PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
The Campanile
Vol. C, No. 5
Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2017
www.thecampanile.org
Sup. search firm chosen By John Tayeri
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Staff Writer
fter former Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Max McGee announced his resignation earlier this fall, the school board has appointed Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), a leadership firm from Illinois, to manage the hiring process of a new superintendent. Four firms, including HYA, McPherson & Jacobson, Ray and Associates and Leadership Associates, all ran for the position. Leadership Associates had organized the last two superintendent searches for PAUSD, and they selected Kevin Skelly in 2007 and Max Mcgee in 2014. On Nov. 28, each of the four firms made 20-minute presentations to the school board followed by 40 minutes of questions. After the presentations, the school board unanimously voted in favor of HYA. The firm was established in 1987, and it has conducted over 1,200 school board searches. years.
Superintendent
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New courses offered for next school year District appoints new Title IX coordinator Weighted honors and AP courses introduced to course catalog By Kennedy Herron Staff Writer
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our new classes, including AP English Language, will be implemented at the start of the 2018-19 school year to provide students with more options for weighted honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. According to Principal Kim Diorio, three additional classes — Human Anatomy and Physiology, AP Research, and Publication Leadership and Management Honors — will also be added to the course catalog. Additionally, the administration is exploring ways to credit visual and performing arts classes with weighted grades.
"I definitely would have taken more APs if I could have." Alana Abeyta
While the English Department is still discussing the details of the AP English Language course, Assistant Principal Adam Paulson confirms the class will officially launch next school year. “AP English Language came about for the equity and access,
and trying to get more kids into AP English classes,” Diorio said. “One of our school goals is to get more of our underserved kids in our honors and AP courses. AP English Literature is really for a certain type of student, and I think AP English Language will have a broader appeal.” While the existing AP English Literature and World Literature classes involve an exceptional amount of reading and analyzing, AP English Language will focus on the writing and rhetoric involved in nonfiction texts and graphic images. Students will mainly practice argumentative essays to develop their own writing style, according to the course description from the College Board. The course will most likely be offered to juniors and seniors as a weighted class. However, there is still debate over whether adding the course will discourage students from enrolling in unweighted English electives; solutions to this ongoing problem include adding honors components to all English electives or possibly even converting American Literature Honors to an unweighted elective. The thought behind these options is to incentivise students to take courses for the content rather than the effects the final grade may have on students’ GPA. “I think [AP English
Language] might be a helpful class if it's focused on writing because that might help [with] our college essays,” said sophomore Alana Abeyta. “Also, since it helps your
"AP English Language came about for the equality and access, and trying to get more kids into AP English classes." Kim Diorio
GPA, people might want to take it for that reason.” “I think we definitely hear that there’s a desire for more APs, and yet at the same time, as teachers, we’re all struggling with [the fact that] if we add APs it will just increase the competitiveness,” Diorio said. The introduction of a new AP Capstone Designation feature on students’ college applications allows for students to receive acknowledgement by indicating that they have taken AP Seminar, AP Research and four additional AP courses. This opens up the possibility of sophomores registering for AP
New courses
Board assigns Megan Farrell to oversee harrassment issues By Peyton Wang
Science & Tech Editor
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s Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) works toward improving its policies aimed at reducing and investigating incidents of sexual harassment, it recently named a new full-time Title IX coordinator, Megan Farrell. “The District has faced many Title IX challenges in the past,” Farrell said in an email. “It has confronted these challenges through the Office for Civil
Rights investigation, and it is poised to become a leader in how the K-12 sector enforces Title IX.” Title IX, a comprehensive federal law, outlaws gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. Farrell took over for the District’s previous Title IX coordinator, John DiPaolo, who temporarily oversaw PAUSD’s compliance with Title IX since June of 2017. According to a Palo Alto Online article, Interim Superintendent Karen Hendricks announced Farrell’s appointment during a school
board meeting on Oct. 24, and Farrell’s official term began on Nov. 6. For over 15 years, Farrell has worked in higher education in both public and private educational institutions as a university counsel, faculty member and Title IX coordinator. Previously, she worked for T9 Mastered, a firm in Sacramento that covers the protocol for properly dealing with Title IX investigations. She also served as a counsel to Hirschfeld
New Coordinator
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Annual Madrigal Feaste to preview
Paly Choir to host concert in Performing Arts Center
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GOP tax bill limits funding for education PAUSD faces possible cuts due to impact on housing market By Renee Hoh
News & Opinion Editor
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olorful posters embellish the bare walls of the classroom and hundreds of new crayons sit neatly inside the drawer. These types of decorations, so typical of elementary school classrooms, reflect both the time and money contributed by teachers. It’s not unusual for teachers to dig into their own pockets for classroom supplies. However, this picture-perfect classroom may soon be more difficult to create. Currently, teachers get a modest break on their federal income taxes if they spend money on supplies, but the tax bill recently passed by the House of Representatives would eliminate that deduction, just one of many proposals on Capitol Hill that could impact students in the
INSIDE
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) for years to come. Under current law, teachers can deduct $250 from their income before they calculate their tax bill. While the House’s legislation would eliminate that deduction, the Senate bill pushes to double the deduction from $250 to $500. This discrepancy is one of many being negotiated now between the House and the Senate. “While California is expecting to lose more teachers to retirement and changes in career, our government chooses to take away the pennies from teachers and make it even harder ‘to create incentives to get bright young people to join our profession,’” Eric Bloom, Paly history and social science teacher, wrote in an email. “Luckily, since most people who choose careers in education don’t do it for money or glory, I believe the changes in
tax law won’t do much but grow the deficit.” Proponents of the House tax bill argue eliminating various deductions, including the one for teachers, allows for greater tax cuts across America, especially for lower-income families. Opponents note the wealthiest Americans would benefit the most from the proposed changes. Under both the House and Senate bills, Californians could expect to pay federal taxes on the entirety of their income rather than receiving a deduction for California state taxes. Similarly, there will be a limit to the deduction for property taxes, which is a primary source of funding for the school district. In addition, the final bill could limit deductions for interest paid on large home
GOP tax bill
Opinion
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MICHAEL NAJAR/USED WITH PERMISSION
Junior Jessica Weiss and seniors Ida Sunneras-Jonsson, Katie Look and Sam Guernsey star in the Feaste.
By Kesi Sound
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Lifestyle Editor
ontinuing a tradition lasting more than 50 years, the Paly Choir will host its annual Madrigal Feaste concert on Dec. 9 and 10 at 2 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center, followed by a complimentary tea service. Similarly to previous years, the performance will focus on the subject of King Henry VIII through singing and interspersed dialogue. However, this year the show will have an emphasis on Henry’s coronation from Prince to King in particular, and his search for love. Tickets for the performance are sold at three different price points. For students, the worth-
Lifestyle
it winner seems to be the student ticket, discounted to merely $15. However, for those who are not students or are looking to engage in a more luxurious experience, Nobility and Royal Tea tickets are priced at $35 and $135 respectively. Upgrading to these options means attendees will receive more food and be able to listen to an exclusive performance by the choir. However, all tickets include food, and senior and Madrigal performer Katie Look advises audiences to “come hungry.” “There’s a student discount, so student tickets are actually really affordable,” Look said. The performance is sure to hold many memorable songs for audiences. “I’m super excited for ‘The
Science & Tech
Rune of Hospitality,’” said senior and Feaste performer Sam Kim. “It’s super funky and most of us love to sing it.” “The Rune of Hospitality” is an adaptation of an Irish poem that illustrates the importance of giving. “It’s super exciting because it's such a funky collection of chords and rhythms along with guitar accompaniment,” Kim said. Like Kim, Look is also excited for audiences to hear the feaste’s music. “We’ve been working really hard on a lot of amazing music,” Look said. “One piece that will definitely be really cool is Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest.’ It has been sung at British coronations for over 200 years, so I’m really excited to be singing it.”
Sports
this edition
News. . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5
PHOTO BY NELL KING/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Rejection Wall
The Rejection Wall at Paly is a good example of mistake-based learning. PAGE A6
PHOTO BY LEILEIHA/PUBLIC DOMAIN
PXHERE/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Appeal of 'Stranger Things'
Intersection of art and tech
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PAGE B8
The reasoning behind the attraction to the popular TV show.
Explore how technological devices have impacted artists' techniques.
PHOTO BY PIXELIA/CC0 1.0
Horseback riding
Tracking Paly students' involvement in one of the world's oldest sports. PAGE C1