Issue 6 - The Prospector - 2015

Page 1

F RI DAY, A P RI L 3, 2015

The Death DEATH Penalty: HOOSING

should America reconsider policies on the death penalty?

Worth the Costs?

Digital Media Masters

FEATURES pages 6 & 7

OPINIONS page 5

VOLUME 56 NO. 6

A Blue Perspective

Lifestyles page 9

FLIP SIDE page 12

Sleeping with Jeff

The Prospector

CHSPROSPECTOR.COM

Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School

10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014

Night at the Museum

A change of venue brings mixed reactions at the Children’s Discovery Museum

ANIRUDH PAI copy editor

Prom evokes images of gargantuan venues, candle-lit dinners, and the creation of a junior prom dress group on Facebook. While the imagery of prom seems steadfast with the typical symbols, this year, the Class of 2016 held its prom at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose. After holding a survey to display the choices, the junior class voted to hold this year’s prom in the museum because of the many exhibits and activities, as well as the fact that survey results indicated that a “regular” venue, such as a dance hall or ballroom, would have been unoriginal. The act of planning a memorable prom took immense effort. Nagamtsu also noted that the junior class received a significant amount of help planning and executing the prom from Assistant Principal Andy Walczak. “[The class] council split up [...], and at one point each person had [his or her] own job to do, such as contacting the photo

booth [...] or making invitations,” said junior Kristen Nagamtsu. “We had to plan decorations, make promo videos, as well as sell tickets.” The unusual location led many students to change their original perceptions of what a prom is supposed to be like, and

A lot of people were [put off at first] by the idea of the dance being at the museum, but I think it went perfectly. - Junior Sophie Ku ultimately resulted in a positive experience for many. “Junior prom was an unique dance because of the venue; I really had a great time at the Children’s Discovery Museum,” said junior Sophie Ku. “A lot of people were [put off at first] by the idea of the dance being at the museum, but I think it went perfect-

ly. There were m a n y things to play around with and take fun pictures in addition to a space for a dance floor.” However, as is the case with all changes, a portion of the population was dejected with the overall decision and the result of the prom, ranging from the food to the organization of the venue. “Junior prom was something I have been pondering [...] for years, even before I could understand the idea of prom,” said junior Tatiana Wright. “I loved how “magical” the night was and how much preparation it took, yet it really wasn’t worth the money, especially [because it was] in March. I did not have enough time to prepare, as it was the beginning of the semester and it was really stressful [to balance prom] with all my other activities.” Regardless of the various opinions, the school’s 2016 Class Council created a night to remember at this year’s junior prom. “The best part about prom was seeing everyone, even the chaperones, having fun and smiling and laughing and enjoying their prom,” Nagamatsu said.

AP US History curriculum changes Williams receives New test format emphasizes analysis over memorization JAY SHROFF online editor

In September 2014, The College Board, creator of the SAT and AP tests, released a new format for its AP U.S. History (APUSH) test. The new format reduces the number of multiple-choice questions and instead focuses more on writing, with the addition of 4 “short-response” writing questions in the place of 25 multiple-choice questions. Lawrence Charap, Director of AP Curriculum and Content Development, wrote in a column for the National Council for History Education that the new test “assesses the use of historical thinking skills as applied to the key texts and events of American history” better than the previous test. The curriculum for the AP tests is written by college professors and other professionals familiar with the college-level classes on that subject. To revise the APUSH test, The College Board gathered history professors from around the country and asked them to set a curriculum that would parallel those completed by college freshmen. The new curriculum set for this year is designed to move away from rote memorization and fact-gathering and instead focus more on taking stances on political, social and economic issues facing America at a given time. Charap writes that “these [new] questions will ask students to put these texts into context and make valid connections across time and place, in the way that historians usually reason about unfamiliar historical evidence.”

Jefferson Award

Throughout the last few years, The College Board has been announcing the release of the new format and curriculum, but was never able to bring those changes to fruition until last year. The course and test are one of the most popular that The College Board offers, with close to 500,000 students taking the exam in 2014. There has been a large controversy about the new standards; many people compare them to the recent Common Core changes around the nation, as Common Core also push-

and events.

[The new test] is more concept- and theme-based, instead of memorizing facts like dates - AP US History Teacher Kelly Roush

es for more reading and analyzing. On one hand, many history teachers appreciate the change, as the greater freedom to choose what evidence and what stance students take on their answers allows them to better explore the implications of important events in U.S. history. An example of this is that teachers are no longer forced to teach students the date of the Boston Tea Party; students should only be familiar with the time period relative to other events and the consequences of the event. Changes to AP US History, continued on page 3

THU DAM

JEFFERSON AWARD RECIPIENT | Charles Williams, the recipient of the Jefferson Award, has taught at the school for ten years.

BRIAN ZHONG news editor

Math and science teacher Charles Williams won the Jefferson Award, an award that recognizes outstanding public service. The Jefferson Awards Foundation, the national organization that grants these awards, strives to empower youth to become productive global citizens and to celebrate individuals who engage in public service. Williams not only taught at the school for ten years, but also assumed the role of Robotics advisor for the past eight years. Said Williams, “I work with the teams to help them organize, train and understand the strategies and other things that an athJefferson Award, continued on page 3


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