Issue 3, 10/19/18 by The Campanile

Friday Oct. 19, 2018

The Campanile

Vol. CI, No. 3

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

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

New robotics coach on paid leave after Stanford law professor team complains of hostile environment launches #MeToo PAC By Jaures Yip

Team says Coach Kathleen Krier threatened, intimidated, harassed students

By Kaitlyn Lee Staff Writer

aying they need more "time and space" to investigate student and parent complaints against her, school officials have placed computer science teacher and head Paly Robotics coach Kathleen Krier on paid administrative leave. In addition, the robotics team will be temporarily shut down based on a recommendation from Principal Adam Paulson. Twenty-two robotics team members signed a general statement letter saying they felt threatened and verbally attacked by Krier, who was hired in August when previous robotics coach and computer science teacher Christopher Kuszmaul announced he was taking a leave to be with his family in Oregon. In an interview with Palo Alto Online, Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin said Krier was placed on leave "to provide the time and space needed to thoroughly investigate concerns expressed by students and parents." Senior Bryan Yang, a co-captain of the robotics team, spoke in the public session at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 9 and said the team was unhappy with Krier’s job as a coach. “Since the arrival of our new head coach following the departure of Mr. Kuszmaul, the team has fallen into a downward spiral,” Yang said. Kuszmaul declined to be interviewed for this story. Senior Jennifer Xu, another co-captain of the team, said Krier often intimidated students and violated district policy on some occasions. “[She was] removing other students from the Java shop and locking the doors in on myself

ANNIE CHEN/THE CAMPANILE

Paly Robotics team members work on the robot for the 2017-18 season, Forsetti, at Silicon Valley Regional. and Bryan Yang before promptly yelling at us and threatening to cut [Yang] from the team,” Xu said. “This was a clear example of intimidation towards us, and by locking the doors, she prevented eyewitnesses, but also violated the PAUSD Professional Standards for its staff.” Krier did not respond to an email request for an interview. In addition, team member and junior Lawrence Chang said Krier repeatedly swore at him. “She started to cry and began throwing around curse words— d--- and f---,” Chang said. “She insulted me directly by calling me a ‘snot nosed teen.’ I had never had any teacher directly insult me

College, job fairs guide students' future plans By Eve Donelly

Staff Writer

ver 150 schools from across the globe came to represent themselves to Palo Alto students at Gunn High School's 21st annual college fair on Monday, Oct. 8. The majority of students attending were upperclassmen from both Palo Alto High School and Gunn High School. Packed into two separate gyms sat several rows of booths, each one representing a college with a banner, representatives and large stacks of pamphlets and informational flyers. The gyms were only open to Paly and Gunn students for the first hour, but afterwards they were open to parents and students from other schools. A face-to-face conversation with a college representative is often far more informative than the college information provided online, according to Gunn senior Ashley Kim.

“I wanted to get to see all the different colleges at once without having to visit them all.” Chloe Laursen

“You actually can talk to the people who have been to the college,” Kim said. “They can just talk to you about it and answer all your questions.” A main attraction of the event was the in-person counsel, which many students value, along with the convenience of the fair.

INSIDE

“I wanted to get to see all the different colleges at once without having to visit them all [individually],” Paly junior Chloe Laursen said. “It was interesting hearing all the alumni talk about their colleges.” Laursen described the fair as an overall interesting event, but also pointed out some downsides.

A face-to-face conversation with a college representative is often far more informative than the college information provided online. “I thought it was a little crowded and hot, and I didn’t like waiting in lines,” Laursen said. “But I really liked some of the booths.” Following the college fair Paly’s job fair which took place at the quad during lunch on Oct. 16. Close to 20 employers had set up booths to inform students of their establishments and advertise available jobs. Booths ranged from opportunities such as the army to local food stores like The Melt and miscellaneous businesses like the Winter Lodge ice skating rink. Matthew McCoy, a manager and 20-year employee at Winter Lodge, attended his first Paly job fair this year. “I feel [the job fair] is a good place to come for new employees, because kids are looking for

College & Job Fair

before, and I was shocked by the hostility behind her insults.”

“Since the arrival of our new coach . . . the team has fallen into a downward spiral.” Bryan Yang

According to Xu, the robotics team initially tried speaking directly to Krier to discuss issues they had with her leadership. Xu said these discussions led to no progress, so members of the team went to Paly administration about

their issue. “Each of us has been to the administrators probably about 15 times in the past few weeks,” Yang said. The team set up a meeting with Paulson to discuss its concerns. However, Xu said this meeting was canceled by Paulson because Assistant Principal Tom Keating observed the robotics team after getting the students’ complaints and concluded that the situation was fine. Before Krier was put on leave, in an email statement, Paulson said Keating was working with her and the robotics team to ad-

Robotics Coach

Staff Writer

tanford law professor Michele Dauber launched the Enough is Enough Voter Project, a political action committee (PAC) on Sept. 24, targeting elected officials nationwide who the group says has either showcased a lack of support for women’s rights and protection, or have been credibly accused of sexual harassment, abuse or domestic violence. Following her successful campaign to recall former Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky, Dauber is now shifting her focus towards holding politicians who have committed or condoned sexual misconduct or violence against women accountable. “We are seeing a seismic shift on this issue,” Dauber, the only member of the PAC to respond to contact attempts, said. “Women aren't going to be quiet about this any more and we aren't going to accept elected officials who don't take this seriously. That's over.” The formation of the PAC was heavily inspired by the removal of Persky, who sentenced swimmer Brock Turner to six months in prison after his conviction of sexual assault and, in doing so, sparked public outrage. Hoping to utilize the momentum from not only this successful campaign, but also the viral #MeToo Movement, the group is adamantly fighting to make violence against women a voting issue.The committee is comprised of six women, Jennifer Bradanini, Michele Dauber, LezLi Logan, Jennie Richardson, Sita Stukes and Emiliana Zeidenfeld, who led the recall of Persky and actively collaborate with the Women’s March Sister Network, Feminist Majority and other women’s rights and progressive organizations. They are concentrating on extensively researched local and lowerlevel politicians, who are selected based on allegations that are determined to be credible an investiga-

tion of the evidence of misconduct or substantial data.The committee is aiming particularly at state-level races, which Dauber said are easier to impact for less money. She also said the inadequate national media coverage on more local controversies causes lack of accountability for regional politicians. “By targeting elected officials at that level, you can prevent them, basically, from going on and becoming national level officials,” Dauber said. “If you can stop the career of an abuser at an earlier stage, then they might never reach the point of a Roy Moore or a Brett Kavanaugh.” With midterm elections quickly approaching, the committee was not able to address all the candidates who met its criteria. Currently, they are focusing on five: Minnesota Congressman Jason Lewis, Republican congressional nominee Steve Von Loor, incumbent Tennessee State Representative David Byrd, Texas Republican State Representative Matt Rinaldi and California state representative Devon Mathis. The PAC’s website offers each candidate’s full history of behavior or actions opposing women’s safety as well as links to compatible articles, reports and other coverage. Despite the notable prominence of Republican officials, the organization reported that future targets will include Democrats as well, albeit likely at a primary level, as they intend to remain active through the 2020 election.The group is hoping to raise a minimum of $250,000 by Nov. 6. As an independent PAC unaffiliated with any candidates or parties, it may collect unlimited sums of money from unions, corporations and individuals. The group urges supporters to become involved, and encourages them to donate, volunteer or report a candidate through their website. Dauber said, “We are making expenditures in these races in order to oppose these politicians to the extent that we are able to do it. We have funds available and that’s the best use of our money.”

Community celebrates Paly's 100th year

Centennial March included hundreds of Paly students, community members, alumni By Leila Khan

Staff Writer

o celebrate 100 years of the current Palo Alto High School location, the Paly Centennial Committee collaborated with the Palo Alto Historical Association to host a community march and photo reenactment followed by a celebratory program on Oct. 7. The march began with hundreds of current Paly students, staff, alumni and community members congregating at Channing House in downtown Palo Alto at 1 p.m. The purpose of this was to re-enact the 1918 march, in which hundreds of Paly community members marched from the old Paly location, 850 Webster St., to the current Paly site to recognize the new location. The Paly Dance Team lead the Centennial March, followed by the Paly Cheer Team and Paly Band. A mass of Paly alumni, students, parents, faculty and several community members trailed closely behind. Paly Librarian Rachel Kellerman, a member of the Centennial Committee, had been advertising the event to numerous classrooms throughout the week. “Everybody showed up and it was a nice mix of generations with new student leaders and former student leaders,” Kellerman said. “I’m really happy about the way it turned out.” Cheering echoed through the streets of Palo Alto as marchers made their way to the new Paly site. “The energy of the crowd made it very exciting,” sophomore dancer Azalea Wakelee said. “I feel very special and honored that we got to be leading this celebration.” Once the cluster reached the

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

A Paly alumni from the graduating class of 1942 celebrates at the Centennial March on Oct. 17, 2018. Paly campus, the Centennial Committee ushered all participants into a large group to recreate a monumental photo from the opening of the new campus in 1918. Within the rows of people setting up for the group photo, several smiling Paly alumni held green and white banners with their graduation years neatly drawn on them. Among the crowd were several Paly alumni who were recognized as examples of the ideals that Paly still holds today, according to Kellerman. “This week has been so much fun — especially having our Paly class reunion last night — it’s been a flurry of Paly memories,” Assemblyman and Paly alumni and California Assemblyman Marc Berman, one of the speakers at the ceremony, said. “Some of my high school friends are still my best friends today, and

Science & Tech

Lifestyle

it’s just great to see so many people share their fondest Paly memories.” Once the photo was taken outside of the Tower Building, the attendees entered the Performing Arts Center to enjoy a ceremony.

“Everybody showed up and it was a nice mix of generations with new student leaders and former student leaders.” Rachel Kellerman

The ceremony consisted of several performances from the Paly choir, band and staff and honored

Spotlight

pioneers who are remembered for their significant imprints on Paly during their time. Among these people were Mary Gordon, honored for her architectural vigor benefitting the Paly campus, and Anna Probst Zschokke, one of the first residents of Palo Alto, who the committee honored by unveiling a plaque denoting her foundership of the school. “It’s truly an honor to be part of the centennial class,” Paly Board Representative senior Caroline Furrier said. “It’s a very significant historical event that I am proud to be a part of because I love our school pride and the turnout was truly inspiring.” The Centennial festivities will continue throughout the year by honoring the Paly campus and its influential people.

Sports

the edition

News. . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5

JOHN LIU/CC BY 2.0

Spirit Week egg wars

Tension builds between seniors and juniors in an annual tradition. PAGE B1

MIRANDA LI/THE CAMPANILE

Fire alarm frequency

The science and culture behind recent false alarms. PAGE B8

MIRANDA LI/THE CAMPANILE

Achievement gap

Investigating the social and academic disparity at PAUSD. PAGE B4-B5

HOWCHENG/CC BY 1.0

Alternative schooling

Athletes explore different routes to maximize time on sports. PAGE C4-C5

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

Choir to host fall concert in the PAC on Oct. 21

NEWS

Request for El Camino affordable housing complex brought to Palo Alto City Council

If approved, program would expand options for individuals in the below-market rate program

PALYCHOIRS.COM/USED WITH PERMISSION

The 2017-18 choir sang at St. Mark’s Episcopal church in the spring.

By Leela Srinivasan

Lifestyle Editor

fter months of preparation, the Paly Choir will bring its fall concert to the community on Sunday, Oct. 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). This will be Choir President and senior Jessica Weiss’s fourth year as part of the choir, as well as her second year in Spectrum and Madrigals, both advanced, selective choir programs at Paly. She said she has high hopes for the choir’s performance at the upcoming event.

“My hopes are that we are able to bond as a choir and spend a [lot] of time together.” Esme Stotland “[The fall concert] is the first chance for an essentially new choir to get to perform and show off a little,” Weiss said. Senior Esme Stotland echoed Weiss’s statement, and said she hopes the group will use the upcoming fall concert as an opportunity to “be more dynamic and musical.” Weiss said the behind the scenes preparation that goes into making the performance seamless is intense. “We all rehearse during class time, and then before concerts we have a dress rehearsal to make sure things are running smoothly,” Weiss said. Weiss praised the individuals in the group, without whom she said it would be difficult to come together in such a short period of time. “I would have to say that our biggest strength is the commitment people bring to choir,” Weiss said. “It takes only one person to sink a ship, but everyone is so focused and really giving their all in rehearsals and will be in our upcoming performances.” As the arrival of every new year undoubtedly burdens the group with the loss of key seniors from the graduated class, it is important that the incoming vocalists step up to the plate, according to Weiss and Stotland. Weiss said the shift can be difficult for some, but said the new

students have done an excellent job assimilating into the group. “We’ve lost a lot of great, talented singers, but it’s always exciting to welcome in fresh voices,” Weiss said. “[However,] it does take a little time for us to get acclimated to them and to have the group click vocally.” Stotland said there wasn’t a massive transition at the start of the year, but the returning members in the group are missing the voices and personalities of the class of 2018. She, like Weiss, is hopeful the group will be increasingly cohesive as the year progresses. “I hope that we can work hard and push ourselves,” Stotland said. “My hopes are that we are able to bond as a choir and spend a [lot] of time together.” The group’s debut was an offcampus performance that took place in the Stanford Memorial Church earlier this month. The event, held on Oct. 7, took place unusually early in the year for a performance. The group had to begin rehearsing pieces on the very first day of school in order to be adequately prepared by the day of the performance, according to Weiss.

LEELA SRINIVASAN/THE CAMPANILE

The Palo Alto Housing Corporate Office, located on 2595 E Bayshore Rd, is responsible for providing housing in the existing BMR program.

By Nick Le

Senior Staff Writer

s a result of a unanimous vote by the Planning and Transportation Commission, an affordable housing complex in Palo Alto will now be passed on to the council, ac-

“It only takes one person to sink a ship, but everyone is so focused “Palo Alto should and really giving their make its own plans and all in rehearsals and own complexes to will be in our upcoming handle dense housing performances.” and mostly rent Jessica Weiss based housing.” The evening concert was a “reflective, contemplative 30-minute set of choral music,” according to the Paly choir website, and allowed the group to get some exposure from a different crowd. The event served as a test run before their fall concert, where more of the student body will be present in the audience. Choir has been working extremely hard to bring their best performance to the community and encourages students to attend the concert this Sunday to support them as they showcase their work over the course of the current school year. Weiss said, “We’re poised to have an amazing concert later this October.”

Keith Yarak cording to Palo Alto Online. This is Palo Alto’s first affordable housing development in the last seven years. The housing, if approved to be instated by the city council, would be located in the Ventura area in Palo Alto at 3705 El Camino Real. The plan includes a breakdown of which apartments will be located for individuals who meet specific criteria. The housing will be a 65-apartment complex, saving 16 units for adults with developmental disabilities, along with 41 parking spots in total. It would provide housing for

those in the Below Market Rate Housing Program (BMR). This is a program that allows individuals that make up 30 percent to 60 percent of Palo Alto’s median income to purchase homes at a price far lower than the market rate. Palo Alto’s median price is currently at $137,000 per year. This would only come with the approval of the city council, which would make this complex the only fully below market housing to be accepted in the past 7 years. Throughout Palo Alto, there are other complexes that have below market housing that allow opportunities for those with lower incomes to be

Alto because of the expensive housing market.” Long time resident of the Palo Alto area, Keith Yarak, is in full support of the prospective

“I’m a supporter of extending housing to all groups in the community.”

construction of this complex and expanding it to include many others. “I’m a supporter of extending housing to all groups in the community, ” Yarak said. “Local jobs would result, renters would be long term and communities become much more stable.” Yarak continues, describing the ideal conditions that extending housing would make possible to achieve. “Low income folks would not be squeezed out,” Yarak said. “Teachers and police and firefighters and artists and regular working folks up to pretty high income all lived together. So yes, Palo Alto should make its own plans and own complexes to handle dense housing and most-

Keith Yarak able to live in the high housing market of Palo Alto. Senior Zharit Brand has lived in a BMR program home for several years. “I believe that another affordable housing complex would allow for people to have opportunities to live in a great area like Palo Alto and access to better education,” Brand said. “Otherwise, many of those people wouldn’t be able to live in Palo

ASB gears up for upcoming Spirit Week events Dance practices, float building and Homecoming keep the student body busy By Sam Hwang

Board Correspondent

tarting in just two days, on Oct. 22, Spirit Week will continue with the typical dress up days and lunchtime rallies. “[All of the] ASB members are hard at work preparing for the upcoming Spirit Week,” junior class President Zoe Silver said. “Dance practices are underway, there is high participation throughout the grades with a lot of the grades having maybe 75 to 100 people per grade.” Along with the spirit dances coming along, many grades have started putting together for their floats. “The float designs are coming along,” Silver said. “This year PTSA is sponsoring new float bases for every grade. We are going to assembling them because they have gotten so gross after so many years of use.” The new floats will include a new frame and will have more wheels for more mobility. Along with the addition of the new frame, ASB has revised the grading rubrics that score the floats, thanks to a push from senior class President David Foster. “The rubric [to score the floats] that we’ve been using for a

long time has been one third [of the points] for stuffing, one third for creativity, and one third for incorporation for theme,” Foster said. Foster explains his dissatisfaction with the rubric and the steps made to implement change. “It’s kind of boring and it has no points for how good the float looks, so I really wanted to change that because I think a lot of work goes into making the float look nice, and it’s sad that the judges can’t grade on that,” Foster said. “I worked with the other class officers and I developed a new rubric that has points for aesthetics, execution and complexity.” Aside from the new addition to the floats, ASB also has plans to add new elements to the homecoming dance. “Homecoming is going to be super fun,” Foster said. “We’re putting more resources into getting better food for homecoming that is more allergy conscious and better [quality]. [The food] will [match] the extravagant roaring ‘20s theme.” Aside from Spirit Week preparations, ASB is also preparing other activities and programs that will be set into action in the near future. “This year ASB will be sponsoring, as a student body, the

“Another affordable housing complex would allow people to have opportunities to live in a great area like Palo Alto and access to better education.” Zharit Brand

UPCOMING EVENTS OCT

PALY CHOIR FALL CONCERT Which you know because you read the article

OCT

FIRST DAY OF SPIRIT WEEK

OCT

FRIDAY RALLY

OCT

HOMECOMING DANCE

ASH:EY ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE

ly rent based housing.” Former resident of the Ventura area, Conor Kennedy, believes that this can spark the production of more affordable housing complexes. “I think that it will positively affect Palo Alto, but it’s just the beginning of something that more cities will follow,” Kennedy said. Although Kennedy believes it will be beneficial, he also takes a reasonable, neutral standpoint, recognizing that the plan does have its flaws. There are limited spaces available for residents to park — only 41 parking spots — and the residents will need to adjust in order to live comfortably. “Yes the parking will be an issue, but I do not think it’s that big of an issue,” Kennedy said. “Palo Alto is very bike friendly and the complex is very close to Caltrain.” The project is attempting to receive a waiver from the mandatory ground retail stores; being on El Camino requires the street level to be a retail store. With this space, the project would want the ground floor too so that they would have space for laundry rooms, gym and a community room for the residents of the complex, among other additions. The next steps for the housing are to receive approval from the architectural review board.

Freshmen might still have hope

All hope is lost

A great time, if you’re looking to meet annoying underclassmen

OCT

WINTER SPORTS TRYOUTS

NOV

NO SCHOOL

NOV

PALY-GREENE BAND CONCERT

Yes, all winter sports are cut sports

Adrien Tompert and others from the class of 2018 rally at an ASB event. movement Set the Expectation,” Silver said. “Set the Expectation is a program that is trying to combat sexual assault and you can look out for more details in the upcoming weeks.” ASB will hold various activities and events on campus throughout the week as a part of the program.

“We’re tying in the Set the Expectation program with Spirit Week for more publicity, and it’s not a high pressure thing.” Foster said. “We’re all having fun, and we all want to be a part of this pledge to beat sexual assault and to raise awareness for it so that we can support those who have experienced it.”

13 15

Maybe the fire alarm won’t go off that day

Wait, you mean the Paly-Jordan band concert?

The Campanile

Robotics Coach Continued from A1

dress their concerns. “I feel strongly in the support our team is extending to Paly Robotics,” Paulson said in his statement. “Dr. Keating is highly involved with the team, attending meetings and recent meets. He will continue to be accessible for supervision on an ongoing basis. This is Ms. Krier’s first year at Paly, and I believe she should be given an opportunity to lead the robotics team.” In addition, students wanted to bring their parents into the meeting since some students said they did not feel comfortable speaking to administration alone, but Keating wouldn’t allow this and ended up shutting down the meeting.

“This was a clear example of intimidation towards us, and by locking the doors, she prevented eyewitnesses, but also violated the PAUSD Professional Standards for its staff.” Jennifer Xu

“This meeting is expressly for the admins to hear student concerns about the Robotics program,” Keating said in an email to the team. “Including parents would complicate the conversation. After the meeting with students, Adam [Paulson] and I will determine next steps.” Xu filed a Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) with the District on the basis of discrimination and harassment by Krier.

College & Job Fair Continued from A1

jobs,” McCoy said. “We are not very labor intensive, we are a fun place to work at [and] our schedule is pretty set, so if students have fluctuating schedules they know when work is.” McCoy further explains why the business he is representing is a good fit for the Paly job fair. “It is easier to adjust [your] schedule, as opposed to if you are working somewhere with a floating schedule and we don’t work during the summer," McCoy said.

Friday, October 19, 2018

The UCP alleged incidences of Krier locking minors in rooms, swearing at team members and yelling at students. However, due to this selection mindset and other perceived problems, on Oct. 11, former team captain Devin Ardeshna filed a third-party complaint with Megan Farrell, the District’s contact on non-discrimination issues, alleging that Krier has selected students specifically to diversify the team, putting some other ethnicities at a disadvantage for team membership. In an email interview, Ardeshna stated, “The goal of such a complaint is to open up a dialogue between the PAUSD Compliance Office and the students stuck in this situation.” Saying they thought Paly administrators weren’t addressing their concerns, the team eventually resorted to speaking during the open forum section of the school board meeting. “The hope was that making this more public to the general community as well as the school board members and superintendent who are technically above in the chain of command to the administrators would have some sort of positive impact on our dealings with the admin,” Yang said. According to Xu, the new attention drawn to the robotics team lead to Paly administration focusing on the team’s safety. In his email statement, Paulson addressed his issues with the team’s safety. “We needed to implement new rules and expectations to create a safer environment for our students working in the Robotics lab,” Paulson said. “Ultimately, some of the changes we are requiring are being met with resistance.” The lab has been shut down until an inspection happens on

Oct. 17. Yang said he does not have much information about what will happen in the inspection or what they are looking for. Xu recognized that this situation is particularly messy because the administration hasn’t been very involved with the team before Krier was hired. “The administration hasn’t had many dealings with Paly robotics directly until this year,” Xu said. “They’re completely new to how our system works or how it functions. They made a lot of alleged claims such as, ‘Oh, this is very unsafe or not organized,’ without fully understanding what the program was about.” In fact, the captains say their concerns with Krier are being twisted from being a problem about the leadership of the team to being a problem about the safety of the robotics team.

McCoy is one of many representatives who feel their offered occupation would be of interest to students.

Teacher Coordinator, Theresa McDermott, decided to help coordinate the event this year due to her want to build relationships with the community, the school, businesses and nonprofits. “I think that job fairs are a wonderful opportunity for students and employers to meet,” McDermott said. “It provides a great informal setting for students to ask questions of employers and to gain access to possible work and internship positions.” Although at least one job fair a year is held at Paly, McDer-

“The ideal is to provide students with opportunities to grow outside of the classroom.” Theresa McDermott

Paly’s new Work Experience

NEWS

“We needed to implement new rules and expectations to create a safer environment for our students working in the Robotics lab.” Adam Paulson

“We do certifications for machines, we do have a fully set out structure for our team,” Xu said. “But no one really understood that, so it was very easy to paint a picture of chaos.” At the end of the day, Merrilee Soohoo, a parent of one of the team members, says the team’s biggest concern is the mental well-being of its members. “The students do not feel emotionally safe in the Robotics lab this year,” Soohoo said. “In

ANNIE CHEN/THE CAMPANILE

Spencer Soohoo and teammates work on their robot Forseti in the pits at Arizona North Competition last Spring the three years I’ve been volunteering, I’ve come to know that the robotics lab functions not only as a classroom, but as a comfortable living space, a friendly, welcoming open place where the robotics team members can go to find literal and figurative shelter, like a home, an oasis. So, the question now is, is student wellness and emotional health a true focus of Palo Alto Unified School District?” Ardeshna also voiced concern for the well-being of team members. “A number of the kids on the team are my friends,” Ardeshna said. “I’m really concerned about their well-being, and the stress that this situation is causing. Many are seniors, with their early college applications due in a few weeks. Or juniors, studying for the SAT/ACT next month. It was frustrating to see the lack of response from the Paly adminis-

tration—I wanted to see action taken to address the student concerns.”

In addition, Soohoo said many team members don’t feel comfortable confronting Krier about their problems with her leadership because they are enrolled in classes taught by her. Academic achievement is important to many of these students, so they fear Krier could lower their grade if they come forward or complain to her. This causes an

environment of fear and intimidation in what she said used to be a warm and welcoming program. An email was sent Krier inquiring about a possible interview. This request was met with no response. Xu said she and Yang do have a proposed solution to the issue that the hope administrators will accept. “In the end, our goal is to kind of have [Krier] decoupled from the Paly robotics program,” Xu said. “Obviously, we don’t want anything bad to happen to her, that’s not our goal. We just want her to stop interacting with students in a negative manner in the context of robotics because it’s just not healthy for our members. Our goal is to hopefully have a replacement with two of our mentors, one of which is an industry mentor, and the other of which is a PAUSD certified teacher.”

mott says they are working to have one in the fall as well as one in spring.

Hundreds of students milled around the quad during lunch viewing prospective jobs they could apply for. The Paly job fair is a valuable event according to sophomore, Isabella Koutsoyannis. “I was really trying to see what jobs I could apply to and all of the job opportunities are really great,” Koutsoyannis said. “It’s really helpful that Paly has this opportunity, because a lot of times you don’t know which jobs to apply to and it’s a very good resource.” These two closely occurring

events were both held for the purpose of students thinking towards their future and most students appreciated the provided opportunities, according to McDermott. “The ideal is to provide students with opportunities to grow outside of the classroom,” McDermott said. “A job fair is one way in which we can build those relationships. Many of our students are interested in working and our local businesses are wanting to hire our students, so a job fair is a win-win opportunity.”

“Many of our students are interested in working and our local businesses.” Theresa McDermott

There will be another job fair at Gunn later this week and a job fair in March at both high schools.

“Each of us has been to the administrators probably about 15 times in the past few week.” Bryan Yang

'Raging Grannies' gather to promote youth voting

Senior citizens use songs, props, humor to encourage young adults to register to vote before upcoming November midterm elections this fall

JOHN TAYERI /THE CAMPANILE

Local activist group, "The Raging Grannies," protested Republican Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's recent sexual assault allegations, at Town and Country Village at lunch on October 17th.

By John Tayeri

Business Manager

he “Raging Grannies,” an activist group predominantly comprised of senior citizen women, flooded the parking lot area around Trader Joe’s in Town & Country Village on Oct. 17, advocating for high schoolers to vote in the upcoming elections. “Our main goal is to get 18 year olds to register for the voting, and to get the 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register,” said Grace Ann, a member of the group. “We think it’s important that everyone votes, no matter what political side they’re on.” Although the group was founded in 1987 in British Co-

lumbia, it eventually spread to the Bay Area in 2001. Using props, songs and humor in their protests, they have been standing up for their morals in untraditional ways.

“Things are changing these days, and a person’s vote does not mean as much.” Anne Davidson

In their most recent protest, the group protested against Brett Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court Justice who was recently accused of sexual assault.

“Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!” was one of the many chants they performed, arguing against Kavanaugh. The group brought props and costumes as well. One of the group members dressed up as Kavanaugh inside of a jail cell. In the past, the group protested against issues concerning gun violence, sexual assault, immigration policies and voting responsibility. Most recently, they gathered to encourage teenagers to participate in voting. The intersection at Embarcadero Road and El Camino Real was filled with songs, cheers and posters during the students’ lunch break. The elections on Nov. 6 will

change government in both federal and local levels.

“Our main goal is to get 18 year olds to register for the voting, and to get the 16 and 17 year olds to preregister.” Grace Ann

Currently, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grab, and 35 seats in congress are empty. Meanwhile, six Palo Alto citizens are running for two

spots in the school board. According to group member Anne Davidson, an individual’s vote is losing value. “It’s always been important that everyone votes,” Davidson said. “Things are changing these days, and a person’s vote does not mean as much. For example, gerrymandering in certain states takes people’s voting powers away.” According to Davidson, voting can lead our nation to make necessary changes and reforms. “We’re in a real crisis right now in all areas,” Davidson said. “We’ve hit a crisis-point in the me-too movement, climate change, guncontrol and immigration.” According to Ann, students do

not have to be over 18 years old to have an impact on the election.

“I think that it’s time for people to stand up because the country is in danger if we don’t.” Grace Ann

Ann said,“I think that it’s time for people to stand up because the country is in danger if we don’t. What we need is to get eligible kids to register and pre-register. Even for kids under 16 years old, they are still the leaders of the next generation, so they must take a stand.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

NEWS

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee prepares students for future of artificial intelligence Prominent tech investor in China revisits Paly after several years, determined to explain rapid growth of job displacement By Byron Zhang & Yusra Rafeeqi

Managing Editor & Online Editor

ormer President of Google China and former Paly parent Dr. Kai-Fu Lee returned to campus to present new insight on artificial intelligence (AI) and advice for students on their future career choices. In Lee’s new book, titled “AI Superpowers China, Silicon Valley, New World Order,” Lee predicted a revolution in the job market due to the developments in AI.

“Basically, AI is mimicking people. So it can’t do a job like customer service. People just don’t want robot nannies, nurses, teachers, doctors.” Kai-Fu Lee Within the next five years, AI-oriented products will replace routine jobs, such as cashiers and fast-food workers, according to Lee. AI only allows for extreme specialization of careers that focus on passion and human connection, which will lead to entrepreneurism. “AI is trained on objective outcomes,” Lee said. “They can determine basics like if you bought something or you didn’t before leaving a store. But you can’t label compassion, or vulnerability. Even if you train for creativity, the mistakes can be catastrophic. Basically, AI is mimicking people. So it can’t do a job like customer service. People just don’t want robot nannies, nurses, teachers, doctors.” His book gained New York Times Best Seller and Wall Street Best Seller recognition. Lee, one of the most prominent technology investors in

BYRON ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee presents in the PAC on career displacement of routine jobs by artificial intelligence, and how this affects the decisions students make for their future. China and current CEO of Sinovation Ventures, says that China’s technological revolution is rapidly advancing to overtake the powerhouse of American technology, a topic he talked extensively about in his book. “Silicon Valley believes that its technology models are the best, but China has been rising,” Lee said. “China is emerging as a pillar of entrepreneur strength. It may not be amazing innovation; it is probably better business wise in creating companies that cannot be copied.” To describe Chinese industry development in words easily understandable to students, he used a historical analogy: Thomas Edison invented electricity, but the

whole world employed electricity to create their own advancements.

“Silicon Valley believes that its technology models are the best, but China is emerging as a pillar of entrepreneur strength.” Kai-Fu Lee Similarly, America invented various technological models, but other markets like China are able to evolutionize these models. “I think China is currently

maybe around same as the U.S. (in terms of AI advancements), maybe a little bit behind,” Lee said. “In five years, I think China’s monetization, valutization and making money and revenues from the market will be greater than the U.S. This is [only] about product and revenue, if you want to ask about research, technology, or a breakthrough, that of course puts the U.S. ahead again.” Lee addressed the fear that some Americans have regarding Chinese markets interfering with American ones, especially in the midst of a trade war between the two nations. “I don’t think there is a race because Chinese companies are funded by Chinese species for

Chinese users, they don’t cross to the U.S.,” Lee said. “For AI, we’re actually living in two parallel universes.”

“You do not want to get a job that will be disappearing in the next 20 years.” Cathy Williams According to Cathy Williams, the organizer of the talk and Parliamentarian for Paly Parents, Teachers, Students Association (PTSA), Lee’s presentation is a learning process for parents and stu-

dents on their future career choices. “When you think about career, something that you want to bear in mind is that you do not want to get a job that will be disappearing in the next 20 years,” Williams said. “It’s coming very quickly, much faster than we expected.” PTSA Vice President Diana Pang said she hopes more parents and students can find out about activities that the PTSA organizes. Pang said, “We actually organize quite some events so if you pay attention to the Paly Link, we don’t know if everyone reads it, but sometimes you could get some good advice from the speakers and authors, some of which we actually pay to be here.”

Marissa Mayer plans to alter mortuary Historic funeral home to be converted to The Corner House

YUSRA RAFEEQI/THE CAMPANILE

The mortuary on Middlefield Rd. has caused excessive traffic.

By Sophia Moore

Staff Writer

ormer Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer plans to transform Palo Alto’s oldest funeral home, which she bought in 2013, into a private club for workspace collaboration. She says it will be geared toward women in the workforce, but will not exclude any individuals.

“If [the funeral home] were truly important enough to people then there would probably be some protection around it against it being sold.” Ashley Guo According to the City of Palo Alto website, the new club, called The Corner House, will host “workshops classes, and lectures for all ages, including cultural, art, musical education, literary, visual and/or performing arts, culinary arts, professional development and health/wellness” and plans to hold around 10-20 classes per day, with around 5-25 students each. The City of Palo Alto’s website said The Corner House will also

include “special events such as speaker series, small performances, networking events, and family bonding experiences” and “collaborative groups and programming aimed at furthering the professional development of working women.” However, there is some backlash regarding the conversion of the funeral home into a private club. Junior James Jeon remains skeptical of the project, and does not fully support the idea of the building’s conversion. “I think it’s potentially beneficial for both the community and Mayer, but I’m not sure what the title ‘private club’ entails and I don’t want to support a business plan that’s disguised as a community project,” Jeon said. While it may be controversial to turn a funeral home into a private club, junior Ashley Guo thinks The Corner House is a more effective use of the real estate. “I would more likely use this club than the funeral home,” Guo said. “I do understand that this mortuary could have held historical or sentimental value, being Palo Alto’s oldest funeral home, but if it were truly important enough to people then there would probably be some protection around it against it being sold.” According to The Corner House website, some of the classes, open to both youth and adults, that the private club will provide

include music, visual or performing art programs, cooking, professional development, fitness, health and wellness, language and academic or tutoring programs. The Corner House will also allow for free or affordable rental space for events or meetings concerning charity work or community outreach. The facility hopes to provide space for around 250 small events, no more than 10 per week, and 150 large events, no more than four per week, every year according to the Corner House website. The Corner House will also house collaboration spaces where mentors and peers can network within the community and spread ideas in a personal or professional environment. The number of anticipated patrons with access to collaboration spaces is 100 people, but no more than 50 at a time.

“I don’t want to support a business plan that’s disguised as a community project.” James Jeon Additionally, the facility will include a coffee bar, lunch buffet, a health and wellness room, a garden, an outdoor play space, a patio and an atrium. Before the decision to remodel, the amount of funerals at the previous building caused traffic to the surrounding area. According to the City of Palo Alto website, “2.8-11 funerals per week with tens to hundreds of mourners gathering en mass is presumed to have been a greater strain on noise and traffic due to a private event than the facilities newly suggested model and use.” The conversion will also affect the Palo Alto community in terms of surrounding environment. According to the website, “The mission of the facility would be to provide a vibrant, welcoming space for traditional and nontraditional professionals to collaborate, work, learn, find support, build community, and spend time with their families, friends and neighbors.”

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Zander Leong practices taking a test before the school PSAT for a possible scholarship.

Paly administers PSAT to sophomores New practice allows similarity to nationwide testing policies By Paige Knoblock Staff Writer

On Oct. 10, Paly sophomores took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) for the first time, marking one of the first time Paly sophomores have taken the test in the past decade. In recent years, only Paly juniors have been required to take the PSAT in October. Juniors nationwide take the PSAT every October, but this will be the first year Paly sophomores will be taking the test. Schools can choose whether or not they administer the test to sophomores, and many schools in the Bay Area did last year, including Mountain View High School , St. Francis High School and Menlo Atherton High School. In contrast, schools like Gunn High School and Sacred Heart Preparatory do not require sophomores to take the test. Schools often don’t require their sophomores to take the test because they have no monetary compensation to gain, unlike juniors. The National Merit Scholarship is awarded to juniors who score in the one percent on the PSAT nationally. National Merit Scholars are awarded $2,500 which is used towards the tuition for their freshman year of college. Though sophomores cannot get money for scoring well on the PSAT, the idea that more practice may increase their score on future standardized tests was enough to get many Paly sophomores taking the test. “I feel like taking the PSAT this

year is a good way of determining how ready you are for the real thing,” sophomore Kira Sterling said. In a elective survey taken of Paly Juniors, 57% think sophomores at Paly should take the PSAT yet 57% think it may cause unnecessary stress. Many students at Paly have mixed feelings on underclassmen taking the test, as do many administrators.

“For students who are not pushed, or whose parents do not game the college system, then earlier testing may relieve stress, not add stress.” Lucy Filppu Many worry that taking these tests preemptively may cause students to start the college process prematurely. College and Career Counsellor, Sandra Cernobori worries that taking these test a year earlier could potentially cause unnecessary stress. “I worried how the results might be taken, because the test is designed for 11th graders, not 10th graders.” Cernabori said. “I worry a little bit about stressing people out, causing stress earlier than possibly necessary.” “ I think it would be helpful for sophomores to take the PSAT

because when I was a sophomore I didn’t know what it was, and it would be helpful to get exposure to it.” junior Claire Li said. However, many people see the downside to taking the test during sophomore year. “It honestly seems like a really stressful environment for sophomores to be involved in,” Paly junior Karina Kadakia said. Many teachers in the district, however, support the decision to administer the PSAT to sophomores. English teacher Lucy Filppu. said she thinks the test could relieve stress on sophomores by allowing them to be better prepared for future tests. “For students who are not pushed, or whose parents do not game the college system, then earlier testing may relieve stress, not add stress,” Filppu said. “We have more time to help, to tutor, to try again.” Parents of Paly sophomores have had mixed reactions to the news of their students taking the PSAT. Many say they would have had their students practicing if they had known earlier, while some wish their students weren’t taking it at all. Jeanese Synder, a parent of a Paly sophomore, said she wishes the focus for sophomores was on practice, instead of treating it like the real SAT or studying for many months in advance. Synder said, “I’m kind of indifferent, it would be great if the emphasis was on practice, which I think the school is doing a great job of.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

OPINION

Rigorous academic climate fosters fixed mindset in students By Shannon Zhao Senior Staff Writer

rom a young age, society has fostered a fixed mindset in many students, where extrinsic motivation and social comparison dictate their actions and selfperceptions. Paly’s rigorous academic environment and inflexible laning system distorts students’ perceptions of their academic abilities and leads them to believe that intelligence is innate, rather than learned.

The harmful culture of extreme competition and overachievement leads many students to experience intense feelings of self-doubt and low self-worth.

In sixth grade, the introduction of the laning system, also known as tracking, determined whether a student excelled in math or belonged in the lower lane. Many students perceived this as an indicator of not only their mathematical abilities, but also of their intelligence. Throughout middle school and well into high school, opportunities to lane into higher pathways are faintly publicized by teachers, further leading students to falsely believe that their academic abilities are fixed. The tracked courses quickly opened up conversation for comparison among students, contributing to the unhealthy academic culture on campus. Along with the academic gap, the social divide between students in regular lanes and advanced lanes becomes more pronounced by the increased opportunities to take advanced level classes in high school. The social pressure to take rigorous classes plays a large role in the judgment that surrounds students who

take advanced level classes and those who do not. Sadly, a detail as trivial as the math lane you are in can be perceived as a revealing indicator of intelligence, and news of students dropping down to lower lanes often circulates like gossip. Although this mentality most prominently surrounds math courses, the same effects of the fixed mindset can be seen in students across many other academic pathways. The harmful culture of extreme competition and overachievement leads many students to experience intense feelings of self-doubt and low self-worth. Students’ feelings of discouragement largely stems from the tendency to judge their own abilities on a scale of how they compare to those of their peers. Rather than direct pressure from parents, many students feel the most stress to bulk their course loads from themselves and their peers. Paly’s cutthroat environment leads many students to believe that if they are not taking the highest level of a certain subject, then they must not be “good” enough to pursue that field in college or as a career. This sentiment echoes the perspective of many students, as they believe that their time and energy is best spent on pursuing studies in which they believe they can become the most competitive candidate. Although 88 percent of Paly students who are taking AB Calculus in their senior year earn perfect scores on the AP exam, many still believe that they are not competitive enough to pursue STEM majors in college. Schools are supposed to nurture students’ potential, but the emphasis placed on taking advanced classes hinders the natural progression of students’ growth, leading them to prematurely close off options for possible career interests. This type of fixed mindset prevents students from coming to revela-

tions about their interests for academic subjects that they may not have liked in high school later on. While college may be the place where students discover their true passions, many students may never allow themselves to venture into these subjects as a consequence of the belief that they will never be good enough in high school. In addition, Paly’s deflated grades in certain courses and difficult curriculum give students a false impression of their academic abilities, as the B’s and C’s earned at Paly can be comparable to A’s earned in some other school districts. This misrepresentation further locks students in narrow perceptions of academic success. Students have been made victims of course titles and labels, where the difference one letter, A and C, in AB and BC Calculus can dictate their perceptions of their intelligence and future academic pursuits. As much as teachers love to defend the philosophy of

“do what you love,” society has raised us to act in the opposite and forget how to be intrinsically motivated by our pursuits. Outside of the classroom, students have learned to equate passion with skill. From an early age, many students are thrown into a variety of sports and extracurriculars by their parents in hopes they will discover an interest they will stick with and master. This act sends a subconscious message to children that they should choose sports or activities that match their strengths. The message becomes more direct in high school when environments become more competitive, causing some students to quit their sport or extracurricular activity upon realization that they do not compete at a level high enough to be recruited or have a future in the field. As humans living in a specialized society, it comes as no surprise that people are more inclined to devote their energy towards doing

what they are best at rather than what they like to do. However when students are inaccurately led to believe the limitations of their achievement, specialization can be harmful. As the students in advanced classes become increasingly younger each year, the academic environment will only grow more competitive. While the laning system is largely responsible for facilitating Paly’s unhealthy academic climate, getting rid of advanced courses is not the solution, as schools need to create a stimulating educational experience for all students, including higherachieving students. However, interventions must be made to combat this culture and to give students a perspective from beyond the bubble they live in. Receiving a teacher’s words of encouragement feels detached and robotic, like receiving a participation ribbon. Instead, administrators need to make greater, more personal efforts to educate students

about the implications of their academic course loads — whether that be hosting teachers and alumni panels or inviting guest speakers to give insights about how their school careers affected their future successes.

In the human brain there is an aspect called the working memory, which is what controls the capability to process and hold information to later reciprocate it on cognitive tasks such as tests. This brain function is vital to test success as it allows one to be able to find a solution to the problems at hand; however, some people don’t have clear working memories to utilize. According to University of Chicago psychology professor Sian Beilock in a New York Times article published in 2012, students with test anxiety fill up their working memory with tension, which interferes with their capability to execute on cognitive assessments. Stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation also play huge roles in the quality of execution on tests. According to Paly psychology teacher Melinda Mattes, all of these factors can interfere with a student’s performance because stress and anxiety activate your fight or flight hormones. Since your brain doesn’t need to be doing high-level math when it thinks you are in danger, the brain shuts down some of the messages from the prefrontal cortex, which is the region in the frontal lobe of the brain that controls cognitive behavior. This can greatly affect your test-taking abilities. This means that, when students do poorly on exams, it isn’t necessarily because they aren’t competent, but rather because their brains just function differently and can’t perform well on examinations. The main purpose of tests is to demonstrate to the teacher the level of your understanding. However, there are many more ways to achieve this goal, and this can be seen through the Social Justice Pathway (SJP) here at Paly. SJP enforces projectbased learning which

students can be assessed through in-class discussions, projects and essays instead of administering traditional exams. According to SJP student junior Chloe Laursen, the absence of tests takes the stress away from learning, and has noticeably improved her quality of education as well as her retention of information. This accomplishment should always be the goal of assessments. Finally, though tests are meant to represent an individual’s degree of knowledge, they have become such a difficult and unwanted task that a prevalent culture of cheating has arisen at Paly, which can lead to an unhealthy practice for students. According to Paly

sophomore Kimi Lillios, the cheating in Chemistry Honors had become so frequent that the teachers had to threaten the students with zeros on their tests, to make the students stop The reason for this threat is that cheating, already a serious academic offense, is often difficult to prevent for big tests. There are ways that students can know beforehand what material is on the test so that they only focus on those parts. This not only leads to an incomplete understanding of the topic or unit, but also builds an environment of mistrust by allowing students to maneuver their way to a good test score. It goes without saying that most students don’t at-

tempt to cheat, but some do, and by providing other types of assessments such as projects, essays or discussions, the possibility of cheating is reduced and the true test of intelligence and understanding can shine through. Some may say that traditional tests are the best way for students to show what they’ve cumulatively learned throughout the unit, that it challenges students to really absorb all the information about the topic. But by putting the focus on the test after every unit, the only present motivation for students in class, is trying to answer those multiple choice questions correctly instead of genuinely wanting to learn. This creates an unhealthy

mindset for students, that puts all their attention on tests instead of actual interest on the unit.

Students’ feelings of discouragement largely stems from the tendency to judge their own abilities on a scale of how they compare to those of their peers. Students are the future, and the collective advancement of society is dependent on student achievement. Kids at Paly will inherently place greater academic expectations on themselves to keep pace with the rat race of life; however, adults need to do their part and educate students of their individual achievement.

Alternative forms of testing strategies should be implemented By Rebekah Limb Staff Writer

very student is aware of the grim feeling that sweeps over every couple weeks when that dreaded end-of-unit test approaches. Frantically solving practice problems, memorizing the study guide and hearing others complain about the test sums up the horror that is test-taking. Tests are noticeably the most widely used type of assessment at Paly. According to Paly teacher Alicia Szebert, they are the most effective way of holding students accountable for their learning. This longstanding practice has rarely been challenged, and while students see it as the norm, exams can ultimately be detrimental to some students and their learning. Traditional pencil-andpaper tests should not be the primary type of assessment for a variety of reasons. First, complex brain functions prevent some students from performing well, second, alternative forms of testing have proven success and third, there is a prevalent culture of cheating on tests.

In the human brain there is an aspect called the working memory, which is what controls the capability to process and hold information to later reciprocate it on cognitive tasks such as tests. It is very common to hear students complain that they are simply just bad testtakers when they get a below-average score. For many students, this phrase may be troubling to comprehend because they are unaware of the science behind test taking.

SJP enforces project-based learning where students can be assessed through in-class discussions,projects and essays instead of administering tests. As education evolves, Paly needs to accommodate these changes and implement new testing strategies. These new forms of assessment can open doors to a new style of learning and a more pleasant school experience.

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

OPINION

Teachers should give students access to online textbooks By Maya Rathore Staff Writer

ere’s a fact: everybody hates textbooks. They’re bulky and heavy, take up precious space in your room and actively worsen your day whenever you have to transport them to get your work done. Your teachers know this, but they still assign a few problems on a few pages in a textbook consisting of thousands of pages, forcing you to lug around a 10-pound book just to finish your homework. Still, all of us trudge home, hoist our giant textbooks up onto our desks and get to work. Those of us who are night owls suffer tremendously — you need fantastic lighting to read the text comfortably and half the time, the information in the textbook doesn’t even help that much. It can easily be found elsewhere. The information-to-weight ratio is absolutely dismal. Online textbooks (the real versions, not the badlyscanned illegal versions) are light, functional and accessible almost anywhere, boosting productivity. They have an embedded table of contents with handy links to the specific chapters, streamlining the tedious process of tracking page numbers for your chapter. You can adjust the brightness of your screen and zoom in on certain graphics—features that do not exist in the heavy paper versions.

The question must have crossed your mind: Why don’t we have access to online versions of textbooks?

These official online textbooks, purchased alongside the real paper textbooks, are properly formatted and fit to a laptop or phone screen, so students can find whatever section they’re looking for.

Online textbooks also allow you to use the handy Ctrl-F function to search for key terms without poring over paragraphs of heavy text. They’re easier on your eyes, your body and your brain. What’s not to like? They are, in essentially every single way, functionally superior to the hard-copy version of textbooks. The problems with textbooks are exacerbated for students with far-away after-school obligations. If

you have no time in between school and a sports meet or tournament, not only do you have to heave your textbook to your commitment just to get your work done, you also have to schlep it around school all day, from class to class, along with the rest of your heavy belongings. In addition to being a physical burden, textbooks can also be an economic burden, since these useless masses of paper loaned out by the school costs hundreds

of dollars to repair or replace if damaged or lost. The question must have crossed your mind: Why don’t we have access to online versions of textbooks? All of these textbooks have a free online PDF version that can be found with a few keystrokes in Google. In that case, you still have to scroll through thousands of pages to find your problem set or your homework to take notes on. We wouldn’t have to deal

with these substitutes for the real online textbooks had our school district provided the real versions to us. Some teachers don’t post these online textbooks on Schoology, even when their entire department has access to these official online textbook versions. It takes little time out of their day to post it on Schoology — and they just don’t make the effort. Some may bring up the fact that not all textbooks

bought by the District come with online versions, which, to be fair, is entirely true. However, if we can afford our hundred-dollar textbooks, shouldn’t we provide the best possible materials for our students to use? Instead of spending thousands of dollars annually updating hard-copy textbooks, maybe the Palo Alto Unified School District should think about purchasing the superior version instead: the online version.

to those who chose to take them. Students dedicating such a significant amount of time towards sports are left to juggle their academic, family and extracurricular obligations without the aid of a free period. This often forces them to work late nights and subsequently lose sleep, a severe detriment to an adolescent’s health. In order to minimize stress levels and workload, students are deterred from taking courses that aim specifically at areas that would most benefit them rather than P.E., which offers a more general, vague overview of all physical education. For example, yoga is

preferable for those who want to focus on flexibility and mental health, while athletic conditioning targets strength and endurance. The lack of prep renders these options unavailable for athletes who require extra time and resources in order to achieve academic success. Furthermore, it seems unreasonable that these alternatives are deemed viable alternatives to P.E., implying that they require an equal if not greater amount of exertion and effort, yet do not extend the same benefits. This not only presents an illogical and inconsistent diservice for the students, but also suggests that these other classes are less rigourous or

engaging, which is untrue. If courses get the same credits that P.E. does, that means their curriculum is just as impactful. Therefore, students should be given equal amount of support as those who take P.E. According to athletic conditioning teacher Jason Fung, the reasoning behind the sudden absence of preps is due to the consensus that students who chose to participate in a specialized course would not be able to sufficiently learn the content if they are absent for it. “If a student takes dance and is not present, they can’t learn the dance,” Fung said. “If they make a conscious decision to take an alterna-

tive course, then they have to be present for it.” However, this could be argued for P.E. as well, where the student would also miss out on specific curriculum, as it is divided into several units. Additionally, most sports only consume a couple of months from the entire school year, which would allow them to still adequately learn the skills of their chosen course. Forcing them to remain in class out of concern for their education is not only contradictory but also impractical. It is the school’s responsibility to assist students in their academic goals and promote activities that contribute student success, in-

cluding sports. By not offering preps to those enrolled in alternative courses to P.E., Paly excludes these students from significant aid that is accessible to others.

Athletes should receive preps for alternative P.E. classes By Jaures Yip

Staff Writer

or a brief year, the introduction of yoga was a seemingly ideal alternative to physical education (P.E.), granting students the opportunity to choose a form of exercise that focused on mental health, relaxation and stress maintenance instead of physical exertion. However, the return of this course as well as other P.E. alternatives has also brought a significant flaw: the exclusion of preps. Offering over 25 sports, with generally two or more teams within each, Paly’s prominent student athlete presence is no surprise. Practices, including transportation, take at least two hours each weekday, not including games or meets, which are even more time consuming. In order to support students who would otherwise struggle with balancing sport, school and other extracurricular activities, free periods (preps) are offered in place of P.E. Paly has since offered alternate courses in place of P.E., including athletic conditioning, dance and yoga, all of which previously also offered preps to student athletes. However, those benefits ended.

If courses get the same credits that P.E. does, that means their curriculum is just as impactful. Therefore, students should be given equal amount of support as those who takes P.E. This unfair revocation not only discourages student athletes from considering other forms of physical education that might better suit their goals or needs, but also serves as a disadvantage

The lack of prep renders these options unavailable for athletes who require extra time and resources to achieve academic success.

All athletes should receive equal treatment and opportunities, starting with the reformation on prep policies so that all qualified students can receive a prep.

The Campanile

Friday, October, 19 2018

OPINION

American media should cover broader scope of gun violence

LN By Lucy Nemerov Business Manager

merican news outlets were flooded with the devastating details of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14, 2017. Videos of bullets flying into classrooms and high school yearbook pictures of the lost students consumed American media.

The conversation seems to ignore the fact that gun violence plagues many predominantly minority communities.

Immediately following this tragedy, Americans began their routine mourning procedure. The president offered condolences, some politicians promised to enact new policies and protestors took to the streets, enraged and desperate for change.

In the 37-day period after Parkland, 73 more teenagers lost their lives to gun violence, according the the Gun Violence Archive. Sometimes, their pictures made it into the 24-hour news stream. However, too often, the names of these victims were swept under the rug, limited to a single published police report. Although gun violence is primarily associated with school shootings, other forms of gun violence account for the vast majority of shootings in the U.S. The media and those concerned with the future of gun policies must understand the full scope of gun violence in our country. Mass shootings are nothing less than tragic and, undeniably, uniquely American. Between 1966 and 2012, there were 90 mass shootings in the U.S. The next four countries with the most mass shootings had 54 combined. Because of these high numbers, this type of tragedy seems to have become the symbol for gun violence

in the U.S. Although the topic of mass shootings fuels the gun control debate, these shootings make up a small percentage of annual gun deaths. It is important to clarify that gun violence can be considered either criminal or not criminal and can include suicides and accidental deaths. According to an article in The Washington Post, the debate on reducing mass shootings, which caused some 400 deaths last year, failed to include the 20,000 who kill themselves with guns every year. Echoing a similar point, an article published by FiveThirtyEight, a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics and sports blogging, showed that two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides. The U.S. has 4.3 percent of the world’s population, but suicide by gun in the U.S. represents 35.3 percent of all firearm suicides in the world in 2016. In addition to leaving out victims of suicide, the

conversation regarding gun law reform seems to ignore the fact that gun violence plagues many predominantly minority communities. Debate over assault rifles and school safety dominates political conversation, yet many minority communities deal with gun violence on a daily basis. According to FiveThirtyEight, almost one-third of gun deaths are homicides. Approximately two-thirds of young men killed in homicides are black. To put things in perspective, most Americans are 128 times more likely to be killed by gun violence than in acts of international terrorism. An African American person living in an urban area is almost 500 times more likely to be killed by gun violence than by terrorism. It is no secret that the deaths of high school children appeal to media more than an influx of gun violence in cities that are largely populated by minorities. Many Americans are unaware, or seem to not care,

about the everyday shootings that occur in large cities such as St. Louis, Baltimore and Detroit. Gun violence has always affected predominantly minority communities. Yet, it seems that “enough is enough” only when guns find their way into affluent, white communities. Change in gun policy is important, yet sometimes when only one part of the issue is stressed, these policies don’t reflect the larger needs of the nation. When gun violence is simply viewed through the lens of mass shootings, assault weapons and school safety are the only topics mentioned. Many of the movements stemming from mass shootings in white communities should still be supported. However, within many of these movements, the full scope of the gun violence epidemic is being ignored. To clarify, the issue of mass shootings should not be taken lightly. As mentioned previously, America has the highest rate

of mass shootings in any developed country. By no means are these violent acts unworthy of public and political attention.

The media, and those concerned with the future of gun policies, must understand the full scope of gun violence in our country. In order to change this unfortunate and frequent misinterpretation, American voters and politicians must become more informed about the issue. By being informed, the public can enact policies that will benefit the country as a whole, not just a small minority. No specific act of gun violence should stand alone as the representative of the gun violence epidemic in the United States, and the media should be held responsible for making sure of this.

CROSSWORD

Hello Campanile readers! The answers to the clues of this crossword puzzle can be found throughout the articles in this issue. When your crossword puzzle is complete, bring it to MAC 103. The first 30 people to do so will receive a free cookie! Down 2. Last name of the Stanford law professor who launched a PAC against politicians. 4. Bathrooms have been locked because students have been setting off the fire _____. 5. The tutoring program dedicated to providing academic support to lowincome and HUR students.

23. A _____ mindset prevents students from discovering their interests for certain subjects. 24. New affordable housing will be located in this area of Palo Alto. 26. Some students and faculty are pledging to refuse all plastic straws in this month.

6. A popular messaging application in China.

30. Coach Beto Luna coaches _____ club soccer.

8. The location of this year’s college fair.

31. Sports medicine teacher’s last name.

10. The Paly team that lead the Centennial march.

33. _____-based tests are alternative learning options.

12. What the ‘H’ stands for in the acronym HUR.

34. The organization that initially gave Ms. Queen a grant.

14. Forecasts for the future assigned by zodiac sign. 15. The judge Michele Dauber fought for the recall of. 18. The amount of money each false fire alarm costs Paly. 20. Last name of speaker who talked about artificial intelligence on Oct. 14. 21. Well known community college in our area with tuition of $1,515.

36. There are ____full-time specialists in the District (hint: see achievement gap story). 37. Paul thie was not allowed to play _____ football until highschool. 38. A teacher and alumni _____ is used to educate students about their career path options. 41. Paly choir will have their fall concert in the _____.

Across 1. The acronym for the organization that designed informational posters about vaping. 3. The acronym for the three-year Paly pathway that implements alternative forms of testing. 7. What seniors and juniors throw at each other during the off campus Spirit Week battle.

9. Title of Dr. Lee’s most recent book.

16. Science subject with many recent cheating affairs.

23. The Ba’hai _____ is a Middle Eastern religion.

29. The Olympic sport that involves sledding down tracks.

students how to operate a camera.

11. The last name of the controversial robotics coach.

17. Company where Marissa Mayer was previously CEO.

25. Theme for upcoming Homecoming dance.

39. “No _____ November.”

13. The brand of camera many sports photographers prefer.

19. The scholarship juniors can receive by scoring in the top 1% on the PSAT.

27. There are more of these than U.S. citizens in our country.

32. The acronym for college level classes offered at high schools.

22. Last name of a junior that believes his grade will win Egg Wars.

28. A _____ Turtle had a straw pulled out of its nose in a viral video.

14. With advancements in artificial intelligence, _____ connection is an increasingly crucial trait in careers.

35. Number of times robotics team has gone to administration recently. 38. The _____ class in the Sports Career pathway teaches

40. An alternative to smoking with an electronic device. 42. A person who operates a business. 43. Isaac Newton’s most remarkable discovery.

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

New campus wireless system Embarcadero pedestrian crossshould receive more praise ing time should be extended

ith the decommissioning of the PAUSDGEN wireless network this year, many students have been dissatisfied with restrictions placed on the use of the remaining WiFi Networks available, PAUSD and PAUSD Guest. However, The Campanile believes that many of these restrictions are well within reason.

With the everchanging cybersecurity landscape, the District must modify the methods it had used to secure a WiFi network. This year’s alterations were needed to keep up with the changing times. According to Chief of Technology Officer Derek Moore, the District WiFi equipment should be refreshed every five to seven years because of evolving technology. With the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape, the District must modify the methods it had used to secure a WiFi network.

Old methods and practices are rapidly becoming ineffective or inadequate. Students have complained that a student ID is required in order to log into the PAUSD network. Some may believe it is a privacy infringement or an unnecessary precaution. However, according to Moore, this login information is necessary to quickly identify “malicious and illegal activity on [District] networks.” Unfortunately, Moore said this is an issue within PAUSD, and the only other way to hope to prevent them would be to implement more restrictive internet usage and filtering policies for all users. The Campanile believes this trade-off for more freedom in WiFi usage is worth the inconvenience. Another restriction placed on the PAUSD wireless system is the use of an internet filter that prevents students from accessing certain websites or searching certain keywords. Most people are unaware that this is a federal requirement, according to the Federal Communications Commission's Children's Internet Protection Act. In accordance with the act, “PAUSD engages in very limited filtering of internet content by

ensuring district technology with internet access have a protection measure that protects against access to visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors,” according to the District’s Administrative Regulation 6163.4.

Students have complained that a student ID is required in order to log into the PAUSD network. With all these regulations considered, The Campanile supports the District’s technical decisions and believes it did the best it could to provide safe and reliable WiFi to students for educational purposes.

uring the last couple of minutes of the passing period after lunch, a stampede of Paly students sprint across the Embarcadero Road crosswalk between Palo Alto High School and Town & Country Village, desperate to cross the busy street before the white pedestrian walking sign switches to a red hand. Students fear the long wait between crossings, resorting to running or even jaywalking across to arrive at class on time. The Campanile believes that the timing of the crosswalk must be improved for the safety of the students. Currently, the crosswalk is quick, (around 17 seconds) and infrequent (once every few minutes with heavy traffic). Often, the wait to cross is extremely long (at least it seems that way). This can cause students to make reckless decisions, such as dangerously dashing across the street against the flow of traffic just to make the light. The Campanile believes that either extending the time given to cross the street or decreasing the time in between crossings during school hours would be beneficial. for students This would give them more time or opportunities to safely

cross the street and would lessen the likelihood that teenagers would put themselves in danger to get to class on time.

Students fear the long wait between crossings, resorting to running or even jaywalking across the street to arrive at their classes on time. The Campanile acknowledges the potential difficulties involved with changing the crosswalk timing. The crosswalk in question lies along a corridor of other traffic lights, including the cluster of traffic lights at the major intersection of El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road. Changing the timing of one traffic light in this area would likely affect the timing of the other lights. However, there is a way to mitigate those consequences: implementing timing changes only during certain times of the day. The crosswalk between Paly and Town & Country is only a safety risk at brunch and lunch,

about an hour in total. Changing the timing of that one light for two short periods in the middle of a weekday likely wouldn’t have a major effect on traffic flow. Paly assistant principal Jerry Berkson believes that students should simply follow the rules — only cross when the white pedestrian walking sign is on — to avoid dangerous situations. Berkson acknowledges the long wait times between crossings. During a phone call with the City of Palo Alto Transportation Division, we were told to submit a 311 proposal to the City of Palo Alto. We filled out a small sheet detailing The Campanile’s complaints with this crosswalk and its safety risks and submitted it.

Currently, the crosswalk is quick, (around 17 seconds) and infrequent (once every few minutes with heavy traffic). The Campanile strongly urges the City of Palo Alto to do what is right for student safety and alter the crosswalk timing.

Students should avoid littering to help campus, environment

hen people walk across the campus after lunch, they pass the beautiful renovated gym and theatre, the historical and iconic tower building, trees, flowers and...trash. Among all the pretty buildings and plentiful resources lie wrappers, plastic bags, papers and leftover containers. Students often dispose of their trash in irresponsible ways, either tossing their discards in miscellaneous locations such as picnic tables or the quad, or sorting them into the wrong bins. This results in a cluttered campus, increased work for custodians and a negative impact on the environment. Paly’s students are fortunate to receive an education on a campus with a $15.8 million gym, a $27 million Performing Arts Center, a $36.8 million Media Arts Center (MAC) and a historic tower building. To take such a campus for granted by carelessly leaving trash around demonstrates a lack of respect and appreciation for the campus and the opportunities it offers.

Students leaving trash sends the message that they believe it is not their job to clean up after themselves. Littering takes place both outdoors and indoors. In order to combat the latter, Paly administration made the decision to close the MAC during lunch at the beginning of this school year. According to custodian Albert Hildago, this choice has had positive results. Previously, there were no regulations in the MAC, a popular location to eat lunch, which resulted in trash left behind

on a regular basis. Administration should not have to go to such measures to keep our spaces clean. Had students been responsible earlier, administrators may have allowed students to use the MAC as a study space or hang out spot during lunch. However, with the MAC closed, students’ options for quiet locations to complete schoolwork during this time are limited to the Student Center and the Math Resource Center, both of which are often crowded. With the new library expected open sometime second semester, The Campanile hopes that students will prove they can be trusted to responsibly use this space during lunch and not litter. According to Hildago, teamwork is the key in maintaining the cleanliness of any space, which will be highlighted in the new facility. It is important that students, custodians, campus supervisors and staff all collaborate to keep our campus clean. In addition, students leaving trash sends the message that they believe it is not their job to clean up after themselves, and instead, they expect custodians to take care of the mess. This is extremely disrespectful and entitled. Having custodians tidy our campus is a privilege, and one that should be reserved for tasks that cannot be avoided. As members of the Paly community, students have the responsibility to do their part to help take care of the space we all share for five days a week. Sorting one’s trash before dumping it into the correct bin only takes a few seconds of effort, but can save hours of resorting for custodians. Many bins around campus have helpful signs reminding people which disposables belong in which bin. The Campanile urges

students to pay attention to such posters and encourages the school to put these signs above all trash and recycling bins instead of just a few, as it is now. Finally, litter has a lasting harmful effect on the environment. In order to maintain the health of the trees and plants around campus, it is important that we avoid tossing trash on the ground.

In order to maintain the health of our trees and plants around campus, it is important that we avoid tossing trash on the ground. Zero Waste Initiative, run by co-presidents Zander Leong and Aileen Wu, is a club dedicated to reducing waste at Paly. According to Leong, when students litter, it spills into the community, leaving a long-lasting impact because the plastic is not biodegradable. Some ways to avoid this is to buy products with less plastic packaging, invest in reusable utensils and sort trash before putting it in bins, according to Leong. The Campanile commends the club’s efforts to label bins around campus to make the sorting process clearer. Students’ failure to properly dispose of waste is litter-aly disgusting. Trash is a problem that won’t go away unless we all make a conscious choice to take responsibility for keeping our campus clean. The solution to the problem of a trashy campus is not impossible to implement; rather, it starts with small, mindful decisions that each of us can take on our own.

OCTOBER’S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Halloween Costumes 10) A pink outfit (because it's Wednesday). 9) Kimmy D. 8) The ghost of PAUSDGEN's past. 7) Reese (just bike to school). 6) An underclassman (wear Supreme). 5) Kanye West and Lil Pump's "I Love it" fit (look it up). 4) A paper straw (to show that you're woke). 3) The Common App (the scariest costume of them all). 2) A sexy fire alarm. 1) A streaker (it's free!).

KENNEDY HERRON & THE CAMPANILE STAFF

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Leyton Ho • Waverly Long • Kaylie Nguyen Ethan Nissim • Ujwal Srivastava

Online Editor Yusra Rafeeqi

Managing Editors Kennedy Herron • Byron Zhang

News and Opinion Editors

Lifestyle Editors

Noah Baum • Neil Kapoor

Annie Chen • Leela Srinivasan

Science & Tech Editor

Sports Editors

Miranda Li

Navid Najmabadi • Ben van Zyll

Multimedia Editor

Business Managers

Vivian Feng

Lucy Nemerov • John Tayeri

Distribution Manager Khadija Abid Emily Asher Eve Donnelly Kaahini Jain Leila Khan Paige Knoblock Bernie Koen Kaitlyn Lee Nicholas Le

Photo Editor Alyssa Leong

Board Correspondent Samantha Hwang

Staff Writers

Cameron Legrand Rebekah Limb Anna Meyer Sophia Moore Lara Nakamura Tien Nguyen Sarah O'Riordan Henry Queen

Maya Rathore Frida Rivera William Robins Kiana Tavakoli Kai Vetteth Johnny Yang Jaures Yip Shannon Zhao

Photographers Khadija Abid • Emily Asher • Leila Khan Alyssa Leong • Johnny Yang

Illustrators Khadija Abid • Noah Baum • Annie Chen Noa Lehrer • Zander Leong • Miranda Li Lucy Nemerov • Frida Rivera • Jaures Yip

Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki

Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien

Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds19@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or

sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!

Our Vision Statement: The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling. Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.

The Campanile

L FESTYLE

Design by Neil Kapoor

Friday, October 19, 2018

EGG WARs Art by Annie Chen

“

he experience of egg wars is the tension between the upperthrilling,” senior Ben Civ- classmen continues to rise. “The junior class is super spirjan said. “I remember running through the park with other ited this year, and the seniors betjuniors while eggs flew by me.” ter watch out during egg wars,” Egg wars is one of Palo junior Tyler Varner said. As a junior, this is Varner’s Alto High School’s student traditions. first year participating in egg wars. During each However, she has heard many stoS p i r i t ries from her older brother, who Week, se- was part of the senior team last niors and year. “Last year my brother and juniors have an egg his friends had to take a trip to fight against the emergency room because his each other, which friend ran into a pole,” Varner adds to the intense rivalry said. “But, he still claims egg wars between the two classes. Although is one of the best parts of being an egg wars is during Spirit Week, it upperclassman.” Since juniors are new to the doesn’t count towards the student wars, it can class competition, be difficult for and there are no them to prepare winners. “My plan for for it, as many Egg wars, unegg wars is to don’t know like like other what to expect. Paly traditions, is use the five D’s “I don’t also completely of dodgeball: know how to student run. The physically presenior class dedodge, duck, pare for egg termines the time dip, dive and wars,” Varner and location of said. “But I feel the war and andodge.” with some light nounces it just training I will before the battle Ben Gordon be prepared takes place, alwhen the time lowing them to arrive earlier and map out the comes.” While some juniors are nerpark before the juniors show up. The seniors also have the advan- vous, like Varner, others are contage of experience from having fident in their ability to perform participated in egg wars the previ- at the top level on the battlefield. Junior Ben Gordon said with help ous year as a junior class. As Spirit Week approaches, from the movie “Dodgeball”, he will excel during egg wars. “My plan for egg wars is to use the five D’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge,” Gordon said.

Text & Design by Will Robins

SPOTLIGHT

A closer look at the achievement gap Diving deeper into the academic disparity at PAUSD between historically underrepresented minorities and other Paly students ó and what can be done to address it. QUIZKAJER/CC0 1.0

PAGE B4-B5

In addition, Gordon said mindset, rather than physical shape, is the key to doing well during the event. “I don’t need much preparation,” Gordon said. “I have what they call a bulldog mentality, which means I have no fear and am always ready to get dirty.” Like any other competitive event, an important aspect of egg wars is participation and dedication. The class with the best turnout and strongest commitment to the fight will likely come out on top. Junior Faisal Ojjeh said the juniors will win egg wars due to their spirit and dedication. “I expect the seniors are going to come in hot because they have a lot of talent right there, no doubt,” Ojjeh said. “However, I think the juniors got the heart and in the end will come out victorious.” Ojjeh said he has also started preparing for the battle and has planned out his strategy. “I’m going to be packing light, which makes me more mobile,” Ojjeh said. “It’s enemy versus enemy out there on the battlefield, and my only friend is the egg I have in my hand.” Although Ojjeh plans to be aggressive on the battlefield, he said he still is grateful to be a part of the annual event. “I am looking forward to being a part of a good and fun Paly tradition,” Ojjeh said. Civjan, who competed in egg wars last year, said his strategy this year will allow him to be more effective.

Science & Tech

Lifestyle

BADAMS/CC BY 2.0

Community college

Read more about the lesser known advantages of community college. PAGE B3

“My plan is to get a little cardio in before the wars, just to make sure my body is ready to function at its full capacity,” Civjan said. “I’m going to make sure to bring a lot of eggs and try to ambush the juniors.” Last year Civjan said he, as well as the rest of the junior class, was underprepared and under armed. Based on his past mistakes, Civjan said he has created an improved plan to allow him to perform better in the fight. “I think the biggest change I’m going to make is in hiding, because staying quiet and sneaking out of the shadows will lead to a lot of success in the egging,” Civjan said. However, Civjan is not underestimating the junior class, despite his confidence in the seniors. “I think this year’s egg wars is going to be one of the best ever,” Civjan said. “We’ve got a high level of competition between the senior and junior classes, and I really think that’s gonna play out on the park this year.” The heart, dedication and skill of the junior and senior classes will be tested when the night of the egg war comes. The experienced seniors look to destroy, while the rookie juniors hope to prove themselves. “Egg wars is a test of how much spirit the junior and senior class has,” senior Teagan Felt said. “The class that wants it more will dominate on the battlefield.”

STOCK IMAGES/CC BY 2.0

Science & Tech

FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE

Photographic memory

From vaping to fire alarms

PAGE B7

PAGE B8

Explore the science behind an eidetic memory.

Learn the many reasons behind false fire alarms.

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

NICK LE/THE CAMPANILE

Column: How to write intelligently By Noah Baum

News & Opinion Editor

W PHOTO BY ALEX PROIMOSE/CC 2.0

This Baha’i house of worship in Sydney, Australia is one of the seven largest Baha’i temples in the world and is open to practitioners of the Baha’i faith as well as people of other religious beliefs.

Followers of popular Baha’i faith share religious insights

Fundamental belief system of second most widespread religion in the world teaches acceptance for all By Neil Kapoor

News & Opinion Editor

n a world where religious conflicts continue to plague much of humanity, it can be easy to see religious teachings as pitted against each other — but that is not the case for the followers of the Baha’i faith. Established in 1863 by the prophet Bahá’u’lláh in the Middle East and attracting over seven million followers worldwide, the Baha’i faith teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity and equality of all people. It is known for its three pillars: unity of God, unity of religion and unity of mankind. However, according to senior Nura Mostaghimi, a member of the Baha’i community, the faith is more than a religious doctrine. “The Baha’i Faith is the second most widespread religion in the world, so I know that wherever I travel, I can find a group of Baha’i’s and essentially consider them a home away from home,” Mostaghimi said. At Paly, the Baha’i faith community is small but strong. According to Mostaghimi, the faith has periodic gatherings. “Every nineteen days, there is a community gathering called a Feast,” Mostaghimi said. “During this get-together, the members of

the Baha’i community in their respective city or town get together to say prayers, discuss some writings, reflect on community events, plan activities and socialize.” Like other religions, the Baha’i faith has important times of year. According to Mostaghimi, Ayyam-í-Ha is a time to do service, give gifts and strengthen bonds of friendship. Another critical holy time is Ridván, a 12-day period in Baha’i history during which the prophet of the Faith, Baha’u’llah, declared that he was a messenger of God and had a message of peace and unity to share with the peoples of the world.

“It is at this point in their life that they are able to formally declare themselves as Baha’i, or take a different path.” Nura Mostaghimi

Naw-Rúz, the Baha’i new year, is commemorated by fasting. “Baha’is also Fast from [March 2 to March 20] each year leading up to the Baha’i new year,” Mostaghimi said. “The purpose of the fast is to cleanse our souls from

the materialistic aspects of our lives and connect with God. Each day of the fast you can only eat or drink before sunrise and after sunset.” The Baha’i faith shares aspects with other religions. For example, similar to how Christians typically celebrate the Confirmation sacrament when believers are entering their teenage years, the Baha’i’s celebrate a time of spiritual maturity. “In the Baha’i Faith there is this notion that once a person reaches the age of 15, they have reached a point of spiritual maturity,” Mostaghimi said. “It is at this point in their life that they are able to formally declare themselves as a Baha’i, or take a different path; either decision is accepted with no judgment.” Compared to other popular religions, the Baha’i faith is unique in its broad acceptance of religious belief and social unity. Mostaghimi said she was exposed to these beliefs through Baha’i classes. “At a young age, [my parents] took me to children’s virtues classes where not only did I develop and learn to understand some of life’s most important values and lessons, but I was [also] able to learn about the history and characteristics of other world religions,” Mostaghimi said. “In

How having less can mean more

Students break hedonic treadmill with minimalist lifestyles By Miranda Li

Science & Tech Editor

enior Noor Navaid ransacks her closet, stuffing two trash bags full of clothing to be donated later. One of thousands upon thousands of millenials participating in the minimalist movement, Navaid practices minimalism primarily in her clothing and the organization and conservation of what she wears. “Minimalism is a means of adding humility to not just my personality, but my outward appearance,” Navaid said. Oftentimes, people seek material possessions for self-satisfaction — maybe they think purchasing a much-wanted pair of new shoes or the latest model of the iPhone will bring them happiness. A minimalist, in contrast, gives up most of their material possessions in order to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. A modern-day minimalist lifestyle is unrestricted by any definitions or bounds — a minimalist lives according to their own interpretations of the concept. At its core, minimalism is living

with intentionality; it is simplifying life down to the bare essentials, instead focusing on nonmaterial aspects such as health, happiness and relationships. In minimalism, less truly is more.

“Minimalism is a means of adding humility to not just my personality but my outward appearance.” Noor Navaid Every possession owned should provide real value to one’s life, and everything that distracts from this authenticity is thrown out or donated. For some, this entails selling their car, moving into a smal house or sleeping on a cot on the floor. For others, the change is not nearly as drastic. Either way, this decluttering can bring much-needed change in the physical space of one’s life, according to Navaid. “I decided to become a minimal-

ism because I used to own a lot of clothes that I never wore or only wore once, and it was really beginning to bother me,” Navaid said. “[Minimalism] really interested me because I’m all about looking presentable, but the realization that minimalism could also help me declutter my closet seemed really promising.” Originally a design trend that arose in the 1950s characterized by whitewashed expanses and a small central focus, minimalism has now resurfaced as a growing lifestyle movement among millenials. While we may not realize it, minimalism seeps into our lives through our clothing, coffee shops and social media. According to former Paly interior design teacher Theresa McDermott, minimalism appeals to today’s aesthetic because of the increasingly complex world we live in. “Minimalism demands clean lines, simplicity and an emphasis on basic elemental materials,” McDermott said. “Our lives can easily be overwhelmed by too many belongings, too much information and technology-driven social networks

participating in these classes with children of a variety of religious affiliation, I was exposed to many world religions and expanded my understanding of them at a young, developmental phase in my life.” As a result of the open-minded nature of the Baha’i faith, Mostaghimi was able to interpret the religion in a way that made most sense for her. “My faith has played a large role in the moral foundation that I’ve developed and the outlook I have on society,” Mostaghimi said. “The belief system I have is supported by this larger notion that I have a purpose in my life and that everything that I do and all the things that happen to me happen for a reason.” Senior Luc Pardehpoosh, also a member of the Paly Baha’i community, agrees that the Baha’i community has positively impacted him. “I think it has just made me as a person more accepting and loving of everyone,” Pardehpoosh said. As an active member of the faith, Pardehpoosh volunteers his time to teaching the faith to younger kids — similar to the kind of virtue classes Mostaghimi took when she was younger. “On Sundays, I help teach Baha’i children’s classes,” Pardehpoosh said. “We don’t have

any church. We do it between people’s houses, and we rent out Lucie Stern … and meet there.” Freshman Sophie Pardehpoosh, also a member of the Baha’i faith, said the faith has impacted her beyond the religious teachings. “The community has impacted me by having a whole other group of people that are like my family aside from my school life and actually family,” Pardehpoosh said. “I have grown up with most of the people and have so many connections with other people that a lot of kids this age don’t have.” Similar to Mostaghimi, Pardehpoosh believes she will continue to embrace the Baha’i faith because of its principles and application. “I was raised as a Baha’i, and as I am growing older, and learn to think for myself I realize the great impact this faith and the beliefs have and will have on my life,” Pardehpoosh said. Mostaghimi believes the Baha’i faith has helped her understand her individual beliefs to a greater extent. Mostaghimi said, “I believe in the oneness of God, oneness of religion, the equality of men and women, compulsory education, the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty and many other beliefs of the Baha’i Faith.”

and overcommitment to activities. In an attempt to simplify our lives, we are drawn towards the ideals of minimalism.” Minimalism is not characterized by just a change in physical space, but by a change in mental and emotional states as well. In “The Minimalists,” Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, two men who spearheaded the movement, write “by clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth and contribution.” This aspect of minimalism is not new; in fact, it has roots in ancient cultures across the world. The common thread between minimalism, Buddhism, Christianity and countless other religions involves letting go of material desires, which are a source of unhappiness and stress in one’s life. According to AP Psychology teacher Christopher Farina, the values embraced by minimalism will make us happier than material possessions would in the long run

sophomore advisories, which is the tendency of humans to quickly return to a state of neutral happiness despite major changes in life, both positive and negative. In this context, it explains when someone buys a material object they want, it brings temporary happiness, but after a while this object becomes the old thing, with the person back to square one needing something new and exciting to replace it. This creates a cycle of chasing after happiness to gain it for a moment, only to go back to the beginning, moving in place on a so-called “treadmill.” According to Navaid, a minimalist lifestyle provides a way to break this cycle by emphasizing values and helping people focus on what they want and what is important, such as more fulfilling relationships and a more purposeful and productive day-to-day life. It is easy to begin incorporating minimalism into your life, according to Fields and Nicodemus; simple steps such as removing one object or activity you do not need every day is an easy, gradual transition and a great way to start prioritizing what is truly important. The integration of minimalism is simple and yields benefits for the practitioner. Though Navaid does not practice minimalism with the same intensity she did initially, she said she recognizes the rewards and benefits of living minimalistically. “I definitely think that instilling [minimalism] in my life has led to me gaining some wonderful habits,” Navaid said. “For example, I give away clothes more often, and I try to utilize everything I currently have in my closet at least once a month so I’m not ‘wasting clothes’ per se.” Fields and Nicodemus say that by giving up material possessions and instead prioritizing time for personal growth and providing the freedom to do so, minimalism holds the key to leading a meaningful life. “I [felt] really helpful, like I had contributed in some way,” Navaid said. “It wasn’t a surety I had or anything, just a feeling of doing something constructive and useful.”

“There is pretty good research to suggest that relationships and experiences tend to make us happier in the long term than things.” Christopher Farina “There is pretty good research to suggest that relationships and experiences tend to make us happier in the long term than things,” Farina said. “If you look at the choice between buying a new phone and buying a vacation to spend time somewhere, particularly if that’s time that you’re spending with people, those tend to have a greater long term impact on people’s happiness than a physical objects.” This connects to the psychological of the hedonic treadmill being taught in Paly freshman and

ebster’s Dictionary formally defines “intelligence” as “starting off your writing with a Webster’s definition.” And ever since Mr. Webster started purposely misspelling British words like “colour” and “flavour” without their U’s because it looked weird, we’ve come a long way in pseudo-intellectualism. But if you can’t beat all of the thesaurus-bearers and frequent users of the word “imperative,” you may as well just join them. Here is how you convince your readers that they were in over their heads when they decided to read something you wrote. Keep it complex Before you write anything, ask yourself: am I making this too easy for the reader? The goal of your writing should not be to convey any ideas, but to convey nothing in a way that loses readers along the way. Ever try to read something in a different language? Your goal is to recreate that experience for the reader but in English, apart from some sprinkled-in Latin sayings here and there.Maybe throw in an analogy that makes them more confused. Ever relate split-brain experiments to particle-wave duality? Ever call Michael Jordan the Garry Kasparov of basketball? These comparisons aren’t technically wrong, which means they are fair game in your writing. As the writer, you specialize in everything Need to write about law? Medical issues? Quantum mechanics? Don’t let experts steal the spotlight from you — just paraphrase a website you skimmed. Most of the readers won’t be experts, so they won’t know the difference between de facto and de novo or multiple sclerosis and scoliosis, so either one works. Like Schrödinger’s cat, you are both correct and incorrect until someone more knowledgeable reads your work. And in the end, it will only be these experts who disagree with what you write. Who needs pathos? Someone must’ve mistranslated Aristotle’s advice on arguments, because it seems like he meant to write “logos” twice. Pathos is a waste of a smart writer’s time. Avoid talking about the fact your grandpa has multiple sclerosis (a curvature of the spine) when you write about health care. Avoid talking about how heroic a lawyer is for taking a case quid pro bono. It’s just childish stuff. Stick to facts, which last forever. When in doubt, take the common words out Replace “imitate” with “emulate” and “red” with “vermillion.” A plenitude of words are overused now, so try to bring words like “dispraise” or “wherefore” out of retirement. Model your vocabulary after Lady Macbeth’s. Become comfortable with using your thesaurus so your reader will become comfortable with their dictionary. You are smarter than the reader The pinnacle of sounding like you know what you are writing about is a superiority complex. Who are these readers anyway? What are their qualifications on the topic? You must explain everything to the reader, but not in a helpful way. Get lost or overly abstract on the way. Look at some SAT reading passages for inspiration on how to write. Remember: you are standing on your soapbox so you can look down on everyone else. In summation Becoming smart is too hard, but sounding smart works just fine most of the time. Be wary of people asking questions — just refer them to what you’ve written. Become selectively deaf to anybody who does not agree with what you are saying. Just keep writing whatever sounds right to you.

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

LIFESTYLE

Students attend community college for advantages, experience

Two-year college has cost benefits, serves as transition to four-year universities, provides exclusive perks for students By Ben Van Zyll Sports Editor

hen Brooke Santana and Blake Ragsdale picked up their Paly diplomas, they knew their high school academic records would not lead them to the colleges of their dreams. Fast forward to today. Santana expects to graduate from the University of Southern California (USC) this upcoming spring and Ragsdale expects to land a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) degree a year later. What was their secret? Community college. “Community college gave me an opportunity to prove to myself that I could do better,” Santana said. “Comparing my GPA from high school versus community college there’s a big difference.” For many students leaving high school, community college as a first step offers two advantages — it is a much cheaper alternative than going to a four-year institution and it is accessible to everyone, regardless of prior academic achievement. Students will attend community college to save money. Many now offer the opportunity to attend the first year for free, not including student fees,” Paly’s Community College and Career counselor Crystal Laguna said. According to website College Raptor, the average tuition of a public, four-year, in-state college is $20,770. A public four-year, out-of-state tuition costs on average $36,420, and a private tuition costs on average $46,950 for the 2017-18 school year. Meanwhile, the average cost of tuition for public, in-state community college nationwide is $4,854 for the 2018-19 school year, according to Community College Review. For Paly students seeking post-secondary education, Foothill College is an

even cheaper option, with a tuition of just $1,515 for the 201718 school year, according to the Foothill College website. While low costs are a major benefit of attending community college, the path also allows students who may not have performed to their maximum academic potential in high school to get a fresh start and move on to a four-year school, sometimes even their top-choice colleges. “[Some students] use [community college] as an opportunity to improve their GPA and have more options when transferring,” Laguna said. “If students wish to transfer they can look at what schools have transfer agreements and guarantee their spot at many four-year colleges, so long as they complete the requirements.” Santana, who graduated from Paly in 2015, said this path was a good fit for her.

“At community college, I found my spark and love for education.” Crystal Laguna “Out of high school I got into two colleges because I had the worst GPA, so I knew if I went to community college I could try much harder and my GPA would reflect that,” Santana said. Santana was dissatisfied with her two college admissions, so she went to community college for two years. “It was nice going to a [community college] because there were very limited distractions,” Santana said. “It was tough because all my friends were going away to colleges but I knew I made the right decision because two years from then I was going to have much better options as far as colleges go.”

Now Santana is on track to graduate with a degree in business administration from USC. For Ragsdale, who graduated from Paly in 2016 and now is a junior at UCLA, community college offered an opportunity to get into programs that would have been difficult to be accepted into straight from high school. “I graduated Paly with [about] a 3.0 [GPA] and my college GPA when applying to schools was a 3.9, so I would say don’t be scared applying to hard schools/majors if you never did well in high school because as long as you are motivated and actually put in the work you can do really well,” Ragsdale wrote in a message. Ragsdale went on to transfer as a business economics student, one of the most popular and competitive majors at UCLA. He landed at Foothill after a year at the University of Arizona and acknowledges the challenges of coming back to Palo Alto. “It is definitely different than going to a normal school,” Ragsdale said. “Since you are still living at home, it kind of feels like being back in high school. But community college is also a lot about what you put into it.’’ He found a group of friends and supportive teachers at Foothill who helped him bridge to UCLA. “Since it is smaller classes, you get more one-on-one experiences versus colleges where you are in lectures with hundreds of others, and you never really interact [with your professors],” Ragsdale said. “The professors know you want to transfer, so if you put in effort to talk to them, they’ll help you out.” As a former community college and transfer student, Laguna is familiar with the process. “I used community college as a second chance,” Laguna said. “I barely made it out of high school with very poor grades. At com-

MARIAM NAGUIB/USED WITH PERMISSION

Students attending Foothill Community College make their way around campus to various classes. munity college I found my spark and love for education and later transferred to [UCLA].” In addition to a lower-stress transition from high school and a beneficial academic experience, the community college path is a process free of standardized testing, making it much simpler than taking the four-year college path. “[Something I find] appealing about the transfer program is that it doesn’t require standardized

testing,” senior Leslie Santos said. “Overall, I’m not a good test taker, so that was always something I worried about.” Santos plans to complete two years at community college and two years at a California State University or a University of California campus. Laguna hosts “community college week” in April for students curious about this step. This gives students an opportunity to learn

more about the experience and connect with alumni. According to Laguna, the feedback on the community college experience has been largely positive from the students she has helped in the past. “When I connect with our alumni, they seem to enjoy community college and are doing well,” Laguna said. “I appreciate it when they keep in touch and share their stories of where they have transferred.”

Vallen Queen provides snacks for students in Tower Building

Distributed food funded by the Parent Teacher Student Association helped students perform to their maximum potential By Cameron Legrand

Senior Staff Writer

or nearly five years, students have filed into the main office by the dozen for food during brunch to be greeted by a smiling Vallen Queen, who has a plentitude of snacks in her drawer. Now, however, she is no longer able to provide snacks to those hungry students. Queen, the administrative assistant to Assistant Principals Jerry Berkson, John Christiansen and Dr. Tom Keating, is known to many as the “snack lady” because she provides food outside the Tower Building on Friday mornings for whoever needs it. Yet the effort and money that has gone into ensuring kids aren’t hungry in the morning has gone under the radar since the project’s inception nearly five years ago. Queen has worked at Paly since the spring of 1999, originally working in the library as an assistant librarian. A year later, she made the transition into administration assistant, a job she has held under several assistant principals.

“You are better able to concentrate, you do better work [and] you behave better when you’re not hungry.” Vallen Queen “I always tried to have snack bars and treats when they were around for the kids that came in hungry, but it wasn’t widely known and we pretty much bought the stuff ourselves,” Queen said. “Then the word spread and we realized just how many hungry kids there were.” Beginning in 2014, Queen

provided a small number of students with snacks she stored in a file cabinet, helping out students who were in need of something to raise their spirits. However, what began as a small yet generous gesture to a few students slowly grew into a stream of 20 to 30 students flowing into the main office every brunch.

“Having the snacks at brunch was a great way of giving me energy for the rest of the day. I really appreciated Ms. Queen for giving her time and money to give us snacks.” Bakari Spencer For senior Bakari Spencer, the option for him to have a snack at brunch was something he truly appreciated. He said that after having zero-period P.E. for his first two years of high school, being able to stop by the office at brunch and have a granola bar really helped him get through school and focus. “Having the snacks at brunch was a great way of giving me energy for the rest of the day” Spencer said. “I really appreciated Ms. Queen for giving her time and money to give us snacks.” Queen tried providing breakfast once a month by partnering with Mary Ellen Bena, who as a secretary on special assignment helps with catering and coordinating testing. The breakfasts consisted of biscuits or burritos that Queen would make beforehand, however, this only lasted nine months. Having to shop for supplies and taking the time to make the

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

A few of the options provided by Vallen Queen inside the Tower Building include fruit gummies, oatmeal and peppermints. breakfasts made it difficult for Queen to do her job, and even though she had financial support, she had to stop making breakfasts once a month. Nevertheless, students still came to Queen for food, so she decided to set up some food and appliances in the main office kitchen. “I started going shopping once a week to get fruit, oatmeal, hot chocolate, bread for toast and whatever else I could manage,” Queen said. “I got a grant from the (PTSA) and donations from local businesses. They were very supportive.”

The grant she got from the PTSA consisted of $1000 and was only supposed to be for one year. However, Queen was able to get funds allocated for a second year. She also received donations from Mayfield Bakery in Town & Country Village. In the 2016-17 school year, Berkson decided that snacks would be distributed in the Tower Building hallway to help hungry students. “Since I didn’t have any appliances in the hall, the food was mostly prepackaged bars, cookies, crackers, fruit snacks,” Queen said.

“This was funded by some funds that Mr. Berkson found. It was so popular that I blew through my budget after the first semester, and I don’t know where second semester’s money came from.” Queen then had to cut back to just distributing food on Friday mornings because of the increased demand from so many hungry stomachs. Still, she said she remained determined to help those who desire a bite. This year, however, there is no funding to buy snacks. Queen said she remains hopeful to provide food to students in the future.

“I got a grant from the (PTSA) and donations from local businesses.” Vallen Queen Spencer said that in previous years, students came back for snacks every day because they appreciated what Queen did for them. He said having someone that you could go for extra energy was helpful to him, as well as the

multitude of other students who would show up during brunches.

“I started going shopping once a week to get fruit, oatmeal, hot chocolate, bread for toast and whatever else I could manage.” Vallen Queen “You are better able to concentrate, you do better work [and] y ou behave better when you’re not hungry,” Queen said. “Kids are always hungry. It doesn’t matter what their life circumstances are—it isn’t about money or care or anything like that. There are dozens of reasons why kids need a snack: they ran out of the house in a hurry, their parents ran out of the house in a hurry and didn’t remember to leave money. It doesn’t matter why — it’s just a fact that you all need to eat, and I am determined to provide something for you.”

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

BRIDGING THE ACH

How the Palo Alto Unified School District h and historically underrepr

AUSD is the number one school district in California according to Niche, 24/7 Wall St. and countless other acclaimed organizations. It boasts of sky-high graduation rates, impressive standardized test scores and a plethora of elite college acceptances. Yet, this academic achievement remains unequally

distributed among its students. Low-income students and historically underrepresented (HUR) students have significantly lower graduation rates and standardized test scores, and are less likely to attend and graduate from college, according to California Department of Education. Known as the achievement gap, this issue is prevalent throughout the nation.

In PAUSD, it has been on the list of priorities for nearly 40 years, yet the district has not conquered the problem. Experts say issues of home environments and stereotyping remain impediments to success for many low income students of color, while PAUSD’s predominantly white and wealthy population paves a diﬀerent path for

those families. The district has tried to tackle the problem for decades, with one committee after another and an constant rotation of people in charge of implementing solutions. “[The achievement gap] is an age old issue that American education has not been able to solve,” said Keith Wheeler, Academic Support and Equity Initiatives

How We Got Here he first step PAUSD implemented is the Volunteer Transfer Program (VTP), also known as the Tinsley Program, which goes back to 1979. At that time, Margaret Tinsley was one of many parents in the San Mateo County School District upset with the lack of diversity in schools. They filed a lawsuit against PAUSD and the state of California in an eﬀort to alleviate racial segregation in surrounding school districts. They argued, “the right to an equal opportunity for education and the harmful consequences of segregation require that school boards take steps, insofar as reasonably feasible, to alleviate racial imbalance in schools regardless of its cause.” The resulting settlement was a “busing” program known as the VTP. Students from the Ravenswood City School District, which serves East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park, could be brought by bus to attend schools in surrounding school districts. “All the aﬄuent districts were around a district that was not affluent and didn’t have the same resources so the students were not getting the same equitable

access,” said Judy Jaramillo Argumedo, the PAUSD Director of Academic Supports. “All sides settled [through the Tinsley Order lawsuit] that we could begin to desegregate.” Although Tinsley was specifically looking for PAUSD to take in students, six other school dis-

The Poverty Effect throughout their public school years. Argumedo is in charge of meeting and placing the families taken into PAUSD. “We meet individually with each family in the office,” Argumedo said. “We have what we call an orientation meeting in January; we meet all the incoming families. We introduce them to choice schools, we talk about the programs we have here and we get them in the registration process.” Argumedo helps families register in the District, meet the District standards for immunizations and settle in. Tinsley Program families have the same opportunities as PAUSD families in terms of enrolling their children in special programs like Young Fives, choosing one of the specialized elementary schools (Hoover, Escondido and Ohlone Elementary School), or being placed at one of the other elementary schools. “We have a dinner; they get to meet their principals and some of the [school] staff,” Argumedo said. “This office tries to develop a personal relationship with the families.”

“[THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP] IS IMPORTANT, IT ALWAYS IS, BUT IT'S NOT URGENT, MEANING THERE'S NO BIG PRESSING FOR IT. THIS KEEPS GETTING PUSHED ASIDE.”

Eric Bloom tricts also participated, PAUSD being the most highly-requested, according to Argumedo. Families of East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park are invited to apply to join the VTP program, and about 300 students apply each year for 166 spots, Argumedo said. White students living in Peninsula school districts may also apply to attend schools in the Ravenswood District, but only two white students have exercised this option since the settlement in 1986. Students can enter the program from kindergarten through second grade and continue

cademic achievement is often measured by graduation rates, state proficiency tests and standardized test scores. By these measures, there is a stark difference among students in different income groups at PAUSD. According to the California Department of Education, PAUSD students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds have an 80.7 percent graduation rate compared to an overall graduation rate in PAUSD of 95.1 percent. “I think the gap that exists between even our average students and our students who are struggling is indefensible,” PAUSD superintendent Don Austin said. “So I think the first thing we need to do is speak about that plainly and directly, and not to offer rationalizations." Unless people want to speak on that plainly, there will always

Economically Disadvantaged

people, or the Spaniards and the Aztec and the Mayans and the Inca … It’s a very skewed view.” HUR students often don’t have mentors in their school whom they can identify with. Social studies teacher Eric Bloom said that the goal is to make a connection to HUR students, who may not feel like they can relate to and identify with their teachers. “Because I’m Catholic, I can connect with some of my Latino students, if I find out that they are [Catholic],” Bloom said. “It’s the idea of saying, even though we’re not the same, we share some similar cultural identity.” Argumedo said she has seen HUR students face social barriers in PAUSD, based on her daughter’s experience. “They always thought she was a VTP student,” Argumedo said. “She didn’t mind being classified as a VTP student, but what she was upset about is the myth about being one.” One result of the small number of HUR students — primar-

be reasons why we shouldn’t do anything diﬀerently.” This issue is not unique to PAUSD. According to the United States Department of Education (DoEd), SES students throughout California in 2014-15 had a graduation rate of 78 percent, compared with the state average of 83 percent, only slightly better than the national graduation rates. Experts say a multitude of reasons explain why SES students lag on these performance assessments, including home and school environments. However, according to the American Psychological Association, quality teaching and access to books and materials are key. The APA reported, “research indicates that school conditions contribute more to SES diﬀerences in learning rates than family characteristics do.”

Not Economically Disadvantaged

100% Standard Exceeded 75% Standard Met 50% Standard Nearly Met 25% Standard Not Met

English Language Arts/Literacy

Mathematics English Language Mathematics Arts/Literacy

Data from 2018 CAASP Test Results

Yet Another Committee

Race Matters acial and ethnic inequality in education has been a persistent problem in America. The Tinsley Program aims to further racial diversity; nonetheless, PAUSD remains predominantly Caucasian and Asian. In terms of test scores, this plays out in PAUSD with HUR students performing “low” on the 2017 Spring California Board of Education reports for math and English Language Arts performance of K-8 students, while Asian and Caucasian students performed “very high.” In terms of how it feels to be a HUR student in the PAUSD, it means there can be a lack of mentors, a lack of social connection and an alienation from material that is taught from a single perspective. “History is usually taught through the lens of a white man,” said senior Maza Perez, who identifies as Native American and Hispanic. “And a white man in the textbook can’t tell you what black people feel and it can’t show you the perspective of the native

Coordinator. “For Palo Alto, we are not unique. I think a lot of people say, ‘Wow, they’re part of the Silicon Valley, [and PAUSD is a] super well-resourced district. There aren’t very many students of color [and] they can’t solve it?’ So a lot of people are scratching their [heads] with this incredulous look saying, ‘If Palo Alto can’t solve it, can it really be solved?’”

ily African American and Latino in this community — is that they can fall victim to “stereotype threat,” the risk of conforming to stereotypes of their racial group because they think that is what is expected. Stereotypes can affect how HUR students are evaluated by peers and mentors, undermining their achievement, as they seek to conform to expectations based on off of media stereotypes. Argumedo said her daughter noticed that other students often assumed that HUR students must be from East Palo Alto and lowincome families, although that is not always the case. According to Argumedo, other assumptions cascade from that, such as the idea that their “parents don’t care” or the students “aren’t as smart." Argumedo said that happened with her daughter, and that it can affect academic performance. “She didn’t get invited to all the study groups,” Argumedo said. “There were some myths about who she was. It hurt after a while. The students are getting hurt and they’re not exactly sure why, and so I think it does drop their confidence level.”

he 2015 PAUSD Minority Achievement and Talent Development (MATD) Advisory Committee was created to examine the causes and consequences of the achievement gap, and implement recommendations to resolve the disparities.

However, each time a new administrator arrives, a new committee is established, and although each committee produces valuable work, they often arrive at the same conclusions. “I think the turnover at the district leadership level has created all kinds of issues,” Austin said. “It’s made it diﬃcult to have any coherent plan.” The 2015 MATD identified five main problem clusters: underlying and unconscious narrative of bias, quality and nature of parent-student-school-community connections, instructional standards

and accountability, identification and intervention structures, procedures, and policies and inequitable access and mismatched needs of HUR and SES students. To address these problems, the MATD recommended eight short-term strategies for district accountability, professional development, human resources, response to intervention, laning, early education, parent engagement and partnerships. “I’m not sure that our districtwide execution has been good enough to positively impact the students who need our help,” Austin said. “I think the priority goals are perfect. I think our allocation of resources is better than most, [but] I think our execution and follow up and measurement of impactful actions is globally not good enough.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPOTLIGHT

HIEVEMENT GAP

has attempted to help low-income resented students

Holding Ourselves Accountable n May 8, 2018, the PAUSD Board unanimously passed the PAUSD Equity Plan “to guide the school district with implementing the [MATD] Advisory Committee’s … recommendations with a systemic process over the next few years,” according to the PAUSD website.

Academic Support and Equity Initiatives Coordinator Keith Wheeler, who was hired in 2017, created the plan as a way to implement the MATD recommendations. “There were over 2,000 hours I spent in the field, crafting understanding about how to make this

plan a sought-out reflection of Palo Alto best practices,” he said. According to Wheeler, the plan focuses on three areas: environmental equality, academic equity, and diverse personnel. But even with the Equity Plan, making change is diﬃcult. Not everyone agrees on which data is needed, or how often to collect it, or how to interpret it. According to Barbara Klausner, the Executive Director of DreamCatchers, a tutoring program for low-income and HUR students, several members of the public requested reports with more meaningful numbers and more frequent progress reports, but that hasn’t happened. “The notion is not to point fingers so much as to help set priorities for administrators who have multiple goals,” Klausner said. “If it matters, let’s measure and monitor progress.”

ne area of focus is to train teachers to become more aware of their unconscious biases.

According to Navarro, some teachers automatically assume that HUR students do not have the potential to succeed in a class on their own, so they oﬀer unwanted or unneeded accommodations. “I remember being in the ELA class when I didn’t need it,” Navarro said. “I could have been taking a whole other elective instead

of being in this class, but [my teachers] decided that, because I’m an ‘English Language learner,’ that I needed this class when I actually didn’t … It all comes down to how teachers approach us and how they see us.” Last year, according to Wheeler, 25 percent of PAUSD staﬀ trained with the PAUSD Equity team. Wheeler presented and facilitated various professional development classes regarding equity, and oﬀered a lecture series on the topic. Kim Diorio said Paly teachers had focused a lot on instructional strategies. “I think there’s a lot of professional learning that’s been done around unconscious bias, and even just having conversations about race and inequities,” Diorio said. However she added, “there’s still a need to do more.”

95.1 % OF ALL PAUSD STUDENTS GRADUATE

80.7 %

The Trouble with Laning

to that teacher, just being able to connect with somebody on campus and feel comfortable.” Wheeler said that he is creating a recruitment tool and developing a Human Resource Recruitment and Retention plan in order to improve outreach. “[The] human resources recruitment tool has very specific outreach eﬀorts for us to retain some of our most highly capable and highly functioning leaders that are prepared to come into the world of education in Palo Alto,” Wheeler said.

Involving Parents o help parents develop a connection to PAUSD schools, the District deploys three full-time and five part-time family engagement specialists, Wheeler said, who help parents with online access, perform home visits, oﬀer interpreting services, facilitate professional training and meet with families. HUR parents are often inhibited by a language barrier. “I think a lot of our parents, because their English isn’t good, they’re scared to approach the school or to embarrass their student because they don’t know English, or basically being targeted by other parents,” Navarro said. According to Wheeler, family engagement specialists who speak Spanish can help lessen the language barrier. “They oﬀer that connectivity and personal relationship and re-

TEXT, DESIGN & ART BY: KHADIJA ABID, ANNIE CHEN & VIVIAN FENG

Training Teachers

Diversifying Staff urrently, the staﬀ and teachers at PAUSD schools do not mirror the diversity and demographics of the student body. As a result, there aren’t many adults on campus for HUR students to turn to as mentors or guides. “One of the biggest things that I would like to see at Paly change is probably having teachers that actually look like me [and] having teachers that you can share something [with],” said senior Giselle Navarro, an HUR and Tinsley student. “Just being able to go

ally build that bridge,” Wheeler said. “They serve as a nexus, a connecting point between the home, the community and the school.” However, there are not enough family engagement specialists to go around. According to Wheeler, the District is planning to hire another full-time family engagement specialist. “We’ve done more outreach to try to make sure families know about our events, that the information is accessible, that we have translation services and we’re trying to welcome all families,” said Diorio, former Paly Principal. “I think the engagement specialist that the district places on all the campuses has been a good step in the right direction. Just helping parents navigate the system [is important].”

he 2015 MATD plan also discussed laning, another strategy that has not born fruit yet. “The idea of laning is opening access so that people have freedom to choose which classes they want to take, making sure that they’re making more wellinformed decisions [and understand how] choosing this class impacts you down the road,” Diorio said. In PAUSD, in seventh grade, based on the evaluation of sixth grade teachers, students are laned into different math courses: PreAlgebra 1 or Pre-Algebra 1A. This early assessment can determine how a student enters high school, and opportunities after that, too. According to Bloom, the effects of laning are not always so obvious. “What we don’t realize when we create so many AP courses [with weighted GPA credit] is this idea of de facto laning,” Bloom said. For example, he said, an Economics class that takes place at the same time as a BC Calculus class will have a noticeably different demographic make-up from the same Economics class offered at another time. Due to laning, students find themselves consistently assigned to classes with the same group of classmates.

“Even where we’ve opened up the lanes and we’ve directly encouraged kids to come in, how are they doing once they’re there?” Diorio said. “We’re not seeing as many choosing AP or honors courses as we’d like to.” Many HUR students do not choose advanced or honors courses, or don’t feel welcome in the advanced classes they’re in, regardless of recommendation or awareness, because they do not feel that they would belong, Navarro, Gutierrez and Aboytes said.

OF PAUSD SES STUDENTS GRADUATE

83 % “I wanted to take APs, but I just stuck to the main course classes because I don’t feel comfortable walking into a class where I’m the only student of color,” Navarro said, adding that she knew she could do well but there would be “other people surrounding me that don’t think that I will.” “Fifty percent of a student’s success is b a s e d upon a p a r e n t ’s level of engagement with the student’s school life, " Wheeler said.

OF CALIFORNIA STUDENTS GRADUATE

78 %

What's Next? lthough the MATD work provided important insights, and the Equity Plan is a step in the right direction, more progress is needed. “[The achievement gap] is important, it always is, but it’s not urgent, meaning there’s no big pressing for it,” Bloom said. “This keeps getting pushed aside.” PAUSD Director of Academic

Supports Argumedo said MATD increased the attention devoted to the issue, and that gives her hope. “It was everybody raising the issue and I think that students got more involved," Argumedo said. "I have seen for the first time that the students are really caring. I think that the community is really rising to handle some of these

things.” In order to make tangible change to the culture that underlies the persistent achievement gap, she added, PAUSD needs to engage the community in more conversations about race. “We need to engage students themselves,” Argumedo said. “We need to look at groups, such as clubs, and see if they reach out.

Every time I’ve had conversations with the students, they do [reach out], but are we having those sorts of conversations with students, teachers and admin? I know these race conversations can be uncomfortable, but I think we really have to have these uncomfortable conversations to really get at how to make improvements, and making it a safe place for everybody."

OF CALIFORNIA SES STUDENTS GRADUATE SES: Low-income Students Data from California Department of Education

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Albert Hildago provides for school, connects with community

Through his various jobs in the Silicon Valley, a Paly custodian has developed a strong relationship with many students, faculty By Tien Nguyen Staff Writer

tepping into the Media Arts Center, a grin spreads across Paly custodian Albert Hildago’s face. Along with the spotless tables and trash-free surfaces, he sees all of his efforts reminding students to remember to clean up after themselves paying off, and wishes to continue to make changes like this all over the Paly campus. Hildago has worked as a custodian at Paly since 1997, being first introduced to Palo Alto Unified School District through his father-in-law, who worked at Gunn High School as a custodian as well. Hildago started his career in the District 21 years ago at Gunn. He then transferred to Escondido Elementary School, then Walter Hays, then Fletcher Middle School, and finally found his place at Paly. Hildago said working at all of these schools has given him the chance to build connections that might not have formed had he only worked in one location.

“It was cool to see [students from Walter Hays] grow up, looking forward to college.” Albert Hildago “When I worked at Walter Hays, [the students] were all elementary school kids. Coming here to Paly, they were all here, juniors or seniors, it was cool to see everyone grow up, looking forward to college,” Hildago said. According to Hildago, his favorite part of the job is the community and being comfortable with everybody. He often recognizes parents of students who went to the elementary schools he worked at previously and strikes up conversations

with them. One example of a student Hildago has connected with is Paly alum and former Campanile writer Raj Lele, who first met Hildago when he was in elementary school at Walter Hays and connected with him again at production last year.

“He’s actually someone who excels at his job ... he cares so much about the people in the building.” Brian Wilson “He’s just a fun spirited guy, not one of those janitors who just kind of kept to himself and was always trying to be involved with the students,” Lele said. “He was probably one of the best Paly has ever seen, he was great at what he did and just a nice guy to be around.” Journalsim teacher Brian Wilson has become well acquainted with Hilgado over the past two years, working with him extensively in the MAC, where production for Paly journalism publications takes place. “[Hildago] cares about students, he cares about his colleagues and about the building in ways that put him in a spot where it’s more than just a job,” Wilsonsaid. “He’s actually someone who excels at his job, in part because he cares so much about the people in the building.” But after all the students leave at the end of the day, Hildago’s day is not even half over. He works at another job from 7 a.m. to noon as part of the global security team at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, then comes to Paly to work at 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. Though Hildago said he could not say much about his job with Apple due to a non-disclosure agreement, he said it is a great job that shows him the difference in culture between a corporate, highintensity work environment and

the more casual world of Paly. The contrast between his two jobs provides him with a greater appreciation for both cultures. When asked why he has both jobs, Hildago responded, “Number one, because we’re in Silicon Valley; everything’s expensive. And number two, I needed a change, I wanted another occupation and I had time to do it,” Hildago said. As to why Hildago continues to work at Paly, he said,“It’s more like a family when I come here. It’s a little more homey, I feel comfortable being here. And I think over time, with Apple, it’ll happen too.” Hildago works Monday through Friday on this heavy schedule, but makes sure to keep his weekends free for his family, including his two kids. He has a 24-year-old in the Navy and the other a senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory. “I still have family, little ones growing up, and they want me to be at their birthday parties and it’s kinda hard to say no,” Hildago said. “With that said, I just knew I had to get the weekends off to attend all of my family functions.” But even with all of the strenuous work, Hildago finds the best in the job, with one of the most memorable parts of working at Paly is graduation.

“I still have family, little ones growing up, and they want me to be at their birthday parties and it’s kinda hard to say no.” Albert Hildago “I will never forget the graduations,” Hildago said. “[They play] a big part, working the year with the kids and you come to this one last day and they’re graduating as seniors and this is probably the last day you will see them. Throughout the years, you make

TIEN NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE

Custodian Albert Hildago vaccuums the Media Arts Center as a part of his nightly cleaning routine. this connection with them and all of a sudden they’re gone. They would come up to me and say, ‘Albert, thank you very much.’ And I’m just doing my job.” In addition to chatting with students, Hildago has also built relationships within the custodial team. “I was a really young person [when I first started] and most of the guys here were [a lot] older,” Wes Sleck, one of Hildago’s coworkers for the past decade, said.

“He was one of the only people who was really nice and really helped me when I got here... he is always willing to help, always in a good mood and always smiling,” Sleck said. Custodians have the tendency to be overlooked and underappreciated, but Hildago says that this has gotten better over the years, with PTA dinners and finally getting more of the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve.

“One thing I want to say is this [group’s] teamwork is phenomenal,” Hildago said. “We’re here to get the job done, but at the same time we would like to see, not recognition in terms of awards or anything, but if the students see what we do around here, we’re pretty much like the backbone of the staff, you know. Support your custodians. Acknowledge them a bit more and be accountable for your own stuff.”

No Straw November raises awareness about plastic pollution Students, faculty pledge to participate in campaign to protect environment from straws, other hazardous plastic utensils By Kai Vetteth Staff Writer

s a flock of mallard paddled across the shimmering lake, a plastic coffee cup bobbing in the water near the shore caught the eye of senior Evan Baldonado. He bent down, picked it up with a gloved hand and stared at it for a moment, then added it to his bucket. By the end of the day, Baldonado had collected over a pound of plastic cups, plates and straws. While other volunteers might have felt proud, Baldonado knew his day’s take was just one of the 7 billion pounds of plastic scattered across the Western Hemisphere. Baldonado is one of over 200 Paly students and faculty who are expected to participate in No Straw November, a national campaign adopted by Roots Club, Tapout Club and the Zero Waste Initiative to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution.

“Students who do use straws should not have to explain why to others.”

Emma Donnelly-Higgins The movement was established in 2017 by Shelby O’Neil, a high school student in Southern California, and members have collected over 9,000 online pledges to date. This year, Paly’s environmental clubs’ will collect similar pledges from students and faculty committing to refuse all plastic straws for the month of November and keep a tally of the number of straws they prevent from potentially polluting the ocean. According to AP Environmental Science teacher Nicole Loomis, plastic pollution in the oceans is often mistaken for food by animals like sea turtles, fish and seals, impacting millions of marine organisms and, potentially, human health. “Once you put plastic out into the ocean, and it starts interact-

ing with sunlight and ocean, it [starts] to change its chemistry,” Loomis said. “Then, it may become something that is toxic or bad for the fish and also bad for you if you’re eating the fish.”

“In order to recycle something, you need a market to resell it that is profitable.” Nicole Loomis Loomis said the national conversation about plastic straw use and pollution began as the result of a viral video in which a plastic straw was pulled several inches out of the bleeding nostril of a sea turtle. “[Everyone was] just so upset by this turtle that was struggling to breathe because it had a straw its nose,” Loomis said. Sophomore Allison Wu, a member of the Zero Waste Initiative, said getting more people involved in No Straw November is an important step in mitigating the effects of plastic pollution. “I hope No Straw November [will allow] people to become more aware of the amount of waste they generate on a daily basis,” Wu said. “One plastic straw does not seem like much, but they add up one by one and harm the environment much more than you think.” Senior Galileo Defendi-Cho, a member of Roots Club, said while the clubs hope to combat plastic pollution on a larger scale, he hopes that the campaign will create a ripple effect. “While doing something as simple as not using straws may sometimes seem useless and not worth the effort, a lot of small differences from many different people in many different places in the world are going to make a big effect,” Defendi-Cho said. According to Loomis, straws are just one of several plastic items that the public thinks are recyclable yet, in reality, are not cost-effective for companies to process. “In order to recycle something, you need a market to re-

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

No Straw November participants plan to cut the use of plastic straws such as those of Palo Alto store, Sharetea, and replace them with alternatives. sell it that is profitable,” Loomis said. “Otherwise recycling doesn’t make sense as a business model.”

“One plastic straw does not seem like much, but they add up one by one and harm the environment much more than you think.” Allison Wu

According to Wu, there is a simple and effective solution: reusable straws. Wu hopes the popularity of the campaign will make

reusable straws a new trend. “My wish is that people start to bring reusable straws of their own, especially if they buy boba very often,” Wu said. “There are many types of these straws someone could buy, made out of bamboo, metal, glass, silicon, or even just hardier, more sturdy plastic.” The popular boba shop Teaspoon supports the reduction of plastic pollution by offering a 10 percent discount at all locations for customers who bring their own reusable cups, according to Assistant Store Manager Aryana Izadi. Teaspoon does not, however, offer discounts for customers who bring reusable straws. “They can just buy their own

reusable straws off Amazon, and they can just bring that into [Teaspoon],” Izadi said. Despite receiving some support from local businesses, No Straw November is not supported unanimously. Following a controversial decision by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to ban the sale and distribution of plastic straws, some students criticized the measure, claiming it disregarded people with physical disabilities who require straws to drink on a regular basis. Junior Emma Donnelly-Higgins said No Straw November might have similar unintended consequences. “Students who do use straws

should not have to explain why to others,” Donnelly-Higgins said. “Disabilities that require the use of plastic straws are more common than people think, and nobody should be in the uncomfortable position of having to explain that to someone else.” Baldonado hopes that any controversy around the movement will become an opportunity for the Paly community to discuss the issue of plastic pollution. Baldonado said, “Critics may dismiss No Straw November as insignificant because it’s just straws, but this movement is about so much more—it’s about plastic pollution as a whole, and I think it’s very effective at getting conversations started.”

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

Eidetic memories allow for unique memorization skills

Individuals with photographic minds experience a different process for storing, remembering, information than others By Sarah O'Riordan

Staff Writer

magine sitting down to take a test, closing your eyes and being able to see a picture of your notes in your mind. Many kids dream of having a photographic memory to bail them out of sticky situations and solve problems on command. For AP Environmental Science and Biology teacher Nicole Loomis, that’s exactly what school was like.

"When I read, I don’t see words on a page. They immediately translate into a video in my brain." Nicole Loomis

An eidetic memory, often referred to as a photographic memory, is defined by the ability to vividly recall images after only a short period of exposure. Eidetic memories are most often found in children, and abilities usually decrease as the person ages. There is some contention around whether or not having an eidetic memory is truly possible. According to Dr. Jill Yamashita, a psychologist who teaches and researches memory, because there is no set way to test the memories’ abilities in a controlled environment, many scientists are skeptical about whether a person can actually have a true eidetic memory. But according to Loomis, she

is a believer. She said she first discovered her abilities at a young age. “I think I first realized that I remembered things visually in sixth grade,” Loomis said. “There was a list of 20 vocabulary words, and there was a page that had the words and definitions. When I was taking the vocabulary test, I would just call up the image of the page and read it and write the answers word for word on the test.” Given her scientific background and career, having this ability helped Loomis throughout school. “Pictures, images, diagrams, chemical equations, those are easy for me to recall,” Loomis said. “That was pretty useful. I would consider it more of a gift than a condition.” However, things have changed since her middle school days. “I wouldn’t say that it’s as good now as it was then, because I got older, … but I definitely am a visual learner and still think in pictures,” Loomis said. “When I read, I don’t see words on a page. They immediately translate into a video in my brain.” According to Loomis, this visual learning style and general disposition largely impacted her ability to recall images and refine her memory. Loomis also said this type of memory helps in her day-to-day life. “My family is always losing things in our house, and they’ll say, ‘Where’s this?’” Loomis said. “I’ll have walked by it and be

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Nicole Loomis, an AP Environmental Science teacher, has an eidetic memory that often allows her to remember even the smallest of things. able to tell them right away that's where it is, because the picture of it sitting in that location comes to my mind.” Despite widespread debate over the legitimacy of an eidetic memory, Loomis never felt penalized or outcast in her own experience. “I never really talked about it with people,” Loomis said. “It seemed like it was maybe even an unfair advantage, so it didn't seem like it was a good idea to flaunt it.” On the subject of whether or not eidetic memories are possible, Loomis said the question is not that black and white, and admits

it’s not as easy as simply having one or not having one. “Every study has a certain sample that they look at, so they may or may not have been looking at samples of people who actually are able to,” Loomis said. “Maybe it comes in degrees, so maybe some people are able to do it for some things and not other things, or sometimes and not other times. I'm not saying that it's perfect. Certainly as I've gotten older it's gotten less perfect.” According to Loomis, the issue of eidetic memory and memory in general is more of a spectrum. Loomis said, “Genetics lends

itself towards that. Anything controlled by many genes is going to have a spectrum with it.”

"When you take memories out, they change before you put them back." Nicole Loomis

On a larger scale, Loomis said the workings of the mind and memory are far more complex than simply being able to perfectly recall images or not. “The other thing that’s really interesting is when you take

memories out, they change before you put them back,” Loomis said. “Your perception of things changes over time. Every time you take that memory out, when you put it back its colored a little bit by your current experience.” Whether eidetic memories can be proven real or not, it is certain the mind works in ways science stills know very little about. “Memory, we think of it as this concrete thing, that your memories are always going to be the same—but they really aren't.” Loomis said. “They really can be toyed with a little bit, and intentionally, too. Your memory is not necessarily faithful.”

The debate, controversy over the validity of astrology

Scientists debate accuracy of relationship between constellations of stars in the galaxy, human affairs sity School of Psychology, 15 participants and their close friends and family attempted to guess their horoscopes based on their personality attributes. The study found that there was a very low rate of accuracy, suggesting that “as individuals cannot identify their own horoscope, the (asserted) accuracy of horoscopes by those who have consulted astrology must be largely a result of self-deception.” This indicates that there is little, if any, accuracy to horoscopes. The closest evidence of any link between science and astrology is a Psychology Today article that cites several studies showing a correlation between certain character traits and birth months. For example, one study found that “people born December through February have lower agreeableness.”

KAITLYN LEE/THE CAMPANILE

An astrophysics student fills out a sheet, mapping constellations and stars. Many people believe there is a correlation between a person's traits and their zodiac sign.

By Anna Meyer

Staff Writer

strology is increasingly ubiquitous. Whether it’s starring in meme culture, magazines or conversations about horoscopes, many people turn to astrology for answers about their personality traits or future; however, there is astronomical doubt from the scientific community regarding its validity. “If you want to base your life on verifiable relationships based on evidence-based conclusions then astrology cannot offer that in any credible way,” Paly astrophysics teacher Josh Bloom said.

According to the National Aeronotics and Space Association's website, astrology, which is the study of the influence that stars and space have on human lives, began 3,000 years ago when the Babylonians divided the zodiac—a theoretical belt in the sky which encompasses the paths of all planets, the sun and the moon—into 12 equal parts and assigned a constellation to each part. Horoscopes developed from this, where each zodiac sign is given a forecast for the future, along with a description of their character traits. While the popularity of as-

trology has fluctuated over time, it has consistently been a part of various cultures such as Jyotisha, the Hindu system of astrology.

"I feel like everyone definitely holds an aspect of their zodiac sign." Fiza Usman

Astrology was considered to be essentially the same as astronomy until the Enlightenment period, when Sir Isaac Newton explored the concept of gravity. “People began making these

observations and creating these predictive models not out of desire to predict human behavior (that would be astrology), but out of desire to understand the very mechanics of the universe,” Bloom said. Since the Enlightenment period, many have maintained the belief that astrology has a basis in science; a survey conducted by the National Science Foundation in 2012 found that only slightly more than half of Americans said that astrology was “not at all scientific.” In an experiment conducted by Graham Tyson, an associate professor at Charles Sturt Univer-

"If you want to base your life on verifiable relationships based on evidence-based conclusions then astrology cannot offer that in any credible way." Josh Bloom

Other studies found that “February/March/April birthdays led to increased novelty-seeking behavior” and that “summer-born males are less conscientious.” However, this is still different from astrology, as it does not relate human behaviors to the positions of the stars. Astrology is also related to science through confirmation bias, which states that assumptions and previous biases influence the actions that people take. “Beliefs are often self-fulfilling because our minds tend to focus on what confirms our belief and not what counters it,” Bloom said. “Our mindsets, attitudes, assump-

tions about ourselves and others and our relationship with life and the world around us have a significant influence on our decisions and behaviors and therefore the way we experience our lives and influence our relationships.”

“The predictions and messages of astrology—whether they are scientifically verifiable or not— provide people a sense of certainty and guidance." Josh Bloom

Even those who are interested in astrology do not necessarily think there is scientific basis for it. “I wouldn’t say I necessarily believe very deeply in it… However, I feel like everyone definitely holds an aspect of their zodiac signs,” junior Fiza Usman said. However, there are other reasons people pay attention to horoscopes. While astrology is not necessarily scientific, it can still be relevant and useful. “Fundamentally, humans have a strong desire for some measure of predictably in our lives— for some measure of certainty,” Bloom said. “The predictions and messages of astrology—whether they are scientifically verifiable or not—provide people a sense of certainty and guidance that they’re hungry for.” Stress is another factor that may be related to a belief in astrology. In another study by Tyson, two astrologers gave surveys to 67 of their clients regarding demographics and reasons for going to an astrologer. “Consulting an astrologer is a response by an individual to the stresses with which he or she is faced,” Tyson said. “Furthermore, it is suggested that these stresses arise partially as a result of the person's lack of social skills.”

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

fire alarms: sCIENCE AND cULTURE The campanile explores the mechanisms of the school fire alarm system along with the people behind the alarms

What triggers false fire alarms?

requent false alarms, such as the seven set off in August, have made Paly students all too familiar with this required school facility and the following evacuation procedures. Although many students find the repeated fire drills unnecessary, the high school is legally required to promptly notify the fire department to avoid potential fire damage. According to the International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC), the minimum requirement for a school fire alarm system consists of manual fire alarm boxes throughout the school. In addition, the state of California adopts more stringent codes, which require every room or space on campus to have fire detection devices. Luis Martinez, who works at Paly Technical support, said that the alarm system at Paly was installed many years ago. “The alarms have been here for a long time,” Martinez said. “They are passive devices; they are just sitting there until some-

while the other one detects fire, thing happens.” According to Martinez, ev- which requires a certain amount ery building and room at Paly, of smoke.” According to Martinez, the including the bathrooms, have heat detector most likely will sensors in them. “[When] the sensors rec- not be tripped unless a real fire ognize a potential danger, they occurs, because the temperature send signals through wires to required to trip the heat alarm is the sound emitters,” Martinez too high for other causes, maksaid. “[The alarm] cannot be ing the smoke detector the cause stopped by us unless you cut most of the false alarms. “O ur the wires. smoke Certain detecpeople tors are have the ionizing detectors are r e a l l y right to very sensitive. That is s e n s i turn it off, why they re more prone t i v e , ” but they Martimust first to false alarms. nez said. check that - Samuel “Somethe school howles-banerji times is safe t h e y from fire.” can be Martinez further explained that dif- tripped by just a cigarette. And ferent sensors at Paly are trig- even the vaping that people are doing nowadays can produce gered in different ways. “There are two different enough smoke to trip the alarm.” According to an appliance types of sensors that we use for fire alarms,” Martinez said. “One science story published on Cnet, detects heat, which requires a there are two kinds of smoke certain temperature to be set off, detectors: ionizing and photo-

Fire Alarms at Palo Alto High School Between Sept. 1, 2016 and Sept. 1, 2018 Source: Palo Alto City Fire Department

2016-2017

Month

Sept.

Text & design by Johnny Yang Text, art & design by frida Rivera

2017-1018

electric. According to Martinez, Paly mostly uses ionizing smoke detectors, which consist of two metal plates. One of the plates carries a small amount of radioactive elements, which emits Alpha radiation, knocking electrons off air molecules and ionizing them. These ionized molecules allow electric current to flow between the two metal plates. However, while there is smoke present in the air, the non-ionizable particles restrict the electric current flow, which trips the alarm. “Ionizing detectors are very sensitive,” Paly chemistry teacher Samuel Howles-Banerji said. “That is why they are more prone to false alarms.” According to Howles-Banerji, ionizing detectors are particularly sensitive to smoke and other matter such as water vapor, produced by vaping. However, Howles-Banerji thinks this sensitivity is necessary for a school fire alarm system. “[Smoke detectors] are designed to be so sensitive that a small amount of smoke can trip them because a severe flaming fire may not produce as much smoke,” Howles-Banerji said. According to Howles-Banerji, the smoke that people see from fires is combustible matter that is not fully burned, and thus disperses into the air. This is why smaller fires tend to have more smoke. However, when a blazing fire is severe enough, all combustible materials are burned thoroughly, and thus very little smoke is produced. Howles-Banerji said, “The problem is, the hotter the fire is, the more [damage] it [causes] and the faster it can spread, so you want to be able to detect those sooner, which is why I think it will probably be better to have those more sensitive [detectors].”

Who sets off false fire alarms?

ach time the fire alarm “After I talked to Mr. Berkgoes off, irritated stu- son, I had to talk to a lawyer dents of Palo Alto who explained the whole court High School file out towards process to me and how I would the football field and proceed be receiving something in the to line up behind their teach- mail, and what charges I would ers under the scorching sun. be facing,” Jane said. “I recently Though all of the students are got the paper in the mail and it much too familiar with this in- said that I have to wait for the convenience, few consider the probation office to call me and perspectives of the individuals sign the paper for probation and responsible for setting off the court.” alarms. Three of these individuAccording to Jane, she holds als shared different motivations many thoughts about her expeand consequences. rience with fire alarms. Jane, “ This whose experiname, as ence was I have well as cool in [intentionally] set all other s o m e students w a y s , the alarm off about in this but if my four times in all my s t o r y mom gets high school career has been charged and have never changed [with the been caught. to profine] then tect their I will re- Al identigret doties, is ing it,” a typical Paly sophomore in Jane said. “This is definitely not nearly all aspects. However, an experience I would like to she is one of the students re- ever be in again.” sponsible for triggering one of According to Berkson, dethe fire alarms that have been liberately setting off a false fire occurring almost weekly since alarm is a citable offense. Adthe beginning of the academic ditionally, if the school believes school year. someone intentionally set the On the day she set off the alarm off, they will call the poalarm, Jane was going through lice, who will take over from her normal school day routine there, as it is a legal issue. when her sixth period class In contrast, Paly junior Al seemed like it was passing by has managed to dodge the more slowly than usual. consequences and aftermath of “That day, I was really bored pulling the alarm despite threats in class and I wanted to know of steep fines and suspension. what it was like to be in that Thus, Al expresses no guilt for situation,” Jane said. “People say his actions. that [setting off the alarm] is re“I have [intentionally] set ally fun so I kinda just gave it the alarm off about four times a shot.” in all of my high school career According to Jane she does and have never been caught,” Al not plan on repeating this inci- said. “It sucks though because dent. Once caught, she was sus- [admin] just [monitors] me pended for two days and had to more.” attend court. Al attributes many of the Jane further explains how, false fire alarms to students vapshe was called into the office by ing in the bathrooms, without Assistant Principal Jerry Berk- a particular goal of setting the son, who asked her about the alarm off. incident and then proceeded to “I’ve been around people setask her to write a statement for ting off the alarms many times the school resource officer. and it’s always people smoking

wax pens and taking too many tionally.” hits and like ‘hotboxing’ the According to Principal bathrooms too much and then Adam Paulson, another growthe alarm goes off,” Al said. ing concern among admin is the ‘Hotboxing’ refers to conlevel of safety within the comcentrating an enclosed area with munity. smoke so that the people inside “When a fire alarm is trigare continually inhaling said gered, a fire truck is always imsubstance. mediately dispatched with a As most students and staff team of firefighters – and that at Paly know, there is a large is exactly how we want them problem with vaping in the to respond to an alarm combathroom. However, according ing from the school,” Paulson to Al, these “juul sessions” prosaid in a Schoology post to the vide more of a purpose than just student body. “When it’s a false vaping. alarm we are taking life-saving “I’ve met lots of people resources from community through being in the bathrooms members who may have an acand people in there smoking tual emergency.” [and] juuling,” Al said. Administration showed a lot Though these students have of concern, and worked hard to set the alarm off with the sole combat the issue. The first step purpose of relieving themselves admin took was locking the of their classes, there are some 800s, 1700s and 100s building students who set the alarm off bathrooms during class time, unintentionally. only opening them for 10 minAccording to junior Zoe, utes halfway through the period. she accidentally set the fire According to Paulson, the alarm off with her waxpen. She goal of this action was to check recounts that she went to the bathroom sensors and see how bathroom in the Media Arts well they are diagnosing smoke, Center (MAC) one morning specifically in bathrooms that during her second period class. had been main sources of the “Setting the alarm off benfalse alarms. The bathrooms efited me since it gave me were reopened on Oct. 11. something to do,” Zoe said. “I’m According to Berkson, adsure there were other students min is working on getting vape in similar sensors situations that will as me be tested that were in the This experience probably bathwas cool in some also happy rooms ways, but if my mom it went that are gets charged [with off, but m a i n the fine] then i will there were sources also probof alarms regret doing it. ably some An- Jane that were o t h e r taking approach tests and admin got upset by the interruption.” has taken is to inform students Though this issue is huof the effects of vaping through mourous to some students at posters designed by the Food Paly, it has detrimental effects and Drug Administration to daily student life. (FDA) which will be placed in “I was not caught, but I rebathroom stalls. gret having disrupted students Berkson said, “It is my betaking tests and having costed lief that vaping is the root cause the district a vast amount of of this issue. Hopefully with money,” Zoe said. “I wouldn’t the posters, students will think do it again, at least not intentwice about juuling.”

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS Crew: From Dawn till Dusk A look into a day in the life Student Rowers

hree boats float along the San Francisco Bay at 5 a.m. The water is at its calmest and it is so dark that the only lightsource is the surrounding ships and the stars above. The Bay is completely empty and it is so quiet that you can actually hear the electricity flowing through the telephone wires. Rowers like senior Sabrina Martin and sophomore Finn Callaghan wake up at 4 a.m. several times a week on school days to row as a part of the NorCal Crew team.

Callaghan said these presunrise practices tend to be his favorite part of rowing. “We get out in our boats and we wait for five minutes for the coaches to arrive to the meeting spot,” Callaghan said. “We lay down in the boats and just look at the stars, and it’s so beautiful. Sometimes it feels like you’re dreaming; it’s just insane.” Martin agrees. “It’s dark,” Martin said. “Sometimes I see a shooting star out on the bay.” Though there are beautiful sunrises involved, this type of training can be strenuous on one’s body. “[For] morning practices, it’s fter struggling to get out really crucial you have warm stuff of bed for 10 minutes, so you don’t get sick,” Callaghan Martin makes her way said. “You just need to be prepared to Redwood City to squeeze for whatever, so I’ll always bring in some training before the sun a long sleeve or a jacket, even if I comes up. don’t wear “[The it on the team is] bawater.” sically rowT h i s “We lay down in the boats ing the enrigorous tire time on and just look at the stars, and m o r n i n g those days,” it’s so beautiful. Sometimes it p r a c t i c e Martin said. lasts for “We’re re- feels like you’re dreaming; it’s two hours ally trying before the just insane.” to pack in rowers run Finn Callaghan as many home for minutes of their secjust actively ond breakrowing as possible.” fast and get ready for school just Before heading out to the as their fellow students are wakwater, the rowers fill their bodies ing up. with nutritious snacks for their first breakfast. According to Callaghan, carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats are necessary to power n days with morning through practices. A typical practices, the coaches breakfast for Callaghan consists offer optional workouts of an avocado toast along with later in the day, as well. three eggs. “Those days, I crash in school, “Nutrition is a really definitely, and sometimes I have big priority in our to take a nap after school,” team,” MarMartin said. tin said. “We When met with a low constantly homework load, however, have to fuel Martin will sometimes ourselves attend the optional just because workouts to maintain we have so her fitness. many prac“We have about tices.” 16 hours of [required]

practice a week, but it’s not uncommon for people to put in another five extra hours on their own,” Martin said. “Rowing is super competitive, so if you want to be at the top or be the best boat, then you really have to put in the extra work.” Days without morning practices consist of two-and-a-half hour after-school practices starting right after the last period at Paly.

4 a.m. - 7 a.m.

3:35 p.m. - 7 p.m.

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PAGE C4-C5

Positives of crew

oth Martin and Callaghan began their rowing careers with no crew experience in seventh grade while attending then-Jordan Middle School. According to the NorCal Crew

Get up, eat breakfast, attend practice

Afterschool practice

5 a.m. - 7 a.m.

7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Go home for a second breakfast

Optional practice or individual training

8:20 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Attend school

Go home, finish school work, sleep

ost weekends come with races against other club teams. During the fall season, this entails 6,000 kilometer competitions, testing the teams’ endurance and cooperation. A s there are sometimes around 40 boats

In order to balance their athletic commitments including luging, horseback riding, synchronized swimming and soccer with academic obligations, students turn to other methods of education such as homeschooling.

team,” Martin said. “It feels like a vacation even though we’re out there to do well and race.”

4:10 p.m. - 6:55 p.m.

Weekends

Alternative schooling for athletes

to compete against the people in your region, so the competition is extra hard around here,” Martin said. “We have some very fast neighbors in Oakland and Marin and Newport.” In order to train for this competition, the team holds three-hour weekend practices containing workouts on the rowing machines as well as mock races on the water.

4 a.m. - 4:30 a.M.

Here, rowers will either spend the first half of the practice on land with a warm-up workout or just start out on the water. Callaghan said that he prefers to complete the majority of his weekday homework on Saturday in order to budget his homework time during the week, especially on nights before morning practices.

SPREAD

participating in these races, the boats start in intervals, according to Martin. The incentive is to catch up to the boat ahead even though race times are taken individually. “A lot of times the turns are really sharp, and this boat is 60 feet long, so you have really have to make those turns,” Martin said. “And then if you get outside

of your lane, then you’ll be disqualified. Or if you run into other boats, then you’ll be disqualified or be penalized. That’s what’s really important about the coxswain.” The coxswain is the team member who sits at the end of the boat facing the rowers, shouting commands to coordinate steering and the rhythm of the rowing. Each spot on the boat has its own role and is best suited for specific types of rowers. For example, the middle four spots are typically reserved for the strongest members of the team while the bow pair, located next to the coxswain at the back of the boat, and stern pair, located at the front of the boat, require rowers with better technique. The bowman nearest the coxswain acts as the “stroke,” or the rower who other team members follow for pacing. Although some may think that the East Coast would house the fastest rowers, Martin said the Bay Area is actually one of the fastest regions in the United States. “This is the Bay Area—everything here is on steroids—so it’s super competitive around here,” Martin said. The NorCal team typically sends rowers to the national championship, which changes location each year. “To qualify for the national championship, you have

Student-life

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Tri-sport athletes

Read more about how students balance three sports with daily life. PAGE C6

website, anyone can join the novice rowing team, regardless of experience. “The whole thing started in s far as recruitment for college goes, seventh grade when we were usCallaghan said he ing the rowing machines at Jorwill look into that option dan,” Callaghan said. “I was like, ‘I’m good at this. This is the first when the time comes. However, since he is thing I’m actually good at.’” Not only does crew encourage 5’9”, which is rather short for a rower, he does not a healthy way of living, but it also provides a tight-knit community, have high expectations. “One of my big strengths is according to Martin. “[Rowing] keeps me fit and that I’m really, really fast for my weight, so I’m in the second boat motivated,” Martin said. “If I had with guys who are 6’3”,” Cal- to work out by myself for the rest of my life to stay healthy, I think laghan said. A taller rower would have I would go crazy.” A c more lecording to verage and Callaghan, power, and is therefore “Rowing is super competitive, rowing has changed his more ideal in the eyes so if you want to be at the top lifestyle for of college or be the best boat, then you the better. C a l coaches, really have to put in the laghan said, according “I wasn’t to Calextra work.” too sporty laghan. Sabrina Martin as a kid, I Howwas kind ever, since of a bigMartin participates in women’s light- ger kid, and my eating habits weight rowing—for women weren’t great. [Rowing] just kind under 130 pounds—there are of changed my personality, and I limited options for her to row in have made a bunch of friends.” college. The NorCal team plans to attend training camps and regional competitions in places like Sacramento, Boston and Seattle this year, in addition to nationals if allowed, according to Martin. “I love traveling with the

The future

Text By Kennedy Herron Art & Design By Jaures Yip Design BY Tien Nguyen

Photography

Profile

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE J . GLOVER/CC BY-SA-3.0

Sports photography

The art of capturing a ìmagic momentî of a game with a picture. PAGE C8

KSTUTTARD/CC

Soccer coach background

Alberto ìBetoî Lunaís experiences as a coach of Stanford Soccer Club. PAGE C6

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPORTS REPORT

CROSS COUNTRY RECENT SCORES

Monterey Invitational 10/13 VB 8th, VG 1st SCVAL Meet 3 10/17: VB 1st, VG 1st UPCOMING GAMES

Mt. Sac Invitational 10/20, 9 a.m. City Championships 10/23, 9 a.m.

FOOTBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Cupertino 10/5, W, 49-0 Paly @ Fremont 10/12, W, 35-21

The Campanile

SPORTS

Boys football restarts its streak with two victories By Emily Asher

inning its last two games against Cupertino High School and Fremont High School, the varsity football team will attempt to restart its winning streak after a disappointing loss to Wilcox High School on Sept. 28. According to junior Dylan Duncan, a cornerback and running back, the team put up a good fight in the game against Wilcox, despite losing 35-21. “We definitely knew they would come out hitting, and we came out just as aggressive,” Duncan said. “We just couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes and had too many mistakes on our side.” The loss has acted as a wakeup call to the players, helping to motivate and keep them determined for the rest of the season, according to Duncan.

“I honestly think this loss was a beneficial thing for our team.” Kevin Cullen

UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/26, 7:30 p.m. Paly @ Homestead 11/2, 7 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Saratoga 10/11, L, 6-1 Paly vs. Monta Vista 10/16, W, 4-3

Staff Writer

“I honestly think this loss was a beneficial thing for our team,” junior safety Kevin Cullen said. “We were beginning to get somewhat complacent. This loss woke us all up and incentivised us to push our competition to the next level.” In response to the team’s loss, head coach Nelson Gifford has been working one-on-one with

KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Louis Passarello breaks a tackle mid-field and runs toward the endzone during the Fremont game on Oct. 12, which Paly won 47-10.

players, helping them to improve their skills and technique individually. “I’ve been working closely with my position coaches as well as the senior starters above me and learning what I can do to improve my game to become a better teammate and player,” Duncan said. “I have seen a lot of improvement so far and have recently been working on being more disciplined with not looking at the quarterback and peeking into the backfield as much. I am also adapting to the speed of the game at the varsity level.” Not only are the coaches

helping players, but so are some returning varsity players. “One of our teammates, Alex Daw, along with the help of David Hickey and Aiden Chang, actually established a studentrun study hall in order to help some of our team members that are struggling in a specific subject,” Cullen said. With the ups and downs this season, the players say they have grasped an understanding of what strategies and techniques lead to success and are implementing that into games and practices. “We have come a long way since our first practice,” junior

wide receiver and defensive back Joey Passarello said. “We have found our identity as a team and have been able to get used to the new offense and defense.”

“We have found our identity as a team and have been able to get used to the new offense and defense.” Joey Passarello

Strategies such as controlling the pace of the game and pushing the tempo of offense have helped

lead the team to success, according to Cullen. Preparation is another key component. “Every Saturday we go and watch film as a team and review what we need to work on and watch scout film on our up-andcoming opponents,” Duncan said. “We also mentally prep on our assignments for the game.” While watching the film the team studies the opponents schematics and individual players tendencies.” Cullen said. “Helping recognize plays when it comes to game time. The next game is against Los Gatos High School on Friday October 27th at 7:30 p.m.

UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Gunn 10/24, 4 p.m. Paly @ Cupertino 10/25, 4 p.m.

GOLF RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Monta Vista 10/16, W, 211-197 UPCOMING GAMES

SCVAL Tournament 10/24, TBA CCS Finals 10/30, TBA Nor Cal finals 11/5, TBA

BOYS WOPO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/11, W, 10-9 Paly vs. Menlo Atherton 10/16, W, 8-7 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Willow Glen 10/19, 5 p.m. Paly @ Mitty 10/20, 10 a.m.

GIRLS WOPO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Wilcox 10/12, W, 9-1 Paly vs. St. Ignatius 10/12, W, 9-3 UPCOMING GAMES

CCS Quarterfinals TBA

VOLLEYBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Los Altos 10/9, L, 3-0 Paly @ Los Gatos 10/11, W, 3-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Spikefest Tournament 10/20, 8 a.m. Paly @ Homestead 10/23, 6:45 p.m. CCS Quarterfinals 10/27, TBA

BHUSAN GUPTA/USED WITH PERMISSION

Anna Roth, Miranda Jimenez and other cross country athletes start their fourth invitational of the year. The girls varsity team came in first, while the boys varsity came in at eighth.

Cross country teams excel at the Monterey Invitational By Rebekah Limb

Staff Writer

ith the Monterey Bay Invitational marking the midway point of the season, both girls and boys cross country teams ran their way to top 10 finishes on Saturday, Oct. 13, with girls varsity bringing home a first place win, and boys varsity placing eighth. After disappointing results from the last Stanford Invitational, both varsity teams bounced back at the Monterey Bay Invitational in Salinas despite missing several members of the team due to college visits and sickness. Standout performances by junior Miranda Jimenez, placing fourth overall in the three-mile girls, and sophomore Hailey

Hwang, placing eighth in the three mile race, helped the varsity girls place first out of 21 high schools all around California.

“I think we still have work to do. But we’re definitely getting there with the help of the coaches, captains and everyone on the team.” Hailey Hwang

“The varsity girls did amazing,” Jimenez said. “I think this was the first time that we’ve gotten first as a team while I have been at Paly.” For the varsity boys, the ab-

sence of key runners such as senior captain Henry Saul, senior Alex Evans and junior Ian Matheson, didn’t stop them from excelling. Senior Donald Taggart came through with another strong race, holding the fastest three mile time of 16 minute 35 seconds for the Paly boys, and placing eighth overall. The boys junior varsity team also attended the invitational and placed sixth, with senior Carlos Diaz coming in first for Paly boys and placed 11th overall, and junior Leo Marburg right behind him in 12th place. After being out sick for the majority of the season, senior runner Carlos Diaz raced at this invitational. “The first mile was really fast and flat, and by the second mile

came around, it was filled with steep hills and was really a test of mental strength for me,” Diaz said.

“I still get really nervous before races. Until the race starts the worst part for me is waiting on the finish line for the gun to go off.” Carlos Diaz

The junior varsity girls didn’t have enough runners to form a full team; however senior Zoe Douglas placed fourth and sophomore Audrey Lemoine placed 11th.

For Hwang, the results of the invitational were not only exciting but also motivating as the team looks on to the rest of the season. “I think we still have work to do,” Hwang said, “But we’re definitely getting there with the help of the coaches, captains, and everyone on the team.” Being the fourth invitational of the season, the environment of the race was still as thrilling and nerve-racking as the others according to Diaz. “I still get really nervous before races,” Diaz said. “Until the race starts the worst part for me is waiting on the finish line for the gun to go off.” Both teams compete at the Mt. Sac Invitational on Oct. 20 and the City Championship Meet on Oct. 23.

Girls water polo team aims for qualification in CCS By Kai Vetteth

Staff Writer

t the conclusion of a trying season, the girls water polo team anticipates recent wins and an accumulation of skill development will earn them a coveted spot in the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs, according to coach Doug Stotland. “[The players] get better and more confident every week,” Stotland said. “Even when we come up short, we see them making plays that they couldn’t make before.” Stotland said many players who were new to varsity experienced significant growth in technical ability over the course of the season. “They’ve pushed and inspired the whole team to take their games up,” Stotland said. “More than half the minutes played and goals are from players who weren’t on varsity last year.”

Earlier last week, the team beat Saint Ignatius High School 9-3 and Wilcox High School 9-1, marking their seventh and eighth wins of the season. The team has maintained a ranking of sixth in the Santa Clara Valley League with a record of 8-14.

“The players get better and more confident every week.” Doug Stotland

According to sophomore Grace Lindstrom, the enthusiasm of new players has contributed significantly to both a positive atmosphere and recent successes in the pool. “The younger players are an amazing contribution to the team and they have stayed nothing but positive during practices and

games,” Lindstrom said. “I have loved having them around and it has been super cool to see them grow into the strong players that they are.” Sophomore Adora Zheng said the younger player’s grit and talent will carry the team into a strong finish to this season. “They’ve brought fresh new mindsets to the team, and their improvement from the beginning of the season is incredible,” Zheng said. “We’re going to finish strong and use the games we have left to apply the things we’ve been practicing all season.” The team is set to play three more season games before CCS as part of the Knarr Cup at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Paly pool. Stotland said, “We expect the [team’s] contributions to grow and be key to finishing the season with strong showings in our conference tournament and a spot in CCS.”

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Sophomore Sophie Kadifa attempts to score against rival Los Gatos.

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPORTS

Vikings hopeful for league championship First in league, girls Boys waterpolo motivated after close defeat to rival Los Gatos 10-9

golf stays undefeated By Lucy Nemerov

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Dexter Gormley passes the ball to one of his Paly teammates, successfully avoiding two Los Gatos defenders. Paly won the game 10-9.

By Frida Rivera Staff Writer

n a rivetingly close match, the boys water polo team beat Los Gatos High School 10-9 on Oct. 11 Having lost to Los Gatos only three weeks ago, the boys were determined to get the win in a rematch at home. “The loss a few weeks ago was really disappointing,” junior Ryan Stanley said. “I think everyone put a lot of intensity and hard work in today. It really proved that we are a better team than Gatos when we got the win.” According to coach Ethan Look, the boys water polo team is currently tied with Los Altos High School for third place in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League standings. This means the team still has a considerable shot

at a league championship. “We have a great opportunity to reach our goals,” Look said. “If we win the league tournament, we hold our own destiny.”

“The loss a few weeks ago was really disappointing. I think everyone put a lot of hard work in today.” Ryan Stanley Throughout the match, the boys water polo team stayed connected and communicated well, which Stanley attributes to team chemistry. “Through all of our team bonding we have all gotten really

close with each other,” Stanley said. “Our chemistry is something we really value and it is one of our main strengths.” Another aspect the team prides itself in is their scoring ability as well as their speed. However, according to senior captain Ben Rapperport, the team still has a few things they are hoping to perfect for the rest of the season. “I think that the team performed really well throughout the match, but I think that we need to focus on keeping our lead and now allowing other teams to catch up when we are in the lead,” Rapperport said. Going forward, the team is looking to achieve its goals of capturing a league championship as well as hopefully performing well in Central Coast Section (CCS).

“This win was a huge moral boost, but now we need to focus on winning our upcoming games,” Stanley said. “Now we need to step up and have a strong finish for the season.”

“I think that the team performed really well throughout the match, but I think that we need to focus on keeping our lead.” Ben Rapperport The boys water polo team will begin competing in CCS on the week of Oct. 29.

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he girls varsity golf team remains undefeated as the team prepares for the Central Coast Section (CCS) competition. According to Coach Doyle Knight, the team is developing from last year and are looking to defeat their two main local competitors Valley Christian High School and Harker High School in order to maintain their perfect record. During the week of Oct. 8, the team had two victories, both against Saratoga High School. The first game had a score of 198214, the second, 191-236. After being CCS champions last season, the team has a goal of making it further in more advanced competitions. “The first goal was to win our league tournament and championship,” Knight said. “Our second goal was to do well enough at CCS to qualify for the NorCal tournament. Hopefully while playing the CCS Tournament, we would win that title also. We were CCS champions last year, so it would be nice to defend our title.”

“We are undefeated and practicing a lot to get ready for leagues, CCS, NorCals and hopefully States. For practicing, we do short game, putting and range.” Lauren Sung If the team makes it through the CCS competition, Knight hopes the team will be successful in the NorCal tournament, which may be the most difficult event. “There are several schools from the Sacramento area and in

the East Bay area that are really good,” Knight said. “The girls are looking forward to the challenge.” The team has also changed considerably from last year. According to Knight, this year, they have more experienced athletes and are hoping to see a player be honored with the individual trophy of CCS champion.

“There are several schools from the Sacramento area and in the East Bay Area that are really good, but the girls are looking forward to the challenge.” Doyle Knight “As far as how our team is different than last year, we have eight solid players,” Knight said. “Any one of them could be the league champion and possibly the CCS champion. Out of the eight, I have to choose six to represent our school in the league tournament, CCS tournament, the NorCal tournament and state tournament. Right now, Katherine Sung is our number one golfer.” Freshmen Lauren and Sydney Sung, sisters of team captain Katherine Sung, enjoy the team dynamic and high level of playing. “There was pressure at the beginning to perform well for the team, but once the nerves were of the way, we started playing better and it seemed like we were playing together as a team,” Sung said. Speaking about the team’s ongoing success, Lauren Sung said the season is going well so far. “We are undefeated and practicing a lot to get ready for leagues, CCS, NorCals and hopefully States,” Lauren Sung said. The team will play next in the SCVAL tournament on Oct. 24.

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

In a doubles match against Homestead, sophomore Maddi Page hits a pass back to her competitor.

Focused and determined, senior Siena Brewster and junior Amelia Gibbs block an opponent’s spike.

Girls varsity tennis struggles to Girls volleyball begins to prepare for succeed against advanced teams CCS following first loss of season By Sarah O’Riordan

Staff Writer

fter facing some tough losses and tie break situations, the Paly girls’ varsity tennis team has continued to stay dedicated and motivated as the season progresses. The team beat Homestead High School on Oct. 4 with a score of 5-2, and played Los Gatos High School and Saratoga High School on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11, falling to Los Gatos and Saratoga with final scores of 5-2 and 6-1 respectively.

“At the end of the day, we just have to mature and become more mentally tough so we can handle the higher pressure moments better.” Maddi Page Citing frequent ties as a main source of the team’s past losses, sophomore captain Maddi Page weighs in on the team’s progress. “I think we’ve done OK,” Page

said. “We’re one of the younger teams in Central Coast Section (CCS), and always it’s hard to beat experience.”

“We’re one of the younger teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS), and it’s hard to beat experience.” Maddi Page According to Page, the competition this season is unusually tough, and Paly’s young varsity team is not yet used to the intensity of high-stake matches and tie-break ends. “The league is super high-end this season, with an unusual number of [probable] future college players,” Page said. “As a team, we haven’t dealt well with the pressure that comes with tie-breaks.” As the season continues on, the team plans to buckle down and focus on remaining consistent and resilient. With both victories and losses under their belt, the team has learned what they need to work on and where they can improve. “At the end of the day, we just

have to mature and become more mentally tough so we can handle the higher pressure moments better,” Page said. “Next year, we will be older and hopefully win more tie-breaks.” According to Page, the team hopes to be prepared for CCS championships and to beat crosstown rival, Gunn High School in the upcoming weeks of the season. As the team approaches their next matches, they’ve intensified their practice schedule. “To prepare for matches, we have mandatory team practice on Wednesday,” Page said. According to Page, the team holds two-hour practices per week. With the exception of Wednesday, the practices are not mandatory. However, she admits that there can only be so much accomplished through teamwork and group practices. “Additionally, most of the girls have private coaches and training since at the end of the day tennis is an individual sport.” Page said. The team played Monta Vista High School on Oct. 16 and won 4-3. Its next game will be against Gunn High School on Oct. 24.

By Eve Donnelly

Staff Writer

ith league shortly coming to an end and the Central Coast Section (CCS) finals approaching soon, the Paly girls volleyball team continues to work towards its many goals. The team lost its first match against Los Altos on Oct. 9, but still remain top of their league with a total of nine wins and one loss. Its next game will be against Lynbrook on Oct. 18, and is the second to last league game of the season.

“The team’s main goal is to get better every day. At this point in the season, it’s not just about getting better for CCS playoffs.” Benji Saetang At both practices and games, the girls put in their maximum effort, according to senior captain, Ashlyn Callan. “We’re still training hard; lift-

ing [weights] either once or twice a week,” Callan said. “It’s interesting for me to see because our team is so young this year, so compared to previous years we’re staying much more motivated.” The final girls volleyball tournament match of the season will take place on Oct. 20 against Independence High School in San Jose. Following this is the last league game of the season on Oct. 23 against Homestead High School. If the team continues its hard work the next couple of weeks, competing in the CCS playoffs is feasible, according to head coach Benji Saetang. “For the record that we currently have, I believe we will be in the Open Division (top level) of CCS playoffs,” Saetang said. “You never know what will happen. Expect the unexpected and prepare for the best outcome.” Sophomore, Kylie Mies is excited for playoffs to begin because of the new factors that come with it. “League can get a little monotonous at times because we play the same teams and lose our spirit,” Mies said. “New teams are so exciting. The whole team is putting a lot of effort in improving, so if we continue to work hard, I think we will do well in CCS.”

Although participating and performing their best in the playoffs is a main goal of the team, Coach Saetang is more focused on the players general improvement of skills. “The team’s main goal is to get better every day,” Saetang said. “At this point of the season, it’s not just about getting better for CCS playoffs. It’s about getting better for their upcoming club teams and the future seasons to come.”

“It’s interesting for me to see because our team is so young this year, so compared to previous years we’re staying much more motivated.” Ashlyn Callan Mies also supports the idea of working for goals far beyond playoffs, explaining the importance of a team connection. Mies said, “I think our main goal as a team is to connect with each other. We are all here because we want to represent our school and have fun.”

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS SPREAD

COMPETITIVE ATHLETES CONSI

STUDENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES OF BALANCING

t’s no secret that all students learn diﬀerently. Some students are better with handson assignments, while others prefer to read the textbook. However, some students find

that they are more successful by changing their education environment all together. Home schooling provides an alternative for many to complete their education in a way that suits them best.

Home schooling can appear in many different forms. For some students, it means taking online classes; for others, it means enrolling in private schools where classes are one-

on-one with a teacher either at a school or in their home. Students decided to start home schooling for many different reasons. In some families, it is the parents’ choice; in

others, students are the first to bring it up. Overall, homescholing allows more time to focus on high level sports or an activity that requires a more flexible schedule.

COBY SHPILBERG

“

rom a young age, sophomore Coby Shpilberg recalls lying on his skateboard and rolling down hills in his neighborhood. This enjoyable childhood pastime would eventually lead him to discover his passion for luge, a winter sport where up to two athletes slide down tracks on sleds at speeds up to 90 mph. “My dad happened to be on a flight with the US National Luge Team, who at the time were making their way to Sochi for the 2014 [Winter] Olympics,” Shpilberg said. “He thought I might be interested, so he asked how I could try out. After going through a series of tryouts, they decided that I was good enough to start training.” Though luge is a winter sport, success in the competition season is a reflection of the rigorous training throughout the year, ac-

If you are a competitive athlete that is away for much of the year, online school is a great alternative to regular high school.

“

COBY SHPILBERG

hile online schooling has allowed Shpilberg to achieve his goals as a competitive athlete, when presented with a somewhat similar opportunity, junior Chesnie Cheung chose a diﬀerent path. As a child, Cheung enrolled in swimming classes she quickly excelled. At the age of 6, she learned how to swim in just two months. Her ability to quickly catch on made it clear that she would come to succeed in similar sports in the future. At this point Cheung wanted to do more than simply swimming across the pool. Cheung became bored with the concept of swimming back and forth and decided to search for another option. Looking for more, Cheung began to participate in synchronized swimming. She enrolled at the Santa

Although home schooling would have allowed me to focus more on synchro, I would be missing out oWWn so many other experiences.

“

CHESNIE CHEUNG

are expected to maintain an especially strong upper body, as well as overall fitness and flexibility. Strengths in these areas are particularly helpful at the start of the race. When athletes are able to control their acceleration. If the start is well-executed, the athlete can gain an advantage and is likely to achieve a faster overall time, according to Shpilberg. Along with committing to intense year-round training, athletes who race must travel frequently for both training and competitions. The constant need to be away from school eventually caused Shpilberg, now a member of the U.S. National Junior Team, to transfer from Paly to an online school.

“In eighth grade, I moved up a team and was away for about 12 weeks of the year,” Shpilberg said. “I was still able to go to Jordan Middle School because I was able to keep up with my work while I was away. In

ninth grade, I was invited to go away for about 20 weeks, which were mostly all during second semester. I was able to go to Paly for the first semester [...] but for the second semester I would’ve been away longer than I would have been at school. This forced me to transfer to online school.” Although Shpilberg said he knew he would miss his friends and Paly, he decided to proceed

with alternate schooling in order to focus on his sport. The inflexible demands of training can be met more easily now that Shpilberg takes online classes. When in Palo Alto, he can wake up late, do schoolwork at his own pace and spend time with friends he is normally unable to see due to constant travelling. While away, Shpilerg’s schedule is tighter and does not allow for much more than the long hours of training. “My normal day when I was travelling usually consists of waking up around 6

a.m. then training until 1 p.m. when we get a lunch break,” Shpilberg said. “Then we would train some more. Our days usually end late

and we are left with little time to complete homework.” Shpilberg said online school has been beneficial because it allows him to pursue his goals as a competitive athlete while completing the learning that is required at this age. “Now as I am away a little more than half the year,” Shpilberg said. He said online school makes it a lot easier to get all his school work done. “The pros of online school are that it can be done anywhere and anytime and that it allows for significantly more sleep. The cons are that you are pretty much learning out of a textbook and the lack of social contact with other kids during school time,” Shpilberg said. Despite the few cons, Shpilberg said he finds online school to be a good option for athletes who travel often in order to compete at higher levels in their sport. Shpilberg said, “I would not recommended online school to the normal student. However, if you are a competitive athlete that is away for much of the year, it is a great alternative to regular high school.”

CHESNIE CHEUNG

“

cording to Shpilberg. Those who do luge

Clara Aquamaids club, a Bay Area club for competitive synchronized swimming. Synchronized swimming incorporates aspects of gymnastics and dance into swimming. The sport is very comp l e x containing both an athletic and artistic performance that requires athletes to master technical skills and overcome mental obstacles. Synchronized swimmers

must be flexible and in peak athletic condition to perform their routines. Hours are spent in the pool practicing their routines. However, they are also spent in the gym increasing fitness levels and strength. Along with this, athletes must have a good sense of tempo, pacing and rhythm so that they are able to synchronize with their teammates throughout their complicated routines. Cheung spent eight years of her life competing as a synchro-

nized swimmer and in this time, her and her teammates won several championships on both the national and international level. After competing with the U.S. national synchronized swimming team, Cheung said she faced a diﬃcult choice that forced her to decide between her academic career and her path as a competitive athlete. “I was on the national team for three years and was oﬀered a spot to be on the training squad to be an Olympian for the United States,” Cheung said.

“ H o w e v e r, this oﬀer was given to me at the young age of 11 years old.” Cheung said she realized that if she were to accept the opportunity to begin Olympic training at such a young age, not only would her education be impacted significantly, but she would also be giving up much of her adolescent experiences such as building strong friendships and learning valuable life lessons.

“If I was to become a synchronized swimming Olympian, sure it would be an amazing accomplishment, but the effort put in would not have been worth it for me, and my future would be solely based on this sport,” Cheung said. “I didn’t want my life to be based on this one aspect, and I wanted to pursue an

academic career rather than a synchronized swimming career,” Cheung said. If Cheung had accepted the opportunity to train for the Olympics, she said there is no doubt that she would have had to give up attending traditional school and opt for online courses throughout some of her middle school career and all of high

school. According to Cheung, if she were to do home schooling rather than traditional schooling, she would miss out on making good friends and developing good communication and social skills that would be necessary to succeed in the future. The thought of having to switch to online school in order to compete at this level was a deal breaker for Cheung, who values her education and school experiences. “I don’t like the concept of home schooling in general because I feel like a big part of growing up is to have the high school experience of meeting new people and making best friends,” Cheung said. “A l t h o u g h home schooling would have allowed me to focus more on synchro, I would be missing out on so many other experiences.” Cheung said she moved on from synchronized swimming when entering high school and now competes on Paly’s water polo team which allows her to fulfill her goals as both an athlete and student. Cheung is now able to balance both aspects of her life. She continues to excel in both athletics and academics.

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPORTS SPREAD

IDER ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING

G SCHOOL WITH DEMANDING, COMPETITIVE SPORTS DESIGN BY: NOAH BAUM, KAAHINI JAIN & KIANA TAVAKOLI

TEXT BY: KAAHINI JAIN & KIANA TAVAKOLI

Cole’s sports schedule was another reason that drove her towards online home schooling. “I decided to get home schooled [because] it opened up my schedule to things I could never have done being in school,” Cole said. She plays soccer competitively, which takes up lots of her time. She is also interested in horseback riding and her flexible schedule allows her to pursue that as well. “Normally if I went to school I wouldn’t be able to do so much because it would be too much,” Cole said. Since the school is online, she can get her education anywhere where there is WiFi. “It’s basically like a big field trip,” Cole said. However, as relaxed as it may seem because she gets to stay home more, home schooling comes with some struggles. With no teacher to remind her about assignments and no immediate due dates to meet, losing track of time only gets easier. “I have to be very self-motivated,” Cole said. “I have to make sure to finish all my assignments on time.” I n

fact, unlike students in traditional high schools who try to wake up as late as p o s sible,

Cole said she usually wakes up around 6 a.m. Cole said for students who need a more rigid schedule, home schooling is not the right option.

Another negative aspect of home schooling is the student’s social life. With no other students around you for the majority of each day, the isolation becomes a bad habit for some. However, the stereotype of a home schooled student being a very sheltered introvert does not hold true for everyone. Cole said she is still in touch with all her f riends f r o m school. She is also close with soccer teammates. Because of home schooling, she is able to spend more time at her stable and get to know the other riders there. “I am a very social, extroverted person, so when I first went home schooled, it was rough,” Cole said. To help with the transition and shock of not being around others as much, she joined youth groups and inviting friends over more often to stay connected with her peers. “But, yes, it is a bit harder because you have to make an eﬀort. You don’t

just wake up every morning and see your friends,” Cole said. Despite these drawbacks Cole said there is joy in the freedom and diversity of classes she can enroll in.

“

I decided to get home schooled [because] it opened up my schedule to things I could never have done being in school.

ELLA COLE

She now has the opportunity to take classes that appeal to her more such as sewing and CPR. This year she is taking a cooking class. “I was sick of the rat race of school,” Cole said. According to Cole, having a more relaxed school life is beneficial for her. There are also more luxuries that home schooling provides Cole that high school life didn’t always permit. Cole said, “I get to wear my PJs or whatever I want every day.”

AVA EHTESHAMI people think of home schooling, they usually imagine kids getting tutored by their parents on their dining room table. In reality, home schooling can take on many diﬀerent forms. “[I’m] not exactly home schooled by my parents [...] but it’s the same concept,” Esteshami said. Some students prefer the traditional way, being taught by their parents or their home schooling tu-

tors. But some students, especially athletes like Ehteshami, enroll themselves in an online program. There is also the third option for home school-

ing school in which the classes are one-on-one. These kinds of programs usually have more flexible schedules to accomodate studentathletes or people with challenging schedules. In addition to the scheduling flexibilities that home schooling provides, the online aspect of the school helps as well. Online education can be done almost anywhere, which is especially useful for Esteshami when she travels. “Some [athletes] travel to competitions [which] causes attendance prob-

lems at school so home schooling can be a good choice for them,” said Karen Taylor, the director of Cedar Life Academy. “Those students often select an online program that has the flexibility to be worked on anywhere

and at any time,” Taylor said. Cedar Life Academy participates in PSP and is not a typical school with teachers and students. It is used by families that use home schooling methods to help them get teaching materials. It also helps students by making sure they are meeting all the California Education Law requirements and keeping their transcripts in check. However, the school does not actually teach students. Ehteshami’s online schooling has many benefits in addition to being able to work on it anywhere. “I get to learn at my own pace,” Ehteshami said. “If I don’t understand something I can work on it more and if I’m understanding a concept I can go quickly over it.” This aspect also requires much responsibility because she will have to learn everything independently, without a teacher or classmates to ask for help.

However, like many others, Ehteshami does

not find the home schooling situation perfect. “A [negative aspect] would be [that] I don’t get to hang out with my friends at school all the time,” Ehteshami said. “Of course I hang out with them when I’m not travelling and on weekends but it would be nice to see people at school everyday.” But for Ehteshami, it’s worth it.

“

I get to learn at my own pace. If I don’t understand something I can work on it more and if I understand a concept I can go quickly over it.

AVA EHTESHAMI

“The horse shows are all over the West Coast,” Ehteshami said. “So overall, home schooling was the best for me so I could still get a good educat i o n while being an athlete.” Estheshami said, “I think if you want to be at a top level of any sport, home schooling is the way to go because of all the travelling.”

“

er day starts at 7 a.m. sharp. For the next four hours she is vigorously practicing, riding her horse at the stables. Already, regular high school is not an option. Because of her schedule, junior Ava Ehteshami opted to get a home education instead of enrolling in regular high school. After practice, she comes home and does school work through an online home schooling program. She spends four to five hours on this daily. “I ride six days a week in the mornings,” Esteshami said. And that is just for the weeks that she’s in town. The biggest reason Esteshami decided to be home schooled is because her sport requires her to travel for competitons. “I go to five to ten horse shows a year that are one or two weeks long,” Ehteshami said. Because of her demanding equestrian schedule, the best way for her to stay on top of school while growing in her sport was online school. According to Ehteshami, many riders at her stable are trying to become professional riders. Concequently, many of her stablemates are home schooled. There are a lot of misconceptions around home schooling, Ehteshami said. When most

ELLA COLE

“

enior Ella Cole, who has been home schooled for two and a half years, signs up for classes online and takes part in the Private School Satellite Program (PSP), which is aﬃliated with a public high school nearby. There are many schools in the Bay Area, both public and private, that participate in this program. It’s essentially an extension of the school. PSP helps Cole keep track of her classes and ensures she completes the California Education Law class requirements. It also helps keep all her transcripts in line. Cole has many hobbies that teenagers enjoy such as soccer, horseback riding and cooking. In order to enjoy as many activities as possible and to dodge the stereotypical high school social norms, she decided to start home schooling during the second semester of freshman year. According to the website a2zhomeschooling.com, 1,600 high school students in the U.S. opted to leave regular school and start home schooling last year. Cole was one of them, and unlike some, she had more than one reason to start a home education. Since one of the reasons was her disappreciation for the high school environment, she opted to enroll in an online school instead of a one-on-one school or taking classes at a community college.

ART BY: FRIDA RIVERA

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPORTS

Former professional soccer player coaches young athletes

Alberto Luna, who used to play for the San Jose Earthquakes, encourages diversity in Palo Alto teams By Alyssa Leong Photo Editor

ith minutes left on the clock, Beto Luna encourages his team, the

Blizzards. “Come on guys!” he yells, cheering his team on from the sidelines as it makes a final push into the attacking third of the field. Stanford Soccer Club coach Alberto “Beto” Luna is no newbie when it comes to soccer, especially in the Bay Area; he has played professional soccer on five teams, including the San Jose Earthquakes, and has been coaching the sport for over 20 years. Luna was a student at Foothill College when he was first recruited for the San Diego Sockers, an indoor soccer team considered one of the best in the nation. But he only played for the Sockers for half a season as he was married and had a son.

"I could say I’m probably the first person, or one of the first people, that started bringing the Latinos [into Palo Alto club teams].” Alberto Luna

“The pay for pros in those days was not much. Players with families like me had to have another income,” Luna said. “I came back and played for a team in San Francisco that was paying $200 per game.” Whilst on that team, Luna played against a team in San Mateo and won. The arena was run by the assistant coach of the San Jose Earthquakes. “He told me he liked my style of play, my quickness and how aggressive I was and still kept it a clean game,” Luna said. Luna said he was then invited to play for the Earthquakes the following season without trying out, and he accepted. After he played for the Earthquakes, Luna coached in Milwaukee before returning to California to finish his professional career with the Chico Rooks, which is no longer a team. However, Luna didn’t get a real start in his Palo Alto coaching career until he was contacted by a mother looking for a soccer coach for her kid. Luna, who is Latino, coached his oldest son in American Youth

Soccer Organization (AYSO). A few years later, he got a call from one of the moms from his son’s team, who asked Luna to coach her son’s team in Palo Alto. “When I came to Palo Alto, there were not that many Latino kids playing,” Luna said, explaining how other Latino kids thought they wouldn’t be able to afford the Palo Alto Soccer Club (PASC), where he was coaching at the time. However, Luna said he showed them they were eligible for scholarships and started encouraging more Latino kids to join. “I could say I’m probably the first person, or one of the first people, that started bringing the Latinos [into Palo Alto club teams],” Luna said. According to Luna, some of the Latino kids have told him that being on a soccer team encouraged them to stay in school and stay away from gangs and drugs. They also tell him that if it wasn’t for him, they might have been in jail or even dead. “When you hear a full grown man say those things with tears in their eyes, it’s an awesome feeling you can’t explain,” Luna said. “It makes you keep trying to help more kids.” He said he likes to think his bringing these players into PASC brought it up from a class three club to a more competitive class one club. Luna’s first team went on a tour of Europe, playing tournaments in Denmark, Norway and England. He said the trip was a good experience for the team. His students started telling other athletes to join Luna’s team, and kids flocked in from all over the Bay Area, including Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Hayward, Oakland, Newark, Fremont and South San Jose.

“I tell [kids] that if they stay in school, they have a very big chance of becoming pros.” Alberto Luna

After 20 years, Luna switched from Palo Alto Soccer Club to the Stanford Soccer Club team, where he currently coaches 8 and 9-yearold girls and 14 and 15-year-old boys. All of Luna’s own children are involved in soccer somehow. His oldest son, Armando, who is 37,

BETO LUNA/USED WITH PERMISSION

Beto Luna in his former professional soccer days dribbles the ball down the field while being chased by an opposing team member. was a coaching director for Palo Alto and now helps out with the Stanford United Soccer Club. His 25-year-old son Gio coaches at the Stanford United Soccer Club and 20-year old-daughter Krystal coaches at both the Santa Rosa United Soccer Club and the Santa Rosa Junior College teams. Luna’s youngest son, who is 15, was playing for the San Jose Earthquakes Academy, but has now moved to the Barcelona Academy in Arizona. Luna’s own coaching style closely resembles the training he received when he was a professional, as he reuses some drills. “When I started coaching soccer … I took everything that I liked from all the coaches that I had before,” Luna said. “I showed the kids the practices and the drills, all that stuff, but I kinda changed them a little. The ones that I didn’t like, I put them aside.” As for his treatment of students, Luna likes to think of himself as fair. “I treat the kids the same, I don’t have any favorites, [because] if you start doing that… you have problems in the team,” Luna said. “I joke around with everybody, but I treat them the same.” Paly students who had Luna as

Students juggle three sports “Tri-sport athletes” balance rigorous training with daily life

KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Paul Thie is a tri-sport athlete who plays football, baseball and soccer.

By Lara Nakamura Senior Staff Writer

f all the students at Palo Alto High School, over 1,200 participated in at least one sport last year. However, according to Athletic Director, Therren Wilburn, only two standalone Vikings currently compete in three school sports. Participating in one sport each season, these athletes don’t have any days off. Senior Paul Thie is used to the rigor of everyday practices and weekly games; he grew up with sports as the main part of his life. “I have been playing soccer and baseball the longest,” Thie said. “I started when I was around six. I played American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) until I was about nine, then I started to play club soccer.” Participating in football, soccer and baseball every year since ninth grade has brought new competition, different priorities and a new sport into Thie’s life. Going into freshman year, tackle football was new to Thie, as his parents hadn’t let him play the high contact sport when he was younger. Now easily recognizable as number 11 under the Friday night

lights, Thie was pulled up from junior varsity to varsity football for the playoffs his sophomore year. Another key player of the varsity football team is senior linebacker Wes Walters. Along with playing football in the fall, Walters plays basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring. Walters said he favors the fall grind of football for its strong team bond and the close relationships he has with his teammates. As football continues its best record of the last five years and basketball finishing close to a statetitle its last two seasons, Walters highlights that the time on a team isn’t only playing together, but succeeding together. Playing sports year-round makes time management a critical aspect of the athletes’ lives. Balancing school work, sports and a social life can be a struggle, according to Thie. Thie said this struggle is especially strenuous during the fall, when football practices run later and games fill up every Friday. “I get home at around 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., which makes me lose around two and half hours of studying or socializing [time],” Thie said. These extra long hours even

cut into the next season. Going into a new season of sports, even before tryouts start, many teams have preseason trainings, open gyms or workouts. However, as they are finishing off their seasons of the previous sport, Thie and Walters often miss this critical period of the preseason for the next sport. Aside from football preseason, which runs throughout the summer, Thie is forced to miss preseason training and large parts of the tryouts for soccer and baseball. Between the fall and the winter, football’s Central Coast Section competition has interfered with soccer tryouts. “I only had two days to tryout [last year],” Thie said. “This put a lot of pressure on me to perform.” The same situation occurred between the winter and the spring, as Thie transitioned from the soccer season to baseball season. “It was the same deal — I only had a couple of days to tryout for the team because of how late the soccer season went,” Thie said. “It’s hard to get used to this because I literally don’t even have one day to rest.” Despite having no rest days, competing year round has its upsides. When picking a favorite season of play, Thie couldn’t just choose one. “I don’t have a true favorite sport,” Thie said. “When it’s baseball season, it’s baseball. When it’s football season, it’s football, etc.” According to Thie, competing in three different sports throughout the year only drives him to improve his performance. Thie said, “Competing year round gives me a constant challenge to try and beat kids that only play that one sport the entire year. [Playing three sports] gives me less time to focus on each one, so going up against kids that play year round is a lot of fun.”

a coach speak to his fun side, citing inside jokes within the team. “[Luna] always talked about Oregon and a championship tournament that we had in Oregon,” senior Luc Pardehpoosh said. “All he really talked about was Oregon with us, so we had a joke in the team about Oregon. He’s kind of a meme in our team.” Jokes aside, Paly students credit Luna for being a disciplined and encouraging coach. “I thought he was a very helpful coach to me and the team,” senior Juan Aguila said. “He would always tell us to do better … We knew he was making us into better players.” “He made us sprint a lot, but he was cool,” Pardehpoosh said. “Beto was a very disciplined coach who liked things done a certain way,” senior Nathan Seto said. “We would train hard, but when we performed well, he would reward us. One day I would love to play soccer under him in Oregon.” Luna is also very clear about separating the actions of parents with the actions of their player’s. He said if he had a bad relationship with a parent due to a disagreement in his teaching styles, he makes sure this doesn’t affect

how he treats their child. Additionally, Luna makes sure to move up the players who are above others in their level. “[The Stanford Soccer club is] not like a lot of coaches or a lot of clubs in the area that don’t wanna let the kids go [because] supposedly our team will ‘get weak,’” Luna said. “We’re not here for us. We’re here for the kids; we’re here to develop them.” His experience in the sport, he said, has helped him push young

“Don’t hold back. Don’t let anybody change your mind, think for yourself… keep going, don’t give up.” Alberto Luna

athletes to do their best. “For me it’s easy to do that, because I’ve been through that already,” Luna said. “I went from club teams all the way to the professional teams. So for me it’s easy to push a kid and not hold them back.” Although Luna encourages his students to persevere athletically, he encourages working hard

academically as well. “I usually use myself as an example,” Luna said. “I tell [kids] that if they stay in school, they have a very big chance of becoming pros.” He said the U.S. is the only country in the world that looks for college athletes to play professionally. “School is very important, because if they don’t make it as a pro athlete, they will have a career to fall back to,” Luna said. Luna’s advice for aspiring athletes is to just go for it, regardless of what anyone says. He said he’s seen jealousy between friends, coaches and even parents, which can hold players back in terms of their success as an athlete. “If you wanna become a pro, it’s not easy; it’s not easy at all,” Luna said. “There’s gonna be so many challenges, but if you stick to it and you really think you can do it, just stay on it.” As a final piece of advice, Luna recommends athletes should always play at their level and persevere. Luna said, “Don’t hold back. Don’t let anybody change your mind, think for yourself … Keep going, don’t give up.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SPORTS

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Alberto Ruiz gives a presentation in a Sports Literature class. This is one of many classes in the Sports Career Pathway, which is open to all students. The classes introduce students to different aspects of sports.

Sports career pathway offers a chance to explore industry Multitude of classes available focus on many different aspects, skills in world of athletics By Henry Queen Senior Staff Writer

any students are unaware that Paly offers a wide range of classes that can prepare them for a career in today’s ever-expanding sports industry. Most prominently, there is a “Sports Career Pathway” that provides an in-depth introduction to the industry, including hands-on work experience. Students can take advantage of the three main branches in the pathway: medicine, business and journalism. All of these classes are different ways that someone could earn a living in the sports industry. Unlike other pathways at Paly, students need not commit to the entire pathway in order to take the

classes within it. These classes are open to everyone, not just athletes. A unique feature of the Sports Career Pathway is its emphasis on preparing students for future work experience. For example, Getting into the Game is a course designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore a multitude of sports careers in order to develop a clearer sense of the many options available. Another course titled Work Experience applies the skills learned from Getting into the Game, giving students the opportunity to spend their time working in the industry and gaining hands-on experience. Before students begin working, however, they must choose one of the three branches of the pathway to pursue, choosing be-

tween medicine, business or journalism. Classes in the Medicine branch such as Sports Medicine, Kinesiology and Sports Nutrition prepare students who are interested in career paths that deal with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries.

“I’ve always been passionate about sports, but never knew that I could express it through writing.” Seattle Hmelar

With these skills, one could become an athletic trainer, treat-

ing injured athletes both on and off the field, or a fitness trainer, helping athletes get into shape and stay healthy. For those who love sports but love to talk about them even more, classes such as Intro to Journalism, Sports Literature and Photography will provide them with the necessary tools to enter the journalism sector of the sports industry. Senior Seattle Hmelar, who took Sports Literature last year, said he may have found a potential career for himself in sports journalism. “I originally signed up for the class because I needed the credit, but as the year progressed I realized that I also had a passion for journalism,” Hmelar said. “I’ve always been passionate about sports, but never knew that I

could express it through writing.” While this type of work is what many normally associate with the sports industry, it’s not the only way to earn a living in sports. Classes such as Business Law, Design and Communication & Leadership teach students about the often underappreciated business side of the sports industry. In this sector, students learn the skills needed to become a general manager, sports agent, public relations assistant or marketing assistant. Many of the jobs in the sports industry are located behind the scenes in these positions, so those who are passionate about sports but more talented in business may find a nice equilibrium in this sector will fit right in here. When one combines their love

of sports with refined communication skills, they can become a sports commentator or a journalist, both of which come with increased access to the games and athletes. Sports Medicine teacher Stacey Kofman encourages all students to take a sports career class. “Students should be excited about careers in the sports industry, from being coaches to agents, fitness coaches to medical providers, and front office staff to team presidents and CEOs,” Kofman said. “Even if one is not intent on a career in sports, I would still recommend my sports med class or another sports career class. You may want to go into medicine, physical therapy or exercise sciences, and the Sports Med class, specifically, gives you some background knowledge.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 19, 2018

SP RTS

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

ALL PHOTOS BY DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSIION

Photographers capture monumental sports moments with click of a button

aren Hickey, started her photography journey in high school and college. At that point, she wasn’t serious about the craft but had a natural eye for photo composition because of her fine arts background.

TO CAN O H P E L “A SING R THE E W E I V SHOW A THIN THE I W Y T U BEA S E DETAIL H T . . . T SPOR T SEE IN ’ N A C U ... YO E.” REAL LIF

KAREN

HICKEY

Then, like many parents, when their kids started playing sports, she was on the sidelines carrying a camera, ready to capture her kids’ victories. She said she was surprised how well her photos turned out, decided to upgrade her equipment, take a sports photography class and challenge herself to learn new techniques including how to tell an effective story with pictures. She’s now a professional photographer and recently had a photo published by National Geographic showing the Paly football team on the field during the National Anthem under a colorful sky. For Hickey, the power of photography lies in telling stories like these. “I look to tell a story because if a publication is going to use a photo, then my photo needs to illustrate that story and emotion,” Hickey said. “A single photo can show a viewer the beauty within the sport – all the hard work, the raw emotion and all the details in the movement that you can’t see in real life or sometimes even in a video.” It is not just a coincidence that humans are drawn to action. Our brains have evolved to be intrigued by it, according to photography teacher Margo Wixsom. “Consider how old sports

are,” Wixsom said. “Since the beginning of civilization almost every culture has created some form of sport that is an expression of community identity, value and engagement. There are several great videos on brain science that postulate that the human attention to movement that goes back to our evolutionary development as predator and prey. So I believe that we are hard-wired for movement and action, and sports photography capitalizes on that innate quality of human vision and cultural interest.” Therefore, whether the photographer snaps the winning goal or a player’s reaction after a loss, these authentic moments can be alluring and captivating to all. However, taking the perfect action shot requires much more than just clicking a button. It takes an extensive amount of skill and practice. According to Wixsom, one might take 100 pictures, but only end up with one or two usable ones. Sports are action packed with little to no down time, meaning that for photographers, every second counts.

“SPO RTS P HOTO CAPIT GRAP ILIZE HY S ON INNA THAT TE QU A LITY HUMA OF N VIS I ON A CULT ND URAL INTER EST.” M

ARGO

WIXS

“ Being in the right spot at t h e right time is the most challenging for me. I’m always worried that I won’t get that one great play, and sometimes I don’t,” Hickey said. “I might miss it entirely, or the [referee] or a player is in the way. I can’t guess what action will happen and where, so I have to always be ready.” Even though missing an

important play is disappointing, there is always something exciting they can capture. “What I’ve learned is that if I miss the shot, there’s so much more happening that some of those photos can be just as good - the celebration, the crowd reaction or the coach patting the player on the back,” Hickey said. Another way sports photographers ensure they get the right shot is through senses such as hearing. One may hear things like a secondary reaction from the crowd or a cheer. One way junior yearbook photographer Grace Thayer has maximized the amount of photos she is able to get during a game is through knowledge of the sport being played. “When taking sports photos first and foremost you have to understand the sport,” Thayer said. “You need to know where the ball is headed and where the game is going.” According to Thayer, even with most understanding and experience of the game, it is almost impossible to get action shots without the right equipment. Equipment can make or break a photo. Sports photos in particular require special lenses that allow for quick auto focus and a high shutter speed to match up with the immense amount of movement during a single play. “For more professional sports photography, a good quality DSLR [digital singlelens reflex] with a 55-300mm lenses allows you to compose great sports images,” Wixsom said. “Most sports photographers use burst mode that automatically takes multiple frames in a single second.” However, professional cameras aren’t the only way to take quality sports photos. Cameras on smartphones have been improving with every launch, and have developed impressive cameras. “You can do some simple techniques like panning with your cell phone and get good results,” Wixsom said. “Panning is when you move the camera to follow the action and press the shutter — it

TEXT & DESIGN EMILY ASHER ART BY MIRANDA LI DESIGN BY BERNIE KOEN

blurs the background and focuses on one art of the moving subject creating a very interesting depth of field. Blurred background in a photo composition connects with our own visual experience seeing movement in which you can only track one thing and the surrounding background, middleground and foreground are out of focus.”

“WHEN SPORTS TAKING FIRST A PHOTOS MOST Y ND FOREOU UNDER HAVE TO S THE SP TAND ORT.” GRACE THAYER With the right cameras and equipment, photographers can obtain the flexibility they need to get different angles and visuals. This allows photographers to use their own strategies and techniques, making each picture unique to the photographer’s style. Switching up the angles and viewpoints are just some of the ways to create different visuals. “I look for a variety of angles and try to find something unique if it’s something I do often — get behind the action, get high, get low, s h o o t tight,” Hickey said. “I try for p e a k action —

when they are hitting, catch- challenges and they do it being, running. I try to catch fac- cause they love it,” Wixom es and the ball all in the same said. “That is one thing that I shot - then the viewer knows wish Paly students could better understand — learning or exactly what is happening.” Others, such as senior Vi- doing something because it king Magazine photographer brings you deep personal satJason Shorin, shoot from as isfaction and joy.” low as they can, making athletes appear more powerful. They also position themselves ITin front of the play so that A R T they can capture details POR FEELS O G N S I such as facial expres“TAKE PHOTO TABLE TEL sions. LIK OMFOR SE I FE Details like these create intriguing photos that UNC BECAU TAKINGKE local publications or nation ME IKE I’M OF FA wide magazines like Sports L URES TS.” Illustrated use. PICT MOMEN Through the spontaneous and unplanned moments, IN HOR sports photos reveal a snapshot S N of a story line or play, making JASO the photo feel original and individual, according to Shorin. “I actually enjoy taking Sports photography not pictures of nature sporadically along with sports photography only brings joy and happiness because I feel like the pic- to the photographer, but also tures I take are more real and to the players working hard on genuine,” Shorin said. “Taking the field. “Sports photography is portrait-like photos feels uncomfortable to me because I important because you are feel like I’m taking pictures of catching some of the most raw emotions, and honestly every fake moments.” Whether sports photogra- athlete wants their winning phers take pictures for a living game shot captured,” Thayer or as a hobby, they all have one said. “You have to just pick and thing in common: their love choose who to take a photo of in that moment, and somefor photography. “A great sports photogra- times you pick wrong, but pher has to really enjoy what when you get that one picture, it’s worth it.” they do to surmount t h e