The Campanile
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
Palo Alto Senior High School
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
Since 1918
Vol. 93, No. 5
50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://voice.paly.net/campanile
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Parade of Champions honors historic wins
NEW MAYOR
City Council chooses Espinosa
Palo Alto community recognizes football, volleyball state championships By Lauren Wong Staff Writer
PALOALTOONLINE
“We are really going to focus on making the structural changes in the city that are needed.” PAGE A2
NEW SCHOOL IN EAST PALO ALTO
K-12 charter school to be built
Marc Havlik/Campanile
The parade ran through downtown Palo Alto on Jan. 8 to award and recognize the state championship winning athletics program at Paly. Onlookers cheered the passing teams.
Brightlighteducation
“We expect that every child should go to a four-year college, and we help our students’ parents hold those high expectations, too.”
San Francisco Westin to hold dance Editor in Chief
BONO, PLAYER OF THE YEAR Local newspaper awards quarterback
The Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body (ASB) has determined the 2011 Senior Prom location to be the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Senior Class President Jack Smale used student input to assist him and ASB in finding the venue. “I held a meeting with several seniors from around campus and basically I just gathered feedback from them — things they liked, things they wished could have been improved — and from that we developed
criteria as to what kind of things they were looking for at prom,” Smale said. The Westin St. Francis is a luxury hotel that is located in Union Square and Smale feels that it will provide students with a dream prom experience. “I think the fact that the venue is extremely classy is going to appeal to a lot of people,” Smale said. “It’s going to fit that ideal prom that everyone has in their heads. I also think that the flexibility that this venue has [will allow us to] do a lot of
See PROM, Page A3
Hansen to receive coach award By Brandon Nguyen Sports Editor
Marc Havlik/campanile
Marc Havlik/Campanile
“I think his best trait — and something that few quarterbacks his age possess — is the ability to always make the right read and decision.” PAGE A2
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In a year of numerous awards and a state championship for the Palo Alto High School football team, Head Coach Earl Hansen was named the ESPN RISE Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division I championship on Dec. 17. ESPN RISE is a monthly sports magazine published in 25 markets across the United States. His 2010 Vikings set a school record with 14 wins on their journey of
Marc Havlik/CAMPANILE
Football varsity coach Earl Hansen participated in a parade after the state championship game. capturing the first Division I State Championship in school history. The Vikings outscored their opponents 69-24 in the three Central
SPORTS
SENDING A CHARGE TO WILCOX SPORTS
INSIDE
News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A4-A5,A8 Spotlight.............................A6-A7 Sports................................A9-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features...............................B2-B7 A&E...................................B8-B12
See PARADE, Page A3
ASB selects Prom location Paly welcomes viking mascot By Rachel Mewes
PAGE A3
The Palo Alto varsity volleyball and football teams rewrote the record books, clinching the Division I state titles for the first time in 50 years on Dec. 5 and Dec. 18, respectively. “I’m speechless,” junior running back and defense Bijon Boyd said. “It’s a lot to know that we’ve been supported since day one. All the hard work paid off.” On Jan. 8, the city of Palo Alto congratulated their championship-winning volleyball and football teams with the first ever parade held to celebrate the Vikings’ dual state championship titles. Former mayor of Palo Alto Pat Burt created the proposal for the parade on the night of the football state championship game. “I think the parade is a really great community unifier and celebration, and I’ve heard nothing but enthusiasm for it from people from eight to 80 years old,” Burt said. According to Palo Alto Recreation Supervisor Khash Alaee, about 1500 people lined the streets to honor their local teams. “Many of the people that were at the parade were also in the stands at the state game,” junior middle hitter Jackie Koenig said. “I got lots of congratulations from people I didn’t even know. There [were] a lot of people out there supporting our school; it was really cool.” The Palo Alto Volleyball Club and the Palo Alto Knights youth football program led the parade, followed by the Paly Associated Student Body, dance team and pep band. The Viking fight song “Green and White” could barely be heard over applause from the crowd as head football coach and Athletic Director Earl Hansen, who was named ESPN Rise Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year for the 2010 high school football season, and head volleyball coach David Winn trailed the procession down University Avenue in antique cars. The championship-winning teams and Paly cheer squad followed suit, waving from firetrucks and replica cable cars as they were greeted with boisterous cheers and flashing cameras. After traveling down University Avenue, the parade turned onto Centennial Way, culminating at King Plaza in front of City Hall. “I had no idea until we started walking that so many people had come down for the parade,” newly-elected Mayor of Palo Alto Sid Espinosa said. “I don’t think it could have been better. It was just incredible. To win state championships, and get that kind of recognition — it’s really exciting, people rally around it.” Assistant Principal Kim Diorio was also surprised by the size of the turnout. Although initially worried about the size of the parade’s crowd, she described the final product as “awesome.”
Marc Havlik/Campanile
The wrestling team has started an electrifying season with its first major meet, defeating the Wilcox High School Chargers 58-13. Senior Alex Ortiz and junior Kalen Gans led the team to victory.
PAGE A9
Coast Section Open Division Playoffs. Palo Alto defeated Archbishop Mitty
See HANSEN, Page A3
By Nadav Gavrielov Editor in Chief
Palo Alto High School students will greet a new face to campus by the end of February when Paly’s official Viking mascot steps foot on campus. Although many students attended the state championship games of the Palo Alto High School volleyball and football teams, one important aspect of a successful sports team was missing — a mascot. The Associated Student Body recently approved the purchase of a mascot for Paly soon after the idea was first mentioned in passing in an ASB meeting last month. “The idea of a mascot first came up when we were brainstorming ways to promote school spirit at sporting events,” Junior Class President Maddie Kuppe said. “It started out as a joke, but then we realized how great of an investment it could actually be and how much more excitement it could add to Paly sports in general.” ASB has been working closely with professional designers to select several well-designed prototypes. “Stanford has a mascot, Gunn has a mascot,” Student Activities Director Kindel Launer said. “I have been working with the merchandiser for the [San Jose] Sharks [and] he has worked up some bids for us. ASB students voted on it, and so it’s set to go. We just have to decide which mascot would be the best one.” Although a final mascot design and name has yet to be selected, ASB has narrowed down the options to two possible Vikings. “I would certainly like a way to poll the student body,” Launer said. “I want to buy him by the end of the month.” A recent revision in ASB budgeting procedures for the next couple of years made
Courtesy of ASB
Associated Student Body debuts a mascot for the 2011 to 2012 year. the purchasing of a mascot possible. Kuppe believes that the final cost will end up being between $3000 to $4000. The mascot will be a long-term addition to the Paly community and will be present at rallies and sporting events. “We are going to spend a little more money so that we can have a durable mascot costume because we want to make sure it lasts,” Launer said. “[One of the two options] has a cooling collar because these [costumes] can get really hot.” ASB plans to have the mascot attend more than just the traditional Friday night football games.
See MASCOT, Page A3
NEWS
A2 • February 1, 2011
The Campanile
Christoph Bono receives athletic award
NewsBriefs Another Philz Coffee location to open in downtown Within the next six months, Philz Coffee will be opening an additional location in Palo Alto. The new store will be opening on the corner of Forest Avenue and Alma Street, near University Avenue. Philz Coffee has been located on Middlefield Road in Palo Alto for countless years. Recently, the chain decided to open another shop in Palo Alto. “Philz decided to expand with the growing popularity of the Palo Alto store and the other stores in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose,” says Middlefield Philz employee, Alice Meyer. “Phil and Jacob, his son and co-owner, just want to spread the coffee love as far as they can.” As of now, the company has not announced if current employees at the Middlefield location will remain working there or transfer to the new location downtown. However, hiring will take place in order to fully staff both locations. “It has always been a goal to open more stores here and around the area, so when the chance came to open one downtown, it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Meyer said. Unlike Starbucks and other coffee shops, Philz has only had one location in Palo Alto, until now. Meyer claims that Philz is more personal than other coffee shops. “The most important thing to us is giving really good customer service and making sure no one leaves unhappy,” Meyer said. “Since we do everything one cup at a time, each person gets what they want, and exactly how they want it.” —Riki Rattner
Staff Writer
New email system installed for Palo Alto teachers and staff On Dec. 23, Palo Alto High School teachers and staff were introduced to a new email system for their Palo Alto Unified School District email account. The new email system is connected to the Infinite Campus network, which will further strengthen Infinite Campus as a tool to connect students and teachers. The system runs on a Microsoft Outlook platform, which is a standard business email system used by the majority of business and corporate clients, according to independent researching firm ZDNet. The Outlook platform offers typical email features for corporate accounts such as the ability to attach documents and send large sized emails but also includes newer features such as synchronizing with Outlook on mobile devices. The switch between systems was large in scale, but did not cause any major problems for most teachers. According to campus administrators, the switch had been well advertised and faculty had time to prepare beforehand. A few teachers reported that the switch occurred very slowly as the email systems transferred accounts, but the majority of teachers did not encounter many issues, according to office administrators. Some teachers, however, took longer to adjust to the new system and reported difficulty in determining how to perform technical tasks such as forwarding emails to another account. According to the administration, the new email system will not change much for teachers, but will help to further connect teachers with Infinite Campus. —Michael Abrams
Copy Editor
Facebook to move from site in Palo Alto to Menlo Park Social networking company Facebook is considering moving from its original base in Palo Alto to Menlo Park to accomodate its growing business. Facebook has looked into several sites such as Menlo Park’s Oracle Campus, which provides a 2.5 million square-foot building to work in. According to San Mateo County Assessor’s office, the Oracle building has been bought for $7.4 billion, however is now priced at $355 million. Final assessments will be made by June 2011. Facebook also plans to take shuttle buses to carpool to work and make transportation for its employees easier since Menlo Park is a farther commute for many of the employees, according to Palo Alto Online. In an interview with Larry Yu, Facebook’s corporate communications director, from Palo Alto Online, he said no final plans for the move have been made. “Generally we’re looking for a site that can accommodate our growth over the long term,” Yu said. Menlo Park Mayor Rich Cline in an interview with Palo Alto Online has some advice not to take rumors about Facebook so literally. “Any rumor about Facebook — given the nature of Silicon Valley — is only a rumor until someone actually signs a deal,” Cline said. “Facebook, Google and Yahoo! are probably the center of the most rumors in business.” According to Palo Alto Online nothing final has been initiated for Facebook, but plans to move out of Palo Alto’s small business area are final. —Alex Lin
Staff Writer
UpcomingEvents Feb. 4: Last day to add a class Friday is the last day to add a class for credit for first semester.
Feb. 11: Winter Rally
Staff vs. Students basketball game during an extended lunch.
Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day Snuggle up to your loved ones for a day full of candy.
Feb. 17: Staff Development Day Students receive the day off from school for staff development
Feb. 18-21: Local Holiday Students have a five day weekend for President’s vacation.
Mercury News grants Player of the Year title to Paly football player By Kirah Ingram
throws. He has great footwork in the pocket. And does the The San Jose Mercury little things — running for first News awarded senior quar- downs, avoiding sacks, movterback Christoph Bono the ing away from the rush — that Player of the Year Award this [help] a team win close games.” month for his in-game deciBono realizes the caliber siveness and ability to make of this award and is ecstatic to the right reads throughout the be the chosen athlete, but he 2010 football season. was not entirely sure he would The Player of the Year win the award at the time the Award is presented to one high candidates were announced. school football player in the “I was pretty excited actubay area who is talented and ally,” Bono said. “The reporter had the best overall season who wrote the article called and individually and as a part of said I was still in the running for their team. [the award], so I knew I would Alexander Pavlovic, San have a chance to win it, but I did Jose Mercury News journalist not find out until Wednesday for the Santa Clara County morning when I saw [the arHigh School Sports Blog, “After ticle] in the paper, [which] was School” said the way Bono per- pretty cool. I was really excited formed throughout the season when I found out I won because put him at it was an the top of award that the list for “Christoph strikes me was won on r e c e i v i n g as the type who would a personal this award. trade an individual level.” “ I B e think his award for a team title cause the best trait — any day of the week.” award is a and someof Alex Pavlovic reflection thing that Bono’s skills few quarSan Jose Mercury News on the field terbacks his and his abilage possess ity to com— is the ability to always make mand the team as the starting the right read and decision,” quarterback, the Central Coast Pavlovic said. “Christoph was Sectionals (CCS) Open Diviin complete command of the sion title and the California offense, and rarely forced Interscholastic Federation
Staff Writer
(CIF) Division One State Bowl wins simply add to the fact that Bono was a prime candidate for this award. “The thing that really stood out about Christoph was the way he performed down the stretch, as Palo Alto finished off an undefeated season and won CCS and state titles,” Pavlovic said. “He threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the CCS championship and then 223 yards and two touchdowns in the state championship — and both times faced very strong teams.” Seeing as the Vikings and Bono had notable seasons, Bono focuses more on how the team bonded over the season, rather than having these significant titles define his season. The team’s growing compatibility is what greatly aided the team to victory. Bono realizes that he and other candidates were similar statistically and in athleticism but he feels that his team’s perseverance in the face of adversity was part of what set him apart from the other athletes in the running for the Player of the Year award. “The [season] was pretty good, I mean we won the state championship and were undefeated, so that part speaks for itself,” Bono said. “But as a team, just seeing how our team
marc Havlik/Campanile
Bono credits his award not only to himself, but to the capability and commitment of his teammates. went through a lot of different things, and how no one expected us to win [because] we were the underdogs may have given me an edge [to set me apart from the other athletes].” Pavlovic understands that every athlete treasures an award differently and chooses to celebrate it in different ways, but he hopes the Player of the Year award is an honor to those who receive it.
“I think the meaning of these awards is up to the athletes themselves,” Pavlovic said. “We hope that it’s an honor for the athletes, and something that they’ll always remember, but I’m sure individual awards mean different things to different athletes. Christoph strikes me as the type who would trade an individual award for a team title any day of the week. Of course, right now he has both.”
New mayor of Palo Alto elected by City Council Espinosa hopes to effectively solve economic, infrastructure issues in community By Hannah Park Staff Writer
Sid Espinosa was recently elected mayor of Palo Alto on Tuesday, Jan. 4 by the Palo Alto City Council. Espinosa, a former member of the City Council as well as former vice mayor, participated to improve the city’s infrastructure by taking part in local renovations including the Art Center. “This last year was an opportunity to work with [former mayor, Pat Burt] to really understand the role [of mayor], marc Havlik/Campanile how the city works, how the different departments work, how to best connect Espinosa, the newly elected mayor, plans to focus on economic the neighborhood associations, busi- issues and bring ideas to City Council that will provide results. nesses and non-profit organizations,” Espinosa said. The city government has arranged influenced his interest in public service. Espinosa now focuses on solv- to solve the budget crisis and bring the Espinosa was exposed to civic service ing the budget crisis in Palo Alto. He city to economic stability. The mayor’s early in his life through his parents. foresees the difficult decisions the City plans for resolving the city’s crisis in- His mother, an executive director of a Council will need to make in order to clude increasing the city’s revenue and non-profit organization that focuses on education in Belize, and his father who develop practical solutions for the city. making efficient choices. “We have “We look focused on hard work and civic virtue, to make diffifor new rev- instilled the same values in him and cult choices but “He speaks very eloquently on enue sources taught him to give back and engage in the city council what his position is and why we a n d t h i n k the community. “I found that public policy and has been united about if there in agreeing that should join him.” are new in- making decisions about a community civic life is a great way to have that we are not goLarry Klein come streams and ing to push the for the city,” engagement and to make that differCity Council Member Espinosa said. ence,” Espinosa said. issue off for anAfter graduating from Wesleyan other council “Second is effior for another ciency, making University and Harvard Graduate day but we are really going to focus on sure that we are looking through every School, he began his professional camaking the structural changes in the department and ensuring that we are reer by working with the Democratic National Committee and with the White city that are needed so we can have acting as efficiently as possible.” sound financial standings in the long He acknowledges that his family, House while President Bill Clinton was term,” Espinosa said. teachers, mentors and neighbors have in office. He assisted Attorney General
ASB
Updates
Janet Reno in the U.S. Department of Justice and late director of global philanthropy at Hewlett-Packard. He currently works for Microsoft as the Director of Corporate Citizenship, in addition to his position as mayor. “Personally, one of the greatest challenges is time management,” Espinosa said. “Just balancing that time will be difficult as I was told from former mayors, but I knew that going into this and it didn’t dissuade me from serving this role.” Espinosa and Vice Mayor Yiaway Yeh are the youngest members on the council, but both agree that they will add different perspectives in City Council discussions and decisions. The two have worked alongside each other for several years. With such extensive former collaboration, policy decisions are expected to be for the most part very consistent. “We’re the two youngest on council and I think that’s something that’s going to be really exciting, to be bringing a lot of the ideas that we’ve talked about over the years, and to be able to follow up on it in this joint leadership,” Yeh said in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News. Larry Klein, former mayor and current city council member acknowledges Espinosa’s meticulous decision making and focus on solving local issues. “He’s always confounded people,” Klein said to the Palo Alto Weekly. “He takes a very independent look at issues and speaks very eloquently on what his position is and why we should join him.”
School Board
Palo Alto’s Associated Student Body is finishing up the organization for the last few elements for prom, which will be held Saturday Apr. 23. They are working hard to ensure that everything is set in place for the big night. Sophomores Michael Wang, Josh Madej and Charlie Dulik are working on the details for the Pancake Breakfast, an event that was held last year by current ASB Vice President Uma Veerappan. They are hoping that this year will be just as successful as the last. They are also working in conjunction with senior Spirit Commissioner George Brown on the Winter Rally, so students should listen for upcoming updates. The committee has also encountered difficulties with assigning funds to various projects. They are carefully outlining how much of their money should go where. “We’re currently working on distributing ASB funds within our budget, and that has taken up a significant amount of time in the past few days,”ASB President Chirag Krishna said. Dispensing funds is a time consuming process. According to Krishna, planning out how much money should be donated to each event while staying within in their budget has been difficult. “ASB has been having several discussions around a long term budget plan for the money in the account to improve student life,” Veerappan said. ASB has also started preparing for Winter Formal. A few ideas have been contemplated but none have stuck. Many members of the committee have worked hard together to construct new ideas for themes that would be enjoyable for this year’s dance. “I’ll be working with several other ASB officers to ensure that we plan a great event for all students,” Krishna said. Krishna is meeting with principal Phil Winston next week to confirm the date for Winter Formal. “[Winter Formal] is certainly not cancelled but is simply postponed because of some confusion around the date,” Krishna said. “It will be announced soon so stay tuned for updates around that.” Senior Class President Jack Smale and Senior Vice President John Brunett are working out the details for Baccalaureate and graduation.
The Palo Alto Board of Education held a meeting last Monday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Representatives from School Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSA) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) started the meeting by discussing their plans for the future with the board. Items that were scheduled for discussion were Employee Evaluation pursuant to Government, Employee Appointment pursuant to Government, and Liability Claims pursuant to Government. A conference with Real Property Negotiator pursuant to Government, Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release pursuant to Government, Anticipated Litigation pursuant to Government as well as student discipline were heated topics during the discussion. Topics the Board was recommended to approve included the certificated personnel actions as presented, the classified personnel actions as presented, the warrants list for December 2010, and the minutes of Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, 2010 and Jan. 11, 2011. The Board considered approving a sole source products list. This item was discussed at the Jan. 11, regular meeting. They also debated approving applications for state funding for construction projects and authorizing signers for the application process. New issues that were presented and discussed during the meeting was the Governor’s recent state budget proposal and its possible impact on the district as well as an update about the elementary math program. The district has also been examining the progress regarding the new renovations being proposed by various high, middle and elementary schools. Future projects for Henry M. Gunn High School include student activities, Spangenberg Modernization and renovations on the Performing Arts Complex. Paly is looking to renovate the 100 building for performing arts, the library and building 300A, weight and fitness facility, the addition and renovation of the 700 building for career tech and the tower administration building. Elementary schools are progressing towards elementary classroom improvements, portables to permanent projects at Escondido,Walter Hays, Hoover and Palo Verde, library and portables to permanent projects at Addison and flex rooms for various schools. K-12 funding for future projects are going towards furniture, fixtures and equipment, a technology infrastructure and multi-year planned maintenance.
—Nikki Whitson
—Nikki Whitson
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
NEWS
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • A3
Charter school to open East Palo Alto addresses academic achievement Rocketship Education plans to expand program with new elementary school campus By Tobey Nelson-Gal Senior Staff Writer
The Palo Alto-based charter school organization Rocketship Education plans to submit an application in late January to open up a new elementary school in East Palo Alto (EPA) to inspire higher levels of educational achievement. Founded in 2006 by John Danner and Preston Smith, Rocketship Education has already opened three elementary schools in San Jose. Although two of the schools are in their first year of operation, the first one, Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary, has displayed high achievement, with an Academic Performance Index of 926, according to the organization’s posted results. “Our mission is to eliminate the achievement gap, and help low-income elementary school students reach academic proficiency by the time they graduate from our schools, so that they are prepared for a rigorous middle and high school education leading to a successful four-year college degree,” Representative of Rocketship Education Judith McGarry said. “We intend to open elementary schools in high-need neighborhoods here in the Bay Area and eventually in other states and regions, too.” The organization intends to build its most recent school addition in the Ravenswood City School District of EPA, although the exact location is still being decided by officials in charge of the matter. “We haven’t yet selected a location for the school, since first we will submit the application for the charter later this month,” McGarry said. “Meanwhile, we’re evaluating several locations that are within the Ravenswood School District, provide easy access for parents, provide us with the room to support
Rocketship education
Rocketship Education plans to launch a new elementary school in East Palo Alto. The organization is dedicated to inspire education for children. 500 students and [have] nice surrounding outside play areas.” With a strong focus on education in low income areas, the organization has a few plans for ensuring the new school’s success in maintaining its students’ long-term commitments to learn. First, Rocketship Education will collaborate closely with parents and families in order to surround students at home and in school with a supportive environment. “Rocketship teachers conduct yearly home visits to students and their families,” McGarry said. “They also hold multiple parent-teacher conferences throughout the year,
host monthly parent community meetings, invite parents into the schools for volunteering and special classroom projects, solicit parent feedback for teacher hiring decisions and help parents connect with organizations such as People Acting for Community Together and Parents for Great Schools to advocate for more high-quality school options in their communities.” Second, the organization will recruit passionate teachers, many of whom are Teach For America (TFA) Corps members. “The TFA corps members are young, passionate teachers who are committed to eliminating the achievement gap,” McGarry
said. “They welcome support and tips from classrooms and teachers for core subjects to our principals and academic deans, who ap- benefit from teachers’ specific subject area preciate greater pay for better work, and who expertise. want to move into leadership positions. They This means that our teachers become are great role models.” really good at their subject areas, and the Third, through encouragement, the block schedule helps us make very efficient organization hopes that its students will be use of teachers’ classroom time.” motivated to pursue and enjoy education The organization will also include indifuther in life. vidualized learning sessions every day, when “We expect that every child should go to each student spends 100 minutes in a “Learna four-year college, and we help our students’ ing Lab” to work on computers or with tutors. parents hold those high expectations, too,” “Since basic skills are reinforced in the McGarry said. “It is the basis for everything learning lab, teachers are able to spend more in Rocketship’s culture, and it helps our stu- classroom time on high-level critical thinkdents realize they have the opportunity and ing skills, project-based learning and social the right to expect and receive a first-class skills,” McGarry said. “Learning Lab is staffed public school education.” by paraprofessionals and can accommodate As a government-funded organization, two classes of kids; the resulting savings Rocketship Educaare then re-allocattion plans to use its ed back into pay“We expect that every child budget to provide ing teachers higher the new charter should go to a four-year college, salaries (usually 20 school and its fu- and we help our students’ parpercent higher than ture students with surrounding district ents hold those high expectaopportunities. schools), and enable “What’s unique tions, too.” us to offer enrichabout Rocketship is programs such Judith McGarry ment the way that we alloas physical educaRep. of Rocketship Education tion, music and art.” cate and spend the money we receive As an organifrom government zation and not an sources,” McGarry said. “Because of our hy- independent public school, Rocketship Edubrid school model, we do many things that cation is able to centralize all non-teaching are very different than traditional district job functions, so that it can use that money schools.” for teachers and programs. The organization’s school program in“Unlike traditional schools, all admincludes an expanded school day that includes istrative staff functions are provided by block scheduling and specialist teachers. Rocketship’s national office team,” McGarry “All students from Kindergarten through said. “By centralizing these roles, we enjoy fifth grade are in school between 8 a.m. to economies of scale, and are able to leverage 4 p.m.,” McGarry said. “Like high school existing dollars better and farther than in a students, students move between different traditional public school.”
Ford adds parental controls to promote safe driving for teenagers New MyKey system allows administrative control over speed, radio for teen drivers
Prom to be in Union Square PROM, Continued from A1
By Madison Sevilla Editor in Chief
Ford Motor Company announced the release of their newly upgraded MyKey system that allows parents to place certain limitations on most Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in late December. To help ease the minds of parents with teen drivers, Ford added new settings to the MyKey system since the program was first released in 2008, including the ability for parents to set a maximum speed, limit the volume on the radio and restrict radio stations. “Ford wants to give parents peace of mind that their kids are following practical household rules in the car,” Ford Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering director Graydon Reitz said in an article by Autoevolution. The MyKey system will come standard with any Ford vehicle released in 2011. The owner of the vehicle can set up MyKey at the dealership or by turning on the car with an “administrator key” and programming the keys from directly inside the car. MyKey works by transferring the data from a radio-frequency identification chip in the car key to an updated version of Ford’s anti-theft system, SercuriLock. “There is a chip in the car key that has a set speed that the kid cannot exceed,” representative Sherly Brown at the Ford dealership in Fremont said. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teens are more likely to take driving risks such as not wearing a seat belt or speeding which is a
Netcar show
Ford Motor Company with debut a new line of cars featuring the new MyKey System, which allows parental control over radio and speed. Ford hopes to decrease accidents caused by teen driving by also installing a parallel parker and a Blind Spot Signifier. contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes. To reduce the multitude of driving risks, MyKey can be programmed to limit the maximum speed of the car from 60, 65, 70, 75 or to 80 miles per hour. MyKey can even alert the driver when either of the front seat belts are unbuckled by muting the radio and sounding an alarm for six seconds every minute until the seat belt is buckled. “The seat belt signifier helps kids become more aware of their surroundings and of how they drive,” Brown
said. “We want to make putting on a seat belt routine for teens.” Market research company, Penn Schoen Berland conducted a poll for Ford that showed nearly 85 percent of parents thought that the MyKey technology was important to keeping their teen drivers safe. Radio restrictions will be added to the upgraded MyKey system that allows parents to not only limit the volume of the radio while driving, but also to control which radio stations the driver listens to. Other settings that help teen drivers and reduce the risk of accidents are
the Always-on Safety Systems, which cannot be disabled. The Safety System includes Active Park Assist, a parallel park helper, and Blind Spot Warning System that warns the driver when another car enters their blind spot. “Like graduated licensing laws, MyKey helps parents set reasonable limits for teens as they’re building driving skills,” Reitz said. “We developed MyKey’s functions in such a way as to quickly spread it across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market.” In a study preformed by Ford, research shows that MyKey adds an
extra bonus to parents with teen drivers by saving them fuel. Since MyKey forces teen drivers to slow down, studies conducted by Ford show that the system actually helps save drivers 15 percent more fuel, than those without the MyKey system. “Ford is really trying to push teen safety by creating the MyKey option,” Brown said. “It is easy to use for parents, they can set it up at the dealership or at home, and [the system] will hopefully decrease the number of risks involved with teen drivers.”
great things with the space.” ASB is making an effort to address issues that students had with the 2010 prom, which was held on a boat in San Francisco. “One of the biggest things that we got complaints from was the fact that it was not all in the same room, so we tried to find a place where everyone could have dinner and everyone could dance together,” Smale said. Another major issue students had with last year was the D. J. and his song choices. “We didn’t get too much positive feedback for the music last year, so we’re working with the new D.J.,” Smale said. There will be entertainment provided at some point, but ASB is still choosing from “a lot of great options,” according to Smale. Like last year, students will be transported from Paly to San Francisco by bus. “[Using buses is] cheaper, it’s all fair, it’s good transportation and it shows that we’re a unified school and that we can all deal with the same things,” Smale said. ASB is keeping ticket prices relatively low with the goal being for students to pay less than $100 when purchasing their prom tickets. “It’s going to be an awesome prom,” Smale said. “Get ready for it.”
ASB purchases mascot for sporting events Hansen named Coach of the Year by ESPN RISE MASCOT, Continued from A1 “I don’t see why we can’t include all sports,” Kuppe said. “The mascot should go wherever he or she is wanted. It should increase attendance at any sport.” Although ASB is still contemplating how to select students for the mascot position, current options include, but are not limited to, holding tryouts or even an Olympics-style competition. “If [students] truly want to be this mascot, they will be very passionate about Paly Sports,”
Kuppe said. “So they might as well compete in a few spiritbased activities to see who really wants it the most.” Members of ASB hope to see a rotation in the students who wear the costume each season, allowing athletes who are in the off-season to participate. According to front office secretary Vallen Queen, this would not be the first time that Paly has had a mascot. “We had a mascot for many many years up until about five years ago,” Queen said. “Nobody volunteered to do it. We
had a viking helmet, we had a big fur viking [costume] and a belt. I think the two kids that I remember doing it, I think they did it [for the majority of their] high school career.” Many students are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the yetto-be-named mascot, as well as the arrival for more school spirit. “I’m really excited for our new school mascot because I feel like [he is] going to add some really sassy dance moves on the field and really show who’s boss, which is us,” senior Kristina Guzman said.
Parade honors Paly state championship athletes PARADE, Cont. from A1 “I think there were more people at the Paly parade than at the May Fete parade,” Diorio said. “I was worried we wouldn’t have a big crowd, and then walking down University Avenue and seeing all that green and white ... it was amazing.”
As the parade arrived in King Plaza, white and green spotlights fanned across the large crowd . ASB Sports Commissioner and Viking Editor in Chief George Brown and InFocus Executive Producer Wes Rapaport introduced the ceremony in front of a crowd of Paly fans.
“It doesn’t matter how big a stage you have been on before,” Hansen said. “Nothing gets more special than what we have here tonight.” Senior co-captains Trina Ohms and Megan Coleman spoke for the Lady Vikes volleyball team, while senior cocaptains Christoph Bono and Will Glazier
represented the football team. “[ This season] was just a magical ride,” Glazier said, addressing the crowd. “Capped off by this parade, which is the most awesome thing ever. Two state championships in one town is amazing, so it’s great to be a part of that.”
HANSEN, Continued from A1 High School, Bellarmine College Preparatory and Valley Christian High School in consecutive weeks. As heavy underdogs in the CIF Division I Championships, Hansen Led his team to a 15-13 victory over Centennial- Corona. Offensive line and defensive End Coach, Steve Foug, felt that Hansen’s coaching style was unlike any other of his previous head coaches he worked with. According to Foug, the difference between Hansen and other coaches was his emphasis on speed at practice. Hansen’s encourages the team to practice tempo and practice like they would play. “A good week of practice means that we will generally play well,” Foug said. Hansen coached many important games before the 2010 state title game, which include the CCS finals in 2003, 2005 and 2008. The Vikings lost in those games, but they won the CCS Open Division in 2006 and the CCS Division I championships in 2008. Paly (14-0) set a school record for wins and captured theCCS Open Division title before beating Centennial-Corona 15-13 in the Division I state bowl game. Hansen is the sixth CCS coach to win coach of the year since 1970, according to the Associated Press.
Senior quarterback Christoph Bono believes a reason why the Vikings were so successful throughout the season Hansen’s in depth studying of game film before a game. “Most people don’t realize that he watches eight hours of film every weekend to create the game plan going into the week so he can give it to us on Monday,” Bono said. “Reading the defense and what plays to execute and what plays will work was his biggest help to me.” Over his 23 -year coaching career at Palo Alto, Hansen has a 174-85-3 record. This record includes four CCS Championships and two appearances in the CIF State Championships since the bowls began in 2006. Both Bono and Foug think that Hansen’s coaching style not only improves players on the field, but also helps the athletes grow as adults. “He can read people really well,” Foug said. “You have to treat individual players differently.” Bono notes that Hansen communicates with his players so that the team can improve each week. “He’s really calm and he never really acts out against anyone,” Bono said. “He gets mad sometimes but he always does it in a reserved way to promote constructive criticism of the kids and not just yell at them for no reason.”
Marc Havlik/CAMPANILE
Head Coach Earl Hansen waits in the English Resourc Center. Another reason why Paly has been successful over past decade is that Hansen is an old-school coach that listens to the different voices that make up the team, according to Foug. Foug has worked with Hansen for the past 15 years and believes that Hansen tries to create the game plan to match the team. “He encourages input and creativity,” Foug said. “Every year we will change our approach.”
OPINION
A4 • Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Editorials
Online transcripts will streamline college application process The digital system will eliminate inconvenient paperwork and forms for Paly seniors and staff The long-awaited announcement by Assistant Principal Kimberly Diorio that Palo Alto High School will be switching to an online-transcript system could not have come sooner. The current process for ordering transcripts is seen by many students as being rather tedious and outdated. Most colleges favor online transcripts for organizational purposes. The ability to send transcripts via the Internet will be essential for students who are applying to college beginning next fall and even at the end of this school year for end-of-the-year transcripts. In order to implement the new system in an effective, non-overwhelming and easy-to-learn manner, the Campanile encourages the administration to take several steps. An instructional video walking students and parents through the exact process for sending out these transcripts should be recorded and posted on the Paly website in a permanent location and should be linked to on Infinite Campus by the end of February. This will give families plenty of time to prepare for the transition and will allow for the switch to go as smoothly as possible. The College & Career Center should continue to send out emails with important deadlines on when to send in transcripts, even though the process will be entirely online. These emails serve as good reminders for students who may have let an impending date slip by accident. The new system should also be mentioned in detail
during the Paly information nights for parents of college applicants. This will make sure that all parents involved in the process will be up to date on the new system. The Campanile believes that the new price for sending transcripts should be cut entirely. Since the new system will be entirely online, no office supplies will be used for the mailing of these transcripts and therefore any sort of cost would be redundant. The new, modernized system for sending transcripts to colleges will make the college application process, which often times can get overwhelming, incredibly easier for all parties involved. The prior procedure for sending transcripts required turning in a packet of papers with an addressed and stamped envelope. Before turning in forms to the office, students had to pay ($10 per transcript) at the auditor’s office. This process is slow and inconvenient, and it is common for Registrar Suzie Brown to have to call students into the office multiple times to correct problems with paperwork before they are finished. Eliminating the paperwork involved in this process will decrease the number of possible errors and decrease the overall time students and members of staff must devote to it. The Campanile supports Paly’s decision to use online transcripts and feels that this switch will be hugely beneficial to all students and staff members involved in the process if the office implements these changes effectively.
Paly AP classes should use new curriculum to the fullest The College Board’s alterations will make several AP courses more conceptual In a recent issue of The New York Times, the education section ran a story detailing changes being made to several Advanced Placement exams. These alterations, specifically to the AP Biology and AP United States History courses, are designed to shift the focus from mass amounts of memorized material to broader concepts. This would allow teachers to explore the subjects more thoroughly and feel less pressure to cram unreasonable amounts of information into a school year. In our experiences with AP classes at Palo Alto High School, we at The Campanile encourage these efforts and hope that the College Board’s changes will expand past those two subjects in the future. Most students choose to take an AP class either because they are interested in the material or because they want to challenge themselves academically. Making the curriculum less extensive would give them the chance to develop a higher level of understanding and mastery of the subject instead of spending all of their energy on memorization. Many students walk away from AP classes without a comprehensive knowledge of the subject, merely the ability to recite facts and the answers to exam study guides. This hinders the students’ growth and the atmosphere of a class. Both teachers and students would benefit from a more content based curriculum. If teachers had less material to cover, they would have more time to in-
tersperse innovative and beneficial lessons throughout the school year. In many AP classes, the curriculum is so large that there is little time for more projects, discussions or research. If more time could be allocated towards activities such as these, students might feel that they are learning more. At Paly, the schedule has changed to four days of block periods, ideal for labs or in-class projects, however, many AP teachers must use this expanded time for 90 minute lectures instead. When the College Board makes the changes to the existing AP curriculums, The Campanile encourages Paly teachers to take advantage of the alterations and integrate more creative and interesting elements into their courses. The purpose of having college courses available for high school students is to give them a chance to actively learn about the subjects that they are interested in within a stimulating environment. Most of the AP classes are expected to cover too much information and consequently make it impossible for AP students to adequately master the material in a single school year. The Campanile supports the College Board’s efforts to redevelop the AP Biology and History classes in high schools and feels that this type of reform is needed for other AP subjects as well.
The Campanile
Letters to the Editors Fund allocation must be reexamined
Paly should invest in a new microwave for student center
I’m sure everyone agrees that the free shirts and food given out at lunch are great. Who doesn’t love free pizza on a freezing cold day? I am one of the ones who stands in the long lines waiting for the free stuff. Then I started to wonder; where does Paly get the money to pay for all these things? Even if they have the money set aside, shouldn’t it be used for something better? There are many things that could be improved at Paly, and this money could take the steps towards this improvement. In the most recent version of the Verde it says the tree lot raises money to support Paly sports. If Paly didn’t spend so much money on free items would we even need this tree lot? When we fill out our enrollment packets at the beginning of the year there are spaces for donations for the library, sports and other school functions. Are all these donations gong to what they say they are, or is the money going to cheap t-shirts and free burgers? I don’t want to lose the free stuff, but we have to do what is right. And if this means losing free pizza, so be it.
On block days, it should be a requirement for teachers to allow a 5 minute break in the middle of class. It is hard for students to focus for the full 90 minutes, and a break will relax students so that they can continue learning for the rest of the class. Only 2 of my 7 teachers give us a break, but only 1 regularly does it. In that class, it is easier to concentrate because I had a chance to stop and soak in all of the information. This way studying for tests is easier because on the day we learned the information, we had time to remember the information.
Last week I decided to buy a delicious frozen pizza at Trader Joe’s for lunch. I was planning on warming it up in the student center microwave, and then being able to enjoy a warm, cheesy lunch with my friends. When I reached the student center microwave, though, I was shocked and taken aback at what I found. First off, there was a line of about 4 other people all waiting as well, which meant I had to wait about 15 minutes – or one quarter of lunch – just to be able to use the microwave. I look around a bit for another microwave, but to my dismay, there was not one. When I finally reached the front of the line, I opened the microwave door and found a grotesque and unappetizing scene. Crumbs, pasta sauce and even a few pieces of chicken covered the inside of the microwave. By the time I covered the entire microwave with napkins to keep my pizza uncontaminated and waited 4 minutes while it cooked, lunch was over and I had to wolf my pizza down on the way to my 5th period class. Paly needs a new microwave, or at least a clean one. I did a bit of research and found out that a basic microwave can sell for as low as $100 at Target. And paper towels, which could be used to clean the inside of the current microwave, believe it or not, are even less. I know this may seem like a pointless request, but it is really not as fruitless as you think. Dozens of students use the microwave every week, and the current one is unsanitary and, to be quite honest, disgusting. Please Paly, for me and the rest of us lunchtime microwavers, please consider purchasing a second microwave or at least cleaning the one we currently have. It will keep our food clean, make our lunch more enjoyable, and keep me from having to throw away half of my delicious barbeque chicken pizza because I didn’t have time to finish it during lunch and I wasn’t allowed to eat it in class.
—Stephanie Zhang, freshman
—Peter Dennis, junior
—Olivia Peeps, freshman
Block periods should include a mandatory break
Message from the Editors The Campanile would like to apologize for a column that was published in the December edition of the paper, titled “The Gauntlet.” The column was not intended to alienate the student mentioned in the piece. Publishing the piece demonstrated a lack of judgement from the editorial board. We would like to apologize to the student, his family and the many readers of The Campanile. “The Gauntlet” does not uphold the high standards held by the reporters and editors, and columns featured in future issues of The Campanile will maintain an appropriate level of respect towards students and the Palo Alto community as a whole.
Parade of Champions in King Plaza successful The celebration held on Jan. 8 demonstrated the Palo Alto community’s support of its teams The Campanile would like to take a moment and thank the Palo Alto community members for coming together to hold a parade in support of the Palo Alto High School Varsity Volleyball team and Varsity Football team for winning the State Championships in their respective sports. We are still in awe at the amount of people that came to this Parade of Champions on Saturday, Jan. 8. The turnout not just from Paly but Henry M. Gunn High School and the Palo Alto community as well was lively and heartwarming. Furthermore, the parade down University Avenue and subsequent celebration in King Plaza was put on in such short notice, but still had all the bells and whistles of a wonderful parade with trolleys, firetrucks, the Paly band, performances from both Paly and Gunn cheer squads and a huge high turn-out. There was also a hilarious video made by Paly senior Wes Rapaport with the varsity football team lip-syncing to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” This parade really showed how proud, supportive and involved not only Palo Alto’s City Council, but Palo Alto citizens are of their sports teams and school communities.
In addition, we would like to thank the many students and adult volunteers that came before the parade to help set up, and who stayed afterwards to clean up. Also, thank you to the Palo Alto Police Department, which maintained safety and order at the parade. The speeches given by varsity volleyball coach Dave Winn and varsity football Head Coach Earl Hansen vocalized the fact that the Palo Alto Unified School District has many talented and successful students in its schools. Likewise, Paly students such as seniors Rapaport and George Brown had the chance to remark on the triumphs of our school and community. Though The Campanile believes that parents, teachers and administration members always have given praise to the amazing work students and schools do, the parade was a muchneeded, and tangible demonstration of the pride we all hold for our schools. Though the parade and celebration were marked successes, the Palo Alto community should not make this celebration a one time occurrence and The Campanile hopes these commemorations become a long-standing tradition when any Palo Alto school team — including those that might not be directly related to sports — wins a State Championship or a national prizes.
The Campanile Editors in Chief
Nadav Gavrielov • Grace Harris • Rachel Mewes Madison Sevilla • Rachel Stober • Lillian Xie
Advisor
Esther Wojcicki
Sports Editors
Brunett John Brandon Nguyen
News Editor William Lee
Spotlight Editor
Opinion Editor
Justin Choi
Noa Dagan
Lifestyles Editor Copy Editor Helen Chen
Mikey Abrams
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
Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to campanile.opinion@gmail.com. The Campanile welcomes and prints letters to the editors on a space-available basis. The Campanile reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content. The Campanile only publishes signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts.
Advertising Managers Camille Ezran Maya Krasnow
Photo Editor 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
Marc Havlik
Photographers Susan Heinselman Alex Lin Riki Rattner Star Strul Lauren Wong
For more information regarding advertisements in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Advertising Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from publishing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within Paly and the greater Palo Alto community.
OPINION
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • A5
Tax deductions for eligible students greatly beneficial Student tax cuts lessen pressure on students, help nation’s economy greatly
With the cost of college and university tuitions steadily rising, students and parents continue to feel the financial pressure of pursuing and paying for a higher education. As State and Federal funds plummet incessantly, the government also finds greater difficulty in ensuring that adequate affordable post-high school education can be williamlee available for all students. in my opinion To combat the issue, president Barack Obama worked to pass an effective tax deduction of up to either $2000 or $4000 on qualified education expenses for eligible students and parents. Obama signed this deduction into law in December as part of tax legislation that also included an extension of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides up to $2500 of tax credit to further help students. These tax credit options for college-bound students are beneficial opportunities both for individuals looking for higher education and for our future national well-being as they provide not only relief to increased tuitions, but also investment in the skills and intellect of the future generation. The crisis students face is the national increase of tuition for higher education. Even state and governmentfunded universities have begun to raise costs for students as the nation and many states fall into dangerous deficits, made evident by the controversial University of California and California State University tuition increases. As the prices of both private and public universities and colleges increase to a more expensive education, it becomes a much less desirable option for students. Students who are currently enrolled in a college or university feel this pressure more than anyone. Continuing to obtain a diploma can become an impossible task for many as financial barriers and hurdles continue to rise. Even if they are able to graduate with a higher education degree, many students become subject to absurdly high college loan interests rates, putting them in prolonged debt. These tax credit options are essential in lessening the financial burden places upon this generation of college-
bound students. With tax credits from $2000 to as much as $4000 on qualified expenses, students and their families are relieved of a great portion of their fees and taxes. While the opposition may contend that these tax cuts are an additional load to the current national deficit, this
new socioeconomic legislation has potential for having a much greater impact on the future of the United States. One of the most immediate long-term effects of the tax credits would be the increase in the population of college graduates.
A greater number of college graduates that are prepared for their entrance into the real world will have immense positive effects on the unemployment rate, national affluence and the struggling American economy in general. According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with some kind of college or associate degree have a 2.1 percent lower unemployment rate than people with only a high school education. Furthermore, those with a Bachelor’s degree and higher have a 5.9 percent lower unemployment rate than those with only a high school degree. With these statistics, it would be fair to infer that a larger college-educated population would create a larger working force. As more individuals gain college degrees, there will be a greater demand for a working force with a more diverse set of skills and intellectual abilities. A more educated population will lead to a much lower unemployment rate than the country has been facing for the past couple of years. With the unusually high rate of unemployment decreased, the general outlook on national affluence and economic condition will also see a substantial improvement. As more and more college-educated employees receive employment opportunities and higher pay, national affluence will continue to rise. More individuals will have spending capacity to pump dollars into the United States’ economy. As demand for consumer product increases, even more employment opportunities will appear, making the financially deprived population shrink, contracting the gap between rich and poor. This, among many other economic impacts, will also begin to shape more integrated demographics. Ultimately, with a larger population of college graduates made possible by tax credits, national wealth will increase, benifiting and helping to relieve the national deficit as citizens become much more able to pay taxes. While the projected effects of these tax credits may take time, they provide for an added solution to both the current problem of high tuitions, but also the national and future issue of economic health.
Teachers should give five substantial days of review for finals
Current schedule of only two review days inadequate, leads to unneeded pre-final stress Managing outside exams as well as finals “Dead Week” is the slang term that can be difficult. “It’s a little stressful because we have a many students at Palo Alto High School quiz on Friday before finals week,” junior use to describe the Virginia Sheetz said. “It’s annoying because week of studying right when you finish studying for the quiz, b e f o re s e m e s t e r you have to study for the final.” Not only is it stressful enough that stufinals. This is the week where one can dents have to study a whole semester’s worth find some students of information for an average of five subjects, scrambling to finish students also have to fit in studying for quizlauracui their major projects zes. This significantly takes away valued in my opinion or essays, or others review time. Although many students prefer beginning to review notes and start the long leaving a whole week open for reviewing, teachers like David Baker, who teaches math, process of studying for their tests. However, Dead Week at Paly also con- justify the limited amount of time. “What I think about review days is the sists of studying for last-minute quizzes and absorbing new information teachers may amount of review days you have should be proportional to basically what course you’re cram in. Paly’s review days policy should be in,” Baker said. “As you get towards junior and senior year, there’s less review days because changed to guaranultimately we’re trytee a complete fiveing to prepare you for “Usually I give a whole week, day week set aside college and in college, solely for preparing I think two calendar days isn’t you’re not going to for finals instead of have a week of review a mere two days for very long to prepare for a final.” reviewing. Sean Leonard time.”The amount of The Paly handPhysics Teacher time that should be book states that, dedicated to in-class “there should be reviewing depends on at least two days set aside for review for finals, and no major the lane and level of a class, as well as the subject of the class. English teacher Kari Snell tests at least two days before finals begin.” With only a minimum of two days set structures her classes differently than a math aside for reviewing, students are feeling the classes would be taught, and because of this, stress build up from not spending enough feels that the current two days are sufficient. Instead of giving a final on a semester’s time going thoroughly over a whole semester worth of reading, Snell tested her students on of curriculum. “I don’t believe leaving only two days the overall topics taught in class. “As far as English goes, I think [a minifor reviewing is enough because we have a full semester of material to go over,” junior mum of two days for reviewing] is enough,” Sosi Lepejian said. “We also don’t have time Snell said. “The way I structure the semester, I to cover everything and ask all the questions tend not to do a cumulative final based on all of the work we read, rather in the cumulative that we might have in only two days.” With the limited amount of time set sense in that we’re working on a lot of different aside for reviewing in addition to the quiz- skills. But I can definitely see for other classes zes teachers may schedule during the week, that one block day might not be enough when students have to take time away from their there’s a lot of information to be learned.” The different academic subjects and the reviewing for finals in order to focus on studytopics finals focus on do affect the amount ing for another exam.
VERBATIM
Lauren wong/Campanile
The current schedule designates only two days for in-class review for final exams. A longer period without new material or tests would better prepare students for finals and reduce much of the stress that finals can cause. of review days students need, for more demanding classes such as honors or Advanced Placement courses. The amount of material covered corresponds with the time spent studying for finals. Physics teacher Shawn Leonard agrees with
the idea of more that there should be more time for reviewing. “I would like to see more [time given to prepare],” Leonard said. “Usually I give a whole week, I think two calendar days isn’t very long to prepare for a final.”
Paly’s administration should change the policy of a minimum requirement for studying from two days to a full week. By enforcing a longer time period for reviewing in class, students will positively benefit and reduce the already present stress by semester finals.
What is your favorite pick-up line?
Compiled by Rachel Stober, Marc Havlik, and Rebecca Ruff
“Did you get a parking ticket? Because you have “fine” written all over you.”
“They should redo the alphabet so that U and I are together.”
“Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”
“If I could be an enzyme, I’d be DNA helicase, so I could unzip your genes.”
“Do you have a Band Aid, because I hurt myself falling for you.”
Vivian Landa senior
Andreas Winsberg junior
Sophie Parker sophomore
Alex Sholtz senior
Zach Rosenbaum freshman
A6 • February 1, 2011
Larry Page (left) and Sergey Brin (right), CEO and cofounders of Google
S P O T L I G H T
George W. Bush, former President of the United States
Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc.
The Campanile
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook
Oprah Winfrey, television host
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The Campanile
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During the halftime show of Superbowl XXXVIII, Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson’s clothing during the performance, exposing her right breast to the unprepared public. According to CNN News, this unintentional incident was due to a wardrobe malfunction. Janet Jackson later formally apologized.
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February 1, 2011 • A7
Friends
american Idol
Survivor
The Simpsons
Gilmore Girls
Lost
Jersey Shore
Glee
The Office
House
OPINION
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • A8
Paly too focused on sports, should embrace other activities
Community should recognize achievements of non-athletic extracurriculars When Palo Alto about. Sports can unite a campus. There is High School’s foot- something inexplicable that the suspense ball and volleyball from a basketball game yields or the joy of teams won Califor- seeing the soccer team beat rival Henry M. nia Interscholastic Gunn High School. Not everyone can relate Federation Division to being a math prodigy or is able to get easily I titles, Viking pride hyped up over robotics. Still, like most news, was ubiquitous. sports has taken its toll on Paly’s media and InFocus, Paly’s the attention is getting a bit old. broadcasting publiSports can provide an outlet for students andreamore cation, played game as well as teach valuable lessons. Teamwork, footage for weeks, aggressiveness, competitiveness and learning in my opinion the librarians blasted structure should have just as much bearing on celebratory music in the library and Palo Alto students’ lives as the lessons in altruism and even hosted a parade in the athletes’ honor. community one can take away from particiWhile it is encouraging that the Paly com- pating in community service. Just as athletes munity is able to join together to celebrate spend the season, months or sometimes the its winning teams, many other students are year training for their sport, students also also achieving impressive accomplishments spend an inordinate amount of time spending — not just athletes. However, their endeavors time with the elderly, tutoring or volunteering are overlooked by the spotlight that constantly at the library. shines on sports. Prioritization of athletics can also be seen Becoming state champions is no easy in the numbers if one were to look closely at task, but where has Paly been to cheer on those how sports are financed. whose performances have Bond proposals that not taken place on a field give tax money to the Palo Although Paly excels or court? Alto Unified School DisPaly has displayed at sports, too much trict are constantly on the feeble support for the emphasis on sporting ballot in local elections. debaters, the Filmmaking Be it a new field, staClub and the thespian programs may make stu- dium or bleachers, sports and global literacy clubs, dents think twice about are costly. Rather than among many others, all trying out for a play or focusing on sports, Paly of which are working on should spread the wealth extensive projects well joining a club when they by financing other proworthy of applause. grams. could get on the sports The debate team ob2008, Paly spent boat that seems to be all closeInto $350,000, tained a bid to the most on a new, prestigious debate tourna- the rage. state-of-the-art synthetic ment in the nation, Tourturf football field, while nament of Champions. plans for a much needed The members of the Filmmaking Club are new performing arts center have only just making a dark comedy movie. The thespian taken root and the Academic Resource Cenand global literacy clubs are working together ter’s supply of textbooks still remains insufon a project that will help underprivileged ficient for the demand. Whatever happened children in China learn to speak English by to Paly encouraging that grades be put first? videotaping students. How can Paly always be there to grant The aforementioned projects and ven- money for sports needs, while the moldy tures are no more or less praiseworthy than Spanish 3 books are in desperate need of the athletic ones, and yet the excitement over replacements? sports is consistently greater. Although Paly excels at sports, too much To have an interview on InFocus that is emphasis on sporting programs may make not centered around sports is an anomaly and students think twice about trying out for a after club day, little is heard about the great play or joining a club when they could get on things students involved in clubs are doing the sports boat that seems to be all the rage. for the community. This detracts from other aspects of Paly Paly takes pride in sports because the life and leads to a conspicuous imbalance. physical competition is an aspect of sports For instance, there are annual ceremoviewing most everyone can get excited nies and awards for the beloved athletes,
Alex Lin/Campanile
Freshman Sarah Ohlson rehearses for the spring play, My Fair Lady, which students will perform starting in March. Paly needs to put emphasis on extracurriculars, such as theater and debate, instead of just athletics. but no accolades are awarded to the theater department. While Paly takes pride in its sublime gyms and courts, Paly’s choir is constantly having trouble finding a place to perform. Choir has to use a makeshift room in the band room because the choir room is not large enough to accommodate them. The singers must pay to use the churches in which their concerts take place. The Madrigal Concert on Dec. 11 was held on the quad inside a large white tent because the choir room was not sufficiently sized. Forgotten were the sprinklers that were
coincidentally located in the tent, and at night they went off. It is highly unlikely that sprinklers would have gone off in a choir room. The show had to go on, however, and the concert, although damp, was forced to continue. Sports can provide an outlet for students to release stress. They function as means of exercise to keep students healthy and they can teach valuable lessons. However, spend a day in school and one can see the conspicuous value students put on sports as well as the cold shoulder given
to other activities. The apathy displayed towards other extracurricular activities and the prioritization of athletics is saddening not only because so many programs at Paly are underfunded, but also because there are a multitude of extracurricular activities at Paly that are not given the time of day. Students should check out the talented girls’ a cappella group, Heartbeats performing at the Valentine’s Day Concert or come out to see My Fair Lady in March. Paly’s sports are definitely something to be proud of, but they are just a small part of what this school has to offer.
Censorship of Huckleberry Finn only ignores America’s racist past Changing offensive slurs will take away from literary power of Twain’s words F o r those who do not know, NewSouth Inc. plans to release edited versions of the Mark Twain classic, The Adsamblake ventures of Huckleberry in my opinion Finn. Huckleberry Finn is a continuation of Mark Twain’s earlier book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri. The book tells a story of a poor southern boy who finds a stash of gold and tries desperately to join his friend Tom’s gang. A widow Miss Watson adopts Huck, and he is introduced to her slave, Jim. Then, Huck’s real father kidnaps him and locks him away in his cabin. Huck runs away and meets Miss Watson’s former slave Jim, who has also run away. The two team up and try to escape. Huck goes along with this, despite the fact that helping a slave is greatly punishable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tells a heart wrenching story filled with social commentary on the time. The book can be found in many high school classrooms as well as the banned books list. The edited versions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will replace the word “N——” with “slave” and the word “Injun” with “Indian.” Although these words are offensive, censoring them cannot change the past. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an historical document, and it was written in a time period when these words were commonplace. Twain grew up in the antebellum south and saw the racial inequalities of slavery. It would be great if America had never used the N-word, but it remains part of American history just as much as the Constitution does. The only way to move forward as a country is by looking back and facing what happened, not completely ignoring it. Mark Twain’s books have been censored ever since they were written. They were considered offensive
STAR STRUL/Campanile
New South Inc. is releasing an edited version of Mark Twain’s classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They will edit racial slang from the text so that the novel is politically correct for modern times, and the book will be school appropriate. in his day and they are considered offensive now. Mark Twain said when his books were first censored, “But the truth is, that when a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn’t anger me.” Twain raises the questions: when censorship starts, when will it end? How many books will we censor? Will censorship ever truly change our history? Throughout the world there are people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened. The mainstream brushes these people off as crazy because everyone knows that the Holocaust did happen. Challenging that events such as the Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide ever happened clearly damages many people, and one can see that and how those people are affected.
By recognizing that these events did happen, one can learn from them and try to prevent such terrible events from ever occurring again. If society starts trying to change history, there is no doubt that history will repeat its mistakes because society will not know any better. If society starts to censor our history, there is really no telling where it will stop. Yes, the Holocaust is an extreme example, but changing history takes a country and its people down the wrong path. Altering the words of the author also takes away from the power of the book. When Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn, the language was not considered extreme. People today find it drastic because they did not grow up in the pre-Civil War south. They need to keep in mind that part of the value of Mark Twain’s book
is that he is representing an historical time period. People may start with censoring a few books, then maybe a few years and so on. For example, the Georgia state flag used to have a Confederate flag on it. The decision was made to change the flag and remove the Confederate half, which is changing part of our history. Georgia was a Confederate state, and one must accept and acknowledge that rather than sweep it under the carpet. Another example is Confederate History Month, which until recently had been terminated. It was resurrected by the Virginia state Governor Bob McDonnell. When he chose to reinstate Confederate History Month for the month of April, much controversy arose. However, Confederate history is part of American history.
It is a terrible racist black smudge on the record of the United States, but that cannot be changed. America is great, but it is not perfect. One cannot pretend that America’s history is either. Books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be mandatory for school curriculum, nor should they be banned. The teacher or the district should be able to choose whether or not their pupils can handle the sensitive material. “I uniformly disagree with censorship ... it is offensive and I do not personally teach the material,” Paly English teacher Sima Thomas said. “Nevertheless, putting it out of history feels wrong,” However, anybody who wants to go out into a library and buy a copy of the uncensored version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be able to do so. The counterargument, however, is that the racially charged
material is too sensitive for young children. This is a valid point, yet what children have access to in songs and television is just as bad or worse than what can be found in Mark Twain’s books. America’s modern entertainment industry is worse. Listening to the top songs and most watched television shows, the word “N——” appears frequently. The music of artists like 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne can be heard in all levels of education from elementary to graduate school. Parents and editors may think that they can keep these foul words away from their children’s ears, but the truth is, they cannot. If kids only hear the N-word in rap music they will never understand the historical significance. They will not truly understand the word, and they will be far more prone to using it. If people want words like “N—— ” and “Injun” to disappear then they have to make sure every generation understands their impact. The issue was re-sparked when the US council declared The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn unsuitable to teach. They said that it would cause the children of African-American descent too much humiliation. The words appear 219 times in Twain’s novels. But the truth is, Mark Twain was not a racist, and he did not use the words offensively. He only used them because the words were common when the novel was written. His stories tell of triumph and an unlikely alliance between a southern boy and a African American slave. Twain chose his words carefully, and people do not have the right to change them some 200 years later. America as a people has the responsibility to teach why he used these words and what their connotations were with when they were written. Mark Twain’s books are historical documents and should not be changed, but rather they should be learned from. We need these books to understand words like “N——” and “Injun,” so they will stop being used as slang today.
The Campanile
SPORTS
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Volleyball coach shows what it takes to be a “Winn”-er Dave Winn opens up about the State Championship, his path to Paly, personal favorites By Hannah Totte Staff Writer
The Campanile: Everyone remembers the intensity and anxiousness during the final points of the State Championship in January. I’m sure you remember the crowd and court vividly, especially as Paly came back from behind 12-9 to give Maddie Kuppe (‘12) the opportunity to make those two unforgettable aces. How was your mindset during that entire process? Dave Winn: Fortunately, throughout the year, we practice being in a game to 15, what we call “deciding games,” because it’s a shorter game and there’s a sense of finality to it. We practice a lot going through what it takes to win a game like that. We usually try to put some pressure on that team, that is trying to get to 15 before another team so it’s kind of second nature for us to go through that pressure. When we were down, I felt like we were playing really well. I thought [Long Beach Poly High School] stepped up their game a little bit and their hitters were a little more precise than ours but down 12-9 we had a bad break, I had my last time out and I just decided to put my clipboard down, never mind how good they were, fired up the crowd a little bit, and I just was hoping they’d feed off the energy a little bit that was in our place, because we don’t get that kind of huge crowd support all the time. So I wanted them to feel it, I wanted them to hear it. Because we practiced in that environment so many times, it allowed Maddie [Kuppe] to go up and take a big swing, allowed Trina [Ohms] to make a big dig, allowed Jackie [Koenig] to put up a good block, and obviously allowed Maddie [Kuppe] to make those two great serves at the end, and that’s why they looked so calm. People afterwords were asking me “How did they do that?” You know, if you do it enough in practice, you can tune out all of those distractions and just focus on what you have to do. TC: So I can imagine being in a practice environment with just the team in the gym, but how did that calmness transfer to the game environment with everyone screaming? DW: Like I said at the parade, you don’t win a state championship in the year you win it, you win it in the years before. So last season, we were in 10 deciding games, and I believe we won nine of them. So they had gotten the practice, not only this year in practice, but last year in real match situations; coming from behind in dramatic fashion. We’d been there before. TC: You mentioned in your speech at the parade that by winning that game you kind of got rid of the “chip on the shoulder” of being a public school. Can you expand on that? DW: We definitely harnessed being the underdog in a lot of years. Winning league, you want to say that we’re flying under the radar, but even after five league titles we still couldn’t win a CCS title, so we always harnessed that underdog spirit. Now, we can take the chip off and know we’re good enough to win this. Let’s begin each season embracing the face that we’re gonna be the best team. TC: Speaking of the parade, what did it mean to you and the team? DW: It was awesome. You feel good enough just winning, just getting the trophy and everything that goes with it. Had we not had the parade, we’d have felt great. But the fact that the community itself felt like they wanted to mark the occasion, that was amazing, that really meant something to me. It made me feel great as a coach, as a
student, I kept studying, but even then you can be a great coach and not have great kids. Fortunately for me, the spotlight has shown on my team, and its definitely more about them than me. I’ve been in a situation where I’ve really got great kids, great parents, and it lets me do my job. TC: So all of my friends on the volleyball team are always talking about awkward [assistant coach] Greg Lara. Can you tell us a little bit about Lara? DW: [Laughs.] You know, he’s a young guy but he probably has more years of coaching experience than I do, because he started out coaching when he was a senior in high school. He’s very humble. They call him awkward Greg because he doesn’t put on airs, he doesn’t try to be the cool guy like other coaches do, he’s not trying to be your friend, he’s just trying to win, and he knows so much. I relied on him this year to be my strategic consultant. I had two other great assistant coaches who just clicked with Greg, and Greg knows how to teach the girls, sometimes when I say things that aren’t totally understandable, Greg can be there to translate. It’s awesome to have him. He was a head coach, so it’s just awesome to have a guy with head coach experience as an assistant coach. It’s a luxury. TC: Can you tell us a bit about your life outside the volleyball court? Hobbies, favorite foods? DW: Off the court, which isn’t very often these days, I play golf, I had to admit it but I’m a gamer, I do a little Playstation, a little Call of Duty, that probably keeps me in touch with the teenage boys at Paly. So, I like competitive games, any competitive game. I do a little golf, softball, but a lot of it is playing with my kids. I’ve got an 8-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old rachel harrus/voice daughter, so whenever I’m off, I’m playing with them. Winn, who took an untraditional path to coaching volleyball, was just named Maxpreps Obviously when I’m not on the clock for volleyball I try California Coach of theYear for helping to lead theVikings to their first ever State Championship. to make time for my family, because they sacrifice so much while I’m in season because it takes so much time. part of a great community. Not every place does that. It’s of any strength program, so I would work out with them Favorite food? Definitely sushi. Whenever we won something I try to explain; we were taking time out of all and got to know them, then played in tournaments and got big matches the coaches would go out and celebrate our busy lives to celebrate something a bunch of teenage into grass volleyball and got good. I never thought I would with sushi dinner. girls and boys did. begin coaching until I lived TC: To wrap it up, I think that’s awesome, it goes beyond sports. I looked in Texas, when I played on “You feel good enough just winning, just could you describe your out, and I saw a couple thousand people looking back at a pretty competitive men’s favorite moment overall me, and everyone was happy and was willing to sort of team, and nobody wanted getting the trophy and everything that this season? feast on our kill. It was awesome. to manage the team or learn goes with it. Had we not had the parade, DW: It might be surTC: Yeah, that was incredible. I was at the front, and strategies. prising, but my favorite we’d have felt great. But the fact that the when I turned around I couldn’t even see the street. It I got a book and started moment was right after was packed. reading it. I never coached community itself felt like they wanted to we lost to Los Gatos. Most DW: And that’s the most people I’ve spoken in front HS volleyball in Texas, mark the occasion ... that really meant people would think that a of for sure. At work, I speak in front of people all the time, but when I came out here favorite moment wouldn’t something to me.” but not like that. to work, I had some time be right after we lost, but TC: Were you nervous at all? between jobs, and I saw a Dave Winn we were really bummed, it DW: I wasn’t, because it was such a fun thing to talk job advertised in the paper Varsity Volleyball Head Coach probably was a match we about it wasn’t hard. I usually write out my speech to for a JV coach at Pinewood should have won, but we every word, but there was just so much good emotion I High School. went in the hallway and could just put down some notes and just talk. You know, I had no experience, I everyone was bummed, I was just focusing on our accomplishment and what it knew how to play but I stunk. I was not a good coach. It and I only spoke for two minutes and I realized then meant to the city. We don’t know if we’ll ever get a state could have been the end for me but I was determined to that everyone was so determined to never lose again that championship again, so you just got to celebrate those get better, [and] to keep trying. season. There was such a look in everyone’s eyes of “we’re moments. [A] Job opened up at Los Altos and [I] coached there gonna do this” that I was inspired. I became inspired by TC: Can you tell the Paly community a little bit for four years. Things got bad there for various reasons the fact that we just lost a really tough match at home, about your history with volleyball and how you began and I thought I was going to be off coaching for a while. and I felt that these girls were going to go all the way. coaching? Earl calls me out of the blue and asks if I’m still interested And obviously winning the state finals. Just hearing DW: It’s probably not the typical path, but I started in coaching. When I got to Paly, I was first able to be at a the crowd, how loud they were, and everyone shouting out in high school as a wrestler, and I went to college at place where I knew enough to coach well, I could work with for us, and then obviously looking out at the big crowd Stanford and I was a wrestler there. But a lot of my friends girls who were good and athletic, and the administration at the parade realizing how much it meant to the city... played volleyball, and I felt like vertical jump was a big part was great. That allowed me to get better as a coach. Like a those were definitely the highlights.
Wrestling begins winter season with notable winning streak
Junior Kalen Gans already impressive in league, leading team to success in tournaments By Michael Augustine
points from the 140 lbs bracket and sophomore Jordan Smith scored 6.00 points out of Now into the heart of the wrestling sea- 112 lbs bracket. In the Apple Cider Classic Palo Alto scored son, the Palo Alto Vikings have established themselves as one of the stronger schools in 82.5 points placing 12th out of 38 schools. the league. Palo Alto placed seventh out of 31 Gilroy placed first with 160.0 points. Gans placed first with 32.50 points out of schools in the Coast Classic tournament with 110.0 points. Alisal High School scored 160.0 the 162 lbs bracket. Gans received a bye in the first round, won by tech fall 21-4, then by pin points, taking first place. Junior Kalen Gans placed first in the Coast at 2:35 in the quarterfinal, by major decision Classic Tournament, earning 30.50 points for 15-2 in the semifinal before pinning Michael Paly in the 160 lbs. bracket. Gans won by tech Heraz form Solidad High at 1:15 taking first fall 26-9 in the first round, by major decision place. Ortiz scored 25.00 points, taking sec17-4 in the second round, by pin at 3:22 in ond place, out of the 127 lbs bracket. Ortiz the quarterfinals, by major decision 12-4 in received a bye in the first round, pinned his the semifinal before beating Jovan Villalobos opponent at 1:47 in the second round, won by major decision 12-1 in the quarterfinal, won from Alisal by major decision 10-0. Junior Nick Ortiz placed third, scoring by decision 7-3 in the semifinal before losing 20.50 points in the 125 lbs. bracket. Ortiz to Andre Delagnes from Menlo Atherton by first won by pin at 5:16, in the second round decision 2-3 in the finals. In the Mid California he won by tech fall 18-2, by decision 4-3 in Invitational tournament Palo Alto placed 26th the quarterfinals, lost by decision 9-2 in the out of 70 (17th out of 67) teams with a score of 80.0 points. Selma semifinals before beatplaced first with 321.0 ing Robbie Chen of points. Los Gatos by decision “I am currently ranked first Gans was the only 4-2 in the third place at the 160 weight class. My viking to place and has match. yet to lose to anyone Junior Joey Chris- next goal is to place at states. from the section in t o p h e r s o n s c o re d This may be a little more of a the 160 lbs bracket, 17.00 points placing reach, but I feel like it is also continuing his success fourth out of the 130 with a second place lbs. bracket. Christo- obtainable. ” earning 36.00 pherson received a bye Kalen Gans finish points out of the 162 in the first round, won Junior lbs bracket. by decision 7-4 in the Gans received a second round, won by bye in the first round, pin at 1:44 in the quarterfinals, lost by decision 10-3 in the semifi- pinned his opponent at 1:47 in the second nals, won by decision 10-5 in the consolation round, won by decision 9-4 in the third round, semifinals before losing to Lawrance Combs won by major decision 10-1 in the quarterfinals, won again by major decision 14-5 in from North Salinas by major decision 9-1. In the Coast Classic, sophomore Trent the semifinals, however lost to Adam Busch Marshall earning 13.00 points from the 135 from Castro Valley by decision 2-7. “My first goal is to win CCS,” Gans said. lbs bracket with a sixth place finish. Junior Tanner Marshall, 189 lbs bracket, and junior “I am currently ranked first at 160 weight Matt Slipper, 171 lbs bracket, each scored 8.00 class. My next goal is to place at states. This points. Sophomore Gary Hobach scored 7.00 may be a little more of a reach, but I feel like
Staff Writer
marc havlik/campanile
Junior Kalen Gans outwrestles an opponent in a match marking the beginning of the season. In three of their dual tournaments, Paly has come out on top, proving the team’s strength at the outset of league competition. it is also obtainable. There are no secrets that I know of to achieve this, except hard work and dedication.” Sophomore Erik Anderson, 173 lbs bracket, and Trent Marshall, 132 lbs bracket, each earned 9.00 points, Ortiz scored 8.00 points from the 127 lbs bracket, senior Jose Tochez scored 7.00 points out of the 191 lbs bracket and Hohbach scored 1.00 points from the 142 bracket. In the Sierra Nevada Classic Tournament Gans did the best, going 3-2, getting to the quarterfinals against some very hard competition. So far through their three dual meets, Paly is 3-0. In their first dual meet in December, Paly beat Monta Vista High School 39-33. On Jan. 6, Paly beat Saratoga 64-10.
“We did a much better job staying off our backs [avoiding pins],” Duran said. On Jan. 20, Paly beat Wilcox High School 58-13. Paly won 10 of the 13 matches dominatingWilcox. Sophomore Spencer Drazovich did a great job after only two weeks of practice, coming back from football. Drazovich was nearly pinned in the first round before pinning his opponent later in the first. Paly’s first home dual meet of the year was postponed, and is rescheduled for Tuesday Feb. 1. Ryan Oshima has been cleared to continue practicing after an ACL injury in August. It is undetermined when he will continue wrestling in competition, but Duran thinks he will be ready by the playoffs.
Paly is facing Homestead at Paly on Feb. 3. “I think we have a good chance at leagues this year,” Marshall said.
WRESTLING Scores
vs. Saratoga Jan. 6, W 64-10 @ Saratoga vs. Wilcox Jan. 20, W 58-13
Upcoming games vs. Homestead @ Paly Feb. 3, 5:30 p.m.
The Campanile
SPORTS
February 1, 2011 • A11
The Vikings beat rivals Los Altos and Gunn High School
Returning Paly players help bring home victories after a series of losses By Maddie Berger Staff Writer
The Palo Alto boys’ varsity basketball team’s season kicked into high gear with two tournaments over winter break and seven league games in the last three weeks. The Vikings went into winter break with two wins over Milpitas High School 75-33 and Woodside High School, 59-43. However, in the first tournament on Dec. 22 and 23, the Vikings faced back-to-back losses, first against Monta Vista High School
and then against Bellarmine High School ending with a score of 42-45. At the St. Francis Holiday Classic on Dec. 28 and 29, the boys pulled a victory over Aragon High School but lost to St. Francis High School and Deer Valley High School. With an astounding state championship victory ending the football season, key players such as seniors guard Davante Adams and forward T.J. Braff have turned their attentions to basketball. Jan. 3 marked their first week training and playing with the team.
“[Basketball] is a lot different [from football],” Adams said. “[I’ve] got to get into basketball shape. I haven’t played in awhile, [but] I don’t necessarily have a favorite sport so whichever one I’m playing I’m enjoying the most, so I’m having fun.” During the first few weeks following winter break, the team worked on adjusting to the new players, getting up to speed and reteaching the offense. “Right now, we’re working on chemistry,” head coach Adam Sax said. “It’s taking some
“In the second quarter we made our run,” time, but I think eventually once they learn all the sets and learn all the plays, they’re going Sax said. “We went on a ten to nothing run, and we had a lot of energy in the second quarter to get better.” Not only do the returning football players so I was very happy with that.” The lead switched back and forth for the add talent, but the larger team allows for Sax to rotate more players in an out of games and first quarter, ending in 14-11 Paly. During the avoid fatigue. third quarter, both “O u r g o a l s teams picked up are, right now, to “[The] best part of the game [was] the pace, with an get everybody on the alley-oop. [It] got the crowd goalley-oop to Adthe same page, ing and got the team going and it ams from Jones, and ever ybody and a dunk by one to play together, was fun.” and when that all Charlie Jones of Gunn’s players in the last minute comes together I senior of the quarter. think that things “[ The] best are going to happart of the game pen,” Sax said. On Jan. 4, the boys dominated Lynbrook [was] the alley-oop,” Jones said. “[It] got the High School 70-44. With the fully restored crowd going and got the team going and it team, including senior guard Charlie Jones was fun.” In the fourth quarter, Paly’s strong offense who had just recovered from a shoulder injury, the Vikings started off strong against and a string of steals propelled the Vikings to a win. Overall Paly had five players scoring Lynbrook. With an interception and a crowd- double digits, including senior guard Bill Gray pleasing dunk by sophomore forward Ej with 12 points and Adams with 14. Paly traveled to Los Gatos on Janurary Floreal in the second quarter, and series of quick layups, the score was 39-19 Paly at the 25th The score was 75-47. Floreal was a major factor scoring a game half. Lynbrook was able to stay within 20 points for most of the third quarter. The Paly high 27 points. boys managed to pull ahead by thirty points in the last half of the fourth quarter, ending the game with a victory. “[The team is] putting a lot of effort into it, a lot of hustle, they’re doing the little things like taking charges, diving for loose balls,” Sax Scores said. “We’re a little inconsistent shooting right vs. Homestead now, but I think that will come once everyone Jan. 28, Not reported gets back into basketball shape.” vs. Menlo On Jan. 11 Paly beat Los Altos High Jan. 29, Not reported School 65-45. Going into finals week, the team played a close game against the Cupertino Upcoming games High School Pioneers on Jan. 14 that ended @ Los Altos in a 40-45 loss. However, on Jan. 21, the boys Feb. 1, 7 p.m. played crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High vs. Cupertino School at home. In front of a huge crowd, the Feb. 4, 7:45 p.m. Vikings beat Gunn 66-51.
Boys Basketball
Marc havlik/campanile
Senior Max Schmarzo (44) fakes out a Los Altos defender in an effort to score. Schmarzo’s play helped elevate the Vikings over the Los Altos Eagles with a final score of 65-45, giving Paly an 8-5 overall record, 3-0 in league.
Girls’ basketball excels in league play with a strong 6-0 start Lady Vikes win a hard-fought game against Gunn with a final score of 47-39 at first Quad Night By Ben Krasnow
“Our coach Scott [Peters] tells us the main priority is defense,” said Borsos. Palo Alto High School girls’ basketball team started Philips also saw room for improvement, saying that with an impressive 6-0 start, with wins over Lynbrook, the half court man defense was not as strong as the zone Mountain View, Monta Vista, Wilcox, Henry M. Gunn and defense. Los Gatos High School. Paly continued its strong defensive play against The Lady Vikes began with a 40-31 win over Lynbrook Adrian Wilcox High School. The Lady Vikes held the at home. Next, Paly beat Mountain View, the defending Chargers to nine points in the entire game, winning with league champions, 58-48 at Mountain View. Paly crushed a final score of 39-9. Monta Vista 68-42 at home in their third league game of Next, the Lady Vikes played Gunn in the first quad the season. night of the year. The Lady Vikes started out strong, leadThe Lady Vikes started out strong, holding a 16-5 ing by six points early in the first quarter. lead over the Matadors at the end of the first quarter, However, by the end of the first quarter Gunn had and never looked back. By halftime the score was 36-10, cut the Lady Vike’s six point lead to three. Paly led 11-8 at and the Lady Vikes ended the game with that 26 point the end of the first quarter. lead intact. Sophomore Stephanie Allen had a season Paly struggled at the beginning of the second quarter, high of 17 points while senior Sydney Davis added 13 for scoring only two points early in the second. Gunn manthe Lady Vikes. aged to take the lead during the second quarter, as the Paly was extremely aggressive in going for the ball, Titans would go on a 10-0 run in the second. Gunn led getting lots of steals and points off of fast breaks in the 23-18 going into halftime. It would have been 23-15 if not transition game. for a last second three-pointer by junior Lindsay Black. “That’s our style, to have a high-paced offense and Black would finish the game with 14 points. get points off of transitions,” said head coach Scott Peters. The second half was very different than the first, as According to senior Katerina Peterson, the Lady Vikes the Lady Vikes came out of halftime playing to win. The really hustled for the ball. Lady Vikes’ defense allowed “I think a huge difference “We’ve proven we can beat anyonly six points by the Titans’ in this game opposed to others in the third quarter and scored is we really tried to get the ball one in our league. Hopefully we 20. Paly held a 38-29 lead going off of rebounds,” Peterson said. can stay undefeated.” into the fourth quarter. “Transitions are the key to each rallied at the beginPaige Borsos ningGunn game for us.” of the fourth quarter, cutjunior ting the Lady Vikes’ nine point The Lady Vikes played a strong defense throughout the game. Paly lead to five less than a minute limited the Matadors to five points into the fourth. in the first quarter and only five more during the second However, the Titans could not keep up their moquarter, holding the Matadors to 10 points in the first half. mentum, as a three point play by junior Emilee Osagiede “Defense really is our key,” Peters said. “Getting ended Gunn’s rally. turnovers leads into transitions.” Osagiede had a total of 13 points and nine rebounds Senior Mariah Philips agreed with her coach’s senti- in the game. Senior Sydney Davis also contributed 12 ment. points and nine rebounds for the Lady Vikes. “Our motto has been Paly defense,” Philips said. “We The Titans had another late push at the end of the got a lot of points off transitions.” game, scoring six points with two minutes left to play. Junior Paige Borsos agreed with her teammates, say- Once again the Titans could not complete their rally, as ing that defense is the key to the offense. the Lady Vikes won the game with a final score of 47-39,
“We’re going to the CCS Division I championship,” Black said. Borsos took a move conservative view of the Lady Vike’s start. “We’ve proven we can beat anyone in our league,” Borsos said. “Hopefully we can stay undefeated [in the rest of the season].” Black also saw room for improvement, even with the strong start. “We need to work on our communication and keeping our energy high,” Black said. According to Black, Gunn players were able to get open three-pointers because Paly’s defenders didn’t know exactly where the players were on the court. The Lady Vikes continued their undefeated streak in league at Los Gatos High School on Jan. 25, winning 44-34 over the Wildcats. As of Jan. 27, the Lady Vikes were 6-0 in league play and 12-3 overall. Paly is also first in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s De Anza division. Their next game is versus Monta Vista, on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
Staff Writer
Star strul/campanile
Stephanie Allen preps to take a shot from the top of the key during an after school practice. beating their crosstown rivals for the first time in three years. The last time that the girl’s varsity team beat Gunn was in February of 2007. According to Peters, the Lady Vikes should not be satisfied with one victory. Peters believes that the team needs to take it one game at a time. “We need to take care of our league,” Peters said. “[We will] enjoy this, celebrate this, and take it to Los Gatos on Tuesday.” Black took a different view of the Lady Vikes’ impressive start to the season.
Girls Basketball Scores @ Los Gatos Jan. 25, 44-34 vs. Mountain View Jan. 28, Not reported
Upcoming games @ Monta Vista Feb. 2, 7 p.m. vs. Wilcox Feb. 4, 6:15 p.m.
SPORTS
A12 • February 1, 2011 The love of the game
The Campanile
Inside the mind of varsity football coach Earl Hansen Athletic director opens up to Campanile about athletics, life in general By Michael Augustine Staff Writer
brandonnguyen in my opinion
In the age of greed and selfishness of modern day sports, athletes are out for themselves, trying to get every penny from their franchise. Let’s face it, sports and money are directly related. The NFL collective bargaining disagreement is essentially about money. Cam Newton’s controversy at Mississippi State, free agency, Lebron James’ infamous “The Decision” and even FIFA’s decision to choose Quatar for the 2022 World Cup were all about money. Sports and economics are intertwined no matter what anyone can dispute. It’s 2011, and for at least a moment we can smile at a certain athlete’s gesture. For once, money was not the underlying aspect of an athlete’s decision. We only need to look across the street to Stanford quarterback and Heisman runner up, Andrew Luck. Luck passed up an estimated 30 million dollars in guaranteed money. He was projected a unanimous No. 1 draft pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He gave away a year in the NFL with millions of dollars to complete his degree in architectural design. There is a reason why student is the first work in “student athlete.” Luck understands that a degree and education can never be taken away. It is an honor to graduate from any university and I am happy he will stay in school. An important aspect that Luck portrays is his camaraderie with his teammates. There is something special about entering college and then graduating with the same peers four years later. Bonding with teammates for four years creates a brotherhood and lasting friendships that are not comparable to anything. Luck embodies the mindset that all student athletes should look up to. His leadership on the football field and dedication to finish his undergraduate education models the epitome of a student athlete. Playing sports in high school is most likely the last time a student will compete in their sport at a competitive level, without the pressure of fans supporting a college or university. This is because the level of competition at the collegiate level is not comparable to that of high school sports, and therefore a a different experience. Athletes in high school play sports because of the love of the game and for the experience they gain with their friends through bonding on and off the field. They do not compete only because of money or because of a college scholarship. This season will likely be my last year playing competitive soccer for my school. The journey as a freshman playing with my friends to a senior seeking a CCS championship is unforgettable. For me, sports was just a way to enjoy myself and have fun with my friends. High school sports are the last form of competition that is true to its form without corruption. In college, we have scandals such as Reggie Bush and Terrelle Pryor receiving improper benefits to having professors give students a passing grade so that they can compete for their team. Professionally, money controls everything and athletes tend to play for rewards and fame instead of simple joy. Therefore, I would like to congratulate the football and volleyball teams for their state championship. Even though most athletes will not compete competitively in college, the players found the love of the game and more importantly the love for each other. Paly is a prime example of where students can excel academically as well as compete at the top level. If students in high school can balance school and sports without the influence of money, it is possible for collegiate athletics to do the same. Paly showed that with everyone working for the same goal, something amazing could happen. There was no money behind this, just pure love of the game. So, thank you Andrew Luck for showing us that sport is not all about money. Sports are turning into a world of riches, but at least for now Andrew Luck’s decision delayed the greed of modern day sports.
The Campanile: How would you describe this year’s team and what they have gone through to win the state championship? Earl Hansen: Well they were the most improved team, believe it or not, from September until the time we played Centennial. They got more locked in as we went along and closer to what we really wanted, a [Central Coast Section] title and [to] get to the state [title game]. The way they practiced, the way they pushed themselves, it was tremendous. TC: What does [Paly’s success] mean for coaches, players and students? EH: All of us will never forget it. Steve Foug, you saw him, he was in hog heaven out there. He just thought that was the greatest thing in the world. TC: Would you agree that [Paly graduate] Jim Harbaugh is making a good move by going to the [San Francisco Forty] niners? EH: I think so. First off I am a niners fan so we can breath a littler easier. He will improve them, no question about it. If Stanford picks [a new coaching position] correctly [on new coaching position] they will be very good again. TC: What does it mean to you to be recognized as California’s [Football] Coach of the Year? EH: It means that I have a lot of good assistant coaches. There is no head coach that can get to this level without really good assistant coaches. TC: Can you talk about being both the football coach and athletic director? EH: Having quality, competent
coaches, especially during football season when I don’t have much time, makes it a lot easier. TC: What was your overall reaction to the parade? EH: I was in awe. It was unbelievable, really was. I have never seen anything like it. It was so positive. Everybody was just happy. You’re going out to your town with two state titles, which is unheard of. For Palo Alto High School to win two state titles, in a girls’ sport, volleyball, which is one of the toughest competitive sports, and football against the so-called ‘powerhouse South’, it’s unbelievable. TC: How would you compare this team to other successful teams, who haven’t won State Championships? EH: [Paly’s players] are very talented, number one, and they took that talent, and weren’t satisfied with it, and they improved all the way through. So we didn’t stop improving at the end. Some teams reach a peak. They are good teams, they are disciplined teams, but they reach a peak of their skill level. TC: What was the difference between getting to the championship game this year, compared to that loss you had to Orange Lutheran in 2006? EH: Totally different teams, totally different opponents. I think [that with] the experience of being there [before], understanding what the situation was like, we went in there with a different mindset than we did in ‘06. I think that helped us quite a bit. The experience of helping the kids get through the excitement, and actually winning was a big difference. TC: On more of a funny note, have you ever considered growing sideburns or a nice beard?
Marc Havlik/Campanile
Coach Earl Hansen and his wife wave to fans on University Avenue as they are chauferred in the Parade of Champions on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, celebrating Paly’s accomplishments. EH: I have had seven beards, all kinds of different beards. TC: You like staying with the well-known mustache? EH: Yes, the mustache stays because I’ll cut myself [shaving]. TC: What is your favorite movie, and why? EH: Two: Dr. Zhivago and Shawshank Redemption they both cover many human situations and emotions with great actors. TC: What are your best memo-
ries of high school? EH: Our class was very close. We were the class of ‘69 at Cubberly [High School]. We’ve been in contact throughout the years. TC: Are you committed to stay at Paly for a good while? EH: Until I retire, I’m not going anywhere else. TC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? EH: On a golf course somewhere warm.
TC: What do you like to do in your free time? EH: I like to travel. I like working outside in the yard, to tell you the truth. Plants don’t talk back, they are only appreciative. TC: Do you have overall messages or words that you want to give out to the Paly community? EH: Just understand and realize how special this place is. I have been to other high schools, that parade proved [our community’s value].
Paly girls’ varsity soccer team defeats Gunn with score 2-0
Despite 1-2 loss against Los Altos, Vikings triumph over cross-town rival By Kirah Ingram Staff Writer
As the Palo Alto High School Girls’ varsity soccer team comes towards the middle of the season with a 5-6-1 record, the recent loss against Los Alto High School frustrated the team because they previously beat Los Alto in a preseason game. “We got down on ourselves,” senior midfielder Gracie Cain said. “But I think we do a pretty good job of bouncing back. That’s why there was time between their two goals, and that’s [because] we had a strong push on their half. We kept it [on their side] and we definitely dominated. It was a little unlucky, but we’ll get them next time.” Paly started this game off strong, with a lot of talking between the team, controlled passing and majority possession of the ball. The team dominated in set-ups with lots of action up and down the field and lots of passing to the forwards for shots on goal. Nearing the end of the first half, the score was 0-0, but with only a few minutes left, Los Altos scored on Paly, ending the first half in favor of Los Altos. Yet again, the team took far more shots on goal in comparison to Los Altos, but finally with only a quarter of the time left in the second half, junior Gracie Cain scored Paly’s first goal of the game. With the score now tied, and only a few minutes left in the second half, there was no time for so-so playing. Los Altos came back after the goal with full force and with even more pressure. Los Altos had no intention of tieing the game, so within the last four minutes of the game, they scored
star strul/ Campanile
Sophomore Katherine Maniscalco is a defender of the Girl’s Varsity team. their second goal, leaving practically no time for Paly to come back. The game ended with more shots on Los Altos, but all in all came out as a loss for the Vikings. The final score for this game was 1-2, Palo Alto, Los Altos.
The recent win against Henry M. Gunn High School on Jan. 14 put the team in high spirits and truly showed what the team is capable of. “This was the best game we’ve had all season,” junior middle fielder Emy Kelty said. “As a team, we really came together this game. Our forwards did a great job putting [the ball] in, but [everything] started with our defense.” The tone of the game was set before the Vikings got on the field. The team was fired up and focused throughout the game, which in comparison to the game against Monte Vista High School, set the team up for victory. “The girls were ready to go,” Head Coach Ernesto Cruz said. “They were focused and they didn’t make the mistakes they made in the last game. I think the defense did a tremendous job.” In addition to the defense, the offense took chances and in the first seven minutes of the first half, junior forward Marina Foley scored the first goal for the Vikings. “Even before I scored, the tone [of the game] was really high,” Foley said. “Everyone was playing really well, and the ball was moving well, and [we] just looked good [as a team] from the start.” While there were good plays offensively, the defense was working hard to keep the ball on Gunn’s side of the field. The Vikings took many chances with shots on goal, but it seemed Gunn’s goalie, senior Molly Butera , was not letting the first goal affect how she played. Many Vikings took shots on Butera, including juniors’ outside defender Mira Ahmad and midfielder Lily Seedman. Both shots looked good, but because Butera was fighting for possession of the ball, neither went in.
Towards the middle of the first half, activity on the field started to slow down, but senior goalie Alex Kershner made some amazing plays inside the goal. The first half ended with a score of 1-0, Palo Alto still in the lead. The second half started with even more shots on goal by the Vikings, and plenty of action on Gunn’s side of the field. Kershner and Butera made even more impressive plays and all this added up to the point when junior forward Emily Brown scored the second goal of the game. Brown received a pass from one of her teammates and kicked the ball towards the top of the goal, just out of reach for Butera. The team made the second goal, and finished the game strong.
Girls’ Soccer Scores
@ Gunn Jan. 14, W 2-0 vs. Lost Gatos Jan. 19, T 1-1 @ Los Altos Jan. 21, L 1-2 @ Homestead Jan. 28, T 0-0
Upcoming games @ Monte Vista Feb. 2, 3:30 p.m. vs. Gunn Feb. 4, 6:00 p.m. .
Boys’ soccer continues to tie opponents, remains undefeated in league
By Brian Benton and Mark Raftrey. After a another week without games, the Vi Staff Writer kings returned to the field on Jan. 12 to play their second league Returning from a game-free, three-week winter break, the game, this time against the Santa Clara High School Bruins, in Palo Alto High School boys varsity soccer team improved upon its Santa Clara. The Vikings shut out the Bruins 2-0 and appeared mediocre start to the season, winning two and tying its previous confident, but the team was struggling due to several injuries. five games in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. In Paly’s game against rival Henry M. Gunn High School, the After winning their first three games to open the season in hurt starters were too much to overcome, and Vikings struggled. November, the Vikings struggled with back-to-back shut out With the exception of a goal early in the game by senior Mark non-league losses against Saint Ignatius College Preparatory Raftrey, the Vikings offense lacked the unity and energy they and Menlo-Atherton High School. The team made formation exhibited in the three prior wins. Luckily, strong Viking defense, changes since the two losses, and now seem led by senior Austin Smith and junior Gerrit to be back to their winning ways. In their van Zyll, kept the game close. The struggling “If we can stay healthy final game of 2010, the Vikings triumphed offense may have stemmed from the fact over Milpitas High School by a score of 3-0. and remain competitive, that junior forward Kris Hoglund was left to “[After the two losses] we went [on] a I think these next few play keeper after usual starter Austin Shiau slightly different formation to try to accent missed the game due to his ankle injury. out strengths,” Vikings Head Coach Don games will show where we “Our leading scorer last year was Kris Briggs said.“We have three really strong stand with everybody.” Hoglund, and we have him in the goal, center midfielders and our outside guys because he’s the only goalkeeper we have are strong too, but we really don’t have that right now,” Briggs said. “We’re going to have many backs anymore, so we play with only Don Briggs to convert some other players into forwards three backs and five midfielders.” if we can score.” Varsity Boys’ Soccer Coach and see Entering 2011, it was unclear exactly The Vikings were unable to rely on their how the rest of the season would pan out defense the entire game, and gave up a goal for the Vikings. Despite some skepticism and to Gunn late in the second half. negativity within the team caused by the losses to Saint Ignatius “In the Gunn game, we outplayed them on the field, but we and Menlo-Atherton, they rallied together and regained their just didn’t outplay them on the scoreboard,” Briggs said. confidence and kicked off 2011 with a bang. The Vikings moved past the disappointing tie against Gunn, Riding the momentum from a win over Carlmont High but once again fell victim to their lack of offense due to injuries in School on Jan. 3, the team traveled to Saratoga High School for their game a week later against the Los Altos High School Eagles. their first league game of the season. This time, however, it was Los Altos who was unable to Despite giving up an early goal, the Vikings were able to protect their lead. dominate the rest of the game, winning by a final score of 4-1. After an early Los Altos shot flew past Hoglund, the Vikings Occidental college-bound senior John Richardson led the regrouped and fought back against the Eagles, eventually tying way for the Vikings with one goal and two assists. Paly’s other goal the score thanks to strong play and a late goal by sophomore scorers were sophomore Skyler Felt, and seniors Tony Panayides Skyler Felt.
“I’m just aggressive,” Felt said after the game. “I play aggressive. If they get hurt, oh well. We started slow but finished strong, pressuring them the whole game.” While winning would have been preferable, the Vikings settled with the 1-1 tie. “The result isn’t too bad, though we would have liked a win,” Hoglund said. Next, the Vikings will take on Santa Clara High School and Henry M. Gunn High School. The final games will determine whether not Paly will qualify for the Central Coast Sectionals. “Right now were kind of trying to just win games and stay healthy,” Briggs said. “If we can stay healthy and remain competitive, I think these next few games will show where we stand with everybody.”
Boys’ soccer Scores @ Los Gatos Jan. 14, T 1-1 @ Mountain View Jan. 26, T 2-2 vs. Saratoga Jan. 28, T 0-0
Upcoming games vs. Santa Clara Feb. 2, 3:30 p.m. @ Gunn Feb. 4, 6:00 p.m. vs. Los Gatos Feb. 9, 3:30 p.m.
L fe styles Another word from your seniors
graceharris rachelstober A sweeping plague has struck the Paly community, one that rivals Swine Flu or SARS. Unfortunately, no vaccine or stylish face mask can cure the masses. This disease is commonly known as senioritis. Now some of you may be thinking, “Grace, Rachel, this issue isn’t relevant to me. I’m not a senior.” However, it has come to our attention that strands of this mysterious virus can attack students as young as their freshman year. Symptoms include fatigue, restlessness and the overall inability to do schoolwork. If you start to experience any of these signs, don’t panic, there are many others just like you, including the two of us. In fact, we are so overcome by the disease that we have become experts. We though it wise to share some tricks to overcome the disease, especially since we have just reached the peak senioritis season, also known as second semester. The most effective way to make sure that senioritis doesn’t ruin your livelihood is an early diagnosis. The first signs are inability to concentrate and difficulty finishing work. Have you started only actually doing the even numbered math problems and “checking” the rest of the answers in the back? Do you find yourself logging onto Facebook more often than InClass or Infinite Campus? Do you take breaks from watching TV to do homework? Then you may be in the early stages of the onset of senioritis. But don’t fret, if treated soon after the initial infection, it can be contained. Before the disease really takes hold, the treatment options are far easier. You must simply stay organized so that the constant procrastination does not have a disastrous effect. A simple to-do list based on each of your classes will usually suffice. While it may seem simple to just jot down your homework, knowing what you have to do is an easy way to save crucial grades. Our second piece of advice for mild cases of senioritis or the popular third quarter slump is prioritizing. Just as hospitals tend to the most extreme cases first, finishing that troublesome essay or studying for a monster test are best to get out of the way early. The bigger items on any student’s homework list are always the hardest to do at the last minute or finish up during brunch. With a little bit of effort and focus, pushing senioritis into remission is definitely doable. However, once senioritis has thoroughly spread throughout your system, it is a bit more difficult to eradicate. Symptoms of a serious case include a noticeable drop in GPA, stressed parental relationships and decreased or sporadic attendance. Does the thought “Ugh I have so much homework... oh well” summarize your learning philosophy? Have you stopped bringing your backpack to school? Do you have more preps than actual classes? Well then, you’ve got senioritis and you’ve got it bad. While it may be too late to save you from this terminal disease, you may not entirely be a lost cause. As long as you can keep your grades from dipping too dangerously low, you can find solace in the fact that we only have five months left before you never have to do this whole “high school” thing again. In the mean time, find something you DO care about. Pick up a few new hobbies, go on trips with your friends, RELAX! Now may finally be the first time you actually have time to learn to play the guitar, or the first time you’ve had the freedom with your parents to go on day trips (or overnight!) the beach or the city. As long as you’re motivated to do SOMETHING, senioritis doesn’t have to dominate your life. For all of our freshmen, sophomore and junior readers, take comfort in the fact that, while it seems desolate now, it will get better. Seniors, we are almost done and even though we can almost taste the bad food served in college cafeterias, it’s better to run through the finish line than crawl through it so let’s make these last few months count.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Features • A&E • People
The Campanile
A LIKING FOR BIKING By Brian Benton Staff Writer Riding motorcycles is a family affair for the Johns’s. When Palo Alto High School junior Melissa Johns was five years old, her parents bought her a small, kid-sized motocross bike just days after she learned to ride a bicycle. Of course it was because she said wanted one, but there was also another factor: at that moment, Melissa was the only person in the Johns family not riding. “My dad bought me my first motorcycle when I was five because my brother used to race,” Johns said. “Everyone in my family rides, but my mom doesn’t anymore.” Johns’ older brother has been racing motocross since he was about seven, and her father has been riding motorcycles since he was a teenager. Johns went into racing as soon as she was given her first bike. At the time, she and her family lived in Los Gatos and because motocross racing is not especially popular in the Bay Area, she had to travel about 50 miles to a dirt track in Hollister to practice. For races, she had to go even further south. “I usually went to Los Banos or Anaheim,” Johns said. “Those are really big racing cities.” The sizes and lengths of the races Johns competed in varied, ranging from small events with just 10 or 15 riders, to one in Anaheim where she raced in front of about 50,000 spectators. That race was put on as part of a sponsorship program called KTM Junior Supercross. KTM Sportmotorcycle, one of the largest offroad motorcycle companies in the world, offers temporary sponsorship to youth racers and in 2001, the Johns family decided to enter Melissa. Only about 200 youth riders in the nation are selected a year, but Johns was lucky enough to be chosen to race for KTM in an event in early 2002 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. For the day, she was given the treatment of a professional rider and raced on the same
A&E
track the pros used. “KTM will take 15 or 20 kids [per event], and sponsor them for that day, giving the a bike to ride, gear, a mechanic and a trailer. And then for that day, the kids will be treated like professionals, signing autographs, everything,” Melissa’s father Jim Johns said. “Melissa was the only girl racing that day.” When John’s interest turned primarily to soccer, however, she began competing in fewer motocross races. She eventually stopped competing entirely, but continued riding motocross bikes occasionally for fun. The next step for Johns was to get her official motorcycle license, which would allow her to ride full-sized motorcycles on streets, as opposed to only on a track, and then to buy a street motorcycle. “Melissa realized that at 15 and a half, she could ride a motorcycle by herself, but couldn’t drive by herself,” Mr. Johns said. “She wanted to get a motorcycle because she could ride that independently.” Currently, Johns spends most of her time riding a Derbi, a type of motorcycle made in Barcelona, Spain, that she ordered and had to have shipped in. “I actually have five motorcycles,” Johns said. “Four of them are dirt, and one of them is street. And then my dad has a street one too that I ride. My street bike is called a Derbi, and then I have two Yamahas, a Kawasaki and a Suzuki dirt bike.” For commuting back and forth to school or going on longer
trips with her father, Johns usually chooses to ride her Derbi. “I go on motorcycle trips with my dad sometimes, but usually it’s just around town,” Johns said. “I only ride a few times a month during the winter, but during the summer I try to ride almost every day.” Although she does not ride her motorcycle to school very often, Johns says she is always greeted with questions and interest from other students when she does. “I get a lot of looks [when I ride my motorcycle to school,]” Johns said. “People always ask me about it and a lot of them want to ride it. It’s still fun because I don’t take my motorcycle out all the time so it doesn’t get that annoying.” Another student at Paly who rides a motorcycle to school is senior Carlo Behtash, who began riding when he lived to Italy. “I used to live in Italy, and you can get your motorcycle license there when you’re 14, so I [started riding] when I was in Italy,” Behtash said. Behtash began riding because his brother, father and grandfather all rode motorcycles. Because so many members of his family ride, Behtash often borrows gear from them - first his father’s bike and later his grandfather’s riding jacket. “I needed a jacket to use, and since I didn’t have any other ones, I used my grandfather’s old leather jacket,” Behtash said. Shortly after moving back to America, Behtash got his license and bought his first motorcycle soon after. Although as of now Behtash has kept his riding strictly to the streets, he says he would like to try riding motocross in the future. “I was planning to go to a track, but I haven’t been able to yet,” Behtash said. “They’re all kind of far away.”
See MOTORCYCLES, Page B4
A&E
FEATURES
The Campanile
FEATURES
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 • B2
Riley’s Place helps bring joy to children with terminal diseases
Organization uses animal therapy to give youth moment of escape from illnesses By Clara Chang Staff Writer
Wendy Mattes, founder and executive director of Riley’s Place, spoke with a slightly wavering voice as she recalled a memorable afternoon. 14-year-old Riley Church had sat in her wheelchair, head propped on the pillows that held her weak body upright, as her family and friends sat around the living room, awaiting the surprise. Moments later, in walked a miniature horse that headed straight towards Church and immediately put its head on her lap. Church’s eyes lit up and pure elation immediately filled her eyes as family and friends watched the girl reconnect with one of the only things that had kept her going for so long. In fact, Church had only stopped horseback riding when her condition no longer allowed her to; after she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2004, Church could no longer participate in the highlight of her week. As the ecstatic girl pet and held the horse in her lap for the next half an hour, it was clear that a significant moment had just taken place. A month later, in 2006, Riley Church passed away. What started out as a kind act for a child in need became the inspiration to help thousands of other children. Mattes, previously Church’s horseback instructor, was one of the friends who arranged for the miniature horse to come to Church’s house when it became apparent that Church’s illness was taking a toll on her usually spirited and lively nature. “We borrowed a mini horse from a lady we knew and drove it to Riley’s house in San Carlos,” Mattes said. “We walked it into the living room and this little horse just marched right in and she knew why she was there. For the half hour that the horse had her head in [Riley’s] lap, there was no cancer, there was no suffering. There was just pure joy.” After witnessing the moment of instant gratification in Church’s eyes, Mattes felt inspired to bring that joy and healing to other children as well and started a non-profit organization named Riley’s Place in honor of Church. Founded in 2009, Riley’s Place is dedicated to helping and enriching the lives of children with life threatening health issues or difficult family situations through animal interaction. The organization is currently home to nine animals that provide an escape for children all over the Bay Area. Riley’s Place is nestled at the back of the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy in Woodside, which leases a fraction of its 12-acre property to the organization. Up a wheelchair-accessible hill is a cozy, three stall barn for the goats and miniature horses, a bunny house for the smaller, indoor animals and a large pasture featuring a goat “jungle gym” for the animals to play on.
Alex lin/Campanile
Leo the Nigerian goat is one of the animals that Riley’s Place uses in giving hope to sick children. Riley’s Place takes animals to places like the Ronald McDonald House to cheer up sick children during the kids’ hard times. In the barn, each animal has a different story. There are only two purchased animals on the farm, the two Nigerian goats, Leo and Laverne. “We bought [the goats] from a breeder in Santa Rosa,” Mattes said. “We specifically wanted this breed because they’re small, they’re colorful and they have temperaments that would do well in our program.” The other animals, which include Kachina, a miniature horse who takes children out on cart rides, Robin, a rabbit known as “Mother Theresa” for her loving, patient nature and Harry Wiggums, a guinea pig named after his luscious, wig-like coat, have all either been adopted through or donated by the Peninsula Humane Society & Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). “We like to be able to adopt animals who need a home wherever possible, so it’s a double blessing for us to rescue an animal and help children at the same time,” Mattes said.
Animals at Riley’s Place may have a distinct purpose, but Mattes ensures that all animals are happy and well taken care of. “We strongly feel that happy, healthy animals make the best therapy pets, so [the animals’] stalls are cleaned twice a day and they’re groomed, exercised and get play time in the sunshine,” Mattes said. “They get to run around, eat the grass and roll around in the dirt.” Besides the animals that call Riley’s Place their home, Mattes added that sometimes other people volunteer pets to tag along for outings. This includes donkeys Willie and Wonka and miniature sheep Sheryl and Shawn, who have passed the temperament level required for children interaction and often join Riley’s Place on their field trips. Jack the cat however, another addition to the barn, came to Riley’s Place by choice after mysteriously arriving and settling himself on top of some hay stacks.
“This is the world’s best cat,” Mattes said. “He just arrived one day. He picked us.” Jack’s owner was eventually found, but let the cat stay to become a member of the Riley’s Place family. Although animals looking for a home are always welcome at Riley’s Place, the organization is not open to the public. After an appointment is scheduled, to ensure that transportation is not an issue in allowing the kids to have a day of fun, a program called KidsKab transports children from organizations and hospitals all over the Bay Area to Riley’s Place. “We want to eliminate any barriers that would prevent kids from getting here and transportation is a big one, especially for the children from the homeless shelter,” Mattes said. Once the children arrive they are usually split into rotating groups so that they can each have the chance to interact with all of the animals.
“One group would take turns riding in the pony cart with Kachina, one group would be playing with the goats up [in the pasture] and the other group would be sitting in the carrel with the bunnies and guinea pigs,” Mattes said. “Everyone rotates.” Once a month, Riley’s Place also takes their animals directly to children at facilities like the Ronald McDonald House and Haven Family House to visit those who are too ill to travel. “A visit from Riley’s Place brightens the day of every family member at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford,” Director of Family Services at Ronald McDonald house, Michelle Compton said in a Riley’s Place brochure. “Our children receive an incredible feeling of love and comfort from these critters during one of the most difficult times of their lives.” Riley’s Place relies on donations and volunteers to be successful. Last year, the organization visited over 1500 children and had over 7000 volunteer hours. This year, Mattes is eager to get more volunteers and hopes the organization will be able to increase the average number of 80 children a month that interact with the animals to 120. “[Student volunteers] could go with us on the visits or they could be here when we have on-site visits,” Mattes said. “They would be facilitating [the animals], showing the kids how to feed them, making sure the animals are safe and not stressed and that the kids are gentle so that the visit goes well.” One of the current adult volunteers, Margaret Block, who comes to the barn about three times a week, finds the experience at Riley’s Place truly rewarding. “I think [Mattes] did something absolutely wonderful,” Block said. “[Riley’s Place] is doing a lot of good in the world.” Although Mattes is quite content with the barn right now, she has high hopes for Riley’s Place in the future. “[Moving] would be one of our ultimate goals, to have our own land,” Mattes said. “That would enable us to expand and adopt countless more animals, help countless more children and expand our programs.” With their own land, Mattes imagines having camps where kids could come not just for a few hours, but spend the weekend or longer, giving them an extended escape from the challenging situations they are currently facing. “We can’t cure the children of the diseases they have,” Mattes said. “We can’t change the situation that cause people to become homeless but for a short amount of time, we can make a difference in their lives.” For more information on how to get involved, visit www.rileys-place.org.
New year sets into place updated legislation at federal, state levels
Laws now in effect range from national health care to marijuana possession at state level By Meghan Byrd Staff Writer
With another year beginning, another round of new legislation will be going into effect, or already has. While some of the legislation is more local, other laws will be at a federal level. On Jan. 3 the Supreme Court of California ruled that police officers no longer have to apply for and obtain a warrant to search a cell phone of a suspect. “[The ruling] is kind of intruding on people’s privacy,” senior John Richardson said. “[People] haven’t necessarily done anything wrong.” The 5-2 ruling, which can only be overturned by the Supreme Court, overruled the previous decision that interpreted the fourth amendment to the Constitution to mean that officers were only permitted to search suspects for disclosed weapons without a permit. “I think it’s fair to use [data that is collected] as evidence because the incriminating text or photo is there for everyone to see, it should be used to prosecute the person,” Richardson said. At a national level, citizens all across the country are eager to see how the new health care bill, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, will play out. Most of the bill went into effect on Jan. 1, 2011. Some highlights of the bill include free preventative care under medicare and insurance company financial accountability. California citizens will be experiencing a range of new edicts focusing on both private matters and public reforms. Anyone hosting a party who knowingly makes alcohol available to minors may be found legally liable if a minor who was served causes injury, property damaged or death while under the influence of alcohol. Each vehicle-related traffic infraction will cost $4 more than they did in 2010, which is estimated to raise $34 million for Medi-Cal. Instead of facing misdemeanor charges, if caught with an ounce or less of marijuana, a person will commit an infraction. The fine will continue to be $100. During Governor Jerry Brown’s first term, the possession of the substance in small quantities was lowered from a possible felony to a misdemeanor. “I do think that some people are going to think that this [law] will increase weed usage among teenagers,” junior Chloe Koseff said. “But breaking the law is breaking the law, and an offense still goes on your record, so I don’t think that people that weren’t willing to take the risk to break the law before are going to start smoking.” State Senator Joe Simitian explained that the bill was not passed in order to decrease punishment for posses-
sion of the illegal substance, but rather to save the court system valuable money and time, and to put the correct label on the crime based on how it was dealt with legally. “This was a debate that had been going on for the decades that I’ve been in the legislature,” Simitian said. “The argument was that ... the courts were already simply opposing a financial fine, and people were not going to jail for simple possession. The issue was that because it was a misdemeanor people were entitled to a jury trial which was very costly and cumbersome and time consuming and it was clogging up the courts.” Now that it is an infraction, the same fine of $100 will be enforced, but the sentence resulting from the infraction will not longer require a trial. Counties and cities will now be allowed to install cameras which can take pictures of license plates in the path of street sweepers to automatically fine those parked illegally. If one is under 21 and wishes to obtain a motorcycle learner’s permit, one must pay $150 to take a 15-hour instructional course. If two or more people wish to share a car, they cannot be denied auto insurance coverage. If one pretends to be someone one is not on Twitter, Facebook, e-mail or any similar service, one will be charged with a misdemeanor. Simitian wrote and sponsored this bill. He was first introduced to the problem of e-personation, (impersonation of someone on the Internet) when a Silicon Valley business leader came to him in search of some legal security. Senator Simitian, a member of his family, and a business college had all been victims of e-personation. The senator researched the problem and found over a billion hits on google about the phenomenon. He then researched laws on impersonation and found that one had not been updated since 1872. “It seemed to me, given the fact that there was a significant problem, and that there really wasn’t a state or federal law that was on plight, that we would be well served by having a specific law on e-personation,” Simitian said. After months of drafting, the bill was brought to the floor, and moved through the senate and assembly with a unanimous, bipartisan vote. The senator feels that as technology progresses, so must the rules that go with it. “On the one hand, as technology changes, the law has to keep pace,” Simitian said. “On the other hand, what you want to try and do, if you possibly can, is avoid legislation that’s technology specific and try and find ways to make law that is applicable without regard to specific technologies. In this case, we felt that this was a case where we had to make sure that the law that was on
the books that was more than 100 years old was specific to the modern online world.” Some students feel that the new law will not make a difference when it comes to e-personation regarding Facebook. “I don’t think [the law] will do anything, because people will still make fake profiles, and most people will know pretty quickly that it’s not the actual person if they talk to them,” junior Ben Sneider said. “Facebook can’t really regulate it, so whatever people do now won’t really change.” If one visits a zoo, aquarium or circus and decides to take a walk into the animal enclosure of an exhibit, one may be fined or jailed. Parents or guardians of kids in elementary and middle school may be fined if their child is chronically truant. If a child’s current school has been tagged as “persistently low-achieving,” a parent now has the right to move their kid to any school in the district. “I think that there’s going to be an increase in enrollment in more high-achieving public schools, and a decrease in enrollment in private schools in the same area,” Koseff said. “People will take the opportunity to put their kids in better schools without paying extra.
But I think this is going to put a strain on some teachers and make for unbalanced school districts and budgets, which could ultimately bring down the level of the higher performing schools.” Senator Simitian recalls that although the bill was a fine idea, it had some initial flaws. “I remember this bill quite well because it was subject to quite a bit of debate I asked for three amendments to the bill before I agreed to support the bill and ultimately those amendments to the bill were taken,” Simitian said.“One of the problems I had with the bill that was originally drafted was that it didn’t really address the fact that it’s all well and good to say that a student gets to leave their school, but there needs to be some place for that student to go.” Ultimately, it is important to provide students with the best education possible. The senator agrees that one of the most important aspects of the new law is where it will provide better education. “Letting students go someplace else only works if there’s somewhere else for them to go, so we have to make sure that the system works in both regards,” Simitian said. It’s not only that the students have the ability to leave the school they’re in, but they have a quality school they can get into. Otherwise, it isn’t real.”
FEATURES
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • B3
Faculty opens up about off-campus side of their lives Day in the life of an assortment of Paly teachers, librarians, counselors By Layla Memar Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School, without a doubt, is a place filled with intelligent, unique people — and not just students alone. Regrettably, the adult population on campus is often overlooked, but the fact is that behind every student, there is a teacher pushing them to do their best, and behind every star athlete there is a trainer taping up their ankle before practice. This article outlines these special teachers and trainers who help everyone at Paly strive for success. “I usually get up at 5 [a.m.],” English teacher Erin Angell said. “The first thing I do is feed my rabbit, Nibbler, and by then he’s very demanding and shaking the little bars of his cage because he wants out.” After feeding an excited Nibbler his hay, Angell proceeds to watch the morning news. “I’m kind of a boring adult at that point,” Angell said. To start off her day right, Angell eats a complete breakfast consisting of a bowl of cereal and soy milk. Typically, Angell leaves her house around 6 a.m., but only after checking her e-mail and Facebook. Since she usually arrives at school at least an hour before class starts, Angell receives plenty of free time which she fills by preparing for class or grading papers. Then, when the 8:15 a.m. bell rings, Angell is more than ready to start her day. Angell often spends her breaks collaborating with other teachers. “Last week Ms. Fillpu, Ms. Tokheim and I got all of our stuff, like our lap tops and our papers, and we went over right across the street and we graded at Peets and it was very cosmopolitan — very fancy,” Angell said. “Actually I got a lot of work done, so it was nice.” After the school day is over, Angell either goes out for a bite to eat with friends or heads home. “Then I practice my banjo,” Angell said. “It’s my NewYears resolution. I’m brand new though. This is only the second week I’ve had it.” Angell, along with a few other Paly English teachers, have enrolled in an American Literature class at Stanford University so she, like her students, must go home and do her homework. “It’s like a continuing education
Marc Havlik/ Campanile
English teacher Erin Angell enjoys finishing off a long, hard day of work by praciticing her newly-purchased banjo. Angell and many other Paly teachers and staff members have rigorous daily schedules, sometimes waking up as early as five a.m. class,” Angell said. “So now I’m reading Faulkner’s Light in August. It’s very southern.” On the weekends, when she has more time on her hands, Angell tries to get outdoors as much as possible. “It sounds silly but I’m really into doing things that are different and new, and sometimes they’re very silly,” Angell said. “Over the break, my friends and I went ice cream hunting and we went to four ice cream places in the Bay Area that were supposed to be very special, so we went to them.” If time and energy permit, Angell loves going on hikes. Librarian Rachel Kellerman also shares that interest. “I love going out and hiking with my dogs and my family,” Kellerman said. “It’s a lot of fun, I love being
outdoors.”Kellerman, like Angell, paper including the news and busistarts her day tending to her pets. ness sections. “I wake up at six in the morning Fortunate enough to live a and I have two dogs and they gener- few blocks away from school, Kellally jump on erman leaves my face, so then her house at “I wake up at six in the I feed them,” a reasonable Kellerman said. morning and I have two dogs time and gets “After that I and they generally jump to school beread the paper tween 7:30 and — I have to read on my face, so then I feed 7:50 a.m. the paper.” “Ms. Henthem,” Kellerry [the Library Rachel Kellerman Assistant] and man’s favorite Paly Librarian I will talk about periodicals are the New York the day before Times and the we open the San Jose Mercury News. Starting with doors at 7:50,” Kellerman said. “Then the sports section, Kellerman then everybody streams in and there’s makes her way through the opinion hundreds of kids in here to start the section, and then onto the rest of the school day.”
Ms. Kellerman assists students with all kinds of tasks including, helping them to check out books, print, look for textbooks and finish projects. “Teachers will come in and they’ll need help with resources,” Kellerman said. “On a typical week I’ll usually see a couple different classes. Either I’ll come into their classroom or they’ll come here and I’ll help them with assignments.” When the school day comes to a close, which is around four p.m. for her, Kellerman heads home. Usually, she works out at her home gym for a while then proceeds to take out her dogs for a refreshing walk. After eating dinner with her husband, Kellerman either reads or watches hockey, one of her favorite sports, on TV.
While Kellerman enjoys her daily dose of sports from the comfort of her home, Paly’s Sports Trainer Josh Goldstein is in the middle of all the action. This is Goldstein’s second year at Paly. “I love working with all the students; they keep me on my toes all the time,” Goldstein said. “I’ve got to keep my eye out for some of you guys.” Unfortunately, Goldstein says, his job is only part-time this year. “If I could be here full-time there’s so much more I could do for the school and for the students, but they just can’t afford to pay me for full-time ,work,” Goldstein said. With his free time in the mornings Goldstein usually does different types of workouts, depending on the weather, and runs various errands such as grocery shopping. He arrives at Paly around 2 p.m. and immediately starts helping kids, whether they need to get a joint or an appendage taped or need help stretching. “During practices I’ll make my rounds and check in and make sure everybody’s doing fine and nobody is getting hurt,” Goldstein said. He is also in charge of setting up for home sporting events and making sure there is water and ice available for both home and away teams. And of course, he is always ready to take care of any emergency first aid needs. Though Goldstein plays a big part in Paly’s athletic success, there are many people that help Paly students succeed academically. One of those people who does a lot of behind-thescenes work is Registrar Suzie Brown. Many people might not meet Brown until their senior year, because she is the woman in charge of dealing with seniors’ transcripts. “Many things come up during the day that are impromptu, but my main job is to prepare transcripts — transcripts for college, transcripts for incoming students transferring their grades from their old school to this school, alumni transcripts, that type of thing,” Brown said. When asked about her favorite part of her job Brown replied, “all the kids and the people — I really enjoy helping people if I can.” Having worked here for 11 years, Brown has grown extremely familiar with the Paly community and has loved the experience. “It’s like the job chose me,” Brown said.
LifeChronicles preserves participant’s lasting stories Employees endeavor to film messages for families to have after a loved one’s passing By Jillian Chacon Staff Writer
One word Kate Carter has eliminated from her vocabulary is the “B-word,” which is busy. Since she founded the non-profit organization LifeChronicles in 1998, Carter never tells friends and family she is too busy for them. LifeChronicles not only changed Carter’s life, it changes the lives of other as well. LifeChronicles gives people the chance to say things they have always wanted to say through video taping. It allows people to share memories, stories and advice they would like to pass on to family and friends. “I think there is going to be thread that runs through all of [LifeChronicles], I don’t know what it is right now but I’m pretty sure at one point it will reveal itself.” Kate said. “And, afterwards the common thread was what really matters most in this whole life of ours, above everything else, is the connections we have to each other.” When Carter discovered the horrifying news that one of her closest friends, who had lost her husband shortly before, was diagnosed with cancer, she knew something had to be done. Carter was worried that her friend’s children would loose all of their memories of both their parents. She had the idea to videotape her friend so her children would always remember her. Even though her friend died before she had the chance to record her, the idea of LifeChronicles was born. Currently, LifeChronicles provides services in five areas. The first is video taping for families with critical health crises. The second service is videotaping for military families. The third is for those who are in the early stages of progressive diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The fourth service provided is for children who are isolated or hospitalized due to health problems and for mothers who decide to put their child up for adoption. Finally, the fifth service is for senior citizens who wish to share experiences and advice for future generations. “At the end of the day, if you thought you weren’t going to be here tomorrow, what would matter most to you is that you have something to say to the people you love,” Carter said. Through video taping, the sound
lifechronicles
Employees of LifeChronicles facilitate a discussion and film a couple as they give their last words to their friends and family in their backyard. LifeChronicles is dedicated to giving people a chance to leave a lasting message for their loved ones after they have passed away to remember them by. of one’s voice and one’s laugh and as a consequence, their entire essence is preserved. The tapes provide comfort and love when people need it the most. Each project Kate has worked on has had a unique impact on her, but there is one that she will never forget. “Our Chicago director, who is 44, has been with us for 11 years and she was just diagnosed in September with stage four Lung Cancer,” Carter said. “Doing her video, it was fascinating because she was able to talk about [how] having done LifeChronicles work all this time is really helping her right now because she has a better understanding of what it’s like and what her friends are going through. And, for me, it was the hardest taping I have
ever had to do because she is my friend and I love her.” Carter is involved in the entire process at LifeChronicles from taping to production. “Everybody always asks me if I do all of the interviewing, and I say we don’t call it interviewing we call it facilitating,” Carter said. “They always ask me if I do every taping and if I could I would, because it is always a fascinating experience, and I hate to miss one. But, I know that other people have to have the chance to do it.” The “other people” that have chances to do record are young volunteers. Volunteers also gain powerful experiences from the facilitating they record. As a volunteer no specific
talent is required and anyone can volunteer in LifeChronicles. “I’ve had adults, when they hear what LifeChronicles does, say they could never do that,” Carter said.“I have never heard a young person say that. The only thing I have heard young people ask is if it is okay to cry during the taping. And, the only thing I say is yes it is okay as long as you don’t start balling.” Young volunteers are usually assigned to taping the facilitating. Most young people are inexperienced in that arena. “It’s okay to have tears because usually the tears are because it is a really beautiful moment, it’s not usually because it is something terribly sad,” Carter said.
There are LifeChronicles offices in major cities throughout the United States where youth can volunteer. As technology advances so does LifeChronicles. Currently, LifeChronicles uses video cameras to film people. LifeSpace, an online alternative, is now available as well. “This Internet idea we had, called Live Space, where not only were we going to take those videos that we do routinely, but we are also going to interview people to tell stories of an experience they have had that other people might benefit from hearing about,” Carter said. This website is open for the public and can only help and comfort people. Live Space gives advice and ideas to help one’s life.
B4 • February 1, 2011
FEATURES
The Campanile
Some students, teachers prefer motorcycles as mode of transportation MOTORCYCLES, Continued from B1 Right now, Behtash uses his bike as a way to commute to school, and occasionally for a longer ride. Because he rides to school usually at least once a week, Behtash was faced with the issue of what to do about a school parking permit. “I asked [Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson] and he said in the last five years that he’s been here, no one has ever [wanted a parking pass for a motorcycle,]” Behtash said. “I managed to get one, but there was an issue with [where I would put] the sticker, because someone could just take it off. Apparently now I’m registered and the police officers know whenever they see my license plate that I paid for [a permit].” Unlike Johns, Behtash thinks that some students feel a little less positive about riding and parking motorcycles in the school parking lots. “I would assume some people that drive their cars might get angry because I split lanes and pass everyone [in the lot],” Behtash said. “But most of my friends think it’s pretty cool.” Although lane splitting, which is when a motorcyclist rides between two lanes of traffic, is legal and sometimes even recommended as it reduces traffic, many riders still consider it unsafe. Luckily, Behtash has not been involved in any serious accidents. “I got speed wobble once, which was really scary,” Behtash said. “I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I read somewhere that it’s when you have lateral acceleration on one of the wheels [causing the wheel to move to the side, making the bike shake, or wobble.] I managed not to crash, though.” Behtash’s confidence while riding and ability to ride aggressively in the parking lot come from his clear passion for and knowledge of motorcycles. Behtash not only enjoys the excitement of riding, but also the technical aspects of it compared to that of a car. “It’s a lot more responsive and you feel a lot more close and connected to the road than with a car,” Behtash said. “And it’s manual, so you really have control over [your bike].” However, riding motorcycles at Paly is not strictly for the students. Paly mathematics teacher Suzanne Antink has been riding since she was in college because it was an inexpensive, fun alternative to driving. “When I was at Sonoma State, [my future husband and I] got a motorcycle because we needed a second vehicle and they were very cheap,” Antink said. “We had a little Honda [motorcycle] that we both learned how to ride. Mostly he drove, and when I was going with him, I would be on the back.”
After college, Antink and her husband stopped riding temporarily. It was not until she was in her late 40s that she returned to riding. Instead of returning to a bike like the small Honda that she began riding with, Antink purchased a Harley-Davidson. “I have a Harley 883 Hugger,” Antink said. “It’s gorgeous. It’s blue, so it matches my eyes. I love it.” Antink now rides her beloved Harley to school as much as possible. When the weather is nice and she does not have a lot of teaching materials to carry, she can ride as often as four days a week. She says that students react in all kinds of ways to her bike, but usually they are both impressed and intrigued. “Because I’m a math teacher, the students many times think I’m cerebral and that I don’t really have a life outside of school,” Antink said. “Any time they find out anything new about any teacher that’s kind of personal, they’re like ‘woah, I never thought of that.’ It’s like when they find out I have a tattoo, they’re like ‘you have a tattoo! You’re not supposed to have a tattoo!’ It mixes things up.” When she is not riding to school, Antink likes to take her bike out on the weekends or during the summer and just ride for fun. Going on picnics, riding along scenic Skyline Boulevard and touring along the coast are a few of her favorite things to do while on her bike. “I think my favorite [memory] was when [my husband and I] went out to the coast this one time,” Antink said. “[We] went out to breakfast at this little store and then went on out to Highway 1. There was nobody there and we just roared up the coast. He’s on his bike, I’m on my bike, and it’s just fun. It just felt great.” However, Antink has also has had a few less pleasant motorcycle memories. Although she has not been in any serious accidents, she was rear-ended by a car once, and was “run off the road.” “I had to do an emergency dismount off the bike and the bike went forward without me,” Antink said of this incident. “I went to the right hand side of the road, and the roads were icy. [A car] just about bumped, or did bump, my rear tire or my rear fender and I just went off into the ditch and flew off the back of the bike. I didn’t get hurt and the bike wasn’t really hurt, but I had to push it home, which was miserable.” Other members of the Paly community have not been so lucky. Physics teacher Shawn Leonard began riding in college and was a frequent motorcycle rider until 1989, when he was involved in his second serious crash in just a six year span. “I had friends who had motorcycles,” Leonard said. “In fact, all my friends had
Courtesy of Jim Johns
Melissa Johns, a junior at Palo Alto High School, takes her motorcycle license test in 2009. Johns, along with several other members of the Paly community, prefer to commute by motorcycles, as opposed to driving a car. motorcycles. I visited a friend, and I rode his motorcycle and I liked it so I actually went out and bought the exact same model.” Just three years after he purchased his first street bike, Leonard was involved in his first crash. While riding in Santa Barbara, he collided with a station wagon that was pulling out of a driveway. Leonard was wearing a helmet, but instead of full riding gear, only had on jeans and a short sleeve T-shirt. Upon seeing the car, Leonard jumped off his bike, leading to severe road rash on his hands, arms and legs. “[The crash] was very surrealistic,” Leonard said. “When the fire department came to clean up the mess, they picked up the motorcycle and the handlebar had snapped off and punctured the gas tank, so gas was gushing out. They took a wooden stake and they pounded it into the gas tank, and it sort of looked like they were killing a vampire. It was pretty interesting.”
Just six years later, Leonard’s second crash came while riding in Los Altos. “I was going to pass a car on the left,” Leonard said. “The car hit its brakes and was going to turn, but then I guess they decided not to turn and I was all crossed up and I hit the back of the car.” This time, Leonard was wearing leather gloves and a leather jacket, so his road rash was not as severe, but once again his bike was ruined. This crash also led Leonard to come to the realization that he did not find the same excitement and joy in riding that he did when he began. “By the time I had my second crash, I wasn’t enjoying riding as much as I had [before] just because there were so many cars on the road,” Leonard said. “Traffic became heavier and heavier and it was no fun passing cars and that kind of stuff, because that’s typically when accidents happen.” Although he says he probably will not return to riding, Leonard is still able to look
back at his time on a bike with a smile. He often gives motorcycle-related physics questions to his classes, and enjoys talking about motorcycles with students who ride. That said, if there ever came a point when anyone in his family was considering getting a license, Leonard says the answer would be “no way.” Accidents like the two Leonard was in happen, and riders can be seriously injured, even with full safety gear and a helmet. However, if a rider always wears their safety gear, stays at or below the speed limit and is constantly aware of their surroundings, there is less danger, while the excitement of riding remains. Antink always stays below or at the speed limit, especially when riding conditions are less than ideal. She says that even at slower speeds and with a helmet on, the excitement and joy of riding stay the same. “[Riding is] a thrill,” Antink said. “You don’t really think about anything else so it’s the best stress breaker and the best relief I can think of. Besides math.”
The Campanile
FEATURES
February 1, 2011 • B5
Black History Month honors accomplished African Americans ASB hopes to spread awareness through activities at Paly this February By Annabel Snow Staff Writer
The month of February has a variety of interesting holidays. Americans celebrate Valentine’s day, a day dedicated to romance, across the nation for love of any age. President’s day commemorates the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and Groundhog day welcomes the season of spring. Black History Month, which is dedicated to the entire month of February, celebrates the accomplishments of the black race throughout American history. Although this month is well known by many, students at Palo Alto High School may not recognize the cultural and historical importance of this celebration. It also may not be well known that some of Paly’s very own students dedicate time and energy to acknowledge it. Juniors Tremaine Kirkman and Lindsay Black, newly appointed representatives in the Associated Student Body (ASB), are attempting to spread awareness about the importance of Black History Month. They also hope to celebrate the various cultures in the Paly community. “Last year I was the first-ever Multicultural Commissioner, so this whole process is very new,” Kirkman said. Although having these commissioners is fairly new to Paly, the representatives are hoping for a successful year including events and the spreading of knowledge. Last year, the goal of Unity Club was to hold an event every Friday, and according to Kirkman they went quite well. “[It] was successful for a first attempt, but I hope this year will be even better,” Kirkman said. “It really helps having another Multicultural Commissioner this year to work with.” Although Black and Kirkman are still in the process of figuring out events for Black History Month this year, they plan to repeat events from last year and hopefully establish
new ideas in the process. A few events from last year will most likely occur again this year, according to Kirkman. “The event dates for Black History Month haven’t been finalized yet, but they will most likely include many of the events from last year, such as a Flag Raising ceremony, a lunch-time poetry reading and a Celebration of Excellence awards dinner,” Kirkman said. The combined work of ASB and Paly’s Unity Club will hopefully bring success to the celebration of this month, and prompt everyone in the Paly community to get in-
volved as well. These different parts of Paly strive to positively influence other students. “We communicate with the Unity club to support their ideas on how we can use events and activities to bring Paly together culturally,” Black said. The bond of different cultures will hopefully establish a more unified community at Paly that will help students of all backgrounds feel accepted and safe. “As Multicultural Commissioner, I focus on creating a more inclusive, accepting environment at Paly,” Kirkman said. “This takes the
form of various events throughout the year, such as Black History Month, that celebrate various cultures.” A key component to establishing this sense of an integrated society involves the recognition of all members of the Paly community. Although this topic may be somewhat discussed in history classes, other methods of spreading knowledge can be just as effective. “The best way to spread awareness about Black History Month is to start by actually wanting to be educated about the history,”
Black said. “The facts and stories behind Black History Month should be shared with all, so everyone should be willing to learn.” The Paly Library acknowledges Black History Month by providing credible internet sources, which may be quite resourceful for some students because not all classes recognize black history in depth. A Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) libguide dedicated to this celebration can be found at http://libguides.pausd. org/bhm. This site features books on the topic, as well as other links to web sites and databases about African American History. Each year, the site has a different theme for the topic. This year, the theme is “African Americans and the Civil War.” Black History Month connects Paly students and those all over the world because the positive impact and change that these African American individuals achieved is a commonly studied topic to explore and analyze in schools. At Paly, spreading awareness of the unity that these achievements symbolize is especially important to ASB and the Unity Club. “Our goal is to be a tangible presence on campus, both on the quad and in the media, which will hopefully make Paly a more inclusive environment,” Kirkman said. Some may feel that the history of famous black people should be remembered and appreciated each day of the year, but this month focuses on the positive and negative changes Americans have endured throughout time, while giving special appreciation to some of the most influential and important figures in American history. After all, our community and the entire nation significantly advocate for positive change and equal rights. “I love Black History Month,” Kirkman said. “It gives me a chance to celebrate my personal heritage, and it can really generate a deep sense of community.”
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FEATURES
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • B6
Paly’s newest publication seeks to expand its staff in upcoming year Proof focuses on arts and entertainment, hopes to showcase Paly’s vast art talent By Michael Abrams Copy Editor
Proof, Palo Alto High School’s newest publication dedicated to reporting on arts and entertainment throughout Paly and the Bay Area, recently published its second edition and is building a foundation to expand to a broader and larger staff next year. Proof was established in 2010 when arts teacher Margo Wixsom attended the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Awards and viewed other schools’ arts publications. After deciding that Paly could benefit from a similar publication, Wixsom asked several students involved in the Paly arts community to take leadership roles in the new magazine. “Arts magazines at a high school level are generally solely composed of art work collected from the high school,” junior Katie Causey said. “Students at Paly proposed taking the magazine a step further and including arts and entertainment articles.” Causey has participated in Proof since last year and was chosen to be next year’s Editor in Chief. Although Proof is an official Paly publication, it is very different from Viking or Verde, two of Paly’s popular print publications. According to Causey, the magazine is printed in color on long, glossy sheets and sewn together into a thin booklet of about 60 pages. Due to the high price of full color, Proof was originally offered for purchase for five dollars. Next year, however, the publication will receive more funding and will be able to provide the magazine to students free of charge. The magazine will also be mailed to students’ homes, similar to how Verde and Viking are distributed. According to Causey, the magazine itself is highly focused on graphics and photography rather than text. Text is minimal and sporadic, as the artwork itself is the subject of the magazine. The structure of the magazine, however, is similar to Verde and Viking. Proof organizes sections around four major themes that the magazine highlights: spotlight, gallery, arts and entertainment. “The spotlight section includes interviews with students at Paly who excel in the visual and performing arts, interviews with Paly students who continue to pursue the arts after high school and internationally known art professionals,”Causey said. According to Causey, photography is one field in which many Proof candidates particularly excel. Writers inexperienced with photography must be paired with an
Star Strul/Campanile
New school publication puts emphasis on graphics and photography, while limiting text to a minimum. Interviews are currently being held to obtain next year’s staff personnel and Proof invites interested students who wish to submit artworks to contact the founder of Proof, teacher Margo Wixsom. advanced photographer to take pictures and visually imagine the story to preserve this photographic base of the magazine. According to Proof staff members, however, stories are diverse and appealing to a wide variety of artists, from painters to travelers. One article is simply a recipe for pasta, interspersed with vibrant, colorful images of the ingredients. Another article explores the impressionist art exhibit at the De Young museum, while yet another article lays out the perfect day in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. Proof has already received numerous awards at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Awards, which commends the efforts of young journalists across the United States.
Proof staff members will also travel to New York City along with the Voice, Campanile and Verde staff for the annual Columbia Scholastics Press Awards ceremony. “I think the fact that we decided to include articles and take into consideration a lot of the graphic design aspects of the magazine, rather than just making the magazine a collection of student art work, really made us stronger compared to other schools’ art magazines,” Causey said. According to arts editor Caitlin Dazey, however, the magazine is still based around graphics, and tries not to lose focus on this goal during the production cycle of the magazine. Production cycles are lengthy for the staff. “The production cycle is a couple months and we do a lot of sorting images and page
design and getting or creating pictures for each article,” Dazey said. As well as working on its next issue, Proof is also currently interviewing members for next year’s staff. According to Causey, an ideal Proof applicant displays a great amount of passion and focus on their art, while also maintaining strong literary and journalistic skills. “We focus on finding students who are truly the best of the best,” Causey said. “Our applicants are students who have begun their own business based off their field of interest, won multiple competitions in their field of interest, help run multiple clubs and organizations that support their field of interest and have years of experience working in their field of interest.”
Applications are open to any student, however, and students from all grade levels are strongly encouraged to apply. According to Dazey, working on the magazine is a highlight to any student’s experience at Paly. “It’s really cool that just a few average students can pull together something that is viewed as amazing and professional so randomly and so fast,” Dazey said. The staff is also inviting teachers to nominate student candidates who they believe are suited to work for Proof. Students interested in applying may contact Margo Wixsom at mwixsom@pausd. org. If students wish to submit artwork, send high quality JPEG images of their work to mwixsom@pausd.org.
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A&E
The Campanile
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 • B7
Website users express creativity through case design Case-Mate allows artists to personalize cell phones, iPads, iPods with unique artwork By Maddie Berger Staff Writer
It’s no secret; there are a lot of iPhones at Palo Alto High School, and after the holidays there seem to be even more. Walking around campus, it is easy to spot the sleek cell phones accompanied by the many colorful cases that students use to decorate their devices. But one case stands out; with its pink background and unique artistic accents, junior Yael Palmon’s case is the only one like it in the whole school, and maybe even the whole world. Instead of buying a case from a mall kiosk or the Apple store, Palmon designed her own on a website called Case-Mate. “I couldn’t really find any [cases] that I really liked except for the ones that everyone has, so I just thought I’d try [to design my own] and see if I could make something I like,” Palmon said. “My sister [had used Case-Mate] and it just looked really cool.” While there are many websites available for custom merchandise, Case-Mate is completely dedicated to technological devices. Besides offering custom cases, Case-Mate also sells pre-made cases for all models of the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and other smart phones like Nokia and Motorola. For those who do not feel they have the artistic ability necessary to design a custom case, the pre-made cases offered on Case-Mate come in a variety of different styles and designs. Shopping for a case is like browsing on a clothing store website; Case-Mate features a 2010 fall-winter iPhone collection of stylish cases, complete with models displaying the collection in photo campaigns and featured artists with unique and creative designs. The company’s description of the collection states “Case-mate has a vision to inspire and reflect your style, for every way and everywhere you want to show it. We’re bringing a fresh emphasis on touch to the accessories you use the most. We’re
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After selecting a style for a customized case, customers can choose the background color and a personalized design to add over the background. Artists can also use the “mirror,” “colorizing” and “kaleidoscope” tools to manipulate their artwork. turning these works of art into life, one piece at a time.” Despite the high-class tone, the pre-made cases are not too pricey, with iPhone cases ranging between $35-$40, and iPad cases are around $90. Custom designed cases are in the same price range, and are a way for the user to express his or her artistic creativity. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, “I Make My Case” is dedicated to emphasizing creativity. “We find mass production, well, a bit dull,” the website states. “In its place we embrace a passion for great art and its ability to inspire and, through its uniqueness, to celebrate
individuality. From these passions was born, ‘I Make My Case’.” The web page itself is a work of art, with colorful drawings floating behind the text and whimsical transitions between pages. To produce the cases, the company combines strong, flexible plastic called Lexon and a special printing process that embeds the ink into each case to make high quality bases for artistic designs. According to the website, their method ensures that the art “won’t scratch or abrade with daily use.” Step one to start making a unique, custom case is to choose a device. “I Make My Case” offers custom cases only for the iPhone 3, 3Gs and 4, the Blackberry bold, the iPod
Touch 2G and the Blackberry Curve. created by a group of 11 artists with The plain case comes in white for different styles. A collection designed each model. by Chuck Anderson features bright What makes “I Make My Case” colors and natural elements like birds so unique is and fire, while artist what comes Frenden uses “It was so easy — each one Ray next. expressive cartoonThe site probably took five minutes like drawings as a collaborates tops.” basis for his designs. with differ“I [worked Yael Palmon with] five different artists to bring creative junior ent artists and then shapes and picked my favorcolors that ite [case out of the reflect the artists’ style that can be five],” Palmon said. “It was so easy arranged into custom and unique each one probably took five minutes designs. tops. It’s really simple.” The home page of the site After choosing a designer to work features images of different cases with, the rest is up to the customer.
One may decide to work with artist Deanne Cheuk, whose girly style includes soft colors and plenty of floral. To start, one is given a choice of background colors and patterns the artist has selected. In Cheuk’s case, one can choose from floral, black, white, navy, coral, light pink, light blue, peach or ivory backgrounds. Then, the “I Make My Case” provides what the site calls “elements” the artist has designed, which are essentially very intricate cartoon designs, that can be added over the background. Cheuk’s elements include a multitude of different floral designs and paint splotches in colors that match the background choices. Once an element has been placed on the case template, it can be rotated and resized to each case designer’s liking. In addition, for every design made, there are three tools available to manipulate the shapes, called “mirror”, “colorize” and “kaleidoscope”. The “mirror” tool splits the case design in two, then reflects it vertically so each side is symmetric. The “colorize” tool changes all the elements into one color shade, and the “kaleidoscope” tool creates a new, circular kaleidoscope pattern out of the elements, which can be rotated until one finds a favorite position. Once the case is finished, the website takes the customer back to Case-Mate to go through the purchasing and shipping process. A custom case costs $40, with the added bonus of free standard shipping, which takes between six and ten business days. Overall, the website has received positive feedback from customers, and even won a Webby Award, an international award given by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, last year in the retail category. “I’m very happy [with my case],” Palmon said. “I think [a custom case] is really cool because no one else is going to have it.”
The Script’s new album fails to meet high expectations
Songs on “Science and Faith” lack originality compared to previous album, “The Script” By Austin Smith
on The Script’s new album. With a pleasant acoustic guitar that mixes perfectly with It is not often that an Irish rock band O’Donoghue’s vocals, the song produces a attracts attention with an album release in vibe that can be associated with nearly all of the United States. The stereotypical image The Script’s songs that can be summed up in of an Irish band usually involves elements of several of the songs lyrics: “We’re smiling but negativity – a heavy, unenjoyable accent and we’re close to tears, even after all these years. songs about drinking. We just now got the feeling that we’re meeting The Script, an Irish group based in Lon- for the first time.” don, hopes to change that negative stereotype. The song chronicles a new relationship, On Jan. 24, they released their sophomore and gradually transitions from sadness to studio album titled “Science and Faith.” A fol- happiness. low up to their previous album, “The Script,” “Nothing” is a medium paced song with a which was released in 2008, they hope to build catchy chorus. However, the verses are seemupon the positive reputation they established ingly repetitive. with their first album release. Plagued by a mediocre beat, the song “The Script,” an album initially released only picks up with O’Donoghue’s voice in only in Ireland, was never planned to be dis- the chorus. tributed in the United The fourth song on the States. album, “Science and Faith” However, after its is yet another average paced Artist: The Script unexpected success song. Once again, the lyrics and number one spot Producer: Mark Sheehan detail a failed relationship on the Irish Album and the song becomes almost Chart for five weeks, painfully cheesy and fake at the album was finally released in the United some points: “You won’t find faith or hope States. Singles such as “Breakeven” and “The down a telescope. You won’t find heart and Man Who Can’t be Moved” carried the group soul in the stars. You can break everything, to fame and success. down to chemicals. But you can’t explain a The past three years, however, have been love like ours.” relatively quiet for the group. A dormant two “If You Ever Come Back” is a very preyears followed their initial album release. dictable song in terms of lyrics. However, the However, on Nov. 18, the group showed song itself, besides being repetitive, is offbeat signs of life with the release of the single and quirky. “For the First Time.” A relative success, this The addition of some electronic notes song helped hype the release of their second adds complexity that is not seen on any studio album “Science and Faith,” which was other track. “Long Gone and Moved On” is released several months later. yet another lyrically predictable song. The “You Won’t Feel a Thing” is the opening melody of the song seems as if it has been track to the album, which is crucial because copied from their other tracks and it all feels it sets the tone for the proceeding songs. A very repetitive. fast paced song that details the low points of “Dead Man Walking” provides a refreshthe lead singer Danny O’Donoghue’s life and ing beat that is composed of an acoustic guitar relationships, the song radiates the qualities (as usual) and drums. that define The Script. However, the lyrical motivation for the “For the First Time,” released as a single track is questionable, with uninspired and several months ago, is perhaps the best song bland lines such as: “Oh I hear the angels
Senior Staff Writer
Science and Faith
benjosandoval.wordpress
The Script, an Irish band based in London, released their sophomore studio album titled “Science and Faith” on Jan. 24. Almost every track consists of a monotonous beat and cliched lyrics about love and relationships. talking, talking, talking. Now I’m a dead man walking, walking, walking”. Despite a catchy combination of vocals and guitars, “This = Love” falls short of The Script’s potential. Lyrics such as “Love is why we do it, love is worth the pain. Love is why we fall down, get back up again. Love is where the heart lies, love is from above. Love is this, this is love” are just too much to be taken seriously, let alone create an enjoyable song. “Walk Away” represents another high point of the album. B.o.B., featured on this song, provides a fresh tone to the album with
his different voice and persona. As the album ends, the songs become less mainstream. “Exit Wounds,” the second to last track on the album, tells the story of heartbreak yet again. This song is somewhat of an anomaly when compared to the rest of the album, and although the beat and vocals are not spectacular, the lyrics are honest. Finally, the album concludes with “Bullet From a Gun,” a mediocre and halfhearted finish that features the lyrics, “I search my skin for the entry point where the love went in and ricocheted and
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bounced around. And left a hole when you walked out.” “Science and Faith” is very much a hit or miss album. The biggest issues plaguing the CD are its repetitive songs and cheesy, overemotional lyrics. Almost every track consists of a monotonous acoustic guitar beat coupled with corny lyrics about love and relationships. On the bright side, The Script seems to have found a formula for success and simply good sounding songs; several mediocre verses and a loud, passionate and catchy chorus.
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A&E Male fashion underrepresented on Paly campus The Campanile
B8 • February 1, 2011
Despite multitude of local shopping options, Paly boys’ fashion sense remains limited By Sam Blake Staff Writer
Not having a dress code at Palo Alto High School is one of the greatest gifts the student body is given, and yet it is constantly overlooked by much of Paly’s male population. Part of what makes Paly such a liberal campus is that students generally feel comfortable wearing whatever they want. During Spirit Week, guys go crazy wearing spandex suits, body paint and even dresses. However, after that one week, most men return to a casual pair of gym shorts, jeans and a t-shirt while usually sporting a pair of Nikes or Vans shoes. Why do guys rarely spice up their wardrobes? Boys discourage flamboyance and versatile wardrobes even to the smallest scale. Some just prefer to dress simply and neglect fashion overall. On the East Coast, as well as countries in Europe, the idea of going out in a T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops would be considered preposterous. Luckily there are a few options for guys who do care about what they wear. The most conveniently located place to shop is at Stanford Shopping Center, which is closely located to Paly — a mere five-minute drive. It offers a wide variety of high-end merchandise that is worth the pretty penny it costs, as well as delicious food to snack on. For starters, guys should go to stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom. Both of these stores offer friendly customer service and extensive clothing options. Macy’s delivers a variety of clothing with an emphasis on formal and functional. Macy’s has a variety of short and long sleeved polos which pair up nicely with darker jeans. Timberland quilted jackets ($50) and fleece’s ($30) go marvelously with pretty much any outfit. J.Crew’s new line of flannels ($70) fit perfectly into any wardrobe and for the best selection of polos, the classic and original Lacoste is the best choice. There is a negative stigma surrounding Lacoste because of their association with middle school dances,
but their polos can produce a mature and sophisticated look without having to put a significant amount of work into an outfit. In the winter, one should consider wearing a long sleeve polo under a North Face jacket rather than simply throwing on a free T-shirt. The Lacoste short-sleeve shirt ($79) comes in a score of different colors. Admittedly, these shirts are all expensive so if one has the budget, go to Lacoste for classic short-sleeve polos and Ralph Lauren for long-sleeve, warmer polos. For jeans, one should make a visit to Lucky Brand Jeans. The store offers jeans of all different colors and textures with a unique, fashionable 60s vibe. These jeans are also consistently less costly than their counterparts, Seven and True Religion jeans. They also are more durable and dependable, and have the perfect mix of style and functionality. Their bootleg and vintage jeans sell for around $99, a low price in the realm of designer jeans. One of the generally overlooked benefits during the winter shopping season is that it is a great time to buy summer clothing. PacSun is a great place to go for beach apparel. PacSun has the best collection of board shorts, with every brand including Quicksilver, Billabong, Volcom, Fox and many others. Their board shorts are generally priced around $50, which would usually be a little expensive. However, these board shorts are sturdy and reliable. For the especially warm Palo Alto day, one can never go wrong with a classic tank, which PacSun offers a multitude of. PacSun offers a fine selection of skater clothing and beach wear. In the spirit of dressing for warm weather, the Vans Store on University Avenue is an excellent stop. The Vans Store has a myriad of shoes ranging from the classic Vans to the single color to high top Vans. The Vans Store downtown is the perfect place to visit. The t-shirts are overpriced around $30, with some plaid shirts ranging upwards of $48. The Stanford Shopping Center and University Avenue have many options for creating a fresh outfit, even though prices are rather high. For cheaper options, Nordstrom
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A myriad of stores are located at nearby shopping malls, including J.Crew, which offers stylish fashions for men. Male Paly students can vary their fashion styles by purchasing unique clothing at stores ranging from Filene’s to Nordstrom Rack. Rack located in East Palo Alto offers Nordstrom’s quality of clothing at a significantly discounted price. Nordstrom Rack is useful for less common clothes sizes. If one searches through the selection of clothing, one can find great deals. When purchased from Nordstrom Rack, $130 jeans are significantly marked down to $70. Nordstrom Rack has the best deals, but the customer service is minimal due to the size of the store and the amount of clothing available. If one sees a good deal, they should buy the item because that
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same, unique piece of clothing could be gone if one waits till the next week to buy it. Another option is going to Haight Street in San Francisco, which is about 45 minutes away by Caltrain. Thrift stores offer unparalleled prices. However, these stores have unpredictable stock. Haight offers unconventional clothing which can be incorporated into any kind of outfit. One-of-a-kind clothing can be found in second hand stores and be perfect for costumes or everyday wear.
Since the clothes are almost always second-hand, the prices and sales are fantastic. It is worth a stop, but do not count on finding anything. Instead, one should be open towards fashion. If one embarks with low expectations, shopping at thrift stores in the Haight can be an interesting weekend activity. San Francisco also offers a number of expensive brand name stores. Union Square has a variety of upscale shops. Many other options are located within walking distance of Union
Square and the Caltrain stop in San Francisco. Also in San Francisco is Filene’s Basement. Filene’s Basement is an excellent alternative to many brand name stores. Filene delivers a high quality product at a reduced price. However, like all stores based around deals, Filene’s Basement is unpredictable. Consider these tips while attempting to rejuvenate your wardrobe. Fashion, like painting and sculpting, is a unique hobby and should change widely based on one’s personal preference.
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A&E
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • B9
Delicious dinner choices readily available in minutes
Locations such as White Castle, Trader Joe’s provide quick meal options Bailey Cassidy Staff Writer
generous serving size, this is a winning option that can be found conveniently close to Paly.
Trader Joe’s Chicken Chow Mein
For diners who are feeling exotic, Trader Joe’s Pad Thai is an easy, filling option. It is packaged in a box that contains noodles and a packet of a Thai soybean and peanut sauce. After stirring together the noodles and sauce, one can simply reseal the box and microwave for two minutes. The rather simple noodles nicely contrast with the slightly spicy sauce. Each box contains about two servings at 130 calories each.
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Feeling nostalgic for favorite childhood meals? Mac n’ Cheese is a fail-proof classic. There are countless different brands at nearly every grocery store, but Kraft is a time-tested favorite. It is delicious after the addition of butter, milk and pre-packaged cheese sauce, which have the additional benefit of making this option an excellent source of calcium and protein. One can experiment with adding various extra ingredients to Mac n’ Cheese after it has been cooked to accommodate one’s personal taste. Although it may sound strange at first, ketchup can be a very welcomed addition to this classic dish, as it is slightly sweet and blends nicely with the cheese. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese comes in many varieties and can be found shaped like favorite characters such as SpongeBob Squarepants. Each box contains approximately two servings at 150 calories each.
There is one thing that almost every student at Palo Alto High School has in common: a busy, rigorous schedule. Sports, homework, clubs, social activities and family obligations leave students with little free time for meals that are difficult to prepare. However, students will no longer need to worry about what to whip up for dinner on a busy night after trying out one of these tasty, efficient dinner options.
Trader Joe’s Pad Thai
Macaroni & Cheese
Craving something Asian? Trader Joe’s Chicken Chow Mein provides a quick and relatively healthy fix. At $3.69 a package, it contains noodles, chicken, assorted vegetables and sauce. Simply pour the noodles and vegetables into a bowl and microwave for five minutes, then microwave for an additional minute after adding the sauce. The sauce is slightly spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. The vegetables, including broccoli and red peppers, provide nutrients necessary to help students attack evening homework with a clear mind. Each package can serve three people and is approximately 70 calories per serving. Overall, this dish makes for the perfect combination of vegetables, noodles and sauce and is an affordable, healthy and convenient dinner option for students. If one longs for a taste of fast food without leaving home, White Castle’s Microwaveable Cheeseburgers offer a perfect solution. These mini-cheeseburgers contain 100 percent beef patties, cheese and grilled onions. This blend of flavors is zesty and can be enhanced by the addition of ketchup, mustard or other condiments. One package contains two sandwiches, which can be microwaved for about a minute or so. While not an extremely nutritious option, as each package contains 310 calories, these sliders are very tasty and satisfying. They can be paired with fruit or a salad to add some nutrients to the meal. A box of six
Tobey Nelson-gal/campanile
Local and chain grocery stores such as Trader Joes provides a wide variety of pre-packaged salads. The stores offer many different options such as a classic Caesar Salad, with a chicken option, Chef Salad and Greek Salad. mini-cheeseburgers can be found at local grocery stores, such as Safeway, for $4.99.
Salad Kits
A pre-made salad is a quick and easy option for a delicious, nutritious meal. There are a variety of salad kits, such as the Ready Pac Bistro brand, which is sold at local grocery stores such as Safeway. These salad kits are packaged in disposable plastic bowls, making them an easy option for students on the go. Ready Pac’s Chicken Caesar salad
is particularly delicious. It consists of crisp, romaine lettuce, roasted white chicken meat, Caesar dressing and shredded cheese. The lettuce is very crunchy and fresh and the dressing is quite creamy and zesty. This salad is tasty even without the chicken, for those who prefer a meatless option. The cheese is a welcomed addition that gives the salad an extra bit of flavor. Ready Pac sells many other kinds of salad kits, such as a chef’s salad. These rather large, filling salads are 230 calories each. At $4.00
per bowl, they may seem slightly pricey in comparison to some other options, but are extremely delicious, sustaining and worth the price. Another delicious salad kit option is Trader Joe’s Caesar salad. It contains crunchy romaine lettuce, croutons, cheese and a serving of Caesar dressing. These items are individually wrapped in a container that is large enough to adequately mix the salad together and the salad kit comes with a fork, making this a perfect option for dinner on the go. Priced reasonably at $3.69 for a very
Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Soup
This classic comfort food combo is perfect for a chilly night. A grilled cheese sandwich with one’s favorite type of cheese and bread can be prepared within minutes. It is tasty plain, but oftentimes the addition of ham or another type of meat enhances this dish. There are countless varieties of canned soup sold at grocery stores and one can heat up any type from chicken noodle to cream of mushroom to accompany a grilled cheese sandwich. Cream of mushroom or chicken noodle soups both compliment a grilled cheese sandwich nicely.
Celebrity Oprah Winfrey creates her own television network Chairwoman hopes that new channel will show admirable side of reality television Camille Ezran
Business and Ad Manager
With her own magazine, radio station, website and television show, Oprah Winfrey seems to have conquered the world of media. However, on Jan. 1, she once again outdid herself by creating her own television network. The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is a television channel designed to empower people of every age to live their “best life.” From reality shows to cooking classes, OWN features a continuum of inspirational stories created to give hope and motivation to Americans to live a healthier lifestyle. ”What if I could take every story that ever moved me, every song I ever danced to, all of my most special celebrations and share them with you?” Winfrey said in her commercial for OWN. Winfrey is the chairwoman and chief editor of OWN, giving her complete editorial, programming and marketing control over the network. She is reported to have spent a total of $189 million to build the network, which critics speculate will begin to reign in profit in three years. Winfrey will stop recording her daily talk show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, this Spring. It will no longer be aired on CBS Television Distribution in September, 2011. This coincides with the 25th anniversary of the opening of her show in September 1986. It is one of the longest running television talk shows in the US, with nearly 5000 episodes. Unlike on the Oprah Winfrey show, Winfrey will only appear two to three times a week on a new prime-time show called Oprah’s Next Chapter. In this show, she will continue to do interviews but on a global level. “I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing the world, and to not being tethered to the chair anymore,” Winfrey said to the press.“I know there are lots of people who will never be able to see the world, and I’m hoping I can help them see it.” This is not the first time Winfrey has launched a channel. In 1998, she helped create Oxygen Media, Inc., a network geared towards women’s health, beauty and self-esteem. Because of the huge financial investment and the lack of managing control, she sold it to NBC Universal in 2007. Winfrey hopes that OWN will have a greater success, although she understands that it might take years before she can gather a large audience. Currently, there are eighteen shows on the OWN, including Miracle Detectives, Best of Trading Spaces, Oprah Presents Master Class, Ask Oprah’s All Stars, Sarah Ferguson: Duchess of York and Breaking Down the Bars. The channel also has repeats episodes from Winfrey’s favorite talk show hosts such as Dr. Phil, Gayle King, Rachel Ray and Dr. Oz.
MSNBC
Oprah Winfrey announces her new television network called the Oprah Winfrey Network in hopes to inspire Americans to live better. The channel will feature a variety of new television shows such as Master Class, Miracle Detectives, Your Own Show and Break Down the Bars. The show “Master Class” is composed of eight modern Using scientific techniques, the neuroscientists “masters of life” who share with viewers their stories and attempt to investigate the legitimacy of these alleged the life lessons that they have learned across the years. miracles and hear a multitude of different perspectives. The first season includes guest Your Own Show, Oprah’s search stars Diane Sawyer, Jay-Z, Maya “[Being a television host] is about for the next TV star, is one of the Angelou, Simon Cowell, Dr. Conmore popular shows on OWN. doleezza Rice, Lome Micheals having an authentic voice. It is Each season, 10 contestants and Winfrey herself. compete to win a job hosting an about focus, and vision, and exThese people explain what it OWN show of his or her creation. ecution.” takes to become successful and “As a television host, you how to triumph over failures. Oprah Winfrey have to do more than just be out Miracle Detectives features front of the camera,” Oprah Chairwoman and Chief Editor of in two neuroscientists who claim said to guests of Your Own Show. the Oprah Winfrey Network “It is about having an authentic to have personally experienced unexplainable phenomenas, and voice. It is about focus, and viwho travel around the country in sion, and execution. You need order to investigate and listen to other people’s extraor- to surround yourself with people who are going to tell dinary experiences. you the truth.”
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Although Winfrey’s renowned book club will not be running on the OWN, the new monthly Documentary Club will feature filmmakers such as Louie Psihoyos, director of the Oscar-winning The Cove on her show,. This show, hosted by Rosie O’Donnell, will feature award-winning documentaries as well as new ones made by stars such as Julia Roberts and Goldie Hawn on extraordinary moms and the effect of positive psychology. This excites many documentary makers as it has been estimated that an Oprah book endorsement increases printing by up to 500 percent. With the limited appearances on OWN, Winfrey puts herself to the ultimate test to see if the same number of viewers will watch her channel. Critics wonder if this network will survive with the extraordinary cost required to maintain such a business. Furthermore, advertisers and investors have become increasingly reluctant to invest in a show where the average viewer’s age is 50.
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • B10
Birthday cakes made by Paly student, local businesses are delicious, affordable Maya Krasnow Business and Ad Manager
Cakes are a necessity at every birthday party but cake baking can be troublesome and unpredictable. To avoid this hassle, it can be beneficial to purchase a cake at one of Palo Alto’s bakeries, grocery stores or small businesses. Store-bought cakes can taste just as good as homemade ones.
The Prolific Oven
The Prolific Oven makes some of the best cakes in the Bay Area. Each of The Prolific Oven’s cakes contains a moist and decadent cake part covered with frosting that is creamy but not too sweet. The Prolific Oven offers different sizes of cakes that serve anywhere from four to 104 people. The chocolate on chocolate for $19 (4-5 servings) is a sour cream chocolate cake with a dark semi-sweet chocolate frosting. Only true chocoholics should attempt to eat this rich treat. For those in the mood for something chocolate but not as rich as the chocolate on chocolate, the chocolate mocha for $19 (4-5 servings) is a delicious alternative. This cake is made with the same base as the chocolate on chocolate cake, but instead contains a sweet mocha cream cheese frosting. The Lady Regina cake for $29.50 (8-10 servings) is also very tasty. A vanilla cake, filled with raspberry filling, is decorated with cream cheese frosting and topped with seasonal fruit. Other cake options include chocolate rum, carrot, strawberry cream and cheesecake. The Prolific Oven also sells delicious pastries, cookies and pie. The only downside to purchasing a cake at The Prolific Oven is the moderately high prices.
Renel Sun’s Cakes
Riki Rattner/Campanile
Flicker
Palo Alto High School graduate Renel Sun has recently A display of the desserts that are available for purchase at The Prolific Oven (left). These cakes are the perfect thing for anybody looking to started a cake-baking business. She bakes and sells all sorts of cakes ranging from vegan to artistic masterpieces deliver a treat on someone’s special day. A case of cakes displaying the wide variety of original freshly baked treats at Whole Foods (right). for any occasions. In the future, Sun would like to start a full-fledged is disappointing — the lady finger part is soggy and the “I think there is something special about everything “I bake mainly low sugar or vegan cakes when baking for family but when I’m on a job, people generally love homemade; it’s a tangible record of time and a product business, but for the time-being she can design cakes cream is not fluffy. Whole Foods also sells a vanilla cake with buttercream icing covered with fresh berries. This of an individual’s thought, for local clients. rich and buttery cakes with “Cake making is an art to me, and I hope to open a cake is rich and creamy. effort, and expression,” no substitutions,” Sun said. “I think there is something special about business after college,” Sun said. Sun said. “I love fancy, royal looking Costco Sun does not have set cakes because they look everything homemade; it’s a tangible Whole Foods The Costco bakery offers an assortment of cakes all prices on her cakes and more special than most record of time and a product of an indiWhole Foods offers a variety of pre-baked cakes made sold in a 12x16 half sheet size. These cakes cost between usually sells them for much cake designs and my goal vidual’s thought, effort and expression.” less than they would be at entirely with organic ingredients that delivers the most $16 and $20 and serve approximately 48 people. Costco is to stand out.” Renel Sun market value. eco-friendly cakes. cakes can be customized to fit the customer’s preferences. Sun corresponds exOne can buy whole cakes or individually boxed slices. One can choose between chocolate, yellow and “Generally I sell my tensively with her clients senior cakes for much less than However, be sure to purchase one of their treats early in carrot cake. both over the phone and The chocolate and vanilla cakes can be filled with what they are worth be- the day as they tend to dry out as the day goes on and through email to help cuschocolate mousse, strawberry mousse and vanilla cream. cause I still feel the need to perfect my techniques,” Sun they sit for longer. tomize the perfect cake that will fit any occasion. The tiramisu ($3.99 for a slice) is frosted with whipped cheese. The carrot cake is always filled with apricot For friends and family, Sun creates personalized said. “I work to make my cakes worth some value in the cream and decorated with chocolate shavings. This cake mousse. cakes that remind her of the person she is baking them for. triple digits.”
A&E
The Campanile
February 1, 2011 • B11
Groupon provides consumers with convenient discounted goods
New bargains daily, many deals available at retailers both locally, internationally Ashley Shin
bile provides a variety of local deals depending on your location, wherever and whenever. $15 off a $30 dinner at a local restaurant is Groupon mobile uses GPS to do this just one of the many deals offered through the and can also keep track of each purchased online company, Groupon. Groupon provides Groupon by location, date and expiration. members with various daily deals ranging Groupon Mobile is versatile as it is available from food to entertainment coupons that can in an iPhone, Android, Blackberry application be redeemed through a printed receipt or by or through a mobile web browser for non a phone. The coupons offered place an em- smart phones. phasis on collaborating with local businesses. An example of a daily Groupon deal for Groupon originally got its start from The the San Jose area is the 50 percent off a $30 Point, a website that helps groups organize to purchase at the Taverna Bistro. The Taverna achieve a goal from a large range of different Bistro presents organic Mediterranean Cuipossibilities. sine and is located in Sunnyvale, California. Created in 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, the Another one of Groupon’s daily deals is company is expanding with offices in Palo the $10 off a $20 purchase at Nothing Bundt Alto, Calif. in addition to offices in Europe, Cakes. The bakery specializes in a variety Latin America and several other account of bundt cakes and is located in Sunnyvale. executives in many cities. On the deals page, there are pictures There are three different steps to using a and highlights of the restaurant, a map and Groupon coupon. First, the coupons can be directions to the location and many details accessed through the website, emails, Face- regarding the deal in bright, colorful fonts. book or Twitter. Next, the Groupon must be These details include the price to purchase the shared with friends and family. coupon, how many customers have already Sharing is possible through e-mail or bought it, the discount, the amount of money through various social networks such as saved, the time left to buy it and options to Facebook or Twitter. The final step is to either buy the coupon for a friend or to refer a friend. print the paper voucher or have the voucher Referring a friend earns the customer $10 in up on a cellular phone and redeem the deal credit for future purchases. All purchases are at whatever business the Groupon is valid at. made online with a credit card. Andrew Mason is the founder of both In addition, at the bottom of the page Groupon and of The Point CEO. Mason began with all the information, there are several in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania then made the previews of Yelp reviews regarding the busimove to Chicago to study at Northwestern ness that the Groupon is promoting. These University in 1999. reviews are helpful for the customer to see Mason continues to live there today how others respond to the business. where the Groupon headquarters are located. The review section for the Nothing Bundt In 2010, Groupon reportedly earned $500 mil- Cakes includes interesting information. It relion in revenue and employs over 3000 staff ports that Nothing Bundt Cakes has over 6770 members in different Facebook fans and that parts of the world. the Yelp users give the Recently at the Groupon Mobile is versatile business an overall 4.5 end of 2010, Google as it is available in an iPhone, star average. offered Groupon $6 It also mentions billion to purchase it. Android, or Blackberry apthat the local bakery Groupon turned the plication or through a mobile has received consideroffer down, rejecting web browser for non-smart able national press. BeGoogle’s greatest prolow this, two short Yelp posed acquisition in phones. reviews are included. it’s history. Lastly, there is a link Groupon has difoffering the option to ferent deals in over 300 various markets and join the discussion or write a review. 35 countries and is still expanding. The comAnother unique feature that Groupon pany’s states that every product and service provides is the ideas section located directly they offer is something the employees would above the reviews section. be interested in a surprising discount or price. It consists of several paragraphs with The company uses different technology to creative scenarios regarding each individual further expand Groupon. Not only can one coupon. For instance, for the Nothing Bundt redeem coupons from a phone, Groupon mo- Cakes coupon, the paragraphs suggest serv-
Staff Writer
Groupon
Groupon provides 50 percent discount on goods at Nothing Bundt Cakes in Sunnyvale. Daily coupons are offered to customers via e-mail, discounts ranging from 50 to 90 percent on a wide selection of products. ing the cakes to celebrate an anniversary, or romantic holiday, such as Valentine’s Day. The section also goes into details about different possible cakes, sizes and prices. Groupon referrals have a somewhat complicated process. To spread the word of Groupon, the referred must share his or her personalized referral link which has an automatic detection that sends a message to Groupon once someone other than the referrer clicks on the link. Then, once a friend joins Groupon within
three days of clicking on the referral link, the person who referred Groupon will receive a confirmation within the first 24 hours of the friend’s purchase and the credit will be automatically added to the referrers account. $10 of credit are given for every friend referred when they purchase their first Groupon. Groupon prides itself on its honest business practices, ensuring the customer is aware of all guidelines applying to the purchase. On the page offering the bargain, there is a section dedicated to the “fine print” of any
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deal in surprisingly readable font size. The customer is alerted to any unusual specifics. “Friends on Facebook had notices on their pages about specific Groupons. I ignored them, but a few months ago a friend told me that she was using Groupons a lot,” Theresa Carey, longtime Palo Alto resident said. “Anyway, [she] forwarded me an email about a $25 purchase of a $50 card for Nordstrom Rack a few days before I was planning to go there. I bought the card and was very happy with getting $50 worth of stuff for $25.”
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The Tracy Family The Smith Family The Whitson Family The Ruff Family The Nelson-Gal Family The More Family
A&E
B12 • February 1, 2011
Local restaurants provide vegetarian options Downtown Palo Alto eateries offer healthy, meatless alternatives By Rebecca Ruff Senior Staff Writer
It is difficult going out to eat as a vegetarian, but Palo Alto has some restaurants that are dedicated to making it easier. There are many restaurants like Sprout Cafe that are not exclusively non-meat, but have a wide range of options for the meandering vegetarian, and there are also a few restaurants like Garden Fresh and The Loving Hut that only sell vegan options. Sprout Café Sprout is located downtown and sells primarily salads, sandwiches and soups. Sprout has a peaceful, earthy, natural atmosphere with a modern feel and relaxing music. Their main goals are to provide fast, healthy, tasty food at an affordable price. They get the food out to the table quickly, but the lines up to the register and the customer service are not quick. They have a commitment to being healthy. Many of the salads and soups are vegetarian and there is an option to create your own salad, so it is easy to create a vegetarian meal. The food is extremely tasty also. They have small portions but they take extra care to create balanced, aesthetically pleasing and delicious dishes. Besides the less than attentive customer service the only other flaw with Sprouts is that it is on the pricey side, but it is still a great place to stop by for a salad.
Sprout Café
168 University Avenue Palo Alto (650) 323-7688 Garden Fresh Garden Fresh, a small Chinese vegan restaurant, also has a restaurant downtown with another location on El Camino. They have incredibly delicious Chinese food made entirely with plant products. The restaurant is a little expensive. All the food is served family style with large portions
1
The Campanile
in
1900
This edition featuring
Alex Sholtz
with The Campanile’s own Rachel Stober, Grace Harris and Nadav Gavrielov
Alex lin/campanile
Sprout Café offers a variety of different ingredients and dressings to create an original salad including green beans, red bell peppers, watercress, somen noodles, red onions, sweet corn, anchovies and more. making dining with family and friends easy and fun. The owners of Garden Fresh have made health an absolute priority — they have no MSG, trans fats or highfructose corn syrup so whatever is ordered will be savory, healthy and good for the planet. The tables, chairs and walls are wooden, while black and white photographs of nature adorn the walls. The interior of the restaurant is very earthy. The restaurant manages to maintain its eastern atmosphere by playing soft Asian music in the background despite the contradicting Vegan theme. In addition, the waiters and waitresses are very nice and patient.
Garden Fresh Vegan Restaurant 460 Ramona Street Palo Alto (650) 462-9298
The Loving Hut The Loving Hut is also a vegan restaurant stationed in downtown Palo Alto. It is a family owned chain restaurant that is popping up all across the United States. They believe that by providing cheap, fast, delicious vegan food, they can promote healthier and more sustainable living while providing food customers will like.
The Loving Hut has lots of snacks for meals on-the-go and for sitting and having a nice lunch. They sell coffee, pearl teas, sodas, sandwiches and salads, but every single Loving Hut location has a slightly modified menu because the owners want to give the chefs room to customize their own unique cuisine. The interior features plenty of white and a neon Loving Hut sign hangs on the ceiling. The employees are extremely kind and prepare the food very quickly. At the front of the store hangs a conglomeration of photos of famous people that are vegan or vegetarian. The
March of the Vikings Photos by Marc Havlik Text by Elena Pinsker
For anyone who did not see the masses of green and white clad students around the Palo Alto High School campus, the parade downtown should have been a giant sign - literally. Fans and athletes gathered on the streets to celebrate the Vikings’ double win. Varsity volleyball and football teams took the state titles, and the “fandemonium” reached from Palo Alto to Los Angeles to support the Viking athletes after their victories.
wonderful ambiance of The Loving Hut can be summed up as healthy and clean with a strong focus on sustainability.
The Loving Hut 165 University Avenue Palo Alto (650) 321-5588
The best way to live a healthy, affordable and sustainable lifestyle is to cook meals at home, but if you must eat out these are wonderful places. Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are good places to eat because they are both healthier and better for the planet.
The Campanile: So Alex, why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you do in your free time? Alex Sholtz: Oh God ... Free time is kind of an interesting thing. It’s like profit. You don’t really have free time, we don’t really have profit, you just kind of allocate your time to do things you enjoy. I enjoy my time doing things like Mock Trial. Actually that’s what I really love. TC: Tell us about Mock Trial—what do you like about it? AS: I really like the intellectual pursuit of it. Honestly, I just think it’s fun to dress up in a suit. TC: How’s the Mock Trial team this year? AS: Oh God ... [laughs]. We’re actually pretty good this year. We’re doing better than we were at this time last year, and I think we’re gonna do pretty well for ourselves. There’s a lot of good teams, but we’re one of them and we’re gonna make it to quarters. TC: Cats or dogs? AS: Cats. No, dogs. Why did I say cats? I have dogs. It’s because you said cats first, that’s why. TC: Jason or Alex? AS: Jason? TC: Okay well that brings us to our next topic, the publicized bromance between you and [senior] Jason Willick—would you like to elaborate on this? Clear up any misconceptions or anything? AS: Well I think someone said it best a long time ago with “hetero life mates.” Bromance is trite now. It’s too often used. I think “hetero life mates” does a better job of summing it up. TC: Is it more serious than bromance? AS: I think so. TC: Whats going to happen when you go to college? AS: Well, there are lots of people that are friends at the same and different colleges. I can’t say where I’m going to go and I don’t think Jason can say either, so I don’t know. TC: Did you apply to any of the same schools? AS: Yeah, we did. TC: Would you guys room together? AS: If we went to the same college we’d probably room together. I assume your readership has all seen Superbad? TC: Yes. AS: Well with Fogle and what’s-his-face... TC: The fatter one? AS: No not the fatter one, the fatter one is jealous. He’s like “I didn’t get into Dartmouth.” TC: So which one of you is which? AS: I think Jason’s probably Michael Cera. I think Jason would get into Dartmouth over me. TC: So you’re the fat jealous kid? AS: I’m Seth. TC: So have girls or any other type of relationship gotten between you guys? A kind of Yoko Ono situation? AS: I don’t catch the allusion with Yoko Ono, but Jason has a lovely girlfriend, her name is Sarah. They spend lots of time together. TC: Does that make you jealous? AS: No, not really. It’s actually been good for me because I’ve been able to find friends of my own. Other than Jason. TC: [laughs] You have friends other than Jason? AS: Yes I do actually. I’ve hung out with other groups of people, and I’ve realized there are other people in the world, and I’ve hung out with them sometimes. TC: Now let us ask you about Pierre. What is your relationship like with him? AS: One might think that he’s a third wheel, but he’s not. TC: With you and Jason? AS: Yes. Pierre can hold his own, which is something I think is pretty rare to find. TC: So you’re saying it’s rare to find someone who can keep up with you and Jason? AS: Exactly. And yet Pierre can do that. Pierre has his own sense of humor, sometimes he says things that I think he shouldn’t. This is pretty vague. TC: Where is Pierre from? AS: Quebec. I don’t know. He’s French Canadian. He’s a good guy. TC: Would you be disappointed or angry if you lost “Best Friends”? Jason Willick (who happened to be sitting in on the interview): We already won. TC: Jason says you already won. JW: They took our picture. AS: We could have gotten runner-up though. TC: Could you tell us what the photo shoot was like? AS: It was actually kind of awkward, I was sitting next to Jason on a bench ... Yeah I don’t know. I think we had trouble, I don’t know, do you want to describe it Jason? TC: He’s not in this interview. AS: Whatever, he can drop by. Well anyways, we sat on a bench and they took some pictures. I hope it didn’t turn out too awkward. I think they were fine. TC: Jason, do you think it was awkward? JW: Yeah, kind of. We don’t really feel comfortable putting our arms around each other, and they were trying to make us do that. AS: Yeah I don’t know if it worked. TC: You guys aren’t the touchy-feely type? AS: No. JW: No. We don’t really do that. TC: How does it feel to be an Eagle Scout? AS: With great power comes great responsibility. TC: What did you do to celebrate the big 18? AS: Oh God, you guys don’t want to know about that and I don’t think the public does either. TC: What do you want your legacy to be at Paly? AS: Well I want my legacy to be something the students know is me but the administration can’t quite pin on me.