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