Winged Post Vol 13 No 6

FEATURES, page 9

SPRING FASHION, page 11

Interview with San Jose Mayor

Trending styles for spring

TECH, page 17

Stem cells used to slow aging in mice

Winged Post Friday, March 2, 2012

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 13, NO.6

500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

AP Studio Art holds exhibition meena chetty & allison sun

TALONWP managing editor & editor

ART SHOW, page 3

On March 1, the school was successful in bidding on the 4525 Union Avenue property, which will become the third campus.

According to an email announcement made by Head of School Chris Nikoloff, details of the purchase will not be finalized until the summer.

Nikoloff said that acquiring this campus is a major milestone for the school.

“Over the long haul, eventually unwinding from the lease of Blackford and moving onto three campuses is a lot more secure,” he said.

He plans to keep the community updated as decisions are settled

Journalists recognized

ALLISON SUN AND VASUDHA RENGARAJAN - WINGED POST

During lunch on Wednesday, February 29, AP Studio Art students showcased their pieces at the Art Exhibition Reception in Nichols Hall, which featured artwork of various mediums that ranged from sculptures to photography.

AP Studio Art is offered in 3D, taught by Jaap Bongers, and 2D, taught by Pilar Aguero-Esparza. The students were reviewed prior to being accepted into the classes to ensure that they had sufficient artistic aptitude for the course.

Bongers had taught many of his AP students previously in the Study of Visual Arts class. His appreciation for teaching art comes from watching his students develop over the course of their art career.

He hopes that the art show will “jumpstart [students’] understanding of art,” especially for people who do not normally have the opportunity to read art magazines or visit museums frequently.

“A lot of people don’t get to [visit art exhibits], but to see an exhibition of art in school, for some of them, is more serious exposure to art,” Bongers said.

Each of the student artists chose a theme that recurred throughout their works and wrote a statement that explained their inspiration for the exhibition.

Successful new campus bid

STUDIO ART Students and faculty visit the AP Studio Art exhibition in Nichols Atrium during long lunch on Wednesday, February 29. Featured student works were created in media ranging from photography to sculpture to drawing and expressed unique themes chosen by the artists themselves.

STEM week combines science and charity darian edvalson & allison sun TALONWP editors

This week, WiSTEM and 14 other clubs hosted Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Week (STEM) to raise funds for charitable causes, spark interest in those topics, and increase awareness of global problems.

“The main goal is to get participation for the activities and [for] people to enjoy the science activities that we’re putting on,” WiSTEM president Ramya Rangan (12) said.

STEM Week featured activities held by a specific club each day during lunch. Similar to participating in spirit competitions, classes were able to earn points from the activities. The class with the most points will be able to support the charitable organization of its choice.

The senior and junior classes would support organizations centered on medical science: Operation Smile, which focuses on cleft palate surgery, and Limbs for Love, an organization that sponsors

prosthetic patients, respectively. The sophomore class would support education for African girls through Camfed, whereas the freshman class would support the HIV/AIDS Alliance.

WiSTEM kicked off the week by posting trivia questions each day on the daily bulletin and distributing science-related crossword puzzles on Monday.

Class competitions continued the following day with Robotics Club’s Robot Mario Kart Race, which was not completed due to the robots running out of battery. On Wednesday, students browsed various science booths, the most popular being the liquid nitrogen-frozen flowers and bananas, at the WiSTEM fair, while enjoying cookies and ice cream provided in the gym.

“It [was] great,” Richard Min (10) said. “I really enjoyed the experiments because they were really interesting, but I wish there was more.”

Interscholastic Gaming League hosted the Gaming Extravaganza on Thursday, and the Chemistry Magic Show led by Chemistry Club during today’s lunch will conclude this week’s activities.

Aside from encouraging students to participate in the activities, the secondary goal of the week was to raise funds for the cause chosen by the class that earned the most points. Hoping to raise approximately $1,500, WiSTEM sold baked goods, wristbands, sweatshirts, and T-shirts throughout the week.

For many students, STEM Week allowed them to pursue their interests outside of the classroom.

“Harker is known for students who win national-level math competitions and do university-style science research, but I think this week is important to remind us that those aren’t the real goals of pursuing science. Instead, we [do those things because] we’re simply curious and motivated [...],” WiSTEM member Zareen Choudhury (10) said. “STEM Week will [...] bring together our community based on this passion we share.”

After this week, WiSTEM will continue to fundraise for these causes throughout the year, with tentative events including a possible faculty luncheon and a fundraiser at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.

TALONWP.com, the online publication of the journalism program, was one of 18 high school finalists for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Crown Award, and one of 31 finalists for the 2012 National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Online Pacemaker Contest.

“I was honored to be in the company of all those other established and high-quality online publications,” online editor in chief Jackie Jin (12) said. “We were doing a lot of new stuff with the program this year, and I’m really glad that everyone’s work was recognized.”

According to official press releases, the CSPA will award Gold and Silver Crowns on March 18, and the NSPA will announce winners of the Pacemaker on April 14.

DECA conference results

From February 23 to 26, around 40 members of HBC competed in the DECA state conference in Irvine. 29 students placed in their events, and nine qualifed for Internationals.

Qualifiers from this conference, all juniors, were Kevin Lin and Michaela Kastelman, who both placed first; Emily Wang, who placed third; Preeya Mehta and Patricia Huang, who placed third as a team; Rachel Yanovsky and Tiphaine Delepine, who placed fourth as a team; and Aneesh Chona and Reyhan Kader, who also placed fourth as a team.

In order to qualify, students had to place in the top three or four in their respective events.

They will next compete in the DECA International Career Development Conference from April 28 to May 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mittelstet: A lifetime of grace, love, and literature

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

editor in chief & asst. editor in chief

MITTELSTET During a vacation in the mountains many years ago, Sharron Mittelstet poses with her husband and daughter. A memorial service will be held for her on Saturday, March 10.

On February 2, 2012, longtime English teacher Sharron Mittelstet passed away at home from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. She was 67.

Mittelstet first joined the faculty in the 1992-1993 school year as a Middle School English instructor; in 1998, the second year of the Upper School, she began teaching high school English. Loving the links between literature and the silver screen, she authored and taught the Literature into Film senior elective.

Her friends, family, students, and colleagues remember her as a gracious, witty, and gentle lady who loved her students and the act of teaching.

Throughout her time at this school, she was always incredibly conscientious. According to her

husband, John, she would spend “way more time than [he] could imagine” critiquing each student’s essay and often stayed up until 2 a.m. working.

She put the same kind of dedication into recommendation letters and midterm comments; every year, many students would solicit her for letters, and she would spend hours upon hours writing them.

“She wouldn’t take a ‘one size fits all’ approach because she really loved [her students],” her husband said.

Her care for her students was evident to friends as well. Her friend Dresden Erickson said, “Once September started, we’d only see her at Thanksgiving again, because of the amount of time she put into teaching and dedicating it to her students.”

She did not entirely lack downtime, though. She adored

magical realist Latin-American literature—Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera and Isabel Allende’s Eva Luna were among

“

She was the person I confided in.

For me, she was the heart of the school.

“

priyanka mody & michelle deng

Dr. Erin Redfern, English teacher

her favorite novels. She went to the movies nearly every Friday. She enjoyed gardening. And she went on Burger King runs with Assistant to Head of School Linda Brearley.

“We’d take off during long

lunches on Wednesdays and talk about life and eat hamburgers, and she’d always say, ‘Ah! The perfect food,’” Brearley said. Once, when Mittelstet was in the earlier stages of her illness, Brearley brought her a hamburger, and “she said still the same thing: ‘Ah! The perfect food.’”

All in all, Mittelstet was an inspiration. For English teacher Dr. Erin Redfern, Mittelstet was “the heart of the school.”

She said, “[Mittelstet’s] dedication to teaching and her involvement with her students and her enjoyment of teaching some of the texts like The Scarlet Letter or some of the really gory, violent films she liked so much—that was what defined, for me, how to be a good teacher. She was my teaching mentor, and now it just feels like this big vacancy where the heart should be.”

REMEMBERING, page 8

the Winged Post

Admins move exams an Finals: hour later this semester Tue - PM 6/5/12 12 pm - 2 pm

Wed - AM 6/6/12 9 am - 11 am

Wed - PM 6/6/12 12 pm - 2 pm

Math

History

Foreign Language

Science

English 1, CS, Misc

English 2 & 3

World History 2 US History

French 1 French 2 French 3 Honors French 3 French 4

Physics Honors Physics

English 1 Honors English 1

English 2 Honors English 2

Chemistry Honors Chemistry

Adv Programming Programming

English 3 Honors English 3

Biology Honors Biology

Economics

Japanese 1 Japanese 2 Japanese 3 Honors Japanese 3 Japanese 4 Honors Japanese 4 Latin 1 Latin 2 Latin 3 Honors Latin 3 Latin 4 Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Honors Spanish 2 Spanish 3 Honors Spanish 3 Spanish 4

apurva gorti

reporter The administration announced that the spring semester final exams will be scheduled one hour later than they have been in the past.

The change will push all exams one hour later into the day: early exams will begin at 8 a.m. instead of 9 a.m., and late exams will begin at 12 p.m. and 11 a.m.

After speaking with Upper School alumni, Upper School Head Butch Keller realized that many former students thought improvements could be made to the finals schedule. Student council members also brought up the topic to Keller and Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson during the ASB retreat.

“It’s such a killer getting there by [eight] in the morning and you don’t have time to study, and [it would be better] if we had a little bit longer and if we could eat lunch closer to the normal lunch time, that sort of thing came up in conversation,” Keller said. “So then, students and I put our heads together to figure out what would be a good plan.”

Keller began discussing with both students and teachers about the potential impacts of a change and the logistics of actually putting the plan into action.

“I think it’s being made with the students’ best interests at heart.

I come from an environment where I was in high school we actually had v2, updated 01/30/12

three final exams per day,” math teacher Troy Thiele said, regarding the schedule change. “So, I think it’s kind of nice to give students an extra hour to study, and hopefully they’ll be better prepared and excel in their tests and give teachers an easier time when correcting.”

After getting positive responses from several different teachers, Keller proceeded to discuss the change with students.

“This is something for the students, so I got student input from as many students as I thought would be sincere in looking at it from all sides.

Of course it had to go through the administration, and since it also affects teachers, them as well,” Keller said.

This semester is a trial for the new schedule, and if students respond well, the new final exam times could become the norm for future spring semesters.

“I love it, because it means I get to sleep in! It’s nice because finals time is always stressful, and people stay up later than they should, so getting that extra hour of sleep is really important, “ Apricot Tang (11) said.

While some are excited for the extra hour, other students feel indifferently towards it, thinking that one hour alone will not make much of a difference.

“By that time, you’ve either studied or you haven’t,” Pooja Chirala (10) said.“One hour is not going to change that.”

Upper School Robotics team finishes build season for FIRST Competition emily lin reporter

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

From March 14 to 17, members of the Upper School Robotics team will travel to UC Davis to compete at the regional division of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition.

After a six-week long “build season,” students finished constructing a robot capable of performing a series of tasks presented in the contest.

This year’s challenge requires robots to pick up foam basketballs and shoot them into hoops of different heights from 12 feet away. To meet these accuracy requirements, the team purchased and developed precision machining components.

“We were able to create a robot with a high level of precision that not only looks professional, but also performs quite well in just six weeks,” Christophe Pellissier (12) said.

ROBOT The Upper School’s robot rests in front of the team banner.

The Upper School’s team, 1072, will compete in the FIRST competition from March 14 to 17.

According to team captain Jay Reddy (12), the software sub-team, in particular, proved to be integral to this year’s robot. In the past, the robot’s navigation was done entirely using manual controls, while this year’s software allows the robot to see a ball on the field and find the most efficient path to it.

Overall, many members felt that the electrical, software, and mechanical sub-teams were able to work together successfully and efficiently.

“I’m most proud of the way [that] the entire team [was] able to cohesively function as a group and continually improve upon previous designs,” first-year member Brian Tuan (10) said.

More members have been able to participate this year due to better training and a change of software from LabVIEW to Java and C++, according to Preethi Periyakoil (10).

However, the team also faced several obstacles in the building process. Strict weight requirements, time constraints, and a shortage of materials challenged the team to prioritize its activities.

“We have to choose […] which [tasks] are the highest priority, and deciding to do one part of the game but not another is probably one of the hardest choices that we have to make,” Jay said.

Nonetheless, the team is very optimistic about its performance this year.

“The electrical, programming, and mechanical [components] all came together, [and] we got a lot of time for practice and debugging that we didn’t in previous years,” Jay said. “This is definitely the best robot we’ve had since 2005 [when] we made it to nationals.”

If the team qualifies, it will compete at the championship event will be held from April 25 to 28 in St. Louis, Missouri.

On February 25, six student teams participated in the Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) competition at Stanford University and won awards in both the underclassman and upperclassman divisions.

The senior team placed first in the upperclassman division, while the mixed class team placed third in the same division. The sophomore team placed first in the underclassman division.

TEAMS, previously known as Junior Engineering and Technical Society ( JETS), is an annual competition that encourages the pursuit of science and engineering in high school students. Teams of up to eight students compete in either the division for freshmen and sophomores or the division for juniors and seniors.

TEAMS faculty advisor and math teacher Anthony Silk had very high expectations going into the contest based upon past results.

“Usually, we place in the top five in the state,” he said. “We also do very well nationally.” He added that a few years ago, the school was ranked first in the nation.

However, Silk is not entirely focused on results.

“My hope is that [the students] do their best. That’s all I ever hope for.

And that they also have fun,” he said.

The contests are divided into two parts, a multiple-choice portion and a short answer portion; team members can collaborate on both portions. According to the TEAMS website, the multiple-choice portion is designed to test teams’ mathematics and science skills, and the short answer is designed to test critical thinking skills.

Each year, the Upper School sponsors six teams: one team of all

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Tue - AM 6/5/12 9 am - 11 am

Mandarin 1 Mandarin 2 Honors Mandarin 3

rahul jayaraman

BREAK During the break between the two rounds of the competition, Ramya Rangan (12), Katie Siegel (12), and Patrick Yang (12) relax. Six teams from the Upper School competed; three placed in the top three in their respective divisions.

freshmen, one of all sophomores, one of all juniors, one of all seniors, and two mixed-grade teams. According to Silk, teams are formed based on recommendations from math and science teachers about students’ potential, grades and in-class performance. The school has not sponsored any additional teams, even though schools may send up to eight teams per division.

Students in the past few years who did not make the “official” school teams have formed their own teams and entered the competition. This year, the “unofficial” freshman team placed third in the competition, while the school-sponsored one did not place.

When asked about these results, Silk declined to comment.

David Lin (9), a member of the freshmen’s unofficial team, said he went to the contest to enjoy himself.

“I had a lot of great teammates, and it was just really easy to work with

them throughout the competition. We went out there to have fun, and we’re just glad we did so well,” he said.

Some students noticed that this year’s contest was differed markedly from last year’s.

“I felt that this year a greater emphasis was placed on statistics compared to last year, in which the most difficult problem was largely accounting,” Vikram Sundar (10) said.

Seniors used their previous three years of experience to their advantage.

“My experiences in the last three years definitely helped this year. After freshmen year, we knew what to expect and were able to prepare by doing research before,” Lucy Cheng said.

Based upon the multiple-choice section of the contest, the teams are also competing on state and national levels. The results for those will be announced later this month and in April, respectively.

Quiz Bowl: Seniors move to Semis william chang & nikhil dilip news editor & TALONWP editor On February 26, seniors Max Isenberg, Ananth Subramaniam, and Evan Yao defeated Westmoor High School 930 – 165 in a televised Quiz Kids game to advance to the semifinals.

The team is now 2 – 1, having lost to Bellarmine and won against Stuart Hall High School. Every team in the region except us and Bellarmine will play in a round robin tournament, and the winner will play us in a semifinal game. The winner of that game will play Bellarmine, which earned a bye to DOMINATION Seniors Ananth Subramaniam, Max Isenberg, and Evan Yao the finals. smiled as they blazed through Sunday’s match against Westmoor. They defeated “Our victory over Westmoor was the other team with a final score of 930 -165; this game marks their second win. a vindication of our team. Our early Quiz Kids champion and defeated our season loss to Bellarmine took some force to be reckoned with.”

Th e team practices every Wednesschool 870 – 360 in October. wind out of us, but just going out day and attributes its victory to its “We can hopefully be competitive there and beating another team demtraining. against Bellarmine; we’ve improved onstrates that we deserve to be in the “After so many hours of practice over the years,” Quiz Bowl Coach semifinals, that we really are one of and all these years of studying, we Bradley Stoll said. “We have as much the best teams in the region,” the team have put together our knowledge and knowledge as Bellarmine, but we’re not captain Max said. “It was a rewarding showed that we can compete against as fast, so it’ll be a good game.” experience and showed to the audience The team will play its semifinal and the people on TV that we are one the top teams,” Evan said.

Bellarmine is the defending game on April 22. of the best teams in the region and a

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Mon - PM 6/4/12 12 pm - 2 pm

World History 1 Honors World History 1

Students win awards at TEAMS contest reporter

Final Exams - June 2012 Mon - AM 6/4/12 9 am - 11 am

Algebra 1 Algebra 2/Trig Calculus Geometry Honors Algebra 2/Trig Honors Geometry Honors Linear Alg Honors Precalculus Precalculus

News

Science Fair emily chu reporter

On March 7, 37 students will be presenting their research and engineering projects for judging at the Synopsys Championship held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

The Synopsys Championship is a high school science fair competition hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association. Students enter their work as either a science experiment or an engineering design project.

“I always thought [research] was a cool thing to do: to take a concept and turn it into a fully executed project. I had tried participating in the competition before, but I was never able to decide on a project or my project idea would scale out of control into something way too complicated,” Sarika Bajaj (10) said. “I have gained a lot from the research experience, but I hope I can learn how to talk to explain my project simply and coherently at Synopsys.”

Students’ projects will be judged

EMILY CHU -- WINGED POST

2

march 2, 2012

LAB Sriram Somasundaram (9) uses the spectrometer for his research. Students conduct experiments for their research projects in preparation for the Synopsys Championship on March 7 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

based on creativity, thoroughness, skill, and scientific thought for awards ranging from merit prizes to a chance to compete in the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh during May. Those who wanted to participate in the competition signed up with Research instructor Chris Spenner. Most of his introductory Research class and past and current Advanced Research

students will be attending the event.

“I hope the students have already gained most of what they are going to gain through the process of doing the research. The benefit of Synopsys is to experience the portion of science that is about sharing work with the larger community, other scientists and students,” Spenner said. “Awards are nice, but the real value is enjoying the experience of sharing their work.”

3 Upper School praised in reaccreditation evaluation march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

News

michelle deng asst. editor in chief The Visiting Accreditation Committee that came last month to evaluate the school for reaccreditation has presented to the faculty an overwhelming number of commendations, along with a few recommendations.

Feedback was based in part on their observations during their visit and in part on the Self

Study that the school conducted last year in preparation for the reaccreditation process.

According to Head of School Chris Nikoloff, the accreditation team “honestly meant” all their praise.

In particular, they noted the intellectual vitality of the students. Quoting the school’s self study report, they commended “students at every level for their curiosity, hard work, positive behavior and high level of achievement, and acceptance

and support of the wide range of interests, talents, and accomplishments of their classmates.”

They likewise applauded the faculty “for their commitment to professional growth and development […] and for the care they show for their students.”

However, the committee did comment on a few areas that had room for improvement, including the struggle to work with parents to encourage a healthy balance among academics, extracurricu-

lar activities, and physical and emotional wellbeing. They also recommended that the school continue its long-term goals, such as the building of the new gym and performing arts facilities and the purchase of a third campus.

The accreditation team visited and analyzed the three campuses between January 29 and February 1. The school will find out in April whether it has earned a three-year or a six-year term of accreditation.

Siemens: Two seniors receive National AP Award meena chetty

TALONWP managing editor On February 6, seniors Albert Wu and Ramya Rangan were named the 2011 recipients for the national Siemens Award for Advanced Placement in exams related to mathematics and science.

To qualify for the title, one must earn the greatest number of fives in the nation on the one to five AP rubric in eight math and science exams.

Students with the same number of fives are then compared based on their composite scores for each exam.

“

The award reflects the determination and character of Ramya and Albert.

”

Butch Keller, Upper School Head

The Siemens Foundation gave this award to the top 101 students in the country this year. Typically, two students, one male and one female, are recognized as having the highest scores. This is the first time in the award’s history since the Siemens Foundation began honoring two na-

ALL PHOTOS MEENA CHETTY -- WINGED POST

AP EXAMS Seniors Ramya Rangan (left) and Albert Wu (right) were the two students given National Siemens AP Awards this year for their scores in math and science AP exams. Both have long expressed interest in STEM fields.

tional winners that both are from the same state, as well as the same school.

Albert and Ramya received a $5,000 scholarship prize, while all other winners received $2,000. “[The award] reflects more on the determination and the character of Ramya and Albert. There are a lot of smart people in this world, but there are few who use it to the best of their ability,” Upper School Division Head Butch Keller said. “I think Harker is just a great place to facilitate […] what they want to do.”

Ramya said that she previously knew about the award, so receiving the California state title was not a surprise; however, she did not expect to win the national title. By the end of high school, she will have taken 17 AP exams, eight of which are related

to mathematics or science.

Her initial interest in the subjects stemmed from when she was younger and completed math problem sets on her own.

“The ability to do a lot of things and be able to impress my parents [and] impress myself was kind of appealing. That’s why I started on it,” she said. “Then, eventually I started to realize that math and science were pretty cool beyond just that competitive aspect.”

Ramya appreciates AP classes for the depth that they provide. She found AP Physics C to be one of her most difficult classes, yet the challenge is what made the course one of her favorites as well.

“The great thing about APs is that they make sure they cover some-

what the breadth of the field. I feel like I’ll be better prepared with these subjects in college,” she said.

Albert, like Ramya, was not expecting to be honored as a national top scorer. He has taken 14 AP tests to date, and will take two more at the end of this year. Nine of his exams are math or science related.

Albert’s love of problem solving was his motivating factor to explore the subjects on a deeper level.

“I think I’ve always wanted to keep learning. If there’s something I have trouble with or something I didn’t really know how to do, I’ve always wanted to pursue it further and really learn it in depth,” he said.

He has found that taking such a broad range of AP classes has allowed him to expand and develop the way he thinks.

“I think [AP classes] really helped me develop my logical reasoning and critical thinking skills,” he said. “I think it’s not so much about the number of APs or anything like that. I think it’s more how they help you think.”

Both Ramya and Albert plan to use their scholarship money towards college and hope to continue to pursue math and science at the collegiate level.

On March 7, Jeniffer HarperTaylor, President of the Siemens Foundation, and Diane Tsukamaki, Director at the College Board, will come to the Upper School to present both students with the award.

GEO Multicultural Assembly to occur in mid-March sindhu ravuri & mariam sulakian reporters

From Bollywood dance to classical Chinese songs, GEO’s Multicultural Assembly will have it all. According to the club, the assembly’s main purpose is to emphasize and appreciate the vast number of ethnic cultures that are present in our school community.

With the event happening on March 30, preparations are being made as quickly as possible.

Partnering with the Hoscars organizers, the GEO committee held joint auditions during the end of January and beginning of February in an effort to garner sufficient acts for the show. Although progress was initially gradual, plans eventually picked up speed.

“We have identified acts, we have emcees, […] and at this point [all] we have to do [is] a little bit of arranging,” GEO adviser Ramsay Westgate said.

The assembly is intended to give students a chance to support the diverse ethnic backgrounds of their peers.

Blood Drive

Annual Red Cross Club event to occur on Tuesday allison kiang & apoorva rangan reporters On Tuesday, March 6, the Red Cross Club will hold its annual blood drive in the gym, collecting pints of blood to donate to the Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP).

For several years, Red Cross has set up the blood drive through BCP. “[BCP is] reliable and organized, and they’ve provided [us] with a lot of posters, wristbands, and other advertising materials,” club officer Alan Soetikno (11) said.

A non-profit organization, BCP has a number of centers throughout the Bay Area, which help supply blood to over 50 hospitals with more than 130,000 pints of blood each year, according to its website. A pint of blood can aid up to three patients.

“In the end, we just want to save lives, and every pint of blood really makes a difference,” club member Nitya Mani (9) said.

In order to donate blood, potential donors must meet BCP’s requirements for age, height, weight, and medical condition.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” Tara Rezvani (11) said. “I tried last year, but I didn’t qualify […]. It’s easy for me to help.”

While the BCP website states only 16-year-olds need parental permission to participate, Red Cross Club requires all student donors to have a permission slip because the consent forms include parent-pertinent information. Potential donors are deferred for one

Art Show

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST ARCHIVES

DONORS Daniel Wang (11) and Tina Crnko (12) donate blood during last year’s blood drive. This year, the event will occur the upcoming Tuesday.

year if they have traveled to countries with malaria, including India. Prospective athlete donors are also advised to consult with their coach.

“Any athletic performance that is aerobic requires enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body,” Director of Nursing Services Debra Nott said. “When you give blood, you’re going to lose a good percentage of your red blood cells, so you’re going to lose some aerobic [stamina].”

While students will not be permitted to donate without signed consent and an appointment, parents and faculty are encouraged to participate by signing up or walking in.

“Our blood drive goal is to get 50 pints of blood,” club president Preeya Mehta (11) said.

“We have about 60 signups, which is an improvement from past years.”

Those interested in donating can sign up for the blood drive through members and via email to redcrossclub@gmail.com.

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

For AP Studio Art student Max Maynard (12), who displayed graphic art designs, the art show was a source of motivation. Basing his ideas on daily occurrences, he created pieces that symbolize significant stages of life. He appreciates being able to find his own themes in AP Studio Art rather than having to complete a project based on an assignment.

“What I like a lot about [my art] is that when the viewer sees it, they fill in the gaps around it,” he said.

Max created his artwork using a tablet that could be plugged into his computer, enabling him to draw clear lines and facilitate creating graphic designs.

Likewise, inspirations for Kathryn Wolfson (12), who has taken art classes since middle school and currently specializes in 3D, come from her daily experiences with the organic

world. She used mediums such as clay, plaster, and alabaster stone to form sculptures that resemble natural forms, such as the flow of water. “[My inspiration is] mainly from what I see. I see something, and I think of it in abstract form, so if it’s angular, I’ll think of a 3D angular form of it that’s abstract,” she said.

For Kathryn, the annual art show is her favorite aspect of everything art related.

While many students who visited the show were inspired to pursue art in the future, some students, including Monika Lee (10), were already planning on taking AP Studio Art. “I’d like to try all mediums, but I’m probably going to end up with drawing,” she said.

Bongers hopes that the art exhibition will allow the community to embrace the idea that “art is actually a philosophical expression of what is happening in society.”

4 Members to be inducted into honor society

News

march 2, 2012

the Winged Post

Harry Hamburg to present at ceremony GOP Update: Romney leads mercedes chien photo editor The Quill and Scroll International Honor Society (Q&S) will hold its fifth annual induction ceremony this afternoon in the Nichols Auditorium to honor the 12 new members who will join the 13 students who were inducted last year.

Membership in Q&S, an organization made to recognize high school students for their accomplishments in journalism, depends not only on the students’ outstanding achievements in their respective publication but also on their grade point average and academic performance.

“We do so much work in journalism on a daily basis, [so Quill and Scroll

is] a great way to recognize [us] for the things that [we] have done,” said Pavitra Rengarajan (12), Q&S Chapter President. “[It also] symbolizes how they are going to put forth that much effort in the future years.”

Prior to the actual induction, center stage will be given to the key note speaker of the night, Associated Press photojournalist Harry Hamburg, who will prepare a surprise presentation for the audience. “[Harry Hamburg] is bound to be exciting [since] we have a close relationship with him, and he’s always really […] full of energy,” Pavitra said.

Hamburg visited twenty-three student journalists during their summer excursion to Europe, where he presented a slideshow of his top photos and discussed the background to each one. Aside from the photos featured in the AP archive, he also takes more lighthearted shots, which he affectionately refers to as “happy snaps.”

During that casual meeting between Hamburg and the students, his buoyant but determined personality showed through his carefree dialogue and jokes. His old-school style warmed his way into the hearts of many high schoolers who were in awe of his work.

Recently, Hamburg travelled to Africa with mathematics teacher Mary Mortlock while she visited Rose, a Tanzanian girl whose school uniform and tuition are being sponsored by the Mortlocks. Today during sixth period

lunch, Hamburg will recount his experience in Africa in the Nichols Auditorium.

As for the ceremony, after Hamburg’s speech, all the editors-in-chief of each publication, The Winged Post, Talon, and TalonWP, will say a few words regarding their personal involvement in journalism. Pavitra will conclude the ceremony with closing remarks.

“

We do so much work in journalism [...], so [Quill and Scroll] is a great way to recognize [us].

”

Pavitra Rengarajan (12)

Students and parents alike are invited to attend the induction ceremony.

Preparing to be inducted today, Nikhil Dilip (10) describes the feeling of being recognized for the number of countless hours he works for journalism.

He said, “it’s a nice feeling to be honored for my journalistic efforts, and even though I have only been in journalism for one and a half years, I have learned a lot, and I hope to continue [growing] as a journalist.”

emily chu reporter

In February, Rick Santorum began putting pressure on Mitt Romney by grabbing several wins and closing the gap in the polls, but Romney still held the lead at the end of the month.

Although Romney and Newt Gingrich dominated the race in January, Santorum seemed to garner attention this month. Santorum swept the Missouri primary and the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses, while Romney won the Arizona and Michigan primaries and the Nevada, Maine, Wisconsin, Wyoming caucuses. February wrapped up with Santorum rising in the polls, but Romney still having a slight lead in the GOP ballot support.

“The top four [Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, and Ron Paul] all bring a different feel to the race. [Romney’s] ideas for running the economy are very private-sector-based,” David Dominguez (12) said. “Since he has done quite well in his businesses, I think he has a edge on the others with his success. However, a lot of people view it negatively

since he is a millionaire, and not many can relate to that.”

Despite Santorum’s rising popularity, some still believe Romney holds a steady lead, especially after his recent two triumphs in this past week’s primaries and caucuses.

“I honestly do not think that Santorum is a serious candidate.

He’s more like a third party and the race is more between Romney and Gingrich,” Mary Liu (10) said.

Key debate topics centered on social, economic, and cultural issues that ranged from health insurance to same sex marriage.

“I find [the debates] interesting. They highlight many key issues,” David Grossman (11) said. “Romney has been flip-flopping a lot, but I liked how Santorum, rather than giving a lot of sound bite, actually explains his unpopular decisions.”

The next 10 elections will be held on Super Tuesday, March 6; California’s primary is scheduled for June 5.

MITTROMNEY.COM

Breakfast for Students program has begun in the Edge reporter After starting the first week of sales on Tuesday, February 21, the Breakfast for Students program has sold a total of 75 tickets in Manzanita Hall, and around 30 have already been redeemed.

The kitchen staff provides foods such as cheese sticks, boiled eggs, muffins, bagels, donuts, juice, cereals, toast, and fruit salad.

Students can get breakfast by buying a three-dollar ticket at the snack bar in Manzanita Hall whenever it is open. The ticket must be bought before the redeeming day and can be used any morning.

ASB Treasurer Kevin Lin (11) initiated this student project because he felt it would improve student lifestyles.

“I thought that if the school provided breakfast, it would help students get into a better and health-

ier eating habit,” Kevin said.

Arthur Shau (10) agrees that the program is useful to students.

“I think it is fine for students who wants to eat before school if they cannot eat at home or if they are hungry,” he said. “It is pretty cheap, so money is not a problem.”

However, Maya Nandakumar (9) finds the price slightly expensive.

“I would use the program more if I could pay the individual price for the item, because now I am restrict-

classes added due Yoga: More to continued popularity

ing myself based on what I will eat,” Maya said.

Kevin feels that the program can grow even more by making certain improvements.

“We could sell tickets the day of or have some sort of vending ticket machine, since breakfast is more of an impulse buy rather than something you prepare for,” he said.

If more people regularly buy breakfast, hot or get-and-go items may become be available.

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POSE Agata Sorotokin (9) follows Manjoine’s lead during yoga class. Additional classes were added to the program this semester due to the increased interest shown by the student body.

reporter Due to popular interest, additional yoga classes taught by French teacher Nicholas Manjoine have been added this semester.

With the flood of sign-ups for yoga during the previous semester causing a lengthy waiting list, the sports department decided to add another yoga class meeting on two different days of the week. Classes began January 30.

Agata Sorotokin (9) credits the burgeoning popularity to the fact that yoga is not like any other offered form of P.E. credit.

“It’s an hour where people can just relax.

Also, it’s easier for time commitment,” she said.

Manjoine originally initiated the yoga program in 2005. However, due to a lack of time while he was pursuing a masters class at Stanford University, he suggested the position to one of his former yoga instructors, Denise Wendler. “[Wendler] has done a really good job of keeping the program going and keeping the kids [interested]. It seems like there has been more and more interest every year,” Manjoine said.

This year, as his term at Stanford approached an end and a need for an additional yoga teacher arose, Manjoine volunteered to take the post.

He first pursued the activity at the Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville. When he realized he wanted to teach it as well, he attended a certification program in the summer. From then on, he taught for a while in the old Upper School dance room all school year long.

“I felt it was really good with helping to relieve tension. I think it’s a great way to calm the body physically and mentally, […] so I wanted to

BREAKFAST One morning, Varun Cherukuri (10) takes muffins for breakfast at school.

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bring it into the school,” Manjoine said.

In his current class, Manjoine hopes to introduce the eight elements of yoga, dealing with mentality and inner awareness, as well as some history. The activities consist of performing physical postures and meditation.

Jaya Chandra (12) likes the routines because they are relaxing and less exerting than other sports. Previously a tennis player, she opted for yoga this semester after undergoing surgery in the summer.

“I like it so far,” she said. “Mr. Manjoine also gave us some exercises to do over the weekends.

It released some tension, and I haven’t exercised in a while either.”

Abhinav Khanna (12) agrees that part of yoga’s appeal is the environment.

“I enjoy the relaxed sessions where they focus on reducing the stress of students,” he said.

Manjoine anticipates little to no discrepancy between his class and Wendler’s. One slight difference is that while Wendler leans toward Iyengar yoga, with static poses, Manjoine incorporates more of Ashtanga yoga, allowing for greater fluid movements.

“I think Mr. Manjoine’s classes are more active, since Ms. Wendler usually offered a Friday class for relaxation poses,” Victoria Lin (11) said.

“I don’t really prefer one over the other—it was nice to be able to rest in Ms. Wendler’s class, but I also like the additional physical exertion of Mr. Manjoine’s class.”

Manjoine’s class currently consists of about 15 students. They meet every week on Mondays and Thursdays after school in Room 11.

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! e t a r b e l e CK through li fe. The Ninth Annual

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

5

Fashion Show That’s how

Sue Prutton sees it

priyanka mody editor in chief Six months ago, Fashion Show Liaison Sue Prutton began preparing for this year’s show, from selecting featured outfits to charting caterers’ paths on the day of the event. Here, she answers a few of The Winged Post’s questions about her experience.

Winged Post: How do you feel before the show?

Sue Prutton: In the two weeks leading up to the show, it’s crazy. You feel kind of like you’re drowning. There is just too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Until about four days before the show, I’m not quite sure it’s going to come together. You have that kind of sinking feeling—this could be the first disaster. And then problems start to get resolved. You start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and you think, “Yeah, we do actually have a show, and this is actually going to work.” I’m actually calmest when I see the first runthrough on the Wednesday evening.

WP: What’s your mantra that gets you through the day?

SP: This is my fifth show, and I just keep telling myself that running an event of this size is actually a series of problem solving events. Every year, there are a different set of problems. You think you have it all organized; you think you’ve done this for so long that you know what the issues are going to be. But every year there’s something different. And I just keep telling myself that I know as difficult as things may seem, it will all work out, and it will all come together, and that’s the message I need to make sure I get across to my volunteers.

WP: What’s something about your role in the show that most people don’t know?

SP: I think most people think about the production piece of it, and they don’t think about all the minutiae that go into this. I work on every aspect of the show, whether it is selecting the food—not just for the ballroom—I pick all the food for the backstage. I have a timeline just for the day of the event, which is about eight pages long. [...] It’s literally minute-by-minute.

WP: How do you come up with the theme?

SP: Each year, there’s a small group of people who come up with the theme: [me, Laura Lang-Ree, Pam Dickinson, and producer Beverly Zeiss]. Funnily enough, we sit down together, and usually the theme comes pretty quickly. Then we spend another several days and couple of weeks trying to come up with alternatives, and we almost always end up getting back to the first one. But we have to go through that process to make sure that we’re not just jumping without really thinking it through. We actually have a list of ideas that we got over the years, and we maintain that list.

Ninth Fashion Show rejoices in life sanjana baldwa & daniela lapidous lifestyle editor & opinion editor This year’s “Celebrate!”-themed Fashion Show took and manifested on a grand scale a simple, oft-repeated idea: every moment in life is special.

Held on February 24 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, the show was the ninth rendition of an annual fundraiser that involves students, teachers, and parents from the Lower School to the Upper School. According to Fashion Show Liaison Sue Prutton, 160 students were involved in the production.

Even before the stage lights went up, guests had plenty to do and arrived early to mix and mingle. Gene Wong (12) played the bassoon in a woodwind quartet welcoming attendees amongst the live auction displays, prize wheels, and other amusements.

“We work on pieces the whole year, so it’s pretty fun to showcase those to the public,” he said.

Meanwhile, student hosts and hostesses strolled and sold tickets for the chance to win prizes from wine at a prize wheel to a Hawaiian getaway through the raffle, with names drawn at dinner right after the live auction. New this year were two photo booths, stocked with sparkly hats and feather boas.

As guests began filtering into the main hall, Upper School Jazz Band played tunes for the expectant crowd, with vocals by Nina Sabharwal (11). Varsity Dance continued the pre-show performance decked out in bouffant hairdos and sequined outfits.

Varsity dancer Molly Wolfe (11) said she was excited to energize the crowd. Her team bonded with a sleepover the night

before the event.

Next, Prutton, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, and ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) thanked sponsors and explained that the Fashion Show benefits the financial aid fund and school facilities.

At last, “I Just Want to Celebrate” by Rare Earth blasted through the speakers for the first modeling segment. Each segment had a unique name that celebrated a portion of life, from the “Best Friends Forever” section, featuring models from all grade levels, to “A Job Well Done,” featuring adults in business outfits.

Biology teacher Daniel Ajerman, new to the Upper School, was one of the few Upper School teachers walking the runway.

“I [got] to wear some cool Tommy Bahama stuff and kind of a pimp hat, so that’s kind of fun, and the other one is a segment about business,” he said. “I had a lot of fun forging phony money, and I throw money at the audience!”

Ajerman’s inspiration to participate came from within his family.

“My stepdaughter is a model, and years ago, I used to like taking her to shoots–she did Vogue and Mademoiselle […] I always wanted to do that, too,” he said.

Many professionals collaborated to create the look of every model. Makeup and hair were done by The Studio, and Prutton said 11 stores and couture designers worked to provide the fashions, including designer Ken Chen.

“[He] just got back from New York Fashion Week, where many of the gowns you saw today were [shown],” Prutton said in her closing speech.

Students also volunteered their time. Nicole Dalal (12) attended the show for the first time during lunch and volunteered as a backstage dresser during the dinner show in order to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse.

“I’ve heard it’s really fun and really glitzy [...], so I thought it’d be really fun to come watch the fashion show, especially because it’s my senior year and I want to experience it before I graduate,” she said.

Between modeling segments, Downbeat performed “All for One” from High School Musical, a song about celebrating the moment when students are released for the summer.

Ian Richardson (10) is in his first year on Downbeat and had never seen the Fashion Show; his favorite part was “seeing everybody’s outfits, things they wouldn’t normally wear.” Downbeat also provided the soundtrack to the prom dress segment of the show by singing U2’s hit “Beautiful Day.” Of course, even the best production encounters small obstacles. Student model Neha Kumar (12) missed the prom segment during the lunch show because of a mishap with missing dress tape. She was able to walk in her favorite dress at dinner when the problem was resolved.

The event was led by Prutton, show director and Head of Performing Arts Laura LangRee, and producer Beverly Zeiss. Now, the countdown begins until the community finds out what the school will celebrate with next year’s 10th annual Fashion Show.

COUTURE Upper School models walk the runway. To the left, Tina Crnko (12) wears one of several couture gowns designed just for the Fashion Show; hers was created by designer Ken Chen. This year’s show was the first to feature couture garments.

ALL PHOTOS WINGED POST

Fundraising: Show proceeds fund scholarships and construction priyanka mody editor in chief

MEGAN PRAKASH - TALONWP

AUCTION Following the dinner show, auctioneer Mark Alman asks for bids. Acquainted with several families, he would approach certain tables, greet guests by name, and encourage them to participate.

From the live auction to the price of tickets, the Annual Fashion Show is the school’s largest single fundraising event.

This year, 1,046 guests attended the lunch and dinner shows.

Executive Director of Advancement Joe Rosenthal said that usually the organizers aim for a net profit of between $175,000 to $225,000. He expects this year’s show to meet this goal.

“Anything over that, we’re ecstatic about,” he said.

According to Rosenthal, about half the total proceeds from the Fashion Show will be deposited

in a trust fund recently created at the request of the Mittelstet family. The money in the endowment, which grows with interest, will then be used to sponsor scholarships. All scholarships are need-based; approximately 15 percent of current students receive some amount of financial aid.

“The major aim is to help diversify the student population socioeconomically,” Rosenthal said.

The other half of funds will finance construction plans for a new gym and performing arts building.

During the show, ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) briefly spoke about the impact fundraising had on his high school experience and read a quotation from an alumnus from the class of 2010 who had

received financial aid.

The Fashion Show consists of four main areas of fundraising: sponsorship, advertising and acknowledgement sales, general ticket sales, and auctions and raffle tickets.

This year, the number of advertisements and acknowledgements sold reached a record high.

Despite these successes, Rosenthal said that giving per student and endowment is on average several thousand dollars lower here than at other local independent schools, but the quality and number of programs offered are often superior. He believes that many families here do not contribute much because they regard their relationship with the school as “more of a customer-vendor relation.”

Instead, he said, families should want to support their school.

“To be frank, if you’re going to an independent school, what that means to most people in the country is you’re going to pay a higher tuition and you’re going to support the school charitably,” he said.

The accreditation team that visited late last month also noted this issue and recommended higher family contributions.

Rosenthal said that inspiring as opposed to guilt-tripping families to donate is a key challenge.

Nonetheless, many individuals do give liberally to the school.

For example, one family bought the “Box of Nothing” for $3,700, and another purchased a $100 bottle of champagne for $2,000.

PAGE DESIGN BY MICHELLE DENG

6

opinion “Students have confused being happy with seeming arrogant.”

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

2010-2011 Gold Crown 2009-2010 Silver Crown 2007-2008 Pacemaker Award 2010-2011 Silver Crown: TALONWP 2009-2010 Gold Crown: TALONWP

Editor in Chief Priyanka Mody

Assistant Editor in Chief Michelle Deng

Editor in Chief in Training Samantha Hoffman

Managing Editor (Copy) Nayeon Kim

Managing Editor (Business & Design) Kevin Lin

News Editor

William Chang

Opinion Editor

Daniela Lapidous

Tech Editor

Patrick Yang

Features Editor

Pavitra Rengarajan

Lifestyle Editors

Sanjana Baldwa & Alisha Mayor

Global Editor Shilpa Nataraj

Sports Editors

Aditi Ashok & Priyanka Sharma

Photo Editor

Mercedes Chien

TALONWP Editor in Chief Jackie Jin

Advisor

Chris Daren

Reporters Anishka Agrawal

Emily Lin

Alyssa Amick

Samar Malik

Sarah Bean

Diba Massihpour

Meena Chetty

Manthra Panchapakesan

Emily Chu

Apoorva Rangan

Jason Chu

Sindhu Ravuri

Nikhil Dilip

Vasudha Rengarajan

Darian Edvalson

Rachel Salisbury

Kacey Fang

Sonia Sidhu

Riya Godbole

Shannon Su

Corey Gonzales

Mariam Sulakian

Apurva Gorti

Allison Sun

Juhi Gupta

Monica Thukral

Trisha Jani

Sheridan Tobin

Rahul Jayaraman

Dora Tzeng

Allison Kiang

Felix Wu

Cartoonist

Megan Prakash

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.

The Winged Post staff will publish features, editorials, news, and sports in an unbiased and professional manner and serve as a public forum for the students of The Harker School. Editorials are the official opinions of The Winged Post. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Winged Post. All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Winged Post in no way reflects the official policy of The Harker School. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers and not the Harker board, administration, faculty, or advisor.

Advertisements are accepted in the Post. However, The Winged Post reserves the right to deny any ad. Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to wingedpost@harker.org and must be signed, legible, and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Post style. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities, and letters which call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication. Letters sent to the Post will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff.

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

Happiness deserves acknowledgement “How did you do on your test?”

Well, you think, I studied really hard and even made an epic study guide, so I think I got a good grade. “Um, I did okay,” you say sheepishly.

Your friend explodes into a rant about how she “bombed” the test, and you are relieved.

Thank goodness you didn’t make her feel bad by saying what you really thought.

Recognize this scenario? Probably, because it seems to us that students have confused being confident with seeming arrogant.

Whether about grades, college acceptances, dates, or even prom dresses, we find it easier to put ourselves down than to express pride, regardless of our true feelings. After all, we don’t want to seem vain or callous. God forbid we “brag.”

While humility is a worthy trait, the extent to which we self-deprecate often creates negative atmospheres and bad moods. If you constantly complain about yourself and gripe about others’ success, your friends will feel obligated to hide their happiness. They will then complain about their “failures” as well, and presto! We have a cycle of negativity mowing down people’s spirits.

On the other hand, celebrating together and supporting each other creates a cycle of reciprocal happiness. Isn’t a personal success so much sweeter when you can scream and high-five your friends? And doesn’t hearing about a friend’s success make you smile—and even inspire you to fight for something of your own?

17

Linsanity nayeon kim

managing editor

The “Lincredible” story of Jeremy Lin rising from seemingly nowhere to sudden stardom has swept much of the nation into “Linsanity.” Numerous Lin-inspired catch phrases fill the headlines. Thousands of fans crowd Madison Square Garden, cheering the name of the 23-year-old undrafted point guard from Harvard who has led the New York Knicks into a stunning sevengame winning streak.

Throughout these last three weeks of zealously following his games and interviews, one thing about Lin has struck me more than anything else.

Sure, his plays have been impressive.

I admit that I have never been a basketball fan, but Lin’s excellent court vision and amazing shooting skills that guided the Knicks into each victory sparked so much excitement and intense fascination that I did not know existed within me.

However, his stats, such as his careerhigh 38 points against the Lakers or his game-winning three-pointer against the Raptors, are not the reasons why I have become so attracted to Lin. Instead, his persona—the remarkable way he stays humble and selfless amidst the media frenzy without ever losing sight of his faith and compassion—has inspired me to become a Lin fanatic.

I learned about Lin for the first time during the summer when he visited my church as a close friend of our college ministry leader.

As he shared about the challenges of keeping his faith as a rookie amidst some of his party-hard, religion-hostile NBA colleagues, I found his somewhat shy and calm demeanor quite different from that of other publicized athletes. Wearing jeans and a blue button-up shirt like any other ordinary college student, he talked slowly yet surely, while conveying a sense of sincerity and positive energy.

Nothing had changed when I saw Lin again, although this time he was featured live on a nationally-televised channel in front of thousands of screaming fans with an ESPN reporter asking how he felt about his triumph over the Lakers. With adrenaline still rushing through his body, he was panting heavily, but he had the same cheeky smile that made him seem more like an intimate cousin than an NBA star player.

Most importantly, he was the same virtuous and modest guy I met before any of the “Linsanity” had begun. When inquired about his thoughts on his performance on the court, he thanked God for giving him the opportunity and skills to score the points. When asked about his rising popularity, he expressed his wish that his entire team would be recognized, not just himself. When the media spotlight finally shined on him after he was neglected and cut by two NBA teams, he pushed it away, praising instead the goodness of the Lord and the work of his teammates.

Even more than his level of playing or his dramatic ascent from benchwarmer to NBA sensation, Lin’s grateful and selfless character is what truly makes him exceptional.

For not just basketball fans, Christians, or Asian-Americans, but for everyone watching the young man, it is my personal wish that he will remain a lasting inspiration to stand by one’s morals even in a whirlwind of media attention.

So we should work on two things: graciously listening to others’ successes and telling them of our own successes as well.

Listening isn’t too hard; almost everyone is inherently gracious. Listening to our friends’ successes, we often think, Of COURSE, I want to hear this! Of COURSE, I want to support you!

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST And when we feel the inevitable occasional twinge of jealousy, we could remember that happiness is not a limited quantity. Just because somebody got X doesn’t mean you can’t have it, too. What if you’ll never play the piano as well as X? In the grand scheme of things, that’s fine.

They’ll never be able to do something else as well as you. Life isn’t just a competition.

That said, if you just can’t handle the news at the moment, you can maturely slip away. For example, if a friend is grating on your nerves by jumping up and down about a school you got rejected from, it’s totally cool to speak up and say, “Hey, I’m happy for your success, but I’m still sad about my own loss. Can we talk about this later?”

Emotions may seem uncontrollable, but reactions are a choice. You have the right to feel

what you feel, but you are also capable of taking control and not letting negativity ferment into unnecessary animosity towards the world. Taking control would be mature and positive.

Now, we move to the telling part, which is ironically more difficult. See, we’ve internalized this insidious guilt complex that dictates a great lie: that we are responsible for everyone else’s emotions. Apparently, if I get into Harvard and my friend is upset, that is my fault.

No, no, no! Remember feeling happy when your friends celebrated? Let’s not disservice them by thinking they wouldn’t do the same for us.

Of course, all news—good or bad—requires a judgment call; only you can define the line between sincere happiness and obnoxious bragging.

Define that line for yourself, and then just be happy without stressing about offending others.

Once we are comfortable with sharing our happiness, we must also accept support graciously: a smile and “Thank you!” suffice for any compliment without denials or disclaimers.

Starting today, say how proud you were to get a good grade on the final. Talk about how happy it made you to score a three-pointer.

Mention that you’re pumped about your dream university or that you won a writing competition. We all want to hear it, and we want you to listen to our successes, too.

Tell your story, and trust that the people who love you will listen.

Accidentally becoming a responsible omnivore jackie jin

TALONWP editor in chief Full disclosure: I am not a vegetarian, nor did I ever think I would be one. So when my mom announced a few months ago that meat products were suddenly unwelcome in the kitchen, my first feeling was one of confusion.

I would be lying if I said I did not assume and, indeed, hope that my mother’s newfound dietary passion was one of her powerful but short-lived bursts of fad enthusiasm (see: vocal lessons, golfing, aerobics, Thai cooking). It was only after dozens of tofu dinners, salads, and soy bacon breakfasts that I finally faced the facts: vegetarianism in the Jin household was here to stay.

Obviously, such an immediate and total conversion begs the question of motive. If your families are anything like mine, it probably seems unthinkable to wake up one morning and suddenly eschew a good chunk of the food pyramid. You may already be aware of some reasons for the choice, such as religion or health. In my mother’s case, it was ethical preference.

Before my mother took up the banner of animal rights, I admit the cause was simply not on my radar. Like many, I routinely enjoyed animal byproducts, often without thought to the conditions behind the

leather, fur, or meat I was using.

Of course, I knew that animals were dying, but I found it difficult to believe that cruel or unusual practices still persisted in the 21st century.

For better or worse, having an ardent vegetarian in the family has made it nearly impossible to go about my previous level of consumption guiltfree. My inbox is regularly filled with humane society newsletters, anti-shark fin or foie gras petitions, and investigative articles on factory farm condi-

“

I do believe in the many arguments for meat.

”

tions. Dinner table conversation is punctured by the occasional depressing tale of animal abuse gone unregulated, and every once in a while I’ll find a new “Save the Seals” t-shirt from a recent PETA meeting in my closet.

In the beginning, my mother’s devotion to the cause (and her willingness to share it) irked me. As I was forced to become more aware of her point of view, however, I found myself questioning some of the assumptions I had taken for granted. For example: given that our demand translates di-

rectly to the number of animals killed, how much meat do we really need to be eating?

I do believe in the many arguments for meat—that it is the best evolutionarily suitable source of protein, that everything about our biology suggests we were intended to consume it, and that, according to the animal kingdom, dog-eat-dog is the order of the day. That being said, the numbers are in: even after the near 10% reduction in U.S. meat consumption over the past decade, Americans’ meat intake is more than three times that of the global average (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). That figure represents an unnecessary excess in consumption that, to be honest, I feel a little uncomfortable being a part of.

Between this realization and the consistent barrage of animal rights trivia I get from my mother, cutting down the amount of meat I eat was less of a conscious decision and more of a reaction. Before, meat was a fixture at nearly every meal; now, I consume it only two or three times a week—and I hope to eat less still.

At the very least, I suggest you give it a shot: even adding a “Meatless Monday” to your schedule can set up a pattern of increased consciousness in dayto-day life. A little bit of respect for the food we eat can go a long way.

Eldest: Sisterhood on a new level sarah bean reporter

Walking off the bus with her hand clasped to my brother’s, my little sister sees me and sprints over, throwing her arms around my stomach and squeezing the life back into me after a long day.

I look forward to that happening every day after school when the bus that runs between campuses brings my 13-year-old brother and sevenyear-old sister to the high school. I always go out to the bus to pick them up.

I’m 14, and the age gap between my sister and me has always made it easier for us to be closer, because I can care for her in an even more maternal way than I can for my brother.

In a way, I feel like I act as another mom to my siblings. That is not to take anything away from my mom and dad, who do all of the dirty work of parenting, but I do feel like I have raised my siblings in my own way.

I want to make sure that my brother and sister stay safe, know that they are loved, and know that I am proud of them. Any mother could agree.

My mom has always told me that I get to watch myself grow up because my little sister is almost exactly like me, as if we were twins on an eight-year delay. We have the same eyes that flicker between green and blue and the same smile that is so big that our eyes are practically shut when we are posing for a photo. We both defend ourselves when we get mad, and we would both rather spend a day at home with our parents than go shopping. It’s not hard to tell how close we are and how much we are influenced by each other. She has even picked up everything I say and everything I do, exactly like I do it.

And that’s what scares me. I am far from perfect, but I want my siblings to mimic only the good in me.

My parents don’t pressure me at all to be anything other than the average sister to them, but I want to be something more significant than that. I want to be a person whom they can trust, talk to, and seek support from anytime.

My dad is an only child, and quite honestly, I don’t know how he managed when he was young.

My free time would be no fun without my siblings. I am sorry that he did not get the experience of being able to grow up with any other kids in his family because siblings make everything ten times more fun.

Of course we aren’t perfect – no family is or ever will be. At home, we argue about what we will watch on television, bicker about whose fault it was that we once again missed the bus, and I even get annoyed with them when they whistle when I’m trying to focus. But, they are my siblings, so I can’t stay mad at them for long.

It has been more of a challenge to stay as closely connected now that I am in high school.

With Student Council, journalism, softball, and all of my academic classes, I have so much work in the evenings that I rarely come out of my room once I get home, except for at dinner time.

That part has been hard on me, because I want to be with my siblings as much as I can, so I’m trying to plan my work around family time.

I want to witness all of the astounding things my little brother and sister will do in their lives, right beside them. Hopefully, they will let me be with them every step of the way.

They are growing up, and so am I, but it’s comforting to know we are doing it together.

Opinion l

bridging the cultural gap priyanka mody editor in chief

I never know the words to the latest Bollywood film song. I communicate with my parents only in English at home, and while I visit the motherland almost every year, I haven’t picked up more than a few phrases in any of the Indian languages.

Unlike many of my family friends’ parents, mine never enrolled me in Hindi classes or signed me up for Indian culture school. However, I did ask them for Indian dance lessons, which I’ve kept up since the third grade.

While I am extremely appreciative of the fact that they encouraged me to dabble in several other extra-curriculars, such as piano and art and sports, a very large part of me still wishes I could at least speak in my native tongue.

In fact, I had the opportunity to learn not one, but two Indian languages given my parents come from different regions of the country. Language is ultimately the barrier that has prevented me from immersing myself in my Indian culture as much as I would have liked.

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do not understand some of the reasons for certain Indian customs, the highly regimented and conservative ideals that my grandparents have maintained, and the immigrant struggle that my parents underwent to be where they are today.

But I want to understand. I want to be connected with my traditional roots. I want my children to have the same experiences and appreciations for a land that will be their second home. I want them to be knowledgeable about their culture because they will be separated from it by an extra generation.

Now that I’m a bit older, I’m starting to value bits of traditional culture that I probably wouldn’t have at a younger age. As I was preparing for my Arangetram, a classical Indian dance performance, which focuses on the retelling of ancient folklore, I asked myself, how am I supposed to convey the meaning of these intimate and sacred stories if I am unfamiliar with the subject matter?

With a new resolve to learn more about my own roots, I constantly find myself browsing through websites in my free time, reading the anecdotes of Indian deities told in the preserved classic texts.

I guess what it comes down to is that I’m tired of being considered “unknowledgeable” about my culture, even if it is said in a teasing manner. I’m frustrated at my inability to converse with locals in a place I call my second home.

Most recently, I’ve been eager to read the Mahabharata, one of the most prominent ancient epics of India, and I will learn an Indian language. Even if I have to use Rosetta Stone, I’m determined to fill in the cultural gaps that exist between my two halves.

When my parents hired a Gujarati-speaking babysitter, their main hope was that my brother and I would pick up the language. Little did they know that her English-fluency skills would enhance faster than we could even learn to say Namaste. The same is true with my two sets of grandparents. I cannot recall anymore how many times I have told them to only speak to me in Kannada, a south Indian language. But, it’s only a matter of minutes before they revert to their English ways.

Of course my life here is highly westernized, partly because my parents, too, led quite modern and liberal lives back in India. Sure, I eat Indian food most of the week, I go to the Hindu Temple every so often, and I show up to parties on “Indian standard time”—meaning late. These are certainly inherent characteristics to which I’m sure many students here can relate.

But the truth is that I’m Indian American, putting an emphasis on the second word. I’ve grown up in California my entire life, and those annual trips to India are really only visits. It’s as if I have two halves to my cultural makeup, even though technically I’m just one race.

Though our trips to India occur annually, I know that I will always be a foreigner in that country. I still am a bit jolted by some of the culture shocks even after nearly 18 years of exposure: the devoutly pious rituals of my relatives who live in a rural village a few hours from the main city, the deep-rooted tensions between two faiths, the overwhelming amount of poverty-stricken slums that I pass on my way to my grandparents’ abode.

I am an American, my relatives say. Perhaps I

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talk around campus

Where is the line between confidence and arrogance? meena chetty

TALONWP managing editor “Arrogance is serving yourself, and confidence is feeling like you have the authority to share your opinion and voice with other people, usually to the service of some other greater good.

Arrogance is really abusing that confidence.”

“Confidence is [when] you believe in yourself, but arrogance is when you start to think that you’re better than others and tell other people about how good you are.”

- Sally Chen (12)

- Nicholas Manjoine, French Teacher

“Confidence is when you have the right to say something–you say something and you’ve already accomplished it. Arrogance is when you feel like you can accomplish something you can’t do, and that’s not the right kind of bravery.”

“If a person has confidence, then they have pride in themselves to go out and do things. When a person is arrogant, then they are [too] confident.”

- Ashir Bansal (9)

- Saachi Jain (10)

“Confidence is when you have an opinion of yourself, and arrogance is when you start to show it off.”

“I think there’s a fine line. I guess sometimes what you think is confidence might come off as arrogance.”

- Joy Li (11)

- Adarsh Battu (10)

“Confidence is when [...] you feel sure that you have the knowledge about a subject that you’re fairly well versed in. Arrogance is [...] presuming that you’re somehow better than somebody else, that your opinion is better than somebody else’s.”

“When a person is arrogant, then they are overly confident in themselves, and it’s too confident to a fault so that they think they’re better than everyone else.”

- Safia Khouja (9)

- Diana Moss, Spanish Teacher

The double standard between men and women

Living in a society that divides the sexes samar malik reporter

“You have to realize, there’s a double standard in this society between men and women. Just because I’m allowed to do something doesn’t mean you can get away with it just as easily,” my brother used to say to me.

Being seven years older than me, my brother left me under the impression that I just had to ride along with his opinion. With time, however, I developed my own take on the double standard. I began to wonder why such a disengaging principle existed in the first place. Sure, it keeps men and women in check; there are just some things each gender should not do.

But I understood the gist of it: there are different consequences for different situations between the sexes, and unless I was prepared to face the wave of negativity, I needed to buckle down and accept it.

Amongst several of my older friends, many of whom I know through my older brothers, a quick description is all it takes to settle on a solid opinion of someone. I place the blame on people like them– people who are too quick to judge–for allowing this double standard to develop.

After hearing them rant about how they’ll never be able to look at so-and-so the same after she hooked up with he-who-shall-not-be-named, I was disgusted when they threw that very same man compliments and congratulatory words.

Why is it suddenly okay for guys to have several girls chasing after them, but when a girl involves herself with more than one guy, she’s bombarded with an endless stream of obscenities?

On another note, when men dress well and present their person in a sophisticated, cultured manner, there seems to be nothing but good things to say about them. Women fawn over a man who

dresses well, and he leaves an excellent impression on those with whom he acquaints himself. For a woman, however, things are slightly different.

Countless times have I been sitting at a table with some friends when she walks in. You know, that one girl who’s always overdressed.

MEGAN PRAKASH - TALONWP

Perfectly styled hair, a flowing dress–who knows how expensive that purse was? All for a casual get together. Don’t get me wrong, I respect people who take pride in their appearance, because having self-confidence is no easy feat. So, why do the guys at the table around me accuse her of being self-centered?

This aggravates me more than anything because I can relate. One time too many has my brother said similar things about me to my face: “No guy wants the high-maintenance girl who’s obsessed with her appearance. Keep it simple.”

Obviously, I disagree with him. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting dolled up before heading out of the house; it’s the perfect pickme-up for a girl who’s slightly insecure.

I think more girls obsess over their appearance simply because they like to feel good about themselves, not just to catch the eye of every man that passes by.

Then again, I know I can’t be dishing out scorn against men alone, as they certainly are not the only perpetrators of the double standard. Naturally, my brother didn’t bother to mention the double standards against men; I know this from personal experience–girls expect a lot out of guys.

Most of us love to be showered with lavish gifts from bouquets to jewelry, and to be wished “good morning” or to be told we’re beautiful. Rarely have I seen women offering to pay the bill as readily as a man, or fretting about something as simple as asking someone to dance. The pressure is all on the guys.

Moreover, why are men seen as cowards when they don’t defend themselves in an argument against women, yet seen as enemies when they do? There isn’t a rule saying a man can’t stand up for himself, yet if he does, his reputation plummets.

As badly as I’d love to do away with the double standard, I know that defying its bounds calls for opposing threats and harsh criticism. It plays a judicial role in society, setting apart the moral values of men and women.

Maybe if my brother could refrain from using double standards as a tool against me and a reminder of everything that’s not okay for me to do, I could accept them.

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

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on the

DL

daniela lapidous opinion editor

Since I returned from Hong Kong two weeks ago, it has happened time and time again: I find myself in a bubble tea shop. Or in the Chinese bakery on that plaza in Cupertino. Or buying condensed milk at Ranch 99.

I’m slowly turning Asian.

It’s a strange phenomenon, one I did not expect to follow me home. At Hong Kong, the first thing I did was gobble food at a tea café and exclaim, “I love it here! I could live here.”

By the end of the day, I was staring at the ground as I was pulled through a packed street of people, muttering that I would NOT last a week.

Fortunately, as I got more sleep and the will to figure things out, I relaxed into Hong Kong’s frenetic pace.

Grasping for language made me feel comfortable, even though most signs were in English and many spoke it well (what’s up, British colonies?). I constantly bothered my boyfriend and his mom, who graciously invited me to visit their home country, about how to say things in Cantonese.

I was proud to pick up many words, from the numbers to “I do not eat pork because I am Jewish.” I even learned to haggle in the markets and insult people with phrases like “I elbow you in the lung.” While I never used that one in seriousness, I laughed hysterically as I butchered the tones.

The crowning moment came when I helped Australian tourists order eggettes–a delicious reverse waffle– on the street. I listened for my number: sei-sap-gao. Look at me! I’m so HK! Despite my attempts at being a faux-local, I was still a complete outsider, and that was completely enchanting.

Hong Kong was the most ‘exotic’ locale I had visited in a while. Even though I saw new parts of Europe with the journalism group last summer, they felt natural and expected. Everyone knows about the Eiffel Tower.

Hong Kong’s Mario Kart landscape, with place names like Happy Valley or Causeway Bay and stores full of chestnuts and chicken feet, was straight-up foreign and full of mystery.

There are many details I recall with fondness: eating squid on a stick with an alumna from ‘11, reading MTR maps and eavesdropping on conversations, seeing a group of friends race remote-controlled cars in a parking lot at midnight, and infinite others. But, I guess this is not supposed to be a rant sponsored by the Hong Kong tourism board (packages starting from $99.99!).

What did I come away with, apart from a craving for buns and things labeled with Chinese characters? Any new perspectives? After all, Hong Kong simply could not feel too different from, say, New York City.

Cities are the same at their core, just as people are: city people bustle, they work, they eat, they chat. The differences I am amazed by are superficial.

The real new perspective came from my own shift out of my daily routine. It was quite hedonistic, really; I refused to consider anything schoolrelated or anything that stressed me out and spent my days enjoying myself.

Each day felt so long, in an excellent way. Whereas, sometimes, each school day feels so long in a way that I hate.

Why does it have to be like this?

It does not. Obviously, I cannot escape every responsibility and simply eat and shop all day anymore … but I can make an effort to seek out new experiences on a small scale on a daily basis.

I guess that’s what I’m doing by looking for Hong Kong-like experiences (mainly through food) in the Bay Area, trying to replicate the wonder of finding something new. The other day I succeeded by going to Verde Tea Café in Cupertino, and I am on a perpetual quest for the best dim sum.

Traveling reminded me that going through long days of virtual nothing is not a default setting. I was glad to be jolted from “senioritis” to see that there’s a different possibility out there.

I can and will continue to find at least one small adventure to go on every day, and I will plan enough big adventures to remind me of the need for small ones.

The days are long both in Hong Kong and California. I guess I just lost sight of the potential for my daily routine to include fun right here at home.

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features

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

Dr. Redfern said that even as the disease worsened, Mittelstet’s devotion lasted.

“When she was first getting ill, and it was clear she couldn’t get out of bed and do her work, she still was asking about her students and making sure that other teachers were taking care of them,” she said.

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Her brilliance, her generosity, her graciousness, her beauty, her charm, her wit were just encapsulated in each little tiny moment of time.

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Dr. Pauline Paskali, English teacher

English teacher Dr. Pauline Paskali found those visits “heartwrenching but also amazing”: they highlighted Mittelstet’s raw strength, not only as a

teacher but also as a person.

During those visits, Dr. Paskali said Mittelstet still was a hostess. She would ask her husband to make her guests comfortable and bring them drinks, she would banter and joke, and she would ask about their families and friends, all the while working to keep hold of her own person.

“Her brilliance, her generosity, her graciousness, her beauty, her charm, her wit were just encapsulated in each little tiny moment of time,” Dr. Paskali said. “You saw it, her going through this process, almost every other moment, because it was a struggle to hold on.”

Her impact on the community is evident on a turquoise bulletin board dedicated to her in the English corner of Main hall. There, current students, alumni, and faculty have left Post-Its and cards with a few last words.

But Dr. Paskali believes that Mittelstet would not have wanted too many tears and lamentations. Once, Dr. Paskali recalls, as she was leaving hesitantly and sadly at the close of a visit, Mittelstet gave her a good-humored, stern look and said, “No sentimentalizing. Ta-ta!”

Rather, Dr. Paskali said, “She’d have wanted to go out with a bang.”

Sharron Reynolds Mittelstet was born to Howard Reynolds and Geraldine Geerdes on December 6, 1944 in Borger, a small oil town in the panhandle of Texas. Her father passed away when she was still in grade school; her stepfather, Ronnie Geerdes, ultimately

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Remembering a beloved English teacher CONTINUED FROM FRONT

MITTELSTET (Left) She poses for a yearbook photo. (Right) Mittelstet poses with her daughter Claire. The two were very close; Claire said that she inherited her mother’s love of literature and words and will miss their conversations about books and movies.

became a greater influence.

John grew up in Borger as well.

Separated by only three years of age, they first met at a high school dance in a bank parking lot the summer after John’s senior year. They began seeing each other—and never stopped.

During her sophomore year at Texas Tech University, they got married. Soon after, she transferred to West Texas A&M (then West Texas State University), where she completed her B.A. and then earned an M.A. in English.

For a few years, she taught in public schools in Texas. Then, follow-

Journey to the Upper School

A glimpse into the life of Misael Fisico corey gonzales reporter

- WINGED POST COREY GONZALES

From his infectious laugh to his playful jokes, math teacher Misael Fisico is certainly a distinguishable character.

Fisico is known around campus for having a silly personality.

“When I accidentally fell asleep once in his class, the things he would do to wake me up were hilarious. He would shout, yell, tap my head, clap his hands, [and] start singing to get me to wake up,” Rohith Bhethanabotla (10) said.

“I think I got that from my dad[...]

[He] is such a funny person,” Fisico said.

“My dad’s way of disciplining us was kind of crazy. He would always laugh at us after disciplining us.”

However, behind his QUIRKINESS playful exterior lies the Math teacher story of his journey to beMisael Fisico shares his story come the person he is today. Fisico was born and about his journey raised in the rural Philto the ippines, a third-world Upper country. He has five School. siblings: four brothers and one sister.

Growing up with harsh Filipino customs was sometimes quite difficult, he said.

There were no laws regulating corporal punishment like those in the United States today.

“I come from a family of achievers. And that’s the reason why in my family, you need to speak up to be heard,” Fis-

ico said. “To assert something, you need to do something to stand out and be noticed, or else you will be left behind.”

As his way of standing out, Fisico developed his love for mathematics, which was nurtured from a very young age.

“My mom is a math educator, so she exposed me to as many math competitions as possible. I think I inherited my passion for mathematics from her,” Fisico said. “[At first,] I was the worst at mathematics in my family, and that’s the reason why I was driven because of the fact that I could not beat my brothers or my siblings in math competitions.”

After completing his college-level education in the Philippines, Fisico began his career as a math teacher.

He started at a Filipino private school that was similar to ours in size and population. He was then offered to travel with the Philippines’ team for the International Math Olympiad as the coach for five years.

“I enjoyed it. But like here in the , it was a competitive position because so many people wanted the job. When I received the position, it was like winning a big award,” he said. “When I came back, I went to an American school. And when I taught at an American school, there were so many opportunities to travel abroad.”

Once given the opportunity, Fisico came to the U.S. He first arrived in Michigan to teach for one year. After that, he came to our school to work as a dormhouse parent and math teacher.

Since arriving in the U.S., Fisico has dedicated much of his time to remain in contact with the rest of his family, he said. When he first came to the U.S., he would travel back home about once a year. Now, he goes back as often as he can to help his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.

In fact, Fisico recently went to the Philippines over the February Break to visit his family and friends. He expects to travel to the Philippines again as soon as possible.

ing John’s job, the family moved to Los Angeles, where they had their only child, Claire, in 1974. After another brief move back to Texas, they finally settled in the Bay Area in 1978.

Throughout her daughter’s childhood, Sharron remained out of the job market and took care of her family. In her daughter’s words, she was “an attentive but not invasive” mother and was a lot of fun. Often, when Claire was young, Sharron would write murder mystery plays and scavenger hunts to entertain Claire’s friends. And, Claire said, her mother “definitely” made her a “word nerd.”

Eventually, Sharron re-entered the education world as a highly active board member of her daughter’s school.

Once her daughter entered college, she began teaching here, where she stayed for life.

A memorial service for Sharron Mittelstet will be held on Saturday, March 10 at 11:00 a.m. in Nichols Hall Atrium. To further the education here that Sharron so loved, the Mittelstets have worked with the school to set up a general endowment in Sharron’s name and are requesting donations to this fund in lieu of flowers and gifts for the memorial.

Concert Series: String quartet to perform apoorva rangan reporter Breathing life into centuries-old music is never easy. Neither is interpreting modern music. However, orchestra conductor Chris Florio says that the Afiara String Quartet manages to do both.

The next installment of the Harker Concert Series, scheduled for Saturday, March 17, features the Afiara String Quartet, consisting of violist David Samuel, cellist Adrian Fung, and violinists Valerie Li and Yuri Cho. Music has played a major part throughout the members’ lives. Fung, Li, and Samuel were members of a tight-knit community of young musicians in Canada. Samuel met Cho when they were both undergraduates at Juilliard, where Cho also attended the pre-college program.

“There was a strong community outside of school that was interested in music and participated in youth orchestras, and there were a lot of opportunities to meet and play with other people,” Samuel said in a phone interview with The Winged Post.

The Canadian quartet began assembling in the early 2000s, setting roots in San Francisco. After years of practice and near-daily rehearsals, the quartet entered the 2010 Banff International Chamber Music Competition, in which they won top prizes.

“When we first started, it was kind of hard to plant our feet and get the group going,” Cho said.

“But we worked really hard; [...] I feel like being in a chamber music group is the way to experience music.”

The group prides itself with its camaraderie and courtesy to one another.

“We make sure every voice is heard,” Cho said.

“We listen and try out all the suggestions we give each other. We don’t have a leader, and we make sure to listen to all the input.”

The quartet’s name has contains the Italian root “fiar,” meaning “to trust,” which Samuel finds fitting.

“Our name is something we love,” Samuel said.

“Though it isn’t exactly a real word, when we found out that trust was at the root of the word, it made a lot of sense for what chamber music is about.”

In 2008, Florio asked the group to help prepare a student quartet for a competition.

“I really like their energy,” Florio said. “They just bring a different life to a lot of older music, and they really excel in newer music as well.”

The group continues to work with students and young musicians and is now looking for a residency, so they can teach as well as perform.

“Working with students is really energizing, and as a musician, interaction is always important,” Cho said.

Florio appreciates the quartet’s youth, determination, and talent.

“When we started putting together the Concert Series, they were one of the first groups we thought of,” Florio said.

At the Upper School, the group will be performing quartets

by Beethoven and Dvorak, as well as a commissioned work by modern composer Abigaña. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through tickets@harker.org.

STRING QUARTET The Afiara String Quartet will perform in the next installment of the Concert Series on March 17 at the Upper School. They will showcase a variety of classical music pieces.

WWW.AFIARA.COM

vasudha rengarajan reporter Approaching Main Hall, one is greeted by the canvas mural of a cloudy sky, a gift to the Class of 2009. This gift may soon be replaced by another mural painted on the outer wall of Main for the entire campus to see.

Creation of the art mural was suggested by the members of the art club and their advisor Pilar Aguero-Esparza. The club received approval for the project before the February break, and has begun plans to start working soon.

“Since now we have approval, [we] need to have a game plan,” said Maneesha Panja (10), a member of the art club. “This is a really new project for [us].”

During meetings, the club has begun to brainstorm the theme, the materials, and the

details of painting images on a larger scale.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy, so when I approached [Upper School Head Butch Keller] about it to let him know that the art club wanted to do a mural, I was thinking one in the art area. He was looking at the [Main] wall as being the one that could have the mural and could [rotate] after four or five years,” Aguero-Esparza said.

The previous mural on the Main wall that was a gift to the Class of 2009 was painted on canvas and attached to the wall. The mural that the art club plans to create this coming year will be painted directly on the wall.

“We want it to be something that conveys a message,” Maneesha said. “Right now, we’re leaning towards something that embodies community.”

The club predicts that the mural will be started after summer break. Because the members of the club will be working on numerous different art projects simultaneously, the completion of the mural may take anywhere from a month to a full semester. The time frame will also be dependent on the complexity of the work.

Regarding the designing process, the art club is debating between two choices.

“We could have artist groups and a small competition,” Aguero-Esparza said. “Or we could designate a lead artist and work with them to cultivate the idea together as a group.”

Plans for the art mural will be drafted during this semester, and the painting process is foreseen to begin in the fall of the next school year.

VASUDHA RENGARAJAN - WINGED POST

Art Club plans to paint new mural on outer wall of Main Hall next year

MURAL Art Club is planning on painting a mural directly onto this wall, which was previously decorated as a gift from the Class of 2009.

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

Features

pavitra rengarajan features editor Student Council and Honor Council continued their efforts to increase transparency by hosting their first closed-door open forum for students on February 22.

The presentation began with a couple questions that council members had been approached about, including emphasis on the fact that all Student Council meetings are indeed open and explanations about what each group does.

Each class council related what they considered their greatest accomplishments thus far this year; the freshmen mentioned their homecoming achievements, the sophomores men-

“

I hope we can make our role more educational rather than punitive.

”

Kathir Sundarraj (11), Honor Council Member tioned their assembly for lower school kids with the juniors on kindness, the juniors mentioned the support they gave and received through emotionally taxing and difficult tragedies this year, and the seniors mentioned running the homecoming dance.

“We would like to thank the seniors for coming out with the roses earlier in the year,” Junior Class President Simar Mangat (11) said. “There’s so much support in the community, and we really appreciated that.”

Furthermore, ASB was proud of bringing in an outside assembly speaker, and Honor Council said its highlight was the Honor & Ethics Conference.

“The Honor Conference was successful in terms of what we wanted to get out of it: to increase transparency and show we’re not a vicious judging body,” Honor Council chair Nicole Dalal (12) said.

Nonetheless, council members realize there is much more to be changed.

“We are always trying to promote the idea of balance and being wellrounded,” ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) said. “We try to make sure that people have other opportunities to have fun and enjoy learning.”

Kathir Sundarraj (11), an Honor Council member, hopes the honor council will evolve to “make our role more educational rather than punitive.”

Of course, not all proposals were passed. The idea of a “positivity day” meant to foster happiness, for example, was rejected due to lack of feasibility, but administration is thinking about incorporating positivity into a LIFE assembly at the end of the year.

In response to student questions, student council members said they would try to bring the link between Key Club and Student Council to the forefront of their agenda, placing emphasis on community service.

Senior class president David Fang (12) called students into action.

“I want to see student-initiated change,” he said. “Our administration is very respectful about our opinions; change needs to come bottom-up.”

The turnout of the students to the forum, around 20, was lower than expected by most of the Student and Honor Council members.

One of the members of the audience Zareen Choudhury (10) suggested better publicizing techniques so that more people would attend similar events in the future.

Nicole agreed. “Obviously we didn’t have an ideal turnout, and maybe we should have promoted it more, but it’s two-fold, and students need to be interested,” she said. Nonetheless, she called the forum “a step in the right direction,” allowing students to voice their opinions.

Women’s History Month

March celebrates women’s achievements samantha hoffman & nayeon kim has expanded to become more incluchief in training & managing editor

From the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 to the 2011 census finding of women outnumbering men in advanced college degrees, women over the generations have increasingly marked their places in history.

Every March, government institutions and local communities worldwide join efforts in recognizing these historic achievements of females. This official celebration of women’s progress first emerged in 1911 during preparations for International Women’s Day, which occurs annually on March 8.

“National Women’s History Month is the result of the work of [...] ordinary citizens of Sonoma County, California who recognized that there was a disparity between what women had accomplished and what was being acknowledged,” said Rebecca Hollingsworth, Youth Outreach and Education Director of National Women’s History Project, in a phone interview with The Winged Post.

Originally Women’s History Week, in which Sonoma County’s schools would teach curriculum designed around women’s contributions to U.S. history, the project enjoyed so much success that a joint resolution was passed in Congress in 1979 to designate March as Women’s History Month. In 1980, after petitioning then-president Ronald Reagan, the decision was made permanent, prompting Molly Murphy MacGregor to begin the National Women’s History Project in 1981.

Since its inception, the project

sive.

“Although the National Women’s History Project started out of a desire to recognize women’s contributions, it has turned into that we are here on behalf on everyone who does not have an equal voice,” Hollingsworth said. “We want a level playing field for men and not only for women.”

This year, for the first time, the National Women’s History Project has partnered with Russell Sage College, a private women’s college in New York, which chose the 2012 theme to be Women’s Education and Empowerment. According to Hollingsworth, the decision was made in light of recent worldwide trends that evidenced “how educating women is the key to ending world poverty.”

“It has become clear over the past 10 years that if you give a woman a dollar, she will feed her family, she will get her family educated, she will save money for the future, and she will spend money with her neighbors,” she said.

Hollingsworth emphasized the importance of not only educating women but also directing students to develop “educational self-determination” and take action on social issues that interest them.

“I think young people forget that education is a means to an end. Just [knowing] that there is something out there other than what they have been told all their life [is] very invigorating,” she said. “Frankly, there would be no future for this country if young people and students didn’t become activists.”

Many Upper School faculty and students have expressed their support for the goals of Women’s History Month. U.S. history teacher Julie Wheeler commends the increasing social movement to recognize underrepresented groups and their accomplishments in history.

“It’s impossible to talk about the United States or world history at all without examining the contributions of women because they’ve been around since day one,” Wheeler said.

As a student, Akshay Tangutur (12) also espouses the need for greater recognition of women’s achievements.

“With all the tension and turmoil that individuals had to go through in the past, it’s good that we set a week or month off to honor them,” he said.

While Joy Li (11) appreciates the purpose of Women’s History Month, she believes that recognizing women

1848 1872 1890 1920

should not be relegated to a certain time only.

“Every month should be like Women’s History Month. It’s something we should always acknowledge,” she said.

English teacher Brigid Miller also addresses the same point. “[It should] always be on our minds to recognize women’s contributions, that we’re not sort of marginalized and given a month to focus on women and then go back to being the normal patriarchal male-dominated society,” she said.

According to Wheeler, while the history department has not formed specific plans in celebration of this month, faculty has always aimed to involve regular class discussions on the achievements of minorities and traditionally underrepresented factions of society.

TIMELINE

First women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls Victoria Woodhull is first female president candidate National American Woman Suffrage Association formed 19th Amendment ratified, granting women the right to vote Novelist Edith Wharton becomes first woman to win 1921 Pulitzer Prize for fiction 1955 Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) established as first lesbian rights organization in USA 1963 Equal Pay Act passed Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first woman appointed 1981 to U.S. Supreme Court 2007 Nancy Pelosi becomes first woman Speaker of House

INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY PROJECT

Spanish Cultural Night: Preparations begin for event sonia sidhu reporter

SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST

First ever open forum for students

9

Decorating the gym with flags and banners, making paella, and practicing salsa dancing skills.

Preparations for Spanish Cultural Night will start soon.

On March 9, the Spanish National Honor Society (NHS) will be sponsoring Spanish Cultural Night for all past and current Spanish students.

The night features Spanish food, a

MUSICALITY Ayush Midha (9) auditions to perform in the Spanish NHS Cultural Night.

Spanish or Latin American cultural talent show, and a salsa dancing competition to conclude the event in a lighthearted way.

For the fourth year, Spanish NHS and the teachers of the Spanish department will be hosting the night. According to Foreign Language Department Chair Abel Olivas, the night has been a success in the past.

“Kids really enjoy themselves,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch the presentations and the dancing. We encourage all […] students of Spanish to attend.”

The decoration committee will prepare the gym, adorning it with streamers, posters, and flags.

Some students will also help Spanish teacher Diana Moss prepare enough food for the night.

“Food is a big part of the night. Lots of students like sampling different food,” Moss said.

Food for the night includes paella, a dish traditionally consisting of rice, saffron, and meat, as well as a variety of other dishes for students to sample.

Auditions for Spanish Cultural Night were also held on February 22. Students were allowed

to sing, dance, play an instrument or tell jokes as long as they spread knowledge and excitement about the Spanish or Latin American culture.

Students from all different grades and levels of Spanish were encouraged to audition. Spanish 2 Honors student Ayush Midha (9) played a song called “Rosita” by Francisco Tarrega on the acoustic guitar, while Avinash Nayak (10), an AP Spanish Language student, sang the song “A Dios Le Pido” by the Juanes.

“Mr. Olivas asked me to audition, and he said that it would be a good experience,” Avinash said. “I thought it would be a good experience as something new I can do.”

This year, Spanish NHS anticipates that more students will attend. They anticipate about 300 students.

“It’ll be a lot of fun and a great way to learn more about [Spanish] culture,” Spanish NHS President Sharanya Haran (12) said.

The night will be a celebration of Spanish culture, educating students about and encouraging them to appreciate the culture.

SJ Mayor Chuck Reed discusses education michelle deng

asst. editor in chief On February 9, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed gave his annual State of the City Address. At a recent scrum and over email, The Winged Post caught up with him and asked about his views on education, the economy, and high school safety.

Winged Post: In your State of the City Address, you mentioned raising financial support for expanding hightech and green energy companies— kind of a long-term investment. Our school is sometimes called “scienceand-tech-heavy”; what would you say to students interested in science, engineering, and mathematics?

Mayor Chuck Reed: Stay with it! A background in math, science, and engineering will help you secure employment with many of our Silicon Valley companies. I meet regularly with executives from our driving industries who have told me these skills are difficult to come by locally.

WP: What about business, the social sciences, and the humanities? Do you have any thoughts or plans about how to raise interest and ability in key academic disciplines among students?

CR: No matter what your interest, earning your degree will help you throughout your life retain employment.

WP: How is the continually weak economy and its accompanying bud-

get cuts affecting that goal as well as education in general?

CR: Budget cuts at the federal, state, and local levels certainly hurt our education system. Especially for those students with needs, budget cuts increase classroom size reducing the individual attention some students need to be successful. Reduced funding for programs outside of school, like ESL or homework centers, also add to the challenges.

WP: In light of the recent Ohio high school shooting, as well as the funding cuts that are affecting San Jose’s police and emergency services forces, how might San Jose respond to such a crisis at a local school?

CR: I think it’s important for all of our high schools to participate in our Safe Campus Program. Our Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force works with schools, so that we have protocols in place when there’s any kind of issue—if they call us, we get engaged with our officers and our prevention specialists. We don’t wait until there’s a shooting if there are issues on the campuses. Every high school should be trying to get involved in our Safe Campus Initiative.

WP: Another goal you discussed in your address was the elimination of the achievement gap in public schools.

How might students at private schools or those in the upper end of the academic spectrum in the public schools be affected?

CR: The achievement gap has been called the Civil Rights Movement of our time. The goal of the SJ 2020 program I launched with the County Office of Education is to close the gap and have all our students graduate from high school passing the A-G requirements and be able to go on to college. The plan is looking at successful programs in both public and private schools to see how they are achieving success and how we might be able to replicate those successful programs in more schools.

WP: How could high-achieving students help with the reduction of this gap but still continue to excel?

CR: To close the gap we do not expect high performing students to do less; we want to encourage and support lower performing students to meet our expectations.

WP: You closed your address with the wish that this year, we can “put San Jose back on the path to becoming a great city.” Could you please explain further? How far are we from being a “great city”?

CR: As I said in my first State of the City Address: “The budget deficit is public enemy number one, an enemy that will steal our hopes and kill our dreams of becoming a great city if we ignore it.”

That’s still the case today as our structural budget

deficit has forced us to close libraries and community centers, lay off police officers and firefighters, and reduce countless other important neighborhood services. While we have our share of problems, I would not trade our problems for those of any other big city in the world. San Jose is the Capital of Silicon Valley, the Innovation Center of the World, and a place where people from around the world come together and focus on what they have in common rather than on their differences. We are home to countless innovative people, businesses, and organizations who have truly helped change the world. And if we are able to adopt critical reforms and rebuild our services, we will not be far from truly becoming a great city.

STATE OF THE CITY San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed gives his annual state of the city address at the San Jose Convention Center on February 9.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

10

March 2, 2012 the Winged Post

Super Stylish Spring Season Color Blocking Nephele Troullinos (9)

MARCH 2, 2012 the Winged Post

11

kevin lin & sheridan tobin managing editor & reporter

COLOR BLOCKING Nephele Troullinos (9) wears a color blocked sweater, a simple look for a school day.

Sportswear

David Dominguez (12)

As one of this SPORTSWEAR spring’s major David Dominguez trends, color (12) wears a Letblocking terman jacket and is a stylish a baseball cap.

This casual look is way to add a convenient way more colors and to stay warm and fun patterns, such to support your faas geometric shapes vorite teams while and other bold prints, to remaining in dress code. any simple outfit. Just like spring, this trend introduces Although many new colors throughsportswear is often out the season. seen more in the sum“Color blocking is a way mer, the style is already in to have an unexpected vogue starting now in the spring. flair and mixes new Sports jackets with zippers can be prints and new colors paired with almost anything, making them that haven’t been done adaptive and useful additions to the closet. before, in order to cre“Being in this demographic with high tech, people ate a whole fresh look are coming in with a lot more relaxed for spring fashion,” clothing—not sloppy, but putsaid Jessie Ferguson, together styles,” said J. a personal stylist Crew store associate manager at NorMadhavi Padval. dstrom. Incorporate color blocking into any Of course, outfit, as it is Letterman jackets are also a simple way a great way to embody the to update an style and can be seen older look. trending around school.

Sun-bleached Try selecting a blue neutrals are also in sports jacket to repstyle this season. resent two trends Providing a crisp, clean, SUN-BLEACHED in one piece of NEUTRALS Jai his spring and simple look, neutral colors Ahuja (9) wears a clothing. season, fashion is versacan be worn throughout the body for a light sand-colored tile yet trendy. After gatherpolo and khaki pants. monochrome look. ing advice from fashion consulThe basic colors can “Spring this year is going to be not just about floral tants, magazines, and online media, patterns or typical blues and oranges [...] It’s going to be about be used as a single outfit or can be added The Winged Post has prepared trendsetting more pastel colors,” Macy’s employee Dzerdaux Boxton said. “It can to complement more styles that can be applied to the dress code. also be dressed up or down.” detailed apparel.

According to Renee Tam (11), spring Paired with Top-Sider shoes, neutral khaki pants make a stylish statement. fashion brings back bright colors after a winter of Neutrals can also be worn with brighter articles of clothing, making bold darker colors and more solid patterns. colors stand out more and complementing the “[Spring fashion is] more lively compared to entire outfit in general. winter,” Renee said. “I think spring fashion clothing is so much cuter [than winter fashion] because [it is] more flowy.”

As for Chloe Nielsen (11), she enjoys being able to wear more dresses and light sweaters during the spring season. To Chloe, spring fashion means “more colorful, more pastel, [and more] pretty girly colors.”

Similar to Chloe, many males are happy that they are able to wear new types of clothing. Some indicated This spring, one of the popular that spring fashion means simple outfits, which may “Blue colors for fashion is blue, which can be seen in include articles of clothing such as shorts, light jackis always popular. many different articles of clothing. Whether It’s a color that looks good on most men, and it is ets, and different types of coats. rocking a pair of blue jeans or sport“What comes to mind [regarding spring almost neutral,” said George Wicke, Personal Shopper ing a dark blue polo, this verfashion] is shorts, a collared shirt, and a jacket,” at the J. Crew store in Valley Fair Westfield Mall. “You satile and nautical color Akash Chandani (10) said. can mix and match it with a lot of different colors and portrays a sense of patterns.”

All trends featured in this page can tranquility. be adapted to fit your personal style and Try pairing blue with white, a perfect combination worn for a variety of different occasions. for an everyday casual look.

To view this page in color, please use Bright colSUMMER BLUES Johnny the QR Code on the bottom ors are always a big Yet (12) wears a dark blue of the page or type in the plaid polo and a cobalt blue trend during the spring. been hoodie. Pairing different link.

They are an ideal way to seen shades of blues together brighten up an othercreates color variety in past wise dull outfit. They within a single look. seasons, the are used not only in Incorporating bright clothing, but also floral patterns color trend is in accessories into spring outfits similar to color and certain livens up any blocking as a yearmakeup wardrobe after round style. items. winter. Though it “[Bright colors are] just Havis not a new trend, a way for a person to ing florals are moving trastand out from the away from solely bacrowd of just greys disic patterns this season tional and whites and and featuring “a lot of colors as blacks,” Macy’s micro floral prints, but basic wardrobe employee also overly exaggerated staples.

Dzerdaux prints,” said Jessie FerBoxton said. “We sell our guson, a personal stylist merchandise To try new manager at Nordstrom. with bright compleThis trend is commonly colors as a neutral menting seen in tops, skirts, and color combina- basic,” J. Crew dresses, but it can also be store associate tions, try weardisplayed in shorts and ing a really bright Madhavi accessories. The feminine Padval neon with a really touch can be emulated in a TO VIEW THIS bright primary color. said. variety of ways; it can soften a PAGE IN COLOR: Bright colored tougher look, be worn casually, apparel is even or be used for a formal occaUse this QR Code or go beginning to sion. to http://www.talonwp. replace some com/2012/02/lifestyle/

SunBleached Neutrals

Jai Ahuja (9)

T

Summer Blues

Johnny Yet (12)

Florals

Shreya Vemuri (11) FLORALS Shreya Vemuri (11) wears a multicolored floral blouse. The pattern features a print that is not solely a basic design like ones in past seasons; it has smaller flowers, creating a new look.

Bright Colors

spring-fashion-trends/

Mabel Luo (10)

BRIGHT COLORS Mabel Luo (10) wears a bright coral top and matching shoes, displaying how bright colors can be added to an outfit. Multiple colors can be worn together to create an entirely new look.

DESIGN BY KEVIN LIN -- WINGED POST ALL PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS KEVIN LIN AND SHERIDAN TOBIN -- WINGED POST

Lifestyle

the Winged Post

A growing trend in the world of pastries

LIN’S

lessons A

Creative twists on the classic sweet confection shilpa nataraj & allison kiang

HOW-TO BUSINESS COLUMN:

BUSINESS CASUAL WEAR

kevin lin

managing editor You’re at home, lounging around on the sofa, checking texts, watching TV, or what have you. Half asleep, you jerk when your smartphone vibrates and beeps, signaling a new email.

Upon opening the email, you discover that you have been invited to a potential internship interview. All is good, all is swell, all is merry . . . until your now wide-open eyes catch sight of “Business Casual Wear” in the message. What do those mysterious words even mean?

There really is no official set definition of business casual, but some companies have guidelines. It could be khakis and a press shirt for Company X or a polo and dress jeans for Company Y. However, there are general guidelines outlining appropriate attire to this columnist.

Let’s begin with the XY group.

For the top, business casual wear means a long-sleeved button down shirt (blue, white, or striped) or a tucked in polo shirt. If the shirt has a collar without distracting and inappropriate logos or images, it’s probably good to go. Remember that wrinkles are a big no no. If it’s chilly, throw on a sweater that doesn’t clash with your dress shirt.

Ties are not necessary, but it’s better to overdress than to underdress.

You could always slip off your tie in the bathroom if you need to.

The bottom half usually consists of khakis, slacks, and even suit pants.

Again, no wrinkles. Leather belts, black or brown, should accompany your pants.

For footwear, wear dark colored socks that cover skin when you sit down. Also, wear leather shoes that match the color of your belt.

And now, the XX population.

For the top, dress shirts and blouses are acceptable for casual wear.

Shirts may be matched with a cardigan or a sweater.

Skirts, casual dresses, and pants make up the bottom half for females.

Pants should be navy, black, or gray, and they should not be too tight.

Skirts should be an appropriate length and close to the knees.

For shoes, wear something comfortable yet classy. Pastel and bright colors should be avoided, and toes should be covered.

Makeup is acceptable for business casual wear, but do not go crazy. A natural look is always tasteful. Jewelry should also be conservative; 20 bracelets choking your arm looks silly and might stop blood circulation.

For males and females, grooming is important to look clean and neat.

Facial hair should be well kept, and hair should be tidy. Nails should also be trimmed.

What if the event does not spell out the dress code for you? If possible, ask whenever you are unsure of the proper attire for the situation. Occasions like job fairs, internship and college interviews, socials, and workplace meetings usually require at least business casual clothing.

Business casual wear is important to help make first impressions good, whether that be with interviewers or with employers. As always, looks do matter in these situations; you don’t want to show up to a job interview wearing a skull tee, ripped jeans, and flip-flops.

So now that you know what business casual means, go out into the world and get your job internship.

Spread the knowledge far and wide, so that no one may ever have to come across these mysterious words, and fear, ever again. Go get ‘em, tiger.

global editor & reporter Cupcakes are a popular choice in America’s sweets and desserts frenzy. As enthusiasm for the saccharine confection continues to grow, so has the presence of cupcake boutiques and stores in our community. The Winged Post brings you three cupcake vendors of the Bay Area: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Kara’s Cupcakes, and Loves Cupcakes.

Sprinkl e s

Kara’s Cupc ake s

banana • black and white • carrot • chai latte • chocolate coconut • coconut • dark chocolate • ginger lemon • lemon • lemon coconut • milk chocolate • mocha • orange • peanut butter chip • peanut butter chocolate • pumpkin • red velvet • strawberry • vanilla • vanilla milk chocolate • doggie Sprinkles touts itself as the “world’s first cupcake bakery,” with its only Bay Area store located in Palo Alto’s Stanford Shopping Center.

Founded by Candace and Charles Nelson, Sprinkles began in Beverly Hills in 2005. Candace decided to pursue a career in the pastry industry and attended Tante Marie’s Professional Pastry Program before first beginning a custom cake business, as mentioned in an email interview.

She eventually transitioned to making cupcakes after she “soon came to realize that special occasion cakes were, by definition, rare orders.”

“Having been brought up in the tradition that dessert should be a daily indulgence, I began to focus on cupcakes instead of cakes,” Candace Nelson said. “To me, the most fun part of a cupcake is that you can eat a whole one by yourself and not feel like you over-indulged (as opposed to a pie or cake!).”

Leon Chin (9) thinks that the growing cupcake trend is allowing for more creativity. “[Employees] put a lot of dedication into making each one of the cupcakes and they’re not the same ones that you can buy at [a supermarket],” he said.

General manager Lillian Choi, said in an email interview, that she believes that Sprinkles’ cupcakes are characterized by the bakery’s use of only the finest ingredients, many of which are imported such as Madagascar bourbon vanilla and Belgian chocolate cake.The store also purchases its sprinkles directly from France.

Choi agreed with Nelson and added, “We do focus on the quality of the cupcakes, making sure it’s the best possible and focusing on that great flavor […]. The taste and the service really [set Sprinkles apart], and our cupcakes speak for themselves!”

The cupcake store has also garnered considerable celebrity endorsement; Blake Lively of Gossip Girl worked with Nelson to create a cupcake entitled “S’more by Blake Lively,” of which all profits are donated to charity.

In addition, Nelson is also renowned for being a judge on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, a reality show that pits cupcake bakeries around the country against each other. The exposure from being on the show has helped business by drawing more customers, as she said in the interview.

The company hopes to expand to other locations nationwide in addition to the nine that are currently open.

Love s Cupc ake s

banana • chocolate coconut • vanilla coconut • chocolate velvet • java • kara’s karrot • peanut butter milk chocolate ganache • sweet chocolate • sweet s’mores • sweet vanilla • vanilla chocolate • gluten-free coconut • gluten free chocolate velvet • gluten free sweet vanilla

black & white • burnt almond • chocolate bliss • chocolate coconut • classic carrot • coconut • creamsicle • chocolate a l’orange • drumstick • fleur de sel • lemon zest • mocha • scarlett (red velvet) • strawberry madness • strawberry shortcake • vanilla bean (vanilla delight)

Kara’s Cupcakes began in San Francisco, after executive pastry chef Kara Lind decided to pursue her interest in sweets; consequently, she attended a culinary school before establishing Kara’s Cupcakes.

“I’ve just always loved sweets my whole life,” Lind said in a phone interview. “My father was a dentist, so I really enjoyed sweets because it was something I wasn’t allowed to have.”

Having had experience working for Condé Nast’s Allure magazine, Lind said that starting a cupcake boutique has allowed her to merge her interest in fashion with her love of sweets.

“I feel as though cupcakes are little fashion items, in the sense of an outfit,” she said. “The cake may be the dress, the frosting the purse, and the little topping may be the accessories and make-up, so it’s one ensemble in a fashion sense.”

A twist to cupcakes that simply have frosting and cake, the flavors offered at Kara’s include fillings such as passion fruit, and fleur de sel (salty caramel).

“I like the moisture [of the cake] and the cupcakes taste really good, and the design is nice, but I think the taste is what I find the best,” Shivani Mitra (11) said. “You can usually tell if you’re eating something if it’s fresh or not, but with Kara’s the [ingredients] d o n ’ t t a s t e ‘fake.’”

Lind said that Kara’s Cupcakes uses local, sustainable, and organic ingredients as much as possible.

Other than cupcakes, the bakery makes cakes with the flavor of any of their cupcake offerings. In addition, Kara’s Cupcakes also caters for weddings and parties and makes custom decorations for the sweets, which can be ordered from their website.

Stores can be found in Santana Row, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Napa Valley, and Walnut Creek, along with a cupcake truck that frequents the Bay Area.

Family-owned Loves Cupcakes is in downtown San Jose and offers gourmet cupcakes baked from scratch in an array of flavors.

According to Peter Halldorf, a store attendant there, the most popular flavors are red velvet and fleur de sel in addition to their flavor of the week. Other flavors include strawberry shortcake, lemon zest, Classic Carrot, mocha, and vanilla bean.

In the kitchen is chef and owner April Zarazua, a home-baker who attended the California Culinary Academy and creates the store’s cupcakes, as said on the website.

“Loves Cupcakes, as far as the cupcakes are concerned, is not as sweet as a lot of places, because we use a different process, recipe, and ingredients,” Halldorf said. “I’ve often heard from our customers that we’re more down-to-earth and laid-back compared to other places.”

Loves Cupcakes also does custom decorations, takes advance orders, and makes gift packages.

ALLISON

ST

D PO

KIANG - WINGE

CUPCAKES Boutiques such as Kara’s Cupcakes take the pastry to another level with not just their recipe but also their design. Kara’s Cupcakes feature flavors such as s’mores, coconut, red velvet (pictured), and more with gluten free flavors as well. Kara’s in particular work to ensure that all their ingredients are locally sourced such as the salt that comes from the Bay itself, but each company guarantees freshness in every bite.

John Green’s newest novel is compelling for young adult readers aditi ashok

sports editor Catharsis: the Greek word for the process of releasing emotional tensions, usually through certain art forms.

Authors, filmmakers, and artists aspire to create cathartic moments for the audience through either tragedy or comedy. But it takes a truly talented artist to provoke genuine laughter and hysterical tears in the same novel and leave you feeling cleansed and whole.

John Green does just that in his newest novel The Fault in Our Stars, released in January of this year. Already a veteran in the young adult genre with previous hits such as Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska, Green soars to a new level with his latest masterpiece.

The Fault in Our Stars follows the story of 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster, book enthusiast and cancer victim. Hazel has faced a terminal diagnosis

for several years,

but a tumor shrinking miracle has bought her an undetermined amount of time. But when she meets Augustus Waters, fellow survivor, at Cancer Support Group, Hazel knows her life will never be the same.

Green has always written for a

teenage audience, but he has a special knack of not modifying his content to make it easier for adolescents to under-

“

Green explores [...] some of the most fundamental questions regarding our existence.

”

stand, and Fault is no exception. He throws in references to Kierkegaard, Maslow, T.S Eliot, and more, which is a refreshing change of pace from many novels marketed as “young adult.”

In fact, the title itself is a reference to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which Cassius remarks, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,/but in ourselves.” The famous quote is turned on its head when it becomes clear that for Hazel and Augustus, the fault may actually lie in their stars.

Much of the reason that the

novel is so powerful is due to Hazel and Augustus developing a relationship with an expiration date. However, Green does his best to stray away from the typical cancer victim story; in fact, Hazel announces that “cancer books suck.” Instead, Green manages to craft a dynamic, heart wrenching love story that can exist independently from the cancer book genre. But still, the time stamp perpetually looms over our heads as the novel progresses. Hazel sums it up quite eloquently by saying, “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities […] there are days, many of them, where I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get […]You gave me forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”

Despite the inevitable sadness present within the pages of the novel, Green manages to diffuse the tension by creating some lighthearted and truly hilarious moments. From egging cars to playful verbal banter, we are constantly reminded that despite the scope of their tragedy, Hazel and Augustus are, in fact, teenagers who appreciate the sillier moments in life.

Reading The Fault in Our Stars is akin to opening up your chest and forcing your heart to imbibe an entire spectrum of previously untapped emotions. Green explores overarching

themes and some of the most fundamental questions regarding our existence in the most unassuming manner.

Bittersweet, hopeful, and unabashedly perceptive, The Fault in Our Stars is sure to become a favorite of both teenagers and adults alike.

DUTTON BOOKS

12

march 2, 2012

CANCER John Green’s newest novel The Fault in Our Stars was released in January of this year. Green has previously published several other books in the young adult genre, including Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska.

13 the Choosing the right foods on a daily basis inbay Lifestyle

sarah bean & shannon su reporters

Your stomach is rumbling, and the pantry is full of food. Once again, it is time to decide how to satisfy your hunger, but the “right” choice differs from one person to the next.

In an exclusive interview with the The Winged Post, Dr. Darshak Sanghavi, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, offered two basic questions to ask when determining the right foods to eat: “First, can you tell what was used to make it exactly? [Then,] are you making sure you’re eating [...] just the right amount that you feel full?”

The principles Dr. Sanghavi referred to can be applied to many processed foods. For example, it is generally hard to figure out what is inside Cheetos or Doritos simply by looking at them. Without taking time to read the ingredients, many would not be aware that Cheetos contain, among other things, thiamin mononitrate, enriched corn meal, riboflavin, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, according to fritolay.com.. Similarly, Doritos include maltodextrin, whey powder, monosodium glutamate, and sodium diacetate. “[Those foods] fool you,” Dr. Sanghavi said. “You don’t really understand [all of the processing] that is done with the food [before] you put it in your body.”

Cravings are distinct from hunger in that there is no need for the calories desired. They develop when the brain is fed sugar, salt, or fat––all ingredients commonly used in processed junk foods such as the ones available to the students to purchase at the snack bar.

Although such items may be unhealthy and crave-inducing, Tyler Heil, who sells at the snack bar said, “Snacks are snacks – it’s kind of hard to get super-healthy snacks and have kids actually buy them.”

Curran Shah (11) agrees with Heil’s statement, admitting that he would not want to buy foods at the snack bar if they were healthy options.

On the other hand, Chloe Nielsen (11) does feel that there is a limited variety of choices currently being served at the snack bar.

“I usually bring healthy snacks myself,” she said. “Maybe if [the snack bar] had healthier snacks, [then] I would buy them.”

Lisa Daniels, a registered dietitian at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, reassures students that it is not necessary to completely ban junk foods, such as sweets, from one’s diet.

“I believe that we can achieve a healthy, wellbalanced diet with the occasional indulgence in, for example, a sweet treat,” Daniels said.

“

I believe that we can achieve a healthy, well-balanced diet with the occasional indulgence in, for example, a sweet treat.

”

Lisa Daniels, dietician

Because teenagers are still growing, being fit and healthy does not involve eating minimal amounts of food. They need calories to fuel their bodies; however, the amount of calories that bodies need varies from person to person.

“Children do need sugars to grow and to get calories to burn for both their mind and their bodies to work, but having this as the treat all the time is what’s bad for you,” said Dr. Rohini Ashok, Medical Director of the weight loss managem e n t pro-

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

gram at Kaiser Permanente San Jose.

The general idea of eating healthily is to remain conscious of what one eats on a daily basis. Whether the food is a favorite or merely the average meal, doctors believe there is always a possibility of turning it into something healthier.

According to Daniels, to make a healthier version of pizza, choose a thin crust pizza with minimal cheese, vegetables, and a small amount of meat. A whole wheat bun surrounding a turkey or vegetarian burger could replace a hamburger that is normally high-fat. The same goes with french fries: baked fries are much healthier than deep-fried ones.

Daniels also says that complex whole grain or high-fiber carbohydrates packed with nutrients can be classified as “good” carbohydrates. Sugar, honey, molasses, or jam, on the other hand, have no nutritional value though they are “calorically dense”.

“Don’t worry so much about the small stuff; just make sure that you do things in moderation, and when possible, eat food that looks like food,” Dr. Sanghavi said.

Meals are meant to refuel the body and benefit one’s health. Knowing which foods are nutritious, specifically for one’s own body, will lead towards a healthier lifestyle.

JUNK FOOD Doctors recommend checking labels before eating not just snack foods, but all foods in general. Additionally, they promote snack food intake in moderation and knowledge of the suggested caloric limits.

Ten easy ways to get into shape for the spring

Spring is right around the corner and it is not too late to get into shape. The Winged Post talked to Dale Smith, a fitness trainer at the Northwest YMCA, to put together a quick and easy 30-minute workout with the ten exercises listed below.

Each exercise should be repeated 15 times and the whole set should be done three

2

BICEP CURLS Start with a threepound dumbbell in each hand. Starting with your hands outstretched parallel to the ground, slowly curl them up to 90 degrees. Hold for a moment, and then slowly bring them back down.

WRIST CURLS For a forearm exercise, try wrist curls.

Sitting upright on a bench with a three-pound weight in each hand, extend your arms out in front of you with your wrists facing the ceiling. Using your hands and wrists only, lift the dumbbell up. Squeeze and then bring down slowly, unfurling your fingers so the weight slides to the tip of your fingers.

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times in order to receive maximum benefits. Smith cautions that one should allow muscles to rest between each individual exercise. Through repeating these exercises each day, your body will be toned in no time.

SQUATS Squats are the most effective workout for toning down your legs and butt.

Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and fold your arms behind your head. Sticking out your butt, bend your knees until you are in a sitting position and hold for three seconds.

Make sure your squat position is similar to that of sitting in a chair.

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UPRIGHT ROW To tone your biceps and deltoids, upright row is the way to go. Stand with your palms facing your body with a three-pound dumbbell in each hand. Lift the weights straight up to shoulder level and slowly lower back down.

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SEATED SHOULDER PRESS To strengthen your deltoids and triceps, the seated shoulder press is a great exercise. Sitting on a bench upright, with a three-pound dumbbell in each hand, raise your arms over your head, hold for two seconds, and then slowly lower back down.

4

SHOULDER SHRUG An easy exercise to work your upper trapezius muscles is the shoulder shrug.

Simply lift your shoulders as high as you can for two seconds, squeeze, then drop them.

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Michael Chen (11) models the military press.

This exercise, among others, strengthens the deltoids.

P INGED LE - W

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MILITARY PRESS Another workout for your deltoids is the military press.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, slightly bending your knees. With a three-pound dumbbell in each hand, position your arms in front of your neck and lift up over your head. Hold for two seconds and then steadily bring them back down.

Preview of film festival anishka agarwal On February 28, the Cinequest Film Festival returns to San Jose with fresh films ranging from documentaries to silent films to comedies.

Films that will be shown include the following: • A silent film created by F.W. Murnau in 1926, Faust is a horror-fantasy film that involves plot twists surrounding greed and regret.

• The Bully Project, created by Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, is a documentary that tracks the lives and interactions of five teenagers as they go through high school.

• An animated film, George and the Hedgehog is based on a Polish comic book created by Jez Jerzy and encompasses the life of a Hedgehog whose world is completely changed when scientists begin to study his DNA to create a clone of him.

• Mimesis is a horror film written by Courtney Gains and Sid Haig, winner of the Best Director at the Fantastic Horror & Fantasy Film Festival. It portrays seven strangers that are alone in a room with zombies.

These films will be presented in multiple theaters throughout San Jose, but most of them will be at the San Jose Repertory Theatre and the California Theatre. Films will be shown between February 28 and March 11.

To buy tickets, either visit www.cinequest.org or call 408-295FEST for more information.

OST

DIGITAL & OFFSET PRINTING LATERAL RAISES To give your deltoids a good workout, try lateral raises.

Start by holding a three-pound weight in each hand while standing upright, slightly bending your knees. Lift your arms out to the side until they are parallel to the ground. Hold for three seconds, and then swing them back.

STRENGTH

FIT Aura Davé (12) models the bicep curl.

This exercise, among others, strengthens the biceps and forearms.

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ODBO RIYA G

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Kelly Clarkson & Matt Nathanson 7:00 PM The Event Center @ SJSU $39-70

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PLANKS Planks are great for working out your back and abdominal muscles. Lie facing down on the floor and push up on your elbows, squeezing your body tight. Hold for three seconds.

11:30 AM - 3:00 PM William C. Overfelt High School FREE

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STAYING FIT: ABDOMINAL SIT UPS Short and sweet, this simple exercise will help tone your abs.

Lie down on the floor with your knees bent at about 90 degrees.

Keeping your arms crossed on your chest, tighten your abs and lift yourself off the ground. At the twenty degree mark hold for a second, and then slowly lower yourself back down.

march 2012

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march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

global journalism project

Global

Efforts to help the environment Countries around the world have been taking eco-friendly initiatives to reduce harm to the environment. To do their share, schools and students on an international scale have been implementing “green” changes including enforcing the use of steel water bottles instead of plastic ones and using learning management

systems. By collaborating with students from sister schools at the Taipei American School in Taiwan and Saint Stephen’s College in Australia, The Winged Post hopes to present perspectives about some of the actions that our respective school communities take to help the environment.

The articles below are a part of a continuing collaboration between The Winged Post and several other international schools in which an article topic is agreed upon and written about. Each school writes and edits their own article, which is then published as received in our publication. Stories and views expressed below are those from contributing schools and are not necessarily those of The Winged Post.

Saint Stephen’s College

Australia, Taiwan, and the United States:

HOW THEY COMPARE ENVIRONMENTALLY

PASSENGER CARS (per 1,000 people): 551 CO2 EMISSIONS (kt): 399, 219 ELECTRIC POWER CONSUMPTION (kWh per capita): 11, 182 ENERGY USE (kg of oil equivalent per capita): 6, 019 COMBUSTIBLE RENEWABLES AND WASTE (percent of total energy): 4.5

PASSENGER CARS (per 1,000 people): 246 CO2 EMISSIONS (kt): 258, 623 ELECTRIC POWER CONSUMPTION (kWh per capita): 9, 990 ENERGY USE (kg of oil equivalent per capita): 4, 587 COMBUSTIBLE RENEWABLES AND WASTE (percent of total energy): 1.2

PASSENGER CARS (per 1,000 people): 451 CO2 EMISSIONS (kt): 5, 461, 014 ELECTRIC POWER CONSUMPTION (kWh per capita): 13, 651 ENERGY USE (kg of oil equivalent per capita): 7, 481 COMBUSTIBLE RENEWABLES AND WASTE (percent of total energy): 3.7

anneke meehl reporter

As awareness regarding the fragility of our natural world grows, schools across all over the world are moving to implement various strategies that will help them to become environmentally friendly. From the increased recycling of paper to participation in global events, more and more students across the globe are finding ways to do their bit for the planet.

Saint Stephen’s College, located on the mid-east coast of Australia, has also taken steps towards becoming a more environmentally friendly school.

In 2007, the College’s Science Ambassadors implemented a Lagoon Revegetation Project that was aimed at replacing non-native plants with native ones to enhance the health and sustainability of the lagoon area.

Emilie Meehl, one of the 2007 Ambassadors explained the other merits of the project.

“This also provided a healthier system for biology and chemistry classes at Saint Stephen’s College to use as part of their studies. This project benefited not only the local ecosystem but also enriched the learning experience of all Saint Stephen’s College students.”

Environmentally friendly behaviour has also occurred within the classrooms at Saint Stephen’s College.

At the beginning of the year, the College

introduced a new Learning Management System called Desire2Learn. Learning Management Systems are software applications used for the administration, supply of documents to, and tracking of classroom. It cannot be denied that online Learning Management Systems significantly reduce the amount of paper a school uses in the long-term, however, the increased dependency on technology caused by the use of such a tool is too often called into question.

The use of Desire2Learn, or any other online Learning Management System, means an increased dependence on an internet service. Faulty or incredibly slow internet connections mean that some students may, from time to time, lose access to homework, assignments, and other documents and resources that teachers make available online.

Year 10 Student Emma Josey acknowledges this while lamenting the lack of physical schoolbooks. “I think D2L makes life a whole lot easier, however, we are far too dependent on the technology. In some cases, our whole schooling life may depend on this resource.”

However, the environmental merits of such as resource cannot be denied, with online Learning Management Systems causing a serious reduction in the amount of paper a

school uses.

Schools play a significant role in the development in students’ minds of the importance of environmentally friendly behaviour.

The College regularly participates in the nation-wide initiative, “Clean Up Australia Day”.

Established in 1989 under the name Clean Up Sydney Harbour Day, it is started as the idea of the avid Australian sailor, Ian Kiernan, who was disgusted by the amount of waste that accumulates in various waterways around the world, finally making its way into the ocean.

Students, armed with rubber gloves and buckets, move systematically through the school to remove every piece of rubbish from the school grounds. This is especially important due to the school’s incredibly close proximity to a lagoon, which feeds into a nearby river, and eventually the ocean. Four out of five senior Saint Stephen’s College students polled felt that Clean Up Australia Day was a worthwhile initiative for the College to be involved in.

These three cases illustrate the that measures taken by schools to be environmentally friendly, with the inclusion of the junior school students, can translate to an environmentally friendly attitude that will remain with the students long into the future.

Taipei American School hanna kim

writer for the Blue & Gold With the slogan of “Think Green”, TAS will be launching a new plan to replace plastic bottles with specially designed, TAS logo bottles. The plan will resolve two of the major issues in TAS: environmental insensitivity and the B-block drink policy. The system is that students can purchase the new metal bottles and will be allowed to carry around any type of beverage they wish. This way, the entire community can reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of plastic bottles as well as meet the student body’s request to bring drinks to classes.

The introduction of the bottles will be a practical step forward in achieving a “green” goal. In an environment where the majority of beverages are kept in plastic containers, the issue of overusing plastic is often not emphasized enough. “People still use paper plates, plastic forks…etc which are un-reusable utensils even though reusable materials are being provided… Students should refill their given

SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK GROUP

bottles instead of buying a plastic water bottle each time”, said Emily Kao (10), an officer of the Green club.

On September 10, 2010, the collected data showed that TAS students purchased a total of 792 plastic bottles a day, which is equivalent to 49.1 percent of all types of beverages sold at TAS. This means approximately one in every three people use a plastic bottle a day. If these plastic bottles are replaced with metal ones, the amount of plastic wasted each day would decreased significantly.

Furthermore, the modest profit gained from the sale of the bottles will be used in the green fund, which will be spent in attempt to improve our community environmentally. The bottle will retail for about 500 NTD, slightly more than the amount spent on manufacturing the bottles.

On the other hand, this plan will benefit the students by loosening the drink policy and allowing more freedom. Carrying beverages

other than water had created several problems before, such as spills and excessive amounts of garbage. The administration noticed the effects this had on the hygiene of our environment like the attraction of unwelcomed insects and pests, and accordingly enforced the drink policy. However, the new metal bottles are specially designed so it will not easily spill or condense and most importantly, will not create garbage.

“This will be a compromise between the students and the administration; they will be given more freedom and they will take responsibility of both the environmental issues and the waste produced,” said Dr. Richard Hartzell, Upper School principal.

“I like how we are given more freedom to bring a more variety of drinks, and also the fact that this is environmentally friendly,” said Rebecca Brown (11).

The Winged Post shilpa nataraj global editor

The Upper School community has taken an array of measures to be environmentally friendly, from implementing green construction to changing lifestyle habits and taking initiative as a club.

According to Facility Manager Mike Bassoni, Science & Technology building Nichols Hall was the first educational building in the Santa Clara County to be designated Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization committed to cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. “[In green construction,] energy consumption creates the greatest carbon footprint, so we’re trying to reduce that,” Bassoni said.

The USGBC’s official website states that LEED certification is “an internationally recognized mark of excellence” based on a point system that recognizes performance in areas that include sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

“The showpiece of Nichols Hall is the heating and air-conditioning system,” Bassoni said. “It’s called the direct-indirect evaporative cooling system, and it’s the third one ever installed in the Bay Area. It uses only one-sixth of the amount of energy that a normal heating and air conditioning system would use, so it’s very, very efficient.”

Other green measures that the school has taken include up-to-date energy-efficient lighting, eco-friendly pesticides and cleaning chemicals, and reflective roofing. Nichols Hall, in particular, has a solar-electric roof that, according to Bassoni, has saved the school tens of thousands of dollars.

At a personal level, students have changed their lifestyle habits to help the environment.

“Instead of using plastic water bottles, I use a reusable steel one,” Krishan Kumar (10) said. “I try to be cautious about not using too much electricity and things like that.”

Joseph Wang (11) appreciates that there are online media such as Harker Homework Management System (HHMS), where students can view their assignments, and Athena2, where

students can view a teacher’s resources including PowerPoint presentations and handouts.

“Being an environmentallyfriendly school is definitely easier said than done. But even so, HHMS and Athena2 are ultimate proof that [our school] cares about being green,” he said.

Madhuri Nori (9) agrees and appreciates the efforts of teachers to conserve paper.

“I like how for a lot of classes, teachers let us submit work electronically, so that we don’t waste paper,” she said.

Saachi Jain (10), however, believes that the community as a whole needs to take more responsibility in its green efforts.

“I think if students pay more attention [to helping the environment] instead of leaving it up to clubs or organizations within the school, it will have a better effect,” she said.

On campus, the Brilliant Organizers of Student Sustainability (BOSS) Club, led by Shreya Indukuri (12) and Daniela Lapidous (12), hopes to educate students on helping the

environment and will be rolling out a revamped recycling program in the upcoming weeks.

According to Shreya, BOSS Club has created an educational video and plans to place posters on the recycling bins to inform the community of what items can or cannot be recycled. Additionally, BOSS, combining forces with Student Council, has drawn out plans to position recycling bins as close as possible to trash bins.

“I see students that have very little concern for the environment—they throw recyclables in trash bins, trash in the recyclables, and let convenience rule over logic,” said Jeff Sutton, BOSS advisor and AP Environmental Science teacher.

On April 14, BOSS will hold a Green Teen Summit for local high school students all across the Bay Area who are interested in green initiatives.

“We want students to be inspired and empowered by each other, teaching and learning about the different sustainability projects that they’re doing at their schools,” Shreya said.

This year, Maya Sathaye (11) founded the Clean Technology Club

(CTC) as she believes that clean technology (using Earth’s renewable resources and cutting down or eliminating the use of natural resources to create products, processes, and services) is a cutting-edge field in the Silicon Valley.

“CTC’s purpose is to promote learning and exploration of current research and industry trends in cleantechnology through competitions, readings, and discussion groups,” Maya said.

Mentored by Chemistry teacher Dr. Smriti Koodanjeri, CTC members Maya, Shelby Rorabaugh (11), and Lorraine Wong (11) participated in Applied Materials’ Clean Teach Competition where their team became a finalist for their project titled “A Solar Alternative to Charge Electric Wheelchairs.”

Currently, CTC is exploring the technology of fuel cell cars and built a miniature model fuel cell car for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Fair held on February 29 in the gym.

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

Global

Global trips: Experiencing foreign countries

In Costa Rica this summer from July 24 to August 9, rising seniors will have the opportunity to spend almost two weeks conducting independent research at the University of Georgia (UGA) Field Research Station at Monteverde.

Saira Ahuja (12), who went on the trip last year, felt that being in Costa Rica gave her new insight into nature and the rainforest.

“We went to a protected site and got a chance to see the areas that were completely free of any human impact,” Saira said.

Galápagos From August 3 to 13, students will be given a chance to explore the wildlife, landscape, and diversity of the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago that is inaccessible to the public without a naturalist guide.

“It’s really important to us that [students] experience things firsthand [because] that’s authentic learning,” Science Department Chair Anita Chetty said.

The trip, chaperoned by teachers Diana Moss

Australia The summer excursion to Australia occurs almost every other year, with this year’s trip scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 9. Highlights include a visit to the Sydney Opera House, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and homestays with students from St. Stephen’s College in Queensland.

According to Global Education Director Jennifer Walrod, students who have participated in the Australia trip nearly always say the homestays were their favorite part.

and Dr. Eric Nelson, is open only to underclassmen. It begins in the capital city, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where the group will stay and work with a high school named the Colegio Nacional Galápagos.

“The night sky, when it’s not cloudy, is this giant dome of stars, [and] it’s spectacular,” Chemistry teacher Dr. Mala Raghavan said.

In addition to working with local students to develop an anti-litter campaign for the city, these freshmen and sophomores will be given an ex- BIODIVERSITY A highlight of the Galápagos clusive boating tour of the islands, complete with Trip for some students was learning about organisms in their natural habitat. snorkeling excursions at each stop.

“I hope the students [will] get a lot of things [out of ] the trip,” Walrod said. “I hope they learn about other cultures—what their lives are like, how kids around the world deal with situations—see other ways of doing things, and try new things.

Beyond that, I just hope they have a lot of fun.”

This year, as opposed to in previous years, students will not be participating in a leadership retreat. More students were able to make the trip if it was placed either at the beginning or at the end of summer, times that did not coincide with potential dates for a leadership retreat. Preparation GREAT BARRIER REEF Students who to recruit more participants is currently under way. participate in the Australia trip are offered an

opportunity to experience underwater wildlife.

Music in a different country

Cantilena travels to Italy allison sun

In a grand cathedral, five pitches blended into a single harmony, leaving behind an echo that lingered for a few seconds, as members of Cantilena immersed themselves into the music.

From February 10 to 19, five members of Cantilena, the Upper School female choir group, accompanied by instructor and director Susan Nace, traveled to Italy to share their love of music and to experience a different musical world. Students who attended the trip were Rachelle Koch (12), Lucy Xu (12), Bridget Nixon (12), Katherine Marcus-Reker (12), and Rebecca Liu (11).

“The main purpose of the trip [was] to put music within its context,” Nace said. “It gives [musicians] a [perspective] of how music is put in its real place and an opportunity to have a faceto-face encounter with its culture.”

The group performed six concerts that ranged from casual to serious. While there was a special performance for a youth choir at Accademia Musicale di Firenze, a music institute in Florence, nearly all of the concerts were held at churches or cathedrals, such as the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi. Although there were no formal stages, the churches offered several advantages in terms of acoustics.

“The incredible acoustics in each of the churches we sang in definitely made a difference in how we heard ourselves, and our perception of each song changed accordingly,” Rebecca said.

“Singing in such historically significant places was really an honor.”

Preparation for the trip, which included selecting the repertoire and arranging music for the ensemble, began last spring. Prior to the trip on January 29, Cantilena also held a pre-concert at Nichols Hall.

Divided into three sections, the ensemble’s repertoire was comprised of selections in English and various foreign languages including Latin, Italian, Chinese, and Hebrew.

“It takes a while to get used to making sounds that you don’t use normally, but learning the language is part of the fun of learning a song,” Lucy said.

Although Cantilena members encountered a few challenges in learning songs in a foreign language, many of them felt that the music they sang transcended the language barrier since the words themselves are not so important.

“You can do a lot of word painting where the way you sing something illustrates what it means,” Bridget said. “It’s kind of similar to how a metaphor furthers a theme or motif in a novel.”

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

TalonWP editor

MUSIC Five members of Cantilena stand together with instructor Susan Nace in Italy where they performed, experienced a different musical world, and toured the cities and museums.

Songs that were considered sacred, such as “Ave Maria,” were performed in the formal settings of churches during masses. In contrast, Cantilena also sang a series of American spiritual songs, including “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal,” and more casual songs, such as “How Can I Keep from Singing?” for younger audience members.

“I always choose repertoire according to what works best with the ensemble’s voices.

[Then,] I take songs of the heritage that reflects the people in the ensemble,” Nace said.

Cantilena sang three heritage songs, one of which was composed by Bridget’s grandfather Roger Nixon. For Bridget, that particular song, “Carol,” held a special meaning.

“I never thought that I would have the opportunity to perform my grandfather’s work,” she said. “I was overcome with joy. It was a joy that was pure and incessant, and I loved every second of it.”

In addition to performing at churches, Cantilena members had the opportunity to tour the grounds, learn about the background, and listen to Gregorian chants of the monks at the Abbey of Sant’ Antimo. They visited museums in Florence such as the Academy of Fine Arts and The Uffizi Gallery.

Although the language barrier posed a slight problem for regular communication interactions, the trip was an overall success and surpassed Cantilena’s expectations, according to Cantilena members and Nace.

“I’m proud of [Cantilena] at how they dealt with whole new acoustics and surroundings [even though] we had a couple of challenges,” Nace said. “They met the challenges we encountered with a lot of grace and a lot of positive attitude.”

Cantilena hopes to travel to Italy again in the future.

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Costa Rica

The primary academic component involves college-level instruction by Dr. Diana Lieberman of UGA, who provides the students with a comprehensive background for their research. The trip culminates with a presentation from each student or team to professors at the institute, earning them a certificate in tropical biology research.

Maya Gattupalli (12), along with Saira, researched whether different species of butterflies and bugs were attracted to brighter shades of red in guavas.

There is a fair amount of exciting activities on the schedule, including whitewater rafting, zip- KAYAKING As a break from conducting research at the UGA Field Research station, lining, photography outings, and night hikes. students participate in outdoor activities.

reporter

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

lifestyle editor & features editor

JNHS Newsletter juhi gupta

From homestays in Australia to exploring nature reserves at the Galápagos Islands and Costa Rica, Upper School students have opportunities this summer to learn from experiences worlds away from the classroom.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

alisha mayor & pavitra rengarajan

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This month, the third annual Japanese National Honor Society ( JNHS) newsletter will be available.

The newsletter’s prospective release date approximately coincides with the oneyear anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. Japan’s recovery will be discussed in detail in a special article at the beginning of the issue.

According to Erik Andersen (11), a writer for the newsletter, the goal of the newsletter is to convey information about Japanese culture to interested readers.

“It definitely piques the curiosity, especially of students who don’t have time to join, say, Japan Club or take Japanese,” Erik said.

The publication also aims to help current students taking Japanese.

“Because [students are] studying Japanese outside of Japan, they don’t have a lot of opportunities to be exposed to the language and Japanese culture,” Masako Onakado, newsletter advisor and Japanese teacher, said. “By working on creating this newsletter, they will be more proactive about seeking the opportunities to be exposed to Japanese culture.”

One distinctive feature in this year’s edition is an article on alumni who are continuing their Japanese studies in college. Onakado states that the JNHS students contacted a lot of alumni who took Japanese and asked them how they are continuing their Japanese studies in college. She hopes that current students that are studying Japanese can use the information when choosing colleges.

Although the publication is created and released by JNHS, its readers are not just students involved with Japanese organizations.

“The regular student body [is our audience], definitely. I hope that they would enjoy learning about the Japanese culture.

Of course, I wouldn’t mind if the teachers picked up a copy or two as well,” editor Kimberly Ma (10) said.

JNHS will be announcing the release of their newsletter at an upcoming school meeting, and copies will be available in boxes placed around campus.

16

Tech

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

Influenza study performing MOTES: new trial for more data today emily chu reporter Today, the 650 students, teachers, and staff who participated in the first trial run will have the chance to don motes again for the Harker Influenza Project (HIP)’s second round of data collection.

The mote, which consists of two batteries and a coded chip, will track and record the movement and interactions of project participants on the campus. According to Penn State researcher Dr. Vicki Barclay, the mote uses short radio wavelength signals that are able to collect data from a distance of up to nine feet. Up until now, Dr. Barclay, Dr. Marcel Salathé, and the other researchers as well as the student project groups have downloaded the data from the previous trial and, in preparation for today, erased the data previously on the chip.

Only the people who wore a mote in the last round POST could participate in D E G G - WIN K YAN this trial.

PATRIC

“I really hope that all the students, teachers, and staff members from the first trial will participate again since that would give us a larger, more accurate data set,” Dr. Barclay said.

Information gathered from these trials will be used for a project titled The Comparative Analysis of Objective and Subjective Data led by Indu Seeni (11). Using a new programming language called R, Indu and the other researchers hope to chart all of the data collected. Later, they will issue out a survey asking participants to recall and report their interactions as accurately as possible.

“We are trying to get as much mote data as possible and compare it to [the data from the first trial] to make sure there are no big discrepancies and to get more accurate analysis,” Indu said. “Ultimately, my team’s project is to compare the surveys and the mote data. We are trying to figure out in what ways are humans more subject, like [whether] people report interactions with people in the same age group more.”

A third trial run will be occurring on March 13 followed by a survey later.

Programming club to host coding competition March 17 anishka agarwal

reporter One computer, one and a half hours, and three students; this is the situation that three teams from each high school have to face at the second Annual Programming Invitational on March 17 hosted by the Upper School’s Programming Club.

Students are to solve a series of problems of varying difficulty, mostly written by alumni and other college students. The teams have an hour and a half to complete as many as they can.

“They are not intended to be finishable,” Programming Club President Katie Siegel (12) said.

“It’s just how many points they can get.”

The solutions are submitted onto a server and graded by the online contest infrastructure based on whether they work or not. This year, prizes will be iHomes and gift cards.

Alumna Christine Chien (‘11) started this competition last year when she went to ProCo, the Stanford University Programming Competition, and noticed that the only girls involved were those from school. This led her to start a programming competition at the Upper School with the hope that more females would get involved.

“In one sense it’s a community outreach because we also specifically target girls and other minorities,” Computer Science teacher Richard

Page said.

Students from 30 schools located ranging from San Francisco to Sacramento participated in the invitational last year.

“The goal in the long run is to have a number of high schools put on these competitions; however, it isn’t spreading yet,” Computer Science

“

The goal in the long run is to have a number of high schools put on these competitions.

”

Susan King, Computer Science teacher

teacher Susan King said.

Stanford supported the invitational last year and is doing so this year as well. Upper School students, except for the officers of the Programming Club, are allowed to participate. However, they are not allowed to win prizes.

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march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

tech File sharing site and associated services seized by government

Megaupload shut down for copyright infringement TALONWP editor & reporter On January 19, the Federal Government shut down Megaupload, a popular file-sharing service, on charges of copyright infringement.

Megaupload allows users to upload and access files uploaded by others for free; a user can purchase a premium account for faster downloads.

CNET, a technology news website, reported that the FBI has arrested founder Kim Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz, and other executives of the site; Megaupload’s services, including MegaVideo, MegaLive, and MegaPix, were all shut down.

The site was terminated because it hosted user-uploaded pirated content, and the founders of Megaupload were arrested for facilitating the use of pirated content.

Brandon Savage is the Senior Product Manager of Box, a service that allows users to upload and access files on personal cloud networks. In an email correspondence with The Winged Post, he said that he believes that the shutdown “sends a message to other companies looking to capitalize on sharing copyrighted material.” However, he said, as long as the sharing services are legitimate and take down copyrighted material immediately, this event “probably does not have much of an impact.”

Savage believes that since sharing files is much easier with the Internet, the legality of a website depends on what companies do with the files.

“Technology has advanced so that uploading something to the Internet to share it with others is insanely easy and

and it had some provisions that would have affected the way that some important parts of the Internet work,” Fisher said in an email interview. “I think events like the Megaupload takedown have shown that U.S. officials have the power and willingness to act, even without a law such as SOPA.”

FBI

nikhil dilip & emily chu

can be done by email, through an article on Wikipedia, or through a post on your Facebook account,” Savage said. “What separates these services from one another is how they get used, how the companies monetize the content being stored and shared, and the company’s response to complaints of piracy.”

of all files, there is some concern over losing legally shared information.

“My big question is what happens to the legitimate personal data that users had stored on the Megaupload servers,” Fisher said. “Do they get that returned to them somehow? I seriously doubt it, and that’s going to be a problem in the future for these kinds of takedowns.”

Though the purpose of shutting down Megaupload is to curtail copyright infringements and piracy, students are still able to access media from other websites, both legal and illegal, which host content such as music, television shows, movies, and games.

“It is really easy to torrent things such as movies and games online because no one is trying to stop those websites from doing it,” Alan Guo (9) said.

However, some have decided to access their media through other methods, either purchasing their products or obtaining their media through sites that honor copyright laws.

“Although it’s unfortunate that Megavideo was shut down, it wasn’t that much of a problem because there are a lot of other sites,” Arjun Goyal (10) said. “Netflix Instant Stream is getting a lot more shows and is legal, and [...] there are many other alternatives that are even better.”

Though other members who helped create the site were released from custody earlier, Dotcom stayed in custody until February 22, after spending over a month interned. He is now under house arrest, and his extradition hearing is scheduled to be held in the U.S. on August 20.

The shutdown came one day after popular Internet websites such as Wikipedia and Reddit blacked out their sites to protest controversial antipirating bills such as SOPA and PIPA; however, voting on both bills was postponed until enough Congressmen supported the bills and could come to a consensus.

Dennis Fisher, the Editor in Chief of the Security News Service of Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab, believes SOPA was a “flawed bill from the beginning.” “[SOPA] was written too broadly,

In the aftermath of the shutdown, many students share distress over losing access to media, ranging from music to television shows.

“While Megaupload was apparently involved in money-laundering and other shady business, I don’t really agree with the decision to take down Megaupload,” Suchita Nety (11) said.

“A lot of foreign media is not readily accessible in the U.S., but is easy to obtain through Megaupload and other similar sites.”

Because the termination of Megaupload closed off the attainment

cluding osteoporosis and muscle wasting.

The team conducted experiments on the stem cells of the modified mice by exposing the cells to those of younger, healthy mice.

The researchers found that protein secretions from stem cells from the muscles of young mice can rejuvenate older, worn-out cells. After the diseased mice were injected with their own modified cells, the mice lived 30 days longer than expected and grew about three times as large.

“I’ve never seen anything else have such an impact on these mice,” Dr. Niedernhofer said. “It was truly astonishing.”

The rejuvenated stem cells in the mice stimulated the host to supplement the muscle cells and blood vessels in the host. Currently, the properties of the protein secretions are still unknown, but Dr. Niedernhofer says that the team is enthusias- tic about continuing the project.

If able to translate their findings to humans, stem cell therapy could prevent PHO TO CRE D immune reIT: U DISEASE These two mice PMC MED sponses. were from Dr. Laura NiedernIA R ELA TIO hofer’s study. The one on the right has NS Dr. Niedernhofer and progeria, causing it to age prematurely, while her team received some

backlash over the validity of the experiments performed on the ailing mice.

“There was a lot of opposition from folks saying that ‘Oh, this has nothing to do with real aging. It’s just aging because you’ve taken away a protective mechanism,’” Dr. Niedernhofer said.

AP Biology teacher Dr. Gary Blickenstaff sees potential holes in the study.

“These studies are particularly interesting in the sense that they incorporate the idea of using stem cells to repair tissues. However, I’m a little skeptical about the process,” Dr. Blickenstaff said. “The fact that the stem cells could alter that process in the disease model doesn’t mean it could be applied to the normal physiological aging process.”

Student researcher Lucy Xu (12) would like to see the same experiment performed on healthy mice.

“Any improvement would seem a lot more drastic [...] in a mouse that’s normally aged,” Lucy said.

According to Dr. Niedernhofer, researchers need to investigate the protein secretions from the young stem cells.

“I think [identifying the cause] will lead to even more opportunities to keep people fit and happy as long as possible,” she said.

Dr. Nimet Maherali, a 2009 Upper

School Research Symposium keynote speaker and former student of Science Department Chair Anita Chetty, faced some of the same problems as Dr. Niedernhofer when she conducted stem cell research at Harvard University.

In 2006, when Dr. Maherali started graduate school, a group of Japanese researchers discovered how to transform pluripotent stem cells, which have limited capacities, into embryonic stem cells.

Similar to Dr. Niedernhofer’s findings, the Japanese researchers’ discovery was disputed by some. “[People] just thought, ‘Oh, the cells look similar but they’re not quite identical to embryonic stem cells,’” Dr. Maherali said, who built on the findings of the Japanese lab.

Both Dr. Maherali and Dr. Niedernhofer’s research were neglected at first, but Dr. Niedernhofer was able to convince her opposition otherwise through extensive experimentation. “[It] took about 10 years, actually, to get people to believe [that the project was valid],” Dr. Niedernhofer said. “But it was worth it. When you see something in these mice that really reminds you of patients, it’s pretty powerful.”

According to Dr. Niedernhofer, future steps in her lab’s research would involve exploring the regenerative qualities of young stem cells.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a unique game worth trying

Effect. It is an MMO in which the story actually matters and your actions can potentially have consequences.

I also found the planets that you can traverse to be diverse and enjoyable.

Tatooine truly feels like a sprawling desert and

is reminiscent of the old Star Wars movies, while the forests of Dromund Kaas ample exploration. All in all, each planet offers its own different experience — I find myself looking forward to discovering new missions and locations on new planets as I advance in the storyline.

As far as a MMO goes, this one truly is expansive. Each class offers its own unique storyline, meaning that for

the tens of hours I have put into this game, the story is less than 20 percent complete.

However, some of the few problems in this game are the occasional, annoying lag spike. Disconnecting and having to log back in constantly can really get on your nerves. Also, since the game has only been out for a couple of months, it is riddled with bugs and glitches. Luckily, BioWare patches the game regularly, and players have already seen a decrease in these inconveniences.

Star Wars: The Old Republic offers a unique MMO experience that has never been seen before. If you are a Star Wars fan or you just like videogames, give this one a try.

STUDY: Researchers rejuvenate mice using stem cells apoorva rangan & dora tzeng reporters After over four years of experimentation, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have successfully used modified stem cells to slow the aging process in mice, a breakthrough in reverse-aging research.

Recently, Dr. Laura Niedernhofer, associate professor of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Dr. Johnny Huard, director of the university’s Stem Cell Research Center, made major strides in discovering rejuvenative properties of stem cells.

With a team of researchers and graduate students, the two labs tripled the projected lifespan of diseased mice.

The mice were engineered to have an aging disorder called progeria, also found in humans. This disease causes rapid aging, with symptoms in-

the one on the left is healthy.

corey gonzales reporter

For serious gamers who want a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game alternative to World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic is certainly the right choice. Released in December 2011 and developed by BioWare, The Old Republic is the fastest growing MMO to date.

The game begins with a decent amount of basic customization: you can choose to be Jedi or Sith in different

races and body types. My favorite part about the customization aspect is that you can choose four different classes in each faction. Each class specialization offers different advantages in combat, like damage output or survivability.

From each class, two more advanced classes

branch out, which can

be chosen once you reach level 10. The game offers a total of eight d i f f e r e n t classes, each with its own unique playing experience.

As for gameplay, it is complex and enjoyable. Players can choose their own dialogue options, having to weigh their morals and make good or evil decisions.

It sort of reminds me of playing some massive multiplayer version of Mass

17

Patrick Ponders

about

LITTLE INNOVATIONS patrick yang tech editor

The other day, I was bringing my laptop from one classroom to another within Nichols Hall to collaborate with some friends on a project. For the two minutes my laptop lid was closed, it went into sleep mode, and it took me two more to bring the computer out of sleep. I talked to my friends, and they said they all experienced the same thing – wasting precious minutes due to laptops entering power-save. And I wondered, why can’t I set my laptop to wait for five minutes after the lid is closed before it goes to sleep?

The answer is actually that I can – the program or modification to do it just hasn’t been made yet.

That day, instead of simply soaking up the technology around me, in everything from ceiling lights to cellphones, I pondered a way to invent new technology and improve my life just a little bit.

Ever worry about exactly how much power is left in your TI-84’s four AAA batteries, because you’re worried about them giving out during tomorrow’s math cumulative test? Or perhaps you need to know how long a trip to the store will take with heavy traffic or other factors? Possibly you’d find it much easier to be environmentally friendly if recyclables and trash could be separated accurately and automatically?

There’s technology either waiting to be invented or utilized that could answer these requests (and more which you may be thinking of ).

Even in an age of revolutionary inventions like the Internet, personal computers, and smartphones, the technology created to ease smaller difficulties in life is equally important. It’s our voices – “We have a problem, it’s not earthshattering, but we’d like to see tech fix it!” – that keeps the industry surging and quality of life improving. We should be more conscious of this fact.

We live in an incredible technological capital of the world, and all around us companies are making innovations big and small.

There are the juggernauts like Apple or HP, who produce technology that is used in many ways around the entire world. But there are also smaller companies created to solve specific small problems.

Imgur, one of the many prominent image hosting websites on the Internet, was started by a user on Reddit who heard his fellow users’ complaints that uploading images to share was too complicated.

Yes, the code and design that went into Imgur’s development likely took some deep knowledge of computer science. But in my opinion, the ordinary users who voiced their desire for a less burdensome way to host pictures on the Internet were equally important to Imgur’s creation.

I think that we, living in the technological hotbed of Silicon Valley, have a significant influence on the direction of innovation. If you’ve got a problem, and you think tech can solve it, ask around!

You never know – others might share your problem, and you could contribute to a groundbreaking invention.

Sports

the Winged Post

Alyssa Amick (9)

“Nobody runs a team the way [Stephen Hughes (12)] runs a team.”

That was the comment made by an opposing team’s coach following a Varsity basketball game this season.

Co-captain Stephen has displayed leadership both by example and vocally throughout the season.

“He may not get all the stats, but he’s responsible for a lot of our success,” co-captain Nikhil Panu (11) said.

Some teammates believe that their success this season can be attributed to his leadership and how he has guided the team through the season. According to Spenser Quash (11), Stephen exemplifies this leadership during practice as well as in games.

Additionally, as the team’s point guard, Stephen has to maneuver his way through the defense in order to set up plays. According to teammate Kevin Susai (11), Stephen’s forte is controlling the ball and breaking the defense of other teams.

“He is the backbone of the team,” Kevin said. “He’s one of the best point guards I’ve ever seen play.”

Stephen averaged about nine points per game, scoring 230 points overall in the season.

He also averaged a little over five assists and five rebounds per game.

On January 20, Stephen contributed 13 points in a close 66-61 loss to Pinewood School, the number one school in the league.

For the second consecutive year, Stephen received an Honorable Mention All League recognition in the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL). His commitment is clear to his teammates and his coach.

“His hard work and love of the game show through every minute that he plays,” head coach Butch Keller said.

Stephen is not only committed but also consistent in his high level performance during games. Nikhil commends Stephen’s ability to remain calm in times of pressure.

ATHLETES OF THE

MONTH sonia sidhu & sheridan tobin reporters

MEGAN PRAKASH - TALONWP

Leading the team in assists and scoring 10 goals in the season, Alyssa Amick (9) has been a valuable addition to the girls soccer team.

In the team’s February 1 win against Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA), Alyssa had five assists. She has been praised by her teammates for passing the ball to other players and for setting up many scoring opportunities.

“Not only is she a strong soccer player, but she’s also a generous player,” teammate Wendy Shwe (11) said. “She’s able to pass the field and know what techniques are necessary to get the best outcome.”

Alyssa had 19 assists this season, showing her ability to present her teammates with optimal chances to score. In addition, she frequently displays an understanding of the game and is able to see opportunities developing.

Her willingness to be a “team player” was demonstrated in the team’s final game, a 10-0 win over Latino College Preparatory on February 14.

“Our last game was an [easy] win. Alyssa was at the top of the [penalty] box, and she passed it off to other people so they could take a shot after she had scored,” Co-Captain Adrienne Mendel (11) said.

Head Coach Jason Berry has seen her display a high level of skill throughout the season and believes one of her strongest skills is her recognition of open players.

“One of her strengths is her field vision – her awareness of where her teammates are around her,” Berry said. “[She has an] uncanny ability to spot the open space.”

Despite being a freshman, Alyssa is one of the team’s top scorers. According to Berry, she was already a talented player when she joined the team but she has become significantly more aggressive throughout the course of the season.

Dedicated to soccer, Alyssa plays the sport year round. Her teammates and coach think that she will continue to be an asset to the team throughout her high school career.

“She is one of the most vital members of Harker’s soccer team,” Berry said. “The league better watch out for the next three years.”

Stephen Hughes (12)

SOCCER Alyssa Amick (9) dribbles the ball across the field during the annual Kicks Against Cancer game. Alyssa has had 19 assists this season.

SAMANTHA HOFFMAN - WINGED POST

18

march 2, 2012

BASKETBALL Varsity basketball co-captain Stephen Hughes (12) drives the ball down the court during one of their home games. Stephen demonstrated leadership both on and off the court.

Rock climbing

Eagle

Students discuss the thrills and challenges of scaling heights

E vents

mercedes chien & rachel salisbury

March

photo editor & reporter

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Holding on with all your might, you fasten in another clip. Don’t look down. Keep pushing. Just another step to go. Don’t look down. The thrill of being so high up, depending on only your own strength, does nothing to ameliorate the physical burn. When you have finally reached the top, you look down. There you are, standing on top of the world.

That is the surge of emotions Suraya Shivji (9) says she experiences almost every weekend. Being in the fifth year of her rock-climbing career, scaling the massive rock faces of Yosemite is just an average Saturday. She often ventures outdoors with her team to climb natural rocks opposed to artificial rock faces at her indoor gym City Beach, located in Fremont.

“I prefer outdoor [climbing] just because you fall harder, and it’s more real,” Suraya said.

Despite her preference towards real rock faces, ROCK CLIMBING Zoe Woehrmann (9) scales a rock climbing structure in Germany. She traveled there Suraya has been climbing competitively on indoor a few years ago and had the opportunity to experience this activity in a new environment. courses for the past three years. In addition to plac- her house, Zoe enjoys the flexibility of the lower- find the time. When asked about the most rewarding third at Regionals and ninth at Sports Climb- level sport. ing aspect of rock climbing, he said that “there was ing Series (SCS) Divisionals, Suraya placed 34th “On the way home, sometimes, I’ll go for an always more [he] could do.” out of 100 climbers last year at the national SCS hour maybe and do some easy courses and some Aditya climbs about four times a week, every rock climbing competition. conditioning with a friend,” she said. week. He climbs indoors after school due to the Her dedication and passion would not have Climbing on a recreational level is like taking lack of time on weekdays, but he climbs outdoors, blossomed if her parents had not supported her. a rock climbing class. For each practice, a climber often at Castle Rock State Park, in the Santa Cruz Mariam Shivji, Suraya’s mother, believes the sport can choose any level he or she desires.

Mountains, if the weather permits safe climbing on forces her daughter to always “reach for the top,” “Sometimes I repeat routes and try to not use the weekends. whether that be in climbing or in life. certain rocks to make it harder. It’s boring if you Although he does not climb in high-level “[Climbing] is her passion,“ Shivji said. “She’ll just keep repeating the same routes,” Zoe said. competitions, he trains on his own before school to definitely continue […] as a young adult.”

Jacob Erlikhman (10) agrees that making the improve his endurance and increase his stamina. A This year, with SCS nationals around the cor- same climb becomes monotonous. Having started difficult climbing route requires strength that most ner in March, practices take up all of her free time. around three years ago, Jacob climbs on a weekly people do not possess, so it is necessary to stay in Rock climbing occupies so much of Suraya’s time basis, 20 hours a week. During his pastime, he occa- shape in order to continue his passion. that she cannot participate in other activities at sionally climbs at places such as Yosemite and Bish“Two hundred feet is brutal when you’re vertischool, as Suraya stated “rock climbing is [her only] op, a city on the south eastern border of California cal climbing. [It can] get extremely hard […] since extracurricular [activity].” known for the popularity of rock climbing there. some moves are pretty tricky, and if you lose focus However, for others, juggling rock climbing Although Jacob, like any other climber, spends you can easily fall,” he said. and other extracurricular activities is a challenge. a significant amount of time training, his biggest Climbing is only one of the outdoor sports Zoe Woehrmann (9), who has been climbing challenge is motivating himself to become stronger. Aditya participates passionately in. Others include for 10 years, has not been able to join a competitive “Every time you climb a different climb, so mountain biking, mountaineering, and mix climbteam due to the immense time commitment rock there are different movements, and every time you ing, a sport in which athletes use ice climbing tools climbing entails. Homework and other activities learn something new,” he said. on rock. only allow Zoe to climb recreationally on the weekFor climber Aditya Sastry (12), finishing a “I’ve pretty much tried every [outdoor sport] ends at a facility in Santa Clara with a group of tough climb pushes him beyond his limits. and still do it,” he said. other climbers, who according to Zoe, have bonded After rock climbing for the first time about a Aditya further states that he definitely wishes in a way similar to that of a closely knit team. year ago, he “got hooked really fast.” The challenges to continue climbing after high school, with his foBecause of the leniency in the recreational of the sport motivate him to climb whenever he can cus on mix climbing. rock climbing schedule and her gym’s proximity to

Boys Tennis 3/6: The King’s Academy 3/8: Crystal Springs Uplands 3/15: Sacred Heart Preparatory 3/21: Monta Vista High School 3/22: Priory

Boys Golf

3/2: Pinewood School 3/6: The King’s Academy 3/15: Sacred Heart Preparatory

Boys Volleyball

3/6: Archbishop Mitty 3/8: Willow Glen High School 3/9: Harbor High School 3/14: Homestead High School 3/21: Lynbrook High School 3/27: Lowell High School 3/29: Monta Vista High School

Softball

3/2: Menlo-Atherton 3/5: Yerba Buena High School 3/8: Monta Vista High School 3/9: Pinewood School 3/16: Notre Dame - San Jose 3/20: Alma Heights Christian 3/29: The King’s Academy

Lacrosse

3/13: Christian Brothers High School - Sacramento 3/15: Novato High School 3/16: Tamalpais High School 3/20: Bella Vista High School 3/23: Notre Dame - San Jose 3/30: Mercy High School Burlingame

Swimming 3/28: Castilleja School & Notre Dame High School San Jose

Track and Field

3/3: Willow Glen Invitational Tournament (away)

Baseball 3/5: St. Lawrence Academy 3/6: Lynbrook High School 3/9: Priory 3/19: Monta Vista High School 3/23: Liberty Baptist 3/24: Cupertino High School 3/28: The King’s Academy

march 2, 2012 the Winged Post

sports

19

Basketball: Varsity boys make CCS semifinals for first time samantha hoffman & darian edvalson

SAMANTHA HOFFMAN - WINGED POST

chief in training & TALONWP editor

CCS Nikhil Panu (11) goes up to shoot as a defender closes in on him. The team went two wins and one loss in CCS. They advanced to the semifinals before falling to Sacred Heart Preparatory.

Under first year head coach Butch Keller, the Varsity Boys Basketball team closed out its record-breaking season by advancing to the semifinal round of CCS playoffs for the first time in Upper School history.

The team’s first CCS game this year was played against Stevenson High School and the Eagles emerged victorious in a 61-43 lead. Spenser Quash (11) was the leading scorer of the night with 16 points.

During the second half, the Eagles held and increased their lead with minimal fouling, scoring 54 points to Stevenson’s 35 by the end of the third quarter. As the point difference continued to increase in the final quarter, every player on the Eagles got a chance to play and was sent in to the roaring approval of the fans in the crowd.

“The bench did a great job, and it was great to see everybody play,” Keller said.

The boys then moved on to beat Soquel High School in a 62-59 victory. Although the Eagles struggled for the lead in the first half, they hit their stride during the third quarter, narrowing the lead to 46-47 through strong offense and defense strategies and multiple fouls from the Soquel team. The Eagles overtook Soquel and brought the score to 61-57 with one minute left in the game. Another shooting foul brought freshman Nicholas Nguyen to the free throw line, who increased the score to 62-59.

Although many Eagles fans predict-

ed that the team’s first CCS game against Stevenson would be an easy win, they, the coaches, and the players were elated by the upset over second seed Soquel High School.

After winning its first two CCS games, the team faced a tough 44-68 defeat against rival Sacred Heart Preparatory School, to whom it had lost twice during the regular season.

Despite the loss against Sacred Heart Prep, a huge crowd of Eagles fans traveled to Menlo School to cheer the team on, pouring onto the court after the game concluded. In order to increase fan support and allow students to attend the game, a bus was chartered to provide transportation from the Upper School to Menlo and back.

Also, teachers were instructed to lighten the homework load for the night and relax deadlines so that more students could attend freely.

Several students and faculty members ended up coming to the game. Students led chants and cheers throughout the game in order to show their support.

After finishing with an overall record of 18-9 and earning the seventh seed in CCS, the team had great confidence and the players committed themselves to the hard work necessary to be successful in post-season play. “[Co-captains Stephen Hughes (12) and Nikhil Panu (11)] lead by example.

They have always taken practice seriously,

A quick look at spring sports

Boys’ Basketball

sanjana baldwa & monica thukral lifestyle editor & reporter

Golf

Tennis

Head coach: Ie-Chen Cheng

Head coach: Craig Pasqua

Senior player: Nathan Sowards

Senior players: Nikhil Narayen, Sachin Jain, Revanth Kosaraju, Chun Man Chow, Arihant Jain, Derek Tzeng

This season: “Although golf is very much an individual sport, we take a lot of pride in treating golf as a team sport. If you see how much fun we have during our season, you’ll understand why the golf team forges friendships between people from different backgrounds. Our best bonding experience happens daily on our sprinter rides.”- Ie-Chen Cheng

Volleyball

Head coach: Dan Molin

Senior players: Akshay Tangutur, Dwight Payne, Zach Ellenberg, Ishan Taneja, Derek Huang, Michael Wu This season: “Our goals for this season are to compete hard from start to finish in each game. Work hard in practice, so we will be a tougher team.[...].

We need to play solid defense, so we don’t give away or lose a close game.” - Dan Molin “Just with our skill level and players, we’ll need to play each one out to the very last point and earn our wins.” - Akshay Tangutur (12)

Lacrosse

This season: “A lot of people have been playing in the off season, especially our seniors, so we can spend more time on things like conditioning.

We are actually, I think, in mid-season form based on practices.”- Craig Pasqua “We have made CCS eight years in a row, so to continue doing that, we definitely [will not] have a problem.” - Sachin Jain (12)

This season: “I really want the fire in everyone’s eyes [...] that passion for running, that passion for sprint, that passion for whatever event they are going to do.” - Brian Dougall “[I hope to] keep practice fun so athletes look forward to coming each day instead of it being a hassle.” - Isabelle Connell (11)

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Boys’ Soccer

Girls’ Soccer

9

6

4

8

6

3

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SAT & Summer Activity Workshop 3 / 11 / 2012 Stanford & MIT counselors Apply summer activities

Softball Senior players: Aditi Ashok, Aranshi Kumar, Angela Singh

This season: “We are actually as a team going to get together and discuss the team goals as early as next week. This program is not about me; it is about the girls and what they want.”

- Andrew Irvine “I love to see the before and after for both new and returning players.”

- Asia Howard (12)

This season: “The kids are coming out and showing a great deal of dedication and commitment and the team looks pretty good so far.” Raul Rios “We obviously want to have fun and learn a new sport for most of the girls. We also want to make a bond between teammates and get to know each other better.” - Ashley Del Alto (11)

Swimming

Baseball

This season: “I want them to have basic fundamentals and to learn to be swimmers that is my main goal. Then I have other win loss goals kind of things, but that is secondary to just becoming better athletes and swimmers.” - Ron Usher “This year, as captain, I want to use my leadership skills to motivate younger swimmers.”

- Albert Wu (12)

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Senior players: Bradley Araki, Dylan Qian, Max Maynard

Senior players: Asia Howard, Samantha

Senior players: Lucy Cheng, Albert Wu, Cole Manaster, Kevin Khojasteh, Tiffany Wong, Katie Siegel, Tariq Jahshan, Akshay Ramachandran, Daryl Neubieser, Jagdeesh Kottapalli, Andrew Lee, Rachelle Koch

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Darian Edvalson (10) and Corey Gonzales (9) advanced to the CCS wrestling tournament, hosted at Independence High School on February 24 and 25. Both placed fifth in their respective weight classes at the SCVAL league finals.

Head coach: Brian Dougall

Head coach: Raul Rios

Head coach: Ron Usher

AS OF FEBRUARY 29

Wrestling

Girls’ Basketball

Track and Field

Head coach: Andrew Irvine Walker, Sanjana Baldwa

OVERALL RECORDS

and they approach the games exactly how they need to,” Keller said.

The team attributed its success throughout the season and in CCS to teamwork and strong bonds between teammates.

“Teamwork is definitely important because one man can’t do it by himself,” Stephen said. “We have really good chemistry, and that has definitely helped us a lot.”

Under Stephen and Nikhil’s leadership, as well as the inside scoring threat of Vikrum Jain (12) and explosive bench play from Spenser and Nicholas, the team’s offense thrived.

However, the team felt that its defensive play during the last few games of the season needed some work, so the players spent most of the past week focusing on new defensive schemes in hopes of keeping opponents’ scores in check. Their focus and effort on defense showed in all of their CCS games according to the players.

“This season was memorable because we made history. We couldn’t have done it without hard work and the fans, and I’ll never forget it,” Spenser said.

Despite falling short of its goal to become the CCS champion and advance to the state championship, the Varsity Boys Basketball team is still extremely proud of what it has accomplished as a group during the season and the CCS run.

Head coach: CJ Cali Senior players: Nathan Hoffman, Noah Levy, David Dominguez, Akhil Prakash This season: “Our goals for this season are to compete hard from start to finish in each game. Work hard in practice, so we will be a tougher team. All of the coaches believe that this years team has great team chemistry. We need to play solid defense, so we don’t give away or lose a close game.” - CJ Cali “I’m just really looking to have fun because sports are all about having fun.” - Nathan Hoffman (12)

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[In advisory], we get downtime during our student day [...], and we get advice.

Most of the time, we talk and get announcements [...] and hang out.

- Glenn Reddy (9) Me and my advisory used to not really be close, but after this year we’ve grown a lot closer after field trips.

- Camille Piazza (10) Advisory is just a time for me to meet with my friends. What’s fun about it is we get to do activities we normally wouldn’t do in a normal school day.

- Sumit Minocha (11) We’re basically a family type relationship; we tease each other all the time. Advisory is really like hang out time; [...] it’s just a lot of fun for us.

- Kirsten Herr (12)

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ADVISORY Ashwin Chalaka (10) poses for sophomore advisories participating in the newspaper fashion show on Thursday, February 23. After noting the lack of intra-grade competitions, Rohith Bhethanabotla (10), the Class of 2014 Treasurer, organized the event as a fun contest between advisories. He modeled it after the middle school’s “advisory challenges.”

MEGAN PRAKASH - TALONWP

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march 2, 2012 the Winged Post