Issue 4, 11/13/2017

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

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. C, No. 4

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

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2017

www.thecampanile.org

Car incidents arise in span of two days Civility policy stirs Unidentified man speeds through campus, students drive through oil spill

up controversy

By Renee Hoh

I

News & Opinion Editor

n hopes of promoting orderly conduct and alleviating tensions between parents and teachers, the teachers union has proposed that the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) adopt a Civility Policy.

Put forth by the Palo Alto Educators Association (PAEA), such a policy aims to make official any concerns with inappropriate behavior, according to union officials. Locally, Los Altos Unified School district adopted their civility policy over a decade ago, outlining appropriate action for disruptions and proper documentation of such an incident.

Put forth by the Palo Alto Educators Association (PAEA), such a policy aims to officialize any concerns with inappropriate behavior.

DAMION VALENCIA/USED WITH PERMISSION

A car containing five Paly varsity football players crashed into a tree after hydroplaning due to oil and rain on Alma and Churchill.

By Vivian Feng Lifestyle Editor

J

ust days after a terrorist rammed into a busy New York bicycle path, killing eight people, Palo Alto High School students had their own close calls with rogue vehicles. In one incident last Monday, an unidentified motorist sped through campus and onto Embarcadero Road, nearly hitting students on their lunch break. Two days earlier, five Paly varsity football players were involved in a car accident within blocks of the school, injuring two of the players.

The case of the speeding car was a startling reminder of the

vulnerabilities that accompany an open campus like Paly, where anyone can freely drive through the school’s roadways and parking lots.

“The parking lot is open, and so it's not restricted,” said Palo Alto Police Officer Brad Young.

“There's no blockade to prevent traffic from coming into the parking lot.”

Although the incident in New York occurred on an exposed area directly along a major thoroughfare, the potential for a reckless drive-through on an open campus does exist.

Two Paly campus supervisors, Scott Reese and Carl Hubenthal, instantly sensed the hazards posed

by the errant driver. They saw the unidentified man behind the Performing Arts Center suspiciously banging on the roof of his car.

Hubenthal attempted to approach the man but the man sped off in the car towards the back of the foreign language building­ , and then back towards the exit of the parking lot.

“It just seemed like he lost his temper,” Reese said. “He threw the car in reverse, hit the accelerator real hard, and hit the curb at a fair speed. He went down about 50 feet or so down the curb breaking pieces of the concrete of the curb, turned into the cyclone fence right off the curb area.”

Reese recalled holding back

students, with Hubenthal, from the reckless car.

“Then, he was able to U-turn and go back towards the crosswalk to head towards the students and us at about 35 to 40 miles an hour,” Reese said.

The unidentified man proceeded to speed onto Embarcadero and cut off traffic. Many students took videos of the car speeding through campus, which were later turned into Principal Kimberly Diorio and the Palo Alto Police Department.

The police “reviewed surveillance video, and we were able to get a license plate number,” Diorio

In an email representing the views of the PAEA Executive Board sent by PAEA President Teri Baldwin, the Board wrote, “A Civility Policy is not specifically for parents; it is for all stakeholders in the District. The discussions about this policy began a couple years ago. A number of staff members expressed a desire to put into writing some of the expectations

Car Incidents A3

and norms that help everyone maintain respectful, productive relationships.”

Instances of stakeholders “emailing teachers upwards of 15 times in a night,” “showing up in a classroom unannounced, without checking into the office and refusing to leave the classroom” and “yelling during meetings” have catalyzed the proposal of this policy, according to the PAEA Board.

But brash emails sent by upset parents may just be miscommunication, according to Kindel Launer, Paly English teacher and parent.

“The first reaction when you receive an email that has a lot of energy in it, and perhaps [might feel] hostile or personal against you when you first read it, does take your breath away,” Launer said. “Once you get past that, then it becomes a parent that is really concerned about their child.

For myself, I try to remember the times when I’ve been so concerned about my child. I try to take a step back and go, ‘alright, what does this parent really trying to communicate to me?’”

While existing policies entitle students and their families to file Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) complaints, which initiate investigations into allegations of unlawful harassment or discrimination, the Civility Policy intends to everyday interactions, according to the PAEA Board.

“This policy is designed as a way to help maintain courteous,

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Board searches for new superintendent Bill provides free year of community college District to review proposals of four consulting search firms California becomes third state to pay for first year of tuition

By Byron Zhang

T

Staff Writer

he Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education has selected four firms as semifinal candidates to search for a new District Superintendent for the 2018-19 school year.

The firms will present their proposals during a Board meeting on Nov. 28 and will select one final search firm on Nov. 29.

“Your district is a community with people that are really successful,” said Peggy Lynch, a partner in Leadership Associates, PAUSD's search firm for the past four superintendents. “[They] often study at university levels and [are] high demanding so we had high expectations.”

According to Board President Terry Godfrey, the firms keep in touch with superintendents from the entire nation, and would reach out to people who would make a good superintendent in Palo Alto.

In order to obtain a contract with PAUSD, the firms need to include a resume of their experiences working with school districts and the expected time and cost for the

search process in their proposals.

“We will ask [the firms] about the superintendents that they have placed and how long they have stayed on their jobs, so we can get a picture of their success in doing prior searches for other districts,” Godfrey said.

The firms will present their proposals during an open-session Board meeting on Nov. 28.

In addition, Godfrey said the Board prefers the firms to have past experience working with high-performance districts similar to PAUSD with a basic-aid financial plan, through which districts receive all of their generalpurpose revenue from property taxes rather than state funds. Only 10 percent of California school districts are basic-aid districts.

“What is important is where the firms have placed other superintendents, so they understand the way a district works,” Godfrey said. “It’s nice to have a firm like that, but it’s not required.”

According to Godfrey, the selected firm will then go to focus groups and interview community members, students, staff and administrators to find out what kind of superintendent they prefer.

Subsequently, the firm will try to find candidates who fit the profile of student preferences. The Board will make the final selection of the new superintendent.

Besides candidates contacted by the firm, Godfrey said candidates who have past experiences as a superintendent or an assistant superintendent can apply.

It is unknown whether Interim Superintendent Karen Hendricks will apply as a superintendent candidate for the 2018-19 school year, according to Vicky Lao, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent.

“Some applicants might want to apply confidentially,” Godfrey said. “They can learn more about the job through the search firm.”

District members can also find a detailed timeline of the superintendent search process on the PAUSD website. The Board expects to hire a new superintendent by July 1, 2018, according to Godfrey.

Special education documents rescinded

U.S. Department of Education retracts clarifying guidelines

By Waverly Long

A

Staff Writer

lthough the U.S. Department of Education recently rescinded 72 documents that protect the rights of disabled students, two special education teachers say Palo Alto High School is expected to continue to protect and expand those rights.

The documents the Department of Education rescinded on Oct. 21 provided guidance and details on rules and regulations schools must follow in order to ensure students with special needs are given an appropriate education. For example, one of the documents the department rescinded

INSIDE

clarified how federal funds can be used for special education.

The Department of Education claims the change will not have a negative impact on special education students.

Though the rules and regulations the documents outlined are still enforced and the Department of Education claims the change will not have a negative impact on special education students, some people are concerned that without

the documents to provide clear guidance, it may be more difficult to adhere to these rules. Ultimately, the fear is that this will result in special education students being deprived of their right to an appropriate education.

“My understanding of these 72 rescinded documents [is that they] don’t necessarily change the law, but could create more confusion about how special education law is intended to be enforced,” said Laura Bricca, a Paly special education teacher and instructional leader for special education.

“I think our attorneys are likely going to be more challenged with having to interpret the law be-

Opinion

Special Ed A3

Data adapted from Paly Naviance

EDAN SNEH/THE CAMPANILE

By Eric Li

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to offer the first year of community college for free, with Rhode Island and New York already offering similar options.

Despite Foothill College already having one of the nation’s cheapest community college programs at around $46 per unit, many of its students still struggle to pay the $1,100 tuition required for full-time enrollment, according to Foothill College.

The new bill aims to increase the number of people who enroll full-time and the amount of degrees earned.

According to Santiago, many

Sports Editor

ov. Jerry Brown signed a bill on Oct. 13 that would provide a free year of full-time community college enrollment to California students, effective from the 2018-19 school year.

Assembly Bill No. 19 (AB 19), originally proposed by Assemblyman Antonio Santiago, would waive the fees of any firsttime student looking to enroll in a community college full-time.

California will be the third state

are forced to join the workforce immediately after high school and can only attend college parttime.

By incentivizing more to enroll in community college full-time, more people will be able to earn degrees that allow them to work in specialized high-demand jobs.

“AB 19 is a catalyst for change and student success, and that is why our college district is a cosponsor of the bill,” said Foothill College President Thuy Nguyen.

“The bill has the ability to enable students to believe that college is possible.”

Prisoners escape from local courthouse

Two inmates fled from police custody by distracting deputy officer

By Navid Najmabadi

T

Staff Writer

wo inmates have evaded police custody after escaping the Santa Clara County Superior Court in Palo Alto on Nov. 6. Since then, two alleged accomplices have been found, but the inmates remain on the loose.

The inmates, East Palo Alto residents John Penn Bivins, 47, and Tramel Leon McCullough, 46, slipped away from the build-

Lifestyle

ing at around 9:30 a.m. Police arrested the accomplices, Marquita Kirk, 44, and Rene Hunt, 54, and charged them with conspiracy and accessory after the fact last Tuesday morning. According to sheriff department officials, Kirk had an ongoing relationship with McClough while Hunt arranged the getaway car and was described as an “associate” to one of the inmates. Both defendants escaped from the courtroom basement by distracting a sheriff ’s deputy af-

Spotlight

ter being escorted from the main courtroom.

Police officials said the inmates were chained before they somehow acquired handcuff keys.

They later left the scene in a getaway car, a Toyota Camry, before leaving the car for a U-Haul truck within two blocks, police said.

The two were set to appear in court for being linked to an armed robbery that occurred at SunnyContinued on thecampanile.org

Sports

this edition

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

KHADIJA ABID/THE CAMPANILE

Class participation

The class participation point system ought to be revised at Paly.

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KHADIJA ABID/THE CAMPANILE

Evolution of pearl milk tea

Take a look into how the trend has evolved throughout the ages.

PAGE B1

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU/PUBLIC DOMAIN

Special education at Paly

How the special ed track prepares students for the real world.

PAGE B4-B5

RIKI MALTESE/CC BY 2.0

Social media in sports

Explore the effects social media has on professional athletes.

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The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

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NEWS

The Centennial Report: 4th Edition

A look back to The Campanile’s November articles of the mid-1900s

California to legally recognize non-binary as a third gender

Many students have a positive response to California’s recognition

By Marie Davis

C

Senior Staff Writer

alifornia will become the second state to legally recognize a third gender starting Jan. 1, 2019. Signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 15, the Gender Recognition Act will allow residents to choose a “nonbinary” option on official documents, including birth certificates, IDs and driver’s licenses.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, non-binary is a category for gender identities that are not exclusively male or female.

THE CAMPANILE/PALY JOURNALISM ARCHIVES

In 1960, The Campanile addressed a campus-wide smoking issue, an issue that is still relevant today.

By Ujwal Srivastava

M

Staff Writer

any aspects of Paly have changed over the course of its existence, yet some facets are timeless. Through good times and bad, The Campanile has been there for the past 100 years to document it all. In this edition’s Centennial Report, The Campanile turns back the clock to find the things that have remained unchanged at Paly even after decades of culture shifts and new trends.

Nov. 8, 1923: Volume 6, No. 3 An intergrade debate took place between the sophomore and junior class about whether Congress should prohibit all immigration for a period of five years, a topic still relevant now.

Two weeks later, The Campanile featured another debate. In addition to intergrade debates, the debate team also took part in debates against other schools — just as it does today. In fact, two weeks ago, the current speech and debate team took part in the Univer-

sity of Pacific tournament. Juniors Ashley Hitchings and Ethan Nissim made it to the semifinals in Lincoln Douglas debate.

Nov. 7, 1940: Volume XXII, No. 8 According to a feature in this 1940 issue, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association gave The Campanile the “honor rating of first class, excellent” ranking among one of the top publications in the nation. The Campanile received a total of 745 points, with 750 being the highest score possible. Paly’s yearbook, Madrono, also received national recognition.

Since then, Paly’s publications have continued to lead the nation as models. Most recently, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association named The Campanile as a Crown finalist for 2016, one of only 62 hybrid (print and online) student newspapers in the country to be honored.

In an article, “Average student mutters at difficult homework,” the author created a hypothetical situation in which a tired, hungry student struggled with finishing his homework. Sound familiar?

The story does not align perfectly to today’s student because in the 1940 story, the student is distraught by looking at his clock and seeing it read 11 p.m. For many of us today, that’s when we start our homework. But even then, students struggled to get eight hours of sleep. Today, students are struggling to get any sleep at all.

Nov. 4, 1960: Volume XXXVII, No. 4 In 1960, administrators almost cancelled brunch because too many students smoked cigarettes on campus. However, after several meetings between students and administration, they determined brunch would stay, but a stricter smoking ban would be in place, one that included a two-week suspension for students caught smoking. According to this article, smoking rates among students decreased after this scare. Maybe it’s time Paly administrators consider closing all bathrooms to curb vaping rates.

Paly’s history is rich, and has evolved through the decades. Find more articles at http://palyjournalismarchive.pausd.org.

“I think these new changes will affect the Paly community in a positive way, especially in helping non-binary students take pride in their identity, and hopefully feel safer in coming out.”

Maddie Lee

The bill states that people who are non-binary “may or may not identify as transgender, may or may not have been born with intersex traits, may or may not use gender-neutral pronouns and may or may not use more specific terms to describe their genders, such as agender, genderqueer, gender fluid, Two Spirit, bigender, pangender, gender nonconforming, or gender variant.”

“I think the new change is amazing,” said senior Joy Chan, who identifies as genderfluid. “It gives the people who feel like they don’t fit into the box of male or female somewhere to belong.”

Prior to the bill, people who wanted to identify as non-binary

were required to obtain a statement from a physician certifying medical treatment for gender transition. Instead, the new act, authored by Sen. Toni Atkins, will only require applicants to submit an affidavit affirming that the change would align with their gender identity.

“The Gender Recognition Act will eliminate unnecessary stress and anxiety for many Californians,” Atkins said in a statement to The Hill. “It exemplifies the leadership role that our state continues to take in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) civil rights.”

A process for minors who wish to apply for a change of gender on their documents will also be instated, as long as they receive parental consent.

“I think that it brings awareness to the fact that there are more than two genders and that gender is not defined as what you were labeled at birth,” Chan said.

California has also expanded the prescence of gender-neutral bathrooms, three of which can be found around Paly’s campus.

Senior Maddie Lee, a member of the Steering Committee for Paly Sources of Strength, the wellness program based on building resilience in youth, hopes the bill can help students take pride in their identity and feel safer in coming out.

“Non-binary Paly students will be able to have their birth certificates match their gender identity, which is important because invalidation and misgendering are often causes of stress and anxiety for trans and nonbinary people, and lowering stress is a top priority for PAUSD,” Lee said.

In July, Oregon officially allowed its residents to mark their gender as “not specified” instead of male or female. Oregon citizens can choose an “X” option on the driver’s licenses and IDs. In addition, Washington D.C. and New York lawmakers have introduced

This is a quote from the story that I am on.

bills proposing a third gender on official documents.

Certain countries around the world have also passed or are in the process of passing legislation that allows citizens to legally identify outside the binary genders, including Australia, Canada, Germany, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand and the U.K. “I think these new changes will affect the Paly community in a positive way, especially in helping non-binary students take pride in their identity, and hopefully feel safer in coming out,” Lee said.

“I think the new change is amazing. It gives the people who feel like they don’t fit into the box of male or female somewhere to belong.”

Joy Chan

Although this bill was warmly received by many of California’s residents, it also receives backlash from certain groups, including the conservative California Family who claimed that the bill “advances a lie” in a statement to SFGate.

Additionally, the California Family Council argued that the inclusion of the third gender for minors would create a need for nonbinary sports team in schools, which could be costly. However, supporters rejected this claim, claiming that the new act would instead allow students to choose either team.

Lee said, “I think the most important to remember throughout these discussions is that those who are non-binary are people too, and that we should strive not to politicize their existence.”

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

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NEWS

Civility policy controversy

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respectful behavior on the part of all District stakeholders,” the PAEA Board statement said.

“Teachers, staff, parents and students would all be expected to adhere to the civility guidelines, in the belief that issues get worked out more effectively through civil interactions.”

“They key is we can stay focused on our students and understand that we’re all going to be giving and taking a little bit.”

Kindel Launer

The policy would enable administrators to give offenders “reminders” before taking real action.

“The policy would provide backing to individuals who need to restore civility to an interaction that has become uncivil,” the PAEA Board said. “If reminders

about the policy prove insufficient, it would be up to administrators at the site or District-level to intervene as needed.”

Although it awaits approval from the Board Policy Review Committee (BPRC), the proposed policy has sparked concerns among community members about its potential for infringement of individuals’ rights to freedom of speech and subjective punishments.

If the BPRC approves the policy, it will go to the Board of Education for review, according to the PAEA Board. PAUSD’s Civility Policy would be influenced by other school districts’ existing policies, such as the Laguna Beach Unified School District Civility Policy and Santa Barbara Unified School district Civility Policy, according to Baldwin.

“Whether we end up with a specific policy or not we do need to address the teachers’ concerns,” said Terry Godfrey, PAUSD Board President, in an email.

“Teachers and parents all play crucial roles in students’ school

life so communicating effectively is incredibly important. This is just the beginning of the discussion.”

“The policy would provide backing to individuals who need to restore civility to an interaction that has become uncivil.”

PAEA Board

“I’m not saying teachers don’t receive [potentially abusive] emails; they do, and it’s scary,” Launer said. “I think that almost all of our parents, once you talk to them, [are] not out to get teachers or administrators. They want what’s best for their child. When we can stay focused on that, then we don’t need that policy. The key is can we can stay focused on our students and understand that we’re all going to be giving and taking a little bit. I would like to see us move toward better communication as quickly as possible.”

Multiple car incidents at Paly

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wrote in an email to staff. Diorio added that the police did not believe this incident was connected to the escape of two inmates earlier that morning from a courthouse in Palo Alto.

“Everyone was in shock so we really didn’t feel anything at first. But then everyone started feeling soreness in their bodies.”

Damion Valencia

Just two days prior to this campus incident, five varsity football players heading home from film playbacks on Saturday, Nov. 4 encountered an oil spill on Alma that caused the car to hydroplane on the wet

pavement.

According to junior and varsity football player Damion Valencia, who was a passenger in the car, the oil caused the wheel to lock and the car to accelerate.

“We were making a left onto Alma off Churchill, and the car just started swerving by itself,” Valencia said. At first the driver “got it into control, but then the front tire locked and the engine started making a really loud noise, and the car started spinning.”

Junior Seattle Hmelar, who was driving the car, recalls attempting to warn his passengers.

“I looked back and I was trying to warn them and trying to tell them that the car wasn’t going to stop,” Hmelar said. “And I didn’t want to press the brake [because] then we would swerve even more.”

Hmelar tried to move himself away from the driver’s window when he realized the car was going to slam into a tree. He ended

Jacquie’s

sew

sew

Prom Dresses Formal Wear Perfect Fit etc.

up smacking his head against the window, breaking the glass.

Junior Dwayne Trahan said he was thankful that the accident was not more severe.

“If the tree wasn’t there we could’ve flipped over into a house,” Trahan said.

The students said that despite the shattered car window and impact of the crash, they did not initially believe that they were injured.

“Everybody was in shock so we really didn’t feel anything at first.” Valencia said. “But then everyone started feeling soreness in their bodies. [Seattle and I] both got checked up and we both got concussions.”

Both Hmelar and Valencia were not able to play at their first football playoff game against Wilcox on Thursday, Nov. 9. Trahan and the other two occupants, sophomore Jamir Shepard and sophomore Junacio Henley, were not injured.

Department of Education withdraws special ed outlines CONTINUED FROM A1

cause these documents provided explanations about how different laws are intended to be implemented.”

Lindsay E. Jones, the chief policy and advocacy officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities, also opposes the retraction of the documents due to her concerns about potential negative effects on the education of special needs children. According to The Washington Post, she said the documents were important because they helped schools and parents understand the law.

Jones said many disability rights groups and education advocates pushed for the documents to remain in place during a hearing in which the department asked for comments on the possible changes. Nevertheless, the rollback of the documents still occurred.

“The bottom line is that to me, globally, we are behind in providing accessibility to people with disabilities, as a human race.”

Chris Green

However, despite concerns about policy on the national level, Paly special education teacher, case manager and education specialist Chris Geren said he is confident this action will not have a negative impact on the Paly campus.

“I don’t think it’s going to impact anything [at Paly],” Geren said. “If anything, people here want more inclusion and more access to everything. I don’t think I’ve ever worked in a more inclusive place, and I’m proud of that.

I’m proud that we do the best we can to accept each other and each other’s differences.”

Bricca also doesn’t expect the rollback of the documents to have a negative impact on Paly. How-

ever, she is concerned about the effect of this action on a national level.

“I think that here in Palo Alto, I would like to hope that it doesn’t change anything for our students,” Bricca said. “But on a national level, it could absolutely create detriment to protecting the rights of students with disabilities, particularly in schools and in districts that are bogged down by many different mandates and are struggling to meet compliance expectations in a variety of areas due to understaffing and limited resources.”

Geren is also worried about the potential negative impact of this action nationally. One of Geren’s main concerns is that the only explanation that the Education Department provided as to why the documents were rescinded is that they were “outdated, unnecessary or ineffective,” according to The Washington Post.

Geren said because many of the documents being rescinded are only from the 2000s and the push for the rights of people with disabilities is still recent, the documents should not be considered “outdated.”

“It’s concerning to me,” Geren said. “It’s concerning that all of these things would be rescinded because they’re relatively new in historical reference; 1990 isn’t that long ago. Some of [the documents] were written in 2005, the newest one looks like 2014. One that they’re calling outdated was from 2010, and these weren’t that long ago, so to say that these are outdated is concerning to me.”

Geren’s mention of 1990 is a reference to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which passed in 1990 after the Capitol Crawl protest pressured the government to acknowledge the rights of people with disabilities.

During the Capitol Crawl protest, people with disabilities crawled up the stairs of the Capitol building, protesting the unequal access to the building the stairs presented.

“The ADA of 1990 basically put into law that people with

wheelchairs and other disabilities had to have the same access to buildings as everyone else,” Geren said. “Before the ADA, people with wheelchairs in our country didn’t have access to the Capitol building. For me, 1990 is not that long ago … Wheelchair ramps have only been a necessity for 27 years of our country’s history.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked in a more inclusive place, and I’m proud of that. I’m proud that we do the best we can to accept each other and each others differences.”

Chris Green

Geren points out the ADA of 1990 puts into perspective how recently the nation began moving towards recognizing the rights of people with disabilities. The push to grant equal access to those with disabilities took off with the ADA in 1990. To have the Education Department pulling back on documents that protect the rights of those with disabilities because they are “outdated” is concerning, according to Geren.

Geren’s take-away is that on the whole, the nation has only just begun to recognize the rights of people with disabilities. To begin to rescind documents protecting the rights of special education students is a set-back in the progression of granting equal rights for all.

“The bottom line is that to me, globally, we are behind in providing accessibility for people with disabilities, as a human race,” Geren said. “Our country is one of the leading nations in the world of providing accessibility to people with disabilities, and it’s concerning to me that we would be cutting that back, because in my opinion we need more of that in general, nationwide.”

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Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

NEWS

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ASB brainstorms 'Heaven Can Wait' ends successful run future event ideas Students in theatre program premiered their latest production on Nov. 3

New activities to prioritize inclusivity

By Lucy Nemerov

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Staff Writer

fter a successful homecoming week, the Associated Student Body (ASB) is already looking for ways to improve the Paly community. After Spirit Week, ASB has less on their plate, allowing them to plan ahead for future events and take steps to help the student body.

“Something we want to work on for future years is definitely including more of the student body,” said sophomore officer Pooja Akella. “It’s hard to force people to participate, but we do want to let people know that it is for the entire school and we want as much participation as possible.”

ASB wants to make Spirit Week inclusive and fun for all Paly students through participation, according to Akella. ASB aims to help more of the student body take part in the fun rallies and dress up days in the upcoming years.

The next big event on ASB’s

"Something we want to work on for future years is defintely including more of the student body."

Pooja Akella agenda is a possible fundraiser that would occur this semester.

“We are planning on having a fundraiser,” Akella said. "The details are still being determined, but our fundraising commissioner is working on that. Of course, the proceeds will go to the ASB fund which will allow us to put on more events that will benefit the student body.”

ASB is also prioritizing com-

munication about possible improvement with the many clubs at Paly.

“Clubs are under ASB so we want to make sure that we are really in contact with all clubs,” Akella said.“Every officer is going to be attending club meetings and talking to the leaders about goals they would like to achieve.”

"We're brainstorming a lot and in the process of planning fun events for the student body."

Pooja Akella Encouraging communication between clubs and the class officers is vital to their prosperity as ASB can offer funds and overall support to help improve clubs.

Also, ASB has decided that the School Climate and Wellness Committee (under ASB) will begin meeting on Nov. 14 during flex and will continue to do so for the rest of the semester.

“The point of the committee is to concentrate social justice and wellness efforts on campus into one cohesive group,” school climate and social justice commissioner Ricardo Lombera said.

“Additionally, we initiate our own social justice and wellness efforts as well as support ongoing efforts.”

In recent meetings, ASB has discussed many ideas for the rest of the semester, including a possible ping pong tournament planned by sports commissioner, Benner Mullin.

Overall, Paly can expect some exciting events organized by ASB in the near future, Akella said.

She said, “We’re brainstorming a lot and in the process of planning fun events for the student body."

ROB WILEN/USED WITH PERMISSION

The cast of Paly Theatre's production of "Heaven Can Wait," a popular film and play, pose in costume onstage in the Performing Arts Center.

By Raj Lele Senior Staff Writer Palo Alto High School’s Theatre program performed three showings of "Heaven Can Wait," which played on Friday, Nov. 3, Saturday, Nov. 4 and Sunday, Nov. 5, and the theatre program said it was a success.

"Heaven Can Wait," a play which was later adapted into a film is about a boxer, Joe Pendleton, who gets injured after a plane crash.

Pendleton’s soul is taken out of his body when an antsy spirit mistakenly believes he is dead.

Pendleton’s character reappears in the forms of business proprietor Leo Farnsworth and quarterback Tom Jarrett.

According to theatre teacher Kathleen Woods, she heard about the play after watching performances done by one of her peers’ students.

“I have a friend who directed this show twice, and after watching it, I thought it would be great to do here at Paly because I didn’t want something that was too serious but also not too silly,” Woods said. "'Heaven Can Wait'" has a really nice, sweet, gentle quality to

Club hosts first community service fair Lunch event highlights diverse volunteer opportunities

By Vivian Feng

F

Lifestyle Editor

or the first time, the Youth Community Service (YCS)-Interact Club hosted a Service Fair on the quad on Nov. 8.

The event featured over a dozen different local service organizations, raffle games and prizes, as well as a diverse array of service opportunities and volunteer internships ranging from weeding at the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve to leading activities with children at the Stanford Ronald McDonald House.

“Ultimately, what we want to do is to connect students with volunteer opportunities,” said Ashley Hitchings, junior and treasurer of the Paly YCS-Interact Club. “We know a lot of students want to help out, but just don’t know how they can help out or where they can help out.”

The event took the club months of coordination in order to ensure the dozens of organizations were able to attend.

"Ultimately, what we want to do is to connect students with volunteer opportunities."

Ashley Hitchings The club has been publicizing the event through social media, on-campus flyers and reminders at their club meetings.

“Essentially, the months before the event, we were emailing a bunch of different organizations, finding out information [about the organizations’ service opportunities], doing publicity and then

it, so it seemed like somewhat of an obvious choice.”

Woods also explained that "Heaven Can Wait" provides lots of possibilities for students and that the show resonated with her, so that bolstered why she ultimately chose it.

"I thought [the play] would be great to do here at Paly because I didn’t want something that was too serious but also not too silly."

Kathleen Woods “I’m always looking for shows that have lots of opportunities for the students,” Woods said. “I’m also looking for shows that speak to me. I’ve been directing shows for a long time and already directed many shows, but I haven’t seen this play. I may have seen the movie, but it was so long ago that I don’t really remember."

According to junior Gil Weissman, who played Joe’s manager,

experienced juniors and seniors in the theatre program were able to grab many of the coveted roles in the play, such as Joe Pendleton.

In accordance with Paly tradition, junior Derek Zhou said the cast held a preview on Nov. 2 for anyone who couldn’t make the official showings. Middle schoolers with an interest in pursuing theatre at Paly were also invited.

“The preview was a special free show for middle schoolers or anyone who couldn't come to the actual performances,” Zhou said.

“There was pizza, and we had a talk back — kind of like a Q&A — with the audience.”

Woods said the Q&A session has been successful, and this year, the middle school students, as well as the cast members, were into it.

“I think the middle school kids who come join once they come to Paly,” Woods said. “However, I don’t think that it’s as simple as they come and then join the following year. Although with this particular preview, we had a really great talkback, and that left a positive impression on the middle schoolers.”

While both Weissman and Zhou said they enjoyed perform-

ing in One Acts, a series of shorter plays that is held in the spring, they felt refreshed coming back to a longer production like "Heaven Can Wait" for a multitude of reasons.

“Both One Acts and longer productions have their perks, but if it were up to me, I would go for longer productions because we tend to have a higher budget,” Weissman said.

Zhou said he thought the longer plays allows for more interaction among the actors.

“I prefer longer productions, because even though it's a longer commitment, I think that the cast has a chance to build a sort of community and that's one of the best parts of theatre,” Zhou said.

“But shorter productions are really great for people who can't do long productions.”

According to Zhou, one of the drawbacks of the longer productions is that sometimes you have to research a lot more because the plays can be older in age like "Heaven Can Wait" is.

“The play is really old, so it's not easy to do your research,” Zhou said. “Ultimately, [all of the efforts] are worth it because we get to bond a lot.”

Administration responds to recent bike thefts on campus

Assistant Principal recommends students use U-Locks.

By Christopher Pierno

P VIVIAN FENG/THE CAMPANILE

Students sign up to volunteer with organizations on Day of Service. reaching out to students,” Hitchings said.

Although YCS hosts weekend service events, lunchtime service activities and various drives, among other service opportunities, they wanted to make finding volunteer opportunities more accessible to the larger Paly community.

Hitchings said the intent was to host an event similar to the Job or College Fair but with service opportunities.

YCS has also hosted the annual Day of Service — a day where any Paly student can sign up to volunteer at a service organization off campus — for the past few years, as well as numerous food, clothing and other drives.

According to Hitchings, the club decided to host the Service Fair event for the student body when they realized that some students who wanted to get involved had conflicting schedules with YCS weekend events or lunch meetings.

“What we want to do is help all students find out what ways they can both have fun and achieve the biggest impact,” Hitchings said.

“We want to empower students that might not be club members to also get involved.”

Students ranging in volunteer experience came out to the event.

Even experienced volunteers and YCS board members got to visit and learn about new organizations.

"What we want to do is help all students find out what ways they can both have fun and achieve the biggest impact."

Ashley Hitchings “Besides manning [the event] I got to chance to visit Boys and Girls Club today.” said sophomore and Project and Drive Coordinator Laura Kim. Sophomore and YCS Board Member, Shanti Deivanayagam, also said that the Service Fair helped her find additional new volunteer opportunities.

“I visited the My Red Shoes table and got to learn about their organization and give them my information to be in contact with them for future volunteer opportunities,” Deivanayagam said.

“Overall, I thought that this event was a really great way to meet new organizations and get more information about what they do.”

Senior Staff Writer

aly's administration is attempting to respond to recent string of bike thefts sweeping the campus. The cluster of bike thefts started several weeks ago and has caused many students to lose their bikes.

“We have had some bike thefts lately,” said Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson. “It happens in cycles, which means someone has found a ripe hunting ground to steal bikes. We have video surveillance, and I’ve gotten a few good shots, so I’m hoping we can work off of that.”

The perpetrators generally want to either sell the bikes or just use them to for a ride home, according to Berkson.

“If it is a student, they will take a bike just because they need a ride home and then dump it, and then maybe they do the same thing a few weeks later,” Berkson said. “I don’t know how big the black market for stolen bikes is.”

Even if someone is seen on camera stealing a bike, they are not frequently caught. If the person who stole the bike is not a student, it is nearly impossible to catch them since they are unlikely to return to campus.

Sometimes, students are able to track down their bike without the help of the administration.

Asking friends to see if they saw or know anything is a viable option that is occasionally successful; however, this is not the first choice for many students.

“During my freshman year, one day after school, my bike was gone … and after talking to some people, one of my friends informed me that he had seen

JOHN TAYERI/THE CAMPANILE

Student park and lock their bikes in the cage by the Media Arts Center.

someone else riding my bike off campus,” said senior Arjan Mobin. “A few friends and I went up and confronted the person and he came forward about it.”

For those who are caught by police or administration, the consequences almost always involve school disciplinary actions in addition to legal action, which oftentimes results in a criminal record, according to Berkson “[A Paly student who is caught stealing a bike] would be cited by the police, but they do not get suspended for the first offense,” Berkson said. “However, being in the system is never a good idea.”

The best way for students to protect their bike from being stolen, according to Berkson, is to buy a U-Lock, which is practically indestructible compared to cable or chain locks.

More than half of people who had their bike stolen had the lock cut, opposed to simply leaving the bike unlocked and having someone ride away with it.

“It’s really a violation,” Berkson said. “You’re watching the

video screen and seeing someone walk up and actually cut the bolt or the cable and watch him take a bike. It’s right in front of me and I’m watching him steal a bike.”

If a student's bike is stolen at school, the best course of action is to report it to the office as soon as possible. The quicker a bike theft is reported, the higher likelihood that the bike is recovered.

Despite this, the odds are not favorable and the bike is not recovered in most cases. “[We don’t recover bikes] as often as we would like, mostly because it’s tough, especially if we don’t know the person who stole it,” Berkson said. “Even if we catch the person, often the bike has already been sold. Through the courts, they are supposed to pay restitution. But that could be negotiated where they are paying $10 a month back to the courts and the courts are paying the person, so it’s not a great deal for the victim. We have gotten bikes back though, but it’s a lot about the luck and the timing and it depends on the person who stole it.”

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

OPINION A5 Classes should balance tests, projects equally

By Riley Short

W

Staff Writer

e’ve all been there. It’s the day of a test and regardless of whether or not you’ve studied for it, you still feel nervous. As the teacher begins to hand out the exam, your heart jumps a bit as some of the questions look foreign.

As every high school student knows, tests and quizzes are a part of everyday life and usually count for a good chunk of one’s overall grade. However, this sometimes results in a lot of weight put on just a few of assessments.

However few changes have been made district-wide to better measure the conceptual understanding of topics throughout the year without relying on unit tests.

With the heavy weight most tests carry, this creates hardship for students who habitually don’t perform well on tests, not because they didn’t study, but because this one-size-fits-all system does not work for everyone.

Paly has made strides in advancing the education environ-

ment and making it a good fit for everyone through initiatives on improving mental health and implementing a better bell schedule. However, few changes have been made District-wide to better measure the conceptual understanding of topics without relying on unit tests.

The problem with relying mostly on tests as a way to measure learning is for students who get test anxiety or are overly stressed about a test, to the point where they freeze up and blank on a section they just covered a few days prior.

According to the American Test Anxieties Association, around 20 percent of students experience high levels of anxiety.

Students who were anxious during a test scored an average of 12 points less than students who weren’t anxious. For these students, this could mean the difference between an A and a B. The solution to this problem is not an easy one. Paly must find the right balance between tests and projects and cannot simply eliminate tests altogether, because some tests are needed to measure progress in ways a project cannot.

However, one possibility is having more project options for different units or having some test retakes in the form of a project or

lab.

This could work by replacing tests with projects that have the same level of rigor and time commitment, but also allowing students to reflect their knowledge in a form other than a typical test.

The projects would vary depending on the subject, and teachers within each department could collaborate to create projects that best fit each course.

For example, the science department could have more handson experiments that use a variety of the skills taught in that unit in order to still cover the same material from the exam, but just present it in a different way. For instance, a student studying light in chemistry could be assigned an experiment involving a specific light source in the room and use various tools to calculate its frequency or wavelength.

Although replacing tests with projects every once in a while would not be a guaranteed solution to the problem of test anxiety or test taking in general, it would provide an alternative to the standard path and open up the possibility for more success for different types of learners.

“I think project-based learning is wonderful. I think it’s very important to incorporate it as much as possible in every lesson,”

said Paly Spanish teacher Cristina Gonzalez. “It’s really important for people to do hands-on work that seems meaningful versus just sitting down and just receiving information doing some worksheets or some other kind of work that they can do a project that incorporates whatever it is that there learning in class.”

For example, the science department could have more hands-on experiments that use a variety of the skills taught that unit in order to still cover the same material.

Including more variety in the way teachers measure success in the classroom could lead to a more effective environment that would benefit both students and teachers.

According to a University of Iowa study, students who were confident about their academic abilities did better than students who weren’t by up to 12 percent.

Knowing there is potential for success regardless of their testtaking abilities, students will ultimately have a more positive view of potentially their whole school experience.

Admin should initiate Elective Shopping Day

By Kaylie Nguyen

O

Staff Writer

ne of the most essential ways to discover and develop one’s interests is by choosing elective classes. However, the only way the administration publicizes information on these courses is a short paragraph in a catalog that most students do not read, or a five-minute presentation in advisory.

If students are lucky, they may know some upperclassmen who can pass on valuable wisdom about which elective classes to take. Yet, this still leaves a number of students without a clear idea of which electives to take, and they must also consider which ones suit their interest and fulfill graduation credits.

Sometimes students register for electives that are not right for them or not what they expected.

Sometimes students register for electives that aren’t right for

them and then have a difficult time switching out because of scheduling conflicts.

Junior Zoe Douglas, for example, took Computer Science Principles as a freshman mainly because she wanted to complete her Career and Technical Education (CTE) class credits. It ended up not being what she expected, and she said the teaching style of the class did not work for her.

Douglas said if she had known more about other CTE classes, she would have taken Biotechnology because the class caters more to her interests. “[I didn’t switch out of Computer Science Principles] because I just didn’t really know what options I had,” Douglas said.

Paly could easily create an “Elective Shopping Day” modeled after Club Day. Paly gives students 75 minutes to mill around the quad and look at the extensive number of clubs offered at Paly. They can sign up for as many clubs and chat with club officers about what their club does. If Paly can devote this effort for our clubs, why can’t they equate for electives?

Elective Shopping Day could be set up in a similar fashion during an extended lunch period.

Tables and informational poster boards on the quad could give information for each elective offered at Paly. Students could visit whichever electives they are interested in and learn more about them. If teachers from the respective classes were willing to participate, students could learn a great deal by talking to them.

Teachers could discuss the curriculum, and currently-enrolled students could talk about their experience with the class. Students would have the opportunity to ask questions and find electives they think suit them best. Not only does this allow for students to learn more about these classes, but it promotes student-teacher interaction.

Many freshmen, for example, are unfamiliar with the teachers at Paly, and could benefit from such an event. If there are teachers who are not available for representing the class, students who are currently taking the elective could also speak about the class instead and provide a student perspective.

According to Susan Shultz, the counselor for the Class of 2020, there has been some discussion within departments, but there have been no formalized plans.

Paly could easily create “Elective Shopping Day” modeled after Club Day. For example, English and science classes briefly go over electives in their departments, but this doesn’t happen until the end of sophomore year and junior year, respectively. Beginning Journalism brings in students from each publication to speak to the class to help students decide which class they may want to join. Students can learn more about the details and commitment for each publication, and this could be a model for other elective programs to follow.

Better advertisement of electives would help students gain a better understanding of the options they have.

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

OPINION

A6

Students should be allowed to choose their own seating in class

By Ujwal Srivastava

T

Staff Writer

he three most dreadful words a teacher can say are “Pop quiz today!”

A close second is “New seats today!” Following this declaration, a tangible sense of suspense hangs in the air as your teacher calls out the names from the new seating chart. You pray to get seated next to your one friend in that class, but instead are met with an audible groan from the person you are about to sit next to because they just found out that you’re their desk partner for the next six weeks.

In order to avoid situations like these and enhance student education, Paly teachers need to stop assigning seats and instead let students pick where they want to sit. Already, some teachers let students choose, but in other classes, seats are assigned and changed once a quarter or before every new unit.

For example, Advanced Placements (AP) Chemistry and Physics teacher Ashwini Avadhani lets students pick seats. She said students are old enough to make their own decisions, and thus trusts them to choose their seats and lab partners.

“If the overarching goal is for the kids to feel safe in your class and feel that their opinion matters, allowing them to pick their own seats is one of easiest things a teacher can do to respect their choices.”

“If you’re going to sit next to somebody and waste time, they need to learn responsibility by this age,” Avadhani said. “If they make a wrong decision, they end up getting a bad grade.”

In the time she has let her students pick their seats, Avadhani said she has seen growth in responsibility in students, as well as students who are more engaged in class.

“I’ve always seen that if [students] feel they are getting distracted, many times they get up and move,” Avadhani said. “I find my classes happier, more receptive, and I have never had class management issues ever, because I let students pick their seats. “ Avadhani also advocates for

identity safety, the concept that a student should feel safe in a class.

“You want to sit with somebody because you know that person, you’re very comfortable [with them] or you work better,” Avadhani said. “Whatever the reason, I completely believe in identity safety. There’s nothing wrong with people feeling good about sitting next to someone they are familiar with. If the overarching goal is for the kids to feel safe in your class and feel that their opinion matters, allowing them to pick their own seats is one of easiest things a teacher can do to respect their choices.”

Avadhani is not alone in her way of thinking. English 9A and Reading Between the Lines teacher Craig Bark also allows students to pick seats.

“By letting them choose where they want to sit, it enhances my relationship with them,” Bark said. “If they get a little bit of choice, they trust you and they work better when they know I trust them.”

According to Bark, showing that you trust a student and that they are going to have a say in how the class works encourages them to participate and be more

attentive students.

A 2016 PBS article citing research conducted at Stanford and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows when students feel respected and trusted, they perform better. In some cases, even small acts of increased empathy and respect may reduce suspension rates.

While reducing suspension rates is not the primary focus at Paly, imagine what the effect of simply allowing students to choose where they sit in the class can be.

For example, having more teachers display trust towards their students by letting them choose their seats may lead to a more positive social-emotional state.

Not only will students feel surrounded by trusted and emotionally closer peers, but they will believe their teachers trust and respect them and their opinions.

Although choosing seats has its advantages, some teachers refrain from letting students from doing so. French teacher Carla Guerard assigns seats in her classes because she likes to match students to create the ideal combination for learning.

“I like to have them help each

other, so I have some strong students and some who might need more help sit together in groups of four,” Guerard said.

Teachers arguably have the students’ best interest in mind, but the evidence shows that it’s time to switch to a model of open seating because it benefits students more than a fixed seating chart does. At the same time, getting to choose seats is a privilege that students must recognize and value. Choosing seats is not a one-way ticket to total chaos in the classroom, but rather a tool to create a better learning environment while maintaining a level of control and decorum.

Allowing students to choose seats comes with a set of expectations that include not talking to your neighbors, being respectful and productive as well as being engaged learners. In addition, teachers will still have the power to move students who take advantage of this privilege.

But by giving them a chance to pick their seats and showing them that their teachers trust them, not only will we see better results, but we will also see more engaged, motivated and successful classrooms.

Grading system for in-class participation must be revised

By Leela Srinivasan

R

Staff Writer

emember, this discussion is your last chance to raise your participation score before the end of the quarter.”

I watch as my English teacher calls on a student who has his hand raised high, stretching far into the air among a sea of desperate fingertips.

As the student begins to speak, the teacher walks over to his computer and makes a audible click; the entire class is uncomfortably aware that this student has just been rewarded with a participation point.

The emphasis on verbal participation in English courses becomes increasingly prominent as students enter high school, particularly once they reach sophomore year.

Being able to vocalize one’s ideas is a vital skill, and the push for students to share is “to best prepare them for college and later encounters in their life,” said American Literature Honors teacher George Vuong.

However, participation is sometimes encouraged in a manner that is not necessarily constructive to students’ learning.

Some teachers have opted to use ClassDojo, a website that allows them to assign positive or negative participation points to an individual each time they contribute to a class discussion. Although this system allows teachers to track student participation conveniently and efficiently, it keeps students constantly aware of the point-based system and forces unnatural participation, as many become overly preoccupied with their grades.

Instead of contributing to a spontaneous discussion where students are naturally willing to share insightful comments, students feel obligated to participate in order to earn one more participation point for every contribution if they want to receive a desirable participation grade.

In this way, students are incentivized to speak solely for the purpose of earning participation credit, not to better their speaking skills or for their ability to think deeply.

Oftentimes, such an overwhelming percentage of the class will have their hands raised that there is simply not enough time available in the period for everyone to receive an opportunity to share.

“Since participation is such a big factor in our gradebook, everyone feels like they have to raise their hands all the time,” said junior Anna Oft. “The people who really wanted to share in a certain discussion might not have the chance to.”

Due to their constant need to participate, student deter their attention from understanding the content of the discussion to focusing on formulating a response that can earn them credit.

“I feel like when I participate now, it’s because I feel forced to do so,” Oft said.

Through this system, students are no longer as attentive to what their peers are contributing, which significantly takes away from the value of a class discussion, as listening to what others have to say is an opportunity to discover thoughts and analogies that may not have come to mind.

Additionally, requiring students to verbally participate should not be stressed as highly since not everyone is comfortable with voicing their ideas in front of the entire class.

“Some people are naturally more reserved and nervous to share their thoughts for fear of being wrong or judged,” said ju-

nior Lauren Daniel.

It is understandable that the pressure of having more than 20 peers listen to one’s contributions can be overwhelming, and that some may handle this task with more ease than others.

While one student may raise their hand without thinking twice, another may feel obliged to practice what they are going to share multiple times in their head before obtaining the confidence to share their ideas in front of their peers.

Common Core Standards in English Language Arts require teachers to incorporate speaking and listening their curriculum.

However, it is important to recognize some students are more shy and prefer to engage through smaller group discussions; they can obtain these speaking and listening skills adequately by participating on a smaller scale.

Creating an atmosphere that reflects a safe, respectful learning environment for every student should be a top priority, which is more difficult to achieve if students are under pressure to do something that is out of their comfort zone.

Students are constantly aware of the point-based system which forces unnatural participation, as many become overly preoccupied with their grades.

“Personally, I do not usually speak a lot in class,” Daniel said.

“It’s not because I don’t care, but because I’m not good at thinking on the spot when I’m talking in class.”

Participation is defined by involvement; completing class assignments thoroughly, doing the homework to the best of one’s ability, speaking when appropriate and staying on task should fulfill these requirements sufficiently. It is important for teachers to give students recognition for personal strengths and strive for a classroom environment where participation is encouraged naturally rather than it being incentivized by a grade.

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

A7

OPINION

NCAA’s funding allocations unfair to students-athletes

By Will Robins Staff Writer

T

he National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is supposedly a non-profit organization that runs college athletics, but what does it do, specifically? The organization says it has the best interests of student-athletes at heart, but most people are not aware of how corrupt it is.

Even though the NCAA is a non-profit organization, it still rakes in billions of dollars from media rights and television contracts. For example, it has a $10.8 billion, 14-year contract with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting for the rights to broadcast the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. But where does all this money go? According to an email from March Madness spokeswoman Gail Dent, most of that money will be distributed to the schools.

The organization says it has the best interests of athletes at heart, but most people don’t realize how corrupt it is.

The college sports industry brings in about $10 billion in annual revenue, according to the

official website of the NCAA, primarily through football and men’s basketball. So it is not a surprise that most of this money is distributed to the highest revenue-earning schools coming from the Power Five conferences.

The schools which are highest on this list include Texas A&M, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State all with a revenue of roughly $170 million per year.

Since colleges aren’t required to allocate money for specific purposes, a lot of it goes towards athletic facilities, equipment and staff. A prime example is Clemson University in South Carolina.

The university spent $55 million on a new football practice facility featuring an Xbox, a Pingpong table, arcade games and a bowling alley. This facility also houses a barber shop and a nap room, complete with Clemson bunk beds. And don’t forget the nine-hole mini-golf course. This provides colleges with the best facilities and helps them to bring in top recruits, which ultimately gives schools the best team.

Schools have to recruit the best players to keep winning and bringing in revenue from television deals, branding, ticket sales and donations. The Clemson facility benefits the football players at the university, but it also attracts the eyes of potential re-

cruits. Economist Andy Schwarz has spent the last couple decades looking at how college sports operate.

“When a college scout is in the living room with a recruit, and they’re trying to sell them on School A versus School B, the normal way you would do it is, ‘We’re going to pay you more,’” Schwarz said.

Schools can’t pay players salaries, so they offer recruits “a whole bunch of inefficient second-bests,” Schwarz said.

These can include great coaches, great locker rooms and amazing facilities. Since the schools can’t deliver the money to the talent, they give it to the coaches of the talent. Dabo Swinney, Clemson head football coach, makes more than $7 million a year.

The NCAA also creates unfair regulations to govern its athletes.

One prohibits anyone from buying anything for a college athlete.

During the 2015 NCAA tournament, University of Conneticut star Shabazz Napier complained “there are nights [during the tournament] that I go to bed starving.”

In other words, state governments, universities and donors can spend millions building extravagant facilities but can’t pay for a player’s food.

In addition, Michelle Cummings, a marketing manager at

Stanford University, said an incident involving a football player shows how these types of rules often play out.

“There was a case at Stanford where a football player was living with a Palo Alto family,” Cummings said. “Then they bought him a bike for transportation to and from Stanford, and it turned out that was a gift, and it is against NCAA rules to give gifts to athletes.”

After the NCAA found out about this bike purchase, it held an investigation and fined Stanford. It also implemented a rule stating college students couldn’t live in the homes of local families.

These rules are so ridiculous that not long ago, offering a player a bagel with cream cheese violated NCAA regulations. Buried away in the NCAA’s myriad of rules was a stipulation that snacks could be provided to players, but meals could not. A bagel is a snack, but a bagel and cream cheese is a meal.

Hit comedy television series “Blue Mountain State” poked fun at the NCAA in an episode where quarterback Alex Moran investigated the association.

The NCAA’s strict rules and focus on making money are why they are ruining college sports.

Moran said, “The most important thing to the NCAA is their tax-free money.”

suggests a trend in centrism, it does suggest a trend of people being dissatisfied with a two-party, left-versus-right system in politics.

Represented by candidate Gary Johnson in the 2016 election, the Libertarian Party became the home for some centrists in 2016, ushering in a new group of “centrist Libertarians.” Along with believing in Libertarian ideals, which revolve around maintaining liberty in every sense, the party also managed to be moderate on its stances in politics.

According to a 2011 Gallup poll, 17 percent of Americans fall into this “mushy middle” of politics. This begs the question: in U.S. politics, could centrism ever become popular? Well, it matters how “popular” we are talking.

There is no doubt the two major political parties will be with us for a long time. The DemocratRepublican pair has established itself in various forms since the late 1700s, beginning first with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. However, the history of these parties dominating the U.S. does not mean a new party driven by centrist ideologies would not be able to establish a following.

It’s possible the centrist path

was the one America was supposed to walk down, as many of the Founding Fathers despised the ideas of political parties with individual stances in the first place. Thomas Jefferson said, “If I could not go to heaven but with a [political] party, I would not go there at all.”

Maybe the root of the negative opinion about political centrists comes from the idea they have simply not made up their mind.

But people have not yet acknowledged the distinction of a strong belief in the center and a weak belief on issues.

Adopting political views in moderation does not mean dropping all of one’s strongly-held beliefs, but it does mean being asked to consider the opposite stance or, at best, consider the opinion between the two political poles.

It is not a crazy prediction to say both U.S. political parties are becoming radicalized. When left only to judge the opposing party from its public mistakes, the chasm between the left and the right is split even more devastatingly.

Centrism is not a philosophy of compromise of two paths as much as it is its own path between the two. Centrism requires

a trust in the average of two distinct sides; a belief that “virtue,” as Aristotle called it, comes from maintaining a balance between an excess and a deficiency.

Political system should foster a widespread centrist movement

By Noah Baum

News & Opinion Editor

A

ristotle described virtue as the “golden mean” between excess and deficiency. The Ancient Greek philosopher considered someone with an excess of courage to be arrogant but someone with too little to be cowardly. When it comes to politics, however, there’s no patience for the middle path.

Centrism is the political ideology of falling in the center of right-wing and left-wing stances on issues. It revolves around the idea of ensuring a nation’s politics never falls too far in favor of the right or the left.

The political climate in 2016 had to be one of the worst for centrists. Conservatives and liberals alike looked at centrists not as their friends, but as friends of the opposing party. Both parties spared any sympathy for their more moderate counterparts.

People simply wanted to be surrounded by those as dedicated to their party as they were.

A Gallup poll conducted in 2016 revealed that a majority of Americans, 57 percent, think America needs a third political party. Although this in no way

We have become so attached to progress to the left or right that we have lost sight of what we are progressing towards.

As George Washington once said about the division between the right and left, political parties “are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.”

We have become gears turning in the potent engines Washington described, failing to question or critically examine the outcomes of our beliefs. We have become so attached to progress to the left or right we have lost sight of what we are progressing towards. In order to carry the will of American idealism, we need to look to toward the golden mean as the best method of keeping the American spirit alive.

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

A8

EDITORIALS

Testing process and policies ought to be standardized

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esting: easily one of the most fear-inducing words at Paly, followed closely by “GPA” and “College Apps.” Amid the everyday stresses of coursework, social events and extracurriculars, tests are another hurdle faced by students.

Teachers, however, employ a variety of tests and testing policies, and while some systems are calibrated for maximum efficiency, others could use improvements.

For example, some teachers do not have limits for how long students can wait to make up a test, delaying an entire class or even multiple classes from getting their test back because of one person.

Some teachers have incredibly strict test rescheduling policies, while others allow students to reschedule for virtually any reason.

Different policies can vary drastically from department to department and teacher to teacher, creating a vastly different testing experience for students depending on their teachers. The Campanile thinks the testing process should be standardized and that this particular source of stress could be ameliorated through these following suggestions.

All teachers should allow students to take tests during any period in which the test is administered. The Advanced Placement (AP) Biology classes already uti-

lize this strategy, and it has proved to be beneficial for students, especially ones with demanding schedules, multiple tests and a myriad of other commitments daily.

Often, students want to use an extra period or two to review material they are not fully comfortable with. In other cases, students have multiple tests stacked up on the same day, which can increase stress on those days. In this way, students can push their tests back, but may also push their tests forward by a day.

Allowing students to push back or move forward their testing periods would provide them more flexibility, which will put them more at ease with the content on the test, and give them the chance to plan their exams so that they are less stressed upon reviewing the night before.

Students in different sections of the same course should be given different versions of the test.

The first period to take a test generally goes in blind, with no sense of how hard the material will be or which areas to focus on during review.

However, the following classes to take the exam usually have a better idea of what to expect on tests, and tend to score higher on average. This can give students who take the test later an advan-

tage over the students who take it first. The Campanile thinks this problem can be diminished if teachers give students distinct versions of the test between periods or days.

Although many teachers do provide separate versions of test, often they involve nothing more than scrambling the order of the test problems. This prevents students from cheating during the test, but does not eliminate people sharing test content among different periods.

Different versions of tests would include different problems but still test similar content to ensure fairness among exam periods. We understand it takes a lot of effort for teachers to construct separate versions of a test for each period they teach. However, if teachers could just provide two or three versions of the test, it would make testing more equitable between classes.

The Campanile appreciates everything our teachers do for us, as well as how hard they work to provide us with an education.

However, we cannot deny cheating and test stacking are a part of the testing culture at Paly that has not been extinguished.

By utilizing these strategies, we would help create a more equitable environment for ourselves and future Paly students.

Dance coach must be paid fairly

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lawlessly executing complex routines at school events and sweeping countless competitions, the dance team is one of the shining stars of Paly’s athletics program. However, overlooked and underpaid is the driving force behind the team’s success — the coach.

In previous years, dance and cheer were grouped under one title — Spirit Squad — and the two groups were paid for only one team in Category C, the same salary group as assistant coaches, frosh/soph and junior varsity ( JV) coaches and weight room supervisors. This year, both the varsity and JV cheer coaches moved up salary categories to A and B, respectively, but varsity dance coach Alanna Williamson was left behind in Category C. Varsity coaches, as well as the robotics and debate coaches, are sorted into Category A and B. While there are undoubtedly many variables that are factored into this decision, such as team size and the number of games or competitions, the dance team actually competes more than cheer does, yet the coach is still paid significantly less. Until a transparent formula for determining which coaches qualify for which category is created, the varsity dance coach should at least be paid fairly compared to other varsity sports.

“I am valued the same as a JV coach or an assistant coach when

I'm really doing the same amount of work as my cheer counterpart, and they'll both be getting paid more than me,” Williamson said.

“It's especially frustrating because we're really one team. Cheer and dance do so much together, and we're one big family, so it's kind of frustrating to feel like one part of the squad isn't valued.”

It’s demeaning for a varsity coach, one who dedicates several hours weekly to managing and instructing the team, to receive the same pay as a JV, assistant or frosh/soph coach. By paying the dance coach significantly less than other varsity coaches, the Board of Education and Athletic Steering Committee convey the message that they consider dance to be less legitimate than other varsity sports. While Athletic Director Therren Wilburn-Sudduth told The Campanile that he thinks all coaches should be paid more for their time and efforts, the Committee should start byraising the dance coach salary to an equitable level.

“I coach physically with them 10-12 hours per week depending on whether we have a game or not and all of the extra work — choreographing, ordering things, signing them up for whatever,” Williamson said. “It's like having an extra job. It's about 20 percent of my time doing this work, and it's really frustrating because right now, there is no set formula for

how anybody gets into what category they're in.”

While the dance coach salary could be raised if dance were to become a California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) sport, becoming a member could compromise the team’s current successful management methods.

“There is a little bit less support as a non-CIF sport, and we don't really want to become a CIF sport because it doesn't make sense with what the current structure for dance competitions are like in the high school setting,” Williamson said. “If we were to become a CIF sport, it would put a lot of regulations on us, so we don't necessarily want that, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be treated just the same.”

Ultimately, devaluing the work of dance coaches sends the message that the coach and the team are not appreciated for their varsity-level efforts and dedication.

“My worry is that because the coaching position is at the JV and assistant level, the girls feel like they're not valued as varsity athletes,” Williamson said. “Dance has a history of not feeling valued as athletes in general, in the country, on campus."

If we are to truly support our district’s athletes equally, we must acknowledge and honor the efforts of the dance team — beginning by paying the dance coach fairly.

Letter to The Editors

Editors' Note: The following, written by the Paly Guidance team, is a response to an editorial published in the Oct. 20, 2017 issue of The Campanile entitled "CCC should consider reform."

The Paly Guidance team was thankful for the in- tices before publishing criticism about them. As vitation to visit The Campanile class last week after originally published, the editorials contain inacsharing some of our concerns about recent editori- curacies and misrepresentations. We value our reals entitled “CCC Should Consider Reform” and lationship with students; as members of the same “CCC and Advisory Ought to Publicize College Paly community, we were disappointed not to have Deadlines.” We learned that several students are the opportunity to engage in discussion with you not accessing information shared via traditional before these editorials were published instead of modes of communication; we will address those being compelled to address them afterward.

We encourage all students to provide formal concerns moving forward. We hope you learned that some of our practices exist due to complexi- feedback about the C&CC and Advisory during ties we’ve attempted to manage as best we believe the end-of the-year Guidance surveys we administer in Advisory. we can.

Thank you for directing your readers to our reWhile we welcome feedback and suggestions for improvement, as journalists, we expect you to vised, formal responses to each editorial, published investigate to learn more about our current prac- online.

FOR A FULL, DETAILED RESPONSE, GO TO PALY.IO/GUIDANCERESPONSE

NOVEMBER'S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Things to be Thankful For 10) That your "ugh, so much work" Snapchat Story, taken in Starbucks, was seen by all.

9) That you can listen to Christmas music without getting hate.

C

District communication with community lacking

onflict and controversy are commonplace for those in power. Oftentimes, the defining aspect of conflict is not the event itself, but the responses from those in power. The Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has faced its fair share of unfortunate events in the past year, and its response has consistently increased confusion, frustration and misinformation within the Palo Alto community.

For this reason, The Campanile thinks it is time our district learns to communicate in a transparent and effective way by being efficient and unified in times of crisis, such as sexual assault allegations, budget missteps, major resignations and other unforeseen events.

As a student body and community, we can no longer continue to subsist on information comprised of an intermingling of contradictory statements and rumors.

When we do, too much room is left for speculation, which results in a harshly-divided community.

Several instances in the recent past have called into question the administration's ability to effectively lead. Former Superintendent Max McGee’s resignation has been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty and the handling of Paly’s student sexual assault allegations remains incredibly unclear, prompting some parents and community members to demand the resignation of Principal Kim Diorio and many community members to demand an increase of transparency. A recently published report by an outside law firm on the handling of an alleged

sexual assault incident at Paly last year points to a culture of communication that is inherently nontransparent. The so-called Cozen Report performed by the Cozen law firm affirmed that “based on training and practice, a common practice was to communicate by telephone or text message to avoid creating documentation that could potentially be publicly released.”

The report said there was a minimal effort to maintain centralized and consistent form documentation in cases involving possible violations of Title IX, a law intended to ban gender discrimination in schools. The incident shed light on the secretive conduct exhibited within interadministration communication.

The Campanile spoke to Principal Kim Diorio, and it was clear there was never malicious intent in administration's preference for face-to-face meetings and text messaging. Regardless, matters which so heavily concern the public should be addressed in a publicly transparent method.

According to Diorio, both administrators and teachers are instructed in training sessions to refrain from including sensitive information in emails, since these emails can later be released to the public.

The Campanile understands this is a practice taught to administrators and teachers across the district.

“That was a part of our regular principal meetings, just to be careful about what was to be careful [with our emails],” Diorio said.

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Maya Homan • Niklas Risano • Ehecatl Rivera Allison Wu • Ashley Zhang Online Editor Edan Sneh

Managing Editors Nicholas Melvin • Paarth Sharma

News and Opinion Editors Noah Baum • Renee Hoh

Lifestyle Editors Vivian Feng • Kesi Soundararajan

Science & Tech Editor Peyton Wang

Sports Editors Eric Li • Kiran Misner

Multimedia Editor Philip Ericsson

Board Correspondent Shannon Zhao

6) That you didn't post your Common App on Instagram #thankful.

5) That you have legacy to a major university.

4) That you can finally flex that coat you bought over the summer.

3) That high school is almost another eighth of the way over.

2) That there were no streakers during Spirit Week. Nobody wants that!

1) That you get to go to Palo Alto High School.

-KESI SOUND & PAARTH SHARMA

Business Manager Edward Kim

Staff Writers Khadija Abid Marie Davis Eric He Kennedy Herron Leyton Ho Samantha Hwang Grace Kitayama Bernie Koen

Raj Lele John Loftus Waverly Long Navid Najmabadi Lucy Nemerov Kaylie Nguyen Ethan Nissim Christopher Pierno

Photographers Peter Gold Samantha Hwang

Jonathan Stoschek

8) That you won Spirit Week.

7) That you still have a month to make up those missing assignments from first quarter.

The Campanile thinks, though, if there had been an increased public understanding of the process required by each situation, it would have been easier for the public to make the most accurate assessment of the administration's performance. In several instances, a more adequate practice of transparency could have led to better public understanding of the situation as well as better understanding of the administration's response.

The deafening silence of the Paly administration after sexual assault allegations was a prime example of the district lacking communication and transparency, a pattern which continued after McGee’s resignation which had little to no explanation.

While it is likely the administration’s inclination towards faceto-face meetings, phone calls and text messages was without any malicious intent, it has created an inability to communicate with community members about pressing issues.

The Campanile acknowledges the administration’s efforts to address the given situations adequately, yet in order to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, we think increased transparency would help further the public’s understanding of pressing issues.

While many community members have jumped to conclusions about Principal Kim Diorio and other administrators, understanding the entirety of process would help validate or alter those conclusions. After all, we are all interested in the truth.

Advisers Esther Wojcicki • Rodney Satterthwaite Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds18@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis.

We reserve the right to edit submissions.

The Campanile only prints signed letters.

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Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien 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!

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

L FESTYLE

The Evolution of Pearl Tea

Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Reactions

Follow the drink as it makes its way from Taiwan to Palo Alto with the opening of five different stores and its increasing popularity among Paly students.

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PEYTON WANG/THE CAMPANILE

he sweet, tempting aroma of boiled tapioca and fruity flavors immediately allure one into a pearl tea store.

Inside, they can observe a diverse range of people of varying ages and cultural backgrounds, all patiently waiting in line to order their drink, whether they are stopping by after a long day of work, treating their children to treats or just sitting with friends enjoying their colorful beverages. From orange Thai milk teas to honey peach smoothies, customers can customize their drinks by picking a tea from the vast menu and pairing it with the toppings of their choice, whether it is tapioca, lychee jelly, popping boba or taro, among others. After grabbing the signature fat plastic straw and heading out the door, they will come across another pearl milk tea store offering a similar selection just a few blocks further down University. However, the abundance of this drink was definitely not present four years ago, when Palo Alto did not offer a single pearl tea store in 2013, and students were forced to travel to further locations in search of pearl tea.

Tea in Taiwan

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earl tea, also known as bubble tea or boba tea, originated in Taiwan during the 1980s. The drink consists of a tea base with fruit juice, milk or a combination of the two. It also contains black pearls of tapioca, which are characterized by their “QQ” texture. “QQ” is a common Taiwanese morpheme without a Chinese character that means chewy and soft.

“In Taiwanese culture, chewy foods like rice cakes and udon noodles are regarded as foods with a ‘QQ’ texture,” said senior Andrew Shieh, who is ethnically Ta i w a n e s e and has visited Taiwan several times.

According to CNN, the founder of pearl tea Liu Han-Chieh noticed the rising popularity of cold coffee in Japan, inspiring him to serve iced tea at his store, Chun Shui Tang Teahouse, in Taichung, Taiwan. Several years later, Lin Hsiu Hui, HanChieh’s product development manager, served tapioca pudding with iced tea in a staff meeting.

Within months, the teahouse gained an esteemed reputation for pearl tea, marking the beginning of “the pearl tea era.”

Today, pearl tea stores can be found on nearly every street and corner in Taiwan, oftentimes under the same brand name and chain stores.

Senior Rachel Tang said this was the case when her mother asked her to buy pearl milk tea in Taiwan.

“When I visited Taiwan over the summer, my mom asked me to buy boba, and I went on my own,” Tang said. “There are lots of different boba shops everywhere, but my mom wanted me to buy boba at this specific chain store. When I left my grandma’s apartment building, I instinctively turned left and walked for two minutes until I reached the boba shop. Later, when I went with my cousins to buy boba, we turned right instead of left, and I realized that there was the exact same shop about 10 seconds away.”

“Ever since I was young, my mom would take me to Marina, a Chinese grocery store in Cupertino,” Shieh said. “Afterwards, we would get pearl milk tea at Tapioca Express, which is right next to the grocery store.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have pearl milk tea stores in Palo Alto yet, so this was one of the closest places I could buy the drink.”

Before pearl tea stores began popping up in Palo Alto, Audrey Tsien, a junior at Gunn High School, assisted her father with m a k ing and selling pearl milk tea for students at her JLS Chinese school.

Before m o v ing to California, her father owned t w o shops in St. Louis.

“Depending on the weather, every Friday, I make pearl milk tea and sell it to the students at my Chinese school,” Tsien said. “We usually put all the boba in the Chinese school office and most people come during their break to buy it.”

According to Tsien, the most popular teas include black, green, oolong, Earl Grey and jasmine. Additionally, she said flavored pearl teas such as taro, red bean and mango are just as trendy.

“It’s nice to see

people from all cultures enjoying pearl milk tea with their friends.”

Tilak Misner

S

The PMT Trek

people from all cultures enjoying pearl milk tea with their friends,” said senior Tilak Misner. “Drinking pearl milk tea has also become a social activity, so that makes it even more fun to drink.”

In 2013, a multitude of local pearl tea stores, such as T4, Sharetea, Pop Tea Bar and Gong Cha, opened in Palo Alto.

Last summer, Teaspoon opened up in Midtown, making it the fifth pearl tea store in Palo Alto.

Many students decided to gain work experience through making and serving pearl tea.

“I love boba, and I wanted to work somewhere where I would really enjoy what I would be doing,” said senior Tanli Su, who worked at T4 throughout last spring and summer. “Also, I already knew people who worked at boba places.

They all told

me that it was a fun job and only made them love boba more.”

Su said she enjoyed working at a pearl tea store because she had the opportunity to take orders from her friends and create her own specialty d r i n k s through experimentation. “ I c o u l d pretty m u c h h a v e free boba,” Su said. “I would also see my friends very often because they would all come visit and get boba.”

The following summer, several Paly and Gunn students took advantage of the drink’s craze and decided to host

By Paarth Sharma

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their own lemonade and pearl milk tea stand.

“Pearl milk tea is a popular drink in the area, so we used that popularity for a good cause,” said senior Julia Qiao, who assisted with the summer drink s t a n d .

“Also everybody loves pearl milk tea, so it’s a great way to get people to come together.”

Over the past five years, they rallied to donate over $1,000 in proceeds for various causes, including those affected by Nepal’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 and for Syrian refugees.

“It’s refreshing for customers to come across a stand that doesn’t only involve lemonade,” said senior Kendra Wu, a cofounder of the lemonade and pearl milk tea stand. “We’re sharing a part of our culture with our local community, contributing our small change in the world and highlighting how it makes us happy — that should be the main driving force behind anything.”

“Pearl milk

tea is a popular drink in the area, so we used that popularity for a good cause.”

Julia Qiao

PMT at paly

O

n a daily basis, students around Paly’s campus can be seen holding plastic cups of pearl tea. During prep periods, many students take trips to pearl tea stores and place large pearl tea orders for their friends.

“It ’s nice to s e e

art by renee hoh

Design by Leela Srinivasan

tudents used to have to drive to Asian malls in other cities, such as Milpitas and San Jose, to buy the drink, as there weren’t any pearl tea stores in Palo Alto.

Text, Design & Art by Peyton Wang SCIENCE & TECH

Violations of online privacy

Delve into the ethics behind companies acquiring private online data as well as Palyís access to personal information stored on student Chromebooks and school WiFi in todayís digital world.

MAURIZIO PESCE/CC-BY-2.0

PAGE B8

Lifestyle

MADELINE MCCLUSKY/FILE PHOTO

Gunn uses Paly camo theme

Spotlight

ERICA OAKSON/USED WITH PERMISSION

Special ed at Paly

Perspectives on Gunnís recent usage of Palyís camo tradition.

Learn about how Paly prepares students in special ed programs.

PAGE B3

PAGE B4-B5

Managing Editor

ike many teens, I spend a good chunk of my time using Facebook, avoiding my responsibilities. I initially struggled with distinguishing the various reaction buttons and what each one signified. If my time on the site has taught me anything, it’s that there’s specific uses for each reaction, so let me impart my knowledge and experience with “The Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Reactions.”

Like: This is by far the most generic reaction. If reactions were drinks, “Like” would be water. Not a cold glass of water, but a bottle of Arrowhead that’s been cooking in your car for days, the unappealing kind that’s evidently contaminated with tasteable levels of BPA and other chemicals.

This is the reaction you use when that attractive girl you sort of know updates her profile photo, so you’re kind of hitting on her, but not really, you know? There’s no way that could possibly be interpreted as meaning anything, but it can’t really hurt. Additionally, many people measure their sense of worth by the number of likes they accumulate on a comment or profile picture. For whatever reason, anyone in DECA or Key Club rakes in likes on profile pictures.

Love: This reaction is most often used by girls on their friends’ good pictures or guys on their friends’ bad pictures. When coupled with a creative comment about connections or networking on a friend’s latest friendship, this reaction makes for one of the most iconic duos of all-time, right behind me and a tight Henley Tshirts.

Haha: The most useless of all the reaction buttons and often ignored in favor of the Wow or Love react, the Haha react is used largely by that guy who still thinks Harambe jokes are (or were ever) funny. He also doesn’t know how reactions work. Going back to the drink analogy, this is probably the Pepsi of the reaction world. It’s there, but why would you ever choose it?

Wow: Everyone’s favorite reaction. Use this when your friend becomes friends with his grandpa or when everyone’s Trump-supporting uncle shares why illegal immigrants should be deported for the 13th time this week.

Sad: An absolute classic. The Sad reaction is the perfect way to show sympathy; use it on your uncle’s long post about how his dog just died, the video about the Syrian Civil War your mom shared or your friend’s new cover photo where he’s standing on the edge of the Empire State Building pretending to fall off.

Angry: This react is the closest thing our friends in Menlo Park have devised to the much-requested “dislike” button. Use it all over your friend when he shares some stupid Candy Crush promo for the third time this week or the horrifically-distorted photo booth image from 2013 he hasn’t deleted yet. It’s also ok to use “Angry” on Spirit Week photos of anyone from a different grade, because fork anyone not born within six months of you, right?

Share: While not a reaction in the truest sense, it may as well be to some people. The “sharer” is arguably the most annoying type of Facebook user. For some reason, this person feels the need to share everything they see on social media, though most of it is so mindnumbingly boring it could put a horse to sleep.

Lifestyle

PHOTO FROM PIXABAY/CC0

Review: American Vandal

New television series brings a mix of absurdity and reality to Netflix.

PAGE B6

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

B2

New library to incorporate contemporary features An in-depth look at what the newest Paly building will look like once its opened in 2019

Column: How to procrastinate

By Edan Sneh Online Editor

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aly’s latest construction project, the remodeled library, will be completed

by January of 2019, according to Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman, who has played a large role in its layout and design.

The new library is part of the District’s plans to rebuild and improve all under-renovated buildings at Paly, according to Kellerman. The library, costing $9.8 million, is part of a $378 million Strong Schools Bond measure that Palo Alto voters passed in 2008. This measure has brought in new buildings such as the Performing Arts Center and the Peery Family Center, which both debuted in the past few years.

According to Kellerman, the renovations for the library were originally going to take place before the construction of the gym. However, when Palo Alto resident and community member Dick Peery agreed to donate millions of dollars to the construction of a new gymnasium, the school switched its focus in order to ensure his donation.

In order to create a floorplan for the library, a planning committee visited other local libraries, researched ideas for libraries and interviewed students and teachers about what they thought would make the perfect library, according to Kellerman.

The team decided on a large walkway dividing the library into two sections in order to prevent students from passing through the library on their way to class and disturbing other students in the library. The section of the library closest to the robotics room and auto shop will be reserved for staff offices as well as Paly’s first teacher multipurpose conference room.

“The plan is to bring guidance and counseling from the tower building to the center of campus [by moving them to the Library],” Kellerman said. “This way the offices will be a central location for students around campus.”

After guidance and counseling are relocated, the District plans to remodel the tower building once a new bond gets issued. However, according to Kellerman, before a

By Edward Kim

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s the window closes on yet another unsuccessful submission deadline (this time for college applications), many seniors are rushing on their college applications because of a naturally-occurring trend: procrastination.

Often present in large quantities among stressed yet lazy high schoolers, procrastination is hidden under the guise of productivity. As an expert procrastinator myself (I won the “Master Procrastinator” award on the Paly Debate Team), I’ve compiled a handy guide for identifying the varying productivity levels present in teenagers faced with a deluge of work.

PHOTO FROM PALY.NET/LIBRARY-CONSTRUCTION

The new library will be comprised of an all new and innovative design, which includes the flexible teaching space and the conference rooms. new bond is in place, the remaining money in the current bond will be used to remodel and make improvements on the language buildings.

“The plan is to

bring guidance and counseling from the tower building to the center of campus.”

Rachel Kellerman

The side of the library closest to the Media Arts Center (MAC) will function as the student side.

It will feature a main library area with books, a study space and a section for computers that will surround a silent study room equipped with soundproof doors.

Three group study rooms — mod-

eled after the ones at Mitchell Park Library — will contain Smart Boards and conference tables.

The committee initially planned a second floor, but instead opted for a mezzanine featuring Paly’s archive of old school newspaper and magazines going back 125 years. According to Kellerman, the mezzanine surrounds only a small section of the main part of the library so most of the library will only have one floor.

One new section in the library is a Makerspace, a place where students and staff have access to a selection of hardware tools including 3-D printers. According to Kellerman, it is a space meant for building a vast selection of things up to the imagination, from popsicle stick figures to motor-powered computer cases that are used as transportation.

The library plans to have a

Makerspace available to all students on campus. However, this project is only in the early stages of planning and does not have a budget yet.

According to Kellerman, the renovations for the library were originally going to take place before the construction on the gym.

“I plan to get a group of teachers and students together once we receive a budget to research and determine what we should have in our new space along with our goals,” said Assistant Principal Adam Paulson.

The new library also features

skylights and large windows to improve the atmosphere by letting in as much outside light in as possible.

“The old library looked a little depressing, to put it mildly, due to the lack of natural light,” Kellerman said.

In order to improve student comfort and library experience even more, the library plans to house a new selection of more comfortable furniture deviating from the chairs and tables common to Paly’s classrooms.

While most of the planning, laying out and designing has already been completed, the new library is still looking to receive its name. Students who want to be involved in the process for choosing a new name for the Paly library should submit their idea to the Google Form, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ palylibrary.

Winter climate may negatively affect those with SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causes some to suffer from mild depression due to the weather

By Waverly Long Staff Writer

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s summer heat melts away, along with dwindling numbers of pool party invitations and dripping popsicles comes paths covered in vibrant leaves, pumpkin spiced everything and sweater weather.

For many, this is the time of year they look forward to — weeks filled with apple and puddles splash. However, others dread the months when frost glistens on windows, because it is during these times that they fall into similar periods of depression every year.

These individuals suffer from winter-onset seasonal affective disorder (SAD). According to Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher Chris Farina, SAD is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year during specific seasons, depending on the individual.

“It’s a mood disorder that affects people seasonally, usually during the winter,” Farina said.

“They experience what is usually a mild form of depression, although it can range to moderate or even severe.”

Though most people with SAD have periods of depression in fall and winter, according to Farina, some people with SAD experience depression surrounding the spring or summertime instead.

Regardless of what season someone experiences symptoms of SAD, the severity of one’s symptoms may increase as the season progresses, according to the Mayo Clinic.

There are several overarching symptoms individuals with SAD may experience regardless of the time of year they are affected by their SAD, and some symptoms that are specific to the season in which one is affected by their SAD, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The overarching symptoms are all typical symptoms of depression. These include losing interest in passions, low energy, sleeping

Business Manager

problems, changes in appetite or weight, sluggishness, agitation, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness or worthlessness, guilt or suicidal thoughts.

“During the season in which this person becomes depressed, you see the same kinds of symptoms that you would see in other depressive disorders,” Farina said, “It might be helpful to think of it compared to the other types of mood disorders. Major depressive disorder [is when] you have a deep depression, which has to last for at least two weeks. It’s the most severe of the depressive disorders. There’s another depressive disorder called dysthymia, which is milder, but longer in duration.

With SAD, the difference is that it afflicts people regularly, during one season of the year, usually winter.”

Some symptoms specific to fall and winter-onset SAD are oversleeping, appetite changes (specifically cravings for carbs), weight gain and low energy.

Negative symptoms specific to spring and summer-onset SAD include insomnia, poor appetite, weight loss and agitation or anxiety.

SAD can go hand in hand with bipolar disorder, which involves extreme changes in an individual’s mood, where they will experience periods of mania and depression. An individual who has both bipolar disorder and SAD may find that these periods correlate with particular seasons. In this way, having bipolar disorder may increase one’s risk of SAD. In addition, having severe depression can also result in a higher chance of having SAD. Another factor potentially affecting whether or not someone has SAD is someone’s distance from the equator. At the equator sunlight is greatly decreased in winter months and there are significantly longer days through the summer.

“Probably the biggest [risk factor] is those extreme latitudes — if the sun is down for all but eight hours a day, six hours a day, it can be very depressing; it can be very tough,” Farina said. “So we

Procrastination through culinary discovery Having access to a large palette of food within walking distance is truly a blessing. Stocked with a large supply of instant ramen, waffle mix, dairy and bread, home kitchens pose a large threat to the productivity levels of high school students. Instead of completing American Pageant readings or UChicago’s “quirky” supplement, teenagers are in the kitchen past midnight creating a slightly-burnt grilled cheese sandwich.

Although midnight grilled cheese sandwiches eventually made their way onto my USC “favorite snack” list, culinary adventures like these can seriously distract from any lingering work.

Unfortunately, 1 a.m. cooking sessions may have unintended consequences, as you may accidentally awaken parents by dropping various pots and pans in a clumsy attempt to strain pasta.

Procrastination through social media Heavily covered in my other columns, social media poses a great threat to the productivity of teenagers. With an omnipresent need to embarrass others in group chats and responding to friends tagging you in “@E needs to buy you a burrito,” social media prevails over all other forms of work and is one of the biggest causes of procrastination..

Often present in large quantities among stressed yet lazy high schoolers, procrastination is hidden under the guise of productivity.

PHOTO BY MAX PIXEL/CC0 PUBLIC DOMAIN

Rain and cold can have a harmful impact on individuals who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. do see higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation in those locations during their winters.”

Other risk factors involve genetics; those with relatives who have SAD or another form of depression are at a higher risk of having SAD themselves, according to Mayo Clinic. In addition, women are more frequently diagnosed with SAD than men. SAD is also more common in young adults than older people.

Though these risk factors may play into an individual’s chances of having SAD, a specific cause for the disorder is yet to be determined. However, there are some potential explanations as to why an individual may suffer from SAD. According to Mayo Clinic, one potential cause of winter-onset SAD is that a decrease in the amount of sunlight one is exposed to in fall and winter months could disrupt their circadian rhythm, resulting in feelings of depression.

In addition, an individual may experience a drop in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, when sunlight hours are reduced, which could also con-

tribute and lead to depression.

Both the sleep patterns and mood of an individual are also affected by one’s melatonin levels, which can be disrupted by a change in season.

Sheree Polonsky, the lead therapist at the Paly Wellness Center, said that though winter-onset SAD can be a result of shorter days and gloomier weather. Individuals with winter-onset SAD may also be affected by the holidays.

“During the season

in which this person becomes depressed, you see the same kinds of symptoms that you would see in other depressive disorders.”

Chris Farina

“[Winter-onset SAD] also could be related to the holiday season, which can be a really

hard time for people depending on their history,” Polonsky said.

“For some people, the holidays is a really fun and joyous time with family and friends, and for other people it can be really triggering, depending on what they’ve been through.”

The severity of the potential effects of SAD show the importance of treatment for an individual with this condition.

Phototherapy, medication and psychotherapy are all types of treatment that can help those with SAD. “There are three kind of targets for treating SAD,” Farina said. “One is with phototherapy, where you expose yourself to light, artificial light, so they give you a light box with which you stimulate yourself. The reason they would do that is if you live in an environment where during the winter the sun is down for a majority of the day — so, very extreme latitudes. Two would be they target your serotonin levels with an antidepressant. And three would be they target your melatonin levels, which are related to your sleep and circadian rhythms.”

Social media platforms may even stray outside of its traditional forms like Instagram and Snapchat to include Reddit and YouTube, which send teenagers down a never-ending time sink.

An ill-timed “break” may turn into an extended YouTube session that ends by watching “2017 Top 10 SoundCloud rappers.” Additionally, any teen spending excessive time with Facebook messaging windows open is likely to have some incomplete homework remaining.

Procrastination through a profound lack of intelligence In contrast to other items on this list, which detail how outside factors work to distract a student, a student may find the work itself propelling them towards procrastination. In cases where students can’t understand what proteins do or how to use conditional probability, they may turn away from their work.

Even with valiant efforts to stay in front of the textbook, students like me without the intellectual capacity to comprehend the notes they copy will inevitably end up blankly staring at their paper for hours. A gateway drug into other forms of procrastination, students who cannot understand why a thesis needs to have X, Y and Z parts will later find themselves lip-syncing to Lil Uzi Vert at 2 a.m. instead of studying.

These are not all of my strategies for procrastinating, but I plan on finishing this list sometime soon.

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Gunn’s new camouflage theme generates heated controversy Examining the different perspectives and viewpoints waging yet another war between the crosstown rival schools

By Bernie Koen

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Staff Writer

very year, the Paly senior class shows off its spirit and pride by wearing camouflage outfits on a few special occasions, including the first and last days of school, the last day of Spirit Week, some crucial sporting events and the first day of second semester.

Only time will tell if Gunn proceeds to make camouflage a tradition of their own.

According to long-time Paly math teacher Arne Lim, the tradition dates back to a year where the Paly seniors had camouflage as their class theme for Spirit Week. The subsequent class of juniors liked the tradition so much that they decided to incorporate it as well.

Slowly, the practice of seniors wearing camo on the aforementioned days became tradition, according to Lim. This has repeated every year since, and has continued to be a part of Paly history.

However, controversy arose this year when seniors at Henry M. Gunn High School dressed up in camouflage for their Spirit Week, angering many Paly students.

“They know that we [wear camo], so if they want to copy us that’s fine,” said Paly senior Tyler Marik. “We’re clearly superior,

which is why they want to copy us.”

Many Paly seniors buy camouflage because of the many opportunities that they have to wear it during the school year. However, seniors at Gunn will only wear their camo once a year, so Marik said that Gunn wearing camouflage doesn’t make sense for the students financially.

“It’s kind of a waste of money on their part,” Marik said. “Buying camo for one day is pretty expensive, so they have the right to do it, but if I went to Gunn I’d think it was a pretty stupid idea.”

Marik said the use of camouflage by Gunn is completely inspired by Paly’s tradition.

“A lot of [Gunn students were] like, ‘Oh, your guys’ camo is so cool,” Marik said. “You’re right, it’s cool. That’s why they’re trying to use it.”

On the other hand, Gunn senior Yuval Steinhart said that Gunn’s use of the camouflage outfits was fully isolated from Paly’s.

“A lot of [Gunn students were] like, ‘Oh, your guys’ camo is so cool.’ You’re right, it’s cool. That’s why they’re trying to use it.”

Tyler Marik

“It’s in no way inspired by or meant to take away from Paly’s senior themes,” Steinhart said.

Steinhart believes Paly students are overreacting to the

JAMES POE/USED WITH PERMISSION

Seniors wearing camouflage on the last day of Spirit Week has long been tradition at Paly, but rivals Gunn chose to wear it as well this year. whole dilemma. He sees Paly and Gunn more as collaborators than competitors.

“I think they’re really just feeling disrespected over nothing,” Steinhart said. “There are things that Gunn does that Paly has taken inspiration from ... that Gunn students overall don’t really care about [such as a night rally during Spirit Week]. Paly students are making a big deal over something that really shouldn’t be a problem.”

Gunn junior Chloe Shrager agreed with Steinhart.

“In the same way that Paly added a night rally to their Homecoming Week, I think it’s good that Paly and Gunn can use the same ideas without having to

try to outdo one another,” Shrager said.

Shrager said wearing camouflage isn’t something Paly has overwhelming “copyright” rights over.

“I personally don’t have an issue with Gunn using camo as a theme.

Paly doesn’t own the idea of camo.”

Rafi Moskowitz

“I fully recognize that dressing up in camo is a Paly tradition, and I fully respect that too,” Shrager said. “I think that’s really

awesome, but I personally don’t think that Gunn also using that as a dress up during our Homecoming Week is a violation of [Paly]’s traditions.”

Not all Paly seniors were upset by the fact that Gunn uses camouflage for their dressups during their Spirit Week.

Paly senior Rafi Moskowitz said he had no problem with Gunn using a theme that originated at Paly, as long as Gunn doesn’t claim that the idea to wear camouflage started with them.

“I personally don’t have an issue with Gunn using camo as a theme,” Moskowitz said. “Paly doesn’t own the idea of camo. I think there’s no reason to overreact and claim that they’re steal-

ing our tradition, as long as Gunn isn’t claiming that they’re the ones who originated with the idea of using camo as a senior theme.”

“It’s in no way inspired by or meant to take away from Paly’s senior themes.”

Yuval Steinhart

Despite Gunn’s use of it, Paly’s annual use of camouflage has not shown signs of slowing down or disappearing. Only time will tell if Gunn proceeds to make camouflage clothing a tradition of their own.

Students venture out from traditional methods of transport Motorcycles, scooters, motorized vehicles and unicycles are all creative means of transport students are utilizing

JONATHAN STOSCHEK/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Adrien Tompert rides his motorcycle to school everyday, making him just one of a few students who use a unique form of transportation which isn’t biking or driving to school. He has been riding it since he was 16.

By Kennedy Herron Staff Writer

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mong the floods of students who commute to school via car, bicycle or foot, there are a select few that stand out from the crowd, turning heads of passersby. These lesserknown means of transportation each hold a unique story and significance to their rider.

“It’s $4 to fill up my gas tank, and I never have traffic because I can split lanes. It is very dangerous, but it’s also extremely fun.”

Adrien Tompert

Adrien Tompert A white 200cc motorcycle belonging to senior Adrien Tompert sits parked among the cars next to the auto shop. According to Tompert, his motorcycle is an enjoyable and cost-efficient option to get to school.

“It’s $4 to fill up my gas tank, and I never have traffic because I can split lanes,” Tompert said. “It is very dangerous, but it’s also extremely fun.”

Because he was underage, in order to obtain his motorcycle li-

cense, Tompert had to attend 16 hours of consistent classroom and riding training. Although it may have taken a while, according to Tompert, the payoff was worth it.

The social aspect is one of the biggest perks about taking his motorcycle to school.

“Giving people rides is probably the most fun you could ever give someone,” Tompert said.

In addition, there is an unspoken interaction between fellow motorcyclists.

“Between other motorcyclists, there’s this thing where every time you drive by another motorcyclist, you give them a peace sign,” Tompert said. “It’s a nice little camaraderie.”

Although many people are skeptical about the safety of riders, especially pertaining to high school students, Tompert claims that if the motorcycles are properly controlled, they are reasonably safe.

“The only time I’ve ever been in a sticky situation is when I put myself in one and I was going way too fast,” Tompert said. “It’s only as dangerous as the rider makes it.”

Javid Alasti Surprisingly, junior Javid Alasti only discovered his preferred method of transportation to school after he had his bike stolen. At that point, his only option to get to school was a motorized scooter he built. After trying

it out, Alasti said he decided his scooter was a more entertaining and productive alternative, so he stuck with it. “[Taking the scooter] was just really fun, so I continued taking it even after I got a bike,” Alasti said.

In order to make the scooter electric, Alasti said he collected many different materials for the building process.

“I have a lot of batteries from old hoverboards,” Alasti said.

“Then, we got parts from an old Razor Go-Kart and then put them on a scooter we found for free on the curb by someone’s house.”

According to Alasti, the motorized scooter is an exciting, valid mode of transportation to Paly. “[The scooter] is faster than biking, and it’s way more fun,” Alasti said.

“[Taking the scooter] was just really fun, so I continued taking it even after I got a bike.”

Javid Alasti

Nathan Kim and Peter Martin As individuals who have always had a passion for designing and building, juniors Nathan Kim and Peter Martin constructed many of their creations using the workspace in Martin’s garage,

some of which the two take to school on a daily basis.

Both Kim and Martin have built motors into school desks, and Kim rides his to Paly every day. The desk contains of all the necessary components to allow them to travel down the streets of Palo Alto.

“I welded a metal frame around the base of a desk, and then I put wheels and a motor on it,” Kim said.

Kim said he receives many amusing remarks and looks when he drives the desk around.

“We get a lot of comments from the younger generation about the desks,” Martin said.

While Martin also has his own electric desk, lately he said he has chosen an alternative ride; he calls it a motorbike. This contraption consists of a lawn mower engine from the 1970s attached to a nonmotorized bicycle.

“I ride a modified bicycle which has an engine in it and no pedal power whatsoever,” Martin said.

Martin’s primary concern regarding his trip to school in the morning is efficiency.

“My commute is about 1012 minutes on a bicycle, and I’ve gotten to school in five minutes on the motorbike,” Martin said.

“The whole point is reducing the amount of things I have to do.”

Zach Strassberg-Phillips When Paly graduate Zach

Strassberg-Phillips was in Elementary school, he used to rollerblade to school every day. Four years later, he managed to scooter to Paly with the handle bars against his hips while juggling.

Finally, after Strassberg-Phillips parents realized he needed a vehicle that fulfilled his love of unique rides to school while satisfying his passion for juggling, they gifted him a unicycle.

“Unicycling is also awesome because of all the smiles and faces of wonder that induces in those I pass by. I like to think that by unicycling places I am spreading some joy throughout the places I go.”

Zach Strassberg- Phillips

“I like unicycling because I can transport myself while enjoying the wind on my face and being able to do other things like eat breakfast or juggle or whatever else I want to do,” StrassbergPhillips said.

Strassberg-Phillips said while unicycling may look difficult, it is not as hard as it looks.

“I learned to unicycle by hanging onto a chain fence for dear life for an hour a day and by the fourth day I could unicycle,” Strassberg-Phillips said. “Unicycle is one of those things that takes a short time to learn but a lifetime to master.”

The best part of riding a unicycle to school is the delight in his passers-by reactions.

“I’ve gotten to school in five minutes on the motorbike. The whole point is reducing the amount of things I have to do.”

Peter Martin

“Unicycling is also awesome because of all the smiles and faces of wonder that induces in those I pass by,” Strassberg-Phillips said.

“I like to think that by unicycling places I am spreading some joy throughout the places I go.”

All these five students chose unconventional rides that display the creativity among the student body. As you make your way to school, look for them as they won’t be hard to miss. If you want to take up a challenge, draw inspiration from their individuality and find yourself an extravagant ride that will draw even more attention from your peers.

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SPOTLIGHT Art by Marie Davis

PREPARING FO

the different experiences and programs wit POSt Secondary Program The Post-Secondary Program is offered to pausd students ages 1821 with special needs after the completion of high school to teach independence. Students participate in varying community activities to maximize exposure to life experiences.

The Futures Program offered to students with moderate to severe disabilities, this program is a vital part of helping students prosper in both a school and social environment.

E

ight years ago, Zach Gibson, a Paly alumnus, entered the special education program as a sixth grader who was navigating the rough currents of his mental disabilities. Gibson was born with moderately-severe autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); however, through the special education programs he was put into, Gibson claims that his disabilities are barely recognizable today.

Gibson’s journey through the special education program in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) illustrates how these tailored services can help students with a range of challenges prepare for life after high school.

“I think our special education programs are brilliant and especially how it’s setup for case managers and individual students,” said Gibson, who now attends Foothill College. “It’s particularly helpful for those who don’t know how to channel their mental disabilities yet.”

T h e special educ ation program at Paly consists of multiple pathways that cater to more than 200 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that range from mild to severe. The programs serve distinct types of students, with teachers and aides helping them reach their full potential in both academic and social environments.

Students are placed in programs and classes specific to their needs based on the principle of creating the least restrictive environment for that special education student. This principle explains that disabled students are to participate in as much of the general education program as is appropriate in view of his or her educational needs.

The special education staff team strives to determine what affects the student’s learnings and how the student can best thrive in school.

“We have to look at if a disability affects the student’s ability to learn,” said Stephanie Sheridan, head of Secondary Special Education in PAUSD. “A student may have a disability, but if it is not affecting their ability to learn, they will probably not require an Individual Education Plan (IEP).”

For students who do not qualify for special education services, there is another option. A 504 plan is offered

to students who can fully participate in school but need extra help. The plan can include assistive technology that students may need, breaks during class, permission for students to type their assignments instead of writing by hand or extra time on tests and assignments due to their disabilities.

“The 504 means the student is completely general education, but they require some accommodation with the general education program,” Sheridan said. “Many students with a 504 plan would have something like ADHD; another one could be anxiety or some kind of social emotional issue.”

Students with milder disabilities say they often feel outcast by the special education program because they struggle to fit in with nondisabled students. Add i t i on a l l y, they feel they don’t receive the same affection some severely disabled students do.

According to Gibson, this is due to the attitude that in some instances, it is easier to reach students who have severe mental disabilities with a kinder tone than a special education student who can better comprehend and pick up on the social cues of their surroundings. Oftentimes, when prioritizing the more severely disabled students, special education students with lesser hindrances are neglected of the help and treatment that they ma need.

Gibson said peer acceptance is the most important factor to preparing special education students for posthigh school life. Special education students are underprepared for the “real word” not because of flaws in the special education program, teachers or classes, but because they are ostracized from “normal” interactions that hinder their social growth.

“We’re just like anybody else, that just has kind of a different mindset,” Gibson said. “I think that’s forgotten a lot.”

Historically, students with disabilities have been unrightfully discriminated against, prevented from participating and denied access to an equal education.

After the introduction of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAFCA) in 1975, schools have made strides in including and supporting disabled stu-

General Education program This program allows disabled students to participate in a general education class with help if needed. Through this, they can challenge themselves academically and not be limited by their disability.

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

SPOTLIGHT

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Text & Design by John Loftus, Lucy nemerov & Shannon Zhao

thin special education help students succeed dents through the hiring of more specialized teachers and instruction. The EAFCA ensures that children with disabilities have access to public education. This act provided local and statewide support, as well as protection to disabled children and their families.

Paly offers various programs for academics and also for social interaction. The main programs and services offered include the secondary program, the Futures program, the General Education program, Project SEARCH, specialized academic instruction and the post-secondary program.

In 1989, Best Buddies International, a nonprofit that aims to create welcoming environments for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, was founded.

The Best Buddies Club on campus helps special education students b u i l d s o c i a l skills and lifetime f riendships with general education students.

“Best Buddies is an rewarding experience for both special education and non-disabled students,” said Club Vice President Ben Gordon. “It gives them the opportunity to interact and create bonds with general education students that would otherwise be difficult to make in a classroom setting.”

Despite the efforts made by groups on campus, such as the Best Buddies club, to increase the inclusion of special education students into conventional high school activities, there is still a very negative light that is shed on the special education programs. Common misconceptions about mental disabilities trap special education students under the stigmatized name of their program, leading many students in the program to hide their handicaps.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people have the fear that it [their disability] will get out because they’ve been tormented or bullied or worse due to the fact that they have a mental disability and that they were in these programs,” Gibson said.

Peter, a Paly alumnus who has requested to remain anonymous, is a victim of the aforementioned intimida-

tion and is afraid that revealing his identity would subject him to being bullied by his peers. In high school, Peter struggled to fit in, often extending his friendship to others, but continually falling short. Peter believed that his struggles with making friends was largely due to the blockade created by his disability.

“At Paly, one thing that always happened was that I never fit in with groups,” Peter said. “I tried to be nice and they wavered back.”

Recent headlines about PAUSD’s handling of the mistreatment of a middle school special education student has drawn more attention to the support behind special education students. According to a Palo Alto Online article, a Palo Alto family of a special education student who attended Jordan Middle School recently filed a lawsuit in July against the District on grounds that they had reported bullying, but the school failed to file a Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP).

The student faced threats, and was targeted because of his disability.

This incident occurred on November of 2016, and the family decided to move their child to Terman Middle School.

However, upon moving, the student continued to face discriminatory bullying.

Although some special education students stay in the program throughout their entire academic careers, many students grow out of the program and no longer need the special assistance. Gibson is well underway in his journey out of the program and has achieved many touchstones as a filmmaker.

Some of Gibson’s award-winning films have received international recognition, such the documentary Unmasked. One of Gibson’s proudest accomplishments is sounding the Luminescence International Student Teen Film Festival, which received 1,080 film submissions from 79 different countries. Gibson refuses to let his disabilities become obstacles in his life and instead, has learned to channel them into his creative processes when directing.

“The way I perceive art is strictly unique to me in the sense that I can look at something and see the finer details and even other images that nobody else could even comprehend,” Gibson said. “I can honestly say that my autism and ADHD make my film-making unique, extravagant and entertaining.”

IEP team comprised of a student, guidance counselor, general education teachers and the student’s parents, the team works together to create an education plan that best suits the student.

504 PLAN Students with a 504 plan are enrolled in all general education classes, but require certain accommodations within their general education classes. 504 plans are managed by guidance counselors, as opposed to an iep team.

Project SEARCH this program offers students specifically with significant intellectual disabilities an opportunity to train for work life and a step ahead in preparing for job placement.

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Young Americans for Freedom aims to promote conservative ideals Refreshing perspectives from club representatives help raise awareness regarding students with alternative views at Paly place of ideas.”

The “marketplace of ideas” originates from philosopher and political thinker John Stuart Mill’s 1859 essay, “On Liberty.” It asserts that only through intelligent and thorough discussion can good ideas and essential truths be discovered. For any society, Mill said, to discuss is to progress.

By Ethan Nissim

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Staff Writer

nyone who’s lived in Palo Alto for even a short period of time has heard this phrase thrown around a few times: “Palo Alto is a liberal bubble.” And there’s no denying the strong political inclinations of Paly students; for example, just last year, after the presidential election, students organized a march downtown.

This political interest can also be found in Paly’s clubs, where groups of students have promised to address every topic, such as the Students for a Free Tibet Club and the Intersectional Feminism Club. There is also a Political Theory Club as well as a Democrats club. However, given the strong left-leaning sentiments of the community, the existence of Young Americans for Freedom, a club dedicated to raising awareness of conservative voices at Paly, may come as a bit of a shock to the rest of the Paly community.

Important conservative figures have long been shaped by their experiences as a minority among liberal colleagues.

Young Americans for Freedom is a local chapter of a nationwide organization dedicated to bringing conservative and libertarian students together.

“It’s a place for students to talk about conservatism and promote conservatism at Paly by educating students,” said club president and founder Yasmeen Gavande.

“Obviously, Paly is a very liberal

A club dedicated to raising awareness of conservative voices at Paly may come as a bit of a shock to the rest of the Paly community.

environment, from the teachers to the media that students are using and receiving.”

In an article published by Palo Alto Online about Young Americans for Freedom, several members of the club recounted experiencing hostility from other students over their conservative beliefs.

One sophomore, Jackson Druker, described being harassed for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat to school. Despite this, Gavande said the reception to the club’s existence has been surprisingly positive.

“There’s been interesting reactions,” Gavande said. “Some students, I would even call them

closeted conservatives, have been pleasantly surprised that there’s a club like this on campus. Some people think it’s really cool, even if they don’t agree with us.”

In other parts of the country, Young Americans for Freedom chapters have engaged in activities such as rolling a large “free speech ball,” a beach ball in which students are encouraged to write whatever they wanted with Sharpies, in order to promote conservative ideals. According to Gavande, Paly’s club is looking to raise awareness of the community’s conservative voices.

“We are going to try to have guest speakers, and we’re also going to have activism events,”

Gavande said. “We were going to host debates, even though the Democrats and the Intersectional Feminists backed out.”

Other clubs are also planning events to raise awareness for their ideals.

“Our club is currently planning a donation drive, so we would rather have the debate once the drive is over and our schedules are clearer,” said Tamar Sarig, president of the Democrats Club in an email.

According to the New York Times in 2017, important conservative figures have long been shaped by their experiences as a minority among liberal colleagues.

For example, Judge Neil Gorsuch,

a justice on the Supreme Court, was a publication editor at Columbia University during his time as a student. He would frequently write op-ed pieces espousing conservative views, despite living and studying on a predominantly liberal campus.

William F. Buckley, Jr., founder of notable conservative news outlet The National Review, wrote “God and Man at Yale” in 1951, chronicling his experience as part of a conservative minority on campus. In it, he accused professors of shutting down free thought within their classrooms and destroying individualism.

Such behavior, Buckley wrote, led to the destruction of the “market-

With the current political climate of the United States, where it is increasingly easy to lock oneself in an echo chamber and hear no voices but those that complement our own, discourse is more important than ever before.

“We are asleep in our echo chambers, where our views are always affirmed and information that contradicts them is always fake,” said Senator John McCain on the Senate floor. “We are asleep in our polarized politics, which exaggerates our differences, looking for scapegoats instead of answers.”

To truly understand the United States and the incredibly diverse tapestry of people that make it up, no ideological stone can be left unturned.

Gavande said her club is a promising sign of the political discourse and diversity that so many claim the country needs. With such clubs, Paly students seeking a point of view that will challenge their beliefs or help them discover what those beliefs may feel right at home.

“American Vandal”: How to host a successful Friendsgiving refreshing humor Make Thanksgiving better by inviting friends over for food, games, and movies Netflix introduces new mockumentary

By Kesi Sound & Nicholas Melvin

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Lifestyle Editor & Managing Editor

omedy is a sketchy realm.

The jokes of yesterday often end up being considered bigoted or xenophobic as the years progress. Racist jokes from the 20th century bring nothing but disgust. Sexist jokes from the 60s are now scoffed at with open disdain. Even gay jokes, which were in fashion a mere 10 years ago, are now taken with a grain of salt. But there is one type of humor that has been around since the days of the ancient Romans and shows no signs of reducing to anything less than a goldmine of hilarity: phallic humor.

This philosophy is put into practice in Netflix’s new original series, “American Vandal.” The mockumentary style, true-crime drama investigates one student’s expulsion and documents the extraneous circumstances surrounding the afternoon in which a truly horrific crime was committed. The crime in question was a malicious and horrid one: the vandalism of 27 teachers’ cars at a high school through the spray painting of phallic imagery.

It’s a commonly held consensus around the school that the perpetrator is one Dylan Maxwell ( Jimmy Tatro).

As a result of this, and the fact that Maxwell is one of nine students with access to the school’s security feed (which was deleted), he dabbles in drawing phallic imagery and most damning of all, there is an eyewitness who saw him drawing sausages.

It wades through the uncanny valley of being so real it must be fake.

Despite all this, Maxwell refuses to admit he was responsible for the vandalism, claiming, among other arguments, that he is too dumb to commit such a complex crime, he was at his girlfriend’s house and that if he was responsible for it, he would take credit for it..

In an attempt to discover what truly happened at two o’clock on

that fateful Tuesday, Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck) launch their own investigation in the format of a documentary in which they attempt to uncover all the facts.

The show is comprised entirely of footage Ecklund and Maldonado have recorded, and they serve as narrators throughout the story.

As in typical true-crime shows, each episode has its predictable twists and painfully tense moments. Each of these twists and moments is so absurd and whimsical it’s impossible to not appreciate the show’s charm.

For example, one episode focuses entirely on determining whether or not the eyewitness to the crime is trustworthy. He claimed to have seen Dylan committing the crime, but doubt is cast upon his claim when the documentarists learn he also claimed to have partaken in sexual conduct with a girl who is considered to be several levels ahead of him on the hotness spectrum.

The entirety of the episode, an episode which was titled “A Limp Alibi,” is dedicated to finding the truth behind whether this alleged interaction was fact or fiction.

The extent of this investigation included driving out to the summer camp where the alleged act occurred, viewing the spot from multiple angles (in an attempt to find anyone who may have seen it) and even digitally recreating the scene in an attempt to find new vantage points where witnesses may have been.

“American Vandal” is a strange but intoxicating mix of the absurd and real, and its humor is perfect for those who are less than mature.

It wades through the uncanny valley of being so real it must be fake with ease, and captivates its audience with an intense plot filled with subtle jokes and satiric themes.

Through the humor and absurdity it presents, “American Vandal” leaves audiences with an interesting critique of the documentary genre’s tendency to exaggerate and perhaps muddle the truth in its attempt to create a more compelling story.

Many wall breaking scenes occur especially towards to end of the film, reflecting an oddly wise sentiment given that the premise is drawing sausages.

YINAN CHEN/CC0 BY-1.0

Assorted dishes prepared by friends and family can be enjoyed by everyone as they gather for a festive dinner in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

By Khadija Abid

E

Staff Writer

very year, on the fourth Thursday of November, friends and family gather around a table overflowing with glistening turkey, crispy pies and creamy mashed potatoes friends and family spent hours toiling over. As the night goes on, the room fills with the aroma of the scrumptious meal, boisterous conversation and the warmth of a crackling fire.

With family, laughter and tables overflowing with food for as far as the eye can see, Thanksgiving is a popular holiday that encourages a positive and grateful outlook on life. But how could such a beloved holiday get any better? By adding another one.

Host a Friendsgiving potluck the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Twice the food, twice the fun.

Thanksgiving is a popular holiday that encourages a positive and grateful outlook on life.

Dishes & Recipes Avoid confusion and chaos in the kitchen by splitting up the work. Make Friendsgiving a potluck style event and have friends

sign up to bring dishes on a Google spreadsheet. Have guests list all allergies, dietary restrictions and food requests on the sheet to ensure a successful event. To feed 10 people, try including one main dish, three sides and two dessert dishes. For the main dish, go with a classic turkey or try something new and serve roasted duck.

For side dishes, try delicious

Pull out a classic holiday movie like “Home Alone” or “Elf ” to watch while everyone digests. and easy-to-make options like cranberry stuffing, mashed potatoes, green-bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and salad. Make sure everyone’s sweet tooth is satisfied by making a classic pumpkin or apple pie. Provide a healthy alternative by serving fruit salad and rice pudding.

Turkey 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Rinse turkey with cold water, then dry well.

3. Season inside the cavity with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper.

4. Stuff cavity with 2 cups of chopped carrots and onions, and

tie legs together using butcher’s twine.

5. Rub butter, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper all over turkey skin.

6. Place turkey in oven breast side up and loosely tent turkey with aluminum foil.

7. Roast turkey for four hours, remove foil after the first two hours of roasting.

8. Let turkey rest for 20 minutes.

9. Remove butcher’s twine, and remove carrots and onions from cavity.

10. Transfer onto serving platter and enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes 1. Cook 5 potatoes in a pot of salted boiling water for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of milk in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted.

3. Use an electric beater to slowly blend milk mixture into potatoes until smooth and creamy.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fruit Salad In a large bowl, combine: 1 cup of blackberries, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of kiwis, ½ a cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoons of fresh mint.

Setting & Decor As beautiful as a table full of food may look, don’t let the

decorations stop there. Scatter pumpkins and cinnamon scented candles to create a fall aesthetic.

Finally, add a fall-themed centerpiece to tie the theme together.

Creating your own centerpiece is easy and cost-effective. Try a sunflower arrangement with wildflowers and other seasonal vegetation. If you want to go the extra mile, decorate your Friendsgiving with a cornucopia, the epitome of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday that encourages a positive and grateful outlook on life.

Activities Now that everyone is stuffed and the plates have been licked clean, the real fun can begin. Pull out a classic holiday movie like “Home Alone” or “Elf ” to watch while everyone digests.

Then, take out a deck of cards or board games for some goodol’-fashioned fun.

If you’re feeling especially active, you could start your new year’s resolution early with a game of tag or flag football.

Friendsgiving incorporates the delicious food, traditions and holiday spirit of Thanksgiving, without the hassle or judgment.

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

SCIENCE & TECH

B7

Opinion: Paly should reform limited computer science program Amid many Silicon Valley technology innovations, Paly needs to offer more comprehensive computer science courses to students

By Grace Kitayama

P

Senior Staff Writer

alo Alto is known for many things: a prestigious university, beautiful Baylands and, most importantly, the home of many tech companies and startups. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto High School students are especially aware of their surrounding tech bubble and the prevalence and increasing importance of computer science skills, including coding, computer programming and web development.

Thus, many students make the educated decision to take computer science in high school in order to obtain a firm grasp on the concepts and skills required to be successful as a technology innovator in Silicon Valley. However, many tend to drop out of the computer science classes because they believe the classes are not taught thoroughly enough for students and especially beginners to gain a well-rounded understanding of the class.

Amid thousands of tech advancements in Silicon Valley, Palo Alto High School should be ahead of the curve in its computer science program.

The program should be structured more strictly so that students will not fall behind when

moving up a class and changing their teachers. If the program were to function at its full potential, it should be a class that all Paly students should be required to take at least one of the multiple computer technology classes offered at Paly, because knowledge in computer technology is key to success in the workplace.

There are only two teachers for the entire computer science program, meaning two teachers cover seven different classes, all of which cover diverse and distinct material. It is unrealistic to expect a teacher to not only have the knowledge of so many different aspects of computer technology, but to also successfully teach this information to students.

For the program to be more successful, it should have more specialized teachers instructing their niche of computer technology.

Moreover, the teachers should align the computer science curriculum so when students move up to the next class, they are on track with what the new teacher is teaching for that year.

Senior Vivian Young had to drop out of Advanced Placement Computer Science after taking a year of Functional and Object Oriented Programming taught by a teacher who was different from the one who taught her AP Com-

PHOTO BY STOCKSNAP/CC0

According to Grace Kitayama, Paly does not have enough teachers in the programming department which makes classes harder for students.

puter Science class.

Young felt she was not offered enough support from her teacher in the class.

She ultimately dropped the class because she felt the pressure to cheat in the class in order to keep her grades up.

“It was hard to keep up with projects,” Young said. “I didn’t get a lot of help, and I didn’t feel like copying other people’s code to pass the class.”

Many entry-level jobs require some knowledge of computer

skills, even for positions that may not be traditionally thought of to require proficiency in this specific practice. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 50 percent of jobs require some sort of knowledge surrounding technology skills.

The company estimates that number to go up to 77 percent by 2020.

More entry to mid-level jobs require the skills needed for basic and advanced computer functions.

These include knowledge

about using software such as Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, InDesign and Salesforce.

If students were required to take advantage of computer programming at Paly, they would gain an edge that would set them up for more success once they left high school Furthermore, coding skills feed into more than technologybased careers. According to Fast Company, approximately 50 percent of computer science and programming career openings are in

fields outside of technology.

These include medicine and healthcare, business, finance and manufacturing jobs ranging from programming to web development to computer system operations.

Paly students are fortunate to attend a school that offers classes in computer technology.

However, for students to keep up with the rapidly-changing workforce, Paly must adjust and improve its computer science program to benefit every student.

Paly utilizes technology to Psychological factors behind achieve new educational goals experience of horror films

Technology provides students with learning opportunities By

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Staff Writer

wenty years ago, schools relied on whiteboards, textbooks and lectures to teach students. Advanced technology such as computers, much less drones or smartphones, were rarely found in classrooms.

Fast forward to modern times, and most classrooms are littered with electronic gadgets. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 98 percent of public schools in America currently have more than one computer in the classroom, and over 75 percent regularly use the internet for instruction.

Located in the heart of techcentric Silicon Valley, Palo Alto High School is just one of countless schools adjusting to this new method of teaching and learning.

In 2016, Paly implemented the Future Ready Learning Program, an initiative intended to promote a “classroom environment that supports the use of technology for academic purposes on a daily basis,” according to a statement from Principal Kim Diorio in the May 2016 parent letter.

This program requires students to bring a laptop to school every day to allow lessons and class materials to become digitized.

Students without a computer or laptop have the option to borrow a school Chromebook for a year.

“[Technology] puts a lot of responsibility on the kids to be using the technology appropriately, but I think it has a great potential.”

Trinity Klein “I’ve noticed that a lot of my classes have been more techcentered since the new policy was implemented,” said junior Olivia Brown. “I’ve started taking notes on my computer, and most class activities and assignments are digital now.”

In addition to the recent initiative, Paly has begun offering more blended alternatives to traditional courses. There are currently over 15 blended courses, including Blended Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) and Blended AP Music Theory.

In blended courses, class materials and assignments are predominantly online, although at least 51 percent of class time is required to be face-to-face.

Blended courses provide students with “blended periods,” also called “flex periods,” where students are assigned work but are not required to be in the classroom.

Students have the option of receiving additional help during “blended periods” or using the time as they see fit.

This system allows students more flexibility, as they can complete the day’s coursework at a time that is more convenient for their schedules.

“It’s almost like a mix between an online class and a regular course,” said junior Charlotte Amsbaugh, who takes Blended APES. “We do a lot of cool online activities that relate to what we’re learning, but it definitely forces you to be more self-reliant and on top of your coursework.”

In addition to laptops, many teachers also have their students utilize smartphones and other handheld devices for class activities.

“My APES teacher had us all download the iNaturalist app for our field trip to Arastradero,” Amsbaugh said. “It was a really cool way to show us how we can apply what we learned in class.”

Amsbaugh also says she prefers using her phone to a laptop when playing Kahoot, an online quiz game many teachers use to review material, because it’s easier to quickly press the buttons.

In addition to laptops and smartphones, some classes have begun utilizing more advanced technology.

Students taking Art Spectrum and Ceramics and Sculpture, popular art courses at Paly, experiment with art by using virtual reality. The $3000 virtual reality painting machine, located in room 101, uses Tilt Brush software, Vive goggles and a gaming computer.

Students use the virtual reality painting machine to prototype sculptures and create digital art; however, Susan LaFetra, a Paly art teacher, has much larger goals for the machine.

“Imagine if you’re in a biology class and the teacher asks you to diagram a human cell, and you could do that in three dimensions,” LaFetra said. “Imagine creating a solar system with this. In English, you could take things out of literature and illustrate them.”

Moreover, Paly Voice, a student-run online news source at Paly, has been experimenting with drones since 2013. The publication has used its drones to record spirit rallies, soccer games and other school events.

Apart from just drones, journalism classes at Paly play a large role in teaching students how to use technology.

Students use the Voice Memo app to record interviews and Adobe products such as inDesign and Photoshop to create graphics and design their product.

With such a drastic shift towards technology in the classroom, some teachers struggle to utilize the tools and negate pos-

sible drawbacks.

Trinity Klein, a blended English teacher at Paly, said there are a myriad of benefits and drawbacks to using digital appliances for educational purposes.

“I think it has great potential, but I’m always struggling with the balance between doing it because we can, and doing it because we should,” Klein said.

Ultimately, Klein prefers to use technology in her classroom because it makes it easier to teach such a wide variety of students, each with their own needs and learning styles.

According to the Blended Learning section on the Palo Alto School District (PAUSD), utilizing technology in classrooms allows for differentiated instruction, meaning students are able to learn at their own pace and establish an effective learning method.

“I’ve started taking notes on my computer, and most class activities and assignments are digital now.”

Olivia Brown Klein said students who excel at certain topics or subjects are able to advance without significant aid from their teacher. This allows them to explore the topic and make more progression than those taking a regular class.

When students encounter challenging topics, the teacher can provide additional support and resources so that the student is able to advance when they feel adequately prepared.

Additionally, the PAUSD website states that incorporating technology into the classroom also gives students access to various instructional sources, providing them with more flexibility as well as the ability to personalize their learning.

Although implementing technology in the classroom has many advantages, it does come with some drawbacks.

Many teachers worry that technology is not only becoming a distraction but that it also makes it easier for students to cheat on quizzes and tests.

“All of my quizzes are online,” Klein said. “I worry about kids cheating and opening up a new tab to search up the answers. I don’t like having to watch people’s computer screens all the time.”

According to the Open Education Database, more than half of students admitted to cheating, and less than 5 percent are caught overall.

Klein said, “[Technology] puts a lot of responsibility on the kids to be using the technology appropriately, but I think it has great potential.”

Multiple theories explain the attractiveness of scary movies

By Yusra Rafeeqi

F

Staff Writer

or over a century, horror films have been a constant in the movie industry, from the first silent shorts by Georges Mélies to supernatural thrillers such as “It,” based on author Stephen King’s novel.

Viewers have been consistently drawn to the fear-inducing and dramatic elements in most scary movies.

However, the cultural interest in horror entertainment suggests that a broader look should be taken at human reactions to fearful situations. Why are some people so drawn to, and even entranced by, horror movies, while others are adamantly opposed to them?

According to a study conducted in 2009 by Professor Thomas Straube of the Institute of Medical Psychology, the brain’s reaction to watching a scary movie is similar to experiencing an actual scary event.

Although most people experience an induced “fight or flight” response throughout the body and the brain during threatening situations, emotional responses can vary.

Advanced Placement Psychology teacher Chris Farina said responses are linked to a person’s emotional reactions to certain situations.

“A lot of the more current research suggests the response that we have psychologically is going to determine how we experience a certain stimuli out in the world,” Farina said. “So, we can have this physiological arousal. One person may experience that arousal as being really terrifying, and another person can experience that arousal as being really exciting.”

Those who interpret the physiological arousal of adrenaline and increased heart rate negatively might do so in accordance to their emotions.

Psychologists have discovered a correlation between those who experience distress when watching scary movies and anxiety conditions.

In a study conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, participants who watched scary movies as a child had an increased likelihood of developing psychological disorders later in their adult life.

“When I was a child, I hated any kind of stress in [horror] movies,” said junior Henry Saul.

“I don’t know if I like scary movies, so usually I try to pick other [ones].”

Taking into account the effect of watching scary movies in childhood, Farina said there are social aspects of fear response.

“What we know about the fear system is that it’s triggered by a structure called the amygdala, which is part of the limbic system

CREATIVE COMMONS/FAIR USE

The horror movie “It” induces various psychological responses.

within your brain,” Farina said.

“That starts the system of producing a fear response.”

The amygdala plays a large role in fear. Since fear is an important aspect of social interactions, the amygdala shapes social behavior as well, influencing a person’s reactions and interactions with others. Thus, the fear someone may experience when watching a scary movie can also influence one’s development of disorders such as anxiety in social settings.

“Some people have a baseline arousal that’s really low, so they go and seek out stimulation through things that excite them [such as] fearful experience.”

Chris Farina In addition to the theory that fear plays into social interactions, a person may also be impacted by what they see on a screen if they have negative experiences associated with these images.

The mental effects of watching a horror movie as well as personal experiences that can be associated with what one sees on a screen are a few explanations as to why some people find it absolutely terrifying to watch a scary movie.

On the other hand, the explanations behind why horror movie fanatics love a scary experience once again has to do with emotional interpretations to a fear response.

“Some people have a baseline arousal that’s really low,” Farina said. “So, they go and seek out stimulation through things that will excite them, [such as] a fearful experience like something one might have at Halloween.”

Although fear is a negative emotion that involves a threat towards one’s survival, thrill-seekers who enjoy scary movies most likely enjoy the sideline factors that come with fear.

Some of the factors viewers enjoy encompass suspense and mystery that increase the tension of a scary situation as well as aspects of a movie that many can

identify with.

That includes personal relatability to a movie’s characters, like associating with characters’ personalities and identities, and also universal ideas like sharing a fear of death, according to Concordia University.

Compared to some who are scared of horror movies, thrillseeking viewers are also easily able to process that they are in their own safe environment.

Small features like soundtracks and camera angles psychologically remind viewers that what they are watching is intended for entertainment purposes, and is not real.

According to The Huffington Post, when the brain can determine that its surroundings are not threatening, the feeling of intense relief and the positive emotions that come with being safe “flood our brains with feel-good chemicals.”

“When I watch a horror movie, it feels like there is a rush of adrenaline, and I like that feeling, it’s very thrilling,” said junior Zage Strassberg-Phillips.

Those who experience this excitement in response to fear-inciting stimuli are able to for a variety of theories.

One phenomenon, called the excitation factor, posits that viewers who experience fearful apprehension for the threats a protagonist might face in a movie will experience satisfaction when those threats are resolved.

However, this theory does not account for the many people who enjoy movies that end violently and unhappily as opposed to a movie that results in the protagonist succeeding.

Another hypothesis suggests that those who are able to dissociate from what is happening on the screen are more likely able to enjoy a scary movie.

So, the next time you decide to watch a horror movie, don’t force yourself to be captivated — it all comes down to how you react to fear.

“For me, horror movies always haunt my mind afterward, and I don’t necessarily like that feeling,” Strassberg-Phillips said. “If I had a choice to watch another movie, I would choose it over horror.”

Monday, Novermber 13, 2017

B8

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

The Online Watchdog Never Sleeps Increased internet surveillance has led to a lack of privacy for users

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leak. For example, have you ever noticed targeted ads consistently popping up on websites? After searching for an item on Amazon, seemingly by magic, advertising for similar products start appearing when you visit other websites.

These ads aren’t just random coincidence.

“The fact that ads are based on your previous search history certainly confirms that companies are tracking your activity,” said junior Nathan Ramrakhiani. “Overall, I think that anything you say online is not private and I think that’s something we need to accept as part of the new digital age.”

When users shop online, websites analyze and store this information, using the data to show relevant ads catered to the customer’s interests.

“The WiFi networks in That’s how companies make money on the our schools are internet and provide intended primarily for services. This feature instructional purposes; demonstrates the lack however, we know they are of privacy online and shows how users have used for many sold privacy to pay for personal purposes as “free” services. well.”

“Surveillance is the business model of the internet,” said cybersecuDerek Moore rity expert Bruce Schneier in an interview with the Harvard Gazette. “Everyone is under constant surveillance by many companies, ranging from social networks like Facebook to cell phone providers … Personalized advertising is how these compa“I feel that the vast majority nies make money, and is why so of the time I do not have privacy much of the internet is free to online,” said sophomore Neil Kausers. We’re the product, not the poor. “For example, anything I customer.” post on Facebook is recorded in At Paly, students recently lost a the system forever. Anyone can little more privacy. Palo Alto UniGoogle my name, and my post fied School District (PAUSD) will come up. The fact that emhas implemented a Chromebook ployers do these checks exposes policy that allows the school and the inherent fact that it does not parents of students to view all acseem like we have a lot of privacy tivity on school Chromebooks. online. So while we have a lot of Students using school-issued freedom online, with that freeChromebooks have no privacy dom comes responsibility.” on the internet, and the District Society today is ruled by elechas expanded on the policy. The tronics. With smartphones, lapschool is planning to require stutops, televisions and even a slew dents to sign in with their student of wearable gadgets, technology IDs to access school WiFi effechas become an increasingly active this winter when the PAUScepted part of everyday life. But DGEN WiFi network is decomtechnology’s expanding presence missioned. Signing in allows the in daily activities has provided school to track all activity on companies with mass amounts all devices on WiFi, not just on of personal data, including phone school Chromebooks. calls, text messages, internet acThe new WiFi network tivity and travels.

(PAUSD Guest) requires the user You might think this data belongs to you, but you’d be wrong. to agree to terms of services which states that “since the use of district Have you read the details of Aptechnology is intended for educaple’s Privacy Policy? It essentially tional purposes, there shall be no states Apple can track your use expectation of privacy in any use of any of their products and use that information as they see fit. of district technology. The District reserves the right to monitor and We’ve probably all blindly agreed record all use of district technolto similar Terms of Service with ogy, including, but not limited to, other social networking compaaccess to the Internet or social nies including Facebook, Instamedia, communications sent or gram and Snapchat. What these received from district technology companies do with our data is up or other uses.” to them. The power these comThis policy faces opposition panies hold has the potential to among some students due to shape our lives and the future of the invasion the digital world. of privacy The Fourth Amendment of concerns. the Constitution is often cited as “ I the protection of a citizen’s Right to Privacy in the United States. can see why the In the digital age, however, priDistrict vacy hardly exists and is often would surrendered with the click of a see [the mouse on your favorite website.

W i F i When Edward Snowden policy] decided to leak docuas benments about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance program on American citizens, he exposed the most extreme example of digital surveillance. The government recording phone calls, analyzing text messages and watching all online access on an enormous scale with no judicial oversight surprised the public and was widely seen as a landmark intrusion on privacy.

Snowden exposed the extent of government invasion of privacy, but many intrusions were commonplace and noticeable before the N S A hat feeling of being watched everywhere you go … is it paranoia? Is it something you did last summer?

Or does it seem like someone is following you at the airport? It’s probably just your imagination, unless you feel like you’re being watched everywhere you go online.

Online, your gut feeling is right. “They” are watching your every click, every day, tracking and recording what videos you like, what music you stream, who you chat with. And all of that data you create belongs to “them.”

eficial in order to prevent people from being off task in class, but I think that they shouldn’t be allowed to do that because students shouldn’t have to worry about always being monitored whenever we’re on the internet,” said junior Stan de Martel.

PAUSD Chief Technology Officer Derek Moore, however, said the Chromebook policy aligns with the goals of Paly and benefits students.

“The WiFi networks in our schools are intended primarily for instructional purposes; however, we know they are used for many personal purposes as well,” Moore said. “We have a duty to ensure access to instructional resources is prioritized on our network, and moving forward with user identification we now have a more granular mechanism to throttle individual users as appropriate without blocking entire applications altogether.”

There are large risks with so much personal data being readily collected. Data breaches occur frequently, putting personal data into the public domain. In August 2013, Yahoo was breached and every account’s data was impacted. On a smaller scale, Infinite Campus was anonymously hacked last month and all GPAs and ranks of Paly students were at the mercy of the hacker. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the exposure of personal data has serious repercussions including identity theft, which can lead to a loss of money and other negative harms.

“The reality today is that there is a massive amount of information online,” Moore said. “I don’t see the world going back to paper-based record management, so this [large amounts of available data] is an issue that will need solutions developed today and into the future.”

The digital age is a welcoming sight for many. After all, electronics have many benefits in entertainment, work and school. Individuals and society must be aware of the related harms.

People must be careful of digital footprints and be conscious that the information they put out online can be accessed by companies with only mild regulation.

As technology continues to grow, remember it is watching, measuring and reporting on you as well.

Ramrakhiani said, “I am concerned that lack of privacy is part of a greater trend. At what point does privacy cease to exist?”

Text & Design by Leyton Ho Design by Yusra Rafeeqi Art by Marie Davis

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

SPORTS RONALD MICHAEL MCNULTY: A PALY LEGEND Here’s the untold story of the man whose voice single-handedly represented Paly football for over 20 years behind the microphone

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he year is 1992 and it’s a brisk January morning in Palo Alto. Ronald Michael McNulty makes his way

onto the Palo Alto High School campus. He’s been assigned to be a student teacher for a semester so he can complete his teaching certification and is also taking over the Paly publication The Campanile for one semester. Little does he know that he will make a huge impact on Paly sports history.

McNulty’s affinity for sports started young. He played on various teams throughout high school and continued on to play intramurals in college. An avid sports fan, McNulty wrote a sports column for the school paper while attending Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. Most importantly, he began announcing for a radio station in Spokane, sparking his interest in announcing.

“My dad had me playing catch before I could walk; I was born to it,” McNulty said.

Design: Eric Li

Text & Design: Samantha Hwang

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Take a glimpse at the next season of Paly sports, headlined by soccer, wrestling and basketball.

Meet team captains and coaches as they look to succeed during the upcoming winter season.

PAGE C4-C5

studies the names and numbers of athletes on each team prior to games and keeps track of plays made during the game in a notebook as he announces.

Paly’s 2010 football season was one to remember for McNulty, who had followed the team from the start. McNulty said his favorite game of all time was the home game against Archbishop Mitty High School in 2010, eventually leading up to Paly’s California Interscholastic Federation Championship win. The 2010 football team was not projected to win at all; in fact, McNulty said it was a shock to many that they even made it that far.

“The one that I remember the most is I think the semifinals against Mitty, the year we won the state championship,”

M c Nulty said. “It was unbelievable. We won at the very last play of the game, and we went on to win the Central Coast Championship title and the state championship a week later. It was a magical season.”

In the past 20 years, McNulty has seen the highs and lows of Paly’s football team which gives him unique perspectives.

“We’ve had some phenomenal years,” McNulty said. “Times have been a little bit lean the last few of years, but it goes in cycles.

We’ve been fortunate to have such exceptional coaches and athletes throughout the years.”

Art: Marie Davis

Sports

SPORTS SPREAD

Winter Sports Preview

teachers occasionally.

“He was really cool to have as a sub and provided a lot of knowledge, and told us a lot of cool stories about his time at Paly,” said junior Charlotte Amsbaugh, who had him as a substitute recently.

McNulty enjoys teaching students just as much as they enjoy having him teach, especially because the job is fullfilling to him.

“I’ve been really lucky in my life because I had the chance to do just about everything I wanted to do,” McNulty said. “Teaching was almost an accident that I got into.

Once I did, I eventually discovered that it was the best thing I ever did, the most satisfying thing that [I’ve ever done]. I don’t think I ever had a bad day here.”

For the past 20 years, McNulty has been the announcer for the football team and occasionally the boys and girls basketball teams. After physical education teacher Pete Diepenb r o c k stepped down from the position due to personal conflicts, McNulty was asked to replace him due to his vast experience in both athletics and announcing.

Many teachers have gotten to know McNulty very well over the years. During McNulty’s time in the English department, he served as Diepenbrock’s mentor.

“I would describe his character by saying that he is a character,” Diepenbrock said. “He is an extremely knowledgeable sports fan, knows about all different sports and a very very caring teacher that did everything he could to help every student that he taught.”

In order to prepare for fastpaced games, McNulty said he

Following graduation, McNulty left the announcing scene behind for a while to work in public relations at Santa Clara University for 10 years. There, he dealt with publicity for the university’s athletics program. However, after 10 years, McNulty developed a yearning for something new.

“I finally got to a point where I had been doing it for a long time, and I wasn’t happy anymore,” McNulty said. “I finally decided that I wanted something else. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I wanted something else.”

After h i s time at Santa Clara, he decided that teaching was where his true passions lied.

McNulty returned to school in hopes to become a teacher and came to the Palo Alto Unified School District to complete his one-year student teaching requirement.

He first taught for one semester at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, but when Paly journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki left for sabbatical, McNulty took her place for a semester at Paly.

After his year as a student teacher, he was offered a full time job at Paly as a part of the journalism program, where he made many contributions to the community during his time t h e r e .

McNulty b e g a n numerous programs in the journalism and English departments, including the Sports Literature program and the Freshman Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) program.

McNulty has since retired, but continues to announce for the football games and substitute for journalism and English

REBECCA BLACKWELL/CC BY 2.0

Countries out of the World Cup A look into the next World Cupís noticeable absences.

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Sports

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE JAMES CUMBERPATCH/CC BY 2.0

Sports

BOB DONNAN/CC BY 2.0

Underdog teams to root for

Social media and athletes

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Start following these up-and-coming teams before they become popular.

Athletes can help or harm their careers through social media.

Monday, November 13, 2017

C2

SPORTS REPORT FOOTBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Saratoga 10/27, W, 42-21 Paly vs. Los Altos 11/3, W, 44-7 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. TBA 11/10, 7:00 p.m.

Paly vs. TBA 11/24, 7:00 p.m.

BOYS B-BALL

UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Carlmont 12/15, 7:00 p.m.

Paly vs. Salesian 12/16, 6:00 p.m.

BOYS WOPO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Monta Vista 10/26, W, 18-8 Paly vs. Lynbrook 10/28, L, 7-6

GIRLS WOPO RECENT SCORES

CCS Quarterfinals 11/4, W, 11-10 CCS Semifinals 11/7, L, 12-6

CROSSCOUNTRY RECENT SCORES

City Championship V.B. 1st, V.G. 2nd SCVAL Championship V.B. 2nd, V.G. 1st UPCOMING GAMES

CCS Finals 11/11 State Finals 11/23

GIRLS GOLF RECENT SCORES

CCS Championship 10/31, W, 391-396 NorCals 11/8, 6th Place

GIRLS V-BALL

The Campanile

SPORTS

Varsity football dominates in Homecoming matchup Team takes home a win of 42-21 against Saratoga, concluding Paly’s 2017 Spirit Week

By Waverly Long

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Staff Writer

ith packed stands and ecstatic cheers exuding post-Spirit Week energy, the varsity football team pulled off a win at the Homecoming game, beating Saratoga High School 42-21 and ending Spirit Week with a flourish.The team’s performance was only part of the memorable night — the float wranglers presented the Spirit Week floats from each class along with the Class of 2018’s Spirit Dance performance.

Both events drew a larger audience for the game, resulting in a rambunctious, enthusiastic crowd.

The team’s success in addition to the infectious energy of the crowd made for a thrilling night, according to Will Statler, a percussionist from the Paly pep band.

“The team did very well compared to its past [record] for home games, as well as the band, and the student section had a very fun interaction with the cheers and the stand songs,” Statler said. “The band even got a single noise warning from the [referee]. If we made noise during a play one more time, we’d get ejected.”

The increased attendance for the big night had a big impact on the energy of the players, according to junior center Alex Daw.

PETER GOLD/THE CAMPANILE

The varsity football team defeat Saratoga High School 42-21 at the Paly Homecoming game, which included class dances and floats. “[The enthusiastic audience] was a huge help because in the past games, because we haven’t been doing so well, by halftime a lot of the people leave, and it kind of crushes the team,” Daw said.

“But with more people it gives us energy, and it fuels us to keep going no matter what happens, and it gave us a better chance of winning.”

The energy the team displayed during the Homecoming game was also present the following week, when the team pulled off another win against Los Altos High School on Nov. 11, 44-7.

According to junior and outside linebacker David Hickey, this

game showcased exceptional defensive play.

“I really feel like the defense played our best game of the year so far,” Hickey said. “Offensivewise, I feel like our offensive line got a great push which helped with the run game.”

The two wins were a strong recovery from the week before Homecoming, when the team suffered a 49-0 loss against Milpitas High School. According to Daw, the Homecoming game, in particular, was a great way to bounce back from such a loss and move in a positive direction.

“I think we really bounced back well after the Milpitas loss,”

Daw said. “I want to give a huge shoutout to the defense because they came out strong [in the Homecoming] game, and they were one of the main reasons we won that game.”

The loss to Milpitas was partly a result of a lack of drive, according to Damion Valencia, junior quarterback.

“People didn’t really do their jobs that much and they didn’t come out with a lot of fire,” Valencia said.

Daw attributed the loss to the strength of the opposing team as well as a lack of unity in the Paly football players.

“It was kind of a hard game,

mainly because they are a very strong team, but we could have played better,” Daw said. “I think our team unity could have been better — once things started going wrong, we started yelling at each other. I also think our tackling could have been better. We also need to start doing more [of ] the little things better.”

The team’s unity appears to be a large determinant of their ability to overcome early losses in recent weeks. According to Valencia, the win against Saratoga was a result of the players working together.

Valencia said, “We all worked together as a team instead of just a bunch of individuals.”

Varsity volleyball loses CCS after strong season Loss in CCS to St. Francis Lancers in the fifth set concludes a competitive season

By Kennedy Herron Staff Writer

A

fter a season full of victories, volleyball has finished the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament with a disappointing loss.

The varsity girls team had a 23-4 overall record, which included a winning streak of 16 games until its final CCS match.

“I would say our biggest factor in our winning streak is our determination to win and be the best we possibly can be,” said junior and opposite hitter Siena Brewster.

However, the varsity team’s recent match against Lynbrook High School was a close call, as Lybrook was expected to be a win, according to Brewster. In addition, the team faced defeat in the fifth set of its game against Saint Francis High School at the CCS tournament, resulting in a 2-3 loss.

“I would say one of our weaknesses is keeping our level of play consistent throughout each set, which I would say happened in our game against Lynbrook,” Brewster said.

Although the recent game against Lynbrook resulted in an

PETER GOLD/THE CAMPANILE

Girls volleyball lost CCS after having a winning streak of 16 games and an overall record of 23-4. They will play in the lower division. especially close second set of 2523, the team pulled off a win.

“Our team definitely has a lot of chemistry,” Brewster said.

“Multiple players have played together outside of school.”

The junior varsity girls team, who did not partake in the CCS tournament, has finished off its season with a streak of 19 wins,

and a striking overall record of 25-2.

“In volleyball, communication and knowing what responsibilities you have on the court is the most important thing for a team to work together well,” said freshman and defensive specialist Hyunah Roh. “Also, in the beginning of the season, our team had

a seven-hour bonding activity, and that really brought us all together closely and that helped us unite into one team.”

This bond between teammates helps in the junior varsity team’s efforts too.

“I’ve played club seasons before, and I’ve played on several different teams with different

teammates, but this season was my favorite one so far,” Roh said.

“Everyone on my team was so supportive and amazing players themselves and we worked so well as a team.”

The varsity team will continue its season playing games in a lower division, as a result of its CCS loss.

Cross country team reigns victorious at meet

RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Lynbrook 10/26, W, 3-0 CCS Quarterfinals 11/4, L

BOYS SOCCER UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Mountain View 11/20, 3:15 p.m.

Paly vs. Milpitas 11/28, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Aragon 11/27, 4:30 p.m.

Paly @ Menlo-Atherton 11/29, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Saratoga 11/24, L, 5-1 Paly @ Los Gatos 11/26, L, 6-1

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Junior Donald Taggart, who placed fifth at the SCVAL Championships, leads a pack of competitors on a hot Halloween day at the Crystal Springs cross country course.

By Navid Najmabadi Staff Writer

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his Halloween, one of the scariest, most dominant monsters of all reared its head over the Crystal Springs cross country course and devoured everything in its path. The girls cross country team finished first, and the boys team finished second.

The varsity girls team secured a spot in Central Coast Section (CCS) after finishing in first place out of the seven teams who par-

ticipated in the three mile race.

Junior Julie Meng was the top runner for the Vikings, finishing at 19:37, followed by sophomore Kai Douglas and freshman Gretchen Berndt, who finished with times of 19:45 and 19:58, respectively. Sophomore Miranda Jimenez also finished in seventh for the girls varsity race, clocking in at 20:04.

“Even though we were missing many runners, we were able to pull through and win SCVAL which was something we haven’t done in a very long time,” said senior Maya Akkaraju.

The boys team also claimed a spot in CCS as they finished second, despite missing top runner Henry Saul and senior captain Reed Foster.

Nonetheless, senior captain Sam Craig stepped up for the Vikings, finishing in first place with a time of 15:29 among 49 participants, surpassing Los Altos runner Owen Mackenzie by eight tenths of a second.

Senior Aashai Avadhani and junior John Tayeri both placed in the top 10, completing the race with times of 16:41 and 16:44 respectively.

“There were some very close races throughout the event and the people who raced really had to step up in order to fill in and performed outstandingly,” said junior Alex Evans. “Every single placing mattered to the team.”

The junior varsity boys and girls also impressed, as the boys finished second, while the girls claimed first place. Junior Sufi Kaur finished in first place for the girls race finishing at 20:58, followed by junior Maya Wilson, who held the sixth place spot at a time of 21:32.

The varsity team is keeping

their eyes on the prize, as they need to place top two CCS in order to qualify for states.

“The last couple of years, we’ve tried to beat Bellarmine, and this year it’s definitely possible based on the depth we have on the varsity team,” said junior Donald Taggart.

The varsity team hopes to keep its hopes alive as its season continues for the CCS event in Toro Park, Salinas on Nov. 11.

Taggart said, “As long as we are all healthy, we should be able to finish top two in the division one event.”

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

SPORTS

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Girls water polo ends season after CCS semifinal loss

Teams recent winning streak comes to close after losing in tight match against Mountian View

PETER GOLD/THE CAMPANILE

A lady Vike receives a pass from her fellow teamate and loads up a shot to bring home a victory for the Vikings in the last few minutes of a highly competitive matchup.

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By John Tayeri Staff Writer

fter a nerve-racking 1110 victory against MenloAtherton High School on Nov. 4, the girls water polo team qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) semifinals.

This match showed the resiliency and determination of the girls. They won by a very close

score, and it came down to the wire.

Senior captains Sophie Frick and Sabrina Hall each scored five points in the game, leading the Vikings to victory.

“It was really a tale of two halves; we dominated the first half, but they put up a fight in the second,” Hall said. “They managed to tie it all up in the fourth with two minutes left,

Sophie Frick was able to score and put us back in the lead.”

Before this game, the girls competed in the Presentation High School Tournament on Oct. 21.

They ended up losing both games to Presentation High School and Ann Sobrato High School.

Despite these losses, the team kept its morale up, hoping to

do well in the upcoming Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) tournament.

On Oct. 26, the team played its first game of the tournament against Los Altos High School, but ultimately lost 12-5.

The next day, the girls bounced back and beat Saratoga High School 13-7.

This marked the third time in the season the Paly girls beat

Saratoga by at least six points.

“The game against Saratoga was a great win for our team and we worked very well together in the second half, which gave us good confidence for the rest of the post season,” Frick said.

After losing the last tournament match to Homestead High School 5-4 on Oct. 28, the Vikings were not sure whether they could qualify for CCS competi-

tion.

“The loss against Homestead was a devastating one and definitely was not how we wanted to end our season,” Frick said.

“We were beyond excited to get a CCS bid so we [could] redeem ourselves.”

The team beat Menlo Atherton in the first round, and are now looking towards their next competition which will be the hardest team faced yet.

In the semifinals, they were scheduled to play Mountain View High School on Nov. 7.

Paly girls were 0-2 against Mountain View this year, and both games were lost by at least five points.

However, the Vikings kept their hopes up and believed that through improving their attitudes and gametime strategies, they could put up a good fight in the game.

“At this point, we really have nothing to lose, so we’re just going to go out there on Tuesday with that same attitude and shoot hard and swim fast,” Hall said. “Hopefully we can pull off an upset.”

Unfortunatley, the girls suffered a 12-6 loss to Mountain View in the CCS semifinals, ending their successful season.

The junior varsity girls finished off their amazing season by winning their last four games. Their overall record was 11-3, with an 8-3 record in the SCVAL conference.

Boys water polo completes successful season with confidence

Team remains optimistic in dominating future competition despite failing to qualify for CCS

By Yusra Rafeeqi Staff Writer

W

ith the season officially over, the boys water polo team closed its season out with a bittersweet note for next year.

“The entire game we had been getting bad calls and the other team was getting away with things they shouldn’t have.”

Javid Alasti The team did not make it into the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament after a rough few Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) games.

“SCVALs could’ve gone better,” said junior Javid Alasti. “We lost a super close game to Homestead. Then we beat Monta Vista.

But I think [Monta Vista] never won a game the entire season.”

The varsity team played Homestead High School on Oct. 24 and lost 8-7. The team quickly rebounded with a crushing victory 18-8 against Monta Vista High School on Oct. 26.

But according to Alasti, the

team did not lose its chance at qualifying for CCS until its last SCVAL game against Lynbrook High School on Oct. 28.

The team was dissatisfied and felt some things were not fair during the course of the game.

“I think the entire team is unhappy with that game [against Lynbrook],” Alasti said. “We made a few mistakes but had a few great goals, and in the end the ref ruined our chance of coming back [into CCS].”

According to Alasti, the team made several mistakes throughout the game that trapped them in an unfavorable situation near the end of the game, and were not given a real chance to recover.

“The entire game we had been getting bad calls, and the

“We have several good underclassmen and three of our starters are staying, so we think we have a good chance at winning [next year].”

Javid Alasti other team was getting away with things they shouldn’t have,” Alasti said. “In the last seconds, when we were down by one, the ref didn’t

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior and team captain Bryan Look leaps out of the water to deliver a shot in a recent rivalry matchup against Gunn High School. give us enough time to run one last play.”

Although not qualifying for CCS was a disappointment for the varsity team, according to Alasti, team members are motivated and optimistic for next year’s season.

“Every team in our league

has majority senior starters so we are hoping to win SCVALs next year,” Alasti said. “We have several good underclassmen and three of our starters are staying, so we think we have a good chance at winning [next year].”

Despite suffering the loss of many seniors, the strong under-

classmen will fill in and help the Vikes compete with top teams in their league.

The three starters for next year’s season will be of the six from this year, including Alasti, Zach Phillips and Dexter Gormley.

The three that will not be re-

turning will be graduating seniors.

With that in mind, the varsity team hopes to prevail next season, with the potential it has and they are glad to have earned their growth and experience throughout this season.

The JV team looks to follow varsity’s footsteps next season.

Girls tennis achieves team goal Girls golf suffers first loss of season despite capping season with a loss Lady Vikes season comes to end after undefeated run Team celebrates maintaining its spot in De Anza League

By Bernie Koen Staff Writer

A

season full of success — albeit an untraditional kind — came to a close two weeks ago for the girls varsity tennis team.

Despite finishing the season on a four-game losing streak, cocaptain and senior Emma Cockerell said she views the season as a success.

“Our advantage is that our entire team is pretty strong.”

Emma Cockerell “Our scores don’t reflect good results, but our good results have been in our personal growth, and our growth as a team and that we acquired some good players this year,” Cockerell said.

After the season was over, some of the team got to compete in the Santa Clara Valley Athletics League playoffs. All the girls who competed were eliminated in the first round, except for freshmen Maddy Paige and Anya Yakimenko, who were able to make it to the

second round. The team ultimately accomplished its goal of staying in the De Anza League. The league voted to keep Paly in the Upper League for the first time in quite a few years. Co-captain and senior Mailinh Truong said staying in this league was a big reason to celebrate for the team.

“We were really happy for the juniors, sophomores and freshmen who are going to be playing next year because we didn’t really want them to go back to the lower league,” Truong said.

Cockerell attributes the team staying in the De Anza League to its depth.

“There are some really strong teams in our league that have really strong singles players but our advantage is that our entire team is pretty strong,” Cockerell said.

According to Cockerell, the last two games of the season were hard-fought. The team faced off against Saratoga and Los Gatos High Schools, two powerhouse teams that have historically done well in the De Anza League.

“Both of them were definitely really difficult matches for us and we knew that going in so we didn’t really have high expectations,” Cockerell said. “No one was really

disappointed when we lost,” Many players also said Coach Andy Harader’s role had a big part in the team’s success.

“I think Andy was able to turn around our lineup and be able to give us good doubles partners,” Cockerell said. “We were able to train during practice and play consistently so that [we’d be prepared] ... instead of being in the dark or not knowing which position we’d be playing.”

Also, according to Truong, the team struggled during the times when it mattered most.

“Especially for the doubles teams, a lot of our matches we lost because of the third set tiebreaker ... it would always come down to one or two points and we’d lose the match,” Truong said. “We weren’t able to practice enough of those tiebreakers to feel the same pressure and feel the same rhythm to create the tactics that we needed to create to beat the other players.

That’s one of the things that we needed to work on and one of the main things that made us lose a lot of matches.”

The team will have a chance to redeem itself next year, as they won’t have to try to climb back into the De Anza League.

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By Byron Zhang Staff Writer

igers often stay in a state of total relaxation, yet their muscles can also strike with amazing speed and force.

For this reason, Chinese Kung Fu masters developed a branch of Kung Fu called “tiger boxing,” which emphasizes the importance of the ability to control physical power, playing a major role in golf.

The Paly girls golf machine terminated its strong, undefeated season at the Northern California Championships (NorCals) in Roseville, on Nov. 8. The culprit of this unexpected defeat — the failure to control the putting strength — accumulated pars and ultimately led the team to its downfall.

“I believe we can [advance to States Championships] next year because we will have a really strong team.”

Jasmine Choi “[There were] too many three putts,” said varsity coach Doyle Knight. “Normally you try to make two or one putts, [so] 3 is

a lot.”

Unfortunately, the team placed sixth and shot 397 in NorCals, which is 14 more than the qualifying score of 383.

“I knew I had to hit soft, but then I just hit too hard and [the ball] went way past the hole,” said junior Jasmine Choi. “I think we should practice more short games and putting.”

“The only issue we have is consistency.”

Priya Bakshi The Sierra View Country Club golf course that the team competed at for NorCals also added to the difficulty of the game.

The course is “very narrow with a lot of trees,” and missing the first shot brought devastating effects to the entire game, according to sophomore Priya Bakshi.

Team members expressed their disappointment as well as hope for a stronger season next year.

“We were all sad because some of our teammates had few three putts,” Choi said. “I believe we can [advance to States Championships] next year because we will have a really strong team.”

Despite this devestating loss,

senior and team captain Stephanie Yu qualified for the California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) States Championship, placing second in the NorCals individual tournament with a score of par 73.Prior to NorCals, in an 18-hole Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship game with 13 competing schools at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey, Calif., the Vikings brought home the trophy defeating the Saint Francis High School Lancers with a score of 391-396.

“I knew I had to hit soft, but then I just hit too hard and [the ball] went way past the hole.”

Jasmine Choi Although Bakshi said the victory speaks for itself, she said the team’s thirst to meet their expectations was not quenched in this matchup. Previously, the girls always cruised on top of their miniscule opponents, with enormous winning margins averaging 27 shots per game.

“The only issue we have is consistency,” Bakshi said. “I think we could do better considering we had a bad-ish day at CCS.”

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

WINTER SPORTS

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irls basketball made a deep postseason run last year but faces a tall task in recovering from the loss of six graduated seniors.

Leading scorer Carly Leong and junior Ellie Jeffries look to lead the Lady Vikes as returning starters.

“I think we’re going to do really well because we have good team chemistry. So our goal is to win and make it to CCS but also to have fun and figure out where we stand.”

Isaiah schoenberger UJWAL SRIVASTAVA/THE CAMPANILE

WIN

“The team did well last year. We didn’t lose a game in league, we won the CCS section title. So we’ve had a recent run at success and we hope that the younger players coming in can continue that tradition.”

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SPO

Coach Scott Peters

“Personally, I want to become more of a leader because we lost six seniors.

Four of them were starters,

PREV

And we lost some three point shooters and rebounders so we’re going to have to fill those too.”

Carly Leong

A comprehensiv

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“The seniors definitely left a

upcoming seaso

large hole in the lineup both from a competitive standpoint

girls basketball

and a skill standpoint. They were all good high school athletes and they were all

soccer and wres

extremely competitive people and they all three were ball

coach and athle

handlers.”

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Coach Peter Diepenbrock

oys basketball looks to repeat last year’s success as Division I

CCS champions, but will have to do so without three key seniors. However, the new gym is an added bonus and new leaders are ready to emerge.

“I’m most excited about playing in our new gym with all the fans coming out and supporting us. I would say my goals are I want to have another great season and make another deep playoff run like we did last year.”

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Text & design By: Ujwal Srivastava

Max Dorward

The Campanile

Monday, November 13, 2017

WINTER SPORTS “The graduated seniors are definitely going to leave a large gap in the team, but we have a number of exciting new players from each grade. So, I’m excited to see how the team is able to cope with the loss of a very strong senior class.”

Matt Knowles

NTER

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oys soccer had a strong season but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Despite losing seven starting seniors, the team looks to fill in those starting roles and win league.

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“I’m excited because actually I’m back. I came here as a coach a long time ago, 2004, and then they replaced me in 2012 and now I’m coming back and excited to work for my school again.”

Coach Ernesto cruz UJWAL SRIVASTAVA/THE CAMPANILE

U

nder a new coach, the girls soccer team looks to make up for last season’s early exit in the postseason, but face a challenge in replacing the loss of many key players. They hope that new additions to the team will help this void.

ViEW

ve look at the

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BEN VAN ZYLL/THE CAMPANILE

ons of boys and

l, boys and girls

stling, including

ete perspectives

“For myself, I really want to go the states. For the team, I would like to see more league champions and hopefully more CCS champions.”

Andrew Wang BEN VAN ZYLL/THE CAMPANILE

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“We had two really good seniors — Seth and Sara — and they’re both wrestling at college, so I think having them go to college is something to look up to. We’ll have a lot of people stepping up to fill their shoes.”

Calvin Grewal

fter advancing to the De Anza league, the wrestling team is

ready to hit the mat. Despite the loss of key seniors, the team is in a good position to win matches this year in the new Peery center.

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Design By: Ben van zyll

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

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SPORTS

High-performing countries miss out on 2018 World Cup The U.S. soccer team, among other national teams, lost at the North, Central American and Carribean Association qualifiers

PHOTO BY NICKI DUGAN POGUE/CC BY-SA 2.0

The U.S. men's national soccer team with a mascot team before playing Honduras in the fifth round World Cup Qualifiers in San Jose, Calif.

By Ben van Zyll

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Staff Writer

ith world-class teams missing out on a trip to the 2018 Russia World Cup, many soccer fans will mourn the absence of their favorite teams in this highly-anticipated event.

There are multiple powerhouse men’s national soccer teams that will miss out on the upcoming World Cup. Notable teams that have failed to qualified include the Dutch national team, the American national team, the Cameroonian national team, the Algerian national team and the Ghanaian national team. The Ivorian national team is also in jeopardy of not qualifying.

The Dutch national team,

a European powerhouse in the world of soccer, shocked fans across the world when it failed to reach the qualification playoffs for the World Cup. The Dutch national team has not missed qualifying for a World Cup since 2002, and it even managed to achieve second place out of the 32 teams in 2010 and place third place in 2014.

“My expectations for the [the Dutch national team] were, of course, very high,” said Claudia Kleijn, a Dutch national and resident of a town outside of Amsterdam. “I think that the Dutch team played extremely overconfident and arrogantly. I think that the Dutch not making this World Cup is a good wake-up call that it is not automatic to qualify for the

World Cup.” With a devastating loss to Bulgaria, a team that has very few players on big clubs, the Dutch ultimately failed to reach qualification, and will have to watch while other nations live the World Cup dream.

Along with the Dutch, some African soccer powerhouses will also watch the 2018 World Cup from the stands.

Despite being arguably the best team in Africa, Cameroon failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Having won the latest African Cup of Nations that year, Cameroon began to make a name for its country in the soccer world. But after dropping points due to a loss and multiple ties during qualifi-

cation, Cameroon’s World Cup hopes have fallen flat.

“I think that the Dutch not making this World Cup is a good wakeup call that it is not automatic to qualify for the World Cup.” Claudia Kleijn

The Algerian national team also shocked soccer followers by getting last place in their qualification group.

Despite having world class stars like English Premier League winner Riyad Mahrez and other

Euro-league stars like Yacine Brahimi, Rachid Ghezzal and Sofiane Feghouli, Algeria was only able to gain one point by tying Cameroon. With only one game left against Nigeria, the best team in the group who has already qualified, Algeria has no chance to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Arguably the biggest possible African loss of the 2018 World Cup is Ivory Coast, a nation that has dominated African soccer for years.

Like the Dutch, the Ivorian national team has not missed a World Cup since 2002. Despite the loss of Ivorian superstar Didier Drogba, who retired from the national team following the 2014 World Cup, Ivory Coast is still an African favorite.

The team has various superstars like Yaya Touré and Eric Bailly, who both play for the top two top English teams. They also have stars like Gervinho, who currently plays in the Chinese Super League, and Seydou Doumbia, who currently plays for Portugal.

Despite the firepower they have, there is still a possibility they will not qualify. The deciding match between Ivory Coast and Morocco will be on Nov. 11.

Only one of the five African teams from the past World Cup confirmed qualification for the upcoming World Cup — and only Ivory Coast actually still has a chance.

The most dramatic loss for the World Cup, due to it coming down to the last match of qualifications, is the United States men’s national team (USMNT).

“Not being a part of [the World Cup] is not only a massive blow to U.S. soccer, but to American morale as a whole,” said Paly senior Ole Erickson. “We pride ourselves on being the greatest country in the world, but missing the World Cup is extremely disheartening.”

The USMNT made a risky

move late in 2016 by firing its head coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, who took the USMNT to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup. Klinsmann was fired for lackluster results; however, performances failed to change after his firing.

After Bruce Arena, the current head coach, took over, the USMNT failed to achieve improved results.

“The team never came to play,” Erickson said. “It was evident from the beginning. There was no sense of urgency until it was too late.”

Arguably the biggest possible African loss of the 2018 World Cup is Ivory Coast, a nation that has dominated African soccer for years. Like the Dutch, the Ivorian national team has not missed a World Cup since 2002.

With lackluster team spirit and a lack of energy, the players failed to perform at the necessary level. With one game left, only needing a victory against Trinidad and Tobago, the worst team in the group, to qualify, the USMNT took an embarrassing loss and will now miss out on the World Cup next year.

Even with up-and-coming stars like Christian Pulisic, the 19 year old wonder kid who now plays for world-renowned German club Borussia Dortmund, the USMNT could not seem to get its act together. The United States has not missed out on a World Cup since 1986.

However, these teams cannot say “we’ll get ‘em next year,” because the World Cup only comes every four years.

CAMP Media Arts Center Mission Statement CAMP MAC introduces students to journalistic skills through interactive and collaborative workshops, teaching them to see the world through a journalistic lens. All staff except for the adviser are students at Palo Alto High School.

Who: Rising 8th and 9th Graders Where: Paly Media Arts Center Cost: $495 email: palyjournalismcamp@gmail.com

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

SPORTS OPINION C7 Overlooked and underrated teams worth rooting for Many sports teams fueled by skilled players should be taken into consideration when choosing who to support for the season

PHOTO BY JHARKER1981/CC-BY-2.0

The Dallas Cowboys will be an interesting team to follow in next few years, as young quarterback Dak Prescott tries to lead them to victory.

By Kiran Misner

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Sports Editor

re you tired of waiting the entire week for your favorite team to play, just to see them get mercilessly crushed when game time comes around?

Or are you the opposite, bored of seeing your team win week in week out and want a team that will bring some excitement to each game, whether it’s a close matchup or a blowout? You need a new team to support but don’t know who. Don’t worry, The Campanile has you covered. Here are the best up-and-coming teams to support before all of your friends begin calling you a bandwagoner.

Soccer: Newcastle United Coming back up to the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) from the English Football League Championship, not many pundits believed that Newcastle United would do well this season.

They thought the team would lack

energy on offense and their lack of experience playing in a tough league with the top flight of English football would prove too tough for manager Rafa Benitez’s squad. However, the Magpies have become one of the most consistent sides in English football and have a future any true fan would want to advocate for.

Quarterback Dak Prescott has showed his ability to be both a pocket passer as well as a dual threat versatile quarterback.

Newcastle United’s potential is undeniable and limitless. While luck may have played a part in some of their matches this year, Newcastle has exceeded expectations, racking up 14 points in just 10 games, much of which can

be attributed to young stars. For example, center back and captain Jamaal Lascelles has been pivotal to the play of the team this year, both commanding the back line as well as being a force to deal with on the offensive side of the pitch.

His last-minute victory against Swansea City A.F.C. (Swansea, Wales) shows just how special Lascelles is. Secondly, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez’s crown jewel signing, Mikel Merino from Borussia Dortmund, has controlled the midfield in every match he’s played by being disciplined in his defending and getting forward when necessary.

The best part about Merinois he is only 21-years-old, meaning he’ll be in the Magpies lineup for years.

While it may be harder to find a group of Newcastle supporters in the Bay Area than it would be to find a group of Chelsea F.C fans, Newcastle’s worldwide fan base is revered by soccer clubs everywhere. Newcastle United’s fan base, the “Toon Army,” also

known as “Geordies,” is one of the league’s best. At home games, St. James’ Park (their football stadium) is filled to the brim with almost 70,000 supporters.

On days where the team plays away, the allotted number of seats for away fans is consistently sold out. In fact, a survey conducted by Co-operative Financial Services in 2004 found the Geordies as the fan group with most distance traveled per away match. You might not be able to find the same number of fans here as you can in England, but Newcastle’s supporting clan will ensure you feel pride for the black-and white-kit.

With a youthful side and exuding confidence, there’s no better time to become a part of the Toon army.

Basketball: Philadelphia 76ers For the past few years, it has seemed as if the 76ers have had a curse laid upon them. They weren’t winning. The man supposed to bring the Sixers back to great-

ness ( Joel Embiid) only played 31 games in his first three season in the league and, to top all off, their fans weren’t showing up to games.

This year, things are looking up, but with bumps in road, the 201718 campaign will be dramatic.

Trust the process. That’s been the motto of Sixers center and breakout star Joel Embiid since day one. Fans began to doubt him when he got injured early last season, but from what he’s shown, Embiid is the real deal. Not only do Sixers fans have Joel Embiid, but also Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons, who will play key minutes on the court this year.

Fultz is a dynamic point guard who can both shoot the three ball as well as drive to the hoop effectively. On the other hand, Simmons is a dynamic player who can play any position on the court, from point guard to a stretch five who can shoot. Together, Philadelphia’s power trio is one that can excite and possibly surprise the NBA by making the playoffs in an unusually weak Eastern Conference.

With a youthful side and exuding confidence There is no better time to become part of the toon army Last year, the Sixers posted an abysmal 10-72 record, the league’s worst. Determined to ensue that a repeat of last year’s embarrassing season does not happen, the Sixers will likely be a part of the Eastern Conference playoff push.

In an abysmal Eastern Conference, it should not be ruled out of the realm of possibilities. Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler all left their respective teams in the Eastern Conference for the grassy plains of the Western Conference. Because these players were superstars for their previous teams the Eastern Conference became much weaker, thus allowing for the 76ers to have

a better shot to make the playoffs than any prior years.

Now’s the perfect time to become a Sixers fan: a group of potential superstars playing in a disoriented conference. The odds have never been better.

Football: Dallas Cowboys After a few down years where the Cowboys have either failed to make the playoffs or were knocked out early, “America’s Team” is back and ready to compete. One of the more polarizing teams in the NFL, they will face challenges this season but will ultimately prevail as a team that plays thrilling football, allowing fans to enjoy every minute.

Newcastle has exceeded expectations, racking up 14 points in just 10 games.

Coming back with a mix of veterans and young studs, the Cowboys have both experience and pristine youth to help them win big time this year. Quarterback Dak Prescott has shown his ability to be both a pocket passer as well as a dual threat versatile quarterback through his play last year. In 2016, he made an average receiving core look like that of offensive superstars, throwing for 23 touchdowns and only registering four interceptions through the season.

Prescott showed his athletic ability with six rushing touchdowns and 282 rushing yards. The Cowboys’ biggest weapon, however, will be running back Ezekiel Elliott. Drafted by the Cowboys out of The Ohio State University, Elliott ran through NFL defenses like he did in college, taking the NFL by storm. Elliott ran for 1,631 yards, including 15 rushes that ended up in seven points. Assuming a healthy offensive line for this year, there should be no reason for Elliott to slow down.

As the Cowboys start to look up, they are the perfect football to jump on the bandwagon for.

Column: Paly’s Physical Education program due for reevaluation

With the two-year P.E. requirement, John Tayeri questions what works, what doesn’t and what should be changed

JOHN TAYERI/THE CAMPANILE

Physical Education student Francisco Camus runs around the track alongside his peers during their warm-up, followed by the rest of the class.

By John Tayeri

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Staff Writer

ife at Paly goes a lot like this: taking loads of Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes, going to numerous extracurriculars because your parents force you to and staying up past midnight to finish some random assignment that probably won’t even be collected the next day.

But when I was an underclassman, the thing I dreaded most was going to Physical Education (P.E.) class three days a week.

I did not enjoy a block period where we had a “proper warmup” and then did nothing else. I diden’t enjoy learning how to play soccer for the hundredth time. I diden’t enjoy getting sweaty for my next class.

No matter what we thought of our P.E. experience, we did benefit from it though. At the end of the day, our fitness, flexibility,

hand-eye coordination and many other health-related things improved. Regardless of whether we were part of a sport or not, P.E. improved our athleticism.

Although P.E. has its benefits, it still does not motivate enough students to perform well in the class.

The P.E. program should allow students to choose what sports they want to play. Everyone enjoys playing their favorite sport in P.E. “We always have to find different ways to motivate the kids,”said Paly P.E. teacher David Duran.

Most students, myself included, did not have fun in P.E. unless we had friends in the class, so

we could talk and laugh at all the “try-hards” together.

So, how can we change P.E. for the better, so that students can have a good time and get in shape?

P.E. has a lot of good things going for it but we need to establish a system where the students and teachers can be happier.

Aside from fitness testing in the beginning and end of the year, the things we do in P.E. class are decided on by the teachers.

“We decide [the curriculum] as a department,” Duran said.

“Every teacher has the same expectations for the students, and it makes it easier for a student to transition between classes.”

First, P.E. teachers should take it easier on student-athletes in order to prevent injuries and poor performance. I went through P.E. as a cross country and track runner. For the bulk of the fall and spring season, I enjoyed my prep.

However, when I was doing both the sport and P.E., it was a disas-

ter.

Running the mile the same day as a tough track workout was particularly frustrating. However, I could not get out of running the mile on days I should not have.

Although teachers should not give preps right away, they must remain conscious that too much stress on the body can result in injuries.

The main reason I was constantly forced to run in P.E. is students constantly lie to get out of running. I’ve seen it numerous times. If students started taking P.E. more seriously, then the teachers would trust us more and become more lenient.

Sometimes, P.E. was my most entertaining class of the day. On other days, staying in the crammed weight room doing bicep curls wasn’t the best thing I could have been doing. P.E. teachers should gauge their students’ interests before committing to a certain activity for an extended period of

time. Even though we have a new, top-notch weight room in the gym, many students do not value their time in the weight room as much as others.

A possible solution is incorporating more time in the weight room for students in Athletic Conditioning, which is an optional class that sophomores can take instead of P.E. Students who want to solely get in better shape can join Athletic Conditioning, and students who want to do a little bit of everything can stick to P.E. In the same vein, the P.E. program should allow students to choose what sports they want to play. Everyone enjoys playing their favorite sport in P.E. However, when I play sports I don’t like as much, I get lazy and difficult to cope with.

If we get the choice of sport we want to play, we will end up getting more exercise, as opposed to if we are forced to play sports we don’t like. If the student body sometimes end up playing sports we do not like, we likely won’t give 100 percent effort into it.

However, P.E. teachers think that things should remain the same as far as the typical workday goes.

“I think many of [the students] enjoy P.E. It’s probably the most social class in the whole school,” Duran said. “We’ve built a good system here at Paly and things have improved a lot after the construction.”

I do think P.E. has more benefits than disadvantages, and I do think the new facilities have made things better. However, regardless of all the benefits, more flexibility in class could still make things better for both the students and teachers.

We also need to design the curriculum to prepare us for certain life situations. We should learn more self-defense to prepare ourselves if someone attacks us. We should spend more time learning CPR. We should learn how to bandage cuts and wounds, in case we are ever caught in an intense situation. Aside from simple CPR training in living skills, no other class teaches us these crucial and potentially life-saving

techniques.

Finally, the P.E. Independent Study program needs reform. A sophomore student taking Independent Study P.E. can receive preps for participating in sports outside of school. However, the requirements for receiving this prep are not fair.

Although our P.E. experience might have not been satisfactory, we did benefit from it at the end of the day.

According to the Paly website, independent study is the only option available to students who have accomplished the following requirements. Students must have completed freshman year P.E., must have a minimum of three years of prior experience in the activity, the qualifying experience must be year-round training for five to six days per week and the student must train a minimum of 15 hours per week under appropriate supervision of a qualified coach.

These rules are unreasonable, and it seems like they were designed to prevent students from obtaining preps. First of all, the program is only available to sophomores. Second of all, the student must train for a minimum of 15 hours per week, but according to Paly athletes from various sports, Paly athletes only spend around 10-12 hours a week instead themselves. Students spend less than four hours a week in P.E. so students in Independent Study have to spend a significantly longer time in training, making it significantly harder for athletes outside of Paly to obtain preps.

Also, why do students need a minimum of three years’ prior training? It’s possible for anyone to become great at a sport with less than three years of it.

If the P.E. atmosphere was more relaxed then students could be more enthusiastic and would get more exercise in result. If this happened, both the students and teachers could be more satisfied.

Monday, November 13, 2017

The Campanile

SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS ATHLETES the increased prominence of online sharing has had a large influence on the world of sports

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he explosion of social me- ciated his honesty. The General dia in the last decade has Manager of the Suns, Ryan made the world a smaller McDonough, however, did not. place. People can interact with “He said he was at a hair safaraway friends and keep up lon,” said McDonough in a mewith their favorite athletes and dia appearance. “It wasn’t about celebrities with the tap of the the Suns or anything related to screen. However, at what point the Suns. He said he was at a does an athlete’s social media hair salon with his girl and that sharing become excessive? he didn’t want to be there anyThe most recent athlete- more. So, I don’t believe that to centered social media inci- be true. We thought about it dent occurred when Phoenix and talked about it with [Suns Suns starting point guard Eric owner Robert Sarver], and my Bledsoe made an ill-advised staff and Coach [ Jay] Triano tweet. The Suns are arguably and his staff and decided it’s the worst team in the National what’s best for the organizaBasketball Association (NBA), tion. He won’t be with us going having suffered two of the four forward.” worst losses in franchise hisBledsoe is not the only athtory and lete to losing the have put first three quesgames tionable Bledsoe voiced his frustration to begin material with the state of the [Phoenix the NBA on the Suns Organization] on Twitter by season. internet. saying: “I [don’t] want [to] be here.”

On top Perhaps of that, the bigBledsoe g e s t was their scanbest player and would have dal in recent years was the been a key part of their rebuild- D’Angelo Russell and Nick ing plans for years to come.

Young incident, when the two Bledsoe voiced his frustra- played for the Los Angeles tion with the state of the team Lakers. In 2016, Russell was on Twitter by saying: “I [don’t] the second overall pick wan[t] [to] be here.” for the Lakers and The tweet was retweeted over was seen as a 1,500 times within 10 minutes. potential In context, it was clear Bledsoe star was talking about not wanting to play for the Suns, and some fans may have even appre-

point guard the team would build around, but he didn’t make the best impression on his new teammates.

Russell recorded a video of Nick Young admitting to have cheated on his (now ex-) fiance Iggy Azalea. The video was meant to be a prank on Young but was somehow leaked to the public. This social media mishap impacted Russell’s career as he was recently shipped off in a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

In addition to these incidents, social media has incited quite a few comical statements by athletes. Cardale Jones, current quarterback of the Los Angeles Chargers, played college football at Ohio State University. Traditionally, college athletes are seen as student-athletes, student coming first.

However, Jones had a differing viewpoint on this distinction, as during his time in school, he tweeted: “Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play [football], we ain’t come to play [school], classes are [pointless].”

Not only have athletes received criticisms for poor social media decisions outside of their jobs, but certain athletes have taken it one step further by even using it during games.

Former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco tweeted during a live National Football League (NFL) game when he was on the bench, saying: “Man [I’m] sick of

getting hit like that, [it’s] the Men’s Basketball Head Coach damn preseason. [One day] I’m Rick Pitino. “To me, it’s the [going to] jump up and start great class of underachievers throwing hay makers #Tylenol- who live on the Internet and please.” social media. I think it’s people After being fined by the who waste their time, and unNFL for his tweets during the derachieve because they’re not game, Ochocinco again went to paying attention to what they Tw i t t e r should to apolbe.” ogize: Even “Dear though NFL I t h e [D’Angelo] Russell recorded a video of Nick Young admitting to have cheated apoloworld on his (now ex-) fiance Iggy Azalea.

The gize for m a y video was meant to be a prank on Young tweeting seembut was somehow leaked to the public. during ingly be the game getting but that “smallw a s er,” the [two] months [of ] Bugatti pay- stakes for athletes are certainly ments you just took from me, I higher as what they share from won’t do it again.” their privates lives is no longer Overall, social media has separate from their professional had a large impact on not only lives. the lives of regular people, but However, the majority of also on the lives of athletes. At athletes use social media retimes, it can be detrimental to sponsibly and as a way of interboth the performances of ath- acting with their fans and other letes as well to the direction of athletes. A recent example of their careers. the positive power of social me“I think anybody in sports dia was the support shown for who reads social media is not Gordon Hayward by other proall there,” said former fessional athletes and fans from Louisville around the globe on social media after he suffered a fractured ankle in his first game for the Boston Celtics in their season opener of the NBA season.

TEXT & DESIGN BY PHILIP ERICSSON DESIGN BY WILL ROBINS

ART BY RENEE HOH