The Winged Post - Vol 13 No 1

FEATURES, page 8

SUMMER, page 6

NEWS, page 2

Students travel abroad

Chef Steve shares culinary story

Student council discusses goals

Winged Post FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 13, NO.1

500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

First day: The journey commences michelle deng

asst. editor in chief In 1893, Manzanita Hall’s inaugural group of boys stepped on campus for their first day of school.

In 1998, the first high school class matriculated.

On Monday, the classes of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 took their turn, 119 years after the Manzanita boys and 14 years after the first high schoolers.

In a whirlwind of a brief day, students arrived on campus, shouted or squealed as they hugged their friends, and gathered by graduating year for the matriculation ceremony. Head of School Christopher Nikoloff reminded them to uphold the school mission; Upper School Head Butch Keller urged them to seize opportunity and maintain perspective; ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) reminded them to

relish the community here. Choral groups sang; ASB drew laughs with Freshman 101.

Led by ASB Vice President Govinda Dasu (12), 187 freshmen, the school’s largest class yet, stood and pledged themselves to the principles of the school.

They signed their names on the sacred matriculation book—and were officially members of the Upper School.

Slowly, the gray skies turned blue.

First advisory session. Lockers. Student handbook forms. First taste of school chow mein and cookies. First class meeting. Photographs for nonseniors, parking lottery for seniors. More hugs and shouts and laughter at seeing those dear faces again.

With that, the school day was over.

French teacher Nicholas Manjoine, one of those

Mittlestet returns English teacher Sharron Mittelstet returns to teach at the Upper School after 12 weeks of physical therapy after she fractured her humerus and bones in her left shoulder and broke her left femur after tripping over the strap of a student’s backpack.

Every week, she had two hour-long sessions with her physical therapist to exercises her shoulder.

Coming back to school for teacher orientation week, Mittelstet has resolved to change her backpack policies for the year.

who have been here since the high school’s inception, reflects on the changes.

“Having a freshman class that is pretty much double the original class size [of 98 students] is a pretty huge evolution. It’s been really a great experience to watch the high school develop into such a vibrant, thriving community,” he said. “I’m excited about the school year.”

Still, nobody knows exactly how the year will play out. Revanth envisions a golden year.

“We’ve got seniors with great leadership, juniors are looking good, sophomores are definitely more mature, and the freshmen are already really spirited.

I’m hoping that we can keep that unity and community bonding throughout the whole school year.”

And thus the story begins.

Preview of Club Fair

New features around campus

Club Fair will occur this year on Wednesday, September 7. Approximately 40 clubs will be represented at various booths, manned by officers and members explaining their clubs’ purposes, showcasing exhibits related to their clubs’ work, and encouraging students to join. “[Students] can look forward to a variety of clubs that are all student-run and [...] created by the students for the students,” activities coordinator Kerry Enzensperger said.

“I hope there’s less plain ‘bribery’ with food and more sincere interest and consideration when people join clubs so that people can actually stick to their commitments,” Crystal Chen (12) said.

william chang news editor

PHOTO ESSAY, page 3

ReCreate Reading MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

While no major construction occured, several updates have changed our campus’s face.

The science department has sponsored installation of an aquarium that features many species of tropical fish, coral and other invertebrates, and live rock from Fiji, taken from an actual coral reef.

Science Department Chair and biology teacher Anita Chetty wanted to invite students to the atrium, rather than just have them pass through to class.

“I wanted to enhance the atrium and give it life,” Chetty said.

Funding for the installation came from the prize money won by last year’s seven Intel semifinalists.

A paved patio has replaced the tanbark that filled the area next to the library before.

As well, Davis field new guest side bleachers. According to Mike Bassoni, Facilities Manager, the porch and surrounding area in front of Shah Hall needed to be modified to fit the $100,000 seating structure.

AQUARIUM As a new addition to Nichols Hall, an aquarium which houses a school of fish that emulates the characters from Disney’s “Finding Nemo,” was built over the course of the summer. It was made to be a live-in example of the coral reef that students study for projects during the year.

Student modeling

Recovery from dermoid cyst surgery MOSS: delays return to school by two weeks editor in chief For the first two weeks of school Freshmen Class Dean and Spanish Teacher Diana Moss will not be on campus due to a recent surgery.

In the beginning of June, Moss felt discomfort in her lower abdomen, which caused her to initially believe she may have a bladder infection.

“I went to my regular doctor, and they prescribed antibiotics, and that didn’t help by the end of June, so I knew that something wasn’t quite right,” she said.

After further tests, though, her obstetrician found a mass in her ovary.

“It was about the size of a cantaloupe,” she said.

Fortunately, the tumor turned out to be a benign dermoid cyst, a cluster of stem cells made up of mature tissue, hair, blood and skin. Dermoid cysts are hardly found in women her age.

“It’s a bizarre thing,” she said. However, the surgeons at the Kaiser Hospital were able to remove the tumor through a hysterectomy and an appendectomy, “and that was it.”

Although she had to stay in the hospital for a week, she received several visits from her friends and family over the duration of her recovery.

“Everyone at Harker was very supportive,” she said.

She also said that the time spent at home will be helpful to just relax.

“I’m trying to walk a little every day,” she said last week.

While she will not be able to start until September 5, she is not concerned about her freshmen class falling behind in terms of spirit.

Dean of Studies Evan Barth is filling in temporarily during these two weeks.

“The big thing that I missed was Freshmen Orientation, so I feel like it couldn’t be in better hands,” Moss said.

Furthermore, Barth hopes to fulfill the role during this time “with boundless energy -- just like Mrs. Moss

Life behind cameras, runways, and couture

would.” His involvement with Link Crew makes this easier, and he said that facillitating the Orientation is essentially the same as temporary dean.

With an incoming class of 186, the largest yet, and three new faculty additions, Moss is excited to start fresh for the third time. She said that her first year being dean with the class of ’07 “didn’t feel complete,” because she was in Chile for a year.

With last year’s class, Moss said, “It was rewarding to see the growth of that group from freshman to senior year.”

This year, the deans are working on clarifying both their role and that of the advisory program. Additionally, Moss said the deans will be given a grant to develop a handbook that will help them reach their goal.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

priyanka mody

RECOVERY Freshmen Class Dean and Spanish Teacher Diana Moss spends the first two weeks of school recovering from her recent surgery over the summer. Dean of Studies Evan Barth is filling in to facilitate a smooth transition for the class of 2015.

Yesterday, advisors and genre groups discussed the literature they had read over the summer. Students and their faculty leader shared insights during the extended advisory period.

“Teenagers and busy adults can find a million reasons to get away from [reading,]” librarian Lauri Vaughan said. “I think [ReCreate Reading] is a good way to get back to it.”

sanjana baldwa & nayeon kim co-lifestyle editor & managing editor Dressed in the latest fashion, they strike poses for photo shoots and strut down the runway in glamorous shows.

From beginner to hobbyist, to experienced pre-professional, four students share their unique stories of modeling as a teenager.

Beginning of something new Initially Tariq Jahshan (12) felt uneasy posing in front of airplanes and pretending to look like an overworked mechanic while wearing expensive clothes.

With his hands in his pockets, he stood stiff and merely followed the detailed instructions of the photographer; but soon he “started doing [his] own thing,” feeling more comfortable and confident in front of the camera.

“As [the shooting] went on, I got into it. In the end, you’re just posing for pictures, but it was a really good time,” he said.

The photo shoot for the fall issue of the Bay Magazine, a local youth publication, marked Tariq’s official debut as a model. “[Modeling] wasn’t like some aspiration or dream that I’d ever had.

Pretty much my friend who works at the magazine emailed me about it, and I thought it sounded like a great idea,” he said.

After sending in a couple of pho-

tos of himself, Tariq was chosen to be one of the models promoting casual fall wear from the store Urbanization.

Some of his friends teased him when they learned of his modeling, but he also received approving high-fives from others and full support from his family.

“

You get to be someone else for a tiny bit.

”

Tariq Jahshan (12)

“I am delighted that Tariq is modeling. It is a good introduction to the world of advertising and photojournalism, and, if he keeps it up, it might help him support his passion for cool clothes,” Shaun Jahshan, Tariq’s mother, said in an email response.

Having participated in one photo shoot so far, Tariq said that modeling does not play a crucial role in his life yet.

“I would like [modeling] to become a bigger part, spend a bit more time, and get a bit more money out of it, like a job to do during the school year,” he said.

MODELS, page 7

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News

August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

During the dog days of summer vacation, Student Council officers have brainstormed ideas and laid out a number of goals for the new school year.

One large project that the entire council will begin planning soon is the Hoscars Show, the Oscars-styled talent show started last year. The show will again take place in the second semester, but the council hopes to reduce stress by planning and hosting the event earlier than last year. ASB Secretary Max Isenberg (12) said that last year’s council found it difficult to schedule the show in May given the convoluted end-of-year school schedules.

Aside from the date, other details remain to be finalized as well, such as how to structure the show, what categories and awards to have, and whether to place the assembly during the day like last year or during the evening like the traditional show.

“It was our first year, so we’ve got a lot to learn, but now that we’ve had some experience, we have something to work with moving forward. It’ll probably be a matter of seeing what worked and what didn’t,” Max said.

Separately, ASB is also planning three other lighthearted assemblies for the school. Each year, the administration sets aside a budget for Student Council to choose three speakers for school-wide assemblies; however, in the past few years, the budget has been untouched.

According to ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12), this year, ASB plans on making full use of the opportunity to give students assemblies they are interested in. Ideas include having music performances, animal shows, and fresh motivational speakers.

“They’re basically meant to be offthe-wall type things—people who are really just going to make everyone’s day more interesting and add a different aspect to student life here,” Revanth said.

Each class council has its own projects as well. One undertaking of the Senior Council will shape the entire

editor in chief

state of school.

“We want to be accredited, of course, for another six years,” he said.

Currently, we are a member of a couple of associations, such as the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

“To be accredited means that we have a good mission, and we execute that mission,” Nikoloff said. “We can monitor our own growth, and we don’t need an external body to nudge us.”

In his Matriculation speech, Nikoloff explained what this process was in the context of our current mission statement. He emphasized the core values of “kindness, respect and integrity.”

Reaccreditation is, in a nutshell, a “stamp of approval.”

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

Due to recent events, we have not yet acquired a third campus as proposed in May. Head of School Christopher Nikoloff said that the campus was solely open for public entities to bid on as of now.

“Currently, they are discussing the possibility with another public agency, and if that falls through, then private agencies can bid on it, and we’ll have our opportunity then,” he said.

Nonetheless, the Upper School will be undergoing a reaccreditation period. This year is the last year in our six-year term, within which the school will be visited by a team who will reevaluate the state of the school.

Last year, several students were involved in a self-study to evaluate the

SPEECH Head of School Christopher Nikoloff explains what reaccreditation will mean for mean for the school during the Matriculation ceremony on Monday.

Both the Sophomore and Junior Councils are planning class bonding activities. Ideas discussed include team tag during class meeting or class-wide Secret Santa from the juniors, and an off-campus scavenger hunt or a yearlong game of Assassins from the sophomores.

For the entire Student Council, improving transparency continues to be a main goal. Thrice last year at school assemblies, the council delineated all of its completed and ongoing projects and reiterated its aims for the year. Revanth hopes to continue these school-wide updates and present them at least once a month.

“Through these updates, officers can be more responsible to the student body, and students can make sure that whoever they voted for is making the progress they seek,” Revanth said.

He believes that with improved transparency, students could better re-

spond to Council actions and more easily express their wishes.

“One thing that’s generally a problem is the willingness of students to approach their student council,” Revanth said. “It would be nice to see the whole student body really taking advantage of the unique position the student council has here to get things done and not be afraid to approach us when they have questions or problems

and suggestions.”

The officers ultimately want to serve the school the best they can.

“Last year, [Student Council] got a lot done,” David said. “We want to continue that, as something that Student Council is expected to do, not just as a nice surprise.”

They will continue brainstorming, developing, and implementing new ideas as the year plays out.

English department reformats curriculum

Campus: Bidding process delayed priyanka mody

COUNCIL After practicing over the weekend (Bottom Right), Student Council welcomes the new freshmen class with the Matriculation skit on Monday August 22 (Top and Bottom Left).

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

asst. editor in chief

student body: they plan to work with the administration to devise a mission statement for the school. According to Senior Class President David Fang, Upper School Head Butch Keller noticed during a conference that many school communities seemed in tune with their mission statements, while here, students and even faculty are unaware of the contents of the statement.

Through the new mission statement, the Senior Council can convey the philosophy it wants to guide the school.

“The idea is to have a mission statement that students know,” David said. “Something more meaningful, something from the students. Something we want Harker to represent.”

The statement would be revised each year to reflect the message of the current senior class.

Other Senior Council projects include fundraisers through partnerships with Jamba Juice and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse and a proposal to allow students to share their parking spots on days they plan not to drive. According to the proposal, unused spots would be listed online, and others without spots could sign up to use them temporarily.

The main goal of both the Junior and Sophomore Class Councils is to strengthen their class bonds.

Junior Class President Simar Mangat said that he was inspired to adopt bonding as his premier goal after conversing with alumni who lamented not developing a sense of community until late in their senior year. “[The Junior Council] wants to bring in that kind of familial experience as soon as possible… so that everybody in our class can really feel like a family by the time we reach senior year,” Simar said.

Sophomore Class Vice President Sahithya Prakash expressed a similar desire from her class council.

“After freshman year, we have come so far, and we want to take that even more, so that by the time senior year comes, we would be so close. We would come out of high school thinking, ‘That was an awesome experience,’” she said.

Norton becomes Freshman textbook michelle deng

asst. editor in chief The freshman English curriculum has undergone major revisions for the new school year to facilitate writing instruction and feature a more balanced selection of genres.

No longer will honors classes read The Power and the Glory; no longer will regular classes read To Kill a Mockingbird and Siddhartha. Insteads, regular classes will learn Sandra Cisneros’s short novel, The House on Mango Street, honors classes will learn Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll House, and all will learn a collection of poetry and short fiction in the portable tenth edition of The Norton Introduction to Literature. Overall, the curriculum has moved away from long fiction towards shorter works and poetry.

According to freshman English team leader John Heyes, the freshman English teachers had long desired to concentrate more on teaching writing skills. However, because of the lengths of the novels in the old curriculum, writing time would get “squeezed,” Heyes said. The revised curriculum should leave more time to focus on writing.

Restructuring of the syllabus aids writing instruction as well. In the first month, freshmen will focus on short fiction, the genre with which Heyes believes students are most comfortable, and which caters towards writing brief, one-paragraph responses. Stu-

dents can thus ease into the year with shorter pieces of writing and refamiliarize themselves with paragraph and essay structure, grammar, development of ideas, integration of textual evidence, and other foundations of writing.

WILLIAM CHANG - WINGED POST

michelle deng

MICHELLE DENG - WINGED POST

Student Council thinks up ideas for new year

BOOK The English department alters the freshman curriculum, making The Norton Introduction to Literature the primary textbook for the English I class.

Following short fiction comes a couple of weeks on poetry. Students will not begin The Odyssey, previously the first reading of the year, until midOctober.

“Most honors students take [The Odyssey] in stride; some of the less confident readers, especially in the regular sections, feel a bit overwhelmed.

By starting mid-semester, we think it’ll be a more gradual transition to

the challenge of reading epic poetry in translation,” Heyes said.

The teachers hope that by then, students would be well-prepared to craft a multi-paragraph essay in response to a longer work.

The new curriculum was also designed to include a more diverse array of genres. The old curriculum comprised entirely long fiction, with Greek epic poetry, a Greek play, and three novels.

“The revised curriculum will give the department an opportunity to integrate shorter fictional works and lyric poetry. This revision, in turn, will provide an increased number and a greater variety of writing opportunities,” Spencer-Cooke said in an email response.

The short stories, several of which will be foreign works translated into English, will encompass a smattering of cultures: the Norton includes writers from France, China, Russia, Colombia, Japan, and more.

“I look forward to the coverage of a wider range of genres,” Douglas said in an email response.

In fact, classes will conclude the year with short fiction and poetry. “[The freshman English teachers] are aware that freshmen, to be fully prepared for British lit, need to have late in the year renewed familiarity with the world of poetry, particularly lyric poetry,” Heyes said.

Currently, the teachers are finalizing their syllabus selections for the year.

August 26, 2011

News

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Debt: A brief breakdown of this summer’s crisis daniela lapidous & kevin lin opinion editor & managing editor Turn on the television and hear the constant narration about the “debt ceiling.” Flip through the newspaper and read about “the downgrade.” Ask the average teenager about the national debt crisis and find confusion.

Fraught with historical background, economics, and politics, the debate is far from clear-cut; however, some simple terms can demystify the issues for a lost observer.

Debt is something owed, according to Merriam-Webster. The dollar amount that the United States owes to various creditors has accumulated over the country’s history and grows with each war.

The debt ceiling, set by Congress since 1917, is akin to the limit on a credit card and defines the country’s allowable debt. It was increased five times between 2001 and 2008 alone and was originally intended to give Congress an opportunity to reflect on the nation’s spending habits, as described in a report by the Congressional Research Service.

The debt is approximately $14.6 trillion, according to TreasuryDirect at the date of publication. A Treasury statement on July 15 noted that the existing limit of $14.3 trillion was reached on May 16; the treasury then enacted measures to extend its own borrowing power until August 2.

Thus, the government’s vocal de-

bate this summer was to either raise the debt ceiling, drastically cut government spending, or default on obligations, meaning not pay some bills on time. Some of these bills include Social Security payments, Medicare benefits, and military salaries, according to the same CRS report.

Both houses of Congress needed to approve an increase to the limit, but political differences obstructed an easy agreement. The issue of the debt ceiling essentially became a conduit for argument about the general philosophy of spending and collecting revenue, in contrast to the many previous increases that passed smoothly.

Republican and Democratic Party members used their power to block an increase to the debt ceiling as leverage to force their sides of the fiscal debate.

Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, prefer to cut government spending and refuse to raise taxes to increase revenue. The Democrats in control of the Senate want to protect social services and raise taxes, instead.

Some media sources attribute the increased vehemence of this year’s debate to freshman Republican congressmen from the Tea Party caucus, who are staunchly anti-tax and anti-large government.

After some brinkmanship between the two sides, President Barack Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 on August 2, the day when the Treasury would have run out of borrowing power.

“It’s been widely said by most

pundits and analysts that nobody won,” said Richard Lui, MSNBC anchor, in an interview with The Winged Post. The deal both cuts discretionary spending by more than $900 billion over 10 years and allows the president to raise the debt limit by at least $2.1 trillion,

“

People will start to feel it when [...] the government shuts down or you can’t go to the library.

”

Richard Lui, MSNBC Anchor

according to an official White House fact sheet.

Of the $900 billion, $350 billion will be cut from the defense budget— the first defense reduction since the 1990s.

Another stipulation of the bill is the formation of a bipartisan group, dubbed the “super committee,” to identify $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next ten years by November 23.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced the last members of the

12-person mix of Senators and Representatives on August 11.

If the committee fails to compromise on cuts, automatic reductions split between domestic and defense spending will be triggered in 2013; this measure is meant to incentivize the committee to come up with a better plan of their own.

While it was feared that defaulting on debts would hurt the country’s credit rating, August 15 saw financial services agency Standard & Poor’s downgrade America from the perfect AAA to AA+, even without a default.

The judgement was attributed to the discord and uncertainty in the government’s financial decisions. Two other agencies, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investor Service, have maintained sterling ratings.

The effects of the downgrade and the raise of the debt ceiling are unpredictable, according to Lui, who has a background in business and has reported on the crisis.

A lower rating could affect the ability of the United States to borrow money to cover debts, potentially hurting the global economy and raising interest rates for mortgages and other loans. On the other hand, a raised ceiling would only drive up the current debt and place the burden of paying it back on future generations.

“People will start to feel it when they pay more for home loans, or more for credit cards or they can’t get loans or the government shuts down or you can’t go to the library, you can’t send

mail – things like that,” he said. “There have been guesses about how long it will take – many just don’t know; it could be months, could be years, could be never. It is really a wait and see for the United States.”

Laura Pedrotti (11) believes the solution is to “stop participating in and funding pointless wars.” After hearing about Obama’s recent deal, however, she was happy that “he finally did something,” but says that “there were a lot of concessions with it and it wasn’t what it needed to be.”

Shival Dasu (12) also shared his thoughts about the crisis.

“Although there is general agreement that too much debt is bad, there is no consensus on what exactly the consequences will be to such a high level of debt,” Shival said. “Specifically about the debt ceiling debate, our generation needs to be aware of it because it is a prime example of how broken the two-party system is and its inability to compromise. Speaker of the House Boehner showed this well when he commented on how he got ‘98 percent’ of what he wanted.”

As Congress returns to session, the media focus will likely be on the decisions of the new “super committee” and budgetary debates for fiscal year 2012.

“So, you thought we had a lot of debate just now—we’re going to have a lot more debate soon,” Lui said. Congress resumes in the first week of September.

New additions to the Upper School

Pippin performs at Fringe

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Final showing draws audience of over 125 people

shilpa nataraj global editor “Pure magic.” That was how director Laura Lang-Ree described the 65th Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, where The Upper School Conservatory’s punk rock rendition of Pippin was performed during the week of August 7.

The Upper School Conservatory was one of 40 musical theater programs from around the nation selected by the American High School Theater Festival (AHSTF) to perform at The Festival Fringe.

“At home, many of the [audience members] have a certain expectation of our performances,” Adi Parige (’11) said. “At the Fringe, […] we get to impress people who don’t know us personally. I love that.”

In order to conform with the time requirements of The Festival Fringe, Lang-Ree remounted the production by making minor cuts that did not detract from the plot. The 32-member Pippin ensemble rehearsed this version and performed at Edinburgh’s Church Hill Theatre on August 8, 10, 11, and 12.

“Our Fringe version is tight, clean, and action-packed,” Lang-Ree said. “I love both versions.”

The cast and crew participated in acting workshops, attended productions, such as Hamlet: House of Horror, and interacted with schools from across the nation and professionals from around the world.

“It’s really refreshing to meet so many people with the same aspirations and thoughts like mine,” Ashima

Agrawal (12) said.

For the college-bound Gautam Krishnamurthi (’11), his experience at The Festival Fringe has improved his time-management and has allowed him “to become a more self-sustaining individual.”

Experiencing other facets of professional theatre, the Pippin cast and crew had to sell tickets to their four shows at a street called the Royal Mile.

Instead of passing out programs, they performed a Three-card Monte, with the trick card as the ticket.

“I gained insight into the realities of the arts when we advertised on the Royal Mile,” Payal Modi (11) said.

Despite the challenges of demanding time requirements, performing at a new location, and working with a professional tech team, Lang-Ree considers it “a daily learning curve.”

“Watching the cast rise to the challenge is very rewarding as a director,” she said. “The show continues to gain depth, and characters are becoming richer—that’s what it’s all about.”

Additionally, the cast and crew enjoyed Scottish culture when they were greeted by bagpipes upon their arrival and participated in the Ceilidh, a traditional Gaelic social gathering, where they learned several traditional Scottish dances.

During the last performance of Pippin, the audience members constituted over 125 people, according to Lang-Ree. She said, “[The Edinburgh Festival Fringe] is an experience of a lifetime, and I’m so proud of the way our cast has bonded and so proud of their work on stage.”

NEW AND IMPROVED The Upper School campus received the addition of guest-side bleachers on Davis Field (Top), an astro turf field behind the weight room (Right), a new storage shed for the art department (Below), a paved patio (Bottom Left), and pumpkin plants between Rosenthall Field and Nichols Hall (Bottom Right) over the summer.

WILLIAM CHANG - WINGED POST

PERFORMANCE Pippin cast performs on stage at the 65th Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Pippin averaged 80 audience members, greatly overshadowing the seven audience average for the shows at the festival in general.

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August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

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Editor in Chief Priyanka Mody

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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 except during vacations by the Journalism and Advanced Journalism Newspaper Concentration courses of Harker Upper School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129.

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The Winged Post is the official student newspaper, and it is distributed free of cost to students.

Opinion “Almost no matter what we do... we will find someone who relates.”

Speculating about being special Revanth got it right. We are a pretty “special” school, in more ways than he could enumerate in a brief Matriculation speech. In fact, just writing this editorial was like a microcosmic snapshot of our point – each editor’s reasoning about our special qualities was quite unique itself.

One focused on the quirks and perks of our campus. Where else would one get a stateof-the-art kitchen and cafeteria, that serves hummus and sushi to high school students? A saltwater aquarium in a student-centric science building? Male teachers who dress up in female middle-school uniforms for a fundraiser? A slew of bad jokes at almost every school meeting? The proprietorship of a big, fuzzy eagle costume?

Weird, but undoubtedly special.

Another was infatuated with our collective passions. Looking around on campus, we can find talent in so many realms. Researchers, singers, actors, journalists, debaters, writers, mathematicians, painters, and as much as we like to joke, even athletes—we’ve got them all. They’re stellar. But we don’t harbor talent alone. More importantly, our students truly seem to love what they do and have an ample amount of dedication to boot.

See, we’ve got a special environment that nurtures the crazed late-night work, the hardcore practices, the artistic exploration, and the intense self-reflection.

Rarely are we hindered by material want.

From Davis Field and the aquatic center to the shiny new library and the online subscription databases, from the fancy scientific gadgets and lab space available for student use to the paints, pastels, and sculpting supplies in the art rooms, our school provides students a sea of high-quality tools needed to excel at any realm. Let’s not forget the journalism room, and the larger gym and performing arts building that are in the works.

Just as valuable and perhaps even more special than our material resources is the human support we get for our passions here. Just look at the list of electives, clubs, teams, and other programs available for students to participate in.

They’ve only been able to happen because students could find peers sharing their interests; because teachers are willing to consecrate extra time and energy to advising another program, to helping students pursue their passions; because the administration has been so supportive with opening new programs and providing funding.

Our club policy reflects this supportive attitude: if a group of students are interested in some pursuit or topic but no relevant club exists yet,

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST they simply have to submit a proposal to start one, and the school will supply them with some initial funding. Just like that, a new club is born.

Notice that top universities in the nation boast about this same policies in their tours.

And students are left to pursue whatever passion they would like in peace. Sure, some students may judge others for their pursuits, but they’re not very vocal. No student will get slushied or port-a-pottied for participating in a culturally “nerdy” or “uncool” club.

Almost no matter what we do, we will find kindness and support in our community, and we will find someone who relates.

Some friends from other schools talk about an enormous pressure to fit in, yet at Harker,

there does not seem to be a huge impulse to either dress or behave a certain way. Sure, there can be pressure in other ways – especially academically – but no high school is perfect.

Our school is also special because no matter how misguided we think some of their attempts are, most adults on campus really do care for us as people rather than as just academic-robotstudents.

Our teachers are willing to remain hours after the bell rings to help individual students. They put in the effort to craft personalized recommendation letters, serve as mentors for competitions outside of class, and to passionately teach their subjects. Their doors are always open.

Wellness, lectures about eating right, lectures about sleep… sometimes, we think we’ve heard it all, but maybe hearing it a bit too much can be more comforting than not hearing it at all at another giant school where no one has the time or patience to be worrying about students’ stress levels.

Finally, we the students deserve a significant amount of recognition. Our go-getter mentality, continuous dedication, and healthy competitiveness are what allow us to push our limits. Every day, it is possible to meet an inspiring person, whether through a class discussion, a simple conversation during passing period, or a school meeting as a student stands up to claim an award.

Searching for an editorial topic for this issue, we had several options and it may appear that the one we chose leans heavily on the “cheese” factor. “Special.” Special. Special. The word is said so much that we are almost immune, but we hope to refresh the topic one more time in the name of a positive beginning to the school year.

Here, we are safe. We are challenged. We are well-fed. We are learning. What else can we ask for?

FUZZYEAGLECOSTUME RESEARCHERS SINGERS ACTORS JOURNALISTS DEBATERS WRITERS MATHEMATICIANS PAINTERS ATHLETES DEDICATION SALTWATERAQUARIUM SHINYNEWLIBRARY HUMANSUPPORT TEACHERS’DOORSALWAYSOPEN GO-GETTERMENTALITY CONTINUOUSDEDICATION SUBSCRIPTIONDATABASES HEALTHY COMPETITIVENESS STATEOFTHEARTKITCHEN

special

Silence resonates just as loudly as speech samantha hoffman chief in training As Confucius once said, “To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.” Until now, I had never considered that those words would apply to my experiences.

This summer, I was at a friend’s birthday party where I found myself seated on the poolside couch surrounded by several friends and acquaintances. As I listened to “Wally’s” stories about volunteering in foreign countries, something from the conversation behind me caught my ear: “Yeah, we do that to ‘Henry’ all the time,” someone said.

“Do what?” I asked.

“We throw a dime or something on the ground and are all like, ‘You’re a Jew, why aren’t you picking

it up?’” he said, laughing at his joke and turning to receive a high-five from his friend.

Inwardly, my immediate reaction was the same as it had been to other such jabs my entire life: “F--- you.” I could feel my anger escalating, furious words rising to my lips…but I said nothing. I sat there, contorted my mouth into a fake half-smile, and let it go.

As I drove home that night, I replayed that moment over and over in my head. My initial outrage was at the nonchalant way he presented that racism; as I continued to think about it, however, I became increasingly appalled that I had failed to stand up to them.

I knew firsthand what it was like to experience those kinds of jokes and have nobody defend me, but I had grown so accustomed to ignoring them that I failed to pre-

vent someone else from enduring the same torment.

My experience is in no way unique. Almost every day, teenagers face the dilemma of whether or not to protect friends from criticism. While the choice seems obvious – stand up and do what is right – many of us are too afraid to lose friendships or be criticized in turn for being too outspoken.

However, much can be learned from those who fearlessly defend the subjects of denigration.

I was at lunch with friends from another school when they began complaining about the return of an unpopular, annoying classmate named “Stew.” Although I had never personally met him and had only heard of him from other people, I still felt it was okay to add, “Yeah, how do you put up with him? He sounds annoying.”

It was then that one of the quieter boys spoke up.

“Come on guys, stop. We really shouldn’t be talking about “Stew” like that, it’s not nice.”

His words caused me to do a double take, not only because he rarely speaks around me, but also because in that one sentence, he demonstrated the courage that I lacked.

Regardless of how unpopular his opinion was, he determinedly protected the reputation of a boy with whom he was barely acquainted.

None of us are perfect. All of us will fall into the pattern of making hurtful comments without fully comprehending the impact of what we are saying. However, it only takes one of us to start thinking differently for others to follow suit.

Books: “Don’t judge by the cover” is true aditi ashok sports editor

Finally. Finally after ten long years of fervently turning pages and rushing to the theaters for advanced screenings, it was time. I donned my wizard hat and joined Harry in his battle against Lord Voldemort for the final time as I settled in to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

I returned from the movie theater abuzz with excitement. Seeing the characters from my favorite series take the big screen was surreal, and I was thrilled at the opportunity to discuss my feelings when a friend messaged me.

“Can you tell me what happens in the movie?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ll get to see it for a really long time.”

My first reaction was one of incredulity.

“Haven’t you read the books?” I asked. When he replied he had not, I exploded at him, chastis-

ing him for not reading, and then went further to lament the decline of literacy in our society. After about five minutes into my rant, he stopped me.

“Hey, calm down! I love reading debate and news articles and other things that I truly like.

Harry Potter just never grabbed my attention,” he said, before changing the topic.

“

I exploded at him, chastising him for not reading...

”

I pondered that conversation for a long time afterward. I must admit that since I am an avid reader, I often turn my nose up at people that I

feel do not adhere to my standards of good literature.

When somebody tells me that they have never read, nor have any intention of reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it is all I can do to stop myself from lashing out at them.

But ultimately, the truth is, people have different preferences. If I truly am a proponent of reading like I claim to be, what should it matter if someone is reading The Great Gatsby or an article from Seventeen magazines?

Reading is a positive alternative to the massive amount of social media we take in every day.

So no matter what your choice of material is, try closing Facebook for a bit and skim any sort of reading material.

Who knows, maybe you will even learn something new. I can assure you that I will not judge you based on your choice.

Opinion l

the problem with packing priyanka mody editor in chief

I need to create a filter for my travel packing list; right now, it contains only one word: everything.

I am an impetuous packer. I can’t distinguish the essentials from those items better left at home, which often results in a frenzied attempt to squeeze every last article of haphazardly folded clothing into my suitcase minutes before departure. Yet how I became this way is no mystery.

The story begins before I was even able to speak, when my parents would take advantage of the two bags per passenger airline policy.

With the generous international weight allowance, we’ve had the luxury of packing anything and everything we wish to carry abroad. I often have to remind my parents that we’re not visiting a remote island. In fact, India is quite the opposite.

Nonetheless, our suitcases are always teeming with miscellaneous goods that somehow amount to a whopping 400 pounds for our four-

“

member family. And on the return journey, perhaps we’d carry fewer bags, but the same story goes.

There are enough saffron-infused sweets, homemade pickles, and fried savories—things we can’t possibly leave without—to fill up the space. Despite vacuum sealing every last packed item, I still find myself sitting atop the suitcase in a desperate effort to close it.

I will admit, though, that we weren’t alone.

Most of the people in line on these flights to India had bags soon to be labeled “HEAVY.” I’m sure that to the airlines’ delight, flights to India produce an unprecedented amount of income solely off of the overweight fees from travelers like us.

But this summer, when I reviewed the suggestion to carry a medium or small-sized piece of luggage on our trip to Europe, I was stunned to think that I was supposed to fit two and a half weeks’ worth of belongings in such a small container.

Like many teenage girls, I tend to believe that I must pack six cardigans, a shirt for every day, a pair of boots, flats, sandals, heels, casual sneakers, non-casual sneakers, a sweatshirt with a hood and one without. Like I said, everything.

Despite my mother’s frequent pleas to pack less—which, I’ll admit, only strengthened my stance against hers—I stood my ground and refused to remove even one of the sweaters. The worst part is that I never did end up donning my previously called “essentials;” I was lucky to have worn half.

I arrived the morning of our flight, looking rather ridiculous among my peers whose bags

talk around campus

”

were half the size of mine; I could barely lift it onto the bus.

However, this recent trip allowed me to rethink my entrenched approach.

I’ve been so used to having my parents take care of the suitcases, but when transportation included water-taxis, cramped subways and claustrophobic overnight trains, and our group of 21 high school students were forced to run up multiple flights of steps inside the Paris underground station, I wished I had followed my mother’s advice.

Nonetheless, I carried my bag with the resignation of knowing that I had packed rather foolishly.

I took ownership of my fault, and not once did I complain. How could I, when I had no one to blame except myself ? I had been warned on countless occasions, and my classic stubbornness got in the way.

While over-packing is just a habit that yields only minor consequences, I often worry whether the more fundamental issue is that I’m too single-minded to heed advice when it is most necessary.

I’m quick to disagree; I irrationally argue my point. But I’m working on it. I’m trying to take the extra few seconds to actually listen, process, and digest advice before insisting on my own opinion. It’s a mindset change that requires a little bit of time and some letting go, but the rewards will be invaluable. With a change in perspective, I’m sure I’ll learn something I never expected.

For now, though, I’ll start with lightening my suitcase and streamlining my packing list.

What’s the point?

“To get into college, but at the same time have some fun, because this is the last couple years we have with people we’ve been growing up with for all our lives.”

“To expand our horizons and find subjects that we love.”

- Kiran Arimilli (11)

- Mary Liu (10)

“Though school seems to always be about content and subject matter and intelligence, it’s more than that. It’s also about learning how to be a good person, a compassionate person, a good friend. I guess it’s an opportunity to... have the best life possible.”

“To mature, personality-wise and intellectually.”

- Melody Huang (12)

- Marc Hufnagl, English Dept. Chair

“I think the point of high school is basically to prepare you for college and to get you a head start on learning. It also gives you an experience and connects you more with friends and teachers.”

“The point of my high school career is to get to the college that I would like to go to and to discover my passion.”

- John Dobrota (9)

- Ashwin Chalaka (10)

“You can make mistakes and people are there to kind of watch out for you and nudge you back on track… this is a chance to experiment. People can do that a lot in college, and I think this is kind of a practice run experimenting with who you want to be.”

“I think, more than anything, it’s about enjoying yourself and the four years ahead of you.”

- Vishesh Gupta (12)

- Lola Muldrew, Math Teacher

A summer on the other side of paradise william chang

news editor While living frugally by myself for 45 days for an internship in downtown Baltimore, the prospect of being a California high school student seemed as though a dream—too good to be true.

Coming home, I realized that life here indeed does not reflect the real world. In short and to be cliché: I have lived in a bubble.

Going to this school, I have been offered countless opportunities such as a high standard of living, an ability to be critical of institutes of secondary education, freedom of mobility, and interaction with great people.

My time in Baltimore has shown me that life is not always as good as I have lived it.

Upon entering my living quarters for the final month and a half of my summer vacation, I perceived stark contrasts to my sense of normalcy.

The challenge began with my image of acceptable living conditions.

In California, the climate is amiable. My house, while small in comparison to the greater buildings in Saratoga, is comfortable. My room at home is nothing special but is quite “livable.”

Everyday exposure to this level of quality allows me to take it for granted.

Compare this situation with living in a rented room in the basement of a college house in Baltimore.

Distinctive qualities of such living quarters include, but are not limited to: an unidentified chemical odor, a kitchen infested with cockroaches, a couch crawling with ants, a broken washing machine, and carpets stained with who knows what. Add in dirty laundry, food wrappers, and all the other clutter associated with teenagers. The neighborhood includes broken glass, an hourly police patrol in the nearby parking lot, gunshots fired five blocks away at night, and blue

lights flashing intermittently though the night to ward off potential criminals.

Back at home, I would never have to worry about such lifestyle inconveniences and dangers.

A second taste of the other world came as I began to interact with my college housemates, many of them first-generation immigrants from China.

“

A kitchen infested with cockroaches, a couch crawling with ants...

”

My high school, being a college preparatory school, and I, a college preparatory student, and my parents, sponsors of my college preparedness, would all agree that college is the place to go.

But, not just to any college; the college will have a prestigious name. Perhaps one from the Fiske?

Definitely.

However, my housemates could not have such a discriminating eye. They cannot afford it.

They go to school wherever possible to get that degree.

The most striking aspect of my stay, though, would be my use of public transportation through Baltimore and up the East Coast. Convenient, if horribly slow.

A day ticket from the Mass Transit Association (MTA) not only allotted me unlimited rides on bus, light rail, and city metro, but also allowed me fuller immersion into the local culture.

Along with the usual groups commuting to work and elderly traveling to their weekly check-

ups at the hospital, there was also a larger group accessorized with a mix of either dirty white tank tops, unkempt hair (if any), tattoos, half-smoked cigarettes, jeans of the wrong waist and inseam size, or alcohol ingeniously hidden inside brown paper bags.

While I ultimately did meet many nice people and see acts of altruism, there were a few cases where the first words of exchange were “Do you speak English?” or a bit of laughably bad “ching chong” for salutation. A racial remark by a stranger on the street is almost inconceivable here.

Diversity and the acceptance of other cultures might be great things in the United States, but I have come to doubt that they are as true in American society anywhere outside the Bay Area.

In sunny California, at a culturally diverse high school, I have not had actual contact with these commonly discussed social problems. My parents are no doubt trying to give me the best life has to offer, and so far that has included a college-grade tuition for every year of high school. I know that such protection from the bad of society means they love and care for me very much.

Unfortunately, experiencing these problems first hand has shocked me and shown me what I feel to be a lapse in my education. Being thus shielded in my childhood has caused me to doubt whether I could survive for longer periods of time by myself in such conditions.

I have recently heard one chemistry teacher jokingly brag about taking AP Life in high school and getting a five. While the Upper School offers many courses and life lessons, the aspect of living that I experienced in Baltimore and how to deal with it certainly has not yet been offered as a class.

August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

5

on the

DL

daniela lapidous opinion editor

By the time this first column goes to print, I will have forgotten all about it. In fact, I will be quite busy throwing myself a party to commemorate another momentous occasion: my first ever filled-up notebook. Gasp!

This thing has been weighing my purse (and my short stature) down since mid-February, when I first started religiously carrying my “Dot Grid Journal.”

It’s black, with a place-marking ribbon and a band of lime green to keep it shut.

Classic. Did I mention it has a grid of dots inside? Take that, college-ruled.

Anyways, let us examine the usual suspects that inhabit its navel-gazing depths. Notes. Observations. Journal entries. Lists of all varieties, including packing and gratitude. Doodles. Rants.

Brilliant ideas. Stupid ones. Stickers, speech drafts, crayon sketches. Good quotes. And, um, a business plan involving mustaches.

Truly, it’s become as much of an extension of my arm as my iPhone has always been, whether I whip my notebook out to scribble an epiphany down in a parked car or dump the contents of my frazzled brain into bullet points during class to avoid nuclear meltdown.

The reason why this particular notebook is special needs some extremely precise, numerical context: I must confess to having at least a gazillion other notebooks lying around my room at this exact moment. I swear to you, I have over a dozen Moleskines (some were gifts!), seven Muji notebooks, and an extravagant amount of plain ring-bounds. Don’t judge - it was always with the best intentions.

You see, I’ve always wanted to be the diary-keeping kind of girl. From a young age, my theory has been that I would despise being 85 and not remembering squat about my life, so I figured I’d preempt old age and become a brilliant writer, all in one go. That latter thought is probably what paralyzed me and led to these billion-gajillion notebooks of all kinds rarely having more than three pages filled in before being tossed aside.

Even though I was “writing for myself,” I had this narcissistic thought floating around in the back of my mind that someone, someday, would unearth my notebook(s) in a dark, cobwebcovered attic and read them like I enjoy reading snippets of Ben Franklin’s or Oprah’s. Psh, my future reader just wouldn’t stand for my using differentcolored pens or… un-even, handwritten lines or – God forbid – the occasional crossed-out phrase. Would Oprah approve of that?! I had to make it look professional, eloquent, casual, mysterious, deep, polished; AKA, everything I could not muster at approximately twelve years old.

Honestly, defacing the beautiful, white pages of an untouched notebook may have been my second-biggest fear, after dying. Quelle drama queen.

But when I got this latest, miraculous notebook for Christmas and had to make a pact not to buy any new notebooks until I was finished with it, something hit me.

I think it was actually the beautiful array of dots on the pages - the lack of intimidating, claustrophobic, straight lines - that freed me from my fear of messing up. The dots suggested creativity; they were in the background of my writing, providing guidance but lacking a rigorous structure.

I seriously had to keep telling myself, “it’s okay to use different pens in one notebook” and “nobody’s perfect” when I crossed something out, sounding like a true perfectionist working out her neuroses in microscopic scale.

Besides the uniformity of the dates at the top of the pages, my notebook is a hodge-podge and I am so, so glad it is anything at all.

Now, instead of having three pristine pages full of nothing significant, I have a record of my adventures for the last six months. I can remember how I felt, what I did, and what I learned, and I’m excited to continue this new habit with a new, orange-banded notebook.

And to my (non-existent-becauseI’m-never-letting-anyone-read-thiswhole-thing) future reader: if you want perfect handwriting, go read someone else’s journal. Accepting imperfection was my impetus for any sort of writing at all.

6

August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

Extraordinary

Summers

shilpa nataraj, nikhil dilip, & darian edvalson global editor & reporters

Although the word “summer” recalls images of visiting relatives and enjoying picturesque sights, some have spent their summers with unique experiences. Have a look at three stories something beyond the ordinary.

ABROAD Daniel Wang (11) poses with children from a village in Kenya (left). David Fang (12) rides a camel in the Mongolian desert (bottom).

Jessica Lin (12) sits along the abandoned railroad tracks in Singapore (top).

Daniel Wang

Jessica Lin

Volunteering in Kenya

This July, Daniel Wang (11) traveled to Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage and at a health clinic in Kenya, helping both children and patients.

He worked with an organization called Rustic, which coordinates over 500 volunteers every year with opportunities globally. Daniel first visited an orphanage called St. Dorcas, where he read to the children during their breaks, talked to them, and provided emotional support.

He would provide solace to children who confided their issues to him, such as disappointments about their condition and their life in the orphanage.

“I felt like I was a positive force in their life. It made [them] feel like people did care and did have companionship to some extent,” he said. “I didn’t teach them, but I really helped them. They enjoyed themselves, hanging out with me.”

Although adjusting to the culture of another continent was challenging at first, he was able to adapt to the environment over the course of the first week.

“

I felt like... a positive force in their lives. [I helped them] feel like people did care and did have companionship.

Daniel Wang

”

The nurses at the health clinic would slap an uncooperative patient, which is frowned upon and unheard of in America.

“There are some parts that are just really different from here,” he said. “There, I saw poverty that you don’t really see around here, and you see people making do with their lives with a lot less than we do.”

While no individual moment at the orphanage was particularly memorable for him, he re- members the day-to-day experiences more than anything. Despite having different upbringings and

A walk to remember along train tracks

b e i n g different ages, Daniel and the children were able to connect with each other and enjoy their time.

“With the Kenyans, I would tell them about America, and they would tell me about Kenya, and that’s how we would just talk about our lives,” he said. “In the end, as I was leaving, they were all very said, and they were asking when I [would come] back, and that’s when I knew that I did make a positive impact on their lives.”

At the health clinic, which was on the coast of Kenya, Daniel helped out and bonded with the other volunteers as much as he did with the children in the orphanage.

While the experience not only made him feel that he was doing something great, it also exposed him to the life that those in thirdworld countries live. “[The experience] just taught me to remember how lucky I am to have this kind of life and to tone down on how much I use. … It enforces the point that the cliché “kids in Africa” often need what we have more than we do. It gave me a reality check,” he said.

He recommends that everybody volunteer in a country like Kenya just to experience the country and value how much the people in America have. He says that being in high school was a slight disadvantage, because he could not help out in some areas at both the orphanage and the health clinic. Nevertheless, he recommends the experience to anybody who had given any thought about it.

He said, “If you really want to go now, go for it. It’s a great first experience kind of thing.

It is something that you have to go experience at least once in you lifetime. Just don’t be scared.”

Track by track, through verdant jungles, boggy swamps, and bustling cities, Jessica Lin (12) walked along the 30-kilometer railway that links Singapore to the Malayan Peninsula.

One morning during her three-week internship in Singapore, Jessica woke up with the inspiration to walk along these tracks.

Ever since she was little, she had harbored a liking for railroad tracks.

Because of the relocation of this railway service, Jessica walked along the tracks shortly before they were dismantled. In the 90-degree weather, she covered the distance in eight hours split across two days, July 16 and 17.

“I remember everyday after the walk, I’d look for the train tracks along the edge of the freeway,” Jessica said. “I wish the government would have kept them.”

Originally, Jessica had intended to travel only 2 km. She said the 2 km became 4 km, and she asked herself, “Why not finish it?”

During her solo journey, Jessica sometimes discovered animal remains on the gravel path and peered into abandoned train conductor houses. Additionally, certain parts of the railroad tracks had steep inclines and required much caution. She said that in these parts, people who fell off the train tracks would probably end up in the water.

Because the railroad tracks were covered with gravel, it often hurt Jessica’s knees as she walked. She would then hop onto the outer edge of the tracks to make her journey a little easier.

“My favorite parts [of the trek] were the jungle and swamp,” she said.

“It was dangerous, but also peaceful.”

Since the train tracks were built in 1841, Jessica said that

during her journey, she would wonder about the people who once rode on the trains that traversed these train tracks, even the people who robbed the trains, or others who, just like her, walked over the tracks.

Her most memorable part of this ex-

“

[The walk was] detached from the rest of my experiences.

It was unreal.

Jessica Lin

”

perience was meeting and talking to people with whom she would walk stretches of the distance.

“It was the first time I met so many people from different backgrounds,” she said. “[There was] one guy who met President Obama at a gym in Indonesia and [another person] who was a famous insect photographer.”

When she finished her trek, Jessica called everybody at her internship to share her experience. They did not believe her, until Jessica showed them pictures. “[Walking along the tracks] was really different and detached from the rest of my experiences,” Jessica said. “It was unreal.”

David Fang

Tree-planting, camel-riding, and stargazing in Mongolia While most students were relaxing at home this summer, David Fang (12) went on a community service trip to Inner Mongolia, a province in China, to plant trees and contain the spreading of the desert further into China.

The desert’s advancement into China causes huge sandstorms that rage into Beijing, and the easiest way to stop these storms are to control the desert.

Volunteers plant trees at the edge of the desert to keep the soil from eroding and turning the land to desert, slowly changing the desert back into fertile land.

David, one of the volunteers, worked tirelessly for days to plant numerous trees, sometimes having to replant them multiple times to make sure they were planted correctly. Then,

he had to adequately water them, which was hard but necessary work, to increase the trees’ chances of survival.

“We dug a one meter deep hole that was also one meter in diameter in a desert hill. After, we had to carry five full buckets of water to the hole we dug along with a tree. We would put the tree in and then put a bucket of water and some sand in. Each bucket would go with one layer of sand so that all the sand would have water around the tree and this would increase its chances of survival,” David said.

Yet, David’s vacation wasn’t all work; he spent a lot of time sightseeing and embarking on various adventures.

When not planting trees, he spent hours marveling at the clear night sky, the desert, and the endless grasslands.

“Night on the grasslands, it was just beautiful. There are so many stars in the sky that we cannot see here in the States. It’s just beautiful, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Sometimes I would just sit at night outside with my bug spray and just stare into the sky,” David said.

Also, he passed a place known for coal mining and noted the marked difference between the dirty coal mine and the clean serene grasslands.

“We passed this area that was like something out of a Charles Dickinson book on England during the Industrial Revolution. The ground was black with coal and you could just see all the pollution.

But maybe just a few hundred

miles away were beautiful grasslands and deserts that were untouched by humans,” David said.

David also enjoyed various activities such as riding a small train out to the outskirts of China, going on a very painful horse ride, and wrestling Mongolian teens for fun.

Now back in the States, David looks back upon these fond memories and what they have taught him.

David said, “Seeing the stars, sometimes in life we are unable to see the whole picture unless we step away from everything, clear our minds, and just sit there staring at the sky.”

Modeling

Features

sanjana baldwa & nayeon kim lifestyle editor & managing editor

S: DA

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EZA P

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DITYA

From Miss India to agency model Her fortune did not end after winning first place in the Miss India Star Scholarship Pageant. In the Third Annual HMM Model Search of 2011 held in June, Sarina Vij (11) was again the Grand Winner, earning a contract with the agency and a fashion photo shoot with Aleza Photography.

“It was quite an experience, I must say. An entourage of hairstylists, makeup artists, and a photographer came over [for the photo shoot],” she said.

Since seventh grade, Sarina has participated in various community charity fashion shows. In addition, she was part of the annual school fashion show as a sophomore last year.

“Modeling has allowed me to express myself as an individual and has given me more confidence,” she said.

“I like modeling because I do not compete with anyone. I set my own standards and I challenge myself to be the best that I can be.”

According to Sarina, being a model has not changed her personality or the way she perceives herself.

“It never really sank in until one of my friends introduced me to his mom: ‘This is my friend, Sarina.

She is a model’,” she said.

“I laughed because I was not used to people saying that. My friends tell me that I am too humble about it, but I’m still the same person I’ve always been. I am just pursuing one of my passions.”

Sarina is grateful for the support her friends and family have shown her over the past months.

Especially her

mother, Priya Vij, who won the title of Miss India America in 1988 and once modeled for a magazine cover, has been a source of inspiration and guidance.

“I think [Sarina’s modeling] is fabulous because besides excelling academically, I think it’s great to be very well-rounded, to be confident, to be able to, you know, project a very amazing image. I support her as long as it doesn’t interfere w i t h school,” Vij said.

Sar i n a’s u p comi n g modeling

EDIT

Runway experience turned hobby When she walks down the runway under the dazzling light, Neha Kumar (12) feels the same sensation as when she dances.

“It’s a nice adrenaline rush for me.

You get stage fright and everything, but it’s fun,” she said.

Neha began modeling as a fifth grader in the annual fashion show merely as a school activity. However, after participating in the Westgate Mall Fashion Show in 2010, she was scouted by the Halvorson Model Management (HMM) in San Jose and decided to take her modeling career to a new level.

After joining her agency and gaining more experience, Neha said that she learned the importance of exercising self-control and patience when she is modeling.

“Your boss is going to be making you do things like random runway shows and wearing clothes that you think are ugly or makeup you think you look hideous in, but you just have to do it,” she said.

According to Neha, modeling as a teenager has benefits and perils.

“Especially if you want to model when you grow up, [...] you just have a lot more experience under your belt,” she said. “But if you’re actually doing legitimate modeling as a teenager, you get introduced to an industry that requires you to be mature to deal with.

You’re exposed to a very dangerous environment at a young age.”

Despite undergoing personal challenges, Neha said that she still feels much satisfaction from modeling.

“It actually makes you feel really nice about yourself,” she said. “Even though they cake you in makeup and fix up your hair, you look ten times better than you normally do, and you’re not as insecure as normal.”

Aside from her professional preliminary portfolio photos, Neha re-

cently participated in a photo shoot for the Bay Magazine like Tariq.

“She absolutely loved the experience [of being photographed for the magazine]. She has always loved modeling, [and] we as parents support everything that she does,” Meena Kumar, Neha’s mother, said.

Though Neha does not have any other scheduled photo shoots and currently is not part of an agency, she plans to become more heavily involved in modeling once she turns 18.

the Winged Post

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CONTINUED FROM FRONT

PHOT O CR

Tariq enjoys modeling because it allows him to not only work with remarkable people, but also feel like a different person in front of the camera.

“You get to be someone else for a tiny bit,” he said. “It’s like acting. You actually have to put yourself in a situation mentally and believe that you’re in it. It requires a bit of imagination, I would say.”

When he receives photos from his first magazine shoot, Tariq plans to send them to a modeling agent. He hopes to model for more occasions this year and become further committed in the job.

August 26, 2011

plans as scheduled by her agency include walking in runway shows, publishing more photo shoots, and participating in a commercial. Although she is considering to study pre-med in college, Sarina hopes to continue modeling as an important extracurricular activity.

Life as a full-fledged teen model The fashion show has begun and it is already her turn to be on stage. To ensure that she looks just perfect, the designer makes last minute touches on her clothes and makeup. Finally leaving the hectic backstage, Noel Witcosky (12) struts onto the runway with a look of absolute confidence on her face.

“You’re walking out there, and it feels great with all the lights, the cameras, and the people just wanting to see [who you are]. You have this feeling reinforced inside of yourself that you’re good at what you do and they brought you there for a reason,” she said.

Ever since she was little, Noel said that she dreamt of being a model while watching television shows such as America’s Next Top Model and attending fashion shows with her mother. “[When Noel was very young,] she fell in love with performing and wearing costumes!

I think fashion and modeling have been natural extensions of that for Noel, and they are additional outlets for her creativity,” Michelle Maxey, Noel’s mother, said in an email response.

Similar to Neha, Noel first started modeling at the annual school fashion show and later participated in the Westgate Fashion Show, where she was also selected by Traci Halvorson to join her agency.

Noel has since been actively involved in various modeling acts, including the Santana Row Fashion Shows a n d photo shoots f o r

stores such as the San Francisco Shirt Company.

“It’s definitely very inspiring knowing that someone really likes your work and that they want you to represent their store. It’s also really flattering when other people go into the store and see [your photos on the wall],” she said.

When walking down the runway in fashion shows, Noel said that it is important for her to believe in her own talent and display the outfit she is wearing as well as she can.

“Being a model isn’t just about being like the prettiest girl or the thinnest

“

Modeling has allowed me to express myself as an individual and has given me more confidence...

I set my own standards and I challenge myself to be the best I can be.

Sarina Vij (11)

”

girl. It’s being able to show confidence and make clothes look good,” she said.

According to Noel, she initially experienced struggles of not being hired for a job like any other beginning model.

“You start to doubt yourself, but it’s really like auditioning for a show at school, ” she said. “You’re just not right for the part, but that doesn’t mean that you’re bad at what you do. Everyone has something special about them that some designer would want.”

While modeling currently plays a substantial part in her life, Noel does not have specific plans of becoming a professional model after graduating from high school.

“I’m not going to sacrifice anything else for this chance [of acquiring big modeling jobs]. I’m still going to school, still going to college, and still going to have a career other than modeling,” she said.

Nonetheless, Noel hopes to continue modeling as long as she can even throughout college and keep enjoying what she loves to do.

New option opens for undergraduate admissions

Harvard and Princeton reinstate early action policy

Nicole Burrell, College Counselor

”

Burrell, who has worked in an admissions office that switched to an early decision model, said that may be the motivation for Harvard and Princeton’s change.

“The reality, I’m thinking, is because it makes their staff ’s lives a lot easier. And that’s probably good, be-

N. ED

U

early decision definitely gives students an advantage because the college does not have to spend more resources convincing the student to attend.

Christophe Pellissier (12) said that he plans to apply to Bucknell University through early decision, but he said he thinks that Harvard and Princeton’s applications will become even m o r e competitive as a result of this decision.

What Burrell says she does like about early action application is that it forces some students to spread out their workload over several months, so the process of regular applications becomes less stressful.

E v e n though she is a junior, Molly Wolfe is definitely excited about the new early action decisions.

“When you’re really dedicated to a school like that, knowing that you could get in early is really nice to know,” she said. Molly said she has wanted to attend Princeton since she was young because her dad used to teach there, she finds the campus beautiful, and the school seems to parallel our high school in its environment.

ET O

“

It makes their staff ’s lives a lot easier. Hopefully - maybe - your application gets a more thoughtful read.

cause that means they’ll be more rested throughout the process; hopefully maybe - your application gets a more thoughtful read,” she said.

Does applying early action make it easier to get an acceptance letter?

“Absolutely not,” Bell said. He said that 43% of Columbia’s class of 2014 was admitted from the early pool, but applying in a smaller but stronger pool precludes a clearcut evaluation.

Burrell described the ideal early-action candidate: “You’re not waiting for anything else, you’re not waiting for better grades, you’re not waiting for better test scores, you’re not thinking, ‘Oh, I need 4 more months to write an amazing application.’”

“Most students, most parents think that it’s easier to get in early action; the reality is most people don’t get in early action, and so come December,” she said, alluding to the college counseling department’s pre-break pep talk. In contrast, she said that applying

IN C

do affect schools like Columbia University.

“We either get more applications or less applications in early decision depending on what other schools do,” Daniel Bell, a rising Columbia senior and student worker at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, said.

He said that Columbia’s binding early decision program “makes the reading pool more manageable for regular decision” and “takes a little bit of the stress off of the admissions officers.”

PR

U

Infinitesimal or nerve-wracking; what to eat for lunch or where to go to college. The constant stream of decisions that shapes a high school career now includes some new options: Harvard and Princeton have reinstated early admissions policies.

Both universities announced their decision to facilitate re s t r i c t i v e early action applications on February 24. Students would apply to only a single school by the deadline of November 1 and receive their acceptance, deferral, or rejection in mid-December.

The door to early application was first closed for the class that matriculated into Harvard and Princeton in the fall of 2008, which “wasn’t a big impact” to the school community, according to college counselor Nicole Burrell.

According to a press release provided by Princeton spokesman Martin Mbugua, the school had hoped that

.ED

opinion editor

other universities would follow suit, but, instead, students who actually wanted to attend Princeton began applying to other schools early.

“By reinstating an early program, we hope we can achieve two goals: provide opportunities for early application for students who know that Princeton is their first choice, while at the same time sustaining and even enhancing the progress we have made in recent years in diversifying our applicant pool and admitting the strongest possible class,” Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman said in the press release.

Early action, as opposed to early decision, allows potential students to be able to review their financial aid options from several schools before deciding.

“From what I understand, it will probably even out, in a way, the applications that will be sent into other institutions,” Nicole Dalal (12) said. Such fluctuations in the admissions process HAR VAR D

daniela lapidous

Features 8 Culinary experiences August 26, 2011

the Winged Post

priyanka mody editor in chief At 14, Executive Chef Steve Martin received his first job: a dishwasher at a college kitchen. From then on, cooking became a passion and later transformed into a full-time profession.

“I started literally at the bottom of the tier,” he said. However, there at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, a German chef, who would allow him to partake in some basic cooking, such as peeling vegetables and prepping certain foods, inspired Martin.

Although this early training happened during a time when chefs were hardly regarded as the celebrities they are now, he worked his way up the culinary ladder from dishwasher to food prep to his first cook’s job at a YMCA summer camp. At the camp, Martin got a taste for what school food is often like. As a kitchen program that was subsidized by the government, the summer camp could only provide government commodity foods and produce from local farmers. Therefore, Martin knew of his ingredients the morning of the day that the food would be served.

“You couldn’t really plan, so you had to be creative and innovative,” he said.

Afterward, Martin began to practice his culinary expertise in schools.

He remembers his high school serving low-quality food, and he wanted to change that.

“The milk was warm, the choices were horrible,” he said. “And as time went on, I realized that there was just no budget.”

With this mindset to make a difference and provide a solution to a

problem that still exists, Martin began working at a number of colleges and private high schools and eventually opened his own restaurant and catering corporation in 1985, Creative Deli and Catering Inc., which is still in business today. After he sold his restaurant, he drove out west and came to California.

Initially, Martin planned on staying a year and working in Santa Barbara; however, upon seeing an opening in a newspaper for a cook’s job here, he decided to try his options.

“So I came to apply for a job, but I said, ‘I’d like to come as the chef and improve the food service,’” he remembers telling former Head of School and President Howard and Diana Nichols, respectively.

He says the best thing that the school did for him is allowing him the free-range of opportunities to improve the kitchen program. With the full support of both the Nichols and current Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, Martin said he strives to provide students with well-balanced

Recipe: Chef Steve’s Chicken Piccata Executive Chef Steve Martin shared the recipe for his signature chicken picatta, his favorite dish to prepare.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

PRIYANKA MODY -- WINGED POST

Executive Chef reflects on journey to the Upper School

CHICKEN PICCATA Chef Steve showcases his favorite dish to prepare. When he applied for a position as a chef at this school over twenty years ago, he presented this dish as a testament to his culinary expertise.

meals and healthier options for lunch.

From a kitchen staff that began as four when he started, the food program has accumulated over 30 members.

Still, Martin is looking for improvement.

“I’m as motivated now as I was 20 years ago,” Martin said. With the addition of the bistro, the “farmer’s market,” and an outdoor grill last year, Martin hopes to continue keeping the food fresh.

Ingredients: • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce) • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1/2 cup white wine • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice • 2 tablespoons capers • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms • 2 tsp minced fresh garlic • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 4 cups hot cooked angel hairs (about 8 ounces uncooked) • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Preparation: Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge chicken in flour.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add white wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, capers, mushrooms and garlic to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thick.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve chicken over pasta. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

chief in training

Eyes sparkling, grey mustache quivering with tangible excitement, the man in the navy blue shirt begins to describe his wooden creations. As his weathered hands trace patterns and designs in the air, one can almost see the sculptures of his stories appear before them.

Gary Hinrich, a member of our Information Technology (IT) staff, has a hobby that completely contrasts his occupation: woodworking.

“I’m so high-tech, and so [being] in my shop is quite a difference,” he said.

His father, who was “one of those guys who can just build anything,” initially introduced Hinrich to woodwork.

“I kind of grew up into it,” he said. “When I got my own place in the late 70’s, that’s when I built my own shop and I’ve been [woodworking] ever since.”

Although he began working primarily with wood, Hinrich has since expanded his medium choices.

“My artwork has changed dramatically since the first time I started at it, from

simple bowls to now instruments… that are made out of rock and different kinds of wood,” he said. “I started primarily doing a lot of lathe work.”

The ideas behind his creations come from a variety of places. While some of his artwork is inspired by pieces found in other galleries and shows, Hinrich is more enthused about the art that seems to almost grow itself.

“The piece itself when I get a piece of wood will often suggest something. I’ve actually got a collection about 14 items that when you look at the piece, it was already made,” Hinrich said.

His love for the art he creates and respect for the material is evident in his animated depictions and anecdotes.

“For instance, I’ve got an elephant’s head […] where all I did was polish it. The wood was already like that,” Hinrich said. “I stand this piece up, thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty interesting, I can make something out of that.’ Then I start looking at it and go ‘Oh my god!

That’s an el-

aditi ashok & william chang sports editor & news editor

Some teenagers spend their time in the library. Others are constantly on the football field. And some meet in a garage with a few guitars and a drum set and come together to form a band.

Seniors Jun Hee Lee, Kushal Ranjan, Mark Taboada, and Evan Yao formed a band called X/0, and have been playing together since their freshman year.

“When we started about three years ago, we were all looking for something more interesting than just practicing in our rooms by ourselves,” Kushal said. “We all had somewhat similar musical tastes, and we were all proficient enough on our instruments […] eventually a band came out of that.”

Although the group tries to practice as often as possible, due to band members’ conflicting schedule, their practices can sometimes end up being erratic and unpredictable.

“We practice whenever we can,” Jun said. “It all depends on everyone’s schedule. We usually just practice on a whim; we don’t have a set practice schedule.”

The band draws their inspiration from heavy metal and progressive bands, such as Metallica, Between the Buried and Me, and Coheed and Cam-

bria. Their favorite song to perform is Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria, which they performed for the first time during the 2010 talent show.

So far, the group has performed mainly played in interscholastic performances, such as the annual talent show and school meetings. However, from time to time, a few members of the band will come together to play at Tri-M Music Honor Society shows, which are usually smaller shows that take place outside school. For these types of performances, the group’s set list typically includes jazz and light alternative music.

Along with coming together to practice, the band has several other traditions that have formed over the year. For example, they will often break into improv towards the end of their sessions, and members will join in on their various instruments. During their downtime, the group will often play PS3 and grab a bite of Taco Bell or butter chicken to eat.

Each band member has a slightly different goal for the future. Jun hopes to “have fun [and] find a singer.” Mark’s aspiration is to “start working on a new song.”

Kushal summed up the groups’ overall aim.

He said, “Our main goal right now is pretty much the same as it was when we started, and that’s to have a musical outlet where all of us can combine our skills with the others’ and create something beautiful.”

JAM SESSION Mark Taboada (12) plays his guitar during a practice.

Recipe courtesy of Steve Martin.

WILLIAM CHANG -- WINGED POST

Woodworking: IT member’s unique hobby samantha hoffman

Senior band discusses inspiration

ephant!’ It’s amazing how many of those things just turn up like that.”

Hinrich prefers to use wood that other people might otherwise toss aside, such as scraps or difficult types of wood, because of the varied colored scheme and greater potential.

His friends and neighbors even make sure to inform him of any tree felling so that he can gather new materials.

While fond of his hobby, Hinrich has not given much thought to turning woodworking into a professional career.

“I was involved in woodworking way before [I was] doing tech, but I wouldn’t want to [woodwork] all the time though,” he said. “I hope that when I retire, this will be my retirement. I don’t know about doing it as a job, but as a hobby it’s been great. “ Although he has had artwork featured in several fairs and galleries such as the local Art and Wine Festival, Hinrich prefers not to display his artwork that way because “[the galleries] are a pain in the butt to deal with.” With the help of his wife Carol, Hinrich now displays and sells his sculptures through his own website, although he plans to have his latest collection featured in a gallery soon.

WOODWORKING From simple bowls and vases to intricate sculptures, IT staff member Gary Hinrich creates art for the world to see.

Viewing the activity as a “stress reliever,” he has been woodworking since his father taught him in his childhood. He sells his work on his personal website and hopes to feature his latest collection in a local gallery.

International honor

Passion for linguistics shines mercedes chien photo editor “Ur yezh hepken n’eo ket. Lugha moja tu haitoshi. One language is never enough. ühest keelest ei piisa kunagi.”

Whether Breton, Swahili, or Estonian, this saying accurately embodies the way Erik Andersen (11) thinks.

Ever since he was seven years old, Erik enjoyed making lists; whether it be one of genealogy or one of linguistics, he did it all. However, it wasn’t until he received his very first Macintosh computer in the summer of seventh grade when that unique interest became an integral part of his life.

“At some point, I found the international menu in System Preferences and found U.S. extended, [which is when] my interest in language and linguistics really began,” he said.

Instead of attending camp, going to baseball practice, or taking music lessons, Erik read Wikipedia articles in different languages, made an Excel spreadsheet of the most common words, and taught himself Georgian script and Armenian. By the end of the year, he found himself sitting in the library daily listening to foreign music and deciphering a variety of dialects.

His curiosity and self-determination in learning languages encouraged him to actively participate in not only the Linguistics Club but also Japanese National Honor Society and Junior Classical League.

“When you have working knowledge of three languages that are quite different, you begin to appreciate and understand when a language has 18 noun cases like Hungarian,” he said.

Studying multiple languages at a young age influenced him to attend the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), a competition where students from the US and Canada solve linguistics problems.

As a freshman, he placed in the top

100 of the NACLO open round, making him eligible to compete in the invitational round, where he was one of the two students who qualified that year.

In his sophomore year, Erik competed in both the NACLO open and invitational round where he placed ninth and sixth respectively, allowing him to move onto the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL). He was one of twelve members representing the US in the competition.

From July 25 to 30, 102 linguists from all over the world gathered at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to participate in the IOL. Students were given five questions for the individual round, which, according to Erik, contained numerous quirks in each puzzle. He received Honorable Mention for his overall score in the Olympiad.

“It was amazing to see so many people with similar interests,” he said.

Competing in the IOL ensured his love for linguistics, recreating his pursuit of language, including Hungarian, Vietnamese, and Amharic.

“Erik has had a passion for exploring the structure of language and the differences between languages since his earliest years, and I am very happy that he has the opportunity to follow that passion,” Alice Palmer, Erik’s mother, said.

Aside from that, Erik enjoys studying gerontology and genealogy. The former fascinates him as longevity runs in his family and therefore, he “[marvels] at the experience of the elderly and their amazing memories.”

In genealogy, Erik uncovered old family stories and pictures and tried answering family mysteries.

Whether or not he desires to pursue a career involving his pastime, Erik is certain he will participate in the various cycles of the Olympiad throughout high school and will continue studying a number of different languages in the upcoming years.

August 26, 2011

Features

the Winged Post

9

Four new teachers join the upper school pavitra rengarajan, priyanka sharma & patrick yang features editor, sports editor, and tech editor Every year, we welcome new faces to our community. In an interview with the Winged Post, four new teachers shared facts and anecdotes about themselves.

dissertation right now so I don’t do a whole lot more than play string with my cat.

Lola Muldrew: Algebra 2 & Honors Precalculus

WP: If you could describe yourself in five words, what would they be?

LM: Friendly, confident, playful, curious, and interested.

Winged Post: How long have you been teaching for?

Lola Muldrew: I’ve been in math education for about 18 years, and I’ve taught grade two through college level calculus. I’ve taught teachers to teach math. And I’ve worked for a publishing company to train trainers to teach teachers to teach math.

WP: Aside from teaching, do you Daniel Ajerman have any other favorite hobbies?

LM: I like to play string with my cat.

I like to read. I love to read. I like to lift heavy things and do Olympic lifts and weight traini n g a n d flip tires a n d push cars down the street, and do that kind of stuff print-ad.pdf that I guess 1 8/12/11 12:08 PM is the new cross fit. I like other things too.

But I’m trying to finish my

Lola Muldrew

hobbies?

DA: Music is a great hobby of mine.

I play upright bass and electric bass especially. I’m looking for a band!

If you hear about anyone that needs a bass player, I’m there! Also, I collect vintage teapots. We also collect vintage aluminum, which was really popular in the 1930s and 40s, and textiles, and books. At this point, we probably have close to 8000 books.

Also my wife used to be a car racer, so we’re hoping to buy a vintage car and work on it together. And we’re big foodies - we’re game to try absolutely anything.

Smriti Koodanjeri

WP: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

JS: Don’t panic. Things are not as bad or overwhelming as they seem.

WP: Most outrageous thing you’ve done?

JS: I wasn’t really a crazy kid. I was easily embarrassed, so I didn’t do a whole ton of outrageous stuff. If we’re talking extreme, though, recently I climbed Half Dome, which was pretty tough. We hiked for 17 hours. We did it without sleeping, starting at 1 AM.

Smriti Koodanjeri: Sophomore Chemistry

WP: What’s your favorite WP: What childhood memory? is your favorWinged Post: How did you choose to ite childhood DA: I had a teacher in prob- teach Chemistry? memory?

Smriti Koodanjeri: It’s ably fifth or sixth grade LM: I guess it who brought in a giant die- Jonathan Shieh a funny story. I loved was this one science, but I loved Physsel engine on a cart into the time when my ics more than Chemistry. classroom. He put fuel in niece and I were In Junior college in India, skating in the PRIYANKA SHARMA -- THE WINGED POST it, and I don’t what he did, I was waiting in line to rain. It just seemed like the world was but he said “Watch this, kids!” and he get into Physics class – I just the two of us. It was empty and she fired it up and flames were shooting wanted to pick Physics. was about six, and I was ten, and it just out. I was sold on becoming a science And I don’t have the felt like the world was our playground teacher. He was my hero. So patience to stand that was a great memory. that day. in long lines, which you Daniel Ajerman: have to do Jonathan Shieh: in India. I’d Honors Biology World History I been there since 4 AM, Winged Post: How long and II and the line have you been teaching? wasn’t movDaniel Ajerman: This is Winged Post: Do you ing much. my 43rd year of teaching. I have a favorite hobby?

I guess Physics worked in New York for 34 Jonathan Shieh: If I had to was really popular years in the public school system. pick one, I’d probably say in my college – the I retired for about 3 minutes, and basketball. I try to play ofteacher was fantasthen I worked in some faith-based ten, twice a week, on my own tic. At one point, schools. In fact, the last school time.

I noticed the line that I worked at in New York next to me was was the school where Lady Gaga WP: How long have you moving really fast, went. I taught her sister, but I been teaching for? and I asked a kid, missed teaching her, but I’ve met JS: This is my first year of full“Hey, what line is her, so I get some points for that. time teaching. I’ve been a that?” “Chemistry.” sub at Harker for […] I think And that’s how I WP: What are some of your three years now?

PAVITRA RENGARAJAN -- THE WINGED POST

PATRICK YANG -- THE WINGED POST

PATRICK YANG -- THE WINGED POST

got into Chemistry. Since then, I’ve enjoyed it, done my Masters and PhD. And here I am, teaching Chemistry.

WP: How long have you been teaching?

SK: I started tutoring at the age of 16. I’ve been formally teaching in this country for 9 years, so this is my 10th year. If I tell you the total number of years, I’d be giving away my age. A long time, let’s say.

WP: As a returning teacher, how do you feel about coming back to Harker? What kinds of experiences did you have while gone?

SK: I feel confident, I’ve done this before. While I was gone, I stayed home, relaxed, now I’m energized and ready to come back.

WP: Do you have a favorite hobby?

SK: I don’t have one particular one. I like to bike, climb, and my latest hobby is learning to fly. I’ve put in five hours of flying now with a little plane. With Harker, I think it’ll be a bit harder.

a simple campus guide kevin lin

mercedes chien photo editor

An exhilarating kickoff for the year

“What’s the point?” Head of the Upper School Butch Keller asked students during Matriculation on August 22. Speeches by Keller, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, and ASB president Revanth Kosaraju (12) were meant to inspire not only the incoming freshman class, but also the rest of the student body to pursue their dreams, respect one another, and have the desire to learn.

Nikoloff referred to The Wizard of Oz as an analogy to assure students that they have the competence to achieve great feats and have control over their futures.

“A piece of paper could not give [the tin man, the scare crow, the lion, and Dorothy] what they already have,” he said, alluding to the students’ hearts, knowledge, and courage.

Aside from the speeches, Matriculation also entailed “Freshmen 101,” a humorous skit performed by the student council to welcome the class of 2015 to high school. The skit covered basic information, including freshman year spirit rallies and senior year college applications, that students need to know when entering a new chapter in their lives.

“I liked the skit; it was fun and exciting,” Srivinay Irrinki (9) said. “It looks like it’s going to be a good year and the overall experience of high school is going to be fun.”

Meanwhile, Patrick Lin (9), a student new to the school, feels as though the skit alleviated his anxiety for the school year; however, he is still nervous yet excited for the different environment.

“I don’t know what’s coming up. Everybody just seems to be together and in a sense of communi-

ty,” he said.

Though she has experienced Matriculation before, Anika Gupta (10) still finds the ceremony entertaining and enjoys watching what ASB has to say to the students.

“I think it is interesting how they incorporate the skit and the honor code and the speeches. Overall, I think it is a really good way to come back to the school year,” she said.

Anika is also looking forward to starting fresh and trying new activities as the school year commences.

For upperclassman Patricia Huang (11), Matriculation seems to be a smooth transition from summer to school.

“I think it’s [useful] for new students and freshmen,” she said.

Furthermore, senior Mark Taboada expresses his enthusiasm to begin his last year in high school.

“I was a lot more excited for [Matriculation] because it’s my last one,” he said.

Not all the students, however, thought that the ceremony was entertaining and helpful.

“It was kind of like the same thing every year. We just sit there when they talk about honor and they tell us about the dress code and then tell us again the next day,” Kevin Mohanram (10) said.

Additionally, Neda Ghaffarian (12) thought that the wait for the freshmen to process was a little too long.

Officially marking the beginning of the school year, the ceremony began with introductory speeches and ended with the faculty’s departure as the administration and student council strived to motivate the students to reach their limits and push themselves like never before.

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students

freshmen

ARTWORK BY KEVIN LIN

Class of 2015 arrives trisha jani reporter Voices chant, “One-two-three right!

One-two-three left!” on Davis Field. Students and faculty desperately fill tubes of water in hope of rescuing their rubber duckies. Sprinklers spray cool mist into the air while advisers, Link Crew, and freshmen work together to complete bonding activities. This can only be Freshman Orientation.

On August 19, the incoming freshman class of 2015 came together for an informal gathering before the beginning

‘‘

Meeting my new advisory was nice. We came together pretty quickly.

Avik Wadhwa (9)

’’

of the school year, where both new and returning freshmen were introduced to their new advisories and Link Crew members.

It was a day filled with games that emphasized teamwork and leadership.

After students who were new to the school were given an overview on technology use, the entire class gathered in the auditorium to meet their advisors and Link Crew. The freshmen identified their advisers through animal noises and played a game of bingo to familiarize with one another.

“It was great,” Avik Wadhwa (9) said.

“Just being able to see my friends again

jackie jin online editor-in-chief

09

Diana Moss Try new activities! Starting at a new campus is an opportunity to recreate yourself.

Get to know new people.

Introduce yourself to kids from other schools. Make friends with kids in other grades. Get to know your teachers; they welcome you during extra help! One of the best features of our school is our welcoming and supportive community. Become a part of it by being friendly and outgoing.

Show your class pride!

Upperclassmen were all freshmen once too! Be loud and proud to be a member of the yellow Class of 2015, the largest class on campus this year!

I’ll be back in September and look forward to meeting them all then!

in the beginning...

ALL PHOTOS MERCEDES CHIEN AND MICHELLE DENG -- WINGED POST

was very nice. Meeting my new advisory was also good; we came together pretty quickly.”

Since Freshman Class Dean Diana Moss was not present, Dean of Studies Evan Barth temporarily took her place and gave an overview of the day’s activities. After listening to brief introduction made by Head of School Butch Keller and Assistant Head of School Greg Lawson, the students headed out to Davis Field for the main event of the day.

Organized by APEX Adventures, activities set up for the freshman included operating large wooden “skis,” balancing on an A-frame, filling large tubes with water in order to retrieve rubber duckies, and playing a timed number-counting game. The pool was also opened for the occasion.

“I would have to say that rescuing the rubber ducky was my favorite event.

It was really fun,” Rishabh Jain (9) said.

Link Crew accompanied their advisories throughout the processions of the day.

“They are really helpful; they even showed us our advisor’s room,” Leeza Kuo (9) said.

Many freshmen like the idea of having upperclassmen guide them in their first year. Some Link Crew members also gave their advisories a brief tour of the campus.

Physics teacher Miriam Allersma is a freshman advisor this year and has a positive outlook for the upcoming year.

“It certainly is different to have a new advisory after four years,” she said. “I hopefully want to make it a good freshman year for my bunch.”

ALL PHOTOS TRISHA JANI - WINGED POST

Matriculation

managing editor

drops {the dean edition} of wisdom

10

Dr. Victor Adler Now that you are used to the way things work at the high school, get involved, don’t be a spectator! Get to know your classmates either through sports, clubs or participating in spirit events.

You’ll appreciate getting to know your classmates better by the time senior year is over.

Academically, watch out for the sophomore slump in the second semester. It seems to happen every year.

Enjoy Harker. It is a special place, in my opinion.

11 12

Jeffrey Draper

A big uphill climb begins now and the challenges may grow until the diploma is delivered into your hand… the best plan is just to have a plan.

Many juniors see an increase in their course workload, with an additional AP course or two on top of obligations to clubs, community service, performing arts and sports practice, and more.

The other thing 11th grade students should certainly do is stop and smell the flowers!

It is crucial to enjoy moments as they happen, and make “normal” moments special by doing “special” things. Take risks to reach out to people in your class you don’t yet know well. Go to Homecoming, go on dates, drive to the beach with friends, and really enjoy some of your new independence. Be sure, however, to make wise choices.

I wish the entire class of 2013 an amazing year!

Dr. Matthew Harley Enjoy the ride! As college application deadlines approach, your lives may seem very hectic. But it doesn’t have to be. You WILL get into some excellent colleges.

Look back on your high school experience. There is still time to supplement your experience at Harker. Take at least one class that truly interests you and is not just to beef up your college transcript.

Go to the fall play. Better yet, try out for the fall play. Go to sporting events and recitals. Participate in (and help us win!) homecoming and spirit weeks. Hang with your friends. Better yet, make some new friends. You won’t have another chance, so live it to the fullest.

DESIGN BY MICHELLE DENG

12

Global

August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

Exploring Switzerland: Students travel on exchange trip This past June, a group of 17 Upper School students of all grades traveled halfway across the world with their chaperones to Collège de Gambach, a high school in Switzerland, as part of an exchange program.

The students each had a Swiss buddy from the school with whom they lived and experienced daily Swiss life during the course of the trip from June 2 to 12.

“My favorite part of the trip definitely had to be the time I spent with my host family,” Regina Chen (10) said. “Eating home-cooked meals and trying to talk through the language barrier was probably the most memorable interaction [I had] with my host family.”

The students noticed that the teenagers in Switzerland are much more independent than those in the U.S., relying less on their parents and more on public transportation systems such as trains and buses.

“Because the public transportation system is so good, most people prefer not to drive, so teenagers can easily get themselves where they want to go without being so dependent on parents to chauffeur them around all day,” Bridget Nixon (12) said.

While staying with their buddies, students had the opportunity to experience the typical Swiss life and attitude and observed how these aspects compared to those of Americans. “[The Swiss students] have a lot more freedom and seem to be much more relaxed than, at least, the average Harker student about school,” Neeraj Baid (11) said.

In the mornings, students would

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reporter

attend classes with their buddies. The school offered classes in both English and French, so French-speaking students had the opportunity to improve their language skills. After the morning classes, students would take the train to historic sites and museums, such as an Olympic museum and the Hershey Chocolate Factory. “[Some students] obviously had the added benefit of having the language practice,” Jennifer Gargano, chaperone and Assistant Head of School, said. “I was quite proud of the students who were taking French because they took it upon themselves to really make sure they were

“

[Swiss students] have a lot more freedom and seem [...] more relaxed.

Neeraj Baid (11)

FRIBOURG During a walk through Fribourg, Switzerland, the students and chaperones pose for a picture. With buddies from Collège de Gambach, the students were able to experience Swiss culture and life.

”

to us as a role model. They always say the grass is greener on the other side, but so many students say they would like to come here and live here, but it’s such a beautiful country over there,” Kevin Williamson, chaperone and Dean of Students, said.

Overall, the students thought that despite the distance and cultural differences between the two countries, the Swiss teenagers share common aspects of daily life with Americans, from movies to music.

“I think it’s so important to understand others because in better understanding others, you better understand yourself as well,” Gargano said. “Once you see other cultures and see how we’re similar and different, you start to better understand yourself as a person or what we, as Americans, value.”

practicing French.”

Students were also able to realize the difference between education systems of Europe and the U.S. In Europe, school is much more generalized earlier on; however, it eventually becomes very focused on an area of specialization. Once students begin University in a certain field, they must stay on that track.

Switching majors in the middle of college is not as feasible in Europe as it is in America.

“I’m always surprised by the fact that so many other countries look up

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

meena chetty

BONDING In an English class at Collège de Gambach, three Upper School students participate in an activity with their buddies. Students observed the differences between the American and European education systems.

“I will always have a little bit of Saint Stephen’s in my heart.”

Dr. Meyer pays a visit to Saint Stephen’s College in Australia shilpa nataraj

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global editor

SAINT STEPHEN’S HISTORY CLASS After teaching about Judaism at Saint Stephen’s College, Dr. Ruth Meyer stands with the students. Unlike at the Upper School, students must wear uniforms at Saint Stephen’s.

For years, Dr. Ruth Meyer has taught world history at the Upper School. For two weeks, however, the students who attentively listened to her lectures wore hats and orange blazers—they were students from sister school Saint Stephen’s College in Coomera, Australia.

From August 1 to 12, Dr. Meyer traveled to Saint Stephen’s College on exchange. Earlier this year in April, the Upper School had hosted Saint Stephen’s history teacher Carmel Stolarchuk.

“I will always have a little bit of Saint Stephen’s in my heart,” Dr. Meyer said.

On a typical day, Dr. Meyer would teach one of Stolarchuk’s history classes and would observe and talk to the students and faculty.

Because she particularly enjoys teaching freshmen, Dr. Meyer taught the equivalent age group in Saint

Stephen’s about ancient history, once lecturing about The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Additionally, she also taught a class at Saint Stephen’s about the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“The history material at Saint Stephen’s is not as broad as that here, where freshmen have to learn about world history and juniors have to learn the entirety of United States history,” Dr. Meyer said. “[At Saint Stephen’s,] it is more specific and indepth.”

Furthermore, she noticed that Saint Stephen’s places a greater emphasis on geography.

On certain days, she lectured to English students at Saint Stephen’s about the dreams and apparitions that pervade Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and she taught them about analyzing their own dreams. She recalls that, after her lecture, one inspired student remarked that he would like to become a psychiatrist.

“If you can plant that seed

of thought, that is the highest compliment a teacher can receive,” Dr. Meyer said.

Having observed a Saint Stephen’s drama teacher instruct his students about Sophocles’ play Oedipus, Dr. Meyer hopes to implement activities that involve “embodied history” to improve student understanding.

Compared to the Upper School, she noted that Saint Stephen’s did not have as distinct an ethnic diversity and had larger class sizes, with about 26 students. In addition, Saint Stephen’s is affiliated with the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, while the Upper School is independent.

“If I can make a connection with students at Saint Stephen’s, I have the confidence to be able to teach in any English-speaking country,” she said, reflecting on her experience.

Dr. Meyer hopes that the Upper School and Saint Stephen’s College will continue this exchange program for both students and teachers.

21 newspaper and yearbook student journalists tour Iceland, England, Italy, and France shilpa nataraj Writing articles and capturing photos, 21 student journalists traveled to Europe where they discovered stories of people and events and documented the picturesque scenery during the month of June.

Accompanied by journalism advisor Chris Daren and English teacher Dr. Pauline Paskali, 11 members of Talon yearbook and 10 members of The Winged Post newspaper spent 18 days, from June 12 to June 29, touring Iceland, England, Italy, and France.

“The Europe trip provided a wealth of opportunities for us [student journalists] to practice our journalism skills,” Talon editor-inchief Jennie Xu (12) said. “Over the course of the trip, I became a more confident interviewer and more skilled photographer.”

Students received the opportunity to interview the Musical Director of Harpa, a newly opened concert hall in Iceland; Iceland’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism; a

DEVIN NGUYEN - TALON

global editor

INTERVIEWING Katrín Júlíusdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, answers the questions of TalonWP journalists. In Europe, the student journalists were able to interview other prominent individuals as well.

member of the English Parliament; and Harry Hamburg, an Associated Press photojournalist in England.

Additionally, the Talon and The Winged Post students searched for stories, interviewing Venetian street artists, participants in an annual

English bell-ringing competition, and a country family in Tattingstone, England. Students were able to collaborate with one another during the process of writing articles, and the best articles were placed weekly on talonwp.com.

“I wanted to expose [my journalism students] to what it is really like to be a journalist in the outside world,” Daren said.

Students practiced the art of photojournalism by taking photos daily. A myriad of photos that the

students have taken reveal the beauty of the Icelandic landscape, with waterfalls, geysers, and volcanoes.

Others are of the Louvre Museum in France, for example.

“Iceland was my most memorable experience because of its natural beauty,” The Winged Post Sports Editor Priyanka Sharma (12) said. “It’s so unique and different from what you see here.”

During the course of the trip, the Talon members developed the theme of the yearbook, while The Winged Post members began a re-design of the newspaper.

For Talon reporter Isha Patnaik (11), Europe marks her very first journalism trip. She particularly enjoyed the camaraderie.

“It was a lot of fun getting to know people that I didn’t usually talk to in the journalism room,” Isha said.

“I think hanging out with everyone was the best part of the trip. The European backdrop just added to the greatness of our friendships.”

This is the third time that journalism students have traveled to Europe.

August 26, 2011

Global

the Winged Post

Students research in Costa Rica

Level 4 Japan Bowl team JAPAN: champions enjoy free trip

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

“The main point of our experiment [was] to determine the effect that the environment will have on alien aquatic plants introduced into an entirely new environment,” Ila said.

Vivian and Ila plan

EXPLORING COSTA RICA Standing on the rocky shores of Costa Rica, nine students, with notebooks in hand, prepare to conduct research. Several students were able to experience independent research for the first time.

to continue their research on the effects on hydroponic plants, plants that grow in water, and present their findings at the Research Symposium in March.

On the other hand, Akshay, who plans to enter his project in science fairs, focused on determining which types of colorization and skin patterns would be the best for organisms.

“I had different colors of clay at my disposal, and so I decided to mold different types of caterpillars, some that were camouflaged or green, some that were [brightly colored], and some that were brown, which represented a common group of caterpillars in the area.” Akshay said. “I […] laid them out on leaves […] and observed.”

Although most students chose their topic of research before they arrived in Costa Rica, some of them had to modify it to adapt to the conditions.

“It is really great to see how the students’ outlook and attitude about research changes on a trip like this,” Dr. Blickenstaff said. “It is a real learning experience in the process of […] having to adapt and revise as you experience unanticipated obstacles or difficulties in carrying out the research […]. And all of this occurs in a very short period of time.”

On the trip, students traveled from coast to coast. They began their journey in San José, Costa Rica’s capital, then

La Selva, Tortuguero National Park, Cabo Blanco, and lastly, Monteverde.

They saw a variety of wildlife such as toucans, macaws, hummingbirds, armadillos, frogs, and spiders the size of an adult hand.

“The diversity, number, size and peculiarity of the insects that inhabit Costa Rica are overwhelming,” Dr. Allersma said. “They cannot escape your notice and as a result, you cannot help but become fascinated by them.”

Even though there was a language barrier with the locals at times, there were four students who had taken Spanish classes, and some students picked up a few basic Spanish phrases.

“The Costa Rica trip is amazing for several reasons – epic bonding time with peers, research-related frustrations and successes, scenic beauty, and a huge eye opener to the world of natural science,” Vivian said. “I am with an opportunity not many other students have.”

There were many momentous moments during the trip, but for Ila it was “jumping into a lagoon with a waterfall at Cabo Blanco after a long hike into the woods.”

According to Ila, there was no typical day. Every day was a new adventure.

reporter From June 23 to 30, Tiffany Jang (12) and Victoria Liang (’11) enjoyed the free trip to Japan they had earned as the Japan Bowl’s National Champions in Level 4.

Hosted by the Japanese Society of Washington D.C., Japan Bowl is an annual competition that tests high school students on Japanese language and culture. Students compete in teams of three in Level 2, 3, or 4, with Level 4 being the hardest. As a prize for being the National Champions in Level 4, Victoria, Tiffany, and Lorraine Wong (11) received a free trip to Japan this summer; however, Lorraine was unable to attend.

“

I learned about life from [a Japanese student’s] perspective.

Tiffany Jang (12)

”

“Prior to the trip, I had told the students that they represent the entire high school students learning Japanese in the U.S., which, I’m sure, gave them a lot of pressure,” Japanese teacher Masako Onakado said. “However, the students had enough confidence and maturity to communicate with the mayor and Princess in Japanese, and they enjoyed the conversations with them.”

Tiffany and Victoria first traveled to the Kansai region for three days and resided in the city of Itami, where high school students welcomed them.

In Itami, they visited Nijo Castle, the Golden Pavilion, and Kiyomizu Temple. Additionally, they learned about the cherry blossom-dogwood exchange between Japan and America and attended a traditional Japanese tea ceremony where they had the chance to make their own matcha tea.

excel test prep

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emily chu

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allison sun

reporter Nine students accompanied by science teachers Dr. Gary Blickenstaff and Dr. Miriam Allersma embarked on an adventure to the tropical country of Costa Rica from July 26 to August 11.

There, students experienced river rafting in the rushing waters of the Sarapiqui River, zip lining through canopy lines in lush forests, snorkeling in a tidal lagoon, and hiking in the woods.

Besides sightseeing and tourism, students also had the chance to start independent research at the University of Georgia’s campus in Monteverde.

“Students are exposed to ‘field research,’” Akshay Tangutur (12) said.

“You decide on what you want your project to be on, you gather all your materials and go out ‘into the field,’ you make observations and collect data, and then come back and make your conclusions.”

With the guidance of two professors, Dr. Diana Lieberman and Dr. Milton Lieberman, students learned how to structure their research, interpret data with statistics, and calculate diversity at the protected Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve.

Vivian Li (12) and Ila Dwivedi (12) worked together to test the water quality of Costa R i c a streams.

13

CULTURAL IMMERSION Victoria Liang (’11) and Tiffany Jang (12) don Japanese traditional clothes and participate in a tea ceremony.

“The most memorable experience for me was the first night in Kansai, when the adults left us to go find dinner with the high school students.

We were able to converse with them, and even though sometimes there were communication issues, we’d make weird faces and laugh it off,” Tiffany said.

After their stay in Itami, they traveled to Tokyo, where students from the International Christian University and Waseda University showed them around the city. Tiffany and Victoria also had the honor of meeting James Zumwalt, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy, and Princess Takamado, a member of the Japanese Imperial Family. “[Princess Takamado] was so warm and welcoming and made us feel at ease even though we were really nervous,” Tiffany said. “She was really dedicated to her country, and even though Japan had recently suffered from devastating natural disasters, she emphasized the country’s resilience and shared her optimism towards Japan’s recovery.”

From this trip, Tiffany and Victoria experienced the daily life of Japanese people. For Tiffany, she was able to practice her skills in communication while “learning about life from [a Japanese student’s] perspective” through her interactions with native people.

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Lifestyle

the Winged Post

LIN’S

lessons HOW-TO BUSINESS COLUMN:

Checking and

savings account

HE –T

GE IN W D ST

PO

They once were used by fishermen for bait.

Now the fashion forward are flocking to feather extensions and earrings, which seem to be everywhere right now.

The trend, which started on the runways of haute couture fashion shows last fall, has won over celebrities and have quickly caught on among teenagers.

Colorful pieces are being sold in several stores such as Forever 21 or JCPenny’s and are also fairly easy to make, giving a wild and animalistic look to any outfit.

The New York Times and Associated Press recently reported that consumers are going as far as making their own extensions and earrings from feathers used for fishing bait at outdoors specialty stores; some of those stores now refuse to sell the fishing supplies to anyone other than anglers.

long strap bags In terms of bags, the fashion world seems to be downsizing. The commonly seen large shoulder bags and totes that were in style last season are now being replaced by smaller shoulder sling bags, satchels, and clutches.

Whether at street wear stores like Forever 21 or high fashion designers like Versace, petite and sophisticated purses and bags are making an impression. They can be found in many shapes, sizes, and materials. Formal clutches are often bejeweled and made of elegant material such as satin, while sling bags meant for daily use can be found in simple prints such as

sanjana baldwa & meena chetty

lifestyle editor & reporter As leaves begin to redden and winds begin to blow, fresh looks on classic silhouettes appear in the fashion industry. From elegant jackets to animalistic accessories, this season offers fresh styles to fit the coming autumn weather.

fedoras

For those who are not quite ready to let summer slip away, the fedora hat is an easy and trendy way to console yourself. Made of material similar to that of beach sun hats, yet formed in a more clean-cut manner, this hat is fit for casual everyday wear for both guys and girls.

Girls fedoras often come further-accessorized in stores. Retailers such as Macy’s decorated their hats with bows, while Nordstrom opted for a variety of brightly colored fedoras with a single band for ornamentation.

“The fedora is really popular as well as the big sun hats,” said Jen Buck, a Sales Associate at Francesca’s Collec-

stripes.

Though these new bags are not as spacious as previous ones, they are convenient enough to store essentials such as phones without contributing to the bulky a p pearance of last season.

tions, a boutique in Los Gatos “We started selling them, and they’ve just been selling like crazy, and they’re just fun for summer.”

Guys fedoras are typically unadorned, excluding a single strap running across the base.

This Bruno Mars-inspired style works well with jeans and a simple t-shirt or cardigan for a relaxed look.

trench coats This year’s fall trends incorporate influences from one of the everlasting winter fashions: the trench coat.

Although meant more for frosty weather, this style is appearing earlier in the year with shorter lengths and lighter materials.

In previous years, trench coats made a classy statement with their sleek and closefitted form, made of a single fabric and color. However, this year designers are experimenting with the popular jacket, from incorporating multiple materials and textures to lining them with satin or fur.

“The jackets with cold weather material on the outside and sweater lining on the inside and a hood coming out of it is the big thing,” Buck said.

Designer Christopher Raeburn created suave trench coats completely adorned with abstract designs in multiple colors for his Fall fashion shows, while Burberry went with an edgier look through embellishing their jackets with leather.

men’s cardigans and sweaters Cardigans have been popular among girls for quite a few seasons, but that didn’t stop them from making their way into the men’s fashion world. This season incorporates the comfortable yet stylish sweater trend with masculine shapes and patterns to create a fashion forward option for guys.

Men’s cardigans can be dressed up when paired with a formal collared shirt and slacks but also provide a casual everyday look if matched with simple jeans and a t-shirt

or v-neck. The sweater serves for all occasions and can complement a variety of pants and shirts, giving guys an opportunity to effortlessly improve their wardrobe.

However, the classic v-neck sweater has not gone out of fashion, as Burberry’s new fall collection proved.

Worn in the same way as a cardigan, this option is perfect for the crisp fall weather while allowing for a sophisticated look.

ALL PHOTOS FROM CREATIVE COMMONS

TV: Fall premieres bring new adventures After a bad breakup, Jessica ( Jess) Day, a bubbly, goofy, and socially awkward girl, played by Zooey Deschanel from 500 Days of Summer, finds herself living with three single guys—Nick ( Jake Johnson), a clever bartender, Schmidt (Max Greenfield), a social climber, and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), a personal trainer.

Together, with her three roommates and her childhood best friend CeCe (Hannah Simone), a professional model who offers relationship advice, Jess tries to get back up on her feet with a fresh start to love and life.

In this new fall comedy, geeky Jess is ready to find love and prove that women are just as strong as men.

Cassie Blake, played by Brittany Robertson, is an average teenage girl from California until an accidental fire, or so it seems, takes the life of her mother and forces her to move to the fictional town of Chance Harbor, Washington, to live with her grandmother Jane (Ashley Crow).

Cassie soon meets a group of suspicious teens through whom she discovers that she is a descendant of powerful witches and she herself is a witch.

Her five new friends, also involved in magic and witchcraft, tell her that they have been waiting for Cassie to complete the new circle of six.

Based on the book series by L. J. Smith, this series promises to be a thrilling and intense show.

Two mysterious men join forces by combining their resources and skills in the CBS new crime thriller set in New York City.

Airs Thursday, 9/22 @ 8 pm From the executive producer of Lost, J. J. Abrams, and of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan, Person of Interest stars Lost’s Michael Emerson as Finch, a billionaire who creates a computer system that provides social security numbers of people who will be involved in future crimes, and Jim Caviezel as Reese, an exCIA agent on the streets whom people thought was dead.

Finch offers Reese a job due to his action skills and prior involvement with the government. Finch and Reese work together separately from the government to try to stop crimes before they happen.

The crimes are endless and the numbers never stop coming.

Person of Interest

FOX Airs Tuesday, 9/20 @ 9 pm

CBS

reporter

New Girl

The CW Airs Thursday, 9/15 @ 9 pm

The Secret Circle

It is 2149 A.D. The human race is near extinction and the future seems dark and lifeless.

The new adventure from executive producer Steven Spielberg centers on the journey of the Shannons, a family of five that struggles to find a utopian place to live.

The Shannons travel to prehistoric Earth on the tenth pilgrimage of a transport machine built by scientists and become part of the colony Terra Nova.

Their new home seems ideal with its fresh air and beautiful setting of lush trees and rushing waterfalls.

Soon enough, the family soon discovers that Terra Nova is no paradise.

The people are faced with dangers that lie within and without the community.

FOX

allison sun

FOX

Do you have money laying around accumulating dust over the years? Do you want to do something that will make you feel grown up? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Now introducing, Kevin’s brand new “how-to” column, Lin’s Lessons. For only zero dollars, that’s right, zero dollars paid in eight equal installments, you can learn about business. And wait, there’s more!

If you buy by the next issue, you’ll also receive this paper, free of charge!

Earning money through the years between late December and early January, a.k.a Christmas, my birthday and New Year’s, I’ve accumulated enough money to open my first bank account.

For example, Grandma and Grandpa hand over 20 dollars during Christmas, mommy and daddy contribute 30 dollars on my birthday (just to beat my loving grandparents), and friends and non-immediate family throw in another 35 dollars. Now multiply this by the amount of years I started asking for money, let’s just say 16, and that equals a big hunkin’ load of cash.

I’m not quite done yet. We have not counted the red envelopes that pile during Chinese New Year’s. I have a large family – eight great uncles and aunts with sons and daughters that like to hear the magic phrase, Gong Hei Fat Choy. If each chipped in 2 dollars, this red envelope mula added to the “big hunkin’ load of cash” from before would equal a mound of bills easily soaring over the Rocky Mountains.

With this money, ten-year-old me would loved to have spent it on Pokémon cards, or video games. Luckily my mother stopped ten-year-old me from squandering my money. Instead, I opened a checking and savings account, and thus my bank account was born.

Whether acquiring money through friends and family or in a completely other way, one should always consider opening a checking and savings account. The process to opening your very own bank account is relatively simple. I’ll break it down in steps.

First, start by asking your parents nicely to drive over to the bank with you. As a minor, one is not allowed to open a bank account without the approval of a guardian. The parent will act as the director to the savings and checking account, which means that the guardian will have access and can make decisions on the account until the minor turns 18.

After providing necessary information such as the child’s social security number, date of birth, etcetera, and looking over the terms of agreement, papers will be signed by both the minor and the director.

And voila! A glorious, shining bank account will be made. Deposits can be made into the savings at any age, interest will be compounded in the savings account, and money can be spent on the checking account.

The difference between the checking and savings account: a debit card comes along with the checking account, giving the end holder the power to spend money responsibly (or wastefully). Money can be transferred back and forth between the checking and savings account, sometimes with a fee.

With a checking and savings account in place, sixteen-year-old me was able to accumulate interest over the years and end up being able to spend money on necessities such as gas, clothes, and art supplies. I still wonder how I managed to not touch my money throughout the years, with Pokémon cards and awesome video games still in existence. The world may never know.

A BALDWA AN NJ

managing editor

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kevin lin

Fall Fashion

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August 26, 2011

FOX Airs Monday, 9/26 @ 8 pm

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August 26, 2011

Lifestyle

DLSR cameras integrated into daily lives

the Winged Post

in the

Higher quality digital cameras become more prominent amongst high school students priyanka sharma

sports editor Looking at the LCD screen, the photographer spots the desired object, pushes a button, and click! The intended photograph has been captured.

However, some students feel as though using a point-and-shoot camera is just not enough for their photos and switch to using DSLR cameras instead.

Shantanu Joshi’s (11) passion for taking photos began at a young age when his dad gave him a cell phone with a camera attached to it. As he became more interested in photography, he started using a Sony DSLR camera that his dad bought.

Now he uses a Nikon D7000.

SANJANA BALDWA - THE WINGED POST

Automatic This is the most basic setting that requires the least amount of changes. The camera does everything from setting the ISO to adjusting shutter speed and aperture. It also uses white balance, focus, and flash settings that produce a suitable photograph given the surrounding light.

Program This mode is similar to automatic in that the camera still automatically adjusts the shutter and aperture settings.

However, the camera allows the user to control basic functions such as flash, ISO, and white balance.

Shutter priority In this setting, the user chooses a shutter speed and the camera compensates with the correct aperture setting to balance the exposure. The setting works best when taking fast action shots.

Aperture priority Just like in shutter priority mode, aperture priority adjusts the shutter speed in relation to the aperture.

This setting is useful when focus on a particular object is desired.

Manual The user controls everything affecting the exposure, ranging from setting the ISO to changing the shutter speed.

A cyber trend emerges in popularity

“The point-and-shoot is like an etch-a-sketch, while the DSLR is like a blank canvas. There’s only so much the artist can do with an etch-a-sketch while the canvas is limitless,” he said.

“The point-and-shoot still takes decent pictures, but the versatility of changing lenses and controlling many specific factors is difficult to achieve on regular point-and-shoots.”

Students such as Farrah Gulzar (12) and Chau Nguyen (11) have started noticing an increase in the presence of DSLR cameras around campus instead of small point-and-shoot cameras.

“I definitely feel that photography has become a trend lately,” Chau said.

“I see tons of young people carrying [DSLRs] wherever they go, but photogr aphy is just really fun, so it’s so easy to get hooked on.”

However for Farrah, she feels the increase in amount of cameras does

15

not correspond to an increase in interest for photography.

“I do feel like photography has been a trend lately, especially at Harker, but for all the wrong reasons,” she said.

“I think that people are influenced by the multitude of students with expensive Nikons and just feel like they have to conform. I think that if you’re going to have a DSLR, then make the effort to know how to use it. If you’re buying a camera just because everyone else has one, then where’s the passion in photography?”

Shantanu sees a different reason as to why students are developing an interest in photography. He believes lomography, taking pictures with higher saturation and more contrast, appeals to students.

“I’ve seen cameras like these, Holgas are a popular type, at places like Urban Outfitters and other stores,” he said. “I think it is part of a hypocritical, mainstream, hipster trend, but it is also, at the same time, an art form […] It is interesting how more and more people are catching onto the trend, and it’s definitely great that people are becoming more interested in photography.”

As students integrate photography into their daily lives, they continue to search for higher quality cameras that give them more control over the exposure.

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Online shopping proves to be a commonly used alternative meena chetty

reporter It seems as easy as a click.

With the help of online resources that exist nowadays, people can easily make purchases that they will receive in less than a few days without physically visiting stores.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that 44.6% of all retail commerce in the country is online. As virtual shopping becomes increasingly popular, physical stores are losing out on retail.

Borders recently announced bankruptcy due to the fact that their online presence was not significant, while a greater number of customers were buying books online. This served as a warning to other companies of the online revolution.

Borders’ main competitor, Barnes and Noble, caught hold of the trend fast enough, and launched the Nook eReader, as well as an online bookstore that they managed themselves; in the past fiscal year alone, they claimed that their online sales rose to $573 million, 24% greater than the year before. However, instore sales decreased 3% during the past quarter.

Many students choose to purchase school materials online in order to conserve the time and energy spent going to actual stores to buy products. 63.5% of

the total sales of books and magazines was online in bought in a store.

“I buy school books and occasionally clothes onthe 2007-2008 census, according to the U.S. Census line. It’s more efficient for me to buy school books onBureau. and most of the time, they are cheaper,” “The biggest pro about shopping online is that line, Joy Li (11) said. no one has to go from store to store browsing because However, sites such as Amait’s all on the computer,” Shreyas Parthasarathy (10) zon do not offer the full services that said. can be found in physical stores. First As a greater percentage of people is of all, Amazon is based on a trust shifting to online commerce, businesses system because users must rely are being created entirely online, based on on the seller’s description of the the idea of providing faster and instant product. Secondly, large online services. For example, Amazon.com stores can sometimes be diffiithe largest online retailer in the cult to navigate if the user does world and is a site where usnot know exactly what he ers create accounts to buy and s e l l ARTWO RK BY wants among an immense items. According to internetretailer.

ALI SH AM selection of products. com, a portal to e-commerce intelligence, AmAYO R Vishesh Gupta (12) azon grew 40% worldwide in 2010 alone, with you don’t know [what you its total North American sales of $18.7 billion said, “If ing to a store is nice because it exceeding the U.S.’s total online commerce want], gohas a number of similar products grouped for you to sales.

Additionally, online stores often choose from. There probably will come a day when offer lower prices. On Amazon, online stores can do this too with related searches and because items are sold at different val- whatnot, but currently it’s a headache to find someues based on what conditions they are in, thing when you aren’t exactly sure what you need.” buyers can purchase items for much lower prices than the price of the same product

Jay-Z and Kanye release powerful album showcasing true versatility of hip-hop online editor in chief Alternating between melancholic and pensive, substance-less and materialistic, Watch the Throne is a testament, for better or worse, to the versatility of hip-hop.

Indisputably, the strength of JayZ and Kanye West’s collaboration lies in a handful of sincere, fresh tracks, underscored by the

powerfully appealing beats

and melodies to be expected from an alliance of such acclaimed artists.

The album opens with the darkly existential “No Church in the Wild,” a haunting song juxtaposing a life of excess with the lack of meaning behind it all. Powerful lyrics (“human being to a mob / what’s a mob to a king? / what’s a king to a god? / what’s a god

to a non-believer?”) and a grungy beat reminiscent of Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy kick off Watch the Throne to a promising start.

Further down the track list, “New Day” stands out as a heartfelt reminder to the humanity of the two artists as they explore regrets of their pasts. The pensively melancholic song finds Kanye demonstrating rare humil ity towards an imaginary son and Jay-Z reflecting upon his own childhood.

A similar sincerity can be heard in the despairing “Murder to Excellence,” a ballad on black-on-black murder. The exploration of black identity in the context of the American dream lends itself evocatively to this song, as well as “Gotta Have It” and “New Day.” Between the poignant lyrics and

truly impressive melodies of a select few tracks, it is easy to forgive the arrogance and materialism so stereotypical of popular hip-hop in the rest.

Despite this, it must be said that lyrics like “They ain’t seen me cause I pulled up in my other Benz / Last week I was in my other other Benz” (“Otis”) and “So many watches I need 8 arms / one neck but got 8 charms” (“Who Gon Stop Me”) are disappointing from such genre veterans as Kanye and JayZ. Luckily, Kanye’s mastery of unique beats and engaging melody can be discerned in even the most hackneyed song.

Creating a fair blend of serious tracks and shallower, though no less enjoyable, jams, Jay-Z and Kanye complement each other’s styles while retaining the individuality that brought them where they are. The aptly titled

Watch the Throne invites just that: a few moments spent enjoying a collaboration between, arguably, two of the most accomplished popular hip-hop and rap artists today.

DEF JAM RECORDINGS

jackie jin

WATCH THE THRONE Jay-Z and Kanye West’s recently released album showcases the artists’ true hip-hop style and diverse musical capability.

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Vehicles: Students discuss most preferable features in cars kevin lin & pavitra rengarajan

managing editor & features editor Porsche, Lamborghini, Jaguar – be dangerous and our parents can trust oh my! To many students, buying a car us to drive alone in,” Priscilla said. is more than a financial investment: Insurance Institute for Highway it symbolizes independence and for Safety (IIHS) rates the Toyota Corolla some, serves as a rite of passage in high and Toyota Prius as among the “top school. safety picks” for 2011. To achieve the When looking for the perfect top safety pick, vehicles must pass and high school car, some students empha- have good ratings in four IIHS tests: size durability and safety while others bumper evaluations, rollover ratings, stress appearance and other technical side crash tests, and 40 mph frontal features. Though students value these offset crash tests. qualities in varying degree, each holds Like teenagers, car dealers also emphasize safety as a top quality that its own importance.

Safety, if not the most important is necessary when buying a car for high quality, serves as a primary deciding school students.

“Safety should be the first and factor in purchasing a car.

Priscilla Auyeung (11) believes foremost concern for teenagers,” Tim that safety is the most important factor Vu, Steven Creek Toyota’s Executive Manager, said. “Other amenities and in buying a car.

“Even though young people like features would naturally be attractive, us really want a flashy car to drive in, in but it is most important to buy a car the end we need to have a car that won’t that you can rely on for day-to-day life.”

Once a parent of a high school student himself, Harlan McHugh, the executive manager of Frontier Infiniti on Stevens Creek Boulevard, agrees.

“

Safety should be the first and foremost concern for teenagers.

Tim Vu

”

“Safety would be my number one [feature],” McHugh said. “My biggest concern and or advice would be to make sure that it is a safe reliable car.

I don’t care if it’s my teenage son or daughter or my mother.”

Durability is another essential quality to consider when buying a car.

Vincentric, an automotive research company used by organizations such as AOL, Yahoo Autos!, and Cars.com, rates several Honda vehicles as the most reliable, with the first being the Odyssey, followed by the Pilot, CRV, Civic, and Accord. Other durable cars include the Subaru Forester, Volvo XC90, Audi A4, and Acura RDX. Safety ratings were determined by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration front and side crash-test ratings.

“I don’t plan to buy a car any time soon, but when I do, it’ll pretty much be determined by mileage cost,” Robert Maxton (12) said.

Although durability and safety are definitely important qualities, additional features and appearance are also key selling points when students look for the perfect car.

Fresh off the concrete of the DMV, new drivers tend to appreciate and notice useful features in their car,

such as GPS navigation, remote keyless entry, and high quality speakers found in newer cars.

Ralph Palma, the Internet Sales Manager and Fleet Manager of Premier Nissan of Fremont, works with customers and their car preferences, ranging from safety to key features in modern cars.

“Younger generations are going to appreciate technology, [if cars are] iPad compatible, iPhone compatible, bluetooth, etcetera,” Palma said.

Considering this information, Katie Siegel (12), who drives a Volvo Stationwagon, shares her advice to others looking to buy a car. “Ask [yourself ] where you plan on driving the car and plan accordingly,” she said. “Buy a car that fits in with the other cars around you.”

With all different types of features to look for in a car, the “perfect high school automobile” changes from person to person.

August 26, 2011

Tech

william chang Students who use AT&T

KEVIN LIN - WINGED POST

Students who use Verizon

NFC The mobile payment technology allows users to pay with a quick scan of a transmitter. Already implemented in the other industries, NFC capability is coming soon to phones such as the iPhone 5.

kevin lin

managing editor The nimble pickpocket glances over to the right and to the left, eyeing for the perfect chance to snatch the prey’s wallet – presumably chock full of credit cards. With lightning fast speed, the wallet flies out of the pocket and into the thief ’s hands. Upon opening the wallet, however, the thief ’s face quickly turns sour. The would-be victim used NFC mobile payment instead of credit cards.

NFC mobile payment is a new way to pay for items using a cell phone. The technology behind mobile payment is NFC (Near Field Communication), which is short distance radio communication that allows small data transfer over close distances. For example, imagine walking up to a drink dispenser, waving your phone across a reader, and voila, the drink clunks out of the machine.

“

While some teenagers would find [NFC mobile payment] convenient, others would be irresponsible and spend more.

Timothy Luong (11)

”

Anything involving the use of a credit card or money may end up being replaced in the near future with NFC mobile payment. Applications include paying at checkouts, dispenser machines, and even public transportation. Countries in Asia have already started using the NFC technology in train stations.

“A lot of experts think that people won’t be keen to abandon cash and cards to pay with their phones instead, but we’re absolutely positive that the U.S. is going to love it,” Sarah Clark, the editor of NFC World and author of The NFC Report, said. “When people see NFC payment in action for the first time, they’re smitten. It’s just so easy; wave your phone, wait for the beep, and the deal is done.”

In America, companies such as Google have already designed Google Wallet, their own application for NFC mobile payment. Google has partnered with different banks, carriers, and payment network companies, such as Citi, Mastercard, FirstData, and Sprint.

Apple has also utilized NFC technology, with the iPhone 5 reportedly being equipped with an NFC chip. According to Stephanie Tilenius, Google’s VP of Commerce speaking at a partner event in Google Headquarters in New York City, 50 percent of smartphones (150 million phones) will have NFC built into them.

Along with Apple, Google and Nokia have also started to work on implementing the NFC chip into their phones.

NFC mobile payment sure sounds like it could be viable, and it definitely seems conceivable in the mind, but why is it not out in the US already? The answer may well be difficulty in consumer and corporate adoption.

Businesses that may want to use NFC will have to jump over the obstacle of installing NFC chip readers in every cash register. The technology adds up to around a few hundred dollars per cash register.

Getting America to actually use NFC and making the switch from the familiar credit card is also a potential unforeseen problem. Large companies that want NFC to become a conventional technology will need to aggressively market the feature and convince users to use NFC mobile payment rather than a credit card.

“Our phones are becoming increasingly important in all sorts of ways, and in future we won’t just be using them for payment -- it’s likely they’ll unlock doors, start our cars, admit us to events, prove our identity and even show that we’re old enough to buy age-restricted items at the convenience store,” Clark said. “Payment is just one aspect of the mobile experience – albeit an important one – and we expect consumers in the U.S. to adopt it rapidly and enthusiastically once the technology is widely available.”

Similar to paying with credit cards, NFC mobile payment has the potential problem of overspending.

“I feel that while some teenagers would find [NFC mobile payment] convenient, others would be more irresponsible and tend to spend more,” Timothy Luong (11) said.

Asia Howard (12) also agrees with how easy it is to overspend, but notes the beneficial aspect of NFC mobile payment.

“If you can just scan your phone, that’s [much faster] than taking out your wallet, taking out the cash, and then getting cash back,” Asia said. “It’s extremely convenient but at the same time it can cause someone to be careless with their money.”

With the technology being adopted by large companies like Google and Apple, NFC may well be a part of daily life in the future.

New “sharing” service created by Google

Google+ is fastest growing social network patrick yang

tech editor Google+, a newer social networking site which Google is testing and experimenting with, has become the fastest growing social network.

Launched on June 28, 2011, Google+ reached 25 million users in 4 weeks. While Google calls Google+ a simpler way to share, many media have called it a challenge to Facebook. In comparison, Facebook has 750 million users.

Google+ is not completely open to the public, as it is still in a “testing phase.” People can register for Google+ using a Gmail account, or they can be invited by friends. Every Google+ user has 150 Google+ invites, and as of an update on August 6, invites can be handed out as a simple link.

“It’s really well laid out and easy to use. In my opinion, it’s better than Facebook, partially because there are no ads,” said Christophe Pellissier (12).

“But there aren’t as many people on Google+, partially because many people don’t want to bother setting up on another social networking site,” he said.

Though Google+ registration is limited to people 18 years or older, students who use Google+ have ignored the restriction.

The Google+ network is heavily focused on groups of people; its main features are Circles,

17

Students who use iPhone 4 prefer AT&T over Verizon

Sparks, and Hangouts.

Circles are simply customizable groups to put friends in. Each user starts with “Friends,” “Family,” and “Acquaintances” circles.

Sparks are collections of interesting content on a wide variety of subjects. Subscribing to a Spark will allow you to “always have something to watch, read, and share,” said Google Senior VP in Engineering Vic Gundotra in a press release.

Hangouts are rooms for casual chatting – often with video – and content discussion.

Google+ users can post internet content to their homepage, called the Stream, using the “+1” button.

One of the reasons Google+ is growing so quickly is Google’s massive existing user base. Millions of people use Gmail and perform Google searches every day. Google has worked to tie Google+, Google search, and Gmail together.

Google+ posts appear in Google search as of August 12, and sending mail is one of the easiest ways to invite someone to Google+.

However, Google+’s quick rise has come with its share of controversy. Google+ is adamant about users using their real names, and they have suspended accounts using fake names. Additionally, Google+ has claimed Facebook stifles posts containing Google+ invites, while Facebook denies the claims.

As Google continues to build on Google+, whether it can continue its growth remains to be seen.

news editor Of 51 students who use Apple’s iPhone 4 polled by the Winged Post, 46 use AT&T as their service carrier, while 5 use Verizon.

The iPhone 4 was originally released on June 24, 2010, with AT&T as the only available cellphone service provider.

On February 10, 2011, a different model of the iPhone 4 became available, with Verizon as the carrier. Aside from compatibility with Verizon’s network, the Verizon iPhone 4 has no major differences from the AT&T model.

Alumnus and family create startup

New app Wurl allows users to search online video index and follow channels samantha hoffman

chief in training In 2008, alumnus Sean Doherty, Jr. and his father Sean Doherty, Sr. began developing Wurl, an app that allows smartphone users to search and stream videos on their mobile devices.

“Instead of having to search around to find the things you are looking for, it’s a way to express an interest in the things that appeal to you and then have the video pushed to you,” Doherty, Sr. said.

Wurl has undergone several beta tests and many corresponding changes to its original concept since its inception.

“The underlying technology is mostly the same…but the way we present it to consumers is totally different,” Doherty, Jr. said.

“We started with search.”

One of the prototypes was a program that Doherty, Sr. describes as “a Google search but on a smartphone.”

“It worked great, but when we beta-tested it, [people] weren’t jumping up and down about it,” he said.

“When we talked to them about it, what they said was what they really wanted was some kind of a browse experience. It was that ‘entertain me, I’ve got 10 minutes,’ that wasn’t being satisfied.”

Since then, Wurl has evolved into “a searchable index of videos” from multiple sources on the web that can be accessed either online or through the iPhone and Android Wurl app. Featured videos are displayed on the home screen, and users can search for videos either by category or by keywords.

One of the main components of the app is the ability to follow different video channels or streams. When the publisher adds a new video, the “Following” list is updated accordingly.

“It’s almost like your own curated little set of ‘these are my favorite things, and this is what I want to watch.’ When you look at your smartphone, Wurl is right there with your videos,” Doherty, Jr. said.

“The response has been good because we’ve some done tests that people who follow [Wurl] watch somewhere between twenty and forty times as many videos from a publisher than just casual website visitors,” Doherty, Sr. said.

While Wurl has not yet officially launched, Doherty, Sr. and Doherty, Jr. have contacted several publishers to feature videos on their app, a majority of whom are politicians.

“So far, [the politicians] are quite interested in this,” Doherty, Sr. said. “There’s a lot more to it of course because they want people to vote for them, so this is a good tool for them to build up a network of followers. It’s sort of like a closed circuit TV network that’s just theirs.”

Both Doherty, Sr. and Doherty, Jr. are looking at social media and advertisements on publishers’ websites to gain publicity and attract attention to Wurl. The startup held a private launch for a select group of partners and publishers this week and is expected to have its public launch shortly after Labor Day. WURL

NFC:

Innovative mobile payment technology coming soon to US

the Winged Post

Sports 18 Fall sports teams share hopes for the upcoming season August 26, 2011

the Winged Post

emily chu & nikhil dilip reporters

Tennis

Football Coaches: Karriem Stinson, Ray Fowler, Anthony Brown, Ron Forbes, Terence Jackson, Matt Wycoff, Geoff Lundie Senior players: Daanish Jamal, David Fang, Jason Kuan, Zach Ellenberg, David Dominguez, Angad Randhawa, Bradley Araki, Revanth Kosaraju, Aaron Bisla, Avinash Patel, Jun Hee Lee, Partha Vora, Saagar Sarin, Rahul Madduluri, Gerry Glasauer Hopes for this year’s season: “Our goal is to represent our school in CCS, competing for a title year in and year out.”

–Head Coach Karriem Stinson “We want to establish ourselves as a dominant team in our new league and secure a playoff berth.” –Daanish Jamal (12)

Girls Water Polo

Coaches: Craig Pasqua, Jane Keller Senior players: Tanya Piskun, Aranshi Kumar, Nicole Dalal, Jaya Chandra Hopes for this year’s season: “I hope everyone learns to play as a team and not as an individual, has fun, gains new strengths, and competes for our league championship.” –Head Coach Craig Pasqua “I really look forward to having us all bond as a team and win or lose, for us to just have fun in practices and in matches.” –Jenny Chen (11) “I hope we can maintain the family relationship that we had with each other this season. I really felt part of a family when I was with the team.”

–Preeya Mehta (11)

Boys Water Polo

Coaches: Allie Lamb, Amelia Lamb Senior players: Simy Bhagat, Kaitlin Halloran Hopes for this year’s season: “I am very excited for this upcoming season.

Most of the girls played last year, so it will be a good season and we will be able to build upon what we learned last year. […] My hopes are that we can show improvement throughout the year. I hope that we can make it into the finals of our league and end the season with a winning record!” –Head Coach Allie Lamb “I’m basically hoping that all of us accomplish our personal best [...] I think that we’re totally capable of accomplishing at least what we did last year. –Simy Bhagat (12)

Cross Country

Volleyball Coaches: Theresa “Smitty” Smith, Diana Melendez, Christa Conom Senior players: Aura Dave, Alisha Mayor, Lucy Xu Hopes for this year’s season: “I’m excited because I know that because these girls work so hard, they will do some amazing things this season that no one would have expected.” –Head Coach Smitty “My goal as a senior is to get these girls, some of which are freshman, really assimilated into the program and show them how we do things.”

-Aura Dave (12) “My hope for this season is to play as a team and prove we are better than people expect us to be.”

–Lucy Xu (12)

Coaches: Paul Nangle, Brian Dougall Senior players: Nathan Hoffman, Arihant Jain, Charles Levine, Christophe Pellissier, Chun Man Chow, Frederic Enea, Johnny Yet, Max Isenberg, Max Maynard, Nikhil Narayen, Shival Dasu, Proteek Biswas, Akshay Jagadeesh, Priyanka Mody, Sonya Shekhar Hopes for this year’s season: “I think that both teams are going to make it to CCS for sure. At this point, it’s kind of hard to tell where they will place within CCS.” –Head Coach Paul Nangle “By November, I hope the team will be strong and ready for CCS finals even if we don’t go to states as a team.” –Ragini Bhattacharya (11)

Cheerleading

Golf

Coaches: Ted Ujifusa, Victor Adler Senior players: Akshay Ramachandran, Tariq Jahshan, Jason Yu, Jag Kottapalli, Cole Manaster Hopes for this year’s season: “As always, we aim to qualify for CCS and play deep into November. For us, that means winning our league [...] We hope to build upon our success from last year and win the title this year.” – Head Coach Ted Ujifusa “We have the talent and the depth to win league, and we expect nothing less than success. The only thing we have to do is focus and work hard. If we focus and execute properly, given the talent we have, we can definitely win league.” –Karan Das-Grande (11)

Coach: Ie-Chen Cheng Senior player: Karen Wang Hopes for this year’s season: “I am super excited about our prospects. We have a fairly seasoned team this year.” -Head Coach Ie-Chen Cheng “I hope to qualify as a team for CCS because it would be really fun to be at the tournament with all my teammates.” -Patricia Huang (11) “[The golf team] has a pretty strong group of girls as of now, and I hope that we stay strong.”

-Karen Wang (12)

Coach: Jill Bettencourt Senior players: Saira Ahuja, Jessica Lin Hopes for this year’s season: “Our main focus this upcoming year is build our team with more new members and to continue building school spirit by crowd involvement at the games.”-Head Coach Jill Bettencourt “The level of teamwork and commitment is amazing! [...] We do everything from sleepovers to getting up at insane hours of the morning to decorate locker rooms. We also realized at cheer camp that we’re one of the fastest teams when it comes to learning and coordination.

Hoping we can keep that up.” –Jessica Lin (12)

Summer Athletics: Players begin training prior to school year

Eagle Events ADITI ASHOK - WINGED POST

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

ADITI ASHOK - WINGED POST

September Tennis

9/14: Prospect High School 9/20: Castilleja School

Volleyball 9/1: Notre Dame High School San Jose 9/8: San Lorenzo Valley 9/9: Santa Cruz High School 9/14: King’s Academy 9/15: Fremont High School

PRIYANKA SHARMA - WINGED POST

SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST

PRIYANKA SHARMA - WINGED POST

Football

SUMMER TRAINING In the months before school, fall sport athletes trained in different methods for the upcoming season. From left to right:

9/9: Emery High School 9/23: Cochrane High SchoolCanada

Girls Water Polo 9/14: Santa Clara High School 9/22: Lynbrook High School

GIRLS WATER POLO Keri Clifford (11) works on ball handling drills during practice.

BOYS WATER POLO Tariq Jahshan (12) catches a pass from a teammate during an early morning session the week before school started.

Boys Water Polo

FOOTBALL Varsity quarterback Zach Ellenberg (12) throws the ball to Spenser Quash (11) on a Saturday practice.

9/14: Santa Clara High School 9/22: Lynbrook High School

VOLLEYBALL Shreya Dixit (9) goes up to the net to spike the ball during volleyball double days.

FOOTBALL The team joins together for a huddle at the start of practice in order to go over practice for the day.

Golf

CHEERLEADING Jessica Lin (12), Maneesha Panja (10), Nikkan Ghosh (10), and Saira Ahuja (12) pose for a picture after winning various awards as a team and individuals at summer camp in UC Berkeley.

9/19: Castilleja School 9/21: Notre Dame High School San Jose

FOOTBALL Players line up in order to set up for the beginning of a new play.

PRIYANKA SHARMA - WINGED POST

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

CHEERLEADING Saira Ahuja (12) is lifted by her teammates during UCA Stunt Camp.

Cross Country 9/10: Early Bird Invitational at Salinas

August 26, 2011

Sports Caroline Howells (9)

sonia sidhu

SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST

reporter

VOLLEYBALL Caroline Howells (9) sets the ball during preseason practice. After attending Eagle Iron and open gyms during the summer, Caroline earned a spot on the Varsity team as a freshman.

19

Bradley Araki (12)

ATHLETES OF THE SUMMER

SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST

Incoming freshman Caroline Howells started preparing for volleyball season throughout the summer, participating in the Eagle Iron program, open gym, and camps. She balanced volleyball practice and training with her Advanced Programming course as well.

“I definitely had to put in a lot of time for the class so I did have to miss Eagle Iron and open gym sometimes for the class and the homework,” Caroline said. “I really enjoyed doing both this summer.”

The Eagle Iron program lasted from June 13 to July 29 and was run three days a week. Caroline went to about half of the Eagle Iron workouts.

The athletes started the two hour workout with Coach Ron Forbes’ warm up, involving stretching and dynamic movement. After warming up, Caroline worked on volleyball specific skills such as strengthening her upper body in the weight room.

Head volleyball coach Theresa Smith, one of the leaders of the Eagle Iron program, also gave volleyball players the opportunity to play against one other in the gym during the later part of the day.

Caroline also attended open gyms, giving her the opportunity to practice scrimmaging against others. Open gyms were every Monday and Wednesday night and gave athletes the chance to practice with players of the same skill level as themselves.

In addition, Caroline attended Stanford University’s overnight camp for setters, to focus on the special skills she needed to be a setter.

Due to her hard work during the summer, Caroline hopes that she will perform her best during the school year. She also hopes the volleyball team will do well in the upcoming season and place well in league.

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FOOTBALL Bradley Araki (12) runs a sprint at the end of practice. Bradley improved his running time and stamina during Eagle Iron sessions and conditioning camps.

Bradley Araki (12) has been playing football for four years now and is dedicated to the sport.

For Bradley, football was a priority this summer, and he put Eagle Iron workouts and camps above most other commitments.

Bradley attended every Eagle Iron session and practiced about eight hours a week during the mornings as a result. During the sessions, he first warmed up with Coach Forbes and then did some football specific training. Specifically, under the guidance of Coach Anthony Brown, Bradley became a faster runner and sometimes is at the front of the team during sprints.

Bradley attended football camp in the afternoons for four hours a day for a week. His goal was to improve his stamina. He also felt that going to camp helped the team have a better dynamic and be more cohesive, so they could work together as a unit.

Bradley also went to football conditioning week from August 8 to 11, so he could further improve his game and get workout advice from the coaches.

Football double day practices started on August 15 and were from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. As a senior and leader on the team, Bradley not only attended each practice but also served as an example to his teammates.

“I’m very, very, very proud of him, to the point where tears come to my eyes,” head coach Karriem Stinson said. “He leads by example.”

Bradley thinks that his extra practice will pay off during the season and hopes that the team makes it to the playoffs.

New coaches join football, volleyball, and water polo teams nikhil dilip

reporter As fall sports teams start to play their first few games after weeks of practice sessions, three new coaches join: Diana Melendez, Varsity Volleyball Assistant Coach; Anthony Brown, Varsity Football Assistant Coach; and Amelia Lamb, Varsity Water Polo Assistant Coach.

Diana Melendez: Volleyball Coach Diana Melendez joins the Girls’ Volleyball Team as an Assistant Coach of the Varsity team after coach-

ing volleyball at the middle school last year.

Having prior experience in both coaching and playing volleyball, Melendez hopes to bring her knowledge of the game and introduce them to new concepts and strategies.

“As a former player, [I bring] an understanding of what is required these days to make a college team, what college coaches are looking for in players, and tools in staying fit, injury-free, and healthy during the offseason,” she said.

She is particularly excited about seeing the team’s growth from the first

practice to the last game, as she notes that the seniors’ leadership is an important factor in the team’s success.

“Moving forward, [their camaraderie] is going to be their strength and what will keep each one motivated and working hard for each other,” she said.

Anthony Brown: Football A former football player and coach himself, Anthony Brown joins the football team as an Assistant Coach, a position that he previously served while at Archbishop Mitty High School.

Brown has played football for over

Eagle alumni updates

Rapson and Martin soar to new heights trisha jani & sonia sidhu

Colby Rapson: Crew Alumna Colby Rapson (’10) with UC Berkeley’s freshman rowing squad won the Henley Royal Regatta Temple Challenge Cup on July 3 after defeating the Netherlands’ team by four and a half lengths.

The Temple Challenge Cup took place on June 29 through July 3 in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames.

“It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It was a goal that I never dreamed I could accomplish.” Colby said.

During the tournament, the freshman team broke the Barrier and Fawley records with times of 1.46 and 3.00, respectively.

Both records have not been broken since 1995.

In addition to this victory, the team also won the Pac-10 championship in May, as well as the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship in June. The team currently stands undefeated.

Additionally, Colby is the first female coxswain to be recruited by the team.

“It is cool to be the first one paving the way for other coxswains at my school. To be the first recruited is such an amazing thing,” she said.

Prior to joining UC Berkeley’s team, Colby rowed for the Los Gatos Rowing Club, where she set the 100,000-meter team world record. In 2010, she placed sixth in varsity championships and eighth at national championships. Colby acknowledges that participating in a sport is difficult, but she encourages students to do so.

“Stick through it,” she said. “High school is tough; manage your time and do a sport, especially if it is outside school. It is definitely worth it.”

Jason Martin: Baseball On San Jose State University (SJSU) men’s baseball senior night, alumnus Jason Martin (’07) was recognized for his added significance to the team. Throughout his four years with the Spartans, Jason, an outfielder, has been recognized for his contributions both on and off the field.

Jason is the program’s all-time career leader in hits (277), runs scored (174), games played (236), at bats (832) and hit by pitch (65). In the 2011 season, he was one of two players to appear in all 61 games. Of those, he started in 53. Jason was also the second toughest batter of the team, strik-

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

reporters

ALUMNI Colby Rapson (‘10) and Jason Martin (‘07) participate in collegiate level competitions in their respective sports. These athletes plan to continue their athletic involvement through college.

ing out only 14 times throughout the entire season.

Jason had a .373 batting average during his junior year at SJSU and a .273 average his senior year. During his sophomore year, his team earned a Western Athletic Conference title.

“It feels like I accomplished something,” Jason said. “Going into SJSU, I definitely didn’t expect it, but I played hard and tried to focus on each day at a time.”

Jason displays similar excellence in his studies. During both his 2010 and 2011 seasons, he was named to the second-team Capital One Academic All-District 8 baseball team. Jason has also received an Academic All-WAC three times.

Additionally, he has been named a San Jose State University Scholar-Athlete his past four years at college.

“Harker really helped me out [with balancing academics and sports],” Jason said.

“Harker had lots of academics, plus I was on football and baseball, so that prepared me for college.”

Jason is currently majoring in psychology, with a minor in kinesiology. He is interested in becoming a physical education teacher and a high school coach.

twenty years, starting as a child and continuing all the way up to college. He acknowledges both the coaches and the players for helping him adjust to the new coaching position.

“The transition has been pretty smooth. I love the kids because they always listen, and they work hard [...]

They’re always eager to learn,” he said.

He specializes in helping the receivers, and he commends the passing game and passing defense as the team’s strengths. According to Brown, the team itself has grown closer through the double days practice sessions that

began in the middle of August.

“At first, it was kind of shaky because a lot of guys didn’t play last year, so they were trying to fight their way and fight for positions. Now, we know each other a lot better, and it’s going to help us throughout the season,” he said.

“As each practice goes on, we’re growing as a team and as a family, so we’re learning about each other much more.”

Amelia Lamb: Water Polo Lamb could not be contacted for an interview. However, she will be an active member of the water polo team.

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August 26, 2011 the Winged Post

The Back Page

“

My biggest fear [of this year] is being late to classes, but I like that we have more freedom.

- Julia Wang (9) I’m looking forward to the new things [that we didn’t have last year] and to meeting new people.

- Namrata Vakkalagadda (10)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Richard Fan (11) laughs at Dean of Students Kevin Williamson’s presentation on dress code rules during the first school meeting of the year. He not only reiterated old rules but also introduced new ones such as the prohibition of all flip flops including Rainbows.The meeting informed students of the new rules and the changes for this year.

[This year] is a lot about privileges and there’s also a lot of opportunities for mentorship and I really like teaching the young’uns.

- Max Isenberg (12)

”

MERCEDES CHIEN -- THE WINGED POST

I think the classes I’m taking are going to be really interesting. I really just want to hang out with my friends and have fun this year.

- Amy Gendotti (11)