Issue 10, 5/20/16

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

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCVIII, No. 10

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

Friday, May 20, 2016

Performing Arts Center opens at Paly New theater includes more sophisticated and spacious facilities for students and staff

Paly prepares for senior graduation MAGGIE ROSENTHAL

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

I

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE

The new, highly-anticipated Performing Arts Center is finally open to students and visitors from the Palo Alto Unified School District after a 2-year long construction period.

MACKENZIE GLASSFORD

STAFF WRITER

T

he recent opening of Palo Alto High School’s new Performing Arts Center (PAC), which is the dramatic new gateway to the Paly campus, is being met with an overwhelmingly positive response from students and staff alike. The project had been discussed several years earlier, although construction did not begin until 2014.

The PAC will replace the Haymarket Theater as the venue of Paly productions. The Haymarket has been an integral part of Paly history since 1917; accordingly, it will remain standing and will continue to be used for guest speakers, lectures, assemblies and meetings. The PAC will be used for all future choir, theater and band performances.

Although the new venue has many modern components, theater teacher Kathleen Woods will miss the at-

mosphere of the historic Haymarket Theater.

“I think the thing we may miss most is the ownership students were able to have of the space,” Woods said. “Because the PAC is so new and elegant, there will naturally be more restrictions in regards to use of the space. The Haymarket also has a long and rich sense of history that is wonderful to think about and have been part of.”

I’ve taken backstage tours of Broadway theaters, and I’m pretty sure that our stage is larger than some of those stages.

It almost doesn’t feel like a high school stage.

Jackson Kienitz Theater student The PAC is 25,100 square feet and can seat up to 584 people. It includes many modern features that the Hay-

market did not have, including a full fly tower for scenery and backdrops that can be lowered and raised out of view of the audience, an orchestra pit with a hydraulic lift which allows the pit to be covered and used for additional seating or an extended stage and an innovative Meyer’s sound system that optimizes the audience’s aural experience. The project cost roughly $30 million in total.

Although the PAC will technically open in the fall of 2016, there have been small events held inside to test the acoustics of the building and the audience's experience inside.

Junior Jackson Kienitz was impressed with the building when he first went inside.

“What struck me the most about the new theater was the size of the stage,” Kienitz said. “I’ve taken backstage tours of Broadway theaters, and I’m pretty sure that our stage is larger than some of those stages. It almost doesn’t feel like a high school stage. I

can only imagine what could be done with that much playing space.”

Junior Yasmin Correa also had a positive experience when she first entered the PAC. “It’s really beautiful inside and really spacious,” Correa said. “I’ve only gone inside once for band class, and everyone was just in awe of the theater. It’s so much more professional than what we are used to.”

One of the main goals in the construction of the PAC is to increase the quality of Paly's performing arts programs. Woods feels this goal was definitely accomplished.

“Without question, the new PAC will improve the quality of the experience for the audience,” Woods said.

“The quality of Paly’s Theatre Arts and Music programs is notably high already, but having state-of-the-art facilities to work in will create additional learning opportunities, more PAC

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n their final week of classes, Palo Alto High School seniors will have the opportunity to attend several graduation events and activities.

The senior activities will begin with the baccalaureate service on May 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Baccalaureate, which will be held at the De Anza Flint Center, is scheduled for Sunday, as it traditionally has been, with the exception of being held on Friday last year. The event will feature student performances as well as speeches by Khan Academy founder Salman Khan and Senior Class President Eli Friedlander. Khan was chosen by Associated Student Body representatives. “[Selecting the baccalaureate speaker] is one of the class officers jobs, both the president and the vice president,” Student Activities Director Matt Hall said. “They kind of look at their options, [and] contact them and see who’s available.”

Caps and gowns are required for all seniors attending baccalaureate.

Distribution took place on May 19, but additional caps and gowns can be borrowed from the Student Activities Office. All caps and gowns are green this year, a change from the traditional combination of white and green gowns.

The performances, as well as student graduation speeches, were chosen by a panel of staff members on May 17 and May 19 through an audition process run by Hall.

“There’s a panel [for auditions] just like last year,” Hall said. “We put it out to staff; who wants to do it? Five, six, seven [staff members respond] — last year I think there was seven.”

The next graduation activity is the mandatory graduation rehearsal GRADUATION

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Gunn alumni create website City advances in energy-saving contest to explore alternative paths District may win $5 million by establishing sustainable programs Project highlights unique career prospects DAVID TAYERI

ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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wo Gunn High School graduates are attempting to change the virtually unattainable concept of success that the Palo Alto community has long struggled with.

Michal Pasternak and Jacqueline Gowen, both of whom graduated from Gunn in 1997, founded the website Paths From Palo Alto as a way for Paly and Gunn graduates to share the stories of their post-Palo Alto lives.

As detailed on the website’s ‘About’ page, the purpose of Paths is to “shatter the myth that we believed growing up — that our career and life follow one linear path with the end goal of achieving one universal definition of success.”

“Our hope is to inspire people and expose them to all the different paths there are out there,” Gowen said.

The Palo Alto community’s current ideal of success can most aptly be characterized as a multitude of extracurricular accomplishments and an impeccable school transcript, resulting in entrance to an elite college,

and eventually a high paying job.

Paly junior Josh Code believes that the definition of success in Palo Alto is already transforming.

“I think it’s changing,” Code said.

“I think that it’s changing from being based on college and prestige to more doing what makes you happy. It’s no longer about going to the best college you got into, but rather making the choice that’s best for you.”

The project has received some criticism from the community for supposedly attempting to steer students away from attending prestigious universities. The founders of Paths steadfastly deny these accusations.

“That is not our goal at all,” Pasternak said. “It’s really more to let people see that their life is more under their control than they might realize, and that they can tailor certain choices, like where to go to school, for themselves.”

Aside from the aforementioned criticisms, the community’s response to Paths project has been largely positive.

“We got some feedback from a A3

PATHS

SARAH WANG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto has been named a finalist in a nationwide energysaving competition that would reward the city with a $5 million prize should the district win.

The Georgetown University Energy Prize (GUEP) is a multi-year competition that challenges cities across the nation to create sustainable energy efficient programs. The competition, which began in July 2013, will announce the winner of the $5 million prize in June 2017 after all four stages of the contest are completed.

If Palo Alto wins, $1 million of the prize money would go to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) to help with energy conservation on school campuses, as decided by the City Council.

In the first and second stages of the competition, members of the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) brainstormed several energy-saving programs. The plans included constructing a new home energy audit program, an updated energy rebate program, a pump water heater pilot program and a new green display house.

ASHLEY ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE

Palo Alto is currently in stage four, qualifying it in contention for the $5 million prize.

In stage three, cities were tasked with implementing the changes. Palo Alto was able to enact all the changes, distinguishing itself as a finalist.

In the fourth and final stage, which is currently in progress, the city will need to create a final report of all the programs implemented.

While an important goal of this competition is to win the prize, CPAU hopes that members of the community will become more involved and educated in energy conservation as well. Lisa Benatar, a staff specialist for CPAU who is leading the GUEP effort, sees community

awareness as extremely beneficial.

“We think that one of the biggest opportunities presented by the Georgetown competition is fostering a closer working relationship between [CPAU] and [local] schools,” Benatar said. “[CPAU] can benefit because schools can help increase community engagement in our energy-saving programs. Students can benefit because they will be exposed to reallife information about how energy is measured, generated, and used.”

City leaders have begun efforts to A3

ENERGY

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ACS Relocation

Adolescent Counseling Services moved their main office due to rising rent.

PAGE A2

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

COURTESY OF MATT HALL

LIFESTYLE

SPOTLIGHT

This lesser-known pathway offers an alternative learning experience.

PAGE B1

Follow the post-high school journeys of the Class of 2016.

PAGES B4-B5

Foothill Middle College

College Map

SPORTS

COURTESY OF BLEACHER REPORT

Top 5 Draft Picks

Analyzing strengths and weaknesses of the 2016 NFL Draft class.

PAGES C4-C5

Friday, May 20, 2016

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NEWS TO KNOW

The Campanile

NEWS

ACS relocates to Redwood City Adolescent Counseling Services will still provide services in Palo Alto despite leaving ASHLEY ZHANG

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

COURTESY OF DALLAS OBSERVER

@highsnobiety @ChancetheRapper is the first artist to chart solely off streams.

@UPTOWNmagazine Congrats to #StephCurry who was voted the first unanimous NBA MVP, earning the award for the second straight season!

@NYTSports Exclusive: Department of Justice opens criminal investigation into Russian doping scandal.

@chicagotribune Report: GMO crops not harmful to humans, but weed resistance is a problem.

COURTESY OF ABC NEWS

@ABC Former cancer patient is first man in U.S. to undergo penis transplant in breakthrough surgery.

@USATODAY #BREAKING Stocks end lower as inflation hits 3-year high; Dow loses 181.

@Discovery Echolocation used by dolphins and whales is being negatively affected by undersea noise pollution. #PhotoOfTheDay #MuteTheSea #Discovery

@UFCONFOX Floyd Mayweather Jr.: I’m only coming out of retirement to fight UFC’s Conor McGregor.

@ScienceChannel The International Space Station has completed 100,000 orbits around the Earth.

Congrats @Space_Station!

@TheEconomist In 1972 a man with a degree aged 25-34 earned 22 percent more than a man without. Today, it’s 70 percent.

D

ue to rising rent costs in its former Palo Alto location, the Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) have relocated their main offices to 643 Bair Island Road in Redwood City. They will continue to offer various counseling services within the Palo Alto community.

ACS provides four different mental health support programs: oncampus counseling in Palo Alto’s middle and high schools, community counseling open to families and other members of the community, outpatient substance abuse treatment and “Outlet,” a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) youth support group. The new Redwood City location offers all but the on-campus counseling service.

“We were at our [Palo Alto] location for five years, and when it came time to renew our lease, our landlord was looking at a significant rent increase that we just couldn’t justify or afford,” ACS Advancement and Marketing Director Aarika Riddle said.

Although ACS initially kept their searched for a new location in Palo Alto, they were forced to expand their considerations to include surrounding cities, as none of the locations in Palo Alto fit their needs or budget.

“We want to make sure that the majority of our expenses are going towards services, and not things like

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE

The mental health program is moving its headquarters to Redwood City, but will keep five small counseling offices in Palo Alto.

rent,” Riddle said. “We expanded our search a little bit and found this space in Redwood City, which is working out really well for us.”

However, many Palo Alto residents are concerned that this relocation will inhibit their access to readily-available counseling within their community.

Nevertheless, Riddle believes that due to the continued presence of ACS in Palo Alto’s schools, as well as their shared office spaces which remain open in the afternoons and evenings in Palo Alto, residents will be able to easily reach ACS counsel-

ors and services.

“We still have five counseling offices in Palo Alto to provide our community counseling program as well as our substance abuse treatment program,” Riddle said. “So as far as services go for Palo Alto residents, nothing will really change for them, we are just in a different location.”

ACS has found the new setup to be more efficient for managing their administrative offices and maintaining their establishment in communities throughout the Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

Riddle encourages teenagers to

Board discusses teacher salary increase PAUSD debates two proposed salary options based on differing incremental pay raises AVI TACHNAFRAM

STAFF WRITER

P

alo Alto Unified School District’s (PAUSD) school board discussed a collective bargaining agreement between the district and its employees at their May 10 meeting.

Two unions, the Palo Alto Educators Association (PAEA) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA), negotiated a deal with PAUSD primarily concerning wages.

The discussion centered around whether to give school district employees, particularly teachers, raises based on a 5-4-3 scale by approving the recently negotiated agreement or a 3-3-3 scale by renegotiating the contract. The 5-4-3 scale gives a 5 percent raise to teachers in the first year of the contract, a 4 percent raise in the next year and a 3 percent raise in the third year. However the 3-3-3 scale, proposed at the meeting, would provide a 3 percent raise every year for three years. Four board members

were in favor of the 5-4-3 scale, while board member Ken Dauber was the only supporter of the 3-3-3 scale.

Supporters of the 5-4-3 scale argued that it would attract and retain better teachers while Dauber argued that the 3-3-3 scale would allow the district to hire more teachers, providing smaller class sizes for students.

Dauber pointed out that in addition to meeting the district’s long sought-after goal of smaller class sizes, a lower raise scale would still provide a significant wage increase over time. Supporters of the 5-4-3 scale responded by pointing out that the district is already putting significant amounts of money into reducing class sizes.

“We’re putting almost $2 million towards reducing class size and if we look at changing some other investments it could be more than that,” board member Melissa Baten Caswell said. “The challenge is [that] we are out of compliance with our board policy on class size in some places.

We need to work to get into compli-

ance or we need to adjust the board policy.”

Those in favor of higher raises claimed that they are necessary to keep Palo Alto competitive in the teacher market and compensate for high property costs in the Bay area, which makes living in Palo Alto unaffordable for most teachers.

According to evidence presented by assistant superintendent Scott Bowers, the number of individuals that applied for teaching jobs has decreased in recent years.

The primary source of funding for the salary restructure is the parcel tax approved by Measure A on May 5, 2015 which increased property taxes in Palo Alto in order to raise funding for schools.

Other sources of funding include an operating budget deficit that the board will run next year, which means that PAUSD will operate with more expenditures than revenue.

Dauber pointed out that the higher raises do not fulfill all of the goals proposed by Measure A, which are

Tryouts for graduation and baccalaureate speakers to be held CHRISTINA LE

MAY

SENIOR AWARDS NIGHT

MAY

BACCALAUREATE

MAY

FIRST DAY OF FINALS

JUNE

GRADUATION DAY

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SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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s the school year comes to a close, Associated Student Body (ASB) is making preparations for senior graduation, which will be held on June 1 at Palo Alto High School. Caps and gowns will be distributed on the quad on May 19, along with baccalaureate tickets.

Khan Academy founder Sal Khan will speak at baccalaureate, which will be held at the Flint Center in Cupertino on May 29.

Ariya Momeny Sports Commissioner Student speakers for baccalaureate and graduation will be selected by a board of teachers headed by ASB advisor Matt Hall, who will review applications and conduct tryouts for potential speakers.

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COURTESY OF DBCEDUCATION.COM

Approximately 1,000 family members and friends will attend graduation on June 1.

“Tryouts for performances will be held in Haymarket on Tuesday, May 17th from 3:30-5:30pm,” ASB said in a post on Facebook. “Tryouts for speeches will be held in the SAO on Thursday, May 19th from 3:305:30pm.”

With just a few weeks until the end of the school year, ASB officers are already thinking ahead to changes they want to make next year. The

newly elected and appointed officials are preparing to assume their responsibilities.

“Right now we’re just focused on baccalaureate and other logistical stuff for the end of the year and next year,” Sports Commissioner senior Ariya Momeny said. “We’re laying low because of finals and AP testing so it’s pretty low key for now, looking more long term than current events.”

to reduce class sizes, attract qualified teachers and advance health and equitable opportunities for all students.

Additionally, Dauber worried that the higher raises focuses too much on fulfilling the goal of attracting retaining teachers while neglecting the other goals of Measure A. Historically in PAUSD, most labor contracts have been 1-year deals in which annual salary renegotiations play a prominent role. This year, the school board and the labor unions broke from this tradition and negotiated a deal that set salaries over a 3-year period.

“If we did not have to negotiate every year we could spend more time focusing on teacher evaluations, professional development and other things that would make our teachers and school district even stronger,” Caswell said.

Discussion of the CSEA and PAEA contracts will continue on May 24, the board’s next meeting, where they will either adopt or reject the contract.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ASB plans graduation events

Right now we’re just focused on baccalaureate and other logistical stuff for the end of the year and next year, looking for more long term than current events.

reach out to ACS if they feel the need for counseling, whether they are on a school campus or elsewhere in their community.

“If a student has a need for counseling, and they’re at one of the schools that we service, they should go see the ACS counselor at their school site,” Riddle said. “If, for some reason, that is not going to work out, they can always give us a call, and we can make sure that they are able to see somebody in our community counseling program either at our Palo Alto location, or in our Redwood City location.”

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JUNE

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Enjoy being one of the top students in your class while it lasts.

Celebrate the fact that you will probably never have to listen to the Paly Choir again.

You only need a 106% for a B!

Proudly display which school your legacy got you into on your cap LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Let freedom ring.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

NEWS

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New Performing Senior graduation activities Arts Center opens CONTINUED FROM A1

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complex production options and experiences, as well as professionallevel technical opportunities. Meyer Sound’s Constellation Sound System, for example, involves electronic acoustical enforcement — state-ofthe art technology not often found in a high school facility.”

I’ve taken backstage tours of Broadway theaters and I’m pretty sure that our stage is larger than some of those stages.

Jackson Kienitz Junior

In addition to choir, theater and band using the new PAC, Literature of Comedy in Performance, an English elective more commonly referred to as Comedy Lit, will also be taught there. Woods hopes that holding the course in the PAC will draw interest to performing arts programs.

“Because Paly’s Performing Arts programs are high quality and offer many different performing opportunities, having a facility that is worthy of students’ passion and talents has the potential to raise the positive visibility of the performing arts on campus and encourage students to become involved,” Woods said.

“Comedy Lit will bring a different group of students into the space than might normally participate in theatre.

This gives an additional group of students a taste of how enriching and how much fun performance can be.”

Kienitz looks forward to the future of Paly’s performing arts programs and the different activities that will take place in the theater.

“We are all really excited to start performing in the new theater,” Kienitz said. “We are going to miss Haymarket since we have a long history there, but I think that the PAC is really going to have a positive impact on the performing arts programs and we are excited to see what happens in the future.”

New paths to success program goes online CONTINUED FROM A1

local high schoolers before we launched,” Gowen said. “They said that it gave them hope that there were this many different definitions of success.”

Paths’ founders were also surprised by the amount of story submissions that have been flooding in from former Palo Alto students of all generations.

“There are people who have taken the very traditional path, and we’ve had people who have found success in different ways,” Pasternak said.

ASB Vice President Anmol Nagar

applauds the efforts of Pasternak and Gowen for their positive impact on Palo Altan values.

“It’s interesting to see what people define as success with their diverse backgrounds in high school and college because it fleshes them out as real people who aren’t perfect but are still successful,” Nagar said.

Looking ahead, Paths hopes to increase student involvement, in order to introduce students to different alumni stories.

“We are really looking to evolve the experience,” Pasternak said. “We want to touch people, and give them the answers they are looking for.”

on May 31, starting at 8:15 a.m.

Immediately following the rehearsal is the senior picnic, sponsored by Paly’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). Buses will take students from Paly to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the day, returning at 5:30 p.m.

“The seniors should expect a fun day at the beach with their fellow classmates,” co-chair of the senior picnic Janie Farn said. “Seniors have the freedom to hang out on the beach, do beach sports or go on the rides.”

Because there is no school on May 30 due to Memorial Day, both the picnic and graduation rehearsal will take place then, departing from the tradition of holding the events on two different days.

“Since Memorial Day weekend is the Monday before the picnic, we lose

a day to do the senior activities,” Farn said. “We’ll need to get each activity done efficiently so our seniors can get on to their beach picnic sooner. Of course, this will need all the students’ cooperation and patience during bus loading too.”

The event will feature student performances, as well as speeches by Khan Academy founder Salman Khan and senior class president Eli Friedlander.

Due to the popularity of the location the planning process for the senior picnic began a year in advance.

“We had to sign a contract and pay a security deposit a year in advance in order to reserve this venue,” Farn said. “[Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk] has pretty much become a tradition for Paly senior graduation activity that many students look forward to. In addition to [co-chair] Kathy [Spec-

tor] and I, there is also a team of parents that have been helping organize the sign up, bus transportation, and school staff and parent volunteers.

On the day of the event, we need help on bus loading and chaperoning the trip.”

The graduation ceremony and reception will be held on June 1 on the Paly quad. Tickets for the event will be distributed to seniors during graduation rehearsal. The ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. and a reception hosted by the junior class will follow.

In addition to the student speakers chosen at tryouts, Associated Student Body president William Zhou will give the welcome address for the ceremony.

After the graduation ceremony, seniors will take buses to the Graduation Night Party at 8:30 p.m., an event sponsored by the PTSA and held at a location to be revealed that night.

Palo Alto implements new energy efficient programs CONTINUED FROM A1

encourage community members to reduce energy usage through its planning of a citywide competition.

Beginning in the summer of 2016, participants who reduce their gas or electric use compared to 2013 and 2014 will be eligible to win a prize.

We think that one of the biggest opportunities presented by the Georgetown competition is fostering a closer working relationship between [CPAU] and schools.

Lisa Benatar Staff Specialist for CPAU PAUSD plans on using its $1 million allocation to implement new energy efficient equipment and solar

electric systems. These implementations would not only save energy, but also educate students, according to Benatar.

“Including both energy efficiency measures as well as solar electric generation capacity would send a great message to students and the community that building efficiency should be maximized and solar generation offers visibility and educational opportunities relating to energy usage,” Benatar said.

Paly has also played its own role in the GUEP, as interns through Get Involved, a Palo Alto internship program for high school students, have worked alongside the CPAU staff.

Senior Alexander Gouyet was one of the five interns from Paly working with the CPAU on the GUEP. “As interns and as high schoolers, we provided a valuable connec-

tion between the City of Palo Alto and PAUSD,” Gouyet said. “We also worked on a miniature house which demonstrated various ways to save energy in a citizen’s household.”

Though Palo Alto is just one of many finalists, across the nation, the city stands out due to its publicly owned utilities (POU), contrary to most cities which get electricity and gas from privately held companies.

“POUs exist to serve the community, not to benefit shareholders [of privately held companies],” Benatar said. “So the City of Palo Alto Utilities is always working hard to get its customers lower energy prices.”

With this unique position and the implementation of energy-saving programs, the city hopes to win the prize in the summer of 2017 to further its goals of community engagement and education.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

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NEWS

PAPD to develop high Social Justice cohort holds variety show tech security protocol Students perform various acts to explore issues of social justice RACHEL FARN

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

EDWARD KIM

STAFF WRITER

T

he Palo Alto Police Department is seeking to install 10 body cameras from manufacturing company WatchGuard Video and implement policies that will improve surveilance while police officers are on duty.

If these cameras pass a trial period spanning several months, the city will equip its officers with 80 new cameras.

In December 2014, the department passed a policy on the regulation of body-worn cameras that gave the officers nearly complete leeway to act as they wished regarding turning them on or off. The policy explicitly stated that “no officer will be counseled or disciplined for failing to use or activate a body-worn camera during the trial or testing period.”

The changes sought for the aforementioned policy are expected to restrict the officers’ abilities to turn the cameras on or off in the hopes of maintaining transparency within local government.

Additionally, a group from the Palo Alto City Council, led by councilman Cory Wolbach, sent a memo to the city calling for a “standard operating procedure” in all surveillance technologies. The memo, co-signed

by Vice Mayor Greg Scharff and two additional council members, highlights worries among the community about civilian privacy.

“We just want to make sure the council and community feel comfortable and have an insight into what types of technologies we’re using as a city,” Wolbach said in the memo.

On May 2, the Palo Alto City Council unanimously voted in favor of the creation of a policy to resolve issues regarding community members’ personal privacy. The Palo Alto Policy and Services Committee is

currently designing a plan intended to alleviate concerns associated with advanced surveillance technology.

Although devices such as drones and cell phone trackers are not currently being used in Palo Alto, city officials are working on a plan to create rules by which surveillance technology can be utilized without compromising public safety and privacy. “[Surveillance technologies] can make our government more accountable, they can make it more efficient,” Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Adam Schwartz said to the San Jose Mercury News. “But sometimes these technologies can diminish our privacy and our civil liberties and even kill our free speech.”

According to Wolbach, the Policy and Services Committee’s protocol will regulate any technology including body-worn cameras, license plate readers and drones that could potentially gather personal information.

It will also determine the specific personal information that will be accessed, how said information will be stored and who can access it.

“The community really deserves to know that we value their privacy, and especially here in the Silicon Valley, that we recognize the complex questions raised by recent and rapidly evolving technology,” Wolbach said.

According to Schwartz, creating a set of policies on surveillance of the public will ensure much more trust between the Palo Alto community and the Palo Alto Police Department.

“A breakdown in community trust can occur [when the public doesn’t think their privacy is being protected],” a special task force regulating policing established by President Barack Obama said in a report in 2015. “Agencies need to consider ways to involve the public in discussions related to the protection of their privacy and civil liberties prior to implementing new technology, as well as work with the public and other partners in the justice system to develop appropriate policies and procedures for use.”

KATE DEANDRE

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

O

n May 13, the second cohort of Palo Alto High School’s Social Justice Pathway (SJP) premiered a variety show in the Haymarket Theater.

The student-run show featured an array of acts focused on social justice issues the students learned in their U.S. government course. The students in Cohort Two had been composing the show since the beginning of the semester.

“The play was our final project in history, and the whole second semester pretty much led up to it,” Cohort Two student Amanda Hmelar said.

“The main objective was to put on a performance which had to have an aspect of social justice within the US government. There were multiple groups that each put on different presentations or performances.”

Members of Cohort Two were broken up into three committees based on common interest in order to ease organization of the play. The leadership committee’s primary focus was to design, plan, supervise and market the performance. The tech committee ensured that all technological aspects of the performance, such as the lights and music, functioned properly. The remaining students were assigned to a presentation in their project groups. The cohort also hired a professional thespian to help direct the performance and give tips to performers. “[The show] was incredible, a lot better than I think anyone expected,” Hmelar said. “Everyone put forth unique and entertaining pieces. We also had a team of people who had experience in the tech aspect of theater and they really helped pull everything together to make it a real performance.”

Students also had the opportunity to showcase their ideas on any topic that they found appealing throughout the year. They were able to combine their interests into their performance within their groups. Presentation

COURTESY OF AMANDA HMELAR

Sophomore Sydney Mickelson chose to speak about feminism for her performance.

topics among students included a speech about feminism, a musical performance about music censorship and a video focused on the injustice in prison sentences for different types of drug users. In the past, the first cohort of the SJP had also participated in many student-run final projects that focused on social justice issues they studied throughout the year.

[The show] was incredible, a lot better than I think anyone expected. Everyone put forth unique and entertaining pieces.

Amanda Hmelar Social Justice Student Their first final included the production of a Wikipedia page featuring ID paragraphs, or description paragraphs, that emphasized issues

students found in the community that could relate to what they had studied. Their second final involved both a summit assignment in which they discussed social justice issues in Palo Alto as well as the creation and release of the SJP website for their cohort, and any future cohorts. Their third final incorporated persuasive writing and the school renaming issues that Palo Alto Unified School District recently faced into a presentation to the Board of Education.

The first cohort’s most recent final was the Social Justice Seminar on April 28, which featured a number of speakers and activities pertaining to current social justice issues. The primary focus of the symposium was issues in empathy and education, and it received a fair turnout of students who were interested in watching and participating in the conference.

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016

OPINION

A5

Flipped classroom beneficial despite some flaws

YAEL BEN-SHACHAR

E

STAFF WRITER

ducators are becoming increasingly aware of students’ disinterest in seemingly endless in-class lectures and long homework assignments. Because of this, many teachers have turned to the flipped classroom, a form of teaching in which in-class and out-of-class work are reversed. In flipped classrooms, students watch video lectures and short recorded lessons at home and work on projects and exercises in class.

Although the flipped classroom model has many benefits, it still requires some refining.

While the flipped classroom model still has a few issues, with minor adjustments it could be an extremely beneficial teaching strategy that should be more widely implemented.

The main argument for implementing flipped classrooms is that said system allows students to work at their own pace — students can pause or rewind videos to take notes or write down questions to ask their teacher

later in class. Additionally, students can search for supplemental information while topics are still fresh in their minds, rather than hunt for the same information hours after an in-class lecture.

Unfortunately, teachers have no way of knowing whether or not their students have actually watched the at-home videos or lectures. As a result, some students may choose only to watch videos at the end of the unit in preparation for a test, or not at all.

Consequently, these students become increasingly confused during class and fall behind on coursework. In order to rectify this issue, teachers should provide their students with a quiz or assignment that can only be completed if students have watched the video lecture. Students would be forced to watch the videos or risk receiving a poor grade in the class.

On the positive side, the flipped classroom encourages collaborative learning, as students work together on projects and assignments in class. As a result, students learn to work well with their peers.

Furthermore, because students are busy with assignments during class, teachers are able to work one-on-one with students who are struggling with

the material.

However, there is one downside to this relatively independent learning process: if a topic is particularly challenging the teacher will be unable to clarify the concept to the students, and will be required to reteach the information during class. This causes the class to fall behind, requiring the students to work on the in-class work at home, creating more homework. To solve the problem, teachers could limit the number of assigned work problems when teaching a difficult topic, saving time for lessons in class.

Another benefit of enacting the flipped classroom model is that it allows students to easily relearn old course material. This can be helpful when a student misses class or when he or she is studying for a test. With a traditional teaching model, teachers do not always share their lectures online, so students may miss important information when reviewing. With flipped classrooms, students have access to all the videos they learned the material from, so they will have access to all the material that they need to review.

When run correctly, flipped classrooms often provide students with much less homework than traditional classrooms. Students are typically as-

signed only one video, which is usually about ten to twenty minutes long, with a possible short quiz or worksheet to go along with it each night. Implementing flipped classrooms would be a major step in decreasing homework loads, on top of allowing students,to review the curriculum more effectively.

Nevertheless, teachers who follow the flipped classroom model often schedule too much material during their classes, resulting in a large portion of that work being reassigned as homework.

Overscheduling gives students much more homework than usual; problem sets and projects are assigned in addition to the customary video. The main cause of this issue is that teachers often reteach the information taught in the videos that students watched at home in class. In order to avoid repetitive topics, teachers must understand that they need to either make the projects and worksheets shorter, or avoid reteaching the material in the videos in class.

While the flipped classroom model still has a few issues, with minor adjustments it would prove an extremely beneficial teaching strategy that should be implemented more widely throughout classrooms.

Retaking tests emphasizes learning over memorizing

CARISSA ZOU

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

B

y now, the academic learning routine is fairly simple: introduce and learn the new curriculum, study the content, take a test on the material, reread, relearn and repeat. Because of the constant influx of tests across all subject matters in limited increments of time, many students have ultimately adopted study habits that maximize efficiency at the cost of forfeiting deeper understanding of the material.

With assignments, tests, projects and homework piling up every week, it is often more convenient for students to solely develop a surface-level understanding of concepts sufficient for upcoming tests.

Since there is no current motivation or incentive for students to develop a lasting, profound understanding of the topic, many simply take the test, brush it off and move on — disregarding any need to truly understand the information for the long-term. This method can be satisfactory if the end goal for students is to simply perform well on a

single test, but other measures can be taken in order to ensure that knowledge is retained for the long-term, and that students are actually learning the material rather than simply regurgitating it.

Currently, tests are typically administered only once, and the score received on this single test is the one that is entered in the grade book for that unit, topic or subject. This format makes test-taking a way for the teacher, student and parents to determine how well the student understands the material. In general, tests can be effective ways for students to demonstrate and assess their knowledge on the topic. While this form of assessment is certainly necessary for students to illustrate how much they have learned, test-taking can be reformed to not only assess student’s current understanding of the topic, but also to encourage students to gradually build and refine their understanding for the long-term.

In order to solidify long-term learning’s presence in the testing process, teachers can offer retake tests multiple times after the first version of

the exam has been administered.

First of all, offering retakes can give the students who have the motivation to study and learn the material over a longer period of time the opportunity to redeem themselves after a poor test score. A student’s performance on a single, given day can often be misrepresentative of their true knowledge, and a student who is willing to retake the test and review the material once more will eventually benefit from the continuous review.

By offering future opportunities for students to improve their grade, teachers give students an incentive to relearn and revisit old topics. Once a student has returned to a topic, they have already been exposed to the information multiple times, and this repetition can improve the student’s capacity to remember that information in the future.

A grading system that uses multiple retakes also encourages students to develop healthy study habits, where they can benefit from studying the content over time and continue to refine their understanding of the topic. While students may inevitably procrastinate on

their work, having this revised grading system rewards students for studying small pieces of material in separate instances and can ultimately be beneficial and deter students from cramming a large amount of information in a short amount of time.

It is often more convenient for students to solely develop a surface-level understanding of concepts sufficient for upcoming tests.

In addition, if allowed to take future retake exams, student can utilize the tests they have already taken to highlight which topics that they already have a firm grasp on, and which topics that they need to pay more attention to.

By granting students the chance to use each test as a learning experience, with a clearer understanding of what needs to be reviewed, tests can become not only a means of assessing students’ knowledge of the topic but also a way to transform test taking into a learning experience.

Friday, May 20, 2016

A6

The Campanile

OPINION

Mindfulness in class detrimental to learning

GRACE KITAYAMA

A

STAFF WRITER

t the beginning of each period, certain Palo Alto High School teachers encourage their students to dedicate five to 10 minutes of class time to “mindfulness,” which involves letting the mind wander with the purpose of refocusing student attention before starting class.

Students become increasingly distracted after the mindfulness period, which is detrimental to what could potentially be an effective learning environment Mindfulness, or the act of being aware of one’s surroundings, is often achieved through meditation and deep breathing and has recently been introduced into several classes including Living Skills, Dance Physical Educa-

tion and Comedy Literature at Paly.

Though this practice is a logical idea in theory, realistically, mindfulness is not used effectively in the classroom and therefore does not benefit students.

By turning mindfulness from a voluntary action into a mandatory ritual, the very idea of “being present” and relaxed is lost. Additionally, this form of mindfulness may actually contribute to stress by making mindfulness something that students feel they must work for, rather than an available opportunity that students can use as a destresser.

During the time in which students should be focusing on their breathing and mindfulness, many take advantage of the respite, using it to look at their phones or fall asleep.

As a result, students lose valuable in class work time, to the "mindfulness" period.

In addition to losing time, students become distracted after the routine, which is detrimental to what could potentially be an effective learning en-

vironment.

“People like [mindfulness] because they don't have to learn things [in that time],” sophomore Naomi Moresi said. “But that just means that it's not helpful."

However well-intentioned the practice of mindfulness is, forcing students to sit in the dark for up to ten minutes does not improve the mental state of the student if the student chooses not to participate.

According to The Mindful Child, a book that details children practicing mindfulness, author Susan Kaiser Greenland explains that making meditation mandatory defeats the purpose of the practice altogether.

“You can insist kids sit still, be quiet, and exert boundaries and control in connection with their bodies, but it is impossible to exert boundaries and control over what is going on in their minds,” Kaiser said. “If kids are not interested, they may sit quietly, but the likelihood that they are meditating is slim."

In Dance Physical Education (PE), students practice mindfulness at the end of class, laying down without access to any form of technology. This practice eliminates the possibility of students hunching over a desk, trying to access their cell phones.

“I think mindfulness is effective if you are actually trying to do it because it allows you to clear your mind and not focus on anything that is worrying you or stressing you out at the moment,” sophomore, Dance PE student Cecilia Ward said. “Mainly you sit and try to focus on your breathing and clear your mind from everything.”

Mindfulness is a strategy that has been proven to help students when it is correctly implemented in the classroom; however, it is unrealistic to expect students to clear their mind on command, as it defeats the purpose of the entire practice.

Rather than benefiting students, improper meditation inadvertently leaves them more distracted than focused.

Summer classes should be added to alleviate stress

ALICE ZHAO MANAGING EDITOR

W

ith summer right around the corner, one would think that the last thing on the minds of students is more school.

However, many students without summer plans wish to be productive by completing courses required for graduation during their time off.

Currently, the only for-credit summer courses offered at Palo Alto High School are Living Skills, Introduction to Economics and remedial math classes. These courses have limited capacities — they often fill up by late winter.

Students who wish to complete graduation requirements during the summer are not offered the opportunity to do so. The rapid rate at which summer classes fill up proves that the demand for additional summer courses already exists; however, this demand has gone unacknowledged by summer school administrators.

Paly’s graduation requirements are more extensive than the minimum A-G courses that are required by the

University of California system, which cover the four core subjects of math, science, social studies and English along with art, language and elective courses. While Paly's rigorous course load challenges students academically, it also forces students to take on more school work during the academic year.

Though it is unreasonable to lower graduation requirements to appease students who want to take fewer courses during the school year, it would be viable for Paly to offer additional, for-credit required courses during the summer.

It is true that a year’s worth of new material in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or English courses should not be taught entirely in just two and a half months, as the limited time frame detracts from the student’s learning experience and understanding of complex topics.

However, art, career technical education, Beginning Journalism and semester-long history courses, all of which tend to be less rigorous than traditional core classes, are each capable of being condensed into one summer. Furthermore, these courses

can be taken independently from one’s regular course load, since the content is not cumulative.

Junior Alice Zhang, who has yet to complete her Paly art requirements, agrees that having art courses available during the summer would reduce her senior course load. Since most seniors partake in the college application process while often simultaneously taking rigorous upper-level courses, a lighter senior year course load would be beneficial in reducing stress.

“I was looking forward to having more prep periods during my senior year, but in order to graduate, I have to take an art class,” Zhang said. “While I support the arts, if I had the time, I would have rather taken art during the summer to free up my schedule next year. Also, I think that a summer art class would have been [more] enjoyable and a good use of my time.”

Making more courses available during the summer can also help reduce the so-called “Summer Learning Loss,” a phenomenon in which students forget material learned during the school year over summer break.

According to Oxford Learning, an al-

ternative tutoring program, up to 2.6 months of mathematics skills along with two months of reading skills can be lost in just one summer. A lack of academic activity for more than two months can significantly hamper a student’s performance at the beginning of a new school year.

While educational summer programs are available for high school students hoping to avoid a loss of knowledge, they usually cost several thousand dollars, which prevents socioeconomically disadvantaged students from attending. Community college courses present a more economically viable option to students, but can only earn credit for a maximum of four classes outside of Paly.

This leads to a small number of learning opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged students over the summer, which further widens the achievement gap. The addition of summer courses would give disadvantaged students, who are the most at risk for Summer Learning Loss, the chance to avoid falling behind over the summer.

Although some may argue that the addition of summer courses increases student stress in a time meant for relaxation, it would actually reduce stress.

Students who return to school with Summer Learning Loss experience undue stress and anxiety that can last months into the school year. Summer courses would be a way for students to ease back into school before receiving a heavier course load in the fall.

Making more courses available during the summer can also help reduce the so-called "Summer Learning Loss" The existing summer school program could be extended to cover facilities and additional staff; adding new summer courses would simply require new instructors.

As teachers cannot be forced to teach summer school, only courses with willing and motivated instructors would improve the quality of teaching.

In order to incentivize teachers during the summer, the district could offer added benefits or raises. Though this would require additional funding from the district, it would be well worth the cost as it improves students’ academic performance and helps alleviate the stress of returning to school.

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016

OPINION A7 Trump protesters violate First Amendment rights ize property and viciously target proTrump individuals.

Whether or not one agrees with what Trump says, he and his supporters have the constitutional right to assemble and voice their opinions. Protesters rejoice and celebrate when they curse, causing pro-Trump individuals personal damage.

They claim to be protesting a racist, fascist person, yet use a fascist tactic by suppressing pro-Trump groups with different political beliefs. Anti-Trump protesters are fighting what they claim is fascism, with fascism.

TOMMY SMALE STAFF WRITER

I

n recent months, anti-Donald Trump protesters have crowded the streets, wreaking havoc at Trump rallies in Chicago, Costa Mesa, Calif. and most recently in the Bay Area’s own Burlingame, Calif.

Anti-Trump agitators will do anything they can to prohibit the First Amendment right to free speech for Trump and his supporters.

Whether one agrees with what Trump says or not, he and his supporters have the constitutional right to assemble and voice their opinions.

Hundreds of chaotic protesters gathered outside the Trump rally in Costa Mesa on April 28, blocking the streets. Protesters smashed a police car window, stomped on the roof of a cruiser and vigorously shook a police car in an attempt to flip the vehicle.

Groups of protesters threw debris at the cars of Trump supporters as they drove away from the rally. Protesters also stole benches from a nearby hotel

to block the entrance onto Highway 55 –– throwing rocks and beer bottles at frustrated drivers. Most of the anti-Trump violence was captured on camera and uploaded to YouTube by witnesses.

In Burlingame, Trump protesters knocked barriers that separated them from the Hyatt hotel where Trump was speaking at the state Republican convention to the ground. Rocks, eggs, bottles and even apples were thrown at police, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A San Mateo County sheriff arresting one protester was kicked in the face by another protester. Trump supporter Adam Harry said that his phone was grabbed out of his hands and thrown across a parking lot into a bush. He was spat on and shoved as he walked away from protesters.

The Hyatt hotel locked its doors from the inside to prevent protesters from coming inside and causing turmoil for the guests and those attending the Republican convention. If the anti-Trump agitators had successfully infiltrated the convention, it would have only caused harm.

Since people attending the convention and watching the news saw

the protesters, being present was enough to make their point. Based off the actions of previous Trump protestors, Trump supporters would only invoke violence if they went inside and disrupted the peace at the GOP. The tactics Trump protesters use are infantile and ill-natured. Wherever Trump travels, protesters cause turmoil and disorder with explicit chants like “f**k Donald Trump.”

Some of the same supposedly liberal individuals calling for safe zones and trigger warnings are attending these protests. By their logic, teaching rape law at Harvard University is too inappropriate because it causes discomfort for some students, but shouting “f**k Donald Trump” at every protest is acceptable.

If these protesters are against invoking stress or discomfort in other individuals, they should realize that chanting expletives directed at another person and that person’s beliefs may cause discomfort for Trump supporters.

Trump protesters have prevented anyone interested in hearing his points from entering rallies in cities all around America. The protesters go so far as to block highways, vandal-

functions, which are a set of skills that allow people to be productive.

These executive functions are vital to life, and include skills such as memorization, goal-setting and organization. Without these functions, it tends to be difficult for anyone, particularly students, to do whatever they want to do efficiently and done well.

I am a student who has been diagnosed with ADHD. Without any doses of Adderall or Ritalin, I find it difficult to concentrate on normal homework assignment for more than 10 minutes before being distracted.

After doing two or three problems, I reward myself with an hour of free time.

Without having any help to suppress my condition, I cannot properly do any type of work and thus my grades suffer from my inability to have a sense of self control.

Students diagnosed with ADHD find it difficult to not only control themselves while studying but also control themselves in social situations.

I sometimes find it difficult to keep up casual conversation and refrain from saying whatever is on my mind without censorship. My mind wanders whenever someone else is speaking, so following and listening to directions can be difficult for me.

The diagnosis of a student who may have ADHD often involves the consultation of a doctor and the detection of changes and patterns in the student’s life. A student may have performed at a high academic level from elementary school to middle school, but then perform poorly upon entering high school due to a late onset of ADHD. Other symptoms that indicate ADHD include increased levels of anxiety, shorter attention spans, emotional outbursts, impulsivity and hyperactivity.

These symptoms may be present for the majority of the student’s life or may spontaneously come about at any point in life. Any indication that these symptoms may exist in a student calls

The hypocrisy of the protesters is absurd. They claim to be protesting a racist, fascist person, yet use a fascist tactic by suppressing pro-Trump groups with different political beliefs.

Anti-Trump protesters are fighting what they claim is fascism, with fascism. The major problem with these protesters is that their violence and obstruction of traffic are violating the rights of Trump supporters.

Thousands of leftists are coming and disrupting Trump rallies in hordes, yet one does not see that with Republican supporters. Right wingers are not crowding in masses at Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders rallies with the intent to shut down the rallies and incite fights with their supporters. In fact, one of the few disruptions at a Sanders rally came when Black Lives Matter protesters stormed the stage and took the microphone from Sanders.

Trump protesters have prevented anyone interested in hearing his points from entering rallies in cities all around America.

While Trump’s views may be controversial and upsetting to many, people should allow him to foster his own discussion around controversial issues in our society today. Trump protesters need to allow others to hear Trump’s ideas and concerns to form their own opinions.

District should treat ADHD-related issues earlier

JOSH NG

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A

ttention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder that 11 percent of youth ages 4 to 11 have, according to Center for Disease Control. Yet some believe the disorder to be a myth — arguing that affected students simply need to “focus.”

Not only does ADHD affect a student’s academic performance, but it also affects their life outside of the classroom.

Neglecting the presence of ADHD and its detrimental effects leads to student isolation and academic issues.

Thus, Palo Alto Unified School District should set up programs that help detect ADHD at an early age, and then provide assistance to students with ADHD. The disorder occurs when a person has a lack of executive

for an immediate diagnosis. Not only does ADHD affect a student’s academic performance, but it also affects their life outside of the classroom.

ADHD does not simply make one “distracted” or “uncomfortable.”

Studies have shown that ADHD contributes to poor relationships and sporadic moments of high levels of anxiety. Those who did not undergo proper treatment withstand negative consequences in their life at work and at home.

ADHD does not simply make one “distracted” or “uncomfortable.” It is a brain disorder that must be treated in order achieve a person’s highest level of potential.

Without acknowledging ADHD, the disorder causes difficulties for both the student and those around him or her. It becomes challenging for the student to achieve the things they want to in life.

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016

A8

EDITORIALS

Annual college map Study abroad programs should be publicized more celebrates senior class

F

or the most part, many students at Palo Alto High School benefit from the disproportionately large incomes of their families. The median household income in Palo Alto is $122,000, more than double that of the $51,000 average of the nation.

This difference in wealth creates concern in the community that Paly students are too sheltered from the social and economic problems outside the “bubble” of Silicon Valley.

While Paly students may be aware of issues that pertain both within and outside of Palo Alto, The Campanile believes that students often become singularly focused on one career path, neglecting vacation and break times in order to focus on college applications, summer internships and standardized tests.

To introduce students to cultural experiences beyond Palo Alto, Paly should expand student awareness of study abroad programs. Additionally, Paly should increase the viability of such programs by clearly outlining which graduation requirements students can and cannot fulfill while studying abroad.

Students interested in studying abroad could seek opportunities through external programs like Students Travel Schools (STS), but also ought to be able to find such programs and a plethora of studying locations through a pre-checked list compiled by Palo Alto staff and students.

Furthermore, Paly could coordinate with these programs to set up an exchange system with reduced prices for students to encourage greater participation.

Studying abroad can introduce With limited effort, Paly could increase student interest and participastudents to new problems or tion in study abroad programs while views, opening their mind to alternate career paths. This may helping to make such programs more allow students to pursue their true accessible to economically disadvantaged students. interests, and thus have a more Furthermore, a Paly organized list fulfilling experience in their lives would make studying abroad relabeyond high school. tively simple, as students would have easy access to a variety of high-qualIn doing so, students deprive ity exchange programs and locations themselves of an opportunity to through their connection with Palo broaden their cultural horizons and Alto High School. receive an education that could not Paly students who chose to study only expand their knowledge of the abroad this year, such as juniors Biworld, but also foster greater autono- anca Al-Shamary and Matilda Kenmy and creativity. drick, continued to learn about sub-

jects taught at Paly, but with a revised curriculum.

“Instead of teaching one math or science subject per year [my foreign exchange school] taught [multiple math and science subjects] every year,” Al-shamary said. “I felt extremely well prepared when I came back to Paly when it came to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and math.”

While high school is often used to prepare students for higher education, it should also serve an institute to help students discover what they are passionate about.

I felt extremely well prepared when I came back to Paly when it came to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and math.”

Bianca Al-shamary Junior Students need to understand the problems that exist outside of Palo Alto so that they can begin to formulate their own ideas on how to solve them. Students in Palo Alto are welleducated, well-funded and extremely driven, but too often focus their energies on the pursuit of a single career path.

Studying abroad can introduce students to new problems or views, opening their mind to alternate career paths. This may allow students to pursue their true interests, and thus have a more fulfilling experience in their lives beyond high school.

W

ith the 2015-16 school year drawing to a close, Palo Alto High School seniors have finalized their postgraduation plans, many of which involve attending an institution of higher education.

The Campanile has traditionally given seniors the option to submit the name of the school at which they intend to enroll or their other postPaly plans to be published in the paper’s annual College Map. However, Paly’s administration has recently voiced concerns with the dissemination of this information.

With Paly’s notoriously competitive environment in mind, some staff members have condemned the College Map as stress-inducing and therefore detrimental to students if published.

These staff members believe that the map contributes to the pressure for Paly seniors to attend top schools following graduation and perpetuates an atmosphere that administration has attempted to eradicate over the years.

The Campanile believes that the College Map does not foster competition, but rather encourages seniors bound for higher education or alternative paths to take pride in their postgraduate plans.

In voluntarily publicizing their plans for the future, seniors are allowed the opportunity to celebrate the manifestation of their accomplishments of four years at Paly. The

publishing of information pertaining to where seniors will attend college is both neutral and factual.

Rather than emphasizing the individual destinations of each alumnus, the College Map lauds the graduation of the senior class as a whole and marks the close of their years at Paly.

The publication of the map in The Campanile’s final issue is a factual list of seniors’ transition from high school to higher educational institutions or other plans, allowing the graduating class to display the results of their 13 years of effort in school.

No single college or university is elevated above another, as the primary focus of the map is to display the migration of graduating seniors from Paly to different parts of the world. It is the branching out of seniors’ future pathways that is emphasized, not the specific institutions that they will attend.

Despite the reservations of some Paly staff members to the annual publication of the College Map, The Campanile believes that the map does not foster an atmosphere of collegerelated stress and competition that doesn’t already exist in the school .

Instead, it encourages graduating seniors to take pride in their future and reflect on their accomplishments throughout their years at Paly.

The annual release of the map documents a valued milestone in the life of each student at Paly, and its publication should be continued without objection.

Closing the achievement gap needs to be prioritized

P

alo Alto High School is home to a scenic campus, stateof-the-art facilities, top test scores, unique project learning opportunities — and an embarrassing achievement gap.

While enrichment programs like Advanced Authentic Research (AAR) and Science Research Project (SRP) are not exclusive to any particular demographic of Paly students, African-American, Hispanic and low-income students are not receiving equivalent advertising and access to these courses. From 20112013, not a single African-American or Hispanic student was enrolled in SRP out of the program’s 41 participants.

According to Palo Alto Unified School District’s (PAUSD) first results of Common Core testing in 2015, only 37 percent of low-income students compared to 87 percent of the remaining students met or exceeded the standard for English language arts. Similarly, 39 percent of low-income students met or exceeded standards in math as opposed to 87 percent of the remaining students.

The Campanile believes that it is important make it a priority to close the achievement gap. Although PAUSD’s Board of Education has already acknowledged the achievement gap as a prominent concern and has begun to take appropriate steps to alleviate the issue, the community, especially staff and department heads, must take more initiative to ensure equal allocation of resources among students of all incomes and ethnicities.

At Paly, there are currently no systems in place which incentivize low-income student participation in high-achieving programs. While or-

ganizations such as Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Focus on Success encourage students to maximize their academic potential, they do not explicitly direct students toward participating in AAR and SRP. It is particularly important to invest resources among lower-income students by directing them towards the research programs; the majority of higher-income students already have a disproportionate amount of access to enrichment resources without assistance from administration.

What closing the achievement gap boils down to is providing equal resources, not a competitive advantage, to underrepresented high schoolers.

To temper the current inequality at Paly, the administration should focus on bolstering financial assistance for low-income students’ participation in extracurricular activities, as well as producing newsletters and pamphlets aimed at informing low-income families about enrichment programs.

Teachers should, in turn, increase their own awareness of the achievement gap and subsequently foster more individualized interactions with low-income students. Examples of such interactions might include scheduling one-on-one conferences and verbally encouraging low-income students to enroll in the most challenging classes.

It is increasingly evident that the achievement gap will not close by itself. Paly is thus at an extremely crucial juncture, with the option to continue the status-quo, or make a significant difference in the lives of students of all incomes and ethnicities. The Campanile urges the administration to take the necessary steps to achieve the latter.

MAY’S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Things To Do Before You Graduate 10) Play quad volleyball 9) Jaywalk to Town and Country 8) Plan an unforgettable senior prank 7) Bring your pet to school 6) Don't go to first period 5) Skip school to go to the beach 4) Egg Wars 2.0 3) Ride Reese's bike 2) Don't get rescinded 1) Streak - Christina Le and Adrian Smith

WELCOME TO PALO ALTO, CONNECTICUT

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Peter Maroulis • Jacky Moore • Kai Oda Ethan Teo • Jessica Wong Online Editor-in-Chief David Tayeri News and Opinion Editors Samuel Yun Ashley Zhang Business Manager Bethany Shiang Yael Ben-Shachar Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa Josh Brigel Miranda Chen Uma Choudhury Stephanie Cong Kate DeAndre Claire Dennis Owen Dulik Rachel Farn Greg Eum

Managing Editor Alice Zhao Lifestyle Editors

Sports Editors Cole Hechtman Kiran Misner

Illustrators

Multimedia Manger Mads McCluskey

Eli Gwin-Kerr Annalise Wang

Samuel Vasquez Catherine Yu

Staff Writers

Bo Field Jeremy Fu Joanna Falla Maddie Feldmeier Mackenzie Glassford Danny Hammerson Jamie Har Lauren Klass Antonio Kieschnick Edward Kim Grace Kitayama

Masha Konkov Christina Le Will Leighton Tiffany Liang Anant Marur Nicholas Melvin Anna Moragne Mischa Nee Josh Ng Aiva Petriceks Nikhil Rajaram

Gillian Robins Maggie Rosenthal Thomas Smale Adrian Smith Noah Smith Jared Stanley Talia Stanley Avi Tachna-Fram Sarah Wang Clay Watson Carissa Zou

Photographers

Editing Consultants Evelyn Richards Elisabeth Rubinfien

Abira Berezin Dami Bolarinwa

Danny Hammerson Jordan Schilling

Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds17@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis.

We reserve the right to edit submissions.

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Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community.

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

LIFESTYLE

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

1 IN 2000

Nathan Saul A glimpse inside the mind of Paly's biggest tuna.

PAGE B8

Farewell, Paly pals

Middle College:

A high school pathway with diverse enrichment opportunities Text and Design by: Anna Moragne Staff Writer

Design by: Eli Gwin-Kerr Lifestyle Editor

F

ewer than eight miles from year where I was so burned out and the Palo Alto High School tired at Paly and I knew that it wasn’t campus is a wholly separate healthy for me to be in that kind of yet equivalent education system that environment,” Hmelar said. “I wantmany Paly students are completely ed to be in a community that was more easy-going and I needed a place unaware of.

Foothill Middle College, com- that wasn’t going to add to my stress.”

Middle College is an alternative posed of approximately 80 students, is an alternative option to the main- option for students who do not fit in stream public high school route the traditional high school mold and open solely to high school juniors do not benefit from all classes being and seniors from either the Moun- taught in similar styles and being surrounded by peers tain View-Los their own age.

Altos Union The program High School focuses on helpDistrict or Palo ing students reAlto Unified connect to the School District. desire to learn In Middle and explore their College, stufuture possibilidents take two ties. Middle Colrequired year lege offers its stulong high school Anna Medoff dents the unique level courses, Middle College Student opportunity of along with two being a high college courses school and colof their choosing each trimester, all at Foothill lege students at the same time.

To accomplish this goal, MidCollege. This allows students to simultaneously earn high school and dle College allows students to take college credit in a non-traditional courses that engage their interests, work alongside more mature students learning environment.

“I’m more excited to go to school and develop a strong sense of responnow and I’m enjoying my classes sibility and self-direction.

“You get to choose what classes because my teachers are so passionate about what they teach,” Middle you are taking and who’s teaching College junior and former Paly stu- you, which is something you don’t dent Anna Medoff said. “The com- have a say in when you go to Paly,” munity is so amazing, the people Hmelar said. “I just love that I have are so nice. Overall it’s just been so much control over my education and I get to be the one deciding my such a good experience for me.”

Many students choose to trans- future.”

This unique opportunity alfer to Middle College after their sophomore year in public high lows students to interact with small school, when they feel that the tra- groups of peers their own age as ditional education pathway is no well as larger communities of collonger the most effective way for lege students of all ages. Being in a them to learn. Students such as class with middle schoolers as well as Middle College junior Fe Hmelar 50-year-olds immerses students in an enrolled in Middle College seeking environment with a wider variety of an environment less stressful than opinions and perspectives than those provided in traditional high schools. that of Paly.

One of Hmelar’s favorite aspects “I got to this point last .............................................................................................................................

........

I realized that I don't have to be drowning in hours of homework every night in order to get a good education.

about Middle College is the diversity the college admissions process.

“I realized that I don’t have to of enrolled students she gets to interbe drowning in hours of homework act with on a daily basis.

“You meet so many different kinds every night in order to get a good of people,” Hmelar said. “There are education,” Medoff said. “No one people that have actual life experi- talks about grades or GPAs here, ence, some have kids or full time jobs they are still important but is not and it is crazy because everyone in the main stressors in your life. You your classes are college students. So have the chance to do other things the students are there because they and your time is spent doing things want to be there and they’re moti- you actually want to do for yourself vated and interested in what they are while still getting a really good education.” learning.”

Though the students of Middle The opportunity to work alongside so many different people is one that is College may be immersed in an entirely different education system, not offered at very many schools.

“You get to meet so many people they are still involved with the high that you wouldn’t have otherwise schools from which they came. gotten to know and you kind of get Middle College students still reto see what the real world is like.” ceive a diploma from their original high school and attend said school’s Medoff said.

Middle College’s classroom en- graduation.

Students are allowed to parvironment sets it even further apart from traditional high schools. Two ticipate in anything their original big pulls for students are the op- school has to offer aside from acaportunity to be taught by professors demic classes, whether it be sports who are experts in their fields as well teams, clubs or other extracurricuas not having the competitive nature lars.

“I was still dotypically found being cheerleadtween teenagers in ing for most high school. of my junior By taking colyear, and it was lege courses, stua great way to dents of Middle stay connected College have less with the people "busy work" for and my friends their classes and a [from] Paly,” better understandMedoff said. ing of what is exFe Hmelar M i d d l e pected of them.

College can The peers of Middle College Student provide some Middle College students with students are genexactly what erally more mature because the majority of enrolled they might need to make the most students are adults which creates a out of their last two years of high different type of environment on school.

“It’s a really good growing excampus that can be very attractive to perience and you’re going to learn some students.

There is also less pressure on stu- a lot. In the first couple of months dents to maintain a high grade point people mature a lot.” Medoff said. average (GPA), as their classmates It’s crazy how much you can learn are not competing against them in in just a short amount of time.”

I just love that I have so much control over my education and I get to be the one deciding my future.

AIVA PETRICEKS

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

All good things must come to an end: “Friends,” Harry Styles’ luscious locks and my time at Paly. The closer we get to June 1, the closer we get to the departure of the Class of 2016 from this fine institution. In all seriousness, graduation is bittersweet; I have learned so much throughout my four years here, and I know how hard high school can be, so here are some things I have learned throughout my time at Paly.

First off, RELAX. Anyone who has been around me as I have gotten a test back knows I am not good at this.

It is easy to get caught up in school, standardized tests, jobs or internships. Though all of these things are important, you need to give yourself time to relax and have fun. Obviously, if you have a huge test coming up that you haven’t studied for, study for it. However, it’s okay to take a break from a full day of homework to hang out with friends or watch TV for even 30 minutes. It won’t impact your grade in a class by any means and it will help you stay sane and be a more relaxed, happier person. As the saying goes, treat yo’ self.

Secondly, do not take the people who support you for granted. Teachers at Paly care so much for their students. Everyone has that one teacher who they can talk to about anything, and finding a professor who cares about you that much is unusual. Tell your teachers how grateful you are for them and what they do for you, and not just on teacher appreciation day.

Remember that your parents have been there for you for the good, the bad and the ugly, and though we all get annoyed with them, no one is in your corner more than your parents.

Before you leave them, make sure they know how much you love them.

Lastly, everything works out as it should. If you had told me this last year as I was thinking about colleges, or even in March when I was hearing back from colleges, I would have doubted you. Many of you have a dream college that you believe is YOUR school. Many of you will get into your dream school, and congratulations! You worked hard for it and you will do amazing things. However, many of you will get rejected from this dream school, (I fall in this category,) and it sucks. It sucks to feel like your hard work led to failure. However, I realized that because I spent so much time focusing on my “dream school” that I never considered all the other amazing schools that fit me even better. You will find your perfect college because things happen the way they should. It all works out. Let time do its thing.

During my freshman year, a senior told me how fast high school goes by, and I didn’t believe him. As I am weeks away from graduation, I can now say that is the most accurate thing I have heard at Paly. Enjoy your time here; no matter how much you say you hate this school or city, you’ll miss it. Bye Paly Pals, and also go Dawgs!

LIFESTYLE

Palantir Technologies Exploring the innovative software platform that is rapidly taking over downtown Palo Alto, and its controversial decision to remain private.

COURTESY OF GEEKWIRE

PAGE B8

COURTESY OF THE GUARDIAN

STUDENT LIFE

SENIOR SECTION

COURTESY OF PALY ASB

STUDENT LIFE

COURTESY OF TALOS

Meningitis

Paly Photo Collage

Exchange students at Paly

PAGE B2

PAGE B3

PAGE B7

Educating students on the dangers of this deadly disease.

Revisit the most memorable moments from this school year.

Foreign students reflect on their experiences abroad this past year.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

B2 LIFESTYLE Robotics Club finishes its season with record placement 2015-16 team looks to a promising future after placing 27th place out of 75 teams JOANNA FALLA

STAFF WRITER

A

group of students gather in the auto shop to go over their achievements and goals for the future. Upon first glance, one thing stands out: they all have green hair. With minimal guidance from adults, this group of unique students deals with the trials and tribulations associated with running one of the most popular clubs at Palo Alto High School.

The Paly robotics team was instituted over 20 years ago. What was once considered an after school club has evolved into a highly organized extracurricular activity. Paly Robotics split into sections to further enhance the diversity of the robotics program, including building, programming, art, business, product management, lab management and web design.

“One of the most important jobs as team captain is to help other leaders on the team develop communication and leadership skills,” senior and captain Claire Kokontis said. “That means I give them enough space to try things on their own, and I try to be there if they need advice or guidance. Of course I don’t always have the answers, but it’s helpful to be able to look back at my experiences on the team to try to help.”

During the school year, competitions are hosted by non-profit organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). This year, Paly placed 27 out of 75 state teams at the 2016 FIRST Championships, competing in the “Curie” division, one of the eight total division. This marked a

COURTESY OF PALY ROBOTICS

Paly robotics team ends the year on a good note, placing in the top 25 teams out of 75.

large improvement from the team’s performance last year, where they did not qualify for the championships. Since this year’s official season is over, the postseason competitions will begin. The competitions outside of FIRST can be organized by any robotics team and the rules are modified accordingly by the organizers.

Junior Blake Novak was impressed overall with how the team dealt with the FIRST competitions this year by maintaining a positive yet competitive mentality. This would prove to be necessary to advance farther than they had ever gone in the FIRST championships.

“We placed 27 in our division but did not make it to [semi-finals], the final bracket which determines the world champion competitors,” Novak said. “But it was a great learning experience for the team as a whole to experience a whole new level of the competition.”

In addition to learning more about

the Robotics and making great advancements during the competitive season, the team has fostered interest in different fields for team members to explore such as engineering or graphic design. Junior Kenneth Cheung was able to dive deeper into what began as a hobby and later altered into a possible career path because of the learning environment he was introduced to.

“I became the team Lab Manager during my sophomore year and that allowed me to become heavily involved in the technical aspects of building a robot,” Cheung said. “I became Build Captain my junior year and I spend so much time at robotics because it is truly what inspired me to want to pursue engineering in college. It not only gave me a career path but it has taught invaluable technical skills such as machining and CAD [Computer Aided Design] and interpersonal skills like leadership and public speaking.”

Prevention of meningitis in young adults is very crucial Several measures can be taken to avoid catching the potentially fatal disease MAYA BENATAR

GUEST WRITER

F

our years ago, my oldest sister, Emily, passed away from bacterial meningitis. I’m writing this article with the hope that you will have the following three takeaways: get vaccinated, know the symptoms and take care of yourself.

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can be either viral or bacterial. Both are deadly, but bacterial meningitis is more so. Three Palo Alto High School students have contracted meningitis during their college years: Emily (‘11), Alex Flatley (‘11) and Misha Hindery Nelson (‘15). The disease was only fatal in Emily’s case. However, Alex was forced to endure a very long and difficult recovery from viral meningitis and still deals with symptoms today.

Misha had bacterial meningitis but, as one of the latter of three students to contract the disease during an outbreak at Santa Clara University, he was able to look out for the symptoms.

At any given time, about 10 percent of people carry the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease — the disease that can lead to bacterial meningitis — in the back of the nose or throat. The majority of carriers do not develop any symptoms. Their bodies develop immunity and then the bacteria disappear from their nose or throat and they are no longer carriers. However, a few people who are exposed to the bacteria become sick with the illness. Meningococcal disease is seen more commonly in college students (especially) and members of the army compared to the general population, due to the existance of extremely close quarters and sharing of water bottles, drink cups, food, beds and germs in college and miliary facilities. These settings reveal who is susceptible because exposure is much more frequent.

The first key step you can take to avoid getting meningococcal disease: Get vaccinated. Most of you have

probably been vaccinated for some types of meningococcal disease with what is called the “quadrivalent” meningococcal vaccine — Emily had been vaccinated with that vaccine as well. But the quadrivalent vaccine only covers four serogroups or variations within a breed of the bacteria, of the disease. Emily acquired the fifth serogroup — serogroup B — which is responsible for about 30 percent of the cases of meningococcal disease in the U.S. It’s the serogroup that caused outbreaks of the disease at Princeton University, UC Santa Barbara, University of Oregon, Santa Clara University and many others, all within the last three years.

Symptoms that are more unique to meningitis and should be taken very seriously include neck pain, sensitivity to bright light, dizziness, feelings of disorientation and hive-like rashes that may disappear and reappear in different places on the body.

There was no vaccine for serogroup B — called a MenB vaccine — approved in the U.S. for Emily.

But a year and a half ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved a MenB vaccine called Trumenba in the U.S., and a few months later it approved a second MenB vaccine, called Bexsero. Before, this was not available — I went to Canada in 2013 to get vaccinated with Bexsero — but now, all you have to do is ask your doctor for it, and you can get the vaccine.

The second thing you can do is to be aware of the symptoms. Unfortunately, vaccines are not 100 percent effective, and until more people have been vaccinated, you may still come into contact with carriers.

If a vaccine is 90 percent effective, 10 percent of people who are vaccinated will not develop sufficient antibodies to prevent getting sick if they are exposed to the disease. Until the

majority of the population has been vaccinated, it’s extremely important to know the symptoms, both for your own protection and the protection of others.

Meningitis is extremely scary and dangerous because its initial symptoms are deceivingly flu-like. These symptoms include full body achiness, headaches and nausea.

Symptoms specific to meningitis and should be taken very seriously They include neck pain, sensitivity to bright light, dizziness, feelings of disorientation and hive-like rashes that may disappear and reappear in different places on the body. If you are experiencing these symptoms, acting quickly is crucial.

Meningitis is very deadly because of the rapid rate at which it escalates.

It can take less than 24 hours after the first flu-like symptoms appear for a patient to be completely comatose.

In addition, the bacteria that can cause bacterial meningitis can also infect the blood, causing a form of blood infection, or sepsis, called meningococcemia.

Signs of meningococcemia are more obvious than meningitis: a purplish, blotchy rash appears on the surface of the skin and does not disappear when pressed. This bruiselike rash is different than the prickly, hive-like rash that may appear if someone has meningitis but not meningococcemia.

In other words, it only appears if the blood has been infected. Once in the blood, the meningococcus bacteria spread rapidly and can lead to limb amputation and organ failure.

The fatality rate for meningococcal disease that has spread to the blood is up to 40 percent.

The third thing you can do to protect yourself is obvious: take good care of yourself. Get enough sleep.

Eat well and exercise. Don’t share drink cups or food utensils. The three students who caught bacterial meningitis at Santa Clara University this past February had all been at the same party, drinking from a shared container.

DEAR JAMIE: My confidence and self-esteem dropped significantly after someone whom I thought liked me got into a relationship with another girl. (He and I were exclusive, not friends with benefits by the way.) It was pretty clear to me that we both liked each other, which made the situation that much worse once I found out he started dating someone else.

Even though this happened about a year ago and I’ve moved on with my life (we were both juniors in high school at the time), I still find myself thinking about it and feeling like I wasn’t good enough. He never really gave me the closure I needed, nor did I even try to talk to him after he got into that relationship. He did however try to keep in touch with me every now and then, but nothing was the same, and I found myself not knowing how to talk to him, so eventually we just drifted apart and never talked again.

— CONFUSED DEAR CONFUSED: I wish I could give you a hug! It is not easy when a close relationship falls apart, especially when your lasting feelings seem one-sided.

I know it is hard when thoughts and emotions from the past resurface, but I promise that is normal and okay; that will happen with any emotional scars or important memories.

Though only you fully understand your own experience, others who have gone through similar moments, including myself, empathize with you.

The best way to move on is to acknowledge and accept your feelings for what they are, not fight or avoid them. Otherwise, your feelings may accumulate and catch you off guard later.

This does not mean to wallow in your emotions; rather, take time to non-judgementally ask yourself questions about how you feel and think.

For instance, why do you think this past experience is still affecting you, and what is it that you want?

Do you still miss him or the idea of him? Are you confused because there is a nagging, empty loneliness within you — maybe one that seems connected to this boy?

Only you can reflect on and answer these questions yourself. If you answered the last question with yes, I want you to know that loneliness is human and within everyone.

It may have become more obvious through your experience with this one boy, but it was not created by him nor will it be filled by him or any other person.

It also won’t always feel so gaping, and it will not pervade your entire life.

Honestly, things probably won’t ever be exactly the same, but that is not necessarily bad. Rather, it can

create room for improvement. For instance, it is possible for the two of you to become friends with clear boundaries.

Because that requires effort on both sides, you must decide if the investment is worth it.

You also don’t have to maintain ties with him. Consider your situation and desires thoroughly before deciding.

Many people, including myself, prefer closure, but sometimes we don’t receive it. Especially after a year of separation, complete closure is unlikely.

The best thing you can do is learn from this experience. If you know you feel most comfortable with a clear future and settled conclusions, seek those in your future relationships and friendships by initiating clarifying conversations early on.

Sometimes, you will find that the other person doesn’t have the same desires or views as you.

In that case, you can still try to work things out by communicating what you are comfortable with or deciding to wait before defining a set goal.

If that doesn’t work because the two of you are on completely different pages, don’t beat yourself up for it; some relationships are just not the best fit, especially at certain times.

Ultimately, you will be more reassured knowing that you gave your best effort, and, if you do prefer settlement, avoiding a helpless, endless guessing game.

Most importantly, remember that another person can neither define nor lessen your self-worth.

I know it hurts to feel left by someone, but an “unsuccessful” relationship and not being “good enough” for one boy are irrelevant to your value as a person.

As long as you respect other people, who you are is good enough.

You can seek to understand another person without letting him or her completely change or define you.

Your confidence can be rebuilt as long as you commit to restoring and loving yourself.

I wish I could do more to help, but in the end, it is up to you. Whatever you decide, with wise discernment, have faith in hope for better.

One boy will move on, life will continue forward and so will you.

WITH LOVE: JAMIE

Dr. Moira Kessler, a child psychiatrist at the Stanford University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, offers feedback to the column writer. She is not providing any clinical services.

Friday, May 20, 2016

class of

2016 IN PHOTOS

The Campanile

SENIOR SECTION

As the Class of 2016 approaches its final weeks in its time at Palo Alto High School, we, the former Editors-in-Chief of The Campanile, would like to use the last issue of the school year to look back on some of our greatest memories throughout these past four years at Paly. We would like to congratulate our class on all that we have achieved in these past years, ranging from winning Bench Wars to our delayed Spirit Week victory, and we look forward to seeing what else our class will accomplish in the future. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences for us to explore various facets of the Paly community, and we hope that you have enjoyed reading our newspaper as much as we enjoyed creating it. While all endings are bittersweet, we hope that the following pages allow you to reflect back on some of the most memorable events that the Class of 2016 has had at Paly, and to show us all how far we have come.

Best, Lauren, Miranda, Mischa, Nikhil, Owen and Stephanie

PHOTOS COURTESY OF COOPER LOU, MATT HALL AND THE CLASS OF 2016

B3

Where they’ll be: Theeds16

ANTONIO KIESCHNICK

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

It’s not easy being an Editor-in-Chief (Theed) of The Campanile. Sometimes, in between their scheduled 8 p.m.

Wednesday night tantrum and their 8:15 p.m. tantrum, the Theeds have to take time out of their hectic schedules to stop and take it all in. So do we. So let’s look forward to where they’ll be in their journey along the byline of life.

We thought it best to start with Mr. LinkedIn himself: Mischa Nee. Let’s fast forward to sometime in the near future, where we caught up with Mr. Nee at his job as CEO of six CEOs at LinkedIn, a position earned solely on breaking the record for connections in the networking site’s history.

“It’s all about the connections,” Mr. Nee said. “If you substitute the second ‘n’ in ‘connections’ for an ‘e,’ you could even say there’s only ‘Nee’ in connections.”

Next we caught up with Owen Dulik, the man who puts the “od” in “God.” We found out he had changed his name to Ronald Reagan III after college (sorry, we have no idea who Ronald Reagan II was). Mr. Dulik then went on to revive a Republican party split once again by the death of long-time leader Donald Trump. Dulik restored classic conservative values to the party and even won the presidency. However, halfway through his first term, Mr. Dulik resigned as president and retired to a cave in the Appalachians for some soul-searching.

We found Nikhil Rajaram seated behind his desk as head of NASA, browsing Reddit with Led Zeppelin blasting out of his speakers. Following a stint as a Bollywood “acting” star, he returned to the U.S. where he took up his current job as head of NASA. In his spare time, we discovered, Mr. Rajaram actually models for Supercuts, his personal favorite cut being, surprisingly, the military buzz.

“It’s really efficient,” Rajaram said.

“I’m a no frills kind of guy, so I come in and have them buzz it all off.”.

We then caught up with Stephanie Cong at a resort in Kauai, where she was taking time off from her hectic job as a successful entrepreneur to reflect on her achievements as one of the most important figures in Silicon Valley, where she disrupted the market and redefined the true purpose of business in the 21st century. She decided that she had to give back in a big way to the community that made her. It was with this in mind that she created DECA for adults, a way for adults to continue honing their skills as businessmen and women.

We then had to go halfway across the globe to catch up with Miranda Chen, where she barely had time to meet with us in between meetings with various members of her cabinet. Early into adulthood, Ms. Chen moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo where she worked as a UN Peacekeeper, but fell in love with the local culture and left the peacekeeping force to become a naturalized Congolese citizen. After becoming a Congolese national, Ms. Chen led a successful and bloodless coup against the government. Under her rule, Congo became one of the most prosperous nations in the world, mostly thanks to its high-volume export of leggings.

Lauren Klass was found on tour as part of a motivational speaker series, which she kicked off at Paly’s own Career Month. After high school she discovered in college that she had a hidden talent for basketball, which led to her being the first woman to play in the NBA. Lauren went on to be named NBA MVP four years in a row. She then retired early from basketball and devoted her life to philanthropic efforts and political activism that resulted in her being named Time Magazine’s most influential person of the year three years in a row. She then took a break from her causes to write the motivational selfhelp book: “Ok guys” before returning to the political arena.

Good luck with life, it’s been good and we love you Theeds16.

Friday, May 22, 2015

The Campanile

B4

SENIOR SECTION

The Annual Campanile

CSU Humboldt (2) CSU Chico (1) UC Davis (4) UC Berkeley (27)

COLLEGE MAP 2

California College of the Arts (1) San Francisco State University (4) University of San Francisco (1) Dominican University (1) Stanford University (10) Foothill College (15) De Anza College (5) Santa Clara University (3)

Whitman College (3)

WA

Oregon State University (2) Reed College (2) Lewis and Clark College (1)

CA

MT

MN

Gap year; The College of William and Mary

University of Southern California University of Colorado, Boulder Whittier College University of Michigan Biola University Princeton University Azusa Pacific University Undisclosed Undisclosed Art Center College of Design Colorado State University Northwestern University Fullerton College Undisclosed California State University, Humboldt Other Seattle University Undisclosed University of Colorado, Boulder Northeastern University Chapman University University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Berkeley California State University, Northridge

Occidental College University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Occidental College Carnegie Mellon University Brigham Young University Undisclosed University of Oregon Undisclosed University of California, Santa Cruz Azusa Pacific University Undisclosed Williams College Carnegie Mellon University University of California, Santa Barbara

Stanford University University of California, Santa Barbara

Undisclosed Whitman College Whitman College Wake Forest University California Polytechnic State University, SLO University of California, Santa Barbara

Foothill College Undisclosed Georgetown University Northeastern University Northeastern University University of California, Berkeley Georgetown University Foothill College Undisclosed New York University University of Michigan Biola University Middlebury College Gap year; Loyola Marymount University

University of California, Berkeley Scripps College George Washington University

NE

NV

UT CO KS

AZ

Occidental College (3) Claremont McKenna College (2) Scripps College (3)

Michelle Choi James Cohee Emma Cole Luke Coleman Stephanie Cong Fernando Contreras Nick Cook Daniel Cottrell Diana Cowie Austin Cox Nicole Cox Ally Crawford Christopher Crews-Holloway Ashley Crichton Emily Crist Britt d’Arezzo Catherine Davidson Clara de Martel Joese Delgadillo Carina DeLorenzo Claire Dennis Sarah Dersh Samuel Desré Aaron Diggs Jacob Dodge Eleni Dolkas Morgan Dolmatch Conner Donnelly William Dougall Daniel Douty Katie Douty Cole Draper Grant Draper Alina Drebin Claire Drebin Owen Dulik Tamari Dzotsenidze Isabelle Ebbing Drew Embersits Elias Erki Brent Escovedo Greg Eum Marissa Eustaquio Kim Evans Rachel Farn Elias Fedel Jacob Feriante Bo Field Joanna Figueroa Trevor Filseth Albert Ford Daria Forden Eric Foster Katie Francis Eli Frankel Eli Friedlander Brandon Fu Jeremy Fu Talya Furman Mabel Furutsuki Kai Gallagher Parker Gara Alexander Garcia Leslie Garcia-Oblitas Przemek Gardias Airyal Gauda Everett Gee Andrew Gibson Caitlin Giffen Eli Givens Charles Glenwright Leyla Gokcek Emma Goldsmith

Rhode Island School of Design De Anza College Scripps College Drexel University University of California, Berkeley Undisclosed Brigham Young University Purdue University Denison University University of Oregon Vanderbilt University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Santa Barbara

Rochester Institute of Technology Colorado State University University of Minnesota University of Southern California University of California, Berkeley Undisclosed Foothill College Amherst College Undisclosed University of California, Santa Barbara

Arizona State University Undisclosed Southern Oregon University Smith College Gap year; University of California, Santa Cruz

University of British Columbia University of California, Santa Cruz New York University Fordham University Georgetown University University of Michigan University of Michigan Southern Methodist University University of California, Santa Barbara

Undisclosed Northeastern University Undisclosed Undisclosed Cornell University De Anza College Undisclosed Carnegie Mellon University University College London Undisclosed California Institute of the Arts Undisclosed Brandeis University Grinnell College Undisclosed Yale University Santa Clara University George Washington University Indiana University Bloomington Undisclosed Northwestern University Undisclosed Undisclosed University of Washington University of Colorado, Boulder Undisclosed Undisclosed Worcester Polytechnic Institute Howard University Undisclosed King’s College London Foothill College Southern Utah University California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Maryland Institute College of Art Undecided

TX

Southern Methodist University (2) Baylor University (2) University of Texas at Austin (1)

Alina Gomez Valerie Gomez Alfredo Gonzalez-Velez Henry Gordon Alexander Gouyet Michael Grandy Lana Graves Quinn Greicius Dylan Griffith Eric Griswold Arianna Groetsema Melanie Guan Nicholas Guardino Adrian Guzman Samantha Haight Daniel Hald Charlotte Hall Elizabeth Hall Maximilien Hallberg Luma Hamade Daniel Hammerson Emma Hammerson Albert Han Dorothy Han Lawrence Han Amelia Hancock Alice Hao Jamie Har Alexis Harris Rory Harriss Neta Hart Alexander Hawthorne Tyler Healy Ella Higashi Lisa Hildebrand Melina Hillen Emma Hmelar Michelle Holland Nicholas Hopple Bradley Howes Alan Hsu Jillian Hu Xinwen Hu Angus Huang Ori Huang Cameron Huard Henry Hughes Justin Hull Stas Ilyasov Fernando Inostrosa Meg Jackson Christopher Jamison Ryan Jamison Sean Jawetz William Jeffries Astrid Jensen Jessica Jensen Kaitlin Jensen Eve Jobs Onaje Julian Maya Kandell Jay Kang Joseph Kao Nathan Kau Lauren Keith Matthew Keller Anna Kemmerer Clare Kemmerer John Kenney Cameron Khan Ethan Khoe Jocelyn Khosla Antonio Kieschnick

Foothill College Arizona State University Baylor University Occidental College Gap year; McGill University Undisclosed Manhattan School of Music Stanford University Reed College University of California, Santa Cruz Gap year Loyola Marymount University University of Southern California Undisclosed San Jose State University Undisclosed Bowdoin College Vanderbilt University McGill University University of California, Santa Barbara

School of the Art Institute of Chicago California Polytechnic State University, SLO

University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of Oregon Undisclosed Gap year San Jose State University Undisclosed University of California, Davis Undisclosed Undisclosed Montana State University Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology Santa Clara University University of California, San Diego Lewis and Clark College Gap year; Alfred University Undisclosed Gap year; Smith College Undisclosed Undisclosed Cornell University Indiana University Bloomimgton Gap year Claremont McKenna College Los Angeles City College Undisclosed University of California, Berkeley California State University, Humboldt Foothill College University of California, Santa Barbara

Undisclosed University of Maryland, College Park Baylor University Westmont College Gap year; University of California, Los Angeles

California College of the Arts University of California, Berkeley University of Southern California Boston University Stanford University San Diego State University Bowdoin College Georgetown University The New School Undisclosed University of San Diego Undisclosed Undisclosed New York University

MO

OK

NM

Arizona State University (2) University of Arizona (2)

University of San Diego (2) UC San Diego (5) San Diego State University (2)

University of Oregon Barnard College Undisclosed Undisclosed Scripps College Gap year; New York University University of California, Santa Cruz Undisclosed San Jose State University

WY IA

Colorado School of Mines (2) Colorado State University (4) Johnson and Wales University (1) University of Colorado Boulder (6) University of Denver (1) Colorado College (1)

Whittier College (2) Chapman University (6) Fullerton College (1) UC Riverside (1)

WI

SD

ID

University of Utah (1) Brigham Young University (4)

CSU Northridge (2) CSU Channel Islands (1) California Institute of the Arts (1) ArtCenter College of Design (1) Azusa Pacific University (2)

ND

OR

Willamette University (1) University of Oregon (7) Southern Oregon University (1)

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (14) Santa Barbara City College (1) Westmont College (1) UC Santa Barbara (13)

Kate Abed Esmé Ablaza Ricardo Aboytes Kerissa Almendras Maya Almogy Sophia Anderson Jonathan Angell-Atchison Crystal Arias Julian Arias Sophia Armitano Nina Ashayer Madison Atwater Martha Avila-Zavala Charles Badger Andrew Baer Caroline Bailey Gabby Bains Clara Baker Jack Baldwin-Brown Portia Barrientos Tessa Barry Maya Benatar Leila Benest Sigourney Bengston Abira Berezin Hannah Bernstein Nicole Berry Griffin Berschauer Halle Biorn Danielle Bisbee Kylie Bitler Paul Bleich Adele Bloch Oluwadamilola Bolarinwa Alex Bonomi Camille Bourbonnais Kevin Bowers Karen Bowman Kelly Branson Marcus Breckenridge Bradley Brewster Aschli Brown Ryan Brown Tanayah Brown Antonio Caballero Susana Cacho Tiffany Cai Ana Caklovic Kylie Callan Sophia Campbell Miguel Angel Cardenas Anne Carilli Bryn Carlson Griffin Carlson Linnea Carlstrom Declan Cassini Lianna Castillo-Martinez Christopher Cerpa Karina Chan Sonali Chawla Michelle Chen Miranda Chen Nicole Chen Teresa Chen Audrey Cheng Chelsea Cheng Jessica Cheng Joshua Cheng Robert Cheng Justyn Cheung Eric Chiang Clara Chiu Andrew Cho

Montana State University (2)

University of Washington (7)

Menlo College (1) Cañada College (2) San Jose State University (6) West Valley College (1) CSU East Bay (1) UC Santa Cruz (12) CSU Stanislaus (1)

CSU Los Angeles (1) Biola University (1) University of Southern California (7) Loyola Marymount University (3) UC Los Angeles (3) Los Angeles City College (1) University of the Redlands (1)

COMPILED BY The 2015-2016 Editors-in-Chief

Seattle University (1)

AR

LA

Tulane University (1)

Jesse Kim Min Young Kim David King Robert King Sean-Patrick King Meredith Kinnaman Zachary Kirk Lauren Klass Nils Klovdahl Julian Knodt Claire Kokontis Masha Konkov Cassidy Kornfeld Gideon Kortenhoven Samir Kothari Andrew Kotik Reuben Kramer Molly Kraus Claire Krugler Alisha Kumar Tillana Kundu Karen Kuo Brian Lai Tonga Latu Christian Laurence Michael Lavva Christina Le Carl Goodfriend Sage Ledgerwood Andrew Lee Hegene Lee James Lee Rowan Lee Tyler Lee William Lee Garrett Lees Alby Leng Ivan Lenkov Christian Leong Raffi Lepejian Amy Leung Matteo Leva Matthew Lewis Christie Li Ivy Li Kathryn Li Kevin Li Matthew Li Michelle Li Matthew Liang Tiffany Liang Zoe Limbrick Myriam Lin Zekai Liu Jessica Lok Steffan Lonsky Anthony Lopez Melissa Lopez Armando Lopez-Valencia Chun Lou Courtney Lovely Alison Lu Anna Lu Anna Luehrs Zoe Lung Ying Luo Emilie Ma Natalie Maemura Lavanya Mahadevan Ren Makino Martin Manasherob Ethan Markowitz Tessa Marshall

Univ Univ Und Und San Univ Stan Univ Und Gap The Univ Gap Ente Univ Univ Univ Univ Cha New Foot Univ Univ Und Gap Univ Cha Gap Und Colu New Case Loyo

Univ

Univ

Calif

Was Gap Ame Whi Univ Und Univ Und Yale Univ Colu Univ Pom

Univ

New Eme Prin New Univ Foot Und Cañ Und Ren

Calif

Will Colu

Calif

Univ Und Will Univ Stan Lafa Und Und Foot

The Campanile

Friday, May 22, 2015

GAP YEAR:

University of Wisconsin (3)

University of Minnesota (1) Carleton College (1)

University of Chicago (1) Northwestern University (4) DePauw University (1) School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (4) University of Michigan (11) Purdue University (2) Case Western Reserve University (2) Oberlin College (1) The College of Wooster (1) Denison University (1)

Grinnell College (1)

MI

IL

WV

SC MS

AL

GA

versity of California, San Diego versity of California, Berkeley disclosed disclosed nta Barbara City College versity of Oregon nford University versity of Southern California disclosed p year University of Chicago versity of Oregon p year; Brown University ering the workforce versity of California, Santa Cruz versity of California, Santa Cruz versity of Redlands versity of California, Berkeley apman University w York University thill College versity of California, Berkeley versity of California, San Diego decided p year versity of California, Berkeley apman University p year disclosed umbia University w York University e Western Reserve University ola Marymount University

versity of California, Santa Barbara

versity of Michigan

fornia State University, Northridge

shington University in St. Louis p year erican University itman College versity of California, Los Angeles disclosed versity of Oregon decided e University versity of California, Berkeley umbia University versity of California, San Diego mona College

versity of California, Santa Barbara

w York University erson University nceton University w York University versity of Washington thill College disclosed ñada College disclosed nsselaer Polytechnic Institute

fornia Polytechnic State University, SLO

liams College umbia University

fornia Polytechnic State University, SLO

versity of California, Berkeley disclosed lamette University versity of California, Santa Cruz nford University ayette College disclosed disclosed thill College

Bennington College (1) Dartmouth College (1) Bowdoin College (2)

Tufts University (2) Harvard University (1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (3) Boston College (3) Northeastern University (5) Boston University (2)

VT NH

NY

MA CT

Washington University in St. Louis (2)

RI

College of William and Mary (1)

Duke University (1) Wake Forest University (2)

Columbia University (5) Barnard College (2) Fordham University (1)

PA

Carnegie Mellon University (7) Bucknell University (1)

NJ

Princeton University (3) Maryland Institute College of Art (2) University of Maryland, College Park (1) Howard University (1) American University (3) George Washington University (4) Georgetown University (5)

MD

FL

DE Haverford College (2) Drexel University (1) Lafayette College (1)

Leslie Martinez Jacob Martinson Anant Marur Suliana Mataele Lily Matlof Shiv Matta Laura Maystead Larkin McDermott Anthony McFadden Chelsea McIntosh Maya McNealis William Meng Daniel Merken John Merrill Reed Merritt Lesley Miranda Priya Misner Chloe Mo Heidi Moeser Charlotte Moffatt Diana Molina Ariya Momeny Aylin Montes Mason Moore Claire Morris Yael Moskowitz Saba Moussavian Aishee Mukherji Charlie Munoz Leili Najmabadi Anna Nakai Sara Namjoo Aadit Narayanaswamy Mischa Nee Jackson Nelson-Gal Connor Ng Joshua Ng Samuel Ng Brittany Nguyen Jessica Nguyen Eric Nicholls Gregory Nielsen Nicole Nikanorov Takeru Nishi Liam Noroian Myeekay Notah Eoin O’Farrell Matt O’Reilly Jesus Ochoa Helena Oft Adetokunbo Ogunleye Laith Ojjeh Nicholas Olgado Alec Olmstead Alys Olmstead Cristal Ortiz-Valencia Eric Oshima Casey Palafox Itai Palmon Shivani Parikh Roemello Parish-Purvis Christina Park Ashby Parmeter Jose Patino Ayala James Pedersen Jacey Pederson Annie Peng Aiva Petriceks Shaun Pike Owen Plambeck Mariah Poitier Emmanuelle Poivet Christina Polanen

Undisclosed University of California, Santa Cruz University of Michigan Undisclosed University of Michigan University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Oregon State University California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Gap year; De Anza College DePauw University University of California, Los Angeles Columbia University University of Washington Undisclosed University of Texas at Austin California State University, Stanislaus Tufts University Stanford University University of Michigan University of California, Santa Barbara

San Francisco State University University of Wisconsin, Madison San Jose State University American University University of California, San Diego University of Michigan University of California, Berkeley Gap year De Anza College Tufts University Brown University San Jose State University University of California, Berkeley Stanford University Undisclosed University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

New York University University of California, Davis University of California, Berkeley California Polytechnic State University, SLO

University of Denver Undisclosed Menlo College Colorado School of Mines Gap year Undisclosed Foothill College Boston College Undisclosed Georgetown University San Francisco State University Colorado State University Worcester Polytechnic Institute Wesleyan University Gap year; Northeastern University Undisclosed Washington University in St. Louis Gap year University of Michigan Haverford College Undisclosed University of Southern California Colorado School of Mines De Anza College University of Washington University of California, Los Angeles Reed College University of Washington Montana State University Haverford College California State University Channel Islands

Gap year Bennington College

Maria Poupin Roebel Rachel Price Leena Pulli Kathryn Qin Bradley Qu Jason Que Ansley Queen Lucas Rabello Blake Ragsdale Nikhil Rajaram August Ramberg-Gomez Emma Raney Diya Rao Nikhil Ravishankar Alessandro Reale Elana Rebitzer Jasmine Redwood Ryan Reed Melanie Reilly Guy Reuveni Samir Rewari Bryce Rockwell Diana Rodriguez Kash Rogers Mark Rogers Gigi Rojahn Winston Rosati Alex Rose Margaret Rosenthal Jaimese Ross Gabriela Rossner Michael Rowe Takaaki Sagawa Isabella Saliba Long Ellinor Saltin Jeremy Samos Jonathan Samos Nathan Saul Frida Schaefer Bastian Zach Schlenker Riley Schoeben Lizzie Schoenholtz Emma Scott Zachary Segal Matthew Seligson Rachel Seligson Daniel Shen Andrew Shepherd Gregory Shutt Madeleine Shutt Katya Sigal Mikaela Simison Daniel Sing Alexander Sitrin Jamie Sitrin Michelle Slaughter Noah Smith Ophir Sneh Natalie Snyder Julian Soltero Roberto Sotelo Brian Sotnick Mikayla Spaizman Kamden Spector Siddharth Srinivasan Russell Star-Lack Charlee Stefanski Chuck Stephenson Emma Sternfield Tara Strauch Max Strul Akhil Subbarao Hannah Subega

Undisclosed Northwestern University University of California, Santa Cruz Undisclosed University of California, Berkeley Undisclosed Colorado College Undisclosed Undisclosed University of Colorado, Boulder Gap year; Quest University Canada Mount Holyoke College Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Barnard College Undisclosed Southern Methodist University Chapman University Foothill College California Polytechnic State University, SLO

University of Colorado, Boulder San Francisco State University Undisclosed Undisclosed Bucknell University Undisclosed Claremont McKenna College Stanford University Foothill College George Washington University Brigham Young University London School of Economics and Political Science

California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Entering the workforce University of Washington University of Washington University of San Diego University of California, Berkeley University of St. Andrews Loyola Marymount University Foothill College Tulane University Dartmouth University Williams College Johnson and Wales University Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Oregon State University University of California, Riverside University of Arizona New York University Undisclosed University of San Francisco University of California, Santa Cruz California State University, Chico University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Chapman University Gap year Undisclosed Syracuse University University of Arizona California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Cornell University Carleton College University of Michigan United States Military Academy Undisclosed Gap year; The College of Wooster Chapman University San Jose State University Cornell University

Williams College (3) Brandeis University (1) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2) Wellesley College (1) Smith College (2) Rhode Island School of Design (2) Brown University (5)

Yale University (2) Wesleyan University (1) New York University (12) Manhattan School of Music (1) The New School (1)

Vanderbilt University (2)

Emory University (2)

Mt. Holyoke University (1) Amherst College (1) Emerson College (1)

Colgate University (1) Syracuse University (2) Rochester Institute of Technology (3) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1) Cornell University (4) United States Military Academy (1)

KY TN

Middlebury College (1)

ME

Hannah Bernstein - Returning to Norway (Norway) William Dougall - University of British Columbia (Canada) Elias Fedel - University College London (England) Andrew Gibson - King’s College London (England) Maximillien Hallberg - McGill University (Canada) Takaaki Sagawa - London School of Economics and Political Science (England) Zachary Schlenker - University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Aidan Van Vleck - University of British Columbia (Canada) Dimiter Zlatkov - University of British Columbia (Canada)

VA

NC

Liam Noroian - Work Alys Olmstead - Travel and internship Casey Palafox - Travel Emmanuelle Poivet - France August Ramberg-Gomez - Hiking Appalachian Mountains and Pacific Crest Trail Julian Soltero - Work and travel Tara Strauch - Living in Belgium Rebecca Sunnerås Jonsson - Europe and Asia Rachel van Gelder - Work and travel abroad

INTERNATIONAL:

Indiana University Bloomington (2)

OH

IN

Jillian Hu - Japan Henry Hughes - Work and travel Eve Jobs - Horseback riding Julian Knodt Cassidy Kornfeld - Work and travel Christian Laurence - Fiji, Australia, Argentina Carl Goodfriend - Work Ivan Lenkov - Glassblowing apprenticeship Anthony McFadden - Work Aishee Mukherji - Community service in India and US

Sophia Anderson - Southeast Asia Sophia Armitano - Work and travel Justyn Cheung - Work Conner Donnelly - Travel Alexander Gouyet - Work and travel Arianna Groetsema - Travel Jamie Har - Work, travel and discipleship Bradley Howes - Work and art education

2016

B5

SENIOR SECTION

Bryn Sullivan Rebecca Sunneras Jonsson Kayleigh Svensson Sophie Swezey Gregory Syssoyev Lilia Tang Michelle Tang Nellie Taratorin Sylvia Targ Pisileni Tautuaa Chantal Teixeira Cole Tierney Orion Tran Tiffany Tsay Holly Tumminaro Peter Turnbull Michael Tuttle Peter John Valbuena Sergio Valente Quintin Valenti Amber Valentine Rachel van Gelder Aidan Van Vleck Oscar Vargas Samuel Vasquez Arjun Vasudevan Viridiana Velasquez Heber Vences Isabelle Vincent Noemie von Kaenel Tommy Vonghom Emma Wagstaff Reid Walters Carolyn Walworth Adrian Wang James Wang Kelsey Wang Melinda Wang Sarah Wang Abigail Warner Peter Weber Alex Weinstein Keyonna Williams Brooklyn Willis Peter Willits Elspeth Wing Lukas Wolf Clara Wolfe Carl Wolfgramm Emil Wolfgramm Bethany Wong Jeanette Wong Nika Woodfill Jenny Xin Sophia Xu Helen Yan Caleb Yang William Yang Vineet Yellu Wai Yem Sarah Yerga Catherine Yu Spencer Yu Josh Yuen Roy Zawadzki Avery Zenger Emily Zhang Haomiao Zhang Allison Zhang William Zhou Dimi Zlatkov Carissa Zou Hannah Zucker

Brown University Gap year Wellesley College University of California, Santa Barbara

Undisclosed Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University New York University University of California, Berkeley Undisclosed George Washington University Colgate University University of California, Davis University of California, Berkeley Colorado State University Maryland Institute College of Art California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Whittier College American University University of Colorado, Boulder West Valley College Gap year University of British Columbia California State University, East Bay San Francisco State University University of California, Berkeley Undisclosed Undisclosed Carnegie Mellon University Dominican University of California Undisclosed San Diego State University Northwestern University Undisclosed University of California, Davis Undisclosed Stanford University Stanford University Brown University Syracuse University Undisclosed California Polytechnic State University, SLO

Cañada College Foothill College University of California, Santa Cruz Purdue University University of Southern California Oberlin College California State University, Los Angeles

Undisclosed University of California, Davis Emory University New York University Princeton University Rhode Island School of Design University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley Yamaha Motor University Santa Clara University Duke University Carnegie Mellon University University of California, Berkeley California Polytechnic State University, SLO

University of Utah Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Carnegie Mellon University Brown University University of British Columbia University of Pennsylvania Emory University

Friday, May 20, 2016

B6

SENIOR SECTION

the CLASS OF Freshman The Paly experience isn’t quite complete without a little cross-town rivalry with Henry M. Gunn High School. Paly Football played Gunn for the last time, beating them 48-0.

in review P

alo Alto High School has been changed by the Class of 2016. In all aspects of high school life, the Class of 2016 has contributed positively to Paly and to the Palo Alto community as a whole. Academic, athletic, musical and theatrical achievements have been ubiquitous throughout the four years that the Class of 2016 has roamed Paly. This class has grown so much and has become so much closer throughout these four years. The people we’ve met, the memories we’ve made and the fun we’ve had will never be forgotten. Even after we walk down the aisle at graduation, we will always be the Palo Alto High School Class of 2016.

The Class of 2016 was welcomed to Paly as it witnessed over 100 streakers darting through the quad — dressed in zany outfits that did not cover nearly enough skin — at the end of the year.

SOPHOMORE Our sophomore year was marked by a change in Paly principals: Former Principal Phil Winston was replaced by Principal Kim Diorio. The shift in administration would soon result in several changes evident on campus.

TEXT AND DESIGN BY

On the final day of Spirit Week, the juniors, faced with impending loss threw a burrito at a sophomore spirit dancer. The week had already been marked by a fight and destruction of a Ranch Day display, launching a feud between the classes that lasted through to the next year.

The Campanile 2015-2016 Editors-in-chief

Senior Following a special ceremony, the 86-year-old gym was torn down, leaving many athletic teams without a place to practice.

The seniors managed to maintain a strong hold on Spirit Week, holding first place throughout the week. The road to this welldeserved victory came with a lot of bonding, energy, and all-out fun. This year’s Spirit Week also included a night rally, complete with two streakers.

Anony mous Paly freshman defecated on Gunn field in the first display of the school rivalry by the Class of 2016, which was later marked by a multitude of Twitter wars and athletic competitions.

His suspension led to an uprising on social media #free*****.

If there’s one class who knows how to Spirit Week, it’s the Class of 2016. Determined to beat the Class of 2015, we maintained first place for the majority of the week, but were robbed of the victory at the last second.

The theater construction that had been blocking the short path to Town and Country finally came to an end as the Performing Arts Center (PAC) was completed and opened.

According to the students who have snuck in, it boasts several balconies and an atrium, among other features.

JUNIOR The iconic Paly tradition came to an abrupt end as the administration cracked down on streaking. While many saw it as the end of an era, the need for the change was ultimately embraced.

Now one of the coolest buildings on campus, the MAC opened only a year and a half ago. It was intended to house the journalism program as well as some English classes; it has since expanded to be a popular study and hang out place.

Following the Class of 2015’s s**t show that was senior camping, the Class of 2016 was forced to find a new location for the annual event before cut day. Despite switching campsites twice, they pulled it off, with no citations and even a complimentary email from the site host to our very own JBerkson. Meanwhile at Tunitas, Gunn seniors spent their night complaining on Twitter — Paly always does it better.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Paly teachers choose to take gap year Staff members take a year off in order to explore the world and seek new perspectives

B7

How to survive Shoreline concerts

CLAIRE DENNIS

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

N

ext year, several Palo Alto High School teachers are opting to leave the classroom and explore opportunities abroad.

These teachers are taking advantage of a Palo Alto Unified School District policy that allows staff to take a year off for personal leave without jeopardizing their job security for the following year. Teachers may choose to use this policy for maternity leave, traveling or simply for a break.

English teacher Julia Taylor will spend 2017 traveling throughout South America. Taylor will make stops in several countries, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and made the decision to travel in November after receiving the opportunity to buy a house. Upon realizing the permanence of her purchase, she began to reevaluate her future.

“All of a sudden, it dawned on me: is this where I want to be for the next 15 to 20 years?” Taylor said. “It was almost like a lightning bolt.”

Economics and history teacher Alexander Davis will work as a river guide during the summer, then he will spend the school year embarking on a cross-country road trip to visit friends and family. Davis will later backpack in South America or Southeast Asia.

Like Taylor, Davis’ decision stemmed from a realization that he wanted to explore the world while he still had the chance.

“I’ve been wanting to [travel] for

UMA CHOUDHURY

STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF ALEXANDER DAVIS

Outside of the classroom, economics and history teacher Alexander Davis guides tourists through whitewater rapids in Oregon.

a while,” Davis said. “There were all these things that sort of came up and got in the way, so I felt like I was putting it off and putting it off. This is the time when a lot of my friends are starting to settle down, get married, have kids. I’m not there yet, and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to do this before my life is no longer mine.’”

Much of Davis’ passion for traveling stems from his experience working as a river guide throughout California and Oregon.

“You meet a ton of really cool people who are not from Palo Alto and are not all college-obsessed like we are here and bring a lot of different perspectives and experiences,” Davis said. “I think that that is just such a cool way to see a different section of

American society.”

Taylor has received a wide range of reactions from her friends and family: some are supportive of her choice while others are shocked. However, she maintains that traveling is something that she loves and will continue to do.

“I’ve had the travel bug for quite some time,” Taylor said. “I remember being 12 years old and seeing the Peace Corps commercials.”

Despite her excitement for her trip, Taylor will miss the invaluable bonds she has formed with teachers and students in the 11 years she has taught at Paly.

“At my last school I had colleagues, but at this school they’re my friends,” Taylor said.

Davis is also slightly reluctant to leave his teaching job for an entire year.

“It’s a very engaging job,” Davis said. “When I come here, I’m not thinking about other things. There’s a part of me that worries I might get bored or lonely [when travelling abroad].”

Since she has begun planning her own gap year, Taylor advises students to contemplate traveling on their own as well.

“Anybody who has the opportunity to take a gap year should take advantage of it,” Taylor said. “I feel I have learned more about myself and grown more as a person from traveling than pretty much anything else I’ve done.”

Exchange programs offer valuable lessons Foreign students seek the opportunity to experience new cultures and lifestyles abroad

SAMUEL VASQUEZ/THE CAMPANILE

Students from all around the world are attracted to Silicon Valley schools, where they can engage in a different type of education.

MADS MCCLUSKEY

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER

A

ttending school in a different country offers a number of life-altering experiences and eye-opening opportunities. There are many students at Palo Alto High School who are a part of year-long exchange programs or have moved to Silicon Valley this year from their respective home countries.

Exchange programs allow foreign students to travel to the United States to learn alongside American students. Typically, these students stay with a host family and are completely immersed in American culture. Many are randomly assigned to their families. However, senior Alessandro Reale knew his host family prior to leaving Italy and embarking to the U.S. “The fact that I already knew my host brother helped me [decide to come here],” Reale said. “When you do a year abroad, you sign up for it but you have the same chances to go to Washington as you do for Florida or California. I did what is called a direct placement so I already knew that I was coming here.”

For a teenager, moving to a foreign country for a year can be an intimidating experience. Luckily, junior exchange student Rebecca Sand received support from her friends and family prior to making the commitment to leave Denmark.

“A lot of my friends did [exchange programs] and they said it’s the best experience ever,” Sand said. “You’re

never going to have an experience like it. But I actually didn’t know that I wanted to do this until a week before it was too late. I was in a bit of a hurry to get here but everyone said, ‘your English is going to improve so much, you’re going to meet so many new people, it’s just a great experience.’”

Every student has to adjust to the potentially new language, living situation, city and school upon arriving in Palo Alto. Junior Paloma Ruiz moved from Spain at the start of the school year and immediately found herself forced to adapt to the different social environment.

You grow because you know yourself better: you know your limits, your fears, your sources of strength.

Alessandro Reale Senior “Socially, [Palo Alto is] super different, because in Spain I have my eight best friends and we were super close since first grade,” Ruiz said. “But here, I feel like people flow around a little bit more between groups and friends. So at the beginning I was like, ‘I don’t have my close, close, close group of friends that I had in Spain.’

Here, I know people from different groups and I hang out with [different] people depending on the day.”

In addition to being exposed to a new social scene, students must also adapt to their new school. Teaching styles and classroom format in the

United States vary greatly from those of Europe. Ruiz noticed the distinct difference in grading standards between Spain and Palo Alto.

“In Spain, the average GPA could be a 3 to a 3.2 and if you have that, you’re fine with it,” Ruiz said. “But here, if you don’t have a 4.0, people would think that you’re stupid and never going to get into college. I feel that here, it’s easier to get a good grade, but you need to get them.”

Additionally, foreign students have expressed that the U.S. college application process is very different to that of Europe. Junior Elin Stakeberg moved to Palo Alto from Sweden at the beginning of the academic year.

According to Stakeberg, in Sweden, students may retake a single standardized test — the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test — until they earn their desired score. The student can either submit this test score or their grades when applying to a university. “[In America], people see beyond the grades on a paper –– they see the person behind the grades,” Stakeberg said. “Which is really great, but at the same time the whole process is a lot to take in.”

The experience of moving across the world and becoming accustomed to a foreign culture is very unique.

Many foreign exchange students are finding that they have grown tremendously as people after their year abroad.

“You grow because you know yourself better: you know your limits, your fears, your sources of strength,” Reale said.

Though traveling thousands of miles and beginning a new life may not appeal to all, it is undeniable that studying abroad provides students with a multitude of beneficial opportunities to learn. Having lived in both Australia and Sweden, Stakeberg has become accustomed to the process of moving long distances, and has learned to take advantage of it.

“I see it as an opportunity: I get to see a whole different culture and get to meet so many new, wonderful people,” Stakeberg said. “You get a new perspective [on] life; you’re not stuck in one area your whole life. You get to see new parts of the world and experience so many new things that change your way of thinking.”

After living in a foreign country, many students find themselves cogitating on their experiences with their new friends, family and schools, and have found that their personas have changed to reflect these new experiences. Ruiz compared her personality prior to moving to the U.S. with her current persona, and is pleased with how she has changed.

“There are so many people from different cultures here and it’s great to see the variety of the school,” Stakeberg said. “I think that the school here has given me more of an open mind. To see that people are different and that’s completely okay. It’s more fun that people accept and not give into the normal. Here, it’s better if you actually accept who you are.”

As the exchange program is only temporary, some students wish they had taken full advantage of their time in America. Reminiscing on his time at Paly, Reale regrets not having been more outgoing from the start of his exchange.

“I wish I [had enjoyed] my experience [from] the beginning without being so stressed out,” Reale said.

“I wish I had talked to people more instead of being shy. You really have nothing to lose, you’re going to leave in months. So you should really be yourself and take advantage of everything.”

After spending time at Paly, Ruiz’s personal growth has greatly improved her outlook on life. A year abroad expands students horizons, as many of the foreign exchange students have discovered this year.

“I’m happier with myself here,” Ruiz said. “There are days here where I’m just super happy. I’m a happy person in a happy world.”

Summer is right around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: Shoreline concert season. Shoreline Amphitheatre, located in Mountain View, is home to two large white tents and a sprawling lawn that you may recognize from your friends’ many Instagram posts. Concerts at this venue can range from pop music to hip-hop to country, the latter being the most popular during the summer. With a holding capacity of 22,500 people, Shoreline can be a disaster waiting to happen.

Many of those attending Shoreline concerts don’t necessarily go for the music (but shoutout to all you country music fans) — most merely go for the Shoreline experience and to hang out with friends. If you are planning to visit Shoreline this summer, I have a few tips that will ensure that you have the absolutely best experience possible.

Come prepared This might seem like a given, but you may be surprised by the large number of people who come to concerts without money or other essentials. Shoreline allows concert-goers to bring tightly sealed, packaged foods and bottled water from home.

This is highly recommended, unless you want to spend eight dollars on fries and five dollars on a bottle of water. A good wardrobe accesory to carry your necessities is a stylish fanny pack. Ignore the haters and the weird looks you might receive, as a fanny pack will let you keep your hands free and greatly improve your experience.

Avoid being photographed During a concert, you might find yourself wanting to find a quiet area to escape the chaos and being photographed by your friends is definitely not something that would help the situation. Even worse, if one of your friends decides to post pictures and tag you in them on Facebook, your grandma, aunt or other relatives could comment about how grown up you look. Another downside to being photographed is the relatively high likelihood that you will be put on the infamous Twitter account “Sloppy Shoreline.” To those who are unfamiliar with it, Sloppy Shoreline is a Twitter account managed anonymously that posts embarrassing pictures of many concert attendees. With the slogan “stay sloppy my friends,” this account has captured people’s worst moments and embarrassed many to the fullest potential.

To avoid being mortified on Twitter (and eventually by all your friends inperson), make sure to stay away from anyone with a camera.

Wear close-toed shoes This tip might be the most important, as it can save your feet from the horrors of the Shoreline lawn.

For those of you who, like the majority of Shoreline’s concertgoers, will be attending a show with lawn seat tickets, wearing closed shoes is essential. People over 21 who may have had too much to drink can soil the ground with their vomit. While they are hurling their regrets onto the grass, their bottles can smash onto the ground and cause glass shards to fly everywhere. To avoid slipping in someone else’s waste and/or losing a foot, close-toed shoes will help keep your feet safe and clean, so you can quickly make a getaway from the scene. Be extra careful about where you step, as people enjoy lying on the grass in complete darkness where no one can see them.

All jokes aside, Shoreline concerts are a great place to have fun with friends, enjoy music and celebrate a stress-free, school-free summer. Buy your concert tickets soon — hope to see you there!

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

B8

LIFESTYLE

1

in

2000

Silicon Valley’s most elusive tech company design by: carissa zou, tiffany liang senior staff writers Pal an tir

Text and design by: annalise wang lifestyle editor

This edition featuring:

Nathan Saul with The Campanile’s own

Owen Dulik

P

alantir Technologies — perhaps you know them best for their trademark t-shirts spotted on techies roaming Silicon Valley. The company cut its teeth by formulating an advanced U.S. government security system for the CIA, and currently provides in-depth data analysis software for a large variety of clients.

Headquartered on Hamilton Ave in downtown Palo Alto, Palantir offers a software platform capable of sifting through and analyzing large quantities of data with the intention of helping businesses gain valuable insight into improving their products.

Deriving its namesake from the “seeing stone” in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” Palantir is garnering attention for more than just its recognizable clothing.

Currently, Palantir’s inner workings are being scrutinized by sources such as the Consumer News and the Business Channel (CNBC) and San Jose Mercury News for its recent business endeavors. The company has refused to go public, which would entail a transformation from startup to corporation, citing a desire to maintain its enigmatic reputation.

“The minute companies go public, they are less competitive,” Palantir CEO Alex Karp said in an interview with CNBC. “You really want your people to be focused on solving the problem, not on cashing in.”

Having lost three of its major clients in the past few months — Coca-Cola, Nasdaq and American Express — and being on track to lose 20 percent of its workforce in 2016, the data analysis company is experiencing significant blows to its revenue.

Palantir has not been paying its employees as much as other wealthy startups, and, according to Karp, has in fact the “lowest salaries in [Silicon Valley].”

While the company itself is val-

ued at over $20 billion, making it the third wealthiest startup in America, some of its workers have packed their bags in search of better compensation.

They own Palo Alto.

There are palantir people all over the place in Palantir shirts and hoodies. It’s like of like downtown is their office. joe beninato founder of S8 Karp, an ex-philosopher with a degree in neoclassical social theory, is highly focused on innovative technologies and techniques that have the potential to make Palantir one of the most inventive companies in the nation.

His hiring policies are based off metrics evaluating eagerness and motivation for problem-solving, in addition to top-notch technical qualifications. Annual performance reviews are non-existent, and the company reportedly gives services to clients on a “pay as much as you have” basis, meaning that smaller businesses pay less for services than larger companies.

Palantir has a large client base, however the exact size is unknown due to their secrecy surrounding their work. Some of Palantir’s most noteworthy clients include Hershey’s and the FBI. Palantir’s software allegedly helped U.S. forces track down and kill Osama bin Laden and helped prosecutors convict Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff.

Palantir’s products, dubbed “Gotham” for military or security use and “Metropolis” for business use, comb through massive amounts of information to find connections between data points. Since much

of that data is highly confidential, Palantir is notoriously tightlipped about its work.

Palantir is rumoured to have special high-security facilities in Palo Alto that have “shields” that render the buildings soundproof and impenetrable to electrical signals such as cellphone reception. This protects clients’ sensitive information and further reinforces the company’s secretive mode of operations.

Not all of Palantir’s actions, however, have been quite so covert. The company has hosted coding classes for Bay Area high school students, and is using its software to support a county-wide effort to aid and house homeless veterans. Palantir collaborates with Community Solutions for this project for the homeless known as “Palantir Homelink,” which matches homeless veterans with affordable housing.

Executives at Palantir bar their employees from revealing any information about the company to the press. However, the company’s physical presence in Palo Alto is by no means clandestine.

Many Palantir employees can be seen in their colorful Palantir tshirts and hoodies downtown.

prices for commercial space available to rent downtown have increased from $71 per square foot to $102 in the past five years.

Palantir owns roughly 20 buildings in downtown Palo Alto, bringing legions of techies into local coffee shops and restaurants.

“They own Palo Alto,” Joe Beninato, founder of Internet startup S8, said. “There are Palantir people all over the place in Palantir shirts and hoodies. It’s kind of

like downtown is their office.”

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago-based real estate firm, prices for commercial space available to rent in downtown Palo Alto have increased from $71 to $102 per square foot in the past five years. Additionally, real estate availability has dropped to less than three percent, a sevenyear low.

Availability of office space isn’t projected to be likely to increase soon. Palo Alto recently limited development of offices and other commercial spaces to 50,000 square feet per year in the downtown area.

Palantir rents more than 12 percent of all available commercial space downtown. Consequently, many small businesses and startups have been displaced

by Palantir’s quest for office space in downtown Palo Alto.

“They’ve gone a completely different route than what most companies have done,” PrivCo analyst Evan Danckwerth said of Palantir in reference to their settling in Palo Alto.

Across the street from Palantir’s headquarters is Coupa Cafe, a local coffee shop owned by Jean Paul Coupal. Coupal described the company’s expansion as “both a blessing and a curse” in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, stating that the new office will bring in hundreds of potential customers but also contribute to rising rent prices.

“Palo Alto will become a town that serves $8 lattes,” Coupal said.

Palantir, which reportedly signed a lease lasting for a minimum of 10 years for its new building, appears to be settling down just as other tech companies are leaving downtown Palo Alto. It is impossible to predict what this innovative software company will bring in the coming years, but it is likely that Palantir will bolster its influence as an emerging force in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The Campanile: So, it is your first year at Palo Alto High School, how do you feel that you’ve made an impact on this community?

Nathan Saul: I feel like I’ve really made a positive impact on both Palo Alto and the Viking community by just being a model student for all the underclassmen so they can strive to be the best people that they can be.

TC: You quickly adopted the Paly Vikings as your favorite team.

Thoughts on the green and white?

NS: For me, I can actually remember just a few days ago, I was injured and there was some blood coming out and I looked down and it was actually green and white. I’m a Viking through and through.

TC: That’s great. So, next year you’ll be making the transition to the University of San Diego and I’m wondering what are you thinking about the Toreros? How do they compare to the Vikings?

NS: I mean they’re both such different mascots. To be honest with you, the Torero mascot freaks me out a little bit. I think it looks a little bit scary but I’m not really too familiar with the Toreros and I can’t really make a judgement yet.

TC: So you’ve been at Paly for a good bit of time now and you’ve experienced a lot of the social goings-on. What is the Rat King and could you tell me your thoughts on him?

NS: I have no idea who the Rat King is, but I would like to let him know that I am a fan of his work in the library bathroom. Someone told me that the return of the Rat King will actually happen this week. I’m looking forward to seeing what type of artwork he will be showcasing in the library bathroom.

TC: That’s really great. Another thing I've been wondering: what is the desk?

NS: For me the desk is just something I can take to whatever events I go to on the weekends. It’s good to get photographs of people sitting on the desk with their beverages on top of the desk. If anyone follows me on snapchat, you know what I’m talking about.

TC: Would you share your snapchat username with this audience?

NS: nathan.saul. S-A-U-L. TC: That’s great. Now, you’re not the only Saul that is at Paly right now. You currently have your little brother here, and I’m wondering what you think about Henry Saul and just adolescents in general.

NS: [laughter] I think Henry Saul is an up-and-coming track star.

You can look forward to seeing him on the national team in a couple of years. Just recently he ran a 9:34 two-mile and will now be advancing to CCS. But at home Henry isn’t as prominent as he is on the track. At times he can get a little bit rowdy and misbehave and sometimes not eat his vegetables, but overall he’s a great guy.

TC: Speaking of great people, any comments on your mother Wendy?

NS: Yeah, it’s a no for me. No comment. I’m not going to respond to that question.

TC: What are your thoughts on Corinne Smallwood?

NS: For me, she doesn't get out much so whenever she gets out of the house and really socializes, it’s a real treat.

TC: Just one last thought: tip?

NS: It’s automatic.

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016 ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

SPORTS

Freshman lacrosse star Patrick MacIntosh talks about his first season on the Paly team.

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HELENA MCDOWELL: SKATING WITH THE BOYS DESIGN BY: EDWARD KIM AND KATE DEANDRE

TEXT AND DESIGN BY: NICK MELVIN

W

ith a bow in her hair and fire in her heart, Helena McDowell is proud to be the only girl on her hockey team. Sliding across the ice with her stick held low, she blows past defenders left and right, unstoppable and unbeatable. McDowell, a force of nature, melts the ice beneath her with fiery passion and athletic prowess.

From the moment she first picked up a hockey stick, McDowell knew that the female version of ice hockey was simply not cut out for her.

“I actually started out playing for a girls team, but it was not exactly the experience I wanted,” McDowell said.

“The dynamic, especially of that team in particular, was not my favorite. ”

There were always the guys who see a girl, and they’re like, ‘oh she can’t play,’ regardless if I can or not. There are guys who won’t pass to me [and] won’t talk to me.

Helena McDowell

McDowell disliked the play-inhibiting restrictions that are a part of girls ice hockey, especially the rules that prevent contact-related techniques. For example, in girls hockey, checking is not allowed.

“When you play girls, you can’t check, which I find a little unfair,” McDowell said.

McDowell played for the Girls Junior Sharks in San Jose from 2011 through 2014, where she found herself considerable success, winning the district championship and placing

third in the national championship in 2012.

After her time with the Junior Sharks, McDowell decided that she had had enough with the girls league, and in 2014 she found a boys team she could compete on unhindered by play-hampering guidelines. Despite the welcoming attitude shown to her by her teammates, McDowell still faces challenges related to her gender.

One of the most significant issues McDowell faces whilst playing with boys is her size.

“One thing that is difficult sometimes is that guys tend to be bigger than girls,” McDowell said. “Sometimes the hitting can be kind of difficult, but usually I can handle it just fine.”

Due to this physical disadvantage, the majority of girls choose to play alongside other girls, rather than on boys teams like McDowell does.

“I think most girls who play hockey do tend to play with other girls, because that’s where they feel comfortable,” McDowell said. “Also there’s no hitting, which I think some girls do like.”

Girls often choose to play with other girls because it is where they feel most comfortable. They feel as if they belong more when they play with other girls than they do when they play alongside their male counterparts.

Even with her small stature, McDowell believes that girls are capable of making up for this size disadvantage, and play successfully alongside the boys. According to McDowell, it is possible for girls to play in a boys

league as long as they are putting in all the necessary work.

“I think that girls can [compete with male hockey players] if they just try,” McDowell said. “They have to put in a lot of effort, but I think they can do it.”

However, the locker room poses another dilemma to girls playing on male teams. Often, girls and boys are not allowed to be in the same locker room, which hinders their ability to befriend their teammates. Fortunately for McDowell, her coach has a strict policy that prohibits changing clothes in the locker rooms. Instead, players change in the bathrooms, leaving the locker room to be a place to put on one’s gear and chat.

“If you’re going to meet your team, you have to talk in the locker rooms, where all the socializing happens,” McDowell said. “So fortunately for me, my coach does not let us change in the locker room, we all change in the bathroom instead of the locker room and then we all come in and put our gear on in the locker rooms.”

Unfortunately, not all girls are given the same freedom when they play on boys teams.

“I had some friends who played on all guys teams and weren’t allowed to be in the locker rooms, and for them it was a way different experience,” McDowell said.

Despite her proficiency in hockey and the impressive credentials that she compiled whilst playing in the girls leagues, McDowell was placed in the lowest male league her first season after giving girls hockey up.

Instead of giving up on her hockey

dreams, McDowell kept her head held high and set out to prove her worth. Through a display of natural talent and unmatched skill, McDowell swept through the lowest level league and ended up earning a spot on the team’s varsity roster the next year.

However, this change in teams did not come as easily as McDowell initially hoped it would.

“There were always the guys who see a girl, and they’re like, ‘oh she can’t play,’ regardless if I can or not,” McDowell said. “There are guys who won’t pass to me [and] won’t talk to me.”

I think that girls can compete with male hockey players if they just try. They have to put in a lot of effort, but I think they can.

Helena McDowell

When faced with this type of sexism, McDowell’s believes in simply playing good hockey. Besides letting her skill speak for itself, McDowell also enjoys flaunting her gender. She does this in a variety of ways, whether it be wearing a ribbon in her hair, or showing up to the rink in a dress.

After she scores a goal, she can skate back to her side of the ice with an air of superiority.

“Sometimes, I’ll show up to the rink and wear a dress, just to show everyone that I can still be girly and play hockey with the boys,” McDowell said. “I’m a girl, and I can still beat you.”

COURTESY OF HELENA MCDOWELL SPORTS

Top 5 Picks in the 2016 NFL draft

The first five picks of the NFL draft often lead their teams to success and define the future generations of the league. The Campanile analyzed the first five selections of the 2016 draft to predict whether or not the top picks will live up to their high expectations.

COURTESY OF ESPN

PAGES C4-C5

COURTESY OF ESPN

Leicester City

The English club overcame 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League.

PAGE C6

COURTESY OF ESPN

Drafting Injured Players

The imperfect science of deciding whether to draft injured athletes.

PAGE C7

COURTESY OF VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF FENCING

En garde! Paly’s fencers

Fencing is a medieval sport that is practiced by unique Paly athletes.

PAGE C8

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

SPORTS

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Girls place first in SCVAL Several athletes qualify for CCS championships and CCS Many individuals set personal records at SCVAL championships Paly boys fall short to Gunn at SCVAL finals MACKENZIE GLASSFORD

STAFF WRITER

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he Palo Alto High School girls swimming and diving team placed first at both the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) championships and the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships, with several standout performances.

Junior Grace Zhao and sophomore Zoe Lusk placed first in the 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter freestyle, respectively, at SCVALs. The girls did similarly well at CCS, placing first for the third time in the program’s history. Sophomore Peyton Wang, Lusk, Zhao and senior Katie Francis set a new school record in the 200-meter medley relay.

We had a lot of solid swims throughout the season, and we ended up with only one loss to Gunn

Alex Liang Junior The boys ended their season by taking second place at SCVALs and third place at CCS. “We started getting ready for CCS a couple weeks ago,” junior swimmer and diver Ben Beaudry said. “We just took it easy during practices and spent a lot of time just relaxing and getting in the right mindset. We also did some visualizing, which is a mix of meditation and sleeping before all

of our practices.”

The team worked hard throughout the 2015-16 season to claim the SCVAL title. Despite the loss to Henry M. Gunn High School, who took first place in the league, junior Alex Liang looks back on the season positively.

“The season has been pretty good,” Liang said. “Although we wish we could’ve won leagues, we had a lot of solid swims throughout the season, and we ended up with only one loss to Gunn, so we did really well.”

Liang also reflected on the team’s growth and thinks of ways to improve next season.

“I think we made an improvement on our technique and flip turns to help us swim even faster,” Liang said.

“Next year I think we need to build a little more confidence much earlier in the season. That would help us train and believe that we are able to win leagues and CCS.” The boys are confident that they will be able to win CCS and take first place at SCVAL next season if the team becomes more cohesive early in the season.

“The team has constantly improved throughout the season from bonding with each other and putting in the work, but we still have a ways to go,” Beaudry said. “We still need to work more in being one, and not separating into groups or cliques based on where we swim for club. If we can do that, I think we can definitely beat Gunn and Bellarmine [High School], ar at least vastly improve our times.”

KIRAN MISNER

SPORTS EDITOR

T

he Palo Alto High School track and field team recently competed at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) finals. The team excelled overall, qualifying many runners for the Central Coast Section (CCS) meet.

According to sophomore long distance runner Sam Craig, the team had one of their best meets of the year.

“It was so fun to see all of our Paly athletes competing and I’m proud of all our guys who are moving on to CCS,” Craig said.

Senior Catherine Yu ended her last SCVAL competition with a very special performance, setting the Paly record for 100-meter hurdles. Yu clocked in at a time of 15.05 seconds.

Senior Eli Givens placed second in SCVAL finals and tied his personal record for the 100-meter dash. The meet also symbolizes a personal record for sophomore Reed Foster, who qualified for the 1600-meter race in CCS. “I didn’t think I was going to set my personal record because I started my last lap off really slow, but I turned on the jets late and ended up qualifying,” Foster said.

While most of the track team did exceptionally well, the team also faced heartbreak during the meet. Hurdler Tommy Vonghom unfortunately hit a hurdle during his race and finished with an injury. Additionally, Craig was just barely eliminated from CCS contention by 0.03 seconds.

COURTESY OF MALCOLM SLANEY

Senior sprinter Eli Givens breaks his personal record for the 100-meter dash at finals.

“I actually thought I had qualified when I finished the race,” Craig said.

“Unfortunately, I was off by just a few fractions of a second and I won’t be moving on as a result. It’s sad, but it’s what it is.”

With his discus throw and impressive triple jump, junior MichelAnge Siaba accomplished his goals for the season and qualified for CCS.

“Early on in the season, I knew I wanted to compete at CCS,” Siaba said. “I’m really excited to see what the rest of the season will hold.”

The Vikings will travel to San Jose City College on May 21 with hopes of qualifying as many people as possible for the CCS trials this season and therefore help win the sectional championships.

Girls emerge victorious at Boys lacrosse falls to Los Gatos in finals SCVAL championship again Vikings nearly finish spectacular regular season with undefeated record Lacrosse defeats Gunn to win league title

MADS MCCLUSKEY

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER

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COURTESY OF KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY

Junior Kaitlin Chiu races across the field in a close game against Gunn High School.

TOMMY SMALE

STAFF WRITER

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irls lacrosse headed into the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) tournament as the top seed and emerged from the tournament as champions, making this the second consecutive win for Palo Alto High School’s team. Besides Paly, most teams in the league had fairly equal records, meaning that the tournament was up for grabs.

“We played together as a team and we trusted each other and trusted that our teammates would make the correct decision make the right play,” sophomore Emma Staiger said. “We really pulled together everything we’ve been working on throughout the season.”

Paly played Mountain View High School, who previously beat them in April, which took place shortly after spring break ended, leaving many players out of practice upon their return. Paly beat Mountain View 13-4 in their first match up, but lost 4-3 in the second game they played.

Paly defeated Mountain View High School 10-8, knocking the Spartans out of the tournament. Paly therefore advanced to the championships, where they squared off against Gunn High School. The game against Gunn was close, with a final score of 5-3, in Paly’s favor.

“Gunn tried really hard to shut down some of our most important players like Maya Benatar, but we were still able to beat them because on our team it doesn’t circulate around just one or two players we really work together as a team,” Staiger said.

The intensity of the game came as a surprise, as Paly beat Gunn easily in the two regular season matchups.

Gunn upset Leland High School in Central Coast Sectionals (CCS) to advance to the league championship game; however, Paly struggled in its games against Leland High School all season.

We trusted each other and trusted that our teammates would make the correct decision and make the right play.

Emma Staiger Sophomore The two close playoff wins continued the trend of competitive games for Paly. The team defeated Saratoga High School by two goals and both Leland High School and Los Gatos High School by one goal.

“We have a couple strategies as far as figuring out these teams we are going to be seeing in the playoffs,” senior captain Maya Benatar said. “We know what we had trouble with last time we played them and are trying to adjust to that. We also know certain players we need to shut off and we are also practicing attacking against certain types of defenses those teams play.”

Sophomore Ellen Gonche and freshmen Abby Ramsey and Emily Wood have stood out as top scorers for Paly this season. They are good examples of the youth on the field contributing to the team’s success.

While Paly should be even stronger next season because their team is so young this year, they will lose several key players especially missed because of their leadership.

ll good things must come to an end. As the Palo Alto High School boys lacrosse season comes to a close, they head into the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) playoffs. The team was ranked first in the De Anza League with an almost perfect record, having lost only one league game to Los Gatos High School.

In the first playoff of the SCVAL championship, the boys won against Saratoga High School with a score of 16-3. This win placed them in the final championship game against second seed Los Gatos High School.

The boys fell 5-7 to Los Gatos, ending their season as second in the league.

I think that we’ve definitely learned from the games that we’ve lost. They’ve all been really close losses except for one and they’re just learning experiences.

Yusuf Rizk Junior However, the Vikings have also have been aiming to strengthen their team along the way.

“In terms of team goals, we really wanted to win SCVAL and win our division because we were the division champions last year,” junior Alec Cohen-Schisler said. “Thus far we’re on track to do that. We’ve obviously made playoffs so we just need to win our next two games and then we’ll be a repeat champion.”

The first team Paly faced was Saratoga High School. Having already played them twice this season, the boys had gained a thorough understanding of their opponents.

“We’re relatively ready [for championships] at this point,” CohenSchisler said. “We’re replaying Saratoga who we previously beat relatively handily. We’re not too worried about that game, but again we worked very hard today, we’re gearing up for playoffs and we really want to bring the intensity and the focus.”

To challenge the boys, head coach DJ Shelton had scheduled many challenging, non-league games for the team on off-days and weekends to prepare them for the SCVAL championships.

As the team has have played extraordinarily well this season, these

MADS MCCLUSKEY/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Hayden Libbey cradles the ball in the championship game against Los Gatos.

games allow the team to play a variety of competition. The boys have lost a few non-league games, which do not show up on the team’s record and do not affect their placement in SCVAL playoffs or their ranking within the Santa Clara League.

“I think that we’ve definitely learned from the games that we’ve lost,” junior Yusuf Rizk said. “They’ve all been really close losses except for one and they’re just learning experiences. Maybe if we didn’t lose those games we wouldn’t have won a bigger game against a bigger opponent.”

The team’s main goal throughout the season has been to win SCVALs. The boys hoped to end their season successfully by winning the SCVAL championship and cementing their spot as division champions.

“We were very good at the beginning of the season — we won our first couple of games,” Cohen-Schisler said. “And then we plateaued a bit but our coach DJ really motivated us to keep improving. We’ve definitely improved in terms of stick skills and team chemistry and overall I think we’ve become a much better team over the course of the season.”

A recurring challenge for the boys has been equality on the field. The team is very strong both offensively and defensively, limiting the midfielder’s ability to contribute to the game.

“Our biggest issue at the beginning of the season was having not a lot of midfield depth,” Shelton said.

“We’ve had a great attack unit since the very beginning and our defense has been pretty good. Our midfield has been really shallow and I’d say that we’ve definitely developed a lot more depth in the midfield. So the consistency factor has really helped us: it's helped our offense.”

As the season comes to a close, the

team remains optimistic about next year.

A significant change the team will see is the loss of many talented seniors, who have played a large role on the team this year.

While it should not be detrimental to the team next year, it persists as an area of concern.

“The hardest part is just replacing the seniors –– especially this group,” Shelton said. “This is a group of Seniors that a core element of them have been on varsity since their freshman year. These guys have been the rock of this team for a long time and replacing their skill and expertise is something that is definitely going to be hard to do.”

We were very good at the beginning of the season — we won our first couple of games.

And then we plateaued a bit but our coach DJ really motivated us to keep improving.

Alec Cohen-Schisler Junior While many are proud of the boys’ accomplishments this year, they still note that there are areas for improvement for next year’s coming season “I wish at times the guys showed a little more sense of discipline –– not so much the skill, that just comes with practice –– but the mental discipline,” Shelton said. “But I think as the season has gone on they’ve picked up on that. I’m proud of them and I think as the season has gone on we’ve done what we were trying to do and the goal was always trying to make the championship.”

Currently there are no CCS playoffs for the boys lacrosse team. However, Athletic Director, Kathi Bowers is working on making that a possibility for the upcoming year.

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016

SPORTS Paly takes home league title

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Baseball excels against Los Gatos after successful regular season

Badminton qualifies for NorCal after championship

JOANNA FALLA

Team seeks improvement for next season

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JOSH BRIGEL

STAFF WRITER

fter a 3-game series, the Palo Alto High School boys baseball team overcame Los Gatos High School after winning the second game 3-2 on May 16 and 6-0 on May 18, making them the league champions. Because the team is currently first seed, they will play the last seeded team in the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships. The boys needed to win two of their three games against Los Gatos to become the league champions, but the team had hoped to win the first two games to advance to the CCS championships without having to play a third game.

However, the Vikings instead had to bounce back from their 2-1 loss in the first game to win the championship. Sophomore pitcher Jake Varner commented on the even battle between the two schools and the unpredictability of the sport.

“Our starters did really well, our hitting adjusted to their pitchers and we did great,” Varner said. “ [However] Getting runners in scoring position with less than two outs hasn’t been to the level we want [to play] at, but that’s just how baseball is and

STAFF WRITER

P

MADS MCCLUSKEY/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Justin Hull throws a pitch against Valley Christian High School on May 18.

we still do [that better] than a lot of teams.”

The team has played well throughout the season and earned its spot as one of the top three teams in the league. With an overall record of 23 wins and five losses this season, the boys are confident that they will perform well in CCS. Junior Michael Champagne credits the team’s success to the individual efforts of each player.

“We had some major contributions from our seniors like Owen Plambeck whose [on base and slug-

ging percentage] was 1.738 during the regular season,” Champagne said.

The most difficult teams the boys faced during their regular season were Los Gatos and Los Altos High School. Although these losses were disappointments, they pushed the team to maintain a winning record against Los Gatos, inspiring the boys to move forward with the rest of the league championship. “[Losing] just makes us more determined to win [our games],” Varner said. “We just have to win the big moments next time.”

alo Alto High School badminton’s regular season came to a close in late April with the team finishing with a 5-7 record.

Wins against Henry M. Gunn High School and Saratoga High School nearly brought the team to an even record before a season ending loss to Lynbrook High School.

“After the first couple of games, the team fell into its groove with people getting comfortable with their positions,” senior Priya Misner said. “Then, in doubles and mixed, some players were very versatile and moved from one event to the other depending on the team, and we were able to win games this way.”

Although the team did not compete as strongly as they would have preferred, both varsity doubles teams advanced to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs after placing first for girls and second for boys in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) playoffs.

Misner, junior Flavia Stiglich, senior Eric Chiang and sophomore Michael Chau both made it to the

California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) NorCal Championships in the doubles section by performing well at CCS. Misner and Stiglich got fifth, while Chiang and Chau placed second.

The team will lose many seniors this year, making next season a time to rebuild. However, there is plenty of young talent, including Chau, who is one of the team's most talented players.

“Next season, with a lot of the senior girls leaving, there will be a lot of open spots in the girls section of the team that will need to be filled,” Misner said.

The team will also have to cope with the loss of Chiang, who played doubles with Chau. Varsity number ones for girls and boys are Stiglich and Chau, respectively.

The season is not over for four Paly players. Fortunately, for these players, there is a good chance at least one of the two teams will make it out of CCS. Both of these teams have already qualified for the NorCal regional tournament. Despite what was a tough 2017 season, the future certainly looks extremely bright this team.

Golf team finishes Varsity softball falls to Gunn Vikings reflects on season performance to identify its weaknesses eighth place in CCS Team remains undefeated in regular season PETER MAROULIS

RESIDENT GOLF ANALYST

B

edraggled and battle-scarred, tired and forlorn, world-weary and thoroughly broken in, yet ceaselessly imbibing in the succulent ambrosia of victory, the boys of Palo Alto High School’s epochal golf squadron have pulled off a season for the ages. The road to success was paved with broken hearts, broken tees and good intentions as the explosive Vikings roared their way, undefeated, to the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship.

With the delicacy of ballet dancers and the ferocity of heavyweight boxers, the lads executed jaw-dropping performances to cap off their 2016 regular season. On April 26 at Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course, Fremont High School’s Firebirds yielded to the Vikes 202-236. The drubbing was enabled by clubbing from sophomores Ahmed Ali, who shot a 2-over 37, and Spencer Rojahn and Larry Fu, who shot twin 41s. Evidently, the Firebirds couldn’t withstand the heat.

After chalking up the “W” in Sunnyvale, Paly cruised down to Santa Teresa Golf Course in scenic San Jose to take on crosstown nemesis Henry M. Gunn High School. The Vikings delivered what can only be described, at the expense of excessive graphicality, as the beating of a lifetime to the Titans, who suffered a 182-220 defeat.

The win was engendered by Ali’s 33, sophomore Sergi Mata’s 35 and senior

Matt Lewis’s 36 on a par-36 course.

Surging into the post-season, the mighty men played in style, squeezing out a glorious win in the SCVAL tournament (their fourth consecutive title) and advancing to the CCS regionals. Rancho Canada High School was shot down in flames as the Vikes showered an almighty rain of destruction and golf balls, shooting a collective 367.

With the delicacy of ballet dancers and the ferocity of heavyweight boxers, the lads executed jaw-dropping performances to cap off their 2016 regular season.

“Overall, I’m super proud of how the team has progressed this year,” junior captain Timothy Liu said. “We started off with a lot of confidence that we were going to do well this year, but we hit a few surprising challenges early on that put us more on our feet when it came to our opponents. We learned a couple of important lessons regarding what it meant to truly function as a whole and as a team.”

On May 17 the boys put their skills to the ultimate test: CCS finals. They came in a respectable eighth place.

In the last four years, the Vikings have not lost a single league match.

The dedication and tremendous commitment of these athletes, who give golf their all, captures the true essence of sports. Well done, boys.

SAMUEL YUN

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

T

he Palo Alto High School softball team has been eliminated from contending in a postseason run after suffering a devastating 4-3 loss against Fremont High School on May 10. The girls currently hold a 7-15 overall record and a 5-6 league record, which places them fifth in the league, behind rivals Henry M. Gunn High School.

The match against Fremont started off with three runs in the second inning from three separate Vikes, freshman Sydney Liu, sophomore Elizabeth Schnaubelt and junior Madeleine Frick. However, this was the only time that Paly would score this game, allowing Fremont to catch up and surpass the girls by the sixth inning.

The Vikings also lost a crucial league game against Santa Clara High School on May 3. The girls trailed early in the third inning but gained a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. Despite being ahead, the Vikes gave up three runs to Santa Clara, leaving the team with an upsetting 4-2 loss.

These two losses, along with some of the struggles that the team has seen throughout the season helped the players recognize a specific weak link in their team. The team’s chemistry was not completely smooth this year, making it difficult for the girls to work as one cohesive unit. “[We] were not able to work as a team for more than a year,” senior Jesse Kim said. “This was the first year

COURTESY OF JEFF FRICK/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomore Ladaishia Roberts prepares to hit a fast pitch against Gunn High School.

that our coach and our team bonded, but it’s hard to build a strong team in one year.”

However, despite these problems, Paly is seeing success against schools outside of their league. In a hard-fought match against Pinewood High School, Paly ultimately came out with a 8-7 win. Both teams got onto the scoreboard in the third inning with Palo Alto trailing by only one run, entering the fourth inning with a 3-4 game.

However, the Vikings took a commanding lead in the fifth inning, outscoring Pinewood 4-1. The girls built on this lead throughout the end of the game and emerged victorious.

“Our greatest success… was that we have the confidence that we can win and that one bad inning wouldn’t

end it all,” Kim said. “We stopped thinking that doing well was a fluke and realized that doing badly meant we just weren’t focused that moment.

Our mindset changed and that’ll help us next year if we start out this way.”

The team just missed qualifying for Central Coast Section (CCS) championships, which requires a minimum .500 win percentage.

However, the future looks very bright for the young, emerging team, and veterans are expecting great outcomes from the younger players.

“I believe next year the team will do better because the chemistry is already mainly there,” Kim said. “I’m glad the team is relatively young — seven out of 10 are underclassmen — allowing them to really come together over the next few years.”

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

NFL DRAFT

C4

Evaluating t draft Text by cole hechtman sports editor 1. JARED GOFF University Of California, Berkeley

2. CARSON WENTZ

P

Pros: • Accuracy • Consistency • Large Size Cons: • Team Record • Hand Size

Grade:

A

3. JOEY

Ohio stat

North dakota state university

Quarterback Los Angeles Rams receding the draft, most analysts projected Goff as the first pick instead of North Dakota State University (NDSU) quarterback Carson Wentz.

As expected, the 21-year-old quarterback from UC Berkeley (Cal) was selected as the first overall choice by the Los Angeles Rams. Despite an unimpressive performance at the NFL scouting combine, Goff made a name for himself as an accurate passer and competitive leader during his years playing for a Pacific-12 team.

After his mid-year enrollment at Berkeley as a freshman, Goff quickly made an impact on the team and was named the starting quarterback, making him the first freshman quarterback to ever start a season opener for Cal. Despite finishing the season with an abysmal 1-11 record, Goff still impressed critics by breaking Cal single season records for passing yards (3,508), most yardage gained (3,508), total offense (3,446) and passes completed (320). In the following two years, Cal’s young team continued to develop under Goff ’s leadership; Goff would lead the team to a 7-5 record — Cal’s first winning season since 2011. After beating Air Force 55-36 in the Armed Forces bowl game, Goff announced he would be cutting his career at Cal short to enter the NFL draft.

The Rams gave up six premium draft choices to move their first round pick from 15th to first. Last season, they finished the year with an unsatisfying 7-9 record under quarterback Nick Foles. Goff ’s size, accuracy, experience, performance under pressure and leadership should make him a great addition to the team as they move westward to Los Angeles.

W

ith the recently draft (NFL) players havin only three months re be tested in the first regula the top five draft choices e their teams to success and of NFL superstars. With April, here are the breakdo they gear up to make their

Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles

C

arson Wentz was a name many people were unfamiliar with leading up to the 2016 NFL draft. Despite a stellar college career at NDSU, Wentz played in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which lacks competitive football programs. Regardless, his performances (including a strong showing at the NFL combine) were impressive enough to propel him to be the second overall draft choice by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wentz attended high school in North Dakota and committed to staying local and playing for NDSU. Surprisingly, he did not start until his junior year in 2014, where he led the team to a triumphant 15-1 season and went on to win the Division I College Football Championship — the division under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision — against Illinois State University 29-27. The following year, Wentz started his first six games before breaking his wrist. Fortunately, Wentz was cleared to play in time for the division’s National Championship against the University of Northern Iowa, where he was named the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game’s Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.

Wentz was certainly the riskiest selection of the first round, as the Eagles gave up five future picks to draft him. Although his stats are comparable to other top quarterbacks, he achieved them in a lower division. Therefore, there is no guarantee that he will be able to perform similarly in the NFL against more talented players. With less than two years of leadership under his belt and inexperience playing against top-notch teams, Wentz may not have been the best selection for a second overall choice.

Grade:

Pros: • deep ball • height (6’5”) • Accuracy Cons: • inexperience • weak conference

B-

DEfens San Diego

L

ike most other defensive ends ente ner much excitement when he was defensive ends, Bosa was the clear f and pass-rush defense identified him a Chargers. To compensate for his smal Bosa’s strong presence and advanced tec evade any opponent.

After joining Ohio State University i ate threat, starting 10 out of 13 games in his first season. From there, he contin suffered from attitude problems and be junior year, Bosa and three of his team reasons. Additionally, in the 2016 Sugar versity, Bosa was ejected for a targeting p terback. Despite his ejection, Ohio Stat Bosa announced he would be entering t Regardless of these factors, Bosa wa 10th pick, and was selected even earlier talent and the ability to be a dominant f for him to use his technique to gain an Furthermore, the Chargers must ensure Bosa may have off of the field. If he can likely he will have a successful career in

Pros: • technique • pass rush • run defense Cons: • BAD attitude • Small size

The Campanile

Friday, May 20, 2016

NFL DRAFT

C5

the top five t picks design by Cole Hechtman Sports Editor

ted National Football League ng settled into their new teams, emain before their talents will ar season games. Historically, each year are expected to lead become the future generation the NFL draft concluding in owns of the top five draftees as debuts in the league.

Y BOSA

te university

4. EZEKIEL ELLIOTT 5. JALEN RAMSEY ohio state university

sive end Chargers

ering the draft, Joey Bosa did not garchosen third overall. However, among front-runner. Bosa’s incomparable run as the top prospect for the San Diego ller 6-foot-5 and 276-pound physique, chnique have allowed him to effectively

in 2013, Bosa made himself an immediand recording 44 tackles and 7.5 sacks nued to record impressive numbers, but ehavioral issues off the field. During his mmates were suspended for undisclosed r Bowl game against Notre Dame Unipenalty when he hit the opposing quarte went on to win the game 44-28, and the NFL draft as a junior. as still anticipated to be drafted as the by the Chargers. Bosa certainly has the force in the NFL. However, it is critical edge on much larger offensive linemen. e they eliminate any potential problems stay focused and leverage his talent, it is San Diego.

Grade:

B+

Florida state university

Running Back Dallas Cowboys

U

nlike Wentz, Ezekiel Elliott was a household name before the draft. The Ohio State University running back was unanimously considered the top player of his position by most analysts leading up to the draft. Several rumors around riskier draft picks circulated the Dallas Cowboys, but they elected to take the safe route and use their fourth overall selection to draft Elliott.

After having a few carries throughout his freshman year, Elliott was named the team’s starting running back at the beginning of his sophomore year. During this season, he was named a player of the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team and led his team to the College Football National Championship, where they defeated the Oregon Ducks 42-20. His 246 yards and four touchdowns earned him the prestigious offensive Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Toward the end of his junior year, Elliott announced he would forgo his senior year and enter the upcoming NFL draft.

With one of the league’s best offensive lines, the Cowboys are hoping Elliott will transform their running game. Elliott’s flexibility running any kind of offense as well as his strength and speed coming out of the pocket should make him a perfect fit for the team. He can also serve as a suitable pass blocker and receiver, giving the Cowboys a dangerous three-option package.

Some people have criticized the Cowboys for sacrificing cornerback Jalen Ramsey given the low value of a running back in the first round, but Elliot should make a strong addition and will play a significant role in the roster in the upcoming year.

Pros: • strength • experience • speed Cons: • Running Backs drafted later

Grade:

B

Cornerback Jacksonville Jaguars

T

he Jacksonville Jaguars could not have been happier with their fifth overall selection: cornerback Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State University.

Ramsey dominated defensively in the NCAA, whether playing in the slot, outside or as free safety. With these abilities, it is no surprise that Ramsey was picked up so quickly.

Ramsey has a history of incredible athleticism, breaking the Tennessee state record for the long jump in high school, along with many other impressive measures, such as a 10.50 second 100-meter dash.

However, he chose to concentrate his talent in football, and was recruited

by Florida State in 2013.

As a freshman, Ramsey started all of the team’s 14 games. During his sophomore year, he played in all games and accumulated two interceptions, three forced fumbles and 80 tackles with two sacks.

He boasted similar statistics as a junior, playing 13 games with one sack and one fumble recovery in his 52 tackles. After his junior year concluded, Ramsey announced he would enter the NFL draft.

As the first outside defensive player drafted, Ramsey has the potential to change the Jaguars’ defense completely. He is a very flexible player, and his talent allows him to make plays anywhere on the field.

His only foreseeable flaw lies in his outside game, which the Jaguars will surely look to develop throughout the year. Ultimately, Ramsey was a great addition to the Jaguars’ roster, and will surely be a promising player to look out for this year.

Pros: • athleticism • Speed • Adaptability Cons: • Outside coverage

Grade:

A-

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

C6 SPORTS Leicester City wins first PL title Stanford QB battle Small city team beats 5000-1 odds, maintains lead for entire season quickly heating up JOSH BRIGEL

STAFF WRITER

Paly graduate Keller Chryst is prime candidate to start for Stanford as quarterback

A

fter Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s Week 36 draw with Chelsea F.C., Leicester City F.C. clinched their first Premier League championship in the team’s 132-year history. This team’s progression from league reject to Premier League champions may go down as one of the most miraculous seasons in sports of all time. After nearly being relegated to the English Championship from the Premier League last season, Leicester pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, fired their manager Nigel Pearson, hired “washed up” coach Claudio Ranieri and hoped for the best. The events that followed surprised the players even more than their fans.

Leicester proved week in and week out that they were not a fluke, showing fans just how amazing they could be. Leicester City played every game as the underdog and consistently won points.

The number everyone is talking about is the 5000-1 odds against Leicester City of winning the Premier League at the beginning of the season. To put this in simpler terms, the Cleveland Browns, who currently have the worst Super Bowl winning odds, are predicted to have 250-1 odds of winning the championship.

It may seem absurd to allow teams with such bad odds a shot at a soccer title, but outside the United States, teams do not have spending limits.

Additionally, soccer teams are highly unpredicatable. Manchester United F.C., which is valued by Forbes at $3.1 billion, is fighting for a top five finish. Leicester thrived while Manchester United struggled. Leicester City is one of the smaller Premier League teams, valued between $100200 million in an industry that pays

JARED STANLEY

STAFF WRITER

K

COURTESY OF INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

Jamie Vardy, the leading scorer for Leicester City, celebrates after one of his many goals.

international superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over $50 million a year. However, the humble nature of the players, club and city of Leicester have created a very likeable team to fans everywhere — including rival clubs.

However, with the team’s recent success comes some growing pains that may prove detrimental to Leicester next season. Although the team will not have to worry about losing their manager, at least one or two of their star players will likely be picked up by bigger clubs during the summer transfer window. Additionally, the club will have to battle against titan clubs not only in England, but also France, Germany and Spain. Most players exceeded expectations such as center midfielder N’golo Kante, who was Leicester’s most expensive signing last season coming from France’s second tier league at $10 million.

Additionally, Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez proved himself by winning Premier League player of the year

and has since been linked with Real Madrid in Spain.

Fan favorite Jamie Vardy also advanced his case for a transfer by becoming a goal-scoring machine and setting the record for most games in a row (11) with at least one goal in Premier League history.

The team accomplished a feat that is harder than any type of record — cinching a miraculous comeback with a league title. Leicester repeatedly proved that they were not a fluke, showing fans just how amazing they are and can be.

In doing so, Leicester City played every game as the underdog and consistently won points which would help them extend their lead over the course of the season. This team’s future is uncertain, but it looks brighter than ever, as it only took one season to put the small club on the map. As more money, players and trophies flow in, Leicester will almost certainly continue to improve and perhaps repeat this season’s magic.

evin Hogan was drafted as the 162nd pick in the NFL draft, and as a result, for the first time since 2011, he will not be the starting quarterback for Stanford.

After three Pac-12 Championships, two Rose Bowl victories and 36 career wins, Hogan has set the bar high for his replacement.

The battle to replace Hogan as quarterback is between rising junior Keller Chryst and rising senior Ryan Burns as Stanford heads into summer training in preparation for their upcoming season.

Stanford head coach David Shaw insists that neither player has an advantage, and the final decision will not be made until the end of August training.

The annual Stanford Spring Game took place on April 9 and featured both quarterbacks. Since Chryst was recruited from Palo Alto High School, he has been the favored player in the Palo Alto community, but the spring game saw the tide turn in favor of Burns. Burns excelled in pocket passing, going 17 of 23 for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

Chryst took longer to get settled in, but he got rolling later on in the game, with 16 completed passes in 25 attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns. This was a major improvement for Chryst from the 2015 spring game in which he went 1 for 8 with an interception.

“Obviously they’re both super talented, amazing arms,” former teammate Zach Hoffpauir said in an interview with ISportsWeb. “Probably two of the best arms in the country or in the Pac-12. But now you can tell they are really commanding the of-

fense, making their checks, their kills, all that stuff, so they are doing a great job.”

Neither quarterback needs to be the best in the Pac-12. because whoever starts will have the aid of elite running back Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.

“The biggest thing is just operating the machine,” Shaw said when discussing the role either quarterback needs to assume for the fall season.

“It starts, first and foremost, with getting in and out of the huddle as fast as possible to give us more time at the line of scrimmage; utilizing the snapcount, redirecting protections, handling the audible system; and getting the ball snapped before the 40-second clock and making great decisions [in live action].”

Even though neither Burns nor Chryst had a significant role on the field during the 2015 season, both had important jobs while on the sideline.

“I have Ryan and Keller check out the [defensive backs], and they always give me a report on the sideline of what [the secondary is] doing,” Hogan said in the days leading up to the December Rose Bowl. “I have no doubt that Keller and Ryan will be special players,” Hogan said.

The Cardinal have won three of the last four Pac-12 Championships, and many wonder if either quarterback can maintain that success.

The team is experiencing significant losses on both the defensive and offensive sides through graduation and the NFL draft.

Shaw clearly has a tough decision to make when August comes. However, it should be another very good season for the Stanford Cardinal no matter who leads the team from under center next year.

Craig Sager going strong after two battles with cancer NBA reporter’s career is coming to a close, leaving behind an impressive, influential and fashionable legacy ELI GWIN-KERR

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

A

s the 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs begin in earnest, viewers can expect a flurry of exaggerated media attention to accompany them, composed mainly of more Lebron and Curry stats, ridiculous series predictions, reasonable series predictions, at least one coach tearing up, another getting fired and an increase in gaudy suits on the sideline.

The sartorial piece can be attributed to Turner Network Television (TNT) sideline reporter Craig Sager, whose notoriously ill-colored attire is one of many reasons that he is a fan favorite among the Turner Sports’ studio team.

Unfortunately, in early 2014, Sager was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2014 NBA Playoffs.

His son Craig Jr. was a match for the bone marrow transplant needed to push Sager’s cancer into remission; however, in March 2016, Sager announced that his cancer had reemerged, accompanied by a grim prognosis: a 3-6 month timeline to live.

He is currently undergoing his second round of chemotherapy to treat the new diagnosis.

The announcement came in a statement issued by Turner Sports, in which Sager clarified that the 3-6 month estimate was “for a patient who is not receiving treatment”.

“Fortunately, I am receiving the best treatment in the world,” Sager said. “I remain fully confident I will win this battle.”

Sager began his broadcasting career in 1972 when he started work as a reporter for WXLT radio. He then joined Cable News Network in 1981, where he was an anchor on a college football show.

Now, in his 17th season as a reporter for TNT, Sager is venerated as part of the elite group of sportscasters with over 40 years of experience.

Sager, 64, currently reports alongside David Aldridge and Rachel Nichols

COURTESY OF FOX SPORTS

Craig Sager, a well-known sideline reporter in the NBA, is not only recognized for his professionalism but also for his outgoing, quirky attitude in interviews with NBA personnel.

as the primary sideline correspondents for the NBA on TNT. Sager’s first moment in the national spotlight came in 1974, when he was still reporting for WXLT. Hank Aaron had just hit his 715th career homerun, breaking the record at the time.

Sager was dressed in a knee-length white overcoat that was blindingly noticeable to those present or watching the television footage.

In the 42 years since the Hank Aaron interview, Sager has evolved into the beloved industry figure he

is today. The relationships he has formed with players, coaches and other reporters have been built up over the many seasons that Sager has spent on the sidelines.

Fortunately, I am receiving the best treatment in the world. I remain fully confident I will win this battle [against cancer].

Craig Sager They were always dignified and professional, but never lacking in an air of camaraderie. Sager’s most nota-

ble connection was with San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich, who is known for being reclusive and withdrawn. He never failed to conduct his interviews in his distinctive clothing, a style that earned him an unforgettable remark from Kevin Garnett in 2009: “You take this outfit home, and you burn it.”

The NBA Playoffs are every basketball fan’s favorite time of the year, but the 2017 season might not be the same as ones in recent history.

The popular “#SagerStrong” has become a term of social media rever-

ence for the fan-favorite Sager, who drives one of the longest commutes in four hours each day from Houston to San Antonio and back in the morning despite being in the middle of chemotherapy. This is a another testament to how passionate and dedicated Sager is about sports, especially basketball.

His legacy is already as strong as his interviews and as interesting as his wardrobe, so here’s to hoping he can continue to be the one reporter who succeeds in giving Popovich a hard time.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

SPORTS OPINION

C7

Teams that draft injured players must predict player value

Owners and general managers must weigh injury history and talent in order to determine if a player will succeed GREG EUM

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

I

njuries have always been a part of sports that can happen to virtually any athlete at any time.

From Buster Posey’s broken ankle in 2011 (the product of an unfortunate collision at home plate) to Stephen Curry’s slip-induced right knee sprain during this year’s playoffs, athletes who repeatedly injure themselves are a liability to a team, regardless of how talented they are.

In the ruthless business of sports, if you cannot play, you waste money.

Teams who recruit or draft athletes making the jump into professional leagues have to predict a player’s value, which takes into account their injury history. If an athlete is talented but coming off a severe injury, the overall value of the player drops. This was apparent in the recent National Football League (NFL) Draft, where general managers and owners had to judge numerous talented and skilled college players who had been injured, such as former University of California Los Angeles Bruin Myles Jack and Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jaylon Smith. Hopefully these players will have great careers, and the team that drafted them will see a great return on their investment. However, professional athletic careers do not pan out for everyone. Here are some athletes across various sports that have been drafted with a history of injuries, and how their careers fared.

Joel Embiid Joel Embiid, a prince in Cameroon, was drafted by the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Philadelphia 76ers as the third pick in the 2014 draft out of Kansas University.

Embiid was a “one-and-done” college athlete — he attended Kansas for only one year before making the leap

COURTESY OF ESPN

Kyire Irving, similarly to Todd Gurley, was drafted in his first round even though he was injured. Both players excelled in their first year in their various professional leagues.

into the professional league. He had an exemplary college career, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, making him a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year.

Unfortunately, Embiid’s college season ended early, as he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back and could not recover fast enough to play in the NCAA tournament. A few months prior to the draft, he suffered from a broken foot and elected to receive surgery, raising doubts of whether of not he would be able to play that year. Despite the risk, the 76ers drafted him with their first pick, citing huge potential upside. Unfortunately, due to complications with his broken foot, Embiid has yet to play for the 76ers and has

been deemed by many as a bust.

Kyrie Irving Like Embiid, Kyrie Irving was a one-and-done player for Duke University. Irving was a highly promising recruit, entering college as the third-highest rated player overall and highest rated at his position by ESPN University100. While playing for Duke, Irving averaged 17.4 points on 53.2 percent shooting per game, until he received a severe ligament injury in his toe that ended his season prematurely. Nevertheless, he declared for the 2011 NBA Draft, and was selected as the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Irving had immediate success in the NBA, winning the Rookie of

the Year award in addition to being included in multiple All-Star teams, and making the NBA Finals. Currently, Irving is trying to help his team towards another Finals appearance. Despite his injuries, Irving is having a successful NBA career.

Todd Gurley Todd Gurley was drafted by the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams in the 2015 NFL Draft as the tenth overall pick. Gurley was a solid running back at the University of Georgia, making All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams in his freshman and sophomore years.

However, during his junior year, Gurley tore his ACL in the first game of the season. When the Rams draft-

ed him, he was still in the middle of rehab. Luckily, his rehabilitation went faster than expected, and he was able to play in the Rams’ week one game.

Gurley had a successful rookie campaign in 2015, rushing for 1,106 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns, giving him a spot as one of the five rookies who made the Pro Bowl team. He was also named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. With the improvement of Gurley, the Rams’ are poised to start contending.

Ultimately, most players who suffer from injuries eventually recover and are able to contribute to their team. Teams should consider an athlete’s value when deciding to draft them if there is a history of injury. A player will either succeed or bust.

Conferencial layout of the NBA playoffs is unbalanced

Current structure results in Western conference being significantly more competitive than Eastern conference SAMUEL YUN

NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR

Y

ou either win or you go home.

That’s the mindset of every athlete heading into the playoffs for any professional sport. But, if you’re not playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and you’re in the Eastern Conference, it’s win and go home.

With Lebron James leading the team dominating the East, it seems almost impossible for any opponent to beat them in a 7-game series. In the first round, the Detroit Pistons stood no chance against the Cleveland machine. The Atlanta Hawks — after celebrating a well deserved victory against the Boston Celtics — were also swept out of the running by the King’s royal broom.

This raises a fundamental question: is it really fair for most Eastern Conference teams to have such a slim chance at success against a single dominant team while all teams in the West are fighting for survival?

However, on the other side of the league, many matchups resulted in bitter struggles. In the Western Conference Semifinals, the battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs proved to be one of the highlights of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs.

Simultaneously, the Golden State Warriors had an eventful 5-game victory over the Portland Trailblazers.

The winner of the Western Conference Finals generally emerges as the 2016 NBA Champion.

This raises a fundamental question: is it really fair for most Eastern Conference teams to have such a slim

COURTESY OF BLEACHER REPORT

In the NBA playoffs, teams compete in a best of seven series, and now that the Warriors have tied the series, they must continue winning in Oklahoma in order to earn the title.

chance at success against a single dominant team while all of the teams in the West are fighting for survival?

Should the Los Angeles Clippers really have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the rebuilding Trailblazers? Once again, the East is sending an inferior team to the finals against a better team from the West. The structure of the NBA playoffs is not the most effective way for the champion to be determined.

A simple alternative could be to follow a March Madness-style playoff bracket where conferences are ignored and games are seeded in accordance with regular season records.

After all, the antiquated conference structure currently in place is no longer relevant, given that it was originally created to make travelling less of a burden. Commuting is much easier in the 21st century and with so many teams relocating — like the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference — interconference games are no longer achieving the travel efficiency within the proximity it was originally intended to.

In this modified bracket, the top seeded team would play the 16th, the second seeded team against the 15th, and so on. Eventually, the most deserving teams in the NBA would be

playing against each other in the later rounds, resolving the issue of having an inferior team waltz its way into the finals.

This raises a fundamental question: is it really fair for most Eastern Conference teams to have such a slim chance at success against a single dominant team while all teams in the West are fighting for survival?

For a more fine-tuned balancing of the first round, the 16th, 17th and

18th seeds could play a mini elimination round prior to the start of the playoffs to determine who should earn the spot to play against the top seed. The 17th and 18th seeded teams would play in the first round of the pre-playoff elimination games in a single-elimination game and the victor would play against the sixteenth team. The remaining team would ultimately get to face the top seeded team in the NBA, albeit with some slight imbalance.

The NBA playoffs should be what they are advertised to be: a tournament for the league’s best teams. As of now, it is not.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Campanile

SPORTS

C8

SABRE THE MOMENT

ATHLETE OF THE

MONTH

Fencers Lunge onto the international stage PATRICK MACINTOSH with The Campanile’s own

Kiran Misner and Cole Hechtman

“ E

n garde, etes-vous prets, allez!”

The referee calls out these three words, and the match begins. With one deft movement after another, the opponents battle against each other – both trying to strike offensively while protecting their bodies from their opponent’s counter-attacks. The high level of focus required to fence is why many have fallen in love with the sport. For Paly senior Julian Knodt and sophomores Nathan Jeon and Jerry Wu, fencing has evolved into a genuine passion.

The Beginning

The low amount of publicity received by fencing when compared to that of mainstream sports, such as soccer and football, is especially evident in Palo Alto, where there is not a single fencing studio. Wu, who started fencing at the age of 10, was forced to commute to a community center class in Fremont to learn the sport. Jeon, however, had a much more unconventional path to becoming a fencer.

Fencing has probably been the most important factor into who I am as a person.

[It’s] a very humbling sport, because there are a lot of other factors that go into winning besides just how strong of a fencer you are.

Julian Knodt Senior “I tried sports including basketball, swimming and badminton but nothing seemed appealing to me,” Jeon said. “But when I watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I came across fencing, which caught my interest. I asked my parents if I could try it out and I soon became committed to fencing.”

After a humble introduction to the art of sword-fighting, both Wu and Jeon soon became much more dedicated to the sport. Wu began fencing regularly at Le Club Touche

Text and Design By Kiran Misner Sports Editor

in Mountain View; Jeon practiced rigorously at the Silicon Valley Fencing Center in Los Altos.

Both of these fencing academies have earned prestige for producing some of today’s best youth fencers.

Knodt’s path to becoming a fencer started with encouragement from his parents, both of whom had fenced in their youth. After Knodt’s first time fencing, he immediately decided to pursue the sport more seriously.

Fencing has since taken up a much larger part of Jeon, Wu, and Knodt’s lives. It is no longer just a community center class to attend once a week or a sport to watch on television or a casual activity at summer camp. All three fencers train for two to three hours per day for six days per week. Practice sessions consist of sparring against training partners, agility workouts to improve their reflexes and endurance exercises to ensure that they can maintain a constant level of exertion throughout the entirety of a match.

Tournaments

On campus, Knodt, Jeon, and Wu do not seem like fencers. They experience the same rigor and stress most students feel during the year.

Away from school, however, these three fencers participate in international competitions, where they vie to earn points against fencers from all around the world.

At tournaments, fencers are placed into pools of five to seven fencers. Each fencer must fight a bout, or match, against every other fencer in a round-robin style.

Based on the results of the group stage matches, the top 80 percent of each group will admitted into a single-elimination bracket. The undefeated fencer in this final bracket is declared the winner of the tournament.

Of the three Paly fencers, Knodt has ranked the highest in these types of tournaments, impressively placing seventh in the world in the men’s cadet foil category in 20142015. Wu and Jeon are ranked 10th and 14th respectively in the nation for men’s cadet foil.

All three have competed on the international stage, traveling to

countries such as Hungary, Croatia and Cuba to improve their rankings.

Despite his already high ranking, Knodt is remains driven by the same passion that motivated him to fence.

“It’s fun, and I enjoy it,” Knodt said. “That’s about it. I do it for my own satisfaction.”

Next Steps

For many high school fencers across the nation, competing at the collegiate level is not an option.

There are only 42 colleges nationwide that offer fencing. Despite how difficult it is to be on a college fencing team, Wu still hopes to play in college. The intensity of the sport combined with the camaraderie of the team are Wu’s main motivators.

“I would like to fence in a Division 1 college,” Wu said. “Being in a team situation where everyone supports each other and cheers everyone else on is more fun than individual competitions in my opinion.”

Jeon, on the other hand, would like to continue competing individually and try to compete at the highest level possible.

“I’ve been training and preparing for the start of the new fencing season, and I have decided to take a shot at trying to make the fencing national team for my age group,” Jeon said.

Fencing has taught me perceptions about life about teamwork, patience and friendship and is something that can be used in the normal world like in school, at home, or with friends

Nathan Jeon Sophomore Knodt will be graduating this year and starting a new chapter in his life. He will take a gap year before attending college. Though he will not fence collegiately, this will not be the end of his fencing career.

“Hopefully, I will continue to compete at the international level, and improve how I fence,” Knodt said. “Some of my main flaws are my lack of stamina and muscle, so I need to work on improving those before I can hope to improve my fencing.”

Knodt will not fence in college because the style of both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the coaching he would receive from the school’s fencing program are very different than his current practice.

It’s fun and I enjoy it. That’s about it. I [fence] for my own satisfaction.

Julian Knodt Senior “As for collegiate fencing, the way the NCAA structures it is completely different from how it usually works,” Knodt said. “Coaches [in the NCAA] probably have a different philosophy than the club coach beforehand, which makes it hard for many fencers to get better.”

The World Outside of Fencing

While fencing occupies two to three hours everyday, these accomplished athletes are thriving students at Paly. Many of the skills that they have acquired through fencing can be applied to situations in their everyday lives. Wu believes that the opportunity to compete outside of the United States changed his social life.

“I’ve been able to meet people from everywhere in the world and create better friend groups,” Wu said.

For Knodt, fencing has helped to positively shape his personality.

“Fencing has probably been the most important factor into who I am as a person,” Knodt said. “[It’s] a very humbling sport, because there are a lot of other factors that go into winning besides just how strong of a fencer you are.”

Jeon has learned life lessons through fencing and noticed a comparable shift in his attitude towards school after he began to fence seriously.

“I’ve learned that a loss isn’t everything, and that learning from your past experiences is what’s important,” Jeon said. “Fencing has taught me perceptions in life about teamwork, patience and friendship and is something that can be used in the normal world like in school, at home, or with friends.”

Design By Joanna Falla Staff Writer

The Campanile: What position do you play?

Patrick Macintosh: I play on the attack.

TC: You made it to varsity as a freshman. How have the upperclassmen treated you?

PM: They have been pretty great to me this year. They have been super supportive and always helpful and if I ever have questions about the game, they help me out with that.

TC: How did the season go?

PM: So the regular season went pretty much as planned and we won most of our games. We lost to Gatos once away on their senior night. The postseason didn’t go exactly how we wanted to. We came out flat in the championship and that didn’t really help us out that much.

TC: You’ve got three more years to play on this varsity team. What goals do you have until senior year?

PM: I’m looking forward to winning SCVAL the next three years. That’s the goal for this team going forward, but I’m also hoping to expand this program as a whole. I want to attract more players into the game and grow the game in this area.

TC: On Facebook, the events are named “Pat Mac and the Lax Rats go against X team.” Can you explain where both these nicknames come from?

PM: I have no idea; somehow that name came up. One of my teammates, I think it was a junior came up with that name. It kinda just stuck and everyone ran with it, so yeah that was mostly just my teammates making that up.

TC: What are your plans now that the season is over?

PM: I plan to play travel lacrosse this summer and go back east to play with my travel team from San Francisco.

But the plan is to just grow as a player and take my game to the next level of lacrosse.

TC: Which senior are you going to miss the most?

PM: I’m gonna have to say our attack.

I can’t really pick out one senior, but definitely Matt Seligson, Owen Dulik, and Cole Tierney are probably going to be the three I miss the most. I’ve enjoyed playing with them this year.

TC: Q Valenti said that you were the best freshman on the team. Do you feel pressure to perform well every game to live up to their expectations?

PM: There is a certain pressure that comes with that, but it’s also kind of nice because I know the coaches, I’ve gotten to meet some of the guys and now I can focus on helping out some of the other guys who are either in JV right now or up and coming in the sport and help them get to the next level.

TC: Have you bonded with the team off of the field?

PM: Yes, although not as much as they would probably have liked to (chuckles). Every once in a while I hang out with them, that type of thing.

TC: What was your favorite part of the season?

PM: The season as a whole was just really fun. I felt accepted into the team from the moment I got there and it was a great group of guys.

Sure,we didn’t win SCVAL, but I’m looking forward to more seasons.