Issue 5 2/6/15

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCVII, No. 5

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

Friday, February 6, 2015

Photos Courtesy of TedxpaloaltohighSchool

Speakers from last year’s conference, including junior Sylvia Targ (left) and volunteer football coach Steve Bono (right), captivated audiences with their speeches at the conference organized by TedXPaloAltoHighSchool.

Second annual TEDx conference to be held in MAC Various student and adult speakers prepare to discuss topics relating to this year’s theme: “Spread the Word” Claire dennis

Staff Writer

P

alo Alto High School will host its second-annual Technology, Entertainment and Design (TEDx) conference on Feb. 9, an event that will feature a variety of adult and student speakers covering a range of topics.

Speeches will be held throughout the day in the Media Arts Center.

TEDx is an offshoot of the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conferences that have been conducted worldwide since 1984. TED’s mission is to facilitate the spread of new ideas through conferences and weekly talks. TED talks are posted on YouTube weekly for public viewing. TEDx events are independent conferences de-

signed to explore various topics at the community level.

The event will showcase 11 speakers who will be giving speeches centered around this year’s theme, “Spread the Word.” Paly student speakers include Karina Chan, Garrett Lee, Adi Beth, Anna Lu and Rolina Wu. Adult speakers include Thomas Tayeri, Angela Zusman, Samantha Edgington, Alicia Lin, Esther Wojcicki and John Evans. A committee from the TEDx club selected students speakers based on interviews and auditions.

Paly’s TEDx club has been preparing for the event since August, according to club president Fabian Garduño.

Club members separated into smaller committees to focus on each aspect of the event, including contacting, advertising and videotaping speakers.

This year’s conference will differ slightly from that of last year. It will feature a new theme and will be slightly shorter in duration.

Teachers can sign up to have their classes listen to speakers during periods 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Students may also attend the talks during their prep period.

There will be no speakers during lunch.

Junior Anna Lu will use her talk to discuss society’s negative association with introverts. She hopes to show that introversion is not something to be ashamed of, but rather a special trait.

“I really wanted to talk about introversion because there are many societal misconceptions surrounding the issue,” Lu said.

Lu hopes to reduce the stigma around introversion, one she encountered even before preparing her speech.

“When I told one of my friends that I was auditioning to give a TED[x] talk on introversion, he responded, ‘But you’re not an introvert,” Lu said. “Well, I am, but I think too many people just don’t know what defines introversion and extroversion.”

Junior Karina Chan will speak on the topic of peer judgement and how judgemental attitudes can eventually hurt students’ mental health and friendships.

“I wanted to be a TEDx speaker because while Speech and Debate was fun and competitive, I felt like I didn’t have the opportunity to have my voice heard,” Chan said. “Being able to talk in front of so many people is an opportunity for me to really reach people and make a difference, and that’s something I’d never want to give up.”

Chan feels her talk will be crucial in helping students understand the effects of their judgements, especially in the wake of recent tragedies.

“I hope that the audience will learn to be more open about how they feel with others so that our community can become more supportive and appreciative of the people around us,” Chan said. “That being said, I’m no Confucius; my speech is just what I’ve gathered to be true and relevant about the environment I grew up in.”

Garduño also hopes that by listening to the talks, audience members will leave feeling empowered by the talks.

“We hope that the Paly students can learn something or get inspired by great speakers and just take a break from class and have a different type of learning,” Garduño said.

Free Wi-Fi program Investigation of University of ends in East Palo Alto California finances underway

Funding from closed EPA program to be Brown and Napolitano to determine statewide college funding Brown believes in a more conser- cial policy, their agreement to work used for Mountain View Wi-Fi renewal Peter Maroulis Staff Writer

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DESIGN BY STEPHANIE CONG

Joanna Falla

Staff Writer

I

n the near future, the nonprofit organization Computers for Everyone (CFE) will shut down the free Wi-Fi from East Palo Alto, Calif. as well as the Belle Haven area of Menlo Park, Calif. in order to fund the renovation for the Wi-Fi network in Mountain View, Calif.

In February of 2014, Google decided to help fund the free Wi-Fi program in Mountain View. As of 2008, Google had been providing free Internet connection to about 80 percent of East Palo Alto and the eastern part of Menlo Park. In 2008, Wifi101, the current free network for East Palo Alto, was released to residents in East Palo Alto as well as the Belle Haven area of Menlo Park in an attempt to close the technology gap between students who have easy access to technology from their homes and those who do not.

According to the information site for Wifi101, the strength of the provided Internet connection is partially dependent on the type of building. The signal cannot be used through buildings because of interception by metal, concrete or large trees, most of which are very hard to avoid when completing construction work outside. The wireless network is operated by Computers for Everyone, a non profit company in Menlo Park that aims to give everyone the ability to use technology for a low price or for no charge at all. On the information website, CFE admits that although the use of Wifi101 is free, more support is charged and if users have problems with their computers, they are “on their own.”

Senior Tyana Moore, a resident of East Palo Alto, does not seem to be affected by the upcoming shutdown of the six-year-long network.

EPA Wi-fi

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new two-person committee will investigate the University of California (UC) system’s finances in order to determine how much state funding it should receive.

The two committee members, California governor and UC Board of Regents President Jerry Brown and UC president and former governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano, have vowed to work together in an effort to agree on issues such as state funding, tuition increases and staff pay.

The newly formed council, the Regents’ Select Advisory Committee on the Cost Structure of the University, was originally proposed

by Governor Brown in November to avoid raising costs for university students.

vative approach for the UC system, urging students to graduate as soon as possible (optimally in 3-4 years), paying staff less and putting more emphasis on online education. Brown also wants to connect the California State University and California Community College programs with the UC establishment more closely.

On the other hand, Napolitano favors salary increases, more money from the state and raising tuition by 28 percent in the coming five years.

Tuition is already expected to jump five percent by 2016.

Currently, the state of California grants $3 billion annually to UC schools, providing 11 percent of the total yearly budget. Recently, the 2015-2016 state budget raised university funds by $119 million due to pressure from the UC system.

Though Brown and Napolitano have differing views regarding finan-

together will unite two influential California figures and give the committee proper recognition and press coverage.

UC’s Board of Regents formally approved the committee on Jan. 21, and the two members will begin meetings on Jan. 26 to map out plans for the future.

Regent Sherry Lansing is in favor of the new committee.

“I believe they are going to come to a conclusion that is going to be very beneficial for all of us,” Lansing said.

In addition to state funding, tuition cost and staff pay, Napolitano and Brown, along with their respective office staff members and members of the Department of Finance, will research university costs, course structure and UC workers’ benefits.

UC Finances

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Courtesy of SFGATE

Gov. Jerry Brown (middle right) and University of California president Janet Napolitano (far right) attend a UC regent meeting.

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NEWS

NEWS TO KNOW

Students increase outreach and competition while rehearsing for “Drowsy Chaperone” STEPHANIE CONG

LifestyLe editor

COurTESy OF jEFF KravITz

@washingtonpost iTunes downloads and Spotify streams of Missy Elliott songs have exploded since the Super Bowl

@HuffPostPol U.S. lawmakers prepare bills to ease Cuba restrictions @nytimes The F.C.C. is expected to propose regulating the Internet as a public utility

@latimes Obama urges parents to vaccinate children for measles

T

o start off the year, Palo Alto High School’s performing arts department has recently taken part in many competitive events, such as ComedySportz on Jan. 23 and Playfest 2015 on Jan. 31. The department is also currently working on outreach to middle school students and rehearsing for its spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

Paly’s improv troupe participated in its first ComedySportz event at Haymarket theater. This is the first year Paly has had a ComedySportz team and has hosted a ComedySportz event.

“I think it went really well for our first match,” junior Sophie Swezey said. “We were all pretty nervous about competing for the first time, but it ended up being really fun.”

Two teams of three from the troupe, the Red team and Blue team, competed against each other that evening. The Red team was led by Swezey, and the Blue team was led by senior Chris Hinstorff.

We have such a limited time window to put the show together, but everyone in the cast and crew is super energetic and hard-working, so I know it’s going to be great.

Hannah Nguyen Senior

COurTESy OF ThE INdEpENdENT

@lucyhale When you’re having a bad day, just remember...you could always be Katy Perry’s left shark

“The Blue team got to play a was hilarious because you’re doing a scene, and theres these slips of paper on the ground with lines written on them that the audience picked out

COurTESy OF paly ThEaTrE

Students rehearse scenes from “The Drowsy Chaperone,” this year’s musical production. The show will premiere in early March.

earlier,” junior Zoe Limbrick said.

“So you occasionally pick up a slip of paper and have to say whatever is on the paper and it is quite funny.”

Though the Blue team was in the lead for most of the night, in the end, Red team prevailed.

“Both teams did well,” Swezey said. “In a ComedySportz match it’s less about winning and more about putting on an entertaining show for the audience.”

The improv troupe looks to take competition a step further in the future and compete against other schools as well, instead of just competing against members of their own troupe.

Additionally, a group of seven students from Paly’s theater department also attended Northern California Play Festival 2015 at Westmont High School, also known as Playfest.

The event is a state-wide competition where a group performs a scene and receive professional adjudication.

The co-directors of the group competing at Playfest are seniors Riley Cassidy and Lizzy McCole. The group performed a short play called “The Drowsy Chaperone,” written by Cara Kienitz who also performed in the scene.

“It was really fun to spend the day with other high school theatre students and see their work,” Cassidy said. “We really weren’t sure what to expect because we had never gone before and it was in a theater we has never performed in for, so that was really interesting.”

Although the team experienced technical difficulties with lighting cues during their performance, overall it received positive feedback from judges.

“It was a really great bonding experience that brought the seven of us closer together,” Swezey said The improv troupe also took time the morning of Jan 23. to conduct outreach to Jordan Middle School

students in their theater classes.

Members of the troupe went to the classes to perform and discuss why theater, specifically improv, may be something middle schoolers might want to explore in their high school careers.

“We performed for and with Jordan’s Theatre 1A and Theatre 1B classes,” Hinstorff said. “Both Paly Improv Troupe and the Jordan students enjoyed it.”

Lastly, the theater program is in the rehearsal process for the upcoming spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

“We have such a limited time window to put the show together, but everyone in the cast and crew is super energetic and hard-working, so I know it’s going to be great,” senior Hannah Nguyen said. “‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ is a really great comedy that all audiences will love.”

The show will have performances on March 6, 7, 13 and 14.

The approval process was initially expected to be completed in midJanuary but has experience delays.

Once approved, the plans will be put up for bidding, which is expected to take 4-6 weeks.

estimates that nearly tripled the contribution from the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) to an estimated $12.57 million. The majority of the funding for the new gymnasiums comes from a $20 million donation by the Peery family, according to the Palo Alto Weekly.

The demolition date was later pushed back to March 2015 due to additional complications, however the date is expected to be pushed back further because final construction plans will be sent to the PAUSD School Board in March to be voted on at the earliest, according to Fung.

The current gymnasium is expected to remain for the rest of the winter season.

The 85-year-old gymnasium was commemorated in a community ceremony held in March 2014, in anticipation of the earlier demolition date.

For now, the Vikings will continue to practice and compete in the current gymnasium. Vikings are expected to utilize the Bow Gym at Henry M. Gunn High School during the construction of the Paly athletic facilities.

Across campus, students can see visible progress on the new performing arts center. The interior structure now towers over the quad. The completed theater is set to open in March 2016. According to Vice Principal Jerry Berkson, the construction is on track to meet the deadline.

@WSJ The U.S. economy will soon see its best years in a decade, federal forecasters say

@CNN Authorities say at least 10 people have died due to dangerous winter storm

@Applebees Shadow or no shadow, there will always be chocolate. #GroundhogDay

@SmithsonianMag More than 50 years after the iconic novel was published, a sequal for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ will come out in July

@TIME The murder of a Jordanian pilot could lead to more action against ISIS

CLAIRE DENNIS

staff writer

F

ollowing multiple setbacks, Palo Alto High School administration will continue to move forward with plans to construct a new athletic facility, featuring two new gymnasiums, and continues to make progress in the construction of a new performing arts center.

According to Athletic Director Jason Fung, the timeline for demolition of the current gymnasiums will be set once the plans are approved by the School Board.

Plans for the athletic facility have been sent for approval to contractor Vance Brown, according to Fung.

Vikings are expected to utilize the Bow Gym at Henry M. Gunn High School during the construction of the Paly athletic facilities.

The bid will finalize the price tag for the buildings. Demolition was initially scheduled for June 2014, following graduation, but was pushed back to September 2014 due to new

ASB to hold winter Sadie’s dance, Club Day 2 and Valgrams sales New spring activities planned in hopes of more student involvement LAUREN KLASS

News aNd opiNioN editor

P

alo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) has many exciting events planned for the couple of months to come. From new events like a movie night to traditional events like prom, the ASB is looking for new ways to involve the students.

On Jan. 30, Paly ASB hosted a movie night in the Media Arts Center. Despite this being its first movie night, the turnout was satisfying. At the event, the ASB screened “The Breakfast Club,” an all time classic.

Snacks like pizza and popcorn were available for purchase. However, if Paly students brought friends from Henry M. Gunn High School, they got a free bag of popcorn.

In other news, second semester Club Day is approaching. Held on Feb. 6, it’ll be relatively similar to first semester’s. Club tables will be centered around the quad, but lunch will not be extended. Regardless, students are encouraged to check out the different club tables.

“Make sure you visit all the tables and ask questions if you have any,” junior Class President William Zhou said. “Also, don’t be afraid to sign up and just go to the first meeting.

There’s a lot of room for testing. ”

Don’t be afraid to sign up and just go to the first meeting.

There’s a lot of room for testing.

William Zhou

Junior Class President Spirit Commissioner Emma Cole echoed Zhou’s encouraging words regarding Club Day. “With so many options it can be overwhelming, but I would really encourage students to go look at each club and see what their options actually are,” Cole said.

Valentine’s Day is also just around the corner, so Paly ASB is getting prepared for its annual distribution of Valgrams. Like previous years, ASB will set up its station on the quad.

Valgrams, which include a Crush soda and a small message written by

the sender, will be available for $3.

They will be distributed during third and fourth period in early February.

This year, Paly ASB will also be hosting a winter dance on Feb. 20.

Though it hosted one last year as well, ASB is looking for new ways to attract more students. After considering various themes and sending out a survey to the student body, the winter dance will be a Sadie Hawkins dance, in which tradition is reversed and girls are encouraged to ask boys.

However, this theme has brought much controversy to the ASB tables.

“Sadie’s is offensive to some people because it presents a situation where girls have to be allowed to ask boys to a dance,” Spirit Commissioner Emma Cole said. “Of course ASB does not support that idea and we want to always encourage girls to ask guys whether it is a Sadie’s or not, but we do understand why Sadie’s can be offensive to some.”

The prom location was announced at the Winter Rally and will be held on April 18 at the San Francisco City Hall. Details concerning food, activities and theme are yet to be finalized.

UPCOMING EVENTS FEB

ACT AT PALY

FEB

3RD QUARTER PROGRESS REPORTS DUE

FEB

VALENTINE’S DAY

FEB

WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY-NO SCHOOL

FEB

CHINESE NEW YEAR

7

10 14 16 19

I guess I know what I’ll be doing on Friday night...

Can I blame it on senioritis yet?

Bathe in love or bathe in tears.

Take some advice from our first president: Don’t start any (political) parties!

Hopefully the year of the goat won’t be so baaaaaad.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

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NEWS

City passes bike path improvements East Palo Alto will lose its Changes prompted by multiple bike accidents involving students

free Wi-Fi connection

Non-profit organization providing service decides to invest money in other ventures

Continued From A1 signal is bad,” sophomore Troy Hen-

Jeremy Fu/The campanile

Palo Alto City Council is planning to create no parking zones on the Churchill Avenue intersection and on other streets in town.

Maggie Rosenthal

Staff writer

P

alo Alto City Council approved plans to improve bike routes around Palo Alto, including the Churchill bike route leading to Palo Alto High School, on Jan. 20.

According to a report put out by City Council, the improvements focus on increasing the safety precautions on Churchill Avenue. This area sees a large amount of bike traffic daily, the majority from Palo Alto High School students biking to school. The intersection of Churchill and Castilleja Avenues has been the site of multiple accidents involving Paly student cyclists getting hit by cars.

A major aspect of the changes is improving access to the bike path that runs parallel to Churchill Avenue. A ramp is to be constructed between the bike lane on Churchill Avenue and the path, allowing cyclists to transition onto the path and into the Paly driveway, avoiding the

Churchill and Castilleja intersection completely.

The changes would create more no parking zones, according to the City Council report. Sections of Churchill Avenue and some side streets, including Castilleja Avenue, would restrict parking from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., respectively.

The proposal also includes placing a crossing guard at the Churchill and Castilleja Avenue intersection during peak school traffic hours. In addition, there would be raised crosswalks for pedestrians at this intersection.

Junior Michelle Slaughter anticipates the new additions will improve her bike route to school.

“It sounds like [the revisions] would be helpful,” Slaughter said.

However, Slaughter also brought up that there are other segments of the bike route that need more improvement.

“If anything, I would say they should improve the Churchill and Alma intersection,” Slaughter said.

The City Council also approved plans to improve the safety of bike routes to Henry M. Gunn High School, Terman Middle School and Juana Briones Elementary School.

The improvements planned for these routes are similar to those proposed for the Paly route, with the major differences being the addition of speed tables and new road markings. However, the Paly route is expected to make progress more quickly than the other improvements.

“Environmental review and final design of the Churchill project [are the next steps]... as well as installation of simpler improvements with independent utility,” according to the report.

Many of these improvements require further consultation with Palo Alto Unified School District, Caltrans and Stanford University.

Further discussions will have to be held with these parties before the Churchill project construction can begin.

“[Wifi101] is slow and it only works in certain areas in East Palo Alto,” Moore said.

Many reasons have been given as to why CFE has made the decision to shut down the network, and most of them point to the fact that actual usage of the network has been decreasing considerably since the release of the network.

At the height of its usage, over 7,750 people of the combined population of over 29,100 residents in 2013 used Wifi101 per month. However, as of last month, only around 2,500 used it.

There is a Wi-Fi [hotspot] called Wifi101, but I don’t use it, and the signal is bad.

Troy Henderson Sophomore

Moore herself does not use the free network. Instead, her family pays for its own network.

In addition to the decrease in use, the out-dated equipment and lack of funding from Google, the CFE decided that it would be best to shut down the free network in East Palo Alto.

Many students who go to Palo Alto High School live in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park but were not even aware of Wifi101, much less a free network. Even if some have heard of it, their knowledge of the service is minimal.

“There is a Wi-Fi [hotspot] called Wifi101, but I don’t use it, and the

derson said. “My family does use a different Wi-Fi source that we do pay for.”

The Wifi101 network has also been integral as part of Google’s new Wi-Fi network in Mountain View, which has also been temporarily shut down for renovation. However, the free Wi-Fi in Google will soon be back with a much broader network territory. These facts spark the question: why would Google provide the funding to revamp the network system for free Wi-Fi in Mountain View but not do the same in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park?

“Either there are more people in Mountain View who use the Wi-Fi or it has something to do with the wealth comparison of [East Palo Alto] and Mountain View,” Henderson said.

Mountain View has also been the home to Google’s headquarters since Google began, which makes Mountain View more economically wealthy. This has also been stated as another possible reason for the shutdown of the free Wi-Fi in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park.

“I think it’s because Mountain View has the money to fund it and more [opportunities] to offer than East Palo Alto does,” Moore said.

Regardless of the reason, CFE has promised to continue using funds from others supporters such as Four Seasons Silicon Valley, Plugged In and the cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park to “enable the underserved communities of East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park to access the digital world through affordable education, equipment, connectivity, and support.”

College regents selected to School plans changes to reduce stress examine college finances Administration outlines less harsh homework and test schedule University of California creates council to deliberate on allocation of state funds Continued From A1 “We are going to be engaged deeply and holistically in looking at the university and its future,” Napolitano said.

The committee will have gatherings where experts from around California and the United States will present information pertinent to Napolitano and Brown’s studies.

Facts from the expert hearings will be subsequently analyzed and used in Brown and Napolitano’s reports, which will be presented to at a meeting of UC Regents.

Meetings will not be public due to the higher efficiency of private conferences.

Concerning the committee’s studies, Brown says that he wants to be firmly in touch with reality.

“I would like to look at this, not at a rhetorical or abstract level, but at a concrete level,” Brown said As of now, the first report is scheduled to be presented at a regents meeting from March 18 through 19 at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Campus.

Though the committee has the approval of the UC Regents, not all Paly students are thrilled by the current size of the board.

“I think a bigger board would be able to make better decisions,” sophomore Alec Cohen-Schisler said.

“Students wishing to apply to the UC system might be discouraged by rising prices.”

Whatever the future for the UC system may be, the new council for finance has established one clear goal: changing current policies.

Courtesy of Steve Rhodes

Janet Napolitano, center, speaking the day of her announcement as UC president.

Peter Maroulis

Staff writer

T

he Palo Alto High School administration has been hard at work planning and improving policies which will minimize stress as well as encourage learning.

In the past few weeks, new plans were devised to decrease stress levels and increase learning efficiency. Principal Kim Diorio announced in a letter that there will be no homework over President’s Day weekend and no tests on the Tuesday and Wednesday after that weekend.

Additionally, Diorio outlined plans for more minimum days during the school year and a more relaxed approach towards assignment and test scheduling.

Though plans are just now being implemented, Diorio says that she “started having these conversations a year and a half ago” in order to “take action” on the pressing issue of student stress, an imperative issue to solve.

To reduce stress, the administration has also decided to revise the seven-period Monday C day, eliminating tests and potentially shortening class times.

“It’s ridiculous to spend all day Saturday and Sunday prepping for a C day,” Diorio said.

Diorio’s letter to the community had a Google survey which is open to suggestions on how to make Paly a less stressful environment: “We want high school to be a place where [students] learn and grow,” Diorio said.

Furthermore, in an effort to increase student learning and achievement Dean of Students Adam Paulson has said that he is “working hard to curb truancy.”

“We have been meeting as an at-

Stephenie Zhang/The campanile

Principal Kim Diorio is planning new policies with school officials to reduce stress.

tendance committee to cut truancy,” Paulson said.

His aim is to ensure that all students are attending class and thus pursuing academic gains.

To reduce stress, the administration has also decided to revise the seven-period Monday C day, eliminating tests and potentially shortening class times.

Paulson also is responsible for upholding the new Academic Honesty Policy which he believes is working well and “gives students more of an opportunity to dialogue with staff ”.

In the words of the new policy, “honesty, trust and integrity are vital components of the education process”.

Paulson is in his first year at Paly, and he thinks the new policy is working well. As opposed to the old system, where students automatically received punishment for cheating, students are able to redeem themselves through work and have the opportunity to counsel with staff regarding policy violations.

Paulson believes that the meetings with teachers help to determine reasons for cheating and how to prevent future academic dishonesty.

“I am learning a lot about why people cheat,” Paulson said.

The new policy connects students and teachers, and Paulson thinks that this can help students learn from past mistakes.

“We want you to know that you matter and you have a voice,” Diorio said.

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Friday, February 6, 2015

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NEWS A4 New Council to reduce in size Agency focuses on City Council looks to increase the diversity in future membership mischa nee

Less focus to be put on standardized tests

Staff Writer

T

he newly appointed Palo Alto City Council voted 6-3 to adopt a policy that increases each member’s salary, and unanimously decided to pass a second policy requiring an open vote before closed sessions.

Two weeks after the council had its first session of 2015 on Jan. 5, with Cory Wolbach, Tom DuBois and Eric Filseth joining and incumbents Karen Holmen and Greg Scharff returning, it passed policies in hopes of making the city government more representative and increasing transparency.

The new policy will raise council members salaries from $600 to $1,000 — a 66 percent increase — effective in January 2017 due to a regulation requiring members to be put up for reelection before salary raises.

Councilwoman Liz Kniss brought attention to the issue in 2013, by pointing out the need to expand the opportunity to hold office to a more diverse set of individuals.

“The public believes that in order to serve on this council, you either need to be retired, wealthy, self-employed or single,” Kniss said.

The council also voted to establish a policy which requires open votes on the necessity of a closed meeting of the council.

In addition, Kniss argued in favor of a push for equal gender representation on the council. Currently, there are two women on the nine-member council.

“There’s a very glaring absence [of women],” Kniss said. “I tried to find a woman who is in mid-years, still had kids, willing to run for office. Each person said, ‘I cannot spend that amount of time, I have kids and it’s costly.’”

school improvements

miranda chen

Staff Writer

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Design by Chris Skokowski

The city council will be shrinking in size, but also passed a policy increasing salaries

Holman has similar hopes that the raise in salary will allow a larger and more diverse candidate pool.

“You never know what’s going [to be] the difference for somebody [to run],” Holman said. Wolbach justified the raise by highlighting the recent reduction of the council size from nine to seven starting in 2019.

“I do see that with the reduction of the council size that does mean more work for all council members,” Wolbach said. “I think it’s appropriate to have an increase in salary” Scharff, Filseth and DuBois all dissented from the majority on the salary raise, claiming it would be a hypocritical statement when other employees attempt to follow suit.

“Given the symbolism of raising our council salaries as soon as the economy gets better, I think that outweighs [the democratization],” Scharff said.

The policy complies with a law allowing the council to raise its own salary by five percent for every year since the last salary increase. The new policy has prompted critique from residents regarding the justification for the raise and if it will serve

Computers recognize human characteristics

its supposed purpose. Filseth also doubted its reasonability.

“I think that going from $600 a month to $1000 a month is not likely to make a significant difference in that pool size,” Filseth said.

The council also established a policy requiring open votes on the need for a closed meeting of the council.

“It makes each council member take a public position [on if ] it is appropriate to go into a closed session,” Vice Mayor Greg Schmid said.

“And bears then the responsibility for whatever takes place.

The proposal for open votes had failed to pass in back in 2014, but with newly appointed members having run under a campaign of transparency, it passed with a 9-0 vote.

Scharff hopes the policy will prevent future public criticism regarding the secrecy to which the future of Cubberley Community Center, a bid for Foothill Park and other issues were given. “[The new policy] allows us to have that contemplative moment, where we all sit together and decide [if ] we actually want to go into closed session,” Scharff said.

ccording to a report released Jan. 20 by Stanford Graduate School of Education scholars, a new state agency, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), will begin to play a critical role in improving California’s education system.

The CCEE was established as one of the elements in a new effort to create a comprehensive school finance legislation, which aims to allocate more of California’s school funds to schools that need the most financial support.

The state’s new legislation will also give more control to local state districts when it comes to choosing how to spend funds.

Another goal of the new agency aims to shift California schools towards examining its students based on traits such as cooperation and adaptability, rather than simply on their test-taking abilities.

Sophomore Daniel Li believes that these new goals of the CCEE are important steps to be taken in order to improve California’s education system.

“I think that the CCEE is doing a good thing by aiming to test students in aspects other than test scores” Li said. “I also feel like it’s important that districts have the right to choose how to spend funds independently” While the CCEE has great potential to help and improve California schools by giving financial aid to those that most need extra funding and supporting other schools for continuous improvement, there have been concerns with the CCEE’s progress thus far.

David Plank, a co-author of the report published by Stanford detailing the CCEE’s capability to help

California’s education system, recognizes that the CCEE has not yet fulfilled its role in reforming the school districts around California.

“We wanted to start the conversation about CCEE’s significance in California’s move to a more decentralized, locally-controlled education system, backed up by support from the state,” Plank said to Stanford News. “Up until now, the CCEE has been an unclaimed though potentially powerful resource.”

Stanford’s report, written by Plank and co-author Linda Darling-Hammond, who is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford, suggests that in order for the CCEE to become successful in helping California schools gain improvement, the agency will need to hire expert professionals.

Additionally, the CCEE’s lack of funding to cover the needed resources is preventing the agency’s from enabling local schools and districts to improve, according to DarlingHammond.

“The CCEE is supposed to be a cornerstone of this new accountability system,” Darling-Hammond said to Stanford News. “While the CCEE is responsible for ensuring that the state’s troubled schools get useful assistance — and other schools have support for improvement, there has been virtually no public discussion of what the CCEE should look like,and how it should carry out these tasks.

Despite its lack of progress and planning to improve California schools thus far, the five members of the new agency’s board are planning to meet for the first time in February.

Then, the board will plan to discuss its policies detailing the staffing of the CCEE, the operations it will hold and the role it will play in helping school districts in the coming years.

Clubs look to increase membership Club day offers chance for new and returning clubs to advertise

Machines able to judge personality traits jared stanley

Staff Writer

A

recent study performed on Jan. 12th showed that simply by looking over past Facebook likes, a computer is a better judge of someone’s personality than their friends and certain family members.

The study “Computer-based personality judgments are more accurate than those made by humans,” headed by researcher Wu Youyou from the University of Cambridge, concluded that based on just 70 Facebook likes, a computer could predict personality better than a friend.

With 150 likes, the computer could predict your personality better than a sibling or parent, and with only 300 likes, it could predict better than a spouse.

Because the average Facebook user records 227 likes, in many cases,

This technology could influence who we employ, elect or even marry.

Michal Kosinski Stanford Scientist

a computer would be a better judge of character than a close companion.

“We [the scientists] were surprised to find that actually computers are beating us at something we excel at,” Kosinski said.

Co-author of the study Michal Kosinski from Stanford University explained how computers are so easily able to judge one’s personality.

“Machines have a couple of key advantages that make these results possible: the ability to retain and access vast quantities of information, and the ability to analyze it with algorithm techniques of ‘Big Data’,” Kosinski said.

When it comes to judging life satisfaction, computers were beaten by humans.

When they are judging the personality of another person, “humans tend to give too much weight to one or two examples, or lapse into nonrational ways of thinking,” Kosinski said Researchers from this study described the results of this study as an “empathetic demonstration” of a computers true compatibility.

In an evolving day and age, with computers continuously playing a larger role in the lives of many, Youyou, believes that one day, computers may be able to make inferences about our physiological traits, and act based on these findings.

“In the future, computers could be able to infer our psychological traits and react accordingly, leading to the emergence of the emotionally-intelligent and socially skilled machine,” Youyou said.

The researchers from both Stanford University and the University of Cambridge agreed that this possible aspect of our technology, could raise certain concerns about the true capabilities of our technology with regards to privacy and personal information, and hold large ramifications for the future.

The researchers used a sample of 86,220 people, all of whom were connected to Facebook. They all completed a 100-item personality questionnaire through the app my Personality as well as providing the researchers access to all of their “likes” on Facebook.

The app measured what is know as the “Big Five” personality traits.

These traits consisted of extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and agreeableness.

Through the responses, researchers were able to able to correlate certain “likes” to certain personality traits. If someone liked meditation and David Bowie, they showed signs of being liberal and artistic.

“This technology could influence who we employ, elect or even marry,” Kosinski said.

Zoe Tierney/The Campanile

Club day allows students to explore the variety of clubs available to them and gives clubs the ability to advertise their activities

chelsea mcintosh

Staff Writer

P

alo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) chartered 12 new clubs on Wednesday, Feb. 4. These new clubs include Shaping Our Future, Haven, Doctor Who, Animal Rights, Science Everywhere, Jewish Student Union and Visual Arts and Music for Society. Out of the 16 club applications that were submitted, twelve were chartered.

ASB hosts two Club Days during the school year where students grab snacks and sign up for clubs. The second Club Day of the school year will be held on Feb. 6. For students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), this is an opportunity to sign up for clubs such as the Science Everywhere, Astronomy, Biotech, Girls and STEM, Math and Physics clubs.

There are many language clubs for those looking to broaden their linguistic horizons. Clubs such as Spanish Language, Linguistics, Ni Hao Chinese, American Sign Language, Toastmasters Youth Program, French and Speech and Debate are full of opportunities to develop one’s oratory skills.

“People should sign up [for Linguistics club] because we have a lot of snacks and will be having a guest speaker this semester,” junior Chloe Mo, president of Linguistics club, said. “This semester we’re focusing a lot on different languages specifically like Russian, Chinese and Esperanto.”

For students with a religious affiliation, there are Agape Christian, Jewish Student Union and Yoga and Buddhism clubs. Clubs promoting inclusion and kindness include Best Buddies, Acts of Random Kindness and Unity club.

Students interested in government and social issues can look forward to seeing Democrats, Active Minds, Foreign Policy, Haven, Help the Hungry, Model United Nations, Queer-Straight Alliance, and Gender Equality clubs on the quad.

Haven is a club where students can meet to discuss issues among underrepresented voices at Palo Alto High School in meetings and members can write articles for the club’s own publication.

Clubs related to entrepreneurship, finance and career paths include Business, Entrepreneur, Future Medical Leaders, Shaping Our Future and Investment club. Students seek-

ing to learn a new skill, bust some moves or watch films can sign up for Film, Food, Hip-Hop, Juggling, KPop Dance and Bhangra club.

Some clubs focused on the environment and wellness include Environmental, Animal Rights, Garden and Healthy Living club.

A couple of major community service clubs include Youth Community Service (YCS)-Interact and Key Club.

Students who are interested in impacting their community through art can look forward to signing up for the Works of Art, Recycled Crafts, PROOF Magazine,Create and Art Show clubs. Even students who would not classify themselves as artists can participate in these clubs.

“Works of Art provides a great opportunity for those who aren’t the most artistic to participate in creating art projects” junior Anna Lu, national president of Works of Art, said.

Some culture specific clubs include Black Scholars United, Indian Culture, Latin American Culture, Latinos Unidos, Japanese and Multicultural club.

The first Club Day of 2015 will have a myriad of clubs that students can learn more about on Friday in the quad.

The Campanile

Friday, February 6, 2015

opinion A5 Madrono should publish superlatives for teachers Polls about staff members in yearbook would be a fun way to remember personalities of unique teachers

Carissa zou

Staff writer

W

hen it comes to yearbooks, there’s one specific section that has consistently been a school favorite — the superlatives.

As we drool over last year’s hottest hottie and admire the unique bluegreen shade of the class’s best pair of eyes, this section is popularly regarded as entertaining, light-hearted and frankly, extremely accurate.

Besides serving as a comedic source of amusement, senior polls often act as an area of reflection and reminiscence for past graduates. When remembering the facets of one’s high school career, it is not simply the rigorous courses and heavy studying that one remembers.

Rather, it is the culmination of Palo Alto High School culture, spirit, relationships, experiences and personalities that people cherish beyond their high school years, and the senior polls are one of the many aspects that concisely capture these social elements of the high school daily life.

The yearbook seems to do an exemplary job of capturing most of the hectic yet accomplished lifestyle of the average Palo Alto teen, there is one crucial facet of student life that seems to be missing from our yearbook — teachers and faculty. Seeing that teachers have such a monumen-

tal impact on our everyday lives, it is astounding that the only real presence they have in the yearbook is a small staff section with their school pictures. With the consolidation of staff and senior polls, teacher superlatives would remind us of all the distinctive character traits of the teachers who made us very familiar with the concept of tough love. Every day, we have countless interactions with these role models and each and every one of them have shaped our high school lives in one way or another.

Even though the years definitely do not get easier and we have our silent list of good and bad teachers, we know that at the end of the day, each and every staff member added to the Paly experience that deep down, we know we all appreciated.

So why not have teacher polls in our yearbooks? Don’t you think it is unfortunate that Mr. Olah has not gotten the award for social junkie with his witty and sarcastic tweets?

If we added teacher polls to the mix, maybe he would be a little less bitter about missing out on winning a senior poll in high school.

And what about Mr. Bungarden’s snazzy ties and Ms. Park’s adorable outfits? They definitely deserve some recognition for keeping up their stylish choices every day. And of course, let’s not forget about Woj. Who else on campus gets casual phone calls from the President, has met every famous person in the book and has personal connections to every CEO in Silicon Valley? If that is not “Most Likely to Have Already Succeeded,” then what is?

Instead of just including boring pictures of each teacher that reveal almost nothing about his or her personality, interests or style, let’s start painting pictures of how we want to remember all of our staff and show our appreciation for their unique in-

Conner Harden/ The Campanile

A Palo Alto High School student reminisces about the past as he flips through the senior polls section in the 2013-2014 Madrono.

dividuality. Thirty years from now, I want to be able to look back on my yearbook and remember the autonomous and defining characteristics of my teachers, which is definitely most effectively achieved through something like teacher polls.

Henry M. Gunn High School, our cross-town neighbor, is one of many schools that has incorporated teacher polls into its yearbook. Yearbook staff member and current senior Riya Antony is responsible for Staff Popularity Polls and comments on the inherent benefits of including this section in the yearbook.

“It’s important that we have Staff Popularity Polls in the yearbook to make them feel as if they’re included in all of the school activities,” Antony said. “It’s also a great way for students to come together to chose how they want to remember a certain teacher.”

Like many other students, Antony appreciates the inclusiveness of hav-

ing a bigger section devoted to honoring and celebrating the incredible dedication of the staff. Even more than that, Antony enjoys the unique elements that staff polls add to the yearbook.

It’s important that we have Staff Popularity Polls in the yearbook to make them feel as if they’re included in all of the school activities.

Riya Antony

Yearbook staff member at Gunn “It adds a lot to the yearbook because, essentially, the yearbook is something that students will keep forever as a book of memories from high school,” Antony said. “A huge part of high school are the teachers. The Staff Popularity Polls are a

great way for students to collaborate and come up with ways to remember them. If a teacher was always happy and loved to laugh, they would potentially win “best laugh” and students can look back and remember the happy teacher.”

As students we have the power to recommend and encourage the Madrono staff to consider specific titles that we feel deserve recognition and are embodied on campus. According to Antony, Gunn has a wide variety of titles, including common titles such as “Best Laugh” and “Most Likely to Be Mistaken for a Student,” but also more creative titles such as “Most Sassy” and “Most Swagalicious.”

We, too, could use our Paly creativity to come up with unique and engaging titles to truly represent the ambiance of our campus, so that when we get older, we get a genuine delineation of all facets of student life, including our teachers and faculty.

Paly ought to offer class previews Prospective drivers Previewing classes would give realistic expectations to students

Nikhil Rajaram

staff writer

T

he course decision process is one of the most important tasks that a student undergoes throughout his or her high school career, and though Palo Alto High School has a good system in place, there are many improvements that can be made.

Currently, Paly provides students with a course catalog that outlines all of the classes that are offered and gives brief summaries of each one.

The course catalog is a good resource that gives students a lot of basic information about courses, but its content is far too rudimentary to warrant course selection being based purely off of it.

The decisions made in the course selection process impact students for their entire school years, and yet many give relatively little thought to the process. Students who are resourceful and curious about classes will choose to seek out more information, but since this is not mandatory, many will simply sign up for classes without further inquiries.

Every student should be able to know about the courses that they want to take to determine if they are genuinely interested in the subject and to ensure that their course load is manageable. As students reach their upperclassmen years, course selection becomes more and more vital.

It is these years that students should be able to explore their interests and aptitudes by choosing classes that will fit them best. The courses that

a student takes in their upperclassmen years — especially junior year — will be a large factor in his or her appeal to colleges. Many students are not well acquainted with the classes that they sign up for, yet are forced to choose them.

The counsel that students are given is limited to workload and difficulty — teachers and teacher advisors advise against taking too many high lane courses and warn against taking classes if they performed poorly in a prerequisite class. Class selection is much more multifaceted than this, and should be more personalized.

In general, students should be supplied with more information and advised to find more information about their prospective classes.

This information can be obtained by encouraging students to shadow their upperclassmen counterparts throughout their typical day or by letting students sit in on classes they are thinking about taking.

Allowing a student to shadow upperclassmen will let them gain more tangible knowledge about what his or her next school year will be like and help him or her make more sensible decisions in selecting his or her courses. By sitting in on specific classes, students will be able to gain similar knowledge and will not have to commit a whole day to shadowing an upperclassman.

Students could have a one-onone dialogue with teachers of their prospective courses to get further advice on what courses they should be taking. These methods of obtaining information about classes give students substantial information about the dynamics, workload and curriculum of classes.

Information gained from shadowing others and sitting in on classes will be far more tangible and helpful to students than reading a short summary in the course catalog.

Furthermore, a stronger relationship between teacher advisors and their students should be established so as to let teacher advisors give students more personalized advice on which courses they should consider

taking. This can be achieved by encouraging students to meet personally with their teacher advisors, so that the advisors can learn more about their advisees. Teacher advisors should also be supplied with sufficient information about the courses offered at Paly so that they can give sensible advice to their advisees.

As the course selection process becomes more proximate, teacher advisors should meet with their advisees and their advisees’ parents to give more guidance throughout the process. Teacher advisor David Peters thinks that the course selection process is more robust at Paly than other schools, but believes is still room for improvement.

Every student should be able to know about the courses that they want to take to determine if they are genuinely interested in the subject and to ensure that their course load is manageable.

“Overall, while I don’t think the course selection process can ever be perfect, I do believe that it is better at Paly than it is at most schools,” Peters said. “At almost every other school, students do not have a Teacher Advisor who is responsible for somewhere between 60 and 90 students but rather just a grade-level counselor who is responsible for at times hundreds of students.” Peters went on to comment on ways that the course selection process can be improved at Paly.

“Shadowing upper class students is a good idea,” Peters said. “I believe most teachers on campus would not have a problem with a student sitting in on a class once or twice when he or she has a prep, so long as you contacted the teacher beforehand and asked them if that would be okay.”

There are simple improvements that can be made to the course selection process that will benefit students.

Though Paly has a good course selection system relative to other schools, there is room for improvement, and the change will help all students.

face too much pressure

Driver’s licenses are overvalued by students

Jenny zhuge

staff writer

L

ike many high school sophomores, Elizabeth, whose name has been changed to respect her privacy, spends most of her weekend nights hanging out with friends.

No matter where she ends up on Friday or Saturday night, she always texts her parents asking them to pick her up as the evening ends.

While she waits in front of the frozen yogurt shop for her parents pick her up, all of her friends get into their respective cars and drive home — they already have their permits or drivers licenses.

It’s hard for people who don’t want to start driving because it’s a bit like peer pressure to get a permit like everyone else; sort of the bandwagon effect.

Helena McDowell Sophomore

Getting your driver’s license is a big deal for sophomores. No longer do you have to be chauffeured around by parents in the car without any music in the fear of waking up a little sibling sleeping in the back seat or being seen by a friend.

Being able to drive yourself not only allows you to crank up the music as loud as you want, but also gives you a feeling of freedom that all teenagers want to experience.

“It’s hard for people who don’t want to start driving because it’s a bit like peer pressure to get a permit like everyone else; sort of the bandwagon effect, ” sophomore Helena McDowell said.

Some sophomores do not feel the pressure to get a permit from their friends, but rather from themselves.

They wish to lighten the weight on their parents’ shoulders by offering to drive themselves around to school, baseball practice or art class.

“I kind of feel pressured because I think to myself that permits and licenses can all be so useful to parents, so they do not have to send me everywhere,” sophomore Anisha Patwardhan said. “Even though I bike to school, I can’t bike everywhere I go like a car could. ” There also exists the classic argument that teenage brains are not yet fully developed, which results in more car crashes and deadly injuries. Research everywhere has been conducted on how the development of the brain has affected the average teen driver.

Studies conducted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the crash rate for 16-year-olds is 3.7 times higher than drivers of all ages, and that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States.

Frances E. Jensen, a professor of neurology at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School takes a slightly different stance on this argument.

“The teenage brain is not just an adult brain with fewer miles on it,” Jensen said to Harvard Magazine.

“It’s a paradoxical time of development. These are people with very sharp brains, but they’re not quite sure what to do with them.”

Getting a learners permit is a big part of any teen’s life; it is a symbol of freedom and responsibility, but for some students, it is better to wait.

The Campanile

Friday, February 6, 2015

OPINION A6 Computer science should count for language credit Computer coding classes hold same communication and interpretation goals as traditional language classes

Jeffrey Ho

Online editor

W

e as students have always been encouraged to learn foreign languages as early as possible in order to retain the knowledge and culture of different countries. Now, we are required to take at least two years of a foreign language in order to graduate from Palo Alto High School. Students generally continue to approach foreign languages in one of two general manners. Some students genuinely enjoy learning to grasp firsthand the ability to learn foreign literature and culture.

Other students, however, cram verb and adjective forms, vocabulary and basic customs in order to endure the year just to fulfill the world language requirement.

Alternatively, we also notice that Paly now offers an increasing number of computer science courses, mainly designed to expose students to programming languages such as Python and Java. Now, Paly offers courses ranging from Computer Science Principles to Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A and Computer Science Capstone Projects. Paly is sailing in the right direction which is helping students identify their pas-

sions for some of the computer science areas.

Given the recent demand for jobs and other future opportunities spanning from the continuous advancement and domination of technology in society, we as a school should continue in that direction and recognize computer science courses as an alternative to our current world language classes and as a means worthy of obtaining world language credit.

The programming courses that Paly offers arguably maintain the same core goals and values but do not fulfill the same academic requirements as their language counterparts.

The learning of programming languages is quite similar to the study of foreign languages, as the main purpose of foreign language study is to diversify and learn about other worlds around us.

World language classes maintain an inherent goal of teaching students to communicate and interpret foreign languages by synthesizing vocabulary words into coherent speech and writing. Only allowing languages deemed conversational just to humans in everyday actions to meet Paly’s world language requirement remains a flawed position, as the programming courses that Paly offers arguably maintain the same core goals and values but do not fulfill the same academic requirements as language counterparts do.

Coding at the secondary school level provides a stronger foundation for students who first learn programming languages in a similar manner

to the way in which languages are easier to solidify in one’s brain at a young age. In the same way languages possess their own spelling and grammar conventions, programming language syntaxes serve as predefined rules that any functioning program must follow.

In order for a sentence to be cohesive and preserve meaning in a conversation, it must be grammatically correct to an extent; if there exists even one syntactical or logical dysfunction in a program, runtime and compile time errors overtake the program.

For example, multiple grammatical or spelling mistakes may appear and are even sometimes expected in a satisfactory essay; a spelling mistake or a logical fallacy in a line of code earns you partial credit at best for what is still broken to an extent.

While computer science classes teach the same general skill set that foreign languages do, it seems unreasonable to not grant such similar classes the same world language credit.

While computer science classes teach the same general skill set that foreign languages do, it seems unreasonable not to grant such classes with the option of world language credits.

If students could take computer science courses and get world language credits, then more students would be incentivized to involve themselves in the computer sciences Not many high schools across the nation provide an AP Computer Science class, let alone the opportunity

Add mindfulness to curriculum Implementation of meditative classes will benefit student health

Conner Harden/the campanile

A student studies intently for his computer science class in the Media Arts Center.

to take four years of programming.

Attending a school fortunate enough to offer top computer science classes, students ought to be encouraged to take advantage of such opportunities as a world language.

Compared to our counterparts on the Eastern Hemisphere, American secondary school systems as a whole have underemphasized the importance of coding in today’s economy.

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, high school participation in computer science has actually decreased six percent over a span of 20 years, from 25 percent to 19 percent of high school students. On the other hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in all computer occupations is expected to increase by

22 percent by 2020, showing a disconnect between computer science programs in secondary schools and current information and computer technology job figures across the nation.

Although Paly’s computer science program has expanded with a great influx of new students pursuing related fields, revising the world language requirement would allow more Paly students to prepare and thrive in an increasingly demanding technological workforce environment. As a result of opportunities in computer science, we as a society may advance through means of merging with other subjects; in order to reflect this advancement in society, students should be encouraged to pursue such fields as a world language.

Technology keeps students interested and engaged Teachers should welcome technology in the classroom as useful learning tools

Lauren GARGIULO

NEWS and opinion EDITOR

M

indfulness is the mental practice of focusing on the present. It is a type of meditation in which one centers his or her awareness of passing thoughts in a completely accepting and nonjudgemental way.

Though the art of mindfulness has been practiced since ancient times, it has recently undergone a huge resurgence due to abundant psychological research, including the 2011 study, Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies performed by the University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers have found enormous physical and mental benefits of mindfulness, some of which include a boosted immune system, stress reduction, an increase in positive emotions, improved memory and attention skills and healthier relationships.

With all of these glorious benefits, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) should look into incorporating it into its curriculum.

As an educator, I see first hand the impact that health and wellness have on our students’ ability to learn and thrive.

Gina Sudaria

Principal of Costaño School Recently, the Ravenswood school district, located in East Palo Alto, has partnered with the Sonoma Foundation to make mindfulness and yoga a regular part of its schools curriculum.

Many are excited about the numerous benefits that will come with this enhanced curriculum.

“As an educator, I see first hand the impact that health and wellness

Haley Fang

Business manager

Photo courtesy of SF Gate

Palo Alto students meditate during a student-geared yoga class lead by Clia Tierney.

have on our students’ ability to learn and thrive,” Gina Sudaria, principal of Costaño School said in the Palo Alto Weekly. She stresses that all students are bound to benefit “whether [they] are a student who exceeds performance standards [or] a student with severe disabilities.”

However, there are people in the Palo Alto community who do not believe that the program will offer any worth.

One commenter, who goes by the screen-name “Pearl,” shared her opinion in the comments section of Palo Alto Online, “Yep, yoga and mindfulness, that’ll get them jobs! What are you people thinking of ? What a waste of time and taxpayer dollars! Yoga and mindfulness, you people have got to be kidding!

Shame, shame, shame!”

What “Pearl” does not understand is that mindfulness will do just that and more. The ability to cope with stressful situations and to calm oneself down is essential not only to the work world but to everyday life.

It is for this very reason that mindfulness should be implemented in our very own school district. Palo Alto schools are known for our extreme academic success that surpass many public schools around the country.

However, with all this success

comes heavy amounts of pressure.

This kind of pressure can have crippling effects on the students within

This kind of pressure can have crippling effects on the students within our district, and that is why it is absolutely vital we teach our students how to deal with the effects of this stress! our district, and that is why it is absolutely vital we teach our students how to deal with the effects of this stress.

Mindfulness can do just that and so much more.

The importance of mindfulness is popping up everywhere. Several sports teams at Stanford focus on mindfulness to prepare their athletes.

The U.S. Army uses mindfulness as a tool to help ready soldiers for deployment.

Just recently, TIME magazine published a cover story titled “The Mindful Revolution” that discusses the validity of mindfulness and the impact it is having on our society today.

The benefits of mindfulness are clear and PAUSD could really benefit from joining health, happiness, and academic performance into the student community.

A

nyone from the Silicon Valley can tell you that new technology is advancing faster than anyone could have imagined. Though it is apparent in our everyday lives, the majority of classes seem to lag behind when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits that technology can bring into the classroom.

We have all had those teachers who greet you on the first day of school by saying “Keep your cell phones out of sight” as you take your seat for the first time.

Though there is fair reasoning behind this request, such as the concern that such electronic devices can distract students, there are also ample reasons to believe that technology and use of devices should be more welcomed in the classroom.

Earlier this year, principal Kim Diorio spoke about her vision for the future of learning and how technology plays into it.

“We’re trying to get to the point where we have a device for every student,” Diorio said. “I would love to see in the next two or three years that [students] are actually bringing [their] own devices into class, or using [their] smartphones as a learning tool. I think it’s where we’re heading in technology and in the world.”

The modern day teenager has his or her life immersed in technology on a daily basis. In fact, learning has extended outside the classroom and on to the Internet. Simply looking up the definition of a word up on Google will provide you with more

definitions than anyone would be willing to read.

In addition, there are now YouTube channels and websites such as Khan Academy, TED and Bozeman Science that can be incredibly useful when it comes to explaining complicated concepts or reviewing ideas. By taking this technology and placing it into the classroom, students may be more engaged in and enthusiastic about the material being taught.

Classes such as Advanced Placement Psychology have proved the perks of using technology by successfully integrating technology into the classroom and making use of the plethora of information accessible through the Internet and different applications.

We’re trying to get to a point where we have a device for every student.

Kim Diorio Principal

As an alternative lectures about the parts and functions of the brain, students were paired up and given an iPad to explore an app with all the necessary information.

Instead of being lectured about the eye, students were given a laptop and asked to watch a TED talk and answer several questions afterwards to test their retainment of the information, encouraging students to pay attention.

Though these are only a few examples of learning with the aid of electronic devices, the options are endless when it comes to integrating technology in learning.

Teachers should not ignore the fact that nearly every student on campus has some sort of smartphone and that the school has a vast number of laptops and iPads for student use.

Teachers should instead take advantage of this opportunity and find a system which includes learning using technology that works for their classroom.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

OPINION

A7 Terminal patients have the right to end their lives Assisted suicide ought to be a viable option in California because it decreases pain and preserves dignity

miranda chen

staff writer

R

ecently, California lawmakers have proposed a new right-todie bill – one that would allow doctors to legally give terminally ill patients lethal doses of medications to end their lives. This new legislation touches on the controversial topic of assisted suicide, an issue which has not been discussed by the California legislature since 2007.

California’s new bill closely follows Oregon’s “death with dignity” law, a law which has had remarkable success in the past 20 years — the bill would allow a patient with a prognosis of death within six months to obtain a physician’s prescription for a lethal dose of medication.

For Californians who are terminally ill and suffering through pain, choosing their own manner of death should be an integral right.

This bill gives people full free will over their own health and bodies, and while opponents claim that assisted suicide too closely compares to committing suicide, Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old who suffered from brain cancer and moved from her home in California to Oregon in order to end her own life, insisted that the right to end her painful suffering was not the same as suicide.

“Cancer [and not myself ] is ending my life,” Maynard said to CBS

courtesy of Capital Public Radio

Members of the California State Senate present the new right-to-die bill in front of a public panel during a recent press conference at the State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif.

News a few weeks before her death. “I am choosing to end [my life] a little sooner and in a lot less pain and suffering.”

In the United States, the pursuit of happiness and the freedom to live according to one’s own beliefs and choices are recognized as important rights for all people. Despite these fundamental rights, patients like Maynard who wish to die with dignity versus dying in prolonged pain still struggle with being able to do so. Denying terminally ill individuals their own choice to peacefully die is denying them not only their freedom of choice but also their sense of autonomy and self-determination.

Junior Tiffany Cai agrees with this sentiment, believing that California’s law should not be able to deny those who are suffering the option of dying on their own terms.

“I think it should be okay to help someone do what [he or she] wants

when he or she is not capable of doing it himself or herself,” Cai said.

“It’s never a good thing to encourage someone to commit suicide, but there should not be legal repercussions.”

Patients are encouraged to make the right decision for themselves and ought to be awarded the ability to determine their own future.

California’s recent bill ensures that suicide is not encouraged and furthermore does not pressure patients into choosing death, which is a concern that many people have with this law. In fact, California’s law would issue a 15-day waiting period between a doctor’s agreement to prescribe life-ending medication and the patient’s choice of whether or not to take the lethal medication. Patients are encouraged to make the right de-

cision for themselves and ought to be awarded the ability to determine their own future. Oregon’s “death with dignity” law, which has been in effect for many years, has proven to be remarkably successful for its residents.

Oregon’s success with its law not only demonstrates the benefits of legalizing assisted suicide, but also suggests that California can heavily rely on Oregon’s assisted suicide law as a template for its own legislature if passed.

In the past 20 years, Oregon’s annual reports emphasize that there has not been any abuse of the law, as well as stating that people have not been encouraged by health insurance companies to choose death over costly treatments.

With substantial proof from Oregon that the right-to-die bill is an effective and viable option for patients who are terminally ill, there is no reason to prevent Californians

from making their own choices about their lives.

Sophomore Timothy Liu agrees that assisted suicide should be a legalized choice that patients can make for themselves.

“I think that assisted suicide should be an option that people are able to consider,” Liu said. “If someone is in a state in which [he or she is] incapable of enjoying certain human emotions or joys, and [he or she] feels as though life is no longer worth living, [he or she] should have the option of ending [his or her] life.”

According to Time Magazine, 91 percent of patients who seek a lethal prescription for assisted suicide do so because they feel that they are losing their autonomy over their lives. As a result, by legislating a “death with dignity” bill, California would be able to give its residents a final measure of choice and self-determination, a right which ought to belong to all citizens.

Progress requires an Google cars need enhancement end to partisan tactics The Google car is ideal in theory but proves flawed in practice GOP majorities threaten Obama’s plans

chris skokowski

Senior staff writer

O

n Jan. 20, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address for the year of 2014, and most notably, he called 2015 a ‘year of action’. Much of what the President suggested should be applauded, and the promise of action is encouraging, but it is unclear just what action means. With Congress now controlled by Republicans who are dead-set on pushing their agendas forward, the ‘year of action’ America has been promised could easily turn into another year of deadlock.

For years, America has seen inaction in Congress as House Republicans have blocked bills and the Senate Democrats have tried to hammer through filibusters and revotes to reach their goals. Most notably, the inability of both houses to cooperate on proposed budget plans led to a brief government shutdown in 2013. Behind the blatant stalling in Congress, however, the President also seemed to be holding back, failing to work with a Democrat majority in Congress in his first two years and avoiding decisive action on many controversial issues.

Obama is finally making strides, taking executive action on immigration and reopening diplomatic relations with Cuba. Given his recent vitality in office, the year of action seems like a real possibility.

However, the problems between the houses of the previous Congress have been relieved only to form prob-

lems between entire branches of the government. With a new Republican majority in both the House and Senate, it seems clear that headbutting over policy will occur on a much larger scale. The Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union only further validated the rocky road ahead, making it clear that the new Republican Congress is intent on moving forward with its own agenda. With the budget for the Department of Homeland Security currently under debate, Congress and the President should be clashing before the end of the month over their immigration policies.

If both branches continue to move forward with their own agendas, there will be no relief from the stalling that has plagued the Government for years. As good as a year of action sounds, it could well be the worst thing both sides can do. What the country needs now is a year of cooperation.

Both the President and the incoming Congress have made it clear that they intend to get things done within their own branch, but if either side wishes to continue beyond drafts and theories they will have to reach across not only the aisles of Congress, but also the streets between the House of Representatives and the White House.

Neither side will allow the other to overstep its bounds, with Obama threatening with vetoes and Republicans threatening with overrides and impeachment. While both branches will no doubt be able to put out their policies, no matter how radical, it will be easier than ever for the other side to shoot them down.

Redrafting, revoting and repeating is no way to get things done if you can get anything at all done that way. In order to minimize conflict between branches and parties, both sides ought to be willing to review their policies together before they reach the voting floor, and not after they have been sent back to either.

abira berezin

staff writer

I

n a time of technological brilliance, the idea of getting a drivers license may not be needed in the years to come. Imagine getting in a car and being whisked away without having to consciously worry about other drivers and traffic signals.

Google has recently released several self driving cars around its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. and envisions that someday everybody will use self driving cars. The self driving car may be a good idea in theory, but Google has not yet produced a self driving car that is yet safe enough and trustworthy for public use The cars are limited when traveling around the country because they work with computers with few maps.

The maps are used by the cars to help determine their location and what the roads look like. That seems trustworthy if you are fine with not being able to go outside of a couple thousand miles radius around the Mountain View Headquarters. There are about 4 million miles of U.S. public roads which would limit a self driving car user extremely. That is not including long driveways, off road trails and anywhere else off of a public road.

The cars would need an exceedingly high power computer that could take anything the world would throw at it.

Even just dealing with downloading and holding 4 million miles of public road information within the computer would make anybody skeptical, let alone keeping the maps up to date.

A computer strong enough to react to anything in the world is un-

Courtesy of huffington post

Google’s car is not safe because the car cannot react to the unexpected human drivers.

likely to be available soon or ever and in that regard would make anyone at least a little bit skeptical. Anything that is not updated on a map could be potentially dangerous because the car would not know it was there. For example, if a traffic light or a sign was put up and the computer did not update the map in time for the car to know about it, the car would run a red light or a stop sign without knowing and potentially hurt the passengers or people outside. The cars are mainly reliant on maps and cannot move one inch without one.

A computer strong enough to react to anything in the world is unlikely to be available soon or ever and in that regard would make anyone at least a little bit skeptical.

The cars have not performed to the public’s expectation no matter what special tools they have. For example, along with a computer that downloads maps, the cars also include sensors and cameras that scan roads and detect objects such as cars and pedestrians. The sensors have not been reliable because the cars can not avoid potholes and have not consistently dealt with coned-off road construction sites appropriately. This means that a passenger could dangerously find themselves unexpectedly crashing into cones and maybe even the construction site itself. The cars have not been able to do what seems to be

a very basic thing for humans, which is to simply find a parking spot in a parking lot or multilevel garage. The sensors will also stop the car if anything is in the road. Unless one wants to be sitting in the middle of the road for no reason and cause possible accidents due to abrupt stopping, think again about “reliant sensors”.

Despite video cameras being installed in the cars for seeing lights, they cause the problem of when the camera is blocked. For example, the cameras would simply see what color a traffic light is. That is reasonable, until the sun blinds the camera on a red light and the car obliviously runs the light causing probable collisions. These problems for the cameras would be easily avoided with a human driver who was not blind. The fact that one’s car is run by a computer is alarming due to the current dangers of hacking. Imagine cruising along in your self driving car and suddenly steering off course and being controlled by some unknown person.

Some might say nobody would go after them, but why take that risk?

There are beliefs that the cars would be very beneficial for those who cannot drive due to age, physical restrictions or even just preference. In theory, Google’s self-driving cars are ideal; in practice, however, they are extremely flawed. Putting lives in the control of an unreliable and unrealistic computer is not rational. Leave driving to people with a sturdy hand on the wheel and a brain that can actually reacts to what it sees.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

A8

Disclaimer: 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 wake of the tragic events that have affected our community, the staff of The Campanile has chosen to refrain

from publishing any 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 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 months to come is to prevent harmful speculation and to allow time for grief and recovery. We sympathize with the families of the victims, and hope for

Seven-period days harmful to learning and student well-being

T

he Palo Alto High School administration released a letter last week discussing ways it plans to reduce student stress, bringing up discussions regarding possibly eliminating, or at least applying homework policies to, the seven period Monday “C day” schedule.

The letter, written by Principal Kim Diorio, in collaboration with Paly’s Associated Student Body, asked students, parents and teachers to rate the effectiveness of the C day and whether they wished to continue them. While the letter is no longer available on paly.net, a revised letter is set to be released in the near future in partnership with Superintendent Max McGee and the Henry M. Gunn High School administration.

In the survey, a vast majority of students and parents said they found C days to be ineffective and wished for them to be discontinued, with over 80 percent stating their dislike.

A lesser, but still significant, percentage of teachers also said that they preferred to eliminate the C day schedule. Students and parents dislike that

all periods can require homework due on the same day and that students have to bring all of their materials on the same day. Teachers and parents also dislike that class periods are shorter than on alternative A, B and T block days, so class material is brief, and students have little time to settle.

“You can’t get into any real depth with 50 minutes,” science teacher Erik Olah said. “When you consider the five minutes for the introduction and the five minutes at the end for clean up, it leaves you with little time to actually get things done.”

The Campanile believes that C days should be eliminated completely from the Paly schedule and Mondays should alternate between A, T and B days every other week. This would allow for each period to have an equal amount of class time in every twoweek cycle, eliminating the inherently short classes in seven-period days.

Currently, the major resistance to this change comes from teachers who appreciate the abbreviated periods. There are obvious advantages to meeting three days of the week as

the best for the Henry M. Gunn High School community, the Paly community and the Palo Alto community as a whole.

Signed, The Campanile’s Editors-in-Chief

FEBRUARY’S TOP TEN LIST

opposed to two, but while the weekly frequency of class periods would alternate, the total hours students would meet with teachers would not change by the end of the two-week cycle. In addition, if students need more class time with teachers during the week, tutorial is already an established period and would become more frequent. This would also eliminate the need to regulate teacher’s assignment of homework, which was previously suggested as an alternative to completely eliminating the C day. This alternative neither solves the brevity of the seven-periods nor the issue students face of transporting materials needed for all their classes, which were both issues voiced in the survey. Transporting class materials on C days is a commonly voiced issue on campus and takes a physical toll on students and should be seriously considered by the administration.

We applaud the administration for listening to student concerns, and we hope that in the new letter to students, the administration will make a concrete plan regarding C days.

Letter to the editors

Why we love the drought 10. M ­ ore firefighters (cuz the fires) 9. Save money on umbrellas 8. It’s always summer

7.The beautiful brown shade of our front lawns 6. Sine, cosine, and most importantly, tan 5. No need to swim to class 4. Excuse not to shower 3. Girls are all thirstier

2. Swim team is easy if you can walk on the bottom of the pool 1. Sometimes you get nosebleeds, and then you look cool

because people look at you and are like, “Hey did you get in a fight?” and you can be like, “Yeah, you see my nosebleed, right?”

-PAUL MEWES, GALEN BYRD AND KEVIN MULLIN

COMIC OF THE MONTH

In response to “Post high school planning should begin earlier,” published Jan. 16, 2015 Dear Campanile editors, Only 3 slides in the entire orientation presentation focus on the CA public college system (community college, CSU, and UC); discussion of these slides and related handouts referenced to direct students to more information comprised at most a half hour of the 90 minute period. Given that the vast majority of each class applies to at least one (and often at least two) of these two college systems in our state, it is important students understand the educational emphasis of each system and the minimum eligibility criteria to apply. The handouts detail eligibility requirements but, in my experience, many students still have questions about GPA calculation, so our presentation addressed an explanation. In addition, the handouts do not describe the difference in teaching philosophy among the systems. But, I also explained how students can learn information about other colleges’ educational philosophies on their websites and showed students how to find eligibility information and admission statistics for other colleges by using the College Board’s Big Future website.

Before the discussion of the CA public colleges, I discussed different kinds of colleges for students to consider; in addition to a description, examples were given. With the exception of research universities, the other types of colleges were all private--like those found on the Common Application. Furthermore, Ms. Erber’s discussion about how colleges evaluate applicants included a discussion of letters of recommendation which are not required by the CA publics.

As described, the information about demonstrating interest does not apply to the CA publics nor did the exercise with volunteers at the end of the presentation which demonstrated how factors in the admission process are considered by private colleges-academic dishonesty, legacy, early decision, etc.

I referenced the Common Application deadlines and requirements grid handout as a research tool to identify which participating colleges require what kind of testing, number of recommendations, and application supplements. A review of important parts of the Common App (activities section [resume], letters of recommendation vs Teacher Advisor [counselor] letter, and essays) will be presented in Advisory to juniors this semester. The Common Application won’t open for the class of 2016 until August; it is far too early to discuss how to make each applica-

tion unique — but that is something College Advisors discuss during individual appointments with students.

A Common Application workshop will be offered in the Fall. Preparing for college by taking an SAT/ ACT comes first, followed by thinking about/researching which colleges meet students needs and goals (Ms. Erber discussed this and there was an exercise performed to help students initiate this task), and also planning for obtaining letters of recommendation.

With regard to testing timelines, as I explained to [the author], the standard practice across the country is for juniors to take the PSAT in October, receive their scores in January (both dates determined by the College Board), and then take the SAT in March, May or June. Our juniors were lucky enough to take the PLAN in sophomore year and consider the scores from that pre-test to determine if the ACT would be a better test for them and take it in April or June. The orientation had one slide about SAT/ ACT testing that was intentionally discussed for no more than 2 minutes since detailed information was being discussed in Advisory that week.

The orientation presentation is online for you to view [on paly.net].

Our presentation is intended to build on Advisory lessons the past several years. Some juniors might have more familiarity with this information or post high school options than others. Perhaps this is true of the students quoted in [the author’s] article who felt our presentation was lacking--but even they mention learning new things. Please remember that the College Center is part of the Guidance team and works in concert with the TAs and Guidance Counselors to develop the Advisory curriculum. So, the College Advisors have a sense of how our work complements the work of Teacher Advisors and have a better overview of scope and sequence than most students do.

We encourage all juniors to meet with their College Advisor to discuss individual post high school planning.

I especially hope those students who wanted more from the orientation will do so; I think they will find that we will go into more depth regarding aspects of the college exploration and application process as relevant for each specific student’s plan. That said, I appreciate the student feedback; as educators, we consistently reflect and refine our work on a regular basis.

Regards, Ms. Cernobori

ella MernyKthe campanile

“Better take it before someone else does.”

The Campanile News and Opinion Editors Lauren Gargiulo Lauren Klass

Editors-in-Chief Seth Alston • Esther Doerr • Grace Kim Claire Liu • Coby Parker • Sarah Tayeri Lifestyle Editors Stephanie Cong Paul Mewes

Photography Editor Conner Harden

Online Editor Jeffrey Ho

Business Manager Haley Fang

Sports Editors Galen Byrd Owen Dulik Kevin Mullin

Staff Writers Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa Galen Byrd Susana Cacho Miranda Chen Kate DeAndre Claire Dennis Joanna Falla Rachel Farn Bo Field Reilly Filter

Jeremy Fu Yi Ge Daniel Hammerson Lori Huang Jamie Har Antonio Kieschnick Masha Konkov Nicole Li Tiffiany Liang Tara Madhav Peter Maroulis Anant Marur

Chelsea McIntosh Mischa Nee Joshua Ng Kai Oda Rima Parekh Aiva Petriceks Rachel Price Nikhil Rajaram Thomas Rauner-Swan Maggie Rosenthal William Shin Chris Skokowski

Noah Smith William Snodgrass Owen Staiger Jared Stanley Alec Sullivan Ethan Teo Sarah Wang Catherine Yu Jenny Zhuge Carissa Zou Jake van Zyll

Photographers Conner Harden Daniel Hammerson

Zoe Tierney Ella Mernyk

Dami Bolarinwa Sara Gram-Knutsen

Advisor Esther Wojcicki The Campanile would like to thank our sponsors Dick & Jerry Smallwood, Fabian and Simone Klass, Leah Tong and Michael Yu, Janie and Michael Farn, Frank Ho and Lucille Zing 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.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

tips and tricks for trivia crack

L FESTYLE NON-TRADITIONAL MAJORS 101 T he college application process can be quite daunting. From deciding where to apply, writing essays and compiling all sorts of paper work, many would agree that one of the most conflicting parts of the application is the question that asks a high school senior to decide what he or she would like to do for the rest of his or her life — what he or she want to major in.

Students who have known what career they have wanted to go into since elementary school greet this question with open arms. Others shy away, unsure if they are ready to make this huge decision.

Whether you fit into one category or the other, you should know that there are thousands of majors out there that you have not heard of, but might take interest to. Below is a list of some of the most unique yet rarely studied majors offered in the United States.

Adventure Education

As explained by Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, a college which offers Adventure Education, this major teaches “how to use the Great Outdoors to expose children, adults and at-risk populations to challenging adventures, personal growth and self-discovery.” Those who choose to pursue this degree typically take courses such as Wilderness Expedition, Canoe Paddling Fundamentals, Rock Climbing Fundamentals and Whitewater Kayaking. With this degree, a whole new set of career options open up, such as working in national parks or outdoor adventure programs.

Astrobiology

Astrobiology is, by definition, the study of life beyond Earth. It also includes studying the origin and early evolution of terrestrial life. Typical courses an astrobiologist might study include Astrobiology Field Experience and Planetary Habitability, offered at schools such as the University of Washington (UW) and Penn State.

As explained by UW’s website, “the BY search for life beyond the Earth requires N SIG REN a n understanding of life, and the naE D U S ture of the environments that A L LAS D it, as well as planK S AN TOR support etary, planetary system and I D W stellar processes. To provide this NE ON E NEE understanding, astrobiology INI CHA ITER P O IS WR combines the knowledge and M FF techniques from many fields…”

STA With this degree, many go on to work as an astrobiology researcher, a scientist or educator. For example, one could work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help plan for current and future space missions.

Bakery

Science and Management

Cookies and cake all day, err’day. The Bakery Science and Management degree is available at the Kansas State University, and according to the university’s website, the degree “trains students for administrative, research, production and executive positions in the baking industry.” A typical Bakery Science and Management major might take classes in Cereal Science, Grain Science and Industry, Flour and Dough Testing or Baking Science. After college, this major is useful in the restaurant, catering and bakery industries.

And in the case that you do not end up going into a career directly correlated to this major, at least you can become an excellent baker! It really is a winwin situation.

Nannying

Remember those neighbors you used to babysit whenever you had spare time? You could take it to a whole new level by becoming a professional nanny. The Professional Nanny program, offered at the Sullivan University in Kentucky, is now recognized by the International Nanny Association. The major teaches students the skills to become a childcare provider, a private nanny or work in daycares or schools. The 12 month program includes classes such as Infant Care, Creative Enrichment and Safety and Nutrition, and aims to teach child development and care techniques, which focus on nutrition and effective communication between children and parents.

by Carissa Zou

A leisurely blade to the ‘Shack

Theme Park Engineering

An option closer to home, the California State University Long Beach offers a cool twist on electrical engineering: Theme Park Engineering. To learn the critical specifics behind electrical power, pneumatic controls and hydraulics, all crucial concepts for this kind of engineering, students take courses in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering. Post-college graduates look for jobs as theme park engineers and many work at amusement facilities and related industries.

Popular Culture

Those binge Netflix-watching skills might finally come in handy. Majoring in Pop Culture, offered at the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio, can lead to jobs in advertising, journalism, work with mass media, education, public relations, library and museum work. According to the BGSU website, students take classes that “focus on the impact various aspects of popular culture...have on our culture and how TE they reflect the values of our society.”

X LA T B Such classes include Television as U KL RE Y Popular Culture, Black Popular N Culture, Folklife and Material NE ASS WS Culture and History of Popular OP AND Literature.

Comic Art

I ED NION ITO R

You know those doodles you draw on the margin of your page during boring lectures? By majoring in Comic Art, you could take your doodling skills to the next level. Offered at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in Minnesota, majoring in Comic Art en- tails taking classes that teach you how to gain “command of line, color, and composition, as well as character development, storyboarding and plot to create complex works that pull readers in,” according to MCAD’s website. Typically, students’ classes encompass historical and conceptual aspects of Comic Art. After college, job prospects include working as a cartoonist, author or illustrator for a book or in a studio. Though Comic Art specializes in a certain kind of art, studying this major can provide a variety of skills that can be applied to other arts.

Three Languages

Three. Trois. Tres. Available at the University of Delaware (UD), students who choose to take the Three Languages program are encouraged to become proficient in up to three languages. Students choose a first, a second and a third language in which they need to accumulate 24, 18 and at least six hours of credit, respectively. According to UD’s website, “language study at the University of Delaware is part of a broad, multicultural education that is integral to success in many different fields in today’s global environment.” Due to the major’s diverse, cultural nature, it can be useful in jobs that deal with foreign relations and language studies. For example, one might utilize this major to work as a translator, an abassador or a language teacher.

It’s up to you

‘ ’

As many students venture into the college world, it is important that they choose a major they have genuine interest in, not just one that seems to lead to financial stability. At a glance, one might think that the previously described majors will lead to a dead end because they do not appear to directly lead to a career. What many do not realize is that these unique majors can actually serve as a basis for a variety of other, more popular careers. The aforementioned majors are six of many, and one must choose to study what suits them; the possibilities are endless.

WHAT MANY DO NOT REALIZE IS THAT THESE RARE MAJORS CAN ACTUALLY SERVE AS A BASIS FOR A VARIETY OF OTHER, MORE POPULAR CAREERS.

owen staiger

senior staff writer

How does an athlete, loving brother and, above all, journalist follow up a column as profound and challenging as his last one, which documented the trying feat of biking to Chipotle during lunch? To answer this question, I did what any pro would do: ask Oli. Oliver Rowles knows what to do in tough situations. He once advised me against investing in some company called Alibaba or something.

Good thing I trusted him — I don’t trust that rigged stock market. Oliver graciously offered me advice and challenged me to accompany him on a rollerblade journey to RadioShack.

“That sounds crazy, Owen,” you may be thinking. “Where is the nearest RadioShack?” 1.6 miles away. Yup. Most of the legwork went into preparing for this journey. For such a long journey, we needed plenty of sustenance. We both dusted off our CamelBak bags and each filled our sacks up with Juicy Juice 100% Berry Juice boxes. Our CamelBaks hold 100 fluid ounces which translates to 23.64 Juice Boxes. To be safe Oli and I stuck to 20. We also each bought a total of 14 ft of Fruit by the Foot so we could wrap them around our fingers and not have to stop to scavenge food.

Our next challenge was figuring out our wardrobe. We were worried about the amount of perspiration that would result from our approximately 2 mile journey. To combat this, we got matching headbands and cutoff breathable Under Armour shirts.

We donned jean shorts, commonly referred to as “jorts”, to preemptively negate any range of motion issues.

At approximately 2:30 in the afternoon, we strapped up our roller-boots and set off on our journey. Immediately, the envious stares were apparent. Everyone knows roller-bladers have the right of way so we got plenty of encouraging honks as we cruised through the stop signs — yield signs as far as we were concerned.

We considered traveling through the California Ave. underpass but decided against it for obvious reasons — too much speed, not enough headroom to jump the gates halfway through the tunnel. So, we went down Churchill Ave. Train tracks are not designed to be easily crossed by blades.

After some precarious stepping, we surmounted the devilish obstacles and cruised by our beloved school.

As we approached the destination we were almost tempted by the devilincarnate: Panda Express. The Orange Chicken could be whiffed from .6 miles away and we knew the real challenge of blading past a p-spress without stopping was upon us.

Somehow we overcame our Homo sapien instincts and crossed The Camino into the ‘Shack. Some readers may have been wondering what this whole journey was for. Besides the college-application-filling life experience, Olibuh needed a higher-powered AUX cord to replace his current one, which couldn’t handle the fire being broadcasted over it.

If you have any requests for future challenges, please email owenchallenges@gmail.com.

INSIDE

the stress that comes with prom

by Catherine Yu

sushi meets burrito

the best headphones on the market

by jeremy fu

by josh ng

Friday, February 6, 2015

B2

Short People Problems

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Effects of society on everyday fashion

Students claim comfort, confidence and conformity as motivation for wardrobe choices JAMIE HAR

staff writer

Stephanie cong

Lifestyle editor

Lori Huang

Staff writer

Tiffany Liang

Staff writer

You might think that short people are cute, but the everyday struggles we tiny humans face are not cute at all. Here are just a few of the many problems short people encounter — we hope that no matter what height you are, you can empathize with our struggles.

Clothes rarely fit you right: Sure, your significant other’s sweatshirt may be deliciously oversized, but it’s a bit weird when they are seven inches taller than you. Your attempt at being cute by wearing their sweatshirt ends up looking like you have no pants on. This leads to a fun game I like to call “Sweatshirt or dress?”. Hint: the game is as fun as it sounds. Not to mention the struggle of shopping at Victoria’s Secret for a comfy pair of sweatpants. Um, hello?

Not everyone is 5 foot 7 and above.

Regular sweatpants are way too long, enough to make us trip. What is this pool of cloth at our ankles supposed to be? When you spot the cropped sweatpants, there is a flutter of hope in your heart, but the cropped sweatpants deliver the same disappointment, ending uncomfortably at our shins when they should end at our knees. These problems apply to pants and skirts everywhere — the ultimate question to ask while shopping is “Do I love this piece of clothing enough to go to the tailor and get it hemmed?”

Ultimately, this may even end up in shopping for clothes in the kids section. Oh well. It is cheaper, at least.

No one takes you seriously: First, there are those corny, overused jokes and all the name-calling.

“How’s the weather down there?”, they say, as if a difference of three inches in altitude really creates a significant difference in temperature.

Some have the audacity to ask, “Have you always been that short?” Haha, not funny. Have you always been that tall? Then there are those who think you are soooo adorable, because you are so tiny, so petite. Since when did height determine personality? Lastly, a lack of height makes taking a leadership role or gaining credibility and respect around others a major struggle. Your smaller stature and voice just make you seem like you might be younger or more inexperienced than you really are. You’re just that adorable, bubbly munchkin over there. “Sizeism” is a huge problem too — no pun intended!

Personal space is nonexistent: People have the impression that because we are under 5 foot 5 our heads immediately serve as armrests.

That statement could not be any more false. Also, please do not touch my hair unless I specifically ask you to, which I will not. Ever. Head pats are straight up demeaning, and let’s not forget the occasional cheek squishing. I do not want your hands on my face. Most importantly, the biggest struggle of being short is never being able to hug over someone else. When you see bæ at school, all you want to do is run up to them and give them a huge hug, but instead you to awkwardly shuffle up to them and slide your arms under theirs.

Everything becomes an unnecessary adventure When counter tops become counter bottoms, you know the struggle is real. But at least your grocery store endeavors turn into ersatz rock climbing adventures. Before you had the guts to climb the shelves at the grocery store, you had to wait for an unintimidating tall person to wander over, so you could ask them to get something for you. They never say no, but the pure awkwardness in those ten seconds make sure you think twice about whether you really need your favorite yogurt. When you eventually find the courage to scale the shelves, you find that there is literally a whole new world of cereal you have never experienced before. You never know what you will discover.

T

he alarm clock blares for the eighth time this morning at 7:59 a.m. You wake up, freak out for a moment about how much you slept in, quickly brush your teeth and hair, throw on a sweatshirt and sweatpants and run out the door, just barely making it to first period in time for class.

At the start of the first ring of an alarm at 6:30 a.m., you wake up, take a shower, make sure to use hair protecting serum before straightening your hair, pick a neat and “classy” outfit and walk out the door at 7:45 a.m. with a comfortable cushion of time to make it to school.

The first situation may sound all too familiar to many students, but for some, the second setting is closer to their daily routine.

High school is often considered a place where dressing as comfortably as possible to get through a stressful day would seem to make sense. However, some choose to do otherwise. So for the people who put in extra time and effort to dress up, why do they do it? Is there a motivation aside from a simple interest in fashion?

According to a few students who consistently put in effort to dress nicely for school, there are a variety reasons.

“It gives me a sense of feeling ‘put together,’” junior Alisha Kumar said.

“Dressing well can be your way of presenting yourself because it can portray your personality. If you are put together on the outside, then people will assume you have your [stuff ] together on the inside.”

Though there could be infinitely many things a person would want to keep private, some private issues could be caused by the overwhelming stress of school. As stress to obtain and maintain high academic performance continuously accumulates, a student may start to feel overwhelmed and as if he or she lacks control over his or her life. When feeling frazzled, dressing nicely can help a person feel more organized and prepared for the school day ahead.

However, dressing up does not always stem from the desire to create a façade for other people; it can also benefit him or herself. For Kumar, putting in the effort to give herself direction and working towards a goal is very important, even if not everything at the moment is perfect, and she uses fashion as her personal expression.

“If you’re making an evident effort, even if it’s just in the way you dress, that effort can lead to [achieving] your goal in the future,” Kumar said.

“It’s like the saying: ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have.’”

In addition to reflecting, perseverance and goal-setting, other goals that contribute to how a person dresses include boosting confidence and doing something enjoyable.

“I do believe that if you wear what feels good to you, you’ll be happier and more in tune with yourself,” Kumar said. “My style is a little more

Jamie har/the campanile

Juniors Laura Maystead and Alisha Kumar show off their personalities by dressing in a more formal wear when they come to school.

conservative than the average teenager, and it just so happens that I like the way that looks on me and the way that it makes me feel. … [Fashion] is almost another form of art in that it can be an enjoyable way of expressing yourself.”

I do believe that if you wear what feels good to you, you’ll be happier and more in tune with yourself.

Alisha Kumar Junior

“Dressing for comfort” can have a variety of meanings and manifestations, depending on the different definition of “comfort” from person to person.

“Feeling like I’m stepping with my best foot forward makes me feel more comfortable than if I were to physically be ‘comfortable,’” Kumar said.

“As long as I’m comfortable with what I’m wearing and how I dress, then that’s all that matters.”

A person’s reason for dressing up can also change over time.

Junior Laura Maystead used to put a lot of focus into what outfits she would wear because she felt it solidified her self-value.

“When I was younger I was ugly, skinny to the bone, scrawny and had a little gut on me, so I tried compensating for it in fashion,” Maystead said.

“I was so self-conscious that I was an easy target for people. But when I wore a nice dress it made me feel special, like I was worth something, even if it was the clothes on my back.”

However, time and experience can change one’s perspective about the importance of outer appearance, just as Maystead’s approach to dressing up has changed.

“I went through hell and back with personal issues and family issues that I had to find myself to survive,” Maystead said. “I tried to find myself in these piles of clothes for so long, but I think now I’ve found it: confidence.”

As shown by Maystead’s own journey, once a person can realize the core issue of an insecurity and change the extreme amount of thought put into his or her outer appearance, the person’s strengthened character and newfound self-assurance can shine through his or her outside appearance.

“People can tell I’m confident and that I love myself and my body,” Maystead said. “The only intention behind my outfit is to show how great I feel on the inside on the outside, and because I just like fashion.”

In comparison to using an outfit to shield one’s internal self or to portray a specific, desired character, a person can let his or her fashion speak for itself.

“I don’t think [my outfits] represent my personality exactly,” Maystead said. “I think my fashion can be unapproachable sometimes, and I try my hardest to be kind and open towards others, but my fashion sense shows that … I’m firm in my beliefs and am passionate about things I love.”

Since the ways people dress also influence how others perceive them, sometimes, the purpose of dressing up is to create a positive first impression.

“First impressions are important,” Kumar said. “You can present yourself either through your words or your actions, but the first impression that you make is regardless of your behavior; it’s exactly how you look.”

The only intention behind my outfit is to show how great I feel on the inside on the outside, and because I just like fashion.

Laura Maystead Junior

Though people may want to stick to the ideal of “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” intuitively people do create initial expectations of people for their own safety and self-assurance. A first impression can change, but it exists nonetheless.

“We can work on that, but I don’t think that’s something that can just disappear,” Kumar said. “You can either hope that others will just get past judging you by your appearance or you can decide to accept the fact that people do judge [others] by the way that they look.”

Maystead agreed with Kumar.

“In our culture now, a person’s social status is frequently determined by his or her clothing,” Maystead said. “I believe that clothing shouldn’t be a direct representation of our status but in our society, sadly, it somewhat is.”

In addition to simple outer first impressions, a person’s choice to dress up can also be his or her own reflection of how she wants to show care and respect.

“To me, dressing well means that I have taken the time and the effort to make this impression on people and present myself in this way, and I really respect people who do make the time and the effort to do the same,” Kumar said. “It’s showing that I respect … the individual that I am, but it also shows that I respect the people that I’m surrounding myself with and that I only want to give my best to them.”

However, this is not to say that dressing down is necessarily disrespectful or defines a person as uncivilized.

“There are many different types of people, and many people will choose not to dress up,” Kumar said. “People can be more than meets the eye, so just because fashion is not something that you care about as much doesn’t mean you’re less of a person. It’s just a personal preference and belief for me.”

Maystead echoed Kumar’s acknowledgement of different types of self-expression.

“I think that everyone is entitled to represent themselves in one way or another, [whether] that is fashion or talking with a Madonna British accent,” Maystead said. “I appreciate all forms of self expression. I love to see when others put themselves out there and wear a historical outfits … or love wearing their cat sweater. Any form of articulation of self is admirable.”

Anxiety from dealing with prom preparations Prom dates, dresses and costs create emotional and financial stress for Paly students Catherine yu

staff writer

A

lthough prom is a whole two and a half months away, the stress has already begun as if it were tomorrow.

To some it may seem premature to start worrying about prom — especially when there is a more impending date for the upcoming Sadie Hawkins formal. However, the students at Palo Alto High School do not delay when it comes to preparing for the biggest, most enthused dance of the school year.

Prom causes stress in two main ways, emotionally and financially.

This year, prom will be held in San Francisco’s fabulous City Hall. Without a doubt, as they are choosing their prom dresses, many girls will be fantasizing about themselves walking down City Hall’s cascading set of stairs — whether it be with a group of friends, or while linking arms with their own date.

The issue of the date: In preparation for prom, there are a bevy of questions that need to be asked. The most prominent of such questions is who to go with (unless two people are in a relationship, then good for them, they’re set). There is a lot of anxiety and stress surrounding this issue, especially if one is unsure of who to ask, which people will be asked or if one will be asked at all.

There is no shame in going with a group of friends if the latter is the case. Prom will still be just as enjoyable and memorable.

If someone is planning on paying for both himself or herself as well as his or her date, the price total will be near a whopping $300! Attending prom is a pricey business.

Once someone gets asked to prom, there is then the pressure to define

whether or not the pair will be going to prom as just friends or something more. But in the end, what happens at prom stays at prom … or is that just applicable to Vegas?

The issue of the dress: A couple of girls have already created the “Prom Dresses 2015” group on Facebook. In this group, female attendees post pictures of the gowns they are planning to wear to the dance. This is mainly done to avoid matching between people. If two people do happen to wear the same dress, then it’s just a matter of “who wore it better.”

One of the unspoken rules about this prom dress club is that seniors get priority. Freshmen, sophomores, or juniors that want to get the same dress as a senior should probably reevaluate their choice and choose another dress.

But don’t worry, there are still 76 days to choose a perfectly nice dress that was neither a first, second or third choice. Guys, just buy or rent a

nice tuxedo and get a matching bow tie, tie, or pocket square.

The issue of the money: Prom does not play around when it comes to the expenses. Even though we live in Palo Alto and “everyone is rich,” money is still money. On average, most girls will buy a dress that costs upward of $200. Renting designer dresses, at its cheapest, hovers around $50 to $100. Some guys may have a nice tuxedo laying around that they could wear. However, if not, a new tuxedo can cost anywhere from $60 to $130. Then there are the tickets.

Last year, prices were around $150 at most. If someone is planning on paying for both himself or herself as well as his or her date, the price total will be near a whopping $300! Attending prom is a pricey business.

Don’t be afraid to be frugal — spending less in each of the aspects of prom will help you save a lot of money in the long run.

Good luck on your preparations!

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B3 The best headphones available on the tech market Lovers of music can improve their listening experience by using these unique and market-topping headphones josh ng

staff writer

F

ar too many people listen to music with the Apple Earbuds that come with iPhones, or with a cheap pair of headphones bought from Walgreens. If one were to stray away from the norm of listening to music with cheap headphones and bought an actual, circumaural pair of headphones, one would see a huge difference between the two.

For those who would like to experience music in a better way, this guide covers four reviews of the best headphones on the market today.

Beats By Dre Solo 2 The biggest headphones brand in the entire world came out with a sequel to their Beats By Dre Solo HD. The new Beats By Dre Solo 2 is Beats’ take on the on-ear headphone. Based on design, the Solo 2 is undoubtedly one of the best looking headphones out to date. The headphones are more so a fashion statement than “real headphones.” The redesigned Solo 2 comes with a glossy plastic and leather padded earcups. The build quality is superb for an on-ear pair of headphones and the earcups are comfortable.

The biggest problem with the Solo 2 is the fact that they were made only for those who listen to hip hop, rap and electronic/dance music. The “oomph” that one can hear with these headphones is the strong bass that is supposed to compliment the above music genres. The Solo 2 bass prowess was displayed in Mako’s “Beam,” the bass pulsing through my ears and my head bumping up and down. However, when playing any other song that was not of these specific genres, the music was overwhelming. The vocals and treble for Labrinth’s “Jealous” were both too aggressive and strenuous for a song filled with sorrow and emotion. The Solo 2 is priced at about

design by miranda chen

The V-Moda M100, Beats by Dre Solo 2, Sennheiser Momentum and ATH-M50x are among the most popular headphones in the market.

$200, which is quite expensive for an on-ear headphone.

Overall, the Solo 2 headphones are worth the money if you care about the look of headphones or if your music taste is restricted rap, electronic, or dance genres.

Based on design, the Solo 2 is undoubtedly one of the best looking headphones out to date.

The headphones are more so a fashion statement than ‘real headphones.’

Sennheiser Momentum On-Ears Sennheiser has been acknowledged as one of the leading headphone companies in the world. Known for making audiophile headphones such as the HD 598s, the company surprised its customers when it released the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ears. Although the Momentum On-Ears is the miniature versions of the over-ear Momentums, the quality does not decrease.

The Momentums feature a soft code padded pair of earcups and a

metal design. The metal design feels and looks more luxurious than that of the Beats By Dre Solo 2’s glossy plastic design, however, the sturdiness of both headphones is about the same.

The sound quality of the Momentums is on par with that of the build quality. Trebles and vocals on the Momentums are clear and leveled, with no unnecessary bassy qualities to them. The bass on the Momentums is not nearly as strong as that of the Solo 2, but is not underwhelming either. Acoustics are more natural and full bodied, orchestral sounds are clear and can be picked up easily and trebles are accentuated.

The only trouble is that past Beats users may find the bass sounds underwhelming. The strong build quality and spectacular sound is priced at about $150, $50 less than that of the Solo 2. The Momentums are an exceptional choice for the build and sound quality for a low price.

Audio Technica ATH-M50x The award winning Audio Technica ATH-M50’s received a sibling pair of headphones known as the ATH50x last winter. Though they are relatively old, the M50x’s still deserve to

be acknowledged as one of the best pairs of over ear headphones out to date. The M50x’s sound is nearly impossible to fault. The delivery of every song is right on, the stereo image is perfect and the balance in tones is unlike that of any other pair of headphones. Neither of the three types of frequencies — bass, midrange and treble — is accentuated in every song because M50’s do a great job of accentuating the right type of frequency for each specific song.

The M50x’s sound is nearly impossible to fault. The delivery of every song is right on, the stereo image is perfect and the balance in tones is unlike that of any other pair of headphones.

From Sublime’s “Santeria” to Zedd’s “Spectrum,” the M50x succeeded in allowing the listener to hear it the way the artist intended to.

No headphones’ sounds are nearly up to par as those of the M50x’s, however, this cannot be said for its design.

The M50x’s design is very lackluster

and boring, with no customization features, basic colors and a plain logo on both sides of the earcup. The Audio Technica M50x’s are for those who want the very best sound quality they can get and do not care about the design of the headphones itself.

V-Moda M100 V-Moda has prided itself as one of the top DJ headphone manufacturers in the United States. Popular DJs like Avicii and Martin Garrix use these headphones during their performances. The design of the M100s features diamond shaped, leather laced earcups, a rugged build with a comfortable headband and replaceable metal plates as a customization feature for customers.

Just like Beats By Dre, the M100’s bass is very noticeable and accentuated. However, the difference between the two brands is that the M100’s bass is more controlled and less muddy than that of the Beats. Hardwell, Zedd or any other popular DJ will sound phenomenal on these pair of headphones — the bass is head thumping good. Music with powerful bass and vocals sound just as good.

Borgeous’s “Invincible” and Disclosure’s “Latch” produced clear, pristine vocals and perfectly controlled bass.

Even without the bass, the M100s do an exceptional job of bringing out instrumentals. The M100s brought out the instrumentals in Nas’s “Represent”, making the drums and piano easy to jam out to. Acoustics do not sound nearly as good as the Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ears or that of the Audio-Technica M50xs, but it is by no means not pleasing to the ear.

Though the M100’s are acceptable for those who listen to all types of genres, they are mainly for those who would like to stray away from the popular Beats By Dre and find a new pair of cans that do well to compliment their bassy taste.

Infallible methods to win Trivia Crack Consumer science behind A guide to provide students with tricks for the new and popular app

Companies use player frustration and users’ obsession over games in order to gain profit

Carissa zou

staff writer

W

hether it is flinging irascible birds at green pigs or attempting to fly between protruding green pipes, teenagers have a tendency to become hooked on addictive games. In order to keep ourselves occupied between classes, passing periods and meetings, games on cellular devices have become an integral aspect of our daily lives. Currently, the social craze is on a new application by Etermax — Trivia Crack.

For students who do not have a smartphone or are just out of the loop, the premise of the game is that one spins a rainbow wheel with seven different sections: entertainment, art, sports, history, science, geography and crown. The section spun to is the topic for the following question. During the game, one spins the wheel and answers questions until one has answered a question incorrectly. Basically, the more trivia one knows, the better off one will be.

This is one of those rare opportunities where knowing random facts that no one cares about will serve an actual purpose. This is also one of the times where the subjects learned some time in the midst of eight or more years of schooling will directly apply to a teenager’s life. Questions range in topic from World Wars to authors and novels to anatomy, so channeling one’s past self and remembering these random facts will ultimately lead to success in the game.

However, for those with terrible long-term memory and a limited knowledge of sports, entertainment and culture, succeeding in this triviabased game is problematic. However, if one can productively utilize one’s resources, there are definitely methods that will lead to success.

First, the best time to play Trivia Crack is at school (think of it as inciting learning). Teachers actually know who wrote The Color Purple (Alice Walker, obviously) or which president got stuck in his own bathtub (good ole William Howard Taft) or even the name of the condition characterized by sensitivity to specific volumes (clearly, symptoms of hyperacusis).

teenage mobile addiction

anant marur

staff writer

A

Conner Harden/The campanile

Googling tough answers is an obvious but underrated way to beat out competition.

Let’s put Palo Alto High School’s educators to the test and see what they really know. They test students all the time. Perhaps it is time to reciprocate.

The technique is simple: once you receive a question, immediately raise your hand and ask the question. This is especially effective if you are in the corresponding class, but even if you are not and the teacher does not know the answer, there is always that prodigy in the front of the room who basically reads the encyclopedia. They will probably chime in just because they can, which works out perfectly.

Remember though, you only have 30 seconds, so you are going to need to be quite the efficient hand-raiser.

That should cover it for anything related to history, science, geography and art. You would be surprised by how many questions you will be able to answer by asking the educated Palo Altans around you. For entertainment and sports, one must put one’s fate in the hands of one’s socially aware classmates.

My personal weakness is sports, but fortunately, there is always someone in my class that has analyzed every single play of every single sport ever. Whether it be a student with a shameless obsession of fantasy football or just someone who loves watching the Olympics, finding someone who is genuinely passionate about sports is usually not a cumber-

some task. That just leaves entertainment. Luckily, people follow a diverse array of celebrities, so there is a good chance that someone in the class has a strange obsession with whatever movie or actor the question brings up.

Let’s just say the player is at home and he or she does not have the luxury of Paly’s didactic teachers and classmates. There are two options. The first is to abide by moral code and just get really good at guessing. Remember to use the power ups, but this is nonetheless living on the edge. With only a one in four chance of getting it correct and against the steep competition, those odds are not comforting.

You would be surprised by how many questions you will be able to answer correctly by asking the educated Palo Altans around you.

The other option is to abandon morals and develop one’s typing speed to Google answers efficiently.

With this top-notch reliability, this is the route to take when in doubt.

Whether students prefer to play the game morally or not, Trivia Crack is the perfect mix of an enjoyable time-waster and educational activity, giving students an interactive way to become more aware about the world.

2014 report showed that 0.15 percent of mobile gamers bring in 50 percent of mobile games revenue. Working as a hybrid of gambling addiction and video game addiction, mobile gaming addiction is one of the most profitable industries in the technology sector.

One of the most profitable audiences for the mobile gaming industry is the teenage demographic.

Mobile gaming addiction, although often conflated with videogame addiction, is an entirely different beast. In fact, video-game addictions actually tend to be less expensive than mobile gaming addictions. Mobile games are designed to take little bits of money over and over again. For a video game, the expense is usually limited to the game itself and several add-ons. Games like Clash of Clans offer free installation to widen their audience, but rake in revenue when users make small purchases of Jewels, the game’s currency.

Many gamers think they have managed to escape this addiction because they’ve never made an inapp purchase. However, companies are not aiming for a high distribution of in-app purchases. Companies cast deliberately wide nets, hoping to capture what the industry refers to as “whales.” As big buyers, whales end up spending large amounts of money on upgrades and small in-app purchases. It’s no coincidence that the gambling industry uses this exact advertising when designing casinos.

Ads are another scheme that mobile game companies have perfected to maximize revenue. Many popular games will be free for download, but require a purchase to make the game “ad-free.” This allows companies to blast ads left, right, and center during your app experience in an effort to push you toward the premium version. However, even if you don’t go premium, they’ll make a hand-

some profit from the ads themselves.

Games like Trivia Crack will even utilize their carefully formulated addiction to ask you to watch an entire ad video for an extra life.

One specific tactic that’s become popular in addictive gaming has become a ‘stamina’ feature. Games like Trivia Crack and Puzzles and Dragons use this tactic to entice gamers to come back over and over again. These stamina restrictions can frequently be circumvented by making in-app purchases to buy more stamina.

Video game addictions actually tend to be less expensive than mobile gaming addictions.

Mobile games are designed to take little bits of money over and over again.

“I dropped about a hundred dollars in Puzzles and Dragons buying magic stones, a type of in game currency,” said junior Alan Hsu. Games like Clash of Clans have their own way of convincing gamers to pay money. The game begins easily enough, with upgrades being completed in 15 minutes or less.

However, after a couple weeks, most upgrades take more than a day.

The designers of the game have geared the game so that you’re addicted at this point, meaning you won’t quit once you see “Time Remaining: 2 Days 3 Hours 10 Minutes”. Once again, they cross their fingers and hope for ‘whales’, the gamers that will become impatient and decide to speed up construction using Jewels, an in game currency. Sooner or later, the Jewels run out and the whale buys more using real money.

Almost none of the top grossing apps on iOS or Android are actually possible to beat. Most of them have levels being added faster than most gamers are beating levels. It’s impossible to end the addiction to the game by ending it, meaning target consumers are there to stay.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

B4 text by

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT Tara M adHAv

the difference between reality and the media’s make believe for teens

I

REALITY

n the pilot episode of Britain’s acclaimed TV series “Skins”, heralded for its frank and human depiction of teenagers, members of the ensemble cast get drunk, pass out on pills, smoke marijuana and try to get an anorexic girl to have sex with the only virgin in the group.

Despite this drastic behavior, later on in the season, two friends clash over one’s homosexuality, clarinet recitals are practiced for and parents are a constant letdown, all starkly contrasting the outlandish activities above and grounding the series into a haunting, depressing reality.

Is this an accurate portrayal of teenage life?

“Skins” is only the tip of the iceberg of risque Western teen entertainment. From Harmony Korine’s NC-17 rated movie “Kids” (1995), portraying underage adolescents having random unprotected sex during the AIDS scare in New York City, to the homage to our hometown “Palo Alto” (2013), there is a slim chance for teenagers to be portrayed as anything other than the derisive, stoned, lost, angsty wild cards we all know, love and are — right? We all enjoy the perks of carefree drug use, sexual activity and parents who let their kids freely smoke cigarettes at the dining table.

Except not.

There are plenty of high schoolers in Palo Alto who choose to spend their time at band practice and the wellworn wood of their desks rather than indulging in contraband and lack of common sense. Cigarette smoking is only performed by the Center for Disease Control’s 14 percent of teenagers in the United States in 2012. There is also no question that there are teenagers out there that engage in this sort of Friday night fun. But is the real thing to the extent that we see on many outlets of teen media? There’s no barrier to what is broadcast onto screens, but should controversy for the sake of ratings extend to depictions of teenagers?

“

Friday, February 6, 2015

design by

cather ine Yu

Nikhil Rajaram

rupted version of yourself. And alas, there is more evidence to show that even beyond the scope of teen media, teenagers greatly misperceive the illicit activities of their peers.

A study published by researchers from UNC Chapel Hill, Stanford University, Tilburg University in the Netherlands and other institutions in Dec. 2014 suggests that adolescents overestimate the amount of sex, drugs and alcohol their peers engage in. As written in Stanford News, the experiment utilized 235 sophomores at a suburban high school for studying five social sub groups: the “popular” kids, “jocks,” “burnouts”, “brainiacs” and lastly, students who were not part of a single group. The team of researchers had each group report on their own activities regarding sexual activity, alcohol consumption and cigarette usage, among other related engagements. The results yielded some very surprising results. Each group estimated numbers that were way above the actual figures — for example, jocks reported that they almost never smoked, but other groups thought that the jocks smoked at least one cigarette a day.

Jocks also garnered higher numbers regarding interactions with sex and alcohol. On the other end of the spectrum, brainiacs studied much less than their peers thought. In fact, the self-reported statistics (the information that each group disclosed for themselves) did not differ from group to group. The distinction came with groups reporting on other groups.

Dr. Geoffrey Cohen, a researcher and professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, elaborated on why these discrepancies exist. “[Exaggerating risky behavior] just has more social currency,” Cohen said. “It’s easy... [People will absorb what is] available and salient.”

Cohen also mentions the availability heuristic, a psychological reaction that causes decisions to be made based on immediate recollections of past examples. Because these examples arise, people are inclined to believe that they reflect what may happen often or in the future. However, Cohen does emphasis that the exact cause of these misunderstandings is unclear.

“Where does the bias come from?” Cohen said. “We need more research on that.”

The concept of the availability heuristic suggests that teenagers may be recalling past examples of what they have seen on television or in the movies when trying to make decisions in real life. Perhaps teenagers are filling that uncertainty with what is influencing the environment around them.

Overall, as is obvious in this digital age, media is the collective wisdom of the times — it wields more power and influence than any other thing in our society. We cannot hope to connect with everyone in our peer groups. As Dr. Cohen adds, the fast paced lives of teenagers and tendency to not disclose information may cause misunderstandings even between good friends.

“It makes it really hard to know the truth about what is true in people’s hearts and minds,” said Dr. Cohen.

there is a slim chance for teenagers to be portrayed as anything other than the derisive, stoned, lost, angsty wild cards we all know, love and are — right?

“

One sampling of teen media to look at to help answer these questions is the film “Palo Alto,” a chronicle of the hyped-on-drugs-and-angst teenagers that make up James Franco’s 2010 book, also titled “Palo Alto.” The movie and book cover the varied misfortunes afflicting the teens of Franco’s high school era Palo Alto — a world of slowly evolving vices, quietly moving scenes and, in the novel, an indulgence in just about everything illegal. The movie features teenage bad behavior in all of its glory: Emily (Zoe Levin) gives out sexual favors, April (Emma Roberts) covets her soccer coach Mr. B ( James Franco) and the lost boy Teddy ( Jack Kilmer) commits a “hit and run” after binge drinking at a party. “Palo Alto” is a little different from the world of “Skins” and other foreign real life teenage dystopias — the kids that binge on alcohol and drive around in intoxicated stupors do so in our town, at places that we recognize such as Jordan Middle School, Palo Alto High School, Mitchell Park and other Palo Alto landmarks. The wandering, uncertain lives of these high schoolers is meant to reflect James Franco’s feelings about his time in the realm of adolescence.

“When I was in high school, I had friends and I had some good experiences, but I was also very confused,” Franco said in a series of interviews he conducted with the cast and crew of Palo Alto for V Magazine. “And I was kind of lonely a lot. There were some really sad things in all of that, and so at the time I think I probably wasn’t that happy, but going back and writing about it, even though I was writing about some hard experiences, it was actually really enjoyable.”

So Franco speaks from his heart. But still, both “Skins” and “Palo Alto” open up a debate about the quality of the media for teens out there. Is portraying teenagers engaging in illegal and dangerous activity an accurate portrayal of the trials and tribulations youth must go through with the angst of adolescence, or is it an over-exaggerated statement that may convince teenagers of standards of misbehaving that do not exist? James Franco’s work is from his own experiences, according to him, and he is allowed to write and create his own interpretation of high school life. Many of his characters go through heart-wrenching incidents and meet unbeatable obstacles.

B5

Real teenage life should not be measured against the false representations of movies, television and other media... Live your adolescent life by your standards and make choices that you deem fit.

out of the top 20 Nielsen-rated teen television shows, 83 percent contained some degree of sexual content.

While most teenage media, including “Palo Alto” and “Skins,” is considered artistic expression and not real life documentation, there are several studies out there that suggest media is affecting the way teens operate with themselves and their peers. The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill conducted a five year project from 2001 to 2005 which, according to their website, “examined the effects of a range of media on adolescents’ sexual health.” In total, ten different studies were published from the project by professors and researchers. While the findings were mainly focused on seventh and eighth graders, they offered a legitimate look at the effects of the media on teenage minds, especially concerning their sexuality. One study, entitled “The mass media are an important context for adolescents’ sexual behavior,” shows that teenagers’ sexual tendencies are swayed by what is portrayed in the media. One statistic offered in the paper said that out of the top 20 Nielsen-rated teen television shows, 83 percent contained some degree of sexual content. Compared with that, only 12 percent of said televised sexual content discussed sexual risk-taking and subsequent responsibility. The study also showed that “media variables added two percent to the prediction of intentions to have sexual intercourse in the near future.”

These studies show how the world of teen media creates a strange mirror for its target demographic: it is like looking into your reflection and seeing a cor-

“[Exaggerating risky behavior] just has more social currency, It’s easy... [People will absorb] what is available and salient.”

Dr. Geoffrey Cohen

Media fills the gap in lieu of truth. If one is not aware of what his or her peers are thinking, then the media becomes the easiest thing to grasp. When faced with ambivalences, teenagers can latch onto true or untrue information. And while artists and writers like Franco have every right to publish their material, the effects of their creations may not be so positive.

The truth is, real teenage life should not be measured against the false representations of movies, television and other media. Do not be fooled by what the media tells you about what is acceptable and what is not. Live your adolescent life by your standards and make choices that you deem fit. As Franco would have wanted, create an interpretation of the world that is true to your own experiences, not anybody else’s.

Friday, February 6, 2015

B6

How to be your own valentine

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Advantages of adopting a vegan diet

Alumna describes the environmental and personal benefits of choosing veganism Chelsea McIntosh

Staff Writer

C mischa nee

staff writer

Valentine’s Day can be a struggle for all of us single high schoolers. But I’m here to help you out with the perfect schedule to give you your own special day.

Preparation: 1. Purchase a body pillow with the appropriate measurements of your ideal suitor.

2. Preorder the most romantic bouquet you can find from flowers. com. Send it to your address with a computer-generated love note, so you don’t ruin the surprise.

3. Download the Invisible Boyfriend or Girlfriend app (it’s real, I promise — $25 on the app store). Instead of searching through thousands of fake profiles on Match.com or the trollers on Tinder, you can create the perfect man or woman for yourself (which for most of us will be another version of ourselves, because we’re all narcissistic at heart).

4. Men, shave one leg. Women, grow the hair out on the other (requires prior anticipation of loneliness). Now everyone gets to feel like they have someone of the opposite sex sleeping next to them!

Day of the 14th: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: Enjoy some quality time in bed cuddling with body pillow.

11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Suddenly remember that a package arrived from flowers.com and read love note: “It’s still a mystery to me, I haven’t got a clue, how I got so lucky and found you!”

11:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m.: Check phone to find a text from your “Imaginary Girlfriend” (Diana) inviting you to a romantic lunch for two at In-n-Out (she knows you too well).

11:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Shower (making sure to text a towel selfie to Diana and let her comment on how much work you’ve done on your abs) and put on the maroon v-neck sweater and chinos combination mom and dad gave you for Christmas.

12:20 p.m.-12:40 p.m.: Uber your way to In-n-Out. Make sure to take advantage of the free Valentine’s Day chocolates while practicing the flirty compliments you prepared for Diana on the driver.

12:40 p.m.-12:50 p.m.: Order two 3x3 animal styles, animal fries and shakes and return the cashier’s judgemental stare because he’s the one working on Valentine’s Day and you’ve got a date.

12:50 p.m.-02:00 p.m.: Give Diana a call and kick the conversation off with a few of the pick-up lines you read in the latest Buzzfeed article. “Are you going to kiss me or do I have to lie to my diary?”

02:00 p.m.-03:00 p.m.: Uber to the nearest beach while sitting on your hand till it goes numb and upon arrival, grasp numb hand (interlocking fingers, we’re being intimate here) as you fulfill your rom-com dream with a romantic walk along the sand.

03:00 p.m.-03:30 p.m.: After numbness wears off, find a private section of the coast as you continue your fantasy of “The Vow” (it’s all of our fantasies to be Channing Tatum, no judgement here) in the ocean (clothing optional).

03:30 p.m.-04:00 p.m.: Uber to the nearest hotel and give the driver all the dirty deets from your date.

04:00 p.m.-05:30 p.m.: Whip out the old arts and crafts and draw some brunette hair onto a mirror.

05:30 p.m.-08:00 p.m.: Enjoy a lengthy romantic dinner, “treat yo’ self ” (Aziz Ansari provides the best life guidance) with your hair mirror.

Be sure to sass the hostess when she asks “Table for one?”

08:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.: Birthday suit over to the bathtub and enjoy some well-deserved alone time ;).

ages lined up as far as the eye can see. The balking of hens echoes throughout a barn. Hens crammed together with barely enough room to turn around.

Cows and pigs who have never once seen the light of day. At age fourteen, a high school student realized one of the many reasons she would no longer support the factory farming industry. For Palo Alto High School alumna, Gunita Singh, being vegan is a chance to live out her ethics and heal the planet.

The negative aspects of factory farming led Singh to make the switch to vegetarianism.

“I first became vegetarian when I was a sophomore in high school,” Singh said. “I joined the animal rights club at my school and for the first time learned about the sheer horrors that take place on factory farms.”

Prior to moving to Palo Alto for her junior year of high school, Singh lived in New York City, where she became a vegetarian. The myriad of vegetarian food options that was available in this part of the country excited her.

“I was so excited [to move to Palo Alto] because the Bay Area truly is the Mecca of vegetarian food,” Singh said. “Places like Herbivore and Gracias Madre in San Francisco to Lyfe Kitchen right in Palo Alto have hearty, delicious and nutritious vegan options that I would recommend to devout vegans and meat-eaters alike.”

Her transition to veganism began in June 2012.

“One day it clicked for me that dairy and eggs come from the same place that meat comes from,” Singh said. “I learned that nearly all egg production facilities practice what

courtesy of Gunita singh

Alumna Gunita Singh explains factory farming to a Paly Living Skills class to raise awareness about its environmental effects.

is called ‘maceration’ — grinding up male baby chicks or suffocating them to death because male chicks are useless in the egg industry. I was shocked and knew I couldn’t support that.”

Factory farming isn’t only cruel to animals, but it is destroying our planet.

Gunita Singh Paly alumna

Singh emphasizes the additional benefits, aside from sparing the lives of farm animals across the country, that veganism has to offer.

“I also learned that industrialized factory farming is the number one cause of global climate change — that is — animal agriculture accounts for more greenhouse gases than the entire world’s transportation sector,” Singh said. “Factory farming isn’t only cruel to animals, but it is destroying our planet; by reducing or eliminating our consumption of animal products, we’re not only choosing compassion over cruelty, but we are

taking tangible steps toward mitigating global warming.”

Singh explains that going vegan is one of the best ways to be a direct agent of change by reducing animals’ suffering and curbing climate change.

“Amending our diets is a proven, effective way to create a better world,” Singh said.

Singh suggests a consistent and gradual transition to prevent relapses to prior dietary habits. For those concerned about protein intake, Singh provides a variety of nutritional options.

“There are so many places to get protein: legumes, dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, lentils — my favorite — tofu,” Singh said. “These are lean protein options, so they are actually a lot better for you than animal protein.”

Many who are unsure of becoming vegan are concerned about potential negative impacts the diet could have on their athletic pursuits. Singh references her friend, David Carter, an NFL defensive lineman who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. When David switched to veganism, all his small injuries from playing football such as tendonitis, arthritis and mus-

cle fatigue in his right arm all went away, according to an interview done

by Plant Built.

“Even if you’re super athletic, it’s more than possible to get the nutrients you need to live an active life through plant-based foods,” Singh said.

Singh explained that becoming vegan is not an all-or-nothing pursuit.

“By participating in Meatless Mondays, being ‘vegan till 6’ or even changing your diet in increments, you are pursuing a path that is best for you while keeping in mind the ultimate goal of improving your health, saving animals and helping the planet—and that is awesome!” Singh said.

Gunita Singh continues to work with animal-friendly organizations such as Hampton Creek, Mercy for Animals, the Factory Farm Coalition, The Humane League of the United States and Vegan Outreach. There are vegan substitutes for many foods.

Gunita Singh recommends visiting chooseveg.com for more resources on becoming vegan. In addition to visiting the website, students can visit an Animal Rights Club meeting.

The SAG war aftermath Alumnus works to Fifty actors and twenty five shows fought become a firefighter for coveted Screen Actors Guild awards Jake van zyll

senior staff writer

T

he 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards took place on Sunday, Jan. 25. and featured many of the same results as this year’s Golden Globes.

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Among the allstar cast are Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis and Naomi Watts.

English actor Eddie Redmayne secured the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his standout portrayal of Stephen Hawking in British director James Marsh’s “The Theory of Everything.” Redmayne also took home a Golden Globe for the role and is a favorable candidate for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

“Still Alice” star Julianne Moore won the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Her portrayal of a linguistics professor at an Ivy League university suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease also earned the actress a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

J.K. Simmons took home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his commanding role in breakout director Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed drama, “Whiplash.” The 60-year-old actor also received his first Golden Globe for the role along with an Oscar nomination.

For her role as a caring but stressed mother in the Oscar-nominated drama “Boyhood,” Patricia Arquette has already been awarded a Golden Globe and not surprisingly took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role as well. The actress is also up for an Oscar, and it would not be a huge shock if she won that award as well.

British drama “Downton Abbey” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in

a Drama Series, beating out worthy contenders such as HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and even Netflix’s critically acclaimed series, “House of Cards.”

Kevin Spacey proved to be the best of the best in the fierce category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor, winning the Actor for his work in Netflix’s “House of Cards,” beating out both “True Detective” protagonists, played by Woody Harrelson and Matthew Mcconaughey. Spacey also took home the Golden Globe for his portrayal of ruthless politician Frank Underwood.

Underdog Viola Davis was awarded the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in the crime/thriller series “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Davis won over several favorable candidates, including Spacey’s “House of Cards” co-star Robin Wright.

Netflix’s original series “Orange is the New Black” won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, winning the award over ABC’s “Modern Family” and Fox’s “Brooklyn Ninenine.” The announcement came as a shock and is confirmation that Netflix is capable of producing critically acclaimed hits, both in drama and comedy genres.

Primetime Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba took home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as a wide-eyed, mentally unstable prisoner in “Orange is the New Black.” The actress beat out leading lady Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” along with comedian Amy Poehler of “Parks and Recreation.”

William H. Macy of Showtime’s hit comedy “Shameless” won the Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

The two-time SAG Award winner triumphed in a category comprised of exemplary nominees, such as Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory,” Louis C.K of FX’s “Louie” and SAG Award winner Eric Stonestreet of “Modern Family.”

The SAG Awards marked the last major award show until The 87th Academy Awards, which will take place on Feb. 22.

Walker Mees explains how he balances academic life and a fiery fast-paced career

courtesy of walker mees

Walker Mees participates in an emergency simulation as a part of his fire training.

Lori Huang

staff writer

B

eing a firefighter is a thrilling childhood dream for many. It appeals to kids with its exciting, adventurous nature and offers countless opportunities to do good for the community. However, as children in Palo Alto grow up, academic pressure causes many to dismiss the potentially low paying career. By the time high school wraps up and career paths and secondary education become increasingly pressing issues, this choice is largely forgotten.

Walker Mees, Palo Alto High School Class of 2013, was a student who pursued a career in the fire service.

After graduation, Mees chose to continue his education at Kenyon College in Ohio where he currently attends. In addition to the academic courses, he volunteers as a firefighter in his spare time. On the weekends, he also works paid shifts at another station. The shifts can be hard to handle, but professors are generally understanding about the occasional missed class, such as when he is out on a call.

Throughout high school, Mees did not considered a career in the fire service, though he did have a general idea of what direction he wanted to go in.

“I was always intrigued by law enforcement or the military, just having a job that didn’t involve sitting at a desk for eight hours a day,” Mees said.

He first saw a flier posted by the local fire department, which said that it was looking for applicants, then attended a meeting and applied in the recruitment process.

Though firefighting may not be a common career path, departments are generally still very competitive.

They mainly follow a strict hierarchy similar to that in a military, and the system is reflected even for entering firefighters.

To Mees, the entire process was personally rewarding, despite the numerous challenges.

“Being able to help people out in their time of need is always a good feeling,” Mees said.

The focus of the job is still on community service, and that is a focus for senior firefighters looking for new applicants in a department. As demanding as the job can potentially be, emergency response can often be inspiring.

“There are some calls that are more memorable than others, though,” Mees said. “Last year our crew was able to bring a man back to life using CPR after he suffered a heart attack.

It was great to see all of our training pay off when it really mattered.”

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B7 Predictions for the 2015 Academy Awards winners Hypothesizing fantastical, magical Oscar outcomes for films “Boyhood,” “Birdman,” “Still Alice” and “Whiplash” SARAH WANG

STAFF WRITER

B

est Picture: “Boyhood” It would be a shame and a waste of twelve long years of hard work if “Boyhood” did not take the Oscar for Best Picture. The film follows Mason Evans Jr. and his broken family from his childhood to his late teenage years, with the same actors portraying the same characters for all 12 years. Nothing in this film is as intense or dramatic as many of the other films nominated in this category, but that is the very reason why “Boyhood” touches audiences the most. Watching the movie is like watching life, and we get to see Mason grow and more inspiringly, his parents, grow before our eyes in a manner that everyone can relate to.

There is no climax and there is no closure, but that’s life, and “Boyhood” does an exceptional job of depicting it.

Next Best: “Birdman” Best Director: Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” Following the trend of winning Best Picture and Director, Linklater seems to be the most obvious choice for the Oscar for his work on “Boyhood.” Being dedicated to one film project for 12 years is a feat in itself, and Linklater manages to bring out truthful performances from all his actors throughout the process. His filming of simple scenes like Mason going to college and emotional scenes like the mother saying goodbye are all weighted with meaning, and no scene is sloppily done. Linklater deserves this Oscar not only for the quantity of work he put in, but also for the quality of work he produced.

Next Best: Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”

design by rachel farn

Best Actor: M i c h a e l K e a t o n , “Birdman” In what some critics are calling his “comeback” performance, Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Riggan Thomson in “Birdman” has made him the frontrunner for Best Actor. Keaton’s character attempts to stage a comeback in his acting career by starring in a Broadway show, while also dealing with confusing hallucinations that sometimes are hard to distinguish from reality. In his portrayal of Thomson, Keaton exhibits a wide range of emotions throughout the film from pathetic desperation to extreme anger while also managing to weave in humor. Keaton’s performance is a once in a lifetime portrayal that has been a long time coming for the experienced

actor, and it seems that it would only be fair and respectful to give him the long awaited Oscar.

Next Best: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” Best Actress: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” Julianne Moore’s exceptional acting in “Still Alice” is the clear choice for Best Actress. Moore plays an accomplished linguistics professor at Columbia University who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease at age 50. She and her family must adjust to her diagnosis as her condition worsens every day. Moore portrays her character’s gradual deterioration with chilling accuracy, sometimes using only her eyes and voice tones to convey her confusion

of who and where she is. She leaves her dignity behind the camera in several scenes, leaving everyone feeling uncomfortable while she pees in her pants when she can’t find the bathroom and while she sits in the corner like a child as her own children discuss what to do with her. Julianne Moore never left viewers doubting what pain she was going through and experiencing throughout the film and deserves the Oscar for what might be her best performance yet.

Next Best: Reese Witherspoon, “Wild” Best Supporting Actor: J . K .

Simmons, “Whiplash” J.K. Simmons pushes the boundaries of what role a teacher should play in a student’s success in his por-

trayal of Terrence Fletcher in “Whiplash.” In the film, teenager Andrew Neimann, played by Miles Teller, joins Fletcher’s band as a drummer, and soon realizes that maintaining his position will take more than just hard work. Fletcher shows his true colors when he begins to verbally and physically abuse Neimann, a teaching style Fletcher believes will help his students achieve greatness. Simmons’ terrifying performance overshadows all other roles in the film, including Teller’s performance as the main character. Just when you begin to think that Fletcher may have a warm, beating heart, Simmons strikes back with another angry tirade and cruel punishment that sends everyone pressed back against their seats.

Next Best: E d w a r d N o r t o n , “Birdman” Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” Patricia Arquette’s portrayal of Mason’s single mother in “Boyhood” is definitely the standout performance of the film and should earn her the Best Supporting Actress award. The audience gets to see her character work so hard to provide and care for her children, always putting them first even when they seem to disregard her. And after all her blood, sweat and tears, in a scene where we expect her to revel in her success after raising two kids, we see her break down during what is definitely her Oscar winning moment. Arquette makes no attempt to glorify her role and shows us the gritty reality of being a single mother: putting everyone first but having no one put you first.

Throughout the film, we watch Arquette give a shockingly realistic portrayal of a woman who never seems to have it all.

Next Best: Laura Dern, “Wild”

Sushiritto expands into Palo Alto Poshmark improves Sushi and burritos join forces in varying degrees of deliciousness Jeremy Fu

staff writer

New app makes a unique shopping platform

S

ushirrito, a restaurant that serves fusion sushi burritos, recently opened a new in downtown Palo Alto in order to cater to the heart of Silicon Valley. The popular chain has three restaurants in San Francisco and was started out of a need for a convenient and cheap alternative to sushi.

The new eatery is located between Chantal Guillon and Umami Burger at 448 University Ave., in a space previously occupied by Sabrosa Taqueria.

Inside the restaurant is modest seating and a food bar where employees build your Sushirrito to order.

Sushirrito is the brainchild of Peter Yen, who teamed up with Ty Mahler to create the eclectic combinations of flavors for their Sushirritos. They opened their first store in San Francisco South of Market Street in 2011 and opened more stores soon after in the Financial District.

A Sushirrito is exactly what one might expect. Its essentially a giant sushi roll, not wrapped in a tortilla, but in nori or seaweed. While they are not quite as large as the colossal Chipotle burritos, Sushirritos are still quite large and are just as satisfying.

Sushirritos are inspired by Asian and Latin ingredients and each one has a long list of fillings to provide a variety of flavors and textures.

The store sells eight different Sushirritos, along with salads and nachos. Keeping with the burrito theme, Sushirritos are wrapped in paper to allow for a somewhat mess-free eating experience. A common problem while eating was dealing with the seaweed paper falling apart, causing the roll to lose its shape. As Sushirritos range from $9 to $13, here are some recommendations before you decide to take the leap. Sushirrito is open Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Geisha’s Kiss - $12 Rating: 3/5 Sushirrito’s most popular roll, Geisha’s Kiss is generously stuffed with Yellowfin Tuna sashimi. Inside the roll there is also Tamago, a Japanese layered omelet and Yuzu Tobiko, a fish roe flavored with citrus. Although these ingredients were some-

used-clothes market Reilly Filter

staff writer

KAte Deandre

staff writer

L Aiva Petriceks/The campanile

A unique take on sushi, vegetarian dish Buddha’s Belly is a popular customer choice.

what muddled by the great amount of sesame white soy sauce that was put into the roll. The Namasu cucumbers gave the roll a nice sweet and sour component, while the Piquillo peppers gave it a little spice. However, the lotus chips stole the show in this sushirrito, lending a nice crunch to offset the textures of the other soft ingredients. The avocado and butter lettuce freshened up the entire roll, making it seem lighter than it really was. Overall, it was a nice roll, albeit somewhat complicated.

Buddha’s Belly - $9 Rating: 4/5 The Buddha’s Belly is a flavorful vegetarian Sushiritto for those seeking to avoid eating meat. The eggplant, one of the main components of the roll, paired well with the numerous other ingredients. It was slightly spicy, which was very noticeable while eating the roll. The portobello mushroom fries gave the roll a nice meaty bite, and more body, while the carrots and kale gave the roll a nice freshness and crunch, giving the roll a pleasant texture. This roll also had a very peculiar sauce, made from tofu and roasted garlic. However, this sauce worked well in combination with the other flavors, giving the entire roll a nice flavorful finish.

The sauce also worked well together with the avocado to give the entire roll some much needed richness. This Sushirrito felt much lighter than the other rolls available, yet it was still very satisfying because of the mushrooms and eggplant.

Sumo Crunch - $10.50 Rating: 3/5 The Sumo Crunch is a good option if you are not a fan of raw fish.

Inside the roll there are shrimp tempura, surimi crab, shaved cabbage, cucumber and avocado. The roll is rolled in red tempura flakes, giving the roll a bright red tone reminiscent of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The surimi crab, or imitation crab, was nothing special, but took up most of the roll. So, if you are not too keen on ambiguous ground seafood, choose a different roll. However, the cabbage and cucumber gave the roll a nice crunch, while the avocado gave the roll a creamy finish. Once again, the sauce that was not particularly appealing. It was a Sriracha mayonnaise, and while the combination was not bad, it was unnecessary in the roll.

Porkivore - $9.50 Rating: 4.5/5 As the name implies, this roll is full of pork, for the carnivore. Inside this roll, there were nice big chunks of pork. The pork was not too fatty but not too lean and although the pork was slightly dry, it was nicely seasoned. Meanwhile, the mustard seed mayo that accompanied it gave the roll a mild kick but did not overpower the rest of the ingredients. There were also fresh ingredients in the form of shredded cabbage and shredded red radish. Once again, there was also avocado, which seems to appear in most of the rolls. However, there was also cilantro in the roll, which gave the roll a nice herbaceous finish.

ocally run fashion app Poshmark is the trendiest way to buy and sell lightly worn women’s clothing. This mobile marketplace features brands ranging from Gucci to Forever 21 to satisfy customers with a wide range of tastes.

“It is built upon a vibrant social network comprised of millions of women who use the app daily to sell items from their closets, shop the closets of other women across America, start businesses by opening virtual boutiques and connect around their love of fashion and each other,” Joanna Riedl, Head of Poshmark Public Relations, said.

When signing up, the user selects the particular brands and sizes of choice to better filter her selections.

The user has to go through a fairly brief process to post an item to the Poshmark feed. The clothing owner has to snap a picture of the item, categorize it, add the price and wait for notifications from possible shopper.

It is designed to make the experience at either end completely effortless.

It is built upon a vibrant social network comprised of millions of women who use the app daily to sell items from their closets, shop the closets of other women..., start businesses... and connect around their love of fashion.

Joanna Riedl

Head of Poshmark Public Relations Poshmark was founded by Manish Chandra and co-founded by Gautam Golwala, Chetan Pungaliya and Tracy Sun in December 2011. Chandra created Poshmark after establishing another fashion website, Kaboodle.

“Having built the first social shopping site Kaboodle, Manish realized that shopping for women is inherent-

ly a social activity and they constantly want to share new trends and get second opinions on outfits,” Riedl said.

“He saw the need for a platform that tapped into a huge market, as fashion is a $350 billion industry each year in the U.S.” Compared to competing mobile shopping tools like Vinted, eBay and Craigslist, Poshmark has gained popularity from Palo Alto High School students due to its simplicity and several unique features.

“This application is one of the most efficient ways to clean out my closet, and inexpensively find designer clothes for a more reasonable price”, senior Chloe Finley said. “I love this app because it gave me an alternative rather than just throwing out or giving away my clothes. Plus, Poshmark gives you the option to either redeem your money or have credit towards future purchases.”

Some of these features include Posh parties and showrooms. Posh parties are events put together by users to meet up and swap clothing and to become acquainted with other Poshmark consumers. The parties connect shoppers of similar interests and clothing styles. Showrooms are designed to categorize items based on popularity and trendiness, some of which include Pandora jewelry, Diane von Furstenberg dresses and fuchsia apparel.

“It is an easy way to find the newest, in-demand products to stay up to date on styles,” sophomore Gill Robins said. “It is a great way to save money while still looking cute at the same time.”

Sophomore Meredith Cummings was one of the many who used to sell her clothes via Instagram, and has recently made the switch to selling through Poshmark, to garner more publicity, a personalized selection and an effortlessly rapid revenue.

“The marketplace has changed many women’s lives across America,” Reidl said. “Some were able to quit their day jobs and start successful businesses on the app. Some have even made over $20,000 a month selling on the app.”

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B8

rs to know in 2015 What to Watch My Channel

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ith over 40 percent of people online utilizing YouTube everyday, it is rapidly becoming the new form of media. The surplus of content on the website means there is always something new to watch. From the outside, it may seem as though YouTube is filled with only funny cat videos, but upon deeper examination, one will find that YouTube has created a new form of entertainment, and a new type of celebrity. Not a celebrity that is followed around by cameras of paparazzi constantly, but rather a celebrity who chooses to film themself every day. If someone does not know any of these YouTube celebrities, no worries, here are the five YouTube stars people should know in 2015:

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courtesy of John and Hank Green

Last summer, millions of teens found themselves sobbing while watching “The Fault in Our Stars.” They can blame the heartbreaking movie on the author who wrote the book the film was based on, John Green. Along with being a #1 New York Times bestselling author, Green has become famous with teenagers through the YouTube channel, vlogbrothers, which he created with his brother Hank. The two make a wide variety of videos ranging from educational topics, such as discussing the political situation in Syria, to humorous videos on farts. The brothers also created the YouTube convention VidCon in 2010, which has grown to become the largest YouTube convention, where 18,000 YouTube fans gather together each year. Another annual event they run is Project for Awesome, a 48-hour live stream that raises money for multiple charities which is chosen through online votes. The 2014 Project for Awesome raised more than $1.2 million to be split among Books for Africa, Witness Center for Excellence in Education and nine other charities with the help of their dedicated fans, nerdfighteria. Together, they have created the catch phrase ‘don’t forget to be awesome’ or better known as DFTBA. Their main goal along with their fans is to decrease “world suck.”

Bethany Mota

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YouTube can be an outlet for teenagers to forget about the troubles in their everyday life and share their passions with others. Bethany Mota, who started her YouTube channel when she was 13 years old, is the poster child for this idea. Mota created her YouTube channel, macbarbie07, after being bullied. She now has the 35th most subscribed channel. Her fans, or as she calls them “motavators,” fell in love with Mota’s quirky and sassy personality. Her motavators helped Mota win a Teen Choice Award for Choice Female Webstar in 2014. She started to create her own empire after launching her clothing line with Aeropostale in December 2013, which helped with the retailer’s sales among teenage girls. Traditional media started to notice Mota, and she became the first YouTube star to be casted on Dancing with the Stars, placing fourth in the shows 19th season. With her growing presence on social media and her successful clothing line, it is hard to tell what the future holds for the 19-year-old.

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Much like the current British invasion going on in the music industry, with artists like Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran, the same trend is occurring online. Leading the YouTube invasion is beauty blogger Zoe Sugg, better known as Zoella. She started her online career with her blog www.zoella.co.uk, and soon later started her channel. Sugg is the 46th most subscribed YouTuber, as her channel has over 7.1 million subscribers and 344 million views. She has gained popularity viewers through her perky, bubbly personality that shows through her hauls, hair and makeup tutorials or lifestyle videos. She has been open with her struggles with anxiety and promotes mental health throughout her channel. Her vulnerability along with her best friend attitude helped her win the Radio 1 Teen Choice Award for Best British Vlogger in 2013 and 2014. Sugg began to create her own productions after launching her bath and beauty line, Zoella Beauty, in September 2014. In addition to her work in the beauty industry, Sugg published her first book, “Girl Online,” in November 2014. The New York Times bestseller broke the record for highest first-week sales for a debut author. With the announcement of sequel to “Girl Online” coming this summer, 2015 is just the beginning for Sugg’s new empire.

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Everyone has that one friend who thinks he or she can sing, but whose voice actually sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

For 3.1 million people, that friend is Miranda Sings. According to her Twitter bio, she is an actress, singer, dancer, model and magician. Miranda’s fans, or better known as Mirfandas, became intrigued with her high rise sweatpants, ugly shirt, red lipstick that goes beyond her lips, crooked smile and her catchphrase “haters back off.” While watching Miranda, don’t be worried that this tone-deaf person actually thinks she’s a talented singer, Miranda is actually a character created and played

by Colleen Ballinger. The character of Miranda was made as a satire of the mediocre egotistical singers trying to make it big through YouTube. Miranda has made appearances on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Ballinger has also been taking the character of Miranda on tour since 2009. Miranda is going on tour again in 2015 with her, “Miranda 4 President” tour where she claims she was born to be president and will run in 2015.

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It is common for people on Tumblr to be self proclaimed professional fangirls openly sharing their love for One Direction or Beyonce. For most, their online obsession is shared between their close friends. However, Tyler Oakley shares his love for Queen B to 6.3 million of his best friends. He has gained followers through his bubbly and joyful personality, and his videos range from talking about health care to his love for taco bell. His best friend attitude has helped him have the 62nd most subscribed channel. After making his channel in September 2007, Oakley soon came out to his fans and is now an Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) activist. For his 25th birthday in March 2014, Oakley conducted a birthday fundraiser with the Trevor Project, an organization for the prevention of suicide for LGBTQ youth. He initially intended to raise $150,000, but quickly surpassed that raising $525,704 for the charity. In 2014, Oakley won two awards at the teen choice awards, choice favorite male YouTube star and choice web collaboration with Australian YouTuber Troye Sivan. 2015 holds even more success for the philanthropic YouTube personality.

This edition featuring:

Josh Code with The Campanile’s own

Claire Dennis, Mischa Nee and Aiva Petriceks The Campanile: So you’re from Pennsylvania?

Josh Code: *Drops popsicle* Yeah, a lot of people think Pennsylvania’s one of those states that doesn’t have much. But we actually have a lot. We have lax gun laws, rednecks, a lot of farms, Hershey’s chocolate, Philly cheesesteaks and the liberty bell, but I mean it has the crack, so it’s not really relevant anymore.

TC: What would you name your first child?

JC: Well, I like the ring of the name Da Vinci. Oh, Morse is definitely a runner up. As well as secret. I feel like people would laugh at my children but that’s okay.

TC: Would they be laughed at more than gingers?

JC: No, gingers are the laughing stock of our time. But they’re really great people.

TC: What did you think of Katy Perry’s Superbowl performance?

JC: Well when she had that wrist strap thing on that cracked me up because it reminded me of the Wii strap, and it’s like she was playing Wii and had to suddenly go sing at the Superbowl. She had those sharks and was wearing that fire costume.

TC: What did you think of the left shark?

JC: You know, I think he honestly just tried his best.

TC: Do you think he was under the influence?

JC: No, we’re all just trying to make it out here. It’s a shark eat shark world out there.

TC: Do you have any ladies in your life?

JC: I’d like to take this moment to give a shout out to my Chemistry Honors teacher Ms. Lalonde. Every day I make sure that I go as fast as I can to fourth period Chem H in room 1706, just because I can’t wait to see her everyday, and she puts a huge smile on my face that no one else can do.

TC: Does she inspire you?

JC: She inspires me to do the best that I ever can. She makes me want to take AP Chem and college chem after that. She makes me want to become a chem teacher, but I know I will never be as good as her at teaching chem. When she hands me back my test grade, I just beam at her because I know she pushes me to do the best that I can.

TC: Are you going to send anyone a Valgram?

JC: Well, there’s some soda in the valgram. So I was thinking I could send it to Ms. Lalonde, and she could do a chemistry experiment because I’m always yearning to learn more about chemistry and I feel like she just makes everything fun. Also I would send one to Ms. Kofman. But I would drink the soda first because, I know that soda is an unhealthy choice and Ms. Kofman is all about being healthy, so I wouldn’t disrespect her like that. And I’d also give her some muscle milk because it’s healthy, and she gets really excited about the weight training unit.

TC: Any last words for the Palo Alto community?

JC: Drink milk. Because I know that after a certain time in your growth schedule as a teenager, your bones do not absorb anymore calcium and after that until you die, you’re just living on the calcium you absorbed as a teenager.

TC: We did not sign up for a bio lesson.

The Campanile

Friday, February 6, 2015 ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Goalkeeper Eli

SPORTS

Friedlander has allowed only one goal in this season.

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The argument for choosing Division Three athletics Graduated Paly athletes discuss why they chose to play sports at the DIII level during their college years

Aiva Petriceks

Staff Writer

F

or many, an immediate association with college sports is stadiums filled with screaming fans, many of whom are painted head to toe in their college colors. Further connections include March Madness, college football playoffs and athletes that are bound to go professional. This is descriptive of Division One (DI) sports. DI sports contain the best athletes in the nation, playing at the highest intensity possible at the collegiate level. For these athletes, playing their sport is comparable to working a job.

But where do the athletes who want to pursue their sport at a collegiate level go, if they don’t necessarily want a career in sports? The answer is Division Three (DIII).

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) websites states that “more than 180,000 student-athletes at 450 institutions make up Division III, the largest NCAA division both in number of participants and number of schools.”

DIII schools are typically small liberal arts schools, and unlike DI, their games are not filled with screaming fans. So why choose DIII over the glitz and the glamor that comes with being a DI athlete?

If you take a risk, it might just work out really well, and that was my case. You know, go for it — you have nothing to lose.

Chris Bisbee Paly alumnus

Palo Alto High School alumna Maddie Kuppe helped the Lady Vikes win back-to-back state volleyball championships. After her graduation in 2012, Kuppe started her college career playing DI at the University of Connecticut (UConn).

“Playing DI was just as I expected in terms of speed of play and intensity, but it was different in that every detail of the game became so incredibly crucial,”

Kuppe said. “And as much as you can understand how the game is going to speed up at that level, I found getting used to consistently performing with that intensity to be much more of a challenge.”

After playing two seasons at UConn, Kuppe decided that playing DI volleyball was not for her. This left her with the task of finding a new college that she could call home for her junior and senior years.

“I wasn’t necessarily set on DIII, but Tufts [University] is where I found the perfect combination of volleyball, academics and culture.”

Kuppe said. “It’s nice to finally be in a place where I feel truly at home.”

After playing at Tufts, Kuppe has embraced being a part of the DIII community.

“DIII is special because any athletes who have lost their love for the game can choose to quit if they want, as their education is not dependent on athletic participation,” Kuppe said.

“That kind of commitment — both passionate and self-driven — sets a standard of competition and effort that can’t be compared to one based largely on scholarships, verbal agreements and contracts.”

Kuppe’s Paly teammate, Shelby Knowles, who graduated in 2013, decided early on that playing DI would not be the right fit for her.

“I had friends that had gone to play DI, my mom played DI, so I knew the intensity of that kind of level,” Knowles said. “Also with my height, I wasn’t really seeing myself thriving at a DI school. Throughout the college process, as I looked at schools and talked to coaches, I kind of realized DIII might have been the best option.”

When Knowles found Wheaton College, she knew it was where she was meant to be.

“When I found Wheaton, I was pretty sure I could play volleyball,” Knowles said. “But at this point I was like, ‘I want to go to this college and I will play volleyball there,’ and less, ‘I’m gonna go play volleyball and do it at this school.’ Once I found Wheaton, volleyball was on the side.”

At first, many high school athletes do not consider playing collegiate sports. That was the case for Paly alum Chris Bisbee, who graduated in 2012.

Macalester College asked him to play football for them in his junior

year, and he could not turn down the opportunity.

“To be honest, I wasn’t planning on playing football in college,” Bisbee said. “[I met] with an academic representative from the school who put me in touch with the football coach.

They reached out to me, I visited it, I liked it,and all of a sudden, I’m a college athlete.”

A relevant question to ask yourself is, would you rather spend the next four years training like a professional athlete or cultivating your career and participating in extracurriculars?

zo said. “You get to the end of your career and you can look back on it and see how much it’s done for you.”

For any student who loves his or her sport, DIII is an option.

But after a while with hourlong lifts, hour-long film sessions — it got to be like a job, and a lot more than I expected going into it.

Walker Mees Paly alumnus

“Search up schools — there’s certainly a spot for pretty much everyone,” Schmarzo said. “Talk to a coach, email a coach, don’t be afraid and try out as many schools as possible.”

However, when making this decision it is important for the athlete to evaluate what his or her priorities are.

“A relevant question to ask yourself is, would you rather spend the next four years training like a professional athlete or cultivating your career and participating in extracurriculars?” Kuppe said.

“Or both? Based on your answer, you fall somewhere on the spectrum from DI to DIII or even club sports — which I learned can be very cool as well!”

Choosing whether or not one wants to play DIII is tough, but a lot of athletes will encourage prospective athletes to take the leap.

“If you take a risk, it might just work out really well, and that was my case,” Bisbee said. “You know, go for it — you have nothing to lose.”

Maddie Kuppe Paly alumna

One thing that may come as a shock is the time commitment that DIII sports take up. Paly alum Walker Mees (‘13) started out college playing lacrosse at Kenyon College.

“Going into it, I was really fired up,” Mees said. “It was very intense from the time we got on campus.

Starting with workouts, lifts, fall ball — that kind of stuff. I liked the intensity. I liked that the coaches expected a lot from us. But after a while, with hour-long lifts, hour-long film sessions, it got to be like a job, and a lot more than I expected going into it.”

Knowles echoed Mees’ belief that DIII sports are more consuming than people may think.

“DIII is still no joke,” Knowles said. “Volleyball season is intense. We have practice six days a week, we have to be on the road for games, we still have spring season and we’re working out everyday. It is not like a, ‘I’m gonna go play my sport for fun.’”

Despite the large time commitment, DIII still gives athletes time to pursue other passions.

“I lead young life on the side, [I’m] still a part of symphonic band and I get to pursue a lot of different things,” Knowles said. “Its been perfect for me. I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot of the intensity of volleyball by coming to a DIII school. I still feel like I’m playing at a good level and I’m at a place where I can thrive with the skill level I’m at.”

However, for Mees, the time commitment for lacrosse became too

Courtesy of Allison Freet

Paly alumna Shelby Knowles hits the ball in a Wheaton College volleyball game.

INSIDE

COmmERcIAlIZATION Of SPORTS

much, and he quit the team after his freshman season.

“I was spending more time than I wanted to on lacrosse,” Mees said.

“Going to a good school like Kenyon, I wasn’t spending enough time on school and my grades started to drop, so that was a big deciding factor for me as well.”

Even though quitting lacrosse was hard for Mees, he now has more time to focus on his future career.

“I definitely don’t regret playing, but I wouldn’t say I regret quitting either,” Mees said. “It is never fun to quit something, but I do have a lot more free time now to focus on school work. I’m also on the fire department out here so I have more time to spent doing that stuff, which I really love.”

The best part of being on a DIII team for most is the connection made among teammates.

“It was the best way to meet 70 or 75 people that way and they become your best friends for the next four years,” Bisbee said.

At the DI level, there is high competition among teammates to get starting positions, and for a freshman to get one of those can cause drama amongst teammates. In DIII, this was not the case for Knowles.

“I was completely accepted into the team here and I was able to start as a freshman, and there was no team drama with that,” Knowles said. “It was all team love that I received from them.”

Paly alumnus Max Schmarzo, a current senior at Coe College, has gotten to spend the last four years playing basketball, the sport he loves.

“This year, my senior year, is probably the best because you do realize how much you enjoy basketball and how important it is to you,” Schmar-

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Friday, February 6, 2015

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Hang Loose, Dude!

The Campanile

SPORTS Girls basketball Wrestling prepares continues success for final matches Winning streak remains after Quad Night MASHA KONKOV

STAFF WRITER

KAI ODA

THOMAS RAUNER-SWAN

STAFF WRITERS

Thomas: At 8:03 in the morning, Kai and I strap our stiff leashes to the boards and get ready to launch into the water. The rising sun is just starting to warm the coarse sand, but our feet are freezing as we walk toward the water. Head high waves crash against the rocks further down the beach. Already, there were roughly 60 surfers in the water.

Kai had been surfing since he was five-years-old and decided to teach me. According to Kai, the day we picked to surf was just about perfect.

I had my doubts about the seven-foot waves which spit foam high into the air. Nevertheless, I stood on the sand of Capitola beach, which, according to Kai, is the friendliest beach in Santa Cruz.

The first thing I noticed when I got into the water was how cold it was. The slightly baggy neoprene wetsuit that was supposed to keep me warm smelled of rubber. Kai and I paddled out to where the waves were breaking, and I watched Kai catch a ride all the way to the beach. How hard could this be?

After ten minutes battling the waves, Kai suggested that we paddle down the beach where the waves were a bit smaller and less crowded.

Seconds after arriving at the spot, he pointed the nose of my board toward shore and screamed at me to paddle.

As the wave approached he gave me a push to increase my speed. The wave propelled me forward and I managed to push myself to a standing position.

Suddenly, I was rocketing towards shore feeling excited, exhausted and terrified that I got up on my first try.

After about an hour I started to get so cold that I had to get out of the water. I sat and watched Kai surf with the experts.

Kai: Thomas may make surfing sound exciting and hip, but like any other sport, there are a few risks. When I was ten years old another surfer smashed into the back of my head, giving me a concussion and opening a gash that required four staples. I have seen people get swept about a half mile out from the beach by strong currents. The worst part is the rocks.

They will cut up your feet, your board or pretty much anything that comes close to them. However, most risks can be avoided by being cautious and not paddling out into conditions you cannot handle. So when I said that the seven foot waves were perfect for Thomas, I lied.

There are three things you need before you can ride in style: a board, a leash and a wetsuit. You can get a longboard, shortboard, fish, hybrid or malibu surfboard. Trust me, the eight foot Costco Wavestorm is the perfect board for every novice surfer. Once you get that fancy board you need something to prevent it from flying into the rocks (and other people). This is where that leash comes in, tethering the board to your ankle. Finally, there is the wetsuit. Santa Cruz is not Hawaii, and the water is cold. How cold? Try fifty-three degrees. Without a wetsuit, you’ll become friends with hypothermia. O’Neill usually makes the best wetsuits, though Body Glove and Ripcurl are also good options.

So you’ve got the equipment and the knowledge, now all you need is to head out to a break that is right for you. Within Santa Cruz, there are three breaks that cater to beginners.

Capitola beach, 38th Avenue and Cowells beach are all excellent places for first time surfers.

Surfing in California has taken on a localized, almost aggressive, vibe as it became more popular. Even the “recreational” surfers will shout at people to get off waves and even threaten physical violence. However, surfing for me is about losing track of time in the rolling waves. If you ever want to head out and experience the thrill of one of the best activities, Santa Cruz, one of the greatest spots, is just a mere hour away.

T

he Palo Alto High School girls basketball team is retaining the lead on the league scoreboard. Earning victories at their last five games, the Lady Vikes are confident about their hopes of claiming the Central Coast Section title and heading to states.

During Quad Night on Jan. 30, the Lady Vikes played a dramatic game against Wilcox High School, defeating them with the final score of 49-34.

We didn’t want to throw away our perfect league record like that so in the second half we came out harder.

Maddy Atwater

Varsity Basketball Player The first quarter finished in Wilcox’s favor at 13-9 and point guard Maddy Atwater temporarily out of the game after receiving three foul calls over seven minutes. With one of their vital players off the court, the Vikings victory was not guaranteed.

“It definitely made us realize that we have to play smarter,” sophomore Skylar Burris said. “It brought us down for a bit but we were able to get our heads back into the game because we know each other as a team.”

Lead changes and more foul calls filled the second quarter, with the Wilcox Chargers highest winning margin at 16-9.

The first half finished with 17 fouls combined for both teams and the score close as can be at 23-22 Vi-

kings. With each team having a fair chance, the victor was to be determined purely by the second half.

Juniors Courtney Lovely and Atwater step up to raise the score to 2522, maintaining a close lead for the duration of the third quarter. Going into the home stretch at 35-32 Vikings, this game was unexpectedly exciting.

Star shooter Lauren Koyama, who averages 9.9 points per game, nailed two three pointers, and the other girls excelled in free throws, closing the game out with a victorious 49-34 win.

“We definitely got frustrated with all of the foul calls, but it made us more careful in the second half,” Koyama said. “We knew we had to adapt to the calls, and come out stronger to win the game.”

“We’ve definitely become a much better team this year and our free throws are just one of the things that’s we’ve improved on,” Burris said.

Atwater is second in the league with her average of 3.4 assists per game and junior Alexis Harris is first in the league averaging 2.1 blocks a game. The Lady Vikes average 53.4 points per game and 9.3 assists per game.

“The foul calls really affected us because I had to sit out the second quarter and two of our big girls, Alexis and Skylar were both in foul trouble too leaving us vulnerable in the key,” Atwater said. “We didn’t want to throw away our perfect league record like that so in the second half we came out harder.”

There will be an away game at Mountain View High School on Feb. 13 and a home game versus Los Gatos High School on Feb. 18.

Team makes realistic goals for last duels

COURTESY OF KATIE FOUG

Junior Emil Wolfgramm tackles an opponent at an away match, earlier this season.

TIFFANY LIANG

STAFF WRITER

A

fter facing a successful duel against cross-town rival Henry M. Gunn High School, the Palo Alto High School boys wrestling team now only has two matches left in the season.

The first one is against Wilcox High School on Feb. 5. The last one, which is also the night of its senior night, will be on Feb. 10.

I know what I’m working with and there’s definitely been some ups and down, but for the kids we’ve retained they’re definitely learning wrestling and they’re getting stronger as well as getting more resilient which is something that the whole community needs.

Braumon Creighton Paly Wrestling Coach

DAMI BOLARINWA / THE CAMPANILE

Point guard Maddy Atwater shoots a basket during a team scrimmage after school.

Coach Braumon Creighton does not have high hopes for the team regarding the upcoming duel against Wilcox.

“I expect us to lose the duel, but I do expect us to win some matches on the mat,” Creighton said. “I’m looking forward to Chioke Bryant-Anderson’s key matchup against a highly ranked CCS [Central Coast Section] guy, and that is really the marquee match of the night.” Recently, the team competed against cross-town rival Gunn High School (Gunn), resulting in a victory.

“The Gunn duel was good,” Creighton said. “Wrestling is never easy, but we showed a superior skill set on our feet, and we were better than them in the take down. Also, our

new wrestlers know more than their new wrestlers [did].”

The Gunn duel also resulted in a couple of big wins for some of the new wrestlers on the team, as well as for the returning wrestlers. Senior James Giaccia expected that the team would defeat Gunn.

“Going in I thought we had a good shot,” Giaccia said. “We matched up well against them,” Unfortunately, the team faced a disappointing match up while at the Mid-California Championship (Mid-Cal) on Jan. 23 and 24.

Only a select few wrestlers were chosen to compete at this tournament since the Mid-Cal tournament features some of the best high school wrestlers in California.

“It was a really tough tournament,” Creighton said. “Seth [Goyal] didn’t make weights which was really hard and sort of put a damper on the whole vibe of the program that day.

We didn’t wrestle our best and we didn’t perform.”

Giaccia mirrors Creighton’s opinion on the Mid-Cal Tournament but also adds a positive light to the loss.

“Mid-Cal was tough,” Giaccia said. “We didn’t bring many people, but we wrestled hard and got some great matches with the best wrestlers in the state.”

As the wrestling season is soon coming to an end, Coach Creighton generally believes it was a successful season and is excited for what the young athletes are going to bring.

“I feel good about the season,” Coach Creighton said. “I know what I’m working with and there’s definitely been some ups and down, but for the kids we’ve retained they’re definitely learning wrestling and they’re getting stronger as well as getting more resilient which is something that the whole community needs.”

Boys basketball holds onto first in SCVAL

Despite recent losses, the team is optimistic on their chances of victory in future games ALEC SULLIVAN

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

T

he Palo Alto High School boys basketball team continues to roll as it is now 15-4 overall and also 6-2 in league play.

The Vikings continue to rely on a team effort to score points with senior guard Kevin Mullin leading the Vikings with an impressive 20 points per game. In an interview with sophomore guard, Miles Tention, Tention went into detail on some of the keys to the teams success.

“We are playing much better than last week, when we lost two games,” Tention said. “[We’re now] moving the ball, rebounding and shooting better. We are also playing better as a team.”

The team looks to continue its success by shooting the ball well and also rebounding. Despite recent losses to both Los Gatos High School and Homestead High School, the Vikings currently stand first in their league and are playing really well as

of late. Going down the stretch of the seasons, the Viking’s goals remain the same from the start of the season.

“We want to win our league and get to the Open Division of CCS,” Tention said.

Upcoming for the Vikings is a crosstown non league showdown with their rival, Henry M. Gunn High School. The Vikings came out victorious in last years game, but this year Gunn presents a big challenge.

The Titans are currently 13-2 overall and 5-1 in league play. Junior forward Justin Hull commented on the upcoming game.

“They’ll be pumped up to play against us and vis versa, so it’ll be a fun game,” Hull said.

Paly graduate, Brandynn Williams is now coaching for Gunn, just in case this game needed any more added attraction. Upcoming in the next league games, the Vikings will face a number of tough opponents in many key games.

“This Friday we play Los Altos and down the road we will play

CONNER HARDEN / THE CAMPANILE

Seniors Alex Dees and Cory Bicknell take part in a defense drill during their practice.

Homestead, who we lost to the first time, and Fremont who we are tied with in league. So that one will be for first play,” Hull said.

The Vikings have a lot of crucial games coming up and these games will decide who wins league and ultimately who makes the playoffs. They share the drivers seat for the De Anza league with Fremont, but a few key wins down the stretch, as well as a

head to head win against Fremont can solidify a CCS playoff birth.

On Tuesday, the Vikings beat Milpitas in a matchup that allowed them to retain their spot atop the standings. Senior Johnny Rojahn had 19 points in the victory, while Mullin chipped in 20. The win should give the Vikes the momentum they are looking for as they end the season and try to achieve their CCS goals.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS C3 Boys soccer defeated after initial winning streak Varsity boys team’s positive attitude and solid defense brings it success in league, despite loss to Monta Vista

conner harden/the campanile

Varsity player Michel Siaba intensely watches the ball as it comes back down during Paly’s game against Homestead. The Vikings went on to win the game by a score of 1-0. Paly has yet to give up a goal to its opposition.

Antonio Kieschnick

Staff Writer

A

t 4:04 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, Palo Alto High School was second in the De Anza Division, below Homestead only on goal difference. At 5:45 p.m., the referee blew a penalty in Homestead’s favor. Homestead has the best attack in the league, having scored eight goals in four games prior to their matchup with Paly. A goal seemed inevitable. Only it wasn’t. At 5:46 p.m., Paly was still top, still on track to maintain their blank slate: in seven games, Paly has yet to concede a goal.

It is true Paly hasn’t scored too many goals either, having won all but one game by a score of 1-0.

It would be hard to look past Paly’s defense as the key factor in this victory, especially in sophomore goalkeeper Eli Friedlander’s performance.

As fatigue began to set in for Paly’s usually solid defense, it grew apparent that excellence seems to run throughout the squad, all the way to the keeper. Friedlander dove sharply to his left to save the penalty and impressively dominated his area throughout the second half.

The game promised to be one fought with tension from the opening exchanges, with the first foul called moments into the game. The referee proved his low tolerance early on in the game by freely issuing yellow cards. However, the game continued to be marked by brutal clashes

and crunching tackles, which the Paly defenders seemed to win more often than not. Paly’s attitude throughout the game, and more importantly, throughout the season so far was exemplified by its forwards. As the game was generally fought out in the middle of the pitch, the forwards saw little to run on to, but they continued to press throughout the game. Paly has a set of forwards-Edward Chen, Dami Bolarinwa, Ariya Momeny and Michel Siaba-capable of pushing the team forward.

Their persistence on the field was rewarded when Siaba was able to score a goal by running through onto senior midfielder Wesley Woo’s through ball to get past the oncoming keepers.

The last few minutes provided some gripping drama, with wave after wave of Homestead attack being held off by rugged defending, and some excellent positioning from Friedlander. There were even a couple of chances for Paly to extend its lead, but both Bolarinwa and Siaba were unfortunate as last ditch tackles from Homestead defenders stopped the forwards.

Paly’s defensive showings have led to the team being ranked 24th in the nation, a feat that speaks for itself.

Although there are murmurs of a potential playoff challenge, coach Don Briggs was quick to play down Paly’s prospects this year. Briggs said, “It’s way too early [to discuss playoffs].

We aren’t even at the halfway spot,

and it’s going to be a tough second half too, as these teams now know how we play.”

Nonetheless, spirits remain high in the Paly dressing room as they look forward to a second round of games.

If the team continues to play with the same sort of solidity, they may not need Friedlander’s penalty spot heroics to win their games.

Paly then proceeded to win at Los Altos High School, by the now standard 1-0 scoreline. Barring a minor setback in a 0-1 loss to Monta Vista, Paly’s season so far has been marked by impressive defensive solidity and a certain efficiency in attack that always provides the necessary goal that the defense can then consolidate and hold on to until the final whistle.

Varsity girls soccer tied for first in their league After initial losses, girls varsity soccer team continues to win and is optimistic about the remaining season Jamie Har

Staff Writer

T

he Palo Alto High School girls soccer team remains tied for first place in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) De Anza Division.

Despite the team’s first loss this season to Santa Clara High School on Thursday, Jan. 15, the Lady Vikes came back strong in their defeat of Mountain View High School on Tuesday, Jan. 20 among several successes to follow.

The team currently holds an overall record of 12-1 and a league record of 6-1.

Up until Jan. 15, the Paly girls soccer team was undefeated. Though the 2-1 loss to Santa Clara broke the team’s winning streak, the team picked itself back up and continued fighting.

Junior Nika Woodfill reflected on the team’s loss to Santa Clara.

“I think we lost because we have had a lot of issues getting our shots on frame and missed some key opportunities in front of the goal,” Woodfill said. “Losing to Santa Clara inspired us to work harder. I believe we were the better team, but it wasn’t shown in the result and we don’t want to be in that kind of position again.”

Coming up right after the match against Santa Clara High School was the game against Mountain View High School, which members like senior Olivia Musil have considered their greatest competitor and were looking forward to a tough game.

Though the recent loss could have greatly discouraged the team members, instead, they held a positive stance and mindset.

This game was critical for the team because it determined what position

Paly girls soccer would hold in the SCVAL De Anza Division.

When preparing for the game, not only was the entire team focused on working as a whole unit but individuals also made specific goals for themselves.

Sophomore Tess Preising scored both goals for Paly in the game to secure the team’s 2-0 win and described her experience before and during the game.

“My goals were all based on a great team effort and some beautiful through balls,” Preising said. “The win against Mountain View was one of many wins but sparked our confidence.”

Dedicated and insightful players like Woodfill were able to identify specific strategies and skills that worked for the team.

“We played especially well in the second half and started connecting passes really well,” Woodfill said.

She also accredited the team’s success to its acknowledgement of the game’s significance.

“Mountain View [players] have been really strong competitors the last couple years, so it was an important win for the team,” Woodfill said.

Preising believes the team’s success was largely a result of how the team went into the game.

“I think in the Mountain View game, our whole team had a very positive attitude before the game started,” Preising said. “We stayed very composed. Throughout the game we remained balanced in our sportsmanship, yet still made the other team worry about us.”

According to Musil, the Mountain View game was invaluable for more than just the win and status.

“The Mountain View game was a great battle,” Musil said. “We played

ZOE TIERNEY/The Campanile

Varsity player Ansley Queen attempts to drive through two defending girls from Los Altos. The Paly girls team won the game 2-0.

our type of high intensity soccer. Our hard work and our composure helped us secure a win. Coming out of that game I was incredibly proud of my teammates and their effort.”

Following the Mountain View game, the Paly varsity girls soccer played against Homestead High School on Thursday, Jan. 22 and won by a score of 4-0, maintaining its lead.

“I think that we all knew the win against Homestead was crucial to stay in first place, … [which] is great for the team because it demonstrates all our hard work and effort that we put through training and during the games,” Preising said. “[Like for the Mountain View game], the win happened because of our unity in our

team and [because] when we step on the field, we are focused and determined.”

The Paly girls soccer team also won its home conference games against Los Gatos High School by a score of 2-0 on Saturday, Jan. 24. and against Los Altos High School on Thursday, Jan. 29 by 3-1. Like in their previous games, the Lady Vikes demonstrated great coordination and energy leading up to these wins.

Even though they have been highly successful already, the team members demonstrate their maturity through their willingness to improve, their ability to identify areas needing further work, and their determination.

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“I think we need to continue to work hard and improve our finishes and work on our defensive and offensive crosses,” Woodfill said.

The team has recently played in an away conference game against Saratoga High School on Feb. 3 and in a home conference game against Santa Clara High School on Feb. 5, demonstrating their persistence.

“I know we can win any game if we set our minds to it because each player has so much passion and desire that they put on the field,” Preising said. “The Paly team has so many skilled and talented players. I know we’ll work hard and keep up the good work as we look toward playing in the Central Coast Section playoffs.”

Friday, February 6, 2015

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The Campanile

sports Commercialization

The Campanile

Friday, February 6, 2015

sports COmMERCIALIZATION

Corporate America: Capturing Sports

eeply embedded in the memories of the wizened leaders of our community, there remains the notion of a professional sports team ruled not by enterprise or the undying lust we humans have for money — a team dedicated solely to the surrounding neighborhood or community, a team whose influence did not truly extend beyond its city or town. But it is just that: a memory. As sports have moved into the new century, and actually through much of the last century, teams have embraced the relentless capitalist urge to move forward and ‘monetize, monetize, monetize’. Not to say this is some sort of horrendous divine punishment passed on by the fates, this has meant the gift (arguably) of association sport has been extended to the furthest reaches of civilization: children in Fiji wear Yankees caps, bus drivers in Johannesburg wear Chicago Bulls jerseys and on weekends, businessmen in Buenos Aires wear their Barcelona jerseys. All of them cheering on a team halfway around the world, a team whose city they have never been to, but a team that brings them limitless joy every night. Ultimately, as is most often the case, there are two sides to the story, but one fact remains: A sports team is no longer just a team, it is more than that, it is an enterprise.

Many sports fans may be familiar with the U.S franchise system, developed in the late 19th century, where a team is essentially defined by its name. The franchise system in the U.S deviates radically from its European counterparts in that teams that wish to join a league must be voted in by all of the league’s current members. A prospective team is then given a contract which entitles is to the area surrounding a stadium in a specific city. This limits the amount of commercial competition a team might face and ensures that it thrives in its chosen community. It is for this reason (competition) that only in the largest cities such as New York or Chicago or even Bay Area have multiple teams involved in the same sport. In the franchise system, a team exists more as a startup or business than a team.

Although this system may sound horrifically all-encompassing, almost evil, it in fact has many positive aspects. When a team has limited commercial competition, it generates far more revenue, and when it generates a large amount of revenue, a team can compete more readily for a championship. Commercial competition is sacrificed for sporting competition. A good example comes in the form of the Super Bowl: in 49 Super Bowls, there have been 17 different victors. In the same amount of time, there have only been 11 champions in the British Premier league, where there is a tiered system and teams do not have to be admitted by a unanimous vote from all the teams.

The opposite to the franchise system is the tier system, where a league is essentially divided up into divisions where a team can be promoted into a higher division or relegated into a lower one. In this way a club can, to paraphrase Drake: “Start from the bottom and now [be] in the top division of the professional tier system.”

What the tier system creates is a very deep connection between a fan and his or her club.

This is because a club cannot exist without its fans. Whereas in the franchise system, if a team does not have a sufficient fan base it can move to a different city. In the tier system, that team will cease to exist, as it is essentially a product of the community surrounding it. This is essentially what most find to be the defining characteristic of the tier system: a human connection between a fan and a club. Because of the tier system, a club will almost inevitably undergo some sort of trying period where it encounters its fair share of obstacles. It is during this period that a club can forge a relationship with its fans.

In many ways, the emotional aspect of sports is difficult to quantify. A similar relationship to the one formed in the tier system can be found in the franchise system, but franchise teams have never truly existed as a small club where an average fan can come to know the innermost machinations of the club and truly become part of the organization.

However, the aforementioned relationship in the tiered system fades with success, for as a club attains greater success, its fanbase increases, making it harder for a single fan to distinguish themselves amongst the millions of others. As is often the case with populations, the more people there are, the less significant an individual becomes relative to the larger population. In a sense, the connection between fans and their club in the top division of the tier system is actually fairly similar to that of fans and their teams in the franchise system. There is, however, still one intrinsic difference between the two and that is in geographic allegiances. For example, in New York baseball, there were originally the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the Dodgers franchise and the name left, so most of the Dodgers fans became Yankees or Mets fans. There are, of course, instances of fans who support a team that moves, such as with some Brooklyn Dodgers fans who continued to support the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

This sort of franchise move could never happen in the tier system, as teams are so directly linked to their surroundings that they could not move to another city. For example, Chelsea FC, in the English Premier League, could never move to say Liverpool, because Chelsea as a club is the embodiment of the surrounding area, there are certain aristocratic connotations that are brought up with the Chelsea name that could never be shaken off, and these connotations come from the area and fanbase to which Chelsea caters to.

This geographic anchorage has led to the development over time of deep-seated rivalries. A club in the tier system comes to represent much

Text By: Antonio Kieschnick

Staff Writer more than just a team, it comes to represent a culture or a certain political affiliation. This is an association that can only be created over time.

For example, in the Spanish soccer league, there exists a rivalry between Barcelona FC and Real Madrid that takes its roots in the political rivalries that developed under the fascist regime of Francisco Franco. Those who supported Barcelona were generally leftists who called for secession from Spain, while those who supported Real Madrid were generally supported by Franco’s administration. Thus when these two teams met, it represented not only a clash between two sides, but a clash of political ideologies and the culture and ways of life that ideology entailed.

A s

B a rc e l o na and Real Madrid have begun to expand their fanbases and appeal to burgeoning markets, it is this identity that they

have sold to prospective clients. A few years ago, when the Barcelona team visited Thailand, there were fans at the airport waving signs saying “Visca el Barca, Visca Catalunya,” a slogan that translates to “Long live Barcelona (FC), long live Catalunya”, a distinctly pro-independence slogan. A slogan one would presume holds little or no relevance to a fan in Thailand. In the same way, Real Madrid fans in far off countries will regularly refer to Barcelona fans as separatists.

At first glance it might seem that this monetization of a team and its culture might have a detrimental effect on its local supporters, but this is not the case. Spectator sports are at their very core entertainment, an activity akin to going to the movies: Usually, if a movie has better resources, it will provide more entertainment.

The same applies to a team; if it has more access

Designed By: Owen Dulik and Will Snodgrass to resources, it can provide a better entertainment experience through the purchase of better players and the construction of better stadiums.

All of this is accomplished at what is a comparatively reduced cost for local fans, who are ultimately the direct beneficiaries of all of these improvements. The Seattle Seahawks, finalists in this years Super Bowl and winners in last year’s Super Bowl, began to attain success following its acquisition by a Microsoft cofounder who helped the Seahawks build a new stadium that would draw larger crowds. However, that is not to say that every team that commercializes will attain some measure of sporting success. The

New York Knicks, for example, who at an estimated value of $2.5 billion, are worth more than the entire Gross Domestic Product of the Central African

R e public ($2.1 billion), a nation with a population of 4.7 million. The Knicks have not won an NBA championship since 1973.

The Knicks as an example raises a curious dilemma that its fans face.

Traditionally, fans of unsuccessful teams can take some sort of satisfaction in their perceived moral superiority: they are sticking with the team through the ‘hard time’, thereby validating themselves as true fans. However, this sort of moral high ground tends to vanish when a team monetizes its assets, or ‘sells out’.

This, in turn, raises the question of how morality has become so intertwined with the sporting industry. A team is praised for relying on youth instead of buying up the opposition, but why? It seems that if the goal is victory, the end should in a sense justify the means, and as long as the tactics employed to attain victory are within the

boundaries of the rulebook, there is no reason they should not be employed. There remains an emphasis on a certain morality and self-reliance throughout sports, especially in America. A possible reason for this is because for Americans, sports teams have come to represent something more than just a team, they have come to represent the American dream itself. The American dream, of course, is notable for its emphasis on self-reliance, so the idea of an organization receiving help to attain success repels Americans.

A rather indirect example of this comes in the form of Lebron James’s move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in 2010.

James faced virulent hatred from Cavaliers fans, who believed that James should have stayed with the Cavaliers to win the championship he so longed for, the idea was essentially that James had broken some unspoken code of honor when he left his home team in an attempt to win a championship with a team better equipped to challenge for the title.

When discussing player loyalties to a team, it is also important to discuss the youth system in the U.S. Such a system is virtually non-existent.

Although there is a feeder system in the franchise system, most players do not come through it. In the tier system, a player is nurtured by a club from a young age and will ultimately have the opportunity to be promoted into the first team. In the franchise system, there is no such parallel. As teams take their players from draft picks, they have no need to establish their own youth system. This means that colleges are essentially the youth system for professional teams.

The demand from professional clubs for welltrained players has led to colleges raising their standards to an almost professional level, which has in turn resulted in the bizarre world of college sports. College sports have always existed and in all likelihood they always will, but as college sports got progressively more intense and professional, a logical albeit curious phenomena took place: people got interested in essentially amateur sports.

Now, there are precedents for wildly popular college sports, such as rowing at Oxford University and Cambridge College in the United Kingdom, but those events only truly get attention when the two colleges face off against each other; there is only interest when there is a bitter rivalry involved. The same does not apply to American college sports. In American college sports, especially in football, a minor game can attract thousands of people. Shops can sell merchandise and tickets by the bucket load. In 2012, this year’s College Football Playoff Bowl winners Ohio State University made a profit of around $52.3 million on football alone through branding and tickets amongst other things. The

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profit these universities make on their football programs is then used to finance the sports programs with smaller fan bases.

This system of using the profits from one lucrative sport to finance the others further reinforces the idea that through commercialization, college sports programs can become self-sustaining entities essentially separate from the academic aspect of the university.

It is interesting to note that the second largest generator of revenue for most college teams is media rights as the broadcast of college sports around the U.S. has helped lesser known colleges attain large amounts of popularity. In a sense, instead of flooding prospective students emails with advertising, a college can advertise to them through the much more effective means of television, with their sports teams. This sort of commercialization, however, has only truly achieved success in the U.S., probably because the most successful broadcast sports in the U.S. are ones that are generally unpopular in the rest of the world.

Ultimately though, it has to be accepted that professional sports are moving into a completely new age, and there is little anybody can do about it. Money is coming to define a new, more expansionist global sporting system. Organizations are at times driven more by the thirst for profits than by a desire to improve the team in a sporting sense. However, this is not an indication of the sacrifice of all morality or appreciation for fans in favor of that international language. If anything, teams are increasingly geared towards fans. The only difference is that now teams and franchises focus more on providing an entertainment experience than on sporting success. This can come through the institution of ‘family nights’ where families get into the stadium or arena for less than the average price.

The prime example of the shift in focus towards the concept of entertainment comes in the form of the Super Bowl — the very holy grail of not only American sports, but American culture itself. The Super Bowl, which took place this last Feb. 2, generated around $10 billion in revenue. However, the Super Bowl did not attain its almost divine status in American culture overnight. The Super Bowl seems to typify America itself, primarily in the pure unadulterated spectacle it provides. The half-time show is just as important to the game as the ads themselves. The National Football League (NFL), in an attempt to appeal to an even wider market, one that had no interest in football, injected its Super Bowl with a shot of pop culture with the appealing advertisements and halftime show. This form of commercialization has turned the Super Bowl into a perennial favorite of the American people, making it one of the most watched televised events every single year. This early 1990’s revamping of the Super Bowl in an attempt to give it a greater mass appeal has also — arguably — benefited fans in contributing to the overall viewer experience.

As the sports industry commercializes, it is important to acknowledge the growing importance of profits to a team as it expands into a new market. Ultimately, money is the defining feature of the current sporting climate, and in the sporting industry, to quote Bob Dylan: “Money doesn’t speak, it swears.”

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

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Variation on the existing Foods and Sports Nutrition course involves online coursework and healthy habits healthy eating and exercise choices.

By delivering “the content about good nutrition and an active lifestyle” outside of class, McDermott can reserve the regular four-hour week to cooking labs based on the information and introduce needed vitamins and minerals.

Blended learning has taken on different meanings as schools explore alternate, more engaging ways of teaching students. In most cases, blended learning involves teaching students through both traditional methods like lectures as well as project-based assignments. Blended learning has also meant introducing online aspects and outside-hours to regular courses.

Many courses on campus, such as the Paly publications and Advanced Placement Music Theory, count as blended learning classes.

Courtesy of siLasoLfaMi

The new Foods and Sports Nutrition course utilizes technology and online learning to promote healthy lifestyle and food choices.

NICOLE LI

staff Writer

N

ext year, athletes will be able to make a light, healthy meal for themselves at school before going to practice as a part of a Foods course delivered like an eighth period class at Palo Alto High School.

Sports Nutrition, a Home Economics and Career Technical Education (CTE) course dedicated to students’ health and balanced lifestyles, will appear in two forms next semester — as a blended-learning class held during traditional school hours

RACHEL FARN

staff Writer

H

ow nice would it be to not take Physical Education (PE) class? Well, with the graduation requirement of two years of PE at Palo Alto High School, students are given the option of having contract PE where they can opt out of taking PE during the school week if they do sports or physical exercise outside of school. Unfortunately, in order to have contract PE, students must take at least 15 hours a week of a sport not offered at Paly and also fill out a packet requiring monthly schedules, evidence of fulfilling the requirements and approval from coaches or out of school teachers. Although contract PE is a great option, the requirements are unrealistic, especially when compared to the standards of PE class.

Taking 15 hours a week of sports is a lot of time commitment. Although it is possible, students would end up spending a great amount of time doing sports and less time doing home-

and as a lengthened afternoon class held once a week.

Teacher Theresa McDermott created the new option for students who would benefit from taking Foods as a lighter time commitment, and for students to eat something balanced as an alternative to Town and Country before running off to other activities.

“We would meet for about two hours or so, once a week, and much of the academic content of the course work would be delivered online,” McDermott said. “Much of our time in the classroom would be spent learning cooking techniques, and working on lots of different labs and projects.”

work or other extracurricular activities, which are important for college applications. Especially during high school, students should focus on beefing up their resumes in order to appeal to their preferred colleges.

It is true that many students are serious athletes who are focusing mainly on sports in order to earn scholarships, but regardless of how serious an athlete is, school work is still important. With the heavy homework load and pressures to do well in high school, students need a lot more time to spend on homework and studying. In order to meet the 15 hours a week requirement for contract PE, students would have to sacrifice their studying and homework time.

One reason that may be adding to the harsh requirements of contract PE is the need to meet fitness standards; the contract packet requires that students have met five out of six of the standards in the fitness test offered during freshmen year.

Not only do contract PE athletes spend much more time doing physical exercise, but the exercise that they do is often much more intense.

According to the California Department of Education, students are expected to “demonstrate knowledge of and competency in motor skills, movement patterns and strat-

Students will take notes at home on Powerpoint presentations McDermott posts online and will come to class with comprehensive knowledge of the ingredients planned for the dishes. Though new in its flexible class times, the new Sports Nutrition course is not the first to teach students through online media. The current Sports Nutrition course also utilizes the same teaching method.

In addition to taking notes from presentation and taking online quizzes, students track their food intake with Supertracker, a program created by the United States Department of Agriculture to help consumers make

Much of our time in the classroom would be spent learning cooking techniques, and working on lots of different labs and projects.

Theresa McDermott Teacher

Fundamentally, Foods courses operate on project-based curricula, so incorporating online informational content enters into blended learning.

In creating Sports Nutrition, McDermott hoped to educate teenagers about the importance of nutrition and not just teach cooking.

“I think of Paly as a school that some of these students have a desire

to be active, and to be healthy, and so I thought it would be a great new addition,” McDermott said.

Despite all the different health risks that come with different sports, all teenagers have unifying health issues, bone health being one of them.

“This is the time when you’re building your bone mass,” McDermott said. “And later in life not eating well might come back to haunt you and perhaps you’ll put yourself at greater risk of developing osteoporosis, for example.”

In college and professional sports, nutrition takes on an even larger role in maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

Stanford football players study nutrition extensively and prioritize consuming a healthy breakfast each day, according to Shannon Turley, Director of Football Sports Performance.

All students can reap benefits from Sports Nutrition, not just athletes.

Senior Eriana Davis viewed the class as an even mix of student-athletes and students not involved in sports.

With qualifications to meet the CTE requirements, Foods courses provide students with life-long culinary skills. Other CTEs involve programming, design and other skills to serve students in a wide range of careers. Davis said that although she did not consider herself an athlete, the class helped her see the benefits of regular exercise.

“I learned little things like if you walk just 20 minutes a day, that’ll help you digest better and speed up your metabolism,” Davis said. “The class enforced in me that it’s not about just being skinny, necessarily, it’s about being healthy.”

Courtesy of NathaN WaLker

Rowing is one sport which does not meet the 15 hour per week requirement for contract PE despite vigorous levels of training.

egies needed to perform a variety of physical activities”, “achieve a level of physical fitness for health and performance while demonstrating knowledge of fitness concepts, principles and strategies” and “demonstrate knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activity.”

The truth is that many students taking PE class do not meet the fitness standards themselves and it is unreasonable for athletes to be expected to meet them. Regardless of the unfairness, most students signing up for contract PE get enough exercise 15 hours a week. They are able to meet the fitness standards in less than 15 hours a week of sports but are still unable to get contract PE because of the requirements.

Also, students take three PE classes a week which adds up to about four hours a week, yet contract PE students have to commit to 15 hours of sports each week. Not only do contract PE athletes spend much more time doing physical exercise, but the exercise they do is often more intense.

It is unfair that the time requirements for contract PE are so high when students are only required to take four hours of PE class each week.

Many students have also been in outside of school teams for a number of years and have built strong bonds with their teammates and coaches.

This requirement forces them to either play in two teams at once or leave their old team, which can be difficult to manage.

Paly sports are also divided into fall, winter and spring seasons and

each season has specific sports assigned to it. This means that if student athletes want to have a yearlong prep, they would have to choose another sport during seasons that do not offer their sport or choose a sport not offered at school and get contract PE. For instance, since golf is only offered during fall, golf players would have to choose an alternative during winter and spring to keep their prep.

This is extremely unfair as many students dedicate time and money in and outside of school into specific sports that they are passionate about.

Students who spend a lot of time in sports deserve to have a prep period in order to catch up on homework and rest. It is unfair to student athletes that the requirements for contract PE are so harsh.

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Friday, February 6, 2015

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SPORTS C7 Comparing Paly’s old and new coaches AThlete of the Veterans and newbies discuss which coaching strategies are most successful for them Month Sarah Wang

Staff Writer

P

alo Alto High School has coaches on staff that have coached for more years than any of the students have been alive, as well as ones that have spent less time at the school than our seniors. Each coach brings something unique to his or her sport, whether it be a technique accumulated after decades of experience or a fresh, youthful energy that stems from starting a new experience.

What do the veterans and newbies each bring to the table?

Veterans Danny Dye is about to coach his 11th year at Paly and is head coach of the boys and girls swimming and diving teams. According to Dye, coaches need to constantly adjust their coaching styles over the years in order to improve.

After years of change and experience, Dye sees himself as a much better and successful coach now than he was 19 years ago.

“I think that any coach that wants to be successful has to [make changes],” Dye said. “If you’re not willing to open your mind and see new things and adapt, then you’re going to get passed by.”

After years of experimenting, Dye has found the coaching style that suits him best to coach his swimmers, but still continues to make improvements.

“I’ve found what I think works for me,” Dye said. “But I would like to think that five to ten percent of my coaching style changes each year.”

Moving from the pool to the court, girls basketball coach Scott Peters, who has been coaching at Paly for ten years, echoed Dye’s opinion. “[I am] always trying to learn anything new that helps me to be a better coach for the players,” Peters said.

Though some may speculate that it gets harder for coaches to connect with their athletes as they get older, Dye disagrees, since his years of experience with dealing with high schoolers actually makes it easier for him to connect with them, despite the fact that the age gap is widening.

“I’ve never found it difficult because I’ve been doing it for so long and I’ve worked with high school athletes my entire professional career,” Dye said.

If you’re not willing to open your mind and see new things and adapt, then you’re going to get passed by.

Danny Dye

Swimming and diving coach After years of the same sport and same goals, veteran coaches also try to keep things fresh with new ideas.

Paul Jones has been coaching at Paly since 1977, and is currently the girls cross country coach and one of the track and field coaches.

After many years of coaching, he has learned that in order to keep his coaching fresh and effective, he needs to create new goals each year to build upon the goals he has already accomplished.

“I try to come up with two or three things that I really want to accomplish for the next year that are different from the ones I had set up the year before,” Jones said. “For instance, this last year I wanted to have a team that was a little more close. I think we did pretty well with that this year.”

For the newer coaches, coach Peters has a few simple words of advice built off his years of coaching. “[Don’t] be afraid to make mistakes,” Peters said. “Take coaching seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously.”

Newbies Kelsey Feeley has been coaching at Paly for three years and is currently the track and field head coach. During the fall, she coaches the boys cross country team. Feeley believes that as a younger coach, she has an increased ability to connect with her athletes.

“Being on the younger side, the kids are able to relate to me a little better,” Feeley said. “I was you guys not so long ago I just try to be enthusiastic out here.”

Though she does not have years of experience to build off of like more experienced coaches do, Feeley remembers and employs the coaching styles of her old coaches, who taught her just a few years ago.

As an ex-athlete, Feeley knows what it is like to be on the receiving end of coaching.

“I’ve learned from older coaches,” Feeley said. “I’ve kind of shaped my coaching style around my past experiences as an athlete and how my coaches dealt with me and my teammates.”

Aileen Delaney, who has coached Paly’s girls water polo team for two years, expressed similar sentiments as Feeley when regarding the helpfulness of using past experiences.

“New coaches usually do bring some new and different ideas to their program from their personal experiences as a coach or player,” Delaney said.

Boys lacrosse coach DJ Shelton, who is about to start his second year of coaching at Paly, agrees with Feeley. He believes his past experience as an athlete will better his coaching.

“I do believe I bring something new to the program,” Shelton said “Playing [Division III] on the East Coast opened my eyes to a more advanced level lacrosse that is common on the West Coast.”

Though Shelton believes he has his own experiences to bring to coaching, he admits that older coaches have the experience that help them run successful athletic programs.

“I have a lot to learn when it comes to running a program year to year, something only older coaches have, but I hope that my knowledge of the game will quickly breed a tradition of success and overshadow my shortcomings until I have more years under my belt,” Shelton said.

Through the collaborative efforts of the veteran and new coaches, all coaches can continue to grow and improve.

“It is important for the new coaches and more experienced coaches to interact and communicate with each other so they can both grow and become better coaches,” Delaney said.

Leagues should expand use of instant replay Different types of replay technology result in a search for an impartial, efficient system

Galen Byrd

Sports Editor

W

ith technology becoming more and more ingrained in our everyday life, it is no surprise that it has evolved the games we watch. Instant replay has made its way into every one of the four major leagues in America: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL) and the National Hockey League (NHL). Although each league contains minute differences in its ruling for replayable action and the way in which the play is viewed, the way games in each sport are officiated have been changed.

The NHL was the first of the big four to implement any sort of replay, doing so in the 1991-92 season. There is an official at every game, with the title of “Video Goal Judge” who reviews every scoring play in the game.

It is a fast and effective way to be sure of major plays that heavily affect the outcome of the game. The biggest downside is that these officials are only allowed to replay scoring plays, not penalties or other plays of significance. Since the implementation of these video goal judges in 1991, the NHL has not made any alterations to their roles.

The next league to implement instant replay was the NFL in 1999.

Head coaches receive two challenges per game and are awarded a third if both are used successfully.

The referees on the field are the ones who watch the video and determine whether or not the play will stand as called or be overturned. All scoring and close plays in the final two minutes of regulation are automatically reviewed by officials in a box at the game.

The NBA introduced instant replay for the first time in a 2003 playoffs game. Samaki Walker made a half court shot at the end of the first half, which was replayed by the referees and overturned, as he let go of the

courtesy of Richard Drew

Jeff Passan, among many umpires, makes calls in replay booth for MLB games and uses new technology to look at second plays.

ball just after time had expired in the quarter. The league allows for officials to review shots to confirm whether the made basket was a two or threepoint shot at the next timeout as to avoid delays. The referees can also review plays in the final two minutes of regulation in which they did not get a good look at the play or are unsure of the call. Along with the NFL, the NBA on-floor officials review the play and decide whether or not to overturn the call.

The MLB was the last major sports league in America to turn to instant replay. The league used minimal replay starting in 2008, on plays like home runs, just to be sure, but the replay had next to no effect on games.

In 2014 they adapted to the new era and created a replay headquarters in New York City where league umpires take turns being replay officials when they are called upon to make difficult decisions. This means the umpires on the field do not make the final decision. The new rules also allowed for two coaches challenges per game that can be used to challenge a broader spectrum of plays rather than just home runs.

Most traditionalists despise instant replay, and for good reason. It slows down the pace of the game and therefore does not allow the officiating crew on the field to perform their jobs. It eliminates the human element of the game, which has traditionally existed in the games, since the very

beginning. Although they disagree with the overall implementation of replay, they do acknowledge that it would make the game more fair, so that major calls would not be able to be blown as easily. Important calls that can determine a win or loss, or even the last out of a perfect game, should not be botched as a result of human error.

That said, replaying every play would slow down the game to something not even worth watching, and viewers would only see one play every 30 minutes. No league has found the ideal replay rules, but the MLB has come closest, trying to balance time with precision calling. Having an offfield official review the call eliminates any possible bias that comes with someone who has already made a call and wants to stand by it. Additionally, it allows for more eyes to view the play in an efficient way. Granting coaches only two challenges makes them of high value, therefore they will not be wasted on small unimportant calls and thus far have been used sparingly. This system does, however, still leave room for human error of a coach runs out of challenges before a big call is missed.

It seems the perfect replay system is impossible to find, but it comes down to fans wanting to watch a properly-called the game without interruption. The most balanced system would include all close calls being reviewed by a third party in replay

headquarters for that league (as the MLB has in New York). A ball hit down the line that was just barely fair, a catch for a first down that may have been trapped against the ground in order to catch it, or a loose rebound that was knocked out of bounds but unclear who it bounced off of could all be replayed. The on field officials would continue the game while referees in the replay center would review the play in less than thirty seconds and relay their answer to the head official’s earpiece. If the replay confirms the call that was made originally, the game proceeds, if it is overturned the officials turn back the clock and start play from the overturned call.

Although having the call overturned would take more time, it would rid the game of blatantly bad calls, and would only add 45 seconds of stoppage (in which play would be going on anyway so fans would have something to watch other than commercials).

This system would rid the need for coaches challenge, as any close calls would be confirmed by replay evidence. It would also be an efficient, non-biased way to make sure a game is not won or lost due to a missed call by a referee.

Although sports have always been at the mercy of the referee, technology has evolved, and replay should be used as a way to improve fairness, without disrupting the flow of the game.

This edition featuring:

Eli Friedlander with The Campanile’s own

Owen Dulik

Eli Friedlander is the goalkeeper for the boys soccer team, and has only let in one goal in all of the team’s games, lea­ding the team to a top 30 national ranking as of print.

The Campanile: So, your season has been going very well so far- describe what’s been happening.

Eli Friedlander: We have a really good team with good chemistry this year. Everybody’s been playing really well, we’ve just been truly on top of it altogether. The back line has been performing especially well.

TC: So what’s your record right now?

EF: In league, we’re 7 in 1, and outside of league, including preseason, I think we’re something like 12, 2 and 2. We were undefeated, but we actually lost our last game 1-0, unfortunately.

TC: So, many people associate being successful with style of dress. What do you wear every game as a goalie?

EF: For club we have our own uniforms, but I have to get something else for high school because we don’t get jerseys — the goalies don’t get jerseys, and I don’t wanna have to change color if the other team’s the same color, so I got this bright purple kind of fuschia USA jersey. It’s very…

TC: Do you think that distracts the opposing strikers trying to score?

EF: I mean definitely, I think that, you know, I think that my fuschia I guess takes their eyes off the net.

TC: So you and Alex Bonomi are splitting time at goalie. How would you describe that dynamic?

EF: We play pretty similarly so it’s not a hard transition for [the team], so it’s been going pretty well.

TC: So, how many years have you played on the varsity soccer team at Paly?

EF: I was on varsity my freshman year and I made varsity last year, but I stopped playing midseason last year for my own personal reasons, so this is, I guess, two and a half.

TC: So you have really grown in your soccer experience at Paly. Do you have any particular soccer mentors?

EF: I mean, Mr. Coach John Bungarden, but I guess club has helped me grow also cause soccer’s year-round so I get a lot of practice all-around then come back each year.

TC: So what are your plans for continuing soccer, for college?

EF: Well, maybe go to some recruiting camps over the summer, see if I want to get recruited slash will get recruited, but most likely some division. Maybe Division III. TC: If you had to describe your goalie skills in three words, what would they be?

EF: Do you need this? 100%? Alright um, three words...I don’t know, um... well, quick, um… I’ll text you the words.

TC: Alright, so, not only do you dress snazzy on the field, but how would you describe the boys’ dress at school for each game day?

EF: We got these polos for soccer and it has this Paly like new logo that says Palo Alto varsity soccer, I guess those are pretty sick but, other than that, we just wear collars on game days.

TC: What is the biggest bromance on the Paly boys varsity team?

EF: Steven Blatman and Reuben Kramer for sure. If you look at our team picture, I think it says it all. It’s Reuben going over the shoulder grabbing Steven’s left nipple.

TC: Alright, that’s very good. Any closing words?

EF: Go Vikes.

TC: Thanks.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C8

THE TOP MLB OFFSEASON DEALS TEXT BY OWEN DULIK SPORTS EDITOR

DESIGN BY ANTONIO KIESCHNICK STAFF WRITER

1- This was the biggest deal of the offseason, as Sandoval was an integral part of the San Francisco team that won the World Series three times. Sandoval felt as if he needed to move on, since he had already accomplished everything possible with the Giants. Sandoval will be playing in the hitter friendly Fenway Park, alongside his hero, David Ortiz. The Red Sox will be paying Sandoval $95 million over five years, so they will be expecting him to improve his already strong 2014 stats (.279 batting average, 16 home runs and 73 RBIs).

5- While there have been many huge signings this offseason, there have been some crazy trades as well. The most important of which is Matt Kemp, the monster outfielder for the Dodgers being traded for the young catcher Yasmani Grandal from the Padres. Kemp was sent with a prospect and $32 million, and the Padres gave pitchers Joe Wieland and Zack Eflin as well. This deal is big because Kemp has so much talent, but has been falling off recently and is costing the Dodgers tens of millions. The Dodgers will be able to juice up their already young roster with a hot-shot with incredible skill in Grandal. Both teams will benefit greatly from this trade, and it will surely be exciting to see how it plays out next season.

4- While everyone has been talking about Pablo Sandoval signing with the Sox, getting Hanley Ramirez was just as important to the team. Ramirez is a veteran who has excellent athleticism no matter what position he plays, and has a bat that can really bolster up a lineup. Ramirez has been with the Dodgers for the past several years, and posted a .283 batting average, 13 home runs and 71 RBIs last season. Ramirez was snagged by the Sox for a four year, $88 million deal, and will work wonders with Sandoval for Boston’s batting order.

8- Another blockbuster trade occurred between the Dodgers and the Marlins.

The Dodgers sent the solid pitcher Dan Haren and their speedy shortstop Dee Gordon for pitcher Andrew Heaney,and prospects. This move was huge for the Dodgers, as it cleared up cap space and got rid of unnecessary cap space. The Marlins are getting some much needed veteran experience, only for some prospects that might not even pan out. This trade is smart for both sides, and should make both teams better next season.

11- Yasmany Tomas to D-Backs While many a baseball fan may not know the name of Yasmany Tomas, he will soon be a household name after being signed to a six year, $68.5 million deal by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 24-year-old outfielder and power hitter from the Dominican Republic has been training for years for this upcoming season, and is ready to make his mark. The highly sought after prospect will use his dangerous speed to catch fly balls, and his destructive bat to destroy pitchers that don’t know his game.

Watch out for this rookie to make his mark!

12- Jason Heyward for Jordan Walden and Selby Miller The St. Louis Cardinals made a major move this offseason when they traded for dominant outfielder Jason Heyward and solid pitcher Jordan Walden. Giving up a great pitcher in Shelby Miller and a highly touted prospect in Tyrell Jenkins, the Cardinals received a major offensive boost.

Last season, Heyward posted a .271 batting average, 11 home runs and 58

2- Max Scherzer eclipsed Justin Verlander last season as the best pitcher on the Detroit Tigers. Considering the fact that Verlander is still one of the best, this shows just how good Scherzer is. Scherzer had a 3.15 ERA and 18 wins last season, which is why the Nationals wanted to lock him up with a seven year, $210 million contract.

Expect Scherzer to round out an already dominant Nationals pitching rotation and lead them to success in the near future.

RBIs, and along with his raw talent at defense, Heyward will be a crucial addition to the Cards.

13- Evan Gattis for prospects Recently, the Atlanta Braves have found a powerful element to their batting order in catcher Evan Gattis, but this will be no more, as Gattis was traded to the Astros for three prospects. Gattis is a capable leader of any team, and his bat speaks wonders about him, as he had a .263 batting average, 22 home runs and 52 RBIs last season. While these prospects may not do much for the Braves anytime soon, the Astros sure got another key player to build up their improved squad with.

14- Jeff Samardzija for Marcus Semien After being traded from the Cubs to the A’s, Jeff Samardzija is off to Chicago again, only this time to the White Sox. The ace pitcher was traded with a prospect for prospects and Marcus Semien. While the A’s get Semien, the other players might not go to much use. However, the White Sox won big in the dominant

3- Jon Lester has been dominant during his career as an MLB pitcher, and even adjusted well to being on a new team in the middle of last season. Lester posted a nice 2.46 ERA. Many teams were in the running for Lester this offseason, but the Cubs were finally able to get him to sign with a six year, $155 million deal. The Cubs are into major rebuilding, and Lester might just be the key that propels them into the playoffs for the first time in a while.

7- Josh Donaldson has been electric for Oakland after coming out of nowhere, but now the hometown favorite is off to Toronto. After hitting .255, 29 home runs and 98 RBIs, Donaldson will be traded for powerful infielder Brett Lawrie.

Lawrie, who hit .247, 12 home runs and 28 RBIs, will be sent to the A’s, along with three prospects. This is a gamble for the A’s, as Donaldson has been reliable for them recently, but it is just one more item on a list of the rebuilding deals that they have made this offseason.

6- Yoenis Cespedes was traded midseason to the Red Sox, which shocked the baseball community. After hitting .260, 22 home runs and 100 RBIs in a great season, Cespedes and two prospects were all traded to the Tigers for ace pitcher Rick Porcello. Cespedes has the defensive prowess and massive bat that will make the Tigers’ offense even more deadly, and Rick Porcello will beef up an already strong Sox rotation. This trade looks like both sides that participated will walk away as winners.

9Victor Martinez is a machine, it’s as simple as that.

In his eleventh season in the MLB, Martinez dominated opposing pitchers, and hit .335 with 32 home runs and 104 RBIs. While Martinez is already 36 years old, it makes sense that the Tigers wanted to keep him locked up for possibly the rest of his career. The Tigers ended up signing Martinez to a four year, $68 million deal that will keep his power in Detroit for many seasons to come.

Samardzija, who had a 2.99 ERA last season, as well as seven wins.

15- Ben Zobrist for John Jaso While many expected second baseman Ben Zobrist to go to the Giants, he was actually traded to the team across the bay, the A’s. Zobrist and a prospect were sent to Oakland for A’s catcher John Jaso and two prospects. This trade is huge for the A’s, as they are actually receiving a good player, whereas they have traded pretty much all of their talent away.

Zobrist is a great two way player who had a .272 batting average, ten home runs and 52 RBIs last season and will surely make an impact for the A’s.

16- Wade Miley for Rubby De La Rosa The Red Sox have improved their already strong pitching rotation once again by adding Wade Miley, who had a 4.34 earned run average (ERA) and eight wins last season. In exchange, the Diamondbacks received pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and two prospects. De La Rosa is another strong pitcher, who had a 4.43 ERA and four wins last year. While this

10- Nick Markakis, the eight year veteran right fielder, was a hot commodity this offseason, with several top clubs competing to sign him. Markakis eventually decided to take his talents to Atlanta for four years for $45 million.

While Markakis had a solid .276, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs last season, his defensive skill is what really draws attention. However, Markakis will not be able to keep up this performance as he ages, so it seems as if the Braves spent way too much to sign Markakis for too long of a deal.

ALL player PHOTOS and logos COURTESY OF MLB background courtesy of www.getrealbaseball.com

trade seems pretty even, the Red Sox won by clearing cap space and acquiring the better pitcher.

17- Casey McGehee for Kendry Flores and Luis Castillo The Giants tried but failed to keep their amazing third baseman Pablo Sandoval, but seem to have found an easy solution in Casey McGehee.

The Giants traded Kendry Flores and Luis Castillo for the Marlins third baseman. McGehee is a powerful offensive weapon who had a .287 batting average, four home runs and 76 RBIs. While McGehee may not be as good as Sandoval, he seems to be the temporary solution for an otherwise stacked San Francisco team.

18- Russell Martin to Blue Jays The Canadian-born catcher Russell Martin is headed back home after signing a five year, $82 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin has all of the attributes that scouts look for in a player. Martin posted a .290 batting average, 11 home runs and 67 RBIs last season. Expect Martin to be reliable in contributing to an already strong Blue Jays’ offense.

19- Nori Aoki to Giants One spot that the San Francisco Giants have had problems with has been left field. However, they have found a fix in Nori Aoki, the outfielder from Kansas City that they faced in the World Series. Aoki was signed to a one year, $4.7 million deal this offseason. After hitting .285, one home run and 43 RBIs, Aoki will look to keep up his two way excellence next season.

20- Andrew Heaney for Howie Kendrick After being traded to the Dodgers from the Marlins, pitcher Andrew Heaney will head across southern California to the Angels in exchange for second baseman Howie Kendrick.

This trade is great for both teams, because the Dodgers traded away their second baseman, Dee Gordon, to the Marlins. The Angels pitching rotation will be helped out by Heaney, and it will be stronger next season.

Kendrick is great defensively, and can also hit, as proven by his .293 batting average, seven home runs and 75 RBIs.