Issue 1, 9/7/2018 by The Campanile

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

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. CI, No. 1

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

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

www.thecampanile.org

Former student sentenced Four-car pileup on El Camino Student, two staff cars involved in chain reaction accident to 60 days in juvenile hall

Judge convicts student of felony charges, including rape By Shannon Zhao

Senior Staff Writer

juvenile court judge sentenced a former Palo Alto High School student to 60 days in Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on Aug. 24 for sexually assaulting an underaged female Paly student in 2016. The student was accused of several counts of sexual assault and was convicted of felony charges, including rape, on Aug. 6. The student was taken to juvenile hall promptly after the sentencing in the Juvenile Justice Courthouse in San Jose. Last fall, knowledge of sexual assault allegations against the then-Paly senior surfaced in a KTVU Fox 2 video report, which had statements from two alleged victims of sexual misconduct. The victims provided graphic, detailed accounts to KTVU of their assault, which occured in a Paly bathroom and a local church bathroom.

The District cited California Education Code 48900 as the reason the student was not legally eligible for suspension or expulsion. The assailant was charged with having consenual underaged sex as a result of the on-campus incident and was convicted of forced oral copulation, a felony, for the church bathroom incident. Because the student did not commit sexual assault “at any time on school grounds," according to California Education Code

48900, the student was not legally eligible for suspension or expulsion from school, according to the District. Additionally, because the student was a minor at the time, his identity was concealed under the protection of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), according to the District. The Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) was aware of the allegation and claimed administrators took appropriate disciplinary action against the student, according to a statement made by PAUSD district Spokesman Jorge Quintana, published in a KTVU story. The student was put on probation and required to adhere to a restraining order and pay restitution to the victim. The father of the convicted student who asked The Campanile not to use his name, said he thinks former Principal Kim Diorio took appropriate measures in response. "If people understood what actually happened, [they would see the District] handled it properly," the father said. "He really didn't do anything wrong." The father of the former student said his son has committed no acts of sexual assault but rather acted on "poor behavior." He said this behavior stems from the lack of knowledge about what consent is. The evolving definition has created many gray areas around the fine line that differentiates appropiate sexual interactions from sexual assault, according to the father. The lack of transparency in the District’s management of the allegations led to much of the harsh appraisal from the community, as parents and students were confused and frustrated by the student being allowed to remain in

school without their knowledge. According to the District and school administration, the student was legally permitted to continue attending class. However, after days of public outrage, the former student voluntarily decided to permanently leave the school due to threats to his safety, according to Diorio. The student was kicked off the baseball team after the coaches were notified of the allegations,

"If people understood what actually happened, [they would see the District] handled it properly." Father of convicted student

according to former teamate Spencer Rojahn. Despite recieving critical judgement from the community, the baseball team is serious about severing ties with the former student, according to Rojahn. "We [the baseball team] are in full support of the prosecution," Rojahn said. "[We] believe he deserves the consequences that are coming to him." The former student has since attended an out-of-state rehabilitation program where he has received schooling and therapy. He will attend college in San Jose this fall. The former student will be required to continue attending a sex offender treatment program. The student will be placed on probation once he is released; meanwhile, he will be allowed to leave juvenile hall to attend therapy at the discretion of his probation officer.

KENNEDY HERRON/THE CAMPANILE

The car pictured on the right belongs to the woman who careened into the curb near the lacrosse field.

By Kennedy Herron

Queen, Paly’s secretary to the assistant principal. Officers on the scene said that as far as they knew, there were no injuries. Queen said she had been sitting in the front office when the incident took place. “I heard a crunch,” Queen said. “There’s nothing like that sound…and I saw the smoke go up and I came out. [Campus Supervisor] Ernesto [Cruz] told me [the woman] wasn’t feeling very well and swerved; she [looked] a little disoriented.” Queen said the woman had gotten out of her car before Queen got to the scene, but the woman was not hurt, and the parked cars were all empty. While two of the cars are owned by Paly faculty, one belonging to special education teacher Donna Alkadri and the other the property of a Paly administrator, the third car in the chain belongs to a student. The Campanile Lifestyle Editor and senior Leela Srinivasan, whose Volkswagen Jetta was involved in the crash, was not informed of the crash right away.

Managing Editor

n elderly woman is currently at the hospital after triggering a chain reaction car accident on El Camino Real around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at Paly’s Embarcadero parking lot. While driving north on El Camino Real, the woman swerved and hit a parked car, reporting that she did not feel well, according to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson. The crash subsequently hit the next two cars that were parked, damaging a total of four parked cars.

"When I walked around to the front, I saw that the front was smashed as well." Leela Srinivasan

Both the Palo Alto Fire Department and the Palo Alto Police Department showed up after 10 minutes, according to Vallen

Srinivasan made her way to the scene a bit later after a small crowd had formed. “My friend called me and told me my car might have been hit, so I came out to the parking lot,” Srinivasan said. “When I walked around to the front, I saw that the front was smashed as well. The front hood is jammed shut, so I couldn't open it to look at the damage inside. ”

"There's nothing like that sound. I saw the smoke go up and I came out." Vallen Queen

The tow truck arrived on the scene soon after and towed the first two cars away from the curb. Srinivasan, however, discovered that her car was driveable. Srinivasan said, "Nothing happened when I pulled forward to make room for the tow truck, so I decided it would be safe enough to drive the car home."

Town and Country shops increase pricing Solar panels added Several popular lunch spots shift costs before the beginning of the school year to two campus sites

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

New solar panels cover the back section of the Churchill parking lot.

By Jaures Yip

JOHNNY YANG/THE CAMPANILE

Asian Box is one of many lunch destinations that raised pricing on its student lunch special, along with Sushi House and Kirk's Steakburgers.

By Emily Asher

Staff Writer

ear after year, Town and Country Village has been the hot spot for hungry Paly students during lunch and after school. However, the recent price changes at certain restaurants are causing concern throughout the Paly community. Popular restaurants such as Asian Box, Sushi House and Kirk's Steakburgers raised their prices over the summer, leaving students’ wallets emptied after only a couple of meals. “I find it really irritating that

INSIDE

Town and Country would raise the price of their food, which in some cases is already really expensive,” junior Zoe Baghaie. said “I have a certain amount of allowance that I am able to use, following the prices of lunch at Town and Country, and it is much more difficult now because I have to either budget my money and only go a few times a week, or ask my parents to raise my allowance.” While many students are angered by this sudden price raise, it is not that different from what is happening in many parts of the nation. The economy is growing rapidly, rents are increasing and

there are new tariffs on imported goods. Interest rate heights are causing some concern that inflation, already at its highest rate in eight years, will continue to rise. As for the prices affecting Paly students, restaurant owners say they have to cope with the increasing prices either outside their store or within the community by raising the prices of their Paly specials. Asian Box, one of the most popular restaurants at Town and Country, known for their fairly inexpensive Paly special, had one of the more noticable changes on their price over the summer,

Lifestyle

with a increase of $5 to $7 for the Paly deal over the summer. This came as a shock to many students. However, according to Asian Box, this change was necessary to keep the business running. “We have been losing money,” said store manager Wendy Martinez. “It was really just a donation to help the school before, so we decided after six years, we needed to keep up with some of the other stores. We are still not really making a profit, but we’re just not losing money.” Other Town and Country res-

T&C Prices

Staff Writer

fter public concerns regarding the initial proposed location along El Camino Road, two solar arrays in the corporation yard and one in the Churchill parking lot have recently finished construction, which began in June, and are expected to become fully operational sometime between October and December. Following the original proposals in February to install elevated carport solar arrays, several residents criticized the placement due to its interference of the view of historic Paly buildings. Multiple committees including the Palo Alto Historical Association, Alumni Association Board and the Canopy objected against the compromisation of the archival nature of the area.

Spotlight

Science & Tech

Rachel Kellerman, Paly librarian and member of the Facilities Planning Committee, was an adamant supporter of the location change. “In my view, aesthetically, I felt like it didn’t go with the certain nature of the [Tower] Building and surrounding area, and so I objected,” Kellerman said. In response, Palo Alto’s Board of Education worked with Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) staff to determine a less conspicuous area, reaching out to internal stakeholders, parent groups, site leadership and other groups recommended by the site administration. “I felt like [the issue] was competing goods and trying to find a compromise and once the board understood the points of view from the [public], they did listen

Solar Panels

Sports

the edition

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

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE WARNER BROS. PICTURES/FAIR USE

Self-Taught Musicians

Perspectives from students who opted to approach music solo. PAGE B1

PIXABAY/CC0

PALY VOICE/USED WITH PERMISSION

Autoimmune disorders

Changes in administration

PAGE B8

PAGE B4-B5

Exploring the lives of students at Paly with autoimmune diseases.

Paly adjusts to new principal and assistant principals.

FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE

Field hockey debuts

A student's petition leads to addition of new school sport. PAGE C6

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

NEWS

ASB's Quadside Lands premieres at Paly Calafia Café closes Group also organizes intramural volleyball, freshman class elections, more

doors after nine years

CAMERON LEGRAND /THE CAMPANILE

Calafia, one of the hottest spots for students in Town & Country, closed.

By Cameron Legrand Senior Staff Writer

BEN GORDON/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior bassist Jevan Yu performs Neil Young's "Down By The River" with the all senior band, Garage Mahal, on the opening day of Quadside Lands.

By Paige Knoblock Staff Writer

n an attempt to help students hold on to summer, Paly's Associated Student Body (ASB) is hosting Quadside Lands, a lunchtime musical festival , which includes a photo booth and live music from student bands. ASB is hosting the Quadside Lands festival from Sept. 4 through Sept. 7, and it features a variety of student performances along with alternative activities including tie-dye and temporary tattoos. Junior Class President Zoe

“ASB is working to have events that all students can enjoy.” Phoebe Kim

Silver hopes to cater the event to a wide audience. “We’re hoping for even more students to attend this year than in the past,” Silver said. Following Quadside lands is ASB’s third annual volleyball tournament which will be starting Sept. 14. According to Silver, student and teacher teams of eight or more players will be playing for the title of Intramural Volleyball

BEN VAN ZYLL/THE CAMPANILE

Junior performer Theo Lim-Jisra plays guitar and sings original songs on day two of Quadside Lands. Champion. “ASB is working to have events that all students can enjoy, we hope all students can enjoy the volleyball tournament,” Silver said. Recently, Freshmen class elections were held Aug. 20 through Aug. 24. Phoebe Kim was elected Class President and has high hopes for the Class of 2022 for the upcoming school year. “My hope for this Class of ‘22 would be to win Spirit Week,” Kim said. “Of course traditionally the seniors win and occasionally the juniors, but I think we have a solid chance at winning.” This year ASB is hoping to have two dances for underclass-

men instead of one. “Having two dances I believe would one, be a lot of fun and bring excitement to the underclassmen, and two, unify the freshmen grade, especially because our grade is so big,” Kim said. As August came to a close, Spirit Week is on the horizon, the junior class had an important decision to make. The class was divided on whether or not they should change their color, yellow. The vote was put out and on Aug. 24 it was confirmed, the junior class will keep their yellow color. This decision comes after many thought yellow did not have enough theme options. Paly’s first Club Day of the

year is being held on Sept. 14, on the Quad during lunch. This will be an opportunity for Paly’s clubs to advertise themselves in order to recruit new and old members. Paly will be serving a free lunch on the Quad during Club Day. In addition, there is a special schedule on Sept. 14 in order to accommodate an extended lunch period for students to have more time to explore the different clubs. “Club Day really helps us campaign our club so we can get as many people to join as possible, but in general, it's also a good way to expose the Paly population to the content of the club,” said junior Summer Daniel, co-president of Magical Bridge Club.

alafia Café, a restaurant known for its farm-to-table approach, has officially closed its doors at its Town and Country Village location in Palo Alto. A note posted on the door of the Palo Alto staple informed customers of the news, reading, “It was a good 9 years. Thank you Palo Alto!” The owner, Charlie Ayers, former head chef at Google, opened Calafia in 2009. Last year, Calafia was temporarily shut down twice in the span of one month after health inspectors discovered live and deceased rodents and insects on the premises. There was speculation that this might have been the cause for the closure, but these claims have never been proven. “Money wasn't coming through the door anymore,” Ayers told Palo Alto Online. “The costs were greater than the take. I couldn't operate that way anymore.”

“Money wasn't coming through the door anymore... the costs were greater than the take.” Charlie Ayers

Students and critics alike have praised the restaurant for its fresh and organic cuisine. Many Paly students frequented the restaurant, mostly for the quick, to-go salad portion of the restaurant called “Market A-Go-Go.” Senior Charlie Williams was disappointed to hear about the closing of the restaurant because of the abundance of healthy options that it offered to customers. “It is so important to keep a healthy lifestyle," Williams said. "When you’re trying to get in

Palo Alto middle schools change names

Controversy surrounding Jordan, Terman prompts board to rename By Frida Rivera

s a result of input from a renaming committee, Jordan and Terman Middle School have been renamed Greene and Fletcher Middle School respectively. After five months and $38,700 of bond funds, a renaming committee finalized the new names. Both David Starr Jordan and Lewis Terman promoted the theory of eugenics, which, among other things, argued that selective breeding could improve the human race. Junior Kobi Johnsson, an eighth grader at the time, brought this to the attention of the PAUSD board of education and proposed these schools’ names not be associated with people who had these beliefs. After speaking in April 2016, Johnsson and his father started a petition, receiving strong support, leading to the a committee’s decision for the name change. The Board discussed the tie between eugenics and Jordan, and asked then Supt. Max McGee to form a committee to research and review names of PAUSD schools ,then submit recommendations for renaming one or more of the schools for the Board's consideration by Dec. 31, 2016. The Recommending School Names Advisory committee, which was composed of six community members and students, begun the renaming process by defining criteria for names, which included someone linked to Palo Alto and made large contribu-

“It is so important to keep a healthy lifestyle, and when you're trying to get in shape, because it's 10 percent exersice and 90 percent what you put in your body.” Charlie Williams

“They were a great tenant, and we were very excited to put them in nearly 10. years ago,” Morris said. “We have high regard for Charlie Ayers and his concept to Calafia, so we were disappointed to [have] that close.” Ellis Partners is currently looking for a tenant to replace Calafia, but are not worried about the gap that the restaurant left to fill. “I’m not worried about our shopping center,” Morris said. “I am confident that we will fill it with another restaurant that will be well received by the community.” Ayers’ future ventures are currently unknown, but the former Grateful Dead chef is currently working as a consultant for restaurants and for a startup called Chowbotics.

UPCOMING EVENTS SEPT.

Staff Writer

shape, because it’s 10 percent exercise and 90 percent what you put into your body. Calafia made it easy to be able to have quick, healthy lunches. I’m going to miss that.” Williams, like many other students, appreciated the fact that Paly students had healthy food options at such close reach from campus. For Caroline Morris, a senior vice president for Ellis Partners, the proprietors of Town and Country Village, the closing of Calafia came as a complete surprise to her.

SEPT.

ACT EXAM One of the most annoying things you will do in your high school career. ROSH HASHANA BEGINS Shoutout to all the Jewish brethren out there. PHOTO ID MAKE UPS Slide to the gym on time if you slept through picture day. CLUB DAY

SEPT.

Find out about things you'll put on your college apps but never actually do.

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Greene replaces Jordan as the school paints over all displays of the previous name in late June this year. tions to the community. Additionally, the committee tried to be aware of any names that could be controversial. “Some submissions were offensive: racial slurs, bad words, but it confirmed that we needed this name change, and we have more work to do,” Jennifer DiBrienza said. Despite the process, controversy still arose surrounding potential nominee Frank Yamamoto, a Japanese-American Palo Alto resident who faced racial adversity and forced internment during World War II. He died later in battle as a member of the U.S. Army's 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team. Members of Palo Alto’s Chinese community pushed back on this name due

to its tie to Isoroku Yamamoto, a related Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Navy responsible for planning and carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor. "The committee’s number one name recommendation was the center of an unfortunate community debate,” board trustee Melissa Caswell said. “This may have been avoided if the committee had not suggested a top choice and only provided pros and cons for each of the choices, [and] the committee included a wider diversity of people represented in our community.” The board accepted Greene’s name as a replacement for Jordan. Greene was one of the first black founders of a technology company, a venture capitalist, whose firm

focused on support for startups owned by women and minorities. They also approved Ellen Fletcher’s name, replacing Terman. She was a Holocaust survivor who moved to the United States as a young girl and devoted 40 years to civic leadership. There was a lot of debate leading up to the board decision to rename the schools, but BatenCaswell said the response she’s heard from the community has been positive. Greene eighth grader Sophie O’Connor agrees. “I am happy with the name change,” O’Connor said. “It makes me feel better that our school is now named after a positive role model - someone students can look up to.”

SEPT.

YOM KIPPUR BEGINS Shoutout to all the Jewish brethren out there pt. II. COLLEGE APP WORKSHOP Try to get into college alongside others who are also trying to get into college. FIERY ARTS GLASS SALE Check out cool glass stuff and buy something if you think it's dank enough. STANFORD VS OREGON FOOTBALL Ignore the actual game you paid money for and socialize instead.

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

NEWS AP English Language class debuts Newest year-long English course draws unprecedentedly high enrollment

SHANNON ZHAO/THE CAMPANILE

Melissa Laptalo’s upperclassmen students review the table of contents of the new AP Language and Composition textbook during class.

By Johnny Yang

Staff Writer

our hundred and three juniors and seniors are enrolled in AP English Language, a brand new Advanced Placement English elective. The course’s popularity has contributed to the cancellation of Film Composition and Escape Literature.

“Any way we can give students more choice is positive in my view. It’s all about [student’s] choice. Our school wants to do everything we can to serve our students.” Lucy Filppu

AP Language, in terms of graduation requirements, is an

Solar Panels

Continued from A1 and make those compromises,” Kellerman said. However, the location change brought an abundance of difficulties, according to board member Todd Collins.

“The great news is that we save money, not a lot of money, but enough that the project actually yields a positive result for the taxpayers.” Todd Collins

“We have to consider things like traffic patterns, student activities, roof conditions, impact

T&C Prices

Continued from A1 -taurants such as Kirk’s and Sushi House are also choosing to raise their prices to help pay for the increasing rent and the cost of their ingredients. “The prices are being changed because most of the ingredients were also increased outside the restaurant,” said Kirk’s manager Fernando Coronado. “When the companies send the new budget with the increased prices, our prices automatically have to increase.” Not only are the prices for food and rent rising locally, but nationally, tariffs are on the rise as well. The Trump administration’s recently imposed tariffs are causing wide-ranging economic effects that most likely have negative consequences on certain businesses. Businesses that were once deemed affordable are being taxed more to get their products internationally, resulting in a possible price boost in their own products.

“When the companies send the new budget with the increased prices, our prices automatically have to increase.”

alternative to American Literature 11 or World Literature 12. However, it is a full year course, while the other two are only one semester long. That is, students who choose to take AP Language are not able to take any other English electives during the same year. As a result, the enrollment of all English electives was suddenly decreased by more than 400 students. Lucy Filppu, who has been teaching English for over seven years, said that she thinks AP Language offers students more options, which, in her opinion, is what electives should be all about. “Any way we can give students more choice is positive in my view,” Filppu said. “It’s all about [student’s] choice. Our school wants to do everything we can to serve our students.” Unlike other English electives, which generally spend most time on reading and analyzing fiction, AP English Language is primarily focused on analyzing the rhetorical strategies used throughout non-fiction texts. Over the course

of the year, students will learn about how to write persuasive essays by analyzing these rhetorical strategies. “It is not only new for the students, but it’s new for us the teachers as well,” said Mrs. Laptalo, one of the current AP English Language teachers. “I think what’s gonna be similar is we are all viewing ourselves as coaches that will prepare students for the AP exam. There are specific skills that we know that will be on the AP exam, and we want to prepare them for that.” The skills taught in AP English Language are valued by the Paly community, as shown by the large amount of students enrolled in the course. Additionally, it offers an option for juniors who would like to take an APt English course, or seniors who do not want to take AP Literature, which is mainly focused on analyzing fiction. “I personally like it because it is not as intense as AP Literature but still a solid AP,” said junior Jonathan Mi. “I think analyzing

literature, especially non-fiction, is going to be really helpful later on in college and in our careers, since close reading is a necessary skill.” In terms of class content and plan, Mrs. Laptalo states that the AP exam will not be the only topic of the course.

“[We] can do a lot more than just test prep in a year,” Mrs Laptalo said. “So we are also working on designing some creative projects and different things that will help students practice the same skills as the exam.”

As the tariffs rise on certain international goods such as metals, anything in association with metals will most likely rise as well. If an imported good subject to a tariff is purchased from a store in Town and Country, the store will often raise its prices to make up for its increased spending. Additionally, the economy has been steadily improving this past year, causing higher inflation. In 2017, the inflation rate was around 2.14 percent, and this year is estimated to be around 2.54 percent. Not only has this been the highest inflation rate since 2011, but it isn’t supposed to drop drastically in the upcoming years, according to The Statistics Portal. Along with an increase on goods, rent is also becoming a major issue for companies. With such a high demand for space, specifically in the Bay Area, land-

on views, impact on our neighbors and even trees,” Collins said. Economic issues imposed further restraints as the District sought to align costs of electricity and panel installation. Roof mounted panels were subsequently minimized due to their higher cost, resulting in the implementation of shade structures. The project is a power purchase agreement, meaning PAUSD worked with a third party that finances and owns the panels. The District is under contract to purchase the electricity generated for a predetermined rate that scales over time. These costs are currently expected to remain below market rate. Plans were eventually finalized, allowing construction to finish before the school year began, along with two other solar projects located at Jane Latrhop Stanford middle school and Fletcher middle schools and three projects at Nixon, Ohlone and Escondido

elementary schools. However, according to ARC Alternatives president Russell Driver, the rooftop systems are still being reviewed by the Divi-

panels on new constructions as of 2020. As Paly is the largest electricity consumer in PAUSD, the District hopes future bond planning might include further additional arrays. When completed, the districtwide systems are currently anticipated to save nearly $600,000 over the 25 year period of the project, after an initial cost of $100,000 in the first 14 years. “The great news is that we save money, not a lot of money, but enough that the project actually yields a positive result for the taxpayers,” Collins said. While residents will be pleased to hear that the project will be financially favorable, the largest benefit is the ability to produce clean, sustainable energy. According to PAUSD sustainability director Rebecca Navarro, the total system capacity is expected to offset the carbon emissions of 211 houses in Palo Alto annually, with Paly currently responsible for

42 houses worth of emissions as a 216 kilowatt system. “We’re excited that we’ve created something tangible that shows our commitment to students, not just today but as they grow up in the future, they can see our promise to make sure that we’re passing on an earth that’s everything they deserve,” Navarro said in a recent board meeting. The district is also working with the City of Palo Alto Utilities and Renewable Energy Corporation Solar (REC Solar) to develop and offer solar power related curriculum to all PAUSD students. “We will have real time data available to every staff and student once the systems and fully interconnected, and we’re really excited to have this authentic resource for classroom learning,” Navarro said. The panels have also been generally well-received by the public. Walter Hayes, the chair of the Sustainable Schools Committee,

“One of the biggest challenges is switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy.” Walter Hayes

sion of State Architect. “One just got approved, the other is still pending, so we will see construction starting with those remaining two systems in September or October,” Driver said. New structures that will be added to the school will likely contain more rooftop panels due to a California law implemented in May which will mandate solar

“I think analyzing literature, especially non-fiction, is going to be really helpful later on in college and in our careers, since close reading is a necessary skill.” Jonathan Mi

Fernando Coronado

lords are able to charge more for their land. If businesses such as the ones in Town and Country want to stay in business, they must comply with the increased rent. Between the new tariffs, increased rent and inflation in the United States, prices will likely continue to rise each year. “It’s unfortunate that the prices are rising because I think all students should be able to find a quality affordable lunch,” said junior Summer Daniel. “However, with the high demand from students and the inflating economy, it wouldn’t make sense for the shops in Town and Country to keep their prices the same.” While many of Paly’s favorite restaurants increased their prices on food, others have remained the same. “Originally we increased prices to compensate for minimum wage, however, we believed that six dollars for a slice of pizza and a drink is a good amount for high school students,” said Howie’s Pizza store manager Mike Kelly. “We know money can be hard to spend for high schoolers.”

“I don’t go to Town and Country for lunch because I don’t have a need to. I always bring my own lunch, which is both cheaper in the long run and more convenient.” Sonny Young

A large portion of Paly’s community would rather spend their money on other items rather than lunch at Town and Country daily. A common solution, is bringing their own lunch to school. “I don’t go to Town and Country for lunch because I don’t have a need to,” junior Sonny Young said. “I always bring my own lunch, which is both cheaper in the long run and more convenient.” Whether students bring their own lunch to school or buy lunch at Town and Country, the nation’s inflation and new laws are affecting everyone, making prices an important consideration when purchasing items such as lunch. expressed their gratitude to the

“We’re excited that we’ve created something tangible that shows our commitment to students, not just today but as they grow up in the future.” Rebecca Navarro

district and their efforts. “One of the biggest challenges is switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” Hayes said. “Schools have a particularly important role because your educating the next generation. What [the district is] doing now is a very powerful and positive response to that challenge.”

Former PAUSD substitute arrested for alleged robbery, firearm possession within classroom Charles Ha So was a full-time teacher at Chaboya Middle School in San Jose, has substituted for PAUSD By Kennedy Heron

Managing Editor

ormer Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) substitute teacher, Charles Ha So, was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at Chaboya Middle School in San Jose, Calif., and now faces charges for robbery and possession of a firearm at a school.

“We are notifying parents and staff at those schools that there were never any reported concerns about his performance in our classrooms.” Karen Hendricks

After months of investigating, police finally tied So to a road rage incident. The initial disturbance took place on Feb. 1 in San Jose

when So allegedly assaulted another man and stole the man’s cell phone before leaving the scene. As police searched the classroom of the 35-year-old full-time Chaboya Middle School teacher to collect his personal belongings after his arrest, they found a loaded handgun in a satchel, which was in the classroom, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The gun is registered in So’s name, according to Sgt. Enrique Garcia in a Mercury News article. The Mercury News article stated “it wasn’t immediately clear why So had a firearm on school property, but Garcia said, ‘there is no indication at this time that he was going to use that handgun against staff or students.’” So subbed for PAUSD a total of eight times in the 2017-2018 school year: four days at Henry M. Gunn High School, three days at Paly and one day at Walter Hays Elementary School. Assistant Superintendent Karen Hendricks, who works in Human Resources, sent out a

statement on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. to inform PAUSD families of the occurrence. Hendricks’ message failed to include the fact that police found a loaded gun in So’s classroom; however, an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, published on Aug. 30 at 2:45 p.m.—a couple hours before Hendricks’ email—mentioned the gun.

“Safety is a very high priority in our school district and we make sure that we screen all personnel before they are added to our substitute teacher list.” Karen Hendricks

“We are notifying parents and staff at those schools that there were never any reported concerns about his performance in our classrooms,” Hendricks said in

the email. “Safety is a very high priority in our school district and we make sure that we screen all personnel before they are added to our substitute teacher list. Mr. So passed all required background checks.”

So subbed for PAUSD a total of eight times in the 2017-2018 school year. The investigation of the road rage incident lead police to Chaboya Middle School, where they arrested So. Police waited until after students were finished for the day, so as not to cause a commotion, according to the Mercury News. According to the Mercury News, “a recent hire who passed [So’s] background check [at Chaboya Middle School] on Aug. 18, has been placed on administrative leave.”

SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT Former PAUSD substitute Charles Ha So was arrested on multiple charges.

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

NEWS

District updates Title IX policies to ensure safety

New memorandum of understanding includes proactive policing on Paly campus in response to sexual assault incidents By Kaahini Jain

I Controversial tutorial system implemented, replaces Flex Students express their frustrations towards the new system By Khadija Abid

Distribution Manager

aly has implemented a new tutorial model this year, the latest in a long string of schedule changes. Students were first introduced to the new bell schedule through an email sent by PAUSD the week before school began, and the new tutorial system was released through a Schoology post by Paulson on Aug. 14. “Tutorial will look different this year,” Principal Adam Paulson wrote in a Schoolgy post. “Students will make an appointment with the teacher of their choice or will find a classroom where space is available. They will remain in one location.”

“The system helps [teachers] hold students accountable, which is helpful since [they're] responsible for [students] safety during instructional time.” David Baker

Students were required to stay in their sixth period class during tutorial for the first week of school, where they received an informational lesson regarding the new tutorial protocol. The new system prohibits students from visiting multiple teachers or classrooms during tutorial, and check-ins at the MAC and Quad will also be discontinued. Instead, students are required to choose and remain in a

classroom during tutorial, from 2:05 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. on even days. The new system was created because of ongoing struggles to meet state-required educational minutes. According to California Education Code, California high schools must meet a minimum of 54,000 instructional minutes a year. In order for tutorial to count as instructional minutes, all students must be present on campus.

“I’m a bit concerned about fitting everyone at school.” David Foster

“The system helps [teachers] hold students accountable, which is helpful since we’re responsible for [students'] safety during instructional time,” said math teacher David Baker. The newly implemented tutorial system has faced criticism from students, staff and parents alike for a multitude of reasons. “I’m a bit concerned about fitting everyone at school,” Senior Class President David Foster said. “We’ve never had to cram every student in a classroom before because people always had preps or went to the atrium or Quad or around school.” Foster also wishes administration had been more transparent about their determination process and that they had incorporated more student opinion. For example, the Innovative Schedule Committee, of which Foster was a member, was a 19person group tasked with creating

the new bell schedule last spring. The committee was composed of administrators, teachers, students and parents, containing all the stakeholders and providing a variety of perspectives. According to Foster, the committee was not involved with the creation of the new tutorial system. Senior Kaushik Seshadri echoed Foster’s sentiments, also adding his feelings of frustration with the lack of flexibility. Seshadri cites the common incident of being absent and needing to catch up with multiple teachers, criticizing the new system for failing to allow students to accomplish the tasks usually meant for tutorial. “I don’t like it,” Seshadri said. “I hate how we’re stuck with one teacher for the whole time and confined to an academic setting.” Instead, Seshadri suggests that students should be able to sign into multiple places, allowing them to meet with the teachers they need and providing vital flexibility.

“I hate how we're stuck with one teacher for the whole time and confined to an academic setting.” Kaushik Seshadri

Administration has released a survey seeking to collect student opinion on what aspects of the new tutorial system have been working well and what should be improved upon. They will be using this information to reevaluate and make improvements to this system according to Matthew Hall, activities director.

Staff Writer

n response to controversy surrounding the way sexual assault allegations from Paly students have been handled, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is creating new procedures for these cases. During the past couple years, the Palo Alto community has heard of multiple sexual harassment situations, dating back to 2013, that happened at public spaces, such as parks and schools like Paly and Stanford University. The District has been working with the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to produce some new rules to follow. Megan Farrell, the new Title IX Compliance Officer of PAUSD, who came in as part of the new rules, stresses the importance of handling such cases. “If something wrongful happens, it can have [long] effects for the rest of their life,” Farrell said. In March 2017, the United States Department of Education OCR sent a letter to PAUSD, specifically then Supt. Dr. Glenn “Max” McGee, about the administration’s response to multiple mishandled sexual assault allegations. The allegations that have surfaced since 2013 are mostly student-student type allegations, occurring both on campus and off. However, some of the allegations have been between teachers and students. The letter, signed by the regional director of the office, Laura Faer, stated, “On June 3, 2013, OCR opened the Directed Investigation based on information received that the District has not provided a prompt and equitable response to notice of peer sexual harassment, including peer harassment related to sexual assault at Palo Alto High School.” Upon receiving this letter, PAUSD and the U.S. Department of Education OCR worked to come up with agreements on handling sexual harassment allegations. They reached a resolution agreement, stating specifically which Board Policies the District will revise. Farrell was hired as the agreement was coming together in November 2017. As the Title IX Compliance Officer, Farrell said her job entails handling any issues involving discrimination, bullying, harassment or intimidation brought to her attention by students. The Palo Alto Police

Department (PAPD) has a been involved, creating a memorandum of understanding (MOU) as of this past April. The purpose of this, as stated in the MOU is “to clarify its working relationship with the PAPD to ensure an effective, prompt, coordinated, and fair response to sexual misconduct.” The District and PAPD recognize that due to the law they have different obligations and “it is important to respect those differences,” according to the MOU. Additionally, both parties will conduct separate investigations and will not discourage the complainant from pursuing the other investigation as well.

“If something wrongful happens, it can have [long] effects for the rest of their life.” Megan Farrell

The MOU also says that there will be School Resource Officers (SRO) available during school hours as well as proactively policing on school campuses. Should a student be needing transportation to a medical facility for being a posed threat to others, officers will be using mechanical restraints as required by PAPD policy. As for the PAPD having to search for students on school grounds, the MOU states that all pat downs and searches happening on school campus should be conducted away from the view of other students to protect the student from discrimination. Another part of the resolution agreement said, “The District will develop an online system where students and parents can make anonymous reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence.” This has already been put in place and can be found on the PAUSD website. According to Farrell, the online system is more formal and accessible for students than the previous option for filing a Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) was. Michelle Higgins, a parent representative on the Responsive Inclusive Safe Environment Taskforce (RISE) whose goal is on compliance and sexual harassment prevention and education, “[the] . . . increased reporting of sexual harassment is, counterintuitively a positive, as it indicates that our students, educators and parents have become far more aware and

responsive to sexual harassment.” However, many people who have filed a complaint would say that the new process isn’t what they were looking for. “One of the hardest things [about my job] is at the end of the day a lot of the people don’t feel happy with the conclusion,” Farrell said. “Both sides are generally looking for complete vindication. But, our investigation results in a finding of a policy violation or no policy violation. We are not required to conclude which side is right, which is wrong.” A new aspect that is part of the agreement is that the district must hold mandatory staff trainings that revolve around Title IX. These trainings have already started and are required for elementary, middle and high school staff in the district. The idea of the trainings is to educate the staff so that everyone is on the same page with the new agreements. There are separate training sessions for bus drivers and leadership staff, those who are in the District but not a specific school. In addition, the OCR will also be reviewing all reports of Title IX violations in the district that were reported in PAUSD high schools from the 2012-13 through the 2015-16 school year to ensure proper solution and closure of each case. Towards the end of the document it is stated in yellow highlight, “OCR will monitor this resolution agreement for a minimum of three years.” Farrell hopes that these new procedures will help make victims feel more at peace with the end result, create a greater sense of understanding and make school a safe place for all. “I would like to see more informal resolutions this year,” Farrell said. “I’d like to see a solution where both parties are involved and come to an agreement.” Parallel to the new policies being created within PAUSD, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has made some announcements regarding sexual harassment in schools on a federal level. According to The New York Times, DeVos wants to give more assistance and rights to those accused of sexual misconduct. DeVos also wants to create new rules about the liability of the school, saying they should only have to be involved if the harassment occurred on-campus. Should these proposals be made final, schools such as Paly would not become involved or have the ability to help students who were sexually harassed off campus.

Centennial celebrations to continue with historical parade Alumni, students, parents, staff gather together to celebrate the beginning of the hundreth year of Palo Alto High School By Maya Rathore

Staff Writer

icked off with an alumnihosted barbeque on Aug. 23, Palo Alto High School will celebrate its centennial birthday this 2018-2019 school year, paying homage to 100 years of history and remarkable education. Paly will host a series of events throughout the year to celebrate the 100-year mark, finishing with an event commemorating the school’s native newspaper, The Campanile, on March 23. “I did know it was turning 100 years old,” said senior Jacob Chernyak. “I didn’t plan on participating in any of the events, but I might.” According to the Paly Alumni website, the next Centennial event will be the Historical Parade on Oct. 7. The Historical Parade is a reenactment of the 1918 march from the original Channing Avenue Paly campus to the current Embarcadero campus. The parade was organized in partnership with the Palo Alto Historical Association. In addition to the parade, the area between the recently built Performing Arts Center and Haymarket Theater will be named “Centennial Plaza” in honor of the 100-year-mark right after the Historical Parade. Following that will be the Celebration Time Party, on

March 23, 2019. Paly was initially founded in 1898, making it one of the oldest currently functioning high schools in the region. Originally a private school, it started with three teachers, 24 students and a $6-per-month tuition fee, according to the Paly Alumni website. However, the classes of the original school were held in the two upper-floor rooms of the Channing Avenue Grammar School, not at the current Embarcadero campus.

“I think one of the things that has always made Paly interesting was the journalism program.” Rachel Kellerman

The school that resides on the current campus did not officially open until Dec. 24, 1918, the opening delayed due to the then raging influenza epidemic. The land that Paly currently resides on was sold for $1 per acre - meager compared to multimillion dollar-worth campus that the school operates on now. Back then, education was not as widespread nor emphasized. High schools were difficult to

come across, making Paly a former diamond in the rough. “There wasn’t a high school, because back in the day having an eighth grade education was considered a really good thing,” said Rachel Kellerman, Paly’s librarian and resident historian. “But what did all families want who lived here in Palo Alto? They wanted their kids to go to Stanford. They wanted a quality education for their children. It’s been a community that’s always supported public schools.” The grand opening of the campus was heralded by a march of students and faculty from the original Channing Avenue campus to the new Embarcadero campus. At the time, one of the school’s most impressive features was the auditorium, a facility that Stanford did not have at the time. Soon after, Paly’s newspaper The Campanile was born, which was spearheaded by then-senior Dorothy Nichols who decided the school needed a newspaper. Paly’s native newspaper is one of the oldest high school newspapers in the region, and is celebrating a hundred years of student-driven journalism. “I think one of the things that has always made Paly interesting was the journalism program, [which is] one of the few high school journalism programs that goes all the way back to its

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Banners hang on lampposts all around the campus, reminding the school to celebrate the centennial. founding,” Kellerman said in reference to the 100-year-mark that The Campanile reached. Paly’s deep roots have impacted many people in the greater Bay Area, with famous alumni and achievements that cemented the school’s reputation in Northern California. All three of the actor Franco brothers - Dave, James and Tom Franco - graduated from Paly back in the late 90s and early 2000s. Jeremy Lin from the class of 2006 led the boys varsity basketball team to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)

Division II title. Davante Adams, class of 2011 and current wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, led Paly to a CIF state championship as a two-way starter for the Vikings. Most recently, internationallevel ping-pong player Lily Zhang, who competed in the past two Summer Olympics, graduated in 2014. Paly also has a series of interscholastic athletic achievements that have built their reputation in the greater Bay Area. boys varsity basketball has won two CIF State Championships

in 1993 and 2006, a D1 football state championship in 2010, two volleyball State Championships in 2010 and 2011 and several CCS football championships. Paly is also where a hundred years worth of unforgettable memories were built by nonfamous alumni and students, like current Paly junior Ella Ball. Ball said, “My most impactful memory of Paly was my first debate practice and I just remember feeling like it was just a little community, within this bigger community, and it was just real nice.”

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

OPINION

Inefficient schedule change system needs reform

By Bernie Koen

Senior Staff Writer

or the first two weeks of school, the main office was a little short of a battlefield: long white tables blocked the entrance to the Guidance Department with several faculty members managing to hold down the overflow of students trying to change their schedule. Students with varying needs — from a minor schedule error, to trying to drop or add a class, to simply wanting to know the available classes during a certain period — find themselves in long lines, having to wait an extensive amount of time to have their requests filled. The current system is intended to save time, as it should, but it has serious flaws that deter from this goal. Many students wait in line to simply find out if a class has open space, or to ask about which classes are offered during a certain period. To avoid this issue, an online master page should be established on the Paly website, listing which classes are available during which period, and whether or not those classes are full. This change would significantly reduce the number of students waiting to ask question that could be answered at the touch of a buttons. Additionally, it would increase the transparency level for students who might simply be curious about when specific classes are offered. Currently, a student might feel dissatisfied with part of their schedule, but won’t know if there’s a way to change it effectively. The extensive system in place to be able to speak with a guidance counselor severely deters students wanting to find out more about a potential change to their schedule. Improving the transparency level would better inform students about the popular Paly classes, and it would reduce the number of Paly

students that need to speak with faculty members to ask simple schedule questions. According to Katya Villalobos, head of Paly’s Guidance Department, the staff tries to be understanding of students’ wishes to balance out their more difficult, time-consuming and intensive classes. “For students that have at least two or three APs, if they have them all on even days, we understand trying to move them to balance them out,” Villalobos said. However, for changes other than moving class periods, the process appears to be much more complex. “Any time you drop or add [a class], we’re asking for the student to sign, the parent to sign, and the [teacher advisor (TA)] to sign,” Villalobos said. In other words, for changes other than shuffling class periods, each student must go through the tedious process of getting their parents to sign a sheet,

as well as the job of hunting down their TA to ask for their signature. This entire process can take several days — which extends the number of days a student has to uncomfortably sit in a class they are certain they will be switching out of. It also increases the number of days they miss out on their potential class, allowing content and assignments to pile up. Both the parent and TA signatures are steps that seem useful at first, but end up being an unnecessary hassle that doesn’t help with the process. First, instead of confirming that parents agree with students who wish to drop a class via signature, admin should have faith that students are not making a decision that vehemently disobeys their parents’ wishes. Students understand that their parents will find out about the classes they’re taking through Back-to-School Night as well as progress re-

ports and report cards that are sent home very regularly. Secondly, obtaining a TA signature is a huge hassle for students that does not provide them with any help, outside of rare cases. Students who have been exposed to the process of creating a schedule for themselves, for at least three years of middle school, are capable of deciding if they want to add or drop a class on their own. According to Villalobos, the TA signature is a vital part of the process. “We want to make sure the TAs are aware of what the students are deciding, because they help you academically plan, and they help you with the transcript and making sure you know all the ins and outs,” Villalobos said. However, the help that is intended for the TA to provide to the student is assistance that is generally provided by the guidance counselor who processes the

change before performing the schedule change. Discussing graduation requirements, as well as any other implications is something the guidance counselor is much more equipped for, considering they have access to the classes that are available during each period and have those conversations several times a day. Realistically and logically, however, there are cases when the TA and parent signatures should be required. If a student tries to switch their schedule in order to not take a math or science class, that’s a decision that should be discussed with the parents, as well as with the TA. In this case, that decision is one that’s very personal to the student, meaning it would be more beneficial for them to have that conversation with the TA who knows them better than a guidance counselor. Additionally, the process with signatures is very

applicable to lane changes. According to Villalobos, the student, parent and TA signatures aren’t the only ones requested when attempting to switch lanes. “For math lane changes, we’ve always asked for the Head of Department signatures,” Villalobos said.

make someone a cup of tea and force them to drink it if they do not want to. The sexual assault scandal at Paly in 2016 sheds light on this issue and it is clear that the issue of consent is pressing and relevant to the PAUSD community and needs to be adequately addressed immediately. PAUSD seems to be focused on treatment after incidents occur, as opposed to prevention. Paly has had two speakers come in to address this issue in assemblies in the past year, which is a step in the right direction. However, it is unfortunate that this issue was mainly brought to attention after multiple sexual misconduct incidents occurred at Paly. As a part of his Social Justice Pathway project, junior Max Pearson created videos which contained basic information on consent and presented them to elementary school students. “There’s no reason to wait until high school to start learning about consent,” Pearson said. “It seems as though we’ve covered bullying and being safe on the internet a thousand times, but we should also focus on consent.” It would be simple to implement consent into school curriculum. At the elementary school level, age appropriate videos such as “Tea Consent” could be used to teach kids respectful and proper behavior. Currently, PAUSD elementary schools have a no bullying program in place called ‘2nd Steps’. However, this program is not uniformly implemented across the middle schools and does not include consent basics in the curriculum. First grade teacher Tamar DeFrancesco from Escondido Elementary School said she would like to see the District implement a district-wide program addressing consent at a younger age. The no bullying program,

‘2nd Steps,’ targets empathy training, emotion management, problem solving and skills for learning. However, the elementary school teachers have not received any training on how to instruct this material; instead, teachers are reading the lessons and implementing them however they best see fit. This form of education is inconsistent and doesn’t give students a uniform level of knowledge. DeFrancesco said her students would only know about consent if their families were teaching them. This could be an issue given that many families could be unable to provide their students with the right amount of education. Additionally, the high schools have begun to make apparent changes, bringing in speakers and having classroom discussions. Pearson believes that “the district seems to be struggling to understand their role in teaching consent. It’s great that they’ve started to address the issue of consent in

assemblies, but there is definitely room for growth.” If the message is introduced appropriately at a younger age, students would be able to understand what is classified as unacceptable behaviors. Additionally, teachers would be able to identify students that may need extra help on the topic and potentially offer counseling. At the middle school level, there has been an act put in place called ‘The California Healthy Youth Act.’ Taking effect in January 2016, the legislation aims to “have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors,” according to the Calif. Department of Education. This is a great step forward, especially since two years ago there was no mention of consent in the sex ed curriculum. At both middle schools Greene and Fletcher, this change has been incorporated into sex ed curriculum. At the high school level, both PAUSD high schools

have incorporated Living Skills, a required semesterlong class that includes information on sexual misconduct. However, the issue with Living Skills being the primary method of educating the youth about consent is that many students put off taking this class. Students often end up enrolling in Living Skills in their junior or senior year, when the lack of information in their years as underclassmen could have already caused problems. A simple solution would be to require students to take this class within the first two years of high school. This could be managed by PAUSD expanding Living Skills enrollment during the summer. After this, the next step to a safer community is the application of this knowledge. There is a difference between learning consent and applying it. As a model, the #MeToo movement has encouraged more people, including celebrities, to openly share their stories in relation

to sexual misconduct. In contrast to much of the District, special education classrooms enforce simple consent basics on a daily basis. Though academics are a large focus in special ed classrooms, another prominent focus is teaching basic social skills such as consent. They take time out of the day to define consent at its roots, even when it’s unrelated to sex. Students are reprimanded in special education classrooms when they have given someone a hug without asking for permission first. Superintendent Dr. Don Austin believes that sharing stories of correct implementations of consent could be beneficial. Austin says he would like to know the stories of students who have applied what they know about consent. Austin said, “Through sharing stories of empowerment, more students may feel like they are not alone and that they have more power than they know.”

This change would significantly reduce the number of students waiting to ask a simple question.

A lane changing decision is one that can have a serious domino effect, so in that case, it makes sense for the decision to have many required steps and signatures. Those signatures, however, aren’t needed for more simple schedule changes, and the several aforementioned changes should be implemented to severely increase the effectiveness of the process.

Students should learn about consent at a younger age By Frida Rivera Staff Writer

The Me Too movement has sparked many sexual assault victims to speak up against notable celebrities such as Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein. Though this may seem distant, this issue is closer to home than we think. Many students in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) do not understand what is classified as consensual activity, which is largely due to the delayed education on the topic. We should start educating students on topics like consent as early as kindergarten. Lack of consent starts at an early age, with innocent actions such as tickling or poking a peer. Even with these seemingly harmless activities, children need to be taught that they must respect each others’ bodies. For example, young students must understand that if they are tickling someone and that person does not like it, even if they are laughing, it is not OK to continue to do so.

If the message is introduced appropriately at a younger age, students would be able to understand what is classified as unacceptable behaviors.

In our school district, there is no education or curriculum targeting consent until students reach 7th grade. A common way our schools have tried to teach consent is showing “Tea Consent,” a video by Blue Seat Studios published in 2015, during assemblies. The video highlights the main ideas of consent in simple terms. It relates consent to making someone a cup of tea, and indicates that it would be ludicrous to

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

OPINION

Students should have input regarding assembly speakers By Anna Meyer Staff Writer

tudents were required to attend assemblies during flex on several occasions in the past year. However, it doesn’t take an especially critical observer to notice that many students avoid these assemblies and consider them a waste of time. These mandatory assemblies feature hired speakers and are clearly ineffective at engaging and educating students. Not only do many students choose not to attend, but those who do often find themselves listening to a one-sided opinion on a certain issue, rather than an informative lesson. “[The] past speakers we’ve had… usually seem to be coming from a certain view point and instead of educating us on a topic, it feels like they’re shoving their opinion down our throats,” junior Isabel Harding said. For example, Jackson Katz, a cultural theorist on gender issues, spoke during a mandatory assembly last April. However, students were disappointed with the presentation of the information. “I thought the speaker wasn’t a very good representative for the topic he was addressing and was coming at it from angles that were kind of accusatory which, of course, only escalated the response to his presentation,” Harding said. “I think the topic was valid and very important to speak on, but the way it was gone about didn’t really entice open-mindedness.” Perhaps if students were given the opportunity to hear both sides of a particular issue and to suggest speakers that are of interest to them, they would be more likely to learn from these talks. This could be accomplished by allowing students to either vote on or nominate speakers for tutorial assemblies.

Having a student body that is educated about current issues and events to students could also help boost youth participation in elections and general politics. According to Assistant Principal Katya Villalobos, teachers decide on the speakers that are brought to Paly to speak. This process is currently done without any student input. One possible way to recognize and incorporate student input would be to have surveys posted on Schoology that students could fill out with about topics of interest to them. Despite the amount of power that young people hold in terms of political in-

fluence, very few are actually involved. According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), only about 50 percent of young people ages 18-29 voted in the 2016 general election. As Paly students approach voting age, it is critical for the school to prepare them to vote by ensuring that students are informed and educated. Experts on certain topics, such as journalists or political activists, should be able to impart their in-depth knowledge, providing students with a deeper understanding about social justice

issues, something regular core classes do not focus on. This increased understanding and awareness of social and political issues created at these assemblies would encourage students to be more engaged in class discussions about these issues. “Research shows that civics education works,” said Trey Grayson, former Kentucky Secretary of State (R-KY), Director of the Harvard Institute of Politics and member of CIRCLE’s Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge in an article by the Harvard Institute of Politics. “Discussing controversial

issues… predict[s] good civic outcomes for students. However, one consideration regarding political speakers is the PAUSD Board policy mandating that both sides are represented.” According to Board policies posted online, if the guest speaker is presenting only one point of view on an issue, the teacher shall be responsible for ensuring that students also receive information on opposing viewpoints. In order to equally present both perspectives on an issue, experts from both sides could speak at tutorial assemblies. This would also aid students in fully compre-

hending both points of view on that issue, giving them the opportunity to form their own opinions.

smaller, and eventually the boxes stopped being stocked altogether. While the health office does provide some access to supplies, walking all the way from your classroom, to the office, then to a bathroom, is time-consuming and impractical. The simple answer is for schools to provide access to feminine products inside bathrooms for free. Having a period is annoying in and of itself, so having the extra sense of security that you always can get what you need without having to frantically search through your backpack or ask a friend would make the entire week less irritating.

The question is, why should girls have to ask in the first place? The reality is feminine hygiene should be regarded with equal importance as general hygiene, something everyone should have access to. Like soap and toilet paper, pads and tampons should be of regular accessibility and availability in the bathroom. This lack of access is something that not only applies to Palo Alto High School, but across the state and even the whole country. Coined the “tampon tax,” or “pink tax,” menstrual products are absent from the list of health and personal care products that are

exempt from sales tax. This tax is added onto all menstrual product purchases in California and all but nine U.S. states. Ultimately, it all comes down to the tax codes. As reported by the California State Board of Equalization, California sales tax is applied to all retail sales of “tangible personal property.” However, many different kinds of goods are exempt from these added taxes. If they fall in specific categories, different kinds of merchandise can be purchased without an extra penny added to the cost. For example, products deemed “Necessities of Life” are free of tax, including candy and

confectioneries. Also under this category, the prescription drug, Sildenafil, also known as Viagra, is free of added taxes. Another category, “Industry Benefits,” includes goods of or relating to the entertainment industry, meaning you won’t be charged extra if you want to rent a movie. So why are girls being taxed extra, but not even being provided access to basic needs in a place where they spend the majority of their time. School administration should not only continue to provide feminine products in the office, but on top of that, restart stocking the dispensers in the bathrooms.

Girls should be able to get whatever they need in one trip to the bathroom with no concerns.

It is critical for students to vote by ensuring that students are informed and educated.

The modification of tutorial assemblies to include student input regarding speakers and to introduce perspectives from multiple sides on an issue would motivate more students to attend these talks and foster a more educated student body.

Schools need to provide feminine products in bathrooms By Lara Nakamura Senior Staff Writer

he conversation about menstrual cycles, or periods, is often just that, a period at the end of a sentence. The discussion of something natural and normal that women go through once a month for the majority of their lives is a topic people shy away from talking about. While tampons and pads are marketed in flowery packaging and advertised in fluffy commercials; the reality of periods are that they are unavoidable and bothersome. Despite this, many girls are hiding their supplies up their sleeves when they ask to use the bathroom during class and being asked if their less-than-sweet mood is a result of their time-ofthe-month. Schools should acknowledge that, like going to the bathroom for any other reason, having your period is something natural. Paly should make accommodations accordingly by providing access to feminine products in the bathrooms. Unfortunately the titanium boxes that are supposed to hold tampons vending-machine style are always empty and therefore pointless.

While tampons and pads are marketed in flowery packaging and advertised in fluffy commercials, the reality of periods is that they are unavoidable and bothersome.

It wasn’t always like this. Albert Hidalgo, an experienced member of Paly’s custodial staff, remembers almost two decades ago, the dispensers were stocked. However overtime, the inventory got smaller and

Like soap and toilet paper, pads and tampons should be of regular accessibility and availability in the bathroom.

It’s not a lunchtime conversation that everyone is comfortable with having, but menstrual cycles are something that do happen, and therefore should be should be accounted for, period.

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

OPINION

Students should have final say on their schedules By Sarah O’Riordan

Staff Writer

s the school year officially kicks off and the window for schedule changes closes, the usual class-switching chaos in the guidance office is drawing to an end. The chaos in the office is spurred largely by a new junior and senior class, full of eager students trying to take Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes, for college preparation and for their own interests. However, students are not trusted to design their own schedule and are only granted partial control over what classes they can take, creating a questionable and unfair contradiction for students in a school where they are expected to be mature, organized and responsible. According to Susan Shultz, guidance counselor for the Class of 2020 and overseer of class changes, Paly recommends students do not take more than two AP classes. To get around this, the first thing students need to do is to sign the AP contract, which states all the expectations and warnings for taking multiple APs, and requires a parent’s signature.

Paly recommends students do not take more than two AP classes.

However, more than just a parent signature is required for finalizing a schedule that exceeds the recommendation. When students make their schedules at the end of the year, their teacher advisor reviews and makes changes or suggestions based on the student’s extracurricular activities and work habits. The schedule is then signed and processed for the next year. When the start of school rolls around though, hundreds of students flock to the tower building to

modify their schedules. To do this, they get a slip of paper on which they specify what schedule change they would like. With the necessary signatures, the slip is turned into the guidance office to be approved and processed. However, there are still restrictions to student’s ability to customize their schedules, and many students aren’t happy about it. Most students find it unfair that in a school where academic expectations and college requirement standards are high, they are not granted control over one of the main factors that determines their high school experience. One of these restrictions affected junior Naomi Jecker, who decided to take on a course load featuring an honors science and three APs, two of which were science courses. “I had brought it up with my parents beforehand, who

agreed that if I were to scale back on my sport and manage my time that I could handle it with their support,” Jecker said. Despite this, she ended up dropping the additional honors science course to get her schedule signed by her teacher advisor. After thinking it over during the summer, Jecker attempted to add back her additional science course at the beginning of school. “I decided to try and add the class back to my schedule at the start of the year because it’s a class I am really interested in,” Jecker said. “I got my parent signatures and turned it in, only to receive it back with a note telling me I can’t take three science courses.” This is an issue that many students are upset about — at the end of the day, they are the ones taking the classes, so they should be able to decide which classes they take. In a school where academic

expectations are exceptionally high, students should be making their own decisions as young adults preparing to make their way into the real world. Making choices based on ones own judgment is an invaluable life skill, and can not be learned if students are told what they can and cannot handle, rather than deciding for themselves. However, many people believe that the competitive climate at Paly, along with parental pressure, affects the mental health of students negatively and dictates a need for restrictions on AP classes. While these people are correct for wanting to counteract the overly-competitive and harmful culture of academic pressure and too many APs, the fundamental ideology in their approach is deeply flawed. Stress cannot be solved by creating more rules; this only angers students and further stresses them out. To

end the aforementioned academic pressure, the change must come from within, and that means that high schoolers should be allowed to determine their own schedules. Generally speaking, teenagers are passionate, stubborn people, often learning best through real life application and facing the consequences, and as with most life skills. The best way to learn something is to experience it firsthand. Students in AP classes are juniors and seniors, and need to be more directly responsible for themselves in order to learn how to make good decisions. Additionally, there is a period of time at the start of the year where classes can be changed if a student decides they no longer want to take as many APs, and classes can be dropped at anytime throughout the school year. If a student is being pressured into taking a class by a parent, they could then speak to their guidance

counselor privately. After all, not all classes that are requested are available. For further school protection, more contracts like the AP contract could be written up for the student to sign, acknowledging responsibility for their decisions. Although it may seem like a trivial matter, the world is in a time unlike any other in its history– a time in which children are being forced to grow up, mature and take responsibility for themselves. In light of the huge global struggles this generation has to remedy, giving them this stepping stone to help them become better decision makers should be a no brainer. Students should get to have the final say on what they want in their schedule. It is a small change that will help teach crucial skills, and if we continue to withhold these skills from students, we are ultimately doing them a huge disservice.

CROSSWORD Hello Campanile readers! This issue contains The Campanile’s first ever crossword puzzle, an element that will be incorporated in every issue this year. The answers to the clues can be found throughout the articles in this issue. When your crossword is complete, bring it to MAC 103. The first 30 people to do so will receive a free cookie. Down: 1. Junior Katherine Buecheler is a hostess at _________ Food Kitchen, a healthy seasonal restaurant 2. The new member of the administration who has a Master of Science in Marine Sciences from Moss Landing Marine Laboratory 3. Student music festival held Sept. 4-7 5. Dmv.org states that, after this time, a driver with a provisional license cannot drive 6. The school district has been working with the United States Department of Education Office for _________ Rights to produce some new rules to follow. 8. Inside the body of a person with T1D, the immune system will _________ healthy cells 9. Last name of the student who originally founded The Campanile a century ago

League Players Association 15. Paly librarian who was against having solar panels in front of the Tower Building due to the obstruction of view of the historical building 17. Former Paly Assistant Principal Janice Chen is now employed as an assistant principal at _________ Middle School. 19. A cultural theorist on gender issues who spoke at a mandatory assembly last April 20. The Town and Country restaurant that raised their Paly special price from $5 to $7 over the summer 21. The bodily organ that contains beta cells, which produce insulin 22. Service dogs are dogs that are trained to perform specific tasks for one person, whose general life activities are inhibited by a _________

10. “Tea Consent” is a video by _________ Seat Studios, published in 2015.

26. Paly senior who is a bassist, and uses muscle memory when playing musical pieces

14. The brand of football helmets the Paly team just got, which ranks first in helmet safety by the National Football

27. Acronym for organization aiming to establish a youthbased wellness center in the Bay Area community

having a gun and using force to _________ people

minute game

Across: 1. The number of years Grant Blackburn, Paly economics teacher and guitarist for teacher band “Willy and the Four Boys,” has been playing guitar 4. The street that Paly’s old campus was located on 6. The first _________ Day of the year will be held on Sept. 14

7. Walter Hayes is the chair of _________ Schools Committee 11. The Los Altos restaurant that the father of the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” owns 12. The number of days a former Paly student was just sentenced to juvenile hall for 13. The number of years

Calafia was open 16. The last name of the coach who created the new ice hockey club

former barista, roofer and practitioner of mixed martial arts

17. Assistant Principal John Christiansen enjoys clay molding, painting, _________ and improvisation

23. Senior Evan Baldonado learned about Antarctic _________ in his experience at Stanford Young Earth Investigators (SEYI) over the summer

18. New member of administration who is a

24. Former PAUSD substitute was arrested for allegedly

25. The new name of Jordan Middle School 26. Guitarist and Paly alum Andrew Huang buys his guitar supplies at _________ Stringed Instruments 28. The sport that pays $25 to assistant referees for a 50-

29. The 3D technology company senior Nisha McNealis interned at over the summer 31. The band that performed first at Quadside Lands 32. Paly graduate William Zhou founded Think Fund Project _________ in 2013

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

EDITORIALS

Evacuation drills needs reform Bring Challenge Day to Paly

hen the fire alarm sounds, jarring students, teachers and staff across campus, many people’s first reactions are to emit an exasperated groan. Everyone knows the incessant screeching of the alarm is soon followed by students, teachers and support staff shuffling through bottleneck after bottleneck in order to make it to the football field, where many will aimlessly wander around until they happen to land on their correct place on the track. Currently, the evacuation procedure takes a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes. When these are false alarms, they waste precious class time and interrupt tests. The greater consequence of this inefficient system is the danger it poses in the event of a real disaster. Students spend the bulk of evacuation time stuck in a crowd of barely-moving people. The student body evacuates to the same place, the football field and many pathways to the field are simply not large enough to accommodate swift movement of such a crowd. These bottlenecks would be hazardous in the event of an actual fire or earthquake. It is likely that in such chaos, people would be jostled by the crowds. In addition, a large number of people would not be able to make it safely to the football field in a timely manner. This issue could be avoided

by simply creating more than one evacuation location. For example, the science, math and social studies classes could evacuate to the football field, and the English, art and language classes could gather on the lacrosse field. A secondary location would also be another place for students to meet safely should the path to one of the fields be blocked or inaccessible.

This issue could be avoided by simply creating more than one evacuation location. In addition, the current attendance-taking procedure during drills does a poor job of accounting for students with preps, leaving many kids wandering in confusion and increasing the risk of a student being abandoned in the event of an actual disaster. We suggest Paly administrators implement a check-in program similar to the tutorial system. Each day, students with preps would have the option of entering their ID into a computer at one of several locations — the Math Resource Center (MRC), Social Studies Resource Center (SSRC), the Media Arts Center (MAC) atrium, the Student Center, the

quad and, eventually, the library. Signing into a location would give administrators a roster of the students who are on campus during their prep on a given day. Administrators could then use this list to account for students with preps in the event of a fire. These sites would each have a designated evacuation location on a field — the MRC, SSRC and Student Center students would meet on the football field, and the MAC and library students would meet at the lacrosse field. If a student did not check in to a location during their prep period, that individual would not be included in roll-taking during an evacuation, as the school would assume that person is off campus. Reaching out to members of the administration about the current policies and procedures regarding evacuations demonstrated the breakdown in the lines of communication between administrators on this important issue. All three administrators referred us to one of the other three; Principal Adam Paulson and Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson recommended we speak with Assistant Principal John Christiansen, who then sent us to back Paulson. Even administrators seem unclear about who is responsible for addressing the problems with evacuations, reflecting the disorganized nature of the process which could put people in even more danger.

ver the course of their four years at Paly, students spend 4320 hours with their classmates. However, many students fail to develop a deep connection with their peers despite spending such a significant amount of time with them. People’s adolescent years are arguably the most overwhelming and confusing of their lives; it is during this time that the support of those around is most crucial, especially in the fast paced, high stress community of Silicon Valley.

If students were given the opportunity to bond with one another through deep discussion in a safe environment, the student body would become more supportive and empathetic as a result. If students were given the opportunity to bond with one another through deep discussion in a safe environment, the student body would become more supportive and empathetic as a result. This would also be a start to eliminating harassment and bul-

lying around campus and building a tighter student body. Challenge Day is a social and emotional learning program that “offers schools and youth organizations an opportunity to ignite a shift toward greater school connectedness, empathy, and inclusivity,” according to the Challenge Day organization’s website. Though Paly does hold Camp Unity, a four-day leadership program focused on furthering students’ understanding of themselves and their peers, only a select number of students are able to participate in Camp Unity each year. Expanding this type of opportunity to the entire student body would encourage the whole school to get involved with addressing mental health issues and increasing connectedness at Paly. When asked about the possibility of implementing Challenge Day or a similar program, Wellness Center staff expressed support. They also said that the implementation of a similar program had been discussed in the past. Challenge Day has many different programs, one of which is a day-long session held at middle and high schools. This program has been held at Monta Vista, and according to former Monte Vista senior Edmund Shen, many students have responded positively to it. Though the session was not mandatory for Monta Vista students, Shen said after hearing what a positive experience his

peers had in past years, he decided to attend during his senior year. Shen said that the program served as a “unifying experience” and that it “helped build empathy” with his classmates. According to Shen, the program had a lasting impact on him and many of his peers, and forced him to re-evaluate the way he acted towards both his peers and the adults in his life.

This opportunity would serve to unify our school and create a friendlier, more inclusive campus. Though the inclusiveness on Paly’s campus has improved since our administration started to prioritize student wellbeing, it is our belief that there is still widely-held stigma surrounding mental health issues and other personal problems. Implementing Challenge Day would encourage bonding between upperclassmen and underclassmen, as well as within each grade level. Most importantly, it would draw attention to personal problems many students typically don’t reveal and thus increase empathy around campus, ultimately serving to unify our school and create a friendlier, more inclusive campus.

Funding for athletics should be distributed more fairly

t every Paly home football game, the pep band and the cheer and dance teams play an invaluable role in rallying the crowd and giving Paly the home field advantage. However, these groups do not benefit from the tickets sold at football games, despite playing an important role in entertaining spectators.

The Campanile thinks funds raised from sporting events should be distributed among the various groups that perform at these events. Accordingly, The Campanile thinks funds raised from sporting events should be distributed among the various groups that perform at these events. Currently, the allocation of athletics funding is overseen by Sports Boosters, a volunteer organization run by Paly parents. According to Athletic Director Therren Wilburn, Sports Booster fundraise every dollar the athletic department spends on uniforms, transportation and budget. This year’s athletic budget is $365,000, so Sports Boosters is responsible for raising the money. Wilburn said he works with Sports Boosters closely in deciding where the money is spent and how it is allocated. Money raised from football games does not automatically go towards the football program. Instead, it goes towards the Sports Boosters’ general fund. For example, at last Friday’s football game, Paly made $5,000

at the gate and snack bar, according to Wilburn. This money is put into a general fund and, inevitably, every team does reap the benefits of football. The Campanile commends Sports Boosters for their efforts and also recognizes they have no jurisdiction over Paly Dance. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) does not recognize dance as an official sport. According to Dance coach Alana Williamson, since dance is not recognized by the CIF as an official sport, Paly does not recognize it either. Therefore, Sports Boosters does not use funds from its general pool to support the team and Dance does all its funding on its own. According to Williamson, she understands the situation, but wishes something could be done about it. To fix this problem, The Campanile suggests that a portion of sales from football games be set aside before the remaining money is transferred to the general Sports Boosters fund.

Since dance is not recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) as an official sport, Paly does not recognize it either. Half of this set-aside money should be given to dance and cheer and the other half should go to band. This system of distribution

would compensate every group involved with football games and recognize their efforts. While band has its own volunteer group, Paly Music Boosters, to help raise funds, providing them with a percentage of revenue from football games would also be the fair thing to do. Band plays in an important role in contributing to the overall excitement and experience of home games.

The potential problems arising from taking funding away from Sports Boosters can be addressed in a variety of ways, including asking for more funding from PAUSD. Despite having an independent funding structure, added revenue would help pay for new instruments, for example. The potential problems arising from taking funding away from Sports Boosters can be addressed in a variety of ways including asking for more funding from PAUSD. Wilburn said he wouldn’t share Sports Boosters contact information with The Campanile, so we weren’t able to get their reaction to this proposal. Football games and other sporting events allow Paly students to celebrate their school pride as well as support their friends in athletics, cheer and dance and band. The Campanile urges Paly to adopt methods that ensure that all groups involved at these events receive adequate funding that reflects their value to the school.

SEPTEMBER'S TOP TEN LIST Top ten things NOT to do if you're a freshman... 10) Run across campus to get to class. Just don't do it.

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Leyton Ho •Waverly Long • Kaylie Nguyen Ethan Nissim • Ujwal Srivastava Online Editor Yusra Rafeeqi

Managing Editors Kennedy Herron • Byron Zhang

News and Opinion Editors Noah Baum • Neil Kapoor

Lifestyle Editors Annie Chen • Leela Srinivasan

Science & Tech Editor Miranda Li

Sports Editors Navid Najmabadi • Ben Van Zyll

Multimedia Editor Vivian Feng

Business Managers Lucy Nemerov • John Tayeri

Distribution Manager Khadija Abid Emily Asher Eve Donnelly Kaahini Jain Leila Khan Paige Knoblock Bernie Koen Kaitlyn Lee Nicholas Le

Photo Editor Alyssa Leong

Board Correspondent Samantha Hwang

Staff Writers Cameron Legrand Rebekah Limb Anna Meyer Sophia Moore Lara Nakamura Tien Nguyen Sarah O'Riordan Henry Queen

Maya Rathore Frida Rivera William Robins Kiana Tavakoli Kai Vetteth Johnny Yang Jaures Yip Shannon Zhao

Photographers Khadija Abid • Leila Khan Alyssa Leong • Johnny Yang Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki

9) Scream and run when you see your friends. 8) Walk on your phone very slowly in front of a crowd. 7) Travel everywhere in herds. Especially not to your classroom door. 6) Complain about your workload. You'll be OK. 5) Say you have early onset senioritis. Just do your work. 4) Say you're stressed about college. Calm down. You've got four years. 3) Blast music on a speaker while you walk around campus. Because you're so cool. 2) Brag about being a freshman on varsity. We get it. Good job.

Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds18@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or

Illustrators Khadija Abid • Annie Chen • Zander Leong • Miranda Li • Lucy Nemerov Jaures Yip • Cameron Legrand Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!

1) Think that you're going to win Spirit Week. Hate to break it to you. Sorry.

-KIANA TAVAKOLI & JOHN TAYERI

Our Vision Statement: The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling. Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

L FESTYLE THE

TEXT, TEXT, ARt ARt and and design design by by noah noah baum baum

fter having music lessons for piano and viola, Paly alum (Class of 2018) Andrew Huang wanted to learn an instrument by himself. “I wanted to do it my own way and play whatever I wanted,” Huang said. So, like many teens, he began to teach himself guitar. Huang first started teaching himself how to play on a 2011 Seagull Entourage Rustic when he was in sixth grade; now, his guitar of choice is either his Sunburst Stratocaster or his Les Paul. Sixty years ago, in 1958, only a little while after electric guitars became mass-produced, a 16-year-old began teaching himself how to play on a 1957 Supro Ozark that his father bought for him at the Myers Music Shop in Seattle. Across the Atlantic, another teenager was in a similar situation, learning to play guitar by emulating electric guitar blues on the radio with his knock-off version of a Gibson ES-335. Both were fans of blues legends Muddy Waters and B.B. King, both of whom were self-taught as well. The two teenagers wouldn’t make it very far in school, and neither would ever take music lessons to perfect their craft. However, when Rolling Stone polled famous guitarists and experts on the best guitarists of all time, these two would be at the number one spot and the number two spot, respectively. The first was Jimi Hendrix; the second was Eric Clapton. Had it been any other instrument, Hendrix’ and Clapton’s stardom wouldn’t be the norm. Instead, most of the musical geniuses the world had seen before were child prodigies who spent much of their early life taking music lessons, like Mozart with the piano or Yo-Yo Ma with the cello. Guitar, however, has seen a different musical genius: the selftaught pioneer. Instead of learning about music theory and working to create music of their own, these pioneers reverse-engineered their music by playing others’ music and picking up on music theory on the way. From club to club and gig to gig, guitarists like Hendrix and Clapton would pick up techniques and tricks they saw others doing. Hendrix is famous for learning many of the more outrageous tricks, like playing with his teeth, which was popular on the music scene he was playing for. When many accomplished guitarists are self-taught, the next generation of new players inevitably decide to teach themselves as well. Perhaps it is the deep ties that guitar has with the blues that attracts so many people to self-teach. Hendrix’s and Clapton’s heroes were self-taught guitarists from the South who grew up listening to the blues and eventually playing around their local music scenes — Hendrix and Clapton ended up beginning their careers in exactly the same way. To learn, self-taught guitarists often start small. “I’ll listen to a song and try to figure out the first few chords and notes and go from there,” Huang said. Huang buys his guitar

ARt ARt and design ARt and and design design by by Annie chen by Annie Annie chen chen design design by by Emily Emily Asher Asher

“A lot of times when you go to lessons, supplies from Gryphon Stringed Instruments, one of Palo Alto’s only instrument they tell you what to play and it’s very registores and locations offering guitar lessons. mented in a way,” Amieva-Wang said. “I With the internet, Gryphon has seen a think music is about just doing what you change in the amount of self-taught musi- like.” According to cians. Lynch, the key “We have to succeeding seen a pretty sigas a self-taught nificant decrease musician is the in lessons here motivation. as far as group or [self-taught guitar] “If you have private lessons,” pioneers reversethe motivation said Gryphon and you have sales manager engineered their the skill, you can Matthew Lynch music by playing get pretty far by said. “People others’ music and teaching yourwould just rather self,” Lynch said. spend time in picking up on music This motivafront of their theory on the way. tion often comes computer [learnfrom being ining guitar] than spired by other actually have to musicians much as it did for Hendrix and take a class.” Lynch works at Gryphon and first Clapton. “When I see people playing live music learned to play guitar by taking music lessons for a couple years, before opting to play in Downtown, or just anyone, and I can see that they’re havby ear. “I do think [self-taught guitarists] are ing fun and how good missing out on just having a connection to it sounds, it makes me a professional teacher,” Lynch said. “Where want to get better,” do you go if you have a question? Who do A m i e v a -Wa n g said. you ask?” Due to forgoing traditional music training, self-taught musicians often learn to play in less orthodox ways. “I like to play around, go by ear and then I’ll do my own little modifications,” Huang said. “There’s more flexibility [when you’re self-taught].” Huang’s guitar idol is Jimi Hendrix: “there’s no way [Hendrix] could’ve been taught that style of playing.” Although electric guitar has been the craze since its conception, many players still opt for an acoustic guitar, and most guitarists have an appreciation for the more natural sound, even if they play electric. Senior Lucia Amieva-Wang has been teaching herself guitar on her 3/4 acoustic guitar for three years. “I really wanted to play an instrument that could accompany me when I sing,” Amieva-Wang said. To learn, Amieva-Wang uses the internet to look up chord diagrams or watch YouTube videos to learn different picking styles. Many self-taught guitarists believe that music lessons could turn their passion into a chore.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Service dogs

MIRANDA LI/THE CAMPANILE

Lifestyle Service dogs help a diverse range of people including those facing mental like PTSD and diabetes or physical disabilities such as visual impairments and total or partial deafness. PAGE B7

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Driver’s license

Student discuss a new law to be put in place for minor drivers. PAGE B2

Guitar, rooted in the traditions of blues, represents an era when selftaught musicians have come out on top, rather than only the classically trained artists. With many guitarists coming from a musical background of their own creation, innovation is inevitable. This innovation, led by pioneers like Hendrix, has created a musical explosion of new styles, new techniques and new genres on stages and inside garages across t h e world.

famous sELF-TAUGHT guITARISTS

Work

PHOTO BY MARTIN VOREL/CC0

Long working hours

Teenagers balance time at their jobs with other responsibilities. PAGE B4-B5

jIMI hENDRIX eRIC cLAPTON sTEVIE rAY vaughan Jerry Garcia B.B. KING Chuck Berry Jimmy Page Albert King

Music

THE CAMPANILE/FILE PHOTO

Musical memory

A look into how music engages our memories. PAGE B6

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

B2 LIFESTYLE Age change imminent for teenage drivers

Age for licensed teen drivers to drive other minors to be changed to 18 years old in California By Kaitlyn Lee

By Cameron Legrand Staff Writer

Staff Writer

hile many upperclassmen at Paly have gotten used to illegally driving their friends around, the circumstances are about to change. In the past, California laws have prohibited drivers from giving other minors a ride until they had their license for at least a year, which would often be when they turned 17. However, some upperclassmen at Palo Alto High School deem this as unnecessary and disobey this rule, while others understand the safety concerns surrounding this law. The restriction to drive other minors in California will soon be raised to 18 years old, rather than 17 years old, in order to decrease car accident rates. While there is still not much available information about this change, dmv.org states that a driver with their provisional license cannot drive after 11 p.m. or drive with passengers under 20 years old in the car until the driver is 18 years old.

The age to drive other minors in California will soon be raised to 18 years old, rather than 17 years old, in order to decrease car accident rates. This change concerns some Paly students — particularly upperclassmen. Juniors who have already received their provisional driver’s license, such as Isabel Harding, view this law as an unnecessary inconvenience. “I really don’t think raising the legal age to drive minors is going to stop anyone,” Harding said. “I think everyone understands that teen drivers are the most reckless drivers, and that [having] less people in a dangerous car will save lives, but I don’t think the drivers, being reckless, would be the ones to heed the new passenger restrictions. I think in-

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

Students will no longer be legally allowed to drive around other classmates who are minors until they become adults themselves. stead of changing a law that no one was really following to begin with, it would be more effective to educate teens more thoroughly on the dangers of driving high, drunk, etc.” Alana Abeyta, another Paly junior with her provisional driver’s license, believes that even if people decide to follow the rule, it will be detrimental to the school environment. “I think this will have a big impact on Paly students because a lot of people carpool to school every morning,” Abeyta said. “If students can’t drive each other, that means there will be more cars, more traffic, less parking, etc. So I think it will cause a whole lot of other problems.” Aaron Li, a Paly junior who has his driver’s permit but not his license, also finds the age change problematic. “I think the intentions of this change were obviously good, as many studies think that teenagers distract each other when driving,” Li said. “However, I don’t think this change will present any chang-

es, as not many people follow the rule to begin with. Many of my friends start driving us the day they get their license.” “I personally do not agree with this change because many people don’t have a consistent method of transportation to school or extracurriculars.”

“If students can’t drive each other, that means there will be more cars, more traffic, less parking [...] it will cause a whole lot of other problems.” Alana Abeyta “An argument could be for students to Uber or Lyft but the money you spend on that really adds up if that’s your primary way of transportation.”

On the other hand, juniors Ella Jones and Taylor Yamashita think that while this restriction may be inconvenient, it will bring a positive outcome in the long run. Jones has had her provisional driver’s license for three weeks, while Yamashita has her permit and has yet to get her license. “Though it is inconvenient as a student because I would enjoy the ability to drive with my friends, I do understand the concern for safety, because as young drivers we are more prone to accidents,” Jones said. “Despite my own selfish reasons for not liking the change, I ultimately support it.” “I see it both ways,” Yamashita said. “It seems like a good idea because it could reduce the number of minors hurt in car accidents, but on the other hand, I think many teens will be upset that they have to wait longer to drive with their friends.”

Youth group fights mental health stigmas

YAG is a teenage-led group that focuses on providing a safe mental heatlth space for students

CAMERON LEGRAND/THE CAMPANILE

The Wellness Center is one of many centers for counseling and support on campus, but students are looking for other ways to improve mental health awareness.

By Rebekah Limb

Column: 3 ways to make friends

Staff Writer

t a time when most of us could not even count, junior Ellie Fitton found out her aunt, who was affected by a mental illness, had overdosed and passed away. Fitton was too young at the time to understand the complex implications of this family tragedy, but it would later spark inspiration as she discovered her personal obligation to advocate for mental health.

In the YAG, 21 students execute everything, from designing to naming the new wellness center, in a 100 percent youth-led system. This drive for advocacy is only due in part to the lack of communication our nation has regarding mental health, despite the enormity of the issue. Stanford Youth Outreach Specialist Ana Lilia not only points out how widespread the issue is, but also how little attention we give it. Half of adolescents meet the criteria for a mental disorder at some point and 79 percent of youth and young adults with mental health issues do not have access to care,” Lilia said. To fix this issue, Paly students Fitton, senior Lia Salvatierra, senior Nura Mostaghimi and

several other young adults across the Bay Area have joined to form the Santa Clara County Headspace Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Led by Lilia, the board was established in a drive to create a youth-based wellness center in the Bay Area community. The youth members represent a variety of backgrounds, races, religions, economic statuses and sexual orientations, which ensures a diversity of perspectives. When applications for YAG were posted at Stanford, Fitton jumped at the chance to be involved. “Joining this advisory board has given me the opportunity to advocate for those my age and come up with effective solutions that will bring about change in our communities,” Fitton said. “Every member has something different to bring to the table and it’s been amazing to collaborate with all [of ] them.” In the YAG, 21 students execute everything, from designing to naming the new wellness center, in a 100 percent youth-led system. “This project is important because of the unique nature of the structure of the advisory board,” Mostaghimi said. “Unlike many efforts that claim to be ‘youth-led’ in this area, I think the YAG represents the epitome of youth speaking out to address issues they feel passionate about.” Most professional wellness and health centers are primarily adult-led, but this can come at a disadvantage when trying to understand teenagers. This is why Lilia formed the YAG — to access the experiences of youth.

“The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) was established to ensure that the youth voice is at the forefront of the headspace center experience,” Lilia said. “The goal is to develop sites reflective of the unique adolescent/young adult culture of each geographic community being served and these sites becoming their youth’s own independent place for mental health care.”

“The fact that there is going to be an anonymous place where no one has to know about all of the mental health services you’ve been too scared to ask for is incredible.” Lia Salvatierra

A teenager’s mental health and social wellbeing are challenging to touch on, but crucial for the development of a young adult. These difficulties are strung along with discussing these aspects contribute to the stigma surrounding mental health, which is so prevalent in today’s teen culture. This is where the youth input comes into play, as the center can determine what the best way to market is. The center can also be used to pursue the most effective ways to help teens who are surrounded with stigma around visiting a wellness center. “I think youth input is everything,”

Salvatierra said. “I think adults are really awesome at facilitating things. But there’s a way that when things are approached from a kids perspective, kids feel like they are being way more empathized with and way more understood.” Since the creation of the Wellness Center three years ago at Paly, the hotspot has been a great source of stress relief and mental health attention for our students. However, not all young adults have access to high school wellness centers, and some do not want to risk the possibility of being seen in one. This is partly due to worries of confidentiality. Salvatierra, leader of Paly’s club Let’s Bring Change to Mind, is confident that this issue can be solved with the help of the two new wellness centers. “The [Paly] wellness and counseling center is great, but a lot of kids want medication and therapy but they don’t want their parents to know,” Salvatierra said. “The fact that there is going to be an anonymous place where no one has to know about all of the mental health services you’ve been too scared to ask for is incredible. By taking initiative to improve the effectiveness of wellness centers, students are revolutionizing the way our community treats mental health. It is people like them who will lead the way to destigmatizing mental health and make its care a top priority. “It is something that impacts each and every one of us,” Fitton said. “Practicing that kind of self care at a young age could be life changing for future generations.”

NAVID NAJMABADI/THE CAMPANILE

elcome class of 2022, I hope you’ve settled into Paly life and are ready to experience the next four years of your adolescence. Now that you’ve breezed through freshman orientation, learned to navigate our grand campus and gotten to know all of your teachers, only one thing is missing from your freshman initiation process: learning how to successfully become and remain friends with your fellow classmates. Now, most of you are probably thinking, “What makes the author so qualified to recommend friending techniques? He probably has no friends.” This is a fair point; however, just like famous athletes who think that their athletic prowess translates to them being good actors, my inexperience in making friends may just be the best advice to take for someone looking to meet new The Charles Method: people. This method requires an immense amount of patience and stealth, but the reward is a friendship that will last until graduation. To begin this process, you will have to actually take the whole first-dayof-school icebreaker routine seriously, as this can help determine a friend candidate to pursue for the next year or two. Yes, you heard that right, a year or two. It is necessary be thorough when making friends. The next step after finding someone with the same interests as you is to then follow them at school from a safe distance. I recommend 25-35 feet to remain unnoticed. Once you’ve figured out their schedule and what their favorite brand of floss is, you can make your move. Now that you know them better than they know themselves, you can insert yourself into their next conversation with ease, and they will be eternally grateful that a new friend has magically appeared to continue with them through high school The "No please, after you" Method: Politeness is the name of the game with this method. It starts with finding a person worthy of your chivalry. Once you have found the only person more willing than you to thank a teacher for giving you a bad grade, you can proceed to befriend them. This next step is key, and it requires the utmost precision. It entails you saying “hello,” “good morning,” “thank you,” “gracious to have seen you today” and “I hope you are having a satisfactory day” at least three or four times every time you see that fellow master of civility. At first, they will have to be polite back to you, but you can eventually bait them into becoming your friend out of sheer courtesy. Before you can even say “may I,” you have a new friend. The Omelette Method: This method once again requires a lot of time and commitment to your craft, as it requires around 20-25 years of your life. However, as the old adage goes: “to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs.” Thus begins the breaking of the first egg. Egg #1: To begin this long and arduous journey to friendship you must first graduate high school. This means earning grades and scores high enough to get you into a college that is both well-fitting and academically high-achieving. Once you have applied and are generously admitted to one of your top-choice schools, it is time to work towards your bachelor’s degree in education. This is imperative as you to make sure you can attain a position of power later on in your career. Once you have completed your education in educating, it is time to find a teaching position. Egg #2: Once you have found a job as a teacher, it is time to start working towards that opportunity to move up in the administrative hierarchy and end up in an administrative position in California (to give you the experience necessary to work your way up to PAUSD). Now, once you have a boastful resume, make sure you’re equipped to prove to the Board of Education that you’re ready and capable to take the job as principal of Paly. At this point, you are entitled to a short round of applause for your hard work and making it this far. Egg #3: This is it, the final step, but still the trickiest part of the whole operation. Now that you’re the Paly principal, you can finally enact the “pal” portion of the word. You survey the campus for students worthy of playing a mid-day game of checkers with you. Once the right students catch your eye, you can use the unheralded power of call-slips to your advantage. While some have speculated that using your administrative power to make friends is unethical, your 20 plus years of working towards this moment, however, proves those doubters wrong because you just earned yourself a friend or two.

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

B3 LIFESTYLE ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ release sparks cinematic diversity Hollywood film hits American theaters with booming success, students share their insights on full Asian-cast movie

CRAZYRICHASIANSMOVIE.COM/GALLERY/FAIR USE

This scene from “Crazy Rich Asians” takes place at the wedding in Singapore, depicts the all-Asian cast that makes this new romantic comedy stand out and attracts a new surge of racially diverse viewership.

By Leila Khan

viewers from all generations, depicting the life of a stereotypical ‘rich Asian’ in the United States. fter “Black Panther” hit The film has become an internatheaters with roaring suc- tional sensation, being the first cess earlier this year, no movie since 1993’s “The Joy Luck American film was expected to Club” to feature an entirely Asian garner such a positive reaction- cast. According to The Spokesthat is until the arrival of “Crazy man Review, the new romantic Rich Asians”, directed by Silicon comedy surpassed $40 million in revenue in its first ten days in Valley native, Jon M. Chu. Growing up in Los Altos theatres, and earned a 93 percent Hills, Chu had first hand experi- rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “I think this is a very pivotal ence with many of the issues depicted in the film, such as trying time for Hollywood and just films to meet the expectations of an in general to have a movie with an Asian family while pursuing one’s all-Asian cast gain so much attenindividual passions in a quickly tion,” senior actress Annie Tsui said. “I’m really happy that this modernizing world. Chu was one of the first Asian is happening, because for a while, Americans of his time to make a Asian representation has been name for himself in Hollywood. overlooked by the media.” The film features two main Once he made his directorial debut with the premier of the 2008 characters, Rachel Chu and Nick hit comedy “Step Up 2,” his di- Young, played by Constance Wu and Henry Golding, respectively. recting career took off. “Crazy Rich Asians” captures Wu is an American actress with Staff Writer

Taiwanese parents who has been involved in American television since her debut in the 2012 web series “EastSiders,” and later in a hit ABC Comedy called “Fresh Off The Boat.” Golding, a BritishMalaysian actor and model, can be recognized from the BBC’s Travel Show and more predominantly in the American film “A Simple Favor.”

“The new era of cinematic diversity is sprouting in bits and pieces to finally account for the diversity that exists in our world today.” Victoria Diaz

“[Crazy Rich Asians] was well deserving of all of the publicity it

received,” said math teacher Daniel Nguyen. “I’m not sure it can depict typical Asian-American life because it’s about crazy rich people and because I don’t think it’s possible to encapsulate the diverse experiences of [all] AsianAmericans in a single piece of work. That said, it touched upon issues that everyone grapples with such as the balance between upholding traditional family values and thriving in a rapidly changing world.” Since the dawn of Hollywood in 1853, the American film industry has featured predominantly white casts, directors and producers. However, this monolithic perspective seems to be fading in favor of films that emphasize stories and characters that resonate with a more diverse audience. “The new era of cinematic diversity is sprouting in bits and pieces to finally account for the diversity that exists in our world

today,” said Palo Alto parent Victoria Diaz. “It’s refreshing to see things change from when I was growing up.”

“I appreciate the importance of demonstrating to Hollywood that films with an all-Asian cast can be successful.” Daniel Nguyen

While the number of successful movies in this century with a predominantly Black cast can be counted on one hand, “Black Panther,” released in February, quickly became the third top-grossing title ever according to Hollywood Reporter. This proves that a new wave of audiences are craving relatable characters and unexplored perspectives.

“I think the growing awareness in the general population of celebrating diversity and people of all backgrounds will be reflected in future media as Hollywood will try to mirror society’s ideals,” said junior Ella Jones. “Eventually we will trend away from Eurocentrism.”

As the film industry begins to break down conventional norms of the typical portrayal of American life, audiences are following suit. In recent years, Asian-Americans have been attending movies at a much higher rate and even had the highest per-capita attendance in American theater out of any ethnic group in 2017, according to Fast Company. “I appreciate the importance of demonstrating to Hollywood that films with an all-Asian cast can be successful,” Nguyen said. “Because whom we see in the media shapes what and whom we accept and everyone needs to feel included and welcome.”

Students balance academics with side occupations Paly teenagers juggle schoolwork, outside jobs while learning valuable skills to aid them in their future careers work or how many tests I have,” Buecheler said. “So far it’s been okay, but sometimes they will ask me to stay an extra hour or so and that can be hard if I have somewhere to be or homework to finish.” Salvatierra and Wilson’s current jobs are their first experiences working in a professional environment; Buecheler’s current job is her second. Despite this, they all are well-adjusted to a professional setting. They all noted that they feel a sense of community with their fellow employees, and all agreed that is one of the aspects that makes their jobs enjoyable.

“I am able to get all of my homework done over the weekend with the new schedule.” Lia Salvatierra

“

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Lia Salvatierra works as a hostess at Taverna, a new Greek restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, on top of completing her schoolwork.

By Alyssa Leong

Photo Editor

fter school gets out, most students go to sports practice, clubs or home. Others, however, get right back to work. Senior Lia Salvatierra is one such student. Salvatierra has a job as a hostess at the restaurant Taverna, working six and a half hour shifts on weekends as well as Mondays from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Salvatierra’s work schedule is influenced by the amount of schoolwork she is able to complete. “I have been working Mondays consistently because I am able to get all of my homework done over the weekend with the new schedule,” Salvatierra said. Senior Lydia Wilson is another student who works after school. Wilson works as a Starbucks barista over the weekend, and sometimes on school days,

starting at 4:00 p.m. Although her shifts aren’t extremely long (she works for four hours twice a week), balancing a job with school and other extracurriculars takes considerable planning. “I have to plan ahead more than I used to because if I know I’m going to be working, I need to get my homework done ahead of time so that I don’t stay up late,” Wilson said. “It also helps that I’m mostly working on the

weekends because even if I work all morning, I still have the entire afternoon to do schoolwork.” Junior Katherine Buecheler, who is a hostess at the restaurant True Food Kitchen, only works on weekends for four or five hour shifts. Despite not working school nights, she finds she still has to manage her time wisely. “Sometimes my manager will request for me to come in on school nights, and my response will depend on how much home-

Though Salvatierra said her job at Taverna makes considerably less money than her old job as a camp counselor, she said she loves the environment at the restaurant. “[The environment] gives you a sense of importance and joy — bringing people an evening they walk away from feeling happy,” Salvatierra said.

Apart from learning how to work in their respective fields, Salvatierra, Wilson and Buecheler have learned other life skills from their jobs.

“Before I started working, I never really enjoyed talking to adults, and that’s definitely changed.” Lydia Wilson

“Besides the obvious skill of learning how to make coffee, I think I’ve gained a new appreciation for people who work in the service industry because it can be really exhausting at times,” Wilson said. “I think I’ve also gotten more comfortable talking to adults because I will often have conversations with customers while I’m making their drinks. Before I started working, I never really enjoyed talking to adults, and that’s definitely changed.” To those looking or applying for jobs, it is important to do something that feels worth your time, according to Salvatierra. Salvatierra said, “There are so many jobs out there — don’t settle for one that doesn’t provide you happiness or experience.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

TURNING OVE

UNPACKING RECENT CHANGE INTRODUCTION

he only constant is change. In the recent ego, where she is serving as assistant principal of months at Paly, this statement has fully ap- Carmel Valley Middle School. Current Assistant plied. Principal Katya Villalobos discussed the difficulty The end of last school year was met with a sud- of last year’s departures. den goodbye to an unprecedented number of ad“I will reiterate the [difficulty] of the last year ministrative staff. The because obviously district superintendent, when things happen at school principal and two the district office, they “The superintendent left [and] assistant principals rewill influence sites,” our principal resigned. Our signed, each for a different Villalobos said. “The reason. superintendent left, biggest challenge was just After stepping down our principal resigned. from her role as Paly’s staying positive despite all the There was a lot of principal, Kim Diorio is change.” hard stuff that was going.” now working to complete Some adminisher dissertation. Diorio trators attribute the remains in the area, but is dramatic shift to chalKATYA VILLALOBOS not currently working at lenges faced collecany other school. tively by Paly staff last Also staying local is year. Moving forward former Assistant Principal from last year’s events, Janice Chen, now employed as assistant principal Paly is now ready to welcome a new set of staff at Monta Vista Middle School. Chen decided to members. leave Paly to follow her aspirations of becoming a Completely new to Paly are the two incoming principal in the future. After attending Monte Vista assistant principals Tom Keating and John Chrisas a student, Chen is reconnecting with her roots. tiansen. Villalobos will also be an assistant princiFormer Assistant Principal Vicki Kim has pal this year and Adam Paulson has been promoted sought a change in scenery. This led her to San Di- to principal from assistant principal. Students and

staff alike will have to adjust to this significant shift. Ms. Diorio, there was this huge void." Carolyn Benefield, Paulson's secretary, observes Paulson, having had been assistant principal for that the transition has gone smoothly so far. three years prior, is already familiar with the stu“I think that because of the unique situation dent body. Newcomers Keating and Christiansen with the departure of [Diorio, Kim and Chen], the have yet to fully introduce themselves. staff has been so supBoth Keating and Chrisportive and warm and tiansen have expressed a welcoming to them,” great interest in wanting to “High academics, Benefield said. “I think get to know the students. celebrating diversity, in a normal situation, if “I would like to get to we hadn’t sort of all been friendly, kind, enthusiastic, know some of the students, traumatized last year, it and to some extent, be a strong athletics, strong arts. mentor of sort,” Keating said. would have been tougher for them.” All of those things are what “I think I want the students According to Beneto know I am ultimately here I believe in and what I was field, there was some for students, to support them worries around losing get to know them in an raised with myself and what and Diorio and who would appropriate, best way that I replace her, but with can.” I want to contribute to.” Paulson as the new The new assistant prinprincipal, there have not cipals encourage students to JOHN CHRISTIANSEN been any issues integratengage with them. ing. “Palo Alto’s mission aligns "Everyone has alwith mine,” Christiansen ways liked [Paulson], he’s a very likable guy, but said. “High academics, celebrating diversity, friendhe was kind of quiet and no one really knew him," ly, kind, enthusiastic, strong athletics [and] strong Benefield said. "It was really important to the staff arts. All of those things are what I believe in, what that there be that continuity, because when we lost I was raised with and what I want to contribute to.”

TOM KEATING

s the early morning sunrise dawned on the Monterey Bay horizon, Keating set his gaze over the ocean horizon, leaning over the boat’s edge. Equipped with nothing but a notebook, pen and binoculars, the marine biologist observed the wildlife around him. He took note of the interactions and behaviors between sea otters and the occasional appearance of a humpback whale — a magical sight, and all that a scientist could ask for. Little did Keating know, his eye-opening adventures from Monterey Bay to the Galapagos Islands would lead to a spectacular journey in the educational world, and, ultimately, to Paly’s doorstep. Not long after earning his Master of Science in Marine Sciences from Moss Landing Marine Laboratory in late 1970s, Keating realized his passion for science, technology and education. Beginning his career in the Ichthyology Department at the California Academy of Sciences, Keating was fortunate enough to have the opportunities to work as a researcher in some of the most wildlife-rich places in the world, from Southeast Alaska to Monterey Bay to the Galapagos Islands oﬀ the South American west coast. “Working for a year [in the Galapagos Islands] was life-changing and really helped my perspective on education and approaches to science,” Keating said. Keating’s practical experiences working with marine mammals opened up a wealth of new opportunities. After serving as the Curator of the Natural History Collections of the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galapa- gos Islands, Keating was invited to be a teaching assistant and eventually a fulltime teacher for science and technology courses at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels. “I was planning on going on to have a full career as a scientist and get a Ph.D. in science, but I ended up having a family and was offered a job teaching high school in Hollister, Calif.,” Keating said. Throughout the 1980s, Keating advanced his educational career. But after eight years of teaching in Hollister, he realized he wanted to deepen his reservoir of educational knowledge. “You come to a point as a teacher: do you keep teaching for the rest of your career, or do you become an administrator, or do you pursue s o m e thing else?” Keating said. Keating chose the latter. Seeki n g to combine his interests in science, education and technology, Keating earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teacher Education, with a focus in Science and Technology, in the 1990s from Stanford University. During this time, he served as a supervisor of teachers that were student-teaching at Paly and recognized that Paly might be the place for him down the road. Following his graduate research work at Stanford, Keating held faculty positions for eleven years at Indiana University Bloomington, Boston College and San Jose State University, where he taught science education, science methods classes for

teachers and learning in high-tech environments for graduate students. But, more importantly, these experiences and expertise would shape Keating’s dynamic career and teaching philosophy as a high school district administrator in Portola Valley and San Carlos — where he met Paulson, a principal at San Carlos at the time — and eventually as an administrator at Paly. It is often stated that one ought to be passionate and motivated about their work, a premise Keating strongly reflects. “I find the high school environment to be a great community of students, and just seeing you a l l make that transition to college, career," Keating said. "Thinking about that, I’m also able to work with the faculty in the STEM areas. That’s where my research interests and my professional intersect.” As an new administrator this year, Keating plans using the beginning of the school year to better understand Paly. “When I come into a new project, I have to be collecting data, information and stories from my colleagues, trying to understand the history, what are the constraints, [and] what are the opportunities,” Keating said. Keating comes into his new role with several overarching goals and challenges in mind. The first is to further develop Paly’s standards of what is known as “deeper learning.” This philosophy stems from the ability to reason from evidence, scientific inquiry and generally asking questions of nature. On the design side, it encourages the critical thinking needed to design and develop practical solutions to human problems. “The big challenge is how do you still cover all the material, such as for AP classes where there’s a lot of material, and work in that kind of experience with evidence and making sense of it?” Keating said. “That’s so much of the real world, what they do at the university: experience doing projects and applying what you know.” Keating hopes to gain a strong understanding of Paly’s culture, a crucial aspect of academic life that helps facilitate learning and foster support systems. For Keating, this means implementing systems that make it easier for students to be successful learners while making sure students are involved in any changes to Paly’s learning policies. More broadly, Keating hopes to tap into his decades of academic and educational experience to improve online systems for teachers as well. “I’ve headed up educational technology for districts before, so I’m excited to be a part of that,” Keating said. “The other [responsibility] is the systems, such as online support for discipline attendance for teachers to streamline our approaches so we’re not caught up so much in the paperwork. So I get to help out with projects like that.”

ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE

A SERIES OF ADMIN APRIL 20, 2018 Adam Paulson becomes the new Paly principal

MARCH 9, 2018 Principal Kim Diorio announces resignation

A Ch

MAY 8, 2018 Assistant Principal Vicki Kim leaves Paly

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

SPOTLIGHT

ER A NEW LEAF

ES IN PALY ADMINISTRATION JOHN CHRISTIANSEN

or Christiansen, unorthodox administrative style assumes the form of an artistic mindset, something he believes is a staple of any productive day. Christiansen aims to contribute to the Paly community with his new and unique perspective. From time spent as a mixed martial arts fighter to a roofer to a barista, Christiansen maintains the belief that any problem should be considered from every angle. Despite receiving a traditional education and a Master of Arts in Education, it is his diverse work experience that allows him to see these angles. “I think [my past jobs] give me a really unique perspective and a variety of experiences to draw from,” Christiansen said. “Instead of seeing one way like ‘this is how it’s done,’ I see five ways.” He also believes that his philosophy is espoused through artistic expression. “My approach to being an educator or my approach to having conversations with people is artistic in nature,” Christiansen said. “I want it to be creative, new and fresh and diﬀerent than every other interaction I could have.”

Clay molding, painting, music and improvisation are among his favorite forms of what he describes as an outlet for relaxation. As assistant principal, he aims to improve the areas that he could not affect in past positions, such as development of the arts and improvement around discipline. “[Discipline] is an opportunity to connect with a difficult population in a meaningful way,” Christiansen said. “Traditionally, the way pop culture views discipline is getting bad kids in trouble, [but] that’s not how I view it.” Every school handles discipline differently, but Christiansen’s approach has remained constant. Christiansen encourages students to have a growth mindset and to use discipline as a stepping stone to self-improvement. “We all make mistakes and life has got its learning lessons,” Christiansen said. “I see discipline as an opportunity to connect.” In many of his past positions, Christiansen has implemented similar disciplinary philosophies. In total, he has served as an intern, teacher and administrator at seven schools.

Most recently he worked for two years as a issues. counselor at Henry M. Gunn High School, where “Gunn, Paly and my schools in Colorado [are] mental health was an issue he worked to address. very different demographics and different schools, “Colorado Springs, where I also worked, [there] but the roots [of the mental health problems] are was a suicide cluster as well, so I have a lot of ex- all the same,” Christiansen said. perience in working with At the heart of Siliearly student death,” con Valley, it is often said Christiansen said. “I think [my past jobs] give that Palo Alto’s abundance Christensen thinks of CEOs, innovation and me a really unique perspec- money creates an atmothe mental health problems Paly faces can be more conducive to tive and a variety of experi- sphere remedied. student stress and mental ences to draw from. Instead health concerns. As a school counselor, Christiansen’s job was to Christianof seeing one way like ‘this is senHowever, interact with members of believes the availability the student body, includof therapists and facilities how it’s done,’ I see ing several at-risk stupresent at Paly are positive five ways.” dents. indicators of the school’s At Paly, Christiansen ability to address the probhopes that, as an adminlem. JOHN CHRISTIANSEN istrator, he can continue Christiansen feels that some unofficial counselhe can help increase stuing, as well as refer students to other licensed pro- dents willingness to access these valuable resources fessionals. by forming connections with the community. Christiansen has received a Master of Arts in “I want to form relationships with parents, stuCounseling and Human Services from the Univer- dents, the community, the school and staff members sity of Colorado, and plans to utilize his education here, because I want to be here a very long time,” and experience in addressing Paly’s mental health Christiansen said. “I love it and I want to stay.”

ADAM PAULSON

fter several years as a Paly assistant principal, Paulson aspires to use his new position to build on the successes of his predecessors and to create thoughtful, positive change for the Paly community. “I will focus on three areas this year: high quality teaching and learning, equity and access and wellness and safety,” Paulson said. With a new leadership team, Paulson plans to build on initiatives from previous years. “We will continue to host a monthly theme,” Paulson said. “[For example], September is suicide prevention. We will also take wellness outside the walls, engaging students in the Quad with various activities.” These activities aim to communicate messages about mental health in a way that works for the student body. In addition to organizing regular activities, Paulson plans to directly interact with both students and faculty. “I love to be in classrooms watching the amazing work our teachers and students do on a daily basis,” Paulson said. “My area of expertise is with curriculum and instruction, and I am passionate about providing teachers with the resources and skills they need to

PERSPECTIVE

Text and design by eve do nnelly, neil kapo or & kai vette th

ISTRATIVE EVENTS

JUNE 6, 2018 Assistant Principal Janice hen accepts job at Monta Vista High School

be innovative and engaging.” According to Benfield, a returning administrator like Paulson has the potential to bring positive change to Paly faster than an administrator new to Paly because he does not have to spend time orienting to the school culture. “Having that one familiar person in the role of the leader has made a big diﬀerence,” Benfield said. “If that was a new person, they would probably have a tougher time.” As a result, reception of Paulson by other administrative staﬀ has been overwhelmingly positive. “People were really happy that he was selected to be the principal,” Benfield said. Paulson envisions a cooperative working atmosphere that will foster generations of students to come. “One of the things I appreciate about our school culture is the ability to connect and have fun,” Paulson said. “I am making sure our admin team is spending a lot of time together to learn about our systems, learn about our school culture and also have fun as we get to know one another.”

AUG. 20, 2018 Tom Keating also assumes assistant principal position

AUG. 13, 2018 John Christiansen starts new position of assistant principal

ince the departure of several administrators at the school and District levels last spring, many have wondered what may have caused Paly’s leaders to leave. Luckily, Katya Villalobos, a returning administrator who has held numerous positions in PAUSD, was able to offer some insights on what she thinks may have characterized last year from an administrator’s point of view. “I’m not going to lie to you, [last year] was hard, very hard,” Villalobos said. “It was hard because of all the things that were happening from the outside and trying to support the staff, trying to support the students…It was hard because it was so much change, and we knew we were going to have more change.” Villalobos believes the difficulty of the past year may have caused the changes in leadership. “If people feel that the difficulty is not going

to change, they want a change of scene,” Villalobos said. “Like for [Kim], who is probably the biggest example. She’s wanted to become a principal for a while and this was a big opportunity for her, and she took it, and I’m glad she took it. For [Chen], she’d wanted to be at Monta Vista for a while and that maybe she saw some diﬃculty here and she was like, ‘Oh man, great. Monta Vista is open, I’m going to try there.’ And [Diorio] has that opportunity doing that dissertation which she normally wouldn’t do [as] a high school principal because it just consumed your life.” Regardless of the specific reasons behind an individual’s departure, Villalobos said keeping up positivity was a significant challenge for administrators. Villalobos said, “Because by nature, we have got to be positive.”

CONCLUSION

hange runs rampant through Paly. Though most large, visible alterations will not be apparent to the student eye, a period of transition will still occur. After some prior administration recieved backlash from the community, Benefield made it clear why that was unlikely to occur again. “There was a lot of sadness here over the departure of the admins who left and I think that people just feel grateful and ready to welcome [the new staﬀ ] in so that if there [are] things out in the world or out in the community that are hurtful, that they have a warm and safe place here,” Benefield said. How the community as a whole will receive these adjustments is unforeseen. The student body

may soon see what the future of Paly looks like. The start of the 2018-19 school year marks a new era for Paly. There is a definite anticipation for what that may entail, but the new administration encourages a positive outlook. Necessary for progression is change and necessary for change is discomfort. Mixed feelings were expressed about the administration turnover, but Paly brands itself as a school of acceptance. With the peak of recent events now behind, there is more room for growing forward. “I laugh because you laugh or you do something else,” Villalobos said. “In my opinion, there is so much tough stuﬀ in the world that why are you going to add to it.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Think Fund provides resources, funding for students’ concepts Palo Alto Teen Services program supplies mentorship, financial aid for projects, enables goals to be achieved By Byron Zhang

Managing Editor

hroughout middle school, junior Renle Chu volunteered at a local homeless shelter where she taught art lessons to some of the clients. Chu enjoyed using her knowledge and passion for art to help people. She then quickly realized that she could use art as a means to bring change and help to those in need — which is how the idea of Arts for Actions Foundation (A4A) was born. However, any good idea needs realization and support, and that is what Palo Alto’s Think Fund provides.

“The funding helped us tremendously. A4A would not have been possible if not for the funding.” Renle Chu

The teenage brain is a powerhouse for innovations, constantly fostering new, creative ideas. However, burdened by loads of school assignments and homework, teens often do not have time to seek out financial support to implement their ideas. The City of Palo Alto Teen Services department created a program called Think Fund, which grants a total of $25,000 per year to students’ proposals of projects, encouraging teens to take initiative to better the Palo Alto community. This year, Think Fund distributed its funds among 16 community-based projects covering a wide spectrum of subjects. From technological exploration and environmental conservation to artistic creation and literary composition, these projects reflect Silicon Valley’s extremely diverse lifestyle. Arts for Action Foundation (A4A), founded in 2015, is a nonprofit organization that uses art as a means to bring change and awareness to prevalent issues facing the Palo Alto community. In 2017, the Art for Action Foundation requested and received a grant of roughly $700 from Think Fund. The entire application process took about two months, according to Chu. “The funding helped us tremendously,” Chu said. “A4A would not have been possible if not for the funding. With the grant, we were able to purchase a website domain, frame our art pieces, buy art supplies, and hold

our galleries.” A4A is in the process of organizing its September art auction and will donate all of the proceeds from the auction to Dreamcatchers, an organization dedicated to closing the persisting achievement and opportunity gap in Palo Alto schools. In addition, each week, the A4A team teaches art lessons at local homeless shelters. The organization is also looking for new team members and currently offers many open leadership positions. William Zhou, who was a member of the Paly graduating class of 2016, founded Project Enybody in 2013, which has become one of Think Fund’s most successful and developed programs. The organization focuses on fighting climate change throughout the Palo Alto community through various projects and events. “I thought the [application] process was pretty straightforward and easy to follow,” Zhou said. “The funds helped a lot with my project. I just filled out a form on the city’s website about my idea, what I needed, and how my project would serve the teen population. Then, I met with the teen program advisor to talk about my idea. Then, they approved it.”

“Not having to worry about funds really allowed us to focus on planning events and working to make an impact in the community.” William Zhou

Since its foundation in 2016, Project Enybody has organized numerous activities for environmental conservation. Among these are green-themed art galas, tree planting, weeding (removing invasive species), documentary screening, climate change summits and tours to waste water treatment power plants, among other things. In 2001, the City Council of Palo Alto decided to rent out a property named Bryant Street Teen Center, now a parking lot, with the premise that 75 percent of the revenue acquired from the lease would support teen programs financially, “providing opportunities for entrepreneurship, creativity, personal growth and leadership.” Some of the developed, fund-

RENLE CHU/USED WITH PERMISSION

A painting by Renle Chu that will be auctioned at Arts for Action Foundation’s September auction. The proceeds will go to Dreamcatchers. ed programs include the ClickPA website, Teen Arts Council, MakeX, Art Center, Think Fund Gala and the Buoyancy Teen Festival.

“Teens have innovative ideas, but often need financial support and mentorship to make the ideas come to life.” Stephanie Douglas “Teens have innovative ideas, but often need financial support and mentorship to make the ideas

come to life sense,” said Stephanie Douglas, Recreation Superintendent at the Community Service Department in the City Council, in the 2017-2018 annual Think Fund report. “Think Fund is essentially an incubator of ideas, providing a pathway for teens to successfully launch events, programs and services in their own community and for their peers.” Each project can receive a maximum of $1,000 through the grant. To apply for a grant to support a project, one must simply fill out a registration form, which asks for basic information and a paragraph idea of the visions to the project and the reason of application, and then email the form to Think

Fund. Students get the opportunity to work with teen specialists, who give them advice on how to expand or elaborate their original ideas. According to Chu, after several meetings, applicants need to draft a formal proposal, which includes several questions on how the project will benefit both teens and the community, as well as a budget plan. Once the applicants and their corresponding teen specialists reach a consensus on the proposal, the City Teen Services Committee will finally assess the project and deliver a decision on whether it was approved and how much funding the project will receive.

“Not having to worry about funds really allowed us to focus on planning events and working to make an impact in the community,” Zhou said. “Funds were used to renting venues, food for events, marketing material, and travel.” “The fund has helped support any endeavors I hope to pursue that are related to my organization,” Zhou said. “Without it, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish many of my goals. But beyond just supplying money, it also gives me access to the amazing resources at Mitchell Park and their mentors. The people that have helped me along this journey have really shaped how this organization has developed.”

Music memory proven to activate various compartments of brain Familiarity with notes allows players to develop muscle memory over time, stimulating different areas of the mind By Leela Srinivasan Lifestyle Editor

hen singing along to a popular song on the radio, the average person can recall each word, speaking effortlessly, the lyrics committed to memory though they never put in the effort to memorize them at all. Chanting the lyrics of a song hardly feels like a challenge, whereas memorizing the script to a class presentation is substantially more daunting. The situations are undeniably similar; in both, the task at hand is to memorize a set of words in a specific pattern, but somehow the second is much more difficult. When words are associated with a tune, memory functions

are triggered in a different way than they are with exclusively language, making it easier for people to recollect a string of words that is paired with music, according to Palo Alto High School AP Psychology teacher Melinda Mattes. “It has to do with tapping into the different areas of our brain,” Mattes said. “Music and auditory information processed in different parts of our brain, and any time [that] information travels to more areas of our brain, there are more retrieval cues pulling it out.” Music is critical in engaging our memory; musical training creates and develops an entirely new form of memory that is not an inherent trait for most people.

According to senior and bassist Gil Weissman, when learning a new piece of music, muscle memory often takes precedence over the actual musical understanding of a piece. “Once I’m familiar enough with something, if I really try to think deeply about what I’m doing, I almost always make a mistake,” Weissman said. What Weissman experiences is not uncommon; most trained musicians can relate to their body going on autopilot, as their fingers find the notes on their own. Weissman said, essentially, he has a map of the fretboard of his bass stored in his mind, and this has allowed his muscle memory to develop further, as he is now at the point where he doesn’t have

to look at his hand while playing. “When I started playing bass, I would learn by sight reading music, but, at this point, my fingers know where each note is,” Weissman said. “I know the distance between the notes in relation to my hand, and how my hand is supposed to move, so I know how far to stretch my fingers.” Grant Blackburn, Paly Economics teacher and guitarist for the teacher band “Willy and the Four Boys,” tells a similar story to Weissman’s, recalling how he progressed as a musician. “I’ve been playing for 25 years, and when I started playing, I had to think about every note I played, but gradually, I started to pick up on the basics and they became more comfortable,” Blackburn

RYAN GWYN/USED WITH PERMISSION

Grant Blackburn, a bassist and the guitarist for teacher band Willy and the Four Boys, has learned ‘shortcuts’ for playing that help his muscle memory.

said. “Then, I moved on and had a major revelation about the circle of fifths, and that lead to other things; basically, I started to discover shortcuts.”

“At this point, my fingers know where each note is.” Gil Weissman The ‘shortcuts’ that Blackburn refers to are memories that his mind stores; once he returns to them over and over again, they begin to feel like second nature, becoming ingrained in his mind and his hands. “These shortcuts help you categorize information, which can break down pieces and make them easier for you, as well as make learning music less daunting,” Blackburn said. “That way, music isn’t just a bunch of random facts sitting out there for you to navigate.” Beginners often rely on closely-followed instruction and logic to learn musical instruments, as their minds need to become accustomed to the art. More experienced players, however, become so familiar with musical structure that it is often on the back of their mind, allowing them to expand to more complex concepts and techniques. Weissman describes the attraction of tone recognition, which is a function of his familiarity with musical structure and the notation stored in his memory. “I’d much rather learn a song by listening to it than [by] using sheet music,” Weissman said. “Now, it takes a lot more time for me to read music and translate it onto the bass than to listen to a

song and try to figure out what and where the notes are on my own.” This tone recognition may not seem to be interwoven with memory, but musicians with perfect pitch are actually exercising their memory each time they identify a note. The exact frequency of each note is stored as a memory in their brain, and when that note is processed, a lightbulb goes off, identifying the match. Musicians, specifically Blackburn, certainly develop an appreciation for muscle memory over time. “Developing muscle memory is so important, and it just comes from playing all the time,” Blackburn said. “It’s certainly not the same kind of memory that we use in the rest of our lives.” The time put into developing muscle memory is very rewarding, as skilled musicians are able to perform effortlessly without thinking about their actions at all; what riding a bike is to the average person is playing one of their favorite musical pieces, which is immeasurably more impressive. “I know what a C chord feels like, I know what a G chord feels like, and I can create those shapes without even having a fingerboard in front of me,” Blackburn said. “When I bend a note, I know exactly how far to bend it so that I reach the next note, but I’m not thinking twice about it.” Weissman agrees, and reveals that the saying ‘lose yourself in the music’ is a lot more real than people may think. “Sometimes, when I’m playing, there are moments when I realize I have no idea what I’m doing, but my hands are still moving,” Weissman said. “It’s a pretty incredible feeling.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

Service dogs help with physical, psychiatric disabilities Psychology behind the reliance of technology By Annie Chen

DOGGIE DO GOOD/USED WITH PERMISSION

Sophomore Paloma Shelton and her medical alert dog Maggie recieve their service dog certification from the Doggie Do Good organization.

By Miranda Li

Science & Tech Editor

ometimes, the best doctor for those facing physical or mental disabilities can actually be a dog. Service dogs are dogs that are trained to perform specific tasks for one person whose general life activities are inhibited by a disability. According to Robin Levy, the head of Mid-Peninsula Puppy Guides, a service dog can be trained to help a person in a variety of ways. Some examples are guide dogs for blind or visually impaired people, hearing dogs for people with hearing problems, seizure alert dogs, diabetes alert dogs, dogs to assist people in wheelchairs, dogs to help people with PTSD and many more. Every service dog helps their handler in a different and specific way, making the various categories incredibly diverse. However, upon hearing the words “service dog,” many fail to consider the equally dangerous “invisible disability” of mental and psychiatric conditions, which can be just as debilitating as a purely physical disability. A psychiatric service dog has

the ability to detect life-threatening psychiatric episodes before they can occur, as well as prevent them or mitigate their effects. These episodes are a response from the sympathetic nervous system that can occur randomly and without warning. During this, adrenaline, the hormone behind the “fight-or-flight” response, floods the body. The heart pounds rapidly, increasing blood flow to muscles and causing uncontrollable trembling. Breathing quickens and shallows to increase oxygen intake for the heavy blood flow, leading to dizziness or faintness. The increased adrenaline can also cause sweating, chest pains and numbness. A random episode can be extremely dangerous for handlers, which is where a service dog comes in. “Dogs have very great senses of smell,” said Courtney Rios, a service dog trainer at Doggie Do Good. “The dog is able to pick up when [their owner’s] pheromones are low or high and [act accordingly].” The beginning symptoms of a psychiatric episode are imperceptible to humans but recognizable

by service dogs, who can smell the rise in adrenaline, and sense an increase in heart rate, breathing and tremors. Additionally, dogs can notice tics before psychiatric episodes that people themselves are not aware of. A typical service dog will know 15 to 20 minutes before someone has a medical episode, while the handler will know probably 30 seconds before it happens. Psychiatric service dogs are also trained to bring medication, perform deep pressure therapy and “ground” their owners, ensuring that they do not go into a psychiatric episode. Deep pressure therapy is done by applying equal force across the body, which calms the autonomic nervous system. This involves a service dog lying on top of its owner during a psychiatric episode and using its weight and warmth to mitigate symptoms and calm them, in place of a therapeutic weighted blanket. The various life-saving tasks a service dog is trained to perform creates an important distinction

between them and therapy dogs or emotional support dogs. “Service dogs fulfill the [Americans with Disabilities Act] requirements and are legally required to be given access, with their human partners, to any location accessible to the general public,” said Connie Gowen, a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind and a participant in Paly’s Therapy Dog program. “Therapy dogs or emotional support dogs are not service dogs and can be legally denied access to public spaces.” However, no dog is perfect, nor is any human or any other creature. This is why no one should ever pet or otherwise distract a service dog while it is working. So the next time you see someone wandering around with a service dog, make sure to admire this hero from afar.

Summer STEM experiences enlighten students

EVAN BALDONADO/USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Evan Baldonado gained research experience at the Stanford Young Earth Investigators program.

By Sophia Moore

Staff Writer

ilicon Valley is renowned for its innovative startup culture, but it's also home to countless summer programs for high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM). Many Paly students found ways this past summer to immerse themselves in their respective areas of STEM interest through various forms of lab work, internships or office experiences. Over the summer, Paly senior Evan Baldonado was involved in a program called Stanford Young Earth Investigators (SEYI), which allows high school students to learn science first-hand through work in research laboratories, where they can analyze data and work one-on-one with scientists. Baldonado has always been interested in STEM, but one of the defining moments for him was creating his aquarium website: AquariumKids.com, which provides information such as facts about different aquarium fish. He continued to pursue his love of STEM and is now a part of Paly’s Science Olympiad team, where he has participated in competitions on topics ranging from ecology to remote sensing. “A lot of the material that I know because of AquariumKids and competing on Paly’s Science Olympiad team came in handy at

SEYI,” Baldonado said. Through his experience at Stanford Young Earth Investigators, Baldonado was able to experience a professional research environment through hands-on activities. “I learned a lot about Antarctic phytoplankton communities, as that was the subject of our research,” Baldonado said. “We want to know how climate change will affect these populations, and in turn, how well these phytoplankton will be able to remove carbon from the atmosphere.” Research is an essential part of the STEM field, and having exposure to real world applications is crucial to a basic understanding of different concepts. “I learned that I really enjoy research, and I could see myself pursuing research in the future,” Baldonado said. The summer of 2017 was Baldonado’s first time participating in SEYI and he returned the next summer in order to continue his research in that particular field. “I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue with the program this last summer," Baldonado said. "I have met soww many inspiring people from SEYI, and it has been such a great experience to work with them.” While biology is one branch of STEM, others may choose to go in a different direction, although still under the umbrella of STEM. “I’m interested in STEM, particularly astrophysics, mainly be-

cause of how much we still have to learn,” Paly senior Nick Padmanabhan said. Researchers are constantly working to improve our understanding about matters here on Earth and in space. Many STEM areas arose out of the need to address and solve problems in society and in human health, and I find this fundamental motivation inspiring. Padmanabhan chose to apply for the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory internship to pursue his interest in astrophysics, work with professional researchers and conduct independent research.

"I learned that I really enjoy research, and I could see myself pursuing research in the future." Evan Baldonado

The Lockheed Martin internship started at the beginning of the summer of 2018 and will extend through the summer of 2019, involving lab work for several hours a week during the school year. Padmanabhan currently analyzes and studies data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), an orbiting satellite that sends a constant data stream back to labs as it observes the sun.

This experience has taught him new ways of analyzing data through computer programs and algorithms. He has also learned about the complex processes occuring in the sun and on its surface. “I learned about this internship primarily through postings and flyers at Paly,” Padmanabhan said. “It’s a great opportunity, and I recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing independent research in the future.” Additionally, STEM programs extend to even more areas of research and growth–specifically computer science. “I really like the logic and creativity of computer science,” Paly senior Nisha McNealis said. “I've always loved solving problems and applying math to the real world, so programming is the perfect combination of all of my interests.” Over the summer, McNealis interned at Cepton, a 3D provider for automotive, industrial and mapping applications. “I chose to intern at Cepton because it was a small startup so I could make an impact and work on really cool projects and I liked the energetic, intellectually challenging environment when I talked to my interviewer and visited the company,” McNealis said. Through her internship, McNealis was able to learn about quality control and product management using a tool called Jira in order to create a product management platform for the company. Additionally, she learned a programming language called “C#” in order to contribute to the company code. Most importantly, she was able to gain experience in working in an office setting, from using Outlook to run basic office necessities to scheduling and running meetings. “It was amazing to see firsthand how a real company works, and I learned a lot in a relatively short amount of time,” McNealis said. “I would advise anyone who wants an internship over the summer to start looking early and reach out to as many people as possible– it can be awkward, but it definitely pays off.”

Lifestyle Editor

n the right counter sits a large stack of yellow, photocopied textbook excerpts — ATPS, Demana, Geometry, The Practice of Statistics. Stapled on the left wall are calendars detailing units, daily agendas and homework assignments, as well as a guide to homework formatting expectations. In Paly Math teacher Cynthia Chen’s classroom, when there are 10 precious minutes of homework time, all the materials any student needs are there, replacing any need for electronic copies and the use of dreaded electronic devices — computers and phones. In the vast majority of classes at Paly, computers are a staple. Whether it be for writing an essay, completing a lab or taking a Schoology quiz, technology presents itself in the hands of students every day. Many students do not think twice before slipping a phone out or typing away on a computer, especially during inclass work time. However, this habit can often lead to distractions, causing students to check their Facebook notifications or watch The Office with closed captions instead of focusing on the work at hand. “I think that personally I’m really reliant on tech, both my phone and my computer,” said sophomore Hannah Zhou. “I spend a lot of time on social media [platforms] like Snapchat and Instagram. Day to day, I think technology makes me a lot less productive because it serves as an easily accessible distraction.”

"With this new technology, everybody will be able to focus on their own strengths and weaknesses." Hannah Zhou

As a result, Chen has eliminated the need for potentially distracting technology in class. She provides sufficient copies of necessary textbook sections and also ensures that students do not need to pull up a unit calendar on their electronic device to find the assigned homework problems. “I believe that cell phones and laptops are distracting for not only the individual, but for the class as a whole,” Chen said. “As such, I don’t allow the use of electronic devices in the classroom.” Academic research has shown that both active and passive cell phone use affects retention. Students who didn’t use a phone had lower scores in a device-enabled classroom than their counterparts in device-free classroom.” Paly History and Social Science teacher Christopher Farina agrees that technology possesses many distracting qualities that can negatively affect students’ learning. “There’s a lot of good research on why technology is so distracting,” Farina said. “Part of it has to do with the fact that when you have something that lights up, it’s going to grab your attention. So even if you’re doing it for something innocuous, like just writing in a Word document, just because it’s backlit it can get your attention.” Additionally, Farina emphasizes how many aspects of technology are intentionally built to be distracting. “For phones, a lot of the applications are specifically designed in order to capture your attention,” Farina said. “Apps like Facebook, Instagram, etc., are designed specifically designed to draw people’s attention and then keep them within that system by [using] different behavioral incentives. It’s immediate — you get this immediate reward. So as long as you have that immediacy there, it’s going to capture your attention and take over whatever else you’re doing.” Given the distracting effects of computers and phones in class, students have found Chen’s policy to increase their productivity. “I think Chen’s no electronic device policy is generally helpful because it really makes you focus more during class,” Zhou said. “People are less off task, [and] you’re never tempted to do other things during class. I found that this policy was especially helpful when we were had free time to do our homework because if I had access to technology, I would have definitely just gone on social media.”

Despite recognizing the drawbacks of using electronic devices, neither Chen nor Farina are completely against using technology in the classroom in general, as they both believe that there is a time and place for it. For example, computers can prove to be very useful for certain subjects and tasks, including writing. “Writing has a lot of benefits from being technologically enhanced,” Farina said. “[You’re] able to quickly write stuff out, dictate, spell-check, edit, move [sections] around — technology is really, really helpful for that.”

"Multimedia curriculum is definitely more engaging for me becuase it makes me excited for the [material] we're learning." Hannah Zhou

Additionally, technology has helped improve many teaching and classroom aspects, especially in terms of curriculum. “With students coming in having more and more exposure to video, particularly really short video, I think that has … changed students’ attention span,” Farina said. “I think that when teachers are designing lessons for a 90-minute block, they are more aware of, ‘How am I going to capture and keep a student’s attention so that we can stay on this topic?’” Zhou also agrees that multimedia curriculum makes class more interesting to students. “I think multimedia curriculum is definitely more engaging for me because it really makes me excited for the [material] we’re learning,” Zhou said. “It gives a little bit of diversity to the classroom versus just the normal way teachers teach. I also think platforms like Kahoot are more interesting because it introduces a friendly competitive atmosphere to the classroom that pushes students to learn.” Furthermore, using technology in the classroom can potentially help cater lessons and material to students’ individual needs. “There’s been a lot of conversation about differentiation and independent pacing,” Farina said. “I think, when technology is used really well, you can provide a bunch of different ways of accessing information and a bunch of different ways of demonstrating that knowledge for kids.” Zhou hopes to see technology catering curriculum specifically to student’s individual needs as well. “Every student learns at a different rate,” Zhou said. “With this new technology, everybody will be able to focus on their own strengths and weaknesses. In a traditional classroom, there will inevitably be some students who are left behind and others who are going ahead, and a teacher cannot address all these problems by themselves. Online platforms like Khan Academy and Coursera let the student practice what they need to and also allow the students to choose material that's really interesting to them. With technology, I think it’s also great that you can learn almost anything as everything is online and easily accessible, you just have to be willing to learn.” Overall, however, it is important to regulate technology use in the classroom, finding the right balance for reaping the benefits while avoiding the distractions.

"There's a lot of good research on why technology is so distracting." Christopher Farina

Every teacher creates their own classroom technology guidelines based on the course or material to best set up their students for success. Some may allow computers for note-taking or phones for greater engagement, and others may not. Regardless of the policy, our use of technology is prevalent in our daily school lives, and the integration of technology into education continues to evolve. “I think we’re heading in the direction [in which] we can use technology effectively and really well,” Farina said. “It’s kind of a slow transition, but it’s a really, really valuable one.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SC ENCE & TECH

Defining diabetes How do students at Paly cope with this autoimmune disease? How are their lives affected by it?

very day, students at Paly rush out of their classrooms to eat lunch. For the most part, one’s lunch is comprised of some of the foods they enjoy most. Some students go to Town & Country, picking out their favorite “Paly Deal.” Nonetheless, there are still a handful of students who manage everything they eat and drink.

While some of these students are on diets by choice, others are left with no option but to keep an eye on their food intake. These students have Type 1 Diabetes. All people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) need to count carbs and deliver insulin before eating. The process is fairly simple, but for students at school all day, life with diabetes is

Diagnosis

he pancreas is one of the many body parts in the endocrine system, a group of organs that secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones are essential for the body to maintain homeostasis, keeping a stable internal environment. In the pancreas, beta cells are used to produce the hormone insulin, which plays a key role in the body, entering our cells to help fuel the body after intaking sugar.

“Day to day, my routine changed in that I’ve had to become much more conscious of what I‘m eating and how I’m feeling.”

- Katie Look

Insulin acts as the “key” to get glucose into our cells. Without it, glucose is left in the bloodstream. T1D is one of many autoimmune diseases, illnesses that stem from the immune system attacking a part of the body. In T1D specifically, the immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas, hin-

are always fluctuating. Before each snack and meal, individuals with T1D have to check their blood sugar and calculate the amount of carbohydrates in their food. After getting these two values, they can determine how much insulin they should take. They then inject insulin through syringes, insulin pens or by using a pump. Most people with T1D develop new diets after diagnosis. With the exception of snacks for low blood sugars, high-carb meals are typically avoided. “I had to become a lot more aware of my dietary choices and the activities I did,” Perlman said. “I usually eat one of a few meals that I know the carb-count of. The worst part about Type 1 is not being able to eat huge meals when my blood sugar is high. I will usually eat whatever I want on my birthday and accept that [my blood sugar] will run a little higher.” In addition to monitoring meals, eating snacks becomes much harder for Type 1 diabetics, especially if they dose insulin through syringes or pens. “The biggest transition for me over the last month has been controlling my eating habits because usually I would just have a snack at random times of the day,” de Anda said. “Now that I’m forced to dose insulin, there is a whole process of things I have to do before eating. So now, I often don’t eat those snacks because it’s simply not worth it anymore.”

What do Type 1 diabetics use to deliver insulin?

Technology

ccording to Endocrine News, roughly 65 percent of Type 1 diabetics in the U.S. use syringes to deliver insulin, 15 percent use insulin pens and 20 percent use insulin pumps. Syringes and pens are both methods of delivery that require self-injections. Pumps are devices that diabetics put on their bodies to deliver the insulin for them. These devices’ adhesive backing sticks onto any part of the body that has some fat on it. A small tube goes into the body, which delivers the insulin. With pumps, patients can simply input how much insulin they need onto a device, and the pump does the rest of the work from there. Although helpful, pumps are scarce and expensive. However, the majority of patients who live in this high-tech area still use pumps. “Over half of Stanford Pediatric patients are using some type of insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor,” Maahs said. Another device that many diabetics put on their body is a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). This device also includes an adhesive backing, a small needle that goes into the body and the main device left outside the body, which interprets the blood sugar and gives a reading. These come in many different forms as they are made by

dering the body’s ability to produce the hormone insulin. Due to the lack of insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells and therefore stays in the blood, causing the build-up of sugar in the bloodstream to become too high. This leads to symptoms such as exhaustion, extreme hunger and thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision and weight loss. This process of experiencing symptoms and diagnosis usually takes a few weeks. Senior Colby Perlman was diagnosed with T1D in 2008, when he was in second grade. “I found out while I was visiting my uncle and cousin in Southern California,” Perlman said. “I was drinking way more water than I usually would and having to go to the bathroom more often too. This is when my parents took me in to get tested.” Although many share the same symptoms, they do vary from person to person. Sometimes, people experience completely unique symptoms. Paly graduate Katie Look found out about her diagnosis in 2011. She said, “I had lost a lot of weight and was really thirsty all the time, but the issue didn’t become clear until I went camping and vomited after drinking five glasses of orange juice.”

Treatment

lthough there is no cure to T1D, treatment is fairly simple. Because diabetics are unable to produce insulin, they must obtain it via an outside source. According to Dr. David Maahs, Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology at Stanford Hospital, artificial insulin is relatively easy to make. Just as it sounds, blood glucose, or blood sugar, is simply the amount of sugar in your blood. For Type 1 diabetics, blood glucose levels must be kept within a healthy range. According to Maahs, the ideal blood sugar for diabetics lies between 80 and 180 milligrams per deciliter. Individuals with T1D test their blood sugar by pricking their finger and using a meter, or by using a continuous glucose monitor. Low blood sugar levels often result from overdosing on insulin. Symptoms include shakiness, dizziness and fatigue. Low blood sugar can be fixed by simply eating a snack with some carbohydrates in it. Freshman Jade de Anda was diagnosed only one month ago, in late July. “I’ve had a lot of [low blood sugars] recently, and I even dropped to nearly 30 mg/dL one time,” de Anda said. “Lows are my least favorite thing because of how shaky it makes me feel.” For Type 1 diabetics, blood sugar levels

much more chaotic and out of control. T1D is not a rare disorder; a handful of students at Paly have it. Chances are, you have a class or have had a class with a Type 1 diabetic in the past. As it is a disease with no cure, and since many students are diagnosed with it, awareness about T1D should be raised.

Misconceptions

ype 1 Diabetes is not an uncommon disorder; According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, roughly 1.25 million Americans have T1D. However, many still remain unaware about how the disease works. “Usually when I tell people I’m Type 1 diabetic, their first response is to ask me if I ate too much candy or if I used to be overweight,” Perlman said. “It can be annoying when people don’t know the difference between Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.” According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, only about five percent of people with diabetes have Type 1. Type 2 is a much more common disease, usually occurring in older people who eat unhealthy and lack exercise. Nicknamed “Juvenile Diabetes,” people with Type 1 were typically diagnosed at a much younger age. Nonetheless, people of any age are vulnerable to the disease. Another common misconception is

various companies. Nonetheless, they all play the same role in checking blood sugar constantly throughout the day. A CGM takes blood sugar measures typically every five minutes, which is drastically more effective than finger-pricking multiple times everyday. However, CGMs do have their drawbacks. “I have a CGM, but it’s not as good as I want it to be,” de Anda said. “I get tired of calibrating it all the time, and it’s painful to put in. So I usually just do finger-pricks before I eat.” Alternatively, some diabetics are on a closed-loop system, comprised of both pumps and CGMs. The two devices communicate with each other to keep blood sugar in range. For example, if the CGM detects a high blood sugar, then it will tell the pump to dose more insulin. Sophomore Alex Washburn was diagnosed with T1D when he was five years old. “I am constantly on the Metronic 670g, a new pump that uses the closed-loop system to give insulin or cut off insulin automatically depending on your blood sugar,” Washburn said. ”This helps me because if I don’t give the proper amount of insulin, I don’t have to worry as much and usually the system will bring my blood sugar back in range.”

that those with Type 1 cannot include any sugar in their diet. “I think the biggest misconception is that I can’t have sugary foods or drinks, but the reality is that my diabetes doesn’t influence my diet in any way; I still eat what I want to eat,” Look said.

“Usually when I tell people I’m type 1 diabetic, their first response is to ask me if I ate too much candy or if I used to be overweight.”

- Colby Perlman

Impact

verall, being diagnosed with Type 1 is a big transition in one’s life. According to de Anda, most of the day-to-day activities that she does are affected by her diabetes. “Going to the office every day is frustrating,” de Anda said. “I have to go there five minutes before I eat every meal or snack.” In addition, many newlydiagnosed patients have to quit certain activities, as they may have an effect on blood-sugar. “When I was diagnosed, the biggest thing I had to give up was eating whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted,” Perlman said. “I also miss just being able

to go exercise without having to eat certain food or have to take carbohydrates while doing that activity.” It is indisputable that having this disease adds many inconveniences to one’s life. However, as long as blood sugar is kept within a reasonable range, nothing limits Type 1 diabetics from doing anything they would otherwise do. According to de Anda, diabetes helps her become more patient, as well as better at managing herself. De Anda said, “Being diabetic can be a hassle at times, but it teaches me a lot of great life skills.”

Proportion of Type 1 diabetics to Type 2 diabetics 5%

20% 15%

syringes

Type 1

insulin pumps

Type 2

insulin pens

65%

95% Source: Endocrine News

Art By: Frida Rivera

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

SP RTS

GIRLS

FIELD HOCKEY

Text and Design by Vivian Feng Design by Sarah O’Riordan

The first varsity girls field hockey team Paly has ever fielded will open their season with a home game on Sept. 11 against Cupertino Starting Out

alf the schools in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League had girls field hockey teams by 2015: Paly was not one of them. Sophomore Alexa Gwyn moved to Palo Alto in 2015, started a petition to add girls field hockey to the athletics program in November 2016, and now plays on the first varsity Paly girls’ field hockey team ever. Gwyn first began playing the sport in Australia, where she was born and where field hockey is very popular. She went on to play for her school team in third grade and later started playing for a junior club, the University of New South Wales Sydney Hockey Club.

Gwyn moved to the U.S. as a seventh grader and knew that field hockey would be less popular, but was particularly disappointed

to find out that Paly was one of the few schools in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League that didn’t have a girls field hockey team. “I knew other high schools in this area had field hockey but our [high school] didn’t,” Gwyn said. The high schools that had girls field hockey teams before Paly were Cupertino High School, Homestead High School, Los Altos High School, Los Gatos High School, Lynbrook High School, Monta Vista High School and Saratoga High School. “It’s really neat to be at Paly and start a program,” Jennifer Crane said, head coach of the girls field hockey team. “When I first started working here five years ago, I was very surprised they didn’t have a field hockey team

because of the community and the fact that they’re right across from Stanford, which is one of four notable Division I schools west of the Mississippi.“It’s something that I wish was here earlier.” When Gwyn got to Paly, she started a field hockey club as a freshman, and once a week about 12 girls would come to the lunch meetings. Gwyn began asking girls if they would want to play for a field

hockey team at Paly and got 49 signatures of support. “That showed that there were a lot of people that were interested,” Gwyn said. Last year, the boys volleyball team competed in its first season. According to Athletic Director Therren Wilburn, there needed to be an equal number of girls sports teams as boys’ sports teams, and, in order to stay in accordance with Title IX, they began to plan and recruit for a girls field hockey team to start this year. Gwyn and her mom found Jennifer Crane, who teaches Special Education at Paly, to coach for the team. Crane started playing field hockey for her high school team. “I started playing field hockey when I was a freshman in high school as well and felt very awkward, but then I ended up getting a scholarship to play field hockey at Cal (University of California, Berkeley),” Crane said. During Crane’s senior year at UC Berkeley she was elected team captain, trained at the regional site in California and even got to play with some of the Olympic field hockey players in Virginia Beach. “We asked her if she would be interested and at first she said no since she hadn’t been working here long and school work was hard to balance, but she later said yes,” Gwyn said.

tel, who is in charge of promoting sports games and increasing school spirit, expressed support for the new girls field hockey team.

Other than being new at the sport, the team all seems to really love it and they all seem passionate about it. That’s all you really need. Skills will come later.

The Game

ven though field hockey is more popular on the East Coast, of the 25 Division I schools in California, only four offer field hockey: Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, University of California Davis and University of the Pacific. Viking fans may not be prepared to cheer on a game they don’t understand. To break downn the sport, essentially, there are four groups of field hockey players: halfbacks, fullbacks, forwards and goalies. The three halfbacks are the players that usually get the most cardio in running across the field and serving as a link between offense and defense. There are three full on the field at a time and they act as the defenders. Keep an eye out for forwards since they are players that are on the offensive and mainly attack and score goals. Lastly, the goalies can use their any part of their bodies to play the ball if they are inside the goal-circle, otherwise they are only allowed use their stick to attempt and make a play with the ball. Sixth Man President Stan de Mar-

Alexa Gwyn “I’m looking forward to bringing people out to games,” de Martel said. “Even though I’ve never watched a field hockey game, every sport deserves publicity and support from the Sixth Man.”

The Team

nlike most other teams, according to Crane, 90 percent of the girls on the varsity field hockey team are new to the sport. “It is challenging,” Crane said. “To me these skills seem second nature. Field hockey in general is very unintuitive, so it was challenging for me to bring myself back to that stage in my career and go back to the fundamentals.” According to Gwyn, although there are some girls who have attended field hockey clinics, or played ice hockey, everyone is learning and improving together. “Having everyone be new is really good because we can all learn off each other,” Gwyn said. Junior Emma Siskens is one of the 20 girls on the varsity team and is among those with little experience but a lot of interest in the sport. Siskens became interested in playing for the Paly field hockey team since both her parents played in Sweden. “I’ve had a lot of good experiences with Paly sports,” Siskens said. “I’ve made a lot of new

friends. In the end, I decided to tryout [for field hockey] because I honestly feel more efficient when I’m doing a sport.” Siskens also echoes the sentiment that although the team is mostly new to the sport, they are ready to

OUTSIDE INFLUENCERS

Parent involvement in school sports

Is parental pressure over sports the new academic pressure? A look the overbearing tendencies of Silicon Valley parents from the perspectives of coaches, athletes, and the parents themselves.

MIKE KAPLAN/ CC BY 2.0

PAGE C4-C5

Football

Volleyball

DAVID HICKEY/ CC 2.0

New, safer helmets

The issue of helmets and concussions in football, explained. PAGE C8

experiment. “Everyone is athletic and willing to try new stuff,” Siskens said. “Even when people don’t succeed or can’t get a move down right away they don’t give up that easily. It’s a very accepting atmosphere. Whenever someone makes a mistake, people always say, ‘everything is fine’ or ‘ you got it.’” According to Gwyn, most of the team are underclassmen, so there is plenty of room to improve the program throughout the years and develop the skills of the players. “I think this year there should be less about winning, and more about the sport, gaining skills and getting people beyond the team interested in the sport,” Gwyn said. Since only 29 girls tried out for field hockey, Crane was only able to field one varsity team. Instead of hosting 18 girls, the traditional amount for a team, 20 girls made the team. The girls have been practicing and scrimmaging each other for the past three weeks. “Some teams have had programs for 15 plus years, so my goal is to grow as a team,” Crane said.

“One thing I made clear to them at the beginning of the year is that I want them to be hard workers, aggressive and intense.” Their first game is against Monta Vista on Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. at home. “Other than being new at the sport, the team all seems to really love it and they all seem passionate about it,” Gwyn said. “That’s all you really need. Skills will come later.”

Referees

DAVID HICKEY/ CC 2.0

MAX PIXEL /CC0

New season, 11 new players

Officiating youth sports

PAGE C3

PAGE C6

After the loss of 11 seniors, the Lady Vikes come back stronger than ever.

Understanding the politics of officiating.

Friday, September 7, 2018

SPORTS REPORT FOOTBALL

RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. St. Ignatius 8/24, W, 21-14 Paly @ Half Moon Bay 8/31, W, 45-7 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. McClymonds 9/7, 7:00 p.m. Paly @ Aragon 9/14, 7:30 p.m.

TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Castilleja 8/29, W, 7-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Cupertino 9/11, 4:00 p.m. Paly vs. Homestead 9/13, 4:00 p.m. Paly @ Los Gatos 9/18, 4:00 p.m.

BOYS WOPO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Homestead 9/4, L, 9-7 Paly vs. Los Altos 9/6, L, 14-8 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Piedmont 9/7, 4:00 p.m. Paly vs. Mountian View 9/11, 6:45 p.m.

GIRLS WOPO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Menlo School 8/29, L, 9-7 Paly vs. Homestead 9/4, L, 9-7 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Mountian View 9/11, 3:30 p.m. Paly @ Gunn 9/13, 6:45 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly @ Mitty 9/4, L, 3-1 Paly vs. Homestead 9/4, W, 3-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Monta Vista 9/14, 6:45 p.m. Paly vs. Mountian View 9/13, 6:45 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY RECENT SCORES

Gunn Alumni Meet VB 1st Place VG 1st Place UPCOMING MEETS

Lowell Invitational 9/8, 9:00 AM SCVAL #1 10/7, 8:00 a.m Stanford Invitational 10/7, 12:00 p.m.

GOLF RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Valley Christian 8/28, W, 191-196 Paly vs. Harker 8/28, W, 200-202 UPCOMING GAMES

Stanford Golden State Tournament 10/7 & 10/8

The Campanile

SPORTS Boys water polo kicks off season with win Several seniors, juniors record goals in an 18-7 victory over Saratoga, boosting team morale By Frida Rivera Staff Writer

n a resounding second half comeback, the team kicked off the season with a win against Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 18 with a score of 18-7. Through the first two quarters, Paly was down 7-6. “We knew we were better than them,” sophomore driver Charles Mitz said. “We just weren’t playing our game in the first half. Then we talked and re-strategized over halftime and went in motivated to win.” The second half comeback resulted in Paly scoring 12 goals, putting the Vikes in the lead for good. “We are very pleased with the result, and overall, we have had a strong start and we are ready to win,” Mitz said. Seniors Zach Phillips, Javid Alasti, Otto Berndt, juniors Ryan Stanley and Dante Garetto all scored. The new coaching staff, Paly alums Ethan Look and John Calan, have implemented changes

to help the team stay in shape, and ensure that they are reaching their potential. “We take pride in our cohesiveness, willingness to step up to a challenge, and a roster stacked with leaders,” Look said. According to Mitz, over the past couple weeks, the team has connected with each other at practice as well as in outside activities. “The team chemistry is by far better than last season because most of our starters are returning, so we all mostly know each other,” Mitz said. Senior captain Benjamin Rapperport praised his defenders and is confident in their success. “Our defense is incredible and no team can score on our defense,” Rapperport said. “We have the best defense in the league.” According to Rapperport, through their strong team chemistry, the team has been able to find success in collaboration and teamwork. “We have no one player that is trying to be a ball hog or any-

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Ryan Stanley takes a difficult shot during a game against Saratoga’s boys varsity water polo team. thing, we are all just working together towards a common goal,” Rapperport said. This tightly knit team also has collective goals they have set for the season. “Our goals for this season are

to win [Santa Clara Valley Athletic League] championships and to make open division [Central Coast Section], but if we are put into Division I CCS, we expect to win it,” Mitz said. “Last year we had similar

goals, but we kind of knew it was not going to happen, but this season we are 100 percent capable of accomplishing all of these goals.” The boys water polo team is scheduled to play again tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Varsity football victorious on opening night Two back-to-back victories propel this year’sViking football team into the season with spirits soaring By Emily Asher Staff Writer

s a result of what head coach Nelson Gifford said was great performances on offense, defense and special teams, the varsity football team started its season with two victories: a 21-7 win over St. Ignatius and a 45-7 overpo of Half Moon Bay. “The guys played extremely hard and I was very proud of how they performed in all phases of the game,” Nelson said. Part of what may have helped these strong performances is the fact that the team is close, despite losing many seniors to graduation. The departure of last year’s seniors opened up spots for athletes previously on the junior varsity team. The tight knit community and family- like bond from the previous junior varsity players transferred onto varsity, according to Kevin Cullen. DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION “We had a really good season together last year, going 9-1, so Wide reciever Jamir Shepard scores a touchdown in a 45-7 victory over Half Moon Bay 45-7 in the team’s second game of the season. we know that we can succeed together,” junior Kevin Cullen said. included.” While winning their first two tices. Michael Jordan practices. Cullen said. “I look forward to playing with However, Gifford said instead In addition to new players, all games helped create a strong team So for us we want to get out there this great group of guys.” of focusing on winning and headdynamic and gave players a con- and practice to get better.” new coaches were hired this year. Returning players have also The football team is already ing to States, he would rather take “I’m really proud of my coach- fidence boost for their upcomhelped the team chemistry and ing staff,” Gifford said. “They did ing games, there is still room for looking ahead to their next op- it one step at a time, mainly foachieve a good team dynamic on a tremendous job making adjust- improvement for the rest of their ponents and setting goals for their cusing on the process of getting and off the field. upcoming games according to better and learning from mistakes. ments, encouraging the players season, according to Gifford. “The team dynamic is great,” and getting guys to perform in Gifford said, “I think they en“It might sound silly but we Cullen. junior Louis Passarello said. “The different spots. It really took every need to improve everywhere,” “Our goal is to go as far as we joy each other’s company and are new seniors have done a very good single person on the roster to be Gifford said. “You can always get can go, and we always have our having fun which is really imporjob of having team bonding ac- successful and it feels good when better, right? Even the masters eyes on States, although we will tant because it’s a game, and you tivities and helping everyone feel it all comes together.” practice. Michael Phelps prac- be facing a lot of good athletes,” should have fun playing a game.”

Girls varsity tennis strive successful season With focus on building team chemistry, new group is ready to dive into the fall season By Sarah O’Riordan

Staff Writer

espite facing a series of obstacles, the Paly Girls Tennis team’s 2018 season is off to an auspicious start. Led by its coach of many years Andy Harader, the team defeated Castilleja on Aug. 29 with a score of 7-0.

“I think the team dynamic is great this year since we are having more practices as a team.” Anuva Banwasi

According to junior captain Anuva Banwasi, the team’s performance is largely due to its many strong players, including senior captain Isa Cossio, sophomore captain Maddi Page and freshman captain Kamila Wong.

“We cheer each other on and plan on having team events such as shopping, movies and more.” Maddi Page

In addition to talented individual players, the strong foundation for the team is built through practice.

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Ria Pai of the varsity tennis team serves to her opponent and earns the team a point in a hard fought match against Castilleja School. The team’s strong sense of teamwork and dedication play a large role in its recent triumphs, according to Banwasi. “I think the team dynamic is great this year since we are having more practices as a team” Banwasi said. Off the court, the girls maintain a deep friendship through

various team bonding functions, inspiring the girls to become tighter-knit as the season continues on. “Last year I didn’t even know some of my teammates names, but this year I’m planning on having a more unified team,” Page said. “To achieve this, we cheer each other on and plan on having team

events such as shopping, movies and more. Everyone, including myself, is super excited for the upcoming season with the team looking this good,” Page said. As the season progresses, the team will likely be buckling down in preparation for its upcoming matches, according to Banwasi. The team has upcoming

matches in the Stanford Golden State Tournament on Sept. 7 and 8. To top it all off, the team has received a marked upgrade in wardrobe. Page said, “[I] organized getting Lululemon uniforms, which is a major improvement from last year’s uniforms.”

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

SPORTS

Girls golf aims to defend winning streak Cross country has Team’s commitment, leadership dynamic could contribute to its success

By Lucy Nemerov Business Manager

By Rebekah Limb Staff Writer

tarting its season on Sept. 4, the girls varsity golf team looks to continue its winning streak from last year’s season. Although no league games have been played yet, the team scrimmaged Valley Christian High School and Harker High School on Aug. 28, where they defeated Valley Christian 191196 and Harker 200-202. “It was really nice to defend our undefeated season and start this year off with a win,” said junior team captain Priya Bakshi. Katherine Sung, another junior team captain, praised the team’s leadership dynamic. “I would say that there is good leadership on the team because us [captains] try to work together and help the girls on the team communicate with the coach and each other,” Sung said. According to Sung, although the team will miss the presence of last year’s graduated seniors, the team’s chemistry will remain intact as the team has both upperclassmen and underclassmen who are ready to compete.

“It was really nice to defend our undefeated season and start this year off with a win.” Priya Bakshi

“The team is composed of all grade levels,” Sung said. “We have a good number of juniors and sophomores as well as new freshman that are very important addi-

high hopes for season

PRIYA BAKSHI/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior team captain Katherine Sung practices at the Shoreline golf course for upcoming tournaments. tions to our team.” To prepare for the rigorous upcoming season, the team requires players to be highly committed. “We have team practice on Mondays, and usually matches throughout the week,” Sung said. “Being on the team definitely

requires a lot of commitment, like practicing everyday and having matches sometimes two or three times a week along with some team tournaments we have planned.” As the long season approaches, the captains are excited to work hard and continue their winning

streak. Bakshi said, “We are all excited about our matches coming up, and our first invitational 18 hole tournament is [Sept. 11].”

fter placing fifth last year in the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships, the girls and boys cross country teams look to repeat another successful season. This year, the teams hold high expectations as all eyes are on states, according to senior runner Henry Saul. Having qualified individually multiple times, Saul is determined to take the team to finals. “For me, in this season, I really want to lead the team to states, win CCS and finish in the top at states,” Saul said. Both cross country teams started the season off strong against rival Gunn High School in a scrimmage on Aug. 28. Strong performances by Saul, junior Miranda Jimenez, junior Ian Matheson, senior Julie Meng, sophomore Alex Selwyn and freshman Max Barthelemy helped the Vikings win five out of the eight races. Despite both teams losing many seniors, Jimenez believes that the girls team is overflowing with potential and is ready to compete. “Hopefully we can make it [to states] this year because we have a really good team,” Jimenez said. “I feel like some of the underclassmen have matured and are ready to put in more work.” Both teams carry a lot of experience, with most runners having at least one year under their belt. Along with its experienced runners, the teams also boast some promising underclassmen, such as

Selwyn, Barthelemy, sophomore Haley Hwang and sophomore Gretchen Berndt, who look to contribute to the team’s success according to Jimenez. Still, both squads have a strong group of returning runners who placed well at CCS last year, including senior John Tayeri, senior Alex Evans and senior Donald Taggart for the boys, and Jimenez, junior Kai Douglas and Meng for the girls. To prepare for the challenging season, varsity runners have trained especially hard in the summer and have stayed disciplined to their routine. “This summer we ran a lot,” Saul said. “Most of varsity did around 50 miles a week which is a lot more miles than they are used to.” The training program is incredibly strenuous but effective as runners are constantly trying to improve on their performances from last year, according to Douglas. “It’s still too early to tell who the key runners will be, but everyone is working really hard to improve before the big meets at the end of the season,” Douglas said. Head Coach Michael Davidson is also confident in the potential of this year’s team and is focused on setting a strong foundation for this season. “The first priority is for them to maximize and meet or beat their goals,” Davidson said. “From a team perspective I would like to see the boys and girls win league and place in the top at CCS.” The first official meet is the Lowell Invitational on Sept. 8 at Golden Gate Park.

Girls water polo rigorously prepares for its new season Team is dedicated to training, preparing influx of new players to recapture winning form of previous years

By Kai Vetteth Staff Writer

espite losing over half of its varsity players with the graduation of last year’s senior class, the girls water polo team aims to extend last year’s successes in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL), according to head coach Doug Stotland. The team kicked off the season with a victorious home game, beating Carlmont High School 8-2. The following week, the team faced off against Central Coast Section (CCS) runner-up Menlo High School, losing 9-7.

“I’m super excited for the season to get going. We’ve had a lot of high energy practices [and] we’ve been doing a lot of conditioning, so I feel super ready.” Lulu Gaither

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Sophomore Lulu Gaither launches a water polo ball into the air, passing it to a teammate at a varsity team game against Menlo High School.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t win but are encouraged to see how well we matched up with one of the strongest teams in the area,” Stotland said. According to sophomore Hana Erikson, the team previously had 15 varsity players but

has shrunk as a result of last year’s exceptionally large senior class. “We had eight seniors who left, so we’re a pretty small team right now,” Erikson said. According to sophomore Lulu Gaither, the departure of so many teammates has left shoes to fill and a legacy to protect. Last year, the team made it to the quarterfinals of the CCS tournament, after placing fifth in the league. Like many other sophomores, Gaither will advance from her spot on junior varsity to replace graduates Sophie Frick and Sabrina Hall in their positions as setters on the varsity team. In order to help with the transition, Frick, Hall and other graduated members mentored incoming players during summer practices. “We have a lot to learn because we have so many incoming freshmen and sophomores on varsity,” Gaither said. “But it’s going to be really fun and I think we’re going to learn a lot.” As new players learn the ropes, junior Alexandra Leehopes believes positive attitude, quality coaching and a strong work ethic will drive them beyond the quarterfinals of the CCS tournament. “I’m super excited for the season to get going,” Lee said. “We’ve had a lot of high energy practices [and] we’ve been doing a lot of conditioning, so I feel super ready to play.”

Girls volleyball rebuilds after losing graduated seniors With only one third of previous members, team welcomes new underclassmen to fill large gap left behind By Eve Donnelly Staff Writer

ith each graduating class comes a multitude of expectations for the future, but also holes left behind. While the graduated seniors will be missed in classrooms and hallways, the area where arguably their void feels greatest is in sports. Last year, girls volleyball lost nine graduating seniors, which made up almost two thirds of the team. Left with only five members of last year’s team, the squad had to be rebuilt from the ground up. But after tryouts it seems girls’ volleyball has constructed its dream team. Made up of four seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen, the group is agely diverse. The amount of new members

coming in does make it more challenging for the team to find its groove, but senior team captain Mallory Kuppe views it more as an opportunity. “Since we have such a young team this year, these preseason games will be our chance to figure out how we play with each other and sort out our team chemistry,” Kuppe said. Preseason began on Aug. 21. The girls took on Menlo-Atherton High School for their first game of the season. It was a rocky start to the season, Paly losing 3-1. However, they bounced back in the next game. Facing Gunn High School [on Aug. 28], Paly emerged victorious with a score of 3-0. “The whole team was disappointed by our loss against MA in our first match of the season, but I think that it had more to do with our mental toughness than

our skill,” said returning member Amelia Gibbs. However, Gibbs said the team is strengthening in this area and credits this progression to their coach, Benji Saetang.

“Since we have such a young team this year, these preseason games will be our chance to figure out how we play with each other and sort out our team chemistry.” Mallory Kuppe

“Our coach has been doing a really good job helping us play a strong mental game,” Gibbs said. “I think that our mentality during

games will be one of our biggest focuses for this season.” Coach Saetang has many aspirations for the season, but the most prevalent one is having the girls trust their own ability. “Our goal right now for this season is for the girls to believe they can perform and sustain the game of volleyball efficiently and consistently at the highest level possible,” said Saetang. “The team chemistry is slowly forming.” Their second win came on Aug. 31st with Paly defeating Valley Christian 3-2. On September 5th is the team’s next upcoming game against Menlo School. There is a lot of anticipation around how they will perform going forwards, but everyone involved seems to have a positive outlook. “The challenges are all mental,” Saetang said. “Skills and talent are all there.”

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Amelia Gibbs prepares to serve the ball in a game against Gunn.

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

PARENTAL PRESSURE

Text, DESIGN and art BY LUCY NEMEROV

A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT YOUTH S

Overly involved adults can creat

INTRODUCTION

s Jake Varner steps up to the mound, parents bombard him with misguided encouragement. All eyes on him, parents strain their voices yelling ,“Strike him out!” Little do they realize, this persistent shouting just adds to the pressure that Varner already feels. In a community driven by high achievement, many youth sports have become ridden with overbearing and overly involved parents. These parents manifest in a multitude of ways. Some pay for extra private lessons and expensive training, some yell distracting phrases at the children. According to Paly parent Jane Varner, negative parental involvement in sports can drive a child to hate the sport they once loved as well as cause the child to lose ownership over their own athletic pursuits.

Coaches

t the high school level, the opportunity for college recruitment drives many parents to put an unnecessary amount of pressure on their child, resulting in a toxic environment for young athletes. According to girls varsity volleyball coach Benji Saetang, there is a lot of pressure put on some of his players, specifically regarding college recruitment.

“There is more pressure on the college part because many parents are thinking about the scholarship money,” Saetang said. “They don’t think about the student’s well being, their mindset and what they want to do.” “Ultimately, if you want an athlete to succeed they have to pursue their passions and if they make a mistake, they make a mistake, that’s how they learn.” According to Saetang, parental pressure can reveal itself in many forms. “One way is overbooking their kids, pressuring them on the team when they are on the team already and they also keep on pressuring them if they’re not a starter to start,” Saetang said. They also can pressure the coach like ‘why isn’t my kid starting’. They’re butting into the player’s lives and athletics.” Although an over involved parent can be toxic for the coach and player, a parent who is not involved and does not care can be harmful as well. “You have another side where the parent doesn’t care; they just don’t care,” Saetang said. “They’ll let the player do whatever they want and then player really does not accept authority well. So, if a parent doesn’t have authoritative conversations or interactions with the player at home, the player will often not have respect on the court.” According to Saetang, the effects of a lack of discipline can lead to detrimental effects for the team and often do not prepare

the player for the discipline that comes with team athletics. “Those players think they can do whatever they want and talk all they want,” Saetang said. “So if the parents aren’t teaching them great manners and work ethic, coaches can drive players away because they’re not used to that type of environment. But, the environment that the coach creates in practice is necessary to play on a sports team.”

“[Parents] don’t think about the student’s well being, their mindset and what they want to do.”

Benji Saetang

Through their actions, the uninvolved parent can drive a wedge between the coach and players, creating conflict within the team. Despite this obstacle, a coach can gain the trust of their team through slow progress. “A player who doesn’t really have respect will oftentimes question the coach’s methods,” Saetang said “The thing about those players is you have to gain their trust

first, because once you gain their trust it’s easier for them to understand your coaching.” “The perfect medium is a parent that is supportive and doesn’t ask for results and is just asking ‘ok what did you learn today?’ or ‘is there any way we can make that better?’’

PLAYERS

arents that are not too involved are usually supportive of whatever sport the kid wants to play rather than pressuring them on playing time,” said Kevin Cullen, a junior who plays on both varsity lacrosse and varsity football at Paly. “They are most concerned about the kids safety and the fact that they are enjoying what they are doing. The most supportive thing anyone can do for me is simply cheer me on at my games.” Student athletes also feel the effects of a meddling parent, even if they are not the parent’s child. “The worst thing a parent can do is push a kid to play a sport that they do not want to play. This often results in the kid putting little to no effort into the sport which is detrimental to the rest of the team,” Cullen said. Summer Daniel, a Paly junior who has played soccer since the age of 4, has witnessed the effects of harmful parents and predicts that the unnecessary pressure will result in long term effects. “I think the mental and psychological effects of parental pressure are incredibly detrimental.,”

The Campanile

Friday, September 7, 2018

PARENTAL PRESSURE

DESIGN and ART BY JAURES YIP

SPORTS, PARENTS ANd pressure

te a negative athletic experience

Daniel said. “For example I have this one friend and her dad was crazy about soccer and made her play soccer all the time and although she’s a very good soccer player, she has very low confidence and it’s always down on herself so I think I’m always worried about her psychological state and I think a lot of that comes from her parents pushing her too far” Professional athletes have admitted to negative effects from parents involvement in their athletic career .

“I think the mental and physical effects of parental pressure are incredibly detrimental.”

Summer Daniel

land Raiders. Unsurprisingly, Todd was a troubled young man and a mediocre quarterback with a short stint in the NFL. His career fell apart due to repeated drug charges and he soon abandoned his football career. This example, although extreme, shows how a parent who cares too much can drain the sport of any enjoyment for the child. According to Daniel, many parents also want their child to suppress any pain or emotion while playing. “I’ve seen parents that don’t allow their kids to cry and if they cry the parent makes the coach take them out for the rest of the game,” Daniel said. “That takes a hit to their confidence. Or sometimes the child will have team practice every single day after school but the parent still makes them practice every day separately in their free time.”

PARENTS In 1988, Sports Illustrated released a story about the Marinovich family. The story gave America a chance to view the parenting style of Marv Marinovich, father of Todd Marinovich. Marv, a former football player, was coaching his young son to be a star quarterback. In his coaching, Marv would keep young Todd on an extreme diet and subject him to rigorous practices modeled after the Oak-

ane Varner, a Paly parent of two children who have both participated in Paly athletics, has witnessed less apparent signs of harmful parents. “I’ve seen a lot of bad parent behavior on the sidelines and I have seen it really impact the morale of the athlete,” Varner said. “It is hard when you’re out there working hard and you see negative body language, facial expressions and eye rolling and, I think that sometimes parents underes-

timate how impactful their body language and things that they say on the sideline is for the athletes. Not even not for just their own kids, but all the kids.” Even actions of misguided support can harm the mentality of an athlete. Varner’s son Jake, a Paly graduate of the class of 2018 who has gone on to play baseball at Azusa Pacific University, experienced

“I think on some level parents really want to see their kids try their best and sometimes that gets confused with winning.”

Jane Varner

frustration with actions from parent in the crowd. “Jake, as a pitcher, every single time he’s been on the mound in every game he’s ever pitched, there would be parents in the stands yelling ‘strike him out’ and then he would feel like such a failure if he didn’t,” Varner said. “So it’s just complete humiliation. All these parents yelling ‘strike him out’ and they get a hit oﬀ you

and then it just hangs there like the elephant in the room.” Varner’s son’s experience pertains to a common source of pressure that many young athletes are subjected too. Anyone who has been to a youth sporting event is most likely familiar with this occurrence. For example a child takes a shot on goal and misses, and a collective “ohhhh” of obvious disappointment falls engulfs the sideline. Or, a child has a penalty shot on goal and the a majority of the parents shout with pressuring encouragements. In another issue of misguided parental judgement, Varner explains the misconceptions many parents have regarding the relationship between winning and eﬀort. “I think also you have to acknowledge that there’s a distinction between winning and trying your best,” Varner said. “I think on some level parents really want to see their kids try their best and sometimes that get confused with winning.” Although the addiction to winning and tireless improvement can consume the careers of many athletes, Varner finds a deeper importance within youth athletics. “The value of youth sports is really learning how to be part of a team and it’s physical fitness, a little bit of discipline, going to practice when the kid would want to be doing something else,” Varner said. “That’s life so it gives you an introduction to that.”

Data source: National Association of Sports Officials

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS

ZACHARY PERRAS /CC2.0

With ice hockey on the rise, Paly’s new team contains many students who are experienced hockey players, focused on representing their school. Palo Alto is home to many passionate ice hockey fans and players alike.

Premiering this winter, Vikings tie their skates for hockey The first sport played on ice in school history is beginning this year, achieving a new milestone in Paly athletics By Henry Queen Senior Staff Writer

his winter, Paly will be adding to its array of athletic programs with the addition of a new ice hockey team. While many other sports offer athletes the opportunity to play on both the club and high school level, on the West Coast, ice hockey has little in the way of high school programs. However, a recent growing interest in the sport has spurred many high schools on the Peninsula to create ice hockey programs so that they

can be represented on the ice. Because ice hockey is not a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sanctioned sport, the team will be a Paly club organization and will play in the Pure Division of the Sharks High School League — “pure” meaning comprised solely of high school players. In addition to Paly students, the new team will also accept players from private schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District. Craig Janik, head coach of the new Paly ice hockey club, was inspired to create the team after seeing the talent present in the town and the lack of a high school program for them to play in. “I have lived in Palo Alto for many years and have coached youth hockey, and it often occurred to me how many very good players happen to live in our town,” Janik said. Janik also has three kids who play hockey, one of which has played for the Jr. Sharks travel team before, which is what brought the Sharks High School League to his attention. Additionally, the National

Hockey League (NHL) is providing funding to high school programs across the country, which has created a great opportunity for new ice hockey teams to be formed. Senior Cole Sotnick, an experienced hockey player, is considering joining the team. “Hockey is a growing sport in California, so it’s important to support its growth with new teams,” Sotnick said.

"Hockey is a growing sport in California, so it’s important to support its growth with new teams." Cole Sotnick

Hockey is indeed growing in California. According to USA Hockey’s yearly registration reports, in 2011, there were just over 22,000 hockey players in the California. In the last seven years, that number has increased by 50 percent, and is now just shy of 32,000. The number of under-8 play-

ers in particular rose by 250 percent in that time frame, showing that hockey is positioning itself in the mainstream of youth sports in California. With the help of the NHL and the growing presence of the Sharks High School League, ice hockey will continue to grow in California. Another player who plans on joining the team is senior Adam Woods. “Hockey has been something I’ve been doing all my life, and getting to play to represent my school is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Woods said. For many athletes, playing for their school adds a new dimension to the game because it feels as if they’re playing for something larger than themselves, fighting for school pride. This is something that is missing from club sports which are much more selfinterested. Senior Ethan Geller echoes this sentiment. “I’ve always wanted to play a sport for Paly but couldn’t,” Geller said. “I think the idea of

representing your high school in a competitive environment was the incentive that made me want to join.” For Geller, the absence of a Paly hockey team left him with no options to represent his school in an athletic capacity, but now in

“Getting to play to represent my school is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” Adam Woods

his senior year, he finally can. The team will play a 12 game regular season over a six month period against other “pure” high school teams such as Bellarmine, Mitty and St. Francis. The games will be played on Tuesday evenings at the Shark’s practice facility in San Jose. The team will play a 12 game regular season over a six month period against other “pure” highschool teams such as Bellarmine, Mitty and St. Francis. The games

will be played on Tuesday evenings at the Shark’s practice facility in San Jose. Janik hopes the team will be competitive in its first year playing in the league. Over half of the players on the team have already played at this level before and that prior experience will be key to their success. For those looking to join, according to Janik, it’s not too late. “The roster is solid but we have room for a few more players,” Janik said. “If there are any other experienced players, they are welcome to contact myself or any of the players, or show up at the table at the Club Day event.” Additionally, the team is looking for one or two more advisers in addition to their future club adviser, Paul Hoeprich, who is an experienced player himself. “As an avid hockey fan and goalie, I offered to help,” Hoeprich said. “I really wanted to help bring hockey to Paly.” The team is hopeful that they can extend Paly’s winning culture and athletic prowess into the ice rink and making the school proud.

New weight room provides social workout for all students As the rythmn of the school year sets in, the Peery Athletic Center has become a popular exercise spot for eager athletes

feel refreshed and rejuvenated as they head towards their next class,” Klass said. One of primary usages of the gym has been by student athletes. It is essential for athletes to condition and get in shape daily, and the weight room serves as a perfect resource due to its accessibility. With teammates surrounding each other in the same room, it makes the job easier for coaches as they can give specific gym workouts to their players that can directly translate to the given sport that an athlete plays. “It’s actually fun to workout with your entire team surrounding you,” senior Paul Thie said. “It creates a sense of culture and motivates you to become stronger so you can have friendly competitions with one another.”

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

Sam Cleasby and Gerzain Gutierrez utilize the weight room facilities after school with others. It has become a unique way to exercise and socialize before starting homework.

By Navid Najmabadi

Sports Editor

ot every student can afford to spend money every month on a gym membership, yet few feel the need to, when every student at Paly is granted the option of using the school gym. Whether it’s the YMCA, Jewish Community Center ( JCC), Equinox, or 24 Hour Fitness, there’s no question that the commute f rom school to any local gym wastes valuable time for high schoolers.

As the new school year kicks off, many students have found

themselves spending a large portion of their time at the new weight room in the Peery Center. While working out at school may seem unusual to some, the existence of an accommodating and accessible weight room has become an efficient alternative to obtaining a gym membership for students. According to senior Marvin Zou, who has a membership at the YMCA, the Paly weight room has gradually become a priority for both him and his peers over the course of this past year. “I definitely plan to go to the weight room more this year than last year,” Zou said. “I think the weight room has a lot of amazing equipment that many stu-

dents don’t know about and I think I need to take advantage of the privilege of having a gym at a school. You can have fun working out with friends and get more fit at the same time without paying a single penny. I think the usage of the gym has definitely increased as people have start to become more familiar with it.”

“You can have fun working out with friends and get more fit at the same time.” Marvin Zou

However, having an abundance of quality equipment isn’t the only perk to the local gym experience. Students have reported that they’ve found it easier to go with friends, and given the nearby

distance of the gym to students around campus, there won’t be that awkward and exhausting wait that people regularly experience with their workout buddies; instead they can stroll on over and get straight into an intense workout.

“It’s actually motivating to workout with your entire team surrounding you.” Paul Thie

“Friends can’t really make a classic excuse anymore when they’re just too lazy to go,” senior Eitan Klass said. “It pushes themto hit the gym even if they don’t feel like it, and it’s a good oppor tunity to catch up with friends.” Additionally, students have

started going to the gym during their preps. Since the gym is open throughout the entire day, a gym session, sandwiched in between two rigorous academic courses can help academic performance and give students a valuable study break. In fact, according to Charles Basch of Columbia University, physical activity during the day may have a positive impact on cognitive skills and academic behaviors. “Exercise is very important throughout the day and by going to the gym students will at least

“I’m going to be here anyways, so I might as well make some gains, right?” Stan de Martel

In addition to helping athletes, the weight room has turned into such a big trend over the last few months, that students, athlete or not, have made it a popular destination to check in and hangout during the newly constructed tutorial, which requires students to stay in a certain classroom for the “The weight room has been a nice place to workout, socialize with friends, and just relax in general,” senior Stan de Martel said. “Last week I found myself trying to find a class to go to, but many of my teachers had freshman advisories so I thought to myself, hey since I’m going to be here anyways I might as well make some gains.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS

Youth refereeing serves as practical first job for teenagers at Paly Referee jobs have increased in popularity among students because of better pay, easier training, more benefits than peers’ minimum wage jobs

KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

A student referee watches from the field during the boys’ varsity soccer match against Menlo Atherton High School. More students are now taking referee jobs for various sports.

By Ben van Zyll Sports Editor

hile many students seek employment in the bustling hot spots of Palo Alto, others have taken an alternative route, finding their niche on the field. Senior Eitan Klass is no stranger to work. With experience at chain restaurant, Chipotle, and as a referee of youth soccer in the competitive Northern California leagues, Klass has equipped himself with various working experiences since he began working. “The jobs have their similarities,” Klass said. “There is pressure to perform in both jobs, but they are both very rewarding experi-

ences. I would say becoming a referee is easier because you don’t have to be of legal working age. The primary difference is the pay really. Refereeing got me much more money.” Working as a California North Referee Association referee pays well compared to a standard minimum wage job, in which workers make $13.50 per hour in Palo Alto. Linesmen, the two sideline referees, earn $0.50 per minute played in a match. That means when refereeing a 50-minute under-eight age group game, the two linesmen earn $25 each. Meanwhile, the center referee, who makes calls like fouls and whose primary job it is to keep the flow of the match going, earns

$30 for the 50-minute match. Becoming a youth referee is fairly easy, and the job pays well, according to Klass.

Working as a California North Referee Association referee pays well compared to a standard minimum wage job. “I took an online course, then I had to pass a test, which was pretty easy,” Klass said. “Then, I attended a three-day classroom course where they went into more

details. Then, I participated in real training where we practiced running from side to side and using the flag at the right time. Again, pretty simple stuff.” While refereeing has its major perks, there are certain aspects of officiating matches that one does not get with other jobs. Referees take full responsibility for the match and it becomes their responsibility to carry out a fair match once they put on the referee badge. “The pros are that you get to referee with your friends and you get paid a great amount,” Klass said. “The cons are dealing with parents and pressure. When refereeing a game, parents can be very involved to the point that it gets

unhealthy. Also, there is a lot of pressure for you to make all the right calls because one wrong call can change the whole dynamic of the game.” People who may not enjoy soccer can consider becoming an umpire. Senior Ben Civjan said he has enjoyed his time as a Little League umpire. “I would say being a youth umpire is a great way to get started in the work world,” Civjan said. “It pays well and you get to have a lot of fun doing it. Also it was fun to continue to be involved in youth baseball after I left Little League. The aspects of the job were calling outs, balls, strikes and counting runs.”

Like refereeing youth soccer, refereeing Little League baseball pays well. According to Civjan, first and third base umpires earn $30 while the home plate umpire earns $35 for a one and a half to two hour game. Similarly to how straightforward it is to become a youth soccer referee, becoming a Little League umpire is just as simple, according to Civjan. “We had to go through training, which was about an hour,” Civjan said. “There is no license or test involved. You just [umpire] some practice games.” At the end of the day, umpiring Little League baseball is the same as refereeing any other sport at any other level out there. “There are rules that need to be followed and all players need to be treated with respect,” Civjan said. One can referee just about any sport if they put their mind to it. Senior Alex Harrenstien has found his officiating career in ice hockey. “You have to be responsible as a referee,” Harrenstien said. “You make sure everyone’s safe on the ice. You have to be really aware of everything going on.” Like soccer and baseball, earning an ice hockey referee license is simple. “You go through a whole training camp,” Harrenstien said. “It’s an eight hour session for one day. [The supervisors] basically train you with all of the responsibilities as a referee. You obviously have to have skating experience.” When it comes to the high pay of refereeing, ice hockey is no exception. One earns $30 for a 45 minute to hour game, according to Harrenstien. As a whole, refereeing youth sports is all extremely connected. Regardless of the sport and the pay, officiating anywhere echoes the same sediment. “It’s all about the kids,” Klass said. “We just want to make sure they have an enjoyable experience and have fun.”

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS

VICIS FOR VIKES The helmet taking Paly’s football team by storm

TEXT AND DESIGN BY NICK LE

ith two games behind them, rated, coming in at third in the NFLPA Paly football has two wins rankings. Many NFL, college and high against St.Ignatius and Half school players still prefer the Speed Moon Bay. Players can be spotted Flex over other competitors, due to fit wearing Vicis Zero1 helmets, a hel- or appearance. At $400 , the SpeedFlex comes at a much met that retails lower price than at $950 and ranks the Vicis. The first in helmet “I think the helmets Vicis Zero1 helsafety by the Namet is known as tional Football are great, the the safest helmet League Playin all of football, ers Association parents really got with their 2017 (NFLPA). and 2018 models Fo o t b a l l ’s behind it, the kids are placing first and concussion rates second by the and the aftermath encouraged by it. NFLPA. of constant conWith a soft tact have become Anything we can do to outer shell built a popular topic to mold to imto debate,causing make the sport pact, the helmet people to argue utilizes technolwhether or not safer, we will take ogy that limits the sport should those steps.” force to head. be played. Many Nelson Gifworry about the Nelson Gifford ford, the head about conditions coach of Paly’s like Chronic varsity football Traumatic Enteam, believes cephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease. that the Vicis helmets will benefit evFor years, viewers and scientists have erybody involved in the sport. “I think the helmets are great, the been calling for a change in player parents really got behind it, the kids are safety. Paly’s previous helmet brand, the encouraged by it,” Gifford said. “AnyRiddell SpeedFlex, was still highly- thing we can do to make the sport safer,

ART BY JAURES YIP

DESIGN BY ALYSSA LEONG

we will take those steps.” The Vicis helmet’s prices were eyeopeningly expensive. However, due to the number of helmets purchased, Paly was able to get the helmets at a discounted price. Gifford believes that the pricing of the helmets should not prevent players from attaining maximum safety when on the field. “At the end of the day, we cannot put a price on player health and safety,” Gifford said. Senior Seattle Hmelar, an outside linebacker and running back for the varsity football team, says that he has experienced an increase of security on the field with the latest equipment. “It’s very comforting knowing that we’ve got the safest equipment in the game,” Hmelar said. However, despite having the new and improved Vicis helmets at their disposal, senior starting quarterback Jackson Chryst, along with a number of other players, can still be spotted using the Riddell SpeedFlex helmets, due to their preference of style or sizing. “The Vicis’ helmets sightline isn’t too good for quarterbacks,” Chryst said. “It’s a little too narrow compared to the Speedflex. Also, style-wise, I prefer the look of the Speedflex. I also believe that the concussion drop-off rate of the Speedflex compared to the

safety. Vicis isn’t a cause for concern.” “We have changed the coaching Some players, similar to Chryst, choose not to wear the new Vicis hel- style along with the helmets. We are almets. According to Coach Gifford, ways evolving techniques for blocking players who wear the lower ranking hel- and tackling making sure we are keeping the head out mets shouldn’t of the game.” be concerned Gifford said. about their “Making sure safety. “There’s “Even if you have the the kids can be always a personsuccessful and al comfort level, most well designed safe.” not all helmets The Vifit all people,” helmet in the world, cis have been Gifford said. proven in mul“Even if you some people are tiple tests by have the most the NFLPA. well designed going to fit in other It is the safest helmet in the helmet in all of world, some helmets better, In football, due people are going this instance. some to its molding to fit in other technology. But helmets better. players are more fit it cannot take In this instance, the risk of consome players for the Speed flex.” cussions comare more fit for pletely away the Speedflex. Nelson Gifford from the game. Ultimately the “Injuries are a Speedflex is a part of any athfantastic helmet, that is used all over the NFL and letic contest,” Gifford said. “Obviously college football, it just so happens the we do not want to see anyone injured or concussed, but we are in the position Vicis is re ally good.” Along with the new Vicis, Gif- of prevention with these helmets. If ford has changed his coaching style injuries occur, it’s unfortunate, but we and drills in order to prioritize player do hope to see a reduction.”