Issue 5: March 19, 2021

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

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

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Vol. CIII, No. 5

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Title IX ART BY GINA BAE

Survivors tell their stories of Title IX reporting, sharing their uncomfortable interactions with administrators.

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Economics teacher Grant Blackburn sits alone behind a sheet of clear plastic, with no students in sight. Although in-person classes were made available to all district high school students starting March 9, many students are still opting to take classes remotely. Teachers, however, are required to return to campuses.

A return to normal?

MAGALI GAUTHIER/PALO ALTO WEEKLY

Governor praises PAUSD reopening.

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Ben Antonow & Parker Wang Staff Writers

ART BY AARON KIM

The Campanile denounces xenophobic, racist actions.

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NCAA tournament begins in bubble.

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ollowing growing demand from community members, PAUSD reopened schoolwide in-person learning at its middle and high schools on March 9. In the first week, about a quarter of the student body attended either athletics or in-person classes at Paly, attendance secretary Christa Brown said.

Students have the option to return to school in person, but can stay home and continue to participate on Zoom if they prefer. If students return to in-person school, they log onto Zoom in their classroom and remain synchronous with the rest of the class. If a student’s class is full based on COVID-19 heath regulations, or their teacher is not in person, they then go to an overflow room — the big gym, the library or the student center — where they participate through Zoom as normal.

Junior Yash Vora chose to return in-person learning. He said he sees an increase in his focus when it comes to listening to lectures and staying engaged.

“Now, I usually have to wake up earlier to prepare myself for getting to school on time,” Vora said. “With the change in scenery from my room to an actual school classroom, it is much easier to pay attention. The three to four people at school are in one breakout room, so then I am able to talk to them in person.”

Most teachers also returned in person, with exceptions being those who have medical conditions that could put them at higher risk if they caught COVID-19. English teacher Keith Tocci has returned to in-person teaching and said his focus remains primarily on Zoom while he’s teaching in his classroom, since most of the students in his classes are still learning remotely.

“I’m enjoying the change in scenery and being able to see my students,” Tocci said. “But

BENJAMIN STEIN/ THE CAMPANILE

Seniors Bowman Wingard and David Snyder eat lunch on the Senior Deck. While lunch provides a time for students to interact, some are concerned about the risks of eating unmasked near others.

we need to be strictly reminding each other to make sure we are distancing, as that is our responsibility.”

Tocci also said students seem to feel more comfortable asking him questions in person.

But despite positive aspects of the plan, the district’s controversial decision to require teachers to return to campus frustrated many, including science teacher Nicole Loomis.

“It seems to me like a very political move,” Loomis said. “The fact that the district called us back without even caring that people hadn’t been vaccinated was really jarring. It really did not foster a lot of goodwill among teachers.”

Part of PAUSD’s reopening plan requires a closed campus until Santa Clara County switches to the orange tier in the state’s reopening plan. The City of Palo Alto said this could happen as early as this week, given the lower daily rates of positive COVID-19 tests in the county.

While COVID-19 safety concerns have stopped some students from returning, junior Brooke Glasson said she has been reassured by the district’s safety precautions.

“The classrooms feel huge, and there's usually only about three other students,” Glasson

said. “Everyone wears masks, and there are shields on each desk. I would say it’s pretty safe.”

However, Glasson is concerned about lunch time. While district rules say students can take their masks off while they eat, they are still required to sit at least six feet apart.

“The only thing that's kind of unsafe is lunch,” Glasson said. “People keep their masks off and sit in large groups. Teachers try to disperse people, but I don’t know if that’s really effective.”

Despite abnormal circumstances, freshman Scarlett Cummings said returning felt like the first day of school.

“Paly has a lot bigger of a campus (than Greene Middle School), and I had no clue where anything was,” Cummings said. “But I thought it was really cool to see where my classes were and to meet my teachers.”

Despite some of the downsides, Vora, Cummings and Glasson all said they plan to continue coming to school in person for the rest of the year.

Cummings said, “Doing Zoom from school is still better than doing Zoom from home, even if the teacher isn’t there.”

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When California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Feb. 19 that all high school sports could return to practices, senior Sukhman Sahota was beyond thrilled.

“It had been almost a full year since I last played softball, so I was really excited to see all of my teammates and finally play,” Sahota said.

The announcement of the reopening of sports came alongside specific COVID-19 safety guidelines, play and practice restrictions and extensive color-coding of sports.

The California Department of Public Health requires physical distancing of players, hygiene and equipment sanitation and face coverings by players, coaches and bystanders. Additional requirements depend on the sport and the tier it can be played in.

The CDPH has divided all sports into four categories based on what color tier their school’s county is in.

In the orange tier, outdoor high contact sports and indoor low contact sports are allowed to play without COVID-19 testing.

However, in the yellow tier, testing is highly encouraged for indoor moderate contact sports and indoor high contact sports.

At Paly, water polo and football — both high contact sports according to the CDPH — are the only sports where athletes are required to get COVID-19 tested regularly based on these guidelines. But

because Santa Clara County is in the red tier as of publication, testing is not mandated Athletic Director Nelson Gifford said.

“For the past two weeks, Santa Clara County has had an adjusted case count around six per 100,000,” Gifford said.

“As a result, we don’t have to do testing for those sports.”

However, in the case that the county is pushed back into the purple tier, Gifford said Paly is prepared to offer COVID-19 testing for student athletes.

“We have testing mechanisms set in place to ensure the safety of all athletes,” he said.

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With all the different, constantly changing regulations, varsity softball coach Marquisa Hawkins said she initially felt overwhelmed, especially in the enforcement of cohorts.

“It was very difficult to manage the different cohorts,” Hawkins said.

“Keeping track of who’s in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 made it challenging to do certain drills. Also, not knowing if everyone could intermingle and splitting people up in their respective cohort was hard to do.”

While outdoor sports have resumed, the California Interscholastic Federation Central Coast Section playoffs — which many student athletes work toward competing in throughout their season — are still up in the air.

“The guidelines say you can’t travel more than one adjacent county,” CCS Board Manager David Grissom said. “We serve many counties in our division, so it’s impossible,

given those guidelines, to have CCS championship events.”

The league consists of 16 counties and 150 schools, making it difficult to arrange and create CCS playoff brackets safely, Grissom said. In addition, other state-level restrictions such as the prohibition of tournaments make it almost impossible for CCS playoffs to occur this year, according to Grissom.

“That guideline, along with other guidelines such as not being allowed to play in a tournament structure would have to change if we were to have CCS playoffs this year,” Grissom said.

The CCS playoff picture is grim in California's current situation, but Grissom said he is trying to remain positive.

“Let’s not close the door to playoffs until we’re required to do so,” Grissom said. “We will be patient and see what time brings us.”

Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

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News

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Jox Xu

Staff Writer

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he Palo Alto Human Relations Commission has reported multiple instances of Asian xenophobia in the city, including the posting of the phrase “Wuhan Virus” in front of a popular coffee shop, the posting of derogatory signs referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” at three schools and the verbal assault of a Palo Alto city council member on the basis of his Asian ethnicity.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and the declaration of the global pandemic

in March 2020, the Asian community has experienced a sharp increase in harassment.

“It’s not that I’m scared, but I do find myself becoming more conscious about my Asian heritage when I’m outside of Palo Alto after reading about all these Asian hate crimes happening in San Francisco,” junior Ella Kim said. “It never occurred to me that being Asian would be something that I had to be mindful of, not at least in today’s times.”

According to the Human Sciences Research Council, causes of hate crimes and xenophobia can include deprivation of

and intense competition for jobs and housing.

The center on Budget and Policy Priorities said 11% of adults in the U.S. — 24 million people — reported their household either sometimes or often had not enough food to eat in the last seven days based on Household Pulse survey data collected between Feb. 3 and Feb. 15.

“I mean I can’t speak for those who commit these crimes, but I think they are scapegoating the Asian community for the troubles that COVID-19 had brought into their lives,” senior Kabir Advani said.

A report released by Stop Asian American Pacific Islanders Hate said people in Los Angeles County reported 245 incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans between March 19 and Oct. 28 of last year. Furthermore, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and the Chinese for Affirmative Action organization reported 2100 cases of discrimination across the country between last March and June.

For Advani, it’s not only the physical effects of COVID-19 that bothers him, but also this xenophobia and loss of freedom that comes with it.

Advani said, “COVID-19 alone is scary, but the backtrack in American liberties is scarier.”

Asian American women in California reported almost twice as many discrimination and harassment incidents as men

1 in 4 Asian American youth experienced shunning & social isolation INFORMATION FROM A3PCON, CAA, SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY

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As the one-year anniversary of PAUSD schools shifting online passes, parents like Natasha Parrett are growing concerned with the way district administrators have handled distance learning and school reopening.

These parents have chosen to pull their children out of PAUSD and put them into private schools, learning pods or even move overseas so they can receive in-person instruction.

While the sudden switch from in-person classes to online learning last spring left teachers scrambling to transition their curriculum to an online environment, many parents were also left struggling, uncertain and fearful of the quality of education their children might receive during the pandemic.

Parrett said PAUSD’s response to the pandemic concerned her and said she took this response as a sign to start looking at private schools for her then-fifth grader, who now

attends Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Menlo Park. “(Since most classes were asynchronous), we felt like there was a lack of teaching during the first part of the pandemic,” Parrett said. “We found a really great opportunity at a really great school, and we took it.”

Parrett also said her family found elements of private school more appealing and a better fit for her son.

“They have smaller classes that allow for more one-on-one interaction between students and teachers which helps the online environment,” Parrett said.

Parrett said these smaller class sizes at Sacred Heart also allow for a safer environment for in-person learning.

“Bigger high school classes at PAUSD have between 35-38 students, and I just don’t know how that will work in regards to COVID-19 safety when we do go back to school,” Parrett said.

Richa Agarwal, another parent of a former PAUSD student said smaller class sizes are beneficial to students in distance learning and are part of the reason her family

switched from PAUSD to private school. Agarwal moved her sixth grader to Priory, a Catholic day and boarding school in Woodside, this year.

“It’s a smaller school, so it’s easier for them to set up classrooms and for him to get a more engaging school experience,” Agarwal said. “For him, it’s just a better fit, and it depends on the student. He’s being challenged more, and he’s enjoying it.”

Parrett and Agarwal are not alone in their decisions to move their children to private schools. A survey conducted by the National Association of Independent Schools revealed 58% of private schools in America reported a larger than average number of admission inquiries from families whose children previously attended public schools.

Some PAUSD families even

looked beyond the United States for options. Junior Sebastian Chancellor chose to attend school in Denmark last semester.

“There were just more positives for me in Denmark,” Chancellor said. “They had all in-person learning there because COVID-19 was well contained.

I am more of a hands-on learner, and with online learning, I felt like there wouldn’t be as many opportunities for me to participate and engage in class.”

A big part of Chancellor’s decision to move schools had to do with his ability to play basketball in Denmark, he said.

“Since my aspirations are to play basketball in college, Denmark made more sense since I could train with the national team there and still play,” Chancellor said. “I just felt

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really uncomfortable about the fact that there was no set date for sports to resume at Paly.”

This semester, Chancellor decided to return to Paly with the hopes of a basketball season and to give online learning a chance.

“At first the transition was really rough,” Chancellor said. “Everything goes at a much slower pace and is pretty disorganized. There’s definitely a lot more stress here that I think is coming from both students and teachers.”

With online learning, Chancellor said he fells like he is going through the motions and finds himself struggling to find motivation to engage with school and get work done.

He said, “I would definitely like to see more of an effort to try and engage kids more and make some kind of a plan with teachers to make kids feel like they’re not living the same old day over and over again.”

The PAUSD Registration Services office and school officials from Woodside Priory School and Sacred Heart Preparatory did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

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News

Foothills Park adopts new per-car entrance fee

PHOTO BY DEB GOLDEEN

Parked cars line the road at Foothills Park as a result of the 750-person occupancy limit. Many residents have said this limit led to the park becoming overcrowded, and have called for changes in ticket policy.

Sloan Wuttke

News & Opinion Editor

I

n a unanimous vote, the Palo Alto City Council approved a $6 per-car fee to enter Foothills Park at its Feb. 22 meeting. This decision follows the council’s December decision to open the park to nonresidents for the first time, a decision which dramatically increased the park’s visitors.

The council additionally voted to approve the Parks and Recreation Commission’s recommendation to offer annual paid passes to access the park. Non-resident visitors must pay $65 for a pass while Palo Alto residents and city employees pay $50 for an annual pass. The visitor limit was also raised to 650 people, which some believe is too high.

“When the park limit was 750, it was a total madhouse,” Palo Alto resident Hamilton Hitchings said at a city council open forum. “Almost every parking spot in the

park was full. The capacity was excessive for a nature preserve. Thus I think the limit of 650 is far too high. Are we trying to optimize our parking spots? Are we trying to produce a healthy nature habitat for the wildlife versus mazimed park capacity relative to parking?”

The council agreed that students, veterans, visitors with disabilities and those designated as low-income would be granted free entry to the park. This decision goes against the commission’s original recommendation of a 25-50% discount for low-income individuals and a 25% discount for individuals with a disability.

Despite these modifications, many believe enforcing an entrance fee to the park is inherently discriminatory.

“I’m extraordinarily opposed to anything that smells like an entrance fee,” 2020 City Council candidate Rebecca Eisenberg said at a city council open forum. “Entrance fees are by very definition going to discriminate against lower income and people of lesser means. There is such a thing called environmental racism where

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already people of color, communities of color have a lot less access to the natural environment and an entrance fee just furthers that.”

However, city councilmember Greer Stone said the fee won’t discriminate.

“Having the low-income fee waiver is critical to allow those communities to access the reserve,” Stone said. “It is not a perfect plan, and I will work with staff to ensure the process is accessible and easy to navigate for all.”

The decision to waive students free access was first championed by Stone, who originally fought for it January, but to no avail.

“I remained determined to make (student fee waivers) happen and was thrilled to convince enough of my council colleagues to join me at our last meeting on this issue,” Stone said. “I think it is critical for young people to have access to nature and open space, but I remember how it was like being a student and having very limited spending money. I was concerned that any level of fee would deter students from accessing the park. ” Stone is also exploring the possibility of waiving entrance fees for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“I’m not sure how feasible it is, but it should be explored,” Stone said. “The Parks and Recreation Commission along with staff will continue oversight of these policies and will report back to Council periodically so we can make changes if necessary.”

!"#$%"&'(")*+*,)" -.&(/#$$*0#1*.0' Jack Galetti Staff Writer

Santa Clara County announced on Feb. 17 that COVID-19 vaccinations would extend to teachers, childcare providers, first responders and food and agriculture workers beginning Feb. 28 as part of California’s 1B vaccination phase.

The announcement came amid criticism from teacher and support staff unions, such as the Palo Alto Educators Association, regarding the district’s decision five days prior to begin with in-person school. PAEA President Teri Baldwin said the district should have waited for teachers to be completely vaccinated before moving forward with this plan.

“We don’t feel that any more teachers should be required to be back in school until they are fully vaccinated,” Baldwin said. “It is what many large districts are agreeing to, and we wish ours would as well.”

However, Superintendent Don Austin said a safe return to campus without vaccinating teachers is possible and vaccinating teachers was never necessary to return to campus based on county and national guidelines.

“We’re following the guidance we’ve had since March of last year from the CDC and our local health department,” Austin said.

“Both have said we can open without the vaccinations, and we have leaned on that all the way through.”

Austin said teacher vaccinations will have little effect on the current reopening plan.

“Nothing changes as far as our protocols,” Austin said. “It’s just another layer of protection for right now.”

On March 1, a joint decision between the governor’s office and the Santa Clara County Office of Education chose PAUSD as one of a select few districts throughout California to be part of a priority vaccination program.

A district email said the program makes all PAUSD employees eligible for the vaccine for free, regardless of their occupation or county of residence.

Austin said Gov. Gavin Newsom selected PAUSD as part of the program because of its leading role in the drive to reopen campuses throughout Santa Clara County.

“We get priority because we’ve been leading the entire region in returning to in-person instruction,” Austin said. “The governor’s office realized that.”

Teachers over 65 or living in neighboring counties such as San Mateo and Santa Cruz have already been given the opportunity to be vaccinated, as is the case with English teacher Keith Tocci.

Tocci said he received his first dose prior to the Feb. 17 announcement from Santa Clara County and that he was hopeful about the implications district-wide vaccinations could have.

“I hope that vaccinating all teachers will be part of a larger shift toward safely making more traditional learning models available,” Tocci said.

Austin said he too looks towards teachers being vaccinated as a step in the right direction for a full and safe return to in-person learning next year.

“This gives us hope and some things to point to,” Austin said. “We can say it makes sense now — we can do this.”

!"#$%&%'"($)*+%,(-.$/--/-%0"1/%#.)2%3"--%"4%563+%03./$)/3/ Kyla Schwarzbach Staff Writer

With Paly students having the opportunity to return to campus on March 9, the question “What should I get myself for lunch?” will be answered for many.

Based on Santa Clara County’s red tier COVID-19 status, Paly will have a closed campus until the county returns to the orange tier.

According to Omar Garcia, the Front-Of-House lead at Town & Country Oren’s Hummus Express, restaurants such as his have struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic and he hopes Paly students can return to Oren’s for lunch soon.“Business has been a lot slower compared to back then, especially while they were outside of school,” Garcia said. “That would give us a rush. We no longer have that.”

Garcia said Oren’s has made a lot of adjustments to adhere to COVID-19 community safety guidelines but that this has been fairly easy considering the restaurant’s to-go focus.

“We’ve always worn gloves, so that isn’t something new to us,” Garcia said. “But now we have to check every single employee that comes in (to make sure) that no one’s sick.”

Lulu’s Tacqueria, another Town

& Country staple, is adjusting in similar ways to prioritize customer safety, Roxanne Mein, Lulu’s director of catering, said.

“We have a very very strict cleaning procedure at Lulu’s, and we always have,” Mein said. “We’ve ramped that up even more so we clean tables after people use them, cleaning pens and any high traffic areas people touch. Specifically at Lulu’s at Town & Country, we closed the inside so there are tables set up at the doors so no customers actually get anywhere close to the food.”

Despite restaurant safety protocols, Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said students will not be allowed to leave campus during the school day until Santa Clara County enters at least the orange tier of the governor’s reopening plan.

“Obviously we will be keeping an eye on the North side of campus,” Berkson said. “Basically, if students try to (leave campus) they won’t be able to come to school.

You’ll be able to eat. You’ll have to social distance on your own, and obviously we’ll be walking around and keeping an eye on things. The district is providing lunch for people who want it, or you can bring your own lunch. You won’t be able to Doordash or anything like that.”

LEO MALCHIN/THE CAMPANILE

Outdoor dining outside Peet’s Coffee & Tea at Town & Country remains under capacity, with two customers sharing a table and no others in sight.

Although having meals delivered to the quad is not an option for students during the school day, Howie’s Pizza General Manager Michael Kelly said restaurants such as his are extending the time they offer student specials.

“We’re very lucky in that pizza

was already kind of formatted for that to go lifestyle, so a lot of our regular customers didn’t stop coming,” Kelly said.

He said Howie’s Pizza still offers student specials after school until 5 p.m., so students can come by after school for a discounted meal.

Lulu’s is also excited to welcome back the Paly student meal, along with several other restaurants.

“We’ve just really enjoyed having (Paly students) come every lunch time, and we’re ready for them,” Mein said. “We expect them and we can’t wait for them to be back.”

Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

News

A4

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Senior Staff Writer The Palo Alto Utility Advisory Commission has decided to help customers who face economic issues from COVID-19 by placing a moratorium on utility shut-offs.

Recognizing how many people have faced job and income loss during the shelter-inplace orders, UAC Chair Lisa Forssell said she and the other seven members of the commission lobbied the city council to adopt a Proclamation of Local Emergency to help residents with utility rate relief programs and extended the time to set up a payment plan for those who have trouble paying their utility bills.

“With the Proclamation of Emergency, we expanded the definition of these rate-relief programs to allow more people to be eligible for it since people’s economics (were) changing quickly,” Forssell said.

Among the relief programs the city has, UAC Vice Chair Lauren Segal said Project PLEDGE, a service where residents can donate up to $750 to help others pay overdue utility bills, received more donors after the pandemic hit. More than ever, the courtesy of residents and the flexibility of Palo Alto Utilities have helped minimize the sudden changes from this unexpected hardship, she said.

“Utility will work with customers and

help them to make sure that paying their bills doesn’t become an added burden,” Segal said.

According to the statistics provided at the monthly UAC meeting and by Palo Alto Utilities Communication Manager Catherine Elvert, approximately 85% of electric power and 60-65% of natural gas used Palo Alto is used by the commercial sector.

Since businesses temporarily closed in late March of 2020, the electric and gas loads from the commercial sectors gradually decreased, but — simultaneously — people began to work from home, causing the residential sectors to have higher electric, gas and water loads. Elvert said the shift in both sectors caused the city’s overall utility load to balance out.

Paly parent and a local interior designer Minta Hsu said her utility bill increased by $50-60 per month since quarantine. With her family and kids staying home, she said she is interested in investigating ways to make her home more energy efficient.

“I would like to reduce our carbon footprint by getting an electric car in the next year or two and (will be) investigating the solar roofing material that Elon Musk has created,” Hsu said.

Customers like Hsu and her family can access free and low-cost services provided

by Palo Alto Utilities. Ever since Palo Alto’s electric supply became 100% carbon neutral in 2013, Palo Alto Utilities has tried to help

customers upgrade and replace appliances to make their homes more sustainable, Elvert said.

“We have aggressive sustainability and climate action goals, and that can be achieved by helping homeowners electrify their homes,” Elvert said.

As one example, Forssell cites The Home Efficiency Genie, a service where an adviser evaluates a home and provides ways to make it more energy-efficient. During COVID-19, this service continues through screens instead of in-person.

“The Genie will evaluate how you can convert some natural gas appliances to efficient electric equipment and connect homeowners with contractors to help guide the next steps,” Forssell said.

As much impact as home improvement has on reducing greenhouse gases emitted by the city, Elvert and Forssell say the issue

is not something a student necessarily has control over. As an alternative, they said they encourage student advocacy at the public forums they host such as the monthly UAC meetings.

“We listen and make decisions based on community involvement, so students can make the greatest impact by using their voice,” Forssell said.

Whether it is discussing changes at home with adults such as switching incandescent lights to LED or choosing to bike instead of drive, students have the power to contribute to Palo Alto’s climate action goals, ART BY HYUNAH ROH Elvert said. She also said students can, with an adult’s permission, log into their family’s online utility account on my CPAU to get familiar with their family’s energy use now and over time.

Elvert said, “Before we can get a handle on tackling these issues, we just have to be aware and educated about what’s really happening.”

ART BY JIMMY MILLER

Online wall of college rejections gains traction from students

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Science & Tech Editor

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lacked-out addresses and scrawled retorts cover the college rejection letters that typically span the entire wall of the Haymarket Theater every spring. For over 10 years, Paly seniors have taped their college rejection letters onto the so-called Wall of Rejection. For the class of 2021, the basic elements that make up the Wall of Rejection remain unchanged.

Except this year, the letters are posted online.

Senior David Evans, who runs the @wallofrejection_ account on Instagram, said he started the account because he had looked forward to posting his rejections on the wall for years.

“The wall of rejection was always one of my favorite things about Paly — it’s a big part of our student culture,” Evans said. “Going into a new online year, I saw this void and I just finished up all of my college applications. I figured I’m going to be pretty free second-semester senior year, so I might as well do my part in making the experience as normal as it can be.”

To submit a rejection letter to the account, students can click the link in the Instagram account’s bio and fill out a Google Form where they are prompted to upload an image or PDF of their letter, with or without markups.

They can also ask for their comments to be a part of the post’s caption and can choose to remain anonymous.

Senior Kevin Zhao decided to submit his Stanford University rejection letter with his name shown to help continue the tradition.

“I’ve always remembered how every one of my senior friends would post their rejections on the wall,” Zhao said. “There were always comments on each letter, and my friends and I always got a good laugh reading them.”

As of March 1, the account had 529 followers and Evans had posted 62 letters. Evans said he considers these numbers both a success and a pleasant surprise.

“We started obviously at zero followers just two months ago, and now we’re at 529, which is more than my entire class put together,” Evans said. “But I’m also getting DMs from other schools on a monthly or weekly basis. I’m just super happy that it didn’t flop because my biggest concern was that I was going to put it up and just make a bit of a fool of myself but people enjoy it.”

Although the tradition could not be continued in-person this year, Evans said there are many positives to running the wall online.

“With the old wall of rejection, you’d see papers fly off, papers would get grimy, letters would fade but on social media,” Evans said. “But the biggest reason why I like it more than the old wall of rejection is the comments section. You see students supporting others, comments from kids being like, ‘Hey, I got rejected from there too; you deserve better; you can do better’ or some funny witty remark, and you didn’t really have that with the old wall of rejection because there’s no back and forth.”

Some adults on campus, though, say a wall of rejection contributes to a toxic culture surrounding college admission. College and Career Counselor Sandra Cernobori is one of them.

“Sometimes I think it can convey the message that it’s hard to get into college, and honestly that’s a myth,”

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Cernobori said. “The reality is that of the 2,300 fouryear colleges, 70% of them admit more than 50% of the students who apply.”

Although Cernobori said she understands the idea behind the wall of rejection, she said it’s the unintended consequences that bother her.

“Inevitably, by posting these things, it opens up conversation which can be positive, but what I find happens, and especially among parents, is they start comparing,” Cernobori said. “I’ve definitely had students tell me it actually made them feel dumb by hearing people complaining they didn’t get into (a certain) school when it was that person’s first choice, and they’re dumbing it down.”

And this year’s online Wall of Rejection has caused additional concerns for her.

“But Instagram, where people can comment,” Cernobori said. “I really don’t like that, unless the comments could be disabled,” Cernobori said. “Again, I just worry about it opening up and inviting conversation, which could be healthy, but I think there are other ways we could celebrate acceptances rather than rejections.”

While Zhao said he sees validity in Cernobori’s concerns, he said the wall can actually help students deal positively with the disappointment of college rejection.

“People feel a pressure to appear as if everything is going well, regardless of how they truly feel,” Zhao said.

“I think the rejection wall is truly a great way for myself and others to understand that no one is perfect, even at Paly. It gives us a rare opportunity to mourn, cope and laugh off our hurdles together.”

Evans agrees.

“I think it actually takes away from the elitism and competitiveness because it shows that it’s OK to fail,” Evans said. “We could pretend like nobody gets rejected. We could just not talk about it. We could not have a wall of rejection — or, we can own it. We could be like, ‘Everybody gets rejected. I got rejected from this school, and I’m proud to say that I’m not perfect.’”

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

News

A5

Newsom visits Palo Alto

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MAGALI GAUTHIER/ PALO ALTO WEEKLY

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ov. Gavin Newsom visited Barthe grain of most other Santa Clara ron Park elementary school on County districts by starting hybrid March 7 to commend PAUSD learning across the district. And while as a leader in school reopening in the most private schools across the Bay region.

Area opened in the fall, most public Superintendent Don Austin said he schools did not. She said also said and Newsom had a good discussion PAUSD meets specific requirements to about school reopening. reopen to in-person learning.

“I had a very outstanding conversa“You have to have a superintendent tion with the governor,” Austin said. who really wants to open,” Cody said.

“He jumped right in with the students, “You have to have some critical mass of read to them and wanted to talk to the teachers and administrators who will be teachers and everyone who came across. on board. You have to work out some I thought he was very engaging and kind of a working agreement with orgasincere in his visit.” nized labor. And I think that you would Austin said Newsom visited because need to have some critical mass of PAUSD is a trailblazer for other districts parents and students also pushing pretty in the County. hard. So somewhere in “We were chosen, spethere is a secret sauce, cifically, as a school disand then you would trict that pushed through have to not have a 9:7$;,*<41$&1'=.(/$ the discomfort to a place critical mass of parents where we could actually pushing against it.” '(;68.(/3$>;$=1?(.6.,($ open up,” Austin said.

Austin said PAUSD “We have done it for four led reopening ef;,*<41$(,6$7,&&,0.(/$ has months at the elementary forts across the County level. So we’ve been open the beginning of '(;>,=;$1&)1@$:$68.(2$ from for a while now successthe pandemic and will fully with big numbers. to do so.

01<A1$&1=$'&&$681$0';$ continue We’ve had no COVID-19 “If you’re leading spread during that time.

684,*/8$1A14;$)6'/1$,7$ anything, that means And we’re opening our by definition you’re high schools also. So all not following anybody 681$+&,)*41)@B that was very attractive else,” Austin said. “I to the governor who is a think we’ve led all the !"#$%&'()# supporter of being open.” way through every stage Santa Clara Health Ofof the closures. We ficer Sara Cody said PAUSD is uniquely are the first district to come back for positioned to open schools because of elementary. We’re the first district to be low COVID-19 numbers in Palo Alto. fully open elementary. First district to “And what you’ll see in Palo Alto, in reopen secondary. We’ve led all the way, the wealthier areas of the county, like and what it showed me, though, is after North County, (is) lower cumulative case we’ve done each one of these steps, othrates and positivity rates,” Cody said. er people jump in line and try to follow “And you’ll also see higher vaccination us, which is great. So we’re positioned rates.” to be a leader.”

Cody said PAUSD is going against Cody said because COVID-19 cases

have declined significantly after an early January peak, schools are unlikely to have to close to in-person learning again.

“We would have to be completely devastated by some new super strain,” she said.

Austin agrees.

“It (would have) to be catastrophic,” Austin said. “Now that we’re open, we don’t have to close if we go back into the purple tier. So that’s a good thing. It reverts back to the old closure guidelines, which in the high school world would be 5% of the students and staff combined, in person would have to have COVID-19 to close. We’re in a county right now that’s averaging 4.2 positive cases per 100,000 residents, so our numbers would suggest that’s not going to happen.”

Cody also said in-person school should have restarted sooner.

“Here’s the thing: there’s nothing that’s risk free, right?” Cody said. “Grocery shopping: not risk free. Riding a bus: not risk free. Anything you do: not risk free. And so it seemed to me that a long time ago, even though there were some risks, kids should have gotten back in school for in-person learning, because the harms (of distance learning) are so great.”

Austin also said reopening classrooms should have been prioritized over reinstating sports programs.

“If it was completely in my hands, we would have opened schools first, and then gotten to athletics second,” Austin said. “But since that was not on the cards, I fully support returning athletics too. I am now excited to see how we are incorporating band and chorus and ceramics. Every one of those things that comes back is more life in our school.”

Cody said these extracurricular activities are paramount to emotional

wellbeing.

“Kids need to get back to do sports and all kinds of things,” she said. “It’s absolutely critical for everyone’s mental health. Everyone’s going bananas. No question. No question. But not all kids play sports, right? It’s important to do theater, arts, singing, music, outdoor chess club, whatever. So sports is part of it, but it’s not the whole thing.”

And Cody said she thinks high school sports are less safe than in-person learning but were prioritized for political reasons by groups like “Let Them Play CA,” who used the potential recall of Gov. Newsom as a threat.

She said she thinks the state is bending to the will of these groups.

“The way the state framed it was really from a lot of political pressure from Let Them Play,” Cody said. “They became quite a force in recall effort, so they got a lot of traction and ended up with a lot of political power, and that’s how they kind of flipped things. So if you are going to allow high contact sports, you have to allow those exact same types of activities for everyone else.”

Nevertheless, Austin said Newsom expressed confidence in the reopening success of PAUSD and California.

“He flat-out called this a model school district as far as reopening and doing everything we can for students,” Austin said. “That was quite an honor.”

The governor's office and the Palo Alto Educator's Association did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.

Jace Purcell & Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe Managing Editor and News & Opinion Editor

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Staff Writer

ASB hosted an orientation for freshmen who chose to return to campus in March.

The orientation was held in-person and socially distant, and it gave many freshmen their first introduction to the Paly campus, junior ASB president Mathew Signorello-Katz said.

Freshman Grace Gormley attended the orientation.

“It was good to be on campus with my friends,” Gormley said.

“Even though there weren’t many people actually there, I still got a taste of Paly spirit.”

Signorello-Katz also said ASB

subcommittees are also working to create on-campus activities for both freshmen and returning students to better help foster a sense of school spirit and community.

Similar to freshmen orientation, these events will be available only to the students who chose to return to campus and adhere to district COVID-19 guidelines.

ASB is also working with the Wellness Center to create Wellness Week to spread mental health awareness through engaging events, activities and challenges.

Wellness Week, March 22 to March 26, will have a different mental health focus every day. At the start of each day, ASB will post resources such as websites, TED talks and podcasts related to that day’s theme to Instagram, as well as

a set of challenges for students to complete.

Each challenge completed counts as a raffle entry for prizes at the end of the week.

Day one focuses on water and hydration with a Hydroflask prize.

Day two features a singing bowl, Headspace subscription and mindfulness cards as prizes for its meditation theme.

Day three looks at school stress and debunking college or success myths, with a pomodoro timer and blue light glasses as prizes.

Day four is all about sleep and resting with diffuser and sleep mask prizes. Day five focuses on destigmatizing mental health with a wellness journal as its prize.

“It seems that far too often individuals, including myself at times,

have sacrificed their mental or physical health to complete assignments or study for tests,” Signorello-Katz said. “It is our hope that the omnipresent culture here at Paly of neglecting mental and physical health can be discouraged and we can instead promote an environment of care for mental and physical health.”

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The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

A6

Opinion ART BY BRUNO KLASS

Is the next virus avoidable?

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Senior Staff Writer

H

oarding toilet paper. No Clorox wipes in stock. Empty food shelves. When the pandemic arrived, the world panicked. We prepared for what felt like the apocalypse, stocking up on random items and expecting to never leave the house again. Although we feared the virus, we feared the unknown just as much.

This isn’t the first time a massive virus has swept through the world; SARS, Ebola and the Avian Flu all shut down cities and sent shock waves of fear across the globe. But the U.S. was never on the front lines of any of these pandemics — so when COVID-19 came knocking on our doors, we were taken by surprise.

Now, a year after the shelterin-place order was first enacted in Santa Clara County, the world looks different than it did last March. The unknown has become less murky; we are not comfortable but have at least conformed to our new reality. We are catching a glimpse of better days.

Shelves are stocked, outdoor dining is open. Indoor dining is open but limited, and movie theaters will reopen soon. And last, but certainly not least: vaccines

are being distributed.

We’re finally starting to see the light at the end of this long, difficult and unprecedented tunnel. But as we near what we can only hope is the end of this pandemic, we have to wonder: Can this happen again? If it does, can the consequences we faced be avoided?

We can’t control the cycles of life and nature, but we can control how we prepare and respond to them.

So while we can’t control if a virus like this will come again, we can take steps to minimize the damage if it does.

Though it took a while to figure out, we now have the infrastructure for a more distanced, safe society.

Restaurants know how to accommodate outside seating. Stores have new capacity levels and cleanliness protocols. Schools have learned how to teach virtually. Companies have embraced work from home. Businesses check people’s temperature at the door, and the list of adaptations goes on. If something like COVID-19 ever strikes again, we have the infrastructure in place to implement the right protocols at a faster and more organized pace.

We’d be able to minimize the panicked, “What is this?” and “What do we do?” phases and dive into action, prepared to help curb the spread of a new virus right from the get go.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but what if those desperate measures are heightened ef-

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ficiency and more effort going toward a good cause?

Vaccines are being produced at a pace our generation and the generations before us have never seen.

Less than a year and a half after the first known cases of COVID-19 appeared, three different vaccines have been researched, created, tested, approved and distributed in the U.S. When talk of a vaccine started, everyone worried it would take much too long to bank on seeing relief anytime soon. And though a year of quarantine hardly feels fast, when you put it into perspective, these vaccines were produced in record time. This pandemic taught us that it is possible to create and circulate a vaccine quickly — and if vaccine companies learn how to do it now, we will be able to mobilize faster and avoid the typical obstacles associated with vaccine research and production in the future.

Coordination and collaboration are some of the most essential qualities in battling any virus. Today, we are still left with the question, and possibly the consequences, of “What if?” What if we had taken a united approach to fighting the virus? Seeing how hard this pandemic has hit the U.S. shows combatting a virus without unity and coming together is impossible.

Future viruses aren’t avoidable, but their impact can be limited. Though we can’t stop another virus from occurring, we can take what we learned from this one to minimize future fallout in a similar circumstance. If we learn from our experiences with COVID-19 and work together when another pandemic begins, we will be able to mobilize more quickly, hopefully save lives and get back to that normal we all miss much faster.

!"#$%&"'(')*#+$(,%(-./%&(%0"%&$%$(".1%(,%"2%%&(3**1' Ziggy Tummalapalli Sports Editor

We’ve just passed the one-year anniversary of school being shut down and our transition into online learning. Although the final few months of the last school year did not require students to be on Zoom regularly, all classes this school year have been on Zoom since August.

The cyclical nature of each day is brutal, and that is why students need more time between class Zoom meetings. There are a few solutions: a longer lunch break, more asynchronous periods and long-term projects.

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The 35 precious minutes allotted for students to eat lunch is meager. Students often need to travel far from home to get food in the event that there is nothing at school to eat, and the brief, coveted break from looking at a computer screen, with the chance to go outside that lunch provides, is one students value tremendously.

Not only would extending lunch by even 10 minutes be better for students’ mental health — we’ll get to that later, but it would be better for their eyesight as well. Doctors have already warned about potential eye strain for students during online school from excessive screen time, and longer lunches would be one way to help this issue.

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Given that asynchronous classes count toward instructional minutes this year, we should be having more asynchronous periods.

There are many classes that could be condensed into videos students watch on their own time so they do not need to log onto the Zoom. In fact, many teachers have already ad-

ART BY BRUNO KLASS

opted this method and have replaced one class a week with a prerecorded video. Every teacher should do the same. Asynchronous periods improve students’ mental health because they allow for more flexibility in terms of scheduling. Students can decide when they want to work and get a break from Zoom class which many students have grown to resent. Creating more asynchronous class periods would also allow students to be more productive when they are in class, since it limits Zoom fatigue.

Students shouldn’t need to log onto Zoom for

every class period and should be allowed to work more independently, which may provide them with the necessary motivation to be more productive, and help prevent burnout.

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In addition to asynchronous periods, teachers should assign more long-term projects students can work on for multiple periods in a row. This would allow students to immerse themselves in their learning while continuing

to learn necessary material from Zoom. Teachers can still open Zoom classes and be available when students need to check in, but assigning more long-term projects would give students independence and lessen Zoom fatigue.

We’re all tired of the pandemic, and while some students have begun to return to campus and a better, non-Zoom future seems to be on the horizon, we are not there yet. For the time being, why not make distanced, virtual learning a little easier for everyone, and give students a break from Zoom?

Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

A7

Opinion

Students should rediscover reading Emma Todd

Business Manager

W

hen I was in second grade, my parents finally let me read the Harry Potter series, and I had never been more excited. It took me about eight months to read them all, and if I’m being honest, I can hardly remember the plots of any of the books.

About a few months ago, desperate for an activity and feeling unmotivated by what seemed like the never-ending second lockdown of 2020, I started to read the series for the second time. I was only planning to finish the first book, and here I am two months later about to begin the fifth.

It’s almost like reading these books for the first time again, because at age eight, my vocabulary was limited and most of what I was reading was incomprehensible.

But what I’ve really learned is how much I, surprisingly, enjoy reading. There is a big difference between being forced to read Macbeth in school than reading books of my choice on my own time.

Most people my age would not say they are not avid readers. In fact, most of them would say they have not read for fun in years. It seems that once we reach our teen years, the motivation to read for fun steadily declines and young people start to dislike reading. But reading is enjoyable when you find books that inspire you, and it can actually be good for you.

During COVID-19, the list of things to do is limited, especially since we’ve been doing the same activities for over a year. I can get tired of going to the same boba shop, the same park to hang out with my friends and ordering takeout from the same restaurant. However, the number of books is endless. With so many genres to choose from, it’s basically impossible to get tired of reading.

Reading books also gives me a break from social media and technology. With school being online just

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like TV shows and movies, I never get a break from the screen. We all need a step away from screens, including social media.

It's been scientifically proven that reading is good for you, too.

According to the Council of Adult Education, reading can reduce stress and promote wellness. The article said reading for at least six minutes at a time can reduce stress levels by up to 68%, can decrease your heart rate and pulls your mind away from anxious thoughts.

Librarian Sima Thomas has loved books since she was a child, when her father would read to her before she was able to read on her own. She said she loves reading because a story can take you places where you could never go on your own.

“When I was younger I felt that (the) ability to go to other places and other countries and other worlds was so much fun," Thomas said. "That to me, is the best part of reading. As a librarian, I see my number one job is to help anybody who doesn’t feel like they have found that joy yet to find a book that will give them that joy.”

Thomas also said reading something you actually enjoy can be different from reading something for a required class.

“It’s still good for you to read books like comic books or manga or anything else,” Thomas said. “It’s still reading and accessing those parts of your brain that are very transportive but also help develop your speaking and your writing as well.”

Thomas also knows that reading has a big impact on your health, specifically mentally.

“There are actually studies that show that reading reduces anxiety and makes you feel calmer,” Thomas said.

“By disconnecting and holding paper and print in your hands it slows your brain down in a way that constantly looking at different screens and scrolling and taking in little bits of information does not.”

Thomas said that when your brain is forced to slow down and take in a whole page, it changes the way your brain is wired.

Thomas also said reading can make you a better writer, since taking in text in book form shapes how you form text when writing. “For teenagers or anyone who hasn’t always been a reader or feel like they have done a lot of reading so it’s hard, I can help you find the book that’s fun and desert-like to make it feel like its enjoyable,” Thomas said. “The more you take those little steps the easier it becomes and the more fun it becomes.”

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Sponsorships !"#$%&'"()"*) 4".%5",+#6 7*./)%5",+#6 7*(/)%5",+#6% 83+122$/%5",+#6 9#"22%5",+#6% :"#1*+/%5",+#6 :$*2./+"/%5",+#6 !(31.##%5",+#6% ;+2"/$%5",+#6 <.'$%5",+#6 =$'.>"%5",+#6 ?"/)%5",+#6 @(%5",+#6% !"#$%&'!()*+)&+ &/'$/$A%5",+#6 B.(/)%5",+#6 ;$0+/2%5",+#6 ?(''C.%5",+#6 D*./)%5",+#6 !"#$%&'()#$*#" B$*%5",+#6 Thank you to our sponsors! If you’re interested in sponsoring The Campanile, please email campanile.ads@gmail.com

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“The City must remain vigilant in ensuring its economy is inclusionary and accessible to everyone. The purpose of this (law) is to ensure that all City residents — including those who lack access to other forms of payment — are able to participate in the City’s economic life by paying cash for goods and many services.”

Palo Alto should follow suit. By forcing stores to accept cash, Palo Alto’s economy, like San Francisco’s, will become more inclusive.

Supporters of a cashless economy say going cashless would bring an end to cash-based criminal activity such as money laundering, robberies and fraud, while also decreasing transaction time because counting change would no longer be required.

But while the idea of a cashless economy seems beneficial in some respects, a cashless economy should only be supported when every citizen, no matter their economic status, has access to a bank or line of credit. As such, we should not encourage moving to a cashless society while there are still Palo Alto residents whose only form of payment is cash.

Palo Alto should join the cities and states that have begun the movement against cashless stores to make the city’s economy more inclusive.

An economy that includes everyone, no matter their economic status, is a step forward in eliminating discrimination.

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ART BY ASTRID WUTTKE

It seems most establishments see cash as a thing of the past — and with the spread of COVID-19, a cashless economy seems closer to reality than any time in recent history.

A growing number of stores, including food and retail, have implemented cashless policies due to COVID-19 out of fear that the virus can spread more easily through cash.

However, the risk of COVID-19 transmission through cash is low and cashless economies can be discriminatory. Palo Alto ought to ban stores from rejecting cash so all citizens can have the freedom to purchase the goods they need.

A recent study conducted by the Bank of England on Nov. 24, 2020 showed the COVID-19 transmission risk from handling cash is low.

The study said the associated risk of NG LEU DEN BRA infection after the T BY

cash is contaminated, even at high levels, is minor because the persistence of the virus on a paper bill declines rapidly to around 5% of the initial level six hours after contamination.

Before the pandemic, only a few stores rejected cash, the most well known locally being Sweetgreen in downtown Palo Alto.

For two years, Sweetgreen was cashless until it started receiving backlash from critics who said cashless stores are a form of discrimination. By the end of 2019, all of Sweetgreen’s locations accepted cash. In an April 2019 statement, the company said going cashless came with the consequence of excluding customers who prefer to pay or can only pay with cash.

Sweetgreen’s switch from cashless to accepting cash shed light on the discrimination that lies behind a cashless economy.

This type of economy discriminates against customers who don’t have access to lines of credit or a mobile payment system, many of whom are already marginalized in society. Palo Alto banning stores from rejecting cash would be a step toward reducing discrimination in the city, and it wouldn’t be the first place to do so.

Since 1978, Massachusetts has required all its businesses to accept cash; Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City and San Francisco have since also passed similar laws that ban stores from being cashless.

The San Francisco legislation states,

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

A8

Editorials Editors-in-Chief Shiva Mohsenian • Kris Risano • Benjamin Stein Andrew Toteda • Adora Zheng

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ZH

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Online Editor Ajay Venkatraman

Managing Editors Jace Purcell • Andy Wang

News & Opinion Editors Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe Sloan Wuttke

Lifestyle Editors Krista Robins • Gianna Brogley

Science & Tech Editor Austin Xiang

Sports Editors Evelyn Cheng Ziggy Tummalapalli

Multimedia Editor Gina Bae

Business Managers Will Thomas • Emma Todd

Board Correspondent Valerie Chu

Art & Photo Director Sasha Lehrer

Staff Writers

Athletes should not be allowed in two cohorts simultaneously

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thletics are starting up after a seemingly endless wait, with the low-contact Season 1 sports in full swing. Three weeks ago, Santa Clara County health officials announced a wave of changes relaxing guidelines around youth sports, including approving indoor sports, allowing for cross-team competitions and letting athletes compete in two sports or cohorts simultaneously.

Allowing an athlete to be in two cohorts at once creates the possibility of a single athlete infecting hundreds of others and greatly increases the chances of a campuswide athlete quarantine.

For this reason, The Campanile thinks Paly should not adopt the two-cohort rule and student athletes should be limited to one cohort a season to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection.

The risk to athletes, and their close contacts, is further compounded by a lack of infrastructure surrounding prompt quarantining following positive COVID-19 tests.

Just last month, Paly swimmers showed up to practice hours after a team member publicly communicated that they tested positive; even though that test later proved to be a false positive, administration still failed to halt practices and communicate the test results to the whole team.

The purpose of the cohort system is to manage the impact of a positive test: if a student is only interacting with one predetermined group of their peers, only that group gets exposed to the virus if that student were to test positive. This allows every other group on campus to continue as normal, since the infected student would theoretically have not interacted with students in other cohorts.

Allowing student athletes to practice and compete in two sports at once inherently conflicts with this safety protocol. Given that there are six Paly-sanctioned sports in Season 1, there are 15 possible combinations of school sports an athlete can participate in, not to mention the dozens of club teams operating in the Bay Area.

Under the two-cohort system, a single positive test would likely cause a ripple effect that could easily result in multiple, if not every team on campus having to quarantine, halting practices and severely impacting multiple teams’ seasons.

Using a single cohort system would limit the impact of an athlete testing positive to the 15 other athletes in their cohort only.

Further, given the absence of an efficient quarantine plan in regards to Paly student athletes, allowing athletes to participate in two sports at the same time exacerbates the lack of structure surrounding COVID-19 exposure procedures, which are currently limited to district contact tracing.

Though allowing athletes to compete in two cohorts may open up more opportunities for college recruiting through increasing practice and game time, this benefit is far outweighed by the safety risk it poses.

Students are returning to campus, and the risk of infection within the student body is at its highest in months.

In the midst of all this, Paly should not allow students to participate in two sports simultaneously — not including preseason/postseason overlaps — for the foreseeable future, because it undermines the cohort system and puts the entire body of student athletes at Paly and in the broader community at significantly higher risk.

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Since the pandemic swept America last March, 500 thousand Americans have died from COVID-19 complications, and people are looking for someone to blame. Fear and rage are Anti-Asian hate crimes were manifesting themselves in anything from reported from March 19, 2020 microaggressions to deadly physical attacks — and Asian Americans have to Feb. 28, 2021 wrongfully received the brunt of this Online harassment aggression, with media misrepresentation and xenophobic, unsubstantiated claims Civil rights violations from world leaders creating unwarranted Physical hostility. assault Though every Asian American hate crime committed in the past year cannot Verbal be attributed to the pandemic, groundharassment less misinformation about the origin of Shunning the novel coronavirus has contributed to the hostility many Asian Americans face Type of incident reported daily.

The Campanile stands with the Asian American community and denounces Vietnamese racist and xenophobic acts, no matter Filipino their size or perceived significance. If we Korean are to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to do it together as a community through respectful, kind interactions.

Chinese We implore our readers to not be byOther standers. If you see anti-Asian racism, or racism of any kind, speak up. MicroagEthnicity of victim gressions often go unnoticed by perpetrators, yet they can leave victims with lasting feelings of shame and fear.

INFORMATION FROM THE STOP ASIAN-AMERICAN Racism and xenophobia permeate PACIFIC ISLANDER HATE REPORTING CENTER

even liberal-leaning places like the Bay Area.

On Feb. 13, a homeless woman in Mountain View stole food and clothing from an Asian-owned business, saying she didn’t have to pay because the business owners were Asian. She also shouted racial slurs and spat on them.

Palo Alto is not immune to the surge in hate crimes being committed against Asian Americans across the nation every day. Even if you don’t fall victim to them, hate crimes are real and demand our attention. Cracking a joke calling the pandemic the “kung flu” or following in President Trump’s footsteps by calling COVID-19 the “China virus” may seem inconsequential, but it perpetuates antiAsian sentiment and spreads the message that Asian Americans are to blame.

It can be uncomfortable to correct our peers, but even by not speaking up after hearing a racist joke, we are enabling a culture of anti-Asian racism to persist.

Speak up, be present and be supportive. Check in with your friends and peers. Our battle in fighting the pandemic is far from over, and the only hope we have is in coming together.

If you see or are a victim to a hate crime, report it here: https://stopaapihate.org/

Ben Antonow Charlotte Hallenbeck Aidan Seto Zack Silver Anaya Bhatt Bruno Klass Maya Singer Lauren Chung Braden Leung Avantika Singh Shantanu Deshpande Leo Malchin Parker Wang Olivia Ericsson Ali Minhas Joy Xu Jack Galetti Hyunah Roh Kyla Schwarzbach Declan Greicius Hailey Hwang

Illustrators

Aaron Kim Zander Leong

Isabel Toteda Astrid Wuttke

Adviser Rodney Satterthwaite Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds21@googlegroups.com. The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com.

Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!

Our Vision Statement: The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling.

Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.

MARCH’S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Best Things About Second Semester

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New classes and new people to not interact with over Zoom @Javale_McMeme's annual Paly teacher bracket

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Seasonal depression coming to an end Teachers gave up on the Zoom six. . . or was it seven?

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The end of the college admissions process You have 100% in all of your classes for a blissful week or two

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The blooming flower beds at Stanford Shopping Center You can spend all day tanning since it’s no longer freezing

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Summer. . . so close

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Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

Lifestyle Pandemic Performers

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When junior Elizabeth Wong set up her USB condenser mic, opened GarageBand and sat down on her bed, she settled in for a daylong process of recording vocals for her newest song. Like many musicians around the world, Wong found herself adjusting to the lockdown restrictions of COVID-19, with her room becoming her new recording studio.

A musician who writes and records her own music under the name Elizza, Wong said the global pandemic has limited her ability to record in the studio, where she would normally have guidance from her producer.

“I have to just keep recording until I personally feel like I recorded it well and found the best tape,” Wong said. “It’s a song that’s going to be out on Spotify, and you’re letting a lot of people listen to it. So it’s worth it to take the entire day and strive for the best vocal take.”

Wong said the pandemic has also limited her creative space to her house, forcing her to work more independently.

“It’s really different compared to when (I’m) in the studio because (I) get to talk face-to-face and watch my producer make my track,” Wong said. “I don’t really have someone to tell me (whether) I am singing right. So it’s just a lot more independent work and focus.”

Because she released her first EP in midFebruary, Wong said she hopes to take some time off from working on any major projects and instead focus on developing her vocal technique. While she does not have any new releases planned, Wong said she is considering collaborating with other artists and making acoustic versions of her songs or creating music videos.

“I’m a really visual person and even when I’m writing a song, I can instantly think of a music video,” Wong said. “And I’ve never had the chance or the access to make one right now. So I’m hoping in the future I’ll come across the opportunity to do that.”

-",0",1(&()*..%,"$2 As quarantine restrictions fell into place last March, junior Annika Viswesh’s orchestra, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, turned to virtual performances. Over the next few months, and relying on click tracks and other technology to synchronize everyone in the orchestra, Viswesh performed in community wide music projects featuring current orchestra members

there were a couple of closed-down streets, and we’ve taken advantage of those,” Metro keyboardist Toni Loew said. “Everyone’s out there, eating outdoors … and it’s been super supportive.”

The Bay Area-based band, although currently split up across the country, is working on an album which will include their newest single, “Letters,” released in early February.

“I think it’s a really cool storytelling song, and it’s very clear these characters are having an interaction about their relationship — one has an idealized view of them together and the other one is realistic,” Metro drummer and senior Rein Vaska said. “I think that’s super emotional, and our music and production totally brings out that and highlights that story.”

For bassist and alumnus Joseph Cudahy, part of what makes Metro successful at writing music and playing together is the dynamic between band members. And while Cudahy said the ease of their relationships with each other has not changed online, playing together as a group in-person is something he misses.

“We have a very light-hearted kind of open relationship within our band — we’re all good friends,” Cudahy said. “And to a certain degree, that friendship, applied to us making music as a group together, is sort of lost — we don’t actually get to collaboratively make music in real time with each other.”

Despite collaborating mostly virtually, Vaska said even when the band practices in person while socially distanced, it feels different.

“There is a kind of musical creative energy in the room when you’re really there and everybody’s locked in,” Vaska said. “There are some moments when you can get into it — it’s just that we haven’t been able to have that full band kind of experience for a while.”

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as well as alumni from all over the country.

“We made this giant concerto,” Viswesh said. “That was one of the fun things to record, not only because you’re recording with a click track, which means you have to hear yourself and make sure you’re on the beat with every single note, but also because you’re able to play with this entire community — everyone in this orchestra comes from all different walks of life.

And yet here we are online playing something together.”

In addition to being a violinist with her orchestra, Viswesh is also the co-president of the Paly Chamber Musicians club. Viswesh said what draws her to chamber music most is the interaction between musicians it fosters — a vital component that has been limited to virtual interaction.

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“It is so collaborative — everyone plays such an integral role in making the final performance sound as beautiful as it can be,” Viswesh said. “And I really miss that interpersonal connection. I really love hanging out with (my chamber music friends) — just knowing what their hobbies and their interests are outside of chamber music, and just talking and playing music.”

To seek out that sense of community, Viswesh said she has turned to performing for her parents during quarantine.

“It feels like I need to bring back that sense of community within my own space,” Viswesh said. “And having my family there when I play for them just feels like I have a community that’s right there in front of me — in addition to the virtual community of my friends and me in (our) orchestra.”

Viswesh said she has also come to appreciate how much musicians took for granted the spaces they previously performed in, when they could communicate emotions and transport the audience to a different realm with the help of body language.

“It’s just really difficult to imagine the performing arts field in general without having live concerts — without having people there to support you,” Viswesh said. “It’s much more tangible to see everyone’s emotions in person rather than in virtual, because when you’re typing through a chat window, you could be saying something, but it may never come across as what you really mean.”

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ART BY KYLA SCHWARZBACH

Last October, sophomore Jennifer Mori experienced the challenges of planning a virtual assembly. Mori is an associate regional director at the non-profit Back to BACH and was planning this assembly to introduce elementary school students to classical music. But she said it didn’t feel the same as an in-person assembly.

“It was a new experience because we were trying to promote classical music when it’s on Zoom,” Mori said. “You aren’t able to feel that magic of music coming out of a wooden box that has four strings attached to it.”

Beyond needing to organize outreach events virtually, Mori said the impact of going virtual in everything music-related — from chamber music and orchestra rehearsals to private lessons and cello competitions — has made her work harder to stay motivated to practice.

“Music, for me at least, has become more of an independent thing,” Mori said. “You’re constantly (practicing) by yourself, which, in a way, is a good thing, because then you learn more about what you’re lacking when you’re practicing. But it’s also kind of unmotivated me to practice because it’s always on my own.”

Though virtual activities have sometimes made Mori less motivated to practice, she said she has also discovered a new side to music and collaboration that she looks forward to, one that lockdown restrictions helped make possible.

“My brother plays violin, and pre-COVID we wouldn’t be able to (play many duets together) because our schedules would often conflict with each other,” Mori said. “And I just never realized that, so close to me, there’s someone that I could always play with.”

Despite it not being the best-case scenario, Mori said she sees value in putting on virtual performances during the pandemic, such as the ones Back to BACH gives to schools through assemblies.

“It was almost humbling in a way,” Mori said. “I realized that this is the only way that some people are ever going to hear classical music — not ever live.”

Valerie Chu

Board Correspondent

LIFESTYLE

RISING FOOD INSECURITY

Bay Area residents, for whom the poverty line is double the income of the national average, reflect on their struggles with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ART BY AARON KIM

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ART BY SASHA LEHRER

Financial Literacy

ART BY KYLA SCHWARZBACH

New Nikes

PHOTO BY ANAYA BHATT

Tono Coffee Project

Why we need finanical literary class in California public schools

Company introduces new laceless technology with their Go FlyEase

Pop-up cafe opens in downtown Palo Alto

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Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

B2

Lifestyle

Boy Scouts shift to virtual setting

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or David Zhang, a Scoutmaster of Troop 57, Boy Scouts used to mean backpacking trips through the Sierras, kayaking along the Elkhorn Slough and annual door-to-door wreath sales. However now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Scouts cannot participate in many of these activities that make up the essence of the organization.

Founded in 1933, Troop 57, based in Palo Alto, is one of the oldest troops in the nation. It has over 100 registered Scouts this year. And in a normal year, Troop 57 would have outings almost every weekend as a way to bond and cultivate leadership skills.

However, just like with everything else, the pandemic nonetheless had posed a major challenge to the troop. But that hasn’t stopped troop leaders and parent volunteers from trying to adapt.

“The Scout leadership and parents have stepped up to do lots of brainstorming, planning and training to keep the organization running as smoothly as possible,” Zhang said. “We tried to be creative while maintaining COVID protocols to ensure both safety and a reasonable amount of activities for the Scouts. For example, last November, we put in place a pilot program for optional, outdoor, in-person activities with small stable groups. We had our first in-person activity since March.”

Despite being unable to participate in regular outdoor activities, bi-monthly troop and patrol meetings have continued virtually. Freshman Mike Song, a Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 57, has helped lead many of these virtual meetings. Song said the virtual meetings have provided some extras not necessarily available before the pandemic.

“One benefit of the virtual setting is that we easily have many guest speakers come in and talk,” Song said. “We’ve had an Air Force pilot come

over once and that was really cool.”

Scouts have organized games and other activities during these virtual meetings, including Kahoot. They have also watched Boy Scout-related movies and TV, and they’ve even tried cooking together.

Troop 57 had a tradition of hosting an annual BBQ cookout with families in the fall, more than 100 Scouts and their family members would show up on that event, socializing and enjoying food. During the pandemic, such events could no longer happen for obvious reasons. However, right before Thanksgiving, Troop 57 had a virtual cooking outing where Scouts were led through a delicious recipe for chili.

“One really fun meeting was when the Scouts organized a group-watch of a survival TV show,” co-Scoutmasker Thomas Hsiu said. “Some Scouts set up polls predicting what would happen next in the episode, and I remember some Scouts recognizing that someone on the show was suffering from heatstroke, and the guy eventually had to be sent to a hospital.”

While bi-monthly meetings offered fun games or interesting guest speakers for the whole troop, some Scouts also organized smaller activities like stargazing. Junior Jacob Hung, a member of the Troop 57 leadership council.

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“I led a stargazing event over zoom one night,” Hung said. “I had around 10 Scouts show up, and we had a lot of fun pointing out stars and constellations.”

In spite of the success of the switch to online Scouting, Zhang said adapting to the quarantine and planning for the future has been difficult and time consuming.

COVID-19 guidelines and California’s color-coded tier system have constantly changed, resulting in difficulties in planning for going back outdoors.

Zhang said Troop 57 leadership and parents have worked together to create a plan for once the COVID-19 restrictions have decreased, using information from Santa Clara County guidelines and parent and Scout feedback.

Part of this planning involved constructing cohorts or stable groups of around 15 Scouts and parents who will be able to go on trips together.

Members of these stable groups cannot switch groups and must follow social distancing guidelines.

And as the COVID-19 risk level drops to red and vaccines start rolling out, Zhang said the Scouts are optimistic they will be able to return to the great outdoors. In February, Troop 57 set off for a five mile hike around the Baylands Preserve.

“Though it was with masks and distance, we all enjoyed each other’s company and had a blast,” Zhang said. “This path gave us a view of everything: the ponds, the greenery, the highway and the buildings. Overall, it was a memorable experience after such a long wait since the pandemic started.”

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Business Manager As senior Ryan Harvey heads out the door, he’s quick to throw on his shoes. But rather than slowing down to bend over and tie his shoelaces, he opts for a faster alternative — a pair of slip-on Birkenstocks.

“In the morning I always go for Birkenstocks because I’m tired and they’re quick,” Harvey said. “I have some lace shoes but I rarely wear them, because putting on the Birkenstocks takes no time at all.”

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced consumers to stay home, demand for comfort and accessibility in footwear is high.

Crocs, the company known for its slip-on rubber clog sandals, expects to see up to a 25% sales increase in 2021 from its record-breaking year in 2020.

Now Nike appears to think it has the next big innovation with the Go FlyEase, its first sneaker that can be put on hands-free.

With its folding design, the shoe

allows the wearer to slide their foot in above the shoe’s heel, eliminating the need to bend down and pull the sneaker on. Once you step into the shoes, they collapse into their active state thanks to a band creating tension between both sections of the sneaker.

While not explicitly marketed towards those with disabilities, the design was inspired largely by those who lack the dexterity needed to pull on and lace up their shoes.

Bebe Vio, a world champion wheelchair fencer, was one such athlete Nike drew inspiration from.

“Usually I spend so much time to get in my shoes,” Vio told Nike News. “With the Nike Go FlyEase, I just need to put my feet in and jump on it. The shoes are a new kind of technology, not only for adaptive athletes but for everyone’s real life.”

Senior Sam Mutz said he has always been a fan of more accessible shoes.

“I think slip-ons are great, never having to worry about tying your shoelaces or tripping over them,” Mutz said. “They’re also more acces-

ART BY AARON KIM

sible to people with disabilities, so seeing Nike improving the concept and exploring more laceless-shoe ideas is exciting.”

Mutz said he sees similar technology becoming more universal.

“I really appreciate the experimentation that went into the design of the Nike Go FlyEase, and I think laces will become less and less common in the future, especially with creative mechanisms like these continuing to be improved upon,” Mutz said.

Nike is limiting sales of the Go FlyEase shoes to members of its Nike+ membership program. But

you can purchase the shoes on resell platforms like StockX for upwards of $300, a steep increase from their $120 retail price.

Arnav Bindra, a Mission San Jose senior with his own sneaker consignment business, Arnav Kicks LLC, said this spike in resale value is likely temporary.

“Historically speaking with Nike, $120 is very affordable for this type of new technology,” Bindra said. “I think they definitely want to cater to a larger audience, and I don’t think this shoe is going to have a crazy resale value once it is released to the general public. After the shoe’s

general release, I don’t see them being something resellers are gonna be trying hard to get.”

Bindra also said he thinks Nike will continue to build off of the momentum from the Go FlyEase.

“I think it’s a really great thing what Nike is doing, designing shoes that are accessible for people with disabilities,” Bindra said. “I believe they put out the shoe to show the direction they’re heading in. I think they’re gonna transition to implement the same technology into new versions of their more common shoes, like Air Force Ones and Jordans.”

Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

Lifestyle

B3

Food insecurity hits Bay Area

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Luckily for James, unemployment checks and the first stimulus package arrived soon after Ikea let him go, and he could leave his savings alone for the time being. But the checks were inconsistent and barely covered James’ rent — so he was forced to find a food bank for his groceries.

The U.S. Agriculture Department says food insecurity is defined as lacking consistent access to enough food to maintain an active, healthy life. While food insecurity has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not a new problem — cases have been rising annually even before the pandemic. In 2018, Feeding America found one in 10 people in the Bay Area were food insecure, and the continued gentrification of California contributes to worsening numbers by the day.

The USDA says food insecurity is comes more from having an unstable salary and a fluctuating economy rather than a lack of available food. Frequently, a population of food insecure individuals live in a condensed area in the vicinity of an affluent city. The affluence of these cities raises the cost of living and prices necessities like food through demand and higher taxes.

The first stimulus package and wave of unemployment checks distributed in April 2020 was created with a national standard much lower than that of the Bay Area in mind; it barely made a dent in the rent, loans or short-term debts of Palo Alto families.

“It made a day or two better because I took it and used it to break off arrangements I had,” Tinka, a widowed mother and recently re-employed teacher, said.

Tinka declined to give her last name. “If I had a bill that still had $300 left that would be paid in $50 segments I would go ahead and pay the whole thing until I ran out of money, because I still have so many arrangements.”

The federally-provided funds were meager, inconsistent and unreliable, and much of the East Palo Alto community viewed them as an occasional bonus instead of a salary to live on.

“I didn’t get it every month,” James said.

“The stimulus package also helped a little, but you never knew if you were gonna get it, so it wasn’t a good source of income.”

And the pandemic as well the instability of the marketplace in the past few months have taken a serious toll on those already struggling before the pandemic.

Maria Otadoy, a special education teacher in the Ravenswood City School District, said she has been going to the Ecumenical Hunger Program — a service that provides food, clothing, furniture, supplies and financial assistance to those in need — since March 2020. She said she drops off the food she picks up there to help the family of one of her students who is severely disabled.

“In March they had a newborn son, and their other son is severely disabled, and because of COVID-19, the husband didn’t have work and was out all day doing small jobs,” Otadoy said. “They did not have money or food, and there was no way for them to be able to pick up the food, so I signed them up.”

But coping with food insecurity has also become a reality for some who are financially stable. Erica DiCarlo, a single mother of four who is working toward a career as a nutritionist, said she and her family are struggling to make ends meet while she puts herself through college.

“I am three classes away from earning my degree which is great, but right now I am living paycheck to paycheck and some weeks I really struggle,” DiCarlo said.

“Right now we just make it work, and I budget really strictly to make sure my kids are eating healthy. Under the roof of my house, we don’t overeat or waste food, and we always save our leftovers for the next day.”

A related issue to food insecurity is the part that it plays in poor nutrition.

Healthy food is more expensive than fast-food, but good nutrition, especially for children, fosters healthier eating habits and prevents food-related diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Rodea Grant, a senior living in East Palo Alto, is retired and lives off welfare and unemployment checks. She said she has relied on EHP since it opened in 1978 to support her and her son, who has since grown up and moved out.

PHOTO BY ANAYA BHATT

Tono Coffee Project opened its Lytton Avenue location in June.

“Our plan is to keep it open as long as we can do so,” owner Bryan Chiem said.

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“I was a single mom, and I worked really hard, but my money always went to rent and supplies,” Grant said. “I would have a tight budget to go to Lucky’s for the healthy stuff, and if I had enough that week, I would try and go to Safeway. The rest, like the pasta and cans, I would get at EHP.” When Grant’s son was growing up, she said fruits, vegetables and meat weren’t available at EHP and for many weeks, she wouldn’t be able to buy him enough food, especially since programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food stamps weren’t widespread or accessible at the time. Even now, single moms like DiCarlo struggle to get enough fresh food for their children, despite having access to those resources.

“But EHP is almost like a Trader Joe’s,” James said. “It has apples, fruits, beans, whole organic chickens, not just muffins and crackers and pasta, and I can make home-cooked meals from the food I get,” James said.

Since the pandemic, EHP serves everyone who asks for help and doesn’t require proof of income for its services.

Director Lesia Preston said the organization has turned its parking lot into a drive-through food distribution center to keep staff and customers safe and accommodate the increase in families who require services.

“We focus on food and hygiene but also provide furniture, clothing, supplies, things like glasses and financial aid,” Preston said. “That includes doing things we would never normally do, like helping people with rent, prescriptions or a bill because of being out of work or losing hours at their job.”

While there are several food banks and shelters in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto, awareness of these resources is limited, Grant said. Most of the information about these aid programs is spread by word of mouth, so Grant said more publicity about the programs would be helpful.

“I think it would help a lot if people knew about the resources that were available, with an email blast to families in Palo Alto through the schools,” Grant said. “Just to say food is there with fresh vegetables, and also information flyers and pamphlets across both cities because even a lot of people in East Palo Alto don’t know about EHP.” The lack of organization among these relief structures could be easily remedied to the benefit of many. While there is a lot of community involvement and neighbors are helping neighbors, an entire locality strapped for money and support cannot adequately help those who need it.

“The more help we can and the more we can provide, not for a forever situation, but until people are truly back on their feet is what we need to be a part of,” Tinka said. “We need to help, and I don’t think that we are mobilizing fast enough.”

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INFORMATION FROM FEEDING AMERICA

At Tono Coffee Project on Lytton Avenue, customers enter into a small courtyard and place their orders through an even smaller hole in the wall. Tono’s menu, ambience and set-up are simplistic and unapologetically so.

As coffee shops expand into heavily-flavored drinks and large menus to stay relevant, Tono is a breath of fresh, simple air.

Owned by Bryan Chiem, Tono is a pop-up coffee business with temporary locations spread out across the West Coast, all operated by Chiem.

The new location on Lytton Avenue in Palo Alto operates only from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. since Tono leases the space from Salvaje, a wine bar open at night.

The Palo Alto Tono was slated to open in March of 2020, but COVID-19 postponed that.

When Tono first opened in June of 2020, Chiem said he planned for his business to be a temporary location that would raise money for the Black Lives Matter movement, but eventually decided he wanted to make the Palo Alto location a long term one, not a pop-up like his other locations.

“We decided to just go for it, if only for a weekend,” Chiem said.

The success of the location convinced him the location should be permanent. Also, the pandemic has made it hard for Chiem to return to his old business model of short-term cafes throughout the west coast.

Tono is here to stay.

“Our plan is to keep it open as long as we can do so,” Chiem says. “As long as (Salvaje) keeps on hosting us, we’ll keep doing it.”

Customer Abel Velaz said he is impressed with the cafe’s unique set-up.

“It’s like a little hole in the wall, with a window you order out of, which I love,” Velaz said.

Beyond the architecture, Chiem said Tono is distinct because of its use of rare, wellsourced coffee.

“We source coffee from roasters that you can’t find anywhere else,” Chiem said., “We carry international roasters, with one from Copenhagen, Denmark, and we’re the only cafe in the Bay Area that carries them.”

Tono Coffee Project also sells baked goods, including muffins, croissants and various other pastries, from the Palo Alto bakery Love for Butter.

Customer Chase Donnel said he enjoyed his cup of coffee at Tono.

“I really liked the flavors, and even the colors are really appealing,” Donnell said.

For Chiem, Tono Coffee Project, which he founded four years ago, represents the culmination of the years he spent at various companies in the food and beverage industry.

“I wanted my own space, and I wanted to do things my way,” Chiem said. “And so I started Tono.”

Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

Spotlight

B4

Title IX: Reporting sexua

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ing it and that I was asking too much, or that the way that I wanted to guarantee my comfort and safety at the school was too much to ask for,” Sarah said. “It just seemed like coming in and talking to me was a burden to them, like my case was tarting high school in a brand new environlike, ‘Oh my God, not another thing to deal with.’” ment should have been the extent of Sarah’s Berkson said his aim isn’t to be insensitive or troubles her freshman year — new friends, seem like he doesn’t want to help survivors with teachers and pressure to get good grades were altheir case. ready a lot to handle. To help the transition and “As an investigator of cases, I don’t prejudge to further her interest in computer science, Sarah the situation and try to keep all biases out of the joined the robotics team. Little did she know, her later alleged sexual assaulter would be on that team. picture, so it may come off as me not caring, or Sarah, a Paly junior who agreed to be interunenthusiastic about a situation, but really I am a viewed only if her name were changed, said her fact-finder in the initial phases of an investigation perpetrator first started to sexually harass her in and need to work on the task at hand,” Berkson December 2019, making lewd and inappropriate said. comments about her body and describing sexual When school ended last year, Sarah said Berkacts he wanted to do to her. Then, Sarah said her son and Farrell told her she would be kept in the perpetrator began to pressure her into performing loop about her case’s progress while Title IX ofsexual acts and assaulted her on several occasions. ficers worked on it over the summer, but that this “He never took no for an answer and forcibly promise fell short. touched me in a sexual manner despite my physi“There wasn’t a lot of communication over the cal and verbal protests,” Sarah said. summer, despite them saying that they would Sarah said he continued this behavior until regularly update me and my parents on the case,” March 2019, when her friends helped her cut off Sarah said. contact with her assaulter.

Sarah said when she returned to school in Au“During the assault, I felt trapped in a way,” gust, it was almost as if nothing had changed since Sarah said. “I wasn’t sure what to do or who to talk she reported her assault in May. to, but eventually I told my friends and they sup“It eventually got to the point where I felt like ported and inspired me to report the case.” the district couldn’t do anything productive in In May 2019, Sarah said she decided to email terms of what I was asking for, so the case just proof of her assault kind of dropped,” Sarah said. to Assistant Principal Sarah said the district didn’t do Jerry Berkson to start anything for her except call her the process of reporting perpetrator’s parents –– no restrainher experience, including orders, no removal from the ing screenshots of her robotics team and no relief from National Sexual Assault Hotline: perpetrator harassing her having to see him in her classes. call 800.656.HOPE (4673) over text. About a week Sarah said her assaulter eventually or chat online at online.rainn.org later, Sarah said Berkson quit the team when his teammates and then-Title IX officer started to figure out what he had National Domestic Violence Hotline: Megan Farrell called her in done, but the district did not play call 800-799-SAFE (7233) to talk about her case. any role in this.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Sarah said at the time, “Since then, I haven’t been able call 1-800-273-8255 Berkson and Farrell ofto look at myself the same and have fered her two different constantly had to deal with the RISE & Bring Change to Mind options: a formal one that repercussions while he’s been able to resources for sexual misconduct: involved reporting her case live his life,” Sarah said. tinyurl.com/resourcesforsexualto the police and doing an Farrell said she could not commisconduct official investigation, and ment on Sarah’s case because of an informal one, where a privacy laws governing Title IX Counseling and support available at mediator would facilitate investigations. She left PAUSD in the Wellness Center a conversation between November of 2020 and now works Sarah and her perpetraas the Title IX coordinator for the tor. Sarah said the formal Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union option wasn’t an extreme School District. she wanted to take, but she also wasn’t ready to confront her assaulter.

“It’s like he still wins. Every day.”

“I didn’t feel comfortable with the informal Jamie, a current senior at Gunn High School route, obviously,” Sarah said. “So I asked them, ‘Is who agreed to be interviewed only if her real name there something in the middle that we can do?’ wasn’t used, said she constantly thinks about the And they were like, ‘I don’t know. We’ll have to lack of justice she received for her sexual assault see.’” in September 2019, her sophomore year. She said In an effort to find an alternative solution to her boyfriend at the time manipulated her, sexually her case, Sarah said she requested her perpetraharassed and assaulted her, mocked her for years tor receive an appropriate punishment, such as and then did it all over again to another girl in her suspension from school, removal from the robotics grade. team or removal from classes they had together.

His punishment? She said nothing more than a But because a similar case at Gunn High School message sent home to his parents. utilized similar punishment and was unsuccessful Jamie said she remembers sitting in her first in providing a resolution, Sarah said the adminisperiod English class one morning in May trators told her they had hesitations about admin2019, crying about her abuser’s attempt to istering what she was requesting. coerce her into not reporting her assault to “They were like, ‘We don’t really want to try school administrators. She said her teacher that because it didn’t work out at Gunn,’” Sarah approached her and asked her what was said. “And I understand their concern, but it was wrong, and when he found out, he sent really disheartening to hear that, ‘Oh, just because her to report her experience to the Title IX it didn’t work before, we aren’t even going to try team at Gunn. it with you.’ Somehow (the Gunn case) deemed “When I was taken to the office, there was mine a lost cause.” no one there,” Jamie said. “No vice principals Sarah said their hesitation and unwillingness were available. No principals were available and to accommodate her requests, even those as small the counselors weren’t there. So (my teacher) took as removing him from her classes, made meetings me to the Wellness Center, and I started talking with administrators uncomfortable and intimidatto the woman there. Before I left, she told me she ing, and resulted in her constantly second-guesswould call me back in that same week to finish ing herself and regretting reporting her assault. reporting, but she never did.”

“They made me feel like I shouldn’t be reportJamie said her complaint wasn’t filed over the

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summer or investigated at all after that, so she re-reported her case in September of her junior year to Margaret Reynolds, Assistant Principal at Gunn at the time and current Paly Assistant Principal. While she explained her situation, Jamie said Reynolds kept asking her unrelated and inappropriate questions.

“When I started talking about my perpetrator and my physical relationship, she specifically asked me if I was a virgin when he assaulted me, and if he was one,” Jamie said. “She then asked me to describe what fingering was and other graphic sexual acts that were unrelated to my assault.”

Shocked, Jamie said she started crying during her conversation with Reynolds and asked her how the questions were relevant to her case.

“I was like, ‘Do I have to answer this?’ And she was like, ‘I mean, the stuff that you don’t answer will only make your case sound weaker,’” Jamie said.

After this meeting, Jamie said Reynolds issued a no-contact order between her and her assaulter, meaning they weren’t allowed to be near each other, even on the same side of the Gunn campus, and weren’t allowed to digitally contact each other.

However, Jamie said her perpetrator found a way to indirectly harass her through an anonymous confessions account on Instagram. Pretending to be Jamie, he submitted a post attempting to make it appear that she was confessing to lying about her assault.

“I instantly freaked out when I saw this, so I told my parents what had happened and they emailed Mrs. Reynolds, specifying that I did not write that post,” Jamie said. “And then she asked us, ‘How do you know your daughter didn’t write that post?’”

Reynolds said she could not comment on Jamie’s case because of the confidential nature of Title IX investigations.

Later in October of her junior year, Jamie met with Megan Farrell, PAUSD Title IX coordinator at the time, to officially investigate the case. Jamie said Farrell seemed distracted and more concerned about Jamie’s appearance than the case.

“I walked into the room and she scanned me up and down and

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“It’s like he still wins.

Every day.”

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Friday, March 19, 2021

The Campanile

B5

Spotlight

al misconduct at PAUSD

&2(*+'%'(/.('%3#+,(+''+#,"(4(5+)+''6%&"7('%%8(9#'"-*% said, ‘Oh my God, you look like a beautiful Italian model,’” Jamie said. “I was like, ‘What?’ When we actually started talking about my assault, I was crying. She stopped me and put her hand on my arm and was like, ‘It’s so hard to focus on what you’re saying while I’m watching your beautiful blue eyes tear up.’”

A few weeks after their meeting, Farrell released the results of her report, and Jamie was appalled. Despite her sharing several folders of screenshotted text conversations depicting her assaulter sexualizing her and manipulating her, the report claimed there was no solid proof to back up Jamie’s claims. Her perpetrator was not punished outside of a note sent home and a no-contact order, which Jamie said he violated several times.

“It makes me so mad,” Jamie said. “He just gets to live like normal and keeps spreading this narrative that I’m crazy.”

Farrell said she could also not comment on Jamie’s case because of the privacy laws governing Title IX investigations.

8$"012*-1%1))3$',:*1))102,*(02,0%$ PAUSD is affluent and top-ranked and may not be a school district that first comes to mind when thinking of an environment that enables sexual assault.

But junior Sophia Cummings said this is blissful ignorance. She said she is constantly reminded of how acceptable sexual harassment and assault are in the district.

“People are like, ‘Oh, yeah, like, I know you always have to get consent and stuff,’ but then they don’t think it applies to smaller things,” Cummings said. “It’s made it really difficult for some people to even just go to school, and it affects the way that girls want to dress and how they present themselves. And it makes it really hard to trust other students and enter relationships.

I just think it’s really sad that you have to be worrying about that all the time.”

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“We need change, and we need it now.”

Cummings said she has faced facing several start a support club at Gunn for survivors of sexual instances of sexual harassment on campus, includharassment and assualt, said one of the biggest ing boys groping her legs and taking photos of her problems in the district is the administration’s apchest. She said after one instance, she went to the proach. Jamie said instead of doing what they can bathroom and cried. to protect students, administrators try to protect “I was just shocked that it was someone who the reputations of the district and the alleged asI thought was my friend, and they (seemed) to saulters. not be aware that they had just done something “Instead of trying to prevent Title IX cases wrong,” Cummings said. “(And my friends), they from happening by making it seem like nothing always have some kind of similar story to tell me is happening, they should disincentivize people in return.” from violating, meaning actually hold perpetrators Sarah, the Paly survivor, said people who choose accountable,” Jamie said. “They taught my abuser to believe perpetrators rather than survivors conthat (his actions) were OK, and that he can get tinue to enable sexual assault and rape culture. away with it.”

“People are more likely to be struck by lightKelly Gallagher, the new Title IX coordinator ning than to be falsely accused of rape and assault,” for PAUSD who joined in January 2021, said the Sarah said. “If someone were to tell me that one of standard is to use a system based on preponderance my closest friends had raped or assaulted someone, of truth to determine the course of action.

I would much rather believe the victim and show “We are looking at, ‘Do we have enough them support than to keep in communication with information to say it is more likely than not this a criminal, with a rapist.” occurred, as in 50% or more?’” Gallagher said. “And Aside from some students at PAUSD perif the answer is yes, then that person is responsible petuating a culture that normalizes sexual assault, for a violation.”

Jamie said having unsupportive friends and family For Sarah, there are a lot of ways the PAUSD compounds the issue. She said part of the reason Title IX team can improve, including implementshe struggled so much with her sexual assault ing better sensitivity training for administrators experience was the initial lack of support from and making the process more transparent and people around her. accessible. She said poor communication was a big “When I told my friends about my sexual reason she had a negative experience in reporting assault, they tried to convince me that nothing her case. She also said the district needs to contact had happened and that I was basically just trying survivors throughout the reporting process. to find a reason to be mad at my ex,” Jamie said.

“Even if not much is happening – even if there “They told him that they felt sorry for him and haven’t been any major developments and things that they wanted to help him, that they didn’t want are still in the works –– I think it’s important to let me to ruin his life.” them know what’s going on,” Sarah said. “Because She said one of the best ways to support victims at least they’re not in the dark.” of sexual harassment and assault is to believe them Junior Site Council Representative Nysa Bhat and talk with them about their experience. said the Associated Student Body at Paly is work“It’s just crazy when you realize there are actuing to help prevent incidents of sexual assault and ally people out there who don’t believe (survivors) harassment by creating a Title IX sexual violence or support them,” Jamie said. “(Support) would task force and partnering with Paly clubs RISE have made so much of a difference and made evand Bring Change to Mind to provide resources. erything easier for me because it would have made “We need change and we need it now,” Bhat me report faster.” said. “ASB has created a Junior class president dynamic task force that will Mathew Signorello-Katz work in tandem with the said he thinks showing Paly administration to comsupport for survivors is municate what the needs of crucial to making stuthe students are in regards to dents feel comfortable the change of Title IX policy Contact Title IX Coordinator and safe at school. He that seemingly only proKelly Gallagher at kgallagher@ said not enough male tects perpetrators, as well as pausd.org or at titleixcoordinstudents extended changing the tolerance of a tor@pausd.org their support on culture that promotes sexual social media violence at Paly … This is File an official report at paly.net in January, by no means a cure-all, but when several rather a small step that we Report to a PAUSD employee survivors came can take as ASB in helping forward with to invoke true, lasting change their stories at Paly and beyond.” on social Cummings, who said she *Depending on the reporter’s requests media and didn’t report her own sexual sparked a wideharassment to administraspread discussion on tors out of fear of escalating Get help filing a police report sexual misconduct within the situation, said it would PAUSD. be beneficial to students if Work with investigators “I was extraordinarily administrators were more Counseling and support disappointed to see that a lot transparent about the Title of my fellow male classmates IX process.

Mediated conversation with at Paly weren’t really speak“The whole process is perpetrator ing up about it and were just super unknown –– I have no remaining silent,” Signorelloidea what it would look like Katz said. “I think silence and and what would happen,” complacency are so incredibly Cummings said. “I think dangerous in so many ways ... that’s really intimidating for People who feel as though Title IX-related matters a lot of people, and that’s why they kind of steer don’t apply directly to them and see it as someaway from doing anything about it.” thing that they don’t need to become involved with Cummings said it’s important to demonstrate (are) how you continue to perpetuate rape culture sensitivity, patience, and empathy while providing at Paly, Palo Alto and beyond.” support to victims.

“After you’re violated in some way, you feel this huge lack of strength and a loss of dignity and selfconfidence,” Cummings said. “Just having people –– sometimes it’s not even people that you know –– show that they support you, that they believe Understanding the prevalence of sexual you, they’re listening to you and they’re trying to misconduct in the district is one thing, understand like what you’ve gone through, helps but fixing it is another. Jamie, who helped give you that strength.”

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Friday, March 19, 2021

B6

!"#$""%# &'("#)$*$+"# "%,+*-.'$ Braden Leung Staff Writer

Let’s get one thing straight — managing money, sometimes called financial literacy, is an important part of adult life.

We all have things we want, but whether you’re in desperate need of V-bucks, a new paint job for your Subaru or in the market for a pair of the Nike GoFlyEase shoes, there’s probably a better use for your paycheck.

Planning for your financial future and learning about mortgages and investments can result in a more comfortable life long-term. No one wants to be broke, but we all want to spend.

American college students are drowning in a pool of $1.5 trillion debt. A third of Americans don’t have retirement savings, and even more have credit card debt. But proper financial education can contribute to financial progress and lead to stress-free, prosperous long-term living.

So, where is financial literacy taught in schools?

There’s a reason we have graduation requirements — to ensure students leave high school with an understanding of the world and a foundation for pursuing education and careers.

Yet schools seem to prioritize education in other subjects over financial education — every year, thousands of high schoolers graduate without one of the most relevant skills to their future, financial education.

California is one of only five states that still has no finance standards for public education, the others being Alaska, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming.

The Center For Financial Literacy in Vermont rated California an “F” in financial education, as a result of its lack of graduation requirements.

Even in states with financial education standards for public schools, students aren’t always fully informed.

In the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress on economics, only 43% of seniors tested proficient.

Forced into the adult world, students need to learn through trial-and-error until they finally get a grasp of how they need to function.

And the lack of financial knowledge is even more dangerous for those born in lower socioeconomic classes who have had even less access to resources that will help lead to success, leading to a cycle of poverty.

While the lack of financial education is an issue at both the national and state level, it’s a problem locally as well.

Neither of Paly’s required classes somewhat pertaining to financial literacy, Living Skills and Economics, delve deeper into paying taxes, managing a budget and financially planing for the future.

Even classes that touch on personal finance, such as PreCalculus, focus much more on the mathematical application of loans than the actual financial planning itself.

It’s clear students aren’t provided the tools they need by the school to succeed in the financial, adult world.

The pandemic only makes financial education more necessary for everyday life — millions of people have lost their jobs, and it is harder than ever for young people to find new jobs.

An effective financial literacy class would include career guidance, advice on long-term planning and education on loans, investments and credit.

The Campanile

Lifestyle

Several COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out

ART B YD

ECLA N GRE ICIUS

Shantanu Deshpande Staff Writer

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives and changed the world for junior Yash Vora in the last year, but a respite may soon be on the horizon. He recently received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccinations have begun in many countries and are proceeding at increasing speeds in most places.

However, the vaccines pose their own set of challenges. Multiple vaccines are being developed in different countries with varying levels of testing and efficacy.

The techniques used to develop these vaccines also vary. However, the three most common methods of creating a vaccine are through the use of mRNA, adenoviruses, and inactivated viruses. mRNA vaccines work by injecting a small piece of mRNA, the single stranded variant of DNA, into a cell. This mRNA instructs the body’s cells to create a harmless piece of the spike protein on the outside of the coronavirus. After the cell creates this piece, it breaks down the mRNA. The cell then displays the protein piece on its surface, prompting the immune system to begin creating antibodies tailored to that piece of protein. This ensures future protection against the infection.

The U.S. pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, and a small German biotech company, BionTech, developed one of the main vaccines, the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine. In clinical trials, the double-dosage vaccine, each dose taken 21 days apart, was 95% effective in stopping symptomatic Covid-19 according to the CDC. Art teacher Tracey Atkinson got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine recently, and said she plans to get her second dose in about three weeks.

“I was nervous about getting the vaccine, but I got it to protect myself and my family from getting COVID-19,” Atkinson said.

Vora also got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 9. His second dose is planned for March 30.

“I feel slightly safer with the vaccine, but because I don’t have the second dose.

I only have around a 50% immunity rate.

With the second dose, I would definitely feel even safer, but still go outside with a mask to make other people feel safe,” Vora said.

The Moderna vaccine, developed by the company of the same name, is a U.S.based mRNA vaccine and tested similarly to the Pfizer vaccine in trials with two doses taken 28 days apart according to the CDC. The Oxford/AstraZeneca adenovirus vaccine is a collaboration between the Oxford University and AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company. With each dose taken 12 weeks or more apart, it has demonstrated an efficacy level of around 82% according to the NHS. Adenovirus vaccines work by inserting a modified version of a chimpanzee virus that can enter human cells but not replicate. A gene for the coronavirus vaccine was added into the adenovirus’ DNA, allowing it to target the specific proteins

on the COVID-19 virus.

Notably, the United Kingdom has recently changed its protocol for vaccinations to a three month break between doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine rather than three weeks to ensure wider access to the first dose, ensuring as many people as possible have some measure of protection. This waiting period is longer than advised by the pharmaceutical companies who created the vaccines.

The United Kingdom’s vaccination rates are also far ahead of those of other European countries and the U.S. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is also an adenovirus vaccine. There is speculation about its reliability after its implementation ahead of extensive trials and President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to take it, citing his age.

But a 21-day gap between doses demonstrates approximately a 92% efficacy according to The Lancet, a well-known

medical journal.

China and India have both developed vaccines, CoronaVac and Covaxin respectively, but are they not widely recognized as safe or efficacious because of a lack of clinical evidence.

Both use inactivated vaccine technology.

Heat and radiation are used by this technology to kill or deactivate a virus, which is then injected into a body to prompt an immune response, protecting a persom against future instances of the same virus.

Regardless of which vaccine they took, alsmost everyone says they feel safer after getting it.

“I recommend that others get a vaccine, as it makes all of us safer,” Vora said. “Even if you are not at risk for COVID-19, the vaccine will make sure that you do not catch or transfer it to someone who is at risk for it.

Right now, the main goal for the country is to vaccinate as many people as possible to make everyone safer.”

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Friday, March 19, 2021

B7

The Campanile

Science & Tech

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“Tips are huge, especially when Since then, though, California passed $%9*+3%'("-%:(27("-%( you are delivering to places that are Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that a few miles away,” Jung-Goldberg guarantees right of app-based em/.,2*(/.1('.7%0#.*$'("2( ployers likethe said. “The base pay is $5 (per delivUber, Lyft and DoorDash ery), but if you’re driving during rush 1-+)-("-%4(.*%(%&"+"/%$;< to classify their drivers as independent hour, they might give you a bonus for contractors. Prop 22’s passing was a sigevery delivery. Without tips, it really nificant victory for these large compa!"#$%&'()*+, wouldn’t be worth it.” nies but a setback for drivers hoping for Jung-Goldberg said he does not expanded labor rights. rely on his DoorDash wages to pay for food or rent However, Jung-Goldberg said he thinks Doorand instead views his job as a source of additional Dash’s policies are fair to drivers. income for personal spending and investment. Other “Personally I think it is a great business,” Jungindependent contractors working for DoorDash, Goldberg said. “They found a way to allow all restauhowever, depend on their wages for essential needs, rants to have delivery while also creating income for particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. the drivers themselves. It’s a win-win situation, and On behalf of these food delivery workers, San Franbecause of that, I really endorse what DoorDash and cisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin filed a lawsuit UberEats are doing.” against DoorDash in June, which demanded Still, DoorDash has faced criticism for its lack of the company reclassify its workers as transparency. The website of PayUp, a national employees. labor movement working to protect workers’ “Misclassifying workers rights, says, “DoorDash continues to stand deprives them of the labor law behind an entirely opaque pay model which safeguards to which they are enoffers no way for workers to understand titled, denying workers minwhy they’re getting paid what they’re getting paid. They continue to subtract tips from worker pay, and they continue to mislead customers about where their tips are going. When a customer tips more, DoorDash pays less — in other words, the customer is tipping the company.”

Similarly, some gig workers have publicly expressed their outrage online.

Riley Elliott, an UberEats driver

from Las Vegas, went viral via TikTok and Twitter for his critique of delivery services’ working conditions.

“I wish that people who order UberEats or DoorDash understood what it’s like to be a delivery driver,” Elliott said in a Feb. 16 TikTok video. “I spent 45 minutes on a delivery and had to pay $3 to bring this person their food because there was no parking … they tipped me $1.50 and Uber paid me $2.50.”

Elliott, who said in the video he has struggled to pay for food and rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, later called for companies that employ independent contractors to ensure better working conditions and higher pay.

In addition to complaints on behalf of drivers, food delivery services including DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates have faced criticism from restaurants for charging vendors as much as 40% of the revenue from each order as their commission fee, even though restaurants have to depend on delivery orders during the Coronavirus pandemic.

But Howard Bulka, the owner of Howie’s Pizza at Town & Country, said he does not have and has not experienced any issues with food delivery services’ policies.

“It seems to me — and maybe I’m the minority here — that these services are just capitalism in action,” Bulka said. “These guys offer a service, and if you don’t like it, you can get in your car and pick up food yourself the way you used to. And as a vendor, I have a way of shifting the burden of these apps onto the consumer (by raising prices for all deliveries).”

Bulka did say DoorDash may be hurting his business in some respects. Specifically, he said he has raised prices in order to compensate for the fees charged by the apps, which he said likely decreased his overall revenue.

“There’s no way to know for sure (whether the raised prices have hurt business), but my guess would be, yes,” Bulka said. “According to the laws of economics, anytime you raise prices, you’re going to get less business.

If that’s a significant amount, then you do have to think about other alternatives.”

Leo Malchin

Senior Staff Writer

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News & Opinion Editor

drawbacks to conducting labs over Zoom, though “Making sure that I’m actually doing the lab correctly (is a challenge),” Huang said. “And making sure that the data turns out correct.

Because a lot of times you just don’t know what’s going on and then you just hope that you get the right data.”

Huang also said he noticed some safety concerns with conducting labs at home without proper equipment.

“There was one time where I had a short circuit and my battery got really hot, but I noticed it before anything bad happened,” he said.

But despite these concerns,

Huang said he will not likely be going back to school inperson this year just to conduct labs.

“I am not planning to return in person,” Huang said. “Not for (AP) Physics, because we already have the lab kits, but if it was something like AP Chem where the labs are super integral to the whole curriculum and understanding, I would be more inclined to go back.”

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class, except we’re all forced to do it individually,” he said.

One lab Huang’s AP Physics class did over Zoom was through a smartphone app which used household objects to examine springs.

“We used this motion sensor app on our phone and put them in a cardboard box and tied that to the post of our bed or the post of a table,” Huang said. “And then using rubber bands, you would pull the rubber bands back at different angles or different lengths to demonstrate how springs work.”

Huang said besides the lack of proper lab groups, there have been a few key

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Senior Evan Huang, whose three science classes abruptly transitioned to Zoom last March, said that Flexible Learning Options and Remote Online Learning Experiences from last year did not come close to replicating the in-person experience.

“We had some labs that were through an online simulation,” Huang said of his junior-year Physics H class.

“And we had one lab that was using household items. So it was just tape and Styrofoam

cups, stuff like that. Other than that, it was kind of hard to replace the in person (experience).”

Online instruction has been challenging for all classes, but lab sciences have perhaps been hit hardest, which complex labs normally performed in-person shifting online abruptly a year ago. With a full summer to prepare, students and teachers returned to campus knowing what worked and what didn’t work, information that has helped make labs through Zoom significantly better, Huang said.

“We’re doing basically the same thing that we would in

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

Science & Tech

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!"#$%&'()#*+,-,.//&#++0$1,0$#23'40*5,*6&7316,#/3('*07$ Inspired by the Black Lives Matter rallies in Palo Alto, OpenBrackets was founded in June as a means to address racial inequality. Senior and OpenBrackets team member Trisha Razdan said the founders of OpenBrackets decided the best way to address racial inequality in the community was through education.

“Our mission is to offer free computer science courses to kids from underserved communities so that they can receive a tech education,” Razdan said.

According to Razdan, Open Brackets was created due to the lack of diversity in the technology industry.

“There’s a huge access issue where some kids don’t even get the chance to experience coding or what a career in tech could be like, and usually these kids are people of color of lower socioeconomic status,” Razdan said.

In their Fall 2020 semester, OpenBrackets taught two courses: “Game Design Juniors” and “Python Game Design.”

Each course had a capstone project, and the two courses enrolled 184 students.

The “Game Design Juniors” course ran once a week for five weeks and was offered to students from kindergarten through fourth grade. It focused on teaching a free online programming language called Scratch, and the capstone project of the course was to create a time travel game.

“Students learn the fundamentals of computer science without actually coding,” Razdan said. “Scratch is awesome for that block-based coding to get the idea of what’s happening without having to actually worry about syntax, and coding.”

The “Python Game Design” course, which met twice a week, taught students the basics of Python,

another programming language, through games.

“One of the games they created was rock, paper, scissors and another one was a random dice simulator,” Razdan said.

“The capstone project was called treasure hunter, which is like Battleship, but a little bit more simplified.”

On top of teaching students programming, OpenBrackets hosted guest speakers whose goals, Razdan said, are to get students interested in the tech industry.

“A lot of kids just don’t get exposure to it unless your parents work in that industry, so our guest speakers were people that work in tech, but at different (companies),” Razdan said.

Guest speakers included OpenBrackets co-founder Nan Zhong, Oumar Willane and Rajesh Razdan, who are employees at Google, Amazon and Castlight Health, respectively.

Razdan said working with OpenBrackets has been rewarding.

“You get to interact with kids.

It’s more than just lecturing,” Razdan said. “I think, by the end of the course, kids are way more comfortable interacting with me and just talk with me, even if it wasn’t necessarily about code. Just getting to know them was really fun.”

To be a part of the OpenBrackets team, email openbracketscoding@gmail. com.

Text & Design by Evelyn Cheng

83&07+0*5,97:7*0(+,-,;#'(60$1,&7:7*0(+,*7,+*3/#$*+, Founded in 2015 by a group of friends from Greene Middle School, Kuriosity Robotics is a non-profit organization that hosts camps and teaches robotics skills to students.

Junior, team captain and founding member Sam Duong said Kuriosity Robotics started as a programming club that grew into a robotics team which competed in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge.

“Currently, our goals are creating a robot to compete in FIRST FTC while also impacting our community by doing outreach activities that spread STEM,” Duong said. “As of late, we’ve also been doing a lot to help the pandemic by making over 5000 face shields that were given to front-line workers.”

Current camp offerings include “Beginner Java,” “LEGO Spike,” “3D Computer Aided Design” and Rust, the last of which is a programming language.

Duong said “Beginner Java” teaches students about object-oriented programming through a project-based format, and “LEGO Spike” introduces robotics and teaches students the skills they need to compete in FIRST’s FLL competition. Duong said “3D CAD” teaches students Fusion 360 and allows them to design parts which are mailed to them at the end of camp, while Rust is

Design by Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe

taught to more advanced students.

Junior and build lead Albert Cai said Kuriosity Robotics aims to make its camps immersive.

“We want to actually be able to press the ‘Run’ button on the computer and immediately see what it did,” Cai said. “So the final project for the Java camp is to make a complete Tic-TacToe game you can play with your family or friends.”

To further their goal of teaching robotics to underserved communities, Duong said Kuriosity Robotics has gone to Vietnam, India and the Netherlands as part of their international outreach initiative.

Caiden La France, an eighth-grader at Ralston Middle School in Belmont, attended the Java and “3D CAD” camps.

“I decided to attend (the Java camp) because I was interested in learning how to code, and after they told me about CAD, I thought it could be interesting as well,” La France said. “My favorite part of the camp was the small projects we did in between — they helped me make sure I understood what they taught me and the projects were pretty fun.”

Cai said teaching classes was an insightful experience since he got to experience being on the teacher-end of the learning spectrum.

“It teaches you how to teach; it’s kind of like an art — it’s really, really hard,” Cai said. “ But it’s insightful at the same time because you get to connect with the students. And when they’re confused, that’s not good. But it’s really fun to see when it clicks in their head.”

Duong said these camps are rewarding to teach as well.

“We get to really dive deep into these topics with students in a project-based fun way,” Duong said. “With the high teacher-to-student ratio, we also get to really help each and every student depending on where they are which is really rewarding because we get to really impact every student.”

For more information on Kuriosity Robotics’ camps, go to https://www.kuriosityrobotics. com/summer-camps. An earlybird discount ends on April 16.

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The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

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very March, junior Max Bonnstetter has attended the NCAA college basketball tournament.

As a Sports Illustrated and Jr. NBA reporter, Bonnstetter watches games like a hawk to prepare for post-game locker room interviews and press conferences with players and coaches At least, that’s what would’ve happened in a normal year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s March Madness tournaments were canceled — this year they will return, but only under severe restrictions. This year, Bonnstetter will attend games and press conferences virtually. Still, he said he is grateful to have been able to attend in past years.

“Covering March Madness was a dream come true as a basketball fan,” Bonnstetter said. “It was surreal to be courtside on the press row watching Michigan beat Florida State to go to the Final Four, in the locker room asking Bol Bol or Rui Hachimura questions or getting grilled in a press conference by Coach Calipari.”

This year’s tournament is set to begin on March 18 under COVID-19 safety regulations. Unlike previous years, March Madness will occur in a single-location bubble, similar to the NBA playoffs last year; the mens NCAA tournament is set in Indianapolis while the womens is in San Antonio.

Because of positive COVID-19 tests, many college players are missing games and practices, and some games have been canceled. In addition, no fans can attend the games this year, a limitation Bonnstetter said will detract from the March Madness experience.

“I hope this will change soon because I think it has a really negative effect,” Bonnstetter said. “It isn’t easy to establish a relationship, to tell a story, to get the emotion. The NCAA tournament is all about emotion.”

Regardless of these restrictions, junior David Gormley said because of the pandemic, he will appreciate the tournament even more this year.

“I think if there’s anything we’ve learned from our time without sports, it’s that you don’t want to take them for granted,” Gormley said. “You’re just so happy that it’s there. It’s nice to have it on, even if it’s in the background in your house just adding a little buzz. I’m going to really try and take advantage of the tournament this year, the real excitement of it.”

Former Paly varsity basketball coach and PE teacher Peter Diepenbrock said he has been watching March Madness since he was 13. With a crowd of teams — 68 for men and 64 for women — vying for a place in college basketball history and a glowing trophy to bring back to their schools, Diepenbrock

said the tension of the NCAA tournament is unlike anything else in sports.

“The drama, the intensity — it’s the fact that it all comes down to one game,” Diepenbrock said. “I mean, you just can’t beat it. You cannot beat the intensity of the one game.”

But it’s not just watching the games that fans are excited about — with every March Madness comes the opportunity to fill out and a bracket. This 63-game grid presents the filler-outer the tall task of attempting to correctly predict which teams will advance to the next round, and, potentially, making the perfect bracket. While a flawless bracket has never been achieved, Gormley said he uses filling out a bracket as a way to bond with his family.

“There are people in my family who totally love basketball and watch a lot of basketball,” Gormley said. “I watch a lot of basketball with my mom. There are also people in my family who don’t watch that much, and prefer to pick the fiercer looking mascot or the better color. I think that’s part of the fun.

Because it’s single elimination, so we can all do our research and pretend to know about this dark horse team, but there’s going to be stuff that nobody sees coming, and that’s kind of the fun part.”

In past years, Diepenbrock said he attended March Madness in person, and the atmosphere there was perfect.

“It’s just too good,” Diepenbrock said. “You’re just surrounded by basketball nuts.

It’s great energy, great energy. You get to watch the teams practice on Friday for an hour each.

And then, obviously, the games on Saturday.

Then normally, they’ll have an All-Star game on Sunday and then the finals on Monday.

It’s just a four or five-day party with just all basketball people.”

And Diepenbrock said he’s already got his picks for the championship this year.

“I definitely would pick Connecticut women for sure,” Diepenbrock said. “For

Sports

RECRUITS’ MEDIA PRESENCE How college coaches analyze and track potential, and current, recruited athletes’ social media to maintain their college’s reputation. And, in light of COVID-19, how recruits are taking on more responsibilities.

PHOTO BY JENNA HICKEY

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men, I’m hoping for Gonzaga. I know it’s not a stretch, and they’ve had so many good teams. I’d like to see them get it done one time.”

Bonnstetter also predicts Gonzaga will be the winner.

“I’m pretty confident that Gonzaga will win the tournament,” Bonnstetter said. “They are just too dominant, with unmatched leadership, experience and depth. And they have the best freshman in the country, Jalen Suggs.”

Bonnstetter said one of his favorite tournament memories was his question to South Carolina coach Frank Martin. “(I was) at the 2017 Elite Eight at Madison Square Garden after South Carolina beat Baylor,” Bonnstetter said. “When I asked my question, ‘When you coach and teach your team defense, what’s more important: technique or attitude?’ it went viral, and I wound up on CBS with Charles Barkley that same weekend.”

Diepenbrock’s favorite memory was the 1987 men’s championship in New Orleans.

“Indiana vs. Syracuse,” Diepenbrock said.

“Keith Smart (Syracuse guard and future Golden State Warriors head coach) hit a baseline jump shot for the game winner.

That was the first Final Four I went to. That was pretty amazing.”

Gormley’s favorite tournament moment was the final seconds of the 2016 men’s tournament.

“I remember being at a restaurant downtown during the Villanova UNC title game, a couple years back,” Gormley said. “And it was a crazy sports bar atmosphere. Everyone’s going wild. I felt like that’s what made it perfect. We’re all looking at the screen, the final seconds.

Text, Art & Design by It doesn’t matter if this is your Braden Leung team or not. You’re excited because it’s a big deal for Art by Jimmy Miller these teams. It’s just a whole lot of fun.”

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Sports return to practice

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SLOAN WUTTKE/THE CAMPANILE

Peloton craze

Students are allowed to practice contact-heavy sports again.

Virtual cycling classes rise in popularity among the Paly community.

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When COVID-19 shut down most of the U.S. last March, it didn’t discriminate who would be affected: kindergartners, executives, chefs and National Basketball Association superstars alike were suddenly confined to their homes with little idea of when a return to normal could be possible.

Sports leagues, including the NBA, decided to suspend their seasons. The NBA eventually reopened in a bubble format with a small group of teams going to one area, quarantining there and not leaving except in the case of an emergency. Players got tested frequently, and no fans were allowed in the stands.

This solution allowed NBA players to play games and fans to watch games live. However, the league caught players breaking protocol — and their carelessness may just ruin the bubble altogether.

Sorry Charles Barkley, but your opinion that athletes deserve the highest priority for vaccines doesn’t hold water. If players are showing such little respect for the guidelines, they do not deserve to get vaccines before students or people who have preexisting conditions.

While Barkley does not speak for the NBA, and the NBA did say players will not get the vaccine before the general public, it is clear professional basketball players need, and deserve, the vaccine far less than others.

In fact, the NBA should take decisive action when it comes to player transgressions regarding COVID-19 protocol. The Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden was caught on social media partying at a strip club without a mask. Kyrie Irving and Lou Williams were also caught maskless at strip clubs.

Irving missed five straight games due to claims that he was switching gears and dealing with more personal issues. ESPN analyst Steven A. Smith said Irving should retire if he didn’t care enough about his profession to take COVID-19 precautions.

But as unethical as it sounds, money guides the NBA. If a player violates the NBA COVID-19 rules, they should be suspended for at least five games, whether or not they test positive or negative for COVID-19 afterward. And because many players don’t care how many games they are suspended for as long as they continue to make money, the suspensions should be without pay.

The NBA is a multi-billion dollar organization that thrives on athletes raising viewers, but incidents like these should not be swept under the carpet. By breaking COVID-19 protocol, the players are not only at risk of infecting others, they are also at risk of catching the virus themselves.

Leaving the bubble for a non-emergency is already a bad sign. To make matters worse, these players are shirking their responsibilities to party maskless during a pandemic. COVID-19 should not be taken lightly, and the players need to either step it up or face the consequences.

This is not about who should get doses of the vaccine more quickly. It’s about who needs and deserves them.

NBA players are young and athletic, and their immune system is strong enough to potentially fight off COVID-19. The people who are already suffering from preexisting conditions and the elderly deserve more doses of the vaccine than rule-breaking NBA players.

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

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GIANNA BROGLEY / THE CAMPANILE

Keeping pace. The girls swim team is in action.

Joy Xu

Staff Writer The swimming and diving team is reentering the pool just as Santa Clara County enters the red COVID-19 tier. With 65 students combined across the varsity and junior varsity teams, these athletes are practicing diligently, with varsity athletes in the pool nine times a week, junior Audrey Teo said.

“We have practice for an hour before school on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, and we have two, hour-long practices right after school as well as on Saturday morning,” Teo said.

The team has three training groups, two for varsity and one for junior varsity, where the boys and girls on each team practice together.

Within varsity, there are Varsity A girls and Varsity A boys in one group, and Varsity B girls and Varsity B boys in another group. The JV boys and girls practice in the final group.

The athletic department continues to implement changes to the practice schedule due to COVID-19 restrictions, though practices already differ from those before the pandemic began.

“Obviously you can’t swim with masks on, so we make sure to social distance when we’re on the pool deck, and we wear our masks when we are outside of the pool,” Teo said.

“When we are inside the water, we make sure to limit it to two swimmers per lane who start on opposite sides of the pool to decrease close contact.”

On the week of March 22, the swim team plans to attend a virtual swim meet where schools will send in swim times to compete.

“It’s not too hard to practice swimming during COVID-19, as we can still use the same equipment, we just have to be more spaced out,” varsity team captain Hana Erickson said.

On Feb. 10, a swimmer tested positive for COVID-19 and all of this person’s close contacts quarantined and got tested. It turned out that the swimmer had received a false positive test. Many of the other swimmers quarantined for 10 days just to be safe.

Despite the rough patches, the swim team is still managing to communicate with each other and maintain their Paly team spirit.

“Being spaced out has made it hard to get to know everyone on the team, however, I’ve come to know and become close to the girls on my side of the pool because it’s a smaller group of us,” Erickson said. “We still find a way to make the most of the situation and during practice, we have plenty of spirit.”

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Hustle back. Junior Agnes Mar steps back onto the court after returning a difficult shot.

Anaya Bhatt Staff Writer

The girls tennis team kicked off the start of its season on Feb. 1, five months later than the season would start in a normal year. Varsity coach Andy Harader said he is optimistic about the team’s performance despite the delay.

“I am really impressed with all the girls,” Harader said. “They’ve been able to keep up with their game which is pretty great considering most clinics and lessons were cancelled. It’s tough, but we’ve had to make due with what we have, and we’ve done pretty well.”

This year the tennis season is condensed into fewer weeks in addition to being delayed.

“In a normal year, the season starts in August and runs until November,” Harader said.

“We started in February and will end in April giving us only six weeks, in which we’ve only been able to fit 12 league matches. In a regular year, we would have played at least 20.”

In a typical year the team plays with CCS in mind as an end goal, but given the shorter season as well as COVID-19 exposure guidelines, CCS championships will not happen this year. Hararder said this year, the team plays to have fun and train for next season.

Junior Diana Narancic said this year the focus falls more upon perfecting skills and applying lessons learned.

Narancic said, “Obviously it’s fun to win, but I think we’re just playing whatever teams we can play and getting experience because you can practice, but the only way you can really apply it is by playing matches, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

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Gaither, a three-season athlete, is one of many who have adopted the Peloton Bike as their main way of working out.

She started riding a Peloton right as quarantine started to stay in shape.

“When we got our Peloton in March, I started using it right away just because I’m used to playing sports yearround, and I didn’t have that,” Gaither said. “So it was pretty much what I used throughout quarantine.”

The Peloton bike, a trendy piece of fitness hardware popular among some Paly athletes, is constructed like a stationary spin bike but with a large touchscreen attached to the handlebars that allows the user to participate in live workout classes virtually. These classes, which can be both live and recorded, vary in intensity and duration and are mostly structured in the form of interval training.

Peloton, founded in 2012 and backed by a Kickstarter campaign, has exploded in popularity in recent months. The company sells a treadmill and a stationary bike –– the latter being far more popular, at a price point of $1,895.

Users pay an additional $12.99 to participate in the classes which are also available through an app. In November 2020, the company announced it had seen a 232% increase in sales and is still experiencing supply issues due to such high demand.

These classes and their notoriously enthusiastic instructors are the main selling points differentiating Peloton from other spin bikes. Junior and tennis player Diana Narancic said the instructional aspect of the workout is what keeps Peloton users like her excited and engaged.

“The people who instruct the classes are super energetic and motivating,” Narancic said. “I think it makes it really fun. It’s fun exercise.”

Gaither also said the inspirational atmosphere of the classes, especially during quarantine, is important to keep people motivated.

“The instructors would kind of tell you, ‘All right, we’re getting through it together. We’re all doing this,’” Gaither said. “It’s just nice to kind of have that reassurance.”

Along with the appeal of the virtual classes, some Pelotoners like senior rower Charles Mitz use the bike as a way to cross-train. Over quarantine, Mitz said he did a lot of road cycling but recently has been spending more time on his Peloton.

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“I like to do power zone endurance rides because the instructors for those classes actually know how training works,” Mitz said.

Despite this, Mitz often opts out from the classes and uses the “Just Ride” feature, which allows him to ride without instruction.

“At one point when I was clocking like 10-12 hours a week on the bike, I would use the ‘Just Ride’ setting because I knew my own training plan,” Mitz said. “The classes are great for the audience it’s intended for, people who are trying to stay in shape. But not as much for athletes who are trying to get into better shape.”

Peloton bikes also have features that allow users to interact with other riders. Users can see the leaderboard on their ride, dish out digital high fives or join clubs to workout with people they know.

PE teacher Sheri Mulroe, a self-proclaimed “complete and total exercise addict,” got her Peloton ahead of the curve in 2018. Coming from a competitive cycling background, one of her favorite parts of the stationary bike is the social aspect.

“Knowing that I’m going to get on that live ride tomorrow at 6 a.m., and my friends are going to be there at 6 a.m., and I told them I would be there at 6 a.m. is motivating,” Mulroe said. “That’s going to force me to get on early and get warmed up because I want to feel good about my ride.”

Ben Antonow Staff Writer

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Members of the dance team haven’t let social distancing or virtual competitions take away from their dedication to the sport.

“We actually start in the summer and do outside dance camp . . . we did that over Zoom, and then we started (the season) over Zoom in August,” junior Riley Herron said. “We went in person for maybe two months, and we’ve been on Zoom since then.”

According to Alanna Williamson, the Paly dance coach, having in-person dance practices outdoors and distanced once a week still felt like a big risk even during the dips in county COVID-19 levels. The team decided to drop in person practices and instead practice virtually when COVID-19 rates spiked during the winter.

“Zoom is great (for us) because you

can’t pass a football through Zoom, but we can do pretty much everything if your personal space is big and you have the room,” Williamson said. “You can take dance classes totally fine over Zoom and I’d say the biggest challenge is the music, because of the lag.”

Dance competitions look different this year, too. The process for preparing for a virtual competition is similar to that of a regular one in that the team must find a choreographer, get costumes and put together the routine, but this year’s process will be produced on a significantly smaller (and less stressful) scale.

“We’re making a concept video, which is the category they made this year for COVID-19,” Herron said.

According to Herron, the team is creating a music video style presentation of clips of each dancer performing, which will be stitched together with special effects and visuals to make it more engaging and hopefully secure a win.

PHOTO BY RILEY HERRON

Strike a pose. The dance team spaces out for a group photo during an in-person practice.

“We started over Zoom in August, went in person for maybe two months and then we’ve been on Zoom since then,” Herron said.

The competition will be on March 26 and the team will tune in virtually to watch the performances.

After spring break, the team will begin working on their annual spring show; the show will be virtual this year, and the team hopes to showcase it in a drive-in movie style if possible.

“It is still really hard to learn through Zoom and do things so quickly.” Williamson said. “I’m just really impressed by the dancers this year and how hard they’ve continued to work.”

Friday, March 19, 2021

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s students finished up another day of remote or hybrid school on March 16, the boys and girls soccer teams prepared for something new: their first in-person games in more than a year.

Since California officials moved Santa Clara county into the less restrictive COVID-19 red tier in February, contactheavy sports have returned over the past couple weeks, including football and soccer.

Full contact practices and training for both the football and soccer teams have been able to use practice time for contact-heavy training which students were not able to participate in during the lockdown.

Junior Brighid Baker, who plays for the girls soccer team, said her team is using the opportunity to start gamerealistic practices.

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before lockdown,” Baker said.

Baker said she is also looking forward to returning to the supportive atmosphere of populated Paly home games with students in the bleachers.

“At away games we’re not really expecting much support from the crowd,” Baker said. “But we’re excited for home games, which usually have a lot more energy.”

Returning athletes, including Baker, say the reopening of sports has helped rekindle the familiar feeling of being on sports teams and return life closer to a state of normalcy.

“It’s really nice to be able to be a part of something in school again, to put on that jersey,” Baker said. “And it’s great to be able to do something with friends that isn’t remote and online.”

According to the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s proposed schedule, football will resume play until April 17 and other returning sports’ seasons will end on April 23.

Baker said she is excited to see where the season goes and to continue playing with the team.

“People enjoy being back on the field,” Baker said. “And due to our early win on Tuesday, we feel driven to play and win.”

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“Since tryouts, we’ve been doing scrimmage matches between our players to see how we do in a full game and prepare for them,” Baker said.

These types of practices, which are also used by the football team, allow students to be prepared for games during the season despite having been largely unable to play during the one year that quarantine has lasted.

However, Paly has not allowed the sports to reopen with out restrictions. In order to reduce the risk of players being infected by the novel coronavirus, all Paly athletes must follow a mask mandate during practices held at school.

Junior and girls soccer team member Mariana Kessinger said the mask requirement, while a deviation from normal play, has not hindered the team’s ability.

“Wearing masks while playing is different, but once you get over that, it’s alright,” Kessinger said.

However, Baker said the mask mandate does not extend to games played against other schools since those schools often don’t have the same athletic requirements Paly does.

The girls soccer game on Tuesday between Paly and Los Altos High School, for one, did not implement a strict mask policy.

“We weren’t required to have masks on during the game,” Baker said. “It could be seen as dangerous, but many of us chose to wear masks just to be safe.”

Kessinger said the return to in-person contact sports has felt comparable to sports seasons before lockdown for her and her teammates.

“We still have to wear masks, but practices are pretty normal,” Kessinger said.

Baker said the transition to full-contact, inperson practices has also allowed some athletes who had not played the sport for an extended period of time to regain their former comfort with their sport. Coaches have intentionally allowed time for players to regain confidence while playing by keeping the earliest practices in a friendly, relaxed environment.

“It was a bit awkward for some of us who hadn’t played in a while,” Baker said, “but it was really nice to see those people connect with the ball. Practices were initially kept light to allow us to get more comfortable... even though some of us hadn’t been playing.”

Baker said she felt playing an in-person game against another team after the extended season hiatus was unusual because teammates had been unable to see each others’ skill level and progress.

“It was a bit rough at some points because we were playing against another team for the first time in a while … and we weren’t sure how they would play since we haven’t played them since

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After starting its season on Feb. 8, the girls golf team has maintained its winning streak from last year after playing its first three matches this season.

The team defeated Lynnbrook 185-234 on Feb. 22, Monta Vista 193-233 on Feb. 24 and Los Gatos 181-214 on March 2. Multiple athletes hit three under par for a 34 during the matches.

Head coach Doyle Knight said he is confident in his team’s ability to win its remaining six matches.

Knight said all of the players are capable of shooting under par in any given match.

“All of our players are in the top 10 in our league with the exception of (one player) who (ranks 23),” Knight said. “Anytime a team can have all six of their players in the top 25 is a very good team.”

Knight is not worried about the future of the team. He said the freshman girls have great potential to continue their winning streak after this year.

“We have had an addition of a couple new freshmen this year, who I’m very encouraged will keep our team solid for the next few years,” Knight said.

In addition to having great athletes, Knight said he’s been lucky to have so many good people on his team.

“Not only are they great players, they are also great people,” Knight said. “They care about and encourage each other all the time. I’m so proud of them.”

Junior Lauren Sung said she is sure the team will remain undefeated. She said all the girls are putting in the work to do so.

“The top six girls all have practices outside (of Paly), and I know a lot of the other girls also practice a lot,” Sung said.

With a late start to the season, Sung said there wasn’t time for team bonding.

“It felt like we went right into the season and didn’t really have that much practice time to hang out with the other girls,” Sung said.

“Before it was a lot better because we were able to go out, do more team bonding, and go on the course and play with each other. Now with Covid, it’s not as safe to do so.”

Despite this year’s season starting abruptly and no post-season, Sung said she is excited about winning as a team.

“We’re looking forward to completing our winning streak and having fun,” Sung said. “Normally with golf it is an individual sport.

But when you play on a high school team, it’s obviously really fun because everybody else plays golf too, and you get to hang out together.”

The Campanile

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Seniors James Fetter and Alex Selwyn warm up for their cross country practice, stepping over hurdles on the Paly track. Head coach Michael Davidson said his teams have had to balance district, county and state health guidelines while maximizing its training opportunities.

Already in the last few weeks of their season, the cross country teams have been maximizing both their training opportunities and COVID-19 precautions.

Head coach Michael Davidson said his teams have had to balance district, county and state health guidelines while maximizing its training opportunities.

Davidson said this means, above all, maintaining social distancing precautions, keeping masks on at all times and creating small running cohorts.

The teams, once numbering around 160 athletes, is now halved. Davidson said he thinks that’s because freshmen have not flocked to the teams like in previous years. But junior Dana

Toussieh said she sees both the positive and negative sides of this significant drop.

“The team is much smaller because it’s almost entirely returners, so we haven’t gotten much new blood,” Toussieh said. “But because of COVID-19, we’ve had to split into small running groups, and the smaller team makes that so much less complicated.”

Toussieh also said running in masks is a challenge because it interrupts her breathing, and she can only take hers off when she’s isolated from others.

Despite all the difficulties, the teams have managed to keep competing, even if in a shorter, more condensed style. Schools are permitted to compete in dual meets called Super Saturdays, where two teams compete in distances one or two miles shorter than normal.

“The kids have performed very well this season, especially the varsity boys,” Davidson said.

“They, along with the girls varsity team, are probably some of the strongest teams in the league.”

Davidson said the boys varsity team has won each of its Super Saturday events, and he thinks they have a chance to win their final event on March 20. Based off the Super Saturday results and rankings, the girls varsity team has unofficially placed first or second as well.

“I’m really proud of the way these kids have responded to the challenges of COVID-19,” Davidson said. “They’ve been really flexible and done a great job in adhering to the regulations that have been placed upon them, and it’s been really fun being able to watch them do the sport that they love.”

The Campanile

Friday, March 19, 2021

Sports

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“There are no “in person” visits or viewing tournaments for almost all recruits, depending on where you live,” Shah said.

“Due to this, most of us had to individually take action in putting ourselves out there, by sending highlights videos, game film, workouts, etc. In terms of my recruitment process, there were a lot more phone calls and zoom meetings. I was constantly sending stuff out to coaches and putting tapes on social media.”

Shah said she has not officially visited Cal Poly but is staying connected virtually.

“I went on zero official visits, but instead I had Zoom visits where my parents and I and the coaches of the womens basketball program met to discuss academics and athletics,” Shah said. “On top of that, usually programs will give you an offer during your official visit, but I was offered during my Zoom visit. Thankfully, my college was close, so my family and I made a day trip to walk around campus and the area to get a feel for the atmosphere, but it was still different since the campus was empty, and we couldn’t really get a true tour experience.”

Shah said with the recruitment process being so different this year, social media was a huge part of her recruitment process.

According to Shah, keeping a good reputation on social media is always important, but particularly so this year since coaches and players cannot meet in person.

“As a high school athlete, coaches are always looking at how you represent yourself on social media,” Shah said. “Personally, I choose to keep my social media usage primarily on just basketball, so anyone looking can see my progress and dedication to the game. Continually posting highlights and workout videos are crucial to gain college coaches’ attention.”

Head basketball and assistant varsity baseball coach Pete Colombo has similar thoughts on social media, saying it is important recruits utilize their social media to advertise who they are as a person.

“They are looking at the content in terms of attitude, language used, videos posted, belief systems. Remember most college coaches are recruiting a person first, athlete second,” Colombo said. “Sure, kids need to be talented but college coaches do not want to deal with bad attitudes, head cases, etc. It is absolutely true that an athlete’s social media tells a story, paints a narrative of that athlete as a person and how he or she would fit into that college’s culture.

And yes, colleges do go back in time and look at all past posts.”

Shah also has tips for athletes who hope to be recruited in the future, many of whom are dealing with the same hardships she is.

“College coaches want to see progress and dedication to your sport — in other words, constant clips of you in the gym working out,” Shah said.

“When they see this continuous repetition, they can understand

and see the time you sacrifice for your sport, and the hard work you put in daily. More directed outside of sports, any little spotting of alcohol or drugs in a picture, even if it was not yours, will automatically direct the coach’s attention away from you. Coaches will infer a lot of things about a player if any bad thing is seen, so as an athlete, you should never surround yourself with that kind of stuff and those kinds of people.”

Next College Student Athlete Recruiting Coach Manager Dan Doyle agrees, saying recruits should use their social media to positively promote themselves and their performance by posting videos, upcoming game schedules and other sport-related content.

“Recruits should absolutely be aware of what they’re posting, tweeting, retweeting, sharing,” Doyle said. “It doesn’t need to be your original post or thought for a college coach to hold it against you on why they don’t want to recruit you. Rule of thumb is, if you’re unsure or if you don’t want your parents to see what you’re posting, you shouldn’t post.”

Doyle also said college coaches and potential recruits have had to adapt a lot while recruiting in a pandemic. He said coaches have had to find new ways to evaluate talent while recruits are being forced to search for new ways to get noticed by a college coach.

“Up until a year ago, the traditional recruiting process was a college coach evaluates a recruit at an event or online through film, contacts them electronically and then works to get them on campus,” Doyle said.

“Over the last year, much of this has been disrupted by COVID-19. College coaches now must rely on older game film along with skill or workout footage to evaluate recruits until recruits get back to playing a normal season. Campus visits have been replaced with virtual tours and Zoom meetings between recruits and college coaches and their team.”

Doyle said coaches are having to turn more to digital resources such as Hudl and Twitter to find, evaluate and connect with athletes. He said the NCSA is also helping coaches this year by working with them to find film and information on recruits all on a single database.

“Up until a year ago, the traditional recruiting process was a college coach evaluates a recruit at an event or online through film, contacts them electronically and then works to get them on campus,” Doyle said.

“Over the last year, much of this has been disrupted by COVID-19. College coaches now must rely on older game film along with skill or workout footage to evaluate recruits until recruits get back to playing a normal season. Campus visits have been replaced with virtual tours and Zoom meetings between recruits and college coaches and their team.”

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Olivia Ericsson

Senior Staff Writer