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 Palo Alto High School • 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.thecampanile.org
Vol. XCIX, No. 1
Friday, September 16, 2016
Newseum event tackles free speech issue Students Panelists discuss impact of social media platforms on 21st century journalism practices SAM YUN
NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR
ETHAN TEO
CHARLOTTE CHENG
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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n the midst of a national conversation surrounding the boundaries and limits of students' First Amendment rights when it comes to social media, Palo Alto High School hosted a Newseum forum discussing this topic on Sept. 14 in the Media Arts Center. The event, called Free Speech in the Social Media Era, featured panelists Geoffrey Brigham, YouTube’s director of trust and safety; Peter Stern, Facebook’s head of policy risk management and Vivek Wadhwa, distinguished fellow and professor at Carnegie Mellon University Engineering at Silicon Valley. The panel tackled issues of the new digital era of journalism by discussing questions, asked by youth and adult alike, ranging from issues of censorship to source validity. As news has largely shifted from print to online, global opinions have become increasingly accessible to the public. “When you have platforms that are global, they are reaching outside and you’re now thinking outside your own country,” Brigham said. “When you’re able to communicate with people worldwide, you’re going to start hearing new ideas.” The panelists agreed that what makes this digital era of news unique is the equalization of power through social media. Regardless of social status, social media only provides limited mechanisms of expressing opinions — posts, comments and likes — which all users can leverage. “Yes, someone can have more fol-
prepare for Camp Unity STAFF WRITER
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JACKY MOORE/THE CAMPANILE
Panelists have an informative discussion about freedom of speech in social media and the increasing impact it has on journalism.
lowers or subscribers on social media,” Wadhwa said. “But the fact is that the method that they use for influence, for weighing on news events, it’s equal — you don’t differentiate between individuals who are more popular or less popular.”
With equal voices on social media, the idea of counterspeech, or weeding out negative and hateful ideologies, becomes much more plausible. Wadhwa said this differs from traditional forms of media reporting in which news sources held the power of information; what is published for the public to read and understand was previously filtered and tailored to a particular outlet’s preferences. With equal voices on social media, the idea of counter-speech, or weed-
New Wellness Center to focus on student health
ing out negative and hateful ideologies, becomes much more plausible. Counter-speech can be used through social media platforms to directly challenge hate speech and promotion of violence. “[Without social media,] bad ideas that should be corrected through counter-speech will find themselves in the chambers of the dark parts of the Internet that will never be challenged,” Stern said. “So I think it’s important that we allow platforms where the ideas are challenged and that we allow the power of communities to actually take those ideas and actually show that it is unreasonable.” However, in addition to a strong reliance on the community to check hateful and improper content, companies like Facebook and YouTube also actively filter information and media based on their set community guidelines. While posts pertaining
to sensitive information and topics are normally removed, exceptions are made depending on the context that the image, article or video is presented in. “I think that we agree that you have to compare the issue at hand with what is in your guidelines,” Brigham said. “Then, you have to worry about the context of this content. Context is everything. Is it graphic and gory just for the sake of being graphic and gory? Or is it in the context of a news report? It’s a tough decision to make but at the end of the day, it’s the community that educates you, and gives you feedback, which makes you better.” Wadhwa also mentioned that given social media’s capacity to potentially allow almost anybody to post content, online journalism is too
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ixty Palo Alto High School students will embark for Camp Unity, a four-day leadership program in Santa Cruz, at the end of September. Organizers of the camp seek to help students discover the importance of social justice, family relationships and community development. Students will leave their phones and other technological devices behind, leaving them isolated from the outside world. They will stay in oneroom cabins headed by counselors, all of whom are Camp Unity and Paly alumni. “[Before] I went as a student, I was pretty shut off from other people,” said Clare Gleeson, former camper and current counselor. “The camp made me really open up to other people … and as a counselor, it gave me the chance to help other people do the same thing.”
"The camp made me really open up to other people … it gave me the chance to help other people do the same thing."
Clare Gleeson Camp Unity Counselor The program was created in the 90s by the Silicon Valley Conference for Community and Justice (SVCCJ), a local non-profit. However, roughly four years ago, Paly separatCAMP UNITY
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Gala to mark formal opening of PAC Event looks to showcase student performances and state-of-the-art facilities
Facility addresses well-being of all Paly students PAARTH SHARMA
STAFF WRITER
ALLISON WU
STAFF WRITER
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he Wellness Center Kickoff Event will take place on Friday, Sept. 16, to raise awareness for Paly's ultramodern and elegant health center. The new area will serve as a guidance center for the physical and mental health needs of students. Students will be able to ask health-related questions, connect to various health resources and enjoy the relaxed environment. “The physical space of the Wellness Center is a safe and supportive environment for students to go to, whether they’re looking for more information about health and wellness or want to see the nurse for a medical problem or an injury,” said Julia Chang, a Wellness Center staff member.
"The physical space of the Wellness Center is a safe and supportive environment for students to go to."
Julia Chang Wellness Center Staff Member Inside the Wellness Center, there are various tools to help students destress, including adult coloring books, kinetic sand, healthy snacks and a variety of books, all of which help students relax in an often-stressful
school environment. “I feel like Paly is kind of like a mini-college,” Chang said. “There are a lot of similarities in issues of students that you see in college and high school, [such as] academic stress, lack of sleep, sexual health, fitness, nutrition and so on.” The Wellness Center is designed to provide support for all forms of health, not only mental health. It is designed to combat the stigma against mental health problems by combining mental health facilities with relaxation and physical health facilities. The Wellness Center also hopes to prevent said negative stigma by having a much more reserved location than the old psychologist’s office, which was facing the quad and much more public. The event kickoff will be the first of many that will occur over the course of the school year. It will take place during lunch on the quad and include various student activities aimed at increasing health education and promoting student wellness. “We’ll have a prize wheel with nutrition trivia to get students thinking about eating healthy and why fruits and veggies are important,” Chang said. “September is ‘Fruits and Veggies Matter.’ Every month we’re aiming to do a schoolwide activity revolving around a particular theme.” Chang hopes to receive student feedback in order to improve the Wellness Center and future events. WELLNESS
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CHARLOTTE CHENG/THE CAMPANILE
The new PAC is home to many of Paly's visual and performing arts, including, theater, orchestra, choir and several other classes.
ALLISON WU
STAFF WRITER
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alo Alto High School’s newlyconstructed Performing Arts Center (PAC) will officially open its doors on Oct. 1. To commemorate the occasion, the PAC will host a gala featuring the best of Paly’s performing arts program. The gala will showcase the PAC’s expansive stage, large capacity, advanced acoustics and, most importantly, the talent of performing arts students. “The gala will be a celebration of our performing arts,” Paly theater teacher Kathy Woods said. “It’s also a celebration of the wonder of this new facility and the extreme talent, joy and versatility of the performing arts program.” There will be two shows: one at 2:30 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. Both
will be composed of a series of performances by choir, band and theater. “This year, since it’s the grand opening, we wanted to have an accumulative showcase of all the types of art that we have,” said Kathy Yan, student technical director for the theater program and stage manager of the gala. “That’s why we’re bringing in choir and band, so it covers the whole program.” All Palo Altans are welcome to attend the gala and tour the new theater in all its glory. Tickets are sold on Paly Theatre’s website and will also be sold at the box office an hour before each show. “[The PAC gala] is really aimed for the entire Palo Alto community, certainly for the people who have donated to the equipment,” Woods said. While the historic Haymarket, the previous theater venue, will be
missed, the PAC provides many more opportunities for aspiring performing arts students than did its predecessor. Yan and Woods are optimistic about the advantages of its large space and modern technology. “[In the past] we’ve been using the Haymarket, which is relatively old, … but now we have this multimillion dollar building and it’s amazing,” Yan said. Woods looks forward to the student's performance in the new theater. “I was in the Haymarket for nine years, and I loved it; it’s a wonderful old building with a lot of character,” Woods said. “That said, the PAC provides all Palo Alto students the opportunity to perform in a top-notch facility and encourages the development of some really great skills. It’s GALA
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INSIDE
N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 4 Opinion............................A5-A7 E d i to r i a l s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 8 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B6,B8 Student Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2,B7 E n te r t a i n m e n t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 3 Spotlight...............................B4-B5 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1- C 8
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Check us out at www.thecampanile.org
COURTESY OF THE INDEPENDENT
NEWS
Brock Turner Backlash
Examining the controversy surrounding petitions for Judge Aaron Persky's recall. PAGE A4
GILLIAN ROBINS/THE CAMPANILE
LIFESTYLE
Eighth Period Classes
Four of the ten unique classes offered at Paly during after-school hours. PAGE B1
GRACE KITAYAMA/THE CAMPANILE
SPOTLIGHT
New Teachers
An in-depth look at Paly's newest teachers and their journeys to PAUSD. PAGES B4-B5
COURTESY OF FOX NEWS
SPORTS
NFL Preview
Predictions and prophecies for the upcoming National Football League season. PAGES C4-C5
Friday, September 16, 2016
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NEWS TO KNOW
The Campanile
NEWS
First play to premiere in November Conference reaches decision to make gala and “Importance of Being Earnest” first events in PAC GILLIAN ROBINS
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF ISRAELNATIONALNEWS.COM
@CNBCnow JUST IN: Spokesman says Clinton has “no other undisclosed condition,” she will be back on campaign trail by middle or end of week. @business LinkedIn’s co-founder will donate $5 million to veterans if Trump releases his tax returns. @breakingstorm Magnitude 5.1 earthquake recorded in eastern South Korea - Japan Meteorological Agency.
@ajplus Farmers in California, the largest agricultural state in the U.S., will now get overtime pay.
@nytimes NCAA announced it is pulling its championship events from North Carolina because of the state’s laws targeting gays.
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he next Palo Alto High School theater production is Oscar Wilde’s late 19th-century comedy, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” This play will be performed at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Nov. 4, 6, 11 and 12. Beloved for its humor and enduring quality, Wilde’s most popular play uses satire to tease at the Victorian social conventions of the era. Students in the production also recognize its timeless appeal. “I’m super excited about this show because it’s not a rewrite like some of the other shows we have done,” senior Johnny Rohrbach said. “It is a genuine comedy, and it’s one of the first shows I’ve ever done that made me laugh out loud when I was reading the script.” Actors received their roles two weeks ago and have begun rehearsals.
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@BuzzFeed Finally, “SNL” has hired its first ever Latina cast member.
COURTESY OF MELLSIAVILLASENOR.COM
@BBCWorld US says it killed IS strategist Adnani.
@TheEconomist Low interest rates mean the amount of cash in circulation is rising in Britain.
@SFGate Marin Hospital could be first in California to allow medical marijuana.
n Nov. 8, the state of California will vote on Proposition 64, which seeks to legalize recreational marijuana. While California was the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996, Proposition 19, which would have legalized recreational marijuana in 2010 was not passed. Since then, four states — Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska — have voted to legalize recreational marijuana. They have experimented with recreationally legal marijuana, and their experiments have yielded important information. The first two states to legalize recreational marijuana, Colorado and Washington, did so with very different goals. This unsurprisingly spawned two distinct legal marijuana systems. While the marijuana industry of Colorado operates under the subjugation of a 10 percent state tax (in addition to already applicable sales taxes), as well as another 15 percent tax on wholesale transfers of marijuana, sellers in Oregon face changing tax rates that began at 25 percent and have since begun to drop. Proposition 64, which will be voted on Nov. 8, would establish a legal recreational marijuana system with details enumerated within the proposition if it passes. By legalizing possession of up to an ounce for adults 21 and older, the proposition would closely resemble
those of Colorado and Washington fairly. EHECATL RIVERA One component of California’s STAFF WRITER Prop 64 that was notably absent from the pioneer states initiatives is that it onstruction of Palo Alto High would bar commercial “mega-grows,” School’s new, $36.4 million or grow operations larger than one state-of-the-art sports comacre. plex continues construction. While similar clauses were not inVance Brown Contractors began cluded in Colorado’s Amendment 64, construction almost a year ago, and nor in Washington’s Initiative 502, the project is expected to finish by similar regulations were passed post May of 2017. legalization in both states. After almost three years of extensive and rigorous planning, the One component of California’s 86-year-old gym was demolished last fall to make room for the new gym. Prop 64 that was notably It took the construction crew apabsent from the pioneer states proximately a week to clear out all initiatives is that it would bar debris and begin the construction of commercial “mega-grows.’’ the new gym. Planning began after a $23.4 milAdvocates of the aforementioned lion donation from an anonymous regulations point to the susceptibility donor, who was later revealed to be of the emerging marijuana industry the Peery family. to the sort of monopolization that The Palo Alto residents gave the occurred with tobacco in the 20th donation in hopes of encouraging century. They argue that if marijuana families to spend more time playing tycoons are allowed to emerge, their sports together. interests, like their tobacco counterThe donation was not sufficient to parts of the previous century, would fund the construction and the equiplead to advertising campaigns that ment for the new sports complex, so would get more people addicted, es- an additional $13 million was added pecially youth. by the Palo Alto Unified School DisWith Nov. 8 quickly approaching, trict. polls are indicating strong support The finished product will comfor Prop 64. According to an average prise of two gyms connected by a derived from several polls conducted long corridor surrounding the existbetween February and August of this ing swimming pool, which will be year, 62.5 percent of Californian vot- left untouched throughout the coners favor the proposition. This indi- struction process. cates that the state of California will Both the gyms will be located in likely embark down the path of legal- the same place as the two old gyms. izing marijuana this year. The main gym will be sunken with a
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ASB plans for upcoming year School year to include wiffle ball, extended Club Day and others PEYTON WANG
STAFF WRITER
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alo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) looks to kick off the new school year with a variety of events for students to participate in, including Paly’s annual Club Day and an upcoming wiffle ball tournament. Paly’s annual Club Day will be held during lunch on Sept. 19 on the quad. To ensure that students have enough time to look into their prospective choices for clubs, Monday’s schedule consists of 45-minute periods and an extended lunch period from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This year, according to ASB VicePresident Maya Lathi, there are 71 student-run clubs offered at Paly. Several new clubs have been added to the roster, including Piano Club, Launch Club and Medical Society Club. Lathi hopes that students will have the opportunity to look into clubs outside their familiarity. “[ASB’s] goals for Club Day are to have a high student turnout and for club representatives to utilize local resources such as teachers, advisors and publications to attract students
work/movement workshop I took later, that lesson was solidified with all the improvisation exercises I did with my group. Being a good leader means working with the skills of the people around you to create a team, and thus reach a goal.” Another performance taking place at the PAC is the Opening Gala. The gala features all Paly performing arts groups, and will take place on Oct. 1. The groups are in the midst of practice for the event. The choir performance will also include choreography. The gala should be a thrilling and exciting experience. However, for senior Katie Hetterly, the most exciting event will take place in the spring. “The thing I’m looking forward to most this year in choir is definitely the Pops Concert,” Hetterly said. “It really gives us the opportunity to have fun with our music and get closer as a group.”
California considers marijuana legalization Construction expected to finish next May SENIOR STAFF WRITER
@SportsCenter Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid took a knee during the national anthem while others raised their fist.
improvisation and teamwork. Technical training featured workshops on stage managing and other technical aspects. “It’s kind of a smaller version of what happens at State Thespian Festival in March,” said Nadia Leinhos, Thesipian board president. “Schools across Northern California come to Santa Clara University, and we all participate in workshops and perform to represent our schools. The ideas that you are exposed to in the leadership pathway, the one I’m taking, are easily connected to real-life business and organization of groups.” Students like Leinhos who participated in the conference walked away with knowledge applicable to their theater careers at Paly. “Last year, when I went, the most obviously applicable workshop was the one on fundraising,” Leinhos said. “I guess I learned at the workshop that being a leader doesn’t mean you are working alone. In a team-
Vote on marijuana New gym progress BEN BEISHEIM
COURTESY OF SCOOPNEST.COM
“It’s a new and challenging experience that will let me make some bold and exciting choices on stage,” Rohrbach said. “I’m also excited to explore this character because he’s super full of himself, but ends up being rather dumb. So that character-work when I’m deciding some of the character’s traits that aren’t a given to me will be a lot of fun.” More casual and candid, but never lacking in talented performances, the first Teen Arts Council Open Mic Night will take place at the Mitchell Park Library on Sept. 23. To develop new skills for the arts and theater department, several students from the Paly theater program took the opportunity to attend the Northern Leadership and Technical Theater Conference, which took place at Santa Clara University. This one-day conference featured leadership and tech training. The leadership training focused on topics such as business, fundraising,
who would be interested in applying to but haven’t heard of certain clubs before,” Lathi said. Additionally, ASB will be making changes to the free food offered during lunch in order to allow them to allocate money to other events.
We decided that it would be better to do more intermural tournaments because they bring people together and they’re fun to put on and watch.
Kasra Orumchian Sports Commissioner “There will be the traditional barbecue of hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers in addition to chips and cookies,” Lathi said. “Salad and water bottles will not be offered this year.” ASB will host the school’s first ever wiffle ball tournament, which will be held during the entirety of the week of Sept. 26 on the lacrosse field. Each team consists of eight people and must have one underclassman and a maximum of two softball or baseball players. To compete in the event, students must sign up on a Google Form before Sept. 23. According to ASB Sports Commission-
er Kasra Orumchian, this will be the first time Paly will hold a wiffle ball tournament. “We decided that it would be better to do more intermural tournaments because they bring people together and they’re fun to put on and watch,” Orumchian said. ASB looks forward to introducing a new event and expects to host more tournaments in the future. “Our goal for the year is four tournaments, including wiffle ball,” Orumchian said. “I think the tournament should go really well. I’m excited to see how people react to it and how we can improve it if we choose to keep this tournament for the coming years.” ASB will continue providing a myriad of activities that appeal to a wide range of students and improving communication with district administrators. “We are going to try to host a lot more events this year whether it be dances, movie nights or rallies,” said ASB President Anmol Nagar. “We also hope to increase communication between [administration] and the Board of Education by bringing members to ASB, talking to them about students’ concerns and publicizing discussions.”
flat roof, while the smaller gym will have a peaked roof. The architecture remains in accordance to that of the rest of the school, incorporating red brick shingles and beige walls. Due to the absence of a gym, multiple Paly sports teams have been displaced and have been unable to practice or play home games at Paly. This has been an inconvenience for many athletes. “Since we don’t have a gym, we have to practice and have all our home games at Gunn, which is kind of weird,” said Ervin Brown, varsity basketball player. Without a pool, the aquatic sports teams are also unable to practice at Paly and have resorted to playing at other schools. “The worst part about it is that we’re always playing away games,” said Jake Varner, varsity water polo player. “Even our home games are at Gunn, and that just doesn’t feel like our real home.” The demolition of the old gym also created a shortage of lockers for Physical Education (P.E.). The issue was resolved by moving many of the P.E. lockers into two vacant rooms in the 700s building. However, there was not enough room for everyone to have their own locker, so the lockers must be shared and are only to be used during the student’s P.E. period. “It’s going to be great,” Vice Principal Jerry Berkson said. “Everyone is talking about the new MAC and the math building and I think this one will be just as awesome.”
UPCOMING EVENTS SEPT
WELLNESS CENTER KICK OFF EVENT Get hyped to chill out.
SEPT
CLUB DAY
SEPT
BEGINNING OF CAMP UNITY
SEPT
FIERY ARTS GLASS SALE
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19
21
23
OCT
6
An extra long lunch to sign up for our 70+ clubs.
A select group of students join together to unite all of Paly.
Tell your mom it’s a vase.
END OF FIRST QUARTER If you thought the first quarter was long, I havesome news for you.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
NEWS A3 Paly admin curbing New living skills class proposed Foothill’s staff offering alternative course to current curriculum substance abuse Survey shows drug and alcohol use going up GILLIAN ROBINS
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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ccording to officials from Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) and several Paly-focused surveys, the numbers of teens suffering from alcohol and drug abuse in Santa Clara County are on the rise. According to the 2015-16 California School Climate Survey (CSCS) results, 43 percent of students who completed the survey thought alcohol and drug use is a problem at Palo Alto High School. The top substances among teens are alcohol and marijuana. “We’ve seen a rise not only in marijuana but in how often that teens are using marijuana. We’ve seen a rise in the use of marijuana and alcohol together, but we’ve also seen a rise in prescription medication,” Connie Mayer said. “So not only just marijuana, but a rise in the use of particularly Xanax and other prescription pain medication.” These may be signs of underlying mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, though anxiety and depression and substance abuse are experienced independently, together they can perpetuate a vicious cycle. The popularity of these substances may be attributed to recent cultural shifts across the country and mental health problems within the community. “What we’re seeing is many of our clients are self-medicated, meaning that they are dealing with some mental health issues, meaning that they’re self-medicating, so they might have anxiety, or feeling depressed or anxious, or they may have heavy-duty stress, academic pressures,” Mayer said. “But more importantly, what I call the flight to intoxication that they really are involved in just wanting to flee the feelings that they’re having, and wanting to feel and get out of what’s going on. So, they’re using, not only weed, not only alcohol, but this combination, and sometimes it can be a really lethal combination.” Policy, such as changes in state laws, has influence on teen behaviors. The voter initiative for the legalization of marijuana in California will appear on the ballot on Nov 8. According to a survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California in May, 60 percent of likely voters believe that marijuana use should be legal. Also, new laws lessen charges for teens caught with illegal substances. The use of these illegal substances is already very detrimental because
adolescents can easily abuse them; however, combinations can prove even more damaging. “When you start combining things, that’s when it can get really really scary,” Mayer said. “Because, what’s happening is when you’re using maybe marijuana and alcohol and you add something else, that’s when your body’s not quite sure what’s happening. A stimulant and a depressant, your body’s asked to do two different things.” contrary to what some might suspect, being in an affluent area does not mean kids will not be at risk for heavy drug and alcohol use. “I think we do see trends that start in certain areas, but our area is not immune,” Mayer said. “So I say drug abuse and drug addiction is not immune to any particular educational level, or income level, zip code, but it will come around to this area.” Marijuana is addictive, has detrimental effects on the brain and is a potential gateway drug to harder drugs like cocaine and heroin, according to the American College of Pediatricians. According to Palo Alto Online, new laws may contribute to the increasing number of young adults using and abusing alcohol and drugs. However, according to a Washington Post article, marijuana legalization in Colorado did not lead to a rise in use among young adults. ACS has a program specifically for substance abuse titled the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program. The approach includes family participation, counseling and a 12-step approach. The treatment process includes a three-hour assessment, treatment and aftercare. The assessment strives to hold oneon-one discussions with parents and teens, where underlying mental and emotional issues are discussed and, finally, shared recommendations that are based on the information previously gathered. Centers like Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) are important because they provide valuable support to youths who are not educated on the effects of unhealthy drug and alcohol use. “[Counselors] have to understand people your age group. Not just because they understand drugs and alcohol in adults, because it’s different. Like, when teenagers drink, they don’t necessarily drink wine like adults do and they don’t measure you know a drink, like a hard alcohol drink. So, you have to be able to talk to someone who’s educated and nonjudgemental.”
Paly's Camp Unity creating experiences CONTINUED FROM A1
separated from the organization to run the camp independently. The camp cycled through a number of names, including Camp Everytown and Camp Anytown. Most recently, the program has been dubbed “Camp Unity.” Attendees do not sign up to participate in the program; rather, they are nominated to attend the camp, either with a written application or by teachers and Camp Unity alumni. Camp Unity coordinators Adam Paulson, Liz Mueller and Leticia Burton then review the applications to decide the final camp roster. “We look at it [the nominations] and say, ‘Who would really bring something to camp,” Burton said.
“We try to make sure that students who say they want to go really want to go to camp to contribute.” In prior years, athletic commitments limited the number of students able to attend Camp Unity. In hope of avoiding such conflicts again, organizers separated Camp Unity into two sessions. This year, camp will take place in both September and March. Through stimulative exercises, students will explore and get a deeper understanding of leadership, equity and diversity. “Camp changed my life because I got a look inside the lives of my peers and classmates,” said Darrow Hornik, former camper and Paly junior. “I learned how to be more empathetic, more open-minded and a generally a more accepting human being.”
SUBMIT YOUR SENIOR PORTRAITS BY OCTOBER 13 TO MR. WILSON IN MAC 101 SENIOR QUOTES ARE DUE ONLINE BY OCTOBER 13
AVI TACHNA-FRAM
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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enneth Horowitz, a health teacher at Foothill Community College, and Nanette Solvason, the Dean of Biology and Health Services, proposed offering a collaborative health class as an alternative to Living Skills, a health class covering sex and drugs education and physical and mental wellbeing, on Aug. 23. Horowitz teaches Contemporary Health Concerns (Health 21), the most similar class to Living Skills at Foothill, and has advocated that the PAUSD strengthen its health requirements for years. However, Solvason’s presence and support for Horowitz’s idea at the Aug 23. School Board Meeting lent more credence to his idea. They believe that Health 21 may be a more interesting and useful option for Paly and Gunn students than living skills. “At the college we do have ... a lot of latitude in terms of making things topical for students,” Solvason said. “For example ... there’s a lot that students need to understand now about what consent really is, and about bullying. These are all things that are important to the high school community that can be covered in a class like [Health 21].” Other Health 21 topics not covered or less covered in Living Skills include detailed and scientific analyses of stress, discussion of prevention for communicable diseases from STD’s and AIDS to Tuberculosis and a unit on consumer health, which includes topics such as the differences between brand name and generic medicine and what types of health care professionals and facilities are available. According to the Health 21 and Living Skill’s syllabi. Superintendent Max McGee ex-
pressed support for a collaborative health class with Foothill, but he also sees the need to do more research to work out the details. “First things first and that’s to identify where living skills is successful now and where it could be improved,” McGee said.” We do that by listening to students, listening to teachers and hearing what some of the parents have to say … Obviously what I’d love to do is try to get some funding to start a pilot. I don’t think we can just jump in and say hey we’re going to change this and just go full bore.”
“First things first and that’s to identify where living skills is successful now and where it could be improved... We do that by listening to students."
Max McGee Superintendent Horowitz and Solvason came up with three ideas on making Health 21 accessible for Paly and Gunn students: Sending Foothill teachers to Paly and Gunn to teach the class, hiring Paly and Gunn teachers to teach the class and making Health 21 an online course available to Paly and Gunn students. Hiring Paly and Gunn teachers to teach Health 21 may present a problem as to teach Health 21 teachers have to be certified to teach college by the state. In order for Health 21 to fulfill the same credit requirements as Living Skills, Health 21’s curriculum would have to be changed. Currently Health 21 only counts for four credits, unlike Living Skills at Paly and Gunn which counts for five. Adding the 15 community service hours required for Living Skills to Health 21 may solve this problem.
If the district accepts Horowitz and Solvason’s proposal, they may also request that Health 21’s curriculum be tweaked in order to better align the course with the district’s goals for a health class. Since Health 21 is a college course students enrolled in, it could potentially get college credit. “We can do something called dual enrollment where student can, if it’s agreeable with both the high school and the college, receive both high school and college credit for the same class,” Solvason said. Horowitz and Solvason believe Health 21 could be available to students by next year. “If [the districts] want to have [Health 21] so that students get high school credit and college credit, that takes a little time because the Palo Alto Unified School Board has to agree to that, and our board of trustees has to agree to that.” Solvason said. McGee on the other hand sees the undertaking of creating a collaborative health class as a longer process. “If we started this moment we could have it [a collaborative health class] in place maybe this year, but at this point I am looking at the 201819 school year,” McGee said. “Part of the reason is we already have a full plate … That being said I think it would be worthwhile to take some time this year and at least start doing some ground work.” Solvason stressed that adding Health 21 as an option for students would not take away from Living Skills. “I don’t want this to come across as ‘we’re going to come in and do something that’s going to displace Living Skills’ because that’s not the goal. It’s not necessary; it’s not our intention. It’s really meant to either supplement or give another option [to students].”
Performing arts center opens CONTINUED FROM A1
the entire Palo Alto community, certainly for the people who have donated to the equipment,” Woods said. Although construction of the theater finished last spring, the PAC has not yet officially opened its doors to host large-scale performances; the gala will be its first. “In order to have large audiences in it [the theater], we needed to be officially signed off in the building,” Woods said. “We’re also still in process of equipping the building in terms of lighting, curtains and lobby
furniture. We just wanted the building to be as close as possible to being complete for the gala.”
The PAC provides many more opportunities for aspiring performing arts students than did its predecessor. While the Haymarket, the previous theater venue, will be missed, the PAC provides many more opportunities for aspiring performing arts students than did its predecessor. It is Paly's newest building. “For the past years we’ve been
using the Haymarket, which is relatively old, … but now we have this multimillion dollar building and it’s amazing,” Yan said. Woods is also optimistic about the advantages of its large space and modern technology. “I was in the Haymarket for nine years, and I loved it; it’s a wonderful old building with a lot of character,” Woods said. “That said, the PAC provides all Palo Alto students the opportunity to perform in a top-notch facility and encourages the development of some really great skills. It’s like moving from a mobile home into a mansion.”
Free speech panel held inside MAC
JACKY MOORE/ THE CAMPANILE
Geoffrey Brigham discusses the power of the community in helping large companies check the posting of hateful content online.
CONTINUED FROM A1
is too abundant to keep track of. He finds that it is now common to find works of journalism that are blatantly false and unwarranted, and it becomes a challenge for platforms to distinguish between credible and incredible sources. However, the panelists pointed out that the online community is extremely powerful in fact-checking itself. “I believe in the power of communities,” Brigham said. “We’ve seen for example, in Wikipedia, communities of editors, photographers, writers who come together and who task themselves with editorial duties and to be able to put together a nonprofit site and offer it to the world.
I also see that in the communities at YouTube, where creators are creating videos about hate speech, about harassment to present the contrary view, the view of belonging.” Even then, it is difficult to filter journalism with complete effectiveness given our current technologies, Wadhwa said. He challenged the youth in the audience to begin reflecting on ways to manage the overflow of online content, but was also optimistic in the developing technologies that have the potential to be utilized to eliminate biases in the filtering of content. “I see this as a losing battle for now until more technology comes into place,” Wadhwa said. “For example, earlier I talked about virtual
reality. Imagine now if we could visit war-zones and talk one-on-one with people in real time. No platform provider would be able to censor that out. And artificial intelligence would be able to filter content in ways that humans can’t.” Ultimately, the panelists emphasized the importance of believing in the power of social media — in it’s ability to broaden our perspectives, and in our ability to utilize social media for good. “This is why I think it’s important that we don’t forget the positive message of social media,” Brigham said. “People are constantly challenging our ideas and causing us to rethink our ideas, beyond our culture, beyond our own economic situation.”
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
A4 NEWS Judge in Brock Turner Case faces petitions for recall Michele Dauber begins campaign to recall Judge Aaron Persky following his sentencing of Brock Turner YAEL BEN-SHACHAR
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
S
tanford law professor Michele Dauber began a campaign to recall Judge Aaron Persky following Persky’s controversial sentencing of Brock Turner. According to the District Attorney’s office, Turner was charged in June with “intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object,” Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail, which was then reduced — due to good behavior — to three months with a three year probation. Additionally, Turner will be put on the sex offenders registry in his home state of Ohio. Dauber, along with many others across the country, feel that Persky was much too lenient with his sentencing of Turner, accusing him of being biased in favor of privileged college students, particularly those from Stanford University, Persky’s alma mater. Persky defended his actions by claiming that he did not want to ruin Turner’s entire life over one mistake.
I believe strongly in judicial independence... I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not to appease politicians or ideologies.
Aaron Persky Judge “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him,” Persky said at Turner’s sentencing. “I think he will not be a danger to others.” Many of Persky’s opponents cite Persky’s sentencing of Raul Ramirez, an immigrant from El Salvador, in their efforts to prove Persky’s consistent bias in sexual assault cases. Per-
COURTESY OF PRESSDEMOCRAT.COM
Brock Turner, former Stanford student and star swimmer, stands in a hearing court with his attorney as he is convicted by Judge Aaron Persky of sexual assault in 2015.
sky sentenced Ramirez to three years in prison for a case involving sexual assault. That was very similar to the one involving Brock Turner. In his efforts to avoid being removed from his judgeship, Persky created a website named “Retain Judge Persky” where he asks for donations to support his campaign. This site also features an essay Persky wrote defending himself. “I believe strongly in judicial independence,” Persky wrote on his website. “I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not to appease politicians or ideologues. When your own rights and property are at stake, you want the judge to make a fair and lawful decision, free from political influence.
Persky has raised roughly $3,600 in donations; the opposition led by Dauber has raised over $100,000. Dauber has spoken at numerous rallies and other events in order to raise awareness and recruit more people to her cause.
A prison sentence would have a severe impact on [Brock Turner]. I think he will not be a danger to others.
Aaron Perskey Judge “Judge Persky treated the survivor as if she didn’t matter, as if it was the perpetrator’s case, as if it was the perpetrator’s fear, his injuries, his reputa-
tion that mattered, and we are here to say enough is enough!” Dauber said in a rally in San Francisco. “Women and survivors of sexual violence have fought too long and too hard to be treated as if we don’t matter.” Although there has been widespread support for the efforts to recall Persky, many still believe that Persky does not deserve to be recalled soley because he made a single controversial ruling. Among those in support of Persky is LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge of the Superior Court of California. “If [the recall] succeeds, then judges will be looking over their shoulders before making any sentencing decisions, for fear of being targeted by someone who doesn’t like
their rulings,” Cordell said. “I believe that the recall process should be utilized to remove judges who have a demonstrated record of abusing or misusing their authority or who have a history of making unlawful or biased decisions. Judge Persky does not have such a record.” The recall election will take place in November. Recalls are rare, but Dauber is working hard to remove Persky from the bench. “Judges in this county are elected, and this [injustice] must go before the voters,” Dauber said. “The petition that matters is the official recall petition signed by the voters of Santa Clara County. It will take grit, it will take determination, it will take hard work, and it will take support.”
PAUSD drops math program Rocket carrying Facebook satellite explodes School math curriculum under scrutiny Tech Giant attempts to provide internet access across the globe CLAY WATSON
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
T
he 62-member elementary school math adoption committee, which is comprised of Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) elementary school teachers along with District parents and administration, decided to pursue a controversial direction on Aug. 29. The committee elected to no longer consider the elementary math program, Everyday Math (EDM), in the upcoming curriculum adoption. EDM, adopted by PAUSD in 2009, was implemented after it received overwhelming support from the committee. Since its adoption, the District’s elementary schools, which have had high participation rates in EDM’s curriculum, have seen successful results — because of this, the decision to not even pilot EDM for the upcoming adoption has faced criticism from the Palo Alto community. Since the implementation of EDM, math curriculum has had varied results within the District. In a survey conducted by PAUSD this spring, 40 percent of teachers reported that they did not use EDM, which was intended to be the primary math curriculum for the entire District. This lack of participation in the curriculum over the past six years could be an indicator that the math program is not a good fit for PAUSD. However, the District’s elementary schools, which have had high participation rates with EDM, have performed very well over the last six years. Palo Verde Elementary School, which had nearly 100 percent participation in the program, saw very positive results — the school climbed to second (out of twelve elementary schools) on the 2015 Smarter Balance test. In addition, two out of the top three elementary schools within the district were avid users of EDM and had the highest percentage of third, fourth and fifth graders, exceeding state standards in 2016 were avid us-
ers of EDM. Since the implementation of the statewide Common Core State Standards in 2013, teachers throughout California have attempted to supplement their current math programs, hoping to meet the new and stricter standards. While this does provide a possible explanation for the low EDM participation rates throughout the District, the elementary schools with higher participation rates have continued to thrive with high percentages of third, fourth and fifth graders exceeding state math standards. This suggests that when EDM is actually implemented, positive results are to follow. So, the question remains: why did the committee elect to not even pilot EDM for the upcoming adoption? Raquel Goya, a teacher for Hoover Elementary School’s math department (consistently rated among the highest in the District), told the Palo Alto Weekly that given the amount of time teachers have spent testing materials and researching possible curriculums over the past months, she felt that Monday’s vote was too rushed of a decision. She maintained that the vote failed to consider EDM in the upcoming adoption, “Why are we moving forward so quickly?” After the vote took place, the math committee decided to pilot two new K-5 curriculums: “Investigations” and “Bridges in Mathematics,” not even considering the readoption of the EDM Curriculum. Despite only being recently introduced to the committee, Bridges in Mathematics has received high levels of support as it emerges as the possible frontrunner in the upcoming math curriculum adoption. While the decision to not consider EDM for the upcoming adoption is under scrutiny, whatever curriculum is adopted by PAUSD will have a significant impact on the education of PAUSD students. The elementary school curriculum is responsible for laying the critical mathematical foundation for middle school and high school curriculums to build on.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACEX
The SpaceX spacecraft was launching for a 2018 mission. The mission hoped to provide internet access to everyone across the globe.
WILL LEIGHTON
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
F
acebook, the most widely used social media platform in the world, has always led the tech industry in advances and innovations. With their News Feed and Facebook Messenger, Facebook has the ability to put someone in contact with users around the world. With nearly 1.3 billion users, Facebook continues to look for new ways to expand its global connectivity; its latest attempt involves providing high-speed internet for all of Africa. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently arranged a deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a defense and aerospace company, to use their Amos-6 Satellite. The satellite, which cost Facebook a whopping $95 million, played a key role in providing accessible Internet to small villages in Africa. It was also the largest payload to date for a SpaceX rocket, costing about $200300 million total.
The satellite incorporated “new technologies that represent a significant leap forward in the capabilities of IAI and the state of Israel in space,” according to Joseph Weiss, IAI’s president and chief executive.
We have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well.
Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Facebook Unfortunately, on Sept. 1, a fiery explosion destroyed the satellite. An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft was scheduled to take off two days later from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, taking the Amos-6 into space. The craft was on the launch pad in preparation for a static fire test, a ground test generally required before the engine is certified for flight. At 9:07 a.m. EDT, roughly eight minutes before the test was scheduled to start, an explosion blew through the upper part of the rocket,
quickly igniting the rest of the craft, destroying it and its payload. Thankfully, as per standard procedure, the launch pad and surrounding area were cleared of personnel, so there were no injuries. There is no confirmation yet on exactly what started the explosion. When a Twitter user asked whether “something hit the rocket,” CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk tweeted, “We have not ruled that out.” This is the second accident of this nature to occur for SpaceX since its founding in 2002, the first occurring in June 2015. Despite the unfortunate event, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg remains optimistic about Facebook’s other efforts “We have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well,” Zuckerberg said. “We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided.”
The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
OPINION
A5
Kaepernick's actions reflect American ideals PAARTH SHARMA
A
STAFF WRITER
n angry man throws a red-andwhite jersey on the ground, gestures at the camera and begins speaking: “If you don’t love our country, get the f*** out of it. Move to Canada.” Moments later, he lights the jersey on fire. “F*** you, you piece of s***,” another man says. Videos like this have become common, but the flames in these videos have ignited a conversation about the national anthem, what it represents and what can be done about a divided country. Right now, it does not get any more controversial than Colin Kaepernick, the fifth year quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem at a recent game because he believes that the anthem symbolizes a country that systematically oppresses minorities. His views have spurned many National Football League (NFL) executives who label him as a “traitor” and a player “nobody wants near their team.”
Forcing Kaepernick to act one way or the other is the real anti-American action, and it does nothing but prevent the circulation of ideas and positive change.
Make no mistake: the NFL wants the public to forget about Colin Kaepernick the same way they blackballed then-Vikings punter Chris Kluwe out of the league for being a staunch gayrights activist. However, Kaepernick refuses to back down. He told a reporter that even “if they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.” His detractors claim he is anti-American and hates this country. This could not be any further from the truth. Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the anthem is not anti-American. Rather,
it is the opposite. This nation is not built on those who blindly stand and recite an empty pledge without stopping to think. It is built on the backs of men like Kaepernick, who are not afraid to stand up and point out the flaws in society. The only way that this nation can improve is if it acknowledges that people are not perfect, and that the issues of police brutality and institutional racism are real. Those who claim that Kaepernick is anti-American and should leave the country have a warped idea of the values of this country and what it stands for. This is a nation built for people who are not afraid to speak their minds, who do not look the other way when problems arise and who stand up for what they believe in. This is a country built for individuals like Tommy Smith and John Carlos, who many believe ignited the Civil Rights debate with their iconic “black power” salute at the 1968 Olympics.
Smith and Carlos were banned by the International Olympic Committee for their actions and received thousands of angry letters, many of which included death threats in retaliation for doing no more than demanding equal rights. Although initially met with controversy, it became a moment that captured the fight for racial equality that eventually led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act a year later. Standing up for the national anthem is not what makes someone a patriot. The anthem and the flag are symbols of equality, freedom and justice, and this country is about what these objects symbolize, which, at its core, is the freedom to express oneself in any way one sees fit. This includes the freedom to sit, kneel or stand for the national anthem and the freedom to choose whether or not to salute the flag. This is what the concept of freedom is about — acknowledging the country's flaws and not being afraid to
speak about them so that the country can improve and grow. If it is freedom that the country wants, then it cannot force Kaepernick to stand for the anthem or tell him to leave the country. Forcing Kaepernick to act one way or the other is the real anti-American action, and it does nothing but prevent the circulation of ideas and positive change. At the end of the day, the country does not improve itself by ignoring its problems and repeatedly reciting its internal greatness. It does not improve when it bullies and threatens those with whom the public disagrees with. The anthem is a symbol of freedom, so what good is the anthem if citizens do not even have the freedom to sit or stand as it plays? Anybody can stand and recite an empty pledge. It takes a true American hero to stand up, risk his career and use his First Amendment Rights to speak out against the oppression that he witness daily.
Third party candidates should be included in debates
JOANNA FALLA
J
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ill Stein. Gary Johnson. Darrell Castle. While the media may choose to ignore these politicians, many are running for the presidency. America has rightfully considered itself a democracy, but its people have chosen to pigeonhole themselves into a clearly failing two-party system. The three aforementioned candidates will each have their name on over 20 state ballots for the 2016 election, but that will likely be the only time the general public sees their names. This upcoming election will be remembered as the battle between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, both of whom are generally despised by the American public, but it should also be remembered as the election where third party candidates made a difference. The Green Party, Constitution Party and Libertarian Party are not well-known in the average American household, but this is not the public’s
fault. Because of rules installed by the Commission of Presidential Debates (CPD), multiple candidates are barred from participating in the primary debates. The rules were originally put in place to eliminate weaker candidates, but instead have created a major Catch-22 for any minor party candidate that wants to participate in the presidential debates. For a candidate to be in the debate, the CPD requires that they must poll at 15 percent or higher in five national surveys and that their name must appear on the majority of state ballots. In order for a candidate to make the cut, they need much more publicity than their funding may allow, but the only way to gain more funding is to gain recognition. Currently, the primary debates are only for elite candidates who can afford to pay for their ticket. Whether they are already a household name from their own successes or failures, or have dozens of super political action committees dedicated to them, the front running Democrat and Republican candidate will always receive
enough funding to push themselves into the media as often as they choose. Major party campaign managers will try to convince Americans that a vote for a third party is a vote wasted, but in reality, it has the potential to make a large impact on the presidential elections. Presidential candidate Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party has officially been added to the election ballot in all 50 states; a remarkable feat considering the uphill battle he and many other candidates have to face. However, because he is only polling at nine percent, he is not eligible to debate. The truth is that the government does not want to include other parties because of the incredible change each one could potentially bring to the country. Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has run most of his political campaigns as an Independent, but ran for president as a Democrat because he saw how the odds are stacked against minor party candidates. Even then, he still dealt with pointless red tape as he lost over three
million potential voters in New York’s general election because his supporters registered as Independent, forcing them to only vote for the candidate in the party they had registered for. While Sanders may have admittedly been too radical for the presidential bid, his incredibly loyal following has proven that once a candidate is taken seriously, he can inspire greatness across all demographics. There should be no such thing as a “throw-away” vote in the presidential election; every vote matters. If the majority believes that third party candidates will not be popular enough to vote for, then these candidates clearly will not receive enough votes. The only way a vote can be prevented from being a throw-away is if the public takes third party candidates seriously and trusts that other people will vote for them as well. With higher publicity, voters will have a better understanding of what third party candidates have to offer and subsequently take them more seriously. Hillary and Trump have their fair share of die-hard voters, but the majority of the nation is not satisfied with either candidate. Most Republicans are appalled by both candidates but are resigned to Trump because he is the Republican candidate. However, there are conservative-leaning third party candidates that have proven they can be a better representation of Conservative values than Trump. There are influential people from both parties that have repeatedly denounced their respective candidates, so why feel resigned to choose them?
Major party campaign managers will try to convince Americans that a vote for a third party is a vote wasted, but it has the potential to be so much more. It should be clear that the twoparty system is outdated and unfair for new and less affluent candidates trying to make any headway in the presidential election. America is internationally known as the land of opportunity, but the presidential candidacy is clearly only for the elites. Future generations must educate themselves on the importance of third-party candidates now, so they will be able to truly represent themselves in future elections.
The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
A6
OPINION
Alcohol policy is ineffective in preventing rape culture ANNA MORAGNE
J
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ust five months after Stanford student Brock Turner was convicted of felony sexual assault, Stanford University published a new alcohol policy alcohol policy for its undergraduate students that will take effect at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. The updated guidelines not only ban students from having hard alcohol at any campus party or function, but also restrict student possession of bottles of liquor over 750 ml. Students are still allowed to drink hard alcohol at a party if it is in the form of mixed drinks rather than shots.
Students have been quick to notice the pitfalls of the new policy and are not in support of it. To say the least, there are many loopholes in Stanford’s new alcohol policy. Allowing students to have hard alcohol at campus parties for mixing drinks does not prevent them from using this same alcohol for shots. There is no effective way that the University administration can monitor this. Additionally, students over the age of 21 can still have bottles of hard liquor under 750 ml. of alcohol, allowing some, if limited, alcohol access to underclassmen and adding yet another layer of complexity to the so-called ban. Furthermore, since beer and wine are still permitted, there are enough ways around the new policy for a student to get intoxicated. Students have been quick to note the pitfalls of the new policy and are in opposition of it. In fact, 91 percent of Stanford students surveyed by the Associated Students of Stanford University election thought that putting the new alcohol policy into effect would be a poor choice but despite this, Stanford went ahead with the plan. “I think that they were more willing to ignore [students’ opinions] in order to respond to Brock Turner … but I think it is pretty shallow if [Stanford] did it just to respond to the Turner incident,” Molly Fogarty, a Stanford sophomore, said.
Although Stanford never specifically stated that the new alcohol policy was implemented due to the Turner case, the connection can be easily seen. In an article titled “Female Bodies and Alcohol,” published by Stanford’s Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, Stanford states that “women who are seen drinking alcohol are perceived to be more sexually available than they may actually be. Individuals who are even a little intoxicated are more likely to be victimized than those who are not drinking.” A spotlight was shined upon Stanford and other universities’ rape cultures when Turner was sentenced to only six months in jail by judge Aaron Persky. He could have been incarcerated for up to 14 years, however, Turner has since been released early for good behavior, having only served three of his six months. In Stanford’s attempt to help female students stay safe, the university seems to have shifted some of the blame onto victims themselves. Some believe Stanford has insinuated that women appear to be asking for sexual attention from men because they are drunk. Others blame the university for promoting the belief that the only way for female students to keep themselves safe is to stay sober. This is not the first time that Stan-
ford has contributed to its own rape culture. A study done by the Association of American Universities (AAU) found that by their senior year of college, one in four women have experienced sexual assault. Yet, when the university conducted its own study, it found that only 4.7 percent of its female students have experienced sexual assault. Another statistic, from the Stanford Campus Climate Survey showed that 34.6 percent of women had experienced sexual touching without consent. This statistic portrays Stanford to have a significantly lower rate of sexual assault than universities across the country, yet in reality it does not. When Stanford conducted its survey, the university defined sexual assault as penetration or oral sex; however, the AAU defined sexual assault as penetration or sexual touching carried out through physical force or incapacitation. By limiting its interpretation of sexual assault, Stanford is dismissing an entire demographic of victims who deserve justice. In the past, Stanford has done its best to educate students about the dangers of alcohol and sexual assault. Freshmen take alcohol and sexual assault online courses before ever arriving on campus. Additionally, once students get to campus, they are pre-
sented to by the Office of Alcohol Policy and Office of Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse to further inform and prepare them. However, this preparation is not enough to prevent sexual assault on campus. “I don’t think any freshman could get through their first year and not know what consent is,” Fogarty said. “But in practice it’s harder for people to grasp. I think that Stanford is doing a good job in starting the conversation but that doesn’t necessarily lead to action.” This new alcohol policy could be beneficial but it is not the right way to address Stanford’s rape culture. A rapist cannot blame his or her actions on alcohol or a school’s “party culture;” he or she must take responsibility for what they have done. Stanford needs to make sure that it is not going along with the deflection of blame. Additionally, Stanford must address its rape culture issue head on, rather than skirt around the edges. A campus wide discussion needs to be started so that students are informed and comfortable enough to talk about these issues openly. If the discussion is started by the university, then a space is created on campus where students feel they can directly discuss rape culture without judgment.
Paly should reconsider suspension as form of punishment signments] and meet with my teachers.” The consequences should not be missing school, when students would benefit more from being in class and learning. Instead, students should be learning right from wrong through other forms of discipline, such as inhouse suspension in the school office, community service or Saturday school.
“I feel like I ruined my chances of having a good relationship [with them] because they think I’m a bad student that does drugs when in reality, I am not.”
JACQUES MARJARREZ/THE CAMPANILE
MAYA BAILEY
S
STAFF WRITER
uspension: many students fear this consequence, but fear is not the right way to punish someone in the 21st century. The idea of punishing someone was a way to frighten them to reduce the likelihood of problematic behavior, but today we have evolved from old-school discipline where students can learn from their mistakes. While suspension is a form of punishment that has been used for centuries, it is clearly not an effective method of discipline in the modern world, especially in an academic environment. Palo Alto High School has decreased its number of suspensions by 40 percent since 2011. Last year, 10 Paly students were suspended; in 2007, 71 students were suspended — a considerable improvement over the
past 10 years. When a student is suspended, he or she must spend a certain number of days at home and they are prohibited from being present on campus, depending on the severity of their actions. During these days at home, suspended students miss class time and resources such as lectures, lessons and classwork. Students are expected to make up this work during their suspension, but that is often not the case. While most teenagers can stay at home by themselves, not having an authority figure around makes it less likely they will complete the necessary tasks. On Aug. 22, Jane, a Paly student whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was suspended after she had been singled-out of the crowd at a football game. She passed a breathalyzer test but admitted to having alcohol in her purse prior to being searched. However, she revealed that
the bottles in her purse were empty, did not belong to her, and had not been consumed by her. She was honest and cooperative, but still received the consequence of a two-day suspension. During her suspension, Jane admitted she could not finish her school work because she could not comprehend the material. When Jane returned to school, most teachers were understanding, but she said a few responded with comments such as “Why would I give you an advantage just because you were suspended?” A comment like that reminds students that being suspended means they don’t get another chance at learning. “I tried catching up on the homework that was missing but I didn’t,” Jane said. “I still haven’t completed any of it. I still have yet to understand it and I have a very busy schedule, which made it harder to complete [my as-
Keeping a student at home could potentially further their issues. Getting rid of suspensions does not mean excusing more serious actions; nobody is saying that a student bringing a knife to school is not serious, but staying at home alone is not a good idea for someone who is clearly troubled. Instead, a more appropriate ramification is counseling. Being suspended is embarrassing, as news travels quickly around school, especially when the whole school is watching. After her suspension, Jane admitted she felt ashamed “I felt like [the administration] suspending me and pulling me out of the crowd in front of everyone made everyone think that I’m a bad kid,” Jane said. “I felt totally embarrassed and I wasn’t doing anything wrong [because] I was just socializing. Now I feel like because [the teachers] saw that I was suspended, I feel like I ruined my chances of having a good relationship [with them] because they think I’m a bad student that does drugs when in reality, I am not.” There are other options besides suspension that would benefit the student and the school. In the future, Palo Alto High School should look into eliminating suspension and leaving students with a more constructive lesson than missing school.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
OPINION A7 Breathalyzing students infringes on civil liberties
JARED STANLEY
I
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
t is no secret to the Palo Alto High School administration that many students often consume alcohol before attending home football games. Before the first football game of the season, the Associated Student Body (ASB) posted a notice stating that students entering the football game could be subject to Breathalyzer tests. However, this statement was met with a mass of confused students trying to find out if there was really going to be any breathalyzing. Under the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, all people, including students who attend public school, are protected against unreasonable search and seizure. Therefore, any type of search conducted by the school violates the Fourth Amendment. Having said that, what many students ignore is that the school is responsible for the safety and well being of all attendees. If an individual is injured because he or she drunk at a school football game, the school is liable for them.
For this reason, all public schools, including Paly, are not held to the “probable cause” standard law enforcement officers must meet in order to conduct searches. As long as school officials have “reasonable suspicion” that a students are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at school or a school sponsored event, they can be subject to testing. However, what constitutes “reasonable suspicion, the legal standard of proof for arrests and search warrants?” Some examples include being noticeably impaired, alcohol on one's breath or noticeable impairment combined with information received from a credible source about a student’s consumption of drugs or alcohol. Football games naturally excite attendees, making spectators act rowdily and oftentimes wildly. For this reason, a student’s behavior alone, does not justify testing. There must be other indicators that allow for the conclusion to be made that a student is under the influence. If a student attends a school football game and is noticeably impaired,
it is the school’s right to test that student and take disciplinary action. However, in certain situations, Paly did not act in accordance with the principal of reasonable suspicion. At the first home game of the season, one student who had not consumed any alcohol before entering the stadium was pulled aside and tested. This leads one to question the legal grounds on which students were subjected to testing. Paly and all public high schools are not allowed to be discriminatory in their process when breathalyzing their student body. Many students complained that they felt singled out because of their poor track records with Paly's administration. A student who is breathalyzed at the gate before entering the stadium has different rights from a student who is breathalyzed inside the gates. The Fourth Amendment protects everyone, even public school students at a football game, from “suspicionless” searches. A “suspicionless” search, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is defined as “a search conducted without any reason
to suspect evidence of a crime [under age drinking].” With that being said, breathalyzing all students before they entered the stadium would be considered a “suspicionless” search. However, students participating in extracurriculars offered by the school, such as sports or clubs, forgo this right, allowing them to be randomly tested by the school. This means that the actual players on the football team could legally be tested, but not the spectators.
Paly and public high schools are not allowed to be discriminatory in their process when breathalyzing their student body. It is important for students and minors to know their rights. Although the school is looking out for the best interests of its student body, the administration has demonstrated a tendency to breathalyze without reasonable suspicion of intoxication, violating the Fourth Amendment and the basic rights of Paly students.
Paly should not hamper free expression in school photos
ETHAN BUNDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
“T
ake off the makeup and you can take your picture,” a Paly staff member told me as I attempted to have my school photo taken dressed in what would be considered “goth” clothing: black t-shirt, pants, eyeliner, mascara and hair dye.
If Paly would like to truly be the progressive, tolerant school that it claims to be, then it should refrain from censoring students, especially without any solid logic or reasoning to back up its actions. Every year, the Class of 2017 experiences the loss of a Paly tradition. In our freshman year, we lost the great Streak Week, a week before graduation in which masked seniors streaked across the quad. In our sophomore year, Powder Puff football was replaced by Quidditch, and in our junior year, many students were not allowed parking permits because of the delayed construction of the gym and Performing Arts Center. This year, Paly decided to crack down on yet another harmless senior tradition. Ri-
diculous pictures for our exceedinglyimportant Palo Alto High School identification cards are no longer allowed. Not only is this unnecessary, but it violates the Constitution on which our nation stands. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. Although freedom of religion does not apply to goofy pictures, freedom of expression does. Palo Alto Senior High School is a public school, meaning that it is an extension of the government. Therefore, Paly is prohibited by law from denying students their constitutional right to express themselves. While I do not identify as goth, if I had been attempting to use this picture as a means of “coming out” as a goth individual, Paly would have been prohibiting me from expressing a defining part of my identity through my physical appearance. In previous years, seniors have been allowed free rein over the pictures that they wish to take. If the reason for the censoring of my picture was the obscenity of what I was wearing, I would have understood the restriction. However my clothing did not violate any part of the Paly dress code.
In two previous years, girls wore the same heavy makeup and experienced no restriction to the amount they were allowed to wear. I was told that I had to take my black lipstick, eyeliner, mascara and eyebrow pencil off of my face. I also had to remove the black coloring I had put in my hair. If this is not an issue of obscenity, then it is an issue relating to my gender. The restrictions placed on me for the same actions carried out by females leads me to believe that I was discriminated against because I am a male. Paly claims to be a progressive school that is accepting of all people, regardless of how they choose to identify themselves. Does this not make it contradictory to censor the way students choose to express themselves while telling those same students to be accepting of everyone else around them? Paly senior Trevor Woon was also censored by the same Paly staff member. He was told that he had to zip up the vest he was wearing and remove the grill that he had in his mouth for his picture. “I think it is ironic that the administration at Palo Alto High School doesn’t allow me to dress how I want for picture day, but constantly claims that our school is a place where we
can freely express ourselves, whether it’s through speech or fashion,” Woon said. “It feels like [the administration] is deliberately trying to ruin Paly [senior] traditions.” Paly feels that it can censor students who they believe are not to be taken seriously. “They said I can’t look silly and I said, ‘I don’t think I look silly,’ and then they just kept refusing my service until I changed my look and smiled for the camera,” Woon said. What Woon experienced was another example of Paly not allowing students to express who they are. Why should one staff member have the power to censor a student based on what he or she believe to be offensive? Would it not be better for there to be predetermined agreements upon what will be allowed and what will not? With rules, the students would be able to plan their outfits to ensure that they do not offend anyone, and if they break the rules they would be able to understand why the censorship is occurring. If Paly would like to be the progressive truly, tolerant school that it claims to be, then it should refrain from censoring students, especially without any solid logic or reasoning to back up its actions, so students will feel they can express themselves.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
A8
EDITORIALS
Guidance must be more Safe spaces restrict students' voices accessible for students F
T
hese days, the Paly guidance office seems to be dishing out less guidance and more avoidance. At the beginning of the school year the guidance office literally barred its doors to students: a wall was set up, and administrators screened any incoming inquiries. For the first two weeks of school, indeed the two most frenzied weeks of the academic year, setting up an appointment with a guidance counselor was a Herculean task. As fewer and fewer people began requesting class changes and the student body got into regular school habits, the barricade was miraculously lifted, and it was once again feasible to request and receive an appointment with a guidance counselor. The Campanile is displeased with the behaviors exhibited by the Paly administration in regards to setting up guidance appointments. Ignoring students’ requests is not only negligent, but also disrespectful and begs the question: why? Student requests do not have to be honored if they are deemed unreasonable by professional counselors, but what is the basis for ignoring these appeals altogether? Even more troubling is that this pattern is neither new — a similar guidance office barricade was also set up last year during the first two weeks of
school — nor clandestine. The beginning of the school year is a difficult time for everybody, from the freshest freshman to the most ancient administrator. However, that difficulty is greatly exacerbated when there are limited guidance counselors to aid the clueless on their quests to have a quality high school experience. It is the duty of the guidance department to deal with problems, even if those problems devolve into crises, and The Campanile would like to stress that. If past serves as prologue (as it usually does), the beginning of the second semester will be as frustrating for students as the start of this semester was. In light of this, The Campanile would like to propose the following amendments to the guidance department’s current practices: 1. Respond to student emails, even if your answer is “no” or “maybe later”. 2. Handle schedule changes promptly and without complaint. 3. If necessary, hire more staff members. The Campanile strongly encourages, for the sake and well-being of Paly students, the District to consider our recommendations. Paly students rightfully expect and deserve to have their questions and concerns addressed promptly.
other opinions, it is important for students to acknowledge opposing perspectives. Failing to do so violates the goal of intellectual diversity that academic institutions should value. The ability of a student to block out opinions of others hinders the free flow of ideas. Alternatively, there are clubs and organizations, such as LGBTQ, racial and religious communities, whose primary intentions are to create safe spaces. But the recent drift has been that it spreads into classrooms or public speaking venues — areas where free speech should not be restricted. For example, schools have been canceling potentially controversial guest speakers in favor of respecting safe spaces among the student community. Furthermore, trigger warnings in the classroom set the dangerous precedent of allowing students to walk out on discussions whenever they feel like doing so. This may be an appropriate practice in specialized organizations, but safe spaces and trigger warnings have no place in academic contexts, which thrive on open discussion. There comes a point where safe spaces are excessive — students should not engage in discussion with the fear of violating someone else’s safe space, especially when such violations can be unpredictable. In fact, violations of safe spaces are nearly al-
ollowing the University of Chicago’s recent announcement not to support safe spaces and trigger warnings on its campus, many colleges and other academic institutions have pitched in with their perspectives on the issue. While the concept of safe spaces originated half a century ago with the purpose of providing the LGBTQ community with environments that did not tolerate violence and harassment, safe spaces have started to extend to many obscure and unpredictable scenarios. There is a place for safe spaces, just not in an academic setting. Safe spaces have given students the right to block out ideas that they are opposed to at any given moment; trigger warnings allow students to disengage themselves from controversial discussion at their own discretion. Because of this, The Campanile applauds the stance the University of Chicago has taken on the issues of safe spaces and trigger warnings. The primary role of academic institutions is to foster intellectual discussion and growth, not to coddle students. Yet many colleges and universities have found themselves traveling down a slippery slope towards censorship. Safe spaces and trigger warnings allow individuals to deafen themselves to ideas that are disagreeable to them, and while these individuals do not necessarily have to agree with
ways unintentional. Encouraging the creation of safe spaces indirectly restricts free speech because it instills in students a fear of offending or triggering someone else. The Campanile's stance on the issue does not condone hate speech — there is no room for hostility, particularly in an academic environment. Rather, The Campanile encourages communities both academic and social to create communal norms that deter such malevolence. For example, rather than have an administrative authority “ban racist jokes,” students and teachers alike should learn to stand against what they see as unacceptable. If a community agrees that racist jokes are unacceptable, it is the strongest deterrent — far stronger than any administrative action. Ironically, while the intent of safe spaces is to promote inclusion and make students of all backgrounds feel welcome, it does the opposite. Because safe spaces allow students the power to isolate themselves from group discussion, they segregate social and academic interactions. Such a philosophy renders moot the impact of any supposedly-diverse campus, diminishing the quality of education students receive. There are plenty of safe spaces that should and do exist, but we cannot let them extend to academic environments and allow them to cloud intellectual discussions.
Professional tutors should be available for all students
T
he average Palo Alto High School student has many options when seeking tutoring in a given subject. Professional classes and tutors, as well as free teacher and student tutoring through the Academic Resource Center (ARC), are readily available. However, to socioeconomically disadvantaged students, high-quality tutoring resources are limited. Popular tutoring businesses like AJ Tutoring cost around $65 an hour, making them impractical for low-income families. Many teachers offer to meet with students after school or during Flex sessions, but one-on-one sessions are rare as teachers must accommodate a large number of students, which diverts their attention and time. The best solution Paly currently offers to socioeconomically disadvantaged students is free student tutoring through the ARC. Paly students competent in a particular subject can apply to be a tutors through the ARC by filling out an application form and testing for subject proficiency. If selected, these students can tutor others. The problem occurs when a student’s schedule conflicts with that of the ARC program. Tutoring is available from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the exception of Fridays, when it ends at 2 p.m. For students who play a sport or lack coinciding preps, this creates scheduling conflicts that makes it difficult to receive help. Additionally, while student tutors are well-intentioned and often knowledgeable in their respective subject, their actual teaching skills may vary. Though a student may demonstrate competency in a given subject, they may not possess the ability to adapt to another student’s learning styles and teach material accordingly — an
area professional tutors are trained in. However, students of higher socioeconomic status can afford to pay for high-quality, professional tutoring appointments at convenient times, giving them an unfair advantage over students who cannot afford such tutors. This causes a discrepancy that contributes to the achievement gap The Campanile has already detailed in a previous editorial, wherein resources and time are focused on the highest performing students while disadvantaged students are neglected. The Campanile’s solution is for Paly to create a partnership with professional tutoring services in order to give low-income students the opportunity to receive the highest caliber of assistance available. This would help to eliminate the educational advantages awarded to students of higher socioeconomic standings. Disadvantaged students would fill out a form detailing their scheduling and cost difficulties, and the ARC would partner students with professional tutors. Students could then make appointments during times convenient to them. In this way, struggling students could catch back up to the class with high-quality individual tutoring, subsidized by Paly, during times customized to their schedule. This subsequently benefits tutoring companies, offering exposure for new or lesser-known companies by introducing them to Paly students. Due to the clear benefits presented to more financially-secure students who are able to take advantage of external tutoring services, The Campanile thinks Paly should aid disadvantaged students seeking professional tutoring options to alleviate discrepancies in academic performance and help bridge the achievement gap.
SEPTEMBER’S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Tips for Freshmen 10) Run everywhere! Punctuality is sexy.
9) To save time, don't bother changing after P.E.
8) Defiantly standing on the deck will make you lots of friends. 7) Rolly backpacks are always in-style.
6) Please complain about how much homework you have in
"STOP TRYING TO MAKE 'FLEX' HAPPEN."
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 Sam Yun Ashley Zhang
Lifestyle Editors Eli Gwin-Kerr Annalise Wang
Sports Editors Cole Hechtman Kiran Misner
Multimedia Editor Mads McCluskey
Social Media Manager Kate DeAndre
Business Manager Bethany Shiang
Staff Writers Ben Beisheim Yael Ben-Shachar Josh Brigel Ethan Bundy Charlotte Cheng Uma Choudury Phillip Ericsson Joanna Falla Mackenzie Glassford
4) The MAC is the perfect place to play Minecraft.
3) DO NOT get a Facebook (no one uses it anymore).
2) Wear camo to football games as a conversation starter.
1) The front of the student section is reserved for freshmen. - DAVID TAYERI
Maya Homan Edward Kim Grace Kitayama Will Leighton Jacques Manjarrez Nicholas Melvin Anna Moragne Jordan Quigley Maya Ravel-Bailey Niklas Risano
Photographers Charlotte Cheng Maya Homan Gracie Kitayama
front of upperclassmen. They have no idea how hard Bio is! 5) Play music out loud on your phone. People love it!
Managing Editor Alice Zhao
Gillian Robins Jordan Schilling Peyton Wang
Advisors Esther Wojcicki
Rodney Satterthwaite
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. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or sponsors in
Ehecatl Rivera-Pinedo Gillian Robins Paarth Sharma Jared Stanley Avi Tachna-Fram Peyton Wang Clay Watson Allison Wu Joseph Yang
Illustrators Kate DeAndre Joanna Falla
Jacques Manjarrez
Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards
Elisabeth Rubinfien
The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!
L FESTYLE
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
1 IN 2000
Faisal Ojjeh The Campanile welcomes the younger sibling of noteworthy alumnus Laith Ojjeh.
Exploring Eighth Period Classes S
econds after the final bell rings on Wednesday at 3:25 p.m., Palo Alto High School is flooded with students marching across the quad, darting between aisles of lockers and lingering in clumps around the bike cages. While most students race home after an exhausting day, thirty-five students head back to class, their shoes thundering up against the stairs in the MAC as they reach their final period of the day: Advanced Authentic Research (AAR). AAR is just one of 10 eighth-period classes offered at Paly including
Stage Technology, Teaching Practicum and Work Experience. Eighth period classes meet outside of the normal daily academic schedule. Some classes meet directly after school and others gather at 5 to 6 p.m. There are a number of reasons that a class may be available eighth period; it might be a speciality class such as Jazz band or Advanced Vocals. Some are associated with work and research projects outside of school, such as Science Research Projects and AAR. However, many students are unaware of the unique opportunities that eighth period classes offer.
Stage Technology Teacher: Kathleen Woods
Grades 9-12
Monday 3:30-5:30p.m.
O
ne eighth period class, Stage Tech, has close ties to Paly’s theater program. While the actors are memorizing lines and learning choreography, students in Stage Tech are working behind the scenes to make sure each show runs smoothly. “[The students] have an opportunity to learn about every area of backstage work,” said Stage Tech teacher Kathleen Woods. “That includes sound, lighting, makeup, costuming, props, video and it also includes some leadership roles such as assistant directing, being an assistant choreographer and dramaturgy which is the research into the background of a play or a playwright.” Many people who work in the entertainment industry also visit the class to help teach. “Each student gets a basic training in all areas and do tend to specialize, so if they’re on a crew they might be on the lighting crew, in which case they would learn how to hang and focus lights,” Woods said. “They might eventually work their way up to where they’re learning how to design the lights [and] how to run the lighting board.” Although Stage Tech is not a regular class, it requires a fair amount of commitment. “The workload varies depending on what you decide to do,” said senior Jessica Wu, who has participated in Stage Tech since her freshman year at Paly. “The requirement is 75 hours a semester, which is equivalent to what you’d do in a classroom.” While it can be demanding at times, both Woods and Wu agree that Stage Tech is a class worth taking both academically and socially. “It feels like a family,” Woods said. “Students develop friends and skills that they’re going to use for a lifetime.”
“You’re able to go more in depth into whatever you’re most passionate about. The freedom is a lot different from my other classes” — Senior tara Madhav
Work Experience Teacher: Meri Gyves
Grades 11-12 Tuesdays at 3:05-3:55 (Paly) or 6:00-6:50 (Gunn)
W
ork Experience is an eighth period course that allows students to earn Career Tech credit while working part-time. Students either find their own employment, or Meri Gyves, the instructor spearheading the Work Experience course, helps them find a job. Students enrolled in Work Experience must attend weekly seminars either at Gunn or at Paly to learn about skills such as writing resumés and preparing for interviews. “[Work Experience] teaches the soft skills that employers and colleges are looking for in the students,” said Gyves. “In today’s businesses, they don’t just want people that are focused, they want people that they can get along with. They are going to spend time with you, so it’s important that you have the soft skills to know how to deal with people.” The class is both enlightening and practical, as these seminars provide students with a number of important life skills that would not be taught in any other course offered at Paly. “The stuff that she’s teaching us, like how to prepare for an interview, how to write letters and stuff like that is genuinely, useful and you can apply it immediately," said junior Angelina Wang.
Advanced authentic research Teachers: Dr. Choe, Ms. Chute
I
n October of last year, Paly introduced a new eighth period course called Advanced Authentic Research (AAR). Over 70 students from Paly and Gunn enrolled in the class during its pilot year. This year, it is a U.C. approved course, meaning that students will receive a letter grade instead of a pass or fail. Every week after school, AAR students check in with their assigned AAR teacher, who goes over weekly assignments. Students are expected to spend 60 hours per semester on research, which divides into roughly three to four hours of work per week. After passing the course, students receive 10 Career Tech Ed credits. “The idea behind [AAR] has always been to partner students with people in the community, but that doesn’t lend itself to the periods that exist in a school day,” said Deanna Chute, Paly’s AAR liaison. “Eighth period allows kids to meet in other ways and not just with a teacher during a certain class.” AAR’s curriculum revolves around students as individuals in addition to each student's processes of conducting research in a particular field. To encourage authentic research, students are paired with a mentor who is employed in a chosen field of work. Mentors guide students through development of a research question in addition to students’ research. Senior Tara Madhav, who participated in AAR during its pilot year, enjoys the control that students have over their own learning. “You get to choose what you study, which is something I really like,” Madhav said. “You’re able to go more in depth into whatever you’re most passionate about. The freedom is a lot different from my other classes.” According to Chute, AAR provides students with new opportunities and experiences not offered in traditional classes. “My fantasy is that every student has an experience like this where it’s driven by their own interests and they determine their own path,” Chute said.
Text by M
aya Homa
Design by Maya
Homan & Betha
Wang
ny Shiang
Grades 11-12
During a regular period & Flex
T
eaching Practicum is the go-to course for that one kid who always explains everything in your Chemistry class. While being a Teacher Advisor mostly consists of alphabetizing and grading quizzes, students enrolled in Teaching Practicum help lead underclassmen courses. “[Teaching Practicum] is a class for upperclassmen, and they’re working with a mentor teacher in a classroom that’s typically underclassmen,” said Elizabeth Brimhall, who runs Teaching Practicum as well as teaching Biology at Paly. Teaching Practicum requires students to have a free period in their schedule for teaching a class. It is also mandatory for students to attend bimonthly seminars during Flex on topics such as new trends in education, learning styles and classroom safety. “It’s called Teaching Practicum because there are two different aspects of the course.” Brimhall said. “There’s the practicum course part, where [students] are with their mentor teacher. Then there’s the seminar part, where they meet with me during part of flex time and learn what it’s like to be a professional educator.” Unlike other eighth period classes, Teaching Practicum gives students the opportunity to step into a teacher’s shoes. This allows students to hone their leadership and communication skills simultaneously in an academic environment. “I decided to take Teaching Practicum not because I necessarily want to teach, but because I think that learning to teach will help me learn and understand how people work a lot more,” said junior Sarah Brodbeck. “I love to direct [in theater,] so hopefully it will help me improve on that part.”
aching e T e k cta ed to ecause I ne d i c e d b t “I m not o teach, bu u c i t c t g Pra want at learnin y l i r a h t n ess I think elp me lear e s u a h le bec h will d how peop c a e t to rstan more,” e d n u and a lot ck work rodbe Sarah
n & Peyton
Teaching Practicum Teacher: Elizabeth Brimhall
ior — Jun
Grades 10-12 Wednesday or Thursday 3:30-4:15
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STUDENT LIFE
PokéLOVE replaces Cold Stone Creamery Town and Country's newest addition, PokÈLOVE, features rice bowls served with pokÈ and other toppings. The eatery is a fusion of different Asian flavors and is the first restaurant at Town and Country to serve boba. GRACE KITYAMA/ THE CAMPANILE
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LIFESTYLE
COURTESY OF 9TO5MAC.COM
New features of iPhone 7 Apple CEO announces new updates and unique features. PAGES B4-B5
COURTESY OF DENOFGEEK.COM
STUDENT LIFE
LIFESTYLE
COURTESY OF HYPEBEAST.COM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Frank Ocean’s new album
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PAGE B8
Kubo incorporates complex themes and detailed animation.
The R&B star comes back with a wide variety of new media.
Friday, September 16, 2016
B2
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE incredibly hard for someone else to notice when something is wrong, while the problem is there hiding in plain sight. Society doesn’t tend to recognize these problems as actual problems since there is a certain level of pressure to possess an “ideal body” because that is what is seen to be “perfect” or “beautiful” like many celebrities and models. I think it is important to know that the term “model” does not correlate directly with “role model”. Fashion models’ job are to sell clothes by making themselves look good in pictures, not to be idols. It’s easy and almost inevitable to see these public people’s measurements as favorable body proportions, and so often they are simply astronomically unrealistic. You don’t have to be half a foot above the average height and ten sizes below the average clothing or dress size to look good.
It is important to know that the term “model’” does not correlate directly with “role model.”’
DEAR ANNALISE, I have a friend I met during the summer on the East Coast, and she has a pretty serious eating disorder. I do my best to support her and try to get her to stop forcing herself to skip meals, but it’s harder for me to control her eating habits now because I’m no longer there with her. Her parents know about her problem and don’t seem to be helping in a positive way, and I’m really starting to worry about her. What can I do? -Distant but Concerned Friend
DEAR DISTANT BUT CONCERNED FRIEND, First of all, thank you for caring this deeply about a friend. It takes a lot to not only be there for your friend during the good times, but to stay just as caring during the bad ones. You are trying to help and support her even though you’re so many miles away from her and it is admirable that you are such a genuine friend. Eating disorders have unfortunately been becoming increasingly common and difficult to spot. It is
Many things tend to stem from insecurity — in the quest of trying to become more secure in your sense of self, you tell yourself that you must try to appear to the world as perfect so society can praise and validate you since you are unsuccessful at doing that for yourself. Teenagers and adolescents are notoriously insecure, and it is helpful to know that insecurity is not a character flaw or some debilitating disease — rather, you are in the vast majority of teenagers if you are insecure in all or some aspects of yourself. Looking at your body and telling yourself that it is imperfect the way it is could just be a way of trying to be perfect to mask that underlying
insecurity. Instead of trying new ways to have other people look at you and say that you’re perfect, one must truly prioritize self-care. The most loving and caring people in the world who are so kind to their peers and everyone else around them are sometimes not as kind to themselves. You yourself are someone to look after just as much so as a best friend or significant other. You cannot take care of other people unless you take care of yourself first — it is a fundamental step towards being healthy. My advice to you is to continue supporting your friend. Be there for her, but please realize you cannot control her food intake and watch over her constantly, especially as you are physically so far away. Even if you could be right there all the time, it’s not your job as a friend and fellow teenager to be her conscience, psychiatrist or her doctor. Encourage her to take care of herself. If she continues to worsen or stays the same, give her the support and strength to seek help. It is not something to be ashamed or insecure of. School counselors are a valuable resource one can turn to and they can help connect students to appropriate mental health and medical resources. They are also equipped and willing to work with your friend’s parents and help give them more psycho education. There may be many excuses to not seek help such as believing it is not necessary, or that the help won’t be beneficial but if the condition is serious these are simply excuses. A mental illness is just as serious, and sometimes gravely more so, as a physical ailment. When you’re physically hurt, you grab a band-aid and let the wound heal, unless the wound is much deeper — then, you require attention from professionals, because that hurt will
not go away without help and can even worsen. It is the same concept for mental diseases — if you let the hurt sit there and fester it could turn even more serious than it already is.
There may be many excuses to not seek help such as not needing it, or the help won’t be beneficial but if the condition is serious these are simply excuses. I know you probably want to fix it yourself because you care deeply for your friend, but the most helpful thing to do right now it to give her the strength to reach out to therapists and mentors who are trained to help with long-term solutions. I genuinely hope that her situation improves — sending lots of love to both of you. No one should feel that they aren’t cared for or worthy of being loved, because they are, and you’ve heard that countless times before but I cannot begin to stress its importance. It’s our job to improve the standards for what is “healthy”, and that doesn’t mean we have to change much, just being open to changing our outlook on ourselves and those around us and making a little effort to love a little more. With love, Annalise Wang 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. To submit a question or issue to be published and answered in an upcoming issue of The Campanile, please complete the form “Dear Annalise Submission” which can be found at paly.io/dearannalise.
Capstone pathway project targets social justice issues Students in the Social Justice Pathway have freedom to explore solutions to community and societal problems JORDAN QUIGLEY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
T
he Social Justice Pathway (SJP) is a Palo Alto High School program aimed at incorporating current events in the community with what is being learned in the classroom. From sophomore year, where students get familiarized with the new style of project-based learning, through junior year, when they are introduced to their internship, Social Justice students gain the information and resources needed to create their final project. In this final project, called The Capstone Project, students are find a real-world social justice issue that interests them, determine a solution and make an effort to aid the problem. Students are to then write an eight to 10 page research paper on the social issue they studied and what they did to combat the problem. Social justice issues can range from women’s equality to racial barriers to the childhood education gap.
[The Social Justice Pathway] matches a student with an adult mentor in the community based upon a specific area of interest. Senior Yotam Ponte, who is in the SJP, wants to focus on food justice. “I want to focus on why people aren’t getting healthy food and why [and how to fix this],” Ponte said. English teacher Erin Angell and history teacher Eric Bloom, who together lead the First Cohort, have done various exercises in class to help students find a topic that will interest them. One such exercise that helped students narrow down their options for a topic asked students to write down anything that was considered an issue in the community. Each student was to write down any skills that they have, as well as activities that they love to do on sticky notes. From there, they started to research specific social justice issues that related to their skills and interests. After writing down ideas for possible topics, students started finding credible articles that related to their areas of interest. Topics included poverty, access to medical care, women’s rights, language barriers and lack of natural
GILLIAN ROBINS/ THE CAMPANILE
Social Justice student Ahana Ganguly works diligently on her computer. Ganguly is researching for her Capstone Project, the final project of the Social Justice Pathway.
resources. From there, students had to choose their top three issues that interested them the most and come up with ways they could attempt to help remedy this problem. There are many different ways students can find a solution for the issue that they have chosen. For example, if a student wanted to focus on the education gap for children in the Bay Area, they could start a program that would help children who need more one-on-one attention in reading and writing. Another resource that Social Justice students have at their disposal is Advanced Authentic Research (AAR). AAR is a new class that Paly began offering last year. This class matches a student with an adult mentor in the community based upon a specific area of interest. Then, the student and the mentor will meet at least once a week to
discuss the project and ways to move forward. Each mentor is a valuable resource because they can help the student obtain connections to help them solve their social justice issue. The student then researches an issue that sparks their interest with guidance and resources from the mentor, and eventually, the student completes a formal research paper on the issue.
Topics included poverty, access to medical care, women’s rights, language barriers and lack of natural resources. This year, Social Justice students are required to take AAR as their mentor and research will help them with their Capstone Project and will ultimately help students gain all the
information they need to successfully complete their project. Students say that they are excited about the prospect of creating a change within their community because of this project. Many of them have a general idea of what topic they want to focus on, even though they are still in the first stages of the project. Ahana Ganguly, a senior in the SJP, wants to observe how the mindset of social justice students changes throughout their four years in high school. “I’m thinking about writing a survey to track mindset change in students as they move through the Social Justice Pathway — it’ll measure resilience, critical thinking and social tolerance,” Ganguly said. Senior Jeanette Andrews, another member of the Pathway, has not fully decided what she wants to focus on
yet, but is leaning towards a project related to women’s rights and feminist issues. “I might want to do something related to gender inequality and how girls are taught to put a huge value on appearance,” Andrews said. Another SJP member, senior Molly Weitzman, wants to study how language barriers affects children’s education. “Education, specifically helping kids who don’t have English speaking parents at home to help with writing, [is what I want to focus my Capstone project on],” Weitzman said. After two years of being in the SJP, the students are finally utilizing all of the skills and resources they have gained from their various experiences to put together a final project that will focus on and improve a social justice issue that they are truly passionate about.
The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
LIFESTYLE
B3
Don’t Think Twice: downfall of the modern media The movie, which recieved a 7.9/10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, covers the lives of aspiring improv comedians
COURTESTY OF THE FILM ARCADE
This comedy follows members of an improv group in as they pursue their dreams while exploring themselves individually and dealing with their daily troubles.
JACQUES MANJARREZ
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
S
ometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but when it does, it’s like open-field running.” said Robin Williams when asked about his thoughts on improv-comedy. Now, it is clear to me that after watching the film Don’t Think Twice directed by Mike Birbiglia, that Mr. Williams had left out the part that when improv fails, it’s like standing in a field of quicksand - trapped, unable to do anything but to endure a slow, painful demise. Funnily enough, this was the exact sensation I got from watching the film. Improv comedy initially began as a way for actors to prepare for a show, but it has evolved over recent years into a respected theatrical art itself. In improv comedy, artists take on
different roles and create stories on the spot, often with the intention of making a hilarious exchange with no preparation. Because of the intensity, skill and surprisingly competitive nature of improv, there exists a grand deal of potential in an original story with improv comedy as its subject. So, when I first heard that respected comedian and writer Mike Birbiglia announced that he was writing and directing an original film about an improv troupe based on his own experiences as an aspiring comedian, I was interested to say the least. Then, once I read that upon its release “Dont’ Think Twice” achieved an impressive score of 99 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, I was exhilarated. In recent years, we have been witnessing the decline of good cinema as films advertising explosions and simple drama have taken the place of
innovative art and complex stories. I was, as I imagine are many filmgoers, thirsty for something new in cinema. Something original, something good. I was confident that Don’t Think Twice would, if anything at all, encourage a new era of real human stories in cinema instead over-dramatized dribble. I was thoroughly disappointed. The film opens with a group of improv-comedians all trying to take their careers to the next level. When one of the comedians, played by Keegan-Michael Key (from the comedy duo Key and Peele) gets a job in the comedy show “Weekend Live’” he becomes isolated from his former group of fellow improv-artists who did not make the cut. From there, the film follows the experiences of the artists though this massive career shift and challenges their own friendship as they approach
the forbidden question of adulthood: “Should I really be doing this?” If I were to attach an analogy to the film, it would be that of a trying actor with a carnivorous appetite for attention and admiration. Upon first glance, it seems to be a very artsy film with an energetic, youthful vibe. But once you get past the first 10 minutes, two horrible realizations set in: firstly, that this film is actually terrible and secondly, that this is the current standard of film in the modern media. It is at about this point that the whole film experience devolves into a pit fight with you the moviegoer, stationed at one end, armed with only your critical mentality and your enduring focus versus the rabid hound that seeks to tear your sense of wonder and hope for the future of cinema to shreds. The beast first pounces at you with
new-age New-Yorker style cinematography with aesthetically pleasing and compositionally sound shots. But you manage to dodge left with the realization that every frame that isn’t an obnoxious mediumlong-shot with two characters talking inaudibly with some feel-good music over a blurred background feels crowded and amateurish, as if it was taken straight out of an New York University film student’s thesis. It doesn’t do anything original, nor does it inform plot. There is absolutely no communication between picture and story. When the beast realizes that you have just evaded his attack, he turns and prepares to charge again with a cast of familiar faces, including Keegan Michael Key from the comedy duo “Key and Peele.” each playing a young, seemingly adorable character that everyone can relate to. But I found that these characters were some of the detestable characters I have encountered in film. They are each selfish, despicable things, fooling themselves and the people around them into thinking that their main interest is to keep their friendship intact when in reality it is to rise above their companion’s careers. The writing as well is a noteworthy fault. The way the characters speak is awkward and irritable to each other to the point that they don’t even sound human anymore. The beast now knows your tricks, and assaults you with a killing blow. The plot tells a real story about real dreams being crushed and new developments to characters that are never really revisited. It’s as if a team of writers got together and said, “What’s the most depressing story we can tell?” I had the privilege of attending a session of Paly’s own improv troupe, to see what the film did get right in improv. Frankly, I was relieved that the students present there did not share the characters of the protagonists in the film. In conclusion, I would give the film Don’t Think Twice a strong 4/10.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
B4
SPOTLIGHT
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Department: P.E./Dance Years Teaching: 8 “I love the Yeats quote that ‘education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.’ It’s something that should continue to grow but something you have to keep feeding. It’s not one-and-done with education; you have to keep having that desire to keep going.”
Paul LeGRIS Department: Science Years Teaching: 1 “The staff is incredible. All the teachers I’ve met are excellent teachers and the support from the admin is incredible. When the opportunity came up for me to be given a position here, I jumped at it cause it’s such a wonderful environment here.”
Daniel Nguyen Department: math Years Teaching: 2 t do
n’ dents think they ca “A lot of times, stu ned a ai pl ex e material is math, but when th sense’ es ak m is like ‘oh, th certain way, they’re nfico in ga d an ove a lot and they can impr h, and h. That’s why I teac dence in doing mat m.” tisfaction comes fro that’s where the sa
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Rodney Satterthwaite Department: Journalism Years Teaching: 28 “You can go to community college and your life is going to be okay if that’s what you want to do. I have taught long enough so I can show students that. I bring that up [stressed] students saying ‘I know people who weren’t good students and it is going to all okay.’”
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Andrea struve Department: history Years Teaching: 2 “I love that moment when students have a smile on their face [while they are learning], or some notification that they know it and they get excited about learning the material. That is what keeps me teaching and what I live for.”
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The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
SPOTLIGHT
B5
ERS: 20 MORE O LOVE PALY Joshua Hinrich
s of incoming freshwave of teachers has ulty. But just who are very day in the halls ng block days with? hey became teachers? become? Follow The he people behind the ts and Infinite Camver what drives them
Department: English Years Teaching: 17 “I have dyslexia, so there was a point when I started to have trouble processing complex texts. At that point, I got special help from teachers. This was a formative moment because teachers were able to strategies that removed the barrier [of difficult reading].”
Korynne Headley Department: Special Ed Years Teaching: 15 “I [worked] for a company that produced a product for hearts since I thought that the product was actually [helping] people. But I was locked in an office all day and I found that I don’t have a lot of patience with adults whereas I have more for younger people.”
Christopher Ge
Department: Sp ecial ed Years Teaching :1 ant to help
people who need , so I take a lot of pride in a little extra that. I needed of help mysel fg ed to do som etting through school. I ething with my career th d people, an at d I wanted to [give] back to ace that gave me so much .”
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Shahram Mostarshed Department: Science Years Teaching: 8 “Prior to [teaching] I was a software engineer. One of the factors that inspired me to switch careers was my mother, who had been a high school teacher, passed away. Teaching was a way of honoring her memory. Also, I was tired at sitting at a cubicle for so many years.”
Ruby Ib
anga Depart ment: m “I lik ath Years T e e a w a y s to make c c h i n la s g: 17 ing st u c h a s d o i s s e n g a g i n u n g
in d solve d e n t s w r i t g a c t i v i t y e thei them, s t a t i o ifferent r own ns, ha an op and o p v v p ent w ortunity to erall, just g roblems a ays." nd iving exper ience s math tudents in diff er-
Michael Lupoli
Department: Sc ience Y e a r s Teaching: 2 “I wanted to teach som
Nicolas Valdes Department: Special Ed Years Teaching: 9 “Keep an open mind. The more you close your mind off, the less likely you are to learn new things. Academics in a book isn’t always going to teach you the best; usually experiences do. The more experiences that we can provide for students, the more they’ll learn.”
ewher forward thin king philoso e that had a very phy on educa Somewhere that was on tion. the cutting terms of sup edge on porting teac hers and stu And Paly h den as fa and staff than r more support for stu ts. dents any school I’ ve ever been at."
Tara vereyken
ience Department: Sc g: 7 Years Teachin ing relevant,
Mark Wilkinson Department: Special Ed Years Teaching: 12
someth connect it to to e av eir personal h u o “Y ething in th m so , ry o st can see how so a news ey leave they th en h w at life, so th d.” the real worl s an d it connects to ay n o t to k n o w th in g k o t.” u y o ll it ta figure “I t’ s to out there to es rc u so re s there’
“The amount of support services here are more comparable to higher education and college than what I’ve seen at any other high school. I hate to say [that] we have times where kids fall through the cracks, but the support here tends to account for that loss that we see.”
Mary Sano Department: History Years Teaching: 15 “I’ve worked many jobs in my life and teaching is very purposeful. And what else do you want from a job?” “Work towards something meaningful and purposeful in life. Paly is so great, so just enjoy your high your school years.”
Friday, September 16, 2016
B6
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
Bay Area non-profit fights spread of HIV San Francisco identified as city with highest reported cases, hopes to end transmission of the deadly disease BETHANY SHIANG
BUSINESS MANAGER
H
e isn’t fully out to his parents, or to his friends. He had unprotected sex. His lover told him yesterday that he tested positive for HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea. He may have HIV too. It’s no one’s fault, but it happened. Stress has left him confused and ashamed. Fear has manifested itself in physical form — a stomachache, sweaty palms, elevated heart rate and the inability to sleep. He can’t tell his family. He can’t tell his friends. The only solace he has is the knowledge that there is free medical support for people in similar situations to at a non-profit foundation in the Castro District of San Francisco. The only thing he can do now is make an appointment. Strut is a non-profit foundation that not only offers free screenings for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted diseases, but also free substance abuse counseling, sexual health services and community support and wellness programs for gay, bisexual and transgender men.
If you were living in the Castro in San Francisco, mostly everyone in the neighborhood was gay. So you wouldn’t just see your friends that were dying, it was your whole neighborhood.
Anonymous Patient “The new center, Strut, will use a holistic approach to focus not on sickness and disease, but on health and wellness,” said Tim Patriarca, executive director of Strut, in an interview with online blog, Beta. “We want to inspire and empower the gay, bisexual and transgender men in our community to take control of their health and give them the tools, support and knowledge to be able to do so.” The 1980s were the height of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. Because it was unknown how AIDS spread, people became paranoid of who and what they touched. There were no tests and no real treatments. Consequently, AIDS struck many young men, espe-
JACQUES MANJARREZ/THE CAMPANILE
With Strut’s help, individuals of the LGBTQ community who have contracted HIV will not feel as though they are outcasts in society, but rather accepted by everyone.
cially those in the gay community, so much so that its original name was “gay-related immune deficiency.” Doctors and nurses were scared to touch patients and debated if they had a moral obligation to treat patients. Parents didn’t take their children to hospitals that treated patients with AIDS and religious communities called patients with HIV “abominations.” The most numerously reported cases were in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. “If you were living in the Castro [District] in San Francisco mostly everyone in the neighborhood was gay,” said an anonymous patient of Strut. “So you wouldn’t just see your friends that were dying, it was your whole neighborhood. One of my
mailmen died and the next day a flower shop was gone… You wouldn’t be invited to the funeral, so it was just like people were disappearing.” Although San Francisco was documented as one of three cities in the country with the highest numbers of HIV cases, it now looks to be the first city to end HIV transmission. Nearly 16,000 people living in San Francisco have HIV, 73 percent of which are men who have had or are currently having sex with men. The Castro area of San Francisco has the highest rate of HIV diagnoses out of any other neighborhood in San Francisco –– three times more than the average rate of the entire city. Having a clinic in the Castro District that targets a certain demo-
graphic helps make a strong, positive impact on the gay community. “Strut is about coming together to build a stronger, healthier and more vibrant community,” said Neil Giuliano, San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO, in an article with San Francisco Bay Times. Besides health services, Strut also provides free substance usage services along with HIV counseling in order to target a wider audience. “Sometimes guys come into the clinic looking for sexual health services, but when you scratch below the surface, you learn that they may have ongoing substance use concerns or may just be lonely,” said Steve Gibson, director of sexual health services, said in an interview with Beta. “With
the move to Strut, we’ll be able to get them into a counseling session to talk about their drug use.” Ultimately, HIV can be introduced into any male’s life while he is doing a very basic, human thing: needing love. It is unfair that this disease punishes people who only want to fulfill a basic human need, but life presents many unexpected consequences. He does not need to be ashamed of how be became HIV-positive, but how he lives with it. Strut is helping LGBTQ men learn to be proud of how they handle such a disease and to know that everyone should and will be proud of them for what they endure.
Apple releases new iPhone 7, makes major upgrades New model removes headphone jack and includes water resistance, improved camera and additional speaker wireless Bluetooth “Apple AirPods.” These new headphones are designed to provide optimal comfort to iPhone users. Features of the new AirPods include site optimization of microphones when placing a phone call and automatic pausing of the audio once the buds are removed from the user’s ear. Dan Riccio, Apple’s Senior Vice President of hardware engineering, felt the iPhone’s typical audio jack was taking up valuable space on the phone.
UMA CHOUDHURY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
I
n a September keynote address, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the release of the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which became available for pre-sale on Sept. 9. Both models will be available to the general public on Sept. 16 while the AirPods will go on sale in late October. One of the most pronounced updates for the new addition to the iPhone collection include a 25 percent brighter Retina HD display, doubled battery life and faster LTE than any of the previous iPhone models.
One of the most unique features is a two-camera system that is present only in the larger of the new phones, the 7 Plus.
[The audio jack] was holding us back from a number of things we wanted to put into the iPhone. Dan Riccio Senior VP of Hardware Engineering In addition to the traditional iPhone colors of gray, rose gold, gold and space gray, the new iPhone models will be available in both black and jet black. The iPhone’s updated home button is now force-sensitive, meaning it no longer presses down when touched. An external speaker at the top of the phone makes the new iPhone twice as loud as the previous versions and also allows audio to be play in stereo mode. Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are now water resistant. Both phones can be submerged
COURTESY OF VENTUREBEAT.COM
The iPhone 7 and its new colors were released on Sept. 7; they are rumored to appear in stores on Sept. 16 for purchase.
underwater at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, rendering the fear of accidentally dropping the phone in a puddle or sink a worry of the past. One of the most unique features is
a two-camera system that is present only in the larger of the new phones, the 7 Plus. One lens has a 2x optical zoom while the other has a 10x digital zoom. Images captured by both lens
are combined into a single photo for optimal quality. The biggest controversies surrounding the new phones are the absence of the traditional headphone jacks and Apple’s newly-released
“[The audio jack] was holding us back from a number of things we wanted to put into the iPhone,” Riccio said in a recent interview with Buzzfeed. “It was fighting for space with camera technologies and processors and battery life. And frankly, when there’s a better, modern solution available, it’s crazy to keep it around.” As many apple users have stressed how they prefer using wired headphones. For those not inclined to purchase $159 AirPods, Apple will offer an adapter — sold separately — that will allow users to continue using their traditional wired headphones. Predictably, the prices have been raised again. The larger, 32 GB versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus retail at $645 and $769, respectively.
The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
LIFESTYLE PokéLOVE offers trendy lunch option
Build-your-own-bowl and boba drinks entice visitors to this Asian-inspired restaurant GRACE KITAYAMA
STAFF WRITER
T
he newest food trend to grace your Instagram feed is now no further than a short walk across the street from your favorite high school. PokéLOVE is an exciting new lunch spot that offers a unique Palo Alto meal. PokéLOVE opened its first location this summer, located in place of what was formerly Cold Stone Creamery. The latest addition to Town and Country’s slew of restaurants, PokéLOVE’s speedy service and wide range of choices makes it a great lunch option for all Palo Alto High School students. PokéLOVE is open from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. every day. Poké (poke-ay) is a seasoned raw, fish chunk salad that has been a popular dish in Hawaii for several decades. Poké bowls — rice bowls served with poké in addition to other toppings and add-ins — have recently been gaining popularity everywhere. Restaurants selling bowls of fish, rice and other goodies have been popping up in multiple locations around the Bay, including one coming soon to the Stanford Shopping Center. Owner Alex Chan opened PokéLOVE three months ago. The restaurant blends many other Asian cultures into a menu that boasts unique flavors and combinations that are intriguing for even the most veteran poké consumers. The restaurant itself is decorated minimalistically. The white-tiled walls, simple dining tables and an abundance of natural lighting make for a clean and open ambiance for either indoor or outdoor dining. PokéLOVE is also the first restaurant in Town and Country to serve boba drinks, which are very popular among Paly students. Though a menu of pre-styled bowls is offered, one of the main attractions of the new poké shop is that customers can create their own bowls based on their personal preferences. PokéLOVE calls this feature Build Your Own Bowl. Similar to many other restaurant chains, PokéLOVE works in an assembly line fashion. The perfect bowl is constructed right before your eyes
GRACE KITAYAMA/THE CAMPANILE
PokeLOVE’s bowls consist of up to three proteins with raw and cooked options, rice, additional toppings and delectable sauces.
as you choose which base, proteins, mix-ins, dressings and toppings go into your meal. There is also a student special for $8.95 that includes rice, chicken and various add-ons. Step one of “Build Your Own Bowl” is picking the base of the dish. Diners are given options that range from classic sushi rice or noodles to to quinoa and salad for those who have no-carb or paleo diets.
Despite its slightly confusing pricing, PokéLOVE, with its wide range of options and speedy service, is destined to be a lunch hot spot frequented by Paly lunch-goers who are looking for a satisfying and delectable meal any time of day. Step two involves picking the proteins for the bowl. Customers are allowed to pick up to three proteins for the regular bowl ($10.95) and five proteins for the large bowl ($13.95). The protein section has a wide range of meats and seafood, including seasoned tuna and salmon and more obscure proteins such as shrimp, chicken, eel and even tofu. Though poké is traditionally served raw, PokéLOVE offers to bake salmon protein free of charge. In step three of picking the per-
fect poké platter, various beans and vegetables, which PokéLOVE dubs “mix-ins,” can be added. Step four consists of dressing the poké bowl with one of the many homemade sauces the shop has to offer. The flavors range in spiciness from mild to “bring on the heat,” which will satisfy a variety of customers with varying tolerances for spices. The fifth step of a personalized bowl is choosing toppings. Future diners should be wary of this step because in it lies much room for error. Though it may seem tempting to just add the avocado or the crab mix, think first of how they will mix with the other ingredients in your bowl, and weigh the options. Additionally, while avocado may seem like a no-brainer addition to one’s meal, take note of how it tastes with sushi rice instead of Mexican rice, and in a bowl of raw fish instead of rolled in a tortilla. Diners must also be aware of the massive dollops of toppings that will inevitably be added to their bowl, so they should be confident about their topping choice before committing to a bowl. Though the bowls are unique and tasty, the prices are slightly higher than expected. PokéLOVE markets their regular bowl at $10.95 and their large bowl at $13.95. However, both
of the bowls ordered cost $13.54 for a regular size. This price increase can be attributed to extra toppings added, but PokéLOVE does not do a good job of making add-on prices clear to their customers. Despite the higher prices, the service was friendly and accommodating. The waitstaff answers all questions and gives recommendations for toppings and proteins. Additionally, the service was very efficient. The poké is fresh and delicious and the different add-ons and sauces, couples with the Asian fusion style in the menu, creates a gratifying overall experience that makes customers return often to try the many different choices that the shop has to offer. All in all, PokéLOVE is a welcome addition to Town and Country and Palo Alto. The restaurant offers a type of food that is not yet found anywhere else near Paly. Despite its slightly confusing pricing, PokéLOVE, with its wide range of options and speedy service, is destined to be a lunch spot frequented by many Paly lunch-goers who are looking for a satisfying and delectable meal any time of day. Price:
Ambiance: Food:
Detailed amimation, melancholy themes and unique art style define spectacular movie scheme and design borrow from traditional Japanese paintings. The music and sound effects are equally detailed, and the oriental setting of the story allow for unique scores. Sound is especially poignant during fight scenes, where both the overt, such as the clang of metal on metal, and the subtle — the pounding of footsteps on wood, captivate and immerse the audience. Additionally, renowned actors Matthew McConaughey and George Takei lend their voices to a talented and diverse cast.
From sweeping, hand-painted landscapes to its expertly recorded music that oscillates between childish and frightfully sinister, and there is an attention to detail and a purpose that pervades and guides the entire film.
COURTESY OF POINT OF GEEKS
Despite being fairly unknown upon its release, “Kubo and the Two Strings” earned a 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
S
imply put, “Kubo and the Two Strings” is the best animated movie of the year. From an epic yet heartfelt story to its expertly recorded music that oscillates between childish and frightfully sinister, there is an attention to detail and a purpose that pervades and guides the entire film. Kubo was relatively unknown before its release, but has since received a 96 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed over 30 million dollars. Set in Feudal Japan, the movie tells the story of a young boy named Kubo who earns a modest living performing stories for the townspeople
Every college visit you will ever go on
DAVID TAYERI
“Kubo and the Two Strings” exceeds expectations
KAI ODA
B7
with the use of weak magic and sheets of paper. At night, he returns to a mountain cave and spends time with his ill mother, who fills his head with her grand stories of heroism and bravery. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes as Kubo is found by a pair of assassins who kill his mother — thrusting Kubo into a desperate quest to find a set of magical weapons that can protect him from the danger he now faces. Along the way Kubo gets some help from a few friends. He is helped by a talking monkey and a giant beetle who come to replace the family he has lost. The relationship that Kubo forms with these creatures is the heart of this movie — revealing that friendship and family can take
many forms. At first, the plot may sound similar to other animated films like “The Jungle Book” and “Pete’s Dragon” but make no mistake, Kubo is unlike any movie this summer. The art style is the most noticeable trait, as all characters, props and sets are made entirely out of clay. It is similar to other films like “Coraline” and “The Box Trolls” produced by Laika, but injects a healthy dose of special effects that make Kubo one of the best looking films of the year. Character’s expressions and structure visibly shift and there is a tactile brilliance to each scene as clay enables more realistic destruction and movement. Detailed backgrounds are beautifully rendered, and the color
Yet the trait that really sets Kubo apart is its melancholy story. Kubo does not let its problems end “happily ever after,” rather its most memorable scenes are punctuated by deep, irreparable loss. It explores acceptance and forgiveness, death and even examines what true power is. In accordance with its Japanese roots, the movie values bravery and family more than love and friendship, making its themes and character interactions refreshing. Yet Kubo manages to come across as innocent and entertaining despite presenting the aforementioned moral questions. It is not perfect — during high action or slow moving scenes the limitations of clay become apparent and some of the plot twists feel corny, but the bottom line is this — Kubo takes a risk on multiple artistic levels and succeeds. It is one of the rare animated movies that truly present something for all audiences.
ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A
s your Uber driver pulls into the main gate of College University, you peer out the window. The ivy-clad towers, ethnically diverse students and depressed professors are all there, just like the brochure advertised! You avoid eyecontact with the other high-schoolers walking in your direction and pray that your dad doesn’t attempt to strike up a conversation with anyone. Once you arrive in the way-toohot information session room and are handed a visitor’s brochure, you sit down and quickly scope out your fellow college tourists. You should be able to immediately discern the people who will be going on a football scholarship (no one could possibly in that good shape and have the grades to get in here) from the ones who will be going on legacy (they look way too confident) from the Asian kid who is probably 12 years old (come on). None of these other attendees will make you feel terribly secure about your chances of getting in. The information session, delivered by a junior wearing khakis and a sophomore computer science major in a skirt, surprises you with its originality. Unlike the other schools you have visited so far, College University offers a great student-to-faculty ratio, abundant study abroad programs and professors that cured cancer on a coffee break. What’s that? The student’s here are driven and intelligent, yet they know how to have fun? Wow! The last school you went to kept going on about how miserable and lazy all the students were there. Next, they’ll tell you something really crazy, like that College University does have Greek life, but it’s not, like, too much Greek life or anything. The quick Q&A session that follows features the mom of the 12-year-old asking about the engineering program while khakis pleads you with his eyes to inquire about how helpful and friendly all of the professors are here. It’s time for the main event: the tour! This consists of one-and-a-half hours of wondering how your guide, who is walking backwards, hasn’t fallen over yet. As you drift from the dining hall to the library to the quad, you struggle to remember the name of the school you’re visiting. Luckily, the constant stream of facts flowing from your guide’s mouth are fascinating and informative. You didn’t even know you wanted to apply to College University before you found out that the statue in front of Richman Hall had been donated to the school in 1867. As the tour begins to wrap up, you suddenly regret not asking the tour guide any questions while you had the chance. What if he could have answered them differently than the guides from the last six college tours you went on? Now you’ll never know. You trudge back to the visitor’s center and pick up the final courtesy brochure. You attempt to shove it into your backpack, but there are enough brochures to build a homeless shelter for a dozen College University art majors in there, so you settle for folding it and sliding it in your pocket. As you wait on the curb for your Uber to visit University of College, you gaze wistfully back at the campus you have grown to know so intimately. Who knows which one of these diverse and reasonably priced (between $40,000 and $60,000 a year) schools you’ll end up matriculating at?
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
B8 TEXT AND DESIGN BY ELI GWIN-KERR LIFESTYLE EDITOR
frank ocean
DESIGN BY PEYTON WANG STAFF WRITER
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in
2000
A LOOK AT THE ENIGMATIC R&B STAR’S NEWEST WAVE OF RELEASES
A
s if he has not made it clear over the past four years, Frank Ocean reminds the world “I ain’t on your schedule/ I ain’t on no schedule,” in the closing track “Futura Free” on his new album. Titled “Blonde,” his latest release has been the subject of Internet scrutiny and rumors similar to those that followed the release of his standard-raising debut studio album “Channel
still present on “Blonde” — on the first track, “Nikes,” the most culturally poignant line is rifled off in a distorted, high-pitched voice: “RIP Trayvon, that n*gga look just like me.” This one constant in the deliberate shift away from the variety of themes on “Channel Orange” makes “Blonde” seem like a sustained stream of Frank’s consciousness; especially on the self-reflective tracks “Siegfried” and “Godspeed.” We do not
at first listen, ocean’s music will not sound familiar, but because of his dexterous and strong voice sung over the elegant melodies, his music sounds beautifully novel. Orange” in 2012. Accompanied by the visual album a newly-coined term to describe his 18-track music video) “Endless” and the hefty exclusive magazine “Boys Don’t Cry,” Ocean has once again proven himself to be not only a pioneer in sound, but also in the very means by which artists invent themselves. “Blonde,” with its dreamy expanse of meditative sound and calculated casualness, is a mature follow-up that reveals Ocean to be on just as personal a level with listeners as he was four years ago — but this time with a disconnect. On “Channel Orange,” he was an emotional storyteller, with epics like “Pyramids,” the story of a pimp falling in love with a client, which clocks in at almost 10 minutes, and the quasi-comingout tale told by “Bad Religion.” In the four years between the two albums, Ocean used his blog just to write messages pertaining to the tragedies in Orlando and racial tension in Ferguson. He was away but never gone. The socially-aware Ocean is
get tracks that give us goosebumps like “Pyramids” did, and there are no radio hits a la “Thinkin Bout You,” but what Ocean does offer this time around is an album swathed with luxurious sound, and each listen reveals another layer of the “new” Frank Ocean. Labeled an R&B deconstructionist after his first album, Ocean can now be classified as post-R&B. But the thing about “Nostalgia, Ultra,” “Channel Orange,” “Blonde” and every single one of his features in between is that Ocean is among few sonic experimentalists who can actually be experimental without coming off as pretentious. That in and of itself sounds like a pretentious description, but it boils down to this: at first listen, Ocean’s music will not sound familiar, but because of his dexterous and strong vocals over the elegant melodies, his music sounds beautifully novel. He took this element of his style to new heights on “Blonde,” but first he prefaced it on the visual album that was released a day before. The 46 minute-long “Endless” is a stretch of gauzy and lo-fi music set over a dull
black-and-white film of Frank building a spiral staircase to the ceiling of a warehouse. It defies the norm of clarity that has been set by what seems like every album ever, but that just adds to the effect. If “Blonde” is a peek inside Frank’s mind, “Endless” is a tap into his subconscious, a glimpse of Ocean’s musical process, a chunk of raw material. It’s more than likely that the release of “Endless” was ultimately some Apple Music executive’s idea to hype up “Blonde,” but it still delivers some of Frank’s most entrancing songs. “Comme des Garçons” contains some clever homoerotic imagery and more of the typical Ocean sexual lines: subtle, yet evoking of real sensation. The sunny, rhythmic beats of “Channel Orange” are alive on this track. “Rushes” is a standout that features a distant background of guitar, back-up singers and a fractured feeling that stretches Frank’s voice thin. Just like many of the other tracks on “Endless,” “Rushes” ends too soon. Whether the purpose of this visual album was a commercial or stylistic choice is irrelevant, because “Endless” is the perfect compliment to “Blonde.” It shows the process of a perfectionist, where his old influences melt away into unrefined vocals and instrumentals while he fleshes out the final product, complete with the clarity of a tracklist.
depicts Ocean in an Arai racing helmet, standing on a race track. The pages of “Boys Don’t Cry” are filled with photographs of vintage automobiles, mainly BMWs, and car wrecks. Even Kanye West is featured, sitting in his Lamborghini at a McDonald’s drivethrough (adjacent is a poem about McDonald’s). “Remember when I had that Lexus / No? / Our friendship don’t go back that far,” Ocean sings on “Futura Free.” Even Tyler the Creator, friend and member of hip-hop collective Odd Future, penned a poem in the mag about being a reckless young driver. Titled “Tricolor,” the short piece embodies both Tyler and Ocean’s restlessness, a feeling that is abundant in the impressionistic world of Frank Ocean. Perhaps it’s a “deep subconscious straight boy fantasy,” Ocean wonders in one of his essays. With every one of these artistic choices he takes, it’s hard not to speculate on whether that choice was profound or banal. From his boyish, indie-inspired songs of first love to his sweeping, ethereal dreampop drug ballads, Frank Ocean has always managed to sidestep both expectations and pigeonholing. From “White Ferrari” to “Ivy” to “U-N-I-T-Y,” the most humble of human subjects are touched upon. There is no
if “blonde” is a peek inside frank’s mind, “Endless” is a tap into his subconscious, a glimpse of frank’s musical process. Across “Blonde,” “Endless” and “Boys Don’t Cry” a few constants in aesthetic can be seen. One of these is the focal point of cars, a symbol that has graced Ocean’s work ever since a 1988 BMW E30 M3 appeared on the cover of his first mixtape. The alternative album cover for “Blonde”
room for overthinking: each song is as fleeting as the feeling that it evokes, and in a world where artists have become accustomed to pandering to hype and current events, it is refreshing to be revisited by one who is content in exploring all of his own emotion.
This edition featuring:
Faisal Ojjeh with The Campanile’s own
Will Leighton and Ben Beisheim The Campanile: Hey Faisal, what do you know about Laith Ojjeh? Faisal Ojjeh: I know that Laith Ojjeh is a very respectable, kind and funny man, and I’m glad to be called his brother. TC: That’s so sweet. How often do people come up to you and ask about your brother? FO: About 4 times a day, people come up to me and ask me about my brother. I must say, it gets quite annoying. TC: That sucks, man. What are some of the nicknames that people have given you? FO: I have heard several different names that Laith’s friends call me, from little Ojjeh to pimp. I have heard it all. TC: Wow. What do those titles mean to you? FO: To me, the title basically means that I have big shoes to fill if I want to come anywhere close to what my brother was at Paly. TC: Good luck with that, man. How has your freshman year been going so far? FO: My freshman year has been great so far. Even though at first I was a little scared of entering such a big school, everyone here welcomed me with open arms. TC: Glad to see you are doing well. Are you excited to be an upperclassmen? If so, what are you looking forward to? FO: I’m looking forward to reinstating freshman Friday’s at Paly when I’m an upperclassman. TC: Here's another random question. If you could describe your brother in one word, what would it be? FO: If I could give one word to describe my brother, it would simply be “legend”. TC: What exactly makes your brother a legend? FO: Laith is a legend because even though he was only at Paly for a short 2 years, he was still a well-known and significant person at Paly. Also, he managed to have nearly everyone he meets love him. TC: How about for yourself, what one word would you use to describe you? FO: If I could give one word to describe myself, it would probably be “savage.” TC: What exactly makes you a savage? FO: Urban dictionary defines “savage” as “badass or cool,” so I believe that I fit that criteria. For the last two years I’ve lived in Palo Alto, I managed to become quite a badass in class and among my friends. TC: Right on, dude. Moving away from the topic of school, do you have any passions? FO: Alright, hold up, let me think... TC: Sure thing, Faisal. FO: Okay, I got it. My passions are hanging out with my friends and having a hell of a good time and playing sports. TC: Oh cool, what sports do you play? FO: *silence* TC: Alright dude, apparently I need some more information, anything else you want say? Answering this question is optional. I promise you, this is the last thing I'm going to ask you today. FO: *silence* TC: Right on, man. On that note, have a great day!
The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016 ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
SPORTS TEXT AND DESIGN BY: PHILIP ERICSSON STAFF WRITER
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New coaches
DANNY SULLIVAN
MICHAEL DAVIDSON
DESIGN BY: ANNALISE WANG LIFESTYLE EDITOR
MIKE GRANVILLE
THE PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROGRAM EXPERIENCED A DRAMATIC OVERHAUL DURING THE OFFSEASON, INTRODUCING A NEW FOOTBALL COACH AND TWO CROSS-COUNTRY COACHES TO LEAD THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS. THE LEADERSHIP CHANGES WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CHANGE THE MENTALITY OF BOTH THE FOOTBALL AND CROSS-COUNTRY PROGRAMS.
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aly football has experienced multiple disappointing seasons in recent years. In 2014 and 2015, they finished with overall records of 3-8 and 5-7, respectively. However, the newly appointed head coach, Danny Sullivan, hopes to change the direction of the football program. Coach Sullivan comes from a background of personal success within the sport. He was the starting quarterback at Los Gatos High School and received a scholarship to play Division I football at Arizona State University (ASU). He started during his senior year at ASU and finished his Pac-12 career with 13 touchdowns. Sullivan hopes to translate his playing experience into his coaching at Paly. After college, Coach Sullivan struggled with figuring out out how to continue his involvement with football in the future. “My high school coach was still coaching and asked if I wanted to help out with the team at Los Gatos,” Sullivan said. “I decided to help out with the team, and I fell in love with it. So I spent six years coaching the quarterbacks and calling the offense at Los Gatos.” After coaching the quarterbacks and calling the offense at Los Gatos, the opportunity to coach at Paly arose. “[ Jake] Halas, [the former Paly head coach], obviously decided not to coach anymore, and he’s still teaching here,” Sullivan said. “It was about a month-long process of figuring out if I was going to be hired or not, and I got the job and things have been going great.” Sullivan has high expectations, both on and off the field, for himself and for his players. “I think everyone’s goal in their mind is to win as many games as possible, and that’s always a thing you want to do, but I think a challenge for myself and our coaching staff along with some of these kids is trying to make sure that they understand how important they are towards being better in society, and how they act and go about their business outside the school walls,” Sullivan said. “We want them to be better men within their families and in their hometown, and if we win a bunch of games because of it, then that’s a bonus.” Having fun while playing football is ultimately the most important part of Coach Sullivan’s philosophy when it comes to coaching football. “One of the things we want to do overall is challenge the guys to do something that they are not used to doing,” Sullivan said. “And also we want guys to enjoy playing football.”
CROSS COUNTRY: FOOTBALL IS NOT THE ONLY SPORTS PROGRAM THAT HAS EXPERIENCED MAJOR CHANGE DURING THE OFFSEASON. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE CROSS-COUNTRY PROGRAM EXPERIENCED MAJOR SUCCESS UNDER FORMER COACH KELSEY FEELEY. HOWEVER, AFTER FEELEY ACCEPTED AN OFFER AS A FULL-TIME TEACHING ASSISTANT AT A LOCAL PRIVATE SCHOOL, THE CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM HAS FOUND MICHAEL DAVIDSON AND MIKE GRANVILLE, WHO WILL BE HEAD COACH AND ASSISTANT COACH, RESPECTIVELY.
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avidson ran competitively all the way from fourth grade through college. He was a Division I scholarship athlete, and won two high school state championship titles for his individual event: the 400-meter dash. Coach Davidson also ran cross-country in his high school years. At the University of Arizona, he ran the 400-meter dash, 4x100-meter and 400 meter relay. “[The] biggest thing is making sure that the kids are still driving forward,” Davidson said. “If they’re being successful in how they are competing, what they are capable of doing and they are strengthening their confidence in themselves [then my job as a coach is successful]. As far as [the future of ] the program, we hope to win SCVALs and qualify for States.” Davidson specializes in sprint training, and will likely be coaching track and field at Paly this year. “I’ve been coaching for about the past 11 years, both club and high school,” Davidson said. “I spent the last couple of years at Saint Francis High School. And I knew the coach over here, Coach Kelsey, and she asked me if I was available for the job here at Palo Alto High School.” Davidson wants to push everyone on the team to be at their best, and this will certainly lead to success for the whole program.
“THE BIGGEST THING IS MAKING SURE THAT THE KIDS ARE STILL DRIVING FORWARD.” MICHAEL DAVIDSON
Naveen Pai, captain of Paly’s cross-country team, shares some valuable athletic insight.
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ike Granville has seen great success in his impressive running career. He remains the current national high school record holder for the 800-meter race. His time in this event is a stunning 1:46.45. Like Davidson, he ran for a Division I school, the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I RAN THE 800-METERS AT UCLA. I AM A TWOTIME NCAA CHAMPION, AND THE 400-METER PAC-12 CHAMPION.” MIKE GRANVILLE
One day, Granville ran into the athletic director at Castilleja, a local private girls’ high school, and when the coaching job at Paly became available, he was referred to athletic director Kathi Bowers. “I ran the 800-meters at UCLA,” Granville said. “I was a part of the Distance Medley Relay team that won a [National Collegiate Athletic Association] NCAA championship where I ran the 800-meter leg. I also ran the 400-meter dash [individual event] and the 4x400-meter where we won the NCAA championship in 1999. I am a two-time NCAA champion, and the 400-meter dash PAC-12 champion.” Both coaches are hoping to aid in making it to the state championship for the cross-country program. They are also excited for the future in the program, and hope the program can continue its history of excellence.
The problem with Football Buddies
ALICE ZHAO
MANAGING EDITOR
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uring my first year on the Paly Dance Team, I opted out of Football Buddies, a tradition in which members of the Spirit Squad, which is comprised of students on the Dance and Cheer teams, show appreciation for players on the football team by giving small gifts and baked goods. I felt like I missed out on what seemed like a fun and innocuous custom — I remember watching my teammates prepare goodie bags, rush to the field smiling and receive free T-shirts. So my sophomore year, I decided to take part in Football Buddies. This year, the tradition has been revised to eliminate “Buddies.” Instead, I and the rest of the spirit squad have been tasked with making goodie bags for the entire football team — opting out is not an option. Making the goodie bags A reminder is sent out: “All members must sign up to bring baked goods for a home game.” Is it just me, or is there is something about making girls bake cookies for boys that seems so outdated? It’s as if we are being told “women belong in the kitchen.” Regardless, we comply, bringing cupcakes and brownies. The coach provides us with green bags adorned with ribbons. Sometimes, I ask myself why football players aren’t doing the same for us— quickly, I brush off the idea. Suddenly we are no longer practicing the sport we signed up for, but instead are participating in an arts and crafts session. Giving the goodie bag When the buzzer sounds to end each game, us girls do a cheer, rush to our bags of beautifully packaged baked goods, then run out onto the field. “Quickly, before they leave!” shouts one girl. Suddenly, a crowd of girls must chase down the football players to give them their gifts. To me, this paints a very worrisome picture in which girls are constantly chasing after boys, but never the opposite. This is not gender equality. Why it’s never worth it After all the effort: the baking, the decorating and the running, it’s the girls’ turn to be thanked; however, the ones thanking the girls are not their buddies. No, it’s the football coaches and parents who put together the gifts and make the dinner. While the banquet and the gifts themselves are thoughtful, the thought is not reciprocated by the football players. In the end, the biggest problem with Football Buddies is that the tradition is not mutual. This is not meant to point fingers at any individual; rather, it’s a call to action. Some traditions have their limits. Before we can call Paly a progressive school, members of the Paly community must take a closer look at the Football Buddies system. Do we really want to be associated with such outdated gender roles? It’s 2016, and it honestly baffles me that this tradition has not been either completely revamped or discontinued.
SPORTS
Athletes and influence on politics Several athletes have recently been in the spotlight for their involvement in politics. Recent controversy about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem has sparked debate throughout the country. COURTESY OF CBS NEWS
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Raider Nation
COURTESY OF CBS SPORTS
COURTESY OF PALO ALTO ONLINE
COURTESY OF CLUTCHPOINT.COM
Oakland Raiders threaten to move against the wishes of Bay Area fans.
Gym construction and sports
As the new gym nears completion, Paly sports look to bright horizons.
Crazy NBA contracts
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NBA teams have been giving large salary contracts to average players.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
SPORTS
C2 VIKING REPORT FOOTBALL RECENT GAMES
Paly vs. San Benito 9/2/16, L, 35-14 Paly vs. Archbishop Mitty 9/9/16, L, 41-7 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly vs. Oak Grove 9/16/16, 7:00 p.m. Paly vs. Santa Clara 9/23/16, 7:00 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL RECENT MATCHES
Paly vs. Saint Francis 9/8/16, L, 3-2 Paly vs. Monta Vista 9/13/16, W, 3-1 UPCOMING MATCHES
Paly vs. Mountain View 9/20/16, 6:45 p.m. Paly vs. Los Altos 9/22/16, 6:45 p.m.
BOYS WOPO RECENT GAMES
Paly vs. Monta Vista 9/8/16, W, 16-8 Paly vs. Gunn 9/13/16, L, 8-4 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly vs. Wilcox 9/20/16, 3:30 p.m. Paly vs. Mountain View 9/22/16, 6:45 p.m.
GIRLS WOPO
Cross country starts on strong note
Paly attributes early success to underclassmen talent, team cohesion and new coaches KIRAN MISNER
SPORTS EDITOR
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alo Alto High School’s cross-country team recently competed at the Lowell Invitational Meet, where they raced against 31 other high schools from California. The Vikes fared very well, with the boys team placing first in the meet thanks to seniors Kent Slaney, Naveen Pai, Spencer Morgenfield, Ben Beaudry, juniors Aashai Avadhani, Sam Craig and sophomores Henry Saul and Donald Taggart. “The Lowell meet went really well in general and the varsity boys won the race by an extreme amount,” Beaudry said. “We all executed the race nicely, especially [our] top five runners who came in 15th place and below in a race of 200.” The Lady Vikes also had a solid performance, placing 11th out of 27 total teams. Reflecting on the outstanding performances by both the girls and the boys, junior Maya Rebitzer feels that the team developed strong chemistry during the Lowell meet. “Unlike many of the other teams, we all came together at 7 a.m. and stayed from the first race to the last race and cheered each other on, which [was] a sign of team unity.” Rebitzer said. Much of the team’s success can be credited to new coaches Michael Davidson and Michael Granville. They may have not yet spent much time with the team, but they have greatly impacted their runners with a grueling training schedule and an emphasis on team cohesion. “The new coaches basically changed
COURTESY OF MALCOLM SLANEY
The Palo Alto boys cross-country team placed first at the Lowell Invitational meet on Sept. 10 thanks to a strong varsity team.
everything, but I think it’s definitely for the better,” Rebitzer said. “In past years, the boys and girls have been separate teams with separate coaches and so this year the coaches are really emphasizing that we’re one team.” On the girls side of the crosscountry team, Rebitzer recognized the performances of promising underclassmen who have the potential to bring a lot of success to Paly in the future. “There [are] a ton of underclassmen potential,” Rebitzer said. “[Freshman] Miranda Jimenez, for example, is the fastest girl on cross country and placed 17 out of 194 at Lowell.” While cross-country became a cut
Lady Vikes remain determined to improve their game and hope to take first in league which is awesome.” Despite a rocky start with a 3-1 loss to Valley Christian High School at their first league match and a close 3-2 loss to St. Francis High School, the team is optimistic about future games in the season and hopes to improve during their first few matches. “So far, we have had the opportunity to play some strong teams such as St. Ignatius and Valley Christian, which allowed us to identify areas of weaknesses to improve on,” said Michelle Li, junior and defensive specialist.
Paly vs. Fremont 9/8/16, W, 11-3 Paly vs. Gunn 9/13/16, L, 5-2 UPCOMING GAMES
Paly vs. Cupertino 9/20/16, 6:45 p.m. Paly vs. Mountain View 9/22/16, 3:30 p.m.
GIRLS GOLF RECENT MEETS
UPCOMING MEETS
Paly vs. Saratoga 9/19/16, 3:30 p.m. Paly vs. Los Gatos 9/20/16, 3:00 p.m.
XC RECENT MEETS
Gunn Alumni Invitational 8/31/16, W Lowell Invitational 9/10/16, W UPCOMING MEETS
SCVAL Meet #1 9/27/16, 3:15 p.m. Stanford Invitational 10/1/16, TBA
GIRLS TENNIS RECENT MATCHES
Paly vs. Sacred Heart Prep 9/8/16, L, 5-2 Paly vs. Milpitas 9/13/16, W, 6-0 UPCOMING MATCHES
Paly vs. Wilcox 9/20/16, 3 p.m. Paly vs. Fremont 9/22/16, 3:30 p.m.
consecutive year and solidify their position as one of the best crosscountry teams in the state. The girls, on the other hand, have set their sights on making it to the CCS state meet. In order to achieve these goals, junior Maya Akkaraju believes that the key will be to stay healthy. “Right now, we’re facing a lot of shin splint injuries and just injuries in general, so we really need to focus on recovering for our upcoming meets,” Akkaraju said. The team is currently preparing for their upcoming meet where they will face off against the rest of the teams from the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League on Sept. 27.
Volleyball optimistic despite early losses
RECENT GAMES
Paly vs. Gunn 9/8/16, L, 223-216 Paly vs. St. Francis 9/12/16, L, 402-378
sport this year due to the increased number of Paly students wanting to try their luck at the sport, Beaudry believes the change hasn’t negatively affected the team. “Cuts haven’t noticeably affected the team, although some people may be trying harder in hopes that they aren’t cut or to be on the running list for meets,” Beaudry said. Additionally, both teams have set goals that they each intend to achieve this season. The boys team hopes to beat rivals Bellarmine High School in order to capture first place at the Central Coast Section championships (CCS). They are also looking to travel to the state championships for the third
GRACE KITAYAMA/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Katie Passarello serves the ball in their game against Monta Vista High School.
ASHLEY ZHANG
NEWS EDITOR
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fter a strong ending to the 2015 season, Palo Alto High School’s girls volleyball team looks to repeat last year’s success with an impressive lineup of experienced returning players and talented newcomers. The team is joined by seven
new players — freshman Amelia Gibbs, sophomore Siena Brewster, and juniors Hannah Darby, Michelle Li, Maddy McNee, Tanli Su and Avery Wooten. “We have a solid mix of new and old players for the team,” said Katie Passarello, senior team captain and middle blocker. “I think there’s a lot of really cool chemistry this year
We are hoping to win league this year. We’ve got a solid team and we will have our work cut out for us, but it’s definitely an attainable goal. We also want to push ourselves through CCS and reach top two in order to move into Norcals.
Katie Passarello Team Captain Jessica Lee, senior and team captain, believes that while the team needs to improve their consistency and passing for a more effective offense, their powerful serves and team depth with strong hitters and setters
offset their shortcomings. Passarello agreed, going on to describe the team’s goals. “We are hoping to win league this year,” Passarello said. “We’ve got a solid team and we will have our work cut out for us, but it’s definitely an attainable goal. We also want to push ourselves through CCS and reach top two in order to move into Norcals.” This year, the team is eager to face rivals from past seasons. “Los Gatos has always been a good team, and whenever we play them it’s a good match,” Lee said. “Also, [we are looking forward to playing] Mountain View because of Dave Winn. He used to be our old coach and it’s great to play him.” Overall, the girls are looking forward to the new season and the development of the newcomers who will bring new talent and potential to the team. “I’m excited about the team this year,” Lee said. “It’s great to have a lot of returning players this year so we can improve our team chemistry. Personally, I’m excited to be a senior and playing my last year at Paly.” The team will face off against Mountain View High School on Sept. 20 at Henry M. Gunn High School.
Varsity football gets off to difficult start The Paly boys experience two tough losses, shaking team confidence in season outcome NIKLAS RISANO
STAFF WRITER
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he Palo Alto High School football team began its season with a 25-12 point win against Patterson High School. Junior running back Paul Jackson III and senior linebacker Christian Rider gave promising performances that seemed to foreshadow future successes in the team’s future. Jackson rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns while Rider led the team in total tackles. “In the first game we had a lot of things going right and we were working well together,” Jackson said. “We moved the ball well down the field and we were also able to pick up on a lot of Patterson’s defensive tendencies. Our offensive line led by Peter
Snodgrass dominated Patterson’s defensive line, which allowed me to get into the open field and gain some yards.”
We definitely don’t have as much depth or stamina as many of the other teams in our league. It is a big reason why our performance diminishes, especially going into the later periods in our games, and why we can’t seem to catch up to our opponents.
Paul Jackson III Running Back Unfortunately, the following week, the Vikings faced the San Benito High School Haybalers, who ended
up beating Paly 42-14. While the Vikings went into halftime down only by a touchdown, the Haybalers proceeded to score four more touchdowns in the third quarter. This deficit proved to be insurmountable for the Vikings. The relatively poor second half performance against Patterson coupled with another poor second half performance against San Benito raised some questions about the team’s chances of success later in the season. “We definitely don’t have as much depth or stamina as many of the other teams in our league,” Jackson said. “It is [the] big reason why our performance can diminish, especially going into the later periods in games, and why we can’t seem to catch up to our opponents.”
However, in Paly’s game against Archbishop Mitty High School, the Vikes’ biggest problem wasn’t depth or stamina, but rather a few isolated incidents which greatly influenced the trajectory of the game. During the first half, wideout junior Jaxson Hall dropped a pass in the end zone, which, if caught, would have kept the Vikings in the game. Additionally, running back Paul Jackson fumbled the ball within 10 yards of the Viking end zone, which resulted in an easy touchdown for Mitty. Had Paly been able to avoid these two mistakes, the game may have ended much better than 41-7. In Paly’s upcoming matchup against Oak Grove High School, eliminating these isolated mistakes will be a major key to success.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
SPORTS C3 Golf aims for postseason run Girls tennis aspires New talent helps team confidence remain high despite recent loss GRACE KITAYAMA
Preseason scrimmages have demonstrated team's dominance and resilience in league
STAFF WRITER
A
s the season ramps up, the Palo Alto High School girls golf team is bouncing back from a 216-223 loss to Gunn High School where they lost with a score of 216-223 on Sept. 9 at the Palo Alto Hills Country Club. Despite this setback, the girls team has a positive outlook for the season. The team did not lose any players from the previous year, and they gained two experienced freshmen. Junior Stephanie Yu is optimistic about how the team will perform in upcoming league matches. “Our team is pretty confident about this season,” Yu said. “We have consistent players across our starting lineup and experience overall, because most of our players are not playing in their first season, and the two freshmen play competitively outside of school, so they don't lack experience either.” One of the newest members of the team, freshman Katherine Sung, discussed what it is like being one of the newest members on the golf team. “It's fun being on a new team,” Sung said. “I like practicing with other girls who are passionate about golf.” Sung also shared her ideas on how she believes the team can be successful this season. “I think that this year we have a very strong team,” Sung said. “I think that if we can all log decent scores in
to achieve lofty goals ALLISON WU
STAFF WRITER
A
COURTESY OF DOYLE KNIGHT
Senior Candace Wang hits a shot from the fairway at the Palo Alto Hills Country Club.
matches, we have a very good chance to win CCS this year. We all really want to make it to States this year, and I think that if we put our heads together and work hard, we can definitely do it.” In preparation for upcoming tournaments, optional weekend practices as well as weight trainings have been implemented to keep the golfers in top form. Yu said that the extra workouts are being integrated into the practice regimen for the first time. “In the past we've only had afternoon practices," Yu said. "Also, this year during the weekends if players have time, we carpool to golf courses that are used for Leagues, Central Coast Section (CCS) and Norcals for
preparation.” During practice, the team has worked on refining their skills and strengthening their techniques. Senior Emily Hwang is intent on applying her skills on the field and hopes the team will improve their skills as well. “We've been focusing on limiting mistakes on the course which has a lot to do with our mental toughness and staying positive when we're having bad days,” Hwang said. Looking to future matches, the team’s greatest competition in the past has come from Gunn High School and Lynbrook High School, each of which have each ranked higher in the league than Paly has based on last year's performance.
fter moving down from the De Anza League to the El Camino League last year, the girls tennis team is optimistic about the upcoming season and hopes to not only dominate on the court, but also create a strong team bond. “Our goal is to stay undefeated this season and make it to CCS to get a shot at winning,” said Meredith Cummings, senior captain. “I also look forward to bonding more with my teammates in order to make longlasting friendships.” The team welcomed four new players: freshmen Ria Pai, Claire Li and Anuva Banwasi, and senior Brin Elliott. Li and Banwasi are highly ranked and will be huge assets to the team. “The freshmen are superb singles players and will win most of the matches they play this season,” Cummings said. “I feel like our tennis team family is expanding with great girls.” So far, the team has won three of its non-league matches, triumphing 6-1 against both Aragon High School and Carlmont High School. The Vikings also won a scrimmage against rival Gunn High School. Their winning streak ended when they fell 5-2 to Sacred Heart Prep on
Sept. 8. However, they soon bounced back in their match against Milpitas High School on Sept. 13, winning 7-0. The team is currently preparing for a tough tournament, the Paly Invitational Tournament on Sept. 16 and 17, which any invited regional high school may attend. “I’m looking forward to [Paly Invitationals],” junior Emma Cockerell said. “We host it every year, and we’ve got a really strong team this year so it should be fun. We won last year and we’re hoping to win again this year.” Although the team misses its graduated seniors, it looks forward to the strong newcomers who have filled the spots and will play for the upcoming years.
"Our goal is to stay undefeated this season and make it to CCS, to get a shot at winning."
Meredith Cummings Team Captain “We’re missing Kelsey Wang, who [was] a very solid player, and Halle Biorn because she was great at doubles with Meredith and is also a solid player,” Cockerell said. “But despite these losses, I think that our team can really come back this year and make a splash.”
Boys water polo starts season strong Lady Vikes bounce Team seeks continued improvement after successful first matches back from two losses Girls water polo hopeful after recent victory PAARTH SHARMA
STAFF WRITER
D
espite losing its first league game 16-6 to Los Gatos High School, the Paly girls water polo team believes the upcoming season will ultimately be a success. The team’s season kicked off with the annual St. Francis tournament, where it challenged some of the highest rated competitors in the state, including nationally ranked squads such as St. Francis High School, St. Ignatius High School and Clovis West High School. The first game of the tournament was a forgettable one, as the Vikings lost 12-1 to Clovis West. Their lone goal was scored by junior Maddy Buecheler. The Vikings then went on to lose 8-6 against St. Francis, with juniors Sabrina Hall and Sophie Frick adding four and three goals each, respectively. In their subsequent match, the Lady Vikings rebounded and defeated St. Ignatius with a score of 7-6, relying on key defensive contributions from senior Haley Chalmers, who racked up three steals. Hall made powerful contributions on offense along with fellow junior Hollie
Chiao, who scored two goals apiece and Frick, who added three goals and an assist. The team’s recent game on Sept. 8 against Fremont ended on a high note, with the Vikings picking up a blowout 11-3 win. Their final game was a defensive battle against Menlo-Atherton High School that ultimately ended in a 4-2 loss. Frick and Chalmers each contributed a goal, and senior goalkeeper Joanna Falla had nine saves in a fiery defensive game for the Vikes. “We are still trying to figure out our team chemistry and the strengths and weaknesses of each player,” junior Alyssa Ibuyan said. “We have a challenging season ahead but we’re very hardworking and very resilient.” The first league match did not go as planned, ending in a 16-6 loss against Los Gatos to at the start of the season. However, there were some high points. Frick, who had three goals, two assists and a steal, all of which were team highs. Hall also added another two goals, and Chalmers also found the back of the net. “Although we have lots to improve on, we have tons of talent and this season will be a successful one,” Frick said.
MADS MCCLUSKEY
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
T
he Palo Alto High School boys water polo team has enjoyed great success during its first few games back from the long summer break, beating both Los Gatos High School and Monta Vista High School by two points. “The game [against Los Gatos] was a little disappointing,” senior Alex Beaudry said. “It should have been a blowout, but instead we only won by two. But against a team like Los Gatos we need to be able to shut them down because they're not very good. All in all we need to be able to keep our intensity throughout the entire game and not slack in the third and fourth quarter.”
"[Losing many talented players] doesn’t really affect us because we [still] have a lot of good players."
Alex Beaudry Senior However, the team regained its confidence after a strong scrimmage against Davis High School. “I think our season is going to go better than last year because we're more focused,” Beaudry said. “We’re also a lot more in sync with each oth-
KATE DEANDRE/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Andrew Jozefov receives the ball from a teammate and prepares to take a shot.
er than last year, so we’re playing as a team instead of individuals.” The boys ended up losing the scrimmage against Davis, though they held their own against a talented and well-coordinated team. They continue to look for improvement. “The scrimmage was tough but Davis was a good team, so [losing was] not really much of a surprise,” Beaudry said. “However we were able to come out firing and keep it close [during] the first half, which is a major improvement from last year.” Many of the team's key seniors have graduated, but the boys are restructuring their play style around the available talent.
Despite the loss of last year's seniors, the team remains optimistic. “[Losing many talented players] doesn’t really affect us because we [still] have a lot of good players,” Beaudry said. “New people always come in, and we will always get better players.” As the pool is still unavailable due to construction, the team continues to practice off-campus at the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford. “[Practicing off-campus] is really awesome,” Beaudry said. “We practice at Stanford now which is nice.” The boys look forward to playing against Wilcox High School on Sept. 20 at Gunn High School.
Friday, September 16, 2016
NFL PREDICTIONS
NATIONAL FOOTBALL
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TextandDesignBy: Edward Kim Staff Writer
WEST
EAST
Winning team: Arizona Cardinals 13-3 Seahawks 11-5 Rams 7-9 Niners 3-13
Winning team: Redskins 10-6 Cowboys 9-7 Giants 6-10 Eagles 5-11
The Arizona Cardinals revamped their defense with the additions of outside linebacker (OLB) Chandler Jones and defensive tackle (DT) Robert Nkemdiche, while wide receiver (WR) Michael Floyd burst out in his contract year. Seattle, although with a depleted offensive line, still had the wondrous quarterback (QB) Russell Wilson to carry them to a wild card. The Rams appeared talented on paper, but their coach, Jeff Fisher, along with his inability to run a proper defensive scheme, held them back. Funnily enough, the 49ers win total equated the number of rights Kaepernick thinks black people currently have.
When Jay Gruden’s Redskin staff managed to place WR DeSean Jackson’s head on the straight, the embattled star receiver, QB “you like that?” Kirk Cousins and the newly acquired cornerback (CB) Josh Norman battled out a victory in the miserable NFC East. Led by prospects QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliot, the Cowboys recovered from a tough week one divisional loss against the Giants to propel themselves forward into a wild card berth. Although WRs Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham Jr. became one of the deadliest receiving corps in the NFL, the Giants finished only above the hapless Eagles in the NFC East.
SOUTH
NORTH Winning team: Green Bay Packers 12-4 Bears 9-7 Vikings 8-8 Lions 6-10
Winning Team: Panthers 11-5 Falcons 9-7 Buccaneers 8-8 Saints 6-10
With a returning star in Jordy Nelson and healthy defense for what seems the first time in forever, the Packers appeared to be the favorites in a weakened NFC North. The Bears somewhat withstood the loss of RB Matt Forte with increased production from RB Jeremy Langford and QB Jay Cutler. The Vikings, suffering without starting QB Teddy Bridgewater, drop a notch in the rankings, wasting yet another season of future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson’s career. Without their strongest offensive weapon in WR Calvin Johnson, the Lions failed in spectacular fashion once again.
Coming off a magical run ending in a Super Bowl loss, the Panthers will fall back to Earth when defenses around the league figure QB Cam Newton’s game out. The Falcons, led by RB Devonta Freeman and WR Julio Jones, can’t overcome their defensive woes that keep them in second place. The young core of QB Jameis Winston, WR Mike Evans, RB Doug Martin and Tampa Bay jump to a .500 record, showing signs of progress. Pumped with money, QB Drew Brees deflates in spectacular fashion, disappointing New Orleans and football owners worldwide.
Play
3. Bengals Jets 6. Jets
Patriots 1. Patriots
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Cardin 2. Chiefs 4. Colts 5. Steelers
Steelers Steelers
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The Campanile
Friday, September 16, 2016
NFL PREDICTIONS
LEAGUE PREDICTIONS
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AFC
Design By: Anna Moragne Senior Staff Writer
WEST
NORTH Winning team: Bengals 11-5 Steelers 10-6 Ravens 7-9 Browns 2-14
Winning Team: Chiefs 12-4 Raiders: 9-7 Broncos: 7-9 Chargers: 3-13
The Bengals, coming off yet another devestating playoff loss at the hands of the rival Steelers, bounced back off the work of AJ Green and Giovani Bernard to take 1st in their division. The Steelers, with the suspensions of Martavis Bryant and Le’Veon Bell, stumbled to a wild card seed. The Ravens again failed to prove whether Joe Flacco is elite as they stay below .500. Finally, the ever-incompetent Browns barely avoided becoming the second ever team to go 0-16 after the season-ending injury of starting QB Robert Griffin III.
Who is QB Trevor Siemian? That was the question on many fans’ minds as they watched the vaunted Chiefs defense wreak havoc on the defending champion Broncos. The Raiders made another steady improvement as OLB Khalil Mack and WR Amari Cooper gained another year of experience. Finally, the San Diego Chargers’ offensive line held together by tissue paper and boogers collapsed, bringing poor QB Philip Rivers down with the team.
SOUTH
EAST Winning Team: Patriots 13-3 Jets 10-6 Dolphins 8-8 Bills 5-11
Winning Team: Colts 9-7 Texans 8-8 Titans 8-8 Jaguars 7-9
After an upset over the Cardinals in week 1, QB Jimmy Garoppolo held the Patriots together just in time for the best QB in the league, Tom Brady, to come in and save the day for the Patriots. The Jets built on last season’s success, as stars WR Brandon Marshall, CB Darrelle Revis and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a renaissance. The loss of RB Lamar Miller hurt the Dolphins running game enough to keep the ‘Fins out of the playoffs. Rex Ryan could not harness the potential of Tyrod Taylor and Sammy Watkins, limiting the Bills.
QB Andrew Luck, even with one of the weakest offensive lines in the league, teamed up with star WR TY Hilton to the top of the AFC south in a battle of “who’s the least worst?” One-man wrecking ball defensive end JJ Watt was not enough for an apathetic Texans team with three stars and 50 mediocre players to break .500. The additions of RB DeMarco Murray to the Titans and linebacker Malik Jackson to the Jaguars improved their records ever so slightly.
yoffs
6. Cowboys Panthers Panthers
3. Panthers 2. Packers
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1. Cardinals Cardinals Seahawks
4. Redskins 5. Seahawks
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Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
C6 SPORTS Sports teams should remain faithful to hometowns The Oakland Raiders are considering relocating eastward to Las Vegas, as the Rams move to Los Angeles NICK MELVIN
STAFF WRITER
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fter more than 20 years, football is back in Los Angeles. In week two of the National Football League (NFL) season, the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Seattle Seahawks at L. A. Memorial Coliseum. It will be the first regular season game in Los Angeles since Dec. 24, 1994, when both the Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Rams lost their final games before relocating, leaving the Big Orange without an NFL football team. However, the Rams were not the only team that considered relocating to Los Angeles. The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers also considered moving to Double Dubuque and sharing the new stadium in Inglewood with the Rams. Fortunately for football fans in the Bay Area, the Raiders acknowledged the option, but decided to remain in Oakland. Since the move to Los Angeles is no longer possible, the Raiders have steered the franchise in a different direction: east, to Las Vegas. Among bad ideas this ranks alongside allowing James Franco to paint a mural on the Student Center. This move to Las Vegas is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons, the first being the most obvious — threatening distractions. Las Vegas is most commonly known for being the gambling hotspot of America. The last thing that any NFL organization needs is a city with a knack for getting people into sticky situations, as they are already comprised of athletes with a tendency of getting themselves into legal trouble. This combination could be calamitous.
This move would not be the first time that the Raiders turned their back on Oakland. Another problem with the potential move to Las Vegas is the difficulty of filling a stadium with 70,000 or more people eight times a year. While Las Vegas may be a larger city than Kansas City or Nashville, it does not have as large of a population of fans who live there and are interested in
COURTESY OF ABC7NEWS.COM
Soldiers in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum raise the American flag prior to kickoff, a tradition of the Raiders during home games ever since the stadium's opening in 1966.
supporting an NFL team. One may argue that the residents of Las Vegas will do fine supporting the Las Vegas Thunder National Hockey League (NHL) team, and while this may be true, it is a completely different metric. The NHL and the NFL are separated by far more than just a tiny letter in the middle, they are separated by millions of dollars of expected weekly revenue that must come in, less bankruptcy ruin the team. The Bay Area is a proliferating region in many different ways. It contains Stanford, Silicon Valley and a variety of teeming sports franchises. Amongst these are the San Jose sharks, who lost in the finals in 2015, the Golden State Warriors, who also lost in the championship series and the San Francisco Giants, who are hoping to win their fourth World Series in the past six years this coming season. However, there has been no recent football team in the Bay Area to pair with the success of the hockey,
basketball and baseball teams. In fact, the 49ers are expected to be amongst the worst teams in the NFL this season, under the lead of the unproven head coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Similarly, the Raiders have not experienced a winning season, since 2003, when NBA legend Michael Jordan retired. With so many better sports organizations in the local area, it is likely that fans will shift away from the NFL if they lose the only team in the area with even a vague glimmer of a promising future.
All in all, the Raiders have a myriad of possibilities, but of all these options there is a clear best choice: stay in Oakland. This move would not be the first time the Raiders turned their back on Oakland. As aforementioned, the Raiders played in Los Angeles un-
til 1994, when they and the Rams both moved to new locations; however, before that the Raiders were in Oakland from 1960-1982. Two years prior to this move, the Oakland Raiders won their second Super Bowl in franchise history. They were a dominant force in Oakland, and had been consistently providing their fans with high caliber, winning teams since Al Davis took over head coach in 1963. During this span they played 15 consecutive seasons with a winning record, a streak that they are currently looking to match, but on the other end of the spectrum — 15 consecutive losing seasons. This move to Los Angeles disparaged the Raiders’ fan base, who had so thoroughly enjoyed watching them play for so many years. After blissfully cheering for a successful organization for a multitude of decades, their team was callously ripped away from them at the hand of Los Angeles.
Another possibility is that this move is merely a bluff by the Raiders in order to sway the NFL to fund a new stadium in Oakland. In the time that there was no team in LA, nearly half of the 32 teams in the NFL have threatened to move to LA in a ploy to earn new funds. While bluffing to move to LA is no longer an option for the Raiders, it is possible that they are just trying to earn new funds in order to build a new stadium in Oakland, leaving O.co Coliseum. All in all, the Oakland Raiders have a myriad of possibilities, but of all these options there is a clear best choice: stay in Oakland. Here in Oakland, they have an established fan base, one with its eyes set on future success, a high market and the ease of mind stemming from the relief that one does not have to deal with the reprehensible difficulties that come with moving a $1.4 billion organization.
Gym renovations will offer new sports for students
Palo Alto High School seeks to add new sports, such as boys volleyball and field hockey, once gyms are done MADS MCCLUSKEY
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
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he new gym continues to be one of the main focuses among Palo Alto High School athletes and is projected to be completed in May 2017. “I think that we will probably start doing the finishing touches in May,” said Kathi Bowers, Sports Director. “There may be the opportunity for some of our teams to hold some of their workouts there this summer, trying to beta test it. I expect that we will be fully operational August 1 for fall sports.” With the completion of the new gym comes the possibility for the sports program’s growth. Bowers is looking to add boy’s volleyball as a spring sport. If there is enough participation for JV and Varsity teams, both will play in the league. If participation is low, only a Varsity team will compete. “Gunn and Paly are one of the few schools in our league that does not offer boys volleyball, and there has been a really big interest in boys volleyball the last couple of years, but we didn’t have the space with tearing down the gym,” Bowers said. “We have enough problems right now with getting gym space for all our teams, so one of our first things we are going to start to explore this coming January is adding boys volleyball.” Bowers is looking to offer the sport in the spring of 2018, as the gym will not yet be available for the teams in the spring of 2017. Some of the challenges of creating the new team include finding a coach and figuring out logistics for joining the league. However, Title IX states that there must be equal opportunity for both genders under an education program receiving Federal financial aid. This
GILLIAN ROBINS/THE CAMPANILE
Palo Alto High School's Big Gym and Small Gym, pictured above, have been under construction for the past three years and will be fully completed this coming May.
means there may be complication in adding a new boys sport, but not a girls. A solution to this might be the addition of girls field hockey. “There are other schools that offer it, and don’t offer field hockey, so I have to find out how they do that,” Bowers said. “The problem with field hockey is field space: we just don’t have the field space for field hockey. In a perfect world, if we had another nice big grass or turf field, we could add field hockey in the fall.” Issues occur with fitting field hockey into the already busy field schedule. In the past, the frosh-soph football team practiced on the outfield of the baseball field, but this
damaged the field and made it dangerous for the baseball players. Now, the boys currently practice on the lacrosse field.
"One of our first things we are going to start to explore this coming January is adding boys volleyball."
Kathi Bowers Athletic Director There is a possibility of going offcampus for field hockey practice, but this is a solution Paly would rather avoid due to the added logistic complexity.
“All the pieces have to fit and the first piece is interest (you have to have enough people), the second piece is the space,” Bowers said. “Those are the two hardest pieces. Finding uniforms, paying officials, that’s not at all an issue. It’s the space and the interest.” However, a boys volleyball team looks to be a future addition to the Paly sports world, and cheerleading is soon to become a recognized California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sport. “[Cheerleading is] going to happen for sure, but we don’t know what it’s going to look like until the spring,” Bowers said.
With the possible new addition of multiple sports in the system, the sports budget comes into question. While Paly sports currently ask for participation donations, this amount would not be raised, instead the program would work to raise additional funds. Whether or not new sports will be introduced to Paly will be announced in January, along with an update on gym construction. “Our goal is that we offer as many sports as we can and have as many kids as possible involved,” Bowers said. “We’re restrained more by our facilities than by our interest in having the sports.”
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
SPORTS
C7
Athletes significantly impact political sphere
The influential world of sports affects the United States’ social and political climates JOSH BRIGEL
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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ometimes, wealth and fame change the way athletes behave in the public spotlight. There have been instances when the two have been beneficial, such as after 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina when athletes spent their own time and money to reach out to the public However, other athletes have had their fair share of reputations ruined by public scrutiny. When one’s whole life is always being watched, just as any professional sports stars’ is, one small slip up can ruin your career. The most recent controversy in sports directly affects some of Palo Alto’s citizens. This, of course, is the ongoing conflict between San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick and our national anthem, the “Star Spangled Banner.” Kaepernick believes that by remaining seated during the national anthem, he is standing up for those wrongfully slain by police. Many disagree, saying that he should have to salute the flag and the anthem because these killings are relatively unimportant compared to the thousands of soldiers who have died for the flag while fighting in war. Those supporting Kaepernick do not believe that true racial equality exists in the United States and claim that the quarterback is simply exercising his First Amendment right to free speech. Many people, mostly those in sports, have taken it upon themselves two pick a side in the matter which many believe is less than newsworthy. Despite the controversy and personal risk Kaeprnick is experiencing, representatives of the Santa Clara Police Department have stated that they will discontinue their service in Levi’s Stadium if Kaepernick continues his behavior. On the other side of the matter President Obama stated publicly at the G20 Summit in China that Kaepernick should be allowed to exercise his right to free speech, a nod in defense of the quarterback. Another recently resolved scandal involved U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte who lied about an incident in Brazil during the Olympics. As shown in a publicly released video recording, Lochte and his friends were confronted at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro following a bathroom vandalism incident after a night of drinking. Before the release of said video, Lochte and a few other swimmers told family and friends that they were robbed at gunpoint by Brazilian authorities, which cast a negative light on the
PHOTO COURTESY OF BLEACHER REPORT
NFL player Greg Hardy forced the league to revise its rules for domestic violence. Many other athletic organizations have reviewed their codes of conduct recently.
local law enforcement. In response to the evidence against Lochte, all of his major sponsorships were dropped within days of the matter, including Speedo and Polo Ralph Lauren. A similarly controversial scandal surfaced when Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was filmed smoking marijuana at a college party in 2009. After his amazing Olympic performance in Beijing, which netted him eight gold medals, he was likely the most marketable athlete at the games. This quickly changed as the then 23-year-old was reprimanded by sponsors such as Kellogg and Subway, although other sponsors did not take action, including Speedo, Omega and Visa. As advocation for the legalization of marijuana becomes more popular and less harshly punished, this scandal will surely disappear, yet at the time this caught the world by surprise and the backlash continues to affect Phelp’s to this day. Domestic violence, a more widely controversial matter has affected several pro athletes in the past, but particularly those within the National Football League (NFL). Some more high-profile cases feature past Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and free agent Greg Hardy. These cases had vastly different repercussions. Rice, who many defend, may still have a shot at returning to the NFL
after two years of domestic abuse awareness campaigns and statements from his victimturned-wife. Hardy on the other hand finds nothing but obstacles in his way. NFL circles are much less forgiving to Hardy than they are to Rice because of the little remorse and continual violence that the former has expressed since the original case. Both players, similar in the nature of their crime, find themselves in different positions but remain examples of a problem plaguing many sports across America and will sadly be repeated by other players in the future. The final scandal is less about the problems caused by an athlete, than it is about a problem involving the athlete himself. Feyisa Lelisa, an Ethiopian marathoner and current Olympic silver medalist, has yet to return home after his stay in Rio for the 2016 Olympics. Lelisa is a member of the majority Oromo ethnic group in his home country of Ethiopia. Despite the difficult situation, his family continues to reside in Ethiopia. His main enemy is the Ethiopian government which is mainly controlled by the minority Tigrayan ethnic group that has committed unprosecuted crimes against the Oromo. Lelisa has publicized his fears for his life at the Olym-
pic Games if he returns to his home country. The Tigrayan government promises that he should not be fearful at all, yet he is not convinced and is looking for asylum perhaps in Kenya or the U.S. Small mishaps can ruin an athlete’s career, as shown by the aforementioned cases. The public watches athletes just as closely as they would watch a politician and often, more is expected from the athletes. Some causes have made a change such as the one by Colin Kaepernick which is currently ongoing or that of Ray Rice who constantly is fighting to resurrect his previously prolific football career. Others have a tremendous uphill battle ahead such as Ryan Lochte and Greg Hardy, both of whom may never reach their former glory. In the worst of all cases, there seems to be no real fix to the problem. An example of a problem which appears to be insurmountable is the one facing Feyisa Lelisa, who would rather avoid his problem than waste his time fighting it. Scandals are an issue which will continue to plague athletes and it is up to them how they wish to solve these problems, and ultimately it is up to the athletes how they want to be remembered in the eyes of the general public.
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Campanile
SPORTS
C8 Text and Design by: Cole Hechtman Sports Editor
Crazy NBA contracts Team
Player
Design By: Allison Wu Staff Writer
Position
Length
Amount
Point Guard
5 years
$153 million
ATHLETE OF THE
MONTH
MIKE CONLEY
shooting Guard
5 years
$128 million
shooting Guard/ Small Forward
5 years
$120 Million
BRADLEY BEAL
NICOLAS BATUM
N
ational Basketball Association (NBA) contracts have been a prevalent topic covered in the media and have correlated with an athlete’s caliber of play. In the past few decades, basketball superstars in the league such as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have been granted grossly expensive contracts, exceeding the amount paid to any other player. However, contracts have gradually become more expensive, which brings into question the management style of contemporary basketball teams. Prior to the 2015 season, Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant had the highest annually-paid contract of all time, which was signed in 2004. The contract was worth $136.4 million dollars (to be distributed over the course of seven years), granting him nearly $20 million dollars annually. The previous year, Bryant averaged 24 points per game (PPG), 5.5 rebounds per game (RPG) and 5.1 assist per game (APG). From 200002, he led his team to three consecutive championship victories. However, after the 2015 season and even more evidently in the 2016 preseason, larger contracts were signed by players considered to be
average performers — certainly not part of the elite class of superstars. The best example of this group is Mike Conley, a point guard who has played for the Memphis Grizzlies since 2007. Last year, he averaged 15.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 6.1 APG, while shooting 44 percent from the field. While these statistics are consistent with those of a well-balanced guard, they did not correlate with Conley’s $153 million dollar contract over five years, awarding him over $30 million dollars per year, making him the player with the largest contract in NBA history. Another notably expensive contract was signed by Solomon Hill, a small forward for the New Orleans Pelicans who most spectators have never heard of. He averaged a mere 4.2 PPG, 1.0 APG and 2.8 RPG in the 2015-16 season. However, his relatively mediocre stats were enough to earn him a stunning 4-year, $48 million dollar contract, making his salary more than that of unanimous Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry by over $700 thousand dollars per year. In addition, center Joakim Noah signed a 4-year, $72 million dollar contract with the New York Knicks. Noah was a hot prospect when he was drafted in 2007; however, from that point, most spectators would agree that he has never
larger contracts have been signed with players who are considered to be average.
lived up to those high expectations. Since his peak performance in 2013, where he averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.4 APG and 11.3 RPG, every aspect of Noah’s game has gotten worse, leaving a pervasive feeling of confusion among NBA fans following the deal. After all contracts had been finalized for the upcoming 2016-17 season, viewers everywhere questioned the financial decisions made by management, wondering how teams could allocate so much money towards such ordinary players. Despite popular beliefs, these contracts are not random, and are not always worth as much as they seem. In fact, since a $24 billion dollar television deal with the Electronic and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), the NBA has raised the salary cap for each team. From last year alone, the price cap has increased from $70 million dollars to over $94 million dollars; the largest annual increase in the history of the NBA. While the percentage of the team’s salary cap given to players has remained nearly constant, larger contracts can be heavily attributed to the increased salary cap. In other words, teams now have access to a greater amount of money to spend collec-
tively, creating the opportunity to spend more money to attract and keep players. Even with these factors, players received large contracts that many fans found to be unwarranted, which brings up the next factor: the free agent class. With more money to spend than ever, teams are looking to use the new salary caps by acquiring new players and free agents. However, a weak free agent class was the reason formerly unimpressive players such as Hill were able to receive the contracts they did. With a limited number of skilled free agents and a homogeneous class of rookies, teams this year were forced to drop their standards and build their teams around available players, offering unbelievable amounts of money to players who would fit a team well, even if the players themselves would not be worth that much. Ultimately, the newfound wave of giant contracts has nothing to do with luck or randomness. In future years, contracts will depend even more heavily on the free agent class — more talent will result in smaller contracts for less talented players, and huge contracts for the elite.
more talent will result in smaller contracts for less talented players, and huge contracts for the elite.
naveen pai with The Campanile’s own
Kai Oda The Campanile: Who are you and what’s your position on the cross country team? Naveen Pai: I’m Naveen, and I’m a senior varsity runner. TC: Alright Naveen, what’s your favorite part about cross country? NP: My sweet legs. TC: What about your legs? NP: They’re very toned and defined, I would say. TC: And do these toned legs help propel you to victory? NP: Always. TC: Ok, as a Varsity runner, what hopes do you have for yourself and the team this season? NP: Hopefully we’ll be able to win CCS and place top ten in states. TC: What part will you miss the most about running for Paly’s cross country team over the past four years? NP: The baby dino. TC: Tell us more about what the baby dinosaur is like. NP: He’s kind of a mysterious character, and boyishly good-looking. That’s really all you can say about him; even I don’t know him that well. TC: Ok, so we know how much you love cross-country, but can you give us your opinion on the boys lacrosse team? *TRIGGER WARNING* NP: We have a lacrosse team? Lacrosse is a sport? That’s strange. TC: I’m just going to move on. If you had to pick one teammate to go into a zombie apocalypse with, who would you choose and why? NP: Probably Kai Oda, because he has those super toned muscles, and he could just carry me through it. TC: I would leave you there. NP: *awkward silence* TC: Do you see any difference in the crossover between the girls and boys cross country team with the new slogan, “one team,” introduced this year? NP: Yes, I think our new mentality as a unified team has definitely helped our team chemistry. TC: In what ways? NP: For example, at our pasta feeds you can make connections by talking with other teammates you may not have known very well before, which helps build a connection in the team overall. TC: Do you plan to run cross country after high school? If so, where and why? NP: I’m actually training for an undercover CIA mission in Ethiopia, so that’s probably where my running career will continue. TC: In Ethiopia, do you anticipate… I should actually stop it there. Um, do you have a spirit animal that motivates you to run? NP: Once again, I would have to say the baby dino. He’s just so fierce, competitive and hungry. TC: What do you think is the most important element to focus on for those trying to get better at running and why? NP: I would just say staying committed and trying to get longer runs in to build a pace. TC: How do you feel about the new coaches, Michael Davidson and Michael Granville? How have they changed cross country so far this year? NP: They work us really hard and I can tell they have a plan for us. I think we have a promising future with them. TC: Are there any things they’ve done differently? NP: Yeah, we’re focusing more on longer workouts in the beginning, and are focusing a lot more on core, which is painful. TC: How many abs do you have, Naveen? NP: I lost count. TC: Lastly, how do you stay focused during the season? NP: I get really inspired by my cat, Rascal. He’s really dedicated and always reminds me to stay strong and keep pushing. He’s been a real source of motivation for me. In fact, I’m gonna end this interview because I want to go home to my cat right now.