its unique focus on humor, according to editor and senior Siddharth Srinivasan.

The new team for the Daily Pillage is great. They’re passionate about comedy, not afraid of trying new things, and I’m excited to see where they take the publication.

Emil Ernstöm Former Editor- in-Chief of the Daily Pillage “I think, like all publications, our goal is [to educate] the public and student body but we place an emphasis on humor and satire,” Srinivasan said. “I think we stand out from other publications because of the manner in which we cover topics.”

In addition to its humor, the Daily Pillage often mixes factual information with false, made up details, much like The Onion, a well-known national satirical publication. One recent story addressed the new club policy implemented by the Associated Student Body that requires clubs to meet at least twice every month and record

all minutes from each meeting, but it also included humorous quotes from a distressed president of a fictitious club, “For the College App Club.”

“The information we are conveying is not accurate; it’s satirical,” Srinivasan said. “People can [usually] tell the difference.”

Though the publication has been around since 2013, it has seen a recent surge in activity this school year after almost folding at the end of the last school year due to the loss of its entire staff.

“Everyone who was writing for the Daily Pillage was a senior last year, so we all graduated,” Ernström said.

“Fortunately, some juniors reached out to us about continuing the publication and we happily obliged.”

With a new leadership team of three editors, seniors Ryan Reed, Anant Marur and Srinivasan, the satirical publication plans on expanding on what the graduated seniors left behind. In addition, the staff is now composed of juniors and seniors, ensuring that the publication will continue after this year.

“We want to produce more regular content,” Srinivasan said. “Last year there was a smaller staff and so it was more difficult to produce content regularly.”

In addition, the publication hopes to branch out into different forms of communicating content besides the traditional format of news stories by capitalizing on the talents of certain staff members.

“We also want to diversify the content we produce,” Srinivasan said.

“Rather than just news stories we aim to produce video segments, opEd and some form of podcasts as we have staff members with expertise in a variety of areas.”

With these goals in mind, the Daily Pillage hopes to continue to grow, and former Editor-in-Chief Ernström believes the new leadership team will take the publication far this school year.

“The new team for the Daily Pillage is great,” Ernström said. “They’re passionate about comedy, not afraid of trying new things, and I’m excited to see where they take the publication.”

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE B7 Teens gravitate to different social media sites As Facebook usage decreases among younger high school students, Instagram and Twitter rise in popularity ALICE ZHAO

STAFF WRITER

W

hat is more familiar?

A “like” followed by a thumbs up or a “double tap” preceding a heart? The answer to this question has changed over time and greatly varies among students at Palo Alto High School — it seems as if age plays a significant role in determining who uses Facebook and who uses Instagram, an increasingly popular form of social media.

In general, younger teenagers at Paly tend to have limited activity on Facebook, ranging from simply owning an account and rarely logging on to not having one at all. Instead of incessantly counting the number of likes on profile pictures, as teenagers have done in the past, young teens now have begun to obsess over followers and likes on Instagram.

In April 2012, Facebook Inc. bought Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock in an attempt to be more mobile-friendly. According to a report by GlobalWebIndex in 2013, Instagram’s amount of active users increased by 23 percent, making it the fastest growing social media network — leaving Facebook in the dust, whose amount of active users decreased by 3 percent.

The most common reason that younger teenagers have been straying from Facebook recently is that none of their peers use it; consequently, they feel that Facebook is not the best way to connect with friends their age. Additionally, the sentiment that Facebook has become complicated is echoed throughout the freshman class, according to freshman Iris Hart.

“It’s kind of difficult to navigate,” Hart said. “I recently got it so it’s challenging to figure out some of the features it has. I have not spent that much time on it, so I have not bothered to learn [about the various features]. You just get so much feed.”

While Facebook remains to be a prevalent platform for upperclassmen, proven by the success of its active class groups, Instagram is domi-

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

A student has changed her top social media websites to Instagram and Twitter, leaving Facebook as it becomes a trend of the past.

nant for younger teens, as expressed by freshman Stan De Martel. “[About] 90 percent of kids [in my grade] use Instagram — very little have Facebook,” Martel said.

Another reason freshmen are leaving Facebook behind is that many believe Instagram to be the superior social media outlet with its minimalist interface that offers a more streamlined experience for the user.

[About] 90 percent of kids [in my grade] use Instagram — very little have Facebook.

Stan De Martel Freshman “[Instagram users] don’t post too much, the feed isn’t as cluttered and you don’t get as many pictures,” Hart said. “With Facebook, you have to follow them [your peers], but with Instagram you don’t have to follow them.”

Another reason Facebook has not reached younger users is its age re-

striction, which requires users to be at least 13 years old. While Instagram has a minimum age requirement, it is to be considered less strict and mostly disregarded. This is evident by the larger amount of underage Instagram users in comparison to the amount of underage Facebook users.

“Instagram is new and came out [and became popularized] with my age group in middle school,” Hart said.

Upperclassmen have not failed to noticed the tremendous adjustment in the social media tendencies of the younger generation, as stated by senior Karina Chan.

“I really don’t know why this giant shift in social media is happening,” Chan said. “I mean, Snapchat is temporary, fleeting and in the moment. I think maybe that [Snapchat] allows teenagers to let people know about fun things they’re doing that they might be embarrassed of, had it been on Facebook instead, your mistakes and personality [are] frozen at that moment and put up for all to see.”

Similarly, junior Alan Huang suspects that social media tendencies are trends that come and go.

“I’m sure in the next few years more and more social media platforms will be developed and probably replace Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or whatever,” Huang said. “Just a few years ago everybody was still on MySpace or AOL, and in middle school everyone was on Google Buzz.”

Freshman class President Caroline Furrier and freshman class Vice President Vivian Feng have tried to utilize Schoology, Paly’s educational social media outlet, to communicate with freshmen on a larger scale; this effort has ultimately failed in reaching out to students. However, the absence of a conventional communication feature on Instagram, the predominant social media platform of underclassmen, makes connecting a whole grade of several hundred people a daunting task. This lack of a common denominator online may potentially hurt the freshmen in

classwide events that require extensive planning, most notably Paly’s legendary Spirit Week. As most information concerning Spirit Week is traditionally announced through Facebook groups, freshmen will have to think of another way to unite their class online.

Despite all obstacles, the freshman Associated Student Body representatives remain optimistic about their predicament with mass online communication with the students in their grade.

Furrier and Feng created an Instagram account, @palyclassof2019, as well as a Facebook group in attempt to reach more freshmen online. “[Furrier and I] tried to find everyone in our grade’s Facebook,” Feng said. “We both are really determined to get our whole class on deck with how big of a deal spirit week is to Paly. We literally went through the Schoology group members of the freshmen class, and looked up about 300 people from the class on Facebook.”

Huang, who witnessed the Class of 2018 attempt to create an classwide Instagram account last year and does not consider it a viable way to communicate on a large scale. Despite this, he believes that underclassmen can achieve classwide communication using alternative methods.

“I know last year’s freshmen tried to set up a Spirit Week Instagram account, but I don’t think it was very successful,” Huang said. “[But] Facebook isn’t the best or only option.

Twitter or even Google Docs could be just as effective. They just need buy-in from the majority of the class or else information will be spread out and ineffective.”

Nonetheless, freshmen definitely have their work cut out for them to find a suitable method of mass communication online.

“Unless they find an alternative communication method or platform, I think the lack of Facebook will hinder their performance as a class,” Huang said. “Otherwise we’ll just have one less class to compete with during Spirit Week.”

Suggestions to help students maximize time usage Use these tips to optimally manage your schedule and to achieve a more healthy and organized lifestyle GILLIAN ROBINS

STAFF WRITER

A

s the school year goes on, students become less punctual, and many can be left scrambling to get out the door while still trying to look slightly presentable.

For students who struggle with this, here are some tips for school nights, weekends and mornings in order to get out the door faster, while being less stressed and looking put together (even if they are really not).

Preparing the night before is key in order to save time and peace of mind the next morning. By not procrastinating, the morning will become more organized and more efficient.

Do homework on the weekends By doing homework throughout the weekend instead of saving it all for Sunday night, Sunday evening can be a good time to pick out clothes for the week, read, scroll through Instagram and relax. Everyone needs a break before the rush of the week starts up again. It is difficult to be motivated during the weekend to do homework, but listening to music and finding a quiet place in the house helps. Or, stop by a local coffee shop, maybe with a study buddy, plug in your earphones and get down to business. Go on Saturday or Sunday, in the morning or the afternoon, to leave time in the evening to do fun things. It will be well worth it when your homework is done and there is extra time to relax on Sunday night and the rest of the week.

Use a weather app to pick out your clothes for the week If outfits are a priority, then it is vital to save time to pick your clothing out. To avoid spending a large portion of time in the morning scrambling to find an outfit, download the weather app on your phone to help pick out weather-appropriate outfits and prepare ahead of time.

Shower at night For girls, showering in the morning means having to blow dry your hair, cutting out a huge portion of time. A night shower can be more relaxing. By taking a shower at night, there will be no need to get up early in the morning, providing more hours for to sleep. Plus, it is always nice to go to bed feeling clean.

Get your backpack ready at night To avoid the mad rush in the morning, pack your backpack after your homework is finished and set it by the door. This way, you can grab it on the way out the following morning. There will not be any rushing around, grabbing random papers or risking forgetting something essential for a class.

Eat a healthy breakfast Go to a grocery store over the weekend and buy some frozen fruit, like mixed berries or mango and strawberries, some kale or spinach and some almond milk to make a healthy smoothie. Green smoothies offer an abundant amount of vitamins and nutrients, and are tasty. A lot of people do not like vegetables as much as they like fruit, so this is a good way to get some of your daily nutrients. The green in the smoothie will provide longer lasting energy than fruit, because fruit is high in sugar and will metabolize quickly.

Otherwise, a more traditional route, like whole wheat toast with peanut butter and honey, or some eggs with avocado, are good alternatives.

Put together breakfast and lunch In order to avoid going to class with a growling stomach, choose a breakfast the night before and grab it on the way out to school. Go to the grocery store during the weekend to buy healthy breakfast options. When running late in the morning, grab fruit, yogurt, whole grain breakfast or granola bars. It is crucial not to skip breakfast because it gives you energy to stay focused during class, and it

JOANNA FALLA/THE CAMPANILE

Packing your bag at night, drinking lots of water, meditating daily and setting your alarm are easy ways to prepare for school.

prevents a mid-morning slump. After doing homework, take time to pick out what to have for breakfast and lunch the next morning. Know what you have to do the next morning, and do preparation, even if it is as simple as cutting up fruit or getting out the cereal box.

Set multiple alarms (in case you sleep through the first one) Using the alarm on a mobile device, (or an actual clock), set multiple alarms for when to wake up and when to leave for school. It is never fun to be the person who walks into first period late because you did not wake up on time. Alarms are generally reliable, just remember to click a.m., NOT p.m.

After preparing the night before, the majority of your morning will no longer be spent scrambling to find clothes or homework. This leaves time to be productive, and to start the day on a good note.

Blast some energizing music When getting ready in the morning, play some “pump-up” songs, or songs that can be listened to get

energized. A good pump-up song will boost anyone’s mood and prepare them to start the day. When adequately enthused, run around the house instead of dragging your feet.

The pump-up jams will help this process. Hopefully there will not be any tardies because of the running, but if so, at least you will be adequately pumped up.

Meditation Once your alarm has gone off, find a designated meditation spot, such as a chair or a place on the floor, and begin to meditate. Meditating has recently been linked to getting better sleep, improving memory and being less stressed in life. There is no need to make this a complicated process.

An easy way to meditate is by setting a timer for two minutes, sitting comfortably with your eyes closed, and focus on breathing. Do this consecutively until you have reached Nirvana.

Studies from the UCLA School of Medicine have shown that meditators’ brains are more efficient at processing information, making emotions more manageable, thoughts less

cluttered, attention more controlled and choices made in a more mindful manner.

Stay hydrated Fill a glass with water before school starts and drink up. This will flush out toxins, fire up metabolism and fuel the brain. This will increase focus during class, and will lead to the feeling of being more refreshed.

Also, remember to fill up a bottle to bring to drink throughout the day at school.

Exercise for 30 minutes Exercising every day decreases stress, anxiety and depression. It can also be hard to find time daily to work out, so by working out first thing in the morning, it is over with and there is no need to worry about it for the rest of the day. Easy morning workouts include going to the gym, going for a run around your neighborhood, downloading the “7 Minute Workout” app, doing Blogilates or “Yoga with Adriene” on YouTube.

With these tips, mornings will be less of a hassle and prepare you for the day.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B8 Text By Gillian Robins Jessica Wong Alice Zhao

Staff Writers

Fall Fashion

With the new school year in full swing and the weather transitioning into the chillier fall temperatures, a fashion crisis is inevitable and panic may set in as go-to outfits run low. But no worries — here are this season’s top trends to stay stylish and comfortable while on a budget. Fall’s versatile weather provides a diverse array of opportunities to branch out into fashion, which makes this season the best time to step up one’s fashion game.

Design By

Alice Zhao

Staff Writer

Carissa Zou

Lifestyle Editor

2000

Watches

CHELSEA BOOTS

“What time is it?” The infamous question of humanWith their sleek and understated appearance, Chelsea kind can now be answered by anyone with just a glance at the boots are a perfect fall staple that can make any wrist. While watches are by no means a recent invention, they ensemble look put together. Girls can create a simhave stood the test of time and have made several comebacks in the ple autumn outfit by pairing the boots with a fashion world. With smartwatches being all the rage recently, it will be flowy dresses and denim jackets. For guys, style pleasantly nostalgic to step back into an era where watches’ only purposes these boots with a simple tee and skinny jeans. were to tell time and to look ravishing. Watches can be found at a variety of H&M carries a wide range of Chelsea’s, but stores, but for those who are looking for one that will last them a while, consider the cheaper price will typically result in lower investing in the more expensive brands such as Seiko, IWC and Montblanc. Some quality. To invest in a more long-lasting of the most popular styles of watches include sport, retro and leather strap watches. pair that will endure years of wear, try These functional accessories can give the impression of being put-together, well-managed Nordstrom or Topshop. and sophisticated. With that said, the answer to “What time is it?” is as follows: “Time to get a watch.”

Cuffed Sleeves on T-shirts The classic t-shirt has been a staple item in everyone’s wardrobe since it was popularized in the 20th century. Although some may consider the t-shirt to be ordinary and uninspired, the cotton tee is effortless, undemanding and fashionable. Playing up the classic t-shirt is as easy as cuffing its short sleeves — all it takes is two rolls. This simple adjustment gives the illusion of a cohesive outfit without having to compromise comfort or style. Cuffing sleeves works best on men’s cut t-shirts, as men’s shirts have looser and longer sleeves.

This ‘50s inspired trend can be sported by anyone who has the time to roll up their sleeves. T-shirts can be found anywhere, from places as simple as drugstores to sophisticated, high end boutiques — anyone can find a price range and quality level that suits them.

T-shirt Dress Aah, the t-shirt dress, the most comfortable article of clothing any girl can own and still look good in. This dress is essentially a long, extremely soft t-shirt, that can be pulled off as a dress. Some have a tighter, body-con fit and some have a more relaxed fit, but all are perfect for the summer or fall. To dress up any t-shirt dress, pair it with black booties and throw on a leather or denim jacket. They can also be dressed down with casual sneakers or a baseball cap. T-shirt dresses usually come in solid colors, like white, grey or black, or striped, and are extremely wearable. These dresses can be found in a spectrum of stores, including Brandy Melville (home to the classic striped t-shirt dress), Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.

Denim Jackets

STRIPED SHIRTS

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in

As the weather gets cooler, many people will find themselves faced with the choice of warmth or style. On cold mornings, the temptation to throw on a hoodie and go often outweighs putting together a stylish outfit. A denim jacket makes that choice much easier, as it is the perfect piece to keep warm while still looking fashionable. Either fitted or oversized, denim jackets can be extremely adaptable and are great when paired with simple tees and chinos for guys, and skirts and dresses for girls. Denim jackets are as easy to find as they are to style; ASOS jackets have a wide variety of unique washes, fits and details at a high price point, usually around $70, while H&M and Forever 21 have various options at a more realistic cost. One rule to keep in mind for denim jackets: stay away from denim on denim.

Ask any slightly fashionably inclined person if they have a classic striped shirt they love and they will most likely say yes. The striped shirt is a timeless style and exudes a Parisian flair. A striped shirt goes with virtually any article of clothing — it can be tucked into a cute skirt or paired with a denim jacket and black skinny jeans. This classic trend can be found virtually anywhere, from Brandy Melville, which offers some particularly soft shirts, to J.Crew, which offers a collection of preppy and upscale striped t-shirts. Of course, Forever 21 and H&M sell some more practically priced tops.

Button-front skirts

Athletic Sneakers Combining comfort, practicality and style, sneakers have moved beyond activewear. They have made their way up in the fashion world and have been spotted on the runways of Chanel, Dior, Marc Jacobs and more.

With classic retro designs and simple colors, sneakers can be paired with virtually any outfit, while adding a sporty element to your outfit. For girls, sneakers pair well with overalls, shorts or any casual ensemble.

For guys, they can be worn with jeans and a pullover. Whether it means investing in Adidas, Nike or New Balance, sneakers will become anyone’s go-to shoes every morning. For those looking to purchase the most trendy sneakers this fall season — guys, try Adidas Stan Smiths; girls, check out Adidas Superstars.

This ‘70s era, A-Line skirt is becoming popular again just in time for fall, with button-front skirts being made in new fabrics such as denim and corduroy, as well as a wide range of colors. The lengths of button front skirts range from being supermini, a quarter down your thigh, to almost at the knee. These skirts are great for anyone who wants to look a little stylish by throwing on a crop top or tucked in top and booties. For colder days, pair these skirts with tights or over-the-knee socks and a pair of ankle boots.

Famous British fashion model and contributing editor at British Vogue Alexa Chung has featured this classic and vintage-looking piece in her fashion line, Alexa Chung for AG. In addition, a variety of famous bloggers have featured these types of skirts in many of their posts, showcasing the revival of a classic trend.

Button-front skirts can be found for a variety of different prices and in many stores, including Topshop, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.

This edition featuring:

Zach Baumgarten with The Campanile’s own

Ethan Teo

The Campanile: Zach, you won the first annual Camp MAC journalism summer camp ping pong tournament — where does that rank on your long list of life achievements?

Zach Baumgarten: I have to say it’s up there with the most of them.

I first want to focus on my education, but it was a good achievement and it wouldn’t have come without great team chemistry with my partner Tyler.

TC: Right, your doubles partner was Tyler Foug. What do you have to say about him?

ZB: He’s a great teammate and a great friend. I knew he was going to be there for me when it really counted.

TC: Would you beat him one-on-one?

ZB: He’s only beat me once in his life. It’s always a close game but I always have that competitive edge.

TC: Are you planning to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio? ZB: You know, it depends on my schedule. I first have to focus on school, and it might conflict with my basketball and baseball careers.

TC: It seems like education is super important to you. What is your favorite class so far at Paly?

ZB: My favorite class so far is Photo since I get to express myself through art. We did this cool project where we cut things out of magazines and made a poster.

TC: As a freshman, how do you feel about being back at the bottom of the social pyramid?

ZB: You know, it’s not that big of a deal since all of the upperclassmen are really nice and can help you around the campus. They can help you in telling the tricks of succeeding and help you have a better time at Paly since they’ve had that experience.

TC: What do you miss most about Jordan?

ZB: I miss the less demanding homework load even though Paly isn’t that bad so far. And I miss… I don’t know, there’s not much that I miss.

There are a lot of things I like better about Paly though. At Paly, I enjoy the shorter bike rides, which is nice because I can wake up later in the morning. I enjoy the block schedule since I only have three or four classes most days, which makes it easier to organize homework.

TC: I thought you were going to mention [Pete] Colombo because I know you’re obsessed with him. Talk about your love for Colombo.

ZB: Well, I fortunately won’t be missing out on Colombo this year.

I’m pretty sure he’ll be coaching baseball. So, me and Colombo will continue our relationship.

TC: Describe that relationship.

ZB: It’s a fun, intriguing, intense, sports relationship and hopefully it continues for a long time.

TC: What’s your favorite word?

ZB: My favorite word is sports since sports connects people and I enjoy playing sports. I don’t know what my life would be like right now without sports.

TC: How do you feel about being chosen for 1 in 2000 for The Campanile’s first issue?

ZB: I’m honored and it’s going to be cool since I’m considering joining journalism in my near future at Paly.

TC: Are you going to join The Campanile?

ZB: I’ll see.

TC: What is your motto for life?

ZB: It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog.

SPORTS

The Campanile

I

n s p o r t s at Palo Alto High School, there are athletes, and then there are apparent god-like figures. The latter stand out by running faster, hitting harder and throwing further than the rest of their teammates. Their skills are often instrumental to their team’s success. Off the field, most of these athletes are nor- m a l students, subject to the same pressures and stresses that any other high schooler faces.

In some cases, however, a student’s exceptional skill catches the colleges attention. Colleges may contact exceptional athletes and offer them positions on their school’s athletic teams. The catch to this is that student athletes must announce their obligation to that college, effectively denying all other college offers. If the student accepts the position, they become a committed athlete.

Because many athletes desire to compete at the college level, students

leges were willing to send in offers.

Although committing is definitely beneficial to the student, colleges have a lot to gain from it as well. By securing topnotch players at an early age, colleges can structure their lineups so that incoming players replace the seniors that graduate. Asking students to commit at an early age is risky but potentially rewarding, depending on the athlete’s improvement over their two to three remaining years at high school.

“[Colleges] know if they want a good recruiting class they are going to need to start talking to the athletes earlier and earlier,” Pederson said. “It’s gotten to the point where they start talking to people while they are still freshmen.”

Once students

OF A TE E F I L “THE TED ATHLE T H IT COMMFTEN FRAUG IS O H STRESSESS WIT REQUIRE AND TION THAT DEDICTA STUDENTSO MOS R HAVE T NEVE GIVE.”

must proactively contact colleges and advertise their skill in order to get college offers in the first place. Senior Jacey Pederson, who committed to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in her sophomore year, said that she started looking at colleges in eighth grade. Throughout her freshman and sophomore year, Pederson attended soccer “identification camps,” which allow colleges to assess the athlete’s skill.

After attending these identification camps, Pederson participated in a series of tournament showcases before col-

accept the colleges offer, a n d become newly committed athletes, a variety of perks materialize. In the hypercompetitive and often overcrowded college system, a perfect unweighted 4.0 grade point average and high standardized

Friday, September 18, 2015

test scores are not enough to guarantee every student a spot at his or her dream college.

However, when a student athlete commits to a college, the admissions requirements are somewhat padded. Pederson admits that she had an easier time getting into college compared to other students.

“There is a little bit of leeway in terms of grades and big test scores, but it’s not a lot,” Pederson said.

Additionally, committed athletes only have to send out applications to one school. While other seniors scramble to send out applications and get recommen-

dation letters, committed athletes have the luxury of knowing which school they will be attending.

“Knowing which college I [am] attending is a big relief,” Pederson said. “I was just sure UCLA was the place I wanted to go to. It’s a great college, and I’m glad I will be playing soccer there.”

However, some committed athletes are not given a

free pass in terms of grades, especially if the college competes at the Division II or Division III level. Alison Lu, a senior at Paly recently committed to Williams College.Because Williams College is at the Division III level, it cannot offer athletic scholarships even though admissions can be somewhat easier for committed athletes. Therefore, Lu has to have similar grades to that of a normal applicant and get into the college academically, despite being a committed athlete.

“They do a pre-read of all my grades and give me a set of standards I have to hit,” Lu said. “As long as I get those grades by first semester I will be able to get in.”

There are a set of stresses unique to committed athletes in regards to their athletic ability. Because most students commit during sophomore or junior year, there is an expectation that they will continue to improve their skills over the course of two years.

“There’s a lot of pressure on you to perform,” Pederson said. “I committed two years early and there’s an ex-

pectation that I need to improve and continue to play at a high level.”

If athletes are suddenly injured, or their athletic performance begins to drop off, admittance into the school becomes questionable. This appre-

hension persists past college admittance. If an athlete is injured and is unable to play, then their scholarship is revoked.

“I’m not really sure what happens if I get injured. I mean I’ll still apply but I don’t know what happens,” Lu said.

Balancing academics and sports practice is a major challenge all athletes face.

Committed athletes often play for Paly and club teams to increase their skills.

Attending two different practices after a 7-hour school day means that homework often stacks up, leaving little time for studying. For Lu, this is especially problematic as she has to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout all of her classes. To compensate for the time that their sports require, both Pederson and Lu complete homework in between practices and on weekends.

They agree that there is no room for procrastination and emphasize that the stress does not end because they have committed to a college.

“You can’t just not go to class or not do your homework because you are committed,” Lu said.

In order to keep her focus on school, Pederson has resolved to finish all homework before attending practice. This gives her motivation to finish assignments in a timely manner.

“I put academics above athletics.

If my homework isn’t done then I can’t go to practice,” Pederson said.

Despite their similarities, the two soccer players have different goals in their lives beyond Paly. Lu chose to play soccer for a Division III college in order to focus on academics. Her career will end after college, and her studies will be the

main focus of her time at Williams. Pederson, on the other hand, hopes to play for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after her four years at UCLA. Beyond that, she aspires to be drafted onto an international team and playing teams from around the world.

On the field, committed athletes appear to have it all. They are able to attend top-notch colleges despite average grades, and play the sport they love on a larger scale. However, the life of a committed athlete is often fraught with stresses and requires dedication that most students never have to give. Although committing to a college greatly changes student’s lives, their perception of the college race — and of Paly as a whole — does not change. In fact, student athletes are somewhat isolated from their friends, who have to go through the college process normally. As a result, having a strong support group is essential to committed athletes.

“One thing that hasn’t changed [after committing] is the constant support from my family and close friends,” Pederson said. “They treated me the same before and after I committed. I’m glad that they’ve always been there.”

SPORTS

September Means College Football

COURTESY OF DALLAS NEWS

Two weeks into the college football season, where do top teams stand? As defending champion Ohio State looks strong, Trevone Boykin and TCU and other teams have a difficult road ahead of them: here are the CFP predictions.

Becky Hammon and others lead a new push for women in sports.

Females in Sports

NFL Preseason

Kevin Anderson

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COURTESY OF SFGATE

COURTESY OF SPORTSNAUT

COURTESY OF THE NATION

With many recent injuries in the NFL, is the preseason worth it?

Paly alumnus Kevin Anderson making strides at Stanford in his fifth year.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C2 VIKING RECAP FOOTBALL RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. San Benito 9/11/15, L, 34-49 Paly vs. Sequoia 9/4/15, W, 54-28 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mitty 9/18/15, 7 p.m.

Paly vs. Oak Grove 9/25/15, 7:30 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Woodside 9/15/15, W, 3-0 Paly vs. Santa Cruz 9/12/15, W, 2-0 UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Chris Chandler 9/19/15, 8 p.m.

Paly vs. Mountain View 9/22/15, 6:45 p.m.

GIRLS WOPO RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 9/17/15 Paly vs. Lynbrook 9/15/15, W, 9-3 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mountain View 9/22/15, 3:30 p.m.

Paly vs. Gunn 9/24/15, 6:45 p.m.

BOYS WOPO RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 9/17/15 Paly vs. Wilcox 9/15/15, W, 14-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mountain View 9/22/15, 6:45 p.m.

Paly vs. Gunn 9/24/15, 3:30 p.m.

XC RECENT MEETS

Lowell Invitational 9/12/15, W, 75 Paly vs. Gunn 9/3/15, W, N/A UPCOMING MEETS

Stanford Invitational 9/26/15, 10:50 a.m.

SCVAL Meet 9/29/15, 3:15 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 9/17/15 Paly vs. Saratoga 9/15/15, L, 1-7 UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Homestead 9/22/15, 3:30 p.m.

Paly vs. Los Altos 9/24/15, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Gunn 9/17/15 9 Paly vs. Lynbrook 9/15/15, L, 187-172 UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Saratoga 9/22/15, 3 p.m.

Paly vs. Monta Vista 9/23/15, 3:15 p.m.

Volleyball team optimistic about new season Despite loss of head coach, the team feels that positive chemistry will lead to success MADS MCCLUSKEY

STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto High School’s volleyball team has faced many challenges this year: it has yet another new coach, no home gym to practice in and many previous seniors have graduated. The girls’ new head coach, Jekara Wilson, has had experience with many of the players and has been coaching volleyball for a long time. Wilson has been the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach for the last nine years, and has now stepped into a major and much needed role in the athletic department.

“Jekara rocks,” senior Bryce Rockwell said. “I’ve had her since my Freshman year and I love her, she definitely knows what to do.”

Since the turnover of new coaches in the last few years has been a challenge for the girls, they are excited to be coached by a familiar face.

“There’s multiple reasons [that the coach from last year didn’t come back] as well as a lot of confusion on the issue so it’s not something we can give definite answer on, ” junior Katie

MADS MCCLUSKEY/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Chelsea Fan hits the ball past Woodside blockers in the team’s home opener. Fan led the team with 11 kills in the preseason victory against the Wildcats.

Passarello said. “We’re just focusing on this season now.”

Another challenge for the team has been the demolition of Paly’s Big Gym. With no space to practice, the team has been traveling to Henry M. Gunn High School’s Bow Gym for practice from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily.

“I think one of the challenges that we had to overcome was a whole new system of how the volleyball community is now going to be,” Rockwell said.

They will be having no home games, which could mean less turnout at games. Since away games are harder to get to and take more planning, the support the team needs will be lacking compared to previous years.

“Having no team room is going to be hard,” junior Alicia Mies said.

The volleyball team uses its team room in the gym to store its equipment and also to have lunch in and bond before games. The room pro-

vides a space to build a stronger sense of trust and friendship. However, even without the gym, the girls believe they will excel.

“I love every person on the team,” senior Clara Chiu said. “I have a unique relationship with each person and I think that having such strong bonds with each other off the court will help us on the court.”

Because the team is so tight-knit, they understand each other’s playing styles and can easily make up for all the challenges this season presents.

The relationships on the team are bound to grow and the chemistry between the returning players will be crucial to the team’s success.

“Most of us have played together before, and we are a tight-knit group of girls,” junior Fiona Green said.

The girls predict that they will do well in the upcoming season. The combination of talented players, a new coach and great friendships will lead to a strong team.

“I think we’ll have a good season this year,” junior Jessica Lee said.

“Even though we aren’t a tall team, we are very competitive and we won’t give up easily.”

Cross country teams start strong in Lowell meet

Both boys and girls teams hopeful that they can make up for the loss of upperclassmen AVI TACHNA-FRAM

STAFF WRITER

I

t is a new year, with a new cross country team. After getting to the state championship last year, the boys cross country team is hoping to come back and go there again.

“If we want to win CCS [Central Coast Section] I think the key is just to stay healthy,” boys team captain, senior Samuel Desré said. “If we don’t have injuries and have five good runners then we can beat Bellarmine, our main opponent this year.”

The girls team has similar ambitions.

“We are looking to get in second place or higher because that will send us to the state meet,” girls team captain, senior Portia Barrientos said.

This year, the boys team was split into two teams, the travel team which has 42 people and will go to meets, and the practice team which has 48 people and will not go to meets.

“We have a really big team this year, and we can’t take everyone to the meets, and it still gives people the chance to improve so I think it’s for the best,” boys team captain, junior Naveen Pai said.

The teams were chosen through carrying out time trials, and those who made the practice team still have the opportunity to make it on to the travel team.

“We had a time trial and we established a time standard per grade for people to make the traveling team and people can still move up to the traveling team based on the time tri-

als that they run on meet days,” Pai said.

The boys team is also looking forward to some help from underclassmen talent this year.

“We’ve got Henry Saul, he’s a JO [ Junior Olympian] for track,” junior Spencer Morgenfeld said. “He’s pretty good, so he should make varsity this year even though he’s a freshman ... we’ve also got a couple of really good sophomores as well like Reed [Foster] and Sam Craig.”

The girls team also has been hoping for some young talent this year.

“We have a couple fast freshmen ­— Maya Wilson, Katia Martha and Julie Meng, and we have some returning sophomores that I know are going to make big contributions to the team this year,” Barrientos said.

If we want to win CCS I think the key is just to stay healthy.

If we don’t have injuries and have five good runners then we can beat Bellarmine, our main opponent this year.

Samuel Désre Senior Team Captain The boys team is also relying on a strong upperclassman backbone.

“We got a really strong junior class this year with Kent Slaney, Naveen, myself and Kai [Oda],” Morgenfeld said.

The boys team got first place overall in the Lowell meet on Sept.

12, putting them one step closer to achieving their goal. The girls team

COURTESY OF MALCOLM SLANEY

Junior Kent Slaney crosses the finish line in a cross country meet on September 12.

The boys team placed first overall while the girls team placed fifth out of 18 teams.

placed fifth out of 18 teams at the Lowell meet.

“Considering that our two best runners are out due to injuries, that’s not too bad, but it’s obvious that we still have a lot of work to do,” Barrientos said.

The girls team will also be attending the upcoming Stanford Invitational on Sept. 19, but there will be very tough competition.

“This meet attracts some of the strongest teams in the entire nation,

so I don’t think that we can finish in fifth like we did last year,” Barrientos said.

Despite the lack of upperclassmen, the boys team has an optimistic outlook for the Stanford meet.

“It is a big varsity invite and it is a great opportunity to prove ourselves as a team.” Pai said. “I think we will score well as a team and we might end up with some good individual results that will give us confidence for the rest of the season.”

Football looks to improve Girls golf earns first victory after first loss to San Benito Team has high hopes for underclassmen Vikings prepared to exceed expectations ELI GWIN-KERR

STAFF WRITER

T

he Palo Alto High School football team kicked off the season on a good note with their 54-28 victory over Sequoia High School on Sept. 4. At the half, Paly was barely in the lead with a score of 14-13. The second half saw Paly blowing out Sequoia, beginning with sophomore Paul Jackson III running 63 yards to the end zone for a touchdown halfway through the third quarter. Five more touchdowns followed, including a 36-yard dash by senior Tony Caballero-Santana at the end of the fourth quarter.

Paly’s defense managed to hold it down, only letting in four touchdowns and maintaining a strong offensive presence.

“Our line blocked hard and the backs ran the ball with lots of force and the receivers ran their routes beautifully,” junior fullback Christian Rider said. “I thought we all played really well.”

By playing aggressive and smart offense, Paly secured its first victory.

Paly played its next opponent, the San Benito Haybalers, on Sept. 11.

Despite its previous success against Sequoia, the team was unable to repeat its victory and lost 54-28.

The game was tied 14-14 until the third quarter, when San Benito began to pull ahead. Senior Eli Givens made everyone’s night with a one-handed catch for a touchdown, thrown by senior Justin Hull, at the end of the fourth quarter.

“I thought that we played hard and had a lot of effort,” junior Peter Snodgrass said. “It was a tough loss, but I am confident that we’ll rebound. I’m confident about [Archbishop Mitty High School] this week because I know that we will be prepared.”

The Vikings have their first away game Friday, Sept. 18. They will play Archbishop Mitty, a longtime rival.

“We got a bunch of guys who can actually play,” Rider said. “It’s just our execution and we just have to focus up during practice and games.”

JOANNA FALLA

STAFF WRITER

O

n Sept. 3, the girls golf team took its first victory against Homestead High School with a score of 217-265 as it looks forward to a promising season. The girls team has always been strong, winning the Central Coast Section (CCS) title in 2013 and taking fourth place last year, but coach Doyle Knight expects a long and difficult journey ahead for the team.

“This year will be extremely tough,” Knight said. “We lost the top player in CCS, Michelle Xie, who went off to college, so the younger girls have a lot of strokes to make up this year.”

There are no seniors on the team this year and only a few new freshman, which can drastically change the team dynamic. Looking forward to the future, junior captain Emily Hwang can see that the new roster for the team can be seen as a serious threat.

“We have some new girls that have potential,” Hwang said. “Stephanie Yu, Elise Kiya and Candace Wang

are some of our best players and should be the ones to watch out for.”

Hwang is confident in the team’s performance in future matches after a victory against Homestead.

“Our team is looking pretty good,” Hwang said. “The win helped us as a team, but at the same time we’re playing a course much harder than the one last week. We don’t have any seniors on the team, and we lost our number one player from last year.”

Knight has high hopes for the underclassmen to help carry the team.

“We have a freshman, Jasmine Choi, who looks promising,” Knight said. “I’m anxious to see how she does and what she can contribute to the team during matches.”

On Sept. 8, the girls won by a single stroke against Sacred Heart High School with a final score of 217-218.

Looking ahead, Knight feels good about the season, although it will be hard.

“We should still be one of the top teams in the area, the girls will just have to work harder to maintain that level,” Knight said. “It definitely will be a character building experience for them.”

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C3

Girls tennis prepares for Paly Invitational tournament After tough losses against Sacred Heart and Saratoga, the team hopes to come out on top upcoming league games DAVID TAYERI STAFF WRITER

T

he girls tennis team is lacing up their shoes, restringing their rackets and practicing long hours in the heat as they prepare to battle against schools from all over the Bay Area in the Paly Invitational.

The tournament will be played at the Paly courts on Sept. 19 and Sept.

20. Teams from all over the Bay Area will compete against one another in two days of intense competition. Paly

will face a slew of opponents, including Aragon High School, Stevenson School and long time rival Castilleja High School.

Team captain, senior Halle Biorn is very confident about her team’s chances in the upcoming invitational.

“I’m hoping for first and we definitely have a good shot at it but it will be tough,” Biorn said. “We’re expecting a lot of really good teams to be participating in the invitational tournament this year so every match should be close.”

Despite losing five seniors, as well as moving up a division, this year’s team is confident about their prospects for the invitational, and are excited for the rest of the season.

Junior Meredith Cummings is especially optimistic about Paly’s prospects in the upcoming season as she expects to go far with her team.

“I feel really excited because our team is full of potential,” Cummings said. “It is going to be tough, and there is tough competition but our passion for tennis will lead us to

victory, and I can’t wait for the road ahead of us.”

The preseason has not gone as hoped thus far, as the Vikings have already lost to Sacred Heart Preparatory, 5-2, on Sept. 8, however, they have yet to play in any league matches. Their hard work paid off shortly after, however, when they triumphed against Milpitas High School by a nearly perfect score of 7-1.

Recently, the Lady Vikes fell to Saratoga High School 1-7, with only doubles partners Christina Le and

Riya Matta winning their pro-set for Paly 8-5.

Following the loss, Cummings expressed her desire for Paly fans to attend tennis matches as much as more popular sports.

“I feel like people don’t care about girls tennis, and there is little to no support from our peers,” Cummings said. “I wish people would just come out and see how talented people are on my team. We work so hard, and it would be awesome to have some recognition.”

Boys water polo off to a fresh start First league game win The team is on track to place at the top of their league this season for girls water polo ANNA MORAGNE

Team starts off season with home win in rival pool

STAFF WRITER

T

he boys water polo team has started off the season well with a 14-10 win against Wilcox High School. The team is on track to win leagues and do well in the Central Coast Section (CCS).

“I know for sure that we want to win leagues if possible and place top three in CCS,” senior and captain Kevin Bowers said. “That’s obviously our goal, and I don’t want to say that we will or won’t but it’s looking pretty good for us right now.”

The team started strong in their first scrimmage on Sept. 4, winning 12-11 to Jesuit High School. It was a very close match but the team was able to pull through and end up on top.

The team became a little less stable however, losing their second scrimmage 8-18 against Davis Senior High School.

The game proved to be a tough loss for the boys, but they are not too upset about it.

“They were very good and you know honestly I would say that we played well both games and Davis just came away with the game on Saturday,” Bowers said.

JACKY MOORE STAFF WRITER

D

MADS MCCLUSKEY/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Jack Anderson shot blocks against a Wilcox field player, preventing a goal.

Their first official game was on Sept. 15 against Wilcox High School’s water polo team.

The team also has a new coach, Aaron Johnson, the brother of last year’s head coach, Brandon Johnson, and the previous junior varsity coach for water polo.

Brandon Johnson resigned from his previous position, so that he could take on a full time teaching job in San Francisco.

As a result, he left the fate of the team in the hands of his younger brother Aaron Johnson.

“Aaron Johnson is our new coach

… He’s doing a great job, and he’s a lot younger,” Bowers said.

Bowers expresses his faith in the new coach and is confident that the season will be successful. “He was the JV coach for a few years and is now the varsity coach and he’s been doing a great job, he knows what to do for sure.”

On Tuesday, the boys team played against Wilcox High School and won 14-10. Senior Winston Rosati lead the team with nine goals.

They are off to a great start and will participate in the Roche tournament this weekend.

espite the graduation of four seniors and the loss of four juniors, the girls water polo team is upbeat about its upcoming season.

Both the Junior Varsity and the Varsity teams will be lead by Coach Aileen Delaney, who has welcomed seven new players the varsity team.

Junior Molly Weitzman can see the potential in the new team.

“So far, we’ve worked together really well,” Weitzman said. “They’re all really talented players.”

Members of the team have been dismayed in regards to the switch, as it will take some time for the players to become acclimated to the differences between the two pools and the commute from one school to the other.

“The pool is a little different and the court dimensions are a little off,” Weitzman said. “And we have to take the bus to [Gunn High School] right after school.”

Sophomore Sophie Frick expects to have a successful season, citing the

abilities of her new teammates to do great things during games.

“There’s a ton of talent on this team this year, so we’re hoping to go far this season,” Frick said.

After falling to St. Francis High School in their first game 10-3, the team went on to lose their second match, 6-5, against Burlingame in overtime later that day.

Against St. Francis, seniors Alina Drebin, Claire Drebin and Katie Francis each scored one goal while against Burlingame, senior Gigi Rojahn scored all five goals for Paly.

The Lady Vikes went on to beat Menlo-Atherton High School in a 12-4 victory.

Senior Gigi Rojahn scored another five goals while her teammate Katie Francis contributed four points in the win.

On Sept. 15, the girls’ predictions proved to be true after they pulled through with a 9-3 win against Lynbrook.

Seniors Gigi Rojahn and Katie Francis scored five and two goals, respectively, while sophomore Sophie Frick and Alina Drebin each scored one goal.

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015

The Campanile

C4 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

ROAD TO THE C

GAME PRE 1. OHIO STATE Ohio State (OSU) will most likely start this game with full momentum after beating Michigan State in its arguably most challenging game yet. However, there is nothing that Clemson would love to do than give OSU its first loss in over 20 games.

This game will be decided by how Deshaun Watson performs that night and how OSU’s quarterback, be it Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett, responds. By this time in the season, Joey Bosa, who many experts predict to be the first pick in the 2016 NFL draft, will have been playing for more than half of the season after waiting out his suspension, and that means nothing but trouble for Clemson. This game will start out close and may be tied or in favor of Clemson at the half, but OSU will find a way to win by a wide margin.

Sure to be t ing football ga this game will fe most storied footb tory. OSU and Alab after OSU robbed Al the national title gam combined with the histo and Urban Meyer while Universtiy, will create a preceding the game. Both on their star running backs Henry, as well as their stron to winning will be keeping ing the clock to prevent State will need to do the o into their exceptional ru their hybrid quarterback unbalanced. In the end, could pull away from th for this game, it will be successfully beat Bam Oregon last year, an cham

1. OHIO STATE

Prediction: Ohio State

4. CLEMSON

National Champ

THE PIC 1. OHIO STATE Returning from a convincing win in the inaugural college football playoff, this powerhouse looks to continue its streak. With key returners such as Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones, this team has great chances to go undefeated this season. Coach Urban Meyer has done his job recruiting this season, and now he leaves it up to this same team who creeped into the playoff just one season ago. Facing a weaker-than-normal Big 10 schedule combined with big game experience, this team has what it takes to repeat their amazing season last year.

2. ALABAMA Alabama is looking to continue its recent control of the Southeastern Conference by using its endless stream of prospects to fill the spot of National Football League (NFL) rookies gone. Although some positions may be weaker than that of last year’s undefeated team, the Tide still have their coach Nick Saban, who only knows how to win in college football. With plenty of challenging games on their schedule, this team has room to lose and still be eligible for the playoff this year.

THE NEX MICHIGAN STATE After winning a close one over Oregon, Michigan State is looking like a popular pick to be in the top four. One would think playing in a weaker conference with such a talented and experienced team would mean a shot at the playoffs. Yet Ohio State, the team that is expected to win the playoffs, stands in Michigan State’s way. The game against Ohio State comes two weeks before the season ends, in a time where all losses mean 10 times as much as if they had come early in the season. Other than that, Michigan State has little to worry about this season if veteran quarterback Connor Cook leads the offense as he has the past two seasons while Shilique Calhoun does the same on the defensive side.

OREGON

Still riding the wave of players and recruiting power once held by Chip Kelly, Oregon is hoping to continue its dominance. A lot is on the line for this team after coming up short in the inaugural college playoff championship. Losing Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota will be the biggest obstacle to overcome combined with facing a tough schedule including Michigan State and UCLA. An expected early loss to Michigan State in Lansing puts the Ducks just outside the top four, but still at the top of the rest.

The Campanile

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW C5

CHAMPIONSHIP

EDICTIONS 2. ALABAMA

the most excitame all season, eature two of the ball schools in hisbama have bad blood labama of its shot at me one year ago. This, ory between Nick Saban e he was at rival Florida anticipation in the days h offenses will rely heavily Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick ng defenses. Alabama’s key g the score low and managits usual slow pace. Ohio opposite, putting everything unning game, or utilizing ks to keep Bama’s defense it seems that either team he other convincingly, but e Ohio State. They will ma, just as they defeated nd will be the repeat mpions.

2. ALABAMA

Both these teams should come into this game with undefeated records. Alabama and TCU are similar in many ways. Both have experienced quarterbacks, along with some of the best lineman in the country – such as Bama’s Cam Robinson – and both are coached by the best coaches in college football today. Both teams are battle-tested rosters, although Alabama seems to have more big game experience and knows the feeling of last year’s playoff, which gives them a slight edge here. Usually the biggest weakness of the Roll Tide is their offense, yet someone from the team always steps forward as a leader, just as Amari Cooper did last year. TCU has too many problems on defense to overcome Alabama, with multiple starters leaving the team early in the year.

Prediction: alabama

3. TCU

pions: Ohio State

ICKS 3. TCU TCU has what it takes to be either the best in the nation, or the weak and disappointing team that we saw against Minnesota week one. It always helps to have Heisman favorite Trevone Boykin coming off a fantastic season and to have projected early round draft pick Josh Doctson.

However, TCU needs to improve on defense with the loss of linebacker Paul Dawson, as it found out last season after only losing a shoot-out to Baylor which consequently ended their playoff dreams. After a fantastic win against Stephen F. Austin this weekend, TCU looks back and ready to take the Big 12.

4. CLEMSON Although Clemson is not a top four team by skill, the schedule favors them, and they have good enough talent to go undefeated. It will be very difficult for the committee to leave an undefeated team out even if a better team such as Michigan State loses one game. This spot is nearly impossible to choose and could have gone many ways such as to Georgia Tech (GT) who plays Clemson. Deshaun Watson is an amazing quarterback with the ability to play in the air or take it to the ground. He is very similar to Trevone Boykin and plays on a similar team. If the Tigers can get past GT, Notre Dame and Georgia, this team will have a good enough resume to slide into the top four.

XT BEST BAYLOR After being co-champions of the Big 12 last year, Baylor is out for revenge after being left out of last year’s playoff. With the loss of star quarterback Bryce Petty, this squad has some room to make up but will be fine with their fresh starter Seth Russell, whom some experts are picking to be a “sleeper” this season.

The Bears have nothing to worry about as long as some players show up such as KD Cannon, Spencer Drango and Shawn Oakman. If this team makes it past TCU unscathed, their chances will be increased immensely.

UCLA UCLA is looking very strong after two weeks, and quarterback Josh Rosen looks like a seasoned veteran in his first year filling in for NFL quarterback Brett Hundley. This team has as good a chance to go undefeated as any other team in the nation, but their schedule is very weak compared to equal teams. Other than USC, this team faces no true challenges this season, yet they have a knack for losing to worse teams in the past. This trend is not expected to change and UCLA will probably not go undefeated, yet they are still a top 10 team any day of the season.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

C6 SPORTS Women rising to forefront of the sports industry The increase of women in coaching and broadcasting positions in major sports encourages gender equality MACKENZIE GLASSFORD

STAFF WRITER

T

here is something about female athletes that draws attention to the sports industry in unprecedented ways. When female players advance in their sports, it seems as if their endurance and distinctiveness set them apart from men.

While the sporting world still thrives on its male-dominated culture, certain parts of the field have been significantly impacted by the influence of female trailblazers.

The past three years in particular have shown a sudden rise in female presence in male-dominated sports.

In July, Becky Hammon became the first ever female head coach in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Summer League when the San Antonio Spurs announced she would coach the team. Three weeks later, Hammon again made history when she led the San Antonio Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title and became the first NBA female head coach to win a summer league title.

“I think anything is possible,” Hammon said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “Just because something’s never been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Leadership has no gender.”

Jen Welter, hired for a 6-week internship as an inside linebacker’s coach for the Cardinals is also the first female coach in football. Hired in July, she is the first female coach of any kind in National Football League (NFL) history. But Welter’s 6-week internship is over and now the question is, will her time in the NFL open the door for more female coaches? Hammon and Welter have both been working for years to achieve what they have and the pool of women similar to them is still very small. Hopefully, with women like these leading the charge, it will not be long before women are dominating the sidelines at all levels of men’s sports.

Besides entering the coaching

sector, more and more women are appearing on TV as sports analysts. In August, the Charlotte Hornets hired former sideline reporter Stephanie Ready to join the broadcasting booth as a game analyst, making her the first full-time female analyst in the NBA. Ready played basketball at Coppin State University and was an assistant coach and recruiter there before spending 12 years working with the Hornets’ broadcast team in various capacities. Four-time First Team All-American softball player and sportscaster Jessica Mendoza joined Ready in the history books after being named the first female analyst for ESPN early in September.

She attended Stanford University on a softball scholarship, was on the U.S. National Softball Team for six years and has been to two Olympic Games.

While this is an incredible achievement for female analysts in general, it is unfortunate that it has taken these organizations this long to realize the potential that women have to be great sportscasters.

Just because something has never been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Leadership has no gender.

Becky Hammon San Antonio Spurs Summer League Head Coach There is still a staggering number of people who believe that women are incapable of reporting on mens sports despite that fact that women have been sideline reporters for decades.

With any luck, the next generation of sports fans, which will grow up seeing and hearing women such as Mendoza and Ready in every role, will be as nonchalant about a woman calling an NBA game as our current generation is about a woman doing sideline interviews at an NFL game.

Earlier this year, the NFL broke down another gender barrier when it hired Sarah Thomas as the first NFL female official. Thomas began officiating high school games in 1996

COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

Becky Hammon, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs NBA Summer League team, talks to players in a game versus the NY Knicks.

and was the first woman to officiate a Division 1-A high school football game in Mississippi. She began coaching college games in 2007 and in 2009 again made history as the first woman to be chosen to officiate a bowl game at the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl. Immediately following the public announcement of Thomas’ new position, four women applied for officiating jobs.

Although this is a major accomplishment for Thomas, she is technically not the first woman to ever officiate an NFL game. In September 2012, Shannon Eastin became the first ever female to be a referee in a regular season game. She was selected to officiate an exhibition game between the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams during a period where all the full-time officials were on strike.

“It shows the strides women and girls in sports have been making since Title IX was passed 50 years ago,” Kathy Babiak, co-director of SHARP, a partnership between the Women’s Sports Foundation and the University of Michigan, said to the Huffington Post. “Before Title IX, these kinds of opportunities

for women and girls were not even imaginable. It shows that women and girls have a desire, interest and ability to work in sports at all levels — even men’s professional sports. Some girl will be watching Sunday and say, `Hey, I want to do the same thing!’”

One of the major reasons these women are where they are today is due to Title IX, a law passed in 1972.

This law requires all schools receiving federal funds to provide female students equal opportunities to participate in educational programs, including athletics. Title IX has its fair share of opposers but there is no arguing that it has done its job.

In 1971, one year before Title IX was passed, only about two in every 50 girls took part in high school sports.

By 2012 the numbers increased to about two in every five. Today, a typical National College Athletic Association (NCAA) college is fielding at least eight womens teams.

Because of Title IX, more women have received athletic scholarships, thus increasing the opportunity for higher education.

Two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm credits Title IX for the chance to

play sports at a higher level. In an interview with Makers.com, Hamm stated that the value of Title IX for her was that she was able to gain an athletic scholarship to the University of North Carolina (UNC). Her experience at UNC helped her to become one of the greatest female athletes in the world. Twelve-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres attended the University of Florida on a swimming scholarship, a possibility which she attributes to Title IX. After many years of being thought of as incompetent and incapable on the field, it is nice to see women getting the respect they deserve.

Having all these powerful women in the sporting industry will encourage more and more young girls to play and will help them realize that their athletic dreams are achievable.

Not only is it within reach for girls to imagine themselves holding a championship trophy or getting the gold, but also to see themselves in leadership positions in what was once a male-only field. In a few years, hopefully this was just the beginning of an incredible movement towards gender equality in the sporting world, led by a few female trailblazers.

Cheer team to show support for more Paly sports teams New policy encourages cheer team to perform at various sports events in order to heighten spirit and awareness

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

The Paly spirit squad, comprised of both cheer and dance, performs during halftime at the Paly football game against San Benito.

YAEL BEN-SHACHAR

STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto High School’s cheerleading coach, Hilary McDaniels, has implemented a new system in which the cheerleaders will cheer for the majority of sports, in hopes of getting the student body excited about sports that are not typically publicized. With cheerleaders attending more sports events, the

urn-out of the general public is also expected to increase.

“It’s an effort to spread spirit further by doing our best to attend ideally at least one game for every sport,” McDaniels said. “But as cheerleaders, typically, it’s reasonable for them to go to games where there are more people because they’re supposed to lead the crowd, and not be the crowd.”

In the past, cheerleaders have only cheered for sports that gain more stu-

dent attendance, such as football and basketball. But many team members have also wanted to cheer for other sports, and are supportive of the new policy. The rule was enforced in the spring — the cheerleaders already cheered for a lacrosse game last season, when McDaniels first began coaching.

Cheer captain Ella Higashi notes that this system of cheering for more sports is something that the cheer

team has wanted for a while, and is finally being implemented.

“It’s different than it has been in the past, but it’s kind of, in a way, always been like that,” Higashi said.

“Our previous coach had always encouraged us to go to big games like waterpolo and volleyball, but she never made it actually happen.”

The new policy was created to help spread spirit further, and McDaniels would like to support more of the school.

“School spirit should be spread across the entire campus, and we want to support a larger audience rather than just football and basketball,” McDaniels said.

Cheerleader Alice Saparov is in favor of spreading school spirit to other sports.

“I think it’s really nice that we’re cheering for the other sports at Paly, as well, and not just football and basketball,” Saparov said.

Although the majority of the cheer team is supportive of the new policy, some student athletes dislike the idea.

“As much as [the tennis team] would love the support, extra noise would distract us,” junior Avery Pearson said. “Also, the courts are kind of spread out, so it would be hard for the cheerleaders to be in one central place to cheer for everyone.”

The cheerleaders will not cheer at all sports games. Instead, they plan to attempt to go to one or two of the most important games of the season.

Coaches have been emailing Mc-

Daniels, telling her the best games for the cheer team to cheer at.

“Basketball and football are the main seasons that we cheer at, but the other sports, if they have a really big game that a lot of the students and parents will go to, then we’ll also attend that,” Higashi said. “We’re going to try to make all the big games that are happening in each sport.”

Some sports such as cross country and golf will be more difficult to cheer for because they are constantly moving. Unless specifically asked by the coaches, they will not be cheering for those sports.

Although the cheer team wants to attend all the major games for each sport, some sports make it hard because they are so different.

However, the cheerleaders will try to utilize other strategies to build up school spirit and show support for all of the sports. Saparov presumes that if the cheer team cannot cheer for a particular sport, they will find other ways to show their support.

“There are other ways to show support for the teams, not that we have to be there specifically cheering for them, but also making posters or making little treats or baskets,” Saparov said.

The presence of cheer will boost publicity of sports that do not currently receive a lot of attention. The cheerleaders’ main goal is to spread school spirit, get everyone excited about Paly sports. Hopefully, this new system will allow the cheer team to accomplish all of those goals.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C7

NFL preseason should be terminated ATHLETE OF THE Unnecessary games increase risk of early, season-ending injuries for football players

MONTH

This edition featuring:

Kevin Bowers with The Campanile’s own

Kai Oda COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Star wide receiver Jordy Nelson tore his ACL during the Green Bay Packers’ third preseason game, taking him out for the season. This is a major loss for the Packer’s offense.

COLE HECHTMAN

STAFF WRITER

F

or many fans of professional football, keeping up with their favorite teams every week is a time-consuming task during the regular season. Many fans constantly check their phones for score updates and compare statistics and argue about them with each one another, too. So with the first game of the National Football League (NFL), the craze will begin.

In the month leading up to the madness, every team participates in four preseason games. In these games, teams face each other like they would any other game. During this period, back-up players are given more playing time and coaches are more flexible with their play calls as well. However, losing a game will not affect a team’s chance of participating in the playoffs. Unfortunately, because there is no pressure for teams to win and the record does not count towards the regular season, the viewing audience is much less substantial than the regular season.

If a player were to be seriously injured, not only is he unable to play the rest of the preseason, but he is also sometimes out for the entire season.

Many players and fans have expressed displeasure in these preseason games for a number of reasons.

For one, although these games have lower stakes, players are just as prone to getting injuries. If a player were to be seriously injured, not only is he unable to play the rest of the preseason, but he is also sometimes out for the entire season. So far, in this year’s preseason, three stand-out players have already been injured, who will now have to sit out for the entire season. Not only is Jordy Nelson the lead receiver for his team, the Green Bay Packers, but he is also one of the major receivers in the entire league.

Recently, Nelson tore his ACL in a preseason game, rendering him incapable of playing for the entire year.

All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey of the Pittsburgh Steelers also suffered a disappointing lower leg injury and won’t be eligible until week nine of the regular season. This is also a major blow to another franchise. Not only have fans expressed their displeasure for the preseason, but many players have spoken as well.

“It’s difficult to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game,” Green Bay Packers quarterback and former Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers said at during press conference after the game. “This game doesn’t mean anything.”

Rodgers has suggested shortening to half its previous length, and many other people agree that it should be shortened or abolished to prevent further injuries. Preseason should be removed because the risks the players are taking outweigh the benefits of the preseason. Players should not be

risking their well being to play games where there is a smaller audience and nothing at stake.

So why is the NFL’s preseason still implemented in the game today?

Another common opinion has to do with the revenue produced. Tickets to each preseason game are priced the same as regular season games, and season ticket holders are forced to pay for preseason tickets as well, other than a few exceptions such as with the New England Patriots. The NFL and owners also receive funds for broadcasting these games, and the merchandise that is purchased associated with this excitement. Many believe this to be the leading reason why the preseason is so long or even exists, since the NFL has developed a reputation for squeezing every penny out of fans and viewers, making more money than any other sport.

However, some also argue that these games are played because they are some of the most important games for certain teams, players and coaches. During this period, players are competing for spots on the team, and the coaches need to cut the teams to a 54-man roster. This is also an opportunity for coaches to try different offenses, defenses and play styles.

While both of these arguments are valid, there are easy alternatives to these ideas and good reasons to consider the alternatives. In some cases, when the owners of teams try to profit from preseason games, it can end up backfiring. Should a key player be injured to the extent that they cannot

participate in the playoffs, it can potentially damage the teams likeliness of succeeding during the regular season. If this happens and the team begins to do worse, ticket sales will decrease as well as merchandise sales. If the team does not make the playoffs, the owners will not receive the large bonus checks they would for their efforts. Also, although these games do give opportunities for some members of the team, players are still able to fight over spots, and coaches can try different play styles during practices and scrimmages.

Another common opinion has to do with the revenue produced... Many believe this to be the leading reason why the preseason is so long.

For both players and fans, preseason games offer limited value for the game itself. In most cases, NFL fans lack interest in these preseason games since they are unrelated to the success of their team. The possible effects of preseason games on players can be extremely detrimental to the teams even before the regular season begins and the games start to count.

Although some argue that these games are necessary for the process of finalizing a roster, they really serve as a ruse for owners to gain more profit.

The NFL’s preseason should be banished to avoid putting players’ health at risk in order to produce excess income.

Football players need stricter disciplinary measures Physical nature of sport has caused recent increased violence, crime among top players ADRIAN SMITH

STAFF WRITER

C

rime in the National Football League (NFL) has plagued many athletes, halting their careers with lawsuits and trials.

Criminal charges have been a concern for many years now following scandals such as the Aaron Hernandez murder, Ray Rice’s domestic violence and Michael Vick’s dogfighting.

Although fans are concerned, many seem to ignore the criminal backgrounds and only pay attention to players performing well in the games.

With the 2015 season just beginning, several teams are nervous about losing star players facing accusations of possession of drugs, domestic violence or other charges.

Most fans block out the bad behavior of the players by only focusing on the performance of the athlete, but on Aug. 26, National Dog Day, residents of Pittsburgh from the “Justice with Animals” group gathered outside the Pittsburgh Steelers facility in protest of the recent signing of quarterback Vick. Vick, who was arrested for leading a dogfighting enterprise in 2007, is getting close to the end of his career in the NFL and currently playing as a backup quarterback on the Steelers. The protesters were fed up with the oblivious fans supporting violent and immature behavior of these athletes.

Athletes signed by the San Francisco 49ers have also joined the criminal path. Aldon Smith has recently been cut from the team for

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Former Baltimore Ravens running back was charged for domestic violence against his wife after video evidence was released.

various violations of the law. Smith, an outside linebacker and one widely considered to be one of the best at his position, has been charged with a DUI and possession of marijuana.

The NFL has banned him for an undisclosed number of games and due to the incident, he has been cut from the team. Because of wasting his talent and forcing the 49ers to cut him, Smith is now neglected by many fans of the 49ers who were hoping to have a good year.

According to Fansided Inc., 149 criminal offenses have been assault or battery charges resulting in suspension or ban from the league. For example, linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who has played for the 49ers since

2009, was recently convicted for domestic violence and sexual battery.

Now, there is the possibility that the 49ers will cut him from the team because of the suspension the NFL may put on Brooks.

Most fans block out the bad behavior of the players by only focusing on the performance of the athlete.

The NFL, while understanding that football is a violent sport, has repeatedly been sued by former players due to head injuries causing dementia. The violence and aggression that is practiced by the players is a large

contribution to crime outside of the sport. NFL players are trained to be aggressive through childhood as well because of the inherent violence in football. This violence affects the behavior of the players who have had rough childhoods growing up to be an athlete.

Modern football denotes a gladiator related sport where spectators enjoy watching athletes attack each other for the reward of money and fame. This behavior of watching a fighting sport is demeaning towards the players’ minds, especially with the prodigious supply of money, bringing players to have trouble controlling themselves, which leads to them to become criminals.

Kevin Bowers is the boys water polo captain and has played on the varsity team since sophomore year.

The Campanile: What position do you play?

Kevin Bowers: I’m a driver, but everybody will just play whatever position they have to depending on where they end up.

TC: What are your contributions to the team?

KB: I would like to think that I contribute on offense and defense. I want to work on my defensive game this year, and my main focus is to improve my defensive game and provide a little bit of leadership too.

TC: How long have you been on varsity?

KB: I’ve been on varsity for three years. I got pulled up my sophomore year, and it has been a blast.

TC: Wow, are there any pre-game rituals that have helped you achieve that success?

KB: Oh boy … there’s some good ones. Everybody has their own weird thing. I just like to put on the headphones and get in the zone and eat some weird food.

TC: What are these weird foods?

KB: There’s a lot of string cheese, I love the stuff. I’ll have like four those before a game. I don’t know, nothing else gets me like string cheese.

TC: List three things you won’t miss about water polo: KB: 1) Not having cheerleaders. I think we should have some cheerleaders in there.

2) On multiple occasions, having see-through speedos, especially this year. If you guys come out to a home game there’s a special treat for all of you out there. Some mistakes were made in designing the suit.

3) Not having a pool my senior year.

TC: Spit some words of fire regarding the pool: KB: F***** sucks man … F***** sucks. But I mean things happen, and they’ve done a good job compensating us by buying us new goals and equipment. I’m thankful for that, but it does suck.

TC: What are your strengths?

KB: I can rock a speedo. I think I play a pretty good defense, and I play pretty well on offense, and I create opportunities. Outside of the water I would like to think I help the team stay together.

TC: What’s your policy on speedos?

KB: I think every sport should have them. It should be a school-wide thing, I mean, honestly, football could use them. Mobility goes up!

There’s absolutely no disadvantage to using them. Spread the love!

TC: What’s your worst injury?

KB: Last summer at Junior Olympics I got elbowed in the face and my teeth went through my bottom lip. I got out, plugged it and kept playing.

TC: What is it like having your mom as athletic director?

KB: Do me a favor here, imagine your mom is at Paly pretty much all day. So she’s there, and she is doing her job … that’s it. She’s just here.

She’s the athletic director and she’s also my mom, and I’m really proud of her.

TC: What is your greatest moment in water polo?

KB: During a game during my sophomore year I jumped into the pool, some Baywatch goin’ in … and my suit came off. And there I was, in all of my sophomore glory. That’s a wrap.

Friday, September 18, 2015

C8

The Campanile

SPORTS

KEVIN ANDERSON THE STANFORD LINEBACKER HAS JOURNEYED FROM STATE CHAMPION AT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL TO PERFECTING HIS SKILLS TO READY HIMSELF FOR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

O

n Dec. 17, 2010, Palo Alto High School’s 44-man football roster defeated Centennial High School’s 122-man roster in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division I state title. Paly defensive end and captain Kevin Anderson played a crucial role in the victory, recording 15 tackles and forcing a fumble.

“It was a pretty awesome experience, and I’m definitely going to remember it,” Anderson said. “It’s a great memory that I’m gonna live with for the rest of my life.”

Anderson’s performance, though extraordinary, was not unexpected. He had played on Paly’s varsity team since the end of his sophomore year — a rare feat. Anderson had also already recorded 95 tackles and 11.5 sacks prior to that year’s state championship and had won multiple awards by the end of the regular season, including Palo Alto Daily News’ Defensive Player of the Year and San Jose Mercury News’ All-Santa Clara County first team. Anderson had national coverage by media as well, and was ranked the 41st best defensive end prospect by Scout, a sports media network that tracks potential college athletes. Both ESPN and Scout also listed Anderson as first team all-state. Despite the incredible amount of recognition Anderson was getting from the press, he was still only listed as a 3-star recruit.

“At that stage, I didn’t really know how good I could be or would be,” Anderson said. “I just came in with the idea that I was just gonna work as hard as I could, and thought, ‘whatever happens, happens.’”

Unlike most scouts that evaluated Anderson, Jason Fung, Anderson’s junior varsity football coach, had full faith in Anderson’s ability to perform well at the collegiate level.

“I knew once he set his mind to wanting to be a Division I football player that he was going to be successful,” Fung said.

Anderson proved scouts wrong and has since created a name for himself — he is now one of Stanford football’s defensive captains as a fifth-year senior. Anderson is a veteran among other players in the league, which gives him and the rest of his team a strong advantage.

“It’s nice to have some experience because we’ve been out there before so we can help guide and lead these guys,” Anderson said.

As a defensive captain, Anderson is undoubtedly a natural leader both on and off the field. His noticeable personality and leadership were characteristics that Fung recognized during Anderson’s time with Paly.

“Kevin was just that guy that you wanted on your team,” Fung said. “He was very, very coachable.”

Jake Halas, the current Paly football head coach and former defensive coordinator during Anderson’s time at Paly, also saw Anderson as a player with a personality that made him a dominant defensive player and an important role model.

“Off the field, he was very polite, intellectual, smart, goofy and kind of nerdy, if you will, in a good way,” Halas said.

TEXT BY ETHAN TEO SPORTS EDITOR

“But when he stepped on that field, he flipped the switch, man.

He turned into a savage. He was a maniac when he played. He was stronger and faster than anybody else on the field and he arrived at the ball with bad intentions. He was a tremendous, tremendous player. Nobody could block him. Nobody.”

Anderson’s success at Stanford was not achieved without setbacks. In his freshman year, Anderson was a “redshirt” — an athlete who only practices with the team but does not play in games for that year, giving the athlete an extra year of eligibility, which is why Anderson is playing as a fifth-year senior. Though redshirting can often be a sign of a player’s inferiority, Anderson made the best of his situation.

OFF THE FIELD, HE WAS VERY POLITE, INTELLECTUAL, SMART, GOOFY AND KIND OF NERDY IF YOU WILL, IN A GOOD WAY. BUT WHEN HE STEPPED ON THAT FIELD, HE FLIPPED THE SWITCH, MAN. HE TURNED INTO A SAVAGE. HE WAS A MANIAC WHEN HE PLAYED. HE WAS STRONGER AND FASTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE ON THE FIELD AND HE ARRIVED AT THE BALL WITH BAD INTENTIONS. HE WAS A TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS PLAYER. NOBODY COULD BLOCK HIM. NOBODY. JAKE HALAS ANDERSON’S VARSITY DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

“I came in undersized so I kind of knew that I was going to redshirt,” Anderson said. “I think it helped me because I was going to have opportunities to go against Jonathan Martin, [who eventually became] a second-round draft pick and [is now a] three-year starter in the National Football League [NFL].”

Although Anderson played defensive end at Paly, he was asked to switch positions to outside linebacker soon after coming to Stanford. Anderson saw this transition as another one of his toughest obstacles in his past four years at Stanford.

“The hardest part [of the transition] was that I had to learn the ins and outs of coverage,” Anderson said. “Switching positions was tough. It took me a while to learn the secondary.”

As time passed, Anderson expanded his role on the team. One of his finest moments was during the 2014 Rose Bowl against Michigan State University in his junior year.

Although Stanford lost 20-24, Anderson scored a 40-yard touchdown off of an interception. Furthermore, the play was mere minutes after Anderson made a careless error on defense, a testament to Anderson’s perseverance even in times of failure.

Much of Anderson’s success at Stanford was due to his diligence, whether it was spending extra time working out, watching game film or exerting leadership on and off the field. Anderson has put in tremendous effort to improve his game as a whole, but has most notably increased his confidence while playing under Stanford’s defensive tactics. He looks to try and further strengthen his leadership on the team for this season.

“I’ve worked hard to learn the defense whether it’s at Paly or here [at Stanford],” Anderson said. “It’s important to know not only your job but all of your teammates’ jobs around you. I think just knowing my spot on the defense is where I’ve improved the most. Before, as a younger player, I was thinking too much. I now know my job and I know everyone else’s job, so I can be out there as a leader. I think I can continue to progress as a leader and a vocal guy out on the field.”

As for specific goals, Anderson only has one in mind.

Even with NFL scouts watching him, Anderson plans to focus fully on the team and its success.

“We have one goal, and that is to win the Pacific-12 Conference Championship,” Anderson said.

Anderson has plans to declare for the NFL draft the following year, and recognizes that the level of play is significantly more intense in the professional league. He plans to work on his overall athleticism so that he can compete with the intensity that the NFL brings. Although Anderson is statistically working against the odds, his tenacity and hard work gives him a shot at success.

“Kevin has what it takes [to make it to the NFL],” Fung said. “No doubt. He has [an] A+ work ethic.”

DESIGN BY JACKY MOORE AND AIVA PETRICEKS STAFF WRITER AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR