Issue 10, 5/18/2018

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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. C, No. 10

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

Friday, May 18, 2018

'A Broken Promise'

www.thecampanile.org

Austin named as superintendent

Committee selects recommendation for McGee replacement By Khadija Abid & Anna Meyer

Distribution Manager & Staff Writer

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ending Board of Education approval, Don Austin will take over leadership of PAUSD for the 2018-2019 school year, beginning on July 1. The Board will review the proposed three-year contract on May 22. According to Austin’s PAUSD employment contract, he will receive a starting salary of $300,000 and his relocation costs will be reimbursed up to $15,000. He will also reside in a District-owned home for $1,800 a month. Austin is currently the superintendent of Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) in Southern California, where he faced controversy over salary negotiations with the teachers union and an alleged intimidation incident. According to Anne, a senior from Palos Verdes High School whose name has been changed at her request, the local teachers union requested an increase in salary with the reasoning that their school is ranked significantly higher than surrounding schools, yet the teachers are paid less. The teacher salaries at PVPUSD range from $53,097 to $102,189 according to the PVPUSD 2017-18 school year salary schedule. Teachers at neighboring school district Long Beach have a salary ranging from $57,697 to $108,434 according to the Long Beach School District website. However, Long Beach School District is ranked 72nd in California according to Niche, while PVPUSD is ranked sixth. According to Austin, the teachers refused to write recommendation letters for students after salary negotiations reached a stalemate.

VERONICA WEBER/USED WITH PERMISSION

The Campanile sat down with Palo Alto High School Principal Kim Diorio in an exclusive interview to discuss the reasoning behind her choice to resign at the end of the school year and plans for life after Paly.

“They decided to use the students as a bargaining chip,” Anne said. “At that point, parents and student[s] were extremely worried. Emails were sent out saying that ‘everything would be fine’ and they are trying to work it out. As a student, I couldn’t understand why they would jeopardize our future because of their fight.” Anne and Austin both said Austin attempted to mitigate the letter of recommendation issue by establishing a “rec letter day,” where the superintendent and other notable administration members would meet with students to write their letters. Austin said he personally wrote 90 letters for students.

"I think it's important that we start out here with an open mind." David Foster

“It helped the students,” Austin said. “It didn't help the conflict in the moment, but everything can't be equally important. In that case, negotiations are about math, and we had a disagreement on math, and I was not going to allow students to be involved in the math disagreement.” According to Austin, the PVPUSD Board reached an agreement regarding the salaries before the college application deadlines, and many teachers rushed to write letters of recommendation. “It was really a very short conflict in the grand scheme of things,” Austin said. “The conflict was over negotiations, not a disrespect of teachers, and the kids were taken care of.” Prior to the conflict regarding salaries, Austin was the subject of a letter describing an instance of “intimidation” written to PVPUSD officials by Sandra Goins, the executive director of the South

Bay United Teachers Association, according to an article published by the Daily Breeze, a newspaper based in Torrance, Calif. Goins alleged Austin of grandstanding, or acting in a dramatic or ostentatious manner to impress observers, and trying to fight by suggesting that they “step outside.” Austin said that the issue was misrepresented and over-exaggerated by Groins in the article. “I disagree with her characterization of the things that I had not already addressed and so did the investigation, and it went nowhere,” Austin said. “It's important to know that in our community that article received almost no attention, and it was seen for what it was, but without knowing any of the players, now when you are an outside person reading, looking in like Palo Alto, I understand that it receives some attention because you don't know the people.” Despite the controversy surrounding his nomination, many Palo Alto students and community members say the community should welcome Austin and avoid immediately passing judgement on his selection. “I think it’s important that we start out here with an open mind, especially considering the effect it has on students to have a constant cycling of district officers and administration,” said senior class President-elect David Foster, who served as a student representative on the Superintendent Search Committee. The search committee cited Austin’s numerous accomplishments during his time at PVPUSD as reasons for his recommendation. According to the PAUSD press release announcing the recommendation for superintendent, Austin “revamped the mental health programs, established a

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Two candidates remain Annual May Fete Parade held downtown for principal selection Many community members gather for 'Children of the World'-themed parade Students provide input in hiring process By Vivian Feng & Sam Hwang

Multimedia Editor & Board Correspondent

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here are only two candidates still in the running for principal of the 20182019 school year as of May 7. Although the identity of one of the candidates is still confidential, the other candidate is current acting principal Adam Paulson. “I’m excited to be considered, and if I do get the opportunity [to serve as principal] I would love to talk more,” Paulson said. Following the resignation of Principal Kim Diorio, a committee tasked with creating a recommendation for the Palo Alto High School principal met in the District Office on May 4 to interview the initial principal candidate pool. The Principal Review Committee consisted of four department heads, two classified staff, one counselor, two Site Council parent representatives, three other parents, Gunn Principal Kathy Lawrence, three district administrators and two students. In contrast to the process of selecting the district Superintendent, Human Resources of PAUSD decided to include students in this decision process. Senior and School Climate, Social Justice and Wellness Commissioner Claire Billman, applied to be on the interiew after it was brought to Associatie Student Body (ASB) and was approved. “I have gone through the district hiring process before, so I felt

INSIDE

qualified to [serve on the panel],” Billman said. “Additionally, after being at Paly for four years and having worked closely with admin I had a good understand of what students are looking for.”

"Interviews for educational leaders are usually pretty intense." Adam Paulson

The other student on the interview panel is senior Richy Islas, who is also the Palo Alto High School student Board representative. According to Billman, before the interviews started, they received the notes from the parent, staff and student focus groups. The committee went over them and then the group was calibrated according to what people had said they wanted. “Interviews for educational leaders are usually pretty intense,” Paulson said. “There usually are a large panel and they ask a lot of questions about leadership and the macro picture of education. Your vision, your goals you know those sorts of things. It’s hard to prepare for. It’s intense but also exciting at the same time.” After much deliberation, the committee gave their recommendation to the new Superintendent, who will interview the finalists and make the decision. According to Paulson, the principal decision should be finalized within the next couple of weeks.

By Riley Short

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Staff Writer

niversity Avenue teemed with hundreds of spectators and people pushing homemade parade floats as the City of Palo Alto hosted the 98th annual May Fete Children's Parade in the downtown area on Saturday, May 5. The parade began at 10 a.m. on the crossroads of University Avenue and Emerson Street. The procession then headed east, down University Avenue, before turning right onto Waverley Street and ending at Heritage Park. Among the crowd were young children dressed up festively with their parents, curious bypassers and high school students from both Paly and Gunn who were part of the band or cheer squad performance.

This year’s theme was “Children of the World,” and focused on celebrating Palo Alto's diversity and inclusivity.

RILEY SHORT/THE CAMPANILE

A variety of groups, including the Paly Band, parade down University Avenue in celebration of May Fete.

able experience,” Palo Alto parent Megan Winslow said. This year’s theme was “Children of the World,” and the parade focused on celebrating the city of Palo Alto's diversity and inclusivity. When creating each year's parade theme, Palo Alto Parks and Recreation staff first brainstorm ideas that match community values. After that, a poll is sent to all city staff to vote on one theme. Once the theme is decided, it is then reviewed by the Community Services Department Director for the final approval. “Staff in Recreation come up

The May Fete Children's Parade is an event rooted deep in Palo Alto’s history. The first parade was held in 1920 when the Community Center Commission sponsored it as an official city event. Ever since, the children's parade has grown in popularity and has been held annually on University Avenue. “All three of our kids have been involved in the parade for 10 years, and it's been a really enjoy-

Opinion

Lifestyle

with theme ideas that represent the community and its values” Palo Alto Community Services Manager Sharon Eva said in an email. “We then we send out a poll to all staff to ultimately decide what the theme should be, once the theme is chosen, we get the final approval from our Community Services Department Director.” Another historical aspect of the parade is the Grand Marshal award, an honorary title given on the basis of the parade’s theme. This year's Grand Marshal was a nonprofit organization called “Neighbors Abroad.” According to them, Neigh-

Spotlight

bors Abroad “represents the City of Palo Alto in its relations with its eight sister cities around the world to support education, culture, commerce and sustainability.” Palo Alto's official “sister cities” are Albi, France; Enschede, Netherlands; Heidelberg, Germany; Linkoping, Sweden; Palo, Philippines; Oaxaca, Mexico; Tsuchiura, Japan; and Yangpu District, China. The purpose of sister cities is to promote student exchange programs, travel, partnership and diplomacy.

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Sports

this edition

News. . . . . . . . . . . . A1-A3 Diorio Spread . . . . . A4-A5 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . A6-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . . . C4-C5

H. MICHAEL MILEY/CC BY-SA 2.0

Diversifying Paly

A perspective on welcoming students from neighboring cities. PAGE A7

KAI ODA/THE CAMPANILE KAIKETSU /CC BY-SA 3.0

The Legacy of Avicii

Remembering the impact Avicii made to EDM and pop culture. PAGE B1

VIVIAN FENG AND ANNA MEYER/THE CAMPANILE

College Map

A look at where the Class of 2018 is heading after graduation. PAGE B4-B5

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Talking Smack in Sports

Student athletes discuss the impact of trash talk. PAGE C8


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

A2

NEWS

Bell schedule for next school year determined by committee

Students, teachers will be affected by changes such as later start, dismissal times and elimination of 'C Day' schedule By Samantha Hwang & Lucy Nemerov Board Correspondant & Business Manager

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s sleep deprivation and stress plague students at Paly, members of the Innovative Schedule Committee have created a new bell schedule for the upcoming year that will hopefully increase productivity and reduce stress. The ISC, a group of Paly students, parents and teachers, has worked throughout the year in order to implement a new system. The final schedule will eliminate C days and alternate every week between even and odd periods, creating a two week cycle with the even days having a late start. Every week, the Monday schedule will alternate between even and odd. In addition to this structural change, each class period will be shortened by 10 minutes to 80 minutes long, and a daily Advisory or Flex will be implemented in the middle of the day.

“The feedback that came back said a lot about the negative impact of C days and the negative impacts of the start times and student well-being.” Corrie Sid

While finalizing the bell schedule, the ISC met frequently to discuss different schedule options, as well as the pros and cons of each possibility. Throughout the process, the committee conducted surveys and held focus groups for parents, students and community

members. The new bell schedule has a significant structural change, switching to a complete block schedule. While some may not support the unfamiliar schedule, Corrie Sid, a parent representative on the ISC, explained the reasoning for these changes.

“They will be required to be somewhere for [a] 30-minute Tutorial or Advisory five days a week.” Samuel Howles-Banerji

“Several years ago there was a survey done to the student body and the parents,” Sid said. “The feedback that came back said a lot about the negative impact of C days and the negative impacts of the start times and student wellbeing.” Although the ISC created the new bell schedule with the hope of enforcing positive change for students, concerns have arisen within the community regarding potential negative effects. In response, the committee is planning to work with administration to ensure smooth transition from the old schedule to the new one. “The later end time could pose a problem for athletes and that’s something that we totally recognize, however we hope to mitigate the problem as much as possible through implementation and working with [the athletic department],” said student ISC representative David Foster. In addition to the removal of C days, a 30-minute Flex session will be implemented in the middle of the day. This session will be included to reduce cuts and allow students to get extra work done during the school day, as opposed

to staying after school. “The biggest change that students will dislike is that they will be required to be somewhere for [a] 30 minute Tutorial or Advisory five days a week,” said ISC teacher representative Samuel Howles-Banerji. “It’ll be in the middle of the day so it’ll be harder for them to skip and there will be consequences if they skip it. There will be attendance policies taken and enforced.” Another concern that students and teachers may have regarding the new bell schedule are the shorter 80-minute periods. Although lesson plans may be

altered due to the changed class time, Howles-Banerji believes it will have a minor effect on his classes next year. “I don’t view it as it being that huge of a change,” Howles Banerji said. “I think it means that I have to be a little tighter on my beginning-of-class and end-ofclass routines. It may mean that I nip a few minutes off of reviewing homework in the beginning of class and fewer minutes to start homework at the end of class. But we have a 30-minute Flex everyday.” In addition to Flex time during the school day, a late start on

even days will allow for students to utilize their morning time for make up work or to simply catch up on sleep.

“[An 80-minute period] means that I have to be a little tighter on my [...] routines."

Samuel Howles-Banerji When designing the schedule, one of the committee priorities

was creating a system that would lessen stress for students. “The ability for students to have a big chunk of time in the morning where they can catch up on work, where they can sleep in or take tests can be hugely advantageous for students,” HowlesBanerji said. “Right now, if they stay after school to take a test, they only have a 90-minute window, and everybody is there to take a test, and the testing center closes at 5 o’clock and so they are very crunched on time. Now if they have this time in the morning everyday, it will reduce some of that workload.”

YCS hosts annual Day of Service event By Navid Najmabadi

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Sports Editor

n order to provide opportunities for student volunteers, Palo Alto’s Youth Community Service (YCS) Interact Club hosted Service Day on Monday, April 23, a designated Flex Day. The event was held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. — though students were to report to Paly at 8 a.m. — for students who wanted an opportunity to volunteer. The event offered 256 spots for student volunteers to sign up for. According to YCS copresident Mailinh Truong, approximately 220 students volunteered in the 14 events that were offered. Service Day consisted of activities such as restoration projects in Half Moon Bay, Gamble Gardens and the Baylands Open Space. Paly students were also involved in programs assisting the Jewish Community Center, East Palo Alto Charter School and the Avenidas Senior Center. “Volunteers gained hands-on experience with habitat restoration and they got to enjoy a day outside with their friends,” said Evan Baldonado, YSC events coordinator. Senior Will Schmutz worked at Half Moon Bay for six hours during Service Day. “Half Moon Bay was awesome,” Schmutz said. “During

lunch, we got to go on the beach to eat. On a more serious note, though, giving back to the community is something that I take pride in. As a Boy Scout, I’ve always learned to give back to the community, and this opportunity allowed me to do that, so I’m thankful for it.” While some travelled further, junior Kenzo Morabia wanted to stay closer to Paly and took part in the Grassroots Ecology Program.

“I look forward to engaging in future service events.” Will Schmutz

“I chose to do my community service in East Palo Alto because the majority of my friends signed up for it,” Morabia said. “While we were able to help the community and keep the land we worked on as healthy as possible, I used a good portion of the time to socialize with my friends.” Additionally, senior Kasra Orumchian was motivated by the event, and now has a passion for protecting the environment. “I originally did Service Day for APES extra credit,” Orumchian said. “After spending time pulling out invasive species and

IRIS YUAN/USED WITH PERMISSION

Student volunteers pull out invasive plants from a garden as a part of the Grassroots Ecology Program during YCS's annual Service Day. realizing how important it is to preserve areas of land, I look forward to engaging in future service events.”

“I think this year it went a lot more smoothly than we were expecting.” Iris Yuan

Fortunately, for students such as Orumchian who have a passion for volunteering, Service Day is an annual event and will be available for the next wave of volunteers to join next year.

According to senior Interact Social Chair Iris Yuan, Service Day was full of excitement despite being during an optional Flex Day. “I think this year it went a lot more smoothly than we were expecting,” Yuan said. “We were worried that because it was an optional Flex Day no one would really sign up because most people would rather sleep in. Many of the slots were filled, and from what I could tell, people had a good time.” After returning to Paly, students filled out a form about what they learned from their service. Next year, YCS hopes to expand its events so that more volunteers are able to participate.

The Campanile’s ninth Centennial Report

A look into Paly's past news and events including frustration over laning system By Anna Meyer

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Staff Writer

his year marks The Campanile’s hundredth year in existence. Over the past century, The Campanile has covered a wide range of Paly-related topics. This month’s edition features stories regarding the Paly library, strange and distracting noises and the class laning system, all of which are issues that persist today. May 1, 1924: Volume VI, No. 13 In 1924, the Paly library existed only as an idea. In the Bay Area, some large high schools did have on-campus libraries; however, Paly was not among those, as the concept of a school library was still rather new. Ms. Girdner, a Paly teacher at the time,

attended a convention for librarians in Pasadena, Calif. in order to become informed about the function and management of libraries so that Paly could build and manage the best facility possible. Today, Paly has found itself without an official library. While we await the completion of the new facility, students and staff can commiserate with the people of Paly from a pre-library era. May 12, 1927: Volume IX, No. 14 An article titled “Demoralizing Noises in Lower Hall” complained of loud noises in a classroom due to construction and nearby train tracks, which was evidently as aggravating then as it is now. One of the teachers considered the idea of moving her classes to a different room to

prevent distraction. Despite the noise complaints in the 1920s, students may have considered themselves lucky in comparison to the noise that students today are now subjected to. Although it is undoubtedly a privilege to have new buildings, the noisy disruptions during class leave students and teachers alike wishing for some peace and quiet without the constant sound of jackhammers in the background. Additionally, it is highly unlikely that the classes in 1927 were ever interrupted by the same artificial bird noises emanating from the trees above the art building that are currently plaguing the school. May 5, 1966: Volume XLII, No. 15 Fifty years ago, students were frustrated with the laning system

for classes as a result of valuing grades over the actual learning process. While it was technically possible for students to switch into a more challenging lane, several people remarked that they noticed that in practice, this process was difficult, which discouraged students from attempting to change lanes. This is still a problem, as many students are placed in lanes in seventh grade and will remain in that lane until graduation, regardless of whether or not they are being challenged in class. Both then and now, many of Paly's students devote more time to boosting their grades than to understanding the material and increasing intellect. Visit palyjournalismarchive. pausd.org for more articles from The Campanile’s past.

UPCOMING EVENTS 18

FIELD DAY Make sure to get some free food (and go home for the extended lunch)!

MAY

YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION

MAY

22

How many times can you write HAGS?

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SENIOR AWARDS NIGHT Flex on the colleges you didn't get admitted to.

MAY

BACCALAUREATE

MAY

27

MAY

28

Like graduation, but not.

MEMORIAL DAY

Why can't we have school off every day?

MAY

SENIOR PICNIC

MAY

GRADUATION

30

31

JUNE

1

Did someone say food?

Like Baccalaureate, but real this time.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL 180 days couldn't have gone by any slower.


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

A3 NEWS Theatre showcase honors graduates AAR presents Juniors to host annual event recognizing Paly seniors’ accomplishments on stage student research By Sophia Moore

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“Senior showcase is essentially the most emotional thing ever,” Relan said. “It’s the goodbye for the seniors.” Paly Theatre teacher, Kathy Woods, also presents the seniors with gifts and announces next year’s plays and thespian board. “It’s sad to see the seniors leave, but it’s also exciting because next year’s season is announced,” Vetter said. “It’s a nice way to celebrate the work the seniors in Paly Theatre have done throughout the year and start looking forward to next year.”

resenting the culmination of a year’s worth of student work, the Advanced Authentic Research (AAR) program, a year-long course in which students research a topic of their choosing, is holding a showcase on May 18 in the Media Arts Center from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Each of the 140 AAR students, from both Paly and Gunn High School, are paired with mentors in the particular fields of research the students were studying. The mentors supported and facilitated each students’ work in their own laboratories, offices and other settings throughout the year. The research will be presented in the showcase this evening in the form of project posters that range from social science to art to business to physics. Sophomore Pooja Akella, who has an interest in oncology, researched the genetics of melanoma, a common and dangerous type of skin cancer, and will present her findings in tonight’s showcase. “AAR is important because it gives students the opportunity to research topics they are passionate about in an incredibly independent manner,” Akella said. “Personally, working with a mentor in my field of interest and pursuing an area that I would perhaps like to further study down the road was a completely new, challenging and eye-opening experience all in one.” To Paly math teacher Deanna Chute, what makes AAR valuable is the growth of each individual student in their respective area of interest. “This program is important

Services for the Huntington Beach Union High School District. Austin said Huntington Beach’s conservative community required him to use “precision of language” and make sure he was “communicating effectively.” Austin helped set up a press conference on the night of homecoming with the transgender homecoming queen. Austin said he thinks the publicity the event drew educated the public. “It really showed a lot of people how to handle a situation with care and the nice thing is that that student became a voice for students beyond transgender,” Austin said. “[She became a role model] for a variety of different things that students are working through, so she was able to say, Look, I did this. I did it very, very publicly and it was OK.’ It was a win for us.” Many Palo Alto parents and community members have expressed concern about Austin’s

experience in a conservative community, however, given Palo Alto’s largely liberal bent. PVPUSD and Huntington Beach Unified District are both primarily conservative. Austin also attended conservative, evangelical colleges. However, Austin said he always tries to uphold the values of the community he represents. “I try to reflect the community I work in,” Austin said. “That’s part of why it’s so important to get to know what is valued in Palo Alto beyond the obvious of academic achievement [and] student well-being.” The first thing Austin hopes to do upon arriving at PAUSD is to gain an understanding of what is most important to the Palo Alto community, he said. “I want to come up there and listen to students, staff and community and spend a little time getting to know everybody before we even start to talk about what we would possibly change,” Aus-

NANDINI RELAN/USED WITH PERMISSION

Graduating thespians perform together during the 2015 Senior Theatre Showcase, which celebrated their achievements in Paly theatre.

By Khadija Abid

Distribution Manager

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he Senior Theatre Showcase aims to honor graduating thespians and highlight their experiences and accomplishments throughout their high school theatre career. Hosted by Paly juniors, the event features speeches, performances and thespian board announcements. The seniors also receive gifts. The free event will take place on May 28 in the Haymarket Theatre at 7 p.m.

May Fete

Continued from A1 This year’s parade boasted seven bands from various Palo Alto schools and around 70 parade entries, ranging from school clubs to local nonprofits and businesses like the YMCA, Palo Alto Humane Society and Society Skateshop. The parade also featured several classic cars driven down the street while some Palo Alto residents waved flags from sister cities. “It’s great to see the community come together to support all student bands and floats,” said Ruth Itzkowitz, a Paly Band member. “The Paly band always has fun playing music as well as shouting during our performance. [Afterwards,] some band kids will stick around and hang out together and enjoy the food at the parade as well as local restaurants.” The parade concluded at Heri-

The speeches, referred to as the “highlight of the night” by junior thespian Robert Vetter, are presented by juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Each student prepares a speech for a specific senior, only revealing who the speech is about at the very end. “By the end of the speech, almost everyone can tell who the speech was about because of the funny inside jokes or memorable anecdotes that make it really clear,” Vetter said. “All the speeches are really funny and emotional so they’re a lot of fun to watch.”

In addition to speeches, the showcase will also feature short performances. According to senior thespian Nandini Relan, seniors have the opportunity to perform a short skit or monologue if they decide to.

tage Park, where the Museum of American Heritage held its fourteenth annual vintage car show. The museum also organized the Family Festival, an event with family-friendly games and activities that went from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Austin

“It’s great to see the community come together to support all student bands and floats.” Ruth Itzkowitz

“I think the parade went really well,” said Javod Ghods, a parade volunteer. “We had seven bands and some new schools that joined this year. It was a successful event, and we look forward to having it again next year.”

“Senior Showcase is essentially the most emotional thing ever.” Nandini Relan

Continued from A1 comprehensive Facilities Master Plan and received California School Boards Association recognition for strategic planning, a Golden Bell award, recognition for multiple Gold Ribbon schools and top rankings in the state and nation.” Despite the incidents Austin faced criticism for in PVPUSD, Anne still said he did many great things during his time as superintendent. “As of what I know, our math curriculum was changed,” Anne said. “We got new textbooks and online resources, which overall was very helpful. I also do remember seeing a more clean PVPHS website, which was also pretty nice to see.” Austin also oversaw California’s first transgender homecoming when he served as Assistant Superintendent of Educational

Staff Writer

to me because I want all students to have the space to pursue their interests and to experience the joys and struggles of a long-term project,” Chute said. “In AAR, students determine their own direction and pursue what is interesting to them. The mentorship component of this course makes it very special. Students learn to interact with adults in the working world.”

“[The showcase] is a fantastic celebration of all fields of study that embraces everyone.” Deanna Chute

Furthermore, AAR provides a chance for students to prove to professionals, community members and peers their independence, dedication and interest in the topic of their choosing. Sophomore Amy Wu researched how happiness in the workplace affects the overall success of the company. “Growing up in Silicon Valley and watching my parents come hope from work exhausted really made me realize the pressures employers have on their employees,” Wu said. “I just hope to understand how happiness factors into all this and how it may benefit more than just the workers.” To show support and appreciation for the projects that the AAR students have been working to complete all year, attend the celebratory showcase. Chute said, “It is a fantastic celebration of all fields of study that embraces everyone.” tin said. “I think PAUSD is one of the few places in the country that can really show the whole country what can be. [PAUSD] can be a place [where] you can actually change the way the system works. You can redefine what’s important. Not many places have that kind of potential, and I’m excited to explore those opportunities.” The potential Austin sees in PAUSD is what is driving him to make the move, despite the impact the move will have on his family. He looks forward to working in PAUSD and is confident that the move will be worthwhile. “It’s easy to forget the personal side,” Austin said. “We’re having to pack up a house and move to a place where we really don’t know anybody. My wife and I would not do that if this place wasn’t special and I really believe it is. We’re coming to give it our team effort. We’re partners in this and the school district is going to get my best effort every day.”

ASB to organize Field Day, other end-of-the-year events distributed on the Quad at lunch on May 22 along with caps, gowns and yearbooks. “The selection processes for graduation and Baccalaureate performers is just beginning, but we know there will be some talented performances and awesome speakers at both,” said Michaela Fogarty, senior class Vice-President. “ASB is excited to celebrate the class of 2018.”

MATTHEW HALL/USED WITH PERMISSION

Field Day provides students with many entertaining activities on the Quad, from inflatables to games.

By Annie Chen

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Lifestyle Editor

ollowing Change In Our Schools (CIOS) Week, Teacher Appreciation Week and Prom, the Associated Student Body (ASB) is preparing to wrap up the year with a plethora of events, including Field Day, tournaments and graduation

festivities. The annual Field Day is being held today at lunch on the Quad, and it will involve a myriad of activities, from inflatables to free barbeque. Classes today are shortened to allow for an extended, 70-minute lunch. ASB is also hosting an annual volleyball tournament from May 21-25 on the Quad during lunch.

“[The activities we have planned] will be super fun and hopefully the students will appreciate [them] in this stressful time,” said Benjamin Rapperport, junior class Vice-President. ASB is also making preparations for Baccalaureate, which will be held on May 27, as well as senior graduation following on May 31. Baccalaureate tickets will be

“[ASB is] excited to finish strong and hope[s] to have a really fun last month of school.” Benjamin Rapperport

According to Fogarty, Students are not only looking forward to upcoming events, but have also enjoyed activities that ASB held in the past few weeks, such as Prom, CIOS Week and

Teacher Appreciation Week. “Prom was very successful,” Fogarty said. “We had great turnout and everyone seemed to have a great time at City Hall.” A few weeks afterwards, the Social Justice and School Climate Commissioners, Claire Billman and Ricardo Lombera, respectively, helped organize CIOS week, according to senior class President Noga Hurwitz. The week featured various activities focused on mental and emotional wellness. For Teacher Appreciation Week, ASB worked on gathering comments from students about their teachers, which were distributed throughout the week. “Teacher appreciation week is one of the most important events Paly holds,” Rapperport said. “We often take for granted how much work and time our teachers put in to try and get us the best education possible. [Teacher Appreciation Week] is a time to show them that we see what they are doing for us.” With these events, the school year is gradually coming to an

Upcoming Events May 18 Field Day May 21-25 Volleyball Tournament May 27 Baccalaureate May 31 Graduation end, and ASB is looking forward to the year to come. “[ASB is] excited to finish strong and hope[s] to have a really fun last month of school,” Rapperport said. “[We] are already thinking about next year and are insanely excited to do as much as possible for the student body. We have some never-before-done activities in the works and we know students are going to be excited for the new things we plan on bringing to the campus next year.”


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

DIORIO

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‘A Broken Promise’: Kim Diorio reve Former principal discloses pressures that provoked her departure

“I really wanted to do at least one more year. Try to stay at least six to seven years. I told the staff I wanted to stay seven to 10 years. It’s only been five. It wasn’t until after Dr. McGee left that I felt like this was the beginning of the end for me. It’s been hard. There are a lot of reasons that led to the decision. It’s time for me to move on and do something else where I can continue to grow and feel supported and know that my work is valued. I think it’s clear that that’s probably what’s best for the school. I’m sad I didn’t see this coming. It is bittersweet because I do love the staff and the students at Paly and I would like to stay longer to finish some of the things we started.

How do you feel about Palo Alto Online? I think it’s a shame when people rush to judgement and they don’t know all the facts, but I think that’s typical of what’s happening in the U.S. media these days. I was disappointed, but not surprised, of what they have to say. But they don’t know the whole story. They’ll never know the whole story because we cannot disclose all the details. I know I did nothing wrong. Do we make mistakes? Yeah, but not purposely or not because we didn’t know any better. We were not trained to do what they want us to do, and we were following the advice of everyone who was helping us in

What was your experience with board meetings and the community? I find that in our community of Palo Alto the only way to get the Board’s attention is to attend the meetings and speak at open forums.

like something he said. If the trustees aren’t going to trade some norms around behavior and protocol, it can feel like a three-ring circus. I’ve had an assistant principal of mine not feel safe at board meetings, and I haven’t felt safe at board meetings. I had my tires popped in a board meeting. It’s hard to speak up in a community when it feels like there could be retaliation if you do.

What was your reaction when you received the disciplinary letter? I was very surprised when I received the letter. I had a conversation with Dr. McGee and the now superintendent [Karen] Hendricks; she was doing Human Resources at that time. Dr. McGee said there would be no disciplinary action

What led to your resignation?

the district office. And that’s what schools do in these situations; it’s very common in any district. I think Palo Alto Online needs to accept some responsibility for the negativity that they created in the community. But I don’t think they ever will because that doesn’t sell papers. They want people to look at them and read them, so they’re looking for what they think is a good story, but what they know is not the truth.

When I received the letter, it felt like a broken promise.

You can send emails, write letters and ask them to get coffee and I know they are very happy to meet people, but until people actually go to meetings and talk into the microphone, it doesn’t have the same impact. Look at the whole Jordan-Terman renaming controversy – it’s because people showed up to those board meeting with their opinions. It’s really the matter of having the courage to speak out. And unfortunately, most of the people in our community are afraid to speak out because those board meetings don’t always feel like a safe place to be. It’s tricky. Based on my experience, oftentimes when people speak, the members of the audience will clap or snap fingers or sometimes I even see them hiss. I saw them hiss at Dr. McGee when they didn’t

taken against me. He said, ‘You did the right thing. You did a good job. The issue really was on the District’s end,’ meaning the Title IX coordination. And that happened in August in my office. So when I received the letter, it felt like a broken promise. I was like, wait, wait a minute. I think it’s hard because there’s a lot of trust broken when that happens.

What emotions were you going through around the time of receiving your disciplinary letter? I had a bad virus and cough and fever in December. I kept fighting something and I couldn’t get better. It’s just bad

timing. I couldn’t even process what was happening because I was so miserable physically. I would come back to work,

can’t rationalize with irrational people.’ I have to be careful what I say because I can’t say anything without being accused

Editor’s note: Principal Kim Diorio announced in early March that she would leave Paly at the end of the school year in the wake of criticism from the District office. Diorio sat down twice with Campanile reporters — on March 28 and May 12 — to tell her story. This is a portion of the full interviews.

How was I to know that being insubordinate was what I was supposed to do?

and three days later I would go home. It was frustrating, and I was disappointed and thought this isn’t right. It just didn’t feel right to get the letter of reprimand. And so I responded, and my question to the District when Anne Brown gave it to me was, ‘Anne, was I supposed to be insubordinate to the district office and the onsite council?’ Because in reality there is a chain of command, and when your boss tells you to do something you do it. How was I to know that being insubordinate was what I was supposed to do? I mean, then I could’ve been disciplined for that. So I asked her, ‘Help me understand what the right thing to do is,’ and she said ‘I don’t have an answer for you.’

What do you think of community members who are angry? The counselor in me feels sorry for them. I feel like they must be struggling with their own issues, and they’re taking it out on me. There is something going on in their lives that’s painful, and they are transferring all of that negative emotion onto me and the school district. I feel like most healthy adults and adolescents in our community don’t have the time to be so personally invested in attacking and making things difficult and challenging to somebody in my position. Most people have other things that are filling their lives, good stuff. I feel sorry for these people, because they clearly need help. My dad always told me, ‘You

of retaliation. That’s what they will accuse me of if I try to defend myself. So I’m in this position where I have to be silenced – for now. I won’t always be silenced – I’m still an employee though.

What are your views on Kathy Jordan’s announced candidacy for school board? Well, I would not support that community member. When I heard that she made that decision, I was very glad I’d submitted my resignation and will be moving on from Palo Alto Unified. I really worry for the future of our school district. I think she’s burned a lot of bridges, and in her effort to advocate for students, I think she’s done some significant damage and she’s lost a lot of credibility. Certainly at the site level, I know the teaching staff would be very disappointed to see her on the board, at least at Paly. I can’t speak for all teachers, but from what I heard, there definitely seems to be consensus that people feel it would not be good for our community. She’s not somebody who’s going to bring people together. She’s very divisive. She uses the word retaliation a lot, and because she speaks publicly about me, it has kind of boxed me in a corner in a way where I can’t really respond to that lest she can say I’ve retaliated against her. So I’m trying to be really careful what I say.”

The events leading up to the resignation July 2013 Diorio Becomes paly principal

June 2013 Diorio Releases harassment allegations against ex-principal phil winston

November 2015 Alleged sexual assualt on paly quad

AUGUST 2014 mcgee Becomes pausd superintendent

March 2017 ocr releases findings of title ix violations

October 2016 alleged sexual assault in paly bathroom

September 2017 cozen report draft is released

spring 2017 kathy jordan submits formal complaints about mcgee and diorio

September 2017 Max mcgee retires

Palo Alto Online, McGee and community respond to Diorio Palo Alto Online During times of district-wide controversy, the Palo Alto community found its own means of voicing opinions and concerns regarding the staff at Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). The Palo Alto Online “Town Square,” an online forum where users can submit anonymous comments, became a soapbox for community members to express their opinions on former Superintendent Max McGee and Principal Kim Diorio. “The District spent a lot of money to have an investigator analyze [the Title IX violations], and the Office for Civil Rights conducted a long investigation,” said Bill Johnson, publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly. “They all came to the same conclusion that Paly administration did not handle numerous situations as they should have under the law. Obviously that is going to rile some people up, and it is going to result in some people feeling that certain people should lose their jobs.”

The Palo Alto Weekly has written multiple editorials criticizing the District and McGee’s handling of the sexual assault cases; most recently, however, Online published an editorial titled “Blame to go around,” moving past McGee and criticizing Diorio’s “disappointing” response to her letter of reprimand. The story says Diorio’s response “shifts blame to [Associate Superintendent Holly] Wade, McGee, a district lawyer and others.

NOAH BAUM/THE CAMPANILE

Max McGee In late September 2017, Max McGee

announced his resignation as the District superintendent in a public Board meeting. McGee’s resignation came just days after the independent investigation done by the firm Cozen O’Connor found the District had forgone various steps in its Title IX investigations over the alleged sexual assault of a Paly freshman in 2016. McGee did not address the Title IX investigations in his farewell statement to the Board and did not imply that his departure was due to any sentiments of the Board or the community. In a recent email to The Campanile, McGee upheld this notion. “I can’t speak for Ms. Diorio,” McGee said in the email. “But as for me, I did not feel any community pressure to resign. What has always mattered most to me is to find solutions to problems that first and foremost are in the best interest of students and second demonstrate reasonable efforts to reach consensus support.” When asked whether he promised

Diorio that she would not face disiplinary consequences in response to the Title IX misconduct as detailed in the Cozen report, he referred to the Cozen report and said that he no longer had an accurate memory of any such conversation.

PAHS all along has been about student safety and following the law. I care about our students; these are our children.”

Kathy Jordan Kathy Jordan, a community member running for school board in the upcoming PAUSD board elections, frequently spoke publicly against Diorio, particularly after the Cozen report criticized Diorio’s conduct last year. According to Jordan, there is currently an outstanding report on a November 2015 sexual assault at Paly. Jordan would like the report released “so that the community and the students can know fully about Ms. Diorio’s conduct...” Jordan maintains that her role as a community member is to speak up on behalf of students. “My interest in these incidents at

FILE PHOTO/THE CAMPANILE

Board Members All Board members contacted said they did not want to comment on Diorio’s resignation.


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

DIORIO

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Text & Design by Yusra Rafeeqi, Byron Zhang, Lucy Nemerov and Renee Hoh

Design by Ben van Zyll Text by Noah Baum Full interview available online @ thecampanile.org

eals the story behind her resignation How was support from the Palo Alto community? “The staff from day one have been really supportive, especially the ones that have been on campus for so long, that have seen the steady rotation of principals. I think they recognize it’s a really hard job, and so they want someone who’s going to stay long term and really invest in them. Since my first day, they would write me notes, write me cards and drop little gifts off in my office. That never wavered, even through some of the darkest days and the biggest challenges. When I think back to when we were in the middle of the suicide cluster, it was really hard for everybody. But the staff was very supportive in helping me. They recognize that everyone is human and that everyone makes mistakes. I’m sure they don’t always agree with some of the decisions I had to make, but I dont think they’ve been personal. I think they always saw it as part of my job. There’s mutual respect.

What was your relationship with the Superintendent like? I loved working for Dr. McGee and before him Dr. Skelly. McGee was a very strong superintendent. I felt like he was very supportive, and he had my back. A strong principal needs the support of a strong superintendent and vice versa. There has to be a really good working relationship between them. When he left, I was really sad, and I’m still sad. I knew that I lost support at that point. With Dr. McGee, we were in constant communication, a lot of keeping him informed of what’s happening so he was never caught off guard. We would always talk about goals and big picture visions, how we would get there, how we could work more collaboratively with the rest of the school district. He always heard about things first

from me, and I always knew that he would support me if I wasn’t sure about what to do. In a sense that I needed a mentor, a support system, knowing that if you’re gonna make a hard decision, that he would stand with me on that. There’s nothing worse than me making a decision, and then have someone going to him and him reversing my decision.

Any specific times of support? When a science teacher passed away, Mr. Scott, we had to tell the teachers. This was a gentleman I cared a lot about, and I worked with him for years. It’s really hard and sad, but as a leader, you have to be that person communicating it. When I had those conversations or had to talk about something, like weighted grades, McGee stood by my side, although he didn’t have to. Maybe that’s why we’re all where we’re at right now. I really appreciated that. I appreciate that he saw what I valued, and I saw that he supported me. The first thing he said to me when he was hired was, ‘So what can I do to help you at Paly?’ and I said, ‘I just need you to have my back’. He’s like, ‘You got it’. And he did.

Do you believe the community is not able to progress after the events of recent years? There’s community members, only a few, who I think have got their own issues. I don’t know why they can’t let the [sexual assault case last year] go. Max McGee has resigned, I’ve resigned, the Title IX coordinator is gone; that should be enough. Put this behind us, and let’s move forward. They’ve created this identity of being the rabble rouser and it’s not good. The majority of the community, 99 percent, want to move forward. If a parent was upset with me, they

febuary 2018 diorio takes leave of absence

March 2018 Diorio’s letter of reprimand is released

would reach out and schedule an appointment and talk. That’s how most people resolve conflicts. But there’s none

If the trustees aren’t going to trade some norms around behavior and protocol, board meetings can feel like a three-ring circus.

of that, it’s just, ‘Let’s go to the press.’ That’s not how you resolve conflicts, so that’s what makes me think I’m not dealing with a rational person. A rational person would say, ‘I’ve got an issue. I don’t like that you did this.’

What hopes do you have for the new principal to continue progress at Paly? I think it’s just continuing the work we’ve already been doing. I think it’s about giving the teachers a lot of the resources and support and autonomy to continue the good work that they are doing and making sure that we’re following that plan that we have for the next three years. Somebody who will spend the first year building relationships because, in our school in particular, it’s really about relationships and getting to know people and getting to know the school and culture and how things work. I think one of the good things is that I’ve created a well-running organization – we’ve got a lot of leadership already

March 2018 Diorio announces resignation

Diorio’s legacy remains at Paly “We’re in the midst of doing a lot of good work in the classrooms around course alignment and around developing new innovative pathways for students. I’m sad that I won’t be around when we talk more a b o u t socialemotional learning. I’m so excited that the bell schedule committee will be part of my legacy. I just wish I’d be there to see it off with the implementation of it. The facilities, working with the library, opening up the renovated library, moving Guidance down to that area, that’s always been a long dream of mine. Finally

seeing it happen next year will be exciting. Historians and a group of alumni are working on the centennial celebration of our school. I’d like to see those things out. Even changing some of our grading practices is something that I would really like to see –– a move away from this culture of points and focus on grades to a point where it is more a b o u t learning. Hopefully all t h e s e things will continue, but I would’ve liked to be a part of that. Schools have been able to make the switch away from that more traditional learning model. So I think for Advanced Authentic Research (AAR) working with [AAR Coordinator] Dr. Jeong Choe, was a real pleasure. She’s really quite a

I’m so excited that the bell schedule committee will be part of my legacy.

Diorio describes what she views as some of her accomplishments as Paly’s principal, and her hopes for the school’s future.

there and still in place. Being a real champion, and to understand how the media arts programs work,

remarkable person and she’s developed a much needed program at our school. For Learning Design Team, we had Dr. McGee, myself and the team that was involved in that. Again, we were looking at ways we can create smaller communities within our high school to reach more students. I think there’s a lot of students that are tired of doing school and want something different, and this is a way to offer an alternative than the traditional setting and still be able to be part of the Paly community. I hope that that team is able to regroup. I do think we’re behind other school districts in getting this moving forward.”

s

Diorio reflects on the support of staff and students amid turmoil

that’s something I’ve seen other principals get burned by if they don’t figure that out pretty quick and how to work with the student press. Because I think that there can be a really good reciprocal relationship there. And also the idea of student voice and really listening to students and making sure you’re mak- ing decisions based

on what the students are telling you. The bell schedule committee is a good example of that. The students had as equal voice in that whole process as a teacher or a staff member or as me, a principal. They could just lay it out and be respectful. We have a lot of really good systems and supports in place. We have hired really good people. I’d like to think that the school will be fine without me, and that’s a good feeling, as a leader, to be able to feel that and walk away. I think the school deserves a principal that has the full support of the superintendent and the Board of Education. I think the school deserves a principal that can move the school forward in a way that would not spend a lot of taxpayer dollars in investigations and public record requests. Those type of items come up when people are unhappy with leadership, so I would think there’s a lot of money that could be spent in teaching, in learning, where it should be spent.”


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

OPINION

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ASB should investigate legitimacy of clubs

By Neil Kapoor

News & Opinion Editor

T

hose who have been paying even minimal attention to the college admissions craze at the center of many high school students’ lives may have noticed a hackneyed strategy to boost one’s chances of admissions: starting a club on campus. Paly is no exception to this common strategy. Over the past several years, the number of clubs started by students on Paly campus has been steadily climbing — surpassing 100 clubs this year and up roughly 10 percent from last year. However, the overwhelming student enthusiasm for starting clubs has resulted in many inactive clubs that should be verified for legitimacy due to misrepresentations of students’ true leadership and a stereotype that clubs are largely for college-admissions purposes only. To be fair, starting a club does bring about numerous benefits for the founder as well as their peers, and many clubs are founded without college applications in mind. Many students start clubs for the sense of culture, unity, intellect, diversity and freedom of expres-

sion that they wish to impart on campus — be it science, music, politics, pop culture and beyond — and couldn’t care less about padding their résumé. Moreover, weekly meetings offer a break from the monotonous, never-ending grind of homework, projects, tests, quizzes and the like, as well as a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a topic of common interest with like-minded individuals. But there is a cause for concern. Unfortunately, many clubs do not meet regularly, sometimes spanning months or even semesters of inactivity, yet still remain registered as active clubs providing leadership and educational opportunities to its members. There are two effects of this practice that should be noted. The first deals with the meaning of club leadership. As students vying to appear competitive to collegiate institutions, starting a club may seem like a must. But regardless of the student’s motivation to start a club, if the club is not actually meeting, and therefore not carrying out the purpose of the club: what does it mean to lead a club that doesn’t do anything? The short answer is that students may still be recognized by

colleges for exhibiting “leadership” in the subject area of the club even though the reality is far from any type of leadership. As a result, inactive clubs and active clubs may look the same on paper despite the inactive club’s leader not showing any actual leadership. This reality is unfair to students who did show leadership, and unjustly benefits students who did not. The second consequence comes when a campus has a culture of starting clubs that quickly become meaningless due to their inactivity. This corroborates a stereotype that all clubs appear to be only for resume-building purposes (which is not true) regardless of their level of activity. As a result, this stereotype hurts the ambitions of students who run or want to run legitimate clubs for reasons other than their resumes because people will falsely assume they are starting the club for resume purposes and nothing else. A couple of possible solutions to this problem exist. For example, the ASB clubs commissioner could implement a method to verify that clubs are legitimate. This might be as simple as re-

Despite the correlation found in school absences to high school dropout rates and course failures, absences here are often from students who load their plates with so much they have to skip class to catch up on other classes. The habit of strategic cutting is common among many highachieving students who are overwhelmed by their commitments, leading them to struggle with meeting test deadlines. These students often have parents willing to call them out of class on the day of high-stakes tests. Since public high schools, under law, cannot question the legitimacy of the “health reasons” parents present excusing their child from class, many students are able to skip a due date or exam they are not ready for. This practice of dishonesty largely stems from the obsession both students and parents have about academic success. However, as one of the many consequences of parents enabling their students, these students learn they can choose to not face their problems. Not only is this ideology potentially harmful to students’ posthigh school lives, but it also takes advantage of other students who may have the same stacked test dates but do not have the luxury of parents who excuse them from class. Student’s anxieties about maximizing their class ranking, not to

their own satisfaction but relative to those around them, have also been heightened by the growing pressure to stay “competitive.” The PAUSD’s decision to implement weighted grades contributes too, creating a greater incentive for students to pack their schedule with honors and AP classes. Some students are so fixated by their stats they have gone to the lengths of abusing mental health diagnosis to advance their own academic agendas. As an advocate of mental health, it is never my intention to put mental health on a lower pedestal than physical health. However, when the “fever” excuse doesn’t slide anymore, some students see mental health as something they can use to their advantage. By having a simple meeting with the guidance counselor followed and filling out a brief assessment questionnaire, students can complete a request for a 504 plan, which provides qualified students with certain accommodations to ensure their academic success and access to learning. These accommodations can range from prioritized seating in the front of the class for students with ADHD to extended time on tests for students with slow processing speed. Other factors used to help determine a student’s personal 504 plan are social or emotional issues such as panic attacks and anxiety.

questing prospective club presidents in the club application to describe in greater detail what they plan to do with the club and how they will achieve that rather than just the purpose or mission of the club. Then, as the school year progresses, the commissioner could periodically check with the club or its adviser to make sure the club has been active.

Even in the socially-conscious community of Palo Alto, few people have mentioned or are even aware of this crisis. Additionally, a warning system could be implemented by the ASB clubs commissioner if a club is found to be inactive for longer than a certain period of time, perhaps two months, to encourage the club to meet, or to face a consequence such as suspension of access to financial resources. In light of this growing trend to start clubs — whatever students’ motivation may be to do so — that quickly become inactive, Paly should consider verifying the legitimacy of student-run clubs.

Paly’s competitive culture encourages dishonesty

By Shannon Zhao

I

Staff Writer

n a community where the pressures of competition are felt at its highest pitch, some students become desperate to boost their class standing, willing to sacrifice their morals for academic success. Public school districts across the country face the problem of chronic student absenteeism, and top-ranked schools in Silicon Valley are no exception to this worrisome trend. However, Paly emerges as an anomaly compared to the rest of the nation. While chronic absenteeism is largely believed to be linked to low academic achievement, and accurately so, a growing demographic of frequently absent students have demonstrated quite the opposite.

The practice of dishonesty largely stems from the obsession students and parents have with academic success. Doctor’s appointments and sick days are common reasons students give to teachers for missing class; however, when a peculiar pattern emerges from students’ attendance records, these absences may suggest something more than annual hospital visits and flu season.

Although the majority of students on 504 plans have legitimate needs and use the program respectfully, I know of a growing number of students applying for 504s with less honest intentions. Knowing that a 504 can offer extended time for due dates and exams, some students nominate themselves and manipulate their responses to the questionnaire to receive these accommodations. This practice of dishonesty goes against every stereotype mental health advocates have worked so hard to dispel, and perpetuates the misconception that mental illness is an all-encompassing scapegoat. The misuse of 504 plans is not only unjust but also jeopardizes the utility a 504 plan, as students who actually need accommodations may have a harder time getting them now. As much as I would like to conclude with a panacea for the fundamental flaw in the district’s climate, this culture of dishonesty is a systematic problem that may not see a solution in our lifetime. However, the first steps we must take is to talk about these acts of dishonesty that many are reluctant to admit exist and confront the reality of the culture we have cultivated. It’s been nearly four years since I moved into the PAUSD and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s learning to play the game because everyone else seems to be.


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

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OPINION

Paly should welcome more students from nearby cities

By Ben van Zyll Sports Editor

A

s one of the most fortunate high schools in the country, with extensive resources including vast funding and rigorous academics, Paly has a lot to offer. It should be open to sharing the qualities that make it such a prestigious school with residents of neighboring cities, who otherwise are unable to access such opportunities. Demographically, Paly is poorly integrated, and the issue is incredibly visible. According to a report published by the District regarding Paly’s demographics, our student body was merely 3.1 percent black and just 10.2 percent Hispanic or Latino during the 201617 school year, while 32.8 percent of Paly was Asian and 46.5 percent of Paly was white. The fact that it took a 10-year lawsuit to allow students from neighboring cities like East Palo Alto to attend school in our district. The fact the end result, known formally as the “Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program” (VTP), is considered a “settlement” is appalling. It is seen as a compromise that was made because the push for the program was one-sided. The lawsuit, filed by parents in 1976, claimed that elementary students in the South County area school districts were unable to obtain equal educational opportunities because of the confinement of racial minorities in the Ravenswood City School District, according to the San Mateo County Office of Education. The lawsuit was settled in 1986

when the school districts entered a settlement order intended to reduce racial isolation. A major perk of the settlement order is the VTP, which allows minority students in the Ravenswood City School District to transfer to one of seven districts included in the plan, one of which is Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). Surprisingly, the VTP students at Paly make up a great majority of the black, Hispanic and Latino population at our school. The massive disparity between populations of Asian and white students and black, Hispanic and Latino students illustrates there are not enough students from neighboring cities being given the opportunity to attend Paly. “I don’t necessarily know, unless I look up their address, which students are part of the [VTP],” said Social Justice Pathway teacher Eric Bloom. “I know people who are in the [VTP]. They’re not all underrepresented minorities, but absolutely the majority of them are.” Furthermore, the VTP has many benefits to Paly in addition to diversifying a majority Caucasian and Asian school. However, the most notable perk of this program is that it gives students who otherwise would not have the chance to attend such an illustrious school get the chance to do so. “There are more opportunities and higher chances to succeed [at Paly],” said junior Chris Martinez, who attended elementary and a portion of middle school in East Palo Alto. “Also, the funding is better at Paly which helps the students. I used to have straight Fs and Ds in middle school, but

going to school in Palo Alto has helped me succeed in school with programs like AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), free tutoring and technology that is needed for school work. I feel like Paly should allow more students to come so there can be an equal chance for students to be able to get the chances that are not given at other schools.” The VTP is a voluntary program in which parents and their children make the decision to get the possible opportunity to attend a Palo Alto school. They come here for a reason. Therefore, there is no reason why a VTP or a transferred student would intentionally underachieve. Yet many students still struggle academically, creating a large achievement gap between demographic groups at Paly. The idea of “stereotype threat,” popularized by University of California, Berkeley executive vice-chancellor and provost Claude Steele, is the idea that people in a minority group feel the need to conform to the mainstream stereotypes of their social group. “Stereotype threat generally is this idea that if you’re a superminority, meaning that you’re the only one in the room or one of three in the room” Bloom said. “Anytime you talk about slavery, people look at you, or anytime you talk about Mexicans, they’re looking at you, and then you become the symbol but also the example of ‘that kind of student that’s a ton of psychological pressure and that’s been shown through research that it actually causes achievement to fall.” While some VTP students are certainly able to assimilate the

intense and competitive nature of Paly into their lives well and thrive when given the opportunity to attend our school, it has still become evident that many of these students suffer the fate of stereotype threat. From the 2017 Smarter Balanced test, 37 percent of PAUSD’s economically disadvantaged students met or exceeded standards, while 82 percent of white students and 92 percent of Asian students met or exceeded standards according to Palo Alto Online.

In an ideal AP class, every assignment would be connected to material that would appear on the AP test in May. Every year, the College Board creates new AP tests for each subject, which are then followed by suggestions as to how students should study for them. For example, many students are familiar with the SAT and ACT preparation material we use to practice for the real tests. The College Board and the ACT creates these practice tests in an attempt to prepare us for standardized tests. The same goes for AP testing: the College Board gives suggested practice for courses according to the content on the AP test. In my AP French class, we use the AP Guide, a workbook comprised of everything we need to succeed on the exam. Despite these resources, some teachers design their AP classes based on requirements not related to the AP tests. AP teachers must implement more preparatory work that is

suggested by the College Board, and they must place a greater emphasis on previous AP exams. Although the content we learn in each AP class runs parallel to the content on its respective test, it is essential that we know the format of questions on the test from the beginning of the year. In certain AP classes, test questions are pulled out straight from the College Board’s suggested study material or from previous AP tests themselves. This is helpful for students, as it gives them more practice and a feel for what the AP exam might be like. Many argue classes become more interesting and engaging when the teachers create the curriculum, lessons, assignments and tests. I find this to be true as well. When there is more flexibility in the classroom, students will have an easier time comprehending information. In any class that is not an AP, I would encourage teachers to design a class structure that best fits with their own standards. AP courses, however

should all be taught with a stricter approach. If teachers of AP classes were to teach their own curriculum, students might learn just as much content-wise, but they would be left woefully unprepared for the exam. At the end of the day, students enroll in AP classes for one of two reasons: either because they want to get a good score on the AP test so they can receive college credit, or they are passionate about the given subject and want to learn more about it. If a student desires to take a class just for the sake of learning or interest in the subject, then the option to enroll in AP courses may not be the best choice for them. This is because teaching lessons influenced by the College Board are seldom exciting, and more systematic. For students who want to ace the AP test, the best approach would be to take an AP class in which the exams, lessons and assignments all resemble the AP test.

Paly should be open to sharing the qualities that make it such a prestigious school.

Therefore, by decreasing the extreme demographic gap here at Paly, we could decrease the achievement gap as well because minority groups would be better represented in the school and not face possible stereotype threats. Though the District does work towards helping a fraction of disadvantaged students from neighboring cities, more can certainly be done to allow more students in greater numbers to attend our amazing school. “The Tinsley Program is a gift to PAUSD,” interim Superintendent Karen Hendricks said. “We are honored that so many families and students from East Palo Alto choose to embrace the opportunity to learn here and honor the commitment they make to their education.” If the District is truly so honored, it should expand the program and benefit the entire school in doing so.

AP Courses should align their material to match the test

By John Tayeri Business Manager

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very year, high school students from around the country register for Advanced Placement (AP) tests, almost always as the culmination of a year’s work in an AP course. AP classes are designed to cover material comparable to the corresponding college course, so if a student scores well on the AP test for a certain subject, they can receive college credit for that subject.

AP teachers must implement more prepatory work that is suggested by the College Board.

While most AP courses are centered around preparing students for their respective tests, many teachers at Palo Alto High School do not structure their AP classes in that manner.


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

A8

EDITORIALS

Alternative needed for ineffective grade-wide assemblies

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n the past few years, the Paly community has been shaken by accusations of sexual misconduct against teachers and students alike — most recently in November 2016 — and The Campanile recognizes that something must be done to counter this appalling and unacceptable trend. While mandatory gradewide assemblies may seem like the ideal solution, student feedback to these assemblies proves otherwise. The Campanile suggests that these lessons should be taught in a more intimate and conversational setting, such as Advisory. At first glance, the mandatory grade-level assemblies organized by the Superintendent’s Task Force seem like the most efficient method for addressing the student body at Paly. Requiring all students to attend these assemblies during class ensures everyone will be present unlike assemblies during Flex, which have often been optional or had low attendance. However, following the backlash towards the District’s recent attempts to educate Paly students on sexual violence, it is evident that mandatory assemblies in lieu of scheduled classes are not the most effective way to communicate important messages to the student body. First, students are less likely to cooperate with the speaker and administration since it detracts from instructional time. The majority of students do not pay attention to the invited guest speakers, and sometimes ditch whole-grade assemblies entirely to study. In more extreme cases, students retaliate by aggressively challenging the speakers from the crowd in an attempt to irk them. For example, Dr. Jackson Katz received a large vocal pushback from many students who dis-

agreed with him during the sophomore assembly. It is also impossible to guarantee that everyone attends the assemblies. The checks for attendance are typically surveys or feedback forms, however the link to these surveys are often rapidly circulated so that those who did not attend can pretend they did by filling it out. Furthermore, even if students do attend, there is no way to make sure everyone is engaged in the presentation.

While mandatory grade-wide assemblies may seem like the ideal solution, student response to these assemblies proves otherwise. This brings up the larger problem that must be addressed: a lack of student engagement. The Campanile believes that the best way to engage students is through sparking a conversation, and assemblies do the opposite. Typically, assemblies consist of a speaker giving an hour-long talk to students; however, with important topics, such as sexual violence prevention, it is crucial to have a two-way conversation between the presenter and students. This dialogue allows students to make realizations for themselves rather than having a message thrown at them. As such, The Campanile thinks that Advisory, a time already built into the schedule for such serious conversations, be used as an alternative to grade-wide assemblies. Being in a smaller classroom would allow teachers to take attendance, ensure everyone

receives the information in the presentation and hold students accountable for inappropriate behavior. Students would also engage more with the content in this more intimate setting by providing a space for more meaningful discussion and connections. Since most advisories have been together for at least a year, students would feel safe and be more willing to open up, ask questions and have serious discussions. Members of the Superintendent’s Task Force also support smaller groups to reinforce and debrief the important messages imparted by speakers but say there must be an assembly to establish a common understanding among all students. While this idea has merit, the criticism against the assemblies suggests these assemblies actually distance students from opening up and engaging with important topics. As such, teachers must find another common source to establish a baseline understanding, perhaps through materials created from a coalition containing both adult and student voice.

This brings up the larger problem that must be addressed: a lack of student engagement.

Dead week before AP finals would relieve student stress

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ers of AP classes are free to decide whether or not to implement a “dead week.”

ith finals and Advanced Placement (AP) exams swirling about, there is little therapy dogs, herbal tea or events on the quad can do to reduce the immense amount of stress students feel. In order to lessen the academic pressure students feel in the month of May, administrators and teachers must look to the core of the issue: unreasonable expectations of students’ studying abilities. In order to minimize student stress, teachers should allow time to review before final exams for AP classes. For most underclassmen, the culmination of a semester’s worth of work is a week of final exams at the end of May, sensibly buffered by a designated “dead week,” a few days in which teachers are not allowed to introduce any new material. “Dead week” is in place to ensure students have adequate time to review five to nine months’ worth of content. For many upperclassmen and a handful of sophomores, a portion of their classes, those that are AP, wrap up in the beginning of May, just before AP tests. Many teachers of AP courses choose to schedule a final exam at this time. However, without the administration-enforced rule requiring teachers to allocate several days to review before finals, teach-

Allowing for review time gives students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the year's material as a whole and to ask questions. While some teachers do designate such review time, others choose to continue to introduce students to new material right up until the final exam. Students taking AP Biology, for example, learned new concepts the day before the final. According to AP Biology students, this is problematic because it distracts students from being able to review material from the entire year. In addition, this year, it gave certain students an advantage over others, as the new material was reliant on math concepts that some students already understood, while others had to learn from scratch. One AP Biology teacher declined to comment and the other did not respond to email requests

for an interview. However, one can understand that from a teacher’s perspective, it would be optimal to avoid “teaching to the test,” meaning students should have been keeping up with the material throughout the year so there would be no need for in-depth studying just before the exam. This is an unrealistic expectation. Though students should not have to cram before tests, the curriculum Paly classes teach coupled with the busy schedules many students maintain make it practically impossible for students to have enough time during the year to feel confident enough to enter a final exam without a significant amount of studying. Lastly, allowing for review time gives students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the year’s material as a whole and to ask questions. The exam provides an incentive for students to study, and encourages students to connect the dots between different units and to formulate takeaways from what they have been taught. In order to reduce student stress and encourage students to review the material as a whole, Paly’s administration should enforce designated review days before finals in AP classes, no matter when the finals are scheduled.

We commend the Superintendent's Task Force for its efforts to educate students on pressing issues in our community, but The Campanile hopes this information will be dispensed in a medium more conducive for conversation. In order to achieve this, we need greater student input when planning school-wide educational content and participation during the sessions themselves.

CS requirement is unnecessary

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ver the past few months, the possibility of adding computer science as a graduation requirement has been discussed thoroughly by both administrators and students. The Campanile thinks the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) should not implement a computer science graduation requirement, as implementing it would skew Paly culture further towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related subjects and away from the humanities. Paly already places a much greater emphasis on science and math classes, with three more AP offerings in those two subjects than in English and history. Forcing every student to take one semester of computer science to graduate would increase this divide and place even more pressure on Paly students to take and enjoy STEM classes. According to junior Robbie Selwyn, a student representative on the PAUSD Computer Science Curriculum Design Advisory Committee, Paly’s graduation requirements have already implemented measures to maintain a balance between STEM subjects and the humanities. This reasoning, however, plays into the crux of the argument against the computer science requirement. Even though four years of science and math aren’t required by the school, students interested in such areas voluntarily choose to take elective course offerings to explore the subjects. Graduating already requires many credits and including classes such as Physical Eduation and Living Skills. With the four core

subjects emphasized heavily, students often have little freedom or flexibility to take interesting elective offerings. Instead of overstepping and taking away a student’s autonomy to choose computer science, the District should work to revamp the computer science program and promote and improve its current offerings. Improving the quality of instruction in existing computer science classes will improve Paly’s technological literacy far more than forcing every student to take a class against their will.

With the four core subjects emphasized heavily, students often have little freedom or flexibility to take interesting elective offerings. According to Selwyn, the committee is pushing for the requirement for two main reasons. First, they think the responsibility of a school is to create a wellrounded adult and prepare them for the real world. As computer science has continually grown in importance, the committee thinks giving students a computer science background would be advantageous for their futures. Second, there are stark gaps in representation in the computer science industry and the committee thinks a requirement would introduce more females and underrepresented minorities to the subject, potentially contributing

to minimizing the representation gap. Both of these arguments are valid, and The Campanile fully supports both goals. However, instituting a semester-long requirement is the wrong way to achieve these aims. For one, the learning environment in a class where the majority of students are there against their will harm students who are actually interested in computer science. Student engagement is one of the most important factors in a course. If technological literacy is to be a goal of the District, forcing every student to participate will not change anyone’s mind. Second, by adding another graduation requirement, other long-term electives become less feasible for a large amount of the student body. Programs like band, art or journalism, which are intended to be a multi-year experience, become a less reasonable option when schedules are less flexible. These programs offer incredibly valuable skills and experiences, and implementing a computer science requirement would make it harder for students to participate. The Campanile commends the PAUSD Computer Science Curriculum Design Advisory Committee for their efforts in trying to introduce underrepresented demographics to computer science and better preparing students for the workforce. However, PAUSD should allocate policies and resources towards revamping and improving the existing computer science program, rather than forcing every student to spend a semester on a class they might not want to take.

MAY'S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Ways To Boost Your College Resume This Summer 10) Think of a new viral hashtag to repeat over and over in your essays. 9) Ask that distant relative at [insert prestigious institution] for an "opportunity to learn more." 8) Go to Nicaragua or Kenya for a two week "mind-opening" experience with "new perspectives." 7) Chase the elusive term "demonstrated interest" by liking university Facebook pages. 6) Become editor-in-chief of your new publication or president of your new club. 5) Casually donate a couple million dollars to all your reach schools. 4) Conduct "research" at universities by fetching coffee for professors. 3) Film your highlight reel for Ultimate Frisbee or dodgeball—try to get that scholarship! 2) Claim to have a "working proficiency" in machine learning and artificial intelligence. 1) Create a group chat with some overly dank memes—they got into Harvard and so will you! -EDWARD KIM & PEYTON WANG

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief

Leyton Ho • Waverly Long • Kaylie Nguyen Ethan Nissim • Ujwal Srivastava

Online Editor Yusra Rafeeqi

Kennedy Herron • Byron Zhang

Managing Editors

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

Photo Editor Alyssa Leong

Business Managers Lucy Nemerov • John Tayeri

Distribution Manager Khadija Abid

Board Correpondent Samantha Hwang Staff Writers Marie Davis Philip Ericsson Eric He Renee Hoh

Maya Homan

Samantha Hwang Edward Kim Grace Kitayama

Bernie Koen Raj Lele Eric Li John Loftus Tess Manjarrez Nicholas Melvin Anna Meyer

Kiran Misner Sophia Moore Christopher Pierno

Alyssa Leong

Advisers Esther Wojcicki • Rodney Satterthwaite Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds19@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

Paarth Sharma

Niklas Risano Ehecatl Rivera

Riley Short Kiana Tavakoli Peyton Wang

Allison Wu

William Robins

Edan Sneh

Photographers Khadija Abid Samantha Hwang

Kesi Soundararajan

Ashley Zhang Shannon Zhao Illustrators

Annie Chen Marie Davis

Miranda Li Renee Hoh

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!


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE The Legacy of Avicii

The tragic news of Tim Bergling's passing this spring hit the music industry and his millions of fans around the globe hard. Despite no longer being with us, Avicii’s genuine character and his impact on the world of music will likely live on forever.

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ith his right arm raised high and a pair of headphones around his neck, Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii, entered the stage with the sound of thousands of screaming fans at his last concert on Aug. 28, 2016 in Ibiza, Spain. To the outside world, the Swedish DJ looked to be living a god-like life, but, unknown to all, on the inside, Bergling was on the brink of destruction.

Humble Beginnings

after song and send his material to various blogs, asking to be featured. “He worked during the night, basically,” Knows said. “Then, when he had to sleep, he often walked up to the roof and slept in the sun. And he was like, ‘Yeah, it’s so smart, because now I get to sleep and I get a tan at the same time.’ Then, he would go back to work.” In May 2008, Avicii was approached by promoter Ash Pournouri. The two started working together, and Pournouri took on the role of Avicii’s manager. After several remixes of famous songs, Bergling started to break out within the electronic dance music (EDM) community.

“The first four, five years, everything was awesome because you get a kick out of it,” Avicii said in a 2017 interview for his documentary “Avicii: True Stories.” “[It felt] as if you were jumping out of a plane; you are playing with the feeling of almost dying.” Rise to Fame Bergling grew up in StockHis first show was in Miami at holm, the capital of Sweden. He Laidback Luke’s Super You & Me lived and went to school within party. Laidback Luke describes the same fivehim as being a block radius “shy, laidback kid until the age 789( *&2(: 1# "* 4)- who was so nerof 19. vous.” He opened From an 5&'& ;-/+"$. )-( the night for three early age, Berpeople, but by the )* 1 +21$&< 4)- end of the night gling said he knew when attracted plenty 1'& +214"$. 5"(3 he he grew up, of attention. Avicii he wanted to continued playing (3& *&&2"$. )* make a living at small clubs undoing sometil his early songs 12/)#( ,4"$.67 thing creative. “Alcoholic” and Bergling’s “Bromance” start=0"%"" life changed ed garnering comforever the mercial attention. day his childhood friend showed His breakout hit, “Levels,” him a simple production appli- spread into the mainstream in cation named “FL Studios.” He 2013. This marked the beginbegan to produce beats together ning of Avicii as a cultural force. with his friends in his small He started getting recognized at Stockholm apartment. shows, and Avicii remembered “We always met around noon,” hearing the crowd sing along to said DJ Otto Knows, Avicii’s all his songs for the very first time. now-famous childhood friend. “With ‘Levels,’ everything just “Then, when I would look at the kind of took off,” Avicii said. “We clock, it would be 1 a.m. I would [Avicii and his team] got these say, ‘Maybe we should see each opportunities that we had never other again tomorrow and con- been presented with before. [For tinue.’ But then, he would say, example,] headlining Ultra [a ‘What? No, it’s better to finish music festival] was a dream come this song now and write another true.” one tomorrow.’” At his first ever headliner, a Even at a young age, Bergling surprise guest showed up. Mahad an incredibly strong work donna, the “Queen of Pop,” sharethic. He would grind out song ing the stage with a DJ at an

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EDM festival was unprecedented. DJs and musicians. [To me], Tim The following years of Avicii’s is a hard-core music theorist, and career went by in a blur. Between that’s what makes a great com2008 and 2012, he played a stag- poser.” gering 550 shows. Avicii went “Wake Me Up” was on to win the Avicii’s next world- J$K$)5$ () 122< A m e r i c a n wide hit. He was Award )$ (3& "$#",&< Music now becoming a (AMA) in star of astronomical 2013 for favor8=0"%"": 51# )$ ite EDM artist, magnitude. However, the young Swede and for a short (3& L'"$K )* was still dealing with time he felt as his shyness and had if he had re,&#('-%(")$6 difficulty performcovered from ing in front of a live his illness. He crowd. stopped taking all pain medica“I realized how stiff I was,” tions and flew to Miami to perAvicii said. “I found the magi- form at the Ultra Festival. cal cure: just having a couple of However, while in Miami, he drinks before com[ing] on the ruptured his appendix and gallstage. “That’s what helped me do bladder, and his doctors urged all of those shows without becom- him to try even heavier pain meding completely exhausted.” ication. Bergling questioned if it was necessary to try medication Unhealthy Habits like Percocet, but he succumbed Avicii’s new habits didn’t come to the pressure of the doctors and without side effects. In 2013, Avi- his team. cii had to cancel several shows in “Percocet is f------ heroin,” Australia due to stomach compli- Bergling said. “It didn’t really cations. The DJ was hospitalized help my pain either. That was the and diagnosed with pancreatitis. weird thing. So like, they gave me “It is the worst stomach cramp something that didn’t really help you can imagine,” Avicii said. “It my pain, but if the doctor says feels like someone is stabbing something, then I guess it’s the you in the stomach and the back hospital [that is recommending simultaneously. For me, [it was] the use of these drugs] and [the definitely the most pain I have doctor] knows what he’s doing. been in. You can’t really do any- This doesn’t feel right, you know?” thing about it; you just need to not In a radio interview conducted drink water and not eat.” around that time, Bergling was Still Avicii felt forced to at- asked about what it is like to be tend promotions and continue Avicii. He responded by saying, with his heavy touring schedule. “It’s weird. I mean, obviously I am At the end of 2013, he had played Avicii, but then, at the same time, at 657 shows since 2008. people’s perception about who Despite all the pressure, the Avicii is isn’t who Tim is. I am a one thing that brought Avicii true little bit shy, [and I] don’t like to happiness was creating music. be at the center of attention.” He continued working hard in Despite not ever wanting to the studio and collaborated with be the “center of attention,” Avidifferent artists from around the cii had become one of the world’s world. biggest stars. He saw other art“Tim, similar to Michael Jack- ists managing the lifestyle, but, son, had the actual symphony liv- despite seemingly having all the ing in his entire head,” said rapper boxes checked, he wasn’t happy. Wyclef Jean in an interview about working with Avicii. “He is doing Avicii Stops Touring this as Bach did what he did. I do Instead of taking a few months think that there is something that off and recovering, Avicii kept gowe are missing. The fact that we ing. At the end of 2014, Avicii had are making a separation between played at 725 shows.

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“Time went on, and I didn’t er, a fragile artistic soul searchfeel better,” Avicii said. “[Shows] ing for answers to existential kept happening, even though I questions,” Bergling’s family said went into periods where I was in a public statement. “An overtaking care of myself. There was achieving perfectionist who traveled and worked hard at a pace never an end of shows.” Even though he played at that led to extreme stress. When hundreds of concerts, Avicii still he stopped touring, he wanted to felt stressed and anxious every find a balance in life to be happy night before coming on the stage. and be able to do what he loved In 2016, Avicii finally listened to most — music.” Although he stopped touring his own body and decided to quit touring, writing a statement that nearly two years before his death, he planned to release to his fans. Bergling was never able to find Avicii desperately wanted to the true happiness that he was release the statement, but those looking for. He needed to find himself around him told him that it might not be the right time. In the end, again, but the pressure that he had been put Avicii finally under by so got what he many around wanted and an!"# #"$%&'& him durnounced that "$(&$(")$# )* ing the eight he would stop years when touring. +'),-%"$. /-#"% "$ he was tour“I felt s----ing had been ,” Bergling said. )',&' () +')0",& too much to “I felt terrible handle for because I saw 1$ )-(2&( *)' 3"# someone who how happy all the fans are, %'&1("0"(4 "# 531( never wanted to be the [but] I don’t 2&, () 3"# "//&$#& center of atf------ like it. tention in the I am standing #-%%&##6 first place. up there and NevertheI have to preless, Avicii’s tend that I like something that I don’t like doing. legacy spans well beyond his 11 After that I said ‘f--- I’m gonna billion online streams. He was a pioneer of EDM and brought it quit.’” Despite officially quitting into mainstream culture like no touring and desperately wanting one before him ever could. He was an inspiration to young to rest, Bergling still had to finish people all over the world, showthe rest of the tours in 2016. “I didn’t expect people to try ing that those who are willing to to push me to do more shows … work for their goals can achieve I [got] a lot of resistance when I anything, and is one of Sweden’s greatest musicians. What will ulwanted to stop,” Bergling said. On Aug. 28, 2016 in Ibiza, timately define Bergling’s legacy Spain, Avicii played his final show is his genuine, kind-hearted personality. His sincere intentions of as a touring artist. Between 2008 to 2016, Avicii producing music in order to proplayed 813 shows, which averages vide an outlet for his creativity led out to about one show every 3.6 to his immense success. His music days even though he didn’t enjoy will continue to live on long after him, and we are lucky to have touring. experienced his musical genius Death and Legacy while he was still creating his art. On April 20, 2018, Bergling 9* 4)- *&&2 #-"%",12< (3&'& "# 3&2+6 was found dead in Muscat, Oman. The cause of death was identified >1(")$12 ?-"%",& @'&0&$(")$ !)(2"$&A as suicide. BCDEECFGHCDFII “Our beloved Tim was a seek-

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Text and Design by

Design by

PHilip Ericsson

Alyssa Leong Education

SCIENCE AND TECH

The Tetris Effect

WICKER PARADISE/CC BY 2.0

Created in 1984, Tetris remains popular among Paly students. Hereís a look at the history and impact of the game. If played for long enough, however, Tetris can cause long-term effects.. PAGE B8

HILARY MCDANIEL/USED WITH PERMISSION

Gender Imbalance in ECD

A look into the societal implications of the lack of boys in ECD. PAGE B2

Movies

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

‘Ready Player One’ Review

Senior Section

MADDIE MCCLUSKEY/THE CAMPANILE

Class of 2018

Spielbergís newest flick ìReady Player Oneî is a let down.

Seniors reflect on their high school experience and whatís to come.

PAGE B2

PAGES B3-B6


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

B2

LIFESTYLE

Early Childhood Development faces gender imbalance Chromesthesia: A blend Traditional gender roles hinders males from enrolling in child care classes of music and colors By Alyssa Leong Photo Editor

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lthough Early Childhood Development (ECD) is in its fourth year, ECD teacher Hilary McDaniel can name all the male students she has ever had in the class off the top of her head. Even though ECD is a course open to any sophomore, junior or senior, only 20 percent of students enrolled in the class this semester are male. “Right now, I have five [male students] out of 21,” McDaniel said. “And that is a good year.” The few male students who do enroll in the course have had positive experiences, McDaniel said. “What I like best about ECD is that I get the opportunity to go to a preschool and [I] really enjoy spending time with the kids,” said senior ECD student Albert Lee in a message. “On top of that, I get to develop my own lessons on motor skill training as well as cognitive skill learning and test it on the kids.” ECD covers children’s psychology and development. Members of the class also plan lessons for younger children. It allows students to take a more handson approach than in a traditional classroom setting. In an average school week, the class spends the “C” day schedule learning in the classroom with a lecture. On the two block days, it takes a bus to the Greendell School in Palo Alto — which hosts the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Young Fives Program — to work directly with kids in the classroom. The Young Fives program is for children who are unprepared for the more academic environment of kindergarten after preschool. One reason it’s important to

have more males in ECD is to create role models for the preschool boys. McDaniel says that many of the teachers at Greendell are female, so having more high school boys to interact with the younger boys gives them more males to look up to. The lack of boys in ECD correlates with gender roles in society, according to McDaniel. Childcare has traditionally been viewed as a job for women. McDaniel’s husband, for instance, wasn’t interested in learning about childhood development until he had kids of his own. “He’s in a tech background, so he didn’t get … any sort of psychology or anything,” McDaniel said. “Now he’s interested in it; he has a more practical reason.” She also cites her cousin, a nurse, as someone who wished he could have had an opportunity like ECD earlier in his life. If he had, he may have realized childcare was more of an interest of his, according to McDaniel. “The jobs for women [in the past] were still surrounding the family and the children, like being teachers,” added junior ECD student India Phills, “and I feel like that’s kind of a stereotype that still insists.” Another contributing factor to the gender inequality is traditional standards of masculinity. “[G]uys are forced to hide their emotions,” Lee said. “Since they were young, they were expected to act stronger than girls. This also means that it hinders guys from really [practicing] emotion recognition as well as how to deal with it.” Additionally, many students assume ECD is a class for those who want training as future responsibilities as parents and therefore rule it out when de-

By Peyton Wang Senior Staff Writer

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HILARY MCDANIEL/USED WITH PERMISSION

ECD student Albert Lee plays with students part of the “Young Five.” termining their course selection, according to McDaniel. She also said that students often assume that the class is for pregnant teens. However, according to McDaniel, these misconceptions have no basis in truth. Students who do enroll in the class choose to sign up for many reasons other than parenting. One example is junior Alex Daw, who wanted to sign up for ECD but didn’t have room in his schedule. He wants to decrease the stereotype of having white female teachers. “A way to break that is one African-American [teacher] who is male, cause that doesn’t happen a lot, and that’s a new thing we can bring.” Daw said. While it’s a good class for those who want to become parents, McDaniel points out that

ECD is also a great hands-on opportunity for anyone who wants to work with kids in the future, be that a pediatrician, teacher, camp counselor or any other profession involving children. Phills, for instance, found she enjoys working with kids by being a camp counselor, and has found out through ECD that she wants to be an early childhood educator. McDaniel says that in order to combat the gender disparity in ECD, it is imperative that students spread the word about the class and tackle the larger issue of gender roles. McDaniel said, “I think changing the messaging and I think as we allow men to fill nontraditional male roles in society and encourage more… diverse definitions of masculinity we will see more changes.”

enior Cameron Akioka takes a seat at the piano, eyes closed and fingers poised over the sea of black and white keys as she prepares to play Haydn Sonata No. 50 in C major, a piece she has been practicing for months. Akioka sharply inhales, then commences with a descending broken C major chord. In her mind, the piece evokes undertones of white, whereas another piece in F minor would produce a dark purple color. Akioka has chromesthesia, a type of synesthesia in which an individual associates color with sound. Synesthesia is a rare sensation in which the stimulation of one sense automatically triggers sensation in another. “One theory is that the wiring between the different senses within the brain, instead of it getting pruned away so that those senses stay localized in their various regions, they get cross-wired so that stimulation of one particular sense also causes a stimulation in another sense,” said Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher Christopher Farina. An individual with synesthesia can simultaneously perceive a unique blend of senses, such as music and color, in Akioka’s case. “Oftentimes, [synesthetes] will hear certain things, but they’ll also see things in correspondence with them,” Farina said. “A really common thing is that they’ll hear a number and perceive it in a certain color — it always triggers some kind of visual element.” According to Farina, studies have found a greater degree of synesthesia-like characteristics in younger than older individuals,

which may be due to the synaptic pruning in the brain throughout an individual’s maturation and development. However, the auditory-visual synesthetic interaction — similar to Akioka’s experience with music — tends to endure for a longer period of time. Akioka only perceives color when she hears classical music; this sensation is heightened when she plays the piano, especially through distinguishable keys and harmonies. “I don’t really see a color in front of me, like it doesn’t make my field of vision red,” Akioka said. “It’s more of a feeling — I just associate those colors with keys. I’ve had this experience ever since I started playing piano.” Akioka believes that certain chords are aligned with a specific color due to their underlying, symbolic meanings.

Synesthesia is a rare sensation in which one sense triggers another. “To me, C Major has always been white — no matter what register the piece may be in, it’s a key of purity and innocence,” Akioka said. “Also, B-flat major is gold, a royal and majestic key, and A major is red, a passionate key.” Compared to Akioka, John, who requested that his real name not be used, said he perceives color in all sounds. On a daily basis, John’s chromesthesia enables him to associate strong colors with individual voices and identify which family member is walking in his hallway based on the color of their footsteps.

Story continued online thecampanile.org

‘Ready Player One’ disappoints Spielberg’s spin on sci-fi novel receives mediocre review By Marie Davis & Nicholas Melvin Senior Staff Writers

W

hen a book is adapted to the big screen, the results are usually hit-or-miss. Either the movie accurately depicts the story from the book and is loved all (think “Harry Potter”), or the story is changed in numerous unnecessary and unappealing ways, and those who enjoyed reading the book are disgusted by its on-screen portrayal (think “Percy Jackson”). “Ready Player One,” directed by Steven Spielberg, is one of the exceptions to this rule and does not fit into either of these categories, instead securing a middle ground between the two extrema. When Spielberg announced he would direct the film, he made it clear he would change the story in order to cut out the numerous references to his work made in the book and keep those who read the book on the edge of their seat. By making this announcement before the release of the movie, Spielberg essentially quelled the expectation of a movie that follows the book word-forword, giving himself more room to work. What he did with this extra room was, for the most part, a success.

The movie, set in the year 2045, depicts a dystopian version of the United States in which people escape from the dreadful state of the world by spending their time in a virtual-reality video game called the OASIS. In the OASIS, people can escape the atrocities of the real world and be free of their worldly burdens. As the protagonist, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) put it, “People come to the OASIS for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be.” Watts is what is called a Gunter, a group of people who are pursuing the CEO and founder of the company’s ( James Halliday (Mark Rylance)) fortune. The fortune is stored in an Easter egg hidden behind a series of challenges based on Halliday’s life and interests. Along with is fortune, which is valued at approximately $500 billion, the person who finds the egg is awarded control over the entirety of the OASIS’s universe. Despite changing the majority of the storyline, the movie turned out remarkably similar to the book: a very fun story that was not put together well. The story line was intriguing with a surplus of puzzles, action and references to other forms of media that made for a pleas-

ant viewing experience. But the execution of this storyline was poor, with acting that at times lacked pizzazz and sequences of events that felt unfinished and unpolished. In addition, a lack of character development left the majority of the characters feeling undeveloped and twodimensional. One element of the novel that made it hard to put down was the constant throwbacks to the ‘80s. In his adaptation, Spielberg mellowed out the references, removing ones to Dungeons and Dragons, obscure video games, movies and TV shows. Instead, he shifted the focus towards more wellknown pieces of the ‘80s (such as “The Shining”), and even going so far as to add things from the ‘90s (such as the “Iron Giant”) and even a couple movie references from the 2000s (such as “Halo” and “Minecraft”). These references were confusing, because these things were not byproducts of the culture of the 80s, and their presence simply did not make sense. Spielberg’s method of giving himself more room to work with, rather than simply having to make a movie out of an existing story, was a success. However, the resulting product was nothing more than a mediocre (albeit entertaining) film.


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

B3

SENIOR SECTION

Where they'll be: Theeds18

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES POE

A

s soon-to-graduate seniors, the past four years have brought massive amounts of excitement, enjoyment and appreciation for the wonderful experiences we have cultivated at Palo Alto High School. While 2019 will bring an entirely new set of challenges and triumphs, the memories we have made will always be close to our hearts. Whether it was destroying our league in almost every sport, bashing the juniors during Spirit Week or being one of the most diversely-talented graduating classes Paly will see for a long time, we have each made an unique impact on this school, and we will always call Paly home. — Allison, Ashley, Ehecatl, Maya and Niklas

JAIVEER SANDHU/USED WITH PERMISSION

JULIA SATTERTHWAITE/USED WITH PERMISSION

JAMES POE/USED WITH PERMISSION

MAYA HOMAN/THE CAMPANILE

TILAK MISNER/USED WITH PERMISSION

MARK FOSTER/USED WITH PERMISSION

AZURA HAYNES/USED WITH PERMISSION

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

JAMES POE/USED WITH PERMISSION

ASHLEY ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE

CLAIRE LIN/USED WITH PERMISSION

MATT HALL/USED WITH PERMISSION

By Gracie Kitayama & Paarth Sharma Senior Staff Writers

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hat is The Campanile without THE EDitors (Theeds)? From their multiple coffee runs during production to their suspiciously long bathroom breaks between page edits, we have to admit that there would not be a paper without them. As the sun rises on a new era of editors for next year, let’s take a look at where Theeds18 will be in the future. We first stop in L.A., where we meet up with entrepreneur Ashley Zhang. After graduating from USC, Zhang made it her mission to create local beauty products that weren’t shipped from Asia to give more American workers jobs. Zhang created the American Beauty Group (ABG) — a cruelty-free, local beauty company. “I created ABG with community in mind,” Zhang said. “I didn’t want the American Beauty Group to be a faceless company, but a more personal one. Our motto is ‘I am the ABG.’ It really gives a personal touch.” In addition to being a model and business executive, Zhang is also a mother who has been blessed with two beautiful, Asian baby girls. Hopping across the states, Allison Wu can be found in the Upper West Side of New York City, looking out the window on the top floor of her penthouse apartment. “I like to look down on people,” Wu said, gazing down at the city below her. “It makes me feel big.” And big she is. After graduating from UPenn with a degree in English, Wu used her liberal arts and communication skills to become a GIANT in the business world by heading a project that beat Google in the race to patent the driverless car. Wu is now partners with Elon Musk. “I still don’t have my driver’s license, but now, I don’t need one,” Wu said. At 5-foot-2, Wu was named “Smallest Billionaire” by Forbes Magazine. Just a few states over, journalist-turned-Republican Maya Homan is campaigning for a seat in the Senate. After losing three elections campaigning for Hillary in 2024, 2028 and 2032, Homan switched political parties in hopes of making more progress on the Republican side. “I plan on taking them [white men] down from the inside,” Homan said. “A seat I get in the Senate means one less seat an old white man gets. I will make abortion legal in this country if it kills me.” Back in the Bay Area, Niklas Risano has returned to Palo Alto. After majoring in business, Risano got a job a tech company in San Francisco where he makes $163,661 a year (the median income in Palo Alto). Risano married his high school sweetheart, has two children (Phillip and Philippa), lives in a two-story house and bought a condo in Florida, where he plans to retire. “I am doing fine,” Risano said. On the other side of the country in New Jersey, we find Ehecatl Rivera, who is currently employed at a hospital. “My original plan was to go to architecture school and learn how to design houses,” Rivera said. “But while I was there, I got so good at designing houses that I became known as Dr. House. From there, I did some research and was inspired by Dr. House, and decided to do a career change and become a doctor.” Like the real Dr. House, Rivera’s methods are incredibly reckless and largely illogical. Fortunately, he has never botched a surgery or killed a patient despite the fact that most of the actions he executes have 90 percent of resulting in death. We will never be attending any place that employs him. Theeds18 — we will miss you immensely next year and we hope you go on to do great things wherever life takes you!


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

B4

SENIOR SECTION

The Annual

Post-Paly P College of the Redwoods (1) CSU Chico (4) UC Davis (6) Sonoma State University (2) UC Berkeley (17) The Art Institute of California (1) University of San Francisco (1) San Francisco State University (6) Stanford University (5) Mission College (1) College of San Mateo (3) Foothill College (14) De Anza College (3) UC Santa Cruz (5)

Saint Mary’s College (2) University of the Pacific (1) Cañada College (1) San Jose State University (2) Santa Clara University (2) University of the Pacific (1)

University of Washington (14) University of Puget Sound (5) Washington State University (1) Whitman College (2)

WA MT

ND MN

OR ID

Reed College (1) Oregon State University (1) University of Oregon (7)

CA

SD

WY

University of Wyoming (1)

NE

NV UT CO

Brigham Young University (3)

KS University of Colorado Boulder (2) Colorado School of Mines (1) Colorado College (1)

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (10) UC Santa Barbara (13) California Lutheran University (1) Loyola Marymount University (2) University of La Verne (1) CSU Dominguez Hills (1) Whittier College (1) Occidental College (2) University of Southern California (12) UC Los Angeles (6) Los Angeles City College (1) Chapman University (2) CSU Long Beach (1) UC Irvine (3) Concordia University Irvine (1) University of San Diego (1) UC San Diego (3) San Diego State University (1)

Christina Adams Alexander Agosta Maggie Ainsworth-Darnell Cameron Akioka Jeremy Akioka Maya Akkaraju Eli Al-Shamari Ahmed Ali Jessica Alper Ankita Amberkar John Andersen Angel Antunez Devin Ardeshna Leopoldo Arias-Valencia Ezequiel Armenta Julia Asher Noah (Keahi) Asing Aashai Avadhani Benjamin Avny Benjamin Ayers Charles Baldwin Anjali Bardhan Estiven Barrera Alix Barry Annika Behal Gabrielle Bernas Claire Berschauer Claire Billman Chiara Biondi Nicholas Blonstein Mia Bloom Isabella Bonomi Katherine Brewer Sarah Brodbeck Ervin Brown Alexander Charlotte Brownell Madeline Buechler Connor Burns Mariana Buxton Melissa Carleton Lydia Carroll Naima Castaneda Issac Gabriella Ceja Leila Chabane Joy Chan Andrea Chandler Chloe Chang Jacob Chang Jasper Chang Luke Chang Thomas Chapman Isabella Chappuis Michael Chau Luis Chavez Arman Chawla Angeline Chen Nigel Chen Zachary Chen Brandon Cheng Charlotte Cheng Julian Cheng Charley Chew Hollie Chiao Maya Chin Nathan Chouinard Cassandra Chum Nathan Chun Elliot Clark Jackson Clough Emma Cockerell Gabriel Cohen

University of Oregon Undisclosed Emerson College Rice University Swarthmore College UC Berkeley Whitman College UC Los Angeles Undisclosed University of Michigan University of Southern California San Francisco State University University of Michigan Undisclosed University of La Verne Johns Hopkins University UC Irvine Carnegie Mellon University Undisclosed Undisclosed Worcester Polytechnic Institute University of Puget Sound San Francisco State University Princeton University Sarah Lawrence College Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University of Washington University of Washington Stanford University Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University of Oregon Occidental College Saint Mary’s College The New School (Parsons School of Design)

College of San Mateo University of Edinburgh UC Los Angeles Undisclosed Boston University Wellesley College Lynn University Undisclosed Undisclosed School of the Art Institute of Chicago CSU Chico UC Santa Barbara Chapman University Case Western Reserve University New York University Shanghai University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Indiana University Northeastern University UC Berkeley University of Redlands Northeastern University Undisclosed New York University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Northeastern University Undisclosed Undisclosed University of Oregon Undisclosed Gap Year New York University Foothill College UC Berkeley University of Wyoming University of Southern California Undisclosed

Cal Poly Pomona (1) Pomona College (3) California Institute of Techology (1) Pitzer College (2) Claremont McKenna College (2) Azusa Pacific University (1) Harvey Mudd College (1) University of the Redlands (1) CSU Fullerton (1) Arizona State University (2) Northern Arizona University (1) University of Arizona (4)

Jeremiah Cohn Gabriel Coker Paris Collman-Jackson Julie Cornfield Courtney Cox Samuel Craig Luke Crown Brandon Cruz Olivia d’Arezzo Hannah Darby Charulata Das Bert Davies Marie Davis Victoria de Pina Elisa Dickson Ryan Dickson Ding Ding Lhaga Dingpontsawa Alexandra Dinu Kim Diorio Bjorn Dittrich Danielle Do Lucia Dong Madeline Dong Zoe Dooley Deaira Dorsey-Brown Maximilian Dorward Jeremy Dou Julia Doubson Bryce Doughman Claire Duffie Cornelius Duffie Varun Dutta Benjamin Eckols Johanna Ehrensvard Hala Elhamdi Samantha Embersits Katelyn Engar Ole Erickson Philip Ericsson Cristina Erostico Katerina Fagan Chelsea Fan Raymond Fang Ryan Feitzinger Darby Felter Frank Fenwick Jade Ferragut Antoine Finot Michaela Fogarty Jack Forrest Reed Foster Shelby Franklin Sophie Frick Lawrence Fu Audrey Fulker Anna-Sophie Fuller Miguel Galvez Perez Amira Garewal Liam Gibbs Ercan Gokcek Peter Gold Ellen Goncher Owen Gonzalez Jonathan Gottlieb Ushana Goyal Calvin Grewal Derek Gubbens Samantha Guernsey Emilee Guzman Randy Guzman

Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Tulane University University of Puget Sound University of Chicago Concordia University Irvine Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara Colby College Gap Year Undisclosed Northeastern University Undisclosed Undisclosed Columbia College Chicago Undisclosed Whittier College University of Washington Gap Year CSU Long Beach Foothill College Berklee College of Music Oregon State University University of Washington Undisclosed Santa Clara University University of Michigan Amherst College Brigham Young University Northeastern University McGill University Case Western Reserve University Oberlin College Gap Year Foothill College University of Connecticut Undisclosed University of Dayton University of Michigan San Francisco State University Northern Arizona University Carnegie Mellon University Texas A&M University UC Davis Gap Year Vanderbilt University Work University of Toronto Pitzer College College of the Redwoods Massachusetts Institute of Technology De Anza College University of Washington UC Los Angeles University of Colorado Boulder Gap Year Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara Undisclosed Undisclosed New York University University of Washington De Anza College Grinell College UC Berkeley UC Berkeley New York University CSU Chico Foothill College Foothill College

Joonsung Ha Xander Hagen Sabrina Hall Henry Hallewell Fayann Han Keirin Hanay Madeleine Hare Maxwell Harrenstien Azura Haynes Barry He Eric He Issac Hernandez Gail Hildebrand Treshon Hill-Williams Amanda Hmelar Benson Ho Kamran Hoda Renee Hoh Saurin Holdheim Mariana Holtz Betiol Maya Homan Chloe Hong Emily Hopple Darrow Hornik Cooper Houston Dylan Hu Rachel Hu Andrew Huang Ronaldo Huang Teresa Huang Mike Huang Peter Huang Noga Hurwitz Jasmin Ibarra Alyssa Ibuyan Chloe Iglehart Richard Islas Hannah Itzkowitz Ruth Itzkowitz Paul Jackson Lindsay Jacob Jessica Jandres-Lopez Christopher Jawetz Bryant Jefferson Nathan Jeon Alia Jessup Brey Johnson Jazmine Johnson Jackson Reetu Joshi Alexander Juncosa Martin Max Jung-Goldberg Akash Kadakia Katherine Kamin Norman Karr Nicole Keegan Kelly Keith Maxwell Kelmon Kevin Kerr Louisa Keyani Cooper Kim Edward Kim Elizabeth Kim Kevin Kim Samuel Kim Alia Kind Grace Kitayama Matthew Knowles Sophia Kollias Nooran Kooner Umbher Kooner Rahul Kothari

AZ

OK

NM

TX Texas Christian University (1) University of Texas at Austin (1) Rice University (2) Texas A&M University (1)

University of Texas at Austin Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara Undisclosed UC Davis Undisclosed Princeton University Miami University Gap Year Cornell University San Jose State University Undisclosed Undisclosed The Art Institute of California – San Francisco

University of Southern California UC Santa Cruz Arizona State University UC Davis UC Los Angeles The New School Northeastern University Yale University Whitman College Stanford University Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara UC Davis University of Southern California Purdue University Undisclosed Rhode Island School of Design Rhode Island School of Design Gap Year Sonoma State University DePaul University Gap Year College of San Mateo Mount Holyoke College Brandeis University Amherst College CSU Chico De Anza College UC Los Angeles Post Graduate Year Undisclosed George Washington University Undisclosed Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara Undisclosed University of San Diego Undisclosed Foothill College UC Berkeley Loyola Marymount University University of Oregon Undisclosed Cal Poly San Luis Obispo American University Purdue University Vanderbilt University Undisclosed Pomona College Northwestern University Undisclosed Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Lehigh University University of Arizona UC Bezerkeley Santa Clara University University of Puget Sound

Tulane Un

Ivaylo Kozhuharov Abigail Kramer Justin Kramer Emily Krenz Tanay Krishna Jihi Kundu Jeffrey Lamb Sydney Lathi Sione Latu Keenan Laurence Katie Laursen Anna LeBlanc Albert Lee Andrew Lee Maddie Lee Nicholas Lee Stephanie Lee Raj Lele May Leng Carly Leong Johan Levander Hayley Levine Audrey Li Connor Li Eric Li Karen Li Madeline Li Michelle Li Sophia Lieb Nikolas Lillios Susanna Limb Claire Lin Samuel Lindskog Cynthia Liu Eric Liu Ryan Liu John Loftus Daniel Logan Sarah Lok Ricardo Lombera Bryan Look Kathryn Look Nicholas Loops Sebastian Lopez Kelsey Lu Alexander Lucci Marissa Ludwig Clara Luehrs Zoe Lusk Frederic Maa Aishah Maas Victor Magnusson Mele Mahe Calista Maillard Isabella Marcus Tyler Marik Jasmine Martin-Partovi Matin Massoudi Sergie Mata Noah Matlof Samantha McBride Madeline McNee Max McGee Connor McQuinn Miranda McShea Dylan Meek-Haven Nicholas Melvin Alondra Mendoza Nikki Merkle-Raymond Nicholas Merrill Sydney Mickelsen

Und Univ Univ Und UC S Purd Wor Und Und Und UC D

Univ

Bost Und Univ Und John Univ Carn Pitz Und Ame Univ Univ Carn UC D UC S Geo PAU Corn UC S Colu Colo New Univ Carn Bate Bate Tuft Con Gap New Drex Und Bost Und UC S New Duk UC S Mar Und Gap Und Mid Sain Und Ariz UC S Cal P Clar Duk Gap Brig Cal P Und Bost San Gap Und New


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

Campanile

Colby College (2) Bates College (2) Dartmouth College (2) University of Vermont (1) Middlebury College (1)

Plans Map

Colgate University (1) University of Rochester (1) Cornell University (2) Princeton University (3) Lehigh University (2) University of Pennsylvania (2) Drexel University (1) Swarthmore College (2) Allegheny College (1) Carnegie Mellon University (9)

Compiled by the 2017-18 Editors-in-Chief Macalester College (1)

Grinnell College (2) University of Wisconsin-Madison (1) Northwestern University (2) Loyola University Chicago (1) School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1) DePaul University (1) Columbia College Chicago (2) University of Chicago (3) University of Michigan (11) MI

WI

ME

VT NH NY MA CT RI

PA

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (3)

Case Western Reserve University (3)

IA IL

VA

KY NC

TN SC AL

College of William and Mary (1) Ohio State University (1)

Purdue University (8) Indiana University (2) Duke University (4)

DE

Johns Hopkins University (2) University of Maryland, Baltimore County(1) Maryland Institute College of Art (1)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill(2)

AR MS

MD

Miami University (1)

WV MO

NJ

Oberlin College (1) University of Dayton (1)

OH

IN

B5

SENIOR SECTION

Washington University in St. Louis (2) Vanderbilt University (2) University of Tennessee (1)

University of Massachusetts Amherst (1) Amherst College (2) Mount Holyoke College (1) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1) Brandeis University (2) Tufts University (4) Harvard University (1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2) Berklee College of Music (1) Boston University (7) Northeastern University (7) Emerson College (2) Wellesley College (2) Rhode Island School of Design (2) University of Connecticut (1) Connecticut College (2) Yale University (2) Sarah Lawrence College (1) New York University (11) The New School (4) Pratt Institute (1) Columbia University (2) American University (2) Georgetown University (2) George Washington University (1)

GA

LA

University of Hawai’i at Manoa (1)

FL

Emory University (1)

niversity (1)

Lynn University (1)

disclosed versity of Oregon versity of Arizona disclosed Santa Barbara due University rk disclosed disclosed disclosed Davis

versity of Maryland, Baltimore County

ton University disclosed versity of St Andrews disclosed ns Hopkins University versity of Michigan negie Mellon University zer College disclosed erican University versity of Washington versity of Southern California negie Mellon University Davis Santa Barbara orgetown University USD Post-Secondary Program nell University San Diego umbia University orado School of Mines w York University versity of Michigan negie Mellon University es College es College ts University nnecticut College p Year w York University xel University disclosed ton University disclosed Santa Barbara w York University Shanghai ke University Santa Barbara ryland Institute College of Art disclosed p Year disclosed ddlebury College nt Mary’s College disclosed zona State University San Diego Poly San Luis Obispo remont McKenna College ke University p Year gham Young University Poly San Luis Obispo disclosed ton University n Francisco State University p Year disclosed w York University

Izzy Min Kiran Misner Tilak Misner Amaya Mitchell Arjan Mobin Omar Mohamed Arturo Montes Alexa Morales Miguel Moreno Naomi Moresi Hana Morita Rafi Moskowitz Benner Mullin Tajae Murray Hannah Mutz Sophia Muys Sinclair Myrick Sophie Nakai Mangla Narayan Reza Navadeh Dainel Nemeth Matthew Nemeth Adee Newman Vivian Nguyen Hunter North Max Nyffenegger Corey O’Farrell Jenna Ogawa Nicholas Ogawa Alvin On Eunice Ontiveros Mattie Orloff Kasra Orumchian Hannah Pan Alique Papas Andrew Park Guy Parmeter Briana Patino Ayala Benjamin Pederson Graham Peeps Kevin Peng Danilo Perez Aditi Periyannan Alessandro Petrini Isabella Phung Christopher Pierno George Pineda Alexis Pisco James Poe Benjamin Poupin Kyle Powell Anna Promokhova Simran Pujji Julia Qiao Maya Ravel-Bailey Maya Reamey Maya Rebitzer Paige Reed Nandini Relan Maya Reuven Joseph Reynolds Denise Ringwalt Niklas Risano Roberto Rivera Ehecatl Rivera James Roake Ladaishia Roberts Bryan Rodriguez Jose Rodriguez Stefany Rodriguez Spencer Rojahn

INTERNATIONAL:

Charlotte Brownell - The University of Edinburgh (Scotland) Jasper Chang - New York University Shanghai (China) Cornelius Duffie - McGill University (Canada) Antoine Finot - University of Toronto (Canada) Maddie Lee - University of St Andrews (Scotland) Clara Luehrs - New York University Shanghai (China) Leila Tjiang - University of Toronto (Canada) Liam Sherlock - Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)

Foothill College Tufts University UC Berkeley Duke University Purdue University UC Santa Cruz Purdue University San Francisco State University Emory Univesity University of Washington University of Puget Sound University of Wisconsin-Madison Washington University in St. Louis Los Angeles City College University of Michigan UC Los Angeles Colorado College Carnegie Mellon University Boston University University of Arizona University of Southern California UC Berkeley Foothill College Carnegie Mellon University University of Washington University of Colorado Boulder Undisclosed Gap Year Case Western Reserve University California Institute of Technology College of San Mateo CSU Chico University of Southern California Princeton University Undisclosed New York University University of Tennessee Undisclosed Gap Year University of Southern California Undisclosed Undisclosed Tufts University Northeastern University University of Washington Occidental College Foothill College Gap Year Yale University Gap Year Undisclosed UC Santa Cruz University of Michigan College of William and Mary Undisclosed UC Santa Barbara Gap Year Texas Christian University Cal Poly San Luis Obispo UC Berkeley University of Oregon Purdue University Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Undisclosed Pratt Institute Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Undisclosed University of Arizona Sonoma State University Cal Poly Pomona University of Rochester

GAP YEAR: Nathan Chouinard - Work and travel Charulata Das - Internship then Boston College Darby Felter - Semester at a West Point prep school then semester-long internship Johanna Ehrensvard - Work and travel Azura Haynes - Travel Noga Hurwitz - International President of BBYO

Zachary Rotblatt Julianna Roth Matthew Rowe Pablo Ruiz Tobaruela Joseph Rumelhart Niloufar Saeed Tehrani Alberto Salgado Nava William Sallomi Dhesya Salsabila Jaiveer Sandhu Rahul Sankar Emma Santana Alice Saparov Tamar Sarig Charlotte Saunders Oscar Scherer Alexandra (Ally) Scheve William Schlemmer Will Schmutz Elizabeth Schnaubelt Anna Seligson Jonathan Semba Sarah Shader Liam Shalon Nitan Shalon Naomi Shand Paarth Sharma Vijay Sharma Simone Shaw Xander Sherer Andrew Shieh Anna Shimoda Mihir Singhal Emma Smart Bradley Smith Edan Sneh August Soderberg Laura Song Annalee Soohoo Manuel Soto Kesi Sound Charles Spanhook Emma Staiger Talia Stanley Zoe Stedman Renee Stephenson Preston Sterling Jonathan Stoschek Amelia Straight William Strauch Tanli Su Andrew Suk Alexander Sun Ida Sunneras Jonsson Jharna Sutaria Rachel Tang Elizabeth Tapia Theodore Taubeneck Exodus Tautakitaki Naveen Tayyebi Cullen Tellez Nicholas Thom Clare Thomas Leila Tjiang Adrien Tompert Emily Tomz Antares Tran Leonardo Trejo Bien Bella Triolo Mia Trubelja Mailinh Truong

Chloe Iglehart - Work then Chapman University Bryan Look - Internship and travel Mele Mahe - Army (job training) Nikki Merkle-Raymond - City Year Jenna Ogawa - Travel Anna Sophie-Fuller - Language program in Japan Benjamin Pederson - Study abroad Alexis Pisco - Program through Oxford Benjamin Poupin - Work

Undisclosed Grinnell College Brigham Young University UC Santa Barbara Reed College UC Berkeley Allegheny College Stanford University Foothill College Tufts University UC Santa Barbara Cañada College University of Chicago Harvard University CSU Fullerton Gap Year Swarthmore College Post Graduate Year University of Michigan Macalester College Colby College University of Oregon Gap Year University of Washington Washington University in St. Louis University of Michigan University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Michigan Gap Year San Diego State University UC Berkeley University of Washington Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston University University of San Francisco University of Washington Brandeis University Undisclosed Claremont McKenna College San Francisco State University University of Southern California Undisclosed Dartmouth College Stanford University Tulane University Rice University UC Irvine Purdue University The New School Gap Year Dartmouth College UC Berkeley UC Irvine Gap Year Undisclosed Carnegie Mellon University Undisclosed Undisclosed Undisclosed Foothill College Undisclosed University of Chicago University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa University of Toronto Foothill College Pomona College San Jose State University Columbia College Chicago University of Massachusetts Amherst Emerson College Foothill College

Bryan Tsang Takivaha Tupou Patricia Valbuena Erickson Valentine Alec Van Vleck Bruno Vargas Jake Varner Taevia Vauss Emma Verbist Kevin Villanueva Emma Villarreal Benjamin Vogel Clay Volino Lauren Wagner Stella Wan Celine Wang Peyton Wang Tristan Wang Angelina Wang Cecilia Ward Lauren Watt Abigail Waxman George Welch Olivia Whelan-O’Farrell Beatrice White Nathan Willis Joan Wolfgramm Daniel Wong Avery Wooten Joseph Worku Allison Wu Jerry Wu Kendra Wu Jared Wulbrun Brian Xu Shota Yamamoto Hedi Yang Rebecca Yao Sylvia Yee George Yoshinaga Vivian Young Sarah Youngquist Emily Yu Stephanie Yu Iris Yuan Noah Yuen Conor Zabik Jacob Zajac Julian Zelazny Nori Zenger Ashley Zhang Emily Zhang Nicolas Zhang Nicholas Zhao Hua Zheng Adeline Zhou Annie Zhou Frances Zhuang Matan Ziv Eli Zucker

Maya Rebitzer - NCCC Americorps then Colby College Oscar Scherer - Work and travel Sarah Shader - City Year then Pomona College Simone Shaw - Gap year then University of Puget Sound William Strauch - Travel Ida Sunneras Jonsson - Internship Alec Van Vleck - Gap year Benjamin Vogel - College applications and travel

The Ohio State University Undisclosed Loyola University Chicago Mission College Gap Year Loyola Marymount University Azusa Pacific University Undisclosed University of Vermont PAUSD Post-Secondary Program Undisclosed Gap Year Georgetown University Indiana University UC Berkeley Harvey Mudd College Wellesley College Stanford University Boston University University of Washington Chapman University The New School Lehigh University New York University Foothill College Undisclosed CSU Dominguez Hills University of the Pacific University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

PAUSD Post-Secondary Program University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania University of Puget Sound California Lutheran University University of Southern California UC Santa Cruz UC San Diego Columbia University Washington State University Undisclosed Carnegie Mellon University Undisclosed New York University Pomona College Purdue University Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Undisclosed Purdue University Undisclosed Undisclosed University of Southern California Northwestern University UC Santa Cruz UC Berkeley Colgate University UC Berkeley New York University UC Berkeley University of Southern California Duke University

Good luck to all seniors on their future endeavours. All of us at The Campanile wish you well! — Edited by Allison Wu, Ashley Zhang & Maya Homan


Friday, February 2, 2018

The Campanile

SENIOR SECTION

B6

Freshman 2014-2015

Last year of optional flex

While all other classes know nothing but the many variations of the mandatory flex policy employed by the administration these past few years, the Class of 2018 can recall a time before they were forced to spend an hour aimlessly wandering around campus after sixth period.

MAC opens

Paly’s Media Arts Center, affectionately known as “the MAC,” opened our freshman year. The building houses many of Paly’s premier publications, as well as Verde, and provides students with a host of unique opportunities, such as doing drugs in the bathroom or injuring oneself while trying to stand on an $200 plastic cube.

James Franco murals painted

The “Mona Lisa.” The “Starry Night.” James Franco’s murals. Some works of art simply leave an incredible impact on their viewers. While Franco’s murals may not have the fame (or quality) of the other two, they’ve managed to stir up just as much discussion.

Sophomore 2015-2016

Night rally

Due to construction, ASB decided to replace the usual gym rally with a night rally. Like the vast majority of Spirit Week events, the crowd spent most of the time trying to understand the rules of the heinously bizarre game being played before them. Despite this, many students found a way to be in a relaxed and euphoric state during the rally.

Gyms demolished

In early 2016, Paly’s gyms, which had been around for decades, were finally demolished. For a few Paly sports teams, this meant a series of awkward bus rides to practice and “home” games. For everyone else, it meant an annoyingly long walk to get around construction.

Uneventful year

This was by far the most uneventful year out of the four that we spent at Paly. The reality of the situation is that some years are more fun than others, and for us, these were undoubtedly our junior and senior year, where our class had a multitude of important events. However, this was not the case this year, as it was not one to remember at all.

Junior 2016-2017

Peace march

The class of 2018 was central to the Peace March that pushed thousands of students, community members and even celebrities like Joan Baez into the streets of University Avenue in the fall of 2016 following the election of Donald Trump. Few other classes can claim to have taken such a strong and deliberate political stance.

Boys’ basketball run

It wasn’t until the class of 2018’s junior year that we witnessed a marquee sports team when the boys basketball team faced one of its best seasons. The team took the California Coast Section (CCS) championships on a game-winning shot from senior Spencer Rojahn (‘18) and proceeded to advance all the way to the state semifinal game.

Spirit week feud

On Sept. 18, 2016, junior Vice President Marissa Ludwig announced via Facebook the Spirit Week theme would be disco. The post soon devolved into a flame war in which participants alternated between berating the theme and other class members. The theme was changed to boxing, and the class rebounded to win the float competition.

Senior 2017-2018

Winning Spirit Week

Unexpectedly, the Class of 2018 was able to pull out a Spirit Week win its senior year. As we were losing 0-3 for Spirit Week leading up to this year, most people thought we would have no shot at winning the title. However, against all odds, we persevered and got our first Spirit Week win as seniors.

Diorio/McGee resignation

On the night of Sept. 25, 2017, then-Superintendent Max McGee realized that with the class of 2018’s graduation, there would soon be nothing left staying for at PAUSD, and immediately announced his resignation. The same realization hit former Principal Kim Diorio later on in the school year. Hopefully we’ll cross paths at the 10-year reunion.

Quadchella

While Coachella boasted music’s biggest names, Quadchella featured a host of emerging acts like Oscar’s Band and Martin (formerly Martin from Palo Alto). While Coachella remains the prime event for mainstream fans, Quadchella is quickly establishing a name for itself as the place to be for underground music, second only to Quadglobe.

text and design by Ehecatl Rivera and Paarth Sharma


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

B7

SCIENCE & TECH

Paly students exhibit riveting creations at annual Maker Faire

Aspiring Makers, robotics to showcase homemade vehicals, robots at Bay Area festival of techonology, science, craft, arts By Annie Chen & Miranda Li Lifestyle Editor & Science and Tech Editor

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everal Paly student Makers will exhibit their creations at the annual Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center from May 18 through May 20. The Paly Robotics team will also demonstrate the robot it built for its past season at the event. Maker Faire is a conglomerate of aspects of both science and county fairs — a showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. Thousands of people attend this celebration of the Maker Movement, a do-it-yourself community influenced by technology. Ranging from science enthusiasts to food artisans, participants share their knowledge and inspire each other.

“The idea came up to make the desk kart freshman year one day as a joke.” Lawrence Chang Paly sophomore Lawrence Chang and juniors Peter Martin and Nathan Kim, the leaders of the Paly Electric Vehicles Club, are demonstrating the vehicles they have built and modified over the past couple of years. All three are passionate and experienced Makers who express themselves through their projects. “I find that making [projects] gives me a lot of freedom; freedom to manipulate and do interesting things in the physical world," Chang said. "Using [my] hands to do stuff at a young age was always quite intuitive. As I learned more, met more people and gained access to more resources, my interest and capacity to make things grew as well.” Chang, Kim and Martin are demonstrating their homemade

vehicles and models — including a desk go-kart and an electric bike — at their “Student Drivers” booth, located in Zone 9 Eastside at the Faire. “We [were] all inspired by our laziness and reluctance to spend effort when commuting to school,” Chang said. This proved an effective and motivating method for the Makers to begin planning their project. “The idea came up to make the desk kart freshman year one day as a joke,” Kim said. “It was crazy enough to be interesting, so Peter and I spent some time thinking of theoretical designs and parts lists. After giving the concept a little more thought, we determined it to be a feasible idea, so we went out and built it." According to Martin, the project took roughly a semester’s worth of weekends during their freshman year to complete. The desk go-kart was built by welding a steel frame onto an old desk, as well as attaching an axle, wheels, an electric motor and batteries. On the other hand, Chang began working on his mid-drive electric bike last summer with only a completely 3D-printed motor mount, batteries and a motor controller. “The benefits of rapid prototyping and the ability to make complex parts, like the motor mount for the bike, was indispensable for this process,” Chang said. However, as the mount later started to fail due to wear and tear, Chang decided to make custom battery packs, a project he is still iterating on. Throughout the process of creating their vehicles, Chang, Kim and Martin were all faced with various obstacles and challenges they had to overcome, including aspects regarding funding and time. “The most challenging part of the process … in my opinion, is time,” Kim said. “Being busy [as] a high schooler, it was, and still is, difficult to find enough time to execute the project.”

SABRINA MARTIN/USED WITH PERMISSION

Peter Martin's homemade and locally renowned go-kart desk will be featured at the "Student Drivers" booth at the Maker Faire. Mapping out the project from much more than what it appears be demonstrating their robot at Captain Shota Yamamoto. “The start to finish, especially consid- to be [on] the surface,” Chang Maker Faire. process of ideating, creating and The team participates in the iterating throughout the whole ering capabilities, materials and said. “You learn to talk to people, knowledge also proved to be dif- negotiate with companies, ask for For Inspiration and Recogni- build and competition seasons was advice, work with people, bar- tion of Science and Technology tough, [especially for] the elevator, ficult. Initially, Chang struggled with gain for prices, source parts from (FIRST) Robotics Competition but utilizing knowledge and expewrapping his mind around the manufacturers, sell goods on eBay (FRC), and has six weeks each rience from past years, along with to fund your projects and lead year to design and build a game- research, has allowed the robot whole concept. “That is always the biggest other people who are also enthu- playing robot. and team to be highly regarded by This year’s game challenge, many world-class teams.” hurdle for anything I do — just siastic about these [projects], all formulating an achievable goal while expanding [your] technical “FIRST Power Up,” involved Sophomore Nicole Lavosky, a three teams forming an alliance member of Paly Robotics, is orgaand mapping out an achievable knowledge.” and competing against other al- nizing the team’s demonstration at plan," Chang said. "There are liances to place cubes on teeter- Maker Faire this year. always hurdles and unforeseen things that need to be worked out “[I thought] it would be cool “Building the robot this totter structures and climb on a rung to score points. Paly Robot- to demo our robot [at the Maker — that’s inevitable — but it’s the year was definitely a ics’ robot focused on placing cubes Faire] because a lot of tech enthings you already see coming and on the six foot tall “scale,” with a thusiasts go there so it’s a relevant [the process of ] trying figure out challenge for the whole multi-stage elevator mechanism. audience,” Lazovsky said. “The how to get around those things … team as we decided to The team plans on coordinating people that attend the Faire share that is the most taxing for me.” pursue a multitude of a mini-version of this game with a particular interest in STEAM Despite the numerous chalother robotics teams attending [Science, Technology, Engineerlenges, months of effort and itnew [mechanisms].” Maker Faire. erations each project took before ing, Art and Math] and creation, Shota Yamamoto “Building the robot this year which connects to our mission as a arriving at a final product, Chang, was definitely a challenge for the team — to enrich the educational Kim and Martin learned invaluwhole team as we decided to pur- experiences of our community by able skills throughout their jourIn addition to these three Paly sue a multitude of new [mecha- spreading STEAM through outneys. “For any project, you learn so Makers, Paly Robotics will also nisms],” said Paly Robotics Build reach and FIRST programs.”

City council to consider sugar tax Local health professor suggests a 20-cent increase in price for soda-pop type beverages By Kiana Tavakoli Staff Writer

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he sour effects of sugar have led members of the Palo Alto City Council to make progress toward implementing a tax on sugar-based beverages, under the reasoning that this would be a step in the right direction to prevent health issues. This tax was suggested by local health professor at Foothill College Ken Horowitz, who hopes that Palo Alto will follow in the footsteps of cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Calif., Berkeley, Calif., Albany, Calif. and Seattle in order to fight health issues associated with high sugar consumption, as well as influence nearby cities to do the same. The tax would be placed on distributors and would likely increase the price of each bottle by around 20 cents “My hope is that when Palo Alto starts this tax, it will spread to nearby cities such as Mountain View and San Jose,” Horowitz said. “In San Jose, over half the students drink a can of soda a day.” The recommended daily sugar intake ranges from 25 to 38 grams; however, a 12 ounce can of Coca Cola contains 39 grams. Medical research suggests that increased sugar intake is a leading factor in obesity and diabetes.

“As a nation we should be working towards making healthier choices, and a tax on soda is a step in that direction.” Sarah O'Riordan “One can of soda has around 17 packets of sugar and there is no nutrition,” Horowitz said. “I think it is important that people know how much sugar we eat. Read the labels. I teach college students and they had no idea. That's what got me interested.” According to a report done by the Institute of Medicine for the National Academies Press, obesity is one of the most significant and prevalent health issues that America faces and action needs to

SAMANTHA HWANG/THE CAMPANILE

José Gonzalez heads out to bake some dough and make some dough.

Tech-based pizza place Zume's robo-truck makes food on the go By Samantha Hwang & John Tayeri Board Correspondant & Buisiness Manager

A be taken to prevent it. An example of action that the report suggests is a tax. Berkeley, Calif. is an example of a city that has implemented a tax and seen results. The city’s consumption has been reduced and the money raised through their tax has been used to benefit various aspects of the city, specifically schools. “Berkeley has had this tax since 2014 and it’s been working really well,” Horowitz said. “It has reduced soda consumption by 15 percent and they’ve been able to raise $1.5 million per year. Most of this money goes to the schools. The Berkeley Unified School District has used this money for nutrition classes, gardening classes and cooking classes.” Horowitz hopes that Palo Alto will do the same in order to prevent obesity and limit sugar addiction. Sugar-based drinks such as sodas are extremely addictive due to the large amounts of serotonin, commonly referred to as a "happy hormone," and caffeine contained in it. “Sugar is the new tobacco,”

Horowitz said. “Years and years ago we placed the tax on tobacco and that has dramatically reduced the number of people smoking. We can do the same with this sugar beverage tax.” Caffeine is similar to a naturally occurring molecule in the brain called adenosine, which slows nerve cell activity and regulates sleeping and waking cycles. When caffeine is consumed, it is able to mimic adenosine, therefore fitting into the brain's receptors. This blocks adenosine and prevents nerve activity from slowing down thus creating a feeling of energy. After consuming caffeine on a regular basis, the body compensates by increasing production of adenosine. This means it would take more caffeine to become alert the next time, thus creating a craving and cycle of addiction. Though people love caffeine and sugary drinks, many students, including Paly sophomore Sarah O’Riordan, are beginning to realize that action needs to be taken to reduce national consumption in order to decrease the overwhelming numbers of health problems

that Americans face. “Even though I like soda and drink it, I do believe it should be taxed,” O’Riordan said. “As a nation we should be working towards making healthier choices, and a tax on soda is a step in that direction.” Many people, such as sophomore Isabel Harding, are becoming increasingly aware of the impacts of sugar and the control big companies have over the nation’s health.

“Years ago we placed the tax on tobacco and that has dramatically reduced the number of people smoking. We can do the same with this sugar beverage tax.” Ken Horowitz Harding said, “I think it's a good thing to start taxing these companies because it’s a start in holding them accountable for what they're doing to people.”

mid the numerous RVs lined up on El Camino Real near the school, there is one truck that stands out above the other grey and brown vehicles: the red Zume Pizza truck. While this red truck may appear as another big vehicle Palo Alto’s parents enjoy complaining about, this particular truck is the home of Zume Pizza and has a much greater backstory. Alex Garden and Julia Collins opened Zume Pizza in 2016 in Mountain View to create high quality food to deliver to customers while piloting the latest technology in the restaurant business. “At our base [restaurant], we have two robots named Bruno and Martha,” said José Gonzalez, an employee at the Palo Alto mobile truck. “They work with our kitchen staff to prepare the pizza for the next day. Martha is in charge of saucing the pizzas, and Bruno is in charge of putting the pizzas in the oven.” Robots Bruno and Martha prepare the pizzas the night before at the base restaurant in Menlo Park, and the mobile kitchen staff heat up the pizza pies in the truck the next day. Gonzalez works the pizza truck right outside the Paly parking lot. “I’m the [mobile kitchen manager] here, so I manage the truck, and I’m in charge of cooking all of the pies, and [I] make sure that all the orders go out correctly with the [vehicles] and everything,”

Gonzalez said. “I just ensure that everything goes out smoothly.” For efficiency, Zume Pizza uses robots, scooters and Fiats with the company logo on them for delivery. Other than its advanced ways of creating and delivering pizzas, Zume has also changed the way of packaging delivery pizzas which they call pods. According to its website, “The pod your Zume Pizza arrives in is patented for good reason. Your pizza arrives warmer, crispier and tasting more like pizza, not a cardboard box. It's 100 percent sugarcane fiber, leeches nothing into your pizza and when you’re done eating, you can feed it to Mother Earth.” Employees and robots alike all work towards advanced pizza technology. In terms of pricing and efficiency, the robots have immensely helped the up and coming business. “At Zume Pizza we’re based on working with robots that prepare the pizzas, and pizzas that are on the go,” Gonzalez said. “Our trucks are equipped with a high standard of ovens that can prepare the pizza under three and a half minutes.” In addition to its Palo Alto location, Zume Pizza has opened mobile locations all over the Bay Area. “Right now we have three [trucks] in the area,” Gonzalez said. “One in Sunnyvale which we just launched last month, and [the Palo Alto location] which was the first one. We just originally moved from the kitchen to the trucks and now we’re running three. Pretty soon, we’re going to launch one in Santa Clara and Fremont as well."


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

THE TETRIS EFFECT From arcades, to laptop computers, the remarkably addictive game is still on our screens and on our minds and after over three decades.

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Since the fall of 2016, Paly stuhe mathematical beauty of the colorful blocks raining dents have been required to bring an from the sky in an orga- electronic device to school. Though nized fashion mesmerizes the this requirement allowed students player in front of the screen. The to use their laptops in the classroom undeniably satisfying feeling of to work, students also misused their clearing a row of Tetris blocks is newly-acquired devices to do work unmatched by any other game; for other classes, browse social menone nearly as addicting as Te- dia, watch videos and play Tetris. tris. The obession gets so extreme that players can envision the “Before I would game playing behind be falling their eyelids, a asleep, I would phenomenon dubbed The picture Tetris Effect. the blocks and Paly librarhow they fit ian Debbie Henry started together.” playing TeDEBBIE HENRY tris in 1991 and can recall what made the game so addicting. “I rememTetris is just one of the virtual ber seeing my children playing it, and it was on a larger screen games that students can play while at the time,” Henry said. “I not-so-subtly hiding their screen thought, ‘Oh, that looks good.’ from their teachers. However, with I did it kind of sporadically, but so many platforms and different when GameBoy came out, I was variations of the game, it is no sura goner. I really was addicted to prise that Tetris has gained popularit. That would have been proba- ity in Paly pockets. bly ‘91 or ‘92. I think just finding little spots, little areas, to fill one What is Tetris? was always satisfying. I always Tetris is a computer game creloved geometry.” ated in 1984 by computer programFollowing the evolution of mer Alexey Pajitnov, according to technology from boxy desktops the official Tetris website. to basic game controllers to the The game was originally created modern, sleek laptop, Tetris has as a program to test the functioning hopped from one digital plat- capabilities of computers. form to the next. Today, billions of games of Tetris are played by millions of people every day, as it is carried on Facebook and available via various phone applications. According to the official Tetris website, the game is addictive because it satisfies players’ unconscious desire to organize non-uniform shapes into a set of shapes that fit

perfectly together. “Tetris, like the real world, challenges players to make order out of chaos using a specific organization system, the game components translate easily into lifestyle interpretations,” a passage on the official Tetris website reads. Since humans have an innate desire to form order from chaos, such as a perfectly uniform Tetris board, the player is persuaded to keep playing until they can do so. The game and its colorful, recognizable shapes have become iconic. Music, clothing and even alternative versions of the game are all consumed by millions of people worldwide.

The Tetris Effect

After playing Tetris for a while, senior August Soderberg sometimes sees colorful blocks of four falling from above, orderly stacked atop one another, when he closes his eyes. Scooting the orange squareshaped block a few clicks over and rotating the T-shaped purple piece over and over again, he tries to find the perfect orientation. For those who play Tetris often, experiencing such scenes as a mini arcade behind the eyelids is a common occurrence, known as to many as The Tetris Effect.

dle of a really long game, my eyes will get super dry and watery from staring for so long. So definitely, when you stop playing, you have that perpetual motion of blocks moving down so when that’s no longer there your brain tries to adjust for it and just make it up.” However, students don’t just see Tetris in their minds, it’s also on their computers during schools hours. Soderberg is among one of the many students who plays the game during class. “Definitely when I first started getting really into Tetris, I couldn’t get through class periods without opening it up,” Soderberg said. “I would get more work done as fast as I could just so I could start playing Tetris with people.”

TEXT AND DESIGN BY: RENEE HOH

Tetris’ Legacy

Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian computer programmer and the creator of the game, named it “Tetris” after a combination of the Greek prefix tetra and Pajitnov’s favorite sport, tennis. Inspired by his favorite puzzle board game, Pentominoes, Pajitnov created Tetris with an electronic version of his favorite board game in mind. His final design made use of seven different pieces all containing four segments or squares instead of Pentominoes’ original five-squared pieces. For the Tetris lovers at Paly, their passion for “There’s the game ignited when seeing othsomething about ers playing it. being such a Soderberg mindless game started playing Tetris his senior that it just year and said he keeps going.” finds the game appealing beAUGUST cause of its mulSODERBERG tiple uses. “It’s more of a distraction while I’m doing other things,” Soderberg said. “When I was playing it all the time, right before I would be falling “I’ll listen to an audio podcast and asleep, I would picture the blocks then I’ll play Tetris at the same and how they fit together,” Soder- time. So it’s a great multitasking berg said. “When I am in the mid- tool because I can do other things at the same time and it doesn’t take a ton of focus at all. It’s just very satisfying to see all the lines clearing down and it just keeps you attentive.” Despite the game being an occasional distraction, Soderberg said he has no plans to stop playing Tetris. “There’s something about being such a mindless game to go through that it just keeps it going,” Soderberg said. “When people see you playing Tetris, they are like, ‘Ooh, you’re playing Tetris. That’s so old.’ No, it’s still amazing. It’s timeless.”

TEXT AND DESIGN BY: GRACIE KITAYAMA

ART BY: RENEE HOH


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

SP RTS

ARCHERY

ATHLETE OF THE

A sport for the body and mind Overview

Training

nhale. Take position. Release. Exhale. 144 times. Sophomore Margaret Li shoots arrow after arrow at an archery tournament in Gilroy, Calif.; her victory here placed her as first in her division and qualified her for Sacramento Nationals for the second year in a row. “I was extremely proud that my practice had paid off,” Li said. Li participates in competitive target archery, which consists of four different types of shooting based on bow type: barebow, compound bow, longbow and recurve. At tournaments, archers shoot in divisions, known as bowman, cub, cadet, junior, senior and master, classified by age and gender as per USA Archery regulations. Scoring is based on the points associated with each concentric ring. An arrow closer to the center yields a higher score. An indoor archery tournament consists of 120 arrows per archer, with the distance from shooter to target depending on the division and bow type, while an outdoor tournament consists of 144 arrows shot at four different distances, also depending on divisionand bow type.

ccording to Li, archery is a difficult sport to master, both physically and mentally. Physically, one must train to increase their bow poundage, which is the weight applied to an archer’s fingers when the bowstring is fully stretched. This can range anywhere from 10 to 75 pounds. “Archery is about consistency so it’s important that you can handle the bow weight,” Li said. “When I got a new bow, I had to practice more to increase my strength to handle the new poundage. After increasing the bow weight, you know you are used to it when you can shoot 100 arrows without getting tired.” Training to increase one’s bow poundage while maintaining consistent shots involves many activities, such as practicing Specific Physical Training (SPT) for endurance. SPT trains the specific muscles needed for archery by having archers draw and hold their bow for period of time ranging from 30 seconds to a minute for 20 repetitions. This exercise must be done with proper form to reinforce muscle memory. Unlike what many people assume, the muscles archery focuses on are he ones in the back, specifically the scapula, rather than the arms. “[One of the most important techniques] is definitely learning how to use your scapula,” said Alicia Kao, a member of the Stanford Archery Junior Team. “That’s the one muscle that makes the whole shot work. If you use [only] your arm muscles, it won’t be consistent enough.” However, despite benefiting from strength and endurance in the arms and back, archery requires willpower and a strong s p i r i t

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above all else, according to Kao. “Archery is by far more mental than physical,” Kao said. “Yes, being strong might mean you can pull a heavier-poundage bow . . . [but] I have also been at tournaments where there was someone who used their teeth and a sort of mouth guard to pull the string because they did not have function over their arms. [Archery is] primarily [a] mental [sport] because your mind is in control of the smallest details that make a really big difference in your shot.”

Payoff

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ompetitive archers regularly hit the bull’s-eye, also known as the gold, 10, X or spider. “For a lot of people, you put in a lot of hours of hard work and when you shoot a [bull’s-eye], it just feels good,” Kao said. “When you finally perfect your shot, it all seems worth it.” Li echoes Kao’s sentiments. “The first time I hit a gold, it was probably by pure luck because I had just started archery then,” Li said. “But once I could consistently hit the gold, I felt really proud of all the practice and training that went into it.” In fact, Li said she enjoys archery so much, in her free time, she coaches children with special needs at the Los Altos Hills Archery Club in order to introduce others to the sport. “I volunteer there every Saturday,” Li said. “I guess you can call it my happy place, because I love working with kids . . . It’s re-

MONTH This edition featuring:

Paul Thie

warding to share my passion with others.” According to Li, archery has many benefits, such as teaching applicable life skills like perseverance and patience because not every shot is perfect. It also teaches one how to hone ones focus and perform under pressure. However, both Kao and Li say the most rewarding part of participating in archery is becoming familiar with the community. “For me, archery is a social sport and I love the community I’m in,” Kao said. “[The friends you make] become your family. I’ve talked to a lot of people on my team and they don’t come here for the archery, they come here for the people because that’s who you get to interact with, and I love that.”

Text, Design & Art by Miranda Li Art by Annie Chen Design by John Tayeri

History of Archery

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rchery is one of the world’s oldest sports, with roots in ancient civilizations around the world, used for both hunting and warfare. In the Ancient Near East, carvings in Egyptian tombs from 5,000 years ago depict legendary figures providing archery lessons. In the palace of Darius I, the fourth king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire 2500 years ago,

a frieze illustrates two archers holding recurve bows. One hundred years later, ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon described the usage of longbows in the city of Corduene, Greece. In the Greco-Roman era, many practiced archery, and Cretan mercenary archers were commonly sought after. Greek god of archery Apollo and goddess of hunting Artemis were often de-

picted holding bows. In 4th century Rome, archers became useful assets in armies across the empire. Across the world in East Asia, archery was a essential part of Chinese history, culture and philosophy. Archery was one of the six noble arts of the Zhou Dynasty 3200 years ago and was an important skill for Chinese emperors. South Korea also adopted a military examination system

with a focus for archery skills. However, with the development and adoption of firearms, the bow and arrow eventually became an outdated and neglected form of warfare. With a strong standing in the cultures of many ancient civilizations, archery became less of a weapon for battle and more of a fancied sport, ensuring that it would continue to be practiced to this day.

The longbow is an extremely tall bow– nearly the height of the archer, with a slight curve and relatively narrow limbs. It is a simple bow that can be crafted from a single piece of wood. Because of its build, the longbow needs is less powerful and needs to be longer, and more elastic than other bows.

The compound bow utilizes a levering system of cables and pulleys to bend the limbs. It is considered the most modern bow because of its mechanical components. The rigidity of the compound bow improves aim and makes it the most energy efficient of the bows.

Types of Bows

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arebow archery, also known as traditional archery, features a thin, elegantly curved wooden bow. Using a barebow is considered the most traditional and purest form of archery because of its simplicity– it features only two basic limbs, a grip, string and riser, without additional mechanisms.

An Olympic recurve bow is essentially a barebow, but possesses sights, which are devices that help improve aim by using a pin, circle or lense to help archers hit the target. It also has stabilizers, which are weights that are mounted on the bow to absorb vibrations on the bow and keeps it steady.

Feature

SPORTS SPREAD

Conspiracies in Sports

PHIL ROEDER/CC BY 2.0 GENERIC

For years, the legality of sports has been in question by fans across the world. In this article, The Campanile takes a look at some of the biggest conspiracies and scandals that have rocked the athletic world in recent years. PAGE C4-C5

Quidditch

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Josh Kasevich

A varsity baseball player recovers from injury and contributes to the team. PAGE C6

John Tayeri The Campanile: First and foremost, congrats on your victory against Los Gatos. Paul Thie: Thanks. It was a really exciting game that came down to the wire. TC: I bet it was exciting. According to your mother’s Facebook page, you got hit in the chest by the ball, and you ran into the wall chasing down a huge hit. Care to elaborate? PT: I was trying to bunt the ball, but I positioned myself wrong and soon realized the ball was coming straight to my chest. Let’s just say there’s a big mark on my chest now. TC: How about running into a wall? PT: Well, every three games or so, somebody will run into a wall. It just happened to be me. TC: Other than baseball, you play on varsity football and soccer as well. You are a busy man, and you won an award for your academic achievements? PT: I don’t really know about the award. I forget the name, and nobody told me why I got it. I was so confused. TC: Why did you guys dye your hair? PT: We dyed it for the league tournament and for CCS. Either we had to do this, or we had to pay $100! TC: Who would you pay it to? PT: Well, we have one person who handles all the money on the team. TC: Very descriptive. In your opinion, the athletes from which sport are the most annoying? PT: Lacrosse, because they all have huge egos. They also think they play a real sport. TC: On the subject, do you consider Ultimate Frisbee a sport? PT: Absolutely. But not lacrosse. TC: Would you say that chess is more of a sport than lacrosse? PT: Without a doubt. TC: Well then … What’s it like being teammates with your sister’s boyfriend? PT: It’s absolutely horrible. I hear about it every day. TC: Specifically? PT: Just that they are dating. I get reminded too often. TC: How many coaches are there for baseball? PT: Around four. TC: Around four? What does that mean? PT: Well, if you count Columbo as a coach, then four. Maybe we can count him as a half. TC: What is a shabooya? PT: It’s a bus tradition that we have in soccer and football. TC: Not in baseball though? PT: We take vans to the baseball games, and parents drive us. We were banned from the buses a few years ago. TC: Why? What happened? PT: Uhhhhhh I really don’t know. TC: Anything else you’d like to add? PT: Columbo is the best coach ever. TC: You mean half coach, right? PT: Oh right, of course.

Trash Talk

WWCC BY-SA 4.0

The Rise of Quidditch

Insight on the mythical sport from the groundbreaking series Harry Potter. PAGE C7

with The Campanile’s own

2IL ORG/CC BY 2.0 GENERIC

Talkin’ Smack

A look inside trash talk at Paly sports and how it affects performance. PAGE C8


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS

C2

SPORTS Paly track and field finishes strong in league, SCVALs REPORT By Neil Kapoor

News & Opinion Editor

TRACK & FIELD RECENT SCORES

De Anza League Finals 5/3, Boys 3rd, Girls 3rd SCVAL Championships 5/11, Boys 3rd, Girls 8th UPCOMING MEETS

CCS Trials 5/19

BOYS GOLF RECENT SCORES

SCVAL Championships 4/30, 1st CCS Trials 5/8, 2nd CCS Finals 5/15, 7th

GIRLS LACROSSE RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Wilcox 5/4, W, 14-2 Paly vs. Los Gatos 5/9, W, 7-5 Paly vs. Gunn 5/12, L, 10-9

BOYS LACROSSE RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Menlo 5/4, L, 15-7 Paly vs. Carlmont 5/10, W, 18-4 Paly vs. Los Gatos 5/12, W, 13-3

BOYS VOLLEYBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Sacred Heart 4/25, L, 3-2 Paly vs. Gunn 4/27, L, 3-0 Paly vs. Santa Clara 5/2, W, 3-1

BOYS TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Saratoga 4/18, L, 7-0 Paly vs. Monta Vista 4/19, L, 6-1 Paly vs. Cupertino 4/23, L, 4-3

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here are few athletic teams who can top the league competition, as well as qualify to the regional championships across grade levels and events. Last week, the track and field team accomplished both of these. At the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) championships on May 11, the Vikings competed in a wide range of events and blew away the competition. In the 1600 meter, senior Sam Craig outkicked favorite Owen Mackenzie from Los Altos to win, while junior Henry Saul came in third. In addition, Saul and junior Donald Taggart triumphed in the 3200 meter, finishing third and fifth, respectively.

“We have a bunch of people that are moving on, we are trying to get as many people to States as possible.” Ella Ball

Furthermore, senior Aashai Avadhani, sophomore Luca Pagani, senior Niklas Risano (member of The Campanile) and senior Reed Foster ran the 4x400, finishing fifth with a season best of 3:31.36. Lastly, Foster clinched first place in the 800 meter, his sig-

nature event. Junior Aaron Gao competed in triple jump with a fourth place finish and senior Philip Ericsson (member of The Campanile) achieved a sixth place finish in the 110 meter high hurdle. These athletes all qualified to Central Coast Section (CCS) trials.

“It’s a big shift going into championship season, because a lot of the team is gone, so you’re only training with a small group” Reed Foster

“From there [CCS trials], they have a shot at qualifying to CCS finals, which gives them a shot at State trials,” Foster said. Female athletes also succeeded in a number of races and qualified for CCS trials. Senior Karen Li, sophomore Brianna Miller, freshman Ariel Le and senior Maya Reuven ran the 4x100, finishing fifth. Freshman Madeline Lohse, sophomore Ella Ball, Reuven and Miller swept the 4x400 with a third place finish. Both squads qualified to CCS trials. In the individual events, Li finished fourth in the 100 meter HH to qualify; Reuven was fifth in both the 100 and 200 meter, qualifying in the latter; Ball qualified with a third place finish in the 800 meter; senior Julia Doubson qualified with a fifth place fin-

MARK FOSTER/ USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Tyler Marik clears a hurdle during a race for the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League championship.

ish in the 3200 meter and junior Emma Johnson qualified in shot put with a sixth place finish. Prior to SCVAL championships, the team competed in De Anza SCVAL trials and De Anza SCVAL League finals and finished third in the league overall. “We have a bunch of people that are moving on, we’re trying to get as many people to States as possible,” Ball said. Even better, the league trials and finals came with a number of new personal records (PR): Reuven achieved a PR in the

200 meter dash with a time of 25.57, and Doubson ran a PR in the 3200 meter with a 11:34.14. Additionally, at the recent Gunn High School meet on April 26, Ball ran a PR in the 800 meter with a 2:21. “Our distance team is still looking very strong; there haven’t been any injuries, and (fingers crossed) we should be in prime shape come CCS and States,” Foster said. “It’s a big shift going into championship season, because a lot of the team is gone, so you’re only training with a small group.”

The team also competed against Gunn prior to SCVAL trials, but was plagued with some injuries to some sprinters along the way. “As far as the team as a whole, we lost our two top short sprinters (100-200 m) which really hurt us at meets,” Foster said. “We managed to win a number of our dual meets but finished third in the league.” The team now has CCS trials and finals to look forward to thanks to their strong performance.

Boys tennis team drops leagues Baseball keeps 10game winning streak By Annie Chen

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Lifestyle Editor

hough the boys varsity tennis team waged a hardfought battle to avoid relegation, head coach Andy Harader is demoting the team to the less competitive El Camino League next year after ending last season with a conference record of 2-10 and an overall record of 4-10, finishing second to last in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL). Three weeks ago, players competed at SCVAL finals in the last few matches of the season. Senior and team captain Hunter North and junior Antony Georgiadis played tough two-set singles matches, while seniors Andrew Shieh and Vijay Sharma, as well as juniors Adam Love and Nathan Ellisen, played three-set doubles matches. “Unfortunately, I got a pretty tough first round draw,” North said. “I had a lot of fun competing with the best players in the league, and take the opportunity as quite an honor.” These losses, as well as many others throughout the season, can be attributed to a number of challenges the team faced, according to Harader. “Most of our improvement needs to be mental with more attention to commitment,” Harader said. “[We had] a rough year with all the rescheduling of matches due to rain and lockdowns. Many non-league matches [were] not played.” Senior Preston Sterling and freshman Matthew Ho said the

By Raj Lele

R DAVID HICKEY/ USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Adam Love reaches to return the ball during a varsity match.

team could have focused more on winning the tiebreakers that constantly arose through the season.

“Most of our improvement needs to be mental with more attention to commitment.” Andy Harader

“A lot of our matches were pretty close, [in which] the other team beat us by just one match,” Sterling said. “We could definitely work on 10-point tiebreakers because that’s the deciding game to win a match.” The team lost 4-3 in matches against Cupertino, Gunn, Home-

stead, Saratoga and Los Gatos. “[We] were just unable to come through multiple times,” Ho said. “I think we just need to stay loose [and] not get tight when it’s the deciding match.” Some players also said a lack of focus contributed to the losses. “In multiple matches, we had trouble staying focused and maintaining our intensity,” said sophomore Samuel Xing. “In a couple of our really close matches, we won all of the first sets, then proceeded to lose the next two. If we had stayed focus, we could have closed out the matches easily.” Despite moving down a league, the team’s goal for the future is to to be league champions. Harader said, “[We’re striving to] win our league [and] compete well in CCS Championships.”

Senior Staff Writer

iding a 10-game winning streak to end the season, the baseball team secured the top seed and a bye going into Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) playoffs. The team then defeated both Homestead and Los Gatos to win the SCVAL championship. Despite the team’s solid record of 20-6 at the conclusion of the season, the Vikings found themselves in a predicament coming out of spring break with a 10-6 record. Ever since, however, the Vikings have roared back without a loss, thrashing Milpitas and storming back from a deficit against Cupertino in their senior night game.

“We always had the talent and potential, but couldn’t execute everything because of the lack of leadership and, I guess, some timidness.” Hyunwoo Roh

However, what remained possibly the biggest challenge of the year was not getting booted from the playoffs quickly like they had in years past.

According to junior Hyunwoo Roh, who got pulled up to the varsity squad as a freshman, the team prioritized winning the first game before getting too excited about facing Los Gatos. “Oh, it was incredibly important to win the first one,” Roh said. “We [had] this expectation that we were going to play Los Gatos in the championship game, but Homestead [had]some great players and taking them lightly and underestimating them would [have gotten] us eliminated.” Roh credits much of the team’s end of season success to its leaders for taking the reins. “After our shaky and slow start in the beginning, the seniors started taking charge and leading the team,” Roh said. “We always had the talent and potential, but couldn’t execute everything because of the lack of leadership and, I guess, some timidness. And each game there’s always someone different that makes a huge contribution, and that makes us so good and at the head of our pack. We have the core senior leaders — Niko [Lillios], Max [ JungGoldberg] and Nathan [Willis].” Going into SCVALs, Roh said that the seniors, as well as the coaches, stressed the importance of the entire team being in control and playing comfortably in order to advance to Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Roh said, “We just do what we do best, which is to simplify things.”

Swim team earns first place Badminton team ends season title at SCVAL championships disappointed with a 2-10 record By Miranda Li

Science & Tech Editor

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hough Paly girls swim lost its two-year streak of winning the Central Coast Section (CCS) meet, the girls ended in fourth place, while the boys ended in 14th at the May 11 and 12 competition. “Our team worked really hard this season and I think our efforts showed.” said sophomore Ashley Guo. This was evident in the team, as despite the loss, there are still many members progressing to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) meet. “I’m really proud of this team for the effort in CCS and even though we didn’t win, I think the team [morale] is still strong and we are all ready for States,” said senior Zoe Lusk. “I hope to make the most of my last States meet with Paly, and have fun and make memories.”

Fortunately, Paly swim was able to achieve success in winning first at Santa Clara Valley Athletic Leagues (SCVALS) in order to qualify for CCS. Marking the third consecutive win for the girls and the first victory in six years for the boys, the swim teams won the championships within their league on April 27. Despite losing the league finals to Gunn, the team was able to win overall because of its performance in dual meets.The team celebrated with a beloved tradition, rushing to throw Coach Danny Dye into the pool.

“When we need to step it up, we know how to get it done.” Claire Lin

“Winning the [third] league title was a lot of fun, watching the seniors go out like that,” Dye said.

“And just seeing the way the kids all stepped up, got excited, wanted to do well for everybody and really came together as a team.” According to junior Mary Fetter, part of this success can be attributed to the supportive and encouraging community of the Paly swim team, allowing athletes to push each other and thrive. “I think that we have the best team ever,” Fetter said. “[The] dynamic is amazing and even though swimming is kind of a boring sport sometimes, our team makes it fun.” Despite key seniors graduating, senior Captain Claire Lin says the team looks forward to a bright and promising future. “We lost a lot of seniors last year so the underclassmen really stepped it up,” Lin said. “I wish the best of luck to the Vikings . . . We’re loud, obnoxious. It’s fun. We’re carefree and when we need to step it up we know how to get it done.”

ZOE TIERNEY/ FILE PHOTO

Senior Michael Chau prepares to return the birdie during a match.

By John Tayeri

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Business Manager

fter a disappointing 2-10 season, the badminton team hopes to bounce back next year. Even after losing many key seniors last year, the team still felt optimistic about their odds before the season began.

“Given that we lost a number of very strong players this year, I suppose our goals were simply to do our best, improve over the course of the season, and try to have some fun in the process,” said junior Daniel Jin. The team lost 10 games, eight of which were lost by four or more points. “The other teams got a lot

stronger this year, so we had some trouble accomplishing our goal, but in the end, we still managed to pull through,” said junior and team captain Dylan Zou. According to Jin, the toughest games for the team were ties. In badminton, a tiebreaker is decided by whichever team has the most wins. “Our season definitely wasn’t the best, as we had many very close, winnable games that we would just barely lose,” Jin said. “We lost 15-15 two separate times.” Though the season was upsetting for the whole team, the future remains bright due to an abundance of talented underclassmen. “We lost a number of very strong players this year, but managed to overcome that through the addition of some new young talent this year,” Jin said. The season ended on May 2 in a 24-6 loss to Cupertino High School.


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

SPORTS C3 Boys volleyball has successful inaugural season Team ends season on high note, overcoming numerous challenges as first all-male team in Paly history By Kiana Tavakoli Staff Writer

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fter a turbulent start to the season due to a lack of experienced players and coaches, the boys volleyball team has made its way through a successful first season with an even record. “Some great accomplishments for us this year would be our even record of 7-7, which is quite good considering that quite a few team members have no experience playing volleyball,” said junior and captain Raymon Chen. “Another one of our accomplishments is actually splitting even with Fremont, who have a pretty good team, and playing quite well against Gunn even though we lost.” In spite of the fact that most members on the team lack experience in competitive volleyball, they make up for it with resiliency and the will to learn and improve, while also being able to enjoy games, according to Chen. “Most of my memories are just

seeing everyone have a good time while we were playing … that part really hits home because in the end that’s mostly what everyone cares about; how much you really enjoy the time spent,” Chen said.

“Some great accomplishments for us this year would be our even record of 7-7, which is quite good considering that quite a few team members have no experience playing volleyball.” Raymon Chen

For senior Bryce Doughman, a memorable experience this season was when the team upended the odds by defeating a much more experienced opponent, highlighting their hard work during practices and prior matches. “[One] accomplishment was

when we won our first game,” Doughman said. “We played a team that had club players and an established legacy, and with only a couple weeks of experience we beat them 3-0. [Another highlight was] when Raymon’s leg finally healed and he slammed the ball down so fast nobody had time to process that he had even hit it yet.” The team is hoping to grow in size as well as camaraderie, expand its visibility on the athletic sphere, continue to improve its skills and teach new people how to play volleyball next year. “Our strengths as a team included our willingness to improve, our ability to relax under pressure and Raymon,” Doughman said. “I hope that the future teams will do just what we did: focus on improvement, teamwork, and sportsmanship, that’s the most important of all.” The team is looking to recruit more underclassmen next year on to the varsity squad in order to build a young team for the remainder of volleyball seasons.

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Sophomore Tyler Yen jumps while focusing on the ball as he goes in for a spike at a home game versus Gunn.

Girls lacrosse pivots to successful season

Despite the rocky start, team chemistry propels girls to final win By Alyssa Leong Photo Editor

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espite some hard losses early in the season against Los Gatos (155), Mountain View (11-10) and Gunn (14-8), the varsity girls lacrosse team has bounced back. Since its most recent loss against Mountain View (11-8), it came back with wins against Pioneer (13-11), Los Altos (157), Saratoga (15-5), Willow Glen (15-2), Wilcox (14-2) and Los Gatos in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) semifinals (7-5). Their only losses were against Los Gatos (12-10), Sacred Heart (18-9) and Gunn (10-9). The junior varsity team has

had an outstanding season as well, winning all of their games with the exception of one tie. Varsity teammates attribute their recent wins to motivation. “We have only changed our warm ups and our defensive strategy, otherwise it was really mental,” said varsity player and junior Lia Salvatierra. “It took awhile for our new team to work together cohesively, but were at a point where we can connect on the field as long as we go all out.” A key player on the team has been Mattie Orlof, the goalie. “Mattie holds our team together like glue, and we would not be where we are today without her,” said varsity player and freshman Andie Teztlaff.

She also cited midfielder Emma Staiger as a teammate who has “never let [the] team down.” The team was optimistic for the SCVAL finals against Gunn. “We’ve been pushing ourselves hard during practice, and I’m sure it will all pay off on [the SCVAL finals],” Teztlaff said. Overall, the team is happy with the season. “Although [SCVALs are] our last game, this past season has been absolutely amazing, and I have been truly honored to be a part of it,” Teztlaff said. “We’ve had many wins and a couple losses, but we use those losses to push ourselves and motivate each other to get better and fix mistakes so that they won’t happen again.”

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Aidan Gans, number eight prepares to take a shot against the Los Gatos defense in final SCVAL game.

Boys lacrosse secures league title once again Team bounces back from rocky start to achieve top seed in SCVAL By Samantha Hwang Board Correspondent

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fter a rocky start to the season, the boys lacrosse team won its second league title in a row. In the beginning, the team had a difficult time transitioning from winter to spring due to an unusually large number of injuries. “We were suffering [from] a lot of injuries this season,” junior Ryan Strathearn said. “It was really tough during the season because lots of players were still in winter sports, and a lot of them were also injured. We didn’t have any subs for a while and many of [the other players] were playing the whole game. We got tired later in the games which caused some issues.” But in spite of these hardships, the team persevered and ultimately ended up climbing to the top of the league rankings this season. During the final game against Los Gatos High School, the boys came in extremely confident given their progress from hard work during practice. “We came into the game pretty confident having beat [Los]

Gatos already,” Cole Sotnick, a junior on the team, said. “They also had their best player, number two out. I’m obviously not hoping for other players failures but we were pretty excited about that.”

“It was really tough during the season because lots of players were still in winter sports, and a lot of them were also injured.” Ryan Strathearn

As Sotnick predicted, the Vikes handily swept that game. “We were pumped up because we had the upper hand. First couple minutes of the game we had an early lead and we took control [of the game] right off the bat,” Sotnick said. “We had a lot of help from a lot of our seniors like Peter [Gold] and Benner [Mullin] and they definitely stepped up to the task. Our defense during the game was locked in and all sophomores and juniors stepped

up as well.” Luckily, transitioning to next year should be easy since most of the team is returning. “We’re only graduating four seniors, and three of them are starters, so next season we’ll have a lot of returning players,” Strathern said. “We have a good team established, and we hope to win league again next season.”

“Our defense during the game was locked in, and all sophomores and juniors stepped up as well.” Cole Sotnick

Looking forward, the team is optimistic given its solid record this season and hopes to recapture the league title again next year. “We don’t have a lot of seniors on the team,” junior Wes Walters said. “We’re a pretty young team, and so I think we’ll be able to do pretty well the next couple of years. We have a lot of sophomores on the team which is good for the future.”

Boys golf maintains strong winning streak

Team clinches SCVAL league title for seventh consecutive year

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By Sophia Moore Staff Writer

n spite of the many challenges the golf team has faced, unfazed and continue to succeed as the season comes to a close. Although the team has stayed at the top of league this season, the coming weeks could be challenging as higher-level competition approaches and injuries take their toll. Senior Sergi Mata recently injured himself, which means he cannot play in the second round of Central Coast Section (CCS). “The team is still optimistic, due to the fact that our top four can shoot low,” said sophomore Nathan Strope.

Additionally, maintaining focus could be a crucial factor as the golf team advances to the next round of competition. “A struggle has been just maintaining our focus when we play worse teams because it can get a little long and boring if its not competitive, but we can’t let off at any time,” said senior Ahmed Ali. Although beset with difficulties, certain members have stood out and taken the reins in order to succeed. With team leaders Ahmed Ali, freshman Anthony Ha and sophomores Bob Zhu and Akira Isayama, who have all proven themselves to be stellar golfers, the Paly golf team has won the Leagues tournament for the seventh year

in a row. Now, they have a chance of making it to NorCal after placing second in CCS qualifiers, only losing to Harker by one. The team has also been winning both on and off the course throughout the season. “I greatly enjoyed this season and appreciate all the energy that the members have contributed,” Zhu said. “I believe that by belonging to a small group like a golf team can change individuals to a team that work together, think together and succeed together. Thanks to Coach Knight, being part of the golf team will be a life lasting experience.” Strope said, “It’s been a great experience. Sko Vikes.”

DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Varsity softball players huddle up to discuss their team strategy at a game against Gunn.

Girls softball struggles through season Lack of focus, cohesion caused many of the team’s detriments in league

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By Chris Pierno Senior Staff Writer

t is often said that athletics is just as much of a mental game as it is a physical one. For the girls softball team, the former became apparent in their disappointing season this year. “We had a tough season this year,” said junior Sydney Liu. “After losing seven seniors last year, we struggled a bit to find our groove and play cohesively as a team. We lost many games that we definitely should have won due to mental errors and a lack of focus.” The team lost to Saratoga, Los Altos, Lynbrook and Cupertino at their last four games with scores of 8-7, 7-5, 5-4 and 6-3, respectively. The team seemed to thrive at home games where its final record was 7-4, while its final record at away games was 1-7. Their total record at the season’s end was 8-11. “I honestly think [having more wins at home games than away games] was just a coincidence

because we had some really good away games,” said senior Samantha McBride. “Although, there is always better energy at home since it is our field and we navigate the field better than anyone else. Considering the amount of seniors that we lost last year the season went pretty well. We did have a losing record, but most of the games were really close and we ended up losing in the seventh inning. We worked hard in practice and focused on our errors, but in the games, we would get tense and upset over errors and that affected our performance.”

“We lost many games that we definitely should have won due to mental errors and a lack of focus.” Sydney Liu

But even with this disappointing outcome, the players said that they enjoyed the experience and

grew together as people.

“We did have a losing record, but most of the games were really close and we ended up losing in the seventh inning.” Samantha McBride

“I have never been on a team where everyone got along so well and enjoyed being around each other so much,” Liu said. “You could always count on one of your teammates to pick you up after making an error or having a bad at-bat.” The team continues to grow and improve together and looks forward to have more wins and sucess as the next season comes around in the up coming 20182019 school year. A key area of focus for next year will be improving mental toughness while continuing to have fun.


Friday, May 18, 2018

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The Fraudu

Unraveling the biggest

Te Des Kiran Eri

2002 Western Conference Finals I

t’s spring of 2002, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs have yet to begin, but the tension of postseason basketball has started. Seemingly forgetting his position as commissioner, the head of the NBA at the time, of the NBA David Stern declared his dream NBA final as “the [Los Angeles] Lakers vs the [Los Angeles] Lakers.” His comments were initially brushed off, but just a few weeks laters, fans were forced to ponder the legitimacy of the NBA in what remains one of the biggest conspiracies in not only basketball but sports in general. The 2002 Lakers vs Sacramento Kings Western Conference finals series was quite possibly one of the greatest postseason series of the century. The storyline of stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal repeating as champions dominated headlines, while fans and media wondered whether the Sacramento Kings, led by Chris Webber, deserved the two seed. The teams battled for a place in the coveted NBA Finals and the first five games were, quite simply, a dog-fight. Neither team

dominated, and instead the winning team had to capitalize on the small mistakes of their opponent and convert shots late in the game to emerge victorious. After the first five games, the Sacramento Kings had worked their way to a narrow 3-2 series lead, needing just one win in the remaining two games to compete in the championship. With nothing to lose in this specific game but the game itself, the Kings came out as a fierce, strong and cohesive unit. Throughout the first three quarters, they dominated the game and many thought they were well on their way to upsetting the Lakers and knocking superstars Bryant and O’Neal out of the playoffs. But during fourth quarter, things started to get fishy as the Lakers went to the free throw line 27 times, opposed to the King’s nine. It wasn’t just that the Lakers were getting to the line; the refs were missing calls against the Lakers. Behind their 27 fourth quarter free throws, the Lakers were able to force a Game 7 and eventually go on to hoist the 2002 NBA Championship trophy.

Media and fans across the world accused the NBA of being rigged. Former playoff referee Tim Donaghy blamed the NBA in a scathing report, pointing out evidence for match fixing. Apart from the vast disparity at the free throw line, Donaghy noticed that the Lakers winning would help the NBA’s business; the series advancing to a Game 7 would get better television ratings and make the NBA more money. Donaghy, an insider on the NBA’s relationship with referees, also asserted that the NBA would tell referees to put the league’s best interest as a top priority, furthering the case that the league fixed Game 6 to get the Lakers to the final. A series eventually convoluted by bad officiating and a belief that the NBA was rigged, the Sacramento Kings vs L.A. Lakers historical seven games are a fundamental argument as to why sports are rigged, a discussion basketball aficionados are still having. One must ask oneself whether the NBA is truly a sport for the fans or a business organization willing to compromise the integrity of the game for money?

The National Hoc League’s Scandal key T

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t conspiracies in sports

ext & sign by Misner & ic Li

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FIFA: A Co Organizatio rrupt n Case D etails: S

occer, o f to as ten referred “the w U.S. w mo orld’s as able game,” st t FIFA is wide beautiful officials o indict 30 ly know the pe o pitch, on cha f c o o day, m ple’s sport. E n as these rruption. A rges est le even at the mong illions vel. charge ver y hig s were world bezzlin elite It In Seria A hplay an around the g a e li m m a n o ney f ro d watc soccer , the game a organiz power h m league n sionals d look to pr the bank ation into pe the Lazio houses Juventu , rsonal ofes, Mila as idols accoun s, n, Fio for the ts, ram . They briber y and m re w w up early eekend and ait payme and f raud pant were idtier club R ntina w e n f u watch in the mornin ake officia ts to gove lent fixing ound to be ggina their fa ls. match rning . Inste g t o vorite t ad o compe ing fair The te e play th f allowYet, w on the pitch ams on to se allegations t h e roug p it . co 2 dals in h multiple s FIFA of claims ag me campa 005-2006 le hout the hea cana ig f d gover body o ing the or briber y inst Italian n, the head ague f n of durWorld Interna soccer, Fédér ing ding, tion d soccer orga the Cup a t Associa ionale de Foo tion which which deter bid- team iscovered th nizas m a t t seems ion (FIFA) ball compe countr y host ines ees th were hiring t the as if th s the , it tition. at wou ref e sport ld be one W hen tar, a over th favor th ercountr may o Q e f ir em a t h o e y n amples big ily The te pponents. of ma gest ex- w involved in ot heava m ever. s is tch-fix were p hed th ing 2 orld, was cho the soccer with Ju e following se unsen for 022 W In 201 ason, v o t e h r 5 ntu e the , quest corrup questio ld Cup, fu ions o second s relegated to tion rther n s f a a b fixing league, nd m out F corrup Milan su t a I ganizat rrounded th tch fact, a ion were rais FA’s seaso started the while e orn dow ed. In ion, p Germa next n 30 govern n news utting found f rom in p p a Throug g body in a c the cially report which aper in Se other Italian oints fo h r r t by the an investig isis. unnam und Qatar a offi- and ie A and R eams ation eginna nd an F Federa e io d r F e I n FA offi tina n Investig l Burea briber y lowed cia o u the p ation (FBI) of $2 mil to the amou l of game to play in Eu t alropean ossible s lion to nt of . o n D esp of Am t 10-yea punish erican corruption r-old d he official’s ed, the ite being aughte banks, in match g F I in F r. A’s the p t illustra he Italian le fixens bo corruption h t th on ague a e p s the s and off - corrup tion in everity and the s ports a F s a who IFA and le.

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The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

C6

SPORTS

Joshua Kasevich recovers from injury, looks toward future in baseball Varsity player utilizes his pitching talent, versatility on diamond to fulfill his dream of getting recruited for Div. I college teams By Will Robins Staff Writer

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very year, thousands of student athletes attend college scouting camps hoping to compete at the next level. For Paly junior Josh Kasevich, attending these camps and practicing every day has put him one step closer to his goal of playing Division I baseball. "I go to tournaments and camps all over the country to get exposure and to better my game,” Kasevich said. “Every tournament has hundreds of kids all trying to do what I am trying to do.” Unlike other kids who dabble in multiple sports, Kasevich has had his mind set on baseball since he was a child. “It has been a dream of mine to play college level baseball since I played little league,” Kasevich said. Kasevich made the varsity team as a sophomore and has consistently started games ever since. He currently pitches and plays infield, primarily first and third base. Unlike many other talented high school baseball players, Kasevich isn’t a specialist in any specific position, making him equally capable of pitching and fielding at a high level. He also is one of the best hitters on the team, with a batting average of .380. Among his various skills on the field, Kasevich considers pitching his strongest attribute. “I sit in the high 80s and can run up to 91 mph,” Kasevich said. “I hope by next year to be able to consistently sit around 92 mph.”

"It's been a dream of mine to play college level baseball since I played Little League." Josh Kasevich As a comparison, according to MLB.com, the average fastball speed in Major League Baseball (MLB) is 92.0 mph. As a junior, Kasevich is already on the cusp of reaching professional speeds of pitching. Although Kasevich is currently pitching without any problems, an injury scare last year almost ruined his pitching career and his shot at playing college baseball. During a game with his club

KAREN HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Joshua Kasevich has an average pitching speed in the high 80s, with a personal record of 91 mph, just a little below the average Major League Baseball pitching speed. baseball team, California Club Baseball, Kasevich was commanding his pitches on the mound as usual. Having pitched the whole game, Kasevich was determined to finish the game pitching. Then, during the last inning of the game, Kasevich felt a pop in his elbow after delivering a curveball, any pitcher's worst nightmare. “I thought it was over,” Kasevich said. “I thought I needed TJS.” Tommy John Surgery (TJS) is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body. The procedure is one of the most common among baseball pitchers, and it often results in years without baseball. Thankfully for Kasevich, he did not need any operations done.

“Luckily nothing bursted and I was not in need of surgery,” Kasevich said. “However, I had to stay off throwing for a couple of months and was not able to pitch sophomore season.”

Although Kasevich is currently pitching without any problems, an injury scare last year almost ruined his pitching career and his shot at playing college baseball. The inability to pitch for a whole year was unnatural for

Kasevich. “I have pitched for as long as I can remember,” Kasevich said. “I realized I took pitching for granted and when I perceived the fact that I couldn’t be on the mound, it was devastating.”

"I thought it was over. I thought I needed TJS [Tommy John Surgery.]" Josh Kasevich Although Kasevich took a break from pitching last year, he worked out and practiced almost every day throughout the season and offseason to come back even stronger. “In the offseason I worked out

five days a week as well as practiced baseball every single day,” Kasevich said. “There is always something I can do to get better.” Now as a junior in high school, Kasevich is hopeful he will continue to play baseball. His goal is to play baseball at a Division I school. Currently, he is looking

for a school that fits his social and academic interests. “With the contact I have been having with college coaches, I can say that I will play baseball in college,” Kasevich said. “Right now, after taking a couple of visits, I am trying to figure out what I want and which schools fits me.”


The Campanile

Friday, May 18, 2018

SPORTS

C7

Quidditch: The magical Harry Potter sport becomes reality College students on competitive teams deal with negative stigma of playing an activity from fictional series

RULES OF QUIDDITCH • Three "chasers" score goals by throwing a volleyball, called the "quaffle," through the opposing team’s hoops. One goal is worth 10 points. • The "keeper" guards the three hoops. • Two "beaters" tackle players or throw dodgeballs, also known as "bludgers," at the opposing team’s players to keep them from scoring.

STANFORD QUIDDITCH TEAM/USED WITH PERMISSION

• The "seeker" enters the pitch after 18 minutes of gameplay to catch the "snitch" (a player not on any team). Catching the "snitch" is worth 30 points and ends the game.

Quidditch players, like the Stanford team, carry "broomsticks" in between their legs and stay true to the original rules of the sport.

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By Tess Manjarrez Staff Writer

t is an odd day when the only gender-inclusive contact sport in the world is intended to take place 50 feet in the air on broomsticks. Initially, quidditch was a sport played exclusively within the pages of “Harry Potter.” However, in 2005, the first real-life quidditch match took place at Middlebury College in Vermont. Since then, quidditch has spread across the world and merited the creation of multiple governing bodies, such as U.S. Quidditch and the International Quidditch Association. The lack of flying brooms and a winged golden snitch begs the question: what is real-life quidditch? According to senior and Stanford Quidditch president Kyle Lin, it's based on the fictional game but adjusted to real-life limitations. “[It’s] an adaptation of quidditch from the actual Harry Potter series, but it’s kind of evolved

in a way so that it’s very much playable like any other competitive sport,” Lin said. In fact, the rules and gameplay draw inspiration from sports like rugby, soccer and tag. “It’s a mix of a lot of sports that already exist,” Lin said. One of the key elements that has made quidditch unique is its mixed gender teams. “I think it’s been one of the sport’s goals as an organization to be a leader in gender inclusivity, and we have the advantage of being a new sport,” Lin said.

"[U.S. Quidditch is] trying to make it a sport that's recognized as a real sport." Niza Contreras In order to promote equality and inclusivity within the sport, U.S. Quidditch has adopted Title Nine and Three Quarters — a ref-

erence to both the mystical train station in Harry Potter and Title IX. The government policy dealing with equality for all different types of people in sports. As well as Title IX, written into quidditch is a “gender maximum” rule: out of seven players of one team on the pitch, there can be at most five of any one gender. According to Stanford Quidditch Vice-President Niza Contreras, even with the progress made towards gender equality, the sport still has a ways to go. “Our team and most teams unfortunately tend to be mostly male players,” Contreras said. “People use that as a strategy.” Strategy is critical in quidditch, a sport where there can be as many as 14 players and five balls on the pitch at once. The positioning of the defensive and offensive players – known as beaters and chasers respectively – is crucial. Chasers are the goal scorers of quidditch and are protected by beaters, who fend off opposing players and play more aggressively.

As a beater, Contreras always plays with a male counterpart to avoid the worst tackles and collisions. Given that most beaters are male, her opponents are typically larger than her. “When you have a 6 foot 3 man who’s large coming at me, it’s not some place you want to be,” Contreras said. Stanford freshman and chaser Mac Bagwell says negative judgement comes with the sport. “One of the disadvantages that quidditch has is that people see grown people running around with brooms … they think ‘oh my gosh, what a bunch of nerds, what a bunch of losers,’” Bagwell said. With 200 teams in the US and over 450 worldwide, quidditch seems to be outgrowing its label as a niche sport. “Every year [U.S. Quidditch] refine[s] the rules,” Contreras said. “They’re trying to make it a sport that’s recognized as a real sport and not just something to laugh at.” At first glance, it certainly

seems like a joke: teams play a complex mishmash of sports while clutching a broom between their legs. Still, quidditch players want respect. “It is a real sport,” Contreras said. “People really care about it, people get hurt.”

"[Stanford Quidditch is] an adaptation of quidditch from the actual Harry Potter series, but it's kind of evolved in a way so that it's very much playable like any other competitive sport." Kyle Lin One of the most difficult aspects of collegiate quidditch is the fact that incoming freshman have no experience. Unlike more popular and conventional sports, middle and high school quidditch

teams are relatively scarce, which contributes to the stigma surrounding the sport. The quidditch community has recently expanded to begin working more with younger kids in outreach efforts: workshops, programs and summer camps have contributed to the rising popularity of 'kidditch'. “U.S. Quidditch has just recently started an initiative to fund — for both college and high school teams — new teams across the country,” Lin said. “Middle school students and high school students — they really have a good time.” Due to safety concerns, rules are often adjusted for younger players. Quidditch players say the sport is worthy of general acknowledgement, and that starts with students, according to Contreras. Contreras said, “The earlier people start playing quidditch, the more it’s going to become normalized in our society."


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Campanile

SPORTS

T A L K I N' T R A S H F? CK

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espite referees' valiant efforts to feel bad, they are taking away from our fun,” maintain an atmosphere where play- Black said. “Players’ bad sportsmanship can ers value sportsmanship as highly as ruin the experience; trash talking defeats victory, talking smack on the field has bethe whole purpose of why I play softball.” come a quintessential part of various sports Despite being personally harmed by — particularly among high schoolers with trash talking, Rapperport is able to see the low maturity levels and raging hormones. potential benefit in it. Taking an unconvenDistasteful remarks exchanged in the tional standpoint, he said that when used heat of the moment are a problem, but the correctly, trash talking can prove to be a true harm occurs because of the buildup of smart tactic. anger, emotion and the desire to retaliate. “I don’t think trash talking says anything Junior Benjamin Rapperport, the goal- about the speaker’s character; it is actually keeper for Paly’s varsity water polo team, a pretty effective way of throwing someone recalls one instance where talking smack led off of their game,” Rapperport said. “I also to an injury that affected him both mentally believe you do need to respond; your oppoand physically. nents shouldn't think it’s OK to continue to “We were down a few points in a tournapush you around, but you need to make sure ment game, and the other team had become you don’t get yourself into a dangerous situreally obnoxious,” Rapperport said. “Every ation with a kid that might hurt you.” time one player would score on me, he’d yell, Although the practice of talking smack ‘Aw, yeah! Let’s go!’ directly in my face. The commonly stems from aggression on the next time he had a one on nobody, I blocked field, it can sometimes be the result of a his shot and misunderstanding yelled, ‘Aw, yeah! between oppoLet’s go!’ right nents, according back at him.” to Morabia, who Rapperport recounts an inciadmits that this dent from his past was a an imseason on the varmature decision sity soccer team. KENZO MORABIA wand says he re“We were playgrets provoking his opponent by mocking ing a team from Salinas that was fully Hishim. The subsequent events could have been panic, and one of my teammates said ‘lo easily avoided had he not succumbed to the siento’ — which is sorry in Spanish — to temptation of leveling the score. my other teammate when he made a small “After my block, he had another one mistake,” Morabia said. “The other team on nobody, and it was just me versus him,” thought that [he was] mimicking them for Rapperport said. “I had my arms straight being Hispanic, but [he wasn’t] at all.” out above my head in order to block as The situation quickly escalated as the much of the goal. Instead of shooting, he opponents interpreted what was intended decided to throw the ball straight into my to be a harmless comment as a provocative face to get back at me.” racial remark. The impact of the ball left Rapperport “I didn’t get involved, but several of my concussed for the next two months, interteammates rushed into the fight that broke fering with his academics and harming his out,” Morabia said. “They started shoving overall mental state. While it was his opthe other team and talking trash [to] each ponent’s violence that gave Rapperport the other; it got pretty violent.” concussion, he still felt partially responsible, Many athletes hold differing opinions as the entire incident stemmed from his of whether remaining silent or defending childish comeback. yourself is the This was Rapbest response to perport’s worst extrash talk. Every perience with trash situation, intalk, but he is facluding the level miliar with another of offense in the case, where a water remark, is difBEN RAPPERPORT polo player was ferent. Morabia even more severely is adamant that injured because pointed comments were ex- staying uninvolved is the best way to deal changed in the pool. with such commentary. “A kid from Bellarmine was trash talk“I’m a defender and I often have to make ing, and his opponent pulled him under important tackles that can get the other water and smashed the kid's face using his team upset,” Morabia said. “I used to talk knee,” Rapperport said. “He was hit so bad- back, but I have learned that it just distracts ly that his face plates were shattered.” you from the game, which is what’s most Trash talking has innocuous roots, as important for everyone.” athletes’ passion and attachment to the Morabia, Black and Rapperport come to game drive them to say things they norsimilar conclusions: when it comes to the mally would not. However, how it interferes core values of the game, trash talk is not one with sporting events is another question, of them. and juniors Kenzo Morabia, Abby Black “You can only really beat the other team and Rapperport all have slightly differing in the pool,” Rapperport said. “The only views on the matter. thing you can do to get back at them is fo“People who trash talk get distracted cus on blocking their next shot. Trash talkfrom their own game,” Morabia said. “They ing will just benefit your opponent because put themselves in a bubble where all they when you’re bad mouthing them, you’ll be think about is what they are gonna say next, mentally distracted from your own game.” and how to insult the [opponents] further.” Black agrees, noting the correlation beWhile he discourages the practice, tween good sportsmanship on the pitch and Morabia said that trash talking is an inevi- how enjoyable the game experience turns table part of any game. On the other hand, out to be. Black said it contradicts the entire purpose Black said, "The games where the other of athletics. team is respectful, no matter if you’re win“We play to have fun, and when people ning or losing, are the games that are worth play to win or play to make the other team playing.”

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PEOPLE WHO TRASH TALK GET DISTRACTED FROM THEIR OWN GAME.

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YOU CAN ONLY REALLY BEAT THE OTHER TEAM IN THE POOL.

TEXT & DESIGN BY LEELA SRINIVASAN

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DESIGN BY WILL ROBINS

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STUDENT ATHLETES SHED LIGHT ON THE IMPACT OF SMACK TALK

P W K* S H!

GATOS SCANDAL

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umber 30 sucks! She’s a horrible goalie,” said junior Los Gatos lacrosse player Rick, whose name has been changed, on the sidelines of the matchup between the Vikings and the Cats during the 2017 girls lacrosse spring season. An intense rivalry between the two teams commenced, as Rick's rash commentary got him kicked off the sidelines during the game. Unfortunately, Rick did not stop there. A few Viking team members had posted pump up pictures on their Instagram pages in anticipation of the following game against Gatos, and Rick left distasteful comments on their posts, calling them "lowlife scum," according to junior Abby Ramsey. An Instagram battle ensued — the Paly boys lacrosse team jumped in to defend their fellow Vikings and the situation escalated as Rick continued to insult the team. He received a suspension for his behaviour, and the team thought they had heard the end of Rick's remarks until this past weekend, when they supported the Paly boys lacrosse team as they took on Gatos in a championship game. Gesturing with his hands, Rick, who was on the field, pretended to hold a pregnant belly with his hands, alluding to the fact that he thought the Paly girls team was overweight. “I called out to him, ‘Are you calling me fat?’” Ramsey said. “Then he looked at me and made the same pregnant gesture with his hands.” While Ramsey did involve herself in the situation, Rick's response was uncalled for and classifies as body shaming, according to Ramsey. Rick was involved in the majority of the Vikings’ encounters with trash talk, but Ramsey recalls one time where a member of the Gatos girls lacrosse team bad-mouthed the referee. “She yelled, ‘That is a really f------ bad call, ref!’” Ramsey said. “The ref didn’t tolerate it though; he gave her a yellow card.” The accumulation of smack talking incidents has created an irreparable air of hostility between the two teams, according to Ramsey, demonstrating the damage that such provocative insults can have.


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