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
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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
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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
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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
INSIDE N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 4 Opinion............................A5-A7 L i fe st yle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B8 S e n i o r S e c t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 3 , lB 6 C o l l e g e M a p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 4 , lB 5 I c e lH o c k e y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1 Sports............................C2-C8
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Check us out at www.thecampanile.org
NEWS
KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE
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