Issue 3: November 21, 2023

NEWS

'The Birds' play comments on capitalism. A3

LIFESTYLE

Student saves life during Moonlight Run. B1

SCI/TECH

ChatGPT one year anniversary. C4

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

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

Vol. CVI, No. 3

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

BOARD ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA, ANTI-SEMITISM 675",0)%8('9%#(%,55(2(3,#*:%)+&&('#%3*2,13)%;'(2%5(22+1"#"*)%"1%<,0(%=0#(

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n two unanimous 4-0 votes at a special meeting on Sept. 27, the Board of Education adopted a resolution condemning antisemitism and the recent attacks by Hamas against Israel.

The Board also adopted a resolution condemning Islamophobia and anti-Middle Eastern North African hate. Board member Todd Collins was absent during both votes.

The resolutions, 2023-24.06 and 2023-24.07, were spurred by demands of recognition from the Jewish community after attacks by a U.S.-designated terrorist group, Hamas, against Israel on Oct. 7. In addition, PAUSD recognized April as Arab American Heritage Month and May as National Jewish American Heritage Month.

Bodner, President and CEO of the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, said the Palo Alto Jewish community felt especially threatened in light of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

"Right now, we have a handful of brave and incredible kids at this meeting, but sadly, most of our kids are not feeling safe on our campuses,” Bodner said. “They’re hiding their Jewish stars, and I know one woman, an Israeli woman, who is having her daughter wear a cross because she’s scared.”

Senior Ori Cohen, who identifies as Jewish, said PAUSD has been slow to combat discrimination against Jewish students.

“I've been targeted personally on the school campus –– I'm telling you my story, and I still see a failure to act,” Cohen said. “How much more needs to happen? What exactly needs to happen on school campuses for (the board) to act?”

However, several community members warned against a one-sided resolution. Junior and Paly Board Representative Karthi Gottipati said the board should recognize all parties involved in the conflict.

“There may not be two sides to terrorism, but there is more than one group of students being hurt today in Paly and Gunn,” Gottipati said.

In addition, Board Member Jesse Ladomirak said she had concerns about the role of a school board in approving these resolutions.

“This board has occasionally touched on domestic politics, but this will be the first time ever, to my knowledge, that we have taken action through resolution or otherwise on an international event,” Ladomirak said. “War, terror and humanitarian crises unfortunately happen constantly across our globe. And this board stays silent, even when there are significant local impacts on PAUSD families, because it's not our job to insert ourselves in geopolitics.”

Ladomirak said the board did not weigh in on the conflict in Ukraine, for instance, because there’s a difference between individual board members making statements and the board acting as a body.

“Now, I don't know how we draw the line,” Ladomirak said. “Is it a numbers game? Do we only act as a board when a certain percentage of students and families are impacted? Do we judge how horrible the events are? We are opening ourselves up, I believe, to legitimate criticism in the future that we pick and choose which people to care about and whose lives to value. It is our

responsibility as a school district to create a school climate and culture where every student from every walk of life feels safe, supported, and valued. And I am extremely worried that we are making it much more difficult to do so by taking these actions today.”

In regards to the resolutions, the Jewish community in Palo Alto is grateful for the actions taken by community leaders, according to Bodner, "The only difference between our current situation and 1930s Germany is (our leaders),” Bodner said. “Our leadership and our government are not aligning themselves with the anti-Semites.”

Board President Jennifer Dibrienza said the resolutions represent a step in the right direction.

“I want to acknowledge that passing resolutions will not fix things,” Dibrienza said. “But, I hope that by clearly condemning antisemitism and all hate will start to help our students, our community members, and our staff to start to feel better. This is the beginning, not the end, of the work."

Despite her concerns about the precedent the resolutions might set, Ladomirak said she still supported them and asked the community for grace.

“We are five imperfect humans,” Ladomirak said. “And in all our imperfections, we truly care deeply for your children, and we are doing our very best to support them all. I ask that you show us all some grace. I ask that we all show each other some grace so that we can leave here ready to forgive, heal, and come together as one community united in our commitment to our students and our children and the right to live in a world that’s free of hate, violence, and injustice."

Julian Hong

News/Opinion Editor

ART BY NIDHI THUMMALAPALLI

Palo Alto works with PAUSD to redevelop Cubberley !"#$%&'(&()*)%+&%#(%,%-./$*,'%0*,)*%(1%2('*%0,13%#(%'*1(4,#*%5+''*1#%5(22+1"#$%5*1#*'

Annika Chu Staff Writer

The city of Palo Alto is working on a proposal that would have it enter into a long-term ground lease with PAUSD to redevelop the 35acre Cubberley Community Center.

The district currently owns 27 acres of the Cubberley Center, part of which it uses for educational programs. The city owns the remaining eight acres and leases the majority of Cubberley from the district.

City Manager Ed Shikada said the city’s proposal is to negotiate a long-term lease with PAUSD for upwards of 50 years, giving the city time to restructure the entire center.

“The city would want to have primary control over the property in order to plan the campus (layout), build (and) make investments with (it),” Shikada said.

Board President Jennifer DiBrienza said PAUSD is willing to work with the city. She said the district indicated in a letter to the city in March that it might sell seven additional acres of Cubberley, and

the letter invited the city to make a proposal to the district.

If the district did sell seven acres to the city, DiBrienza said PAUSD would consider a ground lease for the remaining 20 acres but would want to retain primary ownership.

She said the stakes are high because while it is unlikely the district will need the 20 acres, officials want to have it if they need it.

“I think the school board has been kind of conservative in making sure that if, in the future, a future school board and future district ever needed to build another school, we would be able to do that,” DiBrienza said.

In order for the agreement to work, DiBrienza said the city needs to finalize a proposal that matches the needs of PAUSD. “Right now, the ball is in their court to come up with a few proposals and bring them back to us so that the school board can consider them,” DiBrienza said.

Chair of the City Council Cubberley Ad Hoc Committee Julie Lythcott-Haims said her committee is working with city staff to discern

what the city's needs are for additional Cubberley acreage as well as figure out what the city wants to do with the land.

“The community has varying opinions about what Cubberley can and should be,” Lythcott-Haims said.

“I have the duty to gather, listen to, analyze and synthesize the opinions of a community, and so it's safe to say that there are myriad opinions, some of them quite complimentary … but there are also opinions that might conflict with others.”

City Council Member Vicki Veenker said the city wants Cubberley to be a community center that welcomes everyone and improves wellness.

“People love all the things that are offered there, and we want to build on that and continue to provide memories to people that are really positive about the community they grew up in,” Veenker said.

“The variety of things people are interested in, to learn new skills and develop talents—we still want to see all of that. We want a place where people can come together.”

Veenker said a key part of the plan is listening to what Palo Alto residents want in order to ensure any changes are welcomed by the community.

“This is a great opportunity for the city and the school district to really partner together and to show our

ART BY RIVER WU

residents that we understand that we have a common interest in serving the city,” Veenker said. “While the focus of the two bodies might be slightly different, the goal is to work together to make sure we have a healthy community for students and residents at large.”

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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News

District unions negotiating new three-year contract for 2024

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merican support for labor unions is at its highest since 1965, with 69% of U.S. residents expressing approval for union activities over the past two years, according to an August Gallup poll.

John Pencavel, the former Chair of Stanford University’s Department of Economics, said union support often fluctuates as the public’s goals align with those of the unions.

“Unions have pressed for years for higher legally mandated minimum wages,” Pencavel said.

“And in some states, like California, they’ve been successful.

With the help of labor unions, Pencavel said California’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the nation at $16 per hour.

Although American union membership has declined since the mid-20th century, PAUSD unions have remained strong, according to Teri Baldwin, President of the Palo Alto Educators Association.

“PAEA has always had strong membership over the years,” Baldwin said. “We have consistently had between 97% and 98% membership.”

PAUSD has two main unions: PAEA, representing district educators, and the California School Employees Association, representing the majority of PAUSD employees who are not teachers –– including aides, office workers and custodial staff.

Baldwin said previously, both PAUSD unions negotiated improvements to their contracts, such as reduced class sizes in kindergarten, 14 hours of weekly classroom aide time, salary raises, lower health benefit contributions for PAEA members, pay for pre-school year teacher orientation, staff meeting scheduling for elementary teachers to match middle and high schools, paternity leave ahead state legislation and precise rules for elementary prep time, student support and co-teaching.

CSEA President Meb Steiner said the district and unions also ensure student and taxpayer dollars are protected.

“When you’re in a public education setting and not a forprofit company, we all think about how to use public funds in the best way,” Steiner said.

ART BY RACHEL LEE

When deciding how public funds are spent, Baldwin said CSEA and PAEA individually negotiate annual contracts and benefits with the district, with more extensive contract negotiations every three years.

“The entire contract is opened every three years when the contract expires,” Baldwin said. “Before the expiration date, we negotiate compensation and benefits every year unless we have a multi-year agreement, and the district and PAEA can open two other articles a year.”

The PAEA and CSEA contract is set to expire on June 30, 2024.

“This three-year term helps us have some stability because you don’t want to be in a not-in-contract situation,” Baldwin said. “Every three years, the entire contract is sort of open and available, known as the successor agreement.”

Steiner said while the entire contract is mainly reserved for three-year term discussions, the compensation article and benefits article are always available for negotiation, and both sides can open two other articles annually.

“The district opened the discipline and safety articles,” Steiner said. “So, with the always open compensation and benefits articles, we’re going through four articles right now.”

Steiner also said CSEA’s primary goal in negotiations is to address inequities in staff experience.

“If you take someone making $30,000 and someone making $100,000, and every year you give them the same percentage increase, the income gap gets bigger,” Steiner said.

The difference between wages between the two unions is part of the reason they negotiate separately, Steiner said. “(CSEA) has roughly 800 (employees), which is not significantly fewer than the number of teachers,” Steiner said.

“However, if you consider the salaries, a 1% salary increase for CSEA amounts to about $600,000 (total), whereas for PAEA, it’s around $1.2 million.”

Another significant focus for CSEA is getting parttime employees more benefits.

“Within our unit, we have people who are part-time, some working less than 20 hours a week, so they’re not eligible for benefits,” Steiner said. “When I started with the district, any employee who qualified for benefits was given 100% benefits, but healthcare costs skyrocketed.”

For PAEA negotiations, the district opened the evaluations article, and PAEA opened the working conditions and class size articles this year.

“We would like to see lower special education caseloads, smaller class sizes and more robust safety language,” Baldwin said.

PAEA representative and math teacher, Daniel Nguyen said PAEA is receptive to feedback on its negotiating.

“One theme I’ve observed is that we are continually asked for input on various issues,” Nguyen said. “What we care about is ensuring that members attend meetings and become involved, speaking at board meetings.”

Nguyen said getting involved in PAEA was important to him to ensure union members’ priorities are properly represented.

“I wanted to spend that time helping my colleagues get their voices heard and fighting for what we need to be more effective in the classroom,” Nguyen said.

Steiner emphasized the importance of unions in balancing negotiating power between employers and employees.

“Unions are critical to increasing the collective power of employees,” Steiner said. “Our mission is to improve the lives of our members, students, and the community.”

Julian Hong

News/Opinion Editor

!"#$%&'()*+&,-./'(.0&)1/2&/32&/4&15,.46(&-77(00&/4& 0/89('/&5('/-*&2(-*/2&0(.617(0:&4';9(5-'9&08,,4./ Luca Vostrejs Staff Writer

To offer free resources to students who need mental health support, Palo Alto Unified School District has partnered with “tbh,” an online mental health service provider.

Tbh offers a variety of resources to students, including virtual one-on-one sessions, personalized therapist-led support groups, real time messaging support and an interactive mental health resources library.

Students can access these mental health resources anytime by clicking the tbh icon in their PAUSD ID portal.

PAUSD Director of Mental Health and Wellness Dawn Yoshinaga said an increased need for mental health services in the district led to the district’s partnership with tbh. “(The implementation of ) tbh in our district stemmed from a deep concern for the mental health and well-being of our students (because) mental health issues among students have been on the rise,” Yoshinaga said. “Tbh offers students a unique blend of convenience, accessibility and personalized care that complements the existing resources.”

Tbh’s Head of Student and Partner Success Drew Englander said the company has seen an increase in users during the past month and said contributing factors may include college applications and the conflict in the Middle East.

“We recognize there’s a lot of stress in this world and (want) to make it easy for a student to say, ‘This conflict (is) stressing me out,’ or ‘College applications are stressing me out,’” Englander said.

“Getting support during that time of need is why (we’re here) for students.”

Englander said tbh aims to make mental health resources available to students when they want it.

“Our whole mission is to make mental health accessible to everyone, especially in Palo Alto and all the districts we work with,” Englander said. “We believe that mental health is for everyone, and everyone should have access and the right to go along their own mental health journey.”

Englander also said online sessions provide resources that are unavailable at the Wellness Center.

“Virtual (sessions) often lower that barrier of care for a lot of students because they’re able to do it in the comfort of their own home,” Englander said. “(Students are) able to sit,

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be in their safe space and open up a little bit more. It also allows them to book all sorts of crazy hours.”

Despite the personalized resources, Englander said the stigma surrounding mental health sometimes prevents students from reaching out for help, something the company is actively trying to reduce.

“We’re always here to support you and help you take that (first) step because there’s so much stigma and conversation around (mental health) that people are always afraid to (get help),” Englander said.

AR According to TB YK Englander, making AT EX IA the initial step to reach out can be the hardest part for students.

“There are a lot of people out there who may not even know what mental health is, and they may not understand what tbh is, or what going along a mental journey looks like,” Englander said. “But reach out to see what we have to offer.”

And Yoshinaga said tbh has a wide variety of resources for students to get the help they need.

“We’re really excited to introduce this amazing opportunity for middle and high school students,” Yoshinaga said. “Our goal is to make sure you get the help you need, exactly when you need it, all in a way that works best for your preferences and unique situation.”

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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News

ROHAN BHATIA/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Kyle Vetter brings the performance of “The Birds” to life with dramatic and comedic acting. “The style of the show is a farcical comedy, which means all of the physical and vocal choices are over the top and ridiculous,” Athya Paramesh said. “The hope is that little kids, teens and adults can all enjoy the show because the jokes range from childish to philosophical commentary on modern life.”

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aly Theatre concluded its fall production, ‘The Birds,’ on Nov. 12.

This comedic play is based on two humans who, fed up with the numerous petty problems of the modern world, decide to flee to the kingdom of birds with the goal of building a utopia in the sky, and is the newest offering from Paly theatre, directed by drama teacher Sarah Thermond.

“This play is based on an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes,” Thermond said.

“Even back in his day, he was making fun of the government and the church. (Playwright) Don Zolidis has updated this concept to fit with the modern world.”

Senior Athya Paramesh played Euripides, one of the fleeing humans, and said modern adaptations make the play relatable to viewers.

“This is one of our most accessible shows in terms of subject matter as well as performance,” Paramesh said. “The major critiques the characters have about the world are traffic, pollution and the concept of capitalism, which are all problems audiences can relate to.”

Paramesh also said the acting style in the play contributes to its relatability.

“The style of the show is a farcical comedy, which means all of the physical and vocal choices are over the top and ridiculous,” Paramesh said. “The hope is that little kids,

teens and adults can all enjoy the show because the jokes range from childish to philosophical commentary on modern life.”

Thermond said she directed the humorous play to contrast with previous productions.

“My goal is that students are getting variety if they participate in all the shows throughout high school,” Thermond said. “Last year we did a super serious historical drama, so this year, we’re doing a comedy about the birds overthrowing the gods.”

And Thermond said she aimed to pick a play that was easy to watch for families.

“Even if you’re someone who doesn’t consider yourself a theatre person, we’ve been

approaching it almost more at the mindset of treating it like a Saturday morning cartoon,” Thermond said.

Senior Jack Champlin, who played Pisthetaerus, the other fleeing human, said he enjoyed acting in “The Birds.”

“The play is so silly and absurd that it is difficult not to have a good time working on it,” Champlin said. “And as always, there are so many incredible people involved in the production.”

Rohan Bhatia Sports Editor

City prepares for winter storm season !"#$%&'"()*+&,-%."*#%/0&'-12#3&4"*5+&6"#$&#$&78*%$)*+.#7&%"&-79*8:)&#$;*8+%*-3%-*)&#$&38+)&";&<"":#$9 Staff Writer

In anticipation of a heavy winter storm season and in collaboration with the Public Works Department and the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority, the city of Palo Alto has begun an infrastructure upgrade equipment cleanup project.

The Climate Prediction Center projects severe rainfall from El Niño will cause winter floods in low-lying areas surrounding Palo Alto, and city officials are concerned that this flooding, combined with vegetation along the San Francisquito Creek could lead to debris build-up in the event of a storm.

To minimize storm damage, Vice-Mayor Greer Stone said the JPA conducts a yearly survey of the San Francisquito Creek and clears potential hazards from the area. JPA Senior Project Manager Tess Byler said the JPA already surveyed the creek for this coming storm season.

“Every year, we do an annual maintenance walk from the upper watershed to West Bayshore highway,” Byler said. “We had the walk in September because we were already anticipating the risk, and wanted to be able to make sure we were clearing debris out of the creek.”

Senior Engineer Michel Jeremias of the Public Works Department said infrastructure work remains a top priority for the city, and the Public Works Department completed repairs for cracked, rusted and rotted pipes around the city on Nov. 28 of last year.

“The pipes rehabilitated with the storm drainage system replacement and rehabilitation project were rehabilitated based on their integrity,” Jeremias said. “Increasing pipe sizes (as a means of upgrading them) is not always feasible for many reasons.”

The Public Works department hired Golden Bay Construction, Inc. to continue with Capital Improvement Project upgrades for storm drain stations and systems by East Meadow Circle and East Meadow Drive, with a planned completion date of the end of June 2024.

Jeremias also said Palo Alto is installing technology to monitor the creek in preparation for the coming storm season.

“We’ve installed poles where the camera will be placed, and we are in the process of installing the fiber, power and equipment needed to gather the image of the water level in San Francisquito Creek,” Jeremias said.

To address rising water levels, the Horizontal Levee Project, set to start construction in 2024, includes a method for transferring treated wastewater into habitats near the Bay to compensate for the water lost through other flood channels.

ONG IE H Paly AP Environmental Science IST HR C teacher Nicole Loomis said the proj- BY ect will help support ecosystems in the area.

“Some of the river water goes into the marsh, which is down in the Baylands,” Loomis said. “It provides a good habitat for lots of birds. They will be diverting more water into that area as opposed to just discharging it to the Bay.” Byler said the California Department of Transportation, the owner of the land by West Bayshore, will be ready if problems arise with debris build-up around West Bayshore, an area outside of the city’s jurisdiction.

“They’ve committed to have somebody monitoring the situation and taking emergency actions if required,” Byler said. “However, they can’t act unless there’s an imminent threat to human health or the environment.”

City officials also said Palo Alto offers additional resources for residents such as flood insurance premium discounts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Stone said additional benefits will also be available.

“They are assisting constituents with filing those FEMA applications, helping residents through the bureaucratic and complicated process of filing them,” Stone said The city offers sandbag distribution at the Rinconada tennis courts, Mitchell Park and the Palo Alto Airport terminal. The city is also hosting a storm preparedness AR T

Henry Liu

workshop on Nov. 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center for residents seeking information before the storm season begins.

Though the city can make preparations, Loomis said ultimately, the future impact of natural disasters will only increase due to the impacts of climate change.

“The last time we had a really strong El Niño was in 1997,” Loomis said. “It led to flooding in the San Francisquito Creek over by the Stanford Shopping Center. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of El Niños and La Niñas. Since the ocean is warmer because of climate change, the storms are stronger, faster and do more damage.”

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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Homelessness increases due to rising rent prices, lack of a

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riving down U.S. Highway 101, Stacy, an unhoused resident of Palo Alto who asked to be identified only by her first name due to privacy concerns, was hit by a speeding drunk driver in 2018. Due to the injuries she sustained, she was unable to continue working. Just six months later, she was evicted, unable to pay her rent.

Since then, she has been living in motels, shelters and her Subaru for the past five years. On top of that, she faced a 10-month battle with cancer in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stacy is now set to get housing by the end of the year, but her story is one of many in Santa Clara County.

According to the Applied Survey Research Point-inTime Report, in 2022, 10,028 people were unhoused in Santa Clara County, the fourth highest unhoused population in the nation, and 77% of those were unsheltered in 2022. Of the unhoused individuals in Santa Clara County, 1,155 were under the age of 24, including 56 people under the age of 18. The number of unhoused individuals in Santa Clara County has increased by 42% since 2009.

ROOT CAUSES With Santa Clara County’s median income being nearly $70,000 above the national median, Brian Greenberg, Vice President of LifeMoves — a nonprofit organization that provides emergency interim housing for unhoused people in the South Bay — said rent prices are triple the national average.

Greenberg said the hiked rent

prices result in a disproportionately large unhoused population.

“Rent in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Mountain View are over $3 a foot per month,” Greenberg said. “In many states, rent hasn’t reached $1 a foot. We don’t have any more mental illness in California than they do in Texas, but we have an outsized homeless problem.”

While housing is a primary contributor to homelessness, Derek Christopher, a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, said mental health issues are also associated with homelessness for both chronically and temporarily unhoused people.

“It is clear that mental health is at play in many, if not most, instances of homelessness,” Christopher said. “However, it remains unclear the extent to which mental illness leads to homelessness, homelessness leads to mental illness, or both.”

Greenberg also said causes for homelessness can start in adolescence, especially in low-income households, because a smaller percentage of unhoused adolescents pursue postsecondary education. A 2023 study from Brookings found that about 89% of students from high-income families go to college compared to 51% of students from low-income families.

“Poor kids are just as smart as middle class kids, but many don’t go to college, and if they go to college, many drop out,” Greenberg said. “It’s so daunting for lower income families to think about post-secondary education. Many of our kids have never been on a college campus.”

According to Donald Barr, the board secretary of Peninsula Healthcare Connection, a clinic that provides health services for unhoused people, many of the unhoused adolescents in Palo Alto attend a high school within 50 miles of the region, and some do pursue post-secondary education.

“Nearly half of the homeless adults (in Palo Alto) grew up here as kids, and that’s often because they dropped out of the educational system after high

school or maybe after a couple of years of college,” Barr said. “The late teens and early 20s is when mental illnesses like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia start to take effect.”

Stacy said for those who move to Palo Alto from other cities, it is difficult to then move back.

“I come from a very, very small rural community, so if I were to go home, somebody has to retire or pass away in order for a good job to come along,” Stacy said. “Once people get (a job), they stay, whether they’re happy or not.

Because once you’re going to move, that’s your medical insurance. That’s your retirement. That’s your paycheck.

People come here for a better job, and then something falls apart, and you realize that your savings don’t stretch the way it did.”

PUBLIC EFFORTS Barr said providing housing and permanent services for unhoused people is actually more affordable than taking no action at all.

“Putting chronically homeless adults into housing, paying the rent for them and assigning them a case manager turns out to be cheaper than having them on the streets,” Barr said. “Otherwise, they end up in an ambulance with calls to the emergency room, they end up in jail or in a detox center, so it’s actually cheaper for communities to provide permanent housing for the homeless.”

There are multiple services within Palo Alto to support the city’s unhoused population, notably the Opportunity Center, located at 33 Encina Ave. in downtown Palo Alto. Barr, who founded the local nonprofit that helped build the center, the Community Working Group, said it provides three levels of service.

“There are 89 permanent supportive apartments with a case manager that works with the clients to help them stay in the housing,” Barr said. “On the ground floor, there’s a Services Center where (unhoused individuals) can get some food, check their email on a computer, take a shower or talk to a case manager about trying to move into housing. And there’s a nonprofit medical clinic that has received federal certification and provides health care to the homeless.”

Through the Opportunity Center, residents have access to Peninsula Healthcare Connection. David Chang, who oversees Stanford Health Care physicians at PHC, said patients range from those living in permanent supportive housing to those living on the street, with or without insurance. Chang said residents can also get medical examinations that are legally required for jobs or school, regardless of their living situation.

“If somebody comes in and they don’t have any other doctors they can see, and they need a school physical or a tuberculosis test or some immunizations, we will try to do that because we really want people to be in school or society,” Chang said. “We do see patients who need mental health (treatment). We see patients who have chemical dependency issues or substance use disorder issues.”

And Greenberg said health services are crucial for unhoused individuals because they are more susceptible to mental illness, causing individuals to stay unhoused for longer periods of time if not addressed.

“Once you’re living on the streets for a year or two, you develop trauma,” Greenberg said. “It’s debilitating to sleep outside, so you can develop drug problems. If your depression or anxiety wasn’t treated as a kid, once things are untreated for many years, they become entrenched in the human condition.”

But Chang said some chronic health issues cannot be solved without permanent housing.

“A lot of times we’ll see a patient who has some kind of health issue, like back pain or poorly controlled diabetes,

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affordable housing as community works to alleviate crisis but the reason they have these things is because they’re sleeping on the street,” Chang said. “They don’t have a refrigerator to put their medications in, so we very quickly pivot to connecting (them) with case managers who work on housing.”

With the goal of shifting residents into permanent housing, Greenberg said LifeMoves’s case managers create individualized case plans after an assessment of each client.

“It might concern getting involved in psychiatric services or getting into therapy that might involve drug treatment services,” Greenberg said. “It might involve budgeting classes, legal assistance, linkage to employment or you might be disabled and unable to work. We try to individualize as much as we can.”

Hotel de Zink, a LifeMoves housing program hosted by Palo Alto churches each month, relies on volunteers from the local congregations to prepare and provide food and shelter. It primarily serves single adults and is accessible from the Opportunity Center.

Sandy Wilbourn, who organized the All Saints Church Hotel de Zink program in October, said Hotel de Zink is an atypical shelter that provides for the transiently unhoused population.

“The program houses 15 to 20 people a year, but there are lots of people coming in and out of the program because they’re in some kind of transitional state between homelessness and being housed,” Wilbourn said. “It’s great to have a place that’s not the standard kind of shelter, where you can get an evening meal and a place to sleep that’s quiet.”

Reverend Dr. Eileen Altman, the associate pastor at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto said Hotel de Zink also provides benefits for members of her congregation who are not unhoused. FCCPA hosted Hotel de Zink in March.

“When folks in the church talk with Hotel de Zink clientele, they realize the complexities of their stories,” Altman said. “One of the things that is meaningful is recognizing the realities of what it’s like to struggle financially.”

Another smaller community initiative focused on helping the unhoused is the Safe Parking Program, which is also offered at Palo Alto churches. The program allows churches to open up to four parking spots for unhoused individuals with passenger vehicles, where they can sleep at night and use the church’s sanitary facilities for as long as needed. Since its debut in 2020, the program has served over 80 individuals.

Despite its positive results, Christopher Kan, founder and administrator of the Safe Parking program, said gaining approval for the program was difficult.

“We ran an entire political campaign just to get four cars in our parking lot,” Kan said. “We had personal meetings with basically every single city council member. We talked with almost any community leader you could frankly imagine within the borders of Palo Alto. We talked to almost every faith community, and we talked with all kinds of political organizing groups. But we’re bending our world towards justice, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to move it very, very little.”

Kan also said during the push for the program’s approval, his team faced opposition in public.

“Our members were being accosted in the grocery store and being asked to explain, ‘Why are you putting my children in danger? Why are you going to bring rapists to my neighborhood?’” Kan said. “(We) dealt with that at Trader Joe's, at school pickup, at soccer games. Literally all over.”

Despite the challenges, Kan said he is proud of his team’s work.

“We've helped support other churches trying to start similar programs after us, and none of them have encountered the same problems that we did,” Kan said. “Part of it is because we helped not only city officials but also people in Palo Alto think about, ‘What does it mean to be a caring community?’”

Volunteers for Hotel de Zink do not just come from the adult population, though.

Lisa Bertelson-Kivett, who started the GIVES program at Addison Elementary School in 2019 and recently expanded to Greene Middle School, said GIVES gives PAUSD families the opportunity to provide a warm meal to an unhoused individual for a night at Hotel de Zink.

Bertelson-Kivett said the program allows adolescents to interact with those they wouldn’t normally meet.

“We can talk about homelessness and hunger, but for many kids, it is still somewhat removed from their everyday lives,” Bertelson-Kivett said. “Greene GIVES is all about teaching by doing. We’re building community awareness and a service culture by rolling up our collective shirtsleeves and tackling these problems. And by engaging directly, we demonstrate to our kids that they can have a positive impact on their city.”

Lauren Williams, a Greene parent who volunteered to prepare and serve food at Hotel de Zink through the GIVES program, said she wanted her son to volunteer with her to pass community service values onto her children.

“When this became an opportunity for our family, it was a no brainer (to) do this,” Williams said. “This is a great program that focuses on people who are going through instability with housing and food, so it's a great program to introduce my kids to that area of service.”

COMMUNITY EFFORTS Despite the efforts to help unhoused individuals, Stacy said the city and county still need to reform current practices.

“The system is broken,” Stacy said. “(The county) gives you an assessment test, and they ask you all these questions.

And if you don't have serious problems, like if you're not disabled or an addict, getting help with housing is impossible. How can you say that one individual deserves housing more than the other?”

Stacy also said homelessness is an issue many politicians choose to ignore.

“Silicon Valley, in the way they look at the homeless, just wants to sweep this under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist,” Stacy said.

Greenberg agrees and said Palo Alto’s affluence does not excuse both politicians and residents from treating the unhoused population with the same respect that the others receive.

“Open up your eyes to how (homelessness) came to be and that we're living with this and almost thinking nothing of it,” Greenberg said. “Because when you're on University Avenue, at night when the restaurants are closing, it's only homeless people out.”

Chang also said a majority of the unhoused population of Palo Alto emphasized that being treated as inferior was the worst part of being unhoused.

“The thing that bothers (the homeless) the most is people will not look at them, or they'll think they are less than the others in the area,” Chang said. “A lot of the people we work with are highly intelligent and highly educated local people.”

Vice Mayor Greer Stone said Palo Alto citizens should address the issue of homelessness by making efforts to acknowledge the unhoused since they are still members of the community.

“It shouldn’t matter if you live in a $5 million mansion in Palo Alto or live right in your car on the corner of the street,” Stone said. “The government can do everything we can to try to address the problem, but it really is a greater societal issue, and we have to treat everybody with respect and human decency.”

But Stacy said the biggest issue was the harassment she faced from certain police officers, specifically from San Jose and Sunnyvale.

“You would think that (the police) would be there to just protect us, but they tend to prey on us,” Stacy said. “They'll come tapping on your car demanding to see your driver's license and to run your background 20 days out of 30. And they're just doing it just to mess with you. I don't have a criminal background. I have a job. There's no reason for them to be picking on me.”

Jennifer Garnett, the Sunnyvale Police Department’s Communication Officer, responded to the previous claim about their officers’ treatment of homeless residents by stating the city has been taking action to support the unhoused community.

“We partner with and provide funds to several nonprofit agencies,” Garnett said. “Our public safety officers also check on the welfare of unhoused residents. They explain available services, such as temporary shelter, and they have on occasion given out basic supplies like blankets and toiletries.”

Ultimately, Kan said empathy is the key to helping unhoused individuals.

“Most (unhoused) people had a medical bill. They crashed their car. They had something happen that they weren't prepared for,” Kan said. “These people go to Paly (and) Stanford. They work at the places your parents work.

They shop in the stores that you shop at. They drink the same bubble tea that you do. They're just people that need some help because all of us need help sometimes.”

TEXT BY HOLDEN LEE, HEATHER SONG AND KATE XIA ART BY KATE XIA

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

A6

Opinion

Parking permits should be obtainable throughout year to accommodate students A

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s I maneuver my way to the far right lane of El Camino Real in the morning rush with cars speeding past me at 50 mph, I catch a glimpse of the rarest item at Paly: a parking spot close to the Tower Building alongside the road of El Camino Real.

I quickly swerve into the spot with my heart racing. I’m one of the luckiest people in the world to have this parking spot.

I wait for what seems like 10 minutes for the traffic to clear barely a foot away from my car.

While it might seem like a choice to park alongside El Camino Real I began parking there after I tried obtaining a parking permit from ASB Bookkeeper Fatima Giffen’s office two days after getting my driver’s license in mid-September.

However, Giffen told me parking passes were sold out weeks before, and I would have to wait until next semester when the tower building reopens to obtain a parking permit.

My friends went through a similar process and now have to park alongside El Camino Real even though they are the first people at the lot when it’s still dark outside. Many didn’t even know they had to obtain a parking permit to park in the lot.

Paly administrators have stated the importance of obtaining a permit early since August, leading to piles of students lining up in front of the Bookkeeper’s office during the second week of school to pay for their permits.

Paly, however, did not specify how those taking their driver’s tests later in the year, with the majority of permits sold by then, would obtain parking permits.

As the reconstruction of the Tower Building is scheduled to be finished by winter break, some students will be able to obtain a parking permit for the next semester, which means they are guaranteed a spot and are usually closer to the school.

However, many will still be without a permit for the remainder of the year as there are only around 11 spots available for students on the waitlist with many still left without a parking spot.

The cost for a permit is $120 without an ASB card and $110 with an ASB card.

The parking permits are set at this price because it covers small costs for other Paly events such as Prom according to ASB. There are also systemic disadvantages to the parking permit system. First, even with a permit, not all students are guaranteed spots and some have to scavenge for parking every day.

Second, the mental impact of increased

LOTTE LIU HAR YC TB AR

stress is due to students’ increased time spent driving to school and finding parking.

Third, students whose birthdays are later in the year aren’t able to obtain a parking permit because they were born later and would have to pay for one before they even can drive or wait till next year which poses a host of problems for students who would drive as their main or only form of transportation.

In addition, parking on El Camino Real is parallel to speeding traffic, posing an increased potential for harmful collisions as students enter and exit their cars.

Students also can’t park in residential areas or Town and Country, making it nearly impossible to find parking elsewhere.

It is also challenging to parallel park on El Camino as students are seasonal drivers and often don’t have much experience with parallel parking which makes the road even more dangerous for these new drivers.

Some argue if students can’t find parking or don’t have the ability to park, they should ride their bikes for health and climate benefits.

While this is true, many students have extracurriculars such as sports which force students to stay at school till after dark. Additional family responsibilities like picking siblings up from daycare also mean needing a car. Biking at night is especially dangerous, and students often have to carry sports equipment or large objects for their activities or school work, which adds another challenge to biking, making driving more efficient for the average student.

Nevertheless, parking can be a consistent problem for many students. Therefore I propose a certain number of parking slots be kept per month so students can obtain them regardless of the time of year.

Additionally, college representative spots should be given to students or teachers as well to decrease stress and safety concerns around parking for students therefore students will be able to have less stress when arriving at school, and students with extracurriculars won’t have as much luggage to haul from home to school then home again.

Isabelle Carlsen Staff Writer

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Each year, over one and a half million students across the country take one of the most important tests of their high school careers: the SAT. As the testing season approaches for juniors and seniors, one would think Paly, a school with a $300 million annual budget, would offer resources to students to prepare for standardized tests. But it doesn’t.

While Paly runs a tutoring program after school at the Peer Tutoring Center, it only regularly offers tutoring for on-campus courses.

According to Campus Supervisor Mayerly Short, the center offers test tutoring based on the availability of student tutors, so it is not always guaranteed year-round. Many Paly students have the financial capacity to spend extravagantly on SAT preparation.

Outside of the classroom, they can be found attending month-long summer boot camps and spending well over $200 an hour on private one-on-one tutoring sessions.

However, many students lack access to such opportunities, hindering their ability to achieve the same levels of success as their peers. Paly should encourage more students to sign up for SAT, ACT, and PSAT tutoring at the Peer Tutoring Center resources.

This can be done through a multitude of ways: in AP Calculus classes at Paly, for example, the new Engagement and Enrichment pilot program allows students to fill 5% of their grade with credit from peer tutoring.

This not only provides an incentive for students to join the peer tutoring center, satisfying a potential demand for test tutoring, but also gives student tutors the opportunity to contribute to their community and earn service hours while doing so.

Paly students who are well-versed in standardized testing strategies will have the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and lift their peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment at school.

In such a setup, peer tutors could also emphasize the PSAT in preparation for the SAT. When it comes to the PSAT, many students believe

ART BY CHARLOTTE LIU

it’s just another standardized test used for state evaluation similar to CAASPP. In some cases, the test can only be used for a progress interval to know where students themselves are at.

However, the top 1% of test takers nationwide qualify for The National Merit Scholarship Program, an academic scholarship competition that awards students financial aid and allows them to attend colleges for half price or even for free.

For some students, personalized tutoring makes all the difference between a good and bad score.

The first time I took an SAT diagnostic test, I was shocked and somewhat disappointed by my results.

At multiple points throughout my studying, I remember

feeling hopeless, wondering if it was worth taking the test.

However, I was lucky enough to have tutors and counselors who educated me on the importance of submitting scores to colleges, and pushed me to raise my score to a number that would help — and not hurt — my admissions chances at my dream schools.

Since noticing improvements in my SAT score, I decided to expand my tutoring resources to my core subjects as well.

This significantly improved my grades as well as my understanding of the confusing material I once struggled to grasp.

Without those resources, I don’t know if I would have studied for the SAT, or even considered taking it.

Though many colleges have gone testoptional in their admissions process, students should be able to decide for themselves if they want to prepare for these tests, and the peer tutoring center would be a good, free resource for those who want to do so.

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

A7

Opinion

Seniors should get to know the overlooked details of Palo Alto before they graduate !"#$%&"'(')*#+$(,-'-"()-$$%&(".%/'#.%'(*0(*#.(1-"2("*(/33.%1-/"%(4/2(5.%/(/""./1"-*&' Olivia Atkinson

News/Opinion Editor

D

ressed in a silky green gown, I picture myself marching down the football field to get my diploma — my ticket to leaving this city behind and going off on new adventures.

In the years leading up to my senior year, I found Palo Alto to be claustrophobic and lacking diversity in things to do and places to see.

And yet, now that I’m in the middle of college applications and my last year at Paly, I feel nostalgic about leaving this place.

I’ve realized I need to give Palo Alto a little more appreciation.

A friend and I began exploring Palo Alto and the local area a couple months ago. Every weekend, we scout out new spots to study, enjoying fresh scenery as we type our hearts out, trying to condense our entire lives into short paragraphs for college applications.

In the process of discovering new, cute cafes around town, I learned there is so much more to this city that I didn’t give it credit for.

Despite having lived here for a large chunk of my life, I still don’t know every little nook in the area.

After our weekly excursions, here are some of my favorite spots around town.

Let’s start off with the Palo Alto Rinconada Library. I assume everyone has stepped foot into this library once or twice. But have you ever taken the chance to just walk around it?

Trekked through the community garden where kind-hearted souls tend to their flourishing gardens? Seen the backroom where there are technology lessons for parents attentively learning how to operate social media platforms to keep up with their screenagers?

Have you entered the teen center study room, decked out with a comfy fuzzy dark green sofa? If you take the time and explore, this place is wonderful, with people of all walks of life coexisting as they complete their own tasks.

Next stop, Stanford campus. We have this whole brilliant university right at our doorstep, but that’s not all it has to offer. My friend and I have wandered through the modern chemistry buildings, gazing at the beautiful floor to

ceiling glass windows. We walked past the red U-shaped fountain, with students lined along the rim tipping their toes in the cool water.

After exploring, we found a sunny corner and pulled out our laptops to get to work, or in my case, simply gazed off into the distance daydreaming about nothing in particular. I like to think the sheer brilliance of Stanford students powers me to be more productive.

For those feeling a bit more adventurous,

ART BY RACHEL LEE

bike over to downtown Menlo Park. Although it technically doesn’t belong to Palo Alto, the shortness of my bike ride makes it seem as though it does.

Especially in the fall, the main street feels like walking through a scene in Glimore Girls, with leaves decorating the sidewalk. The smell of coffee fills the air as my friend and I get warm croissants from Mademoiselle Colette on the way to the Menlo Park Library.

Whenever we get exhausted from being productive queens, we simply head out to the duck pond and watch toddlers and their parents throw bread crumbs to eager, open beaks.

Study spots aren’t the only thing Palo Alto has to offer. Each Friday evening I go to Winter Lodge to ice skate. This is not an activity exclusive to those who know how to skate.

There’s a certain entertainment in watching first-time skaters wobbling on the ice, trying to smile through the awkwardness of their first date.

But really, it’s a magical place. The string lights adorning the ceiling, hay bales and pumpkins surrounding comfy sofas, and hit pop songs humming through speakers give off the perfect fairytale-like ambiance.

Of course, for my inner-city enthusiast, taking the train or driving up to San Francisco is always an option, but my focus is more on this area.

If you ever feel bored on a Friday night, drive up to Foothills instead and star gaze.

Breathe in the crisp air as you let your eyes adjust to the little flickering lights. Listen as the chirping crickets lull you to sleep and forget about whatever’s on your mind.

If these places weren’t enough, consider the Stanford Theater. Positioned at the heart of University Ave., it’s hard not to miss the flickering red and white lights on the marquee. When I walk inside I’m greeted by walls covered by vintage movie posters, the smell of warm buttery popcorn and the clear sound of the ancient Wurlitzer Organ.

I nestle into my seat as the velvet curtains rise, signaling the film is about to start. I have rewatched classics like “Roman Holiday” or “North by Northwest” at this theater, but I’ve also discovered beautiful films I never knew existed like the comedy “Operation Petticoat.”

In a city constantly changing with new innovation, it’s nice to slow down and take a step back in time.

So, to all my eager seniors, get out and explore this city while you have the chance.

Don’t fool yourself with the excuse that there is nothing to do here, because trust me, there are plenty of activities. Just be patient and look around.

This may be the last time you call this city your home, so get to know the hidden treasures Palo Alto has to offer.

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It’s a cozy Saturday evening, and the television screen casts a luminous glow over the room. As the screen comes to life and a familiar soundtrack of the Lion King begins to play, I expect to feel a tug of childhood nostalgia.

But this soundtrack is revised, and the movie remake in front of me is simply a reminder of the recent flood of Disney live-action remakes. I can’t help but wonder if that original, nostalgic enchantment will ever be restored within me.

I was initially excited and curious when hearing about Disney’s live-action remakes since I grew up regularly watching Disney movies and hold many of the characters close to my heart.

But upon further consideration, I do believe Disney deserves the backlash it has been receiving. From casting controversies to concerns about cultural representation and originality, Disney’s recent adaptations of beloved animated classics have failed to capture the hearts of longtime fans and new generations.

Specifically, Disney has a habit of casting actors whose ethnicity doesn’t match the character they are portraying in films that strongly emphasize identity and culture. There is a message being sent when characters of one ethnicity or culture are consistently cast incorrectly, especially if they are being casted as half-white.

When actors are cast inaccurately or in roles that do not align with their cultural background, it reinforces the idea that ethnicities are interchangeable and undermines each’s unique experiences and perspectives.

Moreover, casting characters as half-white implies a character’s worth or appeal is somehow enhanced by their adjacency to whiteness, almost diluting them to fit a specific Western mold.

For example, though I enjoyed the live-action remake of “Aladdin,” there were controversial casting choices for various characters.

Half-white Anglo Indian actress Naomi Scott played Princess Jasmine, a decision which received heavy criticism since Scott didn’t originate from an Arabic or Middle Eastern background.

Also, the live adaptation added a new, white male character to the cast, played by “Into the Woods” Billy Magnussen, whose character only seemed to fuel unnecessarily xenophobic ideas.

The 2019 “The Lion King” remake, which received criticism for the lack of expressiveness in the CGI-rendered animals, felt a lot like a waste of time and money.

YC HE RIA N

Staff Writer

The entire film felt like a money grab, as there were no new ideas or concepts that made this remake stand out from the original.

Instead, those resources could have gone towards producing a new, original movie to attract a wide range of viewers.

The animation of the different animals is what initially drew me in as a child and was what made the original film charming and fun. Or take the 2020 “Mulan” live-action movie, another remake with significant changes made to the original story.

I was disappointed by the removal of beloved characters like Mushu and Cri-Kee and classic songs such as “Reflection” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” that made the movie memorable.

Disney attempted to fill these gaps with unnecessary, confusing new characters and concepts like witches and dark magic, but that further erased the original charm of the animated film.

Though this remake claimed to be a more authentic adaptation of “Mulan,” originally released in 1998, it had a white director, a white costume designer and four white screenwriters.

It would have made more sense for Disney to hire a Chinese crew to run the movie, and at the bare minimum, a single Chinese writer to support the updated script.

Instead, they ended up disrespecting Chinese culture.

Although Disney is increasing diversity in its plot and characters with movies like “Encanto” and “Turning Red,” there is no point in including multiple cultures if they are portrayed incorrectly.

Oftentimes, misrepresentation can be more harmful than no representation at all.

Recently, Disney announced a “Snow White” live-action remake is in the works, and though I was mildly interested at best, actress Rachel Zegler, cast to play Snow White, made controversial comments.

People accused Zegler of hating Snow White and having a pseudo-feminist take on the original animation.

In addition, people have also expressed exhaustion with Disney’s shallow brand of “girlboss feminism,” arguing that not every princess has to be a hero or leader in order to be a good role model, to which I agree.

As a child, I grew up watching and cherishing these classic Disney movies, and it is disheartening to see how these movies have been butchered into moneygrab remakes.

In the future, Disney’s live-action remakes should focus on striking ART B

Cherianne Yoon

a careful balance between tradition and restructure when recreating original works.

While casting choices should consider talent and suitability for the roles, diversity and accuracy should be a top priority.

Cultural representation should be handled with sensitivity and respect, avoiding stereotypes and oversimplification.

Moreover, remakes should offer a fresh perspective or innovative take on the original.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

A8

Editorials !"#$%&$'()*+",*+$!*-.)+ !"#$%&'()'*))+',)-./-0'()'01-#$%'("2'")*#0/3'&2/&)$

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City should increase support, resources for the unhoused

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0&%)*25-.(>*$-%*2=1$>*<-$1)*-$*0.771"(1)*01$%1" In a unanimous Oct. 16 vote, the Palo Alto City Council announced its intention to try to buy seven acres of land at Cubberley Community Center from PAUSD while exploring a longterm lease to acquire another 20 acres of land also owned by the district.

The city currently owns eight acres of the Cubberley Center and leases a majority of the remaining land from the district.

This new purchase would provide the city with primary control over the 35acre property for upwards of 50 years.

The Campanile thinks this potential acquisition is unnecessary and asks city council to divert the funds they would spend to acquire this land at Cubberley on more pressing matters, especially since there appears to be no definite plan for what the City would do with the land if they had it.

The Campanile thinks the purchase of this much of Cubberley without a concrete plan of action is futile.

Instead, we urge the city to invest its money in issues that will provide a

greater benefit to the entire community such as improving public transportation, supporting local businesses still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and creating more affordable housing.

According to City Council Member Vicki Veenker, the city’s tentative plan is to redevelop Cubberley into a community center tailored to a variety of interests, benefiting community members from all different walks of life.

With a prominent community center at the Mitchell Park Library complex, though, the City already has a location that allows residents to try local food and take part in a variety of activities they enjoy.

With a community center already operating, the demand for another community center is minimal, and purchasing a potential cumulative total of 27 acres of land with the intent to create another one should not be a top priority.

Additionally, in an interview with The Campanile, Board of Education President Jennifer DiBrienza said the

district still wants to retain ownership of a majority of the land at Cubberley in case it needs land to build another school.

So, even if the City does get a longterm lease on the Cubberly land, when that lease expires, PAUSD will resume control of this land and the potential community center, and if the district chooses to build another school, rerenovating whatever was built would be costly and time-consuming.

Diverting city investment to more time-sensitive matters such as improving public transportation, supporting small businesses or creating more affordable housing makes more sense and will do more good.

While a new community center may be an appealing idea to some, it would be expensive, would assume a role that has already been filled and would not be permanent.

For these reasons, The Campanile urges the city to consider areas of higher priority and redirect its funds to better meet the needs of all residents.

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or illness, causing them to lose their job and eventually get evicted.

Recognizing that not all unhoused people are the same would allow for more individualized support without creating broad assumptions about the entire unhoused population, relying on a blanket solution to fix the issue.

The Campanile also thinks helping the unhoused extends beyond the local and state-wide housing crisis.

Postdoctoral Stanford scholar Derek Christopher said both chronically and temporarily unhoused populations may suffer from physical or mental health disabilities. These can interfere with their attempts at getting support from shelters or nonprofit organizations to find permanent housing.

Supplying housing without simultaneously providing support in managing the mental or physical health of the unhoused population will only exacerbate the cycle of becoming unhoused.

Because of this, we urge the city to mobilize previously neglected supports such as case managers, hygienic services and mental health support for the unhoused during their transition back to permanent housing.

As Board Secretary of Peninsula Healthcare Connection Donald Barr said, ”Paying the rent for them and assigning them a case manager turns out to be cheaper than having them on the streets,” Barr said. “Otherwise, they end up in an ambulance with calls to the emergency room (or) they end up in jail or in a detox center.”

Finally, we hope Palo Alto residents will not make sweeping generalizations about the unhoused population. Individual community members and several organizations have been defending projects for the unhoused like the safe RV parking program at local churches.

But while some have already been taking action against homelessness, ultimately, we think residents who view the unhoused from a place of privilege should let go of their perception of this otherness and treat the homeless community with the respect and care they deserve.

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!"#$%&#'$%()$*#+%,-$./+0%/1+/./+*"#/20+%)0#,3%014$*-"50% -0(/+01'(%'$%4)"150%"''/'*+0(%'$6"-+%')$(0%6/')$*'%)$70( mid the escalating Bay Area housing crisis, The Campanile urges Palo Alto to prioritize helping its homeless population, especially in providing accessible resources.

According to the 2022 Applied Survey Research Point-inTime Report, over 10,000 people are unhoused in Santa Clara County, with the number of unhoused individuals increasing by 42% since 2009. Despite the area’s well-known affluence, the County has the fourth highest unhoused population in the nation.

Due to the high demand for housing and the city policies that continue to replace affordable housing projects with luxury living spaces, there is a disproportionately large homeless population in our area.

Paired with skyrocketing rent prices, which Brain Greenberg –– the Vice President of the nonprofit LifeMoves –– said are triple the national average, Palo Alto systematically pushes out those who rely on below market rate housing or interim housing.

While we understand the city has made recent efforts to improve its housing crisis for low-income families or individuals, only 6.22% of the very low-income housing mandated by the Regional Housing Needs Allocation has been built since 2015.

Instead, the Palo Alto Planning Director Jonathan Lait told The Stanford Daily in 2020 that the city has built “almost 73% of the above moderate-income housing allocation in the same time period.”

We urge the Palo Alto City Council to accelerate its implementation of housing for our low-income population and while doing so, consider the difference between chronic and temporary homelessness.

The Point-in-Time Report said chronic homelessness –– at least four episodes of homelessness totaling 12 months in the last three years –– affects 28% of the city’s unhoused population while the rest are veterans, families or youth.

Also, most of those who experience temporary homelessness have gone through a major life event, like an accident

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LIST BY SHAMSHEER SINGH ART BY SOPHIA KELLY

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Christie Hong • Lucy Li • Dhruv Shetty Hannah Singer • Nidhi Thummalapalli News/Opinion Editors Olivia Atkinson Julian Hong Sports Editors Rohan Bhatia Neel Sharma

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editors Alec Bonnard Holden Lee Kate Xia Art Director Rachel Lee

Business Manager Gabriella Gulman

Social Media Manager Heather Song

Managing Editor Lucas Yuan

Photo Editor Tyler Wong

Writers

Isabella Bian Albert Jung Rahul Shetty Isabelle Carlsen Lea Kwan Shamsheer Singh Annika Chu Gavin Lin Luca Vostrejs Cynthia Huang Henry Liu Cherianne Yoon Alex Isayama Naveen Narayanaswami Illustrators & Photographers Talia Boneh Charlotte Liu Anya Rasmussen Janya Jain Isaac Liu Angela Rao Sophia Kelly Samanvika Senthil Kumar Sam Saccheri Aurelia McKinney Dorian Luo Teresa Wang

Adviser Rodney Satterthwaite Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds24@googlegroups.com. The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or sponsors in 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.

Our Vision Statement:

The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling.

Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Lifestyle

Junior helps save life at Moonlight Walk and Run

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W

hen junior Graham Sine signed up to volunteer at the annual Moonlight Run and Walk, he expected an uneventful night of passing out water cups to runners.

Unbeknownst to him, he would later save the life of Krasimir Kolarov near the end of the race through several minutes of resuscitation. Sine said he did not hesitate to help after hearing Kolarov had collapsed.

Sine also said the other people at the run were helpful and proactive in that moment.

“When I got there, he was already collapsed on the ground, but he was still breathing,” Sine said. “There were a couple of people around (him), and one had put him into the recovery position. They all called the police and guided them to (Kolarov).”

Despite his nerves, Sine said he stayed calm, applying CPR knowledge he learned from lifeguard training and Boy Scouts.

“I did what I remembered because we practiced (CPR) so much in the lifeguard training where we (made) up situations over and over again,” Sine said. “We pretended something happened, and I’d try to figure out what happened and what to do. What happened (at the event) was essentially the same thing.”

Kolarov said such a collapse was completely unexpected.

“Because of the cardiac arrest, I do not remember anything that happened that day,” Kolarov said. “I have been piecing together the event from talking to people that were there. When I woke up two days later in the hospital, I was very surprised that this happened to me.”

Sine said he had CPR training before he became a lifeguard.

“I got a diving license around two years ago,” Sine said. “On a trip that I went on, I was chosen to be trained in CPR, so I had already done it about a year before.”

To help Kolarov, Sine said he implemented his CPR training and his experience with automated external defibrillators, which he learned to use in becoming a lifeguard.

“The police came two minutes later after people called,” Sine said. “(A police officer and I) traded off doing CPR, and then I got the AED ready.”

Sine said his initial attempts were unsuccessful, but the paramedics’ equipment was enough to save Kolarov.

“I was doing CPR, and we got the AED up, which shocked him, but his heart didn’t start back up,” Sine said. “When the paramedics came, they brought in more advanced technology, and then they finally started his heart again.”

Sine said although he did not expect to use his CPR training, he never ruled out the possibility.

“I definitely thought that I wouldn’t need to use it,” Sine said. “But my dad told me a story of my grandfather, who did CPR on someone, so I knew there was definitely a chance it could come in handy, but I didn’t think it was going to happen so soon.”

Sine said his experience with Kolarov made him appreciate the value of learning life-saving skills.

“It’s an important skill for people to know, and I had the opportunity to learn it and I’m glad I did,” Sine said.

Kolarov said he is very grateful to everyone who helped him.

Kolarov said, “I am extremely grateful for the fast reaction of everyone around me and that they were able to bring me back to life.”

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Alec Bonnard

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

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GRAPHIC BY HANNAH SINGER

The Campanile

-+25+"#2&+:<"()3()36&91%%+)(58& *=:*95#5(1),&0+*2&3"#4*&#)=(*58 Lea Kwan Staff Writer

Last year, a teacher emailed my counselor concerning the troubles I’d been recently having with my performance in math. I arrived at the counselor’s office, confused as to why I was called. She started talking about my math grades and my heart sank. However, my counselor only looked confused.

“I don’t see why you got called in,” she said.

“You’re a fine student.”

This was incomprehensible to me. Grades have been a constant source of stress for me and many of my peers in Paly.

Starting from freshman year, maintaining a good GPA to get into a top-tier college was drummed into my head as a neverending mantra.

My grades, a two-year-long source of shame, were far worse than anyone else I knew. Yet here my counselor was, telling me they were considered fine or even good.

The older I get, the more I notice the disconnect between the GPA many adults at Paly consider good and the GPA I consider good.

In my opinion, the discrepancy is caused by the vastly differing expectations of students who grow up like me.

Paly, located in Silicon Valley and next-door neighbor to one of the best universities in the world, is full of high achievers.

Asians make up 36% of Paly. According to the Pew Research Report, 57% of Asians in the country are first generation immigrants, which in my experience causes many of their children to grow up with similar cultural expectations as their parents from the home country.

Asian countries are generally focused on academics. College is often seen as the end-all-beall, the gateway to opportunities. In China, the only assessment to determine entry into college is called the gaokao.

The stress from the test taken at the end of high school is responsible for 93% of student suicides in the country — and those include students who haven’t even entered high school just yet.

China’s intense focus on college doesn’t just go away once the parents move to a different country. The intense focus on college success shifts to America, through a hyper fixation on GPA, SAT scores and extracurricular activities.

Many teachers in Paly emphasize that grades don’t matter. I have had several teachers tell us about their experiences getting Bs, Cs and Ds all throughout high school and ending up in a good place.

I understand that many teachers want students to feel less pressure around grades. I understand that many have done just fine while not getting an unweighted 4.0, going to an Ivy League, and having an excessive amount of extracurricular activities (and I don’t doubt they had a much happier high school life while they were at it).

What I don’t think those teachers understand is the expectations that are ingrained in many kids due to upbringing.

When I fail a test, it isn’t just a sign that I need to study more and try harder, or that I really ought to stop browsing Reddit instead of studying. It’s a sign that I’m letting down the expectations my parents and peers have of me.

It’s a sign I’m letting down the people who I care about the most, and that I’m not heading towards what they believe is a good life track. It’s a sign that I failed my own expectations.

My point isn’t that the “grades don’t matter” viewpoint isn’t helpful to many students. Far from it. Many students thrive in environments where teachers emphasize learning above grades and don’t care if they do badly grade-wise.

But it’s not as clear-cut for many others. For as much as I wish I could think like that, a few words cannot change the way I was brought up.

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Opening her phone, freshman Julia Curtis clicks on Pinterest and is immediately greeted by a wide array of pins that display everything from the latest clothing brands to aesthetically pleasing photos taken from social media.

As she scrolls through the array of pins, she finds a fall sweater that she wants to add to her wardrobe. She immediately clicks on the post and saves the pin to her board.

According to Curtis, social media plays a significant role in her fashion choices because she relies heavily on Pinterest and Instagram to recreate outfits she likes.

“I look at Pinterest pins and Instagram posts for inspiration on clothes I already have or plan on getting,” Curtis said. “Sometimes I’ll look on the apps to see how others style clothing items.”

Senior Bella Ngyuen said she also takes inspiration from several different influencers on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

“I take bits and pieces from a variety of styles to curate my own,” Ngyuen said.

Curtis said social media allows her to discover new clothing, which in turn helps her explore different fashion trends and styles while expanding her creativity.

“By spreading trends more quickly and providing a platform to share ideas, brands, etc., I can buy things that match my style,” Curtis said. “Sometimes if I’m looking to buy new clothes, I’ll look online to see if other people are wearing them or not, which helps me to have an idea of what people are wearing or not.”

While social media can enhance fashion creativity for students, Nguyen said it can force individuals to follow trends based on popularity rather than personal style “Trends on social media are just what’s popular at the moment,” Nguyen said. “They can help you find new ways to style yourself, but it can also be the only thing that you would want to wear because it’s popular. Ultimately, it’s the person’s choice how creative they want to be.”

According to senior Shuya Lam, social media allows for her to find new styles and

aesthetics online that she would never find otherwise.

“It has all these different niches of styles that you don’t always see when you walk outside,” Lam said. “It helps me figure out what my style will look like for that day, and it’s nice for finding new style tips.”

Lam said while certain trends may be helpful, they can also restrict creativity.

“Some trends have very specific statement pieces that don’t go with anything else in anybody’s wardrobe except for maybe one or two outfits, and those are restrictive because they make you buy more clothes than you actually need,” Lam said. “Some are more timeless and have really cool potential and are super versatile.”

Using social media as a tool for her everyday style, senior Alma Samet said she noticed there was a pressure to follow popular trends to seek validation or acceptance from others.

Samet said, “When people are online and notice what’s trending, they start comparing themselves and their own personal style in order to feel accepted.”

ART BY DORIAN LUO

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

B2

Lifestyle

CIEE program takes students around world to learn languages, explore diverse cultures

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rom watching bullfighting to touring the local markets of Madrid, junior Oliver Chancellor explored the culture of Spain while learning Spanish over the summer. He took part in a summer language study abroad program hosted by the Council on International Educational Exchange.

Spanish teacher Angela Ambrosio, who volunteered to be Paly’s CIEE partner teacher, said she took on many behind-the-scenes responsibilities to qualify students for scholarships and give them more opportunities to study abroad. Ambrosio coordinated meetings between school representatives and the program’s local representatives, organized an assembly about the program and presented about it at this year’s Back to School Night.

“Gunn High School has been doing it for around six years,” Ambrosio said. “They have a nice partnership with CIEE, and I just felt, as a world language teacher, that it was very important that these opportunities were brought to students here at our campus as well.”

While Paly students have access to scholarships, according to the CIEE website, the price of a trip depends on the specific program but typically is in the thousands of dollars.

Junior Oliver Chancellor, who went to Madrid as part of a CIEE summer program, said while the program may be expensive, scholarships can make the experience possible for students.

“When I was talking to the kids in my program, the majority of their tuition was paid off, or they had a scholarship,” Chancellor said.

“I can’t think of a single person I talked to that didn’t have a scholarship.”

Not only do CIEE programs give students the unique opportunity to explore a foreign country, but they also improve foreign language speaking skills.

Ambrosio said summer programs such as CIEE allow students to learn Spanish in an immersive setting, something that is different from classes.

“Once you have your foundation that you learn in the classroom, going to these countries and actually spending time there is when things kind of all start to fall into place,” Ambrosio said. “That’s really what helped me become more fluent. Rather than just being in a sterile, classroom setting.”

Chancellor said spending time with his host family and exploring Madrid improved his Spanish listening and speaking ability into a functional skill. “(The activities) helped us practice applicable skills on how to use the Spanish that we

learned in class,” Chancellor said. “Rather than just knowing certain phrases in a classroom, it helps you learn how to use the skills you use in the classroom in the real world to get around.”

Chancellor said during the Madrid program, he also bonded with kids from all around the U.S. whom he would not have met otherwise.

“My brother lives in New York, so when I go and visit him, I also see the friends that I made on that trip,” Chancellor said. “You truly make friendships that last, and I’m in con-

tact with a lot of the people that I met at the program.”

In addition to learning Spanish, Chancellor said he discovered more about the culture and city of Madrid during the program.

“I think of a city and I thought that I would know what it’d be like because I’ve been in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, all these big cities,” Chancellor said. “But the city of Madrid is so unique.”

Junior Samantha Fan, who also went on the Madrid summer trip, said she enjoyed explor-

ART BY SAM SACCHERI

ing the city during the weekend trips while still having free time throughout her stay.

“It’s important to see tourist attractions,” Fan said. “There’s a reason they’re popular.”

Overall, Chancellor said the trip was full of exciting opportunities and experiences.

“I was never bored,” Chancellor said. “I always had something to do.”

Isabella Bian Staff Writer

?5),5/44(&,#*;23#$)5.0#')#/++5%00#5%4)@/;#)8#A?#B)4:2'%5#C*(%&*%#B/:0')&% When sophomores Connor Lee and Jerry Yan heard about Paly’s Computer Science Capstone Project class not being offered this year, they decided to create the Capstone Programming Club in response to this problem.

According to Sophomore Brian Liu, a member of the club, the Capstone Programming Club is dedicated to encouraging students to pursue their own personal programming projects.

Sophomore Brian Liu, a member of the club, said the Capstone Programming Club assists people with personal programming projects.

“They’re promoting people making projects by themselves,” Liu said.

“The club presidents go around (and) help people with the projects they want to do.”

According to CTE Department Lead Christopher Bell, the CS Capstone class was not offered this year due to the lack of student interest.

“We need a lot of students to sign up, and we also need enough staff to

be able to cover all of the sections,” Bell said.

Bell also said Paly’s Computer Science and engineering teachers are all teaching a maximum number of classes.

“If you look at the number of teachers that we have for computer science and engineering, we are maxed out currently on all the sections that they’re offering,” Bell said. “So no one is below 100% at this moment.”

Lee, coPresident of the club, said he planned to take CS Capstone until he learned the class wasn’t being offered.

“When I was talking to my advisor to get more classes, she pointed out a lot of the courses that weren’t being offered,” Lee said. “One of them was Capstone, so we thought it’d be a good idea to make a club about it.”

While the club is open to people of all experience levels, Liu said the most challenging part of coding is getting started.

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“I think going into it at first is definitely the hardest thing because it’s a completely new thing that you’ve never experienced before,” Liu said “It’s hard to grasp what syntaxes are, how to write the code, how to put it all together.”

Lee also said learning different programming languages adds to the difficulty of the program.

“All the languages have different ways (to write code),” Lee said.

“Needing to learn (and) understand

the differences and similarities (is challenging).”

Yan, the other co-president of the club, said he started coding in third grade to modify features in his favorite video game.

“During elementary school, I really liked playing Undertale, so I just started playing different versions of it by coding,” Yan said.

Liu said he advises new coders facing challenges to adopt a positive attitude.

ART BY ISAAC LIU

“I went into coding thinking it was just going to be memorizing different functions and syntaxes without really knowing how to approach a problem,” Liu said.

“When it actually got to that point, my progress plateaued. If people venture into coding with a different mindset, it will be a lot more fun.”

Isabella Bian Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

B3

Lifestyle

Students show decrease in reading for enjoyment during high school ART BY SOPHIA KELLY

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F

reshman Melody Xu used to be able to read whenever she wanted, and enjoy books purely for fun. However, as she has moved through high school, many academic pressures have taken away that possibility.

According to an opt-in Schoology survey conducted by The Campanile on Nov. 1, Xu is not alone. Over 86% of the 38 students who responded to this survey said the number of books they have read during high school, unrelated to assigned school work, has decreased as they have gone through high school. Librarian Sima Thomas, though, said after students returned to school from COVID-19, she noticed an increase in student book reading, attributing it to social media platforms like BookTok, which promoted and shared book recommendations.

“I noticed that right after lockdown and in the early 2020s, there was actually a jump up

in teens reading from certain titles becoming virally popular on TikTok and Instagram,” Thomas said.

But Thomas also said she has observed a general decrease in the amount of reading done by students over the course of high school.

“I definitely noticed from ninth to twelfth grade, there’s a huge drop off in students reading for pleasure,” Thomas said.

According to a study by Common Sense Media, published in TIME, almost 50% of 17 year olds do not read for fun more than one to two times a year on average.

Thomas said she thinks some of this has to do with students’ lack of free time as high school progresses.

“I’ve known students over the years who’ve gone through ninth to twelfth grade, and they start out as freshmen (as) really avid readers, and then I’ll see them as juniors and

they say, ‘Oh yeah, I never have time to read any more,’” Thomas said.

Xu is one of these students. She said her pleasure reading has dropped since middle and elementary school, especially because of the increase in work she has to do for classes.

“In middle school and elementary, you don’t have that much homework, so you could read for fun,” Xu said. “But now with so much workload, extracurriculars and thinking about college, you don’t have as much time.”

Additionally, the University of Santa Maria published an article which said attention spans have decreased over time due to technology and the reliance on it.

Thomas said a shorter attention span does make it more difficult to read detailed books that are not easy to consume.

“Instead of watching a movie, (now) you’re watching little clips on Instagram

and TikTok or binging shows on Netflix,” Thomas said. “There is just a different way that we consume information, and it’s so immediate and pleasurable that it is hard to then transfer over to reading which is slower and less dopamine rewarding.”

Which is too bad, Thomas said, because reading has mental health benefits including lowering cortisol, the primary stress hormone.

Thomas also said that reading can increase attention spans.

“If your attention span is short, you can start pushing yourself to read 10 minutes at a time,” Thomas said. “Then, you might move up to 20 or 30 and eventually get to the point where you actually just get lost in a book, it can be pleasurable and relaxing.”

Naveen Narayanaswami Staff Writer

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When 2023 Gunn graduate Stanley Zhong got rejected by 16 colleges, he never anticipated his story would resonate with so many people. Zhong boasted a 4.42 weighted GPA, won global coding competitions and even founded a tech start-up his sophomore year. However, he was denied admission to nearly all the schools he applied to. However, Zhong received an invitation to work at Google as a software development engineer shortly after his college decisions were released.

Zhong, who wants to study Computer Science in college, said he had three main extracurricular activities: managing his start-up, Rabbit-Sign, co-founding the nonprofit programming organization OpenBrackets and leading the Competitive Programming club at Gunn.

Zhong was rejected by: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell University, Georgia Tech, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin.

Zhong was accepted by: University of Texas and University of Maryland.

Zhong said the college application process was mystifying because while he exceeded the standards for many colleges, he was rejected by most of them. For example, he was denied admission to the University of Illinois, where, according to the First-Year Class Profile of Illinois, 50% of firstyear students have a 1400-1530 SAT and a 3.7–4.0 GPA average — Zhang had a 1590 SAT and a 3.98 unweighted GPA. Paly College and Career Info Specialist Janet Cochrane said many students feel pressured due to the limited number of spots in hyper-competitive universities. “(There’s a) misperception that students won’t get into a ‘good’ college if they don’t get straight A’s, have lots of extracurricular activities or invent something,” Cochrane said.

“Learn about colleges that aren’t uber super selective that can

still meet your needs and your ability to be happy and successful in life.”

Zhong said his stress levels increased after receiving rejections without feedback as he was not sure what factors led to his rejection.

“It’s kind of hard to figure out what exactly I would have done differently,” Zhong said. “College admissions is a very black box process.”

The recent 2023 U.S. Supreme Court case SFFA v. Harvard ruled that race-based admissions are unconstitutional and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Although many view this decision as a step towards a fairer college admissions process, others are disappointed because enforcing these regulations are difficult.

During a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on Sep. 29, Co-president of the Asian American Coalition for Education Mike Zhao brought up Zhong’s case in his testimony. “(Zhong) was hired directly from high school by Google but rejected by 16 of America’s top schools,” Zhao said in his testimony. “But it is appalling for the colleges to ignore this kind of talent. I hope the U.S. Congress will support his equal treatment.”

According to ABC News, Nan Zhong, Stanley’s father and software engineer at Google, introduced programming to his son during his youth. The younger Zhong later demonstrated his proficiency in various global coding competitions, including Google Code Jam. Zhong said he also built a connection with Amazon employees through a collaborative effort to publish a case study about his e-signing start-up, RabbitSign. Zhong said this collaboration prompted his decision to apply for many other tech companies, including Google.

“While you’re preparing for job interviews, you might as well get as many connections as you can,” Zhong said. “So I thought, okay, I’ll apply for Google as well (as) a few other companies.

And Google ended up being the one that I picked.”

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Stanley’s Stats •GPA (UW/W): 3.97/4.42 •SAT: 1590 •National Merit Scholarship Finalist •PVSA Gold (Volunteering) •Google L4 Software Engineer •Created startup with 10k+ users •First in US for MIT Battlecode •Sixth for Stanford’s ProCo •Google CodeJam Semifinalist •USACO Platinum (Programming) •Co-founded non-profit for kids

STANLEY ZHONG/USED WITH PERMISSION

Since his employment at Google, Zhong’s story has gained national attention.

“So far, (the experience) has been overwhelmingly positive, and everyone (at Google) has been super supportive,” Zhong said.

Zhong said his current plan is to view 2023-24 as a gap year and decide afterward whether to attend the University of Texas in the fall of 2024 or continue working at Google.

“If I like working at Google, and I feel like that’s something that I want to continue with, I’ll stick with that,” Zhong said.

“If after a year, I’m really missing a lot from not going to college, I’ll go to UT.”

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

B4

Lifestyle

Art Center provides community with opportunities to connect, be creative

A

s I swing open a pair of heavy glass doors, I am greeted by walls of vibrant color.

In front of me, neon papers adorn an exhibition on el Día de los Muertos To my left, bright pink shines behind a mural of a middle-aged man painted in black and white.

A hallway leads to rooms full of supplies and art studios. The smell of drying clay and oil paints fills the air.

I can feel the buzz of creativity around me, from the finished exhibitions to the young artists busily working.

This is the Palo Alto Art Center: home to art exhibitions, after-school classes, studio sessions, art events, volunteer opportunities and more. Here, students of all ages interact with the Art Center.

Senior Roxana Reid said this place allows her to find room for art without the constraints of elective periods at school.

“Visual art was never something that I could fit into my school schedule,” Reid said.

“I feel grateful I have a chance, every couple of weeks, to come in and get out of my head and experiment with art.”

In addition to making room for art, Youth and Teen Education Coordinator Taryn Curiel said the Art Center fosters a sense of community.

“People come and see the exhibition and the projects, so they are involved with art (at a young age),” Curiel said. “It builds community and helps connect art with people.”

Director of Volunteer Engagement Rebecca Passarello said the combination of exhibit and classroom creates engaging experiences for students because programs allow them to learn from live examples and even speak to the artist in person.

“Almost all of our teachers, at some point during their class, will take their students to the exhibit and point out pieces of art so the students can see what artists have done, look for themes or similarities and ask questions,” Passarello said.

Additionally, Curiel said a major benefit of the Art Center is its vast resources. Students can experiment with a wide range of mediums and art forms that might not be available to them elsewhere. “(The Art Center) has more variety and a wider range of (resources) than what a private class or school will have,” Curiel said. “We have a huge printer, so (students) can experiment with a new technique (in

OLIVIA ATKINSON/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Roxanna Reid glazes a ceramic mug at the Palo Alto Art Center. “Visual art was never something that I could fit into my school schedule,” Reid said. “I feel grateful I have a chance, every couple of weeks, to come in and get out of my head and experiment with art.”

printmaking). They can do comics. We have a class for fashion design.”

Reid said the stress-free environment of the Art Center makes it easier for students to get creative with their art as opposed to making compositions for graded school assignments.

“There’s more freedom and less pressure when the project doesn’t revolve around a grade,” Reid said. “When you don’t feel like your work is going to be quantified or judged, you can be a little more creative and you have some liberty.”

Freshman Geneva Gadda agreed and said unlike taking art classes in school, she feels more relaxed at the Art Center.

“It’s a way to not feel pressured to be absolutely perfect,” Gadda said. “In (school),

even if it’s just a fun thing, it can sometimes feel like a competition. Here, it feels like we’re all doing our own thing and supporting each other (in) our shared community of people who like ceramics.”

Curiel said the most important thing the Art Center does is create a space for students to explore their creativity.

“Creativity is a muscle,” Curiel said. “Art opens creativity. Imagination opens a way for (students) to express themselves and gives them tools to have them open their minds to all the possibilities out there.”

Paly art teacher Tracey Atkinson said learning and doing art allows students to see things from a different perspective.

“It is a way to see the world a little

differently, to expand your own knowledge of what you’re capable of,” Atkinson said.

In the end, Reid said her favorite part about the Art Center is that it offers students the opportunity to do art and be creative.

“It is accessible to people all around the area, for any age regardless of past experience,” Reid said. “You can surprise yourself with your own ability in something new. Students from PAUSD especially should be encouraged to go outside of their comfort zones and try new things, especially the visual arts, and just see if they enjoy it.”

Analysis by Olivia Atkinson News/Opinion Editor

N IA

ART BY DO R

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The Crossword 33 Vanilla scented evergreen needles 36 Debris flows in the Cascades

country 18 German-American gymnastics

38 Artists are to brushes as

21 Pebble-like candy 23 Restaurant add-on

39 Sending signals

24 The ____: Jonathan and Martha

41 Currency for most of the EU

27 Rich antonym

42 Midpoint between south and

28 Capital of Norway

southwest

29 Needs to be excused

43 “One”

30 Type of sandwich

44 End of compass direction

31 Needed to row

45 Food coma

32 Hobbs & ___

51 Happier outcome for a college

33 Necessity for an artist’s palette

applicant

Across

14 Ethnicity of a West African

37 Toward a ship’s stern builders are to

PUZZLE BY ISABELLE-MARGOT CARLSEN

12 A Hoco football theme

34 Neverending

54 Small private chapel

35 Close to Round Table

55 Well known paint brand

40 Obligated

56 Ship to Plymouth

44 Talking too much

58 Unadorned

45 Immediate danger

59 Two-toed sloth

46 Unlocks a door

60 Trimming outer layer

47 Kings and queens

61 What Sally does to seashells

48 Iowan Native Americans

62 Deep thinking

49 Toward the rear

63 In the affirmative

50 Mythical harps

Down

51 Unit for electric currents

1 Organism building block

52 Sprouse brother

2 A term in The Sound of Music

53 Stocking stuffer for a bully

3 Go over

56 Australian mother

4 Popcorn eatery

57 Mesopotamian sky god

5 City in Ukraine 6 Sine, tangent

1 Teen’s graduation from a bike

16 Drizzy _____

22 Costcos

7 Neurodegenerative disease

4 Coke is an abbreviation

17 Quality of being lawful

25 Transcription and Translation

8 Confess

8 Cloth used in the kitchen

19 French subway

26 ___ the ramparts we watched

9 Journalists’ freedom

13 Location of poisoned fruit

20 Kids’ baseball clubs

27 Midwestern soda

10 Cousins to mice

15 Inspiring Person

21 INFINITI’s sister car

30 Lord Alfred Douglas

11 “Lady’s fingers” plant

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

Sports

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hen senior Johnny Latu first started playing rugby at 5 years old, the East Palo Alto Razorbacks were one of the few club teams to choose from. Now, there are more options than ever in the area.

Since the pandemic, 57% of rugby players are pre-teen, 24% of which are girls. Overall, Rugby participation grew by 11% prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, reaching 8.5 million players according to RugbyPass.

Latu said there is a substantial rugby presence near Palo Alto and beyond.

“There are many clubs around the Bay Area,” Latu said. “Every city like East Palo Alto or Concord has their own little rugby team so (local club teams) just go against each other. But there’s also another league within schools like Serra, St. Francis, Bishop O’Dowd, and other private schools.”

Senior and Polynesian Club President Rebecca Fakatou, who started playing rugby two years ago, said the club and Paly Athletics are working to bring rugby to Paly.

“We should have it at Paly,” Fakatou said. “The only thing is that we would have to play private schools and that brings in a lot of work. For Poly Club, we’re gonna do an event where we will play rugby on the quad at the beginning of May for Poly week.”

Rugby’s prominence at the college level has also increased recently.

Richard Ashfield, Director and Head Coach of the Stanford men’s and women’s club rugby teams, said the program has recently undergone many changes.

“We were a varsity sport on the men’s side until the ‘70s,” Ashfield said. “So we would have gotten football players who play in the fall and come over to rugby in the spring. We lost varsity status in 1976, but we’re very well supported by alumni, with myself and Irene who are both full time athletic trainers.”

Ashfield said the teams at Stanford face plenty of challenges due to their status as a club sport and Stanford’s selectivity.

“As a club sport, we can only recruit on campus, so that means whatever students are able to get into Stanford,” Ashfield said. “The majority of our players have no experience coming in. On the men’s side this year, we have two freshmen who came in having played some rugby and on the women’s side, none. So we’re dealing with various levels of athleticism.”

Despite the lack of experience from many Stanford rugby players, Ashfield said being willing to learn and build on existing strengths is essential for new players.

“Having people be open-minded (is important) because rugby is very different from anything you’ve ever played,” Ashfield said. “We love to get soccer players or basketball players because they understand the space. Football players don’t mind the contact but have terrible technique because they’re used to wearing a helmet and pads.”

In addition, Ashfield said rugby teams can be difficult to find in smaller communities.

“When I first moved here, I couldn’t find a local team,” Ashfield said. “A year later I discovered there was a team half a mile from our house. They only relied on word of mouth, but they’ve got to think a bit more creatively about how they use their social media … (to ask) how do we expand the opportunities for more volunteers, players, coaches and referees?”

Ashfield said women’s rugby is close to becoming an official NCAA sport.

“It’s got to get 40 varsity programs up and running to be an official NCAA sport,”

Ashfield said. “It’s an emerging sport on the women’s side. Right now they have 32.”

Ashfield said that women’s rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., but right now, there is ambivalence to its success.

“As for opportunities, we’re seeing all the Ivies have varsity women’s teams, so they’re able to offer opportunities,” Ashfield said. “The cynical side of me knows there’s massive growth opportunity and that people are starting to pay more attention because there’s lots of money to be made.”

Ashfield, who also used to be the Interim Head Coach of the Women’s USA Rugby team, said that despite progress eliminating disparities across gender, women’s rugby is still behind men’s rugby.

“On the men’s side, there is a fledgling professional league, which is huge,” Ashfield said. “That’s really a big step forward, now that there’s opportunities for people coming out of college or high school, seeing an opportunity to do this as a living.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t exist on the women’s side and needs to happen.”

Stanford Assistant Rugby Coach Irene Gardner, who competed for the U.S. National women’s rugby team in the 2013 Women’s World Cup, said some of rugby’s progress in becoming more popular is thanks to increased financial support for athletes at the professional level.

“Back when I was a professional athlete, I had a roof over my head and was fed, but I didn’t have a stipend,” Gardner said. “But now the players that are down there full

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time have a stipend, and it’s getting there.

But it’s not where it needs to be.”

Ahsfield also worked as a youth development officer by promoting and setting up rugby programs at schools across the country and said youth rugby has seen drastic improvements, particularly in preparation for the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S. “(Programs) are popping up with more youth and starting at younger ages, which is going to be really big,” Ashfield said.

“We are going to be hosting a men’s Rugby World Cup (in the U.S.) in 2031, so the players that are in high school right now, or even middle school, are the ones that are potentially playing (in the future World Cup) and we’re seeing more and more competition.”

Gardner also said the expansion of seven on seven rugby, as opposed to the traditional 15 on 15 version of the sport, has helped popularize rugby.

“Something that is really helpful for the development of (rugby) is starting more sevens programs at the youth level because it requires only seven people rather than 15,” Gardner said. “The games are shorter, and there’s less contact, so for young kids, it can be a really good introduction to the sport and the skills before making the game more complex at 15s. It would be a really positive way to grow the sport at the younger ages and since Sevens is in the Olympics, it’s got that hype and aura around it. Its Olympic status also makes it easier to market.”

While there are many challenges in growing rugby in the U.S., Gardner said she hopes that the rapid increase in popularity will continue.

Gardner said, “One of the most exciting things is to see how much the game has progressed, how much more individually physical and quick the players are.”

Alec Bonnard

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor ART BY TERESA WANG

Fencing club forms in Mountain View with classes for any level

Lucas Yuan

Managing Editor Senior Allan Chu strolls into a brightlylit arena with his friend as they put on their fencing suits. He scans the facility, recalling the run-down depot that stood there only a couple months earlier. Walking onto the fencing strip, Chu turns to face his friend inside the Bayside Fencing Club.

Opened on Oct. 1 and located at 1080 La Avenida Ave Mountain View, Bayside Fencing Club offers fencing classes to teens and younger children every day except Sunday.

Started by Chu’s coaches and mother, the club aims to promote fencing to young people around the Bay. Chu said the club’s formation started during the pandemic. Slava Zingerman, one of the coaches and co-owners, said the three partners running the club came together with a shared vision.

“Dima (Chumak), Xin (Zhang) and I opened the club because of shared ideologies,” Zingerman said. “I’ve always wanted a club, and I think Dima felt the same. And two of Xin’s kids fence, one at (Paly) and the other at Columbia University.”

Co-owner Zhang said the quality of the coaches at Bayside is first-rate.

“We have world-class coaches,” Zhang said.

“Between the three of them, they have coached World Champions, made appearances in the Olympics, won World Championship medals and have made appearances on the Ukrainian and Israeli national teams countless times.”

Unlike the other two owners, Zhang said she uses her strong background in business development and finance to manage the business aspect of the club.

“As a team, we have very different responsibilities,” Zhang said. “Together we can be very strong.”

Zhang considered many factors when forming the club.

“Our facility is next to the intersection of 85 and 101, giving families around the Bay easy access,” Zhang said. “We wanted a large facility with a good location and an open area to fit the fencing strips, and we eventually settled with this facility.”

In addition to renting the facility, the team also had to remodel the place.

“The coaches have been very handy in this process,” Zhang said. “They could paint the walls, set up the machines and fix broken stuff around the facility.”

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Chu said the club has been running well.

“The new club feels more personal than the old club,” Chu said. “If my friends and I just want to fence on the weekend, we can hit each other up. We just go and be friends.”

Zhang said the initial success of the club was primarily due to good planning and strong connections within the fencing community.

“We had a lot of good inputs, and also we learned from other people’s experiences,” Zhang said. “The coaches here have friends at other clubs, and they often offer advice.”

With a lot of sign ups, Zhang said she hopes the club can help kids find a lifelong love for fencing and continue it at a competitive level.

“Regardless of your age or gender, fencing is easy to pick up,” Zhang said. “Especially if they’re young, we hope to maintain their interest in fencing and set them up for a strong career in the future.”

As a former fencer on the Israeli national team, Zingerman said his goal is to make the best fencer out of every kid.

“I want to send our fencers to the best colleges with fencing programs,” he said.

Co-owner and former Olympian Dima Chumak said the club’s strong foundation will lead to long-term success.

“Basically every detail was thought through and all those means of making a good fencing practice are considered,” Chumak said.

“We know how it goes. After all, this club was founded by fencers, for fencers.”

LUCAS YUAN/THE CAMPANILE

A fencer practices a lunge. “Regardless of your age or gender, fencing is easy to pick up,” Bayside Fencing Club co-owner Xin Zhang said.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

C2

Sports

CAYDEN GU/USED WITH PERMISSION

Stanford football players Matthew Merritt, Myles Jackson, Wilfredo Aybar, Jshawn Frausto-Ramos and Jayson Raines rush the field against Washington. In September, Stanford, along with Cal and Southern Methodist University, announced their departure from the Pac-12. “I think that Stanford isn’t losing much,” senior Beau Revenaugh said.

Stanford’s move to ACC upsets longtime fans, hurts intense rivalries

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tanford football was once a top ranked team in the Pacific-12 Conference. Notable alumni include Paly football coach and former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck, San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffery, 2017 Heisman finalist Bryce Love and a plethora of NFL players.

But in September, Stanford, along with Cal and Southern Methodist University, announced their departure from the Pac-12.

All three teams will be part of the Atlantic Coast Conference starting the 2024-25 school year.

Since this change, many fans like senior and long-time Stanford football fan Max RabbittTomita feel like they have been robbed of watching regional rivalries and classic matchups.

Rabbitt-Tomita said college football now prioritizes money over the essentials fans look to see in matchups.

“We won’t be able to see rivalry games with Oregon, USC and Utah,” Rabbit-Tomita said.

“Now we will just have our rivalries with Notre Dame and Cal.”

Rabbitt-Tomita also said many Pac-12 team fans who live near stadiums will lose family traditions and fun experiences as they cannot continue watching their favorite teams play live like they did before.

“There are a lot of downsides because college football is about rivalries and traditions,” Rabbitt-Tomita said. “My dad’s side of the family are all Washington fans, and it’s sad that we won’t be able to go to those games anymore as we normally do.”

Rabbit-Tomita said he is also upset because he thinks Stanford was motivated to move conferences for TV deals instead of making decisions based on what is best for their fanbase.

“Everyone loses in this deal except for ESPN and Fox,” Rabbitt-Tomita said. “It’s all about Primetime TV slots and less about actual football. They don’t care about what we want.”

Although Stanford is moving into a new division with less competitive football, senior and Stanford football fan Beau Revenaugh said he thinks money is the main motive for college football teams to change divisions.

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“I think that Stanford isn’t losing much,” Revenaugh said. “It’s all about money, and even though we are one of the best conferences, if not the second or third best, it’s not about how good competition is, it’s more about the money.

Rabbitt-Tomita agrees and said college football has become an unbalanced sport where small teams garner less support.

“It’s shocking because we’re watching college football become just about the top teams instead of thinking about local rivalries,” Rabbitt-Tomita said. “We’re killing the prestige smaller teams have gained over the years.

I think it’s also unfortunate because we are a top-tier conference right now.”

However, Revenaugh said the cultural rivalries that will be broken upon Stanford’s move to ACC are not significant enough to have a large impact on Stanford’s fandom.

“I don’t think the move will have a huge effect,” Revenaugh said. “Because Cal is moving too, and they are our biggest rivals. We will keep our main rivalry. The only school in the Pac-12 who we have a rivalry with is Oregon, but it’s still a relatively small rivalry.”

But college football fan and U.S. History teacher Stephen Foug said the reason he enjoys college football is because of intra divisional rivalries, and he said Stanford leaving the Pac12 deflates that.However, Foug also acknowledges Stanford may have had no other options.

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ART BY SAMANV

IKA SENTHIL KUM

AR

Junior Disha Manayilakath sits in front of her TV with her dad as she watches the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos. She turns her head to grab a handful of chips, when all of a sudden, she hears yelling. Thinking it’s a touchdown, she whips her head around, only to see the camera pointing at Taylor Swift — who is waving to the crowd below.

The relationship between global pop sensation Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has increased NFL ratings and the Chiefs’s popularity.

But many football fans are annoyed with the spotlight on Swift during football games. While football is a staple of American culture, its ratings have steadily declined over the past decade until the announcement of Swift and Kelce’s relationship.

According to Hollywood entertainment magazine Deadline, the Chiefs have experienced a 15% increase in female viewership. And Kelce’s jersey sales have skyrocketed 400%, according to Bleacher Report.

Freshman Amy Lei said Swift has been her role model since she first heard Swift’s music in second grade.

“I began listening to her music every time we were in the car after her name randomly popped up one time, and it became a full-blown obsession with me listening to her every day,” Lei said.

Lei said the only reason football is gaining viewership is because of Swifties’ loyalty for Swift. Due to Swift’s substantial fanbase, the NFL began advertising the couple through Instagram and sports media, such as ESPN and NBC Sports. The NFL Instagram page’s bio now states, “We are 2-0 with Taylor Swift” and posts Taylor Swift reels and photos with her reactions during the game. Manayilakath speculates the NFL is trying to garner a younger audience by using Swift’s popularity.

“Having the biggest pop star in the world and bringing her to the NFL means a bigger audience and greater viewership especially when many Americans think football is men just tackling each other for a ball for no reason,” Manayilakath said.

But Manayilakath said there is a rift between Swift and Kelce fans that could worsen as the narrative that Kelce’s performance is based on Swift’s attendance.

Paly history teacher Stephen Foug said the commercialization of Swift during NFL games is irritating, and that he doesn’t want the NFL to turn into a platform for Swift.

“I don’t want to see all the Taylor Swift coverage on Sunday

Night Football,” Foug said. “It is driving me insane because it (is) all (broadcasters) talk about, and I have been deliberately avoiding it. It would be like, ‘First Down Chiefs. Taylor Swift from the press box. Second Down Chiefs. Taylor Swift from the press box.’ Or, ‘Taylor Swift is with someone,’ then, ‘Taylor Swift is with Jason Kelce’s mom.’”

Junior Divya Gandhi said football fans should be worried about Kelce’s celebrity status as she said he will soon be a shadow compared to his more popular partner.

“A lot of people will start to overlook Travis Kelce as a football player and think of him as Taylor’s boyfriend or associate him with her instead as more people are familiar with Taylor Swift than Travis Kelce,” Gandhi said.

Manayilakath, though, said she has a different take.

“Yes, there will always be someone famous in the stands but it doesn’t mean you constantly post about them for days, you maybe make one post or story,” Manayilakath said.

Foug said the NFL will continue advertising Kelce and Swift.

“The NFL loves it, and will just continue to show them as it gets people who are marginalized football fans and brings them to football,” Foug said. “If you can merge Taylor Swift with the NFL, you have the most commercialized entertaining product in the country.”

“You would expect them to join a more competitive division like the Big Ten,” Foug said. “( Joining the ACC) just seems like a temporary solution to the lack of competition in the Pac-12.”

Foug is also concerned that with the change, many student athletes will have to travel to the east coast multiple times a week, disrupting their academic and personal life.

“It just makes no sense how basketball players or athletes from other sports are going to constantly be on the move,” Foug said. “It all just feels so urgent, and it feels like (the move) hasn’t been well thought out.”

Despite Stanford’s entrance into a more financially appealing conference, RabbittTomita said Stanford fans like him still feel like they are losing memories they once had in Stanford Stadium.

“I used to have season tickets, and my family knew people from schools like Oregon, USC and Washington.” Rabbitt-Tomita said.

“I watched players like Christian Mcafferey and Andrew Luck battle elite teams, and I’m going to miss the memories I had watching Stanford games. It just isn’t going to be the same anymore.”

Neel Sharma Sports Editor

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Campanile

C3

Sports

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Reine Schultz runs up to hit the ball, assisted by senior Risha Suvarna. “We had really strong hitters,” junior Sophie Mies said.

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News/Opinion Editor After finishing undefeated in league play (12-0) and earning a 27-6 overall record, the girls varsity volleyball team lost 3-1 to Rocklin High School in the first round of California Interscholastic Federation State Division 1. The CIF defeat was preceded by a 3-0 loss to Archbishop Mitty High School in the Open Division of the Central Coast Section playoffs.Coach Chris Crader said the team had an incredible season despite the final two losses.

“The team (ended) with a 27-4 record in the regular season, which was the most wins in 11 years at Paly,” Crader said. “And, we’ve had a lot of outstanding teams during that time. Going 12-0 in the league, a feat not often achieved as teams rarely go undefeated in our league, was an amazing accomplishment by this group.”

Junior setter Sophie Mies said the team’s major strength was the offense.

“We had really strong hitters in the middle, and we have really strong outsides and right sides,” Mies said. “It’s good for me because they make me look good.”

In addition to its offensive strategy, Crader said this team was well-rounded and matched up nicely against other teams.

“We weren’t amazing defensively, but we were a pretty good defensive team,” Crader said. “We were definitely a good blocking team, and I thought we were a very strong serving team.”

Crader also said senior leadership played a big part in the team’s success. “(Seniors) Kylie Yen and Reine Schultz were fantastic leaders,” Crader said. “I think it starts with the seniors.”

Mies also said the team’s tight-knit bond helped win games throughout the season.

“The girls were connected really well, and we really love each other,” Mies said. “That definitely contributed to this season being the best Paly volleyball season I’ve been a part of.”

Looking ahead, Crader said he thinks Paly volleyball has returned to a high level of competition.

“This group has gotten us back to a place where if we’re not in the open division, we’re going to compete to be a CCS champion every year,” Crader said. “We’re going to compete and hopefully advance in CIF play every year.”

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Junior tight end and linebacker Joseph Kessler shakes hands with his Seaside Spartan opponents after beating the Spartans 34-28. Senior Jeremiah Madrigal said, “It feels amazing, but I have to appreciate the whole team for getting down the field and putting me in a position to score.”

Football wins first round of CCS Division IV playoffs

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ollowing a regular season 34-28 win against Kings Academy, the football team advanced to the CCS Division IV playoffs where the Vikings defeated the Seaside Spartans 55-21 in the first round.

Coach DeGeronimo said he felt his team’s offense was unstoppable in the first half, where it stormed out to a 27-7 lead.

“To execute like we did on offense, we could pretty much run whatever we wanted to, and we executed really well,” DeGeronimo said. “There were only a couple of things in the first half – a dropped pass, a fumble, and a missed extra point – but otherwise, the offense was perfect in the first half.”

Senior and running back Jeremiah Madrigal had a career-high game in which

he, rusheding for 173 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Madrigal said his success on the ground can be attributed to his teammates who did a fantastic job blocking.

“I had amazing blocks from my receivers and the offensive line, and when I saw open grass, I just found the holes and bulled through,” Madrigal said. “It feels amazing, but I have to appreciate the whole team for getting down the field and putting me in a position to score. It was an excellent feeling scoring four touchdowns after not scoring for a couple of games.”

In addition to successfully running the offense, DeGeronimo said integrating players from junior varsity was smooth.

“We have a stellar JV team,” Degeronimo said. “They won league, and to bring guys up that I knew could play, I had no problem putting the young guys in to gain more experience. They are getting used to the difference in the speed. We have some great players on JV, and the future is bright.”

The top-seeded Vikings have their next game at home on Friday, Nov. 17 facing off against the Leigh Longhorns, who defeated North Salinas 21-20. This issue went to press before the game on Nov. 17.

Tyler Wong Photo Editor

Neel and Rohan predict: Golden State Warriors to win it all

It’s only a few weeks into the NBA season, and we are already witnessing the emergence of playoff frontrunners. With fresh rivalries like the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, or the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the league is filled with action and drama.

The 2023-2024 NBA season will be like no other. With many contenders for the championship trophy and harsh competition throughout the league, top teams will truly need to earn their playoff spots.

Some teams will be stronger than others due to new additions in the offseason, including Chris Paul joining the Warriors, Damian Lillard joining the Bucks, James Harden going to the Clippers and Jordan Poole being shipped off to the Wizards.

Despite the fact that the season has just started, we plan to predict the top three teams by record for each conference and predict the winners of the Western and Eastern conference playoffs. In the Western Conference, we are confident the Warriors will win the division title thanks to their offseason trades and playoff experience.

However, for the top three spots record wise, we think the Denver Nuggets will come in first place, followed by the Golden State Warriors and then the Dallas Mavericks.

These three teams will fall ahead of other competition such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns due to

their playoff records in previous years and the additions of Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks and Chris Paul to the Warriors.

The Nuggets are on track to win the Western conference in the regular season due to their playoff reputation as finals winners in 2023 and the strong roster depth. Poole was a major component of the Warriors offense before his trade.

He was a better scorer than Paul, though Paul has proven to be a better playmaker by controlling a secondary team. Paul will lead a much slower-paced offense compared to the fast-paced offense trademarked

by Stephen Curry.

More importantly, Paul will boost the Warriors offense through the minutes they are on the court without star point guard Curry.

The Warriors’ offense is typically dependent on Curry being on the court, but Paul will help lift this pressure. Though the Mavericks were limited at the end of last year’s season with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both fighting for ball control, they are proving to be an elite team this season. Their teamwork thus far has been exemplary, and we think they will continue to push towards the second place spot in the Western Conference.

In the East, we predict the Milwaukee Bucks will win the conference championship. Additionally, the top three playoff spots will include the Celtics in first, the Bucks in second and the Sixers in third. With

the recent addition of Damian Lillard, the Bucks are an elite team with unmatched skill in their top players.

Lillard will complement Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the latter will no longer have to create shots on his own, creating a smoother offense for the Bucks as they potentially sail to the finals. However, because of the current rampage the Celtics and the 76ers are on to start the season, there will be no lack of competition between these teams. The Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum will be an honorary MVP shout as he leads his team through his expert leadership and elite point making ability.

But beyond Tatum, the Celtics have quality through and through; Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will command defense with Jaylen Brown to top it all off. The Sixers have the commanding presence of Joel Embiid; his love for the team kept him in Philly despite interest for a trade. Furthermore, rising star Tyrese Maxey will grow into his role, and help push the Sixers along.

In the finals the Golden State Warriors will win it all. Aside from the multitude of biases we might have as fully fledged Warriors fans, we truly believe Steph Curry and CP3 will bring the Bay what may

GRAPHIC BY ROHAN BHATIA

be its last title under the Splash Brothers’s reign. And though Curry is 36 years old, never count out the Warriors when it comes to postseason basketball.

Neel Sharma Sports Editor

Rohan Bhatia Sports Editor

The Campanile

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Science & Tech

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ne evening, while reviewing a prose analysis prompt for an AP Literature class, senior Michael Tran opened up ChatGPT to check for errors. Within minutes, the AI tool fixed grammatical errors and minor faults in spelling and style, perfecting his essay before submission.

This experience is just one of many shared uses of ChatGPT, introduced in November of 2022. Since its launch a year ago, the tool has become easier than ever to implement into academic routines.

According to Tran, ChatGPT has also played a big role in helping him with other areas in school.

“ChatGPT has also been instrumental in providing explanations for literary concepts I encounter, like a virtual study group at my fingertips,” Tran said.“ChatGPT has made learning more interactive and comprehensive,” Tran said. “I have yet to experience the full capabilities of the AI, but I can only imagine the new changes and features.”

Sophomore Jade Rothbaum, though, said there are risks associated with using AI in school, one of which includes an overreliance on technology.

“I’ve really only used ChatGPT for a brief explanation on a confusing topic, like why iron loses three valence electrons, but not much beyond that for schoolwork,” Rothbaum said.

“There’s a danger that students, especially under stress, might turn to AI too readily. It can start as a quick help, but gradually become a crutch.”

ChatGPT will launch GPT-4 on March 23 of this year, which offers more nuanced interactions. and GPT-Plus, a subscription service priced at $20 per month for faster responses and priority access.

The new paid subscriptions differentiate experiences between free and premium users, with the latter enjoying benefits like lower latency and enhanced capabilities.

Additional updates include plug-ins and imagine integration using AI model DALL-E, exclusive to GPT-Plus users.

AP Computer Science teacher Roxanne Lanzotsaid she is concerned about the lack of transparency between students concerning the use of AI.

“There’s a culture of secrecy around using ChatGPT, so kids aren’t really forthcoming about how they’re using it to help them in their learning,” Lanzot said. “Students today seem to be drowning in work, with limited opportunities for authentic help, increasing their reliance on tools like ChatGPT.” Tran said he does not see the appeal of ChatGPT’s premium features for students and cautioned against the potential overreliance on AI assistance.

“While the premium features of ChatGPT, like faster responses and extended memory,

ART BY CHARLOTTE LIU

sound appealing, I’m not convinced they’re essential, or worth the cost for academic needs,” Tran said. “Not only that, GPT-Plus offers these advanced functionalities, but these pay-to-win strategies for advanced assistance could only further an over-dependence on them.”

Rothbaum said these advancements have raised her concerns about the increasing role of AI in educational settings.

The convenience of AI tools like ChatGPT could lead to a situation where students lose the ability to work through problems

independently,” Rothbaum said. “If we’re not careful, there’s a risk of students becoming too reliant on AI, to the point where they might struggle without it.”

Lanzot said although students can find shortcuts for homework through various ways, ChatGPT tends to be the most appealing due to its efficiency.

“Students are juggling an incredible amount of pressure from academics, extracurriculars, and personal commitments, pushing them towards quick solutions like ChatGPT,” Lanzot said. “There are definite benefits of ChatGPT, like generating practice problems for students who want extra practice, and generative AI is not the only shortcut available.

It is just really easy and convenient to use and exploit.”

Rothbaum said there are negative consequences when students rely too heavily on AI assistance in school.

“Overuse of AI for homework or understanding new concepts can create a gap in students’ actual skills and causes an overreliance on technology,” Rothbaum said. “It’s concerning that some might reach a point where they use AI not because they choose to, but because they feel they can’t cope without it.”

As the use of AI becomes increasingly prominent and universal access to high-quality, instant service grows, GPT-Plus has been able to provide users with compelling human-like work — making cheating easier than ever.

Lanzot said she is worried that students might misuse growing AI and fail to receive the education and learning experience that will be critical to their success in the future.

“My concern with generative AI is that it allows students to complete assignments without actually engaging in the thinking or problem-solving process,” Lanzot said. “If using generative AI becomes a habitual way to complete work, I worry about the students’ intellectual growth and problem-solving abilities.”

Albert Jung Staff Writer

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Most students have been there –– studying late for finals or a science test, desperately cramming as much information as they can the night before.

But is this the right way to study?

According to Stanford professor of psychology Jay McClelland, the cognitive science behind learning is less important than the final outcome.

“We’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work from trying different ways of studying and encouraging people to study and finding the outcomes,” McClelland said. “We don’t have to worry so much about the brain. You just have to worry about the behaviors that lead to the outcomes.”

McClelland said there are a few changes students can make to their studying strategies. According to McClelland, the key to learning efficiently is the desire to understand content.

“The best learning outcomes occur when your goal is to understand,” McClelland said. “If you’re in math class or physics class or even history class, you’re thinking about making sense of everything.”

McClelland also said rereading the text and thinking about the material in different ways can aid in understanding.

“What works in achieving educational outcomes (is) getting people to understand the content in some sort of structure that makes sense to them,” McClelland said.

In some cases, the structure of thinking can make a huge impact on learning.

McClelland said the right framework can help students better understand confusing content.

“If you find yourself not understanding and something seems strange and foreign to you, it might not mean that you’re stupid,” McClelland said. “It might just mean you haven’t thought in terms of this framework before.”

According to McClelland, attempting to understand the logic behind subjects like math can be more beneficial when studying the material.

Knowing the theorems behind the rules of math can be more helpful than simply trying to memorize the various formulas.

“There are systems of reasoning and proof that we can devise to understand mathematics as a system as opposed to a bunch of formulas,” McClelland said.

While using such tactics can aid greatly in learning, McClelland said it may be difficult for students to adapt to new studying tactics and try to change their way of thinking.

“You can imagine things that you couldn’t have imagined before because you see the relationships in a whole different way,” McClelland said. “But it’s hard to initially switch from one framework to another.”

While some students have heard of the benefits of active versus passive studying, McClelland said there are stronger methods of studying.

“There’s a well-known acronym in the literature, which is ICAP,” McClelland said. “And it stands for interactive, constructive, active, passive.”

A 2018 study by BMC Medical Education shows interactive and constructive learning is more effective than active and passive learning and that interactive studying through discussion can boost learning speed.

“It is better for learners to discuss after self-studying than listening to lectures,” the study said. “Moreover, creating their own discussion questions can maximize the learning outcomes.”

The study also said constructive learning, or generating new concepts based on a person’s knowledge, provokes higher levels of thought.

McClelland said active studying can actually hurt a student’s understanding of material.

“Active means you’re actually taking notes, maybe you’re even underlining the points you think are important. But it’s not quite as strong or effective as constructing it because you’re not integrating it for yourself,” McClelland said.

There are also certain studying methods that can improve learning. According to a study by Christopher Smith and Damian Scarf, spaced repetition, or studying facts repeatedly over increasingly longer periods of time, can aid learning.

McClelland also said practicing solving problems and doing examples can provide benefits compared to studying passively.

“You can predict whether somebody’s going to learn something if they’ve successfully used it six times,” McClelland said.

In the end, studying isn’t always about cramming blindly. McClelland said it’s about looking for understanding, coming up with study strategies, studying interactively and constructively, and finding the right framework.

“It’ll take a while before it starts feeling like the framework is complete,” McClelland said.

“That’s something that’s massive. So don’t be scared. Stay with it. Play with it.

Do more examples.”

Read the book a second time.”

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Gavin Lin Staff Writer