the round table
volume XX, issue X
of stuart hall high school
month year
Mexico Service Trip
Knights embark on a Mexican adventure
page 12
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Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume VI, Issue III | April 2011
the round table a forum for students
roundtable.sacredsf.org
editors@shhsroundtable.com
Table of Contents Restaurant Review
Jester Corner
School News
Sports
North Beach Restaurant ...................................3 Can you figure out who is who?..........................15
Knights Basketball Recap..................................9 The British Invasion...........................................5 Pinning the Competition.....................................5 Hip Hop Club.......................................................7 The New Kids on the Block.................................7 Mac Miller’s New Album...................................13 Walk Tall.............................................................8
Review
Special Features
College Profile
The Year of the Rabbit..................................6
Stanford Univeresity..........................................4 An inside look to this festive Chinese celebration.
Technology
Video Games and the Morality Meter.........10-11
A New Experience, Culture, and Outlook on Life...............................................................12 Brandon La tells of his journey in Mexico.
Job Corner
Professional Advice..........................................14
Back Cover Photos clockwise from top left Ms. Hellstrom, Ms. Hellstrom, Ms. Saltveit, Devin Chen, Ms. Saltveit, Ms. Chuakay
Cover Photo Courtesy Mr. O’Connor Students of the Mexico Service Trip leaving on a truck.
Staff and Publication Information Print & Digital Media Faculty Moderators Ms. Blair Ms. Cenzer Mrs. Saltveit
Editors Matt Chan Jack Pardini
Layout Editor Ben Liu
Website Editor Connor Bottum
stuart hall high school
member
Submissions All submissions to the round table can be made by e-mail to editors@shhsroundtable.com. For more information, please see our submissions policies for Letters to the Editors and political editorials online at roundtable. sacredsf.org/policies.htm. Other material is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Staff Connor Abbott Michaele Andebrhan Robeil Andebrhan Lucas Chan Thomas Egan Christian Gehrke Raymond Jiang Gavin Klein
Brandon La Baldwin Liu Peter Melling Albi Solana Patrick Rosanelli Kevin Wong Joshua Wong Donovan Van
Yearbook Colin Allen Caleb Chertow Nick Cooper Mrs. Pollak Steven Wooley
Corrections the round table goes to great lengths to ensure that all material is accurate, timely, and factual. However, errors sometimes occur. If you notice a factual mistake, please send an e-mail to editors@shhsroundtable.com with “Reader Discovers Error!” in the subject line.
the round table | Founded 2005 by Nick Dietz, Corey Linehan, Tom Pardini, Joey Plonsker, Ms. Sarah Slonaker
editors’ corner Hey Stuart Hall, Congratulations on the beginning of the final quarter of the school year. There’s only a couple months left of the school year, and we’re sure you’re all working hard to finish the year strong. Congratulations also to the seniors, who have all been accepted to great colleges, and will be pursuing the next step of their school career away from home. As we enter this final stretch of the school year, we wish you the best in keeping up with your classes and finishing strong. With the seniors returning from their final retreat at Stuart Hall, we remind you to keep checking the round table website, and, as always, feel free to submit any photos you’ve taken or articles you’ve written to the round table so you can see your great work in the school newspaper. Go Knights!
T
Happy reading, Jack and Matt
North Beach Restaurant
by Joseph Jweinat’13
A delightful taste of Tuscany.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, in 1970, Lorenzo Petroni and Bruno Orsi founded San Francisco’s #1 Italian restaurant. Renowned for its authentic Tuscan cuisine, the North Beach Restaurant, located on 1512 Stockton Street, has been a must-visit dining destination for Bay Area families, romantics, tourists, conventioneers, business professionals, sports celebrities and movie stars over the years. In addition to customers enjoying the restaurant’s own Petroni Extra Virgin olive oil, many return for the following:
Restaurant: North Beach Restaurant Cuisine: Italian Address: 1512 Stockston Street Phone #: (415) 392-1700
•Relaxing Tuscan-style ambiance surrounded by original works of art, exquisite Florentine floor tiles, Carrara marble, Venetian granite, hand-crafted cherry wood paneling and vaulted ceilings created by Italian craftsmen.
Specialties prepared with the finest, freshest ingredients.
•Extensive Menu of Tuscan
•Wine from their very own
•Wine Spectator’s “America’s Top 100 Wine Lists,” featuring over 500 bottles of wine with Premiere Grappas, Ports, and Cognacs.
Guests at North Beach Restaurant can vouch for the good manners that greet them at the door and the fine, classic cooking from their kitchen. Maitre d’Hotel and Joel Pierre Schweitzer know how to treat customers, which is probably what makes the place one of ex-mayor and socialite Willie Brown’s favorite restaurants. In my opinion, I think North Beach is one of the best restaurants that I have ever been to in my entire
Petroni vineyards, which won the golden award at the Golden Glass Competition in SF. Also, in the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, their 2007 Chardonnay Napa Valley Green Island won the golden award, and their 2006 Rosso Di Sonoma won the silver award.
life. They have an exquisite atmosphere and quality food that you can’t stop eating. My favorite dish would have to be the tortellini, which is covered in Alfredo sauce, and it is amazingly delicious. I would also recommend the filet mignon and other different pastas, including the fettuccini. North Beach has been one of my all-time favorites, and you won’t regret giving it a try!
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q&a
College Profile: Stanford University
by Patrick Rosanelli’11
Alumni give us the lowdown on their colleges. Just down the road or “down on the farm” as it is usually referred to by locals, is arguably the pre-eminent University west of the Mississippi: Stanford. Stanford University was established in 1891 by Leland Stanford, a leading Republican and former Governor of California. His 15-year-old son, Leland Jr. died of typhoid while traveling to Italy. As they could not do anything for their own son, Leland, Sr. and his wife embraced the children of California as their own and decided to do something for all of them. The Stanfords established one of the first co-educational non-religious based universities in the country. The city campus was designed by the landscape architect of New York’s Central Park and has easy access to all the benefits of the Bay Area as well as Northern California. Total undergraduate enrollment is 6,520 with a slightly larger (52%) male population. It provides a quality mix of academics and athletics. In addition to accomplishments in NCAA Division I sports,
Stanford is the birthplace of industry giants such as Apple, Google and Netflix and such illustrious educators as Mr. Farrell, Mr. Buckley and Mr. Roos. Stanford is divided into seven schools. Four of these–Business, Education, Law and Medicine–offer graduate education. The others–Earth Sciences, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences–offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The school runs on the quarter system; each quarter runs approximately 10 weeks, excluding finals. Class size runs between 10 and 20 students, although lectures can be quite large. Stanford has in excess of 35,000 applicants this year. Historically their acceptance rate has been about 10%, but that will obviously be lower this year. They require the Common Application, the Stanford Supplement, the SAT or ACT, official school reports, and instructor evaluations. Over 90% of those accepted are in the top 10% of their class and score between 2100-2300 on their SATs. They do not require SAT subject tests.
Jovel Quiero, who graduated from Convent High School 2010, summed up her view after several months attending the university. “What I like best about Stanford is the freedom to be a nerd. It is different from a lot of colleges because it attracts Ivy-quality students who are also socially liberal. We maintain the image of a serious academic community that still provides a space for students to mobilize against flawed social constructs at home and abroad in effective forms of activism on and off campus. Class size depends. Intro-level lectures tend to be hundreds of students large and I’ve really struggled with that coming from a small community. This is especially true in the sciences since so many Stanford students enter their freshman year envisioning a pre-med track.”
Stanford at a Glance Undergraduate Students Male to Female Type of School Environment Tuition/room and board
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6520 52:48 Private City $45,608
school news
The British Invasion!
by Sebastian Sandoval ’12
The experiences of our Sacred Heart Schools exchange students. William Gamee and Shepsi Haider visited our brilliant city of San Francisco in February on a foreign exchange trip from England. They arrived on February 11 and attended our school dance: neon knights. The two boys, both 13 years of age, participated in our regular school activities and classes. They stayed at the homes of Joe Hildula ’11, Owen Dayton ‘11, and Cade Mclaughin ’10 for around four days each. While here they attended classes from Mr. Harrington’s A Period Advanced Geometry to Mr. Campos’ E Period Ethics. During their off time, the boys experienced the day to day life of a local and a tourist. They went shopping downtown, walked the Golden Gate Bridge, went to Alcatraz, and also went to a series of Stuart Hall’s varsity basketball games. They went with Jack Gruber, Owen, and Joe to the House of Air, a warehouse
trampoline park. I sat down with William and Shepsi for an interview in which I learned that they enjoyed their time here and would prefer to attend our school over theirs in England. They thought positively of our lax uniform, which they recalled as “great” and “so much better.” They additionally praised the strong community, great atmosphere, and single sex environment. Shepsi commented, “It’s a lot easier going to a boy school than a girls school. And you can go to Convent and meet girls so its not really that bad at all.” They regarded the singlesex setting as less distracting, but still entertaining with the opportunity to meet girls from Convent. William and Shepsi ended their time here on February 26 where they returned to London.
Pinning the Competition
by Peter Melling ’12
Wrapping up the 2010-2011 wrestling season. Wrestling was added to the Stuart Hall roster of athletics this year. Having started out life as a club sport last year, it competed well in pre-season tournaments and continued its success against teams who have been wrestling for years. The team has already produced athletes with NCS potential and shown real promise for a strong competitive future in the league. The team participated in the San Francisco Section for their league play and also participated in the MCAL for post-season playoffs in the hopes of qualifying for the North Coast Section. The dual meet record stands at 2-3. Our team consistently won pins for most of the members throughout the season. Mr. Woodard, one coach of the team, said, “I think the season was excellent. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. Assuming the guys who aren’t graduating come back, I think we could be a real force to be reckoned with. I think we have the chance to send guys to NCS this year which is unheard of for a first year program and I’m counting on sending more kids next year to NCS.” The guys performed as a team from the beginning, and although wrestling has a large individual component, the guys worked together in practice and in supporting each other at the matches and tournaments.
Team Captain Alex Asdourian, junior, who went undefeated in league competition, says, “Next year we’ll have more success as far as wins go, we’ll have learned a lot from our first season and take away some lessons from our defeats this year.” Junior Joe Hildula agreed, saying, “I thought we did really well this season and next year we’ll keep improving on our strengths.” The team has been a cohesive force in their determination to make Stuart Hall known as a wrestling powerhouse. The spirit of the team was nicely summed up by senior Alibrando Petrini, who said his favorite moment of the season was, “standing with the other guys with their trophies when they won the first tournament.” Rarely does a first year sport excel to the level that these Knights have been able to accomplish.
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special feature
The Year of the Rabbit
by Raymond Jiang ’12
Gong Xi Fa Choi (Mandarin) & Gong Hei Fat Choi (Cantonese)! day because it is a traditional performance that is usually only done a couple of times throughout the year. Junior Baldwin Liu did not celebrate by performing, but instead had a family connection. Baldwin says, “I love Chinese New Years! I get money from other people and get to eat a lot of food, but what makes me really happy is having my whole family Photo byRaymond Jiang ’12|| the round table and relatives, who I don’t Gong Xi Fa Choi, Gong Hei see too often, come over to my house Fat Choi, or Happy Chinese New and spend a day together.” Baldwin Years! This is a time of year when celebrated it like most typical people red envelopes filled with money are would; having a family reunion to given as a gift to others. Chinese reconnect with one another. He felt New Year was celebrated on especially connected with his family February 3 this year. because on that day, everyone was Receiving red envelopes is not happy and relaxed, and there was no the main purpose of Chinese New negativity throughout the whole day. Years, rather it is a chance to get I also celebrated Chinese closer to the Asian community New Years by being with my family and to be thankful. People follow but also going with my family to a many traditions in the celebration Chinese temple to pray to Buddha of Chinese New Years but every for a new beginning and to thank individual celebrates differently. him for everything. I go to the PaoThere are a good number of Hoa Buddhist Temple in San Jose. In Asians in the Convent & Stuart a Chinese temple, the main temple is Hall community that celebrate surrounded by many mini temples. this special day. Each person’s At temple, people traditionally pray celebration may be different but to different statues and finally pray they all aim to achieve the same thing: connecting with God and one’s at the main temple. When praying, one holds incense and prays to family. Buddha about his wishes for the Senior Joshua Wong New Year. I feel specially connected celebrates Chinese New Years by to Chinese New Years because when performing the well-known lion I am praying to Buddha, I feel one dance or showing off his kung fu with him and feel connected to the moves with his kung fu classmates whole community. to put on a show for others. He says, Chinese New Year doesn’t “I feel different today. I feel nervous have a specific day in the western but excited to perform for these calendar when celebrated every year people that will be watching me.” because it changes with the lunar Joshua feels spiritually connected calendar. The animal symbol is also to his community on that special the round table | page 6
changed every year; in ancient times, animals were selected to represent the year so that villagers who were illiterate could calculate the passage of time easier. Last year it was the tiger and now this year it is the rabbit. There are twelve different animals that are alternated every year in a repeating cycle.
Which Chinese Zodiac Symbol Are You? If you were born in … 1993 – your Chinese Zodiac is Monkey. You are considered to be lively, flexible and versatile. … In your work, you will show amazing creativity. 1994 – your Chinese Zodiac is Rooster. Roosters are considered to be honest, bright, communicative, ambitious and warm-hearted. You might be enthusiastic about something quickly, but soon might be impassive. You have strong self-respect and seldom rely on others. 1995 – your Chinese Zodiac is Dog. You have a straightforward character. In your career and love, you are faithful, courageous, dexterous, smart and warm-hearted. 1996 – your Chinese Zodiac is Pig. You are honest and frank. You have a calm appearance and strong heart, but may lack patience and independence. … You are tolerant and optimistic. 1997 – your Chinese Zodiac is Rat. People under the rat sign are usually smart and willing to accumulate wealth and to make efforts to be successful… Despite timidity, most are happy and harmonious with others. Source: www.travelchinaguide.com
school news
Hip Hop Club
by Donovan Van ’12
Photo by Donovan Van ’12|| the round table
So you think you can dance?
School dances! Ever been to one? They’re fun, right? Not for some people. There are tons of reasons for someone to not want to dance at a function. Will I look stupid? Will people laugh at me? Will I embarrass myself? While these are problems facing dance attendees, the main problem, the overarching one that encompasses all others, is confidence. This is the major factor
that must be embraced by a dancer to not be scared and truly have fun at a dance. Have you ever been to a dance but not had enough confidence to show your moves or been nervous because you really don’t know how to dance? Fear no more, because The Hall has just the club for you. Hip Hop Club was founded this year by sophomore Joseph Lam. This club is just the place you want to be if you have every felt nervous or scared at a dance. “We share things that we know, what types of dance we’re interested in, and we practice,” said Joseph. The time they have during activity period is devoted to showing each other videos of themselves and other dancers they emulate, sharing
music, learning new dance moves like the “Baby Freeze,” the most difficult one they know that requires a great deal of upper body and arm strength, and practicing by copying the experienced dancers in YouTube videos. By the end of the semester, their group goal is to be comfortable enough with their moves in order to upload one video per member onto the Internet. In regards to dances, they attend every one. The Hip Hop Club is full of excitement, fun, strength, and social interaction. If you have trouble working up the courage to dance at dances, I would recommend this fun club to you. Learn new moves, gain confidence, and impress that girl you are always eyeing at the dances!
The New Kids on the Block
by Connor Satterfield ’12
Introducing the new Knights. Immediately after the first semester ended, two new boys were brought to the Hall. Their names are Trayvon Hicks and Rodney McKinney. Both of them came from Leadership High School. Trayvon Hicks plays football and runs track. Rodney McKinney played basketball for the JV Stuart Hall High School team. When asked why they left the school they shrugged and said that they did not like Leadership, and they wanted come to the Hall. We interviewed them and this what they had to say: How did you feel when you left your old school to come to this school? Rodney: I felt very very good. I came here and made a lot more friends. The teachers were welcoming. Trayvon: I felt excited about coming to school. Felt like I would have a better future coming to this school.
What has your experience at the Hall been like so far? Rodney: Great. Loving it. Trayvon: Great experience so far. Meeting new people and learning more. Do you play any sports? If so, what are they? Rodney: Basketball and football. Trayvon: Track and football. How was your first week at Stuart Hall? Explain. Rodney: Wonderful. Trayvon: Fantastic. What are your favorite classes? Rodney: English. Trayvon: World History 2. Have you learned and enjoyed your classes a lot? Rodney: Yeah. I am learning a lot so far.
Trayvon: Totally. I am learning more than I did at Leadership. How do you get along with the girls at Convent? Rodney: I said Hi. Trayvon: I haven’t seen them yet. I want to meet them though. Have you gotten used to the schedule? Rodney: Somewhat. Trayvon: Kind of. How is your homework workload? Rodney: Great. Its okay. Trayvon: Decent. Who is your favorite teacher? Why? Rodney: I’m not used to them yet. Trayvon: All of them are tight.
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school news
Walk Tall
by Lucas Chan ’14
Faculty Profile: Mr. Buckley. Mr. Buckley was one of the first teachers hired at Stuart Hall and has been around for nearly a decade, yet he is one of the most elusive teachers we have. Very little is known of Mr. Buckley and his hobbies, which makes his life even more interesting. Born in Sacramento, Michael Buckley was raised with a love of learning and decided to continue his studies throughout his life. He was accepted into Stanford University, where he joined the crew team and regularly practiced to the best of his abilities. After graduating with two bachelor’s degrees from Stanford, Mr. Buckley decided to take an offer to become one of the first teachers at a new school in San Francisco—ours. He says he was excited to take Photo by Lucas Chan’14|| the round table the opportunity to become win first place for the fastest timed Buckley took the freshman history part of a startup and work team during Race For The Cure class on a “tour” of the school twice at a brand new school. He also in 2010. He says he enjoys the for messing around in class. The continued his education, and outdoors and jogging, and over tour included running through now holds a master’s degree the years, has developed quite the the gym, upstairs through all the from Stanford, and a master’s stamina that can contribute to his levels, and concluded with running and doctorate degree from UC expertise as a cross-country runner back down to room 102. Berkeley. and coach. As a child, Mr. Buckley After teaching history, Mr. Buckley’s teaching found learning an exciting and religion and theology at SHHS for methods have been described as enjoyable experience, and tries about 11 years, Mr. Buckley has interactive and hands-on. “Mr. to incorporate the message into developed a fondness for outdoor Buckley is an extremely smart and every class. He also believes that sports, especially cross-country sarcastically funny guy. I love his while learning may be enjoyable, running. Being the head coach of class and he makes learning fun,” students must be aware that every cross-country, Mr. Buckley tries says freshman Connor Abbott. Mr. class work and test may determine his best to train and push student Buckley tries to give many projects their future. Students must be athletes to the best of their and in-class activities that get aware of their actions and make abilities. students involved in the subject the best of their opportunity in “Mr. Buckley is a great matter. Although most of the time high school. Mr. Buckley feels that coach. He knows his materials Mr. Buckley tries to use as little he can only do so much to give and knows what to do to help disciplinary action as possible, he students a head start in life, but in make us into a better team,” says is also known for making students the end, it is up to the students to sophomore Robeil Andebrhan. Mr. do jumping jacks, push ups, and make the best of what they have Buckley has truly formed a superb other physical exercises to keep learned. cross-country team during his time them in line. On one occasion, Mr. coaching, and has recently helped the round table | page 8
sports
Knights Basketball Recap
by Connor Satterfield ’12
A Recap on the SHHS Knights Successes this Season. The Stuart Hall Knights once again displayed their strength by capturing second place in the regular season. In a league of competitive private schools, the Knights maintained a league record of 7-3, a record that was equaled by the Marin Academy Wildcats and only beaten by the University Red Devils. Overall, the Knights maintained a record of 16-13. There were two tough games that rounded off the regular season for the Knights. A game against league rival, the Marin Academy Wildcats, was a nail biter until the very end. It was not until junior Tim Connolly provided the spark that SHHS needed. The game slowly turned into Stuart Hall’s favor as the Marin Academy offense collapsed in the second half. Tim Connolly scored a season high 19 points to help bring the Knights a win. Coach Johnson reported, “Tim is a total gamer and his play speaks for itself. He hit some huge shots and
had some great drives. All around a great performance from him.” However, it was not meant to be a fairy tale ending. In the season championship against University’s Red Devils, the Stuart Hall Knights put up a valiant performance, but in the end succumbed to University’s unrelenting three-point shooting. University Sophomore Chris Ma dominated the Knights leading his team in scoring with over 19 points. Overall, the Knights placed second in the league, an impressive performance from a team full of diversity. The team contained a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, who were able to come together and produce a successful season. The team was led by six seniors: Cameron Hayes, Tal Quetone, Connor Bottum, Ryan Fisher, Rahsaan Johnson, and Carter Chickering. Junior Ramey Syufy stated, “Their leadership made all the difference this season. Without
them things definitely would have been different. They were a big factor on the court and absolutely will be missed next year.” This could be said especially for seniors Rahsaan Johnson and Carter Chickering. Rahsaan led the team in points with 244 total and Carter led the team in both blocks and rebounds. In total, Carter had 74 blocked shots and 228 rebounds, impressive numbers for two seniors, whose presence will be sorely missed next year. However, the future looks bright with many players looking forward to play again next year. Junior Grant Kawahatsu said, “Next year is going to be tough. However, we have a lot of players returning and a large pool of JV players hungry for a spot on the team. We certainly won’t have trouble with a lack of players. Instead, it will be based upon whether we have enough room for the players looking for Varsity next year. This year’s juniors look forward to leading the team next year. The players are Brian Williams, LaBoyd Ricard, Tim Connolly, Grant Kawahatsu, and Ramey Syufy, as well as the sophomores of the team, Cade McLaughlin and Andreas Peritos. Together the team combined for a total of 1245 points, and averaged 44.5 points per game. The Knights displayed an impressive performance this season, despite rumors that the team would not achieve much in league play. The Knights look forward to a new season full of possibilities and opportunities.
Photo by Devin Chen, SanFranPrep.com. Used with permission. the round table | page 9
Technology
Video Game Developers and the Sliding Morality Meter by Kevin Wong ’12
Influences that may subject your mind to what is right or wrong. Since their inception, narrative-focused role-playing games (RPGs)have concerned themselves primarily with player interactivity within the game-world and the freedom to interact with virtual worlds and their inhabitants in any number of ways. Inherent to this aesthetic of immersion is player morality and his/her relationship to the artificial inhabitants of these virtual worlds. In the past decade, a scintillating crop of games has arisen from studios such as BioWare and Obsidian; these games turn morality into a central mechanic through which fun is derived. By presenting an ethically ambivalent game-world wherein player choice dictates the very fate of these virtual worlds, questions arise of the reward-punishment nature of these games, as well as the games’ strongly deontological inclination. Morality in video-games is thus a rather problematic aesthetic with its own share of contradictions in player-agency, subjectivity and moral absolutism and relativism. An Introduction BioWare’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), while not the first game to have had an integrated morality system, has one of the most historically significant. The game immersed its players in a rich sci-fi universe set 4,000 years before the events painfully depicted in The Phantom Menace. Its narrative revolved around the adventures of an amnesiac republic soldier trying to prevent a great evil from unleashing an ancient superweapon. The game carried with it a great sense of player-freedom, allowing the player to approach story-situations in any number of ways. When on a mission to rescue the the round round table table | page 10 10 | page
hostages from a Sand People enclave, one is given the choice of killing the Sand People and saving the hostages or trading moisture vaporators for the hostages. While this concept of player-agency is admirable, the stark black-and-whiteness of the game’s philosophical position seems rather shallow and un-nuanced. Perhaps what made KOTOR such a great game was its consistent ability to give the player the illusion that his/her moral choices had major consequences. The strong writing gave the player an illusion of importance, and despite the superficiality of the player’s actions in the real world, the decisions that the player had to make had real weight and impact on the gameworld and how non-player characters (NPCs) react. Nonetheless, how NPCs react to the player and the direction of the ludonarrative (the part of the game story that the player can control) and subquests seemed to be the only impact that the player had on the game. Ultimately, KOTOR still follows a fixed linear narrative with multiple endings. No matter how good or evil a player is, the game will always reveal its major twist on the Leviathan, and it will always conclude with an epic showdown on the summit of an ancient spacestation. While NPC perception and ludonarrative nuances could be impacted by the player, KOTOR lacked the range of narrative and moral dynamism expected from the best RPGs. As a result, KOTOR’s vision of moral freedom remained rather constraining in comparison to other games. Deontology, Moral Absolutism and Games Perhaps the most appalling
ramification to come out of integrated morality systems in role-playing games is the starkly deontological approach to ethics that these games take. (NOTE: I by no means mean intend to portray deontology as a black-and-white affair in this post, ethical approaches in reality represent a more nuanced balance between deontology and teleology, these games however, seem to take a stance of moral absolutism.) In the vast majority of morality-centric games, a player’s ethical choices take the place of a sliding “morality meter.” Player actions add or subtract points from the “morality meter” and depending on where the player stands on this “morality meter,” specific dialogue options and narrative paths might open or close. Fallout 3 puts this mechanic in the form of “Karma Points” and Mass Effect in its “Paragon/Renegade” system. The sliding “morality meter” mechanic represents an overly deontological approach to ethics that ultimately renders choices as black and white, universal laws being given without understanding or context (albeit, most such games draw their universal law from the real world). By rewarding or removing morality points from the meter, the game developer essentially decides what is moral and what is immoral. Thus, being an ethical person in these virtual worlds requires absolute conformity to the universal laws set forward by the game developers. Dissent from the moral norms established by developers results in punishment by morality point loss. While in other genres this may be acceptable as it expresses the developer’s worldview on ethics, in a genre as grounded in the mechanics of self-expression, exploration and
Photo by Kevin Wong ’12|| the round table moral freedom as the RPG, this sense of deontological moral absolutism is heavily problematic. SPOILERS AHEAD. At the climax of Fallout 3, antagonist President Eden gives the player a vial of an anti-mutagen agent to insert into Project Purity. The antimutagen agent will eliminate all Super Mutants and Ghouls from the Capital Wasteland, thereby restoring the area into a pre-war state. The game considers this to be an immoral decision and deducts Karma from the players that take this course of action. The moral decision in this case would be to sacrifice oneself in order to activate Project Purity without the anti-mutagen agent, giving purified water to mutants and non-mutants alike. In this context, Bethesda, developer of Fallout 3, advocates a Peter Singer-esque form of utilitarian altruism, that philosophical worldview being the universal law that the game advocates and judges its players actions on. Approaching Fallout 3’s situations from any other kind of ethical worldview, say, Randian Objectivism, could result in the player losing Karma for an action that they believe to be moral. Fallout 3, a game that in many ways offers unprecedented freedom to the player, ultimately judges the citizens of its virtual world by its own categorical imperative. While the player might be free to “be the bad guy,” the philosophical motives of the player
remain rigidly entrenched in the beliefs of the developer. Moral Relativism Much? A great ideological conflict between gamers and game-developers arises over the definition of morality. Even then, a totally teleological approach to ethics would defeat the purpose of morality being a central mechanic in role-playing games, relegating gameplay to no more than moral relativism. How then, can a logical balance be made between ethically challenging gameplay without demanding the player abide by unfamiliar ethical systems? Bioware answered this question by offering a wider range of possible quest-arcs and endings in Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, each of the possible paths of action offering its own pros and cons and none of them offering a specifically clear-cut ultimate good or bad decision. One KOTOR side-quest revolves retrieving a runaway droid for a mentally unstable owner. Upon finding the droid, it argues that his escape was for the good of its owner, who had grown anti-social and insane upon growing overly dependent on its companionship. At this point, multiple Light-Side solutions can be reached, allowing for the player to express their view of the situation through their own moral perspective. One can kill and loot the droid for DarkSide points, release the droid and hope the owner can become socially
independent or capture and return the droid to its owner. While the outcomes remained black and white and the conditions by which players are judged are strictly deontological, the player is given a degree of flexibility to explore the nuances of moral dilemmas. Other recent games have aggressively distanced themselves from moral absolutism. Another BioWare game, Dragon Age: Origins, addressed the problem by making its moral choices “aggressively grey.” Atari’s The Witcher (both games I have not yet had the opportunity to play) was marketed on “shattering the line between good and evil in a world where moral ambiguity reigns.” While deontological/absolutist games might squelch out dissenting worldviews with their view of “universal principles,” games that experiment with a teleological ethic remain just as problematic. According to Michael Campos, Junior philosophy teacher, such games “tend to take extreme positions of deontology and teleology.” Extreme deontology has the effect of predetermining what is moral, thereby categorizing contrary actions as immoral. According to Mr. Campos, “Our society is, to an extent, afraid of universal moral principles because it assumes static ethical standards, not taking context into consideration. Attempted advancements remain problematic, The Witcher’s catchphrase of “moral ambiguity being synonymous to moral relativism.” Escaping Moral Constraints Ever since playing Pokemon, the role-playing genre has always been my favorite type of game. Fallout 3, in particular, stands out as one of the most immersive and engaging experiences I have ever had in a game. However, the root mechanic in the role-playing game is “role-playing,” that is treating the game world as our own and acting as a citizen of these virtual worlds. In order for these games to matter on a philosophical basis and be more narratively engaging, game developers need to reevaluate the moral systems implicit in their games and the philosophical, not just moral, freedom that they offer.
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special feature
A New Experience, Culture, andthe Why Flying Colors? Outlook on Life by Brandan La ’11
Eight Knights embark on a service immersion trip to Mexico. SAN PEDRO CHOLULA, Puebla, México — During our school’s Ski Week, eight Stuart Hall students traveled to Mexico for a service immersion experience, a week of fun, community service and learning. After months of planning by Mr. O’Connor, the group of SHHS students flew into a new country and an entirely new experience. The eight included freshmen Jordan Mandel and Thomas Egan; sophomores Jono Otero-Caldwell, Nick Lukito and Trenton Lowe; juniors Brandan La and Donovan Van; and senior Marco Lancieri, who took this service trip for the second time. Mr. O’Connor and Ms. DeMartini accompanied the students to México. After having spent six hours on planes, the students stepped off the plane in Mexico City’s (Ciudad de México) international airport. Little did they know, they would be stepping into an entirely new experience that would radically shape their view of the world and themselves. Arturo Ortega Vela, who many first thought was a tour guide, greeted the group at the terminal. Arturo was, in fact, one of the founders of Community Links, the service organization that partnered with Stuart Hall on this trip. He led the group while his brother Sergio helped drive. After shopping for necessities like bottled water (because the tap was undrinkable), it became apparent that although the service group looked completely foreign, the students would be treated with consideration and patience, especially for those who didn’t speak Spanish. This sense of kindness existed in every Mexican we met, quickly bringing us into the the round table | page 12
new culture. Most of the first day was spent on a plane, but once the students got a chance, they quickly began to accustom themselves to the environment. The group arrived at Casa de los Amigos, a Quaker hostel with just enough beds for our school’s extremely tired group. But before they went to sleep, the students went out to La Revolución, a monument dedicated to Mexico’s revolutionaries. There, students had their first encounter with the Mexican indigenous culture, witnessing a traditional Aztec dance. The next day, Arturo led the young men to go sight-seeing, taking the metro to the main square (Zócalo). They entered the Metropolitan Cathedral and visited the Mayan temple ruins that existed when Mexico City was an Aztec city known as Tenochtitlan. Arturo explained the importance of Aztec culture, whose people spoke the native language of Nahuatl. Then the students went to our sister school in Mexico City, Colegio Sagrado Corazón. They talked to the school’s girls and played a friendly match of soccer. After two days in the capital, the service group was ready to head down to Cholula in the state of Puebla, where they would be spending most of their time. After driving two hours, past the towering volcanoes of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, the Stuart Hall service group arrived in Cholula. The students settled into dorms in the Community Links headquarters, which was right next to Sergio’s house. However, the houses were very different to those in San Francisco. They had a limited amount of water and no
hot water. Initially, the students found it difficult to deal with what they believed to be inconveniences, but later, realized that they just had been too used to the many luxuries back in the States. After unpacking, the group went out to Tecuanípan, a rural village, to visit Ina Vanooteghem and Manuel Palma, a couple who owned a green, self-sustaining house who were also partners with Community Links. The next day, the students went to the market in Cholula to shop around, trying exotic fruits, ice cream, and even chapulines (fried grasshoppers). They climbed to the top of a high Aztec pyramid and continued to snack on street food. On Monday, the students began work on Ina and Manuel’s land, digging a foundation for a school for the local children in Tecuanípan. Some worked the picks while others shoveled dirt into another pile to be made into adobe bricks for the school. Others went down the river to cut bamboo for structural support. Jono and Ms. DeMartini worked on a salamander sculpture in the new outhouse, which included a newly developed and totally green dry compost toilet that keeps local water sources clean. These toilets have the capability of radically changing the state of modern nations and the environment, saving water as they keep water sources clean. The students, from what they viewed as a more developed country, could really learn from those living in a rural farm village in Puebla and bring the idea back to the United States. The Stuart Hall crew also worked with high school students from Springfield, MA, from
Cathedral and Springfield Central High School. After a day of hard work, the students split up into pairs, spending the next two nights with local families in Tecuanípan. It was difficult initially because the families didn’t speak English and some students didn’t speak Spanish, yet we could still communicate without words. This family stay would be the most changing experience of the trip, and as Jono Otero-Caldwell would later reflect, “I was most affected by living with the families that live here in Tecuanípan… The family that I stayed with gave me everything that they could, and a little bit more.” This sense of amazing hospitality was evident in every single family with whom the students stayed. Some only made 50 pesos a day (less than five American
dollars) yet they gave the best to the students. Students stayed with a family that owned a bakery, and the first thing they gave their guests was a basket of bread, and even though it was their source of income, the family continued this hospitality throughout the stay. Mr. O’Connor would note, “The families where the students stayed for two nights… lived well balanced lives full of generosity and gratitude.” The students would later reflect on their experience in Mexico, via Mr. O’Connor’s laptop at an Internet Café. Each person had a different experience yet it was evident that each was eyeopening. The trip shed new light on their preconceptions of Mexico. As Trenton Lowe noted, “Throughout the trip, many of my preconceived notions of Mexican culture have been
New Slaps: Mac Miller
challenged by the actions and the behavior of the native people of this land… I now hold a much deeper respect, admiration and love for the people of this different yet magical culture.” Thomas Egan agreed. “I now see Mexico in a whole new way,” he said. Over short span of seven days, these 10 people, eight of whom are not even 18, had life-changing experiences in an entirely new culture, opened their eyes to a new view of life, not only in Mexico but in the United States as well. As Mr. O’Connor concluded, “Perhaps the students that come here will learn how to live differently in their daily lives and in their hearts.” If you wish to learn more, visit the service groups blog at http:// sacredsfservice.wordpress.com/.
Why Flying the Colors?
by Albi Solana ’11
What new beats Mac Miller offers in Best Day Ever.
Ever since he released his mixtape K.I.D.S. in August, Malcolm McCormick, commonly known as Mac Miller, has blown up from an underground artist repping Pittsburgh to a young phenom whose songs are played nationwide. Only 8 when he began writing his first rhymes, Mac Miller drew his inspiration from the likes of the A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast. His music reflects this inspiration, as Mac often raps to more relaxed beats than many that have been released lately. After being signed to Rostrum Records in July 2010 when he was 18, Mac Miller dropped his
third recorded mixtape K.I.D.S. only a month later. His hit “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza,” captured the hearts of teens, as it evokes a youthful laidback vibe in which Mac talks about his life as a young rapper. As his first polished mixtape was arguably one of the best for 2010, Mac’s next release, Best Day Ever, was highly anticipated. Prior to the mixtape’s release, Mac Miller leaked “Donald Trump.” As the title is selfexplanatory, the song embraces the idea of becoming extremely affluent and the opportunities that arise from wealth. The song was immediately a hit, as usual for Mac Miller, showing up on numerous music blogs and other websites. With the leaked song, the anticipation for Best Day Ever only increased. At 6:00PM on Friday, March 11, the link to Mac Miller’s fourth and arguably most-hyped mixtape was finally posted. The music was featured on several sites, as was the release of “Donald Trump,” and was immediately downloaded. After listening to the songs, I must say that the songs tend to sound
more mainstream than his previous work, yet still work to preserve the laidback mood Mac Miller is known for. While it does feature Wiz Khalifa, another upcoming rapper from Pittsburgh, I don’t feel Best Day Ever does Mac Miller’s artistic and lyrical ability justice. I only found myself listening to “Donald Trump” and “Best Day Ever” after going through the tracks. With summer approaching, however, I think I’ll just stick to K.I.D.S. for now. I do encourage everyone to check out both mixtapes; you’re sure to find a song you’ll like if you’re a music enthusiast like myself. As spring break is just around the corner, kick back, relax, and slap some Mac. Sidebar: Nowadays, mixtapes are referred to as “underground” CDs that contains the music of an upcoming artist hoping to make mainstream. They were previously known as cassettes that contained homemade playlists.
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job corner
Professional Advice
by Connor Satterfield ’12
Get your name on top of any employer’s list. A Teenage Wasteland The US economy has been on a downward spiral since the stock market began to fall in the early days of October 2008. At that time, the Dow Jones Average fell from over 10,000 to below 8,500, a 15% decline in one week. This scare marked the end of an era, where many felt the United States was infallible. This sudden decline occurred because of a sudden loss of consumer confidence in both the stock market and the underlying economy. Currently, CEO’s are constantly cutting jobs; it is becoming near impossible to find work for many Americans. However, this is becoming even more difficult for teens, whose opportunities are being competed for by those with both previous experience and larger resumes. As a teen in this day and age, it is becoming increasingly important to find work. More often than not, jobs are available almost everywhere, if you know where to look for them. Most major corporations like Nike, Safeway, and Adidas post available jobs online on their website. Whereas small businesses might post signs in windows or advertise online. Raymond Jiang, who worked at his parent’s business over the summer said, “Working gives you a feeling of independence. You have to depend on no one, but yourself to make decisions. That is the hardest part because it’s all on you, no one else is there to take your side.” However, applying for a job does not guarantee being hired. A well developed resume that highlights strengths, performed services, and other jobs are what give your interviewer, a first look at the person applying. Having a strong resume will potentially put you the round table | page 14
ahead in the running before others vying for the same job. There is still hope, as of 2011 the US unemployment rate has fallen to 9.4% an all-time low since its rise back in 2008. This decrease indicates an increase of available work. This opportunity is still increasing as more and more jobs become offered for the emerging and awaiting workforce. It is entirely up to those who are searching for work to go out into the world and pursue it. Reviewing the Résumé When applying for a job one of the most important information you can provide a potential employer is a résumé. However, first time job seekers might be confused as to what a résumé is. A résumé is a one page summary of your education, work, volunteer experience, skills/abilities, interests, activities, and awards. It is paramount to highlight one’s strength and avoid pointing out the negative. Yet it is important to know why a résumé is important. A résumé makes job-seekers stand out. Not only does a résumé show the employer your previous work experiance and the skills that you offer, but it also shows that you are organized. There are two forms of résumés, a chronological résumé, and a functional résumé. A chronological résumé is organized around one’s work experience. It lists the previous jobs one has had,
followed by a description of what one did. The jobs are always listed from most to least recent. This type of résumé is good for people who have had at least one work or volunteer experience. A functional résumé focuses more on the skills one has rather than on job experience. It contains a separate section of skills and accomplishments and a list of only volunteer and job positions that one has had. It also should contain sections for awards and interests. This a better résumé for people who have not have any previous work experience. Overall, the résumé is one of the most important parts of the application process. It highlights one’s experience and strengths making a person seem like an ideal candidate.
jester’s corner
Welcome to the first edition of the Jester’s Corner: the page of jokes and games.
Fun Fact of the Quarter: Out of the 6 million March Madness fans who filled out a bracket on ESPN, only two correctly picked the Final Four. Joke of the Quarter: Why was the boy staring at the orange juice?
Because it said concetrate! the round table | page 15
best of the month
roundtable.sacredsf.org