Issue 6 3/6/15

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. 6

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

Friday, March 6, 2015

WASC concludes tour, generously praises Paly Community commitment provides outstanding support to students and teachers Maggie Rosenthal

staff writer

W

estern Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) officials visited Palo Alto High School from March 1 to March 4, ending its visit with a presentation in the Media Arts Center (MAC) Atrium.

The findings report included five categories detailing strengths and weaknesses in specific areas of the school.

During the presentation, WASC visiting team member Tina Graff introduced the positive observations for Category A, organization.

“Paly is strongly committed to continue to build transparency and open communication with the Superintendent and the district,” Graff said.

Graff continued with the report, commending the community involvement.

“Commitment of the community to Paly offers outstanding support both in the way of budget and volunteer time to continue to provide the academic atmosphere to promote success for all students,” Graff said.

Other strengths mentioned include professional development opportunities and re-structuring Paly’s academic honesty policy.

The key issues brought up include completing a new vision and mission statement and developing common assessments and other forms as assessments used for driving student learning.

Ignacio Ramirez, a member of the WASC visiting team, presented positive points surrounding curriculum in standards-based student learning. “[The] block schedule supports students by creating an advisory time and a tutorial time for students to receive support and guidance,” Ramirez said.

Other assets discussed were the variety of elective and Advanced Placement courses offered and the rigor of the curriculum, promoting a college bound mentality.

Ramirez also presented the issues for the topic.

Career Month to continue next week Rachel farn

STAFF WRITER

C Zoe tierney/The campanile

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visiting member Tina Graff reports the associations findings of Palo Alto High School on March 6. WASC recommended to increase the opportunities for under-represented groups on campus through academics.

“[Paly needs to] increase the opportunities of minorities to access the rigorous curriculum available,” Ramirez said.

Other areas of growth included exploring additional support for students whose access to resources does not extend beyond the school day.

In the categories of instruction, assessment and accountability and school culture and support, the points of growth ranged from the expansion of collaboration time to developing horizontal and vertical alignment.

Reducing strategic cutting on test days and improving consistency in alignment for grading policies and homework are two additional topics WASC team members addressed as problem areas.

Prior to the visit, Emily Garrison, the WASC coordinator, released Paly’s WASC self-study online.

The officials were visiting as part of the process Paly is undergoing to become WASC accredited. According to Garrison, the WASC team members are all volunteers and professional educators from various schools.

While on campus, the visiting committee observed the general school climate. The team’s two main

objectives were to validate the selfstudy and to comment and improve upon the action plan.

The committee began their visit with a meeting with Principal Kim Diorio and a school tour.

WASC is what’s called a value added process, which means they’re not here to point fingers or to tell us what we’re doing poorly. They’re here to make us a better school.

Emily Garrison

WASC Coordinator WASC officials also met with the district, community members, students and parents. Other events included informal discussions with students, meeting with focus groups and observations of classrooms and student work.

The team met with three different groups of students: the WASC student group, Associated Student Body and an ad hoc group consisting of randomly chosen students. These groups had both formal and informal conversations in which they spoke

honestly about the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

Garrison encouraged all students to be honest with the WASC team while it was on campus.

“It’s only going to help us the more we [speak] to the team,” Garrison said. “We want to give them a perspective — a really complete view of what it’s like to be at Paly, what it’s like to be a student, what it’s like to work here at Paly or to learn here at Paly.”

On the final day of the visit, the visiting committee met with the Paly WASC leadership team to discuss its findings and concluded with an oral presentation in the MAC Atrium for students, staff and the community.

“We’re probably going to have to either do an addendum... or change it a little bit based on what the team [told] us they think we should do,” Garrison said. “That’s going to [be] incorporated into our six year plan.”

Garrison has high hopes for the results of the visit.

“WASC is what’s called a value added process, which means they’re not here to point fingers or to tell us what we’re doing poorly,” Garrison said. “They’re here to make us a better school.”

ontinuing on from last week, Palo Alto High School will host lunch time speakers, organized by students, from March 9 through March 12 in the English Resource Center, Social Studies Resource Center and small gym for Career Month.

The week will start off with speakers Jaime Waydo and Julie Saffren on Monday. A University of California, Los Angeles graduate, Waydo is currently working at Google[x] as an engineer for Google’s self driving car.

Saffren, a graduate from Santa Clara University School of Law and Rochester Institute of Technology, practices family law and focuses on domestic violence issues.

On Tuesday, Ann Miura-Ko and Kelly Rinehart will be speaking. A venture capitalist, Miura-Ko is a co-founding partner at Floodgate, a venture capital firm, and is on the board for companies such as Modcloth, Refinery 29, Chloe and Isabel and Wanelo. She lectures at Stanford University in the school of engineering where she earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in mathematical modeling of computer science.

Kelly Rinehart is an executive pilot at Hewlett-Packard Aviation. She has worked at XOJET and the Lima Zulu Aircraft Corporation and studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Chandrama Anderson and Sendil Palani will continue on Wednesday.

Anderson is a marriage counselor who is currently the president of Connect2 Marriage Counseling and has written various books on counseling. She has held numerous executive and high management positions at Stanford University and in Silicon Valley. Her experience allows her to better understand the struggles and

career month

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Chu, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, City council works to promotes solutions to climate change raise the minimum wage Steven Chu kicks off ‘Great Minds’ speaker series in the MAC

Courtesy of George Lu

Steven Chu talks about climate change in the MAC on Feb. 26. His speech “Energy, Climate Chage and a Path Forward” offered resolutions to the enviromental crisis.

Joanna Falla

staff writer

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tarting on Feb. 26, Palo Alto High School’s Media Arts Boosters began the launch of its new “Great Minds” speaker series, the Media Arts Center Great Minds At Campus (MAC-G-MAC), designed to educate and engage students and the Palo Alto community.

The first speaker to launch the series was former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who spoke about the solutions to the environment crisis

in his talk, “Energy, Climate Change and a Path Forward.” Michele Dulik, one of the leaders in organizing the speaker series, believes that hosting the speakers on Paly campus is a great way to educate students, as well as others in the Palo Alto community through a diverse group of speakers.

The program is a fundraiser for Paly’s multiple media arts programs.

Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The tickets are bought in advance through eventbrite.com in order for the organizers of the event to keep track of the 200 spaces available

in the MAC. Tickets are sold at the at the door if spacing permits.

Many students who are interested in technology and journalism did not hear about the MAC-G-MAC event, and unfortunately missed it.

“The Steven Chu event had approximately 125 attendees, but only a handful of which were students, so we are hoping to increase student attendance in the future,” Dulik said.

A variety of members of the community came to hear him talk. However, this program is highly recommended for Paly students, especially those who are taking classes in the MAC or are interested in technology or journalism.

“The mission of the ‘Great Minds’ series is to invite the greater Palo Alto and neighboring community to join Paly students and parents in engaging and topical discussions led by speakers who are leaders in fields such as journalism, education and technology, all of which are very relevant to the media arts programs at Paly,” Dulik said.

CHU

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Higher minimum wage proposal sent to the Palo Alto Policy and Service Committee Stephanie Cong

Lifestyle editor

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he Palo Alto City Council voted 8-0 to send a proposal to establish an increased citywide minimum wage to its Policy and Service Committee on Feb. 9. The proposal to set a higher minimum wage was suggested by councilmen Marc Berman, Pat Burt, Tom DuBois and Cory Wolbach to the rest of the council.

This is a moral issue. It’s way beyond an economic issue. We’re talking about survival.

Carol Lamont

Palo Alto Resident The statewide minimum wage is set to increase fro­­m $9 to $10 per hour in January of 2016. Despite this, Palo Alto councilmen back up their proposal for an even higher mini-

mum wage because living expenses in Palo Alto are substantially higher than the standards in other cities in of California.

“Despite our general affluence, along with high costs of living and working in Palo Alto, we currently have the same minimum wage as low cost regions of California and lower minimum wages than some neighboring cities,” the memo states.

Carol Lamont, a single mother of four who moved to Palo Alto over 40 years ago on welfare, stresses that the issue of raising minimum wage is more than an economic matter.

“This is a moral issue,” Lamont said in an interview with the the San Jose Mercury News. “It’s way beyond an economic issue. We’re talking about survival. I urge you to take action on this and bump this wage up as high as we can.”

The councilmen add in their proposal that the purpose of the minimum wage ordinance would help

Minimum wage

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Spotlight

Lifestyle

Sports

Effects of a transfer program for disadvantaged students.

B4-B5

Looking put together on the surface but struggling underneath.

B1

This sophomoreís journey to longboarding success.

Tinsley Program

Stanford Duck Syndrome

Brett McBride

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Check us out at www.palycampanile.org

A3

Friday, March 6, 2015

A2 NEWS TO KNOW

The Campanile

NEWS Spring musical brings comedy to stage Paly theatre premieres its rendition of the comedy, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” on March 6 maggie rosenthal

STAFF writer

courtesy of American broadcast company

@TheAcademy The Oscars are over, but the future filmmakers they inspired are just getting started.

@washingtonpost Armed thieves snatched $4 million in gold from a truck in North Carolina, police say

@FoxNewsInsider Thousands of NM Students Walk Out of Class to Protest Common Core Testing

@WhiteHouse The @FCC just voted to keep the internet open & free. That’s the power of millions making their voices heard. Thank you! #NetNeutrality -bo

@nycjim US Ambassador to South Korea injured after being attacked by “armed assailant.”

Courtesy of NBC News

@Reuters Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt key nuclear work for at least a decade

@nytimes Nurse Who Contracted Ebola in the U.S. Sues Her Hospital Employer

@CBSNews MORE: House passes bill funding Department of Homeland Security through end of September

@smithsonianmag A previously isolated, potentially fabled lost city is discovered in the Honduran rain forest

@WSJ Breaking: House panel probing Benghazi attack subpoenas former Secretary of State Clinton’s personal emails

P

alo Alto High School theater’s spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” opens March 6.

There have been two early showings of “The Drowsy Chaperone” — one that was held for the press on Feb. 23, and one presented as a free preview, targeted towards middle school students on March 5.

According to Assistant Director and senior Hannah Nguyen, the publicity visit went well. There was a level of coverage Paly Theatre had not had previously. Nguyen also commented on how the preparations for the show have gone.

“The songs and dances are looking really great,” Nguyen said. “We have started working with the student orchestra, and the show is coming together very nicely.”

According to Nguyen, the show contains humor that will appeal to all young adults.

“It’s a really entertaining comedy and anyone who comes is guaranteed to laugh,” Nguyen said.

Tickets are currently on sale online for all the showings of “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

Paly Theatre is also preparing for several festivals many students will be attending in the coming months.

Seniors Nguyen and Cara Kienitz,

Ella mernyk/The campanile

The cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone” performs a dress rehersal to prepare for it’s first show for the public, set to open March 6.

junior Sophie Swezey and sophomore Joelle Dong plan to participate in California Youth in Theatre, an event on March 16 and 17 in which students gather in Sacramento to perform for California legislators and explain the importance of theater education.

“I’m really looking forward to [California Youth in Theatre] because I feel like emphasis on the importance of the arts, theatre in particular,

Projects for new gym and library to be voted on JOSH ng

staff writer

T

he Performing Arts Center construction is going well, as the structure is starting look more and more like a theater every day. Vice Principal Jerry Berkson has high hopes for the Performing Arts Center, expressing that it is the construction project that requires the least worry out of the three that are currently taking place.

With the construction of the Performing Arts Center going steadily, the Palo Alto High School administration looks to devote more time towards the construction of the new library.

The library’s construction will begin as soon as construction of the Performing Arts Center is finished.

The plans for the new library are still being proofread, as the library is still in its early stages. The library is more expensive and will need to take more

time than any of the other projects that the Paly administration has undertaken.

“The [library] project is a bit over budget at this time, but the original plans may have some details that are not necessary and could be omitted or adjustments made to help fit the budget,” Berkson said.

The next construction job that has to be undertaken is the new gym.

Plans for a new gym have been discussed since fall of 2013. Although construction was initially expected to begin after winter break, the date for construction has been moved to June.

The final plans will go to the board on April 1 for approval, and will be sent to the board again in May for a final approval.

In order for all this to happen, the contractor for building the gym has to send the construction logistics to subcontractors and decide whether or not they will undertake the job of building the gym.

ASB prepares for prom and student elections for the officers of 2015-16 staff writer

P

alo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) has received positive feedback on past events and also released details surrounding prom and ASB elections.

At the Sadie Hawkins dance on Feb. 20, ASB announced this year’s prom theme — “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Prom will be held on April 18 at San Francisco City Hall, where entertainment such as photo booths, caricaturists and DJ Hightop will be provided. An international tasting menu dinner will be served hors d’oeuvre style.

“With the theme ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco we really wanted to capture the elegance that the event will [have],” junior class president William Zhou said. “The venue, San Francisco City Hall, is amazing and we think that students will have a memorable night that they’ll never forget.”

Prom tickets will be available for purchase on March 9 on the Paly

performances as well as technical workshops.

“It’s a really high-energy environment and being surrounded by 1,000 other theatre kids for an entire weekend is an experience like no other,” Nguyen said.

Other upcoming events in theater include One Act auditions in the first week of April and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore. from April 23 to 26.

Library construction Administration prepares for upcoming testing plans to be finalized Staff works on WASC, CAHSEE and AP exams

ASB announces “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” this year’s prom theme Nikhil rajaram

is often neglected in a world that’s trying to train engineers and mathematicians,” Nguyen said. “This is a day where we get to show them why theatre is important to us, and why it should be taken seriously in high school education.”

From March 27 to 29, 20 to 30 of Paly’s theater students will be attending the California State Thespian Festival in Upland, Calif. The conference lasts three days and features

Webstore at an early bird price.

From March 9 to March 22, tickets will cost $110 for ASB cardholders and $120 for non-ASB cardholders.

From March 23 to April 10, tickets will cost $120 for ASB cardholders and $130 for non-ASB cardholders.

With the theme ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ we really wanted to capture the elegance that the event will [have]. The venue, San Francisco City Hall, is amazing and we think that students will have a memorable night that they’ll never forget.

William Zhou

Junior Class President ASB has also released application packets for elected officials and applications will be due March 11. Certain new campaign rules have been implemented that restrict the campaign budget to $20 rather than the previous $40 and require all ASB members to attend Camp Everytown.

The Sadie’s dance was the first in three years and was a success, having a larger crowd and better quality than last year’s winter masquerade dance.

The student forum, hosted in the Media Arts Center on Feb. 26, was also a success. ASB encouraged students to voice their “concerns, criticism or constructive feedback related to homework load and stress.” Principal Kim Diorio, Superintendent Max McGee, a Henry M. Gunn High School ASB Student Executive Council president, administration and teachers all attended the event to listen to student feedback. The forum helped bridge the gap between student and teachers and allowed for better communication between the two. ASB has taken further steps to receive more feedback from the greater student body by implementing a suggestions box and online google form which will extend the Advice for ASB campaign.

“This year, ASB has been using a lot of surveys, and we wanted to continue working on and find new ways to hear what the rest of the school thinks,” Zhou said.

Kevin mullin

Sports editor

Masha Konkov

staff writer

T

he Palo Alto High School administration is currently looking for locations to conduct Advanced Placement (AP) testing, a task made difficult due to campus construction. The AP tests are scheduled to begin on May 5, and will finish by May 16.

This year’s Career Month will be taking place in the Haymarket Theater every weekday at lunch from March 2 to March 12. Speakers consist of successful individuals with the desire to spread awareness of what their career entails and what a day in the life is like. Students who attend the talks will be provided with a free lunch consisting of pizza, salad and a treat.

Dean of Students Adam Paulson is working on the logistics of administering the California High School

Exit Exam (CAHSEE), a required test for all sophomores. Paulson is currently hiring and training proctors.

In addition, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visited and evaluated Palo Alto High School March 2 to 4.

These visits occur every six years.

“We have a six year school wide action plan to combat students’ school stress,” Principal Kim Diorio said. “Primarily, we’re partnering with Challenge Success, which is a research based program at Stanford which teams with schools to provide solutions to increase student engagement while reducing stress and pressure. We are going to be looking at things like aligning grading practices, looking at the homework load, and making sure that students are not slammed with tests, quizzes and projects all due on one day. Those are the initial steps we are taking, but we will be looking at everything in the WASC report.”

UPCOMING EVENTs MAR

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

MAR

END OF THIRD QUARTER

MAR

LOCAL HOLIDAY

MAR

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

6

12

13

17

MAR

17-18

You won’t be falling asleep during this comical production.

Seniors, final stretch.

It’s a holiday. We don’t know why, but we’re not complaining.

Have a shamrockin’ good time!

CAHSEE TESTING

Sophomores better hit the books for that perfect score!

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

A3 NEWS Kashi speaks at photojournalism forum Speakers Kashi, expert photographer, presented students with insight on what his career entails

Continued From A1

Claire Dennis

staff writer

P

alo Alto High School recently held the annual photojournalism forum in the Media Arts Center (MAC), giving students the opportunity to meet and hear from an expert photographer in the field.

This year’s event, held on Feb. 27, featured renowned photojournalist Ed Kashi, a returning presenter from last year. Kashi is known for his provocative photos that reflect current worldwide social and economic problems. Kashi spoke during all four periods with each presentation covering a variety of topics and aspects of photojournalism. His first presentation discussed the impact of social media on photojournalism, including the use of applications like Instagram to raise awareness and share experiences through photos.

“Ed [Kashi] is also using more social media and encouraging students to get involved in social media journalism,” Paly photography teacher and event organizer Margo Wixsom said.

Kashi’s later presentation during third period covered the topic of visual storytelling, while his fifth period talk reflected current issues in California such as the drought and natural resource allocations.

Kashi showed two films he created with the New Yorker about the drought. After viewing the films, students participated in a discussion about the impact of California’s drought on Palo Alto and what students could do to limit its effect on the environment.

courtesy of Ashley Chrichton

Kashi, known for his provocative photography, presented at the photojournalism forum in the MAC, hoping to inspire students.

Junior Siggi Bengston, a photography student, enjoyed Kashi’s presentation on current controversies. “[Kashi] talks to the students like adults, teaching them about relevant issues,” Bengston said. “He pushes Paly students to understand their impact on the world, like the drought.”

Finally, Kashi presented on “advocacy journalism” and how students can use their cameras to draw attention to social issues.

Kashi’s current project highlights workers in Nicaragua that suffer from a rare kidney disease that drastically cuts their life expectancy. Danielle Bisbee, Paly junior and photography student, found Kashi’s recent work demonstrative of the impact that photojournalism can have on current issues.

Career Month continues with a variety of speakers Speakers share stories about careers while giving helpful advice to student attendees Continued From A1 better understand the struggles and stress of Silicon Valley couples.

Palani works at Tesla Motors in manufacturing and operations and has worked in business development and finance as well. He has worked at Google as a product manager and at General Electric as a summer associate. Palani received his education from Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania.

The final speakers on Thursday will be Meme Pederson and Peter Ehrhorn. Pederson is the Chief Operating Officer of Tout Sweet Patisserie and the Chielf Executive Officer of Taste catering and event planning. She and her catering company have worked for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the San Francisco Cabaret.

Ehrhorn works for StarVista, a company whose mission is to aid children, youth and families by providing high impact services through counseling, skill development and crisis intervention. He is the program manager of StarVista’s Your House South He previously worked as program coordinator and a mental health clinician at StarVista and a community integration director and an instructional aide at the Morgan Autism Center. He received his Master of Arts in counseling psychology at Santa Clara University and his Bachelor of Arts in psychology at San Diego State University.

Last week’s speakers consisted of dentist and social media businessman Dr. Edward Zuckerberg, heart-lung surgeon David Weill, city economic development manager Thomas Fehrenbach, Udacity vice president Clarissa Shen, psychiatrist Dr. Adam Strassberg, Google product man-

series

ager John Diorio, National Football League replay communicator Terri Valenti, fine artist Kristin Hartman and software engineer Raj Rao. This year’s Career Month was organized by Paly students. The students-leaders include juniors Jeanette Wong, Priya Misner, Minyoung Kim, Alison Zhang and Zach Segal.

“Those five people… they’ve taken on a lot… I’m really so impressed by the professionalism of the students,” Career Month advisor Christina Owens said.

Wong was asked to lead the Career Month Planning Committee after she had proposed a speaker to talk. Wong gathered her friends and fellow students from the Entrepreneur Club to assist her in organizing.

The theme of Career Month is “excellence; finding passion in work and life.” This theme has been used for Career Month since it began and surrounds the idea of working for enjoyment and as a passion.

“The challenge… is looking at you career path as a journey, looking for satisfaction rather than some intangible idea of success,” Owens said.

The purpose of Career Month is to help students find a career they enjoy, a career they are good at and a career the world values.

Career Month was started as a replacement of in class career speakers. By having speakers come during lunch instead of during class, students can choose which speaker to go listen to. Lunch is served to those who come to encourage student participation.

Throughout the years Career Month has changed, but the aim to give students a broader perspective on possible career choices as well as an in-depth view on individual careers always stays the same.

“It’s hard to grasp the gravity of an event through just words, but seeing photos makes it seem far more real,” Bisbee said.

The event was a requirement for current photography students but those not enrolled in a photography class also had the opportunity to attend.

While similar events have been held in past years, Wixsom said the main differences included Kashi’s discussion of current issues like the drought and the new location in the MAC atrium, which Wixsom called “a professional space for world-class speakers.”

During lunch, photography students were invited to showcase their pieces to other students and staff members.

Though Bengston has attended the forum for the past three years, this year’s event was her favorite because of Kashi’s experience and passion for photojournalism.

“Every single year his work just becomes more and more impressive,” Bengston said. “I love listening to him talk every year. His work is incredibly inspiring and he’s hilarious, very relatable.”

Bisbee enjoyed the presentation and would recommend attendance to other students with similar passions in photography and journalism.

“Taking photos rather than just writing an article is a lot more informative for some people,” Bisbee said. “It’s great for students who are interested in photography to see what kind of career they could have.”

Palo Alto is in the heart of Silicon Valley and it is constantly surrounded by innovation and advanced people, which Dulik hopes to take advantage of.

“The long term goal of the Media Arts Boosters would be to have the MAC host monthly MAC-G-MAC events attended by Paly students and parents, and interested community members,” Dulik said. “We want to get people of all ages talking and thinking about the issues of the day, and what better place to do this than in the MAC?” The MAC-G-MAC event has been advertised at many locations applicable for students and adults alike to attend these informative events, such as Facebook, PalyLink, and posters all over University and California Avenue, libraries and on campus.

The mission of the ‘Great Minds’ series is to invite the greater ... community to join Paly students and parents in engaging and topical discussions...

Michelle Dulik

‘Great Minds’ Organizer The next event will be in late April featuring nationally recognized technology journalist John Markoff, and the MAC-G-MAC programmers plan to have another speaker sometime in May and hope to see a diverse audience of both students and adults.

apple inc. announces record quarterly sales records Check out the story at palycampanile.org

City council seeks to raise minimum wage by an additional 11 percent Council unanimously voted to improve minimum hourly pay Continued From A1 serve to promote economic equality in the city.

“Our lowest wage workers perform valued services in Palo Alto and often have to work multiple jobs with long commutes to barely make ends meet,” the memo stated. “A local minimum wage would be a modest step in supporting these workers who are vital to maintaining the services we value and that are essential to our local economy.”

Councilman Eric Filseth feels that the only opposing argument to raising minimum wage would be that the raise could potentially destroy service jobs. “[But that] doesn’t seem likely to happen in Palo Alto,” Filseth said in an interview with Palo Alto Online.

“So, I think we ought to go for it.”

The passed proposal will allow for the matter to be analyzed by the Palo Alto Policy and Service Committee.

The committee will then take action to propose a new and higher minimum wage, inflationary adjustments and long term goals. Lastly, the committee will develop a strategy for outreach and implementation of the new ordinance and how to deal with violations of the ordinance. The impact of the ordinance on staff and resources are anticipated to be low, as stated in the memo. The Santa Clara County Cities Association made minimum wage one of its top priorities for 2015. By passing the proposal, Palo Alto is following in the footsteps of cities such as Sunnyvale and Mountain View. These cities have detected similar issues within their communities and have taken steps to raise the minimum wage as well. Both cit-

ies have approved a minimum wage of $10.30. This change has already taken place in Sunnyvale for the 2015 year. Mountain View, who will be making this change in July, also aspires to raise their minimum wage to $15 by 2018. The councilmen hope for the Palo Alto Policy and Service Committee to use both these cities’ ordinances as models.

In hopes of raising minimum wage in Bay Area cities, San Francisco Senator Mark Leno has introduced legislation which proposes to up the state minimum wage to $13 by 2017.

“Raising incomes for millions of Californians will reduce poverty and provide them a better shot at the American Dream,” Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said in a statement. “Senator Leno’s measure will make sure this opportunity is real for all of [them].”

design by lauren Klass

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

NEWS

A4

Effort to create silent zones New quiet zones to be made on certain Alma St. train crossings

Renovated Rinconada Library opens to public

Antonio Kieschnick

Staff writer

F

ollowing a presentation on Feb. 9, the Palo Alto City Council looked favorably on the establishment of quiet zones near the Alma train crossing in Palo Alto.

The problem was first raised in spring of 2014 by Palo Alto residents, who complained about the noise made by the passing Caltrain.

A quiet zone is usually defined as a section of railway at least half a mile long with crossings that indicate to passing trains to not sound their horns unless in emergency situations.

There has been some discussion as to the possibility of establishing these quiet zones at the Churchill Ave., Charleston Rd. and Meadow Dr. crossings.

However, this would also require one of four additional safety measures: making the crossing one way, installing four gates per crossing, 100 foot continuous barriers or eliminating the grade crossing where a street crosses a train track.

According the Federal Railroad Administration, a city can set up a quiet zone without being dependent on railroad operators. As long as the council goes through the necessary notification and comment procedure, it has the right to establish quiet zones.

Although Caltrain has proved that its staff members are willing to work with local communities in the past to establish quiet zones, the company has yet to give the council on official statement.

In the past, when dealing with local municipalities across the state, Caltrain cooperated under certain circumstances.

The local agency had to assume responsibility for any sort of incident that took place in the zone.

The safety measures, especially the cost of the gates, is by no means small— each gate costs up to $1 million.

The cost of insurance would also have to be tacked on to that of the

Zoe Tierney/The Campanile

Rinconada Library now equiped with double the amount of the coumpters, and internet.

Susana cacho

Staff Writer Conner harden/The campanile

Caltrain noise pollution has caused Palo Alto residents to seek quiet zones at cross-

gates. This has led the council to doubt the establishment of these quiet zones.

As the discussion of the establishment of quiet zones continued, the Palo Alto Policy and Services Committee heard a presentation on Feb. 10 about the effects of noise pollution and, more specifically, those brought about by air traffic.

A quiet zone is usually defined as a section of railway at least half a mile long with crossings that indicate to passing trains to not sound their horns unless in emergency situations.

The committee recommended the council continue to work with residents as well as the Federal Aviation Administration in an effort to reduce air pollution.

The Palo Alto City Council has received multiple complaints from Palo Alto residents. Local residents complain about the recent noise pollution from air traffic.

Thus, on April 29, 2014, the council decided to contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as the San Francisco Interna-

DECA ends season

tional Airport Community Roundtable.

On May 2, 2014, the council sent a list of comments and concerns to the FAA and on May 29, 2014, the council decided to submit a request of membership to Roundtable.

In July, 2014, the FAA decided that noise pollution had no significant impact on the Palo Alto community, so the council continued to hold talks with Palo Alto residents and hear their comments. On Oct. 1, 2014, Roundtable refused to admit Palo Alto as a member with complete voting rights, but invited the city as a nonvoting member to the discussions on air pollution.

Following this decision, the Palo Alto council referred the issue of air traffic noise pollution to the Policy and Services Committee, which ruled that it would continue to hold talks with Palo Alto citizens and attempt to reduce the problem.

Very little progress has been made in the effort to create some of these silent zones.

However, the council has claimed that it is planning on continuing to work and hold extensive talks with the Palo Alto community members in the hopes of finding solutions and getting one step closer to silent zones.

T

he Palo Alto Main Library has undergone many rennovations and upgrades in the past few months. This includes a change in name along with new features.

The renovations of the Palo Alto Main Library, renamed the Rinconada Library, along with the Mitchell Park Library and the Downtown Library and Community Center were made possible due to the passage of Measure N, a $76 million bond measure which was passed in 2008.

This $18 million renovation included the integration of four new study groups supplied with different electronic devices as well as two outdoor patios, a new conference room with twice as much space and a community room overlooking the community garden.

The library has doubled its amount of computers to 31.

Other new features include internet access and televisions in the study and conference rooms.

Books in the new library are displayed in more of a bookstore style fashion. According to Monique le Conge Ziesenhenne, the city’s library director, Rinconada Library also plans to have a small collection dedicated to children’s books.

“We’ve kept it to serve parents with small children who come when

the library is open late,” Ziesenhenne said.

According to Ziesenhenne, the Palo Alto Library Foundation raised money to fund the renovated library with new furniture, books and equipment. The foundation raised a total of $4 million for all three libraries.

An $88,000 project, provided by the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, will benefit the adult nonfiction collection in hopes of updating it.

Other collections included in the Rinconada Library consist of local interest, local authors, historical items as well as gardening and arts.

The Rinconada Library will not incorporate a drive-up and drop-off for returning books. People will have to walk inside to return the books or drop them in exterior wall slots.

Although the library is fully renovated, the programming section is still undergoing development. According to Eric Howard, the assistant library director, the library is working very hard to provide more programs.

“This library will sponsor more hardware,” Howard said, giving as one example a robot-making program that administrators hope to sponsor this summer. “Mitchell Park focuses more on software.”

The newly Rinconada Library just recently opened its doors on Feb. 14 along with the theme, “Love your library past, present and future” after being closed for about 10 months.

Vaccination loopholes closed

Certain DECA members advance in competition New bill regarding measles vaccinations targets “personal belief” exemptions Catherine yu

Staff writer

P

alo Alto High School’s club for emerging business leaders and entrepreneurs, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), had eight members earn spots in the top eight overall for their respective events and four members earn top eight in portions of their event at the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in San Jose, Calif that took place from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1.

At their first conference, the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC), 25 members attended and seven members placed within the top eight spots for their events at the tournament.

For many members, this conference will be their last nference unless they qualify for the International Career Development Conference.

DECA’s performance at SCVDC and SCDC demonstrated their proficiency in preparing for events over their first year. For many members, SCDC was their last conference, unless they qualified for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) that will take place from April 18-21 in Orlando, Florida.

ICDC will be attended by competitors from around the world. Any country with DECA is eligible to attend if their members place within the top four spots for an event of a qualifying conference.

Some events of the conference are composed of two-parts: an exam and a roleplay.

The exam is a 100 multiple choice questions that test the competitor on content relevant to their event category.

For roleplay, there are two different types- one is a written assign-

ment that is presented to a judge, and the other involves brainstorming a solution to a hypothetical scenario.

Sophomore participants Jerry Hong and Josh Code placed in the top eight in their individual events at the SVCDC. Meanwhile, Samarth Venkatasubramaniam participated in a two-part event and claimed second overall; Juniors that placed within the top eight for their events included Greg Eum, Anant Marur, Natalie Maemura and club co-presidents Karina Chan and Stephanie Cong.

Following SVCDC, Chan predicted a growth in both the number of club members and the number of competitors to attend SCDC. According to Chan, a handful members would place within the top four and many to place in the top eight. Members who placed in the top four will automatically qualify for ICDC. Compared to the 25 attendees of SVCDC, Paly DECA saw an increase to 36 members that attended SCDC. At SCDC, sophomores Alice Zhao, Code and Venkatasubramanian placed in the top eight overall for the Public Relations Project. Copresidents Chan and Cong were in the overall top eight for the Creative Marketing Project and junior Miranda Chen along with sophomores Daniel Li and Hong claimed spots in the top eight overall for the Entrepreneurship Promotion Project.

Participants who placed for only a portion of an event included Venkatasubramanian for third in the roleplay in Principles of Finance, freshman Nicholas Zhao for top eight in the same event, Hong for top eight in testing in Principles of Hospitality and junior Mischa Nee for a spot in the top eight in testing in Principles of Marketing.

No members at the competition placed in the top four positions for any events, so they will not be moving on to attend the upcoming conference, ICDC. DECA members will meet but not prepare for future events.

Courtesy of id-ea.org

New senate bill 277 will elimate all vaccination exemptions forcing all people to get vaccinated for measles and other diseases.

Rachel Price

Staff writer

T

wo California state senators recently introduced a bill to tighten vaccination requirements in response to the ongoing measles outbreak.

Senate Bill 277, drafted by Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento and Sen. Ben Allen of District 26 would eliminate many vaccination exemptions and would force parents to vaccinate their children. According to Pan, the bill would eliminate current “personal belief exemptions” that allow parents to not immunize their children due to religious beliefs.

California is currently one out of 19 states that accepts religious beliefs as a release from vaccination. According to a San Jose Mercury News article, California would be one of two other states — Mississippi and West Virginia — to allow only medical exemptions as reasons to keep children unvaccinated.

Measles, eliminated in 2000, appeared again in California’s Disneyland in late December. As reported by the San Jose Mercury News, at least 119 Californians are infected with the measles virus and numbers are growing. In addition, 28 out of 34 measles patients were unvaccinated, according to state health officials.

The bill directly targets personal belief exemptions, and proponents ar-

gue that those who choose not to vaccinate are the source of the problem.

Although still in the process of being passed, California has set a precedent for tightening vaccination requirements in the past. A bill, drafted by Pan, that aimed to heighten vaccine requirements was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. However the prior bill allowed religious exemptions.

After backlash from the religious community, Pan addressed the bill’s termination of religious exemption.

“I’m certainly open to the discussion about the necessity and the nature of any proposed religious exemption,” Pan said.

Outcry from parents of children like Carl Krawitt of Marin, the father of a 6-year-old Leukemia patient, has pushed the bill forward.

Krawitt has publicly called for tightened vaccine requirements.

He even sent a letter to the school district and asked for unvaccinated children to be barred from attending school.

Krawitt’s son, a cancer patient, will be affected more dramatically than others if he contracts measles and can not be vaccinated due to medical incapability.

As stated in a Cable New Network (CNN) article, Krawitt feels the pressure to make others at the school, who are medically capable of being immunized, get vaccines to prevent the spread of measles.

According to the California Department of Public Health, 6.45 percent of kindergarteners in Marin are unvaccinated this year; some of the highest rates of “personal belief exemptions”, that allow parents to send unvaccinated children to school, can be found in the Bay Area. Some schools have already responded to the issue.

After a Southern California outbreak in late January, twenty unvaccinated students were banned from school for three weeks, the incubation period for the disease.

Parents are not the only ones pushing for change. Legislation is appearing nationwide requiring parents to immunize their children.

United States Sen. Barbara Boxer introduced a bill on Feb. 12 requiring children in the nationwide YMCA Head Start program to be immunized.

“People don’t understand how dangerous this disease is,” Boxer said in a speech to the Emeryville Head Start School. “ It blows my mind. You are not only endangering your child, but others and that is not right.”

With the cases of measles increasing, both families and legislators are feeling the pressure to address the problem head on.

Bills are being passed to tighten requirements of immunization against the disease, and schools are becoming stricter in their policies.

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015

NEWS A5 WASC self-study New playground set to open

report released

Report shows aim for cultural improvement Miranda Chen

Staff Writer

A

fter Palo Alto High School’s most recent Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) self-study reports were released mid-February, Paly’s administration has prioritized closing the achievement gap, creating a cultural shift and implementing courses which are more consistently aligned as its goals for its future school year.

The WASC self-study reports, released every six years, provide a detailed look at both parents’ and students’ perspectives on important issues that are often discussed by high-school students. In order to release these student reports, WASC carried out an in-depth study by conducting surveys, having focus groups and holding regular meetings with a leadership team consisting of Paly staff, parents and participating students.

As a result of the reports that were released this past month, Paly’s and Gunn High School’s WASC teams identified three paramount issues, or “critical learner needs,” for their students. Both Gunn and Paly indicated school culture and the achievement gap as critical needs, and while Paly identified greater curriculum consistency as its third goal, Gunn elected to focus on better data collection as an objective for its students.

According to the WASC reports, the majority of Paly students hope to see the inconsistencies both in grading and in courses addressed, claiming that clear differences between teachers of the same course as well as grade deflation are prevalent in current curriculum. According to Principal Kim Diorio, Paly is aiming to develop more common assessments and syllabi for a variety of different

courses so that all homework and general evaluations of student work will be better aligned.

Sophomore Michelle Leong believes that the administration’s choice to focus on aligning courses is an essential step for Paly to take and is a crucial area of improvement for the future.

“I’ve definitely noticed a lot of inconsistencies in different teachers, which is inherently unfair for students,” Leong said. “Grades should indicate students’ performance consistently in all scenarios, which is impossible when teachers have such different curricula and assessments.

I think it’s great that the WASC reports have shown Paly students’ perspectives on the differences that exist between the same courses, and Paly administration’s choice to outline the topic of aligning courses as one of its goals is showing that the administration is taking this issue seriously.”

Another major goal that has been identified by Paly administration is shifting its school culture and climate.

I think it’s great that the WASC reports have shown Paly students’ perspectives on the differences that exist between the same courses.

Michelle Leong Sophomore

In past years, students at both Gunn and Paly have noticed that the general attitude towards success is narrow and traditional, and the School Board hopes to counter this conventional definition of success with one that is more accepting See PalyCampanile.org

Magical Bridge Playground designed for children of all abilities Kate Deandre

Staff Writer

M

agical Bridge Playground is a new type of playground set to open on March 28, offering areas children of all abilities can enjoy at Mitchell Park. Magical Bridge Playground is a fully-accessible playground designed for children with special needs to focus on distinctive play needs of every individual. It is the only one of its kind.

“We call it Magical Bridge, because we say the playground is bridging the gap between those with and without disabilities, and we think that’s pretty magical,” Olenka Villarreal, founder of the Magical Bridge Playground said.

After raising nearly $3.8 million in donations, construction began with high ambitions from the founders.

“We are aiming to start a national conversation that community parks must be built for everyone in the community, which means you think about the different kinds of people who are in the community,” Villarreal said. “There are many things that can be done in the design of a playground that are very simple, but that open it up to many people.”

Villarreal came up with the idea to build this playground six years ago when her daughter, Ava, who has special needs, was unable to find a playground that provided for all of her developmental needs.

“She was only about five-yearsold, and I started looking for a park to take her to in Palo Alto, and I discovered that there were no parks that were made for children that were not typical or a little different,” Villarreal said. “So I went to the city of Palo Alto and I asked them whether any parks had been made that are under ADA (American’s With Disabilities Act) compliance.”

After learning there were no parks that offered areas to fit needs of chil-

Courtesy of magicalbridge.org

The park will open less than a year after its construction began, on March 28.

dren with all abilities, Villarreal made it her mission to create one.

Magical Bridge has six different parts of the playground which are helpful for children at all developmental stages. The areas include the magic of music, swinging, spinning, tot play, playing on a stage or in a tree house and sliding.

One of the most technologically advanced aspects of the park is the magic of music area, which consists of a structure with streaming laser beams that are used as a giant harp.

The area is specifically designed for children who may have a hard time communicating verbally, and helps all children to stimulate different areas of the human brain through music.

Magic of swinging is the part of the park that focuses on the alleviating motion of rocking back-andforth which helps with hearing and comprehension for children on various spots of the autism spectrum.

With similar effects of swinging, spinning gives an esoteric impact on the human brain and is one of the most important forms of sensory input.

The tot play area is the part of the playground that focuses on incorporating children with disabilities into the community early on so the students avoid forming stereotypes and misjudgments.

Another influential area that improves developmental skills for all children is the stage section that focuses on bettering social interactions.

Sliding is the area created for children to build better self awareness and balance and the park’s array of slides helps children to do so.

Villarreal hopes that by creating this park, it will bring inclusion to all children of Palo Alto with any ability, and by forming these relationships between children of all abilities early on, it will bring awareness to the special needs community.

“People are uncomfortable with things they don’t know about, but once they become aware of it they realize, I can say hello [to this unfamiliar peer],” Villarreal said. “Guess what? By saying hello, to these children or these young people with special needs, you totally make their week. It’s such a small gesture, but it makes them feel so good.”

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015

OPINION

A6

High speed train not worth cost SAT classes overpriced Funds could go towards other important underfunded programs

Peter Maroulis

Staff Writer

W

hat would you do with $68.4 billion? For that much, you can buy every single team in both the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), 11,000 brand new Ferraris and the entire 164.5 square mile Hawaiian island of Lanai. The state of California decided to take $68.4 billion and use it to build a high speed electric train from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Though this project seems beneficial for travelers, it is most certainly not.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a high speed train from the heart of Northern California to the heart of Southern California and I support the vast reduction of carbon emissions as well as the thousands of new jobs which will accompany the train.

Education is key to the well being of not just individuals, but the state of California and ultimately America as a whole.

However, there are many alternative ways to spend $68.4 billion that prioritizing a single railway line does not seem prudent. Public education could be improved with additional funding, pension care could be better secured and more money could be funneled into healthcare. As the most populous state in America, California should think carefully before investing dozens of billions of taxpayer dollars into just one train system; the financial repercussions could be damaging. After voters passed the idea of building a high speed train in 2008, a

budget of $9.95 billion ($10.84 billion today) was proposed. In the subsequent seven years, not a single mile of track has been laid and the budget is now six times more. A ‘groundbreaking’ was finally held on Jan. 6, 2015 to mark the start of construction. Today, a grand total of 10 feet of track has been laid.

The budget rise is a red flag in that it indicates further increases for the future when actual construction may cause setbacks. Yet, even if there are no more setbacks, $68.4 billion will not be the final cost. With California using bonds to pay for the project’s costs, the lowest possible interest payments will add another $28.14 billion to the heavy bill taxpayers already have to foot. At such a cost, is a train really worth it?

Most of California doesn’t think so. In 2008, 53 percent of Californians supported the train project, and 5 years later in 2013, the approval rating was 43 percent. I agree with the majority of California in the belief that we should not be spending an enormous amount of money on the train project, whose budget has skyrocketed to no visible positive effect.

If California is planning on spending billions of dollars, why not spend it on something that, guaranteed, would benefit millions.

There are many other institutions in California that could use funding, most urgent among them being public education. A mere ten percent of California’s yearly budget is spent on funding for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, the University of California, California State University and California Community College system.

Education is key to the well-being of not just individuals, but the state of California and ultimately America as a whole. Children today will grow up to be the leaders of the future, working in both the private and public sectors representing the interests of the United States. Putting the train funds towards public education would be making an investment in millions of California citizens instead of making an investment in a single

transportation line. Giving money to schools also would not entail any setbacks and is much needed as we have recently seen increases in UC tuition in order to pay for educational costs as well as reluctance from the state of California to grant additional funding. The abundance of money from the high speed rail program could be an easy solution to the struggling education fund.

As well as education, pensions are in dire need of money. Since the financial crisis of 2008, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System has looked to the government to subsidize its shortfalls in retirement funds. These subsidies have been up to $70 billion at worst in one year.

Giving money to schools also wouldn’t entail any setbacks and is much needed.

A third possible option for where the $68.4 billion could go is into health care. California’s Medi-Cal organization provides health coverage for 11.3 million people with low income, offering care for mental health, substance abuse, vision, dental, pregnancy and many other programs for Californians.

By funneling money into the Medi-Cal system, the government is guaranteed to help at least 30 percent of the states’ population, whereas with the train there is no such set figure.

It would be nice to have a high speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and it might even be profitable; but not at a price tag of $68.4 billion.

Putting the train funds towards public education is making an investment in millions of California citizens.

Inefficiencies have caused the train building budget to go up by a factor of six without any significant construction, indicating further rises along the way.

If California is planning on spending billions of dollars, why spend the money on something not entirely beneficial, when you could be putting the money towards something that, guaranteed, would benefit millions.

No-homework nights disadvantageous The attempts made to alleviate stress create more of a burden

Sarah Wang

STAFF Writer

A

s students in high school, we are subject to daily homework that can take us hours to finish. The workload never seems to end, and we constantly feel as if we have been pushed to our limit. Thus, the idea of having no-homework nights at Palo Alto High School every now and then sounds like an appealing way to ease the stress and give us a break.

Unfortunately, whether no-homework nights are implemented either unofficially by teachers or officially by administration, they often have the opposite effect for they end up adding even more stress to students’ schedules. In many cases, especially when a no-homework night is added last minute, teachers simply just move assignments to the next day, doubling the amount of homework that needs to be done the next night. In this situation, the no-homework night encourages procrastination by putting all the stress on one night instead of spreading it out.

Paly junior Helen Yan believes that, in theory, no-homework nights

sound like a great idea, but when put in place, just add more homework to other nights.

“While the intent and concept of no-homework nights are great, in practicality they can’t just be inserted into the schedule without adequate notice because in many classes, homework can’t just be erased or not done,” Yan said. “[No-homework nights] just create nights with double the homework.”

Should a teacher decide to just cancel the homework assignment originally assigned for the no-homework night, stress can still be created.

Though the homework might not be officially due anymore, the content in that homework can still be considered testable on the next test. This gives the student two choices: either to do the homework anyways to prepare for the test, or not to do it and risk poor performance on portions of the next test. Either way, the work and stress still exist.

Then there is the option of pushing back the homework assignment, which in turn can push back the entire schedule. Though some teachers with more flexible lesson plans may be able to smoothly reshape their plans to work around the no-homework night, other teachers end up speeding up units to make up for lost time, adding more stress to students because they need to learn material faster.

Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Jack Bungarden sees moving around homework as just a way to shift the problem of stress, not a way to alleviate it.

“You just get more stuff before the homework free period or after,” Bun-

garden says. “It doesn’t fix the problem, it just changes it.”

There are a few ways to go about fixing the problem of stress created by no-homework nights. One would be to get rid of no-homework nights. All they do is advocate procrastination or force students to make the choice between doing the assignment anyways or not solidifying their knowledge of a concept.

Another solution, which is already in progress, would be to plan nohomework nights far ahead of time.

According to an email Principal Kim Diorio sent out to the student body on Feb. 5, Paly staff “will be discussing and developing a plan for a few homework free nights in 2015-2016.”

By planning well in advance, teachers will hopefully be able to smoothly integrate homework free nights into their lesson plans so homework loads will stay more consistent before and after the designated no-homework nights.

Bungarden sees this as a more helpful solution, because with more time to plan, teachers can change their assignments to ensure students can have a peaceful break.

“What has to occur is that homework assignments need to be modified, they have to be reduced,” Bungarden said. “That takes a lot more effort. There’s a level of thoughtfulness that needs to go with it, and right now we don’t have it.”

Contrary to their purpose, the way no-homework nights are being executed right now in no way alleviates stress. Changes must be implemented in order to stop the excess stress students experience after homework free nights.

Palo Alto High School should offer free programs for standardized testing prep

Masha Konkov

Staff Writer

I

t is common knowledge that aside from high school grades, course rigor and extracurriculars, high standardized test scores are an integral attribute to have on a college application. Junior year has earned its reputation as the most difficult and stressful year in high school not only from the idea that students take their most difficult classes that year, but also have the constant burden of standardized testing weighing on their shoulders.

If you’re self-motivated and you really know how to study for standardized tests, then you don’t need a tutor.

Emma Sternfield Junior

The College Board advertises that both the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Test (ACT) are purely testing the proficiency of students’ knowledge of curriculum they learned solely through their K-12 education. However, most tutoring programs typically deny this, marketing their business as having tutors trained specifically for mastering the sneaky methods of The College Board. Currently, the Paly College and Career Center website provides options for free online test preparation, primarily PrepMe, a service available through Naviance. A plethora of books are also available for checkout from the library and college and career center itself.

Most students who are able to afford a private tutoring company for college entrance exams attend them.

How could someone not want to when these companies practically guarantee at least a 200 point increase in score?

If the school offered some sort of real life SAT tutor, I would definitely take advantage of it.

Gabi Rossner Junior

The most popular program for Paly students is AJ Tutoring, with locations in Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

AJ offers a group prep class consisting of nine two-hour classes, costing $990. There are also individualized courses that are priced at over $1,000.

“People are concerned because they want to do well. In this geographical area in general, so many

people have the means to pay for it [tutoring], and nerves and money go well together,” Cernobori said. “I would hate to leave people with the impression that its necessary to get a professional tutor to master standardized testing. In addition, out of over 3,000 colleges, the majority of colleges admit on a holistic basis and CSU’s as well as other public schools are one of the few to do a numbers game.”

Junior Emma Sternfield attends AJ Tutoring every other week as preparation for the ACT. “[Tutoring] has another person reassuring your progress and guiding you through techniques,” Sternfield says. “They inform you about how to manipulate and know the types of questions. I think it depends on personality; if you’re self-motivated and you really know how to study for standardized tests, then you don’t need a tutor, but personally I’m not that type of person.”

With many Paly students enrolled in some sort of test preparation program, whether it be individual or group, students whose families cannot afford these programs are at disadvantage. Since Paly has always been committed to the success of all students after high school, the school should offer some sort of free class for interested students. Programs like Palo Alto Partners in Education could use some of their funds to compensate tutors for their time devoted to the implementation of the program.

My ideal situation would be working with a tutor, but it’s just so ridiculously expensive.

Gabi Rossner Junior

Due to Paly’s competitive environment, the incentive to perform well on standardized tests is felt throughout all four years, and some sort of assistance for students to achieve whatever goals they have would be greatly appreciated.

“If they were to implement this program at Paly, I think that there should be group and individual program, because different types of people work best in different learning dynamics,” Sternfield said.

“It’s hard for me because I am not self-motivated, my ideal situation would be working with a tutor, but it’s just so ridiculously expensive,” junior Gabi Rossner says. “I know the school offers online tutoring, but I cannot learn that way and if the school offered some sort of real life SAT tutor, I would definitely take advantage of it.”

Regardless of Palo Alto’s affluence, there are still students whose families cannot afford private programs, and with the fairness of the education system constantly in question, there should be as many possibilities to make getting a solid education a more leveled playing field.

Although the importance of standardized testing is often overexaggerated, some method of direct assistance should be provided by the school and would be beneficial.

Courtesy of tHE PALY VOICE

Many students feel that the school should offer SAT and ACT preparatory classes.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

A7

OPINION

Should a student’s number of APs be limited?

The administration’s new time management worksheet and its suggestion to limit students to only take two Advanced Placement courses per year has raised the question of whether APs should be forcibly capped

claire dennis

staff writer

P

YES

alo Alto students live in an extremely competitive environment. And with the prize of college admission to top-tier universities becoming ever more elusive, this competition reaches another level. Say Person A decides to take three Advanced Placement (AP) classes, a rigorous but manageable course load.

When Person B finds out about this, in order to appear more competitive for admissions, they decide to take four APs. Person C ramps this up to five AP classes to edge out his or her competitors. By the time we arrive at Person D, there is a serious problem.

So who needs to reign in the competition? Administration. Starting this year, Palo Alto High School requires students to fill out a time management log prior to signing up for APs. This system aims to assist students in reflecting on how they spend their time and the practicality of taking an AP. Along with the time management form, Paly’s administration has introduced a suggestion of two AP classes per year. This guideline, while admirable, lacks enforcement.

According to the College Board, which oversees APs, the “Advanced Placement program enables students to pursue college-level studies — with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both — while still in high school.”

For those that feel that limiting AP classes hurts college applications, Paly can clarify this policy to admission officers. This would place more emphasis on extracurriculars and other ways students demonstrate college readiness and rigor outside the classroom. To show dedication to a topic, students could volunteer or pursue an internship, giving students hands-on experience not always available in an academic setting.

A key aspect of AP courses is that they prepare students for a comprehensive examination in May. These tests are scored on a five point scale and evaluate a student’s knowledge of the subject in different formats. The looming May test date restricts teachers’ ability to teach freely. Instead they must “teach to the test” and prepare students to be knowledgeable in the areas deemed necessary by the Col-

lege Board, rather than covering the material they feel is most applicable.

For that reason, several top public schools have phased out APs, opting instead for their own version of advanced courses that give teachers more freedom in designing the class.

Most prominent in this movement is Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, NY, which is considered “a precedent for high-achieving public schools,” according to the New York Times.

Scarsdale’s system, Advanced Topics, was developed by professors at top universities to cover applicable material without the confines of a standardized test. For those that fear limits on AP testing would jeopardize competitiveness for college admissions, 49 percent of Scarsdale’s class of 2008, after Scarsdale began limiting APs in 2005, attended a group of top 80 schools, as defined in the New York Time’s article by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.

This can be compared to 47 percent of students in the class of 2007.

This would place more emphasis on extracurriculars and other ways students demonstrate college readiness and rigor outside the classroom.

If a student meets a certain score outlined by a university, he or she may qualify to test out of introductory level courses or receive college credit. But this practice is increasingly less popular for college administrations because colleges prefer students to take their own introductory courses to ensure an adequate foundation. According to a 2011 New York Time’s article, schools like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Texas no longer accept AP credit for Biology or require a score of a five for credit.

Above the appeal of college credit or genuine interest, students opt for AP classes not only to challenge themselves, but also to impress colleges with their advanced schedules.

Challenge is by no means a negative attribute. If a student has a strong interest in a certain subject, he or she should take an AP class in that area.

But that does not imply that students should fill their entire schedule with AP courses; this expectation creates unnecessary stress and competition.

Administration should implement a limit of only three AP courses per year, forcing students to select classes that they are genuinely interested in pursuing, instead of picking classes for the two letters that appear before it on a transcript.

There is more to life than what classes you take in high school. Demonstrated rigor and interest should be appreciated, but creating an atmosphere of competition, pressure and stress should not.

JEFFREY HO

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

W

NO

hy are Palo Alto schools so desirable? In short, our schools are home to devoted teachers; in addition, students may participate in a plethora of academic and extracurricular activities centered around their interests. Unlike other schools in nearby areas and across the nation, Palo Alto schools provide us with many opportunities to enlighten ourselves with challenging and intellectually engaging courses — most notably the great variety of Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

Palo Alto High School upperclassmen are fortunate to be allowed to enrich themselves with AP courses in both the humanities and the sciences. Students often see honors and AP courses as a means to challenge themselves and find their limits, and many pride themselves by enrolling in such courses. For years, students have found success in taking Paly’s 19 AP courses and 13 honors courses.

With honors and AP courses, students can explore a college-level class, where teachers may delve deeper in concepts of their own interests.

Some may believe that the sole purpose of an AP class is to obtain the extra grade point on a transcript, and the AP program only creates hostility within classrooms across the nation.

However, at Paly, where teachers are devoted to student success, students desire to expand their intellectual capacities and reach new realms of learning. Creating a mandatory cap and prohibiting students from taking more than three AP classes would hinder student potential and yield students less freedom for personal pursuits. This would concede two out of line notions: assuming that a strict cap on the number of AP classes students may take is fair, such a cap creates the precedent that all AP classes require the same amount of time and effort to succeed in and that all students learn to the same extent during any given class period.

Let’s imagine a realistic hypothetical situation where a junior excels in math and science and is restricted by an AP cap. Let’s also say given this student’s junior year performance, he or she has proven to be capable of taking honors and AP classes with suc-

cess. Let’s say this student chooses to take AP Calculus AB and AP Chemistry to fulfill fourth-year math and science requirements. For social studies, because most senior year social studies classes span one semester, this junior figures that taking second semester AP Macroeconomics after first semester Economics is reasonable. This senior already has a schedule of three AP classes. But what if this student enjoyed American Literature Honors last year and wanted to continue in the high lane? What if he or she desires to pursue a secondary love for environmental science? What happens if he or she wishes to challenge his or herself while fulfilling the visual arts requirement by enrolling in AP Music Theory or AP Art History?

Tough luck.

We must realize that not every AP class is created equal; more importantly, just because an AP class is standardized to some extent by a test, students are not. There remains no question that AP classes offered at Paly range greatly in difficulty and workload. Each course covers completely unique content, yet an AP cap would fail to differentiate the different workload demands of each class.

We must realize that not every AP class is created equal; more importantly, just because an AP class is standardized to some extent by a test, students are not.

Some think the increasing number of AP classes offered to and taken by students over the years has fueled lower admissions rates at many prestigious universities across the nation.

Although it may seem as if we as Paly students compete with ourselves to land in a college’s “quota” of acceptance letter recipients, this is greatly confounded by the inherent nature of students to apply to a greater number of colleges and by other secondary institutions’ desires to artificially inflate grades to subtly increase their students’ chances of getting into more prestigious universities.

Most universities add one grade point for an AP class a student takes.

With the rising number of students

taking these college-level classes, universities have instituted higher cutoff scores for those seeking transfer credit and more advanced lane placement. However, in order to verify that students enter college prepared with solid foundations of subjects, AP exam scores show colleges a student’s proficiency in a given discipline. Regardless of whether one must repeat an introductory class in college, it certainly doesn’t hurt to intellectually smooth the transition to college.

Finally, some find that AP curriculum overpressures teachers to teach only to the test and inadequately tests students on essential subjects. This is true to an extent, as teachers create assignments that involve previous AP questions or that tailor to the AP curriculum. However, just because a teacher teaches an AP class does not mean the only material covered in the class may be from an AP test prep book. At Paly, most teachers deviate from the set AP curriculum through labs, activities and other supplementary topics. In addition, for the most part, teachers sufficiently prepare students for AP tests with ample time to spare before the May test dates, as they often find ways to supplement AP review sessions not only during the weeks right before the test, but also all throughout the year.

But even for those who think the College Board’s expectations of knowledge of AP test material serve as an inaccurate representation of what students should learn from the courses, only permitting students to take a select number of APs does nothing to solve the problem at hand. Doing so sets the flawed precedent that students can’t take a more academically intensive course simply because the curriculum lacks competence in covering topics to the extent it ought to within a one year span. In such circumstances, the only beneficial means to solve such a problem would be to eliminate the AP program at Paly and allow students to choose accelerated courses from those available.

What this boils down to is an issue over who is in the position to tell a student what the limits of their intellectual capacity are. The answer is simple: definitely not the school administration.

miranda chen/The campanile

Some Teacher Advisors have tried to limit the amount of APs their students may take.

Paly ought to do more to promote Chinese language programs

Mandarin speakers possess a valuable role in the world today that should be taken advantage of by Paly students

aiva petriceks

staff writer

C

urrently, many Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) eighth graders are nervously enrolling in high school courses. Many courses, such as math, are already determined for them, but one thing they have full control of is what language they take. Current PAUSD graduation requirements require students to have at least two years of a foreign language, but many students stay with a language until they reach the Advanced Placement (AP) class. For those who took a language in middle school, including Spanish, French and Japanese, most will continue on with that language.

One language taught at high schools but not at middle schools is Mandarin. Often referred to as Chinese, Mandarin is the official language of several Asian countries.

The Chinese program started in 2006 and has 140 students, the size that PAUSD envisioned it to be.

“We expected there to be a section for each level, from level one to AP, which is in the fifth year,” world language Instructional Supervisor Kevin Duffy said.

It is rare that Chinese is taught at the high school level, and Paly students should take advantage of this.

Living in California, it may seem that Spanish is the most useful language. However, with China’s growing economy, that is not the case. In the business world, people who are able to speak Chinese have an upperhand in job opportunities as well as in gaining higher pay. Businesses would rather pay Chinese-speaking employees extra versus paying an employee who doesn’t know Chinese and a translator. More people nonnative to Europe speak European languages than non-Chinese people speak Mandarin, creating a greater demand for Chinese-speakers.

“Chinese people learn English because it gives us more opportunities in terms of jobs or other things you may not envision right now,” Chinese teacher Liyuan He said.

In the business world, people who are able to speak Chinese have an upper-hand in job opportunities as well as in gaining higher pay.

In fact, Chinese could be more beneficial than English in the current business world. Lee Han Shih, who runs a business company, told the British Broadcasting Corporation that the English language is becoming less important to him financially due to the fact that he is taking western clients to do business in China, and Chinese thus becomes important and valuable. China is rapidly taking over the world economy. As the world’s fastest growing economy, China recently became the second largest economy behind the U.S. The Economist predicts that by 2020, China will surpass the U.S. as the biggest international superpower.

Junior Chuck Stephenson was given the opportunity to use his Chinese in order to help Palo Alto connect with a Shanghai district during his summer in sophomore year.

“I went on a trip to Shanghai through the city of Palo Alto to develop a sister city relationship with the district of Yong Pu,” Stephenson said.

“I [used] my Chinese to talk to locals and make my way around the city.”

Instead of learning only what is taught about China in Contemporary World History, those learning Chinese understand important holidays as well as their meanings.

A reason for why students don’t take Chinese in Paly is because it has not been taught at middle schools. Jordan Middle School and Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School have tried to established a Chinese program, but have struggled to start a class. “[Chinese] has been offered [to middle schoolers] the past several years, but if only six students sign up for the class or only 10 students sign up, [the Chinese program] can’t run. If they don’t get around 22 [students] there to start, then they can’t run it,” Duffy said.

The expansion of Mandarin Immersion in PAUSD can hopefully

promote Chinese to other students.

Mandarin Immersion started at Ohlone during the 2008-09 school year, and now has 124 students in its program. PAUSD school board is debating passing it to Jordan by 201617 school year, and if passed, Ohlone graduates will continue immersion throughout middle school. Students who see their peers taking Chinese may want to enroll, and a Chinese program can get the boost it needs.

The school district showing support for the growing language at Paly could be a huge factor in getting more students to take Chinese “Higher level of the school district needs to know the importance of this language, their support will make a big difference,” He said. “They can promote the program to incoming students and show students the benefits of this language to their parents.”

Along with the benefits of knowing Mandarin, students taking Chinese believe their peers should take advantage of Paly’s great program.

“I think that every student should consider taking Chinese at Paly,” Stephenson said. “There is a wonderful program here and an incredible teacher.”

Friday, March 6, 2015

A8

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

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.

District should offer standard for AP, honors homework

O

n Feb. 3, Superintendent Max McGee emailed all district teachers a copy of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) homework policy, after noticing that the policy was “not widely known” among community members. In his message, McGee reminded staff members that the document was created through an “inclusive process,” and as approved by the school board, compliance by teachers is “expected and required.”

In his email, which provides salient excerpts from the full homework policy, McGee emphasizes key guidelines that many Paly students may not be aware of. For example, the policy requires that all students from 9th to 12th grade receive at most ten hours of work, which includes home-

work, project and test preparation, from Monday to Friday. According to the homework policy, freshmen should expect around seven hours a week, and seniors can look to around ten hours of week. The Associated Student Body (ASB) posted the document to each class Facebook page.

For students who may feel bombarded with work that takes them much longer than the outlined seven to ten hours, the knowledge that their teachers have been reminded of the policy may be a huge relief. However, when one scrolls down the policy, it is noted that “students who choose to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP), Honors or accelerated courses should expect loads higher than those outlined above and should refer to class catalogs for homework expectations”

Essentially, all high-level APs and Honors courses are exempt from the homework policy, needing only to adhere to the estimations outlined in the course catalogs.

The staff of The Campanile recognizes not only that hypothesizing and enforcing the number of homework hours for each student is extremely difficult, but also, that, to some extent, students who choose a high-intensity schedule must be willing to face the challenges that rigorous courses demand.

However, we believe that a homework policy that places APs and Honors courses aside and does not truly attempt to address them is ignoring a huge group of PAUSD students.

For the vast number of students who take at least one or more advanced

Divestment not the route to achieving a better Israel

A

s the Boycott, Divest and Sanction campaign (BDS) gains steam in college campuses across the country, many student legislature organizations have heard propositions to divest all university funds from either any Israeli organization or companies who have sold to the military or government of the State of Israel. The Campanile believes the Divestment hearings to be both ineffective and unnecessarily discriminatory against Israel and will create more problems than it solves.

The Campanile does not deny wrongdoings committed by Israel, nor does it blindly support the state in its actions. We believe that Israel is not justified in occupying the territories of Gaza and the West Bank, that the settlements movement is only provoking further conflict, and that the escalation of violence ends up hurting Israel further. These wrongs do not, however justify the Divestment movement in its current state, and further prove the necessity of a two-state solution created by the leaders of both people and deemed fair by all parties involved.

Divestment does not legitimately advance peace in any measurable way, and can actually add to tension in campuses as opposed to promoting discussion and working toward a solution. Although the BDS movement is quick to point out the flaws in Israeli actions, it does not actually propose any real-world policy changes or possible borders for two new states in the region. The movement is only a punishment to Israel and does not advance the peace process in any way.

In addition, Divestment only responds to the injustices on one side

A

s students at Palo Alto High School, we are presented daily with incredible opportunities to push learning and ourselves to the highest levels. Students have the opportunity to receive free counseling, tutoring, internet access and advanced software, opportunities students at most other schools could only dream of. Many of those advantages are given to us through the nonprofit foundation Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE). PiE supports Paly, as well as every other school in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), through generous donations from local benefactors, helping students “reach their fullest intellectual, social and creative potential,” according to their website.

Paly students are incredibly grateful for PiE and all the resources it offers us. However, The Campanile would like donors and PiE to be aware of students needs that have not been in the agenda recently — textbooks.

Although Paly is ahead in the technical arena, textbooks are still an important resource for students in and out of the classroom. Unfortunately, many textbooks at Paly are currently in poor condition. Most of the math department’s textbooks are scribbled in, have missing pages and duct-taped spines. In the foreign language department, many students have to carry their textbooks to

and from class because there are not enough books to make up a full class set. In the library and resource centers, most textbooks are scarce or can not be found at all. We, as students, believe purchasing new textbooks for Paly should be a top priority.

In the last few years, Paly and other schools in PAUSD have received an inordinate number of Chromebooks, MacAirs, and iPads through PiE and local foundations. Paly now has hundreds of laptops and Chromebooks, as well as several iPad carts. Just a few years ago, laptops at Paly were scarce — teachers would have to book laptop carts weeks in advance just so a class could use them for single period. This problem no longer exists.

Many academic departments have their own laptop carts, and departments that do not own carts have the option to book time in one of Paly’s many computer labs.

This is not to say that Paly students do not appreciate these donations of laptops and other forms of technology. Of course, the staff of The Campanile recognizes how privileged our student body is, and how helpful technology can be in exciting students to explore and learn.

By bringing attention to the condition of Paly’s textbooks, we hope to redirect some of these donated funds from technology to books, and help bring focus to what is currently needed in the eyes of the students.

school students for several years, it is my opinion (and many of theirs) that generally 15 hours for a seven day week (Monday through Sunday) is a maximum reasonable load for top students,” McGee said.

The Campanile staff proposes a revision to the current policy that incorporates work-load guidelines for students enrolled in APs and Honors.

While the limit may not be completely accurate, as a student taking five APs will be working more than a student taking one Honors course, something is better than nothing.

Analyses of weekly assignments in a range of AP and Honors subjects, surveys issued to students and discussion with a variety of student groups could be utilized to formulate the hours-per-week guideline.

COMIC OF THE MONTH

of the conflict, while ignoring terrorist attacks and internal oppression in the occupied states. The Divestment movement is also ineffective because it hurts Palestinians financially, the same people the movement is attempting to save from oppression. Many of the Israeli companies singled out by the Divestment movement have factories beyond the Green Line and employ many Palestinians. If these companies lost business, both Israeli and Palestinian laborers would lose their livelihood and their ability to provide for their families. Finally, Divestment is ineffective as it calls on the Board of Directors of the university to enforce the terms of the Divestment, and there has yet to be a single case where the Board has actually enforced the Divestment.

Even more important than the actual ideology of the BDS movement is the wave of hatred and anti-Semitism that can follow the proposal of Divestment in a student legislature.

In one local example, following a Divestment vote at the University of California, Davis, swastikas were spray painted on the building of a Jewish fraternity. Jewish students have also reported having been left disgusting messages or items left at their dorms after they argued against Divestment in the legislature. In addition, the Divestment hearings can create unnecessary tensions among different voices who otherwise could work together to create a concrete road to peace. As opposed to arguing over what is essentially a political statement, supporters of Divestment should put their efforts towards a motion with an actual impact.

PiE funds should be used for textbooks

course each year, the current homework policy fails to provide any sort of standard or boundary for weekly workload. While it is true that students choose their own schedules and must live with the “consequences” of the classes they’ve selected, it must be recognized that a beneficial, effective homework policy should support the wide range of high school students in the district — not just the students enrolled in solely non-AP and nonHonors courses.

The Campanile applauds McGee for noting the lack of information related to student time spent on advanced-level course homework in the policy and for providing his own suggestions.

“Based on my experience working with talented and accelerated high

Ella mernyk/The Campanile

baby it ’s cold outside

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

Lifestyle Editors Stephanie Cong Paul Mewes

Sports Editors Galen Byrd Owen Dulik Kevin Mullin

Online Editor Jeffrey Ho

Photography Editor Conner Harden

Staff Writers Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa Susana Cacho Miranda Chen Kate DeAndre Claire Dennis Joanna Falla Rachel Farn Bo Field Jeremy Fu Yi Gi

Mackenzie Glassford Danniel Hammerson Jamie Har Antonio Kieschnick Masha Konkov Nicole Li Tiffany Liang Peter Maroulis Anant Marur Chelsea McIntosh Mischa Nee

Conner Harden Danny Hammerson

Joshua Ng Kai Oda Aiva Petriceks Rachel Price Nikhil Rajaram Thomas Rauner-Swan Maggie Rosenthal William Shin Chris Skokowski Noah Smith William Snodgrass

Photographers

Zoe Tierney Ella Mernyk

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Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

The Tinsley Program

L FESTYLE

The Duck Syndrome

Mischa Nee

B4 - B5

Spiritual Strawberry Smoothie Experiences

Design by Carissa Zou Catherine Yu

OWEN STAIGER

Senior Staff Writer

Text by Sarah Wang

veryone knows that student: the one who seems to be gliding through life with straight As in the school’s most challenging courses, balancing an absurd amount of extracurricular activithemties and somehow also maintaining a social life. This person selves does not seem to be drowning under his or her workload, and in fact, fit this seems to be thriving with little effort. This person is a contributor to what description.” has been coined as the “Stanford Duck Syndrome.”

It is also inImagine a duck drifting smoothly across the water. While the duck teresting to note that looks like it is swimming effortlessly, its legs are actually paddling the syndrome was coined at one furiously beneath the water, out of sight from everyone else. Some of the most distinguished uniStanford University students use this analogy to describe themselves, versities in the country. It is no because many of their peers on campus try to look like being a student coincidence that the students at at one of the top universities in the nation is a piece of cake. And not surStanford suffer from the Duck prisingly, this phenomenon occurs across the street from the prestigious Syndrome, and it is certainly not a university, right here at Palo Alto High School. But why do people want to coincidence that the students at Paly hide their struggles, stress and hard work from their peers? suffer from it as well. As members of There are several reasons why people partake in the Duck Syndrome, a community that stresses the importance of academics, the pressure to one of which includes fear of failure. If a person appears as if he or she has appear academically perfect is of the utmost importance. Looking relaxed not tried hard in the first place, failure would be less of a shock and could while doing it just makes the perfection look that much more ideal. be blamed on not putting in enough effort. On the other hand, if someone Chang observed the connection of the syndrome to Palo Alto, highput in all of his or her energy and effort and ended up failing, then the per- lighting the city’s focus on academics. son would conclude that despite all the effort, he or she was not talented “In Palo Alto, it’s ‘cool’ to be academically accomplished while mainenough to complete the task. This conclusion is a lot tougher to swallow taining the appearance that we aren’t trying hard,” Chang said. than concluding that success could have been attained if more effort had Outside the scope of Palo Alto, the syndrome can be observed in other been put in. So, to avoid the shame of failure even after putting in 100 per- prestigious schools as well. Alicia Fenley, a recent graduate of Princeton cent, people try to look as if they had not tried in the first place.

University, tied the syndrome to the top-tier schools of the country.

Senior Joseph Chang expressed similar reasoning behind the Duck Syn“I definitely feel like [the Duck Syndrome] is more prevalent among the drome, citing failure as a significant factor behind its prevalence. top-tier schools because there’s much more pressure to appear ‘perfect’ and “If others see that we are working hard, that’s a failure,” Chang said. “We have everything under control,” Fenley said. “No one need to look like we aren’t trying, so if we fail it looks okay [and] if we sucwants others to see a crack in their facade. So, ceed, we look like geniuses.” we become pretty skilled at covering up Another reason behind the syndrome is the value people put behind our insecurities and doubts.”

There seems to be a natural talent. Though Americans have always prided themselves in the So does the syndrome follow general mentality that people idea of social mobility attained through hard work, some people perpeople wherever they go? Does ceive accomplishment through natural talent and the least amount of it last forever? Does it follow who work really hard and stay effort possible as more admirable than getting the job done through people into the workforce where hard work. In any case, some would rather be the person who gets everyone continues to hide their up late studying for tests are things done with just the right amount of effort combined with stress, hard work and struggles? dumber than people who say their natural talent rather than the person who has to put all of his Well, according to Fenley, or her effort in to get the job done. It is almost as if people see hard the syndrome eventually fades. [they] ‘BS their essays’ and work as the equivalence of stupidity, since hard workers need to put “Everyone puts on a facade ‘didn’t study for the test.’ in more effort to make up for what they lack in natural talent. But if making it seem like they have it one appears to be putting in limited effort and still completing whatall together. … I remember this was Jasen Liu ever task is at hand, that person appears smart. especially the case freshman year,” Senior Senior Jasen Liu sees the stigma of hard work all around him, citFenley said. “Then, come sophomore ing certain phrases people use to put down hard work. year, everyone started coming clean about “There’s a certain stigma associated with hard work — words how much they struggled the year before.” like ‘tryhard’ come to mind,” Liu said. “There seems to be a genSo if everyone struggles, why do some people feel the need eral mentality that people who work really hard and stay up late to hide that struggle? These people need to realize that no one actually studying for tests are dumber than people who say glides through life with little effort. At least, the people who aim [they] ‘BS their essays’ and ‘didn’t study for the test.’” to be highly successful do not glide. A duck cannot glide without Though Liu believes most people do value hard its feet. In fact, it would drown if it stopped paddling. So in the work, he explains their disdain for displaying it as context of humans, a human cannot succeed without hard a sign of conformity. work. A human would fail if they stopped working hard.

“Most people probably value hard work,” So the next time you see that kid who seems to be sailLiu said. “[But] it just seems more desirable ing through life with flying colors, remember to cruise effortlessly, and in trying to that he or she is paddling fiercely, f i t in better, people attempt to make just like everyone else.

E

New start up allows unlimited concert access

Bo Field

B7

INSIDE

Ever since my last challenge, I have eagerly refreshed my owenchallenges@gmail.com inbox each day awaiting all of the creative ideas my talented readers were sure to send me.

And each day I opened my Gmail app to a little sun with a smiling face telling me “You’re all done! Please enjoy your day.” Little did the creators of this sweet looking sun image know, it would be the same smile that haunted my dreams every night. Please help vanquish the smiley sun.

My apologies for my vivid description of my personal terrors. One of my favorite things in the world is a strawberry smoothie. Over the years I have become something of a strawberry smoothie connoisseur. Like almost everyone else, I go through a unique spiritual experience when drinking a strawberry smoothie.

All of this started with my first love: Strawberries Wild Jamba Juice smoothie. When I drink a Strawberries Wild I suddenly find myself standing at 4’7”, rolling down the blacktop on my Heelys. My only concern while drinking this smoothie is what I am going to wear for the Halloween parade. Last year, in 3rd grade, I was Batman, and I needed to step up my game this year if I was going to get a serious amount of candy.

Suddenly, a strawberry chunk creeps up the straw and hits my tongue. At that precise moment, I make contact with the slow-baby-bouncies kickball heading my way. Home run, of course. I rate the Strawberries Wild eight childhoods out of nine.

It was about a month or so ago when I found myself in Redwood City’s finest late night establishment: Denny’s. Of course, the first thing I did when perusing the menu was flip to the drinks section to see if they made smoothies. Best decision of my January. When I took the first sip of my carefully crafted beverage, I instantly felt myself slipping away from the elegant restaurant into an artificial world of wonder. I strolled by a waterfall of strawberry-banana goodness cascading into sugar sand as I observed flying strawberries riddle the air. Wildest sugar high of 2015, man. I rate Denny’s unparalleled product 10 high fructose corn syrups out of 12.

Like many other Palo Alto families, us Staigers occasionally indulge in Menlo Park’s Stacks. After the long wait, I always order their Bananarama. And then another one.

Suddenly I look down at my body and realize I have become the Pillsbury doughboy. I quickly jump down the strawberry-banana slip-n-slide and land in the fluffy pancake mattress. I eventually fall asleep under a blanket of whipped cream with my head resting on a strawberry pillow.

Four pancakes with strawberries on top out of five.

Many smoothies remain unrated so if you have any suggestions, email me. Maybe somebody will this time.

Everyone should send me his or her challenge ideas as well. (Read the first letter of every paragraph)

The rise of good television

Oscar night wrap up

Chris Skokowski

Jake van Zyll

B8

B2

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

B2 LIFESTYLE Oscars serve as platform for outspoken winners Despite the low viewing numbers, the 87th Oscars proved entertaining with onstage controversial speeches Jake van zyll

senior staff writer

T

he 87th Academy Awards took place on Sunday, Feb. 22. Neil Patrick Harris’ exceptional hosting was not enough to hide what a dull year 2014 was for film. This summer experienced the worst theater attendance in over 17 years, which may explain that this year’s Oscar viewership was the lowest since 2009.

One word could summarize the night: “Birdman.” Alejandro González Iñárritu’s comedy/drama won four Oscars out of the nine for which it was nominated, including the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

The immense success of the Mexican director’s film prompted Sean Penn to say “Who gave this son of a b**ch his green card?” while announcing the Best Picture winner.

Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” also won four Academy Awards out of a whopping nine nominations but in less notable categories.

The Academy Award for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Best Original Music Score all went to Anderson’s film.

Shockingly, Richard Linklater’s critically-acclaimed “Boyhood” won only one Oscar out of the six for which it was nominated. The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress but lost for Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.

Following his success at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, it came as no surprise that English actor Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.”

In his acceptance speech, an ecstatic Redmayne stated, “I’m fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man. This Oscar belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS.” Following Redmayne’s win, Hawking posted a congratulatory message to the 33-year-old actor on Facebook, writing “Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an #Oscar for playing me in The Theory of Everything Movie. Well done Eddie, I’m very proud of you. -SH.” Actress Julianne Moore won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading role in “Still Alice,” in which she plays a linguistics professor at an Ivy League school suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Moore has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, among other honors.

It was the first Academy Award win and fifth nomination for the 54-yearold actress over the course of 18 years.

Not surprisingly, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor went to J.K. Simmons, who, like Moore, had already won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for their respective performances. The “Whiplash” star delivered a touching acceptance speech, thanking the Academy, everyone that helped make the film and especially his wife, Michelle. He

Courtesy of Usa today

Patricia Arquette delivers her passionate speech on women’s rights after she won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

also told the audience to call their loved ones and express their appreciation.

“Call your mom, call your dad,” Simmons said. “If you’re lucky enough to have a parent, or two alive on this planet, call them. Don’t text, don’t email, call them on the phone, tell them you love them and thank them and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you.”

Perhaps an even more memorable and highlighted acceptance speech came from Patricia Arquette, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.” The 46-year-old actress received a stand-

ing ovation for her outspokenly feminist acceptance speech, as she discussed the importance of income equality for women in the U.S. “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” Arquette said.

Arquette followed up her riveting comments by stating backstage that “it’s time for all the women in America, and all the men who love women in America, and all the men that love women and all the gay people and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.” This statement prompted immediate harsh backlash from writers such as

Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post expressing their distaste.

“Get your fashion secondhand from Hollywood, absolutely. Buy all the stars’ recommended shampoos and perfumes. But your political opinions? Better to find a different supplier,” Petri said.

Despite having the lowest viewership since 2009, the 87th Academy Awards was an eventful night as several deserving artists were honored with the highest award available in their profession.

“Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” were the night’s big winners with four Academy Awards each.

Defining line between inappropriate stereotypes and poking fun The conversation of the impropriety of racism and stereotypes rises after backlash against a new show that highlights Asian stereotypes Jamie Har

Staff Writer

H

earty laughter has been erupting in family homes with the release of the new comedy show “Fresh Off the Boat,” but hot steam has also been blasting out of people’s ears as some infuriated viewers, primarily whites and non-Asians, have tweeted and posted about the so-called “racist” and “offensive” show, admonishing its “insensitivity” towards Asian culture and extreme use of stereotypes.

“Fresh Off the Boat” is about a Taiwanese immigrant family that moves from Washington D.C. to Orlando, Fla. in the 1990s. Inspired by author Eddie Huang’s book Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir, the series embraces many stereotypes for the laughs, such as a mother with a strong Asian accent, an academics-centered Asian family, allegedly “stinky” Chinese food and oh-so-glorious white people food (a.k.a. Lunchables!).

In response to the oncoming fire of criticism, Huang did an interview with TIME magazine in which he spoke about his belief that what a person considers “offensive” cannot be determined by another person since definition of “offensive” differs from person to person. A Chinese immigrant himself, Huang does not find the show insulting at all but rather entertaining and relatable.

“It’s really weird when a dominant culture comes to tell you what to be mad about,” Huang said. “Don’t tell me what needs to be offensive to me.”

Inspired by Huang’s viral punchline (and the hilarious family show), conversations and controversies arose online concerning the boundary between offensive language and free expression. Students at Palo Alto High School also discussed their opinions on where the boundary should be drawn between acceptable and unacceptably insulting statements or actions, particularly focusing on racial stereotypes and assumptions.

Junior Zack Kirk touched on the precarious way of defining “offensive” and the broadness of what things could be considered insulting .

“Taking offense is a purely subjective idea that is decided by the norms and commonly held beliefs of the present,” Kirk said. “[What offends someone] can be as simple as cartoons or a few choice words.”

Because people respond differently to various events or actions, it

is impossible to create a universal bank for “offensive” and “not offensive” sayings or actions. This lack of clear boundaries allows for anything to pass as “offensive” as long at least one person deems it so.

“If someone finds a certain statement, image or idea to be defamatory and derogatory, especially towards marginalized groups, that individual has every right to define a certain experience to be offensive,” junior Molly Kraus said.

Kraus herself feels that certain statements are by nature insulting and intolerable.

“I find jokes about sexual harassment, gender identity and marginalized groups to be disgusting, disappointing and not in the least bit entertaining,” Kraus said. “I’ve never understood why joking about violence and bigotry is funny or socially acceptable.”

In contrast, Kirk believes that nothing can be discriminated as unacceptable to express, because every person is entitled to his or her own opinion and expression.

But there is a catch for those who might try to abuse this right: free self-expression includes open recrimination of statements that some consider offensive.

“Nothing is safe from criticism,” Kirk said. “Even unwelcome words and hateful speech should be allowed to be heard and hopefully ridiculed. This is the beauty of the First Amendment.”

Kirk offered a possible reason for why people take offense to various comments or actions.

Stereotypes are definitely restrictive of a person’s abilities and actions.

Albert Hwang Sophomore

“In my opinion, taking offense is the easy way out,” Kirk said. “Attacking ‘offense speech’ with a refutation is more effective than just claiming to be offended. When one claims to be offended, all dialogue halts and the question becomes more about feelings than the original argument. This immediate shield retards healthy debate and ensures ignorance on both sides of the arguments.”

Though Kirk feels that hard feelings hinder healthy discussion, Kraus

feels that the “feelings” mentioned are vital aspects of relationships that cannot be ignored. Kirk places the importance of the original argument and right to debate above the bitter feelings that may result, whereas Kraus focuses on the emotional impacts people have on each other.

“I think most people, especially well-educated Palo Altans, should have a basic conception of right and wrong in terms of perpetuating racism against [systemically] oppressed groups,” Kraus said. “Common courtesy calls for basic kindness: treat others better than you wish to be treated.”

Sophomore Albert Hwang also believes in this idea of “common courtesy” taught in his community.

“I personally can’t remember a time when I was truly offended … partially because I’m growing up in a well integrated community such as Palo Alto where the school system tries to educate students … [that] judging people based on stereotypes is not acceptable,” Hwang said. “That doesn’t mean that [judging] doesn’t happen, [but] it just means that a greater number of people are aware.”

Part of the reason Kirk feels that the possible emotional effects should not stop someone from voicing his or her opinions is his own self-assurance in his stance.

“Even the most vile, racist rhetoric does not affect me,” Kirk said.

“Though rhetoric like this is both harmful and purely unconstructive, I take the words as more of a reflection on [the insulter’s] ignorance and stupidity.”

Hwang echoes Kirk by explaining why insults pointed at him usually bounce off without any significance.

“I think that it is ridiculous to let anyone else’s opinion or thought about my identity affect me [since] other people’s perceptions and stereotypes influenced by the media and their generalizations based on others are not what define an individual,” Hwang said.

He expanded on the ignorance behind assumptions about people and introduced stereotypes due to insensitivity.

“Stereotypes stem from people with shallow outside perspectives who are not familiar with a culture or nationality and proceed to make judgments based on their first observations,” Hwang said.

Kraus offered a more detailed explanation for where stereotypes and

initial assumptions come from and touched on their relation to racism.

Even unwelcome words and hateful speech should be allowed to be heard and hopefully ridiculed. This is the beauty of the First Amendment.

Zack Kirk Junior

“I think most stereotypes are created by privileged and dominant cultures that see perpetuating the subjugation of marginalized groups as entertaining and necessary in order to maintain power,” Kraus said.

“Racism is the institutionalization of racial prejudice against a systemically oppressed group. You cannot be racist towards a dominant culture; when a marginalized group uses the tactics that are used to oppress them against a privileged majority, they are not being racist but instead are fighting for equality.”

Thus, according to Kraus, if someone were to make a joke about stereotypes against a minority group, it would be utterly, intolerably racist but if someone made a joke about a powerful majority group’s stereotypes, it would not even be included in the realm of “racism.”

But regardless of whether one’s stereotype-based statements are considered “racist” or not by Kraus’s definition, he or she could still offend the targeted group. Because of this possible effect, making stereotypical assumptions without knowing a person is unfair, because they degrade a person’s identity and self worth.

“It’s not okay to expect a certain group to conform to a stereotype,” Kraus said. “Stereotypes assume that all people of one group can be categorized in a way that effectively strips them of individuality. No one has the right to strip another human being of their personal identity, no matter what personal prejudices someone holds against their culture.”

Hwang agreed with Kraus and elaborated on the harmful impacts that stereotypes can have on a person.

“Stereotypes are definitely restrictive of a person’s abilities and actions,” Hwang said. “Opportunities are not always determined by one’s own actions but often the biases of others.

College admissions and employment prejudice are just a few of many ex-

amples that come to mind when stereotypes limit other people’s opportunities. Being expected to follow negative stereotypes isn’t necessarily offensive [or wrong], depending on the situation and since some [stereotypes] are true, but it does perpetuate [the] belief [that all people should conform to their racial stereotypes].”

In contrast, Kirk feels that though one’s situation may limit a person, stereotypes are innocuous.

“Stereotypes themselves are not binding, [but rather] the economic and social circumstances that different ethnicities find themselves in are restricting,” Kirk said.

Though racial stereotypes are not the only things that could be deemed offensive, they are prevalent examples of statements that often cause offense, hurt and sometimes violence.

Stereotypes assume that all people of one group can be categorized in a way that effectively strips them of individuality.

Molly Kraus Junior

We live in a country where freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental values ingrained in the American culture and where no American would consider destroying the First Amendment. Each person has the right to say what he or she pleases, and everyone has the right to respond.

But when does using one’s liberties go too far? If a statement, action or assumption is deemed “offensive” by someone and causes hurt to people or incites a violent response, where should the line be drawn between the freedom to say whatever one pleases and the responsibility to be kind and considerate of others and their beliefs? Just because everyone has the right to say what he or she wants, does that mean everyone needs to say everything that comes to mind, especially if it may cause chaos or harm to one’s community?

“Everyone has a different level of tolerance for offensive jokes and comments,” Hwang said. “If what you’re about to say … could offend the least tolerant person, then do not speak it.

Never assume that an individual will not be offended, and never assume [that] it’s okay to pass judgment.”

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B3 Bay Area hackathons become hubs for students Four seniors place third at a San Jose Programming event, encourage other students to participate in hackathons

Courtesy of edcrunch

Many young, aspiring hackers wait patiently for the final round of judging to begin.

Haley Fang

Business Manager

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lot can be done in 24 hours over the weekend. In that time, students could catch up on much-needed sleep, finish all our homework for the weekend, kick back or watch Netflix with friends or maybe even fit in some time to finally clean your room.

However, a small group of seniors free up select weekends to participate in hackathons. A hackathon is an event where people who like to code or who have brilliant ideas come together. People form teams of four or five people and spend the next 24 to 36 hours developing and creating a web application. A panel of judges chooses the best application to award prizes to the winning teams at the event.

Seniors Rudra Aiyar, Rolina Wu, Elnathan Au and Sonthaya Visuthikraisee attended their last hackathon at High School Hacks in San Jose on Feb. 7 and 8. After 24 hours of coding and collaborating, their team placed third and attracted the attention of Make School, a coding school. The team has been invited to attend their program over the summer to improve and refine their coding skills for the future.

So what is a hackathon? If you are like me, you are probably wondering how this whole thing works.

I asked Aiyar to walk me through a typical hackathon weekend, and she responded with the following: “To prepare for the long weekend ahead of me, I sleep at 6:00 p.m. on Friday,” Aiyar said. “On Saturday morning I check in with my team at 8:00 a.m. then go to the opening ceremony, which goes until 9:00 a.m. or maybe 10:30 a.m. You have guest speakers during that time and they explain the rules and everything. At around 11:00 a.m. you’ll start planning your app and hacking. After lunch you basically just continue hacking until however long you can go into the middle of the night.

They will give you dinner and midnight snacks and desserts and all that. All throughout the night, you take naps if you can, and then the next morning around 1 p.m. you stop hacking and go into this thing called a pitch and basically you’re being judged by a small panel. From there, they select the best ones and the pro-

The Procedural Generation Computers are now able to generate music and other forms of art

cess repeats itself until they announce the winners. Then there’s a closing ceremony and you get prizes.”

Aiyar sparked the trend among her friends in the beginning of 2015.

She began competing in her sophomore year after her mother pushed her to go and attend to event.

“I attended my first hackathon basically because my mom forced me to go, but I later realized that it’s really fun,” Aiyar said. “At first I was really scared because I didn’t have much coding experience and I didn’t know anyone there, but I learned a lot and got to meet a ton of really smart people.”

The long time-periods hackathons help boost our efficiency so we can get a lot of work done.

Rolina Wu Senior

After her first three hackathons, Aiyar decided to invite her own friends from Palo Alto High School to form a team beforehand instead of scouting for team members on site.

She brought Au and Wu to participate in their first hackathon at Hack Generation Y on Jan. 24. Wu has found a new interest in coding and spoke to me about her favorite aspects of hackathons.

“My favorite part about hackathons is that you have concentrated

time period to really focus on just coding,” Wu said. “The long timeperiods hackathons help boost our efficiency so we can get a lot of work done.

Coding throughout the night may sound incredibly difficult and boring, but Au told me that the food provided is usually great and is able to get him through the night.

“The food is usually good,” Au said. “But it really depends on how many sponsors the event has and how big the sponsors are. If there’s a big sponsor like Intel, then you know there will be a lot of food and the food will be good, but if it’s just a bunch of small start up companies, then [the food] won’t be as good. It also really sucks when they run out of food.”

Au encourages everyone to try hacking, even those who have little to no coding experience to attend a hackathon.

“I went to my first hackathon already knowing Java and Python, but there are always mentors, other teams and people from the sponsors who are usually standing around,” Au said.

“They’re always more than happy to help you on your app, so you’re never really alone. Also, there are lots of online resources you can use there.

I learned Objective-C at the hackathon and I had no idea what it was before.” With the past several hackathons successfully under their belt, the team is confident that they will have an even better result in their next event in March.

The Diplomats reunite after settling differences Rap group reunifies and announces new tour Danny Hammerson

Staff Writer

C

Courtesy of forbes

“No Man’s Sky” is an upcoming game that implements procedural generation to create a seemingly infinite amount of exploration.

Bo Field

Staff Writer

T

he debate about the validity or viability of artificial intelligence will always inevitably reach the same, confrontational talking point: “But can the computer create art? I think not!”

However, since the 1980s, computers have been doing just that. The process of procedural generation — basically defined as any software generated artistic content — was initially conceptualized as a way to reduce the size of early video games in order to run them on computers with lacking processing power. Instead of shipping the game with pre-rendered textures and environments, it was actually easier to write complex software programs that would create these aspects on the fly. This used significantly smaller amounts of memory and processing and was adapted in many titles that were too ambitious for their time. Over the years, this concept adapted and evolved into other forms of media and will certainly continue to shape the way content is created far into the future.

As the years went on, computers advanced and storage became cheaper and more available. As a result, games have steered away from meth-

ods of saving space in favor of manufacturing everything themselves in the interest of quality control. However, this has two drawbacks — current generation games can often exceed 50 Gigabytes in size, and despite these massive quantities of data can only get so large and detailed before the team behind them either gives up or hits their release deadline. At a certain point, games need to look to the past for the method they need to accomplish their vision: procedural generation. With today’s technology, titles are being developed that are almost infinitely large and complex, all created by the console or computer in real time for players to experience.

Games like these are redefining the scope of the medium and exponentially increasing possibilities for the future.

One such example is the upcoming title “No Man’s Sky,” being developed for release on the Playstation 4 console later this year. The eagerly anticipated space travel simulator uses procedural generation to promise almost infinite content — 18 quintillion possible planets that you can visit. The goal of the game is to reach the center of the galaxy, but on the way there’s an entire virtual galaxy of different stars and planets to explore. Each unique world features

its own landscapes, wildlife, outposts and even interdimensional portals that can warp you to the other side of space. By managing trade routes, collecting resources and upgrading their ship’s hardware, players will eventually be able to accomplish the game’s ultimate aim, but its creators hope that the universe they’ve written the source code for will be captivating enough to keep gamers coming back just for the sake of pure childlike exploration.

Although procedural generation was born from video games and they hold it’s most practical applications, the process has been used for various forms of media. Legendary artist and producer Brian Eno defined the term “Generative Music” when he released a series of albums all created entirely by software. An entire form of visual and animated art, called fractals, have sprung out of the success of software generated imagery. Fractal design results in infinitely sprawling chaotic patterns that are generated through software feedback loops to create beautifully intricate works that exponentially become more and more complex and compelling. These can either be displayed as still images or videos that show the fractal process unfold, dragging you deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of colors.

am’ron and the Diplomats have had an everlasting impact on hip-hop culture, and have changed the way we listen to music of the genre. Their prominence in mainstream music only lasted a matter of years but their music and style influenced a generation. Their recent return has left the hip-hop audiences awaiting more.

Dipset was founded in 1997 by Cam’ron and Jim Jones, but also included notable members such as Julez Santana and Freeky Zeky. In the mid-2000s, Dipset was at the top of the hip-hop charts, releasing many well-liked joint mixtapes, as well as solo projects. In 2004, after the release of Cam’rons fourth studio album, Purple Haze, Roc-A-Fella Records stock reached record highs and as a result, his album went certified gold. Shortly after Jay-Z was made CEO of Roc-A-Fella records, he blocked co-founder Dame Dash from offering Cam’ron an executive position at the label. This influenced Cam’ron to craft a track titled “You Gotta Love It ( Jay-Z Diss)” aimed at the rapper, featuring former Dipset member Max B. After a controversy between Cam’ron and Jay-Z arose, the Diplomats left Roc-A-Fella records in 2004. Though they kept releasing projects for the next couple of years, they never reached the point of relevance in hip-hop they had only a couple years earlier. Artistic differences led to the group temporarily breaking up, a hiatus which lasted until their 2011 reunion. Though past attempts have been less than successful, the group still has a lot of support and many fans can look forward to their upcoming tour and mixtape.

In 2011, after their long hiatus, the group announced that they were signing to Interscope Records — however, the group was dropped from their label before their official release.

Though the artists in Dipset had been working on individual projects, none of their material was as popular as or up to the quality of what they were making in 2003. This changed in early 2014, when Cam’ron released the track “Humphrey” with production by A-trak and Party Supplies.

His announcement of a collaborative

Courtesy of hiphopnews

Jim Jones, Cam’ron and Julez Santana reunited after separating in 2004.

Extended Play (EP) with producer A-trak, along with the reminiscent sound of Cam’s new song, left hope for listeners and fans. Although it had a scheduled spring 2014 release, the EP fell off agenda and is yet to be released. Cam’ron stated the project was coming soon and would be released in the near future. Though the EP is still on it’s way, the hype has since died down, leaving listeners with only two singles and no substantial Cam’ron solo work as of yet.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Diplomats premiered a new track titled “Have My Money” along with the announcement of an upcoming mixtape. The tape is said to be released later this year and will be hosted by prominent Disc Jockeys (DJs) like Funkmaster Flex, Swizz Beatz, DJ Khaled and DJ Mustard. The group is also planning a short tour, although additional information has not been released yet. DJ Funkmaster Flex has recently been in the spotlight because of his rants against Jay-Z and one of the musician’s websites. The rant is essentially an escalation of the past controversy between Jay-Z and the Dipset crew. Following these rants, Flex released the “Victory Freestyle” by the Diplomats, which also contained disses taking aim at Jay-Z. The track was slightly reminiscent of the group’s early work, but was technically less impressive.

That being said, the track has gotten a fair amount of traction and has given the group much more publicity surrounding their upcoming release.

Though the title of the mixtape is yet to be released, we can look forward to an announcement in the near future. ”The Diplomats Pledge of Allegiance Tour” was also announced recently, which will commence on Feb.. 24 in New York and will also be coming to San Francisco.

Friday, March 6, 2015

B4

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

EAST PALO ALT

Examining the impacts of t neighboring communities

E

Data used in these charts is provided by WASC Self-Study 2014-15.

There has been no data released that is specific to VTP students.

When you are the only minority in a classroom, it really is out of the teacher’s realm to include you because it’s the peers’ [responsibility].

Judy Argumedo Head of VTP

The Tinsley Program was created with the goal to “reduce the racial isolation of students of color in the Palo Alto, Ravenswood and other San Mateo County School Districts, improve educational achievement of Ravenswood students and enhance inter-district cooperation,” according to PAUSD’s website.

Studies have been conducted evaluating the program’s impact on educational achievement using a comparison in standardized test scores. At the elementar y and middle school levels, VTP students exhibit slightly higher levels of academic achievement than students who stay in R avenswood upon examination of Academic Performance Index (API) scores and research conducted by Kendra Bischoff for a dissertation for a PhD in sociology from Stanford University. The average API score, a measurement of achievement on standardized tests between 200 and 1000, for Ravenswood schools was 722 for the 2012-2013 school year. In comparison, PAUSD received a score of 768 for socioeconomically disadvantaged students (a score for solely VTP students is unavailable, as such “socioeconomically disadvantaged” is used as the closest representation).

Bischoff presented in 2012 that VTP students “show ‘very small positive effects’ in math and English compared with students who applied — but were not admitted — to the program,” according to Chris Kenrick of the Palo Alto Weekly and “‘large positive effects’ and ‘significant differences’” in history and science. According to Bischoff, the statistics suggest clear benefits of the Tinsley Program in K-8 schooling.

But in order to give Tinsley students the help PAUSD believes they need, PAUSD uses special-education programs.

“Bischoff found that students in the program are ‘about 10 percent more likely’ to be in special education than students who had applied, but were not accepted, to the program and stayed in Ravenswood,” Kenrick stated. “‘[This tendency] can put kids on different trajectories in terms of classes they’re taking.’”

Bayinaah Jones, a previous East Palo Alto resident, discovered much less of an improvement in her dissertation examining the background and impact of the Tinsley Case decision.

“There is overwhelming evidence that no marked improvement in the collective educational achievement of African American students [in relation to] white students came as a result of the Tinsley case,” Jones stated in her dissertation.

Despite test scores displaying academic benefits to those admitted to the program, Jones found no improvement in the overall achievement of all Ravenswood students.

Additionally, 16.3 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and 24.1 percent of English learners dropped out in the 2012-2013 school year, according to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) report released on Feb. 2. There have been no statistics released by the district regarding VTP students dropout rates. As such, these categories are the most accurate representations of VTP students, as only approximately 33 percent of African-American students are a part of the Tinsley Program and 66 percent of VTP students are described as socioeconomically disadvantaged.

According to Argumedo, 50 percent of VTP students met the A-G requirements — requirement for enrollment in Universities of California and California State Universities. In comparison, 80 to 90 percent of Whites and Asians met the standard.

A study on the collective education system in Louisiana found that the achievement gap was lowest when White and Asian populations were between 61 and 90 percent and African-American and Hispanics populations were between 10 and 39 percent. PAUSD indeed satisfies this requirement with a 77.8 percent White and Asian population, yet the disparity at Palo Alto High School continues to be seen as significant by state standards.

PAUSD received a grade of “F” for its achievement gap in 2014 from an Oakland-based education advocacy group.

“I’ve seen the whole spectrum,” Judy Argumedo, a PAUSD administrator who runs the English Language Learners and VTP and member of minority achievement and talent development group, said. “Some students excel in this environment, [but] there are other students [who] may be intimidated by [the achievement gap].”

Roslyn Mickelson, professor of Sociology of Education, Culture, Race and Gender at the University of North Carolina, and Damien Heath, consultant for Talent Development and Human Resources team at Booz Allen Hamilton, stated in a claim based on a meta study of effects of desegregation in schools that “Limited exposure to desegregated education in a school that does little to equalize educational opportunity brings no benefits to minority students, but when schools employ practices to enhance equality of opportunity, including the elimination of [laning] and ability grouping, desegregation has clear, albeit modest, academic benefits for Black students while doing no harm to Whites.”

PAUSD is based on a system of laning, which consequently creates segregation within its schools.

The WASC report discovered that for the 2013-2014 school year, six percent of African-American and 21 percent of Latino students enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement class compared to the 60 percent of Asian and 49 percent of White students enrolled in such courses.

Argumedo notices a harmful impact from the lack of diversity in an advanced or honor class.

“When you are the only minority in a classroom, it really is out of the teacher’s realm to include you because it’s the peers’ [responsibility],” Argumedo said. “The teachers do a great job, but how you rate yourself against your peers is really important.”

Argumedo also believes that there is a means of solving this issue more directly than by encouraging minorities to enroll in advanced courses.

“I think that if we taught advocacy to the VTP students, then maybe [the achievement gap] wouldn’t be discouraging,” Argumedo said.

The cause of the classroom segregation of VTP students is not primarily caused by the typically referenced “lower level of parental support,” according to Argumedo.

“Parents [have to] commit to the program and … understand that there are going to be obstacles and challenges because they are coming to a different city to educate their child,” Argumedo said.

Bischoff, Argumedo and Jones discovered through their extensive interviews that the racial and socioeconomic divide between students in elementary and middle schools is less apparent.

“At [ Jane Lanthrop Stanford] JLS, Terman and Jordan, a lot of students I interviewed that were apart of the program feel very included,” Argumedo said.

However, these sentiments appear to change upon entering high school.

“I don’t know if it’s a split because of the VTP, but I think that there are definitely issues of race and inequality [in PAUSD],” Argumedo said.

“For my daughter, there were large issues of race, myths and stereotypes [at Gunn].”

ach school day, junior Carl Wolfgramm wakes up at 5:45 a.m., takes the 6:47 a.m.

280 Samtrans and arrives at school at 7:15 a.m. He could take the 7:47 a.m. shuttle but chooses commitment to education over leisure.

For a “Tinsley student,” success in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) takes detailed planning and continual effort in areas that Palo Alto residents have never experienced and will never have to experience.

“It is pretty frustrating and exhausting waking up very early in the morning just to get over the ramp to school compared to kids who live in Palo Alto and don’t have to worry about being late,” Wolfgramm said. “But at the end of the day, it’s worth the pain because I need to go to school and get an education that will pay off in the future. Education is part of my grind.”

For the past 30 years, the Volunteer Transfer Program (VTP), also referred to as the “Tinsley Program,” has mandated the acceptance of 166 students of color per grade living in East Palo Alto to surrounding school districts, including 60 to PAUSD. After Highway 101 was expanded to create an even more pronounced physical barrier between East Palo Alto and Palo Alto in the 1950s, the racial gap increased drastically with differences in housing prices matching the trend. Ravenswood High

The split caused by the highway between the two cities persists o campus, and crossing the boundary a maintaining friendships on both end be as difficult as transportation to an Paly and Gunn for Tinsley Students “[VTP students] are negotiatin different social environments on a d to a large degree, they are non-overla said when presenting her research to “There’s often not a lot of interactio People don’t use the same grocery churches.”

Transportation has proved to be o for all VTP students. There are buse all Tinsley students in elementary have been shown to have limitations “I know how it is; I’ve tried it — made the teachers ride the regular bu and teachers were [so] upset, they w through and a snack, and I told them dents arrive, [they] have to be ready PAUSD also provides late buses East Palo Alto at 4:45 p.m. on Mon giving them the opportunity to part “Students can feel a part of the you have to remember that we are ta when they go back, they may not ha edo said. “But there are some limitat However, current Tinsley high-sc lic transportation.

“If you’re waking up at 5:30, you your first period,” Argumedo said. “Y experience on the bus [and] then you affect [your] achievement.”

A proposal was brought to the sc of buses to transport VTP students The improvement in academics learn in an environment of high-qu in PAUSD seems to have affected th However, this comes at a cost.

A cost of $3,300 for every stud for the Ravenswood district promot educate its students successfully.

In spite of some improvement i students per grade, the whole of R looked and has seen no improveme the district closed in 1976, the sam students including those not in the public schools outside of East Palo A schools.

Private schools became the solut venswood High School in the 1970 students from 1969 to 1984. They e academics and provided a minoritylow-cost through financial aid.

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015

B5

SPOTLIGHT

TO EDUCATION

the lawsuit that intertwined the of Palo Alto and East Palo Alto

Amber McGee ECP Senior

ST

PA

TO

miss your bus, [so] you’re going to miss You’re tired, you’re hungry, you had a bad u get to school. It can really [negatively]

chool board on Feb. 24 for the purchase to Paly. s is debatable, but the opportunity to uality teachers and extensive resources he majority of VTP students favorably.

dent admitted to the Tinsley Program tes the idea that East Palo Alto cannot

in academic achievement of 166 VTP Ravenswood has continually been overent. Ever since the only high school in me year that the lawsuit was filed, all e Tinsley Program have had to attend Alto or find alternative paths in private

tion to the turmoil that existed at Ra0s when Nairobi Day School taught 80 exhibited significantly higher levels of -driven alternative to public schools at a

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one of the major challenges es provided by the district for and middle school, but these s. it’s horrible,” Argumedo said. “We us for middle school for over an hour, were crying. I gave them water halfway m students don’t get this. When the stuy to learn, and it can be difficult.” s that transport VTP students back to nday, Tuesday and Thursday in hopes of ticipate in extracurricular activities. community [with late buses,] because aking them out of their community and ave friends who live next door,” Argumtions.” chool students are obligated to use pub-

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PA

y on and ds can nd from s. ng two very daily basis and apping,” Bischoff o the school board. on outside of school. y stores [or] the same

grade, [which] defers any tension or competiToday, Eastside College Preparatory (ECP) is one of the schools tiveness between us.” that has taken Nairobi’s place.

ECP is a private school funded After recognizing the poor graduation and college attendance by donations. Tuition can vary but rates of East Palo Alto students who were bussed to neighboring is generally less than $1,000 per districts for high school, Chris Bischof, then a student of the Eastside year for both tuition and room Stanford Teachers Education Program, created ECP in 1996. and board for those choosing Striving to provide an alternative to neighboring schools College Preparatory to live on campus. Dorms are where Ravenswood students enrolled at four-year colleges at students seem to be an option for students who a rate of 10 percent, ECP began with just eight children. a steadier environCurrently ECP hosts 325 minority students across grades more prioritized when desire ment where both school and five through 12 with an average class size of 14 students. it comes to our future home can thrive, according to “Because we are a small school, there is a closer environECP’s website. ment and relationship between the teachers and students,” and school.

The statistics corroborate the senior Amber McGee said. school’s success, boasting a 100 The student body of ECP is 65 percent Latino, 31 percent percent graduation and four-year African-American and four percent Pacific Islander, with 98 percollege enrollment rate. In comparicent of students as first-generation college bound. Some find that son, it is estimated that 50 percent of this lack of diversity fails to provide students with a full social and VTP students met A-G requirements academic education, but ECP uses its focused population to supply — the only data released with an exclusive typically overlooked students with specialized resources. category for VTP students.

ECP utilizes a three-year college readiness program consisting However, Argumedo finds that these two of “Composition and Argumentation” sophomore year, which presystems cannot be compared. pares students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, “Writing for Col“The charter schools have a different menlege” junior year, which teaches students to research for a college that tality: [students are] going to school from 8-4 fits their needs and “Senior College Prep”, which guides students p.m., their classes are smaller, some of them live through the college application process and the transition to indeon campus,” Argumedo said. “[The school is] doing pendent living. whatever it takes to make sure students get to a cerAccording to McGee, the enhanced curriculum succeeds in tain level, and I think there are some good programs pushing students towards future academic achievement in coland great teachers in [PAUSD], but it’s hard.” lege.

ECP promotes familial support by enforcing a sys“ECP students seem to be more prioritized when tem that requires each parent to complete 24 hours of volunteer it comes to our future and school,” McGee said. “I am work at the school. not saying that we are smarter or dumber than [VTP “These requirements connect the students, teachers and parents students]. However, we are given a more steady and to help build us through our education at Eastside,” McGee said. whole-hearted education.”

PAUSD has still not found complete support from the parents’ ECP does not employ the use of laning to the end, according to Argumedo who cites PAUSD’s deficiency in outsame extent as Paly. Instead, all students take reach. the same English, science and history cours“I just think that we really need to make the commitment on es, with math having the only advanced both sides,” Argumedo said. “The family and the district option. The standardized curriculum de[have] to come together.” creases the competitive nature of high ECP has discovered a system that allows school Paly students are accustomed minority students to thrive. to, according to McGee. However within PAUSD, “I think with the community whether minorities’ lower feeling at Eastside there is defilevel of achievement is due nitely some support between to a lack of specialized reone another, whether sources, a White and Asian studying for a test or domajority, academic presing big projects,” Mcsure or other unexplained Gee said. “There has reasons remains unclear. never been a nega“The VTP students are tive connotation not one student — they with being in are really a spectrum,” Ara lower math gumedo said. “So it’s realclass or ly hard to give an answer getting to something like that.” a bad

EA

School was opened in 1959, drawing almost all African-American students in the area and leaving most other high schools with almost 100 percent White enrollment. After more than a decade of attempting to desegregate high schools in Menlo Park, Redwood City, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and other nearby districts, the affluent White community of neighboring cities around East Palo Alto used its political clout to force the closure of Ravenswood High School as the solution to the area’s lack of funding in 1976. Immediately afterwards, the movement for desegregation of education in the area took traction and for the next 10 years, a fight for the Tinsley Program ensued.

In 1987, the VTP emerged out of the settlement of the lawsuit questioning the legality of the discrepancy of education between the self-segregated cities. One hundred seventy plaintiffs, comprised of parents and students in Ravenswood City School District, argued that their community of almost entirely minority residents received a lesser education.

Due to the settlement, almost 2000 students are bussed to seven different districts every day in hopes of acquiring a superior education.

Because of minimal “data-driven” decisions and reports from PAUSD regarding exclusively the VTP, The Campanile takes a deeper look into the program’s effects.

Mischa Nee Staff Writer Jamie Har Staff Writer Mischa Nee Staff Writer

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

Lifestyle B6 Students express themselves through footwear Shoes used to exhibit style and portray personality by many teenagers in the Palo Alto community Peter Maroulis

Staff Writer

P

alo Alto High School is a rich mix of different cultures and talents, both of which can be observed through its diverse student body. While on Paly campus, one can see 2,000 unique people with 2,000 unique faces... and 2,000 unique pairs of shoes. Like a face, shoes tell the story of who they belong to.

Research done by Wellesley College and the University of Kansas shows that by looking at someone’s shoes, it is possible to judge that person’s age, income and levels of anxiety and agreeability. At Paly, dozens of brands in varying shapes and colors present themselves as symbols of their owners’ personalities. Some may brush off shoe reading, but some students agree that their shoes give a glimpse of who they are as a person.

Name: Richard Islas Class: Freshman Shoe: Nike Future 11 Description: This kid has serious game. At $200, his brand new J’s scream swagger and demand respect.

Islas is a wrestler, football player and man of few, although eloquent words.

Islas can be found on campus in a pair of understated black mesh Nikes.

“They’re nice shoes. It’s all about comfort and being ready,” Islas said.

Ready for what, you may ask? Ev-

erything. Islas feels that his choice of shoe is an allegory to who he is: quiet and reserved, but able to adjust to athletic and social circumstances at any given moment. Whether on the field or on the quad, Islas and his shoes share a bond in their ability to be up for any challenge.

I think I’m pretty classy. I like to spice it up for school sometimes.

Josh Brigel Freshman Name: Adee Newman Class: Freshman Shoe: Vans Description: Though Newman was interviewed wearing Uggs, she divulged that her shoes of choice are a pair of black-and-white striped Vans.

“I’m a zebra person because I’m wild and crazy like a zebra,” she said.

Indeed, the Vans are similar to the appearance of a zebra’s coat. A zebra’s stripes are unique for every zebra, and likewise, Newman and her favorite shoes have distinct traits that make them one of a kind. One would be hard pressed to find a similar pair on campus. Though they play second fiddle to her zebra vans, Newman said that her Uggs are “comfy,” but that they do not describe her as accurately. Vans may be common at Paly,

Courtesy of Conner Harden

Paly student sports the Vans x Star Wars authentic model shoe, expressing his interests through footwear.

but there is no notion of conformity between Newman and her shoes.

Name: Josh Brigel Class: Sophomore Shoe: Sperry Top Sider Description: The Sperry boat shoe is a popular choice at Paly, but none wear them with as much pride as Brigel.

“I think I’m pretty classy,” he said. “I like to spice it up for school sometimes.”

Brigel’s posh footwear definitely turns a few heads. His light brown shoes, complemented by Nike Elite socks, radiate a serious sense of high

society and have been described by his peers as “fresh.” Brigel believes that his shoes correlate to an accelerated level of classiness that is key to his personality. When asked what it was about Sperrys that appeal to him, Bring answered quickly and concisely — “it’s style.” Sophisticated but not flashy, Brigel and his shoes traverse Paly campus snazzily.

Name: Hegene Lee Class: Junior Shoe: Maison Martin Margiela Description: These crisp kicks and their owner entail more than meets the eye. Lee believes in a spartan approach

when it comes to his shoes, though he prides himself in their exemplary fashion.

“They have a minimalistic design,” Lee said. “They’re also made of high quality leather.”

The Margiela label is a major player in the world of fashion, worn by none other than Kanye West. Though he did not mention the Margiela connection and the fact that his shoes go for a whopping $550 he feels that his simple yet elegant shoes are a testament to his humble but stylish nature.

The shoes’ simplicity and functionality make a very presentable statement.

Rising alternative to the alarm clock Stuck on Mars with Wakie rethinks an essential part of many people’s morning routine Jared Stanley

Weir’s recent book depicts realistic sci-fi

Staff Writer

S

tranger Danger is a simple concept that has been taught to us from a very early age and is pretty easy to understand: do not talk or interact with anyone who is unfamiliar to you. However, now that nearly everyone over the age of ten has an iPhone, certain social boundaries, such as not talking to strangers, have changed. People have become more involved in social media sites, and as a result, prior social barriers have evolved into new ones. People who join chat rooms such as Omegle and Chatroulette demonstrate a clear violation of the Stranger Danger rule, as the concept of these chat rooms is to video chat with strangers from all over the globe.

Waking up for school is arguably the hardest part of the day — we dread the inevitable sound of the loud ringing of our alarm clocks.

What if violating the stranger danger rule could make for a more enjoyable and soothing wake up? This concept of talking with strangers is the backbone of the new app Wakie.

Wakie hopes to change waking up in the morning for the better. Wakie hopes to replace the loud, aggravating sound of an alarm clock with a nice, soothing call from someone, anywhere in the world. However, speaking from first hand experience, the wake up call that you receive may not always be as soothing and relaxing as you might hope it to be. When using the app to wake up for school one day, I was greeted with a pleasant conversation beginning and ending with “Wake the f*** up now!”

Those who wish to use the app simply register their name, date of birth, gender and phone number.

Although it may seem like you are giving up a lot of personal information, calls never reveal anyone’s phone number or date of birth.

Users who want to be woken up set an alarm and will be called within five minutes, either before or after their desired wake up time, to be woken up by some stranger who may be thousands of miles away on the opposite side of the world.

nothing but disco Noah SMith

Staff writer

E

veryone from scientists to David Bowie has long wondered about the possibility of life on Mars. There is in Andy Weir’s “The Martian”, but it’s only one person and astronaut Mark Watney isn’t very happy about it, and he probably won’t be alive for long. Watney has been abandoned by his crew in a sandstorm on a planet that is totally inhospitable to life because they thought he was dead. But he’s very much alive, and he’s got big problems.

Courtesy of ZOe Tierney

An iPhone using the application Wakie, a popular alarm clock alternative.

Each wake up call lasts one minute or less and cuts off after one minute from the time the recipient answers the call. Calls usually consist of soothing songs or poems played by the caller or even a short conversation to wake you up.

Even though the app goes against basic social norms and may seem a little peculiar, it has already surpassed two million downloads in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Hrachik Adjamian, developer, Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of the app, started his vision for a social alarm clock as a website in Russia in 2011. Early in 2014, the app was made available to all Windows and Android phone users after getting denied by the Apple iPhone App Store. Later that year in December, after getting rejected the first time, the app was made available to all iPhone users.

Wakie took three years to produce and has made $3 million dollars from venture capital firms and investors.

Since release, over 40 million wake up calls have been placed through the app.

Adjamian said that Wakie’s launch in the app store in the month of December of 2014 had over 100,000 downloads.

“Most people hate alarm clocks,” Adjamian said while interviewing with Telegraph newspaper, when describing the motive behind creating the app.

“Our mission is to brighten people’s mornings,” Adjamian said. “We want to make them happy and help them start their day with a smile.

People get lots of positive emotions while talking to a stranger.”

He explained that when he started his first business at age 16, he worked 20-hour days and found it almost impossible to get out of bed.

“The only thing that could really wake me up was a call from an unknown phone number,” Adjamian said in an interview with Telegraph Newspaper. “I knew it could be a new client for my business and I had to answer. After a small talk with a stranger, I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

Adjamian took a different perspective on calls with his co-workers.

Instead of looking at them like business calls, he viewed them as calls from people who just wanted to talk, allowing him to be better engaged and involved in the conversation.

“Five years after that I decided to make [the Wakie app],” Adjamian said in an interview with Complex Magazine. “We get positive feedback from users.”

Although many sections of the book are humorous, others are full of suspense, emotion and adventure. The novel itself is an excellent page turner and is hard to put down.

Mark Watney is a nerd, as many would expect of an astronaut. More specifically, he is a mechanical engineer and a botanist. He is fond of swearing in stressful situations (which occur with regularity), not so fond of ‘70s disco music (which is the only music he could find in the remaining possessions left behind by his crewmates) and is a fan of using duct tape to solve any problem. He has to overcome obstacles ranging from jury-rigging a Mars rover with an oxygen generator to finding a way to communicate with Earth. How he deals with the complications range from trekking across a crater-filled wasteland to applying his ingenuity with a one-way camera, a pen and some flashcards. Watney’s character is likeable, funny and resourceful. At times, the humor is dark but at others, the jokes will make you chuckle or even laugh out loud. We meet other characters, such as Watney’s former crewmates, Vogel, Johanssen, Lewis, Martinez and Beck; and the Ares mission director, Venkat. The side characters roles are limited to depict-

ing what’s going on back on Earth.

Most of the supporting characters do not have as much depth, which is understandable because the novel is mainly focused around Watney and the other characters are literally supporting him, trying to get him off the cold, lifeless rock that is Mars.

One of the most humorous parts of the book occurs when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) media correspondent on Earth asks Watney to take a selfportrait for the media back on Earth.

He gives the camera by a thumbsup to go with his note, which says “Ayyyyyyy!” — echoing the super cool, leather-jacketed Fonz from the 1970s show Happy Days. This is characteristic of the humor that is sprinkled generously throughout the novel. Although many sections of the book are humorous, others are full of suspense, emotion and adventure. The novel itself is an excellent page turner and is hard to put down.

“The Martian” is an excellent example of hard science-fiction. Watney has to apply real physics and engineering concepts in order to live another day. The problems he has to solve mostly involve doing the math to see how much of what he needs to survive for how long. A good portion of the book are calculations, which slow down the flow of the novel, but add to the realism.

I would recommend this novel for any fan of science-fiction, especially hard science-fiction fans as well as anyone who is interested in space travel. Weir does an excellent job of making an action-packed story with accurate uses of scientific principles.

Does Watney manage to get off of Mars? Weir takes the reader on a breathless and adventurous journey along the way. This book isn’t for everyone; there are no little green people roaming the surface of Mars or any Roland Emmerich style hi-jinx.

But if you like your sci-fi realistic and plausible then you’re in for a real treat.

This novel appeals to those skeptical of the reality of popular science fiction and interesed in space travel.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Spring fashion tips and ideas for students Finding the perfect outfit for the upcoming spring season can be a cinch with these tips

B7

The rise in popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles

mackenzie glassford

Staff writer

S

pring is just around the corner, and that means trading in your warm winter layers for something a little more bold. Here are a few tips to help you improve your spring wardrobe.

Guys Chino Shorts: Many guys immediately gravitate towards basketball shorts as soon as it gets warm, which is understandable. They’re casual, comfy and extremely versatile.

However, if you’re not really a sporty guy, or you just want to switch it up a bit, chino shorts are a suitable alternative. Classic khaki is always a good idea, but if you’re a risk taker, try something in a light pastel, such as blue, yellow or even pink. Paired with the right polo, these shorts give you a casual, yet put-together look that screams style. However, be sure to accessorize with caution. If worn incorrectly, this combo can make you look a little too frat-boy, which can be annoying.

Boat Shoes: The boat shoe is the classy man’s flip-flop. They dress up a simple outfit in a way that Vans and Nikes don’t. If you’re one of the few who think these shoes are too preppy or too old-man, think again.

Boat shoes can go anywhere flipflops go, such as school, the beach or the boardwalk, and they’re just as comfortable. One of the most popular brands of boat shoes are Sperry’s.

Their Top-Sider shoes were originally meant for actual boating, but over the years have been integrated into everyday male fashion. These shoes look best sans socks with a nice pair of khaki shorts.

Bucket Hats: Bucket hats, which were originally intended for farmers and fishermen, picked up popularity during the rap scene in the ‘90s, and eventually faded away. But, like every

Thomas rauner-Swan

Staff writer

Dami Bolarinwa/The Campanile

Seniors Ethan Jorasch and Walker Ritchie express their spring style by wearing Chino shorts and boat shoes to school everyday.

good trend, they are making a huge comeback in the modern fashion world. As seen on people like Wiz Khalifa and Miley Cyrus, the bucket hat is this year’s spring and summer must-have accessory. They’re available in cartoon, camo and even floral prints, along with khaki. Not only do bucket hats serve as a unique accessory to your outfit, they actually do a good job of protecting you from the sun. If you’re looking for a garment to protect you from the sun’s harmful rays, and make you look good, a bucket hat is the choice for you.

Girls Birkenstocks: That’s right ladies, Birks aren’t just for old people anymore. Birkenstocks have in the past been associated with weird losers and nursing homes. However, they have since made a comeback in the fashion world that nobody saw coming. One major reason for their popularity is how comfortable they are. Birkenstocks are made to mold to your feet, which makes walking around in

them almost blissful. In fact, it’s scientifically proven that wearing Birks increases the quality of your posture and comfort, which is just one of the many benefits. They come in a variety of colors and look good with almost any type of legwear. Patterned socks are a good accessory to wear with these shoes, which may sound weird, but they add a little bit of boldness and flair to your outfit.

Matching Two-Piece Sets: Crop tops are a staple in every girls closet.

However, it can be tricky to decide what to wear on bottom while trying not to clash two different patterns. The spring 2015 runways have provided a solution to this problem: matching two piece sets, or co-ords.

Co-ords are two piece sets that include a crop top and either a skirt, shorts or pants with the same pattern.

One of the amazing things about coords is their versatility. When you buy just one set, you essentially have three different outfits. If you choose to wear them together, you cut the

time it takes you to get ready in half.

If you’re not really into the matchymatch look, you can take either the top or bottom and pair it with something else from your closet.

Sundresses: Sundresses are a fun alternative to the classic short-shorts and t-shirt combo that many girls rock in the spring. They keep you just as cool as shorts do while adding a little girliness and femininity. They are the perfect choice if you want to dress up a little while still remaining casual enough for school. If you want to keep your look simple, patterned dresses with minimal accessories is a good option. If you feel that your accessories complete your look, a simple dress is the way to go. With a solid colored or even two toned dress, you are free to experiment with your accessories any way you like. If you like accessories and prints, you can have the best of both worlds by wearing a patterned dress with a statement piece, such as an eye-catching necklace or interesting rings.

Reading for pleasure: a productive pastime

Jukely revolutionizes live music participation

Reading strengthens different areas in life

The newest way to buy tickets for concerts

Paul mewes

lifestyle editor

S

tudents at Palo Alto High School are undeniably obsessed with Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores.

People put in countless hours to improve their scores — some even begin studying as soon as the eighth grade.

In a community so focused on this test, why do most students waste their time playing video games, browsing social media and watching Netflix, rather than reading?

Reading has numerous benefits.

First, It greatly improves vocabulary and writing skills. It helps people focus their attention, improve their analytical skills, enhance their memory and reduce stress.

Reading is a great way to stimulate the mind, which helps prevent dementia, as the mental effort from reading counteracts the typical mental deterioration in the elderly.

There have been studies that prove that reading for pleasure throughout your life makes you a happier, kinder person, so it would be great to see more books getting checked out.

Sima Thomas Paly Librarian

Most of all, though, reading is fun.

There are few tasks more enjoyable and rewarding than reading a gripping book for an hour or two on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Strangely, despite the benefits of reading, even though there is an entire section on the SAT dedicated to it, most students prefer means of entertainment other than reading.

Many find it more relaxing just to give their mind a rest and bury themselves in television or social media.

“I only read ESPN and The Wall Street Journal articles outside of

school,” senior Charlie Oliveira said.

“I prefer going on social media, because it’s easier.”

Some students simply do not have time to enjoy a good book. Sophomore Ciara Bleahen said that she has too much going on in her life to spend much time reading.

“It usually takes me a while to finish a book since I don’t have much free time,” Bleahen said. “I sometimes use social media rather than reading because it is playing such a big role in society now. If I don’t check social media at least once a day I feel like I am missing out on something, so the reading comes second. I like seeing what my friends are doing, how my family in Ireland is and what is going on in the world.”

According to librarian Sima Thomas, a relatively small percentage of the student body seems to read for pleasure.

“I see a lot of students checking out books and a lot of books get checked out, but often by the same students,” Thomas said. “We’re always trying to increase the number of students visiting the library and checking out books, but I’m sure we don’t get 50 percent of the student body checking books out. There have been studies that prove that reading for pleasure throughout your life makes you a happier, kinder person, so it would be great to see more books getting checked out. It will be my hope to increase reading at Paly over the next few years.”

Senior Theodore Zaharias says that he would much rather spend his time reading than watching television or checking his Facebook friends.

“Books are much better than TV or social media because they require effortful processing in order to understand,” Zaharias said. “Additionally, there are literally millions of books compared to maybe 1000 TV channels and two to three gaming systems.

If I could tell all the non readers out there something, I would tell them to try something new because there is a book out there for everyone.”

Bo Field

staff writer

S

eeing live music is, in a way, much like habitually doing hard drugs. You get really excited, then sweaty and exhausted and are filled with euphoria for a night. Then you wake up the next morning feeling slightly hungover and wondering where all of your money went (the answer: shady ticket dealers like Stubhub).

Tickets keep getting more and more expensive, and unless the only acts you want to see are obscure enough to be playing $10 bar shows or free open mics, you’re going to end up missing shows in the interest of saving your money for overpriced Town and Country lunches.

But a few weeks ago, a solution reared its beautiful head and proceeded to offer to drench us in affordable sonic wetness.

This noble savior is a startup company called Jukely, and it offers a revolutionary new method of live music attendance.

For the relatively reasonable price of $25 a month, Jukely will get you tickets to around 500 different shows in the same month.

This subscription based model allows music connoisseurs, ravers and concert enthusiasts to go to as many events as they can make it out to, and even encourages them to go to more shows to get their money’s worth out of that month. It also boasts social features that will link you up with friends or mutual friends in your social network based on attendance and music taste so you will not have to go to any concert alone if you lack the inner strength of the lone wolf.

The new start up company Jukely began its business as a beta test in New York City and Los Angeles but just this month made the excellent decision to add San Francisco as its third city. Its roster of past events includes big names like Yung Lean, RL Grime, Tyler the Creator and Waka Flocka Flame, among many others.

The upcoming San Francisco shows provided boast a lineup of Salva, Gorgon City, Deafheaven and Les Sins, along with a massive undercard of events spanning multiple genres, locations and dates — there are an average of ten to twenty different shows per day.

Jukely prides itself on having something for everyone, from the gluten-free Win Butler worshipper to the wide-eyed Kandi kid.

This subscription based model allows music connoisseurs, ravers and concert enthusiasts to go to as many events as they can make it out to, and even encourages them to go to more shows to get their money’s worth out of that month.

However, the service does have a catch — there are only limited amounts of tickets available for each show.

That means that buying your monthly subscription does not guarantee you tickets to that one show that you really wanted to see.

This might be disappointing to some who only want to go to a select few shows (normally with these types of people, only the most popular ones).

But if the deal still sounds too good to be true to you, then it gets even better once you visit the Jukely website.

You’ll fnd out that the first seven days are free, and you can cancel right after that if you want.

So go ahead, indulge yourself in a free concert –– it’s on them.

But if you don’t want to just take advantage of their generosity and actually contribute to their business, which can almost be seen as charitable to music lovers whose pockets aren’t overflowing with cash, then why don’t you just go on ahead and drop the $25 so you can go to at least one more show and you will have already saved yourself money.

The sun was just about to set while I watched with anticipation as the propellers turned into a blur. I pressed my thumb into the full throttle position and was both surprised and extremely happy to watch the large quadcopter jump into the air. Positioning the rear of the blue and white quadcopter to face me, I moved the right stick toward the copter. The machine raced across the field with an impressive speed. A group of kids from the playground 50 paces away almost immediately stopped and stared with wide-eyes.

It was a month-long journey from the time I flew my store bought quadcopter and began to dream of building my own. I spent many long hours researching, purchasing various electronics, waiting for them to arrive from far away countries, carefully putting them together and finally tweaking the control board software.

Along the way, I met and received help from a number of incredibly skilled enthusiasts who helped me get my quadcopter into the air. Thanks to this expertise and some internet resources, I made a drone capable of rivaling the popular DJI Phantom. The only addition I need now is a global positioning system! Given how easy the process was, I am surprised that I don’t see more quadcopters flying at the park.

The first computers were gigantic, not very powerful and not affordable to the average consumer. Now almost anyone can go to their local electronics store and buy a reasonably priced computer.

The same thing happened with drones. As technology got smaller and less expensive, the military was no longer the only one experimenting with this technology. Today, more and more people are able to fly these amazing machines in their backyard and local parks.

With kids like myself building and flying potentially dangerous technology, there is an increased concern about safety. Recently, headlines such as “White House Drone Crash Described as a U.S. Worker’s Drunken Lark” and “Special delivery: Drone drops contraband into Georgia prison yard” have given this concern more visibility.

Just like driving a car, operating a drone has some safety concerns.

When driving a car, the driver needs to drive at a reasonable speed, obey traffic signs and stay away from pedestrians. However, when flying a drone, there are no speed limits, no stop signs or right of way rules. So how do quadcopter enthusiasts keep themselves and others around them safe? Mostly, people who operate these machines use common sense.

For example, operators should never fly over houses or in densely populated areas.

There has been much speculation in Congress about passing anti-drone laws due to safety and security concerns. Now may be the time to try out this new remote control activity.

However, going out and buying the newest thousand dollar quadcopter may not be how you want to spend your money. Start off small. For $50 dollars you can buy a micro quadcopter that someone with little to no experience in the remote control world could fly. Then, increase the size.

Most of the time, bigger means more expensive — but not always.

Instead of buying a larger quadcopter, I decided to build my own that was big enough to carry a high resolution camera.

There are many reasons to build a quadcopter. You learn a lot about electronics and software, and meet hobby enthusiasts who are exceptionally kind and helpful. On my first flight, a toddler, who was previously running around and a little bored at the park, watched my every move the whole time I was flying the quadcopter. If it can engage a toddler, it must have special powers.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

L FESTYLE

B8

Small Screens Pioneer Original SHOWS T

he small screen is looking to have one of its best years ever in 2015 with the release of a large amount of high-quality original programming. Basic cable networks like AMC, larger subscription channels like Starz and HBO and streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon are all pushing ahead with film-quality shows. Established shows such as ‘The Walking Dead’ are being renewed, while newer series’ like ‘True Detective’ are also returning, and complete newcomers including ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ hope to build off the momentum of their associated acts. These shows are blurring the line between television and film, a movement that has been growing for years and one that is changing both the television and movie industries for good.

This level of film-quality television was unheard of until recent years.

The premiere of ‘Twin Peaks’, a surreal murder mystery, released in 1990 was arguably the first true film-quality release to air on television. Directed by the eccentric filmmaker David Lynch, the show had a considerable amount of talent involved in its inception and kept up its dark and dreamlike tone even after Lynch’s departure. While the show only lasted two seasons before ending on a cliffhanger, its influence was undeniable as the first time a brand-name director brought his style to the small screen.

1

in

2000

This edition featuring:

Kelly Shi with The Campanile’s own

Grace Kim

The high bar set by ‘Twin Peaks’ would not be reached again until the end of the decade when HBO received acclaim for its creation of the mob drama ‘The Sopranos’ and later for its examination of the Baltimore drug trade in ‘The Wire’. While the channel HBO is today synonymous with shows like ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘True Detective’, when it first ventured into original television in the late 1990s, it revolutionized the industry. HBO not only pushed the boundaries of quality but also content. For the most part, TV had always been a step behind movies in terms of content because of the ability of even a child to tune into any channel at any time. While a rating system for television exists, the only way to control what a child watches is through blocking a channel completely. The threat of having their channel blocked from potential viewers made many channels hesitant release shows with profanity or violence. However, because HBO was a channel restricted to those who subscribed, it did not need to rely on its viewership numbers for ad revenue, and it was able to push the limits of content as it saw fit.

because HBO was a channel restricted to those who subscribed, it did not need to rely on its viewership numbers for ad revenue, and it was able to push the limits of content as it saw fit.

In 2002, HBO began to air ‘The Wire’, a police drama that completely changed the television crime series. ‘The Wire’ was revolutionary because of how realistically it portrayed its subject. Centering around the drug trade in Baltimore, the script for ‘The Wire’ was written by people familiar with both the trade and the police’s efforts, including police journalists, ex-officers, informants, criminals, vigilantes and addicts. The experience of the writing team, in tandem with HBO’s allowance of more mature content gave ‘The Wire’ the freedom to display the violence and harsh realities of the inner city without being neutered for the general public. In fact, ‘The Wire’ still holds the dubious record of highest frequency swearing with an average of 18.1 profane expressions for every 1,000 words spoken, even 13 years after its release.

The influence of ‘The Wire’ can be seen throughout television today, as shows like ‘Breaking Bad’ try to portray real-world issues with smart writing and realistic (if a bit over-the-top) portrayals of the effects of these problems. ‘Breaking Bad’, which followed the descent of a timid chemistry teacher into a power-hungry drug kingpin, had a slow start with viewers when it premiered but accolades from critics and its presence on streaming services led it to end its run with over 10 million viewers on the final episode. After the huge surge in popularity of ‘Breaking Bad, it seems that other channels are trying to emulate what made the show such a success.

STORY BY: CHRIS SKOKOWSKI Senior Staff Writer

DESIGN BY: ANTONIO KIESCHNICK, JEREMY FU, Bo Field Staff Writers

Since ‘Breaking Bad’, there has been a resurgence of shows centered around anti-heros, most notably with the political drama ‘House of Cards’, which marked Netflix’s first foray into original programming.

More importantly, however, is that other channels seem to realize that ‘Breaking Bad’ became popular through its great acting and writing, and these channels have begun focusing on quality over quantity. Now that more channels and streaming services are entering the market for original programming, each one has to work harder to find success.

While it may seem like sheer luck that so many excellent shows are just now coming out, it is the competition between the shows that is driving up quality.

This new surge in both quality and quantity is also threatening Hollywood viewership. While Hollywood’s format of telling a story within two hours offers a different experience than watching a story unfold over multiple series, it appears that movies and television are moving closer towards each other in an attempt to win over viewers from the opposing camp. As movies have become progressively longer, new anthology-type shows like ‘True Detective’ attempt to present a different story in each new season instead of drawing out a single plotline. Now that these TV shows can truly rival film in terms of quality, it is unclear how both industries will coexist, but it is clear that quality will determine which will become dominant going forward. As drug kingpin Stringer Bell said in ‘The Wire’, “What do you do when you got an inferior product in an aggressive marketplace?”

The Campanile: I have to tell you, every time I try to type in your name it autocorrects it to “Jelly.”

Kelly Shi: Okay, it’s really embarrassing because it does that on my phone too, and on my phone it knows that my name is Kelly. I typed in some celebrity’s last name, like I typed in “Fraco”, and it capitalized it and didn’t even try to autocorrect it. My phone doesn’t recognize my own name, so I had to go into shortcuts and put my name as a shortcut. So now it autocorrects to from “Jelly” to “Kelly.”

TC: It’s not even an uncommon name!

KS: I know! It’s like a pretty common name. It’s like a popular name.

It’s a guy’s name in some countries.

So, I would like to know why. It’s not a weird name. It’s a pretty great name. So why does it correct to Jelly?

And people call me Jelly. I’m over it now, but people make jokes and I’m like, “Please, no. Stop. It’s no longer funny.”

TC: They’re just jelly.

KS: That’s very clever.

TC: So tell me about yourself.

KS: I would say I’m a great person.

I would rate myself a solid 8.5 out of 10. You know not too incredibly, incredibly high, like no one’s perfect, but I wouldn’t put myself on the down low down there.

TC: I would say you’re a nice person.

KS: I am a really nice person, I would say.

TC: You’re in the “Drowsy Chaperone” production, how’s that going?

KS: Oh my god. It’s kinda crazy in the best way possible. It’s a musical so there’s a lot of singing going on, and I do the sound for it. Everyone should come see it. It’s a big deal.

TC: I hear you’re the STD. KS: Yeah, uh okay. It stands for Student Technical Director. It’s just a really unfortunate combination of initials. In my college essays when I wrote about it I had to de-capitalize “student”, so that I could say it was TD instead of STD in my essays. It’s a great position, just a really unfortunate combination.

TC: I really like your Verde columns. “That’s what Shi said” is so clever. How is your prom dress shopping?

KS: Well, I mean, obviously, I’ve already got one, because, I was debating whether or not to post it to the 2015 Facebook group — I still haven’t really decided if I’m really going to do it yet — but right now I’m looking into backup dresses. Because in case like something catastrophic happens to my first dress, you’ve gotta have something for the backup dress.

TC: I currently have zero dresses.

KS: You GOTTA get on that!

TC: My first actually fell through, and I didn’t have a backup. It’s okay, I’ll get over it.

KS: But WILL you?

TC: … no.

KS: That’s what I thought. Prom isn’t that important anyways, that’s what my column is about.

TC: Yeah I guess. So is there anything you’re planning to do for your last semester of high school?

KS: I’m going to cut class once (not on senior cut day) because I’ve actually never have done that before. I’m going to do it. I’m going to work up the courage to cut class. It’ll happen.

Sorry teachers.

TC: Consider this a warning.

KS: They’ll never know what hit ‘em. *Flashes a peace sign*

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015 ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Defenseman

SPORTS

Christian Rider has been making a name for himself on the Varsity Lacrosse team.

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longboarder cruises as king of the hill kai oda

staff writer

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lone figure standing on a plank of wood races down the side of the road at nearly 55 miles per hour. He crouches to the ground, the wind whipping his shirt back and places a gloved hand against the pavement. Suddenly, the board twists sideways and the hand screeches across the road filling the air with the smell of burnt rubber. The rider calmly completes the turn and cruises to the stop at the end of the road. The skater is Brett McBride, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School who practices the unique and daunting sport of downhill longboarding. “[Downhill longboarding] is just when you pick the best line [down], bomb hills and try to go fast,” McBride said.

Since June of last year, McBride has competed in countless races, and has finished in the top three in every competition except one. His skating prowess caught the attention of a company called Five Mile, a skateboard manufacturer that sponsors talented skaters to test boards and compete as a team.

Competitive downhill longboarding is similar to slalom skiing without the gates. A skater races to the bottom of the hill as quickly as he or she can without falling. In doing so, riders can achieve speeds between 40 to 80 miles per hour. Since the wheels lose traction if a normal turn is attempted, McBride has to perform complex slides, turns and tricks to avoid smashing into walls or falling off the edge of a hill. “[Last year] I went to a skate competition and there was a staff writer

from Five Mile there who said he could get me a free board,” McBride said. “When I Facebook messaged him later, he was like ‘You’re on the team’.”

Through his sponsorship at Five Mile, Brett’s talent was quickly recognized by other companies. From this recognition, he has been able to learn from pro skaters that were also on the team. After only a year of being a team rider for Five Mile, McBride was recognized by Peninsula Downhill Crew as a team rider and was sponsored by Orangatang Wheels and Black Diamond Sports.

Being a team rider means that McBride has to represent the company in competitions, consistently win and test new gear to report its effectiveness to the company. McBride is occasionally filmed for movies intended to market a certain product.

All photos courtesy of Brett mcbride

Brett McBride practices different longboarding moves at nearby hills to master a variety of longboarding techniques. McBride trains over the weekends and summer to prepare for downhill longboarding competitions.

Lastly, being a team rider means getting a lot of perks. These perks can be anything from a new sticker to an experimental team board to a pre-paid trip to a competition on the East Coast.

McBride has been skateboarding for as long as he can remember, but he began transitioning into downhill longboarding in fifth grade.

“There was this event that came nearby and there was this dude just flying down a hill one footed and then did a fat powerslide,” McBride said. “I was like ‘I gotta start doing that’ and in seventh grade I did.”

He bought a longboard and taught himself the necessary techniques through a series of YouTube videos. After four years of learning, practicing and a decent number of falls, McBride gradually became an expert in downhill longboarding.

The equipment required for downhill longboarding is fairly simple. McBride usually wears a rounded helmet and gloves with low-friction pucks attached to the palms so that he can put them on the ground and make slides. The board is comprised of a stiff plywood deck

THE UP AND COMING STARS OF THE NBA Players like Klay Thompson have proven themselves to be the next top players of the league.

about forty inches long. Large rubber wheels are attached to the deck via front and rear axle mechanisms called trucks. In competitions, McBride will wear a leather suit that reduces wind drag. Though simple, each piece of equipment must perform as expected or great injury or death could occur.

To master the turns and tricks needed for downhill longboarding, constant practice is needed. In the past, McBride has struggled with balancing skating time and school work but has now found a system that works with his schedule.

“I practice every weekend and over the summer; it’s an everyday thing,” McBride said. Lately I’ve had to put it off because for some reason I play soccer.”

Ultimately, McBride spends most of his weekdays focusing on school, but longboarding dominates all of his free time.

Unfortunately, traveling at speeds often over 40 miles per hour and dangerously swerving to avoid cars often results in injury. In addition, poor road conditions or even the mistakes of other skaters can cause

INSIDE TEAM FRONT OFFICE DECISIONS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES Sports team administrators make costly blunders.

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catastrophic crashes. Over the years Brett has torn ligaments in his leg, received countless gashes on his arms and torso, sustained an impact on the shoulder that nearly required surgery, broken a wrist and sprained his neck. All of which McBride brushes off as simply part of the sport.

In the future, McBride hopes to travel the world through sponsor money and hone his skills on more difficult hills. He plans to continue longboarding after high school and center his life around it.

“This summer I’m planning to go to Washington, but after high school I want to go to South America and Europe,” McBride said. “If I manage to hold my sponsors, I’m free to go wherever once I turn 18.”

McBride has had great success in his sport and will continue to compete, but the main reason he continues to longboard is because he is passionate. He will always love the rush associated with the sport, and has from a young age.

“When I was little I skateboarded down a sidewalk and it was awesome,” McBride said. “The wind, and everything in the moment.”

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TEAMS OF THE 2015 MARCH MADNESS Who’s going to win this spectacular tournament?

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Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

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SPORTS

Girls basketball finishes perfect league season After winning all twelve league games, the Lady Vikes look forward to a series of promising games in CCS MASHA KONKOV

STAFF WRITER

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he Palo Alto High School girls basketball team has finished their season on top of the league leaderboard. On Feb. 18, the hosting Lady Vikes scored a tight 64-62 triumph over the Los Gatos High School Wildcats. The final records for the league season are 22-2 overall and a perfect 12-0 for league games.

“It was a game where we really had to prove the title that we had earned.

We already were league champs after our game against Mountain View, but we knew this game against Los Gatos would test us both physically and mentally,” junior Skylar Burris said. “We’re a team that has learned to fight through adversity and stress, so being down nine at the start of the fourth quarter was nothing new to us. After we finished...with Maddy’s great final shot, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. We’d always talked about winning league and going undefeated, but now that it’s reality, there’s no better feeling.”

The Lady Vikes were losing at the beginning of all quarters, yet prevailed with both offensive and defensive strength in the last quarter.

“During the first half of the game, we didn’t play our best defense,” sophomore Lauren Koyama said. “In the last quarter, we stepped up and were able to stop Los Gatos offensively, and were able to score more too. It was super exciting that we won on a buzzer beater, but maybe too exciting.”

Junior Maddy Atwater leads the team in assists, averaging three a game, and star shooter Koyama leads the team in baskets, making an average of 10 a game. Overall, the Lady Vikes average 52 points and 10 steals per game.

Paly is guaranteed participation in at least three games at Central Coast Sectionals, and their performance in these will determine their state championship. Their first CCS game took place on Feb. 27 against St. Ignatius High School, where they lost 63-33.

On Mar. 3, the Lady Vikes went into their away game against Scotts Valley High School with high hopes of a victory, but lost 76-60.

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Courtney Lovely shoots a free through against Los Gatos Wildcats. The Lady Vikings squeaked by with a 64-62 victory.

“It was a hard loss, we went into the game expecting a lot more and when our tracks didn’t fall we definitely got down mentally,” Burris said. “We executed well on defense

Wrestling fares well at CCS, sends individuals to states STAFF WRITER

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s the boys wrestling team’s season comes to a close this month, the team is gearing up for their upcoming Central Coast Section (CCS) duels as well as for its possible state championship matchups.

The team was faced with a disappointing loss against Wilcox High School on Feb. 2 with a score of 2-14.

“As a team, we didn’t do well against Wilcox,” senior Chioke Bryant-Anderson said. “But we improved a lot as a team in February.”

Coach Braumon Creighton brings a positive light to the team’s loss against Wilcox, talking about the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

“We were very good on our feet,” Creighton said. “Our kids have a great takedown technique. We have no weaknesses, only lesser strengths… and we don’t talk about those.”

The wrestling team also wrestled against Monta Vista High School on Feb. 10 and although the team lost, Bryant-Anderson believes that the team performed better against Monta Vista then they did Wilcox.

We were very good on our feet. Our kids have a great takedown technique. We have no weaknesses, only lesser strengths… and we don’t talk about those.

Braumon Creighton Paly Wrestling Coach

“As a team, we did better in this meet,” Bryant-Anderson said. “We

learned from our mistakes and are going to take this knowledge into future duels.”

Unfortunately, senior James Giaccia was unable to participate in either of these meets because he contracted a skin infection, but he is expected to compete in CCS. Giaccia is currently one of three captains of the wrestling team, being on Paly’s wrestling team for all four years that he has attended high school.

CCS is to be held this year at Independence High School from Feb. 27 to Feb. 28. The wrestling team is only expecting to bring four wrestlers to CCS – Giaccia, Bryant-Anderson, sophomore Seth Goyal and freshman Keahi Asing.

“James has a pretty much guaranteed [a] spot to state,” Goyal said.

“Me and Chioke have a harder route, but the goals would be for James, Chioke and me to win CCS and qualify for state and for Keahi to win at least one match.”

The team is training vigorously in preparation for CCS, Creighton has a strict plan for the team to help them do as best as they can in CCS and States.

“We are training hard the rest of the week to prepare for CCS,” Creighton said. “Mainly drilling and working on tactical things for each individual. Lots of stretching and paying attention to our nutrition.”

For the most part, the wrestling team achieved what they aimed for at CCS, but unfortunately the season ended on a bittersweet note with the mix of triumph and failure for the wrestlers that were chosen to compete.

“Freshman Keahi Asing did a wonderful job this season,” Creighton said. “He qualified for CCS and com-

Team finishes on four game losing streak

peted in two matches. Unfortunately he lost both, but he competes well.”

Bryant-Anderson placed fifth in CCS with the score of 4-2.

On a brighter note, Giaccia performed extremely well at CCS, placing third in his weight class.

“James is headed to the state tournament next weekend,” Creighton said. “The entire program is very happy for James and his family.”

The California Interscholastic Federation State Championships (CIFSC) will be held on Mar. 6-7, held in Bakersfield, Calif. this year.

Creighton expects three of his wrestlers to qualify and has high hopes for their placement in their respective weight classes at the state championships.

I was blessed to work with great kids, coaches and parents this year. The future looks bright.

Braumon Creighton Paly Wrestling Coach

“Seth Goyal, James Giaccia and Chioke Bryant-Anderson should qualify,” Creighton said. “We’d like to bring home the first medal for Paly since 2006.”

Unfortunately, Goyal was not able to qualify for the CIFSC this year because of his failure to make weight in his qualifying weight class.

With the season quickly coming to a close, Creighton generally feels optimistic about this year’s wrestling season and looks forward to next year’s potential.

“I was blessed to work with great kids, coaches and parents this year,” coach Creighton said. “The future looks bright.”

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Mikey Grandy shoots a free throw in a game against Santa Teresa High School.

DAMI BOLARINWA

STAFF WRITER

The Palo Alto High School boys varsity basketball team had a short lived Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, but had a fulfilling time in the De Anza division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, tied for third overall with a record of 17-7 in the league. The Vikings’ chance of a CCS title was cut short as the Vikes took on Santa Teresa High School on Feb. 26 at Paly. The Vikings trailed the whole game, fighting to close the deficit and gain a late lead; however, the game finished in a disappointing 69-60 loss. The Vikes had a very strong start to their season, as they moved through the progressives. After beating cross-town rival Henry M. Gunn High School on their senior night, the Vikings went on a four game losing streak that ended their chances of a CCS title. The Vikes played a hard game, losing to Santa Teresa High School by only nine.

Sophomore Miles Tention expressed his feelings for his teammates.

Message from Madrono:

ATTENTION JUNIORS! Start scheduling appointments for senior portraits NOW Submitting your photo late will result in having your school ID photo be your yearbook photo

Despite the loss, the girls still have high hopes.

“We want to go all the way,” Burris said. “We want to show everyone that Paly is a force to be reckoned with.”

Boys basketball ends season in CCS upset loss

CCS ends with both great victories and bitter disappointment TIFFANY LIANG

but we just did not pull through on offense.”

The next game will take place on Tuesday, March 10 but the opponent has not been determined.

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“I love the guys, they’re really funny and hard workers,” Tention said.

“We accomplished a lot more than people expected us too.”

Tention adds that the team’s seniors made a great impact in their leadership and development of its younger players. However, there were only five of them, and he also notes that there remains much room for improvement.

“I think beating Menlo-Atherton [High School] and Dublin [High School] were good games and wins for us,” Tention said. “Homestead [High School] and Amador Valley [High School] were tough games that were very winnable. The five seniors were a huge help in getting to know the feel of the game – great role models to look up to.”

Senior Johnny Rojahn expressed his sentiments towards his last season of playing high school basketball.

“I thought the season went really well up until the ending,” Rojahn said.

“Even though we did well, it sucks to end the season on a loss. However, I am proud of how we ended this year.”

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

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Girls soccer advances after strong league finish Team hopes to improve on recent ties, losses in upcoming playoff matches while surpassing last year’s finish

dami bolarinwa/the campanile

Junior Jacey Pederson scores a goal in the CCS semi-final match against Santa Theresa. The Vikings went on to win 5-0 and advance to the finals.

Jamie har

staff writer

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ven after a colossal win of 9-2 against Santa Clara High School on Feb. 5, The Palo Alto High School girls soccer team’s performance has become more unstable in the last few games.

The week after its win against Santa Clara, the team lost against its rivals at Mountain View High School by a score of 2-1. However, the team showed its advanced skills in their crushing defeat against Homestead High School by 8-0 on Feb. 12 before they tied Los Gatos High School 1-1 on Feb. 17.

The Lady Vikes’ win against Santa Clara’s team was a crucial moment that spurred them forward.

“The win against Santa Clara [positively] affected the team,” junior Alison Lu said. “The first time we played them we lost 2-1, and we were not playing our best. This time around we were ready and determined to win.

We were able to stay composed and played well together.”

According to senior Lena Chang, intense competition and a sense of revenge against Santa Clara High

School’s team from past losses were also major factors that especially motivated the players.

Junior Linnea Carlstrom added to Chang’s comments on the Santa Clara win. “[The Santa Clara High School team members] were the only ones to beat us and end our winning streak, so we definitely came out hard and really wanted to win,” Carlstrom said.

“I was proud of everyone on the team for putting them back in their place.”

In particular, Carlstrom applauded fellow junior Heidi Moeser for her contribution to the game.

“Moeser had been having a tough season and hadn’t scored a goal yet, so our coach changed her jersey number of 22, which she’d had since freshman year, to 24, and it proved to be lucky because she was on fire the whole game and scored her first goal of the season,” Carlstrom said.

Though the team basked in its pride after the accomplishment, its glory did not last forever.

“Losing to Mountain View was pretty devastating as it basically secured them the league title,” Lu said.

“We let in two easy goals in the first half, and afterwards Mountain View

condensed their back line, making it really hard to score.”

Both Chang and Carlstrom noted the close competition in the game and the deep disappointment felt by the loss. “[It] was super tough for us all since we had been working so hard all season and it seemed to slip away in just one game,” Carlstrom said.

Lu and Chang reflected on some of the unsuccessful strategies and skills that led to their loss.

“I think we lost because we underestimated their long throw-ins and the speed of some of their forwards,” Lu said. “We were trying really hard to score early on which left some holes in the defense.”

“They ended up finding the net more than we could,” Chang said.

However, the team members kept motivating each other in preparation for their next game against Homestead. Instead of letting their recent loss get to them, they showed perseverance and resilience.

“We were all really focused, and it definitely showed in the result,” Carlstrom said. “[Winning against Homestead High School] was really uplifting after the hard loss against

Mountain View, and really showed that we weren’t ready to go down without a fight.”

This win was particularly encouraging to the team for a variety of reasons. “[The win against Homestead] gave us some hope at winning league,” Lu said. “After scoring so many goals, it gave us confidence.”

Lu attributes the team’s success to its different approach in the game compared to when it played against Santa Clara.

“It was different with Santa Clara [because then, we were forced] to score as many as possible,” Lu said.

“With Homestead, we were never pressed to score. The goals just came naturally.”

For the team’s seniors, this game was exceptionally special.

“Our game against Homestead will always be in my memory, especially because the big win occurred on our senior night,” Chang said.

“While there was no revenge factor like the Santa Clara game, we were all playing for each other with smiles on our faces.”

The players were elated after their win against Homestead and still had this champion’s spirit lead up to their final game of the season against Los Gatos. However, the team was up for a challenging fight which it eventually failed to win.

Even before the game, the air between the two school teams was tense.

“We’ve always been competitive when playing Los Gatos,” Chang said. “Two seasons ago, we were unable to play them in [the Central Coast Section (CCS)] due to a miscommunication that got us disqualified. Last season they knocked us out of CCS. You could say that we don’t particularly like them.”

To add salt to the wound, the tie with Los Gatos High School was es-

tablished by a goal within the last few minutes of the game.

“The tie against Los Gatos was … just as tough on the team as the loss against Mountain View because we were the better team on the field, but some bad calls by the ref, a [poorly-maintained] field, [the team] not [taking] enough chances and the really heartbreaking goal in the last minutes of the game were the reasons we tied,” Carlstrom said.

Chang mirrored Carlstrom’s disappointment in the draw.

“We dominated them throughout the majority of the game but could only find the goal once — not our best end to the game,” Chang said.

Lu added more detail about where she believed the team faltered.

“I think that the breaking point of the Los Gatos game was the last 15-20 minutes,” Lu said. “We became frantic in front of their box and just kept launching shots that were not very well placed or strong. Everyone wanted to score, [but] if we had calmed down for a second and just focused on working together and connecting passes, then a goal would have eventually taken place.”

Though the team was deeply discouraged by its more feeble end to the season than hoped, it resolved to get back up on its feet for the scrimmage against Menlo-Atherton on Saturday, Feb. 28.

“This week in training we will definitely be working on finishing our chances and working the ball out of the back,” Chang said. “With CCS next week, we want to make sure we remain focused.”

As promised, the Lady Vikes delivered and proved their determination with a 1-0 win against MenloAtherton.

“I know we are going to come back strong for CCS, just like we did after the tough loss to Mountain View,” Carlstrom said.

Boys soccer falls short in CCS Badminton coach Team suffers loss to Bellarmine after being crowned league champs Antonio kieschnick

staff writer

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ith two minutes to go in the final regular season game, the Palo Alto High School Vikings were tied 1-1 with Los Gatos High School. League leaders Homestead High School had suffered a freak 2-1 loss at Los Altos High School, on Los Altos senior night, and all Paly needed was a single goal. A single goal to win the game. A single goal to win the league.

A single goal to progress into the playoffs in an excellent position. But it did not look like it was arriving and the game seemed set for a stalemate.

Then, like some sort of golden savior, a messiah sent down to solve everyone’s problems, junior winger Cole Tierney appeared. He had already scored one goal that game, a cool finish to a sleek team move, but this was something else. As a loose ball floated past the Los Gatos defenders, rooted to the spot, it was sure to fall into the arms of the onrushing goalkeeper. A disappointing end to an otherwise entertaining match, but then a boot stuck out. A fantastic, game-winning boot, Tierney’s boot. A boot worth a league championship. With a deft flick, Tierney lobbed the keeper and the ball bobbled into the goal, an absolute masterpiece.

The victory, coupled with Homestead High School’s 2-1 loss to Los Altos High School meant Paly won the De Anza League. Paly then progressed to the playoff against 13th seed Santa Theresa High School, who Paly beat 4-0 with goals from Tierney, senior midfielder Wesley Woo and a brace from sophomore forward Michel Siaba. However, Paly then went to the quarter finals where they lost 2-0 to Bellarmine College Preparatory.

The grim sky that settled across the pitch foreshadowed a fairly cagey first half that only really lit up in the last five minutes following Tierney’s first goal. The goal itself was emblematic of Paly’s first half approach to the game, with a wonderfully lofted ball from Woo finding senior midfielder Xavier Sherer down the wing, Sherer

then crossed to the far post where Tierney was on hand to side-foot home. However, there is an old adage about a team being most vulnerable right after scoring, and this seemed to apply perfectly to Paly’s fortunes during the last five minutes of the first half, where Los Gatos laid siege to the Paly goal, hitting the upright and glancing a dangerous dribbling ball across a gaping goalmouth. Paly held fast and lasted out those last few minutes to maintain the psychological impetus provided by the first goal.

The second half proved to be a much more exciting affair. With Los Gatos threatening first, only for the Los Gatos forward to be denied by a stupendous reflex save from junior goalkeeper Eli Friedlander. Not a minute later, a cluster of Paly defenders cleared a Los Gatos shot off the goal line.

Although Los Gatos dominated the early exchanges, it soon grew into the game with junior forward Ariya Momeny’s relentless pressing, suffocating the Los Gatos defense. Paly found a creative outlet in junior forward Roberto Sotelo, whose through balls to junior forward Dami Bolarinwa, returning from injury, carved the Los Gatos defense open on more than one occasion. However, in Bolarinwa’s best opportunity, he lobbed both the keeper and the bar, unfortunate not to score.

Despite Paly’s dominance, there were still warning signs from Los Gatos, as Friedlander had to stay on his toes to hoof some through balls away from the onrushing Los Gatos forwards. Los Gatos soon began to gain a foothold in the game, with its increased verticality beginning to prove a real threat to the Vikings defense. It was onto one of these through balls that the Los Gatos forward poked past Friedlander.

Following the shock provided by the goal, Paly attacked with renewed vigor, with sophomore forward Michel Siaba coming close following a delightful interchange with Tierney.

The Vikings continued to press and found their reward with only a couple of minutes left on the clock when Tierney latched on to a through ball

and lobbed the Los Gatos keeper to give retake the lead. The remaining minutes were not for the faint of heart, as Paly held fast against wave after wave of Los Gatos attacks until the cool relief of the final whistle.

This win was ultimately a welcome one for Paly, who ended a poor run of form that included a 3-0 loss to Homestead High School as well as a 1-0 loss to Monta Vista High School.

The game showcased a different side of the Vikings, one where they were capable of resilience and showed spirit to fight back against a difficult, not to mention physical, opposition.

Although Paly’s fighting spirit was evident in its defensive solidity in the early half of the season, this showed a different side to that tenacity with Paly pushing back to retake the lead.

Before the game, senior players and their families were honored for their time with the team and seniors Woo, Sherer, Steven Blatman, Edward Chen and Preston Kuppe will be sorely missed, but it was also encouraging to note that Paly’s attacking options for next year look increasingly diverse. The Vikings have different offensive possibilities available in the raw power of Momeny and the pace and speedy dribbling of Bolarinwa and Tierney, with Sotelo looking to take up Woo’s chief creative role next year.

Despite Paly’s many offensive prospects, coach Briggs is still cautious, as there are too many variables to take into consideration when discussing the team for next year.

“Some guys, you think they’re going to [tryout for Paly], but then they get hurt, because they play club all the time,” Briggs said. “You never know when all of a sudden people get talked into doing something else instead of playing for us.”

Following the nail-biter against Los Altos, Paly went on to thump Santa Theresa in the first game only to fall against Bellarmine. However, fans should not be too disheartened as the relative youth of the team means that the core will still be around next year, more mature and ready to mount a serious challenge for next year’s championship.

brings fresh outlook Justin Halas arrives with worldwide coaching experience for upcoming season Jeremy Fu

Staff writer

P

alo Alto High School’s badminton team enters their upcoming season with a fresh beginning, and a new coach, Justin Halas.

Halas has coached high school sports for roughly ten years. He has coached teams in football, baseball, soccer, track and field and badminton.

In the past he has coached badminton in South Korea and in San Jose.

Halas was selected to be this year’s badminton coach after last year’s coach, Wesley Hsieh, was released.

Halas hopes to bring new practices and strategies to the team.

“I think to improve, a player has to work on conditioning and footwork,” said Halas. “Being in the right position and anticipating the shot or the hit. Another technique is to focus on attacking. 90 percent of teams that attack in badminton end up winning, so getting into that attacking mindset is something we’ve got to focus on.”

Halas recognizes that when it comes to beating the tough opponents, physical training also makes a big difference, as players need to have a growth mindset and mental toughness to continue winning.

“Going forth, I believe in order to do well during practice, these players have to challenge themselves,” said Halas, “So our older juniors and seniors are going to have to challenge each other during practice time in order to simulate the game speed.

That’s the only way they are going to get better.”

The Vikings will play in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s upper league, the De Anza League, for a second year. Last year, the team had to deal with a large loss of senior players. Similarly, this year, the team will have to compensate for the graduation of nineteen senior players.

“Paly’s team suffered the loss of many talented seniors, which com-

prised of most of the varsity members, so this year we may have difficulty maintaining our position in upper league,” freshman Emily Yu said.

Junior Eric Chiang believes that as a result, the team’s future performance is unclear.

“Our varsity line up is basically brand new, but a lot of other schools lost plenty of seniors as well, so we’ll see how it goes,” Chiang said.

Senior player, Joseph Chang, also expressed concern over the loss of several key players, especially against traditionally strong schools. However, he believes that the team will still be strong due to talented new players.

“Our goal this year is to finish first the De Anza division,” said Chang.

“Our first game will be on March 24 against Monta Vista, one of if not the best team in the league. I have no doubt they we will succeed as we have some very talented young players such as Jacqueline Cai and Emily Yu as well as good support and leadership from established veterans such as Eric Chiang and Promise Lee.” Halas expressed that players cannot rest after winning, and must continue to work hard.

“Just because you win one game doesn’t mean you’ve got everything made,” said Halas. “You’ve got to keep working on it.”

Multiple players mentioned a lack of real team chemistry. Yu noted that badminton can be played either in singles or in doubles, and, consequently, can often feel like an individual sport.

“The team chemistry is a little bit shaky, with an imbalance towards the power in the guys’ rather than girls’ team,” Yu said.

The Vikings have completed their tryout process and have created a preliminary line up. The team’s first match will be against Lynbrook High School on March 19 at Los Altos High School.

Friday, March 6, 2015

C4 Text By

The Campanile

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015

NBA RISING starS

Ethan Teo Staff Writer

NBA RISING STARS

THE NEW FACES OF THE NBA

C5 Design By

Design by

Owen Dulik Sports Editor Nikhil Rajaram Staff Writer

All Headshots Courtesy of Espn.com Courtesy of sportsworldnews.com

Klay Thompson

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oming into the 2014-15 season, Klay Thompson was one of the players on the verge of being traded for superstar Kevin Love. While many fans stood

by Thompson opposing the trade, others thought that the Warriors were crazy for declaring Thompson “untouchable”. However, besides rebounding, Thompson has been statistically better than Love in every category this season — points, blocks, steals, assists, free throw percentage and field goal percentage — all while playing less minutes than Love proving Thompson’s superior efficiency.

But it’s not just the stats that prove Thompson’s proficiency. The Splash Brother is arguably the second best player on the best team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors. On Jan. 23, he scored 37 points in a

Damian Lillard single quarter — an NBA record. Thompson has developed from a three-point specialist to a player who can create scoring opportunities for himself and has become an even greater lockdown defender than he was prior to this season. He is no longer merely “Stephen Curry’s sidekick” — he is a force to be reckoned with.

points per game

22.1

Assists Rebounds per game per game

2.9

3.4

D

amian Lillard is explosive. Lillard is clutch. In just his third year in the NBA, Lillard is scoring 21.6 points per game while also dishing out an average 6.2 assists per game. Undoubtedly, it is helpful to have Lamarcus Aldridge by his side, but Lillard is the team member controlling the Trailblazers’ offense and running the plays. With Aldridge’s help, Lillard has created an intimidating team that is currently placed third in a stacked Western Conference, even though nobody expected them to be high in the standings.

After barely making the All-Star team for two years in a row, Lillard now has the potential to be a perennial All-Star. Signs of this development are already evident — Lillard has made a massive improvement on defense. While he only had an average of 0.8

Jimmy Butler steals a game last season, he’s boosted that number to a very solid 1.4 steals per game this season. If Lillard can develop a more consistent three-point game to his explosive play-style, he could be unstoppable.

points per game

A

t 24 years old, Reggie Jackson has plenty of time left to shine. In his past three years with the Thunder, it has been difficult for him to leave his mark with superstar Russell Westbrook playing ahead of him in the rotation. Jackson has not taken being second-best well and statistically has performed better as a starter. This season, he averaged 20.2 points and 7.8 assists per game for the 13 games that he started in. For the other 37 games, he averaged a comparatively worse 10.2 points and 3.0 assists a game. Jackson has expressed his frustration through a trade request, and has finally been traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Jackson should receive the ample playing time that he has been hoping for with the Pistons since

Assists STEALS per game per game

21.6

Courtesy of thesportsquotient.com

Reggie Jackson

6.2

points per game

13.1

Assists Rebounds per game per game

4.4

4.1

Draymond Green

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points per game, Green has been scoring 11.0 points per contest this season. He’s also taken a step up in field goal and three-point percentages. According to Kerr’s KNBR interview, “Draymond’s going to be a part of this franchise for the next eight, ten years.”

Having another decade or so to build confidence and team chemistry will be a major factor in Green’s development into an NBA superstar.

points per game

11.3

Assists Rebounds per game per game

3.6

8.2

K

awhi Leonard may not have eye-popping statistics, but he is a phenomenal player. Under the Spurs’ extremely balanced offense, Leonard leads them in scoring with 15.0 points per game. His injuries this season have prevented him from improving at the rate fans all hoped to see, but if he can work past the injuries, he will no doubt be an elite player in the near future.

Leonard’s defense is his forte. “He’s our best perimeter defender, obviously,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said. “He guards a variety of different kinds of players — point guards, 2 men, 3 men — so he gives us some good versatility defensively.” Statistically, he tops the Spurs’ roster in steals with 2.1 steals per game, which is no easy feat. When the Spurs’ Big Three in Tim Duncan, Tony

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hen listing off the top point guards in the league, most think of Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and a list of about five other players. Jeff Teague rarely enters the conversation, which is rather strange considering his incredible productivity in recent years. He doesn’t get a lot of praise and is likely the most underrated point guard in the league.

Teague averages 16.7 points, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, which may sound modest, but is impressive on a team that features multiple other smart scoring options. Ultimately, what makes Teague a rising star is not his statline, but his efficiency and his ability to lead a team.

His Player Efficiency Rating is at 21.71 — the fourth highest among NBA point guards. Ad- ditionally, he’s been the floor general for the

NBA’s second best team at the moment. The Hawks are 44-12, and are on pace for 65 wins — more wins than any team ended up with by the end of last year’s regular season. If leading a potential NBA championship team is not enough to be an elite player, then it is hard to imagine what is.

points per game

16.7

Assists Steals per game per game

7.3

1.7

points per game

15.0

Assists Rebounds per game per game

2.5

7.4

points Assists Rebounds per game per game per game

21.6

E

very basketball fan saw this one coming, but no one saw it coming so fast. “The Brow” is only 21-yearsold and is already averaging similar — if not better — numbers this season to what LeBron James, named by some as the “Greatest Of All Time,” is averaging. Although slightly behind LeBron’s 25.8 points per game at 23.9, Davis is leading the NBA in blocks per game by miles with a whopping 2.7. He’s also getting 107 rebounds compared to LeBron’s mere 5.6 rebounds a game. In terms of efficiency, Davis is also leading the league and holds a Player Efficiency Rating of 31.82.

What makes Davis unique is his versatility. “The Brow” is six foot ten and 220 pounds, an intimidating player, but also has the skillset of a guard. He can score from the perimeter and midrange

Andrew Wiggins

iannis Antetokounmpo is known as the “Greek Freak” among NBA fans, and it’s no surprise that his crazy athleticism and length makes him a scary figure to deal with in games. He’s the tallest small forward in the league at six foot 11, and has a wingspan of seven foot four. Besides his recent eurostep dunk from the three point line, he also led a fast break and got down the entire court in only two dribbles earlier this season.

At only 20-years-old, Antetokounmpo’s 11.9 points and 50 percent field goal shooting is more than impressive. His statline is stronger than Indiana Pacers superstar Paul George’s statline was at that same age, so Antetokounmpo is on track to becoming a real NBA threat. Together with Brandon Knight, Antetokounmpo has led the Bucks to a surprising sixth seed in the Eastern Confer-

ndrew Wiggins is the clear frontrunner for this season’s Rookie Of The Year award, and it’s no surprise. He’s dominating the rookie reports statistically and is the most exciting player to watch out of all of them. Wiggins is the second leading scorer for the Timberwolves, behind specialty scorer Kevin Martin. Although Wiggins is not as statistically dominant as the rest of the players on this list, it’s important to keep in mind that he is a rookie, is 20 years-old and is playing for the worst team in the Western Conference.

However, with future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett returning to the Wolves, Wiggins will have a role model to learn from. Additionally, with Min-

ence, and that success will only continue to grow with Antetokounmpo’s improvement. With the athleticism that he has, Antetokounmpo’s ceiling looks to be higher than the sky.

points per game

11.9

Assists Rebounds per game per game

2.5

6.6

while also being an inside threat. He can defend the rim better than anybody else can and has phenomenal footwork. This is particularly impressive considering that guards are currently dominating the NBA and it takes quickness and three-point shooting to win games. Anthony Davis is the whole package.

points per game

E

Assists BLOCKS per game per game

23.9 10.3

2.7

A

nesota tanking this season and likely the next few, they are likely to gain more prospects from the NBA drafts, which will give Wiggins even more support to polish his skill set.

points per game

15.8

Courtesy of sun-sentinel.com

ver since getting drafted to the Sacramento Kings in 2010 as the 33rd pick, Hassan Whiteside has played for 11 different teams, including the NBA, the D-League and overseas.

Moving around has not been easy for Whiteside and has stunted his ability to establish himself as a dependable player. Prior to the 2014-15 season, Whiteside averaged just 5.9 minutes a game while playing with the Kings. However, his gradual improvement has just now become evident in his games with the Miami Heat. His first outburst was on the Heat’s victory against the Clippers on Jan. 11, when he scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Shortly after, on Jan. 25, Whiteside had a statline of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks.

From there on, Whiteside has developed into an intimidating seven-foot center. Per

5.9

Courtesy of collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Giannis Antetokounmpo

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3.3

Courtesy of grantland.com

Courtesy of pixshark.com

Hassan Whiteside

Parker and Manu Ginobili retire, Leonard will be the cornerstone of the franchise. The timing is rather perfect, as Leonard is currently learning from the veterans how to become a better leader on the court and will be well prepared to carry the Spurs once the Big Three are gone, as he proved by winning the 2014 Finals MVP. It’s no doubt that Leonard will become an NBA superstar in the coming years.

improve his game every day. He ended up getting drafted to the NBA 30th overall, which marked significant improvement, but didn’t scream “NBA superstar.” With hard work and dedication, Butler has proven himself to be among the NBA’s best two-way players. It’s the impressive development that makes him a true rising star.

Anthony Davis

Courtesy of fanhub.me

Kahwi Leonard

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ard-nosed Jimmy Butler has become much more than the tough defender he was last year — he has emerged as an aggressive two-way player.

Butler currently leads the Bulls in scoring with an average of 20.2 points per game, which is a vast improvement from last season, when he averaged a mere 13 points a game. Butler carries his team’s defense at 1.8 steals per game and is a major reason why the Bulls are a playoff threat.

However, what is truly amazing is his rags-to-riches journey. Butler came out of high school as the 73rd ranked prospect in Texas, which was not particularly impressive for a player aspiring to be in the NBA. His only offer to play college ball was at Marquette University, which he gladly accepted. Since then, Butler has worked hard to

Courtesy of bobbybourhis.sportsblog.com

Courtesy of triangleoffense.com

he characteristic that sets Draymond Green apart from most other players is his grit. “He’s in a lot of ways our heart and soul and just plays with such passion. I think it’s contagious,” Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said. While he isn’t an offensive stud and only averages 11.3points per game, Green has evolved as one of the league’s most elite defenders. He currently has the best Defensive Rating in the NBA, which may surprise many. However, his defense is a major reason for the Golden State Warriors’ success this season, even if he hasn’t been credited much for it.

As a team, the Warriors have the best defense in the league thanks to Green’s fantastic help defense.

Even at six foot seven, which is significantly smaller than the average NBA power forward, Green’s aggressiveness gets him 8.2 rebounds a game — among the top ten power forwards in the league. His scoring efficiency is also continuing to develop.

Compared to last year’s measly 6.2

1.4

Jeff Teague Brandon Jennings, the Pistons’ usual starting point guard, is injured and out for the rest of the season. With the help of Detroit’s Twin Towers in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, Jackson’s transition should not be too difficult.

Courtesy of chicagotribune.com

Courtesy of orlandomagicdaily.com

Assists Rebounds per game per game

1.9

4.3

Courtesy of orlandomagicdaily.com

Nikola Vucevic

36 minutes, he’s averaging 18.2 points, 16.0 rebounds and 4.4 blocks — a ridiculous statline. He’s also making 63 percent of his shots. Whiteside is only getting 20 minutes per contest at the moment, but it would not be be surprising to see him receive significantly more playing time in the near future.

points per game

10.6

Assists Blocks per game per game

9.6

2.4

N

ikola Vucevic isn’t a household name quite yet. As a player from Montenegro who has only played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic, both of which are bottom-tier teams, it’s hard for Vucevic to become a noticeable player. He has a frame very typical of centers at seven feet tall and 260 pounds, so he often gets mixed in the crowd of other mediocre centers.

What fans often fail to realize is his incredible production.

He’s only 24 years old, and is averaging 19.8 points on 54 percent shooting while also grabbing 11.3 rebounds a game. Vucevic ranks fifth in the NBA in total rebounds this season, and his Player Efficiency Rating is 22.3, making him the second

most efficient center in the NBA behind DeMarcus Cousins.

He has continued to improve and has career highs in every single major statistical category. His contract with the Magic lasts another three seasons, so hopefully the Magic will be able draft some solid backup players for Vucevic and finally develop into a playoff team.

points per game

Assists BLOCKS per game per game

19.8

11.3

0.7

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS C6 Front office prejudices can impede team success Irrational decisions made by national professional team owners mar the team’s name not just their own image Josh Ng

staff writer

O

wners of sports franchises often make mistakes that are detrimental to their organization’s image. This can lead to professional sports teams having obstacles that get in the way of their prosperity. There have been multiple incidents where team administrators have made unfortunate decisions that landed them in hot water.

The most recent instance involves current New York Knicks owner James Dolan. On Jan. 23, Dolan received an email from 70-year-old Knicks fan Irving Bierman, who criticized Dolan for interfering with the franchise and causing the Knicks to perform poorly this season. Dolan, who has owned the Knicks since 1994, replied with a letter stating that Bierman should “start rooting for the Nets, because the Knicks don’t want [him].”

Dolan also made several baseless and undermining assumptions, writing in his letter that Bierman was an “alcoholic” and a “negative force in everyone who comes in contact with [him]. ” Dolan is just one of the many examples of an owner who thinks he can abuse his power as an authority to undermine others. Even as the owner of a very popular sports franchise, Dolan still does not acknowledge the consequences he will face due to his hate-filled email. Dolan has also been accused of mistreatment towards players who benefitted his franchise, namely Charles Oakley. Oakley led the team to its first conference championship in 21 years in 1994. Because of his performance, the Knicks brought in former center and now hall of famer Patrick Ewing. Fifteen years ago, Oakley publicly criticized the Knicks for the team’s terrible performance during games. Dolan took offense to this remark and immediately cut ties with the National Basketball Association (NBA) AllStar without reconciliation, causing

Courtesy of Corey sipkin

James Dolan, a particularly troublesome NBA team owner, has caused irreconcilable damages for his team, the New York Knicks, when he rashly broke ties with benifactors.

them to never speak again. Oakley wished to dispel the bad blood between Dolan and himself - however, Dolan reportedly refused to reply to Oakley’s request to reconcile.

Dolan’s latest offense was him not admitting to regretting sending out the rude email, for he felt he was wronged when Bierman criticized the franchise. Dolan’s offensive behavior is detrimental to the Knicks, because it exhibits that the franchise is being controlled by a person who does not behave professionally.

Dolan is just one of the many examples of an owner who thinks he can abuse his power as an authority to undermine others.

Problems with owners also take place with franchises on the West Coast. The predicament between San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York and former head coach Jim Harbaugh stirred some controversy in the foot-

ball world during the 2014-2015 football season. Harbaugh sent the 49ers to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship for the first three times out of the four seasons he coached. However, during the 2014-15 season, Harbaugh did not perform nearly as well as he did in the past three seasons he was in San Francisco. York felt compelled to fire Harbaugh because of this one mediocre season, displaying his own rash decision making.

York blamed the 49ers’ mediocre level of play on the off-field issues that the franchise was dealing with, including six arrests of players since 2012. Because of this, York stated that he felt that Harbaugh did not earn the conference championships “with class.”

York used this detail and Harbaugh’s mediocre performance as an excuse to remove Harbaugh from his position on Dec. 18, 2014. York has yet to speak on this issue and wishes to avoid talking about his and Harbaugh’s relationship. York’s injustice

will label the 49ers as having a divided staff, thus being detrimental to the franchise image.

Unlike the incidents mentioned previously, the tension that brought attention to the Atlanta Hawks general manager, Danny Ferry, took a more positive turn. In June of 2014, Ferry used a racially charged term that towards current Miami Heat player Luol Deng. Ferry suggested that Deng’s ethnicity hinders him from being “perfect.”

Having an insular mindset will mar an owner’s image, for learning and accepting mistakes will do nothing more than improve the image presented to the public.

“He’s a good guy overall, but he’s not perfect. He’s got some African in him,” Ferry said in a phonecall with a scouter. A result, on Sept. 9, 2014, co-owner Michael Gearon and Chief

Executive Office (CEO) Steve Koonin announced that Ferry’s comment would leave him with consequences and a punishment.

Ferry took an indefinite leave as General Manager, and has still yet to make a return to the team. However, Al Horford, a member of the Atlanta Hawks, has spoken about welcoming Ferry back. The team’s public welcome for Ferry back as owner caused the tension to die down as he readily admitted that his comment was a mistake.

Dolan and York made decisions that were detrimental to their team and were absolutely intolerable in the sports world. They have yet to make apologies for their mistakes, causing their predicaments to worsen.

On the other hand, Ferry took full responsibility for his actions and admitted that what he did was wrong.

Having an insular mindset will mar an owner’s image, for learning and accepting mistakes will do nothing more than improve the image presented to the public.

Updated game rules can make sports more enjoyable Having tennis balls that explode and playing water polo in a piranhas fish filled pool will peak interest in fans rather than the usual three. Lastly, the player that scores the touchdown must also kick the extra point.

Baseball: On foul balls, if the ball is caught by a fan wearing a jersey for the team in the field, the batter is out. The game must also be played with sombreros rather than the usual ball caps, because fashion is forever but your athletic career is not. Finally, snack breaks should be allowed for players and fans, because everyone knows the best part of a baseball game is the hot dogs and other unhealthy food.

Both teams capture and train a wild animal of their choice to participate in the game.

Water polo: In the last two minutes of regulation, malnourished piranhas are released into the pool. Once regulation is over, the team loses a point for every missing limb. This would require both teams to make a strategic decision about whether their arms and legs are more important than scoring goals. More importantly, it may discourage the usage of speedos.

Dami Bolarinwa/the campanile

Changing sports rules will create a more enthusiastic fan response, like one seen at Palo Alto High School’s boys basketball game.

Kevin mullin

sports editor

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atching sports has been an American past-time for hundreds of years.

Yelling at the television and pretending you are the referee will always be an unavoidable habit. However, with progress in sports uniform, equipment and fascilities, why not make revisions to the rules?

Unconventional sports rules will not only make the sport more inter-

esting but will increase fan participation and excitment.

Basketball: Each team should hire a little person to guard the basket and block other players’ shots. The little person will be placed on the hoop and given a broom to knock away opposing shots. This will make it much harder to score but much more entertaining.

Additionally, North Korean rules should be adopted by the rest of the world. In the last three minutes of the game, every basket should be

worth eight points. This will make game winners and comebacks more common. To punish unskilled players, every missed free throw is worth negative one points. Three point field goals that do not touch the rim will be worth four points, and the losers of the game are sent to work for the winning team for the next ten years.

Football: The players are forced to wear long, fancy, formal dresses. The football uprights will also have a circle dead in the middle that is worth five points

The game must also be played with sombreros rather than the usual ball caps, because fashion is forever and your athletic career is not.

Tennis: Playing the game with balls that are guaranteed to explode at least one time during the course of the game would make the game more intense and hopefully prevent annoying players from bouncing the ball up and down for ten minutes before every serve. Also, screams from the players would finally be warranted.

Soccer: Both teams capture and train a wild animal of their choice to partici-

pate in the game. An example of the correct utilization of this rule would be to teach an elephant to stand in front of the goal or train a grizzly bear to attack divers on the opposing team.

Everyone loves animals, and maybe the United States would stand a chance in the World Cup if it took advantage of some of the excellent animal trainers available.

Track and Field: For the discus, javelin, shot put and hammer throw, make it a team sport. Each thrower must also have a catcher. This would require incredible bravery, a “team-first” attitude and readily available backups. For any running event, give each participant one fully loaded Nerf gun to use at his or her discretion. Legal use of the nerf gun would include shooting one’s running mates to distract them, alerting food vendors in the distant stands that one is hungry and demonstrating to referees that one disagreed with their decision.

For any running event, give each participant one fully loaded Nerf gun to use at their discretion.

Chess: Before the match, each player makes a list of disgusting foods that he or she pairs with his or her corresponding pieces. When the opponent takes one of the pieces, he or she must eat the corresponding item of food. This will make chess a nationally televised event and raise awareness about one of the oldest games in human history.

Hockey: Most people watch hockey in hopes that a fight will break out. Encourage this behavior by awarding a team two points for a knockout and one point for every tooth that is recovered and presented to the referee, who will be appropriately dressed in a tooth fairy costume.

The Campanile

Friday, March 6, 2015

SPORTS

Paly’s sailing team seeks more students participation Sailing team allows unique social and outdoor experiences while exploring Bay Area waters

C7

Athlete of the

Month

This edition featuring:

Christian Rider with The Campanile’s own Abira Berezin/the campanile

Paly sailing team members Maeve Lavelle and Sean Jawetz enjoy the waters at the Port of Redwood City in their sailing boat as they practice together for an upcoming event.

Abira berezin

Staff Writer

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he widely unknown but unique Palo Alto High School sailing team is looking to expand its roster in future years and to bring awareness to the sport in general. The Paly team currently has a mere five members but is excited and hopeful to get the word out about the team. The team practices under the assistance of Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF) at the Port of Redwood City, Calif.

“PYSF supplies the boats and we supply the coaching,” head coach Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer said.

The Paly sailing team is one of 15 high school sailing teams that

sail with PYSF. The teams practice together but at races, also known as regattas, the teams race for their own individual high schools in the Pacific Coast District.

The team travels throughout the Bay Area and along the West Coast in order to compete against other high school teams. One of the highlighted aspects of the team is unity and bonding.

“The goal of the team is to work together as best you can and improve together, so it’s not a one man job,” senior Maeve Lavelle said.

The sport has the potential to form close bonds within teammates which are ideal because trusting the other person in the boat is the key to success in races.

The Vikings just started their spring season, and practice three times a week.

“This year, I’m hoping to not only go to more events, but to bring Paly to more events and recruit more kids to the team,” junior Sean Jawetz said.

The team and coaches have a lot of praise for the sport and added their sincere invitations to at least try the sport.

“I would definitely say just to try it out,” Lavelle said. “We have tons of extra gear, so don’t be afraid of that.”

Jawetz looked back on when he first started sailing and seemed equally encouraging as Lavelle.

“One practice and I was hooked,” Jawetz said. “Sailing is an absolute blast, and I recommend anyone who

has even an inkling of interest to join us out on the water for practice.”

“I’d want everyone to know it’s attainable,” O’Bryan Vandemoer said.

“You can come down and check it out and see if you like it.”

PYSF provides a platform for the Paly team with several coaches that help the sailors. The foundation takes the teams to regattas, and the more team members there are, the easier it is to go to regattas because four members are needed to compete.

“We love having new people since it means we can go to more places and events,” Lavelle said. “Sailing gives you an outdoor experience that’s unique and [allows you to] meet so many new people and travel to so many new places.”

Limited playing time inspires athletes to improve Sports coaches purpose ways for Paly bench athletes to improve themselves Nicole li

Staff Writer

T

hough athletes might blame coaches for uneven playing time distribution, coaches at Palo Alto High School are continually striving to balance athletes’ individual improvement with winning in competition.

There is no doubt ­— Paly’s sports program has a competition-driven attitude. A purely student-centered program that only focused on individual improvement would reduce the excitement of competition. In the team-based sports volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, water polo, baseball and football, playing time is limited because only five to 11 players take the court or field at one time —although the entire team consists of many more players. In theory, second-string players get substituted in at some point in the game, but this only happens when the entire team’s skill level is equivalent. In practice, the number of players given active roles is limited.

“I was actually one of the starters for [the offensive]-line and [defensive]-line,” sophomore Albert Hwang said about playing on the freshman and sophomore football team last fall. “Our coaches do tend to play the same people over and over again. Throughout all the games, you start getting neglected [if you are a] second or third string [player].”

Even in the more individually focused sports, where one would expect equal playing time for each athlete, some athletes play more than others. In badminton, the seedings for each match get filled according to the number of players available from each school, and the extra players sit out for the game.

Last spring, second-year badminton player Jane, who requested her name be changed, played few matches during the varsity badminton season.

“All the varsity matches were [filled by the more experienced players], so we had an excess of players, and there wasn’t anything for me to play,” Jane said.

Athletes explained that playing time is not just a matter of time in the spotlight, but in fact improves performance — the experience strengthens skills and confidence. When players spend a season sitting out, they become disgruntled because they feel deprived of an opportunity to develop.

“This year, because I’m a senior, I get a fair share, but I think a lot of the time underclassmen struggle with getting a fair share,” varsity lacrosse player Michael Beisheim said. “I think it’s really hard to be dedicated to the team when you’re not getting playing time in games, because [at practice] you can only try hard [but] you’re not representing your team on the field when it counts.”

According to Jane, her experience on the sidelines had a serious effect on her ego.

“Not being able to play an entire year lowers your self esteem,” Jane said. “You don’t get trained as much and you don’t get to learn how to improve yourself under pressure and you don’t get as much advice.”

Players may feel resentful towards coaches and accuse them of only thinking about winning. However, most coaches understand the predicament and want to make the best choice for the team. In many cases, they are trying to find a balance between providing opportunities for all the athletes to develop and winning in the competitions.

“No one wants to sit on the sidelines,” physical education teacher and football head coach Jake Halas said.

“We just want to build a team atmosphere.”

I think it’s really hard to be dedicated to the team when you’re not getting playing time in games, because [at practice] you can only try hard [but] you’re not representing your team on the field when it counts.

Michael Beisheim

Varsity Lacrosse Player According to athletic director Jason Fung, athletes who find themselves spending excess time on the bench can improve their situation through their own efforts. Fung thinks athletes should accept that they have some areas needing improvement and take steps to correct them.

“You have to think as [an athlete],” Fung said. “‘Why am I not getting in?’

Well, I have to work on X, Y and Z. I need to work on these things. There are kids better than me.”

Halas, in concurrence, believes contributing to the team can mean

doing something other than playing games. He thinks athletes should define belonging to the team as the important part of the whole experience.

“We have guys [who] might not be big and strong enough to get on the field,” Halas said. “Maybe they’re not ready to play, they’re too young or too small, [or] they’re not quite ready to be a starter — but they help us as a scout player, a practice squad player.

They practice more against the starters, but when the time comes, they’re ready to jump up and be the starter.”

Fung pointed out that part of the reason players get less time could be miscommunication with the coach over the amount of effort a player puts into practice and games. Players who appear indifferent to the sport may leave a negative impression on the coach. Players who have a positive attitude often get more playing time.

“If you’re thinking, ‘I’m the best player out there and I’m not playing, then, why not?’” Fung said. “It’s all from the point of view of a coach.

Whether it’s correct or not, it’s hard to argue.”

Halas agreed with Fung’s perspective that players who receive less playing time need to question themselves and speak to the coach. Halas wants to communicate with players about how they can best help the team and how to compete for a starting job.

“I encourage the kids to talk to me about that,” Halas said.

Although players often question the coach’s choices, Halas insists that the coaches have the players’ best interests in mind.

“I want the kids to come back,” Halas said. “How do you do that? You let them play. Very few of these players go make a living playing sports, so we want to make this experience a life experience.”

Paly’s tough competition might mean that athletes who feel the need for more game time and attention may excel more in club sports than at school.

Varsity water polo player Andrew Josefov observes that for swimmers, swimming for a club helps them focus on their individual skills. “[A swimmer’s] club coach knows more about them than their high school coach,” Josefov said. “He knows what they need specifically.

The high school coach kind of has to generalize what the entire team needs [because] he sees them for only three months in a year.”

Sophomore varsity swimmer Kaitlyn Nakamura added that the coach’s “goal is to make a unified team” and not necessarily focus on one player.

Halas hopes that athletes can take upon themselves the responsibility of contributing to the team. With a team-based attitude and inward reflection, athletes can gain a different perspective of playing time and bounce back from sitting out.

According to Halas, in order to succeed in sports, athletes must recognize that they can be the best version of themselves despite any setbacks. Halas pointed out several off-season football athletes who train in the weight room and noted that they found motivation within themselves to improve.

“There are some guys here who aren’t going to play every game,” Halas said. “But look, they’re here, lifting weights in February, and we don’t play until the fall. If I can build depth and get these guys in who are working hard every day, that’s what I strive for as a coach.”

Jane, the badminton player, notes that her personality has changed her viewpoint towards her situation.

“I’m a really spiteful person,” Jane said. “So when I don’t get to play, I work even harder.”

Sophomore and junior varsity tennis player Samuel Yun also harbored a similar drive to succeed despite a knee injury last year that forced him to sit out for most of the matches. “[Last year] really just left me with a sense that I still had something to prove,” Yun said. “I wasn’t able to play nearly as well as I was capable of being so I was left with the determination to show that I had something to offer the team.”

According to Halas, when players find ways to improve and work with the coach, they can ameliorate their challenges. As current head coach and a former football player who also had to work to match the skill levels of his teammates, Halas said that applying the right perspective to any hardship is a lifelong skill and is what makes playing high school sports worthwhile.

“It’s about the experience of going through all these trials,” Halas said. “There are highs and there are lows, and football will bring you to tears physically and mentally ... but there’s so much about life that football brings, [and] that’s what the kids should be getting out of it.”

Owen Dulik Christian Rider is a sophomore on the Palo Alto High School varsity boys lacrosse team. He plays long stick middie (LSM) and defense in his first year on the team.

The Campanile: What position do you play?

Christian Rider: I play LSM and a little bit of defense.

TC: Can you describe your position as LSM for me?

CR: It’s basically a long pole middie that is ready to go back and defend the ball and sometimes you have to get ground balls off of faceoffs.

TC: LSM is a really difficult position to master and the player is crucial to pretty much every team. When did you know that you wanted to be an LSM and what do you think your best strengths are at that position?

CR: I found out that I was really good at being able to defend a person as well as take away the ball and get it back on offense — the takeaways are a lot of fun for me.

TC: Could you describe your relationship with Hayden Libbey, the other sophomore midfielder on the team?

CR: We were friends beforehand.

We just knew each other through playing lacrosse but when we both moved up on varsity we just connected more and became much better friends.

TC: Your brother Drew Rider played for a year on the Paly team. What would you describe it being like the younger brother of a former player?

CR: I’d just describe it as like a friendly little competition between two brothers. Even though he didn’t play for very long and we played two different positions, it was fun for that year to compete against him.

TC: How long have you known coach D.J. Shelton?

CR: I think he coached me for some camp in seventh grade, and I saw a little bit of him in eighth grade. Then he became head varsity coach for Paly. He was also my coach for the NorCal Platinum team.

TC: So you are a huge, huge player on the varsity team and you’ve been playing for quite a while and you really seem to know the system.

What would you say your goals are for this season?

CR: I want to be able to get better communication on defense, and I want to be able to get the ball faster and be able to clear it at a faster pace than I usually do.

TC: What would you say are your greatest strengths as a lacrosse player?

CR: I would say that my ground ball skills and my ability to slide on defense.

TC: Where do you see yourself in the future in lacrosse?

CR: I don’t plan to go to some big school in lacrosse. In fact, I really want to just go to UCLA and play there. But I’ve been recruited by a couple schools already. My top three that I want to be recruited for are UCSB, UCSD and UCLA. TC: Who would you say is your biggest mentor on the lacrosse team?

CR: I would say Matt [Seligson].

TC: How would you describe the new ‘swag’ upgrade that the team got before the season started? What do you think of the new jerseys and helmets?

CR: The swag is fire like my mixtape.

TC: Thank you very much and good luck to you this season. Do you have any closing words?

CR: Nah. Thank you.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C8

March SAFE SLEEPERs

he 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness college basketball tournament will begin on March 17 and will capture America’s attention with dazzling displays of athleticism, sportsmanship and spectacle. Most of America will be filling out the annual March Madness bracket, attempting to correctly decide each game’s result. While many rely on the higher seeds winning every game, there have been jaw-dropping upsets ever since the tournament began.

Nobody knows who will become the next Cinderella story, but there are plenty of sleepers ready for an upset.

Many good teams that are underrated, no matter how high they are ranked. Here are a few “safe” sleepers who should be expected to do well and should not be passed over in the bracket-filling-out process.

uch like Butler, coach Shaka Smart’s Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) team has become a national favorite in recent history after advancing much further than it was expected to on multiple occasions. The Rams will earn yet another tournament berth after dominating the Atlantic 10 conference with a record of 19-6. VCU has a great trio in Treveon Graham, Melvin Johnson and Briante Weber and should rely on all three to keep up their offensive mastery on the national stage. While many people choose the 12 and 13 seeds to upset the five and six seeds in the first round, VCU should not be bet against in the first round or in several subsequent rounds.

hile most Americans had never heard of Stephen F. Austin University as of February 2014, the team shocked the nation last March when it dominated its way to the second round. Yet after a rough game to a talented UCLA team, the Lumberjacks went on to have a great season this year with only four losses. The Lumberjacks’ superior size and athleticism makes them control the boards, as the team has the 10th most rebounds per game in the country. While this team may not even make an impact, it has high potential. This is definitely a high risk, high reward situation in which any bracket filler-outer could win big or make a fool of him or herself.

hile Harvard may not be seen as a sports powerhouse, it is certainly a fantastic school for basketball come March.

The Crimson seem to come out of nowhere every single year and take the entire nation by storm. Just last year, the team upset the fifth seed Cincinnati in the first round. The Crimson may not have a great team, but it seems to dominate the Ivy League every year and will again earn itself a bid to the big dance. Will the Crimson be this year’s amazing story?

Nobody knows yet, but any bracketeer could impress his or her friends by picking this ultimate underdog for greatness.

BY OWEN DULIK

ake it from those who have watched March Madness in the past five years - it is safe to assume that the Butler Bulldogs will channel greatness and surprise many in the tourney. After going to back to back Final Four’s in 2010 and 2011, Butler has revamped its team and has really stepped up its game. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 18 in the nation and will find themselves to be anywhere from a three to five seed. While this does not exactly denote a sleeper, do not think for one second that Butler will be going down early. Expect junior guard Kellen Dunham to keep up his offensive production and lead Butler to yet another impressive performance in the Big Dance.

nother team that has yet to be recognized nationally despite recent success is Providence. After a first round exit against North Carolina, the Friars came back with a great season this year at 18-8, making them third in the Big East.

Providence is not the best team offensively, yet if electrifying senior forward LaDontae Henton heats up, it could be unstoppable for a few rounds. Henton is currently averaging over 20 points per game and has become the face of this underrated squad. The strong Friar defense will be yet another reason why this highly seeded “nobody” will upset the normal flow of things during the tournament.

ontinuing with the ongoing theme of completely unknown teams making a name for themselves, the Murray State Racers are ready for the big dance. This team is ranked number one in the Ohio Valley Conference and has an astonishing 23 wins in comparison to just four losses. These Racers sprint up and down the court, scoring enough to make each game a blowout. The team is 12th in the nation in shooting percentage, 15th in the nation in points per game and 24th in the nation in assists per game. While this team is relatively unheard of, it should not be underestimated. At least give Murray State a few wins before writing it off, because the chance for bracket glory is high.

verall, there is really no way of telling who will become the next team to shock the nation, yet there is always cause for speculation. All of these teams have the potential to make something special happen, or they could all fizzle out and disappoint their fans. It really depends on each game.

While there is no proven formula for filling out a bracket, sleepers should be acknowledged in order to look good in front of friends and help any bracketeer become a smug champion who can say “I told you so.”