Winged Post Friday, May 17, 2013
the
THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 14, NO.8
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500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129
COVERAGE OF THE CLASS OF 2013 GRADUATION
Oklahoma! nominated for Top Honors awards
IN BRIEF Baccalaureate Ceremony Seniors and juniors will convene in the Quad with their advisories on Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m. for the annual Baccalaureate ceremony. Student nominated faculty member Julie Wheeler and seniors Emily Wang and Carlos JohnsonCruz will address their peers during the event, which serves as an opportunity for the Class of 2013 to pass on the torch to the Class of 2014.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS Shenel Ekici (11) SUPPORTING ACTOR: Justin Gerard (12)
Prom: Midnight in Paris
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL THEATER: Simon Orr (12)
CHORUS ALL PHOTOS MERCEDES CHIEN -WP
MUSICAL DIRECTION: Catherine Snider CHOREOGRAPHY: Katie OʼBryon SOUND DESIGN: Brian Larsen and Nicholas Semenza (11)
OVERALL PRODUCTION
Themed Midnight in Paris, this year’s prom will take place at the Silicon Valley Capital Club in the San Jose Knight Ridder building tonight from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. All juniors and seniors are welcome, as well as underclassmen and students outside of school who are invited. A professional photographer will cover the event, and dinner and refreshments will be provided for all. Attendees must arrive by 9:30 p.m. in order to be allowed to enter the event.
BETTER THAN “OKLAHOMA OK!” This year’s Oklahoma! cast and crew participated in the SJ Top Honors program and earned nominations in multiple cateogries including Best Overall Production. As finalists in this category along with six other casts, they will once again perform the musical on June 3.
stephanie chen & shay lari-hosain reporters The Upper School performing arts department was recognized on Monday for its spring production of Oklahoma!, which earned eight nominations in the San Jose Stage Company’s annual Bay Area High School Musical Theatre Stage Top Honors Awards. Oklahoma! was nominated in two of the Awards’ most crucial catego-
ries, Best Overall Production and Best Ensemble, as well as in the following categories: Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Musical Direction, Choreography, Sound Design, and Student Achievement in Technical Theater. Simon Orr (12) was nominated for the Technical Theater category for his work as stage manager, in which he organized light and sound cues as well as activity backstage. “This is my first time [being nominated] and I’m very excited,” he said.
“The feedback that I got was that my cues were perfectly on time; the judges loved the tech and that’s something to be proud of.” Senior Justin Gerard, who played Jud Fry in the musical, earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. “I’m happy about it – it was a little bit of a shock, but I think I have a chance at winning,” he said. “The award is mostly just recognition, but [if I win] I’ll get to give a short speech about it and I kind of want to do that.”
students to compete NEXT LEVEL: Two in national tournament
Office of Communications Content Editor Catherine Snider was nominated for Musical Direction. “A musical director is responsible for every aspect of music in the show, so I teach all the music and all the harmonies, assign people to solos, and then hire and conduct the band,” she said. Though this year marks Snider’s fourth nomination in this category, she does not anticipate a win. Continued page 2
Graduation Ceremony The class of 2013 will graduate on Saturday, May 25 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Commencing at 9 a.m., the event will feature performances by an Upper School instrumental ensemble and campus-wide vocal groups, in addition to speeches by Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, valedictorian Ashvin Swaminathan (12), and Nipun Mehta, founder of servicespace.org.
Valedictorian named
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No salutatorian was named for the class of 2013 following the change to the Baccalaureate speaker policy.
sonia sidhu sports editor
Two lacrosse team members, Hannah Bollar (10) and Christine Lee (11), will be competing in the 2013 Women’s National Tournament for lacrosse on May 25 and 26 at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. In order to attend this tournament, the two girls had to first compete in the tryout process with five other teammates on April 21. Two twenty-girl teams were selected based on coaches’ observations through the tryout process. Both Hannah and Christine made second team, with Hannah as a field player and Christine as a goal-
CONGRATS CLASS OF 2013!
keeper. Head coach Andrew Irvine credits Christine’s success to her toughness and positive energy. “It is the hardest position to play in the field because you get direct feedback on how you are doing right away,” Irvine said. Christine has a block percentage of around 60 percent compared to the usual 40 to 50 percent of other league goalkeepers. She was also named Harker lacrosse’s Most Valuable Player last year. Hannah is the top scorer in West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) Skyline division and made first team all league. On May 12, the Northern Cali-
SENIOR SHOUTOUTS page 13
fornia second team had a two-hour practice. Because tournament rules state that each regional team can only have one two hour practice before the national tournament, it was the only chance Hannah and Christine had to get a feel for their teammates. Hannah is looking forward to the tournament because of the chance to see the the women’s lacrosse finals and be independent as she will be flying by herself for the first time. She is particularly enjoying playing with her team. “The tournament in itself with all the different girls coming together will be a lot of fun,” Hannah said. If their team wins the tournament, the girls will be on the national women’s lacrosse team.
LIFETOUCH
DON’T “CROSSE” THEM Sophomore Hannah Bollar (LEFT) sprints down the field during a game against league opponent Mercy Burlingame, while junior Christine Lee (RIGHT) defends the ball from an oncoming Stevenson opponent. Both girls will be traveling to Pennsylvania in May to compete in the US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament.
priscilla pan reporter
This month, Ashvin Swaminathan (12) was named valedictorian for the class of 2013. Ashvin will address the class of 2013 at graduation, and the chosen speakers Emily Wang and Carlos Johnson-Cruz will speak to both the class of 2013 and 2014 at the Baccalaureate ceremony. The valedictorian title is bestowed upon the student with the highest grade point average (GPA) throughout their high school career. Ashvin aims for his speech to “fall on the serious side” as well as to
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED
COLLEGE MAP 2013 pages 14-15
TOP OF THE CLASS Ashvin Swaminathan (12) has been named this year’s valedictorian. As part of that honor, Ashvin will address his classmates at graduation on May 25, 2013.
“shar[e] [his] views on many different aspects of our life in high school and beyond by walking through [his] own struggles.” Unlike previous years where the salutatorian made a speech at the Baccalaureate ceremony, the class of 2013 had the privilege of electing two representatives to speak this year. Additionally, the Upper School will not be recognizing a salutatorian since he/she will not be speaking at the Baccalaureate ceremony. Some teachers support this change in policy as it gives students Continued page 2
INSIDE: NEWS, 2 OPINION, 4 FEATURES, 6 GLOBAL, 10 SENIORS, 13,16
MAP, 14-15 LIFESTYLE, 17 SPORTS, 21 TECH, 25 BACK PAGE, 28
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News
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Four teachers to be missed next school year anishka agarwal reporter
Dr. Redfern Junior and senior English teacher Erin Redfern will not be returning as a full time teacher in the fall of 2013 in order to gain more time for her family and herself right now. Redfern has been teaching at the Upper School since 2007 and from the very beginning she felt comfortable and liked the vibe on campus. Over the years she has taught freshmen and junior honors and regular courses, along with senior electives such as Speculative Fiction & Society. Some of her favorite memories include the warm welcomes she received from Mr. Olivas and Dr. Spencer-Cooke when she first started working here as well as seeing some of her students, who were having a hard time, turn a new corner. “When I am at graduation and I see kids who have gone through a lot the four years they’ve been here and they are so happy and proud on that day; those are good memories,” Redfern said. She will miss being a part of something bigger and having a place to belong. While Redfern believes that saying goodbye to students is part of being a teacher, she will still miss some of her students and miss the fun, safe, and positive classroom dynamic created due to a particular mix of people in a class. Furthermore, Redfern will especially miss her colleagues. “I couldn’t imagine a smarter or more dedicated group of people. They are just really incredible people and I’m always astounded at the things they are doing even outside of teaching,” Redfern said. “It’s kind of humbling to work here.” She looks forward to the flexibility of her schedule, a little bit more quiet time and especially getting back to her writing and poetry. Students may still see Redfern on campus every so often next year as she is on the tutoring and subbing list. “I went through a really tough time in my life before I got this job and this was just such a wonderful place to come to,” she said. “It was part of my healing to be here and to be around such great people and such kind students especially, so I guess a big thank you to everybody here!” Mr. Ajerman Honors and AP Biology teacher Daniel Ajerman is another teacher that
TEACHERS LEAVING (TOP LEFT) Daniel Ajerman guides students through a lab that displays some of the human body’s reflexes. (TOP) In her English 3 class, Erin Redfern meets with her students individually about their Great Gatsby essays. (BOTTOM LEFT) Jennifer Siraganian walks around the classroom as students read a line from a piece of work they are studying in her Honors English 2 Study of British Literature class. (BOTTOM) John Heyes teaches one of his three Honors English 1. He has been at the Upper School since its beginning.
will not be returning this fall. From the very beginning, Ajerman has devoted himself to teaching. He has been teaching for 44 years and had taught in New York and Oklahoma before coming to California. As Ajerman reflected on what led him to become a teacher he told the story of his parents who were freed from a concentration camp by American soldiers. He grew up being told that he must give back to America. While his parents wanted him to become a pediatrician in underprivileged areas, he was attracted to being a teacher. “Everybody says we need heroes, someone to look up to. Well, I looked up to my teachers,” Ajerman said. Ajerman has also been able to incorporate his passion for music in his time at the Upper School by playing with Cantilena and playing at the Multicultural Fair last year. Just this year, he was able to further help the students by sponsoring research projects, taking part in a student’s film as an interviewee and becoming the advisor of GEO (Global Empowerment and Outreach). Ajerman also writes and grades for
Musical award nominations
MERCEDES CHIEN - THE WINGED POST
Cont’d
ALL PHOTOS BY ANISHKA AGARWAL - THE WINGED POST
As this year comes to the end, the class of 2013 will not be the only ones saying their goodbyes as four teachers will be leaving the Upper School.
NOMINATED Anna Kendall (11), Namrata Vakkalagadda (11), Naomi Molin (9), and Anika Gupta (11) sing and dance while performing in Okalahoma!, this year’s spring musical. Oklahoma! was once again nominated for several awards, including Best Overall Production, Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Musical Direction, Choreography, Sound Design, and Student Achievement in Technical Theatre.
“I generally don’t expect to win an award like this, because [the judges’] focus should be on the orchestras that have students in them,” she said. “We’re not really able to have [orchestra] students yet because we don’t have a theater, so my orchestra was a band of professional musicians.” According to Performing Arts Department Chair and Oklahoma! director Laura Lang-Ree, prevailing in the top spot is not the only goal. She believes that the Stage Top Honors Awards help students improve as performers, describing them as “the CCS of musical theater.” “Normally artistic endeavors are not meant to be competitive in nature,” she said. “What I like about the competition is that we’re adjudicated by industry professionals. When you’re in performing arts, one of the main ways that you grow is by receiving feedback and processing it, so it’s
really useful information to have.” The spring musical has been nominated in multiple categories every year since the Awards’ inception, with previous wins in Best Featured Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Ensemble. According to Zoe Woehrmann (10), who was a featured dancer in Oklahoma!, the Upper School’s ability to “make pictures on stage” was a key factor in its success. “The way we frame each group number really makes the ensemble stand out,” she said. “We seem like a huge group of people instead of just 28 people standing on stage singing, and that impresses the judges.” Winners of the Stage Top Honor Awards, modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, will be announced on June 3 at the Gala Ceremony, where the Oklahoma! cast will perform along with the six other Best Show nominees.
the AP Biology exams for CollegeBoard. He hopes to come to graduation and has made arrangements with the college counselors to write college recommendation letters for the current juniors. Mr. Heyes For the past 14 years, English teacher John Heyes has worked at the Upper School and has chosen this year to retire. When he started working here, the Upper School was just beginning, and he has enjoyed being a part of the growth process. The transition was appealing to him, especially within the English department. Heyes said he will miss not only the day-to-day interaction with students in the classroom setting but also the community life and this feeling of adrenaline each day. “Several times over the years one does not wake up feeling the best […] but once the bell goes, somehow the adrenaline kicks in and the need of the moment and so there have been many times I get to advisory or lunch and I go ‘Wow I don’t feel anything like I did before’,” said Heyes. “That stimulus is something I will
Cont’d
have to find a replacement for.” After retiring, some of his many passions that he is excited to devote more time to in his free time include volunteer work, travelling, bird watching, reading, practicing the piano and spending time in his garden. Mr. Heyes will be teaching one more semester in the fall of 2013 as a half-year substitute for fellow English teacher Alexandra Rosenboom, who will be gone on extended maternity leave. Ms. Siraganian Full, lively, and exciting are the adjectives Jennifer Siraganian used to describe her experience as an Upper School English teacher; an experience that will be coming to an end this year. Since she began, she has not only had two advisories but also created two entirely new classes (Creative Writing and Theory and Practice of Poetry and Fiction). She has also been an advisor of the National Honors Society and taught Russian Literature, regular and honors British Literature, as well as other courses. Siraganian will no longer be teaching, as after a series of injuries and sur-
geries, she has not had the chance to fully recover and gain that feeling of being strong and healthy. She believes that she is not feeling 110% and needs this time as she cannot be her best if she is not physically there. Siraganian does plan to eventually begin teaching again however. “I can’t imagine my life without poetry and students and teaching and the classroom, like I just can’t imagine that. I know that’s who I am and that’s what speaks to me,” Siraganian said. Siraganian’s favorite moments so far include activities she did with her students such as singing ABBA songs or taking them on blind walks. She will miss engaging in intellectual conversations with her smart and supportive colleagues as well as her students. “Every time I think about the students I start getting teary. I’ve loved all my students,” said Siraganian. “I’ve learned something from every single person who sat in my classroom. And that’s going to be really hard [to leave] because Harker has the most incredible students I’ve ever encountered.”
Valedictorian and Baccalaureate speakers announced
who may not have the highest GPA an opportunity to impart their wisdom to their peers. “I think it’s a good change because having something interesting to say and to share with the class doesn’t necessarily correspond with what your GPA is,” NHS advisor Evan Barth said. Carlos Johnson-Cruz is looking forward to delivering a message to the entire classes of 2013 and 2014. “I want to focus on one aspect I want to get across: the idea of choices, how you make choices in
life, going forward, [and] things of that nature,” he said. “I feel honored, [and] I hope I can live up to their expectations.“ Similarly, Emily Wang is excited to address her peers at Baccalaureate. “I really enjoy writing, so I guess I’m looking forward to the opportunity of sharing some of my thoughts with my friends,” she said. She plans for her speech to encompass the idea of “taking transient moments and making them into permanent experiences.” The Baccalaureate ceremony
will begin with several performances from members of the Conservatory, followed by the faculty and student speakers. After the valedictorian’s speech at graduation, as an annual tradition, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff will give the graduates advice for their future. The Baccalaureate ceremony will be held at the Upper School on May 23, and graduation will take place in the Saratoga Mountain Winery at 9 AM two days later on May 25.
Relaxed dress code implemented for remainder of the year dora tzeng reporter
Beginning Monday, May 6, students were allowed to wear t-shirts for the remainder of the school year. Kevin Williamson, the Dean of Students, sent out an email the week before APs to the student body regarding this dress code change. Although t-shirts are allowed, other dress code requirements are still in effect, so students may not wear sweatpants, yoga pants, or flip flops. The new t-shirt rule has received positive responses from the vast majority of students. “I like it because it’s a lot more comfortable,” Safia Khouja (10) said. However, some students believe that the administration could give a little more leeway in the dress code not only during the AP weeks, but also throughout the year. “The fact that we can wear tshirts now is good, but I think they need to loosen up on some other rules,” Patricia Huang (12) said.
“There are very few skirts or shorts I can find that are four inches above the knee.” Kianna Bisla (11) strongly agreed with Patricia on the fourinch issue. “Especially because it’s May and it’s really hot, I feel like many people do not have shorts that are four inches above the knee,” she said. “It’s not very realistic.” Other students took a more neutral standpoint and thought that the t-shirt rule during AP week was a nice addition. “I think it lightens my stress for the AP season,” Dennis Moon (11) said. “But I think it’s good that Harker only does it during this season, so we can stay classy [for the rest of the year].” Like Dennis, Andre Tran (12) believes that the school should only have a relaxed dress code during AP testing to contribute to a lightened, “casual mood.” “It’s really nice when you wake up and just throw on a t-shirt and go
take your AP test,” he said. “[Otherwise], people outside of Harker come here often to look at the campus, and if they see students wearing t-shirts, it’s kind of unprofessional.” Some simply liked the convenience of being able to wear t-shirts to school. “We don’t have to worry as much about what we wear--it’s just easier to pick out stuff to wear,” Andrew Zhang (10) said. “T-shirts are a better change because collared shirts annoying, and I think with t-shirts it’s just a lot more relaxed.” As for the freshmen, most do not take APs so the relaxed dress code is a benefit for them. “I like the t-shirt rule because it’s getting close to summer, so being allowed to wear t-shirts is better for the warmer weather,” Stephanie Huang (9) said. “I don’t take any APs, so it’s like a bonus for me.” AP testing ends today, but students will be allowed to wear t-shirts for the rest of the school year with no consequences.
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
News
After two years of memories, laughter, and games, the seniors will meet with their Eagle Buddies for the last time this school year next Friday during the first annual Eagle Buddy luncheon on the Saratoga campus. The Class of 2013 was the pioneer class for the Eagle Buddy program, which was created by History teacher Carol Zink. Because the program has proved popular and beneficial for both the Lower and Upper School students, future classes will continue to have Eagle Buddies. During the luncheon, students will give their Eagle Buddy a memento from the college that they will be attending, as something to remember them by as well as a potential source of guidance for their future academic careers. Michelle Zhang (12) is giving her Eagle buddy a teddy bear with a Carnegie Mellon sweater, as she hopes to combine the college aspect of the gift with something more fun and comforting for her buddy. She also plans to make her Eagle buddy a more special gift that commemorates their time together. “She’s like a little sister to me,” Michelle said. “It would be cool to come back for her graduation.” Initially the seniors met the then third grade Eagle Buddies two years ago as sophomores. The first meeting consisted of eating lunch at the Bucknall campus and playing a few games on the field and the playground with their buddies. Throughout the years, the events expanded to include making holiday themed gift bags, sharing stories of vacations, having the buddies come to the spring spirit rally, and watching the fifth grade show. Over the course of the program, the buddies corresponded through letters. “At first, my letters would pretty much follow the template that I got [because] there wasn’t that much to say,” Nikhil Agarwal (12) said. “But now it’s
really easy and fun to write them.” Some seniors have also been staying in contact with their Eagle Buddies outside the program. For example, Lorraine Wong (12) has given her Eagle Buddy journals as gifts. Students had different opinions
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I see some of my advisees smile and laugh in a very touching way. John Hawley, senior class advisor
on which event was their favorite. Sierra Lincoln (12) liked the clown events, when the students painted their faces and played games with a circus theme. “I like goofing around with my buddy so [the clown event] was really fun,” she said. Senior advisors have noticed that their advisees echo the same sentiments as Michelle. For students without a younger sibling, the program provides a chance to step up as a role model and also de-stress by embracing the joys of youth. John Hawley, a senior class advisor, has noticed that the program has brought out a different side in his students. “I am thankful to Ms. Zink [for the program],” he said. “I see some of my advisees smile and laugh in a very touching way.” Though the luncheon marks the official end of the program, students may choose to share emails with their buddies to maintain contact or invite them to their graduation on May 25.
karen tu, emily lin & manthra panchapakesan
reporters This year’s Senior Showcase, which will be held on May 24 at the Mexican Heritage Theater, will feature vocal, theater, dance, and instrumental acts performed by Conservatory students to commemorate their careers in the Certificate program. In previous years, the show occurred immediately after Spring Rally, but this year, it has been moved to the current date right before Graduation. Many seniors are happy about the change of date, including Rebecca Liu (12), a member of the Vocal Music sector of the Certificate program. “I feel like it’ll be really exhausting, but at the same time it’s definitely better than after we’ve been screaming our lungs out for Spring Rally,” Rebecca said. However, other seniors do not approve of the change. “Honestly, I’m not such a big fan of having Senior Showcase the evening before graduation. The timing feels weird, like too much is happening at once,” Pooja Shah (12) said. In addition, the showcase will occur only a few days after the senior trip. “Most of us won’t be able to access our instruments during that time which isn’t too ideal,” Tara Rezvani (12) said. Pooja, a member of the instrumental section of Certificate, has been playing the piano since she was six years old. “I chose [to play] a Nocturne by Chopin [for Senior Showcase] because I love how expressive his pieces are,” she said. Seniors Renee Tam, Michelle Douglas, and Apricot Tang will be performing a Jazz number set to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” They have been rehearsing weekly for three months to prepare for the performance, which will also include sophomore and freshmen dancers. “The piece is a celebration about our dance careers at [the Upper School]
PHOTO COURTESY OF NINA SABHARWAL
sports editor
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sonia sidhu
Seniors on stage for the last time at showcase
and a [showcase] of what we’ve learned through the dance program. [The performance] is really upbeat and fun, [and] it’s been a great bonding experience,” Renee said. Many other acts will also feature performers from other grades. Nina Sabharwal (12) will be performing “La Vie en Rose” with Justin Young (11) as her accompanist, and Hannah Prutton will be performing Barefoot in the Park with Tristan Kileen (‘12) as her scene partner. Ria Desai (12) and Rahul Nalamasu (12) will also be doing a dance performance, venturing into the Bollywood genre. “I’ve never danced Bollywood before; I’ve only ever taken western dance styles,” Ria said. “I decided to partner with Rahul, and his style is Bolly-
SHOWCASING TALENTS This year’s Senior Showcase will be held at the Mexican Heritage Theater on May 24, a day before graudation. The showcases allow seniors to display their various talents in the performing arts for fellow students, staff, and family members. (TOP) Nina Sabharwal (12) and Justin Young (11) will be performing “La Vie en Rose” for this year’s Senior Showcase. (LEFT) Conservatory student Hannah Prutton (12), will be performing Barefoot in the Park along with alumni Tristan Kileen (‘12).
wood, so I thought it would be a nice challenge to tackle choreographing another style. Additionally, the location of the showcase has also been moved to the Mexican Heritage Theater, as opposed to the previous showcases at the Blackford Theater. While the new location poses some challenges to students who have never performed in the theater before, there are many advantages to the change. “As a dancer, staging is really important, but we don’t get to block our dance out on the stage until the afternoon of the day of the show,” Ria said. However, the larger venue with better acoustics is a welcome change, and many seniors are excited for the opportunity to perform in a more professional setting.
Great Gatsby outing Junior class to watch movie adaptation of novel
PICTURE FROM THE WARNER BRO.
Eagle Buddies’ last meetup before graduation
PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH PRUTTON
Looking back through the last three years
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GATSBY GET-TOGETHER The junior class will be watching The Great Gatsby, the movie adaptation of the novel that was read in English 3 classes.
samar malik copy editor
After having read Scott F. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby for class, juniors and their English teachers have the opportunity to watch the book’s silver screen debut during a reserved showing at AMC 14 Saratoga on May 19. Released on May 10, shortly after junior classes finished reading the book, The Great Gatsby tells a tale of the Roaring Twenties through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway. Open to countless interpretations and permeated with powerful symbolism, juniors can relate their in-class discussions regarding the novel to the scenes they watch in the film. Some juniors, like Sean Pan, are simply going because “the movie has been getting a lot of hype” and viewing it as a class “seems fun.” Others, like Sharon Babu, feel that going with the class may take away from the experience by prompting analysis. “I think that it will force people to analyze [the story] during the movie,” she said. “[But] hopefully everybody will still be watching and enjoying. I’m sure it will prompt discussion when we get back to school though.” Mabel Luo (11) likes the idea of “going with [her] whole class because all [her] friends are going.” She also thinks that being a part of a large group familiar with the story will “help with understanding the plot better.”
Largely focused on the themes of disillusionment and the “American Dream,” The Great Gatsby holds great potential for a movie filled with action and large party scenes – key components of Hollywood hits. Mabel is looking forward to seeing how “the movie portrays the main themes of the book because Mr. Berry said the director did a good job.” Adarsh Battu (11) is hoping to gain a different perspective of the novel by watching the movie and participating in discussion with his classmates. “We just read the book, so I already know the plot. I want to see a movie that represents an interpretation different from my own,” he said. English Teacher Pauline Paskali believes that going with classes will improve understanding and appreciation for the novel. “I think [the trip] will generate discussion by students critically assessing what might be missing in the movie or what the difference is in their interpretation of the novel and Luhmann’s interpretation of the novel and characters,” she said. Paskali also thinks the “shared, cultural experience” will spark further peer discussion of the film. Junior English classes will be able to watch The Great Gatsby this upcoming Sunday at AMC 14 at 11 a.m.
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OPINION
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Carpe diem: We’d like Figuring out the to thank the Academy integral parts of life
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All of you deserve an award for making it through this turbulent school year, and as per awardgranting tradition, we’d like to thank those who have gotten us this far. Especially now, when it’s easy to get caught up in stress from APs, finals and just general end of year craziness, we lose sight of what’s actually important. We may not realize it at the moment, but in ten or twenty years we probably won’t think about the parts of this year that were rife with teeth-gnashing, fingernail shredding and AP testing. Instead, what we’ll remember about high school is the symbiotic give-and-take of our interactions on campus. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Many of us hear stories from those older and wiser than us who wish they had carpe’d that diem and taken the time to thank their community before moving on. While teacher appreciation week reminded us to recognize some of the people who have the greatest impacts on us, we shouldn’t need a table full of colorful sticky notes to show gratitude for those we love. Appreciation should be incorporated into everyday conversation. Empty thank yous are meaningless, so we should replace them with our actions-- whether it is bringing someone a cup of their favorite coffee or listening to their problems. Recent events have reminded us how precious life is and how easily the opportunity to thank our loved ones can be lost. Now espe-
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and serve as a public forum for the students of The Harker School. Editorials are the official opinions of The Winged Post. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Winged Post. All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Winged Post in no way reflects the official policy of The Harker School. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers and not the Harker board, administration, faculty, or advisor. Advertisements are accepted in the Post. However, The Winged Post reserves the right to deny any ad. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to wingedpost@harker.org and must be signed, legible, and to Post style. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities, and letters which call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication. Letters sent to the Post will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff. Mast eagle courtesy of photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen. The Winged Post is the official student newspaper, and it is distributed free of cost to students.
rewrite is totally in seaso
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As stated in the current school dress code, “student dress should reflect pride in the person and the school.” That being said, given weather conditions and the current styles of clothing most commonly found in stores, abiding by the dress code is easier said than done. We have outlined what we believe to be an ideal dress code that is a compromise between student and administrative decisions regarding what should be considered acceptable.
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concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform
Derivatives? Check. Chemical Reactions? Check. Doing my own laundry? Let me get back to you on that. As the school year slowly comes to an end, summer plans are quickly getting underway. While part-time internships, rigorous courses, and college visiting comprise many of our summer todo lists, the basic skills of practical living are often ignored. Throughout my last two years of high school, academics have consumed my life to say the least. I go to school, come home, do homework, and repeat, without much time for extracurricular activities. Admittedly, tasks including cooking, cleaning and household maintenance have been at the bottom of my bucket list. So, when my mom told me to make dinner for my brother and I, as she was running late from work the other day, I had the urge to resort to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was not until that moment that I realized that I have completely skipped over the “Course of Practical Living” amid my academics and extra-curriculars. As students who are growing up in a competitive environment that revolves around academic rigor, it may appear that we have very little time to spare for these seemingly insignificant household chores. While this time restraint may ring true to an extent, in the long run, domestic know-how far outweighs the magnitude of our high school curriculum. Domestic abilities will not
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only allow us to become independent and self-reliant at a young age, but they will also enable us to live more practically. These skills are applicable in the real world for the rest of our lives, unlike much of the information that is stamped on our brains for six hours a day, five days a week. Take laundry for example. At the rudimentary level, learning how to do laundry will teach you how to clean clothes. Looking at it from a deeper perspective, however, laundry teaches personal responsibility, time management, and considerations of detail. If you want your laundry done, then you have to do it, in time and with precision, making sure no stains get left behind. Domestic chores will exercise essential skills that we will have with us for the rest of our lives. In just a blink of the eye, we will be off to college, living on our own, without our parents catering to our every need. Learning how to cook, clean, do laundry, and manage money are necessary duties that we cannot avoid. And, while we may be able to find the easy way out by buying pre-prepped food and dry cleaning our clothes, practicing domestic skills will instead allow us to become self-sufficient, confident, and responsible adults in our future. So, this summer, along with the typical SAT prep classes and academic courses, engage in a domestic internship as well, in which you can learn the art of separating laundry, shopping for groceries, and scrubbing until you see that glistening shine.
samar malik & sheridan tobin
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news, and sports in an unbiased and professional manner
anokhi saklecha
A CHANGE IN CLOTHING
Reporters Anishka Agarwal
cially, we need to tell all the important people in our lives-- teachers, friends, family-- just what it is that makes them so integral to our lives. While we would never have enough space to properly appreciate all of our individual friends and family in this article, there are some people on campus who have inspired us all. So, to all of the wonderful faculty who have helped us get to where we are today, you are the reason that this school is so special. As much as we may complain about various assignments, we know that we often don’t thank you nearly enough for everything you do for us, and we are truly grateful. Thank you for all of the wisdom and knowledge you have imparted to us over the years. And, to the senior class of 2013, thank you for being such great role models. We continually marvel at your approachability and affection towards your peers. The camaraderie and warmth that you all possess truly helps the rest of us feel accepted. We admire the way you came together in the wake of tragedy, and the rest of us can only hope to obtain a similar level of class unity. We will miss seeing your friendly faces around campus next year. A special shout-out to the journalism seniors; thank you for always being fearless leaders, great teachers, and amazing friends. You have graced this program with such wonderful insight and creativity, and without all of your hard work and dedication through the years, we would not be where we are today.
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As Harker students, it’s our job to uphold our community’s values regarding dressing appropriately. We take our education seriously, so naturally, doing away with distracting clothing is a valid rule. Additionally, we definitely agree with the prohibition of tight, form-fitting clothing, as it is inappropriate and unnecessarily impacts the overall sense and respect for body image on campus. In our redesign of the dress code, we ask students to discard an article of clothing from their school wardrobe if they have to question its acceptability. While we hope that our school dress code may become more practical and comfortable, ultimately, we need to keep in mind that it must remain appropriate and reputable. We realize that most dress code accommodations would be in favor of girls, and we do agree that boys’ dress code is extremely limited, only allowing collared shirts and jeans or slacks. But while athletic shorts and t-shirts would be convenient additions, it is unlikely that they would be considered presentable and indicative of well-kept students. Giving students more freedom with the dress code will not deteriorate our school’s overall appearance and presentation because we understand the importance of taking pride in how we look. A student revamp of the dress code would increase the number of possible outfits students have to choose from when dressing for school, as well as allow students to be more comfortable during long days. Additionally, finding clothes that are completely dress code-appropriate can be monetarily difficult when expressing one’s fashion sense.
So without further ado, here’s what we’d like to see in a new dress code.
1 Tops
Let’s try to keep things reasonable here. In light of our previous statements regarding looking appropriate, visible midriffs and flaunted, excessive cleavage are simply out of the question. But no cleavage? That’s impossible - if we can’t wear Tshirts, most girls resort to tank tops, blouses, or v-necks of some sort, most of which don’t give us much leeway when it comes to covering up. It’s part of our anatomy - asking to have no visible cleavage is simply unreasonable, as varying body types present differing challenges. Additionally, the dress code prohibits tank tops with straps less than two inches thick even if worn with a jacket or cardigan. As long as students don’t remove their outerwear during the school day, this rule is simply unnecessary and a pain to work around especially during the hotter months. That being said, while we do agree that tank tops should not have spaghetti straps, those with less than a two-inch strap width should be acceptable for increased comfort and variability in outfits without outerwear. For the guys, there’s no variety in solely wearing collared shirts. Long sleeve sweaters and henleys are presentable and should be considered reasonable wear for the colder months.
2 Bottoms
Realistically speaking, it is nearly impossible to find skirts, dresses, and shorts that are within four inches of the top of the knee and that are still stylish, especially for taller girls.
Additionally, even garments that do meet the requirements rarely stay that way because they ride up throughout the day, even by just sitting down in class or carrying a backpack. However, especially during fall and spring months, the idea of wearing long pants all the time in our warm California weather can seem unbearable. Of course, it is absolutely necessary that bottoms fully cover our own bottoms, but requiring that skirts, shorts, and dresses be within four inches of the top of the knee is sort of overkill. As hard as we tried to come up with a compromised measurement that is both reasonable and acceptable, we realized that this is unfair, as they may look shorter or longer on certain people, due to varying body types. The best solution is checking appropriateness on a case to case basis.
3 Shoes
Last year’s ban on all sandals without a back strap not only eliminated a quick shoe option for mornings when you just barely leave home on time, but also one that can look perfectly presentable. Of course, your old plastic flip flops that have been worn way too many times should be left at home, but why should a pair of well-kept leather ones be considered unfitting for school? Yes, safety is a valid concern on any campus. However, for high school students, flip flops are not detrimental to our safety. We don’t run around the playground and risk tripping over tanbark. We are teenagers who are coordinated enough to successfully walk around all day in shoes that lack a back strap.
Opinion
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
TALK AROUND CAMPUS BY SHANNON SU
“WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU’VE LEARNED THIS Y EAR? ”
samantha hoffman editor in chief
“If your best friend lets you go, then don’t keep trying to be his “I do not want to waste any of the days I have.” best friend.” Matt Bloch (10) Keiko Irino, Japanese teacher
“I’ve learned how great it will be to become a sophomore.” Edward Sheu (9)
“iPhones shut down when they get hot.” Shrreya Jain (12)
“Especially at “You know you this point in the just gotta take it game, just let go easy. You can’t and have fun.” label everything Cristina Jerney (12) as important.”
When the administration announced that slots for senior speeches had opened up, I immediately set to work, only to realize that giving a speech in front of over 700 students and faculty frightened me more than facing down the snarling menace of a lacrosse opponent. Moreover, I had no idea what I would say - how was I to sum up all that I had gleaned from four years here in a meaningful and inspirational way? The deadline for giving a senior speech has long since passed, but thankfully, I have found the platform and the words with which to deliver my advice, which can be summarized thusly: learn to swim. I don’t mean the kind of swimming you learn in a summer class at your community pool. I’m talking about navigating through the ocean of your high school experience, one that, while superficially placid, conceals the whirlpools of competition that can sink you into the cutthroat world of contention and rivalry. Only by developing the navigation skills necessary to steer clear of that wreckage can you survive; that is why you must learn to swim. Freshman year, I entered high
Wei Buchsteiner (11)
apoorva rangan opinion editor For the past two weeks, zombified student have been walking around in a malaise of flashcards and Princeton Review books. There’s been a bigger bug than allergies on campus during the last two weeks: the AP bug. The AP bug is a strange and complex beast. On the base level, we complain about the tests, yet many of us feel an obligation to take as many as possible, kind of like the calories in a large bowl of chips. (I must admit that I am no stranger to the salty bite of AP tests. I’ve taken 5 so far. (My sister took 17.)) The problem is, just like the chips in the bowl, many of the informational calories that we consume in our preparation for the AP test itself are ill gotten and short-lived. I’ve heard the following line countless times this year:
FREAKS&GEEKS juhi gupta
TalonWP video/photo editor The other fans around you don’t leave a lot of breathing room but that somehow makes everything more transcendent, more surreal. You don’t even have to try and support yourself on your own two feet -- the sheer proximity of the sea of people keeps you afloat, and there isn’t even any space to sink. Continuing the metaphor, your spirits are truly, unfalteringly buoyant. For the past six months, I’ve been waiting for one day. That day was Sunday, May 12th, and it held the last show of Spring Fever - a month-long tour by alternative headliners Pierce the Veil and All Time Low and supporting acts Mayday Parade and You Me At Six. The 25 dates spanned the United States and culminated in one
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school believing that I could breeze through my classes as I had in middle school. My struggles in geometry and physics quickly dispelled that notion; more worryingly to me, however, was the realization that the more I failed, the more I found myself comparing myself to my classmates. I would participate eagerly in discussions about grades or class performance, silently hoping for information that would reassure me of my higher skills or at least of the fact that I wasn’t the only one “drowning.” It was only a year later that I realized just how unhealthy that behavior was; by playing the “grade game,” as I secretly called it, I was not only basing my worth on the work of others, but also perpetuating an infectious, detrimental attitude that undermines our student body to this day. I understood then how easy it was to drown in the deadly cocktail of self-pity and academic hyper-competition that I, like many of my fellow classmates, had mixed myself. The only way out was to learn how to swim. Swimming through these treacherous waters wasn’t an easy thing to master. I had to learn how to bring my head above the negativity and breathe the air of collaboration and friendship, and I had to learn how to conquer my fear of diving headfirst into competition without submitting to its more antagonistic tendencies. I have by no means perfected this skill; “swim practice,” however, has proved essential to maintaining my sanity. Competition does not always breed contention; learn to swim, and you’ll be able to navigate those depths with confidence.
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“Oh, it’s not on the AP test? Why are we even learning it?” Many of us are not hungry for interesting knowledge, yet we crave a 5 on the test. The learn-for-the-test mentality that’s exposed during these weeks exposes a major flaw of the AP system. A whole educational system’s premise can’t be centered on a single evaluation. Clearly, I am not a teacher, and therefore have essentially no authority to comment on a course’s structure. But we students place so much emphasis on doing exceptionally well on a test that doesn’t necessarily reflect the varied levels of depth that we actually study the course material during the year. That’s not a holistic approach to a subject. Granted, by cramming, some of us are merely seeking to master the AP material that we signed up for, no more and no less. The Upper School is, by definition, a college-prep school, and competitive colleges generally look for AP courses as a way to ensure that students are capable of handling a collegelevel curriculum. But in the pursuit of a high score on the test, we’re putting our education into a box, compartmentalizing what we let ourselves learn. Don’t get me wrong: the AP program has numerous positives for many
students nationwide, decidedly enough to balance out the negatives. Financially, the program makes a lot of sense. It’s a way for motivated students to sidestep introductory courses in college, often opening up a year’s worth of time and tuition. For each elite school that doesn’t accept AP courses as credit, there are still tons of state and city colleges that do, making the program a veritable godsend for many students. And the premise of a standardized, cumulative test is above all practical, an unbiased way to gauge how much you’ve learned in comparison to people in supposedly similar courses. But should education necessarily be standardized? Isn’t it better to promote a system where each school specifies and tailors its courses to a few fields that its teachers are enthusiastic to teach instead of covering a curriculum that is, frequently, an inch deep and a mile wide? That’s a question for another time. Right now, I’m interested to see how the remaining weeks of this year will pan out in my AP classes, without the specter of the test looming above our heads. Will we further reveal our immoral motivations? Only time can tell if we can stave off the APpendicitis.
final, extravagant concert at the Warfield in San Francisco. After the tickets officially sold out earlier in the year, I gave up hope of ever finding enough money stashed away to pay for one of the overpriced Stubhub tickets I was not-so-secretly yearning for. With a stroke of luck, however, my mom somehow got my birthday present 200% correct, and in February I was the proud owner of two 8 ½ by 11 inch sheets of paper: tickets to what I thought was going to be one of the best concerts I’d ever been to. It was. The point of the experience (well, mine at least) was the complete apathy to everything other than your immediate surroundings, when all you can see is flashing lights and you’re in the process of going deaf before twenty because you’re standing right next to 10 foot tall speakers. And you’re witnessing people right in front of you (they’re not even celebrities at this point), real people doing what they love and living their dream. In a sort of vicarious way, this euphoria transmits itself to the audience, and, although transient, is a passion unlike any other. Granted, those specifics always vary. Not everyone enjoys the same
things, and there are obviously tons of people who feel stuffy or dehydrated or faint during concerts. At the beginning of this week, when I excitedly showed my friends photos of the show, more often than not they casually diverted the conversation. I wish they could understand what I felt. It wasn’t about the tangible event - it’s about experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion, and pushing those limits to find out what you’re truly passionate about. Everyone should be able to say that they’ve felt like they’ve reached the upper boundary of happiness. Just think about it: there’s no way anyone can be free from the psychological restraints of trivial, everyday issues if they don’t try to unshackle themselves. Once in a while, we should take the time to see past the things that ruin our mornings, afternoons, and evenings to those that could enhance our entire lives. Whether the aforementioned eyeopening things are attending concerts or whatever floats your boat, there should always be a reasonable amount of time allocated to exploring your personality and the potentials of your life.
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
From alumnus Curran Kaushik: Sleep plays a major role in your health curran kaushik
Alumnus ‘10, Stanford ‘14 What three things are essential to good health? If you asked this question around campus, diet and exercise would be the two most popular responses by far. However, it’s unlikely that the third answer, sleep, would similarly stand out. Why do the vast majority of us not view sleep as being vitally important? When I was a senior at Harker three years ago, my third answer definitely wouldn’t have been sleep. To me, sleep was a huge chunk of wasted time that prevented me from spending time on more “important” things. Conversations with my classmates about sleep devolved into an underhanded competition to see who slept the least. Sleep was a de facto measure of hard work: the most sleep-deprived were the hardest workers, while those who slept a “reasonable” amount on a nightly basis weren’t living up to their full potential. In actuality, it is only by obtaining adequate amounts of sleep that we are able to achieve our highest potential. Many of us have experienced falling asleep in class or while doing homework and have attributed it to boring subject material. However, this is actually a manifestation of accumulated sleep deprivation. For the sake of comparison, when you were a kid, getting significantly more sleep than you do now, you likely were rarely tempted to doze off in class. As shown by this basic example, forgoing sleep can actually harm our education by preventing us from staying awake and paying attention in class. Published, peer-reviewed research continues to delve more deeply into the close connection between sleep and academics. These studies span age groups, demographics, and even continents, yet they agree that habitual sleep deprivation adversely impacts measures of academic performance, including GPA and assessment grades. Even more profoundly, some studies have concluded that the effects of sleep deprivation go beyond poor test results, actually impacting the underlying mechanisms that allow us to learn. Not getting enough sleep negatively impacts attentiveness, memory, and problem-solving abilities, which
in turn impairs both declarative learning (learning about something) and procedural learning (learning how to do something). Earlier this year, UCLA researchers even went so far as to examine the specific tradeoffs of sacrificing sleep for the sake of extra studying, a choice that every student has surely faced. They concluded that the potential benefits of extra studying were not worthwhile, as the following day, students were more likely to have difficulty understanding material presented in class and struggle on assignments or tests. These findings also demonstrate an even more concerning aspect of sleep deprivation: its cyclic nature. If a student stays up late one night to finish up a paper or project, that student’s ability to understand and learn the material presented in class the next day will be hampered. Later on, when tasked with an assignment dealing with that very material, it is likely that the student will need to invest more time relearning the material, which will force him or her to put aside sleep yet again for the sake of finishing an assignment. Not only should students beware of becoming ensnared in this pattern of sleep deprivation, but teachers should also be cognizant of the tradeoffs students are forced to consider as assignments continue to pile up. So how does one stop this snowball effect before being crushed under the weight of an accumulating sleep debt? The answer seems deceptively simple: make sleep a priority. Sleep is often regarded as a “time reserve” that can be drawn from whenever there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Even in the rare occurrence of spare time, sleep is often the activity of last resort, chosen only when all other more interesting options have been exhausted. To make sleep a priority requires a change in mindset. Every person will be motivated differently to make this change – my moment of realization occurred when I noticed that I would sometimes prefer to sit by myself in the dining hall, just because being sociable was too exhausting. Only when you recognize the importance of sleep in your everyday life and make a commitment to healthy sleep habits will you truly be able to live up to your fullest potential.
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MAY 17, 2013 the Winged Post
FEATURES
meena chetty managing editor As the year draws to a close, the current student council and Associated Student Body (ASB) members are passing the torch on to next year’s council, who will continue many of this year’s projects. One of the major distinctions of the 2012-2013 council is that they focused not only on spirit and community events, but also on projects that would directly benefit “school needs,” according to ASB President Raghav Sehtia (12). Programs addressing these needs that the council has implemented over the past year include the study period schedule, Club Wednesdays, the Shah Umbrella, The Eagle Express bookstore, Breakfast for Students, the vend-
ing machine outside Manzanita, outlets in Shah, the Main boys’ bathroom renovations, and the Entertainment Committee. Meanwhile, projects that related more to spirit and school events included the Homecoming Car Bash, holiday decorations, Candy for Sandy, the Honesty Assembly at the Lower School, Flag Duty, the Hoscars, and Valentine’s Grams. “We have all come together and become very open to each other’s ideas and completed projects that directly affect the school, such as outlets, along with community projects, like the Car Bash in Homecoming,” Raghav said. Another major change in this year’s student council was the addition of the position of Spirit Coordinator for each class.
“Personally I think the more people involved in student government the better,” Upper School Division Head Butch Keller said. “I think some of the personalities that were brought to the table with this new position this year was great for student council and what’s great for student council is great for the student body.” This summer, the current ASB will collaborate with Keller and Dean of Students Kevin Williamson to create an archive of past projects for future councils’ reference. According to Raghav, the newly elected 2013-2014 ASB and class councils will continue a few of the current projects related to “improving school procedures and other conveniences” throughout next year. According to next year’s ASB
NAVAL ACADEMY: features editor The day starts early with reveille and ends late with taps for all midshipmen. You wear your neatly kept uniform for your entire academic day. Maintain an unkempt room? Expect a demerit. This is what Ryan Mui (12) can expect in his next four years at the United States Naval Academy (USNA), located in Annapolis, Maryland. Although Ryan had applied to a couple of other colleges, the Naval Academy was his top choice for several reasons, including the free tuition, top engineering education, and the benefits of being in the military. An added benefit Ryan cited was the variety of guaranteed first jobs he could pursue after graduating from the academy. “There’s lots of unique options, like who gets to fly a jet, or be in a submarine, or on a ship after you graduate,” he said. “That’s why I specifically chose the Navy, because there are a lot more options than the other academies.” The application process for the naval academy was a little different from other colleges. In addition to filling out basic information and writing essays, the process includes earning a nomination from an official source, which could include a senator, congressman, vice president, or president. Ryan received his nomination from congresswoman Anna Eshoo and two California senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, after going through a rigorous interview process and writing essays. Another element to the application was a physical exam testing his abilities in basic exercises including pushups, pullups, situps, and running. To prepare for the application and rigor of the academy, Ryan played football, wrestling, and volleyball in his freshman, sophomore, and junior years. In his senior year, he continued playing football and volleyball. Because the academy looks for leadership in its applicants, he was a captain of the wres-
NEW ON CAMPUS Eesha Chona (9) purchases food from the vending machine outside Manzanita Hall. Adding the machine was one of the several programs addressed this year.
Performing arts ensembles
Senior plans to serve his country
Rituals to honor seniors sindhu ravuri business editor
COURTESY OF RYAN MUI
trisha jani
tling and football teams. “Take hard classes, play sports, try and get leadership opportunities,” he said. “Basically, they like people who are smart and athletic.” Daily life in the naval academy is different from that in other colleges. Academically, students at all service academies graduate with a Bachelor of Science and are very engineeringfocused, meaning that even those students majoring in the humanities are only a couple of credits shy of getting an engineering degree. Additionally, there is a physical and military aspect. Technically, all students are on active duty while at school. “The school is not meant to teach you how to be a soldier. It teaches you how to be a leader and how to deal with stress,” Ryan said. On top of that, over the summer, all students have mandatory training blocks to gradually learn about different aspects of the Navy; they have their final training only after they graduate. Any real summer vacation? Yes. In fact, a total of three weeks. So why do it? One of Ryan’s major influences was his grandfather, a World War II veteran. “He got seven bronze stars, and he never talked about it, ever. I was pretty motivated by seeing what my grandpa had done and being so humble about it,” Ryan said. Ryan’s elder brother Kyle (‘08) also went to the academy and supports Ryan in his decision. Kyle is currently in flight school. Ryan does think that the adjustment will be a little difficult, especially with waking up early and functioning on limited sleep. “For the first year, they are going to be yelling at you a lot, and you have to memorize a lot of little things, and do a lot of little tasks,” he said. “It is all part of a program, and they have been doing this program for years, so I guess they have got it down to producing the type of officer they want to produce.” Though Ryan thinks that “attend-
President Arjun Goyal (11), the council already has a list of projects and goals lined up, including creating a Student Union open to everyone, implementing e-books, and using a more efficient parking sharing network. “Basically we want to be projectoriented, efficient, transparent, but also open to any suggestions that the student body has for us,” Arjun said. “We can’t possibly think of everything or know what the students need, so we really want to encourage active student participation in providing us with ideas to make school a better place for everyone.” As always, all students will continue to be welcome to sit in on student council meetings on Mondays after school. Contributing reporter: Alyssa Amick
SAMAR MALIK - WINGED POST
Student Council dicusses projects for next year
BILL THE GOAT Ryan stands in front of Bill the Goat, the mascot of the United States Naval Academy (USNA). After graduating from the academy, he plans on attending flight school.
ing a military school is pretty nervewracking,” he thinks it will be the best for his future. I know it is going to be tough,” he said. “But I also know that it is going to be one of the best things for me in terms of my future, in terms of what the Naval Academy can do for me. I know it will push me to be the best that I can be. I am pretty sure I would get complacent if I went to a regular college.” Ryan looks forward to the unique experience he will get out of attending the naval academy. “There is going to be little funny things that keep you going day to day. Of course, I am not really looking forward to how hard it is going to be, but challenges are fun. It is going to be great to see how far I come after going through this,” he said. After graduation, all students of the naval academy are required to serve for five years. Since Ryan wants to fly airplanes in the future, he will probably spend an additional three years in flight school.
“Some students have been up on that stage since they were five years old. They have grown tremendously as performers, people, and friends. When you are truly in the moment of your last performance, sharing that experience with those people you have loved and struggled with for so long, it hits you like a ton of bricks, that feeling of how much you can’t live without performing.” Performing arts K-12 department chair Laura Lang-Ree’s words could not better describe the melancholy ending of yet another successful year for the performing arts ensembles as well as clubs. Although many of the performing arts students who are involved with programs still await their final showcase of the year, annual traditions continue to take place toward the end of second semester, signaling the close of an enriching journey and the promise of a future one. For example, following the final concert of the year, the students of the singing group Downbeat welcome the “newbies,” or rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will be part of the group in the upcoming years. “The graduating members always write a letter to a rising singer of the group, and give them their performing arts sweatshirt,” Lang-Ree, also director of Downbeat, said. “The
card describes what Downbeat meant to them, and giving up sweatshirts is symbolic of passing the torch.” Last-performance rituals vary yearly, depending on what note, whether crazy, quirky, or unique, that the seniors want to end the past year. “This year, several kids wanted to do a ritual where we got fake candles and we put our sweatshirts over our heads, pretending to be chanting,” Lang-Ree continued. The dance troupes practice rituals as well. In addition to the yearly frozen yogurt extravaganzas in places such as Tutti Frutti Yogurt or Pinkberry, the Junior Varsity and Varsity Dance troupes participate in what is known as the “Senior Ritual.” In this tradition, all members, excluding the seniors, secretly design shirts in honor of the seniors’ leadership in the dance community, and host a party which has involved water guns, kidnapping, and decorating different articles of clothing. “It’s definitely just a last goodbye and a way to remember [or] recognize the seniors. It truly shows how much we’ve grown over the years, and how connected we are as a team,” Varsity Dance Troupe Captain Molly Wolfe (12) said. As another year for ensembles reaches a close, traditions symbolizing their hard work, bonds, and collective passion for their hobby permeate our community.
kacey fang copy editor Instead of taking the direct route from high school senior to college freshman, some students opt to spend a year between the two living by their own agenda. For gap year alumni, the experience was like no other. Dylan Qian (‘12), Kiran Vodrahalli (‘11), Adam Perelman (‘10), and Thomas Enzminger (‘10) each experienced a gap year packed with activity. After graduating, Dylan interned for five months at Omnivision Technologies in Santa Clara before working in Beijing for the China Investment Corporation. Although Dylan appreciated the real-world experience and contact with industry professionals, he also learned what areas of business he would not want to go into. “Even now, I know I am going to appreciate college a lot more, simply because I personally know how frustrating it can be to be working all the time,” he said. Like Dylan, Kiran pursued the working experience by interning at Intel. He also volunteered at NASA Ames exploration center and ran a math tutoring program at the Mountain View library. The extra time allowed him to enjoy the quieter comforts of life. “I read a lot of books (which I would
not have had time to read otherwise), watched more movies than I ever had in high school, and wrote a lot more,” he said. Kiran felt that jumping from a school to work environment was challenging but ultimately rewarding. “The knowledge that what you learn in high school is so small compared to what is out there--at first you feel a bit out of your depth all the time,’ he said. “But once you see the level of hardness things can be, you don’t get as intimidated later on.” Graduating a year before Kiran, Adam worked as a software engineering intern at Facebook. Then he stayed with a host family in Cusco, Peru while volunteering at a local orphanage and zoo. In the spring, he backpacked around Peru, Bolivia and Chile. “I’ll never forget going into the Amazon, or hiking through the Andes, or making friends with a llama at the zoo where I volunteered, or learning to salsa dance from my host family during Carnaval,” he said. “I had so many new experiences that pushed me a little bit out of my comfort zone and taught me a lot.” Besides embarking on the same backpacking trip with Adam, Thomas also worked for three months at the International Bird Rescue Research Center
(IBRRC) in Fairfield, California, where he helped restore oiled and injured birds to health. His work offered him hands-on experiences not available in any college. “Everyone needs to learn to be a functional, self-reliant adult at some point,” he said. “If nothing else, doing it before college helps you hit the ground running when you finally do enter the real world.” In Costa Rica, Thomas worked on a wildlife preserve, “living the life of small town Costa Rica.” In Peru, he worked on an organic farm through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and spent the rest of the time backpacking. The motives for all four to take a gap year involved a desire to learn more about themselves and their interests before following a certain track. Because he skipped a grade of school, Kiran felt that he had the freedom to take a year off for his own pursuits. Dylan also took the opportunity to learn more about the business world. “I figured since there are so many different aspects of business, it would be nice to find out what I wanted to do in the future through some more direct experience,” Dylan said. For Adam, the idea of taking a gap year was sparked from his sister’s studies abroad. He expressed feeling excited for
COURTRESY OF ADAM PERELMAN
Alumni update: Gap year students share experiences
GAP YEAR In addition to making Adam Perelman (‘10) and Thomas Enzminger (‘10) pose after reaching the summit of Punta Union on their backpacking trip through Peru and parts of Bolivia and Chile. The gap years of Adam and Thomas as well as Dylan Qian (‘12) and Kiran Vodrahalli (‘11) allowed them to pursue and identify their own interests outside of school.
college, but ultimately, the allure of travel and work won over. On the other hand, Thomas’ gap year option came to the forefront when he realized his lack of enthusiasm for college. “I was apathetic about college to the point where I couldn’t choose a school because I didn’t care where I went,” he said. “I looked at taking a year off as an opportunity to see what was out there, what interested me and what, if anything, was important.” For all these alumni, their gap years influenced them even after their regularly structured lives resumed.
“I guess I had more perspective about the point of college with experience from the “real world.” This resulted in me being more confident in myself and more certain of what I was truly interested in,” Kiran said. Kiran currently attends Princeton University, and Dylan will enter New York University. Thomas is double majoring in Geology and Environmental Science at Amherst College. Adam studies at Stanford University. His time abroad inspired him to join the salsa dancing team at school and study abroad in Japan last quarter.
MAY 17, 2013
FEATURES
the Winged Post
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Teacher Tots: Teachers learn to balance parenthood
Brigid Miller Since her arrival at the Upper School, English teacher Brigid Miller has gotten married and become the mother of two children. Since the state only mandates a six-week maternity leave, Miller feels that the Upper School has been very helpful in pulling together time for her first maternity leave. After the birth
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Becoming a parent has made me a much better teacher in that I have a better perspective. Brigid Miller, English teacher lowing me to do that because they certainly did not have to let me do that,” said Miller. “That was very helpful because he was my first and I didn’t know what I was doing.” To care for her second child, Miller took only three months of maternity leave. As both a mother and a teacher, Miller understands that she will not be able to dedicate all of her time to any one realm of her life. “I’ve had to learn to just accept that I’m not going to be teacher of the year, and I’m not going to be parent of the year,” Miller said.
COURTESY OF ANDREW IRVINE
Andrew Irvine Andrew Irvine is not only an Upper School chemistry teacher but also a father. After the birth of his daughter, Willow, Irvine has experienced a lifestyle change that was different than what he was used to. “You no longer are an individual entity,” Irvine said, “As you get into a relationship, you become a team and then you add another member to this team that can’t communicate, that can’t feed itself, that likes to make a lot of loud, annoying noises, that likes to be entertained constantly, and then likes to set the schedule by waking up at five o’clock or four o’clock in the morning.” He created an analogy comparing his lifestyle adjustment to a hiking trip. “It’s kind of like a hiking trip,” Irvine said. “You’re three miles in and I’ve got 18,000 miles to go so I gotta keep going.” Irvine also feels that since he has the experience of being a teacher, he hopes that it will help him raise his daughter in the future as a teen. “As a teacher, the benefits are that at least when I have teenagers in my house I will know how to deal with them, hopefully,” Irvine said.
Troy Thiele Prioritizing is the key for math teacher Troy Thiele. Before he had his son, Skyler, Thiele mainly concentrated on his teaching. “I was only focused on work, and it was not uncommon for me to spend 12 to 16 hours a day working. Now I have to be much more efficient with my time,” Thiele said. Although Thiele continues to enjoy teaching high school students, family has taken a more central role since the birth of his son. After improving his time-management skills, Thiele is now more focused on splitting his time between teaching and spending time with his family. Thiele concentrates on using his time to more effectively. “I get to go home at the end of the day and see my son’s smiling face,” Thiele said. “As much fun as I’ve had, and continue to have teaching high school kids, the joy of seeing Skyler makes it exciting to go home every day.” Thiele also says that being a parent himself has helped him communicate better with the parents of his students. “I know that, when [Skyler] grows up, I’ll want the best for him and not to see him fail or make bad decisions,” Thiele said. “I have a new appreciation for the anxiety I see in parents when they speak to me about concerns about their sons or daughters.” Thiele says that parenting is a much “different vibe” than he is used to, but that he has adapted well to his new lifestyle. He looks forward to his future with his son and as a teacher.
COURTESY OF BRIGID MILLER
As students, we don’t often think about teachers’ lives. It is not suprising, however, that many Upper School teachers are raising children of their own, in addition to their full-time teaching jobs. The Winged Post has talked to three Upper School teachers about their parenting experiences.
Her experience becoming a mother has also affected her as a teacher. “Becoming a parent has made me a much better teacher in that I have a better perspective,” Miller said. “I understand the parent anxiety, strife, and struggle and I’m much more understanding as a teacher.” Miller feels that she has adjusted to her new lifestyle as she has shifted her focus toward her children.
COURTESY OF TROY THIELE
reporter & TalonWP news editor
of her first son, Miller said she “didn’t know what I was doing and wanted to be at home with him as much as [she] could.” She feels felt that the Upper School was especially helpful in that respect. “I took some sick days, some unpaid leave, and holiday time as well.” During her first maternity leave, she was able to take off the end of the school year since her son was born in May, along with the the first semester of the following school year. “Harker was really helpful in al-
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elizabeth edwards & shannon su
GAA GAA FOR BABIES Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine (top) poses with the newest member of his family, Willow Irvine. Mother of two, Brigid Miller (middle) balances being an Engligh teacher and caring for her two sons, Harriss and August. Troy Thiele (bottom) prioritizes between teaching math and spending time with his son Skylar.
Video games as teaching tools
Worldly Wise guy
Senior plans to pursue linguistics in summer and college
Alternative Learning
apoorva rangan
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I’m looking forward to making friends from all over the world.
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Erik Andersen (12)
In his freshman year, Erik joined the Linguistics Club, which convinced him to compete in the entry round of the National Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NaCLO), where he “miraculously” made it to the next
WORD PLAY Senior Erik Andersen (right) displays the accolades he received at the International Linguistics Olympiad last year. He will represent the United States again in July, traveling to Manchester, England to try his hand at the series of logic puzzles.
round. “Knowing some languages going into the contest is quite a big advantage, actually. I got lucky because I knew how to read the Armenian script. And because I made it to the next round, I kept doing it,” he said. Three years later, Erik is a veteran of the International Linguistics Olympiad (ILO). Erik’s talent for puzzling through idioms has taken him around the world to Pittsburgh and Slovenia, and he will be representing the United States for the third time in July. “I’m a bit nervous, as well as really excited, as I usually am, to participate in this Olympiad,” said Erik, who will be traveling to Manchester this summer for the Olympiad. “I’ve never been to England before.” The contest is essentially a set of logic problems in the context of solving “the world’s toughest puzzles in language and linguistics,” according to the ILO’s website. The US team will be comprised of four high school students. “I’m looking forward to making friends from all over the world,” said Erik. “I’m hoping to use Japanese to speak with the Japanese team, and a little Turkish with the Turkish team.”
When individuals are so passionately involved in a field, it makes sense for them to follow it through as a career choice. As such, Erik will pursue his passion for verbiage at the University of California Santa Cruz, where he plans to major in linguistics. As evidenced by his favorite language, Turkish, Erik is drawn to the challenge of grammatical intricacies. “Turkish is great, full of complexity. If you printed out the verb chart, it would probably go for three to four pages,” said Erik, an hour before taking his AP Latin exam, which also tested his ability to translate and analyze texts by the poet Virgil. “It all kind of started with ‘Numa Numa’,” said Erik, referencing the pop culture song “Dragostea din tea” by the band O-Zone. “That song had a bunch of variants in a bunch of different languages, and I kind of got it into my head to translate them. I started staring at Wikipedia in weird languages, and it went from there.” Now that curious passion and passionate curiosity will carry Erik across the Atlantic to Manchester.
MONSTERVINE.COM
To many students, conjugating verbs is a task that should be confined to the seventh circle of hell. Not to senior Erik Andersen, who draws sustenance from foreign verbs and alien sentence structures. In eighth grade, he began compiling words from different languages into a 800x1000 cell spreadsheet. Each row was a basic word and each column was a language that he culled from Wikipedia. As he filled it out, the file grew ever bigger, encroaching on his laptop’s speed. In ninth grade, the spreadsheet had become so bulky and laden with special fonts that Erik had to cease his work and move on to other ways of studying languages. Such are the problems of a linguist.
COURTESY OF ERIK ANDERSEN
opinion editor
ROME Gameplay from Rome: Total War 2 during a level that allows players to control Roman legions through the siege of Carthage. Players can zoom the camera down to the eye level of individual soldiers as they fight, allowing them to view the brutalities of Rome’s battles through the eyes of a Roman soldier.
vivek bharadwaj reporter Learning history. For most of us, the term invokes the thought of sitting in class with a textbook, a pencil, and a notebook while listening to a lecture. For Neil Sadhu (10), however, learning history has an additional meaning: firing up his game console and playing a historical video game. “I wouldn’t say video games get me through history class, but those based on history make me want to learn more in class,” Neil said. “I was able to do significantly better on history tests [in middle school] because of video games.” Several video games, such as the Civilization series, CivCity: Rome, and Stronghold 2, are immersive, with plotlines based on historical events. Neil’s idea of using video games to supplement history education in the classroom is not new. According to Dr. Jeremiah McCall, author of Gaming the Past, video games can be used as teaching tools if paired with textbooks and primary sources, but they still have a long way to go to become more effective. He has used the video games Civilization IV, Rome: Total War, and Crusader Kings in his classroom to teach history. “Their greatest potential as tools for studying the past is their ability to allow players to make somewhat historical choices and experience virtually the consequence of those choices. The
disadvantage is that they need to be treated critically and there are a number of games that offer too little benefit for the time involved in setting up and playing them,” McCall said in an email interview with The Winged Post. Student responses to the idea of historical video games are mixed. Many students believe the realm of video games should remain separate from the realm of studying. “I think video games are purely entertainment, and there needs to be a clear distinction between what constitutes history and what constitutes entertainment,” Sahana Narayanan (9) said. On the other hand, Brandon Aguilar (10) believes video games can teach historical concepts to an extent. “[They can help] to a limit. Call of Duty: Black Ops had to do with the Cold War. It had its own bias on it, but you actually learn about events that happened in the past, like the Bay of Pigs [invasion],” Brandon said. According to a study by the National Communication Association, video games with history incorporated can teach history but often present an incomplete picture. The bottom line on video games as teaching tools? Chances are that spending an evening on an Xbox will not be a substitute for studying for a history test. On the other hand, if you are looking for entertainment, historical video games can both immerse you and help you learn at the same time.
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Features
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Research: Teachers share research experiences
Dr. Matthew Harley Dr. Matthew Harley, Biology teacher and freshman class dean, was first drawn to research during his college studies. Excited at the prospects research brought, Harley went on to conduct several projects, including a dissertation. “I realized how much I loved [biology], and a big part of that was the idea of how much new information was coming out, [...] of being someone able to come up with new information nobody else had discovered yet,” he said. He especially gained interest in exploring the “nitty-gritty specific things” within larger avenues of research. At Johns Hopkins University, Harley began research for his thesis project on bacterial conjugation. In essence, his work dealt with the structure and biochemical interactions of a bacterial protein, promoting the transfer of plasma DNA to a host bacteria. Bacterial conjugation actually spreads resistance to antibiotics, and Harley hoped that his research on the subject would help design an inhibitor to stop the process and make antibiotics more effective. Despite his passion for the field, Harley often struggled maintaining motivation through particularly arduous undertakings. “Having to completely redesign was something I really had trouble with. Starting over was very tough for me,” he said. However, the potential for research to be a very lengthy process is one of Harley’s favorite parts, as the process continues progressively to build upon itself. For example, he still recalls the incredulity he felt at his first break-
Dr. Mark Brada Also beginning his research career in college, Physics teacher Dr. Mark Brada was able to explore several different fields through his experiences. In the summer of his junior year, Brada had the opportunity to conduct research at the National Renewable Energies Lab in Golden, Colorado. Essentially, his project was to analyze the potential environmental impacts of different electric car batteries, examining each cell’s full fuel cycle, from digging the raw material through disposal. He then went on to intern for six months at the Argonne National Laboratory Non-Destructive Evaluation Group, a part of the lab’s material science branch. The group investigated non-destructive ways of determining the existence of flaws within dense ceramic materials, and eventually earned a patent for the process they developed. Deeply interested, Brada wanted to continue his pursuit of research in material sciences through graduate school. “By talking to other people, finding out what was viable and what was interesting to me, I think I was able to come up with pretty reasonable projects,” he said. Brada’s first undertaking involved grain boundary wedding and dewedding in silicon nitride, a ceramic material used in high strength, low density structures, investigating the energetics and various oxidizing conditions. His second project revolved around the grain of silicon nitride as well. He developed and wrote a theoretical model for the material’s grain growth, comparing it to the material’s actual physical properties. Brada urges students engaging in research to remain patient in their ventures.
Seniors reflect on college decisions stephanie chen reporter Everyone thinks getting into college is the hardest part, but choosing which school to attend can be equally difficult. This year’s seniors considered numerous merits when deciding on their colleges, from research opportunities to school size. One of the most important factors in choosing a school was the academic program. Rohan Chandra (12) picked Brown University over his second choice, the California Institute of Technology, because of its multidimensional focus. “Caltech’s very small and intense and science-minded, whereas Brown felt very strong in the humanities, performing arts, and sciences,” he said. “I felt that Brown was a better fit for me.” Eric Zhang (12) also took academics into consideration when he decided on attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I had a little bit of trouble picking it at first, but I chose Urbana-Champaign because it has a top bioengineering program,” he said. “Also, when I went there, I enjoyed the campus life because it’s a huge university of 40,000 students.” Along with academics, the opportunity to do science research was a feature that some students looked for. Shrreya Jain (12), who will be attending Stony Brook University next fall, was drawn to a long-term joint research program that Stony Brook offered with Stanford University. “I got into a combined medical program at Stony Brook, which was the biggest reason I picked it, but the research program was an added benefit,” Shrreya said. Likewise, research was a major reason for Victoria Lin’s (12) choice to go to Harvard University. “I was trying to decide between Harvard and Princeton, but I wanted somewhere with more graduate students that I could do research with,” Victoria said. “And of course, it’s Harvard—it’s hard to turn it down.” Campus life was also an impor-
tant aspect to think about for many seniors, especially when picking a home for the next four years. Simar Mangat (12) had always had his mind set on Stanford, where he will be attending, because of its general atmosphere. “Stanford was the only private university I applied to. I really like the people there and the really entrepreneurial, open culture,” he said. “Not to mention the weather and the amazing faculty and everything that makes Stanford as distinguished as it is.” When choosing between in- and out-of-state schools, other students also viewed the sunny California weather as a plus, especially compared to the humid summers and snowy winters found on the East Coast. For Neeraj Baid (12), who chose the University of California at Berkeley over Carnegie Mellon University, the environment was a deciding factor. “Both are top-tier engineering schools, and I’ll get an equally good engineering education at both, so that was a wash,” he said. “But I decided that I’d rather stay on the West Coast with the beautiful weather and Silicon Valley [nearby].” After narrowing down their choices by academics and campus life, many seniors faced a final, significant issue: money. With college tuitions rising every year, a scholarship can tip the scale in favor of one school over another. Alice Tsui (12) did not have a top choice during the application process and initially could not find a school that was a “perfect fit.” She eventually decided on Chapman University in part because it offered her a generous scholarship. “That’s when I began to look seriously at the school—the amount they’d offered was pretty hard to walk away from,” Alice said. “After doing some more research, I found out a lot more about student life and my academic options and it luckily just fell in place: Chapman was the best fit for me.” In the end, though choosing a school was often challenging, most seniors expressed a sentiment similar to Alice’s: they had found a college where they would be happy.
Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri, Chemistry teacher, began researching with a mentor in graduate school. Her initial project involved printer dyes and an examination of what caused them to fade over time. For her dissertation and P.h.D research, Koodanjeri explore chiral molecules and used cyclodextrins, crystals, and zeolites to control their photochemistry. “When it comes to research, one needs ideas, outside-the-box creativity, and sheer determination,” she said. When faced with difficulties in her projects, Koodanjeri analyzed the negative results, understood what went wrong, and finally, utilized them to come up with alternative methods. Such perseverance often yielded fruitful results. For instance, after trying to synthesize a compound without success twelve times, and even having her mentor suggest giving up and moving on, Koodanjeri finally managed to produce it on her thirteenth attempt. Although no longer conducting research of her own, she is particularly interested in the research done by students. She often walks into the research room, asking questions of students about their projects. “Sometimes I wish I were doing it myself: that is how tempting and exciting [the projects] sound,” she said. “So I do the next best thing, which is offer any assistance that I can.” Koodanjeri would love to see students delve into environmental research, including the effect of pollution on air quality, seasonal variants of pollutants, and a study of particulate matter.
TIARA BHATACHARYA- THE WINGED POST
Four science teachers who help students explore research opportunities share their stories about conducting their own experiments. They hope their research experiences will help students get a glimpse into what science is like beyond high school.
“You can’t go straight from AP Biology to curing cancer,” he said. “You always want to have that vision, but you have to take things one step at a time. Recently, the fields of biology and biophysics have captured his attention, and he wishes to explore them. “Ultimately the skill of being able to think critically about a situation and respond in a rational way is something very ingrained in people that do research,” he said.
CHEMISTRY CREATIVITY Chemistry teacher Smriti Koodanjeri began research in graduate school. Her project involved examining printer dyes and what causes them to fade over time.
Dr. Kate Schafer Biology teacher Dr. Kate Schafer began pursuing research in high school, entering science fairs in all four years. Through the San Francisco Oceanic Society, she was able to conduct her P.h.D. research on the Belize Barrier Reef, where she had the unique opportunity of living on a mangrove island. The island itself was host to a magnificent ecosystem damaged in an El Nino event from 1997 to 1998. Schafer analyzed the changes after the massive coral bleaching, and documented the reef ’s recovery. “It really was an amazing experience, looking back on it,” she said. For her dissertation, Schafer looked at ecology populations, specifically comparing coral reef habitats to habitats in mangrove trees. Her work supported an effort to develop Stomatopods, a type of crustacean, into a bioindicator species for reefs under stress. Though the process was often tedious, she remained engaged throughout the process, maintaining her focus and motivation. “I think that the mundane na-
ture of day to day can be challenging, and it’s really just reminding yourself of the big picture,” Schafer said. Furthermore, her experience in Belize allowed her to lead tour groups of people visiting the island, who were then able to help her with her research. “I really enjoyed the overlap between the research and the education part of it,” she said. She went on to research the fish populations in the San Francisco Bay, recreating the grass beds that are integral parts of the bay’s ecosystem. This summer, Schafer will embark on a research expedition along the Katmai peninsula in Alaska, sampling beaches for marine debris. “My motivation in doing research has always come from an interest in understanding how people are impacting ecosystems, and what people can do to minimize the effect we have, and in some cases, rehabilitate habitats we’ve degraded, ” she said.
Celebration of family
Largest class of lifers in school history tiara bhatacharya reporter In 2000, 44 students stepped onto the Bucknall campus, ready and excited for their first day of kindergarten. Now those same students prepare to don their caps and gowns for graduation, their time at Harker drawing to a close after thirteen years. The “lifers” in the senior class have been classmates throughout lower, middle, and high school, sharing experiences ranging from raising chickens with former kindergarten teacher Nancy Curran to their first spirit rally in freshman year. As part of an annual tradition, the students will join Head of School Christopher Nikoloff and Upper School Division Head Butch Keller for dinner, giving them the opportunity to reminisce about the past 13 years. “This is a tradition that started
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I think that the lifers are well distributed throughout the grade in each group. Richard Fan (12)
relatively organically, and it just blossomed into a way to recognize their commitment to the school and their longevity in the school. These are students that grew up on Harker campuses,” said Nikoloff. Senior Sandra Leal Da Costa has been looking forward to the celebration, hoping that the experience will bring them even closer together. In a set of unusual circumstances, despite having studied abroad for her junior year, she is still considered to be a lifer.
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
reporter
through, finding it a particularly emotional experience. Although he enjoyed research, Harley would not consider reentering the research realm himself, having found that he truly enjoys mentoring students through the research process.
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tiara bhatacharya
13 TO LIFE The 44 lifers of the Class of 2013 have watched each other grow from eager five year olds to high school seniors. They will join Head of School Christopher Nikoloff and Upper School Division Head Butch Keller for the annual lifer celebration..
“I have been here as long as the kindergarteners have, and when I studied abroad I still maintained all my connections at Harker through participating in things such as the annual Kicks Against Cancer Soccer Game,” she said. “Most still don’t agree that I should be a lifer, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” Remembering lower school particularly fondly, senior Sonia Gupta’s favorite memories include the rehearsal week before the lower school dance show and reading in the library with lower school Campus Librarian Kathleen Clark. “I don’t think being a lifer is about the number of years you’ve been at Harker, but rather the impression that Harker has left on you and vice versa. I guess it really is K-Life,” Sonia said. Reflecting back upon her experiences, Amie Chien (12) believes that she would have developed much differently as a person had she attended different schools. “I feel like Harker elementary and middle school take really good care of you, so having that upbringing has shaped who I am, so I’d probably be a different person if I went to [another] school,” Amie said. Ashley Del Alto (12) is glad that she decided to remain at Harker for the entirety of her pre-collegiate education. “Harker’s just a friendly environment, and I love this school. I know I can get a greater education here than elsewhere,” she said. Almost doubling the lifer population of previous graduating classes, the
seniors were the last class to have been able to attend the junior kindergarten program. Despite the large proportion of lifers, Richard Fan (12) believes that both the lifers and non-lifers have integrated well with each other. “I think that the lifers are well distributed throughout the grade in each group,” he said. As the lifers depart to college, many of them believe that adjusting to a new school environment for the first time will pose a significant challenge. While Richard believes the biggest obstacle he will face will be in finding new friends, Amie and Ashley agreed that adapting to the much larger student body would prove to be an immense change. Lifers include Amanda Kalb, Amie Chien, Amy Wardenburg, Andre Tran, Anuj Sharma, Ashley Del Alto, Catherine Manea, Cecilia Lang-Ree, Chloe Nielsen, Cristina Jerney, Nicholas Chuang, Patricia Huang, Payal Modi, Daniel Wang, David Lindars, Erik Andersen, Eric Swenson, Jenny Chen, JP Doherty, Katherine Woodruff, Keri Clifford, Kevin Cali, Laura Pedrotti, Lorraine Wong, Matthew Giammona, Michael Amick, Michael Chen, Michelle Douglas, Molly Wolfe, Pranav Bheda, Rachel Yanovsky, Ragini Bhattacharya, Ravi Tadinada, Ria Desai, Richard Fan, Sartajdeep Kahlon, Shelby Rorabaugh, Shivani Mitra, Simon Orr, Siobhan Cox, Sondra Leal Da Costa, Sonia Hashim, Suchita Nety, and Tiphaine Delepine.
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May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
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GLOBAL
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Putting the book down, he pauses. Right then, the inspiration kicks in— money for a mission. Since then, Sidhart Krishnamurthi (10) has gone on to fundraise a total of $2,040 for a donation to build a refugee shelter home in Afghanistan. “I read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini last spring, and I thought that these people are unnecessarily suffering,” said Sidhart, referring to the Taliban and Russian fight for power in
the Middle Eastern country. “Many of these people have been uprooted from their homes and split from their family. Thus, I wanted to help them.” To launch his fundraising campaign, Sidhart first contacted the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit organization which provides support for projects promoting shelter to refugee families and aids further education and health care support for women and children in Afghanistan. Sidhart then moved to fundraise through the Interact Club before gathering further support from his family
Far-from-homeschooled Two seniors to attend international universities trisha jani & monica thukral features editor & reporter
Although not many students study abroad for college, Catherine Manea (12) and Sean Fernandez (12) have committed to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the University of British Columbia respectively. Although Sean tried not to pick a first choice college during the application process as not to be crushed by disappointment, the University of British Columbia “was always a consideration.”
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Being at an international school offers another type of education.
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Catherine Manea (12)
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
“It’s a really good school, but nobody ever looks at it because it’s in Canada,” he said jokingly. He plans to major in biology, but is not “dead set” on it, and plans to explore other subjects. Even though he does not know any other students going to or currently at the University of British Columbia, he may consider residing in Canada permanently. “We’ll see if I survive the next four years,” he said. For Sean, applying to a university outside of the United States did not constitute a vastly different ap-
plication process, except that the application was due in March and has to commit by June 1. There are 800 Americans at the university and even more than that number of Chinese students, Sean explained. Catherine decided to apply to the University of St. Andrews when she heard about it at a college fair while at summer camp at Oxford. Although she initially considered studying abroad for college to be ridiculous, she decided to apply anyway. “It is rolling admissions, so I found out in January and was like, ‘Wow this is funny I got in, let me see what else I get into!’” Catherine said. “By the end, I was like, ‘Okay I want to go here.’” At the University of St. Andrews, Catherine initially planned to study psychology but later changed to astrophysics. About fifteen percent of the students are from the United States and thirty percent total are from foreign countries. Since she has been at Harker since Kindergarten, she is “excited to meet people from different places.” “Being at an international school offers another type of education where you learn about the world and other people,” she said. Catherine does not look forward to the money conversion or the long flights she will have to deal with on a regular basis. “It takes like ten hours to fly there,” she said. “I won’t be able to bring much stuff. I will have to buy it over there.” Although Catherine will not have to deal with a language barrier, she has been trying to prepare herself for the accent barrier. “I have actually been on YouTube and googled Scottish accents and am trying to learn to understand that,” she said. “I am scared for that, but I think that will be okay.” Catherine will also miss her friends, many of whom are going to college in New York.
STUDY ABROAD Catherine Manea (12) stops for a photo while visiting the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the school she will be attending for the next four years. However, unlike most students, she will be leaving the country for college.
Sidhart Krishnamurthi (10) the Interact Club. “I appreciated him reaching out to other clubs at Harker to try to help him with his efforts and to coordinate it with the school when the speaker came.” Next, Sidhart began his own cam-
Tanzania Travel:
Preparing for a medical and scientific expedition
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
mariam sulakian
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The goal was to help these people get their lives back together.
paigning efforts in which he sent out emails asking for donations for his project, in hopes of raising enough money to build at least one house. “The goal was to help these people get their lives back together and build one shelter. I have built a shelter for a family of six, and I will try to do what I can to improve on that,” Sidhart said. Although he will not be able to see the shelter that will be built due to the unstable and dangerous conditions of Afghanistan at the moment, Sidhart anticipates that he will visit one day to see the building he donated. He hopes his fundraising project will inspire students to join him in his quest, eventually making a larger difference in Afghanistan. The Khaled Hosseini Foundation also encourages the participation in similar projects. “Every dollar raised makes a huge difference in the lives of the returning refugees, most who are women and children,” SOS Program and Product manager Cristie Burr said. “People need to remember that the need may be large, but that even the smallest contribution will still affect positive change for someone living as a refugee in Afghanistan.” Though he has not thought about plans for future projects, Sidhart hopes to stay in contact with the Khaled Hosseini Foundation and aid them in working towards a greater change.
GLOBAL EDUCATION Eleven journalism and biology students will travel to Tanzania this summer to expand their knowledge of their respective focuses.
vasudha rengarajan TalonWP sports editor
“Ewww,” sounded a faint whisper. Grimaces and winces were exchanged among the students as they sat gathered on the gym floor. The sour looks and cringing figures were not a product of the dusty ground, but rather a reaction to the speaker’s words. The speakers at the podium went on to describe how the flies rest on the Maasai’s eyelids to suck out the moisture, making their eyes dry and unhealthy. Suddenly, the students’ faces began to loosen, and they listened on with expressions of pity. During the Monday school meeting, students going on the first ever Tanzania trip announced their drive to collect money, stationery, glasses, and saline solution for the Maasai people. The money and stationery will be used in schools, and the glasses and saline solution will be used to improve the eye-health of the tribe. “The theme of this trip is ‘One Health,’ the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health,” said Anita Chetty, who will be traveling to Tanzania with the students. “We are going to visit a Maasai village, spend time there doing some community service work, and visit the witch-doctor and an herbalist to compare traditional and Western medicine.” On July 24th, the eleven students will depart to Tanzania as part of a journalism and biology trip, and will be working with the Maasai people to observe cultural practices, learn about rural medicine, and hope to make a difference. “We plan on visiting small villages and schools, donating books and stationery, testing natives’ eyesight, and providing them with old glasses,” said Jonathan Dai (9). “I’m looking forward to the tribal activities we will be participating in. I’m not exactly sure what they will be, but I know we are going to go through some special ceremonies with local tribes.” Jonathan is one of the three journalism students going on the trip, in addition to Alyssa Amick (10) and Logan Drazovich (9). A number of students found this trip to be an exciting departure from the ordinary, say-
ing that going to Africa was a unique opportunity. “I thought the trip would provide a new experience that would allow me to exit my comfort zone. I’m hoping to learn about life in a completely different country through experience, rather than by simply researching it from home,” Monika Lee (11) said. “Africa seems like an interesting place due to the different lifestyles and cultures of the people living there.” Junior Raymond Chen was particularly interested in the packed itinerary. He and the others will be visiting Mt. Meru Game Lodge and Sanctu-
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The theme of this trip is ‘One Health,’ the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health.
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INSPIRED INTERACTION Sidhart Krishnamurthi (10) poses with Head of School, Christopher Nikoloff, and the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, when he spoke at the Upper School on November 30.
and friends. When author Khaled Hosseini came to speak as a guest of the Harker Speaker Series, Sidhart and the Interact group succeeded in raising a total of $579 by the end of the evening. “I thought it was great that he took on such a big project all by himself,” said advisor Jane Keller, who helped Sidhart connect and communicate with
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COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Saving for shelters: Sophomore fundraises for Afghanistani refugees
Anita Chetty, Science Department Chair
ary, Arusha National Park, Matimu for textbook donation, and an International School in Braeburn, among other locations. “We have a long list of places to visit, and things to do, but I am most looking forward to the two days spent on the Serengeti, because that will be a great opportunity to actually see many of the famous animals in Africa and witness some amazing wildlife sceneries.” Raymond said. “I chose to go on this trip because Africa and Tanzania were places that I thought I would never get the chance to visit again.” The students will spend 10 days in Tanzania and will fly arrive back home on August 4.
Swiss Bliss
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
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MAY 17, 2013
FAST FRIENDS Freshman Samali Sahoo (RIGHT) and her buddy, Tonia, visit the Golden Gate Bridge while sightseeing in San Francisco.
elisabeth siegel reporter Grinning, a student says goodbye in French to the Swiss family on her computer monitor and signs off of Skype, ready to travel the thousands of miles to visit their home shortly. Soon, those participating in the Switzerland exchange program will depart for the city of Fribourg. Nine girls and one boy will be visiting the Collége de Gambach as well as the surrounding areas with their Swiss buddies. Many students have found it easy to keep in touch with their buddies since the days that they came to visit the Upper School and explore the Bay Area. “I match Harker students with their buddies based on the information they provide for me in their profiles,” Director of Global Education, Jennifer Walrod, said. “Once the students receive their buddy’s profile, I encourage them to quickly email their buddy and then try to regularly stay in contact. I have found that the students who communicate regularly with their buddies tend to have the best time.” Samali Sahoo (9) has found it easier to keep in touch with her buddy, Tonia, through her phone. “I’m texting my buddy, and she gives me information about her life and Switzerland in general. I’m excited to meet her family−she has a brother−and her teachers. They’re interesting,” she said. Delaney Martin (10) is especially enthusiastic about meeting her buddy again because of how well they got along. “When she came here, we bonded instantly, and it was really easy to get to know her. She was so relatable−there wasn’t any sort of culture barrier, and I’m looking forward to getting to know more about her,” she said. “She is really good at speaking English, so it’s not hard to communicate with her at all. We communicate pretty much every day: we Snapchat, and we’re friends on Facebook, and we follow each other on Instagram.” Victoria Ding (9) has spoken with her buddy, Céline, on other social media sites as well. “We’ve emailed her several times, and I have added her on Facebook. I’m looking forward to seeing what her school is like,” she said. Ishanya Anthapur (10) has experienced some troubles in communication, though she is definitely thrilled to be going. “I’ve been to Switzerland before, in fifth grade, and I’m really excited to go [again],” she said. “It’s [hard to talk in French] because they speak so fast, but it’s fun to listen to hear the girls talk to each other. My buddy and I send each other emails and talk about our lives. To prepare, my parents want me to learn how to order food in French.” The students will depart shortly after the end of academic finals, on June 6, and they will stay in Swit-
MAY 17, 2013
GLOBAL
the Winged Post
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natalie simonian reporter The Wildcats of “High School Musical” had it right: summer is the best part of the year for any student around the world. Three glorious months where academics becomes a foreign concept, and sleep becomes a way of life. Here, two students from high schools in Armenia and Japan share their plans for this year’s summer vacation. Armenia Diana Hakobyan studies the Quantum College in Yerevan, Armenia and is in the tenth grade. She loves the level of education at her school (the highest in all of Armenia) but wishes that the school itself could be rebuilt in a more modern style. Summer vacation in Armenia at Quantum College lasts exactly as long as summer break at Harker. The school year ends on June
global journalism project
15, and resumes again on September 1. “[Our family often goes] abroad on summer holidays… Sometimes we travel [in] Armenia with our friends. It’s always lots of fun and [an] interesting experience,” Diana said. Diana and her family have been to a variety of places around the world including Russia, Georgia, Italy, USA, Spain, Austria, France, Czech Republic and Great Britain. However, it is not all fun and games for her quite yet. Diana plans to go to two weeks of summer school before finally relaxing abroad. Unlike Harker, summer school is mandatory at Quantum College. During the two weeks, students will study for two or three hours, then enjoy themselves for the remainder of the day. One day, however, they will spend eight hours climbing a mountain in Armenia. “Mountains in Armenia are very
high and nature is fantastic. So are the views from the top,” Diana said. Once she finishes her school obligations, the rest of the summer will be hers to fill with vacations, television, and lots of sleep. “I would like to go [to] a seaside... it really helps to relax and prepare for the next working year. I would like to see different historical places, museums, galleries to get new and interesting information,” Diana said. Japan Rei Ogawa is in the ninth grade at the Tamagawa Gakuen Academy in Tokyo, Japan. Unlike students in America, Japanese students change their grade level in April after spring break. This summer, Rei and her family plan to visit her grandmother’s sister in the United States. “I want more skill [in] English. Therefore I will go to my grandmoth-
er’s sister house in America,” Rei said. Rei has been to America several times before. In 2010, she participated in the annual exchange with Harker sixth graders, where she visited San Francisco and Carmel. Three years ago, she and her family traveled to Florida, which is her father’s favorite vacation spot. Although her family has visited various places such as Korea and Hokkaido, Rei’s dream vacation spot is the Maldives, an island chain in the Indian Ocean. “I want to go Maldives, because I want to play [in the] sea and [do other] activities,” Rei explained. As summer finally approaches and the stress from final and AP exams is lifted, students across all continents breathe a sigh of relief and revel in the three relaxing months before the start of yet another school year.
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
Summer plans: International students share ideas
MIDDAY IN PARIS Diana Hakobyan (RIGHT) and her sister Irena Hakobyan pose under the Eiffel Tower during their 2012 summer trip. The vacation also included stops in Nice and Barcelona.
Unique courses offered world wide The articles below are a part of a continuing collaboration between The Winged Post and several other international schools in which an article topic is agreed upon and written about.
Marble, memory, metal, and Mars
Novel courses at the Upper School
Each school writes and edits their own article, which is then published as received in our publication. Stories and views expressed below are those from contributing schools and are not neces-
sarily those of The Winged Post. For this issue, we exchanged articles with the Singapore American School (SAS) and the Taipei American School (TAS) about interesting courses that our
respective schools offer. With everything from music classes to stone carving to technical theater, each school provides its students with unique opportunities to explore out-of-the-box f ields.
SAS offers class on
Music of Our Time: popular music genres varun bindra
SCULPTING PERFECTION The finished products of the semester-long stone carving class are displayed at the annual art show. Stone carving is just one of the many interesting courses offered at the Upper School.
kavya ramakrishnan reporter After the courses that students are required to take, there is a plethora of exciting, intriguing electives and classes available. Here are just a few of the many stimulating educational experiences accessible at Harker. Stone Carving Rarely offered by high schools, stone carving is a studio class in which students learn about the process of designing, carving, and polishing a sculpture made of stone or alabaster. Students learn to carve by hand as well as with the use of pneumatic hammers and dremels. Unlike most classes, stone carving is done outdoors with students not sitting on chairs all day. Senior Adrienne Mendel decided to take stone carving this year, because she it was one of the few art classes left that she hadn’t taken. “I took it because I wanted to do something 3D and it’s also abstract,” she said. “Stone carving is both physical and mental, because you’re making something that’s a symbol for a thought or philosophy and then you get to make it by hand, polish it by hand and the end is a beautiful object,” Stone Carving teacher Jaap Bongers said. Honors Nanoscience New to Harker next year, this semester-long course modeled after introductory nanotechnology courses offered at universities is an introduction to the fundamentals of nanoscience. Centered on the theme that “size matters,” the course highlights the properties of nanoscale materials. The course is divided into units which explore a particular property and its applications. The examples used are: diffraction and scanning probe microscopes, liquid crystals, carbon nanotubes, ferrofluids, titanium
dioxide, nanoparticles, memory metals and catalysts. Concepts are explained from a physical chemistry point of view. Astronomy Ever wonder about the expansion of the universe? Where the universe came from, where it is, and where we are going? Then this is the course for you. “I think that everybody has questions about where did the universe come from and why is it here and why are things the way that they are and the course takes a reasonable effort about shedding light on those questions and I think it’s something that satisfies natural curiosity for a lot of people,” astronomy teacher Dr. Mark Brada said. This one-semester elective course will give students a general overview of the fundamental principles of astronomy. Students study the formation of our solar system as well as the composition and characteristics of a variety of solar bodies including planets, comets, asteroids, moons and the sun. The first part of this exploration takes us to the birth, life and death of stars. A detailed look at the sun will assist students in understanding their life cycle. The death of massive stars gives us fascinating objects such as supernovae and black holes. Electronics Electronics is a lab-driven class that introduces the basic principles of electric circuits through experimentation and laboratory-based activities. The course emphasizes analog circuits with an introduction to digital electronics at the end of the semester. An interesting aspect of the course is that it is mainly self-paced for each individual student, so some may start with simple circuits with battery and resistors while more advanced students go on to learn about using integrated circuits to design circuits with complex behavior and LRC circuits.
PAMELA CHAN - SAS
Three years ago, Nanette Devens asked ninth-grade SAS students which types of music courses they would like to take. Students were interested in music genres that are popular in the modern day. Devens gave it some thought and proposed a new course, Music of Our Time. This course combines learning on rap, hip-hop, and electronic music. The course is offered for the first time this semester. Devens says that the students’ background knowledge of modern music creates more lively class discussions. “There’s a lot of interest in sharing what they know. A lot of times students want to stay after class and talk a little bit more about some of the deeper issues being brought up and I think that’s perfect,” Devens said. The course includes many controversial aspects of modern music culture, such as drugs and sex. Music of Our Time differs from other music courses because it is student run. Devens says she is often unable to plan even as far as one class in
HARD AT WORK SAS students Raf Castanto (12), Julia Abueva (11), and Noah Grubman (11) listen to music for a class assignment. Music of Our Time is a unique course that allows students to learn about popular music genres.
advance because she does not know which direction students will take the class in. “This class is run by [the student’s] intellectual curiosity. Every one of them in there know more about this topic than I do. My job is to set up a framework so that we can learn about it and talk about it,” Devens said. Eventually, students in the course will DJ and produce their own hip-hop and rap music. The final project for the
course is to mix a DJ piece and add a rap over it. Devens said she hopes that students in class will listen to music more actively and develop a deeper and broader understanding of music. Music of Our Time is just the first course offered in the experimental music exploratory music program. Soon, SAS students will be able to take courses in other modern music genres such as rock n’ roll.
Video games, architecture, stage craft, oh my! berry sheu Taipei American School Being a very ‘techy’ school, with a one-to-one laptop program, our school offers a number of unusual technologyinvolved courses, including Video Game Programming and Product Design and Development. Video Game Programming class is exactly what it sounds like. The course focuses on implementations of code to create video games and interactive graphic applications. By the end of the school year, all students will have completed a project which consists of creating their own interesting video game. Product Design and Development is a project-based course which employs all types of modern tools such as the 3D printer, paper cutter, laser and vinyl cutter to explore various methods of product design. Students learn to identify client/ customer needs based on design briefs, utilize creative problem solving skills, and develop product architecture and structural synthesis. This course is a combination of management, engineering, and industrial design, where students design and prototype an actual, physical product
in preparation for the market place. Architecture is a new course being offered the fall semester of 2013. In class, students will design structures, build
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The incredible array of courses offered fosters thinking and innovation amongst the student body.
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KAVYA RAMAKRISHNAN - THE WINGED POST
Singapore American School
Berry Sheu, TAS models, use technology to create forms and render images while learning about various uses of architecture throughout history. One key component is the explo-
ration of various relationships between people and built forms, of sustainability as well as of concerns for the surrounding environment. Stage Craft/Technical Theater introduces students to skills such as lighting, sound, and scene design and construction which are necessary to bring a performance to life. Students in the class provide technical theater support for TAS productions, such as the annual Upper School play. Astronomy and Modern Physics is a new class that will be taught fall semester of 2013. Students will learn everything about the sun, moon, planets, stars, and galaxies as well as the stellar evolution, modern cosmology and the big bang theory. Astronomy and modern physics are experimental sciences open to continual reinterpretation, extension, and revision. A few other available ‘interesting’ courses include Artificial Intelligence, Acoustical Physics, and Forensics Science. The incredible array of courses offered in Taipei American School fosters thinking and innovation amongst the student body.
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Year in Review
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
JETON GUTIERREZ-BUJARI (10)
SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - THE WINGED POST
ELISABETH SIEGEL - THE WINGED POST
CHAU NGUYEN (12)
ONE YEAR. ONE WORD. As school draws to a close, we are all offered the opportunity to reflect on our past year. We asked students and teachers around campus to describe their year in one word. Granted, choosing a single word to describe the amalgam of a year’s worth of experiences is nearly impossible. However, we still encourage everyone to think of the first word that comes to mind when presented with the 20122013 school year. After all, who knows how many memories a single word can evoke?
SAHANA NARAYANAN (9)
SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - THE WINGED POST
ELISABETH SIEGEL - THE WINGED POST
STEPHANIE HUANG (9)
CRISTINA JERNEY (12)
ELISABETH SIEGEL - THE WINGED POST
AVINASH NAYAK (11)
ELISABETH SIEGEL - THE WINGED POST
BRADLEY STOLL
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LIFESTYLE
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Even if photography’s not really your thing, you still need something versatile to capture those memorable moments in life. For the on-the-go, quantityover-quality typical camera user, a trusty point-andshoot can never go wrong - especially since they’re considerably cheaper. The main problem is sorting through the hundreds of models and brands to find what’s best for you. The most cost-effective compact digital cameras are the following, along with their retail prices and some of their features:
Canon Powershot SX260 - $300 v20x optical zoom v12 MP sensor v1080p HD video vGPS tracker
Intermediate
Are you a budding amateur photographer? Nikon D5200 - $800 If you’re unsure about springing for a professional v24.1 MP sensor quality camera, entry-level DSLRs are a perfect fit. v39-point autofocus Mostly lightweight yet still capable of taking firstv5 fps continuous shooting rate photos, these are for the photography novices v1080p HD video that want more control and versatility from their vVari-angle LCD monitor cameras, but don’t want to be overwhelmed with devOptional wireless adapter tails or technical complications. for photo sharing
Sony Cybershot DSC-WX80-$200 v8x optical zoom v16.2 MP sensor v1080p HD video vBuilt-in Wi-Fi
Nikon D3200 - $700 v24.2 MP sensor v11-point autofocus v4 fps continuous shooting v1080p HD video vOptional wireless adapter for photo sharing
Nikon Coolpix S9400 - $300 v10x optical zoom v16 MP sensor v1080p HD video vRelatively inexpensive
Canon EOS Rebel T3i - $650 v18 MP sensor v9-point autofocus v3.7 fps continuous shooting v1080p HD video vVari-angle LCD monitor
Expert
For those that are searching for a camera to Canon EOS 7D - $1500 aid their skill and interest in photography, there are Nikon D300S - $1700 v12.3 MP sensor v18 MP sensor many higher level DSLRs that can be bought as well. v51-point autofocus v19-point autofocus These cameras are slightly more complicated to use, v7 fps continuous shooting v8 fps continuous shooting but have the same fundamental controls - although v720p HD video v1080p HD video they leave most of the power in the hands of the phovMax ISO of 6400 vMax ISO of 12800 tographer. Despite the fact that they are more expenvDual memory card slot vOptional GPS tracker sive, the independence and quality associated with (SD and CF) these choices make them a great fit.
An affordable alternative
Free online courses reporter
So, you are not going anywhere exotic for the summer. You are not taking any SAT prep classes or going to any camps at a university. What can you do to alleviate the seemingly endless days of summer break? How about trying a free
Codecademy
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For those of you planning to take the AP Computer Science challenge test at the end of this summer, this site is right up your alley. Codecademy teaches the basic syntax of languages such as Python, Ruby, PHP, and JavaScript. Because the underlying principles of many of these languages are similar, using this site will help on the exam. The site offers an interactive code editor where students can write their own code, after learning the syntax, as per the guidelines. It then executes the code and offers feedback. Students have used this ever since it came out and have generally been pleased with what the site has to offer. “Codecademy successfully creates a pressure-free learning platform based on small lessons that are quickly mastered. Only then are more advanced topics introduced, allowing for easy progression at an individual pace,” Neil Movva (10) said.
Udacity Udacity, a service that provides free online college courses, has become a method of choice for many high school students to study disciplines above and beyond the scope of a traditional high school education. According to their site, “engaging, bitesized videos” keep students interested in place of the traditional classroombased and lecture-based nature of college courses. Udacity courses can be taken for college credit, and it simulates the world of college as much as possible, with actual college professors who tutor students via the Web. The classroom setting is preserved in a forum, where students from across the world can interact and collaborate on projects and study for quizzes and tests together. Udacity’s partnership with San Jose State University also amplifies its appeal to Bay Area students because it provides the possibility of meeting a real college professor to discuss one’s chosen course(s) and the associated work.
online course? The Winged Post has compiled a list of resources that will help you have an enlightened summer: Duolingo, Codecademy, Udacity, and Coursera. The first two specialize in a specific subject, while the latter two offer a wide variety of courses from biophysics to cryptography.
Duolingo Billed as an alternative to traditional first-semester university language courses (equivalent to Level 1 of a language), Duolingo has been gaining popularity as a way to learn a new language quickly. According to the website, using Duolingo for 25 to 50 hours covers as much material as a semester in Level 1 of a language. When one starts to learn a language, they learn basic nouns and expressions and learn to identify them with a picture. Students can then translate simple expressions, á la Quizlet, to go to the next stage of the course. Students recognize the need for something more in-depth than traditional “flashcard” programs such as Quizlet. “While Quizlet is really helpful for vocabulary, there does not exist a very good program for practicing grammar conjugations, but with the advent of Duolingo, I think a program like this would benefit all foreign language students,” Juhi Muthal (10) said.
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rahul jayaraman
Coursera Similar to Udacity, Coursera offers college-level courses for credit; however, it has many more university partners than Udacity does. Videos of college lectures from more than 300 courses taught at 62 universities worldwide are available to those with an account on the site. Added to the fact that more than 3 million people worldwide have used Coursera to take a course, it is probably the most widely-used free online learning platform out of the four presented in this article. Coursera’s wide variety of courses, from entrepreneurship to the interplay between sports and society, appeals to a broad base. So, after reading about these four platforms, turn on your laptop, open a free account on the one that interests you most, and start learning! After all, they say, you learn something new every day - why not keep that up during the summer?
Canon EOS 6D - $2000 v20.2 MP sensor v11-point autofocus v4.5 fps continuous shooting v1080p HD video vMax ISO of 25600 vBuilt-in Wi-Fi
Summer: Out of the box plans emily chu & kacey fang & monica thukral news editor & copy editor & reporter The Winged Post has compiled several ideas for productive activities to take up between summer internships and family vacations. After you catch up on lost sleep from the year, try one of these ideas to maximize your free time during summer.
Take up a new hobby
Take chances and try something new and unique this summer, whether you want to go to the gym, learn a new language, or start an online blog. You can even get an odd job by mowing lawns or babysitting to make some pocket money. Callie Ding (11) is using this time to catch up on an old hobby: playing the Chinese harp, which she has been learning for ten years. She has also played the pedal harp for three years. This summer, however, will be special, as she was invited to perform in two concerts in China. She will be playing two duet pieces and two solos on the Chinese harp, as well as one duet on the pedal harp. “I’m guest performing for someone else, so I don’t want to ruin their concert,” she said. “There’s kind of that pressure to do well.” Since March, Callie has not had much of a chance to practice due to AP studying and other schoolwork. Over the summer, she hopes to reconnect with her instrument and perform well in both of her concerts.
Start a business
Get prepared for DECA season next year by starting your own business. You can do something as simple as a tutoring business, a dog-walking business, developing and marketing an iPhone application, or other innovative ideas. Once you write up your business plan and launch your venture, take your plan to a DECA conference to receive some constructive criticism from professionals in the field, or add the Business and Entrepreneurship class to your schedule next year to be guided through starting your own company. Seniors Albert Chen and Shantanu Joshi will be working in a company that they started earlier this year: BookTradr. “The idea came to me as I was cleaning out my room and found a box of textbooks from the last three years of school just lying there collecting dust in the back of my closet. The first thing that came to mind was the mere monetary value of this massive cardboard box,” Shantanu said. “I then checked Amazon, Chegg, and Harker’s new MBS Direct service for their buy back
rates and was utterly disappointed. I know the sentimental value of Fitzgerald’s Gatsby is much higher than the standard paperback for most English teachers, but it’s discerning when services can barely give me five dollars for my 12 dollar paperback.” The idea of BookTradr is to create a website similar to the concept of Craiglist that allows students to buy and sell books “within the safety of their academic community.” “Booktradr’s goal is to make textbooks a less scary and annoying part of the school year,” Shantanu said. “Students can buy and sell books to their classmates without the hassle of mailing books and managing massive book lists. To make life even easier we threw in a link to amazon for the cheapest price of the newest book.” Over the summer, Shantanu and Albert will try to upscale and expand the business and hopes to have a completed product by end of June. Through the experience of running their own company, they hope to learn as much as they can about business and entrepreneurship to make “this project a reality.”
Write a book
Be inspired by your summer reading assignments and write your own story. Write a how-to advice book on a topic of your expertise, or compose an interesting novel that you can get published.
Catch up with old friends
Flip through your old elementary school yearbooks and get in touch with old friends. Even if you end up gossiping about classmates and old teachers, building up old friendships can be refreshing and help you to reminisce about your childhood. Taking a mini-vacation with them down to Carmel beach or hiking up Mission peak can provide for a relaxing and adventurous day during a free weekend.
Go to a concert or sporting event
Concerts coming to the HP Pavilion this summer include Beyoncé on July 2, Bruno Mars & Ellie Golding on July 25, and One Direction on July 30. Take a break from strenuous research internships and summer jobs to catch your favorite artist live!
Read to formulate opinions on important topics and life
Recall those school days when you were too busy to keep up with current events and the news? Make up for all the information that you lost by catching up on news and reading opinions on controversial topics. By doing additional reading and broadening your scope of other people’s ideas, you can make a better-educated decision on where you stand.
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Beginner
Summer is the time to indulge and enjoy ice-cream, smoothies, and cold drinks. Keep cool this summer by indulging yourself with these easy to make and tasty summer staples.
Strawberry smoothie s 1 ½ cup fresh strawberries s ½ cup greek yogurt s ½ cup juice or milk s ½ cup ice s ½ cup strawberry ice cream 1. Blend the strawberries, ice, and juice/milk in a blender. 2. When the mixture is puréd, add in the ice-cream and yogurt, and put the blender on cream, until a thick consistency is achieved. 3. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
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TalonWP video/photo editor
There’s a surplus of models on the market for consumers ranging from the everyday photo-taker to aspiring professional photographers. When trying to make a purchase, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of options and first-time buyers might not even know what to look for. Here are the most popular cameras for each of the three types of people: those who need one for casual daily use, those who want to learn more about photography, and those who know enough to want a better camera!
reporter
Lemon Sorbet s 1 cup water s 1 cup sugar s 1 cup lemon juice s mint leaves (if desired) 1. Combine the sugar and water in a pan on the stove. Bring to a boil and leave on stove until you reach a syrupy consistency. 2. Place the mixture in an ice cream maker, and let churn for about 30 minutes, or follow instructions coming with the machine. If desired, add the mint leaves to the mixture before churning. 3. Place the sorbet into the freezer for about 2 hours until firm. 4. Garnish with lemon zest and mint leaves and enjoy!
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juhi gupta
roshni pankhanaya
Popsicles s1 cup fruit concentrate s½ cup sugar s¾ cup water 1. Bring the water to a boil and then add in the water until it is completely dissolved. 2. Take the mixture off the stove and mix in the fruit concentrate. 3. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, insert a popsicle stick into each, and freeze for a minimum of 24 hours.
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Factors to consider to achieve quality photography
DIY treats
Watermelon Ice Cubes s1 watermelon 1. Cut the watermelon into small pieces and remove all the seeds. 2. Puree the watermelon in a blender. 3. Pour the mixture into an ice-tray and let freeze for at least 24 hours. 4. Use these ice cubes in any summer drink, as a fun and tasty alternative to the traditional ice cube.
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Buying the right camera
17
ICE cream s2 cups milk s1 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream s1 ½ cups sugar s2 2 tablespoons vanilla (or desired flavor) extract
1. Boil the milk for 30 minutes and then stir in the sugar until dissolved. 2. Add in the heavy whipping cream and flavor extract and mix very well. 3. Put the mixture in the fridge and let cool for approximately six hours. 4. Pour the mixture in an ice cream mixture and let churn for about 40 minutes. 5. Freeze the ice cream for 2 hours until firm.
EAGLE N WA
CLASS O
Whitman College (1) Svetsy Petrova
University of Washington (3)
Akarsha Gulukota • Timothy Luong • Tyler Yeats
OR
Pacific University (1) Katherine Woodruff
Reed College (1) Chloe Nielsen
IA
Willamette University (1) Simon Orr
Briar Cliff University (1) Ashley Del Alto
California Lutheran University (1) Daria Karakoulka
California Institute of Technology (2) Sierra Lincoln • Suchita Nety
Chapman University (2)
Alice Tsui • Amy Wardenburg
IL
MO
Pepperdine (2)
Isabelle Connell • Joshua Tien
University of Chicago (1)
Washington University in St. Louis (5)
San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1)
David Grossman
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2)
Bobby Kahlon • Shivani Mitra • Piyush Prasad • Alan Soetikno • Kevin Susai
Cobi Ashkenazi
Santa Clara University (5) Pranav Bheda • Keri Clifford • Ryan Hume • Sondra Leal Da Costa • Chau Nguyen
Northweste University
Michaela Kastelm • Zoya Khan • Ka Sundarraj
Justin Yang • Eric Zhang
Stanford University (10)
Jenny Chen • Siobhan Cox • Jacob Hoffman • Samantha Hoffman • Cecilia Lang-Ree • Andrew Luo • Simar Mangat • Maverick McNealy • Sumit Minocha • Wilbur Yang
University of California, Berkeley (13)
Kiran Arimilli • Priscilla Auyeung • Neeraj Baid • Michael Cheng • Sylvie Dobrota • Neel Jani • Ramakrishnan S. Menon • Catalina Mihailide • Tara Rezvani • Raghav Sehtia • Wendy Shwe • Ravi Tadinada • Ilsa Zhang
University of California, Davis (3)
Michael Chen • Indica Sur • Andre Tran
CA
University of California, Irvine (1) Renee Tam
University of California, Los Angeles (6)
Michael Amick • Ragini Bhattacharya • Amie Chien • Meera Madhavan • Preeya Mehta • Laura Pedrotti
University of the Pacific (1) Leslie Chan
Southern Methodist University (1) Sean Nierat
University of California, Santa Barbara (1)
University of San Diego (1)
Eric Swenson
Spenser Quash
University of Southern California (6)
Nisha Bhikha • Neel Bhoopalam • Josh Bollar • Nick Chuang • Rebecca Fang • Sarina Vij
University of California, Santa Cruz (2)
Erik Andersen • Lydia Werthen
University of California, San Diego (1)
Whittier College (1) Daniza Rodriguez
Molly Ellenberg
TX
by the numbers
161 3
countries
seniors self-reported their college plans to the Winged Post (out of 175 total)
20
U.S. states
REPRESENTED
Popular majors/interests include*:
60
percent of seniors who will be attending their first choice college*
Engineering (32%)
NINE
Sciences (29%) Social Sciences (29%) Business (28%)
Architecture
Computer Science (26%) Pre-professional (17%) Undecided (11%)
Education
percent o responde interests.
NATION
OF 2013
Columbia University (2)
Pratt Institute (2)
Marissa Moser • Shannon Su
Christopher Chang • Nina Sabharwal
Cornell University (3)
Reyhan Kader • Alison Rugar • Pooja Shah
New York University (9)
Lori Berenberg • Amy Gendotti • Shantanu Joshi • Caroline Lai • Hannah Prutton • Arvind Ramgopal • Shelby Rorabaugh • Jessica Son • Joseph Wang
MI
NY
Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute (1) Rahul Nalamasu
Skidmore College (1) Justin Gerard
St. Bonaventure University (1) Indulaxmi Seeni
Stony Brook University (1) Shrreya Jain
NH Dartmouth College (2)
Emily Chu • Rebecca Liu
Carnegie Mellon University (6)
Rahul Desirazu • Richard Fan • Andre Jia • Shreya Vemuri • Vincent Yao • Michelle Zhang
University of Michigan(1)
University of Pennsylvania (5)
Rohit Agarwal
JT Cho • Aneesh K. Chona • Ria Desai • Kevin Lin • Sonia Sidhu
PA
Boston College (1)
Daniel Wang
Indiana University Bloomington (1) JP Doherty
man athir
Patricia Huang • Carlos Johnson-Cruz
University of Pittsburgh (1)
IN
ern (3)
Amherst College (2) Michelle Douglas
Harvard College (3)
NJ
Victoria Lin • Ashvin Swaminathan • Emily Wang
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (1) Deniz Celik
Princeton University (3) Vladimir Feinberg • Sonia P. Hashim • Joy Li
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (6)
Rutgers University (1)
Paulomi Bhattacharya • Maddie Dawson • Maya Sathaye • Hansa Srinivasan • Lynda Tang • Lorraine Wong
Daphne Millard
University of Notre Dame (1) Tiphaine Delepine
D.C.
MD
George Washington University (1)
Johns Hopkins University (3)
Gilad Nilo • Nikhil Panu • Apricot Tang
Raghav Selvaraj
CT
U.S. Naval Academy (1) Ryan Mui
Connecticut College (1)
Northeastern University (1) Cristina Jerney
Tufts University (1) Isha Patnaik
Williams College (1) Apurva Tandon
MA
Karan Das-Grande
Yale University (3) Vanderbilt University (1)
TN
Brown University (3)
Nayeon Kim • Payal Modi • Warren Zhang
Molly Wolfe
Rohan Chandra • Pranav Sharma • Arhum Siddiqui
Rhode Island School of Design (1) Iris Xia
NC
Duke University (6)
Drew Goldstein • Varun Gudapati • Anika Radiya-Dixit • Kyle Roter • Curran Shah • Anuj Sharma
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (1) David Lindars
Wake Forest University (1) Matthew Giammona
University of Miami (1)
FL
Criminal Justice
Linguistics
*Statistics compiled from 128 survey respondents.
Adrienne Mendel
of seniors who ed “Other” for their Examples include*:
CANADA
SCOTLAND
University of British Columbia (1)
University of St. Andrews (1)
Sean Fernandes
RI
Catherine Manea
18
Lifestyle
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Lesser known books guaranteed to make you think TalonWP video/photo editor & reporter
Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Pride and Prejudice…everyone knows the classics. There are many more recent novels, however, which examine the human psyche and have somehow mostly evaded the public eye. Here are seven wildly different books that will force you to uproot your literary standards and spectate reality from absurd (or rather unique) perspectives.
The Glass Castle Jeannete Walls An astonishing tale of determination and the loss of innocence manifests itself in The Glass Castle, a memoir (and true story) by Jeannette Walls. The story revolves around her and her three siblings’ upbringing in poverty and neglect by their highly dysfunctional parents: an alcoholic, moody father and an idealistic, whimsical mother. Jeannette recalls her fleeting childhood through anecdotes about her family as they fled from financial problems and lived a detrimental nomadic lifestyle.
Diary
The Girls
Chuck Palahniuk
Lori Lansens
This psychological thriller is of the horror and satire genre and describes the life of Misty Wilmot on Waytansea Island. The story is written in third person straight from Misty’s diary after her husband unsuccessfully attempts to commit suicide; this decision occurs after he leaves multiple cryptic messages about Misty’s once promising artistic career. As more and more of the island’s historical details converge with the present, the stakes are higher and higher, as Misty is unknowingly involved further in a conspiracy that involves an obsessive streak of inspiration and the eventual almost-death of her daughter.
This haunting book blurs the line of reality and fiction in a dual-narrative story told from the point of view of Aslaug, a girl brought up in ascetic isolation by an extremely religious single mother. She has learned about botany and the lives of others but not her own. After her mother’s sudden death, for which Aslaug herself is a suspect, she stays with the rest of her family in a church complex where she continues to learn about her mother’s story, the circumstances surrounding her birth, and the truth behind present day divine miracles.
u
u
1Q84
Go Ask Alice
Graffiti Moon Cath Crowley
SAMAR MALIK - WINGED POST
This refreshingly original Australian Young Adult novel is about the efforts of high school senior Lucy to track down the two infamous graffiti artists, Poet and Shadow, who spray breathtaking works of art around the city, both poetry and actual pictures. Ed, an acquaintance of Lucy, claims that he knows where to find them, and takes Lucy on an allnight trip to where Shadow’s drawn pictures of escape and heartbreak complemented Poet’s words. Identities are muddled and the characters’ pasts and futures come into question as Lucy still has trouble seeing what’s right before her eyes.
Haruki Murakami Set in Japan in 1984, this book tells the story of Tengo and Aomame in the real world and in the fictive world of 1Q84. Aomame is caught in a taxi during heavy traffic on her way to a job assignment and decides to take an alternate route suggested by her taxi driver. Tengo leads a bland life as an aspiring writer, but becomes further involved with a bizarre perturbation in a cult group. The pair influence each other without ever actually meeting, but as they come closer to doing so, they start realizing that they are actually essential to each other and the fabricated world around them.
Advisory goodbyes
SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST
Senior advisors celebrate their last advisories together
vedant thyagaraj reporter Carol Green’s advisory, in 2009, met at BJ’s Brewery to celebrate their first outing as an advisory together; now, four years later, they are planning to do the exact same thing to spend their final moments together before graduation. With two weeks of May already gone by, advisories are having their final parties and are getting ready to say their good-byes to each other. In addition to meeting every Thursday, senior advisories have participated in yearly retreat activities, such as ropes courses and kayaking or sailing, together, throughout their high school years. Some have also participated in activities together outside of school, such as going to movies or dining together. Many seniors are going to miss their advisories. A lot of them have been classmates since Middle School and even Lower School. “My advisory has been one of the highlights of my high school
career. We have grown so close since freshman year. I remember freshman orientation when we were all really awkward and didn’t really want to talk to each other. Now we are all such good friends that we can say whatever we want,” Sumit Minocha (12) said. “We genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Each of the year’s class events have been such a blast. For me, advisory was just a time where I could relax and hang out with some of my good friends. That’s what I appreciated most.” In order to celebrate their last moments together, many advisories have planned something special. “We have a potluck for the students and their parents the day after prom in a park. That will likely be the last official thing we do together,” said Upper School history and economics teacher Jonathan Shieh. However, some advisories have not been able to plan anything due to AP testing conflicts. The last day for the seniors is the last day of AP testing; thus, many students will be in and out of class during those two
Christina Meldrum
Examining the lives of Siamese twins Rose and Ruby as they make their way through youth, adolescence, and finally adulthood, The Girls is a heartwarming coming-ofage story written in a pseudo-autobiographical style. The pair suffers from craniopagus, a rare condition affecting less than 0.001 percent of the population, meaning Rose and Ruby are joined at the head and are forced to experience every event in their life together. However, the book alternates between the raw and touchingly human perspectives of Rose and Ruby, as they share a brain yet have completely different personalities.
u
u
Madapple
ADVISORY BONDING Mr. Shieh’s advisory poses for a photo together before the seniors graduate. They plan to have a potluck in the park in order to celebrate their last moments together. For Sumit Minocha, advisory has been one of his highlights in high school. “For me, advisory was just a time where I could relax and hang out with some of my good friends,” he said. “That’s what I appreciated most.”
weeks. “The way school ends is not conducive,” said Dr. Mark Brada, in regards to AP scheduling. “It’s hard to have closure in class for the seniors.” Although they might not have time to have a final get-together, Brada plans to spend time with his advisees during their senior trip. Advisory being one of the periods they have enjoyed the most throughout their entire high school career, many students are sad to be leaving their classmates with whom they have bonded for a long time. “I’m going to miss all those differing personalities and interesting stuff we each do. Also seeing one another every week provides security for us to just relax, so I’ll definitely [miss] hanging out with one another each week even if we don’t talk or hang out that much outside,” said Ragini Bhattacharya (12). Many seniors are sad to be leaving high school next year. They will definitely look back on their fondest memories and come back to visit.
Beatrice Sparks Published in 1971, this fictional diary account chronicles the life of an anonymous teenage girl and her degeneration into drug addiction. Although now assumed to be written by Beatrice Sparks, the book is sold under an “Anonymous” byline, a subject of much controversy at the time of publication. Despite its brutal honesty and explicit content, many readers are able to submerge themselves in the story due to the simplistic and often endearing writing style of the unknown diarist.
strikes again IRON MAN 3: Marvel with popular film jonathan ma reporter
As the third film in the Iron Man series, Iron Man 3 excels with new and returning heroes, a new villain, and a darker, more intricate plot. The film, directed by Shane Black, is set some time after The Avengers and opens with Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr.) flashback of a party with scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), who has developed a treatment which can heal debilitating injuries. Handicapped scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) offers them employment at his company, Advanced Idea Mechanics, but Stark impudently rejects his offer. In the present day, Iron Man’s alter ego, Tony Stark, is still recovering from his traumatic experiences in The Avengers and suffers from insomnia. Stark has also built multiple Iron Man armor suits, thereby alienating his girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Despite his troubles, Stark is still his cynical self, adept at making pointed gibes and quips. Stark’s anxiety attacks and insomnia transform him from the carefree billionaire and the fearless superhero into a more human character. Iron Man’s apparent adversary is soon revealed to be an elusive terrorist called the Mandarin, who claims responsibility for a series of bombings. Unlike the antagonists of the previous two movies, who challenged Iron Man via direct conflict, the Mandarin does not personally confront Iron Man; instead, he utilizes explosive attacks which somehow do not leave any evidence. Although other enemies may have been more spectacular while battling Iron Man in their hulking suits of armor, the Mandarin represents a new villain whom Iron Man cannot crush with brute force alone. Besides Paltrow, other cast members from the previous Iron Man films also reprise their roles. Don Cheadle plays James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Stark’s best friend and an Air Force Colonel, who pilots the redwhite-and-blue armor suit known as the “Iron Patriot.” Jon Favreau, the director of the previous Iron Man films, returns as
Happy Hogan, the head of security of Stark Industries. Finally, Paul Bettany again voices JARVIS, Stark’s artificial-intelligence system which helps him control the Iron Man suit. The plot of Iron Man 3 has evolved as much as Tony Stark himself. Whereas the storyline of the first two films mostly involved Iron Man and a villain battling each other in menacing armor, this movie’s plot depicts a hunt for a terrorist whom the world only knows as a face on television. In essence, the storyline has evolved from the simplistic, overused plot arc of larger-thanlife heroes and villains of the previous films to a more believable, darker battle against a realistic enemy. Although the sequences of rampant destruction may seem interminable at times, the special effects do add visual flair to the film. A surprising and somewhat hilarious plot twist further enriches the storyline. Punctuated by dramatic special effects and unexpected humor, Iron Man 3 will keep audiences riveted. Iron Man 3 uses a dramatic, darker storyline, a more realistic and yet more menacing villain, and a satisfying ending to captivate audiences and bring some resolution to Tony Stark’s story.
IMDB
juhi gupta & elisabeth siegel
IRON MAN 3 Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 3 was released on May 3, 2013 and grossed $72,525,615 in its opening week.
Mukti for Social Development
Mukti For Social development is a non-profit organization built with a vision of bringing positive changes in the lives of the underprivileged throughout the world. Help us bring light, education, and disaster relief to Volunteer or donate at www.muktiforsocialdevelopment.org
MAY 17, 2013
Lifestyle
the Winged Post
5 essential items to bring to college
Formal Clothing
19
Portable Mirror
emily chu news editor
You’ve made the huge decision of choosing your college, you’ve arrived at another: what do you pack into your luggage and what do you leave behind? Although you wish you could fit your entire closet and all your belongings in your suitcase, that is simply impracticable. Therefore, there are five essential items that you should consider saving space for in your luggage.
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It would be inconvenient to go to the bathroom all the time to put on your contacts, so bringing a portable mirror would be really useful. Joy Li (12)
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For a job or internship interview or any formal events that require you to present yourself to professors, you would need formal clothing to be presentable in order to communicate with them on the same level. Arvind Ramgopal (12)
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Memories of Home
Sleeping Bag
Reusable Water Bottle
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“[It is important] to bring along memories of home in order to fuel the transition to college and to feel comfortable. Because it’s a completely new environment, if you have some memory of home and you have that comfort, it will make the transition easier. Aneesh Chona (12)
Sleeping Bag
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In college, you might join a hiking club and therefore, you will need something to hold water when you travel. Also, you don’t want to keep buying disposable ones; therefore, you prevent pollution. Katherine Woodruff (12)
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You should bring a sleeping bag in case you want to crash somewhere, you are going camping, or if your bed gets stolen. Piyush Prasad (12)
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ALL PHOTOS EMILY CHU - WINGED POST
Coming soon to a theater near you
A sneak peak into summer movies mariam sulakian reporter
June
7 14 July
19 19
Summertime? More like movie time! As summer rolls in, theaters release trailers to upcoming movies, varying from superheroes and out of place employees to thrilling horrors that paste you to the edge of your seat. *Movies from http://www.movieinsider.com/movies/summer/2013/
The Internship
After being put out of business due to society’s rising inclination towards technology, salesmen Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) decide live up to the pressing expectations of a changing society. They pursue internships at the Internet’s most popular network—Google. Surrounded by a horde of genius college students and other apt technologists, the two men must prove themselves to be worthy for just a handful of available jobs.
The Bling Ring
Fashion, fame, obsession: it’s Hollywood. Based off a true story, The Bling Ring documents a teenage group’s on-going robbery of celebrity homes. The teens, driven by their craving to be a part of the celebrities’ lives, take advantage of their technology to track and rob their targets’ houses for nearly one year until they are caught on security tapes. The film reflects modern-day society’s power of obsession and desire to be a part of the celebrity culture.
R.I.P.D Starring Jeff Bridges as Roy Pulsifer and Ryan Reynolds as Nick Walker, R.I.P.D. depicts a two-worldly adventure of two cops who work against a body of stubborn and destructive souls who refuse to move on and threaten the lives of the living. Roy, a former sheriff, and Nick, a junior officer, must work with the R.I.P.D police force to uncover and crush a life-threatening plot. Together, the partners are pressured with the responsibility of again balancing the two worlds.
The Conjuring
It’s dark, eerie, and definitely paranormal. A breath-taking thriller and true depiction of actual events, The Conjuring follows a family’s cry for support to rid a hauntingly dark entity from their isolated household. Upon the family’s calling, paranormal specialists Ed and Lorraine Warren help the family build enough courage to affront the horrid presence plaguing their lives in what may be one of their most terrifying experiences.
August
16
Paranoia
Due to one disastrous mistake, employee Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is thrown into a difficult situation by his CEO Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman). Forced to work as a corporate spy on the competition, Adam ends up loving his new job and living the dream life. However, he soon realizes he needs to escape from under the wing of his boss, who plans go to all measures to win a multibillion dollar case over his rival.
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MAY 17, 2013 the Winged Post
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SPORTS
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
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Upper School athletes earn places in CCS tournaments TalonWP online editor & reporter As the spring season comes to a close, five of eight sports teams have qualified to further compete in the Central Coast Section (CCS) matches. Those teams are boys’ volleyball, softball, boys’ golf, track and field, and swimming. Although the girls’ lacrosse team placed second in league, they do not have a CCS option for their division. Boys’ Volleyball: In the past seven years, Boys Varsity volleyball has qualified for CCS six times, and this year is no exception. Although they faced touch competition, they completed the season with an overall record of 17-15. “We definitely have the capability to compete and potentially win any match,” Head Coach Dan Molin said. “Volleyball is just a game of momentum, and sometimes it’s very hard to stop those momentum swings that go the other way.” Leading the team in kills is Andrew Zhu (11) with 351 for the season. Sean Youn (11) and Will Deng (11) took second and third for most kills with 124 and 114 respectively. In the first round of CCS, the Eagles took on the Valley Christian Warriors. Harker won in three sets, 28-26, 25-15, 25-14. Although the first match was close, the team fought hard and dominated the final two. In the second round, they played Leigh High School in a close match, 25-27, 22-25, 24-26. Softball: With one of their strongest seasons yet, the girls’ varsity softball team took the league championship with a league record of 11-1 and an overall record of 14-7, qualifying them for CCS. “The team has gelled and bonded over the course of the season. The girls play very well together, there is great chemistry on the team,”
Head Coach Raul Rios said. “There have been times when our key players have struggled or been injured but somebody has always stepped up to get job done.” Collectively, the team is excited for their shot at a CCS title after a successful season in league competition. On Wednesday, May 15, the girls played their first CCS game against Aptos High School. The result was 3-2 with Aptos winning. Boys’ Golf: After a strong season with a record of 6-5, the boys’ golf team qualified for the CCS regionals for the second time in school history, and Maverick McNealy (12) qualified for CCS finals. “Making CCS is one of our team goals every year. The past two years we’ve come painfully close, as CCS continues to change the criteria for qualifying,” head coach Ie Cheng said. “This year, we made a point to schedule matches against the top teams in the area. In addition to that, we played in three reputable tournaments.” At first, golfers Shrish Dwivedi (10) and Maverick were the only two to qualify, but upon an appeal, the remainder of the team was able to participate in regionals. At the end of the regional competition, Maverick advanced to the final round on May 14. He hoped to “bring back the first CCS title for Harker” but fell slightly short. In the Finals, Maverick placed fourth, shooting a 70, only two behind the winner. Additionally, he qualified for the Norcal Championships, but withdrew so he could attend the senior trip as the timing of the two events conflicted. Track and Field: Seven members of the Upper School track and field team have sealed their place in the CCS championships, placing the athletes third in team standings.
GEARING UP FOR SEASON END Ashley Del Alto (12) (left) runs from second to third base during a softball game during season. Andrew Zhu (11) (right) goes in for the kill during the boy’s volleyball CCS first round.
Seniors Sumit Minocha, Michael Chen, Isabelle Connell, and Ragini Bhattacharya will join Claudia Tischler (11), Corey Gonzales (10), and Nadia Palte (9) at the championships this Saturday. The seven expect to take on tough competition and are training hard. Claudia, a member of the girls relay team and winner of the 1600 and 800 meters on Saturday, felt that preparation would be demanding. “CCS will press me to work hard this last few weeks of the season, as the competitions get bigger and the workouts focus on running mechanics, end sprints, or starts,” Claudia said. “My goal is to make the CCS Finals in the mile, run season bests in my events, and hopefully make the 4x400m relay as well.” Michael, who placed second in discus throwing and sixth in shot put, felt that although track and field is somewhat individual, the team dynamic comes into play.
Sun’s out, weights out
Swimming: Eagles swimming had a successful showing at the past Friday and Saturday’s CCS competitions. Qualifiers included Kimberly Ma (11), Manon Audebert (11), Aaron Huang (10), Craig Neubieser (10), Angela Huang (9), and Anika Mohindra (9). The swimmers reflected on their individual performances, stating things they were proud of or felt needed some improvement. “I’m proud of the team this year and the ten or so people we sent to CCS, regardless of individual or relay qualifications,” Kimberly said. Kimberly Ma was a part of the 400 free relay team with Angela, Anika, and Manon that finished 15th in all.
Homosexuality in Sports
Jason Collins defies stereotypes
darian edvalson
sonia sidhu
TalonWP chief in training
sports editor
DARIAN EDVALSON - TALON WP
While many students will be taking a much deserved break over summer, most athletes are set to attend practices and camps to improve their talent. Fall sports coaches are all holding optional practices throughout the summer in addition to mandatory practices immediately before school begins. Such practices help athletes improve technique, introduce new systems for the coming season, and allow coaches to integrate new players into the lineup. “Summer is the time where we mostly scrimmage and discuss team play. We want to get actual playing time in, something the fall season doesn’t allow us to do,” boys water polo coach Ted Ujifusa said. “One can only talk about it so much and then you have to go out and experience it live.” Students appreciate the opportunity to be able to work out and earn a spot in the starting lineup. They hope to improve their play in order to advance as far in league and CCS as possible. “The summer practices make you feel prepared for the upcoming season, give you a leg up over other runners on your opponents teams not just early on in the season but throughout the entire season,” cross country co-captain Claudia Tischler (11) said. “I love summer practices because that signals the start of a new season and with that a new year,” she said. Additionally, athletes take the opportunity to attend camps to practice and train with other athletes outside of their team. The camps allow athletes to learn new approaches to playing that their coaches and teammates are not familiar with. “I’m going to two camps, one at Brown and one at Princeton. I chose to go to improve, of
“We throw individually, but we bond quite a lot as a team. When we aren’t throwing, we are talking and hanging out on the side of the ring. It’s a cordial environment to be in,” he said.
GEARING UP FOR SEASON Sophomore Allen Huang practices for next football season. He is also working with Alyssa Amick (10) as she will be a kicker of the team.
course, and to be coached by other people so I get better,” Varsity water polo player Delaney Martin (10) said. “I could get to know the coaches for those colleges better.” Some camps also provide a place for teams to compete against each other to prepare for ingame situations for the upcoming season. “The [camps] are great. They help us get better in a competitive environment and provide very memorable experiences for us going into the season,” Varsity football player Navshir Singh (10) said. Players believe that their summer practices and workouts will prepare them for league play once the season starts, and will help them make a run to the CCS playoffs during the fall. Sports practices begin as early as the week of June 10 for summer and continue throughout vacation.
On May 6, NBA player Jason Collins was the first American male major-league athlete to come out as gay. Collins has played for six NBA teams during the last twelve seasons, including the Boston Celtics and most recently, the Washington Wizards. He did not intend to be the first male player to come out, but felt the time was right, a few months before he retires. Collins had known that he was gay for a while but struggled to openly admit it to the public. Some students feel that the sexuality of athletes should not be the public’s concern. “There are obviously stereotypes associated with being gay so if athletes want to tell people that’s fine. But if they don’t, that’s also fine,” Ria Desai (12) said. The response to Collins coming out was overwhelming. Multiple people reached out to him for his courage and some doubted his masculinity. In his article in Sports Illustrated magazine, he emphasized the fact that his sexuality does not make him a less aggressive player or influence his mannerisms aside from his sexual preference. “I go against the gay stereotype which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay?” Collins said. Students at school have noticed that after coming out, the dynamic of a team can change. Eric Swenson (12) came out to his volleyball team and noticed that he would behave differently than the other players, because of both
his own changes and the reactions of his teammates. “There would be some awkwardness and I’d change at the other side of the locker room,” he said. “Nobody would come out and say it, but I’d do it anyways.” Interestingly enough, Brittany Griner, a female basketball player who was selected as the number one pick for the WNBA, came out as a lesbian, only a few weeks before Jason Collins. A majority of people either did not care about her sexuality or had made assumptions about her sexuality before.
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I go against the gay stereotype.
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alyssa amick & vasudha rengarajan
Jason Collins, in Sports Illustrated
The first lesbian athlete, Martina Navratilova, came out in 1981. At that time, there was some shock over her sexuality but slowly society had grown to associate sports with masculinity and aggression: two traits linked with being lesbian or male as opposed to being gay. Instead of the more accepting nature of other groups, sports is one area that still holds a double standard and athletes are careful about coming out.
ashwini iyer & vineet kosaraju reporters
From Gatorade to Vitamin Water to Propel, athletes are faced with the decision of picking the perfect energy drink that will help them perform at their best in a game. But what factors do they take into consideration when selecting these? Some do not spend much time researching and choose them solely based on taste and color. “I drink Gatorade because it’s cheap and I like the taste. The blue one is my favorite,” Rishabh Jain (10) said. While there are many companies that specialize in energy drinks, there are a few select students who prefer to not invest in them and take a more natural approach. “I’ve recently been drinking a green-colored drink, “Green Machine” by the company called Naked, made of various fruits and veggies. I like it be-
cause I feel like I’m being healthy by drinking a green juice, while also enjoying its smoothie-like texture,” Claudia Tischler (11) said. Some athletes prefer drinks, like Gatorade, that help cool them down while exercising in hot weather and believe that replenishing the electrolytes helps them perform well in strenuous conditions. “I don’t generally drink sports drinks, but if I do, I drink Gatorade. I prefer it because on a hot day, it definitely makes me feel more energized and prevents me from getting affected by the like 90 degree heat,” Ragini Bhattacharya (12) said. “I think they are really helpful because they contain really helpful electrolytes.” However, sports drink companies were not successful in convincing all Harker athletes of their performanceenhancing qualities. “I believe that performance is more mental; physical things don’t help
as much,” Grace Guan (9) said. “Water is water, and as long as it gets into your body through some form, whether it be water, fruit, or a sports drink, my performance will be fine. Athletes should pay attention when choosing their perfect energy drink and opt for beverages with a higher carbohydrate content and not hold the color in high regard because it has no effect on the drink’s capabilities. If the weather is really hot and you are doing strenuous exercises such as running long distances or lifting weights, then you need the electrolytes, so drinking energy drinks will definitely help you perform better. But if you are doing a moderate exercise, drinking water is more recommended. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends using a combination of both water and Gatorade for optimal results. According to health expert Kathleen M. Zelman, Master of Public
Health, Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian, energy drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and All Sport are capable of providing you with a needed energy boost during your activity by increasing the amount of sugar circulating in your blood. “I also think Vitamin water uses synthetic sugar and synthetic sweeteners in its drinks,” Sumit Minocha (12) said. “The hype and advertising also adds to the popularity of Vitamin Water.” Products like 5-hour energy, Vitamin Water and Monster Energy will provide you with an instantaneous energy boost because of the large amount of caffeine. But, due to the chemical reactions occurring in your body as you consume these substances, you may suffer from a sugar crash that could potentially hinder your performance. Though energy drinks occasionally prove to be helpful in improving the performance of athletes, it is unani-
VINEET KOSARAJU - WINGED POST
Sports beverages: To drink or not to drink?
FUEL UP After an exhausting workout, sports drinks often offer a chance to freshen up. However athletes must choose beverages carefully.
mous that hard work and an extensive exercise routine are more instrumental in achieving success.
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May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
SPORTS
mercedes chien & allison sun lifestyle editor & TalonWP features editor/webmaster As the academic school year comes to an end and the graduating seniors become alumni, cherish the last outstanding moments from the season. The Winged Post takes a look back at the highlights from spring sports. Boys Volleyball: Overall Record: 17-15 League Record: 6-3 Captains: Joshua Tien (12), Andrew Zhu (11) Highlights: CCS First Round against Valley Christian Joshua Tien: “[CCS First Round] was a really fun game, and we were passing really well which opened up a lot of options. And for me personally, I knew and played club with a lot of people on the team so that made the win that much sweeter.” Lacrosse: Overall Record: 12-4 League Record: 6-3
Captains: Tiphaine Delepine (12), Michelle Douglas (12), Samantha Hoffman (12) Highlights: Vs. Mercy Burlingame Tiphaine Delepine: “I’m definitely going to miss my team and all the fun times we had. From joking around during our triangle passing drills, to Funky Fridays, to practices with baby Willow, we have really bonded as a group. We started the season very strong, winning almost every game.” Boys Golf: Overall Record: 6-5 Highlight: CCS Regionals Maverick McNealy “The highlight of the season for me was playing in CCS Regionals with the team. Though we didn’t play as well as we had hoped, we had a blast. It was a season-long goal to make it to CCS, which made the experience that much more exciting. Though the experience at Stanford next year will be an incredible one at the collegiate level, the smaller, close-knit Harker community will be what I miss most. Everyone is
very supportive of the athletic programs, and it is not uncommon to hear ‘congrats on the win yesterday’ walking down the halls.” Swimming: Outstanding Players: Craig Neubieser, Aaron Huang, Manon Audebert, Kimberly Ma, Amie Chien Highlights: CCS Amie Chien: “It’s always fun to race against the very best: the level of competition is phenomenal. You get to see your teammates swim, and people usually get their best swims at CCS. CCS has a really lively energy that just makes you really happy and excited to be there.” Baseball: Overall Record: 9-15-1 League Record: 2-8 Captains: Kevin Cali (12), Drew Goldstein (12), Jacob Hoffman (12) Highlight Game: vs. Sacred Heart Prep (Senior Night) Jacob Hoffman: “I was very humbled by the support our fans and my teammates have given us (the seniors) all season, but that game
and the ceremony preceding it are moments that will stick with me from this season. [What] I will miss most about high school baseball will be the relationships I have forged throughout my four years on the field. I have grown close to my various teammates as we struggled and succeeded together as well as my coaches, with whom I can always enjoy laugh or two.” Softball: Overall Record: 14-7 League Record: 11-1 Captains: Ashley Del Alto (12), Alison Rugar (12) Highlight Game: vs. Kings Academy Ashley Del Alto: “I believe that we are a closer group of girls this year. Since we have been doing exceptionally well, practices have become harder to keep us on track. I will miss all of the friendships I have made over the seasons of high school softball.” Track and Field: Outstanding players: Isabelle Connell, Sumit Minocha, Michael Chen, Claudia Tischler, Ragini Bhattacharya
SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST
Flashback: Season highlights, records, and key players
MAKING HISTORY Tara Rezvani (12) sprints to the end of the field during a lacrosse match. Eight spring sports all had their own highlights.
Sumit Minocha: Whenever I get into my blocks, there is no other feeling in the world that can match my combined sensations of adrenaline, fear, excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and fire.” See talonwp.com for full article, including the recap of the boys tennis season.
Golden State Warriors face the Spurs in Western semis nikhil dilip
EIT & tech editor Bright yellow confetti poured down from the ceiling as Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blasted throughout Oracle Arena. It’s playoff time in Oakland. For the first time since 2007 and just the second time in 19 years, the Golden State Warriors qualified for a spot in the NBA playoffs. The team has received considerable support across the Bay Area; bright yellow “We are Warriors” shirts distributed at home playoff games can be seen sprinkled throughout the Bay Area and the Harker campus. Local athletes such as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and runningback Frank Gore have displayed their encouragement by attending games.
In the first round, the sixth-seeded Warriors drew the third-seeded Denver Nuggets, led by current Coach of the Year George Karl. The team dropped Game 1 on the road due to Andre Miller’s 28 points and 5 assists. Warriors guard Stephen Curry averaged 30 points and 10.3 assists per game, helping the team to three straight victories. Following a Game 5 loss, the Warriors sealed their first round victory in Game 6. After tearing his right hip flexor muscle in Game 1 and being declared as inactive for the playoffs, Warriors All-Star forward David Lee returned to action in Game 6 less than two weeks later. Lee contributed minimally on the court in the three games he played following the injury, but his quick recovery boosted the team’s morale for the playoff run. Lee stated that
surgery is “more than likely” after the season, according to ESPN. “I was surprised because I didn’t think they would go this far as a young
team in the NBA, and I hope that they get out of this round against a really good sports team,” said Dylan Patel (10), who has attended two playoff games. The San Antonio Spurs, fresh off their four-game sweep of the Los An-
geles Lakers, face the Warriors in the second round; the team is led by 2012 Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich and All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. In a fashion similar to the previous series, the Warriors lost Game 1 in San Antonio 129 – 127, falling short in double overtime after Spurs guard Manu Ginobili hit a go-ahead threepointer with two seconds left. The teams exchanged wins and losses in the following three games, leaving Golden State with a 2 – 2 series tie. Both Warriors wins were close, as they won Game 2 100 – 91 and Game 4 97 – 87 in overtime. The Spurs regained momentum in Game 5, blowing out the Warriors109 – 91 behind 25 points and 10 assists from Parker. Rookie forward Harrison Barnes and guard Jarrett Jack combined for 45 points to help the Warriors, but they
were hampered by a poor shooting night from the Warriors backcourt, as Curry and guard Klay Thompson combined to make just six shots in 22 attempts. The Warriors took a 3 – 2 series deficit to Oracle in this best-of-seven matchup. Curry sprained his ankle in Game 3 but still started in Games 4 and 5. Warriors coach Mark Jackson noted that he will likely be day-to-day for the remainder of the series. “Once a team in your area gets really good, everyone gets into it. I think it’s very natural for people, but some people may think that others are just jumping on the bandwagon,” Renee Tam (12) said. At time of publication, the Warriors trail three games to two with Game 6 at Oracle Arena Thursday. night.
Welcome Class of 2013 to the harker alumni association! Congratulations! - MaryEllis Deacon DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
MAY 17, 2013
SPORTS
Playing at the next level... 10 seniors recruited to play in college
Ashley Del Alto Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Softball diamonds are Ashley del Alto’s. Ashley first started playing softball at the age of ten when her dad signed her up for a recreational organization in south San Jose. After that she moved into a more competitive organization, playing with the San Jose Lady Sharks. “I’ve enjoyed just challenging my self with the type of competition there is in softball through the ages,” said Ashley. In addition to playing outside of school, Ashley has played softball at Harker for four years. Ashley contacted schools she was interested in and two schools offered her scholarships. Ashley said, “I ended up choosing Briar Cliff because it was the school with the better education.”
reporter
Nikhil Panu
Johns Hopkins University
APURVA GORTI - WINGED POST
Like many other tall kids, Nikhil Panu started playing basketball because of his height advantage. “When I first started playing I used to be this chubby, big man who could barely run up and down the court,” Nikhil said. “Nobody would have ever guessed back then that I would be playing ball in college now.” Nikhil will be playing at Johns Hopkins University, where he can “meet the academic demand and excel on the court cohesively.” Playing for Harker was an important part of Nikhil’s basketball experience. Some of his favorite memories include advancing to CCS semi-finals last year and going undefeated in the team’s trip to Maui last December. “In my four years, the basketball program has grown much stronger,” Nikhil said. “We went from being the team that people laugh at when we walk in the gym to the team that opposing coaches put on the opposite side of a tournament bracket.” Nikhil knows that no matter what happens basketball will be a part of his life.
UC Santa Barbara
Like father, like son. Andrew “Andy” Perez is following the footsteps of his father, who played soccer for the San Jose Earthquakes, by chasing his dream of playing professional soccer. At the young age of four, Andy started playing competitive soccer and continued with De Anza Force Academy after that. “My favorite part growing up playing soccer is the friends I’ve made,” said Andy. “And of course, winning feels great. It’s a way to satisfy my competitiveness.” After watching a cousin play at UC Santa Barbara and visiting the campus his freshman year, Andy knew it was the school for him. He contacted the coach and was finally offered a spot after attending a soccer summer camp.
ANISHA PADWEKAR - TALON
Maverick McNealy Stanford University
At the age of three, Maverick McNealy first explored golf by whacking objects here and there with a little whiffle ball club his dad had given him. “I’ve just loved it ever since. My parents have put no pressure on me playing, I just play because I love it,” Maverick said. Maverick continued his love for the sport when he joined Upper School golf team his freshman year. “I was new and a little unsure of the whole Harker experience, and I joined the golf team and started loving it ever since,” he said. “Definitely some of my best memories are from that team.” Maverick has played in several golf tournaments, including the U.S. Junior Amateur. “I got to the quarterfinals, and it was the first time I had a TV camera on me, which was scary but a lot of fun,” he said. To further pursue his interests in golf after high school, Maverick contacted coaches at schools he was interested in during his sophomore year. Maverick had been well-exposed to the Stanford golf program so when Stanford showed interest, it was a “no brainer” for Maverick to commit to the university.
Michael Amick
HU
SID -W ED ING ST PO
When 8-year-old Siobhan Cox ditched the dresses and make-up, a fierce soccer player was born. “I used to be a really girly girl, so I hated everything about sports,” Siobhan said. “But then I started hanging out with the guys and they beat me at sports every time so I got really mad and decided to join the soccer team, not because I liked it, but just because I didn’t want to lose.” Through playing on her club team PSV Union FC for nine years, Siobhan grew to love the sport. She is continuing her passion for soccer at her dream school, Stanford. “I have a lot of goals for the future because I can’t give up playing because I love the sport.” Siobhan said. Her short term goals include earning a starting spot at Stanford her freshman year. After that, she would like to play abroad somewhere and possibly for the English, Irish, or U.S. national team, since she is eligible for all three. “My freshman year I didn’t even think I’d have a chance of playing at a place like Stanford, my dream school, but a lot can change between freshman and senior year and now I have so many more dreams,” Siobhan said. “If you love something enough, just go for it.”
NIA
Stanford University
Santa Clara University
If you can’t run, swim! Keri Clifford never really had an affinity for land sports, so in eighth grade she joined the water polo team. She continued playing since then for Stanford water polo club and the Harker Varsity team. Her favorite water polo memory was her senior night against Monta Vista, a very close, intense game. The team defeated Monta Vista 9-8 in overtime. “We were tied and I had the ball. They triple teamed me because they thought I was going to score, but I passed it to another teammate and she scored and we won,” Keri said. “It just shows how important the team as a whole is.” Keri has been team captain since her junior year., leading the team in the water with her skill and out of the water with SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST organized workouts and bonding activities. At first Keri did not know which school she wanted to go to and which division she wanted to play at, but she thanks her coach Allie Lamb for helping her decide on the local Santa Clara University and she looks forward to playing there for the next four years.
Connecticut College
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Siobhan Cox
Keri Clifford
Karan Das Grande
UC Los Angeles
Goals, goals, goals. When Michael Amick is not preventing opponents from scoring goals, he is pursuing his own. First introduced to soccer by his father, Michael started playing recreationally and then progressed to play for club team De Anza Force Academy when he was nine years old. Although he has had a few hamstring injuries over the last three years, Michael has continued working hard to achieve his dream. Michael also plays as a defender for the United States U-18 men’s national soccer team, giving him the chance to travel across the world and play internationally. He has travelled to various locations in Europe with his national team and played against athletes of a more aggresive demeanor. Next year, Michael will be taking another step toward his goal of playing professionally by playing for UC Los Angeles, to which he officially committed to early in his senior year.
Isabelle Connell Pepperdine University
Andrew Perez
SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST
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On your mark, get set, go! Isabelle “Izzy” Connell is running towards her dream school, Pepperdine University, this upcoming fall. “I’ve been interested in Pepperdine since freshman year,” said Izzy, who is excited about the “great education, great athletics, and great views” at Pepperdine. She has been running from a very young age, specializing in the 800 meter, initially and progressing to specialize in sprinting. “I love the competition of each race and the drive through every practice and the grind through all the workouts just for that one final race which lasts 12 seconds,” Izzy said. “Mostly, I love seeing that the hard work I put in pays off in the end.” This year has helped Izzy improve a lot, mostly because of the support from her teammates and coaches. She hopes to keep getting better at the collegiate level and to break Pepperdine’s records in several track events.
apurva gorti
Briar Cliff University
the Winged Post
Karan Das-Grande started playing water polo in eighth grade when a team was added to the Middle School by boys water polo head coach Ted Ujifusa, and within just a few years he been able to work hard and be recruited to play at Connecticut College. Karan, captain for the Upper School team, has played Varsity water polo for four years and his favorite part of the experience is “the friendships [he’s] made” and the “fun, exciting, fast-paced sport”. “Water polo is a big part of me in high school that I’m just not ready to give up,” Karan said. “I want to see how far I can go if I keep it up in college and after.” Since water polo is a sport with less exposure, Karan had to take the initative to get recruited. He emailed coaches at the schools he was interested in, met with a few of them and sent them film of him playing. “Eventually I picked Connecticut College because I wanted a liberal arts school on the East Coast where I could play water polo,” Karan said. After college, Karan hopes to make the All-Conference and All-America teams, and then play semi-pro for a couple years in Spain.
Arhum Siddiqui Brown University
By squashing the competition time after time, Arhum Siddiqui got recruited to Brown University to play squash. He started playing when he was 14, because of exposure from his dad. Having played tennis for five years, he was able to pick up the sport quite easily. Early on he established himself as force to be reckoned with. “In my first junior tournament ever, I was the unknown kid and everyone else was like, ‘let’s just massacre this kid,’ ” Arhum said. “As I played they were like, ‘Hey, he isn’t half bad.’ I even had the former coach for world #1 express interest in coaching me.” Because squash is not a mainstream sport, Arhum said that a lot of people do not appreciate that is it physically and mentally demanding. “Squash is like the physical version of chess. You have to plan out how you’re going to play out your opponent,” Arhum said. Arhum does not know if he wants to pursue squash after college, but he wants to continue to play recreationally.
ALL PHOTOS SPECIAL TO WINGED POST UNLESS SPECIFIED
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STAFF
MAY 17, 2013 the Winged Post
MEET THE 2013-2014 WINGED POST EDITORIAL BOARD
As our current staff finishes the last issue of the year, we want to say welcome and wish good luck to
next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s editors. Depicted here in all stages of childhood, they have come together to form the next generation of the journalism editorial family for the 2013-2014 school year.
Co-EIC Meena Chetty (11)
Co-EIC Nikhil Dilip (11)
Managing Editor Apoorva Rangan (10)
Copy Editor Elisabeth Siegel (9)
Copy Editor Vineet Kosaraju (9)
News Editor Trisha Jani (11)
Opinion Editor Sheridan Tobin (10)
Features Editor Kacey Fang (10)
Lifestyle Editor Samar Malik (11)
Design/Photo Editor Mercedes Chien (11)
Sports Editor Apurva Gorti (11)
Sports Editor Anishka Agarwal (11)
Tech Editor Vedant Thyagaraj (10)
Business Editor Stephanie Chen (11)
Global Editor Sindhu Ravuri (10)
TECH
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
shay lari-hosain reporter
“The White House believes the government ought to control the Internet.” These were the words uttered by House Speaker John Boehner, referring to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). CISPA aims to fortify cybersecurity by encouraging corporations or other entities to report attacks on their computer systems to intelligence agencies. It provides businesses and the federal government legal protection to share information relating to cyber threats with each other. The bill was brought into the spotlight during the recent hacking of the Associated Press’ Twitter account and the breach of the New York Times’ email system. The drafted measure, which has bipartisan support, is said to have been introduced with good intentions at a time when cyber espionage from China, Russia, and other foreign nations was and still is imminent. Proponents claim the measure will defend government networks from electronic attacks. So far, more than 800 private companies have declared their support for the controversial piece of legislation. A month ago, the industry group TechNet, of which several prominent corporations including Apple, Google, Facebook, eBay, and Intel are members of, sent a letter to the House of Representatives thanking them for their proposal of the bill. “The need for government and pri-
vate sector entities to share actionable, real-time information about attacks, threats and defensive strategies with the right people is more important than ever,” the letter declared. eBay has not publicized any endorsement of CISPA. A company representative stated the popular online retail store “is a neutral party” on the issue of CISPA. “eBay definitely appreciates Congress taking an interest in cybersecurity issues, and we definitely feel that there is a need for greater consideration for a robust information sharing framework, especially when it comes to private to private company information sharing,” said Lauren White, Manager of Federal Government Relations at eBay, in a phone interview with The Winged Post. “However, we think that an information sharing framework needs to have robust privacy protection, so that any of the information can’t be used outside of the cybersecurity threat type of matrix.” White noted that there are benefits to the bill as well. Because eBay and PayPal hold an abundance of financial data, fraudsters try to scam users, mainly by phishing. “Say we’re able to get a hold of the email address of [a] potential fraudster: we are not able to share that information with, say, Amazon, or Facebook, or Google, who might be facing the same exact attack,” she said. “If we were able to actually talk to each other, we would be able to impede the ability of these criminals to fraud our users.” According to White, eBay and most
Samsung introduces new 4 GS : Galaxy S4 smartphone
A look at which spots on campus are loudest Before School Main Shah Dobbins Edge Nichols During Lunch Main Shah Dobbins Edge Nichols
GRAPHIC BY VINEET KOSARAJU
CENSORSHIP Much of the criticism of CISPA has come from those who think that the act will limit people’s freedom in a way similar to the PATRIOT Act. Supporters claim that it its benefits in national security will outweigh these drawbacks.
of the tech industry is in agreement with the concept but believe more stringent regulations on privacy are necessary. Similarly, the search giant Google, another member of TechNet, endorses the pro-CISPA stance, though not the bill in its current form. Google is one of the largest collectors of consumer information; its services such as Gmail accumulate massive amounts of user data. The Google Press Team declined to comment on the issue “at this time” when contacted. Kathir Sundarraj (12) has a similar viewpoint to that of the enterprises of the tech world. “I don’t think that privacy as an individual should be infringed,” he said. “That being said, if there’s an apparent threat to the United States’ national security, then sometimes putting private rights aside for national security is justified.” Kathir added that he would not find it troubling if he knew the government had the capability to access his data online because he has “nothing to hide”. However, many believe the legislation contains far too many loopholes for intelligence agencies to exploit to be considered a possibility. Critics of CISPA maintain the bill encroaches on people’s privacy, emphasizing the possibility of private businesses to share sensitive consumer data with intelligence agencies without ever notifying customers. “[CISPA] might have some effects on social networking sites and it might compromise security for consumers,” said Sanjana Kaundinya (10). Abhinav Ketineni (9) believes CISPA is an extension of the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) in that it allows the government to view consumer content, and therefore violating the Fourth Amendment. “I am a really strong supporter of freedom on the Internet and not having the government oppressively control everyone,” Abhinav Ketineni (9) said. “Giving the [government] the ability and power to control our speech would result in a catastrophe for all our free speech rights. [CISPA] is violating the very fundamentals of our Constitution. ” Although the bill was passed by the House of Representatives last month, the White House released a statement last month announcing the bill, as currently formulated, would most likely be vetoed by President Obama because the legislation is lacking in the issue of consumer privacy.
Hallways at Times of the Day
SHAY LARI-HOSAIN - WINGED POST
CISPA may limit internet freedom Noise levels
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After School Main Shah Dobbins Edge Nichols
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Noise Levels (decibels)
vineet kosaraju reporter Have you ever wondered which building is the quietest? Perhaps you are getting a head start on finals and need peace and quiet. Depending on the time of the day, you might want to pick a different place to study. By using a sound level meter, The Winged Post investigated how loud each of the academic hallways are at different times of the day. Before school, most of the hallways are quiet enough for studying, except for Dobbins and Main. Each of these hallways are twice as loud as the Edge, Nichols, and even Shah. The quietest of these hallways is Nichols. “I spend most of my time in Main because that’s where my friends and I are always able to find each other after school or during lunch,” Maddie Dawson (12) said. “If I need a quiet place to work, I go to the library.” During lunch, all the hallways are relatively quiet except for the
Edge, which has noise from students dining. By the time school is over, if you need a quiet place to study, Nichols and Shah have the quietest hallways. If Shah is too far away for you, then Main is another good choice. It would be difficult to get work done in Dobbins or the Edge, however, both of which are almost five decibels louder than the other hallways. Arjun Goyal (11) believes that the noise levels in hallways should be lowered, because other students and teachers work there. “I think the amount of noise in the hallways needs to be improved,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t mean that students can’t enjoy hanging out in the hallways, but there’s a limit to the amount of craziness going on because teachers and students have to use these spaces to work.” Nevertheless, you should not be studying for finals in Dobbins, Shah, Main, Nichols or the Edge in the first place. Instead, check out the library for a quiet, albeit crowded workplace.
AppArchitect provides a faster way to build applications
No coding required for app creation
rahul jayaraman
novel idea. Unfortunately, the software, as with all Samsung phones, is loaded with unnecessary addition from both the manufacturer and the carrier. The only good addition is S Voice, which has improved drastically from the S3’s version. The S3’s version couldn’t even understand what I was saying, even when I conditioned it to learn my voice. On the other hand, the S4’s version recognized almost all of what I said, and was able to interact with more apps than the S Voice on the S3. Other than that, S Memo, S Music, and a bunch of other apps are pretty much useless and just slow down the phone. Also, the eye-tracking and hover gestures, while innovative, still have to be refined. Samsung has carved a niche in this area of distance interaction with a phone, which could lead to new advances in driving technology, but the S4’s version is still a diamond in the rough. Finally, a common misconception is that the international version has eight cores of processing power, while the American version has only four. This rumor, like all others, is based on a misunderstanding -- of the eight cores. At any one time, four cores are active; the other cores are backup. According to Samsung, this saves power. In conclusion, Samsung has lived up to the hype and delivered a product that, despite suffering from the usual bloatware and TouchWiz skin, has potential to revolutionize the mobile industry by carving a niche in new forms of interaction with technology.
APPARCHITECT
Eight-page inserts appeared in newspapers throughout the world proclaiming the imminent arrival of the Galaxy S4. Pre-orders surpassed ten million in the weeks before the release. Consumers took to social media to brag about their new phone as soon as they got it -- and this phone definitely merits all that boastfulness and hype. This reporter had an opportunity to try out this newfangled phone, and I was very pleased with it. The first thing I noticed about the S4 is its weight. It’s really light. Despite the fact that it is noticeably larger than its predecessor, the S3, Samsung has managed to decrease the density of the phone enough to create the feeling that it is not even present in one’s pocket. This is a result of the use of a sturdier type of plastic in this incarnation of the Galaxy. A common complaint about the S3 was that its battery case felt like cheap plastic. I was unable to detect any significant difference between the S3’s battery case and the S4’s, but the latter’s did feel more sturdy and less flimsy. The button (note the lack of plural) is now more flush with the surface, making it a tad more difficult to push, but one can easily get accustomed to that. The call quality is excellent, though there is some minor noise leakage here and there, so if one was in a quiet room with others, they would be able to hear the conversation. The screen, on the other hand, is phenomenal. The resolution is so amazing that I was unable to pick out individual pixels, even when I looked closely. Likewise, the camera is a marvel --13 MP, and simultaneous usage of the front and back cameras. For example, one can position themselves in a family picture using the front camera even while taking a picture using the back camera, eliminating the need for awkward requests to fellow tourists – an innovative and
RAHUL JAYARAMAN-WINGED POST
reporter
APPLICATION-BUILDER AppArchitect’s software allows developers with no coding experience to construct applications. The scope of application construction is limited, but it provides those interested in developing with exposure to building applications.
ashwini iyer reporter Five years ago, Apple introduced the App Store to the world, revolutionizing the smartphone industry. The much anticipated addition spurred an immediate rush of developers all clamoring for their apps to be accepted into the store. However, many others who wanted to showcase their talents and ideas grappled with the predicament of making their applications a reality. The problem? A lack of programming knowledge. But now, a solution has arisen. Developed by CEO Ilya Zatulovskiy at a TechCrunch hackathon, AppArchitect is a tool for creating iPhone and iPad apps using a graphical interface. Building an application requires absolutely no previous coding knowledge. Users can drag-and-drop text, pictures, backgrounds and links to bring their application to life, without the restrictions of a template-based user interface. Applications can be tested and then submitted to the App Store for final approval by Apple before it reaches customers on a global scale.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Zatulovskiy expressed his desire to direct AppArchitect toward a certain niche of consumers. “We want to focus on design agencies and marketing firms who already have existing clients,” he said. “We see ourselves as fitting in with the same group of people who use PowerPoint and Photoshop.” Vikas Bhetanabhotla (11) believes the online service will be of immense help to bridge the gap between those with no programming knowledge and experienced coders. “There is a strong technology community at Harker and an easier interface like this will close the barrier, making the whole process a lot easier,” he said. Similarly, Indica Sur (12) believes AppArchitect would be a valuable resource for her, as she has no coding experience. “If I really had an idea about an app that I would want to write, I would totally use this,” she said. “Knowing that I can still get my idea out there without figuring that out seems really cool; it depends on how easy it is to use.”
AppArchitect is one of the first companies to provide web-based tools without the restrictions of a templatebased user interface. However, some believe that AppArchitect will not be needed by most people, because of the rigorous computer science courses at the Upper School that provide students with coding knowledge. “It seems like a really cool idea and I’m sure it will be really popular among adults who never learned how to code, but seeing as there is a computer science graduation requirement [at the Upper School] a lot of us already know how to code,” Alex Jang (10) said. “I just don’t think it will be really popular among students here.” AppArchitect has proved to be quite popular and after being in private beta for almost half a year, it is now open to the general public and will remain free for the first few months. For now, it is solely available for iOS, but the company plans on expanding to include Android and other platforms in the future. Contributing to this story: Shay Lari-Hosain, reporter
itcoins
Create your own movie projector priscilla pan reporter BITCOIN
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Tech
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
Say your favorite movie has just been released on Netflix and you are excited to watch it, but you are tired of having to
jonathan ma reporter
The Bitcoin is a digital currency that can be exchanged in secured transactions. Despite its volatility, the Bitcoin is gaining popularity among users as an alternative to traditional currency. Bitcoin transactions take place via virtual “wallets.” Users can install a Bitcoin wallet with a specially designated address on their computer or phone. They can then engage in transactions by giving each other their wallet addresses and thus transferring Bitcoins between their wallets. According to the official Bitcoin website, Bitcoin was first conceptualized in 1998. Later in 2009, a user whose true identity is still unknown created a full specification and proof-of-concept, publishing them using the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto.” “[Bitcoin is] unregulated [by the government], so that means the government can’t devaluate it,” AP Economics student Kevin Moss (11) said. “With our currency, the government can use policies to inflate the dollar or deflate the dollar if they choose to but without the government there, only the natural transactions that occur in the Bitcoin marketplace can change the value of the Bitcoin.” However, actively acquiring Bitcoins is harder than simply using them. Users can accumulate Bitcoins through a process called “mining,” in which they allow the Bitcoin network to use their computers to perform calculations. These calculations confirm transactions and thus increase the security of the network. In return for the calculations, the Bitcoin website says that Bitcoin miners “can collect transaction fees for the transactions they confirm, along with newly created Bitcoins.” Freshman Cameron Palte said that he mined Bitcoins but was not currently pursuing mining on a large scale. “I’m not putting a lot of power into mining [Bitcoins],” Cameron said. “It’s for testing it now.” Bitcoins are secured by the calcula-
tions performed on the Bitcoin miners’ computers. These calculations are used to confirm the validity of transactions. Transactions are included in a chronological list known as a “block chain.” Multiple transactions are encrypted by the Bitcoin miners’ computers and packed into each block in the chain. The chain is designed so that if anyone were to tamper with a block, then all the subsequent blocks in the chain would be invalidated, thus preventing users from modifying their previous transactions to increase their Bitcoin assets. Despite the heavy security surrounding Bitcoin transactions, there are still flaws in the Bitcoin network. As the Bitcoin website itself says, “The price of a Bitcoin can unpredictably increase or decrease over a short period of time.” The website further warns users that “Bitcoin should be considered as a high risk asset, and you should never store money that you cannot afford to lose with Bitcoin.” The volatility of Bitcoin was demonstrated in a recent crash, in which the value of Bitcoins plummeted from 266 US dollars per Bitcoin to 105 US dollars per Bitcoin in a single day. However, Daniela Lee (10) said that she would be willing to invest in Bitcoins. “At first I’d be a little skeptical but I think over time if I get used to it I’d be willing to [use Bitcoins],” she said. Besides its fluctuating value, privacy is another issue surrounding the Bitcoin. The Bitcoin website states that “anyone can see the balance and transactions of any Bitcoin address,” but each address cannot be associated with a specific person. Therefore, users should be careful when revealing information that could link their Bitcoin addresses to them. For increased anonymity, users can create and use multiple Bitcoin addresses. In spite of Bitcoin’s flaws, “new users [are] joining every day” according to the Bitcoin website. In addition, the website states that there are over 1.3 billion US dollars’ worth of Bitcoins in circulation and that millions of US dollars’ worth are being exchanged in transactions every day.
ALL PHOTOS PRISCILLA PAN - WINGED POST
Digital currency gains popularity
PROJECTOR The final product, shown above, involves the
share your small phone screen with your friends. Here’s a simple tutorial on how to turn your smartphone or viewing device into a movie or photo projector with things you already have at home. This is perfect for creating a comfortable movie-theater style setting if you have a few spare minutes.
Materials • • • • • • •
A smartphone or any small device you would like to project A cardboard box (a little taller than the diameter of a magnifying glass) A pencil A cutting tool such as an X-ACTO knife A large paperclip A magnifying glass (available at a dollar store) Pliers (optional)
phone standing up on a set of pliers before the magnifying glass. The process should take around 30 minutes.
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If the inside of your box is a bright color, you may want to put black tape or paint it black for the best picture quality. Place and center your magnifying glass on one of the shorter sides of the box. If your magnifying glass has a handle, you may want to remove it before tracing and using. Trace around the edge with a pencil to make an outline for where you will cut.
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Using your X-ACTO knife (or any cardboard cutter), carefully cut out the circle that you previously drew on the box. Sawing motions typically work the best in cutting out cardboard. Once you have cut out the circle, fit your magnifying glass into the hole, making more cuts as needed. Be sure not to cut too much because you do not want any light to escape (the tighter the fit, the better). If you do end up cutting too much, tape the edges around the hole. You can also cut out a hole in the back of the box for your phone charger.
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That’s it for the box; now we have to make a stand for your phone. Take a large paperclip and straighten it out, using either your hands or pliers to help you. Next, find the center of the straightened paperclip and moving about ¼ cm away, bend each side until it is in the shape of a “\_/”. Turn it sideways and bend the edge that is a little less than halfway from the closed end to about 45 degrees. Repeat on the other side. Finally, bend the very ends of the paperclip until it is at an obtuse angle. Put your phone inside adjust until it is steady and standing almost upright.
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If the inside of your box is a bright color, you may want to put black tape or paint it black for the best picture quality. Place and center your magnifying glass on one of the shorter sides of the box. If your magnifying glass has a handle, you may want to remove it before tracing and using. Trace around the edge with a pencil to make an outline for where you will cut.
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If you do not have an empty white wall, you can use a white bed sheet, poster, or any large white surface for a screen. Make sure the room is relatively dark or you will probably not be able to see the image. Place your phone, facing the lens, on top of the stand at the back of the box and let it project on the wall. If the image is blurry, move the phone and stand backwards or forwards until the image comes into focus. The farther you move the box away from the screen, the bigger the image.
timeline
May 17, 2013 the Winged Post
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
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alyssa amick online editor It’s been a year full of exhilarating ups and emotional downs, but we’ve stayed strong as a community throughout the process. Here’s a look at some of our favorite pictures from the 2012-2013 school year.
AUGUST 27
OCTOBER 5 M ATR ICULATION: Student Council members perform
Freshman 101, in which they explain rules and expectations of conduct to the student body while dressed up as super heroes. On Matriculation, August 27, freshmen and new students signed the Honor Code, pledging to follow it. E A G L E B U D D I E S : Sanjana Kaundinya (10) plays
NOVEMBER 2
with her Eagle Buddy on the Bucknall field. This was the first year the sophomore class participated in the Eagle Buddies program. Activities throughout the year included pajama day and a clown day assembly. This May marks the first graduation of a class of fifth grade and senior Eagle Buddies.
H OM EC OMING: The
seniors pull with all their might as they participate in the annual Tug-of-War event for the last time. They took first place in the event, which occurred at half time of the Homecoming Game on November 2.
JANUARY 25-26 D A N C E S H O W: Themed
“Elements of Dance,” the Dance Show featured over 100 student and teacher dancers moving to songs representing the four elements: fire, wind, air, and water. The show, which was held the last weekend in January, also displayed the work of student choreographers including Tiphaine Delepine (12), Rahul Nalamasu (12, Anna Kendall (11), Molly Wolfe (12) and Michaela Kastelman (12).
FEBRUARY 22
MARCH 28
FASHION SHOW: In the tenth annual Fashion Show, Mission: Pos-
sible, hosted on February 22, Downbeat performs between model segments. Additionally, math teacher Misael Fisico played the role of PSY in a Harker rendition of “Gangam Style.” Performing arts groups in attendance were Downbeat, Jazz Band, and Orchestra ensembles.
HO S CA R S : Through acts such as singing, dancing, and juggling students show-
cased their hidden talents in the annual HOSCARS Show, which was held on March 28. The show was combined with GEO multicultural week, which added some cultural performances to the show. The Varsity boys basketball team won Best Overall Act for their rendition of “Single Ladies.”
A P R I L 19 STUDENT ELECTIONS:
MAY 1
ART SHOW CAS E : The Art Exhibit displayed
the hard work of art and photography students throughout the entire school year, including senior Shannon Su’s 3-D work in foamboard (ABOVE). Guest judge Ace Lehner, friend of photography teacher Josh Martinez, awarded first and second prizes in categories including graphic arts, photography, ceramics.
As the school year comes to an end, students vote for next year’s ASB, student council, and honor council members. This year, the sophomore class had a record number of 17 students run for Honor Council, while three of the four ASB candidates ran unopposed.
ALL PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST