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. XCIII, No. 1
50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://voice.paly.net/campanile
A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
Monday, September 27, 2010
New administration sets goals for school year
Graduating class of 1950 reunited
Principal places emphasis on teamwork, unity, student needs By Brandon Nguyen Sports Editor
Marc Havlik/Campanile
“It was wonderful seeing the school again.” PAGE A3
BLING-BLING
New microchip stickers allow mobile payment
Marc Havlik/Campanile
“You can make any mobile phone with texting a mobile payment device. All you need is a ‘BlingTag’, which is a quarter size microchip sticker.” PAGE A2
Alex Hammer has been elected Palo Alto High School freshman class president for the upcoming year by his peers, along with Parker Devine as vice president. The presidency is Hammer’s first position in office and he will begin representing for the freshman class immediately. Hammer particularly hopes to focus on helping his freshman peers with different aspects regarding the transition from middle school to high school, such as the work load difference. He also hopes to change how others interact socially at school, for instance at lunch and brunch. He plans to work to make sure that nobody sits alone during lunch or brunch or feels excluded. In addition, Hammer plans to represent
Marc Havlik/Campanile
Hammer hopes to ease the transition to high school for his freshman classmates. his class and meet their expectations. “As president, I’m looking forward to creating more opportunities for freshmen to get more involved in student
government, like having them come to me with ideas, and I will share the ideas in the meetings,” Hammer said. “I am also looking forward to creating ideas for freshman
spirit week and also just leading the freshman class in general.” Hammer attended Duveneck Elementary School and David Starr Jordan Middle School, Hammer feels that because he has been in the district for so long he already knows the majority of the freshman class through one of the schools he attended or the activities he participated in. Furthermore, Hammer expects several of his distinct characteristics to determine the outcome of the year. “[My social attributes] and responsibility will have the same impact on me as president,” Hammer said. “You have to be social to be able to represent the people well and to know what they want and when. You have to be responsible to actually carry out the actions.”
See ELECTION, Page A3
system. Her job is to organize adults and make sure that all the students are safe in case of an emergency at Paly. Laurence’s main goal is to help all students achieve their goals both in and out of school.
See ADMIN, Page A3
Administration switches to new Infinite Campus system By Jordan Zenger Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School administrators made the switch from the old School Administration Student Information system to the Infinite Campus student data collection system at the beginning of the 2010 to 2011 school year. The administrators hope to create a centralized online location where teachers and students can access information in seconds, according to Assistant Principal Kim Diorio.
“[The new system] is great, I can call up any information I want about a student using only my phone,” Diorio said. “With the old system you would need to be at school to look up any information from SASI.” The system is not fully functional at the moment, but Paly administrators hope to have Infinite Campus running in two weeks. However, complications could delay the process up to a month.
See SYSTEM, Page A3
Library, student center to have free WiFi for students By Tanvi Varma Staff Writer
The decision to make WiFi available on Palo Alto High School’s campus is potentially scheduled for the end of September, according to Paly principal Phil Winston. The decision to have free on-campus WiFi was determined on Wednesday, Sept. 15 by the Paly Ed Council.
The council will also determine hotspots around campus for students to use the internet. The WiFi was not ready at the beginning of the school year due to worries about bandwidth around campus, according to Paly Technology Director Pat O’Hara. “The worry about the bandwidth was that
the internet would be slower than it already is,” O’Hara said. “If many students bring personal computers to school to access the internet, the entire bandwidth around school could slow down and potentially stop.” “They’ve got the access points ready
See WIFI, Page A3
SPORTS
BACK IN THE POOL Despite a disappointing loss in their first game of the season, the Paly girls varsity water polo team has high hopes for this year. With strong underclassman talent as well as seasoned returning players, their goal of reaching CCS should be achievable.
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INSIDE
News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A4-A5,A8 Spotlight.............................A6-A7 Sports................................A9-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features...............................B2-B7 A&E...................................B8-B12
“I want to understand the school as well as all the cultures at Paly,” Winston said. “Students [at Paly] have a real sense of community and pride.” Laurence is in charge of athletics, technology and the safety plan at Paly. She is currently working on the implementation of Infinite Campus as well as the student WiFi
Freshmen class elects president Staff Writer
“We started BAD RAP because there were no pit bull rescue groups in the SF Bay Area, even though they were the most represented breed in PAGE B1 all of the shelters.” View this edition’s photo collage in vivid color.
personal level by setting a proper example for all students through simple gestures such as picking up trash on campus. “I want to respect the Paly campus,” Winston said. He also wants to learn about Paly’s diverse student body throughout the clubs and organizations.
By Ashley Shin
Marc Havlik/Campanile
http://voice.paly.net/campanile
Marc Havlik/Campanile
Principal Phil Winston, previously at Henry M. Gunn High School, fronts an administration filled with new and familiar faces, including Assistant Principal Kathie Laurence and Teacher on Assignment Trinity Klein.
Alex Hammer selected as president, Parker Devine to be VP
THE RUFF LIFE Pit bulls in need are given a second chance
LOOK ONLINE
New members of the Palo Alto High School administration aim to create a collaborative effort to benefit students’ goals and pursuits. The new administration is led by former Henry M. Gunn High School Assistant Principal Phil Winston. Although Winston is new to the Paly campus, the two other new administrators have taught at Paly for many years. Assistant Principal Kathie Laurence has replaced former Assistant Principal Todd Feinberg. Former English Department Instructional Supervisor Trinity Klein is the Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA), a position that is commonly known as the Dean of Students. This year, the Paly administration will emphasize the importance of teamwork and school unity to ensure the successes of both the student body and staff. The administration believes that school is an opportunity for students to excel and succeed in their distinct passions. “Everyone is part of a team,” Laurence said. “Everyone is working toward a goal of benefiting the students.” To create a more personal atmosphere, administrators have been walking around campus to greet students. “I want to make sure that everyone feels valued,” Winston said. “Paly should feel welcoming to all students.” Each administrator has his or her own distinct responsibilities in which they are in charge of at Paly. However, the administration wants all of their decisions concerning the student body to be a collaborative effort. “We [the administration] want to serve staff and students’ needs first,” Winston said. “In a community, it is important to build trust.” According to Winston, he is responsible for everything that happens at Paly. Despite the fact that he contributes most through enacting and enforcing school policies, he also wishes to have a positive impact on a more
Marc Havlik/Campanile
PAGE A12
OPINION
STAR STRUL/Campanile
CAN WE BUILD IT?
Construction and new portables in the quad have changed Paly’s atmosphere drastically. PAGE B2
A&E
Apple
A&E
Brian Benton/Campanile
DO THE SHUFFLE
THE PALY PLAYLIST
Apple announces the new generations of the iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle. PAGE B7
A new school year brings with it new music. Check out five bands we recommend. PAGE B7
NEWS
A2 • September 27, 2010
The Campanile
Paly dance team returns in time for fall season
NewsBriefs Stanford University receives federal grant to study obesity Stanford University School of Medicine has developed a new way to study and diminish childhood obesity. The researchers at Stanford received a $12.7 million federal grant to continue to expand their approach. This innovative plan involves various community based activities such as sports teams and active classes to engage children in healthy recreations, rather than base weight control purely on medical solutions. The grant is part of a $49.5 million fund from the National Institutes of Health’s Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Program. This program works to eliminate childhood obesity across the United States, providing grants for several other studies, including those at Case Western Reserve University, the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University. Thomas Robinson, a professor of children’s health, pediatrics and medicine at Stanford Medical School and the director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, helped found the study. His program at the Center for Healthy Weight has been incredibly successful in lessening obesity, resulting in successes in 80 percent of patients. “Our study will test a very exciting new model for treating overweight and obese kids,” Robinson said to the Palo Alto Weekly. “Currently, most communities have few resources to help these children and their families.” —Grace Harris Editor in Chief
Paly’s new library printing system rolled out for student use The Palo Alto High School library has begun charging students for any documents printed in the library in an effort to cut down on the massive amounts of paper waste in past years. “The goal was for people to think about what they are printing before they print it,” Librarian Rachel Kellerman said. Despite a few technical difficulties with the system, the library has been happy with the amount of paper saved. “I have been happy with the conservation,” Kellerman said. “I knew it was going to be a lot of work to implement [the system] and that has been the case.” Students can load money onto their printing cards at the front desk in the library, a process that takes roughly thirty seconds to complete. Based off of the amount of paper wasted in the first month of school, the librarians report that roughly ten pieces of paper are wasted each week as opposed to 500 pieces of paper that were wasted on a weekly basis last year. Although the system is still experiencing occasional technical errors, most have been fixed. The money raised from the new system will ultimately be donated to an environmentally-devoted organization. Kellerman hopes that in coming years, the system can be streamlined with student ID cards.
Six athletes revamp dance team with brand new choreographed routines By Ashley Swenseid Staff Writer
Thanks to the efforts of six students and one teacher, the Palo Alto High School dance team is back to preforming this year after a two-year hiatus. Juniors Annie Rosenberg, Natalie Brock, Isabel Obrien, sophomores Kate Apostolou and Olivia Maggi and freshman Maya Kitayama make up the team. “All six of us have been dancing forever, and having a team at school is something we’ve always wanted to do,” Rosenberg said. The team made their debut performance during the Aug. 27 all-school rally. Students and faculty cheered as they presented an original dance they choreographed together to the Black Eyed Peas song “Imma Be.” All of the girls practice at the same studio, Dance Connection, and wanted to start a team at Paly so they could perform at football games, basketball games and rallies. “We will perform pretty much anytime the cheerleaders do,” Rosenberg said. Hilary McDaniel, a teacher and coach of the Paly cheer team, also plays a large role in the Dance Team’s accomplishments. “[McDaniel] is sort of like our manager,” Rosenberg said. “She keeps us in shape. She helped us pick out and order uniforms, she schedules events for us to dance at, she cleans our routines and she’s pretty much anything else a dance team could ever need to be successful.”
Right now, the team is only concentrated on promoting Paly spirit, despite the girls’ experience competing through their dance studio. “At this point, I don’t think we’re going to compete,” Brock said. “Not that many people are into it right now, but I can see it being a possibility next year.” The team showcased another dance at the first Paly home football game on Sept. 17th against Archbishop Mitty High School. “The dance was choreographed by Olivia Maggi,” Rosenberg said. “It’s a really sick dance that we’re all super excited about, so I can’t wait for game day.” Maggi is no rookie when it comes to choreographing. “I choreographed ‘California Gurls’ for the first football game,” Maggi said. “I have been choreographing since I was little so I really enjoyed doing this one.” The dancers performed in the center of the Paly football field during halftime in front of stands filled with Paly fans. “It was nerve-racking before we went out, but once we started dancing I don’t think that anyone was nervous and everyone was just having fun,” Obrien said. During the game, the dancers were next to the cheerleaders on the track pumping up the crowd with their routines. Each of the routines are choreographed by the dancers themselves. “We had each girl come up with some choreography, then put it all together,” Brock said.
Star Strul/ Campanile
The six athletes on the Paly dance team practice their newly choreographed routines after school in the dance room to prepare for the upcoming events. The girls’ relationships help them work together for practice and has improved their performances. This is because they have been dancing together for a large part of their lives. “That makes choreography really fun because we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Rosenberg said. “Each girl dances differently, and is good at different things, and knowing that is a real advantage to making our routines as fantastic as possible.” The team officially started this year, but the dancers have been thinking of starting one for a few years. “[During] freshman year, Isabel Obrien, Annie Rosenberg and I were in the Paly
Paly’s InFocus introduces new schedule and new equipment
UpcomingEvents Oct. 8: Staff Development Day There will be no school Friday due to a Professional Development Day.
Oct. 11: Local Holiday There will be no school Monday due to a local holiday.
Oct. 13: College Awareness Day Students will be dismissed at 12:30 pm on Wednesday due to College Awareness Day.
Oct. 18: Paly College Fair Paly College Fair will take place at Henry M. Gunn High School at 6:30 pm on Monday.
Oct. 24: Float Building Homecoming float building starts.
“We have decided that we will use the tutorial period on Thursdays to finish up and clean our routines that we will be performing the next night at game day,” Rosenberg said. The dancers’ attitude and passion has prompted them to contact professional choreographers. Contacting professional choreographers allows the dance team to learn new routines that will promote even more Paly spirit. “We are really excited to perform, and we hope that the rest of the school gets enthusiastic as well,” Rosenberg said. “We’ve already had so much support, and hopefully that can keep growing and we will be a good addition to Paly spirit.”
Paly continues renovation of new, improved baseball field
—Nadav Gavrielov Editor in Chief
Palo Alto High School’s multimedia publication, InFocus, is implementing a series of changes for the coming school year. InFocus will be broadcasting during both third and fourth periods due to the new block schedule that was implemented this school year. With fourth period only occurring three times a week, the producers and instructional supervisors of Infocus decided to add another period of the class in order to allow for a broadcast every day of the week. InFocus now airs at the end of fourth period on even period days and at the end of third on odd period days instead of in the first five minutes of the period as was done last year. “Fourth period has been broadcasting for a week now and third period is on the right track. They should be up in a week and a half,” Maser said. InFocus also acquired new equipment for their studio. Also, Ellen Austin, English teacher and instructional supervisor for The Viking, will serve as an advisor for the third period class. “This year we have a number of new modifications,” Infocus producer Wes Rapaport said. “ We also have lots of new equipment including some new studio lights and a dozen new HD cameras.” According to Rapaport, the changes have been beneficial for the program. “We have more time to prepare, and the new equipment is great,” Rapaport said. “Ms. Austin is an outstanding addition to our program, and has been able to help us look at items for both long-term and short-term success.” —Rachel Mewes Editor in Chief
Dance Club,” Brock said. “[During] sophomore year, we had an idea to form an actual dance team at Paly so we could actually perform at games. At the end of last school year we all got together and went to [McDaniels]. She helped us get going.” The girls have finally made their hopes a reality and are enthusiastic about their upcoming performances. “I’m so excited to have finally gotten this going, and it’s going to be an awesome year for us,” Brock said. The dancers can be seen rehearsing about two times a week on the Paly quad outside the library. There is no set time limit on their practices, they go as long as they feel needed.
Star Strul/Campanile
Palo Alto High School continues its renovations, adding to the school’s new baseball field on the Churchill side of the campus. By Chayla Cummings Staff Writer In May 2010, Palo Alto High School began a long process of renovations beginning with the football field. Months of timelines, drafts and pictures will eventually be brought to life beginning with the baseball field torn out and portables will be placed all over the Quad.
Construction on the baseball field has begun and portables are now moved into the center of the school to make way for the media center and the new math building. The entire baseball and softball complex is currently being renovated. The grass and the old green dugouts were removed and the metal bleachers were also taken away to make way for
ASB
new bleachers that are being built. New parts such as dugouts, batting cages and scoreboards are going to be built in their place. Turf will replace the grass that previously lined the field, and installing turf will cut down the water needed to maintain the field, boosting both conservation and efficiency. Since the fields are being completely redone, “the whole drainage system is far superior,” Hansen said. Because baseball and softball are in the spring, games were getting canceled. “We won’t have to reschedule games all the time because of the rain.” Hansen said. Construction on the new math and social studies building has not yet begun but portable classrooms P1 through P8 have been moved out into the quad area. The new building will be two stories tall and will be located behind the current math building. The first floor will be designated for History and Social Sciences and the second floor will be designated for Math. There will be 13 classrooms on the first and 14 classrooms on the second floor. “This is an increase in the total number of classrooms [both departments combined] currently have,” math teacher Arne Lim said. The number of classrooms will increase and the classroom sizes will be
Updates
larger as well. This will help accommodate larger class sizes that have been typical of this year. “As with every new building that has a second floor, there will be an elevator,” Lim said. Another feature of the building will be the showering facility. “At Paly, we have staff members who bike to work as well as choose to work out during free time, so it will be nice to have a place to clean oneself well,” Lim said. According to Lim, he is most looking forward to being able to open the building up to general community use for classes, meetings, concerts, worship services, and lectures. Portable classrooms P9 through P15 have been moved into the center of the school in preparation for the construction of the new Media Arts center. The building will join media classes such as journalism, photography, and video production and more all into one technologically advanced building. A darkroom will be built for the photography classes and all six of Paly’s journalism publications will be located in this building. The logistics of the construction were all approved over a year ago and are based on a time line that runs from March 2010 to August 2012. Other renovations will follow once the Media Arts Center is completed, such as the reconstruction of the theater.
Link Crew
Recently, the Palo Alto High School’s Associate Student Body has been planning out the logistics of Club Day and other events that will happen throughout the year. “It’s planning season,” Student Activities Director, Kindel Launer said. The beginning of the school year is when almost every event’s planning goes underway. Pre-planning for Prom, Pre-Planning for Homecoming and spirit week, Senior activities, and many more. One of ASB’s major responsibilities is organizing school dances. The social commissioners, junior Jared Sewezy-Gleason and senior Talia Moyal, are in charge of the arrangements for Paly dances. At the first dance of this school year, the Back to School Dance, according to senior Nabeel Sami, there were high spirits and good attendance. At this dance, a new company was hired for the entertainment. SwezeyGleason and Moyal chose to hire Alan Waltz Entertainment Company, a group of break dancers and a DJ. In the past, the Back to School Dance has mainly been attended by mainly freshman and sophomores, however, this year several juniors and seniors went as well. “We actually got great feedback from students of all grades, saying that the DJ was good, and the lighting setup was also a plus,” ASB President Chirag Krishna said. “The break dancers and the DJ made the dance pretty fun,” junior Israel Hakim said. “I prefer the people this year than whoever did it last year.” Due to all the positive feedback, ASB is currently discussing the possibility of a contract with Alan Waltz Entertainment Company. “They were easy to work with, played good music, and the break dancers were great at getting a real party going and bringing a new feel to Paly dances,” Swezey-Gleason said.
Link Crew, the class at Palo Alto High School devoted to integrating new students and freshmen, was at Paly’s Back To School Night Thursday, Sept. 16. The Link Crew students helped parents find their way around the new Paly campus. They were positioned by second year Link Crew member senior Haley Connor in locations around the campus. During Link Crew’s first meeting, which was held during lunch on Thursday, Sept. 9, the students and teachers discussed the key components to the class and what the commitment would be like for all the students involved. This year, Link Crew is implementing a new system, contact logging. This requires the students in Link Crew to meet with freshmen from their orientation group outside of school. According to Counselor and Link Crew leader Paige Johnson, the hope is that older students will help the freshmen feel more connected.“They will have older students to ask questions to hopefully making them feeling more apart of the [Paly] community,” Johnson said. Link Crew students each signed up for a designated month when they would be “on-call” for any incoming students throughout the year. “It’s a nice way to make someone feel welcome [at] Paly and not scared to transfer in,” junior Kimberly Starnes said. “I think that the new student will appreciate being shown around and having someone to stick with.” When a new student is enrolled, one of the students on call for that month will be expected to show the new student to their first class on their first day at Paly. At brunch the Link Crew student will check in on the new student and have lunch with him or her that day. “I transferred into Jordan Middle School in the middle of eigth grade,” van Zyll said. “On my first day I sat alone to eat lunch and felt pretty uncomfortable but if there had been a system like this in place at Jordan, I would have felt much more welcome and had a much better first day.”
—Riki Ratner Staff Writer
—Riki Ratner Staff Writer
NEWS
The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • A3
Administration considering murals to decorate new portables Paintings could be mounted on walls facing main quad to enhance campus atmosphere By Electra Colevas
The issue came up when the new portables created a more enclosed space for students. The implementation In an attempt to alleviate stress caused by the new of a new block schedule in addition to messy construcportables on Palo Alto Senior High School’s quad, several tion added to the concern for students’ comfort in the teachers and administrators have requested that murals changed learning environment. The murals would help to make the transition and be made and posted on the portable sides facing what temporariness more livable for staff and students, Wixremains of the quad. “They are supposed to be placed on the north face som said. “The artwork would provide a sense of uniqueness, of the portables,” Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said. character, identity and belongThe maintenance staff will not ing to a transition period while allow the art to be painted directly on “The artwork would provide reducing that stress and sense of the portables, so artists will need to tangency for staff and students,” have mounted plywood on the side a sense of uniqueness, charof the buildings before painting. acter, identity and belonging Wixsom said. According to Berkson, both There is no certainty as to when to a transition period while Wixsom and journalism teacher the portables will be decorated. NeiEsther Wojcicki presented the ther the budget nor who will be doing reducing stress.” idea to him separately. the artwork has been decided. Margo Wixsom original Wixsom also represented Launer’s Photography teacher Margo Photography teacher support for the idea. Wixsom is still considering who will Berkson deferred to Wixsom paint the murals, but has done some about art department funding and research on the project as a whole. planning, however Wixsom was “I went to a workshop [at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts] about mural projects unaware of any advances being made in the area. “Nothing that I know of has been actually worked out as the start to how to do the work and tie it into art hisabout funding and deadlines,” Wixsom said. tory,” Wixsom said. However, even after these progressive steps, painting Student Activities Director Kindel Launer collaborated with Wixsom to consider the possibility of allowing the murals is not the school’s top priority. “Murals would provide a sense of belonging and individual classes to contribute their ideas, and agree the project is important in maintaining the appeal of the identity that would mark this experience with empowerment rather than merely a temporary inconvenience,” campus aesthetic. “Art has a powerful way of enriching every environ- Wixsom said. “The classroom and campus environment ment and the chaos of building and being in portables has a great impact on learning, and artwork has a way of enriching that environment.” does create stress for staff and students,” Wixsom said.
Staff Writer
Susan Heinselman/ Campanile
Painted murals mounted on plywood onto the new portable classrooms could enrich the campus environment during disruptive construction while encouraging students’ creativity.
Freshmen class elects ASB officers ELECTIONS, Cont. from A1 “I voted for Alex Hammer just because I know him a little better,” freshman Connor Scheel said. “I expect for him to listen to what the other students in the freshman class have to say and to do what he can do to help us out.” Freshman Rachel Cui also voted for Hammer. “I voted for Alex Hammer because I thought he was more convincing,” Cui said. “His paragraph to win votes over was well written and impressed me. I hope he leads our class well during spirit week. I want him to represent the freshman class with a lot of energy and to show everyone who we are.” Junior Class President Maddie Kuppe looks forward to working with Hammer. “[Hammer] is great to have in ASB,” Kuppe said. “I like that he is super outgoing and eager to share his ideas in class. He is always getting
something done and it’s really good to have a freshman come in and do the work that he is doing.” His prior leadership experience in Jordan Middle School and his family’s helpful encouragement influenced Hammer’s decision to run for the freshman class presidency. Hammer ran for president to improve his leadership skills and learn about student government. He hopes to stay involved in student government for his whole high school experience and even beyond into college. “I personally think that I am more of a leader than a follower so I think that president suits me,” Hammer said. Overall, Hammer carries a positive outlook going into his presidency. “It makes me really proud to know that I have the capability to run a whole grade,” Hammer said. “Even though
it’s only freshman year, it gives me an opportunity.” Hammer and Devine were the only candidates for freshman office this year. Because nobody ran for vice president, the winner, Hammer, received the title of president, while Devine automatically received the role of vice president. Freshman Gabie Simpson described Hammer as “energetic, creative, nice and easy to approach” as well as the “class clown.” She described Devine as “reliable, attentive, calm, and under control.” Prior to attending Paly, Devine served the role of class ambassador at his former middle school in Texas and as advisory representative while he was in eighth grade at Jordan. Ha m m e r e s p e c i a l l y hopes to make events such as school dances more enjoyable and diverse for everyone.
Infinite Campus system adopted SYSTEM, Continued from A1
MARC HAVLIK/ Campanile
(Clockwise from top left) Teacher On Special Assignment Trinity Klein, Principal Phil Winston, and Assistant Principal Kathleen Laurence have filled the empty spaces of the administration for the current school year.
New admin hopes to strengthen community ADMIN, Continued from A1 “It doesn’t really matter how [decisions] affects us,” Laurence said. “It is for the students.” She enjoys the new challenge as assistant principal, but also misses the day-to-day contact with students. She also believes that teaching is a very different task compared to working in the administration. “When you are put into a classroom, you need to be on,” Laurence said. Laurence wants each student to feel valued at Paly both in the classroom and on campus. She wants to encourage a friendly environment where each student can express themselves.
“Students should not be afraid of walking into the office and just saying ‘hi’,” Laurence said. As TOSA, Klein is in charge of 9th grade administration, testing and discipline. This position is necessary to smooth the students’ transition into Paly from middle school, reduce confusion during tests, and create a safe and supportive environment by enforcing realistic discipline. Although she is not taking over for Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, as the administrator in charge of discipline, she wants to work with Berkson on any disciplinary issues. “I want to find the balance of holding young adults ac-
countable, but also respecting them for the people they are,” Klein said. “I’m here to serve anyone who is in need of help.” Along with those responsibilities, she is currently working on tutorial at Paly, the college awareness day and is the “TEAM” administrative liaison. Klein chose to accept the position of TOSA to gain more experience as an administrator. Klein was the English department Instructional Supervisor for five years before she moved into the main office. She is currently working on her Masters in Educational Leadership at Santa Clara University. “This is an amazing opportunity for me to learn,” Klein
said. According to Klein, she will miss the intimacy of the contact with her students, though. Klein welcomes all students who want to talk or hang out to come by her office. “I want to be always there for students,” Klein said. Throughout this school year, the administration wants to create a collaborative community where every opinion is heard. They do not want to exclude any ideas. The administration is always open to suggestions according to Winston. This new administration is not trying to revolutionize the Paly campus, but rather create a positive environment. The administration hopes to work with the students to have a great year.
There has been some student confusion regarding the change in systems because of the limited information available to them about Infinite Campus. They were only told about the system change, but received no details. “I don’t really know what it is, much less know how to use it” senior Michael Morton said. “I don’t have a login I.D. or anything like that so I am kind of confused as to what it does or how it could help us as students.” Infinite Campus is a single online portal that allows students, teachers, parents and administrators to call up information about attendance, grades, class schedules, assignments, assessment data or any number of items about a certain student. It stores all of this information online and is accessible from anywhere. The old SASI system was outdated and had many fatal flaws and quirks that caused it to be glitchy and slow at times. “The new tech simply outpaced it” Diorio said, “[and now] we are phasing out of SASI … My goal is to move the guidance department into the twenty-first century.” The Paly administrators hope to complete class registration completely online in the near future. The goal is for students to be able to pick and choose classes, change their choices later if so desired. It also will allow teachers to be able to make lane recommendations online. “I want to get us away from all of the oldfashioned ways of picking courses,” Diorio said.
This new system would eliminate the hassle of picking classes with the traditional paper method which was time consuming and required numerous signatures in order to be effective, which in turn wasted more of people’s valuable time. The district first looked into changing the system two years ago when ex-Director of Information and Technology Marie Scgliano brought up the notion of changing systems, but she did not believe that the change would be possible until approximately 2011 or 2012. Then Scgliano retired and Anne Duncan was selected to replace her. Duncan had a much more progressive approach to the change and as a result fast tracked the process. She sent teams out to survey several candidate systems in other districts to try and select the best fit for Paly. The selection was narrowed down to several choices including programs called “Aries,” “Zangle” and of course Infinite Campus. Eventually all other choices were eliminated and Infinite Campus was selected in January of 2010. “We chose Infinite Campus because it was user friendly and we wanted the data and info to be as accurate as possible,” Diorio said. With any major change such as the switch from SASI to Infinite Campus, the system will not be perfected overnight, but after a while the problems will be worked out and the site will function smoothly. “It will be bumpy in the start, but over time we will work it out” Diorio said.
Hotspot WiFi in library, student center approved by Paly Ed WIFI, Continued from A1 the time line is still being worked out,” said Paly Vice Principal Kathie Laurence. So far, the access points are determined to be the library and the student center. However, there will be work for the administration before the WiFi is ready for campus use. Henry M. Gunn High School experimented with free campus WiFi last year, and continues to use it. According to Darlene Feldstein, Director of Instructional Technology at Gunn, Gunn installed WiFi where it was easily accessible for guests in classrooms and at the Spangenberg Theater. “Gunn did roll out some campus hotspots, and it continues to work well for students,”Feldstein said. Gunn students also find that having WiFi on campus helps them with their studies. “I really do like it because we can use the Internet for anything; whether it’s surfing the web or researching during a preparatory period,”Gunn sophomore Nitika Johri said. The idea of having campus WiFi also appeals to teachers at Paly. Teachers could use the WiFi for in class essays and projects. Students can access the internet during a preparatory period, or after school.
“I think having WiFi is great, especially in the library and student center,” Paly English teacher Kari Snell said. “There are tools for student benefits and I think kids will be responsible to use their computers appropriately.” Snell also hopes that the school will move toward being more technology centered. “As an English teacher, using Kindles in class would be a great way to annotate works right on it, so this is a good direction,” Snell said. Teachers could also allow students to bring their own computers to work on. However, some fear that this internet will be taken advantage of by students. “I think that students will be very distracted by it because they’ll be using their phones and other mobile devices in class,” junior Shruti Srinivasan said. Administrators and teachers alike hope that students will use the privilege of free WiFi wisely. Bringing personal computers will put all students at risk, so students must make sure that their belongings are accounted for. Paly will not be responsible or liable for any stolen property. “I anticipate that this will work very well,” Principal Winston said.“My hope is that it would encourage more interactive learning. I wish we could be an all iPad school or be able to issue every student a laptop!” Students will be able to look forward to using the new WiFi system hopefully by the end of September.
MARC HAVLIK/ CAMPANILE
According to Winston, free WiFi hotspots will hopefully be accessible across campus by the end of September.
OPINION
A4 • Monday, September 27, 2010
Editorials
System for schedule changes needs to be revised Delegating time period before the first day of school for corrections would be more efficient, cause less stress As the school year commenced, hoards of Palo Alto High School students rushed to the guidance office to make adjustments to their incorrect or inconvenient schedules. Both the student body and the guidance counselors alike were frustrated and overwhelmed with this stressful process. Paly should implement a system in which the administration sends out students’ schedules a full week prior to school beginning so that students can make the necessary changes before class starts. Henry M. Gunn High School has a similar method for distributing schedules. Gunn students are given their schedules the week before school and are permitted to bring their schedules to the guidance office during that week if they need to make changes. This allows students to return to school after summer break with a firm idea of which classes they will be taking and without the added stress of changing their schedule. If Paly adopted a system that mirrored that of Gunn, guidance counselors would not have to spend the entire first week of school with lines stretching through the tower building and at the doors. Counselors would not have to make sure that each student was seeing them during a preparatory period and not during a class that he or she should be attending. The administration would also be able to spend less time dealing with schedule changes and more time helping new students and taking care of
various other tasks that preoccupy the tower building at the beginning of a new school year. A new schedule changing process would also benefit teachers at Paly, many of whom are forced to delay teaching actual material until the second week of school because too many students are changing in and out of their classes. If the majority of the adjustments occurred before school started, teachers could explain their syllabi and give out important information without worrying about reiterating the information to newcomers. In addition to allowing students to change their schedules the week before school starts, the guidance office should post a master schedule online on Paly.net so that students would have a better idea of which classes are available. This would cut down on the amount of time individual students would spend in the guidance office because they would already have an understanding of the classes they could switch into, before meeting with a counselor. Paly should adopt a policy in which students are not forced to wait until they are already in school and attending incorrect classes in order to change their schedules. If students were allowed to adjust their classes before school started and access a master schedule online, it would reduce the stress that already occurs when adolescents return to a rigid scholastic schedule. A new system would not only benefit students, but guidance counselors and teachers as well.
New block schedule relieves stress, aids students Tutorial provides time for individual work, should occur earlier in the day and week The Campanile believes that the newly implemented four-day block schedule is successful in improving student health and reducing overall student stress. The addition of a tutorial period during which students can go to any classroom they choose to get help has been exceptionally beneficial to students. Although minor issues are still being worked out by the administration, this period provides an excellent opportunity for students to work on homework during the school day and receive additional help if needed. Tutorial is an ideal time for students to complete missed tests, quizzes and assignments. Tutorial and advisory should be switched so that tutorial is at the beginning of the week after second period on Tuesday and advisory is on Thursdays after second period. Tutorial should be moved to Tuesday because students will be able to talk to their teachers about tests and projects that occur later on in the week. By putting tutorial in the middle of the day, students will be more focused and willing to participate as opposed to at the end of the day when students are ready to go home. The Campanile appreciates the attention to student needs in the creation of the new schedule, as seen in the afternoon break period between fifth and seventh periods on Wednesdays and Fridays. The consistent later start has also been advantageous to students’ health and well-being. Although the roll-out of the new schedule has been successful, there are still several issues with the schedule
that need to be addressed. Because class periods this year are longer and require more attention from students, all teachers should provide a quick break of no more than five minutes during the period to let students get up and walk around. This break could also be used to get a drink of water or use the restroom. The creation of the new schedule requires much concentration from the students and forces teachers to come up with creative lesson plans. Teachers should take advantage of having block periods each day by providing more active lesson plans and hands-on activities. In past years, time was constantly wasted at the beginning and end of periods taking attendance and packing up. While time is still spent on these tasks the new schedule allows teachers to get to the core of the curriculum during longer periods of time. Additionally, teachers need to realize that meeting fewer times during the week should not be an excuse for the assignment of twice as much homework. This effectively ignores one of a main purposes of the new schedule—to spread out and reduce homework. Giving students more days to work on homework assignments has been a strong aspect of the new schedule. Having fewer transitions between classes during the school day has proven to be less stressful for students. All of the changes in the new schedule have been made in the interest of Paly students and will be helpful for the duration of the year.
Library paper limits effective, but unfair for students Library printers should print double-sided, use recycled paper to encourage conservation habits In light of heavy paper waste at Palo Alto High School, the librarians have implemented a new system to reduce unnecessary printing . They have installed card reader machines that charge ten cents per sheet of paper printed in the library. The librarians also issue free, reusable printing cards to students that have a total of 25 free prints already on them. There have also been limits set on the number of papers that teachers can print and copy for their classes. Though The Campanile applauds the success this new system and recognizes that there has been waste issues in terms of over-printing in the past, it believes that the solution is still flawed. Before implementing the new printing system for the whole school, the machinery used should have been tested for efficiency and technical issues should have been addressed. The printing is not only slow, but sometimes students have been able to get their homework printed in the library without using the card. This might be caused by the fact that the system is backed-up, and students can use the money that is still left in the system after a previous printing. Paly students tend to be very busy and need to get their printing done in an efficient manner. Though The Campanile applauds the library for conserving paper,
the ability to print quickly should not have to be compromised in the process. A viable solution for the problem of paper waste and lack of efficiency is to purchase printers that can print double-sided. If the current printer already has this capability, the librarians should alter the settings which would cut paper waste in half. Another option would be to reload the printer with scrap paper and print onto their blank sides to eliminate a vast amount of paper waste. There are many students who do not have the privilege of printing their assignments at home. For many, the library exists as a primary printing device, and asking them to pay for every sheet of paper they print is unfair. To remedy this problem, there should be a greater initial amount provided on the printing cards for students to use. Furthermore, with the expectation that teachers reduce their paper consumption, students are expected to print needed documents themselves. This is not an intelligent solution to the issue of paper waste because it simply redirects printing responsibilities from the teachers to the students. A better solution for this issue is to have teachers print out special class copies that are to be returned at the end of the period, a method which some teachers already use.
The Campanile
Letters to the Editors New bell schedule failed to have student input
Tutorial unpractical, fails to live up to expectations
I don’t find the new bell schedule so much a problem as the way it was implemented. It seems unusual that although students are the ones mostly affected by the schedule, the administration did not place significant value on our input. Rather, this new bell schedule was created by the faculty and administration, and although students were surveyed, our opinions were not a significant factor in the decision making process. In fact, the Bell Schedule Committee was conspicuously lacking in students. This is not the only time in which decisions affecting students are made without our input. For instance, Project SafetyNet was instated based on the collaboration of the administration, the faculty, parents and some psychologists. What about us students? The whole project is to ensure our well-being. So shouldn’t some students have been represented on the board that was responsible for the decision making? It’s not enough that they give us a survey and analyze our responses; we have to have a direct say in matters pertaining to us. I don’t deny that we students have a voice, but it’s clear that many choose not to listen. —Yasna Haghdoost, sophomore
Along with many other students, I’m sure, I hate the tutorial period. Tutorial must have seemed like such a wonderful idea in theory, but like so many other things, it fails miserably in practice. It seems like a great idea at first, but when you actually do it, it doesn’t end well. We have to check into one classroom to make up a test that takes no more than 5 minutes to complete, then sit there for the next 85 minutes thinking about the Jonas brothers. And embarrassing bodily functions. It’s a good idea, having an amount of time to make up tests and do homework, but it’s just horrible in practice. I do realize the school needs the instructional minutes, but seriously, either fix the system or do something different. I know there’s no way the school can make tutorial optional, but they could make it open campus and let us go to Town and Country for the period, then come back and sign in at the end. I don’t know. Just do something. There’s a limit to how long a child can contemplate KFC, unmentionable bodily functions, and the Jonas brothers.
Portables obstructive, no clear construction timeline
Recent criticism of Obama unwarranted, incorrect
Honestly, I can’t begin to understand what the administration was thinking when they decided to move the portables to the quad. That was the one open space in the school, where people socialized during lunch, and came together for the rallies. Now the space has been invaded by the portables, which frankly are just hideous. They make the area incredibly unpleasant, and now I find myself going out of my way to avoid passing by them. Originally the portables were moved for construction to begin on the new building and facilities. However, after the entire summer and four weeks of school no progress has been made. Are we actually going to ever have the proposed media center, or will we just be stuck with the portables forever? Not only has no progress been made with the construction, but the administration has failed to give a timeline of when we can expect the building to be finished. Most students have been uninformed about the plan. In fact, some students didn’t know why the portables had been moved at all until told by their classmates. Clearly there has been some communication problems here, and students would appreciate knowing what’s going on in their own school.
President Obama has come under fire recently for the tanking economy and soaring unemployment, and not without good reason. Obama’s hundreds of billions of dollars dumped into “stimulus” have had little effect, and the unemployment rate has climbed too 9.6%. Obama has shouldered much of the blame for the economy, with many Americans labeling him as a “failure” and rallying behind the rebellious Tea Party. Most of this hatred is undeserved, since the real point behind Obama’s economic policies remain unclear. Obama’s stimulus plan, one of his most highly criticized projects, was not intended to “jump start” the economy and solve the worst recession in 80 years in a month. Rather, the stimulus was to give a foundation for building a strong, sustainable U.S. economy for the future, which it is has done by bolstering our pathetic infrastructure and giving money to scientists and innovators. Furthermore, Obama’s much criticized bailout of GM and the banks succeeded in turning the companies around and making them world leaders in their industries, again. The soaring unemployment rate, Obama’s other so-called problem, is due to the fact that more people are now looking for jobs, instead of sitting on their behinds and living off welfare.
—Emily Rosenthal, sophomore
—Ben Hawthorne, sophomore
—Matt Morton, sophomore
The Campanile Editors in Chief Nadav Gavrielov • Grace Harris • Rachel Mewes Madison Sevilla • Rachel Stober • Lillian Xie
Opinion Editor
Lifestyles Editor
Noa Dagan
Helen Chen
Sports Editors
Spotlight Editor
Advertising Managers
John Brunett Brandon Nguyen
Justin Choi
Camille Ezran Maya Krasnow
Business Development
Copy Editor
Photo Editor
Elliott Beckstrom
Mikey Abrams
Marc Havlik
News Editor William Lee
Staff Writers Michael Augustine 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
Layla Memar Andrea More Tobey Nelson-Gal Hannah Park Rebecca Ruff Jack Scarpino Ashley Shin Austin Smith
Annabel Snow Hannah Totte Ashley Swendseid Tanvi Verma Nikki Whitson Jordan Zenger
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OPINION
The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • A5
Homework should be scheduled around standardized test dates
Lighter work loads around critical dates, college application deadlines will relieve student stress
sashakuvyrdrin in my opinion
There are several dates throughout the school year that strike fear into the hearts of students. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), American College Test (ACT) and college application deadlines are constantly on students’ minds, greatly increasing their stress. With these dates come hours of hard work and study outside of regular school commitments, which already take up significant
portions of a students day. Teachers do not give students the proper amount of time needed to handle all of these important responsibilities. The school needs to take immediate action to resolve this ongoing problem. Mandatory homework limitation weeks before important testing dates and deadlines would be beneficial to student success and would also help the ongoing effort to relieve stress. These homework restriction weeks would occur a few times a semester, before important events such as college admission tests or application deadlines. During these weeks, the school should limit the amount of homework teachers can give to students affected by these important time periods. With a lighter homework load, students would be able to devote more time to college applications and standardized test preparation. This extra time could significantly improve their SAT or ACT scores or college applications and could reduce the stress that comes with them. The benefits would be widespread for the school as well. If students begin to perform better scholastically and get accepted into higher ranked universities, Paly’s nationwide rating would rise, giving Paly more academic recognition. Though homework limitation weeks would certainly be an inconvenience for teachers, they would not be unmanageable according to science teacher Josh Bloom. “It’s definitely doable if it’s known about in advance,” Bloom said. Teachers would have to plan these weeks before hand, likely prior to the start of the semester, to give teachers a chance to accommodate for them in their lesson plans. They would have to be carefully positioned so as not to coincide with already important Paly dates and deadlines. “They couldn’t happen during inconvenient dates, not before finals or quarter grade deadlines,” Bloom said. Such a homework system would be a monumental change for the Paly community and the end result should be beneficial for all. A large amount of work would have to be done to accommodate students, teachers and administrators. If the school is willing to make changes as big as completely changing the school schedule and moving up the start time, there is no reason why they could not add these homework restriction weeks. The changes the
STAR STRUL / CAMPANILE
Students struggle to find time to finish their homework as they prepare for the SAT’s/ ACT’s, and work on college applications. Enforcing homework limitations around standardized dates would help decrease student stress and allow them to focus on preparing for college. school has made to reduce stress and increase student well-being have been successful so far, but restricting homework assignments in weeks most important to students would be the ultimate way to reduce stress. These weeks can often define a student’s future after high school, adding an immeasurable amount of stress to a student’s already hectic schedule. Limiting homework during these crucial academic weeks could be the key to reducing stress and improving student’s well being. Upperclassmen dealing with overwhelming loads of college and school related work could use the homework restriction weeks as a chance to improve their scores and applications, all the while feeling less of the stress commonly associated with junior and senior year. “I think it would be a good idea,” junior Sam Carilli said. “We should be studying for SAT’s during those weeks. Nothing major should be assigned.” Senior Rafi Miranda, currently preparing for his college standardized tests, also agrees that such restrictions
would be beneficial towards his success and reduction of stress. “[Homework restriction weeks] would give us more time to study so we won’t be so stressed,” Miranda said. The school administration seems to be open to the idea as well, but maintains that it would be a work in progress that cannot start up over night. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson suggests that students themselves push for the system if they indeed want such homework restrictions. ‘It’s something that maybe students can bring to the table,” Berkson said. “It’s something that we can discuss to see if it works.” Opposition to the homework restriction weeks come from those who see the system as implausible. However, both teachers and school administrators seem open to the idea if there is careful planning and discussion beforehand on the details of its implementation. It is obviously clear that such a system would be difficult to put into effect, but the end result of raising
student success and reducing stress on campus are outcomes worth striving for. With both student and administrative support, the homework limitation system could change the entire foundation of Paly for the better. With less homework and more time to focus on their most important obligations, students would score better on their college entrance exams and produce better essays for college applications. Greater student success and admission into more selective universities would increase Paly’s nationwide school ranking. With sufficient time to prepare for these important dates, students would feel considerably less stress and would not have to lose any sleep. A homework limitation system at Paly would be greatly beneficial for both the students and the school. All sides in the equation appear to be open for discussion. The system will without a doubt result in a rise in student success and in a reduction of stress, two things the school should hold as their highest priorities.
Marijuana legalization provides economic benefits for California
The outcome of controversial Proposition 19 to be determined in upcoming 2010 November election Proposition 19, or the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 will be a ballot p ro p o s i t i o n on the Nov. 2, 2010 California statewide ballot. This billlee proposition will potentially legalize marijuana-related activities in the state of California, allowing local governments to regulate them. If passed, it will also allow local government to impose taxes and fees on marijuana. According to the proposed bill, persons of 21 years and older will have the privilege of possessing up to one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption. However, even if the proposition is passed, marijuana will still remain prohibited under federal law. The relatively recent introduction of this proposition on the California ballot has aroused much controversy on both sides of the issue. The unorthodox legalization of a federally prohibited substance shakes the view of many conservatives, especially those advocating for a drug-free America. However, the wide-ranging impacts of the legalization and regulation of cannabis are often overlooked by opponents of the proposition. With California’s failing economy, it is necessary that our legislators take action to
bring relief and eventually recovery to one of the most productive hubs on earth. Even after two years of massive cuts, the state still faces budget deficits amounting to nearly $20 billion. This deficit limits California’s ability to provide for effective and productive legislation to improve necessary public services. There is an urgent need for a restructuring of California’s criminal justice system to reallocate law enforcement to better benefit the public. This new bill provides a reasonable and realistic resolution to both these crucial issues.
Proposition 19 will have wide-ranging impacts on the California economy through the billions of dollars in tax revenues raised by means of the regulated marijuana sales while simultaneously providing an economic solution to amend the state’s criminal justice structure. Each year, there are $14 billion in marijuana sales in the state of California, none of which is taxed or regulated. This market provides for an excellent outlet for local governments to pump billions of dollars every year into the state’s economy. This will help to fund essential public ser-
vices such as transportation, recreation and education. Currently, California’s state government budget deficit is the highest in the country. The State Board of Equalization has estimated that the state will levy a $50 tax for each ounce of marijuana sold. This equates to a projected $1.4 billion dollars in tax revenue each year, which will greatly suppress the effects of California’s immense debt. These governmental profits can go directly to funding for schools, employment, transportation, public safety and healthcare. The taxation and regulation of marijuana will provide much needed revenues for California’s economy, alleviating some of the most detrimental impacts of the budget crisis that affect not only the state, but also the entire country. Beyond direct economic benefits, Proposition 19 will have extensive effects on the criminal justice system that will both promote a more economic solution to the flawed prison structure and also provide for safer communities. First, the economic impact from the legalization of cannabis will alleviate great costs spent on imprisoning and detaining legal offenders. California currently faces the problem of overflowing prisons, often causing a release of dangerous criminals into our communities. With the passing of this bill, prison cells occupied by marijuana offenders will be left vacant, leaving space for other more dangerous criminals to serve the full duration of their time. This restructuring of the criminal justice system will also cut costs from building more state prison facilities.
Another economic benefit to the criminal justice system will come from the allocation of law enforcement. Local police departments will save immense amounts of time, resources and money with the legalization of marijuana. Vast resources spent on detaining cannabis offenders will be allocated to serve better purposes. Aside from all economic benefits Proposition 19 will produce, the passing of the bill will promote greater public safety. Currently, a large portion of California’s marijuana market comes from violent drug cartels across the border in Mexico. Through the taxation and regulation of cannabis in California, funding to these dangerous drug cartels will be cut off completely. This will also have a positive impact on the national war on drugs, saving time and finances for federal agencies. This regulation and taxation of the substance will also promote guaranteed safe and legal transactions. Additionally, with law enforcement freed from the burden of enforcing the prohibition of marijuana, police forces can dedicate more effort to combating violent and dangerous crimes that continue to threaten public safety in many areas. With the projected billions of dollars the taxation and regulation of marijuana will bring, Proposition 19 stands as one of the most economically advantageous bills for a state suffering a weighty budget deficit that has had negative effect on the national economy as a whole. Proposition 19 will bring a much needed relief to California’s economic crisis while also promoting great advancements in law enforcement and public safety.
VERBATIM If you became principal of Paly, what would you do first? Compiled by Grace Harris, Rachel Stober and Marc Havlik
“Take awaythebreathalyzers at the dances.” Jordan Smith
sophomore
“Condone streaking.”
“Read as much as I possibly could about the school.”
“Make lunchtime longer and have less homework.”
“Make all campus supervisors ride bikes.”
Ben Morag
Phil Winston
Hailey Hiss
Scott Reese
senior
principal
freshman
campus supervisor
A6 • September 27, 2010
SPOTLIGHT
The Campanile
Neal Addicott - - - - Science
Palo Alto High School’s new AP Biology and Biology teacher Neal Addicott has always had roots in science - although not in the way one might expect. “I’m actually a third-generation biology person,” Addicott said. “My dad was a population biologist [and] a professor at a university and my grandfather taught botany at UC Davis. It’s sort of a family tradition.” Addicott grew up in Edmonton, Canada, and attended Ashland High School in Ashland, Oregon. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering Science. Last year, he taught Honors Biology and Chemistry in Castro Valley after previously making video games for a living. However, he has quickly adjusted to life across the bay. “I’m really liking [Paly] a lot,” Addicott said. His main goal for the year is to make sure that all his students are successful. “I am motivated by appreciation from my past students, as well as the moment when a concept clicks in a student’s mind and they realize they really ‘get it,’” Addicott said. Outside of school, he will be doing some learning of his own as he becomes a different kind of role model. “In a couple weeks, I’ll be a new parent,” Addicott said, with a wide smile across his face. Although Addicott said that his role as a new father will have an effect on his teaching, it will not change his role as a teacher; if anything, it will enhance it. “We [Teachers] are responsible for supporting learning of subject matter, but we are also here to support the other dimensions of students’ personal growth,” Addicott said. “I want my daughter to eventually leave home with the experience-grounded confidence to pursue whatever path most inspires her and I hope Paly students will develop similar confidence from their experiences here.”
“I am motiva from my past the moment w in a student’s m they really ‘ge
-Neal Addic Science Tea
“I feel like [b ally have an im is why I love m
- Lauren Wong Staff Writer
Richard Voytek - - - - Social Studies Richard Voytek, a recent addition to the social studies department, is already enjoying the environment and student involvement at Palo Alto High School. Voytek is thrilled to teach American Government, Contemporary World History and United States History at Paly and looks forward to sharing his knowledge with the students here. “I specifically wanted to teach in high school,” Voytek said. “I’m totally amazed that here at Paly we teach government to sophomores. I think that is such a novel concept. Everywhere else I taught, [Government] was taught to seniors. [Paly] gets them prepared earlier for what to expect in the future.” Before coming to Paly, Voytek taught World History, Government, Economics and Introduction to Advance Placement United States History and Psychology at Aragon High School in San Francisco. He admires the universal aspect of the social sciences, that obtaining knowledge from the past enables us to make wiser decisions in the future. “[Social sciences] teaches us about our ancestors and enables us to make knowledgeable decisions for the future,” Voytek said. “It is also one of the hardest things to teach because the ability to motivate others can be very trying.” Voytek’s goals for this year are to give students new knowledge that will prepare them for the future, without the surprises and stress factors. “I want to be able to give my students something perhaps they haven’t had in the past, something of practical experience in the world,” Voytek said. “I’d like to see my students then use this knowledge to get into really good colleges later on and be able to fit in seamlessly so they don’t have to go through that shock of getting in.” Voytek wants his students to pursue their goals in the future and to be prepared for all the struggles they may encounter outside of Paly. “I feel that the most crucial need is to educate our future, our students who will be moving into the work force and who will be assuming the position of leadership that will determine how well our country does,” Voytek said. Although Voytek is preoccupied with preparing for school lessons, outside of his work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and puppy. Voytek attended Trinity High School in Washington, Pennsylvania. He then went on to study at the United States Naval Academy as an undergraduate and to Salve Regina College in Newport Rhode Island and the University of San Francisco for his graduate degrees. While attending the U.S. Naval Academy, Voytek majored in History and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. While at Salve Regina College, he earned a Masters Degree in Management as well as a Masters Degree in Teaching from USF.
- Hannah Park Staff Writer
Tije ing a sm for colle Afte now tea Econom Sum with he going on “Th differen and wat Her transitio that sen Alo dents he
“I feel that the most crucial need is to educate our future, our students who will be moving into the work force and who will be assuming the position of leadership that will determine how well our country does,” -Richard Voytek Social Studies Teacher
SPOTLIGHT
The Campanile
ated by appreciation students, as well as when a concept clicks mind and they realize et it.’”
September 27, 2010 • A7
Kari Snell - - - - English
cott acher
Kari Snell, the newest member of Palo Alto High School’s English department, is excited to share her passion for literature with her students in American Literature, American Classics and Critical Thinking 1. “I really enjoy discussing literature and helping students think critically about what they read and what they see around them,” Snell said. “Students continue to impress me with how much they are capable of understanding.” Snell grew up in San Jose and attended The Harker School from junior kindergarten to twelfth grade. After majoring in English at San Jose State, Snell taught at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, then at Irvington High School in Fremont before coming to Paly. “I absolutely love Paly so far,” Snell said. “The students are so motivated, and the staff is extremely helpful and supportive.” Snell’s goals for the year are to learn more about the Paly community and become more involved with student activities. “I have already been asked to be an adviser of a club, and I am looking forward to that,” Snell said. Outside of school, Snell enjoys walking her dog with her husband, wakeboarding, and spending time with family and friends. “I am always motivated by the enthusiasm students bring to the classroom,” Snell said. “As opposed to other professions, I feel like [by teaching] I can really have an impact on others. This is why I love my job. [This] is the literature I fell in love with in college, so I love that I now have a chance to pass on that excitement to my students.”
by teaching] I can rempact on others. This my job.” -Kari Snell English Teacher
-Lauren Wong Staff Writer
Tijen Sumbul - - - - Special Education, Social Studies
en Sumbul, a familiar face in the school district, looks forward to creatmooth transition for Palo Alto High School seniors who are preparing ege. er teaching a Special Day Class at Terman Middle School, Sumbul will ach modified United States Government, Contemporary World History, mics and Transition, a class developed to prepare seniors for their future. mbul has several interests outside of school and enjoys spending time er family, including her two daughters, reading, watching movies and n walks. he students are neat young adults,” Sumbul said. “Middle school is very nt; in high school the students are so mature. It’s neat to get the feedback tch students go out in the world and thrive.” r goals for this year are to get to know the students and to create a smooth on program for seniors moving on to college. Sumbul plans to ensure niors are prepared for their jobs in the future. ong with her plans for the year, Sumbul sees a bright future for the stuere at Paly.
-Hannah Park Staff Writer
“In high school the students are so mature. It’s neat to get the feedback and watch students go out in the world and thrive.” -Tijen Sumbul Special Education, Social Studies Teacher
A8 • September 27, 2010
And now a word from your seniors...
OPINION
The Campanile
New portable locations impractical but necessary Portables lack intuitive placement, damage campus aesthetic
rachelstober graceharris in our opinion Welcome, class of 2014 to Palo Alto High School! In order to fully integrate into Paly culture, there are a few rules around campus that we feel you should know that you will not find in your handbook. These are the unspoken laws that govern student life at Paly. However, after the first few weeks of school, it is becoming increasingly clear that these rules are not being followed and must no longer go unspoken. Here are a few things all freshmen should know about Paly.: 1. At Paly, there are few things that belong only to the seniors and one of them is the deck. Unfortunately the class of 2014 was not given an instructional skit warning new freshmen not to step foot on the deck as we were during our freshmen orientation, so we are happy to explain the rules here. While it might seem dingy and weather-worn, it is a sacred tradition that only seniors are allowed to sit on it and we cherish the peeling paint with pride. This may seem silly and unfair, but we have been waiting three years for these 20 square feet of glory, so take your place in line like the rest of us did and wait until you are seniors. 2. With the new construction projects, portables have taken over our previously scenic campus. One by product of this change is limited walking room for those who need to travel across campus. There seems to be an epidemic of freshmen girls who enjoy linking arms and walking in a horizontal line through the school. While we understand your need to feel connected in this large, intimidating campus, we would like to request that you hold hands in a single-file line or find some other arrangement as you often block the already crowded passageways. This will become incredibly important during streak week, when you will have to directly suffer the consequences of obstructing the pathway of a naked sprinter. 3. We understand that most students cannot drive in their underclassmen years, but that does not give you the right to bike in the middle of the street. Yes, pedestrians have the rightof-way, but that does not make it any less obnoxious when swarms of cyclists block the parking lot entrance. There is a bike lane for a reason. Use it. You will still have to get off of your bike and lock it so that slightly wider turn will probably do little to ensure that you are on time for your first period class. We only warn you for your own safety, as your daredevil stunts rely on the ability of half-asleep drivers, many of whom have had their licenses for less than a year, to swerve out of the way. 4. Dress up during spirit week. This seems like an obvious suggestion, but many of you will assume that putting on crazy costumes or painting your body bright orange is uncool. You are sadly mistaken. When you come to school not dressed up, which many of you will, your classmates will ridicule you. This will become especially drastic when your class begins to lose horribly on the first few days because no one has the guts to go all out and show their class spirit. Obviously it takes a while for freshmen to adjust to the insanity that is spirit week but the sooner you embrace it the better you will do and the less ammo the other classes will have to throw at you next year. We can say this from plenty of our own experience, as the class of 2011 is still desperately trying to forget our first two excruciatingly embarrassing years of spirit week. 5. Lastly and most importantly, we would like to remind all freshmen not to stress too much. Paly can be a very intense place, but don’t let it get to you. Trust us, grades and test scores are not the only things that matter in your life. Remember that this is only high school. These will be some of the best years of your life, so don’t waste all of them cramming for quizzes. Of course it is important to try your best, but you still have four years ahead of you to learn, make mistakes, make friends and grow up. We mean emotionally, mentally and physically because some of you are freakishly short, but don’t worry, we were too.
The start of a new school year always brings changes. Whether it be new teachers, a different wardrobe or a busier schedule, these changes are usually anticipated. A new campus design, however, is something many Palo Alto High School students were not expecting coming into the 20102011 school year. The 13 portables and one computer lab now situated in the middle of the school’s campus laylamemar have caused uneasiness in the Paly community. in my opinion Though the portables’ new location may be a topic of controversy, they were moved for a reason. Paly is scheduled to undergo major construction which will supply the school with a new media arts center as well as a new building for social sciences and math. The construction is taking place in two locations, between the Art and English buildings and between the Language and Mathematics buildings, both of which were previously occupied by portables. Since getting rid of the portables would mean losing precious classroom space, the only other option was to move them. While the construction on school campus is necessary and beneficial, the timing of it and placement of the portables is not ideal. The most common criticism the portables receive is that they are taking away from Paly’s charm. Paly takes a lot of pride in its appearance, and the openness of its campus contributes greatly to its overall appearance, a trait it now lacks. “The campus seems congested with the addition of the portables because now we have half the space we used to have on the quad,” senior DJ Fotsch said. “Also, the general feel of Paly is just different. Our campus used to be so open and appealing and now, with the new portables, it almost reminds me of a prison.” This feeling of confinement and seclusion seems to be prevalent among students. Not only does one feel secluded in a portable, but one becomes secluded from the rest of the school when around the portables. Marc havlik/Campanile It is no longer possible to walk out of science class and wave to a friend sitting across the campus on the senior deck. Due to recent renovations to the Palo Alto High School campus, all portable classrooms have been Instead, one must trek through the rows of giant brown edifices. moved to provide additional space for overflowing classes, changing the atmosphere of the campus. Not only do the portables throw off Paly’s feng shui, but they also take up valuable campus space. course of which she lost a box of important class material), Will this year’s and next year’s seniors walk on stage on “I think the portables take up a lot of space that used to be English teacher Kay Van Der Burg contends that teaching in the graduation day to look out into the crowd and proudly gaze at nice and open where people in my grade would meet and hang portables has had no negative results. In fact, she prefers her the portables and caution tape that surround them? Will their out. Now we’re all squished in front of the library,” sophomore current teaching situation. “I last memories of high school be centered around a cramped Julia Poppy said. love my new location,”Van Der campus and the deafening sound of bulldozers? Lack of space means less “The campus seems congested with the Burg said. “[The portables] are It is frustrating to imagine the smiling faces of freshmen room for students, which ulti- addition of the portables because now we close to the library and the that will enter the 2012 school year with a new an improved mately means certain areas are center of campus. I see more school, for which they have had to suffer nothing. bound to become overcrowded. have half the space we used to have on the people, students and staff The seniors only have to endure the construction for Students have begun infringing quad.” where I am now.” one year before they graduate. The current sophomores and on other students’ space, which Principal Phil Winston freshmen will be fortunate enough to experience what the new DJ Fotsch stated that the extensive con- construction. Juniors, however, will receive no reward. has caused discontent. “[The portables] have crowdHaving a new media arts center and a social sciences Senior struction is scheduled to end ed the school’s hang out areas and in August of 2012. In August, building will provide later students with a better learning enforced students to use crowded he hopes, the portables will vironment, but currently it is compromising the high school walkways instead of being able finally be moved out of the experience of over 1900 students. to spread out across the quad,” junior Scotty McComas said. center of the school. The timing of this construction is unforStudents must learn to accept the portables, since they While a campus’s looks are important, its practicality is tunate for the junior class. are now a part of our daily lives. It is a sacrifice we must make another notable aspect. From a teacher’s perspective, life in Juniors must endure two long years of construction and in order to create a better campus for students who will be atthe portables is nothing to complain about. Despite the move the inconveniences that accompany it without the benefits of tending Paly two years from now. Hopefully they will remember from the previous location to the current one, (through the the finished product. to thank us.
Edgewood Plaza long overdue for renovations
Local shopping mall has delayed renovation plans due to a lack of initiative By looking at the barren parking lot littered with trash, it is hard to imagine that Edgewood Plaza was once a bustling shopping center for Palo Alto residents. Plans to renovate the area have been in progress for almost rachelstober 10 years, yet criticism from a few stubborn residents and Palo Alto City Council’s lack of initiative and preoccupation with preserving the original architecture have stalled any proposals and left the plaza as little more than asphalt and a liquor store. The Planning and Transportation Commission voted unanimously on September 15 to postpone any action on the proposal, once again halting any change and leaving the majority of Palo Alto residents frustrated. In order for Edgewood Plaza to ever come back to life, local critics and the City Council must realize that no plan is perfect. The benefits of an improved Edgewood Plaza as a greatly needed gathering place and retail center for the Duveneck and St. Francis neighborhoods would outweigh any minor flaws. It has the potential to provide the community with a place for residents to get groceries, grab an ice cream cone or a coffee or just socialize, all within a short walking distance from their homes. Joseph Eichler originally designed and built the mall in 1958 to go along with the surrounding Eichler homes. Since then, the center has deteriorated into a sad reminder of what it used to be. Sand Hill Property Company has proposed a planned community (PC) zone, including 10 homes, a grocery store, a 10,400 square foot park, rehabilitating two historic Eichler retail buildings and a display highlighting Eichler’s achievements. This is the third plan from Sand Hill Property Company since they bought the lot in 2006. “Each plan became less intensive and more historically sensitive,” John Tze of Sand Hill Property Company said. Today’s plan not only received broad support in neighborhood meetings, but as part of a settlement agreement, the majority of Edgewood home owners have signed an amendment in support of the plan, according to Tze. The community’s excitement was clearly
FROM TOP LEFT CLOCKWISE: PALOALTOHISTORY, PALOALTOHISTORY, Rachel Stober /Campanile
(Counter clockwise from top left) Edgewood Plaza in 1985, 2006 and 2010. The mall has deteriorated into little more than a vacant lot, briefly coming to life at “Edgewood Eats,” a neighborhood-organized community event. visible on September 13, as an estimated 300 people gathered at the plaza to enjoy dinner and the friendly evening atmosphere at a neighborhood-organized event in the vacant parking lot. Food vendors, upbeat music and enthusiastic locals of all ages filled the lot at the first weekly “Edgewood Eats.” Crescent Park resident Susie Hwang coordinated the Monday-night meal. “I just thought while this parking lot stays vacant it would be nice to breath some life into it,” Hwang said. “It seemed like it would be a while before anything happened, so I thought I would plug in some temporary business.” The fact that 300 people flocked to Edgewood Plaza just for an empty parking lot and food trucks shows the need for a shopping center. The seemingly abundant enthusiasm was mixed with frustration that these plans were the first movement Edgewood plaza has experienced in years.
“We need food here and we don’t want to wait another five years,” Palo Alto resident and Palo Alto High School parent Leslie Jones said. “This is ridiculous. Palo Alto needs more grocery stores and I don’t know why they don’t see that.” Jones is not the only one growing impatient. Many Palo Alto residents are tired of hearing about the elaborate plans for the plaza that are never carried out. “I’ve been waiting for something to happen for a long time,” Paly parent Gloria Carlson said. “I keep hearing about all these plans and they never happen.” Many of the plaza’s neighbors expressed that any type of development would be better than the mall’s current state. “I care less about the mix of stores as just a great, safe and vibrant gathering place for the community and residents of all ages,” Hwang said. If the City Council continues to nitpick the perspective plans, Edgewood Plaza will con-
tinue to sit and gather trash and crime. After the Planning Commission’s vote to postpone any progress on the proposal and “revisit the project in the future,” it looks likes the plaza is doomed. While ideally the new plans for the plaza would preserve the exact Eichler architecture and cater to every single complaint of the skeptics, those opposing the project need to realize that by preventing the project from moving forward until every detail is perfect, they have been crippling any improvement at all to the plaza. Continually denying the project until it is perfected will not get them what they want, it will get them another ten years of a dirty parking and unsatisfied neighbors. The developer has already made the necessary compromises and now the City Council must acknowledge the battles they have won and approve the proposal. Now the city must stop bickering and bring Edgewood Plaza back to life.
SPORTS
The Campanile
SportsBriefs First cross country meet shows promising signs for boys’ squad The Palo Alto High School’s boys’ cross-country team finished 11th overall in the Lowell Invitational, held at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 18. This was the first official meet of the team’s season. Juniors Nikolai Solgaard, Corso Rosati and Charlie Kelsey were the top three Vikings to place in the 2.9-mile race. They finished 11th with a time of 16:05, 34th with a time of 16:34, and 82nd with a time of 18:06, respectively. The other three members running with varsity included Sam Carilli (’12), Will Hall (‘12) and John Brunett (’11.) “Literally every single varsity runner that we’ve had at these last two races are running in their first varsity meets as a varsity runner, ” head coach Joe Ginanni said. “It’s a totally new team, all of our varsity runners plus the next three guys in line, like nine or ten guys last year were all seniors who graduated.” Although these runners have been with the team for the past three or four years, running with varsity is a completely new experience. “In past years it was a little more relaxed and our hours were different,” Kelsey said. “There’s a certain limit to the messing around we can do because we have to train a lot harder. We have to make sure we carry the weight for the team.” The rebuilding of the team has given the previously top junior varsity runners a chance to shine on varsity without being in the shadow of so many talented seniors. Close to 20 freshmen are on the team this year, an increase since last season. “At the meet we had last weekend, [the freshmen] ran really well,” Ginanni said. “I was really impressed with them, especially because this was their first real race running on a real cross-country team.” There was a combined freshman and sophomore race, in which Paly placed 3rd, as well as in the junior varsity race. “We actually have the potential for our varsity to be juniors and sophomores, but it really depends on how [the season] plays out,” Ginanni said. As for an overall varsity line-up, Ginanni said he expects it to fluctuate. “It basically depends on who ends up staying healthy, who ends up making the biggest improvements and basically who ends up having things go well for them in [these] next two months,” Ginanni said. As for hopes for this season, Ginanni said it is all about having fun and loving the sport, while staying healthy. “I hope that everyone can race as often as possible, meaning everyone can make it through the season with minimal injuries and problems, and if that’s able to happen then it’s basically a guarantee that everybody’s going to be improving,” Ginanni said. Ginanni is confident that if his team can keep improving while staying healthy, then the best seven runners will perform well at Central Coast Section championship. Unlike the girls, the boys stayed in the same division as last year (Division Two) while cross-town rival Henry M. Gunn High School’s team moved up to division one. The next meet is the Stanford Invitational, scheduled for Saturday Sept. 25.
—Meghan Byrd Staff Writer
Girls’ cross country succeeds at first race, expects improvement The Palo Alto High School girls’ cross-country team finished second overall on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Lowell Invitational in San Francisco. The freshman-sophomore team ran an approximately 2.2 mile long course, finishing third out of 18 teams. For over half of the team this was their first official cross-country meet. The junior varsity team had a different experience than past years, due to a new rule stating that no seniors can run junior varsity. This resulted in the team consisting of a minimum of five runners, all of them being juniors. “All of the seniors that I have had on the team that have run three or four years have came out expecting that they would be JV and probably four or five of them didn’t expect to be running with varsity,” Coach Paul Jones said. Several varsity runners medaled, however. Susan Heinselman, Leigh Dairaghi, Maryssa Sklaroff, Gracie Cain, Nora Rosati, Lydia Guo and Erin Kiekhaefer, finished as the second place team. The team placed sixth out of a total of 20 teams. “We all ran really well, it was one of the best meets we’ve had,” senior co-captain Kiekhaefer said. “It definitely shows that we can all step up and excel as a team and be really good this year.” The team credits their success to their consistent effort during practice and pre-season training. “We’ve been training hard since the beginning of the school year and some of us even started before that,” Heinselman said. “We’ve been working hard and as a team. Most of us ran with a partner [during the race], who they could work off of.” This year the team moved up to Division one, after competing in Division two since the team was established. “This is a pretty good division for us to be in, competitively speaking,” Jones said. “We get to race against Gunn, who is one of our biggest competitors.” Before Saturday’s race the team participated in a practice meet at Henry M. Gunn High School. This was an unofficial meet where the coaches kept times on their own team members. As for practice, Jones plans to make a few minor changes. “We will probably be running a little more, and doing a little less in the way of drills than last year,” Jones said. “Also [there will be] a lot of hill work this early in the year.” Another aspect co-captains Kiekhaefer and Cain are working towards is having a united team. “One of the things we really want to focus on, especially at the beginning of the year, is team bonding,” Cain said. “In past years we haven’t been as close which I think has affected our performance. We’re going to have some pasta feed’s coming up, and we’re going to Bucca di Bepo another night. But so far it’s going really well and we’re coming in really tight in races.” This past weekend five of the runners came in within six seconds of each other. Jones has high expectations for the talented team of runners. “I predict that by the end of the season we will be one of the top two or three ranked teams in Division one, and hopefully we’ll be able to get to the state meet this year,” Jones said. “Our hope is to have the best team we’ve had in the past seven or eight years”
—Meghan Byrd Staff Writer
Monday, September 27, 2010
Paly sports icons:Where are they now? A look at two of Paly’s biggest sports stars and their lives after high school
made his path to success a truly unique one. With his distinctive background, Lin is ready to prove doubters wrong and showcase the skills he has developed throughout his life. “I am very humbled and honored to represent the community,” Lin said. “It’s something I really appreciate.” Throughout Lin’s entire basketball journey , basketball coach, mentor and Paly teacher Peter Diepenbrock has been by Lin’s side. As Diepenbrock looks up at the collage of team photos on the wall, he highlights Lin’s growth, both physically and emotionally, as he traveled through high school, college and now the world of professional basketball. When he first entered high school, Lin did not seem to have the aspiration to be a professional or even collegelevel athlete. “He was very small and didn’t have the physical make-up of a star high school player, but he always had a great understanding of the game, great instincts—there was no question about that,” Diepenbrock said. Though Lin did progress through high school, he did not generate much college interest compared to those who were obviously naturally strong and athletic. This sense of intuition proved to help him move forward in Paly, but he became a more well-rounded player and person at Harvard. Lin matured as his college basketball career prompted an interest in professional possibilities. rayfil.om Paly.voice “A big part of Jeremy’s story is that Former Paly athletes Jeremy Lin (left) and Joc Pederson (right) start their professional careers this he relied on his instincts and natural year, Lin with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Pederson with the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers. ability in high school,” Diepenbrock said. “His first major development was By Hannah Totte exceeding his personal best is an attitude Arizona] I can make a Low A team. It’s that he became more coachable by Staff Writer he has maintained during his entire my short term goal.” maturing in college. He matured into a Though only around nine inches sports career. Luckily, working towards a goal considerate young man that gets it. He in circumference, a baseball has the “Nothing was ever good enough,” — and achieving it — is not an untried understands that people have helped capacity for homeruns or strikeouts, for Pederson said. “There was always room or unsuccessful experience for Pederson. him get where he is and appreciates it.” the achievement of dream or for one just for improvement. I had to keep working. He is not alone in this aspect, however, as After four successful seasons with out of reach. In Palo Alto, baseball is on I was never satisfied.” 2006 Paly graduate Jeremy Lin proves. Lin Harvard, Lin was invited to the senior the minds of many; the sport represents Pederson’s time at Paly influenced will play professhowcase in a fantasy many imagine and yearn for, his decisions and character as he worked sional basketball Portsmith, Virbut one in which only the truly elite can towards achieving his dream. with the Golden “I can’t describe the feeling ginia, with the succeed. Joc Pederson, who graduated On the path with the Paly Vikings State Warriors I get every time I drive by top 64 college from Palo Alto High School with the class to the Central Coast Section Finals last this coming seaseniors in the of 2010, is living this dream. spring, his work ethic and leadership son. Oracle Arena” country. All of Pederson officially signed with the were highlighted by a .515 batting averHaving sucthe NBA teams Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the begin- age, eight home runs, nine doubles and cessfully played were watching, ning of a new chapter in his baseball six triples within the season. basketball at Paly Jeremy Lin and Lin’s agent career and life. “You don’t always agree with the and Harvard Unihelped him try Golden State Warrior out in eight dif“It’s been pretty exciting,” Pederson coaches, but you have to be a bigger versity, Lin has said. “It’s my dream to play professional person and have some things go in one been able to sucferent cities. baseball. It’s all happening so quickly.” ear and out the other,” Pederson said. ceed, incorporatThough none In two weeks, Pederson will head “You can’t be hard headed. It took a lot ing the heart, sweat and adrenaline of of them drafted him, Dallas asked Lin down to Arizona for Instructional Ball, of biting my own tongue.” basketball into his everyday life. to play with them in the summer league. where the top prospects will practice A player must face many adversiLike Pederson, Lin can also relate to “By playing in that atmosphere, together for about a month and a half. ties, including trials with coaches and the feeling of capturing a dream, though there was no denying his ability to play Though the opportunity sounds incred- teammates. he took a slightly different pathway to the with NBA athletes,” Diepenbrock said. ibly hard to pass up, Pederson had to de“If your dream is to play a profes- pros than Pederson. “This was a huge break in the dream termine his future by deciding between sional sport, you always have to have “I can’t describe the feeling I get story.” going to the University of Southern fun playing,” Pederson said. “You need every time I drive by Oracle Arena,” Lin As he “got the better” of the No. 1 California to to want to get said in a recent Tweet. overall draft pick, the Warriors, Lakers, play baseball better. Hard work Entertainment and Sports Program- and Mavericks made offers, but the Waror enter the “There was always room for will pay off in the ming Network blogger Kevin Arnovitz riors were the only team that offered him Major League improvement. I had to keep end, but have called Lin the “Bay Area’s newest rock an opportunity for a roster spot; conveBaseball draft fun because in star,” after he hit the National Basketball niently, it turns out, since Lin has been and take the working. I was never satisthe end it’s just a Association’s radar following a summer a lifelong fan of this hometown team. professional game.” league gamer where Lin matched the No. “I can’t explain [how I felt about fied.” path. Pederson is 1 overall draft pick, John Wall for posses- the offer] in words,” Lin said. “It was “It w a s Joc Pederson also looking to sion. Now graduated from Harvard, Lin a crazy emotional time. I still wake up either going this per- has broken boundaries in both emotional and can’t believe it.” Los Angeles Dodger keep for my dream spective with the and social levels. Lin’s Bay Area background, along or going to Dodgers as he Even though Lin had trained with with his Asian cultural identity will chase girls in works to move up the Warriors in June, the team was not undeniably generate massive attention college,” Pederson said. “I would much within the minor and major leagues. As ready to offer him a spot on the team. from fans and the press, but Lin is ready prefer being out on the baseball field Pederson battles for the best spots in the After Lin’s showstopping performance to focus on his own personal goals. than being in the classroom. This was different levels of professional ball, he in summer league, however, he received Even though his chances are low, the best opportunity for me. It wasn’t is looking forward to being able to play offers from Dallas Mavericks and the Lin is ready to do whatever it takes to about the money; it was about the op- his best against the worlds best young Los Angeles Lakers, but could not resist make the team, and is thrilled about portunity.” athletes. the lure of his hometown team, the one the opportunity to finally showcase Pederson is, without a doubt, about Within a month, he will report to he has been watching since childhood. his abilities. to embark on an unforgettable journey. high school rookie ball in Phoenix, AriAs a Harvard graduate, Lin shocked “I’m most excited about being able The lure of professional athletics in- zona. From there, he will try to work up the National Basketball Association to compete at the highest level and play cludes all of the perks: jerseys, stadiums, to the Low A minor league in Michigan, crowd; the school has only produced against all the guys I watch on TV,” Lin fans and of course the press. Amidst and eventually to Double A and Triple A. four players in the entire history of the said. “I need to do what I can do to make all of these, however, Pederson is most “I [have to] do well,” Pederson NBA, according to a recent article in the the regular rotation, to play every night. looking forward to pushing himself to said. “However well you do, the more Washington Post. This slice of his identity, When I get on the floor, I’m going to do the limit. Always working towards and you move up. Hopefully in Spring A [in paired with his Asian-American heritage, whatever I can to help the team.”
Paly girls’ tennis struggles in season openers By Sam Blake
Staff Writer
The firm asphalt predicts a hard season this year for Palo Alto High School girls tennis team. After three weeks of practice and only two games, the girls’ tennis team is facing a tough week with three matches against three tough opponents. The first two games were disappointing with subsequent losses to Lynbrook 3-4 and Notre Dame San Jose 0-7. However, the team still has a lot of season left to play. It is a season brimming with high expectations . “I would like the team to make CCS,” Paly girls varsity coach Andy Harader said. “I believe that we could make it to the second or third round.” However, the team has hit an early bump in the road with the first two losses, and is expecting continued struggles with the challenging upcoming schedule. “We are not off to a good start,” Harader said. “We have played hard teams and I expect we will have four straight losses. I think we can pick it up in the later
part of the season though. We are just trying to see how many games we can win this week.” The team is excited for the upcoming season and is ready to put hard work into each of their practices and games. “I think our team’s success will be based on how we do against the teams that we are evenly matched with.” No. 1 ranked girls’ varsity tennis player Mira Khanna said. The team played Saratoga High School at home on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010. It was set to be a difficult match for the struggling team. “We have lost our first two matches and Saratoga is the hardest match yet,” Harader said. The match turned from bad to worse quickly for the Paly team. Khanna lost 1-6 in the first match and 0-6 in the second match, losing the set 0-2. “I thought that I could have played much better,” Khanna said. Khanna was not the only Paly tennis player that struggled. The second and third ranked players, Chloe Lischinsky and Sammy Solomon, also lost their sets. Lichinsky lost both of her sets 0-6 while Solomon lost
her matches 3-6 and 2-6. Both believe that they can improve their performance. Even with the disappointing beginning, the Paly girls remain hopeful and their coach remains optimistic for their upcoming season. A possible reason for the team’s lack of success is that the tennis games are sparsely attended. Local parents and fans hope to see more Paly students out by the court to support their team. Paly junior Nick Forlenza has been watching Paly girls’ tennis since his freshman year and hopes that attendance will improve. “There is no excitement at the varsity girls’ tennis games,” Florenza said. Paly’s varsity girls tennis team has two more tough matches against Milpitas and Homestead. The teams graduated many important players last year and the team is currently trying to recover from their losses. It is a long road ahead for the Paly’s girls’ varsity tennis team, but going to the Central Coast Section championships is within their grasp.With great coaching and players improving, the team has unlimited potential to succeed in the rest of the season.
SPORTS
The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • A11
Paly students create All-Star football teams from home
Fantasy Football allows fans to draft, compete against friends online By Michael Augustine Staff Writer
Think of the future, a time when you are so rich and famous that you can own your own football team. In this future, you make the important decisions, who gets playing time and who is apart of the team. With Fantasy Football, this dream becomes a reality. Fantasy Football is a sports game played by people of all ages that allows football fans to follow players by controlling them, while at the same time competing against friends or strangers. Friends have opportunities to talk trash and look for the next emerging player that will make their season. The concept of Fantasy Football started when the Oakland Raiders took a multi-week road trip to the East Coast in 1962. Bill Winkenbach, a partner of the Raiders, was the primary creator of the now monumental game. However, it started off very differently, with touchdown passes only worth a fraction of the points of big plays such as kickoff returns and defensive linemen touchdowns, Winkenbach said to the San Francisco Chronicle. On a designated draft day, owners are sent to a draft lobby where they select a series of National Football League players over the Internet to fill out the basic positions of quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, kicker and special teams or defense to complete their roster. Then, on a weekly basis, owners can add and trade players to set their roster for the upcoming games. On game day, when the real-life players gain yards or score touchdowns, their virtual owners gain points accordingly. Once all the games for the week have been played, a roster’s points are added up and whichever team has more points, wins. A popular format is head to head, where two players face each other. Every week a game takes place as owners compete for the best record in the league amongst the other owners and gain points based on how well the team does.
fantasyfootballprofessionals
Fantasy Football has gained popularity nationwide, with competitive leagues all over squaring up for the new season. The hobby gives participants a competitive arena to alternatively watch the game during the season. “I play because I’ve always been a big football fan,” Palo Alto High School senior Beth Nakamura said. “Fantasy Football is convenient and easier to play than other fantasy sports because you need to update your roster less frequently.” The combination of sports and friends is truly what has made this fantasy game a popular choice for people of all ages. “I think Fantasy [Football] is just something fun to do with friends,” junior Brennan Miller said. “I play with a group of old friends so it’s a way for us to stay together.” The camaraderie that comes along with Fantasy Football is what makes it unique and popular. “If you’re playing anything with a good group of friends, then the trash talking and
gloating gets pretty ridiculous.” Nakamura said. This trash talking is easy when owners of teams compete against their peers from school. “[I’m] playing against 10 people who are all Paly students,” Nakamura said. Jeremy Laufer, a senior at Paly and also a member of Beth’s league, displays the passion of a true Fantasy Football participant. “For me, there’s almost nothing as good as sitting down and watching a game of football during the weekend,” Laufer said. “I feel like when I do, Fantasy Football makes watching even more interesting.” Laufer’s interest and knowledge about football allows him to be a strong competitor in the world of Fantasy Football.
“I get really into it,” Laufer said. “I play because I like the competition and it feels really great to win knowing that you made your team.” The tricks to winning in Fantasy Football are very debatable. These strategies come in all forms, some simple, others quite intricate. “My main strategy is to just draft players that I enjoy watching, that play for teams I like, and who I think will succeed,” senior Rafa Ramos said, Draft strategies are crucial as they can either make or break a season. “My strategies have changed over the years,” junior Peter Dennis said , “but I generally try to pick a top notch running back in an early round in the draft because there are so few to choose from. From there, I either go
with a top quarterback or second tier wide receiver.” These strategies contrast to some of the more complex features that are a part of Fantasy Football. “This year, we decided to go with a PPR league (points per reception),” Dennis said people like Maurice Jones Drew and Ray Rice are more valuable than people like Frank Gore and Steven Jackson.” Fantasy Football not only fuels football enthusiasts but it also has developed into a profitable business. “The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that 20 million people participate in fantasy sports in North America,” Matthew Stark of IPJL blogs said. “That the market size of the industry is approximately $1.5 billion.” Free Fantasy Football leagues are much more prominent amongst youth on ESPN .com and Yahoo.com. “I play on Yahoo,” Miller said. “I have played with the same group of friends for five years.” Owners typically enjoy familiarity in the web sites they choose. “Yahoo is probably the easiest to play on and it’s just what we know,” Dennis said. In Laufer’s case the passion for the game of Fantasy Football was established early. “My brother got me into it at a fairly young age,” Laufer said. “It’s great to watch the players you drafted at the beginning of the season do well,” While Fantasy Football draws many people the time consuming aspect of Fantasy Football also repels them. “I use to play in middle school,” junior Tory Prati said. “But I didn’t want it to affect my grades in high school.” While it may just be a game Paly students show they care about, Fantasy Football is a compliment to watching NFL games and is an activity for friends to compete against each other. As long as it does not take up too much time and stays free of cost, Paly students will continue to compete in Fantasy Football.
Freshmen stars show potential Water polo teams set season goals By Mayssen Labidi Staff Writer
As talented senior athletes graduate, many freshmen are excited about their upcoming four years at Palo Alto High School. With a whole new class comes many new athletes. While some worry about making the teams, others have already proven themselves . One of the few freshman who aspires to make the varsity soccer team at Paly is Josh Totte, a starting center midfielder on the Santa Clara Sporting soccer team. Totte’s U15 sporting team is ranked second in the nation and attends many exceptional tournaments which are only available for standout teams including Milan FC and San Diego Surf Academy. “We just recently [attended] Surf Cup, a top tournament in America and we were quarter finalists,” Totte said. His team has won the California North State Cup tournament two years in a row and advanced to the semifinals of regionals this year. Totte’s team is also in one of the best leagues available. “We are in Far West Regional League which has a lot of top teams from all over western California, and we are playing Arizona in two weeks,” Totte said. Totte’s goal is to keep improving and growing to make the varsity soccer team at Paly this year. Only outstanding freshmen are put into the varsity team, but with Totte’s skills his goal could be accomplished. Totte is also on the regional soccer team of the Olympic Development Program, and has already started looking at possible colleges to play soccer at. “I might want to play at University of California Los Angeles or Stanford and maybe I can get a scholarship,” Totte said. Various Paly freshman are starting to shine and are being noticed, such as Matthew Abbott, Will Conner, Becca Raffel and Andrew Liang. Both Abbott and Conner dedicate time to play on the Paly water polo team. They share common goals of improving throughout their high school years. Although Conner is already on varsity, Abbott practices with the varsity team but plays with the junior varsity team during games. “I’ve been playing for multiple years and my goal is to fully be on varsity next year,” Abbott said. Conner is not a starting player yet, but his hard work and determination may offer him a spot. The games that he has played in since the season has begun have been quite . The boys won 9- 6 in an intense game against the Los Gatos Wildcats on Sept. 14. Conner has played various sports, but since the age of 10 he has been playing water polo. From then on he has considered water polo to be
his main sport. What sets him apart from the rest of the freshmen is his experience. “A lot of the freshmen are just starting and I feel like I just have more experience and am more familiar with the game,” Conner said. According to head coach Giovanni Napolitano, Conner fits in with both the under and upperclassmen. “He is not yet part of the starting lineup but my goal is for him to be later on. He is working in that direction,” Napolitano said. As Abbott and Conner are working on improving their water polo skills, Raffel is doing the same for volleyball. She has been playing since the sixth grade and she eventually wants to be on the varsity team. Raffel is an outside hitter on the Paly Junior varsity team. “I enjoy being on the Paly team and I would not mind eventually being on the varsity team,” Raffel said. To most new freshmen at Paly, the ambiance of playing sports in high school is much more appealing to them. “Paly volleyball is a lot more fun. I love the atmosphere of the bigger gym and playing with older players is always fun,” Raffel said. Another talented freshman athlete is Andrew Liang. He swims at a very high level and has continued to progress. Liang knows that there is a lot more room for improvement and
instead of swimming in age group meets, he has just started racing in senior meets. Although this causes greater competition for him, the older swimmers motivate Liang to train and work hard so that one day he can advance beyond the senior racers. “I am pretty excited for this upcoming swim season at Paly, since it is my first. I hope to swim fast, continue improving and hopefully final at CCS,” Liang said. Outside of swimming for Paly, Liang swims for Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics. He was part of the top fifteen in the nation in his 13 to 14 age group for the 50 meter freestyle race. Liang believes that he will continue swimming throughout college. Liang’s dream is to race for the Stanford swim team. Excitement is building up within staff, coaches and throughout the community on seeing these newly renovated teams. The new freshmen will hopefully aid the Paly athletics department and make up for the loss of graduated seniors. Although size could be a missing factor, their skills will bring a fresh new look to the teams. “It’s always exciting to explore the new freshmen and see new faces in our program,” varsity girls’ soccer coach Ernesto Cruz said. “Expectations are high at Paly and hopefully we obtain positive, leading and talented athletes.”
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Freshman Josh Totte , who plays for the second ranked club in the nation, hopes to make the Paly varsity soccer team.
Girls, boys teams look forward to successful fall season By Electra Covelas Staff Writer
The Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity water polo team is off to a rocky start but has high hopes for the remainder of the season. After a preseason tournament at Menlo Atherton High School the team came home hoping to progress to eventually win the Central Coast Section title. According to junior Daniel Armitano, they did not play as well as they could have in the tournament, with the exception of the Los Gatos High School game, which they won 9-6. The team captains this year are seniors Lucas Fodor and Ken Wattana. Will Conner was the only freshman to make the team. According to Armitano, Conner plays very well with the rest of the team and will train to be a starter. Conner is enthusiastic about playing for Paly and has been playing water polo since he was ten years old in Palo Alto. “Most freshman are just getting started, I’m just more experienced,” Conner said. Coach Giovanni Napolitano shares the team’s goal in winning CCS, as well as coaching Conner to be a starting player. “My goal will be for him to eventually start,” Napolitano said. This is his third year coaching Paly, and he is popular with his players. His thick Italian accent doesn’t seem to bother the team, but he has some difficulty understanding the players in the pool. “An interview? In English? That might be difficult,” Napolitano said. Every year, the suits are redesigned to fit the team’s distinct style. This year, Napolitano is designing the team suits through his clothing company named Zumo. It has a Viking on the back, and it says “Paly” on the front. The team hopes to improve its offense, a useful tool in their game against Los Gatos. Their goal on the way to CCS is to beat rival team Los Altos High School. According to Armitano they are the biggest challenge in the league, although Paly is very capable of beating them. “Our goal is to beat Los Altos. T hey are the best team,” Armitano said. “We lost to them already but we have one more game to get them back. Then we can hopefully win CCS.” The Paly girls’ varsity water polo team suffered a disappointing loss against Santa Clara Valley Athletic League rival Los Altos High School with a score of 11-7 on Thursday evening. They do not expect this loss to set the pace for the rest of the season.
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Paly junior Aaron Zelinger takes a shot on Monta Vista in the game. The Vikings lost 10-4 against the Matadors. Senior captains, Anna Glaves and Haley Conner lead the team with Assistant Coach Kelsey Holshouser to the Central Coast Section Championship. “She was the captain of the Stanford University team,” junior Shannon Scheel said. “As for Glaves, she’s a solid defender for us.” Head Coach Cory Olcott is well known for keeping a level head in frustrating games where the players often get worked up. According to Scheel and senior Katie Maser staying composed during competition is important for the team, especially aginst teams whose sportsmanship is famously out of control. The team’s goals for the season include progressing to CCS , advancing in league, as well as working on team communication. Individual goals are also important to players like Scheel and Maser. “I want to increase my speed and improve my shot,” Maser said. The next step as a team is to work on the offensive. “We are working on setting our front court, driving to the opposite side of the 2 meter player to create scoring opportunities,” Scheel said. The team works better as a whole as opposed to individually skilled players. “All around we’re solid which makes us one of the better teams in the league,” Maser said. Sophomore Martine Leclerc feels the team defense is what they need to work on. According to Leclerc, the Vikings are also progressing from issues that
past water polo teams have struggled with . “We need to work on defense and being a threat in the pool,” Leclerc said, “We’ve had some drama but we’re going to overcome it this season.” Higgins believes keeping players healthy in the pool is equal to keeping them healthy out of the water. “We need to keep the bench warm and the players hydrated,” Higgins said. The girls play in the Amanda McDonald Invitational hosted at Menlo High School. After defeating Monte Vista High School 16-6, the team is fired up. “It’s really encouraging to know that we can win and be successful when we get pumped up,” Scheel said.
water polo Scores vs. Monta Vista Sept. 21 Boys: 10-4 L Girls: 15-5 W
Upcoming games Boys vs. Mountain View Sept. 29. 6:30 p.m. Girls @ Saratoga High Sept. 30, 6:45 p.m.
SPORTS
A12 • Sept. 27, 2010
Fanhood...
The Campanile
Vikings remain undefeated in non-league play
Wins over Burlingame and Archbishop Mitty begin promising season for Vikings By John Brunett Sports Editor
brandonnguyen in my opinion In all sports, everyone has a rooting interest. It is not possible to sit down, or in my case, stand up and watch a sporting event without having an opinion on who should win or how the players should perform. Each time I watch a game, if I am not cheering on my respective team, I am hoping for a player that I admire to play well or hoping to view an entertaining game. People may be die-hard fans for teams, such as the Chicago Cubs, but that never seems to win the games despite the millions of dollars that the club spends on free agency. These fans are generally childhood fans that have cheered on their specific team since they were introduced to sports. There are people who just love sports and want to watch the sport for the beauty of the game. These fans want to watch a spectacular play that fascinates the crowd and brings everyone to their feet. These moments can vary from an electrifying dunk to a perfect game in baseball. These instances of brilliance are what advocates of the game look for. Finally there are fans that watch the game and root for the team that is the most aesthetically pleasing. My mom for example, will root for the team that she believes wears the better uniform. She will throw out all the statistics that sport junkies, like myself, use to analyze match-ups and predict winners. She will root for the New England Patriots because she likes the logo, but then minutes later root for the New York Jets because she thinks Mark Sanchez is handsome. For die-hard fans, rooting for a division foe is frowned upon, unless a win by your adversary will ultimately help your team in the end. For example, I am a San Francisco Giants fan and will always be one. As many know, the Giants-Dodgers rivalry is one of the longest standing sport rivalries of all time. I noticed that I began rooting for the Dodgers recently. I cheered on the Dodgers not because I wanted them to win, but because I wanted the San Diego Padres to lose. The San Diego Padres are battling for the National League West crown with the Giants. This is the only instance in which I will root for a rival team. The next type of fanhood is people that jump on the bandwagon whenever the team is performing well and act like they have seen the team play all of its games. I do not have any problem with people supporting a home team that is doing well. However, the problems in fanhood occur when people adopt a team that they have never rooted for before. A prime example is in the National College Athletics Association Basketball Division 1 Championships. When a fan’s respective team is eliminated from the 65-team tournament, they will jump on the bandwagon of a team that is doing well. They then tell all of their friends that team in the Final Four was their team from the beginning. There are rules about fanhood, and the biggest rule is to not jump on the bandwagon of a successful team. It is amazing that in the beginning of the National Basketball Association season everyone is rooting for their own team, but by the time the NBA Playoffs arrive, everyone is a fan of the Lakers, Celtics or Cavaliers. I’m not saying that people should only root for one team in each sport. People can root for multiple teams as long as it is reasonable. Reasonable meaning that a person does not call themself a fan of all the teams they watch on the TV. The only thing worse than a fan that will root for all teams is a bandwagon fan. It is better to root for many teams than to only root for teams that win. When watching a game, another rule of fanhood is that people cannot root for both teams at the same time. They cannot cheer on both squads to perform equally well, because in the end, one team will win and one will lose. Ties are only in soccer, but that is for another column. For those who believe that fanhood is not part of sports, they could not be more wrong. I agree that fans do not put on the pads, sprint across fields, nor shoot free throws in front of 20,000 for the NBA championship. Being a fan requires the utmost loyalty. It is mentally exhausting to read the front page of the newspaper and see that your team is in last place. Finally, being a fan is a lifetime pledge to support a city. If you are a fan of the Golden State Warriors, you need to root for them for the rest of your life. If you move, then adding an allegiance to your fanhood is acceptable, but once you are a fan you can never turn back. Being a fan is about supporting a team from the beginning to the end. It does not matter what the bumps in the road are, you will always cheer on that team. People may show their fanhood in many different ways: some paint their faces with the team colors and will go to every game while others will just put on their team hat and watch the game at home. At the end of the day, fanhood is an experience. Being a fan is about the journey to the championship. After all the late nights following the team, and all the disagreements with the management, nothing feels better for a fan than to finish on top. It’s not just how you root or whom you root for, it’s a way of living.
The Palo Alto High School varsity football team looks forward to an impressive year following 21-9 and 20-7 non-league poundings of Burlingame High School and Archbishop Mitty High School, respectively. The Vikings effectively dominated both teams in “all three phases of the game,” according to Head Coach Earl Hansen. “Special teams was awesome and the defense shut [Mitty and Burlingame] down for a long time,” Hansen said. Defeating Mitty gives the Vikings a redemption victory after the Monarch gave the Vikings a 34-13 wake up call last year. Returning senior wide receiver and cornerback Davante Adams felt that this year’s team possesses more motivation and work ethic, especially heading into the Mitty game. “We practiced hard all week,” Adams said. “Watching film, out on the field; we’re just a different team. We got people who want it.” Adams and his teammates on defense snuffed out University of California, Berkeley bound Monarch quarterback Kyle Boehm for the first three quarters of the game. Boehm barely managed a through total 75-yards against the Vikings, a far cry from the 150 -yard performance the quarterback put up last year. Early on in the first quarter, Boehm was intercepted by senior cornerback Maurice Williams who turned on the jets for 43-yards before he was tackled near the 40yard line. “That was the main part of our defensive scheme,” Adams said. “Get to number six and shut [Boehm] out.” Stanford University bound senior defensive end Kevin Anderson had a victorious game, giving Boehm a taste of what the Stanford-Cal Big Game might feel like in a few years. “It felt great out there,” Anderson said. “We really got off our blocks.” Anderson chased Boehm down for three sacks while senior linebacker Will Glazier and juniors Tory Prati and Morris Gates-Mouton added one sack each. The offense solved their running game with the emergence of
Marc HAVLIK/Campanile
Palo Alto High School’s Varsity football team begins the 2010 season with two impressive non-league wins over Mitty (21-9) and Burlingame (20-7). The victory over Mitty considerably redeemed the Vikings after the major loss last year. junior running back Dre Hill. After fective passes to the flats, which Glazier’s interception return, the opened up lanes deep down the Vikings turned to Hill who rushed field for senior wide outs Adams, straight down Williams and the Monarch “Watching film, out on the T.J. Braff. Sedefense for a nior quarter34-yard score. field; we’re just a different back ChrisHill lat- team. We got people who toph Bono er added a was able to want it.” huge 57-yard connect with touchdown Davante Adams Braff on a 20that was corner Senior yard sprung off a route which huge block set up Hill for made by Anderson. his third touchdown of the game. Anderson capped off the ViBono and Adams were able kings’ score with a half-yard punch- to create obvious chemistry, as in during the second quarter to put Adams snatched six out of the nine the Vikings up 20-0 in the first half. completions Bono tossed. Hansen noticed Hill in the Bono had kind words to say Burlingame game and the Vikings about his receiving corp after the certainly turned to him when they game. needed solid runs late in the game. “They are very gifted athletes,” “He really can run,” Hansen Bono said. “[The receivers] work said. “He stepped up this week and hard with me to perfect our routes he sure can turn on the jets.” and timing.” Hi l l f i n i s h e d w i t h ove r Despite pre-season specula125-yards rushing on a mere 15 tion, the Vikings offensive line carries in his encore performance worked together to set up huge for the Vikings after posting over holes for Hill to blast through and 50-yards in the second half of the gave Bono a solid pocket to step Burlingame game. into and throw. The passing game hampered There was only one play during the Monarchs with numerous ef- the Mitty game that Bono could not
get the pass off in time and had to concede the sack. “They did well and definitely made some improvements for this week against Mitty,” Bono said. “The run blocking was a big difference last night [against Mitty].” The defensive line was equally impressive, driving the ball into the backfield. Their combined talent shined with Prati’s sack in the fourth quarter, where Anderson and junior defensive tackle Nathan Hubbard slipped through Mitty’s blocks and forced the Monarch’s Boehm to scramble into a charging Prati. Not all went swimmingly for the Vikings though, as the special teams was fooled by a fake punt early on and the punt return team came up with minimal gains. On defense, there were multiple holes open in zone coverage that could have been exploited if not for careless drops by Monarch receivers. Nonetheless, Paly was able to control the clock, protect the rock and force pivotal turnovers throughout the game. The Vikings finished off the game strong with their dynamic rushing attack.
Paly hopes to proceed into the season with hard work and a determined work ethic. Next up for the team is a showdown with the Wilcox High School Chargers who began the season with two wins but dropped a 34-7 defeat courtesy of the San Benito High School Haybalers. The Vikings can now look forward to an exciting season, as the team vies for a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League championship with the added goal of making the Open Division playoffs after last year’s early exit.
FOOTBALL Scores
@ Burlingame Sept. 10, W 21-9 vs. Mitty Sept. 17, W 20-7 @ San Benito Sept. 24, Not reported
Upcoming games vs. Wilcox Oct. 1, 7:00 vs. Gunn Oct. 8, 7:00
Volleyball defeats local rivals in first home game
Team lays out goals for upcoming season, prepares for success in new division By Hannah Totte Staff Writer
Intensity radiated from the speakers in the volleyball court as the Lady Vikes set the tone for a new highly anticipated season, defeating rival Henry M. Gunn High School in straight sets 25-10, 25-10 and 25-12 during the team’s first home appearance on Sept. 14. “We have some outcome goals and some performance goals,” Head Coach Dave Winn said. “Performance goals are what I focus on more: team defense, tough service and really good serve receives so that we’re consistent. I thought we did that really well tonight.” Junior middle Melanie Wade, whose attitude was demonstrated by the team’s execution, killed the ball for the game’s first point. “We were just focused on playing each point and not making any errors,” Wade said. In the first game, senior captain and outside hitter Trina Ohms proved to be a stand-out performer, gaining three kills and one ace serve. Though Gunn succeeded in scoring the first two points in the second game, Palo Alto quickly overturned the scoreboard through consistent hitting and blocking.
Overall, Ohms managed nine kills throughout the entire match, putting her new leadership into action. By the end of the game, Wade had also scored 11 points total from kills. “It was good [to play Gunn] for our first home game,” Wade said. “They’re a really good team and we had to come out and play our game if we wanted to win.” Juniors Kimberly Whitson, Maddie Kuppe, Caroline Martin and Jackie Koenig, as well as sophomores Shelby Knowles and Savannah Owens each had kills in the third game. Only a few major rallies persisted throughout the entire match, as Paly’s substantial blocking prevented Gunn’s offensive attempts. The Vikings will try to maintain this performance level as they compete in a new division, Division I, this year, but Whitson, Wade and Winn agree that achieving their goals will take more than just the team’s stacked talent. “We really want to keep getting better in practice,” Wade said. Winn agrees that success in the new division will come because the team is dedicated
Marc Havlik/Campanile
For their first home game, the Lady Vikes beat rival Henry M. Gunn High School in three straight sets. They are looking forward to a strong season.
and focused—not with newly complacent “There’s so much depth, since everyone attitude. has played a lot,” Ohms said. “It’s awesome “It’s nice to think that we don’t have to to come and start up at such a high level. We face Saint Francis or [Archbishop Mitty High all know each other and play together year School] or [Presentation High School] to get round, which adds on to the team groove.” to CCS Finals, but you could lose to anybody Since the Gunn Titans moved down to any night if you’re not really focused,” Winn the El Camino League, the match up against said. “If it ends up being a little bit better in Gunn did not count as a league game. Howthe end, we’ll take it, but I really don’t think ever, the Paly team is looking forward to the it’s going to be that easy.” potential of the season and the promises of Greg Lara has joined the Paly coaching a consistent work ethic. In Division I, the Vistaff after coaching kings will face more girls’ high school volbig public schools “It’s awesome to come and start and forego more leyball for 12 years. The team looks up at such a high level. We all challenging games to improve their preagainst the smaller know each other and play tovious seasons’ results public schools. with a positive addi- gether year round, which adds “ W e ’d l o v e tion to the coaching on to the team groove.” to have a league staff and new team plaque, we’d love to Trina Ohms have a CCS banner, captains. “I’m looking to Senior we’d love to have a help bring more exNorCal [Northern perience to an alCalifornia] Champiready experienced onship trophy, and staff,” Lara said. “I’m really excited to work we’d love to have a State Championship with the coaches, work with the program trophy,” Winn said. “It’s going to be hard and work with all of the girls. Everybody has getting there, so we’re really focused on the been really supportive listening to feedback. near term.” I’ve gotten myself assimilated really quickly.” Though the road to championships may Ohms and Coleman, who are stepping be strenuous, Paly has already demonstrated up as team captains this season, are able their ample ability in games other than just to use their experience on varsity, acquired their match up against Gunn. knowledge of the game and physical and In their past two tournaments, the High emotional leadership skills to their advan- Sierra Tournament in Reno and the Harbor tage. Tournament in Aptos, the Lady Vikes secured Despite the loss of 2009’s influential first place. seniors, the majority of the varsity team has returned and been able to incorporate new Volleyball players, stablizing team relationships. “They did a really good job of pulling Scores us together,” Kuppe said. “It’s hard with the team chemistry, since Marissa and Cassie vs. Los Altos were huge leaders on the team last year, but Sept. 21, W 3-0 [Ohms and Coleman] have done a really good @ Burlingame job uniting us.” vs. Monta Vista “It’s always tougher on a team when Sept. 23, W there are so many good players, but our se@ Burlingame niors this year stepped up and they’re doing Upcoming games a good job rallying and motivating the team,” vs. Mt. View Winn said. “They deserved [being captains], Sept. 28, 6:45 they’ve worked hard for it.” @ Mt. View Ohms, who is signed to attend and play vs. Homestead volleyball for the University of Pennsylvania Sept. 30, 6:45 next year, is looking forward to the season in @ Home terms of the team’s positive dynamic.
Life styles Features • A&E • People
The Campanile
Monday, September 27, 2010
From the President’s Desk
chiragkrishna Hey Paly— before I even begin to discuss what I do or what the organization I participate in does, I just have to take a moment to describe how singularly hip it is to have my own space in the year’s first edition of The Campanile. Honestly, I feel like a celebrity signing autographs. Not only do I get to write for what is arguably the campus’ most famous publication, I also get to have my own little picture taken and a self-important title that tells everyone, whether they like it or not, who I am and what I do. Moreover, I have an indispensable opportunity to share some of my thoughts on what goes around at school in a manner that will inform or irk you, depending on whether or not you like me. And I do hope you like me. Did I mention self-importance? I’ll take a break from talking abut myself to say this—for those whom I haven’t had the pleasure (or other way around) of meeting, my name is Chirag Krishna, and I am this year’s Associated Student Body President. As big and as college-padding as the title sounds, it’s a position I fill in the hopes of participating in an organization that I’ve been a part of for the past six years, if you count those oh-so-awkward middle school days at Jordan. ASB is a way I can give back to the highschool that is second to none . The nostalgia is washing over me before I’ve even hit the second semester (have we even gotten to the second month? Oh dear...) of senior year. I’m allowed to do that though, because I am a senior. Freshmen, you’ll get there. I promise. So here’s what I intend to do. I’ll use my wonderful new spot in this year’s first edition of The Campanile to tell you a little bit about what ASB is, and what we’re doing. Some context: ASB is comprised of four class presidents, four class vice presidents, site council reps, multicultural reps, an environmental commissioner, an athletic commissioner, spirit commissioners, social commissioners, four executive board positions, and our fearless advisor, Kindel Launer. You can tell that we’re a rather diverse bunch, spanning all grades, and demographics. We’re always busy with something or the other, whether it be field day, club day, prom (and the proma) or that pivotal, life altering time— Spirit Week. Students who think they’ve experienced spirit week at a middle or different school, think again. Come late October, you’re about to have your mind blown to smithereens. But don’t worry. All the other minds on campus, including the brilliant and unparalleled ones that belong to our teachers, will be equally fried. Currently, ASB has been working away at a number of projects that are of relevance to our entire student body. The first is Club Day. While Club Day will have passed before this issue is released, I encourage all of you to find a club that suits your interest. Its likely that you will find at least one at Paly that suits your interest; if not, drop by the Student Activities Office and I’ll tell you how to make one. Yes, I will personally tell you how to make your own club. And if you stop by with a Chipotle burrito (grilled chicken with the spiciest salsa) and a cookie, I may consider helping you fill out the forms. Remember kids, it’s the easiest way to my heart... If you’re looking to get involved at a higher level, consider the 4th period rep system. Once your teacher asks, don’t be afraid to step up and volunteer to be the representative from your class. If elected, you’ll be able to participate in the wider ASB process, relay information from ASB back to your constituents to make sure they’re constantly updated, but best of all, you’ll be able to have lunch with me at least once a month. It doesn’t get much better than that, so pleasevolunteer! Remember, too, that here in ASB we’re always open to your ideas (its, so don’t hesitate to drop by the SAO and run one by us. Now, its time for me to go- the work of senior year beckons. Bye for now, but don’t be too sad, because I’ll be back. Did I mention self-importance?
By Michael Abrams Copy Editor Meet Dougie. Dougie’s fur has been nicely brushed, his toenails are clipped and now he even looks the part. Add that to his friendly personality and he is the epitome of man’s best friend. So why has he been at the Palo Alto Animal Services for almost one year? “We think he might be getting a home,” Jeanette Washington, a Palo Alto Animal Services worker, said delightedly. It has been a long journey for Dougie. “We found him at Greer park, three months old, with a big thick spiked collar. That was December 27th, 2009, and he’s still here,” Washington said. Dougie is an American Staffordshire Terrier, commonly known as a ‘pit’ bull. And according to Washington, many people are uncomfortable with that. “When people come and see pit bulls, they’ll ask ‘Is that all you have?,’” Washington said. “They see that word pit, and they say ‘no.’” Pit bulls have a unique niche in American culture. According to Bay Area Dog Owners Responsible About Pit Bulls (BAD RAP), these dogs used to be widely cherished. The image of the Pit Bull that Americans recognize today only started in the 1 9 8 0 ’s when the breed began to be associated with backyard dog fighting ring. Their image continues to be tarnished by the maulings of 2 year old boys in Concord, California and San Bernardino and an 85 year old woman in Tennessee. Tim Racer, the cofounder of BAD RAP has a different take, however. “Dog bite incidents are constantly misreported and attributed to our beloved breed, only to later be retracted - meanwhile the damage has been done.” Racer said. “Multiple animal control officers have also revealed that reporters have requested calls about dog bites cases, but only if by a pit bull. Consequently, pit bull related incidents are reported 200 times more often than even more serious incidents by other breeds.” Despite Racer’s hypothesis that pit bulls’ images are directly correlated with bad press, both he and Washington agree that the pit bull breed is a lot for the owners to handle. “You need to know what you’re getting yourself into,” Washington said. “You cannot ever let your guard down.” Sophomore Katherine Maniscalco, a local pit bull adopter, agrees. Maniscalco has two pit bulls, Leah who is 8 years old and Bea who is 2. She believes that pit bulls do not live up to their aggressive stereotype that they have. “They are really sweet dogs, but they are just trained the wrong way,” Maniscalco said. Despite her successful training of her two dogs, she still knows what the classic pit bull defense mechanism looks like. “The hair grows up on their backs and they bark loudly. They look very protective,” Maniscalco said.
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Maniscalco moves her dogs to the other side of the street when other dogs come as a precaution, because she believes they are mostly aggressive to other dogs but not as much to people. In fact, at home, Maniscalco enjoys a normal life with her two dogs. “They come and lay with me in their bed,” Maniscalco said “especially when we watch scary movies. They’re really athletic and have high energy and are fun to play with.” In the Bay Area especially, multiple organizations have sprouted that seek to achieve the public’s understanding of this kind, caring aspect of pit bull life. BAD RAP was one of the first of these organizations. “We started BAD RAP because there were no pit bull rescue groups in the SF Bay Area, even though they were the most represented breed in all of the shelters,” Racer said. “Also, we learned that all of the media hype about this breed was grossly inaccurate and unfounded.” BAD RAP gained international recognition in 2007 when the organization helped to rehabilitate nine of the dogs from Michael Vick’s notorious Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting ring. All nine of these dogs were eventually deemed to be adoptable. These efforts may come too late for residents of San Francisco, however. San Francisco pit bull owners are now required to neuter or spay their dogs, as a result of a 2007 law reacting to the mauling of 12-year-old San Francisco resident Nicholas Faibish. According to San Francisco Animal Care and Control, pit bull owners who do not comply with the law now risk a $500 fine and even jail time for a second offense. Despite the intention of making San Francisco safer, Racer believes the law to be a step backwards. “The law in SF has only served to alienate the breed even more,” Racer said, “Dogs are confiscated for up to two weeks until the neuter van arrives, meanwhile fines accrue that people can’t afford, and the surgery is expensive to boot. If the fines aren’t paid the dogs are killed.” Setbacks like the new San Francisco law, however, do not stop BAD RAP from continuing in helping the pit bull community even beyond the bay. “We’ve been asked to expand from here to the Philippines, but we are instead continuing with our shelter outreach and conferences around the country,” Racer said. And although the Michael Vick dogs were certainly the most publicized, BAD RAP has busted countless other dog fighting rings across the country. “In the Midwest we sent a volunteer to help assess dogs from a huge fight bust in Ohio where 200 dogs were confiscated,” Racer said. “It is the largest single yard bust we have ever seen. We have high hopes that these large busts are impacting the fighting community to the point that more people will get out of the ‘game’ and less people will enter into it.”
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Beyond their groundbreaking dog fighting work, BAD RAP also provides essential resources for local shelters in dealing with growing pit bull populations, including clinics and training sessions, for pit bull owners at Palo Alto Animal Services. Washington has first hand experience of how beneficial it is when pit bull owners can start to take responsibility to train their dogs. “I took [my pit bull] Goliath to the Mitchell Park dog run. People definitely were giving me the eye. If you looked at the temperament of my dog, though, he was literally bounding. Turned out, everyone loved Goliath,” Washington said. Today, according toWashington, all the regulars at Mitchell Park look forward to Goliath’s visits. Despite individual break-throughs like these and the help of organizations like BAD RAP, Dougie still sits in the Palo Alto Animal Services, waiting for his owner - and shelter life is not easy. “Some animals thrive here, and others deteriorate here,” Washington said. According to Washington, some pit bulls become so stressed at the shelter that they begin to claw at the walls of their cell, run around without stopping or lose much of their body weight. Dougie himself has to eat four bowls of food a day because of his continual weight loss. Although Dougie and many other pit bulls stay at Palo Alto Animal Services for an extended time, some pit bulls are quickly adopted. Many pit bulls are even well suited for teenagers, “like Dougie,” Washington said as she started to smile. “Let’s go see Dougie!” Washington said. Douggie’s face lit up whenWashington entered his enclosure to perform a routine check, as he energetically bounded to meet her. “See! He’s such a sweetie,” Washington happily. However, it was impossible to hear her over the barking of the other pit bulls.
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The Campanile
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Monday, September 27, 2010 • B2
Teacher brings peaceful message through art to students, staff Through project known as The Missing Peace, Margo Wixsom hopes to inspire students By Alex Lin Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School yearbook advisor and photography teacher, Margo Wixsom, introduced a new and inspiring project called The Missing Peace, which has influenced many to work towards spreading the wonders of peace and collaboration to the Paly community. The Missing Peace is a project that has been introduced to countries world-wide such as Japan, Spain, Romania and Stockholm. It has been inspired by the Buddhist beliefs and ethics of the great Dalai Lama, and has made the journey all the way to the Tower Building and our own classrooms at Paly. Wixsom has organized The Missing Peace project as a three part process. Paly advanced photography students will take part in the first part of this project. For the first part of the project, the “Missing Peace in a Box,” a brown paper box that consists of fourteen different posters displays diverse symbolic images that relate back to the main concept of peace. The posters vary from a bold colorful cartoon image of a foot in a sandal to an image of a crystallized snowflake. Many of the posters replicate the work of famous artists and represent different styles of art work. Wixsom students will pick one poster that inspires them to create a piece of their own. Their artwork will then be put to display in the Tower Building and library. Wixsom is excited about this part of The Missing Peace, and hopes that this will bring thought and interest to all Paly students. “What I want students to be able to take away from [the project] is a better understanding of the world as a larger place where we are connected to people,” Wixsom said. “I really want students to have a sense of ownership.” Information regarding The Missing Peace in a Box project that will be hosted at Paly, will also be posted on The Missing Peace’s new web site. The web site will then provide a link to the students’ work at the end of the month. Each student will choose one of 14 posters provided, and the posters will then be hung together in the main office the Tower Building. The second part of the project consists of five Paly staff members and an organized activity. Finally, a fun treasure hunt that anyone can participate in for free will conclude Wixsom’s high hopes for the project. The Missing Peace started in 2005, where it was developed and directed by two non-profit organizations called “The Dalai Lama Foundation” and the “Committee of the 100 for Tibet.” These two organizations have helped bring peace to schools and have also worked towards a peaceful future. The second part of The Missing Peace project is a collaborative activity for students that each Paly staff member individually chooses for their class. Wixsom has gathered together five different teachers from each department throughout Paly, and has provided them with the choice of selecting any piece of artwork that represents and symbolizes their curriculum and teaching approach. Suzanne Antik, Eric Bloom, Kelli Hagen, Denise Shaw, Letitia Burton and Theresa McDermott will be participating in the event.
Star Strul/Campanile
In The Missing Peace Project, hosted by Margo Wixsom, students displayed their artwork to represent their opinions of peace. The event was held in the Tower Building last Wednesday. Living Skills teacher Letitia Burton was inspired by Another exhibit was also put up at Foothill College a variety of mixed colors meshed into a playful cartoon this summer, where an array of the colorful artwork was foot in a blue sandal. Burton’s poster is placed on the displayed on the walls. Many Palo Alto residents have main wall of her room, and sets visited this exhibition, including the mood for her class. Paly staff members such as Wixsom “I like the colors, first of all, “What’s very exciting is that and Burton. and I kind of thought that it fit in students are able to partici“I am really excited that the with our unit of ethics and values pate in a professional artistic pictures are here,” Burton said. “I on how you live your life,” Burton was at Foothill College and got to said. “For me, when I see that poster community” see all the pictures and they were it’s like the Dalai Lamas foot, and so beautiful; it was very quiet and it kind of embodies a person who peaceful.” Margo Wixsom walks an ethical past.” The project has been an inspiWixsom was presented with Photography Teacher ration to many schools around the this great opportunity by a local world, and Wixsom is excited to be Palo Alto artist, Darlene Monkstepping foot into a project that has ovioch. Monkovioch had first been as meaningful as this one. encountered this project at Castilleja High School,where This project is something that has never been introshe put together an astounding gallery with The Missing duced to any Palo Alto school, and Wixsom is very grateful Peace artwork. that she is in charge of bringing this sense of peace to Paly.
“My students will be making work [s of art],” Wixsom said. “What’s very exciting is that students are able to participate in a professional artistic community, to be inspired by it, and to understand that all artists work together like this in a collaborative community.” Chemistry teacher Kelli Hagen is convinced that the poster that she has chosen will contribute to this project. “I chose Katerina Wong’s piece ‘Terminus,’” Hagen said. “It is supposed to represent how the collective perspective is made up of many individual perspectives, so although we all see things through our own lens, we live together as a collective and create a collective lens as well. I thought this was a great representation of chemistry and science because our collective understanding is made up of individual experiences.” The educational activity part of the Missing Peace Project consists of the poster mounted in each of the different classrooms, where the teacher’s activity is inspired by that poster. Burton plans on having students make a wordle with their ethics essay, while Hagen is inspired by letting her students pursue anything that portrays her poster’s main theme. Burton and Hagen are both equally excited about being parts of this project and, having their students explore a more creative side to education. “I want students to make the connection that although we should always value our individuality and uniqueness, it is the collective relationships that really bring us the most joy,” Hagen said. Burton also has a similar outlook on how this activity will influence her kids in her informative unit on morals and ethics for her Living Skills course. “I hope that the activity brings more awareness on how one lives your life and what matters, and the actions that you take are either make you a better person and the community a better person,” Burton said. As many of the teachers collaborate with their students from their inspirations with their different posters, the Paly staff is as passionate about this project as Wixsom is. The variety of bright, colorful posters that are influenced by the Dalai Lama bring joy and curiosity for anyone that walks by. “I am very excited about it because it’s such a new idea of how [students] can participate [at school] or [in] an art exhibition; usually it is self contained,” Wixsom said. “This is an art exhibition that says it’s hidden on all kinds of different places on the campus.” Wixsom is also in charge of the third and final part of The Missing Peace. She got together an Open Reception that had a showing from 6p.m-7p.m on Sept. 22. The reception consisted of the staff’s Missing Peace posters and students’ activity displayed in their room. Visitors who decided to attend received a “treasure map” of the staff’s classrooms and the opportunity to explore around the campus for the posters and activities. The Missing Peace has been a creative and remarkable project to bring to Paly and has been an inspiration to all. It not only teaches good values, but it embodies an image that is a positive outlook for Paly. “I am really excited about the opportunity of Paly connecting to the larger world,” Wixsom said. “For us to leave that imprint of our interaction, and how it changes us and then how we change other people, is just great.”
Paly freshman reaches new heights pursuing unique pastime
Carrying on his family’s tradition, Cormac Siegfried spends his available free time flying his sister’s plane By Laura Cui
had been flying all his life, he started getting serious training from his dad several months The looming clouds looked ready to before his birthday. release their raindrops as a glider soared off They started by using M. Siegfried’s plane the ground. It was a typical day in March for basic training and then switched to a glider around noontime, yet the weather did not look for concentrated training while practicing in promising. Palo Alto High School freshman Arizona. Cormac Siegfried was not hoping for this type The day that C. Siegfried turned 14 and of weather during his first time flying solo, yet flew his first solo flight this past March was his anticipation and eagerness to leave the very cold and chilly, but the excitement of ground erased all the doubts he had. Nothing flying without his father made up for it. was going to stop him from continuing the “I only flew for 30 minutes that day but I tradition his grandfather had started. felt like I flew a lot better because usually my A glider is a smaller and lighter plane that dad would tell me what I was doing wrong,” usually carries one or two people. It ascends C. Siegfried said. “It was more fun without into the air by being hooked onto another my dad.” plane via a 200 foot rope and is towed by the R. Siegfried, like any other parent would, plane until being released. anticipated C. Siegfried’s flight with both C. Siegfried was just an eighth-grader concern and pride. when he flew his first “There is always solo flight at the Pleasant some apprehension Valley Airport in Peoria, “I think that being able to when one of your kids Arizona. does something new, but fly around places is more “It was about to rain I had complete confithat day so it was kind of important to me than dence in Cormac’s skills,” spontaneous,” C. Sieg- driving.” R. Siegfried said. “I was fried said. “It was really very proud of him, essilent as I was up in the pecially of his desire and air alone.” Cormac Siegfried attitude; he really wanted C. Siegfried is usufreshman to fly.” ally accompanied by his The legal age to fly father, Rand Siegfried, a glider is 14 and for one who taught him how to fly. to be able to fly an actual “I’ve been flying with my dad ever since airplane, one has to be 16. C. Siegfried hopes I could remember,” C. Siegfried said. to get his own plane when he turns 16, just C. Siegfried did not officially start learn- as his sister did. While most teens get their ing how to fly until the age of 13. It was not a driver’s licenses at the age of 16, C. Siegfried surprise he chose to do something many kids plans on getting his pilot certificate to fly. would not consider trying. “I think that being able to fly around “Flying is a family tradition, but I would places is more important to me than driving,” have chose to fly anyways,” C. Siegfried said. C. Siegfried said. C. Siegfried’s grandfather, Bob Siegfried, C. Siegfried flies around 10 hours every started the tradition of flying solo on his 14th month, flying after school or on the weekends. birthday, and he has he passed down the This past summer C. Siegfried and his dad tradition to his own kids and finally down to flew from Wisconsin all the way to Palo Alto his grandchildren. in a small plane. The trip, taking five days in R. Siegfried also flew his first solo flight in total, was the longest distance C. Siegfried March; however, he was in Chicago at the time. has flown so far. C. Siegfried’s older sister, McKinley Sieg“We flew about six hours each day, in fried, had completed her part of the tradition intervals of two hours,” C. Siegfried said. when she turned 14 years-old. Setting his future goals, C. Siegfried hopes C. Siegfried was the only one left in the to fly solo to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the next family to fly alone. Although C. Siegfried Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in.
Staff Writer
The convention is America’s largest annual aviation gathering where about 8,000 air crafts fly in from all over the country. C. Siegfried plans to fly himself to the next EAA gathering which will be held at the end of July in 2011. In the near future, C. Siegfried plans to fly out with his father to do some camping trips. They primarily camp in Idaho and sometimes
in Colorado, but mostly they camp in the Rocky Mountains. “We usually fly there and either camp close by the plane or hike somewhere nearby,” C. Siegfried said. His favorite place he has ever flown to was over Salt Lake City. He got to experience both the sunset and the thrill of flying low over the city.
“The water was seemingly paused, swirling and crashing because of the salt. The sunset was white pinkish and had all the colors of the perfect sunset,” C. Siegfried said. Though C. Siegfried doesn’t plan on flying professionally, it will always be a passion of his. When asked if he would continue the tradition with his own son, C. Siegfried grins and says, “I would.”
Courtesy of Cormac Siegfried
Clockwise from top left: Cormac with older sister and Paly alumni McKinley Siegfried. Cormac enjoys the view during one of his flights. Out on the runway, Cormac prepares to take off in his sister’s glider, a light-weight plane.
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The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • B3
Bling offers revolutionary payment service for consumers Company partners with Paypal to revolutionize credit transactions By Madison Sevilla Editor in Chief
Imagine the convenience of walking into a store without the hassles of carrying a purse over one shoulder or shoving a wallet into a pocket, just a cell phone and a small sticker stuck to the back with one word printed in bright blue letters—Bling. Wences Casares and Meyer Malka, entrepreneurs from Latin America, founded the Bling Nation and partnered with Palo Alto in late July with the idea of making “money mobile.” Bling revolves around the idea of incorporating new technology to create a safer and more convenient way of shopping. “[They] saw the adoption of mobile technology in other parts of the world, and bet on it coming to the US as well,” Bling’s Chief Marketing and Business Development officer, Judy Balint said. In order to use the system, customers can go to any local store that is a contributing partner of Bling to pick up a small microchip sticker called a “BlingTag” which sticks to the back of any mobile phone. The customer then goes online to create a PayPal account which links up to the “BlingTag.” “You can make any mobile phone [into] a mobile payment device,” Balint said. “All you need is a ‘BlingTag’, which is a quarter size microchip sticker. If [customers] don’t have a PayPal account you can open one up very easily through our linking process.” Once a customer links the “BlingTag” to a PayPal account, the tag continues to act as a debit card by tapping the phone on a “Blinger,” a device that registers the encrypted code on the sticker. The customer then receives a text message with the transaction details and money is withdrawn directly from the PayPal account. “People like Bling because they don’t have to dig for their wallets to find something to pay with,” Balint said. “It’s right there on the back of their mobile phone. Studies also show that most people realize a missing phone faster than a missing card.” When Casares and Malka started Bling just two months ago, they never would have thought that a small city in Silicon Valley would have helped their dream take off so quickly. “We have more than 100 businesses [just in Palo Alto] and are adding more everyday,” Balint said. Palo Alto High School students are already beginning to use Bling in their daily routines whether at Pizza My Heart or Izzy’s Bagels. The majority of the attraction to Bling comes from the secure aspect of using a “BlingTag” as apposed to a credit card or cash. Bling prides itself on ensuring that customers will have safe transactions and virtually eliminates identity theft. “Bling Nation builds multiple levels of security into the Bling system.” Balint said. “First, we eliminate the
“If [Bling] worked better and actually went through, I could see it revolutionizing how people buy things because it is much faster,” an anonymous employee from Izzy’s Bagels said. “When it works it is fantastic, but when it doesn’t it’s a disaster.” Store owners around Palo Alto have found Bling to be beneficial to both their businesses and their customers. When a business uses Bling, they save between 30 and 50 percent on the cost of their transaction fees compared to using a credit card. “It costs less money and it’s faster than pulling out a credit card,” an anonymous employee from Accent Arts said. “[Bling] is definitely a novelty and it keeps money out of the hands of big credit card companies.” Businesses are also able to create “Bling points” and discounts for Bling users. “Businesses get an easy-to-use loyalty program that helps them reward their best customers,” Balint said. “The stores have access to an online dashboard where they can customize a rewards program. Our technology then keeps track of it for them. Our ‘BlingTag’ becomes a universal club card for all of our Bling businesses. So instead of having to carry around a bunch of [rewards] cards in your wallet, you can just have one phone with one ‘BlingTag’; The system automatically tracks and redeems rewards earned, so neither the business owner or the customer have to keep track.” Most Paly students are immediately attracted to the concept of Bling due to the $20 that come fully equipped with each “BlingTag.” “By initially signing up [for Bling] you get a free 20 dollar credit,” senior Trevor Remmel said. “It’s $20 free, who wouldn’t use it?” Paly students have quickly adapted to this new form of Marc Havlik/Campanile technology because it is more convenient to carry around A BlingTag on the back of any cell phone replaces the need to carry around a debit card. Users a cell phone than a credit card or cash. However, the number of stores that use Bling in Palo place the sticker on the back of their phone and are ready for use at over 100 Palo Alto stores. Alto is still low. “There’s only a couple of stores that use [Bling] that need to store personal information on your ‘BlingTag.’ can instantly block your ‘BlingTag’. As you purchase items Second, we use dynamic key encryption to transmit any with your ‘BlingTag’, you will occasionally be asked to enter I know of,” Remmel said. “If they expand to other stores I could use it for clothing or for transaction data through the ‘BlingTag’ and ‘Blinger’ this PIN to confirm your identity more material goods, but what I point-of-sale device. In addition, each transaction is as- and authorize the transaction,” “I could see [Bling] revolution- see right now is really select. Bling signed a different identification number. Transaction data Balint said. plans on expanding its business is stored securely and the BlingLink network complies While Bling is seen by many to izing how people buy things throughout America, already with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards and other be a revolutionizing concept, other because it is much faster.” having stores stationed in New payment privacy and security regulations.” business owners are not optimistic York, Colorado, Massachusetts, While some customers may worry that losing a phone that people will ever completely also means losing a wallet, Bling protects customers convert to just using Bling. Izzy’s Employee Tennessee and Texas. Its short-term goal is to focus from fraud. If a customer’s phone or “BlingTag” is lost or “I think people will always on spreading mobile technology stolen, all they have to do is report the tag stolen and it have things that they will pay for is deactivated without having to hassle with closing full with their credit cards and certain things that they pay across California. “Right now we are focused on expanding in the Bay accounts like with a credit card. for with cash,” an anonymous employee from Accent Art area,” Balint said. “Our plan is to provide Bling to Busi“A PIN [Personal Identification Number] that [cus- in downtown Palo Alto said. tomers] create helps protect a ‘BlingTag’ if it is lost or Despite the fact that Bling is expanding across Palo ness owners and ‘BlingTags’ to consumers from San Jose stolen,” Balint said. “If your phone is stolen or lost, you Alto, new technology is always expected to have glitches. to Berkeley.”
Students with parents who teach at Paly have unique experience By Rachel Mewes Editor in Chief
Wes Rapaport’s morning routine goes as follows: he wakes up, gets dressed, eats his breakfast as his brother and dad take a shower and gets driven to school by his father. His morning follows the same pattern as most Palo Alto High School students, except for the fact that when he arrives at school, his dad parks in the “staff” parking space, and when Wes jumps out of the car to make it to his first period class, his father does the same. Wes, a senior, and his freshman brother, Kenny Rapaport, are in the rare situation of having a parent who teaches at their school. Their father, David Rapaport, is a history teacher at Paly. Through teaching at Paly, Mr. Rapaport is able to keep an eye on his two sons, and he enjoys tracking their progress through high school. “The good thing of course is being able to look out for them,” Mr. Rapaport
said. “Wes is certainly his own person at Paly. able to compare those perceptions to the I had a series of lovely encounters with my ones his students were giving him and his colleagues lately about Kenny. I’ve received a class.” lot of [good] feedback about his character and Kenny, in his first year at Paly, is just being that’s a really nice thing to hear.” introduced to the phenomenon of sharing a After sharing a school school with his father. with his dad for three “I guess from the parent “It’s funny in many years, Wes has grown different ways, like standpoint its’ nice because knowing that some of comfortable with the situation, but starting off you understand what they’re my friends will have at Paly proved difficult. him in a couple of going through.” “It was a little bit years, and a lot of the Debbie Whitson faculty know me,” Kenawkward during fresh- man year because I was Economics Teacher ny said. just getting accustomed He is still getting to Paly and I had to get accustomed to the exused to being ‘Mr. Rapaport’s son,’ but I soon perience of running into his father around acclimated to the circumstances and embraced campus. it as much as I could,” Wes said. “It is kind of awkward when I’m walking Last year, Mr. Rapaport taught History to with a group of my friends and pass by him,” Wes’ friends and classmates. Kenny said. “Junior year brought up a few entertaining Wes and Kenny have many shared exmoments, as Dad had 150 of my classmates,” periences with their father just by going to Wes said. “It was definitely interesting to hear the same school with him, but for Matthew my dad’s perceptions of his students, and be Bungarden, father and son interactions oc-
Marc Havlik/Campanile
(L to R): U.S. History teacher Mr. Rapaport sits with his two sons: Wes and Kenny, who also attend Paly. Economics teacher Debbie Whitson is able to better understand what high school is like for her junior daughter, Kimmy.
cur not just around campus, but also in the “The downside is that sometimes dad classroom. will have opinions of his students that slip Jack Bungarden, Matthew’s father, is also from time to time, and I have to figuratively a history teacher at Paly. He is the only teacher cover my ears and pretend I don’t hear things,” of Advanced Placement U.S. History, and Mat- Wes said. thew made the choice to enroll in the class. D. Rapaport’s expertise that comes along “[It is] no different than taking a class with being a high school teacher also affects taught by any other teacher,” Matthew said. his home life with his kids. “The only difference is that if I have a question “You open yourself up to having it be about something I can ask it at home rather school all the time,” Mr. Rapaport said. “You than sending an email.” know how long an assignment has got to take.” J. Bungarden makes sure that he does Arne Lim, a math teacher at Paly, has not award his son with any special treatment shared the workplace with his son Stephen, in his class. who graduated last year, and his younger son “There is a really clear line,” J. Bungar- Anthony, who is a freshman. den said. “He can ask me questions that any “I like it and here’s why I like it,” A. Lim student can ask me. The advantage is that he said. “Because I attended [Paly] I wanted for can ask me at 10 at night.” them to have a great education. It’s something Debbie Whitson, Economics teacher at that I really wanted for them and they were Paly, enjoys the alternate perspective that able to do it. I also like that fact that I can having kids who attend Paly offers. She has spend more time with them and even just experienced the balancto commute with them ing act between teachis fun.” ing and parenting with “You can appreciate the Like D. Rapaport, A. her two children, junior school and understand the Lim also makes a conKimberly Whitson, and challenges better because scious effort to separate Allison Whitson, who school from home. graduated with the class you see it as a parent instead “I’m very consciof 2010. entious of not giving of a teacher.” “I guess from the away trade secrets and Jack Bungarden with that I rarely answer parent standpoint it’s nice because you unHistory Teacher questions,” A. Lim said. derstand what they’re “I do understand that going through and the there are pluses and reality of sitting in a minuses. I’d like to think classroom,” Mrs. Whitson said. that they at the very least don’t mind that I’m Kenny also enjoys the bonuses of having here but when they hear things about me, a parent who is part of the school staff. I would like to think they would like what “I like knowing I can go to him if I have they hear.” an issue with a student, teacher or anything Students can attest to the pluses that for that matter, and I know that he’ll be able come along with having a parent who works to do something about it, being part of the at their school. Many of them get rides with staff,” Kenny said. their parents, such as Anthony, Wes, Kenny Wes has found that having a teacher as a and Matthew, and they use their parent’s room parent can mean that they are more under- as a substitute locker, among other benefits. standing about the stress that comes along “It is an easier commute because we are with schoolwork and college preparation. going to the same place and staying for about “He knows the rigor and stress of stu- the same time,” Anthony said. “Also I am dents, and he’s helped many students through allowed into the math department to grab a the application process, so having his knowl- snack out of the refrigerator if I want. Some edge of that is helpful at the moment as I work of the teachers know me so I am already on on my apps,” Wes said. their good side.” Although their shared experience can Wes also sees the multiple advantages be helpful, one of the greatest challenges for of going to school everyday with his father. parents who teach at the same school as their “Its nice to have [my dad] on campus for children is maintaining distance between a number of reasons,” Wes said. “For one, [it school and home life. provides an] easy ride in the morning, though “I have to be careful about what I say at we get to school 45 minutes before start time. home,” Mrs. Whitson said. “[When at school] If I need a parent signature or something, I can I try not to be in social areas or in places that get it quickly. Plus, it’s nice to come across a would interfere.” very familiar face once in a while.” Mr. Rapaport tries to stay aware of teachSharing a school and class with Matthew er-student boundaries with his sons as well. has allowed J. Bungarden to see Paly from a “It is tricky because you don’t want to student’s perspective as well as a teacher’s. bring the work home and I can’t instruct them “What it affords is a chance to see the ethically,” Mr. Rapaport said. “You have to school in a different way,” J. Bungarden said. give them more room than you might like to.” “You can appreciate the school and underWes also recognizes the challenges his stand the challenges better because you see father faces in balancing his work and home. it as a parent instead of a teacher.”
FEATURES Trendy, controversial Silly Bandz color the country B4 • September 27, 2010
The Campanile
Collectible bracelets create frenzy at schools across the nation By Nikki Whitson
Silly Bandz have become an extremely popular trend among elementary, middle It is not difficult to notice the little rub- and even high school students. Some kids ber bracelets that kids are wearing on their can be seen walking around town with over wrists. From afar they look like tiny strands of 40 bands on one arm. “I like wearing just the three that kind of multi-colored spaghetti. These are Silly Bandz. These little rubber bands have caused a represent my personality,” Scheel said. The bright color and multitude of figures frenzy among students of all ages because of are some of the main attractions for kids. their collectible nature. Silly Bandz are rubber bands made of Companies allow kids to create their own silicone. They are dyed various colors and individual package of bands out of the various packets. then molded into fun shapes. “They definitely have meaning. They’re They have been marketed so successfully that many knock-off brands, including not just random,” Miller said. “Like I have a ZanyBands and CrazyBands, have imitated megaphone for cheerleading and a long horn [which represents] the Texas Long Horns.” the bracelets. Younger kids have attached value to the The bracelets are sold in many different places, from local convenience stores to various shapes, depending on their color and form. dentists’ offices. “They’re cool to trade, to collect and fun “They’re fun to wear and colorful,” to play with and sophomore Maeveryone is going rie Ezran said. “Pretty soon we were banned in crazy about them,” The popusix school districts there, and after eight-year-old Kailarity of Silly tlin Thomas, of Bandz across the we were banned in the first one, Maplewood, said nation has sky- there was no looking back. Getting to The New York rocketed over the Times. “The penpast few months, banned fuels the craze like a fiveguin and golden and stores are gallon can of gasoline on a campretriever are my having trouble fire.” favorites because keeping them in James Howard everyone says the stock. Ev e n T h e President of Zanybandz penguin is rare and I think the golden New York Times retriever is cute.” published an According to article entitled “The bracelets that spring off the shelves.” Silly Internet chatter, the most popular shapes inBandz are also currently one of the top-selling clude a phoenix, dragon, dollar sign, anteater, items on eBay.com and Amazon.com. They unicorn, sun, dinosaur, star, bone, drums, come in themed packs of either 12 or 24 and microphone, genie, monkey and four-leaf clover. These ratings have sparked children cost anywhere from $2.50 to $4.95. “They’re very versatile. You can use them to trade bands in order to acquire the sought for a bunch of stuff, they don’t just have to go after bracelets. “They are simple, cheap and there are on your wrist,” junior Shannon Scheel said. Many toy industry analysts have com- hundreds of different varieties, which means mented that in such a high-tech era when they are perfect for swapping,” David Smith, children want iPods and iPads and Wii games, editor of the industry website ToyTalk, said to it is refreshing to see something as simple as The New York Times. “And those are the key ingredients for a playground craze.” One of the Silly Bandz get their attention. The little elastic bands were first pro- reasons these little rubber bands have caused such a craze is because they are so resilient, duced last fall in Birmingham, Alabama. Since then, the trend has spread through- which allows them to draw fans of all ages. “They also manage to appeal to both boys out the South, up the East coast and has eventually worked its way across the nation. and girls, which is quite a rare feat,” Smith “I spent my summer in Texas and they said to The New York Times. Many celebrities have been spotted were really big in the South, junior Sarah Miller said. “They hit Texas way before they wearing the new trend as well, proving the craze has cross-generational appeal. came here.”
Staff Writer
Star Strul/ campanile
Silly Bandz come in countless fun colors and interesting shapes and the collection of Silly Bandz has become extremely popular in schools nationwide. They have caused numerous controversies and injuries to students. Singer Katy Perry was seen all dressed up, sporting a purple silly band on her left wrist. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker was also seen wearing one among her designer bangles according to Telegraph.co.uk. Some adults are not as enthusiastic about Silly Bandz, however. Marilyn Glogowski, principal at LehmanJackson Elementary in the Lake-Lehman School District in Pennsylvania, recently banned the bracelets at her school. Students were reportedly using lunch money to buy the bands from other classmates on campus. Some students were seen sneaking them away from other children. Other schools across the nation have banned these bracelets as well, primarily because they cause a distraction. Some kids snap each other’s bracelets and cause disruptions in and out of the classrooms. “We also had a few students needing to see the school nurse because the rubber in the bracelet had caused a rash, or they were
wearing 40 at a time and it was cutting off the circulation to their hands,” Bill Dollard, Principal at Shaker Road Elementary School in Albany, NewYork, said to The Chicago Tribune. Parents have complained to schools that trading and swapping of the bands has resulted in hard feelings that eventually lead to grabbing, fighting and even tears. Some schools have embraced the new trend but set rules to avoid inappropriate behavior. Teachers allow kids to wear them, however children are not allowed to trade or fling them in the classroom. Other principals, though, see the bands as more of an opportunity for their schools. Principal Kathleen Furness said to First Coast News that she really likes the bands and would like to get them in the shape of the school mascot. A similar type of bracelet was banned from schools that originated in Brazilian cities and parts of England in the past. The bracelets were a traditional style of stretchy rubber bands that came in numer-
ous colors. However, allegedly, various colors were being used to indicate sexual activity. If a certain color was broken off the wrist, it meant that the wearer was expected to carry out a specific sexual act. However, the appeal to Silly Bandz is their combination of being affordable, collectible and tradable. Starting out as the fashion statement of the summer, Silly Bandz have now grown into a craze across the country on all different levels. Causing such controversy at many elementary schools may be a sign that this new trend is on the wane, although some believe that their banishment will only make them appear more desirable to children. “Pretty soon we were banned in six school districts there, and after we were banned in the first one, there was no looking back,” James Howard, president of Zanybandz, based in Oklahoma, said to The New York Times. “Getting banned fuels the craze like a five-gallon can of gasoline on a campfire.”
SENIOR PORTRAITS
BABY ADS
SENIOR PORTRAITS ARE DUE TO ROOM 101 ON USB STICK OR CD BY OCTOBER 15TH
PARENTS: If you would like to submit a baby ad for your son or daughter, please turn it in by November 1, 2010. There will be a $30 late fee.
Please - DO NOT wait until this deadline or you will be frantically competing with 300 other Seniors for time! Get us your portrait JPG files ASAP to make your life easy :) We can also scan printed photos in Room 101 DO NOT SEND PHOTOS VIA EMAIL DUE TO SIZE REQUIREMENTS If you do not submit a portrait we use your Lifetouch school ID portrait. If you do not have one – you get a generic graphic (like OFFLINE) PLEASE get your portrait submitted in September - each year Seniors show up in 2nd semester wanting to know if they can submit a photo –sadly the answer is NO! **The Senior section is completed for printing by November each year.**
SENIOR WRITE-UPS SENIOR WRITE-UPS ARE DUE BY email: OCTOBER 10TH Send to: seniors.paly.yearbook@gmail.com Only standard text accepted – no symbols or characters outside the standard keyboard. Foreign language text will not be spell checked
40 WORDS ONLY
Stop by room 101 to see your photo and write-up by November 1st
Baby Ads will be accepted through January 15th
Steps to Submit an Ad 1.
Fill out the form at the school office or upload from: www.madrono.paly.net 2. Send in your photos in one of the following formats: a. USB stick, CD, or hard copy of the photo brought to Room 101 (photos can be scanned and returned to you). We MUST have payment with forms to process. Office mailbox: mark folders: WIXSOM-Yearbook b. Email to seniors.paly.yearbook@gmail. com 3. Include your text in an email to seniors. paly.yearbook@gmail.com 4. The form, as well as your payment must be brought to Room 101. Checks are preferred but cash is accepted. Please make the check out to PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL and on the memo line write YEARBOOK - 10605 – label envelope with the student’s FULL name printed LEGIBLY so that we know how to process the ad. Please include YOUR cellphone and contact information. 5. We will contact you when proofs come in to give you the option to doublecheck your ad, however, you are responsible for looking for our emails and coming in when requested. SIZES AND COSTS OF ADS: •Full Page- $410: 1-8 photos, no word limit •Half Page- $210: 1-5 photos, 70 word limit •1/4 Page- $110: 1-3 photos, 40 word limit •1/8 Page- $60: 1 photo, 25 word limit PLEASE realize that an 1/8 page is VERY small NOTES: For all emails, the subject should be “First name_last name_BABYAD”
The Campanile
FEATURES
September 27, 2010 • B5
Palo Alto High School class of 1950 holds 60th reunion
32 Alumni tour the campus, recollect memories about their time at Paly By Maddie Berger Staff Writer
When Chet Keil looks out on the quad, he sees a swimming pool instead of grass and a gym instead of the Palo Alto High School library. In place of a green lawn leading to the tower building, he sees a secluded courtyard reserved strictly for seniors. This is the Paly campus many of the alumni from the class of 1950 remember, from a time when all of the original buildings were still standing. But on Saturday, Sept. 18 at their 60th reunion, 32 of those alumni had the chance to see the new Palo Alto High School, the same Paly we know today. The tour started at 10:30 in the morning. As the alumni arrived and gathered in the brick courtyard of the Tower Building, many had wide smiles on their faces as they shook hands with former classmates and greeted old friends. They soon embarked on a walk through campus, with Ede Miller and Bob French, both local Paly graduates, as their guides. The tour took the alumni to the historic places on campus, such as the Tower Building, the big gym, the auto shop and the theater. The recognizable buildings were the highlights of the tour, as each person contributed their memories and experiences to the chatter about the high school that they used to attend. The Tower Building brought back memories of the infamous senior courtyard, an older version of today’s Senior Deck. The courtyard was enclosed alongside the Tower Building and featured marble plaques engraved with each class’s year. “I was in charge of the senior plaques,” said Keil. Besides making sure the exclusive courtyard was in Marc Havlik /Campanile order, Keil, who attended San Jose State University and later joined the United States Navy, was also a member Previous students from Palo Alto High School came back to the campus recently. The alum participated in touring the school as well as telling stories about their experiences at Paly. of the swim team and water polo team. “We used to sharpen our fingernails and toenails beEven though he has lived in Southern California “We were like one big family,” Ikeda said. fore [water polo] games,” said Keil. “It was a rough sport.” since finishing college, he still remembers many good The visiting graduates were involved in many differOther returning alumni times at Paly. ent school activities, including some that no longer exist participated in Paly sports as “I just really enjoyed the on campus today. well. Barry Smith, who goes by “You can sort of feel the enthusiasm. athletics,” Smith said. Dolores Vogle, who’s visit to Paly on Saturday marked the nickname “Herc”, remem- I think [reunions] keep memories Joe Ikeda, a basketball her first time seeing the campus since her graduation in bers playing basketball in the alive.” team mate of Smith’s, also 1950, was the “Football Queen” of her class, a version of big gym. remembers the Paly athletics today’s Homecoming Queen. “I really enjoyed what we Ede Miller programs. They were one of Vogle has been living in Sonoma with her husband called B, C and D [sports] diTour Guide and Paly Alumna the highlights of his academic of 57 years, but she still remembers her positive experivisions,” Smith said. “D being career. ence at Paly. the small guys, the lightweights “I ran the 330 [in track],” “People just had a fun time at school,” Vogle said. like me.” Ikeda said. Like Vogle, Mary Jane Alden is a former student who Smith also ran track and specialized in hurdles. After Although Ikeda enjoyed spending time with his track had not visited Paly’s campus since she was enrolled at Paly, he went on to Stanford University and became an team, his favorite aspect about Paly was hanging out with Paly. Alden was a member of the school orchestra, playengineer. other peers from school. ing the violin until she decided to try a new instrument.
“I wanted to play in the band because they got to go to football games, but since they didn’t need violins in the band I ended up on cymbals,” said Alden. In addition to their old teams and clubs, the former Paly students talked for a long time about their former teachers, specifically their favorite memories of these teachers. Keil remembers the famed swim coach and history teacher Nort Thorton, to whom the new pool was dedicated, who led the boys team to 58 consecutive victory’s during Keil’s years at Paly. Another popular name was Florence Turner, both a Paly student and teacher known for her enthusiastic cheers at basketball games. The high school is planning to put a plaque in the Big Gym in Turner’s honor, according to Miller. Arcola Nichols described the 1950 faculty as the best part of going to school at Paly. Nichols, who was born in Palo Alto and has remained here her whole life, was a student of the beloved teacher, Turner. “My favorite thing about Paly?” Nichols said, “Oh golly, everything! The teachers especially. We were really proud of a good education.” Even tough teachers, like former physics teacher Henry Martin sparked spirited memories from his onetime students. “He had a quiz every day,” Ikeda said, “ If you didn’t have your homework, you were in big trouble.” Besides remembering the old Palo Alto of 1950, throughout the tour the alumnus learned about and discussed current issues and events that are going on at Paly today. Miller and French made an effort to introduce Paly as it is today, which was extremely interesting to the longtime graduates. Topics such as Principal Winston’s arrival at Paly and the construction plans all gained appreciative comments from the group. Many alumni, who were used to the seven period days that Paly now only has on Mondays, were intrigued by the new block schedule. Also, an explanation of the breathalyzer policy was met with a round of chuckles from the alum. Overall, the reunited graduates enjoyed touring their old school. “It was wonderful seeing the school again,” Ted Giesel said. Giesel wrote for the Campanile and won a San Francisco press scholarship for an article he published on water. Miller was pleased with the positive reactions of the group. “You can sort of feel the enthusiasm,” Miller said, who graduated in 1963 and has led many returning graduates on campus tours. “I think [reunions] keep memories alive.”
Students face various consequences from receiving citations Effects of disciplinary actions include court date, fines, community service By Meghan Byrd and Grace Keller Staff Writers
Imagine being inside a dark room with hundreds of sweaty, dancing teenagers. Throw in loud, pulsing music and that is the picture of Illusions Nightclub on California Avenue. This was the scene just over 300 Palo Alto High School Students experienced on Sat, Aug. 28. However, for some students, the evening did not turn out as expected. By the end of the night over ten party goers had received drunk in public citations. A “drunk in public” citation is given out when a police officer deems someone to be a threat or intoxicated past the point of being able to care for themselves or those around them(penal code 647 section f ). “We received the call from Illusions security, they said that there were several juveniles outside of the club, they were throwing up incessantly and they needed help to deal with the situation,” Palo Alto Police Department officer DuJuan Green said. According to the Palo Alto Police Department, officers arrived around 11:00 p.m. to help security guards control the situation. However, some students estimated the time to be between 9:00 and 9:30. According to students there were about eight Illusions security guards there throughout the night as well as five other security guards who were hired specifically by the host of the event. “[The security guards] seemed to know the ropes of how to deal with situations like this,” a senior who will be called Sally Brown for the purpose of this article said. Unfortunately for the students, it was more than just a bad night. A drunk in public citation results in deeper consequences, starting, for some, with a juvenile probation hearing. While some students’ citations will be dealt with in the juvenile court within their city, others will be settled privately with a parole officer. “We assess the juvenile for a level of intoxication, if they are intoxicated to the point where they cannot take care of themselves they are cited and released to a responsible adult,” Green said. Any juvenile who is given a drunk in public citation is released to an adult, preferably a parent. If officers are unable to reach a parent the child may be released to an adult sibling if the police are confident that this is a responsible person to send the child home with. If they do not think that this is the best option or if no one is available to pick up the receiver on the citation then they are taken to juvenile hall for the rest of the night or until officers are able to contact someone to pick them up. The consequences for the citation may vary case to case depending on their past record and status. A minor who is a first time offender for a drunk in public may be fined up to $250 and receive 24 to 32 hours of community service
which must be completed at a local coroner’s principal if the particular student has ever office or a drug and alcohol rehabilitation been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony. “Have you ever been adjudicated guilty center. They may also be subject to random or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony or chemical testing and their parent may have other crime? Note that you are not required to attend a 12-week class called The Parent to answer yes to this question, or provide Project, which teaches parents how to deal an explanation, if the criminal adjudication or conviction has been expunged, sealed, with children who drink or do drugs. Another concern for students are the annulled, pardoned, destroyed, erased, imaffects that a citation may affect their college pounded, or otherwise ordered by a court application process and hinder their efforts to be kept confidential,” the Common Apto get into the college of their choice. Ac- plication states. The Paly Viking cording to Palo Alto Guide addresses police officers the this issue on page school one attends “As an officer myself I realize that 42, it states that: is rarely if ever noti- it’s probably going to happen... If “Of particular fied of the offences you’re going to do it, do it in mod- concern to colleges that do not concern are students who the school or that eration.” disciplined for have not happened DuJuan Green were committing crimes on school property Palo Alto Police Officer and/or academic or during school dishonesty, as well hours. as students who For college applications neither California State Universi- might have psychological or emotional ties nor Universities of California ask whether problems that potentially pose a risk to other or not a student has been convicted of a crime students and/or him/herself, and/or students of any kind. However, almost all out-of-state with repeated offenses. Experience suggests schools and private schools that use the com- that incidents considered a lapse in judgment mon application do ask the student, their or adolescent experimentation (e.g. drinking high school’s guidance department, and their alcohol at a school dance) do not necessar-
ily have a negative effect in the admissions process when the student expresses regret in his/her statement of explanation.” Since a drunk in public citation is only a misdemeanor, for a minor it will be cleared from one’s record when one turns 18. For anyone who is over 18, it would stay on their record but is still only a misdemeanor. One alternative some parents have suggested for keeping drinking in check is breathalyzing each student before they enter the party. Others think that drinking is an individuals own choice and they are only putting themselves in danger. “It’s tricky to have a set idea on how to deal with these kinds of things because you never know the outcome and you’re endangering yourself and you’re the one who is putting yourself liable for getting in trouble when you do illegal things like drinking,” Brown said. Many high schools currently breathalyze students before entering school run dances. Breathalyzers have been used at Paly dances for two years and seem to have worked well as a way to deter students from drinking. “I was going into the party and the security guard asked me my name,”a senior who will be called John Doe for the purpose of this article said. “I somehow said it and she let me in. But then a security guard inside pulled me aside and took me back outside. A cop was
waiting and wrote me a citation and called my parents to come pick me up.” This story is far from unusual. Many intoxicated guests had the same experience. “I know [that underage drinking] is still going to happen no matter what,” Doe said. “I think this was just a personal error. I had more than I could take and I realize that. It might just be me but I think that if parents let their kids drink I feel like kids wouldn’t feel the need to rebel as much and then they would be safer and concerned about themselves knowing that their parents know and they build a trustworthy relationship.” While citations can ruin an evening, they are not meant to ruin a person’s life. Their purpose is to send a wake up call that it is not okay to be drinking alcohol, and the consequences will increase in severity upon more occurrences. Ultimately, teens need to decide for themselves whether to risk the consequences of underage drinking or wait until they are 21 years old and it is not illegal to consume alcohol. “As an officer myself I realize that it’s probably gonna happen. It’s what kids do right? I wish that kids did not drink and I wish that if they did drink they didn’t overindulge. That’s the problem,” Green said “If your gonna do it, I have to say do it in moderation.”
FEATURES
B6 • September 27, 2010
The Campanile
School Fund creates educational opportunities Palo Alto High School graduate starts non-profit organization By Clara Chang
said. “We are hoping to create similar experiences for other students from What do an 8GB iPod Nano, a new Paly and other schools around the deBeer lacrosse stick, 30 medium- country. Seeing a lifestyle as different sized frozen yogurts with toppings as that in East Africa is an incredibly and a pair of designer jeans all have rewarding experience.” According to Severson, “the in common? For starters, each costs approxi- people” motivated him to start The mately $150. The average Palo Alto School Fund. Severson fell in love with Africa in High School student can easily access and buy these luxuries, which many of 2006 when he went with a Canadian them actually already own. This same group called Free the Children to $150 that some students manage to build a new schoolhouse for children spend with ease is the average tuition in Kenya. “I had never before encountered for one year of secondary school that stops students in developing such energy and sheer joy for life,” Secountries, such as Tanzania, from the verson said. “My eyes were opened to a new world where people’s lives were pursuit of their goals. Founded by Paly graduate Matt empty of material possessions, yet Severson, a current senior at Brown their lives seemed completely full in University, The School Fund is a non- so many other ways. That experience profit California-based organization taught me a lot and I saw for the first time how much education meant to that aims to change this injustice. Besides spreading awareness of these people. School represented a the education gap between countries, brighter future for both the parents The School Fund focuses on raising and their children.” After graduating from Paly in money to send students in Tanzania 2007, Severson made another trip to to secondary school. The School Fund is currently East Africa during which he travelled piloting a program at Castilleja School to Tanzania for the last four days. and Paly to raise awareness in local There, he met John Medo, one of high schools and encourage students Severson’s biggest inspirations for to join the cause, according to Roxana starting The School Fund. “I learned that [Medo] was Moussavian, the Vice President of graduating from primary school at Strategy and Development. “We’re trying to integrate the the top of his class, but would be ideas of The School Fund to the Paly unable to continue onto secondary community,” Moussavian said. “At school due to $150 per year school Paly, we’re organizing a club to mo- fees,” Severson said. “I found this to tivate students to learn the reality be a tremendous injustice. Here was that out of every 10 kids in the world, a young boy, clearly bright, excited maybe a quarter of those kids can and ambitious, who was going to be go to a school like Paly. That’s just a denied an education due to $150 feesreality that Paly kids should really be a trivial amount to many people.” Despite support from aware of.” his parents, Severson T h e S c h o o l “When you fund a found starting The School Fund is currently student you really Fund to be difficult. in the process of “Taking an idea and being approved as are investing in an turning it into something a club at Paly. individual.” tangible can be a lengthy “I hope we Matt Severson process, especially when can raise awareness and put some Founder it involves communities halfway around the world kids through high that you visit once a year,” school,” the Vice President of the club, junior Cole Severson said. It was not until the spring of 2009 Anderson said. The School Fund is also develop- that the organization’s website, www. ing a student internship program that theschoolfund.org, was activated and The School Fund had its first launch includes a trip to Tanzania in 2011. “A trip to Africa is what changed party. Besides funding students, the my life and got me inspired to enter the world of development,” Severson website allows funders to commu-
Staff writer
theschoolfund
The home page of The School Fund website shows students who are benefiting from the aid of participants in The School Fund and how it is enhancing education for children in Africa. nicate and keep in touch with their Tanzanian students through an online journal. “When you invest in something, you like to know how it’s doing,” Severson said. “When you fund a student, you really are investing in an individual. We believe that it would be of interest to funders to communicate with the recipient of their funds, to develop a relationship with students and to be motivated to support students year after year. The School Fund is founded on the belief that people in the developing world and the people in the developed world have much to learn from one another, and can each benefit from communication.” According to Moussavian, these students must fill two criterion in order to be considered for funding. First, they must be unable to continue
school without funding, and second, they must be in the top 25 percent of their class. “When we go to a school and partner with a school, we tell them we need them to identify the kids that fall in that category,” Moussavian said. With a team of five U.S.-based college students, three of them Paly graduates, The School Fund is run “on very minimal costs,” according to Moussavian. These five students are each integral parts of The School Fund, contributing their ideas and talents. The School Fund has underground partners and organizations that are fixed in Tanzania. Moussavian refers to these partners as her “threepronged strategy.” “We have three types of Tanzanian [organizations] we work with:
schools, non-profits and governmental organizations,” Moussavian said. “Our ability to pick kids resolves around this strategy, because as foreigners, we may not know the intricacies of the country but teachers and organizations that have been there for 30 years definitely do. By working with [underground partners], we are better able to achieve the common goal of helping more kids go to school and we can ensure that even though we might only be able to physically be in Tanzania a week out of the year, our work there is sustainable, effective and efficient.” Moussavian focuses on finding more of these organizations and partners not only in Tanzania but also in the U.S. “This year I started another project that works with colleges and uni-
versities,” Moussavian said. “We have campus representatives at different universities who are responsible for different chapters in representing the schools in Tanzania.” Besides partner programs, both Moussavian and Severson are focused on receiving further help from these universities. “[We] have also applied for grant funding from our respective universities to allow us to travel to Tanzania,” Severson said. Both Severson and Moussavian feel their work is critical for Africa’s future. “Access to education is a very important trouble that the world has to deal with,” Moussavian said. “Outside of the U.S., education works a lot differently and in most countries in the world it’s very common for a student to go to a school where there are no textbooks, no chairs and the teacher may show up one day and not show up the next.” According to Severson a good education is absolutely key to a better, more successful society. “Education is the surest way for an individual to help themselves,” Severson said. Even though The School Fund is relatively new, it just had its anniversary celebration and has even more goals for the future. “In five years, I would love for The School Fund to be working with 100 partners throughout the continent of Africa, and possibly in Southeast Asia and South America as well,” Severson said. “I would like The School Fund to be connecting funders to students anywhere in the world where school fees prohibit young people from continuing their educations.” During the organization’s first funding cycle, they raised over $5000 for The School Fund’s first 31 students, according to Severson. “If we include various foundational support and grants that we received, we raised over $30,000 in our first year,” Severson said. Now, only a couple months into their second funding cycle, The School Fund has already raised over $2000. “I’m positive that anyone at Paly can do what we’re doing at The School Fund,” Moussavian said. “All it takes is passion, dedication and a little bit of discipline.”
Extreme obstacle course arrives in the Bay Area By Kirah Ingram Staff Writer
Trapped under barbed wire in an obstacle known as “Muddy Mayhem,” runners crawl as fast as they can to keep from covering their entire bodies with even more mud. For the past 3.5 miles, these runners ran through numerous obstacles. But only a little ways off in the distance, the finish line is completely clear. Once out from the grasps of the prickly barbed wire, the runners will sprint out of the mud to the finish line to save themselves from any more exhaustion. This race, no matter how extraordinary it sounds, is real. Its name is the Warrior Dash and while it is new to Northern California this year, it comes with a reputation for getting “down and dirty” with close friends. The idea of the Warrior Dash came from the owner of Red Frog Events Company, Joe Reynolds. “The idea was to develop an event where you could challenge yourself, where you could get muddy and scrape your knees like you did when you were a kid but still be able to celebrate like an adult with live music [and] turkey legs,” Race Director of Red Frog Events, Alex Yount said. “[It’s} always a crowd-pleaser.” The Warrior Dash started its first race in Joliet, Illinois in July 2009 and has spread across the country in years hence. This year, there were races from Southern California all the way to the Northeast. Each region that the race is held in has a unique course. In Southern California, the course involves 11 obstacles, including one called “Junker Jump,” where participants run through a junkyard setting and jump over totally demolished cars. In Texas, the course has an obstacle called “Texas Tornado,” where participants must run through a simulation of an actual tornado with dust and huge gusts of winds. Although each course has one or two specific obstacles to its region, there are still many overlapping obstacles that participants enjoy. Northern California’s course, or “Battleground” as www.warriordash.com calls it, is unique to any other race. It consists of 12 “obstacles from hell” over a rough 3.5 mile course. Some of the obstacles are completely outrageous, including “Satan’s Slip ‘n’ Slide,” “Swamp Sprint,” “Walk the Plank” and “Warrior Roast.” One notable obstacle is “Satan’s Slip ‘n’ Slide,” which happens fifth in the race. Runners have to slide all the way down a slope on their behinds. However, this obstacle is just the beginning of the dirt for runners.
Next is the “Swamp Sprint.” This obstacle has participants trudge through a murky swamp and come out drenched in swamp water. The “Swamp Sprint” then feeds runners to a couple more obstacles until they reach the 10th obstacle, “Walk the Plank.” This obstacle is just like it sounds; one must walk a plank over a high ravine without falling off the edge. Immediately after the “Walk the Plank” comes the “Warrior Roast.” “Participants leap over two rows of intense flames about three feet high,” Yount said. The Warrior Dash rewards out-of-thebox costumes. Those who wear the best cos-
tumes are called to the stage to have people This means it does not matter what one’s cheer at high octaves and decide who the mile time is, but their willingness and readiwinner of the craziest costume is. The winness to have a good time. ner will then take home a Although prizes in gift-card prize. general are grand, the One obstacle has particiNot all runners race prizes the Warrior Dash pants trudge through a just to have fun, but race provides do not compare for prizes, free food, free murky swamp and come to any other race. gear and bragging rights. The top three male out drenched in swamp Runners race because and female runners with water. they love the rush of the fastest overall times competition early in the receive a snazzy engraved morning and the sweat warrior helmet, complete dripping off of their bodies. with horns. In each age division, the three top “Warrior Dash is a race for all fitness racers receive a trophy in the shape of a steel levels,” Yount said. warrior helmet. The top overall finishers of
crossfitwest
the entire race receive the “True Strength Award,” in sports merchandise and endorphin boosters. One step down from this prize is the prize given to the top finisher of each age division. These runners receive the “Optimum Performance Award,” which also includes sports merchandise and endorphin boosters valued at $75. Those interested in registering for the next race can go to the Warrior Dash website. The Northern California race is on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. Grab some clothes to get dirty in, and go out for this race. It is almost undoubtable that this race will be like nothing ever experienced in Northern California.
warrior dash on facebook
Costumed participants competing the Warrior Dash in California leap over three-foot-high flames in an obstacle called the “Warrior Roast” (left.) Another participant squeezes through a small black tunnel during the “Tunnels of Terror” obstacle which occurs halfway through the race (right.)
A&E
The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • B7
Indie rockers, new rhythms grace fall music scene From rave to rock to French nursery rhymes, there is something for all tastes this fall By Brian Benton
croons repeatedly “who cares who’s watching you?” In an interview with Bay Area radio station Live105 (105.3 FM), Havok announced that the band has “about 33 new songs recorded,” and that they plan to release singles continuously from Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, until the mid2011 release of Bright Black Heaven. Until then, just turn on “Bon Voyeurs” and remember, “who cares who’s watching you.” Blaqk Audio performs as part of the Subsonic Spookfest at the Cow Palace on Oct. 2.
Staff Writer Janelle Monáe Somewhere between Beyonce and V.V. Brown on the ladder of success for soulful yet pop-inspired R&B singer-songwriters stands Janelle Monáe, the force behind one of this year’s most innovative albums, The ArchAndroid. Released in May 2009, The ArchAndroid earned Monáe countless positive reviews, including 8-1/2 out of ten stars as well as comparisons to Prince and Michael Jackson from the influential indie blog, Pitchfork Media. Monáe’s live performances are beautifully costumed and choreographed concoctions, complete with a tuxedo-clad band, ghostly hooded capes, back up dancers with bird-like masks and dance moves that clearly explain Pitchfork’s Michael Jackson comparison. Highlighted by the fearlessly retro “Tightrope Wondamix,” featuring B.o.B, Lupe Fiasco and Outkast’s Big Boi, as well as the futuristic and surprisingly danceable ballad “Cold War,” the album gives the impression that before long, the 24-year-old Janelle Monáe may reach the top of the R&B success ladder. Janelle Monáe opens for of Montreal (whose Sept. 14 release False Priest is both brilliant and bizarre) at The Warfield, Oct.18.
Jenny and Johnny
In between recording with indie rock band Rilo Kiley, providing guest vocals on the Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers’ recently released solo album, Flamingo, and lending her voice to the 2008 animated film Bolt, Jenny Lewis also manages to find some free time to spend with her boyfriend and singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice. Fittingly, the duo chose to spend part of their time together making music; taking a slower, folksier approach and aptly calling it Jenny and Johnny.
Mark Ronson and The Business Intl
Brian Benton/Campanile
(Left) Janelle Monáe performs at the All Shook Down music festival in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on July 25. (Right) A B & The Sea play at the Rock Make Street music festival in the Mission District of San Francisco on Aug. 22. The band’s debut album, I’m Having Fun Now, which was released on Aug. 31, is 40 minutes of gloomy lyrics layered over joyfully rhythmic guitars and tambourines. The album’s lyrics address all the usual indie-rock themes: failed romances (“Scissor Runner”), struggles in existing romances (“Straight Edge of the Blade”) and the hard times of life as a whole (“Big Wave”). Lewis and Rice build off each other lyrically and vocally throughout I’m Having Fun Now, proving that sometimes, despite the angst in their lyrics, good things can come out of love. Jenny and Johnny perform as part of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate
Park, Oct. 1. The festival will continue through Oct. 3.
A B & The Sea
It seems like practically everyone was listening to “California Gurls” this summer. San Francisco’s own A B & the Sea seem to have tuned in too as they put their own spin on Katy Perry’s radio frenzy of a song, blending it together with the classic track “California Girls,” by one of their musical influences, the Beach Boys. While Snoop Dogg is not included in the A B & the Sea version, the infectious lyrics and cool rhythms still remain, making the cover a fresh and airy lofi alternative to the original.
A B & the Sea’s most recent extended play, Boys and Girls, released July 20, is just as breezy and blissful, and features catchy guitar driven melodies, including the seductive “Yellow Haired Girl.” The five tracks on Boys and Girls are available for free on abandthesea.net, but the EP is good enough that it is worth buying it on iTunes. Besides, who would not be willing to pay $5 for an extra bit of summer as we head into fall? A B & the Sea play San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill, Oct. 2.
Blaqk Audio
By the time Davey Havok’s rich voice first appears in “Bon Voyeurs,”
the most recent Blaqk Audio single, it is clear that this is far different than the Davey Havok we see and hear when he fronts punk band AFI. The shouting is replaced with crooning, the heavy drums with rippling keyboards and synthesizers and Havok’s flamboyant and tight silver, white and magenta suits from AFI’s most recent tour are replaced with an equally tight black one. “Bon Voyeurs,” Blaqk Audio’s second single from their upcoming release Bright Black Heaven, is four minutes of pure rave bliss. Backed by AFI’s guitarist Jade Puget on keys and synths, Havok’s voice shines on the dance floor-ready chorus as he
In 2009 DJ’s Diplo and Switch introduced us to Major Lazer, a project that combined Jamaican reggae rhythms with hip-hop, house and practically every other genre of music known to mankind. Now, British DJ and producer Mark Ronson has created The Business Intl, his version of this type of musical schizophrenia. “Bang Bang Bang,” the first single off The Business Intl’s upcoming album, Record Collection, features a verse by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, and is based on the popular French-Canadian nursery rhyme “Alouette.” Featuring the line “je te plumerai la tête,” which translates to “I shall pluck your head,” the song is an explosion of English rapping, French singing and claps, beeps and even some whistling. The second single off the upcoming album, “Bike Song,” is equally intoxicating and features vocals by Scottish singer Kyle Falconer and rapper Spank Rock, and of course Ronson’s quirky and whimsical beats. However, the guest appearances on Record Collection keep on coming. According to the band’s website, the album, which will be released on Sept. 27, also features rapper Ghostface Killah, Boy George and the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
Apple unveils new generations of iPod touch, nano, iTunes
New iPod touch features camera and video capabilities, iPod nano gets touch screen By Helen Chen Lifestyles Editor
On Sept. 1, Apple debuted its newest line of iPod touches and iPod nanos as well as iTunes 10. The most significant advancement from previous generations of iTouches and iPod nanos is the integrated multi-touch technology. Apple users will recognize the signature multi-touch feature, which is the ability to jiggle and move application icons on the home screen with the slide of a finger, from iPhones. Both the new iTouch and iPod nano models have slimmed down to lighter and razor-thin designs. Aesthetically, the iPod nano received the most drastic alterations. With each generation, its body has become progressively slimmer. However, this sixth generation nano has completely revolutionized its look by abandoning its rectangular design for a compact, square one. About half the size of the previous model, the new nano sports a screen that is barely large enough to place a finger on and displays only four application icons. To accommodate the shrinking of the device, the nano’s new user interface has been simplified. The touch screen has replaced the signature iPod wheel and volume is now adjusted through two miniature buttons on the side of the device. Since there is realistically no way to watch video on the device without incredible eye strain, the entire video capability of the nano has been eliminated. The square frame of the device causes a bit of confusion, as there is really no defined top or bottom except for the headphone jack - to make things a bit more complicated, with each shake the entire screen rotates. This screen rotation ability was designed to make it easier to clip the device to oneself and not having to worry about which direction the device is attached, but it still causes more confusion than convenience. Fortunately, this problem can be solved by engaging the orientation lock. Additionally, the iPod nano offers a radio, Genius remixes and a Nike fitness feature. The battery of the nano is the same as previous models, with 24 hours of playtime at full charge. The one thing that hasn’t been reduced about the iPod nano is the price. It sells at the same rate as the fifth generation nano: 8 gigabytes for $149 and 16GB for $179. This seems like a rather large price to pay after downsizing the entire nano and adding a few screen gimmicks. The iTouch still maintains its basic design of a long rectangular touch screen with a navigational button.
Apple
The new iPods have been slimmed down and upgraded, the iPod touch receiving two built-in cameras and FaceTime capabilities and the iPod nano receiving a rectangular touch screen. iTunes 10 has added the Facebook-like Ping, which enables users to post statuses, photos and songs they like. However, the iTouch’s advancements are button on their screen to call another user, a bit more impressive, with the new addition the iTouch requires users to log in with their Apple account of retina display. to use FaceTime. Both Retina display (a iPhone and iTouch feature first intro- The biggest upgrade to iTunes users must also have duced through the is the addition of iTunes Ping. WiFi to use the app. iPhone 4), allows the Ping is a union of social media The device also devices to project imcomes with a highages with four times and iTunes, where all users, definition video camthe resolution than even celebrities such as Lady era with video editing past generations, recapabilities and two sulting in a much Gaga, are able to post which built-in cameras, one sharper and more songs they recently liked and in the front and one in vibrant picture. reviewed. the back. Another perk of Apple has made the new iTouch is the sure that the sixth popular video chatting application FaceTime. While iPhone generation iTouch is essentially the same as 4 users can access FaceTime by pressing a the iPhone 4, just without the ability to make
phone calls or text. The amount of playtime on the iTouch has not been altered. The iPod touch sells at 8GB for $229, 32GB for $299 and 64 GB for $399. Apple also released a new version of its music program: iTunes 10. The fresh new interface includes all-new fonts and a shortcut icon. When downloading iTunes 10, one is given the option of following various video tutorials, making the new software as userfriendly as possible. The biggest upgrade made to the new iTunes is the addition of iTunes Ping. Ping is a combination of social media and iTunes through which all users, even celebrities such as Lady Gaga, can post songs that they recently liked or reviewed. Ping also gives users the ability to post statuses and photos,
which seems to be a bit of overkill, but provides another way to closely follow one’s favorite musical artists. In addition, iTunes 10 now comes equipped with the long-awaited Home Sharing feature, where all computers within the same household can now access the same purchased songs. The Apple discussion boards and several review sites have noted that the new iTunes software runs into a bit of difficulty when it comes to syncing iTouches or iPhones - the computer will alert the user that the device is syncing, yet there appears to be no difference in the device itself. Overall, the newest additions to the Apple family are certainly impressive and have clearly gone a long way since the first generation products.
The Campanile B8 • September 27, 2010
S PAO&RE T S
March 16, 2009 • A11 The Campanile
Futuristic new GameStop store opens in downtown Palo Alto Boasting state of the art touchscreen displays, new gaming center is hailed as a store of future By Ben Krasnow These touchscreen displays are Staffwriter mounted on the wall, and tell cusA wide array of colors jumps out tomers about games the store has immediately from a store in down- available. town Palo Alto. According to a store employee, The brick wall of the store pro- these kiosks have much more invides a style that makes the building formation than an employee has fit right in with the rest of the area. to offer. A flashy red banner hangs inside, “You can look up a game and get celebrating the store’s opening. all the information you want: release Black televisions are set up in a date and price,” he said. circle in the middle of the store. Black The kiosks also have video clips game systems such as the Xbox 360 available from the game as well as and Playstation 3 as well as the white various game reviews from other Wii are set up for use on these TVs, buyers. allowing customers to play demos of Another new feature is the incluthe latest games. sion of a trade-in desk for used games. A terrifying black uniformed Previously, games were traded in at Helghan solider from the Killzone the counter at which items were purseries stands in the center of these chased. Before, the line at the counter televisions, and the statue intimi- could become very long.With the new dates all the customers with its large trade-in desk, the lines should not be yellow eyes. as long to check out. Rows of games line the wall, disAccording to Dean Takahashi, played for customers to see their glim- lead writer for GamesBeat at Venmering covers. Also on the wall are two tureBeat, a website that covers brand new touchscreen panels. The technology and games, the company signs above them direct customers is making the right steps to move on and read “Information Kiosk.” in the future. Video game retailer GameStop “It’s a fancy store and it does all of has opened one of its “Stores of the things that a smart retailer should the Future” be doing o n Un i v e r- “Digital distribution is going to now,” Takasity Avenue hashi said. in downtown disrupt this business. I believe “The kiosks Palo Alto. The that GameStop has to invest and screens store opened its money wisely, preparing invite visitors on July 16. to engage with The com- for the day when online will online conpany moved make stores obsolete. If they tent and they into the forrewards play their hand wrong, they can offer mer location to keep them of the Golden look to chains such as Tower coming back Loom, with a Records and Hollywood Video to the store. grand open[It] gives peoing on August for their future.” ple a reason 14 that includto visit a store ed a Madden rather than Dean Takahashi just shop onFootball 2011 tournament, Lead Writer of GamesBeat line.” a Pokemon However, tournament Palo Alto High and a demonstration of Playstation School student Clint Fletcher was Move, a motion controller designed not as impressed when he went to to compete head to head with Nin- the store. tendos Wii System. “I thought it was okay,” Fletcher The main feature that this said. “[It was] just another video GameStop has that others lack are game store.” the Information kiosks that make it Other Paly students, like Gera “store of the future.” rit Van Zyll, had different opinions.
Star strul / Campanile
The new, state of the art gamestop in downtown Palo Alto presents itself in style, with a brick exterior and glass windows. The interior is just as avant-garde, with touchscreen displays and an entire section dedicated used games trade in booth. Van Zyll said that the store was more enjoyable and interactive, unlike the other GameStops he has been to. Another noteworthy change is a redesign in the store’s appearance. All of the games are along the walls now, as opposed to being in bins. All of these features are designed to help GameStop compete with the emerging online market for buying games. In today’s world of downloading extra content or even full-length video games over Xbox live or Playstation network, GameStop still has to compete with the rapidly expanding online market. Even though most games are still bought in stores today, a common
belief among critics is that the video game market may go fully digital, leaving retailers like GameStop and Best Buy out in the cold. Despite the new features at the store, Takahashi believes that digital distribution will eventually win out. “The fundamental challenge remains the same,” Takahashi said. “Digital distribution is going to disrupt this business. GameStop has to invest its money wisely, preparing for the day when online will make stores obsolete. If [Gamestop] plays [its] hand wrong, [it] can look to chains such as Tower Records and Hollywood Video for their future.” Van Zyll believes the new customs at Gamestop will help it compete
with the increasingly competitive online gaming market for the time being. “[The features will help] because people like to have the tangible disc to take it to people’s houses,” Van Zyll said. Fletcher is unsure whether digital distribution will win the battle. “I like disks better,” Fletcher said. “It’s [a] personal preference for people [to buy games online versus at a store]. If [retailers] do die out, it will be a while before that happens.” Fletcher also said that game stores sometimes offer exclusive content for items coming to the store, like demos or in-game content that is only available to people who purchase
the games at the store. For now, the resources at the brand new GameStop downtown are more than enough to keep customers entertained and coming back to the store. The new features make Gamestop a fun place to visit and give it all the games a person could ever dream of. With its intuitive new touchscreen guides, it lives up to its name as a store of the future. However, with the inevitable shift from hard-copy games to digital downloading, Gamestop will face a very difficult financial time in the near future. If the video game chain wants to stay in business, they will have to keep updating their stores to keep pace with digital competition.
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Bring this coupon in Monday - Thursday from 2-6pm and get a 10% discount*! *Offer expires June 1, 2011. Limit one coupon per person per visit.
Palo Alto Rowing Club, the original Palo Alto crew program, has produced many athletes who have recieved scholarships to some of the best colleges in the U.S.A
Visit our website at www.paloaltorowingclub.com or contact our Program Director, Lynn Gardner at (415)990-0604.
A&E
The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • B9
Independent theaters downtown draw diverse crowds
Palo Alto’s Aquarius, Cinéarts give low budget, low key films chances to be on the big screen By Andrea More Staff Writer
You have probably passed by it hundreds of times. Two screens, a lobby that induces claustrophobia and a crowd that takes their movies very seriously. But do not judge a movie theatre by its cover. Unique to both Aquarius and Cinéarts is that they offer independent and foreign language cinema. They are not exclusive venues, but intimate ones that have been around for over thirty years. Aquarius and Cinéarts are two of the few movie theaters in Palo Alto that show independent films. Usually movies that one will not find playing at the megaplex can be found at one of the aforementioned theaters. “What separates an independent movie from a mainstream one is that an independent film company produces them, which means the movies usually have lesser known actors,” Aquarius employee Rhea Salinaro said. “That’s not necessarily always the case, but it’s usually [produced by] a lesser known film company.” In fact, Aquarius has harbored the viewing of movies as popular as “Garden State”, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Juno.” Sure, the seats at Century Theaters will accommodate even the tallest individual and there are often at least twelve different choices of movies to see. People mean Century when they say they are “going to the movies” because movies that get the most exposure are played there. As a result, high-quality films that were made on a low budget and may not have any actor you have heard of, but have the potential of becoming one of your favorites are lost in obscurity because of a lack of advertising. Iconic to both Aquarius and Cinéarts is a unique atmosphere. There is an almost agreed upon etiquette. Somehow, it is apparent that the people taking their seats are present because they want to be, not because it is raining outside and there was nothing else to do, or because it is Christmas and they are Jewish. Thus one will find the absence of the light emitting from a cell phone and entering your peripheral vision, no matter which theater visited. There is a communal feeling in both theaters that so many movie theatres do not possess. STar strul/Campanile “I remember when I saw ‘The Aristocrats’ [at Aquarius] a few years ago and the manager introduced Moviegoers seeking a less mainstream film can find exacly what they are looking for with the Aquarius Theatre in downtown Palo Alto on the film with a short speech and a warning about the Emerson Street. Aquarius Theatre shows low budget and independent films that would not normally be available in mainstream theaters. vulgarity [of the movie],” customer Kathy Goody said. In contrast to Century Theatres, Aquarius’s two admission to the most recent Jim Jarmusch or Woody limited” and many other similar movies that appeal to films themselves are intrinsically unique. Not the typical humble theatres are tiny. There is not an infinite supply teenage love story produced by Walt Disney Pictures or Allen film to be shown by a quirky staff member in the people of all ages. of junk food to choose from. homely theater. One big difference between the two theaters is the the movie merited for its special effects distributed by There are no familiar advertisements for Nathan’s “[Aquarius is] probably the only theater I’ve been to seating. After exiting the theater, your back will not be Paramount Pictures. Major film studios are often more Hotdogs. where the movie was opened by a staff member playing angry with you like it was after exiting Aquarius. If Aquarius lucrative because they cast actors who will attract a large Instead of the usual multitude of young people audience in order to produce movies they think will sell. the ukulele down the aisle,” Leon Dreyfus, a frequent visiseating is economy class, Cinéarts is first class. the theater is filled with the elderly. Rather than what It is not uncommon to see witty comments on the tor of Aquarius said. “I love the chairs, they’re super comfortable,” patron seems like the army of “The place may Gloria Howard said. “The space between my chair and the marquee boldly displayed beneath the movie titles at staff present at Century, “The place may be a bit rusty but you can’t be a bit rusty but you one in front is far so I don’t have to worry about having Aquarius. Sometimes they are quotes from the movie, there are three idle other times puns pertaining to the plot or the movie title. employees at Aquarius, find the films [like the ones playing at Aquari- can’t find the films people kick my seat, which is really nice.” [like the ones playing Years ago, Cinéarts was officially an “independent Often, one has to know tiny details about the movie in ostensibly students. us] anywhere else.” at Aquarius] anywhere cinema.” Not doing well fiscally, it was bought, taken over order to understand the joke. Their eyes light up as How does one decide to which theater a visit should else.” and remodeled. Coincidentally, the hero that saved the you ask them for a cup Leon Dreyfus Cinéarts can be day was Century. Just like at Century theaters the prices be paid? In truth, the only way you will ever know is to of water. Aquarius Theater patron found at Palo Alto for food are outrageous. They charge four dollars for a give both a shot. If the top priority in selecting a movie “It really depends Square on El Camino bottle of water. However, many would argue the movies is the special effects or actors both worth several million on the movie playing, dollars, don’t bother making an appearance. Real. are worth the possible dehydration. but the typical matinee However, if one can appreciate a thought provoking Inside the relaxed theater one will find approachable “What makes [Cinéarts] great is that it has all the will attract about 60 people,” Salinaro said. staff and an aroma of fragrant perfume. Like Aquarius, comforts of the huge movie theaters, but just has better film and tolerate a little bit of hipster pretentiousness The group of people found at Aquarius and Cinéarts Cinéarts and seniors get along. However, that is not to movies,” Jim Schmidt, who was waiting for his ticket to from the staff, the one hundred-something minute visit is not your James Cameron crowd. say the movies shown won’t resonate with young people “Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One”, said. Both Ciné- is well worth the seven dollar entrance fee. “The biggest amount of people we take in are seThe lack of luxury shouldn’t become an issue, espeas they do with their elder counterparts. arts and Aquarius show two movies at a time, switching niors,” Salinaro said. Cinéarts has housed the viewing of films such as the movie selection every few weeks. The sound is not cially since the quality of films shown at Aquarius Theatre One can always spot out the “artsy” Stanford “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Amélie” and the “Darjeeling Undeafening like at some theaters but is of high quality. The and Cinéarts makes up for it tenfold. University students or film junkies eagerly waiting for
Google calling gadget provides new lines of communication By Jillian Chacon Staff Writer
Want to make a call to a mobile phone from a computer? Until recently, this transmission was nearly impossible. Now, however, Google Talk can make this call with ease. Google Talk, first introduced as a part of Gmail in 2005, has improved and developed new features like text chatting, video chatting and voice calls. After downloading the gadget those features are available on a new Gmail account. The text chat feature offers ways to transfer files and share pictures with users while chatting with them. The video chat feature is free but requires a camera and a microphone to work. The newest feature, added in 2010, is voice calls. This “call” feature makes mobile and land line phone calls and the best part it is, they are free within the United States and Canada. Through the chat feature in Google Talk, friends lists can be created. Contacts from Gmail can be copied and pasted to one’s friends list and new contacts can also be added. Furthermore, there is an option to block certain friends one does not wish to be in contact with. Additionally, friends that are most chatted with can be put in a “favorites” list. Recently added to the chat feature is a “group chat” option. Chats with only one person can easily be increased to two or more by clicking on the “group chat” button. While chatting, friends can be invited to the conversation as well. Group chats are great when working in groups and communicating with other group members or classmates. Gmail acts as an interface to Amrerica Online Instant Messenger, Flickr and YouTube. Google Talk has made it possible to sign in on one’s AOL Instant Messenger account on Gmail. In the chat feature there is a button that says: “sign in to Gmail.” Once signed in all friends from AIM appear in the already created friends list. Flickr, a photo editing and sharing website, can be accessed during a chat session
kaosaudio
The new Google Talk includes multiple features such as the text chat feature, video chat, file sharing and voice calls in the U.S. and Canada. All features are downloadable and available to anybody with an internet service. and viewed while chatting. Like Flickr, YouTube videos can also be shared and watched all while chatting with friends. Perhaps the most important part of the chat feature is file sharing. Any file type, ranging in any size can be sent to someone while chatting with them. If the file receiver is online and the sender is chatting with them, the fastest way is through file sharing, not throughemail. Google Talk is not the only video chat application available. Those who
use iChat or Skype (other applications that can instant message and make voice calls over the Internet) know that video chatting can be a fun and direct way to communicate with people. The video chat feature in Google Talk works with both Gmail users that are online and, if signed into an AIM account, with AIM friends. Video chatting provides an alternate option to text chatting but only functions with a
camera. The feature is free of charge and does not require any additional downloading other than Google Talk. The newest and most talked about feature added this year is the Google Call feature. For the product to work the voice plugin, located in the Google Talk gadget, must be downloaded in the Google Talk Gadget on your computer. The voice plug-in downloads fast and is free. Once it is downloaded one can make
calls to any mobile phone or landline within the U.S. and Canada for free. During a call, the computer must be kept approximately one foot away from a person’s mouth and on a mostly level surface because this creates the best sound quality on both sides of the call. Because it is possible to call mobile and land lines the person on the other end of the call is not required to have Internet access, which is not the case when making calls from Skype or having audio conversations using iChat. One negative aspect of the Google Call feature is that the receiver of a call is not able to call back, meaning calls can only be made, not received, using the feature. For the most part, the fee is a small amount per minute relative to other prices of calling out-of-country. Before dialing, the feature notifies one of the fee per minute and gives options of ways to pay. When making a call outside the U.S. a scroll down list is provided with area codes of all the countries of the world. Similar to the Text Chat feature, a “favorites” list can also be created, allowing for the storage of many phone numbers.With this new gadget, students can open a world of possibilites of multitasking. Google Talk users can now call one friend, chat with another and browse their email all at the same time. This ability to multitask is unprecedented and will have a major effect on student communications at Paly. Students can discuss projects across three mediums, accumulate data for science labs through email or instant messaging or even put together study groups with students without a cell phone on hand. With these new opportunities for interaction both academic and social, it is certain that Paly students — both inside and outside the classroom — will never learn through the same process.
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B10 • September 27, 2010
The Campanile
Viewers anticipate new, returning TV series to air this fall and includes patriarch Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and matriarch Camille (Bonnie Bedelia.) The family must face the challenges of raising children and rising above setbacks. Season Two promises more heartwarming moments. During the season run Sarah (Lauren Graham) will attempt to find her niche while Crosby (Dax Shepard) must make decisions regarding his future with his girlfriend,back from season one, Jasmine (Joy Bryant) and their son, Jabbar (Tyree Brown.) Adam (Peter Krause) and Kristina (Monica Potter) teach their teenage daughter, Haddie (Sarah Ramos) how to drive while they also must come to terms with their son Max’s (Max Burkholder) autism. “Parenthood” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
By Bailey Cassidy Staff Writer
As students and teachers get settled into the routine of being back in school, one thing everyone can look forward to is the new fall television lineup. Although no upcoming fall shows are gathering the same amount of buzz as “Glee” and “Modern Family” have received prior to their series debuts last fall, some new shows have great potential. Additionally, many returning favorites appear to be staying strong. With such a wide variety of programs to choose from, it is difficult to decide what to tune into.
Survivor: Nicaragua Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS
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Survivor: Nicaragua This popular reality show’s many twists and turns have captivated viewers for over a decade, and the series’ 21st installment promises not to disappoint. The contestants will be divided into two tribes based upon age: 30 years old or younger and 40 or over. It appears this twist has paid off for television channel Central Broadcasting Station (CBS), as the show’s September 15th season premiere drew an estimated 12 million viewers. Age division is not the only thing that is new this season: clues to the whereabouts of the hidden immunity idol will be visual, as opposed to written. The producers hope that this twist will make it more difficult for contestants to find the idol. The tribes will also be competing for control of a new item, the Medallion of Power, which canprovide an advantage in a challenge but is then transferred to the other tribe. Furthermore, the casting of former National Football League coach Jimmy Johnson has stirred up controversy among viewers, as he is the show’s first ever bonafide celebrity. “Survivor” has taken every opportunity to use his fame in promoting the show. Johnson has been a huge asset to the show. He has brought in record ratings for Survivor and has attract-
These twenty people pictured above have been selected to participate in season Survivor: Nicaragua. After a month in the wilderness filled with hard challenges and competition one competitor will win the title of Survivor Champion and $1 million. The show airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS. eda more media focused opinion to the show. Despite these new twists, and despite “Survivor’s” move to the Wednesday timeslot for the first time since “Survivor: Borneo” in 2000, “Survivor: Nicaragua” remains true to the same basic elements that have helped it become one of television’s longest-lasting reality programs. “Survivor: Nicaragua” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
(Eric Stonestreet), who was frequently mentioned last season but never appeared on screen. Also, Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burell) are caught in a compromising position by their kids. “Modern Family” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Glee: Season Two Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FOX
Modern Family Wednesday at 9 p.m. on ABC
Modern Family Critics eagerly await the second season of this popular breakout comedy. “Modern Family” follows the hilarious lives of the multigenerational Pritchett family, which includes patriarch Jay (Ed O’Neill) and his hard-headed Colombian wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara.) This season promises more hilarious misadventures when an earthquake shakes up the Pritchett clan. Nathan Lane makes an appearance as Pepper, a friend of Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam’s
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Glee Fans are anxiously awaiting the season two premiere of “Glee.” After only placing at their regional competition, the students will be forced to pick themselves up and shake off their defeat at Regionals. The show is about a glee club called the new directions. Some new members include football-star transfer student (Chord Overstreet), who will eventually become a love interest for Kurt (Chris Colfer.) Rachel (Lea Michelle) and Finn (Cory Monteith) continue the romance that they started last season, while Mr. Schuester feels competition for guidance counselor and love interest, Emma (Jayma Mays.) “Glee” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Hawaii Five-O Monday at 10 p.m. on CBS Hawaii Five-O “Hawaii Five-O,” a reboot of a crime drama which originally aired in the 70s, has topped several prepremier polls as a new show that viewers are most looking forward to. Hawaii Five-O is a fictional state police force. The police force fights crime in the Aloha State. Detective Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) will oversee a team of police officers, including Danny Williams (Scott Caan) and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim.) The iconic theme song and the Hawaiian location remain, but producers hope to introduce new twists and excitement with this remake. “Hawaii Five-O” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on CBS.
Dancing with the Stars Monday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ABC
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Dancing with the Stars “Dancing with the Stars” is going strong as the series begins its 11th season, and this season’s wide variety of stars offers something for everyone. There are many stars paired along with the dancing talents this season. Celebrities vying for themirror ball trophy include “Jersey Shore’s” Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, David Hasselhoff, Audrina Patridge, and Margaret Cho. Due to her history in “Dirty Dancing” and her pairing with defending champion Derek Hough, Grey appears to have a competitive advantage. However, that makes the other couples all the more determined to send Grey and Hough off the dance floor, causing this season’s competition to be tougher than ever. “Dancing with the Stars” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Parenthood Tuesday at 10 p.m. on CBS
Parenthood “Parenthood,” a dramedy based on the hit 1989 film, revolves around the imperfect Braverman family, which contains three generations
$#*! My Dad Says Ed Goodson (William Shatner) stars as an opinionated 72-year-old dad, who has been divorced three times. He has two grown sons, Henry Benett ( Jonathon Sadowski) and Vince Goodson (Will Saso), who are accustomed to Ed’s frequent rantings. The show follows the life of his son Henry in his mid twenties. He and his wife’s relationship is jeopardized when he is forced to move back into his father’s house because of financial reasons. Henry is a struggling author, who encounters financial trouble, and is forced to move in with Ed, which complicates their relationship. $#*! My Dad Says is written by Justin Halpern, David Kohan, Erin Ehrlich, Max Mutchnick and Patrick Schumacker. It is directed by Rob Schiller and James Burrows. Cinematography by Gary Howard Baum. This hilarious sitcom is based off of Justin Halpern’s personal stories. Many of the hilarious moments are based on his own Twitter feed which mostly consists of quotes that his own father said at one time or another. The show is sure to leave viewers laughing each week. “$#*! My Dad Says” airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. to on CBS.
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The Campanile
September 27, 2010 • B11
Light painting provides artist expression for teenagers Paly students find inventive outlet in light performance art photography By Tobey Nelson-Gal
lit up, getting gradually darker further away,” Dukovic said. “Surrounding my legs are winding lines of Standing underneath the entrance of a 20 foot arched bridge, a person remains mo- red and white light. Marc put it all together by tionless upon a path of dirt and stones while a having me stand with my back to the camera small pond to his left reflects the moon’s dull while holding a flash bulb in my hand. When light onto the graffiti smothered walls of the someone opened the camera’s shutter, I set off the flash, which created the silhouette. tunnel behind. A blinding flash from a camera several Then Marc began to draw with the red and yards away lights up senior Marc Havlik who white lights by my legs. Overall it was a very stands with an arm bent upward and a pointer complex process that turned out to be a very finger outstretched as if he were balancing a cool, artistic compilation of light and the surroundings.” basketball on it. Those who have seen light painting A friend quickly tiptoes over and dangles a blue light-emmiting diode (LED) above Hav- photos before have probably been stuck in a lik’s finger, turns it on and begins spinning it brief moment of awe, in which he or she may from a string. Turning his body, Havlik’s friend wonder, “how do they do that?” To many, light is a force that may easily gradually changes the direction of rotation be taken for until the LED granted. It inhas gone about directly affects 180 degrees at “Light painting allows for a free range of which point ideas to come to mind. The real challenge what others do and do not do Ha v l i k c a l l s throughout a out, “St o p ! ” is figuring out how to choreograph the typical day, a n d a b r i e f shot.” such as texting clicking sound Marc Havlik a friend, dancindicates the camera’s shutsenior ing at a rave and reading ter has closed. this article. After a brief Light is pause, the camera’s display reveals the raw footage: one of the most available tools one could Havlik with a ball of blue light resting on his use as an artist, as well as being clean and long-lasting. finger. Primarily, people think of light as a tool While many people use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate images, light performance art to see and perceive the world around them photography utilizes a one-shot bulb expo- and people. Light painting is able to achieve a change sure, performed with the motion capture of light, to produce a variety of intricate photos. in one’s perspective of what light can be. Havlik, a photo editor for both The Through the photos, light becomes more Campanile and The Paly Voice, as well as a than just visible waves of electromagnetic staff photographer for the yearbook, spends radiation, it becomes something tangible. So why are there not more people snapsome of his free time over the weekends light painting with friends, which he finds to be a ping photos? Maybe they do not have the right equipment, or think it is hard to capture release of creativity. “Light painting allows for a free range of a photo. Although most experienced light ideas to come to mind,” Havlik said. “The real painters have very specific technological challenge is figuring out how to choreograph preferences, according to Havlik, it does not take much to get started. the shot.” “Basically any sort of Single-Lens Reflex Light painting can be confusing at first, as Henry M. Gunn High School senior Sahana (SLR) camera with the ‘bulb’ setting will do,” Havlik said. “If the camera doesn’t have one, Kumar recalls. “The very first time we did it, Marc, Max set the exposure to a timed 30 seconds instead. Cohen and I didn’t actually know how to light A tripod would also be a wise investment if paint,” Kumar said. “It ended being more you want your shots to be as focused and as crisp as possible. It also helps when trying to about us prancing about with glowsticks.” Senior and Viking photo editor Brandon choreograph shots.” Once one has the recommended equipDukovic, who has accompanied Havlik multiple times, recalls one of his favorite shots ment, all it takes is the proper set up. “If you have a camera with the ‘bulb’ while on the Gunn High School campus. “There is a picture of me silhouetted in a setting, you’ll need a friend to hold down the tunnel with the rest of the tunnel behind me shutter button for the duration of the shot,”
Senior Staff Writer
Marc Havlik/campanile
Marc Havlik shows the art of light painting on Stanford University campus at Frenchman’s park. The hobby is ideal after dusk, when parks are vacant and space is available for the materials to capture the moving lights. Havlik said.”The advantage of this is that you have as much time as you need to light paint, and while the camera is exposing its shot, you take a light source such as an LED, a flashlight or any other sort of light source and get creative with it. If you want a person in the shot, you will need to have them step into the frame, then flash light at the subject to burn them into the charged-couple device (CCD) of the camera.” However, even with a proper set up, there can be other variables to consider that might throw off the picture. “Prior to my first time light painting, I was under the impression that it was pretty easy,” Dukovic said. “I initially tried it on my own, which didn’t turn out that well. Everything
was blurry because I didn’t set the focus right, and I didn’t know what apertures and shutter speeds to use.” Along with the proper camera set-ups, it is important to find a place with as little light from outside sources as possible. “The biggest thing that you have to take into consideration would have to be ambient light,” Havlik said. “You would be surprised as to how a street light 100 feet away or a full moon can effect your shot, so always be aware of the surrounding light, and always come with spare batteries, for the camera, flash bulbs and any other lights used for the photo.” With so many things to consider before even taking a light painting photo, some may be discouraged to attempt choreographing a
shot. However, one should utilize any advice given as helpful guidelines and not as restrictions to disenchant anyone from capturing their own photos. It helps to have encouraging and adventurous friends to go out and make an elaborate light painting photo. The pure enjoyment of it all comes with one’s attitude and approach. With such an easy form of artwork, all it takes to light paint is friends with proper cameras and creativity. “I find it to be such an interesting medium of photography,” Havlik said. “You have to compose the shot all in your head, and it is always exciting since you do not know how the picture will turn out until you see it on the camera screen.”
Dull plot makes “Takers” mediocre despite eye candy cast Cast members T.I. and Chris Brown disappoint regardless of popularity in music industry By Rebecca Ruff Senior Staff Writer
While the trailers make “Takers” seem as though it is a more recent “Ocean’s 11,” it is not. George Clooney did not do parkour in “Ocean’s 11.” “Takers” is a classic gangsters-pulling-heists-withthe-cops-in-heavy-pursuit movie, but with an impeccably good-looking cast (Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez, Michael Ealy, Tip ‘TI’ Harris, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Zoe Saldana to name a few), quick dialogue and snazzy suits. It has everything one could wish for in a movie with no depth; the cops are dirty, the gangsters are classy and Chris Brown rides a motorcycle. The plot is incredibly similar to the 2003 Mark Wahlberg film, “The Italian Job,” though with even less character development and a worse script. The movie “Takers,” directed by John Luessenhop, revolves around a notorious group of bank robbers who continue to foil the police and pull off perfectly wellorganized heists. They are in and out of the jobs with precision and planning that is unparalleled by other action movies and their escapes are always incredibly creative. The characters are hard-boiled criminal geniuses but they still have enough presence of mind to lay low in between jobs to brush up on their piano lessons and read classy books. After the motley crew of criminals pulls off their biggest job yet by stealing millions from a bank, they receive a huge surprise when their old colleague, Ghost (T.I.), gets out of jail early and starts harassing them about doing a new job with him. It quickly becomes clear that Ghost was not a popular man, and that they left him to die during the last job, so they are not exactly sure of Ghost’s intentions. While the specific event that led Ghost to be injured and sent to jail was never actually uncovered, it causes a fair amount of unrest. After lots of negotiation and bartering at swanky apartments and clubs, they finally decide to go through with the job that Ghost offers them. It is the biggest job they have ever done, and by far the most complicated. The only problem is now they have a hardened detective on their trail (Dillon), and he is willing to risk everything to catch them. His family troubles with an anonymous wife and a doting daughter seem to drive his need to catch the criminals, and even though he has a tough outer shell, he is really a stand up guy. Just like everyone else, the detective has absolutely no character development. His motives are unclear and he has a warped sense of justice. Throughout the film it gets less and less clear whether he is meant to be the hero or the foe. The director executes a feeling of urgency and deception throughout the film effectively, and even though the plot is slightly lacking, the young attractive cast members are appealing and the emotion and vibe stays true from beginning to end.
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(From top left) Chris Brown, Idris Elba, Micheal Ealy, T.I. Harris, Hayden Christensen, and Paul Walker star as the main group of notorious bank robbers in the action movie “Takers.” The film leaves a sense of a job well done and though to his charms, witty comments and his devilishly askew fedora. the ending is a little obscure, there He plays the best friend of a gangis no doubt that what needed to get ster and has no other role except that done was done. of a foil. Christenson does not have any The cinematography is well shot Director: John character development, but he does and the different views around the city Luessenhop have a few sassy lines and a frantic are truly a sight to see. The sweeping fight scene while trying to acquire shots and dramatic scenes are well Cast: Matt Dillon, Paul ammunition for their big heist at the done. The scene where Brown jumps end of the movie. through traffic is incredibly thrilling. Walker, Idris Elba Besides the actors, the camera The cast is new and fresh, along with being chock-full of well-known Running Time: 107 min. work and backgrounds are beyond magnificent, and help give the movie actors that gives the movie some much Rating: PG-13 its dramatic, romantic and completely needed credibility and distinction. over-the-top, spectacular feel. Christenson steals the movie with While the plot is more than a little his classy personality and renders the entire female population watching the movie helpless muddled and there is no clear beginning or ending, the
Takers
story is still entertaining and the action scenes are literally “to die for.” Despite the fact that the vast majority of the movie is spent with the main cast walking dramatically in a horizontal line with sweeping music playing in the background, when it finally gets to the fight scenes you will find it was worth enduring the very undistinguished dialogue. The dialogue itself is probably the weakest point of the movie, consisting primarily of melodramatic phrases that lead to the scene fading to black. Even though there is literally no character development and the script is hopelessly clichéd, it is an entertaining movie if all you are looking for is simple enjoyment. It is perfect for a date night since there are plenty of explosions, guns and fast cars for the men and plenty of dressed up, clean-shaven gangsters who will appeal to the female viewers. The masculine crowd will appreciate the clever schemes and constant action that the actors are continually absorbed in. The style and class of the bandits is a wonderful sight on its own, but that is basically all that the film has to offer. While T.I. and Brown lounging in fancy apartments and suites, drinking scotch and discussing how to steal money from a bank can be a quality scene, it is not enough to sustain an audience for the duration of the 107 minute film. “Takers” is enjoyable in it’s simplicity and class but there is relatively no substance. The movie falls to pieces if the viewer is looking for more than young attractive actors and expansive backdrops. The filming of the city’s skyscrapers lit up provides a glamorous feel on the big screen and if the movie is worth nothing else, the location is appealing. “Takers” is sure to go down as a classic cops-androbbers movie; it has suave men walking away from an explosion without looking back and piling into fancy cars, it has Christensen diving and shooting two guns at the same time and it has million dollar heists. While it is not the most original movie ever made, it can still be entertaining as long as one enters the movie theater with low expectations and a mindset for some snappy action and nice special effects. The most mind-boggling part of the entire film is trying to figure out whose side to root for. The gangsters seem classy and snarky enough to be our undeniable heroes, but the hardened cop pursuing them is having martial problems and has a sick kid, so there is some ambiguity to whose side to take. This conflict between a relatively likeable cop and sexy gangsters is the most complex aspect of the film, which shows how shallow the plotlines are. Of course, as soon as Christensen comes on the screen in a hipster hat and tattoos while playing the piano the entire case is moot. So despite the formulaic plot and mediocre (but attractive) characters, “Takers” is a fun movie to see, and while one might just rather pick up “Ocean’s 11” from the movie store and skip the entire endeavour, remember, it would lack Chris Brown parkouring through traffic, a rare scene.
A&E
B12 • September 27 , 2010
Taiwanese restaurant serves range of pearl milk tea Verde Tea Café in Mountain View provides a delicious and diverse menu By Austin Smith Senior Staff Writer
Nestled in the heart of Mountain View lies Verde Tea Café, a quaint, classy Taiwanese restaurant. Adjacent to Castro Street, the heart of the downtown area, Verde is guaranteed to constantly be buzzing with life and full of customers. The area itself boasts an impressive variety of cultural diversity, with stores ranging from Mexican taquerias to Vietnamese pho noodle shops. Despite competition from nearby Asian boutiques, Verde maintains a steady flow of customers through its original menu concepts and friendly environment. Verde, designed for teenagers and adults, has a modern and trendy vibe. One of the supreme aspects of the café is its large, diverse menu. A limitless amount of food is displayed on a chalkboard behind the cash register, ranging from slushee-like freezes to fried chicken dinners to Taiwanese teas. However, despite such a wide assortment of menu items, one in particular earns Verde its prestigious reputation. Verde is most well known for is its pearl milk tea. Verde’s boba is considered one of the best in town, attracting the majority of customers despite a Tapioca Express a block away. Consisting of Taiwanese tea and milk, there are also marble- sized balls of Tapioca called “boba” that are included in the drink. The result is a delicious blend of unique Taiwanese pearl tea flavor. John Richardson, a regular customer to Verde, orders boba every visit. “Pearl milk tea is a cheap delicious beverage that I love to consume on a weekly basis,” said John Richardson. “The chewy tapioca balls and ice cold tea make it an ideal drink for those hot summer days.” Another unique menu item is the thick toast. These are essentially french-toast sized pieces of bread that are toasted and spread with delicious flavored powder: the result being a tasty, crisp piece of flavored Taiwanese toast. Like most other items on the menu, there are an incredible number of flavors for the toast, with variants ranging from butter to blueberry to coconut. The most fantastic characteristic of the menu is its diversity. While some restaurants carry only several flavors of items, Verde for the most part covers the entire spectrum of possible food variations. For example, they make more than simply one flavor of freeze, and carry exotic alternatives such as peach, kiwi, pineapple, green apple and red bean. Despite such a huge selection of food, service at Verde is extremely inconsistent and unreliable. Although the food itself is deliciously made and employees are friendly, they constantly forget orders which can irritate impatient customers. However, this forgetfulness is somewhat understandable because of the sheer amount of customers the employees have to deal with. In the center of the block, the large window of Verde greets the public. Upon walking in, a large wooden divider funnels customers right towards the register. Unfortunately, the physical size of the front of the café is much too small,
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Noa Dagan, Rachel Mewes and Rachel Stober
Going clockwise starting from top left picture: Alex Lin/Campanile, Marc Havlik/campanile, alex lin/campanile
Verde’s pearl milk tea, one of the most popular items on the menu, is a delicious blend of ice cold tea with an interesting mix of chewy black tapioca balls that satisfies customers. resulting in lines that overflow through the doors and an uncomfortably, crowded interior. The lack of outside seating further compounds this issue. Once inside, an elongated counter holds the cash register, followed by several menu items and the food pickup area. Next to the pickup area lays the indoor seating. In a linear hallway about eight feet wide, Verde packs in two columns of mediocre seating options, leaving patrons cramped. On the left side are booth seats and chairs, while the righthand tables are composed of uncomfortable booth seating and more wooden chairs. When the number of customers is low during unpopular eating hours, the dining area is bearable. However, after just a few customers sit down, Verde immediately
Verde Tea Cafe 852 Villa Street Mountain View, CA
The Art of Light Photos by Marc Havlik
What is it that wakes you up in the morning? Could it be the light filtering in through the window? Light, is an interesting force of energy that helps you to go about your daily tasks. Although people everyday are conscious of the fact that they need light to function, one may not stop to notice what little things can be achieved such as the manipulation of light. In light painting one can make graphic designs utilizing various sources of light to paint an image as if the light itself were palpable.
feels incredibly crowded and loud. Claustrophobics should avoid using the tables inside during popular eating hours. The room fills with customers and the environment becomes much more hectic. There is a television in the corner, and although there is outstanding visibility of the screen no matter where you are inside, the volume itself is much too low to be heard no matter how many customers are inside. Verde is absolutely not a cafe to sit down in and watch sports or news, but it is an excellent alternative to a standard café or full-scale restaurant. Instead of just stopping by for a quick drink or an entire meal, Verde finds a balance between the two, offering very light meals and refreshing beverages. They seem to focus more on variety than quality, although prices stay fairly low across the entire menu. Verde provides decent food mixed with unique concepts and is an absolutely great location to stop by for a light meal or drink.
The Campanile: What do you think of Paly so far? Kian McHugh: I like it, it’s better than Jordan. TC: What didn’t you like about Jordan? KM: I got sent to the office a lot, so that wasn’t too fun. TC: What did you do? KM: Small things I guess. TC: Like what? KM: Like food fights and goofing off in class and such. TC: Tell me about this food fight. KM: We were probably like three quarters through the year and lunch got pretty boring and we didn’t really do anything so it just kind of started. Like we were parallel to the girls’ table and someone just threw something then backfire started and then someone convinced me to throw an open yoplay yogurt and that didn’t turn out too well and I ended up getting in a little bit of trouble. TC: So what’s your favorite part about Paly? KM: Probably having a P.E. prep, that’s really nice. I’m able to go downtown at lunch and get better food than Town and Country and just hanging out with friends. TC: What do you have a prep for? KM: Waterpolo. TC: How’s that going? KM: It’s going pretty good, it’s fun. TC: What’s your favorite part about waterpolo? KM: Well just being on JV is fun because so far we’re undefeated. We beat Los Altos and they’re suppose to be the best team but now we’re better. TC: Have you been getting hazed? KM: I have not been getting hazed too bad. TC: Too bad? KM: I mean you followed me around school for a bit but… TC: I meant waterpolo hazing ? KM: Oh not really no. TC: What are your favorite extracurricular activities outside of school? KM: Well mostly I’m just doing homework and waterpolo because that’s all time lets me do but I like going to the movies, hanging out with friends, listening to music and such. TC: What kind of music do you listen too? KM: Hip hop, rap and the occasional country. TC: If you were a rapper what would your rapper name be? KM: Oh that’s a tough one, um… probably something involving the words fresh or filthy. TC: If you could spend your day doing anything and money wasn’t a factor what would you do? KM: I think it’d be pretty cool to try bungee jumping, sky diving and paragliding all in the same day. TC: If you could take one person with you on this adventure who would it be? Person, thing or animal. KM: Probably Megan Fox, because then that’d be pretty cool, because then you’d be doing crazy stuff with a movie star. TC: Any love interests at the moment? KM: Any love interests? No. As a freshman I’m staying single. TC: Any teachers you’re interested in? In your opinion whose the hottest teacher at Paly? KM: That’s semi-awkward. I haven’t seen too many. I mean most of my teachers are pretty old, or male. I don’t think there’s too many attractive teachers that I’ve gotten to know yet. TC: What’s your favorite color? KM: Favorite color, blue and red. I’m a Red Sox fan. TC: Favorite number? KM: 14. TC: Favorite country? KM: Spain. TC: Favorite food? KM: That’s tough. Pizza’s pretty classic, I feel like I could eat a lot of pizza and not get sick of it. TC: Favorite planet? KM: I guess I’m suppose to say Uranus yeah? TC: Do you have any pets? KM: Yes, I have a dog Pazia, and a cat that doesn’t really live with us, but it’s ours technically. Oh yeah and I have chickens too. TC: What’s it like raising chickens? KM: I mean it’s not that bad it’s kind of annoying because they wake you up pretty early in the morning sometimes. TC: What are your responsibilities with the chickens? KM: I have no responsibilities with the chickens and don’t plan on it. TC: Do you play with the chickens? KM: No. TC: Do you eat the chicken eggs? KM: Yes I do eat the chicken eggs. TC: How are they? How do they compare to your average supermarket eggs? KM: Well the cool thing about them is they’re different colors. Like one’s blue, one’s pink, one’s white and one’s green. So they’re all different colors so that’s pretty cool but on the inside they just taste kind of fresher I guess. TC: Describe yourself in six words and three sentences. KM: I am Kian. I enjoy life. I am athletic and enjoy being active in activities such as waterpolo, hanging out with friends, listening to music, going to the movies and such. It’s tough with three sentences. Last sentence, you could describe me as an energetic, fun and comical person. TC: You don’t seem to be very comical. KM: I apologize. I mean you kept me waiting in the quad so I lost a lot of energy.