Issue 2, 10/12/15

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

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCVIII, No. 2

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

Monday, October 12, 2015

PAUSD accused of PE inconsistencies District allegedly falls short of state’s time requirements; faces preliminary injunction

College Awareness Day nears ALICE ZHAO

STAFF WRITER

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JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

Students K- 6 are required to partake in 200 minutes of physical education every 10 school days according to state law. PAUSD has been sued for failing to meet this require ment.

JEREMY FU

ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF

P

alo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is one of 90 school districts being sued for failing to meet a California state law which requires schools to provide students in grades K-6 with 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days, according to court documents filed with the San Francisco Superior Court.

Attorney Donald Driscoll, who represents the plaintiffs Cal200 and Marc Babin in their suit against the 90 districts, said that their mission is to advocate for the right of children to receive physical education as part of school curriculum.

“We want to get kids the physical education they need ­— to ensure that their health and their ability to be good students is protected,” Driscoll said. “Educators agree on this. In fact, many experts recommend more than 200 minutes every 10 school days.

That’s only 20 minutes a day.”

Driscoll said Cal200 plans to file a motion on Oct. 12 for preliminary injunction against PAUSD and other school districts named in the suit. If approved, the injunction would force the district to immediately comply with state law.

Driscoll said his group would “set forth evidence that clearly shows that the PAUSD is out of compliance.”

He said his group is “trying to get the district to act now and not wait

while the case goes through the court system.”

PAUSD Superintendent Max McGee said the district is in compliance with state law regarding physical education and maintains that Palo Alto has a culture that supports physical health and wellbeing which translates into the district.

“We are speaking to our lawyers later this week,” McGee said. “I think we are in compliance — our students are receiving 200 minutes every 10 days. From what I’ve been given by the elementary principals and middle school principals, we are compliant.”

Cal200 is an unincorporated association headed by Babin, an Alameda resident who has not had children in California schools for 20 years.

Driscoll began to push for physical education laws in 2010, when he filed a similar suit against Albany Unified School District for failing to provide his third-grade son with the proper amount of physical education. The suit resulted in a ruling by a California Court of Appeals that said parents and community members could sue a school district if it failed to provide the required minutes of physical education.

The organization filed similar suits against other California school districts in October and November 2013 to force school districts to meet the standard, with considerable success, according to Driscoll.

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LAWSUIT

ollege Awareness Day (CAD) will be hosted at Palo Alto High School on Oct. 14, where seniors will attend college workshops, juniors will be taking the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) and underclassmen are not required to attend school. On CAD, students will enjoy a minimum day ending at 12:15 p.m.

This year, seniors will have flexibility in how they choose to allocate their time during CAD. Seniors have the opportunity to attend up to two college workshops during two distinct sessions. Four workshops are available during the first session, and six workshops are available during the second session. During the first session, there will be a college application Q&A session with College Advisor Sandra Cernobori and Guidance Counselor Charles Taylor, a UC and CSU applications workshop with College Advisor Alice Erber and Guidance Counselor Selene Singares, a financial literacy workshop with Star One Credit Union and a college essay workshop in which seniors can have their essays proofread by several Paly teachers. The second session will offer all four workshops offered in the first session along with a college interviews workCOLLEGE

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Project-based program branches out New grade ranking

Course provides research opportunities beyond the hard sciences

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

The original research-based class, SRP, was the inspiration for the new AAR program.

ETHAN TEO

SPORTS EDITOR

T

he Advanced Authentic Research (AAR) program will be launched in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) this year, accepting approximately 45 students out of about 150 student applicants from both Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School into the program.

The new program, which is similar to Paly’s Science Research Projects (SRP) course, allows students to conduct independent research projects.

While both AAR and SRP emphasize a style of education called “project-based learning,” AAR extends to subjects outside of science.

“We [took] applications for students who have a topic that they really want to research in depth, be it in the sciences, the social sciences,

the arts or the humanities, and we [will] match these students with an off-campus mentor,” PAUSD Superintendent Max McGee said.

Unlike SRP, AAR is not a course that can be taken on campus, but is rather an extracurricular activity that requires approximately three hours of work per week. Despite being an off campus course, AAR will still count for 10 Career Technical Education credits. Next year, according to McGee, the program may be incorporated into the school’s curriculum as a 7th period class at Paly.

The program was founded with the intention of promoting self-exploration by giving students access to an authentic research process. Jeong Choe, the AAR program coordinator, believes that the real world applicability that programs such as AAR offer is an important facet to a successful education.

“Oftentimes, you’ll learn about things without knowing their implications,” Choe said. “Students need the opportunity to integrate knowledge and start making connections with their prior knowledge. I think it’s really important in education to have time to reflect and understand real life applications.”

Besides giving students tools to thrive in the real world, AAR also focuses on allowing students to pursue their individual interests, which McGee sees as a crucial aspect of learning.

“The biggest benefit is that students are going to learn about a topic that deeply matters to them, and that they will have something more to show for it rather than just a grade,” McGee said.

Some argue that the traditional classroom setting does not always provide the hands-on opportunities that AAR is more geared towards, leading many students to sign up for the program.

“Classes at school don’t give much opportunity to explore, but AAR will give resources and tools to help out with that,” sophomore Andrew Shieh, an AAR applicant, said.

McGee and Choe are not new to project-based learning. In fact, both were previously involved in the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) Student Inquiry and Research Program — another project-based learning program — and much of AAR’s inspiration stems from their experience at IMSA. McGee has also started similar projects overseas with students in Beijing and AAR

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system sparks debate Paly and Gunn to eliminate inconsistencies in grading

DAVID TAYERI

STAFF WRITER

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s soon as November, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) will take the next step in making Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn align their approaches to reporting grades to colleges, requiring Gunn to eliminate weighted GPAs. Both schools have already agreed to rank students based on unweighted GPA in just five groupings, a reduction for both Paly and Gunn.

The district is looking for student feedback as to whether Gunn should make the transition away from weighted grades.

“I am really interested in what students have to say,” PAUSD Superintendent Max McGee said. “I’ve already heard from students on both sides of the debate.”

McGee stressed the importance of Paly and Gunn eliminating inconsistencies, starting with each school’s profiles. A school profile is a brochure or flyer that includes information about the types of classes offered at the school, and how the student body performed in these classes.

“We’re a school district with a central vision and core beliefs,” McGee said. “The inconsistencies are a source of stress.”

Complete parity has yet to be achieved when it comes to the reporting of weighted and unweighted GPAs. Traditionally, Gunn counsellors have calculated a student’s weighted GPA in addition to their

unweighted GPA, at students’ request. The weighted GPA can then be provided to certain colleges that require it.

Weighted GPAs have recently come under fire as unnecessary and a cause of student stress. The administration maintains that having a weighted GPA may drive students to enroll in more honors and Advanced Placement classes than they can handle. However, some students feel that if weighted grades are eliminated, they are not being rewarded for taking advanced courses. A board decision in the next couple of months could make Gunn dispose of weighted grades altogether.

A detailed grading context — the breakdown of a class’s GPAs into ranges — seems to have been sacrificed in Paly’s newest profile. Only five categories will be used, as opposed to the 10 that Paly used last year.

McGee believes that Paly and Gunn’s reputations speak for themselves, and that overly detailed profiles with a lot of grading context are not useful to colleges.

“They know our school, they know our math and science academia, they know our partner schools,” McGee said.

Some students disagree and think that a lack of grading context can harm students.

“More categories would benefit high-performing students,” Paly junior Maya Lathi said. “[It would] distinguish them further from their classmates as dedicated individuals.”

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Check us out at www.palycampanile.org

NEWS

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A new grocery store may fill the space The Fresh Market left behind.

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Exploring senior Hannah Subegaís passion for hunting the supernatural.

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Bernie Sanders

The candidate with a socialist attitude has left a significant impact on politics.

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SPORTS

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NY vs. Bay Area Sports

Bay Area athletics are surpassing the previous powerhouses in New York.

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Monday, October 12, 2015

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NEWS TO KNOW

The Campanile

NEWS

Paly Homecoming dance relocated

Paly ASB looks to improve Spirit Week and Homecoming dance in spite of construction Nagar said. “All the classes are getting really excited about Spirit Week, too.

They’re all planning their floats and spirit week dances.”

ASB will also be making adjustments for Spirit Week because of the absence of the Big Gym. Since there is no location for the basketball rally, there will instead be a night rally.

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STAFF WRITER

F COURTESY OF BBC WORLDS

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@AP California to become fifth state to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives. @Reuters Thirty years after #Chernobyl disaster, the site has evolved into a nature reserve

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ollowing Club Day’s success, Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) has shifted focus to further improving Spirit Week and its Homecoming dance by slightly altering both events from past years.

ASB Vice President Anmol Nagar is excited for the new off-campus location for the Homecoming dance, which will not be hosted in the Small Gym this year due to construction.

Instead, the dance will take place in the Grand Hall on the second floor of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

“I’m super excited because it’s the first time in several years that it has been off-campus, which means it has a great venue and our food options will be really yummy,” Nagar said.

Homecoming will take place on Oct. 24, the Saturday after Spirit Week, so ASB is working on its finishing touches for homecoming.

According to Nagar, ASB Social Commissioners Claire Billman and Marilyn Valdez have been hard at work to ensure this year’s homecoming is as enjoyable for as many students as possible.

This year’s Spirit Week is going to be the biggest and best that it’s ever been.

Anmol Nagar

ASB Vice President

COURTESY OF COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG

This year’s Homecoming Dance is set to take place in the Computer History Museum.

ASB is optimistic that the new venue will prompt more students to attend this year’s Homecoming dance, thanks to a new and exciting update to the dance.

“Hopefully, with an off-campus location, our [attendance] numbers for Homecoming will continue to increase,” Nagar said. “Having it at a different venue that’s not the Small Gym offers students a new incentive to come. Also, the winner of Spirit

Week will be announced there, which adds extra excitement to it.”

In regards to Spirit Week, ASB is implementing new rules to include more people at rallies by increasing the number of people for many of the games, and to make Spirit Week increasingly more enjoyable.

“We’re trying this year to include even more people at Spirit Week rallies with bigger and more games to include a wider variety of people,”

“We have our first ever night rally at the football field on Wednesday night, and we will be playing some very exciting big group games during the night rally, and smaller games,” said Nagar. “It is neon so everyone should wear really bright colors.”

Everyone is meant to wear neon clothes for the Wednesday night rally.

All classes will be wearing the same bright colors. ASB is aiming to make Spirit Week one of the best ever.

“This year’s Spirit Week is going to be the biggest and best that it’s ever been,” Nagar said. “Shoutout to Reid [Walters, spirit commissioner,] and Cezanne [Lane, spirit commissioner,] for planning such a great week. I can’t wait!”

Laurene Powell Jobs donates to XQ Institute XQ’s Super School Project looks to rethink education system to better align with industries RACHEL FARN

BUSINESS MANAGER

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@Nouriel In front of the White House right now. US needs tighter gun controls @Breakingnews Police: 2 dead after employee shoots manager, then himself in southwest Houston market @FortuneMagazine Jordan Spieth’s golf caddie earned more than Tiger Woods this year

@NyTimesBusiness Forget smartphones, tablets and TV: More adults use AM and FM radio than any other media type @TWCBreaking BREAKING: USCG believe #ElFaro cargo ship was lost at sea in height of #Hurricane #Joaquin, after finding #debris.

I

n the last month, Laurene Powell Jobs, XQ Institute’s chair of the board of organization, committed $50 million to XQ: The Super School Project, a campaign to modernize and improve American public high schools.

According to its website, The Super School Project prompts parents, pioneers, entrepreneurs, teachers, business leaders, administrators, youth and education experts to help redesign American schools. Using knowledge and creativity from numerous people in different fields, the project aims to rethink the current education system and curriculum to make it more in tune with current industries.

The program’s website explains that “in the last 100 years … women have strengthened the work force,” “the US has welcomed nearly 250 million new people” and “we’ve gone from a model-T to a Tesla and a switchboard to a smartphone,” but “high school has stayed frozen in time.”

The project takes a start-from -scratch approach, hoping to completely rework America’s high

COURTESY OF NYTIMES.COM

Laurene Powell Jobs speaks about the future of education at Urban League College Track’s graduation ceremony in New Orleans.

schools. Founders of the project believe that modern industries value critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, innovation and self reliance. To improve alignment between schools and industries, the project hopes to make use of the American high school system to teach students these valuable skills.

“Together, we have an opportunity to help fuel a movement for students, to inspire great high schools and even to rethink school itself,” Jobs said in an interview with KCENTV. “Our passion at XQ is to help educators everywhere foster students who are curious, engaged and creative — armed

with the new literacies, knowledge and skills needed to thrive.”

Alongside Jobs is a team of advisors led by the XQ’s Chief Executive Officer Russlynn H. Ali, a former assistant secretary of the Office of Civil Rights in the Obama administration.

Teams of students, educators and leaders will submit ideas and plans to change schools over the next few months. By next fall, a group of judges will pick five to 10 ideas to finance.

The project will give money to build at least five new schools over the course of five years. These new schools will be public schools, but it is undecided whether or not to make them charter

Paly choir program presents its opening night concert at Stanford Memorial Church Religious choral pieces will be the focus at first, later a capella groups will shine MACKENZIE GLASSFORD

STAFF WRITER

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he Palo Alto High School choir program will give its first concerts of the year later this month, including a performance at the Stanford Memorial Church and its annual fall concert.

The first concert, which will be hosted at the Stanford Memorial Church, will feature choral pieces specifically centered around religion and will be performed by all the mini-departments within the program, including beginning choir and concert choir.

Spectrum, the all female ensemble, and Madrigals, a program for advanced singers, will also be performing.

Despite the fact that this concert is heavily influenced by religion, junior Taylor Duncan, a member of Spectrum and the a cappella group Folk Yes, is looking forward to and expecting a large turnout.

“We all have been working really hard in rehearsals and learning the music really well,” Duncan said.

“We’re all super excited for this concert.”

The second show will take place at the Grace Lutheran Church. In addition to showcasing all the main choir groups, this concert will also feature performances from Paly’s own independent a cappella groups, including the groups Vikapella, Folk Yes, Heartbeats, Heartbreakers and Froshapella.

Although the two concerts will feature much of the same music, the atmosphere of the two performances will be different.

We all have been working really hard in rehearsals and learning the music really well. We’re all excited for [our first concert].

Taylor Duncan Junior

“The difference between the Stanford concert and almost all of our other concerts is that at Stanford we sing choral music and people come out to listen and pray,” Duncan said.

“There is no clapping or anything after the songs. At our other concerts, especially the Pops concert, you can cheer and sing along and there’s definitely not as much of a religious influence.”

These two concerts will be the first performances after the loss of 24 seniors who graduated last year. Those who graduated, such as Sally Wang, Jaime Garcia and Maggie Peng, were consistently featured in solos, so students this year feel that they have big shoes to fill.

However, Duncan feels that they are all prepared to take on the challenge.

“As a whole, I don’t think the quality of our performances will be affected too much,” Duncan said. “Of course we are going to have to adjust to the loss of seniors, but we also gained a lot of wonderful new people this year who are all incredible singers, and I think we’re going to have an amazing year.”

The concert at Stanford Memorial Church will take place on Oct. 13, while the Grace Lutheran Church show will be held on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Tickets are sold at the door, and are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

“I am super excited for [these concerts] because [they] kick off our year of music and it’s just an exciting time,” Duncan said. “I love the feeling of singing and making music with my fellow peers.”

schools and where they will be located. According to Ali, a specific goal of the project is to narrow the incongruity in academic achievement between students of different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Founders of the project believe the gap between America’s education system is not only apparent to educators and people in the workforce, but also to students. They believe that what students want for their futures is far from what is offered in their high schools. The Super School Project, they hope to close that gap.

Cont. on palycampanile.org

UPCOMING EVENTS OCT

14

PSAT

Juniors, get pumped for a Wednesday full of fun and excitement!

OCT

SPIRIT WEEK BEGINS

OCT

HOMECOMING GAME VS. LOS GATOS

OCT

PALY HOMECOMING DANCE 2015

OCT

PALY CHOIR CONCERT

19 23 24 25

Songs will be sung, wars will be won.

Vikings will fly, Wildcats will die.

There’s nothing better than dancing with your teachers!

Who doesn’t like a Vike with a mic?

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

NEWS

A3

Andronico’s Community Market College Awareness Day students will participate in may open store at Edgewood Plaza Upperclassmen numerous college-related activities at school

After long seach, Sand Hill Property Company finds potential grocer

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

Andronico’s Community Markets plans to open new branch in Edgewood Plaza.

GILLIAN ROBINS

STAFF WRITER

T

he high-end grocer, Andronico’s Market, is currently in the process of signing a lease to replace The Fresh Market at Edgewood Plaza.

The Palo Alto community received word in mid-September of this possible grocery store in the plaza. John Tze of Sand Hill Property Company, a Bay Area real estate company responsible for finding a replacement, sent an email announcing Andronico’s efforts to move into Edgewood soon to Palo Alto resident, Diana Nemet, who had reached out to help find a new grocer. However, when the lease will be signed is undetermined.

“We absolutely love the Palo Alto community,” Andronico’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Suzy Mom-

ford said. “We are in early stages of talking with [Sand Hill Property Company], but we think it’s a terrific location and we’re hopeful, but it’s too soon make a prediction on if and when we are gonna come to terms.”

According to Palo Alto Online, since The Fresh Market closed, they have been searching to find a grocer that would lease the space paying at a higher rate than The Fresh Market paid Sand Hill Property.

Tze released a list of 40 grocers who turned down the offer to move into the space at Edgewood, Andronico’s included, according to Palo Alto Online. After the previous CEO of Andronico’s was replaced by Momford, Andronico’s reconsidered moving into the space at Edgewood Plaza.

After The Fresh Market closed last March, the process of finding a

grocer took over six months, and was kept largely under wraps. This was a difficult time for many Palo Alto residents without a market in close vicinity. Tze was unavailable to comment about the process.

“Grocers considering expansion don’t necessarily want to share their intentions until a deal is close to certainty, which was the case with Andronico’s,” Nemet said. “Although discussions were taking place between Andronico’s and [The Fresh Market], they weren’t able to share this information with our community, so it may have appeared to some that nothing was happening.”

Before closing in 2011, Andronico’s market existed at Stanford for 14 years and currently has a location in Los Altos, one of five in the Bay Area. According to Mumford, Andronico’s hopes to bring a Peet’s coffee bar, hot and cold food bars, grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, as well as a large amount of organic and local food to Edgewood through its store.

“If we were missing an ingredient for a much anticipated dish, my mom could simply send over my brother or I to Fresh Market to buy it,” junior Anish Patwardhan said. “[Andronico’s] would be the much needed centerpiece to Edgewood Plaza, and all of the new places popping up there.

Locals are looking forward to the prospective Andronico’s market to officially stake its claim in the new location, providing a convenient neighborhood market that is an anchor for the growing Edgewood Plaza.

Continued From A1 -shop with Guidance Counselor Paige Johnson and a community college workshop with Guidance Counselor Susan Schultz and Outreach Counselor Crystal Laguna.

Freshmen and sophomores will have no strict arrangements or workshops. In fact, Paly will not be taking attendance for freshmen, sophomores and seniors on CAD; however, the day remains a great opportunity for students to get schoolwork done.

According to Adam Paulson, Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning at Paly, the college essay workshop tends to be the most popular, as seniors can receive direct feedback on their college essays or get the support they need to overcome “writer’s block.”

“It’s [an] opportunity for [seniors] during the school day to get help with their college applications or post-high school planning,” Cernobori said. “There are people here willing to help you if you need help . . . Some students like to do [work on their applications at school] just so that there is one of us in the room if they have questions. [The Q&A session] is actually just a time to get stuff done. I usually answer some questions about logistics,and then we spend time actually having students on the computer, so they will either be working on their Common [Application] or looking for the school forms that they need.”

Juniors will be taking the redesigned PSAT, a preparatory version

of the new SAT, which will be administered this March.

The PSAT, also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), determines if a student is eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program, which can give students scholarship opportunities.

Juniors will be taking the redesigned PSAT, a preparatory version of the new SAT, which will be administered this March. Juniors who place in the 96th percentile within their own states, approximately the highest 50,000 scorers, will receive recognition as “commended scholars.” Among these 50,000 students, around 16,000 students nationwide are recognized as National Merit Semifinalists.

Freshmen and sophomores will have no strict arrangements or workshops. In fact, Paly will not be taking attendance for freshmen, sophomores and seniors on CAD. However, the day is still remains a great opportunity for students to get schoolwork done.

Juniors will be taking the redesigned PSAT, a preparatory version of the new SAT, which will be administered this March. “[The administration] is counting [on] you guys to come [to school] and utilize your time wisely,” Paulson said. “The resource centers will be open and teachers will be [on campus to assist students]. Students can to come to school and see teachers for extra help, almost like tutorial. [They] can use the time to get caught up on homework, make up tests in the test center or study with their friends.”

Lawsuit against PAUSD Paly debate team hosts tournament

Plaintiffs will file preliminary injunction

Congress-style Coast Forensic League event held for California teams

Continued From A1 tial compliance to Education Code Cal200 and Babin submitted a Public Records Act request in 2012 to PAUSD, asking for documentation of the minutes of physical education for students at all of the district’s schools.

McGee said the Public Records Act request did not explain the basis of Cal200’s lawsuit against the district, or how the organization came to its conclusion.

“We responded to the public records request and the next thing we knew, we were being sued,” McGee said. “They did not contact me. It certainly wasn’t communicated to anyone in my office.”

The response from the district shows compliance with state law.

Sample schedules for elementary, middle and high schools indicated that students receive at least 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days, with grades six through 10 receiving considerably more than the 200-minute requirement.

In 2015, Lozano Smith, a law firm under contract with PAUSD, responded to a uniform complaint filed

by Babin and Cal200, reasserting the district’s commitment and substan-

51210§.

“The district employs designated physical education teachers that provide physical education instruction to the district’s first through third grade students for 30 minutes each week and to the district’s fourth and fifth grade students for 70 minutes each week,” Lozano Smith attorney Steve Ngo wrote. “In addition to this specialized instruction, the district’s multi-subject teachers also provide physical education which, to the best of the district’s current knowledge and belief, substantially meets the 200-minute obligation.”

According to Driscoll, past lawsuits from Cal200 have achieved settlements that will provide students in California with “approximately a billion minutes” of physical education per year that they were previously denied, despite the requirements set forth by law.

“Why would they not fulfill their role to provide students with adequate physical education is beyond me,” Driscoll said. “The people who are not providing students with adequate physical education will talk about the importance of physical education and then they won’t provide it.”

JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE

Students from local schools listen to an ex-debater talk about congress-style rules.

JOSHUA NG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto High School hosted the 2015 Coast Forensic League (CFL) Fall Congress debate tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The tournament took place in the 800 building with participants from San Mateo, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz county schools.

The tournament ended with an awards ceremony starting at 8:15 p.m. The Paly debate team expected around 80 competitors to register as well as 20 judges and coaches from varying schools to help assess the participants.

There are about three of these league tournaments hosted every year, each tournament hosted by different schools associated with the CFL. Because Congress is the only type of debate offered in this tournament, the tournament is at a smaller scale than that of other league tournaments.

Although most members of the Paly debate team participate in Lincoln-Douglas debate, Paly started its Congress debate team just last year,.Consequently, the number of members participating in Congress debate is not nearly as prominent as the Lincoln-Douglas debate team.

A Congress debate style tournament has certain distinctions from

other styles of debate tournaments, straying from the style of the Lincoln-Douglas debate tournaments, which focus on debating over morals and values. Congress debate tournaments focus on debating over bills and laws, similar to a mock legislature.

Congress type debates are structured like persuasive essays. These debates consist of three parts, an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Because host teams usually do not participate in their own tournaments, members of the Paly debate team will be running the food vending, helping with the tabulation room and monitoring each classroom to ensure no foul play.

California CFL mandates Paly and other schools associated with the California CFL to host one debate tournament every two years. “[Paly] hosts [Student Congress Debate tournaments], as [Paly is] required by the speech and debate league — the California Coast Forensics League [CFL] — that we are members of,” Jennie Savage, the director of the Paly debate team said.

“Each school is required to host a speech or debate tournament once every two years.”

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

A4 NEWS Planned Parenthood accused of harvesting organs Healthcare provider criticized by Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina for profiting from fetal tissue

JORDAN SCHILLING/THE CAMPANILE

Planned Parenthood, a company dedicated towards providing assistance to pregnant women and mothers, is under investigation for selling fetus body parts for a large profit.

MASHA KONKOV

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A

merica’s leading public women’s healthcare provider is under fire for their methods of allocating taxpayer funds, after undercover videos were released and brought to national attention, leading to Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards’ questioning during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Sept.

29.

Whether valid or not, allegations about Planned Parenthood selling fetal body parts for research and for their own profit has caused an uproar and discontent, ranging from those in state governments to those in the House of Representatives.

At the Republican Presidential candidate debate on Sept. 29, the only female GOP candidate, Carly Fiorina, managed to bring abortion to the top of national headlines.

“Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking while someone says we will have to keep it alive to harvest its brain,” Fiorina said.

The series of videos Fiorina was referring to were released recently by a conservative anti-abortion group called the Center for Medical Progress. They show medical officials speaking in graphic detail about aborted fetuses and how their tissue may be used. According to The Atlantic, the idea here is that the “ick” factor may be able to change minds on the issue.

AAR provides for hands-on learning Continued From A1 Singapore, his experience has led him to conclude that project-based learning can be beneficial for all students, regardless of learning styles.

“I worked with students who [were] incredible introverts and they have done amazing research projects,” McGee said. “I worked with students who [were] advanced mathematicians and other students who were struggling to get Bs and Cs [in school]. I worked with one student who [temporarily] dropped out of high school on a research project on biodiesel, and this kid ended up going to the University of Michigan on an undergraduate research scholarship.”

Choe also recognizes that projectbased learning courses are unique in its ability to reach out to students who may not have the ability to excel in a conventionally structured school system.

“Even for the students who [were] not very engaged in school, they were able to really excel [with projectbased learning],” Choe said. “They were motivated to learn when we [provided] them with more real life application and put them in a more natural context of learning.”

Therefore, the selection process will not be based on academic achievement, but more dependent on applicants’ essays, which ask students to describe their personal interests and passions for the subjects that they chose on their application.

“Students will be chosen if they have a real sense of purpose about this and are very clear about what they want to do,” McGee said.

“They have to have the work ethic to complete [the project], because there are times where they will be really on their own, and there are times of just intense work.

So students really need to have some sense of maturity and ability to work independently.”

Despite the rationale of those involved in the AAR, the program has received backlash from the Palo Alto community, most notably on the comment thread on Palo Alto Online’s most recent AAR article. Many responses point out that the selection

is done through an application rather than a lottery, and view the selection method as a slippery slope to excluding those who do not already perform well in school. However, McGee cited a few issues with a lottery system for accepting applicants.

“It’s not going to be merit based, but it is application based,” McGee said. “We probably will end up doing some lottery. But what we want to do is make sure that we don’t have just science projects or just social science projects, and that’s the problem with a lottery. We want a broad range of projects.”

With many variables to take into consideration, the selection process has not at all been easy for Choe and other teachers on the AAR board.

AAR has started matching students since October 1 and hopes to finish the lengthy process by October 15, although there is no definite date.

“We look at a lot of things,” Choe said. “There is the schedule to consider. We are also trying to accommodate seniors first, since they will be graduating sooner and may have less opportunity to join such a program in the future. Essays are also taken into consideration. Lastly, we want to try and balance the numbers between Paly and Gunn students.”

Even for the students who were not very engaged in school, they were able to really excel with project based learning

Jeong Choe Project Coordinator If successful, the program has enormous potential to accommodate many more students in future years.

With time, SRP has become a popular course among juniors and seniors, and AAR could very likely take a similar path. However, Choe is hoping to emphasize the quality of the program over quantity.

“Size is not something we are really concerned about,” Choe said.

“We want to provide a place for students to discover themselves through research. So if there’s a high demand, then that’s something that we would like to provide.”

When media outlets asked about details of the video, Fiorina maintained a confident demeanor about their validity and existence. Although, the scene she referred to does exist, the audio in the video was transferred from elsewhere.

The costs associated with collection, processing, storage, and inventory and records management for [baby fetuses] are very high.

Sherilyn Sawyer Biotech Expert Ultimately, no full-length unedited film content has been found, discrediting Fiorina. It is also unknown whether the scenes are from

abortions or miscarriages, as well as whether the video is from inside a Planned Parenthood from another health clinic.

Palo Alto High School senior Cameron Huard identifies as a conservative, and believes that people have to decide for themselves whether a fetus is indeed a form of “life.”

“Although I agree with Fiorina’s stance on evidence, I thought her accusations about the video were baseless and the evidence to her claims were sketchy at best,” Huard said.

As there is significant evidence that Planned Parenthood does send viable fetal parts for medical research, the question at hand is how large their profit margin is. Through analysis of the (mostly) unedited videos, where undercover journalists spoke

to doctors about donating tissue to a biotech firm, the monetary numbers brought up ranged from $30 to $100 per specimen.

“This is not a debate about abortion or even non-abortion, pro-life or pro-abortion,” Republican Rep. Sean Duffy said on the House floor. “Those who are even pro-abortion agree that these tactics are unacceptable. They have no place in our society, and that federal tax dollars should actually go to fund an institution that harvests baby body parts for sale is absolutely asinine.”

Sherilyn Sawyer, a biotech expert at Harvard University, believes that the money made during the transactions is merely used as reimbursement, rather than hefty profits.

“In reality, $30-100 probably constitutes a loss for [Planned Parenthood]. The costs associated with collection, processing, storage, and inventory and records management for specimens are very high,” Sawyer said.

According to FactCheck, abortions represent 3 percent of total services provided by Planned Parenthood, with the other 97 percent going to contraception and testing for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer.

On Sept. 29, the House passed a bill that would allow states to withhold Medicaid funding to health groups that perform abortions.

“Public dollars should not fund controversial practices that a considerable percentage of Americans disagree with, especially considering the issue’s religious significance,” Huard said. “In addition, Planned Parenthood generates hundreds of millions of dollars in income per year, and also has hundreds of millions in assets.

Not only do they not deserve federal funding, they do not deserve it.”

City prepares for flooding as El Niño looms Higher surface temperature of Pacific Ocean results in increased rainfall

COURTESY OF WEATHER.COM

El Niño devastated Los Angeles in 2010, prompting local officials to preemptively combat the damage the upcoming storm will cause.

COLE HECHTMAN

STAFF WRITER

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he National Weather Service predicted a 95 percent chance of an El Niño storm to occur throughout December 2015 to March 2016 across the United States.

Meteorologists are speculating this 2015 El Niño to surpass the 1998 storm in rainfall, with the temperatures in the Pacific Ocean continuing to grow.

Many California residents are feeling hopeful after hearing the news that this winter’s El Niño storms could bring significant relief to the state’s current drought.

However, there is also concern about the damage this potential record breaking storm may bring.

El Niño storms stem from increased surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean, which increases rainfall.

“This definitely has the potential of being the Godzilla El Niño,” NASA climatologist Bill Pazert said in an interview with the LA Times.

The last massive El Niño storm in Palo Alto struck in 1998 and resulted in an estimated $28 million in flood damages in Palo Alto and neighboring areas surrounding San Francisquito Creek.

Since the destruction that came with the storms of 1998, many city council members have been tracking some of the problems that caused the flooding in Palo Alto in order to be better prepared when they come.

With the threat of a larger storm striking next winter, the city council has proceeded to analyze any potential flood hazards.

“Our first priority remains the safety of our communities and the protection of homes, and we are working to ensure that our efforts focus on both,” James Keene, the Palo Alto City Manager said in an email to a resident on the CPNA Board.

The San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA) have identified five main bridge replacement projects necessary to prevent further flooding during major storms.

One of these five is the Pope/Chaucer Street Bridge, located on the border of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

The bridge currently obstructs water passage through the creek, causing the water level to overflow out of the boundaries during storms.

This area was the source of the most significant flooding for nearby residents in Palo Alto during the past El Niño flood.

During the 1998 storm, fast-moving runoff became blocked by the low opening of the bridge and gathering debris which caused the water to jump the banks and flow into surrounding neighborhoods.

This poses a great threat to the nearby residents due to potential property damages.

Because only minor improvements have been implemented since then, residents are concerned about recurring problems and have pushed for more regulations.

The Santa Clara Water District has been working closely with SFCJPA and has come to three solutions: raise the bridge, remove the bridge completely or reconstruct the platforms to allow more water to flow through.

Unfortunately, none of these projects will be completed in time for the storm, most set to be completed in the following years. Nonetheless, the city has recommended self-preparation methods and temporary solutions.

A new concept presented includes temporarily placing sandbags on top of a berm lining the creek strengthen the walls to slightly increase the capacity of the creek.

The city is also offering sandbags to all residents for free at the Palo Alto Airport, Mitchell Park, Rinconada Park and on Chaucer Street as well as Palo Alto Avenue.

Beyond that, it is highly recommended that residents identify if their home is in a flood zone and discuss emergency plans with their families.

Residents can find more information on the City of Palo Alto website under Public Safety.

Officials recommend replacing batteries in flashlights and portable radios and picking up plastic sheeting, plywood and other materials necessary for waterproofing doors.

Being prepared with the correct materials and procedures for a storm will help all residents stay safe this winter as the area prepares for the heavy rainfall and flooding that will accompany El Niño.

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Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

OPINION

I

JESSICA WONG STAFF WRITER

n schools across the nation, young students should begin taking a break from the conventional ABC’s and cursive for a new subject: social justice.

Encompassing issues such as racism, gender equality and rights for minorities, social justice has long been a controversial topic in both schools and society.

Social justice explores inequities throughout the world, exposing race and religion-based biases, wage gaps and LGBTQQ rights, to name a few. Due to their controversial and occasionally explicit nature, social justice issues are usually kept far away from elementary schools, and are rarely referenced in middle schools.

Despite this general hesitation to inform younger students of such difficult topics, social

justice actually teaches lessons that are truly applicable beyond the classroom. Students should be educated on tolerance and acceptance at a younger age in order to promote greater open-mindedness.

At Palo Alto High School, these ideas are reflected in the Social Justice Pathway (SJP), a 3-year program beginning sophomore year that combines Common Core curriculum with social justice education. In its pilot year, the program already positively impacted students who chose to take it.

“Learning in a less traditional way has given me a new perspective on a lot of different topics,” SJP student junior Avery Pearson said. “I definitely have a better understanding of social justice issues in our community and the world after a year in the pathway.”

Integrating social justice into the regular curricula allows students to connect what they have learned in typical curricula with more tangible

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situations. For instance, instead of simply learning about the Civil Rights Movement, students should also be informed of the present-day Black Lives Matter campaign and the connection between the two, a lesson which is covered

by Paly’s SJP. This creates a more valuable and real life education, teaching both a required topic and an important social justice issue.

If elementary and middle school students were to receive a blend of general curriculum and social justice education, they would have a constant exposure to not only relevant issues,

Students should be educated on tolerance and acceptance at a younger age to promote greater open-mindedness. but also important ones that affect a wide range of people.

Breaking down these issues and their causes would allow students to develop a more understanding and accepting way of thought. By high school, these students would not only be wellrounded individuals, but also more prepared to take on the challenges that exist in the real world.

A major part of the hesitation and apprehension towards teaching social justice concepts to students is the level of maturity and innocence associated with those of a younger age, especially elementary school children.

“Part of the concern [is], you [shouldn’t] tell them what Christopher Columbus actually did, because that will traumatize the children,” SJP teacher Erin Angell said. “I think that there are ways to address these kinds of topics in a way

that’s developmentally appropriate. It doesn’t do anybody any service to avoid things that are unpleasant.”

This fear of scaring or overwhelming children places emphasis on their well-being and is a valid concern. However, social justice can be taught without mentally scarring a class of 9-year-olds.

By providing students with facts rather than sugarcoated history, students will not only gain more accurate knowledge than before, but will also be able to apply that to curricula knowledge in the future.

Take, for example, Columbus. Upon arriving in North America, Columbus and his men enslaved native inhabitants, forced them to convert to Christianity and committed many atrocities against them. Rather than simply teaching students of Columbus’ voyage and the geographical mix-up that led to the branding of American

Indians, informing students of the basics of what happened afterwards, sparing gory details, would aid them in understanding the multifaceted nature of his national holiday. A holiday which, incidentally, celebrates the marginalization of indigenous people by men like Columbus who quickly became the majority in America. This clarification helps students understand a major social justice issue while learning about actual events of history.

Society faces a constant turmoil and struggle of social injustice, and implementing education of these injustices into the elementary and middle school curricula can eventually create a generation of students that can advocate for equality and against injustice.

By educating students on social issues from a younger age, they will be encouraged to expand their way of thinking and create change in their own community and in the rest of the world.

Junior year should include college search THOMAS RAUNER-SWAN

S

STAFF WRITER

ix people were sitting around the small table in Palo Alto High School’s College and Career Center (CCC) listening to the presentation on Whitman College and the merits of a liberal arts education.

The one junior felt fairly out of place among the other five seniors.

The lack of junior attendance could have been because Whitman College is a small liberal arts school in Washington, so perhaps more juniors would have been willing to miss class for a better known college or one that was closer to home. As many students know, applying to colleges is a timeconsuming process that typically takes place during the fall of senior year.

What some students may not consider is that if they complete their research on colleges by the end of junior year, they will feel more confident and prepared when writing essays over the summer because they have adequate

information. Senior Parker Gara believes he could have made his senior year easier by doing more work on colleges during junior year. “[I] have all the work to do now and since I have all my hard classes now also, I don’t really have time now to do much else,” Gara said.

Why not avoid the stress of cramming research, essay writing and application completion into the fall semester of senior year? Students should find out what they can do during junior year to begin the college application process.

According to the College Board’s timeline for juniors in high school, junior year is the time do extensive research about colleges they are interested in and thinking of attending.

This research can include learning about Advanced Placement and SAT II Subject tests, identifying certain characteristics of colleges that appeal to them, forming college lists and learning about possible scholarships opportunities.

“Building your college list is important and if you don’t start researching

in junior year you will be even more stressed in senior year,” Sandra Cernobori, Paly’s college counselor, said.

“So in my experience, juniors… are excited about the idea of visiting colleges spring during spring break, but sometimes I feel like they are visiting colleges they have heard of without actually researching them first.”

Cernobori believes that many juniors begin researching schools after second semester starts or during the summer before their senior year.

“You need to make it a priority to invest in actually learning about schools,” Cernobori said. “Knowing why you are interested in them takes time. If you want to go to college, I think you need to make time. If not during the school year, you have got to do it over summer.”

Given how much Paly’s CCC events are publicized and broadcasted, it should be easy for juniors to get involved in researching colleges and the college application process. Even though some of these college events, like college essay workshops, are geared towards seniors, there are many

events that juniors may find useful and important.

Events like college visits and the College Fair on Oct. 12 are more focused on giving information about specific colleges rather than giving advice on how to improve applications.

This can be useful to juniors who want to learn about many different schools in a short amount of time.

“If you go [into the college visits] with no plan... I have a feeling that it would be very overwhelming,” Cernobori said, “As a junior that has never been to a college visit I recommend that you come to one that is well attended… when there is less student attendance it tends to be more of a conversation and more of a personalized visit.”

Junior year is a stressful time, but instead of focusing only on classes and on SAT or ACT practice, juniors should learn about the start of the application process. Taking advantage of some of Paly’s college events, such as college visits as a junior is a great way to begin the research process in order to make senior year less stressful.

Monday, October 12, 2015

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The Campanile

OPINION

Admin shouldn’t restrict Spirit Week themes ADRIAN SMITH STAFF WRITER

At Palo Alto High School, Spirit Week is the highlight of the year, relieving students with a week of togetherness and festivities. Spirit Week is a memorable experience for many, dressing up from babies to senior citizens, and is about the creativity and participation of the students in each class. Bans on creative themes such as “Gold Chains” by administration lead to misperceptions of who has the last say in what the students do during the week. Without cooperation and agreement between students and administration, students will not want to comply with rules during Spirit Week.

With the recent ban of the “Gold Chains” theme for the junior class, students are confused as to whether or not Spirit Week truly represents the interests of the students.

In a recent Facebook post following the first junior class Spirit Week meeting, it was announced that the infamous “Gold Chains” idea would no longer be a viable theme.

“Mr. Hall managed to take the idea to the entire admin team, and it was a unanimous vote that Gold Chains will not be a theme option for our Spirit Week,” junior class president Noa Ben-Efraim wrote. “[Administration’s] main concern, as was voiced in the meeting today, is that the theme

is too problematic when it comes to implementation.”

Administration’s abuse of their power to veto theme ideas has angered many students, driving them to speak out against the unclarity of administration. The vague statement made by the administration that the Gold Chains theme was “too problematic” to be a viable theme does not deserve a respectful reaction from the students.

The students of the junior class deserve detailed reasoning to reinstate their participation in Spirit Week.

The past two years, the themes for the Class of 2017 have been easily agreed upon by the majority of the class. Eliminating popular theme ideas, however, is likely to enrage a large portion of students who are passionate for that class theme.

This process of administration single handedly discounting ideas from a class of over 500 students does not work out most of the time. Students, having more of a laid back perspective on discriminations in their themes, lose their enthusiasm after the administration shoots down their unique ideas.

When the administration shuts down a popular theme without giving the students an equal say in whether they should allow it or not, students may believe administration does not accurately represent student opinion.

This may build a misconception in students’ minds which creates complications in cooperation between both parties.

With the recent ban of the theme Gold Chains for the Junior Class, students are confused as to whether or not Spirit Week truly represents the interests of the majority of the student body.

The ASB process of creating a unique Spirit Week experience for the students every year has worked somewhat efficiently for the past two years. The administration often has to interfere with the finalization of theme ideas, which corrupts the majority student vote. This system needs to be diverted from administration’s absolute rule, yielding creative contributions from more students from each class knowing their ideas will not be shot down.

Confusion around who is calling the shots brings the rhetorical question, “Who really runs Spirit Week?”

Spirit Week is a difficult time for the administration to avoid discrimination, but with the administration enforcing such parsimonious restrictions on the creativity of the students, they may be discouraged to participate.

From student’s point of view, ASB and the inauguration of Spirit Week rules can seem corrupt, excluding the student body from determining the themes they wish to choose. Be it Spirit Week or any other week, it is ultimately up to the students to behave responsibly, and thus Spirit Week themes should not be one of the concerns of the administration.

sion of the SAT test, there is still a time crunch.

The test overhaul also causes problems for colleges as well as students.

Some of the Class of 2017 will submit current SAT scores on the 2400-point scale, and some will submit new SAT scores on the 1600-point scale.

While trying to shift to the new test, judgements of scores are very elastic and with the first few years of testing, colleges will not have a baseline for judging scores, which will cause immense variation between colleges’ views on scores. When one graduates from high school after a labor-intensive four years, they do not have room for uncertainty.

Another pitfall that results from the implementation of the new SAT is the fact that some colleges simply will not accept the current SAT anymore after the Class of 2016 applies. Colleges such as Yale will not accept current test scores once the new one is implemented in March. If one performs well on the current SAT, one may have to rethink where they are applying.

High schoolers already undergo a great deal of pressure, and this revision to the SAT creates more work and places more undue stress on both students and college admissions officers alike. It is unjust to students to undergo

a complete overturn of a standardized system of testing, but to also add insult to the injury, it is unfair for students to have to submit scores to colleges considering colleges do not already have an established guideline for judging new SAT scores.

The “Gold Chains” theme, voted on by the junior class, led to controversy regarding cultural appropriation, as well as the role of ASB.

New SAT presents problems for juniors

The SAT is undergoing significant changes in an attempt to improve practicality, but the abrupt change has been costly to current juniors.

ANNALISE WANG STAFF WRITER

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he looming and sacred rite of passage for high schoolers who seek higher education — the SAT — is about to get a makeover that would make Miley Cyrus proud.

The debut of the new SAT in March 2016 will feature a complete overhaul of current testing structure, changing everything from time limits to difficulty of vocabulary questions. It is thus unreasonable to expect the current generation of high schoolers to adapt to such a massive change so quickly.

The College Board, the organization which develops and administers the SAT, is aiming to develop the SAT into a more practical test. This means testing knowledge on concepts that are more common in various career branches, such as engineering and science. Currently, the SAT does not have a science section, unlike the ACT, the other primary college entrance exam. The ACT is experiencing a surge in popularity as changes implemented in the new SAT are deterring students. Effective March 2016, the scoring range will be between 400-1600, reverting back to the original 1600-point scale that preceded the current 2400 scale. Elimination of the

guessing penalty is being instituted into the new SAT, one will no longer be penalized a quarter of a point for guessing. The College Board is also eliminating obscure vocabulary words on the SAT— words like “blovious” and “dilettante” will be replaced with less esoteric words. There will be an optional separately scored writing test, much like the ACT. Finally, an online version of the test will be available to students as an alternative option.

Taking the current SAT is not an option for the Class of 2018 nor the Class of 2019. Unless a student is taking the SAT a year or two ahead of the typical time, he or she does not have a choice to take the current one.

The Class of 2017 is impacted by far the most due to the change. It is not atypical for juniors to take the SAT two or three times during the course of the school year. Now, for juniors, the logistics of taking the SAT are incredibly tough — they can only take the test twice at most before the new test is implemented.

Furthermore, test prep for the new SAT was only released this past summer and does not allow adequate preparation time. Juniors have little time to prepare for the new test, which will be obsolete in four months, and even if they are studying for the newer ver-

Juniors have little time to prepare for the new test, which will be obsolete in four months.

In order to compensate for the difficulty of adapting to the new SAT, colleges should be accountable to accept current SAT scores for all who submit it regardless of what year they graduate in. Colleges like Yale which are not accepting current SAT scores after the new test’s deployment are creating an unfair disadvantage for any applicants who are taking the SAT. In addition, colleges should be flexible and understand that the current generation of high schoolers had to undergo testing during a tough transitional period.

Students should feel free to choose whichever test they feel most comfortable with, and the implementation of the new SAT’s logistics puts unfair stress onto students, particularly juniors, who want to take the SAT.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

OPINION

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Restrictions on clubs limit productivity

Strict club rules ranging from restrictions on food served to the percentage of budget spent per semester are now being enforced.

MADS McCLUSKEY STAFF WRITER

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s each year goes on, the restrictions on clubs have been increasingly strict. These rules create a situation in which it becomes nearly pointless to be a club at Palo Alto High School, and almost better to be an independent body that is not affiliated with the school.

Many assume these rules are created by Paly’s Associated Student Body (ASB), but ASB is not to blame.

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) consults state and federal laws about school organizations and interprets them to be as strict as possible.

“The district has a policy of choosing whichever law [regarding clubs] is more restrictive,” ASB advisor Matthew Hall said.

It should be up to the students to determine what the reasonable regu-

lations on their own organizations should be. It should not be the school’s decision which rules are placed upon clubs and enforced.

“The oppressive rules were not created by ASB. They were created by politicians in conjunction with businessmen,” Hall said. “[The rules] come from the food corporations that sell food to the schools.”

The reasoning behind the legislation is that the huge food corporations believe that if clubs are allowed to sell food for fundraisers, the clubs will be destroying the company’s monopoly on food sales to schools. If the students are buying food from clubs and fundraisers, they are not buying it from the companies. Therefore, if the companies lobby to place higher restrictions on food sales by clubs, students will not be able to sell food that is their specific brand or from their company.

Or, on Club Day for example, clubs will not be able to hand out food and students will have to go to the Student

Center to buy food rather than relying on food given out by clubs.

On Club Day, clubs have traditionally been allowed to hand out free candy to those who sign up for their club in order to recruit more members. This year, however, the tradition was brought to an abrupt halt. Outrageous calorie constraints are now being strictly enforced by PAUSD. Furthermore, clubs are being forced to calculate the percentage of calories coming from the food content they serve, such as total fat, saturated fat and sugar. These numbers then have to be reported to ASB, and if they exceed the allotted amount of calories allowed by PAUSD, the club cannot serve this food. It is a waste of time for a club to have to calculate such insignificant numbers when the club has much better things to do, such as plan events for students or the school.

If broken, the rules created by the school district have severe consequences, including the immediate halt on all sales of food or other products by the club, loss of all profit or even loss of club status for a whole year. The extremity of these repercussions is immoral and demeaning. A club should not be penalized for breaking trivial rules stating that there may not be any bake sales and that all minutes must be recorded and reported to ASB, for example.

ASB tries to support clubs as much as possible, but students all have to follow the district’s restrictions. Meaning that, while ASB does not want to punish clubs, it is forced to because ASB falls under the school district which has chosen the further restrictions.

“We [ASB] try to do the best we can to please both the people below us and the people above us,” Hall said.

Another rule states that of the money that clubs do make, it is required that 80 percent be spent by the end of each semester. This means that clubs only have 20 percent of the money they make to start the following year.

This state law is pointless and destructive to clubs. In order to follow the rule, clubs end up spending money

on things that they do not need or may not even want.

An additional outlandish mandate by the district includes the requirement to have the club’s advisor present at all meetings, even those outside of school. While in school, advisors are required to be present because of liability reasons, but on the weekends, not during school hours, if an advisor is busy, the club is not allowed to meet and put its meeting on the record.

This rule enforces a fruitless limit on students’ freedom to participate in activities outside of school. Students are limited enough during the school week and should not be held back by during their free time on the weekend.

While ASB does not want to punish clubs, it is forced to because ASB falls under the school district which has chosen the further restrictions.

There are not many independent bodies, but as one, groups are allowed to be affiliated with associations outside of Paly and can meet whenever they want. They can raise money, and no one other than themselves can dictate how or when they spend said money. No dietary restrictions apply to them either.

Furthermore, independent bodies can still count their organization as extracurriculars. The downsides to being an independent body include not being able to use Paly’s resources unless said resources are rented and bot being able to advertise during Club Day. Independent bodies can have unregulated fundraisers and still raise awareness among the student body and school through social media and other sources.

Overall, the restrictions on clubs should be severely cut down or removed. They provide no assistance to clubs, waste club and ASB time and scare away potential new clubs.

Teachers should utilize online tests more TOMMY SMALE

C

STAFF WRITER

omputerized testing is an emerging test technology that is being underutilized at Paly. Digitized testing allows students to take stressful tests in a less stressful environment, which could ultimately lead to improved test scores.

Computerized testing can ease tension a student may feel during tests and quizzes. Taking tests on a computer can ease stress in students’ lives and boost test scores.

Taking a test online is quicker than a paper test because typing is faster than writing. A keyboard produces faster results than a pencil and piece of paper do. Students who are victims of the clock are now able to finish their tests in a more timely fashion, since less time is being send actually writing out the answers. Keyboards integrate a faster system of writing words, decreasing a student’s test taking time.

“If you know how to type without looking down at the keyboard, typing is much faster than writing and is more efficient,” junior Ethan Bundy said Once a student has answered all questions in a shorter time, students are able to think more about their answers and make additional changes to them more easily. “ O n line tests are easier to edit and easier to go back and change your answers” history teacher Steve Gallagher said.

Spare time left as a result of these new means of testing allows students the opportunity to review answers, and add in minor details. This also allows students the opportunity to catch potential mistakes made during the test.

In a scientific study in 2000 by Patricia Wallace and Roy Clariana, those more familiar with computers performed higher on tests than those with

less computer experience. More digital versions of tests should be available as an option for those who perform better on digitized testing.

Students at Paly are computer friendly, that they are in the center of the Silicon Valley. “[Online tests] are more culturally relevant because so much of what we do is on computers,” English teacher Mimi Park said.

Another benefit to online testing is its eco friendly value. For required subject courses where every individual in respective grades must take the course, online tests would prevent teachers from having to waste hundreds of sheets of paper printing hard copies of tests. The school would also spend less money with this reduction of resource usage.

Take home tests are frequently taken online. This can be comforting for students because they can take the test wherever they feel most comfortable, whether that be at home, the library, or a special spot on campus.

This method of online testing is rarely used, because it closely resembles a homework assignment. One can have notes with them during the take home test, the only difference being that the test goes under the testing category and is expected to have more detail than a regular homework assignment.

There is a fear that computerized testing enables cheating to be easier.

If a test was on Schoology and a student was unaware of one of the concepts, the student could open a new tab and find an answer via Google behind the teachers back. Detecting cheating would be difficult when administering online tests, and would require teachers to constantly watch computer screens.

Currently, Schoology is developing an online tool that helps prevent cheating during online tests. The ap-

Taking tests on a computer can ease stress in students’ lives and boost test scores.

plication being developed will prevent the device on which the test is being taken on from leaving the test and opening another tab. Students would not be able to access other applications during the test taken on Schoology, a similar method seen during online Common Core testing last year.

Teachers at Paly take certain steps to combat cheating to aid in the learning process for all students. Teachers occasionally offer note cards students can have with them during tests.

“Cheating has been an issue based on pressure. I will give note cards, [‘cheat sheets’], for students, therefore they don’t feel the need to cheat because they already come in with a cheat sheet. That also helps students for studying and gives them a tool to be honest,” Gallagher said.

Tighter cheating consequences that have been put into policy by the Paly administration also contribute to refrainment from cheating. These policies essentially “scare” students from

cheating because of the severity and longevity of the consequences.

In U.S. History, Humanities, and other Paly classes, the online portion of a test is simply used as a template. A sheet of paper is provided to students, with the test questions on it. Students type their answers to the questions on the online template.

A digitized test has the ability to speed up the grading process for teachers. On multiple choice tests, grading is done completely by the computer.

“All the answers are right there when you finish and you get to see how you did,” junior Jack Simison said.

Short answer tests, from a grading perspective, do not enhance the grading process by a teacher. However, grades are immediately computed into Schoology, if the teacher posts grades on Schoology. Digitized testing can also allow anxious students to see the tests scores faster, which will save teachers from the constant question, “When do we get our tests back?”

Online testing benefits both students and teachers despite potential cheating risks.

Monday, October 12, 2015

A8

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Disclaimer: The ideas and views presented in the editorial section represent over 50 percent of The Campanile staff, and do not necessarily represent the views of any particular staff member.

CCC college visits need revamp Corrections to editorial

A

t Palo Alto High School, advisors and teachers have always emphasized putting students first to best assist them as they navigate through their high school careers — and whether students need help with choosing which college is best suited to them or the applications themselves, students’ needs should always come first. While the College and Career Center (CCC) has provided much aid to fulfill these duties, The Campanile believes that there remain potential areas of improvement and that modifications could improve the CCC’s services.

Currently, the CCC is located in the Tower Building in a room with significantly less square footage than a typical classroom. To further exacerbate this lack of space, the room includes two cubicles, a reception desk and a round, wooden table — and all limit the seating space. When college representatives come to Paly for on-campus college visits to speak with students in the CCC, the space is often too small to accommodate the number of students who want to attend. This often leads to the CCC being overflowed with students when popular universities visit Paly, barring

students from participating in these college visits. For example, when the University of California at Los Angeles visited, a line of students quickly built up, extending far into the Tower Building’s main hallway. Consequentially, many juniors were turned away and thus did not have the benefit of meeting the college’s representative.

According to Sandra Cernobori, one of the two college advisors at the CCC, meetings with representatives must be held in the CCC because a staff member must be present when representatives visit. Furthermore, Cernobori wants to meet with representatives to gain more information about colleges which are visiting Paly.

“In order to move into a larger place, we need to have a staff person on site — someone to supervise,” Cernobori said. “A parent volunteer is not a staff person... If we change the location and I’m not there, there’s no exchange between me and the college to benefit the communication between the college and the student.”

The Campanile recognizes that a staff member is required to be at the college visit and it would be logistically difficult for CCC college advisors to move from their office in the

on OCR and Dauber

CCC to a different location whenever a college visits Paly. Thus, we believe revising current staff members’ responsibilities to do so is a feasible task. In the long run, the benefits of holding college visits in a bigger space and allowing more students to attend college visits outweigh the costs of paying a staff member for extended hours.

In addition, by having this extra help, both Cernobori and Alice Erber, the other college advisor, need not take time away from their busy schedules to meet with every college representative visiting Paly. The extra staff member could supervise the visits, speak to representatives, compile information about colleges and ultimately report that information back to Cernobori and Erber, who can then relay that information to students.

In sum, The Campanile believes that hiring a new staff member or migrating a current staff member’s job and holding the meetings in bigger spaces are viable solutions to the current CCC size predicament that would vastly improve the college visits while making the college advisor’s jobs easier.

T

he Campanile would like to take this opportunity to respond to the community regarding the extensive conversation sparked by our editorial, “OCR emails prove Dauber triggered investigation, undermining transparency.”

We would like to begin by clarifying the cost of the investigation. The specific investigation regarding sexual harassment was only a portion of the $923,200 paid to Fagen, Friedman, and Fulfrost for the handling of all OCR and special education cases since 2012. In fact, the sexual harassment investigation has cost the district about $200,000. We apologize for this inaccuracy.

Additionally, we would like to comment on the misinterpretation of the analogy presented in our editorial. The metaphor of “within the family” was used to advocate solving issues within the district before spending valuable resources on seeking outside help. It was never intended to discourage punishment of any perpetrator of sexual assault. Some of the comments on Palo Alto Online

Town Square improperly extended our words and much discussion was grossly misinterpreted. We suggested that the first line of action should be to work with staff in the district. Had that already been attempted, then we support the decision of notifying OCR, but comments made by Skelly suggest that notifying OCR was not warranted at the time.

Finally, the central point of our editorial — that we support transparency — has been obfuscated by harmful fixation on irrelevant facets of the article. The primary focus of our editorial was the transparency of Board Member Ken Dauber, and it remains the primary focus. We maintain that the correspondence between Dauber and OCR four days prior to the launch of the investigation should have been revealed publicly by Dauber during his campaign.

We supported Dauber’s campaign in 2014 because he seemed to have had the best interests of the district and students at heart, but the revelation of his lack of transparency in this case makes it hard to uphold that belief.

Paly should provide attendance-based sports rewards

T

hough Palo Alto High School brims with excitement and fanaticism during Spirit Week in October, the rest of the year suffers from a disappointing lack of enthusiasm in school-related activities and involvement at other events, especially at sporting events, excluding football games. In order to increase general excitement throughout the school year at Paly, a simple solution to this epidemic and lack of enthusiasm would be the institution of a Vikings Rewards plan.

Many colleges in the United States suffer from a similar problem as does Paly — less popular sports such as volleyball or water polo often have next to no fans in attendance at games, compared to the tens — even hundreds — of thousands of fans that show up on Saturdays to watch football games. However, one college has been able to combat this issue through the implementation of a rewards program that instills a sense of unity, support and camaraderie in its student body — the University of Mississippi’s (Ole Miss) Rebel Rewards.

Rebel Rewards is a program in which students create an account tied to their email address and are able to earn prizes by attending sporting events. On the main website of Rebel Rewards, students can access a schedule with all of the dates for upcoming sporting events in addition to other relevant information. Next to each event is a certain number of points that students are awarded for attending. For example, football games give 10 points to those fans in attendance who are signed up for Rebel Rewards.

While fictional points may not seem to be effective enough as a motivator, the leaderboard on the homepage awards students who are at the top bragging rights to being the biggest Rebels fans. However, there is also a tangible prize associated with points. After earning 50 points, a student will receive an Ole Miss Rebel Rewards shirt.

After earning 1400 points, students will get $120 off football season tickets. There are several different tiers of points all with different prizes, that finally culminate in the grand prize. The biggest prize available, for 2000 points, is an all expenses paid trip to an away football game with VIP access and the opportunity to meet the team.

The Rebel Rewards program has been wildly effective at growing crowds at all Ole Miss sporting events, and has raised school spirit astronomically. This system would be quite simple to implement at Paly, and would easily yield similarly positive results.

The Viking Rewards program would be simple to set up, as Paly’s website could be easily outfitted with a page where students could create accounts tied to their student identification card numbers.

Students would be encouraged to sign up by the Associated Student Body (ASB), which has been desperately trying to increase attendance at sporting events for years.

Similar to how students can currently get ASB stickers on their student identification cards that grant free or discounted access to ASB events, a sticker could be placed on the cards to identify Viking Rewards members.

While the Paly merchandise that is sold at football games and in the Student Activities Office is quite appealing, high prices deter many from investing in clothing such as sweatshirts and sweatpants. Instead, students would be much more willing to grab a friend and head to a girls lacrosse game, which, if the Vikings Rewards program were to be implemented, would earn them points that could be used to buy a sweatshirt.

Much like how Rebel Rewards functions on a small and a large scale, Viking Rewards could start with providing products such as lanyards and bumper stickers up to more valuable items — perhaps sweatshirts and sweatpants. Viking Rewards-specific shirts could also be designed and printed, bolstering revenue and the presence of the program on campus.

Just as Ole Miss has awards that are experienced-based and not simply relating to merchandise, Paly could provide similar prizes. For example, a lunch with Athletic Director Kathi Bowers or with football head coach Jake Halas could be made available to students who have garnered sufficient amounts of points.

Ole Miss also provides credits dubbed “Rebel Bucks,” which can be used to purchase food on campus. Since food at football games can prove quite the expense when coupled with ticket prices, Paly could provide Snack Shack credits as another reward. This could further encourage students to attend games, as this prize would be specific to the games.

Instituting a program such as Viking Rewards could drastically cut down on low attendance at Paly sporting events, providing a compelling incentive for students to participate in sports events. Over the years, ASB has attempted to concrete student sections for games and clubs even have been created to achieve this goal. Though these attempts have proved fruitful in some respects, Vikings Rewards proves an extremely robust and efficient program.

BO FIELD/THE CAMPANILE

WELL, THAT SURE TAUGHT ME A LESSON...

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Miranda Chen • Stephanie Cong • Owen Dulik Lauren Klass • Mischa Nee • Nikhil Rajaram Online Editorin-Chief Jeremy Fu News and Opinion Editors Claire Dennis Peter Maroulis

Lifestyle Editors Aiva Petriceks Carissa Zou

Sports Editors Kai Oda Ethan Teo

Business Manager Rachel Farn

Design Editor Bo Field

Photography Editor Dami Bolarinwa

Staff Writers Yael Ben-Shachar Josh Brigel Susana Cacho Kate DeAndre Greg Eum Joanna Falla Maddie Feldmeier Mackenzie Glassford Eli Gwin-Kerr

Jamie Har Cole Hechtman Antonio Kieschnick Masha Konkov Christina Le Will Leighton Tiffany Liang Anant Marur Mads McCluskey Jacky Moore

Anna Moragne Josh Ng Thomas Rauner-Swan Gillian Robins Maggie Rosenthal Bethany Shiang Tommy Smale Adrian Smith Jared Stanley Avi Tachna-Fram

David Tayeri Annalise Wang Sarah Wang Clay Watson Jessica Wong Catherine Yu Samuel Yun Alice Zhao

Photographers

Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa

Jacky Moore Jordan Schilling

Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds16@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis.

We reserve the right to edit submissions.

The Campanile only prints signed letters.

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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 policy of The Campanile is to publish editorial content that represents at least half of the staff.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

FOOD

Student Center Food

L FESTYLE

Reviewing the variety of meals served at the Student Center.

PAGE B3

str Hackathons (var1, var2) {return “Marathons for the Mind”}

The Wonders of Snapchat

Step One: Generate an Idea

G

lowing screens fill a poorly ventilated room. The clock strikes midnight, but all one can hear is the typing of keyboards and the clicking of mouses. Dozens of software engineers and computer programmers sit hunched over tables littered with granola bars and energy drinks. These engineers are in fact, not in a sweatshop, but are participating in a hackathon — an event in which people interested in software engineering gather together to work intensively on a project.

In a typical hackathon, large numbers of coders congregate within a dimly-lit room around noon. They chat, eat and discuss possible ideas for the upcoming event. Junior Brian Tracy attended his first hackathon last year when he was interning at a technology firm.

“A hackathon is when a group of people get together and in a really short time they make a really cool project that they normally wouldn’t have time to do,” Tracy said.

After about two hours of chatting, the real work begins.

Coders grab their friends or those they brainstormed with previously and form a group. Some people choose their teammates beforehand, whereas others do so on the spot. The newly formed groups have one goal: create a usable application within 24 hours.

And so the madness ensues — groups rush to come up with creative ideas and find people with specific skillsets.

“The most difficult part of programming is not the programming itself but coming up with the idea that you want to do,” Tracy said.

Regardless of the type of project, the time limit is the first thing on everyone’s mind.

Around 11 p.m., people begin to settle down, having finalized their ideas and found everyone necessary to realize that idea. The groups’ rooms are silent, save for the incessant clicking of mice and keyboards. For people like junior Kent Slaney, the time between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. is the most productive and crucial period of the entire hackathon.

“You get to solve problems, and you get to program in a good environment without distractions,” Slaney said. “It’s like coding, but less diluted.”

Around 3 a.m. the next day, people are tired and cranky, having gone a day without sleep. Unfortunately, this is usually when problems in the code start to occur. Harsh words and occasional screaming permeate the silence as teams realize that there are huge flaws with their ideas.

“There’s the sole difficulty of solving the problem and getting it done correctly, but there’s also a time constraint so you can’t do everything perfectly,” Slaney said. “Sometimes you have to make compromises.”

By 7 a.m., however, the room is alive again, and team members resume frantically communicating with each other in order to finalize their ideas. Senior Emma Wagstaff emphasized that people who are not programmers play a key role at this point by helping to design graphics or to help come up with ideas for an interface. “[One misconception] is that you have to be a programmer to go to a hackathon,” Wagstaff said. “A lot of the times you want people with other skills.”

At 9 a.m., all teams either submit their work or are disqualified. Cod-

Step Two: Find a Team

Step Four: Present the App

ers either hang their heads in shame or give each other frail highfives, hands shaking from excessive consumption of coffee and various energy drinks. Awards are given to the teams with the best apps and the winning teams gain fame, recognition, job offers or funding from venture capitalists who have come to witness the event.

The term “hackathon” was adapted from the term “marathon” because both events are a test of endurance that leave the participants exhausted at the end.

Yet, many of the participants are young adults or teenagers, a demographic that is better known for watching Netflix and eating pizza. The increase of interest in hackathons is strange because coding is often tedious work that requires a lot of time.

However, hackathons have taken off across the Bay Area, resulting in many quality applications. The popularity of hackathons can be attributed to two factors: excitement and recognition.

“At hackathons people kind of go crazy,” Wagstaff said. “You stay up all night, you eat a ton of sugar and you find your inspiration and do something. Plus you can get money!”

Any late night procrastinator knows the thrill that comes with working late into the night on a 2-week long project that is due the next day. The danger of not finishing and the subsequent failure and humiliation drive the procrastinator to work through the night and into the next day.

Hackathons create a similar vibe, driving the participants to work at a fast pace for long periods of time without rest.

This is exciting to many, especially to younger demographics.

Unlike marathons, which push the body to the limit, hackathons challenge the will of the mind.

When the coding period comes to a close, there is a finished product that the participants can show off. The product is a reflection of a coder’s skill, and is even more impressive considering the amount of time that was given to create the product.

“At hackathons it is really amazing to see the power of technology and what can get done in such a short amount of time,” Tracy said.

Winning a hackathon, or even showing off one’s product can gain a participant jobs, funding and recognition.

“If you’re in business, it’s a great place to start something,” Wagstaff said.

For non-professional coders like Slaney, Tracy and Wagstaff, hackathons provide a distraction-free environment to focus on coding. They find a lack of obligation liberating and at times, even fun.

“When you’re coding normally you have homework in the background or you’ll have dinner, whereas at a hackathon it’s very single minded and very dedicated and you only work on [the code] without the rest of the world and it’s very satisfying,” Slaney said.

Hackathons provide a fast-paced environment for a variety of creative ideas to be developed, as well as a setting to learn, work and interact with others. Ultimately, they provide people with a chance to create and solve unusual problems while having fun.

“I decided to code because it’s a whole new class of problems I get to solve and a whole new way of thinking that’s different from math or science,” Slaney said. “It’s very satisfying figuring out the solutions to a problem and getting to enact those solutions without the constraints of a million dollar budget.”

Step Three: Build the Application

JARED STANLEY

STAFF WRITER

If you think about it, Snapchat is kind of a weird concept. Instead of calling someone or texting them, you send them a picture that expires after a set amount of seconds. There is always that one person who sends 10-second snaps of completely irrelevant things, or makes a Snapchat feature film on their story of them holding every illegal substance consumed throughout the night. I don’t add someone on Snapchat to get a live feed of what he or she is doing on a Saturday night, while I am stuck taking APUSH notes.

The tech world is filled with stereotypical Snapchats that people send. For example, “The Female Gym Goer,” who posts the picture of her wearing yoga pants and a sports bra holding up 5-pound weights, just to let every know she is getting swole AF. I mean I’m not one to complain when I see these types of pictures ;), unless of course it’s one of my guy friends wearing that attire — though there is nothing wrong if you do like to see your guy friends wearing that, it’s just not my thing.

Snapchat has only added to possible snaps that people can send with its new facial recognition update. I was first familiarized with the update in Physics, when I received a picture of someone trying to do the “love struck” filter, in which your eyes turn to hearts. The only problem with this person was his massive nostrils, so instead of having heart eyes, he had heart nostrils. After seeing that, I immediately wanted to know how to give myself heart nostrils. I mean, what person doesn’t want to receive a picture of me with some giant-ass heart nostrils?

Still having no idea how to do this to myself, the lunch bell rang, and I left class and headed for the quad — where all the cool kids eat.

As I walked through campus, I saw a bunch of people staring at their phones and opening their mouths as wide as possible, which was kind of a weird thing (I still hadn’t discovered the “rainbow throw up” filter).

Finally, after talking to people on the quad, I came to understand that I needed to update Snapchat in order to take a picture of myself with heart nostrils. I was somewhat afraid to update the app since the last time I updated Snapchat, I began to see all different types of emojis next to people’s names who I had recently Snapchatted. And to this day, I still have no idea what they mean except for the fact that if you Snapchat someone consecutively for a certain amount of days, a number appears followed by some of these mysterious emojis.

Now that I have updated Snapchat, I am able to send some of my own stereotypical Snapchats of me sitting on my couch looking like a 98 year-old man, vomiting a rainbow or looking like a character out of Insidious. So now you know that anytime you see me with my mouth wide open, I am not reacting to some nudes I just received, but rather preparing to take a picture of myself with some meanlooking heart nostrils.

SPOTLIGHT

Red Mist: The Rise of Global Socialism

A look into the ascent of Bernie Sanders in the current Democratic primary campaign and the shift of the global political climate towards the radical left.

PAGE B4-B5 COURTESY OF AMAHIGHLIGHTS

DANIEL HAMMERSON/THE CAMPANILE

COURTESY OF FOXBUSINESS

COURTESY OF MICHIGANAVEMAG

LIFESTYLE

ENTERTAINMENT

LIFESTYLE

A review of the many food trucks scattered around the Peninsula.

These movies will bring a new meaning to “Netflix and Chill.”

A diet conscious lifestyle has numerous healthy benefits.

Food Trucks in Palo Alto PAGE B3

Discover Netflix Movies PAGE B6

You Are What You Eat PAGE B7

Monday, October 12, 2015

B2

Dear Jamie

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Student investigates paranormal activity Senior Hannah Subega spends free time continuing family tradition of ghost hunting ANNA MORAGNE

STAFF WRITER

I JAMIE HAR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

DEAR JAMIE: I find myself feeling down pretty frequently. Like many, I have a lot of things to juggle including academics and extracurricular load, time for my friends and trying to get eight hours of sleep a night.

At the end of each day, I often find myself feeling exhausted, stressed and despondent. Sometimes it feels like my happiness and self-confidence are really fleeting. I hate feeling hopeless, but it feels inescapable given all of the work and stress I signed up for.

I have a few senior friends who had a similar workload to mine last year, and most of them characterized junior year as relentlessly grueling and tiring. Because of this, I’m not really sure if what I’m feeling is normal as an inevitable side-effect of junior year or something more serious.

I’m getting increasingly concerned that I might be depressed, but I don’t want to look into it because I am already so overwhelmed and feel like living with mental illness would just be another thing for me to deal with.

Where should I go from here?

— WORRIED AND UNSURE DEAR WORRIED AND UNSURE: You are not alone. Many teenagers often feel stressed and sometimes sad. That’s not to say that how you feel isn’t significant; it is important to pay attention to how you are feeling, and it is great that you already are.

Try taking note of your mood when you are not stressed. Are you able to enjoy things you normally enjoy and have the energy to do them?

If you are, your emotions may be more stress-related than what psychiatrists call depression.

If you are feeling down most of every day, not enjoying things you usually do or isolating yourself from friends or family, you should talk to someone: a case manager, school counselor, ACS, pediatrician, parent or school psychologist. If your thoughts are suicidal, please reach out immediately.

Remember that seeking professional help is not shameful but shows responsibility, strength and humility for acknowledging your individual limitations and taking care of yourself. In addition, though mental illness may be difficult to deal with, it will never diminish a person’s worth.

One crucial aspect of mental health is sleep. Hold onto your goal of eight or more hours a night. Maintaining a healthy, consistent sleep cycle will make you both feel and perform better.

Happiness based on things around us, such as school and extracurricular achievements and other people’s approval, can be fleeting. The more positivity there is in your life, the less space there is for negativity. Prioritize personal activities that create joy in your life over those that just meet obligations or expectations. These will remind you that there is more to life than your performance, give you a sense of purpose and sometimes provide you with a community.

Though you can’t always control how you feel, you can choose what you do, and making decisions for yourself can be incredibly empowering.

In Palo Alto, we are often told that because of our high-achieving culture, we must all be extremely stressed and even depressed. But labels, like depression, can be scary. Instead of trying to classify all of your emotions, try to think about how you want to feel and how to feel that way.

Junior year is certainly difficult.

I remember floating through many days feeling empty, numbingly exhausted and weighed down by heavy emotions, but these feelings can get better. There will always be people around you who want to help rekindle your hope and remind you of joys in life no matter the cost because they love you.

WITH LOVE, JAMIE

f there is something spooky going on in your neighborhood, senior Hannah Subega is the one to call.

Though she is not quite a ghostbuster, Subega has devoted most of her life to researching and finding ghostly activity.

Ever since she was young, Subega has gone with her family on an annual summer ghost hunt. From then on, her interest in ghosts has only increased, and she now spends her own time researching the history behind ghosts, and how they coexist with the laws of physics.

“I think that ghost hunting for me is mostly a hobby,” Subega said. “It’s something that’s just interesting to me that I like doing, and it means a lot to me since I’ve grown up with it.”

Subega’s passion for ghost hunting started at age six, when her mother took her family to the Ivy House Inn in Casper, Wyom. Not long after, her mother’s hobby was passed down to Subega herself. Her mother is particularly interested in the Civil War, which has led the family to explore many houses on the East Coast that are said to be haunted by ghosts and spirits from the Civil War era.

When Subega goes ghost hunting, she does not simply wander through streets expecting to come across something ghost-like. Instead, she does her research on the plausible locations of ghosts. Every time she and her family have gone ghost hunting, she finds houses that are haunted and , if permitted, will stay the night in the houses she has found.

Subega’s most memorable ghost hunting experience took place while she was staying at the Farnsworth house in Gettysburg, Penn., which is infamous for being haunted.

“My dad and I were staying at the Farnsworth house while my mom and brother were looking at museums,” Subega said. “About half an hour after they left, my dad and I heard footsteps in the attic and around the same time that the footsteps started, we heard this really loud thunder that was shaking the room.”

At first Subega and her father were not concerned with the storm because they are common on the East Coast and were more interested

COURTESY OF GETTYSBURGDAILY.COM

The Farnsworth house in Gettysburg, Penn. is said to be haunted. Subega stayed overnight there on one of her ghost hunting trips.

in the footsteps. However, the storm soon became the most interesting part about the situation.

“So the storm went on and off for three hours and then my mom and brother came back,” Subega said.

“We asked them ‘How did you avoid that storm?’ and they were like ‘What storm? It’s been completely still all night.’ My dad and I had both felt it and heard it and we really didn’t know how the house could have been rigged in such a way where you could feel this. So my family and I think that it could have been cannon fire from the Civil War,” Subega said.

What intrigues me the most I guess is just the fact that it’s a pseudoscience — it’s not disproven that ghosts exist but it’s not proven that they do either.

Hannah Subega Senior Subega, however, takes a particularly interesting approach on how she views ghosts. She knows there most likely will never be conclusive proof that ghosts exist, but accepts that and continues to hunt them anyways.

“I think what intrigues me the most I guess is just the fact that it’s

a pseudoscience — it’s not disproven that ghosts exist but it’s not proven that they do either,” Subega said. “It’s sort of something that you can explore, and you will never truly know the answer … To think that some sort of other realm exists, that makes everything more meaningful to me.”

Even with all the excitement and “unknowns” surrounding ghost hunting, collecting research and trying to find clues that may suggest proof of ghosts are not Subega’s favorite part about the whole experience.

“The most rewarding part of going on these adventures is meeting people who are interested in the same thing,” Subega said. “I think it’s refreshing to see someone that will open their mind to [ghost hunting] and has stories that they can share.”

This is partially due to the fact that Subega cannot share her interest in ghosts with most of the people she normally interacts with on a day to day basis.

“A lot of even my closest friends or people that I admire don’t seem to open up their minds to the idea of ghosts,” Subega said. “I think there is this stigma around ghost hunting that it’s so weird … I wish a lot of people were just more open minded to the whole concept. [Ghost hunters] aren’t necessarily crazy and

they’re not always trying to prove anything either.”

Now, Subega has started a blog, called “Mission: Apparition,” about her ghost hunting experiences. She blogs about her personal experiences, the history of the houses she visits, how ghost activity could connect to science and how different cultures view ghosts and life after death.

“I started my blog last year, when I was a junior,” Subega said. “I started because I was really interested in [ghost hunting], but I figured it would be a good way to represent this other side of me to colleges when I apply.”

Subega plans to continue ghost hunting once she goes to college, since it has been a big part of her life.

“I plan to go to college on the East Coast, and there’s a lot of history there including Civil War history,” Subega said.

From looks alone, no one would ever guess that Subega is a ghost hunter, but this is something that has been a part of her identity for over 11 years. This unique trait has taught her extremely valuable lessons and has shaped who she is today.

“Above all, ghosts have taught me that I won’t know the truth, and it’s important to keep an open mind about all belief systems,” Subega said.

Paly alumna rekindles love for writing music After a year at fashion school, Vivian Laurence has decided to pursue a career in music myself, so the project is influenced by all different genres,” Laurence said.

Laurence explains her work as being a story rather than a mix of songs.

The projects will include both clean acoustic and heavily-produced tracks, allowing the listener to experience the full journey of emotions that Laurence intends.

“It’s an entire story with many peaks and valleys,” Laurence said.

At heart, Laurence is a singer and songwriter who uses writing as a form of healing. Laurence’s first single, “Feels,” which is now on iTunes and Spotify, will be featured on the album and reflects her soulfulness through powerful vocal melodies that interact closely with acoustic guitar.

The single is an example of how both projects will be structured, featuring calming and soft elements with dramatic components that are emphasized by climactic drum additions.

COURTESY OF VIVIAN LAURENCE

Vivian Laurence, 2014 Paly alumna, is set to release her first album, “Feels,” in 2016.

ABIRA BEREZIN

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A

s it is currently college application season, many high school students are thinking about what path to take after graduating from high school based on their passions and interests. For Palo Alto High School alumna Vivian Laurence, who graduated in 2014, her path has just changed from what she originally planned when she began college. After finishing her first year of college at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, she has decided to take some time away from school and pursue her musical career full-time.

She is currently recording her first Extended Play (EP) “Flowers” and hopes to release it by early 2016, along with her first album “Feels,” which she hopes to release in the coming year. The projects are built on a flood of Laurence’s raw emotions, which she can finally portray after her 4-year break from music writing.

The project will be written entirely

by Laurence and co-produced by producer and sound engineer Willie Linton. The projects have intentionally not been labeled under a specific genre, which gives them freedom of choice and a variety of sounds to work with.

“I’ve been really conscious of not putting any creative limitations on

I’ve been really conscious of not putting any creative limitations on myself, so the project is influenced by all different genres.

Vivian Laurence Paly alumna Her choice to focus on music and her move has sparked much individuality creativity for the project. With her newfound individuality, Laurence moved to living on her own.

Although there are many benefits that come with living on her own, Laurence expresses how her music is affected by her new environment and the struggles and lessons that come with it.

“Living on my own in a new city and having both space and freedom to explore my individuality has been

so liberating,” Laurence said. “I just keep learning more and more about who I am and what I stand for.”

Her music is also greatly inspired by the world evolving and her experiences with shifts in energy. She expresses how the current world’s intense changes shifts are helpful in her music.

“We’re constantly surrounded by shifting energies, from the places we spend time in to the people we spend time with,” Laurence said. That constant wave of shifting energy keeps me consistently inspired.”

Laurence is working hard to have the project be an entirely authentic and organic representation of her emotional being which will uncover vulnerable emotions that she is ready to share.

“I only get one first project, so it’s important to me that what I’m sharing with the world for the first time is my most genuine creation,” Laurence said.

As her first project, it is very important to her that she is very selective about who to allow into her creative space. With this, the project will have a couple surprise features of Laurence’s talented close friends that have her shared interest in changing the world.

Laurence is working with musicians that will play live instruments on her songs to add to the sound she intends to achieve. She especially wants to highlight live drums, which are inspired by the band “Daughter.”

Laurence is also inspired by strong and uniquely toned vocalists such as Bon Iver and Florence and the Machine.

“As a whole, [the album is] cinematic and intense,” Laurence said.

To follow Laurence’s journey, visit her website www.vxvian.com.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

FOOD B3 Food trucks offer unique choices at local events Quality and convenience come together in the phenomenon of food trucks, providing many ethnic options CLAIRE DENNIS

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

MAGGIE ROSENTHAL

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

F

ood trucks have redefined the term “fast food.” Preparing made-to-order dishes in minutes and utilizing fresh ingredients all while working in miniature kitchens, food trucks have been taking the world by storm.

Food trucks have broken down traditional restaurant norms to form innovative culinary concepts and have the opportunity to share their food with large audiences every day.

In the Palo Alto area, there are a plethora of food truck options serving everything from ethnic foods to traditional American cooking. Some of the most convenient gatherings around Palo Alto include the Willows Market evening food truck gathering, the Off the Grid dinner meetups and the Moveable Feast gathering. Take a look at the unique food truck options that the Bay Area has to offer.

The Chairman It is hard to miss a bright red truck complete with panda donning a Mao-style cap. Formerly known as Chairman Bao, this truck combines modern Chinese cooking with a humorous take on Chinese history.

The San Francisco based truck with a cult following serves up baos, Chinese for “bun,” on the daily. Baos consist of some type of filling, usually a meat, and a dough covering which is traditionally steamed. Baos are sold in two sizes, small and large, with the small bao served as a traditional steamed bun and the large bao served in a baked hamburger-style bun.

At Clement Restaurant in San Francisco, baos are baked using yeast culture imported directly from China. The Chairman balances fresh ingredients with an affordable price range, with a small bao coming in at under $4. Try the classic pork belly bao with a small steamed bun. The

crispy and juicy pork belly is complimented by a hint of acidity of pickled daikon, a Chinese radish.

The bao is topped off with a sweet sauce that completes the snack.

If baos are not to your liking, The Chairman also offers wonton chips topped with strands of seaweed.

The unique atmosphere of The Chairman compliments the modern flavors. The Chairman is headed by Chef Hiroo Nagahara and is a member of Mobi Munch, a collection of food trucks.

“Mobi Munch challenged me to blur the lines between brick-andmortars and the food truck scene,” Nagahara said on The Chairman website. “We wanted to see how far we could push street food using techniques from high-end restaurants and The Chairman was my first concept.”

Check out The Chairman on Monday nights at Willows Market and some Off the Grid events.

Food trucks have broken down traditional restaurant barriers to form innovative culinary concepts and have the opportunity to share their food with mass audiences every day.

Little Green Cyclo If you have never sampled Little Green Cyclo’s (LGC) legendary Banh mis, you are seriously missing out. LGC brings modern and fresh Vietnamese flavors to the Bay Area food truck scene. LGC offers one of the most extensive food truck menus; however, you cannot go wrong with classic dishes like the banh mi or garlic noodles. A banh mi, which literally means “bread,” is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich prepared on a baguette with fresh vegetables and your choice of protein.

Try the 9-spice chicken for a flavorful meat without the heat. If sandwiches are not to your liking, you can instead opt to get your protein to be placed on a bed of garlic noodles, which offer a lighter option. LGC

COURTESY OF BEST FOOD TRUCKS BAY AREA

The Waffle Roost truck sells combinations of chicken and waffles ranging from $6-$8, bringing a southern flavor to the Bay Area.

can be a bit pricey, at $8 for a chicken or pork banh mi and $12 for chicken or pork garlic noodles. However, LGC’s fresh ingredients, hefty portions and friendly service make their Vietnamese treats worth the price and wait. Find LGC at many Off the Grid events.

Capelo’s Hill Country Barbecue For those searching for authentic barbecue on the peninsula, Hill Country Barbecue may be just the right place. With an emphasis placed on ingredients and time, Hill Country Barbecue prioritizes the quality of their products.

“To us, quality means everything,” owner and pitmaster John Capelo said on Capelo’s Barbecue website.

“We take great pride in what we make and serve.”

Hill Country Barbecue offers meat plates with sides, tacos, sandwiches, meat by the pound, racks of ribs and quarter and half chickens.

It is certainly on the pricier side, with plates ranging from $12 to $16, though the large portions partially explain the price. Skip the sandwiches, and instead go for one of the meat

plates. Any combination of beef brisket, which come on a forgettable brioche bun, pulled pork, pork ribs and smoked chicken is great, but for the sides try the baked beans or macaroni and cheese.

Capelo’s Hill Country Barbecue Truck can usually be found at a Bay Area Off the Grid event, the Willows Market gathering or the Palo Alto Square Moveable Feast lunches.

KoJa Kitchen The long lines coming from the KoJa Kitchen food truck may look intimidating, but the food is well worth the wait. KoJa Kitchen’s innovative fusion of Korean and Japanese cuisines results in unique menu items, like a choice of protein sandwiched between fried garlic rice buns. Proteins range from Korean barbecue short rib or beef to chicken to a soy and portobello mushroom patty.

At about $6, the sandwiches are reasonably priced. The kamikaze fries are an interesting addition to the menu and worth an order. These fries consist of generous servings of Korean barbecue beef, kimchi, Japanese mayonnaise, red sauce and green

onions topping a bed of waffle fries.

Find a friend or two to come with you so you can sample all of the proteins, but be sure not to miss the short rib.

Check out the KoJa Kitchen truck at many Off the Grid events.

The Waffle Roost If you are looking for a place that serves chicken and waffles, The Waffle Roost is the truck to visit. Offering different combinations of chicken and waffles, Belgian waffles with a variety of toppings and sides including collard greens and spiced cauliflower, The Waffle Roost has something to please everyone. Try the Poppin’ Combo, bite sized chicken pieces and waffles with maple syrup dipping sauce at around $7, or The Stack, a waffle split and stuffed with chicken, bacon, an egg and honey at $8. The waffles can also stand alone as a dessert option, with a variety of delicious toppings ranging from caramel and salt to dark chocolate and toasted almonds.

Find The Waffle Roost at various Off the Grid events including the Menlo Park location and Willows Market gatherings.

Student Center offers convenient lunch options Though often seen as unappealing, on-campus lunch options can be tasty and affordable choices for lunch

MADDIE FELDMEIER/THE CAMPANILE

The Student Center’s salad bar provides students with a variety of fresh choices, allowing them to create a lunch of their choice.

CATHERINE YU

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

T

here seems to be a poor reputation for cafeteria food which steers people away from the Student Center across the street, to Town and Country instead. Is it the stigma against school lunch that makes it unpopular, or is it the food itself?

At Palo Alto High School, there is an overwhelming tendency to take advantage of the open campus. Especially during lunch, many students flood over to Town and Country, and find an abundance of lunch options, with 19 different restaurants

to choose from. Students can choose from a variety of cuisines: American, Mexican, French, Indian and more.

However, what many people tend to overlook are the many options offered

by Paly’s very own Student Center, which often end up being more affordable than eating across the street everyday.

Inside the cafeteria, there are a couple round tables that are quickly occupied by early customers. Seating is limited, so many students opt for outside arrangements. Inside, there is one large service window with two friendly ladies who are taking the students’ orders. Generally, lines form before lunch service even begins. Just

15 minutes into lunch, there is almost no food left. Every lunch choice is set at $4.50. Here are a few specific lunch options: Spicy Chicken Sandwich (4/5) The Spicy Chicken Sandwich is a pleasant alternative to the typical burger. It comes wrapped in foil with a side of either crisscross fries or tater tots, depending on the day. The sandwich itself is a simple spicy chicken patty in between two whole wheat buns. Although the sandwich is supposed to be the star of the dish, the fries definitely outshine the chicken in terms of flavor and presentation.

The flavor of the sandwich holds a mild punch, and while it is slight-

ly bland without any condiments, ketchup adds a savory-sweet component that enhances the patty. In regards to texture, there is no variation and students are not allowed to take vegetables from the salad bar to complement the patty.

Burrito Bowl (3/5) The day before ordering this menu item, the Student Center was serving Orange Chicken. Students soon realized that the Burrito Bowl was made with the leftover rice from the day before.

Although this unintentional culture fusion looked questionable, the food service staff is being conscientious in conserving resources. The Mexican dish was composed of a bed of fried rice, black beans, ground beef and an avocado-salsa mix.

On the side was sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. When all of the components were mixed together, the dish was not terrible, but also not outstanding.

Each bite invoked figurative visits to China rather than Mexico. Overall, the highlight of the dish would be the exceptional avocado-salsa mix, which raised the rating from an average two-and-a-half stars to an abovepar three.

Cheeseburger (2/5) Similar to the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, the cheeseburger was a foil wrapped burger with a side of crisscross fries or tater tots. The patty had a slice of bright yellow Kraft cheese that clung onto the burger for dear life. Even ketchup could not even soften the cold, hard whole wheat

Mid Peninsula Orthodontics STACEY D. QUO DDS, MS

965 High Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 Tel: 650-328-1600 FAX: 650-327-6556 email: info@orthoquo.com

bun. The burger was unsatisfying and lacked flavor, but the fries, on the other hand, were delicious. With this food item, students were again not allowed to access the salad bar vegetables, which deprived the burger of toppings that would have made it less bland.

Salad Bar and Soup (4.5/5) The Salad Bar is the best value on the menu, as it has the highest amount of food you can get for the set lunch price. Students get a wide range of selections with only one restriction: the food can only be on one side of the plastic container and the lid must be able to close. With the Salad Bar, students can also get a small cup of the soup of the day. Specific selections change from day to day, but general staples include fresh fruit, lettuce with dressing, salad components, tuna salad and pasta salad. On occasion, there is even great-tasting fresh guacamole with tortilla chips. Everything seems to scream fresh and does not only tastes great, but also looks appetizing. The only downside is the hit-or-miss of the daily soups, which can range from too salty or too bland to right on target.

Paly’s on-campus dining option has its standout moments, but the whole experience is overall pretty humble. Like some of the foods, parts of Student Center were unsatisfying.

On the other hand, however, the remaining parts were phenomenal to say the least. For a meal that is under five dollars, the Student Center lunches are great options for any student’s lunch.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

B4

SPOTLIGHT

BLU-RED LINES: THE RETU

26%

19% JOE BIDEN

MARTIN O'MALLEY

0.6% JIM WEBB

BERNIE SANDERS

1%

Clinton’s popularity might stem in part from her gender. As a female, Clinton can portray herself as an outsider in the heavily male-dominated U.S. political climate despite her close involvement with the White House in the last 20 years or so. Furthermore, Clinton has essentially been campaigning, in some form or another, for president since her hardfought loss to Obama in 2008. This, coupled with her husband Bill’s tenure as president, has given Hillary an edge over any of her Democratic rivals, who essentially have to cultivate name recognition from scratch, barring perhaps Joe Biden, who would have some by nature of his vice-presidency if he were to run.

If Clinton were to be considered an anomaly, the question then becomes, who provides the standard?

The answer, as surprising as it might be, is Bernie Sanders, the self-described socialist. As extreme as this statement might seem, it might have at least a grain of truth to it.

Perhaps this might be more easily explained if one looked to the Republican Party as an example. Candidates for the Republican nomination have adopted increasingly far-right rhetoric as the race progresses.

Although Donald Trump might be the first radical candidate who comes to mind, others like Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have also gained significant ground in the race through the use of fiery hard-right rhetoric.

Instead of becoming more progressive and turning to the left, as might be expected of candidates, following recent Supreme Court decisions more in line with the Democratic platform such as the legalization of gay marriage, candidates have taken a sharp turn to the extreme right instead.

This does not mean that candidates have not acknowledged the power of the socio-liberal movement, with a recent Ted Cruz interview on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert providing the perfect example.

Instead of taking the typical Republican stance against gay marriage, which is that gay marriage is not only unconstitutional, but immoral; Cruz argued instead that it was more a question of states’ rights — that the Supreme Court should not interfere with issues relating to governance at state level, especially taking into consideration how marriage is technically a state issue.

Ultimately, the conservative shift can be attributed to the current political climate in the Capitol, where the Republican majority in both the Senate and the House have taken a strongly hostile stance towards Obama’s administration.

Ironically, it is the leniency of these representatives that has led to certain disillusionment for many conservative factions with their representatives in Washington, which has in turn led to heavy criticism being heaped on leaders like John Boehner, who recently announced his resignation as speaker of the house. Critics believe that the Republicans in Washington failed to stop much of Obama’s legislation, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act (also known as Obamacare), or the Iran Nuclear Deal, which is awaiting a vote by Congress, but looks a surefire bet to pass, as President Obama can

42% HILLARY CLINTON

Sanders is both a walking cliche and a revolutionary figure. A walking cliche in that it would be hard to find anyone who more resembles the Woody Allen Brooklyn-Jewish stereotype than Bernie “tame the mane” Sanders, but at the same time, Sanders seems to hold the sort of purportedly counterculture views that would have, for the most part, made it absurd to even consider his candidacy eight years ago.

The point, whatever your own political views, is this: Sanders is being taken seriously. Whether this is a product of a global shift towards the more radical left or simply a political anomaly within the Democratic party remains to be seen, but one thing is certain — there are tremors coursing through the Democratic party and Mr. Sanders seems to be at its epicenter.

There are five Democratic presidential candidates for the upcoming election who have appeared in five or more major political polls in the U.S. These are Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee, Martin O’Malley, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The first two, Webb and Chafee, can be immediately discarded as lacking the charisma to truly mount a legitimate campaign for president.

Polling figures back that statement up, where both are close to zero percent according to data compiled

by Real Clear Politics from the top five pollers in the country. O’Malley was at one percent in the polls, but his widely praised work as governor of Maryland (excluding his handling of the Baltimore riots) as well as his relative charisma make him a potential late bloomer in the Democratic primary, even if this remains highly unlikely.

Ultimately, the Democratic pri- American populous. This might mary can be narrowed to the two seem like a strange proposition, but main candidates: Hillary Clinton, it is possible that candidates in the polling at 42 percent, and Bernie current Democratic primaries might Sanders (26 percent), with Joe Biden be more in line with voters’ beliefs the (19 percent) looking increasingly un- more radical they get. If anything, in likely to throw his hat into the ring the current presidential race, Hillary despite high polling figures for some- Clinton, with her moderate views and one who has not even campaigned heavily curated image, might actually for president. be the anomaly. Ultimately, Clinton Before we take a look at these has taken much of her momentum three main Democratic from the powerful financial candidates, with support behind her as two hopewell as her close fuls and one ties to current People are saying doubtful president [Republicans] are failing (Biden), B a r a c k to compromise, but I it is imO b a m a think that works on both portant to and his sides and I don’t think the note why Democratic executive branch has done the other predecessor enough to compromise with three canBill Clinton, congress and vice-versa. didates even if these Cameron Huard have not might also Senior garnered work any serious against support h e r a m o n g Democratic votHowever ers. important all of this might be, Webb, a former senator for Vir- the main talking point of Clinton’s ginia, and Chafee, a former senator campaign so far seems to actually for Rhode Island, can be dismissed have come in the form of the on the grounds that they lack even anybody-but-Hillary camp, who the remotest ounce of charisma re- are eager to point out that she has quired of a presidential candidate, largely funded her campaign with and will in all likelihood pull out of corporate donations. For example, the race once their funding dries up. according to the Federal Election Martin O’Malley, however, pro- Commission, 13 of Clinton’s top vides a much more interesting case 20 donors are all either part of the study. O’Malley has had an excellent banking or law sectors. All of this record governing his state. Accord- has led to the perception of Clinton ing to the Federal Bureau of Inves- amongst a growing number of voters tigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting as a corporate stooge.

Program, Maryland’s crime index For many voters in 2016, Hillary dropped by almost 20 percent be- Clinton’s heavy flip-flopping is her tween 2007 and 2013, with O’Malley ultimate liability. entering office in 2007 and remain“[Clinton is] really very political ing there until 2015, when he an- and she has a lot of special interest nounced his candidacy for president. groups that are weighing her down.

O’Malley’s success has not been Whereas Bernie Sanders seems very restricted purely to crime rates. Ac- independent from that,” Cameron cording to a report published by the Huard, a senior and a conservative, Department of Planning, the median said. household income has grown by 10 However, Clinton remains far percent during O’Malley’s tenure as ahead in most national polls with governor of Maryland and is 37 per- what appears to be a solid base of cent higher than the national average. supporters that would be hard to lose.

So then, why isn’t O’Malley, with his excellent track record and relatively moderate platform, not a frontrunner for the presidential nomination?

For some voters, it is O’Malley’s socially conservative stance that repels voters.

“A big issue for me is his stance on drug reform and the war on drugs, because that’s an issue that not only affects Mexico and countries like that, but it also affects us,” Eoin O’Farrell, a senior and Bernie Sanders supporter, said. “Martin O’Malley appears to be totally against even the legalization of marijuana, which is a victimless crime.”

According to O’Farrell, O’Malley “[is] not the face that will reinvigorate the party.”

Not only this, but O’Malley simply has a set of policies that might be too conventional for the

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

B5

SPOTLIGHT

URN OF GLOBAL SOCIALISM TEXT AND DESIGN BY ANTONIO KIESCHNICK SENIOR STAFF WRITER DESIGN BY ALICE ZHAO STAFF WRITER If this does in fact end up being the case, it appears that U.S. politics might be in for a bumpy couple of years. The political see-sawing between hard-right and hard-left could lead to serious economic and political instability. This is, however, a worst-case scenario that

would involve consecutive presidents per f or ming atrociously in dealing with the major issues o f the

companies, was elected prime minister of the United Kingdom. Roughly two years later, on Jan. 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan, a conservative politician whose name would also be associated with heavy deregulation and privatization was inaugurated as president of the United States.

Jump forward about 10 years to Nov. 28, 1990, where John Major was elected as prime minister, riding on the coattails of Margaret Thatcher’s highly praised, yet controversial, reign as prime minister. Just a year earlier, George Bush Sr., another conservative politician riding on the coattails of a highly praised tenure by his predecessor, was inaugurated as president of the United States. The parallels continue straight into the 2000s, all the way up to the election of conservative prime minister David Cameron in 2010. This came at the same time as the Republican Party won a landslide victory in the congressional elections. Although the elections do not line up perfectly, it is clear that political sentiment in both the U.K. and the U.S. run parallel.

11%

upcoming decade. While the issues like gun control and climate change will be difficult to handle for the upcoming presidents, a much more serious problem comes in the saturation of the Chinese market, where demand for commodities looks to be stagnating as China shifts to a service based industry. This will likely lead to heavier competition for the U.S. as well as deal a significant blow to emerging single-export nations like Indonesia or the Philippines, who will have to shift their exports to the newly emerging manufacturing nations like Mexico and South Africa which, despite high demand, will be unlikely to match the prolific Chinese market. This will doubtless lead to a significant downturn in the global economy that, coupled with other significant economic factors such as the stagnation of major South American and European

17%

markets, could severely hurt the U.S. economy. How someone like Bernie Sanders would deal with a problem like this is much more interesting. Sanders has been a strong proponent of heavy tariffs and corporate taxation, forcing major companies and corporations to maintain their business inside the United States. But to balance these upcoming economic troubles with his own ideology will make for interesting viewing. Sanders is not only a proponent of corporate regulation, but has also flirted with the idea of nationalization of banks among other enterprises.

Yet, as President, Sanders would most likely have to deal with heavy competition in the services industry from the budding Chinese economy, presenting a significant roadblock to his policies.

It is more likely that Sanders might end up compromising.

While many pundits suggest that he is dragging Clinton out to the left, Sanders would probably have to shift back to the center if he were to become president, stressing the ‘Democrat’ in Democratic Socialist.

However, if Clinton won, her aversion to far-left ideologies suggests she would let the free market dictate which way the economy goes. This would lead to a further consolidation of corporate monopolies and continued outsourcing of jobs, only this time, to India and Mexico, with China looming large on the economic horizon.

23%

JEB BUSH

DONALD TRUMP

9.5%

For starters, it is important to look at a curious trend relating Europe to the U.S., especially in the last 30 years or so, where the U.S. seems to have followed Europe in its political tendencies. This pertains, more than anything else, to the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., where the latter usually serves as a good measure of the prevailing political climate in Europe as a whole.

On May 4, 1979, Margaret Thatcher, a hardline conservative politician who would later come to be associated with the fragmentation of unions as well as deregulation and the privatization of state-owned

BEN CARSON

pensions.

This paved the way for extremists within Greece to take the national stage. Not only did Syriza (the communist and socialist alliance) come to power, but various other parties, who would otherwise be completely ignored, also gained significant traction. This included the neo-nazi party Golden Dawn, which won 18 out of 300, or 6 percent, of seats in the Greek parliament in the last election.

However, the significance of the Golden Dawn’s victory should not be overstated, for it was ultimately the hard left that won the election in Greece. This growing socialist movement is not only restricted to the Balkans either — the communist party in France has gained significant support over the last five years and the Podemos movement in Spain, another alliance of disillusioned leftists and hardline radicals is, aided by heavy use of social media, becoming one of the biggest radical movements in Europe.

So what does this all have to do with the U.S.? Is it possible that the U.S. is going in a similar direction?

While it is doubtful that the U.S., especially without the sort of extreme economic circumstances that gave rise to the aforementioned radicals, could become a petri dish for these sort of extremist movements, it is still possible that something in the same ideological ballpark might take place in the near future.

MARCO RUBIO

8%

limited purely to the United Kingdom; it is a shift that has occurred all across Europe, partly due to the secondary effects of the crisis coupled with the influx of immigrants following unrest in neighboring countries. This influx has contributed to a tense political climate full of fingerpointing and extremists on both sides gaining significant ground.

Case in point, even more so than Corbyn in the U.K., has been the election of Alexis Tsipras in Greece.

Tsipras was elected in January this year as part of a coalition of socialist and communist parties promising an end to severe austerity measures imposed on Greece since 2010 by the rest of the European Union.

Tsipras was elected following an economically brutal four years under a center-right party that acquiesced to the demands put forth by the European Union and cut thousands of jobs in the public sector as well as increased taxes and reduced

CARLY FIORINA

still wield a veto if the disapproval vote were to pass. This has led most of the candidates not only to cast themselves as outsiders, but as opponents and critics of the current state of affairs in the Republican Party.

The more presidential hopefuls cast themselves as non-politicians, the more popular they seem to become.

They are essentially capitalizing on the heavy disillusionment of Republican voters with their representatives in Congress and the Senate.

Even so, there are still some who are satisfied with the Republican work in Congress.

“People are saying [the Republicans] are failing to compromise,” Huard said. “But I think that works on both sides and I don’t think the executive branch has done enough to compromise with Congress and viceversa.”

However, if the most recent Republican debate serves as anything to go by, it seems Republicans are more intent on attacking each other than the Democratic candidates.

Ultimately, it seems a majority of the candidates are attempting to appeal to a base severely disappointed with the performance of their House representatives.

In a sense, a similar phenomenon has occurred in the Democratic Party, where voters are increasingly frustrated with the moderate policies of politicians like Clinton. Furthermore, Obama’s failed attempts to compromise with the Republicans has led many to believe the only remedy for the conservative movement’s increasing stubbornness is mirrored radicality in the left.

Bernie Sanders seems to have capitalized perfectly on this growing disenfranchisement among voters, especially among the youth, who, faced with the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008, have slowly matured into heavily cynical voters furious at what they perceive to be corporate domination of government. Furthermore, Sanders’ donations have underscored his thoroughly grassroots foundation, with 18 of his 20 biggest donors being unions. On top of this, Sanders has raised around $25 million through small online donations from supporters.

However, this is only half the story, because Sanders’ rise could be the result of a much larger movement, one that spreads across most of the Western Hemisphere. To better understand what that means, one need only look across the pond to the United Kingdom, where the leftist Labor party just elected another selfdescribed socialist, Jeremy Corbyn, as its leader. In American political terms, this makes him similar to John Boehner as the opposition leader, only he has a little more influence and will most likely run for Prime Minister in 2020 if he can keep his spot as leader of the party.

Corbyn capitalized on the disenchantment of many voters with the current political class. As mentioned earlier, this can mostly be attributed to the economic crisis of 2008, when voters concluded that current career politicians could no longer be trusted to lead their nation. This anger is not

Monday, October 12, 2015

B6

The Campanile

ENTERTAINMENT

Unique Netflix choices that will replace your favorites Films such as “Out in the Dark” and “The Babadook” provide users with new refreshers to their show queues

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMDB.COM

Netflix offers a variety of movies and television shows other than the typical Netflix fixes. These films and shows take a different perspective on genres such as comedy and horror, branching out from formula plots.

BETHANY SHIANG

STAFF WRITER

L

et’s be real, what are people really doing this weekend? It is pretty likely that the majority of people — students, parents and teachers — will watch Netflix at one point or another. Is not that what the American culture has become?

“Netflix and chill.”

Unfortunately, the biggest dilemma is just a click away. While you curl up in bed with your soda and an entire pizza, you are met with an almost endless selection of movies and television shows to watch. You turn to the familiar: Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and The Office, but maybe it is time to shake things up. Beyond the featured selections are television shows and movies that will scare you, make you laugh and bring you out of your comfort zone.

Out in the Dark Whether one is for or against gay marriage is up to him or her, but “Out in the Dark” is not just any LGBTQ film. At its very core, the film is simply a tale of forbidden love, something everyone can appreciate. “Out in the Dark” is an Israeli film set in the Middle East. Nimir receives an academic pass that allows him to cross between Ramallah, in the West Bank, to Tel Aviv, Israel. There, Ni-

mir meets and falls in love with an Israeli lawyer named Roy. In such a world, the film’s climax shows the trials and perceptions of the LGBTQ community in the Middle East. The film also depicts the conflict between Palestine and Israel, which creates the hardship of separating the political matters from personal matters.

“Out in the Dark” may be out of some people’s comfort zone, but the film allows a person to briefly observe the conditions of the Middle East, the hardships for those in the LGBTQ community and the sacrifice people would take for loved ones.

The Babadook “The Babadook” relates back to the most basic fears of one’s childhood and its manifestation in adults.

Amelia is a grieving widower with a six-year-old son, Sam. They receive a mysterious book called “Mister Babadook” which leads to events that cause terror in Amelia and Sam’s daily lives.

“The Babadook” is not just a cliche horror film where a group of friends think the best choice is to hide behind a pile of chainsaws instead of running to an open area — the film does not rely on gore and jump scares.

Instead, the film brilliantly uses horror as a way to capture the darker parts of life. “The Babadook” digs deeper into grief and depression, and how the scariest thing that can go on

in someone’s life is their past, family, and how these elements affect one’s mind. A clever movie that folds in fear, tenderness, resentment and grief, “The Babadook” is frightening and disturbing, but most of all, leaves the audience with the question of “What really is the Babadook?”

Skeleton Twins The Saturday Night Live dynamic duo Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are back together, but with heavier material and a different take on comedy.

Milo and Maggie are twins that coincidently attempt to commit suicide on the same night. Right before Maggie takes her handful of pills, she gets a call saying that Milo has attempted to commit suicide. Maggie flies to L.A. and offers Milo to stay with her in New York. There, both siblings have their own complicated situations to deal with — family, relationships and each other. “Skeleton Twins,” directed by Craig Johnson, is not just an ordinary comedy that tries to make the audience laugh, but a film that also taps into harsh reality, and uses comedy as a tool. Maggie and Milo make funny remarks that irritate and offend one another that ultimately allows them to bond.

“Skeleton Twins” captures the difficulties of having a sibling, but especially captures the importance of having a sibling. If you do not want

to watch the movie, that is fine, but give the lip sync scene to Starship’s ’80s rock anthem “Nothing’s Gonna to Stop Us Now,” performed by Milo and Maggie, a chance.

Call The Midwife Television shows can easily create drama by simply throwing a baby into an already complicated situation. But “Call the Midwife” takes a different and delicate approach to maternal matters. Based on the memoirs of a midwife who lived in London’s East End during the 1950s, this show follows a group of midwives and nuns helping pregnant women and the people within the community. “Call the Midwife” depicts an event that creates sadness, happiness and euphoric sensation. The British series captures how the birth of babies do not just create a family, but a family with the blood-related midwives and nuns that help with the births. Each nun and midwife is so different from the other, but together they embody a spirit of unity and power. “Call the Midwife” has a multitude of stories from different sentiments, but each baby delivered creates a world of love, possibility and risk. It bravely explores topics such as abortion, contraception, class and poverty. Although the show will require tissues, the tenderness and care the midwives give to each baby is simply moving.

The Fall It seems like there is already a copious amount of crime television series that feature serial killers. “The Fall” will satisfy those who crave a psychological thriller that maintains a sense of tension throughout the series. Rather than a new killer each episode, “The Fall” is an arching story of Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), who is brought in to catch the serial killer, Paul Spector ( Jamie Dornan). The series follows the hunt for the serial killer, but within the first five minutes of the pilot, the serial killer is revealed. Thus, the series dedicates just as much time to the double life of Paul as well as the investigation to capture him. Within a turmoil of emotions and events the line between good and bad become blurry. While it is easy enough to call the serial killer the “bad guy” and to call the detective the “good guy”, motives, interactions and reactions to the events and people distort the viewer’s view of morality and turn the tables on the typically clear definitions of good and evil apparent in most television thrillers. “The Fall” is a smart show that is able to make viewers have flashes of pity for a obsessive, heartless murder. The BBC series may be unsettling and creepy, but viewers can appreciate the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star Jamie Dornan’s wonderful Irish accent.

New television premieres to watch out for this coming fall This year’s pilot season introduces new shows with promise and adaptations that fail to meet expectations JACKY MOORE

STAFF WRITER

E

very fall, television networks release over forty new shows combined in the hopes of a few catching the public’s attention. The 2015 pilot season manages to involve the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), drugs, and a multitude of excellent films adapted into television shows, making for a seemingly exciting period in network TV; however, there have been few to no signs of any extraordinary new series this fall.

The Muppets (1/5) ABC’s televised destruction of the spirit of the original Muppets franchise replaces ingenuity present in Jim Henson’s work with innuendos and adult humor. Airing on Sept.

22, the pilot episode sees the beloved characters of Miss Piggy and Kermit struggle and fail to maintain their relationship, Fozzie Bear tackle the difficulties of a bestial affair, and another pig, Denise, step into the spotlight.

Single-character interviews commonplace in “The Office” and “Modern Family,” a long-overused filmography tactic, add to the show’s lack of originality. Focus switches back and forth from Kermit’s blaming of Miss Piggy for their relationship’s fall to Miss Piggy’s affairs with other men.

ABC’s “The Muppets” regrettably fulfills its tagline: “Not your grandmother’s Muppets.”

Blindspot (4/5) The pilot of NBC’s other new TV show, “Blindspot,” is wild from start to finish. Within the first three minutes of the episode, a nude woman ( Jaimie Alexander) covered in tattoos crawls out of a body bag in the middle of Times Square as a member of the New York Police Bomb Squad points a handgun at her. These tattoos prove

to be the most interesting component of “Blindspot,” surpassing even the constantly-naked Jane Doe in terms of intrigue. Jane is determined to be a “chemically induced” amnesiac, a title which entails a loss of memory but retention of literacy of Chinese characters and skills with firearms. Using these abilities, Jane and FBI Special Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) gradually begin to trigger Doe’s submerged memories. No one, viewers included, has absolutely any idea of what is going on, which only adds to “Blindspot’s” attention-grabbing, dramatic action movie vibe.

Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris (1/5) The only person having the best time ever in the NBC’s new live variety show is Neil Patrick Harris, the show’s titular host. With prank videos, karaoke, celebrity challenges, a game show, stunting, pogo sticks and a marching band, “Best Time Ever” with Neil Patrick Harris’ pilot episode on Sept. 15 was obnoxious.

Betting on Harris’ charisma and prior hosting of several award shows such as the Academy Awards, Tony Awards and Emmy Awards, the network failed to use the star’s charisma to revive the variety show of the 1980s. Even bubbly guest announcer Reese Witherspoon could not save the surprise-filled extravaganza. Witherspoon, though repeatedly voicing her fear of heights, was launched into a vertigo-inducing climbing challenge with Harris. For the remainder of the show, Harris tries to string together a series of completely unrelated comedic action sequences. Each sketch was louder and brighter than the last, destroying any last shreds of each event’s memorability. All in all, despite Harris’ best bids at keeping his audience’s attention, Best Time Ever’s pilot is 42 long minutes of painful mediocrity.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AVCLUB.COM

ABC’s “The Muppets” inappropriately incoporates adult humor, tainting the legacy and memory of the original Muppets franchise.

Minority Report (3/5) Like CBS’ “Limitless,” “Minority Report” is another mediocre TV adaptation of a great movie. Based on Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film also titled “Minority Report,” the new FOX show that premiered Sept. 21 stars Meagan Good as Lara Vega, a cop living in 2065, and Stark Sands as Dash, a precog, or person with the clairvoyant power to foresee crimes before they occur. For those who have not seen the movie, the show is a lot to absorb due to its multi-faceted, complex backstory over which the series rapidly glosses. A governmental crime prevention agency involving Dash and two other precogs has long been dismantled; however, Dash hides his clairvoyance and continues to help prevent crimes with Vega.

The main goal and consequently, plot, of the series is made clear in the pilot episode: do not let anyone know about Dash’s highly sought-after power. The TV show fails where the

movie succeeds; FOX’s series lacks chemistry between its two main characters and is reminiscent of many other futuristic dystopian dramas.

There is a focus on the government’s point of view regarding the pros and cons of spying on its citizens, rather than a moral analysis of the issues with said surveillance.

The TV show fails where the movie succeeds; FOX’s series lacks chemistry between its two main characters and is reminiscent of other futuristic dystopian dramas.

The show, however, is not without its redeeming points. Morbid fortune-telling, uber-modern technology and space to delve into the ethics of preemptively stopping crime could give “Minority Report” potential enough to evolve into a stimulating, original series.

Limitless (4/5) Bradley Cooper’s movie “Limitless” revolves around a drug called NZT that allows its user to utilize greater portions of his or her brain, thereby heightening intelligence. The benefit is that there have been no reported side effects. This movie ends with the message that it is okay to take brain-enhancing drugs as long as one is not a bad guy, a sentiment that carries over to CBS’ new TV series of the same name.

Jake McDorman stars as Brian Finch, who uses NZT so he can easily solve crimes for the FBI alongside Jennifer Carpenter and Hill Harper.

Bradley Cooper reprises his film role as Senator Edward Mora. The show has a terrible message — and its dialogue is less scintillating than a Kardashian’s internal monologue; however, with its potential for the uncommon exploration of NZT’s effects and implications, Limitless could very well live up to its name.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Students assess benefits of vegetarianism Vegetarians speak on advantages and downsides to certain dietary choices and lifestyles

B7

Tips and tricks for Spirit Week

SARAH WANG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

CARISSA ZOU

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

T

he saying goes,“ you are what you eat.” And in the case of the students of Palo Alto High School, they are a lot of things — omnivores, vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and more. This campus has it all. While each diet offers its own benefits and drawbacks, it is important to digest the unique facets of each dietary option.

First, there are people who follow a vegan lifestyle. In addition to avoiding the consumption of meat, fish and poultry, vegans do not consume any animal products or byproducts.

One of the main concerns with being a vegan is the potential deficiency of nutrients from a lack of nutrients from essential food groups.

While there certainly are nutritional concerns, senior Emma Raney, a vegan, has found that one can compensate for the nutrients lost by not consuming meat through consuming other substitutes, including fruits, vegetables and regular supplements.

“There are a lot of fruits that have a lot of iron, [and] spinach is well known for iron and [vitamin] B12,” Raney said. “My doctor recommended that I take calcium and make sure [I’m] eating the right combinations of food to get the correct amino acids into [my] system, so it does take a little more thought into preparing your food.”

Personally, I think that vegetarians’ dietary restrictions do help the cause because in recent years there has been a major public shift in how animals are treated, and I think this animal rights awareness was sparked in part by vegetarians

Ibby Day Omnivore There are many substitutes for most ingredients restricted in a vegan diet. Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and nut milk are all viable alternatives for cow’s milk, while puréed soft tofu, Ener-G egg replacer and flax egg are substitutes for egg in baked goods.

Vegan margarines, canola, sunflower and olive oil are ingredients that can replace butter, and ice cream with soy bases, rice bases and nut bases are healthy, delicious options for vegans.

Although the vegan diet can be easy to adapt to, it is extremely im-

AIVA PETRICEKS

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

AIVA PETRICEKS /THE CAMPANILE

Students at Palo Alto High School have a variety of diets, ranging from omnivore diets, meat and plant based, to vegetarian diets.

portant to conduct sufficient research and converse with the appropriate doctors to ensure one’s health while making new, vegan dietary choices.

“If you’re thinking about becoming vegan, it’s really important that you do the right research to make sure you’re eating enough because the typical foods are a little bit lower in calories,” Raney said. “Read up on reasons why you should be doing this other than the initial reason you were thinking about.”

Then, there are people who follow the vegetarian lifestyle. Vegetarians abstain from eating meat but still eat animal products. For some, the choice behind the vegetarian lifestyle stems from a distaste for meat. Senior Chloe Mo, a vegetarian, attributed part of her reasoning for being a vegetarian to her food preferences.

“I feel repulsed by meat and do not enjoy the taste of meat,” Mo said.

Other explanations for being vegetarian are health related reasons, as research has proven the longevity of eating a meatless diet.

“It’s been [shown] through many studies that vegetarians, in general, live five years longer than omnivores,” Mo said. “Vegans live, on average, 10 years longer [than omnivores].”

Research has shown that a vegetarian diet, in comparison to a diet with meat, wards off more diseases and keeps weight down, according to an article from the Vegetarian Times.

A vegetarian diet usually contains less fat, lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and a variety of cancers. Furthermore, vegetarianism can give a person more energy, if he or she eats the right foods like more carbohydrates.

In general, another reason why

some choose to have vegan, all vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diets is the benefits to the environment.

“The emissions produced by cows and other farm animals are harmful to the ozone layer, and [methane] contributes about 11 percent to the

It’s been [shown] through many studies that vegetarians, in general, live five years longer that omnivores. Vegans live, on average, 10 years longer [than omnivores]

Chloe Mo Vegetarian total carbon emissions in the atmosphere,” Mo said.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), livestock production for the food industry is a primary source of methane emissions in the atmosphere.

“Domestic livestock such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels produce large amounts of [methane] as part of their normal digestive process,” the EPA stated on its online page for climate change. “Also, when animals’ manure is stored or managed in lagoons or holding tanks, [methane] is produced. Because humans raise these animals for food, the emissions are considered humanrelated. Globally, the Agriculture sector is the primary source of methane emissions.”

Besides deterring the progression of global warming through greenhouse gasses, vegetarianism is also known to conserve water usage.

“Many nutrients are more easily absorbed through plant-sources

than animal ones,” Mo said. “Being vegetarian has huge environmental benefits — especially since we’re in a drought. It takes a lot more water to produce enough grass to create one pound of beef than it does to create one pound of vegetables.”

Another common motivation behind choosing to adopt vegetarian or vegan diets is compassion for the animals which are slaughtered to provide meat and animal products. Senior and vegetarian Hannah Zucker cited her unease with the killing of animals as her reason for becoming a vegetarian.

“My elementary school had a farm on it, and I had a hard time accepting the idea that we could play with an animal during the day and then also eat the same type of animal for dinner,” Zucker said.

Even students who are not vegetarian view vegetarianism as a driving force behind proper animal treatment. Junior Ibby Day recognizes the benefits of vegetarianism, despite partaking in a omnivorous lifestyle.

“Personally, I think that vegetarians’ dietary restrictions do help the cause because in recent years there has been a major public shift in how animals are treated, and I think this animal rights awareness was sparked in part by vegetarians,” Day said. “I completely support the animal rights movement and I definitely do feel guilty sometimes for not being a vegetarian or vegan.”

Despite apparent drawbacks to the vegetarian and semi-vegetarian lifestyle, there are numerous environmental, ethical and health advantages to adopting a more specialized lifestyle choice, which encourage many people to become vegetarian.

Kardashian, Jenner sisters increase social media presence The influential family dominates the app store, each producing their own unique app

JACKY MOORE /THE CAMPANILE

The Kardashians have produced mobile apps that display their personal life, beauty tutorials, fashion advice, and special events.

KATE DEANDRE

STAFF WRITER

A

fter mastering the world of pop culture, the KardashianJenner sisters have begun pursuing mobile applications. On Sept. 14, two of the Kardashian sisters, as well as both the Jenner sisters, released their new personal apps, giving the public easier access to their exclusive photos, videos and fashion advice.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner have published apps focusing on their lives, such as their daily makeup routines and style ideas.

These apps give subscribers first looks at video and photo content of the celebrities and concentrates on

the Kardashian-Jenner empire in the fashion and cosmetic industry.

According to HollywoodLife, these apps are predicted to make a total of $32 million in the first year alone. With 891,340 people having downloaded the apps within the first 24 hours of their released, this seems like a fairly attainable goal for the sisters.

Kourtney Kardashian is setting aside more time for her app, Kourtney, and wants to put extra effort into it for future publicity. Her app, which is about her lifestyle as a mother, is set to release sometime next month.

“Mine is more curated,” public figure Kourtney Kardashian said to Entertainment Tonight Online. “I’m obsessed with interior design, so it’s a lot about that. I’m obsessed with be-

ing a mom. I have very specific ways of being a mom, as well.”

In order to have full access to these amenities, download the app and then subscribe to each figure. Subscribing costs $2.99 a month and is well worth it, according to Kylie Jenner.

According to HollywoodLife, these apps are predicted to make a total of $32 million in the first year alone.

Paly freshman Nathan Ellisen shares his opinion on the Kardashian-Jenner sisters and the launch of their apps.

“I think they are disturbing people’s thoughts of success,” Ellisen said. “I don’t like them.”

The sister with the most popular app is Kylie Jenner, with nearly 2,000 ratings. Her app has an average rating of three and a half stars, similar to that of her sisters. However, Kylie has far more ratings from reviewers on the app’s preview page. Kylie’s app, Kylie, focuses on video and audio content through her live-streaming videos, beauty tutorials and exclusive radio station, “Kylie Radio.” She also features giveaways, fashion advice and her favorite beauty products.

The next most popular app belongs to Kim Kardashian with over 320 ratings and a three and a half star average. Kim’s app, Kim, has a larger emphasis on her beauty tips and products, most of which are designer and cost a great amount of money.

Khloe Kardashian’s app, Khloe, has the next most exposure with just over 250 ratings, giving her a three and a half star average. Unlike the other Kardashian-Jenner sisters, Khloe prioritizes organizational skills and workout routines for her viewers, giving her more of a lifestyle perspective.

With the least amount of publicity comes Kendall Jenner’s app, Kendall. She has over 140 ratings and a four star average, the highest rating between the sisters. Kendall, similar to her sister Kim, emphasizes on her products in fashion and beauty. However, unlike Kim, Kendall creates a more cost-friendly environment for her viewers by finding affordable products similar to what she wears.

The newest way to keep up with the Kardashian-Jenners and gain exclusive access is through their apps.

It is almost that time of year again, when it is perfectly normal to come to school in head-to-toe with green body paint and have no one ask any questions. This glorious week in October, dubbed “Spirit Week,” is essentially Paly’s Christmas­–the time where the Paly population learns who really is the best class (cough SENIORS cough). Sadly, Spirit Week 2015 will be my fourth and final Spirit Week at Paly. As a part of the class that got second place two years in a row, I have learned all the ways to exceed in the one week where students go crazy over fake points. It would be simply rude of me not to tell you, the wonderful people of Paly, my tips and tricks to Spirit Week.

Float Disclaimer: if you are doing Spirit Week right, your grades will drop during Spirit Week. But hey, that is okay because bragging rights > college. One reason your grades will drop is because you may be in the auto shop until 9 p.m. every night working on your class’ float. Over the past four years, I have seen some terrible and some fantastic floats. A personal favorite is the Class of 2016’s float from last year (I obviously have no bias whatsoever). I also have learned what makes a first place float, so since I am the great journalist that I am, I will tell you guys how to get the first place float. Do not waste your time on making a really cool structure on your float that looks amazing, like let’s maybe say (and this is totally hypothetical) a pirate ship. Even if your classmates spent hours making a really cool 3D “pirate ship,” just know that it will probably lose to another float that does not have a really cool 3D “pirate ship.” That other float will instead (and again, this is totally hypothetical) have flags made out of stuffed tissue. And because of losing to this “flag float,” your class may get third place in floats and then get the exact amount of points needed NOT TO WIN SPIRIT WEEK (again, totally hypothetical).

Spirit Dance In the past couple years, a lot of things have changed about Spirit Week, one of them being the Spirit Dance. First off, kudos to ASB for creating the night rally because those performing in their class’ spirit dance will get to experience the feeling of Friday Night Lights, minus Friday night and being a part of a sport that revolves around tackling other men.

So basically, students will just experience the lights part. On a serious note, join your class’ dance because you will feel like a dancer for just a little bit. However, if you do not participate in your dance, there is a little known fact that whichever grade throws the most burritos on the field during another class’ dance gets extra points–just ask the class of 2015. Do not fact check this with ASB though.

Practicing You better hope that your fifth or sixth period teacher is okay with you eating your lunch in class, because you will not be eating it during lunch. Instead, you will be at the football field every lunch screaming for your grade as some of your classmates compete in competitions. Go to the rallies– you only get four of these–and, coming from someone who is about to enter her last, lunch rallies because they will become your best memories at Paly. Anyways, during these rallies, grades often compete in relays.

However, those who do not practice for relays beforehand often get some slack from other grades. There could be cheers thrown out like, “HOW WAS NOT PRACTICE?!”

If you need to fact check any of these tips, just ask anyone in the class of 2016 — we have experienced it all.

Bye Paly Pals!

Monday, October 12, 2015

B8 DESIGN BY ANNALISE WANG STAFF WRITER

CARISSA ZOU LIFESTYLE EDITOR

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

SENIOR TRADITIONS

TEXT BY SARAH WANG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

CARISSA ZOU

1

in

2000

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

W

hy are so many people not wearing pants? Why did a quarter of the school population suddenly vanish from campus? Why is every person of a class of more than 500 students trying to fit onto a deteriorating slab of wood? Every student at Palo Alto High School has asked these questions at least once, and the answers always run along the same lines: because they are seniors. Over the years, the senior class has found innumerable ways to express and flaunt their superiority through a variety of traditions — traditions which have become such an integral part of Paly’s culture that they are continued without much thought. But where did these traditions come from? How have they evolved into the established traditions that we know and love today?

SENIOR DECK

NO PANTS DAY

The Senior Deck is the ultimate spot for seniors to display their superiority, and each class’s eagerness to step onto it can be seen when the junior class swarms the deck on Senior Cut Day. However, the deck was not originally intended to be an exclusive location, and was in fact built for stage performances for the whole school.

According to math teacher Arne Lim, the deck was originally a gift from the class of 1992 as a result from leftover funds.

“Once upon a time, graduating classes held several fundraisers throughout their four years at Paly,” Lim said. “Events would generate money to be devoted to paying for, or at least defraying the cost for, upcoming large expenses [like Prom and Graduation Night]. If there was excess after all the bills were paid, then the class would ‘bequeath’ the remaining money in the form of a class gift.”

Throughout the years, the deck did not completely serve its original purposes as a performance and event area, and it slowly evolved into a spot for students to hangout in and eventually became a designated “senior zone.”

However, prior to 1972, the designated senior zone was located at the grassy area in between the theater and tower building, according to Lim. “There [have] always been areas of the campus that have been unofficially marked as a ‘Seniors Only’ zone,” Lim said. “This location has changed over the years due to newer constructions and changes in population. The original senior zone [was] called ‘Senior Court.’”

In 1972, construction added a host of new buildings to Paly, and the senior zone shifted to a new location so the seniors could still display their dominance.

“Because the geographical center of campus shifted, so did the need for the seniors to show their overt superiority,” Lim said. “This is when the senior zone migrated to the Senior Wall, the wall that surrounds the student center.”

When the school grew larger due to the addition of new portables between the student center and the library, the senior zone moved again, to benches in front of the 100 building, better known as the arts building. However, these benches no longer exist due to excessive vandalism.

The current senior zone remains the Senior Deck, and each senior class continues this tradition of taking over the deck. But in recent years, this tradition has begun to evolve into more than just standing on the wooden platform, but into painting the deck with the current senior class’s year.

In the spring of 2014, Class of 2014 alumna and then senior Hayley Tawzer decided to paint the deck as part of her 20 Percent Project, a selfdirected project with a clear product, for Ms. Angell with the support of her senior class.

“I got the idea for painting the deck from pretty much a large percent of the 2014 senior class,” Tawzer said. “All year we [2014 seniors] would complain about how run down the deck was looking and we all really wanted to do something about that. But no one really did. So when I got the assignment… I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

For her project, Tawzer painted the deck with camouflage coloring and the year 2014 in the center in white, blending together the senior traditions of wearing camo and occupying the deck. Though her specific design was a homage to her senior class, Tawzer intended this deck painting to become a senior tradition at Paly.

“I planned for this 20 Percent project of mine to turn into a new tradition at Paly,” Tawzer said. “We were losing the tradition of streaking so I wanted to bring in a new cool tradition to the Paly seniors so they still had something fun to do … years to come could just repaint over the 2014 numbers when it came their turn.”

The senior zone continues to evolve as a source of tradition for Paly’s seniors, with each year differentiating itself from the next through the ever changing senior deck. “[Painting the deck is] something cool that [each senior year can] do as a class,” Tawzer said. “I’m excited to see what the years [to] come do to make it their o w n a s well.”

Even with several core traditions that have persisted through numerous decades, Paly remains an innovative community that continues to create inventive traditions for the future.

Just a few years ago, a student from the class of 2010 initiated the first No Pants Day, a day in which seniors come to school with no pants, showcasing attire ranging from an oversized shirt to the classic pair of plaid boxers.

The now established tradition of No Pants Day all began with one student’s hopes of leaving a lasting impression on the Paly community. In anticipation of diverging paths after high school, students in the class of 2010 rushed to leave their marks on Paly, whether it be through memorable senior pranks or streaking. For Patrick Liu, a Paly class of 2010 alumnus, going pants less was the answer.

“Near the end of our final semester at school, the hype around senior pranks and streaking was running rampant,” Liu said. “People were ready and waiting at brunch and lunch to watch the brave and bold strut their stuff.”

Liu, too, wanted to leave his mark on Paly, but wanted to execute it in a way that was harmless, yet still preserved the lively and fun essence.

“I loved the spirit of it — everyone was ready to start their next chapter of life and wanted to leave a mark,” Liu said. “I guess I wanted to do the same without being naked or destructive, which would inevitably be something that the custodial staff would have to clean up.”

After witnessing a pantless prank online, Liu explains that a group of Paly class of 2010 students viewed No Pants Day as the perfect way to highlight senior class spirit in an innocuous manner.

“A couple friends and I were talking about [a] video of a subway prank in New York where riders would ride pantless and [we] thought it’d be fun if we brought that to Paly,” Liu said. “It was something fun that the whole class could do collectively, without anonymity, and with the added bonus of being completely harmless.”

After publicizing the event on social media, Liu was ecstatic to see many of his peers in pants-free attire, as they unified as a class to demonstrate their senior superiority.

“I put up a Facebook event a few nights before the actual day telling people not to wear pants to school,” Liu said.

“And the day of, I was totally expecting to show up to school alone in my pantless-ness, but was excited to see everyone without pants on. It was great — a few other people and I were wearing Paly Speedo’s; there were some great 90’s boxers out and about; I even think there was a few full suit tops and no bottoms going on. ” Since the tradition’s inception in 2010, No Pants Day has continued to succeed every year, evolving into one of many classic senior traditions.

“I’m glad people are still doing it!” Liu said. “It’s great that the whole class can come together to do something totally ridiculous and I hope it inspires other people to come up with creative and non-destructive pranks.”

“It’s great that the whole class can come together to do something totally ridiculous and I hope it inspires other people to come up with creative and non-destructive pranks.”

PATRICK LIU CLASS OF 2010

SENIOR CUT DAY

Senior Cut Day is one of Paly’s oldest traditions, with the senior class disappearing on one day in the spring every year.

Nowadays, the tradition has become such an essential part of the culture at Paly that the majority of students and staff expect one day in May to be completely senior-free.

According to Lim, Senior Cut Day was originally meant to be a senior surprise, but ultimately evolved into the tradition it is today.

“Originally, this was to be a secret, a surprise to the school staff,” Lim said. “But when academics, sports, and attendance became a huge deal, and the students still wanted to do it, then the date of Senior Cut Day became a negotiated item. It has evolved to basically a de-stress day, landing on the first full day after AP [Advanced Placement] Tests are completed.”

According to Ron Tuttle, a 1955 Paly alum, Senior Cut Day has existed since he was a high school student and likely before then as well.

“I do [remember] within the last two weeks before we graduated we did go out and have a party,” Tuttle said. “At the Pink Horse Ranch in Los Altos Hills, they had a swimming pool and we went there. I didn’t ever put it as a tradition, but that’s what the administration accepted. The things that we did might have [become] tradition[s] that carried out for years and years and years, but [at the time] it was just things that happened.”

Typical destinations have transitioned throughout the years, but many of the original locations remain popular today. According to Meri Gyves, a 1969 Paly alum and current Work Experience teacher, Santa Cruz Beach and Lake Lagunita were both common choices when she was a student.

Lim noticed that the beach has always been a typical choice.

“Because it creates a 3-day weekend, one of the most common activities was to go to the beach,” Lim said. “Now students just use [Senior Cut Day] to do whatever they want.”

Because of the precedent set by generations of Paly students, many seniors go camping or continue to go to the beach to celebrate Senior Cut Day. From as far back as 1955 to today in 2015, Senior Cut Day has grown and developed into the established tradition it is today, as seniors congregate as a unified class and cherish the last days they have together before they part ways after graduation.

This edition featuring:

Alice Hao with The Campanile’s own

Dami Bolarinwa The Campanile: How’s your day going anyways? How have you been?

Alice Hao: I’m currently on the verge of passing out but other than that, fine.

TC: Why are you passing out? It’s like 6:30 [p.m.].

AH: Exactly. It’s 6:30 [p.m.] and I’m at work.

TC: How did you get so good at calling people trolls?

AH: Um, let’s just say ever since middle school I’ve had a reaction to people like that. If we have a back and forth diss battle (I’ve had a lot of those in my lifetime), even if people aren’t insulting me, I insult them back.

TC: That’s cool. How would you want Paly to remember you by?

AH: Someone who was very good at calling others troll even though they weren’t.

TC: So do you have any advice for underclassmen?

AH: Just if you’re biking or walking stay out of the middle of the road because I will hit you. Like stay out of my way.

TC: Why would you hit them?

AH: You know it’s like when you finish taking three tests in a row and you want to go home and you want to sleep and there’s like a gaggle of freshmen in front of your car and it’s just like “get out of my way or get hit.”

TC: I’m sorry I never feel that way but I get it. That’s so mean. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

AH: I would have time control. That way I could fast forward to when I get my test answers back, memorize them, and then go back and retake the test. It’s a good thing to have.

TC: What do you think your most admirable characteristic is?

AH: My honesty. I’m not afraid to tell people what I think of them or what I think about them. Of course that does technically get me into trouble sometimes. It’s just you know, I don’t like minding my words so people get their feelings hurt.

TC: Toughen up, people. What are you plans for the future?

AH: A typical Asian dream. Go to a good 4-year college. Graduate. Go to a good graduate school. Graduate.

And then get a level entry job.

TC: Why do you say a typical Asian dream?

AH: Because that is the dream nearly every Asian has on this planet. Get a good job, get good money. You know it as well as I do.

TC: So Spirit Week’s coming up.

Are you dressing up this year?

AH: I’m going to dress up for some of the days. Not all of them. Because I’m not looking forward to going to school wrapped in a bedsheet, pretending to be Caesar.

TC: Why would you not want to go to school in a bedsheet?

AH: Because if you were a dude it wouldn’t be that big of a deal but then if you’re a girl, it just gets awkward on so many levels. Trust me.

Last year, I saw a senior girl and her toga dropped and everything was hanging out. Traumatizing.

TC: That is a bit traumatizing. So is there a mister Alice Hao in the making?

AH: Um, my dad is in the kitchen cooking, I think.

TC: Any last words?

AH: No not really. I have to get back to work, my manager is going to kick my [butt].

TC: Alright. Thank you.

The Campanile

Monday, October 12, 2015 ATHLETE OF THE Outside hitter MONTH

SPORTS

C7

A

lone boat jets down a channel off of the Port of Redwood City, disturbing the calm water of the bay. Motivated by the sharp, energetic calls of the boat’s coxswain, eight high schoolers, equipped with a singular racing shell and one oar each, propel their b o a t into the brisk 5 a.m. darkness. In the boat is Jackson Wood, a junior at Palo Alto High School, who is training with NorCal Crew for an upcoming race.

“Being on the water is like nothing else,” Wood said. “All the problems that you faced on land become irrelevant. The only focus is to row with as little disruption to the balance of the boat as possible.”

The sport of rowing, often referred to as “crew,” was the first intercollegiate

s p o r t contested in the United States. In 1852, Harvard and Yale raced down the Thames river located in New London, Connecticut, beginning the American tradition of intercollegiate athletic competitions. Rowing, a very intense sport, requires high degrees of cardiovascular fitness, strength and teamwork as rowers use carbon fiber oars to send their boat towards the finish line. Facing away from the direction that they are rowing, rowers utilize their whole body to drive themselves forwards.

While rowing is generally perceived as a graceful sport, the elegance of the racing shell gliding through the water proves to be a distraction from how painful the sport can be.

Within the first few seconds of a race, a rower’s metabolism starts to function anaerobically.

This results in an inability to produce ATP, the source of endurance energy, so the body begins to rely on glycogen and other energy sources stored in the muscle cells for metabolism.

With the muscles essentially feeding on themselves, high levels of lactic acid build in the blood stream. The lungs end up working the

hardest and the capillaries begin to dilate, as blood flow to lesser used muscle groups shuts off. Despite the pain associated with rowing, rowers at all levels find joy in the wins and the beauty of the sport.

Abby Warner, a Paly senior, discusses the contrast between elegance in rowing and the painful elements that come with racing.

“Rowing is a lot like ballet; both ballet and rowing appear to be elegant activities, but ballerinas and rowers are covered in blisters and scabs from intense training. In both sports the athletes have to appear more composed than they feel and stay very technical when tired,” Warner said.

Most races in the fall season span a longer

gearing up for the Head of the Charles, which consists of 777 teams and 11,000 athletes, held on the penultimate weekend of October. Dubbed the biggest head race regatta in the world, the 1.5 million spectators lined up along the Charles River in tandem with the hundred year old collegiate boathouses create a unique setting. With Youth Nationals months away, many of Paly’s rower’s focuses are directed at doing well at this exciting head

distance, usually being around five to six kilometers, or three to four miles, and involve a “head race” style.

Head races consist of individual boats being sent down the course one at a time, each boat race. Last with hopes of getting the fastest time. Spring year was the 50th races include shorter distance races, with the year of the Regatta, and standard distance being two kilometers, or an eight manned boat from about 1.25 miles. t h e Known for being team Norcal an original modern “Rowing is a lot like ballet; crew included six Paly Olympic sport, rowing … In both sports the athletes rowers and was able to has been a part of the place 15th out of 85 in Olympics since 1900. h a v e t o a p p e a r m o r e the men’s youth eight In addition to the composed than they feel event. In addition, a four Olympics, the most faperson boat, including mous rowing races, also and stay very technical two Paly rowers, was able known as “regattas,” are to place 6th out of 85 in when tired.”

Head of the Charles the women’s youth 4 in Boston, the “Boat event. This year NorCal Abby Warner Race” where Oxford crew will be sending an and Cambridge duel eight person and four Senior race, the Intergalactic person boat on the men’s Rowing Association side, and a four person (IRA) championship regatta where the top boat on the woman’s side. In the women’s four American colleges race over two kilometers is Paly junior Kimmi Chin. and the Henley on Thames rowed in England.

“Last year’s lineup got sixth place so we are With the competitive rowing season under trying to medal at fifth place or better,” Chin way, many rowers from around the world are said. “Hopefully we can improve from last year.

Chelsea Fan continues pushing her team toward success and improvement.

I’m just excited to see all these amazing crews from all over the country.”

W h i l e the typical physique for a competitive rower tends to be upwards of 6 feet 3 inches for guys and 5 feet ten inches for girls, several P a l y

rowers have found success in the lightweight category.

For high school rowers, lightweight events aim to give smaller rowers an opportunity to shine, with the maximum weight for guys being 150 pounds, and the maximum weight for girls being 135 pounds. Last year, on the men’s side, NorCal Crew’s lightweight eight manned boat, made up of five Paly rowers, beat

hundreds of crews across the country to go on and win the event at the 2015 Youth Rowing Nationals.

Anna Kemmerer, a Paly senior who rowed as a lightweight last season for NorCal Crew, supports the lightweight event saying that it gives her a more uniform chance to win races.

“I like rowing because it gives me a more equal opportunity to win when racing because the girls are more my size,” Kemmerer said.

Rowing is a unique sport with an interesting past. Large regattas and varied events allow a wide variety of people to compete and enjoy the painful yet rewarding sport.

“It’s infinitely more physically and emotionally taxing than any other aspect of my life,” Wood said. “Waking up at four o’clock in the morning Mondays and Fridays is one thing, but to have one’s physical ability tested at such early hours is one of many experiences that makes rowing addicting. The bonds formed from going through extreme pain with a group of people are indescribable. These people have become my brothers, and I wouldn’t quit rowing for anything.”

SPORTS

Bay Area Replaces New York’s Regime

As Bay Area sports teams claim countless championships, they are taking over New York’s long-held reign as head of the sports industry. See what led to New York’s downfall and to the rise of the Bay Area.

COURTESY OF SFGATE

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COURTESY OF NERDIST

COURTESY OF SFGATE

COURTESY OF TIME WARNER CABLE MEDIA

Online gaming attracts millions of gamers and viewers worldwide.

ESPN shifts away from traditional sports broadcasting.

Descent into Tabloidism

MLB Playoff Picture

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E-Sports Gain Popularity

Who’s gonna go all the way and win the 2015 World Series?

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C2 VIKING RECAP FOOTBALL RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. Milpitas 10/9/15 Paly vs. Saratoga 10/2/15, W, 42-35 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Fremont 10/16/15, 7 p.m.

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/23/15, 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Gunn 10/8/15 Paly vs. Saratoga 10/6/15, W, 3-0 UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/13/15, 6:45 p.m.

Paly vs. Los Altos 10/20/15, 6:45 p.m.

GIRLS WOPO RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/8/15 Paly vs. Los Altos 10/6/15, L, 10-4 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mountain View 10/13/15, 3:30 p.m.

Paly vs. Gunn 10/15/15, 6:45 p.m.

BOYS WOPO RECENT GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/8/15 Paly vs. Los Altos 10/6/15, W, 13-12 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mountain View 10/13/15, 6:45 p.m.

Paly vs. Gunn 10/15/15, 3:30 p.m.

XC RECENT MEETS

Clovis Invitational 10/10/15 Crystal Springs 10/6/15, 121 UPCOMING MEETS Monterey Bay Invitational

10/17/15 Sunnyvale Baylands 10/20/15

GIRLS TENNIS RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Saratoga 10/8/15 Paly vs. Monta Vista 10/6/15, L, 7-0 UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/13/15, 3:30 p.m.

Paly vs. Homestead 10/15/15, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF RECENT MATCHES

Paly vs. Lynbrook 10/8/15 Paly vs. Wilcox 10/7/15, W/L, UPCOMING MATCHES

Paly vs. Gunn 10/13/15, 2:30 p.m.

Paly vs. Saratoga 10/15/15, 3 p.m.

Girls volleyball excels in recent tournaments Increased focus and strong team chemistry leaves players confident and ready to succeed

MADS MCCLUSKEY

STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto High School’s volleyball team has played very well this season and has won two of their three games so far. In their game against Homestead High School on Oct. 1, Paly won 3-0. The first game they won 25-19, the second 25-17 and the final game 16-25.

Sophomore Chelsea Fan played a dominant game, scoring 13 points for Paly overall.

The girls also beat Mountain View High School, winning the final tiebreaker game. The girls won the first set 25-17, lost the second set 25-18, lost the third and fourth sets 20-25 and 18-25, respectively and won the final set 15-8.

Paly lost to Los Altos 3-0 on Sept.

29. In total, they have gone 2-1 in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL).

The team’s greatest rivals include Henry M. Gunn, Mountain View, Homestead and Los Altos. Homestead and Los Altos have been at the top of SCVAL for a long time and the girls aspire to beat them. Dave Winn, the volleyball coach through the 2013 season, now coaches at Mountain View so the girls really want to beat the team as well.

The team has been practicing hard and dedicating a lot of time into becoming the best team in the league.

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

Setter Jessica Lee winds up to serve in a volleyball match against Gunn High School.

Currently they are ranked seventh in Division 1 of the Central Coast Section (CCS).

“I think we have a good chance to win [SCVAL],” coach Jekara Wilson said. “There are a lot of really good teams in our league but we’re definitely a top contender.”

The team has had a good start to their season. The team dynamic only increases every practice and they are looking forward to beating many other schools in their league.

“I think we work really well together, but a lot of us have quiet personalities, so it might take some time before we’re really comfortable playing together,” Fan said.

While there are many returning players, those who have inexperience on a varsity sport are still trying to find their place on the court with the rest of the team.

“We’re doing really well so far,” senior Bryce Rockwell said. “I think that if we put in the time and effort,

and really fulfill our potential, we could get far in CCS playoffs.”

The team is made up of very talented individuals. The question is whether the team can work together to create the ultimate united team.

Wilson believes that the team needs to work on specialized skills, such as passing, more.

“I think our chances of winning [SCVAL championship] are pretty high,” Fan said. “The only thing that might get in the way of that is if we don’t focus and play hard.”

Sometimes when an opposing team is rumored to be good, it affects the mental game and team flow.

“Most of the game is mental and sometimes we let our emotions get in the way of the game since we have a lot friends that play on opposing teams,” Fan said.

Practicing in Henry M. Gunn High School’s Bow Gym has its challenges and the team is definitely fighting the uphill battle. Receiving support from fans has been tough because all home games are no longer held at Paly. However, the girls have been advertising their games very well and have received lots of support from classmates, friends and family.

“I think overall as long as we do well in SCVAL we should do pretty well in CCS,” Wilson said.

The team has an optimistic outlook on where they are headed, and hopes to head in the right direction.

Young talent helps girls golf surge ahead in league Combination of athleticism and skill in recent games propels team past competition JOANNA FALLA

STAFF WRITER

T

he Palo Alto High School girls golf team claims yet another victory as they win against Homestead High School for the second time this season with a score of 224-259 on Sept. 28 at the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course.

Coach Doyle Knight feels confident about the girls’ placement so far in the league and is impressed with what the team has brought to each match, especially against Monta Vista High School, when Paly declared victory with a score of 212-239.

“The Monta Vista match was big,” Knight said. “My seven, eight and nine players played. I had a meeting with the team before our match and told them this match may be harder than we thought [and] to be ready, and they did great.”

The girls representing the new lineup for the difficult match proved their athletic ability by playing significantly lower than their average scores. [ Junior] Elise Kiya shot four under her average of 39, [freshman] Jasmine Choi shot four under her average of 43 and [sophomore] Lauren Wagner shot eight under her average of 42.

Wagner is excited about the new surge of high-level playing from the team, especially after the team un-

fortunately suffered its first loss of the season against Lynbrook High School on Sept. 15.

“As a team we were kind of let down,” Wagner said. “We thought we would win, but we felt like our main problem with that match was they had just redone the front nine [courses] so none of our team had played it recently and the other team had, and we felt like their home course advantage was huge.”

Even though the loss was hard on the team, Knight believes that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as practicing technique.

“We practice two hours a day, three days a week, and a lot of us practice individually on our off days,” Wagner said. “Just knowing how the course is and getting prepared mentally is one of the main things Knight wants us to focus on in our upcoming matches.”

Knight plans not to dwell so much on the team’s first loss and instead plans on looking ahead towards the more skilled teams that the Paly girls will have to overtake to have a better standing for the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) title. The next few weeks will be integral in order for the team to obtain the title.

“Los Gatos will be tough, but I try to get the girls mentally prepared before a match and to think about the course they will be playing and how they want to play it,” Knight said.

COURTESY OF EMILY HWANG

Junior Joyce Choi swings back her club to chip the golf ball onto the putting green.

“This way when they play, they have an idea of what they want to do and [don’t] just wing it and hope for the best.”

Wagner also believes that a positive attitude can greatly help advance the team during a match, so she is happy to see that the team has such a strong connection both on and off the golf course.

“All the girls on the team are super sweet, and we are very supportive of each other,” Wagner said. “We hang out at practice and also get together outside of golf for fun, and I feel like it helps us play even better together

and gives us even more confidence on the course.”

Knight is confident that the girls are on a winning pathway towards the SCVAL title as long as the team can maintain its consistent strong mental game throughout the remainder of the season and their focus against stronger opponents.

“All the girls have improved from last year and our scores are staying low so that is very encouraging,” Knight said. “Lynbrook, Los Gatos and Gunn are the harder teams, but if we do [win] we have a very good chance of winning our league title.”

Football team ends three game losing streak Emphatic defensive stand in double overtime gives Paly 42-35 win against Saratoga ELI GWIN-KERR

STAFF WRITER

O

n Sept. 18, Palo Alto High School played their first away game against Archbishop Mitty High School, where they fell to the Monarchs with a final score of 52-28. The Vikings were able to keep the score tied at 28-28 until the end of the third quarter, with highlights like senior wide receiver Riley Schoeben’s touchdown from senior quarterback Justin Hull. However, the Monarchs managed to pull ahead in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 more points late in the game.

Paly returned to Viking Stadium the following week to face Oak Grove High School, a team with two losses and one win. Paly entered into the game confident, but the Vikings ultimately fell to the Eagles with a disappointing score of 46-7. The Eagles’ defense stood strong the entire night, restraining Paly’s offense and only allowing them to score one touchdown.

DAMI BOLARINWA/THE CAMPANILE

Senior fullback Shaun Pike rushes past defenders for a touchdown against Sequoia.

On Oct. 2, Paly played the team that eliminated them from the Central Coast Section playoffs last year: Saratoga High School. In 2014, the Falcons won by a score of 41-33. But this year the Vikings managed to put up a fight and win, 42-35, in double overtime. In the third quarter, sophomore Paul Jackson III scored on a 20

yard run to tie the game at 21. Eli Givens made three catches for 111 yards, including a 67 yard reception for a touchdown right before half time. Hull threw an impressive 208 yards and four touchdown passes.

“It was a well deserved win for us because we’ve been hustling the entire season and to finally get a win

that really means something, that’s great for us … and it’s also a good way to start off the league,” senior Chuck Stephenson said.

The Vikings play their second and third league games away, at Milpitas High School on Oct. 9 and Fremont High School on Oct. 16. The Homecoming game takes place on Oct. 23, against Los Gatos High School.

Paly football team’s high hopes at the beginning of the season have yielded mixed results.

“There were a lot of emotions going through that game,” junior Sean Romeo said. “There were frustrations with mental mistakes we were making and a lot of us were getting worked up by calls by the officials that we didn’t like, but in the end we were able to power through all that.

Peter [Snodgrass] was cramping up and had to be carried off twice but he was still fighting till the end. I really think we were able to show the home crowd that we had the most heart that night.”

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C3

Dominance shown by Lady Vikes League struggles continue Girls water polo attribute teamwork to this season’s success

Injuries have caused the team to struggle in recent games against both Gunn and Carmel

JACKY MOORE

STAFF WRITER

H

aving won nine games so far this season, Palo Alto High School’s girls water polo team is looking to continue its 6-game winning streak. The Lady Vikes credit their success to the fact that every player has a unique set of skills that contribute to the team’s success.

“This year, it’s especially much more of a team effort,” varsity player sophomore Sabrina Hall said.

Following a tough loss to Los Gatos High School on Sept. 17, the Lady Vikes refocused themselves and trained even harder, leading to a 14-4 win against Lincoln High School on Sept. 19.

Senior Gigi Rojahn led her team scoring four goals, while Hall followed suit, adding three more points to Paly’s score. Senior Katie Francis and sophomore Hollie Chiao each scored two goals, and sophomore Sophie Frick added another.

Hall cites the team’s ability to draw from a multitude of players as a major reason for its win against Lincoln.

“Everyone has something different to contribute,” Hall said.

Paly went on to win against Aragon High School 12-5, with Francis leading her team in scoring with four goals. Junior Joanna Falla had eight saves while fellow goaltender sophomore Claire Billman prevented seven of Aragon’s attempts at scoring.

with boys water polo team ANNA MORAGNE

STAFF WRITER

B COURTESY OF BOB DREBIN

Senior Katie Francis attempts to score in a match against Half Moon Bay High School.

After its win against Aragon, the girls water polo team emerged victorious against Half Moon Bay High School, preserving its 3-game winning streak with a final score of 10-6.

Solid performances from both Francis and Rojahn, each contributing three points, two goals from Hall, and one goal from both senior Claire Drebin and Sophie Frick helped to secure the team’s win.

The team had more trouble when facing crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High School. Frick lead her team against Gunn by scoring three goals. Falla had seven saves against Gunn’s offense.

“I think our defense was really good,” Hall said. “We weren’t really getting out on the counter as much

as we could, but we were shooting a lot, which is something we’re trying to work on.”

Paly won against Saratoga High School on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Junior Haley Chalmers and seniors Alina Drebin and Francis each scored three more goals while Frick and Hall both added one more goal, making for a 11-5 win for Palo Alto.

The Lady Vikes will play against Los Altos High School on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and hope to add a win to their 6-game streak. Hall expects that all of her teammates will contribute at their upcoming game against Los Altos.

“We can trust our teammates and rely on each other to win the game,” Hall said.

oys water polo faced off against its rival, Henry M. Gunn High School, on Sept.

24. It was a difficult game, and the Vikings lost 14-5 to Gunn.

The team lost by a wide margin, but Gunn is one of the stronger teams in the league, and the team was expecting a difficult game.

“I’m not actually that upset about it because we were missing two of our starters,” junior Alex Beaudry said. “Gunn is probably our strongest competition because they have the strongest team and they’ve [beaten] every team they’ve played so far.”

The team also played in the North Coast Section (NCS) and Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, along with 31 other teams at Acalanes High School.

In the first game of the tournament, the Vikings struggled against Sacred Heart Preparatory High School, losing 14-2. In the next game, the team faced off against Carmel High School another time, losing 11-8.

The team’s tournament record only went downhill from there. The team then lost its third and fourth matches of the tournament to Redwood High School and Monta Vista

High School. The boys had a difficult time, in part due to the absence of many of their starting players, sophomore Jack Anderson and seniors Winston Rosati, Justyn Cheung and Kevin Bowers.

“I’d say that the biggest thing we need to work on is team building, and then the second biggest thing would be pressure passing, so offense,” Beaudry said. “I think we are really going to start picking it up after we get our starters back and I think we can go far”.

The team had a rematch against Monta Vista on Sept. 29, and the team lost again, but this time it was a closer game, with the final score being 9-8. Again, Anderson and Bowers were not able to play, which hurt the team.

The team knows that it must improve over the remainder of the season if it wants to win the league title.

“We know that we have a lot of work to do,” Bowers said. “We need to work on our defense for the most part, since our losses have all been high scoring games.”

However, even with some tough losses, the boys are rallying and getting excited for their next game on Oct. 13 against Mountain View High school. This game will be one of only three home games for the boys this year.

Even record maintained Cross country shows improvement by the girls tennis team Team looks to bounce back from loss to Bellarmine and win next meet Paly able to clinch their position in the league for next year following previous performance DAVID TAYERI

STAFF WRITER

T

he Palo Alto High School girls tennis team is looking to improve its shaky season as it enters its fourth week of league play.

Paly took first place in the Paly Invitational tournament, in part thanks to a phenomenal job by several doubles partners. The Vikings were also propelled by standout performances from Avanika Narayan and Avery Pearson.

On Oct. 1, the girls tennis team battled against Lynbrook High School. The future of the team was on the line: a win meant that Paly would continue to play in the highest league, De Anza League (DAL), next season.

A loss would result in the Vikings dropping down a division in 2016.

Fortunately, Paly’s girls tennis team triumphed over the Lynbrook Vikings.

Junior Meredith Cummings, who will be returning to play in DAL next year, was especially happy about the Lynbrook match.

“We were all so excited and ecstatic,” Cummings said.

A lot of the Vikings’ recent success should be credited to the remarkable

performances by the number one doubles team, Cummings and senior Halle Biorn.

“We’ve had great chemistry on the court which is one of the reasons that we’ve done well,” Biorn said.

The team suffered a loss of 0-7 at the hands of Monta Vista High School. Not a single singles or doubles team was able to win their set that day.

We’ve had great chemistry on the court which is one of the reasons that we’ve done well...

I think that as a team we are getting stronger due to these matches.

Halle Biorn Senior As the Vikings continue their season with upcoming games against Los Gatos High School on Oct. 13, Homestead High School on Oct. 15 and Los Altos on Oct. 20, they hope to become more consistent and look to end above .500.

“The season has been really tough so far” Biorn said. “I think that as a team we are getting stronger due to these matches.”

AVI TACHNA-FRAM

STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto High School’s crosscountry team is in the middle of their season with the boys winning the Crystal Springs meet on Oct. 6 and girls placing third.

The success followed disappointing losses to Bellarmine High School at the Lynbrook High School meet and Stanford Invitational, despite several strong individual performances. “[The boys] got second at the Stanford Invitational in the Division 1 race,” boys senior captain Samuel Desré said. “Everyone on the team got personal records and Kent Slaney won the race.”

Certain individual runners such as juniors Kent Slaney and Naveen Pai have done exceptionally well throughout this year. However, the team has yet to come together and execute as a whole.

“We can’t really run as a pack because we’re more spread out,” Desré said. “Kent is [usually] 30 seconds ahead of all of us, so we really have a larger spread of our times — more than a minute.”

On the other hand, the girls team performed at a mediocre level at Stanford, placing 18th out of 33 teams.

“There is definitely room for improvement, but I do not think there

COURTESY OF MALCOLM SLANEY

Paly’s boys cross country team placed second overall at the Stanford Invitational.

was anything that went completely wrong,” girls senior captain Portia Barrientos said. “We need to discuss race tactics, because I know that there are a lot of conflicting tactics about how you should run a race and how a team should race together.”

According to Desré, if Paly wants to beat Bellarmine and fulfill their goal of winning the state championship, the team will have to work hard on closing the time range of their performances. “[Bellarmine] has a spread that is less than 30 seconds, which is a sign that they are a very strong team, and that we need to be closer [to each other] and faster if we’re going to beat them,” Desré said.

At the Lynbrook High School meet, the boys team dominated, as four of the top six runners were from Paly, but the meet was not very challenging.

“I think that we were strong enough mentally,” Desré said. “But for an easy meet with no real pressure and only two miles, it’s hard to be weak mentally.”

The girls team also had a subpar performance at Lynbrook High School, placing 10th out of 14 teams.

“Our varsity [team] ran the race as a workout because we had just run the Stanford Invitational,” Barrientos said. “It was more constructive to get a workout in and reduce the chances of injuries worsening.”

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

BAY AREA SPORTS

C4

Bay Area: The N

ew York City, the so-called capital o higher standard of life, from food to most expensive baseball, basketball and ous period of winning, particularly during the m few seats remained empty in Madison Square Stadium) brimmed with eager fans and East R going towards Giants Stadium. While New Y true golden age of sports success, franchises in up, gathering steam as the Dot-Com boom sw came to a close, a formidable threat had been e an end to New York City’s decade of domina become America’s capital of sports, a title it stil tral shift in baseball, basketball and football, a and the rise of the Golden State.

Disclaimer: Playoff appearances and championships won prior to 2000 are not listed in this article.

Playoff Appearances 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Championships 2000 2009

T

he Yankees are the most successful baseball team of all time, with 27 World Series victories to date. At the turn of the 21st century, they boasted a loaded roster led by the charisma of hardhitting catcher Jorge Posada and shortstop Derek Jeter, the slugging threat of center fielder Bernie Williams and the ingenuity of relief pitcher Mariano Rivera. From 1995 to 2012, the Yankees made the playoffs every year except for 2008, snagging a couple of rings as well in 2000 and 2009. By 2010, it seemed like the team had at least several more years of playoff berths ahead of them, but front office mistakes had in fact rotted the team almost to he core. General Manager Brian Cashman signed third baseman, now designated hitter, Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year, $275 million contract in 2007 and pitcher C.C.. Sabathia to an 8-year, $186 million deal in 2008. These monster contracts not only limited new signings due to salary caps, but also set a precedent of pomp in the Yankees organization, scaring off talented potential signers like Cliff Lee. Since their 2009 World Series victory, little new talent has been farmed by the Yankees which, along with the retirements of Posada, Rivera, Jeter and ace pitcher Andy Petite, has led America’s wealthiest baseball team into a tailspin. With a recent rebound in the 2015 season (due in large part to the efforts of pitcher Masahiro Tanaka), the Yankees hope to dig themselves out of five year’s worth of mediocrity.

Playoff Appearances 2000 2001 2004 2011 2012 2013

B

Championships None

2007 2008 2011

Championships 2007 2011

NEW YORK KNICKS

asketball’s most expensive franchise has arguably become its most laughable. Major spending and inefficient player acquisition strategies have led the Knicks, a rather successful team in the 2000s, into a state of chaos and seemingly endless losses. The year 2000 saw Madison Square Garden dominated by a team of solid-scoring, defensive players who guided the Orange and Blue to a playoff appearance, and did so again in 2001. Though not enjoying quite the amount of success as other New York franchises on this list, the Knicks nonetheless retained a respectable standing in New York, making it once again to the playoffs in 2004 and then in 2011, 2012 and 2013. But don’t be fooled by the recent playoff records — the Knicks have completely given up their modest dominance. In 2011, the prolific scorer Carmelo Anthony was brought in from Denver to revive a lethargic roster.

Anthony played alongside J.R. Smith, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, creating for a couple of brief, charmed years the atmosphere of a dominant franchise. In 2014, Anthony, the self proclaimed franchise player, signed a whopping 5-year, $124 million contract, after a disappointing 2013-2014 season with a .450 finish, setting off a chain of events that quickly placed the Knicks at the bottom of basketball’s totem pole. Suddenly, after 2013, coach Mike Woodson’s Knicks couldn’t win, in part due to personal differences between Woodson and Anthony, on top of which the entire team demographic was restructured. Chandler and Stoudemire went to Dallas in 2014, and Smith left for Cleveland in 2015. Thus, The Knicks have subsequently been cursed with a team full of nobodies and an expensive contract that they are obligated to pay.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Playoff Appearances 2000 2003 2005 2006

NEW YORK YANKEES

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hat the Knicks may have lacked in winning, the New York Giants certainly made up for. In 2000, the Giants contended for the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens, losing on account of a weak running game. From this hard loss, the Giants built momentum, making playoffs in 2003, 2005, 2006 and even conquering the regular season undefeated New England Patriots for the Super Bowl in 2007 (with quarterback Eli Manning, running back Ahmad Bradshaw and receivers David Tyree and Plaxico Burress working in tandem to ensure the victory). Under the guidance of living legend coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants were undoubtedly one of the greatest if not the greatest team of the 2000s. And, like the Yankees it seemed like they should have been able to parlay that success deep into the 2010s, but alas it was not so. Another victory in the 2011 Super Bowl, masterminded again by Coughlin and an aging Manning, marked the last point of success for the Giants to date. The past three seasons have yielded disappointing records of 9-7, 7-9 and 6-10, due to lackluster offense and defense and of course an aging quarterback. With plenty of targets to hit, like the dazzling Odell Beckham Jr. and the showy Victor Cruz, fans are counting on Manning’s arm and Coughlin’s skill as a caller of plays to lead the Giants out of a slump and back into the limelight they basked in for so long.

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he past five or so years have shown Am sports world. Having a big payroll is n in the recent downfall of many wealthy New informed decisions has led The Bay Area to

The Campanile

Monday, October 12, 2015

BAY AREA SPORTS

C5

New New York

of the world, has long been associated with a art to athletic franchises. Boasting America’s d football teams, the city has enjoyed a prospermillennial era. The mid-2000s was a time where Garden, The House That Ruth Built (Yankee Rutherford’s highways overflowed with traffic York was in the process of being graced with a the Bay Area were quietly building themselves wept through Silicon Valley. When the 2000s established in the West, a threat that soon put ance. In the blink of an eye, the Bay Area had ll holds today. This is the story of a recent specan explanation of the Empire State’s downfall

merica a shift in the geographical hotspot of the no longer enough to make a winning team, seen w York teams. Instead, making intelligent, wellbecome the new New York.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

H

ailing originally from New York City, San Francisco’s pride and joy has made AT&T Park a home of champions in the past five years, with the Giants claiming three World Series victories since 2010. Catcher and fan favorite Buster Posey has anchored the team since the start of the 2010 season with a solid batting average and stellar defense. Excellent pitching has also helped the Giants, with Tim Lincecum in his prime from 2009-2011, Matt Cain slinging heat from 2010-2013 (with a perfect game in 2012) and 2014 World Series Most Valuable Player Madison Bumgarner — a star of the pitching lineup since 2010. Among other names on the pitching staff, Sergio Romo and Ryan Vogelsong have also contributed hugely in helping the Giants become among baseball’s elite teams.

Unlike the Yankees, Giants front office personnel have made solid use of their annual payroll, which ranks fifth in the league at $132 million. Before signing a recent contract for about $6 million a year over six years, Bumgarner was being paid less than $1 million a year. The Giants also owe much of their success to their farm system, which has produced young, inexpensive players like recent Willie Mac Award winning third baseman Matt Duffy and dependable slap hitting second baseman Joe Panik, both of whom are 24 years old and cost around $500,000 annually. Despite the odd issue of not being able to win or even make the playoffs in an odd numbered year (2011, 2013 and now 2015 seem to have been disappointments) the Giants remain one of baseball’s strongest teams with a devoted fan base and a quite recent history of, coupled with a penchant for, excellence.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

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olden State’s glorious Warriors have wowed America in recent years with flashy small-ball, topped off by the breathtaking shooting of point guard Stephen Curry. Besides the odd 2007 year wherein Baron Davis popped the Dubs into the postseason, the 2000s were not a particularly notable time in Oakland. Yet in 2009, the then-rookie Curry began developing his game and a team soon developed around him, with several key acquisitions such as center Andrew Bogut in 2012 and versatile forward Andre Iguodala in 2013. With new prowess, they landed playoff spots in both 2013 and 2014, exciting fans and leading Oracle Arena to be crowned with its present title: Roaracle. By 2014, Curry and shooting guard Klay Thompson composed the NBA’s most dangerous shooting backcourt, with Bogut and power forward David Lee aggressively attacking the rim. Finally, the 2014-2015 season brought a surefire starting five lineup of Curry, Thompson, Bogut, athletic small forward Harrison Barnes and relentless 6’7’’ power forward Draymond Green. With astonishing speed and ferocity, the Warriors’ top ranked offense plowed through every team over the course of the season, putting them in first place at the beginning of the summer and giving them the coveted championship by summer’s end. While the Knicks languished in huge expenses and watched a team decay around them, the Dubs did exactly the opposite, building a relatively cost efficient team that quickly and effectively made its way to the top.

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SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

ith the departure of Joe Montana and then later Steve Young, the Niners took quite a hit after the 1990s. The 2000s saw them trying to rebuild nearly an entire team, a process which takes time, energy and money. While the Giants were turning heads and capturing the nation’s attention in New York, the 49ers were quietly implementing key assets such as running back Frank Gore and linebacker Navorro Bowman and replacing ineffective quarterback Alex Smith with the far more athletic Colin Kaepernick. Besides building up their prowess with players, the team’s management strategists decided to bring in a proven rebuilder, Jim Harbaugh, as head coach. Harbaugh had taken the decrepit football program at Stanford University and turned it into a top 20 college football team in just two years, enjoying another two years of success at Stanford before being spirited away to San Francisco to lead the 49ers. With all their planning finally coming to fruition, the stage was set for the Niners to dominate, which they did, making it to the conference championship in 2011 and 2013 and barely missing a Super Bowl victory in 2012 over one of the most disputed football calls of all time. Admittedly, the team has recently lacked severely in the wins department, and Harbaugh left the team in 2014 following the missing of the playoffs, but the 49ers cannot be discounted as a major threat and are counting on new team talent like running back Reggie Bush, wide receiver Torrey Smith and special teams player (and rugby standout) Jarryd Hayne.

Playoff Appearances 2000 2002 2003 2010 2012 2014

Championships 2010 2012 2014

Playoff Appearances 2007 2013 2014 2015

Championships 2015

Playoff Appearances 2001 2002 2011 2012 2013

Championships None

Monday, October 12, 2015

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SPORTS

E-sports experiencing rise in popularity Paly student-developed Online battle arena games draw millions of viewers worldwide

app makes strong debut

GREG EUM

“The Vike” offers updates for Paly athletics

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WILL LEIGHTON

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

f one had to guess the mostwatched sporting event in America in 2013, most people would correctly guess the Super Bowl where approximately 108.7 million people watched the Baltimore Ravens defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

However, the second most-watched sporting event is much less obvious, and would surprise many.

In 2013, the League of Legends (LoL) World Championships held in the Staples Center in Los Angeles drew about 32 million viewers in the United States, with 71 million viewers globally, according to Riot Games.

Currently, this is the most popular video game in the world, with over 27 million people playing daily. The sheer amount of viewers is almost the same as the number of viewers in 2013 for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals (17.7 million) and the World Series for Major League Baseball (14.9 million) combined.

Ultimately, the popularity of LoL represents the trend of a growing industry: e-sports.

Contrary to popular belief, the esports industry has been around for a while. It can be traced back to 1998, when Blizzard Entertainment released Starcraft, a real-time strategy game in which two players try to destroy each other’s buildings and base.

Starcraft became popular in South Korea in the 2000s, when many preferred PC games over home gaming consoles.

A few years later, a new type of game was created that really made e-sports take off worldwide, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Two of the most popular games in the world are MOBA games – Defense of the Ages 2 (DOTA 2) and the aforementioned LoL. Both games, along with the shooter game Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and the online card game Hearthstone, have made e-sports a worldwide phenomenon.

STAFF WRITER

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MACKENZIE GLASSFORD/THE CAMPANILE

In 2013, the LoL World Championships saw more viewership than the NBA and MLB Finals.

Palo Alto High School senior Roy Zawadzki, a member of the CS:GO club, attributes the rise of e-sports to the popularity of watching professionals play in various leagues.

“E-sports is popular because people who play video games like to see people playing it at the highest level,” Zawadzki said. “Either so they can learn and eventually build up to that level, or just for enjoyment.”

Although e-sports is just taking off in the United States, it has become a part of mainstream culture in some countries, especially those in Asia. For example, in Korea, gaming has become a way of life.

Instead of arguing over a game’s classification as a sport, people should appreciate the growing e-sports industry.

However, in these regions, esports can be a double-edged sword.

Korean teenagers play games at game clubs to relax and relieve stress from their notoriously rigorous workload.

Playing video games can also have negative effects, such as causing gaming addiction, which prevents students from sleeping and causes them to play games until school starts the next morning. Many teenagers have fallen ill due to dehydration and some

have even passed away. There have also been cases of parents who leave their infant at home to play games and come home later to find their child dead.

In order to curb this addiction, the Korean government has imposed a gaming curfew for teenagers under the age of 16 from midnight to 6 a.m., and has spread awareness of gaming addiction.

“In school, kids are taught not only to be wary of drug and alcohol addiction, but digital addiction as well,” CNN writer John Sutter said in an article.

E-sports is a rapidly growing international industry with an interesting history and culture surrounding its development. One discussion revolving around e-sports has been its qualifications as a legitimate sport, such as basketball or soccer. There are good points for both sides, but many e-sports, like soccer or basketball, have teams, are competitive and require practice. However, instead of arguing over a game’s classification as a sport, people should appreciate the growing e-sports industry.

As the LoL Season 5 World Championships are underway in Paris, London and Brussels, one can have the chance to witness the magnitude of a rising, international phenomenon.

he Vike, a mobile application developed by Palo Alto High School junior Brian Tracy and senior Matt Seligson, allows users to see when and where Paly teams are playing, and who they are playing against. With this app, students can now support their friends and peers with the click of a button.

Tracy and Seligson initially created the app to track the availability of Paly fields.

“In the past, whenever Matt and I wanted to go to Paly to practice lacrosse or soccer, we ran the risk of showing up and having a team playing on the same field we wanted to use,” Tracy said. “It spun off into a more comprehensive scheduling app not just for the fields, but for every sport.”

The Vike has a simple and welcoming interface that is intuitive to use. The app opens to a clean home screen that slides to the left and right to change the team whose schedule is being shown on the screen. Double tapping on the picture of the sport will display all the times and locations of games for that sport. If the sport is not in season, a note comes up saying, “Sport Not In Season.”

Tracy and Seligson have been working on the app for the past year or so, starting off as a class project.

“We started the app last year as a project in our AP Computer Science class and developed it continuously through the rest of the year and into the summer,” Tracy said. “We finished it off early this school year.”

The Vike has spread through all of Palo Alto and is used by many Paly students on a daily basis.

“I think that The Vike was an amazing idea,” junior Louie Marzano said. “Many students can use it to see upcoming games for their favorite Paly sports team, and also find out future games, all on their mobile device. I also love the interface, all the

pictures of actual Paly students in action, and it runs very smoothly too. ” Developing such a clean and smooth appearance for the app was no easy task. Tracy and Seligson had to design the entire app from scratch, though it was not their first time making an app.

“The amount of networking involved with The Vike was far greater than anything we had done before.”

Tracy said.

Even though the two had past experience making apps together, they faced a lot of challenges during the project, some which were harder to solve than others.

“A big challenge was finding a reliable resource that we could pull data from to deliver the kind of information you see in the app,” Tracy said.

“Paly doesn’t provide the clean information seen in The Vike — it has to be derived by our code.”

Students also have been giving some constructive criticism to the app, and their own ideas for things that could improve The Vike.

“It would be nice to start seeing some scores from the games on the app as well,” Marzano said.

The app has many unique and special features, other than displaying Paly’s field availability, including the “Take Me There” feature, which provides information for those who would like to attend away games.

“The Vike makes it really easy to get directions to all of our away games by integrating with Apple Maps,” Tracy said.

It is no surprise that the teenagers in the heart of Silicon Valley are creating applications to make their lives and the lives of those around them easier. There are many students doing what Tracy and Seligson have done, but few have achieved the amount of success that these two have.

The app is free on the Apple App Store, making it accessible to anyone with an iPhone. However, the app is not yet accessible to those whose phones run on Android.

Monday, October 12, 2015

The Campanile

SPORTS

C7

49ers hope to succeed despite loss of key players ATHLETE The new players and coaching staff create an unpromising outlook for the new season

OF THE

MONTH

This edition featuring:

Chelsea Fan with The Campanile’s own

Kai Oda Sophomore Chelsea Fan is an outside hitter for girls volleyball. Fan has played on Varsity since her freshman year.

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE

The San Francisco 49ers have begun the preseason with a tough loss to the Denver Broncos. Though the season is expected to be one of the worst, the team hopes to pull out a few wins.

SAMUEL YUN

STAFF WRITER

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he 2015 offseason was certainly one to forget for San Francisco 49ers fans. The few months were filled with coaching and player changes, leaving the team with a drastically different identity and a questionable roster. These postseason advances only exacerbated the sentiment of mediocrity set by the team’s 8-8 record last season.

Following the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who brought the team to a Super Bowl appearance and three consecutive National Football Conference (NFC) championship games, several other key players left the team as well.

Running back Frank Gore, 5-time Pro Bowler and the all-time leading rusher for the franchise, signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Guard Mike Iupati, an essential piece to the team’s offensive line, left for the Arizona Cardinals.

Several retirements among key players such as Chris Borland and Anthony Davis, also contributed to the exodus of players.

Perhaps the most shocking of all, linebacker Patrick Willis, the heart of the 49ers defense, announced his early retirement on March 10.

Needless to say, this coming season seems to be a year destined to go

down as one of the worst years the franchise will ever see. The lack of impact players coupled with having to compete in one of the best divisions in football gave analysts several reasons why the 49ers would finish among the bottom 10 teams of the league.

Even if the team does not fare well this season, early draft picks and young, developing players will only add to the roster’s potential.

The lack of impact players coupled with having to compete in one of the best divisions in football gave analysts several reasons why the 49ers would finish among the bottom 10 teams of the league.

However, all this drama in the media shrouds the few slivers of hope that 49ers fans can look forward to in the coming years.

There is still hidden talent left in the team, and with good coaching, all the pieces may come together. The departure of the team’s previous head coach and offensive and defensive coordinators opens up a new perspective on how the team should be run.

Player departures also bury the fact that the team still possesses several playmakers. Running back Carlos Hyde showed his potential to be

one of the league’s top rushers with his performance against the Minnesota Vikings during week one of the 2015 season. Linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who had two selections to the Pro Bowl, is coming back from an ACL injury suffered in the 2013 NFC Championship game.

Furthermore, although quarterback Colin Kaepernick has shown disappointing plays in the past few games, he still possesses the speed and athleticism that makes him a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, if used correctly.

Free agent acquisitions further add to the depth of the roster. Wide receiver Torrey Smith signed a 5-year contract with the 49ers and has proven to be a dangerous deep threat. Former Detroit Lions running back and Super Bowl champion Reggie Bush was also added to the team.

Although former Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne is only a rookie this season, he has already established himself as a solid punt and kick returner capable of running very well in open space.

Furthermore, most analysts forget that the team’s 2014 season was plagued with an astounding number of injuries — the franchise had the fifth most players on the Injured Reserved list. This meant that for the majority of the season, the team was playing with second or third string

players. Despite this, the 49ers were quietly sitting at fifth in the league for defense and fourth in most rushing yards. Therefore, because the majority of the team’s backup players are still signed with the team, fans can expect similar production with years to come.

Even if the team does not fare well this season, early draft picks and young, developing players will only add to the roster’s potential. Trent Baalke, the general manager of the team, has had an impressive record of drafting talented players such as quarterback Alex Smith and the aforementioned Patrick Willis.

The departure of the team’s previous head coach and offensive and defensive coordinators opens up a new perspective on how the team should be run.

The 49ers have grown to be known as an organization with exceptional roster depth and this trend is expected to continue. It is evident that the ability to achieve success still lies within the roster.

Though it may be difficult to see instant success with this franchise, it is only a matter of time before more young talent is added for the better.

ESPN digresses from sports coverage to tabloid journalism The well-known channel for sports analysis indulges in gossip and baseless rumors ELI GWIN-KERR

STAFF WRITER

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notification from ESPN pops up on your phone’s lock screen, and the headline confuses you. It reads: “Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner arrive at U.S. Open for Serena Williams-Venus Williams quarterfinal match.”

ESPN has long been a trusted source for individuals who seek detailed and relevant sports news. But as of recently, ESPN seems to be lacking integrity by pandering to the latest gossip and baseless rumors.

ESPN — a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation — can be reached by about 90 million household televisions in the United States.

And of course, like any good $40 billion company, the network is looking to expand the number of households it reaches. Being the Disney-owned network it is, the means by which it seeks to maintain its dominance in sports broadcasting channels has turned more to the “E” in ESPN. American cable is notoriously expensive for what it is, and ESPN is one of the biggest reasons for this.

On average, an American household with cable pays $90 a month, and almost half of that goes to the sports channels that come with most services. Sports in the United States mean money, and ESPN has turned towards tabloid journalism to get a bigger slice of the pie. In a time when people spend the majority of their free time looking at their phones, eye-grabbing headlines and flashy

CARISSA ZOU/THE CAMPANILE

The notorious channel for sports analysis has turned its attention to entertainment in order to gain more viewers for its channel.

announcements are bound to bring the most views and subscribers.

TMZ-style reporting brings more money, but often at the cost of journalistic integrity. The copious amount of reporting on gossip about athletes degrades the show. ESPN calls itself “the worldwide leader in sports,” but has become increasingly less deserving of such a title.

ESPN has long been criticized for focusing on certain players and teams, sometimes even displaying a blatant bias towards them.

Recently, those getting the spotlight from ESPN include Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Tom Brady, but the network has also chosen to focus on certain issues of ques-

tionable importance, such as Deflategate and the Ronda Rousey-Floyd Mayweather Jr. feud. According to Le Anne Schreiber, the network’s former ombudsman, the industry is driven by ratings.

But has the “give the people what they want strategy” ever been journalistically correct? ESPN has made a variety of choices that step far from the realm of sports news, such as the memorable debate between Richard Sherman and Skip Bayless that culminated in the “I am better at you than life” remark.

What began as an appearance by the Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback on ESPN’s “First Take” quickly spiraled downwards into a debate that dis-

played Sherman’s outspoken personality as well as Bayless’ tendency for bold statements.

Commentators such as Skip Bayless and his co-anchor Stephen A. Smith produce loud conversation, intrepid statements, and a general uproar in sports news.

But the reason shows like “First Take” and “Pardon the Interruption” attract so many viewers is because, after all, people watch television for easy entertainment. And to many, a heated debate is sometimes more eye-catching than rational analysis of sports news, so ESPN carries on, reaping in the earnings that ultimately end up in the hands of Disney executives.

The Campanile: What position do you play?

Chelsea Fan: I play outside, which means I stand on the far left side and hit the ball.

TC: What would you say are your greatest accomplishments?

CF: Well, I went to Nationals two years in a row when I was in club and then I started on varsity as a freshman.

TC: Do you guys have any special routines to psych yourselves up before a game?

CF: Towards the beginning we like to visualize the game, talk about what our goals are and then scout out the other team. Then we dance around and sing some songs to get pumped up and get warm.

TC: What are some of the songs you sing?

CF: We like “Shots” by [LMFAO].

TC: What’s your policy on the demolition of the gym?

CF: I’m sad because we have to drive to Gunn to practice, and our practice times align directly with the traffic times, so it takes a while to get there.

Also, they are the rival school so that’s really bad. But I also think it’s a good thing because our gym was really old and it was time for a new one.

TC: What do you contribute to the team?

CF: Well… I score a lot of points?

TC: List two things you don’t like about volleyball: CF: 1. When you need to win a game, it contributes to school stress. You have to worry about volleyball on top of school and grades and we usually spend three hours practicing. It’s really hard for juniors and seniors.

2. I’m kind of short, especially for volleyball and especially for my position. Most of the girls are really tall and it’s hard for me.

TC: How do you compensate for your height?

CF: I work on my jumping. If I can jump higher than them, then my reach will be the same.

TC: What is your position on bendy straws?

CF: They’re magical things that can be used for drinking soup and other beverages. You can take two and use them like chopsticks, so straws are the only thing you need to consume food. But I only like the kind that have the little bendy part.

TC: What is the best thing about volleyball?

CF: I like winning!

TC: What is your favorite game or moment in volleyball?

CF: When you are winning, everybody on your side is really pumped up and working well together as a team.

Having trust with your team is very important to me.

TC: List an improvement you have for the team.

CF: When we are losing, we need to focus more on getting our momentum going so we can get ahead.

Compared to last year, a lot of the girls are more timid. It would really help if everybody on the team could be cheering because nobody is really loud and outgoing.

TC: How are you guys looking to improve this year?

CF: Overall we just need to work on building our team chemistry. We had seven seniors graduate and a lot of people got pulled up. We all get along. We need a couple more practices until we can really work well together.

Monday, October 12, 2015

C8

The Campanile

SPORTS

MLB PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS NLDS: DODGERS VS. METS The Dodgers and Mets, who have cruised through most of their respective seasons, may put together one of the best pitching matchups of the season. The Dodgers have the best one-two punch in the MLB with Kershaw and Greinke while the Mets have a young pitching staff in Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey. If the past is any indication of how the Dodgers will play, their future does not look bright as they have continually bowed out in the postseason race. By comparison, the Mets do not have much to go off of except for MVP hopeful Yoenis Cespedes as well as a number of other important players. Neither team is a real World Series contender, but the Dodgers will win this matchup.

NLDS: CARDINALS VS. CUBS The most experienced of all the rosters in this postseason – St. Louis – will be going up against the up and coming Cubs who are also division rivals. This should be one of the most exciting series of the postseason, but also a very difficult one to pick the winner for. While the Cubs have flashes of unmatched brilliance, the Cardinals have postseason experience, which is more important than anything, evidenced by the Giants last year who, despite statistically being the worst team,won the World Series due to experience. The Cardinals should have a close series but will win come crunch time.

TEXT BY: JOSH BRIGEL DESIGN BY: CATHERINE YU ANNA MORAGNE

ALDS: BLUE JAYS VS. RANGERS Despite both having good records, these two teams don’t have many similarities. The closest thing to a connection is that they both had good second halves to their seasons. However, neither team has much playoff experience in recent years. At the moment, the Blue Jays have a deeper roster that is just getting its starting shortstop back in Troy Tulowitzki along with strong pitching. This series should be a quick wrap for the Jays if Josh Donaldson and company can get going quickly.

ALDS: ROYALS VS. ASTROS The Royals have been in control of the American League (AL) for the entire season and have not looked back once. After sneaking into the playoffs last season and putting together one of the most convincing Cinderella runs in recent history, this squad has matched preseason expectations perfectly. Meanwhile, the Astros have underperformed in the second half of the MLB season. The one glimmer of hope Houston has is their 4-2 record against Kansas City this season, however with all games coming early in the season. The Royals should clean up the Astros quick and take the series with relative ease if they play as well as they did last year.

NLCS: CARDINALS VS. DODGERS ALCS: ROYALS VS. BLUE JAYS Both teams are divisional powerhouses and met many times in the regular season with St. Louis taking a 5-2 advantage. Do not expect that to change either, for the Dodgers have done nothing but disappoint in the offseason while the Cardinals only chug on and win. There is only so much a couple superstars can do for a team, which is why St. Louis’ style of team ball seems to go a lot farther especially in the postseason. The Cardinals have nothing to worry about as long as they take care of the Dodgers as they did last years in the NLDS.

WORLD SERIES: ROYALS VS. CARDINALS This will be a fantastic World Series between the two teams who play the best and deserve it the most, and it looks like a very tight contest — similar to last year’s that went all the way to a seventh game. Both living up to lofty expectations neither has stayed down for long and always seemed to climb back after every drop this season. This series will not be highlighted by its pitching just as multiple prior matchups, but more by each team’s depth and high average skill. All games will be held in close proximity to one another since both teams are in Missouri. These two teams have the chance to create a long series that could take either six or seven games. The Cardinals played great against the Royals this season going 4-2 against them and this could very likely be the final win total for both teams. Even with the close matchup, the Cardinals will come out on top and claim the 2015 World Series title.

Clearly ahead of the rest of the AL, it is only fair that these two teams would meet in the AL championship. This should be a much more difficult series for both teams as they each will play weak teams to begin their playoff run.

With good rest, pitching should not be a problem for either team. However, the Jays have a clear ace in pitcher David Price who will give them a quick lead in Kansas City. Last year’s Royals — which had a roster similar to the current one — did not lose a playoff game until the World Series, which makes them one of the most dangerous teams in all of the playoffs. Expect them to pull away and take the series before Game 7 and again represent the AL in the World Series.