Friday January 31, 2020
The Campanile
Vol. CII, No. 6
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
www.thecampanile.org
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Principal Adam Paulson announces resignation Car burglaries spike during holiday season
Two-year principal discloses plans to depart at end of 2019-20 school year By Benjamin Stein & Andrew Toteda
By Shiva Mohsenian
Staff Writers
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rincipal Adam Paulson announced his resignation and departure from Paly at the end of the 2019-20 school year following six years of work as a campus administrator, according to a school-wide announcement early Friday afternoon. “I’m going to keep the details (surrounding the resignation) personal,” Paulson said, but included in a letter to faculty that his decision is what “I feel is best for myself and my family.” Paulson will leave a notable legacy behind even after his departure from the school. Promoted to principal two years ago from the assistant principal position, he was handed the task of navigating the administrative shake-up amid Kim Diorio’s departure. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson believes that guiding Paly through the aftermath of the Title IX scandal was the most important thing Paulson did for the school. “He helped us settle down after the Title IX issues that we had,” Berkson said. “Paulson came in at its peak, at a time where we were ready to fix things. And I think we’re really good place right now when it comes to the Title IX and UCP process.” Paulson is held in high regard by Paly administrators. “He’s never been a micromanager,” Berkson said. “He allows each of the assistant principals to fulfill their responsibilities, and he trusts us.” Aside from Title IX, Paulson is also responsible for helping resolve the revised bell schedule issue during the summer of 2018, which otherwise would have forced the school to return to its unpopular C day schedule. However, the new schedule, which contained consistent end times, the elimination of C days (days with all seven classes), the intro-
BENJAMIN STEIN/THE CAMPANILE
Farewell, Mr. Paulson! Goodbyes are in order as Principal Adam Paulson announces his resignation at the end of this school year. Paulson said, “I want to make sure that the school remains in a good place.” duction of late-start days and did not have any classes that occurred on consecutive days, did not meet instructional minute requirements set by the state of California. “The bell schedule had to be revised several times because (Paulson) was getting information from outside agencies that wasn't necessarily correct,” Berkson said. “So (the administrators and the Innovative Schedule Committee) needed to go back to the drawing board all the time, and he brought the group together: it's not easy getting everyone to work together.” In addition to making an impression among Paly administrators, Paly staff also appreciate Paulson’s leadership. “He is the ultimate gentleman in a world where gentle people matter,” English teacher Lucy Filppu said. Though Paulson is announcing
his intent to resign, he will continue his role as principal until the end of the second semester, while bearing the added responsibility of advising any new administrators that are hired or otherwise chosen to take his place.
“(Paulson) helped us settle down after the Title IX issues that we had.” Jerry Berkson
“I want to make sure that we get new leadership in place, and I want to make sure that the school remains in a good place,” Paulson said. “I will work with our leadership team and district office to ensure a smooth transition.”
In addition to Paulson, Assistant Principal Clarisse Haxton will be leaving her position at the end of the 2019-20 school year. In an email to staff, Haxton said the California Teaching Commission had denied her administrative credential application and that she would not be returning in the fall. “This unforeseen and difficult circumstance means that as of February 14 I will be an admin teacher on special assignment for the rest of this school year,” Haxton said. “I am working out my next steps with our HR department and my family.” Paulson would not divulge his future plans either, but expects to remain in the educational sector, promising to “carry (his) experiences from Paly throughout (his) career in education,” according to the announcement he sent to the student body Friday afternoon.
Staff Writer
ith 44 car breakins, and over half of them resulting in stolen property, the past holiday season leaves many residents and students susceptible to auto burglaries. Recent Palo Alto Police Department crime reports show that in a 10-day duration, almost 50 cars were broken into, with 34 being burglaries. These auto burglaries have left residents concerned and PAPD taking extra precautionary measures to ensure safety. PAPD Public Affairs Manager Janine De la Vega said car break-ins spiked significantly during late December through early January, and not just in Palo Alto. “Auto burglaries have been on the rise this year compared to last,” De la Vega said. “This is not something that is just occurring in Palo Alto. It’s a Bay Area-wide problem with auto burglaries happening in the city, on the Peninsula, in the East Bay and in the South Bay.” Areas most commonly impacted by this spike include parking lots of shopping centers and the downtown area, according to De la Vega. However, Palo Alto resident Mike Asher and his neighbors had auto burglaries right outside their homes earlier this year. “Our car was parked on the street right in front of the house, and they broke into our car as well as all of the neighbors on our street,” Asher said. “I don’t know if I had left the door unlocked or if they were able to somehow get in and unlock it, but they broke into my car without cracking the window. ” Asher’s neighbor Kusum Pandey had her car broken into as well, leaving her vehicle with excessive damages after a force-
ful entry attempt. “Our car was parked in the driveway,” Pandey said. “Nothing was stolen, but they tried to get into the car by smashing the window and leaving some scratches. The window was shattered but (remained intact), so they couldn’t take anything.” De la Vega said PAPD advises residents to not leave valuable items in their vehicles, as frequently stolen items during robberies include laptops and electronics, as well as personal property such as purses or bags. Additionally, car registrations were also stolen. Although Asher only had cash stolen from his car, he said he thinks it’s because the burglars were in a hurry to hit multiple cars that night.
“Auto burglaries have been on the rise this year compared to last.” Janine De la Vega
“I had a bunch of stuff in the car, but all they stole was cash out of the (armrest storage compartment),” Asher said. “They actually missed a couple of hundred dollars that I had kept in the glove box.” De la Vega said PAPD is proactively addressing the increasing auto burglaries through increasing patrols in areas that have been hit. She also said PAPD established a Special Enforcement Team focusing on auto burglaries to reduce their frequency in Palo Alto. In the meantime, De la Vega recommends residents take their belongings with them to prevent future auto burglaries. “Don’t leave any bags or personal property in your car,” De la Vega said. “Always remember to lock your doors and windows.”
New math lane places District meets with InFocus after censorship attempt freshmen in geometry PAUSD General Council discusses ‘ Paly Bachelor’ segment with InFocus leadership By Leila Khan
Managing Editor
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AUSD has decided to eliminate separate math lanes for seventh and eighth grade students, a proposal that raises concerns among some Palo Alto students. Although details about the specific rigor of the classes are still being discussed, the district intends to nudge all students into a single lane that would prepare them to start high school in a geometry course. The newly suggested curriculum change poses several questions regarding skill and stress among middle and high school students in PAUSD. “The new system doesn’t allow students who excel in math to be challenged, and it puts kids who are already struggling in math at an even bigger disadvantage,” freshman Rachel North said. Supt. Don Austin proposed the math lane collapse in October, addressing some parent concerns about their students being unable to reach their full potential in math.
“We just did not have enough students graduating with the requirements to attend UCs or CSUs.” Ben Gordon To prepare, math teachers in PAUSD middle schools are attending training throughout the
INSIDE
By Benjamin Stein & Sarah O’Riordan
rest of the spring semester to ease into the new course requirement.
“If they made everyone start in Geometry, some kids would have a really hard time succeeding in their freshman math class.” Sanaz Ebrahimi
According to Greene Middle School algebra teacher Josh Spira, the middle school math teachers will create a transition in the next school year for sixth graders to funnel into one lane for seventh grade instead of the customary two-laned curriculum, accelerated versus non-accelerated, that is currently in place. Through this new curriculum, all students will take Algebra 1A as eighth graders and enroll in a geometry class as freshmen. Paly sophomore Brighid Baker brings up issues with mental health related to academic stress, especially for students who struggle with math and might not be ready for geometry. “I don’t think it’s feasible because there are some people who are better at math and some people who are weaker in the subject,” Baker said. “If you’re taking other hard classes and it’s already too much stress, some people will have lower self esteem and lower confidence if they are in a lane they don’t necessarily belong in.”
New Math Lane
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Staff Writer & Senior Staff Writer
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ssistant Principal Jerry Berkson informed InFocus executive producers on Monday that Palo Alto Unified School District General Counsel Komey Vishakan had received complaints about a “Paly Bachelor” segment they planned to air, and that along with cutting the segment, all existing “Paly Bachelor” online and social media content would need to be deleted. However, in a meeting with both InFocus leadership and InFocus adviser Rodney Satterthwaite on Wednesday, Vishakan denied asking for content to be deleted, only that it be put on hold. Over the previous weekend, InFocus adviser Rodney Satterthwaite said he was notified via email that Berkson planned to meet with him on Monday, Jan. 27 to communicate potential issues with the segment. Paly administration did not tell Satterthwaite that Vishakan would be at the meeting. According to Satterthwaite, during the Jan. 27 meeting Vishakan said community members, district administrators and school board members had complained to her about the “Paly Bachelor” segment. She said these complaints included issues such as the sexualization of high school students, pressure to conform to societal norms and potential school disruption for those who didn’t make the cut. According to InFocus Executive Producer Maddy Druker, Satterthwaite remained in contact with the InFocus staff and had
Lifestyle
FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE
Canceled! InFocus Executive Producer Senior Max Rosenblum explains legality concerns. Rosenblum said, “From what we understand about student press, we cannot get legally persecuted in any meaningful way for this.” plans to coordinate InFocus’ response with the leadership team.
“We are very unclear as to why exactly they are requesting for this to be taken down and whether it is a moral public opinion issue or whether it is an actual legal issue.” Max Rosenblum
But on Jan. 28, before that could happen, Berkson, acting on instructions from the district, informed InFocus Manager Cody Hmelar that all content that mentioned the “Paly Bachelor” on YouTube, social media and the InFocus
Science & Tech
website would need to be removed. Berkson, Druker, Satterthwaite and InFocus executive producer Max Rosenblum met with Vishakan on Jan. 29 to discuss her concerns. According to Rosenblum, Vishakan said she did not want to make an on-camera appearance or let the meeting be recorded. Berkson said he could not comment on the situation due to possible legal complications with the district and Vishakan did not respond to interview requests. Rosenblum said at the meeting on Wednesday, Vishakan brought up her personal distaste for the segment citing “bad taste” and “worst-case scenarios” as reasons students should not air the Paly Bachelor segment. According to Rosenblum, Vishakan did not bring up any specific examples of issues from the segment, but rather focused on the worst-case scenarios, going so far as to suggest that
Spotlight
a student might take their life if rejected from the role. “She did not point out any past examples of this causing problems but kept bringing up hypothetical worst-case scenarios,” Rosenblum said. “But when you only consider the worst possible scenario for anything, you’re just not gonna do anything.” Rosenblum said that Vishakan was also concerned with the sexual implications prompted by a Bachelor segment in light of recent Title IX scandals in the district, specifically citing the optional question on the segment’s interest form about a contestant’s sexual orientation. Rosenblum reported that Vishakan claimed the inclusion of sexual orientation in the survey proves the intention of making (the segment) sexual or romantic in nature.
InFocus Censorship
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Sports
the edition
News. . . . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . . .A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5
ART BY SHIVA MOHSENIAN
Disappearing dialects
Exploring the decline of local dialects worldwide. PAGE B1
ART BY KAITLYN LEE
Expected tech in 2020
A look into the new and unique devices of the next decade. PAGE B8
ART BY SHIVA MOHSENIAN
Censorship in the media
Investigating the extent of freedom of speech in the media. PAGE B4-B5
ART BY REBEKAH LIMB
Top 10 in Paly sports
The Campanile reflects on the major triumphs of Paly athletes. PAGE C4-C5
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
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NEWS
District coordinates upcoming homework study Biotechnology course Research aims to analyze how high school students view, balance homework load introduced for next year
FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE
Director of REA Chris Kolar explains to ASB representatives the district’s homework study. “This has a huge affect on students (wellness),” Kolar said.
By Neil Kapoor News & Opinion Editor
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iming to evaluate homework policies and practices, the Palo Alto Unified School District is conducting a homework study for Palo Alto and Henry M. Gunn high schools, the results of which will be sent to the PAUSD Board of Education for review. According to a statement released by Program Assistant Emily Kuhbach, the study will be designed to “inform future implementation of the District’s homework policy.” Taking place at the end of February, the two-week study addresses the broader social-emotional learning (SEL) implications of homework levels. Its outcome will be compared to the current District homework policy, according to Chris Kolar, director of research and assessment at the District’s Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA) office, which is responsible for auditing the academic output of the District. “If you take a look at the Board of Education policies, they have gone through trouble to lay out what acceptable homework load for students should be,” Kolar said. “This has a huge affect on student level of stress, anxiety and
overall wellness. It’s an SEL issue. The challenge has been that we have had some difficulty collecting perfect data about homework in the past.” The study will survey randomly-selected sophomores and juniors taking the most challenging course loads at both high schools, 90 students from Paly and 90 from Gunn. Although 180 students may not sound like a large sample size, each subject provides multiple data points every day for two weeks, known as a high-frequency sampling method, according to Kolar. “We’ll have a lot of information,” Kolar said. “We’ve done some stratification of the sample and one of our primary groups of interest is kids who are taking three to five APs and honors classes. Part of the reason we oversampled that group is because they will have the most difficult workload to manage, and we learn a lot about them.” Part of the motivation for the current study involves the results of an REA end-of-course survey from a few years ago, Kolar said. “We saw this break between the fact that you could rationalize within a given class why the homework was being given, but your holistic experience was that it was all too much or difficult to
manage,” Kolar said. “So the challenge is to say, ‘what is it we are really trying to address when talking about a homework policy?’” The survey asks questions about homework, including asking students to “retroactively summarize” aspects of their homework experiences, according to Kolar. But what is distinctive about the survey is its use of the Experienced Sampling Method, a statistical model the District has not tried before, which asks questions at random times throughout the day and students report on what they’re doing. “Participants will have an app on their phone,” Kolar said. “It’s been used in several schools and it’s provided a lot of information about students in high-performing Districts like ours.” For example, students will be asked how homework affects them compared to other extracurricular activities. “(The study addresses) what it really means when students in Palo Alto talk about doing homework, managing homework, strategies used to get it done, while also fitting in with the other things in their life,” Kolar said. “It’s understanding that homework takes place in a context. You’re also in sports, clubs and activities.” Following data collection, students will meet with Superintendent Don Austin and board members to discuss their experiences being in the survey and the data collection. “It’s really for the students to talk about … some of their thoughts and what they’ve learned about their own habits and homework in general,” Kolar said. “It’s an incentive for the students to have access to the superintendent and the board members about their takeaways.” Senior Jordan Lee said one of the biggest problems is teachers don’t know how long assignments take.
“A lot of the times they’re like, ‘Yeah, this lab should take you one hour tops,’” Lee said. “‘When I did it, it took me 45 minutes, so that should be enough.’ Well, you’re the teacher, you already know all the right answers.” Test-stacking, when multiple tests occur around the same time, is also a significant part of the problem, according to Lee. “The top priority is improved communication between teachers,” Lee said. “Last year was a giant mess at times because teachers would assign tests all in the same week. It felt like every month there was a week where every teacher intentionally conspired to mess with us. I’d love it if teachers communicated more with other classes in the same lane e.g. AP Physics with BC and AB Calculus, AP Chemistry with Physics H and Analysis H.” Austin said the latest study will be part of a larger district shift towards more increasing student input. “We are hoping to make the homework surveys more routine and systematic in nature to measure progress over time,” Austin said. “Those things measured typically improve more consistently than things undiscussed for periods of time.” Moving forward, the District may choose to determine if altering the policy will be needed to lower homework levels, according to Austin. “Part of the question is to determine if the actual practice is matching the (board) policy,” Austin said. “Ultimately, we are all responsible for adhering to board policy. We hoping to see a reduction in homework that was placed in policy years ago. The board is considering the adoption of policy from the California School Boards Association (CSBA) that would slightly revise our current policy to remove homework from a portion of student grades.”
Downtown development vies for funding Recently approved initiative for increased transit infrastructure, projects causes controversy By Parker Wang
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he Palo Alto City Council is looking to procure funding for transit development and infrastructure projects after designating downtown Palo Alto as a priority area. If the council takes action upon this consideration, residents living in the area could face problems with housing and traffic. According to Councilwoman Alison Cormack, who was in support of the decision, the proposal is a “voluntary designation” that gives the city an opportunity to receive funds. “The designation is really just an opportunity for us to compete for grants from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the design and construction of potential projects,” Cormack said. “It wasn’t a financial decision in that we were committing to spend money there and elsewhere.”
On Jan. 13, City Council narrowly voted 4-3 in favor of the designation. During the meeting, the council also designated the Palo Alto Baylands and Foothills as priority conservation areas, but were less divided on the decision. Following the designation of downtown as a priority development area, Palo Alto will be eligible for grants from the One Bay Area Grant program. The grants are managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The council proposed to allocate 206 acres to the priority area, which would fall within a half-mile radius from downtown. This region also includes the Palo Alto Transit Center and Stanford Shopping Center, as well as its surrounding residential areas. As the proposal was just recently approved, there are no projects specified at this time, according to Cormack. However, Councilmembers Tom DuBois, Eric Filseth and
Lydia Kou raised their concerns on the proposal, noting that the city may need to meet additional standards after receiving funding from grants. These obligations would be issued to the potential project, which could hinder progress for the city’s future plans. For example, the 50-foot height limitation on residential buildings in the downtown area could make it difficult to fulfill housing requirements. Additionally, several Palo Alto High School students living near the proposed development area may be affected. Commuting between their homes and Paly could become an obstacle, as traffic flow would be more condensed around their neighborhoods during the construction. Senior Ellie Fitton, who lives near downtown, generally disagrees with the city’s proposed designation.
“It may affect parking on my street,” Fitton said. “I live a block away from downtown and sometimes I park in my driveway, but otherwise I park on the street. Sometimes I cannot find a parking spot, so with additional development in the downtown area, it will be really bad for me.” However, Fitton does believe that there are benefits to the proposal, particularly their positive impact on the environment. “The proposal is supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which environmentally, I think is a good idea,” Fitton said. Sophomore Evan Seki, who also lives near the downtown area, believes the city is making a smart decision by dealing with housing development. “The proposal can help the city focus on construction and development of new houses in Downtown,” Seki said. “I hope they can find an efficient way to develop if they have a specific project.”
By Benjamin Stein Staff Writer
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he Paly science department will introduce a new biotechnology course next school year, prompting excitement over its lab-based curriculum and opportunities for student-centered exploration. Science teacher Elizabeth Brimhall said the class, Medical Interventions, will cover four major topics: fighting infection, genetic screening, conquering cancer and surviving organ failures. It will be available to rising juniors and seniors, and students enrolled in the class can earn either honors or college prep credit.
“Biotechnology is a field which leads to a lot of advances in medicine, so it would be interesting to cover the ways that we are improving biological processes.” Neel Fulton The inspiration for the course, according to Brimhall, came from a biotechnology class Paly offered several years ago. “We used to have a similar course that a former teacher here created, and he made it really interesting,” Brimhall said. “But then when he had to move away, we lost the course for a while.” However, using new curriculum provided by the science department’s partnership with Project Lead The Way, Brimhall said she is looking forward to providing students with an engaging, useful class. “PLTW has a pathway called principles of biomedical science, and we brought some of those units and activities into the Biology classes that our ninth graders take,” Brimhall said. “It’s a really nice curriculum to use for biotech, and we want to help students go more into depth.” The PLTW curriculum provides a variety of benefits to the new class. By focusing the class on case studies and projects, students can see how their learning is directly applicable to the real world. According to PLTW, the curriculum “centers on hands-on, real-world activities, projects and problems that help students understand how the knowledge and skills they develop in the classroom may be applied in everyday life.” Brimhall, who worked in a Stanford University biochemistry lab as an undergraduate, said she hopes to combine her personal expertise and connections at Stanford with the PLTW groundwork to create a course that is rich in activities and guest speakers, and can help prepare students to tackle advanced biomedical issues. “We will read what current researchers are doing, and I’m
New bill aims to mitigate housing crisis Recently elected mayor supports Senate bill in effort to improve housing affordability By Bill Xia Staff Writer Last year, Senate Bill 50, a housing bill, was drafted by State Sen. Scott Wiener which allowed housing developments to be built up to four stories near job-rich or transitrich locations, overriding the local laws in Palo Alto. SB 50 has received support from many politicians including Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Santa Clara County Supervisors.
“The community is no longer affordable to seniors on fixed incomes, longtime renters, young families hoping to put down roots, or even doubleincome professional households.” Zareen Khan
Because of Palo Alto’s high jobs to housing ratio, it is likely that most if not all of Palo Alto will be affected by the bill even areas far
from transit. Areas near transit like California Ave. Train Station will be more significantly affected. Weiner has since revised the bill, so local governments can have more leeway regarding the zoning laws. With the revised bill, cities could create their own housing laws that have to be certified by the state. The deadline for SB 50 to pass is Jan. 31. If the bill does not pass the California State Senate, it will die. The bill, however, was met with criticism in Palo Alto. Many claim that SB 50 subverts the power of the local city governments. Last March, hundreds of Palo Alto citizens rallied against the bill in a committee meeting. While Palo Alto’s new mayor, Adrian Fine, has given support to SB 50, Councilwoman Lydia Kou has stridently opposed the bill, refusing to vote for Fine because of his support for SB 50. “As an immigrant, I can never understand why a government of the people, by the people, for the people would abdicate its local control of our government,” Kou said. Despite the new changes to the bill, Kou remains an ardent dissenter, calling the changes “lipstick on a pig.” Many Paly students are divided on their opinions of the bill. While most agree on the issues with ex-
pensive housing, there is a divide on whether SB 50 will successfully solve this issue. Max Vroemen, a Paly Sophomore, has conflicting opinions concerning the bill.
“Palo Alto needs more affordable housing; however, Palo Alto is not a city, so we can’t have apartments everywhere because we will have many problems.” Max Vroemen
“Palo Alto needs more affordable housing; however, Palo Alto is not a city, so we can’t have apartments everywhere because we will have many problems like traffic congestion and lack of parking spaces,” Vroemen said. “I don’t think they should build tons of new houses without looking into the consequences, and they should force cities to build lots of tall apartments.” Over the past few years, Palo Alto fell far short of its goal of building 300 housing units, only approving around 50-60 housing
units each year. California’s housing shortage is estimated at around 3-4 million housing units. SB 50’s proponents claim that the bill is necessary to help resolve the issue. They claim that the harsh restrictions on building apartments and large housing units block any progress toward fixing the housing shortage.
“I don’t think they should build tons of new houses without looking into the consequences, and they should force cities to build lots of tall apartments.”
“The course is really interesting because there are not really any other opportunities to learn about biotechnology.” Cole Sturino In fact, the course occupies a niche within the science selections offered by Paly, providing an option for students interested in both biotechnology and medicine. “If you are a rising junior or senior at Paly interested in medicine, you have plenty of options in courses like AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology,” Brimhall said. “But Medical Interventions is the only course specifically about biotechnology, so the fundamental difference, setting aside the student-centered element, is the material.” Sophomore Cole Sturino said the class has the potential to be a valuable way to delve into the topic of biotechnology. “The course is really interesting because there are not really any other opportunities to learn about biotechnology at a high school level,” Sturino said. “I feel like, by taking the course, I would get a far better understanding of the scientific research and the nuances of disease and genetics.”
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Zareen Khan
“The community is no longer affordable to seniors on fixed incomes, long-time renters, young families hoping to put down roots, or even double-income professional households,” Fine said in a letter to the community. “We simply have too many rules, too much process, and too little progress.”
going to try and get some current researchers in as speakers,” Brimhall said. “And we’ll be doing labs similar to some very current things that are happening using similar biotech tools that most researchers will use today, so it’ll be a good exploration of the toolbox of a typical researcher.” Junior Neel Fulton said he is especially interested in the cutting-edge element of the class and the field of biotechnology in general. “Biotechnology is a field which leads to a lot of advances in medicine, so it would be interesting to cover the ways that we are improving biological processes through the use of new technology,” Fulton said. Medical Interventions will also feature in-depth, studentdriven research projects. “At the end of each major unit, there will be an open-ended student project where students get to explore their own interests using some of the biochemistry and biotechnology that we’ve been studying,” Brimhall said. Some students expressed concern that, given the already wide selection of advanced science courses offered by Paly, Medical Interventions might not be able to properly differentiate itself. However, according to Fulton, the class will operate in a fundamentally different way from other high-level science classes. “Initially I was a bit skeptical,” Fulton said. “But if the course is lab-based with research and speakers, it seems like it will be different from courses like AP Biology.”
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AMC Spectate as the freshmen in multivariable calculus effortlessly qualify for the AIMEs. CLASS OF 2023 PARENT NETWORK Send your parents to the Haymarket to secure your next summer internship. PALY COUNSELORS AT GREENE An opportunity for eighth graders to get a head start on their college apps. SENIOR CPR TRAINING A chance to reenact the “Stayin’ Alive” scene from “The Office” instead of the usual fire alarm scene.
CLUB DAY 2 Prepare for a semester of District-funded pizza.
START OF PRESIDENT’S DAY WEEKEND Get ready to sleepwalk through a gratuitous six-day break. CAREER SPEAKER SERIES Learn about diverse Silicon Valley careers like programming, programming and programming.
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
NEWS
Paly’s Instrumental Winter Concert wins applause Successful concert demonstrates hard work of Concert band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra By Paige Knoblock Multimedia Editor
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he Concert band, Symphonic band, Wind Ensemble and Orchestra performed a wide range of works at Paly’s annual Instrumental Winter Concert. The concert was held on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Conductors Jeff Wilner and Greg Miller compiled music from various composers, including John Zdechlik and Taylor. At the beginning of the concert, Wilner explained the integration of technological aspects into the performance, including pre-recorded audio and video, to the audience. “We are trying to use the strength of this place and all the bells and whistles that it has with a couple of pieces it has,” Wilner said to the crowd. The Concert band performed “The Machine Awakes,” composed by Steven Bryant, and “The Witching Hour,” composed by Randall Standrige. Wilner described both pieces as slightly creepy, scary songs.
“The ensembles have been preparing for the concert since the last couple weeks of first semester through weekly in-class rehearsals.” Sonny Young The Orchestra came next, performing “Holberg Suite Orchestra” and “Waltz from Sleeping Beauty.” Finally, the Wind Ensemble performed “Washington Greys.” The Symphonic band performed two unique songs, one of which was “Seeds of Glass.” Senior bassoonist Sonny Young
PAIGE KNOBLOCK/THE CAMPANILE
A Orchestra takes a bow after their set in the Winter Concert. The players performed an array of songs with standout solo performances. Senior Natalie Nguyen said, "This was the first time the wind ensemble and the orchestra were able to play together for the concert as well, and it was cool to hear."
said “Seeds of Glass” was an unexpected deviation from the group’s usual songs. “‘Seeds of Glass,’ in particular, is a very unorthodox piece to play, as it juxtaposes a video component alongside the instrumental component,” Young said. “Aligning the two together, in addition to refining the quality of music, is a huge challenge in itself.” “Seeds of Glass” was not the only unique song the group played. “Chorale and Shaker Dance” incorporated all members and instruments in its composition, creating a unique and multidimensional performance. “‘Chorale and Shaker Dance’ is a fast-tempo piece that features every section in the band to play the melody, so it relies on each member to thoroughly understand how to play their parts,” Young said.
Sophomore trumpetist Neil Rathi said playing a piece like “Seeds of Glass” is exciting. “It was a super interesting experience, but making sure that our music was in time with the video took a lot of practice,” Rathi said.
“We are trying to use the strength of this place and all the bells and whistles that it has with a couple of pieces it has.” Jeff Wilner Members worked tirelessly to perfect their music and sometimes learn songs on a short timeline. Sophomore clarinetist Natalie Nguyen had to learn her pieces in a shorter time period than usual. “For this concert, we only got
Officials look forward to new museum Palo Alto History Museum receives funding, building permit
our two songs right before Winter Break,” Nguyen said. “Additionally, the Wind Ensemble played two additional songs for the concert, and we were only able to rehearse those songs a handful of times.” The importance of practice is heavily emphasized within the group as they were required to practice at both school and home. “The ensembles have been preparing for the concert since the last couple weeks of first semester through weekly in class rehearsals,” Young said. “Students also practice their parts at home.” The end of the concert was met with a resounding round of applause for the musicians. Nguyen said, “Overall, it is because of the effort that each individual player in the ensemble put in that we were prepared for the concert.”
Infocus Censorship Continued from A1
“She asked about what would happen if information on student’s sexual orientation got out and they were bullied about their sexuality,” Rosenblum said. “But I’m assuming they would be okay with people knowing given that they included it in a form that people would obviously see.” But Rosenblum said the concerns held by the district don’t seem to align with the realities of the InFocus segment.
“They talk about people having their mental state disrupted because of getting rejected from something, but we have theater, where people are rejected from their dream roles, right?” Max Rosenblum ALI MINHAS/THE CAMPANILE
A blast to the past. The Roth Building, a former medical clinic, will serve as home to a museum honoring Palo Alto's rich history. Steve Saiger, an advisory board member of the Museum, said,“ If you give us 800,000 dollars, we will be in business.”
By Ali Minhas Staff Writer
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vercoming a decade of fundraising challenges, the Palo Alto History Museum used to be a mere dream, but it has now taken off. Santa Clara County has provided a grant for the construction of the History Museum on Sept. 3, 2019. Former mayor of Palo Alto Liz Kniss was instrumental in acquiring the grant. “I'm going to guess that most people now see it as reality,” Kniss said. “Once you see it as reality, it really takes you there.” Recently, Steve Saiger, a member of the Advisory Board, Laura Bajuk, a member of the staff, and their associates started a campaign to create a history museum in Palo Alto. In July 2019, the Palo Alto History Museum successfully exceeded the City’s fun-
“We hope everyone who experiences the new museum will feel a sense of community and connection and be inspired to share that with others.” Laura Bajuk draising requirement with their increased their lease and received a building permit. Saiger is hopeful toward the
future of the Palo Alto History Museum and said that Palo Alto is one of the few towns without a history museum. “Many towns who have far less interesting history have town museums,” Saiger said. “Palo Alto, with its significant history, deserved to have a history museum.” The museum is designed to
“This is a museum that will make a big difference to the community. It's going to be a legacy for the many people who have come before.” Steve Player build empathy and provide a community where everyone feels welcome, preserving historical artifacts and telling the stories of Palo Alto that can be passed onto future generations. The museum has already garnered public support. The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to award the Museum a $100,000 grant on Nov. 29, 2019. “The Palo Alto History Museum is a treasure in the making,” Supervisor Joe Simitian said. “Our Valley rightfully takes pride in its 21st century role as a technology and thought leader, but there’s a history here we would do well to remember and learn from. It’s just so important that we pro-
tect these pieces of our history for future generations.” The museum will be free entry, and special events may cost money. Bajuk is one of the strongest proponents of the museum. “We hope everyone who experiences the new museum will feel a sense of community and connection and be inspired to share that with others,” Bajuk said. The museum board and staff have been leasing the historic building since 2007, having launched a fundraising effort in March 2008. Despite being at serious risk of losing their qualification to build the museum in 2018 — because the city had a certain fundraising quota to reach — they eventually managed to overcome their obstacles. “We did it, we actually exceeded the city’s quota,” Bajuk said. “I couldn’t be happier.” Steve Player is one of many
“The Palo Alto History Museum is a treasure in the making.” Joe Simitian board members and associates also very excited with the recent boosts for the Palo Alto History Museum. “This is a museum that will make a big difference to the community,” Player said. “It’s going to be a legacy for the many people who have come before.”
“They think it’s like the actual ‘Bachelor’,” Rosenblum said. “But it’s a high school production, just the most hilarious little platonic thing ever … We don’t think that they actually looked at what we were doing.” Rosenblum also said InFocus has always intended for the segment to be satirical. “We explained to her that it’s the most innocent thing ever. It’s honestly basically a satire on the fact that people think real romance comes from people in a game show format with cameras and all that,” Rosenblum said. “But she said it seemed like an underage dating app.” Using that logic, Rosenblum said he thinks there are other common events held at Paly that seem to perpetuate the same problems of traditional roles and exclusion that Vishakan brought up. “They talk about social conformity, but we have a week where everyone shows up dressed in the same clothes, right?” Rosenblum said. “They talk about people having their mental state disrupted because of getting rejected from something, but we have theater, where people are rejected from their dream roles, right?” When Satterthwaite asked Vikashan how many complaints she had received, he said that she would not give him a specific number, instead insisting that she had gotten a vague “many” complaints. “The fact that the complaint came to the district before it came to anyone else is really weird, and it says a lot about who it's coming from,” Rosenblum
New Math Lane Continued from A1
The Math Steering Committee and the Instructional Leads plan on having a three-year transition period to take out a lane. With this approach, every seventh grader would take a class called Math 7, and Math 7A would cease to exist, according to Spira. “From what I can tell, they’re getting rid of the lower lane but (the new course) will undoubtedly change because the range of students will increase,” Spira said.
“Some parents think that when you have lanes at such a young age, you can close doors to people that could otherwise excel in math if they’re stuck in the lower lane.” Josh Spira The district is splitting three years of middle school math into two years, according to Paly Student Board Representative Ben Gordon, who was in attendance at the meeting in October. “The sixth grade course is the entire curriculum for sixth grade plus the first semester of curriculum for seventh grade,” Gordon said. “When you transition into seventh grade, you’re taking the second semester of seventh grade curriculum and then the entire eighth grade curriculum.” The reconstruction is aimed towards preparing all middle school students for geometry during their freshman year in high school without inhibiting student potential early on. “We just didn’t have enough students graduating with the requirements to attend UCs or CSUs,” Gordon said. “It really does streamline the process. It said. “Vikashan also said she did not know a lot about who the source was, and that the district had told her to do this.” According to Rosenblum and Druker, if members of the Paly community expressed qualms about the show, they would take them into consideration, as their main goal is to cater to and entertain the Paly audience. “If there are students who really hate it and find it offensive or uncomfortable, that's definitely something to take into account and that would affect our decision regarding whether to air the segment,” Rosenblum said. “As far as I'm concerned, our job on InFocus is to provide information and entertainment to the Paly community. If no one has a problem with it in the community, I don't see any problems with it.” Rosenblum said InFocus may release a survey for Paly community members to express their feelings about the “Paly Bachelor.” Both the InFocus staff and its adviser have taken issue with the district’s actions, worrying about the implications this decision holds in terms of the freedom of the student press.
“If there are students who really hate it and find it offensive or uncomfortable, that's definitely something to take into account and that would affect our decision regarding whether to air the segment.” Max Rosenblum “From what we understand about student press, we cannot get legally prosecuted in any meaningful way for this,” Rosenblum said.
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takes out the complications between having different age groups in different classes, and ideally, it puts every student in a geometry class upon entering high school with enough time to graduate.” Senior Sanaz Ebrahimi, who was in the standard math lane in middle school, wanted to advance and so took the geometry bridge course over the summer of her freshman year at Paly. She is currently enrolled in AP Calculus AB. “If they made everyone start in geometry, some kids would have a really hard time succeeding in their freshman math class,” Ebrahimi said. “I know I wouldn’t have survived in geometry as a freshman because I, like some kids, just needed more time to understand algebra and have a stronger foundation for higher math.” The proposal in question stemmed from community input — community members attended school board meetings and voiced their concerns with the math program. “Some parents think that when you have lanes at such a young age, you can close doors to people that could otherwise excel in math if they’re stuck in the lower lane,” Spira said. “You might call it an equity issue.” Analogous to any other issues brought to the board, Palo Alto parents’ and students’ opinions lie on either side of the topic. “You have parents on both ends of the scale: some say their kid is not challenged enough, others say their kid is being shut off because they’re put in a lane and getting stuck there,” Spira said. The MSC is developing strategies to fine-tune the transition and as of now, the process is a work in progress, according to Spira. Gordon said, “I love seeing the district accelerating students and putting every student in line to graduate on time in high school.” InFocus founder and Campanile adviser Esther Wojcicki, who is a representative of the Freedom Forum in Washington, D.C., and who was present when Berkson relayed the district’s message to Hmelar, said California Education Code 48907 invalidates the district’s attempts to remove the “Paly Bachelor” from InFocus programming. “The students have the right
“The students have the right to publish this unless it is libelous, obscene or insights riot. (The “Paly Bachelor”) is not obscene.” Max Rosenblum to publish this unless it is libelous, obscene or incites riot,” Wojcicki said. “(The “Paly Bachelor”) is not obscene. It is not libelous, and it does not incite people to riot.” According to Satterthwaite and Rosenblum, InFocus editors plan to share a storyboard of the segment with Vishakan, and want to work with District officials to reach a compromise. However, Satterthwaite said, students remain in contact with counsel from the Student Press Law Center and a San Franciscobased attorney who specializes in First Amendment law, and students will use this legal advice to determine how to proceed once the district provides its response to the storyboard. Editor’s Note: This story references Esther Wojcicki and Rodney Satterthwaite, who are both advisers to The Campanile. This story will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. Check our website at www. campanile.org for more information.
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
NEWS A4 Homeless parking permits approved ASB announces City works with nonprofit organizations, churches to plan safe parking prom, Skoglobe By Andrew Toteda
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ERIN KIM/THE CAMPANILE
This RV sits on El Camino Real near Stanford Campus. The city hopes to relegate vehicle dwellers to church and congregation lots through a new parking program that allows the homeless to park in their lots during nighttime. “I’m very grateful to religious communities who want to offer a helping hand to others,” said Councilwoman Alison Cormack, who was elected to the council in 2018.
By Erin Kim
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Staff Writer
fter a unanimous vote by the Palo Alto City Council, Palo Alto became the latest Bay Area city to begin the planning of a safe parking program for residents who live in vehicles. Similar to established programs in Mountain View and East Palo Alto, the city will partner with non-profit organizations and religious congregations to help alleviate the danger of parking on city streets. Congregation Etz Chayim and Peninsula Bible Church are among the organizations that are spearheading the effort.
“The uncertainty may prevent from entering into contractual agreements with safe parking program operators.”
Department of Planning and Development Services Councilman Tom DuBois and Councilwoman Lydia Kou wrote a memo advocating for a “safe parking program.” Their proposals included large city-owned sites
and exploring the willingness of commercial property owners to allow vehicle dwellers park on their lots.
“The ultimate goal is to provide assistance to people to get them back on the path to stable housing.” Lydia Kou & Tom DuBois
Under the program, local religious institutions will be allowed to dedicate up to four car spaces per lot, and participants will partner with local social service providers who will also assist users to find housing. “The City of Palo Alto must address this matter from a health and safety standpoint," Kou and DuBois stated in the memo. “The effort must be made to find immediate short and long-term solutions. The ultimate goal is to provide assistance to people to get them back on the path to stable housing.” The safe parking program is limited in safe parking to religious institutions, with a set of conditions participants have to meet, including gaining neighbors’ support, providing bathrooms with toilets and sinks and maintaining “clear and orderly premises.” Hours of operations will be lim-
ited to from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. In a show of support, Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky of Etz Chayim wrote to the council he hopes his congregation “will be able to be a part of this program.” The Policy and Services Committee recommended a 90-day limit on safe parking permits, which would limit the program to just three months and give the city a chance to test the program out before officially establishing the program on a long-term basis. However, planning staff argued that the time restriction would actually harm the program. ” A report from the Department of Planning and Development Services, congregations and program operators “expressed dismay that the permit would be reduced to only 90 days. “The uncertainty may prevent them from entering into contractual agreements with safe parking program operators,” the report stated. “Likewise, the uncertainty may deter congregations or program operator may not make necessary investments to begin the program. Finally, donors and grantors may be reluctant to provide support for the operators or congregations.” According to Palo Alto Online, the council agreed instead to set the pilot program at 18 months. DuBois proposed to include explicit instructions to staff for expanding the program, which would include exploring a program for participants beyond re-
ligious institutions and for those that can accommodate more than four vehicles, but that was shot down by a 3-4 vote. According to Palo Alto Online, Planning Director Jonathan Lait said that addressing the issue of homelessness will require a “multipronged approach.” Compared to its predecessors, Palo Alto’s parking program will be modest in scale and ambition. The program will not adress the underlying problem of people who are forced to live in their cars for shelter, but will provide what Councilwoman Allison Cormack called “a helping hand,” according to Palo Alto Online.
“The city is trying the program, and there will be more programs that will come. I'm very grateful to religious communities who want to offer a helping hand to others.” Lydia Kou
“The city is trying the program, and there will be more programs that will come,” Cormack said. “I’m very grateful to religious communities who want to offer a helping hand to others.”
Staff Writer
fter much fanfare and a captivating basketball shootout, the Associate Student Body revealed this year’s prom location as taking place at the San Jose Tech Museum on Saturday, April 18. According to Junior Class President Chris Chen, the location was picked for its convenient location and wide range of assorted activities. “Being a tech museum, there will be many activities for students who don’t wish to spend the entire night dancing,” Chen said. “In addition, the exhibits that require museum staff members will be run as well, like the popular virtual reality exhibit.” Though prom and the end of the school year are rapidly approaching, ASB doesn’t want the prom announcement to overshadow the events they have planned in the meantime. ASB Vice President Benjamin Knopper said that multiple events are being planned for the month of February alone. “We have Love Week, Club Day two, Skoglobe and an antivaping fishbowl discussion (coming up),” Knopper said. “We also have plenty of new and returning events for the rest of the semester, including an all-new carnival.” According to Knopper, Skoglobe is the event to mark on your calendar this next month: Feb. 26 to 28 during lunch. “I’m very excited for Skoglobe,” Knopper said. “Skoglobe is a couple of days of Quadcerts (concerts) and activities, and it should be a blast. I’m hoping we see a return of OBTBTB (Oscar’s Band Tribute Band Tribute Band) as well as some other Paly bands, but you’ll have to go to Skoglobe to find out.” Another upcoming event is Tea with Teachers, where students get to sit down with their teachers and become better acquainted over a preferred drink of their choice. “It’s a great time to get to know teachers,” Chen said. “Having a more personal relationship and forming a bond with them is good as it makes teachers appear more ‘human,’ rather than what students sometimes perceive them as. Think of it like introducing yourself to a new adult, or an opportunity to make a new friend.” Spirit Commissioner Emma Lin said that new events are also in the works, with one spanning the entire week of April 13 to 17. “ASB is taking a stab at planning a Spring Fling week this year,” Lin said. “At most other schools, Spring Fling is a bit like Spirit Week is at Paly. Since it’s the first time we’re trying it at Paly, we aren’t super optimistic that there would be enough hype for people to dress up every day and participate in grade-level
competitions, so we are currently working on planning events that people would be incentivized enough to participate in.” Currently, these incentives include ideas like Spikeball and dodgeball tournaments by grade level, night “Quadcerts” and a joint Paly-Gunn rally. “These events are all tentative, but (ASB is) looking forward to planning out a more concrete itinerary,” Lin said. Aside from one-time events, ASB will be starting an information campaign this semester in an effort to keep student bathrooms cleaner. This effort would benefit the custodians and the student population, according to Knopper, who is leading the ASB collaboration with the custodial team in an effort to end the facilities’ destruction. Knopper said some of these damages are the empty metal frames that line the sinks, their glass surfaces long since shattered by unruly students. “We are hoping to work with the custodial team to find ways to discourage students from vandalizing the bathrooms,” Lin said. “We are going to introduce to the student body the people who are having to deal firsthand with (students’) inconsiderate behavior.”
“These events are all tentative, but (ASB is) looking forward to planning out a more concrete itinerary.” Emma Lin
While the success of this initiative remains to be seen, ASB plans to build on the success of their nighttime dodgeball tournament last semester, and a nighttime event in the future. According to Knopper, the event was a success. He said there was uncertainty about how many students would show up after hours, but the turnout was high. “We had an attendance of around 90 to 100 people, and everyone who wanted to play was allowed to,” Chen said. “While maybe not the same intramural tournament in the future, we are planning more events with dodgeball and are waiting on admin to permit our use of the gym.” Even with the popularity of the tournament, the chances of ASB hosting another event are low. “As of right now, there aren’t any concrete plans to host nighttime dodgeball particularly again, but it is the type of event we are thinking of incorporating into Spring Fling Week,” Lin said. “I’m really excited about nighttime intramural tourneys, and as long as student behavior continues to improve, I don’t see any reason we would discontinue them.”
Board discusses new proposals, approves increased parcel tax
Recent meeting prompts conversations about absences, standards-based grading, potential solutions to D & F list By Sloan Wuttke
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Staff Writer
he Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education discussed proposals on Jan. 14 regarding makeup work for unexcused and excused absences, Palo Alto’s parcel tax increase, standards-based grading and potential solutions to shrink the D & F list. The proposed change in board policy, Homework/Makeup Work Policy 6154, reads “Whenever a student misses an assignment or assessment due to either an excused or unexcused absence, he/ she shall be given full credit for subsequent satisfactory completion of the assignment or assessment.”
“Now, I’m not trying to disparage advantaged student, but I'm saying if you just think about the question, it’s at least worth considering.” Don Austin
Gunn English teacher Marc Igler said in an open forum discussion, that the proposed policy as written is “offensive” and “not in the best interest of students,” as it would allow students to cut classes,
unexcused or excused, with little to no consequences. Supt. Don Austin, however, said the proposal equalizes the playing field between socioeconomically disadvantaged and advantaged students, adding that he still doesn’t know where he stands on the issue. “If you need to have an excused absence to … makeup work, is an advantaged or disadvantaged student more likely to be able to navigate that system and potentially do the same behavior but have a different outcome by their ability to work around a system?” Austin asked. “Now I’m not trying to disparage advantaged students, but I’m saying if you just think about the question, it’s at least worth considering.” The proposal also included a component that would switch PAUSD’s grading systems at the high school level to become standards-based on a 4-point scale rather than the A-F scale which is currently in play. One Paly parent voiced their concerns for the standards-based grading as they have experience with such a system in their child’s French class. The parent said that standards-based grading is a “horrible grading system.” The parent continued, explaining that since standardsbased is 100% based on assessments, at least in language classes, it favors kids who naturally understand languages and places
emphasis on tests rather than homework, which can enrich students’ understanding. Additionally, the Board raised the parcel tax, a form of real estate tax that directly benefits schools, by $48, making it $868 with an annual increase of 2% per year for six years. The measure would go into effect starting July 1, and would benefit PAUSD’s professional development reserves and PAUSD’s resources in terms of textbooks, course offerings, minimization of class sizes, etc. The Board voted on such a tax increase on Jan. 28, and it passed unanimously, subjecting the increased parcel tax to voting on a special mail-in ballot in May. If passed by voters, the tax will be installed for six years with the guarantee of senior exemptions and a 2% annual inflation adjustment. However, community member and former school board candidate Kathy Jordan said the increase in parcel tax doesn’t align with PAUSD’s decline in enrollment. “Palo Alto Unified School District’s enrollment has declined 7% over the last five years,” Jordan said in the open session comments. “It’s projected to decline by 11% in the 10 years through 2023. Meanwhile, property taxes went up 42% over the same five years and up 70% over the past 10 years. Yet the community is being asked more and interestingly, there’s more full-time teaching staff on
SLOAN WUTTKE/THE CAMPANILE
The PAUSD board of education discusses options for addressing the D & F list, which is data containing the number of students who have D and F grades in school. Board member Melissa Baten-Casewell said, “If we don’t invest early, there’s no way to catch up after.” board now than when the district had 1,000 more students five years ago.” To rebut, Baten-Caswell said the increase is appropriate and the approximately $15 million the tax would generate for PAUSD would have a dramatic, positive impact on schools and staff. “I know that we want to continue to invest in our teachers,” Baten-Caswell said. “All the research shows that good teachers make the biggest difference for academics for schools, and so it’s not just hiring great teachers. It’s also investing in professional
development. Our reserve for professional development is almost done." There were concerns brought about the number of students who received D and/or F grades, notably known as the “D & F list,” and how there are patterns of disproportionately among PAUSD’s minority population. Paly’s board representative Ben Gordon spoke upon this issue and the difficulty of altering someone on the D & F list’s academic trajectory. “It’s difficult for a student, especially one on the D & F list,
to show up to your math teacher and ask for help,” Gordon said. “As a student, it’s difficult to know your options.” The Board discussed the implementation of preventative measures in PAUSD schools and/ or departments that received high numbers of D & F list students as well as how the D & F list may not accurately portray a student’s academic potential. Baten-Caswell suggested that a comparison of one’s grades to their CAASPP scores may provide for a well-rounded assessment of their areas for certain improvement.
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
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The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
OPINION
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Paly students should help to maintain bathroom cleanliness By Valerie Chu Staff Writer
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hen the door of a Paly bathroom swings open, the smell that dwells beyond is a scent that can only be described as disgusting. Toilets that won’t flush and a faucet that barely works. Sinks that bear signs of messy eating and littering in the bathrooms. Graffiti lurking in the big stalls, scribbled with permanent marker. Feminine product dispensers consistently empty in all girls’ bathrooms. These are problems that should not be happening. All Paly students need to clean up after themselves when using school bathrooms. “Every day, we clean the bathrooms, but every day, it looks like this,” custodian Cuong Giang said. Giang described the waste he finds: trash cans overturned onto the floor and toilet seat covers placed over them to make a seat, rolls of toilet paper taken out of the dispenser and thrown around, some toilet paper splattered on the ceiling, some littering the floor, some clogging the toilets and the rest hanging from the tops of toilet stalls.
The biggest problem from eating in the bathroom does not lie in the act itself, but rather in where the food and packaging ends up.
“They get a roll and go (crazy) with it,” custodian Marie Bratton said. “If you’re lucky, they don’t throw it in the toilet.” Not only do problems in the bathrooms include toilet paper being found where it doesn’t belong, but the issue extends to other items too, such as food packaging. The consequences that come with eating in the bathroom are evident in their remains. The biggest problem with
eating in the bathroom does not lie in the act itself, but rather in where the food and packaging ends up. The majority of students make sure the trash does end up where it belongs: in the trash cans. But to some, the nearest convenient place to dispose of trash in a bathroom stall is inside the toilet bowl. Everything from the expected — urine from several different people, constipated feces and mountains of toilet paper — to things that definitely do not belong in toilet bowls — Juul pods, tampons, flaming hot Cheetos, school lunch wrappers, chocolate flavored energy drink cans and a soap dispenser — have shown up in the toilet bowls before. With this assortment of objects, it’s no surprise that many of the stalls in both the boys’ and
girls’ bathrooms are clogged. But what is surprising is how people can make enough time out of their schedules to accomplish these incredibly irritating feats in addition to writing the graffiti found in nearly every single big stall in Paly’s bathrooms. On the walls of bathroom stalls, there are curses against just about everything, complaints against other people and, oddly enough, weirdly poetic quotes. But despite how the bathroom stalls have entertained several bathroom-goers, it’s still pretty obvious that they are not the same as whiteboards. And eventually, they are going to run out of space and need to be cleaned. Paly’s bathrooms are hard to cleanse. The removal of graffiti, the unclogging of toilets and the replacement of the toiletries all
take time and effort for the custodians, and they don’t receive as much credit as they should for keeping the bathrooms clean every day after students use them. Much easier than purposefully making a mess is just cleaning up after yourself in the first place. Do not make someone else clean up after you. Of course, some of what students are doing may be unintentional. Even so, for all students, the simplest thing to do is to treat Paly’s bathrooms like your bathroom at home. Think of it like this: if you would not leave behind a mess for your parents to clean, do not leave the bathrooms in a worse condition than you found it in. Quite simply, the custodians clean up the messes that form in
ART BY KAITLYN LEE
the bathrooms every day. Don’t make their job harder. Keep trash out of the sinks, writing off the walls, and food out of the toilets. Clean up after yourself when you use the bathroom.
On the walls of bathroom stalls, there are curses against just about everything, complaints against other people and, oddly enough, weirdly poetic quotes. In the end, it’s every student’s choice as to how they want to leave the bathrooms for everyone else. But why not do what’s easiest and clean up after yourself?
Palo Alto should deploy municipal fibers to increase data speed By Andrew Toteda
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Staff Writer
f you thought Pokemon has been around forever, so has the desire for high-speed internet in Palo Alto. But unlike fire-breathing Charizard, the ancient copper cables that connect Palo Altans to the outside world are anything but blazing fast. The city of Palo Alto has been dithering on fully investing in internet infrastructure — the physical wires that connect family homes to the world wide web — for as long as Paly students have been alive. That must change. The city needs to revisit the idea of sophisticated residential fiber-optic infrastructure in the heart of Silicon Valley, which we shockingly do not have, as highspeed internet quickly becomes a necessity for everyday life for connected individuals. Students use the internet for the majority of their schoolwork and entertainment, and the data requirements to download highdefinition video or support 20 simultaneous Chrome tabs are only growing. Once a cinema standard, 480p (a measure of video resolution) requires less than one-sixth the internet speed necessary to stream modern 2160p (better known as 4K) video. Because of this need for faster service, internet service providers are beginning to install fiber-optic internet in Palo Alto and around the nation. Fiber-optic technology allows for data speeds on average 10 times faster than conventional “coaxial” copper cable. In a fiberoptic cable, light is transmitted over a hair-thin glass core, as opposed to coaxial which sends data via electrical pulses over less-efficient copper wire.
Fiber-optic technology allows for data speeds on average 10 times faster than conventional “coaxial” copper cable.
Many students are surprised to learn that miles of cable have been sitting under their feet for ages, restricted only to the city’s large corporations that pay a premium for high speed “industrial service” though the city utility’s network. To understand how the system got to this point, we have to go way back in time to 1996 — the year Pokemon was created. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, the Palo
ART BY ZANDER LEONG
Alto City Council approved a $2 million investment in preliminary fiber-optic infrastructure. The goal was to create a “dark-fiber” network, where the cables were laid underground but not connected to houses. With this first step achieved, Palo Alto looked set to become the first American city to offer gigabyte internet to the community. To do this, a Fiber-to-thePremises (referred to in the industry as the acronym FTTP) network needed to be constructed where fiber-optic cables were connected to homes from the darkfiber system. After the initial dark-fiber installation, however, the project lost steam. Five years after the start of the project, only 67 homes were successfully set up with experimental connections. Back then — in the age of floppy-disk drives — high-speed data transmission was just not a priority. The nearly decade-long negotiations that followed for the third party installation of connections fell apart amid the 2009 recession, when the City decided that the projected costs would be too high. Instead, they put all their eggs in one basket: Google. The Google Fiber program promised to bear the cost of lay-
ing expensive fiber-optic cables, and the city petitioned for Palo Alto to be Google Fiber’s first completed project. As with most ideas that sound too good to be true, the project was placed on hold “indefinitely” in 2014, and in 2019, Google announced the end to their foray into the ISP industry. The Palo Alto City Council has evidently given up on the idea of providing fiber-optic internet to its residents as well, instead endorsing a project in June 2019 that would expand fiber to residents’ houses for the sole purpose of connecting smart meters to the city utility network that would allow for real-time monitoring of natural gas and electricity usage without the requirement of sending utility personnel to take readings for every home in the city. The city of Chattanooga, Tenn. has found success by going in the opposite direction. The city initially got its start in providing high-speed fiber-optic after it realized its plan to link smart meters was just one step away from a community-wide high-speed network. Chattanooga became the first city in the U.S. to provide gigabyte internet in 2010, after years of legal battles with large ISPs, the likes of Comcast and
AT&T. It’s likely that Palo Alto would face these same legal challenges if it tried to become an ISP — it is a shame Palo Alto did not have a 10-year headstart on the project. Many vocal residents of the community say that with 5G wireless internet around the corner, along with the highly touted “10-gigabyte theoretical max” download speed, there is no need for a wired network. The reasoning is to leapfrog from copper internet to 5G, skipping a costly FTTP middle step. In reality, fiber-optics are the backbone of 5G wireless transmitters: wherever 5G internet goes, a fiber connection has to follow. And as wireless signals increase their data speed, they give up the capability to travel long distances. This is for the same reason that a car radio can pick up low energy radio waves in an underground garage, but you lose a high energy cellular signal when under so many layers of dirt and concrete. Whereas one radio station with a long frequency wave can broadcast to the entire Peninsula, many 5G cell towers or their equivalent transmitters will be needed to cover the same area — and if the fiber cable needs to be run through neighborhoods any-
way, why not plug those houses into the grid? Not only would this allow for lower latency, or delay, in internet connections, but it would silence Palo Alto’s small but influential slice of residents who make (scientifically unfounded) claims about the supposed health risks of high power 5G cell towers.
The reasoning is to leapfrog from copper internet to 5G, skipping a costly “fiber to the premises” middle step. People were shocked when coaxial cable replaced dial-up, and doubly shocked when one-gigabyte storage drives hit the shelves. They thought they would never be able to type up enough Microsoft Word documents to fill the seemingly endless vacuum of space. Even if they come to fruition, the 100-gigabyte speed offered by 5G telecom companies will one day be rendered obsolete. When teachers start posting one terabyte (the next step up from a gigabyte) 3D PowerPoint presentations on their lesson plans, we are going to wish we had more substantial networking infrastructure under our streets.
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
OPINION
A7
School food service options should be more widely publicized
WAItiNG FOR GRAPHhic
ART BY SARAH O'RIORDAN
By Emma Todd
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Staff Writer
very day at 11:35 a.m., a swarm of students gather around the crosswalk between Town & Country and Palo Alto High School for lunch.
I only noticed the Student Center when students came out of the building drinking milk and munching on snacks.
However, many of the stores available for lunch are expensive, and the long lines are sometimes just not worth it.
There must be another alternative — somewhere you can go on campus to get food and not have to pay so much for that Teriyaki rice bowl many students keep buying. The Student Center is just that — it has cheap food for students during brunch and lunch. However, a majority of students do not know very much about it. People might know that it exists, but do they know what food they serve or how much it costs? The Student Center food programs for brunch and lunch should be publicized, even advertised prominently, since it is a great alternative to Town & Country. When I typed “Student Center food programs” into
paly.net, I was surprised to find no search results. I only noticed there was food in the Student Center when students came out of the building during brunch drinking milk and munching on snacks. It is a school resource available to all students, and yet sometimes it seems like not that many people know about it. However, some students, including junior Juan Brandi, often visit the Student Center during brunch. Brandi usually goes to the Student Center for cookies but hasn’t gone in a while, because sometimes they can be unpredictable on what they are selling. Although there are options for setting up accounts
to pay for food, such as cash or inputting student ID. Brandi said he usually uses cash because it seems to be easier. “As far as I know, they serve everything from baked goods to packed snacks and juices,” Brandi said. There are many ways to advertise the Student Center’s resources. For example, administration can put posters or flyers in teachers’ classrooms for the food schedule or general information about the student center where students can see them. Additionally, making the daily lunch menu accessible and visible to students from the posters would keep them in the loop about what is offered for lunch each day of the week. Other ways
to make the food program more publicized include posting information on the Paly website, broadcasting the food agenda for the week on InFocus, or having announcements on Schoology to let people know about what they serve and how much. If students knew basic information about the Student Center’s food offerings, they might give it a try. Town & Country offers a lot of great options for high schoolers hungry for lunch. However, it presents problems as well, because the food is often expensive and the lines can be quite long. You have to race over to the place you want to eat, making sure to get there
early to avoid the long lines, scarf down your meal, and run back to campus all in just 35 minutes, or risk being late to class. The Student Center, however, is a great alternative to this, is easily accessible and does not cause any of the stresses listed above.
If students knew basic information about the Student Center's food offerings, they might give it a try.
The only difficulty is making sure people know about it and are aware of its benefits.
Reducing red meat consumption benefits health, environment
ART BY GINA BAE
By Claire Shimazaki Staff Writer
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eat. It’s a staple of the American dinner, from Grandma’s meatball spaghetti to a juicy filet mignon. But we rarely stop to wonder, how does the mass production and processing of animals affect the environment?
Americans are infamous for our love of fast and processed food ... we pay a price, and not just from our credit cards. The subject that has recently been dominating the
media is climate change. Yet one contributing factor we rarely discuss is livestock. We face a global climate crisis. Besides planting trees and recycling, perhaps we can make a difference in other ways. Americans are infamous for our love of fast and processed food, usually containing meat, such as McDonald’s, Jack in the Box and Taco Bell, to name a few. But we pay a price, and not just from our credit cards. Among the worst offenders in our rapidly changing environment are methane-producing animals. Their stomachs have multiple compartments and they process food longer. These animals, such as buffalo and sheep, are known as ruminants.
Perhaps the most detrimental to the wellbeing of the environment — and the most farmed — are cattle. According to the United Nations, 2019 brought record-breaking gas emissions, with livestock producing 18% of greenhouse gases worldwide, even more than transportation. But it isn’t solely cow farts that cause damage. Even disregarding methane emissions, cattle also use ⅓ of the world’s fresh water, and livestock feed crops command ⅓ of the Earth’s cultivable land. This means that to make room for livestock, trees, which are beneficial for the environment because they are a carbon sink, must be cleared and substituted with land for grazing by produc-
ers of greenhouse gases. Specifically, agriculture, forestry and other land use account for 24% of greenhouse gases. Of course, it is wholly unrealistic to expect every American to abruptly switch to a vegan lifestyle. Change must occur in baby steps. For some people, a vegan diet may be too expensive, while others may live in an area or culture that is heavily meat-reliant. Still, others may simply want to eat what they choose. However, there are other options. Meats such as pork and poultry are significantly more environmentallyfriendly than beef, as pigs and chickens produce significantly less methane. Consumers must also
consider the health disadvantages of eating red meat and excess dairy. Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health stated that too much red meat can raise the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease, with dairy products causing similar effects. Replacing the protein in your diet with food such as beans, tofu and legumes will not only be more sustainable, but also will provide necessary nutrients. Dark leafy greens such as kale are healthy alternatives to dairy products. Reducing your consumption of cattle-sourced products will not benefit only your health, but will contribute to the well-being of our rapidly deteriorating environment.
I’m by no means attempting to preach you into becoming a vegan convert. I’m not going to show up on your doorstep to explain the infinite wonders of leading an herbivorous lifestyle.
Replacing the protein in your diet with food such as beans, tofu and legumes will not only be more sustainable, but also will provide necessary nutrients. But the next time you pass the drive-through on your way home from work, perhaps think twice before you order another Big Mac off the menu.
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
A8
EDITORIALS
City ought to consider student Praise for District’s inclusion of input in Churchill rail redesign student voice in policy making
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count students’ opinions, as a redesign would directly affect students’ everyday lives for many years. We call on the city to offer a direct means for students to provide input, such as an open forum or a district-wide survey. Palo Alto and its residents have debated this issue since 2017, cycling through numerous rail crossing redesign ideas. Before last week, the city narrowed potential solutions down to two main proposals — a viaduct, which is a bridge-like structure separating cars below from trains above, or the closure of Churchill at the Alma intersection. Last week, however, Southgate resident Michael Price proposed a new design — a modified underpass which would submerge the Churchill and Alma intersection, slope Churchill east of the railroad and give bikers and pedestrians a path separate from traffic and the train tracks. While no solution or redesign can fully address all concerns, The Campanile supports Price’s proposal, as it reasonably maintains connectivity, decreases traffic and increases pedestrian and bike safety — goals that all residents seek in a design, according to Professorville resident Rachel Kellerman, who has distributed flyers to hundreds of households to increase awareness regarding the redesign. Kellerman retired from her position as Paly librarian last year. In comparison to the other alternatives, Price’s design does
he intersection between Churchill Avenue and Alma Street is used every day by walkers, bikers and drivers, including hundreds of students getting to school in the morning. Often, the buzz of commuters is interrupted by the blare of a train, forcing drivers to wait up to 30 minutes to simply cross the railroad tracks at Churchill. However, this may change with the controversial proposal to redesign the rail crossing at Churchill, which supporters say will alleviate traffic backups after Caltrain increases its service in the 2020-21 year.
The Campanile thinks the city should better inform students of the potential changes to the intersection and take into account students’ opinions, as a redesign would directly affect students’ everyday lives for many years. The Campanile thinks the city should better inform students of the potential changes to the intersection and take into ac-
not involve raising or lowering the tracks, which makes it less costly than a viaduct. The modified underpass design also still allows the hundreds of students and teachers who drive to school through the Churchill intersection on a daily basis to continue to do so, which closing Churchill would prevent.
In comparison to the other alternatives, Price’s design does not involve raising or lowering the tracks, which makes it less costly than a viaduct. Additionally, The Campanile thinks the city should consider constructing an underpass at the intersection between Seale Avenue and Alma. This would provide more options for pedestrians and bikers to safely cross Alma, as well as decrease the amount of bike traffic at Churchill. While adding an underpass would increase costs, doing so would be beneficial in the long run. The Campanile urges the city to consider student input and to implement Price’s proposal to ensure student safety and maintain full access into the school for pedestrians, bikers and vehicles.
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early every year, the district makes major policy changes that directly impact Paly’s student body. More often than not, students find themselves feeling unheard without an outlet to share their thoughts. This year, however, the district is surveying a random sampling of junior and sophomore Paly and Gunn students about their ongoing experiences with homework.
The following year, the district did not administer these surveys after they deemed them unproductive as teachers were receiving the feedback far too late. The district’s upcoming study is being led by Chris Kolar, director of research and assessment at the district’s Research, Evaluation and Assessment office. Kolar said the district hopes to
pinpoint issues with the current homework policy by gathering qualitative data and then using the findings to form future policy. Focusing on three to five AP and Honors courses, those in blended learning courses and those with historically underrepresented backgrounds, 90 Paly students will be selected to participate over two weeks at the end of February. Students who choose to participate will receive notifications of questions through an app about six times per day in order to maximize the number of data points per day. Two years ago, the district conducted end-of-semester course evaluation surveys, asking students to provide feedback about their courses’ content. The goal was to give students the opportunity to anonymously communicate criticism and praise to their teachers. The following year, the district did not administer such surveys after they deeming them unproductive, as teachers were receiving the feedback far too late. The upcoming study is a vast improvement, and The Campanile recognizes and applauds efforts to include student input in a timely fashion. Kolar said the district is us-
ing this evaluation as a jumping off point for conducting other surveys that are more about the experiences of students. The Campanile commends Kolar and the district for using surveys in a purposeful manner to help implement future goals.
The Campanile commends Kolar and the district for using surveys in a purposeful manner to help implement future goals. According to Kolar, participating students will meet with Supt. Don Austin and PAUSD school board members to discuss their participation in the study. The Campanile thinks the district’s request for student input is instrumental in cultivating a more transparent relationship in which students feel that their experiences are recognized as important. The Campanile hopes that the district will continue including student input in District policy making.
Climate curriculum should be required in schools nationwide
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ith wildfires blazing across Australia, the worst drought California has seen and increasingly powerful hurricanes, it is clear our world is in disarray due to global warming.
California ought to mandate schools to include education about climate change and how to mitigate its effects in their curriculum. Climate change is one of the largest issues facing our generation, yet many students receive no formal education about it. At Paly, the only course where students intensively study environmental issues is AP Environmental Science. Since this course is not a required science class, only a fraction of students on campus learn about our impacts on the environment. Addressing climate change in the next 10 years is crucial. Without fast action, our environment will face dramatic change. From melting ice caps to habitat loss, these drastic effects could negatively affect over 1 billion people, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. Due to the lack of education around this subject, many people are unaware of the potentially disastrous effects of climate change,
and therefore have a low incentive to take steps to mitigate their individual impact and embrace an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. In light of this, we think California ought to mandate schools to include education about climate change and how to mitigate its effects in their curriculum. Such an educational policy has already been implemented in countries such as Italy, which requires children to receive 33 hours of climate education in every year of grade school, starting in September 2020. California needs to follow in these footsteps as a pioneer of climate education. A poll conducted by NPR/Ipsos found that 80% of U.S. parents support teaching about climate change in schools.
Undeniably, it can be difficult to design a new, standardized section of K-12 curriculum.
Climate curriculum could be not only introduced into elementary and middle school education, but also high school by featuring a unit in the mandatory biological sciences courses.
However, there are already existing lessons covering climate change such as the one designed by CoolCalifornia.org, an organization dedicated to providing Californians with resources to reduce their environmental impact. This curriculum — taking information from the developed programs by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and The California Department of Education — includes a range of environmental topics, including climate change. With improved and expansive education about the environment and climate change, students will learn the impacts of their lifestyles and be knowledgeable and empowered to become a part of the solution for climate change.
Climate curriculum should be not only be introduced in elementary and middle schools, but also high school in the mandatory biological sciences courses.
ART BY LUCY NEMEROV
With improved and expansive education about the environment and climate change, students will learn the impacts of their lifestyles and be knowledgeable and empowered to become a part of the solution.
JANUARY’S TOP TEN LIST Top ten predictions for the decade 10) China becomes the least populated country. 9) You finally get to know the FBI agent who's been watching you all along. 8) Trump leaves office (probably...) 7) Charli and Chase Hudson have 12 babies who come out of the womb ‘‘Tokking.’’ 6) Florida is swallowed by rising sea levels. 5) Your alien neighbor brings you a plate of cookies every Tuesday. 4) Everyone finds $20 on the ground. 3) Woolly mammoths make a comeback. 2) It’s socially acceptable to say ‘‘Kobe’’ when you make the recycling bin again. 1) Teddy Butler becomes the real Bachelor for season 2027.
— ANNA MEYER, BEKAH LIMB, LEILA KHAN & SASHA LEHRER
The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Annie Chen • Miranda Li • Lucy Nemerov Frida Rivera • Jaures Yip Online Editor Kai Vetteth
Managing Editors Emily Asher • Leila Khan
News & Opinion Editors Neil Kapoor • Sophia Moore
Lifestyle Editors Maya Rathore • Adora Zheng
Science & Tech Editor Anna Meyer
Sports Editors Rebekah Limb • Johnny Yang
Multimedia Editor Paige Knoblock
Business Managers Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe • Kiana Tavakoli
Art & Photo Directors Kaitlyn Lee • Tien Nguyen
Board Correspondent Bruno Klass
Gina Bae Gianna Brogley Evelyn Cheng Valerie Chu Olivia Ericsson Daniel Gao Matthew Ho Erin Kim Sasha Lehrer Braden Leung
Staff Writers Alex Liu Ali Minhas Shiva Mohsenian Sarah O’Riordan Jace Purcell Kris Risano Krista Robins Aidan Seto Claire Shimazaki Zack Silver Avantika Singh
Benjamin Stein Emma Todd Andrew Toteda Ziggy Tummalapalli Ajay Venkatraman Andy Wang Parker Wang Sloan Wuttke Bill Xia Austin Xiang
Illustrators Gina Bae • Bruno Klass • Kaitlyn Lee Noa Lehrer • Zander Leung • Rebekah Limb • Shiva Mohsenian • Sophia Moore Lucy Nemerov • Tien Nguyen • Sarah O’Riordan • Jace Purcell Kiana Tavakoli • Sloan Wuttke • Adora Zheng Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki
Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien
Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds20@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or
sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!
Our Vision Statement: The Campanile strives to uphold the highest standard of journalistic integrity through diverse mediums of storytelling and responsibly informing readers about local news, culture, opinion and athletics.
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
Friday, January 31, 2020
Column: Everything wrong with Snapchat
SASHA LEHRER/THE CAMPANILE
By Sasha Lehrer
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high school student in Shanghai sits down to begin her homework. Her task? To write an 800-word apology letter for speaking Shanghainese, her local dialect, in class. According to the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the Chinese government banned Shanghainese from the education system in 1992 in an effort to unify China in speaking one common language: Mandarin. Dialects are spoken vernacular codes with no standard written system, and they exist in almost every major language, from Chinese to Italian. In some nations, speaking a dialect represents a connection to local culture, but in others, it represents national disunity and a lack of proper education.
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here are eight main spoken dialect groups within China, and most are mutually unintelligible. Shanghainese belongs to the Wu dialect, and Paly junior Jasper Wang grew up speaking it. “My family largely only spoke Shanghainese,” Wang said. “It felt most comfortable for me to learn Shanghainese by just striking up regular conversations with my grandparents because they don’t speak Mandarin too
well, so it’s the only way that I can converse with them.” Paly Chinese teacher Liyuan He said the main differences between Shanghainese and Mandarin lie in speaking speed and intonation. “Compared to Mandarin, Shanghainese is spoken at a particularly fast pace,” He said. “Shanghainese also incorporates retroflex consonants, where the tongue has a curled or flat shape, which Mandarin does not.” Fourteen million people currently speak the dialect, but that number has been on the decline in recent years, according to Paly Chinese teacher Jing Xu. In 2016, the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law conducted a study in which 2000 native Shanghai adults were surveyed randomly on the streets of Shanghai. The results showed that those born before 1992, t h e year Shanghainese was banned from schools, were mostly or completely fluent in Shanghainese, while the number of fluent speakers born after 1992 exponentially decreased as age decreased, with over 30% reporting inability to fluently speak it. Oufan Zhang, a 22-year-old Shanghai native, was born after the ban was enacted and was strongly
discouraged from speaking Shanghainese in class throughout grade school. “We wouldn’t talk to each other in Shanghainese because we were taught in Mandarin at school,” Zhang said. “If your friend didn’t get exposed to the dialogue at home, they wouldn’t understand the dialect.” As a result of discouragement from speaking the dialect in school, Zhang does not speak the dialect very well, though she has picked it up loosely from observing her family. “(My parents’ generation) speaks the language — we don’t do that anymore,” Zhang said. Xu attributes the decline in the dialect’s popularity in part to increased immigration to the city. “There are a lot of people who were not born in Shanghai, but go to school in Shanghai and then stay and work there,” Xu said. “Because there are so many people who live in Shanghai and are not originally Shanghainese, more people speak Mandarin. I think there are less and less people actually speaking Shanghainese — even two young Shanghainese people speak Mandarin to each other.” However, according to the Shanghai Ministry of Education, the city of Shanghai began making
efforts to preserve the dialect starting in 2011, when the government began a twoyear project to create a nationwide vocal database of local dialects across China. “The recent trend is that people have started thinking about cultural conservation, and they believe that language is a part of culture,” Zhang said. “They don’t want the culture to die so they are trying to teach Shanghainese in school, but we didn’t do that when I was in school.” For the city’s dialect preservation project, only two of the 13 recruitment sites were able to find “pure” speakers of the dialect, according to CNN. Despite efforts by individual families and schools, there has been no evidence of a measurable increase in the usage of Shanghainese among the youth, and fewer children than ever know how to speak the ancient dialect, according to the same Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law study. In order to preserve the dial e c t , both Xu and Jing s u g gested teaching Shangh a i nese in c lasses while also encouraging parents to speak to their children in S hanghainese. Xu added that exposure to the dialect through popular
Survey of 2000 Shanghainese adults done by the Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law in 2016-17
culture and television shows would also help keep the dialect in use.
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ante Malagrino grew up in the southern Italian province of Puglia, where locals speak distinct regional dialects. According to him, there are several major Italian dialects like the Neapolitan, Sicilian and Tuscan dialects, along with dozens of smaller dialects as a result of Italy’s relatively recent unification. “Italy has always been divided into very small states that are very different from each other, so each one of them has developed a variation of the language,” Malagrino said. “Italy is in a position in the Mediterranean that made it subject to a lot of invasion, so in the dialect I speak, for example, a lot of words come from the Arab language, from Turkish, from Spanish, from French … and the root of the language is actually Greek, b e cause t h a t part of Italy was a G r e e k colony.” Malagrino speaks the dialect of Taranto, the town where he was born, and the dialect of Bari, the town in which he attended elementary and middle school. “There’s no formal education that teaches you how to speak a dialect,” Malagrino said. “It’s just learned by speaking with other people and listening to people and every time, you pick up a new word or a new way of saying things — and that’s how you learn.” Senior Marco Simeone, Malagrino’s nephew, grew up in another southern Italian town called Martina Franca — according to him, his dialect has heavy French influences, as the French colonized the area in the 14th century. Simeone said he does not speak the dialect well since he did not have a relative to learn it from, but many of his friends do. “Most of (my friends) learned (how to speak the dialect) from their grandparents, and some of them from their parents, but it’s always less common to find middle-aged people that can speak dialect properly,” Simeone said. “It’s much more
Lifestyle
SPOTLIGHT
Censorship
How political advertisements can influence everything from presidential elections to student life, and the balance of free expression and accuracy in social media. BILL KERR/CC BY-SA 2.0
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KATRINA TULIAO/CC BY 2.0
common to see elderly people (aged) 6070 speak dialect daily.” According to Simeone, the dialect is not very popular among younger people in his town, and is primarily spoken by the older generation. However, Simeone believes the dialect is an important part of his culture. “It’s part of our history, it’s part of the (history of the) population that colonized and developed our cities,” Simeone said. “It’s something to be preserved, but unfortunately that is not what is happening — it’s a language that we are losing constantly every day.” Simeone said rather than speaking in dialect regularly, his friends will sometimes use it to express certain feelings. “My generation in Italy knows that there’s a deep connection between (the dialect and) their childhood, their tradition and the city they’re living in,” Simeone said. “They consider (dialect) a pretty important aspect of their life, but they don’t do anything to preserve it.” To preserve the dialect for future generations, Simeone said it ought to be taught in history classes. According to Simeone, this would help new generations understand the importance of the dialect and keep it from becoming obsolete. Conversely, Malagrino said that in the small town he grew up in, the dialect has maintained much of its popularity. According to Malagr ino, dialect is almost seen as the official language in some southern Italian towns such as Campagna and Sicily, and is an important part of the regional culture. It is celebrated through performances, theater shows and contemporary music which incorporates a mix of Italian and local dialect. “When I was young, the people who spoke dialect were the poor people, the ignorant people, the ones that didn’t have a chance to study, so you had to speak Italian to show that you were above the masses,” Malagrino said. “I think people are rediscovering dialects because instead of dialects being seen as a show of ignorance, now dialects are seen as a show of connection with (one’s) roots and culture.”
Lifestyle
REAKING NEWS! Girl catches BF cheating with her MOM! Snapchat, a social media app that many Paly students use, is a platform that promotes nothing more than bland, flaky content and communication. There are so many problems with this app, yet many students continue to use it for hours everyday. We are first lured in by the concept of streaks. To get a “streak,” you and another person must send a picture to each other once every 24 hours. A common method of sending streaks is simply sending a black screen with an “S” on it. The creativity this app fuels is truly admirable. But wait, it gets better. The number next to the name of the random person you’ve been sending random pictures will go up as long as you don’t miss a day! What an idea! The concept of disappearing photographs. Truly revolutionary. Snapchat lets you capture what it's like to live in the moment. Photos you post or send are gone forever either after a short 24 hours for a story, or a matter of seconds for a direct message. But are they really gone? No. According to Business Insider, Snapchat doesn’t actually delete any of your photos or videos — in fact, they actually bury them deep within their database. Digital forensic examiners have recently discovered a way to resurface these private pictures on androids. Now that sounds suspicious based on the types of things people send with the perception that they’ll be disappearing shortly... Also, can we talk about Daily Mail updates??? “Miley’s beach day with Cody!” I don’t remember asking. And the sad part is that many people’s main source of news is from Snapchat. I mean I guess they’re right, the most important thing going on in the world right now is Kim Kardashian wearing stretch satin. Many students also find themselves sending pointless pictures of a quarter to a half of their faces back and forth for hours. The deeper meaning? Absolutely nothing. But don’t be fooled, if it is not a picture of a fraction of our face, it is our face morphed into a completely different (and realistic of course) version with giant eyes and lips, airbrushed skin and a teeny tiny button nose. The app is just overflowing with realistic body standards for young men and women, and that’s why we all love it so much! In our day and age, there are almost 200 million Snapchat users worldwide — that’s a lot of people and data being collected by this massive corporation. Most users check the app at least 20 times a day, according to Omnicore. If we put that energy and persistence into school, who knows how far we could go! If there is one thing Snapchat has done right, it’s Bitmoji stories. With the seamless incorporation of generic scenarios of each carefully hand-crafted and individualized Bitmoji, there’s no telling how many users will get addicted. I mean, if there’s one thing I want to do when I get home from school, it’s snuggle up with some tea and absorb life advice and entertainment from my very own Bitmoji story.
Sports
YAHOO/CC BY 2.0
KRISTA ROBINS/THE CAMPANILE
Student investors
Irrational spending habits
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The uncommon hobby of mock investing is spreading on campus.
Staff Writer
Teens speak on a dangerous purchasing tendency.
Fantasy sports
How students create virtual teams and compete with each other. PAGE C8
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE B2 YangGang surges, Ghost kitchens reshape food industry attracts a coalition Boo-lieve it or not, virtual eateries are on track to be next culinary craze By Sloan Wuttke Staff Writer
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hat would you do with an extra 1,000 dollars a month?” Paly alumni Laura Sieh asked. This is not some scam –– it’s presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s vision for the future. Initially met with skepticism and pushback, University of Chicago undergraduate Sieh continues to support Yang, knocking door-to-door in and around Chicago, spurred by Yang’s motive to prioritize humanity. Yang, a 44-year-old businessman from New York, soon rose to the democratic nominee ranks, bypassing dozens of congressmen, mayors and senators through his unique policy of universal basic income to combat the implications of worldwide automation, the overtaking of technology on society and jobs. “I had heard of him basically as an Asian guy who was running for president,” Sieh said. “And to be honest, I wasn’t convinced at all (of his UBI policy).” Sieh was first drawn to one of Yang’s tagline, “Universal Basic Income is capitalism that doesn't start at zero,” and feels that UBI provides a baseline for every American to direct their future and is applicable to everyone, regardless of prior background. “(UBI) really appealed to me because a lot of the programs that I hear right now, which are $15 minimum wage, I think they’re great steps, but they don’t acknowledge the fact that a lot of people are unable to benefit from those programs,” Sieh said. “For example, people who aren't able to work or elderly people.” Soon enough, Sieh became involved in her local Chicago community, campaigning and collecting signatures to become a delegate, often encountering various political viewpoints.
“It’s kind of a privilege that some people (are) able to look at these (governmental issues) and care. And that’s pretty sad about democracy.” Laura Sieh “I’ve met people who have lived in communes, people who don’t like true libertarians, veterans, army veterans and people who have never cared about politics before,” Sieh said. “And it’s really great to see all these ideas come together. And one of his (Yang’s) ideas is: it’s not left, it’s not right, it’s forward. And I think that’s different than compromise because compromise entails that you can either go one way or the other way and (with Yang) you find a middle ground.” Drawn by Yang’s empathetic and caring nature towards humanity, Sieh found hope in UBI and its potential for societal good. “We (Americans) have to make it so that we can support people going out there doing new things, innovating and contributing to our communities, not only in increasing our GDP but truly making people have a better livelihood in this country,” Sieh said. However, campaigning unveiled differences in political atmosphere that were irreversible, at least to her ability. “It’s interesting because in Palo Alto, it’s pretty insular,” Sieh said. “Everyone is a tech liberal and likes computers. (In Chicago) it’s just that a lot of people either don’t care or they don’t know what’s at stake for them. They don’t think that the government is going to do anything for them that’ll help.” Sieh was confronted with the formidable reality: not all Americans are invested in politics nor do they ever plan to be. “Most Americans who I’ve met don’t know who’s running for president,” Sieh said. “It’s kind of a privilege that some people (are) able to look at these things (governmental issues) and care. And that’s pretty sad about democracy.” Democracy in Palo Alto, however, is thriving according to Sieh, as many Paly and Gunn students have taken political stances or likings to candidates. Paly junior Charlize Nguyen openly supports Yang and his UBI policy, adding that he’s the “most attractive” candidate of all democratic candidates due to his fear
for the future. Additionally, Gunn junior P.J. Singh was previously a republican and Trump supporter, but grew to become more libertarian and leftleaning. Disheartened by Trump’s stance on LGBTQ+ policies, she found security in Yang. “(Yang) was the only candidate who spoke to me, out of all parties,” Singh said. “I really liked his policies because they stand for individual liberties. I got more involved with (Yang’s) campaign by phone banking. I called about 70 voters in Iowa … It’s beneficial to me because I know I’m fighting for something I believe in.” Similarly, the UC Berkeley YangGang, a sociopolitical activist group, and its founder, Ken Hinh, have grown to be an extension of Yang’s political outlook, often tabling on Berkeley’s campus to inspire activism similar to that of Singh’s. Hinh resonated with Yang’s vision of UBI as his parents lost their jobs to automation in 2019. His parents were previously manufacturing technicians at a biotechnology production company and production maintenance technicians at an optic company. As of now, one of his parents is an Uber driver due to the disappearance of manufacturing jobs. Inspired, Hinh employed any and all means necessary to further Yang’s candidacy. This included making memes, content on Youtube, handing out Yang’s book, canvassing, phone banking and tabling. Hinh was not only personally affected by automation, but socially as well. KiwiBots, robots that deliver food autonomously, invade UC Berkeley’s campus, commonly symbolizing technology’s invasion of America’s workforce. “I feel like the automation is happening around us and I think no other candidate is really talking about the fourth industrial revolution,” Hing said. “Innovation isn’t being seen by regular politicians in DC, and it’s only inevitable that you start addressing those issues.” Hinh watched Yang’s interviews and subsequently connected with Yang on a deeper, more intimate level as he discovered a common strain between Yang and him: hope for future generations. “I can see where Andrew’s coming from when he speaks about how he wants a better world for his sons,” Hinh said. “I think that’s the same motive that I have for my sister where I want her to live in a world where economic value is not equated with human value.” In full fledge, Hinh resorted to contacting the root of democratic caucuses not just through a detached audio call, but through physical interaction and raw emotion. “In Iowa, I went to this rural community full of Republican supporters and manufacturing workers,” Hinh said. “And I met in particular this man named Tom who had this disease called Peripheral Artery Disease and he couldn't really walk. He thought he thought that because he voted for Trump, he would get his (manufacturing) job back, but what happened was that he wasn't supported, his community wasn't supported and he was basically left behind. After that, I told him about his (Yang’s) message ... and eventually Tom took like one of my pamphlets and he was like, ‘Okay, I’ll take a look into it.’” According to Hinh, campaigning brought him joy and faith within humanity, akin to how Yang brought Hinh joy and faith through his genuine and heartfelt nature.
“Everything that he (Yang) says isn’t really calculated. I remember watching his interviews and realizing that he doesn’t speak like a politician. Andrew just makes really honest statements.” Ken Hinh “Everything that he (Yang) says isn’t really calculated,” Hinh said. “I remember watching his interviews and realizing that he doesn’t speak like a politician. Andrew just makes really honest statements. One time he was in an interview where he was like, ‘Yo, the country is f--ked up. I just want to unf--k the country.’”
GINA BAE/THE CAMPANILE
Recipe for Success. Surrounded by sheet pans and containers of freshly baked cookies, Johanna Sedman, owner of Scenic Made, scoops up a new batch of cookie dough onto baking sheets. She rented out kitchen space in Forage Kitchen that afternoon to prepare these sweet treats for Scenic Made’s artisanal care packages. “I couldn’t do my business without having a commercial kitchen where I could come and use it hourly because it would be too expensive,” Sedman said.
By Gina Bae Staff Writer
T
wo outdoor cafe tables, the scent of fresh dough and melted mozzarella, and a storefront covered with colorful murals occupies 3242 22nd Street, San Francisco. With a pride flag stationed by the entrance and a “Gabriella’s New York Pizza” banner looming over the door, it seems like nothing more than a typical San Francisco pizza parlor. That is, until you open GrubHub to find that very address listed as the location of six other establishments: Chubby Pie, Lorenzo’s of New York, Pizzaoki, Soho’s and Sunny Day Creamery. These brands are the brainchildren of Family Style Inc., a LA-based restaurant business aiming to corner the market on the rising star of the food industry: online food delivery. Online food delivery started off as a risky experiment for Pizza Hut in 1994, and eventually became a national phenomenon that sparked the launch of thousands of online food delivery apps and ordering sites. It has grown into an industry that, according to Statistica, generated $107.4 billion of worldwide revenue in 2019 alone. A report from L.E.K. Consulting shows there is no sign of its growth stopping anytime soon, stating that restaurant delivery is projected to grow at a rate more than three times that of on-premises sales by 2023, with digital deliveries projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 22.3%. This boom in online food delivery has led to a series of innovative gamechangers, with one of the most prominent being ghost restaurants. A Grave New World According to Upserve, ghost restaurants, or virtual restaurants, are food service businesses with no storefront, waitstaff, seating or dine-in patrons. Instead, they target consumers who order food and catering online through their own websites or third-party delivery apps like UberEats and DoorDash, where it’s impossible to distinguish them from traditional eateries without some Internet sleuthing. If you can find multiple restaurants listed under the same address, they’re probably ghost restaurants. Most ghost restaurants fall into two categories: those linked to brick-and-mortar establishments and those residing in commercial kitchens, dubbed ghost kitchens. The former includes Family Style Inc.’s restaurants as well as Menlo Park’s own Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria, which hosts 2 separate virtual restaurants called Manzo’s Artisan Pastas and Freddie Parker’s Pasta + Salad Shop on apps like UberEats and Waiter.com. My Sustainable Table Co. and Scenic Made are two businesses that fall into the latter category. My Sustainable Table Co. is a healthy meal service and catering business, while Scenic Made delivers artisanal care packages; both are located in Oakland’s
well-known commercial kitchen and event venue, Forage Kitchen. The Faboo-lous and the Frightening There’s a reason for everything, and ghost kitchens are no exception. Aside from an increase in sales, having multiple platforms and brands offers customers more options in terms of delivery app, payment choice and different menu items, according to Bernard Piccoli, Amici’s manager. “It’s an option for the customers in the way they (food delivery apps) charge, like at the end of the month, or right away on their credit cards,” Piccoli said. “(The goal) is to have more third-parties, to get more customers from our end and to give more options to customers on their end.” Piccoli said that using thirdparty food delivery apps is also more time-efficient, since the process of manually entering information into Amici’s pointof-sale system is unnecessary for orders from these apps.
“I love the community and the fact that everyday there’s somebody different making whatever their passion is.” Johanna Sedman “(The process) usually takes about a minute — it depends on the type of the customer and the speed and the time of the call,” Piccoli said. “But with the integration that we started adding over here, the order comes through UberEats, we confirm with them and then it prints directly in the kitchen.” Forage Kitchen is an example of how communal kitchen culture is part of the appeal for businesses working from ghost kitchens. “I love the community and the fact that everyday, there’s somebody different making whatever their passion is,” said Johanna Sedman, the owner of Scenic Made. As mentioned by Forbes, ghost kitchens also give entrepreneurs the opportunity to start a business they’re passionate about without having to worry about the added cost of a traditional restaurant setup, the hassle of obtaining legal certifications or a defined schedule. According to Scenic Made’s website, Sedman was inspired by her mother’s delicious baked goods and the care packages she sent Sedman during her college years, a tradition that lived on with Sedman and her own son in college. With Scenic Made, she says she aims to capture that comforting love in her organic sweets. “I couldn’t do my business without having a commercial kitchen where I could come and use it hourly because it would be too expensive,” Sedman said. Sharon McGinnis-Girdlestone, the owner of My Sustainable Table, started her business
out of concern for the way storebought products and processed snacks were adversely affecting her son. She said she’s always made an effort to give back, and My Sustainable Table is no exception, providing meals for the homeless on multiple occasions. “It’s illegal to do it at home,” McGinnis-Girdlestone said, referring to how home-based businesses are limited to selling low-risk cottage foods. “The cost of brick and mortar, extra staff, insurance, etc. would probably outweigh the benefits we see by utilizing a commercial kitchen, where we set our own hours.” However, according to The Food Corridor, this business model comes with its own set of challenges, one of the most impactful being delivery. “The hardest part is maintaining delivery staff because it’s a part-time job for them, so most people move on after six months,” McGinnis-Girdlestone said. Additionally, Piccoli added that without a way to enforce Amici’s delivery policies on third-party deliverers, third-party delivery apps leave more to be desired in their way of maintaining food quality. “We’re really picky with quality here, and our own delivery drivers have thermal bags for everything to keeping like the temperature as high as possible to deliver to the customers,” Piccoli said. “Most of the time, I’d say 90% of the time, UberEats drivers, DoorDash drivers, GrubHub drivers — GrubHub drivers are a little better, they have bags — the others, they don’t (have bags). Whenever they collect the food over here, they go to their car. Especially now that it’s really cold and sometimes they park far ... the quality gets affected.” Spooky Stigma In 2015, an NBC 4 New York exposé revealed that more than 10% of the 100 top-rated GrubHub and Seamless restaurants were hidden ghost restaurants, including several originating from restaurants with sanitary violations and non-retail commissionaires with no proper permits. This launched a frantic attempt to weed out such listings from both apps. Though their past still haunts them, most of the stigma has been forgotten by the general public, or at least, by the Paly population.
“I wouldn’t care whether or not I’m eating from a ghost kitchen or a normal kitchen because unless the food quality is significantly different, I don’t think there’s a difference.” Justin Qiu “I wouldn’t care whether or not I’m eating from a ghost kitchen or a normal kitchen because unless the food quality is significantly different, I don’t
think there’s a difference,” junior Justin Qiu said. An online survey of 75 random students through a Google Form distributed on social media showed that most Paly students agree with Qiu. Only 12% of survey respondents said that they would care if their food was coming from a ghost restaurant, mostly due to concern for the food safety, while 54.7% of them said they would not care. 33.3% chose the “Depends” option, with all of them citing uncertainty about the conditions of the hypothetical ghost kitchen as their reason for hesitating. Most of the “Depends” respondents also stated requirements along the lines of “as long as the food is safely and properly prepared” or “as long as the quality is good.” Rise from the Dead Ghost restaurants have recently resurfaced with a fresh look and a respectable reputation, as reported by Forbes. Independent owners and companies alike ensure that commercial kitchen businesses like Forage reach, if not surpass, the sanitation of traditional restaurants, since state food safety codes and regulations still apply. Ghost restaurants have received support from various food delivery apps and companies who have helped users start their own virtual restaurants, with UberEats contributing to the launch of 4,000 of them worldwide, according to Kristen Adamowski, the head of Uber’s ghost restaurant program. Another supportive service is Joyrun, the Silicon Valleybased peer-to-peer delivery app originally designed for college communities. Though ghost restaurants aren’t an integral part of the formula since users place orders depending on where runners are already planning on going, JoyRun has partnered with several of them to make them available for their users, as stated by sophomore Neil Rathi, a Growth Marketing Intern for Joyrun. “(These partnerships) allow JoyRun users to run and go to those restaurants even though they are not technically real, full restaurants,” Rathi said. “We are partnered with approximately 5 chains that have ghost restaurants, including Chick-fil-A, the Halal Guys and Rooster & Rice.” The New York Times reported that big names in both the tech and food industry have started their own chains of ghost kitchens. For instance, JoyRun’s ghost restaurant partners are all from the DoorDash Kitchens, a ghost kitchen started by DoorDash itself in Redwood City. If the number of ghost restaurants and ghost kitchens continues to increase, ghost restaurants are on track to secure a strong presence in the food industry and become a more mainstream career option for aspiring chefs. Reforming Retails predicts that ghost kitchens could displace 50% of restaurant volume. Theresa McDermott, a member of Paly’s CTE/Work Experience department, said, “As long as good sustainable practices are put into place, I think that ghost restaurants can and probably will be very successful.”
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
B3
Students pursue interest in trading stocks, investment competitions
Young investors gain valuable experience, insight into financial markets through developing portfolios, competing globally By Andy Wang Staff Writer
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fter profiting $5 from buying and selling 100 shares of Delta Air Lines Inc. stock, young Aaron Chow, now a junior at the University of California, Berkeley, jumped up and down, filled with wonder and excitement. For Chow, this moment five years ago ignited his lifelong investing and learning endeavors.
“It was a combination of embarrassment, courage and genuine curiosity that brought me out of a dark time. If you are resourceful and hungry enough to learn, you can find free resources online (on) where to start learning how to invest.” Aaron Chow “We rarely come about things with noble pursuits,” Chow said. Investing became Chow’s “noble pursuit.” “In high school, I read company annual reports like books,” Chow said. “Whenever I came across a business or accounting term that I didn’t understand, I just Googled it.” Similar to Chow, some students at Paly have tiptoed into the world of investment early on. Junior Joyce Lin and freshman Eric Feng are among them — both are enthusiastic participants in global investment competitions. Investing has its ups and downs according to Chow. In his preliminary investment career as a highschooler, Chow experienced various failures. However, without trial and error, there is no success, Chow said. “My dad had given me a couple thousand dollars, and I put it all into a penny stock (shares
of small or startup companies),” Chow said. “I bought a stock between $0.54 per share and $1.70 per share before it collapsed to $0.08 in a single morning. I cried for a whole week straight.” Chow said this feeling of loss motivated him to expand his knowledge and overcome his initial failures. Soon, he began learning about long-term value creation, the difference between investing and speculation, Warren Buffett’s mindset, businesses and financial statements. “It was a combination of embarrassment, courage and genuine curiosity that brought me out of that dark time,” Chow said. “If you are resourceful and hungry enough to learn, you can find free resources online on where to start learning about how to invest.” According to Chow, one of the biggest events in his life was hearing about a company listed on the market called “Rich Uncles.” Chow said he then spent weeks digging into the profile of the company, finally determining that the company was a fraud. “After getting the company to file three quarters of missing financial statements (for verification), I saw things in the cash flow statement that I’d never seen before,” Chow said. “Long story short, I wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission claiming that the $80 million real estate company was a Ponzi scheme.”
“(My mom) said it would be a good opportunity to learn about investing because learning how to invest your money is an essential skill in life.” Joyce Lin Today, according to Chow, the company is being sued in the Su-
ART BY SLOAN WUTTKE
perior Court of Los Angeles for potentially $45 million in punitive and compensatory damages due to his efforts and work. Chow said his pursuits have led him to work at a short-only hedge fund (an investment firm that only shorts, which is to sell before buying it back. An investor makes a profit if the price goes down), manage money for investors of his own and do due diligence and financial fraud consulting for investigative journalists and hedge funds. High school was where Chow’s journey took off. Similarly, Lin has started a journey of her own in investment. “My mom introduced me to an extracurricular program, the KWHS (Knowledge Wharton High School) Investment Competition, a global competition where students devise an investment portfolio and strategy,” Lin said. “She said it would be a good opportunity to learn about investing because learning how to invest your money is an essential skill in life.”
Like Chow, Lin said that the internet was instrumental in her journey to expand on her knowledge of stocks. According to Lin, she was inspired to research and learn after wondering what an investment strategy was. “It’s just a spiral of investment terms and investment techniques,” Lin said. “I think there are numerous resources nowadays online, like Investopedia or MarketWatch, that give you a lot of information about investing.” Through the KWHS competition, Lin said she learned a lot about collaboration and leadership. In terms of investing, she learned the meanings of many technical terms in investment and how to calculate ratios. “Though one can make millions of profits through investing, it will always contain a large amount of risk,” Lin said. “You can do a lot of research and then still buy a stock that goes down in the near future. Everything can be unpredictable.” Feng said he has been compet-
ing in the KWHS competition since middle school. “I first gained exposure to investing around 6th grade, where I took part in the KWHS competition although only high schoolers were supposed to participate,” Feng said. “I learned a lot of fundamentals that still stick with me. I participated in the competition again as a 7th grader, and I further solidified my knowledge in investing.”
“Though one can make millions of profits through investing, it will always contain a large amount of risk.” Joyce Lin In 8th grade, Feng signed up for an investment class called Teen Investment Hours, founded
by Ling Palo Alto Education. “Most of the instructors there are or were Berkeley students who are a part of the Berkeley Investment Group (BIG),” Feng said. “Our current instructor is the founder of BIG, Chow.” Chow said he started teaching Investment Hour last semester. “I love the engagement and unique ideas that the classroom setting encourages,” Chow said. “I also enjoy sharing my own insights and seeing people’s eyes light up when they get what I’m talking about and own those ideas for themselves.” Through teaching, Chow hopes to cultivate the passion and drive he himself possesses. For those who aspire to learn about investing, he recommends the YouTube playlist “Preston Pysh’s Stock Investing Like Warren Buffett” and “The Little Book that Builds Wealth” by Pat Dorsey. “Learning is easy when you can get over the fear of not knowing,” Chow said. “It’s our own hubris that prevents us from learning the things we think we already know.”
New streaming services on the rise Students enjoy shows, movies on entertainment platforms By Evelyn Cheng
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Staff Writer
or many students, balancing school and extracurricular activities can be difficult. To relieve stress and relax, junior Malia Wanderer turns to Disney+ as an outlet for escaping the troubles of the real world. Providing hours on end of entertainment, streaming services have become more prevalent in society as new services emerge. Disney+, the latest addition to the hundreds of existing streaming services, features a wide variety of shows and movies. It appeals to its subscribers through its accessibility to Disney television shows and movies, according to Wanderer. “I think it’s really cool (that) all these Disney movies are in one place and all the television shows,” Wanderer said. According to junior Sophia Krugler, Disney+ makes millions of people — including longtime subscribers of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and other popular streaming services — reminisce about their childhood favorite movies and TV shows.
“They’re not just giving it all at once and that way they have new things that they can add to their platforms so their users don’t get bored. But it is sort of disappointing when you’re like, ‘Oh this Disney thing that I want to see isn’t on Disney+. ” Sophia Krugler “I feel like a really big part of their platform is Disney+ is trying to appeal to the nostalgia of people, and it’s really working be-
cause all these shows are shows we grew up with and it’s shows that we want to watch again,” Krugler said.
“Streaming services expand your knowledge of the world and allow us to connect through shared shows and experiences.” Sophia Krugler Krugler, a subscriber to both Disney+ and Netflix, said Netflix will need to add more original series to maintain its popularity. According to CNBC, Netflix removed the well-known comedy “Friends” from its platform as of Jan. 1 due to WarnerMedia outbidding Netflix. Krugler said Disney does not have this problem, as they own all of their content. Disney+ increased its exclusivity by removing its content from other platforms and services, and, according to Krugler, a key reason for Disney+’s success is its relatively recent creation. “It’s a new streaming service with a bunch of new content that I haven’t really seen yet, whereas Netflix I’ve had it for a while, so I’ve seen all the good stuff,” Krugler said. According to CNBS, as Disney+ continues to release more shows, movies and original content. the number of subscribers to the service increases considerably. Similar to some series on Hulu, Disney+ releases episodes in batches, usually one episode a week, as a method to retain subscribers. “They’re not just giving it all at once and that way they have new things that they can add to their platforms so their users don’t get bored,” Krugler said. “But it is sort of disappointing when you’re like, ‘Oh this Disney thing that I want to see isn’t on Disney+.’” Unlike Disney+ and Netflix,
which are ad-free regardless of which plan users choose, Hulu users are forced to sit through advertisements unless they pay for a more expensive plan, which junior Avery Hanna said she dislikes about the platform. While ads are capped at 90 seconds, they often appear at pivotal moments in the video, irritating users like Hanna, who said she uses Hulu because of the shows it has. Members of Amazon Prime receive free access to Amazon Prime Video, a service featuring popular series and original Amazon content. Sophomore Marissa Yeh, a long-time subscriber to Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, says she prefers Netflix because of its wider range of content. “(Netflix) has more variety and more original content and shows that I personally like,” Yeh said.
““I feel like a really big part of their platform is Disney+ is trying to appeal to the nostalgia of people, and it’s really working because all these shows are shows we grew up with and it’s shows that we want to watch again.” Sophia Krugler According to Yeh, while Amazon Prime Video and Netflix both provide users with upto-date content, Amazon Prime Video has more outdated material, which makes finding desired videos more difficult among the many pages of content. As streaming services become more accessible, society popularizes them and their content, making these services increasingly common in peoples’ everyday lives. Krugler said, “Streaming services expand your knowledge of the world and allow us to connect through
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The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
B4
SPOTLIGHT
Changing the Cens BACKGROUND “In times of social turmoil, our impulse is often to pull back on free expression. We want the progress that comes from free expression, but not the tension.” And so, Facebook won’t pull back. In a lengthy address at Georgetown University last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke philosophically about the tradeoffs between free speech and censorship, and in lofty language seemed to reject the “impulse” to censor. In hindsight, it seems that Zuckerberg was testing the waters ahead of the company’s even stronger Jan. 7 declaration that it will continue its policy of running political ads without screening for accuracy — a decision that shocked many, especially after rival Twitter’s move last fall to ban all political advertising from its platform. Despite Facebook’s own Instagram introducing fact checks on photos, and Twitter eliminating political advertising altogether, Zuckerberg, while acknowledging that the issue of false advertising looms over the upcoming presidential election, is standing firm. While he believes letting all political ads run without review is the best way to support America’s democratic process, the deeper question of how to find an appropriate balance between free speech and censorship will continue to underscore every post, comment, advertisement, video and story on social media, and will undoubtedly shape politics in America and beyond for years to come. From Bay Area bloggers to presidential candidates, people around the country — even the world — are struggling with how to weigh the hunger for free expression against the importance of ensuring accuracy. Facebook’s decision has left many grappling with the fundamental question: Who, if anyone, should regulate and take responsibility for suspect content? “It’s definitely not the government’s job, and it’s also not the job of the person who posted it,” junior Rohin Ghosh said. “I don’t think it’s (the company’s) job either.”
“To me it’s braindead obvious that they’re publications, and they should be treated as such,” Lashinsky said. “That would put the burden of publishing and (assumption) of both First Amendment rights and responsibilities.” Lashinsky acknowledged that if Facebook adhered to journalistic standards, it would face huge challenges. “If Facebook was regulated the way Fortune or CBS was regulated, it would be devastating to Facebook’s business,” Lashinsky said. “But Face-
housing the advertisement. To combat this, Eshoo said she has considered proposing changes to the Communications Decency Act but fears it would be detrimental to smaller companies. “While I’m open to amending Section 230, I do worry that many existing proposals would be costly to startups and would chill speech more than curbing problematic content,” Eshoo said. The power granted to companies by Section 230 showcases the inevitable trade-offs between freedom of speech and accuracy. With freedom of speech comes the danger of misinformation; with a full commitment to accuracy comes the danger of silencing selected voices, even without just cause. The two ideals cannot coexist. Zuckerberg wants no part of deciding which voices should be heard, saying Americans must hear them all. Yet Facebook recognizes the delicacy of the issue and has taken various steps to increase “transparency” of its political ads, including requiring disclosure of the sponsor of ads, which it says should halt foreign interference, and archiving all political ads. Even still, some Facebook employees don’t think the company has gone far enough in monitoring political ads. In October 2019, shortly after Zuckerberg’s Georgetown speech, hundreds of Facebook employees signed a letter addressed to Zuckerberg criticizing Facebook for allowing unregulated political advertising on the platform. The employees told Zuckerberg that they had concerns about the apparent regression in online integrity evident in his beliefs. “Misinformation affects us all,” wrote the employees. “Our current policies on fact checking people in political office, or those running for office, are a threat to what FB (Facebook) stands for.” The employees felt that Zuckerberg’s decision exploits the trust people have put in Facebook. “We strongly object to this policy as it stands,” they wrote. “It doesn’t protect voices, but instead allows politicians to weaponize our platform by targeting people who believe that content posted by political figures is trustworthy.” Facebook employee Bruce Arthur, who works as an engineering manager at Facebook-owned WhatsApp and whose views are his own, not the company’s, believes Facebook should check the accuracy of political ads. “I think it would be great if there was some way to indicate the truth of various ads,” Arthur said. According to Arthur, Facebook is uniquely positioned to influence people’s minds through false advertising because unlike broadcasters, there is no liability for untruths. “It is odd that Facebook is a news space where it reaches in fact more people than traditional broadcasting but isn’t covered by the same factchecking customs,” Arthur said. An employee of a Bay Area tech
“Silicon Valley has done aaaa well not because it was tied down by aaaaaaa regulations. I believe we have to let innovation aaaa happen.”
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE Long before Facebook, and certainly long before Facebook had 2.37 billion global users, the issue of accuracy in media was already contentious. Decades ago, Congress and the courts addressed the importance of accuracy in ways that regulated broadcasters’ fairness and held news outlets liable for false and defamatory content. Today, some believe that same thinking should apply to social media. Fortune Executive Editor Adam Lashinsky is among them. He believes that social media platforms act as publications and therefore ought to be legally considered as one and assume responsibility for the content on their forums. Currently, social media companies are treated more as a newsstand, which are not held responsible for the information found there.
Rishi Kumar book is devastating to my business. (Facebook) doesn’t want to be censors, but we need a better solution than what they’re doing.” Whereas Lashinsky believes that in an ideal world all social media companies would be liable for the content they host, Saratoga City Councilman Rishi Kumar has no interest in placing any constraints on social media companies. “Silicon Valley has done well not because it was tied down by regulations,” Kumar said. “I believe we have to let innovation happen. But social responsibility is something that needs to be part of the innovation culture.” Even though it has been shown that prior to the 2016 presidential election a Russian agency flooded Facebook with ads, some of them false or misleading, on politically sensitive topics, U.S. officials don’t see a clear path to stopping a possible repeat this year. According to U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who represents Palo Alto, social media companies are currently not liable for the accuracy of the majority of the content posted on their platform, having been protected by a small section of the 1996 legislation that treats them like intermediaries, not publishers. “As a legal matter, social media companies and other tech platforms are generally not liable for most of the speech of their users because of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which many call the most important law protecting internet speech,” Eshoo said in an interview with The Campanile. “Currently, this immunity extends to political ads, recommendation algorithms and deciding which creators are monetized.” Because of the protection granted by the Communications Decency Act, platforms are able to run advertisements with potentially false information, as they argue they are simply
giant who agreed to be interviewed if his name and company were kept anonymous due to fear of employer reprisal agrees that social media is a field which ought to be governed in some way, yet he, like just about everyone else, doesn’t have a clear notion of how the territory is uncharted. “(Regulation) is something that every society has to decide on,” he said. “When you have these private corporations recreating some sort of public forum on their websites, you’re presented with a situation that we haven’t had in the past in human society.” He suggests that regulation should correlate to the popularity of the platform. “When these online forums become universal, it seems like maybe we need to (regulate them) because in order for the government to assert an individual’s right of expression they can’t say, ‘Oh, hey, you can go around and talk to people,’” he said. “It’s, ‘Oh, you need to be on this forum,’ if you can’t do it on this forum, then basically you can’t do it at all, and you’re excluded. It’s the ubiquity of the forum.” Eshoo agrees that some sort of regulation is necessary when social media platforms blunder. “The government certainly has a role in preventing these kinds of harms when companies fail to do so,” Eshoo said. She thinks that in situations where, for instance, content is misleading or triggering for its audience, government intervention is necessary. “I’m extremely troubled by some of the online content today,” Eshoo said. “The anti-vaxxer movement is worsening a public health crisis; vulnerable individuals are being radicalized by extremists and deep fakes are distorting our sense of what’s true and what the facts are.” Indeed, most social media companies, Facebook included, now employ thousands of people to screen content for violence, hate, pornography and other offensive content outside of paid advertisements. Eshoo said that regulating social media can also be made difficult because of the First Amendment. “Legislating in this area is particularly difficult,” Eshoo said. “Because a law forcing companies to remove certain kinds of content could violate the First Amendment.” Kumar, who hopes to unseat Eshoo and win her congressional spot, shares his opponent’s concern for the First Amendment and its role in letting all viewpoints be expressed. “I am a firm believer in free speech,” Kumar said. “And I think that the internet ought to be a place where citizens can speak without fear.” Still, Kumar believes social media companies should take some responsibility for their decisions. “We need to create accountability in our system,” Kumar said. “Social media is a powerful tool of today and it behooves the providers of this platform to iron out any kinks to ensure the tool is not misused or manipulated.” With so much uncertainty about what corporations or the government might do to enforce accuracy, much of the responsibility of discerning what’s accurate and what’s not falls to individuals and the choices they make — if they can — in what they view. Arthur, the engineering manager at WhatsApp , believes some responsibility for falsehoods or censorship lies with the individual, and not the company. Arthur said potentially untrue WhatsApp forwards can be just as harmful as false political ads on Facebook, but he sees an important distinction between the two. “(WhatsApp forwards) are messages targeted to a group,” Arthur said. “And, in general, people
Art by
Jace Purc & Kiana Tav
Text & Design by Jace Purcell, Kris Risano & Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
SPOTLIGHT
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sorship Landscape choose to join groups; sometimes they get added by other people and aren’t happy about it. But in general to be in the groups, they are signed up for the information. I mean, ads are targeting people who may or may not be interested in this stuff. It’s a little different.” Junior and Tech for Good club president Jonny Pei agrees with Arthur on the important distinction between having the ability to choose to view content — or not. “If you look on a social media like Reddit, you can follow a certain forum to look at the content, and if the content includes some stuff that you do not want to see, you can just click unsubscribe,” Pei said. “But it’s not the same as advertisements, because you can’t opt out of those.” In part because of the difference between a person choosing to view a post or being forced to, Pei said social media posts should not be censored. From his perspective, only advertisements should be screened. “Advertisements are seen by people who don’t want to see them,” Pei said, “Whereas content, you have to follow it. In that situation, I think only advertisements should be screened.” In response to this type of reasoning, Facebook recently announced that it plans to allow users to choose to some extent what types of political advertisements they view. Unlike Google, however, it will not limit microtargeting of political ads, which campaigns use to reach narrow groups of voters. “We have based ours on the principle that people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that what they say should be scrutinized and debated in public,” Rob Leathern, director of product management at Facebook, said in a recent corporate post. Facebook’s evolving policies, like those of all social media companies, are a work in progress that will require flexibility. “The line between censorship and free speech has to be a conversation,” the anonymous employee said. “Because no matter if we come up with any rule, if we said, ‘Hey, this is the rule for what you’re allowed to say,’ this rule is not going to reflect reality; it’s just a rule. It’s going to become detached from the way that people actually live, and there are cases where that rule is going to be justified, and there’s going to be cases where it’s an injustice.” While big tech companies and politicians are struggling with defining the line between censorship and free speech, the ones feeling the drawbacks of their deliberations can oftentimes be teenagers.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE Social media influencer Eve Donnelly hangs her head in frustration as she finds out yet another one of her viral Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response Instagram posts has been taken down. Resigned to the fact that restoration of the post is unlikely, she prepares for potential repercussions of a censored post, including loss of income or followers. Although social media censorship or lack thereof has become infamous for influencing nationwide issues such as helping decide elections, its impact can be felt locally by Bay Area teenagers. Donnelly, a former Paly student with over 300,000 followers on Instagram, is just one of these teenagers and has had many of her ASMR videos censored by the platform, for reasons she believes are unjust. In her videos, Donnelly eats inedible household objects such as deodorant in order to produce noises that some find calming. Donnelly said her posts are usually taken down automatically because some of her fol-
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lowers reported her ASMR videos for containing threats of violence or encouraging suicide, which she did not at all intend. “If enough people report it, they’ll just take it down,” Donnelly said of Instagram. “It doesn’t even really matter what it is they don’t really like.” Instagram and Facebook did not respond to The Campanile’s request for comment. Like Donnelly, popular Bay Area Instagram meme page SiliconValleyProbs faced a deleted post because of reports that it too contained violence and suicide. SiliconValleyProbs’ administrator would only agree to an interview if she were not identified because of her desire to not be associated with her meme page. “(The post) was believed to be involved with suicide or violence,” she said. “It was a post about the weather changing and dressing for cold weather.” While the administrator of SiliconValleyProbs said that the meme was not explicitly violent, she acknowledged that the post contained an image of a gun, sparking a brouhaha which culminated in the post’s removal. Similarly to how Donnelly and other content creators have struggled to get content restored, SiliconValleyProbs’ admin was forced to find another solution. “We reposted the meme reported for suicide but we changed the template to not include a gun,” she said. “I think it’s fair to want to stay away from violence.” SiliconValleyProbs’ admin has an ambivalent attitude towards censorship. “I think censorship is generally not great,” she said. “But when it’s an attempt to make a safer overall app, it’s beneficial.” Donnelly also conceded that some of her posts may have deserved censorship. But she said the reports of her posts being too violent eventually led to not only her main account being deleted by Instagram multiple times, but also her personal one, despite only containing innocuous content. “I have a personal account where I just post photos of me,” Donnelly said. Her followers “reported that account so many times that it just got taken down, even though it’s literally just photos of me. There’s nothing, you know (violent or suicide-related), but enough people report(ed) it.” Although Donnelly expressed frustration over Instagram’s removal of her posts, Pei recognizes all information posted to a social media platform is done so at the company’s prerogative. “I think at the end of the day, the company should be monitoring (content on their platforms) because they’re the ones that are setting the regulations for their own services and website,” Pei said. “And they’re the ones that are ultimately allowing this information to be posted online. So naturally, it’s the responsibility of the companies themselves.” Pei said a certain level of screening of content is necessary, especially because many teenagers frequent social media websites. “We are still pretty young, and since our brains aren’t fully developed, we can be easily influenced and even manipulated by social media such as fake news and influencers,” Pei said. Donnelly wanted her posts reinstated on Instagram and went through
several debacles in order to do so, but was ultimately unsuccessful. According to Donnelly, although she was able to restore her accounts after deletion, 90% of her content was gone. “The only way that I was able to get (my accounts) up is by working with people from Facebook that I have connections to,” she said. “(Someone I know) works at Facebook and she files appeals for me. (Because she works there), they actually looked at them and they actually went through.” Donnelly said she is especially frustrated with Instagram’s help department. “You don’t get a say,” Donnelly said. “Reporting stuff to Instagram help is like screaming into a black hole.”
THE FUTURE Amid Facebook’s controversial decision to continue allowing potentially false advertisements on its platform, it does not appear that this issue will disappear from public discourse anytime soon. However, with companies like Twitter making noticeable policy changes regarding content veracity, many hope false advertisements will eventually recede from the social media community but remain wary of potential misinformation that exists online. Although Facebook is maintaining its stance on not fact-checking political ads leading up to the November election, others continue to offer alternatives. “I would want a process for identifying claims that look false,” Arthur said. “I don’t necessarily want to stop them, but I would want to flag them to say that this isn’t necessarily true or it’s flat-out
pany off the hook — it aims to avoid being attacked for unfair policing by political groups on both the right and the left. The determination of accuracy would rest with the ad creators and the ad readers. “We think people should be able to see for themselves what politicians are saying,” Zuckerberg said at Georgetown as he explained his reluctance to screen political ads. “As a principle, in a democracy, I believe people should decide what is credible, not tech companies.’’ Even as the debate continues in the United States, Facebook and other social media companies will face even more challenges overseas as they continue to grow exponentially and expand their global reach. The challenges in lesser-developed countries, where residents are not exposed to sophisticated debates about accuracy, will be especially large, Arthur believes. He is concerned many of these non-U.S. residents may have difficulty understanding some of the content posted on social media because of different cultures and fears that less affluent users may employ social media as their only form of news, which could lead new users to feel overwhelmed. “Some (potential new users) are marginal with reading. Some of them are going to be accessing devices and, you know, $5 phones,” Arthur said. “And you know that that’s going to be their version of the Internet.” Already, it’s clear that different societies view the internet in different ways. Jennifer Pan, an assistant professor of Communications at Stanford University who studies censorship in the United States and China, notes government regulation in China differs drastically from that in the United States. “In China, (social media companies) receive directives from the government telling them what to censor,” Pan said. “China’s much more oriented around removing content related to discussions offline real world protests.” While in the United States companies still have most of the power regulating information on their websites, and in China the government has authoritarian control over social media, Japan has had yet another approach. In Japan, there’s a history of limiting campaign spending on media; political ads paid for by candidates are banned on TV. If countries around the world begin seeing the expected spike in users predicted by Arthur, then they will be faced with the decision of whether they will approach the issue like the United States, China or Japan — or yet another model of their own making. No matter what the practices are in a country today, the social media and political landscapes are so fast-moving in the 21st century that nothing is more constant than change. And so no matter how defiantly Zuckerberg defends his company’s embrace of free expression today, tomorrow could be different. “If Facebook saw that the public is susceptible to fake news, Facebook would definitely have to add some sort of censorship methods,” Pei said. “At this point I do not think Facebook will do much about it.” From the everyday student to the president of the United States, all people have come to rely on social media in their everyday life. However, all the time it saves and the efficiency it brings is mirrored in magnitude by the misinformation misleading the people and plaguing the democracy.
“You aaaa don't get a say, reporting aaaa stuff to aaaaaaaaa Instagram help is like screaming aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa into a black hole.”
Eve Donnelly false. It lets people say what they want but points users to further investigate.” But Arthur acknowledges fact-checking ads is difficult because many claims are not black and white. “Some political ads may be obviously false, you can say 2 + 2 is 5 that is a clearly false statement, but most of the ads are grandiose or misleading, ‘A vote for me will help the economy’ that’s not provably true or false,” Arthur said. “You wouldn’t want to stop people from saying that because you want voters to see that and choose for themselves.” Many people believe the problem doesn’t lie within the companies and neither does the solution. Instead, it is up to each user to distinguish truthful information themselves and not rely on Facebook, becoming in essence their own researchers and arbiters. In a sense, Facebook agrees. It lets the com-
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
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Awareness of irrational purchasing habits grows among students
Teenagers contemplate, confront excessive spending habits developed through years of living fortunate lifestyle By Krista Robins
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Staff Writer
he spring collection, the delicious complexity of a Philz coffee Philharmonic, the newest Nike Air Force 1 shoe collab. Will it make students’ pockets run dry? Is it essential? Whatever the answer may be, nothing can stop the spread of sweet sweet consumerism. Irrational spending habits are apparent throughout the study body Junior Kendall Toland is no stranger to the world of impulsive retail consumerism, her niche being online shopping. “I will admit, I buy a lot of clothes online,” Toland said. “The idea of keeping up with what’s in fashion has become ingrained within all of us due to rapid consumer culture.”
“It is helpful to identify ways in which the student can keep in contact with their siblings when they’re away, whether by phone, email or social media.” Katherine Minutillo Yet, according to Toland, there can be major negative implications whilst engaging in online purchasing. “You begin to lose track of what you have bought and how much you are spending,” Toland said. “Because there is no physical trade of cash for clothes, I sometimes underestimate how much I am truly spending, it can be shocking sometimes.” Despite being an avid consumer of clothes, Toland said it’s important to acknowledge the implication of her choices. With fast fashion pumping out new styles by the minute, she often makes a conscious effort to pick clothing that appeals to her and isn't just the latest trend. Fast fashion is often a result of irrational spending, according to Toland. The idea is to get clothes from the runway to consumers in the fastest way possible. These clothes are of-
ART BY SLOAN WUTTKE
ten not kept for long and their production is horrible for the environment. “I work two jobs, one in retail,” Toland said. “I am making the money that I spend because it’s mine and not my parents I can keep track of how much I spend and where my money is going.”
“It is safe to say I have a coffee addiction, but not just any coffee — the one and only Philz.” Alli Miller As students begin to enter their late teens, they start spending more, according to
junior Alli Miller. With Town & Country Village merely 300 feet away from Paly campus and Stanford Shopping Center mall right around the corner, it can be difficult to avoid the powerful lure of consumerism. Whether it be a daily latte, an overpriced salad or an Urban Outfitters assemblage of new Champion hoodies, a price tag follows wherever you go. Miller is a self-proclaimed coffee fanatic, and consumes about three cups a day, two of which are usually from Palo Alto cult favorite Philz Coffee. “It is safe to say I have a coffee addiction, but not just any coffee — the one and only Philz,” Miller said. “I wake up every morning before school to get my daily dose.” According to Miller, the
issue with buying coffee so often is that while it may initially seem like a cheap commodity, the price really adds up over time.
“Making informed decisions is half the battle. Say if a student were to get boba or coffee every day for a year, that could be $1,000.” Daniel Nguyen “My parents eventually realized I was spending far too much money on coffee, Miller said. "Once I hit $900 in three
months, I had a wake up call.” “My addiction became very clear after realizing how much money I was spending,” Miller said. “It’s very easy to lose track of your spending habit, especially when it’s something like coffee, in the moment the price seems reasonable, over the long hall it’s pretty detrimental to your budget.” Paly math teacher Daniel Nguyen weighed in on the implication of spending copious amounts of money on consumer products. “Students' spending habits only begin to become problematic when students don't realize and understand what their spending means,” Nguyen said. “Making informed spending decisions is half the battle. Say if a student were to get boba or coffee every day for a year, that could be over $1000.”
According to Nguyen, the root of this tendency to spend large sums of money can be traced to the idea of trying to keep up with friends, whether it be to seem cool or remain relevant.
“Once I hit $900 in three months, I had a wakeup call.” Alli Miller “There is a saying, ‘keeping up with the Joneses,’ the idea of constantly comparing yourself to your neighbor or peers,” Nguyen said. “This idea can get in the way of people saving money for various parts of their life, such as retirement, buying a house, saving money for a rainy day.”
Working part-time jobs as high schoolers presents pros, cons
By joining work force, teenagers gain experience in time management, balancing studies, managing healthy lifestyle By Matthew Ho Staff Writer
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s the school day ends, Jaron Majors, a current Paly sophomore, makes his way through town to a small Peet’s Coffee shop in Charleston Shopping Center. There, Majors spends many hours after school working as a cashier to earn extra money and experience.
“Sometimes the reward of a job goes far past the pay check.” Sophia Cummings With school only taking up a portion of the day, finding fufilling activities to fill up spare time for a Paly student is not easy, but it can be difficult to find an extracurricular that is useful. Students have a wide variety of activities to choose from, including playing sports, participating in clubs, volunteering or spending extra time studying to ace an upcoming test. However, an option that not many students choose are part-time jobs.
“I didn’t really want to get this job at first it sounded like alot but I thought it could teach me a lot and it might be good to start eaarning money.” Jaron Majors A small section of Paly’s population have part-time jobs, but many students don’t realize the benefits. According to Majors, not only does working a part-time job provide real-life
experience that other activities cannot, but it also allows you to earn some money. Majors currently works 8-10 hours a week at Peet’s Coffee. While Majors said he was initially hesitant to work a parttime job, he decided it would ultimately be beneficial. “I didn’t really want to get this job at first, it sounded like a lot,” Majors said. “But I thought that it could teach me a lot and it might be good to start earning money. At some point I’ll need it for college or other savings.” With an endless range of part-time jobs that can help students gain valuable amount of experience, part-time jobs are heavily underrated. Students can choose all sorts of jobs. From making boba to working at a retail job, the categories are endless. Regardless of what type of job someone may choose, any part-time job for a highschool student can teach one a lot.
“It’s annoying having to go to work on weekends or after school because it takes time away from hanging out.” Sophia Cummings According to Majors, working a part-time job helps prepare students for real jobs by giving them the opportunity to adapt to the work atmosphere, as well as teaching students how to balance their time between studies, social life and work. “This job allows me to take more responsibility for myself,” Majors said. “Not only do I depend on my money now, but I also have to plan out each week: what time I can do homework, what time can I work and what time do I have soccer practice.” Additionally, sophomore Sophia Cummings who works at
MATHEW HO/THE CAMPANILE
Taking orders! Jaron Majors, a current sophomore, spends his extra hours working at Peet’s Coffee in the Charleston Shopping Center. From his job, Majors not only earns an income, but he also gains a lot of valueable experience and meets many new people. “I made a lot of new friends working here," Majors said. "Many of them are older than me so I can ask them any questions or get advice.” Winter Lodge both agree that working is a good way to meet new people and have fun, as a part-time job creates opportunities to develop new friendships. “I made a lot of new friends working,” Majors said. “Many of them are in years above so I can ask them any questions or get advice.” Cummings agreed with the sentiment. “It’s really fun working here with the friends I’ve made, they are like family to me," Cummings said. According to Cummings’ although, it is difficult for some students to balance working and
keeping up with school work, this is one reason why having a part-time job is so beneficial. Having an activity to focus on can alleviate stress by taking your mind away from school and having a break while doing something beneficial." Although part-time jobs have all these benefits, it also has its consequences. According to Cummings, many students react to the thought of having a parttime job with discomfort. The thought of having more work outside of school creates a stressful atmosphere. Having to apply, possibly be interviewed and maybe not
even get the job is a significant amount of work for a student with an already packed agenda.
“Having a job takes a lot of time and energy.” Sophia Cummings Additionally, for some students, a part-time job requires long, boring shifts that suck out hours of their week.
“Having a job takes a lot of time and energy out of my week,” Cummings said. “It’s annoying having to go to work on weekends or after school because it takes time away from hanging out with friends as well as doing school work.” All in all, Cummings says the most important part is finding the right job for oneself. It is more about finding a job that can provide the experience, bonds and memories a student can make that makes will make it unforgettable. Cummings said, “Sometimes the reward of a job goes far past the pay check.”
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
B7
SCIENCE & TECH
New drivers depend on car technology Apple clashes with Backup cameras, automatic transmission, GPS lead to lower accident rates FBI on privacy rights By Zack Silver
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Staff Writer
ho can access your cell phone? Right now, it’s just you — even the manufacturer cannot unlock it. But that’s subject to change, especially as many people in the federal government are pushing for access to devices. Despite requests from U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Apple has refused to unlock a mass shooter’s iPhone, heating up the debate between digital privacy activists and law enforcement.
“Since the founding of the nation, we have had a conflict between liberty and security. The more you have of one, the less you have of the other.” Jack Bungarden
BRADEN LEUNG/THE CAMPANILE
Sophomore Ben Antonow backs out of a parking lot space at Paly. His 2017 Subaru Impreza is equipped with both a backup camera and mirror blindspot detectors. These features, among others, are now relied heavily on by new drivers. Antonow said, “I’m really grateful for it.”
By Braden Leung Staff Writer
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n 2019, around 26,730 people died from motor vehicle accidents. The majority of these were related to human error, according to the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. To combat this, in the last few decades, automotive technology has made multiple wheel revolutions forward.
“(New drivers) don’t know the proper technique for backing up, so they rely on the cameras too much. So what happens when the camera goes bad? Yeah, they’re going to figure it out, but they’re not going to be very good at it.” Doyle Knight Companies have developed rear-view cameras, blind-spot monitors and emergency brake assist, which are just a few examples of new safety devices. Over the past few years, these devices have been standardized in motor vehicles. Nearly 100 years ago, the automatic transmission was invented. It slowly made its way into more and more vehicles, freeing drivers from the struggle of shifting gears manually. Today, the vast majority of drivers depend on auto-transmission technology. Despite this, auto teacher Doyle Knight said he drives older cars without new features, as he
believes they make some drivers rely on their cars and not think for themselves.
“I think (the technology) can help them, but also hinder them.” Doyle Knight
“I think (the technology) can help them, but also hinder them,” Knight said. The rear-view camera, or backup camera, is a form of car technology that has been around since 1956, but in May 2018, it finally became standard for all cars according to the NHTSA. It allows drivers to view where the car is backing into, without having to actually turn their head and look behind them. These are designed to prevent “back-over” incidents when a backing vehicle hits a person or other car, but they may come with more problems.
“It lets you be a little mentally lazy and doesn’t show you everything you need to see, but it feels like enough. It lets you be a little less careful when backing out.” Kai Douglas “(New drivers) don’t know the proper technique for backing up, so they rely on the cameras too much,” Knight said. “So what happens if the camera goes bad? Yeah, they’re going to figure it out, but they’re not going to be very good at it.” Senior Kai Douglas drives
both a minivan and Prius, but said the Prius is easier to drive because of the cameras. According to the NHTSA, in 2008, when backup cameras were being sold in only 32% of cars, there were 13,000 injuries annually from back-over incidents. But three years later, when backup cameras were sold in 68% of new cars, the injury rate went down 8%, to 12,000.
“(Google Maps) is so useful. It always can get me from point A to point B without much of a hassle.” Ben Antonow “It (back-up camera) lets you be a little mentally lazy and doesn’t show you everything you need to see, but it feels like enough,” Douglas said. “It lets you be a little less careful when backing out, like not turning your head or things like that.” More recently, the blind spot monitor has emerged as a safety measure in many new car designs. Positioned on the side-view mirror, the detectors light up when they sense a car in their blind spot. Drivers can see if there is a car in their blind spot without looking behind him. Sophomore Ben Antonow, a new driver this year, said he utilizes the cameras on his 2017 Subaru Impreza frequently. “It’s something that really helps me,” Antonow said, “Especially when it’s dark, I don’t know how I’d drive without them.” Just like backup cameras, blind spot detectors let drivers rely on technology instead of their abilities. Another driving feature is
Google Maps, a web mapping system that plans routes for both drivers and pedestrians. It uses aerial photography, satellite imagery, street maps and real-time traffic conditions to plan the quickest route of travel. According to Mobile Marketer, Google Maps is the #1 navigation app, and six times more popular than any other navigation app. “It is so useful; it always can get me from point A to point B without much of a hassle,” Antonow said. Another convenient feature it shows is the arrival time. “When I was picking my kids up from school, I was in traffic and didn’t know what time I would get there to pick them up,” Knight said. “With Google maps I know it’s two minutes, it’s three minutes, so you know it’s not as stressful.” While car technology may cause drivers to be careless in some situations, there is no doubt it is still useful.
“(Backup cameras are) something that really (help) me. Especially when it’s dark, I don’t know how I’d drive without them.” Ben Antonow
“Not all drivers are good drivers, so it can be really helpful,” Knight said. Just like the introduction of automatic transmission a century ago, newer safety features have embedded themselves in automotive sales and in the coming decade, we should be prepared for many more.
On Dec. 6, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi Arabian Air Force recruit training in the U.S., opened fire at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida, killing three and wounding eight, before being killed by local police at the scene. Two days later, the FBI announced that it was treating the case as a presumed terrorist attack, and opened an investigation. According to Politico News, in an effort to determine the shooter's motive and find out if he was working alone, investigators obtained a warrant to examine data on the shooter’s phone, and asked Apple to unlock it. Apple refused. Paly history teacher Jack Bungarden said that this case is part of a larger issue. “Since the founding of the nation, we have had a conflict between liberty and security,” Bungarden said. “The more you have of one, the less you have of the other.” Barr argues that in this case, security is more important. In a press conference on Jan. 16, he pressured Apple to comply with the warrant. “This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that the public be able to get access to digital evidence once it has obtained a court order based on probable cause,” Barr said. “We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of American people and prevent future attacks."
“A backdoor into a phone is just a security vulnerability. If law enforcement in the U.S. can use it, then hackers and nation-states like China will be able to access it.” Riana Pfefferkorn Policy set by former President Bill Clinton’s Administration in 1999 allows phone companies to create uncrackable encryption:
security without backdoors, accessible only by the user. In 2014, Apple released the iPhone 6 and began utilizing this law, creating encryption that even Apple cannot break. Despite this, Barr said he believes that Apple can create software that sidesteps the limits on password attempts, thereby enabling the FBI to guess Alshamrani’s password. Several Paly students sympathize with the attorney general, citing public safety. “While there is a privacy concern, it is more important for the government to be able to catch people and stop shootings from occurring,” sophomore Neil Rathi said. However, in accordance with its policy of total privacy for its customers, Apple refused the request. In a memo to company employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended this stance, emphasizing the importance of privacy and security. “This case is about much more than a single phone or a single investigation,” Cook said in the memo. “At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.” Proponents of Apple’s refusal to open phones argue that backdoors made for authorities can be exploited by other groups. One such proponent is Riana Pfefferkorn, Stanford Law School associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity.
“While there is a privacy concern, it is more important for the government to be able to catch people and stop shootings from occurring.” Neil Rathi “A backdoor into a phone is just a security vulnerability,” Pfefferkorn said. “If law enforcement in the U.S. can use it, than hackers and nation-states like China will be able to access it, and they will be able to collect any information they want.” Sophomore Stefan Batory similarly expressed concern over the possibility of a backdoor into his phone. “I would feel very insecure if Apple had a backdoor into my phone,” Batory said. Access to digital information can help law enforcement agencies stop terrorist attacks or other internet-based crimes like hacking or distribution of child pornography, said then-FBI Director James Comey in a 2014 press conference. But, according to Pfefferkorn, it comes at a cost to personal privacy. The relative importance of national security and personal data security has been under debate since the beginning of the Internet. But as the world’s largest tech company clashes with the federal government, the future of data encryption and online privacy may be determined in the coming weeks.
Graphing calculators become universal tools in classrooms
Use of modern graphing calculators, similar systems such as Desmos increase accessibility to math exploration activities By Kai Vetteth
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Online Editor
n many Paly math classes, the sound of graphite scratching against the paper has been largely replaced by the clicking of keys on a graphing calculator. In recent decades, the device’s invention spurred further innovation, leading to the creation of new software that has dramatically altered the nature of math instruction. According to Paly math teacher Arne Lim, the Texas Instrument brand of calculators, which he estimates 95% of Paly students use, has long been ubiquitous. “TI does not have a corner on the market, yet they were first to market their ‘friendliness’ back in the late 1980s,” Lim said. “It worked.” Senior Lucas Pan said classes have since integrated graphing calculators into the curriculum to great effect. “The technological advancement in graphing calculators definitely has an effect on math
courses that require graphing calculators, especially AP (Advanced Placement) Statistics,” Pan said. “I recall my stats teacher spending large portions of her lectures on computing data with graphing calculators.”
“If one were to think about it, there really hasn’t been much change in thinking about improvements in quite a few years.” Arne Lim Lim said that as the thentechnologically advanced graphing calculators surged in popularity, AP tests administered by the College Board also had to adapt. “Only since 1993 have the AP Calculus tests allowed the graphing calculator, and back then the cat's meow was the TI-82,” Lim said. “The TI-83 came out in the
mid-1990s. So, if one were to think about it, there really hasn't been much change in thinking about improvements in quite a few years.” According to Lim, another technological advancement that enhances the learning experience is Desmos, a free-to-use website developed in 2011 with features that are similar to graphing calculators. “Being able to project on a big screen helps a lot,” Lim said. “(It’s) easier for students to use, too.” Lim said Gunn encourages their students to use graphing calculators more, and generally incorporates more technology into classroom instruction and activities. According to David Deggeller, a teacher and instructional leader for the Gunn math department, new technology has played a significant role in making math more accessible, relevant and engaging for their students. “Desmos has been an absolute game changer,” Deggeller said. “It has literally changed the way I can teach.”
Deggeller said this paradigm shift has affected other teachers as well.
“Desmos has been an absolute game-changer. It has literally changed the way I can teach.” David Deggeller “It is very common for teachers to students to take out their device for a pre-designed exploration, often on Desmos,” Deggeller said. “I personally try to balance the ease (and) beauty of Desmos with the necessity of the TI calculator — you need it on the AP test — so I will often do explorations (and) discovery lessons using Desmos and actually solve example problems using TIs.” Deggeller also said that about 90% of Gunn students own their own graphing calculators, with roughly half using the newest TINSpire model. He said software like Desmos which is easily acces-
sible largely ameliorated problems caused by the high cost of graphing calculators, which can sell for more than $159. “Because we have so many calculators to loan out during the class period, (and) the fact that our college prep lane is using Desmos much more, (accessibility) is much less of a problem,” Degeller said. “We generally only loan out two or three calculators a year to students who have financial hardships.” Gunn senior Chris Liao, who has used Desmos and graphing calculators in classes like AP Statistics and AP Calculus BC, said he believes that the increased integration of technology in math classrooms is a double-edged sword. “I personally believe that, especially for activities or learners that require (or) enjoy visualizations, technology is definitely a big bonus,” Liao said. “Sometimes, there are other technological tools that could be used that I personally think are superior — Google Sheets versus calculators for statistical calculations
and visualizations — and it’s also true that sometimes, technology can be a distraction. I have a few friends who even have installed games like Pac-Man onto their NSpires.”
“I personally believe that, especially for activities or learners that require (or) enjoy visualizations, technology is definitely a big bonus.” Chris Liao Liao said he believes that although graphing calculators and Desmos both introduce new problems into the classroom, their benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Liao said, “Overall though, I feel that technology is incorporated pretty well into the Gunn math curriculum and I feel like the balance between practice on paper and technology is quite excellent.”
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
SCIENCE & TECH
A New Decade of Tech Text & Design by Ajay Venkatraman
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rom foldable electronics to customized sound, 2020 already boasts a great deal of forthcoming technological achievements and advancements. The Consumer Electronics Show at the start of each year provides a look into some of the new technology for the coming months, and this year was no different. All of the products listed in this article have already been announced or released even before the first month of the year has ended. Several other products, including Sony’s Playstation 5, have also been revealed as well. Even more innovative products are bound to be released in the near future.
o O
ne of the largest reveals at this year’s conference was that Lenovo, a Chinese tech company, plans to release the world’s first laptop with a foldable screen. The idea of devices with a single, foldable screen has been in the works for years, and such technology has been highly anticipated ever since Samsung released its foldable phone last year. It is fairly likely that foldable
devices will be the next big thing in the industry of consumer electronics. Lenovo’s computer, called the ThinkPad X1 Fold, features one long screen that folds in the middle. The bottom screen can pull up a keyboard like a normal computer, but can also function as an extension to the main screen. Sophomore Tommy Zeng said he is excited about the prospects of this new technology.
“The technology is innovative and will help usher in a new generation of computers,” Zeng said. This laptop is set to release mid-2020 and will retail for $2,499. Its price is on the higher end, but the unique product may prove to be worth the money.
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nother big reveal at CES was Quibi, an upcoming online streaming service that promises a professional-quality alternative to platforms like Youtube, featuring talent from Hollywood. Quibi is proposed by film producer Jeffery Katzenberg and business executive
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early three years ago, Australian startup Nura released its ground-breaking customized sound headphones: the Nuraphone. This March, the company will be releasing its more portable and discreet Nuraloop earbuds. These earbuds measure the noise that ricochets off the user’s ears when hearing a sound in order to determine the extent and unique shape of their hearing. Using this measure-
ment, they can then readjust the volume of certain parts of the music in order to provide perfectly balanced audio to the wearer. “(The earbuds) will allow users to hear music the way the artist intended it,” said Dragan Petrovic, the company’s co-founder and CEO. They will feature both wired and wireless functionality and boast even better active noise-canceling technology than their preceding Nuraphones. They will
II
nternational tech company Netgear has released several products that will help improve WiFi connectivity in household use and otherwise. For example, their recently released Nighthawk Gaming router
Meg Whitman. The content on the platform comes in the form of “bite-sized” videos, which are set to feature top Hollywood talent and famous figures including Idris Elba, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber and Stephen Curry. The app, which is set to launch in April of 2020, will cost users $4.99 each month. Katzenberg and Whitman believe that the quality of the content released on the app justifies the price point.
retail for $299 and will ship in March to those who pre-order it. Petrovic also foresees customized audio becoming standardized in everyday life, even in ways other than headphones, in the next few years.
will allow for improved gaming without latency and feature a slew of features meant specifically to aid gamers. “It’s more powerful and more feature-packed than your typical ISP … (in order) to provide optimized gameplay,” Senior Vice President of Netgear David Henry said. Henry also stated that Netgear’s main goal for
this year will be to focus on “technology transitions,” or moving people from traditional WiFi systems routers to newer technology, like their wireless routers, new WiFi 6 systems — which boast unprecedented network speeds — and Mesh WiFi configurations, allowing users to roam between different smaller routers dispersed throughout an area.
Art & Design by Kaitlyn Lee
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
SPORTS
weighting for change
HOW A MINORITY THRIVES IN THE PALY WEIGHT ROOM
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ne does not typically think of young women when they imagine a weight room — they think of hulking men slamming weights back onto the ground or testosterone-filled teenage boys trying to put on mass. While this image is terrifying to most young women, tides are shifting and some are trying to break that stereotype — and at Paly’s gym, a hidden minority of female weightlif ters is slowly but surely starting to grow. S e n i o r Sofia BlissCarrascosa had been riding horses competitively since she was 8 until the winter of her junior year, when she exchanged neighs for the sound of metal hitting metal and plates sliding onto bars. “I really just wanted to get stronger,” Bliss-Carrascosa said. “I felt like my athletic abilities were very limited, and (I had) a general desire to be more athletic and healthier. I started to give it a try, and I ended up really enjoying it.” After nearly spending a decade in gymnastics, a sport she hated, senior Yael Sarig also decided to take a dive into weightlifting the summer before her sophomore year.
“(Weightlifting) is the only sport I’ve tried that I’ve both really loved and felt I’ve been decently good at,” Sarig said. “(Weightlifting) is a sport where you don’t need to be born, gifted or like a freak of nature to get good at it — you just need to put the work in.” S enior Ella Jones had spent years in the weight room to supplement her myriad of sports — softball, basketball and volleyball — but Jones made the transition to start working primarily in the weight room with barbell lifts to improve her body and health, much like Bliss-Carrascosa. “When you research it online, you’re like, ‘how can I get fitter?’” Jones said. “All the sources say lifting is super important.” While BlissCarrascosa, Sarig and Jones spend hours in the Paly gym reaping the health benefits of resistance training, they also have to fight a different form of resistance outside of the weight room: the huge gender disparity in weightlifting and societal stigma. “I want to make (this) super clear — there are days when I’m the only girl,” Bliss-Carasscosa said. “It’s not unusual for you to walk in and be like ‘Okay, guys. Awesome.’ When you’re a guy and you walk in, it’s perfectly normal to see a beginner guy and all his friends helping him out. But as a girl, it’s so much harder because even if you do go and you do try and you’re trying to learn new things, you
have fewer role models to look up to.” Not only do girls face an absence of other women in the weight room, but some girls also fear that they won’t be attractive to men, according to Jones. “Will guys be scared of me?” Jones said. “What will the guys think if I can lift more than them now? Will they be intimidated by the fact that I’m strong? I’ve seen guys that were like, ‘Oh, she can lift too much, she’s too strong.’” Sarig said she agrees with Jones’ sentiment surrounding dating and social stigma. “There’s a lot of pressure to be liked and to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend and that’s a pressure that I don’t think acts on guys,” Sarig said. “In a relationship, there’s that patriarchal idea — the man is supposed to be the protector, he’s supposed to be the alpha and supposed to be the big strong one that can protect you. I’m in the weight room some days, and I’m confident that I’m probably stronger than some of the guys in there.” However, for Jones and Sarig, the desire to get stronger outweighs the fear of being criticized by others. While some women find weightlifting empowering and use it to build their body to what society currently finds attractive, Jones said it’s easy to be trapped when you’re lifting to be attractive, instead of lifting to improve your health. Over time, Jones has grown to love
“(Weightlifting) is the only sport I’ve tried that I’ve both really loved and felt I’ve been decently good at.”
“I want to make (this) super clear – there are days when I’m the only girl.” SOFIA BLISS-CARRASCOSA
Yael Sarig
47%
OF USA WEIGHTLIFTING MEMBERS ARE WOMEN source: teamusa.org
“Will guys be scared of me? What will the guys think if I can lift more than them now? Will they be intimidated by the fact that I’m strong?” Ella Jones
TEXT & DESIGN BY MAYA RATHORE
Top Paly Sport Moments of the Decade Itís finally 2020 and Palyís student athletes just finished a decade full of great plays. Here are some of the best sports moments of the ë10s — ranging from winning CCS to representing at the Olympics.
JOSHUA CHUA/UNSPLASH
PAGE C4-C5
6,525 FEMALE POWERLIFTERS AS OF 2017 UP FROM 928 in 2011 source: usapowerlifting.org
ART BY TIEN NGUYEN
DESIGN BY GINA BAE SPORTS SPREAD
the jumps in strength she experiences and the difference in how she holds herself. “You can also see progress in your confidence and how you hold yourself and what you feel capable of doing…so (its) addictive and you want to get back to that,” Jones said. Jones also said she noticed an uptick in the number of girls wanting to get into the gym, but she said they’re often too scared to step into the weightroom. “The idea of the more muscular powerful woman is coming out and that’s part of weightlifting, so it’s becoming more acceptable to be like a woman who lifts weights,” Jones said. “Many girls I talked to, they say, ‘Oh, I really want to come with you sometime. That sounds so fun. You should teach me,’ but they’re scared, which is why they’re not there.” Sarig said while having a nice body is certainly a byproduct of getting into weightlifting, the ultimate goal is to get stronger and improve your life. “Bodies have always been a cyclical thing,” Sarig said. “Maybe you start with that narrow feminine body ideology, and you eventually break out of it. But if you don’t want to build your upper body, fine, just get in there and lift.”
Sports
JASON TUINSTRA/UNSPLASH
Sniffing Salt Culture
The dangers and benefits of sniffing salts and other training supplements. PAGE C6
Sports
Sports
TASY5KG/UNSPLASH
Switching Schools for Sports The tale of athletes who sacrificed their school lives to thrive. PAGE C7
DAVID ADAMSON/UNSPLASH
Fantasy Sports
How fantasy sports apps are changing sports fan culture. PAGE C8
Friday, January 31, 2020
C2
SPORTS REPORT
BOYS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES
Paly vs. Milpitas Jan. 22, W, 58-47 Paly @ Los Altos Jan. 24, W, 64-52 Paly vs. Los Gatos Jan. 29, W, 49-35 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly @ Mountain View Feb. 5, 7:00 p.m. Paly vs. Homestead Feb. 7, 7:45 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES
Paly vs. Lynbrook Jan. 21, W, 37-36 Paly @ Los Altos Jan. 24, L, 46-37 Paly vs. Los Gatos Jan. 28, W, 34-29 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly @ Saratoga Feb. 4, 7 p.m. Paly vs. Wilcox Feb. 7, 6:15 p.m. Paly @ Pinewood Feb. 8, TBD.
BOYS SOCCER RECENT SCORES
Paly vs. Homestead Jan. 17, W, 1-0 Paly @ Mountain View Jan. 22, L, 4-0 Paly vs. Los Altos Jan. 24, L, 3-1
The Campanile
SPORTS
Strong start sets boys basketball team for success
Hard work, game prep, practice results in undefeated conference record for boys varsity team By Claire Shimazaki Staff Writer
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oys varsity basketball is looking at an excellent start to the 2019-20 season. This year, they have their eyes set on placing first in the De Anza League. With a score of 9-3 in leagues last season, the team is practicing hard for the championship this year.
“We’re feeling really good right now ... one thing we are doing is a lot more game prep, which is what (LaMere) has been putting a lot of emphasis on, and it’s working really well for us.” Will DeAndre During Paly’s recent game versus Mountain View High School, the teams were tied at halftime, but ended up securing a win with a score of 55-42.
“We had a lot of new players on varsity ... but by practicing every day, we’ve gotten a lot better.” Ryan Purpur “In the end, we had a very satisfying victory,” head coach Jeff LaMere said.
JENNA HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE
Winning streak! Senior Jamir Shepard goes up for a right-handed layup in the boys varsity basketball game against Los Altos. Paly won the game with a score of 64-52. Shepard said, “I felt so proud of my team and of all our hard work throughout the season that paid off.” Senior Will DeAndre said the players are optimistic about the future of the season. “I think we’re improving every day, practice to practice, and game to game,” DeAndre said. “We’re feeling really good right now … one thing we are doing is a lot more game prep, which is what (LaMere) has put a lot of empha-
sis on, and it’s working really well for us.” This year, due to the addition of several new players, the team has had to undergo an adjustment period. “We had a pretty rough start, (because) we had a lot of new players on varsity, so not a lot of experience ... but by practicing ev-
ery day, we’ve gotten a lot better,” senior Ryan Purpur said. Despite these changes, the team is working hard and is ready to play. LaMere has been extremely satisfied with the team’s performance throughout the last few weeks. “The season has gone great,” LaMere said. “The players are
working very hard, we have had intense practices and a difficult schedule ... but they really rose to the challenge. We see a lot of ways to grow as a person through basketball. We face a lot of adversity, and there’s a lot of challenges ... but if we can learn some life lessons through a beautiful game, that’s what makes (it) satisfying.”
Girls soccer aims to increase scoring, qualify for CCS
After season characterized by close games and ties, team looks to work on finishing, winning matches
Paly @ Los Gatos Jan. 29, W, 3-1 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly vs. Cupertino Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m. Paly @ Homestead Feb. 7, 3:30 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER RECENT SCORES
Paly @ Homestead Jan. 17, T, 1-1 Paly vs. Mountain View Jan. 22, T, 0-0 Paly @ Los Altos Jan. 24, W, 1-0 Paly vs. Los Gatos Jan. 29, L, 2-1 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly @ Saratoga Feb. 5, 3:30 p.m. Paly vs. Homestead Feb. 7, 3:30 p.m.
WRESTLING RECENT SCORES
Webber Lawson Tournament Dec. 20-21 1st place & 2nd place (Boys Varsity) Midcal (boys & girls) Tournament Jan 17-18 9th place (Boys Varsity), 8th place (Girls Varsity) UPCOMING GAMES
Paly @ Fremont Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m. Paly vs. Los Gatos Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m.
JENNA HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE
Off to the races! With a burst of speed, sophomore Mariana Kessinger dribbles by a Mountain View defender and sprints toward the goal. On Jan. 22, Paly tied with Mountain View 0-0 in a tight game where both teams failed to finish close scoring opportunities. Kessinger said, “We tied and it was a game I thought we could have won.”
By Braden Leung
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Staff Writer
fter tying seven of its first 14 games, the varsity girls soccer team and new coach Armando Luna are looking to make some improvements on their finishing.
“The seniors have been very accepting and good at incorporating everyone.” Hailey Hwang
“I think we’ve had a strong season, but ties aren’t going to get us to CCS,” said captain and sophomore Brighid Baker. The team is coming off a
1-0 win against Los Altos High School on Jan. 24 with sophomore Mariana Kessinger scoring the only goal. “There were a lot of good moments and bad moments, but overall we played well and we deserved to win the game,” Luna said. “It was a little tighter than it should have been as we had many other opportunities to score, we just didn’t capitalize.” Missed opportunities have been a factor in the many ties, Luna said. The team has possessed the ball well and played good defense, but their good performances was not always reflected on the scoreboard. “Finishing and our communication could be better at times,” Baker said. “If we say every little thing, adding that extra measure of communication could help.” Junior Hailey Hwang appreciates the new culture this year, and
how everyone is willing to listen to each other. “The seniors have been very accepting and good at incorporating everyone,” Hwang said.
“Finishing and our communication could be better at times. If we say every little thing, adding that extra measure of communication could help.” Brighid Baker
Luna has been impressed with the team culture as well and believes it will pay off in their play.
“A lot of upperclassmen are set in their ways but the group is open-minded, willing to try new things and accept new ideas,” Luna said. “Because of that they’re starting to play the way I would like them to play. The results will come along with that.” According to Luna, the team’s strength is its wide array of playing styles. “They’re so many different players bringing so many different things to the table,” Luna said. “We can field one 11 in one game and a totally different 11 in another game and we’ll still have a lot of quality on the field.” Baker, in her first year on the team and as a captain, is impressed by the team’s mentality and believes they can accomplish a great deal in the near future. “We want to prove to everyone and ourselves that we are a great
team and can make CCS,” Baker said.
“The group is openminded and willing to try new things and accept new ideas. Because of that they’re starting to play the way I would like them to play.” Armando Luna
The Vikings lost 2-1 to Los Gatos High School on Jan. 29 at home. Their next game will be against Saratoga High School on Feb. 5.
Friday, January 31, 2020
The Campanile
SPORTS
C3
Boys soccer struggles to clinch wins as season progresses Plagued by serious injuries, departed starters, lack of team chemistry, team hopes to finish league on high note By Erin Kim Staff Writer
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fter a varied season, both the Paly boys varsity and frosh-soph soccer team are working to improve their gameplay and earn more victories. In their most recent game against Los Altos High School, the varsity team lost 1-3. The team’s overall record now stands at 1-3-3.
“One of our centerbacks two games in a row, really amazing player, got a really bad leg in his hamstring, and this was with ten minutes left, and everyone started panicking.” Jackson Druker Throughout the first half of the season, multiple player injuries impeded their ability to perform optimally, which led to a conference record of 1-2. “One of our center backs two games in a row, really amazing player, got a really bad leg in his hamstring, and this was with ten minutes left, and everyone started panicking,” senior goalkeeper and captain Jackson Druker said. JENNA HICKEY/THE CAMPANILE
“Frosh-soph team is playing well, we’re in the middle of a league and we have a couple of good wins against quality opponents.” Jack Bungarden Unfortunately, the team has had many close games. According
Goooooooal! Varsity center-midfielder and senior Charlie Camarena beams after scoring a goal at the Jan. 24 game vs. Los Altos. The team remains optimistic despite a streak of losses and ties during their season. Team captain and senior Jackson Druker said, “We have a lot of individually skilled and athletic players who are really great soccer players.” to Druker, a difficulty for the team is building camaraderie. Despite this, he remains optimistic for the rest of the season. “The issue with our team really isn’t the individual skill level of players,” Druker said. “We have a lot of individually skilled and athletic players who are really great soccer players. The team chemistry is just really lacking.” In general, the team’s games
have been close calls, many of which have resulted in ties. “We’ve had so many close games,” Druker said. “Right now, we’re just focusing on staying in the A-league and not getting relegated.” The team hopes that with effort and team building, they can eventually begin winning their games. “When we do practice, we’re
focusing on getting more fit and honing our skills, but because we’ve been having issues getting along, it’s been hard to get together outside of practice, and just ‘bro-out,’” Druker said. As for the junior varsity team, they are optimistic to continue and improve during their season. “Frosh-soph team is playing well, we’re in the middle of a league, and we have a couple
of good wins against quality opponents,” frosh-soph coach Jack Bungarden said. With an overall record of 3-0 and a conference record of 1-0, the junior varsity team hopes to continue their winning streak into the end of the season. “The kids play well, they pass well, they work well, they cooperate with each other,” Bungarden said.
With several wins under their belt, the frosh-soph team has high hopes. Sophomore center-back Sebastian Bonard hopes to finish strong. “The season’s going really, well, all of the players are chipping in,” Bonard said. “We have a lot of freshmen, a lot of new players this year, and all making an impact, we’re excited to finish this season strong.”
Wrestling sweeps competition Girls basketball starts strong Girls, boys teams clinch top titles at recent tournaments Boasting 5-1 record, Vikings’ defense strategy prevails
GINA BAE/THE CAMPANILE
AJAY VENKATRAMAN/THE CAMPANILE
Training for triumphs! Junior Adar Schwarzbach grapples with coach Jonathan Kessler on the mats of the Peery Family Center. Schwarzbach said,“I can go into practice knowing that I just have to work really, really, really hard for a short period of time and I feel like I get the most out of my time, so I’m really liking it.”
Sink it! Varsity player and junior Carly Martin shoots a free throw as sophomore Jessica Fiske looks on in the Jan. 14 game against Saratoga. The team’s chemistry has been vital in its success so far in the season. Coach Scott Peters said, “The team’s energy from both on and off the court (has been a source of its success).”
By Gina Bae
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Staff Writer
ith more than half of the season’s tournaments completed and two victories out of three dual meets under their belt, the wrestling team is training hard to finish the rest of the season strong. Despite injuries that took out two of its starters, the team produced a slew of champions and placewinners from its 31 boys and 13 girls. This is one of Paly’s biggest teams in a while, according to coach Jonathan Kessler. Junior captain Adar Schwarzbach and sophomore Cade Creighton both placed as champions in the Webber Lawson tournament on Dec. 13-14. In the Lou Bronzan tournament on Dec. 20-21, senior team captain Dara Heydarpour and Schwarzbach were both champions while Creighton took second place. During their two victorious dual tournaments, Kessler said varsity returners, upperclassmen and a few others shined, including sophomore Tiep Nguyen and junior Dean Hall, a first-year high school wrestler who hasn’t wrestled competitively since middle school. On Jan. 14, Nguyen got a pin against Lynbrook while wrestling varsity, and Hall got a pin against Gunn on Jan. 16. The boys and girls varsity took home multiple medals in
the MidCal tournament, scoring ninth and eighth place, respectively. In boys varsity, Creighton took second place, Schwarzbach and junior Halo Lynch took fourth place and Heydarpour took fifth place.
“Each wrestler has individual goals, and it’s part of the coaching staff ’s job to put them in position to reach those goals. ” Jonathan Kessler As for girls varsity, sophomore Aviv Kobza took third while seniors Zoe Wong-VanHaren and Amelia Clough took fourth place. Sophomore Ella Jauregui also took third place, beating the number one female wrestler in Central Coast Section, 18-4. “In the past, we haven’t had too many place winners (at MidCal), so it was nice to send six wrestlers and earn four medals for the boys and four medals for the girls as well,” Kessler said. Now that CCS and states are approaching, Kessler said he has adapted his practices to be shorter and more intense in order to help his wrestlers reach their goals, whether it be making CCS or placing top three at CCS.
“Each wrestler has individual goals, and it’s part of the coaching staff ’s job to put them in position to reach those goals,” Kessler said. Team spirit stands strong with Schwarzbach, who said he aims to add to team history by winning a title at CCS and states. “I think that (winning a CCS title) would be really big for the program, and it would be really big for me mentally, as it’s one of my biggest goals since I’ve started wrestling,” Schwarzbach said. “I think that it’s been 11 years since we’ve had a state placer. We’ve only had a couple in the program history, and I just think that would be a big achievement.” Jauregui has similar goals. “I’d love to place at CCS and move onto states and hopefully get on the podium at states,” Jauregui said. “That would be really great to do this year.” Heydarpour says he has high hopes for the rest of the season, with this year’s team being a step above the previous years’ because of the number of returning players and its immense improvement. “I think we have a good shot at the league title,” Heydapour said. “Last year, we took second, so this year I think we should easily be second again, and we should have a good chance at beating Los Gatos, which is first. A bunch of us have shots at CCS titles or at least qualifying for the state meet, which is good.”
By Ajay Venkatraman
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Staff Writer
he girls basketball team has started off their season on a winning streak and is now tied for first in its conference with a 5-1 record. The team began the season on a five-game winning series, having already beaten division rivals such as Lynbrook and Gunn high schools.
“Our strong defensive strategy is what really sets us apart from a lot of other teams.” Thea Enache With the help of their uniquely strong defense strategy, they have been able to best the majority of their opponents. Several comebacks made by the team have shown the effectiveness of these tactics. “Our strong defensive strategy is what really sets us apart from a lot of other teams,” center sophomore Thea Enache said. After losing its star shooter, Carly Leong, at the end of last year, the Vikings’ shooting has seen a significant decrease in accuracy. This loss in talent has been
especially noticeable from behind the 3-point line. In order to make up for the offensive losses and continue to dominate the division, the team chose to heavily focus on its defensive tactics. To do so, the team scouts the opposing teams’ playstyles heavily based on their style of offensive play and formulates a defensive plan catered to that style. The team’s chemistry on the court has also helped fuel the winning streak. Its ability to move the ball and use of the passing game has allowed players to consistently get inside the key and make layups. The team’s bench has also played a key role in the team’s success, both through providing an abundance of strong players and by setting the tone of the game from off the court.
“The team’s energy from both on and off the court (has been a source of its success).” Scott Peters “The team’s energy from both on and off the court (has been a source of its success),” Scott Peters, the team’s head coach, said.
The strong bench has also been a large contributor to the team’s ability to score points in the second half, leading them to multiple victories near the end of the game.
“If we keep playing the way we are, I think we have a good chance at the playoffs.” Thea Enache The team hopes to continue to carry the initial momentum from the first half of the season throughout the rest of the six remaining league games. “If we keep playing the way we are, I think we have a good chance at the playoffs,” Enache said. The team’s undefeated record was cut short last Friday due to a loss to Los Altos High School. While the Vikings won’t maintain a perfect record as they did last year, the team has a very good shot at placing at the top of the division and advancing to the league playoffs. The Vikings will face off next against the Saratoga High Falcons next Tuesday in Saratoga and will play the Wilcox High Chargers next Friday at Paly.
Friday, January 31, 2020
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The Campanile
A DECADE OF PALY SPORTS
Top 10 Paly Spo THE CAMPANILE LOOKS BACK AT THE TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE PALY SPORTS MOMENTS THAT LIT UP THE PAST DECADE
1 Football wins first state championship I
nside the Peery Center lies five prized state championship banners, and residing in the center, proudly representing the top Paly sports moment of the decade, is the 2010 Division I Football State Championship title. After defeating West Catholic powerhouses Mitty, Bellarmine and Valley Christian High School, Paly faced the nation’s No. 4 team, Centennial-Corona High School, during a rain-drenching game in Southern California. After having led the team all season, quarterback Christopher Bono, son of NFL player Steve Bono,
and wide receiver Davante Adams, a current Green Bay Packer, continued to dominate in this culminating game. After touchdowns by Paly alumnus Maurice Williams and one by Adams, Paly edged past Centennial-Corona 15-13 in a shocking win. “Needless to say, we were huge underdogs, but we never really felt that way,” former Defensive Coordinator Jake Halas said. “We held them to 15 points and became state champions. Best team I’ve ever coached.” When the team returned, the community showered them with support as the city organized a pa-
rade for both the boys football and girls volleyball state championship teams. With over 2,500 people in attendance, the teams gave speeches at Palo Alto City Hall and celebrated their feats with the entire community. Halas said the team is definitely one to be remembered forever in Paly history. “It was amazing,” Halas said. “It was a very special group of kids. We had tremendous players (who) had high character. They were tough, smart, fast and had a ton of swagger. They truly felt that they would beat every team they faced … and they did (14-0).”
2 Girls volleyball beats nation’s no. 1 for states C
oming in at No. 2 is the girls volleyball team’s league title, Central Coast Section championship, NorCal title and finally a Division I state championship, all in 2010, for the first time in program history. The Vikings went up against the nation’s No. 1 at the time, Long Beach Poly High School, and played a thrilling game that was neck and neck up until the final fifth set, during which Paly was down several points. Dave Winn, the girls varsity volleyball coach at the time, still remembers that nerve-racking set. “At 7-11, I went from coach to cheerleader and
just started pumping the crowd up and the players and trying to keep them loose and having fun,” Winn said. “I still remember how the last two points went. Maddie Kuppe said to me, ‘I got this.’ And you know, she was a junior going back to serve for the state title, I said, ‘you’ve got to be nervous,’ but she just said, ‘I got this.’” Kuppe served two laser serves in a row for a pair of aces to take the game. The team dogpiled on the court, amazed at what they just accomplished, according to Winn. The winning team was celebrated immensely by
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Girls Golf makes state history, takes the title
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he most recent moment on our list is the 2019 girls golf team taking home the state title for the first time in Paly history, making them the first Northern California girls golf team ever to win states. With a sweep of league title, CCS title and qualifications in Norcals, the team made their way to the finals for the first time since the inception of the Paly girls golf team. According to senior captain Katherine Sung, qualifying for states was a goal the team had set since her freshman year. Once they qualified, however, the
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the community in the parade, which was a surreal experience for the team, Winn said. He also said the 2010 Paly volleyball team cemented their place in Paly sports history, and they will always be something he holds dear to his heart. “Those two state championships are in the top five (moments) of my life,” Winn said. “First is marrying my wife, second is having my kids, and volleyball has got to be up there. I told the team before the game, there will never be another first in the program history – you guys did it all. They will be a team that will be remembered forever.”
team didn’t expect to win the title of being the best team in California, and Sung said it was a monumental accomplishment for the program. “We had no idea that we were gonna win states, and going into it, we were just trying to focus on playing our best,” Sung said. “Going in as underdogs, we wanted to just make sure we made the most of this experience. Winning it was just the cherry on top of an awesome season, and (it’s) still so crazy to think that we are one of the six Paly teams to have won a state championship.”
Girls golf had success earlier on in 2013 when it was initially formed, with college-bound golfer and Paly alumna Michelle Xie, who played golf at Harvard University. According to Sung, the program has only improved since then, and is amazed at the achievements of the team. “(Xie) carried the team to states the first year and has given all future Paly golf players something to look up to,” Sung said. “I’m so proud of my team, and I’m really going to miss them next year. I hope they continue the Paly girls golf success!”
Girls volleyball takes state title ... again
o, this is not the same game as what was previously mentioned, and yes, girls volleyball won back-to-back Division I state championships, making them the first Paly team to ever do so. Coming off of a Cinderella story season in 2010, the girls varsity volleyball team were determined to return to states from the beginning, according to Winn. Similar to the first state championship, the game went to the wire in the fifth and final set, going up to 15 points. After trading off points with opponent Marymount High School, the No. 1 school in the na-
tion at the time, they fell six points behind at the end of the fifth. The odds were very unlikely, as Marymount was two points away from the title. However, through defensive efforts and ball control, Paly was able to rally back from an almost impossible deficit to take the game. “To be honest, I don’t clearly remember rallying from a deficit in either game, but I can still feel the energy on the court,” Kuppe said. “Our team focused on each play, rather than the scoreboard. Winning was the end goal, but we were always competing in the moment.”
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Kuppe, an integral player in both the 2010 and 2011 state championship team, has a mural dedicated to her in the Peery Center. According to Kuppe, although she is shown in the gym, the whole team should be honored for their historical contribution to Paly sports. “It’s surreal — no one person could truly represent that time and do it justice, so I’m incredibly humbled that I was chosen (for the mural),” Kuppe said. “I’m proud that our team brought two championship titles to Paly. Being a part of that success will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Buzzer beater to beat Los Gatos in CCS CHAMPS
t No. 5 is the buzzer beater three-pointer that capped the win for the 2017 CCS Championships against rival Los Gatos High School. The game was extremely close at the last few seconds, when Gatos ceded the opportunity to extend their lead with a missed free throw. The game-winning shot made by Paly alumni Spencer Rojahn caused over 100 students to storm the court and dogpile on their CCS champions. “It was pretty tense while Dylan Belquist was
shooting free throws,” Rojahn said. “Once he missed the second free throw, to keep the game tied, the Paly student section relaxed. After I hit the shot, the Paly student section went nuts and stormed the court. I don’t think anyone expected me to take, or make, the game-winning shot.” The 2016-17 boys varsity basketball team made an impressive run in the state tournament finishing runner up at the NorCal Championships, one game shy of the state championship game. With unpredict-
ed wins against highly ranked teams such as Dublin High School and St. Mary’s Stockton High School, Rojahn said that the postseason was something to be remembered. “It feels amazing knowing that I am a part of the best Paly sports moments of the past decade,” Rojahn said. “None of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaches. That season and the incredible playoff run should be included in the best Paly sports moments in history.”
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
A DECADE OF PALY SPORTS
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orts moments
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TEXT, DESIGN & ART BY REBEKAH LIMB DESIGN BY ZIGGY TUMMALAPALLI & GIANNA BROGLEY
6 Sophomore represents the U.S. in Olympics N
o. 6 is Paly alumna Lily Zhang qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics when she was just a sophomore. Zhang entered as the youngest tennis table player and joined three peers from her training club to form the U.S. team. While most Olympians put training as a priority during the four years before the games, Zhang, being only 16 at the time, said that balancing school with her training was challenging and required her to make many sacrifices of being a normal teenager. However, being one of the nation’s most elite ath-
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“At the beginning of the season, one of our main goals was to make the open division since we had missed it the year before due to losing to (MenloAtherton High School),” Paly alumnus and Purdue University basketball player Jared Wulbrun said. “Once we made it, we knew there had never been a public school to win and we all had the mindset that we were going to be the first to do so.” The team defeated Saint Ignatius, becoming the first public boys team to ever win a game in CCS open division. Wulbrun said the game was his favor-
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ite high school game he has played in, and is proud that he was part of a history breaking event for all public schools. “The team we had will go down in Paly history as one of the best teams to ever go through the school,” Wulbrun said. “Back-to-back state final fours, two league titles, making the Open Division and becoming the first public school to win a game, beating the first seed in the state playoffs in back-to-back years. All of that, among other things, was why that team was so special.”
Swimmer breaks SCVAL record by olympian
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n 1967, Mark Spitz, a nine-time Olympic champion and one of the greatest swimmers in history, set the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League record that held for 45 years, until Paly alumnus Andrew Liang became a Viking. Liang beat the time by 1.22 seconds at the SCVAL championships. He said that this feat was a huge accomplishment for him as he still looks back on it in his career. “Being able to break his record was special,” Liang said. “To even be mentioned alongside him is an in-
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schedules for events, Zhang attributes her success to the caring support system she had at Paly and the staff that gave her opportunities to chase her dreams. “I’m truly grateful to Paly for being one of the most accommodating and supportive systems I’ve ever been a part of,” Zhang said. “I actually know that a lot of U.S. table tennis athletes and some of my own teammates had immense difficulty working with their schools to travel to competitions, but Paly never held me back.”
Paly makes history for all CCS public schools
any public schools know the pain of losing to private schools in the playoffs, especially after a terrific season. As the 2017-18 boys basketball team found themselves in the Open Division of CCS basketball, they were determined not to let this happen. Open Division, which for basketball started in 2013, is the highest division for high school playoffs, where the CCS committee chooses the most elite teams out of all the other divisions to duke it out, with private schools dominating all sports every year.
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letes, Zhang felt honored to have this opportunity. “Being selected to the Olympic team was a dream come true, and it felt incredible to know that all the time and hard work I invested finally paid off in the end,” Zhang said. “Of course, the selection was wellreceived, but I’m happy to say that I don’t think people treated me any differently. I still felt super comfortable amongst my peers, teachers and staff at Paly.” After the 2012 Olympics, Zhang acquired several more titles and qualified again for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Given her intense practice and travelling
credible honor. I think at the time, the magnitude of the accomplishment hadn’t quite fully sunk in, but as I look back at my swimming career, it was definitely an event that I remember very fondly, especially since the league meet that year was held at Paly, and a few of my good friends had come to watch.” Ranked in the top of his recruiting class in high school, Liang was an All-American his junior year and competed at the Olympic trials and world championship trials as only a sophomore. As one of the most prolific swimmers to attend Paly, Liang is grate-
ful to be remembered among some of the best Paly athletes. “Paly has such a rich tradition of excellence when it comes to athletics,” Liang said. “Many incredible athletes have come through — from Jim Harbaugh, Jeremy Lin, Joc Pederson and Davante Adams who all came before me, to current NFL player Keesean Johnson and Olympian Lily Zhang, who were both in my graduating class. So it definitely is an incredible honor to be a part of Paly’s top sports moments of the decade.”
Runner bReaks 3 paly track records in 1 season
sain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, is what Paly alumnus EJ Floreal reminded track and field coach Jason Fung of in 2012. Floreal’s speed was unmatched as he broke the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay Paly records, that have all been held for over 20 years, in a single season. “EJ made it look easy,” Fung said. “Records are always meant to be broken, but the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay looked unattainable as you see with the 20 years or so that they stood. Finding four individ-
uals and being able to have collective speed for the relay was a hard task. Individually, having an athlete like EJ made my job as a coach at times much easier knowing (I) had him to compete where (I) needed to fill in holes.” Floreal inherited great genes, according to Fung, being the son of two high level Olympians: Lavonna Floreal, a medalled hurdler, and Edrick Floreal, a long jumper. “EJ was very special,” Fung said. “He stood almost 6 feet four inches (tall) and was just lightning
fast. He reminded me of Usain Bolt at that height. He made sprinting look so effortless. His stride length at the time of his high school career couldn’t be matched.” That year, the 2012 boys track and field team won their first CCS title in the history of the program under Fung. Floreal, who also had a passion for basketball, went on to play division I basketball at the University of Kentucky. Floreal now runs unofficially without a contract at the University of Texas for his father, the head coach of track and field.
10 First game played in the Peery Center T
he final moment in our list is the grand opening of Paly’s state-of-the-art gym facility, the Peery Center, with the first game ever played on the court — a cross-town rivalry girls volleyball match between Paly and Gunn High School. With fans and community members packing the brand new bleachers, it was a game and night to remember to kick off Paly sports in our new gym. Like most Paly-Gunn games, the atmosphere was electric, according to Paly alumna and volleyball player DeeDee Ringwalt, who played in the inaugural
game. Ringwalt said it was such an honor to be part of a team to show off the glistening Peery Center. “Playing in the new gym was incredible,” Ringwalt said. “The way the bleachers are designed created emphasis on the court and although more intimidating it made us feel that much more supported. I loved the feeling of all the fans surrounding us from above, and also to be the first team to represent the new gym to the school body made the experience extremely special.” According to Ringwalt, while the old gym was
iconic for all of the amazing players who played in it and all the special games, the new Peery Center is ready to start new Paly memories for the community. “The old gym held many memories for me,” Ringwalt said. “It was the first time that I ever tried out for Paly volleyball and I was extremely intimidated. Jeremy Lin had played on the same court as I was playing on right now. But despite those memories, the gym was in dire need of remodeling. I will always cherish those memories but am also very grateful that the new gym is so beautiful and I got to play on it.”
Friday, January 31, 2020
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SPORTS
Athletes use new tools to better performance Turnaround seasons Use of sniffing salts, belts among many popular weightlifting enhancements lead to Superb owl By Alex Liu
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Senior Staff Writer
By Aidan Seto
enior Axel Stcyzen dons a greyish-brown belt, marked with creases and lines. Yesterday he worked his chest, but today he works his legs, using the belt to provide stability to his unusually straight back. Today’s lift of the day is the deadlift, a compound lift using the quads, hamstrings and lower back as a stabilizer; however, due to Stcyzen’s unusual back, any strain on it is painful, forcing him to rely on his belt to get him through the day. Belts — as well as sniffing salts and caffeine-loaded supplements — are only some of many common weightlifting enhancers found in the gym.
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Staff Writer
eason after season, lifetime 49ers fan Thayer Katcher has watched every 49ers game, either from the stands or from his couch, more often than not watching them lose. Fans of the 49ers have been waiting for a playoff run for a couple years now, and after another disappointing season last year, they had nothing but high hopes to improve this season. “(The losses) just went on and on, but I knew we had to be successful at some point,” Katcher said.
“Sniffing salts mess with your lungs, nose membranes and nervous system, so there could be side effects.” Yubin Zhang
“The key is team chemistry and players with great leadership qualities, which is not something you can coach or put together.” Peter Diepenbrock
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, belts work in a way in which intra-abdominal pressure is increased to help stabilize the spine and help its user lift both heavier and with better form. On the other hand, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, when sniffing salts are cracked open, ammonia gas is released, irritating the nose and lungs causing a change in breathing patterns and a spike in alertness. Caffeine supplements work by promoting nervous system stimulation, subsequently causing a perceived increase in alertness. Styczen frequently uses a belt to help stabilize his back during important lifts such as the overhead press, the bench and the deadlift. “I would recommend using a belt for anyone with back problems, or for anyone that wants to improve quickly without hurting their back, but if they use a belt
But what nobody saw coming was a stellar 13-3 performance that leaves them in heavy contention to win the Superbowl. These seemingly miracle turnaround seasons are pretty unusual, to say the least. “I would say the majority of Niners fans didn’t expect our team to go this far,” Katcher said. “I was optimistic that we would make the playoffs, but even I didn’t expect to be playing in the Superbowl.” But while there are teams who have seasons that far exceed expectations, the opposite can be said as well. More often than not, professional sports teams shockingly underperform, disappointing their loyal fans. The same is true for all levels of play — any given team can have these types of astounding season turnarounds. However, these miracle seasons are generally unforeseen by the public, especially for teams that finished the previous season extremely weakly. But when looking back on examples of teams with big differences in success from season to season, many factors can be identified, such as key players leaving or joining, coaching adjustments and shifts in team morale.
ART BY KAITLYN LEE
they should know the technique, and how to use it,” Stcyzen said. “Belts are quite helpful for helping support the back during the lift such as the deadlift and squat, in which they can quickly help you advance the weight you’re at.” Though not a frequent user of sniffing salts, Styczen believes in its inherent uses.
“Sniffing salts seem to be used by preference, and work on some people.” Axel Styczen “Sniffing salts seem to be used by preference and work on some people and others not,” Styczen said. “An alternative to sniffing salts I’d recommend is slapping
the back to wake the body up before a heavy lift.” Sophomore Yubin Zhang, also an avid gym-goer, believes that weight training should be done without supplements or belts most of the time. “Using supplements and belts could be expensive and unnecessary,” Zhang said. “Some people end up relying on it and ignore training hard. Also, sniffing salts mess with your lungs, nose membranes and nervous system, so there could be side effects. On the other hand, if some people trying to improve performance in a short amount of time or trying to prevent lower back injury, (these supplements) could be helpful.” As a personal goal, Zhang has decided to not use supplements and belts in order to reach his full strength naturally. Zhang is a firm believer in putting in the hard
work and believes that he can achieve his full strength without the added edge that supplements and belts provide. Similarly, Senior Andre Reynolds has strayed away from belts and supplements.
“Belts are quite helpful for helping support the back during the lift such as the deadlift and squat.” Axel Styczen “I haven’t plateaued for long enough to search for some other way to increase strength,” Reynolds said. “Also, I don’t use (belts and supplements) because strength is not my number one priority and because it’s low-key cheating.”
Student athletes transfer to private schools Players change high schools to pursue sports more competitively, earn scholarships By Ziggy Tummalapalli
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“We just improved our skills from season to season and that’s what resulted in our league win.” James Churchley
Staff Writer
wo minutes into the water polo Central Coast Section championship this season, Sacred Heart Prep sophomore Jack Vort catches the ball on the wing and attacks. He sees his teammate, sophomore Luke Johnston, in the distance and lobs up a pass. Johnston shoots and scores, tying the game. Sacred Heart Prep went on to beat Bellarmine 9-7 and take home the CCS crown. Vort said he has been playing water polo for a decade. While Vort is a Palo Alto resident and is supposed to attend Paly, he made the decision to transfer from Greene Middle School after sixth grade to pursue his water polo career, even though it meant he would have to repeat a grade. “I knew that if I wanted to pursue water polo, (Sacred Heart Prep is) where I wanted to go,” Vort said. Though it may seem unorthodox, Vort’s decision to pursue his sport at a private school is not unique. Across the Peninsula, many students choose to attend private schools instead of their local public school to further their athletic careers, according to Vort.
“Private schools, generally speaking, value success in athletes more than public schools.” Peter Diepenbrock Every year, the West Catholic Athletic League, one of the top leagues in the Bay Area, receives athletes who want to play their sport at a level they feel like their local public school cannot offer, according to Vort. The WCAL, featuring schools like Bellarmine, Archbishop Mitty, Saint Francis and Sacred Heart Prep, has teams which dominate
JACK VORT/USED WITH PERMISSION
Watch out! Jack Vort, sophomore at Sacred Heart Prep, throws the ball across the pool in an assist to his teammate. Vort said, “Out of the corner of my eye I saw Luke and I knew he wanted the ball.” in almost every single sport. The WCAL has produced dozens of professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB and Olympics, including the likes of Junipero Serra alumni Tom Brady and Barry Bonds and Mitty alum Aaron Gordon. The WCAL generally, is consistently better than the public schools they compete against. For starters, private schools have a clear advantage over public schools in one aspect — boundaries. Unlike public schools, private schools can take non-local students, which substantially increases their pool of talented athletes,. according to Vort This allows private schools to build programs in a way that public schools cannot. The better the program, the more people who are willing to commute to school to be a part of that program. Bellarmine junior Colin Peattie made the decision to go to Bellarmine after going to Fisher Middle School in Los Gatos, with his cross country pursuits significantly influencing his decision. “Running definitely was a huge factor for me,” Peattie said. “(Bellarmine) has a really good, proven team, so I wanted to come here so I could be a part of it.”
Private schools also appeal to students who want to compete in their sport at an advanced level, according to Peattie, who said running at Bellarmine may give him an opportunity to run in college.
“The level of coaching that Bellarmine has puts me in the position to be successful enough to earn a scholarship.” Colin Peattie “The level of coaching that Bellarmine has puts me in the position to be successful enough to earn a scholarship,” Peattie said. The emphasis that many private schools put on sports plays a role in setting them apart from other local public schools. Many private schools take sports more seriously and may believe sports are worth more than they are considered to be at public schools, according to Physical Education teacher Peter Diepenbrock, who is also the former Paly boys basketball coach. “Private schools, generally speaking, value success in athlet-
ics more than public schools,” Diepenbrock said. According to Diepenbrock, schools that value athletic success will draw more committed athletes who take the sport more seriously, and will therefore may have more dedicated teams. For example, the only day off the Bellarmine boys basketball team had over Winter Break was Christmas itself. At Paly, the boys basketball team had three days off. “The commitment at Bellarmine is like a job,” said Enow Akem, a junior on Bellarmine’s basketball team. This commitment is what creates success for teams. Therefore, it is no secret why Bellarmine is one of the highestranking teams in the Bay Area They recently beat the number one ranked team in CCS, Serra, by a whopping 51 points on Jan 15. Private schools set their athletes up for success due to the commitment they demand from their players, and therefore it is no coincidence why they continue to dominate year in, year out, according to Akem. “(SHP) has put me into a winning program,” Vort said. “With great coaches and players who help me get better.”
These turnaround seasons exist in high school athletics, and Paly sports teams have seen quite a few over the years. During the 2017 season, the Paly boys varsity water polo team had a subpar season, finishing 8-16 and missing the Central Coast Section playoffs. The following year, the team put up more than twice as many wins, as well as winning their entire CCS bracket, despite losing several senior players from the previous season. When Ethan Look, the head coach of the boys varsity water polo team, stepped into his role at the beginning of the 2018 season, the team had a number of new faces, and they could only hope to do better than the previous season. According to Look, the team did not have many expectations heading into the season. But when the team surprisingly pulled off a spectacular championship season, Look credits team chemistry above everything else.
“If your best player doesn’t get along with their teammates, your team will not succeed.” Peter Diepenbrock “They were really good teammates,” Look said. “They picked each other up and really were a close-knit team. It was certainly the defining characteristic in our championship season, along with other factors.” The substantial importance
of having great team chemistry and a closely bonded team does not only resonate with Look, but other Paly coaches and athletes as well. Peter Diepenbrock, a former longtime varsity basketball coach at Paly and current physical education teacher, has seen and coached countless different teams, including many phenomenally good teams, as well as teams that didn’t fulfil expectations. His take on the topic is similar to Look’s, focusing on team chemistry and other similar factors. “The key is team chemistry and players with great leadership qualities, which is not something you can coach or put together,” Diepenbrock said. He sees this in virtually every level of team sports, regardless of what sport or level of play it is. According to Diepenbrock, talent is important as well, but it isn’t the most vital element to a great team. “The best teams have players who have a good work ethic, as well as the ability to lead their team,” Diepenbrock said. “However, if your best player doesn’t get along with their teammates, your team will not succeed.” According to Diepenbrock, team chemistry plays a massive role in building a championship team, but the skill and talent aspect of sports is crucial as well. It is a team’s ability to grow and improve together that ultimately determines their success and ability to bounce back from a bad season.
“Of course every team has expectations based on their talent level. But the actual success of a team depends on how well they can truly work together as a team.” Peter Diepenbrock Sophomore James Churchley, a member of the frosh-soph soccer team, knows the significance of improving as a team as well. Outside of the Paly team, Churchley has played soccer in the Palo Alto Soccer Club since first grade. Having been a part of both good and bad teams, Churchley has been on both sides of success. While Churchley also agrees that cooperation within the team is crucial, he acknowledges team skills as well. “Team chemistry has pretty much been similar most years, but it’s still important,” Churchley said. “Overall, we just improved our skills from season to season and that’s what resulted in our league win.” According to Diepenbrock, while team chemistry matters more than skill and talent, no team can pull off a miracle turnaround without both aspects. “Of course every team has expectations based on their talent level,” Diepenbrock said. “But the actual success of a team depends on how well they can truly work as a team.”
“The best teams have players who have good work ethic, as well as the ability to lead their team.” Peter Diepenbrock Teams with talent that are great on paper but don’t get along will disappoint, as will teams who have a great team dynamic but lack skill. To recover from terrible seasons and accomplish great things requires excellent teamwork as well as skill, as portrayed in this season’s Super Bowl-bound 49ers and Paly’s 2018 boys varsity waterpolo team. All the talent in the world cannot fix a struggling team without a phenomenal team dynamic, and that is evident all over the sports world. The magic of a miracle season pays off for not only the players and coaches, but certainly the fans as well. Katcher said, “All the losing felt demoralizing, but I kept faith in our team because I knew if we finally had a successful season, it would only make it even sweeter.”
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
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SPORTS
Different countries place cultural emphasis on specific sports Nations’ successes in certain sports are responsible for creating cultural emphasis on respective sports By Avantika Singh Staff Writer
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he majority of junior Francisco Moll’s life is filled with soccer. He is always thinking about the game, whether this be physically when he is on the field, or mentally when he is off of it. Through his Brazilian heritage, Moll said he fell in love with soccer, spending most of his free time practicing two hours a day, five times a week. When he is not playing, he spends his time flipping through the pages of books covered from one end to another with soccer. At family reunions, Moll said soccer talk constitutes most of the night. His uncles and cousins spend hours discussing their shared passion for the game. But soccer does not only unite the members of Moll’s family — a shared love for the game is enough to unite the people of South America, Moll said. Many countries place emphasis on a specific sport that unites the people of the country together. This trend can be seen through the emphasis put on baseball in the U.S., cricket in India, badminton in China, Australian football in Australia and soccer in Brazil. Soccer in Brazil According to Moll, soccer is an important part of the Brazilian lifestyle. “Many of the people’s lives revolve around soccer,” Moll said. “Fans go every week to the stadiums to support their teams, even if the tickets are a bit expensive. It is a sport of union and that links all of us in Brazil.” Moll said for many Brazilians living in poverty, soccer is an easy sport for locals to play and look to as a source of happiness. Soccer does not require expensive equipment — all that is needed is a ball and a couple of people who love the sport. “I think South America puts a big emphasis on soccer because it is a sport that unites a lot of people and just brings so much joy,” Moll said. “Countries there are suffering a lot in the midst of poverty, hunger and violence, so I think soccer just provides an easy
escape and happiness to all that are engaging in it.” Brazil has produced numerous soccer stars such as Pelé, Zico, Neymar and Alisson Becker, and Moll said these athletes have become a beacon of hope for the next generation of Brazilians. Moll said soccer has impacted Brazilian culture drastically and he is among the many Brazilians who focuses everything on soccer championships. “Even living in Palo Alto, I am still highly connected with soccer in Brazil,” Moll said. “During break, I even went to South America to watch a championship final match.” Moll said the culture built around soccer in Brazil can be credited to generations of successful soccer players and plentiful championship wins. Baseball in the U.S. Baseball has been known as the U.S.’s national sport for centuries. According to junior Vijay Homan, baseball brings generations of Americans together. “Baseball has been a sport that has brought families together for generations,” Homan said. “For instance, sometimes entire families all root for a specific team, and show their support in different ways. As America has grown, baseball has been by its side.” Homan, like many other Americans, spends his free time watching baseball. Homan said he enjoys watching Red Sox games, playing fantasy baseball and reading articles online speculating on trades. “I would say that baseball has had a very positive effect on me,” Homan said. “I loved playing it as a young kid, and some of my best memories are of playing baseball. Also, I think it would suffice to say that baseball reveals character.” Unlike American football, which appeared 47 years after, baseball has been “America’s sport” for 175 years. Starting out as a game dubbed “rounders” and played on sandlots before the American Civil War, baseball was a sport that many Americans played as a pastime. “I think America puts so much emphasis on baseball because it
is America’s sport,” Homan said. “Baseball defines a portion of our culture and livelihood, and it’s something that can be used to identify our country worldwide.” Much like soccer in Brazil, baseball is ingrained in American culture. Homan said, “Since baseball is America’s pastime, it makes sense that there is more emphasis on it here than a sport like cricket.” Cricket in India Senior Pratham Kataria has played cricket for nearly 10 years. “There is not a day where I do not think about cricket,” Kataria said. “Cricket has shaped so much of my character, and I have learned so many life skills from the sport. There is just something special about cricket. It requires so much skill, focus and patience. Cricket is complex yet simple. You can only enjoy and appreciate the sport once you start playing and watching it.”
“I think America puts so much emphasis on baseball because it is America’s sport.” Vijay Homan
Cricket originated in Britain and was not designated as India’s national sport until India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983. This win for India sparked the next generation of players, and soon after, India produced waves of cricket players who would bring home cricket World Cups for India. “I think the World Cup win in 1983 really boosted cricket in India,” Kataria said. “At the time, Indians were underdogs in, terms of cricket, and ended up winning the tournament against the feared West Indian team,” Kataria said. “Since then, India started producing fantastic players, including the legendary Sachin Tendulakar. Seeing the performance of the Indian team motivated people to pursue cricket. More Indians started focusing on cricket.”
ART BY SOPHIA MOORE
Badminton in China Senior Jonathan Mi said badminton, the sport he has invested countless hours in, is connected to Chinese culture and its emphasis on the sport. Badminton was taken up by the Chinese because of the simplicity of the sport, according to Mi. “I think it definitely relates to the culture since it’s not about your talent,” Mi said. “Anyone can play it. Thus, you see a lot of kids training really hard when they are very young, even though they may not be that gifted, which kind of relates to how Chinese culture is about hard work.” From China is one of the most recognizable badminton players, two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan. Unlike countries such as Brazil and India, China’s driving motivation for the emphasis on badminton does not have to do with the fame and recognition, but with government benefits. “I think that as a sport, it’s definitely heavily sponsored by the government,” Mi said. “So, if you play it really well, you get free coaches and everything is covered. It’s heavily emphasized because given the build of most Chinese people, badminton is a very suitable sport. If you’re on the slender side, it’s probably the best sport
for someone to play in China.” However, the emphasis that China puts on badminton is unique to the country. Mi recalls intensely following badminton when he lived in China, but now in the U.S. he said he rarely finds himself following or playing the sport. Football in Australia Junior Lexi Gwyn also found herself in a similar situation — she used to follow a sport in Australia, but she lost touch with it when moving to the U.S.
“Winning also fuels sub-communities within a population and I think it’s the competition that fuels the culture.” Lexi Gwyn
“I definitely used to follow the Australian Football League quite a lot,” Gwyn said. “I don’t anymore just because there aren’t people around me that also enjoy it. I can’t go to games with my friends and cheer. In Sydney, like American football, we all for the most part, had the same team to
root for, but in America you lose that.” Originally, Australian football was started as a sport by Tom Wills in 1857 to keep cricketers fit during the offseason. It was first played with a rugby ball on a cricket field. However, the sport became unique to Australia. Unlike other sports that gained recognition through national success, Australian football became popular because it was something specific to Australia; other countries did not have a big Australian football presence in their nation. “AFL has such an emphasis in Australia because it’s one of their national sports (or widely popular sports)” Gwyn said. “Why do you think America puts such an emphasis on the NFL? Same deal. It brings in good money from fans and helps the economy and it brings the community together where people might usually be separated by wealth or long commutes, they can come together to cheer for the same team.” In many instances, according to Gwyn, winning fuels a culture around the sport. It gives people a reason to want to watch the game, play the game, and creates that emphasis on the sport in the country. “Winning is my jam,” Gwyn said. “Winning also fuels subcommunities within a population and I think it’s the competition that fuels the culture.”
Coaches motivated to give back Rivalries put pressure on athletes
Different coaches discuss their drives, teaching journey Rival schools sow divisions, impact team performance By Sarah O’Riordan Senior Staff Writer
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ANTONIA MOU
Huddle up! Jack Hogan and Danny Dye speak about feedback from Hogan's last race and how he could improve for the next one. Dye said, "Being involved in the competition and preparation is a lot of fun."
By Olivia Ericsson
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Staff Writer
or many of us, the word “coach” evokes the image of a large figure in sweatshirt and sweatpants, blowing a whistle and screaming different plays or directions to a less compliant group of players. But the job of a coach is far more than just giving orders to a group of individuals. Kevin Hambly, the head coach of Stanford women’s volleyball, said his drive continually pushes him to help better the team as a whole, not only for volleyball but also to empower the women in their personal lives. “I love helping college-age women with their transition from being a kid to an adult,” Hambly said. Hambly ’s motivation to coach was helping others succeed in his passion. The characteristics of being a coach can always be difficult, according to Hambly, but he said coaching has helped him to become a better person as well. “I have learned to see different people's view on the world,” Hambly said. “I think it helps me with perspective about everything. I also think some of these amaz-
ing women (on the team) help me be a better dad to my two young girls.” Danny Dye, Paly’s swimming and diving head coach, said the motivational drive that pushes him to continue his job is the many memories formed along the way. “There are a lot of coaches and athletes over the years that have made the Paly swim team a special place with many memories,” Dye said. “So what keeps me coming it is being a part of that family, and year in and year out welcoming the new members to the team. You connect with the athletes and want to be a part of helping them to be better, while they in turn do the same for you.” Coaching helps with learning from mistakes, and coach Dye agrees with Hambly that coaching has helped him to grow as an individual. “You make mistakes, you don’t always get it perfect,” Dye said. “Just like the athletes you coach, you learn to grow and improve. Coaching has helped me to learn how to adapt and make changes for the team, but it translates to life!” In addition, Jenny Crane, head coach for the Paly field hockey
team, said she had a couple of drives when choosing to coach the group. “First, I really wanted to get the program off the ground and implemented,” Crane said. “Stanford is right across the street and is one of only three division I teams in California (the others being Cal and Davis). Field Hockey was a highlight of my own athletic career and got me a scholarship to Cal — I wanted to spread this opportunity to other athletes. In coaching, my desire is to ignite a passion for the game in these athletes and pass on as much knowledge as the players can absorb.” Crane said she is motivated to get out to the field everyday and coach by the team and individuals. “Thus far, field hockey has had a great turn out of polite, passionate and dedicated athletes,” Crane said. “They are grateful everyday we're out on the field and have genuine curiosity and drive to learn the game and improve their skills. Field hockey requires athletes to be vulnerable by participating in a sport they have never played before, and these athletes' willingness to show up and persevere is heartening for a washed-up athlete like me to be part of.”
s Paly’s winter sports season continues on, tensions flare from the courts to the fields. With both of Paly’s basketball teams in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s highest division, the De Anza, the pressure to perform well and make it to the playoffs is always high. But in recent weeks, both the boys and girls basketball varsity teams have played in notable games, facing off against longtime Paly rivals, Gunn and Los Gatos high schools. The girls and boys varsity basketball teams both beat Gunn High School on Jan. 18, with scores of 58-19 and 50-35, respectively. The matches against Gunn were preceded by a showdown against Los Gatos on Jan. 7, in which the boys’ team won 39-29 and the girls’ team defeated the Wildcats with a score of 45-34. Though each game is of equal value in league standings, athletes often feel increased pressure when playing in rival games, girls varsity basketball player junior Annika Shah said.
“When I’m on the court, I want to prove to everyone that I’m the best, and I want to make others scared to play against me.” Annika Shah
“There’s definitely extra pressure,” boys varsity basketball player and junior Jack Elarde said. “The consequences (of potentially losing) are much worse than a regular game because rivalry games are usually pretty personal.” In fact, according to Shah and Elarde, sporting events with Paly adversaries thrust unto athletes
the responsibility of defending the school’s honor, or settling a past score with rivals. “I feel like our game against Los Gatos was one that was definitely important,” Elarde said. “Our football team had lost to them this year so we had to get payback.” This pressure, Shah said, combined with expectations to do well in the league, can be stressful to student athletes. “I feel that there has to be more pressure with a big crowd, but I try to play my game without letting the crowd affecting me negatively,” Shah said. However, Shah said the exciting opportunities these highpressure games provide greatly outweigh the more stressful aspects. “When I’m on the court, I want to prove to everyone that I'm the best, and I want to make others scared to play against me,” Shah said. “I get very hyped up during rivalry games because everyone’s energy feeds off one another.” Elarde said the spirit from the crowd during rivalry games makes the experience less nerve wracking and inspires confidence in the players. “There’s definitely added pressure,” Elarde said, “but having an energetic crowd genuinely helps. The support from the students really energizes our team and gives us a boost that helps us win.” According to Shah, the crowd serves as a reminder that her peers believe in her and want her to succeed, giving her extra motivation to play to the best of her ability and make her team proud. According to the members of the varsity baseball and lacrosse teams, the sentiment regarding high pressure games extends not only to winter sports like basketball, but to all sports at Paly. “Immediately when our game schedule comes out we look for when we are playing Gatos, Gunn and Mountain View (but mostly Gatos and Gunn),” varsity lacrosse player and junior Laney
Henry said. “Weeks before game day against those rivalry teams, practices become more intensified as games against them are so important — stakes are automatically higher.”
“Practices get a lot more focused approaching these games — you can feel the team buzzing with excitement to play Los Gatos or any important games like that.” Callum Olsen
According to varsity lacrosse player and senior Sanaz Ebrahimi, each sport feels rivalry pressure, but more popular sports like football and basketball have student support. “I always love support from the crowd because I definitely do listen,” Ebrahimi said. “But it’s hard to get that many people to come out to lacrosse games. The people that are there, though, really make us play better.” Junior and varsity baseball player Callum Olsen also attests to the intensity of rivalries “Practices get a lot more focused approaching these games — you can feel the team buzzing with excitement to play Los Gatos or any important games like that,” Olsen said. “Unfortunately at baseball games no students really show up so we don’t get much support from the crowd.” In the upcoming weeks, baseball and lacrosse will begin conditioning in preparation for their seasons as winter sports continue on their league paths. The boys and girls varsity basketball teams played Los Gatos High School on Jan. 29 and 28 respectively, and the boys team will play Mountain View High School on Feb. 5.
The Campanile
Friday, January 31, 2020
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Turning reality into imagination
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very Sunday morning, sophomore Albert Cai hastily checks his phone to make last-minute changes to his fantasy football roster, with the goal of taking another step forward in winning it all. This fantasy sports craze has not only been prevalent at Paly, but also around the world. Fantasy sports, originally invented in the 1980s, have recently been picking up steam, with Forbes reporting an increased rate in participation from an estimated 32 million players in 2012 to 59.3 million in 2017. With fantasy sports, users are able to manage a team by drafting it before the fall season begins, trading with other members in their league and acquiring any other available free agents based on a player’s reallife statistics. Throughout the whole season, fantasy users pray for their players’ good health and success, as their real-life performance directly translates to a fantasy team’s success. However, all these processes are expedited with more expansive mobile apps dedicated to fantasy sports. With the rise in technology, fantasy sports apps are garnering more users than ever, as demonstrated in the Paly fantasy sports culture, according to senior Will DeAndre. “Today, fantasy (sports) is way more popular than it used to be, and getting started is easier than ever with an abundance of insider knowledge and ranking websites,” DeAndre said. Fantasy sports apps not only allow users to make transactions easily, but also allow people who don’t watch sports to become submerged in the world of sports, according to Cai. “I wanted to learn more about sports, but I didn’t want to watch all the games at the time (I began playing), so I thought fantasy
was a good way to learn about the players and follow the game,” Cai said.
“(fantasy sports) allows some interest i n g a m e s t h a t r e a l ly d o n ’ t m a tt e r t o the general p u b l i c .”
Another quality that makes fantasy sports appealing to students is the connection it has with live sports, which further allows fans to closely follow their favorite sports and teams, P.E. teacher Jason Fung said. Fung said playing fantasy sports, specifically fantasy football, has been a fun way to spend his Sundays, as they are filled with football games, starting in the morning and finishing at night. “It allows some interest in games that really don’t matter to the general public, but you get to follow either your favorite players or the players you pick,” Fung said. “You start to follow reasons more than just who won the game.” Fantasy sports allows fans to not only be knowledgeable about their own team, but opposing teams as well, according to DeAndre. “Playing fantasy football has definitely deepened my understanding of football,” DeAndre said. “It allows me to name almost every offensive skill-position player in the NFL, and I could probably tell you how many yards they had this year, too.” Cai said another quality of fan-
tasy sports that intrigues sports fans to play is the managerial and analytical aspect of it, which allows you to manage your own team and, to an extent, control its destiny. “Drafting is my favorite part of the year,” DeAndre said. “I like it because it is fun to create my own rankings as well as take risks with players you think are going to do well.” On top of drafting, there are many mid-season transactions that fantasy users have to make in order to win it all. Although it may seem as if a lot of time must be dedicated to managing a roster and following the games, Cai believes that for many casual fantasy players, fantasy sports is a low-commitment activity that provides users with entertainment and something to chat about with friends throughout the week. “Playing fantasy sports does not really require that much dedication,” Cai said. “For fantasy football, most of the time I check during the weekends.”
“ G e tt i n g s t a r t e d i s easier than ever with an abundance of insider knowledge and ranking w e b s i t e s .”
This is the case for fantasy football players who make up 80% of all fantasy sports users, according to a report from Sports Business Daily. For fantasy football players, most of the games take place on Sundays, which allows them to check their team once be-
fore Sunday. However, due to the fact that other sports have games that are scattered throughout the week, people who play other fantasy sports such as basketball or baseball may have to give a little more effort, according to DeAndre. “Football is a better sport to start with than baseball or basketball because there are multiple games (on) one day of the week,” DeAndre said. Cai said the goal of fantasy sports is to win, as this comes with bragging rights. However, others say it’s the money that motivates them to give fantasy sports their all. “At the end of the day, a lot of kids do it for the fact that you can win some money,” Fung said. “Whether it’s a little or a lot, it’s still the drive of winning some money.” For students like DeAndre though, money is a secondary thought to the bragging rights. “Money is helpful to a league because it gives people an incentive to care and try to do well,” DeAndre said. “If you have a league of motivated players, I think the money doesn’t mean much.” As shown by the popularity of fantasy sports at Paly, while playing fantasy sports has many benefits, it also has significant drawbacks. According to Fung, playing the game with money could ultimately lead to gambling addiction. “The end goal is kind of how it starts, and that always segways into gambling because it is the gratification that comes with fantasy football,” Fung said. Despite the potential risks involved, fantasy sports remain popular among students at Paly, as it encourages people to follow sports more closely and earn a little pocket change. “I would definitely pick up fantasy football if you don’t play it already,” DeAndre said. “It is such a fun activity to do with your friends, and gets even better if you put a lot of time into it.”
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