Winged Post Vol 14 No 1

Winged Post FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 14, NO.1

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500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

15 th YEAR OF THE UPPER SCHOOL OFFICIALLY BEGINS

“Time audit” examines activity load

Biggest frosh class ever darian edvalson TalonWP EIT

TIME MANAGEMENT Nina Sabharwal (12) and Shreyas Parthasarathy (11) fill out their time management sheets during some down time. The new requirement is meant to encourage students to maintain balanced and healthy lives.

samantha hoffman Like word problems? Here’s one: Student X spends 70 hours on academic activities, 56 hours on extracurriculars, 35 hours sleeping, 14 hours relaxing, and seven hours driving in a typical week, totalling 182 hours. Simple multiplication allows us to determine that there are 168 hours in a week. How is it possible for Student X to be spending 14 hours that technically do not exist?

“That can’t be,” said Upper School Dean of Studies Evan Barth, continuing that situations like those, while extreme, can reflect the strain overcommitted students can feel.

While most students do not find themselves as overloaded as Student X, the new Time Management Work-

MEENA CHETTY - WINGED POST

editor in chief

WORKSHEETS All students were required to fill out a new Time Management worksheet to assess their schedules and commitments. Handed out in at Matriculation, these forms are due to advisors this Thursday.

sheet, which advisors handed out to students at Matriculation, was designed to encourage students and their families to reexamine their time commitments.

“We want students to have a ro-

bust academic experience, but we also want them to be healthy,” said Head of School Chris Nikoloff.

According to Barth, the idea for the worksheet was inspired by a similar concept presented at the Challenge

Success Spring Conference by another school. Students use the worksheet to perform a “time audit,” estimating time spent on academic, extracurricular, athletic, and other daily activities.

“A lot of these [activities are] what students choose to do, and sometimes they need something like this [worksheet] for them to realize, ‘I’m doing too much,’” he said.

Both students and parents were required to sign the worksheet, which was due back to advisors Thursday, August 30. The advisors will have the chance to make notes before sending them off to the counseling department.

According to Barth, the counselors will then meet with each student to review and discuss the worksheet.

Advisors and students will revisit the worksheets as part of later conversations about time management.

“

We want to [...]broaden the range of talents and contributions.

“

PHOTO DRAMATIZATION

The class of 2016 has set a school record before even stepping on campus by being the largest freshman class to ever enter the community.

The incoming class of 190 students, 48 of them new to the school, is not significantly larger than previous years, but faculty and freshman class advisors hope the bigger class size will more closely bond the class.

“My optimistic answer is that the 10 or 20 extra kids we bring in will be the enthusiastic ones and [...] will help us with class unity,”

Chris Nikoloff, Head of School

said freshman dean Matthew Harley. “The more, the merrier.”

The Upper School administration expects this year’s freshman class size to be the default size going forward.

“We want to continually broaden the range of talents and contributions that students bring to the school,” said Head of School Chris Nikoloff.

Eagles vs. Yerba Buena Both the JV and Varsity football teams play Yerba Buena High School in their home opener tonight. While Yerba Buena is not in our league, the team is still looking forward to the game.

“I feel like it will be a tough game, but we can come out on top,” Varsity player Michael Chen (12) said. “All we have to look out for is how well we execute and that everyone knows what we’re doing as a team. As long as we do that, we’ll be fine.”

The JV team plays at 4:30 p.m., followed by Varsity at 7:00 p.m.

Annual Club Fair preview On September 12, the school will host a club fair, allowing students to sign up for clubs for the year.

Club fairs allow clubs to recruit new members to their clubs and for students to explore all the clubs the school provides.

Student Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger has contacted existing clubs that need to be renewed to participate in the fair this year. Enzensperger estimates that 35 clubs will attend the fair, though students are still trying to form new clubs before the fair.

Like previous years, the fair will be held in the gym during long lunch.

samantha hoffman editor in chief Effective this year, students and teachers must follow a new attendance policy. While previously able to check in to any of the three offices, late students must now visit the new attendance office, located in Main Hall across from Athletic Director Dan Molin’s office.

Additionally, teachers will no longer be able to email corrections to their attendance records; students who arrive late to class will have to check in to the attendance office before returning to class.

Many students, like Daphne Millard (12), believe that the new policy will provide an incentive for students to be on time.

“It is a good idea just to make sure everyone is getting to class on time and it would decrease dilly-dallying in the hallways” she said. “[But], it is kind of a pain because if you have to go to Nichols, and you’re a little bit after the bell, you have to go all the way back to Main just to get a slip.”

According to Sue Prutton, who is in charge of attendance, one exception exists to the rule to address the situation that Daphne proposed; if a class runs late or a student needs to talk to a teacher after class, an email from that teacher exempts that student.

Still, in the school meeting on Tuesday, Prutton warned that students should not use that excuse to get out of being marked tardy, as she will follow up on and validate those claims.

SAMANTHA HOFFMAN - WINGED POST

Attendance: Centralized check-in office

IN BRIEF

ATTENDANCE Late students or those who wish to leave or reenter campus must now check out in the new attendance office, located in Main Hall. Teachers will also no longer be allowed to email corrections to their attendance records.

New bells implemented for the school year Sounds changed to reduce stress meena chetty managing editor No longer will the traditional ring that is commonly associated with school and stress be a part of our daily lives.

This year, the bells that mark the beginning and end of class have changed. Rather than the traditional school bell that the Upper School has

been using, the new bell sound aims to be “subtler” as opposed to the more “abrasive” nature of the previous bell according to Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson.

Williamson said that the motivation for the change had to do with the Challenge Success program that was implemented last year. The bell change is one of the steps that the Upper School is taking to make the campus a more accommodating and stress-free environment for students.

“I hope it’s just something that does gather your attention so you know why it’s there, but is not so jarring,

so it’s more of a relaxing, appealing sound,” Williamson said.

The new sounds were recorded

by Performing Arts teacher Susan Nace. At the start of class, the bell will be an ascending sound, while the one that marks the end of class will be descending. This will help resolve the confusion of the overlapped time between periods five and six.

Additionally, the five minute warning bell that rings before the academic day starts will be a different sound.

Nace said that the sounds are based on the music the San Francisco Symphony used during their show in-

termissions. After experimenting with different sounds, she settled on the “Vibes” setting on her keyboard.

“Sound is an important component in stress levels,” she said.

“We wanted bells with a timbre that wouldn’t significantly contribute to stress.”

The bells will be the same everyday, but Williamson said that the school may surprise the student body with different bells for special occasions, similar to the changing bells that were featured at the end of last year.

INSIDE: FRESHMEN ORIENTATION, 2

BACK TO SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE , 8-9

NEWS, 2 OPINION, 4 FEATURES, 5 GLOBAL, 7 DOUBLETRUCK, 8

LIFESTYLE, 11 TECH, 12 SPORTS, 14 BACK PAGE, 16

News 2 Campus updated to be more spacious August 31, 2012 the Winged Post

managing editor Beginning the Monday after school ended, construction and renovation proceeded at the Upper School throughout the entire summer to enhance campus flow.

This past summer, Manzanita Hall underwent significant renovation to expand seating and serving areas to help alleviate the lunchtime rush and clamor that often engulfs The Edge.

“The high school student population has grown again [...], and we needed to provide more outlets for dining, literally more places to sit, [and] more sources to pick up food to give the students a greater selection of food,” Facility Manager Mike Bassoni said.

With approximately 730 students, the school’s population is larger than it has ever been. To resolve the anticipated crowding around seating areas, students will now have access to what was previously the staff dining room, and a lunch counter has been installed in the bistro. Additionally, the outdoor patio in front of Manzanita is now clear of all shrubbery and will feature four new eight-seater picnic tables. Meanwhile, since the physical bookstore no longer exists after switching to an online interface, the staff will have their new lunchroom in what used to be the bookstore.

In terms of serving areas, the prep kitchen in the bistro has been converted to an additional roll-up window to offer more points to pick up food.

Further construction in Manzanita included the expansion of the journalism room to include the hallway behind it in order to accommodate more students and the repainting of The Edge.

Shah Hall renovations comprised the expansion of the counseling department. As a result, Assistant Head of School for Student Affairs Greg Lawson’s office is now in the old staff room, and a science prep lab has been converted to the faculty lounge.

The boys’ bathroom at the end of Main Hall also underwent renovation and now includes new toilet stalls and panels, as well as new sink counters and entry doors. The junior student council led the initiative to renovate the bathroom last year.

“Main is where […] everyone passes everyday, so obviously the bathroom there would be used [the] most everyday,” junior class secretary Vincent Lin said. “We didn’t have dividers between urinals and the sinks were faulty, [...] so there were a lot of things amiss.”

According to Bassoni, the bathroom is the oldest of all three campuses and had not experienced any enhancements for about 50 years until now.

Additional construction around campus involved repainting the Dobbins lockers.

“I hope that the student body comes back to school and says ‘Wow, look at everything they’ve done for us,’ because that’s really what it’s all about,” Upper School Division Head Butch Keller said. “It is to make life more efficient and better for the student body.”

Finally, contrary to what was announced at the end of the last academic school year, the Nichols Hall Cyberloft, a study area for student access, did not undergo any renovations. While the room did not experience any physical changes, its rules will be more strictly enforced this year according to Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson. Students who do not leave the doors open while occupying the space will immediately be assigned to detention.

Ultimately, the renovations that took place in Manzanita, Dobbins, Main, and Shah Hall are meant to grant students a more spacious environment on campus.

ALL PHOTOS MENNA CHETTY - THE WINGED POST

meena chetty

NEW AND IMPROVED Over summer, several changes occured around campus to create a more spacious environment for studnents: the furniture in the bistro was rearranged to reduce crowding (top), the addition of a stone path outside the Edge (left), and the boys’ bathroom in Main Hall had new panels installed in between the urinals (bottom).

Gym Jam changes: No longer an over-night event Latin

Students attend NJCL

meena chetty & elisabeth siegel managing editor & reporter

elisabeth siegel

In addition to playing games, students also had the opportunity to break off into their individual grades and discuss class spirit.

“It’s kind of a nice way for everybody to meet on a non-academic day and get to play and goof around and have Mr. Keller barbeque for us,” Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger said. “It’s just a day of fun. It’s a nice way to begin the school year.”

According to Nicholas, some of the games played at Gym Jam this year included tag, conquest, and a form of water polo which may be a spirit event later this year.

While the games change every year, a major alteration to Gym Jam this year is that it is no longer an overnight event. Enzensperger said that many students were unable to attend due to the fact that the sleepover was right before school started. Whereas Gym Jam previously started at six,

ALL PHOTOS MENNA CHETTY - THE WINGED POST

Incoming high schoolers had a chance to bond and prepare for the upcoming school year on Saturday, August 25 from two to 10 during Gym Jam. An annual event for students of all grade levels, Gym Jam allows the chance to plan and test spirit based activities that will occur throughout the year, while also giving students the opportunity to see friends and welcome new freshmen before school starts.

“We try to mix up the groups at Gym Jam so that there are freshmen and new kids in every group along with some of our spirit board members and student council members,” spirit copresident Nicholas Chuang (12) said.

GYM JAM Invited students attend the Gym Jam to decide spirit events and the Homecoming theme for the upcoming school year. Dr. Matthew Harley leads the discussion for his small break-out group (top right). To encourage bonding, Gym Jam attendees participate in a game of capture the flag (top right). Spirit Club President Andre Tran (12) welcomes the students to the event (bottom).

hosting the event from two to 10 also allows more sunlight for outdoor activity. Additionally, spirit co-president

Andre Tran (12) said that having the event during the day facilitates the job for teacher chaperones, since they are usually preparing for the upcoming school year.

“Since [Gym Jam is] the weekend before school starts, the sleepover was kind of hard to do because everyone got tired before school started, so I guess this is just a better way to hang out and get together with friends you haven’t seen for a while,” said Gym Jam veteran and spirit member Keri Clifford (12).

Freshmen and first time Gym Jam attendee Rachel Renteria agreed with Kerri, but for different reasons.

“I met new people which I think is honestly a good thing for me,” she said. “I think the day thing is good [if ] you don’t really know anyone.”

According to Enzensperger, the reaction to this change has been generally positive and more people showed up this year in comparison to previous years.

reporter From July 26 to July 31, Wake Forest University hosted the 59th National Junior Classical League (NJCL) Convention for over 1600 students, three of whom were from here, to celebrate the Latin language.

Attended by delegations from a total of 32 states, the convention was the epicenter of the summer for aspiring Latin students. From 17 individual academic tests, costumes, Latin oratory, Certamen, track and field, to running for national office, students present were occupied at all times.

Coming from the Upper and Middle Schools, Annirudh Ankola (10), Nik Datuashvili (12), and Elisabeth Siegel (9, author) attended the convention along with Latin teachers Lisa Masoni and John Hawley as chaperones; with other students and chaperones present, 33 people in total made up the California delegation.

As a whole, the California delegation was largely successful in many of the events available at the convention. In academic competitions, Nik placed first in the nation for Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension (Prose), and Latin Derivatives, and Elisabeth placed fifth overall for her level in the Academic Heptathlon while also participating in several other contests. Annirudh ranked ninth for the boys’ costume contest. Additionally, in the most elite competition available at the convention—Certamen, a quiz-bowl style game—the school also had highly scoring participants. Nik captained the Upper Level team, leading to an eighth place victory, while Elisabeth captained the Lower level team, leading to a top ten victory.

However, the convention was not necessarily all about the academic contests.

“Having contact with people from all over the country gives us an experience that I would not otherwise have,” Hawley said. “There are a lot of fun things that we do. I think that’s a large part of it for me.”

Upon being asked further about the ideas behind NJCL, Hawley said, “It shows that there is a tremendous interest in the classics and classical languages. It’s about the enthusiasm of students on the language and culture and those who want to have it preserved and available for future generations.”

News Nikoloff encourages having fun while pursuing passion

August 31, 2012 the Winged Post

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Matriculation marks start of school year rahul jayaraman

On Monday, August 27, 728 students filled the seats in the Quad for the annual matriculation ceremony that marked the beginning of the new school year and welcomed the 190 freshmen with speeches and a skit.

The ceremony started with the faculty filing into the Quad, followed by the members of the freshman class led by the 2016 Class Dean Dr. Matthew Harley. After the applause subsided, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff gave his opening remarks.

Nikoloff ’s opening remarks centered around the concept of “jam sessions” like the ones he had during his time at high school. In these “jam sessions,” Nikoloff encouraged everyone to pursue an activity they enjoyed or fill their time with something they enjoyed doing, such as talking with friends.

After a rendition of “Run, Children, Run” by Cantilena, Upper School Division Head Butch Keller spoke about two quotes and gave stories to illustrate the two. One of the stories was about a Spanish fisherman teaching a Harvard businessman the lesson of “There is no achievement without a goal.” The other story centered around one of Keller’s own experiences on a golf course with his adult children; this served to illustrate the saying of “It’s not the situation. It’s your reaction to the situation.”

This was succeeded by a short speech welcoming the freshmen by ASB President Raghav Sehtia (12) that stressed the importance of “being yourself.” After this, everybody present recited the matriculation oath, and all the freshmen, new sophomores, and new juniors, signed the matriculation book.

The student council members then performed a short skit to illustrate high school life to the freshmen. This year, the skit centered around superheroes and managed to elicit many laughs from the audience.

“The skit was very entertaining and conveyed the message much better than stating it,” said Dhanush Madabusi (9).

Student Council members were very pleased with the reaction to the

ALL PHOTOS MERCEDES CHIEN - THE WINGED POST

reporter

skit.

MATRICULATION From Left to Right Head of School Christopher Nikoloff addresses students at Matriculation about the importance of “jam sessions” and choosing activities they enjoy.

Students take their seats in the quad as they await the commencement of the Matriculation ceremony. Fine Arts teacher Jaap Bongers walks with the rest of the Upper School faculty in the processional that begins Matriculation. The student council and ASB conveyed school rules to the student body with a twist of humor in this year’s superhero themed skit.

“The skit went really well; we spent a lot of time practicing it,” sophomore treasurer David Lin said. “Even though there were a lot of jokes, we still managed to get a message across to the freshmen about the honor code and a lot of new rules that are different from the middle school.”

After some closing remarks from Nikoloff, the students broke up into their respective grades and either went to their advisor’s room, orientation, or to have their pictures taken.

Students received their schedules for classes, which started Tuesday.

Upper School Librarian Meredith Cranston is looking forward to the new school year.

“I’m excited to see all those students from years past and to get to know the new freshmen this year,” she said.

Freshmen are also excited to start classes and meet their new teachers and friends.

“I expect the classes to be fun but challenging at the same time,” Ankur Karwal (9) said.

WELCOME

2016 CLASS OF

Freshmen Orientation Day samar malik copy editor

On August 24, the class of 2016 set foot on the Upper School campus for the first time as freshmen for their orientation. For five and a half hours, the freshmen bonded with their fellow classmates, advisors, and link crew mentors while participating in activities directed by APEX adventures. From working as a team to march on wooden blocks imitating a centipede, to carefully cooperating to navigate a giant A-frame, the freshman class unified as one in this rite of passage.

A COMMUNITY WELCOME The freshmen bond with their Link Crew and advisory through various activities during orientation. From Left to Right Racing to finish first, students work with their Link Crew to fill the pipe to the top. Advisories work together to maneuver across the field on wooden blocks to enhance cooperation between the students. One student strategically navigates the A-Frame with the help of his advisory pulling on the ropes. A freshman attempt to step on the numbered dots in order. Link crew members form a human tunnel to welcome the freshmen on their orientation day.

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August 31, 2012 the Winged Post

Opinion

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samantha hoffman editor-in-chief

Editor in Chief

Samantha Hoffman

Editor in Chief in Training & Tech Editor Nikhil Dilip

Managing Editor Meena Chetty

Copy Editors

Kacey Fang & Samar Malik

News Editor Emily Chu

Opinion Editor

Apoorva Rangan

Features Editors

Trisha Jani & Monica Thukral

Lifestyle Editor Mercedes Chien

Global Editor

Sheridan Tobin

Sports Editor Sonia Sidhu

Advisor

Chris Daren

TalonWP Editor in Chief Nayeon Kim

TalonWP Contributors Alyssa Amick

Vasudha Rengarajan

Darian Edvalson

Shannon Su

Juhi Gupta

Allison Sun

Reporters Anishka Agrawal

Manthra Panchapakesan

Vivek Bharadwaj

Roshni Pankhaniya

Tiara Bhatacharya

Kavya Ramakrishnan

Stephanie Chen

Sindhu Ravuri

Jonathan Dai

Raza Rizvi

Elizabeth Edwards

Anokhi Saklecha

Apurva Gorti

Elisabeth Siegel

Rahul Jayaraman

Natalie Simonian

Vineet Kosaraju

Mariam Sulakian

Shay Lari-Hosain

Vedant Thyagaraj

Emily Lin

Karen Tu

Jonathan Ma

Dora Tzeng

Diba Massihpour

Stanley Zhao

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Visit The Winged Post Online at www.talonwp.com Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/talonwp The Winged Post is published every four to six weeks

Every year, it’s the same. For many of us, it’s a custom we have almost formulized. The day goes something like this: arrive at school, find friends, listen to speeches, eat, listen to more speeches, get our schedules (and immediately compare them), and then go home to prepare for our first day of classes. We know to be loud when someone invariably says, “Class of (insert class year)” (pause for cheers) in their Matriculation address. Even the freshmen were loud this year. We know that the opening speech will be exactly “one page long, singlespaced, and size 12 font,” because that’s how it’s been for as long as we can remember.

After every Matriculation for the past three years, I’ve marveled at how quickly the dread of returning to school gives way to excite-

ment and exhilaration. Somehow, that one simple routine left me eagerly anticipating the rest of the year without fail, three years in a row.

I used to think everyone felt the same way; this year, however, I witnessed evidence to the contrary.

My disillusionment began during the Matriculation ceremony itself. Whispered conversations pervaded the administrator’s speeches, glazed eyes stared into space, and phones slid out from pockets into impatient hands. Turning around, one could even see A Tale of Two Cities, opened to page 141, in the lap of the girl behind them.

I’m not going to lie – I was disappointed.

“This is the first day of a new year of high school,” I thought. “How can you just not care?”

The senior class meeting later in the day reinforced my observation. It was our first day back, and already we’re hearing about senioritis and not slacking off. In a poll conducted by Butch Keller, our top five concerns were almost all academically focused; barely anyone raised their hands when asked if one of their goals was to “finish senior year with no regrets.”

Balance your load It’s the first day of school, and you’re sharing your schedule with the people next to you, trying to see who’ll be accompanying you through your classes for the rest of the semester.

Something catches your eye.

The person next to you is taking five AP courses, while you’re taking two. Your neurons fire up the thought that the other person is more successful, more rewarded, and a better student than you are, a statement that is completely false.

This constant comparison between students is too prevalent to be healthy, as we inherently compare ourselves to a few people who have met our academically-oriented community’s standards of success.

The idea that the only route to the Emerald City of Success is a solitary yellow brick road is ludicrous.

Even the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man only achieve their goals by taking their own unique journeys, not some panacean route recommended by a glitter fairy.

Like the protagonists of The Wizard of Oz, we all have specific, unique objectives for the year. Different ambitions require different approaches, so why do we continue to fall into a one-track, academically-centered mindset for success?

It’s unrealistic to hold everyone up to a universal standard, as doing so quashes the possibilities of expanding our interests and potentially undermines our happiness.

Why take 17 AP courses just because the person at the lunch table next to you did?

Remember that there isn’t a formula to get into college. And college isn’t necessarily the final destination for us all; in twenty years, people won’t really care about our alma mater. When we’re completely preoccupied on getting to a

destination, we lose something infinitely more precious: the journey.

Building brick walls around a route that someone else has taken only creates barriers between us and countless new opportunities and possibilities. Our school has over 40 clubs, trains dozens of sports teams, and offers over 100 courses. By blindly pursuing a predetermined path, who knows what rewarding experiences will fall by the wayside?

That isn’t to say that we should fling our plans to the wind and sign up for every club or class in sight; some structure helps to keep us moving forward. Required courses can help broaden our perspective and are an important part of our education. Rather, every now and then, try something that you normally wouldn’t consider doing. It’s worth taking our time to make our experiences our own instead of trying to meet some stratospheric universal bar.

There are hundreds of students on campus this year, and that means hundreds of unique definitions of success. If we try to fit someone else’s mold, we may sacrifice our happiness down the road. However, even though our paths are unique, we still need to walk them with purpose and invest hard work into our passions.

Instead of trying to plan out every day of the future, we need to focus on the present, close that College Confidential tab for good, and find out what our school has to offer. We should apply ourselves as much as we can in whatever we’re doing at the moment, whether it be academics or extracurriculars, so that we can look back on our time here without regret. And that, in our opinion, is success.

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST

I get it. Even my top concern was “getting into a good college” when I first started high school. But have we really become so jaded that we no longer enjoy what’s going on around us?

Most of us celebrate the fact that school has indeed begun again, even though we still miss sleeping in. Yes, we have heard many variations of the Matriculation speeches and “Freshmen 101” skits, but that doesn’t mean that we should dismiss them in favor of belatedly finishing summer reading or texting our best friend three rows ahead of us. As Jeffrey Draper said numerous times during the senior class meeting, “This is the only time in our life when so much change will be going on at once.” Everything may seem the same as before, but in reality, it’s all changing right before our very eyes.

To my senior classmates: matriculation was the first of our “lasts;” it’s up to us to make the most out of the rest of them. To everyone else, revel in your surroundings; we have the rest of our lives to suffer from ennui.

‘’ “what are you looking forward to this year?”

‘’

talk around campus

apoorva rangan opinion editor

“Senior privileges, [...] getting to drive my car off campus second semester will be awesome.”

-Indu Seeni (12)

“Student Council duties, [...] following up on some projects from last year.”

-Vincent Lin (11)

“High school sports, because of the commitment level. It’s going to be a great year.”

- Shannon Richardson (9) “ I’m looking forward to robotics. I did that at my old school and I was interested in trying it here.”

-Jonathan Lee (10)

“The sophomore ropes course, that’s always great.

And also meeting our Eagle Buddies for the first time!”

-Diana Moss, Spanish Teacher

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apoorva rangan

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A NON-ATHLETE’S FOOTNOTE: The most exercise I got today was walking from Shah to Nichols. I’ve never played a school sport, and dust bunnies use my track pants more than I do. The only pieces of athletic clothing I own are my mandated schoolissued sports shorts, which I now exclusively use as pajamas.

I did go to the gym once this summer, but that was to pick up my cousin.

Clearly, I am not at the top of my physical game. But I don’t really see the problem with being physically inactive.

I’m not lazy, per se, at least not mentally. I read the news, devour books, finish my homework on time, and get reasonably good grades. So, evidently, a lack of exercise doesn’t mean my overall downfall.

Objection, you shout. It’s not healthy! It’s not good for you! You’ll get diabetes by the time you’re twenty!

Trust me, I know. I do eat healthily enough.

My family never buys white bread or butter or (unfortunately) Nutella. Anyway, curves are in, babe.

Is it normal to not get sports? I think so; it’s acceptable to me that my affinities lay not with the athletically minded. I’d rather read a play than a game plan.

Unfortunately, disinclination towards certain sports isn’t really socially exalted in this country. Since I have no idea what’s going on most of the time in most sports, I miss out on a lot of what goes on at good-ol’-fashioned sportsoriented American bonding time, especially Super Bowl parties.

But sports themselves glorify aggression and a rigidity that makes me uncomfortable. Risking court burn or stitches or a whack in the face with a lacrosse stick seems like a painful hazard of playing a team sport.

Or maybe I’m just bitter because I was picked last for dodgeball in third grade. Either way, for now, I’ll stick to my five-minute passing periods of cardio. I mean, combined, that’s like a solid half hour of walking!

Just to clarify, I have utmost respect for all

the hard work you athletes and coaches out there.

You all have put a lot of time and commitment into doing something you love, just as I have. It’s just that my passions lie in non-athletic endeavors, and I wish people paid respect to my unathleticism and didn’t make running jokes about my inability to run a mile. Your bonds with your teammates are enviable and probably even stronger than your biceps. My own personal physical unfitness is not an affront to your hand-eye coordination.

I just can’t bring myself to enjoy exercise.

Sweat getting in my eyes isn’t exactly glamorous, and I prefer not to shower out of necessity.

An unfortunate side effect of my mindset is guilt. The exercise bandwagon has recently exploded in size to become an exercise band-train, and we’re bombarded by shows like the Biggest Loser and magazine spreads with an enthused, six-packed Jillian Michaels telling us that “unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going!” I’m never going to wear size 00 jeans anyway, so why not enjoy my time as a slightly pudgy, sedentary teenager?

(Pause as I reach for a Snickers.)

And maybe I’ll get on the exercise train at the next station. Maybe I’ll use one of those really entertaining giant bouncy balls as a Pilates tool instead of a chair. Every little bit counts, right?

Features

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

5

New on campus: Nine new faculty members join Upper School manthra panchapakesan

Damon Halback: History

reporter

With nine new faculty members joining the Upper School for the academic year, you might have seen quite a few unfamiliar faces around campus. But besides being teachers, there is quite a lot about these faculty members that you might not have known, or expected. Charles Shuttleworth, Hana Levay, Rachel Freed, Diane Main, Marina Peregrino, Scott Pflaumer, Hui Hui Chang, Suneeta Mani and Damon Halback shared their opinions and personal experiences with the Winged Post.

The Winged Post: How long have you been teaching, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Damon Halback: 14 years, I just moved to the area and heard raving reviews about Harker.

Rachel Freed: Chemistry

WP: Have you ever met a celebrity?

RF: Oliver Sacks ( he wrote Awakenings) and Alex Fillippenko, who helped discover that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

WP: If you could bring one thing to a deserted island, what would it be?

RF: My telescope.

The Winged Post: What are some of your hobbies?

Scott Pflaumer: I love all things outdoors, especially camping, caving, climbing, and swimming. I also like to read.

SP: I once slept in an igloo I made!

WP: What are the top five things on your bucket list?

SP: Learn to cook, winter trek in Alaska, vacation in Europe, beat Starcraft II on insane difficulty, read all of Orson Scott Card’s work.

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

SP: I think it was fireman?

WP: What are your feelings about beginning a new job at a new school?

SP: Like anything now, it takes time to adjust. Fortunately Harker is very welcoming.

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

WP: What is the best advice you have ever received?

SP: Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Hui Hui Chang: Counseling The Winged Post: How long have you been counseling, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Hui Hui Chang: I have been a counselor for over seven years at various schools and decided to come back to Harker because of the wonderful experience I had here a few years ago as a substitute counselor. The Harker community is great.

WP: What are the top five things on your bucket list?

HHC: Vacation stay in an overwater bungalow in the French Polynesia, climb Half Dome, spend New Year’s Eve in New

WP: If you could bring one thing to a deserted island, what would it be?

SP: Duct tape. As Mythbusters demonstrated, you can build just about anything out of duct tape.

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

Scott Pflaumer: Physics

Charles Shuttleworth: English

WP: What is the best advice you have ever received?

CS: I got it through a movie

WP: Would you share your most embarrassing moment? If so, what is it?

CS: It’s awkward to mention, but I was congratulating an ex-girlfriend on being pregnant, when in fact she was just overweight.

The look on her face I’ll never forget.

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

CS: I wanted to be a writer. The reason I wanted to be a writer was because of my high school teachers. For that reason, I always considered trying to inspire kids the way I had been [inspired].

Suneeta Mani: K-12 Learning Specialist when I was in high school and he was and still is my favorite Indian actor. It was definitely a fun moment.

WP: Would you share your most embarrassing moment? If so, what is it?

SM: Probably when I walked through a glass door, not once, but twice.

WP: What is the best advice you WP: What are the top five things have ever received? on your bucket list?

SM: You cannot please everyone, SM: Travel to every continent no matter how hard you may try. more than once, bungee jump, come up with more items on my WP: As a child, what did you bucket list as I haven’t thought of want to be when you grew up? any more.

SM: Several things ranging from a ball girl, so I could meet all WP: Have you ever met a celeb- the famous tennis players, to a rity? pilot to a singer to working with SM: Yes - an Indian film actor students. named Aamir Khan. I met him

WP: What are some of your hobbies?

HHC: Hiking, biking, traveling, visiting exotic new locations, attempting to cook new recipes, and taking weekend road trips to the beach.

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

HHC: On Sundays after church, as a family we would either spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach or ice skating at Fashion Island.

Hana Levay: Library

The Winged Post: How long have you been teaching, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Hana Levay: 10 years. I was attracted by the excellent programs and students at Harker. Also the library is amazing!

potpourri. It was a good way to learn about plants.

WP: What are some of your hobbies?

HL: Video games, knitting, flute.

WP: Would you share your most embarrassing moment? If so, what is it?

HL: In high school, I was visiting a college I really wanted to attend and while admiring the students studying for finals in the library, I accidentally set off the fire alarm! Everyone looked at me in annoyance.

WP: What are the top five things on your bucket list?

HL: Visit every continent (except maybe not Antarctica).

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

HL: I used to love wandering around our garden and picking various plants and flowers to make

WP: What is the best advice you have ever received?

HL: Being brave is just being scared but handling it.

The Winged Post: What are some of your hobbies?

Diane Main: Genealogy, geocaching, iPhoneography, being outdoors, Cub Scouts with my son, geeky stuff.

WP: What are your feelings about beginning a new job at a new school?

DM: I was at my last school for 14 years, so I miss people, but I am also very excited to be here. Just so much to love!

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

DM: I don’t have just one, but I loved when my grandparents were here (in New Jersey) from Eng-

land, and my grandmother’s sister came to visit too. She was even shorter than my grandmother!

WP: What is the best advice you ever received?

DM: Be yourself. It’s advice I give to others and myself often.

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up DM: A marine biologist. Then I took chem in high school. Ended up majoring in English / Education.

WP: If you could bring one thing to a deserted island, what would it be?

DM: My iPhone... and good signal!

Marina Peregrino: Computer Science The Winged Post: How long have you been teaching, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Marina Peregrino: I helped my mom in her kindergarten classroom when I was in college. I volunteered at my children’s school for 8 years now.

TRISHA JANI- WINGED POST

The Winged Post: How long have you been teaching, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Suneeta Mani: I’ve been working as a school psychologist for over seven years. Harker is such a wonderful institution and the philosophy and mission of Harker aligns with my philosophy of helping students and this is why I decided to come to Harker.

York Times Square, take a road trip to Seattle and Whistler, go skydiving and paintballing.

Diane Main: Asst. Director of IT

TRISHA JANI - WINGED POST

WP:What is your favorite childhood memory?

CS: I guess to me it was playing little league baseball. I was a really good little league player, until the other kids got bigger than me. For a while, I was good.

called Himalaya. And it is, “whenever there is a fork in the road, take the harder path.”

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

The Winged Post: What are some of your hobbies?

Charles Shuttleworth:I have two. I’m a writer and I have a closet full of manuscripts that are unpublished, and one published book. And besides that, my biggest hobby is bicycle travel.

WP: What are your feelings about beginning a new job at a new school?

DH: Thrilled to meet new

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

DH: A New York Yankees Shortstop, [but] they found someone a little better.

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

RF: Playing cops and robbers with my brothers.

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

RF: An astronomer.

WP: What are some of your hobbies?

DH: Tennis, leading, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, diving, [and] running.

WP: Would you share your most embarrassing moment?

If so, what is it?

DH: Tripping on a wire and falling off the stage during sixth grade graduation.

WP: What are some of your hobbies?

MP: Hiking [and] sailing, though [I] don’t get sailing very often these days. I spend a lot of time with my older child’s 4H project.

WP: What is your favorite childhood memory?

MP: Getting our dog.

WP: What are your feelings about beginning a new job at a new school?

MP: A little nervous. Mostly happy and excited.

WP: What is the best advice you have ever received?

MP: “ Maybe there is another way to look at it,” without telling me any of the ways.

WP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

MP: Obstretician.

WP: If you could bring one thing to a deserted island, what would it be?

MP: A sailboat.

TRISHA JANI - WINGED POST

WP: What are the top five things on your bucket list?

RF: See the northern lights, go snorkeling again, teach astronomy.

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

WP: What are some of your hobbies?

RF: Astronomy, swing dancing, painting.

WP: What is the best advice you have ever received?

RF: To ignore all the unsolicited parenting advice I get.

TRISHA JANI - WINGED POST

The Winged Post: How long have you been teaching, and what made you decide to come to Harker?

Rachel Freed: 10 years. I love Harker. I taught here six years ago.

faculty and students and experience the excitement of an internationally renowned learning environment.

6

Features

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

TalonTalents: Seniors Students explore interests during summer establish debate forum What time is it? Summer time!

With three whole months to do anything, some students choose to immerse themselves in pursuits of their interests beyond average school academia. This year, several students decided to take the opportunity to explore different cultures and fields in order to gain exposure and insight from their experiences.

Cultural Immersion in Bulgaria Lori Berenberg (12) hoped to visit somewhere “foreign and interesting” this summer, and she found the ideal place through the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), a movement that aims to connect Jewish teenagers with their culture. As part of the BBYO Ambassador to Bulgaria program, she travelled to the unfamiliar country to get a “more world view of Judaism and to allow the Bulgarian community to benefit from that as well.”

“If I were to give you a blank map of Europe, I am fairly certain you would not be able to tell me where Bulgaria is. To be honest, a month ago neither would I,” Lori said. “However, after the incredible, life-changing trip, I will never forget where the beautiful country is located.”

From visiting mosques in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, to cleaning cemeteries, Lori bonded with the 78 teens on the trip while immersing herself in her culture. She not only observed the Bulgarian society firsthand but also learned about Jewish communities in various places through the other teens, who were from countries ranging from Canada to Latvia.

As she gushed about her experience, Lori credited the “beautiful and culturally rich place” for showing her a “different perspective that [she] certainly would not get in America.”

Start-up: MakeGamesWithUs MakeGamesWithUs is a start-up company, featured in TechCrunch ear-

lier this month and promoted by Tech Club, that teaches young programmers how to program an iPhone game in Objective C, a programming language. After watching the company’s tutorial, Timothy Luong (12) started to create his very own game. Still a work in progress, his puzzle game still needs to be refined before published.

“My favorite parts of the intern-

to work with and fewer resources, often resulting in a lot of unanswered questions,” he said. “While [the company has] updated the tutorial based on feedback from us, the first few interns, it was originally an ordeal to learn Objective C on the fly.”

Once his game is published, Timothy will earn 70% of the profits made from his game, and he looks forward to seeing his creation out in the market.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES Lori Berenberg (12) visited Bulgaria this summer as a part of the BBYO Ambassador program. Through this organization, she was able to bond with her Jewish community from around the world while she immersed herself in the Bulgarian culture. Meanwhile, other students worked on projects including field research and work with a start-up company.

ship were seeing my game begin to come together as I pictured it and being able to test that game on my own iPhone,” Timothy said.

Timothy not only gained programming experience this summer but also helped to pave the way for future interns at the start-up. With his suggestions, the company improved on its teaching methods.

“At the start, the original tutorials provided had limited source code

Summer Research Camille Piazza (11) spent her summer at Yosemite National Park, backpacking for nine days with a field research team of 13 students. Offered

by Nature Bridge, this program was designed to allow students to explore nature and pursue research in ecology.

“I decided that this entire summer was going to be about exploring fields of study that I would possibly like to pursue in college,” Camille said.

She credited this program for “spark[ing] her new-found interest in ecology” while “gain[ing] valuable researching techniques, insight on unsolved debates occurring in Yosemite, and the ability to work with a diverse group of people.”

Meanwhile, Matthew Huang (10) worked on a research internship that revolves around modeling the colors of different celestial bodies at University of California Santa Cruz. He wanted to learn more about different sciences in more unfamiliar areas such as astronomy, so he reached out to professors in order to attain this internship.

“I definitely had my ups and downs in the internship. While at times I was making great [progress], there were also periods in which I was frustrated with the work I had on hand, accomplishing nothing for days,” Matthew said.

Though he faced several obstacles, Matthew particularly enjoyed moments when he could see positive results for tasks that he had spent days working on.

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apoorva rangan opinion editor

To make a debate party more interesting, debaters Aneesh Chona (12) and Reyhan Kader (12) joked about opening it to other Bay Area schools. Their idea soon expanded to a real-life business venture called TalonTalents, a website that translates the tournament experience online for debaters around the country.

“Most of the people who I talk to about debate just aren’t here on the West Coast,” Chona said. “And then we started joking and talking about profiting off this [website idea].”

And so TalonTalents was born.

Kader and Chona hope to service any debater who “wants the tournament experience [but doesn’t] want to do the whole ‘travel at 3:00 a.m. and pay $10,000 a year’ thing,” Kader said. Chona considers the travel expenses a major hindrance for aspiring debaters.

The duo founded and built the earliest version of TalonTalents alone.

“We did everything, including the web development, financials, patents, and copyrights solely by ourselves,” Chona said.

The company hopes to hire more employees to help with the website.

It currently has three employees from Harvard, Georgetown, and the London School of Economics.

One of the site’s promising features is the TalonCage, a free-ofcharge forum where the general public can discuss resolutions regarding current events.

If that idea sounds familiar, think back to War of Word, the website founded by alumnus Govinda Dasu (’12).

Chona agrees that the TalonCage bears similarities to War of Word, but insists that there are differences that gear the site towards current debaters. For one, users are “encouraged to post structured cases”

of up to 1,000 words.

“We want people to actually have evidence to back up their opinions and then post that as a way to structure argumentation,” Chona said. “That way, there’s more for people to refute and more research to be done just for fun.”

Another free service that they offer is DebateDawg, a structured online tournament where the user and his or her opponent debate either a National Forensics League (NFL) resolution or one of the past TalonCage resolutions.

As of now, users can only type out their arguments, but in the future, Kader and Chona hope to install a live video feed.

For users serious about debating, the duo offers a free membership program. Members have access to a social network for debaters, called TalonChirp. Debaters can create profiles, post and ‘like’ statuses, as well as upload photos.

The membership benefits also include “judge philosophies,” where judges provide what they want to see in a round, so “you can learn how to win your judge over,” according to Kader.

Additionally, the duo offers members tips they learned through their own debate experiences, as well as videos and access to a “prep room,” where members can prepare for tournaments with teammates.

Two other debate-oriented websites have already requested to advertise on TalonTalents.com due to the relatively high traffic that the website received during its first week: over a thousand views within the first three days.

“The thing is, nothing like this existed before [TalonTalents],” Chona said of the website’s popularity.

Chona and Kader’s long-term goals are to make their name known and eventually sell their company.

assist alumnus Chakrafood: Students with start-up company kacey fang copy editor By the end of the six week long project, students in the Chakrafood business team knew one important fact almost innately: Emptiness is not a laxative.

The group of eight students used the summer to perfect these nuances in presentation while marketing Middle School alumnus Danny Yoo’s (’00) product, a bowel-cleansing supplement called Emptiness. Yoo led the team on a real world business consulting experience with his start-up company Chakrafood. They used the information gathered during their various research phases to put together a final marketing plan for Emptiness.

“Chakrafood was pretty new when we joined, and we had an opportunity to be the first marketing team,” Sylvie Dobrota (12) said.

The objectives for Yoo to work with current students were twofold: to introduce real business scenarios outside of school, and to work on a new marketing plan gathered from fresh student viewpoints.

“Some of the best ideas come from the untrained mind,” Yoo said. “I don’t believe that you need years of corporate experience to be able to come up with unique takes and perspectives on problem solving.”

Members of the team went about the project in a series of four phases. The first two phases involved researching possible competitors and distributors. Students then carried out focus groups and drew insight from the previous three stages for a hypothetical marketing plan.

“A lot of thought went into [the plan]. For example, [we considered] what kind of customers [we were] targeting and how we should market to specific distributors like spas or gyms,” Connie Li (11) said.

Yoo worked with his business partner, who is trained in Korean medicine, to develop Emptiness through a combination of enzymes and traditional herbs. The product was made to be a supplement taken by mouth that would remove toxins from the digestive system and make room for other nutrients entering the body. According to Chakrafood’s website, once Emptiness had gone through its process, it would allow the body to “fully absorb and benefit from the food we eat, opening the doors to true nutritional healing and well-being.”

Since graduating from our middle school, Yoo has kept in contact with Joe Rosenthal, the Executive Director of Advancement, partly with alumni gatherings and working as an English

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

news editor

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

emily chu

EMPTINESS PRODUCT Adarsh Battu (11) was a member of the Chakrafood marketing team. He worked this summer with alumnus Danny Yoo (‘00) to develop the Emptiness product, a detoxing system, which he holds above.

Language Institute (ELI) dorm parent once over the summer. The idea for such a business team arose in a conversation between Yoo and Rosenthal.

“We’re always trying to engage our alumni to be speakers to our students if there’s any mentoring or any internships or any group work,” Rosenthal said. “In all 30 of my years, I’ve always been trying to help students, either individually or small groups of students, find something of interest to them.”

Yoo has since returned to the United States to market his product and share his expertise dealing with the outside business world with the students in the group.

“It’s cool to see how certain things are more important than you would think they would be,” Adarsh Battu (11) said. “[The real business world is] a lot more about the people. Danny kept saying it’s about getting to meet the managers of the stores and trying to talk to them and also about location and targeting people.”

Many students who worked with Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) as part of business club in previous years appreciated the new but similar experience.

“You could see a lot of the things that you practiced or used in DECA in real life. Obviously, it’s different; it’s more in-depth, but it was cool seeing the parallels,” Albert Chen (12) said.

Thus far, Emptiness has appealed to various retail stores and distributors in Oakland and Berkeley, including a prospective client in Brazil.

In the future, Chakrafood hopes to offer more supplements for each body system.

Global

“

The teaching isn’t different, the way that they structure is different.

“

Susan Nace, Performing Arts Teacher

es her students how to read music so they can learn their music pieces independently.

The teachers at our sister school found our students’ ability to read music astonishing. On the other hand, Nace was not expecting them to rely so heavily on rote work.

Another big surprise for her was that there is a required choir class for every grade level at Tamagawa.

However, they only practice four to five songs all year, compared to the twenty to thirty songs our ensembles learn.

“For me, as a teacher, if I had to teach the same song every year over and over, I would probably go crazy,” Nace said. “In contrast […]that has its advantages because you know that these kids know these very important pieces of choral music, and they know it very well.”

Nace’s favorite part of her trip was observing one of the fourth grade music classes.

“I really loved watching the teacher,” she said. “He wove the lessons that he had to teach in such a way that the kids were captivated.”

The language barrier was not a significant problem because Nace learned how to teach with mostly gestures. In addition, she and her counterpart, Michiko Takahashi, used Google Translate to help communicate with each other.

Nace is looking forward to Takahashi’s visit to our school next January.

AUSTRALIA:

Diana Moss, Spanish Teacher from around the world. At the beginning of the trip, students spent time at a high school in Puerto Ayora. They

Jennifer Siraganian visits sister school

juhi gupta

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

“

I wanted the students to intimately experience the incredible biodiversity that makes the Galapagos unique.

GALAPAGOS The group spent one of their days hiking in a volcano crater. This unique landscape was only one of the various types terrain in the Galapagos.

biodiversity that makes the Galapagos unique to help all they’ve learned through their science class come to life,” she said. “[It also helps] them appreciate how very precious our natural world is and how important it is that we all work to preserve it.”

For the group of eight who embarked on this trip, the Galapagos Islands proved to be full of new experiences, adventures, and memories.

had the opportunity to speak with locals around their age, discover the differences in school and culture, and discuss future plans with one another As a chaperone, Moss not only was able to take part in all of the adventures, but also helped the students recognize the educational potential of the area.

“I wanted the students to intimately experience the incredible

COSTA RICA 12 students participate in summer field study program

TalonWP photo & video editor This July, English teacher Jennifer Siraganian traveled across the world to Coomera, Australia, to visit our sister school Saint Stephen’s College. Offering education from preschool to grade 12, Saint Stephen’s College is a private school with one campus, hosting a number of temporary international students in addition to locals enrolled for the full year.

Siraganian’s trip consisted mainly of interacting with the student body and the faculty and integrating herself into the school community. According to her, the best part was meeting all of the teachers.

“There was such a variety of different teaching styles and personalities [...] I really enjoyed watching, observing, [and] taking notes from all of those experiences,” Siraganian said.

Siraganian’s host was Sam Cleary, the teacher from Saint Stephen’s College that visited our school in the spring.

Observing about five or six lessons per day, including unfamiliar classes such as Australian history, Siraganian also aided in teaching about “Macbeth”, “Romeo & Juliet”, and The Gunpowder Plot.

Coincidentally, Saint Stephen’s College held an all-day athletic fair while Siraganian was visiting, making her trip even more eventful. At the fair, teams dress up in wild costumes and compete in sporting events like track and field, which Siraganian was appointed as a timer for. “[Timing] was really fun because I got to hand out ribbons to students and watch them in a non-academic setting,” Siraganian said.

Although Saint Stephen’s College is our sister school, Siraganian did no-

KOALA Siraganian spends time outside of visiting St. Stephen’s College to explore Australia and its culture.

tice some differences on her trip, such as larger class sizes, a strict uniform policy, and school rules. The classes, comprising of about 25 to 30 students, gave her more appreciation for the smaller, more intimate setting of the Upper School classrooms.

The uniforms and school rules seemed almost formal to Siraganian, who found it intriguing how students are required to line up outside their classrooms and stay behind their chairs until greeted by a teacher.

Between the beginning of school and lunch, Saint Stephen’s College also offers a morning tea, which Siraganian compares to a daily Extra Help.

“A morning tea is this 25-minute little break, which is wonderful, where you can go and get coffee, or the students go into the snack bar and hang out with their friends or go to their lockers,” she said, “You can also go to any teacher and ask for help, so it’s nice.”

Siraganian’s trip resulted in a marvelous gain of knowledge, both about the culture and lifestyle of Australia and specific to education.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Over the summer, Performing Arts teacher Susan Nace participated in an exchange program with our sister school Tamagawa Gakuen for about two weeks. During this time, she mostly taught eighth graders but observed music classes from kindergarten to grade 12 as well.

According to Nace, classes at Tamagawa’s upper school were very different compared to our upper school classes.

“The teaching isn’t different, [but] the way that they structure their teaching is different,” she said.

“It gets down more to philosophy.”

At Tamagawa, the teachers rely on “rote” work, a teaching technique in which teachers say something to the students, and the students repeat it back. Nace does use the “rote” method during class, but also teach-

The sun shines, signaling another island day, the ocean waves sway the large ship from side to side, and exotic wildlife seems to be everywhere.

From August 3 until August 13, six students, accompanied by two chaperones, Diana Moss and Dr. Eric Nelson, on a ten-day adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

The first week was spent on a 140foot long yacht, exploring seven of the islands. The days’ activities, led by the ship’s naturalists, consisted of hiking, snorkeling, and other coastal excursions.

Although all of the islands varied in terrain, they all proved to be home to many unique animal species. The group viewed creatures ranging from tortoises and finches to sharks and whales.

For many on the trip, wildlife encounters were highlights of the experience. “[My favorite part was] swimming with sea turtles right under me,” Jeremy Binkley (10) said. “They were close enough that I could have just

COSTA RICA The group celebrates finishing their research projects at dinner on the last night at the University of Georgia camps.

right to the students and there was no guaranteed outcome. “[The students] looked at nature and picked a topic that they wanted to [explore] with no real solution to it,” said Dr. Raghavan.

Nathan Dhablania (11) enjoyed both the research and the touring aspects of the trip.

“It was a good experience doing research in the tropics, but I especially enjoyed the animals, zip lining, and white water rafting,” he said.

For those who attended this summer’s Costa Rica trip, learning more about scientific studies outside of the classroom country made it a unique experience.

sheridan tobin global editor On July 28, 12 students and two chaperones embarked on a 15-day field studies program to Costa Rica.

The trip combined scientific studies with touring the country and participating in adventurous activities to produce an academic and fun-filled experience. Outings included patrolling beaches, monitoring sea turtles, exploring cities, jungles, and forests, zip lining, white water rafting, and working in hatcheries According to chaperone Dr. Mala Raghavan, the group stayed in conditions that “were not like a five star hotel.” Wildlife would come in and out of the rooms and spiders and other insects were very common around the house. However, she praised the students’ ability to adapt to the circumstances and endure very different living situations than they normally would.

The scientific exploration of the trip differed than that of a classroom environment, as the setup and necessary components were not handed

RESEARCH Renu Singh (11) works on one of the research projects that the students had while on the trip.

Paralympics

Dancers perform in Olympic cultural program sheridan tobin global editor During the first week of August, Yoko’s Dance and Performing Arts Academy dance troupe performed in the Performing Arts Educators’ London Invitational, a part of the Olympic cultural program and toured the city during the hype from the summer games.

Sophomore Shannon Su and senior Caroline Lai are both members of the group that performed.

Along with their group, they danced 30-minute segments in two shows, one at a Warwick Castle venue and the other at an Island Gardens venue, and toured for the rest of the week.

“It was a great experience to be able to perform [...] in London during the Olympics,” Shannon said. “I was also able to see other performers at the events.”

Because the performances were set up outside, the dancers had to adjust to rainy weather. However, tourists in the city for the Olympics still walked by and viewed the shows.

11 days of competition

OLYMPICS Shannon, Caroline, and their group pose in front of an Olympic countdown clock while in London.

On days set aside for touring, they saw some of the city’s significant landmark such as The Tower of London and Big Ben as well as the Olympic venues. Additionally, they came across Olympians while sightseeing.

As a result of performing during the summer Olympics, Shannon, Caroline, and their group experienced the excitement from the games and the bustling London atmosphere.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

reporter

global editor

reached out and touched them.”

In addition to approaching such distinct wildlife, another favorite moment of the trip was meeting people

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

dora tzeng

sheridan tobin

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

TAMAGAWA Susan Nace teaches a music class as a part of her visit to Tamagawa over the summer.

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Galapagos: Group visits seven of the islands

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Susan Nace travels to Tamagawa

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

21 different sports 10 types of

disablities

4,200

athletes approximately

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Football vs. Yerba Buena

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No School - long weekend

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SEP

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Varsity Volleyball vs. Homestead Burger King

Annual Club Fair Honor and Ethics Conference Speaker Series: Mike Lanza

T

Looking for someplace to enjoy tasty snacks a across the Saratoga campus, a variety of stores, in Many students appreciate not only the qual “[Tapioca Express] has delicious drinks, and said.

For those who are able to drive and willin meet with friends, share meals, and visit street sh “ You can just walk around and enjoy the sig boring day in Santana Row,” Rahul Nalamasu

Back to School Dance

SURVIVA

2 NO

T-shirts, yoga pants, flip-flops

YES

Collared shirts, jeans, hoodies

Need help figuring out to wear? Follow these simple guidelines.

Boys, wear collared shirts at all times. That means no t-shirts or crewneck shirts, even as outerwear.

Overly baggy clothing or “sagging” is not allowed. Girls, all tops must have at least two-inch wide sleeves and fall at least two inches below the bottoms. Sheer tops can only be worn if they have a dress code appropriate shirt underneath.

When picking out sweatshirts or hoodies for the colder times of the year, be sure to remember that wearing a jacket on top of an out of dress code top is not allowed. Steer clear of tight fitting clothing such as spandex; yoga pants do not count as pants.

Feel free to express your own style, but stay in dress code while doing it. The full dress code can be found on page 38 of the handbook.

nayeon kim TalonWP EIC

Tapioca Express

Ruby Yogurt

and hang out with friends after school? Located next to the highway directly ncluding Ruby Yogurt, Burger King, and Tapioca Express can offer just that. lity of the food sold but also the accessible distance of the stores. d it’s fun to hang out with people while you walk there,” Samyu Yagati (10)

ng to travel slightly further on weekends, Santana Row is also a hotspot to hops. ghts or go to shops. There’s a lot of things you can do, and there’s never a really (12) said.

4 emily lin reporter Feeling overwhelmed by the unfamiliar domains of high school life? Can’t decide what activities to try out? Here’s some advice from your teachers and fellow students about making the most of the year.

You don’t have to do everything.

Find what you like to do the most, and do that with all your heart!

Susan Nace, Performing Arts teacher

“With freedom comes responsibility.” Recite this mantra often.

Kevin Williamson, Dean of Students

AL GUIDE L

HOO C S F O HEAD

4.5

There is an abundance of resources at Harker available for you–teachers, librarians, counselors, and other students—so never hesitate to reach out and ask others for guidance!

Emily Wang (12), Honor Council chair

Above all, do things that will make you feel proud.

Jeffrey Draper, senior class dean

Embrace your ‘mistakes’.

Failure is the only true path to success.

Alexandra Rosenboom, English teacher

Go ahead and dare to have jam sessions.

Chris Nikoloff, Head of School

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Talk to people in your classes that you may not usually talk to.

Vincent Lin (11), junior class secretary

DESIGN BY SAMANTHA HOFFMAN

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AUGUST 31, 2012 the Winged Post

Global

Sondra Costa returns from studying abroad features editor

On July 31, Sondra Costa (12) returned from her year-long retreat to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. Although Sondra had originally planned to stay for an additional year, she decided to come back to the United States and resume her study at the Upper School.

“I could not stay away for any longer,” she said when she came back. “I was having a really tough time just being by myself.”

Last year, Sondra was interested in a study abroad program for high school, and she chose to go to Madrid because it was close to Portugal, where her older brother attends college.

Before moving, Sondra said she was terrified, not only because she was staying with a family she did not know and attending a new school, but also because she was moving to an entirely new country.

“Moving away for college is one thing because you are probably going to stay in the United States,” she said.

“But I was moving to Europe, and I was going to be living all by myself in a place where they don’t speak English very well.”

Sondra attended the American School of Madrid, a high-end international private school. The school hosted students from a number of countries, including Argentina, Ecuador,

Peru, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, and Korea.

Roughly 10 percent of the students were native Spaniards.

“All of the diplomats and bank owners [sent] their sons and daughters there,” Sondra said. “José Mourinho, the soccer coach of Real Madrid, also sent his kids there.”

According to Sondra, the schooling system was much harder in Spain.

“I’m pretty sure I found the one school that’s harder than Harker,” she said.

The American School of Madrid used the International Baccalaureate (IB) system rather than the Advanced Placement (AP) system. For two years, students take seven IB classes, which Sondra compared to taking seven AP classes. After students finish those classes, they take three exams per class based on what they learn in the past two years.

“It was hard,” she said. “You have to give up your social life to do that.”

Sondra described how student life was very different. Because transportation was very expensive and students were not allowed to drive, they depended on the school bus for transportation to and from school. At her school, there were no clubs or Spirit Week equivalents, and women’s sports were not very advanced.

“For example, in soccer, we would play on what here would be considered a five-year-old soccer field with small goals,” she said.

Sondra explained how this experience gave her insight to a whole new culture. According to her, most classes [in America] teach “Mexican” Spanish; when she went to Spain she learned about the “weirdest little things that are different from ‘Mexican’ and ‘Spanish’ Spanish.” She definitely felt a presence of a language barrier: non-native speakers had some trouble speaking Spanish, and the natives would often ignore them or refuse to admit they understood them.

“They will sing ‘Happy Birthday’ in a completely different manner,” she said. “I would start singing it the way I knew it, and then it [turned out to be] the wrong way,” she said.

One thing that Sondra missed the most while in Spain was the food. She had to pay for lunch each day at school, which consisted of only a sandwich.

International foods options were also limited.

“There’s no Chipotle, Subway was rare, and Starbucks was way too expensive over there,” she said.

For Sondra, the hardest part about transitioning to Spain was being by herself the whole time. Although her brother was four hours driving distance away, it was hard for them to meet often because he was in college.

“There were times when I was just really homesick and needed my brother,” she said. “So I would go and catch a plane to Portugal for the weekend.”

Additionally, Sondra visited her

sheridan tobin SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

trisha jani

global journalism project

SIGHTSEEING Sondra visits Segovia, a city near Madrid with her host dad and one of her best friends.

parents only during Christmas and the summer. It was hard for her to set up Skype sessions with them because she was occupied with school work.

Sondra does not plan on attending college in Spain. One main reason is the extreme weather; she did not particularly like the hot summers and snowy winters.

“I’m a California girl; I’m used to warm winters,” she said. “I’m trying to keep [college] in California where it is nice and sunny.”

Although Sondra knows that she is going to miss certain aspects of life in Spain, she looks forward to starting school in a background she considers herself more accustomed to.

global editor Two years ago, The Winged Post started in the Global Journalism Project, a student collaboration among many high schools around the world.

In the past, we have worked with Saint Stephen’s College in Australia, Taipei American School in Taiwan, and Ebenezer International School, in India.

Primarily, this project aims to educate both the students participating, and the readers at the various schools about the varying culture and lifestyles around the world. As more time passes, the importance of global education and knowledge of the lifestyles of those in other countries becomes even more crucial.

Students from each school contact one another and discuss and eventually decide on topics that each will write on. These pieces are then written, edited, and passed on to the other participating schools, where they are published as received.

This year, the project will be continued and hopefully expanded to include more foreign schools.

Hawaii: Nineteen Journalism students travel to Kihei, Maui alyssa amick

TalonWP online editor What does the word Hawaii make you think of ? Sun, sand, surf ? For 19 journalism students who spent two weeks in the Aloha State, work was also intertwined with the play.

Throughout the trip, the students had daily assignments ranging from writing articles to participating

in friendly competitions for the best photos, and filming broadcast videos of events for the online website.

Advisor Chris Daren enjoyed watching students meet and befriend each other, including the youngest member, Elisabeth Siegel (9), and was proud of all the hard work they accomplished.

He liked “the welcoming nature everyone in the group had towards

Elisabeth, who joined as a new journalism student, they immediately made her feel part of the journalism family.”

Trip activities included surfing, snorkeling, hiking, and, of course, reporting.

“I thought our trip was an unique opportunity to work as real journalists in Hawaii,” said talonwp.com Editor in Chief Nayeon Kim (12). “It was also

wonderful staying in one big house for 14 days and becoming so close to everyone from all three publications.”

Not only did the group use this as an opportunity to sharpen their skills, but the trip was also a way to get a head start on the coming school year.

Talon Editor in Chief, Kevin Lin (12), and his editors worked to prepare the basis of the yearbook. “[The trip was] simply amazing.

The journalism summer trip allowed me to refine my leadership and journalism skills, ride crazy waves, and most importantly, bond with my editors,” Kevin said.

Providing the students with both work experience and new friendships with their fellow journalists, the trip allowed them to prepare for this year’s upcoming challenges.

Lifestyle

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

Turning a new leaf

Fall FaSHION

The start of school and the new season signify not only the beginning of new styles, but also the revival of old time classics. The following trends will keep you up to date with the latest trends throughout autumn, while the listed on the rack items revive a hint of summer.

Molly Wolfe (12) sees fall as a time to introduce new fads while keeping the bright, bold colors.

“I love all the colored and patterned jeans,” she said. “Because its fall, you have to start

mercedes chien lifestyle editor

Sweater Layering

Playing with solids and patterns may be tricky, but with careful planning, it can look playful and puttogether. Liven up any fall w a r d robe with mixes and matches of tops, bottoms, headbands, and shoes.

For example, Aalah Segovia, a personal stylist at Nordstrom, encourages women to always have a white blouse on hand.

“The feminine blouse is always a key item to put into wardrobe that can go into work or for the weekend,” she said.

Segovia later suggested that when matching solids a n d prints, “throw in some color and embellish it with some jewelry” for the right touch.

This fall is the perfect time to try something new, like the in-style, avant-garde military wear. Featuring double-layered buttons and shoulder straps, these jackets give any outfit an edgier feel.

Try pairing them with some capris and flats for the military look.

Leather

Leather, a trend revived from last winter, is now back with a few twists.

This fall, the dark colored leather jacket—army, bomber, or biker—is the perfect fit for a chic, athletic look.

For Forever 21 Visuals Manager Nisi Tausalele, leather shades of dark colors can contrast with a light colored shirt for that cool and edgy feel.

“Burgundy is the new black,” Tausalele said. “[Fall is all about] transitioning into desert colors.”

Match the leather outerwear with a thin solid top, fitted jeans, and studded boots for the “it” look this fall.

Classic Silhouettes

T R E N C H C O AT Wei Wei Buchsteiner (11) sports a Burberry trenchcoat with a white polo and khakis.

Fitted trenchcoats are among many silhouettes that outline your figure.

THE RACK

Military Outerwear

white fabrics as well as multiple shades of red as the palette for their fashion lines, and are now incorporating “heavy fabrics and more neutral tones in everyday style.”

“The popular silhouette was a highly sculpted, futuristic look [while] the end product has been a militaristic look,” he said.

With the help of fashion stylists, online press releases, and magazines, The Winged Post has created a guide for shifting from summer to fall wardrobes.

LEATHER JACKET Julia Wang (10) wears a leather jacket over a loose v-neck with skinny jeans. Dark colored leather jackets, including bomber and biker, are back in style for this upcoming season.

Solids & Patter�s

SOLIDS AND PATTERNS Selin Ekici (9) wears a white blouse with a printed skirt, accessorized with a belt. Matching solid colors and patterns makes an outfit chic and original.

ON

wearing pants but you don’t want to be boring and always wear denim.”

Similarly, Mabel Luo (11) sees the transition between seasons as a time for warmer clothing. “[I expect to see] lots of oversized cardigans and sweaters because they’re [comfortable] and trendy,” she said.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Hsu (10) anticipates knitwear, fur, and leather accessories to “populate people’s clothes.” According to him, designers are using black and

SWEATER LAYERING Shantanu Joshi (12) layers a sweater over a collared shirt with dress pants. Sweater layering is the perfect solution to keeping warm without having to wear a heavy jacket.

Sweater layering is a stylish approach to adjusting to fall’s colder weather. Be it adding an oversized knitwear or fitted cotton sweater to an outfit, layering is perfect for matching with solid colored jeans and a pair of oxfords or slippers.

“It’s an easy transition from summer to fall,” Free People Visuals Manager Katie Wong said. “[You can match] long sleeves with corduroys and corduroys with lights weights [to] add summer pieces for colder weather.”

Try layering some summer tops with a sweater or a light cardigan and pair it with skinny jeans to create a trendy yet comfortable look for school.

11

Colored or Patterned Jeans

Nothing speaks louder than a pair of colored or patterned jeans. Incorporating bold, lively colors, these jeans smoothly segue from the boiling heat to the cool breeze while keeping the vivacity of summer alive. Match these jeans with a simple v-neck and a bomber jacket for a unique back to school outfit.

Like leather, classic silhouettes are coming back but with new col- o r schemes and patterns. Tausalele’s (introduced in leather) comments on dark colors are key to this upcoming trend, which features more intricate detailing and color blocking than that of past seasons. “ [ S i l h o u e t t e s were] a trend this summer, so we’re carrying it into the Fall,” J. Crew manager Jackie Pham said.

Try wearing high-waisted pants to accentuate the waistline, coupled with a baby doll top for a classic silhouette outfit.

Studded Accessories For the upcoming season, accessories are vital to pulling an outfit together. Don’t be afraid to try studded accessories.

Adorn your outfit with studded belts, rings, or boots to show an edgy yet classy side of the wardrobe.

TalonWP features editor In the whimsical owl city where fireflies dance in vanilla twilights and strawberries tumble down mountains, everything is happy, bright, and blissful.

And sure enough, Owl City’s fourth album, The Midsummer Station, revives those daydreams.

Released on August 21, The Midsummer Station reminds us of just what Owl City’s singer and songwriter Adam Young does best: paint an overly cheerful world through music. This time, however, he throws in a dash of pop and rock into the formula while incorporating several notable artists into his music.

First up is “Dreams and Disasters”, a fun-loving but generic poppy dance song. Its carefree attitude and upbeat energy is infectious while Young belts out in a heavily synthesized voice,

“Follow the light through the dreams and disasters.”

Keeping up the pace, “Dreams and Disasters” is followed by yet another poppy-sounding tune, “Shooting Stars.” Like the majority of Owl City’s songs, it gives off a dreamy and hopeful vibe, as Young sings in the chorus, “When the sun goes down and the lights burn out, then it’s time for you to shine brighter than a shooting star.”

Topping Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, “Good Time,” a duet with “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen, has an insanely catchy beat despite its bland, corny, and repetitive lyrics consisting of “woah”s and “oh”s. Owl City might as well be deemed one of those cheesy, mainstream pop artists after this song. It may be annoying, but like “Call Me Maybe,” it’s irresistible; it will be stuck in your head for days.

In the midst of pop and electronica, Owl City brings out its hidden rock roots in “Dementia,” featuring Blink-

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The Midsummer Station reminds us just of what [...] Adam Young does best: paint an overly cheery world through music.

“

allison sun

182’s Mark Hoppus. Though Young makes a bold move by straying away from his typical bubbly songs, his addition of rock is superfluous. The result of his experimentation is a sloppy and generic number.

Owl City’s usual musical style returns in “Embers” and “Speed of Love,” both involving synthesizers and positive lyrics, just like any old Owl City song—nothing really memorable. That is, until Young takes an unexpected turn in the piano-ballade “Silhouette.”

He strips away his bright persona and takes on a more noticeably poignant stance. It’s simple, it’s soft, it’s surprisingly heartfelt, and it’s a refreshing break from his prior, excessively mainstream songs.

Continuing with the bittersweet mood, Young ends the album perfectly with “Take It All Away,” propelled by a strong boom-clap beat.

Perhaps Owl City was in a rush to release a new album or perhaps Young

TICKETMASTER

The Midsummer Station: Owl City’s lights dim with new album

NEW ALBUM Owl City returns with its fourth studio album The Midsummer Station, released on August 21. The album includes a surprising fusion of pop and rock with electronica and collaborations with popular artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen.

was simply lost in daydreams, but the outcome was a mish-mashed dull album. Unfortunately, The Midsummer Station is no match for its previous albums such as Ocean Eyes, even though it does take a new approach by exploring different genres.

12

Tech

AUGUST 31, 2012 the Winged Post

Going Green: Environmental new biology room vasudha rengarajan TalonWP sports editor

VASUDHA RENGARAJAN - WINGED POST

Starting this fall, biology teacher Jeff Sutton will be teaching his classes in Room 306, the new environmentally friendly classroom in Nichols.

Sutton explained that the original idea for the environmentally friendly classroom arose from the necessity to add a new science room to meet an expanding student population.

“Because the school’s growing, we needed more space for more students,” he said. “So [we] thought [we’d] take this opportunity to make it a greener space.”

Some of the changes that were made to the room included avoiding unnecessary renovations such as a new floor, adding countertops made of recycled glass, and using No VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint, varnish, and glue.

“They tore up the walls [and] had to paint,” Sutton said. “So we requested No VOC paint. That means the paint here gives off no fumes that are toxic to people.”

Sutton said he is excited about the changes and is looking forward to seeing similar additions implemented in future classrooms and buildings.

Recycled glass countertops One of the most recent additions to the room was the use of recycled glass to make the countertops.

Sutton was particularly excited about this feature of the room.

“The drawbacks are that [materials are] a little more expensive and a little more hard to find, but a big positive is that it tends to be sustainable,” Sutton said. “Instead of taking glass and throwing it in a landfill, now you’re making something beautiful and useful out of it.”

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS Avoiding unnecessary energy waste, Jeff Sutton’s new biology room was built using only organic compounds. Sutton believes that the money saved from avoiding renovations allowed the school to use the money for other eco-friendly additions.

No VOC substances Although the use of No VOC substances will not affect the way the room is maintained, they do have many benefits, including fewer toxins in the air and reduced creation of smog.

“Usually when they put cabinets together, they use glue that has VOC. So they wanted to keep the [use of

petroleum-based products] to a low minimum,” Sutton said.

However, there were also disadvantages to the new changes; the materials were less water-resistant than VOC substances.

Despite the drawbacks, Sutton said that the substances were still incredibly strong and long-lasting.

Avoided unnecessary renovations: In renovating the room, the school increased cost and energy efficiency by avoiding unnecessary modifications.

Sutton described this as a major change that had a large positive impact.

“The big thing was to try to reduce the impact of moving new stuff that

Tech renovations around campus

don’t need to be moved in,” he said.

“For example, we don’t need to redo the floor.”

Although it was necessary to rip out the walls and repaint, the school’s decision to not replace the floors allowed them to spend the money saved on other environmentally friendly changes.

New Help Desk Head

School makes changes to networking system, printing procedures, and Athena 2

allison sun

NEW EMAIL SYSTEM The technology team changed our email system for the upcoming school year. The merging of the three separate email systems for students, staff, and alumni under one email domain can be compared to the combination and improvement of three tents into one.

lifestyle editor

In hopes of alleviating students’ burdens, some of the school’s renovations not only occurred physically, but also technologically. Since last November, Daniel Hudkins, Director of Instructional Technology, and his staff have been improving the wireless network, email domains, and printing system to foster a more efficacious environment for students to learn in.

The most important change pertains to any previous documents, presentations, or projects students currently have stored on their school email accounts. The technology department will be moving students.harker.org from a free domain to a subset of the main domain, and the sole way to do so requires all files to be erased. Hudkins analogized the transitioning to a sub domain to switching from one big tent to one tent with three rooms, each room corresponding to students.harker. org, alumni.harker.org, and staff.harker. org.

Moving domains makes sharing documents and presentations between students and teachers easier compared to past years. Another benefit occurs upon graduation—the domain makes changing from students.harker.org to alumni.harker.org quick and easy while preserving all files and work.

Starting August 29, students can only access their school emails through the student portal. Students have until September 4 to export and save any important files onto their desktop.

“If [students] don’t save [their]

stuff, it will be irretrievably gone,” Hudkins said repeatedly for emphasis.

As a result, student emails will be temporarily unavailable on September 4 and 5 during the domain switch. Once the accounts are accessible on September 6, students must log in through the student portal one last time, in which all passwords, such as those for Athena, the student portal, and the school email, will be synced.

That way, accessing such sites will be less cumbersome.

In regards to faculty emails, teachers who wish to do collaborative work with students may do so through staff. harker.org, but as for regular emails, students should still send to their primary addresses.

Besides those revisions, the most noticeable change can be spotted once Internet users open their laptops. The previous three-network wireless system was replaced with a new one named Mercury. According to Hudkins, due to the establishment of the new rule permitting students to bring “digital alternatives” to textbooks, such as Kindles and Nooks, the network needed to be updated.

“Our [previous] wireless [network] was five years old, and technology moves a lot in five years,” Hudkins said.

Students are still required to bring laptops to class; however, this year, with the anticipated numbers in digital tablets, Mercury will be able to handle all electronic devices with better speed and efficiency. For teachers, the new network allows those in adjacent classrooms to browse the Internet without any impediments.

According to Brian Oldwieski, a member of the Network Administration team, the main issue encountered while installing Mercury was determining the placement of each router.

“The plans we have laid out never really match what’s really in the buildings, so we end up with weird dead spots, [which] we’re trying to fill in now,” he said.

Oldwieski further mentioned how

“

We’re trying to [...] encourage people to be more thoughtful.

Daniel Hudkins, Director of Instructional Technology

“

mercedes chien

time-consuming and physically taxing the installation process was.

The final significant advancement is the change in printing. Students are now required to download PaperCut, a software that tracks the amount of printed documents, before printing to school printers.

KACEY FANG - WINGED POST

TalonWP features editor

“What we’re trying to do [with this change] is to encourage people to be more thoughtful,” Hudkins said.

PaperCut records the printing via dollars—each black and white page costs four cents while each color page costs 15 cents. Hudkins said that the school will not be charging any students for the time being; nevertheless, anyone who excessively prints will be monitored and talked to.

This process encourages students to be cognizant of the amount of paper they use to print daily materials. “[PaperCut] is [useful in] that it reminds people there’s actually a monetary value to all the paper we use everyday,” Adarsh Battu (11) said.

He later predicted the software’s growing impact in lessening excessive printing, despite the inevitability of wasted paper.

After downloading the software, students will note an arbitrary balance decrease with each page printed.

This number is only a marker and can be disregarded. More information on PaperCut is available on the student portal.

Aside from printing, Athena has also been upgraded to now run Moodle 2.2 along with other pedagogical features, some of which include an improved Wiki tool, a checklist tool, and a blog tool.

The team hopes that the changes made will help improve efficiency and decrease technical problems amongst students and faculty.

The Technology Services and Support team is conducting a search for a new Head of the Help Desk and PC Technician.

Ernie Porter, who recently held this position, has been reassigned to a similar job at the Middle School.

According to Jesse Lara, the Manager of Technology Services and Support, Porter will be visiting all three campuses so she can serve the entire community rather than just one campus. As a result, the technology team has been searching for a new person to run the Help Desk. Until a replacement is found, the team will be rotating to cover Porter’s previous position.

“In my opinion, the person that would be the most suited for the job would be somebody who has a basic understanding of computers, is good with people, [and] has a desire to learn,” said Lara, who has been actively involved in the search for potential candidates. “Generally, I look at it as more of a customer service position.”

While some students feel that the change will have no major impact, others feel that it will be a difficult adjustment.

“I think without a reliable tech problem solver, problems with printers and the Internet would be problematic since Harker’s education now hinges upon Internet use through Athena and online activities,” Raymond Xu (11) said. “It could hinder the flow of academics.”

Likewise, Lara, who has been reviewing resumes since the search began three weeks ago, predicts that there will initially be a decline in the level of service; however, he believes that the service will be up to speed in a short period of time.

In addition, the technology team will ensure that students can access the network, files, printers, and classroom software. However, the team will no longer be offering major hardware repairs and troubleshooting hardware components.

“Part of what’s driving this direction is we need to get students to learn how to maintain their own machines. I’m hoping what this will do is that it will teach them to be more self-efficient and more independent,” said Lara.

Students can now bring eReaders nikhil dilip

the Eagle Store, the school’s official textbook venue, the school’s policy states that a student can purchase and use an electronic version of a textbook in lieu of the physical version if the electronic book was acquired legitimately and legally.

Other policies dictate how a student can download an e-text. The website states that most e-texts function more like rentals rather than purchases; most publishers give the student the e-text for at least 12

EIT & tech editor

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With online textbooks, you save paper, [...] and it’s more accessible

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As popular consumer products such as smartphones and tablets find their way into school hallways, electronic reading devices have become a popular alternative to conventional textbooks.

Dedicated eReaders such as Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook as well as tablets such as Google’s Nexus 7 and Apple’s iPad offer a variety of options for students to read their textbooks electronically.

Various smartphone and tablet operating systems such as iOS, Android, and Windows OS, sell Nook and Kindle reader applications, allowing users to read books that they have on their eReaders on other devices.

Daniel Hudkins, Director of Instructional Technology, believes that only some students will take advantage of this new policy and use either electronic readers or an application on their laptops or phones.

“I think the number of people who would use a Nook or Kindle reader [application] on a device that isn’t a dedicated reader is relatively few compared to those who use a regular textbook,” Hudkins said.

“The number of students who I expect will bring a seven-inch reader is fairly small.”

Hudkins estimates that between five and 20 percent of students will use e-texts on their smartphones, tablets, or computers next year.

Due to a lack of printing costs, electronic books are significantly cheaper than their physical counterparts, but copyright and intellectual property concerns force textbook companies to sell electronic books at modest prices.

According to the1 website of 12:08 print-ad.pdf 8/12/11

Alan Soetikno (12)

PM

months after the initial download.

In addition, students cannot return e-texts, share them between each other, or sell them. A student can use a e-text rather than a textbook at any time if the text is required in class.

“As a school, the onus on us is to teach students how to manage a digital environment,” Hudkins said.

“Part of our objective is not only to teach you math, science, history, and English but also how to navigate yourselves in the world which you find yourself in and through many

distractions.”

The primary drawbacks of using electronic readers are their prices and tendencies to distract students. Though e-texts are cheaper than physical textbooks, purchasing an electronic reader requires a significant financial investment. These readers range from the original Kindle, which starts at $79, to the most expensive iPad, which is $829. While print textbooks offer minimal distractions for students, reading a book for pleasure or downloading an unnecessary application, such as a game or social media app, is relatively simple on an electronic reader.

“With online textbooks, you save paper, [...] and it’s more accessible, because the Internet is everywhere,” Alan Soetikno (12) said. “The only disadvantage to some people is that they don’t like to read stuff [on digital devices], which is really just a personal preference.”

Students see many advantages in an electronic reader, including their light weight and versatility. The Kindle and Nook are just six and seven ounces, respectively, and are significantly lighter than textbooks. If electronic versions of all textbooks were available, students could load all their textbooks onto a single electronic device, since books tend to be small electronic files. With every textbook on a single device, a student would no longer have to worry about accidentally taking the wrong textbook to class or constantly carrying heavy textbooks between classes.

The Lower School experimented with iPads last year, and according to Hudkins, it is likely that tablets or e-readers will soon be encouraged.

GOA:

13

Student enrolls in Global Online Academy next year

GLOBAL ONLINE ACADEMY

School introduces new textbook policy

Tech

August 31, 2012 the Winged Post

ONLINE EDUCATION Besides our school, 20 other schools are members of the Global Online Academy. International schools in Jordan, Japan, China, and Indonesia are members of the academy.

alyssa amick TalonWP online editor In the school’s first year of participating in the Global Online Academy, GOA, only one student, Molly Wolfe (12), has decided to take Medical Problem Solving, one of the classes offered.

“I’m hoping to learn more about medicine, but also learn about other students from around the world, and how their experiences are similar or different from mine. I thought the class sounded really interesting and like something I wouldn’t really be able to learn anywhere else in high school,” Molly said.

According to www.globalonlineacademy.org, the goal of GOA is to “promote students’ global awareness and understanding by creating truly diverse, worldwide, online “This [is] a good opportunity for our students to learn in a new and developing and becoming more common environment, but it is a way to do it in a pretty controlled and safe way in the sense that the students [and teachers] in the course are from member schools which are independent schools,” said Dean of Studies, Evan Barth.

GOA offers a variety of semester classes that change every year. The classes are comprised of a maximum

of 18 students from schools around the world including some from Japan, China, Jordan, and Indonesia.

“I’m a little bit worried about creating relationships with my teacher and the other students because I’ll never actually meet them face to face [...] It’s really special to be able to learn from and study with people from all around the world,” Molly said.

Barth believes that only one student chose to participate in GOA because of the time at which we joined the program.

“It was after course selection which happened in January, so if this had been launched in December and people were made more aware of it I think our numbers would have been much different.”

Through course selection nights this year, the school hopes to increase the number of people utilizing GOA. All students have the opportunity to sign up for a course, if they choose.

“If the course sounds interesting, take it. Of course at the same time you have to be somebody who is willing to try something knew but I don’t think it’s that big a stretch to learn online,” Barth said.

With many colleges offering online courses now, this technology may soon be common in schools around the world.

14

AUGUST 31, 2012 the Winged Post

Sports

Student athletes compete out of state sonia sidhu

Summer is often a time for relaxation, but some committed athletes made sure to continue training while vacationing out of state.

Golf: Senior golfers Patricia Huang and Andre Jia, accompanied by their coach Ie-Chen Cheng, travelled to Scotland to compete in the American High School Championships held in St. Andrews Scotland from June 24 to June 30.

According to Coach Cheng, the team did not hesitate in travelling to St. Andrews because it has been considered the “holy grail” of golf.

Patricia placed second among the girls in the six-day tournament.

Patricia felt that her perseverance throughout the tournament, despite the rain and fierce competition, was her biggest accomplishment. She played on a 36 hole course rather than the nine hole course she usually plays on.

“I’m most proud of just finishing the entire tournament. I never thought I’d ever be able to walk two whole rounds of golf without breaking down or losing my cool, but I managed to do it,” she said.

Andre also felt that the tournament was a valuable experience, exposing him to different courses and players than he is used to competing with. Throughout the course of the trip, he learned to recover from a bad shot, something he had struggled with before. Both players improved in terms of attitude and dedication.

“They learned how to calm their nerves and channel that energy into positive thoughts. They also realized that with hard work and time, they can compete with anyone.” Coach Cheng said.

Water Polo: Four members of the boys water polo team also travelled to Europe to further their skills. However, the travels took them to Hungary, which is one of the prime places to play water polo, according to head coach Ted Ujifusa.

ALL PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

sports editor

SUMMER ATHLETES Andre Jia (12), Patricia Huang (12), Karan Das-Grande (12), Gilad Nilo (12), Stephan Pellisier (11), Shannon Richardson (9), and Jacob Hoffman (12), all travelled out of state to compete in their respective sports.

Seniors Karan Das Grande, Ryan Hume, Gilad Nilo and junior Stephan Pellissier travelled to Hungary for two weeks from June 25 to July 9. During their trip, they played in the third annual European Experience tournament with the Sacramento Water Polo club team. In the tournament, they played against other Hungarian teams and one American team.

The team had a 2-3 record and placed fourth overall. Co-captain Karan felt that the experience helped Karan felt that the experience helped expose them to the different levels of water polo.

“It gave us experience with highlevel water polo, especially with the international game since it’s much different than in the US,” he said.

After the tournament, the boys trained with the ZF Eger Hungarian club team and the 19 and under Kuwaiti national team. The practices were two hours a day, in which, they worked on included shooting, ball

handling and scrimmaging.

According to Stephan, the experience not only exposed him to water polo but also helped him take in a new culture. The boys were able to spend time sightseeing in Hungary throughout their trip.

Volleyball: While Shannon Richardson (9) did not travel outside the United States, she travelled across the country to play volleyball and beach volleyball. She travelled to Columbus, Ohio with her 14 Black City Beach club team for the annual Junior National Championships.

Her team went into the tournament ranked 32 out of 32 teams, but finishing 15th in the nation. The tournament lasted for four days and her team finished third in the silver division, losing in the semifinal game against A5 Mizuno 14-1 Suzanne.

Shannon felt the best game of the tournament was the team’s three set match against Payes, a local rival,

on the third day. They had never beaten Payes before so they were elated to win with a close 16-14 third set.

Shannon also travelled to Milwaukee for the 14 and under USA Beach Junior Volleyball Championships.

Shannon and her partner, Alexandra Kim, were undefeated throughout the beach volleyball tournament and ended up finishing first nationally.

Shannon felt both experiences were valuable because she is a “game day player.”

Baseball: Jacob Hoffman travelled to the Dominican Republic from June 15 to June 25 to play baseball with his team outside of school. His daily schedule consisted of a 6 am workout on the beach, an afternoon community service project or game, and a nightly workout.

The morning workouts were watched by scouts, looking to sign some of the native players professionally. A majority of his games were played in facilities owned by major American baseball teams such as the Red Sox, but he also played in the local field at Boca Chica.

One of his favorite moments of the trip was playing a game with the local children immediately after arriving.

“Playing in the sand using empty egg cartons and gum packets for bases with kids we had just met was extremely memorable,” he said In addition to playing baseball, Jacob participated in community service which involved donating equipment to a Dominican teams Jacob maintained that his decision to travel to the Dominican Republic was largely due to the nation’s attitude about baseball.

“The Dominican Republic’s infatuation with the game can’t be matched by even the most baseballcrazed fans in the US,” he said.

All the athletes will continue to use their new skills in the upcoming year.

Eagle Events Football:

8/31: Yerba Buena High School 9/7: Andrew Hill High School (away)

Volleyball: 9/4 : Homestead High School 9/6: Fremont High School

Boy’s Water Polo: 9/7: Wilcox Chargers Tenth Annual Varsity Water Polo Tournament(away)

Girls Water Polo: 9/14: Lady Chargers 7th Annual Girls Varsity Water Polo Tournament(away)

Golf: 9/17: Menlo School 9/18: Sacred Heart Preparatory

Cross Country: 9/15: Chieftain Invitational(away)

Tennis: 9/5: Fremont High School(away) 9/12: Homestead High School (away)

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

SPORTS

ATHLETES of the SUMMER

Sean Pan (11):

Sean Pan, a water polo and basketball player, is the male summer athlete of the month.

Upper School Athletic Director, Dan Molin observed his ability to train for both sports throughout the summer months.

“Sean frankly was based on my observations having witnessed him juggling both basketball and water polo this summer in addition to the team fitness workouts,” Molin said.

In addition to working out with the water polo and basketball team, Sean did weight training with Coach Ron Forbes throughout the summer.

Boys’ Water Polo coach

Ted Ujifusa described his consistency with practicing and working out during the summer.

“Sean’s work ethic and dedication amazes me,” Ujifusa said.

Sean’s teammates also appreciate his commitment to the team and his willingness to try new positions, if it helps the team.

“He sets a good example by working hard. He also stepped up to be a goalie this year,” Stephan Pellissier (11) said.

Sean will be playing in several boys’ water polo games that begin on September 1.

monica thukral features editor

ATHLETES OF THE SUMMER Both Sean Pan (11) and Renu Singh (11) showed dedication by attending workout sessions with Coach Forbes and their respective coaches.

15

Renu Singh (11):

A member of the varsity volleyball team since her sophomore year, Renu Singh (11) is the female athlete of the summer.

In an email interview, her coach, Theresa “Smitty” Smith, the Lower School and Middle School Athletic director in addition to the Head Varsity Volleyball coach described Renu’s work ethic.

“Renu [...] worked really hard in the off season to improve her volleyball skills and I’ve seen a marked improvement in her ability to play the game,” Smith said.

Smith noted how Renu continued to workout throughout the past year, since the season in November.

“She continued her regular

workouts this summer with her team and she was our leader,” Smith said.

Upper School Athletic Director, Dan Molin agreed with Coach Smith regarding Renu’s summer effort.

“She rarely missed an open gym or fitness training workout and she’s been setting a fine example for the younger players,” Molin said.

Look out for Renu on the varsity volleyball team in their opening game against Notre Dame High School- San Jose on Wednesday, August 29 in the Blackford gym.

Summer Training: Teams keep practicing Fall sports teams discuss goals monica thukral features editor

With lower and middle school students participating in summer camps while the Upper Schoolers focused on their individual sports, the bustling Upper School campus was constantly teeming with athletes working to improve their performance.

“It’s been almost like a fourth season,” Upper School Athletic Director Dan Molin said. “It’s been an extremely busy summer but a productive one.”

From volleyball open gyms to water polo workouts, almost every sports team used the summer months to advance their game.

“What you’re seeing now is that high school athletes are gravitating to their individual team workouts,” Molin said.

“Basketball was probably the most structured and organized as far as competitions.”

The basketball team held open gyms about twice a week to work one on one with their

coaches and to prepare for their season.

“The more people that we have the better, so that we can get more coherent with each other and [have] more chemistry. We probably are going to do better once more people start coming out,” said basketball team member, Daniza Rodriguez (12). The team expects to do more team bonding after Matriculation.

Meanwhile, the girls’ soccer team held open fields each week to maintain their skills over the summer.

“For me, it was more just like getting exercise again [and] getting back into kicking the ball around,” Kianna Bisla (11) said.

With a new member, the cheer team also used the summer to practice their stunts and to bond as a team.

“We all got closer to each other and everyone felt a lot more confident about the team this year, so I was really excited about that,” cheer Co-Captain Maneesha Panja (11) said.

In addition to practices,

the team attended the Universal Cheerleaders Association Camp at the University of California, Davis from August 7 to 9.

Along with Upper School athletes on campus, the athletic program offered summer camps in various sports for students in grades four through eight. Camps were available for soccer, boys’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ volleyball, and water polo.

These students also participated in the Sports Performance program, which improved the agility and speed of Upper School and younger athletes. Led by Coach Forbes, Sports Performance took place three times each week for two hours each session, averaging about fifteen students every day.

Molin explained that this summer was one of the busiest that he has seen at the Upper School. He attributes this to the youth summer camps and to the additional training that the coaches are doing with the athletes.

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football Head Coach: Ron Forbes Senior Players: Deniz Celik, Michael Chen, Robert Deng, JP Doherty, Drew Goldstein, Ryan Mui, Spencer Quash, Daniel Wang According to Coach Forbes, this season marks the “start of a new era of football” for the boys. Throughout the summer, the brand new coaching staff worked to install their playbook on both offense and defense.

Forbes explained that the team’s goals are very process oriented; they are taking one day at a time and trying to execute to the best of their ability.

“We understand that our team goals hinge on those immediate goals, and obviously we are playing every single game that we play and expecting to win,” said Forbes.

volleyball

tennis Head Coach: Craig Pasqua Senior Players: Jenny Chen, Sylvie Dobrota, Daria Karakoulka, Preeya Mehta, Marissa Moser, Chau Nguyen, Indica Sur. During the summer, the team trained on their own and kept up their competitive spirit.

Coach Craig Pasqua’s goals for the upcoming season are threefold: improve, so that the team is playing at their best by the end of the season; provide a challenging environment, so that the players learn to work around challenging situations and deal with adversity; and have fun.

“The team, has yet to meet and establish their goals,” he said. “I do know they really want to win the league championship and beat Menlo!”

golf

Head Coach: Theresa “Smitty” Smith Senior Player: Ashley Del-Alto This summer, the girls volleyball team trained over a six week period in order to prepare for their upcoming season.

They trained with Coach Ron Forbes three times a week and Coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith another three times a week.

In her sessions, Smitty’s focus was to develop team cohesiveness by integrating the freshmen to the program and have the players bond over the summer. She also wanted to give the players opportunities to get as many touches on the ball and work on setter/hitter connections.

Smitty’s goals are “to give our team the best opportunity possible to win matches and develop as a team, to focus on “process over product” [and] to trust the leaders of our team take charge of the direction of our team.”

Head Coach: Ie-Chen Cheng Senior Players: Patricia Huang, Jessica Son, Nina Sabharwal Over the summer, the girls golf team practiced on their own based on their goals. In June, Patricia Huang (12) placed second in the first American High School Championships held in St. Andrews, Scotland.

According to Coach Ie-Chen Cheng, the team has a very special class of seniors this year: Patricia and Jessica Son (12) have played golf throughout high school, and Patricia has qualified for CCS each of the previous three years; Nina Sabharwal (12) is one of the most enthusiastic golfers on the team.

When asked about the team’s goals, Cheng said, “To compete for the WBAL championships, advance to CCS, continue to improve every day, and have lots of fun doing so.”

girls water polo

boys water polo

Head Coach: Allison Lamb Senior Players: Rachel Yanovsky, Sonia Sidhu, Keri Clifford, Nisha Bhikha, Joy Li, Daphne Millard, Sierra Lincoln Over the summer, the girls were free to practice at the club of their choice in order to gain a variety of knowledge.

“I am excited to see what the girls have learned from their different clubs,” Lamb said.

The team’s goals for the season are to continue on their success from last year. and do well in their league. According to Coach Lamb, it is important that they work as a team throughout the season and improve throughout the year.

cross country Head Coach: Scott Chisam Senior Players: Ragini Battacharya, Tyler Yates Starting August 1, the varsity cross country team established a base level of conditioning; as the month progressed, they began to increase the intensity of their training.

According to Coach Chisam, the goals of the team are to have both the girls’ and boys’ teams for the CCS championships, which means a high finish in the league championships as well as many improvements in the runners’ individual times.

Head Coach: Ted Ujifusa Senior Players: Karan Das-Grande, Ryan Hume, Gilad Nilo, Michael Cheng The boys water polo team trained four nights and had three morning of weight lifting a week for the entire summer. The goals of this practice was to work on the fundamentals of proper body positioning and movement, get stronger, and develop shooting skills.

According to Coach Ted, the team’s goals are to continue to improve and hopefully win the league championship.

Their season opener is on September 1.

cheer Head Coach: Jill Bettencourt Senior Players: None For three days during the summer, members of the cheer squad attended a camp held by the Universal Cheerleaders Associated at UC Davis. At this camp, the girls learned new stunts, cheers, and routines. Additionally, the girls have been reconvening to practice twice a week for the past few weeks.

Co-captain Maneesha Panja (11) said “I really want to make the team strong [and] improve technique and performances.”

The Back Page

“

august 31, 2012 the Winged Post

16

I [had] a really good first day except it was hard to find my classes. People were really helpful, though and they pointed them out.

- Shivali Minocha (9) I think its actually really great because I get to [...] make new friendships. There [are] new people in our grade so its nice to be able to see them and get to know them.

- Anushka Das (10) All of my teachers seem really nice, and I have good classes so I am hopeful that I will [...] have fun.

- Arthur Shau (11)

BACK TO SCHOOL Freshmen gather excitedly in the gym on Freshmen Orientation, their first day together the class of 2016. Other students celebrated the coming school year by attending Gym Jam, where they planned the spirit events for the year.

The first day of school was pretty exciting, [and it’s] pretty cool being the top dog on campus.

- Isabelle Connell (12)

”