SPOTLIGHT Paly athletes kick the typical activities to the side and take up unusual sports Pages A6-A7
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Administration censors student Facebook groups By Wesley Shiau Staff Writer
A Facebook group allowing Palo Alto High School seniors to post Spirit Week cheer ideas was taken down after the administration became concerned about the inappropriate nature of some of the cheers. Official class groups with cheer ideas for other grades were also deemed inappropriate and “cleansed” upon request from Principal Phil Winston.
Associated Student Body coordinator Matt Hall asked for the removal of the Facebook page with the consent of its creators. “[Hall] said that the cheer groups have served their purpose and since there was no need for them he asked us to take them down,” a senior ASB officer, who asked to remain unnamed in this article, said. Paly administrators believed that the senior cheer Facebook group
contained inappropriate and derogatory cheers. Rumors regarding whether or not a senior would be suspended for posting one of these inappropriate cheers on the group had surfaced, but he claims the rumors are mere speculation. “I’m pretty sure the administration was not [going] to suspend me,” the senior said. “They did not talk to me at all about anything regarding the [senior cheer I posted on the] Facebook group.”
Theater plans updated
The new Performing Arts Center (left) is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
Since Hall was a member of the official class Facebook groups, the Paly administration believed it was allowed to interfere with the groups’ activities. “There is a misunderstanding among folks that everything posted online is private and protected,” Winston said. “That is generally true unless it is sponsored or made by the school. When I saw some of the comments, I was
By Brian Benton Editor in Chief
New plans for Palo Alto High School’s Performing Arts Center, as well as updates on Paly’s current construction projects were discussed at a meeting held in the Paly library on Nov. 16. The primary focus of the meeting was the Performing Arts Center, which combines the Arts Subcommittee’s desire for a smaller, performance oriented space and
See CHEERS, Page A3
By Emily Tran Staff Writer
School government stays united, organized despite losing key officer Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body (ASB) Treasurer Kevin Wang resigned due to the differences of opinion he has with ASB advisor, Matt Hall. According to ASB Vice President Maddie Kuppe, it has not yet been determined how the duties of treasurer will be divided or who will take on the role of treasurer. Wang said that the main reason he dropped ASB, a graded course at Paly, is because of disagreements with Hall, but a misunderstanding of the expectations of the class played a role as well. “I resigned as treasurer because I felt that my relationship with Mr. Hall had deteriorated to the point where I just couldn’t work with him
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anymore,” Wang said. “[The new expectations in ASB this year included] the time commitment and just the amount of work he expected us to take care of. Some of the expectations were unrealistic especially for juniors and seniors who have a lot of school work and college applications to deal with.” Wang says that Hall’s grading policy pushed him to drop the class. He received a B+ for his first quarter grade. “I think [Hall] should have explained what he expected us to do beforehand and for my part, I take responsibility because I didn’t really know much and when he gave me my grade it kind of surprised me,” Wang said. “The grading policy didn’t really affect whether or not I was going to drop ASB, it was just the tip-
the School Board’s desire for greater seating capacity to accommodate Paly’s growing student body. The new theater will replace Paly’s current Haymarket Theater and include seating for 575 students, as well as side seating boxes. The construction of the Performing Arts Center is expected to begin during the summer of 2013 and is estimated to take about two years to complete.
Paly dance team to compete at Nationals
Associated Student Body Treasurer Kevin Wang resigns
By Nira Krasnow Staff Writer
Friday, November 18, 2011
ping point that kind of threw me over.” According to Wang, Kindel Launer, ASB’s previous advisor, was much more lenient. “From my understanding, Launer gave everyone an A just if they met their basic requirements such as showing up to class,” Wang said. An ASB official who asked to remain anonymous lamented the resignation of the treasurer. The official does not completely understand the motives behind Wang’s decision, but said that the low grades of many officials was a common source of discontent. “Personally, I think it’s ridiculous [to drop the class due to] a quarter grade but I mean [Wang] kind of has a point because you shouldn’t be getting a B in this class even though like everyone has a B,” the
ASB official said. “It’s kind of ridiculous,” However, vice principal Jerry Berkson disagrees and believes members of ASB should not underestimate the amount of effort that the class requires to receive an A. “[Members of ASB] should understand it’s not just a cake walk,” Berkson said. “While [ASB] does a lot for the school there are certain standards that a teacher sets. There are some students who quite possibly don’t do anything in [ASB] so to just hand out an A to everyone would be unfair to the students that do work hard.” The work standard has undoubtedly been raised in ASB this year with an unusually high number of students re-
See WANG, Page A3
The Palo Alto High School varsity dance team competed at the Jamz Kingdom Classics regional dance and cheer competition at Six Flags in Vallejo, California on Oct. 9. The dance team competed in two dances, a lyrical number and a pom number, and placed first in both categories. “Pom is a style that’s mixed with dance and a little bit of cheerleading,” team member and senior Chloe Koseff said. “You use pom-poms and then it’s really sharp movements and being uniform instead of flowy and putting your spin on things. It’s like a hybrid of dance and cheer.” This success earned them enough points to qualify for the Jamz Nationals in Las Vegas in February, 2012. According to the Jamz website, jamz.com, the dance team earned 81 points out of 100 in its lyrical dance and earned 83 points out of 100 in its pom performance. According to the team their win did not come as a surprise. “I think we were kind of expecting [to win] the whole time, but it’s really exciting to know that we had made [Nationals] because we really worked hard on the competition piece,” Koseff said. “We had to come in for extra practices during tutorial so it was cool that our hard work paid off.” The team qualified for another national competition on Nov. 6 in Fremont at Washington High School. This competition was for the USA Nationals at Disneyland in 2012, but the team is only participating in the Jamz competition.
See palyvoice.com/campanile for the full story
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The dance team practices for their upcoming Jamz national competition held in Las Vegas.
New online college resource makes debut at Paly, students will be first to test site By Olivia Cornfield, Beth Yan & Yasna Haghdoost Staff Writers
Palo Alto High School will be the first school to participate in a pilot program for Mytonomy, an online college resource for students. The website gives high school students and their
parents the opportunity to post and view videos concerning college majors, the application process and other factors that often overwhelm students. Vinay Barghava, cofounder and CEO of Mytonomy, discussed his goals in demystifying the application process.
INSIDE News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A4-A8 Spotlight...................................A6-A7 Sports..............................A10-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features.............................B2-B8 A&E...............................B9-B14
“We were really trying to collect all that subjective information about why someone would go to school A versus school B or why someone would go to school to study major X versus major Y,” Barghava said. “It’s a great repository of incredible advice givers. Instead of it being a two dimension-
al process we really want to make it three dimensional where you are getting facts from the Internet as well as a catalog of testimonies from really incredible advice givers.” Currently,Barghava finds that the system of information exchange regarding colleges and applica-
tions to be ineffective. “I learned a little bit more about a day in the life of a guidance counselor and what some of the information challenges are with going to college and figuring out what to study and how to relate all that to a career,” Barghava said. “I was surprised to find widespread
dissatisfaction among students and parents for the current resources out there on the Internet.” Science teacher Josh Bloom, a friend of Barghava, showed the site to Paly. After a phone conference with Barghava about using
See MYTONOMY, Page A3
FEATURES
ARTS AND CLASS Paly art teachers embrace their passion for teaching and creating art, both inside and out of the classroom. Alex Lin/ campanile
PAGE B7
NEWS
CHRISSIE CHENG/CAMPANILE
OPINION
riki rattner/ campanile
SPORTS
courtesy of Jason Trisler
NOISES OFF IS ON
PAIN IN THE APP
ROCKY ROAD
Play within a play “Noises Off” comes to Paly.
Seniors should not receive as much work near deadlines.
Jason Trisler takes on the extreme sport of mountain biking.
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NEWS
A2 • November 18, 2011
ASB Update By Eric Wang Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body held a very successful Spirit Week. Now, they will plan out student activities for the rest of the year. “Spirit Week was a hectic but amazing week. Everyone had so much energy and enthusiasm that every single event and day turned out so well,” Junior Class Vice President Soo Song said. “Now that it’s over, we’re preparing for future activities in the school year”. These activities include prom and student fundraising. ASB is mostly discussing how to raise money and set up these events in the coming year. “We’re organizing committees, like the prom committee and the fundraising committee, to actively help out the school in the following months,” Song said.
The Campanile
Paly club speaks at conference
Special Ed class runs business Members aim for educational awareness smoothie By Emily Rosenthal Staff Writer
School Board Update By Jillian Chacon and Chayla Cummings Senior Staff Writers
The Palo Alto Unified School District School Board held a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The first speaker of the night was student representative Palo Alto High School senior Alex Carter. Carter debriefed the board and the public on recent events relating to Paly students. He addressed Spirit Week, which took place from Oct. 24 through the Oct. 28. Carter informed the Board about the controversy around campus about the allegedly victorious sophomore class and the recount later demanded by the senior class. The Spirit Week discussion ended after Carter announced the final scores. Carter additionally shared the newest part of the Associated Student Body’s transparency act: ASB performance reviews. He addressed that this was an issue for ASB members and that it is causing students to drop out of the class.
UpcomingEvents Nov. 18: CCS Football
Paly will challenge Leland on their home turf at 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 18, 20: Noises Off Paly actors will perform in the Haymarket Theater at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively.
Dec. 3: SAT
Testing will take place at Gunn at 8:00 a.m.
By Bailey Cassidy Features Editor
The School Fund, an international organization dedicated to making education affordable for students in the developing world, has a club chapter at Palo Alto High School whose members spoke at the 2011 Global Education Conference, which took place entirely online during the week of Nov. 14. “[The conference] reaches about 10,000 people,” Paly journalism teacher and School Fund club advisor Esther Wojcicki said. “We are trying to expand The School Fund to other schools in the nation and worldwide.” The School Fund was created with the goal of making education a distinct possibility for students everywhere, regardless of their financial situation or previous background. “In 2007, I took a trip to Tanzania and met a boy who was graduating from primary school,” Matt Severson, president of The School Fund organization said. “He needed $150 to go on to high school. In Palo Alto, we never question the fact that we will go on to high school and college, but in other countries, these fees keep people from moving on with their education. I left the boy’s family with the money, but wondered how we could help more people in that sit-
NewsBriefs NEW STATE BULLYING LAW PENDING
After its introduction in February 2011, the California state anti-bullying law AB-1156 is currently pending the approval of Governor Jerry Brown. The legislation would require the Department of Justice and the State Department of Education to provide training for school personnel to make them more adept at handling situations that involve bullying. In addition, the bill would allow a victim to transfer to a district outside his or her residential catchment area if either the school district, principal or superintendent determine that bullying has in fact taken place. The bill also expands the definition of bullying by taking into account the fact that bullying victims may suffer damage to their physical and mental health as well as the fact that bullying interferes with victims’ ability to participate in the school and community.
—Yasna Haghdoost Staff Writer
LOCAL RECYCLING CENTER TO CLOSE The Palo Alto Recycling Center in Byxbee Park will close on Feb. 1, 2012 due to decreased use of the facility, increased operating costs and the availability of alternate recycling options in the community, according to Zero Waste Coordinator Wendy Hediger.
uation continue their educa- to significantly increase opportunities for building edtion.” Wojcicki delivered the key- ucation-related connections note address and introduced around the globe. This aligns the club at the online confer- closely with the School Fund’s goals. ence. “When you make a random “[Wojcicki talked] about how The School Fund could donation to help a student, be academically beneficial to you never know for sure exintegrate in the classroom,” actly how much of that money Clara Chang, the president the student gets and you nevof Paly’s School Fund Club, er get to meet the student,” Severson said. said. “Stu“It’s not persondents [would] “The School Fund alal. The School be able to gain Fund allows a better global lows people to conpeople to conperspective of nect with students nect with stuother students they may have somedents they may around the thing in common with have something world by helpthrough our website.” in common with ing them.” through our Chang adds website. It rethat the goal School Fund President ally brings the of The School process into the Fund’s presentation is to expand the club’s 21st century.” Chang hopes The School efforts by inspiring students everywhere to help other stu- Fund’s participation in the conference will inspire other dents. “[We] are going to put to- students to get involved with gether a ‘how to start a club’ helping those who are less forPowerPoint with basic steps tunate. “The School Fund club at on how to start a The School Fund chapter club anywhere,” Paly really emphasizes stuChang said. “That is the main dents helping students, so goal of [the] conference, to get I’m honored that they are alschools and students all over lowing a student like me to to use The School Fund and speak,” Chang said. “Hopefuljoin the effort in helping dis- ly this will inspire other stuadvantaged students all over dents to join the cause.” According to a trailer for the world.” According to the Global Ed- the conference, all presentaucation Conference’s website, tions were recorded and are the conference is designed archived.
Matt Severson
Zero Waste, an organization dedicated to minimizing waste, chose to close the plant down on Feb. 1. “Originally, we were going to relocate the Recycling Center,” Hediger said. “However, in recent years the Recycling Center has become less utilized as our curbside program has expanded.” A survey conducted by the recycling team showed that the recycling center has not been efficient because the material currently being taken to the recycling center can be placed in recycling bins throughout the city, which is not only easier for the resident but also helps Palo Alto become a greener environment.
—Gracie Fang
Technology Editor
SCHOOL RENOVATION MOVES FORWARD Starting Monday, Nov. 21st, a large area of the quad will be fenced off for construction which will be reopened by the end of winter break. Paly is installing two new boilers and replacing the piping in the Haymarket Theater. In addition, a renovation of the library and arc has been discussed for sometime in the future, but nothing has been planned yet. The Media Arts Center and classroom building currently under construction are budgeted at $37.14 million and are scheduled to be completed by early 2013. The Media Center will house all of the campus publications, Beginning Journalism classes, Video Production and the Broadcast Journalism class. The two-story classroom building will contain 27 classrooms to replace the portables and allow for future growth in enrollment, and will house the Social Science and Math Departments.
A new Performing Arts Center is budgeted at $24.5 million, and it is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of 2015. It will seat 575 people, and the surrounding parking lot will need to be changed to accommodate it.
—Alex Taussig
Staff Writer
OBAMA FACILITATES STUDENT LOAN PLAN On Oct. 23, President Barack Obama announced a student loan forgiveness program in an attempt to deal with the growing student debts facing the United States today. Last year Congress passed legislation for the program, which was supposed to take effect in 2014. Obama will now aim for the law to be enacted in January 2012. Currently, student loans are capped at 15 percent of their discretionary income. With the new plan, the federal student loans will now be capped at 10 percent of a college graduate’s discretionary income, providing relief to students across the country. Also, any debt unpaid is now forgiven after 20 years as opposed to the initial 25. Any student with both government backed private loans and student loans will be able to consolidate these into one government loan, with interest rate being lessened by up to 0.5 percent. This component of the plan could affect about 5.8 million students with debt, allowing them to make just one monthly payment, and decreasing the likelihood of defaulting. Since the administration plans to use the money saved from subsidies when the loans are consolidated, the plan does not set back taxpayers.
—Emily Rosenthal Staff Writer
Erika Magagna, the new Special Education teacher at Palo Alto High School, started a smoothie business at the beginning of the year with her classes in order to teach her students vocational skills. Currently the business runs during third and fourth period on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. With the current system, each “smoothie team” visits one classroom each period to take the orders before returning to the classroom and making the smoothies. “We go to a class and students who would like to order a smoothie fill out a smoothie order tag form, and then my students collect it,” Magagna said. “Then we take it back to our classroom, we have a kitchen in our classroom, and then we make the smoothies and deliver them to each classroom.” Currently the students are assigned to either to take orders or make the smoothies. However Magagna hopes to eventually have students completing both tasks. “Right now we’re just teaching the students in phases, but before too long we hope to have all the students having experienced everything,” instructional aid Linda Zablocki said. “The most fun for them is being out in the classrooms, talking and interacting with other students.” Adit Kumar, a student involved with the business enjoys distributing the smoothies. “[My favorite part] is going to Mr. Hall’s class on Fridays to give [people] smoothies,” Kumar said. Magagna first saw the idea while working as a teacher at Wilcox High School and was impressed with how well the program worked. “Everybody loved getting smoothies, it was a great way to integrate my students into General Education and it allowed our students to get to know the campus a lot better,” Magagna said. “At that school we went to three, sometimes four classes a period, but since it’s very new here and we’re just starting vocational training we’re going to start slow, with just one class.” The objective of the program is to give the students valuable skills that they will be able to directly apply to their own lives when looking for a job. One of the main ideas they work on is getting the students to start the job on their own, without unnecessary instruction. “The point for us is to really work on things like initiating a task, so we have the same routine every time,” Magagna said. “It’s so my students can do things on their own and they don’t have to be prompted to do it, so we have a lot of practice, a lot of routine.” Teachers involved with the program have noticed that students have begun to take responsibility for tasks on their own and no longer wait for directions on what to do. “The whole concept of initiating a task was a difficult concept for our kids to understand, but I’ve noticed that not only in their business of making smoothies and delivering them, but also in other aspects in the classroom,” Zablocki said. “If they see that something needs to be done and no one has been specifically assigned to it they take the initiative to get up and do it.” They also focus on ideas such as appropriate behavior, dress, listening to their supervisor and getting along with co-workers. “That way when we go out into the real world we have those skills and we can compete with everybody else,” Magagna said. Some students have even begun to used these skills at home by using the knowledge gained to make smoothies for themselves and their families. “I went home and made a smoothie by myself,” Amy Etherinton said. “I found [a recipe] online and used that.” The department plans on making this a long-term project, one that progresses throughout the student’s years at Paly. The program has been received enthusiastic feedback from the teachers whose classrooms the students visit as well, raising Magana’s confidence in the future of the business. “I’ve gotten really great responses actually,” Magagna said. “[The program] has been really successful so far.”
Yael Palmon/Campanile
Roger Poon takes his turn mixing a smoothie during class with two of his fellow students.
NEWS
The Campanile
November 18 • A3
East Palo Alto elementary school rechartered, expanded Stanford New Schools charter program helps rebuild administration By Elena Pinsker Technology Editor
Stanford New Schools (SNS) renewed its charter for the 20112012 East Palo Alto Academy (EPAA) school year. Set to start next fall, the new charter will bring with it a new campus and new academic leadership. After a charter for the SNS’ elementary school failed to renew, SNS is making changes to the high school that was started in 2001. The school, formerly located at 695 Bay Rd. in Menlo Park, is soon going to be moved to Myrtle Street in East Palo Alto. According to the SNS website, the school admits students in grades 9 through 12 of any “race, color, national origin, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or ancestry.” The school admits students on an availability basis, and one must fill out forms that can be found at
stanfordnewschools.org to get in. As a charter school, there is no tuition for students, and the school admits 250 to 300 students each year. According to the EPAA website, “[the] school aims to meet the needs of our students by combining the most successful models of urban school reform, with highly qualified teachers and curriculum that connects the work of the school to the life of the community.” The school features a curriculum based on the University of California/California State University (UC/CSU) A-G requirements. The school’s requirements are similar to those of Palo Alto High School; four years of English are required, in addition to three years of math (although four are recommended), three years of science (four are recommended as well), two years of Spanish and
one year of art. Palo Alto High School’s curriculum differs in that only two years of math and science are required, in addition to four years of history and two years of a language. Students are also required to take four years of the school’s “advisory” program, which is similar to Paly’s Teacher Advisor system. The students are placed into small groups of 10-15 students each, and they meet with their advisor four times a week. According to the school’s website, “[the school’s] program ensures that all students have a caring adult at the school who knows them well, communicates with their parents and monitors and guides their progress.” The school also offers Advanced Placement classes. EPAA, which has partnered with Cañada College to offer college-level courses, lets students earn college cred-
Alex lin/campanile
Students in an English class at East Palo Alto Academy’s current campus answer questions. The school is about to move to a new location. it during high school, like some classes at Paly. According to the school’s website, 85 percent of the students who enter the school as freshmen graduate on time, and 90 percent of graduating seniors go to college.
The website states, “these are truly remarkable results given that over 80 percent of our students are non-native English speakers, most of whom are still learning English when they enter the school.”
Jeffrey Ling wins regional Siemens Award for science excellence Student to participate in national competition in Washington D.C. at CIT event By Eric Wang Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School junior Jeffrey Ling won the Siemens Award for math and science after competing in the regional finals at the California Institute of Technology (CIT). Ling and Henry M. Gunn High School partner Helen Jiang will travel to Washington to attend the national competition on Dec. 1. The Siemens Foundation hosts a yearly science competition at both the regional and national level. Applicants submit a project that is usually done over the summer. Ling was granted the award alongside Jiang for their
team-based project on helping treat necrotizing enterocolitis, an infantile disease that is often fatal. “It’s a common disease in premature infants that is basically bowel inflammation,” Ling said. “Our project focuses on using data models to allow doctors to diagnose this disease faster.” The idea for the project came when Jiang found that the disease had a high mortality rate among babies. Inspired to combat this deadly disease, the pair began working on the project over the summer. The pair traveled to CIT from Nov. 4 to 6 to compete in the Siemens Math and Science Competition regional fi-
nals. They competed against six other teams in their category. “There were many other types of projects,” Ling said. “[The projects] ranged from organic compounds in circuitry to math graphs in robotic vision.” Each group presented their projects to a panel of judges. The judges then voted on which group proceeded to the next round. The pair was happy when notified of their win. “It feels amazing to be recognized out of so many projects, and I’m excited to go to Washington D.C.” Ling said. “I don’t really know what to expect in D.C. There are a lot of smart people out there, so I’m rather apprehensive.”
ASB blocks class Facebook groups Paly’s treasurer abandons post CHEERS, cont. from A1 disappointed and decided to ‘cleanse’ the pages instead of taking disciplinary action against every person that made an inappropriate comment.” However, according to Mike Hiestand, a Student Press Law Center attorney, school administrators may not have the authority to do such “cleansing” on Facebook group pages not explicitly affiliated with the school district. The target of the cheer that could have resulted in suspension was extremely offended. “Seeing something like [that cheer] on a Facebook wall is one of the most degrading and hurtful acts I’ve seen while in high school,” Kuppe said. “It doesn’t make sense to me why the student body provokes and writes these cheers about people.” A similar situation occurred in the 20072008 school year when a seventh grade student was harassed through a “hate club” organized on Facebook. Parents filed complaints to the school, although the school
did not have the jurisdiction to take action against cyberbullying done at home on Facebook. Although the students who posted the offensive cheer in 2007 did not have to deal with any consequences, new California laws have since been put into place that could potentially give future cyberbullies harsh punishments. On July 8, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown approved AB 746, a bill that lets schools discipline students who partake in cyberbullying. Built off of the bill AB 86 passed in 2008, AB 746 extends AB 86’s scope from text messages, instant messages and emails to social networking sites like Facebook. “At the very least, most courts have said that before the school could exercise its authority, it would have to show that the off-campus Facebook post would somehow lead to a serious, on-campus disruption,” Hiestand said. “I think that would be a stretch in this case, but again there is not a great deal of clear guidance being provided by courts right now.”
Autumn play “Noises Off ” debuts Paly theater presents original comedy By Gina Scarpino and Chrissie Cheng Staff Writers
The last showings of Palo Alto High School’s rendition of “Noises Off” will be this weekend on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $7 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets may be bought online or at the door, and reserved seating is available. “Noises Off” is a British farce telling the story of a British theatre company putting on a production called “Nothing On.” The play is considered a “play within a play.” The first act follows the cast in their last dress rehearsal before the show and involves taking the play out on tour. The second act follows the action that goes on backstage during the first performance, and the third act takes place a month into the show’s tour as everything falls apart. According to members of the cast, the play’s sexual innuendos and comical stunts make it a unique comedy that will be enjoyable for the audience. “There’s a girl that runs around in her underwear, there’s people attacking each other with axes, plates and plates and plates of sardines, and lots of stage combat,” Paly theater teacher and “Noises Off” director Kathleen Woods said. Woods is excited about opening the play up for public viewing and she hopes that the Palo Alto community will take the time to
Gina scarpino/campanile
Seniors Zachary Freier-Harrison and Annalise Wedemeyer perform in the fall play, “Noises Off.” The play opened on Nov. 17.
watch a performance and enjoy its dynamic set. “The set is almost like a character in the play,” Woods said. “It’s a full twostory set and it revolves completely around farces, about coming in and out of doors and complete misunderstandings.” Since early September, Woods and the cast and crew have been working on producing “Noises Off,” including creating a dynamic two-story set. “There are ten speaking roles and then we have another nine understudies, eight of whom who actually appear in the play as part of the backstage crew,” Woods said. “Then Grace Barry, who is one of the understudies, is the Assistant Director.” Woods, the director, is excited to produce “Noises
Off” because of its popularity in theaters. “A lot of people know ‘Noises Off,’” Woods said. “It’s been out for 15-20 years, [and has] been one of the most popular plays in the high school level and even different professional theater levels because it’s so funny.” When rehearsing the play, Woods brought in experts to help the cast perform the stage combat safely. “Professionals I’ve brought have all worked on it, been in it or directed it so it’s actually a name that people know,” Woods said. Woods and the cast all hope the Paly community will come to watch the play. “It’s hysterical, and you’re hardly going to have a better evening out,” Woods said.
WANG, cont. from A1 ceiving Bs. “I’m kind of surprised that so many people got Bs,” the ASB official said. “I think Mr. Hall is grading a little harshly, but I think most people are going to get As by the end of the semester. I feel like he’s giving people Bs in order to influence them to work harder
but obviously some took it the wrong way. I also heard that everyone in ASB got As last year and that many people thought it would be the same this year but evidently it wasn’t.” Principal Phil Winston believes that Hall has been running the class well. “I’m really proud of the way ASB is going this year,” Winston said. “It
continues to be student centered, it continues to be creative. This is the first year in a long time we had days with two rallies and I think there is limitless potential. The student leaders that are in there are very good at what they do and I think that Mr. Hall is doing a very fine job.” Hall declined to comment on Wang’s resignation.
Stanford Hospital introduces new electronic medical records By Perri Pond
ing patient information,” Longhurst said. “It also should be a way to make patient Recently, a rare medical condition sur- care better. What we’re looking at is how faced at the Stanford Lucile Packard Chil- can we make health care more highly relidren’s Hospital, where the medical team able, more consistent, safer more efficient used the new Electronic Medical Record and better overall.” (EMR) system to help quickly solve a seriThe new system is more efficient than ous medical emergency, proving the effica- the old process of writing by hand. cy of the system. “Now we have electronic orders, that The patient had lupus nephritis, a type means when I enter a medication order of lupus that affects the kidney. Rheuma- the pharmacy immediately sees it, gets it tologist Jennifer Frankovich, MD, head on a task list, and the nurse immediatedoctor on the case, had seen other similar ly gets an automated medication record. cases and decided to consult with her col- Everybody has access to that data from leagues, who all had different ideas. After throughout the hospital,” Longhurst said. a great deal of deliberation, Frankovich “So you have made the process much more reviewed the EMRs for all of the patients efficient.” who had previously been treated for Lupus This system is less susceptible to hunephritis. man error because the “Of all the kids that computer is less likely we’ve seen with Lu- “We actually have seen a reducto make mistakes. pus nephritis, what tion in mortality hospital wide. “We actually have was their likelihood of Over an eighteen month period seen a reduction in forming a [blood] clot mortality hospitalcompared to kids with it translated to about thirty-six wide,” Longhurst said. non-lupus nephritis,” children’s lives saved.” “When we put these Frankovich said. Dr. Christian Longhurst electronic orders in, Frankovich has been less children died. Over Stanford Hospital doctor working hard to find an 18-month period it a way to track the distranslated to about 36 ease, and has spent years researching the children’s lives saved.” tendencies of the disease. Not only does this new system reduce “She found that the risk [of forming a mortality rates, but it also increases safeblood clot] was about three fourths high- ty. er,” Dr. Christopher Longhurst, MD, one of “As a byproduct of computerizing medthe other doctors on the case, said. ical records, we have also been collecting This is an example of how the EMR all of this data,” Longhurst said. helps doctors research cases that they However, Stanford is one of the only used to be unable to research. hospitals in the nation to use the EMR “An electronic medical record is a way system, as it is pricey and requires adof digitally capturing and as well as stor- vanced technology support.
Staff Writer
Paly to test Mytonomy website MYTONOMY, continued from A1
the program at Paly, Principal Phil Winston and Assistant Principal Kim Diorio expressed excitement about this recent opportunity. “The potential benefit for students here at Paly I think is sort of threefold,” Winston said. “Let’s look at having information in one place, student perspectives as well from parent perspectives.” “We will be doing fact checking to make sure people don’t give inaccurate information because that’s not fair to folks,” Winston said. “[Mytonomy] also filters for pornography and vulgar language and some of the other stand-out inappropriateness.” Mytonomy will be launched mid-December of this year as a free pilot program.
“I think were going to try and launch it ... when our alumni are back from their holiday break so we can try and connect with our Paly grads [and] our current seniors, juniors and parents,” Diorio said. “It’s just to capture their thoughts. It’s totally optional to participate in this.” Winston added that part of Mytonomy’s value lies in its primary emphasis on students’ own personal experiences. “Its authentic,” Winston said. “Its not information that we’re telling you—it’s information that you’re creating and generating from your experience as well.” Diorio echoes Winston’s sentiments and expresses enthusiasm for Mytonomy. “We see this as the future,” Diorio said. “It’s a great way to get information and answer questions firsthand.”
OPINION
The Campanile
A4 • Friday, November 18, 2011
Editorials
School library should be more accomodating Students feel library creates hostile environment to learning Palo Alto High School students are always in the library. Whatever the weather is, no matter what event is scheduled on the quad, and no matter what the time of day, there are always plenty of students completing their studies or relaxing in the library. Paly does a terrific job providing an aesthetically pleasing environment for students to work, especially as a result of the brand new iMacs and beautiful lounge area surrounding the well-used community chalkboard. However, The Campanile would like to see the library make a greater effort to accommodate students’ needs. While many students are drawn to the amenities the library offers, such as the computers, printer and workspace, many students feel that some library policies create a harsh atmosphere that is conducive to neither work nor social activity. Oftentimes, librarians will ask students to leave the library early, during the end of 3rd or 4th period, nudging them out the door to enjoy their lunch. We ask that the librarians realize that many students are often working in the library out of necessity - some students may need to finish their homework or extracurricular work during these times. They need a distraction-free environment to do so, which is one of the main purposes of the school library. The Campanile realizes that these distractions can come from students’ peers in the library as well. Although the librarians do attempt to maintain an adequate environment for studying by disciplining rowdy crowds and reminding students to stay quiet, these acts of punishment often involve ejecting students from the library for even the first offense, which creates a hostile, intimidating work environment. This distracts students who actually need to study, as the constant hushing draws attention and disrupts the atmosphere, and is unnecessarily public and often even humiliating. One policy that serves to intimidate rather than deter the consumption of food and drink in the library is the forcing of those who are caught with even mere wrappers on their desk to “take a lap” around the library with the trash can and immediately clean the library. Although this rule may prevent people from keeping their food in plain sight, students will merely be sneakier with their food.
These strict regulations create a fearful atmosphere that portrays the librarians as enemies rather than the helpful adults they are. Beyond the task of enforcing the library rules, the librarians are greatly knowledgeable and supportive when assisting students with their research. Perhaps students would be more likely to engage the librarians’ expertise for their academic assignments if the librarians were more approachable in their managerial roles. Paly students benefit so much from positive adult influences, and The Campanile predicts that the librarians’ usage of a more respectful tone would instigate rewarding relationships with students. Because Paly prides itself in being a community that is both academically and socially similar to college, we also suggest that the library incorporate similar rules and regulations to that of a college library. The majority of college libraries trust students not to make a mess while eating their food, and to keep the library areas quiet. We believe Paly students are mature enough to handle a similar level of responsibility and thus should be given a similar level of trust. We understand that some students may not be able to adjust to less structure, so we suggest implementing a warning policy. Currently, students who repeatedly disregard library rules are treated the same way as students who are first-offenders. If the librarians see that a particular student (or group of students) makes a mess every day, the librarians can talk to these students individually. However, if a student pulls out simple breakfast or lunch items such as fruit, granola bars or sandwiches, The Campanile suggests that the library trust them to be responsible for their workspace. Revisions to these library policies can help ensure the library is the most community-oriented location possible for students to use. In the past few years, the library has increasingly appealed to a broader crowd through its implementation of new furniture and appliances; now we ask that the library builds off these improvements by making respect for students a greater priority.
Letters to the Editor
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
As a teen, one receives driver’s education, drug and alcohol education, and sex education. Why not a teen “stress education” class? Research published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology shows 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction significantly decreases teen stress, depression and anxiety. Mindfulness is simply paying attention, here and now, with kindness and curiously, and then choosing your behavior. Mindfulness develops one’s capacity to observe your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to notice these sometimes intense components of human experience, without believing them or acting on them. Mindful observation can be applied to typical daily stresses of lost cell phones, homework and peer relationships, and to the more challenging thoughts and feelings of depression and anxiety. As an example, let me share the story of “Michael,” a fourth grader at a low-income school. Michael participated in my eight-week course called Still Quiet Place, in which students were learning the practices of Mindfulness and inquiry. In week three, Michael described an unpleasant moment: his new cat bit him, it hurt, and he wanted to hit the cat. I asked, “Did you?” He smiled and simply said, “No. But I almost did.” As a class we dubbed this an “almost moment.” This may seem like a dorky 4th grade example, but it is relevant to teen stress. The teenagers who recently took their own lives likely were each grappling with persistent suicidal thoughts: “My life is hopeless,” “I’d be better off dead,” or “No one cares.”
Serving Up Justice
Inappropriate cheers posted on Facebook
Charlie Dulik
The Campanile
Facebook groups used for harassment immaturely abuse social media According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, over 87 percent of American teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 have Facebook pages. That number is presumably higher in Palo Alto, a hotspot for technology, giving 90 percent of our school access to the myriad of capabilities of the social networking site. Among these is the ability to use Facebook groups, both for communicating about class work and, as shown recently, as a way to collaborate and organize ideas for school activities such as Spirit Week or Senior Polls. The Campanile feels that, as useful as these groups can be, they also encourage and foster harassment and harsh comments. For example, many students used the Spirit Week Cheer Facebook groups not as a way to unify their grade and share potential cheers, but instead to team up on other students and grades. After one student asked her classmates to post more positive cheers and less insulting ones, she was greeted with a bombardment of comments about how if she did not want to see negativity, she could just leave the group. To make matters worse, all the comments telling the girl to leave were “liked” by her classmates. We strongly feel that this sort of behavior only occurs because posting an insulting comment is a lot easier than saying something to a classmate’s face. Students fall into the mob mentality of Facebook, thinking that they should post a negative comment or click “like” on an already posted one because twenty of their classmates did. This gets even worse when the fact that lots of these cheers fell into the category of sexual harassment. It is unlikely that any
student at Paly would choose to sexually harass another, but they often forget that calling a classmate a derogatory name - even if that student never sees the post - can be considered sexual harassment. Another study, this one done by the American Association of University Women, revealed that nearly half of all 7th to 12th graders, male and female, said they have been sexually harassed during school. Most of the harassment was in the form of unwanted comments and jokes and almost half of it came via text message or social networking sites. The Campanile feels this is not acceptable. Students should feel safe at school, not as if there is a 50 percent chance that they will be harassed. Not all sexual harassment comes from Facebook groups, but a large percent does and students need to realize that it does count as abuse. Still, the administration does not have a right to become involved with student-created Facebook groups. The school can encourage us to be considerate and inform us of the harms of harassment through social networking, but in the end, only students can decide what they post. Students often forget that even though they are not directly saying something when it is said on Facebook, the effect is still the same and it can still hurt a classmate. As long as they are not libelous or slanderous, students have the right to say what they want, but they should also have to common sense to not harass others online. Think before you speak and think even more before you post something on Facebook.
What might have been different if even one of them had learned to investigate those thoughts – with the curiosity, perspective, and kindness that Michael learned? We’ll never know. But perhaps, if someone asked them, “Did you stand in front of the train?” they would still be here to smile and simply say, “No. But I almost did.” One should not have to be diagnosed as anxious, depressed or suicidal before one is given the opportunity to learn skills proven to increase one’s ability to cope with typical daily stresses, and to live a more peaceful, and fulfilling life. In our data-driven, affluent community, which prides itself in being cutting-edge, we have the intelligence and resources to provide these essential skills to every student at the beginning of freshman year. Stress Ed would create a safe place for all students to discuss their experiences with a skilled professional. Additional benefits of this format are that the instructor can identify individuals who may need immediate additional support, and could also be a crucial resource for a student at a vulnerable time in the future. Further students may discover common stresses that could be addressed on a school wide basis. Recently I spoke about Stress Ed at a PTAC evening, and I was asked what is the bare minimum for Stress Ed. As a community, we would not accept it if our school provide the bare minimum in math, or English, or biology. So why are we discussing the bare minimum for student health and well-being? Let’s do what we can to protect students from the harmful effects of stress by providing Stress Ed. –Amy Saltzman, M.D.
Editors in Chief Michael Abrams • Brian Benton • Kirah Ingram Annabel Snow • Hannah Totte • Lauren Wong News Editor Layla Memar
Opinion Editor Meghan Byrd
Spotlight Editor Madeline Berger
Lifestyles Editor Nikki Whitson
Sports Editors Michael Augustine Mayssen Labidi
A&E Editor Clara Chang
Features Editors Bailey Cassidy Ben Krasnow
Advertising Managers Hannah Park Tanvi Varma
Tech Editors Gracie Fang Elena Pinsker
Photography Editors Alex Lin Riki Rattner
Staff Writers Kate Apostolou Joshua Arfin Charlotte Barry Isabel Benatar Elizabeth Bowman Josie Butler Brandon Byer Jillian Chacon Gavin Chan Chrissie Cheng Olivia Cole Benjamin Cook Olivia Cornfield
Laura Cui Chayla Cummings Ryan Deslauriers Samuel Dodson Charles Dulik Marie Ezran Rose Fitzgerald James Foug Yasna Haghdoost Ben Hawthorne Grace Keller Jake Kerman William Kershner
Alvin Kim Nira Krasnow Caroline Martignetti Anna McGarrigle Logan Mendenhall Matthew Morton Anna Norimoto Sophie Parker Perri Pond Julia Poppy Emily Rosenthal Gina Scarpino Abha Sharma
Wesley Shiau Ashley Shin Jordan Smith Kelly Stern Kyle Stewart Alex Taussig Emily Tran Alex Van Der Veen Michael Wang Eric Wang Rachel Wilson Beth Yan Jacob Zenger
Photographers Charlotte Barry Chrissie Cheng Samuel Dodson
Adam Mansour Anna McGarrigle Logan Mendenhall
Yael Palmon Gina Scarpino Emily Tran
Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to campanile.opinion@gmail.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 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.
OPINION
The Campanile
November 18, 2011 • A5
Early apps have many benefits, but not for everyone When applying to college one faces many questions that cause him or her to question his or her inner self, such as “Name a moment that changed you” or “Describe a community you come from.” However, no question is as concrete as one of the most important and highly debated questions of all: early or regular decision? Applying early decision or early action has a multitude of benefits, but doing so may not be the right choice for everyone. The main difference between ED and EA is that while ED is binding, EA is not. Students are able to apply to other EA schools while simultaneously applying ED; however, if they are accepted into the ED school, they must withdraw their other applications. Under restrictive early action, on the other hand, students are only allowed to apply early to that particular school.
PRO
Because applying early decision is binding, students who apply early decision should be, in short, absolutely positive that the school is their hands-down top choice. They should love the laurenwong school’s academin my opinion ic philosophy, atmosphere and environment, social life, geographic location, offerings, etc. and should have the kind of feelings about the school that would cause them to let out a scream of joy if they found out they were accepted. Also, they should have previously done extensive research on many different schools as well as visited their potential ED school to ensure that they want to attend and that it is their first choice school. On the other hand, because early action is not binding, students are not required to be so concretely attached to an EA school. For those who have a definite first-choice school in mind, applying early has a multitude of benefits. Firstly, applying early has the possibility of increasing one’s chances of being accepted, a huge draw for many applicants especially in today’s cutthroat environment. This increase occurs because early applicants have demonstrated definite preference and, for ED applicants, have already committed to attending the school should they be accepted. Colleges accept more applicants than will be in the class because many applicants will choose not to attend the school, whereas they know that early applicants will definitely attend. The discrepancy between regular admittance and early admittance differs for every school.
At Northwestern University, for example, 33.5 percent of 2100 early applicants were accepted in 2011, compared to 17 percent of approximately 29,000 regular decision applicants, according to its online news magazine North by Northwestern. In contrast, according to inlikeme.com, Massachusetts Institute of Technology has, on average, accepted 13 percent of its applicants early action and 12 percent regular decision, showing a minimal difference. Ultimately, it is best to specifically research the school in question rather than assume that there will be a large discrepancy between early and regular acceptance rates. This is further reason that one should apply early for love of the school itself rather than for a perceived advantage in admissions. Also early acceptance greatly reduces student stress. Students accepted early decision will not have to wait until March or April to hear their decision, and knowing where one will go by December can save up to two months of time-consuming essays, not to mention the expenses of sending SAT scores, transcripts, and application fees, which differ for each school but can add up to a total of $100 or more if one applies to ten or more schools. For those accepted early action, knowing that one has been accepted to at least one school is a sigh of relief and can even allow for the elimination of a few lesser safety schools on one’s list. It gives the individual the option of exploring other schools as well before deciding where he or she wants to spend the next four years. Applying early gives students more time, once they have been accepted, to relax, prepare for college and focus on maintaining one’s grades rather than finishing up more supplements. Regardless, not everyone will be accepted early, so students will have enough time to see their options.
CON
Although the prospect of applying to a dream school and receiving an acceptance letter early is enticing, the consequences of applying early decision to a school are not hannahtotte always benefiin my opinion cial. Psychologically, if a student decides that his or her top school is a perfect match, he or she may develop the mind-set that the chosen university is the only place he or she can be happy. If this notion then further encourages the student to bank extra confidence in an early decision app, he or she could choose to dedicate less time and effort to other applications. However, a denial or deferral from his or her top school could result in a heartbroken student who is less confident in his or her applications for alternate schools. Students at Paly, however, are rationally encouraged to maintain a list of schools, possibly including an ED school, that represents various choices where they can happily picture themselves. Often, though, it really does require use of “picturing,” of virtual tours of colleges and imagination, to determine whether or not a school is a good fit. Before choosing early decision, it is recommended that a student visits a campus before deciding to apply ED. College trips are expensive and timely, rendering an in-person visit, at times, impossible. Without feeling the atmosphere of a school first-hand puts a student applying ED at a disadvantage; if a student is accepted to a campus under early decision, he or she must attend, even if, upon
arrival, the school does not fit the student, a feeling that would be difficult to decipher without stepping foot on a particular campus. The financial disadvantages of applying early decision to a school go beyond sending transcripts. When, under the ED agreement, a student is committed to attending the school he or she has applied to, he or she must withdraw his or her offers of admissions to other schools, according to the College Board. Although the agreement to attend is operational if the college offers an “adequate financial aid package,” committing to an early decision school would force a student to disregard all other monetary options from other schools they may be accepted to. According to collegeadmissionspartners.com, “some colleges also calculate that since the student is bound to come if accepted, that their financial aid package need not be as strong for early decision admissions.” This is ultimately the student’s family’s risk. Having the opportunity to choose from variable financial options under regular decision could potentially prove extremely helpful for a family, but early decision strips it from this chance. As a student grows throughout his or her senior year of high school, he or she may also waver on what exactly he or she wants from his or her college experience. Having the option to choose from multiple colleges gives a student more control over his or her future. If a student feel the urge to apply to a school early with hopes of less applications to complete in the case of an acceptance, some schools offer early action and restrictive early action options, allowing students to show heightened interest in a particular school without the pressures of an ED acceptance. A student still has the option to apply to and wait for the results from other colleges before deciding where he or she wants to attend.
Students hope for ARC redesign to improve school success New layout would encourage school collaboration, reduce distractions for students Palo Alto High School is currently in the midst of construction to improve and create multiple new buildings on campus. These buildings will result in better classrooms and a better overall learning experience. But, the administration is not fixing one of the most important parts of campus for students, such as the Academic Resource Center (ARC). The ARC provides great servicjosharfin es for students at Paly but should in my opinion be improved. It is the place to make up tests during a prep, use a textbook after school or get free tutoring. It is also one place that needs to be improved for students. When someone takes a test in the ARC, especially when it is taken after school, there is usually a fair amount of commotion and noise, along with a long line. The loud noise can make difficult tests even harder for students. This is not the fault of students for being too loud or of the people that work in the ARC, it is merely a matter of the way the ARC is set up. Those taking tests are in an open area where other people walk. “When so many people walk by, it can get pretty distracting,” junior Carl Rodriguez said. Distractions can be reduced by having an alternative entrance to the group study rooms and having all the textbooks out of the test taking area. Simply by reducing the number of people that need to go into the room where tests are taken, noise can be reduced in the ARC and make test taking easier. On the other hand, the room can be made larger so more people will have access to retake tests and therefore there will not be noise conflict or rooming conflict. The ARC should be rebuilt to enhance learning conditions for those who seek for extra help from peers. Furthermore, the public study area’s proximity to the test taking area makes taking tests much more difficult. Outside the test taking room is relatively loud because people are working together and with a thin wall between the ARC and the test taking room makes the room very loud and it is difficult to concentrate on a test at hand.
Riki Rattner/Campanile
Senior Akshay Mata tutors students in the Academic Resource Center (ARC) weekly. The ARC provides students with a place to study, relax, converse and meet with tutors for help. It is open for working and test taking until 5:00 p.m. daily. “Sometimes it gets too noisy and it is tough to take the test,” junior Alec Furier said. “People try to keep it down but when there are so many people in the next room it gets very noisy.” Rebuilding the ARC to move the test taking area away from areas of noise and commotion would make test taking better for students. Students would be able to collaborate better without the constant reminder to quiet down and the students taking tests would be better able to concentrate. Finally, the ARC should have more newer computers to allow students to collaborate on projects. People must work quietly in the library so collaboration is very difficult. The ARC has just three computers, enough for just one group most of the time, and they are slow, old computers. Group work on computers is very difficult because it is difficult to do any work at school when all members can be present.
The rooms in the ARC should all have computers so that students can work on projects together. +If there were three sets of computers, then people would be able to collaborate at school in a much more productive manner. Having a place to work with other people after school or during a prep, in addition to a place with almost all the textbooks and somewhere to take tests, would be useful. If a large part of Paly is going to be rebuilt, the ARC should be redesigned into a better place to study and easier to take tests. That way, more Paly students can enjoy the help offered at the ARC. The ARC can be significantly improved to make students’ lives easier. By allowing people to get to collaboration rooms without disturbing people taking test, reducing noise by having the main center of noise far from the test taking area and adding new computers, the ARC can be become an even better place for students.
VERBATIM What was your last dream about?
Compiled by Meghan Byrd, Sophie Parker and Logan Mendenhall
“Me running away from the varsity football senior night.”
“I was flying around our neighborhood on my own.”
“I had a huge Andrew Luck beard then shaved it.”
“I bought a new house and it was a mansion in Beverly Hills.”
“I got an A- on my math test, my mom ripped my SAT book.”
Star Strul
Mr. Winston
Hillel Zand
Brooke Santana
Josh Oh
senior
Principal
sophomore
freshman
junior
SPOTLIGHT
UNDERDOG ATHLETICS
A7•November 18, 2011
The Campanile
We Vikings are an athletic bunch. Our resounding victories in two state championships last year, coupled with over 40 percent of the student body participating in sports at Paly, with many more playing on club teams, should prove our athleticism. Most students generally go for the more mundane sports such as baseball, basketball, football and so on: the bread and butter of the sports world. However, some students go for sports with less hype. They may be the underdogs in terms of spectator numbers, but these lesser known sports are anything but boring. Page Design by Maddie Berger, Marie Ezran and Rose Fitzgerald
POLO
When one thinks about polo, images of regal figures from royal families mounted on thoroughbred horses often comes to mind. While this may be a favorite for many be a favorite pastime for monarchs, there are a few locations in the area where anyone can try
the ancient sport. “Polo is a contact sport, and when it is thousands of pounds, going fifteen miles an hour, coming into contact, that contact is kind of a big deal,” senior Maddie Kau, who plays polo recreationally at the Menlo Circus Club, said. Kau got into polo because she rode horses next to the Circus Club for many years, and because one of her friends introduced her to the sport. Polo is an ancient sport in which two teams of competitors on horseback try to get a ball in the opposing team’s goal. According to Kau, many polo riders participate in the sport because they enjoy the competitive aspect. “I think most polo players are riders who got bored with going in circles,” Kau said. “Riders turn to polo for the same reason that I imagine swimmers start playing water polo. Getting up at 5 a.m. for a regular horse show is a pain, but if you had the adrenaline of shouting teammates, winning, and crashing horses to look forward to, it wouldn’t be so bad.” One of the other main draws of the sport is the danger and complexity of the sport. In polo, the ball must remain on the ground at all times, forcing competitors to use mallets to hit the ball. “Polo is the ultimate sport for the multitasker,” Kau said. “Imagine riding a bike, playing hockey, doing squats, and surfing at the same time. Dangerous? Very. Boring? Never. Riding combines coordination, balance, and cardio. Polo then adds strategy.” For Kau, her love of animals was one of the main reasons she started playing polo. “One thing that polo players have in common is that they are comfortable around and love animals,” Kau said. “Riding is expensive, time consuming, and difficult to learn, so you really have to love horses for it to be worth it. I’ve been around horses for so long that they don’t even feel like animals anymore, so I Courtesy of Maddie Kau
HORSEBACK RIDING
While most teenagers look forward to their first car, some at Paly treasure a more rustic mode of transport. Thanks to its location right next to the Arastradero Barn and the neighboring horse-friendly Arastradero Open Space Preserve, Palo Alto is considered a prime location for equestrians by local riders. As such, Paly a sizable equestrian community. “I enjoy horseback riding because it is a great way to relieve stress, and learning to bond with horses and trust them entirely and sometimes with your life is just an amazing experience,” senior Anne Hildebrandt said. “Plus, Arastradero [Preserve] is right next door and it’s gorgeous out there.” Horseback riding is popular among students for being a relaxing way to bond with animals. Being an equestrian requires establishing a deep, intimate bond with a horse, an experience that some students treasure. “I love having a relationship with the horses,” senior Alana Welsch said. “I think a lot of horse people are animal lovers, but there’s some horse people who just use the horses for sport. I think it’s wrong, if you’re going to ride horses you should respect the animal.” For equestrians, horseback riding is not just a sport, but a way of life. Her love for horses led Hildebrandt to take up a job working at the Arastradero Barn in seventh grade, where she has worked ever since. “I got into horseback riding [in the] summer of 7th grade,” Hildebrandt said. “I’ve always loved horses and [I] did some summer camps before that, but my parents finally decided that I was old enough for them to leave me out at the barn so I could work in exchange for riding. Weekdays, I usually go twice a week after cross country practice until 8 p.m. or so, during the summer it’s double that. I’ve been there until 1 a.m. before.” Many horse enthusiasts, like Hildebrandt, have been in love with horses since their youth. At some point, their love blossomed into a connection with the horse that grew strong enough for them to compete. “I’ve always loved animals in general,” Hildebrandt said. “But there’s something about horses that I’ve always just loved. My favorite stories to read [when I was younger] were Black Beauty, Doodlebug, The Black Stallion, etc... Horses always just so kind and I think they can understand human emotion better than most other animals.”
—Ben Hawthorne
s
The Campanile
SPOTLIGHT
November 18, 2011 • A8
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
Ever try to dance in a pool? Ever try to do it in time with your friends? That’s synchronized swimming, an esoteric sport that few at Paly have tried and know much about. However, freshman Elle Billman gives all her time to this well-loved competitive water sport. “A lot of people don’t know that you don’t touch the bottom of the pool because the pools are really deep,” Billman said. “It’s like dancing, ballet and running all combined, while holding your breath.” Synchronized swimming takes team effort and stamina in order to complete a routine. The music echoes through the pool as the team dives in and completes their routine in front of the judges. “The competitions are usually two or three days and there is two parts,” Billman said. “Figures, the technical part in front of six judges, then the routine where you perform with your team, the fun part. The routines are to music and you can hear the music underwater because there are underwater speakers.” The routines consist of different strokes, styles and formations that are judged when performed. “There are lifts, where we throw someone out of the water, hybrids, which is underwater, moving your legs out of the water, or arm strokes where your legs are under water and your arms are out,” Billman said. Billman’s team has had much success this past year and she hopes to continue to do well in the future. “My team, the Santa Clara Aquamaids, went to Nationals last year where we got first,” Billman said. “We have also gone internationally to Peru.” Synchronized swimmers prove that this sport takes loads of athletic ability, teamwork and commitment, and is not just a group of girls performing with brightly colorful sequined outfits. “It is definitely a challenging sport because the routines are three and a half minutes and you’re always moving,” Billman said. “You have to support yourself while you’re out of the water and you get really tired.” The unique sport of competitive synchronized swimming combines the talent and style of swimming, dance, gymnastics, and music. Synchronized swimmers strive for individual success as well as team success while also adding a visual aspect to their sport, something not accomplished by many other teams.
—Sophie Parker
Courtesy of Elle Billman
FENCING
Some scientists believe that sports exist as an outlet for our primal urges to hunt and battle. This is seen in no other sport but fencing: the only place where hacking at a competitor with a knife is not only legal, but encouraged. “We wear a lot of padding, but accidents do happen,” junior Jacob Sinton, who has been fencing at the Davenriche European Martial Arts School in Santa Clara for four years, said. “People must understand that this is a contact sport [and] people tend to hit as hard as they can. I myself broke my hand during only my second or third tournament.” Fencing refers to a wide variety of combat sports involving swords. These days, the competitors do not actually butcher each other, instead using touch sensors at the ends of the swords to register hits. Accumulation of enough hits leads to a win. One of the main attractions of fencing is the challenge it provides, while providing an outlet to release stress and anger. “I came to realize that fencing is both a fascinating science and an elaborate art,” Sinton said. “It has been my prime outlet for stress and anxiety for the past five or so years and has helped keep me in good physical condition. The learning process behind fencing involves critical thinking skills. Fencing is not stressful, rather, you learn to control your fear and face your opponent calmly and with an open mind.” Another reason fencers flock to their sport is because of the wide variety of swords and fighting styles to choose from. For example, Sinton mentions that over 1,600 methods and schools of sword fighting are in practice today. “We use mostly 1,300 to 1,600 fighting styles of the saber, side sword (spani di filo), long sword, dagger and even unarmed combat,” Sinton said. His speciality is the saber, a heavier sword used for slashing, although he has recently taken up the long sword, a medieval British sword weighing up to 2 kilograms and measuring about 120 centimeters long. When all is said and done, however, the greatest appeal of the sport is the camaraderie that it provides. “The atmosphere is really something I think everyone should experience; the people I work with are so nice and helpful and friendly,” Sinton said. “To think that I met my best friends while learning to hit them with a sword.”
POLE VAULTING
Most teenagers would opt for gymnastics, high jump or long jump, but one student at Paly decided to take up a combination of all three: pole vaulting. Although many Hollywood ninjas can spontaneously vault from one rooftop to the next, pole vaulting is actually much harder than it appears. Vaulting requires nearly every muscle in the body and demands speed, coordination,and a strong upper body. “I chose pole vaulting because it is a very smooth transition from gymnastics with many similar movements,” junior Noam Hurwitz said. “Having been a gymnast, I have a heavy advantage because I have a developed kinesthetic sense and a strong enough upper body to efficiently manipulate the pole.” There is no local pole vaulting club team, but Hurwitz occasionally makes the trip to a track in Los Altos where he can practice with other pole vaulters. Hurwitz plans to compete for Paly track during the spring. Even though pole vaulting is one of the less popular sports, Noam looks to use this factor to his advantage. “[Pole vaulting] increases my odds of being able to do it in college, even without recruitment,” Hurwitz said.
s
—Jordan Smith
—Ben Hawthorne
TABLE TENNIS
At Paly, many students may not know the aggressive nature of a well-loved pastime: ping pong. However, for sophomore Lily Zhang, table tennis is an intense competitive sport. She started playing at the age of seven and since then has accomplished many achievements and had an immense amount of success as any Paly athlete has had by age fifteen. Currently, she is ranked number one nationally for Cadet Girls 15 and under, Junior Girls 18 and under and Women as well. In the world, Lily sits at second for Cadet Girls 15 and under, 24th for Junior Girls 18 and under and ranked in the top 150 for women. What allows her to be ranked so high is her hard work, determination and passion for the sport of ping pong. To earn such a high ranking, Zhang had to play in dozens of tournaments against table tennis players from all over the world. “I play in international and national tournaments quite often depending on my schedule or the importance of the [tournament]” Zhang said. “I’d have to say the farthest I’ve ever traveled for a tournament would be either South Africa or Dubai,” To play competitively in these tournaments, Zhang practices every single day. “I practice almost every day, usually around four hours on weekdays and four to five hours on weekends” Zhang said. Since Zhang practices every day and plays in tournaments regularly, she misses school often. “I do miss school quite often due to my tournaments.” Zhang said. Usually I go out about once in one or two months but this year is the Olympics which I am hoping to make so I will be a lot busier for this school year.”
—James Foug
Courtesy of Lily Zhang
A8 • November 18, 2011
OPINION
The Campanile
Palo Alto should use large resources to fight poverty
Multiple programs make an easy way to help low-income families W e t a k e pride in growing up in Silicon Valley and at times our bubble can seem invincible. Howevannamcgarrigle er, rein my opinion cently released census data shows otherwise, as the number of children in poverty in the United States has reached an astounding 21 percent according to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). But the problem of child poverty is not as distant as we think. In Santa Clara County, a recent community survey by the U.S. Census Bureau calculated that 10.5 percent of all children live in families below the poverty line. That is over 150,000 children living within 30 minutes of our school without privileges anywhere near the excesses we have here in our everyday lives. “You can see the enormous disparities that exist just in Santa Clara County,” Andy Krackov, Assistant Vice President of Programs and Partnerships for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, said. “There are school districts probably less than 15 miles away from Palo Alto where 82 percent of kids are living in essence in poverty.” In a country where young people are demanding their chance for prosperity from the world, not enough attention is paid to the children living in poverty whose basic needs are not met.
It can be easy to expect others to fight these problems, but it is imperative for our generation to reach out to those our own age locally by helping in any way we can. The data of children living in poverty speaks for itself. Child poverty has reached an all-time high, with 15 million children living in poverty nationwide, according to the NCCP, the same number as Lady Gaga’s Twitter followers. “Childhood poverty exerts a particularly strong influence on well-being across the lifespan,” Krackov said. Among many other impacts, child poverty affects emotional health, school performance, housing situation, stress of parents and healthcare, according to Krackov. In an area where the median family income is over seven times the poverty line, it is easy to ignore the issues faced by many children in our state. In California alone, 20 percent of all children live in families below the poverty line, according to the NCCP. That represents 1.8 million children, approximately the same as the entire population of New Mexico, whose families make under $22,050 per year to support a family of four. To put it in perspective, a MacBook computer, a popular possession for Paly students, can support a family of four living at the poverty line for an entire month. A BMW sedan, a frequent sight in Palo Alto, can support a family for two years. In grandiose terms, a family of four could live at the poverty line for 91 years for the cost of Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring.
Despite the poverty line drawn by the federal government, the NCCP estimates that families everywhere need an income double the federal poverty line to meet their needs, approximately $44,100 annually for basics such as utilities, food and rent. “Poverty is at $22,000 for a family of four, which is beyond poverty here in the Bay Area, that’s extreme poverty,” Krackov said. This may seem like an issue for other regions, and the notable success of our hometown may make it seem immune to issues such as this. But even in the Palo Alto Unified School District, 3.2 percent of families are classified with incomes below the federal poverty line, according to KidsData.org, a program from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Another statistic used to measure child poverty is the number of children eligible for the Free/ Reduced Price School Meals in
California, which allows children whose family income is below $40,700 per family of four to receive a reduced cost lunch. “It’s a better gauge because even where we live in the Bay Area, especially in Santa Clara County, $44,000 for a family of four is living in poverty,” Krackov said. Statewide, 55.9 percent of children are eligible, and in Santa Clara County, 37.9 percent are eligible. As we get closer to home within the Palo Alto Unified School District, eight percent of students are eligible. Although these numbers become smaller the closer we get to Palo Alto, the problem is still prevalent, and we can help. There are many non-profits and organizations across the Bay Area that need volunteers. Getting involved in programs such as Reading is Fundamental (RIF), a nonprofit for children’s literacy, can make a huge differ-
ence in the future of an underprivileged child. Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP) is an agency that repairs homes for those unable to do so themselves, all based on donations of time and materials by its volunteers. Another way to help locally is through The Family Giving Tree, an organization that fulfills the Christmas wishes of children whose families otherwise could not afford presents. Sunday Friends is another program that aims to benefit the well being of low-income families through community education to become self-sufficient. Food banks and soup kitchens in the area provide much-needed relief around the holidays for families in need of help. Our generation needs to fight for something, for someone. It can be agreed that it is much easier to tear down than it is to build up, but if no one stands to help those without the resources we have, our next generation will collapse.
Teachers can help college applicants’ stress by giving less work
Decreasing student homework load would help seniors during first semester As the month of November approached, for many Palo Alto High School seniors, it only meant one thing: deadlines for early applications. The anxiety and apprehension only grew greater as the days left to perfect early decilauracui sion and early acin my opinion tion applications slowly grew numbered. As seniors scrambled to polish up their applications, they were also met with a sudden wave of workloads in classes. Amidst the holiday festivities such as Halloween and the Spirit Week, seniors were not only strained by applications and schoolwork, but were also trying to cherish their last holidays here in Palo Alto. Although most seniors were told to expect the worst of first semester senior year, it would be helpful if teachers tried to accommodate college app deadlines. Especially at a time when students are all trying to embrace their school pride during their last Spirit Week at Paly, it would be thoughtful of teachers to take into consideration the amount of obligations students, especially seniors, have on their plates. It is stressful enough applying to a school where we will be spending our next four years and the additional high-school work only makes it worse. Applying for college seems like a whole class on its own with the ample amounts of forms to be filled out
and plenty of essays to be brainstormed and to help students out, more teachers should consider doing so in order to help relieve written. Seniors are feeling the pressure build up students of the over-pounding stress lying as applying for college is getting to be more on their shoulders. Paly Economics teacher Debbie Whitson competitive than ever. At this point of senior year, college appli- decided to alleviate the homework load after cations are the main focus of seniors’ wor- seeing that students were trying to handle the stress of college applications and the enries. However, it is hard to put all of one’s en- joyment of Spirit Week. “I see that kids have more to do than ergy into the college application process when teachers suddenly decide to pile up on usual since I have two kids who have gone the workload the week before most early col- through Paly,” Whitson said. “I see that the regular workload takes up all your time so lege applications are due. there is no extra S e n i o r time to work on Amy Ke your college apagrees that plications. Spirshe is overEconomics teacher it Week coinloaded with “I see that the regular workcided with [the school work, load takes up all your time so early applicacollege apps there is no extra time to work tion deadline] and school activities. on your college applications.” and that’s the time when you “I was rewant to do more ally stressed out because it was my first college app to be fun stuff anyway, so giving you a little winturned in, so it was a whole new process for dow to work on college apps, I’m willing to me,” Ke said. “ It was also Spirit Week that accommodate a little bit for that period of week so I was stressing about what I was time.” First semester of senior year is demandgoing to wear and I also had a ton of homework and tests too. On top of that, I also had ing as we are scrambling to finish up our college applications while balancing studyto finish my app.” Not only does the added workload af- ing and schoolwork. However, the process does not have to be fect the effort seniors put into the most important process we will go through in high as stressful as it is if teachers are willing to school, it also affects the lasting enjoyment accommodate some of their own deadlines. Seniors want to enjoy their last year here seniors want to savor during their last Spirat Paly and although it is our own responsiit Week here at Paly. Although there are a handful of teachers bility to manage our workload, teachers can who acknowledge the impending college app help by relieving one of the hardest semesdeadlines and adjust their own deadlines ters in school.
Do you think teachers should be obligated to adjust to the busy schedules many seniors have?
Debbie Whitson
“No, because seniors are still part of high school.” Miles Kool Junior
“Yes. [Teachers] should promote kids going to college.” Levi Schoeben Sophomore
“No. You basically choose how much work you get for the year.” Uma Veerappan Senior
Socioeconomic privilege more fair than race-based discrimination
Affirmative action system abused by college applicants, in need of race-blind reform
Affirmative action is a system created from the civil rights movement that grants special privileges to womgavinchan en and in my opinion other minority groups in regard to education and employment. Originally born of a desire to dispose of past discrimination based on ethnicity or gender, affirmative action is now being used for the selfish interests of people instead, especially for college admissions. As we all know, college admission is a highly competitive process. Each year, millions of students submit their applications to colleges, which contain all of
their hard-earned grades and their academic and extracurricular achievements. However, the system of affirmative action is exploited by students who are willing to sacrifice their honesty and dignity in order to gain an unfair advantage in admissions over others who are equally qualified, if not more so. Since colleges try to represent a more culturally diverse student population, some may be given special attention by admission officers if they are of a minority ethnic group. Students can exploit such a system by applying for scholarships supposedly exclusive to minority groups. For example, they can say that they are 1/8 Native American blood, and may therefore be eligible for a scholarship. Tracing a student’s ancestry is difficult and time-consuming, so most colleges do not even take the time to verify such claims.
Despite the possibility of consequences, students still consider lying about their ethnicity on college applications because colleges “do not have an official process to verify student ethnicity,” according to collegeconfidential.com. Public schools such as the UCs are race-blind, and do not require interviews, which raises the tendency for students to fake their self-identification on college applications. However, when certain motivated students just can’t meet the colleges’ requirements and are in need of assistance, they should be eligible for affirmative action. Unfortunately, this is not how the flawed system works. Instead of basing student eligibility on actual financial needs and family background, most of the consideration is given to student ethnicity, which is a rather irrelevant piece of information, making the system unfair to everyone who isn’t part minority.
ALEX LIN/THE CAMPANILE
Colleges face an epidemic of applicants misrepresenting ethnicity and sexual orientation to increase chances of acceptance and financial aid. The arrangement is exploited by students due to its flawed and unjust requirements for eligibility. That said, the entire system of affirmative action in education is
painfully ironic. Affirmitive action was created to eliminate the previous classification of races, but instead it now has created the problem of reverse discrimination and exploitation.
OPINION
The Campanile
November 18, 2011 • A9
Dance team needs more access to studio
Fourth period representatives deserve more say in ASB plans
On Sunday, Nov. 6, the Palo Alto High S c h o o l dance team attended a competition with little to no formal rehearsing. kateapostolou This was not due to in my opinion bad time management, laziness or irresponsibility. The Paly wrestling team has taken over the dance studio and left the dancers without a proper space to practice their routines. Because the wrestling and dance seasons overlap, wrestling needs to start recognizing the Paly dance team’s right to practice in a proper dance studio. When asked whether it is fair to kick the dancers out of the dance studio, many wrestlers bluntly responded “yes” and then burst out laughing at an answer so comically obvious. Along with their condescending behavior, they revealed a lack of understanding as to why the dancers value the studio. “If [the dancers] do spirit dance and halftimes on the field, [they] should be able to practice there,” Paly junior and wrestler Trent Marshall said. Besides insulting the team by comparing it to a trivial Spirit Week activity, Marshall missed the key reasons the dancers need the studio: the mirrors and the hardwood floor. Mirrors make learning dance routines easier and are extremely important as the dance team must constantly put together their routines within just a couple days. The mirrors allow the dancers to observe each other, helping with synchronization and timing as well as style of their routines. In addition, the hardwood floor allows dancers to turn more easily and simulates the stage the dancers will compete on at the upcoming JAMZ Nationals in February. “We definitely need the room with the mirrors and the correct flooring to get our routines perfected,” Paly junior and dance team member Olivia Maggi said. “If the wrestlers are in there, how are we supposed
Just as the national government has representatives from the states to make decisions, Palo Alto High School’s student government has student representatives from all of the fourth period classes to speak on behalf of their classes. These representatives are supposed to meet once a month to discuss upcoming events at Paly, from budget cuts to Spirit Week. The fourth period representative system is great and producjacobzenger tive in theory, but in practice is unin my opinion productive and under utilized. All fourth period classes chose a delegate for their class to both report back what was discussed at the fourth period rep meetings and provide the Associate Student Body (ASB) with feedback. In the first quarter, there was a grand total of one meeting which just went over information already accessible to and known by the Paly community. ASB needs to use their tool of fourth period reps more productively so it can do what is best in the eyes of the students. ASB can do this by holding meetings more often and by discussing information that the reps can help make decisions about. These rep meetings should be about upcoming information, not just about past events that are irrelevant to the Paly school community and the administration. There has been one meeting this entire school year, where topics such as the role of fourth period reps and Spirit Week themes were discussed. Those topics are important, but the student body is already aware of these things, so the meeting ended up being very unproductive. Topics that should have had more light shed on them, such as the canceling of the lunch pool rally or the idea of having a night rally, were not brought up even once. “The topic of the pool rally being changed and the night rally weren’t discussed since we thought it would be more important to inform students at their first meeting of what fourth period reps do, and to let students know what has been officially decided about spirit week,” Fourth Period Rep Director junior Josh Madej said. Also, it is the job of ASB to inform the student body, in the form of fourth period reps, what ASB board members have been discussing and thinking about. ASB may attribute this to the lack of information to discuss, but there has been an abundance of topics to discuss revolving around the preparation and execution of Spirit Week and ASB has done a poor job of utilizing their tool of fourth period reps to get the broader opinion of the student body. The reps are not just for dumping useless information on students and should be used as decision makers in ASB decisions. Like in Congress, representatives are a part of all decisions, so Paly’s representatives should be made a part of more of the larger decisions regarding the student body and the school. To improve the fourth period rep system, ASB has to utilize the representatives in the way they were meant to be used — as actual representatives. Fourth period reps should be a part of the major decisions made in the school and be consulted more frequently than they have been up to this point.
Wrestling team refuses to share space with others “We’re aiming [to move the wresto practice enough and feel comforttlers in] two weeks, but realisticalable going to Nationals?” The first day wrestling occupied ly [it will take] a month,” Berkson the studio during the dance team’s said. The dance team appreciates scheduled practice time, the dancers had to rehearse on the concrete Berkson’s efforts, however, it is still outside, and for the next rehearsal, losing a month’s worth of valuable they moved to the student center, practice time. The dancers cannot rehearse after wrestling because another less than ideal location. “There were leftovers from lunch they continue to train at their prion the floor and no bathrooms for us vate studio dance classes at night, and we couldn’t go full out because and finding another location to there was stuff on the floor,” Pa- practice in would be too difficult. The dancers cannot rehearse afly senior and dance team member Chloe Koseff said. “It’s also a real- ter wrestling because they continue to train ly slippery at their prifloor and vate stuwe didn’t While the wrestlers are no doubt talentdio dance have mir- ed and very hardworking, but they need classes at rors and we to start treating the dancers as their night, and were tryequals, out of respect and most imporfinding aning to learn other loa dance tantly out of good sportsmanship. cation to for our last home game, but it was hard to get practice in would likely be difficult it together because we couldn’t see and too expensive. Even though the dancers will eventually get the each other.” Just like any other Paly sports dance studio to themselves, the curteam, the wrestling team has the rent conflict shows the importance right to practice in its own space and of respect amongst Paly athletes. Paly Dance is just as much of a there are logical reasons for why the wrestlers have not moved out of team as wrestling, and it is not fair the dance studio. Luckily, Paly As- for one sports team to compromise sistant Principal Jerry Berkson is another. While the wrestlers are no working on moving the wrestling doubt hardworking, they need to team to Paly’s airplane hanger, a start treating the dancers as equals, space occupied until recently by an out of respect and most importantly out of good sportsmanship. adult school aeronautics class.
ADAM MANSOUR/campanile
The varsity wrestling team trains for their season, but they occupy the dance studio, which the Paly Dance team needs so they can practice for Nationals.
Delaning English classes may have advantages or disadvantages
Single lane can provide positive environment or hinder student learning
PRO
kylestewart in my opinion
There has been some discussion about combining the two English lanes but keeping the curriculum separate for students who are supposed to be in the higher English lane compared to the students who are supposed to be in
the lower English lane. As of now there are a few English classes that already have combined lanes. These classes include the entire freshman TEAM English as well as English teacher David Cohen’s sophomore Critical Thinking 2, which is mixed with his Exploratory Thinking 2 class. Many students who have taken these classes believe that even with the classes combined their education has not been affected. “I was a Critical Thinking 2 student in Mr. Cohen’s sophomore Critical Thinking 2 and Exploratory Thinking 2 class that was combined,” junior Walker Mees said. “I had no problem learning English and I was able to help students in the Exploratory lane which was pretty cool because I kind of got a little bit of an opportunity to teach too.” Realistically, combining the higher and lower English lanes for freshmen and sophomores should not affect any student’s capability of achieving his or her fullest potential. If the English classes were to be combined, the students in the higher lanes could help the students in the lower lanes become better at English while setting a good example. Naturally, students in the lower lane will learn a lot more from just being around the students in the more advanced lane because every day the lower lane students will see how the higher lane students approach learning English. In the freshman TEAM English classes it has been shown that students in an
English class with mixed Exploratory and Critical Thinking students achieve higher grades than students in an Exploratoryonly class. This has been the case because the students who take the Critical Thinking curriculum in the mixed Exploratory and Critical Thinking class have helped push the Exploratory TEAM students harder and helped them achieve higher grades and expectations for themselves. If the students in the higher English lane were in the same class as the lower lane, they could actually help students in the lower lane. This would create a more positive learning environment for all students, surrounding the less motivated students with ones who want to learn. Delaning the freshman and sophomore English classes would also make life easier on teachers because they would not have to be constantly bouncing from a high lane’s curriculum to a low lane’s curriculum. Teaching just one English lane would enable English teachers to really focus in on the curriculum because they would be teaching the exact same books to both English lanes. Instead of creating new curriculums for each lane, they could simply change essay prompts for the different classes. On the whole, making English into one lane for freshmen and sophomores is a great idea. It will still allow all students to express themselves completely and enhance the performance of students, as well as give some Critical Thinking learners the opportunity to teach and help students learn in the Exploratory class while still being challenged within their own class. It will also most likely enhance most Exploratory Thinking students grades if the Critical Thinking students set a good example for the Exploratory learners. Furthermore, delaning English would provide a more motivational environment for students formerly in the lower English lanes and push them to work harder and achieve higher goals for themselves if once again the Critical Thinking learners set a good example. Therefore, delaning English is the way to go.
CON
When students with severely different At Palo Alto High School, levels of skill are put together in the same there are several class, they must compromise their learndifferent options ing. “The ‘smart’ people don’t learn anything for freshman and sophomore from an easy class, and the ‘stupid’ people give up because the class is too hard,” English classes. A single lane Rasky said. Delaning the freshman and sophomore seems simpler and better for English classes would hurt students’ edustudents, but cations much more than it would aid their these lanes are learning. In creating an English class with no necessary for rachelwilson maintaining ap- lanes, the teachers would be forced to find in my opinion propriate learn- compromises between the different skill ing atmospheres and challenges for differ- levels in their classrooms. With the high class sizes the school sufent students. If these lanes were to be taken away and fers from now, teachers would not have the a single lane of English classes formed, all time to pick out which students need to be of the students would suffer from the com- challenged and those who need to have extra help. promised curriculum. In fact, the school would benefit from Certain classes like this already exist at Paly. Facing History and Ourselves more options for freshman and sophomore (FHAO) offers sophomores an opportuni- English classes. Currently, they are only offered two opty to take a class tions, one quite along with stueasy and the othdents from other In creating an English class with no er quite difficult lanes. lanes, the teachers would be forced to S i m i l a r l y , find compromises between the different depending on the teacher on reTEAM English ceives. classes for fresh- skill levels in their classrooms. A better option men are composed of both Critical Thinking and Exploratory would be having three different levels. This way, the students who are up to beThinking students. Yet while this single lane setup may ing challenged could be placed in an adework for some students, others, like soph- quately difficult class, and those who need omore FHAO student, Jerome Rasky, do extra help in an easy class, with the rest not feel that the setup is entirely benefi- of the students in a mainstream English class. In order for all students to thrive, it cial. “What ends up happening in delaned is necessary to challenge them and inspire classes like FHAO is that the class splits them to improve. However, if students want to pursue into the ‘smart’ people and the ‘stupid’ peoEnglish more intensively in college or even ple,” Rasky said. FHAO is a unique class, however, be- later in high school, it is important that cause although it combines students from they are performing at a higher level, so it Exploratory Thinking and Critical Think- is essential to not delane English classes. If the lanes are removed and the stuing, it is not delaned. The students take different quizzes and dents will not be able to write and process have different essay prompts depending on at the higher level neccessary to succeed which class they are enrolled in, but other at this level. The most successful solution to the isthan that the curriculum is all the same. Different students have varying levels sue of laning in English classes is to keep of motivation and levels of ability to per- the current lanes or create more, not combining critical and exploratory thinking. form in English classes.
SPORTS
The Campanile
November 18, 2011• A10
Sophomore practices extreme mountain biking Jason Trisler relieves stress through exhilarating sport By Sam Dodson Staff Writer
It is a lazy summer afternoon and a group of four friends look down from atop a hill. They glance apprehensively at one another, considering how steep the hill is and how big the jump is. In the next moment, one of them suppresses his anxiety and begins riding down the hill; hitting top speeds of 25 miles per hour. Wind is howling by his ears, rocks crunching beneath his tires. Suddenly, everything quiets down as the cyclist is suspended in midair, praying that he will not eat dirt like he did two weeks ago. After what seems like forever, the wheels hit the ground and the cyclist is jolted back to life, easing the bike to a stop. With adrenaline soaring through his veins, he calls out to his friends to try the jump, and starts walking back up the hill to do it all over again. While most athletes are confined to the same, monotonous playing surfaces, sophomore Jason Trisler has taken full advantage of the wonderful and varied outdoors that northern California has to offer with the unique sport of mountain biking. Mountain biking has become especially popular in California due to the array of superb trails in the area. Trisler first experienced the thrill of landing a jump when he was eight years old, when most of his peers were still learning how to ride a bike. He has been competing ever since. “I noticed a jump on my street and decided that I wanted to try [the jump],” Trisler said. “When I finally went off and landed, it was awesome and I knew that was what I wanted to do for a long time.” Although he is not part of an organized team, Trisler competes four times a year and practices recreationally. On a typical weekend, Trisler and three other friends, juniors Rowan Thompson, Walker Mees and Erik Anderson, may be found going off jumps and speeding down hills at on some of the many trails around the Bay Area. “There are so many places to get good biking and they are so close to home,” Trisler said. “We have been down to the Santa Cruz
Photos Courtesy of Jason trisler
Sophomore Jason Trisler has been mountain biking since he was eight years old. He currently competes competitively multiple times a year. Trisler is working to get sponsored with the help and support of his dad. He has received formal recognition for his accomplishments through the many competitions in which he has participated. Trisler’s passion for the exhilarating sport continues to grow. and Big Sur area, the Oakland Hills and other coastal mountain areas.” In addition to the close and accessible trails around the Bay, many ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada mountains also offer
Northstar [Ski Resort], and one in Ashland, Oregon,” Trisler said. Through competitions like these, Trisler receives formal recognition for his accomplishments. At one point, Trisler was sponsored by two mountain bike companies, Blitz Vision and 661. “I’m not sponsored anymore, junior but I am working “Jason has been riding the longest and was really hard to get lucky enough to have his dad in the sport sponsored again with him to give him some coaching. He hits with the help of jumps the rest of us wouldn’t think of doing.” my dad,” Trisler said. “My dad is really into it and challenging downhill cycling for supports me everywhere I go. It’s the more skilled, competitive cy- a family thing.” clist. During the summer, Trisler Junior Rowan Thompson, spends most of his time cycling who mountain bikes with Trisler and participates in various events and his family often, agrees that throughout the Sierras. Trisler’s dad supports him and is “I practice almost every other part of the reason why Trisler has day during the summer and have achieved success in the sport. participated in the Sea Otter Con“Jason has been riding the lontest near Monterey, an event at gest and was lucky enough to have
ROWAN THOMPSON
his dad in the sport with him to give him some coaching,” Thompson said. “He hits jumps the rest of us wouldn’t think of doing.” Although at times this extreme sport is exhilarating, it is also unpredictable and dangerous. Trisler and his friends wear protective gear to prevent the possibility of a life-threatening injury, such as a blow to the head. “We wear knee guards, a brace to protect our neck and a full-face helmet with goggles,” Trisler said. “If I did not take these precautions I would have probably injured myself pretty badly by now. I have never had to go to the hospital, but I have been knocked out before.” Thompson has only suffered minor injuries while mountain biking. “I have had a few scrapes here and there, but other than that I’ve been injury-free,” Thompson said. Despite painful consequences, Trisler believes the thrill of
mountain biking outweighs the injuries. “It’s an amazing way to relieve stress and a great way to meet new people,” Trisler said. Furthermore, Trisler’s passion does not affect his schoolwork. While many sports require athletes to practice for three hours or more per day, Trisler can practice on his own time. “I mainly practice on the weekend, so I still have time to get my [schoolwork] done,” Trisler said. “Socially, it helps me because I am always practicing with friends and I meet a lot of new people during the competitions.” More and more people continue to discover the stimulating sport of mountain biking. Some do it for the competition, while others simply bike to let off steam. “It’s not like any other sport where you have to be good to have fun,” Trisler said. “You can still have fun while enjoying the outdoors and getting good exercise.”
Paly Sports Boosters distribute funds fairly among teams Hansen said people wrongly believe football team receives majority of funding
In general, sports money is raised by the days [where they support] whatever profit is made from concessions and admission Sports Boosters and the boosters know how is split between the team and the boosters. their money is divided among Paly sports. Earl Hansen’s goal for Paly athletics is The money made is transferred from my finance expert Karen Barich and deposited to make booster funding equally distributed among all the sports teams. into the sports booster account.” Hansen has dealt with this subject for Lacrosse acquired new equipment since the girls’ team formed four years ago, and the past 30 years. “I’ve done the best I can to make sure the boys’ team also received new equipment just two years ago. New sports are each sport is cared for, and I will continue usually accepted here at Paly, but there to, so we can keep our sports program at comes a cost to adding more sports into the the highest level,” Hansen said. Although there is fan support for every fold. “Lacrosse has been a real great addition sport at Paly, the attendance at football games brings to our sports in the greatest program, but revenue. when you add “Football new sports it Paly Athletic Director is always the increases our “We want to make sure at money makcosts for trans[Paly that]... no one is left out er no matter portation, officials and and all the teams are support- what in high school,” Hanequipment,” ed and funded properly.” sen said. “ Our Hansen said. football pro“This goes for all new sports that we add. Since the dis- gram does provide a lot for this school.” Because the football team has been trict gives us nothing, we ask for a bigger so successful from last years undefeated donation from the new sports.” Paly has to pay for all of the equipment championship run, coupled with this years used since the district doesn’t provide fund- continued success with a new sophomore ing. All funds are raised by the individual quarterback, the fan support for Paly football has allowed for more profit from admisteams with help from the Sports Boosters. Despite the multiple championship runs sion, and the infamous snack shack. “Our snack shack is a great source of inlast season from football, volleyball, wrestling and baseball there is no money giv- come for us, football is one of the sports that en to the school for winning championships utilizes a food stand, which is why football in high school, so costs actually increased is considered a high school’s money maker,” as the teams go deeper and deeper in their Hansen said. Sports like volleyball, lacrosse, soccer playoff runs. “It’s not like college when you win bowl and swimming among others do not get the games you get money for the school, so our chance to profit from the food stand. Bascosts on transportation for all the student- ketball also employs a concession stand at athletes went up,” Hansen said. “I wouldn’t most of its basketball games. “Just because football and basketball complain, because what happened last year was special, and what all those kids did have snack areas, doesn’t mean we valto win those titles is way more important ue them more than the others, we want to than paying more for sending the kids to make sure all the students, parents and coaches understand that,” Hansen said. those events.”
Earl hansen
Logan Mendenhall/campanile
The Paly sports booster club strives to correspondingly divide funds among all Paly teams. Lacrosse is among the many teams that benefits from the money that the boosters raise.
By Brandon Byer Staff Writer
At Palo Alto High School, funding from the Sports Boosters is commonly thought to go entirely to the football team, but according to Earl Hansen, Paly’s Athletic Director, that is false. Hansen has been dealing with these money issues for his entire stint as the Athletic Director. Hansen, the varsity football coach, has gotten his fair share of complaints about why all the funds go to the football program. In reality, the funding is shared quite evenly among all the sports teams at Paly, not just football. “The Sports Boosters make sure that they have fundraisers for all the sports,” Hansen said. “We want to make sure at Palo Alto High School [that] we have the best programs from the swim team to the football team, no one is left out and all the teams are supported and funded properly.”
With this mindset, Hansen and his finance partner Karen Barich have been keeping track of all the files that have accumulated to keep tabs on the equality of the funding. The district does not give the high school funding for individual teams so each team must raise money through fundraisers throughout the year. “The football [team] is funded through us, not the district,” Hansen said. “The snack bar and admission for football games helps a lot. We gross around $3000 or so per game depending on the team we play and fan turnout.” Another general misunderstanding about high school sports funding is that the boosters usually do not know where the money they raise goes. “The boosters at this school know exactly where their money goes,” Hansen said. “Through the fundraisers, and on game
SPORTS
The Campanile
SENIORS COMMIT ON NATIONAL SIGNING DAY Text by Wesley Shiau, photos compiled by Riki Rattner and Alex Lin “I committed to Pepperdine for swimming. I chose Pepperdine because it is an amazing school in a beautiful city and it has all the values that I was looking for in a school.”
MEGAN BREDENBERG “I committed to Stanford for water polo. I loved how it offered the perfect combination of the best academics and the best athletics.”
SKYLAR DOROSIN “I committed to San Diego State for Division I lacrosse. I chose this school over other schools because it was in California, I’ve known the coach for a while (back when she coached at Stanford) and I really like her coaching style.”
KIMMIE FLATHER “I’m going to Harvard for tennis. I chose Harvard over any other school because it was simply the best fit for me. It has a tennis team that has been getting a lot better and I really wanted to be a part of that. The academic side also fits very well for me.”
NICKY HU “I have verbally committed to play lacrosse at Amherst College. I decided I wanted to play Division III so I would have time to also play soccer and do other things during college.”
EMY KELTY “I’m going to the University of Connecticut to play Division I volleyball. In the end, I decided to go to UConn because I love the girls on the team and the campus is beautiful and the school can provide me with exactly the education I am looking for.”
MADDIE KUPPE “I verbally committed to Conneticut College for Division III volleyball. I chose this school because the team vibe is great. The coach is very confident in his team’s ability and as a great attitude about athletics and academics and having a balance between the two.”
CAROLINE MARTIN “I committed to Princeton University for swimming. I decided to go there primarily because it’s an incredible academic school, but all the schools I was looking at were of comparable academic standards so there were lots of other factors.”
BYRON SANBORN “After a deliberation, I [chose between] Stanford and University of Southern California. USC has a swimming program that I favor. My club program stresses quality over quantity when training and that’s exactly what USC does, [making] my transition from club to college smooth.”
JASMINE TOSKY “I have committed to University of Washington for volleyball. I chose it because I loved the coaches, the team, the campus and the city. It was a perfect match for me both athletically and academically.”
MELANIE WADE “I committed to play volleyball at The University of the Pacific. I chose the school because I liked the small school feel and I liked the coach and that they have a good, building program.”
KIMMY WHITSON
First time player Chengming Liu talks football
New Chinese student embraces American culture on team By Alvin Kim Staff Writer
Included in the flood of new varsity football players this year is Chengming Liu, a Palo Alto High School senior from Harbin, a city in the Chinese province of Heilong Jiang. Standing at six foot two and weighing 230 pounds, Liu strikes an imposing presence both on and off the field. However, unlike the other newcomers, Liu has no prior experience in football. “It’s nothing bad [for me] to try something new,” Liu said. “[Football] is a good way for me to experience American culture.” Liu said that he got the idea to play football from his Physical Education teacher at Henry M. Gunn High School, where he attended when he first came to the United States in February 2011. Due to his dislike of Gunn and a superior English as a Second Language program at Paly, Liu decided to attend Paly. Despite football being thought of as a rough sport by Chinese students, Liu enjoys the sport. “[In China] we just thought that people were hitting [and] punching [in football],” Liu said. “It is an interesting game. You need to cooperate a lot. In soccer, it’s okay for one player to mess up, but in football, if a person messes up then the whole team is in big trouble.” Yael palmon/ campanile Spencer Drazovich, center of the football team, said that Liu already has a good grasp for the game and that he is Six foot two, 230 pound Senior Chengming Liu lines up for learning fast. a trial block at one of many 2011 varsity football practices. “Chengming is big and very strong,” Drazovich said. “He Unfortunately, a series of mishaps have prevented Liu is a quick learner and does well adjusting to the game for someone who has never played before. It is a tough sport to from playing in too many games so far this season. “For the first three games, I couldn’t play because I had learn in a short amount of time but Chengming finds a way to finish my paperwork for transferring from Gunn,” Liu to pull it off.” Liu has really appreciated the focus on teamwork and said. “And then, I got hit by a car, and I hurt my leg, so I has reveled in the team atmosphere, saying that his team- couldn’t play in the last couple of games.” Another challenge that he has faced so far has been the mates are very friendly and encouraging. language barrier. “Everybody on the team is work“I cannot understand all of the ing together,” Liu said. “It’s not commands of my coaches,” Liu said. [about] individual power. When- “Chengming is a great teammate, he “In the beginning, I didn’t know ever I make progress, they cheer helps out when he can and does what what a tight end was. When I didn’t me on.” know what to do I would stand there His teammates cheering him is necessary to make the team better.” and watch, and then I would know.” on helped develop the trait that he However, Drazovich said that Liu considers his best in football: his Junior is handling the transition to the new determination. culture in football and at school well. “[My strength] is my determina“At school he seems to have a great handle on things and tion to [help] my team,” Liu said. “Once in a game, I thought I needed to assist my team. So, I used my whole energy and people enjoy having him both in the classroom and on the threw [my opponent] on the ground. We gained ten yards field,” Drazovich said. Despite the issues he has faced so far, Liu is still optimisthrough the hole I made and it was the only time that the tic and said that it has been a good season. He said that he second string made a ten yard gain like that.” is not sure whether he will participate in more sports this Drazovich also complimented Liu’s hard work. “Chengming is a great teammate,” Drazovich said. “He year due to his leg injury he received from the car accident, helps out when he can and does what is necessary to make but he said that one of the possible sports that he might play is lacrosse. the team better.”
Spencer Drazovich
November 18, 2011•A11
SportsBriefs Cross country runners reflect on team’s success this season
The Palo Alto High School cross country boys’ team finished 11th and the girls’ team finished eighth in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic Leagues this past weekend after working all season to improve their times. Both teams had top place finishes with senior Nikolai Solgaard and freshman Katie Foug. “I had hoped to do better but I am happy with my performance, cross country has never really been my thing, it’s more to prepare me for track,” Solgaard said. Solgaard finished 23rd out of 164 runners and was the fastest runner for the boys team. Foug placed seventh and junior Chika Kasahara placed ninth, producing the fastest times for the girls team. “This season our team is doing really well compared to last season,” Kasahara said. “Everyone, including the seventh runner gives everything they have in the races.” The girls’ cross country team qualified for Central Coast Sections [CCS] and placed sixth overall with strong performances by Foug, who placed eighth and Kasahara, who placed tenth. The boys did not qualify for CCS after finishing 11th in leagues over the past weekend. “I think we were all a little disappointed with how poorly we did as a group at the league race, but we all know we could have done better,” Solgaard said. Foug will be the only member from Paly cross country who will move on to states. Kasahara came close with a ninth place finish. Foug, Kasahara and Solgaard are looking forward to the track season.
—Logan Mendenhall and Sophie Parker Staff Writers
Girls’ water polo season concludes after entering into CCS post season Palo Alto High School’s girls’ varsity water polo team ended their regular season in a victorious win against Homestead High School, with an ending score of 13-5. The Lady Vikes ended their league season with a record of 13-9. Paly entered the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) De Anza Division Tournament on Nov. 3 against Wilcox High School, where they crushed the Chargers 15-6. In their second game of the tournament, the Vikings fell to Los Altos High School 9-3. On Nov. 5, the Vikings defeated Los Gatos in their third game of SCVAL 6-5. Paly placed third in the SCVAL Tournament overall. Paly entered Central Coast Section (CCS) on Thursday, Nov. 8 against San Benito at the Paly pool. The Vikings slid by San Benito in a victorious 13-11 win in overtime. Junior field player and goalie Abby Bromberg held a tight defense throughout the game and senior cocaptain Skylar Dorosin scored a leading seven goals for the team. “We weren’t the higher-favored team so I was expecting a tougher game,” head coach Spencer Dorsin said. “[San Benito] is a power team and we just played better defense.” After their win against San Benito, the Lady Vikes advanced to the second round of CCS, where they fell to Leland High School 12-6, ending their season for the year. “We did the best we could,” junior field player Liana Krakirian said. “It didn’t go our way, but I’m really proud of us because we’ve improved so much over the season.”
—Anna Norimoto and Beth Yan Staff Writers
Despite qualifications, two girls move into CCS for tennis The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity tennis team did not do well enough to qualify the team for Central Coast Section (CCS) although they did well in the SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley Athletic League). However, two players, Ashli Budhiraja and Felicia Wang, are headed to individual CCS. Budhiraja was excited about qualifying for CCS, especially because there were many close games played throughout the season, but she and Felicia believe that they have a chance to win. “We think we can go really really far [in CCS],” Budhiraja said. “We can win.” Both Budhiraja and Wang normally play singles, but in CCS they will be playing doubles to give them an advantage over other teams. “We thought we’d have a better chance making individual [CCS] if we played doubles because there are a lot of good singles players,” Budhiraja said. “The better players usually play singles so if we play doubles then we’ll beat the other [doubles teams].” Although Wang and Budhiraja may have an advantage in CCS, playing doubles will be difficult since they have both played singles throughout the year. “We don’t know how to volley, and we kind of play [doubles] like we are playing singles,” Budhiraja said. However, the team can overcome these difficulties with their teamwork. “We cooperate really well [and] we communicate really well,” Budhiraja said. The whole team hopes to qualify for both team CCS and individual CCS next year, and head coach Andy Harader is already planning ahead for the team’s next season. “We [need to focus on] fundamentals and mental toughness,” Harader said. Overall, the tennis team has improved since the beginning of the year, and the doubles have improved the most. Budhiraja noticed the new strength of a secured lineup, which will surely help the team next year. “I think we are going to do a lot better than last year because this year there were nine seniors who graduated so we had a lot of tryouts to figure out the lineup,” Budhiraja said. “Now since the lineup is solid we just need one more person [on the team next year] and we’ll be set.” Budhiraja said.
—Elizabeth Bowman and Emily Rosenthal Staff Writers
A12 • November 18, 2011
“I like what I see.”
SPORTS
The Campanile
NCAA places strict restrictions on new students Recruiting rules limit interaction between players and coaches By Josie Butler Staff Writer
kirahingram Love is a battlefield, but checking yourself out in a mirror is a sport. Sure, you can jump to the conclusion that I’m vain, but let’s be completely honest, so are you. In fact, you’re so vain, you probably think this column is about you. And in fact, it is, boys who stare at themselves in the mirror at the gym; this is about you. As I’ve taken up weight-lifting, or as my “glaxers” (girl-laxers, and yes I just made this up...), “gettin’ swoll,” I’ve noticed something extremely out-of-the-ordinary occur, these boys act like they would in the dressing rooms of the nearby Nordstrom apparel shop. Yes, boys, you stare at yourselves in the mirror a wee bit too much. Don’t worry though, I am definitely not saying that this is not a bad thing. A-Rod does it too! “Nine times out of ten it’s a vanity thing,” varsity football coach and history aficionado Mr. Foug said. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Although most athletes claim checking yourself out is all for “technique” and “form,” we all know the truth. You are definitely looking forward to checking out how your sweaty muscles ripple as you lift that iron poundage. We can compare this scenario to when you brush your teeth in the mornings. I see you with them pearly whites, but seriously, this is not the bathroom! When senior varsity swimmer and all-around good guy Corso Rosati was asked why he spends more time staring at his biceps than he does lifting weights, he quickly replied with a sly grin, one he often gives himself while getting “yolked,” and said: “I like what I see.” It seems that if most Paly lifters were asked to pick a theme song while lifting weights, a vast majority would choose LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.” The only part about this song that might not apply to them boys is the part where it says, “I work out,” because they are definitely too busy checking out their “sweet form” (#roasted). Your real theme song should be “Friday” by Rebecca Black because all you want to do is “get down” with yo’ bad self. Alright, time for me to come clean. I do check myself out in the mirror, but only for short periods of time. For example, walking to the free weights I might walk a little slower just to make sure that my high socks are high enough and my ponytail braid is positioned correctly, but I do not spend hours watching my muscles as I am doing my bicep curls with my 7.5 pound weights. NO WAY, JOSE! In a recent study done by the KBL Institute (an institute as fictional as your muscles, which consists of the three “coolest cats” on campus, a.k.a. Kirah-Brian-Lauren), researchers found that gazing longingly in the mirror does not make you stronger. In fact, it lessens your ability to stay focused. “This [study] is just absolutely [interesting],” an anonymous senior “yolker” said. “[It has really revolutionized how I work out. Even more than the ShakeWeight and Perfect Pushup and BumpIt combined].” Freyermuth is not alone. The KBL also found that nearly 100% of men agree, give or take a few. So boys, I’m-a-be real. You can look at yourself, I don’t mind, but hear me out: please cut back on your staring time. You’re starting to scare the old men trying to get rid of their pregnant-looking bellies. “I do admit to looking at myself in the mirror,” said an anonymous junior who has rather large, unruly sideburns. “I’ve even moved a bench.” And from this tidbit of information, I know what he says when he looks in the mirror: “You are sexy!” Yes it’s true, I just witnessed Henry Tucher speaking to himself in a reflective computer screen. It is amazing how the young men of today go to great lengths only to increase the size of their biceps, necks and pectorals. Boys and men alike take part in weight-lifting for all different reasons, but summed up, their favorite reason to do so is for “symmetry and motivation,” as stated by junior Weston Preising. So there you have it, Paly. These are the reasons young men take part in weight-lifting, and why we always see them eyeing themselves in the mirror. You’re welcome.
Everyone sees them at one game or another: college scouts sitting pensively on the sidelines, watching intently while trying to find the next Andrew Luck or Toby Gerhart. This scene, however, is only one tiny part of the complex college recruitment process. It is made up of strict guidelines and rules addressing topics ranging from eligibility all the way to recruiting regulations. On the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) website, the rules for recruitment are spelled out in a 24-page guide covering the ins and outs of the process. Filled with charts and bullets stating the numerous rules of college sports, this guide describes the process which each high school student who dreams of a college career must follow. At Palo Alto High School, sports are a key component of the school identity. For example, last year’s two state Division I titles and multiple Central Coast Section (CCS) victories reflected the athleticism of the student ADAM MANSOUR/CAMPANILE body at Paly. Students from Paly in past years have also been known to travel across Senior Emilee Osagiede gets ready to shoot while teammate Lindsay Black guards her. Osathe country to play sports at some of the most giede is currently being recruited by multiple colleges, such as San Jose State, for basketball. competitive colleges in the nation. At Paly, many students also play sports ate the conversations with the coaches them- with visits as well. Rules for visits also depend on whether or not they are official or competitively in international competitions. selves.” Osagiede is currently being recruited for unofficial. The main difference between an With so many star athletes, recruitment at basketball by Division I schools such as the unofficial and an official visit is that the colPaly is a widely discussed topic. Crucial to the recruitment process is the University of San Francisco and San Jo- leges pay for athletes to take an official visit. “I went on one official visit to the [Unilevel at which an athlete wants to play. Ac- se State University as well Division II San cording to the NCAA, the rules for Division Francisco State University and Division III versity of Connecticut for volleyball],” senior Maddie Kuppe said. “In volleyball, each athI, Division II and Division III schools all University of California, Santa Cruz. The rules and regulations also vary de- lete typically waits to go on their official visit vary. Typically, Division III schools have the most lenient recruitment restrictions. For pending on the sport the athlete plays. Re- until after they have verbally committed to example, a college coach from a Division II strictions for men’s basketball, women’s the school of their choice. Because the official school may call an athlete once per week be- basketball and football recruiting are all dif- visits are fully paid for by the school, most ginning June 15 between the student’s ju- ferent, and there are occasional discrepan- institutions will not even mention planning cies in regula- a visit until they are positive you will play nior and senior tions for other for them.” year, whereas Sometimes colleges fly potential players sports such as there is no limmen’s ice hock- out or even reimburse a recruit for any drivit on the numsenior ey, women’s ing expenses. There are also many restricber of calls or ice hockey and tions about official visits. when they can “I liked being a collegiate athAny lodging, food or other expenses are swimming. be made by a lete for 48 hours. I was so exFor exam- paid for by the college, a rule that is encollege coach cited to be part of the new pro- ple, during a forced by the NCAA. Also, visits cannot last from a Divigram.” player’s senior for more than 48 hours. Unofficial visits difsion III school. year, all ath- fer during a recruit’s senior year because an Other reletes except unlimited number of unofficial visits can be strictions are placed on the number of official visits a play- women’s ice hockey players are permitted to made. “The experience was awesome,” Kuppe er can make a year. Students interested in a call a coach any time throughout the course said. “I liked being a collegiate athlete for 48 Division I or II school may make official vis- of a week. Women’s ice hockey players are only al- hours. Coming home was the hardest part its starting the first day of classes their senior year; however, they may make only one lowed phone calls to coaches once per week because I was so excited to be a part of the new program. At this point I’ve only had a official visit per college and a maximum of beginning July 7 after their junior year. “I haven’t been able to actually meet the small taste of what I’ll be living like next five official visits to Divisions I and II colleges. Division III schools are more lenient, re- coaches until recently, and they haven’t been year, and I can’t wait until Aug. 8, when I ofquiring that a athlete may make only one of- able to contact me,” Osagiede said. “But, ficially report as a Husky.” Athletes such as Osagiede and many othficial visit per college, but to as many colleges I have been in contact through visits and some of the coaches contacted my basketball ers have gone through the recruiting process as they would like. and followed these recruiting regulations in “I think the regulation rules that are in coach.” Like all things in the realm of college hopes of continuing to pursue their love of place are fine,” senior Emilee Osagiede said. “They make it so that athletes have to initi- sports there are requirements associated the game on a collegiate level.
Maddie kuppe
Volleyball proceeds through Varsity football completes quarterfinals, beating Gunn almost undefeated season By Olivia Cole Staff Writer
After a riveting, successful season, the Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity volleyball team proceeded onto Central Coast Section (CCS) competition. The Lady Vikes have brought their best effort to every challenge, including the Spikefest II Tournament on Oct. 29, where they earned first place. Following the tournament, Paly played Los Gatos High School (24-8-0) at Los Gatos on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The match against Los Gatos was a close one; however, Paly got the win after five close games. Paly started off the match with a strong lead of 2512 in the first game. The second and third games, however, were dominated by Los Gatos with scores of 19-25 and 18-25. Paly persevered through their losses and came back in the fourth and fifth games with scores of 25-19 and 15-11, winning the game. After securing the win at Los Gatos, Paly played Henry M. Gunn High School (15-20-0) with Gunn hosting the match on Thursday, Nov. 3. Paly dominated the court in the first game, reaching 25 points with Gunn trailing at 13. They won the second game with an even bigger margin and score at 25-11. Unexpectedly, in the third game, Gunn stepped up its game and managed to win with the score at 23-25. Paly kept their lead despite Gunn’s momentary victory, and finished off the match with a winning score of 25-17. Paly played Gunn again on Thursday, Nov. 10 for the CCS quarterfinals in Paly’s own big gym. The three first games of the match were all dominated by Paly, with scores from Gunn at 19, 17, and 17. After another win against Gunn, Paly’s head coach David Winn shared enthusiastic praise for his team.
“We kept the pressure on them throughout the match,” Winn said. “We only lost the first point of the first two sets and after that we really didn’t fall behind at all.” However, even after such a strong performance from his team, Winn still had an idea of how the team could improve for their next game. “We need to do a better job with blocking,” Winn said. “We left a lot of holes in the front row tonight, and they took advantage of it. Other teams [are] going to do the same thing, so we need to do a better job of blocking and defense behind the block.” Senior outside hitter Maddie Kuppe also had a positive outlook on the game and the season in general. “We did a good job serving, and towards the end we had good energy,” Kuppe said. “[Throughout the season] we’ve gotten louder, our passing has gotten more consistent, but that’s not very well demonstrated by this match, and our chemistry has improved.” For future games, Kuppe stressed passing as an area that was lacking in the game against Gunn. “We can work on our passing,” Kuppe said. “Usually our passing is really solid, but tonight something was just a little bit off.”
VOLLEYBALL Recent Scores vs. Los Gatos W2-3 vs. Gunn W3-1
Upcoming Game vs. Salinas Nov 17, 5:30 p.m.
By Wesley Shiau and James Foug Staff Writers
The Palo Alto High School football team dominated in their last three games, winning all three by more than 25 points. Paly started off strong versus Mountain View on a MorrisGates Mouton 63-yard touchdown run. Mountain View was quick to retaliate when they scored a few minutes later off a short five-yard run, but Paly dictated the next three quarters, scoring 39 points as Mountain View struggled to respond. Gates-Mouton scored again off a four-yard touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst connected with senior running back B.J. Boyd for 17-, 58-, and 63-yard touchdowns respectively throughout the first three quarters of the game. In the third quarter, GatesMouton beat the Mountain View defense and scored off a 68-yard run. With three minutes left in the game, Mountain View managed to score the final touchdown of the game ending the game with a score of 46-14. In Paly’s most dominating game of the year so far, against Los Altos High School, Paly scored first five minutes into the game when senior running back Dre Hill scored an eight-yard touchdown. Soon after, senior Justin Grey scored off a punt return to put the Vikings in the lead with 14-0. Senior Gabe Landa scored his first varsity touchdown on the kickoff to open the second quarter on a squib kick, carrying the ball 68 yards for a touchdown.
Chryst made only two passes that night, completing an 85yard catch and a touchdown, but the Vikings’ running game more than made up for it as Paly finished the half with a score of 557. After a few more scores in the second half, Paly ended up winning 74-14. To finish the season, with a league championship on the line, the Vikings played Milpitas High School beating them 62-35. However, played is not the best word to describe the game between the schools. Paly crushed Milpitas, running the ball for a combined total of over 300 yards. Chryst had 150 passing yards, mostly coming from a 62-yard touchdown pass to Hill and a 48-yard touchdown pass to Boyd. The Vikings ran away with the game as the offense flouri s h e d throughout, led by Chryst. “I am getSenior Lineman ting better at understand“I think we ing the ofhave really fense and come togethsome of the guys er as a team.” new are as well,” Chryst said. “We can now just play football without thinking all the time.” Beating Milpitas crowned Paly the De Anza League title earning the fourth seed in the Open Division playoffs in the Central Coast Section. They will square off versus Leland High School in the first round this Friday night at home. “I think we have really come together as a team and focused on the details to win games,” senior lineman Tory Prati said. “We have been able to put together more complete games as the season has progressed, which is key.”
Tory prati
Lifest yles Features • A&E • People
The Campanile
Young Wild and Free
THE FUTURE OF FARMING
Two local farmers are using a technique to grow lettuce that requires 99% less water and 95% less land than the usual methods. They came to Palo Alto High School to tell us exactly how their innovative system works.
ecopia farms
ordinary farms
laurenwong
land required per head of lettuce
1
sq. ft.
4
sq. ft.
around
less than
4
seasons available
2-3
water used per head of lettuce
Red Vein Sorrel
Cress
Mustards
Basils
1.5
cups
75
gallons
On Oct. 31 at 7 p.m., I was not studying for my AP Psych test (sorry, Ms. Mattes) nor working on my Book Salon project (sorry, Ms. Austin) nor doing college apps (sorry, Mom). Nor was I handing out candy as social norms, and my Facebook and Twitter feeds would dictate. Instead, I was trick or treating. To make it even better, my little sister refused to come with me because she wanted to go with her “own friends,” so with no pretense of supervising my sister available, it was just my friend and me trick-or-treating, two 17-year-olds in a sea of 3-foot-tall iPads, angels and fairies. Most of the time, when I rang my neighbors’ doorbells, they either reacted with a small chuckle (perhaps shaking their heads sadly, although if they did so they were quite sneaky about it), an “Oh, how nice to see you!” or an “Oh, how cute!” before tossing a handful of candy into our bags. But towards the end of our round through my neighborhood, a woman opened the door, gave us a once-over and said (in essentially the same tone you would use if your best friend who literally never pays you back for anything came up to you and asked, “Hey, can I borrow $300 to buy lunch for the next month?”), after an awkward pause: “....Really, you guys? Seriously?” She then rolled her eyes at us and gave us one piece of candy each before closing the door quickly. In a time when many teenagers commit risky, even illegal acts on Halloween, I was surprised to be greeted by such a reaction. As high school students, we are constantly submerged beneath a sea of college applications, deadlines and neverending math problems, but often students choose to deal with this mounting stress through activities that won’t be legal for another three to eight years. I figured that I might be judged for being a 17-year-old out trick or treating when the median age of the rest of the costume-toting children was about 12 years younger. Haters gon’ hate. But why do these judgments exist in the first place? What’s wrong with acting like a kid again once in a while? I don’t mean being immature–I mean doing the things we used to love doing when we were little but are inclined to feel that we’ve outgrown, like playing handball, running on the redtop (Duveneck kids, you know you all loved getting away with it), dangling from the monkey bars that used to seem so high off the ground, biking around the neighborhood or, yes, trick or treating, back in the days when going to the Junior Museum to see the blue tongued skink interested us much more than did gossiping about a similar-sounding term with a different vowel. We shouldn’t have to feel like we need to justify our actions to do these things; in fact, we don’t have to. Many of us will be going off to college next year; even sooner, many will become legal adults by next June. With the often terrifying reality of adulthood almost upon us, it’s nice to take a step back, just for a moment, to those days before the word “sexy” became the prefix of every costume and when being a big kid meant going on the play structure on the other side of the school. In the end, we’re not so far away from entering a different world altogether, and we shouldn’t be pressured by the social and cultural norms that define adolescence to grow up any faster. Maturity and youthfulness are not mutually exclusive. Obligations only increase with age, and everyone has confronted at one point in their lives the fact that we will never be any younger than we are today. We can’t be blamed and shouldn’t be judged when in the midst of seemingly never-ending stress in a pressure cooker environment we want to take a step back, if only for a few minutes, to simpler times. Regardless of whether we’re young and wild, there’s something irreplaceable about going back to the times when we were truly free.
Friday, November 18, 2011• B1
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By Elena Pinsker Technology Editor
hen one thinks of a produce farm, a picture of wide, open fields blooming with sky-high crops that flourish in the warm sun is what usually comes to mind. However, another picture that most farmers only know is the copious water use this kind of farm requires. For example, lettuce, the most abundantly grown crop in California, usually requires 75 gallons of water per head grown. Is growing the same lettuce with less water even possible? Jim Spencer and Phil Fok, the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, respectively, of Ecopia Farms believe so. They have discovered a method that enables them to grow a head of lettuce using just 1.5 cups of water—about 99 percent less than the typical farmer. By using isolated, planter-like boxes that trap water and prevent it from escaping and being wasted, Spencer and Fok’s multi-tiered system creates the ultimate eco-friendly farm. Light-emitting diode (LED) lights let Ecopia Farms grow its lettuce indoors, saving water and allowing for year-round production. “One of the students at Stanford [University] from Saudi Arabia [was] lamenting about how it’s so difficult for the Arab countries to support themselves because they can’t grow food, one of the basic prerequisites [to survive],” Fok said. “They asked for some help, and there was a project there they were working on; how do we enable agriculture in an desert environment, or any hostile environment? And that’s where we came up with this idea.” By creating a greenhouse-like environment, Ecopia Farms is able to grow lettuce in an organic setting, free from bugs, pollution and pesticides. The controlled area also allows the warehouses to be set up anywhere, such as abandoned warehouses or office buildings. This allows lettuce to be grown anywhere, regardless of environmental conditions. Because most lettuce is grown in California, places further away do not have access to fresh produce, as it must be shipped across the country. Ecopia Farms’ warehouses, however, can help save transportation costs and ensure fresher food. That is Ecopia Farms’ goal: more people eating fresh produce. “We started with lettuce because it is by far the largest produce in the United States,” Fok said. “[It is] the largest market by a wide margin. If you look at the supply chain, it’s also the most distorted, because it all comes from Salinas Valley.”
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Ecopia uses a technique called vertical farming: stacking planter boxes one on top of the other.
“
We started with lettuce because it is by far the largest produce in the United States. It’s also the most distorted, because it all comes from Salinas Valley.”
Phil Fok
Ecopia Farms Chief Operating Officer
With no background in farming, Spencer and Fok have discovered a completely new and innovating way to grow produce. However, they both say the task is not difficult to do. “It’s counterintuitive,” Fok said. “As we hire [more farmers], their instinct is to water like crazy, and that’s a bad thing. It’s very hard to break people of that habit. But that’s one of the advantages [I] have; I couldn’t grow a house plant to save my life.” Spencer agrees that their lack of farming experience has been more beneficial than one might expect. “We have a great respect for farmers and how they do things,” Spencer said. “But in some senses it helps us [that] we weren’t raised as farmers because we don’t always know the rules that they follow. And when we break them, sometimes we discover something new. If you were raised to farm, you’re always going to think of it done in a certain way. You’ll make incremental changes, but you may not make that big leap. Our lack of education in farming probably is what helped us.” Both Fok and Spencer worked as engineers before starting Ecopia Farms. Fok previously worked for PlayStation, and Spencer worked for Xbox. “I was very fortunate in my career in electronics, so I had the opportunity to take an early retirement,” Fok said. “I had nothing better to do.” While Fok began his farming career out of retirement, Spencer actively made the switch from engineering to agriculture. “I wasn’t as fortunate [as Phil],” Spencer said, laughing. “The more I thought about what we were doing, it felt like something [that impacted] the world. I know it sounds a bit corny to say it that way, but I have three little kids and a fourth on the way; I want to be remembered for doing something neat, as opposed to just doing the same old thing. The opportunity was there, and I thought it’d be perfect to try.”
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Spirit Week Shame
Friday, November 18th, 2011
European students, American students differ regarding social, scholastic norms By Yasna Haghdoost Staff Writer
benhawthorne As anyone can tell you, Spirit Week is not a time for polite rivalry. Cheers that don’t insult other grades seem out of place. At a certain point though, this crosses the line. You may know what I’m talking about. The only sophomore cheer that wasn’t booed by the other grades was, “Freshmen girls are all such flirts, please just go put on some shirts.” The seniors were quick to respond with, “Juniors juniors dressed in yellow, all your girls are loose like jello.” Ugly, right? Unfortunately, that ain’t even the half of it. Look at any of the Spirit Week Facebook groups, and you’ll see that what happened at the rallies wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. One junior cheer went “How does it feel to be an upperclassman, how does it feel to be up so high? How does it feel to be an underclassman, we don’t know, WE DON’T DRESS LIKE HOES.” The cheer got 14 “likes,” more than any other cheer on the page. Of the other 86 cheers posted on the page, a full 44 of them call other grades slutty or promiscuous. Yes, I counted. Hopefully, most of you reached for the bird and the tar bucket after reading those cheers. My concern is that most of us didn’t. I’m upset because of a thing called “slut-shaming,” or insulting or attacking someone for looking or acting provocatively. A “slut” is defined as someone who has many sexual partners or acts promiscuously. You might notice a problem with calling someone a slut already: you’re insulting them for their sexuality. Calling someone a slut has the same implications as calling someone a “fag.” It labels their natural sexuality as unacceptable. Also, why a person’s clothing choices or romantic preference should matter to someone else is quite beyond me. You don’t hear every sexy person being called a “slut.” Most would say that short skirts and having many boyfriends in quick succession are examples of “sluttiness.” Notice how these examples referred to women only? “Slut” is an insult associated with girls. This is the double standard: men with lots of partners are cool “players,” while women who act similarly are shunned and labeled as social outcasts. The other problem with the word is where the line is drawn. The lines we draw are arbitrary, unfair and impossible to live up to. If a woman acts “promiscuously” she’s a slut, but if she doesn’t, she’s a prude. We make absurd requirements for women and shame them for failing to meet them. All this squabbling over definitions leaves a much larger point about who does the defining. In our society, defining is done by those in positions of power, most of whom are male. This means that any attempts to define the word will be discriminatory. That leaves the question: Why is being a slut bad? A brief Google search tells me it boils down to just two things: selfesteem and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Isn’t it funny to say that being a slut is bad because it hurts your self-esteem, and then proceed to discriminate against sluts? By that logic, isn’t being a minority bad because oppression “hurts self-esteem?” The charge that acting promiscuously can lead to more STDs appears more legitimate. But STDs are a consequence of poor planning, bad communication and a lack of protection, not of lifestyle. The “sluts get more STDs” charge seems similar to the “gays get more STDs” charge. Few would argue that ice cream is bad, and yet it can cause bad consequences. So then how did we let people get away with cheers like these? How did us liberal Palo Altans sink down to calling women “hoes,” and setting the gender equality movement back another 20 years? So next time Mr. Winston tells us to keep our cheers clean, it might make a bit of sense to listen.
As she walked down the streets of Geneva, Switzerland, Palo Alto High School junior Margaux Furter caught sight of something she would be hardpressed to find in Palo Alto. “I passed by a group of teenagers and they were making extremely offensive remarks about gays,” Furter said. “[They were] basically saying [that homosexuals] are disgusting and one of the kids asked his friends to kill him if he ever ‘went gay.’” Furter finds that such remarks are much more prevalent in European countries, such as Switzerland, the country she was born in, lived in for some time, and continues to visit every year. “Racism and homophobia are much more common with teenagers in Europe,” Furter said. Junior Masha Andreyeva, who lived in Kiev, Ukraine during her childhood and who continues to visit there every summer, pointed out that some of the intolerance stems from the fact that individual European countries are not as culturally diverse. “People my age are actually really curious about different races because it’s mostly white people everywhere,” Andreyeva said. “But sometimes younger kids get bad ideas from their conservative parents and bully the mixed or ethnic people.” Andreyeva also agrees that the gay community is not widely accepted in the Ukraine. “People do not approve of the gay best friend concept, with society and media including less ‘gay’ characters, concepts, etc.,” Andreyeva said. “Guys are taught to be more masculine, and girls have to be feminine, although it’s less strict for girls. It
PALO ALTO
EUROPE
- More freedom - Less homophobia and independence - Students are more - Less optimism racially tolerant - More students - Larger percent of smoke, but less students attend college students drink derives from cultural views and religion, and it’s just the way things are.” As evidence of decreased tolerance in Europe as compared to America, Furter also pointed out Switzerland’s recent attempts to ban the creation of minarets (part of a mosque’s architecture) within its country. Furter expressed disbelief that government advertisement posters in Switzerland promoting intolerance against Muslims actually exist. Andreyeva also painted a unpromising picture of Ukraine’s political scene. “People in Ukraine have experienced a lot of financial crises including the U.S.S.R. falling apart, inflation and the 2008 crisis,” Andreyeva said. “So people are more realistic and less ‘go for your dreams, anything’s possible.’” Unlike Ukraine’s political status, its social atmosphere is far from unremarkable.
“I come from the city, so there’s tons of stuff to do—people go out to cafés and really huge rec centers,” Andreyeva said. When it comes to their social life, Furter also described European teenagers as more outgoing than their American counterparts. “People have a lot of parties,” Furter said. “They go out at night more often and actually have places to go.” Andreyeva echoes Furter remarks. “There are ‘diskoteks’ which are basically club parties where a lot of teens go,” Andreyeva said. “There’s a lot of lights, alcohol, dancing and smoking.” Despite the fact that the legal drinking age for beer and wine is 16 in Europe and 18 for hard liquor, American teens, according to Furter, drink more than their European counterparts. “In America there’s more drinking, at least in Palo Alto,
because it’s illegal,” Furter said. “There’s less drinking but more smoking [in Europe] and that’s because [European] stores aren’t uptight about selling cigarettes.” And then there is the contrast between school systems. American students typically work harder than European ones. Furter acknowledges that the number of people that attend college is greater in America than in Europe. “A lot of people go to college in America compared to people in Europe,” Furter said. Furter observed that a lot of European teens “don’t really care about college.” However, when asked about a particularly noteworthy positive aspect of European adolescence, Furter had one word: “freedom.” “Parents in America are too uptight,” Furter said. “We have more freedom in Europe, and we have many more things available for us to do if we want to.”
Irish Dancing finds appeal with two Paly students
Claire Marchon, Kristen Carey have both been competing since age six By Marie Ezran Staff Writer
Eight girls, all dressed in traditional Irish outfits, are perfectly synchronized with the music and each other, dancing for three intense minutes under the watchful eyes of the judges. While Irish dancing is an uncommon activity among teenagers today, for Palo Alto High School’s freshman Kristen Carey and junior Claire Marchon, this activity is part of their everyday life. Marchon and Carey both began Irish dancing when they were six, and throughout the years, they have both competed regionally and nationally. Marchon’s mother, who grew up in Ireland, learned this traditional dance as part of her school curriculum, later encouraging her daughter to take classes. “My mom used to Irish dance as a little kid because she grew up in Ireland,” Marchon said. “Then she asked me if I wanted to when I was six, and I said sure.” Although Carey does not have any direct Irish ties, she joined a class through the recommendation of a friend. Irish dancing has been an important part of Ireland’s culture for many centuries. It can
be seen at local “Feis,” or cultural festivals, where people gather for dancing and storytelling. Today Feis are known as Irish dancing competitions that are held regionally, nationally and at the highest level of the yearly world championships in Ireland. Marchon and Carey both joined the Greene-Comerford Academy of Irish Dancing starting with practices once a week. Carey currently practices six times a week while trying to keep up with her academic schedule. “I have to be super organized to balance dance with school,” Carey said. “School and dance are both super important to me and I want to do the best that I can at both.” Carey and Marchon have competed throughout the country, dancing both individually and as part of a team. In a solo dance, one is judged on precision and technique, but in team dancing, composed of either eight or 16 dancers, they are marked on coordination between the dancers. Another important aspect of Irish dancing is the presentation of the dancer, as the dress, hair, and shoes are also part of the Irish tradition. The dresses can be either bought at
Feis or made by professional seamstresses and their prices typically range from $750 to $1200. In addition, dancers use two types of shoes, hard or soft, for different styles of dances. Finally, Irish dancers wear blonde or black curly wigs to complete the look. “Dancing isn’t just about the makeup and dresses, you have to be in incredibly good shape and stamina,” Carey said. Although Marchon enjoyed dancing, she stopped at the end of her freshman year as she did not have enough time for daily practices and lost interest in competing. “Certain well-qualified dancers weren’t getting the direction they needed to become a better dancer, and I felt like my teacher didn’t care much for me,” Marchon said. Carey continues to practice every day and is gearing up for the upcoming Western Regional Championship Los Angeles. She enjoys the originality of her passion and plans to continue it through high school. “My favorite part about Irish dancing is the friendships that you form,” Carey said. “Dance is a place I can go where I know there is someone there I can count on if I’m having a bad day or am just stressed out.”
Gunn senior Connor Ellmann aspires for professional film career By Clara Chang and Nikki Whitson
A&E Editor and Lifestyles Editor
COURTESY OF CONNoR ELLMANN
Senior Connor Ellmann is pursuing a career in film. He makes films ranging from music videos to commercials.
As the camera pans over, Henry M. Gunn High School senior Connor Ellmann can be seen behind the lens of his Canon 7D, hoping to get the perfect shot. When Ellmann first started videotaping his friends skateboarding around Palo Alto in middle school, he never imagined that his films would be anything more than casual fun. But things got more serious after Ellmann’s first “big debut” his freshman year, when he produced a full-length skateboarding video with Palo Alto High School alumni Will Hicks. “Since then I’ve made everything from music videos with hip-hop artists and commercials for fitness centers to virtual tours of vacation homes,” Ellmann, who recently filmed a music video for a band called Radical Face, said. The music video aired during a segment on the Carson Daly Show on NBC after Radical Face’s agent contacted Ellmann to use his video. Ellmann refrains from posting his commercials and virtual tours online, but he publishes a wide variety of other videos including trailers, music videos and skate videos on YouTube and Facebook. “I mostly post videos on Facebook for fun,” Ellmann said. “I like to show
all my friends the [videos] that I put together to get my videos seen.” Ellmann’s film ideas are random, although he is influenced by videos he sees online and movies. He often collaborates with his actors, who are usually his friends. “I film a lot of improvisational acting but there is still a lot of directing needed so that I can get a take that I like,” Ellmann said. “I mostly work with the same actors so it’s relatively easy for them to understand the performance I’m looking for.” As his films’ publicity grew, Ellmann’s talent began to be noticed and he started to gain film opportunities through his family and friends. Today, Ellmann creates professional videos for numerous local companies. “I currently make a few [advertising] videos a month for a gym called SBM Fitness Center,” Ellmann said. “I also just finished my first virtual house tour.” Ellmann, who already has a few steady clients, hopes to pursue film as a possible career one day. He is applying to a few different film schools in the Bay Area as well as in Los Angeles. “I can’t even imagine how much more business there will be in the film industry for me once I have a degree in the field,” Ellmann said.
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November 18, 2011 • B3
Paly student helps teach abroad in Uganda
The Art of BS
Senior Greg Dunn improves community through education By Matt Morton Staff Writer
To many of us, community service means picking up trash or planting trees. It might be helping the elderly, holding bake sales or volunteering at any of a number of different community organizations. Although helping the community is beneficial, some people view it as a chore rather than an opportunity. To Palo Alto High School senior Greg Dunn however, community service was none of these things. For Dunn, community service was an adventure. It meant flying through Istanbul on the way to a month-long stay in Uganda, where he taught underprivileged children English and debate skills. Driven by the desire to really make a difference and positively impact lives, Dunn traveled to a small town named Kukanga, where he taught and helped remodel his host’s home, among other community projects. “The Kukanga school is a combination middle and high school in eastern Uganda, attended by the children of the area’s subsistence farmers,” Dunn said. “My main job was to teach English and debate at the school.” Before teaching English and debate, Dunn taught the school children something more entertaining. “Kids took naturally to Ultimate [Frisbee],” Dunn said. “They have good hand-eye coordination and form, they just need to read the throw a bit better. They have no balls, and discs do not break. I think it is a good fit.” Language barriers and the lack of materials made teaching classes difficult for Dunn.
“Teaching was an interesting experience,” Dunn said. “The only materials I had were a blackboard, chalk and sundry urine-smelling books. The pupils were attentive, but English is their second language. I likened it to teaching Spanish during a power outage.” The language barriers made debate even more of a challenge. “My speech was somewhat chaotic—I could not understand the chairwoman, so I failed to heed my cue until [the principal] clued me in,” Dunn said. “Apparently, I was supposed to provide feedback on delivery mechanisms, but instead I gave the reason why I thought doctors won. I used the phrase
‘madam chair’—I think they interpreted it literally.” Despite his challenges, Dunn ultimately had a rewarding experience. He introduced a new game to the students, taught English and debate to students who otherwise would not have learned about it, and assisted in renovating his host’s home. “My trip was not only a way to do real education, but also be a part of a change that I believe will be what history will remember about my lifetime,” Dunn said. “My stay in Africa resulted in learning, cultural understanding and development by both me and people around me, making it a success.”
Thedunns.com
In addition to encouraging and teaching Ugandan children abroad, Paly senior Greg Dunn helped with other projects in his community, including remodeling his host family’s house.
Bottle cap necklaces and keychains support athletics
Paly mother manufactures trinkets for cheerleader funds By Charlotte Barry Staff Writer
Linda Cullen, mother of Palo Alto High School junior cheerleader Fiona Cullen, spends her free time helping boost funds for the cheer team by making bottle cap necklaces and key chains. This idea sparked two years ago when she was giving out bottle cap magnets and necklaces with the logo of her thenjob, Pacific South West Airlines, as a present at a P.S.A. reunion party. When she showed the idea to fellow Paly mother Tina Bono, Bono immediately told her to start crafting them for Paly.
As a result, Cullen created them for her daughter’s frequent cheer competitions and for her oldest son and 2011 Paly graduate, Michael Cullen, for football. “Michael wanted [a key chain] with his jersey number on it,” Cullen said. “When he brought it to school, everybody wanted one, so I made them, then [started] giving the money toward the cheerleaders as a fundraiser.” Fiona does helps her mom with designing the numerous bottle caps they make each month, though she does not actually aid her mother in the making of them.
CHARLOTTE BARRY/CAMPANILE
Viking bottle cap necklaces and keychains help fans show Paly pride and help support the sports teams as all proceeds go to Paly athletics.
“I help her with the designs, like the parts that go into the cap,” Fiona Cullen said. “I don’t help with the process as much.” According to Linda, the process is very tedious and takes days to finish. There are eight steps to the finish line; the first step is to find the design of the inside part of the bottle cap. The second major step is to layer it with the epoxy glue, the clear substance that goes over the design and that takes about 24 hours to dry. The Cullens originally started selling their bottle caps at cheer fundraisers. The Cullens sell them at the Friday night football games and also take in orders from people to make their jewelry as unique as they want it to be. As the football season is coming to an end, Linda Cullen wants to expand the business to the Paly Associated Student Body and sell to students. “Matt Hall just bought 20 to sell and will keep ordering them from me through ASB,” Linda Cullen said. These caps are also very popular among younger and older generations. “The parents and football players love them, and the little kids love to wear them too,” Linda Cullen said.
Linda also makes these accessories available to other Paly athletes for $10 each. “For the water polo team, I would [design] a water polo player silhouette then have the number above,” Linda said. Linda is able to customize the necklaces and keychains for any person, activity, or occasion. “I’ll do [any design],” Cullen said. “I have done ‘Paly 2012’ for the seniors, nickname bottle caps like ‘Kimboslice’ and add any background to it.” Junior Micayla Brewster bought a bottle cap with the letter “P” to show her Paly spirit. “I bought [the bottle cap necklace] at a football game freshman year where they had certain designs layed out on the table,” Brewster said. “I wasn’t able to pick my own design, but it made it easier for me. I let the pros figure that out for themselves.” Brewster believes that making these bottle caps is not an easy process. “I have never heard how to make [bottle caps] or anything like that,” Brewster said. “But I know that it takes more effort than just throwing some tape, designs and a bottle cap together.” The bottle cap necklaces are sold in a variety of colors and designs.
NASA internships provide research opportunities outside of school Students interning outside of school gain valuable scientific work experience By Gavin Chan Staff Writer
Have you ever wondered what the universe is made of? Or what it is like to build a lunar base on the moon? In order to answer questions like these, Palo Alto High School senior Alex Liu and junior Daniel Fischer have been conducting their own research experiments at NASA Ames Research Center. “Our main goal is to verify different theories on the overall chemical makeup of the universe,” Liu said. There are two main theories about this, but they clash with each other. “The ratios of chemical substance predicted by the two theories is around
5:70, so we don’t have any answer yet,” Liu said. Liu’s supervisor at NASA, Dr. Rubin, gives them a chance to write their own programs. “We get to reduce and analyze data from the Herschel Space Observatory by modeling it with equations on the distribution of elements, [which] depends on the distance from the central star in that planetary nebula,” Liu said. The Liu brothers work weekley with Dr. Rubin, programming for the Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) which processes the images from the space observatory.
“Every week, we program HIPE with javabased Python codes to analyze the images of emission lines coming
“I [learn] applications of computer science in different fields of work,” Liu said. “Actual research is really different from reading stuff out of a textbook.” Junior senior Daniel Fisch“I feel like actual reer interns at search is really differ- NASA for a purent from reading stuff different pose. out of a textbook.” “I’m experimenting by combinfrom the nebulae,” Liu ing different chemicals said. with lunar soil to see if By interning at cut- they are viable for a stating-edge research insti- ble building material,” tutes like NASA, high Fischer said. “We’re tryschool students are pro- ing to find a substance to vided with a unique expe- build a lunar base out of.” rience working with proHowever, Fischer’s fessionals in a high-tech line of work is not alenvironment. ways safe, as the lunar
Alex Liu
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nanoparticles are toxic if inhaled and working with them is not taken lightly in the science community. “I had to go through nanoparticle safety training to work at NASA, and if this is successful, we can use [the synthesized lunar material] to make future lunar bases,” Fischer said. Fischer and Liu are two of many students who have had the opportunity to research at high-tech institutions like NASA which allow students to delve deeper into a subject that interests them. “[This] was a great opportunity for me because I may want to go into research one day,” Fischer said. “It’s probably a good idea to get familiar with the science field.”
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yasnahaghdoost You’ve been there. Don’t lie. Procrastinating all day long, and now, five hours and ten chai teas later, it’s two in the morning and there’s a history paper due tomorrow. Oh wait, that would be today. And you haven’t even started. So you call your friend, and ask her to email you a copy of her paper, ya know, just to get ideas. Of course, your ulterior motive is to take the document she emailed you, change a few words here and there, put your name on the header and turn it in. Bam. Instant A, if your friend is good at history, anyways. Tempting, right? Until, of course, your teacher finds out you copied off someone else, in which case... You. Are. Screwed. So don’t go there. Don’t even think about it. There is, however, an alternative solution: Bulls**t. It’s defined by Yasna’s unabridged collegiate dictionary, 1st edition as: (noun) The fine art of writing as though the subject matter is one’s area of expertise even when one has no effing clue what one is talking about. I hereby officially encourage all desperate students to BS their way through sticky academic situations in lieu of plagiarism. You won’t regret it. Why? Because it’s totally legal. And it totally works. In fact, part of why BS is so successful is because teachers often spend so much time honing their plagiarism-radar that they forget to get an upgrade for their s**t-detector. As such, BS is an attractive option for students who want to maintain a squeakyclean academic record and receive good grades without having to break their balls. For something to be classified as effective BS, it must sound professional. You need to rely on the complexity of your sentence structure and the elaborateness of your word choice to mask the fact that you really don’t know what you’re saying. Writing such a polished and convincing piece of crap may be difficult at first, but all it takes is a little bit of practice and before you know it, high quality BS will be cascading rapidly out of your fingertips and onto your word processor. For example, you have a history paper due about how Nixon was a power hungry moron who didn’t give a $&@! about right or wrong. Well, you can’t just say it like that. No sane teacher will give that an A. Or a B. Or a C. Maybe you’ll scrap a D... IF YOUR TEACHER’S ON CRACK. So instead, how about: Nixon was willing to overstep his presidential powers by disregarding the concept of separation of powers and incorrectly citing executive privilege as justification for his retention of incriminating evidence. Tada! I’ll willingly stake my life that any teacher would give that an A. No bribery involved. No crack either. See, it’s all about presentation. You’ve got to sound confident, assertive and sophisticated. You can’t waver over the legitimacy of you claims: you have to give the impression that you’re absolutely convinced in how amazingly brilliant and correct you are, even if you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. In other words, be a one-man version of Fox News. You also don’t want to be the person whose vocabulary goes no further than Sesame Street; use refined language, and use it correctly. The easiest way teachers can detect BS, though, is if you use all these fancy words incorrectly. So maybe double-check the dictionary to see if the context makes sense, and don’t make the prose too flowery. But once you get the hang of it all, no teacher, I guarantee you, will be able to detect BS, even if they possess a cutting-edge, state-ofthe-art s**t-detector. Take it from someone who’s had years of experience. I’m not saying that BS is going to be easy at first. After all, it is, according to the dictionary definition, a fine art. But there’s no denying that with a bit of patience and practice, BS will be your best friend in high school, college and throughout the rest of your life. It’s a useful, powerful and lawful talent, and I want to see every Paly student trying out and honing this immortal skill when confronted with dire academic circumstances. Trust me, it works BIG time.
B4 • November 18, 2011
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The Campanile
One-time “safari” class offered at Stanford University
College course showed students around the unknown parts of campus By Ben Hawthorne
If you could teach any class, what would it be?
Staff Writer
Each year, about 1700 freshmen make their debut at Stanford University. Of those, only a handful will actually know their way around campus. After getting weary of seeing confused students bumbling around campus, Professor Robert Siegel decided to show his students their way around campus. And thus, The Stanford Safari was born. The Stanford Safari, a class led by Siegel and two teaching assistants in September 2008, is described by Siegel as a “three-week intensive course” that aimed to show its participants the sides of campus they rarely saw. According to Siegel, the class was offered as part of his Sophomore College Program or SoCo for short. SoCo is an in summer program intended to allow rising Stanford sophomores the ability to explore certain areas of study in great depth through seminars. The idea of starting the Stanford Safari program came about after Siegel decided to merge his Bing Overseas Seminar, a popular study abroad seminar, with his love for the university. According to his description of the course, Siegel had the idea of merging the Bing Overseas Seminar. He created The Stanford Safari, a three-week intensive course through his affection for Stanford offered for those in the Sophomore College Program. The purpose of the class was to give a group of 14 rising sophomores an insiders’ look into the history, culture and physical settings that make up the Stanford experience. “In particular, we tried to go behind the scenes to give students a unique perspective on the University,” Siegel said in the course description. Siegel has a long history with Stanford. He was an undergraduate at the university in the 1970s, where he played soccer, played Conga drums in the marching band and was the second ever Stanford Tree. After graduating in 1976, Siegel came back to get his MA in 1977 and his MD in 1979. After receiving his Ph.D., Siegel returned to the university as an Associate Professor of Microbiology and African Studies, where he still works today. “I have been teaching at Stanford in various capacities since I was an undergraduate,” Siegel said. “Many, many good things have come out of my time at Stanford including the opportunity to teach such interesting classes as The Stanford Safari. It is a real privilege to work with such a talented, engaged, and motivated group of students.”
“APUSH because I could crush children’s lives.” Colin Kelly
junior
“Theatre because it is a fun class to teach.” Juliet Norvig
sophomore
COURTESY OF Robert Siegel
Professor R. Siegel offered a three week summer class to incoming sophomores, exploring unseen areas of the Stanford Campus. Some include steam tunnels and the press box. The class visited a number of popular public attractions on Stanford campus, from the Stanford Dish to the Cantor Arts Museum Center. However, the class wanted to see more than just the public face of the university that is presented to prospective students by tour guides, but. They also wanted to see the inner workings and hidden secrets of Stanford. The group soon learned that with the right connections, one could get anywhere on campus. In addition to the publicly accessible places listed above, Siegel found ways to get into the campus’s hidden underground network of steam tunnels, the Stanford Mausoleum, the stadium press box and the legendary “Band Shak,” where the Stanford Band rehearses and stores their tree mascot. “It’s nice to have a chance to step back from your own ventures in this red-roofed wonderland and appreciate everyone else’s investments, enthusiasm, dreams and memories,” ex-Safari student Wendy Kalkus said in a course reflection. In addition to seeing the sites on campus, Siegel was determined to show the students what he thought was one of the most important aspects of campus: the food. “In the spirit of exploration, [we] lunched at a different eatery every day,” Siegel said in the course description. “Even after three weeks, there were many dining spots left unexplored.”
Foreign students celebrate their first Thanksgivings in America
By Rachel Wilson Staff Writer
Mashed potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce and a myriad of pies appear on kitchen tables around the country on the fourth Thursday in November. While all families have their own traditions, many commonalities exist, including football, extravagant feasts and family. However, Thanksgiving is uniquely an American holiday, celebrating the Pilgrim’s feast and successful arrival to the New World. Yet despite its special nature, many other cultures have harvest festivals of a similar nature. For international students staying in Palo Alto, Thanksgiving proves to be an interesting and new experience, yet with some similarities to previous celebrations in their home country. In Austria, for example, people celebrate a harvest festival called Erntedankfest, according to Austrian exchange student and Palo Alto High School junior Melanie Jacqueline Balaz. “We have something similar, it’s not exactly
a holiday, it’s a harvest festival, but it’s spread throughout the month of October,” Balaz said. Erntedankfest is celebrated especially in farming towns as a religious and rural holiday. If it is celebrated in the city, it is a religious holiday that bears little resemblance to the Thanksgiving celebrated in America. On the other hand, Paly sophomore and Spanish exchange student Silvia Colell Valdés, will be spending the holiday in a more traditional manner. “This year I am planning on spending Thanksgiving with my host family and their neighbors,” Valdés said. According to Balaz, she too will be spending the holiday with her host family and a lot of their friends. The basic traditions around the holiday were clearly expressed by Valdés, Balaz and Nöthel, all of whom referenced the large amounts of food consumed during Thanksgiving. “I have heard of the huge amounts of food you can eat and how much better the food tastes
on Thanksgiving [day],” Balaz said. German exchange student and Paly junior Rebekka Nöthel has never celebrated any similar holidays. But German exchange student and Paly junior Rebekka Nöthel will not be celebrating Thanksgiving in the traditional American manner this year. Rather, she will be traveling with her host family. “My host family will take me to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving,”Nöthel said. “We are going to watch a show and we want to hang out at the hotel, go shopping. We just want to relax for a few days.” Another well-known American tradition during Thanksgiving is “sitting around the table and say what you are thankful for.” While Thanksgiving is a normal holiday for most Paly students, the international students who have never experienced this unusual holiday provide an interesting perspective at the festivities. The thankful spirit has infected these students as well. “I am just thankful to be here,” Balaz said.
Ultimately, however, the group learned that what made Stanford great was not just the legends of its buildings or the beauty of its architecture, but rather the efforts of those working on campus. According to Siegel, the class has met with four former Stanford presidents, board trustees, two Nobel Laureates and six of the deans, among other faculty. According to Siegel, they tried to reach everyone with “university” in the title. The class eventually concluded with a three-day trip to Stanford’s Sierra Camp, including a short stopover to see Leland Stanford’s mansion in Sacramento. Besides just being a fun way to see the campus, the class provided a learning experience for those who participated. “For my own edification I tried to see what our speakers had in common personality-wise: almost all of them love their jobs, are personable and have good sense of humors, are well-read and intellectual, are multi-talented, don’t seem to sleep that much, appreciate the inter-disciplinary [aspects] of Stanford and feel that it [the inter-disciplinary aspect] makes Stanford the special place that it is, and loved spending time talking to students,” Nadia Mufti, a student who attended the class, said in the course description. Although it may not have started out as such, the class soon quickly provided insights into the lives and habits of those employed at Stanford. Siegel’s group learned that most Stanford professors
“Spanglish. It would give Spanish a fun twist.” Ethan Look
sophomore
“Jazzercize.”
Carly Rudiger
freshman have similar traits that make them wellsuited to their jobs. “Themes emerged,” Siegel wrote in his course description. “People at Stanford love their jobs. They love the University. They love to tell stories. Most of their lives include extraordinary examples of serendipity. And they love the students. Despite their immensely busy lives, none was in a hurry; all were open to the wildest of questions.” However, there were a few perceived drawbacks, namely the great amount of work the class entailed. On top of Stanford’s normal course load, the students had to do outside reading and miss a few hours of their other classes each week. “For the safari students, there’s a price to pay: 7-10 hours of class seven days a week, daily field observations, introductions of all the speakers, posting to the class blog and reading a pile of books about Stanford,” Siegel said in the course description. Many students enjoyed the course and would be willing to come back again.
The Campanile
By Lauren Wong Editor in Chief
Its consequences are serious, expensive and even fatal, yet mention it in passing to another student and he or she will likely do nothing more than bat an eye. Students may choose either to drive under the influence or get a ride from people who do so for many reasons. However, all of them have one motive in common: necessity. “Honestly, it’s just too much of a hassle to not do it,” Patrick, a junior whose name has been changed, said. “You can’t get anywhere and you can’t get home and you can’t drive people around. You can’t get to any location unless someone is driving and you don’t want to be the only one not drinking. You don’t want to be the only one not having a good time.” Katie, a senior whose name has been changed, says she has gotten rides from drunk drivers “a lot” of times. “[I do it] because I have no other way to get around, I feel safe with them driving and it is hard to pick a [designated driver],” Katie said. Like Patrick, she believes designating a driver is unfair to the person chosen. Designated drivers are those who choose not to drink at a party or other event in order to give their friends rides home. “It’s not fair to the person that can’t drink because they could be missing out on a really good time and they can’t play any of the [drinking] games,” Katie said. “I think that people can have fun without drinking, but when you’re going to a party and you’re the only sober person it’s not great.” Patrick has been driving after drinking since the month after he got his license. He says he tries to do it “as little as possible.” “[Driving drunk] is scarier,” Patrick said. “I’m more alert and focused and thinking, ‘If I [mess] up, the consequences are going to be so terrible for me.’ If you start to swerve even a little, you have to catch yourself and be like, ‘No, I have to drive safe right now.’ There’s a way to try and be safe by knowing your limits and not drinking too much. There’s a reason they allow you to drive with a certain amount of BAC [Blood Alcohol Content]. If you’re really too drunk to drive, you need to say, ‘No, I need to sleep in my car tonight.’ I don’t drive if I feel like I’m going to be a danger or I’m not going to be able to drive safely.” However, anyone under 21 with any percentage of alcohol in their system can be arrested for driving under the influence. Those with a BAC of .04, the equivalent of two drinks for men who weigh 180 pounds, will experience sedation and slowed reaction time, according to drinkinganddriving. org, and thus can pose a danger to others. There is no “safe” limit when it comes to drinking and driving. Although Patrick is aware of the danger he faces by driving drunk, he acknowledges that many, including himself, believe accidents can happen to anyone but them. “Honestly, a lot of people have the mentality like, ‘Oh, a lot of people get in drunk driving accidents, but it’s not going to happen to me,’” Patrick said. “And that’s the mentality with a lot of people who do it, but it definitely can happen to anyone. I think
F E AT U R E S
According to Blanchard, Safe Ride is orif I continue drunk driving, then it could ganized by the local Red Cross organization definitely happen to me.” According to a State Farm survey, 78 and staffed by student volunteers from Caspercent of 14 to 17 year olds “strongly agree” tilleja School, Menlo School, Menlo-Atherthey could get into an accident if they drink ton High School and Gunn, among othand drive. Patrick and Katie both acknowl- ers. Its hotline number is 1-877-753-RIDE, edge that they are putting themselves in which can be called between 9 p.m. and 2 danger, yet believe there are truly no other a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. “We sign up on a spreadsheet for weekalternatives. “It would be really bad if there was a ends,” Blanchard said. “Then we usually crash and I would be devastated if anyone meet at 9 or 10 p.m. at the Red Cross near got hurt, but usually it’s too late for other Stanford and downtown and take calls evcars and I watch the driver to make sure ery night. While we’re waiting we have food they are trying to be safe, otherwise I’ll ask and movies and games and it’s really fun. to get out,” Katie said. “I wouldn’t trust We’d really like for one or two people to be Safe Ride because they might tell [your the Paly Safe Ride coordinators.” Safe Ride does establish a few rules. parents]. And calling parents means getFor example, if a teen drank at a party, ting caught.” However, according to Henry M. Gunn but wanted to drive his or her car home to High School senior and Gunn Safe Ride avoid his or her parents being suspicious, coordinator Chloe Blanchard, “the entire Safe Ride volunteers would not drive the car home for them. thing is completely anonymous.” “[The other rules are that] there should “We don’t even ask for names,” Blanchard said. “At the Red Cross they have to have be a boy and a girl in the car, you need at one adult because of safety, but the kids least one person back at the Red Cross to are the ones driving. It’s supposed to be a take calls, you can’t take people like taxi boy and a girl, one driving, one navigating, rides, so you can’t take them to restaurants and movies so that there are and stuff, they no legal issues. have to be in high If there were two school [and] no girls it’s less safe, Anonymous student crashing the car,” and two boys pick“I definitely drive high Blanchard said. ing up a drunk “If they’re throwgirl could be susall the time. I can aling up, you must picious. But the ways drive whenevcall 911.” adult just stays [at er I’m high, no matRather than the Red Cross].” ter how much I’ve present the imSenior John plausible option Dickerson besmoked.” that teens not lieves people drink at all, we should not drunk drive because it is dangerous and there is should instead ensure that if they do so they will not risk their lives through an ac“no advantage” to doing so. “[People drunk drive because they] don’t tion that could have been easily prevented. One worst case scenario of drunk driving want to get caught by their parents or it’s the easiest way to get home and people involves getting in an accident and harmare lazy,” Dickerson said. “You can walk ing not only oneself and one’s passengers, two miles, it’s not that hard. I’ve seen peo- but also potentially innocent bystanders, ple get close calls and it’s not worth risk- leading to arrest and the possibility of fatal ing your life and other people’s lives. You injury. The other involves receiving a DUI, hear about people dying in car crashes ev- which will lead to a suspended license and ery year and just hope it doesn’t happen to potentially a criminal record. While most acknowledge the dangers of drunk driving, someone you know.” Ultimately, the safest alternative to another form of driving under the influence drinking and driving is assigning a DD, for whose dangers often go ignored is driving it is unreasonable to assume that underage after smoking marijuana. Tom, a junior whose name has been drinking does not exist or that it can easily be curbed. Another alternative is Safe Ride, changed, was charged with a DUI after he which has an undeservedly bad reputation got into a hit and run while under the influamong Paly students. In fact, some do not ence of marijuana. “I smoked with some friends and then even consider it an option. “I’ve never really heard anyone talk went to drive somewhere, and I rear ended someone,” Tom said. “[Because] I was a miabout it, ever,” Katie said. However, Safe Ride is a viable option nor, the judge went easy on me. I was origithat Blanchard says many students use on nally charged with a DUI, a hit and run and not having the right papers and identificathe weekends. “The most people are from [Menlo- tion. At first I was going to be charged with Atherton High School] or [Los Altos Hills all of them and a $400 fine. But then, since High School] because they don’t like driv- it was my first offense, the judge moved it ing in the hills and it’s very unsafe to drive all down to an infraction and a $200 fine if I in [the] hills drunk,” Blanchard said. “Also, attended a driving class and I didn’t get in Gunn kids like to use it. [Paly kids also] use any more vehicle trouble until December.” Yet many of the Paly students who were it, but a lot of times they try to go to In-NOut and we don’t usually do taxi rides, just interviewed, even after stating that they house to house. We pick up from anywhere were opposed to drunk driving, admitted that they frequently drive after smoking. but we usually only take to addresses.”
Patrick
November 18, 2011 • B5
“I drive high way more than I drive drunk,” Patrick said. “I try to drive drunk as little as possible because I think it’s really unsafe, but I definitely drive high all the time. I can always drive whenever I’m high, no matter how much I’ve smoked.” Patrick says that he tends to drive high much more frequently because he thinks he is more focused and in control of his actions than when he drives after drinking. “I’m less in control of myself when I’m drunk than when I’m high,” Patrick said. “Being drunk is a lot less safe than being high, I would say.” While Patrick says the only effect of smoking on his driving ability is that he becomes “a little spacier,” marijuana impairs alertness, concentration, coordination and reaction time, according to about.com. A study of traffic accident patients in a shock-trauma unit revealed that 15 percent had been smoking marijuana at the time of the accident, whereas a barely greater 17 percent had consumed both marijuana and alcohol. Studies have also found that those who had smoked marijuana displayed the same lack of coordination on the standard “drunk driving” tests as did those who were actually drunk. “Primarily I am opposed to drunk driving because it is dangerous for people around you,” senior Alex Carter said. “I think [high driving] is about the same. You could argue that it does not impair you as much as alcohol, but I think that driving under the influence of any mind-altering drug is risky.” Many teens like Adam, an anonymous senior, believe if they drive a few hours after they first smoked they will no longer be affected or impaired by the drug. “I’d say a lot of people drive after they’ve been smoking but usually many hours after the fact, so they may be residually high but not impaired,” Adam said. “I don’t really drive immediately afterwards. Usually, I wait.” However, according to snj.com, the skills affected by marijuana usage are impaired for at least 4-6 hours after smoking. Although teens may not feel high anymore, their ability to concentrate and react quickly is still not at a normal level. “It’s mostly out of necessity,” Adam said. “There’s really not very many alternatives. You can say Safe Ride, but it’s really inconvenient and mainly reserved for people who are drunk.” Despite the belief that Safe Ride is only for drunk people, Blanchard says that the drunk versus high percentage ratio of the people they pick up is about 70/30. “I always see people get pulled over for DUIs, and it stresses me out because I think, ‘Oh, that could easily be me if I [mess] up and I’m not smart about it,’” Patrick said. The reality is, it is all too easy to “mess up”—much too easy for driving under the influence to be such an established trend at Paly. Regardless of perceived “party pooping” or “awkward” sobriety, there is no excuse for risking one’s and one’s friends’ lives for a few hours of fun. “Especially since I wasn’t sober, [getting in an accident] was really scary,” Tom said. “I learned my lesson.”
F E AT U R E S
B6 • November 18, 2011
The Campanile
Skilled scientist uses laboratory Local charities provide experience to help Paly teachers holiday meals to needy Bronstein assembles, aids with science labs By Beth Yan Staff Writer
Walk into the chemistry room on a lab day. To the left of the teacher’s podium is a familiar silver cart laden with uniformly arranged vials, pipettes ordered by size, and neatly labeled bottles of acidic and basic solutions. Supplies presented in shallow green trays sit in lines, assembled and waiting for the students. While most students do not usually wonder how their lab supplies came to be so perfectly concocted and prepared, much work was put in behind the scenes to assemble each lab tray and to perfect each solution. In the heart of the Science Department works a force of student lab assistants, headed by Adrienne Bronstein. Bronstein has been working in the science department as the Palo Alto High School lab technician for four years. She left her previous job at Geron Corporation in Menlo Park after she had kids in search of a position with more schedule flexibility. “Initially, I worked as support for the biotechnology course,” Bronstein said. “The class is a little bit more involved than your normal science course. About 80 percent of my time was spent there. I still help in the bio tech class but it has changed now.” Bronstein helps in a variety of science courses throughout the science department but finds that chemistry and biology generally require more assistance in for laboratory activities than the other courses. She even helps in classrooms during particularly intricate procedures to help a teacher, if requested. However, most of her time is spent in the preparation area, a network of rooms nestled within the Science Department. “They used to buy stuff in kits, which were expensive,” Bronstein said. “Now, instead of kits, they have me. They are relatively simple procedures and its less costly if I do it.” She also supervises Paly student lab assistants like senior Chloe Koseff, who help Bronstein with preparation. According to Bronstein and Koseff, being a lab technician can be a hectic job as the work comes in waves due to last-minute requests. “It gets stressful because there are many demands at once,” Bronstein said. “It’s like being a short-order cook. There are always unforeseen circumstances.” Koseff said Bronstein’s experience in the lab helps when things get chaotic. “[Bronstein] keeps things under control,” Koseff said. “She knows all the answers to every possible question.” According to Bronstein, both teachers and students frequently ask her to find things, as navigating the crowded room and locating objects can prove challenging.
Charlotte barry/the campanile
Warm meals consisting of rice, beans, and steak are given out to people in need during the holiday season by StreetChurch and Ecumenical Hunger Program.
By Anna Norimoto and Beth Yan Staff Writers
Adam Mansour/The campanile
Senior Chloe Koseff assists Adrienne Bronstien prepare a lab for the Paly science department. “I’ve spent four years looking for stuff so everyone asks me where things are,” Bronstein said. “When I first got here, there was just a bunch of stuff. We are trying to reorganize and clean up this area but it is a gradual, ongoing project.” In addition to supervising student lab assistants, Bronstein places orders for the department. While the main office covers orders for the rest of the school, Bronstein’s expertise and connections in the industry make her the ideal person to handle specific orders for science materials. “I tend to do the ordering for chemical and biological materials,” Bronstein said. “Because I used to work in the biotech industry, I know where to get stuff and was able to get a lot of materials for the department.” Overall, Bronstein greatly enjoys her position at the school, as it is never boring. “It’s kind of a weird job, but I really like it,” Bronstein said. “I do feel very appreciated.”
The aroma of warm apple pie fills the holiday atmosphere as families gather around their festive dining room tables, splashed with color from decorative bunches of maples leaves and holly. For many Americans, though, the holiday season is not a celebration, but a time when the festivities contrast with their own circumstances. Especially due to the current difficult economic times, many are finding themselves without food and companionship. For many of the less fortunate in our community, scraping together a meal is a daily battle, a struggle that seems all the more accentuated as the holiday season begins. Thanksgiving should not only be a time to indulge in grand meals, pull out our fine china and sit around the table with our families, but also a time to think of the less fortunate in our community. There are several organizations in the Bay Area that provide holiday meals for the needy.
ECUMENICAL HUNGER PROGRAM For the past 35 years, the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP), based in East Palo Alto, has provided clothing, food and household essentials to families and individuals in need. This nonprofit organization accommodates residents in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Every Wednesday, the EHP works with the St. Vincent De Paul Society to prepare hot meals for
those in need and organizes several programs to benefit children throughout the year. During November and December, the EHP works to provide holiday food boxes and children’s gifts to families who are less fortunate. Donations of grocery items, gift cards, new clothing and new toys are greatly appreciated during the holiday season.
STREETCHURCH StreetChurch has provided the less fortunate with hot meals and companionship for the past ten years. The organization’s mission is to care for the poor and to get the homeless off the streets. Director of operations David Shearin mentioned that the program is especially busy during Thanksgiving. “Every Thanksgiving we have about ten vans running around, picking up [homeless] and day laborers,” Shearin said. “We also go to older folks homes and bring them up.” Shearin mentioned ways that Palo Alto can get involved as the economic crisis drives even more people to StreetChurch. “We need servers [and people to organize] special projects like donations of blankets, shoes, socks, [and] underwear,” Shearin said. “If you have a group of young adults who would like to sing and to play musical instruments, they can come down and do some music.” Shearin believes that giving to the needy mostly benefits the giver. “I have never had a better feeling inside my heart,” Shearin said.
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F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
Teachers struggle with growing class sizes
November 18, 2011 • B7
Where is the Love?
Partners in Education funds make up for state budget cuts By Sam Dodson Staff Writer
When the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the world population was only about 800 million. With the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century and the Baby Boom following World War II in the mid-20th century, that number greatly increased. Now, there are seven billion people around the world. With this increase in population comes an increase of young children who need an education. At the heart of Silicon Valley, where companies like Facebook, Google and Apple draw families, the population of Palo Alto has increased between 2000 and 2010 by about 10 percent, including a 14 percent increase in the Asian community. In the 1996-1997 school year, when many current Palo Alto High School students were just babies, there were 16 schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) and the total enrollment in PAUSD was 9,117 students, with a student-to-teacher ratio of about 18 to 1. Ever since then, the student population has steadily increased by about 3 percent every year. Last school year, the district consisted of 17 schools and 11,987 students. According to Paly principal Phil Winston, the district receives more money overall for supplies and other necessities as the student population increases, but due to the poor economy, Paly has not been receiving as much money per student from the government. “Typically in non-basic aid districts, you get more money for each student, but that is not necessarily the case here,” Winston said. “What we are seeing here is a steady increase in students, but because of the state budget, we are not seeing the same level of increase in funding. You might see that impact in classrooms with a couple more students in each class.” Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, who has been working at Paly for six years, has seen staff work harder and harder to keep Paly the strong academic school that it is. “Two years ago, we would get $105 per student, but due to the state budget, we are
now getting about $70 per student,” Berkson said. “Teachers are working a lot harder now than they were four years ago.” Although PAUSD is receiving less money from the government, Partners in Education (PiE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding the district in order to maintain academic opportunities for every student in Palo Alto. According to papie.org, the school district has received about $15 million from PiE since 2005. The organization is a major reason why Palo Alto has been able to maintain its academic success. Throughout the district, schools have seen a steady increase in classroom sizes, but with the help of PiE, more teacher aides are available to give the students the one-on-one attention that they need, especially at the elementary schools. “We have a few more students in our classrooms than we did a few years ago and we know it can impact student learning,” Mary Bussmann, Principal of Walter Hays Elementary School, said. “However, there are some remedies for the teachers to [provide] in some extra aid support if they need it. Without the extra help from PiE and PTA [Parent Teacher Association] we would really be feeling negative impacts.” According to Bussmann, teachers are working harder than ever to give elementary students the good foundation of education that they need to succeed later on. “Our teachers do work so hard to build those foundations for the children,” Bussmann said. “The increasing student population is [impressive], but with the outside support that the district gets, we can pay for the necessary teacher aides.” The elementary schools see the increase of student population first, which challenges the elementary teachers to find new ways to cope with the influx of students. When the students finally reach high school, the teachers will hopefully have had ample time to prepare. Here at Paly, the administration is seeing a larger increase in general than the other
What do you think about the increase in class sizes? “No diff.”
sophieparker Andre Gouyet Senior
“I can’t learn when there are 10 bodies blocking the board.” Chloe Koseff Senior
“I think we’re okay. I’m not comfortable going much higher.” Mr. Winston Principal
“I don’t see much of a difference, it doesn’t really affect me.” Charlotte Alipate Sophomore schools in the district, but with the help of PiE and other outside financial support, Paly is able to counteract those negative impacts. “Paly has seen the largest increase between the two high schools,” Winston said. “With every student that is one more student to go around, so there will be an impact, but we are trying really hard to minimize that. The community has helped out a lot with PiE.”
Passionate teachers share love for art outside of school
Outside classroom, instructors enjoy creatively expressing themselves
Alex lin/campanile
Top: Art Spectrum teacher Mr. Ferrera heats up a metal rod and prepares for glassblowing. Right: Ferrera, a professional artist, has hopes to eventually teach a glassblowing class at Paly.
By Grace Fang Technology Editor
Fine arts teacher Kate McKenzie walks across the room among paint bottles of acrylic and tempera, paintbrushes and canvas boards, giving her art students constructive criticism of their work. Her hands and fingers are smeared with charcoal and colorfully spotted with paint as she checks her students’ artwork. When the bell rings, she hurriedly checks to make sure that the wooden desks are clean.
Eventually, McKenzie integrated her love of art with helping others by making art her career. She learned that art was a way for her to give back to the community and do what she loved to do. “I chose to become an art teacher because a great religious leader that I admired once said that if you didn’t have a family of your own, you needed to serve humanity in some other way, like make the world the family that you teach,” McKenzie said. After exploring a variety of media, McKenzie settled on painting but she also likes using other media to make art. “I consider myself a painter, but look forward to the time when I will once again have time to explore other 2-D media as well, such as graphite,
sion for observing other artists’ work as well as helping younger artists be more creative. “I really love making art and looking at art and felt I could share this with others,” McKenzie said. “It doesn’t seem like much in the big picture, but hopefully, some of the small daily things we do for others do make a difference.”
steven ferrera
New Art Spectrum teacher Steven Ferrera loves teaching art for the same reasons. KATE MCKENZIE Dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, Ferrera McKenzie has been blends right into the Paly teaching Advanced Paintcommunity. He has been ing and Drawing as well influenced by the arts as regular Painting and since birth, as both of his Drawing and Art Specparents were art teachtrum at Paly for a numers. ber of years. “My father was a phoThis year, McKenzie tographer and has taken on two art teacher and new Advanced my mother was a Placement cours- “Art making allows me to express teacher as well, so es: AP Studio Art myself in ways that give me satisI grew up in that and AP Art His- faction.” environment,” tory. Ferrera said. “I alMcKenzie’s Palo Alto High School Art Teacher ways gravitated to love for art and the classes where current passion you would physistarted in her earink and print making,” cally make things.” ly youth and has been McKenzie said. “I love colFerrera has taught at consistent throughout or and my work is focused various schools and instiher career despite outside on a minimal use of color tutions including classes factors that have caused used in a way that gives at the college level. her to reassess the role the viewer a dramatic ex“I’ve been teaching on that art should ultimateperience.” and off for quite some ly play in her life. Additionally, on top of time,” Ferrera said. “Most “My interest in art being an artist herself, recently I taught at Exgoes way back,” McKenMcKenzie also has a pas- pression College for Digzie said.
David Camner
Alex lin/campanile
ital Arts in Emeryville, teaching art for animation, visual effects, game art and motion graphics.” He also taught classes at The Corning Institute of Glass and The Bay Area Glass Institute. In college, he also taught ceramics to middle school students. Ferrera is extremely enthusiastic to be teaching high school students at Paly this year. Many traits of the art department appeal to him as an artist and as a teacher. “I jumped at the opportunity to teach at Paly,” Ferrera said. “The faculty, support staff and community are so committed and enthusiastic about education and art, I didn’t think twice. A glass department at the high school level — how cool is that?” Though Ferrera is currently teaching Art Spectrum, he hopes to eventually teach ceramics too.
david camner Paly ceramics teacher David Camner also loves giving to the community.
“My grandmother was an artist — she was a master seamstress, and had a small ceramics studio,” Camner said. Growing up, Camner looked up to his art teachers for inspiration. “I always thought my art teachers in college had the best job ever,” Camner said. “I think giving back to society is important when you get older.” Of all the fine arts, ceramics appeals to Camner the most though he has experience working in other media as well. “Clay is nature’s way,” Camner said. “It is the oldest fiery art’s medium. Ceramics carries a rich tradition in all cultures, and in many ways is the basis for anthropology.” Similar to McKenzie and Ferrera, Camner not only has a passion for teaching art, but is also a professional artist himself and enjoys self-expressive art. “Art making allows me to express myself in ways that give me satisfaction,” Camner said.
Spirit Week is a time to let loose, a time to have fun, a time to represent your grade with passion and spirit. As children, we act silly, aimlessly shouting jokes, trying to be humorous while competing in fun- natured games with our friends. Spirit Week draws on the fun of childhood; however, children are not deliberately mean, and at Palo Alto High School, whether we intend it or not, we are. The attitude on campus that encourages inappropriate cheers turns Spirit Week from entertainment to a rancorous, divisive event. Spirit Week sets the tone for the rest of the school year. The fine line between childlike and childish is something we should clearly respect. The free-spirited, joyful, inclusive and energetic innocence of a child is something that should be embraced and nourished with a carefree attitude during Spirit Week. On the other hand, when childlike turns to childish, mean gossip and overly competitive anger contradict innocent, fun spirit. Positive school unity is therefore destroyed and replaced with division. Students’ excitement builds in the days leading up to Spirit Week. There is always lots of strategizing and planning as people begin scavenging for costumes and brainstorming class cheers. The most popular discussion among students while meandering to class is about the most recent cheer posted on each class’ Facebook group. There are some humorous cheers and some common cheers, but the majority of cheers are targeted at an individual, a small group of friends or a specific event. Cheers being written on Facebook groups for the satisfaction of the grade is one thing, but once these cheers are yelled by a grade of 500, students have crossed the line to public condemnation. Whether every cheerer explicitly knows what the cheer refers to or not is irrelevant. Once the cheer has been uttered, details of its malevolent meaning quickly spreads to the entire student body. Who would want the whole Paly community to know about the time you made a bad choice on a Saturday night? No one. That’s right, no one wants to be humiliated by a cheer in front of students, teachers and administrators. Only now, that time you made a bad choice on a Saturday night has become everyone’s business. We all make mistakes and critical cheering could have made any one of us a subject. But it didn’t. It only struck at a few selected people. Such cheers provoke a laugh at someone else’s expense. After being humiliated, sure, the cool response is, “Psh, I didn’t care at all.” Or, “I laughed when they said that cheer about me.” However, that is actually rarely true. These cheers are nasty and mean spirited comments that do affect people. High school is a time when young adults are growing up, making mistakes, and hopefully learning from them. To have an entire grade cheer about someone’s mistake in public is appalling and suggests a lack of respect for others and ultimately, for ourselves. Do we want to let our school be verbally trashed with insults and hurtful comments when all we are striving for is childlike fun? No. This vocal bullying about specific individuals does not make Spirit Week fun. It makes the week uncomfortable. “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Ask those who were on the receiving end of a negative cheer if that old saying we learned in elementary school is true. Their response, once again, will be no. Words hurt. Words have a huge effect on our lives and how we see ourselves. Put yourself in the victim’s shoes. Would you like the whole school laughing at you? The answer is no, you wouldn’t. Inappropriate cheers do not make Spirit Week fun, they are purely offensive. These cruel chants need to stop. We cannot pretend we are so childish that we are oblivious to, or even worse, not responsible for the cruelty of our actions. C’mon Paly, aren’t we better than this?
B8 • November 18, 2011
Sanborn demonstrates unique dancing talent
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
By Ashley Shin Senior Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School senior Byron Sanborn is most widely known as the soon-tobe Princeton Tiger with impressive achievements in swimming. However, during Paly’s 2011 Spirit Week, a different side of Sanborn was revealed. Sanborn showed off even more of his athletic expertise when he danced in the senior Spirit Dance, displaying a talent many were unaware that he possesses. Sanborn is a self-taught dancer who began dancing in sixth grade by watching television and YouTube videos. “I watched So You Think You Can Dance and saw someone doing some ridiculous popping moves and [I] tried to mimic that,” Sanborn said. “Popping is actually just a basic dance move in which you quickly contract and relax your entire body to create a snap or ‘pop’ look with the snap or pop in the music.” Sanborn learns new moves primarily through television and YouTube. His favorite dancer is Phillip Chbeeb, the dancer on So You Think You Can Dance who initially sparked his interest in popping. Chbeeb has a YouTube channel under the username pacman and uploads videos of various kinds of dances. “[Watching Chbeeb is] what really inspired me to try popping,” Sanborn said. “After [seeing] him I stopped watching So You Think You Can Dance because nothing impressed me anymore.” After a classmate mentioned to Sanborn that the seniors were lacking dancers for the Spirit Dance, Sanborn agreed to take part in the yearly tradition. Although he says that he had always considered participating in the dance in previous years, Sanborn was too nervous to perform in front of the entire school during his freshman year, and he was unable to participate during his junior year as he was out of the country. “It was fun,” Sanborn said. “The last week we were trying to cram in as much practice as possible but I was missing half of [the practices] because of my training schedule for swimming. So the only [practices] I could [attend] were [the ones] late at night.” Sanborn’s older brothers also share his interest in dance. His oldest brother, Adrian, does ballroom dancing. His second brother, Elliot, used to break dance and also did the Spirit Dance his freshman year, impressing the crowd with flips and other tricks. Sanborn says that, with regards to his priorities, he places swimming above dancing, but he says that he continues to enjoy dancing as a hobby on the side. However, he says he hopes to keep dancing in the future. “It is fun to break out [dancing] every once in a while,” Sanborn said. “It happens while I’m working on homework sometimes [and] I spontaneously break out into dance when I hear a cool song.”
maddie berger/campanile
Bing Nursery School provides not only a means for educating children, but also research material for Stanford students. These students study the children through one-way mirrors in order to watch and track their mental, physical and emotional development.
Bing Nursery School offers distinctive child education as part of Stanford psychology lab By Hannah Totte Editor in Chief
Point, focus, shoot. The mechanics of taking a photograph are simple, since what ultimately matters to most adults is what is produced inside the frame. Sometimes, as people grow older, the creativity of how to go about something, of process rather than product, is replaced by custom and a need for efficiency. Quantity can inhibit quality. For the children at Bing Nursery School in Stanford, Calif., though, creating by learning through process is of utmost importance. To see a picture from a child’s perspective, as school director Jennifer Winters described, involves stepping outside the pressure to constantly move forward. A child may, instead, grab a camera and spin, blurring the imperfections around him to capture emotion rather than the customary still beauty. “I wanted to get a picture of the whole world,” the child said.
•••
RIKI RATTNER/CAMPANILE
Senior Byron Sanborn learned a challenging break dancing style that he calls “popping.”
Bing Nursery School, established in 1966 with a grant from the National Science Foundation, offers play-based nursery care that, according to Founding Director Edith Dowley, is meant to “give back to children some of the things modern living has taken away.” Like many other programs for children ages two to six, Bing is separated into classrooms, each stocked with countless wooden blocks for building, play tables, books and hooks for backpacks. What differentiates Bing from other schools is not the quantity of its materials. It is the quality of its teaching, its heightened appreciation for the process of learning and development. “We understand the value of a play-based program, and we provide that,” Winters said. “It really is an important aspect of childhood, for them to have the opportunity for play. We are always in such a hurry. To have this time when children can really make choices with each other, with materials, it really is important. So the program at Bing really has not changed that much over 40 years, believe it or not. It has always been a play-based program.” According to Winters, Bing is built around a foundation that believes in giving children the freedom of choice and movement. Walls that may seem restrictive in other classroom settings are replaced with floor to ceiling windows, open to the
beautiful landscape architecture outside and encouraging a “seamless indoor-outdoor environment,” according to Winters. Since most of the children live in the Palo Alto and Stanford area, according to Winters, many children who attended Bing now attend Palo Alto High School, such as senior Sophie Jorasch. “I remember really liking that we could go inside or outside because it gave more freedom and a variety of activities that made it more fun,” Jorasch said. The first two out of the three and a half hours a child spends at Bing are designated uninterrupted time, encouraging exploration. “Teachers are there to meet the child, they greet the child as they enter, the teacher is really very respectful of the child,” Winters said. “The children rotate freely, so they really have this incredible freedom of movement throughout the environment. They really have the opportunity to develop that love of learning from having that uninterrupted time.” Each classroom is organized to have six staff members: one head teacher with a masters degree in early childhood development, three teachers and two teaching assistants with at least a bachelors degree in childhood development. But between the walls of each classroom, hidden by one-way mirrors and closed doors, are what Winters refers to as “game rooms.” These rooms for observation and psychiatric study are what make Bing a true outlier. As part of the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, Bing’s alternate purpose is, according to its website, to “provide a laboratory where undergraduates at Stanford can learn first-hand about child development and where faculty members and graduate students
“The initial goal of the excan conduct research in child periment was to identify the development.” Students enrolled in teach- mental processes that allowed ing practicum and observa- some people to delay gratification classes at Stanford, such tion while others simply suras Psychology 147, come to ob- rendered,” The New Yorker serve and, at times, interact author Jonah Lehrer said in his article “Don’t!: The Secret with children at Bing. Graduate students also use of Self Control.” At Bing, studies are conchildren enrolled at Bing for psychiatric experiments and ducted in a one-to-one restudies. Classrooms are or- searcher-to-child ratio. After ganized in a ring around the building a bond with a child central quad, where a bulle- in the classroom, a researcher tin board is lined with papers can invite the child to accomdescribing research. Current- pany him or her to a “game ly, there are 16 descriptions of room,” where the experiment studies hung up on the bulle- will be set up. If the child declines the information, or if he tin board. Studies include anything or she wishes to leave in the from delayed gratification to middle of it, the child is given language studies, giving grad- the freedom to do so. Although uate stuchildren may dents the opnot remember portunity to “We are always in such the studies explore child a hurry. To have this time they particidevelopment pated in, lesp s y c h o l o g i - when children can really sons learned cally. For make choices with each from the free example, a other, with materials, it reenvironment Stanford stually is important.” at Bing foldent found low some inthat bilingual children Bing Nursery School Director to their later lives. Winters are more receives posilikely to pick up non-verbal cues than those tive feedback from both chilwho are monolingual through dren and parents, who encourage and appreciate the his study. “A lot of work is done before program. “Recently I had a young it even gets published,” Winman stop by, he’s a junior at ters said. Results from Bing have Yale, but he was actually in been published in textbooks, my class,” Winters said. “He though, and the program is said that his experience here, recognized both nationally and in terms of saying what’s on globally. The only longitudi- your mind and learning the sonal study at Bing in the 1960s cial problem solving skills to involved delayed gratifica- do that, that’s a lasting piece tion and followed subjects in- that you’ll have with you. He to adulthood. Walter Mischel, said that he felt that he gained a professor of psychology at from his experience here, and Stanford at the time, led the I hear that over and over and experiment, which gave chil- over again, that children have dren the opportunity to eat experience and they’re much one marshmallow or, when the more confident in saying what experimenter left the room, they think and being focused wait until he returned to enjoy on learning, I definitely get that repeatedly.” two marshmallows.
maddie berger/campanile
Bing Nursery School employs the idea of children’s freedom to better educate them. An outdoor setting and free time are all meant to give the young students a unique educational experience.
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Ling Lau Realtor, APR
Would love your help!
“Wishing you all have a wonderful school year!”
578 University Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-543-1055 llau@apr.com
Jennifer Winters
Rhonda Brewster e-mail: RBrewster@MosaicGlobalTransportation.com www.MosaicGlobalTransportation.com 643 Bair Island Rd. • Suite 210 • Redwood City, CA 94063 Phone: 800.398.7881 Ext. 223 • Fax: 650.864.9710 • TCP 20775-P
Send checks payable Palo Alto High School to: Palo Alto High School c/o Esther Wojcicki s! nk a 50 Embarcadero Rd Th Palo Alto, CA 94301
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Friday, November 18, 2011
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
OFF THE BEATEN PATH By Sam Dodson Staff Writer
People living in Northern California are blessed with incredible opportunities to experience natural beauty and stay physically fit at the same time. From the beach to the spectacular, picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains, California has it all. Although outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding and hiking dominate the scene in the mountains, one does not have to make the three to five-hour trip to the Sierras in order to experience wonderful hiking. There is a plethora of local hiking trails that offer scenic views and opportunities for strenuous exercise.
MOUNT TAMALPAIS
Mount Tamalpais is a very popular tourist destination nestled in the heart of Marin County, overlooking San Francisco and Oakland. The summit is at about 2500 feet and provides a spectacular view of the San Francisco Bay and the surrounding area. In 1896, an 8.25 mile long railroad was built from the summit of Mt. Tam to the base. The train used gravity to move down the hill and the railroad was at the time the most crooked railroad in the world. Today, visitors can hike that same railroad trail and visit the information center at the base of the summit for an entire history lesson on the railroad. Junior Simon Fox is one of many who enjoys both the scenic view at the top of the mountain and the relatively easy hike. “The view of San Francisco and the Bay is awesome,” Fox said. “The fire road that I hiked most of the way was not very steep and [it was] well-maintained.
STINSON BEACH TRAIL
Another wonderful trail for the hiker who would like the beach and the mountain all in one day is a hike from Stinson Beach to the summit, a trail slightly over 16 miles long. The trail starts on the beach, leads one into the redwood forest and then out onto the mountain. The best time to hike the trail is during the months of June, July, August and September because the weather is generally pleasant and the sky is clear. Even in the month of May, fog may roll in and cover the mountain. For those caught in the middle of a rainstorm, the view at the top will be of grey emptiness instead of the beautiful San Francisco Bay. To enjoy this view, however, one does not have to take the time to hike multiple miles, even
ginascarpino
though it is much healthier. There is a road that leads one directly into a parking lot at the base of the summit. From there is a short trail up to the very top which only takes about five to ten minutes, depending on how fast one walks.
MOUNT DIABLO
In the East Bay, and only a little over an hour away from Palo Alto by car, Mount Diablo is another mountain that offers great hiking and incredible views. The easiest way to get to the mountain is to drive north on Highway 680 until one reaches the city of Danville; the state park is directly east of the city. The summit is at nearly 4000 feet and provides a view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains across the Central Valley on a clear day. Geographers say that Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya is the only other peak in the world where one can see more of the Earth’s surface. At the summit, there are public binoculars in case one forgets their own. The most popular trail is called the “Grand Loop,” which is a seven-mile trail with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. It is a well-maintained trail that provides scenic views all the way up to the top.
MOUNT HAMILTON
For a view of the San Jose and the greater South Bay Area, Mount Hamilton is the place to go. It is also the site of the James Lick Observatory, where a telescope with a 36-inch diameter lens awaits researchers from the University of California school system. The mountain is the highest peak in the Bay Area, at about 4000 feet, and offers numerous hiking trails for beginners and intermediates alike. The mountain is a one hour drive away. The easiest way is to get there is to take Highway 101 south toward San Jose until El Capitol Highway. From there, turn east on the highway until Quimby Interstate. Quimby Road merges into interstate 130, which eventually leads one to the mountain. Bay Area residents have ample opportunities to experience the great outdoors due to many hiking trails close by. Most of the trails are clear-cut and safe, but state parks need help to maintain the trails. Instead of running on the treadmill, Paly students and their families should go experience the beautiful nature next time. “Hiking is so much better than the gym because of the variability,” Fox said. “Out there, in the nature and fresh air, it’s awesome.”
LOCAL TRAILS Mount Tamalpais Distance to summit: 8.25 miles Why this trail?: The hike is along a 1896 railroad track. Stinson Beach Trail Distance to summit: 16 miles Why this trail?: View of San Francisco Bay at the summit. Mount Diablo Distance to summit: 7 miles Why this trail?: View of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range at summit. Mount Hamilton Distance: 20 miles (routes vary) Why this trail?: Highest peak in the Bay Area.
Student starts website to promote collaboration Palyhomeworkhelp.com lets students gain access to study guides, class notes By Brian Benton Editor in Chief
“Palyhomeworkhelp.com is so much more fun when no one knows who I am,” an anonymous senior said when asked via email if he or she could meet for an interview regarding the new website. “I actually wasn’t planning on making it anonymous, but I thought it was kind of funny that everyone [kept asking who made the website].” And, weeks after its launch, it remains anonymous. The website, a compilation of links to study guides, notes, handouts and help for various classes at Paly was started as a way to help younger students in their upcoming years of high school by providing them with an easy place to find help, along with just being a way for its founder to learn about coding. “[I] wanted practice with coding because I had never done it before and I thought if I was going to learn how to do it, I might as well do something that has some benefit,” the founder said. “Another reason I created this website was my dissatisfaction with the previous methods of information sharing. Facebook groups for classes have major downsides, so this was kind of a play off of that. On palyhomeworkhelp.com, the content is filtered so it is more reliable than a Facebook group and you don’t have the complaints and random stuff kids post that are distracting.” The site is run off submissions, which, according to the founder, have been a bit slow so far despite the fact that they can be easily sent in from the site’s homepage or shared as a GoogleDoc with palyhomeworkhelp@gmail.com. When notes guides are submitted, they are uploaded to the class page they best fit into. Submitters can choose to remain anonymous or include their name if they want credit for their good deed. Currently, the website includes information for mostly junior and senior year classes, although the founder hopes to expand to more underclassmen courses and variety as a whole. “I am definitely looking to add more classes,” the founder said. “I think just spreading awareness that the site exists is the best thing I can do for submissions at this point.” Although the website is still growing, it has already received positive feedback from members of the Palo Alto High School community. “I submitted a lot of my study guides and work to the website because I wanted to help future Paly students with their classes and workload,” senior Emily Swanson said. “A lot of teachers give blank study guides with no information filled in so you have to fill it all in on your own. With an already completed study guide, a student will be able to focus more time on understanding and learning the concepts.” The founder is happy with how the site is going so far as well despite its recent creation. “The number of hits rises dramatically each day and it’s really cool to see that people are actually staying on the site for long periods of time,” the founder said. “The nice thing about being anony-
palyhomeworkhelp.com mous is I know that people aren’t just trying to be nice when they talk about it.” Right now, the founder wants to stay focused on solely targeting Paly, rather than expanding to other schools, but would like to see an increase in submissions, especially among underclassmen. The site can be especially useful for freshmen and sophomores who are still getting adjusted to high school, but without information on the classes they are taking, the site is less effective. Palyhomeworkhelp.com is an experiment and, as of now, it seems to be working. It is something that could never have happened twenty or even ten years ago. The site is a way for students to collaborate, learn and rely on honest methods of studying as opposed to cheating. And, above all else, it is just one more example of how technologically involved Paly is and how much it can help our student body. “I basically was home sick and bored, so I decided to do this,” the founder said. “I’m just having fun.”
High school is not an easy place to transition to. Balancing homework, tests, extra curricular activities and a social life is not easy. A lot of high school students now find a way to “escape” from all the stress through drinking alcohol and doing drugs. Many teens start by being exposed to pictures on Facebook of drinking or illegal drug use, then feel the need to try it. But, posting pictures that show illegal alcohol or drug use could get you into some trouble. With a great privilege like Facebook comes great responsibilities. In 2010, Joseph Califano Jr., the Chairman and Founder of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) released the results of his National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XV Teens and Parents study. “The relationship of social networking site images of kids drunk, passed out, or using drugs to increase teen risk of substance abuse offers grotesque confirmation of the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words,” Califano said in the press release of his 2010 study. The CASA study suggested that 70 percent of teens spend time on some form of social networking site and according to the study, half of those teens have seen pictures of their peers drunk, passed out or using drugs. The study conducted at CASA suggests that a high school student who witnesses pictures of substance abuse on Facebook and other social networking sites is more likely to drink or do drugs. As a witness of these sorts of pictures, I have never felt a sense of peer pressure nor a need to drink or smoke (or do whatever other drugs people are doing these days). As a 16 year old I understand that feeling of doing something with the sole purpose to make oneself feel “cool.” But, what if your parents saw one of your red cup pictures? According to a study conducted by a consumer electronics website, Retrevo, in 2010 said that nearly half (48 percent) of parents add their children as friends on Facebook. You can put parents on limited profile, but one of those scandalous pictures could slip by and end up on those parts of the profile that your parents can see. In the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), we are educated on the causes and effects of drinking and doing drugs in the seventh grade. We are taught about the effects of binge drinking and driving drunk. Even though the dangers of these toxic substances are emphasized numerous times, some teenagers just cannot seem to understand the harm alcohol can have on you. Let’s say you’re a 17 year old and you are at a friend’s house on Saturday night. There are cans of beer sitting on the kitchen table and you are offered some. You were not going there with the intention of drinking but let’s just say that by the end of the night you had chugged four cans of beer. I have heard about teens doing this and I find it beyond stupid. Chugging that much alcohol in such a small amount of time is you asking for a trip to the hospital. Drinking too much over time can lead to you getting cirrhosis or even lead to liver failure. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a program of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, created a campaign called ‘above the influence’ to educate the public on minors using illegal substances. According to Above the Influence, each year, approximately 5000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This includes roughly 1900 deaths from car accidents, a program of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 300 suicides, and hundreds of other deaths due to accidents like falls, burns and drownings. Stressed? Have some problems? Drinking and doing drugs could get you in more trouble rather than solve all your problems. Be responsible and make the right decisions, because substance abuse can negatively affect you in the long run.
A&E
B12 • November 18, 2011
The Campanile
New iPhone app allows users to purchase food OrderAhead offers convenient way to place order via smartphone By Michael Augustine Sports Editor
While it may seem as if the smartphone industry is dominated by useless applications that may bore users after a while, Palo Alto restaurants are capitalizing on eager customers in the restaurant industry. With a surge of free applications meant to provide an easier way for people to order, waiting in long lines is now optional. Armed with many tools to order their favorite foods, students can use applications on their smartphones to save time and make choosing what to order even easier. The free iPhone app OrderAhead has recently emerged as a convenient way to order food. As the name suggests, the app enables users to order their food ahead from a host of local eateries. OrderAhead is currently has partnered with ten restaurants in Palo Alto, and more in neighboring cities. Examples of OrderAhead partners include Oren’s Hummus Shop, Fraiche Yogurt and Coupa Cafe.
The user-friendly format provides anyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad the ease of choosing from simple menus at each given restaurant. Users need not fear the pressure of indecision as other customers wait as they can leisurely browse a restaurant’s choices. “You choose a restaurant and their menu pops
lucas brooks senior
“You only use [the app] once a month or so when you actually remember and plan ahead.” up,” senior Margaret Wenzlau said. “Then you choose what you want, add any special requests and then put in your credit card information.” OrderAhead makes the process even easier by informing customers how long they need to wait before pickup. Users can save time by skipping lines and only have to wait a few minutes for their ordered food. “I often crave Coupa Cafe’s chicken mushroom crepe, but until OrderAhead that was not an option because
the service took too long,” Wenzlau said. “I love Town and Country, but in my fourth year at Paly, I have grown tired of the same options every day.” “Some flaws may be that you have to have a credit card [to use OrderAhead], and I’m not sure how many Paly students have [one]. You have to order during the class period before lunch, so you may have to be sneaky while placing your order,” Wenzlau said. OrderAhead is unique in its accumulation of local restaurants that it supports, but many restaurants, specifically chain establishments, have provided smartphone users this option for some time. Ike’s Place, located on Stanford’s campus, in San Francisco and Redwood Shores, offers a smartphone ordering option as well. As with OrderAhead, Ike’s Place’s online menu makes it very easy to sort through by separating its sandwich options into “Meats”, “Veggies” and “Vegan” options. The Ike’s Place’s app provides customers with ingredients, price, bread type and add-on options. “[The app is] very handy especially because the line for Ike’s is usually out the
door,” senior Shannon Scheel said. “[But] it will be an hour and a half later [before pickup sometimes], and I want my lunch now.” Given the iPhone’s limited memory space, infrequent users may find the apps more of a luxury than a necessity. “One problem with this concept is that it takes up valuable phone space and you only use [the app] once a month or so when you actually remember and plan ahead,” senior Lucas Brooks said.
What do you think about ordering food ahead with iPhone applications? “It saves time but I feel bad about cutting people [in line].” Mason Haverstock junior
“It would make the process much more efficient.”
Restaurants With OrderAhead
Emma Miller senior
“It’s a tardy saver after lunch.”
Ike’s Place Located in Stanford
Fraiche
Andre Kouchekey junior
Located in Palo Alto
Five Guys
“It would be useful and I would definitely use it if I had that app.”
Located in Fremont
Oren’s Hummus Located in Palo Alto
Irene Ezran sophomore
Alternative internet sources provide uncensored news Independent online publications give unbiased reports on current events By Charlie Dulik Staff Writer
“The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media,” former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Colby said. Although it may seem frightening to those who wish their news to be truthful and accurate, this quote may prove no surprise to Americans unhappy with their quality of news and who are looking for an explanation. In fact, just 29 percent of Americans say that major news organizations generally get the facts straight and 82 percent of Americans see bias in new coverage, according a poll by Pew Research. With many Americans perceiving the mainstream media as inept, biased and controlled, an increased demand for truthful reporting has arisen. That demand has been filled by an abundant selection of alternative news sources. Almost every single one of these sources thrives on the web, as Internet domains are cheap and websites are easy to maintain free from advertising and network control. The most famous of these truth-seeking news sites is www.wikileaks.org. Wikileaks is an international nonprofit that publishes submissions of classified media from private sources and whistleblowers. Although it remains objectively unpolished as a news source, the site publishes millions of documents each year exposing information that governments wish to remain hidden, including classified government cables and hundreds of thousands of documents on the war in Afghanistan. Wikileaks does not publish well-rounded articles, and for that reason is lacking as a news source. However, its in-depth fact finding is unparalleled and the site publishes immense quantities of news that cannot be found anywhere else. In contrast with Wikileaks, websites like www.thedailybeast.com are refined news sources that pump out well-rounded arti-
cles, utilizing crisp design. The Daily Beast offers multiple sections complete with many articles on a diverse array of subjects. What sets The Daily Beast apart from its competitors is its clean design and innovative features like The Cheat Sheet, a list which centralizes a group of ten must read‚ articles from every section of the site. An alternative news source similar to the Daily Beast is www.good.is, a website and supplementary quarterly magazine that combine into a media platform
that promotes straight news as well as progressive businesses, individuals and nonprofits‚ moving the world forward. GOOD boasts a modern design not unlike that of The Daily Beast. In addition, the site offers unique infographics that combine information and graphic design. Where the site differs from The Daily Beast is its features, which are often less well-researched or indepth than those of The Daily Beast. However, GOOD offers many articles highlighting critical issues ignored by ma-
jor media. There are also many websites that exhibit the opposite traits of GOOD. Websites like www.alternet.org and www.globalissues.org boast large quantities of in-depth, hard-hitting news articles on critical global and national issues. Alternet also offers more opinion articles whereas Global Issues contains many factbased expositions. However, these sites contain more rudimentary, unpolished designs that can prove a bit of an eyesore for readers. In contrast to websites featuring farreaching, global news, there are many alternative news sources that display specific foci. www.opensecrets.org is dedicated to tracking money’s influence on American politics. The outreach of the popular foreign news network Al Jazeera‚ website, english. aljazeera.net, focuses on mainly on Middle Eastern news as well as global issues. www. politifact.com judges the accuracy of American politicians’ statements on truth scales. Other websites focus solely on news ignored by the mainstream media, and ignore many major news stories or at least find other sides to reporting on them. www. disinfo.com is one of those websites, and it focuses on news outside the realm of mainstream media. As such, it is an accompanying complement to more general news coverage. In addition to websites, alternative news sources exist in other mediums as well. Adbusters, the Canadian magazine that created the Occupy protests, provides news and opinions about the negative influence of corporations. The Young Turks is the largest online news show in the world, according to their website, and is soon to be a show on Current, the television channel owned by Al Gore. Overall, an extensive and eclectic group of publications exist for the purpose of providing alternative news than that offered in the mainstream media, and can be easily utilized. You are on the brink of your future. I can help you find your path to purpose ...and college admissions success. Marci Reichelstein Certified College Admissions Advisor www.compasstocollege.org
Joel B. Spolin (650) 529 - 4700 office (650) 618 - 2004 fax To send large files: https://dropbox.yousendit.com/JoelSpolin
Morrissey-Compton Educational Center Serving the Community for 30 years Offering Psycho-Educational Evaluations, Tutoring, Therapy, and Consultation Services 2555 Park Blvd., Suite 1, Palo Alto, CA 94306 650.322.5910 www.morrissey-compton.org
A&E
The Campanile
November 18, 2011 • B13
Paly seniors engage in professional youth choir
‘Ye The Philosopher
Choir students pursue passion through intense vocal focus group By Michael Abrams Editor in Chief
Listen to seniors Elias Berezin, Sarah Brown and Thomas Wade sing and you will hear something different about their sound. It is not just in their voices, although their notes are in lock-step, their rhythms are perfectly negotiated and their pitches are beautifully shaped. It is in their eyes. As their eyebrows rise in concentration with each note, a smile simultaneously flashes across their faces and a gleam of emotion pops through their eyes, all in perfect harmony with the chord. They do not just sing — they feel, and most notably, they listen. Simply put, they are professionals. Although these musicians were all on a journey to become accomplished musicians long before this year, each taking private lessons and participating in multiple choirs outside of school united their paths toward mastery. All three vocalists participated in Chanticleer’s Louis A. Botto (LAB) Choir for young singers: a small, focused group of teenage singers who rehearse and perform in the context of a professional choir. Chanticleer is a widely acclaimed group of 12 male singers based in San Francisco. Beyond performing nationally and internationally, the group hosts many educational outreach events that appeal to young singers. The LAB choir is one such group organized by Ben Johns, a previous member of Chanticleer’s choir and Chanticleer’s current director of education. In this group of exceptionally talented young singers, all rehearsals and performances revolve around one goal: intensity. LAB singers have the opportunity to learn music from a tremendous variety of cultures, and receive feedback that is incredibly unique to the LAB experience. “We sang in about ten languages including Hungarian, Russian, Latin, Cuban Spanish, Italian and Japanese,” Brown said. “We sang choral music that ranged from four parts to sometimes more than eight parts.” Berezin explained that in LAB choir rehearsals, Johns can focus on such detailed aspects of the music as vowel and tone matching for upwards of two to three hours, simply because the musicians in the choir have such a professional focus. “Probably the most interesting thing I learned from participating in the LAB choir was how many different ways there are to say your vowels, and how difficult it is to make sure that your “ah is the same as everyone else’s ah,” Berezin said. The choir sings the most challenging music possible for even adult choirs, pushing students to develop their listening skills and further explore their musicianship. In its most recent concert, the choir tackled such difficult repertoire as the Russian Church Slavonic, “Spaseniye Sodela,” which required the group to negotiate the subtleties of blending and advanced understanding of dynamics. Other pieces included Durufle’s quiet but chilling “Ubi Caritas” and, according to Brown, a delightful piece called “Italian Salad” that challenged her to emphasize diction and push out of her comfort zone.
willkershner
MIchael Abrams/Campanile
Seniors Elias Berezin, Sarah Brown and Thomas Wade rehearse for their latest choir recital, participating in Chanticleer’s Louis A. Botto (LAB) choir for young and aspiring singers. Berezin was also excited by the group’s strong variety, and enjoyed singing songs from the Philippines followed by barbershopstyle music, followed by spirituals and operas. Wade was most impressed by John’s commitment to challenging music. “We sing the great choral stuff,” Wade said. “None of the stuff that’s written for children.” Beyond the music itself, the LAB choir’s efforts to create intensity are illustrated by the intimate, industrious rehearsal settings. The group started its season with three backto-back rehearsals over Labor Day weekend, each six hours long. After that weekend, the group participated in weekly rehearsals every Saturday from 11 to 5:30 p.m. and frequently on Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m. “It’s hard to keep singing for that long and also to pay attention for that long,” Brown said. “At first I struggled with the lengthy rehearsals, but after the first few I started to getting used to it and ended up looking forward to rehearsals every week.” Each rehearsal followed a similar plan that challenged the singers to explore deeper and deeper connections within the music. “We get there, we warm up with arpeggios, trilling exercises and vowel matching,” Wade said. “We also massage each other’s shoulders to help relieve tension. Then we rehearse our music. Talking is not an option — that’s one of the best parts of LAB.” LAB members had the opportunity to cement their work through additional mandatory homework assignments. One week, Johns asked the group to watch YouTube videos he selected of other choirs performing some of the pieces LAB was rehearsing. He asked each LAB member to listen to the pieces and send him a detailed message explaining exactly how he or she felt about the choir’s sound. Through exercises
like these, Johns tried to cultivate in his students both an understanding and appreciation of vocal music. He challenged the LAB musicians to understand music beyond a merely superficial level through this exercise. “It’s good that you have a reaction of liking this, not liking that” Johns said, explaining the assignment to the choir. “The next step is to understand why you feel that way. What is it about your musical background that guides your aesthetic taste? In going down this path, you may discover more about your favorite styles of music or more about yourself.” After completing this activity, each LAB member received personal feedback from Johns on their work. Such an opportunity to communicate one-on-one with a professional singer represents the epitome of LAB choir: providing extraordinary young singers with the chance to reach the next level of musicianship. The type of musician who participates in such a choir, like Wade, Berezin or Brown, is defined by his or her commitment to excellence but also to joining a community of talented singers. “Most of the members were quirky but that made them fun and lovable,” Brown said. “Everyone was super nice and welcoming and the group never felt competitive because everyone was so devoted to making sure the ensemble was as good as it could be.” The majority of singers, according to Brown, are college-aged and many come to the rehearsals in San Francisco from communities much further away than Palo Alto, demonstrating their commitment to the choir.
See palyvoice.com for full story
Local boutique donates all profits to organization In Her Shoes store gives uses business to help the Global Fund for Women
By Nira Krasnow Staff Writer
A combination of jeweltoned stilettos, rugged boots, dainty ballet flats and trendy athletic shoes line the walls, each adorned with their own embellishments to ensure that every pair is unique and different from the next. The store is the epitome of a Palo Alto boutique, teeming with friendly employees eager to help and comfortable couches to rest on. But the one thing that one will not get from this particular store is the feeling of post-retail guilt after purchasing that essential, yet astonishingly expensive, pair of shoes. At In Her Shoes in Town and Country Village, shopping is not a simply superficial act. All profits are used to support the Global Fund for Women, which is an organization centered around the advancement of women’s human rights. “[The Global Fund for Women] is a grant-making organization,” In Her Shoes owner Pam Rosekrans said. “It gives grants to humanitarian programs for women and children worldwide.” Excluding operating costs and staff salaries, all profits made at In Her Shoes go to this foundation.
“We pay operating costs but 100 percent of the profits [go to the Global Fund for Women],” Rosekrans said. “I don’t take a salary, I don’t take anything. It all goes to the Global Fund for Women.” Rosekrans opened the boutique in 2006 in hopes of combining her passion for shoes and the women’s rights foundation. Overall, Rosekrans’s vision of being able to directly support the Global Fund for Women and increasing awareness of the cause has been very successful. “I wanted to bring more visibility to the Global Fund for Women and I thought I could do that through a store,” Rosekrans said. “I needed a hobby because my kids were all grown and out of the house, so it’s been a good thing. We’ve given $122,000 [to the Global Fund for Women] so far.” Although many shoppers at In Her Shoes are aware of the cause that the store supports, the employees enjoy talking to those who are not informed about the foundation. The store also provides supplemental resources to ensure that costumers are aware of the philanthropic backbone of the boutique. “I think that most people know about the [Global Fund
for Women] because Anne Firth Murray [founder of the Global Fund for Women] is a professor at Stanford and she is known locally so people know about it,” In Her Shoes employee Ambyr Dawson said. “If not, we have brochures that we pass out to people and we verbally inform [shoppers] just in conversation when they’re here.” According to Dawson, the fact that the store profits go to charity has an affect on how customers shop. In Her Shoes gives women the opportunity to simultaneously help the world and purchase a stunning pair of shoes. Buyers’ remorse is unheard of at this charming boutique. “I mean, you’re buying yourself a $600 pair of boots, but to know that you’re doing that and in doing so you are helping other women, it feels better,” Dawson said. “It definitely makes it a very positive experience.”
In Her Shoes
At Town & Country Village Mon. to Fri. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHRISSIE CHENG, CAROLINE MARTIGNETTI/ CAMPANILE
Proceeds of all the shoes sold at Palo Alto’s In Her Shoes is donated to the Global Fund for Women Organization.
I want to make Kanye West my best friend. He is without a doubt the best rap superstar our generation has seen. Not only do I forgive his social gaffes, specifically with President Bush and Taylor Swift, but I commend him for them. Only Yeezy has the moxie to pull stunts like that and have good reasons to back them up. Put aside your snide comments for a second and assess ‘Ye for what he truly is: a talented rapper, producer, stellar wordsmith and sometimes a bit of a narcissist. These reasons and more make West one of the most misunderstood, sensational rappers of the 21st century. All I really have to say is “Mr. West is in the building, swagger on level one hundred thousand trillion.” Periodically, ‘Ye goes into times of silence. Breaks between albums and months of speculation keep his fans in the dark and allow him the time to create lyrical perfection. Because of his swaggering air of mystery, very few elites have the privilege of fully understanding King Yeezy. However, many degenerates believe that they understand Daddy West. It is outrageous that ‘Ye was called a racist after his incident at the 2009 Video Music Awards. The only reason people have used that despicable slander against West is because he is black and T-Sweezy is white. Yeezy’s storming of the stage was not a racially motivated outburst at all. The only reason ‘Ye acted as gregariously as he did was because, let’s face it, Beyonce had one of the greatest music videos of all time. If I could sum up Mr. West in two words it would be Urban Philosopher...or maybe modern DaVinci. I say this because the lyrics Kanye drops in his songs are dope. They are so complex and mind-blowing they make me want to go into a fit of West-like imitation onomatopoeia’s such as HUHHH! Maybe I’d throw in a couple of WHAT!s and OKKAYY!s for the stylistic appearance of Lil’ Jon (but that is for a different time and place). To illustrate this point, we turn to the lyric, “If y’all fresh to death, then I’m deceased.” Before you jump to conclusions and say Weezy, Drake or Wiz is the greatest rapper of the contemporary hip-hop era, know this: Kanye is not comparable to any current rapper. Kanye is different, and by different I mean crazy. He is not in the same category as human rappers. In fact, he may not even be a human being at all. Yeezy is so idiosyncratic and unique that he can’t be put on the same level as normal rappers and therefore stands alone in his musical field. Don’t compare him to others because ‘Ye is ‘Ye. Another reason KanYeezy stands at the peak of the rap world is because of the simple fact that he is down right eccentric. He’s (probably) not mentally-ill crazy, he’s the most wonderful kind of crazy. He’s crazy in the way that his thoughts are like no one. I mean who else says things on Twitter like, “I make awesome decisions in bike stores.” Why in the world would someone say that? But I love it and that’s what makes ‘Ye unique in his own way. West also used to blog extensively. Each and every one of his blogs was written with the CAPS-LOCK on, and some of his most memorable moments have changed my life forever. For example, when Kanye was ranting about a Photoshopped picture that made him look older, he blogged,“DAAAAAAAAMN!!!! THIS IS SOME BENJAMIN BUTTON’S S**T!” I love that line so much that it will probably be included in both my college apps and wedding vows. Even when others argue that Kanye has made some ethical errors, or even that he is not a talented MC, I stay positive. This is mostly due to the fact that Kanye wins. Kanye always wins. Even when Kanye loses he wins. We need to all take Kanye in ours arms, hand-feed him chocolate chip cookies and sing an apologetic lullaby to him for misunderstanding his genius.
A&E
B14 • November 18th, 2011
Artisan restaurants serve tasty specialties
Trendy locations near San Francisco offer varieties of treats By Caroline Martignetti and Olivia Cornfield Staff Writers
The Bay Area is filled with tasty and interesting food. From crème brûlée made right before your eyes to gluten free pastries with flavors ranging from pop-tarts to pizzas, San Francisco cuisine has proven to hold a wide variety of these tasty treats. If ever wandering through the streets of San Francisco, try these local artisan food shops.
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The Crème brûlée Cart check @cremebruleecart on Twitter to find their daily location Must Have: Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée Dozens of people gather around the Crème Brûlée Cart, wherever it may be in the Bay Area, to watch the crème brûlée man in action using his blow torch to crystallize the sugar on the surface of the crème brûlée in seconds. There is no way to know in advance where one might find this unique dessert truck but its present whereabouts are posted on their Facebook group or Twitter page. The truck sells 22 different flavors of creamy textured desserts daily. Each flavor brings its own distinct tang to the table. The flavor “Yes Please,” made with Nutella and strawberries, melts in your mouth into a flavorful pool of chocolate, and the “Lavender” leaves a light delicate taste after each bite. The Crème Brûlée Cart is one of the most intriguing sites to see in SF.
Grace Barry
The Bi-Rite Creamery is filled with beautiful cakes, pies, puddings, pastries and breads, but if ice cream is on the brain, this is the place to go. The available ice cream is made from scratch in a wide spectrum of flavors sure to impress even the toughest taste buds. From the exotic flavor of honey lavender (made from dried lavender and local Sonoma honey) to a classic like Rocky Road, the Bi-Rite Creamery is sure to have it all. It does not only pride itself on the pure taste of the ice cream but also their consistent use of local farms and organic products. A unique twist the Bi-Rite Creamery adds is instead of using plastic spoons with their ice cream they give out metal ones, avoiding over 500,000 plastic spoons from showing up in our landfills each year.
Caroline Martignetti/campanile
Mariposa Bakery in the San Francisco Ferry Building sells fresh bagels, among other delectable treats.
Alec Wong
Chloe Koseff Caroline martinetti/Campanile
Bi-Rite Creamery in San Fransisco serves home made ice cream in flavors garaunteed to delight tastebuds. The daily flavors are handwritten on the refrigerator.
Blue Bottle Coffee Company 300 Webster Street Oakland, CA 94607 510.653.3394 Must Have: Fresh Brewed Coffee
Bi-Rite Creamery 3692 18th Street @ Dolores San Francisco, CA 94110 415.626.5600 Must Have: The Coffee Toffee Ice Cream
Sam Moses
Blue Bottle Coffee keeps to its claim of only selling coffee for 48 hours after it is removed from the roaster, giving the customer the taste of coffee at its peak flavor and making the cafe one of the best places to get the freshest coffee. James Freeman started Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland, Calif. It has now expanded from a small café into a small network of cafes, wholesale partners, an espresso cart, and a coffee kiosk. Although expanding Blue Bottle Coffee still uses vintage technology to make their coffee, it adds the modern twist of using compostable bags to put the coffee in, creating a “greener” environment. The unique philosophy behind Blue Bottle Coffee is that they only sell coffee 48 hours past the time it has been roasted so it is always fresh.
Mariposa Bakery Ferry Building Marketplace San Francisco, California 94111 510.595.0955 Must Have: Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls Across from Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants is a small kiosk and freezer filled with the most wonderful gluten-free treats called Mariposa Bakery. The delicacies, ranging from cookies to salami sandwiches, are made with care and a delicious combination of organic products to create the ultimate gluten free snack. Above all else, Mariposa Bakery excels in its gluten free cinnamon buns, drizzled with sweet icing and warmed to perfection. This is a must-stop stand in the large ferry building. Even for those who are not eating gluten-free there is no way to deny how delectable these treats are.
Express Yourself By Riki Rattner and Alex Lin Photo Editors
Palo Alto High School students color the campus with diversity, individualism and uniqueness. Students have the freedom to express themselves through music, art, fashion and body art. Many students use the style of their overall persona to convey deeper meanings about their identities. Students see their appearance as a way to silently express themselves among their peers and expose their inner sense of self.
This edition featuring
Grace Barry, Chloe Koseff, Sam Moses and Alec Wong with The Campanile’s own
Brian Benton and Kirah Ingram The Campanile: What have you enjoyed most about college apps so far? Alec Wong: Absolutely nothing. Sam Moses: Making up facts to make myself look good. Chloe Koseff: I spent a lot of time with my bed. It’s been really comfortable. TC: Sleeping? CK: Just sitting in my bed, applying to colleges. There’s a nice groove in my bed now from where I was sitting. That’s comfortable. Grace Barry: I’ve had a really nice bonding experience with my computer. I know it better now than I ever thought I would because it’s just always on my lap. TC: Sam, did you work Sam Summers into your apps? SM: That’s actually a good idea! TC: Don’t you think he’ll get in the way of your college application process at all since he’s such a negative person? SM: That’s Sam Winters. Watch the show... AW: That’s embarrassing. SM: I refuse to answer any more questions. TC: Alec, why weren’t you recruited for basketball? AW: Have you seen me? TC: Why weren’t you recruited for any sport? AW: I mean, I’m physically disadvantaged. TC: Jeremy Lin is in the NBA so that’s not an excuse. AW: He’s 6’ 4’’. GB: I think [Alec] meant heightwise... TC: What about baseball? AW: I just love basketball a lot more, so I chose to stick with what I love. TC: That’s actually really sweet. Chloe, did you say that you’re Afrikaan on your applications? CK: No, because it asks for what you identify as and I’m like...white. SM: You’re African? TC: Afrikaan. With a “K.” SM: Oh, you’re an Afrikaaner. CK: My dad’s from South Africa. He’s African-American but I’m not. I’m white. AW: Some of us might have taken a different route there. TC: What is the best or worst college essay you had to write? AW: They’re all bad. SM: Yeah... GB: There was one from Emerson that was like “title the story of your life.” Mine was called Grace Barry: It’s a Punderful Life. SM: That’s awesome. Wait, that’s sick. TC: What was a pun that you put in that essay? GB: At the end I said something about social punishment. TC: Did you check all your punctuation? GB: That was the only fun one. The others were like “what matters to you” and I was like “not this application.” TC: Puns? Anyone else? SM: What about you Wong? AW: Okay, just throw me out there. The fun ones are always like “what will you contribute to this school?” GB: Oh yeah. “I’m a lot of fun. I’m a good time.” CK: Lots and lots of sass. GB: Not racial diversity. TC: Do you think that if you
can’t have an interview with the college, they can’t see how wonderful you are? What’s the challenge with having to write that instead of having an interview? CK: Well, personally, for my interview, I think people are just really attracted to personality. AW: Um, no. CK: And maybe I’m not the best writer and I’m more into math things, [but] MIT allows you to have an interview and I think that puts me at an advantage, to have an interview at MIT. Because I think that I would bring something very unique to the campus. SM: The biggest problem with not having an interview in person is that they can’t see my good looks, so with every application I’m sending in a headshot. I also plan to seduce my interviewers. GB: That will not get you sued. SM: That can’t happen in an essay. AW: Why can’t your words seduce them? SM: Because, come on dude, words aren’t sexy. GB: I think it’s hard for me to come across in writing because I’m really sarcastic, so in writing I just come off like an idiot or a b**ch. But don’t publish that. TC: Did you do a screenwriting supplement? GB: I have a couple. There’s one that’s called Umbrella. It’s about this nerdy child and his umbrella. And then there’s one that’s called Yogurt Town and its basically the story of Palo Alto. TC: What was the most far out thing you had to do for one of your applications? SM: Okay. Far out? TC: Okay, different. Groovy. Psychedelic. SM: The headshot. CK: Well, I was going to do a dance supplement for Stanford, but first of all, that meant that my application was due 15 days earlier, so that was a problem. And second of all, I went on Youtube and I started watching people’s dance supplements and I got really discouraged. So, I didn’t do a dance supplement. That didn’t work out. SM: I was doing a supplement and then my mom called me for dinner. It was a pretty good dinner. AW: I don’t know if that counts as far out though... SM: Oh, we’re talking about groovy? I was listening to disco while I did a supplement. AW: That’s sick. Alright next question. TC: How many schools are you applying to? CK: Three privates, four UCs. AW: That’s it!? TC: You’re highly confident, aren’t you? CK: No safeties. AW: Oh lord. GB: I have one safety. It’s due May 1. TC: Is it De Anza? AW: I’d say I’m in the upper-20s right now. SM: You’re lying. AW: I haven’t applied to them yet. They’re just on my list. TC: Sam, what about you? SM: Oh. One. Yale. Put that in print.