Friday May 17, 2019
The Campanile
Vol. CI, No. 10
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
www.thecampanile.org
Stanford places hold on negotiations with District By Henry Queen
A MARGO WIXSOM/USED WITH PERMISSION
Teacher Margo Wixsom created this comic to express her concerns over the District's decision to terminate the position of art coordinator.
District removal of art coordinator sparks controversy Photo teacher says she wishes district consulted students, art department before the change By Leila Khan
Managing Editor
P
alo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has replaced a district-level administrator, Li Ezzel, with a lead teacher, Nancy Coffey, for the role of art coordinator despite visual art staff 's concerns and confusion. According to Superintendent Don Austin, Coffey will take on all the roles Ezzel had with minimal disruption to the arts programs. “She is capable of coordinating the program, much like our site administrators support, hire, guide and evaluate teachers in disciplines outside of the admin-
istrator’s credentialed area,” Austin said. But photography teacher Margo Wixsom said the decision to terminate the art coordinator position, previously held by Ezzel, was made by District administrators without discussing the move ahead of time with the visual arts teachers. “The visual arts teachers right now are very upset and very concerned with the lack of support of the visual arts in PAUSD because the decision to terminate the art coordinator was done without talking to any of the teachers,” Wixsom said. The first notice the Paly art teachers received about the de-
cision came through an email without warning or a subsequent meeting, according to Wixsom. “It was basically leaked through an email, and we found out it was going to be recommended to the school board in a very quiet, sneaky way,” Wixsom said. “This was deeply insulting and insensitive to us as a visual art staff. They did this right at the beginning of setting up the Youth Art district show at the Palo Alto Art Center, which is usually mainly run by the art coordinator himself.” The other Paly art teachers, including Sue La Fetra and Kate McKenzie, declined The Campanile’s requests for interviews.
Despite Wixsom’s concerns, Chief Academic Officer Anne Brown said she sees this change as necessary in adjusting to the resignation of Ezzel. Brown was part of the process of appointing a new teacher to coordinate the visual and performing arts and worked with other District administrators to find a new candidate to take on the responsibilities of the previous art coordinator. “(The resignation) gave us an opportunity to reevaluate these positions,” Brown said. “As a result, the coordinator positions have been consolidated into one Visual and Performing Arts
Art Coordinator
A3
Senior Staff Writer
tentative deal that would have required Stanford University to help offset the impact on the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) of its ambitious expansion plans was thrown into limbo last week when Stanford tabled further discussions on the proposed pact with the county. In response, the PAUSD school board voted on Tuesday to suspend consideration of its own agreement with Stanford until further notice, a move that complied with Stanford’s request for a suspension of university-district talks. Under the suspended agreement, Stanford would pay the district $5,800 for each student who attends PAUSD as a result of the university’s addition of housing units. Stanford hit the pause button after its proposed deal with PAUSD, announced last month after secret negotiations, faced instant backlash from Santa Clara County officials, including Supervisor Joe Simitian, who criticized the tentative agreement as a violation of the county’s rules that Stanford negotiate with the county before reaching a deal with PAUSD. Stanford’s proposed expansion plan, also known as a “General Use Permit,” would span from now until 2035 and allow for the construction of 2.275 million square feet of academic space, 3,150 new on-campus housing units for students and faculty and
40,000 square feet of child-care space. Its plan, which has not yet been approved by the county, has faced both praise and criticism, with some community members applauding the university for bringing more housing onto campus and others decrying the inevitable increased congestion. “If approved, the proposed General Use Permit will provide Stanford flexibility to develop academic and housing facilities over time, allowing the university to respond to innovations in teaching and research,” Stanford’s proposal read.
“The community needs to mitigate the impact of 9,000 people coming to Stanford every day." Anne Brown
Negotiations between Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and County developmentagreement negotiators Cindy Chavez and Simitian have been active for months but are now at a stand-still. Stanford last week balked at the process being proposed by the county and asked that the scheduled public hearings be postponed. Tessier-Lavigne requested the negotiations be private and that Stanford pay less money to PAUSD than in the tentative agreement, neither of
Stanford
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Villalobos, Christiansen to depart, new assistant principals to arrive next fall By Kiana Tavakoli & Antonia Mou
F BRYCE DRUZIN/USED WITH PERMISSION
Paly graduate Bryce Druzin protests Lockheed Martin's sale of arms to Saudi Arabia by vandalizing the office.
Lockheed Martin sign vandalized due to company's involvement in Yemen By Kiana Tavakoli & Anna Meyer
Business Manager Science & Tech Editor
T
o protest Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing of missiles used in the Yemeni Civil War, Bryce Druzin vandalized the Palo Alto Advanced Technology Center entrance sign with the word “Yemen” and the date Aug. 9, 2018 on Saturday, April 27.
“Lockheed Martin is enabling (the war) by selling weapons to Saudi Arabia." Bryce Druzin
The date refers to an attack on a school bus in Yemen which killed 43 people and wounded 63. Of the victims, at least 29 of those killed were under 15 years old and at least 30 of those injured were children, according to the International Committee of
INSIDE the edition
News. . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5
the Red Cross. The bomb used in the attack was manufactured by Lockheed Martin, who declined The Campanile’s request for an interview. “Lockheed Martin is enabling (the war) by selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, and Lockheed Martin is in Palo Alto,” Druzin said. “That’s my hometown. (I think) people in Palo Alto — residents and people who grew up there — have a responsibility to say, ‘Hey, we’re not okay with this’… I’m not okay with having a neighbor in our community help kill….innocent people.” Druzin said he was motivated to act by the fact that Lockheed Martin has several Bay Area offices, all of which contribute to the local economy and thus benefit residents. “If Lockheed Martin didn’t have a office in Palo Alto, I don’t think I would have done anything,” Druzin said. “We have a responsibility because we benefit from what’s going on, and we shouldn’t.” The decision for Druzin was not impulsive; it came after months of contemplation. The timing of the act was also
not a coincidence, as it occured one week after President Trump vetoed a bill to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen. “It was a cumulative thing,” Druzin said. “(My protest was a result of ) a buildup of reasons, until I finally made the decision to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do something and do this now.’”
“If Lockheed Martin didn't have a office in Palo Alto, I don't think I would have done anything." Bryce Druzin
Druzin said he does not expect Lockheed Martin to stop manufacturing weapons to the Saudi coalition as a result of his protest, but hopes that his act will inspire at least one employee to leave their job at Lockheed Martin for moral reasons.
Lockheed Martin A3
Lifestyle
REIN VASKA/USED WITH PERMISSION
Student Music Groups High school bands prepare for performances. PAGE B1
Business Manager Staff Writer
ollowing the announcement of Assistant Principal John Christiansen's resignation and Assistant Principal Katya Villalobos’s transition to a Paly teacher, effective June 30, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) announced its approval of Dr. Clarisse Haxton and Wendy Stratton as the two new assistant principals for Paly’s administration team in the upcoming school year. Haxton previously worked in the Research, Evaluation, and Assessment Department at the District office, and Stratton is arriving from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, where she has been an assistant principal since 2014. “I have worked a with the
guidance team, but in informal and project-specific ways,” Haxton said. “I know a little bit about the (structure), but one of my goals, of course, is learning more about each of those pieces of guidance and getting to know the staff and the students and seeing how each of those pieces – Wellness, guidance, College and Career and
TA (Teacher Advisors)– work for students and how we can improve them to best serve students.” For the past three years, Haxton has worked as the PAUSD Program Evaluation Coordinator, a position that had not existed prior to her arrival.
Assistant Principals A3
Adam Paulson hosts Track Hours
Initiative introduced to help improve communication between staff By Neil Kapoor
I
News & Opinion Editor
n an effort to diversify communication methods with teachers, principal Adam Paulson is considering expanding a new initiative called “Track Hours,” where he and staff members can walk around the athletic track and discuss any topic of their choosing. “Track Hours” are time for staff to meet me at the track and check in about any topic,” Paulson said. “It is good to get up out of your seat and change your environment. I feel walking and talking provides a healthy way to get some work done. We read so much email and need to make sure we make time to connect face-to-face.” According to math teacher Cynthia Chen, participating in “Track Hours” offers a more en-
Spotlight
GW PUBLIC HEALTH/CC BY 2.0
Post Paly Plans
The class of 2019 has post-graduation plans. PAGE B4-B5
SHIVA MOHSENIAN/THE CAMPANILE
Katya Villalobos will transition to the social studies department next year.
gaging, useful alternative to conventional meetings. “Sometimes an office meeting is hard to schedule because Mr. Paulson is very busy,” Chen said. “With ‘Track Hours,’ he’s guaranteed to be there, and you can drop in any time. The meetings are still private, but I do like that it is informal and that we get some exercise.” Paulson said he was inspired to initiate “Track Hours” in December 2018 by Gunn High School Principal Kathie Laurence. “She has been doing this for a while and has told me it was a great way to check in with staff,” Paulson said. “I am glad I took her suggestion.” Given the positive impact of Track Hours, Paulson said he may increase the frequency of Track Hours next year. “(I plan on participating in Track Hours) at least 2 hours a
Science & Tech
TIEN NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE
Hypnosis
There are many technicalities behind the hypnotic state. PAGE B8
week, but hopefully more next year,” Paulson said. “Right now it is open to staff, but I might consider students if there is interest.” This proposal has already received support from several people, including sophomore Ethan Hwang, who said students should be involved in “Track Hours” as they can shed light on different aspects of situations that would otherwise be overlooked by staff. “I think it's a great idea because students definitely have a different perspective that isn't necessarily represented in the Paly admin,” Hwang said. “If I were talking to Paulson, I'd probably talk to him about the d--- bell schedule.” Chen agrees with Hwang that students should be able to participate in “Track Hours” to improve communication.
Track Hours A3
Sports
JOE SZILVAGYI/CC BY 2.0
Racecar drivers
Competitive car racing takes hold in the Bay Area. PAGE C1