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. 7
Palo Alto High School • 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.palycampanile.org
Friday, March 27, 2015
Sir Robinson challenges educational norms $1 million to In MAC presentation, TED speaker promotes reforms aimed to foster student creativity Seth Alston
Rachel Price
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Staff Writer
nternationally acclaimed educationalist Sir Kenneth Robinson spoke at the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Center (MAC) on Tuesday, March 24, addressing what he identifies as a fatal failure to foster creativity in students through contemporary education. A bestselling author of “The Element,” Robinson, who also holds the esteemed distinction of giving the most viewed Technology, Education and Design (TED) talk of all time, spoke to an audience of 270 attendees in the MAC about what he sees as dangerous flaws in modern education and how schools should act in order to inspire meaningful change in the field. Robinson has been involved in education for over 40 years, working with nonprofits throughout the world and with the British government, where his work included a plan for educational and economic development in Northern Ireland.
We have a world now where we are expected to know everything. It’s seen as a social fault if you declare ignorance about something.
Sir Ken Robinson
Education Philosopher Central to Robinson’s presentation was his idea that modern education requires systemic change in order to appropriately serve today’s students. He targeted the institution of standardized testing as one of the most harmful to student creativity, and stated that the climate of education in the United States is overreliant on utilitarian testing practices. “There are brilliant schools around, like this one, almost in spite of the dominant culture of testing, but they’re great in spite of it, not because of it,” Robinson said. “That’s
EPA youth for arts education
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Ella Mernyk/The Campanile
Sir Ken Robinson argues for changing the current schooling system by systemically improving the educational enviornment.
partly what I’m arguing for, is to have an education system that’s differentiated and which takes into account individual talents and interests, rather than judging people by a single standard.” Robinson detailed what he sees as a misuse of technology, namely the internet, by schools. Rather than individualizing learning, Robinson sees technology as being used to justify unrealistic expectations of students. “We have a world now where we are expected to know everything. It’s seen as a social fault if you declare ignorance about something,” Robinson said. “It’s the presumption to know that has been the death of dialogue in education, and it’s happening all the time in schools that people are often expected to know things that are, frankly, unknowable.”
In addition, Robinson explained that he hopes to see greater individualization in schools, likening the transition to the move from industrial agriculture to organic farming. He also expressed a need for schools to offer a morediverse curriculum, without undue emphasis on either technical education or the arts, stating that the current system only accommodates certain types of learners. “I’m not saying that education is a total disaster and it’s badly served everybody; on the contrary, there are loads of people who have done quite brilliantly by this current system. But it’s tailored to certain sorts of people.” Robinson said. “So what I’m marketing for is to change the climate so all schools can be good, because of it, not in spite of it.”
The event also focused on the promotion of Robinson’s upcoming book, titled “Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education.” The book, Robinson’s third, focuses on what Robinson describes as an outdated educational system, more suited for the industrial revolution than the modern world. In response, Robinson outlines his recommendation for a flexible, creative and organic system of education, on which can prepare students for an uncertain future. Humorist and writer Emily Levine also spoke at the event, promoting the release of her film, “Emily @ The Edge,” which addresses issues in American society using scientific concepts. Robinson’s book is set to be released on May 13, but is available for pre-order on Amazon.
hris Cox, Facebook Chief Product Officer, has recently given the nonprofit group Live In Peace Inc. (LIP) $1 million to establish relationships between East Palo Alto (EPA) youth and local tech companies, enterpreneurs and universities. Cox, a past supporter of Live In Peace who encourages long-term perspective, believes in the organization and the good his dollar will do in the hands of its leaders. “It’s been a privilege to get to know this group and their work over the last five years, and we are honored to help sustain and grow their impact over the years ahead,” Cox said in an interview with Palo Alto Weekly. According to LIP, the organization works to support youth in arts and culture, education, technology and economics. Its mission statement states that LIP’s goal is to help “students discover, develop and direct their creative genius for the benefit of their community and the broader world.” The organization was established a little over 20 years ago by community members Justin Phipps and Heather Starnes. In an interview with the Palo Alto Weekly, Phipps noted that the organization was really founded by the commnity. “We’re blessed to be welcomed into the community and to be part of what’s present here,” Phipps said. The organization hopes to create living-wage jobs for EPA residents. The funds donated by Cox will contribute to the organization’s goal of developing infrastructure for the next two years, and staffing and expanding the programming of EPAnow.us, a youth run news site. The $1 million that was recently donated to the LIP group by Cox is hoped to benefit LIP’s goal of estabishing success in EPA and help the organization and the people who benefit from it.
Battle of the Bands raises funds for the arts District examines policies
Boys and Girls Club event will feature local student music groups School Board revises multiple school codes Maggie Rosenthal
Staff Writer
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DAMI Bolarinwa/The Campanile
Members of the group Koitus, Jess Feeman, Gabe Galang and Karly Quadros, practice for the Battle of the Bands competition.
SARAh WANG
Staff Writer
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he Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP) will hosts its second annual Battle of the Bands fundraiser at the Palo Alto High School Haymarket Theater on Friday, March 27, to raise funds toward expanding its arts and music programs. The event marks its second year after first being organized by a group of BGCP youth volunteers, the High School Champions, who support the organization through fundraisers, according to the BGCP website.
Entry into the event costs $5, but bringing donated art supplies reduces the cost to $3. All proceeds will go toward improving the arts and music programs of the various BGCP sites in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. BGCP works toward closing the achievement gap in at-risk neighborhoods, and as a nonprofit, relies on financial support from the surrounding community. Two of the six bands scheduled to compete, Paper Islands and Koitus, are comprised of Paly students. The fundraiser will function as a competition between bands with the winner decided by local judges, according to
High School Champion Alex Matthys, a senior at Henry M. Gunn High School. “There will be three judges who will determine among themselves who wins,” Matthys said. “All [of the judges] are professional musicians or very involved in music.” This format marks a change from the last year’s event, where professional bands played after student bands and also served as judges. This change was implemented after the organizers noticed more interest in student bands, according to High
Battle of the Bands A3
alo Alto Unified School District’s (PAUSD) Board of Education held a policy review meeting recently, reviewing 13 different policies. The Board began by reviewing the Fees and Charges Policy, which included the addition of the clause that school officials may charge for school events such as Advanced Placement examinations, with the clause that they are not a course requirement and have no impact on a student’s grade in the class. The Board reviewed the Mathematics Instruction and Science Instruction policies. The group also made minor edits to clarify the language of the math policy and add in small sections to address students struggling with their class as well as students who need additional challenges. “The language that we have about students that are at risk of failing to meet performance standards seems fairly objective to me,” PAUSD Board of Education member Ken Dauber said in one of the policy review meetings. After a suggestion from PAUSD Board of Education president Melissa Baten Caswell, the wording was revised in the policy to include
computer science courses and covers other options relating to mathematics instruction to ensure college preparedness. Curriculum regarding religion was addressed in the science policy. “[Philosophical and religious theories] may be addressed in science classes, in the context of the history of science and the scientific process,” according to the revised science policy. The Board continued to discuss the Sale or Lease of District-Owned Real Property Policy and the Financial Reports and Accountability Policy. The Board also discussed the policies of Tobacco Free Schools, Employee Notifications, Status Reports and Post-Retirement Employment. The tobacco policy outlines the health hazards associated with tobacco products and prohibits the use of these products in district buildings. The notification policy details when a notice should be sent out to employees about various subjects. The meeting continued with a review of the Discipline Policy and the Suspension and Expulsion/Due Process Policy. The meeting concluded with the Board’s review of the Identification and Education Under Section 504 and Remuneration, Reimbursement and Other Benefits policies.
INSIDE N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 5 Opinion............................A6-A8 L i f e st y l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B3, B6-B8 Spotlight..........................B4-B5 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1- C 8
Spotlight
Lifestyle
Sports
Examining price inflation and its effect on students. B4-B5
Are our schools preparing us for the 21st century? B1
Paly graduate leads the University of Michigan basketball team C7
Cost of higher education
Creativity vs. School
Aubrey Dawkins
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