Issue 3 11/24/14 by The Campanile

The Campanile

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

Vol. XCVII, No. 3

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

Elections yield new visions for Palo Alto Residents select City Council and school board representatives, vote on Measures B, C and D

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Stephanie Cong/the campanile

Mischa nee

Staff writer

n Nov. 4, Palo Alto residents voted in favor of anti-development candidates for city council, individuals with backgrounds in Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) for school board and Measures B, C and D. The 12 person candidate-pool for city council quickly became divided along the issue of future development in Palo Alto. Incumbent Karen Holman ran a campaign aligned with the anti-development “residentialist” group, while Greg Scharff ran with support from the established city council; they were both reelected. Holman finished with more than 1,000 votes ahead of the other candidates. Scharff came in second place. Residentialists Tom DuBois and Eric Filseth secured spots on the council early in the counting. Both

were heavily involved in the opposition against new policies promoting development last year. Lydia Kou, who worked with DuBois and Filseth against Measure D in the last election, was in a tight race against Cory Wolbach for the final spot on the council but ultimately lost, finishing 156 votes behind. Wolbach ran with the support from the “establishment,” current members on the council who have voted in the past for more growth. Nancy Shepard and A.C. Johnston, who received endorsements from similar individuals to Wolbach and Scharff, finished sixth and seventh, respectively. But following the clear anti-development vision favored by the majority of Palo Alto residents, current council members appointed two pro-urban revitalization techies, Kate Downing and Michael Alcheck, to the Planning and Transportation Commision on Nov. 10. Residents also voted in favor of Measure D, which proposes to reduce the size of the city council from nine

to seven in 2018, after minimal campaigning for either side. This was just placed on the ballot in a five to four vote within council members after years of prior talk. The measure is meant to shorten meetings and lower costs, but opponents argue that it will further narrow the views of members and limit the size extensively when conflicts of interest arise.

Throughout the campaigning it has become clear that all candidates share similar visions for the future of PAUSD: foreign language programs for elementary schools, use of data in decisionmaking and improvement of each student’s emotional health. In the school board election, Ken Dauber secured a spot in his third time running. After a close race between Terry Godfrey and Catherine Crystal Foster, with a gap closed to just 12 votes at one point in the count-

ing, Godfrey claimed the second spot on the school board. Throughout the campaign, it has become clear that all candidates share similar visions for the future of PAUSD: foreign language programs for elementary schools, use of data in decision-making and improvement of each student’s emotional health. Voters approved two measures specific to Palo Alto. Measure B, which increases the transient occupancy tax, will raise visitors hotel tax from 12 percent to 14 percent. This revenue will go towards improving infrastructure — specifically earthquake safe fire stations and street and parking upgrades. The measure was passed easily with more than 75 percent of voters in favor. Measure C updates the current utility tax to be more aligned with modern technology. It broadens the scope of the telecommunications tax rate while decreasing the rate from 5 percent to 4.75 percent so as to maintain equivalent revenue. Voter turnout was lower than prior years at around 36 percent.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Construction company sues PAUSD Rachel price

StAFF WRITER

aisei Corporation sued Palo Alto Unified School District, for $3.5 million in compensation, alleging breach of contract during construction of the high school’s two math and media arts buildings. According to a Palo Alto Weekly article, Taisei’s lawsuit was filed in June 2013 after PAUSD refused to pay the $1.6 million Taisei requested in an earlier complaint in April 2013. Taisei’s suit includes additional expenses the company claims to have spent as a result of the distict’s changes to construction plans. Mentioned in the article, the suit claims that “incomplete plans, unbuildable design elements and uncoordinated sections of the plans required the company and its subcontractors to repeatedly slow or stop work and, in some cases, remove and replace completed work.” The architecture firm that designed the buildings, Deems Lewis McKinley, is also being sued for “tortuous interferences with contract relations.” Taisei is claiming that PAUSD did not follow through with their standard of care. “We already have several experts who have come forth to say that not only the architect failed to meet his standard of care, the district also failed to meet their standard of care,” Taisei’s Operations Risk Manager Jaysen Van said. The Palo Alto Weekly states that the suit, filed on the planned date of construction completion, didn’t became apparent to the district until July because Taisei served them in an untimely fashion. Taisei also made three changes to their suit during the duration of construction.

Lawsuit

Senior athletes commit Speech and Debate team members to Division I Schools place high in local tournaments Academic and athletic achievements lead to college recruitment for Paly students Jeffrey Ho

Online Editor-in-chief

Josh Ng

StAFF WRITER

et’s face it: for many, applying to colleges is no easy task. From filing regular applications and anxiously awaiting early action and early decision results to maintaining good first semester grades, most students are by no means alleviated from the pressures that come with being a first semester senior. Simply balancing school and college applications is a great feat. Adding on extracurricular activities adds much more to an already congested student schedule. However, both senior synchronized swimmer Elle Billman and senior golfer Michelle Xie have already hopped over one of senior year’s huge hurdles, committing to attend their first choice schools. At Stanford University and Harvard University respectively, Billman and Xie will continue to compete next year at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.

Fifteen Paly debate students excel in respective individual events

Both athletes’ offers have come as a result of remarkable academic and athletic success. Billman began her synchronized swimming career in fourth grade, at the age of nine. For the past nine years, Billman has swam for the same club, the Santa Clara Aquamaids, and continues to practice for upwards of 30 hours throughout six practices per week.

At Stanford University and Harvard University respectively, Billman and Xie will continue to compete next year at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.

Zoe tierney/The campanile

Palo Alto High School Speech and Debate members prepare cases for their upcoming tournament at Santa Clara University.

rom Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, 15 students from the Palo Alto High School Speech and Debate team participated in the University of the Pacific Speech and Debate Invitational Tournament Stockton, Calif. Paly’s team had multiple successes, one of which included a win in the varsity debate division. Multiple Paly students participated in the Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate. All debat-

ers competed in five preliminary rounds, each of which had one judge to decide a winner. The top 16 debaters made it to the elimination rounds; there, the debater with the most votes won the round and advanced. The Lincoln-Douglas debate topic for the University of Pacific tournament was “Resolved: A just society ought to presume consent for organ procurement from the deceased.” The topics often change every two months. Junior Anna Lu placed first in the Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate. Lu

Spotlight

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The music industry is shifting from record labels to the internet. B4-B5

Know what to do what to do if put in B1 this situation.

The playoff picture becomes clearer as the season is ending. C4-C5

Since joining her synchronized swim team, Billman has also accomplished numerous awards and recognitions. Most notably, Billman represented the United States Junior National Synchronized Swimming Team in the 13-15 year

Sports commits

Susana Cacho

StAFF WRITER

went through multiple rounds before finding out the results of her round. “The elimination rounds were particularly stressful because all of my rounds were decided on split decisions, so out of a panel of three, two judges voted for me and one for my opponent,” Lu said. “In the final round, they actually didn’t announce the decision so that there would be suspense during the award ceremony, when we actually found out who won. That was terrifying because I had

debate

INSIDE N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 5 Opinion............................A6-A8 L i fe st yle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B7-B8 StudentLife............................B2,B6 Te c h n o l o g y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 3 Spotlight...............................B4-B5 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1- C 8

Death of the Record Label

Protection against flashing

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Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

NEWS

NEWS TO KNOW

Theatre’s upcoming productions include Play in a Day and its annual showcases After their successful play “Server of Two Masters,” Paly’s theatre students are now continuing to prepare for their many upcoming winter performances

Courtesy of Global Research

@IFLScience After three and a half years, low levels of Fukushima radiation have made their way to the California coast.

@WSJ Heightened sense of fear and division gripped both Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem after deadly synagogue rampage

@HuffingtonPost Staring at your phone all day is killing your back, study finds

@Guardian Female Indonesian police recruits are forced to undergo a two-finger ‘virginity test’ examination

Courtesy of time

@TIME Meet “Normal Barbie,” who comes with an average waistline, acne and cellulite

@TheWorldPost Hong Kong activists tried to storm government buildings earlier today

Jamie har

staff writer

he Palo Alto High School Theatre Department will present the Theatre 1 and 2 Showcases on Dec. 11 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and hold its Play in a Day event on Dec. 19 and 20. The Theatre 1 and 2 Showcases are decided within each class every year. “Last year, [in Theatre 1], we did scenes from a show called Check Please that highlighted fast changing scenes and physical humor,” junior and current Theatre 2 student Matt O’Reilly said. “Check Please” is about a series of blind dinner dates that take wrong turns just when it seems that situations couldn’t get any worse. This year, Theatre 1’s showcase will include several monologues chosen by the theatre students. It will be held at the same time as the Theatre 2 showcase, which will be a British dialogue. “Basically, [Theatre 2 is] going to do a bunch of scenes that are written or adapted for an English accent to show off our new accent skills we’ve been working on,” O’Reilly said. “Most of these scenes will be comedy but some are serious.” In addition to the two showcases, Paly’s theatre is also planning to

@BBCBreaking Parents of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, US aid worker beheaded by IS, say his life proves “one person can make a difference”

Masters” in the Haymarket Theatre. It was an adapted version of Carlo Goldoni’s Commedia dell’arte play called “The Servant of Two Masters.” “The Servant of Two Masters” follows the character development of a male character, Truffaldino, who is always hungry. The characters are derived from “stock characters,” which are often used in commedia dell’arte. By the end of the play, after a special kiss with Smeraldina, Truffaldino realizes that he was also

hungry for love. Some other themes in the play include confrontations between young and old people. Paly’s theatre had its “The Drowsy Chaperone” auditions Nov. 18 through Nov. 21. “The Drowsy Chaperone” is the second semester major production and is a musical comedy that, ironically, mocks musicals. The show will be set in 1928, like the original script, and will include many students since it has an unlimited cast.

Unique teacher integration program and plans for the construction of multiple new buildings on campus among the administration’s objectives and goals for Paly SENIOR STAFF WRITER

@vicenews Colorado is using pot tax revenue to fund substance abuse programs in schools

host its Play in a Day event, which happens once a year. “Play in a Day is probably the coolest thing we do at Paly Theatre,” O’Reilly said. “We get split into groups, and each group has a leader who writes a script the night before. Then, we get one day to block, costume, work on and perform the play in front of [the class].” From Nov. 5 through Nov. 7 and Nov. 13 through Nov. 15, the theatre presented the play “Server of Two

Paly’s administration discusses its new staff, ongoing construction, new buildings JAKE VAN ZYLL

@MLBRosterMoves The @Marlins sign OF @Giancarlo818 to a 13-year contract, through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028

courtesy of Paly theatre

Paly theatre students Oskar Soderberg and Sophie Swezey practice their roles together for the play Server of Two Masters.

he administration has hired 17 new staff members this year, and principal Kim Diorio is pleased with how they have impacted Palo Alto High School so far. Positions have been filled around the school, most notably in the English department. “I think [the teachers have] really integrated into our campus well,” Diorio said. “Some of them are already very involved in student life in terms of clubs and helping out during Spirit Week. I think we hired some really great teachers. They have fresh eyes and a new perspective on things.”

Paly has also implemented a unique program to facilitate new educators. “We pair new teachers up with veteran teachers so that they have a mentor on campus, somebody who helps them with curriculum and with classroom expectations, as well as working with their instructional supervisor for each department,” Diorio said. “Overall, integration of new teachers has been fluid.” In summary, our new staff members are doing an exceptional job and have already proved to be a valuable part of our school. Construction across campus is currently a concern held by many students. “The Performing Art Center is on track — that’s good,” Diorio said. “We’re doing the library renovation

planning right now, and [the schematic design is] going to go to the [School] Board in December.”

Some [teachers] are already very involved in student life. I think we hired some really great teachers. They have fresh eyes and a new perspective on things.

Kim Diorio Principal

Additionally, the old gym’s destruction continues to be planned. “The last I heard about the gym is they’re now thinking of tearing it

UPCOMING EVENTs

ASB plans ahead for its many events Annual blood drive, club visits and new winter dance among ASB’s remaining goals for the rest of Paly’s first semester alec sullivan

down in February,” Diorio said. “It’s been approved by [the Division of the State Architect], but their architect and their contractor are now working out some of the details with the engineers, making sure it’s structurally sound.” Diorio believes that the new Media and Arts Center has already proved to be a massive success and a worthwhile investment for Paly. “Teachers love it, staff love it, parents love it, students love it,” Diorio said. “It’s really creative and innovative and a great place to go and work. It has such a different feel than any other [building on campus], and I think people are saying they want more places like it.”

NOV

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY BEGINS

DEC

MADRIGAL FEASTE TO BE SHOWN AT JORDAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Fill up your gobble-let with all that your heart desires.

senior STAFF WRITER

alo Alto High School has once again seen a very successful Spirit Week. This year ASB spirit commissioners experimented with new events and also altered the spirit dance to include more people. The seniors were victorious in a very close race against the juniors, and the sophomores and freshmen followed behind. According to ASB Vice President Reid Walters, the student government is debriefing the homecoming dance and is starting to plan the winter dance.

ASB’s goal is to create a dance which will cater to the entire student body of Paly. Walters said that ASB doesn’t yet have an idea as to what the theme of the upcoming winter dance is going to be; however, she said that ASB’s main goal is to create a dance which will be able to cater to the entire student body of Paly.

DEC

19 Miranda Chen/The campanile

ASB plans to hold the annual blood drive this December to support the Red Cross.

“We are going to try to do a survey before we decide the theme to get everybody’s input,” Walters said. Additionally, ASB has planned many club visits that are set to take place throughout the semester. Because officers in ASB want to make sure that clubs are active, they are planning to check in on each of the clubs.

The annual blood drive is also coming up and will take place on Dec. 5. The blood drive is hosted by the American Red Cross and will be located in the Social Studies Resource Center (SSRC). ASB has also decided to once again fund food during finals week in the library and will provide postfinals cookies and cocoa, which will take place on Dec. 19.

Come feast on the choir’s appetizing performances. END OF FIRST SEMESTER: COME TO THE QUAD FOR COOKIES AND COCOA

Free time? Sike. Say goodbye to your free SATurdays.

JAN

FIRST DAY OF SECOND SEMESTER

DEC

PALY’S FLEA MARKET

Choose two: sleep, a social life or good grades.

Come to the flea market — Maybe you’ll find a buy one get one “flea” sale.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

A3 NEWS City of Palo Alto reverses previously established prohibition of sleeping inside motorized vehicles Motion to allow people to sleep in their cars passes one year after current ban was originally created

Conner Harden/The Campanile

People may now sleep in their cars at night after City Council voted to abolish their 2013 policy banning such actions.

Coby Parker

Editor-in-Chief

n Monday, the City of Palo Alto reversed the ban on sleeping in vehicles within city limits, following suit of other cities in the area. The Palo Alto City Council decided to repeal the ban which was initially passed in August 2013 in a 7-1 vote.

The decision to repeal came after a court case in the city of Los Angeles in which a judge struck down a similar law against vehicle dwelling. The law was struck down in the Desertrain v. Los Angeles case because it “[opened] the door to discriminatory enforcement against the homeless and the poor.” In the trial, the panel held that the law violated “the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth

Amendment as an unconstitutionally vague statute.” The passing of the ban in August led to criticism from Palo Altan homeless advocates as well as individuals who have had to live in their car in the past or currently. The ban was never enforced by the Palo Alto Police Department in the time between when it was passed and when it was repealed.

Palo Alto High School students agreed with the decision to remove the ban by the city council. Senior Olivia Scola feels that the Palo Alto community shouldn’t make an artificial distinction between housing styles and should treat all residents equally. “I think [the law] is really awful,” Scola said. “And I agree that the law should be repealed because I don’t think that homeless people in Palo Alto should be discriminated [against]. They should have somewhere to sleep, and if that is their best option then it should be an option for them.” When the ordinance passed, the city also allocated $250,000 per year to work toward a solution of housing of the homeless in Palo Alto. The allocation of funds was not repealed, so the city is still financing solutions to homelessness within the Palo Alto area. The ban was first passed among discussion that car dwellers in Palo Alto made the community unsafe, and made residents feel uncomfortable. At the hearing to repeal the ordinance, however, these comments were lopsided to those hoping for its repeal, and not a single person in fa-

vor of the ordinance commented at the meeting.

[Homeless people] should have somewhere to sleep, and if that is their best option then it should be an option for them.

Olivia Scola Senior

Vice Mayor Liz Kniss feels that residents are still uncomfortable with vehicle dwellers, but there was little support for it at the meeting and was unrepresentative of the public as a whole. The dissenting opinion on the council, Larry Klein, voted against the reversal because he said that the city would be able to defend the law in court. He said that the ban still held merit in keeping citizens safe. At the meeting on Monday night, the city council scheduled another meeting to in which they will discuss solving the homelessness problem in the Palo Alto. The council is looking for another organization to partner with in order to make sure the money goes to a credible source that can truly make an impact.

Speech and Debate team victorious at recent tournaments Team performs exceptionally in both varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate and individual speech events Continued from A1 to wait for the award ceremony to start two hours after my final round knowing that it was really close.” According to sophomore Ethan Teo, publicity manager for Paly’s Speech and Debate Team, the team focuses on mostly one particular form of debate. “Paly’s team does a lot of variety in speech, but focuses on LincolnDouglas debate, which has a particular format that is a morals and values-based and also one-on-one [style] debate,” Teo said. After Lu found out she had won the entire Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate division, she felt that in addition to her previous performances, this tournament held great significance for her career. “This was the second tournament that I won this year out of the three

that I’ve attended so far so that was really exciting and unexpected,” Lu said. “Finding out on stage that I won the tournament was by far the best moment I’ve had throughout my debate career.” Other significant successes included sophomores Candace Wang and Eric Foster, both of whom made it to the quarterfinals in LincolnDouglas, and junior Gabi Rossner who made it to octafinals. Junior Jenny Xin won first place and Rossner placed third in the Novice Original Prose and Poetry, a speech event where contestants write an original piece, memorize it and ultimately present it. Senior Will Robertson was a semifinalist in the Varsity Extemporaneous Speaking Event. Another tournament with a successful outcome for Paly’s Speech and Debate Team was the Harker

Lincoln-Douglas Invitational that took place from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 at the Harker Upper School.

The elimination rounds were particularly stressful because all of my rounds were decided on split decisions.

Anna Lu Junior

Varsity debaters had six preliminary rounds and started elimination rounds at the quarterfinals. Lu went 6-0 in preliminary rounds, won all elimination rounds and was awarded first place in the event. Juniors Helen Yan and Anant Marur both went 5-1 in preliminary rounds and made it to the semifinals. Teo went 4-2 in preliminary rounds and eventually advanced to the quarterfinals.

Courtesy of Anna Lu

Junior Anna Lu poses with her final opponent after winning the varisty LincolnDouglas debate division at the Harker Invitational Tournament.

The University of the Pacific Invitational and the Harker LincolnDouglas Invitational were both ad-

ditions to the great success Paly’s Speech and Debate team has been experiencing in recent years.

Taisei Corporation files lawsuit against PAUSD concerning new Paly Media Arts Center and Math and Social Studies building $3.5 million lawsuit arises over accusations of breach of contract during the construction of new buildings Continued from A1 The suit has been rejected by both the district and the architecture firm. Claiming a lack of support for Taisei’s claims, the district’s attorneys have denounced Taisei’s argument of “unclean hands.” The attorneys on PAUSD’s side believe that Taisei is not entitled to compensation because they are guilty of wrongdoing of their own. This wrongdoing illegitimizes Taisei’s claims of breach of contract on PAUSD’s part. The district’s attorneys, from law firm Dannis Woliver Kelley, justified the district’s actions and delayed mediation.

According to Palo Alto Weekly, PAUSD claimed that “Taisei has failed to state sufficient facts to constitute a cause of action against the district and to exhaust its administrative remedies for its claim against the district.”

The attorneys on PAUSD’s sidebelieve that Taisei is not entitled to compensation because they are guilty of wrongdoing of their own. Gilbane, the attorney for the construction manager PAUSD worked with, wrote in court documents that

Taisei’s claims “constitute nothing more than a superficial attempt to classify the normal contractual duties of a construction manager, as torts, solely on the basis that such services may have had an adverse effect on Taisei’s bottom line.” The construction manager does not blame or conflict with PAUSD in this case. Despite PAUSD’s strong rejection of the suit, Taisei continues to hold a solid argument. With more detail, Van claimed the majority of the delay was due to the delayed installation of hydronic piping, which was postponed for one year and cost Taisei $1 million in changed plans. Although

the district paid for the pipes, Taisei hasn’t been compensated for the delay, which required six new subcontractors to be hired.

[Taisei’s claims] constitute nothing more than a superficial attempt to classify the normal contractual duties of a construction manager, as torts, solely on the basis that such services may have had an adverse effect on Taisei’s bottom line. While the district argues that Taisei’s claims are unsupported, and

its own actions justified, Taisei continues to demand compensation for the extensive and constantly changing plans for construction. Taisei blames not only PAUSD, but also the architecture firm and the architect for their lost time and their lost money. Both PAUSD and the architecture firm reject these claims and blame Taisei for misconduct during the construction process. With both parties holding strong arguments, the suit will be long and will have many amendments, reflecting the nature of the process of construction currently being debated. It is not likely that a resolution of any sort will arise soon.

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Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

NEWS A4 Council approves Midterm election successful a new shuttle plan for Republicans in Congress Shuttles plan to travel different routes

2014 midterm election passed a breakthrough change with the legalization of Marijuana and new propositions in California Danny hammerson

Staff Writer

Conner Harden/The Campanile

On Oct. 27, Palo Alto City Council unanimously voted on expanding the shuttle service.

Noah Smith

Staff writer

n an attempt to reduce traffic, Palo Alto officials approved a plan to dramatically expand the city’s shuttle fleet on Oct. 27. By a unanimous vote, the Palo Alto City Council approved the proposal to roughly double the amount of service on the north-south Crosstown Shuttle, adding a new “West Shuttle” route that would provide service from the downtown Caltrain station to Mountain View, as well as experiment with a seasonal trolley system that would stretch between Stanford Shopping Center and University Avenue next summer. Council members also indicated that they want to explore a slew of other options, including additional service to Stanford Research Park and to underserved residential neighborhoods like Barron Park. The council largely agreed that the city’s small shuttle system, which currently includes three lines, is due for an expansion. The present system consists of the Crosstown Shuttle, a route that stretches from Charleston Rd. in south Palo Alto to the University Ave. Caltrain station in the north, using primarily Middlefield Rd. as the throughway the Embarcadero Shuttle, which goes from the

east side of the city to the downtown Caltrain station; and the East Palo Alto Shuttle, which premiered in July and goes from the downtown Caltrain station to the Woodland Park neighborhood in East Palo Alto. The new proposal from planning staff and their consultants would add the West Shuttle and increase Crosstown service while keeping the Embarcadero and East Palo Alto shuttles unchanged. The council endorsed this plan. Some members offered specific recommendations. Mayor Nancy Shepherd suggested a service to Gunn High School. Councilman Pat Burt suggested that the city should look at the employee “nodes” at Stanford Research Park where density may justify adding a shuttle service. Meanwhile, Councilwoman Karen Holman pointed to underserved neighborhoods west of El Camino, including Barron Park. Others reframed the issue. Councilman Greg Schmid suggested that information technology is making on-demand car services like Uber increasingly attractive. He called for exploration of alternative technologies that the city could use to encourage such services. “This is where the technology is going,” Schmid said. “This is where Silicon Valley is going.”

uring the 2014 midterm elections, 51 seats were needed for a Senate majority, and the Republican Party received 53. Many believe this win was due to the mass disapproval of President Obama and what he has done with his second term. Republicans also won the majority of the House of Representatives with 244 seats, to only 186 for the Democrats. Obama received a disapproval rating of 54 percent and Congress received a disapproval rating of 81 percent. Whatever the actual reason is for such mass disapproval of the Democratic Party, it was very apparent that U.S. citizens wanted a change from our current political policy and overall affiliation. Even though the Senate and house elections were very one sided, many breakthrough changes were made through propositions. These changes included marijuana legalization two states, Alaska and Oregon with Measure 2 and Measure 91.

Proposition 47 also passed in California, which essentially reduced crime sentences for nonviolent crimes. The proposition mainly deals with drug crimes, as well as shoplifting, grand theft and fraud; making these small-scale non-violent crimes misdemeanors as opposed to felonies. Overall, there were many major changes in government during this year’s midterms.

It sent a message from the American people to Washington: that they’re tired of the gridlock in congress and are tired of Obama’s failed policies.

Anonymous

Palo Alto High School student Although most Paly students are not able to vote, many still have very passionate and varying opinions. “The midterm elections [were] a result of the gridlock in Congress,” junior Eoin O’Farrell said. “The Senate was taken by the Republicans because Americans were fed up with the

squabbling and decided they wanted a change.” A student that chose to remain anonymous said that “[Midterms] sent a message from the American people to Washington: that they’re tired of the gridlock in Congress and are tired of Obama’s failed policies. Voters want to see our country move forward with the economy, immigration, energy and a variety of other issues. And the American people seem to think that the GOP are up for the task.” Though provided with a good opinion on the reason for the results of these elections, many other students are very opinionated for and against a particular party. Many were satisfied with the election results, yet some were still dissatisfied. “I’m liberal so I thought they [the elections] were disappointing,” junior Max Hallberg said. No matter what the opinion was Paly students were very politically conscious, and had their own formulated opinions on this years midterms. Though usually people don’t pay much attention to midterms, this year the elections brought a drastic change.

Courtesy of cnn

Midterm Election showed disapproval ratings for Congress and President Obama, resulted in a Republican majority in Congress.

Largest Ebola vaccine trial to occur in Switzerland

Trials have been supported by the World’s Health Organization and will be tested on 120 individuals

Courtesy of getty images

Director of the Jenner Institute and chief investigator of the trials, Adrian Hill, holds a vial of the Ebola vaccine his organizaiton developed.

Rachel Farn

Staff writer

esearchers are planning to test the Canadian-made Ebola vaccine in Lausanne, Switzerland in order to identify the correct dosage. The largest Ebola vaccine trial to be held, the tests in Switzerland will include about 120 volunteers. Scientists may also hold similar trials in the African countries. These tests are a continuation of

the earlier tests in the U.S. and the vaccine will be administered in higher dosages. The trials are supported by the World’s Health Organization and were approved by Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory authority for therapeutic products. The vaccine was approved to be used at on about 120 individuals at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV ). “These trials show an almost unprecedented mobilisation on

the part of countries, health agencies and industry to pitch in and help to curb the current Ebola epidemic,” Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation at the World’s Health Organization (WHO), said. “If the vaccines prove to be safe and effective and we move to production and distribution scale-up. This will be the fastest vaccine roll-out we have had in response to a public health emergency to date.”

Twenty vials of the Canadian vaccine had been donated to the U.S. for the first ever Ebola vaccine trial on humans, which began in early September. The U.S. trials were able to successfully determine the safety of the vaccine in low dosages in 13 people. “This provides hope because if the Canadian vaccine is shown to be safe and effective, it will stop this devastating outbreak,” Canadian Health Minister Rona Ambrose said during a conference call from Calgary on Fox News. The Canadian vaccine has progressed greatly since developed. This progression has not only relieved scientists and people directly affected by Ebola, but it has also provided comfort to the general population. “The fact that they’ve made an Ebola vaccine is a good thing because it can keep us from having an epidemic,” senior Cameron Aishin said. “Plus there’s a ton of people who are not super sanitary.” The vaccine is licensed to Newlink Genetics Corporation, which is based in Ames, Iowa. The vaccine had only been tested on animals previous to all human trials. With the rush to test the vaccine and create sufficient amounts of it, the small biotech company is under pressure.

Mid Peninsula Orthodontics Stacey D. Quo DDS, MS Specialist in Orthodontics

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“There [weren’t] any delays,” Dr. Charles Link, CEO and chief scientific officer of NewLink Genetics, said on Yahoo! Canada News. “We couldn’t go any faster without really doing things dangerously.” NewLink Genetics has been working efficiently and safely so far, but there has been much doubt as to whether or not the company has the ability or experience to keep pushing the project forward. “I definitely think they need to expand their project to include other major companies,” junior Alby Leng said. “There will be faster progress and greater efficiency and there won’t be much conflict either because everyone will be working towards the same goal because Ebola is a global issue.” Competing against NewLink Genetics’ vaccine is Global healthcare company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). GSK created a second vaccine which they have started testing on health care workers in Mali. “It sort of tricks your body into thinking there might be Ebola around, but you don’t get sick from it, you don’t get Ebola,” Dr. James Campbell, a researcher at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, said on CTV News. The creation and testing of the vaccine is only the beginning of a long process.

The Campanile

Monday, November 24, 2014

NEWS

Youth organizations coordinate holiday clothes drives

YCS Interact and Girl Scouts help less fortunate by organizing their annual clothing and gift drive

Courtesy of YCS club

Youth Community Service club is set to host a clothing and gift drive this holiday season to help those in need around the community. The drive will begin during the second or third week of November.

Josh Ng

Staff Writer

he holiday seasons are a time of cheer and joy, a time when everyone should be comfortable and satisfied with their lives. However, celebration of the holidays does not come easy for every family. Families who are destitute and have low income jobs need help in order to celebrate the holidays just like any other well to do family. This help comes from churches or community service organizations. The Palo Alto High School Youth Community Service Club (YCS) started an annual Family Giving

Tree holiday gift drive to help low income families experience the bliss of the holidays. “The Paly YCS-Interact club has been doing the Family Giving Tree holiday gift drive for a while now.” President of YCS-Interact Club Bethany Wong said. “They did it my freshman year, and it was pretty successful. I think they put the gift tags in a tree arrangement on a bulletin board across the Student Activities Center (SAO) two years ago. Because trees kind of shout ‘Christmas,’ we’re going to do another kind of tag arrangement this year.” The gift drive will begin the second or third week of November. Gift donations will work through Paly

students and staff taking a gift tag from the SAO. The gift tag will have the age of the child as well as the gift request of the child. The student or staff member will then purchase the requested gift unwrapped and bring it to Room 215 on Dec. 4.

The holidays can be a joy-filled season and we should definitely try to share that joy.

Bethany Wong

President of YCS -Interact Club Wong thinks it is important for the Paly community to give back to those who are not as fortunate.

“The holidays can be a joy-filled season and we should definitely try to share that joy.,” Wong said. “So really it’s about thinking less about our own wants and having an attitude focused on brightening up the season for other people who might not be as fortunate.” Another charity drive that involved Paly students was the Girl Scouts clothes drive. “The purpose of the drive was to help people who are less fortunate through the winter, which can be very cold and miserable without warm clothing” Service and leadership Team (SALT) member Emma Cockerell said, who was in charge of the clothes drive at Paly.

The SALT faction in Girl Scouts consists of multiple high school students that are from the Palo Alto area. Because the members of the SALT team are from Palo Alto, the Girl Scout members from Henry M. Gunn High School are also participating in this drive as well. Students and teachers donated clothes through a box in the front office. The clothes would later be sent to InnVision Shelter Network, an organization that provides support to impoverished families and helps them escape poverty. Although the clothes drive ended Sunday, Nov. 16, students are still able to donate clothes to InnVision in their Menlo Park center.

Food for Thought program to be during finals Annual glass art sale returns Menu to be broadcasted on InFocus News, held in Paly library

Fiery Arts Winter Glass Sale to be from Dec. 5 to 6, prices ranging from $5-$200

Dami Bolarinwa

Staff Writer

cUORTESY OF CHOW.COM

Parents and friends will be providing snacks and drinks to the students of PALY during the stressful times of finals week.

Masha Konkov

Staff Writer

s the festivities of the winter holidays approach, so do the dreaded first semester finals. In attempts to muster the students’ high stress levels during this time, the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and the Associated Student Body (ASB) work actively to boost energy levels. These efforts translate to the Food for Thought Program, which provides snacks throughout the day as well as dinner for students who stay after school to study. This year, the program will be stationed around campus and in the student center. During the school day, volunteers distribute treats such as cheese sticks and clementines. The morning snack program was initiated by Paly assistant principal Jerry Berkson. “I think [morning snacks] are really good because I know some kids don’t eat breakfast or just are hungry which prevents focus,” junior Charlotte Hall said.

After school, students are given the option to stay in the library and study in a quiet environment. Several teachers for each subject are also available to help students. This year on Dec. 8-11, and Dec. 15-18, dinner will be served in the evening, from 5:30-6 p.m., in the student center. Options for food range from pizza, to chili to hot dogs depending on the day. The staff coordinating these dinners plans to broadcast the menu for the appropriate days on InFocus News.

We want to be as supportive as possible during this stressful time.

Mary Ellen Bena

Founder of Food for Thought The dinner addition of the program was brought about by Mary Ellen Bena, the secretary for the special education department, who noticed it was hard to get kids out of the library at closing time during

finals. Bena contacted Berkson to inquire whether Paly can get more funds for staff in the library during finals and the weeks prior finals. Through her efforts, about 200 kids are served a night. “Students are here all day and some stay until we close at night,” Bena said. “Having a hearty, hot, healthy meal gives students energy to make it through their evening. You would be eating something at home if you were studying there, so we provide you with the setting conducive to your study needs. We want to be as supportive as possible during this stressful time. The meal time also offers the opportunity for a fun and relaxing break. I have been providing this program for four years and students always express appreciation for this gesture.” There are also lots of students who appreciate what the Food for Thought program offers, including junior Alice Hao. “I don’t need to worry about going home to eat...I am definitely planning to stay late for the food this year,” Hao said.

alo Alto High School will be having their annual Fiery Arts Winter Glass Sale on Friday Dec. 5th from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Saturday Dec. 6 from 11:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The event will be held inside the Tower Building, 50 Embarcadero Road, and prices of the pieces will range from $5 to $200. The sale a Paly tradition where students participate to help fundraise for the ceramics class equipment. Students that participate in the Paly ceramics class are given the opportunity to display and ultimately sell their pieces and projects they have worked on over the year. Students that sell personal pieces get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds, whereas pieces sold from Paly go towards keeping the fiery arts program running all year. Steve Ferrera, the fiery arts teacher and a former student glassblower

at San Jose State, has been teaching at Paly for the last three years teaching students the art of glassblowing and ceramics. “I enjoy glassblowing and clay building because it is very meditative,” Ferrera said. Fiery arts student Jeremy Revlock hopes to help the glassblowing class achieve their financial goal. “Well, seeing as we are all the art program has as financial aid, I’d like to reach our goal by reaching whatever we need to reach to help keep the program going,” Revlock said. “It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to blow a vase, the set up can take between two minutes or up to five hours depending on the type of setup it needs.” Students like Jeremy Revlock use this as an opportunity to showcase their hard work that they have put an enormous amount of time into throughout the year and help fund the flourishing program, as this is one of four glassblowing classes in the nation.

Dami Bolarinwa/The Campanile

The Fiery Arts Winter Glass Sale will have a wide variety of glass pumpkins available.

The Campanile

Monday, November 24, 2014

OPINION A6 Justice too late for Ferguson New “affirmative” yes Department of Justice should not be swayed by media attention

Chris Skokowski

Senior Staff Writer

early two months after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer, it has become very clear that the involvement of the Department of Justice in raciallycharged investigations has changed. What isn’t clear is why. If we look back several years to the 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant III by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Officer, we can see just how differently our justice system currently responds to investigations involving police and racially tense cases.

While the Justice Department may have done too little too late following the BART shooting, it is overcompensating in Ferguson. On paper, the situation in Oakland, Calif. in 2009 and the current situation in Ferguson following the killing of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson are nearly identical. A young, unarmed, African-American man is stopped by the police and shot, setting off both peaceful protests and violent riots. However, the similarities end at the nature of the shootings and the responses they triggered. While the shooting in Oakland was resolved with a criminal trial

and a subsequent Civil Rights Investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), a branch of the Department of Justice, following the release of the verdict, the shooting in Ferguson received near-immediate response from the Department of Justice. As opposed to starting a Civil Rights investigation months after the incident in Oakland, the Justice Department opened its investigation just two days after Brown was shot. Maybe this discrepancy is due to the increased media attention whiteon-black killings have been receiving, but even so, the Department of Justice’s change in action makes less sense the deeper it is looked into, especially considering how little evidence the Ferguson case has when compared to the BART shooting.

The investigations should be based on what the department believes are injustices, not on what the media does. At first glance, the BART shooting seemed a textbook instance of racially-charged violence. Videos showing a white officer shooting a black man who was lying face-down on the ground flooded the internet, and it seemed as if there was no question about the officer’s racial biases. However, in Ferguson, there was no such evidence beyond witness testimonies that directly conflicted each other. Three separate witnesses who claimed to have been at the scene gave their side of the story within the first few days of the investigation, and only one supported the ‘hands up, don’t shoot’ side of the story. The same ambiguity can be found in Trayvon Martin’s shooting last year and the Ferguson case this year, and the deeper we look, the less concrete evidence we find on either side. However, the Department of Justice

seems to be looking backwards rather than forwards. While this two-day response to a potential racial killing may have been reasonable for the BART shooting, especially considering the evidence that was on hand, it seems less apt in Ferguson now. It appears as though Justice Department, and other parts of the government, are trying to do damage control now for its mishandling of past racial investigations, but it is not helping it. The case for the civil rights charges is already falling apart, as The Washington Post reported that autopsy records showed gunshot wounds supporting Officer Wilson’s claim that Michael Brown charged him. The Washington Post also reported that an inside source believed that Civil Rights charges were not likely to stick and would probably not be levelled against Wilson. While the Justice Department may have done too little too late following the BART shooting, it is overcompensating in Ferguson. The Department of Justice has only succeeded in making itself look bad with this investigation, as its case against Darren Wilson has crumbled within a shorter timeframe than it took the FBI to start its investigation into the BART shooting. The Department of Justice cannot make up for past grievances, and it should not believe that doing so is part of its job. The investigations should be based on what the department believes are injustices, not on what the media does. Without the media coverage of recent racial killings, it is probable that the current Ferguson investigation would not have occurred, which sets a dangerous precedent for the Department of Justice. Justice is not decided by popular opinion in the US, and the Department of Justice should be able to distinguish between what people want and what is truly just.

Issues persist after Paly Unity Day Poor publicity creates little participation and understanding

California law redefines sexual consent could also, of course, be a result of peer pressure or intoxication With the subject of rape and sexual consent there will always be a very blurry line between the former and the latter, but there are nonetheless some ways of at least shining a light through this haze. However, simply calling for an affirmative “yes” is not one of them.

Antonio kieschnick

staff writer

ecently, the California legislature passed a new law, changing the signal of sexual consent from a yes to an “affirmative” yes. At first glance this seems like a stroke of genius. This law means that a woman cannot be peer-pressured into having sex, and then have her attacker get away scot-free. In many ways, it appears this new piece of legislation is fool-proof — it seems to clear out the slightly blurry barrier between what could ultimately become rape, and what is merely consensual sex. It also seems to guard against what one might describe as “inebriated” sex whereby someone might give a “yes” while intoxicated and thus, incapable of consciously making decisions, mainly because it takes a decent amount of brainpower to be able to nod your head affirmatively and provide a verbal yes.

At first glance this seems like a stroke of genius. This law means that a woman cannot be peerpressured into having sex, and then have her attacker get away scot-free. However, this legislation does not manage to clear up the law surrounding sexual consent. If anything, it wades further into the mire that is subjectivity. What sounds like a resounding “yes” to one person might essentially be a polite (if unorthodox) way of saying no, or vice versa. For example, someone could mumble a “yes”, but someone else could interpret that as a very sure and affirmative “yes.” It

This legislation does not manage to clear up the law surrounding sexual consent. Ultimately, a clearer, even more affirmative piece of legislation is necessary, possibly a specific verbal exchange students at parties must undergo before anything else happens. Something that manages to almost completely safeguard against a reply that is the product of intoxication or peer-pressure, something possibly wordier.

What sounds like a resounding “yes’’ to one person might essentially be a polite (if unorthodox) way of saying no. I understand that in the heat of passion, no one is going to be willing to spend the next ten minutes discussing legal minutiae: “I really want to have sex with you, but first could you sign this contract?” But in some instances, such as at parties, a “better safe than sorry” sort of approach should be taken. Although this might sound comical, and slightly ridiculous, something along the lines of: “I [insert name here] do wish to have sexual intercourse with [insert name here]”. If it seems that person is either not conscious of their own name, or is widely off the mark with the other person’s name, sex should not take place. There will probably never be a law that successfully guards against peer pressure, one could always pass legislation creating safer environments in colleges, but this would still not completely regulate against peer pressure, which will always exist. As further efforts are made to cement the division between rape and consent, which will ultimately create safer and more productive learning environments in colleges throughout California.

Clarify course labels Coutesy of Shutter Shock

Bullying is a pervasive issue and Paly is not doing enough to prevent it.

miranda chen

staff writer

ullying is an important issue that affects students at all schools across the nation. Thus, it is crucial to raise awareness in order to combat this reality that too many students face in their everyday lives. Palo Alto High School participated in Unity Day on Oct. 23 in an attempt to join the campaign against bullying. Paly’s Unity Day aims to take a stance against the harmful effects of bullying — the National Bullying Prevention Center states that the aim of Unity Day is to create a day in which “everyone can come together — in schools, communities, and online — and send one large orange message of support, hope, and unity.” At Paly, one of the main objectives of Unity Day seems to be encouraging students to wear orange to school — or at least that’s what all the posters and posts on Facebook advertised. “I feel that all I heard about Unity day beforehand was to just ‘wear an orange shirt’ instead of promoting what the event was actually about,” junior Elias Fedel said. “I didnt even know it was about bullying until afterwards.” It is imperative that students are made aware of the effects of bullying, and to do so, participation in Unity Day is necessary — in fact, the main appeal of Unity is “the unite against bullying.” However, participation and this critical unification is impossible when there is a strong lack of understanding of what Unity Day is and what its true goals are. Paly did very

little in the dissemination of information about Unity Day and underscored the aspect of wearing orange over the actual reasons for wearing orange and the intentions of Unity Day’s campaign. Unity Day advisor Eric Bloom also recognized the lack of publicity that preceded the event. “What could we do better?” Bloom said. “Communicate to students and student journalism the value of what it is we’re trying to do.” If the aim of Unity Day is to “send one large orange message of support, hope and unity,” it’s evident that just advertising to wear orange to school does not accomplish this objective. While Paly encouraged its students to wear orange in order to raise awareness for bullying, solely wearing orange is not effective in the campaign against bullying. There were no conversations initiated about the issue of harassment or bullying, and furthermore, the lack of awareness for Unity Day and its goals among the student body lessened its effectiveness to many Paly students. The National Bullying Prevention Center suggests “[creating] a visual Unity statement... [such as allowing] students [to] write a message on an orange strip of paper” and “[holding] a classroom unity discussion” as activities to participate in during Unity Day. Paly did neither of these, which both bring much more awareness and discussion about the issue of bullying than solely wearing orange, passing out unity ribbons and signing a petition do. If Paly wants its students to take the issue of bullying and Unity Day itself more seriously, it needs to advocate better activities that may ac-

tually elicit change in the campaign against bullying. While it is important for Paly to organize events in order to promote effective change against bullying, it is equally as important for students to participate once publicity and these activities have been created. In the past, ASB has publicized and effectively promoted events and activities — and yet, in these cases, students still have seemed disinterested and apathetic to important issues. Therefore, as a whole, the combination of students’ willingness to contribute to events such as Unity Day, as well as Paly’s effective publicity and creation of activities, is necessary so that Paly’s student body is able to take a stance against both bullying and other issues that are prevalent in today’s age. Looking towards Paly’s annual Not In Our Schools Week, another event at Paly that promotes unity against issues in society such as gender equality, bullying and harmful stereotypes, there must be more awareness preceding the event in order for it to make a larger impact on students and attract participation Last year, activities were held at brunch and lunch during Not In Our Schools Week, something that was successful for its appeal to students as well as for its ability to initiate conversation about serious topics. These aspects, along with students’ genuine effort to contribute to activities, are crucial to successfully uniting students — and if these occur, Paly will have much more strength in combating important and significant issues in society today.

Paly should clearly identify weighted courses

Nikhil rajaram

Staff Writer

t is not uncommon to walk into any “honors” course at Paly and hear the same question being echoed — “is this class weighted?” University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) schools weight high school courses by assigning an extra grade point average (GPA) point to courses that have been approved for extra honors credit. Thus, an A in an honors class would get a student a grade point of five in that course, while an A in an unweighted class would get the student a grade point of four. This system is in place to reward students for their academic rigor — the more challenging classes a student takes, the higher their weighted GPA becomes. Weighted GPA is among the most important factors considered by college admissions officers, compelling many students to take weighted courses. According to the University of California website, high school honors classes are “defined as [courses] specifically designed by the school with distinctive features which sets

[them] apart from regular high school courses in the same discipline areas.” In Paly’s course catalog, the claim is made that “honors course expectations are significantly greater than in our standard program.” Why then, do half of these honors courses not apply for weighted credit for UCs and CSUs? If Paly truly makes a curricular distinction between honors and regular courses, then most, if not all, should apply for weighted credit. The implication behind the term “honors” is what drives many students to take these higher level courses — students will tend to choose courses based on how appealing their choices make them to colleges. However, of the 14 classes that Paly designates as “honors” courses, only seven are in fact weighted by UCs and CSUs: Analysis Honors, English 11H, French 3H, Spanish 3H, Japanese 4H and Theatre 4H. The University of California’s website also states that honors level courses must have established prerequisites, a comprehensive written final exam, collegiate-level curricula and must be designed for 11th and 12th graders. Paly’s main shortcoming among these requirements is the last one — weighted courses must be designed for upperclassmen but some are meant to be taken by underclassmen. However, this requirement is not universal, as is evidenced by French 3H and Spanish 3H, classes taken predominantly by 10th graders, being weighted. CONT. ON PALYCAMPANILE.ORG

The Campanile

Monday, November 24, 2014

OPINION

Advisors need to spend more time with individual students More personal relationships should be formed between students and advisors to enhance advisory experi-

claire dennis

Staff Writer

dvisory: a half an hour dedicated each week to learning how to navigate the tricky waters of grades, stress, college and the future. What more could students want? The Palo Alto High School guidance system is composed of three tiers — teacher advisors, guidance counselors and the College and Career Center. The current advisory system for sophomores, juniors and seniors assigns a teacher advisor to every student at the end of his or her freshman year. That teacher then guides his or her student through his or her next three years, meeting every few weeks within a small class, providing students with countless handouts and information about events, testing, transcripts and more. But do students and teachers really bond? While the current advisory system has benefits to the student population, advisory time could be better spent through more individual meetings and fewer group classes. The current group classes can cover a range of topics, from handing out transcripts to teaching about mental health awareness. While the information covered is necessary to communicate to students and many of the topics are mandated by the state, it could be distributed in quicker fashion, with the remainder of the time set aside for meetings. According to Ann Deggelman, head of the Teacher

Advisor program, this is the intent of the duration of the period, yet if so, this should be communicated more to students so that they are aware and reminded of the importance of meeting individually with their respective advisor. Some topics are necessary to cover in a group setting in the classroom. Teaching students about the letter of recommendation process and college application essays are just a few examples of when it benefits students to sit together in the classroom to cover material. It also creates more efficiency, as teacher advisors do not have to repeat the same information to every student. However, a crucial part of having a teacher advisor throughout high school is to have someone to go to for any questions, someone who understands a student’s situation and knows him or her on a more personal level than other staff members or administrators. This can be difficult to accomplish when a student is only one of many in a classroom receiving informative handouts without much personal interaction. Some students may cultivate a personal relationship with their advisor by having him or her as a teacher for one of their classes. However, not all students have this opportunity. The guidance department has worked to add designated individual meeting times, but there are few. Many feel as if they do not know their teacher advisors well, and that their advisors may not know them well either, as it requires more effort to build a relationship with an advisor that they do not have as a teacher for an academic class. “I know a lot of people who don’t know their advisors as well because they’ve never had that person as a teacher. It is hard to really get to knew them in 35 minutes once or twice a month on average,” junior Bethany Wong said. If neither party feels as if they understand the other, how can a teach-

Connor harden/the Campanile

Advisors should make an effort to meet with all of their students on a regular basis to insure they are getting the help they need.

er effectively mentor that student through the college and career planning process, or write them a letter of recommendation? The advisory system could be best improved through less frequent meetings for each student, but accomplishing more through an individualized approach with one-onone meetings between students and teacher advisors. Teachers could meet with three or four students briefly each week to check in on their classes as well as mental health and stress. For students who may be struggling but unwilling or embarrassed to ask for help, this would ensure a teacher is looking out for them. Advisors are required to seek out students with Ds and Fs but students could be struggling to get higher grades and advisors may not necessarily realize that struggle is present. If advisors could not feasibly meet with all students individually, even meeting in small groups of three or four could make students feel more at ease.

Also, many students are curious about possible career paths or college opportunities, yet do not know the correct questions to ask. In an individual meeting, teachers could address a student’s interests for the future and help a student understand possible routes to success. By better understanding students’ goals, teacher advisors could better advise their pupil toward achieving whichever goal they have. The current advisory system allots four weeks in the year for “individual meetings.” Students have the opportunity to contact their advisors for a meeting. Some advisors contact the students themselves if they feel a student is struggling or wish to talk to that student for any number of reasons. However, students who need to be talking to their advisors are not always the ones eagerly seeking out advice. They may not know what questions to ask or feel a stigma in approaching their advisor. In the case

of students who may be feeling excessively stressed or depressed, it might be unlikely that those students advocate for themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to have the advisors checkin on students regularly. The stigma associated with seeking help discourages some students from speaking with their advisor if anything concerns them. “Individual meetings are usually used for advisors to talk to students who have grades that may be particularly low and academic troubles,” Wong said. “It would be helpful, though, if advisors could also make time to talk to all advisory students one-on-one.” Both advisors and students need to work together in order to create a place for students to gain information and just simply talk.The sheer creation of the advisory system shows Paly’s dedication to helping students remain on track to achieve their goals. Yet as a community that prides itself of student success, we can do better.

Changes must be made to increase club productivity on campus Board members of clubs need to be both passionate and motivated about what the club represents

carissa zou Staff writer

t Palo Alto High School, school clubs have always been an effective place for students to express their passions and meet a new community of people, all with the same devotion to certain interests. There is a wide variety among the 80 clubs present on Paly campus, covering a plethora of interests ranging from Speech and Debate to Gender Equality to Ultimate Frisbee. Each club on campus has its own unique purpose that is promoted through club activities, events, creations and lectures. Although there is most definitely a large range of clubs at Paly, a recurring problem with clubs on campus is the actual productivity of the club. Does every club hold regular meetings? Are the board members committed to finding ways to consistently include members? What kinds of activities do they do throughout the year? Many clubs on campus apply for a semester charter and have a novel and intriguing idea for a club on campus. The concept is captivating and exciting, but after they have been deemed a chartered club, the club leaders fail to actually commit to constantly updating members with relevant activities and events that are productive and interactive. Yes, there are obviously exceptions where weekly meetings or club events are not necessary to achieve the club’s goals — regardless, clubs at Paly

Connor harden/the Campanile

Gender equality club came together to a support a cause that the members all felt passionate about, more clubs should practice this

should have some method of showing that they have actually been somewhat productive throughout the year. However, because there is currently no method to check the productivity of a club, there are several clubs on campus that fail to effectively uphold their club’s message throughout the year. This is especially problematic for general members who are genuinely passionate about the topic. If the board fails to consistently come up with club-related activities that include members, then it deters the other members of the club from having a space where they can express their opinions and participate in activities related to the club’s purpose. Junior Karina Chan experienced this first hand and comments on the difficulties of trying to become involved in a club that rarely held any meetings or activities. “It was incredibly frustrating,” Chan said. “Watching friends from other schools have a great time being proactive and socializing was tantalizing, and it seemed unfair that Paly club culture wasn’t as involved because of unproductive management.” When Chan was later was given leadership position in a different club,

she was pleased by the results and felt that it was a rewarding experience. “I feel like I really got the hang of high school once I took the initiative to start involving myself in leading clubs, but it took me a while to get to that point,” Chan said. “I regret not having that experience earlier on in my high school career.” Like many other students, Chan was unable to get involved with clubs until her later years of high school due to the poor management in leadership positions. A good way to solve this problem would be for ASB to conduct surveys for club members every semester. The general members could give insight to the productivity of the club, including feedback on the number of meetings, events and activities that the board members organize. ASB could also ask the board members to write a short summary about the things that the club has been doing throughout the year and have the teacher advisors confirm. Fortunately, ASB has already recognized this problem and has taken a different approach to solving this problem. Reid Walters, ASB Vice President, comments on the possibility of club regulation in the future and their current plans to solve it.

“This [is actually] something that we are really trying to improve this year,” Walters said. “This year we are going to do club visits to check up on all the clubs [and] we are going to have every officer visit a couple clubs before the end of the semester. I plan on doing this once a semester to make sure that clubs are being productive and fulfilling their charters.” Even though ASB is making an effort to ensure club productivity, there are still ways for current club officers to ensure that the club continues to be active in promoting its message in the future.

To ultimately improve the overall club productivity, it is crucial that the board reflects a group of passionate and motivated people who constantly give time and effort to further improve the club Club structure has been defined so that the leadership positions of the board are largely allocated to the upperclassmen. Although in some clubs these older members are passionate and dedicated to the club, in many others clubs on campus, board members are indifferent about the is-

sues that they are supposed to lead and represent. They simply hold a position on board, and do not hold the enthusiasm that a board member ought to have. These people take the place of potentially enthusiastic and dedicated underclassmen, who are not given the opportunity to be on board because they are “too young” or have “little experience”. Yes, at times underclassmen are unaware of how the club works or have not showcased clear commitment to the club yet, but an easy and efficient solution to this would be for club leaders to provide a specific leadership position dedicated to underclassmen. With a special position solely for freshman and sophomores, underclassmen have the potential of integrating themselves into the leadership aspects of clubs on campus while they begin to explore the club and learn more about it. People who are more motivated and passionate are given the opportunity to further incorporate themselves into taking on a more ambitious role to get them more involved in the club itself. This also promotes long-term stability for the club in the future so that the club does not have to hastily search for apathetic upperclassmen to fill in board positions for semester club charters. To ultimately improve the overall club productivity, it is crucial that the board reflects a group of passionate and motivated people who constantly give time and effort to further improve the club and include general members. This is best achieved in two ways: some system of ASB club productivity regulation and for the current club board to seriously consider providing positions for underclassmen so that freshman and sophomores have an opportunity to become more involved in clubs and there is an overall longterm stability with devoted club leaders that stay with club from freshman year to senior year.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

The ideas and views presented in the editorial section represent over 50 percent of The Campanile staff, and do not necessarily represent the views of any particular staff member.

From the desk of the Editors-inChief of The Palo Alto High School Campanile: In the wake of the tragic events that our community has experienced, the staff of The Campanile has chosen to refrain from publishing any news or editorial comment regarding the

topic of suicide. The Campanile understands that the issue of suicide in our community cannot easily be condensed into the length of one column or page, and we have chosen to avoid comment on the topic, which could potentially provoke emotional responses rather than promote men-

tal recovery and healthy dialogue. We understand the obligations of The Campanile as a member of the Palo Alto High School journalistic body; however, we believe that the best course of action in the future is to prevent harmful speculation and to allow time for grief and recovery.

The Campanile believes that the decisions to be made affecting our community and reducing suicides are best left to experts in the subject. The staff of The Campanile does not know what causes suicides or the science behind it. Given that, we do not wish to offer any remedies, merely

COMIC OF THE MONTH

our condolences. We sympathize with the families and friends of the victims, and hope for the best for the Henry M. Gunn High School and Palo Alto community. Signed, The Campanile’s Editors-in-Chief

NOVEMBER’S TOP TEN LIST Things to be thankful for

10) Good health

9) We can rewatch Breaking Bad on Netflix until we’re ready to move on 8) “Don’t Tell ‘Em” is finally off the radio 7) That feeling when someone you love gazes into your eyes, melting your heart, making you feel like the only girl in the world. 6) Pizza 5) Feet — without them it would be hard to walk 4) The rain — I think we’re all ready to waste water again 3) Thousands of Thanksgiving-related pictures on social media 2) Less than a month left in the semester 1) A senior Spirit Week victory

-PAUL MEWES

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Got something on your mind?

Courtesy of Jacques Manjarrez and Ella mernyk

“The trot is about to start! I wonder where all our turkey friends went...”

Submit a letter to the editor at theeds15@googlegroups.com

Testing procedures should promote learning over memorization in all classes Get it? Kill ‘em and eat ‘em

Assessments ought to address student growth, continual learning

n the high performing academic culture of Palo Alto High School, tests are one of the most popular evaluation techniques used by teachers. Exams, however, only offer the chance to test a student’s knowledge at one point in time, and then do not offer the student a chance to improve their knowledge after receiving their score. The Campanile feels that all teachers should adopt testing policies which encourage learning over rote memorization, and which allow students to develop their long term understanding of material even in the event of initially poor testing performance. Testing protocols that allow for multiple assessments allow students the chance to further demonstrate their understanding of important material more than single chance testing protocols do. When a student takes a test, there are a multitude of factors that can influence that student’s success, including anxiety over his or her performance and other temporary stressors. By giving multiple testing opportunities, teachers allow students to make up for these unrelated issues that may contribute to a poor test score. Even testing anxiety could be greatly reduced if students understand that they have the chance to retake a examinations that they perform poorly on. We are not suggesting that the same assessments be retaken until every student gets 100 percent; we recognize that this would not encourage students to apply themselves fully. Rather, we believe that teachers should establish a policy that allows and encourages students that fail to demonstrate their understanding of course material on an exam to complete some type of remedial work or receive another examination specific to the areas of the material with which he or she struggled. Some teachers at Paly have implemented this type of assessment. Michael Stern, who teaches regular and AP Physics at Paly, uses a testing retake policy that allows students to gain back all points missed on the initial take. However, the majority of other Paly teachers instead create uniform, single-take opportunity tests that are administered to all of the class periods of that particular class, which prevent teachers from creating more class-specific, “person-

alized” tests that are more fitting than a standardized test. This method not only prohibits retakes, but also prevents the creation of tests geared for a certain class. “I know that, for example, in math, all the teachers have to give the same exam, which makes it harder to have that kind of process of reflection and revision so I think it’s going to look different from subject to subject and class to class,” Stern said. In order to gain points back on retake tests, students must correct their problems on the original test, then do extra practice work associated with the objectives they missed on the first assessment. Once the students have learned the material they missed the first time around, they can retake the exam and, presumably, improve their score. This provides students an opportunity to relearn the material and forces them to take initiative through this kind of prerequisite work, therefore preparing them better for future assessments. “There are definitely lots of different ways to implement a variation of my retake policy, and I do think that retakes are a good way not just to help students be successful, but to help them focus on learning rather than focus on being really nit picky about the scores on a particular question,” Stern said. Writing a test that measures how much material students should have absorbed throughout a unit’s homework and lessons may be difficult. We suggest that teachers learn from questions lots of students have missed on tests administered in previous years as well as what concepts from the unit were a focus in class and on quizzes or homework assignments. Presumably these emphasized areas are what are most important in the curriculum, and will thus be reflected appropriately based on importance and relevance. “I certainly hope that most teachers, when they prepare a test, are thinking about how they can check to see that students have learned the things that they are supposed to learn,” Stern said. “However, having that as your intention doesn’t always mean that that’s the way it will work out. I think that my system works pretty well for me, but every year I go back and rework the tests a little bit because every year I find something and think ‘Oh, the student answered

this question this way,’ and I can kind of see why they answered that in the way they did, but that wasn’t really what I was looking for.” We applaud Stern for this system of self-evaluation and encourage other teachers to adopt a similar policy of review for their tests. This system of review will only promote targeted, though-provoking questions, which will only go to benefit student understanding and application of course material.

The Campanile is a proud recipient of the National Scholastic Press Association’s 2014 Pacemaker Award for High School Journalism

The Campanile Editors in Chief Seth Alston • Esther Doerr • Grace Kim Claire Liu • Coby Parker • Sarah Tayeri News and Opinion Editors Lauren Gargiulo Lauren Klass

Lifestyle Editors Paul Mewes Stephanie Cong

Sports Editors Kevin Mullin Owen Dulik

Online Editor Jeffrey Ho

Business Manager Haley Fang

Photography Editor Conner Harden

Staff Writers Dami Bolarinwa Galen Byrd Susana Cacho Miranda Chen Claire Dennis Rachel Farn Bo Field

Jeremy Fu Daniel Hammerson Jamie Har Antonio Kieschnick Masha Konkov Tiffany Liang Mischa Nee

Joshua Ng Aiva Petriceks Rachel Price Nikhil Rajaram Maggie Rosenthal William Shin Chris Skokowski

Noah Smith William Snodgrass Owen Staiger Alec Sullivan Jake van Zyll Catherine Yu Carissa Zou

Photographers Conner Harden Danny Hammerson

Zoe Tierney Ella Mernyk

Dami Bolarinwa Sara Gram-Knutsen

Advisor Esther Wojcicki The Campanile would like to thank our sponsors Dick & Jerry Smallwood for their contribution to our production. Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds15@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.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Reacting sensibly to inappropriate exposure

Death of the record label Bo field

B4-B5

Society should recognize catcalling as harrassment

ith the recent cases of public flashing, questions dividual safety. One place that our commuhave arisen concerning how individuals and nity can look to for an example is Britain. In Britain, “up to 5.9 society as a whole should address this issue. If someone drives up next to a child or teen million closed-circuit teleand unexpectedly flashes him or her, what should he or she do? vision cameras” (CCTVs) If individuals fail to properly identify sex offenders, what next were installed by July of 2013 by the British Security steps can society take to help protect its youth? Police are often unable to identify sex offenders because they Industry Authority. “750,000 lack enough identification, such as pictures or license plate [of these cameras were placed] in ‘sensitive numbers. In the current world, it would seem reasonable to as- locations’ such as schools, hospitals and care sume that tracking a person would be easy because of the plen- homes,” according to an article by The Telegraph. tiful technology available. However, even with smartphones and The installment of the CCTV system was a response to the high-quality cameras, people flashed by sex offenders tend to be growing problem of homeowners snooping on their neighbors. too shocked or scared to use their devices to even snap a picture Initially, homeowners were setting up personal CCTVs for of the license plate. They often run away too quickly to even their own protection. remember details about the car, face or features of the offender. However, as these installments became more common, comWithout identification for evidence, police struggle to solve plaints concerning rights of privacy also increased. The governcases and identify sex offenders, leading to repeated events and ment quickly acted upon this issue. Andrew Rennison, Britain’s Coalition’s surveillance camera continual fear. Though the identification and removal of sex offenders may prove difficult, the onus is on the police to create a commissioner, said that from June of 2013 through 2014, “I will safer environment. … be publishing guidance to help people with [proper, responIn the case of an offense, the victim can take a photo of the sible installments] because although it is outside of the code of license plate on the car or a picture of the face if the victim has practice, I think it is an area where people do want further advice.” The British government also ordered councils and police forca phone or camera available to him or her. Even without a photographic device, remembering the license plate number or type es to regularly review the cameras to make sure they were actually of car can be very helpful. This evidence will greatly aid officials necessary as part of the public CCTV code of practice. in identifying an offender. The main purpose of these security cameras was to help detect To anticipate any possible physical threats, children and and prosecute crime, ensuring better security for the entire comteenagers can also learn some self defense tactics. For lessons, munity. Though the call for increased security stemmed from differone can go to defense classes at studios such as Palo Alto Martial Arts at 3773 El Camino Real or Studio Kicks Palo Alto at ent issues in Britain from in the Bay Area, the essential need for 796 San Antonio Road. Both studios offer classes for children, protection is the same. teenagers and adults. Though some people in the Bay Area who hear of this program Online tutorials are also available on YouTube under the may fear a potential loss in civil liberties of privacy, the people of Self-Defense topic. Britain seem to believe that the effectiveness and benefits of the Some accessible programs that can be found online CCTVs outweigh the possible cons. to help teach self-defense are the Just Yell Fire MilThis confidence in CCTVs was shown in a survey of lion Girl Revolution and Gracie University’s Global 6,000 adults in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. the UK in June of 2013. Just Yell Fire is a campaign fighting violence Even though the survey was taken soon after the against women and offers four main programs. installment of the cameras, “Britain had the second Founded by Dallas Jessup, who was 14-years-old, in highest number of people who felt that CCTV did 2006, Just Yell Fire’s films and programs have been not affect freedom, after Sweden,” according to The globally recognized for empowering teenagers and Telegraph. The popularity of CCTVs has not college girls with “danger awareness/avoidsignificantly changed since the survey. ance information, a Dating Bill of Rights, The CCTV system was created based on and quick-learn self defense and street the expectation and trust that Even with smartphones fighting techniques, designed people would install them for and high-quality cameras, people by martial arts experts,” acmorally good reasons that flashed by sex offenders tend to be cording to the Just Yell Fire benefit, not scare or harm, website. It offers a free selfsociety. too shocked or scared to use their defense movie specifically for To make sure this goal devices to even snap a picgirls ages 11 through 19 that could be obtained, the govture of the license ernment decided to monitor can be watched online. plate. the installments. Society’s Founded in 1925, Gracie’s positive responses showed Jiu-Jitsu Academy is a wellthe government’s success. established, trustworthy source Peter Hawksworth, CEO of self-defense instruction. It of Security Products from provides online, DVD and inSiemens, who commisperson self-defense training. sioned the previously menGracie Academy instructors tioned study, said, “The key are available to answer questions submitted online about for those deploying [this the training, and the website CCTV system] is to do so sensibly offers several free courses and lessons and have a justifiable reason for implementation, something that governin addition to purchased tutorials. ments across Europe will hopefully proFor each video, the academy has also created vide guidance on.” a chat room so that participants can speak with Looking to the success of the CCTV camera instructors. system in Britain, Bay Area communities may want Although there are steps that people can take to consider implementing a similar system, rememto protect themselves, governments can also take bering that action to the safety respond to of its inthe issue of dividuals is flashing and paramount. the lack of in-

“

”

Test and score anxiety have negative effects on student performance catherine Yu

INSIDE

New bubble tea company opens downtown stephanie Cong Aiva Petriceks

Lauren Gargiulo

News and opinion Editor

On Oct. 28, an organization called Hollaback released a video of a woman walking down the streets of New York City over a ten hour time lapse. In the video, the women endured 100 accounts of harassment. Hollaback released this video, which quickly went viral, to call attention to the issue of street harassment and put an end to the practice. Hollaback defines street harassment as “a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces.” Street harassment can be anything from “have a nice evening, darling” to “God bless Mami! Damn!”; both accounts are seen in the video. Some believe the makers of the video are overreacting and that catcalls are nothing more than harmless compliments. For example, one of the harassers tells the woman that “someone is acknowledging you for being beautiful, you should be thankful!” On Nov. 2, the Cable News Network (CNN) aired a segment addressing the video, during which an interviewed man commented on, in his opinion, the harmlessness of the catcalls, “There is nothing more than a women loves than how pretty she is,” the interviewee said. According to the facts, his statement is completely false. According the Hollaback’s website, 70-99% women reported to have suffered from street harassment sometime in their life and most consider comments on their aesthetics to be harassment. How could these women possibly consider the comments that they are receiving as compliments when they clearly feel harassed? As Hollaback says on its website, “a compliment is not a compliment if it makes the recipient feel bad.” The man in the CNN interview also stated that women “would not care [about the street harassment] if all these guys were hot.” Again, the facts prove this incorrect. As Hollaback clearly states, the harassment is not about appreciation, but power. The harasser wants to dominate the victim and intimidate them to satisfy themselves. The physical appearance of either party is irrelevant. Another mindset that people tend to have is that when a person wears something considered to be “revealing” or “provocative,” he or she is asking for sexual advances and should accept being harassed. This mindset leads to victim blaming, causing the victim to feel at fault for his or her own harassment and allows the harasser’s actions to be excused. In the video mentioned earlier, the harassed woman was wearing a plain outfit consisting of a T-shirt and jeans. This demonstrated that the outfit is not truly the reason for, or justification of, harassment. The video showcases the struggle that many people of both genders have to go through on a daily basis, and the problem at hand is brought to light. Hopefully, society will start to take catcalling seriously and see it as the harassment it is.

New smart watches released Jeremy fu

Monday, November 24, 2014

B2 Confessions of a Starbucks Addict

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

T4 bubble tea brings craze downtown Authentic Taiwanese bubble tea company serving Palo Alto with freshly made drinks Stephanie Cong

Lifestyle Editor

Aiva Petriceks

Staff writer

F Aiva PEtriceks

Staff writer

With finals around the corner, there are two things that we will all need: Jesus and coffee. The Jesus aspect will vary depending on your church of preference, but in order to survive those late night study sessions, coffee will be a must. During this time, you should be prepared for two or three Starbucks runs per day. Good news for me, that’s just a typical Tuesday. I have never been in love, but I’m guessing it is about the same as the feeling I get when the barista says “Venti Peach Green Tea Lemonade for Ava.” I’ll be the first to admit that I have a problem. With Starbucks just two blocks away from my house, it’s hard not to want to go everyday. Let’s be honest here, we all wake up Sundays with a ton of homework and think, “How the hell am I going to get through today?” Personally, the one thing that gets me going is getting up and making the short trek to my local Starbucks. I recently read on The Huffington Post that Starbucks is making a delivery service, and I have a love hate relationship with that. Love because I won’t have leave my house to get Starbucks anymore, but hate because I won’t have to leave my house to get Starbucks anymore. If I’m being completely honest, there are some days when a Starbucks run is my only excuse to leave the house. I first admitted to myself that I had a problem when I started bringing Starbucks to every math test last year. I would walk into every first period math test with a Starbucks and bagel. I’m pretty sure my whole class was judging me so hard — I looked like I had a full breakfast on my desk every morning of a test. However, I ended up getting a 98 percent on the final, so no “ragrets.” On a side note, I brought Starbucks to APUSH two weeks into the school year and when I got up to drink it, Mr.Bungarden started calling me “Little Miss Starbucks”, and kept on calling me that for the rest of the period. Thank goodness he forgot about it, because I could not deal with that kind of nickname for the rest of the year. As many other white girls can attest, I am not the only one with a Starbucks addiction. Starbucks addictions can go from “Oh hey, I’m craving Starbucks!” to “I need my daily dose, I’m not going to get through the day without it.” My friend, junior Larkin Mcdermott, falls in the latter category. Her mom recently did the math, and Mcdermott has spent over $1400 on Starbucks in the last six months on her mom’s credit card alone. As seen by Mcdermott’s experiences, a cup or two of Starbucks a day adds up over six months. What adds to the addiction, is that everyone has their own favorite drink. A personal favorite of mine is the Peach Green Tea Lemonade. As a friend once said, “it tastes like liquid cocaine,” and I could not agree with her more. Peach green tea lemonade tastes like a fruity heaven just bursting in your mouth. There is just so much right with it, it’s so wrong. The peach syrup is (sadly) a seasonal flavor and comes out during summer. Most stores take it away once their fall drinks come out and will bring it back around June. The Starbucks on Middlefield teased me by keeping the peach syrup through October, after the pumpkin spice latte had already taken by storm. This gave me hope that the drink would stay all year, sadly it was just a tease and they took it away in early November. By this point you all probably think my addiction is ridiculous, but trust me I know. But all the other classic white girls will understand my addiction.

ear no more, a pearl milk tea shop has finally debuted in Palo Alto! No longer are the days where Palo Alto High School students need to drive 15 minutes to downtown Mountain view to get their boba fix. T4, a Taiwanese based boba tea company, recently established a location at 165 University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. T4 is known for being a traditional Taiwanese boba company and using freshly brewed tea in their drinks. The owner of the Palo Alto location, Kate Chan, believes that this is a huge difference in T4’s drinks which separate T4 from most other boba shops. “What makes T4 different that other boba places is we make it fresh and that we use the real tea,” Chan said. “All the drinks that we make are fresh made, when you order we make it right away. We use real tea leaves brew it and mix it with different ingredients.” T4 also allows customers to choose the level of sweetness and level of ice in their drink, a customization that is not common to all boba shops. A customer can chose between either 0 percent, 30 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent or standard levels of sweetness and ice; whatever fits their palette. Sophomore Josh Code has become a quick fan of T4, as he loves the variety of drinks the shop provides, and appreciates its convenience. “I like it a lot, there’s such a wide variety of drinks to choose from and [it has] great service,” Code said. “It’s really refreshing to have a [pearl milk tea] place in town, especially for those

Ella Mernyk / the campanile

The new University Ave T4 location is open on weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

of us who can’t drive.” When walking into T4, one should be prepared to see a lot of Paly students. The light blue color scheme of the interior is inviting, and the asian music is a nice touch. The menu is split up into six sections: milk tea, cream beverage, golden reputation, smoothie, taiwan classic and special flavor. At first glance, the menu can be quite overwhelming, so here are some recommendations. Taiwan Classic: Winter melon $3.50 (+$.50 with coconut jelly) 9/10 The first sip of this classic drink brings a rush of melon flavor. Unlike other boba shops where when you order a flavored drink you can except just to taste the syrup and not the tea, the tea is prominent here. The tea to flavor ratio is perfect as one does not overwhelm the other. Adding coconut jelly to the drink is a great combination of flavors and the jelly has the perfect amount of crunch. The winter melon has an American taste but also has the Asian tea flavor. Milk Tea: Earl Gray Milk Tea $3.25 (+$.50 with boba) 6/10 This is T4’s equivalent to a regular pearl milk tea. The milk tea part of the drink is no joke; the drink was overwhelmingly milky. Its is evident

Tips to combat sleep deprivation in teens

that there was lots of condensed milk and cream added to the drink, which could be a disappointment for drinkers who want a strong tea aftertaste. The boba really added to the drink, as it was not too hard or too squishy. Overall, it is a good drink if you are not a fan of strong tea, but be wary of the milk overload. Smoothie: Passion Fruit Smoothie $3.95 8.5/10 The Passion Fruit Smoothie has an elegant swirl of two different shades of yellow with passion fruit seeds in it. Before you take a sip of this beautiful masterpiece give it a stir; the drink is really thick and can take a while for the flavor to really come through. When the flavors do though, it’s great. It is slightly tart and a little artificial, but that is to be expected. The seeds help give the drink a burst of passion fruit. This is for all you non-tea people who want to get a solid drink at T4. Royal Tea: Passion Fruit Royal Tea $3.50 7.5/10 Fruit teas are a very commonly ordered drink at boba stores, and T4 offers a wide variety of “Royal” Fruit Teas, from mango to grapefruit. Unlike other boba shops whose fruit teas taste artificial, its royal teas taste natural. The passion fruit royal tea

has a similar flavor to the passion fruit smoothie and pairs nicely with the black tea in the drink. While the passion fruit flavor may be a bit too strong or sweet for some, the strong, dark tea flavor balances out the strong and sweet flavor of the passion fruit. Milk Tea: Thai Milk Tea $3.25 7/10 Thai Milk Tea has a distinct orange pigment to it, making it pretty indistinguishable from carrot juice. Sound appealing yet? Thai milk tea is what it sounds like: strongly brewed Thai-type tea, mixed with lots of cream, sugar and condensed milk. The Thai milk tea brings out a strong tea flavor which the Earl Grey milk tea was missing. One thing to note is that Thai tea has a unique bitterness to it, almost similar to that of coffee and may not be something that appeals to everyone. This drink was great with small pearls, which like the big pearls , is chewy, and not too mushy or crunchy. Overall, T4 is a fantastic pearl milk tea store. It sticks to its Asian roots while pleasing the American crowd and have successfully contributed to bringing the boba trend from overseas, in Taiwan, to America. They have drinks for every palette, ranging from very traditionally Asian to more Americanized drinks. However, one aspect about T4 that may seem odd is that add-ons like boba or jelly cost 50 cents, while a size upgrade from small to large is 50 cents too. This is a relatively high price for toppings, as most stores price their toppings from 25 to 35 cents. However, those 50 cents will not go to waste and will add to the overall T4 experience. Next time you are in downtown for a night out or just hanging out with friends, stop by T4, fall in love and begin your boba addiction.

Tout Sweet Patisserie to open in Palo Alto

Most teens are not sleeping enough, nega- San Francisco bakery adds location, tively affecting grades and overall routine brings treats to Silicon Valley MAggie Rosenthal

staff writer

ith finals quickly approaching, the lives of the majority of Palo Alto High School students get much busier, with more schoolwork and extracurriculars. When more time is needed for other work, the first thing to usually get cut is sleep. If this happens to be the case for you, you are certainly not alone. In a study published in the “Journal of Adolescent Health,” up to twothirds of high school students get seven or less hours of sleep a night, which is two hours less than the agreed upon target of roughly nine hours per night for teenagers. Because November is National Sleep Comfort Month and December finals are coming up, here are some reasons why you should be prioritizing your sleep and how to do so. 1. Put away your electronics We all know it is difficult to do, and especially challenging with homework, but try to stay away from your phone and computer for at least an hour before you go to bed. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), this results in better quality sleep, and the lack of distractions will help you finish your homework faster. If possible, try to finish any homework that you need to use your computer for earlier in the afternoon, and save other homework, like reading, for later in the night. 2. Take a nap Naps are not always a waste of time in the middle of the afternoon. According to the NSF, naps can be beneficial to your overall sleep patterns for the day. These naps can even help you be more productive with your schoolwork later in the afternoon, as you are more rested and can focus more easily. Aim to take a short nap in the early afternoon if you need to, so as not to disrupt with your ability to fall asleep later that night.

3. Avoid caffeine later in the day Coffee can be helpful for waking up in the morning, especially if you did not get enough sleep the night before. However, to keep the lack of sleep from becoming a pattern later in the day, avoid any caffeine after the early afternoon. According to the NSF, stimulants such as caffeine can greatly disrupt your sleep cycle and make it difficult to get quality sleep. 4. Prioritize sleep over studying Of course it is important to study for those huge tests, but at some point, it is time to stop. Once it has gotten to be around midnight the night before the test, it is more important to sleep than to cram in that last bit of studying.

According to the NSF, you’re better off getting more sleep the night before test rather than cramming in more studying. The amount of sleep you get the night before a test affects your performance on the test, and according to the NSF, you’re better off getting more sleep the night before test rather than cramming in more studying. So even if you don’t feel fully prepared for a test the next day, it is better to just go to bed rather than lose sleep studying. Though sometimes cutting back on sleep to make more time for schoolwork is inevitable, it is important to realize the effect that a repeated lack of sleep has on schoolwork and life in general, and how to try to prevent it becoming a bad habit. By making an effort to minimize the time spent on electronics immediately before going to sleep, taking a nap in the early afternoon, avoiding caffeine late in the day and making time for sleep instead of more studying, it is possible to strike a better balance between sleep and other aspects in school and life.

Claire Dennis

staff writer

or many foodies, the trek to San Francisco for delicious treats is a common one, marked by the breadth and excellence of dessert shops in the city. However, Palo Altans will no longer have to travel across the Bay in order to snag their favorite sugary delights. Popular pastry spot Tout Sweet Patisserie will be arriving on the Palo Alto culinary scene in a few weeks with a new location in Town and Country Village. Tout Sweet Patisserie is the first chain of stores opened by celebrity pastry chef Yigit Pura. Pura bursted on to the pastry scene in 2010 after winning the first season of the cooking competition “Top Chef: Just Desserts.” Pura was also chosen as Fan Favorite in the inaugural season of the spin-off. He recently published a cookbook, “Sweet Alchemy,” based on several of the popular signature items at Tout Sweet Patisserie. As a child, Pura moved from Ankara, Turkey to San Francisco. Pura spent much of his childhood cooking with his mother and thus, he cites her early influence as a strong reason for why he took up cooking as a profession. The shop itself is a homage to French cafes and traditional pastry cooking. The first Tout Sweet shop, located at Union Square in San Francisco, opened in 2012. Since its opening, Pura has been focusing on expanding the brand. According to Kevin Kopjack, the public relations director for Tout Sweet, Palo Alto was a natural step for Tout Sweet’s sophomore location. Tout Sweet has also shown interest in expanding its franchise internationally into China and Japan. He hopes to bring his delicious desserts to a new audience. “We have a large clientele from the Peninsula that currently shop in our store in San Francisco,” Kopjack said. “All the patisserie items that guests

have had to drive to San Francisco to get are now going to be available for them in a closer location.” Pura reiterates the excitement of bringing his popular desserts across the Bay, on behalf of Tout Sweet Patisserie. “Thanks to the loyalty of our fans, I am thrilled to be able to bring Tout Sweet Patisserie to Silicon Valley,” Pura said. “Silicon Valley embodies what we cherish most at Tout Sweet – innovation and a modern perspective in creating something unique. The San Francisco Bay Area has given us the gift of their loyalty and we look forward to being able to serve sweet people of the Peninsula.”The new location will continue to offer the popular treats that brought success to Tout Sweet Patisserie in San Francisco. The decadent pastries include “dessert sauces, artisanal jams, macadamia and almond nibbles, pâte de fruit, marshmallows, nutty brittles and meringue kisses,” according to the website. Many of the popular treats are available for purchase online as well. The Palo Alto location will also offer new products not currently sold at the San Francisco location. According to Kopjack, the shop will be selling frozen cookie dough and pie crusts, allowing customers to bring Tout Sweet into their own kitchens. The Town and Country Village location is a stark contrast to the San Francisco version, which is located on the third floor of Macy’s in Union Square. Constraints with the 700 square foot space have forced deviations from the San Francisco set-up. “[The Palo Alto location] is a much smaller shop than the San Francisco location,” Kopjack said. “We will not have seating nor will we be offering savory items.” According to Kopjack, the store was initially scheduled to open in early November. Palo Altans can now expect to try Tout Sweet Patisserie shortly prior to Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

The best smartwatches on the market today

B3 I eat when I feel like it

Companies release new smartwatches as consumer interest in wearable tech increases

owen staiger

senior staff writer

courtesy of phone arena

The Moto 360 has been praised for its circular design and simple functionality, which allow any type of user, Apple or Android, to easily access the software configurations.

Jeremy fu

Staff writer

atches have historically been more than just accessories, they were necessities. However, many now see them as obsolete. Now, new technology has given watches the platform they need to truly excel and compete with the basic functions of phones. In recent years, smartwatches have gone through numerous advances and are now able to perform a wide number of functions beyond timekeeping and calculations. Even so, many consumers struggle to justify paying money for a device that does not perform many functions beyond a smartphone. Recently, many large tech companies have tried to grab a piece of the projected 2.5 billion dollar smartwatch market. For those who feel the need to be on the edge of technology, or simply

want to upgrade their watches, here are some of the top smartwatches on the market today. The Moto 360, made by Motorola features a 1.81 inch diameter round face and a 1.56 inch diameter screen. It comes in polished stainless steel and brushed steel with either a grey or black leather wristband. However, its leather straps are not ideal for sweaty workouts, and the Moto 360 is not waterproof, so users cannot take it swimming and probably do not want to risk getting it wet. It also does not have a speaker, so notifications are signaled by vibrations, and there is no on-screen keyboard, so typing is done by voice command. Another factor to take into consideration is battery life. The Moto 360’s 320 mAh battery lasts for about a day, which means users will have to charge it every night on the wireless charging station. All in all, the Moto 360 is a great looking smartwatch but

has a few flaws in design. The Moto 360 costs $249.99. Design wise, the LG G Watch R is a compromise between a traditional watch and a smartwatch. Like the Moto 360, the LG G Watch R has a round display; however, that is pretty much where the similarities end. Unlike the Moto 360’s minimalistic design, the LG G Watch R has a large, chunky, angular bezel and a sunken display, reminiscent of Casio’s G Shock watches. It only comes in one size and one color: black. Unlike many other smartwatches that require users to shake their wrists to activate the display, the LG G watch R’s screen is always on. Despite this, it still maintains a battery life of two days, as a result of its 410 mAh battery. When the watch does need to be charged, it snaps on easily to its magnetic charging dock. The LG G Watch R’s screen is 1.3 inches in diameter and uses P-OLED as op-

posed to a traditional LCD screen, which gives it a slightly sharper picture and more vibrant colors. It is also rated for 30 minutes underwater at one meter and has a heart-rate monitor and a step counter. The LG G Watch R runs Android Wear, which means it is only compatible with Android Phones. It is also pricier than its competitors, coming in at $350. Another contender, the Apple Watch is expected to be released early 2015. Though not much is known about the Apple watch, there will be three versions: the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. Each of the watches have their own purposes and audiences. Whatever the future of wearable is, consumers can expect to see many new smartwatches on the market soon. However, the ultimate success of the smartwatch industry is still to be decided by the users.

Soundcloud attempts to make deal with major record labels Agreements with record companies cause growing pains for the once user-centric site

Daniel Hammerson

Staff writer

oundcloud is an online digital music platform commonly associated with independent and upcoming artists. Users upload music of their own and allow others to listen. Soundcloud has recently announced that some changes will be made to the platform. As a result of possible completion of a business deal with three major record labels: Sony, Universal and Warner Music, Soundcloud planned to introduce ads and subscription based services. Seeing as 80 percent of Soundcloud uploads are user-created and only 20 percent are uploaded by labels these deals were very worry-

ing. These worries led to Soundcloud working on agreements with labels as well as making sure that these deals did not affect artists negatively. Since the initial proposal, negotiations between Soundcloud and most of these major record labels have since reached a standstill. The major labels and Soundcloud have not been able to reach an agreement due to licensing problems. Because of problems with generating revenue using a free service, Soundcloud decided it would introduce advertising on this music sharing platform. Last summer Soundcloud announced they had $100 million in funding, but struggled with an overall loss of $29 million in September 2013.

Soundcloud still launched its partner creator program called On Soundcloud without the support of any of these labels. Soundcloud seems to maintain a status of innovation and independence even though it will Last summer Soundcloud announced they had $100 million in funding, but struggled with an overall loss of $29 million in September 2013. be making slight changes in an effort to start generating revenue which will hopefully lead Soundcloud to be a bigger player in the music industry. Even taking these problems into account, as of early November, Warner Music Group reached a partner-

ship for some form of paid subscription business model. Warner will also be purchasing an equity of a three to five percent stake in the company. This deal will lead to Warner’s artists getting payment for their own songs and remixes played on Soundcloud. This deal will lead to Warner’s artists getting payment for their own songs and remixes on Soundcloud. The artists can also decide which tracks they would like to be released on Soundcloud. The option for the artist and label to decide is much different than the major deals struck up with Spotify and iTunes. These changes taking place will take a long time to be revealed. Because of this the future of Soundcloud is unknown for now.

There you are, sitting in calculus learning how to derive. Your stomach rumbles and you suddenly realize your gains from the gym are starting to act like the graph of negative natural log. You’re new to this whole “my body is a temple” thing so you forgot a protein bar like some kind of freshman (i.e. rookie). Fortunately, you have a five minute break coming up and Trader Joe’s is but a quick sprint away. Just like many of you, I forgot to bring a protein bar on a dreary Tuesday. So it was time for me to put my lacrosse morning workout cardio to the test — everyone is invited to join us Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 a.m. on the lax field. Mr. Peters seemed to sing as he announced the magical five minute break. I blasted through the door and ran down the new math building stairs. Jealous classmates watched with gaping, hungry mouths as I sprinted across the empty back lot and over the bridge. My body welcomed the fresh Trader Joe’s air conditioning while I ran past the casual customers. I snatched a Promax Cookie Dough bar and tossed the $1.50 to the cashier, who gazed upon me with admiration and respect as I told him to keep the change. I will now take a moment to derive the theorem behind the science for you with a couple of simple equations. Protein helps build muscle, so protein = gains. Cardio helps you lose fat, so cardio = -fat. Now in order to properly maintain your temple, you must make gains while losing fat. If gains - fat = ideal temple, then we can substitute in protein and cardio to get: protein + cardio = ideal temple. That’s science. This five minute dash is a perfect activity for temple maintenance since it combines protein and cardio while everyone else is lazily sitting around waiting to get called back into class. I left good old TJ’s at the two minute mark with the final stretch ahead of me. I sprinted across the parking lot dodging soccer moms running their afternoon errands. As I crossed the bridge Reese greeted me like the gates-keeper of our sacred campus. He gave me a head nod as he complimented my hustle. I could see my classmates enjoying their break on the upper deck as I ran into the new building and up those stairs. With two minutes to spare, I arrived back in just over three minutes. The remaining time was used to catch a quick breather before I went right back to learning. The soreness of my feet the days after were well worth the success and runners high. For students seeking to take this challenge I suggest you stretch before your run and maybe practice your route in your spare time. *The Campanile does not advocate leaving class without permission*

Catering for all Occasions 477 South California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94306 (650)-329-0700 izzysbb@gmail.com www.izzysbrooklynbagels.com

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

Monday, November 24, 2014

SPOTLIGHT

THE DEATH OF THE RECORD LABEL R

ecord labels have been the backbone of the music industry since music started being sold. They do all the work that doesn’t actually involve creating the music, from financing and executive producing albums to advertising and paying off radio stations to play their artists’ singles nauseatingly often. Labels vary in size and in structure, but they all share the common goal of signing artists into ideally mutually beneficial contracts to bring more revenue in for both parties. However, the music industry has been in upheaval ever since the emergence of the internet brought huge shifts in format, distribution and marketing techniques. More and more artists are starting to realize that the once ubiquitously sought after signing to a major label might not actually be the best business decision.

The music industry Pre-Internet

efore the internet, the music industry was a dramatically different place. Radio and then television were people’s main forms of exposure to new music and different artists. Outside of these, music heads would go into record shops and actually buy music, discover smaller local acts from opening slots for live shows or read about bands and releases in music publications. Labels and publishers had a tangible product in vinyl LPs, tape cassettes and later CDs that they distributed to retailers just like any other industry’s product. Hugely influential labels like Motown and Stax could define genres and propel acts to stardom through contracts alone. Things were simpler, analogue and more profitable for artists and labels.

Label Success

ajor labels’ old sales model hasn’t been completely unsuccessful in the modern age. Their marketing departments, A&Rs and financiers are all adapting to try and mirror the grassroots fame attained by independent artists, by spending lots more to try and play catch-up. An example of an artist cashing out on this is Harlem’s A$AP Rocky, who capitalized off the success of his first mixtape by signing a $3 million deal to Polo Grounds Music and RCA Music. A$AP used the label’s funds, influence and connections to drop his debut, “Long.Live.A$AP,” which strayed from his cloud rap roots musically but brought in major revenue for his labels from hits like Wild For The Night with Skrillex and F****n’ Problems with other heavyweight rappers Drake, Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz. It’s unclear whether Rocky and the rest of the A$AP crew would be having the same kind of mainstream success today if not for Polo and RCA’s help.

“

Post Internet Industry

ast forward 20 years and the way music is purchased, consumed and appreciated by people has changed so drastically that no label head could have ever predicted it. With the wealth of information available to everyone with a smartphone or computer, finding new bands or artists and diversifying tastes is as easy as Googling a genre or posting on a forum. Labels have never had so little power in determining the tastes of the consumer. When consumers do find music they like, they can choose to pay for either individual tracks or full albums at their discretion through services like iTunes, Amazon and more. Adding to the labels’ problem is that not everyone is an honest saint and not everyone has enough money to support their listening habits. For these people, file sharing and torrent sites provide free downloads of almost any album with complete disregard for copyright laws and labels’ intellectual property. Streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora have attempted to curb this rampant piracy, but only give minimal royalties — as low as thousandths of a cent per play to artists. All of this adds up to disaster for big, corporate labels, who are still trying to milk money out of an industry that is just beginning to pull up its firmly planted roots in the mid 20th century model to adjust to the digital age.

Text by:

espite it’s drastic impact on the industry the Internet doesn’t spell out doom for music as an art form. Artists today have more creative freedom and ability than ever before, and anyone with a computer can learn to create professional quality music in their bedroom. Through platforms like Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and more, unsigned artists can gain huge, loyal followings without spending a dollar by having the right cosigns and virality. Chicago’s Chancelor Bennett known as Chance The Rapper’s career exemplifies this new road to success, going from a mixtape recorded while suspended from his high school for “weed related activities” to playing a set at Coachella and collaborating with Justin Bieber within the span of a couple years without ever signing any kind of label contract. The experimental group Death Grips also acts as an antithesis to the necessity of the record label today. They built a similar organic buzz from their first two free releases on the internet before signing to Epic records, but were later dropped after their debut album due to of a series of instances of Death Grips not giving a hoot about public appearances or label service. They released three more albums for free (the first while still signed to Epic, without Epic’s permission), only increasing their popularity and notoriety, before breaking up this year for their own reasons. Hundreds of other artists have gained success in similar ways. This can be more profitable for the artist with the only expenses being production and touring costs and no label trying to take out their cut.

Bo Field

Design by:

Nikhil Rajaram and Bo Field

More and more artists are starting to realize that the once ubiquitously sought after signing to a major label might not actually be the best business decision.

”

Independent Success

Artistic Integrity

$AP’s career is evidence that labels aren’t completely unnecessary and outdated, but it does go to show the compromise of artistic integrity involved in signing a contract with one. When an artist agrees to give a label rights to own, distribute and promote their work there’s an implied (and sometimes forced) obligation to make that music easily marketable and accessible to the target demographic. A lot of the time, this demographic is adjusted to be the lowest common denominator of music consumers and the quality of the work suffers, despite appealing to greater amounts of people and selling better. Large labels love this. Artists and their fanbases hate it. Nobody who listened to him before its release could argue that Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers fit in with the rest of his catalog in terms of quality or sound, Lupe himself included. He publicly stated that Atlantic records forced him to dumb down his previously intelligent and conceptual brand of Hip Hop to appeal more to the types of listeners who think that Recovery is Eminem’s best work. However, many artists get very comfortable with their label being happy with them and the amount of money they’re making and sacrifice their artistic integrity with little to no protest. This is the risk that’s taken when music is thought of solely as a product or commodity as opposed to an art form. Today, every artist who starts to gain a following will inevitably be courted by a handful of labels looking to capitalize as much as possible off their success. But unlike in the past, artists face a very difficult decision: will the extra money and marketing actually benefit their act, or destroy their musical integrity and ultimately result in less revenue than if they could have reached the same level of popularity without indebting themselves? Both the signed and independent options are viable, and because of this the music industry may be slowly morphing into a freer market that any enterprising individual can take part in, no corporate help involved.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Student life B6 The effects of test anxiety on Paly students

Stresses resulting from the high test-taking standards of Palo Alto High School negatively affect students Catherine Yu

Staff Writer

magine looking at a blank test sheet. You scan the page and adjust your focus onto the first question, Name. Putting your pencil to the paper, you fill in the answer and hope that all of your studying allows you to answer that question correctly. Finals week is just around the corner and with this high stress season comes a feeling that many Palo Alto High School students are familiar with — test anxiety. Test anxiety is a form of performance anxiety where students experience stress during testing situations, usually causing poor performance. Although this form of anxiety is very harmful, some may argue that there is more to the anxiety surrounding finals week — not only is there test anxiety, but there is also score anxiety. Score anxiety is a form of anxiety relating to angst towards the resulting test score. Having such anxiety surrounding the student population of Paly is unhealthy as it may be taking the shape of harm, rather than the intended shape of beneficial pressure. Test anxiety is more common than students realize, arising from a combination of several different factors. Because Paly has such a high standard for test performance, there is added stress on students to do well. Sophomore Alice Zhao hints towards a feeling of helplessness that is commonly felt by the student body. “The worst part about test taking is

realizing that you learned how to get the answer in class, but forgetting what you learned,” Zhao said. “When this happens, teachers will argue that the material was taught in class and that you have no reason to not know it.” Many students feel lost while they are preparing for exams because they do not know what material to study. Zhao realizes that during testing, she may figure out that she did not study the right material, and regrets not studying the right material after the test, but that she has no power to say she was never taught the material in class. Score anxiety, on the other hand, is often caused by the waiting game that begins the second you finish a test and ends the moment the teacher uploads the grades to Infinite Campus, or hands the tests back in class. The time between the test and the receiving of the grade can seem like an eternity. Thoughts surrounding the exam can consume one’s thoughts and simply become the only thing one thinks about, and becomes almost obsessed with. Sophomore Josh Code struggles when anticipating his test grades. “The worst part about waiting for test grades is overthinking,” Code said. “When I’m waiting for the grades to be entered in I usually imagine every single mistake I could have possibly made, which I’d say is pretty unhealthy.” Common symptoms of score anxiety are constantly refreshing of Infinite Campus, or even talking to the

teacher and asking about the test outside of class. Score anxiety can also be exacerbated by score sharing between students before some students receive their own score. “Although score sharing is discouraged by teachers, students do it anyways to see how they rank amongst themselves, which puts a lot of pressure on them,” Zhao said. However, some students don’t find a purpose in worrying about test scores. They believe that the score is already determined, so there is no reason to spend time feeling uncertain about it. “I usually don’t know what to expect on the exam,” Zhao said. “But after I take a test, I don’t get score anxiety because it’s already out of my hands to decide how well I do.” The factor of social pressure is more prevalent with score anxiety than test anxiety. Students tend to feel pressure from both their peers and their parents to achieve a good grade. This pressure stems from the comparison of students’ test scores. Students who receive a great grade will be more inclined to voice their score after a test, whereas students who performed poorly will be more reserved with their scores. The standard of performance set by peers and parents adds to a student’s score anxiety since failure to reach the set standard causes a fear of disappointment. “After a test, I know my grades will show up on Infinite Campus, and then I will get a bad grade in the class,” freshman Grace Kitayama said. “If people find out my poor

Chris Skokowski / The campanile

Palo Alto’s focus on grades causes test stress to extend beyond the classroom

score, they will ask me if I need tutors or tell me that I should study more. Sometimes I worry more about the social aspect of test taking than getting into a good college.” This concern for the approval of others obstructs students from keeping their eye on the real goal. Although the competition to score higher than a peer is good motivation, the stress brought on by score sharing, score anticipation, and test anxiety negatively affects students overall. Paly is an extremely academic rigorous school that heavily emphasizes testing. An environment centered around exam performance creates pressure to do well all the time, which in turn encourages students to cheat, rather than to learn.

Some students will go to any lengths just to achieve a good test score. Oftentimes, those who do go to such lengths end up negatively impacting themselves and others. For example, during the high pressure time of endof-the-year finals last school year, a class’ test grades were cancelled due to cheating. Furthermore, the stress surrounding testing and scores sets students back; it places more emphasis on memorizing information, as opposed to learning the information. Not only do test and score anxiety cause particular individuals to resort to academically dishonest activities, but they also causes students to develop the unhealthy mentality of doing whatever they possibly can to score higher on tests that may not measure their true potential.

Best places to study for finals Jake’s Takes on The Campanile’s picks for the best study locations in Palo Alto “Nightcrawler” Gyllenhaal impresses in complex thriller

Courtesy of This Week in Sarasota

A promotional still from the movie “Nightcrawler” starring Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake van Zyll

Senior Staff Writer

Dami bolarinwa / The Campanile

The library is always a good place to study, and is by far the best place to study on campus during finals or otherwise

Paul Mewes

Senior Staff Writer

h oh, finals are almost here! That means lots of cramming and, in most cases, lots of stress. But, don’t fear, the Campanile is here to help. With finals week around the corner, it is important for students to find their ideal study locations. When a student finds a study spot that suits him or her, he or she can maximize productivity, making good use of time studying and ensuring maximum performance during finals. There are many local locations that can accommodate students and foster a productive studying environment both on campus and off. However, settling on one spot is not always the best choice, as a student that changes where they study every so often will actually expands their ability to learn and retain information. The Paly library: The library is an outstanding study spot, as it is ac-

cessible during prep, lunch, tutorial and after school. It has a vast array of resources from its selection of useful books to its knowledgeable librarians. Students can study casually in the main library while chatting with friends or listening to music, study intently in the silent study room or seek assistance in the Academic Resource Center. At home: An obvious, safe choice. Students can lock themselves in their room and study for hours or have friends over for a group study session. A major upside here is the freedom students have to listen to music, eat, watch TV or pretty much do as they please while pouring over their notes and textbooks. The park (Greer? Pardee Park? You choose!): Go to the park. Relax. Sit on a bench and watch children at play while preparing for finals. Canine lovers can even study at the dog park. There are many parks all around Palo Alto, so students can explore and find their ideal outdoor study spot.

The car: Many students bring their notes into the car and study while in transit. Most do not study while driving, although doing so is not a bad idea: the danger causes adrenaline which increases the ability to retain knowledge. Less daring students can study from the passenger seat in order to utilize every moment possible. A coffee shop: A classy choice. Coffee is full of caffeine which does wonders for studying. Additionally, some of the smartest people in the country visit coffee houses, so a student who studies at one might become smarter just by spending time around such company. Of the many coffee shops nearby, some of the best include: Coupa, Peet’s, Starbucks, and Borrone. The bar: It is illegal for students under 21 to study at bars. *The Campanile does not condone reading or studying while driving or the illegal consumption of alcohol by minors.

he new thriller “Nightcrawler” stands out above other thriller movies for several reasons: it has a very original premise, brilliant dialogue and Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a prodigious portrayal of a complex and intriguing protagonist. The story follows a driven young man named Lou Bloom, played by Gyllenhaal. Desperate for work, Bloom discovers the unorthodox job of “nightcrawling”. He drives around Los Angeles during the night looking for crimes and accidents to film and sell to the highest bidding news station. The more gruesome the footage, the more he can charge the stations. A transformative role for Gyllenhaal, it was the most difficult character he has ever portrayed, according to several interviews. The 33 year old actor lost thirty pounds for the role by eating lightly and embarking on gruelling, daily 15 mile runs. He also barely slept during filming. The result? A lean, wide-eyed, hungry looking young man. Gyllenhaal’s hard work paid off; he perfectly embodies the driven, unsettling Lou through meticulous mannerisms and mastery of his facial expressions. More specifically, throughout the film he somehow wills himself to not blink. This makes his character creepy, but is also symbolic of his character’s desire to learn, never wanting to miss anything.

Lou is one of the most interesting characters to appear on the big screen in quite some time. Though he employs questionable methods and commits some unethical (and illegal) acts, audiences will still find themselves rooting for him nonetheless, due to his relentless drive and desire to better himself. In an interview with The Guardian, Gyllenhaal elaborated on the intriguing protagonist. “It’s important that you feel like Lou is the superhero of a generation. People have asked me throughout many interviews over time: ‘Do you ever wish you’d played a superhero?’ I just did – his name is Lou Bloom,” Gyllenhaal said. “I don’t like to call him a sociopath. The reason he doesn’t become unwatchable is because there’s this great innocence to him. He’s almost from another time.” Lou embodies a generation of people desperate for work, gaining him further empathy with audiences. Above all else, excluding the various horror and thriller aspects of the film, it is a success story. The writing in this film is phenomenal: sometimes funny, sometimes creepy, but always entertaining. The pace of the plot is also noteworthy and Dan Gilroy’s directing is exceptional. I highly recommend this impressively original, suspenseful thriller. Even if, for whatever reason, you don’t enjoy the original plot, or smart writing, you should still be able to appreciate Gyllenhaal’s premier performance in “Nightcrawler.”

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Christmas tips for a memorable holiday Follow these creative tips to make this year’s celebrations enjoyable and unforgettable Miranda Chen

Staff writer

Rachel Farn

Staff Writer

hristmas is one of the most memorable times of the year — whether you choose to enjoy the time with loved ones, to embrace the holiday spirit or to commemorate a religious and traditional celebration, Christmas is a time to appreciate what you have. With the holidays nearing on Dec. 25, here are some things you can do to capture the Christmas spirit and make the most out of your time away from school. Activities Christmas is often a time of year when people come together and join to practice age-old traditions that celebrate the Christmas spirit. Visiting Christmas Tree Lane on Fulton Street is one of many celebrations that capture the essence of the holidays in Palo Alto. There is nothing better than taking a stroll down Fulton Avenue with a hot drink and your family to see the extravagant and seemingly limitless decorations that embellish the houses of Christmas Tree Lane. Relax and take your time off school to see the sparkling Christmas lights, reindeer, snowmen and Santas that only come around this special but chilly time of year. If you don’t want to venture outside to celebrate Christmas this year, there are still many things you can do in the comfort of your own home. “Elf ”, “Home Alone”, “The Grinch”, “The Polar Express” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — who has not seen or at least heard of these classic films that always return each year during the holidays? If you have not, you have lots to do during Christmas. These films are fun, filled with holiday spirit and are sure to get you into the cheerful mood that Christmas brings each year. If you have seen these movies before, do not worry — these films never get old

and can be rewatched over and over again. Or, you can try watching new movies — there is an endless selection of holiday films you can select from. So, spend some time watching these classics with your family and friends to truly embrace the Christmas spirit and to escape reality into the world of elves, Santas and reindeer. Treats When you think of the holidays, you may think of delicious, mouthwatering treats. To make a statement, you can take simple snacks and jazz them up for the holidays by adding decorations. The most basic snack starts from pretzels. Pretzels can easily be transformed into festive treats by dipping pretzels in melted chocolate or by combining candies and pretzels to make an addicting trail mix. For those who prefer something healthier, strawberries are an easy fruit to embellish. You can easily add frosting and sprinkles to create little figures or trees. Lastly, if you are a naturally gifted cook or are just up to a challenge, making and decorating cupcakes is a fun way to portray holiday spirit in delicious treats. You can frost the face of a snowman or use decorations such as mistletoe or snowflakes. Besides decorating treats, the holidays are also a good time to spice up warm drinks which are perfect for the colder weather. It all starts with basic drinks like coffee or hot chocolate. From there, you can add cinnamon, spices or peppermint to give plain drinks the taste of the season. Another well-known holiday beverage is apple cider. Although cider can be found in stores, homemade apple cider is much more satisfying and also simple to make. Starting from apple juice, all you have to do is stir in some spices such as nutmeg, cloves, ginger or cinnamon until

the flavor is just right. These festive treats and drinks are some of the best ways to impress your friends over the holidays. Decorations Christmas just is not the same without all the festive decorations that embellish houses, streets and stores each year. Decorations are the best ways to light up the season and to bring the spirit of Christmas into your home. While you can easily buy standard Christmas decorations at stores, spending time with your loved ones to create your own homemade decorations will bring a unique feel to both your home and to Christmas itself. Here are our tips for decorating your house this Christmas. Christmas trees are classic decorations that can always be found in homes during the holiday season. This year, spice up your holidays by creating your own ornaments to embellish your tree. Take a clear ornament and use acrylic paint to create your own designs on it, or use fun Christmas stickers to embellish it. You can paint snowmen, Santa or whatever your heart may desire on your ornament — that is the best part about making your own, personalized decorations. It is always the small details that make the most difference in our lives, and decorating for Christmas is no different. If you do not want to spend too much time creating decorations, you can always use paper to make small embellishments in order to accentuate the Christmas spirit in your home. The possibilities are endless — you can cut countless snowflakes, angels, or mistletoes out of paper and use these cute cutouts as decorations all over your house. You can do whatever you like with your decorations, like decorating your dinner table, the walls in your room, the windows or your own desk. Spend

some time this Christmas year personalizing your home and enjoying the Christmas spirit through homemade decorations and embellishments. Gifts People look forward to the holidays for the yummy treats and celebrative activities, but more so, they often look forward to the numerous gifts waiting under the Christmas trees. This is why it is important to plan ahead and prepare presents early. Most younger children will be satisfied with popular toys, but make sure to buy similar toys for all younger relatives or you may have some trouble. If you are having difficulties deciding what to buy try something that looks expensive or has a hidden meaning to it. This creates the illusion that you put a lot of effort into choosing the gift. For teenagers, you can go for electronics like speakers, headphones, etc. and if you’re scared of letting them down, just give them money and they can buy themselves whatever they want. If you just want to give your friends and family a small gift of appreciation and would rather not spend a lot of money, you can always make some homemade treats and package them in cute holiday containers. If you’re too lazy to bake cookies or brownies, just take a jar and neatly fill it with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and peppermint sticks or flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. These cocoa mix and cookie mix jars are cute and easy to make. If you don’t want to do anything or you’re in a rush, just go to any local grocery store or florist and buy some pretty, festive flowers. Turning the holidays from an exciting time of year into the most amazing time of year is simple. With festive activities, treats, decorations, and gifts, you will never feel more prepared. Sit back, embrace the upcoming season and take time away from school and stress to truly celebrate the magic of Christmas.

Cyber Monday: A smarter Black Friday with superior sales, savings and deals Contrary to popular belief, Cyber Monday has the most sales for the upcoming holidays Mischa nee

Staff writer

lack Friday has long been the day when fathers would make an appearance at the mall to stock up their closets for the year, coupon hunters would run rampant and television addicts would finally take a trip out of the house to camp out in front of the doors of the nearest Best Buy. But with the recent change in retailers sales techniques, both consumer and employee dissatisfaction has arisen. Since Black Friday’s beginning way back in the late 19th century, retailers were always trying to beat out the other and get a jump on the holiday sales. Up until recent years, businesses have followed the unwritten rule of holiday shopping — it must not begin until after Thanksgiving. But now doorbuster sales are beginning to invade the Thanksgiving feast and the post-meal football game has to be postponed for the sake of getting those fantastic deals; or at least, that is what stores want the public to think. The number of sales and discounts offered throughout the year have both seemingly increased, yet businesses’ profit margins has remained the same. On Black Friday, the average discount offered by a store has increased by 11 percent over the past three years, yet the gross margin has remained identical. Consumers are being twisted into perceiving a 30 percent off sale as truly that, when in fact, the original prices were never meant to be seen without a discount sticker covering them up. Retailers have begun designing prices to turn expected profit mar-

Carissa zou/The Campanile

Cyber Monday offers a diverse variety of sales, deals and doorbusters that compete with traditional retails sales on Black Friday.

gins after multiple discounts. Due to the naivety of shoppers, this system appears to be irreversible, as proven by J.C. Penny’s market failure when it attempted to do without sales entirely and begin with low prices.

[Cyber Monday] is quickly becoming a much more widespread event with 131 million people participating, compared to 92 million on Black Friday in 2013. With this in mind, the dangerous trek into Stanford Shopping Mall generally won’t save you enough money to make the sweaty lines and grid-locked parking lot worth the trip. The only products which tend to truthfully be marked down significantly are TVs and the latest action

figures for your nephew’s Christmas present. Steer clear from apparel items which tend to feature sales typical throughout the year. If you really care about getting deals, you better set your alarm for 4 a.m. where doorbuster items, which are typically sold at a loss for the store, are still available. Best Buy and appliance stores will be some of the few stores featuring better deals on Black Friday than Cyber Monday. For the rest, Cyber Monday is predicted to have deals 10 percent to 14 percent higher than those on Black Friday. Cyber Monday is quickly becoming a much more widespread event with 131 million people participating, compared to 92 million on Black Friday in 2013. Across the nation, each individual spends $150 more on average on

Cyber Monday than on Black Friday. Trust the pack and be a sheep for once, despite what your living skills teacher may have told you. Americans do know how to do one thing, if nothing else, well, how to shop. So if you’re not up to an early morning wake-up call, just wait till the newly established Cyber Monday. Better sales can be found all from the comfort of your own home, or your own desk, if you decide to purchase a new iPhone case or replenish your chocolate stash during a math lesson. Or you can simply take the Friday as a relaxing afternoon to have some fun with friends and enhance your wardrobe for the coming season, just make sure not to feel too good about all the money you’re spending in the fun.

Living in the present and the future through a lens

Lauren Klass

News and Opinion Editor

First instinct is to take a selfie every time something exciting happens. Snapchat stories often exceed 120 seconds. Tweets multiple times about the same thing. Takes various photos from different angles with different lighting to then upload the most “artsy” one to Instagram. Experiences joint pain in fingers from incessant scrolling through Tumblr. Frequently updates Facebook statuses to let everyone know just how perfect their life is. If you or anyone you know is experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms but have not been diagnosed, look no further: you are likely suffering from the inability to live in the moment. But do not fear — this widespread pandemic, commonly experienced by Generation Y and Z, has a cure. To recover, it is crucial to become aware of the background of this problem and where it stems from: technology. In a world filled with constantlyevolving technology, we are prone to becoming overly involved with our devices. We spend much of our time staring at and utilizing our screens that our ability to live in the moment is declining. When we find that we have nothing to do, we no longer simply observe and appreciate our surroundings. Rather, we keep ourselves busy by going on our phones and checking our social media sites, our inboxes and so on. We have forgotten how to be present in our day to day lives. Instead, we focus on documenting and recording the moments we experience, through things like pictures, videos, or sound recording. Some argue that it is important to take such recordings in order to preserve the memory for future reference. But take a look at the older generations: the first handheld camera was only invented in 1888. That may seem like a long time ago; however, in the grand scheme of time, the camera is a relatively new invention. People had managed to go about living their lives and preserving memories without cameras for nearly 20 full centuries. An excessive amount of emphasis is put on taking the perfect photo or filming the best quality video, so we end up experiencing the moment through the lens both in the moment it happens and then when we look back on it. It seems to go unnoticed that although cameras and phones are capable of capturing the image of an experience, no device can capture the most important part of the moment: what it is truly like to experience it live. Due to our constant obsession with virtually documenting all of the events we partake in, we tend to forget that the creation of our memories go beyond and are much more meaningful than a simple compilation of pixels. So what is the cure? I urge you to put down your phone and look up at the world around you. Next time you go outside, appreciate the air you breathe and notice the shape of the clouds above you. Next time you go to a concert, forget the pictures and just enjoy the music. Next time you find yourself in line at the supermarket, ask the cashier how his or her day was. Learn to live your life in the present moment because you really only have one shot at it because no picture, no video and no device can ever change that.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

COOL WINTER 12000 FASHION trends in

P C

E O

Text by

Design by

Stephanie Cong Lifestyle Editor Nikhil Rajaram Staff Writer

Claire Dennis Staff Writer Lauren Klass News and Opinion Editor

hose freezing 60 degree Palo Alto winter days are around the corner, and The Campanile has got you prepped with a few trendy items to help you improve your winter wardrobe. If you are already trapped in the lull of bundling up in sweaters and hoodies and the same pair of old jeans everyday, these tips below might help you out. Don’t get us wrong, hoodies are comfortable, and we are all oddly attached to our jeans, but there are so many more stylish options out there. With just a few different choices, you will be stylin’ all winter, while staying warm and comfortable, too.

A A

Almost the “grown up” equivalent of a hoodie, pea coats keep you warm, and can be thrown on over virtually any top and with most pants or skirts. Pea coats come in a variety of colors, lengths and designs, but most are made out of polyester and cotton, and some may even be lined with fleece, making pea coats a reliable winter jacket or coat for everyday use. Many pea coats are designed with cute buttons or toggles, and these buttons also allow for the coat to either be buttoned all the way up or be unbuttoned and worn more like a parka, revealing whatever top you may be wearing. Pea coats allow for the perfect amount of space around one’s neck to also wear either a piece of statement jewelry or a scarf, an opportunity to add another element to one’s outfit. Though some pea coats may be priced a little higher than some are used to when buying outerwear, they are definitely a worthile purchase.

C O

N G

Over the past few years, many have started to catch on to the trend of short, almost masculine, lace up boots known as combat boots. These boots definitely add emphasis to one’s outfit but do not quite pair well with every winter outfit in the book. A more versatile type of boot would be riding, or equestrian boots, which are taller, knee height, flat-heeled and usually have a zipper with no laces. These boots have a more mature, elegant feel, and in our opinion, can be paired with more outfits, as they have a more neutral look than combat boots. Riding boots come in a variety of colors, usually in either cognac, dark brown or black. An interesting twist on these boots are “two-toned” riding boots, a version that are usually black from the bottom to the start of the rounded top of the boot, and a brown or cognac at the rounded top of the boot. Whichever variety of riding boots you purchase, whether they are solid or two toned, or have buckles and embellishments, they are sure to keep your feet warm, especially when paired with a cute pair of high knee boot socks. Boots are generally quite expensive when compared to other shoes, especially if they are made out of leather, but can usually last you many winter seasons without showing too many signs of wear.

Palo A l t o doesn’t get many sub-zero days, so medium-weight jackets should be enough to get you by this winter. A few staples are denim jackets, chore coats, Harrington jackets, M-65s, varsity jackets and bomber jackets. Denim jackets and chore coats can be paired with just about anything but the same color of denim jeans, and can fit a streetwear aesthetic as well as workwear one. Harringtons are also a great outerwear choice for winter — lined ones are very warm yet still fashionable. M-65s, or military field jackets, are also a great choice and can fill an absence of olive that may be plaguing your wardrobe. Varsity jackets and bomber jackets are quite similar, and usually basic pieces that can be paired with everything from button-down shirts to scoop-neck tees.

There a r e loads of knit items to be purchased out there from scarves to sweaters to leggings and tights. Knits are especially soft and comfortable and look fashionable while also keeping you warm, so they are the number one thing you will want during the winter season. Knit scarves, tights or leggings can go together with virtually any outfit — as long as the pattern or color does not clash. Knit scarves are the perfect accessory to top off anyone’s outfit and give it something a little special for winter. Knit tights or leggings, especially ones that are not the traditional black color and have a bit of pattern to them, can make an outfit more unique and stand out. Sweaters are most likely the hardest knit item to style but can be casually thrown on over dresses to keep warm or tucked into high-waisted skirts and pants for a more modern look. At many stores, knits seem to be overpriced, so we recommend you buy them on sale, or from stores which generally have cheaper items.

S R

T O

For when it gets colder and especially for when it starts to rain, boots are a must-have. On rainy days, you can keep your feet warm and fully protected from the elements, but most of all, you can avoid getting water in your socks. Among the most prevalent styles of boots in the fashion community right now are chukkas and work boots. Chukkas can be worn with just about any type of pants, most notably jeans or chinos. Work boots are on the pricier end but are better constructed and can fit an entirely different style. Some options for work boots are Timberland work boots — a staple in streetwear and Thorogood moc toe boots — a cheaper version of the essential work boot, Red Wings.

Paly Glass pumpkins Fiery Arts Winter Glass Sale Palo Alto High School Dec. 5 3pm-6:30 pm Dec. 6 11am-6pm

Dami Bolarinwa/The Campanile

This edition featuring:

Roy Zawadzki with The Campanile’s own

Jake van Zyll and Kevin Mullin The Campanile: Do you even lift bro? Roy Zawadzki: Ehhh yeah I go four times a week. To the Y. TC: Why the Y? RZ: There are so many mirrors to show off my gains. TC: What advice would you give a first time lifter? RZ: Everyone has to start somewhere. TC: On a scale of one to 10, seven being the highest, how swole are you? RZ: Seven being the highest? That’s an arbitrary scale. TC: If you were a superhero, which you are, which superhero would you be? RZ: Umm uhhhh Batman cuz he’s hella buff. TC: Which celebrity would you say you most closely resemble? RZ: Whoopi Goldberg. TC: Favorite sport? RZ: Ehhhh. Power lifting TC: How do you get your legs so supple? RZ: I sit on the calf machine for 30 minutes. TC: What do you usually have for breakfast? RZ: A protein bar. TC: What do you aspire to do in the future? RZ: Something video game related. TC: If you had to choose one state in the US to blow up, and if you don’t choose one every state would be blown up, which state would you choose? RZ: Which state do I hate the most... Wyoming, ‘cause there’s nothing there. TC: What’s the lady situation looking lie right now? RZ: The lady situation is more than sufficient. I got 10 numbers today, so the forecast is heavy rain. TC: If you could go on a dream date with one person and do anything of your choice, who would it be and what would you do? RZ: Ehhhhh (breathes heavily), I’d go with Amanda Seyfried. No, wait she’s ugly. Actually, yeah Amanda Seyfried. I’d go biking with her in the Swiss Alps. TC: Do you have any last words of wisdom for all of our readers? RZ: Confidence is the key. TC: The key to what? RZ: To life. TC: Why? RZ: Because if you don’t have confidence people are going to think you’re dumb. TC: What if you are dumb? RZ: Then fake it til you make it. No scratch that, fake it til you break it baby (sighs contendedly). TC: What’s the deal with your profile picture dude? RZ: It’s all about the royd rage dude. I think your gains are probably jealous of my gains and that’s why all this animosity is coming out right now so blatantly (chuckles to self while crickets chirp in background). TC: What’s your favorite class? RZ: I thoroughly enjoy advanced placement Environmental Science because of the opportunity it presents to connect with nature. TC: Are you a spiritual person? RZ: Ehhhhh. Sometimes I feel like the God of gains but I don’t know if I’d classify that as spirituality. TC: Thank you so much for doing this interview, Roy. Really appreciate it. RZ: For true for true.

The Campanile

Monday, November 24, 2014 ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

S ORTS

Shaun Pike led the football team in sacks this season and had a dominant offensive presence.

Athletes Billman and Xie commit to universities, join synchronized swimming and golf programs Elle Billman and Michelle Xie elaborate on their experiences as top athletes and explain their college decisions

courtesy of elle billman

courtesy of michelle xie

Left: Golfer Michelle Xie maintains her flawless form and and concentrated expression after successfully hitting the golf ball across the course. Upper right: Synchronized swimmer Elle Billman strikes an impressive split while half submerged under the water during a synchronized swimming practice. Lower right: Michelle Xie proudly displays her third place award and 67th ranking in the Central Coast girls golf section.

Jeffrey Ho

online editor

Josh ng

staff writer

Continued from A1 old age group as a flyer, where she would perform while being held up in the air. “I swam on the [ages] 13-15 National team when we made it to Nationals over the summer of my sophomore year,” Billman said. “We trained over the summer and went to Colombia, where we represented the United States at the Pan American Championships. We placed second in overall team events and second in combination events. I finished in third place in my duet and also placed sixth individually.” On top of that, Billman survived a two and a half year battle at the age of three with Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has since raised awareness in Leukemia-related organizations like Light the Night. Xie, a three-year year member of Paly’s golf teams, has also golfed for the majority of her life. Now a twotime consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) individual champion, Xie has qualified twice for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Finals, culminating her career at the 2014 CIF State Championship. During Paly’s offseason, Xie continues her passion for golf by practicing year-round and competing at national tournaments throughout the summer.

NFL plaYoff preDictionS Itís the second half of the season, and the NFL playoff picture is becoming clearer. Check out The Campanileís predictions! C4-C5

Golf has proven to be a great time commitment for Xie, as she is often out teeing up at golf courses across the nation while others may spend their summers in internships, traveling with family or serving the community, among other things. “Golf is a time-consuming, money-consuming sport, so unlike many of my peers, I wasn’t able to apply for summer internships or community service opportunities or camps because I was out traveling around the nation for golf tournaments,” Xie said. “Summer vacation is about 10 weeks long, and I usually play in seven national tournaments. The other three weeks dispersed throughout consist of lessons, practices and local or regional tournaments, which are only a day or two.”

“Golf is a time-consuming, money-consuming sport, so unlike many of my peers, I wasn’t able to apply for summer internships or community service opportunities or camps because I was out traveling around the nation for golf tournaments.”

Michelle Xie senior

Xie’s hard work has clearly paid off, as she has received awards for both her athletic and academic success. She has placed in the top six at four national tournaments this sum-

mer, most notably qualifying for the Junior Professional Golfers Association Championship, winning the nationally televised Pro-Junior at the Nature Valley First Tee Open and placing second at the California Girls State Amateur Tournament in 2013. In addition, Xie has been named to the American Junior Golf Association HP All-American Team twice, joining an elite group of 12 girls nation-wide with both golf and academic achievements. For many top athletes, their final commitments to colleges come as early as sophomore year. Billman’s recruitment process ran much more smoothly, even as Billman began contacting college coaches at the end of her junior year. Although Billman only received two offers from athletic programs, she was very happy that she had the option of Stanford University. According to Billman, Stanford seemed like the most natural fit. “I only received offers from Stanford and University of Richmond,” Billman said. “I was really only considering my offer from Stanford because I prefer to stay in California and there aren’t many schools around here that have synchronized swimming.” However, Xie’s involvement in golf recruitment proved to be very challenging as a result of unique Ivy League school procedures. “Golf recruitment was kind of tricky and stressful for me,” Xie said. “Ivy League schools can’t make a decision very early, meaning that some players can verbally commit sopho-

more year, but I had to wait until the end of junior year to even know if I had a likely shot at college golf. This is due to the importance of academics in Ivy League schools, especially at Harvard. The coaches don’t have the final say; the Admissions Office does, so they need all my final grades and test scores in order to make a decision.”

“Looking back now, I probably could have balanced everything better, between going to school and having a greater social life. But continuing synchronized swimming has definitely been worth it. Beyond getting into Stanford, I’ve accomplished so much in and out of my sport.”

Elle Billman senior

Xie also considered Stanford and Yale University, but she opted to wait it out in hopes of a shot at playing at Harvard. “I was juggling between just making a decision early and verbally committing at Yale or Stanford and going for it and waiting until September for Harvard,” Xie said. “Ultimately, Harvard was my first choice, so I stuck it out.” Although Billman and Xie’s experiences in communicating with colleges as potential recruits were vastly different, both acknowledge that the

INSIDE NBA PREVIEW Even though the first few weeks

process has the potential to be very tedious and tricky. Despite this, Billman believes that those who are very dedicated to their sport ought to continue and hope for the best. “I definitely would tell others to stick with it [sports]; I know it’s really hard to commit so much time,” Billman said. “There have definitely been times [when] it’s been hard for me to go to practice all the time, but I’ve still been able to get through both school and swimming.” Upon reflection of the overall recruitment process and continuous practices in the pool, Billman is greatly satisfied with her success, although she sacrificed a great deal. “Looking back now, I probably could have balanced everything better, between going to school and having a greater social life,” Billman said. “But continuing synchronized swimming has definitely been worth it. Beyond getting into Stanford, I’ve accomplished so much in and out of my sport.” Xie expresses similar sentiments, as she looks forward to continuing her academic and golf career at Harvard. “Harvard is my top choice for college, so I’m really excited to be playing on their women’s golf team starting next fall,” Xie said. “Harvard has the emphasis on academics that I was looking for, and they also take their golf seriously. I’m excited to see what it’s like having an off-season and having time to pursue any major or career that interests me while also being able to become a better player with the help of the best Ivy team.”

ColleGe baSKetball PREVIEW

of the season have already

Check out our top 8

passed, take a look at our

teams in the nation and

predictions for the rest of the

see who we think will

season.

contend for a title!

Monday, November 24, 2014

Will and Will: Defending Bandwagon Fans

The Campanile

SPORTS

Volleyball team stays positive despite losses Two wins after losing streak ignites the volleyball team until CCS loss Jeremy Fu

staff writer

F Will Snodgrass william shin

senior staff writers

After a long, tortuous postseason, the San Francisco Giants won their third World Series Championship in the past five years, and Will and Will are back to tell you all about it! Such an impressive feat has brought a new wave of fans to the Bay Area, with Palo Alto High School being no exception. Before this streak of success, far less people would be seen sporting Giants merchandise, but nowadays, Giants gear is much more prevalent on a daily basis. While diehard Giants fans would be quick to chastise these so-called “bandwagon” fans, not every aspect of hopping on the bandwagon is negative. Bandwagon fans are people too, and it’s necessary for them to be recognized as important pieces to a successful professional sports franchise. It’s true that these neutral or casual fans may not have been through the ups and downs of previous Giants history, but every fan has to start somewhere. It’s one thing to be a bandwagon fan of the best team in the country, but to be a bandwagon fan of your city? Not so unacceptable. Everyone has to start somewhere as a fan, and let’s be honest, there’s much more room on board the wagon when a team is winning. Imagine the first time you bought team memorabilia or the first time you hugged a stranger at a game out of pure excitement. That was your start, and every future potential fan deserves the same chance. The excitement and enthusiasm spreads, and that’s how a fan base grows. When a team goes on a championship run like the San Francisco Giants have, it brings together a city like no other event can. The Giants took people on a fantastic ride, and for people who don’t root for other teams, it was important that they didn’t get left off the bandwagon. When a city goes on a momentum filled run, people high-five strangers or shout supportively when they see one another repping their team’s gear. City spirit is one facet of a team going on a championship run. Another is the major financial benefits it can bring to the city. It provides revenue for bars, restaurants and merchandise stores throughout the city. Now, we just outlined the acceptable versions of a bandwagon fan: the guy or girl who wants to be part of the fun and the spirit brought to a city when a team is winning. There’s also the guy or girl who is ready to make the leap from a casual onlooker to a true die-hard fan. However, there is another type of fan that Will and Will will simply not tolerate – the out of town bandwagon fan. These people root for the teams only because they are successful, not because they have any relative connection. They can be commonly seen wearing gear from last year’s championship teams, but they never experience the joys of cheering on their city amongst their community. Bandwagon fans allow for teams to grow. Take the sport of hockey as an example. Among the four major American sports — football, baseball, basketball, and hockey — hockey has the fewest amount of fans. Our hometown hockey team, the San Jose Sharks, has many die-hard fans, but we see less support for it than the Giants and 49ers, for example. However, when playoffs come around, we see restaurants and houses filled with people supporting the Sharks. Only some of them will stick around and continue to support the Sharks. Each year the Sharks gain more fans, allowing them to grow into one of the top teams in the National Hockey League and to expand their fan base and popularity. Next time you feel the need to scold a bandwagon fan, think twice about it. You probably don’t realize their importance to your favorite team.

ollowing a tough losing streak, Palo Alto High School’s volleyball hoped to carry positive momentum gained during its last two games into Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs, but ultimately lost against Mountain View High School, ending its season. During CCS, the team beat Independence High School 3-1, but lost to Mountain View 1-3. Paly’s volleyball team had a shaky season, losing six of its past ten games. “Our downfall this season has been when we get down we get negative and then we don’t play well as a team,” senior Molly Fogarty said. Senior Charlene Zhu attributes the team’s success against both teams to its hard work on and off the court, as the team improved plays that were previously unsuccessful during previous games against Henry M. Gunn High School and Mountain View High School. “We’ve been staying positive and remembering that we have it in us to beat both teams,” Zhu said. “Looking back, some good points were our team dynamic on the court and the great amount of cheering on the bench.”

Conner Harden/The campanile

Wins over Gunn High School and Mountain View High School had the girls’ volleyball team carrying momentum into the playoffs despite a disappointing beginning to the season. The Vikes ultimately lost to Mountain View in the second round of CCS.

Despite the shaky season, many on the team still maintain a positive outlook. This season was especially memorable for seniors, who are wrapping up their volleyball careers at Paly. “This season really put into perspective the game for me as a player and reminded me why I play,” senior Jade Schoenberger said. “It’s not for the wins but because

I love the competition and my team.” Going into the CCS playoffs, the Lady Vikes hoped to improve consistency while playing to bounce back from a run of points for the other team, or even a lost game. “Sometimes we will be doing well in a match and then we will lose a string of points because we are unable

to side out,” senior Anna Dukovic said. “So, being able to side out fast and keep a consistent level of play will be good things to focus on for the future.” The Lady Vikes were able to overcome a tough losing streak late in the season and won a game in CCS. Overall, the Lady Vikes had a good run, despite a shaky start.

Football team has high Cross country teams hopes after a bad season fare well in CCS races Team hopes to comeback strong next year after losing three out of five final games and not making CCS playoffs

The girls and boys cross country teams place fourth and second at CCS, respectively Noah Smith

staff writer

he Palo Alto High School girls cross country team ended the season with a bang at Central Coast Sectionals (CCS) on Nov. 15. The team was ranked sixth in Division I but pulled ahead and finished fourth. “The three teams ahead of us were from our league, which is, by far, the toughest girls cross country league,” girls cross country coach Paul Jones said. They qualified for CCS when they finished third in the Santa Clara Valley Athletics league (SCVAL) championships, which Jones is proud of. The boys cross country team also competed at CCS. It placed second overall which qualifies it to go to the state meet on Nov. 29 in Clovis, Calif. Cross country boys captain Lucas Matison took first place with a

season best time of 15:40. The rest of the finishers were as follows: Kent Slaney finished ninth, Naveen Pai ended 24th, Aaron Chandler 32nd, Kai Oda 50th, Spencer Morgenfeld 65th and Sam Desre 70th. “I could not be more proud of how well the boys have ran this season and am so happy that they get the chance to continue for another couple weeks,” boys cross country coach Kelsey Feeley said. “For a young team, we were very good,” Jones said. “Our only senior on the varsity team, Katie Foug, provided great leadership for a closeknit, enthusiastic team.” Jones says he is proud of the team’s performance this year and is also looking forward to the 2015 season. “We have a very good core of runners returning and there will be excellent competition for the varsity spots,” Jones said.

CCS game results let down the girls golf team Ella Mernyk/ the Campanile

After losing many games this season, the team practiced hard to improve and hopes that having second year varsity players would make next year’s season better.

Owen Dulik

Sports editor

he Palo Alto High School football team just finished its season with a record of 3-7 and will not be making the playoffs. Since October, the Vikings have played five games and have won two of them. On Oct. 17, the Vikings travelled to Monta Vista High School, where they were led by junior quarterback Justin Hull, who threw for 169 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings rout. Paly was victorious by a score of 41-35.

Obviously this year was a rough one, we had talent but we just couldn’t get it all put together. Shaun Pike Junior After that, the Vikings travelled to Los Gatos High School on Oct. 24, where they faced a dominant Wildcats team. The Vikings fell 7-49, and Justin Hull threw the Vikings’ only touchdown. The team was able to be successful one last time this season against

Santa Clara at home in Palo Alto’s homecoming game. The Vikings dominated the game 55-26, with Justin Hull throwing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings then had two rough games, starting off with a strong Milpitas team in Palo Alto on Nov. 7, who triumphed over the Vikings by a score of 47-7. The Vikings were still able to make the playoffs if they beat Saratoga High School on the road on Nov. 14. The Vikings had a 1-4 league record before the game but fell to 2-4 on the season afterwards. The Vikings lost a close one, 33-41. “The Saratoga game was a really rough loss and we really didn’t play to our potential that game at all,” junior linebacker Shaun Pike said. While the Vikings had a disappointing season, they benefitted from experience and will now have several two year varsity veterans on the team. The Vikings have high hopes for next season. “Obviously this year was a rough one, we had talent but we just couldn’t get it all put together,” Pike said. “I’m looking forward to coming back out next year and showing everyone that we have what it takes and Paly football is far from weak.”

Girls golf team finishes third at CCS, season winning streak ends after loss to Gunn Haley Fang

Business manager

he girls golf team has continued its great record since its win against Wilcox High School. Palo Alto High School played against Henry M. Gunn High School for the third time on Thursday Oct. 16 at the par-36 Santa Teresa Golf Course in San Jose and lost with a close score of 200-205. Aside from the loss against its rival, the team has been on a winning streak. The team won against Saratoga High School 223-231, Monta Vista High School 189-221 and 217-278, Homestead High School 189-215 and 216-261, Lynbrook High School 177-180 and Wilcox High School 216-298. Though senior Olivia Johnson is proud of how well the team has been doing throughout this season, she still believes that there is much to improve on. “We’re playing really well so far, but not as good as last year,” Johnson said. “We lost two crucial members of the team so naturally that would have an effect on the team. We just need to work on not giving up on shots and expecting the rest of the team to carry you.”

The team eventually qualified for the Central Coast Sections (CCS) playoffs on Nov. 4 and came in third place. “We lost to Gunn by one [stroke],” senior co-captain Michelle Xie said. “We didn’t win CCS, but I won CCS as an individual. Our team came in third. We shot 410. Number one was St. Francis who shot 385 and Gunn shot 409, but as an individual I won with a 67. Some of our players did not play as well as we thought they would, but despite that we still were able to attend NorCals [Northern California Tournament].” After its success in CCS, the team attended NorCals but did not qualify for the states. “The team season is technically over, but I’m still playing as an individual,” Xie said. “Personally, I expected myself to do better at CCS, but I knew our team was up for a lot of good competition, so most of the girls did play up to their personal average, and I thought it was really good for them.” Without her team at states, Xie is confident she will do well, but also aware of the tough competition. “Since my team isn’t playing at states, there are a lot of good SoCal [Southern California] individuals,” Xie said. “We’ll see how that goes.”

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

SPORTS C3 Boys water polo season ends Girls water polo team makes CCS semi-finals after loss in CCS playoffs Team exits after loss Gunn High School The Vikings finish the season with a 9-3 record after losing to Salinas High School by one point during CCS first round play

Ella Mernyk/The campanile

Senior Luke Schroder defends the goal against Los Altos High School sophomore Nick Rodriguez. The Vikes won the game 10-6.

Chris Skokowski

Senior Staff Writer

he Palo Alto High School boys water polo team ended its postseason with a victory over Henry M. Gunn High School after capping the regular season with a tough loss to its cross-town rivals. After being unable to beat Gunn in previous meetings, the Vikings held off the Titans by one point, securing their spot atop the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL). The Vikings finished the season with a 9-3 league record, tying for second-best in the league with Mountain View High School because of their 1-1 record against the Spartans. However, in games against teams outside of the league, each of the top three teams — Gunn , Paly, and Mountain View — all held losing records. Gunn actually finished with an equal winning percentage as Paly for games outside of the league, with a record of 2-6 compared with Paly’s 3-9. While Gunn may have had a smaller sample, it’s clear that Paly was not the only team that had trouble outside of the league. However, after winning their league playoffs, the Vikings fell in their first game of the Central Coast

Sectionals (CCS) playoffs. After having a bye in its first week of the CCS playoffs, Paly lost by a single point to Salinas High School, who were hot off a five point first-round victory over Los Gatos High School. Salinas also held an impressive 18-4 record for the season, boasting more wins and fewer losses than Paly. Looking back at the team’s season, it’s clear that despite a few tough losses, the team was successful. While its loss to Salinas may have been disappointing, the Vikings’ win over Gunn to claim the league title was a run that did not seem possible after Gunn’s undefeated season. The team had some downs to go with the ups though, and its results across the season remain inconsistent. In their regular season, the Vikings demolished a good portion of their opponents, but they also had trouble closing out games against some teams. Looking back at the team’s record, many of its losses were decided by only a few points while many of its wins were decided by huge margins, especially those within the league. The team seemed to perform better at the extremes of competition; in games against lesser opponents, Paly was able to walk all over the competition, and in games against teams that

should have beaten them, Paly still managed to hold its ground. However, the Vikings found the most trouble with teams that were more even matches, perhaps because the higher-skilled teams gave them motivation and the lower-skilled teams gave them more opportunities. Even with a good portion of the team having graduated last year, the team still had top league performers in junior Winston Rosati and senior Lucas Novak, who both finished the regular season in the top five players for both goals and points. Rosati and Novak consistently held top spots within the league from the first through the last game. All in all, it was a successful season for the boys water polo team, even with some tough close losses and some trouble outside the league, everything seemed to go Paly’s way during the SCVAL playoffs. As was the case last year, the team will have some rebuilding to do, with both the starting goalkeeper Luke Schroder and the top scorer Lucas Novak graduating. However, the team should be proud of winning its league and those remaining on the team for next year should look forward to another good season in 2015.

Girls tennis team finishes as the El Camino Division Champions

Maggie Rosenthal

Staff Writer

alo Alto High School’s girls water polo team closed out its regular season with a loss on Oct. 30 to rival Henry M. Gunn High School, ending the season with a record of 13-14, 6-6. This game also served as the team’s senior night and was in honor the two seniors on the team, Olivia Scola and Tess van Hulsen. The Lady Vikes ended the first quarter 3-1 but were able to score one more goal on Gunn during the second quarter, ending the half with a score of 3-2. The team held off Gunn during a scoreless third quarter, but Gunn was able to score several more goals the fourth quarter, raising the final score to 7-2. The team played Los Altos High School in the first round of playoffs in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) Tournament on Nov. 6. For the first half, the Lady Vikes trailed behind Los Altos, keeping the score at 1-0. By the end of the third quarter, however, Los Altos was in the lead 3-0. The final score of the game was 5-1 with the only Paly goal scored by junior Gigi Rojahn. The Lady Vikes continued on in the playoffs with games against Homestead High School and Mountain View High School on Nov. 7. After remaining tied in the Homestead game, the game went into overtime. In the end, Paly won the game 9-4. In the game against Mountain View High School , Paly continued its streak and won 7-5. Due to these later wins in the SCVAL playoffs, the Lady Vikes continued onto the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. The team’s first game was on Nov. 11 against Woodside High School. The Lady Vikes began the game strong and ended the first quarter 4-0 with goals by van Hulsen and juniors Rojahn, Katie Francis and Alina Drebin. Woodside came back in the second quarter, but van Hulsen and freshman Sabrina Hall scored as well, keeping Paly in the lead 6-4 at the half. Throughout the second half, Paly got in more shots against Wood-

side, raising the score with goals by van Hulsen, Rojahn, Francis, Drebin and Scola. Woodside was able to get in several more shots near the end of the game but ultimately were not able to catch up, and the Lady Vikes won 12-7 and advanced on in CCS playoffs. After the game, Francis reflected on what the team did well with during the game. “We were able to make a lot of plays happen, and a lot of people got to make shots,” Francis said. “We kept pushing through the entire game, and we were able to pull out a win.” After the win against Woodside, the Lady Vikes began to concentrate on their coming games in the CCS playoffs. “We’re probably going to work on defense,” Francis said. On Nov. 13, the Lady Vikes faced off against Carlmont in the quarterfinals of CCS playoffs. Paly struggled in the first half, lagging behind 3-1 going into the third quarter with the only Paly goal in the first half by Rojahn. The third quarter started off with an immediate goal by Francis, raising the score to 3-2. While Paly managed to score an additional three goals by Rojahn, van Hulsen and Francis, Carlmont scored three goals as well, keeping the lead 6-5 going into the fourth quarter. The final quarter began with two Paly goals by Scola and van Hulsen, getting the team in the lead for the first time in the game with a score of 7-6. A penalty shot by Francis and two Carlmont goals tied the game at 8-8. In the last 12 seconds of the game, the Lady Vikes were able to move the ball up the pool and Francis shot and scored, clinching the win for Paly 9-8 and allowing the team to continue on in CCS championships. The Lady Vikes played Gunn on Nov. 15 in the CCS semi-finals and were defeated 5-2. The first half ended with the Titans up 2-0, and though Paly was able to score two goals in the second half, one by Scola and one by Rojahn and the team was ultimately overtaken as Gunn scored three more goals. Due to this loss, the team did not continue onto the CCS finals and ended its postseason games.

Wrestling team struggles due to its limited number of athletes New wrestling coach will implement different philosophy to account for smaller team

After an undefeated regular season, Girls tennis finishes CCS Championships run with first round loss to Carmel High School Catherine Yu

Staff Writer

he girls tennis team kept its undefeated streak as its season came to an end. Palo Alto High School’s girls tennis team has yet to lose a league match. In recent matches against Henry M. Gunn High School and Cupertino High School on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, respectively, the Lady Vikes won with an end score of 5-2 for both matches.

We went undefeated in the league season and I’m incredibly proud of our team.

Madeline Lee Senior

Since the beginning of the season, the team looked forward to participating in the two large league championships, the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) Championships and the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships. In the El Camino League this year, one league down from its previous De Anza League, the Lady Vikes thought that they would be able to pull off a win at SCVAL Championships this season. For tennis, unlike other sports, SCVAL Championships is an individual, single-round elimination tournament. The SCVAL cham-

pionships took place on both Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 at Mountain View High School. The second day of the SCVAL championships, sophomore Avanika Narayan placed second in singles, while junior Halle Biorn and senior Madeline Lee placed fourth in doubles. Neither freshman singles player Jacqueline Cai nor doubles partners sophomore Meredith Cummings and freshman Mailinh Truong were able to place. The CCS championships were held at Paly courts on Nov. 11 and 12. Unlike the SCVAL championships, the CCS Championships included teams from both the De Anza and El Camino Leagues. The girls tennis team has been in the lower league its entire season, so several of the players acknowledged that CCS would be challenging “CCS will definitely be difficult because we will be playing teams in the upper league,” Biorn said prior to the match. Unfortunately, the Lady Vikes fell to the Carmel High School Padres during the first round of CCS and were unable to move on. “For CCS, we anticipated playing teams that we hadn’t come up against during the regular season,” Lee said. “While this was daunting, I am confident that we competed and performed to the best of our abilities. There have been so many times throughout the season where everyone has been down the first set but

has been able to come back and win in the end. This competitiveness and tenacity is exactly what we tried to emulate at our first CCS match.” The graduating senior team members feel confident about the upcoming year’s team despite the fact that it will be losing five seniors. “Next year, [Coach Andy Harader] plans to move the team back up a league,” Fox said. “Although the team is losing a lot of players, I am confident that the team will step up to the challenge of playing in the top league again.”

Although the team is losing a lot of players, I am confident that the team will step up to the challenge of playing in the top league again.

Lucy Fox Senior

Lee, one of the team captains, is leaving the team with a positive outlook for the returning members. “We went undefeated in the league season and I’m incredibly proud of our team,” Lee said. “So many of our players are young this year and it has been great to see them rise to the challenge and compete. I have high hopes for them next season.” Overall, the girls tennis team concluded its season as El Camino League champions.

Zoe Tierney/The campanile

Members of Paly’s wrestling team practice their moves in preparation for the season.

Tiffany Liang

Staff Writer

s Palo Alto High School’s boys wrestling team begins its season, the team is looking to recruit more members after several members either left for college or quit. Despite this, the team still hopes to do well this season. “We’re trying to build up the program because we’re pretty much starting from scratch,” sophomore Seth Goyle said. “We have a lot of freshman because a lot of people left.” Coach Braumon Creighton says that the team would love to have a full line-up. “We would love to have 14 members on junior varsity and 14 on varsity,” Creighton said. “There are 14 weight classes so 14-28 kids would be the number to have.” Assistant Coach Brewer says the team will focus on individual scores instead of the team score due to a low number of wrestlers this season.

“At this point with what we have, my hopes are that we will do well as far as individuals,” Brewer said. “The team score is gonna be tough because we don’t have sufficient numbers to fill out all the weight classes so we have to change our philosophy a little bit and develop individually.” Despite the low number of wrestlers this year, Brewer states that he and his team still have high hopes for the season. “We got some very good individual wrestlers who have high expectations [for the season],” Brewer said. “They’re all state placers so that’s what they’re going to be shooting for this season.” Creighton aims to focus on the performance and effort of wrestlers individually and as a team throughout this upcoming season. “It’s really not about winning or the outcome, it’s more about the performance,” Coach Creighton said. “Every year we want to put our best foot forward.”

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

NFL PLAYOFFs

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The New England Patriots are the best team in the AFC and have a record of 8-2. The Patriots will finish the season at 13-3 and will easily take the top seed in the AFC and win the AFC East. The Chiefs are a solid team but will fall to the Patriots despite beating them earlier this season. While the Chiefs dominated that matchup, the Patriots have gotten out of their rut and have really exploded this part of the season. Watch quarterback Tom Brady keep connecting with tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman, while Jonas Gray runs all over the Chiefs along with other Patriots running backs.

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The Detroit Lions are currently 7-3 but will finish 11-5 and take the fifth spot in the NFC playoffs. The Lions will face fourth seed and NFC South winners, the New Orleans Saints, in the wild card round. The Saints are 4-6 right now but will win out and finish 10-6. Although the Saints are coming off of a hot streak, the Lions have one of the best defenses in the NFL and will shut the streaky Saints down. The Lions will also have a healthy Calvin Johnson at wide receiver, who will team up with quarterback Matt Stafford to dominate the Saints on offense. Watch the Lions cruise to the divisional round.

The Arizona Cardinals have the best record in the NFL right now at 8-1. The Cardinals will finish the season 14-2 and will win the NFC West and take the top seed in the NFC playoffs. The Cardinals will face the Lions, who will be coming off of a win. Even though the Lions have a great defense, they will be shut down by the electric Cardinals offense. The Cardinals will be led by backup quarterback Drew Stanton but will rely on speedy running back Andre Ellington and veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald to anchor their offense. Additionally, the Cardinals have the best defense in the NFL, with Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, and will shut the Lions down. Be ready for the Cardinals to go to the NFC Championship game.

Although the Denver Broncos suffered a bad loss to the New England Patriots earlier this season, the Broncos are a dominant force. Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady, it’s as simple as that. The Broncos defense is better than that of the Patriots. The Broncos have Montee Ball and C.J. Anderson, who can keep up with Jonas Gray and the Patriots running backs. And while the Patriots have star tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Broncos have athletic youngster Julius Thomas. As long as the Broncos play to their potential, they should be going to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.

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The Cardinals are an excellent team but will fall before the Super Bowl. The Packers have the leadership of coach Mike McCarthy and several veterans, and the Cardinals are young but inexperienced. Expect Drew Stanton to be unable to match Aaron Rodgers and for the Green Bay defense to disrupt the offense of Arizona. Watch the Packers go to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010.

The Green Bay Packers are a fantastic team, but the Denver Broncos are just better. Peyton Manning will be clutch, unlike last Super Bowl. The Broncos have an electric offense, but their defense might be the only one that can stop the Packers. The Broncos are young, fast and hard-hitting. The players are smart and will be able to stop Eddie Lacy and cover Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The Broncos offensive line can neutralize Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, and the Broncos receivers are straight up better than the Packers cornerbacks. Watch Peyton Manning win his second Super Bowl and lead the Broncos to their third Super Bowl victory ever.

The Denver Broncos have the best offense in the NFL and are 7-3 right now but will finish 13-3 to win the AFC West and take the second seed in the AFC. The Colts are a great team but will lose to the Broncos for the second year in a row in the AFC divisional round. The Colts have Luck and their defense, but Peyton Manning and his plethora of wide receivers will reign supreme. Additionally, the Broncos have a nasty defense, led by Demarcus Ware, Von Miller, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward. Expect the Broncos to explode and easily get to the AFC Championship game.

Colts are currently 6-4 but will finish their season as AFC South champions and the AFC third seed with a record of 11-5. The San Diego Chargers are also 6-4 right now but will finish 9-7 and take the sixth spot in the AFC playoffs and mark the third AFC West team in the playoffs. The Chargers are a solid squad behind veteran quarterback and Philip Rivers. Yet the team lacks a great defense, a solid running back or great wide receivers. The Colts have the hottest youngster in Andrew Luck at quarterback and have good wide receivers and a dominant defense. Watch the Colts outmatch the Chargers and move on to the AFC divisional round for the second year in a row.

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The Green Bay Packers are 7-3 right now but will improve to 12-4 by the end of the season and will win the NFC North and finish second in the NFC playoffs. While the Cowboys have a deadly offense, the Packers are a complete team that dominates the field no matter which side of the ball they are on. Their destructive defense is led by Clay Matthews, Sam Shields and Julius Peppers, who can all dominate effectively. Aaron Rodgers is the team’s elite quarterback, who delivers dots to star wideouts Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Expect the Cowboys to fall behind early and struggle to match Green Bay’s potent offense. Watch Green Bay move on to the NFC Championship game.

DESIGN BY: GALEN BYRD AND OWEN DULIK

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TEXT BY: OWEN DULIK SPORTS EDITOR

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The Campanile's NFL Playoff Predictions

The Dallas Cowboys are 7-3 as of week ten and have a battle ahead of them for the NFC East. However, due to a relatively easy rest of their schedule, they will prevail and have a record of 11-5, finishing third in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles are 7-3 but will lose the NFC East. The team does not have the easiest remaining schedule, and it will struggle and finish 9-7 to take the sixth spot in the NFC. While these two teams have not met yet, the Cowboys have a better quarterback, offensive line and running back. Expect America’s team to move on to the divisional round.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 7-3 right now and will finish 10-6. While they are a great team, they will not win the AFC West and will finish fourth in the AFC standings. The Cincinnati Bengals are 6-3-1 currently and will finish 10-5-1 and take the AFC North and the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. The Bengals have a strong young running back in Gio Bernard, an elite wide receiver in A.J. Green and a tough defense. But the Chiefs have a great quarterback in Alex Smith but have the NFL’s best running back with Jamaal Charles, solid wide receivers and a punishing defense. Watch the Chiefs dominate on their path to the AFC divisional round.

All logos courtesy of the nfl

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Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

SPORTS C6 Near relegation leaves boys Girls soccer gets soccer seeking improvement ready for season

Vikings remain in De Anza League after falling short last season, With the preliminary roster released, the look to improve despite the loss of several important players team practices for its first game on Dec. 3 Jamie Har

Antonio Kieschnick

Staff Writer

fter ending last season with a record of two wins, five losses and three ties in the league, the Palo Alto High School boys soccer team seems to have room to improve this season. The team also narrowly avoided relegation from the De Anza League. Despite the loss of several graduated seniors like goalkeeper Tony Maharaj and forward Cina Vazir, the team seems to have improved since last year. “I think we have a strong team, probably a little bit better than last year,” junior midfielder Reuben Kramer said. Even last season, the team did not play as badly as the statistics might suggest. With a 7-8-5 overall record, the team had a much higher win percentage in games outside the league. Even the losses suggest that the team may not have been as weak as at first glance, with the losses including narrow defeats to Mountain View High School and Los Gatos High School, teams ranked ostensibly higher at both a state and national level. Paly actually took the lead in both games before being pegged back in the second half. It seems that with the addition of some of the players from last year’s junior varsity team (a team that went 4-4-1 in the season, including a 3-2 win over Mountain View) the varsity team could become a force to be reckoned with this coming season. Paly might also have easier competition to face this coming season. Both Mountain View and Los Gatos lost their top scorers from last season due to graduation, meaning Paly may have the upper hand in the coming

he Palo Alto High School girls soccer team roster is expected to be finalized by the end of the week of Nov. 17. Tryouts for both varsity and junior varsity started on Nov. 3 and were supposed to end on Friday, Nov. 14. However, tryouts were extended because many potential players were still participating in cross country and other fall sports. Because of this delay, uniforms will be passed out Thursday, Nov. 16, when potential players find out who made the varsity team. Most of the upperclassmen and sophomores who will be on varsity have already been decided by coach Kurt Devlin. Returning players include senior Katie Foug and junior Jacey Pederson, who was entitled Player of the Year and the league most valuable player in March. “This year, [the Varsity team is] really focused on going farther in CCS,” Pederson said. “We’ve gotten further and further every year since my freshman year, but this year I think we can win it all.”

Ella Mernyk/The Campanile

Practices have started in preparation for the team’s first league game on Dec. 3.

matchups, as most of the core of last year’s varsity team have remained. This season will not see a renewal of the crosstown rivalry as Henry M. Gunn High School was unable to secure promotion from the El Camino league. However, Paly will still face newly promoted Monta Vista High School and Homestead High School, which will surely provide for thrilling encounters. The future looks bright for Paly’s soccer team. Although they were almost relegated last season, Paly still almost made it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs, and their goal remains the same for the coming season. “This year, hopefully we can make it to CCS,” Kramer said.

Although in many ways the outlook is fairly upbeat for Paly, the team would nonetheless be best advised to remain cautious. Ties with Milpitas High School and Saratoga High School, teams both ranked much lower than Paly, suggest Paly’s attack may need to refine its touch a bit before the important games this season. They will need to be firing on all cylinders if Paly is going to make CCS, let alone state. The team is primarily focused on improving from previous seasons. “Hopefully, we can do better than last year,” junior left back Roberto Sotelo said. Paly is looking to improve this season, and it seems they have both the team and the attitude to do it.

We all bond throughout the season together, and looking back on my four years, I’ve made such good friendships that I may not have normally made if I wasn’t on the team.

Katie Foug Senior

Foug echoed Pederson’s hopes for the season. “We made it to the seminal last year, and we have a lot of string returning players, so our team

chemistry will be great off the bat,” Foug said. The potential freshmen on varsity will be decided soon. Before Paly’s soccer season starts, most of the varsity players will finish with their club teams. In addition, many will go to the Surf Thanksgiving Tournament in San Diego over the upcoming break. Once the varsity team has been formed, its first game will be a home non-conference game against Evergreen Valley on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 5:45 p.m. The junior varsity had cuts on Fridays Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, but its team has not been decided since some players may still get moved up to varsity. The end of tryouts is on Thursday Nov. 20 when uniforms are distributed, but most players who tried out are expected to make the team. The preliminary roster came out the week of Nov. 10, but more people who are still in sports are trying out during the week of Nov. 17. The first junior varsity game will be on a Wednesday in December. Though the official soccer season has not started yet, Paly girls soccer players are already making goals for the year. “I think that as a team we’re all going to try and keep the training environment intense and focused, because in past years we’ve slacked off a little bit,” Pederson said. “If we can implement a serious training environment, we will benefit massively as a team.” Others also expressed their appreciation for Paly’s soccer teams. “We all bond throughout the season together, and looking back on my four years, I’ve made such good friendships that I may not have normally made if I wasn’t on the team,” Foug said.

Boys basketball Girls basketball has high hopes looks to bounce back after strong finish last season

Team to face many difficulties in preseason Players prepare for a challenging season with no seniors on team Alec Sullivan

Senior Staff Writer

fter a successful 2013 season, the boys basketball team faces a new challenge this year. Due to many seniors graduating last year, the team is rather young. However, the team does have several new seniors playing for the team this year. This is going to be a great help to the team; experience and leadership are vital components to any team.

I think our realistic goals this year are to win league and to make CCS playoffs.

Alex Dees Senior

Senior forward Alex Dees has a great number of team goals going into the team’s upcoming season. “I think our realistic goals this year are to win league and to make CCS playoffs,” Dees said. According to the team, its main strengths are its long range shooting ability as well as its quickness. In an interview with senior guard Jonathan Rojahn he explains how the team is going to use these strengths to their advantage. “We think that we can gain an advantage on other teams by using our speed to run the fast break. Also, we want to try to get the ball to our best

shooters to hopefully knock down key shots,” Rojahn said. The team’s major weakness is once again their size. The team plans to counter this by running the floor and shooting. While the team lost most of their starting lineup from last year, it is evident that they do not plan on this year to be a rebuilding year. The team has a solid core of seniors who are ready and willing to lead as well as a few juniors with varsity level experience. They are going to use a full court press the entire game and try to get their share of easy points. Coach Adam Sax plans on making this work by rotating players more frequently and more effectively. The team is working hard to prepare for their season and has scheduled a few tough preseason games against Archbishop Mitty High School, Bellarmine College Preparatory and Junipero Serra High School, all WCAL teams with powerhouse programs. “I think that the scrimmages will help us find out where we’re at as a team early in the season,” Rojahn said. Expect a Paly team that is going to be well coached, disciplined and one that is going to outwork the competition. These things have been a recipe for success for the Vikings of the past. Paly is very hungry to make up for last year’s loss to Menlo-Atherton High School in the CCS playoffs and looks to start the season out on the right foot.

in the 2013-2014 season when seniors Hope Crockett’s and Charlotte Alipate’s injuries kept them from playing for essentially the whole season, the team is expected to do well in the upcoming season, with their first game after winter break.

Any good team can turn negatives into a positive, and knowing this team, I’m sure we’ll find a way to do just that.

Skylar Burris Sophomore

Dami Bolarinwa/The Campanile

Skylar Burris and Maddy Atwater practice defending during a preseason practice.

Masha Konkov

Staff Writer

tarting the year with hopes of claiming the Central Coast Section (CCS) title, the Palo Alto High School girls basketball team is training to impress this year. With no seniors on the team, the team repeats last year’s status of being relatively young. However, their low age wasn’t much of a disadvantage last season, taking the girls to the semi-finals round of CCS.

“I have really high hopes for this season,” junior Maddy Atwater said. “The girls on the court are all willing to lay their heart out there for the team and we are all very cohesive. I think we will have a great season both record and fun wise.” Lynbrook High School has been a strong competitor for the team in the past, winning Santa Clara Valley League championship, but has gone down to a lower division after the loss of six seniors. Without suffering any major losses or injuries which were a hindrance

“Last year, we had a few major injuries and lost a couple of players, which is definitely going to be something to get used to and to come back from,” sophomore Skylar Burris said. “However, any good team can turn negatives into a positive, and knowing this team, I'm sure we'll find a way to do just that.” “[Last year], we were known as the ‘young team’ and the underdog of the league,” Burris said. “Some might view it as a setback, but I know for our team it's going to be something for us to disprove, and it's going to really bring out our competitive side.” The girls’ teamwork can be seen in their cohesiveness on the court, and is the outcome of some of the girls playing with one another for years. Juniors Atwater, Courtney Lovely and Alexis Harris have played together since middle school, and are prepared to bring unity to the team.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

SPORTS

Suggestions for organizing varied intramurals AThlete ASB and the Paly Physical Education department should team up to bring sports to the quad Jeremy fu

staff writer

like sports just as much as the next person. That is to say, I enjoy playing many sports for fun and not necessarily competitively, for my school. I’ll admit, this is partially because I’m not good enough to get on the teams. However, Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body (ASB) should aim to provide more student intramural sports competitions, to give students a chance to participate in a sport they may not play competitively. The Paly community recognizes the need for organized but lighthearted sports competitions between students. Take, for example, the success of the ASB planned volleyball tournament on the quad. We have no boys volleyball team at Paly and we don’t have nearly that many players on our volleyball team, yet multiple teams competed at the enjoyment of the entire school. Best of all, it only took some basic equipment. The volleyball tournament not only brought more people on the quad, but students also enjoyed a break from the school day to take a step back and enjoy the game. Admittedly, it is not as easy to transplant other sports to the quad, like tennis or swimming. However, for sports like badminton, basketball and soc-

cer, all that is needed to play is a net, a ball and in one case, a few rackets. The physical education department likely has all this equipment on hand, so it would not be hard to obtain. These tournaments could be easily organized by ASB and could take place on the quad, the lacrosse/soccer field or the football field. Although the latter two locations are not as central on the school, they allow for more space for competitions and students would most likely be willing to venture over their to watch. To make teams for the competitions, ASB could send out a Google Form on the class Facebook groups, or on its own Facebook page. The competition could also be publicized by flyers and announcements on InFocus TV. Students would then be able to register their team for the competition. All that is left is for ASB to match up the teams and set up the equipment for the event.

The volleyball tournament not only brought more people on the quad, but students also enjoyed a break from the school day If it is too much work to organize these events, perhaps the physical education department could lend some of its equipment during lunch, so students can toss around a football, kick a soccer ball or just throw a frisbee.

courtesy of Palo alto high school asb

The final student volleyball team of the tournament faces the all-star staff lineup.

The Physical Education department has a wide variety of sports equipment and does not use all of it at the same time. This program would allow the equipment to be put to use when the department is not using it. Creating a system that allows students to borrow sports equipment is such a simple idea that could greatly increase the number of activities available during lunch. However, this equipment does not only have to be available during lunch. The physical education department could also allow equipment to be leased out to students. The equipment could be held in the gym, or an other centralized location. If the department is worried about equipment getting lost, P.E. teachers can require the students to leave a phone number or email address in

order to check out equipment. Also, if equipment actually began to go missing, the P.E. teachers could require students to leave an object of value, the way textbooks are lent out in the Academic Resource Center. The equipment could be leased out during Advisory, Tutorial and after school, if P.E. teachers are available. Historically, Paly has never had many winter sports. Many students do not participate in a winter sport, because only basketball, soccer and wrestling are available. To take advantage of our new facilities, the physical education department should consider adding a boys volleyball team. Many high schools in the Bay Area are beginning to add boys volleyball teams. Even middle schools in our district have been quick to adopt them. It is time that Paly catches up.

Assorted predictions for the 2014-15 NBA season Galen Byrd

Senior staff writer

he first few weeks of National Basketball Association (NBA) action have clued basketball fans in on a few things to look for the remainder of the season. There may be 20 weeks left in the regular season, but the beginning of the season is indicative of what is to come down the line. Not surprisingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not gotten off to a hot start. Just like when the Big Three hooked up in Miami, they are experiencing a period of growth. Joining the forces of three of the best players in the league is, on paper, a great idea, and considering their talent level, one would expect it would go flawlessly from the instant they started playing together. In reality, such a big transition is not so simple. These stars have to find their role in the new system and grow accustomed to taking less responsibility at times. LeBron James dealt with this four years ago, but Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are used to being their team’s clear cut best talent. James has been criticized for the way he has gone about helping Irving through this transition period, at times letting the team lose to let the second year guard learn from his mistakes. Even during this period of learning, the Cavs have managed to keep a decent record and stay at the top of the weak Eastern Conference. By the time playoffs come around, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Contrary to their 2-3 start, only the fifth sub .500 start through five games for any reigning champion since 1976, the San Antonio Spurs simply do not age. With players 38, 37, 34 and 32 years olds, it is one of the oldest teams in the NBA but still manage to keep winning. The group is so fluid and has such strong chemistry from its extensive time playing together that other teams have trouble combatting its formulaic, fundamental basketball. After playing an excellent tournament for the U.S. national team in Spain, Derrick Rose suffered yet another injury to begin the season. It seems like the Chicago Bulls would have been better off without him, paying just over 17.5 million dollars per year for over two years of inactivity, after Rose tore his ACL in the 2012 playoffs and tore his meniscus early in the 2013-14 season. Although it was only a minor hamstring strain, it is frustrating for Bulls fans to watch such a first overall draft pick with infinite potential suffer injury after injury. It helps that the Bulls are in the Eastern Conference and were able to make the playoffs both

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Top Left: The aging San Antonio Spurs look to repeat as NBA champions, with help from veterans Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Top Right: Stephen Curry had a breakout season last year, being named a Western Conference all-star for the first time in his career, and hopes to keep momentum going with the emerging Warrior squad. Bottom Left: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is nearing the end of his storied career, and has the potential to have a strong season after coming back from a yearlong injury. Bottom right: The newest “Big 3”, Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving hope to have a smooth season after ironing out some kinks in their early-season play.

years without Rose. As an NBA fan, one hopes to see the best players on the court every night, and hopefully Rose’s career will hold more steadyhealth and playing time. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have made a definitive statement, proving that they are the best current backcourt in the league, along with playing great team basketball. As a first year coach, Steve Kerr’s system has worked really well with this team, incorporating a lot of ball movement and fast break opportunities, but the defense has lacked. The past few years, the Warriors have had one of the best defensive teams in the league but so far seem to be focused on the offensive side of the ball, which has

not hurt them just yet because of how talented they are offensively. If the Warriors want to finish the year as a top team in the Western Conference, and a real title contender, they need to keep up the offense, but re-focus defensively.

If [the Warriors] want to finish the year as a top team in the Western Conference, and a real title contender, they need to keep up the offense, but re-focus defensively. The re-vamped Los Angeles Lakers have really struggled out of the gate. There was a lot of potential for

them and still is, but they will need much more from their few veterans. Kobe Bryant has been scoring over 25 points per game, but at an inefficient rate of sub-40% shooting from the field and averaging 3 turn-overs per game. Carlos Boozer, a power forward for the Lakers, has decent stats but needs to gain more control of the boards, in order to become the dominant big-man the team is struggling to find. With so much youth, there is a lot of time to grow, but Kobe probably won’t be around for the revival of the Lakers franchise. With a strong Western Conference and a few exciting teams in the East, a fun season has been set up, and is sure to meet expectations.

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This edition featuring:

Shaun pike with The Campanile’s own

Owen Dulik Junior linebacker Shaun Pike thrived this season, as he led the team in sacks, was at the top with tackles and had a major offensive presence.

The Campanile: So how did you feel about the end of the football season? Shaun Pike: It was pretty disappointing. I wish that it could’ve ended differently, but you know, it doesn’t always work out. TC: How did you feel about your performance overall this season? SP: I think that I had a pretty good year. I played hard in every game that I played in. I was proud of my performance. TC: Do you think that you are the best player on the football team? SP: No comment. TC: Who is better than you? SP: Not Justin Hull. Not QB1. TC: What would you say are your best qualities as an athlete? SP: I just like to hurt people. TC: Are you quoting Tim Riggins? SP: I am not. It’s just the truth. TC: Do you see yourself playing college football? SP: Yessir. TC: Where would you play if you could? SP: Ole Miss, U of A and LSU. TC: Do you think you are on your way to playing there? SP: We will have to see. TC: Do you see yourself in the NFL in the future? SP: Oh, of course. TC: If you had to liken your athletic abilities to those of one NFL player, who would it be and why? SP: Luke Kuechly, because I am just sick like that. TC: So who is your favorite NFL team? SP: The Niners. TC: Could you please describe your feelings towards the Oakland Raiders? SP: Raaaaaiiiiiderssss. All I gotta say is, win lose or tie, Raiders ‘til I die. TC: What would you say your most impressive stat was this season? SP: You know I led the team in sacks this year. TC: Is there an emotional aspect of your leadership? SP: Of course. I am a very inspiring individual. TC: How do you think the team views you? SP: You can ask them that question. TC: What do you think of Coach Halas? SP: Halas is awesome. He’s the nicest guy, but not on the field, you know? He does what he needs to do. TC: Who is the better football player, Coach Halas in his prime, or you now? SP: I would have to go with myself, not gonna lie. TC: If you could play any position in football, what would you play? SP: Linebacker, that’s where it’s at. And wide receiver, because that looks fun. TC: Do you think that you could start over Eli Givens? SP: Yeah, Eli sucks. And he’s slow. TC: So you’re a two sport varsity athlete. What position do you play in baseball? SP: Third base. TC: Would you liken yourself more to Josh Donaldson or Pablo Sandoval and why? SP: Pablo Sandoval. Because our lips are very similar. I’m also lazy. TC: Do you have any last words? SP: God Bless America. Texas Forever.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Campanile

SPORTS C8 elite eight: Our predictions for the ncaa Men’s Basketball season It’s that time of the year. College basketball is returning. Starting in November and continuing into late March, the college basketball season is a joyous time for every sports fan. Last year, we saw the veteran experience of Shabazz Napier and the UCONN Huskies triumph over the young talents of the Kentucky Wildcats in the thrilling tournament we call March Madness. This year, who will step up? Will it be a disciplined Wisconsin team that sticks to the fundamentals? Will it be the defensive minded Arizona Wildcats, who will have several contributors returning from their impressive 2014 squad? These questions will be answered by each team’s performance on the court over the grueling next few months. Ultimately, the 64 team tournament at the end of the season will crown a champion.

1. Arizona The Wildcats were a tough team to play against last year, allowing a measly 58.6 points per game last year, good for sixth in the country. Although they lost some of their explosive athleticism when Aaron Gordon declared for the NBA draft, they will still have an extremely explosive team. Adding the freakishly athletic, NBA-bound freshman Stanley Johnson will give the Wildcats the edge they need to seriously compete for a national title.

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2. Kentucky

Design by Antonio kieschnick Staff Writer Kevin Mullin Sports editor

Last year, the Big Blue fought their way into the NCAA Championship game, and put up an admirable effort even in the loss. As is usually the case with Kentucky, the team will feature many of the greatest freshman in the nation. In addition to these talented specimens, they will also return twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who have the championship experience to lead Kentucky deep into the playoffs.

3. Wisconsin

4. Kansas Kansas comes into this season with a balanced and athletic team. Five of the Jayhawks players average over nine points per game and leading scorer Devonte Graham is a freshman with tons of potential for coach Bill Self to exploit. Kansas teams of the past have struggled to defend, but center Perry Ellis should help the Jayhawks in that respect with his lengthy wingspan and ability to block shots.

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Every year, Wisconsin is a team that plays well throughout the regular season but struggles in the postseason. With convincing wins over Chattanooga and Northern Kentucky already this season, it seems like the Badgers may be ready to turn a corner in their program’s playoff performances. Wisconsin’s best feature is that they refuse to beat themselves, posting some of the lowest turnover numbers in the nation year after year.

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5. UNC

Duke is loaded with talent this year, just as they have been for every season in recent history. The question is, will they be able to capitalize on this skill and athleticism? Last year, we saw Duke fall to Mercer in the first round of the NCAA tournament, an occurrence that seems to happen far more often than it should. With the loss of Jabari Parker, Duke will need to find someone to score the basketball. Veterans Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon will lead the team as they search for redemption after several years of disappointment.

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The Tar Heels come into the season led by one of the nations most talented point guards, Marcus Paige. Although Paige is averaging just over 11 points per game this season, he has proven time and time again to be one of the most clutch players in the history of college basketball. A second half star, Paige has the ability to knock down jumpers, get to the basket, and find open teammates. In addition to Paige, the Tar Heels return JP Tokoto, an athletic presence who can finish on the offensive end while also locking down on defense.

6. Duke

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7. Florida

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Last year, Florida was the number one seed in the NCAA tournament and deservedly so. However, the heart and soul of the Gators, Scottie Wilbekin, is no longer on the team. This means that the Gators will need to find a point guard who is able to establish a solid presence on the floor. With the scoring power of Michael Frazier III, the Gators have a wealth of potential if coach Billy Donovan can figure out how to efficiently utilize his talent.

8. Texas Most people recognize the Texas Longhorns as a perennial football powerhouse, but it may be time to admit that there’s more than one sport in Texas. The Longhorns have been on the verge of having a breakout season for several years, but it appears that they are truly ready to make a big step up now. With big man Jonathan Holmes dominating the glass and proving a lethal finisher in the paint, look for Texas to be an athletic and defensively tenacious team come March.