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The Campanile

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

Palo Alto Senior High School

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PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

Since 1918

Vol. XCIII, No. 3

50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://voice.paly.net/campanile

CAMP EVERYTOWN

Campers enhance Paly environment

New bell schedule receives mostly positive feedback Survey reveals majority find double-block schedule helpful

By Lillian Xie Editor in Chief

Marc Havlik/Campanile

“Students are able to reassess preconceived social norms.”

PAGE A2

FRESH FUN

Link Crew tailgate a success

Alex Lin/Campanile

The majority of Palo Alto High School students who took a recent survey conducted by The Campanile favor the new, pilot bell schedule over the old one.

At this point in time, 74.8 percent of the Paly students who took the online survey believe that the new change was “better” when asked “How does the new bell schedule compare to that of last year’s?”

Though first apprehensive about the schedule when it was announced last school year, some students, such as sophomore Wesley Shiau, now believe that the current bell schedule has more positive aspects than the past schedule. “[The blocked schedule] is easier on the homework because you get about the same amount of homework but you have two days to do it,” Shiau said.

Furthermore, Associated Student Body (ASB) President senior Chirag Krishna believes that this schedule has helped with the perennial problem of student stress on a grander scale, especially for the upperclassmen.

“As a student I think the new bell schedule is really great,” Krishna said.

“I definitely think that the [better] homework distri-

bution is a plus, especially since [seniors] are doing college applications. I think the upperclassmen are really feeling it in terms of the number of [Advanced Placement] classes they are taking. There’s more time to do work.”

The consistent later start time at 8:15 a.m., as opposed to 7:50 a.m. in the past schedule, has also been beneficial to some students, including senior Elise Oh. “I really like the new bell schedule because I get to sleep in,” Oh said.

Even some teachers, such as Advanced Placement Biology teacher and Science Department Instructional Supervisor Michelle Steingart, like the new pilot schedule.

“I like the pace of the day,” Steingart said. “It’s a lot more relaxed.”

54.3 percent of students who took the survey believe that the longer block periods provided by the pilot schedule are more productive, though another 20.5 percent of students believe that longer periods were not more productive. According to some students that took the survey, longer classes can create a “focusing chore,” as one commentator described it, because they find it harder to concentrate after a certain time period.

On this issue, another commentator wrote, “we [the students] deserve breaks during class. [The classes are] too long and teachers don’t understand how difficult it is to sit through a block period.”

However, even underclassmen such as freshman Jackie Seymour find that, in the end, the longer periods are helpful.

“I like it a lot better than middle school,” Seymour said. “The productivity is

Staff Writer

The Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education’s plan to vote on the proposed new academic calendars for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years was derailed by parent protests during the School Board meeting. The meeting was held at the district headquarters on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

This will result in the 2011-2012 school year beginning in the 4th week of August and ending in

NEW LICENSES Redesign for under 21 drivers’ licenses

Editor in Chief

SEE THIS ISSUE OF THE CAMPANILE ONLINE

early June, as it did this year. A similar calendar will be followed for the 2012-2013 school year. The proposed calendar would have resulted in first semester finals occurring before winter break.

The nearly unanimous opposition from parents at the meeting centered around issues regarding calendar amendments that would be required to achieve pre-break finals. Parents were concerned that

See VOTE, Page A3

Staff Writer

By Rachel Mewes

See BELL, Page A3

By Electra Colevas Marc Havlik/Campanile

PAGE A3

aided its work, according to Krishna. “[Longer periods] just gives us [members of ASB] way more time,” Krishna said. “We can have longer discussions. [Also] transparency, and stuff like that, in terms of working with the admin I think has improved because we have more time to go and talk to them.”

The pilot schedule also

Paly scores higher on SAT than Gunn does Somaly Mam, the founder of AFESIP and the Somaly Mam Foundation, spoke at Paly on Nov. 12 about sex trafficking.

“From an athlete standpoint [the schedule is] a little annoying because I don’t get home until 7 to 8:30[p.m.],” Glazier said. “[However,] I love having block periods.

[On publication,] if you waste any time, the staff starts to get segregated. With blocks, you get ten minutes to prepare before starting [and] get time to really work. Overall it’s a positive change.”

ASB has also found that the longer periods have

By Bailey Cassidy

PAGE A3

“It’s unique for those provisional and under 21 cards because it’s a totally different layout.”

good. Even if we lose attention, I still get the notes so I can go back and look at them.”

For students who participate in extra curriculars at Paly, the pilot schedule has its pros and its cons.

Senior Will Glazier, an editor in chief of the Paly sports magazine Viking and a varsity football player, finds that his activities allow him to evaluate the pilot schedule with different perspectives.

Escaped sex slave visits Paly Parents strike down School Board vote

“The tailgate gave the freshmen a chance to go out of their bubbles and meet new people.”

GOOGLE

Monday, November 22, 2010

Students and teachers assembled in Palo Alto High School’s English Resource Center on Friday, Nov. 12 to hear Somaly Mam, an escaped sex slave from Cambodia and one of Time Magazine’s top 100 most influential figures, tell her story.

Mam has been traveling from school to school in the United States, spreading awareness about the global sex-trafficking industry.

Born into poverty in the Mondulkiri province of Cambodia, Mam was sold into sexual slavery at a young age. She managed to escape, and in 1996 she formed Agir Pour les Femmes En Situation Precaire

(AFESIP) which can be translated to Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances.

The organization works with the rescue and rehabilitation of victims of sexual slavery.

Bill Livermore, CEO of the Somaly Mam foundation, accompanied Mam and explained the current situation with slavery across the globe.

“Today, 25 million slaves exist in the world,” Livermore said. “To give you some perspective, in 1861 at the height of the transatlantic slave trade, there were 3.8 million slaves in the United States. Also we

See SOMALY, Page A3

The average SAT score of the senior class of 2010 at Palo Alto High School was 1951, four points higher than the senior class at Henry M. Gunn High School’s average, according to the Palo Alto Board of Educaion.

In past years, Gunn had slightly higher scores than Paly.

According to board reports, Paly was more successful in both the writing and critical reading sections, but Gunn’s math scores remained higher.

The numbers that changed drastically were the number of students who were PSAT National Merit Scholarship semi finalists.

From 2009 to 2010 the number of students who were semifinalists increased by 19 students, and dropped again in 2011 by 18 students. Paly College Advisor Sandra Cernobori said the class

of 2010 was just unusually strong in testing.

“The class of 2010 was just an intelligent class and they had scores that reflected that,” Cernobori said.

The same issues arise for students taking the test this year as they did in 2010. Many Gunn and Paly seniors have taken the SAT multiple times, and juniors

are preparing and taking their first tests.

“Juniors typically take their first test in March, and then once more,” Cernobori said. “I’ve seen some take it three times, but generally twice.”

The difference Paly students claim between the two Palo Alto

See SAT, Page A3

SPORTS

STROKE OF GENIUS

Swimming phenomenon, junior Jasmine Tosky, showcased her natural agility in the pool at the 2010 Swimming World Cup.

http://voice.paly.net/campanile

INSIDE

News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A4-A5,A8 Spotlight.............................A6-A7 Sports................................A9-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features...............................B2-B7 A&E...................................B8-B12

LIFESTYLES

Star Strul/Campanile

TEDDY TECH Sophomore builds his own computer from scratch.

KEN WATTANA/VOICE

PAGE B2

PAGE B1

A&E

Alex Lin/Campanile

OUT OF THE CLOSET

Secluded restaurants in Palo Alto prove to be hidden gems.

PAGE B7

OPINION

MARC HAVLIK/Campanile

PRICEY PARKING Permit prices are too high, marking for teacher-only spots unclear

PAGE A5

NEWS

A2 • Nov. 22, 2010

The Campanile

Camp Everytown concludes another eventful trip

NewsBriefs

Paly community anticipates arrival of colorful murals Palo Alto High School is still unsure as to when the designing of and displaying of the decorative murals on campus.

Margo Wixsom, introduced to the idea of the murals before may of last year, is the photography teacher at Paly and is content with the idea.

“I thought it was just a great idea and it’s linked to a lot of things,” Wixsom said. “[The murals aim to reduce] student stress and [support] the students that are going to be in the middle of this construction for so much of their Paly careers. It is a lot to ask the students and staff to go through.”

The murals are supposed to not only enhance the atmosphere on campus and draw attention from the construction all over school, but also establish connections between students, staff and the new campus.

The project is still in the works, according to Assistant Principle Jerry Berkson. There are still many decisions that have to be made.

Despite the difficulties in getting the project started, Berkson is confident that the plans will finish on schedule.

—Riki Rattner Staff Writer

Google to build high-speed network for Stanford Broadband Network Google plans to build their first ultrahighspeed network on Stanford University’s Campus. Construction of this network will bring speeds of up to one gigabyte a second to the university’s Residential Subdivision, which is a group of approximately 850 faculty and staff-owned homes on campus.

Palo Alto is one of hundreds of cities nationwide that yearn to be selected by Google for this project, which gives every household and business in the city high-speed Internet access. Stanford, chosen because the campus is close — just a few miles up the road from Google — enough to monitor with ease. Stanford was open to the idea of the Google high-speed broadband network because with new fiber technology, the region is a good fit for a beta deployment.

The news has created much excitement in the community, as the project is a subdivision of Google Fiber. This is project will create a fiber optic network which is more stable and has a faster Internet connection. With faster internet, the network would be capable of fitting TV, phone and web all in one connection. According to Google spokesman Dan Martin, the project taking place at Stanford is separate from Palo Alto’s standings in the nationwide race for the much anticipated Google Fiber. By bringing Google Fiber to Stanford, Google will be able to use the results and feedback of the small deployment to learn more about how to make the network even more efficient.

Google will announce the other locations near the end of the year, but for now Stanford will serve as the initial experiment.

—Andrea More Staff Writer

ASB envisions collaborative Paly-Gunn dances in future After some deliberation, Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body and Henry M. Gunn’s Student Executive Council (SEC) decided that Paly and Gunn would not combine their winter formals this January, although it may be an option for future years.

“Gunn SEC made the decision to hold their winter dance without us, perhaps due to some unavoidable conflict or confusion with their schedule,” ASB President Chirag Krishna said.

Paly will still have their own dance, despite the change of plans, although the date is still to be decided.

“Despite SEC’s cancellation, [Paly] ASB will still be hosting Winter Formal and is still dedicated to holding a safe, successful and fun event,” Krishna said.

ASB is discussing possible options for the dance to attract a large number of students.

“Ideas for the dance include a possible off campus venue and working with the DJ to provide an entertainment package with even more than what we’ve seen at the first two dances of the year, both of which have been successful,” Krishna said.

Krishna said that the ASB is planning on coordinating with the Gunn’s SEC regarding combining the dances for upcoming years.

“The idea of doing so is still very much a possibility for the future, and ASB will continue to pursue it with both Gunn SEC and the schools’ respective administrations,” Krishna said.

Paly freshman Chasen Chacon approves of the idea of Paly and Gunn holding their winter formals together.

“I think it’d be cool because I could see my friends from Gunn and it would be fun because there would be a lot of people there,” Chacon said.

—Rachel Mewes Editor in Chief

Students return with renewed hopes of unifying Paly community

by Hannah Totte

nity to meet if I hadn’t gone,” junior Ashley Hartwell said. “I really didn’t Seventy-two sophomores, juniors think that I would get to know so many and seniors departed after school on people and have so much in common Wednesday, Nov. 10 for Camp Every- with the people that I met.”

This year, the biggest change was town, an annual leadership program designed to inspire cohesiveness within the refinements to the application the student body and to disintegrate process, according to Burton.

“The questions on the application harmful social, racial and cultural process were rewritten to get a better stereotypes.

This year’s trip celebrated the impression of prospective delegates,” camp’s 10th anniversary at Palo Alto Burton said.

The camp was filled with more High School.

In the Santa Clara Mountains, seniors than ever this year; about 12 of isolated from the rest of society by the 72 attending students will be graduthe Santa Cruz mountains, students ating at the end of the school year. The bonded over their differences and program has become popular among students because of positive feedback. learned respect and acceptance.

“From all the talk, I just expected it Participating students returned to school on Monday with hopes to spread to be extremely emotional,” Dillahunty awareness and influence friends with said. “It was very emotional but I was also educated more on issues in our their new found knowledge.

Through stereotype-breaking world. One thing I can say is the experiactivities, students addressed precon- ence was one I’ll never forget.”

Principal Phil Winston also supceived notions about race, gender and ports the personal benefit of interacting privilege.

“I learned to never judge a book by with different people in an encouraging its cover because you never know what’s setting.

“It changes individuals’ lives,” on the inside,” sophomore DaVaughn Dillahunty said. “I feel I just came out Winston said. “Change happens within people and that spreads. Folks as a less judgemental person.”

Camp Everytown coordinator and understand each other better when Living Skills teacher Letitia Burton was they return.”

Burton has also seen the expelooking forward to this year’s trip as a means to enhance Paly’s atmosphere. rience affect people on a personal “By spending an extended time level. During camp, students expressed removed from one’s usual social cir- their own growth throughout the activities, emergcle,” Burton said. ing as confident “Students are individuals with able to reassess “I learned to never judge a more friends and preconceived so- book by its cover because lessons learned cial norms and you never know what’s on than previously hopefully grow expected. from this experi- the inside.”

“It is always ence.”

DaVaughn Dillahunty so amazing to In past sophomore witness the couryears, students age that students have praised the find within them camp’s success, proudly sporting the well-known Camp to be open, honest, vulnerable and real Everytown T-shirts and asserting new with each other in ways that they may never have allowed themselves if they friendships in the halls.

Students continued this tradition were not at Camp,” Burton said.

Burton added that the new adupon their return this year.

“My favorite part of Camp Every- ministration has positively affected the town was making so many new friends Camp Everytown organization, as they that I wouldn’t have had the opportu- showed encouragement and assistance

Staff Writer

There will be no school Wednesday through Friday due to Thanksgiving break.

Dec. 1: Progress Reports Out Second quarter progress reports sent out to students’ homes.

Dec. 1: Paly/Jordan Concert Orchestras for this concert taking place at Jordan Middle School

Dec. 3: President’s Awards President’s Awards ceremony at lunch in the Haymarket Theatre.

Dec. 8-12: Madrigal Dinner Palo Alto High School’s choir will holds its annual Madrigal Dinner Choir Show.

Those who attended Camp Everytown disproved stereotypes while bonding through a series of sentimental group activities. both tangibly, from an economic standpoint, and emotionally.

“The changes in the administration have made camp more possible,” Burton said. “Our current administration is extremely supportive of Camp Everytown. Mr. Winston was able to secure two sizable donations to help fund camp this year. Both Ms. Klein and Ms. Laurence have been to camp, and Mr. Winston attended camp in the past. I feel there is so much more support for camp this year from the administration.”

The cost per delegate increased this year, as more delegates were allowed to attend. According to Burton, many families were able to afford that amount, but those who could not pay the full $350 were asked to pay at least $50. Winston worked with the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) to secure donations and enable the continuation of the program.

Burton noted the significant increase in the number of this year’s applicants. She hopes that in the future, mores students will be able to be involved as well.

“I would love to find a way for more students to attend, especially since the Paly community is growing in numbers,” Burton said. “It would be great to be able to go twice a year.”

According to Burton, awareness has also permeated throughout the school as a result, enhancing acceptance in the Paly community and building respect and trust between students and staff.

Students have, in the past, been so affected by their participation that they founded UNITY Club.

“The students who first proposed UNITY Club were all past Everytown delegates that wanted to work together to create more of an inclusive presence on campus,” Burton said.

However, as freshmen grow older and possibly look to participate in Everytown, Burton hopes more of these opportunities will arise in the near future.

Although she has not yet discussed the possibility of two camps per year with the Paly administration, she hopes that more students will be able to be incorporated during the 2011-2012 school year.

“It would be wonderful to do a second, smaller camp with about 35 students, and then share the camp with students from [Henry M.] Gunn [High School], Mountain View [High School], or some other local high school,” Burton said. “There is some interest from other schools to do joint Camp sessions. Who knows what might happen.”

Paly Link Crew hosts second annual freshmen tailgate

Event proves successful in comparison to previous year’s gathering

By Jordan Zenger Staff Writer

Palo Alto High School’s Link Crew hosted its second annual Freshmen Link Crew Tailgate Party Nov. 5 on the quad. The goal of the tailgate was to give freshmen a place to socialize with each other.

The tailgate included various activities such as carnival games, a jump house and an obstacle course. There was also food and music, giving the freshmen a chance to talk with each other and make new friends.

“The tailgate gave the freshmen a chance to go out of their bubbles and meet new people,” senior Haley Conner said. “[It] is important to help the freshmen become adjusted to the differences between middle school and high school and the tailgate was the perfect way to achieve this goal.”

Although the ticket sales were low in the days leading up to the tailgate, all turned out well for the event. There was a large attendance, with the majority of students buying

Alex lin/Campanile

A freshman student participates in the Link Crew tailgate. The event strengthened freshmen bonds. their tickets at the door. The turnout with the ticket sales caused Link Crew to reevaluate the way they will sell tickets in the future.

At the tailgate, the freshmen were able to play games and win tickets that could be traded in for prizes. The freshmen ran from booth to booth trying to collect as many tickets as possible. They also had a multitude of games to choose

UpcomingEvents Nov. 24-26: Local Holiday

Courtesy of Liz Mueller

ASB

from, including a ring toss game, bowling and an obstacle course where they could race one another in a variety of activities.

Refreshments and candy were available for purchase with the tickets awarded for winning the various games.

With the turnout and diversity of activities most people felt that the tailgate was a success.

Updates

Palo Alto High School’s Associate Student Body (ASB) spent the majority of October preparing for the annual Spirit Week, as well as the Homecoming dance. According to senior ASB Secretary Nabeel Sami students had positive feedback on how spirit week went.

“It was a great Spirit Week and it looked like everybody had a lot of fun,” Sami said. “There was definitely plenty of participation from all classes and teachers seemed to like it as well. The spirit dances were all really creative and enjoyed by all.”

Junior Class Vice President Zora Singh was also confident that Spirit Week went well overall, but has ideas for some improvements that could be added in order to make next year’s spirit week better.

“I think Spirit Week started off a little rough but then towards the end everything smoothed out and I was very pleased with the outcome,” Singh said. “For next year I think we need to work on crowd management because a lot of people complained about the lack of space.”

The Homecoming dance has also improved the overall environment by hiring a new DJ with modern music and break dancers to start off the mood which resulted in a large turnout.

“Homecoming attendance was very good, and the dance was successful,” Sami said. It looked like everybody had a great time. The DJ was great and the break-dancers were very cool.”

ASB continues to plan ideas for more successful dances. These ideas will reflect on the changed events from the past month.

The change in dances have been implemented to make Paly a more unified school.

—Alex Lin

Staff Writer

“The freshmen interacted with one another and got to know their classmates much better,” senior Link Crew member Grace Stafford said.

“I think that overall it was a huge success. There were a few minor adjustments that we will make next year, but it went better than I could have hoped for.”

Link Crew teacher Michael Najar also felt that the event was a great success.

“I simply want the freshmen to come together in any way possible and have fun,” Najar said. “I am happy with any amount of people. With 10, I am happy, and with 100, I am a little more happy.”

The freshmen enjoyed their time spent at the tailgate and found it to exceed the expectations they had previously set for the event.

“I did not expect it to be as exciting as it was, but it was fun,” freshman Sarah Raheem said.

Several of the attendees went to the tailgate with a more positive view.

“I expected it to be just as fun as it was,” Freshmen Class President Alex Hammer said.

“All of the games were really cool and fun.”

However, not all freshmen were pleased with the result.

“I expected more stuff and for it to be indoors,” freshman Lee Hughes said. “It was wide open and I thought it was going to be in the big gym.”

The other small problem that surfaced was the music.

Principal Phil Winston forced Link Crew to skip a song after the lyrics were deemed too racy to be played on school campus.

After Link Crew members dispersed prizes from the various games, Najar gathered the Link Crew members and praised them for their good work.

Najar talked to Link Crew members about how much of a success the whole event was.

He voiced his opinions about changes he wanted to make for next year, he thanked the members and assigned them jobs for clean up, ending the event entirely.

School Board

The School Board looks forward to organizing newly proposed calendars for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. According to Kathleen Ruegsegger, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent Kevin Skelly, there will possibly be adjustments to the School Board made in this upcoming meeting.

“These calendars are the ones that define when the school year begins and ends, when semester breaks will occur, when breaks and holidays occur for students and staff, and when staff development days occur for teachers,” Ruegsegger said.

The School Board had a meeting on Nov. 9 discussing the new Mandarin Immersion Program held at Ohlone Elementary School. Students of all ages can learn how to explore the Mandarin language and learn the Chinese culture of writing characters and speak advanced sentences.

“Mandarin Immersion program was requested by members of the public when a grant was available for a pilot program,” Ruegsegger said. “The program is at Ohlone Elementary and is set up similarly to the Spanish Immersion Program at Escondido Elementary. This is the third year of the Mandarin pilot.”

The School Board is also looking forward to creating a new design of Hoover Elementary, as well as looking at a staff report of the 2009-2010 parcel tax.

“Parcel taxes are voted by the community and allow the district to collect an extra fee her home site,” Ruegsegger said.

Parcel taxes are voted in by the community and allow the district to pay higher salaries as well as being able to have a class size reduction. The School Board is also planning to improve the 2011-2012 adult education program as well as considering nominating new board members for the California School Board Association delegate assembly.

—Alex Lin

Staff Writer

NEWS Modified driver licenses, identification cards issued The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • A3

California Department of Motor Vehicles announces redesign with added security features

By Hannah Park Staff Writer

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has begun the distribution of redesigned driver licenses and identification cards.

The new cards will prevent imitations and assist state officials in identifying fraudulent minors. The DMV is issuing the redesigned identifications to new drivers and to Californians renewing their licenses.

The DMV Field Office located in South Sacramento revealed its decision on Oct. 6, 2010 during a press conference. The new licenses are intended to aid security officers in distinguishing provisional cardholders under the age of 21 and to prevent the circulation of fake identification.

“The new security features, coupled with advanced technology, make California driver licenses and identification cards one of the most secure identification documents in the country,” DMV Director George Valverde said on the DMV’s website. “We are confident that they will be well-received by residents, businesses and law enforcement officials.”

The most drastic change made to the provisional and under 21 card is its vertical format. The licenses now have security

features implemented in the design that will facilitate in the verification of information and prevent fraud and counterfeiting.

The basic information has been kept the same but the new features include the driver’s signature and date of birth which can be identified by touch through the raised lettering. A hidden photograph of the driver is printed on the card and can only be seen using an ultraviolet light.

A barcode on the back of the card confirms the information printed on the front and each card has a laser perforation of a bear that can be seen only when the card is held against a light source.

The DMV issues more than 8 million driver licenses and identification cards to residents of California each year. The last revision of driver licenses and ID cards was in 2001.

“It’s been several years since the licenses have been renewed,”Jan Mendoza of the California DMV Office of Public Affairs said. “[The licenses] were created to keep up with Technology. Crooks are going to come up with their own technology to try and duplicate the cards.”

The security features protect the identity of the cardholder while preventing counter-

dmv.ca.gov

The new driver licenses and identification cards are implemented with additional security features that will prevent fraud and counterfeiting. feiters from developing technology that could aid in duplicating the cards. The internal features of the card, which are undisclosed to the public, further enhance the security.

“I think there are quite a few anti-duplication features which are a neat change,” Palo Alto Police Lieutenant Scott Wong said.

“It’s unique for those provisional and under 21 cards because it’s a totally different layout. The drastic change will make it easier to distinguish.”

The California DMV, highway patrol and homeland security all took part in the redesign to improve the previous card’s security

and readability. The new features will have adjusted the external appearance of the card as well as its internal capabilities.

“Other states have their own security features, but the California driver licenses and identification cards have the most elements,” Mendoza said.

Police officials check multiple driver licenses and identification cards everyday.

The transformation of the card will assist the police department in distinguishing counterfeit cards and underage residents.

“There are hundreds of forged cards we find every year,” Wong said. “I think with this new card, this [number] will decrease dramatically.”

The new licenses are expected to come out within the next five years based on the license renewal requirement. However, drivers are not required to obtain a new license until their current card expires.

“It is very important to understand that cardholders are not required to get new cards until the expiration date printed on their current cards,” Director Valverde said on the DMV’s website. “Remember, when it is time to renew your card, DMV has many services that are offered online to help customers avoid going into the field offices.”

School Board weighing decision about finals occuring after winter break VOTE, Continued from A1 the mid-August start date would intrude on family vacation time, and that a winter break that spilled into January would make it difficult for working parents to find child care.

As result of these concerns, parents literally shouted down the School Board meeting and the Board decided to postpone making a decision on this matter.

The school board will consider a new proposal regarding whether first semester finals should take place before or after break at their meeting on Dec. 7, according to PAUSD superintendent Kevin Skelly.

“The polls show that most students like the proposed schedule and even the administration thinks it is a great idea,” sophomore Yasna Haghdoost said before the vote took place.

Students felt that it was time for such a shift to occur, despite the new calendar’s kinks and opposition.

Spring finals may occur during the Central Coast

“I think people are ready for a change,” junior Emily Kellison-Linn said. “I know there is opposition to it, Section (CCS) competition, and performing arts activities may be affected. though.”

The new calendar is not ideal

A primary concern of the new “I’m hearing from educa- for teachers, either, because it conflicts calendar’s opponents is the fact with their schedules. that first semester would have to be tors that they are willing

“It affects teachers’ summer shorter, in order to accommodate pre- to give it a try. That is the vacation time by starting earlier, break finals. This poses a problem for voice of the teachers in because some teachers already had semester-long classes. vacations planned for August, and

“Because first semester is about a general.” go back earlier [than students],” week shorter, second semester classes Kevin Skelly we Taylor said. “It also affects teachers will be spending that time covering PAUSD Superintendent who have children in pre-schools or random material,” English teacher other districts that go back later.”

Julia Taylor said. “It would be nice if

Teachers showed willingness we could move the holiday itself, but to create a less stressful experience for students. we can’t.”

“I’m hearing from educators that they are willing to

Other challenges of pre-break finals include students give it a try,” Skelly said. who are involved in sports and performing arts.

Despite its drawbacks, Skelly feels that the proposed new calendar would be overall beneficial for the PAUSD community.

“Finals before break seems to be the direction that most schools are going in, and the schools that have made that decision like it. It seems logical to have things finish, then take a break,” Skelly said.

The new calendar includes a few benefits for elementary and middle school students, but it is primarily benefical for high school students, according to Skelly.

“We would have a longer summer and fewer local holidays, or days that students have off while their parents have to work. However, the later comeback [to school] in January will be a challenge. It [the new calendar] ultimately does more for high school kids and their families.”

Ultimately, students feel that the benefits of the new calendar outweigh its negative qualities.

Escaped sex slave from Cambodia spreads awareness about sex trafficking SOMALY, Continued from A1 can tell you that human trafficking, or slavery, is the second largest profit center for organized crime, second only to drugs.”

Up until 1960, the price for slaves stayed at around the equivalent of $40,000. According to Livermore, the main issue is that the cost of a human life on the market for slaves has recently gone down, meaning that slave owners have less incentive to care for their human cargo.

“What happens when you have a relatively significant investment into a capital purchase?” Livermore said.

“You tend to take care of that purchase.

You tend to make sure that they’ re fed, that they get medical attention. But in 1960 we saw something dramatic happen. We saw that price plummet.

Today in the world you can purchase a human being for less than $100.”

In Cambodia, Livermore said, it is possible to purchase an eight-yearold girl for the price of $300.

“That girl is then forced into a brothel and services clients all day long, and the brothel owner is able to recoup their costs usually within two days,” Livermore said. “There’s no

story culture

Somaly Mam aids the rehabilitation of sex slave victims. Mam has made lasting connections with over 6,000 girls through her work. incentive for that person to take care of that capital investment anymore.”

Livermore went on to outline a dual process of recovery through both legal and economic action. The first solution would be to combat slavery by creating legal barriers to the slave-trafficking industry.

“It needs to be so cost prohibitive and so dangerous for a brothel owner to be in possession of a slave,

especially a child slave, that they’re no longer willing to take that risk,” Livermore said.

The other way to solve the growing problem, according to Livermore, would be to introduce opportunities for women to become more involved in the economy overall.

“Cambodia is a perfect place to show how a society can change

by giving women access to the economy because there are no legal barriers to women owning businesses,” Livermore said. “We have an opportunity there to get business training to young girls and women so that they are so valuable to their families that their families won’t sell them.”

Livermore shared his view that in order to fight global slavery, all of the anti-trafficking organizations will have to band together.

“Organized crime is very organized in how they take a global approach to trafficking,” Livermore said.

“Unfortunately, the organizations that are fighting trafficking don’t work as well together. We need to find ways that we can collaborate.”

Mam agreed with Livermore on the ways to combat slavery but she also focuses on how to fix the problem on the micro level. This is achieved by dealing with individual sex slave victims one at a time, which seems to be most effective.

“I try to tell everyone that you can take five minutes to save the girls from the brothel, but it takes five to

ten years to recover them,” Mam said. That’s the way that we can heal them.”

Mam shared how she has Livermore attested to Mam’s managed to make lasting connections statement. with over 6,000 girls in the AFESIP “It seems that every day, new center. girls are coming in and new rescues

“I look at them. In my heart, are happening and each of those I understand them. I have to be girls receives the same love that the a mother of all the girls. That is first girl who was ever rescued was,” my life and Livermore that is what I said. know how to “You can take five minutes to

Mam told do. [There are] save the girls from the brothel.. a u d i e n c e 6,000 of them; it takes five years to ten years membersthat I know all their connecting to recover them.” stories.” with the girls

M a m Somaly Mam w a s m o r e spoke to important Founder of AFESIP and the than sending students of the pain and Somaly Mam Foundation money. suffering that

“I f y o u she and the want to help girls in the AFESIP center had to me, be friends with my girls in the endure as sex slaves. center,” Mam said. “They need your

“You see, when you have a scar support..they need to know that they inside of your skin you can go to the have friends around the world helping doctor,” Mam said. “You can operate and lov[ing] them.” it right? But the scar inside, in the Students found the presentation heart, we cannot operate it but by love, to be enlightening. by trust, confidence, holding, being “It was very eye opening,” senior together, sharing, laugh together, Katie Maser said. “I want to help in cry[ing] together, love[ing] together. any way I can.”

New pilot schedule successful among students Students compare benefits of SAT and ACT tests BELL, Continued from A1 provides students opportunities to get help from teachers and students alike during Tutorial periods, free periods where students can sign into any class they choose including the Academic Resource Center, the library and the gym, on Thursday “T days.”

Senior Elaine Yau finds Tutorial especially helpful for her schedule.

“I get tutored [in the ARC] during Tutorial,” Yau said. “It’s helpful because I wouldn’t have been able to get tutored otherwise because I have track after school.”

However, a few students who took the survey commented that it would be more efficient to have Tutorial days earlier in the week, so students can get help before tests.

“Tutorial should be moved to Tuesday and Advisory should be moved to Thursday because then we can have more time to finish up the work for the week instead of just doing work for the next week,” one commentator wrote.

Nonetheless, some teachers, including Steingart, are enjoying having Tutorial periods in general.

“Students know where I am,” Steingart said. “[The students who come in] can ask me questions while they are reading.”

Economics and U.S. Government teacher Grant Blackburn has similar feelings about Tutorial.

“I love the opportunity to be able to work with kids in a different kind of environment and to be able to give them the help they need,” Blackburn said. “I like the fact that we have some sort of structured environment for that to happen.”

However despite all the positive changes the schedule brings to students, Blackburn believes that teachers should have been given more time to prepare for the shift.

Blackburn, along with the administration and twenty or so staff members, was on the Bell Schedule Committee and participated in formulating the schedule during the past school year.

“My biggest complaint, something that I said over and over and over again and unfortunately fell on deaf ears, was ‘let’s go to the [new] bell schedule, I’m fine with moving to the double-block schedule, but give us [the teachers] a year to get ready for it,’” Blackburn said.

Despite this pitfall, the current administration is still doing the best it can to deal with scheduling issues that have arisen, according to Blackburn.

“I am really happy with the way that the administration is handling things now because right now they’re trying to cover up holes in a bucket with their thumbs,” Blackburn said. “They didn’t create this problem [and] they’re doing the best job that they can to manage it.”

However the pilot schedule is still being worked out and still relatively new since it has only been in place for a only the first quarter, English teacher Kevin Sharp believes that the Paly community should not begin to judge the schedule yet.

“We’ve so far had three normal weeks at this point,” Sharp said. “I don’t think it is fair for anyone to judge it until we’ve had more time with it.”

Sharp was also one of the many teachers on the Bell Schedule Committee this year. The pilot schedule features a consistent later start time at 8:15 a.m. and hour-long “Tutorial” periods on Thursdays, or “T” days, where students who need further help can seek teachers for more individual attention.

The only exception to the blocked days is Monday, a seven-period “C” day. School ends at 3:25 p.m. on A and B days, as well as on Special Schedule SP days when lunch is extended.

The end time for students is at 2:25 p.m. on A, and 2:55 p.m. on T days. The survey conducted by The Campanile was distributed via e-mail and social networking site Facebook from Nov. 5 to Nov. 12.

According to Winston, a much more in depth survey will be handed out to every student at Paly later in the school year. ▄

VOTE, Continued from A1 high schools is the stress level. Paly senior Brandon Dukovic and junior Virginia Sheetz believe that Gunn students seem more stressed about standardized tests

“In general, [Gunn students] just seem way more stressed out than we are,” Sheetz said.

Preparation for the test differs between individuals, schools and grade.

“I took it [the SAT] again two weeks after the class and my score improved 100 points,” Dukovic said.

Gunn junior Monisha White has registered for the January SAT, and does not plan to take any classes. The junior class of both Gunn and Paly took the PSAT recently and will receive their scores in December.

So m e j u n i o r s p l a n according to their PSAT results, seeing what portions of t heir test need to improve and studying or preparing accordingly.

MARc havlik/campanile

Students choose between taking SAT and ACT tests during the 2010-2011 school year.

“I took the SAT my junior year in June and did fairly well. I didn’t study.

Then I took it a couple weeks ago and did better,” Gunn senior Leo Moley said.

At Pa l y, c o l l e g e counselors do not encourage outside test prep. Cernobori suggests the naviance online preparation, books and booklets in the college and career center.

“Those are the options readily accessible and free at Paly,” Cernobori said.

White and Sheetz agree the PSAT was

relatively easy. Both students commented that they had no trouble on the math portion.

“The math was super easy, and in the English, there were a couple things I wasn’t sure about,” White said.

Sheetz felt it was just a shorter SAT without the writing portion, so scores reflect strengths and weaknesses

“I think the PSAT is helpful because it’s supposed to show areas you need to work on,” Sheetz said.

Sheetz plans to take her first SAT in January or

February, and is preparing through an online course.

The College Board website offers a prep course, which allows students to work on their own schedules.

Colleges recognize the SAT and ACT as equivalent, but according to college counselors, the ACT is geared more towards the student.

The essay prompts apply directly to high school students, whereas the SAT prompts address broader topics.

Somestudentsdecide to take both tests, while others have a preference.

“The ACT seemed more straightforward, easier for students to comprehend and the SAT tries to trick students,” Dukovic said. “Even so, I think I did better on the SAT because I prepared more.”

The board results s h ow t h e d i f f e re n c e in scores between the two high schools was minimal, but when scores are compared to national scores, Paly and Gunn prove to be above average.

OPINION

A4 • Monday, November 22, 2010

Editorials

School board urged to take student’s opinions into account Students responsible for making their opinions heard, should attent meetings, vote in survey The Palo Alto Unified School District’s Board of Education decided on Nov. 9 to postpone voting on shifting the schedule to accommodate finals before winter break. The Campanile believes that student input must be taken into consideration during the next meeting when the board discusses this issue, which will have a huge effect for years to come.

While a new schedule would affect teachers and parents, the primary beneficiaries are Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School students. A work-free winter break is paramount in reducing student stress at Paly and Gunn. While parents may attend meetings more frequently than students, the board must understand that parents’ priorities and students’ concerns will not always align. It is essential that the school board listens to the voice of Paly students, who have expressed through several different surveys that they prefer a new schedule in which finals occur before winter break.

That said, students, especially underclassmen who will be most effected by the outcome of the vote, must take the initiative and go to the school board meeting on Dec. 7 to present their opinions. Without students present, the board will be unable to effectively weigh in the opinions of such an important part of the community, especially in relation to this issue. It is easy for students to express displeasure in response to school board decisions

but the truth is, very few students attend school board meetings, making it impossible for the board members to know exactly how students feel about any given issue.

The Campanile will be conducting a more comprehensive, thorough survey concerning the placement of finals and the logistics of a new schedule later this week to pinpoint exactly what students think about the policy.

Students should take the time to complete the upcoming survey so that their voices can be heard.

While the board appeared to be weighing the possibility of continuing the 2010-2011 schedule next year before voting on whether or not to make a change in order to have more time to make a decision, The Campanile feels that the vote cannot be delayed for another year.

Extending the process serves no purpose other than to frustrate those who care about the issue. Either way, the school board has the responsibility to make a decision.

This is yet another reason why students should attend the meeting and voice their opinions.

The school board is on the precipice of making a decision that will have far-reaching consequences for future classes of Paly and Gunn students. In order for the board to make the adjustment that accurately reflects students’ opinions, not only does the board have to acknowledge the importance of these views, but students must also ensure that their opinions about the issue are presented.

Murals on school walls would beautify campus, increase spirit Paly administration should allow student artists to contribute to artwork on portables The Palo Alto High School administration is considering painting murals on the portables that surround Paly’s quad in order to beautify the school and distract from the construction on campus. The Campanile would like to see more of these projects in the future in order to make the Paly campus more welcoming and aesthetically pleasing.

With all of the construction around Paly, the school has lost much of its charm and embarking on projects such as that of the murals could help restore it. We have plenty of talented artists at our school who would be willing to decorate campus, and we should be taking advantage of these assets. In addition to adding aesthetic value to Paly, incorporating murals and other art projects around campus would help boost student involvement in school affairs.

Many members of the Paly community are upset about the temporary changes due to construction, and Paly students creating the projects would foster a sense of pride in our campus that is currently lacking throughout the student body.

Adding the murals on the portables is not the only action that Paly can take to beautify campus; there are other options that can add a more fun and vibrant atmosphere to the school. At Tufts University, they have a cannon that students can paint a design of their choice

if they follow certain procedures. It is a tool for student groups to promote events and university students have painted everything from birthday greetings to marriage proposals on it.

Other schools use similar tactics to incorporate art into their campuses. Pitzer College, a small liberal arts school and a member of the Claremont Colleges, has adopted a “Free Wall” art policy; if students wish to execute a mural or other art form on a campus wall, or replace an existing project, all they need to do is submit a proposal to the Campus Aesthetics Committee.

The Aesthics Committee acknowledges in their Outdoor Art Guidelines that art projects and murals add to the campus by “demonstrating community identity and pride, enlivening the area and providing a sense of aesthetic pleasure.” As a result, Pitzer’s campus is elaborately decorated with an immense amount of creative expression and is infused with student spirit.

Paly could adopt a similar tradition where students could express their creativity while also developing a stronger sense of community. Students could utilize the space on the side of the Student Center, an area which the new portable changed dramatically. Having an object or area for student artwork would be an exciting addition to Paly’s spirit week and help school spirit stay strong throughout the year.

Letters to the Editors Negative effects of pre-break finals must be looked into

Club America promotes national pride in students

As good as having pre-break finals sounds, there is a lot of information about the proposed calendar that, in my opinion, students do not take into account.

For example, school would start a week earlier under the new calendar. My family can only take vacations in August, so losing that extra week would preclude any possibility of a relaxing family trip before school restarts. Even if the schedule reduced stress during winter break, that benefit would be completely outweighed by the stress piled on in December. Seniors are already overwhelmed by college apps in November and December, and adding finals to that workload would be absurd and counterproductive to reducing stress. Under the current schedule, seniors at least have the benefit of winter break to finish their applications.

Personally, I am a big fan of post-break finals, because it gives me time to relax and choose to study or not. Finals before break forces students to study much faster, when we are already burned out from a non-stop first semester. Before jumping to conclusions about the ability of the proposed calendar to reduce stress, we should look carefully at the consequences it will have on Palo Alto students and families. For the sake of world sanity, please hear this plea.

This is America. These three simple words can have any of a host of connotations and denotations.

In my America, no matter how diverse our backgrounds or views, everyone can come together and celebrate the idea that we are all Americans.

I like to believe this is what Club America exemplifies. Our president is a first-generation AsianAmerican, I (the VP) am a first generation black American and our Secretary isn’t even an American citizen, yet we are all Americans. We all believe so strongly in the ideals that make America what it is that we founded a Club, and we aren’t the only ones.

Our members represent nearly all the demographics in our proud nation. We have East-Indians, West-Indians, Mormons, Jews, Democrats, Republicans, Freshmen and even Canadians. It isn’t about where we’re from, it’s about where we are. All these words that used to separate us now fade to nothing against the backdrop of what we truly are—Americans.

I think today we do spend too much time focusing on what divides us and that’s what’s holding us back from our true potential. This is America where the concepts of rags to riches, freedom of expression, and the basic rights all men are endowed with take prevalence before greed and corruption of France and Canada.

At Club America, we don’t argue about our political opinions or anything superficial like that. Our politics are encompassed by Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Even if some people might see Club America as Sam Blake’s dream of a Young Republicans Club, exclusive to the select few people we invite, it isn’t.

Anyone and everyone with enough national pride to carry them to the science building on a Friday is welcome. I should know, I have to handle feeding all of them.

America is a nation based on faith. Faith in democracy, faith in each other, faith that Yes We Can. Faith, because this is America.

—Alex Carter, junior

Students encouraged to attend Camp Everytown Growing up, I had always heard wonders about how “great” and “life changing” Camp Everytown had been for both my siblings. However, I never quite understood what occurred at this camp that impacted both of their lives so greatly. When I would ask them the specifics of the program, they would reply with a, “I don’t really know how to explain it, just go!” or a, “What happens at Camp Everytown, stays at Camp Everytown.” Well, after seeing the effect of this mysterious camp on my family and friends, I decided I’d give it a try and applied.

Now, after returning from a four day long trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I see how this camp can be so “life changing”. Before going to camp, I didn’t realize how my words and actions afflicted people so greatly, but they forgave me, and just like they forgave me, I forgave old enemies, and I learned more about the Paly community and the entire human race.

As cheesy as this may sound, I’d like to encourage anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t have a sense of belonging to this world to go to Camp Everytown. For anyone who has ever felt judged because of the color of their skin, their economic background or even what math lane they’re in, you will never be judged by someone at Camp Eveytown. I felt that people there, the delegates and the staff, genuinely cared about my problems. At Camp Everytown, we all grew closer like a family, and now we would like to open our arms and invite you all to allow us to share the love with you.

—Bella Hernandez, junior

New “See Friendship” button increases privacy concerns, users must be more aware of settings In light of Facebook’s new “See Friendship” button, The Campanile believes that the social-networking website has gone too far in providing users with ways to see what their “friends” are doing, and what other persons who are not friends are doing as well.

Facebook should more widely demonstrate how to hide certain aspects of these new add-ons for users who want to block a stranger from seeing whole conversations with their friends.

When social-networking sites first began to crop up on the Internet, netizens and other members of the public had already begun to complain of the privacy-breeching characteristics of such sites.

The Campanile believes that Facebook has since blurred the boundaries of “private” and “social” even more than it originally had when it was founded in 2004.

This blurring has most recently occurred with the new “See Friendship” button, which has replaced the “Wallto-Wall” button which showed posts between two friends.

This new button integrates the “Wall-to-Wall” feature, which allowed users to view past posts back and forth between two people, with a new page where photos, status updates and videos between two friends are visible on a single page.

While The Campanile believes that the old “Wall-toWall” button was helpful for users as a quick reminder to where they left off in a conversation, Facebook removed

this button mid-November and made way for the new “See Friendship” button that makes it far to easier to stalk non-Facebook friends, thus making privacy issues more acute. “Wall-to-wall” alone had already created its own set of privacy concerns.

The Campanile believes that the “See Friendship” button should be available to users wanting to see their conversations with his or her friends, however, users should not be able to view another user’s personal wall posts and photos with other friends.

Facebook should not only provide an option to hide the “See Friendship” button, but to also advertise on its website http://www.allfacebookcom how to do so.

Facebook should edit the use of the “See Friendship” button to allow users to chose which friends can see their personal conversations, much like the custom limited-profile option, and still enable them to view their conversations with friends.

Although some Facebook users allege that the site does provide the privacy option of hiding the “See Friendship” button by changing the settings of preferences on the “Connecting on Facebook” page, this proved to be untrue when staff members tried to do so.

Currently, in most teenagers lives, it seems that Facebook is ubiquitous, however, one must still be aware of the privacy concerns that comes with being active on a social networking site.

—Lucas Brooks, junior

Yearbook staff urged to rethink senior portrait policy I was really upset to read that the yearbook will no longer be letting seniors choose their own portraits. Getting professional pictures taken for the yearbook is something that every student looks forward to about senior year since they first see them their freshman year. I don’t think it’s fair to stop this long-standing tradition now, just because it takes a little bit of extra effort for the yearbook staff to put together. Seniors have a lot of things on their plate, especially first semester so, yes, we may procrastinate on submitting our senior portraits but it doesn’t mean that we don’t care about having them in the yearbook. These pictures are precisely what each Paly student hopes to look back on in their years after graduation. I strongly urge Ms. Wixsom to reconsider this policy change.

—Alexi Dagan, Paly graduate ‘08

The Campanile Editors in Chief Nadav Gavrielov • Grace Harris • Rachel Mewes Madison Sevilla • Rachel Stober • Lillian Xie

Facebook needs to have more personalized privacy options

The Campanile

News Editor

Opinion Editor

Lifestyles Editor

William Lee

Noa Dagan

Helen Chen

Sports Editors

Advertising Managers

John Brunett Brandon Nguyen

Camille Ezran Maya Krasnow

Copy Editor

Spotlight Editor

Photo Editor

Mikey Abrams

Justin Choi

Marc Havlik

Staff Writers Michael Augustine Elliott Beckstrom Brian Benton Maddie Berger Sam Blake Meghan Byrd Bailey Cassidy Jillian Chacon Clara Chang

Electra Colevas Laura Cui Chayla Cummings Kirah Ingram Grace Keller Ben Krasnow Sasha Kuvyrdin Mayssen Labidi Alex Lin

Layla Memar Andrea More Tobey Nelson-Gal Hannah Park Riki Rattner Rebecca Ruff Jack Scarpino Ashley Shin Austin Smith

Annabel Snow Hannah Totte Ashley Swendseid Tanvi Varma Nikki Whitson Lauren Wong Jordan Zenger

Photographers Star Strul • Susan Heinselman • Alex Lin • Riki Rattner • Lauren Wong Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to campanile.opinion@gmail.com.

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OPINION

The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • A5

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy faces scrutiny, seen as outdated

With incoming conservative Congress, America faces limited time to appeal policy In 1778, Lieutenant Frederick puts pressure on the Obama administration to develop a Gotthold Enslin was released from new strategy before the new, more conservative Congress the Continental Army for allegedly is sworn in next year. being gay.

Many supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell” argue that Today, 232 years later, the allowing people who are openly gay into the United States same thing is happening to gay military would make serving uncomfortable for others members of the United States and affect the readiness of our military. military stationed throughout the This opinion is flawed, however, as recent studies world. How is it that so little prog- have shown that most American troops would not have ress has been made in terms of the no problem with serving alongside gay service members, attitude toward homosexuality in according to the most promising study results in the Penbrianbenton the United States military? tagon’s recently leaked Working Group Study. . in my opinion In 1993, existing Federal In this study, over 100,000 current and reserve soldiers law echoed former President Ronald Reagan’s view responded to how they would feel about allowing gay men that,“homosexuality is incompatible with military ser- and women to join the military. vice.” A new policy on this issue came about when a Of the four possible answers to one of the study’s compromise was reached between President Bill Clinton, questions regarding allowing openly gay service members, who wanted to lift the ban on gays in the military entirely, the least popular answer, with less than 25 percent, was, and then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, “I would have a problem with it,” while the most popular who worried that lifting the ban would threaten order and answer was, “I would not care.” effectiveness in the military. Congress, also reluctant to Even if soldiers feeling uncomfortable is an issue, make the sweeping changes President Clinton preferred, “don’t ask, don’t tell” seems to create more problems passed the compromise law which became known as than it solves. Closeted soldiers are forced to lie about “don’t ask don’t tell.” who they are and continuously worry about whether or “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is the common name for the not they will be “discovered.” In the military, lives are put policy that restricts the U.S. military from attempting to on the line and people need to have trust in their fellow discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian and bisexual ser- soldiers. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” condones lying and furthers vice members or applicants. The policy also bans those a culture of intolerance. who are openly gay, lesbian or bisexual from serving in Another reality that casts doubt on the claims that the military. repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” will threaten order and The event that originally encouraged Clinton to revise military readiness is the fact that over 30 other countries, Reagan’s policy was the brutal October 1992 murder of including Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, The Allen R. Schindler Jr., a naval officer who was killed by a Netherlands and Russia allow gay men and women to shipmate after it was discovered that he was gay. openly serve in their militaries.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” was seen as a way to stop the In 1974, The Netherlands became the first nation to violent harassment of gay soldiers that allow gay people to serve openly. were secretly serving in the military Currently, about 12,000 of “Essentially, the policy says prior to 1993 and provide present and their soldiers, or 10 percent, clasfuture gay soldiers with the honorable that someone can either be a sify themselves as gay. Germany discharges they deserved if they were soldier, or be gay. It is outdathas allowed openly gay service removed from the military due to their members since 2000, when ed, discriminatory, and above the German Federal Defense sexual orientation.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” treats all else, unfair.”

Forces ruled that it is forbidden homosexuality as a lifestyle choice. to discriminate based on sexual Essentially, the policy says that orientation. someone can either be a soldier, or be gay. It is outdated, General Sir Richard Dannatt, Great Britain’s Chief of discriminatory, and above all else, unfair.

General Staff, recently said that allowing gay soldiers in Last month, on Oct. 12, Federal Judge Virginia Phil- their military, which they have done since 2000, has not lips ruled that “don’t ask, don’t tell” was unconstitutional hindered its effectiveness in the least. and ordered its suspension. On Oct. 19, military recruiters “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is costly and detrimental to were told that they could accept openly gay applicants. our military. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent However, this was halted a day later when the U.S. Jus- since 1993 to fund investigations regarding allegedly gay tice Department asked for an injunction staying Judge soldiers and pay for discharges.

Phillips’ order so as to give the Defense Department and A University of California at Santa Barbara study called Congress more time to discuss the issue. the Blue Ribbon Commission study determined that to As of November, “don’t ask, don’t tell” will remain in recruit and train the replacements for the almost 10,000 effect indefinitely while a new policy is developed. This service members discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell”

Star Strul/Campanile

After 17 long years of policy that restricts homosexuals from serving in the military, the U.S. Justice Department postponed a ruling on the constitutionality of what is known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” between 1993 and 2003, over $360 million was spent.

An estimated 66,000 gay service members are currently fighting in silence, unable to tell their fellow soldiers who they really are.

All of these soldiers are at risk of being discharged. At a time when the United States is involved in two wars, it is particularly important that our military stop discharging service members who have necessary and valued skills.

Everyone from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen to a whopping 69 percent of Americans, according to a 2009 Gallup poll, is in favor of repealing of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Mullen, who has over 40 years of military experience, said that “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is the right thing to do.”

He added that he is troubled by the fact that “young men and women [have] to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”

Colin Powell also now supports the repeal of the policy that he originally helped establish, stating that “attitudes and circumstances have changed” and that he now “fully

support[s] the new approach.”Although it may seem like Congress is guaranteed to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” nothing is certain. A repeal was recently passed by the House in , but not able to advance as it was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. With the Republican gains in the Nov. 2 elections a repeal may now face even more negative pushback. Many members of Congress have said that they will wait for the results of the earlier mentioned Pentagon study to be officially released in early December before making up their minds on the issue.

Based on what has been leaked so far, and the fact that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently called upon Congress to pass the repeal before the current session ends in January, the future looks fairly promising.

It is time, now that we have a president who has officially called for a “repeal [of] the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” that we finally get around to doing just that.

Why is the United States still stuck in the past under “don’t ask, don’t tell?” That’s one question people are allowed to ask, but sadly no one is telling us the answer.

School parking permits prove problematic for student drivers

Price, mislabeled areas, lack of space create concern regarding Paly student parking The Palo Alto High School parking system is in dire need of revision due to grossly inflated prices and misleading signage. There are two major problems with the system which include the price of permits, and the lack nadav of clarity between gavrielov the staff and student parking spots. in my opinion All permits purchased at the beginning of the year at Paly cost $100.

Parking permits at neighboring private and public high schools including Pinewood High School, Los Altos High School, Mountain View High School, Redwood High School, Los Gatos High School and Sir Francis Drake High School cost no more than $25 for the entire year. At some of these schools, parking permits are free and guaranteed for all students with licenses. The only exception is Henry M. Gunn High School, where parking permits cost a shocking $125.

Although the proceeds from parking permits sold go to Paly’s Associated Student Body, the price is still outrageous.

Students who simply want to be able to park at school should not be forced to make such a large donation.

Paying for parking permits creates just another economic burden for Paly families.

Many other means of donation to ASB exist in the form of ASB Cards, dance tickets and other miscellaneous means.

Marc Havlik/Campanile

The Churchill parking lot has a host of problems, including misleading signs which indicate both student and staff parking for several of the same spaces.

“ASB dances are completely self-sufficient,” Greene said. “The amount of money set aside within the general [ASB] account in the separate ‘Dance Account’ has been enough to get dances off the ground to pay for DJ costs and thematic supplies while leaving a surplus in the account. Usually, the surplus that we make from big turn-out dances like homecoming goes to support financial aid for Prom.”

According to Greene, ASB uses the money from parking permits, fundraisers and student body cards for the funding of other events and socials.

VERBATIM

Although ASB needs this money, students who are looking to buy parking permits should not be responsible for funding these events.

ASB should use any extra money that is left over each year to pay for these events. ASB should adjust its budget so that these events can be funded by ASB cards, donations and any left-over money. That way, the administration can cut the price of parking permits to a much more logical price.

The administration will be able to report the financial information related to ASB spending and savings for the past school years in coming weeks.

Another large problem with the parking system is the lack of visible and accurate signage in the Churchill parking lot.

Most students who get tickets for parking in a staff parking spot do so accidentally or because they are in a hurry.

Many students get parking citations during the first several months of the school year because the staff parking spaces in the Churchill lot are not clearly and distinctly labeled. This sum, which often exceeds $40, adds on to the already shockingly high parking permit price.

Rather than having each staff parking spot say ‘staff’ on it, the flawed system has signs farther away that state where staff parking spots are. In addition to this, the signs themselves are misleading.

While one sign states that all parking to the left is reserved for staff, another one states that all parking past the point of the sign is for students, an obvious contradiction.

“On the day of my U.S. History Advanced Placement test, I was so nervous about being late that I parked [in a staff spot] and totally forgot that the area of Churchill was specifically for staff,” senior Katie Maser said.

Maser, who sometimes forgets to switch her sticker when she switches cars, has gotten ticketed several times.

“I drive the family car and when my parents need it I have to switch. Sometimes I forget to switch the sticker,” Maser said. “I was mad, because I did pay the $100 for a spot in [the Churchill] lot and the fact that I didn’t have the sticker and had to pay $40 pissed me off.”

Some students have come up with other ideas for how the price could be lowered. “I

think it’s kind of obnoxious that [parking permits are] that expensive,” senior Hannah Ohlson said. “I also wish that is was divided up into quarters so if the overall cost would stay the same, you could have the option to only buy [for] first quarter and not have to pay $100.”

Parking permits are also problematic because the number of spots in the Churchill lot was lowered this year because of remodeling as well as the addition of trees in the parking lot.

Additionally, construction on the baseball field has led to further closures of parking spots.

“The construction workers take up most of the spaces in the back parking lot,” senior Chris Voges said. “I was running late for class so I thought I could get away with parking in [a staff spot].”

The administration and ASB should evaluate the price for parking permits at Paly to make the price more fair for students. Students who need to have a place to park their car each day should not have to pay such an exorbitant price.

The administration should also take the initiative to make students’ lives much easier by having “staff” painted on each staff spot in the Churchill parking lot in the coming months, eliminating any confusion for students.

The parking spots closer to the main gym as well as those in the front lot already have this feature, and the trend should be continued in the Churchill parking lot.

Parking Permits — Part II See December issue of The Campanile

Who is your ideal Thanksgiving dinner guest?

Compiled by Grace Harris, Noa Dagan and Marc Havlik

“After watching Glee, Gwyneth Paltrow.”

“A really nice, big turkey on a very nice platter.”

“Vin Diesel.”

“My family.”

“Sam Maliska.”

Hannah Tumminaro sophomore

Aaron Slipper freshman

Juli Gaeta senior

Joey Christopherson junior

Cooper Levitan

A6 • November 22, 2010

S P O T L I G H T

The Campanile

The Campanile

S P O T L I G H T

KNOW YOUR RIG HTS

November 22, 2010 • A7

STUDENTS HAV E RIGHTS TO D UE PROCESS A ND EXPRESSION Goss v. Lopez (1975) is a United States Supreme Court Case that required that public schools conduct a hearing before suspending or expelling a student.

The Supreme Court ruled that suspension without a hearing is a violation of the due process clause of the 14th amendment

WE HAVE THE POWER During last year’s egg wars scandal, Palo Alto High School students could have avoided much controversy had they known their rights. Most of the Palo Alto High School community still does not understand what specific rules administrators in distributing punishments. We, as high school students, often assume that we are at the mercy of teachers and administrators, but this is not so. We have certain rights that guard against abuses of power at the hands of adults in the school community. In addition to scholastic freedoms, adolescents have many rights concerning the Internet and the workplace. Unlike our Federal Constitution, our State Constitution provides a clear right to privacy, not just to adults but to all people.

Article 1, Section 1, California Constitution states, “All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.” This means that, in California, students have the same rights to privacy that adults do. Understanding these rights is a key element in growing up in this society.

While this information is available in a variety of sources, including the California Education Code and through the American Civil Liberties Union, the following are some of our most important rights as students and adolescents.

— Grace Harris Rachel Stober Editors in Chief

ONLINE PRIVACY The internet can be a great way to access universal knowledge, connect with friends and share personal items. However, whether we like it or not, every search engine entry, every posted photo and every sent message leaves a digital footprint. Everyone, including students, have the right to privacy. However, the federal law aimed to protect digital privacy, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, has not been updated since 1986. Needless to say, the online world has changed dramatically since then, and students must take caution to maintain one’s privacy.

Possibly the most applicable privacy danger to Paly students is the social network. Although Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg said in his blog, “We’ve built tools that help you control what you share with which individuals and groups of people,” there are still many gaps in Facebook’s privacy settings.

Recent changes in the default settings reveal more information than many users feel comfortable with, but they have not changed their setting because they were not aware of the change.

As avid Facebook users, Paly students need to be aware of who can see what information on their

DISCIPLINE While school officials absolutely have the right to enforce rules and punish students who violate said rules, students also have many safeguards during the disciplinary process. The California Education Code outlines several provisions that make sure administrators cannot take advantage of students and dispense unwarranted punishments.

The two most drastic forms of punishment, suspension and expulsion, both have specific limitations and rules. Students can only be suspended or expelled if they break certain rules which are listed in the California Education code. Several of these include threatening to or attempting to physically injure another person, possessing or selling controlled substances and stealing school or private property.

While there are around 20 rules which, if broken, can result in a suspension or expulsion, all Paly students should be aware of these circumstances in order to protect yourself against illegal disciplinary actions.

A key piece of information about school discipline is that no student can be suspended or expelled for actions that take place outside of school, unless the act occurs on school grounds or at a school sponsored event. In an instance of disrupting class, dress code violation of defiance, administrators must issue a warning

“

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

— The First Amendment to the United States Constitution

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HARASSMENT

profile. Microsoft conducted a study and found that over 80 percent of employers chose not to hire a perspective applicant due to information found online about them, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Many web-mail services also use your interests to build a profile about you.

Facebook’s new “Places” application allows users to manually check into a location using a mobile device. However, if you use this application, be careful of your privacy settings; such an application acts as a direct tracking device and can provide incredible amounts of information about your personal life.

The virtual world is a mine of privacy invasions.

In order to safely take advantage of online resources and social networks, students need to be careful about what information about them they make available to the public. Despite the feigned security around the web, you might be surprised at what people can find out about you.

— Rachel Stober Editor in Chief

blogspot.com

In 1969, the United States Supreme Court Case, commonly know as Tinker v. Des Moines, granted students First Amendment freedom of expression rights on school grounds after three high school students were suspended for wearing black armbands protesting the Vietnam War.

or a lesser punishment before giving out a suspension. Schools also cannot suspend or expel students for being tardy or absent. Several other provisions concerning suspensions also protect students from unnecessarily long absences; these include a five day maximum suspension and a limit of no more than 20 days suspended during a school year.

There are even stricter rules regarding expulsions to ensure that no student is wrongfully expelled. Schools are only forced to expel a student for extremely serious acts including possessing a gun or explosive, brandishing a knife, selling drugs and sexual assault. In order to expel a student, the school must prove that the student committed the alleged act and that the school either could not correct the negative behavior or the student posed a threat to the school community.

In the event that school officials begin suspension or expulsion proceedings, the student in question has the right to defend him or herself. In the conference in which an administrator explains to the student why he or she has been suspended, the student has the right to explain his or her side of the story and provide evidence in his or her defense.

The school officials must also notify the student’s parent or guardian of the suspension.

Students and parents are also permitted to appeal a suspension or expulsion to the school district.

There are even stricter guidelines associated with an expulsion. After expulsion proceedings have begun, students are also permitted to request their school records, including both their cumulative file and disciplinary file. Students have the right to an expulsion hearing within 30 days of the date that they committed the alleged act. At the hearing, the accused student has the right to bring a parent or guardian, be represented by a parent or guardian, present documents or witnesses in his or her defense and question the school’s witnesses and evidence.

The school district must make a decision within 10 days of the hearing and the student as the right to appeal the decision to the county board of education.

All of these provisions are available to make sure that students are not suspended or expelled without due cause, as a suspension or expulsion can seriously affect a future.

A safe environment is an integral component of learning. The California Education Code states that “all pupils have the right to participate fully in the educational process, free from discrimination and harassment.” Students should be aware of the laws surrounding harassment both so they can protect themselves, and so that they know the limitations and consequences of their actions.

A number of different laws define and protect students from harassment. In 2000, the California State Legislature passed the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, Assembly Bill (AB) 537, which prohibits discrimination in California public schools on the same grounds used to define hate crimes under California law. This adds actual or perceived sexual orientation and actual or perceived gender to the existing prohibitions against discrimination and harassment in California public schools.

Sexual harassment is an important issue that can be detrimental to a safe learning environment. The Paly handbook defines sexual harassment for student-to-student interaction as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal, visual and physical conduct of sexual nature.” Also included in the definition is “conduct of a sexual nature which affects an individual’s employment, academic status or progress, which has a negative impact on an individual’s work or academic performance; which creates a work or educational environment that is intimidating, hostile or offensive; or which affects benefits, services, honors, programs or activities available to an individual in the education setting.”

The enforcement of these rules is necessary because feeling secure and confident among

— Grace Harris Editor in Chief

laxbuzz.com paly88.com victorybriefsdaily.com

peers and teachers fosters a more interactive class.

“Feeling comfortable in a classroom definitely improves my learning experience because I’m not afraid to speak up,” senior Laura Jalalian said. “I think it’s very important that Paly protects student’s rights because having a safe environment at school is an indispensable component in our education.”

Disciplinary actions at Paly are related to the severity of the incident and/or the degree to which the repeated incidents have occurred. For employees, consequences include, but are not limited to, verbal warnings, letters of reprimand, suspension with or without pay and dismissal, along with possible reporting to police if actions mandate, according the Paly handbook. Such disciplinary actions for students may range from counseling to suspension or expulsion.

“I think that punishments make students less inclined to harass other students,” junior Ben Sneider said. “As awesome as it is having really lenient teachers, there needs to be some guidelines to classroom behavior because otherwise bullies can take advantage of the loose atmosphere and makes kids feel uncomfortable.”

The line between joking with friends and an invasion of rights can be foggy; what may seem light-hearted and comical to you could be interpreted as sexual harassment by the recipient or an on-looker. Ultimately, sexual harassment is an incredibly serious manifestation and can endanger the learning environment. You are entitled to feel safe at your own school, and it is important to be aware of the rights outlined in the handbook and in the California Code of Education to ensure this.

— Rachel Stober Editor in Chief

OPINION

A8 • November 22, 2010

The Campanile

Second Spirit Week would provide stronger school unity With positive responses to Spirit Week, another would enhance the spring semester As the excitement of Palo Alto High School’s annual Spirit Week dies down, Paly’s school spirit follows suit.

The events, rallies and games from the week are slowly forgotten as students stop commenting and stalking Spirit Week photo albums on Facebook. The competition between grades, siblings, teammates and dressed up students simmers down. in my opinion During the long period of time between the past spirit week and the next one, students forget about the events completely. But why should school unity disappear once the week is over?

The original Spirit Week has always been such a success that it only makes sense to have another. Many students point out Spirit Week as the highlight of the entire school year.

While Paly is made up of many different kinds of people, Spirit Week is something everyone can participate in regardless of their differences from others. Spirit Week is a great unifying event for the student body.

Spirit Week especially helps to welcome the freshmen into high school because it takes place in the beginning of the school year.

It is their first Paly experience and they learn the traditions and ways of Spirit Week which they are responsible for carrying on in subsequent years. While the original

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Spirit Week can become tedious because the themes for dressing up are the same every year, a second Spirit Week could allow for some variety.

A second Spirit Week could have new themes for each day and possibly different themes each year.

A second Spirit Week at Paly would positively affect everyone at Paly, even the students who choose not to participate in events or dressing up.

Not only would a second Spirit Week bring the student body together, but teachers generally seem to assign less classwork and homework during Spirit Week, a break every high school student appreciates.

A second Spirit Week close to the end of the year would act as a small break before finals and Advanced Placement examinations.

Some students may not enjoy Spirit Week due to the overly competitive nature.

However, for many, the competitive nature is the best part of the week.

Although there is heated competition that appears almost too aggressive and hostile at times, everyone knows that in the end, it is all just for fun.

As the weeks pass by and the chatter over which class really deserves which points, students calm down and return to the normal classroom gossip.

In order for a second Spirit Week to be as successful as the original one, the Associated Student Body’s full approval is necessary.

While it may be simple and enjoyable for the majority of the student body, if a second Spirit Week were to happen, ASB’s work load would dramatically increase.

Marc HAvlik/CAmpanile

Paly seniors cheering during Friday’s lunch rally at Spirit Week. After a competitive week, students wonder if a second spirit week can be possible in order to keep up the high spirit.

Many members of ASB look forward to Spirit Week and enjoy planning for it.

A second Spirit Week would also be easier to plan because the ASB class would already have the first Spirit Week as a precedent to it. Although a large amount of effort would be necessary for a second Paly Spirit Week, the pros outweigh the cons.

Spirit Week is the perfect excuse to dress up silly and its greatest by-product is strengthened school unity.

Considering the tremendous response many had about Spirit Week, it is safe to say that a second Spirit Week is in popular demand. The new schedule in place, a second Spirit Week would be an all around exciting improvement to Paly’s school year.

Homecoming shows improvement from dances in Paly’s past Addition of new DJing service, positive attitude have contributed to more exciting event Palo Alto High School has a reputation among the students for horrendous dances.

New policies instituted in the past, such as the breathalyzer policy, have discouraged many students from atin my opinion tending.

However, this year’s Homecoming dance showed a huge improvement; it was well-run, well attended and overall a success.

For the Homecoming dance, Paly ASB made several changes to encourage student attendance.

Instead of having to buy tickets on the quad at lunch, students could purchase tickets at the door, a convenient change for those who forgot or did not have time at lunch.

There were no videos outlining the rules for dancing playing to the students in line.

Furthermore, it was held in the small gym, the more compact space allowing for louder music and less awkward gaps in the crowd.

“We as ASB have made some solid steps towards making the Paly dances fun for everyone, and overall we’re really pleased with the outcome of this event,” junior Vice President Zorawar Singh said.

What really made Homecoming more fulfilling than dances in the past was the enthusiasm of the people who went. A light-hearted attitude made the difference. As a result, the

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atmosphere at the dance was much more positive than it has been at past events. Other aspects also made homecoming much better.

Chaperones were not pushing through the crowd with flashlights, and the lights were not blinking on and off, two unpleasant occurrences that affected the overall atmosphere at previous dances.

While some security is always necessary at dances, especially because the school is responsible for all students, strict rules create tension and stress at a time when everyone is supposed to be having a good time.

Although the breathalyzer policy is still in place, the rest of the security measures were more lenient. Everyone seemed more focused on having fun than worrying about the rules.

The teachers even got into the spirit of the dance by dressing up in elaborate Halloween costumes while ushering kids through the doors, some to the point where it was impossible to recognize them.

Their enthusiasm was also a nice change to the dance atmosphere. Principal Phil Winston even attended, sporting a Spongebob Squarepants costume.

The new DJ company ASB hired this year also livened up the dance, with break-dancers that occasionally performed for the crowd and platforms set up on the floor.

“One thing which I think really got everyone pumped was the song ‘teach me how to Dougie’,” Zorawar Singh said. “The DJ played this song at the beginning and at the end and I felt as if it really set the mood for the entire night because everybody was out on the dance floor trying to Dougie. People of all ages and skin colors were Dougieing. It was really just a unifying moment in PALY history.”

Another improved feature of the dance was the snacks and drinks Unity Club sold just outside the gym doors.

“I liked it because the music was good, I liked the DJ,” freshman Josh Totte said. “It was nice to have drinks outside the dance too. It was fun because a lot of people in my grade went.”

Also, due to a high underclassmen attendence, many of the freshmen and sophomores enjoyed spending time with all their friends at the dance.

“I liked it because a lot of my friends were there and I had a lot of fun dancing with everyone,” freshman Chason Chacon said.

However, due to a lack of attendance by upperclassmen, the juniors and seniors who attended did not recall having as much fun as the underclassmen.

“I thought [homecoming] was alright,” junior Kevin Kannapan said. “It would have been more fun if more juniors were there.”

However, junior Kimmy Whitson noticed the new changes to the dance and agreed that the event went well.

“Even though a lot of my friends weren’t there, people seemed like they were having fun,” Whitson said. “The DJ was really fun and the underclassmen looked like they were having a good time.”

It may seem like Paly dances do not have a future. However, the large numbers of freshmen and sophomores at Homecoming helped make this one a success.

The precedent the class of 2014 may set for incoming freshmen in the next few years could easily revive Paly’s school events by radiating a more positive mentality.

Intramurals encourage fitness and brings students together in competition The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury recommended extending the physical education graduation requirement from two to four years based on obesity statistics.

After this ruling, it is up to the schools to decide whether they will take the Grand Jury’s advice.

Instead of increasing Physical Education requirements or having unappetizing food in the cafeteria, the solution to ending obesity, increasing lifespan and increasing cooperation in the Paly community is simple: intramural sports.

If a student wants to participate in a school sport they can either go through an extensive tryout in my opinion process or students can join the dodgeball club, which has almost no publicity and despite how popular the sport is, the club is barely known.

The tryout process can be extremely competitive, however, players are often alienated or demeaned if they are not very athletic or coordinated.

Palo Alto High School has a great sports program, which is wonderful for the school, but it means that if a student has no experience playing sports before google images high school it is very difficult for them to make a team.

The dodgeball club is not well known and unless a student signed up Matches like these could become commonplace on the Palo Alto High School campus if intramural sports were organized. for it on club day, chances are they will never hear of it again and will not Activities such as ultimate frisbee and dodgeball would boost school spirit and allow students to get their needed exercise. get to participate.

Currently, there is a relatively unknown dodgeball club at Paly whose During 6th and 7th period last year there was usually a frisbee game goIntramurals sports are a fun way to connect people who do not have games do not occur on campus. ing. There should be a frisbee intramural league so that frisbee can return to classes together, are in different grades and are of different skill levels.

If there were an intramural dodgeball league at Paly then all students could Paly. It is a very active sport that also requires skill and coordination.

Paly has a huge grassy area in the center of campus, the quad, that should participate and the games could be on campus during lunch or after school.

Since there are no referees in a frisbee game, it would be a great way for be filled with dodgeballs, capture the flag cones and frisbees.

The matches could take place in the quad so that it would be easier to active, skilled people to relax and just play for the love of the game. The score The Paly campus already resembles a college campus but it is missing is get involved and other students would be able to watch does not matter as much in an intramural game so it would be a great way to people participating in physical activities, which would the games. promote playing games for the sake of the exercise and entertaining it elicits. unite the students.

Intramural sports are a fun Dodgeball is an easy sport to set up with its limited The success of intramural sports would be imminent, which is already The most important reason for intramurals sports costs and low space requirement. Capture the Flag is demonstrated in the way the student body reacts to girls’ intramural powder is that Paly desperately needs a group that students can way to connect people who a timeless game that requires a lot of physical activity puff football once a year. join that has no value to colleges, so that students join it do not have classes together, and is easy to set up.

The quad is packed with cheering students, the games are intense and for the sole purpose of relaxing and playing a fun game.

Since there is no organized capture the flag league, all the girls get an awesome work out. Instead of intramural sports only ocSince Middle School has ended there has been no are in different grades and if students want to play this great game from their past curring once a year, there should be leagues with many different sports to be outlet for students to show their love of sports that is who are of all different skill they need to set it up themselves and find other students played all throughout the year. not extremely competitive. levels. with the same level of interest and motivation.

Paly should have intramural sports because it would give students an Many students are unable to participate in Paly If Paly had an intramural capture the flag league, opportunity to get active and take a break from academics. sports because of the ruthless competitive nature of It would help students get more involved in the Paly community while our teams. Those students could use a way to exercise in a team without the students who have never met could work together and play against each other in this great team sport. also promoting student health. Currently there is no place for students to competitive edge.

Anyone can play capture the flag; it requires little coordination or skill stay physical and play games.

Games will be played regardless of whether anyone can put an activity Intramural sports must return so the quad can once again be filled with on their college applications and regardless of whether the win will help the so the teams would be a mixture of all age and skill levels, making it a very accessible sport. dodgeballs, capture the flag cones and Frisbees. school’s prestige. Students should play merely for the love of the game.

rebeccaruff

The Campanile

SPORTS

Monday, November 22, 2010

Girls’ volleyball sails through to CCS finals after gaining first place league title Varsity team hopes to maintain impressive record against tougher competitors

By Hannah Totte Staff Writer

The Palo Alto High School volleyball team advanced to Central Coast Section finals last Thursday, defeating Carlmont High School in four games and proving their superiority and success against broader competition.

“We kinda went in thinking we were gonna win, but Carlmont pushed us to the best of our ability,” junior Caroline Martin said. “We played really well, and we played to the end.”

Paly one the first game 25-17, but the game took a different turn when the Vikings lost the second game 28-26. However, they came back strong, winning the next two games 25-22 and 31-29, respectively.

“Even though we lost the second game, we still kept it up and pushed in the third and fourth game,” Martin said.

With a strong emphasis on passing this game, the team was able to overcome defensive difficulties and a slight struggle to finish kill opportunities.

“We went out with a ton of energy and played every point to the end,” junior Kimberley Whitson said. “We played with a lot of heart.”

Paly had previously crushed Monta Vista High School in three straight games on Saturday, Nov. 13, extending the team’s streak of success.

“We were a bit shaky in the first set, making a plethora of unforced errors,” Assistant Coach Greg Lara said. “The nice thing about our team, however, is that we’re still able to buckle down and fight our way to victory even when we aren’t playing our best. We were much more fluid the last two sets. Our serving was able to keep Monta Vista off balance for much of the afternoon, and defensively we compiled 54 digs over three sets.”

Scoring 27-25, 25-10 and 25-11 in the three games, respectively, stimulated the team’s enthusiasm for a successful post

Star Strul/Campanile

Girls on the Palo Alto High School varsity volleyball team practice their skills in order to be prepared for the next game in the CCS tournament. season. Lara has already seen improvement with the team, a promising sign of advancing further.

“We amassed seven blocks over the three sets in comparison to one in our last match up with them. I thought our eye work on the block was much improved, as was our hand position,” Lara said.

The team completed its regular season Thursday, Nov. 4 with a win on senior night, celebrating seniors and co-captains Trina

Ohms and Megan Coleman, and a first place finish in leagues.

The Vikings swept Los Altos High School in three games, winning the first point in each and ultimately scoring 25-22, 25-19 and 25-14, respectively, to win the match.

“Winning on our court was fun,” Head Coach Dave Winn said. “Having our seniors clinch league for the fifth time in a row on our court was fun. We knew that no matter who we played, the game was going to be fun. The

fact that we were able to put all those matches together is ridiculous.”

A 34-1 record and a first place title in leagues are very rewarding for the team’s continual display of skill and strength. According to Winn, this season has been “ridiculous.”

“Its been way more than I expected it to be,” Winn said. “I mean going 34-1? It’s ridiculous. I knew we’d be good, but I thought we’d have more letdowns than we had and I thought we’d have more losses during those letdowns. I wasn’t sure how people were going to step into those roles that were different last year. During that time we’ve only lost one match, and that was pretty cool.”

According to Winn, the only other team to ever win five season titles in a row was St. Francis High School, who left the league in 2001. Los Gatos has won four, but Paly is the first public school to fare so well.

“The only problem is that some of [the girls] have just gotten used to us being this good,” Winn said. “They don’t have the history [of other teams’ league titles], so they don’t really have appreciation for how rare that really is. When we won league title, yeah [the girls] were happy, but I think they just were hungry for more.”

The teammates also recognize the need to maintain focus as they approach the CCS finals.

“We are going to go into practice really hard, bring up the intensity and just play every day like it’s a new day,” Whitson said.

With CCS approaching, the team is focusing on getting healthy, as it has missed having junior hitter Maddie Kuppe who has been sitting out with a stress fracture. Though their talent has gotten them far this season, there are still areas of improvement.

“We got some healing to do,” Winn said.

“We have to pick up the pace when it comes to our serving and passing. If we’re going to get as far as we want to get — who knows how far that’s going to be — it’s not going

to be because of our kills. It’s not going to be because of our front row. It’s going to be because of our passing. If we’re in system, it all takes care of itself.”

As high school teams progress from the regular season to CCS, coaches sometimes choose to pull up players from junior varsity.

This year, the team welcomes freshman Keri Gee and sophomores Charlotte Alipate, Becca Raffel, Haley Owens, Sophia Bono, and Nira Krasnow to practice and play with it during CCS. “Having six new players is going to bring more energy and boost team chemistry, which is awesome,” Ohms said. “It really pushes you through the playoffs.”

Winn, the other coaches and the returning varsity players will look to get the newcomers used to the speed of the game, while working on improving team defense and strategy.

The team is looking forward to the trials and thrills of CCS, and is hoping to live up to their own expectations by taking it one game at a time.

“We are taking the approach of preparing one match at a time, and taking each match one point at a time,” Lara said. “The girls have been coming into practice with a very strong work ethic, which is needed for the offseason push. The competition will only get tougher from here on out.”

volleyball Scores

CCS Tournament

vs. Monta Vista Oct. 13, W 3-0

vs. Carlmont Nov. 18, W 3-1 Upcoming games Nov. 20 , not reported

Palo Alto High School students represent US in 2010 swimming World Cup

Swimmers travel with Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics to compete at national level in Berlin, Moscow Tosky, Liang and Sanborn, however, only competed in the Staff Writer meets hosted by Berlin and Moscow.

Palo Alto High School junior, Although Tosky swam in the World Jasmine Tosky emerges out of the Cup previously, it was the first time warm-up pool and makes her way to for both Liang and Sanborn. the main competition arena.

“It was a great cultural experiOut of the corner of her eye, she ence and I think the coolest part of catches a glimpse of the white-attired swimming internationally was meetswim officials lined beside the blocks ing swimmers from other countries,” with yellow disqualification pads Sanborn said. peeking out of their breast pockets.

The goal of the team was more Undaunted, Tosky arrives at her to experience international swimassigned lane, all the while adjusting ming rather than to achieve personal her goggle straps and cap. The whistle best times. blows as she finishes some final “There weren’t any swimming stretches and immediately steps on expectations except to race our best, top of her block. Legs staggered and but personally, my goal was to final eyes focused down at her toes, Tosky in a couple of events,” Tosky said. prepares to dive in.

Liang thought that taking the Although Tosky has done this focus away from achieving best routine countless times before, this times reduced the amount of stress time was different. Tosky was about and anxiety she usually experiences to race in Berlin, Germany. at such a high level of competition.

Tosky, along with senior Sarah As a result, she performed better Liang and junior Byron Sanborn than she did last year. In addition, Litraveled with their team, the Palo ang benefited from the opportunity Alto Stanford Aquatics team, to Berof swimming against the top athletes lin and Moscow in the world. to compete in the In Moscow, the stands rose to “The meet it2010 swimming a point where I couldn’t even self was very comworld cup. petitive and it was Established by see the top row and the fans at amazing racing Federation Inter- finals were fanatic. There were in the same heats nationale de Nata- kids with posters and grown with the likes of tion which admin- men asking for autographs and swimming giisters the Olympic standing by the pool looking for ants such as Julia games, the Swim- any athlete to sign.”

Sarah Liang Smit and Elaine ming World Cup Breeden,” Liang is a series of insenior said. ternational swim Not only did meets that take Tosky, Liang and place in participatSanborn repreing countries. sent their club swim team, they also This year the World Cup began represented the US. in Rio De Janeiro and ended in “It was certainly an honor Stockholm. The hosting countries representing the country, rather also consisted of China, Singapore, than just a club team,” Liang said.

Japan, Germany and Russia.

By Laura Cui

“Every time I saw ‘USA’ in capitals alongside my name on the scoreboard I laughed,” Liang said. “It was pretty funny but nonetheless awesome to be in the same category as American Olympians.”

In Berlin, Tosky represented the country by placing in third place in both the women’s 200m and 400m individual medley.

Tosky continued her streak in Moscow by placing in second place in the Women’s 200m butterfly and in fourth place in the Women’s 800m Freestyle.

Sanborn also achieved personal best times in the Men’s 100m and 200m breaststroke and in the 200m individual medley.

“I swam very well in Berlin, but by the time I got to Moscow, I was fairly tired and I was a bit slower,” Sanborn said.

Liang concludes that overall her experience participating in the meet was positive.

“I swam better in Europe than I did at my taper meet in early August of this year,” Liang said. “So all in all, it was both a great meet and cultural experience.”

Tosky and Liang both agree that the atmosphere was different swimming in Berlin and in Moscow compared to swimming in the US. The indoor facilities were first-rate compared to those in California.

“In Moscow, the stands rose to a point where I couldn’t even see the top row and the fans at finals were fanatic,” Liang said. “There were kids with posters and grown men asking for autographs and standing by the pool looking for any athlete to sign.”

The competitiveness of swimmers was also noticeably intensified in Europe by the passion and concentration of the swimmers.

Courtesy of Julia Ama

Paly students senior Sarah Liang and juniors Jasmine Tosky and Byron Sanborn swam at the national level for the USA Swimming National Youth World Cup Team in Berlin and Moscow.

“There’s a huge difference between swimming in the US and in Europe,” Tosky said. “As a whole, in Europe they don’t mess around or waste time. Everyone’s pushy and serious, which I love.”

The meets were held over two days in each country. First, second and third place winners received prize money.

Not completely coming into this elite level of competition inexperienced, Tosky and Liang earned the privilege of swimming at the U.S. Nationals this past summer in Irvine, CA. Among those who participated at this past summer’s Nationals were the notable Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin.

Tosky reflects back on experiences she gained that helped prepare her for international meets, such as the World Cup. “Competing with the top national swimmers at Senior Nationals was a bit scary,” Tosky said. “I wasn’t used to racing the big names in the swim world, which made me put unnecessary pressure on myself,” Tosky said. “Overall, it was a great meet and experience.”

While both swam in relays, only Tosky participated individual events.

With five events under her belt, Tosky placed in the top eight of each event, placed herself among the top athletes of the country.However, Tosky believes that Nationals was incomparable to the World Cup.

One key difference was that at Nationals, swimmers were trying to make the national team, while at the World Cup, athletes also had the chance to win money.

“For one thing, nationals was only composed of US citizens who qualified for the qualifying times, whereas in the World Cup, anyone can swim and people all over the world came to compete,” Tosky said.

The 2010 Swimming World Cup was an eye-opening cultural experience for all three swimmers. What’s more is that three Paly students can say that they have represented the US on an international level.

“It’s exciting to swim against international athletes and know you’re wearing stars and stripes,” Tosky said.

Cross country boys and girls end season after competing in CCS

By Meghan Byrd Staff Writer

The Palo Alto High School girls’ cross country team finished their season on a high note on Saturday Nov. 13 at the CCS at Toro Park.

“Overall [the meet] went really, really well,” senior co-captain Gracie Cain said. “During the run [Henry M. Gunn High School] actually dropped out two of their top runners so I think that, as horrible as it sounds, our runners saw that and got really pumped.”

According to Cain, the Viking runners all finished in one pack, an uncommon, yet favorable trait of the team.

This is important because the top five runners earn points for the team, and if they are all coming in close together they gain a higher score.

Although the team scored one place shy of qualifying for the state meet, the runners still viewed the race as a positive experience and strong closing to a successful season. Most runners achieved new personal records, according to Cain, who placed 18th overall.

“This [was] my least favorite course, so going out with a PR is actually huge for me and I was really happy about that,” Cain said.

Another impressive performance came from senior Susan Heinselman, who placed 11th overall with a time of 19:37. She was the first Paly girl in many years to run the course in under 20 minutes.

As for the season as a whole, Cain is very proud of the team and its constant determination and improvement.

“I think that it’s usually the boys’ cross country team leading the way for Paly and getting all the publicity,” Cain said. “But this year the girls’ team was actually doing better than the boys team and we were all really proud of ourselves for that. Also, getting to CCS was big and it was a great ending race so the season ended well.”

According to Cain, the team looks promising for next year.

“They’re losing a couple of [seniors], but they have a bunch of talented younger runners,” Cain said, who is optimistic about the team’s future.

By Meghan Byrd Staff Writer

The Palo Alto High School boys’ cross country team ended their season at the Central Coast Sectionals (CCS) at Torro Park on Saturday, Nov. 13.

Although the team did not qualify as a whole, juniors Nikolai Solgaard and Corso Rosati qualified for the race individually.

“It would have been unfortunate to not have anyone there,” Coach Joe Ginnani said. “They got to see a race on that kind of stage so it was nice to be there and have them get that opportunity.”

Solgaard placed 28th with a time of 17:21, while Rosati placed 48th with a time of 18:02. Both runners improved their previous races this season at Torro Park.

“Earlier in the season when we ran the same course Corso ran over a minute and a half slower, so he had a significantly better race,” Ginanni said. “[The race] was consistent with how [Solgaard and Rosati] had been running towards the end of the season.”

Ginnani referred to this season as a reconstructing year because of the lack of varsity experience coming from the runners. Every runner who had run varsity at any point last season graduated.

“It was a good experience for the guys to because they’re the ones who are now the leaders,” Ginanni said.

“They adapted [to this role] and by the end of the year things were going really well.”

Ginnani is confident the team will be strong next year based on the work of the younger varsity runners.

“This year we have the exact opposite [of last year],” Ginnani said. “We’re not graduating any varsity runners so we should be in good shape for next season.”

The team was also forced to deal with adversity such as illness and injuries that affected most of the runners at some point.

The runners were able to overcome such challenges. “[The runners] clearly matured during the season and became better leaders, taking some younger guys under their wing,” Ginnani said.

SPORTS

The Campanile

SportsPreviews Boys’ varsity basketball, led by new coach, excited for upcoming season The boys’ varsity basketball team has started training for the 20102011 season. New Coach, Adam Sax, looks forward to a successful season working at Palo Alto High School.

Sax previously coached at Piedmont High School in the East Bay before taking the job as head coach at Paly, replacing Bob Roehl.

“It’s a great group of kids,” Sax said of the team. “This school is known for its tradition and school spirit, and has had a lot of success in sports.”

The team has a number of returning players but overall is primarily made up of underclassmen. Five seniors graduated last year, including guard Joseph Lin and center Kevin Brown.

Returning players include seniors Max Schmarzo, Davante Adams, Bill Gray, Charlie Jones and T.J. Braff, along with junior Tory Prati and sophomore E.J. Floreal.

Last year the varsity basketball team made it to the Central Coast Section semifinals before losing to Archbishop Mitty. Despite the loss, the team finished out the season with an impressive record of 18-7, and hopes to improve even more this season.

“We finished on a hot streak,” Schmarzo said. “We really came together as a team and hopefully we can carry it on over to this season.”

Although practice started on Nov. 1, there is no definitive roster yet due to players who also participate in Paly football. However, the basketball team is already working hard for the upcoming season.

“I’m still just getting to know the guys, so it’s hard to know what our goals for the season are now,” Sax said. “We’re working hard and taking one day at a time. We just want keep improving.”

To get ready for the winter season the team practices five days a week for two and half hours.

“We’ve been putting a consistently hard effort into practice,” junior Peter Dennis said.

The Vikings will open the season against San Mateo High School in an away game on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

—Maddie Berger

Staff Writer

Girls’ varsity basketball team hopes new practice method brings success After concluding last year with a second round Central Coast Section (CCS) exit to Mills High School, the Palo Alto High School girls’ basketball team’s 2010-2011 season is now underway with tryouts.

The team is currently practicing six times a week with an emphasis on everyone getting in shape and being in top form when the season starts.

With an ensemble of new players working out with the team, the Lady Vikes have high expectations leading into the season, according to head coach Scott Peters.

“It’s going to be a great group if they come together as a team,” Peters said. “They work hard and look forward to competing. First things first, we want to take care of ourselves and be a team and success will come from that.”

Peters highlights fitness and conditioning for his team during the preseason’s three hour practices.

He wants to build a strong base for the girls to build off of into the season.

“We are focusing on being in good condition,” Peters said. “The girls are working hard and it is never easy to get in shape, but it is something that we are making a commitment to. It’s going to really help the team.”

Senior Mary Albertolle agrees with Peters about the importance of conditioning and thinks that most of the players are in strong form entering the year.

“Pretty much all of us played on the Midnight AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] team last spring, summer and this fall,” Albertolle said.

She thinks that speed will be the factor that will help the Lady Vikes in the season.

The Lady Vikes will also try to use their size advantage to improve on a 12-11 record in the previous season.

“We are a quick team and there aren’t too many teams out there who can keep up,” Albertolle said.

Although the team has not been finalized yet, new faces such as senior Sydney Davis, sophomore Josie Butler and freshman Danielle Palmer hope to spark the Lady Vikes' success in the future.

Peters believes that if the team improves and keeps working hard at practice, they can be a formidable opponent to all of their competition.

“If we get better every day, we should compete with every team we play," Peters said. “There should be no team we cannot complete with.”

—Brandon Nguyen

Sports Editor

Paly varsity wrestling team looks ahead to promising new season Wrestling is back and the Palo Alto High School team looks to pick up where it started after finishing 22nd in Central Coast Section (CCS) last year.

This run included graduate Jack Sakai going to state competition and three other individuals finishing in the top 12 for CCS. Even with the loss of junior Ryan Oshima, due to a knee injury, the team expects to compensate for the absence of Oshima’s expected points with other returning wrestlers to carry Paly to CCS. “Ryan Oshima blew out his knee,” varsity coach David Duran said. “He would have been a big point scorer. We [still] have enough quality guys to meet our goals and win league.”

Paly has several experienced wrestlers that went to CCS last year including senior Michael Cullen, junior Joey Christopherson, junior Kalen Gans, junior Gabe Landa, junior Nick Ortiz and sophomore Trent Marshall.

“Our goal is to win the league dual meets and the league tournament,” Duran said.

Those wrestlers who have not been playing in a fall sport have been training hard this offseason.

“I went to lots of camps and practices, as well as running and lifting over summer,” Christopherson said. “Then we just finished our preseason conditioning which was a lot of running and weight workouts too.”

The team will also rely on new talent.

“We have some good young guys, like sophomore Erik Anderson,” Duran said. “He has put in the time, and he might deserve a spot on Varsity.”

Morale is high amongst Paly wrestlers. As always, expectations are just as high.

“Our team this year is young,” Christopherson said. “We have only two seniors coming back, but we are usually a strong team so I think we will be good. We really want to beat Gatos and Cupertino, and if we can do that we will win SCVAL [Santa Clara Valley Athletic League].”

Paly wrestling started preparing for their first meet that is to be held in Half Moon Bay on Dec. 4.

“My goals this year are to start placing high and even winning tournaments and to also place in CCS,” Christopherson said.

Early practice has been concentrating on starting the year off strong in practice.

“We’ve been working on drilling and teaching the new additions to our team technique and just the overall flow of practice,” Ortiz said.

—Michael Augustine

Staff Writer

November 22, 2010 • A11

Boys’ soccer kicks off its new season Varsity team hopes to improve upon previous season, make CCS

By Brian Benton Staff Writer

As the start of a new season quickly approaches, the Palo Alto High School boy’s varsity soccer team looks to improve upon last year’s mediocre season and hopes to advance into the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.

Last year’s team barely snuck into the post season after finishing the year with an 8-4-7 record. They lost 1-2 in overtime to Leland High School in the first round of CCS. “[The game against Leland] was a tough loss,” Paly Head Coach Don Briggs said. “Overtime losses are always tough.”

Paly and Leland were tied 1-1 for most of the game after James Maa scored near the end of the first half, but Leland scored on a penalty kick in overtime, giving them the win. It was only the second penalty kick goal that Paly had surrendered all season.

“That was then, and this is now,” Briggs said. “This season, we just want to stay competitive.”

Briggs and the varsity team have put the loss in the past and are optimistic about the upcoming season.

Some of the players have already begun setting goals for the season, such as junior forward Kris Hoglund.

“We want to make it further into CCS,” Hoglund said. “Last year was pretty bad.”

Despite losing key players in the class of 2010 such as Jenner Fox and John Anderton, the team feels that the experienced upperclassmen will be able to step up and fill in the empty spots.

“Losing guys like Jenner is going to affect us, but we have a lot of kids who have been on varsity for two or three years and are good leaders,” Hoglund said.

Senior Ricky Minno agrees that the current upperclassmen are just as strong, if not stronger than last year’s.

Star Strul/Campanile

Senior John Richardson sends a pass to sophomore Matt Waymouth. The talented team hopes to go far this season.

“I think we have more seniors this year that can be good leaders than we did last year,” Minno said.

“We even have juniors that will be leading the team.”

Rosters for the varsity and junior varsity teams were just posted on Wednesday, Nov. 17, so captains have not yet been determined.

“I have no idea about who the captains will be because we [just decided who] made the team,” Briggs said. “The team will pick one and I will pick one, though.”

Despite having to make a few more decisions on how to run the team, the players appear confident and strong heading into their first games.

There is one major weakness in their roster, though: a goalie.

“We are lacking in the goalie department,” Minno said. “Our defense is good [though], so it’s not going

to be as big of an issue as people are expecting.”

Last year’s goalie, Scott Alexander, graduated, and the team is struggling to find a replacement.

“We haven’t found any freshmen or sophomores who can play [the position],” Hoglund said. “Right now, it looks like I might be playing goalie.”

Briggs agrees that Hoglund appears to be one of the best candidates for goalie. According to Briggs, Hoglund’s athletic capabilities from playing lacrosse will pay off and help him evolve into a goalie.

Aside from seniors and juniors, the team also has hope that underclassmen will be able to fill in some of the gaps on the roster.

Last year’s lone freshmen Peter Laminette and Grant Shorin will be returning to the team this year as sophomores. A few new faces will also be joining the team this year.

“[Sophomore] Skyler Felt is really good,” Minno said. “He’s going to be scoring a lot of goals.”

Felt is currently busy playing kicker for the Paly freshman/sophomore football team.

The team’s first game of the season is on Nov. 29 against the Richmond Oilers, and the first home game is Dec. 1 against the Woodside Wildcats.

Paly does not have a league game until Jan. 5, when the team travels to battle the Saratoga Falcons.

“Every team [we are playing this year] is tough,” Hoglund said. “We have to play hard in every game.”

A couple of other games to look out for are against rivals Henry M. Gunn High School and Mountain View High School.

Paly will play Gunn at home on Jan. 14 and Mountain View at home on Feb. 26, as the last game of the regular season.

“The Gunn game is always good,” Minno said. “It’s a rivalry.

You never know who’s going to win.”

Last year, Paly beat Gunn 1-0 the first time the two teams met, but fell 0-3 in their second face-off.

Briggs cites an upcoming nonleague tournament in Pleasanton as an important part of the season.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we do against teams we’ve never played,” Briggs said. “League games are always important, but every game we play this season matters.”

Another part of the season to look forward to are the teambonding haircuts.

Last year, team members appeared in early December with everything from headphones to faces shaved into their hair.

“The haircuts are coming, probably right before [a game against] a Catholic school,” senior Zac Hummel said.

Girls’ soccer anticipates successful season

By Kirah Ingram Staff Writer

The varsity girls’ soccer team at Palo Alto High School looks forward to another strong season in hopes of making it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament.

Paly made it to CCS quarter-finals last year, but lost to Woodside High School, which ended the team’s pursuit of a CCS title.

Head Coach Ernesto Cruz, who has now been coaching the varsity girls’ soccer team for five seasons, hopes for his 6th season to be full of fun, talent, commitment and team effort. With tryouts underway, Cruz is excited about the new talent coming from transfer students and the underclassmen.

One of the transfers, senior Helen Butler, is already committed to Virginia Polytechnic University, and the other transfer student, junior Melissa Johns, comes from Los Gatos, one of Paly’s archenemies, according to Cruz.

Both, as Cruz said, are tremendously talented athletes.

One of the underclassmen, freshman Natasha Weiss, who will not be playing this season, recently won national championships with her Mountain View-Los Altos club soccer team. “[Natasha is a] tremendous kid. She has been with us in practice, she has the Paly attitude and she loves the school obviously,” Cruz said. “Next year, we will have her 100 percent, and [she] is going to be our super star in the future.”

Along with the new talent, Cruz said a group of six or seven sophomores are coming onto the varsity team this year to make it stronger.

With this kind of team building, Cruz is unlike most coaches. And when it is time for him to create a final roster, he takes a different approach that shows his dedication to coaching his team.

“I don’t make a list,” Cruz said. “I’m not the type of coach to make a list and leave [the final roster] like that. I talk to each girl that I cut. I talk to them and let them know why [they were cut] and what they need to do and what

MARC HAVLIK/CAMPANILE

Senior Hannah Ohlson dribbles past a defender during a recent practice. The team is fired up about the new season. they need to improve for them to come back next year to try and make JV again. So I explain to each one of them. I have to, it’s hard; they cry in front of you and everything, but that’s the way to be honest and keep it clean.”

From Cruz’s more personal approach to tryouts and bonding time with the team, he feels a deeper connection with coaching high school soccer versus club soccer.

“High school is a little more about love,” Cruz said. “Here, you represent your colors and you give something to the community. We do it for the love of the game. [I] love it, there is something about Paly and myself. It’s like a destiny, I put a lot of love in this group.”

Paly tennis falls to Menlo in second CCS match

By Electra Colevas

Doubles team of senior Sabrina Yeung and Ke Staff Writer were the only Paly players to win a set. Harader Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity tennis team commented that it was the best they had played lost the second round of Central Coast Sectionals in their careers. to Menlo High School 6-1, eliminating them from Ke believes Harader played an important role CCS and ending their season. through the course of the season not only in her Despite being placed in a tougher league, personal training, but in bonding the team as a the Vikings placed third under tough competitors whole. Harader was supportive and encouraging Saratoga High School and Monta Vista High School. throughout the season according to all the team Menlo was seated first at the opening of CCS and members. according to Paly team members, had exceptionally His training approaches were specific to his good individual athletes. teams needs, and they were effective in improving Vikings also reported that both Saratoga and players skills in certain areas measured by team Monta Vista were tough comstatistics. petition for Paly early on in the “It’s unfortunate we “Our most applicable trainleague, and the Vikes met Menlo ing was in drills specifically had to play Menlo in with similar difficulty. designed for playing one point “It’s unfortunate we had to the second round.” at a time,” Harader said. “Our play Menlo in the second round,” third set and tie-break percentsophomore Sammy Solomon way up.”

Sammy Solomon age went said. “But we’re in a tougher Some decisive matches over Sophomore the course of the season ensured league so the teams we have to play are really good.”

Palys success in the long run.

Paly started CCS with a close According to Solomon, Paly was win over Los Gatos High School with a score of 7-0. neck and neck with Los Gatos for third in the league According to several team members the match was until a late October match that enabled the Vikings very close and key players made the win possible. to overtake Los Gatos.

“In the Los Gatos match we played really well,” A big win against Lynbrook High School, 4-3, junior Amy Ke said. “Two people went into a third boosted the Vikings rankings, proving to be a deset and it was kind of a close call.” cisive match.

Senior captain and first-ranked singles player According to both coach and teammates, both Mira Khanna won a decisive match securing the freshmen Aashli Budhuraja and Felicia Wang prewin for the lady Vikes. formed well in each match, and were good extenSolomon felt the team’s intensity was derived sions to the team. from the senior’s desire to finish the season strong, “Aashli helped us win a couples matches that and key individual performances. we would have otherwise lost,” Ke said. “Both fresh“Our first round performance against Los man were a great addition to the team.”

Gatos was tough,” coach Andy Harader said.”We Budhuraja is the second-ranked singles player beat them, surprisingly, 7-1. Everyone played in the league. According to her team she brings exceptionally well.” athletic talent and a bright personality.

“Both our freshmen, Budhiraja and Wang are tremendous additions to the team,” Harader said. “Sammy Solomon and Amy Ke were also very helpful.”

The No. 1 senior-freshman doubles team, made up of senior Margot Gerould and Wang, was a strong competitor in the successful match against cross town rival Henry M. Gunn High School.

Despite not making it very far in CCS, the team hope to improve their run next season. Next year, the team will lose the majority of their players due to the large number of seniors on the team.

“Except for four people, our team is all seniors,” Solomon said. “ But we really bonded by the end of the season. I hope next year we can be just as successful.”

In Paly’s previous season seniors Janet Liu and Emma Marti were highly ranked in the state, making a huge contribution to the team. Solomon believed that by losing the strong senior presence, the team would not be able to excel.

“Last year Janet and Emma were ranked in the state, and the fact that we got third in league without them shows a lot,” Solomon said.

Ke will lead the team next year as captain and the lady Vikes again hope to advance to CCS.

Tennis Scores CCS Tournament @ Los Gatos

Nov. 9, W 7-0 @ Menlo

Nov. 12, L 1-6

A12 • November 22, 2010

Just Dance

SPORTS

The Campanile

Paly Vikings re-write record books

Football team is second in school history to have season record of 10-0

By John Brunett Sports Editor

baileycassidy in my opinion “Bailey, what’s your favorite sport?” my six-year-old cousin Ryan asked me as we lounged on the grass outside our family’s summer vacation home, sipping diet Dr. Pepper.

“Dance,” I replied without the slightest hesitation.

His expression was a mixture of shock and awe. Then he giggled, “But that’s not a sport,” he said firmly.

Although Ryan is only six, his remark is one that is often made in today’s society. It is a statement that I’m sure was due in part to the messages that have been sent to him via television, movies and video games at his tender young age.

Oxford’s Dictionary defines the word ‘sport’ as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Based on that definition, dance is most definitely a sport. However, society is sometimes influenced to believe the contrary.

I have seen countless movies and television shows depicting dancers as frail little ballerinas weighing no more than 100 pounds who fritter their days away spinning around in tutus.

What the media often fails to mention is the seemingly endless push-ups and crunches that dancers do to build strength, or the dance teachers who physically push dancers farther in stretches, until the dancer’s body is incapable of being pushed any more. The media also tends to overlook the hours of strenuous rehearsals and classes and the constant drive that dancers possess to be the best that we can be, or at least good enough to move to a higher level, or earn a coveted solo in the spring recital.

This is not to say that the stereotypes of dancers aren’t changing. They are. Through TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) and Dancing With The Stars, and movies such as Step Up, viewers have the opportunity to see what dancers are made of, and the hard work that being a successful dancer entails.

The dancers on SYTYCD and Dancing With The Stars must rehearse extensively for many hours each day in order to prepare at least one dance routine to perform every week.

These rehearsals are a grueling, physically demanding addition to contestants’ already busy lives.

Contestants have suffered serious physical injuries throughout their participation in these programs and in some cases were required to perform nonetheless.

In other more severe cases,dancers have been forced to leave the program and their dreams of gaining recognition for their dancing on the back burner until they have recovered, such as Alex Wong, who was a front runner on SYTYCD last summer until he was forced to withdraw in 8th place due to a lacerated achilles tendon that required major surgery.

While we are on the subject of SYTYCD Season 7, I must mention that this season’s winner, Lauren Froderman, will soon be appearing on a Gatorade bottle.

The reason for this? Gatorade officially declared dance a sport this past summer, and Froderman will be joining the ranks of tennis champion Serena Williams and basketball superstar Michael Jordan as a Gatorade athlete.

Now, if you aren’t going to believe America’s favorite sports drink’s definition of what a sport is, what authority will you believe?

Perhaps you’d take an NFL champion’s word for it.

Several football players, such as Emmitt Smith and Chad Ochocinco, have competed on Dancing With The Stars initially found themselves sloppily struggling through their Quicksteps and Waltzes, proving to the contestants and viewers that dancing is just as challenging a sport as football.

The work that we dancers put into a good performance is just as hard-if not harder-than the work a football player puts into scoring a touchdown, and the rewarding feeling a dancer gets from hearing a judge’s praise or the audience’s applause is just as great.

“Winning isn’t something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar,” Emmitt Smith, football player and former Dancing With the Stars champion said of his experience on the show.

“Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.”

This echoes my sentiment that a great dance performance is a “win” in its own right.

In today’s society, media exposure is inevitable. Although the media can brainwash people into believing misconceptions, it can also guide people to make informed decisions.

Regardless, I believe it’s important to step back from the media’s powerful influence and take a look at any situation from all angles before passing judgment.

As for my cousin Ryan? “Dance actually is a sport,” I replied. “Let me teach you some moves, and you can see for yourself.”

We did one leap, and as Ryan noisily crashed to the ground, he said, “I wanna go play hockey. That was too hard.”

Palo Alto High School continues to re-write the history books as the football team triumphs with a regular season record of 10-0, becoming the second team in school history to reach such a feat.

The original record was posted by the 1950’s Viking squad.

“We feel great,” Hansen said, “And we’re not done. Nowhere near.”

The Vikings are now in place to receive the top seed for the Open Division playoffs. If the team were to sweep the playoffs, there is a good chance the Vikings would win the Northern California bid to go to the Division One state championship game.

While Paly can now revel in the victorious season, the team was given their greatest scare in the last regular season game against De Anza Division opponent, Saratoga High School.

On its senior night, Saratoga came out strong in the first half and handed Paly its largest deficit of the season at 14-0.

The Falcons stretched the Viking defense with its optionveer hybrid running style which consistently chipped away toward the end zone.

Since Paly’s safeties were forced to play up to the run, Saratoga’s wide receivers were able to get down field uncovered.

The Falcons’ quarterback bootlegged left in the red zone and struck a wide open Falcon in the corner of the end zone to open the scoring. On the following drive, Saratoga handed the ball off and plunged it into the end zone, leaving Paly down by 14-0 halfway through the second quarter.

After going three and out in their last drive, Paly switched up its offensive scheme to focus more on the passing game to open up the run.

Senior quarterback Christoph Bono hit senior wide receiver Davante Adams for a 50-yard strike that took the Vikings down to the Falcon’s 35 yard line.

Successive gains by junior running back Dre Hill and another catch by Adams resulted in a first down and goal on the half-yard line.

That was as far as Paly got, as a false start followed by a toss to

Marc Havlik/Campanile

(Counter clockwise from top left) Senior Christoph Bono dodges Saratoga Falcons, senior Maurice Williams shakes off a Falcon and junior B.J. Boyd catches a ball by the endzone.

Hill, resulted in a 15 yard loss and The Falcons had just over a gave Paly a third and long to score. minute to respond to Paly, but when On the next play Bono was they got down to the Viking’s 35 forced out of the pocket and then yard line, junior linebacker Morris stripped as the Falcon defense Gates-Mouton read a screen pass recovered. to perfection and From then intercepted the on, Paly stepped “We feel great, and Saratoga quarwe’re not done. Noup its game. terback and ran it The defense where near.” back for a touchstuffed the Faldown.

Earl Hansen cons and forced Vikings tied a punt, which Football coach it up 14-14 with was followed by 24 seconds left in a quick hitting the half. drive that drove “ That was all the way down to the Falcon’s huge,” senior defensive end Kevin 20 yard line.

Anderson said. “Morris had probBono then struck senior wide ably the biggest play of the season.” receiver Maurice Williams for a 20 The Vikings were able to imyard score to bring the score up mediately capitalize on the newto 14-7. found momentum after half time

as they started with the ball in the second half.

Junior running back B.J. Boyd gashed through the front seven on the first play and picked up some big blocks by senior wide receiver T.J. Braff for 60 yards.

The next play, Bono hit Braff in the flat and Braff stiff armed past a Falcon cornerback for a touchdown, giving the Vikings the lead 21-14.

After a series of punts, Bono as well as the Viking offense were stuffed on a first down run.

Bono rushed to the sideline and basically called the play himself. “[Saratoga] gave me no check at all,” Bono said.

On the next play, Bono faked the hand off which froze the Falcon

secondary, then let loose a bomb to Williams for a 60 yard touchdown.

Williams wheels and Bono’s arm put the Vikings up 28-14. After that play both teams’ defenses stepped up in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings to a win.

While in no way a deciding factor of the game, two successive Viking scores were called back: one from an Adams punt return for 60 yards, the other from a Boyd 40 yard run. Viking penalties, combined with the false start earlier on which backed the Vikings off the end zone, easily erased 21 potential points for the Vikings.

All four touchdowns against Saratoga came from 20 yards and over, two of which were over 60 yards. Additionally, Bono hit Adams for 40 yards and both junior running backs were able to bust runs over 30 yards. On defense, the Vikings totalled four sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, excluding a sack that was called back by pass-rushing stalwart Anderson.

The Vikings are confident heading into the Open Division playoffs against Archbishop Mitty High School. They are a historic team looking to complete the perfect season.

This game was a rematch of the Sept. 17 battle between the two schools. Paly emerged victorious in the first game by a score of 20-7. The Vikings hope to finish the season strong with a CCS Open division championship.

“We’ll be good, we’re gonna do good,” Boyd said. “Now it’s 2010 and we’re ready to win.”

Paly played Mitty on Friday Nov. 19, with the winner moving onto the CCS Open Division semi-final.

Football Scores

vs. Homestead Oct. 29, W 35-13 vs. Mt. View Nov. 5, W 42-20 @ Saratoga Nov. 12, W 28-14 CCS Tournament vs. Mitty Nov. 19, 7:00 p.m. not reported

Boys water polo fought to end Girls water polo falls to Gunn Team makes second round of CCS

By Sam Blake Staff Writer The Palo Alto High School varsity team continues steadily towards Central Coast Section. The team had a smashing victory against the Los Gatos boys’ team.

They pounded their opponents in a 16-7 victory.

The game started out with a tricky behind the back shot by senior Marcos Motta to give Palo Alto an early lead.

The game continued and Paly scored again before Los Gatos was finally able to reciprocate.

The match finished with the Paly boys taking away a much needed victory.

Yet the next two games proved to be difficult. The team suffered two losses against Henry M. Gunn High School and Monta Vista High School.

The boys played their hardest but lost by a narrow margin of 7-9.

“We are really going to work to keep the ball in

our hands. We do not want to shoot prematurely that has been a big problem this season,” junior Peter Rockhold said. “If we avoid that I think we will be able to score all the time.”

The season has been filled with a roller coaster of emotion. The team has fulfilled many of its goals but has also come short on a few.

“We really penetrated our original goals and aspirations and made it to CCS,” two meter defender/utility junior Aaron Zelinger said. “However, we were hoping for a more glorified finish inside of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament, unfortunately it was not our time to come.”

The disappointing finish in the SVCAL was a downfall to the team but they are prepared to go far in CCS. The team came out with a strong showing against Los Gatos in the first round of CCS. They took an early lead of

5-0 then continued trading goals throughout the game.

The boys won 17-8 advancing them to the second round of CCS where they played Bellarmine.

“We played really well but there definitely was some sloppiness, overall the game went well,” driver freshman Will Connor said.

“But, Bellarmine is going to be a tough game and we do not want to get cocky.”

“It felt good to win tonight, Bellarmine is a tough team and we need to work on our blocks and counter attacks,” Coach Giovanni Napolitano said.

The team faced a tough loss to Bellarmine High School in the second round of the CCS tournament.

This game ended a rigorous season for the boys.

“We tried really hard but we fell short of our CCS goals,” Will Connor said. It was a tough loss but I think we can come back and do well next year.”

The team will advance no farther in CCS and the loss ended the season for the boys.

Boys Waterpolo Scores vs. Harbor Oct. 29, W 17-2 vs. Los Gatos Nov. 4, W 17-6 vs. Monta Vista Nov. 5, L 7-9 vs.Gunn Nov. 6, L 8-12

Star Strul/Campanile

Senior Jack Smale attempts a shot at opponent Monta Vista. The Vikings moved on to CCS.

CCS Tournament vs. Wilcox Nov. 9, W 17-8 vs. Bellarmine Nov. 13, L 4-12

By Sam Blake Staff Writer The Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ water polo team began with a hot streak going into Central Coast Section.

The team faced Santa Teresa High School in the first round of the CCS tournament.

It was a tough game yet, the team managed to come away with a 8-2 victory.

“We started out really strong, starting out well had been a problem for us in the regular season,” junior driver Skylar Dorosin said.

“However in CCS we really stepped up our game. I think that we can go really far in the tournament if we keep playing this well.”

The team kept the score 2-0 until the second quarter, aided by a penalty shot made

by Dorosin. It seemed to be that Paly was going to surpass the first round of CCS without even letting Santa Teresa score.

The team’s defense was fantastic but in the first half of the game the team had trouble finishing its shots.

Santa Teresa finally broke the shout out in the third quarter but Paly continued to pour on the goals leaving the game at 10-2.

“We really wanted to take it to them hard,” junior driver Shannon Scheel said. “We started out great but throughout the middle of the game we lost some momentum. We were shooting the ball really well towards the end of the game and I am really thrilled we won.”

The teamwork and sportsmanship was remarkable and there was rarely a moment of silence in the pool.

“I think we worked really well as a team, everything seemed to flow and our communication was great,” driver Haley Conner said. “We just need to work on keeping possession of the ball.”

Marc Havlik/Campanile

Senior Rachel Harrus takes a shot on Henry M. Gunn High School. The Vikings lost to rival 7-5.

The girls faced a tough game against Henry M. Gunn High School in the second round of their CCS playoff run. They lost in a disappointing finish to the season.

“Gunn was a really though loss, I thought that we were going to be able to go farther in the CCS tournament,” senior driver Haley Conner said. “We tried our best but we lost.”

The team lost to Gunn 7-5 in a hard fought game.

They had beaten Gunn earlier in the season and were anticipating a victory.

However, Gunn came out strong and dominated the pool.

The team is graduating many of its top starts and will have a tough recovery for next year. However, the girls feel

confident they can regroup for next season with a strong cast of young players.

Girls Waterpolo Scores vs. Leland Oct. 30, L 7-8 vs. Homestead Nov. 4, W 14-8 vs. Gunn Nov. 5, L 4-5 vs. Los Gatos Nov. 6, W 13-5 CCS Tournament vs. Santa Teresa Nov. 10, W 10-2 vs. Gunn Nov. 10, L 7-5

Life styles Features • A&E • People

The Campanile

Monday, November 21, 2010

Fall into Fashion

Let’s get Technical

nikkiwhitson Trash those summer clothes and get ready for fall! Staying comfortable, cozy and cute is the perfect mix for this autumn.

Deep purples, yellows and oranges are new colors on campus that people should be looking for. They complement fall’s earthy tone and add a boost of color as well.

This season girls are wearing bold prints and exotic plaids. At Forever 21 you can find amazing tops with these designs for under $20. Knit sweaters with thick buttons have become a popular item as well.

Boys’ and girls’ cashmere cardigans can be found at J Crew ranging anywhere from $40 to $100.

The Alexie sweater is a basic, long sleeve, cashmere v-neck that costs $69.50 at J Crew.

Snow bell hats are making their return. They come in various knit patterns with braided yarn hanging down from both sides.

The NorthFace sells these hats year round in multi-colored earth tones with a flannel strap sewn around the inside of the rim for full comfort. They are a great buy for under $30.

Girls are staying warm by wearing fashionable, snug beanies and loose-fitting scarves. Thick scarves are usually seen in vibrant colors or patterns while scarves made of lighter fabric come in simple pale colors.

Gap and Free People are also great places to find diverse scarves. Prices range from $15 to $30, depending on the fabric.

Free People is a bit pricier. Their scarf prices range between $30 and $100 depending on the length and style. Their Neon Lights Scarf is a puffy, long, cream colored scarf on sale for $78.

Quarter-sleeve scoop necks are also perfect for fall. They come in many colors and fit loosely enough to stay comfortable. One of American Apparel’s most popular items are their Ranglans: scoop neck, long-sleeve shirts that cost anywhere between $30 and $45. The garment comes in cream, white, purple, green and black with a lace front. They keep the wearer warm but not too hot when they’re sitting in class.

Many girls pair long charmed necklaces with loose fitting shirts to add to their outfit. Whether they’re chunky or delicate, necklaces can always add a splash of personality. Free People, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are great stores to find these accessories for low prices.

Urban Outfitters sells the Delicate Initial necklace, which is a golden heart pendant on thin, long chain with a custom letter engraved on the heart for $18. Their Rhinestone Bird Locket Necklace is a silver, round pendant with metal designs on lengthy chain selling for $28.

Tailored jackets are becoming popular as well. They add structure to your figure and hug tightly around your core, keeping you warm during the chilly season. Traditional fall jackets come in many different stylish fabrics including tweed and corduroy.

Fall is the best season to experiment with style. When shopping for new fall apparel don’t be afraid to buy items that stray from the normal trends. Unique apparel is seen from students throughout the seasons but in fall especially, Palo Alto shares their style.

“I kind of dreamed of being a famous inventor of some sort”” — Teddy Phung, sophomore

Madison Sevilla Editor In Chief Placing the graphics card into the computer, he smiles at his newly built computer. After hours of assembling, he turns over the machine and presses the on button as he confidently waits for the screen to light up.

While this may seem like the work of a professional computer engineer, Palo Alto High School sophomore Teddy Phung has been interested in technology and building computers since he was young.

Phung decided to build a computer in the middle of his freshman year after being inspired by friends and family members to pursue his passion. Computer engineering is not uncommon in Phung’s family, having relatives who have attempted the same challenge.

“I was mainly inspired by my relatives,” Phung said. “My eldest sister built one and one of my elder brothers also built one, so did a fairly close cousin of mine so I wanted to kind of continue the ‘tradition’ in a way.”

Building a computer is costly, consuming both the time and money of the person assembling it. The price of a computer can vary on the complexity and purpose of the machine, while a common office computer may take just a couple hours to put together, a gaming computer, used generally for playing games with 3-D graphics such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty , can take up to six hours to completely assemble. “[My computer] is a hardcore gaming computer so it took a total of about 4-6 hours just to build,” Phung said, “But there are many more computers that are far more complex than mine is.”

Countless variables factor into how costly building a computer can be, ranging from specific parts needed to process a certain function, such as number crunching, to how fast the computer should perform.

“Most will agree that usually the most expensive part in the computer is the CPU or Central Processing Unit, it is the “brain” or “heart” of the computer, it processes all of the information for other components,” Phung said.

While Phung’s 3-D gaming computer is not the most expensive form of computer, it is just a step down in price from a professional computer like those used in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) test simulations.

“Regular office computers are the least expensive starting at about $3000 and professional computers are the most expensive and can get up to half a million dollars,” Gomez said. “Teddy’s computer is a gaming computer [which is in the middle], less than a professional but definitely more that a consumer computer.”

Phung’s continued interest in technology left his family little surprise when he asked for the large sum of money needed to build a computer. “[My parents] we not really surprised when I asked for the investment to build a computer, mainly because my elder brother and sister built numerous [computers] on their own,” Phung said. “They were supportive, but they made me promise to work for the money, however, I had numerous contributions from other relatives.”

After receiving the financial support to build his own computer, Phung began to research and obtain the numerous parts need to assemble it.

“I researched how to build a computer, possible future releases of computer components and tweaked the configuration [of the computer] I was planning on [building] numerous times,” Phung said. “For me it took months, most actually consider that picking the parts is a lot harder than building the computer.

Mainly because there are so many options to choose from. There are numerous stores, online venders, companies you can buy

A&E

from and prices are always fluctuating. So it takes a long time especially because what you’re really looking for is what satisfies your needs at the lowest price, while still offering the best quality for your budget.”

According to the Washington Post, the first homemade programmable computer was created between 1936 to 1938

by German engineer Konrad Zuse while living in his parent’s house. The first digital computer called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, or ABC began development in 1937 and was built in 1942, taking Iowa State University Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Cliff Barry five dedicated years to fully research and assemble the computer. However, with the development of technology and new insight into computers it only took Phung until last August to finish his first homemade computer.

“It definitely calls for a lot of time and devotion to the subject of building [a computer] if you don’t devote your time to researching it you could potentially damage or even destroy a valuable computer component and depending on the part you could be shelling out another $100 plus to replace it,” Phung said. ‚“Companies have been sending out components that cost well over a thousand dollars so when one of those gets put into the equation building the computer becomes a serious affair.”

Phung joined the robotics team this school year after building his second computer for his mother after her laptop began to die. In 2003 the Paly robotics team placed 17th out of 1000 teams in the robotics championships at the end of May and in 2007 the team went to a regional competition. After a three year slump and a few disappointing seasons the Paly robotics team is heading to regional competitions again this year.

“He’s already started working with the tools and he’s certified to use our machinery and he’s been doing some PR work and asking big companies to give us money,” senior and robotics team captain Eamon Widen said. “Building a computer and building a robot are similar because you are building something, but different because in a robot you are making your own [parts] and in a computer [you are putting together pre-made parts].” We have our season, which goes from January to end of May, beginning of June. Three years ago we went to nationals and this year we are going to get to go to nationals again.”

While building his first computer, Phung learned how to “overclock” the CPU a complicated task to perform for any computer engineer. Overclocking, which can only be done on homemade computer’s, sets the clock in the CPU to a faster speed that allows games and other application to load in less time. “[The] problem is if you go to far over [the original setting] the chip will break,” friend and robotics teammate, sophomore Alex Gomez said. “Pre-built computers have the CPU blocked so that you can’t change the clock because if the chip breaks you have to buy a whole new processor. It is usually used for the animation business but it makes everything on your computer work faster.”

While Phung’s knowledge of technology is beyond that of the average Paly student, finishing his first computer was a great feat since even the most computer savvy can run into obstacles.

“It was great, Teddy blew up his GPU (graphics processing unit) while building his first computer,” Gomez said. “Teddy was able to replace it and finish his computer.”

Phung plans on continuing to build more computers in the future, however, his goal is not centered around building computer, rather working with them.

“I kind of dreamed of becoming a famous inventor of some sorts, however, I didn’t really go that deeply into computer technology until recently,” Teddy said. “I currently don’t really have a ‘dream job’ but I’m shooting for something around the Marine Biology department.”

FEATURES

A&E

The Campanile

FEATURES

Monday, November 22, 2010 • B2

Gymnastics promotes individualism through creative exercises

Numerous events provide choice for students not invested in conventional ball sports

By Michael Abrams Copy Editor

Kicking a ball, throwing a ball, batting a ball or dribbling a ball — until last year these were the main options Palo Alto High School students had if they wanted to participate in a school sponsored athletic team. Last year, however, a small group of students sought to provide a creative, active outlet for athletes in Paly’s first gymnastics team.

The new gymnastics team prides itself on individuality, according to junior captains Sarah Miller and Sophie Jorasch, as well as sophomore Sophie Parker.

Unlike traditional high school sports like soccer and basketball, gymnastics provides students with the opportunity to express themselves both athletically and imaginatively.

“The best part of gymnastics is you can try whatever you want to try. You can be creative and have fun because it’s not a formula,” Miller said.

Paly gymnasts compete in four events: the floor exercises set to music, the balance beam, the vault and the uneven bars.

The floor exercises are a series of choreographed movements that are composed of several stylistic elements. This event allows gymnasts the most creativity and let them express themselves.

The balance beam event takes place on a narrow padded strip of wood, on which the gymnasts perform acrobatic exercises.

The vault, also called a pommel horse, consists of a long runway on which the gymnast runs and hurdles herself onto a springboard, performing flips and other movements in the air.

Finally, the uneven bars are two frames that gymnasts grip to perform swings and other flight elements.

These four events provide the backbone for the gymnastics team’s meets, but everything else — from music to style — is entirely the team’s decision.

“You’re able to motivate yourself and have fun,” Parker said. “You are still always learning the gym skills in a stress free environment.”

According to Miller, anyone can be a part of the gymnastics team, especially beginners.

New gymnasts can benefit from practice with the team but do not have to compete until they feel ready enough to do so.

Star Strul/Campanile

Alex Lin/Campanile

Junior captains Sarah Miller and Sophie Jorasch practice doing hand stands on a beam at Twisters. The team started last year, and it only has five members. Each team member needs to master different types of events.

“Anyone can join,” Miller said. “There’s no skill requirements. Once you get the skills, you can compete. You just need to be able to commit to practicing.”

Although the sport can be daunting because of the grace and athletic ability that builds a skilled gymnast, Miller believes high school is the perfect time for novices with

dance and diving experience to try gymnastics.

Since gymnastics and dance use a lot of the same skills and techniques, it’s very easy to make the transition.

“High school gymnastics is one of the few stress-free opportunities [to participate in] if you’re self-motivated. Gymnastics is

only scary when [coaches and parents] force you to do it — then it’s not fun,” Miller said.

Both Miller and Jorasch wanted to create an environment for the high school team to practice that is different from that of club gymnastics.

According to Miller, club gymnastics for young children contributes to the negative

image of the sport because children practice up to five hours a day, making young gymnasts quickly exhausted.

“I was so burnt out that going into high school, all I wanted was the high school experience, so I quit club gymnastics,” Miller said.

Although Miller tried to escape gymnastics, her love of the sport refused to let her quit.

“I realized I missed [participating], so I started practicing with [the Henry M.] Gunn High School [gymnastics team] to stay in shape,” Miller said. “After a while I realized I wanted to compete too, so I talked to people on the [Paly] cheer team and they wanted to make a [gymnastics] team.”

The team was first organized last year and it only had five members. They had their first competition last spring. According to Miller the small size of the team actually helped contribute to its lackluster performance at its first meet.

“You need five people on each event to qualify for a medal, and we only had two people on each event. The bigger the team is, the more opportunity for medals,” Miller said.

This year, the gymnastics team has six members, two of which are on varsity and the other four on junior varsity.

The team will be accepting new members until early spring, and encourages all Paly girls, especially those with dance or diving backgrounds, to join. To promote team growth, the team will also be enforcing a nocut policy this year.

Because of this policy, Miller encourages anyone to experiment with gymnastics, as it is both a rewarding and fun sport.

Coach Ericka Fuselero also believes increased enrollment is the key to the rising success of the team. Fuselero, who started participating at age five, is a well seasoned gymnast who tries to instill athletic values in her gymnasts.

“We begin the season with strength and conditioning, and then we hit the elements and routines,” Fuselero said.

Although practice is rigorous, and there is a significant learning curve for new members.

All the gymnasts on the team agreed that the payoff is well worth the effort.

“I’ve learned how to do a ‘shushunova,’” team member Hannah Tumminaro said, after leaping into the air with intricate precision, mastering the grace for the advanced move.

SEAN Organization assists students in achieving academic excellence Student-led establishment provides college and SAT tutoring for minority children in need

By William Lee News Editor

Though many high school students have contributed to their community in one way or another, few have the same drive and passion as Palo Alto High School junior Tremaine Kirkman.

Three years ago, Kirkman, juniors Al Brooks, Lucas Brooks, Gabe Landa and Morris Gates-Mouton all worked to establish the Student Equity Action Network (SEAN), a nonprofit charity organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap in the community by promoting college readiness for all, as well as other resources to promote academic achievement.

Since its establishment, the program has expanded into an officially recognized organization, providing a positive impact on the Palo Alto community.

“The first two years we lobbied for better alignment between Paly’s graduation requirements and the A-G requirements, and focused on peer-to-peer tutoring,” Kirkman said. “In 2009 we incorporated, and in 2010 we became a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. We’re hoping to expand and make a much greater impact this year as a legitimate non-profit.”

As president of the SEAN program, Kirkman has had a considerable effect on the direction and growth of the organization.

“I basically manage everything,” Kirkman said. “I run all of the meetings, set agendas and help manage everyone’s tasks week to week. I also develop all of our materials: documents, forms, et cetera and sign off on the checks.”

After several years of activity, the SEAN program has provided significant contributions not only to the success of individual students, but also to the perspectives of an entire demographic group at Paly.

“To this point, SEAN’s impact has been its ability to alter the culture at Paly around the academic performance of students of color,” Kirkman said. “There is still a ton of work to be done, but I think the focus on college readiness and empowerment through peer support and activism is starting to take root and resonate with people.”

A. Brooks, co-president of SEAN, also sees their work as having a positive effect on a wide population of students in both the school and the community in general.

“I would say that SEAN inspires the minority community to take a far greater interest in education,” A. Brooks said. “Many of our programs pertain to multicultural advancements.”

Beyond the expansive cultural significance of SEAN, the program also provides great opportunities and lifestyle changes for its members.

“SEAN helps me stay on track academically,” Landa, corporate secretary of SEAN, said. “Hearing the things [Kirkman] and I say makes me tell myself I have to practice what I preach. It also gives me a good feeling from helping people.”

Currently, the SEAN organization works through different branches to reach its goals. These different outlets include SEAN Tutoring and Mentoring Program (STAMP) and SEAN Fellows and SEAN juniors.

STAMP stands as the baseline program that is available to all students of color.

“All members receive college plans, tutoring, PSAT and SAT prep and access to several other benefits as they become available through various partnerships,” Kirkman said.

“Members are also provided with community service opportunities.”

SEAN also works to promote leadership opportunities through its new SEAN Fellows Program, which is open to school grade levels.

“SEAN Fellows are responsible for planning various fundraisers, workshops, and other events, and [they] do a lot of SEAN’s outreach and advocacy,” Kirkman said. “All SEAN Fellows receive a $300 stipend at the end of the school year. Fellows are appointed through an application process.”

SEAN Junior, one of SEAN’s newest programs targeting students in kindergarten to eighth grade, is an example of some of the program’s most extensive and effective efforts on making educational impacts.

Members of SEAN Juniors receive significant discounts to Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), an accelerated

Star Strul/Campanile

Founders of the SEAN program, Al Brooks, Tremaine Kirkman and Lucas Brooks, stand in front of the big gym. The SEAN program, which is a non-profit charity, promotes the importance of college education by offering tutoring and mentoring. enrichment program in both English and mathematics.

“Middle school and elementary school students who do not have the resources to advance their own education outside of school can go to EPGY with the discount SEAN provides,” A. Brooks said. “EPGY provides materials and tutors for these students.”

This new branch of the program shows SEAN’s efforts extending beyond the high school campus and reaching out toward the greater community.

“The goal of this program is to start working on the achievement gap

before students reach high school,” Kirkman said.

As SEAN develops a wider variety of beneficial branches, the program continues to work in association with the school district and many other organizations.

According to Kirkman, the Palo Alto Unified School District, especially superintendent Kevin Skelly, has contributed greatly to the growth of SEAN since its founding three years ago.

In addition to the school district, the Parent Network for Students of Color has helped greatly in the development of the student-run charity.

With SEAN currently being run

by Paly students, the head members of the group try to integrate the program with the high school as much as possible.

“We work closely with Paly’s Unity Club, such as in preparation for TEDxYouthPaloAlto, a conference focusing on youth empowerment that SEAN is sponsoring on Nov. 20,” Kirkman said.

For the first time this year, SEAN worked with Unity club to fund the annual Camp Everytown, and plans to work with them in future years to fund it. As the program expanded, the members decided that applying

as a legitimate non-profit organization would be a necessary step for them to take.

“We decided that we needed a formal bank account to keep track of all of the financial transactions taking place, so [Kirkman] and myself decided to open an account with the Stanford Federal Credit Union,” A. Brooks said.

As the establishment expands, SEAN continues to bring cultural advancement to both the Paly campus and the community as a whole.

Students looking for more information on the SEAN program can visit http://www.seanequity.org/.

FEATURES

The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • B3

University professors, students entertain with scholarly rock

California college scholars create musical group, perform in front of live audiences

By Justin Choi Spotlight Editor

From a dimly lit stage the thump of a bass guitar emanates. The pulsating rhythm bounces through the hall as the strum of an electric guitar echoes off the stone walls of the building.

A pair of sweet voices accompany the tune as the tap of a drum completes the harmonious blend of sounds.

Up on the stage is a local rock band called Glass Wave, performing their first concert at Stanford University.

The members of the band are not ordinary rock stars. Glass Wave is comprised of literary scholars and most are currently university professors.

Playing guitar, are Stanford professors Robert Pogue Harrison and Dan Edelstein.

Edelstein also delivers back up vocals for lead vocalist and Stanford student Christy Wampole.

University of California at Los Angeles professor Thomas Harrison plays bass for the group and on the drums is Calin Camarillo, who currently works for Apple.

When these brilliant minds combine their passion for Rock n’ Roll with their genuine interests in literature, they produce a sound which the band members identify as “Cerebral Rock.”

The genre is dedicated to translating old stories into new forms and revitalizing these works in our culture.

“Cerebral Rock, or Literary Rock, is music based on literature,” Wampole said. “The songs we play retell old famous stories.”

But what makes the group so interesting is the eclectic background of the band-members themselves.

The highly educated backgrounds of each of the band members has a strong influence on the bands music as a whole.

“Our genuine interest in the subject helps us really understand the messages in the literature we work with,” Harrison said. “We work with pieces like The Epic of Gilgamesh, Shakespeare plays, Frankenstein and Homer.

Right now we’re coming up with songs with a T. S. Elliot poem and a writing by Standhal, a French poet.”

The band members all come from different parts of the world and bring to the group different cultures, stories and experiences to draw from.

According to the band website, www. glasswave-band.com, R. Harrison and his brother T. Harrison were born on the Aegean coast of Turkey, where they grew up in a town known at the time as Smyrna.

The two boys eventually moved to Italy where they formed a progressive rock band called The Sleep Hollow. R. Harrison, the older brother, eventually found his way to New York where he attended graduate school at Cornell.

justin choi/campanile

Stanford University hosts Christy Wampole, lead vocalist and Robert Pogue Harison back-up guitariest, and Dan Edelstein preform as a band called Great Waves for a large audience at the theater of Stanford University.

He then traveled westward to California where he currently resides.

According his website, he “continues to this day... to transport the fallen household gods of literature to the terra nova of rock music.”

As for T. Harrison, he also found his way to New York City where he earned a Ph.D in comparative literature.

He now lives near the Laurel Canyon in the Los Angeles area and travels to play with the band.

Edelstein, according to the band website, “spends most of his time conversing with dead people and students.”

Edelstein’s journey began in Ithaca, New York, where he learned to play piano. He then

traveled to the island of Geneva in Switzerland and chansons, a form of a French lyrically where he learned to play guitar. driven songs.

He was also at one point in a band called She is now a student at Stanford. She Google Plex, before Google became the name is there working on completing her Ph.D. of a multinational She will obtain public corporaa degree with a “Our genuine interest in the subject tion. dissertation on W a m p o l e helps us really understand the meslate 20th century comes from a Tex- sages in the literature we work with.”

French fiction and Italian ficas town. She eventually found her Robert Harrison tion. Camarillo, way to France.

Stanford Professor a Bay Area native, is the youngest

O n c e member of the there she cultigroup. He also vated her interests in cabaret, a form of entertainment distin- works for Apple. According to the band’s webguished by its venues of bars and nightclubs, site, “his drums are the ballast that keeps the

music upright and on course as it navigates the swells of the continental oceans in which the band undertakes its mission to seek out old life and old civilizations, and make them come alive again.”

Kadis has an extensive background with music. He has taught audio recording classes at The Center of Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford university since 1991. He has played guitar since he was a teenager.

He has also played and written music with many different music groups including The Misanthropes, Urban Renewal and The Offbeats.

The band first came together to produce its unique sound in 2008, when R. Harrison and Edelstein decided to play rock songs with substituted lyrics for their Introduction to Humanities students.

“We first started by making cover songs,” R. Harrison said. “We played songs that everybody already knew and we just wrote new lyrics for them.”

It was not long before R. Harrison and Edelstein took their band to the next level.

“Eventually we started to think, ‘why don’t we write our own songs?’” R. Harrison said. “So we did.”

However, instead of writing songs to match the literary works they were teaching, the two professors first wrote melodies by simply selecting literary pieces that matched the mood of the already written music.

“We first write the songs, the instrumentals and all that, and then pick a literary work to go with it,” R. Harrison said.

“For example, we wrote a song and it ended up being very heavy and ominous, so we attributed it to the story of Frankenstein.”

Harrison said.

Before long, the group expanded and became the five-member band that performs today.

“My brother and I had a band back in high school,” T. Harrison said. “[Playing music] is kind of like learning how to ride a bike, you never really forget it. So they called me up to play bass, just the three of us. Now we have [Wampole] to sing and [Camarillo] to play the drums.” T. Harrison said.

The band has performed for a wide variety of audiences in a series of unusual venues.

“Our last concert was in a freshmen dormitory and we played for the students,” T. Harrison said.

The latest performance for Glass Wave was held at Stanford University, very close to home for many of the groups members. It was held specifically for Continuing Education students at the university.

“Our music is meant to turn our [student’s interest in literature] on,” R. Harrison said. “That’s why we started playing in the first place.”

Dear Palo Alto promotes good health, healing for community

Performances held by students at local community theater provide heartwarming entertainment

By Ben Krasnow Staff Writer

On Nov. 6, dancers, musicians and actors from around the Bay Area came to promote health, healing and hope with their dances, songs and monologues at the Cubberly Community Center theater. The event was given the name of Dear Palo Alto.

Mickey Cho walked around the stage rapping about the evening that had just occurred, while the alternative rock band After Closing Time played their song and the dance group Captivating Dance by Nona performed in the background. This was the final performance of Dear Palo Alto, which, according to the program, was “an artistic response to the suicides that have affected our community.”

Julia Tachibana, a recent college graduate of University of California at Davis, organized the performance after hearing about the suicides while still at school.

Tachibana described herself as being shocked at the news. Tachibana however, has had her own demons; in a letter printed on the inside of the program, she described how her brother committed suicide while she was a junior at Palo Alto High School and how she battled with an eating disorder throughout high school.

“It’s hard for people to fully understand,” Tachibana said.

The performance was put on to show teens that there is hope and that life can get better.

“I wanted kids to come and realize they are not alone,” Tachibana said.

Most of the audience was made up of parents and most of the teenagers who attended performed in the event. According to Tachibana, one explanation for the lack of a teen audience was the minimal advertising on the Paly and Henry M. Gunn High School campuses.

According to Tachibana, the target was teenagers, but she expected parents to attend as well.

However, all of the performers were teenagers except for Mickey

Cho, who headlined the show. Cho is immediately said yes,” Busque said. a rapper who uses his music to raise In between the performances awareness about social issues. Cho by Cho and Kitamaya, the founder himself believes that the two biggest and chief executive officer of Break problems are human trafficking and Through the Static, Jade Chamness, domestic violence. spoke about her organization.

I love kids,” Cho said. “I hate to Break Through the Static is an see innocent hearts harmed.” organization that helps teenagers Cho has traveled to New York, everywhere who may have lost a relaSacramento, Los Angeles and Korea tive due to suicide. to work with children and talk to them Chamness described her own about domestic violence and human experience with suicide, as her father trafficking. died when she was 17.

Two members from Social ProShe could not find any organizatest Theatre at Stanford University, tions at the time to help her as a teen, STAMP, performed monologues on so Chamness decided to start her own anorexia and depression. organization to help other teenagers Each monologue described how in similar situations. their lives had slowly gotten better afBreak Through the Static sponter receiving help with their problems. sored the event, as did Palo Alto’s The youngest performer of the Community Services department. night was 8th grade dancer from Many organizations donated as well, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, such as the Art Council and Palo Alto Hannah Nicholson.

Medical Foundation.

She performed a dance to the Musicians made up a significant recently popular Leona Lewis song part of Dear Palo Alto. In addition to “Happy.” Maya Kitayama, a freshman Cho, Daniel Wolfert and After Closing at Paly, performed a self-choreo- Time performed. graphed dance routine to “Drops of Wolfert is a junior at Gunn who Jupiter” by Train. performed two songs during the The final dancers were the dance performance. troop Captivating Dance by Nona.

“I felt like the cause [behind The group was comprised of the performances] was very good,” teenagers who were affected by the Wolfert said. “This was a really good suicides, way for me includto speak my i n g A n n a “Everyone wanted to do it. It mind.”

A g e n t e, a made you think about what Afsophomore ter Closing from Men- people have gone through.”

Time is an l o A t h e rAnna Agente alternative ton High band Menlo Atherton Sophomore rock School. comprised “Everyof Gunn juone wanted niors Nitsan to do it,” Angente said.“It made you Shai, Justin Alfrey, Remy Felsch and think about what people have gone senior Molly Butera. through.”

“We wanted to reach out to our Another sophomore, Gaby fellow students and buddies,” Felsch Busque, also from M. A. had positive said. remarks about this program along Shai addressed the crowd before with her fellow peers and other the performance. students.

“I don’t know one person [at “We got the e-mail [about doing Gunn] who wasn’t affected by it [the the performance] while we were in suicides],” Shai said in regard to the class, and we turned to each other and public reactions.

Courtesy of after closing time

From left to right, Nitsan Shai, Justin Alfrey, Molly Butera, and Remy Felsch compose a youth band called After Closing Time which performed at the recent community event Dear Palo Alto.

Alfrey echoed the message of the night.

“No matter who or what you are, you deserve to be loved,”Alfrey said.

The final part of the night was a YouTube video of people who had been depressed or had been bullied, encouraging the audience that it gets better and that there is hope out there.

Next came the support group.

This consisted of guidance counselors and psychiatrists who volunteered to talk with teens who needed support.

One member of the team is Victor Ojakian. He is currently a member of the mental health board at Santa Clara Valley hospital and he voiced his strong opinion on the support.

“All of us can feel bad,” Ojakian said. “You wouldn’t hide a broken arm, you would get help. There’s nothing wrong with getting help.”

Ojakian also praised Tachibana for putting together and organizing the performance to help benefit and bring the Palo Alto community together. “[Tachibana] stands as an example,” Ojakian said.“She shared with us not just the acts, she reinforced it with her own story.”

Tachibana has gone on to graduate from UC Davis. She now hopes to become an elementary school teacher.

“This year, I’m taking it low key,” Tachibana said.

She plans to put together more projects like Dear Palo Alto, with her next project most likely being an art exhibition. It was an evening of music and dance, of emotional stories about serious issues that are present in our community.

The event was organized to try to show teenagers that whatever their problems may be, there is always someone out there that can help, and it will get better.

The real question that remains is whether or not Tachibana, Break Through the Static and the City of Palo Alto succeed in their goal?

The only answer lies in waiting and watching to find out the real results.

FEATURES Breaking down the myth of the grade point average B4 • November 22, 2010

The Campanile

Colleges calculate GPA individually because of existing discrepancies between UC, district GPAs

By Lauren Wong Staff Writer

So many things can be said in the span of three letters: from the ominous OMG to the I’m-not-actually-laughingbut-I-feel-bad-otherwise LOL to the self-explanatory WTF. However, none of these acronyms are as critical to the future of a high school student as GPA—the grade point average.

Palo Alto High School students know GPA is important. All of their academic efforts, from Honors to Advanced Placement courses, late night study sessions and post-test stressing between classes are ultimately for the preservation of their GPAs. So what is GPA? Where does it come from? And once students send it off to college, what will admissions officers really do with it?

“From my point of view, there’s just two GPAs to worry about,” Paly College Advisor Sandra Cernobori said. “The first is the cumulative GPA in just the five core classes. This is the one colleges are most concerned about. It is your unweighted, ninth through 12th GPA. The other is your University of California [and] California State University GPA, because most Paly students apply to at least one UC or CSU.” These are the two GPAs on one’s transcript. The first GPA listed in the “GPA Summary” is the UC Unweighted GPA. The second GPA on the Paly transcript is the District Unweighted GPA. This is a cumulative GPA composed of every grade, from freshman to senior year, that one has earned during their years at Paly. How colleges calculate or consider one’s GPA varies from college to college. Almost every school uses a different method, so if one wants to know how a certain university calculates GPA, one should do specific research into that school.

The best generalization one can make is that colleges will either recalculate GPA through their own standards or take into higher consideration the unweighted GPA combined with the difficulty of one’s classes. University of California at Berkeley looks at both the unweighted, meaning that both Honors and AP points are not included, and the weighted GPA of a prospective student. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo uses a different method of calculation, taking one’s grades from ninth through 12th grade into consideration. On the other hand, the University of Oregon uses one’s entire transcript.

Northeastern University recalculates one’s GPA altogether, adding 0.5 points for every honors class and one point for each AP class. Many selective schools do not weigh GPA’s under the assumption that the applicant’s classes are already advanced. Private colleges, however, receive one’s transcript and a copy of Paly’s school profile.

From there, “they do what they want with it,” Cernobori said. “They say, ‘send us your transcript and we will evaluate it.”

Lauren Wong/Campanile

Students often misunderstand the differences between the GPAs on their transcripts. They also misunderstand the difference between two students with the same GPA, but the key change is the classes that a student takes, as class difficulty is the first thing colleges look at.

The UC Unweighted GPA is calculated using one’s grades earned in UC and CSU approved courses during sophomore and junior years, disregarding pluses or minuses. The UC and CSU approved courses, which can be found online on the Paly web site, consist of the five core classes: History and Social Science, English, Math, Science and Foreign Language.

One can calculate their UC or CSU GPA by adding up the grade points earned per course (As are worth four points, Bs are worth three points, Cs are worth two points, and Ds are worth one) and dividing by the number of courses per semester.

Honors and AP classes are not taken into account for the unweighted GPA, but for the weighted GPA, an extra grade point is added for every honors or AP course. The weighted GPA is calculated by adding up the points from

all of one’s courses, including honors and APs, and dividing by the number of non-honors or AP classes.

However, there are some courses at Paly, that, although they are honors courses, do not merit an additional point towards one’s GPA, such as Algebra 2/Trigonometry Honors. The classes that do count for extra honors credit are underlined on the approved courses sheet from the Paly web site. Although the idea of an honors class without honors credit may discourage those who take classes just because they have an “H” or an “AP” stuck to the end, Cernobori stresses that the first thing colleges look at is not one’s GPA, but the classes one took.

“The first thing that colleges look at is, ‘what does Paly offer?’,” Cernobori said. “The second is, ‘what classes did you take?’ One student’s 3.3 could be totally different from another’s. One student could have taken all the low

classes and earned a 3.3, and one person could have taken all the high classes and earned a 3.3. GPA is very relative.”

Even if one tries to boost their GPA using “easy APs,” colleges note that just because a student receives AP credit does not mean they are taking the most academically challenging courses.

“If you excel [and have a high GPA], then they hope that you’re challenging yourself,” Cernobori said. “You can’t put a number on how rigorous a course is.”

But even if after all those late nights, phone calls, tutors and AP’s, one’s GPA is not as brag-worthy as one would like, Cernobori says not all hope is lost.

“The good news is, it’s not all they consider,” Cernobori said. “It’s just one piece of data.”

So don’t be too quick to say FML, because GPA is only one piece of a very large puzzle.

FEATURES

The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • B5

Paly teachers previously held intriguing, exciting careers Three staff members describe their colorful occupational backgrounds

By Tanvi Varma Staff Writer

Imagination is one of the key elements of childhood. In each child’s mind, the world is full of possibilities to be a superhero or a firefighter or a video game designer.

However, what you end up doing as a profession is usually a bit more realistic than a childhood fantasy.

When thinking of potential jobs, disk jockeying during the Vietnam War does not usually come to mind. Palo Alto High School English and journalism teacher, Mike McNulty, did not expect it either.

McNulty joined the United States Army in the summer of 1969 after realizing that when he finished college he would be drafted anyway, and he was sent to Vietnam in July of that year.

“I got lucky,” McNulty said. “I wasn’t sent to fight. I had two jobs: I was a disc jockey and a television news anchor. At first, I worked in a small radio station playing records. I liked it as much as you could like a job. It was easy.”

After working as a disc jockey for some time, McNulty was sent to work with broadcasting television programs later during his tour.

“They sent me up in the mountains to play television broadcasts,” McNulty said. “We would get everything off the wire services. For film, we would preview it for the soldiers by having the film sent to us.”

McNulty extended his tour in Vietnam for an extra six months so that he would not be obligated to serve another year in the United States.

His tour ended in February 1971, and from there, he earned a communications degree and from there worked at a broadcasting and relations company for 20 years.

“I was finished with my tour by the time the war was over,” McNulty said. “I took some time off after I quit the broadcasting company but I didn’t know what I needed to do or what to do.”

McNulty then decided to try his hand at teaching.

“I just applied and was accepted,” McNulty said. “I originally taught beginning journalism with [journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki] and I advised The Campanile.

But since I stopped Campanile, I’ve always been an English teacher, and never switched subjects.”

McNulty now teaches Critical Thinking I and II, as well as Sports Literature. He is also an adviser for Paly’s television network, InFocus.

Astronomy and Physics teacher Josh Bloom was convinced that he was meant for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and only that.

Although Bloom only worked at NASA in an internship for nine months, those were some of the best months of his life.

“I went to the University of Washington where I got my major in physics and aerospace engineers,” Bloom said. “I always wanted to work for NASA.” From September 2000 to May 2001, Bloom worked at the Dryden Flight Research Center in the Mojave Desert with their co-op program, a paid internship which is also a

Marc Havlik/Campanile

Marc Havlik/Campanile

Marc Havlik/Campanile

Clockwise from left: Lucy Filppu, Josh Bloom and Mike McNulty have had colorful career backgrounds before joining the Paly teaching staff. Despite their exciting jobs, each chose to give them up for careers in teaching. grooming process for future NASA scientists. periences during his time at NASA was “the The center is located near the Edwards glowstick.”

Air Force Base in the city of Edwards, which Each person on the team had a large, is the alternate site for space shuttle landings bright glowstick, in case the power of the if for some reason the shuttles are unable to shuttle goes off. land in Florida.

After one of the NASA interns landings, Bloom was are usually under- “I’m passionate about language given one by a colgrads, but Bloom had arts, so this job is the perfect fit league, and brought already completed for me. It’s fun and it just has all it home and placed it his undergraduate on his dresser, where requirements when the things that I love.” it was glowing for he was accepted into Lucy Filppu hours. the program.

“It was so cool, Paly English teacher because I was think“To tell you the truth, I was a little ing that this had bored at NASA,” been in space just Bloom said. “Because I was older, I don’t think a few hours earlier,” Bloom said. “How cool they wanted to give an undergraduate meager is that?” work. So when I had free time, I learned a lot Bloom’s transition into teaching came about NASA through [its] flight hangers and before his work at NASA, when he worked at I was able to tag along with scientists.” the Palo Alto Young Men’s Christian AssociaOne of Bloom’s most memorable ex- tion (YMCA) as a summer camp counselor,

and then became the activities coordinator.

Originally, Bloom had planned to attend college for six years to gain his engineering degree.

However, he soon found that he didn’t enjoy being an engineer, so he quit and went back to working with the YMCA. He finally applied to become a physics teacher at Henry M. Gunn High School when one of his friend was working there in fall of 2001.

When Bloom taught at Gunn, he was part of the Emergency Credentials program, which allowed him to receive his teaching credentials while teaching.

Although being an astronaut was Bloom’s dream, he finally chose to pursue his career in teaching.

“I always wanted to be an astronaut and all my family thought I would be too,” Bloom said. “I was offered this amazing job in Texas for becoming an astronaut trainer, or I could stay and pursue teaching. So I decided to

stay and teach. I thought about applying to be an astronaut in 2003, because then NASA was hiring educators to become astronauts.

Then the 2003 Columbia flight disaster occurred and I realized that my real passion was teaching and that I didn’t want to be an astronaut.”

Another teacher with several past jobs is Humanities teacher Lucy Filppu.

Filppu has been in the journalism business for many years, but discovered her real passion for teaching when Dean of Students Trinity Klein, hired her.

“Klein took a chance on me, and [teaching] is by far the perfect fit for me,” Filppu said.

Filppu graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles and finished graduate school at New York University, where she received a degree in fiction writing.

She went on to Columbia Teacher’s College and then continued on at San Jose State University, where she received her teaching credentials.

Filppu worked at InStyle magazine for four months, where she interviewed celebrities such as Madonna and East Village models.

“Interviewing Madonna was pretty cool, but then I messed up another interview with Joan London of Good Morning America,” Filppu said. “That was pretty bad.”

After Filppu’s stint at InStyle, she entered in an essay contest sponsored by the New York Times, called Voices of the New Generation.

After publishing her work, Time magazine noticed her writing and hired her as a reporter to cover the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“Writing about the Berlin Wall was really important because it was such a big part of history, and I got to cover it, which was cool,” Filppu said.

Filppu continued to write for Time magazine for an additional four years, but stayed in the journalistic world for 11 years in total.

“I liked my work as a freelance writer,” Filppu said. “I got to cover all sorts of different things. InStyle was a fun four months, but Time was far more interesting.”

While at Time, Filppu helped start the magazine Time For Kids, a children’s version of Time magazine.

“I got to interview cancer patients at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York,” Filppu said. “That was one of the best stories I ever wrote, and it was a lot of fun.”

Filppu moved to Palo Alto to help start a separate children’s’ website, where she met her husband, had two children and started teaching Humanities at local schools.

“I’m passionate about language arts, so this job is the perfect fit for me,” Filppu said.

“It’s fun and it just has all the things that I love. I don’t miss anything about corporate America. I’m an idealist and not a skeptic, but I am still a New Yorker at heart. That’s why I walk so fast.”

All these teachers have had their fair share of excitement in different fields before deciding to teach.

Their jobs have shaped their lives in unique ways and provied special experiences.

Change is always present, and whatever seems interesting now could easily change in the future.

Palo Alto Patch website provides community with local news

By Layla Memar

As the editor, Selverston is responsible for the editorial content The Palo Alto Patch, unfamil- on Palo Alto Patch. iar to many, is a nationwide news “On a daily basis, I’m filtering website. Its aim is to provide people through story leads and assigning with current community-specific them to either myself or to freelancinformation. ers,” Selverston said. “I have to de“Simply put, Patch is a new way cide which stories will be the most to find out about, and participate in, compelling, relevant and timely, and what’s going on near you,” the Patch arrange them on the page, once they website states. are completed, according to those In June of 2009, chat company same criteria.”

American Online bought Patch. In an Selverston is also in charge of e-mail to his employees, AOL’s CEO deciding the editorial direction of Tim Armstrong wrote, “our vision isn’t the site. just about optimizing what we have “It means reaching out to City —it’s about drawing on our legacy of Hall, the police department, other loconnecting communities.” cal media groups, schools, churches, In September, Patch started a activist groups and anyone else that Palo Alto branch. might have an opinion that could help The editor of the new branch is inform the decisions I have to make,” Aaron Selverston, a 2006 graduate of Selverston said. the University of California at BerkeIn September, Selverston visited ley’s School of Journalism.

Palo Alto High School and spoke to “Running a news website allows the publications about what he does. me to do what It was then I love—storythat Palo Alto High telling—while “Patch has given me newSchool senior Ally also managing found hope for journalism Messick discovmy own dayered her interest to-day work and it makes me believe I in Patch. life,” Selverston can make a career out of “I approached said. “That’s a it.”

[Selverston] about rare combinamaybe wr iting tion for anyAlly Messick high school opinone working senior ions on Patch,” in news these Messick said. days, but I think Selverston it’s a great modloved the idea and el and hopefully a harbinger for the Messick immediately began writing future of our industry.” for Palo Alto Patch.

Though other jobs were offered She currently writes weekly to him, including the position at opinion pieces, as well as various Patch, Selverston felt Patch was the news articles. Messick is the youngest best choice, for he believes that online member on the Palo Alto Patch staff. journalism is the future of journalism.

Though she hopes to pursue a “I specifically asked to be placed career in journalism, Messick is worhere in Palo Alto because it’s an end- ried that print journalism is nearing lessly fascinating news town and its end and will cease to exist in the because people here are extremely modern media. invested in the community,” Selver“Patch has given me newfound ston said. hope for journalism and it makes me

Staff Writer

believe I can make a career out of it,” Messick said.

Messick finds it surprising that she is working with an organization like Patch, even though she is not tech-savvy.

“Even if you hate technology, you have to adapt, because that’s where journalism is headed,” Messick said.

According to Selverston, Patch was originally created to be a place where one can find out ways to give back to his or her community. It has since evolved to become a database for community interactions. “[Patch] offers way more than Palo Alto Online because of all the different features it has,” Messick said. “It’s a community website kind of like a Facebook for the whole city.”

A unique feature of Patch is that it allows anyone to write reviews, upload pictures, add videos, add announcements and give opinions on issues important to them.

Messick routinely submits an opinion story every week. The proofing process is simple; Selverston merely reads over the piece and edits for grammar. It is then posted on the Palo Alto Patch website.

Palo Alto Patch’s accessibility and relevance is appealing to some members in a community, for the information is directly related to them.

“What Patch seems to be doing is banking on the fact that traditional news is slowly going to die out and this local news site is going to be what people depend on for local information,” junior David Lim said.

Junior Spencer Schoeben believes that Patch is a great idea and a refreshing take on journalism.

“From a design standpoint, I like that it is clean and simple, especially in comparison to the ever so hideous Palo Alto Online,” Schoeben said.

Schoeben likes how Patch is so uniform and organized across all its sites. He argues, however, that this could be looked at as a pro or a con.

Courtesy of Aaron Selverston

Patch.com provides cities with local, up to date information about the community. Patch is available in multiple states and acts as an alternative to newspapers and print journalism.

“All the Patch sites look the same, which is kind of boring, but at the same time, I feel like modern journalism has the opportunity to go beyond just the website itself and become a platform, and in that case, uniformity makes it a whole lot easier,” Schoeben said.

Messick adds that Palo Alto Patch has not quite taken off as fast as some of the other Patch branches have.

“Palo Alto already has a lot of local news sources so Patch isn’t as big,” Messick said.

Patch is most useful in underrepresented communities that want to share and learn about what is going on in their areas.

Palo Alto is lucky that information related to the city is easily accessible via the Internet. After all, Palo Alto is situated in Silicon Valley, an area known for its high-tech excellence and innovative ideas.

“Palo Alto is pretty technical, so we are lucky to have a website like Palo Alto Online,” Schoeben said.

“But, many cities don’t, and Patch makes it easy for them to create a local news site.”

Lim believes Patch’s success will only grow if it is able to link a community together, through the support of its members.

“I don’t really see it succeeding without more community involvement with the site or more growth from Patch itself,” Lim said.

Schoeben maintains that in order for Patch to be more successful, it needs to add more social features to make it feel more like a community.

“Right now, I don’t think there is enough that is unique about Patch to make people visit the site,” Schoeben said.

Messick has noticed much of the content of Palo Alto Patch overlaps

with that of the Paly Voice, the Paly online publication, which means Patch sometimes fails to provide people with new information.

“I’m surprised by how the real world of journalism is so similar to Voice,” Messick said.

This could also be interpreted to mean that the Paly publications are doing a good job of relaying important and relevant news to the community.

While Palo Alto Patch may not have done enough to completely separate itself from other news sites and draw readers to it yet, for those who do use it, Patch provides a fresh, new take on how news is viewed today. It may just be a matter of time before it expands to become a much for popular website all over the world.

To read articles on Palo Alto Patch or provide information visit paloalto. patch.com.

FEATURES Students work to preserve wild horse sanctuaries B6 • November 22, 2010

The Campanile

Volunteers share time, dedication to ensure protection of animals at risk

By Clara Chang

Huge efforts are made to ensure that the horses live freely and in their natural habitats, similar to the ones that No one would disturb a horse peacefully grazing on were, at one point, taken from them. An ecologically bala meadow, happily basking in its freedom. Every year, anced site is chosen to accurately simulate natural living. however, California legislation permits the relocation and The horses share the natural setting with many dislaughter of thousands of wild horses due to overpopula- verse species of wildlife including the black bear, bobcat, tion concerns. The California Wild Horse Sanctuary works mountain lion, wild turkey, badger and gray fox. to protect these wild horse populations by facilitating “What they have is as close to the life of a wild horse educational travel experiences to view the horses. as they can get,” Glenn said.

California’s Wild Horse Sanctuary also advocates the To maintain the natural environment, the horses are preservation and restoration of the wild horse’s grazing barely monitored besides occasional feedings. land by recruiting volunteers to help horses affected by “[Feeding] is one of the only human interventions the law. they have,” Glenn said. “It is kind of dry up there in the Palo Alto High School sophomore Alisa Glenn and summer so we have to feed them hay during the dry junior Lizzie Fries volunteer at the Wild Horse Sanctu- months but besides that, there are natural springs and ary, which houses horses that would otherwise be killed. they find their own food.”

According to a Federal Bureau of Land Management To support the horses, the sanctuary offers both two estimate, more than 38,000 wild horses roam western and three day weekend pack trips and four day cattle drives public lands, which they believe is too great a population to the public during the spring and summer seasons. to control. In order to reduce and manage this overwhelm“[The trail rides] help pay for the hay they feed the ing horse population, the government annually removes horses,” Glenn said. thousands of wild horses from their habitats and places Riders experience “the west as it really is,” on these them in crowded holding areas trail rides, which cost from where they wait to be adopted. $435 to $535, according to the “The removal of wild horses “The sanctuary takes in wild web site. and burros from public lands horses that would be slaughtered “The rides follow trails comes under the jurisdiction created by the wild horses and of the Bureau of Land Manage- otherwise and sets them free on burros through a landscape ment,” Fred Sater, member of their property. What they have is as of oaks and pines, lava rock the sanctuary’s Board of Di- close to the life of a wild horse as strewn meadows, wildflowers, rectors, said. “The Wild Horse and meandering streams,” Sanctuary does not agree with you can get.”

Sater said. “After a day of ridthe [Bureau of Land ManageAlisa Glenn ing on the range, guests enjoy ment’s] wild horse and burro a relaxing evening at the Wild sophomore Horse Sanctuary camp, which herd management policy.”

Fries personally disagrees includes story telling around with the policy as well, and the campfire and a hearty finds the treatment and removal of the horses to be barbecue dinner.” reprehensible.

Shortly after her first trail ride with her father, Glenn “In the visitor’s office at the sanctuary there are al- herself decided to start volunteering at the age of 10. bums and pictures depicting the roundups and processing “Now, if I [volunteer] during their trail ride season, facilities,” Fries said. “When I first saw these I was very a lot of what I’m doing is helping out with the trails and surprised. I couldn’t believe that horses were treated the cooking food for the guests and stuff,” Glenn said. “If I way I saw them being treated in the photographs. There go up in the summer, I just help out with things around was definitely a moment where I thought, ‘is this really the ranch like feeding the horses and patching fences.” real?’ Unfortunately, it is. The whole process is of such Fries, who has had similar experiences and has been low moral standard.” volunteering since sixth grade, says she has done a wide The sanctuary’s web site, www.wildhorsesanctuary. span of jobs while working at the sanctuary. com, refers to the removal method of a wild horse as their “The main chore that needs to be done everyday is “death sentence,” because if a horse is not adopted, it is feeding the horses,” Fries said. “We feed about 25 bales of killed. The Wild Horse Sanctuary is dedicated to changing hay to the horses, including trail horses and wild horses, this practice as it looks to restore comfort in the lives of in three different areas of the ranch.” the horses it saves.

Other chores include cleaning trail cabins where “The sanctuary takes in wild horses that would be people who sign up for trail rides stay overnight, planting, slaughtered otherwise and sets them free on their prop- gardening, repairing whatever needs fixing and tacking erty,” Glenn said. “[The horses] have about 5,000 acres of or grooming horses. land that [the sanctuary] fenced off. The sanctuary just Since the sanctuary is located in Shingletown, Califorlets the horses do their own thing.” nia, which according to Glenn is about a four-hour drive, Located between Black Butte and Mt. Lassen, the Glenn can only make the journey a couple times a year. sanctuary offers horses from all over the country an alterHowever, for Glenn, each trip is fully worthwhile, as native and attractive choice contrary to a death sentence. the long drive is rewarded when she is able to help the

Staff Writer

CJ Schmidt/creative commons

Horses are free to frolic at the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, California, where they are transferred to avoid being killed for living on public lands. Paly volunteers help feed horses. graceful animals, dedicating her passion and knowledge to the cause.

“I go usually once in the summer and then sometimes on long weekends,” Glenn said. “It’s become tradition.”

Fries also goes two to four times a year and finds her experience at the Wild Horse Sanctuary to be very rewarding.

“I go at least once in the summer, sometimes twice, and over winter or spring breaks, or on long weekends, which I just did in October,” Fries said. “My family and I try to go as often as possible.”

Although Fries, who has been riding since fourth grade, encourages anyone to volunteer, she finds that her prior experience with horses has helped her at the sanctuary.

Glenn, too, started to horseback ride when she was seven, but did not pursue it further.

“A lot of the jobs are physically demanding and it helps to know about horses, considering you are surrounded by them daily,” Fries said. “I would recommend [volunteering], though, because by volunteering, you know you are

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making a difference in these horses’ lives and contributing to their well-being.”

Established by Dianne Nelson in 1978, the sanctuary is currently home to some 300 mustangs and burros. The Wild Horse Sanctuary is a non-profit, tax-exempt, public foundation that relies on supporters, who sponsor individual horses, and organizations with common motives.

“People can make donations specifically for feeding a horse for one month which costs $38, caring for a horse for three months, which is $118 or sponsoring a horse for a year for $456,” Fries said.

The Sanctuary also offers seminars and public education regarding horse care and training.

In addition to campaigning for donations, Fries also plans to continue volunteering at the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Looking up to other leaders at the program, she feels lucky to have the opportunity to help the innocent animals.

“Dianne Nelson has dedicated her life to providing these wild horses with a place to live freely, and the fact that I can contribute in any way to that effort makes me feel like I’m making a difference,” Fries said.

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A&E

Monday, November 22, 2010

Restaurants in unexpected locations provide interesting cuisine Local eateries offer exceptional service, traditional food to make for quality dining experience

By Kirah Ingram Staff Writer

Although hole-in-the-wall restaurants may not be easy to find, they sometimes outdo other well-known restaurants in customer satisfaction and more importantly, food.

Caffe Riace is one of the lesser known Italian restaurants in Palo Alto and is nestled between California Avenue and Oregon Expressway. This restaurant is easy to miss by the preoccupied driver, but those who look closely will notice the quaint restaurant behind some shrubbery on Sheridan Avenue.

Unlike most restaurants, Caffe Riace’s main dining area consists of outdoor seating, a small parked Italian car and two parked Vespas. The ample number of tables placed outside accent the focal point of the patio: a large, bronze fountain. Heating lamps shaped like palm trees are scattered around the patio to give off heat on balmy nights when diners prefer to sit outside.

On cold nights when sitting outside is not preferred, Caffe Riace offers two sections of inside seating. There is one large section and one smaller section. The smaller section has just six tables, which sit two to five diners per table in very close quarters with the kitchen. Although this might sound unpleasant, dining in close proximity to the kitchen makes diners feel at home inside Caffe Riace.

Each table is set with a single tea candle, adding a small amount of light to the already dim, but relaxing atmosphere inside the restaurant. The larger section of inside seating is mainly used when Caffe Riace is busy.

This separate dining room serves a larger number of diners, without the background noise of the kitchen, thus improving the whole dining experience. The music of Frank Sinatra trickles out of the speakers inside, along with traditional Italian music, creating an authentic SicilianAmerican feel to the whole restaurant.

With Sicilian-themed cuisine and many options for lunch and dinner, dinners may feel overwhelmed at first. For those visiting Caffe Riace for the first time, however, there are certain dishes that should definitely be ordered.

Within minutes of sitting down, waiters bring the customers a plate full of their complimentary, homemade focaccia bread.

The plate comes with five to six slices of focaccia and a small serving bowl of oil and olives to put on top of the bread. The bread is some of the best served at any restaurant in Palo Alto. And even better, the bread keeps coming.

A must order dish is the polenta, made from boiled cornmeal, and priced at $10. It is packed with just the right proportions of corn meal and Gorgonzola cheese and fried to perfection, instead of baked, like other polentas. This appetizer is served hot with a creamy marinara sauce for dipping. Although the dish is only an appetizer, when paired with a salad it could also serve as an entire meal.

At Caffe Riace, the chefs prepare homemade sausage accompanied by roasted bell peppers, potatoes, onions, and parsley garnish. The sausage is mildly spicy with lasting flavors of fennel, an herb seed used in most Italian sausage recipes. While the sausage plate is priced at $19, diners have the opportunity to try homemade Italian sausage.

The pancetta, mushroom and spinach salad is another delicious item on the menu. The salad, dressed perfectly in a balsamic dressing, has mushrooms that have been cooked until soft, and pancetta, an Italian

Alex Lin/Campanile

The patio seating at Caffe Riace offers a peaceful setting just off of Oregon Expressway where diners can enjoy the authentic Italian cuisine without all the bustle of mainstream restaurants. bacon. The salad is sprinkled with the perfect amount of vies also complement the salad very well, adding a salty ricotta cheese, which is fluffy and flavorful. Finally, the tang to the dish. main ingredient, the spinach, is exceptionally crispy and Caffe Riace offers numerous desserts ranging from tastes great mixed with all the other simple gelato to cannolis to crème items in the salad. This salad is priced Although hole-in-the-wall brulée. The cannoli is flavorful, but at only $11, and is definitely worth unusual to customers new to the restaurants may not be as every penny. dessert. While customers expect Another noteworthy dish is the easy to find, they somethe inside of the cannoli to be filled pesto gnocchi. This type of pasta is with sweet cream like a cream puff, times outdo the other made out of potatoes instead of egg, the cannoli is actually filled with a well-known restaurants in unlike most fresh pasta. The pesto sugar and cheese cream mixture, inside the gnocchi is made without customer satisfaction and- and sprinkled with chocolate chips. pine nuts, so the flavor of basil is This unexpected yet delicious filling more importantly, food. stronger than in other pesto sauces. makes the cannoli a whole new exAnother plus to the pesto sauce it is perience in itself. Whether it is being served family style, and even those eaten for the first or the fifth time, with nut allergies can enjoy it. The dish is well priced at $17. this cannoli will surely make any Italian enthusiast happy.

Caffe Riace’s caesar salad is an excellent choice for In comparison to other Italian restaurants located customers who prefer a lighter meal. The dressing is all over the city, Caffe Riace adds a special homey feeling creamy and the croutons are delicious. With the addition to diners’ eating experience. Friendly waiters and chefs of the crisp and crunchy lettuce, this salad is a good pick constantly keep track of the needs of their customers to for those choosing a more traditional salad. The ancho- improve the dining experience at Caffe Riace.

Caffe Riace serves delicious food and even better service, so diners should not let the seemingly unknown location keep them from eating a guaranteed delicious meal. Other restaurants in Palo Alto are also frequently overlooked, but like with Caffe Riace, diners have much to gain from trying something new.

Most likely overlooked as just another convenience store, La Costeña, located in Mountain View, is so much more. With a hidden taqueria in the back of the store, burrito lovers will surely be in heaven.

Over the years, La Costeña has racked up numerous awards for “Best Burrito” and “Best Take Out” from the Mountain View Voice. These awards are definitely well deserved.

Walking through the convenience store, customers notice the piñatas hanging from the ceiling and the multiple fridges filled with various drinks. La Costeña markets an abundance of refreshing drinks to compliment any food order, ranging from typical day-to-day sodas, to flavored water, to Mexican sodas for just above a dollar to $3.

However the drinks are not the only food items at hand. La Costeña is just like any other convenience store with countless packaged foods easily accessible to the shopper in a hurry.

But, shoppers and diners must not overlook the hidden taqueria. It offers great meals for under $11 that will make any person become a burrito lover.

La Costeña offers three different sizes for their burritos, which are chico, regular and super. The chico size is a little smaller than a half-food sub, and satisfies quite well. The prices for chico burritos range from $3 to $5, depending on whether customers add cheese or other ingredients to their burritos.

The regular sized burrito seems like it is much bigger than any other “regular” size offered at any other burrito joints. This size ranges from $3 to $7, depending on the additions and the type of meat customers choose. And finally, the super size; which appears to be equivalent to about two-and-a-half Chico sized burritos. The super size ranges from $5 to $11, also depending on the diner’s choice of meat.

When ordering a burrito, customers may be creative with their orders. Although there are already menu items suggesting what to put into the burrito, the chefs are fine if diners choose to mix and match ingredients as they please.

La Costeña offers numerous choices for what goes inside the actual burritos. There are several meat, bean, rice and vegetable choices. The meats include different types of chicken, pork, seafood and beef. Vegetarian options are also available, but are not as plentiful as the meat choices. The bean selection includes black, pinto and refried beans, while the rice is simply limited to Spanish rice and regular white or brown rice.

For vegetables, one may choose any number of options to go inside their burrito, including lettuce, guacamole, corn, tomatoes, green onions, olives, cilantro and jalapeños.

While La Costeña is most famous for their burritos, they offer many additional types of Mexican delicacies.

These include foods like nachos, tamales, breakfast chorizo burritos, antojitos, enchiladas and tortas.

Customers should not think about ordering too little because this hidden taqueria offers burritos incomparable to other well-known Mexican restaurants. While the location may seem far to some Palo Altans, once they get a taste of what La Costeña offers, they will not be able to resist temptation any longer.

Follow up to Kid Cudi’s acclaimed first record explores new directions Man on The Moon 2 takes the same name as last album but shows Cudi’s changing outlook

By Austin Smith

process, tracks gain honesty but lose their popular appeal.

Opening his album with “Scott Mescudi Singer and songwriter Scott Mescudi, also known as Kid Cudi, released his second vs. The World” was a smart decision. Featuralbum Man on the Moon II: The Legend of ing Cee-Lo, the track fluctuates between slow Mr. Rager on Nov. 9. Since the release of his paced Cudi verses and quick Cee-Lo choruses. first mix tape, A Kid Named Cudi in 2008, This is a rarity for the album; although the Cudi has built himself a prestigious reputa- second half of the song is focused on darkness and evil the first half’s lyrics are somewhat tion in the music industry.

With the release of last year’s debut positive, welcoming listeners to MOTM2.

“REVOFEV,” the second track that was record Man on the Moon: The End of Day, his released several months ago, features a repetistatus as a musical genius was solidified.

MOTM was a huge accomplishment— tive yet original piano and drum beat. This with its mix of upbeat tracks and somber track is also an oddity because it is somewhat lyrics, it defined Cudi as an artist and led to uplifting; the lyrics of the song include “Let go, life does get tough/No need to stress/ significant financial success.

On a negative note, it set ridiculously Hold you back too much.” The combination high expectations for MOTM2. Cudi had to of Cudi’s lyrics and poppy beat results in a come up with something big to maintain hip, upbeat song.

With the third track “Don’t Play This his reputation—and Song” comes the album’s succeeded, for the most descent into Cudi’s dark part.

It seems that Cudi has lifestyle. Featuring Mary MOTM2 is not happy focused less on commerJ. Blige, a catchy, memusic. Cudi’s lifestyle dium paced beat is overis defined by darkness cial success and more on powered by ominous and loneliness, ele- applying honest lyrics to lyrics that reflect on a ments which the album describe his lifestyle. decline into drugs and radiates more than ever depression: “I’m numb before. faced while I’m thinking Each of the 17 songs has a more organic, less mainstream feel to about suicide/Wanna know what this sound them. Whereas MOTM favored quick, rela- like when I’m not on drugs?”

“Marijuana” is the next song on MOTM2, tively upbeat tracks, MOTM2 has been drastically slowed down and darkened. Most of and is very self-explanatory. Cudi sings about the songs are dominated by Cudi’s familiar, his favorite drug over a piano beat, resulting prominent drumming beats that were not in a slow and relaxing song.

“Mojo So Dope,” also released several found in his previous album.

With the likes of Emile, The Cool Kids, months ago, is another song with a strong Diplo and Plain Pat, MOTM2 has a multitude beat and dark lyrics. The next two tracks of experienced producers that lead to 17 “Ashin’ Kusher” and “Erase Me” represent original tracks. Most of these downbeat songs, the best portion of the album. While “Ashin’ combined with Cudi’s relevant and meaning- Kusher” combines a deep electronic beat with lyrics describing Cudi’s issues with mariful lyrics, are up to par with his potential.

While some songs meet the level of qual- juana “Erase Me” (released as a single several ity shown in MOTM, others fall short of their months ago) is a relatively upbeat track that expectations. However, this is not due to lack mixes a catchy guitar beat with Cudi’s regrets over a relationship (which is a rarity). After this of talent—they are simply honest songs.

It seems that Cudi has focused less on point, however, the album once again turns commercial success and more on applying to darkness with “Maniac,” “These Worries,” honest lyrics to describe his lifestyle. In the “All Along” and “Ghost.” “Maniac” samples

Staff Writer

St. Vincent’s “The Strangers.” With a catchy, indie beat Cudi raps about his inner demons and instability, resulting in a quick, thumping song. “All Along” is one of the slowest and most depressing tracks on MOTM2.

With a simplistic beat, Cudi discusses his life of loneliness and addiction saying “When the weeks change/the words change too/I’m addicted to highs/would you like to know why?” The result is a sad yet honest song. “Ghost” employs an eerie, high-pitched beat that is very different from any other on MOTM2.

Once again, Cudi discusses his loneliness and depression in a dark and emotional song:

“I’m mostly confused about the world I live in/They think that I’m lonely, well I probably am/One thing that still gets me/When did I become a ghost.”

“Mr. Rager” represents the epitome of MOTM2. A medium paced, ominous beat gradually builds up to a climactic chorus. Not only is the beat interesting and representative of Cudi, but the lyrics are relevant to Cudi’s adventurous lifestyle.

MOTM2 is exponentially more personal than any of Cudi’s previous music. Which focused on musical and aesthetic quality and added shallow lyrics about drugs, alcohol and women. The Legend of Mr. Rager is far more

relevant and true to Cudi’s lifestyle and personality. It seems as though Cudi has toned down his desire for commercial success, and has matured into an artist who makes music that is meaningful to himself and others.

MOTM2 is not happy, mainstream music due to themes of drugs and depression combined with slow, melancholy beats.

What the album lacks in musical brilliance, it makes up for with genuine and significant lyrics. While not exactly matching up to the quality of The End of Day, The Legend of Mr. Rager offers a fresh perspective on some of the darker aspects of Cudi’s lifestyle that we have not seen before.

timbretantrum

Kid Cudi’s new album, Man on the Moon: The Legend of Mr. Rager, has a fresh outlook and multiple guest appearances, but has maintained the classic rhymes that Cudi became known for after his first two records.

A&E

November 22, 2010 • B8

The Campanile

Roadtrip comedy Due Date captures manic humor in a new light

The down-to-earth film takes audiences on an outrageous cross-country journey

By Helen Chen Lifestyles Editor

Thanks to the wildly popular and frequently quoted summer blockbuster of 2009, The Hangover, quirky curly-haired actor Zack Galifianakis has gained much attention as the hilarious partner one would never want to take a roadtrip with.

Director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips, has set Galifianakis on the road once again to annoy, destroy and ultimately entertain in the surprisingly introspective comedy Due Date.

The film begins with a close up of Peter, played by Robert Downey Jr. While Downey has physically shed the Iron Man suit, he continues to portray a stoic, elite and rich man.

In the opening scene, it appears as though Peter is laying side-by-side on a bed with his pregnant wife, (Michelle Monaghan, Made of Honor) discussing a dream that he had last night about her giving birth.

Once Peter finishes telling his dream, he stands up, revealing that he is actually alone in the bed and speaking to his wife via a Bluetooth handset.

This encapsulates the premise of the film — that while Peter is not physically there with his wife and his unborn child, he dearly wants to be.

As he sets out to return home from a business trip in Georgia to welcome the birth of his first child, he rudely encounters Ethan (Galifianakis, The Hangover) in a near car crash which gives a symbolic representation of both of the characters: Ethan’s disheveled van swiping the door off of Peter’s town car and nearly killing Peter in the act.

From merely placing the actors next to one another, it is obvious that the two are opposites.

This contrast is greatly exaggerated in the film, as Peter constantly maintains the serious, down-to- earth demeanor of a typical business man, while Ethan is an eccentric, narcoleptic wannabe actor who wears tight acid wash jeans, maintains a constant (and hilarious) strut with his chin pointed in the air and carries a bulldog he refers to as “Sunny.”

This odd couple friendship is primarily for comic relief, but also is used at moments to exhibit the strength of friendship and the boundaries that it can cross. Peter and Ethan’s journey begins as Peter attempts to board a

plane home and to his misfortune, he bumps into Ethan again.

The scene then turns into the typicaltwentieth-century airplane gag — Ethan mentions the words “bomb” and “terrorist” and Peter winds up on the floor, shot with a rubber bullet by an indignant fire marshal.

The two are promptly put on the no fly list.

However, this overused scene is the only way to possibly tie the two together. Desperate to not miss the birth of his child, Peter reluctantly agrees to go on a roadtrip from Georgia to Los Angeles with Ethan. Downey and Galifianakis never break from their opposing characters which makes the car conversations between them awkward and humorous.

As the plot unfurls, the two wind up in ridiculous situations which are of the same caliber as the outrageous scenarios presented in The Hangover, such events including Peter smoking marijuana for the first time with Ethan and feeling as though he was traveling in a spaceship with a poodle, Ethan nearly crossing the border to drive into Mexico while apologetically explaining that he needed gas and thought the sign read “Texaco.” At first, these scenes provide a gasp of shock from the audience, but are quickly followed by peals of laughter.

Accompanying these scenes are interspersed shots of wide stretches of highway illuminated by sunlight as well as the bright lights of the highway at night, various landscape shots and a stunning picture of the Grand Canyon, which make the audience feel as though they are in the backseat during this insane roadtrip.

The roadtrip is also set to a hip soundtrack, featuring popular alternative bands such as Wolfmother and Fleet Foxes.

Surprisingly enough, this film does manage to touch upon some deeper and more sensitive issues.

Ethan’s father had recently passed away and he protectively carries his ashes in a coffee can around with him while telling glorified stories of his father’s life.

As the two continue on their voyage, Ethan has moments where he expresses his deep grief over the loss of his father. Peter also shares the issues he had with his father leaving him when he was a child. These moments are

Due Date

Director: Todd Philips Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx Running Time: 100 mins.

Rating: R

bloginity

In this new comedy, Robert Downey Jr. (left) and Zach Galifianakis (right) play opposing characters who drive across the country in order for the soon-to-be father, Downey, to make it back in time to see his baby’s birth. robbed of their sincerity when they are placed in between moments of slapstick physical humor and they end up feeling awkward and rather displaced.

It is understandable though, for these serious glimpses are the only way to give insight into a character or add depth to the movie, though it is questionable whether or not a comedy movie that features shots of Galifianakis’s exposed stomach is capable of eliciting any depth at all.

The film does come precariously close to crossing the line between funny and absurd.

At the beginning of their journey, Ethan is purchasing marijuana from a drug-dealing mother (Juliette Lewis, My Name Is Earl) while Peter is asked to watch the dealer’s kids. One of the kids irritates Peter to a point where

Peter simply punches him in the stomach, knocking the air out of the small child. While everyone can agree that child abuse is not a humorous action, the movie still glorifies it to a point where even the most conservative mother finds herself chuckling.

A particularly enjoyable part of the movie is Galifianakis’s portrayal of Ethan as a failed actor. Peter and Ethan have a highly entertaining ritual in which Peter provides various acting roles for Ethan to play out. Ethan also attempts to pass his headshot as a form of identification.

These scenes are a true demonstration of Galifianakis’s impressive acting ability.

Throughout the journey, Peter also survives many physical injuries that would most likely kill Iron Man himself. However, as The

Hangover proved, the more ridiculous the situations are, the better.

All in all, Due Date is a feel-good comedy.

Downey is aware of his reputation as a serious actor and uses it for comedic value, as it is quite entertaining to see Peter’s face contorted during a slap fight between him and Ethan.

Galifianakis portrays Ethan so irritatingly that there are even sparse moments where he becomes a slight annoyance to the audience.

The film also features an appearance by Jamie Foxx as well as a high speed car chase involving a Mexican police car toting a trailer.

However, in the end, audiences will walk away with a positive message of unorthodox friendship, the importance of fatherhood and the occasional benefits of spontaneous decisions.

Bring this coupon in Monday - Thursday from 2-6pm and get a 10% discount*! *Offer expires June 1, 2011. Limit one coupon per person per visit.

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The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • B9

College websites provide students with convenient, detailed information Helpful sites assist students in navigating competitive college admissions process

By Sasha Kuvyrdin Senior Staff Writer

While many think of senior year as a year of sleeping in and nonstop partying, most do not consider the massive amount of work seniors have to deal with during the dreaded first semester. Along with trying to maintain their grades, many seniors take their most important college entrance exams and have to prepare their college applications during first semester.

With college application options such as Early Action, Early Decision and Regular Decision, the application process can be overwhelming.

Because many seniors are not able to afford college counselors, and since the College and Career Center at Palo Alto High School is often full with appointments, students often have to go online to receive the information they so dearly need.

Easily accessed through Paly main page, Naviance. com provides a wide scope of vital information for Paly students. For better or worse, Naviance is all about statistics.

On the site, students can find both their grade point averages (GPA) and college entrance exam scores, and then compare them with other students applying to college. Naviance provides scatter plots of college acceptance averages.

This tool is helpful because it allows students to visually see what schools they have a chance of getting into, allowing them to easily create a list of prospestive colleges.

Also helpful for students is the college match feature.

It gives students a chance to look at applicants similar to themselves and how they fared in admission.

With Naviance’s connection to Paly, advisors and college counselors can also send important messages to students about applications and upcoming deadlines.

Parents can also access Naviance for information about both their child and the schools they are interested in.

Naviance is an immeasurably informative tool for Clockwise from left: collegeprowler, Naviance,and Collegeconfidential both students and parents; the statistics it provides assists students greatly in their college searches and the informa- CollegeProwler (left), Naviance (top right), and CollegeConfidential (bottom right) contain tools students can use to investigate colleges. tion provided by advisors and college counselors helps Naviance compares personal and college statistics, while Prowler and Confidential feature rankings and student forums on many topics. them immensely in the application process.

These personal anecdotes provide a better glimpse Those that have succeeded on the test can be great “I really like that you can see your GPA on Naviance websites offering the same services. Anyone can easily compare it to the GPA certain colleges accept,” junior and quickly use the website and find the information they into the reality of school life then the school’s website sources for those aiming to raise their scores. CollegeConneed about the schools they are interested in. usually can. fidential is a feed current student publisizing their college Victoria Tse said.

The engaging layout makes it a simple yet powerful With a wide array of important statistics and person- relates issues, helpful to currently applying students.

Another a great source for student information, tool for any student looking for alized student responses, College Prowler is a fantastic Since the website’s feed is an open forum, the inCollegeProwler.com provides the vital information they need resource for both prospective and current students. formation on College Confidential is not always to be statistical information about to know about college. A user Providing student written information on almost trusted. Information posted on the site is never factalmost every school as well as “I really like that you can see your can add schools onto their “My anything college-based, CollegeConfidential.com is a great checked, leaving anything posted on the forums open personal reflections from both GPA on Naviance and compare it Schools” list, which organizes resource for students looking to connect with others in for personal interpretation. current and former students. to the GPA certain colleges acthe schools into an easy-to-read similar situations.

However, the virtual interaction that a student can College Prowler has pages arrangement.

With forums on college topics ranging from admis- gain by walking in antohers shoes in the college applicafor almost every school in the cept.”

After the user enters im- sion chances to SAT and ACT exams, College Confidential tion trail can be invaluably beneficial in their application United States,including small Victoria Tse portant information about him presents students with the information they need straight process. community colleges like Footjunior or herself, such as GPA and SAT from those in similar situations.

The college application process is undoubtedly one hill College or De Anza College. or ACT scores, College Prowler Students attending and applying for college from all of the most important processes in a person’s life. ApThe website provides thorough calculates the chances that the around the world can discuss and debate the multitude plicants need to know significant amounts of information student reviews about each facet of important college topics. in a short period of time and sometimes others input is of a college, ranging from academics, to parking, to the student will get accepted into the schools they select.

However, where and how College Prowler calcuOn the website, users often discuss their chances not enough to be successful. attractiveness of the college’s girls and boys.

College websites like Naviance, College Prowler The website also provides important statistics about lates the chances a user can get into a certain school are of getting in with students who are already attending topics like how many students apply, the acceptance rate confusing. The results given by the website often seem the schools. This gives prospective college freshmen a and College Confidential provide invaluable resources and what kind of SAT and ACT scores the schools want. unrealistic and untrustworthy. Users can also complete chance to evaluate their standing and what schools they for college applying students to access the information they need to succeed.

The website also showcases crucial information about an optional personality test that gives users results on could be admitted to. which school would be a “perfect fit.” Current and former Users can also discuss college entrance exam study Students looking for help in the application process important deadlines and tuition rates.

College Prowler’s engaging layout and its user-friendly students also post personal reviews and critiques about tips and performance evaluation, helping them improve should visit these sites. They may find they hold exactly their scores. what they are looking for. interface are what make it stand out from other college the school during or after their stay.

New technology transforms viewing, drawbacks makes purchase debatable TVs present visual sensation yet requires costly transmitter to utilize basic 3-D component

By Sam Blake Staff Writer

The progress of television is shocking. Some 50 years ago TVs were not even in color, and now, we stand on the brink of the next big trend: 3-D TV. Just five years ago, three dimensional experiences were only available at amusement parks such as California’s Great America where one could view IMAX movies with special effects.

However, 3-D has become increasingly popular, as blockbusters such as Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, are coming to movie theaters in 3-D. Some may recall other technological advances in entertainment that ended as economic failures, such as High Definition DVDs and 4-D. Will 3-D TVs become the next big success or fade into obscurity?

Sony and Panasonic are two of the multiple main stream TVs on the market.

The Sony 46-inch 3D Lightemitting diode (LED)-Liquid crystal display (LCD) HDTV is priced at $1,999. The TV drags heavy on the wallet with an additional $53 per month charge. However, it can show 2-D and 3-D pictures with crystal clear precision.

To watch in the third dimension, one must also buy the 3-D transmitter for $49.

In addition, if one wants to watch 3-D movies at home, one must buy a 3-D Blu-ray player for $199. While

yourledlight

Samsung is one big company that produces three dimensional televisions. Following three dimensional movies, such as Avatar, the new technology has become increasingly popular. the TV does deliver an excellent 3-D image, it costs roughly the same as a 65-inch HDTV. If one value’s size the most, the 3-D TV is not a logical choice. For those interested innovation however, The Sony 46- inch 3D LED-LCD HDTV delivers awesome 3-D action.

“After watching the 46-inch 3-D LED-LCD HDTV for ten minutes in Best Buy I was captivated,” junior Scotty McComas said. “Normal

channels that I usually skip through looked awesome. I sat on the trial couch watching a polar bear eat a fish for ten minutes, which in my opinion was not a waste of time. I felt closer to TV than I ever had before.”

The 3-D images delivered in the Sony 46 -inch 3-D LED-LCD HDTV are of much higher grade than anything ever seen at the movies. The definition of each image is significantly more aesthetically pleasing. Since

1940’s 1950’s 1960’s

the movies are blown up on a large scale, the smaller 3-D TV is able to give a much clearer picture.

Panosonic also produces a typical 3-D television. The Panosonic Vera 50-inch 3-D Plasma HDTV is priced at $1,799. This price does not include the Blu-Ray player, 3-D transmitter or 3-D glasses that have to be worn to see 3-D. The Panosonic TV is an impressive opponent of the Sony 46-inch

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3-D LED-LCD HDTV. It delivers as adequate a picture as the Sony TV does with comparable prices.

The only significant difference between the Sony TV and the Panasonic TV is the brand name. One of the main problems with 3-D television is that it is a developing technology.

“3-D TVs still seem like a rough technology,” McComas said.“For example, take the first iPod; it was a brick compared to what the iPods have to today. It had a much smaller GB capacity and couldn’t even dream of holding movies, pictures or Angry Birds, which is no sweat for the iPods today,” At this point it may be wise for consumers to wait until the third dimension becomes cheaper and more affective. Another problem with 3-D TV is the glasses that have to be worn to watch 3-D. The glasses sit awkwardly on one’s face and are easy to lose and costly to replace. Also, 3-D channels are not frequently available. Since 3-D is a relatively new technology, many broadcasting companies are making sure 3-D TV is an economic success before they invest in the televisions.

Another factor is that a scarce number of movies are out for 3-D viewers. Only the poorly reviewed Alice in Wonderland will be coming out in 3-D soon, and Avatar is already available.

If we want to see more 3-D TVs on the market, Hollywood needs to produce better 3-D movies.

“I feel like the 3-D is an extra asset that simply is not needed. The glasses look totally ridiculous,” junior Nicky Hu said. “Some kids think they are cool to wear but I just find them extraneous. I watched Clash of the Titans when it came out on 3-D and then again when it came to DVD on 2-D. The 3-D was weak and I found that my eyes hurt after watching a full movie in 3-D.” The 3-D bar was set high for Hollywood directors with movies like Avatar. However, the 3-D that was used in Clash of the Titans was incorporated after the movie was finished shooting resulting in hastily done 3-D and poor reviews.

“In my opinion I feel like 3-D is a novelty,” junior Aaron Bajor said. “I agree with many other Paly students who find 3-D tiring and exhausting.

My eyes got strained after only an hour of a 3-D movie. I can not imagine what it would be like to watch 3-D all the time.”

3-D TVs are a relatively new technology. They have some great benefits along with quite a few drawbacks. 3-D TVs offer great quality and provide the only 3-D around besides movie theaters. However, the costly technology and smaller size compared to regular high definition takes away from their value.

“One day I will own a 3-D,” McComas said. “I think they have awesome potential. But, when I buy a 3-D TV I want all kinds of movies and channels to be available.”

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104 Town & Country Villlage Palo Alto, CA 94301 Phone (650) 322 3601

Fax (650) 322 7651

The Campanile

A&E

November 22, 2010 • B10

Usher’s collaborative OMG tour arrives at Oakland’s Oracle Arena Popular artists Usher, Trey Songz, Miguel scheduled to perform at 25 venues across North America

By Noa Dagan Opinion Editor

For a 32-year-old, Usher sure can move, but clearly not like he used to.

Kicking off his highly anticipated OMG Tour in Seattle’s Key Arena on Nov. 10, Usher has finally made his way back onto the big stage to a warm reception.

“A lot of people never thought I’d make it here,” Usher said to the sold-out Oracle arena on Nov. 12. “I’ll admit I had doubts myself.”

After a long hiatus from the concert scene, his fans were prepared for an incredible comeback show. Complete with pyrotechnic explosions and a floating platform, the set was phenomenal, and even included wind-blown fog to cause the visual effect of clouds suspending the platform in the air. The stage was also set with several fairly talented backup dancers performing on treadmill tracks that were incorporated into the numerous dance numbers.

Despite the impressive visual component of Usher’s performance, he was noticeably lacking in the vocal department.

While it is understandable that Usher must lip sync a fair amount of his songs in order to be able to dance like no one but Usher can, the songs that he did actually sing were sub-par and sounded almost painfully whiny.

Even his most recent hits like “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin in Love” sounded off-key and failed to live up to expectations.

This is not to say that he did not deliver an entertaining show, but simply that Trey Songz, the show’s opener and Black Entertainment Television’s (BET) 2010 “Best Male R&B Artist,” out-sang him by a long shot.

Playing his highly popular R&B hits like “I Invented Sex,” “Neighbors Know My Name” and “Panty Droppa,” Trey owned the arena with his smooth voice and sex appeal. While erotic videos featuring him with numerous scantily clad women played in the background, Trey made the entire audience fall in love with him and his shirtless body.

Usher was able to reclaim some dignity by bringing back timeless classics such as 2004 hits “My Boo,” “Burn,” “Yeah!” and “Confessions Part II” which were by far the most prominent highlights of his performance.

During these songs, he was accompanied by an entire audience of singing women swooning with his every smooth, seductive move.

More crowd favorites included his 1997 hit “You Make Me Wanna,” to which he ripped off his shirt then proceeded to remove his pants, resulting in a wave of deafening high pitched squeals from every corner of the arena.

Both Trey Songz and Usher had performances that were extremely sexually charged and sometimes tiptoed dangerously over the line of what is considered appropriate and tasteful. At one point, Usher went so far as to call up a random female audience member and use her as a prop in his love-making demonstration while singing to her.

Clockwise From Left: thatgrapejuice, celebrifi, noa dagan/campanile

Clockwise from left: Usher performs onstage at the Key Arena. The main poster for the OMG Tour showcases Usher while also including fellow R&B performers Trey Songs and Miguel. The crowd goes wild for Usher and Trey Songz as lighting effects mesmerize the audience.

Despite this, the raw sexual magnetism of their performances attracted people of all ages. Clad in extremely tight dresses and heels, the overly made up women sang out every word to each song and shook their hips along with his gyrations.

Some parents even brought their young children, equipped with makeshift tissue earplugs to block out the excessive noise. Although the sound level may have been too much for these children to handle, it provided for a consistently high energy level that excited the entire

crowd. With each dance and act they performed, the backup dancers also added to the hyped-up atmosphere in the arena. With interesting, original routines and flashy moves, they successfully accented and enhanced Usher’s performance.

With the exception of several dances, namely one in which the female dancers paraded around stripper poles, the choreography significantly added to the show. Usher proudly flaunted his forever impressive smooth footwork, but overall his dances were relatively minimalistic and

not nearly as outstanding as his old moves which were much more complex, creative and energetic. The whole crowd came together to sing his more popular songs such as “Caught Up,” “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” and “Love In This Club,” and there were few in the audience that could keep from getting a bit teary-eyed to the emotional favorite “There Goes My Baby.”

The show finally concluded with huge cannons filling the arena with small pieces of white confetti paper as the crowd cheered.

A&E

The Campanile

November 22, 2010 • B11

iPad applications foster new means of self-expression Provide hours of entertainment with iBook, Beatwave, Evernote, Adobe Ideas

By Tobey Nelson-Gal

the screen and hits each activated tile, a note or drum beat sounds along with a ripple effect With the release of Apple Corporation’s that springs outward from the tile. iPad, people are looking for reasons to purIn Beatwave, the height of the wave chase one. presents the note and the width represents Of course, many could argue that any- the time frame for the pattern. The higher up thing purchased on an iPad could also be the tile is on the screen, the higher the note bought on an iPhone or iTouch. However, will be played. while this is technically true, the iPad provides However, the last two rows of tiles are set a more interactive way to browse the Internet as drum beats. The bottom-most row acts as that does not require looking at a small screen. the snare drum beat while the second lowest Aside from going online, there are several row acts as the base drum. free applications that are much easier to use Other features include four different layand more practical when utilized on an iPad. ers of grids for each “Blank Session,” a tone adjuster, a noise level control for each layer, Kindle/iBooks (Books) a tempo setter and a tile-randomizer known For avid readers, the Kindle application as the “Grid Morpher” that helps to optimize provides an easy way to keep track of and creativity. read various books. While some may say that Beatwave includes three different types the iBooks application of sound effects: the has the same function, soft sound of a wooden there are subtle differ- Kindle: A virtually unlimited xylophone, an elecences that set the two library of books. tronic sounding xyloapart. As Apple Corpophone and the sound Gridded music of a Pipa (a Chinese ration does with all of Beatwave: its products, it tries to board inspires creativity. string instrument.) give iBooks an innovaThere are also pretive look by making Evernote: Convenient and or- made beats which can it seem as though the ganized notes for research. be used as examples, reader is staring at so if ever stuck on the inside of an actual Adobe Ideas: Basic drawing ideas of what to make, book. Even the anima- program. one could just refer to tion for the turn of a them. page is an example of Line Art: Abstract and interacOverall, this apApple worrying more tive touch screen. plication is incredibly about its looks than easy to use and is best its functionality. This played on the iPad unnecessary illusion of depth and realism considering that the iTouch and iPhone both of a flipping page is merely a distraction for have screens too small for Beatwave. This apthe reader. plication serves as a great medium to explore The Kindle on the other hand is very musical creativity. simplistic in its design: it merely provides a white screen with two columns of text on Evernote (Note-Taking) it to represent each page of the book, and Evernote is a note taking application that when turning to the next couple of pages, the provides several features to enhance the way screen slides to the left, similar to the way the one takes notes. On the bottom left corner of iPhone, iTouch and iPad swipe through dif- the screen is a button to add a new note. By ferent pictures. Aside from these seemingly clicking on it, a page springs up with a header pointless differences, Kindle also provides a that includes the title, the notebook currently wider selection of books than iBooks does, being used and any tags one wants to assign since Kindle utilizes Amazon’s library. to the note.

Overall, both are great applications. HowBefore one is even able to start typing ever, the Kindle app provides more options in the note, a small box appears asking if it and is a better choice for someone looking is okay to use one’s current location. This for a nice, simple product. is a great feature, because one can create notes that are specific to a location in case Beatwave (Music) one wants to remember a spot to visit again.

Those who are looking to explore their After choosing whether to allow Evernote to musical interests may find Beatwave to be use the iPad’s current location, users can then an innovative way to easily create a rhythm. add voice memos, photos and text.

To get a beat going, users light up tiles by As a side note, it is easier to use Evernote tapping on the grid; as a blue line moves across with a keyboard rather than using the touch

Senior Staff Writer

Marc Havlik/campanile

Clockwise from top left: Beatwave allows users to explore musical interests. Kindle allows people to read books on the go, giving virtually unlimited entertainment. Evernote has special features that are useful for notetaking. screen to write up notes. This application is ideal for organizing data for research projects or for remembering other personal information.

Adobe Ideas (Entertainment) With Adobe Ideas one can sketch directly onto the iPad’s touch screen.

Certain features allow the user to choose from a spectrum of colors, utilize a redo button and erase tool and adjust the size and opacity of the artwork.

This is similar to a typical drawing application on a computer but without a wide variety of features. A new feature available for

purchase in the app-store includes features allowing for up to 10 drawing layers with a photo layer for each sketch for greater creative freedom.

Considering that no one is used to drawing with their fingers, it can be a little awkward trying to sketch on the iPad. Line Art (Entertainment) Those looking for an application to mess around on while bored can turn to line art for some enjoyment. This application consists of everchanging colors.

The colors are made up of thousands of miniscule tadpole-like lines squirming

around the screen aimlessly as if waiting for something.

Touching the screen with just a finger, all the little lines will concentrate around the finger. Adding another finger causes all of the lines to disperse and swarm around both fingers without touching them. One can touch the screen at 10 points simultaneously and still have the lines perform different actions.

This application overall is a fun mind trip, especially since it is on the iPad’s larger touch screen. It is nice to just sit down after a long day and listen to music while playing. Line Art is like an interactive version of the iTunes’ equalizer and is the perfect application.

Cantor Arts Center displays original artwork in new exhibit Stanford museum features the Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and its Disaporas

By Hannah Park Staff Writer

In an area preoccupied with constant innovation and the development of technology, tangible artwork is often neglected. With lives moving at the speed of a click, Palo Alto residents often do not stop to appreciate significant artwork in local museums. One local museum’s unique architectural structure and collection of foreign artwork, however, creates long-lasting impressions that even techies can update their statuses about.

Currently featured at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University is the Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas. This exhibition provides colorful, one-ofa-kind artwork originating from west and central Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the United States. The sculptures and paintings are created using bright, flamboyant colors and are embellished with colorful beads, ribbons, jewels and other adornments.

Several pieces depict the mystical mermaids known as Mami Wata, the celebrated queen of the diaspora.

Mami Wata, which translates to “Mother Water” in Pidgin English represents the beautiful yet mysterious water spirit that is celebrated by the mix of cultures generated from the African diaspora.

Depending on the artist, Mami Wata can be presented as a mermaid, snake charmer or sometimes a combination of both. Her appearance is perceived to bring wealth and luck, making her especially revered by traders involved in the commerce between African kingdoms. The exhibition illustrates the cultural influence of the Mami Wata, proving art’s ability to spread religion and social change by showing portraits of her in several perspectives. The Mami Wata, however, is not the only exhibition at the Cantor Arts Museum, which also has a variety of temporary and permanent exhibits.

Located in the middle of the Stanford University campus, the museum was built in 1891 by Leland Stanford and publicly opened in 1894.

Leland Stanford, who established the museum in honor of his

Hannah Park/campanile

Located on Stanford Campus, the Cantor Arts Center features a new exhibition with sculptures and paintings from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the United States. The exhibit showcases the cultural beliefs and traditions of the Mami Wata. deceased son, devoted his wealth to the museum in hopes of benefiting other children and promoting art appreciation.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, however, destroyed some of Stanford’s most significant collections and a large portion of the original structure.

Unfortunately, the museum closed shortly after the disaster due to lack of popularity, yet still remained a minor structure on the university’s campus for several years.

The museum was used so rarely that in the meantime, part of the building was occupied by the Stanford Zoology Department and used

as a classroom to show biological specimens.

83 years after the 1906 earthquake, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck San Francisco, damaging the building itself and causing the structure to close once again.

In 1999, the museum reopened with the generous contribution from B. Gerald Cantor, a wealthy broker, and became known as the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts.

The center is now home to artwork from various eras and locations.

The collections include artwork from Europe and America, Modern and Contemporary Art, Works on Paper, Artwork from Asia, Africa, and the Na-

tive Americas as well as the Stanford or story. Included in the museum is a bookshop and modern cafe that Family Collection.

The artwork varies from price- serves a variety of tasty sandwiches, less artifacts to alluring sculptures soups and salads.

The cafe and paintfaces the Rodin ings from Sculpture Gararound the The sculptures and paintings world. are created using bright, flam- den outside of the museum.

While The Garden, a consid- boyant colors and are embelmaintained in erable col- lished with colorful beands, t h e St a n f o r d lection of ribbons, jewels and other Main Quad, is abstract the largest colartwork en- adornments. lection of Rodin ables specSculptures outtators to openly interpret meaning, historical side of Paris, France. Visitors can enjoy paintings capture a defined moment a palatable meal while experiencing

the wonders of the Garden. The ebony sculptures shaped as human forms are expressed through emotional body language. The “Gates of Hell,” which is an enormous sculpture detailed with distorted human bodies, is one of the main features of the Rodin Sculpture Garden.

The architecture of the museum itself is also notable, evoking a calm atmosphere throughout the building. Its openness and neutral colors put the focus on the artwork and its significance, rather than the building itself.

The large windows look out to outdoor sculptures, making the building seem even more spacious.

The appearance of the museum looks vastly different from the University’s overall appearance.

Its entrance has large columns resembling those of Greek architecture and is decorated with intricate sculptures.

The foyer is also elegantly built with marble floors and a grand staircase that extends throughout the building.

The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts offers a wide variety of artwork ranging from European artifacts to paintings of the Stanford Family.

Its multitude of prodigious artwork makes it an informative and enlightening place to visit.

From Modern works to foreign antiques, the museum offers an abundance of sculptures, paintings and photographs.

The close proximity of the museum also makes it a convenient place to visit.

Palo Alto is fortunate to have such a well-known museum located in the center of the Stanford University campus.

The experience of exploring the museum and appreciating the artwork is an opportunity not to pass.

Group tours are available and allow visitors to explore the museum while gaining insightful information about the works of art.

Group tour information is available online.

The admission is free and the museum’s hours are shown on the website, http://museum.stanford.edu.

A&E

B12 • November 22, 2010

Soup provides solution to rainy day cravings

Local restaurants offer diverse selections of soups at affordable prices

By Chayla Cummings Staff Writer

As the seasons change, one’s food habits change as well. Steering away from the cold crisp salads of summer, one looks to something warm and soothing while trying to stay healthy.

Warm, earthy tones combine in a steamy bowl of flavor to produce the classic dish for a cold winter day–soup. Four restaurants in particular have reputations for exquisitely prepared soups, guaranteed to bring warmth to a chilly winter day.

1

The Campanile

in

1900

Nordstrom Café

550 Stanford Shopping Center Palo Alto cup: $3.50 bowl: $4.50 (650) 323-5111

This edition featuring

Kristina Guzman with The Campanile’s own

Rachel Stober, Rebecca Ruff and Helen Chen

Roma Tomato Basil Soup at Nordstrom Café

Nestled behind the children’s clothing area at Nordstrom in the Stanford Shopping Center is the Nordstrom Café, a small and intimate restaurant with a full menu selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, panini’s pasta, pizza and specialties.

For a very affordable price, a creamy red soup arrives from kitchen to table in less than 10 minutes. The soup is a thick blend of rich tomato flavor and a touch of basil. The soup has a thoroughly smooth consistency, without lumps or tomato chunks.

The creamy tomato perfectly accompanies a hot grilled cheese sandwich on the side that is sliced in half for easy eating.

Perfect for a cold, rainy day this soft soup will satisfy any appetite. After enjoying the tasty delight at the cafe, one can buy a jar to take home.

Green Elephant Gourmet 3950 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto $7.50 (650) 494-7391

Hot and Sour Soup at Green Elephant Gourmet

Green Elephant Gourmet is located at the Charelston Shopping Center near Rojos Gourmet Wraps and Piazza’s fine foods. It is an intimate restaurant that is privately owned.

Employees greet with smiling faces and promptly take orders as soon as the customer is ready. A

Alex lin/campanile

Sedona tortilla soup, topped with delicate, tortilla strips, is one of the few soups offered at California Pizza Kitchen, located in Downtown Palo Alto. The fusion of flavors provides a zesty, savory sensory experience. little spicier than the typical hot and sour soup, this specialty is the perfect blend of hot and sour for even the sorest of throats.

Green Elephant Gourmet offers different versions of this soup. The original is composed of a blend of shredded pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and tofu in a chicken broth base.

However, the pork can be substituted with chicken, and there is also a vegetarian option that comes with everything except the shredded pork.

Regardless of the ingredients, however, the hot and sour soup is a definite winner.

California Pizza Kitchen

531 Cowper St. Palo Alto cup: $3.99 bowl: $5.99 (650) 323-7332

Sedona Tortilla Soup at California Pizza Kitchen

With its reputation for having a variety of fusion foods, California Pizza Kitchen offers an excellent tortilla soup. The restaurant is located downtown on Cowper St. across the street from Il Fornaio Authentic Italian Restaurant and Bakery. It is a narrow restaurant with an open kitchen in the middle of the diners.

The restaurant is filled with black booths along the walls and tables filling in the open space.

Unlike the typical tortilla soup, this bowl does not include rice. Instead, mixed into the broth are vine-ripened tomatoes, chicken pieces, tomatillos and corn. Garnishing the top are crispy green tortilla strips.

The soup comes in a serving of about two cups in a large glass bowl. There is a vegetarian option for this soup as well without the chicken.

The soup is particularly enjoyable as the crunch of the chips

provide an excellent contrast with the creamy, delicious broth. The juicy vine ripened tomatoes also exquisitely complement the zesty chicken.

Overall, the tortilla soup is a fiery, spicy addition to the California Pizza Kitchen menu, and is a well-needed reminder of summer on a cold winter’s day.

The Fish Market

3150 El Camino Real Palo Alto cup: $4.50 bowl: $5.95 (650) 493-9188 Clam Chowder at The Fish Market

The Fish Market takes pride in providing delicious, fresh seafood to hungry customers.

Although the restaurant is a chain, it does not have the typical chain reputation for poor quality. The

Autumn has Fallen Photos by Marc Havlik

It’s that time of year; you don’t need a calendar or a student planner to tell you that Autumn is here. During the transition between classes, notice the fresh layer of oak leaves nestled where it was once shaded.

So next time when leaving for school or walking to class, rather than seeing leaves as a nuisance, be grateful because these colors come only once a year.

food is beatifully prepared with fresh, tangy ingredients and well chosen toppings.

The New England clam chowder at the Fish Market is a creamy and thick soup. Delicious, chewy clams complement the buttery potato inside this melt-in-your mouth bowl.

The rich, delicate base of the soup also provides an excellent medium for the potato and clam. Overall, this dish is exquisitely prepared and both a visual and sensory delight. It is accompanied by an individual loaf of warm sour dough bread.

What makes this soup unique is that The Fish Market takes pride in buying their seafood as fresh as possible.

The clams are locally caught and brought straight to the restaurant.

Whether composed of clams, tortillas, tomatoes or even bamboo, a warm bowl of soup is the perfect ingredient to add some zest to winter.

The Campanile: What are some of your nicknames?

Kristina Guzman: Well some of my nicknames include Guzie, Guzicle, Guziepasta, Pukes, which is another story in itself I must say. I think that about sums it up. Hopefully there are no other nicknames I’m not aware of.

TC: Can you tell us about your relationship with Anna Gale?

KG: Oh my god she is mah sista from anotha mista. Anna Gale. Wow. Definitely one of my best friends. She knows me so well. She and her family have given me so much, and I’m incredibly blessed with my unusual situation.

TC: What is it like living in the Gale residence?

KG: The Gale residence. It’s always sassy around the house. It’s never boring, let me tell you. There’s always something going on, especially living with Anna. Its quite nice, especially when I get to have late night simba times.

TC: If you had three words to describe yourself what would they be?

KG: I would definitely include sassy. Sassy is the first thing that comes to mind. Hm that’s a good question. Ooh that’s like, you guys stumped me there...can I pause this?

TC: Just think about it, we’ll come back to that. So we’ve seen you a lot on InFocus, and we’ve noticed that there have been some technical difficulties. Can you elaborate on that?

KG: Okay, for the record my friends, what happened is not my fault. I am one of the best anchors on InFocus, and I do not say that lightly. Each show I write a script and I double check the grammar and all the tenses to make sure everything sounds fluid and eloquent, and what happens is the person who is in control of the teleprompter is either going too fast or too slow, or when they add something in they make a grammatical mistake. When I’m reading off the teleprompter and it sounds wrong I literally have no time to fix it. And it’s all live, so there have been a couple of embarrassing moments.

TC: Who’s usually controlling the teleprompter?

KG: It varies, but I know a couple sophomores who are responsible for this.

TC: Is there anything you’d like to say to them?

KG: I would like to say I’m very disappointed...they let me down.

TC: We understand that you’ve had some interesting, flirtatious relationships with a few teachers at Paly?

KG: Ooh...

TC: Or maybe not flirtatious relationships but friendly crushes on some of the staff here at Palo Alto High School. Would you care to elaborate on that?

KG: Oh would I Stober, oh would I. Okay, top crush at Paly: Mr. Foug. I don’t know if it was just him or the subject but he made me fall in love with history and he made me actually pay attention and start kind of changing things in my life. I would also say a lot of awkward comments to Mr. Foug. I made him feel as uncomfortable as possible.

TC: Why? KG: Just because he was cute. I also used my awkward flirtations skills which aren’t that good.

TC: Give us a taste?

KG: Well, one time for example I walked into class and Mr. Foug had recently grown like a lot of scruff. As I walked in I said, “wow, Mr. Foug, I really like your scruff. It makes you look quite rugged.” And he said, “why thank you Guzman.”...and that was that.

TC: What about Ms. Brimhall and Mr. Leonard?

KG: Ooh, Ms. Brimhall. One of my favorite freshman year teachers. Brim-brim Bio seventh period, you can’t beat that. We were learning about cleavage in Biology and I asked if she would give me extra credit if I brought my cleavage to school and she responded with no. But she did chuckle after, and everyone else did too, so it was a good moment; it was a good day.

TC:: What about Mr. Leonard?

KG: Mr. Leonard. My relationship with Mr. Leonard is a weird one, I’m not going to lie. I had him seventh period, and everyday I would say, “I love you Mr. Leonard!” and he would say, “I love all my students, Kristina,” but deep down inside I knew-well actually I know that I am one of his favorite students.

TC: So you played Lacrosse last year right? Any particularly enjoyable moments? Or any advice you have for incoming players?

KG: Don’t be gentle on the field. I say go all out and be as aggressive as you want. For example, one time I checked this girl’s stick and when I was going down to get the ground ball she came towards me and punched me in the face. Actually though. And she was quite large. She landed on top of me and I shoved her off and rolled away as she called me a b****. I grabbed my stick as soon as I could and jumped back up. I actually got the red card and she got the yellow card, which was very very very very unfair.

TC: Can you please explain your tattoos?

KG: I got my first tattoo in Mexico when I was 16. It’s a feather that looks like it’s falling down my hip bone. It was extremely painful. You know a feather can’t fight the wind, and I can’t fight life. I just have to go with the flow and just accept the things that I can’t change.

TC: And what about your second tattoo?

KG: My second tattoo is my mom’s actual signature. I loved my mom dearly; she was everything to me, and she still is. She raised me to be the respectable person I am today. I mean sometimes I don’t do the most respectable things but you know, I’m still learning.