Issue 4: December 19, 2023

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

NEWS

President Biden comes to San Francisco. A2

LIFESTYLE

Heather's holiday report. B1

SCI/TECH

Students enjoy highthrill hobbies. C4

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

PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile Vol. CVI, No. 4

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

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

BOARD ADOPTS ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS !"##$%&'($$%)%*&'($$%)%&+(,-&.(&/0(1"#%&%20$3&4($$%)%&244%55&.(&6(0%&5.7#%8.5&

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n a move district officials say will save money and provide more opportunities for students, The Board of Education approved for PAUSD to host the Foothill Middle College and College Now! programs starting next fall. Students previously attended these respective programs through a contract with the Mountain View-Los Altos School District.

The Foothill Middle College program offers college-credit courses for juniors and seniors in a nontraditional tighter-knit cohort-based setting on a college campus.

Similarly, the College Now! program offers an accelerated pathway for “independent and motivated students” to complete college credits in high school.

Jeong Choe, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Agility, said the Board’s decision will allow the district to directly influence student success and increase the programs’ future capacity.

“Some students need special education

support, some students have an IEP, and some students could benefit from additional counseling,” Choe said. “Those services will be more comprehensively provided by our own PAUSD staff.”

Despite the stereotypes associated with the Middle College program, Choe said it offers learning benefits to a variety of students, not just struggling ones.

“Students might benefit from the smaller school setting at the Middle College because they know our high schools are relatively big,” Choe said. “(There are also) students who have not been exposed to college courses and some (who) really have unique interests.”

One benefit of the Middle College program is the opportunity for students to smoothly transfer credits earned in the program to Foothill Community College.

Former Paly and Foothill Middle College student Shaad Beig said the college credits he earned through courses at the Middle College were an appealing alternative to regular high school courses.

“It's almost like a dream come true –– not having to take honors classes, getting college credits and finishing your high school diploma at the same time,” Beig said.

“My plan at the

time was to go to Foothill, do two years and then transfer.”

Board of Education Vice President Jesse Ladomirak said the programs serve students well and show lots of potential. Right now the program services 45 students out of a capacity of 60.

“So far, it seems to have been showing some promise,” Ladomirak said. “It’s not about kids who aren’t performing, who are sort of messing up in school. It's really about students who have a lot of academic potential but struggle with the other stuff that goes around with being a high school student.”

Ladomirak said the Board also hopes the new program saves the district money.

“The cost for the current Middle College program this year is about $651,000,” Ladomirak said. “Dr. Choe thinks we could cut that cost in about half by implementing our own program because right now we just contract with MVLA.” Regarding student transitions moving forward, current juniors in the Foothill Middle College and College Now! Programs will remain in the MVLA system, with PAUSD limiting its applications to incoming juniors. Choe said such a decision would allow students to continue their existing pathway with minimal disruption.

“Based on some of the feedback we got from their current families at the MVLA program, we feel like they've already transitioned (after entering the program as juniors),” Choe said.

Future students will continue to take classes on the foothill campus. To accommodate for the additional distance compared to local schools, Beig said that students can take advantage of free bus passes.

“When I first started going to Foothill I would have my sister dropped off me halfway at the bus stop on her way to work,” Beig said. “I like taking the bus because it gives me an hour to just decompress and be alone in my mind, letting me process life.”

As PAUSD plans to expand the program, Choe said she aims to prioritize student opinions and figure out a schedule that serves each student the best.

“We have to gauge student interests first, and how many we can take and staff,” Choe said.“There's going to be a lot of things that we have to figure out. We're hoping that we can have a (morning and afternoon) cohort for each grade level.”

Overall, Choe said she remains optimistic about the changes and hopes that students will continue to prosper.

“We're excited about taking this innovative approach for flexibility,” Choe said. “We can engage students who may really benefit from this setting.”

Henry Liu Staff Writer

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!"#$%&'$()&*+,#& -./0)&1#$+2"1)& 3,+))&4,56"/3& 7$53$+2) Gabriella Gulman Business Manager

The annual Winter Fiery Arts Sale, a fundraiser for the Glassblowing and Ceramics classes, took place in the arts building Dec. 8 - 9 and featured works from students enrolled in the Fiery Arts Program.

Junior Raz Mazor-Hoofien said half of the proceeds of each object sold go to the program's funding.

“It's important for us to keep our facilities alive, have instructors come in and keep on adding materials so we can keep on making art,” MazorHoofien said.

Mazor-Hoofien also said the fundraiser is unique because it is studentproduced and has a festive focus for the holidays.

“You can buy a lot of really cool glass ornaments and candy canes,” Mazor-Hoofien said. “And a lot of ceramic students also make ceramic (sculptures and dinnerware), which can be a really good gift.”

Junior Abigail Wolf said she created numerous works of art to prepare for the fundraiser.

“I made a lot of cups and bowls to sell,” Wolf said. “I also did a little bit of glassblowing along with other students to make ornaments and candy canes.”

Wolf said that her favorite part of the fundraiser is seeing the community support the program and enjoy the art.

“It's also really fun to help sell the items and show the community what glassblowing and ceramics are and show them the techniques we use to make all the pieces they enjoy,” Wolf said.

Mazor-Hoofien said the fundraiser is an also opportunity for artists to not only sell their work but also showcase their talent to the community.

“I think we've gotten a lot of support from people just coming by and enjoying the art,” Mazor-Hoofien said.

“And at a certain point, there's value in seeing art even if you're not purchasing it for yourself.”

85/)($.1("5/&4#3"/)&5/&9/":#$)"(%&':#/.#&7#0#)($"+/&4$"03#&(5&;#,7&15//#1(&<+,5&',(5&(5&=+)(&<+,5&',(5 Construction on a pedestrian-bicycle bridge parallel to University Avenue across U.S. Highway 101 is set to finish in late 2024 and will provide safer transportation between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto, East Palo Alto City Council Member Ruben Abrica said.

Over 30% of East Palo Alto residents live on the west side of U.S. Highway 101, Abrica said. “(Previously) you would see a mother pushing a stroller (right next to traffic) on University Avenue,” Abrica said. “The traffic, especially around freeways, is always crazy and very fast. Luckily, no (incident) has ever happened, but there have been close encounters (involving) congestion with people, bicycles and cars.”

Junior Justun Kim, who lives in East Palo Alto, said the bridge should significantly improve safety.

“Making a pedestrian-only bridge would greatly improve safety a lot,” Kim said. “I (often see a lot) Paly students biking over that bridge to Paly.”

Abrica said the community has discussed building an overpass for over 15 years.

“When we became a city in 1983, we didn't have an overpass or pedestrian bicycle bridge,” Abrica said. “Menlo Park had one.

Palo Alto had one. So it was always one of our goals as a City Council.”

Huzma Javed, the director of East Palo Alto’s Public Works Department, which oversees all city-wide infrastructure construction, said the bridge will strengthen the community.

“It's one of those regionally significant projects that will impact connectivity,” Javed said. A lot of people who ride bikes down to Stanford or Palo Alto will now have safe access across (U.S. Highway) 101, so it's a very important project and something that I think the city and our neighbors and regional agencies are excited to see.”

While its primary purpose is to increase safety, the bridge,

Abrica said, will also help the environment by reducing traffic.

“Without it, rather than walking across University Avenue, people drive, even to go drop the kids off at school

on the east side, or to go shopping at Cardenas or Home Depot,” Abrica said.

“Now they can walk, which will help reduce car usage, reducing traffic and carbon emissions.”

While the bridge has numerous community benefits, Javed said the undertaking will be costly.

The bridge's design will cost $1.3 million, and the total cost is estimated at $1315 million.

But much of the funding for the bridge came from outside of East Palo Alto, Abrica said.

“For our city, that is a lot of money,” Abrica said. “We put in close to $1 million, but most of the money has come from federal funds or state funds that get filtered down to the regional level, like the (San Mateo County) Transportation Authority Measure A,” Abrica said.

Abrcia said that while getting local and ART BY JESSICA BAE federal funding can be

competitive, East Palo Alto’s project was approved due to unique local needs.

“You are always in competition with other projects that are also very important,” Abrica said. “Ours had a certain priority because it's moving people from an unsafe situation to a safe situation, which will be used a lot. And because we're a community that doesn't have as many resources, being at the lower end economically, there's an understanding that the money can have a more significant impact.”

Kim said he is looking forward to the completion of the bridge and the positive impact he thinks the bridge will have on him and other students who live in East Palo Alto.

“The big part is connecting East Palo Alto to Paly,” Kim said. “That's huge, especially giving the East Palo Alto kids a chance at (Palo Alto) public education.

Some lucky kids like me who live in East Palo Alto are able to take advantage of the Palo Alto education system, and this bridge allows more kids like me to have access to these great schools and education.”

Julian Hong

News/Opinion Editor

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

A2

News

Biden, Xi meet at Filoli Estate during APEC summit !"#$"%&'()'*+(',-(.#-'&/0"%0(+"%&'1"*'#*'2(($&3$"')(%'4'5(/%&'*('$3&6/&&'13-3*#%78'"6(9(136'6(96"%9&

Kate Xia

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

F

or the first time in six years, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the U.S., this time to meet President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held on Nov. 15 at the Filoli Estate in San Mateo County.

Since Biden’s last meeting with Xi in November 2022, senior Sophia Kim, who is currently taking Foreign Policy Honors, said both countries are trying to more openly communicate about current and potential economic tensions.

“It was another opportunity for Biden and Xi to touch base, update and reaffirm commitments on joint goals they have, including boosting trade, perhaps trying to stop or lessen the trade war between the U.S. and China, as well as combat climate change,” Kim said.

During the meeting, both countries agreed to reopen military communication and reduce fentanyl production.

But the leaders disagreed on North Korean aggression, Iranian influence and Taiwan’s global position.

U.S. Government and Contemporary World History teacher Adam Yonkers said this meeting was a necessary continuation of past conversations between the U.S. and China.

“Obama had really made a point with Hillary Clinton to do a pivot to Asia, which was, ‘Let’s make Asia much more of the principal aim of our foreign policy,’” Yonkers said. “After Obama, Trump and Xi had particular things that they agreed on, and particularly things that they didn’t, but it was better than it has been under Biden.

Since 2020, there haven’t been as many highWlevel meetings.”

According to data from December 2023, about 20% of the world’s population is Chinese, so Yonkers said it is especially important for the U.S. to engage in conversations China.

However, Yonkers said the U.S. had an advantage at the most recent meeting given China’s substantial economic issues caused by its aging population and major multinational companies pulling out of China because of privacy and transparency concerns.

“China is in a position where they have been trying to assert themselves in the South China Sea, with One Belt One Road initiatives worldwide and with their Chinese bank, but they still need the United States,” Yonkers said. “I strategically think that it was interesting that Xi Jinping wanted to normalize relations with Biden.”

While China relies on U.S. support in some aspects, senior Spencer Wu-Chin, another student in Foreign Policy Honors, said China is attempting to push the U.S. out of its dominant global position.

“America just hasn’t been able to muster the resources compared to the Belt and Road Initiative, and a lot of countries don’t feel comfortable with America coming in and funding infrastructure projects, especially in Latin

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America,” Wu-Chin said. “Instead of making it into a competition between the U.S. and China, I think it should be more about collaboration with these developing nations.”

Kim also said although Biden and Xi still do not agree on issues like the Russia-Ukraine war and Taiwan’s global position, the meeting was a step towards positive relations.

“Some could argue that competition is the way we spur the growth of innovation,” Kim said. “However, competition in terms of great power competition can be geopolitically polarizing, creating a pick-a-side conflict for any third party countries. So I do believe cooperation is v in ensuring peace and security worldwide but competition in innovation and technology.”

And Wu-Chin said the U.S. should further step in to respond to China’s human rights issues, which Biden raised concerns about during the meeting.

“The United States just isn’t doing a good job of saying, ‘Hey, don’t do that’ or putting protections in place,” Wu-Chin said.

“China has such a huge role in global trade that the world is reliant on Chinese manufacturing. They’re always going to have a place to sell Uyghur-made products like cotton and lithium batteries, so without serious dedication, it’s just going to continue being an issue, and get to the point where we’re not going to be able to deal with it anymore. The United States is trying to postpone eventual issues by trying to be more pragmatic, but ultimately, that creates more problems down the line.”

Because of these long-standing issues, Yonkers said students should learn more about U.S. foreign policy because international issues can quickly affect individuals in local communities.

“We also are pretty distracted right now with what’s happening with Gaza and Israel and Ukraine, and those are front burner issues,” Yonkers said. “But China’s always had a foreign policy that was much more of a long game.”

Wu-Chin said as students become old enough to vote, it is crucial for them to learn more about international politics.

“We’re going to be voting very soon,” Wu-Chin said. “You have a civic responsibility to know what’s happening in the world because you live in a democracy, and you’re allowed to vote. Even if you don’t believe in voting, the relations between the United States and China will continue to have widespread effects, and I think it’s important for people to be aware of what’s happening.”

!"#$%"&$'(%)(*%)#'+,%'-).'/*0"+,%-"*'1*$2'+%*1).,%3 :0393(9&'13;"$'(9'0(*"9*3#-'()'9"+',/3$"-39"&'*('6%"#*"'1"#939,)/-'$3<"%"96"'39'#653"="1"9* The 2023 California Revised Math Framework, passed in July by the State Board of Education, introduced several changes to mathematics education in schools throughout the state.

The framework includes a focus on inquirybased education, big ideas, equity, reordering when topics are taught and expanding math education. Despite controversy surrounding the Framework, Gunn math instructional leader David Deggeller said that the schools in the district have begun implementing elements of the Framework into the curriculum.

“Many things in the framework we are already doing at Gunn, and others have a 0% chance of ever being implemented,” Deggeller said. “Many have misconceptions about the new framework, as it’s just a set of suggestions, not a mandate.”

Deggeller also said the math department has added suggested content to some of their courses with more to come.

“The emphasis on data science and Inquiry learning is already happening here,” Deggeller said. “Many teachers have implemented inquiry into their lessons in an effort to build

thinking classrooms, and the results have been very encouraging.”

As far as what Gunn isn’t doing, Deggeller said the Frameworks’ recommendation about Algebra likely won’t be implemented at PAUSD. “The framework’s suggestion that all students wait until 9th grade to take Algebra is not something that will ever happen here,” Deggeller said. “Also, their suggestion to eliminate lanes in the high schools is not being considered, though the middle schools did eliminate lanes, and Gunn and Paly eliminated Geo A this year.”

Paly Calculus teacher Zachary Barnes said he sees benefits in much of the Framework’s approach to teaching.

“From what I understand, the new framework is reorganizing the standards that were already there into what they are calling Big Ideas to help students connect the mathematics and create an inquiry-based math learning experience for all kids,” Barnes said.

“I like the push to this –– every child needs a strong sense of problem-solving because everyone has and will have problems to solve.”

Barnes said using Framework suggestions, ART BY CHERIANNE YOON

he plans to incorporate inquiry-based methods to enhance complex calculus concepts.

“Learning happens when students are invested and that starts with curiosity,” Barnes said. “A more standardized approach to this is welcome in our classroom. I look forward to seeing the ideas and the structures that can happen in the classroom.”

Senior Hope Van Riesen said many of the Framework’s guidelines are a step in the right direction, especially those promoting equity.

“I think allowing people to specialize in different types of math that they are interested in would make their classes more enjoyable overall,” Riesen said. “I also think it would be a good idea to implement more of the guidelines, especially eliminating math lanes.”

Deggeller said the Framework will likely change standardized testing.

“This will obviously reshape the CAASPP test and help us make any needed adjustments to our classes,” Deggeller said. “But I don’t imagine this having much of an effect on our honors lane though, as the curriculum for AB and BC Calculus is not changing as far as I know.”

The framework’s focus on equity in math education is especially relevant.

“It is important for educators to open doors to all students to take calculus in high school,” Barnes said. “While everybody might not elect to do so, I would measure our success by the number of students who enter and find success in our classroom, especially because equity is a big part of this.”

Riesen said the current problem she sees is that at Paly many math lanes, with their academic rigor, can separate students and categorize people based on their lanes.

“I think it causes people to think they are worse than they are, and it also puts labels on people based on their lane,” Riesen said. “I think for some people, not everyone, but like me, for example, I felt confined by my lane, and I think others would agree that lanes feel like rigid lines, even though they aren’t intended to be rigid.”

Deggeller said he expects the next focus of the Gunn math department will be centered around teaching math with more relevant, real-world applications.

“The release of the Framework itself has not resulted in any immediate changes nor will it do so anytime soon,” Deggeller said. “I would imagine some next steps being focusing on the framework’s emphasis on Big Ideas and what we really want all students to leave high school knowing.”

Assistant Superintendent Guillermo Lopez did not respond to an interview request for this story.

Albert Jung Staff Writer

ALEX ISAYAMA/THE CAMPANILE

Career development expert Ana Homayoun speaks at Erasing the Finish Line. “I worry about the pressure kids are feeling to conform to a very narrow definition of success,” Hartung said.

4567'8,9)$2)%'2,#$#'#()*3)%' $,'*::%)##'&,00)9)'(%)##;%) Rise Together Education, a nonprofit organization that provides support and financial resources to low-income Palo Alto High School students, hosted speaker Ana Homayoun for an event titled “Erasing the Finish Line” on Dec. 6 at the Haymarket Theater with Escondido Principal Leslie Crane acting as moderator.

At the event, Homayoun showcased her new book, “Erasing the Finish Line,” which focuses on the learning strategies necessary for long-term success of students beyond college.

Homayoun said students who feel pressured to focus on college admissions may overlook the importance of nurturing their intellectual curiosity, a key aspect of early education.

“So much of this hyper-competition and these checkboxes you feel like you’re supposed to do, (cause students) to lose sight of the exploration of figuring out what (is) interesting (to you),” Homayoun said. “Middle school and high school are the key times for exploration.”

As part of the event, Crane highlighted the key elements for a successful future: academic success, involvement with school activities and a vibrant social life.

“If you can do all three of those things and keep that balance, you’re going to have a highly successful high school experience,” Crane said.

Parent Julia Hartung said she attended the event because she is concerned about the stress associated with the pursuit of success.

“I worry about the pressure kids are feeling to conform to a very narrow definition of success,” Hartung said.

Hartung also said attending the Rise Together event piqued her interest in reading Homayoun’s book.

“She was just a breath of fresh air, and I’m excited to read her book and learn more about how to talk to my kids, so that it’s not always about the end result, but it’s about their stuff along the way that makes it inherently valuable no matter what the outcome is,” Hartung said.

Homayoun said she wrote her book to address communities such as Palo Alto that are characterized by a pressure-cooker mentality and academically intensive environment.

“The reason that I wrote ‘Erasing the Finish Line’ is that (college) shouldn’t be for the wealthy,” Homayoun said. “It is key for economic mobility and workforce development.

It’s my life’s work to be able to get this to all kids.”

Proceeds from the event went to Rise Together Education’s College Scholarship Fund.

Alex Isayama Staff Writer

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

A3

News

City Council votes to close California Avenue to cars !"#$%&'&()*+&""+)*,-+.%/0)1&%#)23456789)+-&0*)$"&#'0"0+:)';"<+*)=-*>0"**"*)/,>?")?%<'?)"<%0%#()+&"0.*)-$/'&.*

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hat started as a temporary closure to let restaurants serve guests outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic has turned permanent after the Palo Alto City Council voted 5-2 at its Nov. 6 meeting to permanently close California Avenue to vehicles.

The resolution also included provisions for renovations and new signage and bike lanes on California Avenue.

Mayor Lydia Kou and City Council member Vicki Veenker were the two dissenting votes.

Veenker said the council needed to take this vote because the original ordinance allowing for the closure was set to expire.

“Had we done nothing, the closure would have expired, which sort of automatically would have reverted it to an open street,” Veenker said. “There was great interest in keeping it closed.”

Junior Taishi Liu said he is glad the council voted to make the street closure permanent.

“Since the pandemic, I’ve often gone to Cal Ave for breakfast,” Liu said. “It’s closer for me than going downtown. I’ve always enjoyed sitting outside without the loud noises of cars.”

Veenker said the information she had seemed to show that residents generally wanted to keep the streets

closed, while business owners wanted the streets to reopen which was the reason for her dissenting vote.

“There seems to be general consensus that everyone wants the street to thrive, and everyone is concerned that it’s struggling a bit right now,” Veenker said. “I want to maximize the likelihood that it will be successful in the long run.”

City Council member Patrick Burt said the pandemic and an increase in work-from-home opportunities caused restaurants on the street to experience fewer customers during workers’ lunch breaks.

“Stanford Research Park has about half the number of workers,” Burt said. “Before the pandemic, many of them would drive through California Avenue, but now there are less of them.”

The pandemic also contributed to a surge of customers in the evening, according to Burt. And occasionally with entertainment provided, an increased number of Palo Alto residents are dining at the restaurants.

“It’s actually much busier in the evening than it ever was before the pandemic,” Burt said. “The pandemic helped people realize socializing is something we value.”

Veenker said she voted against the resolution because she didn’t see a consensus among stakeholders to keep the road closed permanently.

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Compiled by Palo Alto Online

Bistro Elan (Continental)

La Boheme (French)

Cafe Pro Bono (Italian)

Moods Wine Bar (Wine Bar)

Caffe Riace (Italian)

Naschmarkt (Austrian)

Calave (Wine Bar)

Palo Alto Sol (Mexican)

iTalico (Italian)

Protege (American)

Joanie’s Cafe (American)

Sun of Wolf (Mexican)

Kali Greek Kitchen (Mediterranean/Greek)

Terun (Pizza, Italian)

La Bodeguita del Medio (Cuban, Caribbean)

Zareen’s (Indian/Pakistani)

LUCAS YUAN/THE CAMPANILE

Barriers set up at one end of California Avenue prevent vehicles from traveling down the street. “Had we done nothing, the closure would have expired, which sort of automatically would have reverted it to an open street,” City Council member Vicki Veenker said. “The once temporary road closure provisioned during the pandemic is now permanent on California Avenue.”

“My position was not ‘No, I don’t want it closed,’” Veenker said. “My position was ‘Not yet’ as I wanted to respect the constituents who had met with me and expressed concerns.”

Burt said he thinks the council’s decision will help businesses and customers in adapting to the postpandemic era.

Burt also said 80% of respondents to a committee survey conducted in January of 2023 favored permanent closure, and the majority of the council also supported investing in California Avenue.

“It’s like a third place other than work and home,” Burt said. “The community goes there to enjoy and socialize.”

Veenker, though, said she is not sure the ordinance will have that much of an impact on the local economy.

“Before I got on council, the prior commission had authorized an alternative study, which we would use to gauge public opinion,” Veenker said. “But the study wasn’t ready (with) the consensus, so I dissented.”

Moving forward, Veenker said she does support responsibly renovating the street.

“Now that we’re closing the street down, I am going to do everything in my power to make it succeed,” Veenker said. “We can either hire someone with experience redeveloping streets, or we can hire consultants to help us figure this out.”

Finalization of the official legislation wording will come out soon, according to Burt.

“We made the initial council decision so that investments could be made,” Burt said. “There’s a lot that needs to be done, in the short and the long run.”

Though the vote didn’t go her way, Veenker said she is hopeful for the future.

“This is a big project,” Veenker said. “But I see the vision.”

Lucas Yuan

Managing Editor

!"#$%&$'(%)*+(',$*$--).-&(/*0%$-/,0,)-*0)*-)-1%)20 @'&"0+)<%#$'0()%1)@'?%)A?+%)30?>0":)@'?%)A?+%)B""C?(),%$")0"/)#%."?)/>??)*-*+'>0)?%<'?)D%-&0'?>*# Embarcadero Media, the parent company of Palo Alto Online, Palo Alto Weekly and several other publications in the Bay Area, will transition from a for-profit company to a nonprofit organization at the start of 2024 because of the drop in advertising revenue.

Executive Chairman of Embarcadero Media Bill Johnson, who founded Palo Alto Weekly, said the Weekly is one of many news publications struggling to remain profitable under a for-profit model.

“All over the country, news organizations are failing or on the verge of failure, primarily due to the steady decline in advertising revenue that has stemmed from the use of digital media,” Johnson said.

Embarcadero Media’s vice president of sales Gina Channell Wilcox said the company has seen a significant drop in revenue since 2019.

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“Across our three newspapers and special publications, we’ve seen our print revenue decline by more than 42% since the end of 2019,” Wilcox said. “Revenue across our entire operation, including print, our seven news websites and three newsletters, has declined by 32%.”

Wilcox said the pandemic amplified this drop because local businesses would close.

“More than 75% of our revenue still comes from advertising, and starting with the pandemic in 2020, many local businesses that advertised with us have closed,” Wilcox said. “Since 2019, we’ve experienced a 45% erosion of real estate advertising, our largest advertising category.”

In order to ensure the publications stay profitable, Embarcadero Media Chief Executive Officer Adam Dawes said he hopes the transition to non-profit status will allow his company to survive with funding from public foundations and community members. “(We knew) it will be difficult to get significant additional advertising dollars, and we need to look for new sources of revenue,” Dawes said. “Looking at different options, we decided that the best path forward is to see if we can tap into some of the generosity and philanthropic resources in the community.

Becoming a nonprofit allows us to tap into that.”

Dawes also said the smooth transition to a nonprofit organization will help transform the company’s relationship with the community.

“We essentially become owned by the community instead of owned by our shareholders,” Dawes said.

Johnson said this new relationship will force the publications owned by Embarcadero Media to become even more responsive to the community.

“If publications are increasingly dependent on community financial support, they need to work extra hard to connect with the community in more ways,” Johnson said.

“Part of this is a shift towards how we cover the community and how we are out in the

community seeking feedback, input participation, engagement.”

Johnson also said the community focus will be reflected in the type of reporting their journalists do.

“Our journalists are going to be more cognizant of the issues that people care about in the community,” Johnson said. “As a nonprofit, we’ll be more proactive and less reactive to news.”

Johnson said he hopes this new model will also help his publications expand their coverage to previously underrepresented areas.

“There are categories of coverage that are important if we had more resources to expand,” Johnson said. “(We want to cover) issues facing underserved communities, those that are unhoused, service workers. Part of the role of local journalism is to make sure those voices are heard.”

Johnson said the biggest challenge of transitioning to a non-profit will likely be helping people understand their role in supporting local journalism.

“People tend to have no idea how expensive it is to have people working to cover these stories,” Johnson said. “The challenge is the messaging, of having people understand that everybody needs to contribute a relatively small amount to maintain this type of coverage. It’s going to be whether people understand what life would be like in our communities without local journalism.”

In order for the transition to work, Johnson said the key is getting more people to subscribe to Embarcadero Media publications and become sustaining members.

“We already have built something like 5,000 (members) in Palo Alto, and that’s a lot, and we really appreciate the support that we get from those people,” Johnson said. “But, we’ve got to double or triple that in order to have the reliable cash flow that enables us to stabilize.”

Dawes agrees and said he encourages the Palo Alto community to contribute to local journalism.

“Supporting community journalism makes our communities healthier,” Dawes said. “And that community needs to help support and keep that news gathering capacity alive and strong.”

Rohan Bhatia Sports Editor

ART BY HANNAH SINGER

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Managing Editor The Class of 2026 hosted a fundraiser at Chipotle after on Dec. 6 with 33% of all proceeds going to the class.

Sophomore class president and event organizer David Wu said his class decided to do this fundraiser after seeing previous success doing similar events.

“We’ve actually done a Panda Express fundraiser around a month and a half ago that went really well,” Wu said. “That’s why we decided to do it again.”

Sophomore Nathan Lee said the fact that people could order online also made the process of participating in the fundraiser more convenient.

“Having the option to order online gives students another way to support the student body,” Lee said.

Wu also said fundraisers like these not only help support future events organized by ASB but also serve as a bonding experience for students.

“I think one of the biggest goals for fundraisers is also to have people come together and have fun,” Wu said. “Not only does it raise money for our class, but also it’s a great opportunity to socialize and eat food.”

Lee said he supports the idea of restaurant fundraisers.

“I definitely will come to future fundraisers,” Lee said. “I think it’s a good way to support both our class and local (restaurants) in the community.”

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

A4

Spotlight

Beyond M

!"#$%&"'()*""+%(%*",&-($,'./$%/'('"%00,&$,'4#''(6%,-7"(%89%4"*",.&'5(%*",&-()%7*2 Content Warning: The following text contains first-hand accounts of eating disorders, sexual assult and self-harm. Graphic language is used and may be triggering to some readers.

J

unior Mina Baba stares down at the scale, watching her weight drop lower and lower while her anxiety temporarily rushes away. A few years ago, this constant scalewatching was the way she chose to reassert control in her life after being sexually assaulted.

“I got anorexia when I was 15, and I was about to die,” Baba said. “(Eating disorders) ruined my life. I’m happy to be here now, but I have a friend who lost her life (to) anorexia and bulimia.”

“(Teenagers) are uniquely vulnerable to maladaptive behavior, (or) things that aren’t quite normal.”

Psychology teacher Christopher Farina said eating disorders can stem from a combination of biological and environmental factors.

“As with many psychological disorders, there’s a good chance that there’s some kind of genetic predisposition towards those eating disorders, but there’s definitely a big environmental factor as well,” Farina said. “We know this because we see pretty different rates of eating disorders in different cultures or communities. There are definitely social pressures that seem to be causing it.”

Student Perspectives

There are a range of causes for eating disorders. For teenagers in particular, eating disorders can stem from underlying depression, instability at home, anxiety and more.

Junior Rory Akin, a transgender male, said he began restricting his eating to change his body to match his desired gender identity.

“I was not able to access, still to this date, genderBaba is one of the 28.8 million Americans who struggle affirming hormones or anything,” Akin said. “(Developing with an eating disorder during their lifetime. According to eating disorders) was tied up with the American Psychiatric Associamy struggles with being trans and a tion, eating disorders are severe and not-super-accepting family situapersistent disturbances in eating tion. I looked too much like a girl, behavior associated with distressing which is something I still struggle thoughts and emotions. Anorexia with now because I have not been nervosa, the act of restricting food permitted to transition.” to the point of becoming critically A male senior, who asked to underweight, is the most comremain anonymous due to personal mon type of eating disorder. One reasons, said he unintentionally in twenty people die within five of eating disorders develop began restricting his eating until it years of diagnosis, while one in five spiraled into a consistent behavior. people die within twenty years of by age 25 “I’ve always been insecure about diagnosis. my body,” he said. “During sophoAnd those most vulnerable more year I stopped bringing lunch to school because I was to being diagnosed are teens. According to Megan Vo, a lazy, and then two things happened –– I noticed my body Clinical Associate Professor of was getting closer to how I wanted it to be, and so I began Stanford Medicine Children’s to restrict further to keep that going, and I (also) got adHealth, teenagers are uniquely dicted to the feeling of hunger, which was not something I susceptible to developing eating knew one could do.” disorders because they are still in The male senior also said he used restrictive eating as a the process of maturing. way to relieve his anxiety despite the negative health conse“The body and the brain are quences. undergoing this huge change, “Obviously I craved food, but it was just so calming going from childhood to adultwhen I was hungry. I loved feeling the pain in my stomach hood, which takes time,” Vo said. and I felt like I could just breathe,” he said. “Once I started eating less, I started losing my hunger signals, including that pain, and I would just get nauseous. It was unpleasant but it just made me want to restrict more to force (the hunger pangs) to happen.”

Baba said she saw limiting her eating as a way to heal her body as a victim of sexual assault.

“I hated the feeling of something inside my body,” Baba said. “I just wanted my body to be empty, and I felt like being empty connected to me being clean.”

In addition, the male senior said regulating his food intake allowed him to regain control over his life.

“Eating disorders are more about using your body as a tool to feel in control about life in general,” he said. “That’s why so

Background

95%

many people get obsessions about the scale or calories or macros because it lets you be in control of a part of your life, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”

Farina said eating disorders can affect numerous parts of a person’s life beyond eating habits.

“If you’re not getting the kind of nutrition that you need, you’re not going to be able to perform at your best physically or cognitively,” Farina said.

By restricting her food intake for a prolonged time, when Baba began eating more, she did not know when to stop. Her recovery Anorexia Nervosa: Abnormally lo from anorexia an intense fear of gaining w develdistorted perception of oped into Binge-Eating: Eating a large am bingeeating in a short amount of time. Fee disorder control what or how muc — eating large Bulimia: Compulsive overea amounts of food followed by intentional vomit in a short abuse. timeframe and not being able to Avoidant/Restrictive food intake: F stop — and about food or the consequen bulimia nervosa like choking.

— overeating followed by purging, oftentimes by selfinducing vomiting.

Baba also said she could no longer tell if she was hungry or not because her body constantly craved food.

“At one point, I was fasting for an entire week or eating one meal a week,” Baba said. “Then I entered a binging and purging era or a time period where I couldn’t stop eating. I didn’t want to gain weight, so I would then regurgitate it. (Eating disorders) are a cycle that you can’t escape.”

Baba said although she noticed other problems worsening in her life, decreasing her weight became addictive.

“Even though my academics or my relationship with my friends and family were dropping, it didn’t matter to me because I was successful with the number (on the scale) dropping,” Baba said.

Common type eating disorde

Student Athletes

Student athletes are a demographic of teenagers who are more prone to developing eating disorders. PE teacher Stacey Kofman said eating disorders can be more prevalent in athletes because leanness is often erroneously associated with better performance.

“People perceive with their eyes that if you are leaner (and) thinner, you are going to be faster,” Kofman said. “But that’s not necessarily the case.”

PE teacher David Duran said it is important for the athletic community to be aware of eating disorders and understand how they develop.

“A lot of these issues start when these athletes are young,” Duran said. “If you can recognize it, then figure out exactly what the core of the issue is. Maybe it’s something unrelated to their sport –– something more to do with that home or how they feel about themselves, how they perceive themselves. Start there, but like anything else, education is the best thing for anybody involved.”

Senior wrestler and club weightlifter Caiden Soltesz said athletes often develop eating disorders because of sources

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

A5

Spotlight

Measure

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outside the sport. He also said unhealthy eating behaviors can develop because a person wants their body to be prevented with proper guidance. match mainstream beauty standards. “(Eating disorders) mainly affect people in their early years “A stereotype (of eating disorders) is trying of lifting when they haven’t learned by realistic standards,” to be more attractive for other people,” Akin Soltesz said. “Gym culture is generally very inclusive and most said. “That’s something I never experienced, as people go through some sort of food it is a lot more compliissue, especially early in their journey. cated than that. People Having people who have gone looking at social media through it to help you defiand seeing Photoshopped nitely helps out a lot.” models might feel bad about Soltsesz said unthemselves, but that’s not going healthy eating patterns to be the only thing that precedes in athletes are significant health issues like eating often triggered by disorders.” extreme images people die within five years of fit bodies on Derenne said people should not social media. make assumptions about who has an of diagnosis “Espeeating disorder. “Sometimes people cially in assume you can tell someone has an gym culture, everyone is incredibly eating disorder just by looking at them,” Derenne said. “I see ow body weight, active on social media and stanpeople of all body sizes and shapes who have difficulties with dards are unrealistically high,” their eating. A lot of times it’s under-recognized because of the weight and a Soltsesz said. stereotypes people hold in their mind.” f weight.

Wrestling coach Jonathan Kessler said he teaches athletes mount of food to develop healthy relationships with food. eling unable to “It’s important that after ch one eats.

Despite the difficulty of knowing what to say to a struggling practice – you’re losing all friend or family member, Chen said that he still wants to try (your calories), you’re sweating and support his loved ones as best as he can. ating usually a ton, using all those nutrients “If they were my friend, I would want to know (their strug— you put food back into your ting or laxative gles) just so that I could in any way help them,” Chen said. “It’s body because you are exerting a always important to not only identify a problem for yourself but ton of energy,” Kessler said. identify it with other people (since) two heads think better than

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Moving Forward

Fear and anxiety nces of eating,

Getting Help

Despite the severe health risks of eating disorders, people suffering from them are often hesitant to reach out for help.

Junior Aiden Chen said his friend, who had been struggling with an eating disorder, feared speaking out due to social stigmas.

“When it comes to shame, (there is) a stigma against these sort of mental holdings,” Chen said.

“For (my friend) in particular, she always feels bad burdening people (because) she just doesn’t want other people to feel worried about her.”

The male senior also said the cycle of shame and guilt prevented them from reaching out to seek help, and in the process, they developed another issue.

“Eating was so hard for me, but I was so scared of anyone knowing that it was hard and making my parents sad that I just didn’t say anything,” he said.

Baba also said eating disorders are often portrayed incorrectly in the media or maintain stereotypes that paint them as binary.

“Movies and TV shows always portray a middleclass white teenage girl who is struggling with body image,” Baba said. “The media limits (representation) when it comes to people of color or different genders.”

Vo said social media coverage focusing on people’s bodies does not help, either.

“You get all this feedback on your appearance, but it’s not OK,” Vo said. “Whose place is it to give anyone any kind of feedback on something they can’t control?”

The male senior said commenting on a person’s body regardless of if it’s wellintentioned or not can be harmful.

“Even positive comments about bodies are bad,” he said. “I remember I got so many compliments for losing weight and just neutral comments in general and all that did was make things worse.”

On the other hand, Akin said for some, social media does not play a big role in the development of eating disorders, and another misconception is that eating disorders

one.”

Akin said throughout the process, his sister and friends were a big help for him.

“Just being around people who care for you is really important (regarding) any kind of mental health,” Akin said.

In addition, the male senior said communal support is also helpful.

“Other things that have helped is seeing more people who look like me being loved in some way,” the male senior said.

“Group sessions, although terrifying at first, are wonderful if you can get anyone to talk because you find out so many things that you have in common with people and you realize how absurd your thoughts are when you see them in other people.”

Vo said it is important for teenagers to acknowledge their value outside of physical appearance.

“What you look like has nothing to do with who you are as a person, how valued you are, what you have to give,” Vo said. “If you hear somebody saying negative self-talk, just say ‘You’re my friend. I love you, and I’m not going to engage.’”

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The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

A6

Opinion

Society pressures introverts to transform their personalities, conform to standards

ART BY TERESA WANG

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t’s the first day of school, and as I take my seat and observe my new teacher and classmates, I make a mental note for myself: be the first to introduce yourself and raise your hand as much as possible. The teacher asks a question, and despite the nagging voice in the back of my head urging me to keep my mouth shut, I force myself to raise my hand and speak.

For most of my life, I’ve been led to believe being talkative, sociable and energized is admirable, and even the more preferable qualities in a person. I’ve watched social experiment videos on YouTube where people say they don’t like introverts because they come off as unconfident because they don’t speak much. Due to expectations from the people around me and social media, I’ve unintentionally correlated negative descriptions and undesirable traits with introverts, which has pressured me to change myself.

Many introverts are told to be more proactive and social, but we shouldn’t be uplifting extroverts as the standard because everyone is unique. According to a 2019 Positive Psychology article, most people don’t fall into strict introvert or extrovert categories and are often on a spectrum between those two.

Everyone has both an introverted and extroverted side, and we don’t need to overemphasize one or the other because we all fall on a bell curve between the two extremes.

It doesn’t make sense to cause undue stress or anxiety for people to change themselves just to fit into a restrictive box.

However, just because you are an introvert doesn’t mean you should avoid pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. A 2020 Science Direct study shows that short-term, extroverted qualities benefit people’s mood and energy, while long-term, extroverted qualities can cause undue mental stress, fatigue and anxiety, even to students that usually do not experience these issues.

While being social with others can help strengthen relationships and boost mood, it’s important to also embrace what you need in the long run.

Taking the time to rest and recharge on your own is crucial for healing, meaning constant extroverted activities are not ideal for your mental stability.

There’s also a belief that extroverts are more likely to be successful. In sophomore year, I was encouraged to speak more to my teachers and show them my capabilities for future letters of recommendation. Instead of usually listening quietly, I forced myself to actively find opportunities to speak up and talk to my teachers as much as possible.

I thought that it was the only way I could stand out and prove to everyone that I was worthy. At the time, I didn’t realize that being an extrovert isn’t the only way to stand out or become successful.

In the media, I’ve seen excellent speakers who’ve climbed their way up the ladder through skill and persuasion to get to where they are today.

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We are taught that to persuade, you must be great at connecting with people.

However, people like former President Barack Obama or former CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates identify as introverts, and they’ve managed to achieve ample success. According to a 2016 Inc. article, Obama honored his personal time despite the social interactions his job required. He had dinner with his wife and kids at 6:30 p.m. before retreating to his private room for at least four to five hours each day. He created boundaries for himself and created an environment for his own needs away from other people’s demands.

It’s important to honor your own needs over expectations of what will be better for you. No one should have to force themself to be an extrovert to guarantee achievement. We shouldn’t put this unnecessary and unfounded pressure on introverts because they don’t need to change.

Cynthia Huang Staff Writer

Emphasizing hands-on learning proves more effective in retaining information through humanities, STEM courses

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I remember an APUSH class when we were told to make a list of impactful historical events and, without using textbooks or notes, connect how each event set up the next.

Despite the somewhat difficult challenge, it made me ponder if this question was asked in a different class, would I be able to create an answer?

For the classes I rely on my computer for, would I be able to do the same? I found that AP US History, a course known for its rigorous, detail-oriented sessions, and Economics known for its hands-on approach, are far more effective for learning and comprehension than many of the relaxed, studentdriven methods used in other courses. Based on my experience in APUSH and Econ, I recommend more teachers use a better balance of hands-on, teacher-led instruction with restricted use of digital tools.

AP US History is a no-device class and emphasizes traditional learning methods like handwriting notes. Students are expected to take Cornell notes, for example, meticulously documenting key historical events and analyses.

Not only that, a significant aspect of learning in the class involves studying the American Pageant and American Spirit textbooks outside of class, requiring students to dedicate more time to the course and boost their understanding of complex events in American history. This method of selfstudying before and after lectures helps students learn the content, greatly incentivized by teacher Jack Bungarden’s morning quizzes.

APUSH’s critical thinking tools and full class lectures prepare students extremely well for the AP tests too. In fact, I found the APUSH exam around the same difficulty as regular unit tests or even easier.

Another teaching method that appears to work is a hands-on, interactive style. In Grant Blackburn’s Economics class, instead of using textbooks to learn concepts, these concepts are often experienced through hands-on activities like the Monopoly parody, PaloaltoOpoly, which showcases the exaggerated effects of inflation.

By applying what I learned through hands-on, teacher-led activities, I enjoyed the class more and found the material easier to understand. Compared to scrolling through articles or taking online Schoology quizzes in other classes, this style of teaching is far more useful.

Unfortunately in some classes, after finishing a unit test, we have a week to learn new course material on our own, putting a high emphasis on selfdirected study.

Ideally, self-studying encourages students to be more independent and more responsible, an undeniably valuable skill. However, in practice, these sessions are not always used wisely, and a less urgent motivation to study and being constantly tugged by digital distractions often leads students to do work for other classes or engage in non-academic activities.

These tendencies to stray from coursework and go online, especially during class, can slow the learning processes, limit meaningful attention to course content and potentially make students more irresponsible.

The use of digital tools in education is not evil, though.

Digital resources provide access to a wealth of information that can further supplement or reteach what is learned in class.

Technology can also speed up understanding and help those with different learning styles.

During the COVID-19 Zoom years, many students, including me, struggled to understand class material and often relied on other sources such as Khan Academy to connect the dots.

But it’s because learning through the internet is so easy that it can be harmful. The reliance on technology can sometimes overshadow the longshaped aspects that traditional teaching methods uphold.

Overreliance on technology can block critical thinking opportunities and cause students to lose deep comprehension.

Also, in classes where teachers limit access to devices, direct engagement with the material is easier when compared to classes where students can use things like school Chromebooks to take online tests.

While there are ways to prevent cheating when using a Chromebook

for a test, there is no way to stop distractions if someone has their Chromebook open during lectures.

Taking notes and restricting technologies aren’t the only ways to develop an understanding of concepts either. Blending the autonomous work of self-studying with real-life applications such as labs where students have to figure out concepts can also create a comprehensive educational experience.

This form of blending two learning methods not only shapes students to be independent but it expands critical thinking through experimentation.

While there are benefits to digital tools and student autonomy in the classroom, teachers need to blend a greater mix of hands-on, teacher-led methodologies to patch the flaws of the more modern techniques often used in classrooms. Adjusting the blend of both traditional and modern educational practices is the right step to better prepare students for a technologically advancing world where critical thinking skills are more important every day.

BY ART

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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

A7

Opinion

Book bans limit diversity of perspectives, target specific demographics !"#$%&'"#&()*&(#&+)%,%-(&.//%$$&(#&.&'01%&).-2%&#3&)%.10-2&4.(%)0.5&+)%,%-(&$(61%-(&2)#'("7&%4+.("* Cherianne Yoon Staff Writer

B

ooks are gateways that allow readers to stretch the limits of their imagination and explore ideas beyond the bounds of their own knowledge.

However, the stories that often mirror our own challenges and backgrounds are at risk of being removed from school library shelves across the country due to conservative concerns about students being exposed to mature or controversial topics.

As someone who finds great comfort and joy in reading books, it’s disheartening to watch novels that encourage open-mindedness teeter on the edge of bans for not conforming to popular perspectives.

Though California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bill AB 1078 on Sept. 25 to prohibit schools from banning books considered “too inclusive” or diverse, censorship remains a deeplyrooted concept ingrained in the public school system backed by strong support from voters. This cumulation of public sentiment has the potential to reach schools and public libraries, even in California where these protections exist.

Book bans, aside from restricting access to unpopular or uncomfortable points of view, can stifle critical thinking and hinder the growth of empathy and understanding. Those with the authority to ban books have massive influence over the intellectual growth of current and future generations, as well as society.

Librarian Sima Thomas said she hasn’t faced any requests to remove or ban books from the school library yet.

However, she did say the PAUSD school district offers a challenge form that allows an offended party to state their concerns about a book and request a meeting with the principal to discuss specifics and possible future action.

When making decisions to include new books in the library, Thomas said the Paly librarians consider a wide range of factors, including student interest, high school curriculum, adolescent experience and individual requests.

“An example of when I hesitated to add a book was last year when Colleen Hoover became very popular and many students were requesting her books, like ‘It Ends With Us’ and ‘Verity’,” Thomas said. “I read through the books and was hesitant but ultimately gave in to the many requests, and the books have been very popular and ultimately my top priority is fostering lifelong

reading for enjoyment, and these books served that goal. They have never been challenged, however, by students, parents or Paly staff.”

Books that are more frequently targeted for challenges in other places typically cover topics including LGBTQ+ identity, race and racism, violence, sexual assault and abuse. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” — a required reading in the English 10A curriculum — is frequently challenged

ART BY CHERIANNE YOON

or banned in other schools due to its coverage of topics including rape, racial violence and inappropriate language. Those who want to ban this book often claim the subject matter is too mature, inappropriate or disturbing for adolescents to read.

But who has the authority to deem what is inappropriate and what isn’t?

Though I avoid certain topics when deciding what to read, I also find interest in books that include heavy topics such as violence and mental illness.

These books give me the opportunity to inform myself about the nuances of hefty topics in a safe space. And just because I don’t read some genres does not mean I want to stop others from doing so.

For people who have lived sheltered lives, books with mature topics open up a window to see into the real world — a world full of injustice, corruption and diverse experiences.

No matter your lived experience, you are bound to learn about different worldviews and backgrounds by exposing yourself to the infinite bounds of literature.

It is ultimately a student’s right to decide which topics or motifs they find uncomfortable in their reading, and doing so encourages students to consciously define their boundaries.

Considering that everyone comes from different backgrounds and personal experiences, it does not make sense for schools and communities to generalize what students should and shouldn’t be exposed to.

Furthermore, book bans attempt to force a particular concept or opinion onto society, and directly silences communities or individuals who don’t conform with the status quo. These bans go against democratic ideals and the right of free expression.

Fighting book bans is not only about preserving our right to read; it is also about ensuring diverse education. Repressing unique narratives and stories is a threat which prevents us from understanding and identifying with different viewpoints.

Book bans discourage autonomy, and hinder intellectual growth, especially in younger generations where we already have limited control over our lives due to the cards we are individually dealt. Books about serious topics can help students strengthen their self-identity, empathize with marginalized communities and treat others with increased respect and awareness. We should always advocate for open dialogue and inclusive education rather than censoring as a means of protection, even if it means dealing with sensitive or controversial topics.

City should do more for San Francisquito Creek 8#/.5&'.(%)'.*&)%960)%$&.((%-(0#-7&/#-$%),.(0#-&+)#:%/($&(#&40(02.(%&;##1&)0$<

Neel Sharma Sports Editor

Strong environmental efforts like cleanups and conservation projects led by local organizations have preserved Palo Alto’s natural gold mine: the Baylands. Even student volunteers have regularly worked to help this treasure.

But why only work to help the Baylands?

Our city has another natural site that could use conservation efforts from the community: San Francisquito Creek.

Initially named the “Arroyo de San Francisco” by the Spaniards in 1769, San Francisquito Creek was once maintained by the Ohlone people and is vital to the setting of the Bay Area.

Hundreds of years ago, many other free flowing creeks laid across the Peninsula, but due to anthropogenic habitat destruction, San Francisquito Creek is the only one left of its kind and has been a consistent source of sediment for local habitats including Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout runs.

Not only does San Francisquito Creek get much less attention from the Palo Alto community than the Baylands, the community has actively contributed to the creek’s problems.

In 1892, Stanford created the Searsville Dam, located at the far upstream end of the

San Francisquito Creek, turning the creek into a reservoir filled with San Fransisquito’s plentiful waters.

Not only has the tall base of the dam made it impossible for fish runs in what was once a thriving ecosystem, but many fish end up dying and not being able to breed due to the lack of water at the base.

In a report by the California Department of Water Resources Environmental Program, Manager Ted Frink said one of the main targets in restoration efforts is to decrease the entrapment of water at the base of the dam.

“After 130 years of operation, the Searsville Dam Reservoir has become nearly filled with accumulated natural sediments, reducing the water storage capacity by 90%,” Frink said in the report.

To mitigate these negative effects, Stanford is trying to restore the ecosystem through a watershed restoration project to return sediment not only to the local habitat but also to marshes like the Baylands. If we want to preserve the Baylands, we have to also preserve the creek whose existence is essential for keeping the soil healthy in the Baylands.

To help restore our natural resources, Paly should promote a San Francisquito Creek conservation project as one of its main volunteering options.

If we can do our part to not only clean the creek but also inform people about its environmental importance, then we can

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS: Gold Karin Kimbrough Bonnard Shirley Lee Silver Stephen Atkinson Jennifer Chu Joseph Lee Kyle Zepherin

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truly work towards repairing the ecosystem.

For example, the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority is an initiative created after severe flooding of the creek in 1998.

Since then, their mission has been to mitigate flooding and support other environmental projects. Additionally, Grassroots

ART BY RIVER WU

Ecology, a popular volunteering option for students, has opportunities at its annual cleanup day which this year took place on Sept. 23.

Students and Palo Alto residents should work not only to restore the Baylands but also to conserve the riparian ecosystem that San Francisquito Creek provides.

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The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

A8

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

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y a 5-2 vote the Palo Alto City Council decided in November to permanently maintain California Avenue as a car-free zone.

Parts of California Avenue had been closed to traffic since the early days of the pandemic.

Since the initial decision to close the road to traffic, the council has repeatedly extended the temporary closure, resulting in frustration from many California Avenue business owners who wanted clarity on future plans. Most recently, the council extended the closure to December of 2023.

Stephen Oberhauser, who repairs shoes at The Cobblery on California Avenue, said in an interview with Palo Alto Online that the city’s inability to make a permanent decision has decreased sales at The Cobblery by 35% since before the pandemic.

While The Campanile praises the city for finally coming to a consensus on the car-free state of California Avenue, we think the council should have passed a permanent resolution sooner

rather than repeatedly extending the temporary closure.

We also encourage the city to help businesses whose revenues are down due to the permanent closure to ensure all of the community thrives.

In contrast to the experiences of The Cobblery, in an interview with Palo Alto Online, Italico and Terun Co-owner Franco Campolingo said the street closure has boosted his business’s revenues by 40% since before the pandemic.

Like Terun and Italico, many restaurants on California Avenue have taken advantage of the absence of cars, expanding their dining area onto the street.

With more outdoor seating options, restaurants have been able to serve more people at one time, reducing wait times and attracting more customers by offering lively ambiance and generating more foot traffic to places where cars would have taken up space.

However, in an opinion piece for Palo Alto Online, business owners on

and around California Avenue, many of whom are opponents to the resolution, said that by closing off the street to cars, the city is cutting off the main artery to businesses.

While The Campanile recognizes the difficulties non-restaurant businesses face in attracting diverse audiences since the street closure, we think if the city also includes street renovations to make California Avenue even more attractive and pedestrian-friendly, all stores will gain business as more customers will visit California Avenue.

Currently, a hodgepodge of aesthetics created by temporary parklets and mismatching umbrellas adorn the strip.

But, with cohesive, permanent outdoor dining and new landscaping, we think California Avenue can become a hub for social gatherings within the community.

In a City of Palo Alto online Community Survey conducted by Fukuji Architecture and Planning and Fehr & Peers in January of 2023, out of 11

possible options, 81.8% of the 356 respondents selected “Outdoor dining” as the long-term improvement to California Avenue they’d most like to see, with 62.4% of respondents also selecting “Public places with seating.”

While these renovations and additions may be expensive, we think both community members and business owners will benefit.

And if the city invests in better landscaping to integrate the current road and outdoor dining, California Avenue could become a destination like Santana Row in San Jose or Castro Street in Mountain View, inviting more customers from cities nearby.

While The Campanile praises the city for taking residents’ requests into consideration, and while we applaud the council’s decision to permanently close California Avenue to cars, we encourage the council to invest in cohesive and permanent outdoor dining as well as landscaping to transform the area into an enjoyable and profitable community center for all.

CIF bylaws for student athletes should be praised for promoting equity in sports

;&./0("(1%4&-$%5&0%,"1,%+),&&*%+3&0#+%30&."-/+%#,0//%3&*")"/+%#&%7--0/++%"(/<'"#$%&5%)&93/#"(1%"(%)*'4+ The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports in the state, has had a rule since 2012 that student athletes who participate in winter sports cannot play on their high school team and a club team at the same time.

And according to the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League rules, if a player violates this rule by competing on an outside team, they will be ineligible to participate on their high school team for the remainder of that season.

When Paly winter sport athletes violated the bylaws in December 2022, the SCVAL board enforced the consequences outlined in their constitution and banned these athletes from the school team for the rest of the season.

More recently, in November 2023, SCVAL Commissioner Brad Metheany said the league also has experienced growing concerns over students’ dual participation in fall and spring sports, such as baseball, track and swim.

The Campanile thinks expanding the rule preventing school and club sport participation at

the same time will foster a more positive culture on Paly teams by encouraging all athletes to make a commitment to their high school team before the start of the season.

Unlike athletes who participate in club sports, high school athletes have the unique opportunity to represent their school, build close bonds to their peers outside the classroom and develop the valuable skill of setting and achieving goals as a part of a team. However, in club sports, the athletic environment tends to become more competitive and individualized, as students focus on being identified and recruited to play their sport in college and at higher professional levels.

While The Campanile acknowledges the value in participating in both high school and club sports,

The Campanile also urges students to recognize the potential for inequity that simultaneous participation in high school and club sports creates.

Athletes who compete in clubs often have greater access to resources such as money, time, and support, whereas playing sports in school is more accessible for students.

Allowing dual participation can exacerbate skill disparities between club athletes and school athletes, the former of which have had more opportunities to improve their athletic abilities.

The Campanile praises the CIF and SCVAL for ensuring commitment, equity and fairness for all student athletes and for continuing a commitment to equalizing opportunity for all student athletes.

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LIST BY CYNTHIA HUANG AND ISABELLA BIAN 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

Isabella Bian Isabelle Carlsen Annika Chu Elizabeth Gulman Cynthia Huang

Writers

Alex Isayama Albert Jung Lea Kwan Gavin Lin Henry Liu

Naveen Narayanaswami

Rahul Shetty Shamsheer Singh Luca Vostrejs Cherianne Yoon

Illustrators & Photographers Dorian Luo Ivy Lee Anya Rasmussen Sophia Kelly Teresa Wang Ivanka Kumar Stella Guo Iris Tang Angela Rao Charlotte Liu Ivan Sandler Adam Fong

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, December 19, 2023

Lifestyle

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s soon as the clock strikes midnight to signal the first day of November, my world becomes tinted with shades of green and red. The spirit of Christmas infuses into my house as the joyful tunes of the season blare from my speakers. Waves of serotonin surge through my veins as I vibe along to my favorite Christmas jams, eating gingerbread cookies and transporting myself to my annual happy place.

I immediately look forward to the next Christmas starting Dec. 26 every year, so it should come as no surprise that I shamelessly start listening to Christmas music even before the Thanksgiving feasts commence.

But when I stumbled upon an article on The Campanile’s website headlined “Stop playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving to respect tradition, preserve holiday excitement” written by former Managing Editor Erik Feng, I lost a bit of respect for someone I had deeply admired before finding this column.

So instead of writing a letter to Santa this year, I have written a letter to Erik in hopes of re-establishing the Christmas spirit here at The Campanile:

Dear Erik,

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Business Manager

When senior David Tomz played guitar for an audience during an Open Mic event hosted by the Palo Alto Teen Arts Council last year, he did not realize that it would be the first of many times he performed for fellow students in public. Tomz, who is co-president of the Teen Arts Council, said the community has helped him gain confidence.

“I always liked making music on my own but was never super willing to perform in front of other people,” Tomz said. “I signed up for the first open mic of the school year last year and was nervous before, but after performing, people supported me.”

Senior and Co-President of the Teen Arts Council Rori Escuerdo said the student group was founded in 2011 to raise awareness about mental health issues among teenagers.

“Stopping suicide among teens was the (initial) goal,” Escuerdo said. “Mental health is important, and by creating this space for teens in Palo Alto (and) Menlo Park, we try to create an inclusive space where people are not going to be judged.”

Tomz said the council works to host a variety of art events for teens, providing a safe space for them to express themselves without being judged.

The Teen Arts Council hosted Wavefest, a summer music and art festival.

“We like to feature student vendors who can bring jewelry and paintings to sell,” Escuerdo said.

“We also call usually for local (teen) bands to perform, and we have food ‒ it’s really fun.”

Tomz said another way the council serves the community is by partnering with local groups.

“We collaborated with professional artists at a textile workshop,” Tomz said. “We also collaborated with a boy scout to hold an indigo dyeing workshop.”

Escuerdo said the council also provides a supportive environment for teens and by teens.

“Even if you don’t have experience in the arts, like taking (art) classes or growing up with artistic people, (the council) fosters a good environment of learning, inclusion and creativity,” Escuerdo said.

“For me, it has been a safe space to have a lot of creative liberty and freedom and to not feel judged.”

Senior and executive member Mireira Saiz Blasi said joining the council has given her leadership experience and fun opportunities.

“There are events like karaoke nights, which are chill versions of the open mics which are more formal with individual performers,” Saiz Blasi said.

“You can go with your friends to clothing swaps which get people to recycle clothes instead of throwing them away. (The council is) just really fun with friends, especially when you’re really stressed about other things.”

Tomz said there’s a place in the Teen Arts Council for everyone.

“Come to one of our meetings ‒ they’re open to anyone who wants to come,” Tomz said. “It’s just a fun place where you can hang out with artistic people and make friends.”

Terun, iTalico bring authentic cuisine, community to California Avenue Maico Campilongo said he always had a dream to open a restaurant in Silicon Valley, and in 2013, with the opening of Terun on California Avenue, that dream came true. iTalico followed in 2016, and now both restaurants –– home to handcrafted meals, warmth and hospitality – help bring the community together.

Both Terun and iTalico are owned by Maico, his brother Franco Campilongo and their close friend, head chef Kristjan D’Angelo, who gained experience through working at his mom’s restaurant in Asti, Italy.

“We’ve been friends (and) roommates.

(D’Angelo) is an important part of our life,” Maico said. “We would say we’re brothers from a different mother.”

Born in southern Italy, Franco and D’Angelo moved to California in 2002 and Miaco followed three years later. Maico said their journey was no easy feat.

“I spoke no English at all when I came here 18 years ago,” Maico said. “My first job was at Cafe Venetia on University Avenue. I worked with a guy that used to go to Stanford University for business, and this guy showed me some tech ideas about filtering pictures.”

Unbeknownst to Maico, this coworker was Kevin Systrom, who later co-founded Instagram. Maico continued to work with Kevin for the next two months.

“He gave me the first impression of the magic of Silicon Valley,” Maico said. “You wash dishes one day, and then if you have a good idea, something can happen.”

That “something” materialized months later when the three co-owners, now with newly found perspectives of Silicon Val-

ley and its opportunities, decided to open a pizza restaurant. “(Since) we had no money to open the restaurant, we asked for some help from some friends, so basically (Terún and iTalico) are startups,” Maico said. “We were so scared when we opened because (California Ave.) was dead. During dinner time, offices were closed, and it was mostly a lunch time destination because of all the tech companies.”

The owners created their menu by taking inspiration from growing up close to Naples, Italy. Maico also said his mom helped shape his view on authentic Italian cuisine.

“I grew up with a home mom. She made any kind of food but specifically Italian,” Maico said. “So I grew up with a sense of taste and food. Before I cook the pasta I make sure there’s salt in the water. I make sure I use good quality products because it involves my body and my health. I make sure I use good tomatoes. I don’t want to burn the garlic.

All that attention.”

Sophomore and Maico’s stepson Logan Sweat said his favorite dish in iTalico is Trofie, a rustichella pasta crafted with fresh homemade pesto, octopus, oven roasted potatoes and Grana Padano, a cheese originating from northern Italy.

Despite the good food and reputation, Maico said his team faced many hurdles during the pandemic. However, with quick problem solving, Maico said the restaurants were able to optimize their operations and continue through the pandemic.

“During the pandemic, things were terrible,” Maico said. “We were starting to lose parties and business, but we stayed together.

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We started to sell wine and were selling tomatoes so we were like a grocery store.

And that gave us cash flow, and we made it through.”

Maico also said the restaurants’ survival through the pandemic can be attributed to the local community.

“It was amazing how during the pandemic, people were very supportive,” Maico said. “(People) would come and ask ‘Can I buy something?’ or ‘How can I help you?’”

After persevering through the pandemic, Maico said the team has seen steady success in their operations due to their teamwork.

“There’s no way a restaurant can be successful with one person,” Maico said.

“It’s an aspect that’s very important in any kind of business. We have different skills – Kristjan is the kitchen operator, (Franco) is the CEO and the one that looks at the numbers, and I’m the front man covering the social aspects.”

Maico said close teamwork led these restaurants to their success. According to the Food Network, Terún is “top 7 of America’s most authentic neapolitan-style pizzerias.” And less than a block away sits their more upscale restaurant iTalico, recognized as a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, an award highlighting restaurants with exceptionally good food at moderate prices.

The restaurants are also well known for their hospitality and warmth. Maico said he likes to socialize with customers, and it makes him happy to give back to customers.

“50% of our customers are regulars,” Maico said. “I even see people coming five days a week.”

Sweat said while he’s at the restaurants over the weekend, he watches people create countless friendships and memories.

“When I’m there, I see a lot of people getting along and conversing with each other, and these can either be people who know each other or people who don’t,” Sweat said. “They become really good friends, and I think it’s just a good atmosphere for everybody.”

LUCA VOSTREJS/THE CAMPANILE

A Terún chef rotates a pizza in their traditional wood fire pizza oven. Co-owner Maico Campilongo said Terun’s food is authentic to his Italian upbringing. “I grew up with a home mom. She made any kind of food but specifically Italian,” he said. “So I grew up with a sense of taste and food.”

To upkeep this ambiance, the owners said they prioritize creating a community.

Maico said he appreciates the city’s decision to keep California Avenue closed.

“I’m very happy that the community of Palo Alto expressed the pleasure of keeping (California Ave.) closed,” Maico said. “Now, we get to move forward to create something else for everybody in the community to have a promenade. (A promenade) is something I grew up with, and every little town in Italy has a stretch where you can go walk, get your gelato, get your food, go buy shoes and everything. And I hope California Avenue will be like that.”

In addition to the restaurants, Maico, a passionate cyclist, said the owners bring the community closer together through the Terún cycling team.

“We’re ready to communicate with cyclists. We have our Terún team (in the Bay Area) and in Italy, “ Maico said. “We try to support every cyclist team in the Bay Area so we’re very connected.”

Maico also brings people closer together through music, even sometimes playing

guitar at his restaurants. He recalled one night when a grandmother and her two grandchildren came to Terún to celebrate her 102nd birthday.

He sang her “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” a song she used to dance to with her husband.

“She started to cry because she was so happy,” Maico said. “For the lady, I could bring her a big cake or whatever, but being there for five minutes, singing for her, made her day.”

Maico, Franco and D’Angelo hope to continue to spread their hospitality and food in San Carlos, with a third new restaurant, Impasto. Maico said there’s so much more to their restaurants than just authentic Italian food.

“When you come here, come to feed your soul,” Maico said. “Don’t go to a restaurant just to eat the food: live the experience and meet new people.”

Luca Vostrejs Staff Writer

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

B2

Lifestyle

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Kate Xia

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

ART B Y

hotos of the far-reaching Montana countryside flash across junior Kasmira Lada’s TV screen, lighting up her room with images of smiling children, snow-covered mountains and grandiose blue skies.

Less than 30 seconds later, the scenery is suddenly replaced by white, with the distinctive, triangular Airbnb logo glowing in the center.

Despite interrupting her viewing of “Gilmore Girls” on Netflix, the Airbnb advertisement caught Lada’s attention with its impactful visuals and music.

“Good ads create a personality for the company,” Lada said. “It makes the company seem like it isn’t just trying to make a profit off of the viewers, but it shows that they care about you having good experiences as if it’s in my best interest to use these companies.”

And Ajay Gandhi, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Insight Partners, a global venture capital and private equity firm, said portraying emotions in advertisements is crucial for companies to stand out to consumers.

“One of the ways to really connect with your customer is striking emotional feelings in you when you interact with my company,” Gandhi said. “Let’s look at Apple as an example –– it’s a very well-marketed company.

When you see an Apple ad, there’s a certain feeling you get. It’s usually very visual, and it catches your eye, whether it’s an ad on a billboard, something showing up in your Facebook feed or a Google ad on a web page that you’re visiting.”

Behind the scenes, Xinyu Li, a user experience designer at Google, said many Google products function as platforms to facilitate the exchange of content between publishers, consumers and advertisers.

“On the consumer side, we think about how the ads should look or how someone would skip the YouTube ads,” Li said. “On the advertiser side, we help advertisers create advertising campaigns. On the publisher side, we can help publishers identify the most valuable advertising styles on our website.”

Because of the abundance of content on social media, Gandhi said advertisers are able to push out targeted content quickly and at a deliberate time.

“The most important thing is that (advertisements) are relevant to you when you come across it,” Gandhi said. “Companies have to make what they do relevant, so that means the right piece of imagery, the right content at the right time, in front of the right consumer.”

Even for background design elements, such as those in a webpage, Li said consumers are taken into consideration when developing products.

“When we first start our user research, we partner with the researchers on our team, and they could be doing interviews with their users or they could be digging up data,” Li said. “From that, we’ll have a good idea of how we might improve or what products we want to build. And then, we partner them with our product managers and engineers to have a product that serves those needs.”

KATE XIA

P

Apple Creative Director Caio Lazzuri said many companies use simpler aesthetics to appeal to a large, diverse audience.

“Ease of use is perhaps what motivates simplification,” Lazzuri said. “Over time a simpler, flatter, more iconic look emerged. A simpler look often has a longer shelf-life than something too ornate, which can quickly become dated.”

Gandhi said simplifying products helps consumers identify the purpose and message of an advertisement.

“If you’re a software company trying to market to your customers, there is a move to try to simplify to make it very clear,” Gandhi said. “Color needs to also be simplified and clean so that everyone can, at a glance, understand your story that you’re trying to tell them.”

To ensure such a diverse consumer base is accounted for, Li said Google products also go through multiple stages to eliminate blind spots.

“We want to make sure that every user group has their fair representation, which also includes people

who are traditionally not recruited for user study,” Li said. “We want to make sure that our colors and contrasts are still strong for people who have vision disabilities.”

Color is not only used to create accessible designs but also to elicit emotional responses from consumers, which Gandhi said is a way for companies to appeal to customers.

“Everyone will first notice color, usually even before text,” Gandhi said. “There are different colors that can evoke different feelings in people. Your iPhone is designed to say, ‘This is a space age. This is something cool like a futuristic object.’ Versus the Target sym2bol (which) is a bullseye. It’s like, ‘We have what you need. We have everything for your home,’ but it’s meant to be a different emotion.”

Lazzuri, who creates Apple’s event films — long-form videos streamed internationally for product announcements — said color is a crucial component of the films.

“Color conveys emotion both in design and in film and is a very powerful tool when communicating with our audience,” Lazzuri said. “A beautiful product shot against a white background is often what people may think of when they think of Apple. But some products like (the) MacBook Pro or iPhone Pro look killer against black.”

Lada said while some of the Apple advertisements are not particularly impactful, she said the use of different design elements is very eye-catching, especially when combined with Apple’s recognizable minimalistic design.

“The way music and color is presented catches your eye, and you associate that object and that ad with something good which gets you emotionally connected,” Lada said. “And with minimalism, you’ll remember it in your brain, you’ll think about it a lot and maybe you’ll want to use it.”

And Gandhi said making sure advertisements are attention-grabbing in the first few seconds of being seen is crucial to boosting consumer engagement due to the rise in popularity of short-form content.

“You only have a couple of seconds to get someone’s attention, so the color, the sound, everything has to work together quickly to get your attention,” Gandhi said. “People are looking to make bold statements, so they will use either very unique colors to be really bold or colors that reflect their identity like Apple or Target or well-known companies like McDonald’s.”

Especially with the increase in digital media through AI content creation, Gandhi said it is difficult for consumers to decide what is worth watching, but as technology evolves, advertising will become much more personalized.

“Marketing is going through a big change right now,” Gandhi said. “We’re all so overwhelmed with stuff in digital channels, and there’s going to be a huge wave of AI helping us go through things and figure things out for us as consumers. Right now, the social media companies tune (the algorithm) to make advertising revenue, so it’d be nice if we could have the technology for each of us to say, ‘This represents me and go get me things I’m interested in.’ I think that’s really the future.”

!"#$%&'('()*&+),'$*+-./$+-(&')%(0.12+0"1'"%.1+)%(3(*& Isabella Bian Staff Writer

With a suitcase in hand, freshman Sione Fusimalohi races around his house on New Year’s Day in hopes of bringing good luck to his family while traveling, recalling superstitions he learned from his friends.

“I grew up in East Palo Alto, so there’s a predominant African American and Mexican American community,” Fusimalohi said. “I learned (superstitions) from my surroundings and my friends.”

Like many students, Fusilahomi said he follows the superstitions of his culture, many of which are passed down from generation to generation.

Freshman Anjali Dahncke agrees but said her perspective on superstitions has shifted as she has gotten older.

“When I was younger, I believed more (superstitions) because I thought that they (made) sense,” Dahncke said. “Once I figured out that some of them are not really possible, I’ve stopped believing in most of them.”

But Dahncke said she still follows some cultural superstitions.

“I mostly believe in things like blowing out a candle on your birthday and making a wish, or throwing a penny in a fountain and making a wish,” Dahncke said.

Fusimalohi said many of the superstitions he follows originate from Tongan culture including one which says people shouldn’t brush their hair at night.

“There’s this one spirit who was jealous of people who had long hair,” Fusimalohi said. “And so she was known to take the hair of people who brush their hair at night and keep it.”

Fusimalohi also said a common Tongan

ART BY TERESA WANG

superstition is that whistling at night brings in devils.

“I really like music, and so I used to whistle at night when I was bored,” Fusimalohi said. “And that was a big no-no.”

AP Psychology teacher Christopher Farina said superstitions arise from connections between action and results. “(Someone has) a belief, they perform some kind of behavior, and then there’s a good outcome,” Farina said. “Their belief is that behavior caused that outcome.”

Regardless of how real they are, Farina said superstitions can help people gain a sense of control.

“Baseball players have all kinds of fascinating superstitions and rituals,” Farina said. “It seems to be because it’s one of the things that you can do to believe that you have control over whatever is about to happen.”

Farina also said superstitions can psychologically affect athletes.

“If you have that routine of what you’re going to do and that gets disrupted, it affects your belief that you’re going to do well,” Farina said. “People can get into their own head. In golf, it’s called the yips. People just get into their head, and they can’t make a shot for however long.

Then they just totally tank the entire tournament.”

Junior Aiden Chen said he repeats actions before tests for good luck.

“A practice I do before most tests is clean my glasses and apply chapstick just to set everything straight,” Chen said. “I sort of believe that (gives me) better luck.”

According to Farina, following superstitions can boost confidence, which can improve performance in many fields.

“They give you a degree of selfconfidence and help you in the way that envisioning any kind of good outcome would,” Farina said. “If you then believe that you’re going to do well, you have more confidence. You’re more relaxed, and you’re able to perform slightly better than you otherwise would have if you didn’t have that self-esteem boost.”

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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

B3

Lifestyle

Aduo hopes to provide inexpensive secondary housing !"#$%"&'()*+,('"(*#-%.),.()--.,,*/*0*'1(2"%(0"34*#-"+.(2)+*0*.,5(-"#6.%'(7)%)7.,(*#'"(%.#')/0.(,.-"#8)%1(9#*',(

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hough opinions on affordable housing solutions may vary, one fact is clear: the median price of a home in the Bay Area has increased to $1.3 million, a 6.6% increase from last year, according to The Mercury News, making it one of the most expensive places to live in the country.

And high prices aren’t just limited to Silicon Valley.

According to a 2023 report by the National Association of REALTORS, over 75% of houses in the United States are too expensive for middle-class buyers. To solve this problem, some homeowners have resorted to violating local laws by illegally renting out “informal” accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. ADUs, commonly recognized as “in-law units” or backyard cottages, are a type of secondary housing unit on a homeowner’s property that allow renters to share living areas with homeowners.

While locally approved ADUs are legal, it’s the informal, illegal ones that bother Derek Ouyang, cofounder of City Systems, a nonprofit that has been involved in Bay Area housing issues since 2017.

“A lot of housing in our communities, especially in places like East Palo Alto, are basically informal,” Ouyang said. “That just means that you didn’t actually do a legal permit. And many people live in this kind of situation.”

To increase access to more affordable, legal housing, Ouyang created Aduo, a nonprofit initiative to publicly release affordable designs for garage ADUs that help landlords and tenants stay in compliance with local ordinances.

Ouyang said that by providing cheap and high-quality secondary housing, Aduo can lower rent and make housing safer.

“Aduo can be used as a tool to improve the design quality of these units,” Ouyang

CITY SYSTEMS/USED WITH PERMISSION

Construction workers assemble an ADU. “I felt like the designs would really fill a gap in people’s awareness of just how easy a garage conversion can be,” City Systems cofounder Derek Ouyang said.

said. “By being cheaper, it will let people consider (building an ADU legally) in the first place as opposed to building housing under the radar. All these little aspects lead to lower price and greater accessibility.”

Instead of building ADUs in backyards or connected to houses, Aduo aims to

cut costs by helping homeowners convert garages into living spaces for rent. Ouyang said garage conversions are cheaper than building ADUs in the backyard.

“When you’re not thinking about a garage conversion, you’re typically thinking about putting it in the backyard,” Ouyang

!"#$%&'#(()$*&+$)(,&#(-.)(/)0&)1+#(2&314#+0 Isabelle Carlsen Staff Writer

Containers stuffed with leftovers from dinner line the shelves of junior Richelle Wong’s fridge.

As her stomach grumbles, Wong pushes aside the foods that won’t work to satisfy her current cravings.

Then, she lays her eyes on a plastic tub filled with cold, bland pasta which she will later turn into a delicious Girl Dinner.

The phrase Girl Dinner seemed to go viral after creator Olivia Maher posted a video on TikTok in May of a plate with a spread of grapes, cornichons, bread and cheese. Videos about the topic Girl Dinner have received over 1.7 billion views on TikTok. And while some say the trend has the potential to send the wrong message about healthy eating, others say it is a way to encourage enjoyable meals without much prep work.

For students like junior Vit Do, Girl Dinner is a way to remind her to eat smaller meals more often.

“I’m a chronic snacker, so I often just grab a random tiny snack with this cycle repeating every day,” Do said.

“Because I have so many snacks, the amount of snacks adds up to become my three meals, and that’s why my parents don’t believe this type of dinner is harmful.”

Do also said part of the reason Girl Dinner posts have become popular on social media is many young people have similar ways of eating.

“I remember seeing this trend on TikTok for the first time and thinking, ‘That girl is eating the same way as me’ and wondering if anyone else had similar eating habits,” Do said.

“Then I became bombarded with videos of everyone, not just girls, replicating this trend, though many were random people with little following.”

Following the rise in popularity of the Girl Dinner trend, the Boy Dinner trend emerged in response, showing what a stereotypical boy might eat.

Boy Dinner posts seem to show “masculine” food including frozen pizza, deli meats, potato chips, no vegetables and a lot of protein.

“While Girl Dinner has always been a part of my life, and I have seen many TikToks about it, I had only recently seen a TikTok on Boy Dinner and hadn’t realized how similar the trends were to each other,” Do said. In an opt-in Schoology survey conducted

by The Campanile on Nov. 29, students shared that microwave nachos, chocolate chips, cereal and even ice were part of their Girl Dinner.

Part of the concern among health experts regarding the Girl Dinner trend is that these social media posts can promote unhealthy eating habits or even eating disorders since they consist of small meals with little sustenance and variety.

However, Wong said for her this trend is less about dieting and more about choosing to opt out of the work of cooking and cleaning dishes.

“Girl Dinner encourages people to eat what they want, which improves people’s relationship with food since you are eating a meal you wanted when you’re hungry rather than following a schedule or feeling you need to diet for a certain reason,” Wong said.

Do agrees.

“While I want to be that person who plans her whole week out, it just isn’t realistic or practical for a high school student,” Do said.

“But while I can’t plan ahead of time, I will try and be healthy and think about what I have eaten that day already and try to balance it out.”

Do also said the Girl Dinner trend hasn’t changed her eating habits but has reinforced the benefit of eating what she wants when she wants it.

“Girl Dinner has allowed everyone to see why some of us snack instead of eat (meals) and understand the benefit of it,” Do said. “This helps us normalize different eating habits and encourages a healthier relationship with food overall.”

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said. “You need to build all four walls and a roof. With Aduo, you have the possibility of not having to pay for a lot of that because all you really have to do is just put in the bathroom and kitchen.”

Ouyang said these ADUs could especially help low-income families.

“(ADUs are) the place where lowincome people can afford to live close to where they want to be, where they work, where their families are,” he said.

Ouyang also said as garages become less important, ADU garaage conversions are even more practical.

“We’re increasingly living in an environment where you don’t necessarily need to own a car anymore,” Ouyang said. “Then, you’ve just got this piece of architecture that so many single family homes have that is becoming increasingly just used for storage.”

A garage conversion was already completed in East Palo Alto using Aduo’s designs, but Ouyang said he wants to optimize these designs before releasing them.

“I’m personally withholding a little bit so that the first version that comes out will be slightly better,” Ouyang said.

And Ouyang said finalizing labor costs is one of the barriers to releasing the completed plans for the ADUs. “In the first iteration, I wasn’t able to get as detailed of labor costs down to the specific parts of the project,” Ouyang said. “I want to keep closer track of the labor costs, so I can give more useful information about each piece of the construction sequence.”

Ultimately, Ouyang said Aduo has the potential to alleviate the housing crisis by providing innovative solutions to people’s living conditions.

“I won’t be satisfied with this project unless it has a life without me,” Ouyang said.

“It needs to get to the point where other people are actually designing and building ADUs.”

Gavin Lin

Assistant Managing Editor

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

B4

Lifestyle

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and that I even received a personalized message from Lana Del Rey. I was screaming when I looked over at my friend who was tearing up. Was his wrapped really that embarrassing? No, he was just shocked to see he was in the top 0.05% of Taylor Swift listeners. Personally, I cannot stand her.

If you’re worth $1.1 billion, I would think you could afford a vocal coach.

So when I learned that his tears were not from embarrassment, like any sane person would feel, but rather from joy, I was taken aback. I don’t think I could interact on a regular basis with someone who spent over 16 days this year continuously listening to her. My therapist has been telling me to remove the toxicity from my life, so right then and there I swiftly cut him off. Was it justified?

Lucas’s expert opinion: NTA, you were completely justified. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to hold a conversation, nevertheless a friendship, with a Swiftie. Listening to that much Taylor Swift has got to have given you brain damage at some point.

AITA for tricking my white friend into believing that there is an “Asian way” to hold chopsticks?

I (16M) was at a pre-college program over the summer and met a bunch of friends. One particular morning, I ate in the dining hall with two friends: one Asian (16M) and the other white (17M). They were serving dumplings for lunch and provided disposable chopsticks on the side. When we started eating, I noticed that my white friend was properly holding the chopsticks.

Amused, I told him that he was not holding the chopsticks the “Asian way.”

After a lot of back-and-forth, my Asian friend and I convinced him that he needed to hold the chopsticks with the thumb + index finger and 3rd + 4th finger (as opposed to 2nd + 3rd finger). To my surprise, my white friend spent the rest of the summer camp “re-learning” the new technique. By the end, he was extremely proficient at doing it the wrong way. I found it funny but thought nothing of it. A couple of months after the camp ended, I got a message from my white friend out of the blue. And he was furious.

Apparently, on a first date, he took an Asian girl to a Chinese restaurant to show off his chopstick skills. The girl secretly recorded him, and now he is viral on social media, looking like a goofball. He says it’s all my fault.

Lucas’s expert opinion: No, you are NTA. Certain lessons are better learned the hard way, and I’m sure your friend is now more independent and less gullible than ever before. From that perspective, perhaps it was better that he made this mistake earlier on in life. Additionally, working on unique chopstick-wielding techniques increases his finger dexterity[citation needed], which can have positive benefits like sharper locomotive actions and faster typing speeds.

Holden Lee

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

Lucas Yuan

Managing Editor

ART BY IRIS TANG

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The Crossword

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ACHEL YR

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riters’ Note: This column was creatively inspired by the Reddit channel “r/AmITheA--hole,” (abbreviated as AITA), a public online forum where users post personal conflicts and ask the internet to assess their behavior on moral grounds and determine if they are in the right or wrong. As 16-year-olds with underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes, we’re more than excited to give our “expert” opinion to “real world” scenarios that have not occurred at Paly.

AITA for taking a handicapped parking spot even if I’m not really disabled?

I (18M) broke my right leg and totaled my car three months ago when I drove into a streetlight doing 15 in a 45. Following the incident, my foot has been in a cast, and without my personal vehicle, I now drive one of my dad’s many Mercedes to school.

I had also obtained a temporary handicap placard, and just like my idol Steve Jobs, I’ve been parking in the handicapped parking spot whenever I see one.

This has helped out tremendously in lots such as Paly, where parking spaces are scarce. Recently, the doctor took my cast off, and I have recovered the full function of my body.

Technically, my placard is still active for another month, and I’ve continued exercising my qualifications to fill up one of those four perpetually empty spots. My friends disagree though, calling it “immoral” (but I think they are just jealous). So should I keep on using my handicap placard, or should I drive into another streetlight to disable myself again?

Holden’s expert opinion: No, you are “Not The A- - hole.” A car as beautiful as a Mercedes is one that should be admired, and one way to do it justice is by positioning it dead center in an exclusive parking spot. Also, parking is a legitimate issue here. By alleviating congestion on El Camino or in the parking lots, you’re making a positive impact on the community.

AITA for logging into my friend’s account and rejecting their university acceptance?

As college apps season came to a close, I (18F) have been waiting to see the results of our early decision applications. When I learned that my friend (18M) got into Holden University (his dream school) and I didn’t, feelings of jealousy absolutely erupted within me. While he was in the bathroom one day, I grabbed his computer and declined the acceptance offer. Last night, he texted me, absolutely furious about my “prank.” And after plenty of emailing with the school, we found out that he was no longer able to enroll there, even though he was able to prove that he did not actually reject the offer. Now our friendship is gone, and so is his chance at going to his dream school. But he’s also been admitted to colleges like Lucas University and Campanile College, and I keep trying to convince him that they are high-quality alternatives that offer similar prospects.

Holden’s expert opinion: Yes, you’re the a- - hole. Holden University is extremely prestigious, and you are ruining lives (and friendships) with your poor decisions. Consider yourself a hindrance to society.

AITA for ending a friendship because he was a top 0.05% listener to Taylor Swift on his Spotify Wrapped?

I (15F) have been giving advice to my less socially-abled friend (15M), and we opened our Spotify wrapped together on Nov. 29. As a Lanatic, I was pleased with my results as a top 5% listener with 9582 minutes listened

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23 Archaic eyes

31 Used in Christmas floral displays

25 Parasitic filies for cattle

34 To be truthful

26 Our wonderful advisor

37 Skirt type

27 Place for a “steak-out”

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28 Blackpink fanbase

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41 Recently digitized

32 2000 lbs

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42 Latin for “plunderer“

61 Harness stap

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11 Structurally similar to DNA

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22 Third and fourth quarter

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14 Greta Thunburg, for one

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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

Sports

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ith the sea breeze whipping through his hair and the ocean spraying up against his face, junior Lorenzo Maino braces his feet on the side of his two-person boat and leans out backwards over the glistening water.

The sails flap in the wind in front of him, and he shouts to his partner to adjust course.

On the San Francisco Bay, a small number of Paly students like Maino are setting out to sea. Coming from multiple sailing organizations around the San Francisco Bay, the small sport is slowly growing, though for the few Paly students who currently participate, it is making a large impact on their daily life.

Maino said he started sailing in second grade after his dad, a former sailor, encouraged him to pick up the sport. Since then, he has been sailing competitively and is training in Marin County at the San Francisco Yacht Club. He sails a 29er dinghy, a small swift sailboat that two people.

Maino said each partner has different responsibilities, with one directing the boat while the other controls the speed.

“My partner is the driver who is steering and he has the jib or front sail,” Maino said. “That basically acts like a gearbox in a car. I have the mainsail, which is the power, so I’m hanging off on a harness, out off the side of the boat, controlling the speed.”

Maino said the process requires focus, as both partners are expected to be in sync with one another to make perfect turns at high speeds.

“You’ve got to really get in tune with your partner,” Maino said. “If one person moves, the boat moves and the other person moves too. You’re physically connected.”

Maino competes in sailing competitions, called regattas, which are daylong events consisting of multiple races, each lasting around 30 minutes. Maino said the races consist of specific routes that sailors have to navigate their boat through multiple times.

“It’s kind of like golf where each race you get a score, which is based on your (final) position,”

Maino said. “Your total score is the combination of all those. The lowest score wins the entire event.”

Maino also said it is a common misconception that sailing is an expensive sport.

“Most clubs will let you use their boats for free as long as you are part of the team, which you pay to be on for coaching,” Maino said. “We usually put the boats on a trailer to bring them around locally, which (the club) does for you, so for the most part, it’s a pretty affordable sport.”

Junior Kashi Tuteja, who started sailing at the beginning of his freshman year, joins eight other registered Paly students at the Redwood Citybased Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation each week, coached by Olympian sailor Molly O’Brian Vandemoer. He said learning sailing is difficult due to the lack of exposure.

“For a lot of

people out there, if they want to do a sport in high school, I don’t think sailing is the first thing that comes to mind,” Tuteja said. “It definitely wasn’t the first thing that came to my mind. So you have to get into it in some way. But if you’re interested in trying out a water sport, checking out some summer camps is a great way to (get started).”

Freshman Mira Stettner, who sails at PYSF alongside Tuteja, said she started sailing in second grade after signing up for a summer camp. She started sailing competitively in seventh grade and has similarly felt there is a lack of knowledge about the sport.

“When I tell people I do sailing, they’re like, ‘Oh you do rowing?’”

Stettner said. “It’s such a niche sport.”

Stettner sails two different types of boats, the FJ and the 420, which are common at the high school level and require a two-person team to sail. FJs are typically more maneuverable and tippy in the water due to their rounder hulls, while 420s are slightly wider and perform better in strong wind. Additionally, FJs lack the trapeze, which is a harness that allows sailors to lean out of the boat. However, Stettner said it is easy to switch between the two.

“Most skills transfer over, whether you’re doing big boats or really small boats,” Stettner said. “It’s the same sport and the same game. You just have to learn about the technicalities for each boat.”

And Stettner said the sport is rewarding.

“I’ve made so many friends just from having them in my boat,” Stettner said.

“There’s teamwork, but (sailing) can also be solo and independent. It’s both mental and physical.”

However, practice can

also be intense. Maino said he practices on the weekends for six hours each day off the coast of Marin.

“We usually have our coach give us a simple route or we practice boat speed,” Maino said.

“Then you talk to other boats to see what they’re doing and compare what you’re doing.”

There are multiple high-level competitions for youth sailors across the country, such as the annual summer Nationals tournament. Maino said the competition is fierce at the national level.

“I went to nationals this summer and youth champs,” Maino said. “Only one team qualifies to Worlds out of 30-40 29er teams, but if you race 420s, there were like 200 (teams). And for high school, it’s even more crazy.”

In the midst of the competition season, Stettner said she and her partner are currently preparing for the Midwinters regatta in Florida.

“It’s a three-day race, and it’s super big, and I’m nervous because the Florida sailors are really good,” Stettner said. “So hopefully me and my partner can do OK, but we’ll see.”

But even before the race starts, Maino said competition is intense. Sailors have to race to get to the starting line, so they often use a complex system of “right of way” rules to determine which boat can go first in order to avoid collisions.

“You want to use your right (of way) to get into a better position, which will allow you to go faster,” Maino said. “You want to end up starting at full speed crossing the start line, kind of like a rolling start in cars.”

Stettner said she enjoys the unpredictability of the weather conditions that sailing relies so heavily on, requiring sailors to concentrate to be able to change their strategies at a whim.

“I like how conditions are always changing,” Stettner said. “You could either have a super high energy, windy day and you’re going super fast and it’s super awesome, or you could just be out there relaxing, hanging out with your friends.”

Most importantly, Tuteja said sailing brings him joy when he’s on the water.

“It’s really exhilarating because you’re going very fast along the water,” Tuteja said. “You get to spend time with the wind and the rain … The opportunity to both get to do a fast moving, very exciting sport and get to do it against other people is a lot of fun.”

Holden Lee

Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor Junior Lorenzo Maino sails on the San Francisco Bay with his partner. “You’ve got to really get in tune with your partner,” Maino said. “If one person moves, the boat moves and the other person moves too. You’re physically connected.”

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Competitive Cheer finished in second place at its first competition of the season, qualifying for nationals.

Junior and former flyer Lily Jeffery, who left the team in November, said the team’s success can be attributed to the mental and physical strength of each member. “(Cheer) is very physically hard,” Jeffery said. “While we’re trying to win, that takes a lot of strength, so we’re constantly working out our warm ups and our workouts before we actually start practice.”

Jeffery also said teamwork and mindset are crucial for success in the sport.

“The things that get in the way (of success) the most are the mental difficulties and the mindsets that people might have,” Jeffery said.

“There’s a lot of trust involved. There’s a lot of working together, and there’s a lot of pressure.

When something doesn’t go right or if people are not getting along, (that) can impact (the team’s success).

Sophomore and base Cailey Quita said cheer is also challenging due to obstacles in a players mindset.

“The most challenging part of cheer is your mindset,” Quita said. “People think most sports are a strength thing but in cheer, because there’s so much commitment, it’s really a mind thing where you have to be there in the moment and focus.”

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

The Paly cheer team performs at a football halftime. “The things that get in the way (of success) the most are the mental difficulties and the mindsets that people might have,” former flyer Lily Jeffery said.

Along with getting into the right mindset, Sophomore and base Talia Boneh said that perseverance is the key to success in cheer competitions.

“I just want to take (cheer) day by day to work through anything that comes up and that’s kind of how I get over (mental blocks) because I think cheer takes a lot of resilience to (be successful),” Boneh said.

Looking into the future, Quita said she hopes to continuously improve as an athlete while working to strengthen her team’s overall spirit.

“ This year, I’m most excited to grow as a cheerleader, as an athlete, to become stronger and to become closer to my fellow cheerleaders,” Quita said.

Quita also said the team is working to perfect its current routine for its upcoming competitions despite a lack of tumblers.

“Paly cheer is currently non-tumbling (because) we don’t have enough tumblers on the team,” Quita said. “We’ve really been trying to clean up all jumps, our stunts and our cheer (to) make it really clean, really precise and to try and get like the crowd hyped.”

2##.8*((&0*(($&+,&$.*.%&$%7+;,*($ Missing key players, including senior and starting quarterback Declan Packer (concussion) and junior and state top 10 linebacker Joseph Kessler (knee), the varsity football team lost to St. Vincent de Paul 28-26 at the state semifinals in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Championship.

Despite the setback, the team kept a win within arms reach throughout the game.

Notably, freshman and quarterback Justin Fung threw three touchdowns in his debut.

A blocked point after the team’s second touchdown and a missed twopoint conversion contributed to the close loss.

Packer said he was proud of Fung’s performance despite the loss.

“I wanted to be out there, but I wasn’t able to, so I prepared him,” Packer said. “I prepared Justin as best I could, and he did very well.”

Senior and running back Jeremiah Madrigal said he liked how the team came together during the season.

“The players were really a family this year, and I think a lot of people respected each other’s opinions and just wanted to do everything they wanted to succeed at the end,” Madrigal said. “The team was very enthusiastic on the way we started off the

season with two wins, two big wins.

We lost a little momentum after losing a couple of games in a row without scoring, but we came together, pushed through, and made it where we are now.”

Senior and wide receiver Jason Auzenne totaled 110 receiving yards on five catches in the final game, highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown reception.

“Going into what was my final game in high school, I just wanted to leave it all out on the field,” Auzenne said. “To try my best and give it all I got. Knowing that I did the best I could, and no matter what the outcome is, I just know I did my best.”

Looking to the future, Packer said he thinks next year’s team will be special with a young, talented core that will have significant playoff experience.

“The future’s bright with a bunch of these young athletes starting their year on varsity in the playoffs and actually succeeding and winning a CCS championship,” he said. “I think next year is going to be even better than the previous two years, and I’m just excited to watch.”

Tyler Wong Photo Editor

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

C2

Sports

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hen junior Polina Van Hulsen made the decision to play multiple sports during her childhood, she never anticipated just how much it would impact her day-to-day life as a high school athlete.

When she isn’t busy studying for classes, Van Hulsen is sprinting across a soccer field or maneuvering across the lacrosse pitch.

Despite the valuable experiences sports have given her, Van Hulsen has also faced the growing challenges of balancing both her academic schedule and the increasing demand that comes from participating in multiple sports.

As a varsity soccer player, Van Hulsen’s current practice schedule requires her to wake up early in the morning, up to two hours before school starts, in order to attend practice.

“Having to balance that school and studentathlete lifestyle is difficult,” Van Hulsen said.

“Generally, it’s tough to manage, but if you have a good (time management) system, it works out.”

According to a 2023 study from the National Institute of Health, 91% of high school athletes experience stress from participating in sports. The study also cites the main challenges facing student athletes as time management, physical and mental fatigue and academic pressure. For students involved in multiple sports, the stress can compound.

Sophomore Luke Lew, who participates in both varsity golf and junior varsity cross country, said

it is often difficult to maintain consistency in his commitment to each sport mainly because he has to choose between prioritizing one sport over the other with his limited time.

To remedy this issue, Athletic Director Jennifer Crane said if they are willing to plan ahead, student athletes can balance sports and school.

“I think that prep periods are a benefit and a way to support student athletes with alleviating some time to get work done,” Crane said.

Other challenges for multi-sport athletes include overuse injuries, overtraining, burnout and the pressure to compete and succeed in multiple sports.

Despite these challenges, Crane said there are many resources within the athletics department to support the physical and emotional wellbeing of athletes.

“Our athletic trainer is certified to support student athletes and their long term health, (including) managing and preventing injury,” Crane said.

While it is possible for multi-sport athletes to manage demanding schedules, academic pressure continues to stand as the most formidable challenge, Lew said.

“I’ve had to push back my school work many times, and I would have to go to bed much later on those days,” Lew said.

Freshman Oakley Koegler, a varsity soccer and tennis player, said his day-to-day routine consists

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of tennis practice immediately after school, followed by another rigorous practice for the varsity soccer team.

“I’ve had to sacrifice my sleep or social life in order to maintain a healthy balance between sports and school,” Koegler said.

But Koegler said participating in multiple sports comes with an array of benefits that outweigh most of the associated disadvantages.

“In soccer, I really like the teamwork aspect of it, and with tennis the individuality aspect,” Koegler said. “I (enjoy) the camaraderie with my fellow players and learning to adapt and grow on my own.”

Van Hulsen agrees and said it is essential for students to make relationships with fellow athletes.

“I feel like having (soccer and lacrosse) be a team sport is really good for connecting and making really close friends,” Van Hulsen said. “It’s nice to have two different settings where you can see your friends. Especially with school sports, you have them inside of school.”

And Crane said participating in multiple sports benefits not only physical well-being but also fosters emotional health.

“To me as a student athlete (the benefit) is the internal reward,” Crane said. “It’s the internal growth I get from being part of a team and playing a sport and achieving a goal with the community that I’m part of. It’s still going to be tiring, but you’re going to find a way to make it work because it’s something that you want to do.”

Alex Isayama Staff Writer

Every year, hundreds of millions of Americans eagerly watch the Super Bowl regardless of whether their team is in it or not. This year’s NFL playoffs promise to be one of the best yet because of the unmatched competitiveness.

While the NFL is known for having a couple top dog teams, such as the Patriots in the 2000s and 2010s or the Chiefs over the last few years, this season is an exception to the rule, and the top 10 teams in the league are much closer to each other than usual.

First, the San Francisco 49ers will win the Super Bowl this year.

As a native Bay Area resident, I know this may seem biased, but as a Carolina Panthers fan, I have fostered a strong dislike for the Niners. In fact, I even harbor a bias against them.

The NFC will be a huge battle this year, consisting of an NFC championship rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Niners. In addition, I think the AFC is going to have a more predictable championship. As much as I like seeing the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills ball out this season, I think the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will triumph. Between these two, the Chiefs will advance before falling to the Niners in a fiery Super Bowl rematch.

So let’s talk about the Eagles. Though they lost to the Niners, they are still a formidable opponent in the playoffs. While having a good defense, the main strength the Eagles have is their offense.

Led by the strong and dynamic Jalen Hurts and a top-three wide receiver this season in AJ Brown, their offense is capable of almost anything.

To add on to these stars, they have DeAndre Swift, a versatile running back paired with Devonta Smith, an up-and-coming wide receiver with endless talent. In front of Hurts is also arguably the best offensive line in the country. With the return of tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles will be back to full form, making them clear competitors for the Super Bowl.

The Baltimore Ravens are a questionable team. Though their defense is elite, JK Dobbins’s absence this season due to injury has limited their full potential. While Lamar Jackson is competing for MVP, the only elite receiving option on the team is Mark Andrews.

Though Zay Flowers is a great wide receiver, he simply isn’t on the same tier as stars like Ceedee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, AJ Brown and Stefon Diggs. Though I think the Ravens can make it to the AFC championship, I doubt they will be able to go to the Super Bowl.

Without Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs have looked much worse compared to the previous. With the absence of Hill, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco will be the main forces to guide this team in the playoffs. However, judging by the fact Mahomes always boosts his performance and levels up his team during playoffs, I predict the Chiefs will thoroughly surprise football fans in the playoffs once again. The primary concern with this team and how they could lose would be their faulty wide receiver core and below-average defense.

For the Niners, their recent addition of Chase Young to defense means they have perhaps the best quarterback pressure the NFL has ever seen. In addition, their defense led by superstar linebacker Fred Warner is incredibly well-rounded and by far the best in the NFL. On the offensive side of things, Cristian McCaffrey is the best running back in the NFL and a versatile passing option as well.

With other elite players like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Brock Purdy, the offense is arguably the best in the NFL next to the Eagles and Dolphins.

In the end, the Niners will triumph over their NFC competitors and defeat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. I think that the Niners offensive will ultimately overwhelm the lackluster Chiefs defense and that the Chiefs will be sufficiently slowed down by the elite Niners defense.

!"#$%&'$()*&'++%,-).'/+$%/0%$)'$"0%1"2)%",)0)-3%+""($%4"-5'-6%*"%,-"2/$/07%$)'$"0 As a result of what junior point guard Gavin Haase called ambition and attitude, the boys basketball team (2-0) beat Sequoia High School 67-28 in its home opener.

“We had great energy, and we brought great intensity throughout the game,” Haase said. “We played hard, and the score showed.”

With the first part of the season underway, Haase said the team composition is promising.

“We’ve got some great talent coming up from JV last year, and we also kept some key (players) from last year,” Haase said. “We (have) a good sense of community and a lot of depth, (so) we can play a lot of players.”

Senior and guard Alaap Nair agreed and said preseason games helped the team practice adapting in a variety of scenarios.

“We got to see how people are managing and how people are playing together, so it’s really great to have these types of games because everyone gets in different situations,” Nair said.

In addition to the team composition, Nair said emphasizing fundamentals played a crucial role in the team’s home win.

“Tonight was a great game for us to really execute, (and) our fundamentals are really there,” Nair said. “I was telling the team before the game, we need to do everything right. We don’t have to do fancy

plays, and we don’t have to do everything on offense.”

On top of focusing on the basics, head coach Jeff LaMere said he wants the team to focus on small plays.

“When we talk about plays, we’re talking about a play as being in a stance,” LaMere said. “Boxing a guy out. Making the right cut on offense. There’s millions of plays in basketball, so one of our focuses today was, ‘Hey, you gotta keep making plays.’”

As a result of focusing on the small plays, Paly limited Sequoia to eight points during the first half.

“We came out and executed the game plan which was to really lock down defensively,” LaMere said. “Our guys were great in terms of their defense, their rebounding, how hard we played (and) sharing the ball. I thought it was a great win.”

Looking ahead, LaMere said the team’s goal is to be a competitive force in sectionals and win league titles.

“We always want to compete for league titles and do what we can in sections and try to win a section title,” LaMere said. “But it starts with these early season games and getting better every game.”

Luca Vostrejs Staff Writer

LUCA VOSTREJS/THE CAMPANILE

Junior and guard Jorell Clark drives to the rim for a dunk against Sequoia High School. “Tonight was a great game for us to really execute, (and) our fundamentals are really there,” senior and guard Alaap Nair said.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Campanile

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they knew it would be against the rules or if they think they didn’t make it because of players who went against the rules, (they would report). Of course, there are also instances where opposing teams will report it.”

While some criticize the policy for preventing athletes from getting recruited, Metheany said there are still other legal ways to be seen by college coaches while on a high school team.

“The big kicker is that any athlete can go to a university showcase or event so long as it is not a team event,” Metheany said. “That means there are still other ways to get a scholarship or get recruited.”

Hwang, though, said these types of events, called identification camps, are too time-consuming and expensive to be considered a viable replacement for club tournaments.

“It’s a really big thing to just go to an ID camp, and it’s not something that you can do without planning. I don’t think it’s fair to say that it’s an opportunity that everyone can have when it’s not,” Hwang said. “Also, the money spent on flights and the high price of ID camps is on top of the money that you’d be paying for your club.”

Regardless, Metheany said coaches and players benefit from the rule as it instills a sense of commitment, an integral value in the SCVAL constitution.

He said, “The coaches normally approve of it because they want to form a team, players for practices and scrimmages, and an overall commitment to the team.”

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hile on the bus back to Palo Alto from her soccer team’s showcase in Arizona in December 2022, junior Ella Hwang received a devastating text from her high school coach: all of the Paly players who competed in the showcase had been reported for competing in club and high school competitions at the same time and would be prohibited from playing on the Paly team for the rest of the season.

Hwang, like many other California high school athletes, say they are frustrated by rules that prevent them from getting the exposure to college coaches that club tournaments offer while simultaneously enjoying the camaraderie of high school sports.

California Interscholastic Federation Bylaw 600 Article 60, Central Coast Section Article VII Section 11 and Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Article III Section 7, each progressively more restrictive, state that winter athletes are ineligible to play on a high school team if they play a sport in an outside competition simultaneously.

While fall and spring sports allow students to play in club and high school teams at the same time, SCVAL Commissioner Brad Metheany said the rule was implemented for all winter season sports to target infractions, which primarily come from soccer players.

“There are clubs from all three winter sports that continue to run events after high school begins practicing,” Metheany said. “A couple are wrestling teams, some are basketball teams, but the vast majority are soccer teams.”

Metheany also said the California Interscholastic Federation and SCVAL each have rules ensuring fairness and equal commitment to winter high school sports teams.

“Let’s say Paly had eight very strong athletes that were found to go off to a tournament,” Metheany said. “The players would delay their initial league games and when (the players) come back, eight players who had been attending practices and had been committed would have to come off the field or go to the bench.”

Every winter, students playing soccer at the Girls Academy or MLS Next level have the dilemma of committing to either their high school team or their club team. Hwang, who plays GA club soccer said high school and club environments are drastically different.

“Academy is more stressful since it’s more serious because of college coaches looking at you and your team expecting more from you,” Hwang said. “So, the stakes are a lot higher. But for me, high school is more about having fun.”

Junior Lydia Mitz, who is on the girls water polo team, said there is also a distinct cultural difference between being on a high school team and club team.

“Club water polo culture is a much more competitive environment with higher level teams,” Mitz said.

“It’s more focused on big tournaments and getting recruited, whereas in high school anyone who wants to play can play and it’s more low-stress.”

Brandon Byer, who coaches junior varsity boys basketball and Amateur Athletic Union basketball, said high school basketball players are typically more committed to playing as a team.

“The biggest difference is trying to find an identity in the summer with AAU because a lot of times, kids get caught up in showmanship or trying to show their skill, and then it becomes ‘about me,’” Byer said. “As opposed to high school, where it’s easier to build a team identity because you’re in a season for a longer period. It’s more cohesive and you’re building around something more.”

Metheany also said the regulation started at the state level and became progressively more stringent as it extended to local levels.

“The CCS eligibility policy is driven by the state’s Rule 600, but as all section rules go, we have to be more restrictive,” Metheany said. “The CCS rule is that you have to make a commitment to your high school team before the start of the league.”

Paly Athletic Director Jennifer Crane said the SCVAL rule change in 2012 made player eligibility requirements stricter than before.

“Our SCVAL rule takes the CCS rule one step further and designates winter athletes to stop playing club before the

Monday following Thanksgiving,” Crane said. “Before the rule change, players would have to decide the first league game.”

Hwang said that while she understands the rationale behind the rule, the punishment of prohibiting participation for the rest of the season is extreme, especially given that she had yet to play any high school games.

“I understand that (the league) wants to promote commitment and they had to enforce the rule since it was already in place, but the punishment was too harsh,” Hwang said. “They should make it so you have to be done with club before you start playing (for a) high school (team) so people are not going back and forth.”

Metheany said the rule’s existence despite multiple challenges to alter it is a testament to its importance to the league.

“This particular element of our constitution gets challenged every few years,” Metheany said. “Last year, the board of managers had a public meeting where they reaffirmed the rule with a strong majority of a 7-6 vote.”

Metheany also said the league sometimes creates infractions that go against the rules.

“Club coaches and leadership will sometimes tell the athlete or parents that it’s OK to attend competitions when it’s not,” Metheany said.

Metheany said students and parents have various motivations to report rule violations.

“A lot of the time, it’s parents who will report a rule break,” Metheany said.

“Frequently, when their child didn’t go because

HENRY LIU/THE CAMPANILE

Members of the soccer team prepare to recieve the ball in a scrimmage. “Last season we won league,” Haynes said. “We were brought into open division: the number one division. We’re trying to live up to that.”

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Starting the season victorious, boys soccer defeated Ann Sobrato 3-0 in its first game of the season on Nov. 28.

A potent offense brought the team its first two goals in the first half, with the team adding another goal in the second.

Senior and left winger Redmond Haynes said the team brought in a variety of tactics to drive the ball into the net.

“Our high press got us the first goal,” Haynes said. “The second goal was a great through ball and the third was a set piece.”

Haynes also said he hopes the rest of the season is as successful as the victorious opening night.

“Hopefully, we can get through quarterfinals and semifinals.”

Head coach David Light said the defense performed well, preventing Ann Sobrato from scoring multiple times.

“Defensively we looked strong,” Light said. “We had some very intense plays and a few injuries, which is not ideal, but I thought they played well as a team. The chemistry has been good.”

Haynes said despite competing at the highest level, the team has retained its lofty ambitions for the season.

“Last season we won league,” Haynes said. “We were brought into open division: the number one division. We’re trying to live up to that.”

People often measure a team’s worth by its performance, but Light said he values work ethic just as much.

“The ultimate goal is always to win CCS, but I just tell them to give the best they can, to give 100% all the time,” Light said.

Light said the key to a successful season is going into a game with the right attitude and persistence.

“When you do that, the results usually come,” Light said. “So the goal for me is that the team does their best and that they come with a strong commitment, a strong attitude.”

Haynes agreed with Light and said everyone on the team worked together. While the underclassmen are less experienced, Haynes said they are putting in the work so the whole team can benefit.

“We were up two and zero,” Haynes said. “All the underclassmen put in solid performances so I think we had a really solid back line.”

Light said he looks forward to the upcoming season, as the team gears up to challenge Yerba Buena on Nov. 30 and Menlo-Atherton on Dec. 2.

“It’s been great coaching them so far,” Light said. “They’ve been a lot of fun, but they also know when to work hard. They’re serious and they look like a team that’s ready to play well and succeed.”

Girls basketball transitions to new coach, deals with transfer of key players

In addition to working through a rough start to the season that included losing three games in a row, the girls basketball team has been working to build the team while developing fundamentals, according to new coach Kevin Blunt.

The team has also been dealing with the transfer of several key players and a coaching transition.

Coach Scott Peters stepped away from the game at the end of last season, saying he wanted to focus on creating an impact off the court.

Additionally, juniors Natalie Neuman and Vienn Sheng transferred to Woodside Priory, while Katherine Garr transferred to longtime girls basketball powerhouse Pinewood School.

The loss of Peters who had been the head

coach of the girls basketball program since 2007 and core members of the leaguewinning team last year set the team on a determined path to rebuild past success, according to Blunt, who previously coached at San Jose City College.

Under his leadership, the team hopes to improve.

“We lost seven seniors, and then out of the four incoming juniors that were returning, they all transferred out,” Blunt said. “We have one senior left who didn’t get a lot of playing time last year, so we are young as far as varsity experience.”

Although only one girl returned from the previous season, Blunt said he still has high expectations for this year’s team.

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“I consider this year a blank canvas,” Blunt said. “We have to develop our foundation, just like a house, pouring the foundation down before you build. Right now, we are still pouring cement, and it’s not even close to drying.”

Freshman Ella Hoy said this will be a building year, growing as a team and improving individual skills.

“We’ve already gotten a lot better, and we’re going to continue to do so,” Hoy said. “This season is definitely going to be a building season, but we have a lot of talent.

While the season has been off to a rough start, Hoy said the team is prepared to put effort in for greater success in future seasons.

In the next few years, (our work) is really going to show,” Hoy said. “We’re gonna have some good seasons in the future.”

Tyler Wong Photo Editor

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Junior Karina Ashford engages in an intense leg exercise. “We’ve already gotten a lot better, and we’re going to continue to do so,” freshman and point guard Ella Hoy said.

The Campanile

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Science & Tech

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ith his room shrouded in darkness, junior Aiden Chen secures the headphones that rest on his shoulders, placing them onto his head as he presses play on an OolayTiger ASMR video.

His heavy eyelids slowly shut. Soothing whispers, tapping and various other calming sounds enter his brain as he experiences sensations of satisfying tingles that begin in his scalp and trickle down his spinal cord, bringing him to a state of deep relaxation.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, often referred to as a pleasant sensation felt in the scalp that may travel down the spine, can be accompanied by a feeling of relaxation. Sometimes labeled as “tingles,” ASMR responses usually occur in response to relaxing sensory stimulations.

Craig Richard, the author of “Brain Tingles” and creator of ASMR University, an ASMR resource and news center, said researchers are still unsure about what benefit tingles provide or their underlying causes.

However, he said he has a hypothesis that several areas of the brain are active when an individual experiences tingles, based on one of his research studies.

“The activation of these brain regions in our study supports the likely involvement of endorphins, serotonin, GABA and oxytocin,” Richard said. “I believe that the tingles are due to some mix of these brain chemicals, with perhaps oxytocin being the most important.”

ASMR content has gained popularity on YouTube in recent years eventually making its way to other social media platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok.

Chen said his curiosity about ASMR and his interest in sound contributed to his first experience with ASMR. “I would be described as an audiophile,” he said. “I really like making music (and) doing sound production. It’s interesting to listen to ASMR and to hear the different techniques they use.”

A female junior who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of negative judgment said she realized the extent of ASMR’s popularity when she came across ASMR videos created by celebrities.

“When Sabrina Carpenter made an ASMR video a few years ago, it made me

realize how mainstream ASMR is,” she said. “I (also) just saw Sydney Sweeney do ASMR and that proved ASMR has grown so much more over time.”

The female junior also said ASMR tingles bring a satisfying sensation that helps her fall asleep.

“I get a lot of tingles, and the tingles help me sleep,” she said. “It’s really satisfying. I know a lot of people listen to ASMR to help with sleep just because of how relaxing it is.”

Recently, ASMR videos have transitioned into more than just inducing tingles.

According

to CNN, only 20% of the population say they experience the tingles when watching or listening to ASMR content.

But Richard said that doesn’t necessarily matter.

“Many people feel relaxed and comforted by ASMR content even when they don’t feel the tingles,” Richard said.

Instead of listening to ASMR to destress, Gunn junior Nia Porter said she started creating ASMR slime content videos on Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Porter’s

videos on sounds made from playing with slime.

“I really liked the ASMR aspect of (slime) videos, so that inspired me to create my own videos,” Porter said. “I had a lot of time on my hands, and I thought that slime was a good creative outlet, as well as a stress reliever during a stressful time.”

To produce quality ASMR content, Porter said she invested in a quality visual and audio setup.

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“I wanted to find visually appealing backgrounds, but also (a microphone) that sounded good,” Porter. “I would also increase the volume on all my videos to make the sound louder.”

With her successful production of satisfying ASMR and gaining over 1500 followers, Porter said she frequently receives positive comments from the slime community.

“People on the Instagram slime community are super big on commenting,” Porter said. “A lot of people would comment like ‘This ASMR is so good.’ or ‘This is so satisfying.’”

While some students push back against the popularity of ASMR videos by saying the content is odd, the anonymous female junior said this stigma may exists because not everyone hears content the same way.

“ASMR may not be appealing towards everyone because some people definitely have a sense of hyper sensory that makes them uncomfortable with hearing those noises,” she said. “ASMR comes with a lot of positivity, but also negativity.”

Chen said he was teased by his friends after sharing that he watches ASMR. “I hadn’t (told my friends that I watch ASMR) until recently,” Chen said. “But when I did, they mostly started laughing, which is to be expected.”

In response to those who contribute to the negative perception, Chen said the oddities of ASMR can be compared to the spectrum of music as a reference.

“It’s the same thing with music,” he said.

“There’s obviously profanity in music, but there’s also a vast majority of music that is not profanity-based, like classical music.

ASMR is the same. It’s a spectrum of how much (weirdness) is in the given audio.”

Looking forward, Chen said he sees ASMR continuing to change with the advancements of technology, particularly radio.

“The evolution of ASMR is heavily tied to the evolution of sound design in general,” Chen said. “So as technology improves at an exponential rate for all things it’ll advance along with ASMR.”

Heather Song

Social Media Manager

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Sophomore Aashi Agarwal jerks awake as her alarm goes off in the morning –– it’s the first day after break already. Since she didn’t go to sleep until late last night, she slowly pulls herself out of bed, feeling a weight pull down on her entire body as she starts to get ready.

Many students like Agarwal disrupt their sleep schedules when transitioning from holidays to school by staying up and waking up later. When school starts, some can adjust back to the typical school schedule within a week or two while others never do.

Agarwal said she prefers working at night and waking up later, but because school start times force her to wake up early, it disrupts her productivity.

“Nighttime is a time of peace and nobody’s bothering you,” Agarwal said. “It’s a more quiet environment, and I can get a lot more work done. During the summers, I don’t have anything to do in the morning, so I stay up super late.”

Students have often heard phrases like, “The early bird catches the worm,” or “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” And while these sayings may create a positive N O perception of a so-called morning larks’ lifestyle, they seemingly discriminate against so-called night owls, people who stay up late and are often seen as lazy or unproductive. “(People) think that early birds are more efficient and better at planning because if you’re not wasting any time, you’re going to do everything before (a certain time),” sophomore Deniz Aba said. “Night owls let their work run on too long, or they get distracted somehow and end up staying up for a long time.”

However, Elaine Boland, a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, said these popular assumptions are unfounded. She said whether someone prefers staying up late or waking up early is determined by their circadian rhythm, the body’s biological clock.

“We shouldn’t be making any assumptions about people’s character based on whether they’re morning larks or night owls. It’s just your biology,” Boland said. “There’s a lot of genetic components that can dictate what someone’s circadian rhythm might be. It’s about 24 hours, but for some people it might be a bit longer or a bit less than.”

According to Chenlu Gao, a postdoctoral researcher on sleep medicine at Harvard University, a person’s circadian rhythm can be influenced by internal factors, such as their genes or chronotype, as well as external factors.

Gao said some people may process light differently than others due to differences in retinal tissue genes, and light is one of the main external cues that affects the circadian rhythm.

“We call the external cues ‘zeitgeber,’ which means ‘time-giver.’

The strongest zeitgeber is light, which means that our brain relies heavily on light to determine time,” Gao said. “Note that we are not just referring to natural sunlight. Other lighting, such as artificial lighting and light from screens will also be interpreted as ‘sunlight’ by our brain. So, heavy use of screens can affect nighttime sleep.”

But Agarwal said her extracurricular activities and schoolwork keep her up late at night, which prevents her from staying off her screens or going to bed.

“Theater takes up a lot of time, and sometimes I’ll stay at school (until 10 p.m.),” Agarwal said. “I still have to get my work done after. Usually, I really want to go to sleep, but I have so much (homework) to complete.”

According to Boland, as children enter puberty and become teenagers, they develop a more delayed rhythm, and most become night owls during this time. And according to a 2018 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, an estimated 73% of high school students aren’t getting sufficient sleep, a likely result of the early start times of many schools across America, combined with teenagers’ night owl behavior.

Boland said a way to improve sleep patterns and productivity is to schedule and align tasks according to energy levels.

“People who have later chronotypes have more energy later in the afternoon or in the evening, so putting tasks that require a lot of focus and attention during that part of the day can help them be more productive,” Boland said. “For people who are morning oriented, they should shift those activities (requiring a lot of focus) to earlier in the morning.”

But even for night owls, Gao said sleeping enough is essential.

“I can confidently say that improving sleep will help improve productivity,” Gao said. “If people have trouble with falling asleep or getting good quality sleep, we always recommend consistent bedtimes, limiting screen time before bedtime, avoiding exercising, drinking or eating a lot right before bedtime, and keeping a comfortable sleep environment that’s quiet, not too cold or hot and not too much light.”

Ultimately, Boland said people should try their best to live according to their chronotype.

“It’s important to know yourself and not try to fit a square peg into a round hole,” Boland said. “If you understand that you’re evening oriented, then accept that about yourself and try to live accordingly.”

As junior Rohit Sengupta tears down the dirt trail on his mountain bike, still recovering from multiple injuries, he accelerates with a fearless determination to gain enough speed to win the race. Suddenly, he wipes out and slides 100 feet down the trail before coming to a stop, leaving him with a massive scar on his left shoulder.

While injuries may deter many people from doing high-thrill activities, Sengupta, like many students who enjoy them, said he still mountain bikes every day because he enjoys learning more skills and doing different jumps.

“When I crashed, I was getting that adrenaline rush. I didn’t feel any pain,” Sengupta said. “In fact, I felt stoked, and I had this good feeling like, ‘I crashed. I’m gonna get back up again and repeat the stuff I was doing,’ because you have a good feeling whenever you do something new.”

AP Psychology teacher Chris Farina said high-thrill activities provide short-term little hits of adrenaline, dopamine and other chemicals that help people feel good in the moment.

“Having some degree of thrill-seeking stimulation just helps people feel happy about their lives and less bored, and so it gives them that degree of pleasure (and) excitement,” Farina said.

Freshman Maria Uribe said she enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes from a similar high-thrill activity –– riding roller coasters. She said she often goes to theme parks due to the feelings of excitement and invigoration that she experiences after going on rides.

“When you go with friends, you just try to enjoy and scream as loud as you can,” Uribe said. “My first time on the (Railblazer at Great America), I went with my best friend. I had no idea there was a super big drop, so I was nervous. We were both like, ‘No, we want to get off. We’re scared,’ and then (the drop) happened.

Then, we were like, ‘Oh, we want to go again.’ So we did.”

Farina said many people intuitively seek out some sort of stimulation. Many high thrill activities, such as roller coasters and mountain biking, provide that. “(Roller coasters are) one way in which you can get a degree of excitement, a degree of thrills and still have it be safe and controlled,” Farina said. “Your brain kind of perceives (fear) as excitement.”

Sengupta said he enjoys mountain biking due to the adrenaline rush and euphoric feeling.

“If you’re going skiing, mountain biking, snowboarding or (doing) any extreme sport, you get the adrenaline rush, which feels good,” Sengupta said. “And based on my experience from mountain biking, it sends you chills sometimes.”

Farina said thrillseeking behavior in humans is an evolutionary benefit because having members of a community who are genetically predisposed towards adventurous behaviors is good for the community’s health overall.

“They’re more likely to try new things out even if it is more risky, and trying new things out can confer a lot of benefits to the community if they discover something that’s really useful,” Farina said.

Sengupta said that although he has gotten hurt multiple times, he always returns to do high-thrill activities.

“I’m addicted to mountain biking,” Sengupta said. “It makes me feel proud of myself because I think without extreme sports, you basically find no meaning in life. Mountain biking for me is a way to escape reality and just embrace that euphoric feeling of being happy and finding worth.”

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Annika Chu Staff Writer