The Winged Post - Vol 13 No 3

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS, pages 12 & 13

HOMECOMING, page 5

Creative ways to ask someone

HALLOWEEN, page 15

Community members share stories

Alternatives to trick-or-treating

Winged Post FRIDAY, October 28, 2011

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 13, NO.3

500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

2011 Homecoming court revealed Stephen Hughes

Subramaniam

Michelle Lo

Priyanka Sharma

Gerilyn Olsen

KEVIN LIN- WINGED POST

Revanth Kosaraju

Ananth

HIT wins $9,110 grant

KING OR QUEEN Three senior girls and three senior boys are the 2011 nominees for Homecoming queen and king, respectively. Voting took place earlier this week.

meena chetty & darian edvalson managing editor & lead -TALONWP From October 24 to 26, students voted for Homecoming Court. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors chose one male and female from nominees in

their respective grades, while seniors chose three of each. Matthew Bloch and Sarah Bean won for freshmen, Ashwin Chalaka and Kianna Bisla for sophomores, and David Lindars and Tara Rezvani for juniors. Senior king and queen nominees are Revanth

Kosaraju, Stephen Hughes, Ananth Subramaniam, Michelle Lo, Priyanka Sharma, and Gerilyn Olsen.

King and queen will be announced during halftime of the Homecoming game.

OTHER GRADES, page 5

Community copes with tragedy

The Harker Innovation Team (HIT) has been awarded a grant for $9,110 for their design of an aquatic thermoelectric generator.

Led by co-presidents Sachin Jain (12) and Prag Batra (12), the team began working on the generator early this year and was informed that they won the grant at the beginning of October.

“We were scared because we had to plan out what we were doing for the next year in the next week,” Shantanu Joshi (11) said. “So it was stressful but exciting."

Their success was also reported in the Mercury News online on October 19.

Debaters victorious

On October 16, members of the Public Forum debate team were presented with the David Yalof trophy after winning the championship debate at the New York City Invitational tournament, which took place at the Bronx High School of Science from October 14 to 16.

The team of Anuj Sharma (11) and Aneesh Chona (11) co-championed with the team of Reyhan Kader (11) and Kevin Duraiswamy (10), closing out other teams from around the country for the victory.

SUPPORT The seniors presented white roses to the class of 2013 during Tuesday’s class meeting as a gesture of support and unity.

priyanka mody editor in chief On October 21, the community received the tragic news that Jacqueline Wang (11) had died.

Earlier that morning, Head of the Upper School Butch Keller had made an overhead announcement that the schedules would be changed to allow for an all-school meeting at 2 p.m. A series of individual and faculty meetings were set throughout the course of the day prior to the formal statement

of her death. Complete silence followed the remarks made by both Head of School Christopher Nikoloff and Keller.

Counselors from all three campuses along with local grief counselors were available both after the meeting and the following week to provide any assistance to students and faculty.

Follow-up advisory discussions were held, and afternoon schedules proceeded as planned.

“We extend our love and sympathy to her family, which includes her

younger brother, who is currently a freshman,” Nikoloff said. “Our goal is to reinforce to all students that we are a community, that they are not alone, and that there’s an extensive support system to help them, no matter what might trouble them.”

Students have demonstrated communal efforts of support in Jacqueline’s memory. Junior class president Simar Mangat and Emily Wang (11) are creating a scrapbook to give to her family, in which others may contribute photos and letters they may wish to include.

PRIYANKA MODY - WINGED POST

Temporary shift

“We’re accepting anything and everything,” Emily said during school meeting on October 24.

Additionally, the senior class organized a rose-giving ceremony on Davis Field during class meeting the following day, and sister school Tamagawa Gakuen in Japan sent flowers as well.

Currently, any messages that anyone wishes to pass along to the family may be sent through Keller’s office.

Butch Keller, Head of the Upper School, sent an email to students and parents outlining several steps that the faculty will take to alleviate the burden on a community still recovering from last week’s loss. Effective through Friday, November 4, deadlines on projects and essays will be relaxed, penalties on late assignments will be suspended, and some assessments and assignments will be canceled completely.

“It is our hope that these steps [...] will be helpful for everyone,” Keller said in his email.

He also explained the rescheduling of advisor-advisee conferences and stated that mid-semester grades and comments would be available on the Parent Portal on November 3.

Keller thanked the community for their continued support and urged that “the continual outpouring of love and support is what will be needed to work through these next several weeks and months.”

Siemens: Students named semifinalists and finalists felix wu

reporter On October 21 two Upper School students were named finalists for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Another six students were named semifinalists out of the school’s 25 applicants.

The Upper School regional finalists are junior Paulomi Bhattacharya and senior Lucy Cheng. The regional semifinalists are seniors Michelle Deng, Alexander Hsu, Revanth Kosaraju, Lucy Xu, Chaitanya Malladi and Ramya Rangan.

There were 17 finalists and 48 semifinalists from California.

Finalist Paulomi was delighted, and thinks that the Siemens Competition is a great opportunity to refine her science skills.

“Being a finalist is definitely a huge honor for me - I still can’t believe it. Doing this kind of research was an incredible opportunity,” she said. “Even after facing the challenges that are inevitable in research, I’m just glad all the hard work paid off.”

Chaitanya believes that his contribution to the scientific community was more important than his personal triumph in the competition. His research project involved modeling the effects of moonlight.

“I am very honored to be a Siemens semifinalist; however, I cannot say that this was the goal all along.” he said.

“I am more proud of the work that I did and how it will contribute to the astronomy [and] astrophysics community.”

The Upper School contestants are guided by mentors who give the students feedback on their research papers and

assist them in their formal science writing skills. “[The Siemens Competition] is a great opportunity for students to get exposed to research in many exciting areas.” said Chemistry teacher Dr. Mala Raghavan, who helped coordinate the research paper submissions. “It also gives them an insight into the whole process of research. Research can be laborious and requires painstaking work which may or may not result in breakthroughs.”

While he is happy about the contestants’ recognition in the competition, Physics teacher and research instructor Chris Spenner believes there is more to the students’ success.

“Our success does not hinge on publicity or external recognition. It is intrinsic and better measured by the valuable experience that research students take with them to college,” he said.

The Siemens Competition is a science research competition funded by German company Siemens Aktiengesellschaft and the College Board. According to the Siemens Foundation website, an unprecedented number of contestants participated this year, with 1,541 research projects submitted by 2,436 high school students.

Scholarships given to winners of the Siemens Competition range from $1,000 to $100,000. In total, the Siemens Foundation awards $500,000 to finalists and winners. Annually Siemens spends $7 million on education programs and scholarships.

Many of the contestants are currently preparing for another science competition, the Intel Science Talent Search competition, the results of which will come out in January.

WILLIAM CHANG - WINGED POST

SIEMENS Two students were declared regional finalists and six students declared semifinalists in this year’s Siemens Competition in an official announcement on October 21. Their research was chosen to be honored out of 1,541 total projects submitted from across the country.

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Fashion show preparations in progress

Broadway auditions for Annie held at Blackford

Model tryouts scheduled to be held on November 6

nayeon kim & mercedes chien

darian edvalson & sheridan tobin can really represent the diversity of

managing editor & photo editor

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

On October 23, New York’s Telsey + Company held the casting auditions for the Broadway revival of Annie at the Blackford campus with Upper School Conservatory certificate students assisting as interns.

As a close acquaintance of the show’s director Rachel Hoffman, Lisa Schwebke (’04) had suggested the Middle School campus as a venue to host the San Jose Open Call for Annie.

“Because I went through the Conservatory program, I knew how dedicated and focused it was, and I felt that [the school] would be a community that would really embrace having little kids come here and audition,” Schwebke said.

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., about 50 girls from ages six to 12 auditioned for a role in the musical, singing short musical theater songs for Hoffman and her casting team. The audition process consisted of two stages; those who qualified for the first round were called back into another room to act out a short scene and sing with piano accompaniment.

A number of Lower School students participated in the audition as well. “[I auditioned] because I really want to be in a Broadway show,” Charlotte Brezoczky (4) said. “[I] got to see Shrek [the Musical] last summer, and it just really made me feel happy to listen to that kind of music, and I felt that I wanted to be in a show like that.”

Selected on a first-come, firstserved basis with priority to juniors and seniors, 28 Upper School conservatory certificate students worked as interns throughout the day.

“If I were [their] age, it would have been fascinating to see how a big Broadway open call worked, so I wanted to give that opportunity to Harker students,” Hoffman said.

Student interns ushered the kids through the auditioning process, leading them from room to room while providing them with moral support and words of encouragement.

“It was really fun and the little kids are adorable. It’s nice because you know that they might possibly be the future stars of Broadway,” Ishanya Anthapur (9) said.

In addition to aiding the audition participants, interns were given the chance to observe the casting process in action. Inside the auditioning rooms, they witnessed the children singing and the director commenting on the performances.

“The most exciting thing is to be a fly on the wall and see how it works and see it from the casting table point of view because we’re always on the other side of the table,” Shenel Ekici (10) said.

Tristan Killeen (12) agreed that interning at the auditions provided him

reporters

WORKSHOP (TOP) Director Rachel Hoffman describes her experience working as a casting agent to conservatory students with Lisa Schwebke (‘04).

(LEFT) Intern Amy Wardenburg (11) high-fives an audition member at the Annie open call on Sunday, October 23.

The San Jose auditions for the musical were held at the Middle School campus from 8 a.m. to around 3 p.m.

with deeper insight into the behindthe-scenes process of casting roles.

“All the logistics involved give you an idea [of ] what goes into the making of all these shows,” he said.

For the company, this open call was the last main audition for the musical after holding several in New York, Los Angeles, Omaha, and Orlando, according to Hoffman. In addition to those who attended open calls, thousands of young children vying for a role submitted their audition online.

The children will receive an email regarding the result of their audition. If the casting director decides to prolong the children’s audition process, they will be invited to participate in the primary callback, which will be held in New York later this year. If they are casted in the musical, rehearsals for Annie will begin the following year.

Aside from organizing interns to help at Sunday’s casting auditions, Performing Arts Department Chair Laura Lang-Ree planned two other occasions for certificate students to directly learn more about the professional world.

“It was important to me to make the most out of this experience as possible because it’s the first time we’ve

ever had anything [here] related directly to the business on Broadway,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, Schwebke held a small discussion in Nichols Auditorium for a select number of students, describing her transition not only from high school to college but also from performing to casting.

Both Hoffman and Schwebke conducted a workshop the following evening to answer any lingering questions performing arts students may have about the professional industry and to critique two certificate candidates’ singing and acting skills.

“I thought [the workshop] was really helpful. They told me to focus on thinking about exactly what I’m [saying], so that really helped my acting,” Rohan Chandra (11) said.

Hoffman and Schwebke highlighted the importance of “being at the right place at the right time” in order to succeed in the entertainment industry. Although both began their careers performing on the stage, they also emphasized the plethora of options that students can choose to pursue besides acting.

Hoping to strengthen connections between the school and the performing arts industry, Lang-Ree and Schwebke both expressed interest in hosting more casting auditions and planning additional opportunities for students to interact with professionals.

College: More seniors to submit early applications than ever before pavitra rengarajan features editor A record number of seniors are applying early to colleges this year, with over half of the senior class applying before November 15.

The college counselors were not surprised by the surge in early applications.

“We sort of saw it coming,” Nicole Burrell, Co-director of College Counseling, said. “In large part because of the fact that [the class of 2012] was talking about it in junior year so avidly without us even bringing it up.”

Early action is the most popular option, whether restrictive or nonrestrictive. However, students also choose to applying early decision, rolling, or priority. Though a number of people wanted to apply early, students are dropping as they realize they are not able to make the deadline with the full effort they would like to. The college counselors speculated about the possible driving factors behind the early applications.

“There is some hype out there from different sources and families talking to each other about this belief that [...] it is an advantage to apply early,” Burrell said. “The truth is that it isn’t. Early decision, sure. But early action, no. And the reality is that most people aren’t applying early decision.” Though looking at statistics supports the myth that applying early action provides an advantage, she says

that it is important to consider that the early pool tends to be stronger, restricted to those who “have their act together,” confident with their grades and test scores and 100 percent ready.

apply early to California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It certainly gives you a sort of ease to know earlier,” he said. “If you’re ready, you might as well.”

October tends to be a busy month not only for applicants but also for teacher and counselor recommenders.

“Of course there’s an added pressure to write the [recommendation] letters early, but October is such a busy month for students too,” English teacher Dr. Pauline Paskali said. “I’m not quite sure what the logic is for applying early, but it’s a lot of pressure, so I would hope that students are applying early ST PO D E APPS Seniors because they themselves feel ready.”

G IN choose from a -W Some juniors share their opinG AN number of early ions about potentially applying early CH M options, from early A I next year. “I think most people underLL I action or early deciW While stand that it really is a personal decision, to rolling, and priority. applying early sion, and it’s not right for everyone,” decision portrays Shreya Vemuri (11) said of applying a certain level of the student’s commit- early. “It takes serious consideration ment to a school, early action does not and there are a number of factors that offer the same benefits. “Ultimately, go into it.” it’s beneficial for the colleges because To the rising senior class, the colthey can spread out their reading lege counselors hope they seriously load. They don’t have the students in consider their decision to apply early. mind,” Burrell said.

“Really think in the fall, what are Seniors attest that their decision you doing?” Burrell said. “Early action to apply early is very much a matter of doesn’t benefit you; it benefits the colpride. “Our class has worked so hard, leges. […] Try to tune out the noise and I feel like a lot of us are proud of it out there that you have to do it.” The and have the confidence to apply ear- college counselors predict that the perly,” Madhuri “Maddy” Rao (12) said. centage of students applying early will Robert Maxton (12) decided to remain high in future years.

Modeling tryouts will be held on November 9 for the ninth annual fashion show next year on February 24 at the San Jose Convention Center.

To prepare for the tryouts, for which 30 students have already signed up, dance teacher and award-winning choreographer Karl Kuehn is holding a workshop on November 5 to help prospective models become more comfortable walking down the runway and to teach them a few tricks of modeling.

The fashion show casting is open to all people willing to enjoy themselves while modeling.

“We’re looking for people-whether a parent, child, teacher, anyone who can look like they’re having fun up there,” said Sue Prutton, Fashion Show Chair and Director of Volunteer Programs. “We’re looking for anyone who

Harker [with] a variety of different body shapes and sizes.”

The fashion show, which will showcase roughly 90 models and performers from Dance Fusion, Jazz Band, Varsity Dance, and Downbeat, will incorporate this year’s theme into its performances.

“The main focus of [the show] is to celebrate not only the big huge moments in life, but those little everyday moments that mean so much-like for the little kids, losing your first tooth or riding your bike for the first time, and for us, the college acceptance or prom,” Performing Arts Department Chair Laura Lang-Ree said.

In addition to performing, Upper School students will have the chance to work behind the scenes. Although this year’s fashion show will be much like lasts year’s, this year the tech crew will include more Upper School students.

Robotics competes in first competition this year

Team wins design and mentor awards

DORA TZENG - WINGED POST

2

OCTOBER 28, 2011

TUNE UP Jason Yu (12) works on the team’s robot during the competition.

The Upper School Robotics Team competed in the CalGames 2011 hosted by Archbishop Mitty High School this past weekend.

dora tzeng reporter

The Upper School Robotics team went to Archbishop Mitty High School on October 21 and 22 to compete in the CalGames 2011, which was hosted by the Western Region Robotics Forum.

The CalGames 2011 was modeled after the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition (FIRST): Logo Motion. In Logo Motion, robots attempt to hang as many inflated plastic shapes as they can on their respective racks in order to score. At the end of a match, robots deploy their minibots onto a vertical pole to earn bonus points.

All teams used their robots from last year’s competitions at the CalGames. Each year, a new challenge is announced for the season, and they are given six weeks to work on designing and building a robot for that particular challenge.

The team spent a few weeks before the competition fixing the robot and prepping freshmen.

Although the team did not qualify for the elimination rounds, it received the Design Award sponsored by BAE Systems for its removable and interchangeable electronic control system, the Ebox.

The Ebox contains a standardized set of connectors as well as all of the electronics required to run a robot. Consequently, the team can have multiple robots because old robots can be modified to be compatible with the Ebox. The Ebox only needs to be plugged into whichever robot the team wants to run.

“It actually took several years to

get the team as a whole to buy into this idea of standardized external connectors,” said Robotics advisor Dr. Eric Nelson. “[But] now, everything is immediately designed to plug into these standard connectors.”

Not only did the team receive the Design Award, but also Dr. Nelson won the Mentor of the Year Award.

The Mentor of the Year is chosen based on student essays and interviews.

“The team is very excited since Dr. Nelson is a great mentor and we are glad to see him get the credit he deserves,” Jay Reddy (12), president of the robotics team, said.

The Upper School team attends the Sacramento Regional at University of California at Davis and the Silicon Valley Regional at San Jose State University each year. These regional tournaments are bigger and nationally broadcasted on television stations like CNN, whereas the CalGames are only broadcasted locally.

“Big companies [like] Microsoft, Google, and EA [set] up recruitment booths around the area, and you get to talk to important people from there [who are] genuinely interested,” Jay said.

Because the CalGames are not as competitive as the regional tournaments, the robotics team decided to let freshmen and new members drive the robot for the event.

“I’m on the mechanical team, so I was learning how to use all the tools and how to build the robot,” Ayush Midha (9) said. “It’s definitely been a great experience so far.”

The next competition for the team is the Sacramento Regional held from March 15 to March 17.

3 GEO club raises funds for global vaccination organization october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

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managing editor - TALONWP The Global Empowerment Outreach (GEO) club hosted their annual fundraising week from October 17 to October 21 in order to support the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).

To kick off the week, GEO held an assembly on October 14 featuring guest speaker Timothy Nielander, a representative from GAVI. Through statistics and videos, Nielander informed students about the dearth of vaccinations in developing countries and the effect that has on children.

According to GAVI, a child dies approximately every 20 seconds due to diseases that can be prevented by vaccines easily accessible to people in vanguard countries. An estimated 23 million children in third-world countries are susceptible to death through conditions such as diarrhea and pneumonia because they do not have access to crucial vaccines.

Founded in 2000 and supported by organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI serves to assist children in 70 developing countries receive lifesaving vaccines to reduce child mortality rates.

“Usually GEO takes a vote [for which organization to support]. This year our week was really early [...] so the officers kind of had to choose,” said Kathryn Siegel (12), GEO club president. “We considered a couple of different organizations and chose GAVI, because we’ve never focused on global vaccinations for diseases.”

Throughout the entire week, GEO members sold wristbands, sports bags, and Halloween themed GAVI grams,

which students could send to friends.

According to the club, students bought more than 150 GAVI grams in total.

“Being involved in fundraisers makes me, personally, feel that I am directly contributing to a cause,” said GEO task force leader Shreya Vemuri (11). “Sometimes we take the opportunities we have for granted, so helping the less fortunate ones allows us to give back.”

Additionally, students and teachers could take part in the Vow of Silence for GAVI. With sponsorship from fellow peers and colleagues, people who took the vow stayed silent for the entire amount of time that they chose, whether it be a few hours or an entire day. At the end, they collected money from their sponsors and turned it in to GEO. Sophomore Ashwin Chalaka was pledged a total $198.86 to stay silent the whole of Friday, October 21. For every $20 a student raises, they receive a raffle ticket to win a plushie vaccine.

“Trying to help all my friends understand what I wanted to say to them when I was away from a paper or pencil was the hardest part about the vow of silence. It was literally the longest game of charades in my life,” he said.

On Thursday, October 20, advisories took part in an infection themed “assassin game”. During the advisory period, advisors distributed red stickers to students. The students were given a list of other students in another advisory whom they were supposed to “attack”. Whenever students, or the viruses, saw someone they had to attack, they put a red sticker on the victim, signifying that the infection had spread.

The game increased awareness about how diseases can spread rampantly if not controlled with vaccines.

“The infection game that was

GAVI (TOP) GEO members sold wristbands, sports bags, and candy grams during lunch to fundraise for GAVI. (RIGHT) Freshman Archana Podury asked friends and classmates to sponsor her for the Vow of Silence, which she took on Thursday, October 20. Students were entered into a raffle drawing for plushie vaccines for every $20 they raised.

played throughout the school was just super fun, because all of a sudden someone would pop up behind you and put a sticker on you,” Lekha Chirala (9) said.

In previous years, GEO has managed to raise up to $14,000 for the organizations they support. Although last year’s earnings did not live up to previous years, Upper School history teacher and GEO club advisor Carol Zink does not believe that money should be the main focus of GEO week.

She said, “It’s more about education [about third-world countries] and less about fundraising.”

MEENA CHETTY - WINGED POST

meena chetty

TEDx: Students organize independent TED event nikhil dilip & allison kiang

ALLISON KIANG - WINGED POST

reporters

SPEAKER Guest speaker Kevin Surace presents to the Upper School student audience. The Chairman and CEO of Serious Energy, Surace wanted to impart the importance of innovation to the younger generation.

On October 22, the school hosted its first TEDx event, promoting youth entrepreneurship in Nichols Hall.

The program lineup was Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Energy; Karl Mehta, founder and CEO of Playspan, Inc.; Sramana Mitra, founder of the One Million by One Million initiative; Rahim Fazal, CEO of Involver; and Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist of Apple, Inc. and cofounder of Alltop. com. The speakers offered their ideas and advice on work in entrepreneurship.

Surace gave his presentation with the intention of informing the younger generation of the importance of innovation, while Mehta spoke of the steps to building a stable, prosperous business.

“Recognizing that the America I grew up in is not the America we have today, and it’s going to take all of you to do a better job than we did,” Surace said.

The speakers’ successes in entrepreneurship and innovation also inspired students to consider a future in business.

“I [came] out of this wanting to start a company, really, because it feels

like such a great experience,” Sahithya Prakash (10) said.

During the break, students were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss venture capitalism with mentors. The conference was geared specifically to teenagers and young adults, as it was only open to high school and college students.

“I think it will be more advantageous to a youth audience because it will be more helpful to people who are younger and more influenced by what [the speakers] say, so they’re going to use it more,” David Lindars (11) said.

After Mitra and Fazal spoke about their own experiences and the development of their current businesses, students sat down to eat lunch with 13 mentors, including Head of School Chris Nikoloff, creator of Guitar Hero Charles Huang, and others.

Kawasaki concluded the session with a keynote speech, in which he spoke of his experience working at Apple, Inc. and working with former CEO Steve Jobs.

The conference was organized by Neeraj Baid (11) and Neel Bhoopalam (11). TEDxHarkerSchool brought together nearly 200 students from different high schools in addition to 18 venture capitalists and entrepreneurs of the Bay Area.

Executive Director of Advance-

ment Joe Rosenthal mentored Neeraj and Neel throughout the process of finding speakers, coordinating volunteers, and organizing the event.

“We have a unique situation here in the Silicon Valley where we’re able to tap into some of the most famous, some of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world,” Rosenthal said. “It’s a matter of the United States of America being successful and having the economic situation being enhanced by entrepreneurial activity. These students are really helping to make a world a better place.”

After attending a TEDx conference in Palo Alto earlier this year, Neeraj and Neel were inspired to create one of their own; they chose to focus on entrepreneurship because “entrepreneurship affects all facets of industry and not just one specific thing,” Neel said.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is a non-profit organization that emphasizes what it calls Ideas Worth Spreading in all of its affiliated programs.

TEDxHarkerSchool is an event independent of and not sponsored by TED itself. TEDx is a smaller program that provides a platform for smaller communities to participate in local discussion.

BOSS club and Student Council team up darian edvalson reporter Student Council and Brilliant Organizers of Student Sustainability (BOSS) club have recently begun meeting to discuss increasing Upper School recycling.

BOSS club, formerly Harker Environmental Action and Recycling Team (HEART) club and Student Council decided to work together to organize an effort to encourage and remind students to recycle after noticing that students were throwing away many items that could be recycled.

“We are hoping to learn a lot from BOSS club,” said ASB Vice President Govinda Dasu (12) said. “Student Council has a good voice with the students; we can approach students and tell them how to get things going, while BOSS Club will have the actual logistics.”

After realizing that the number

and location of recycling bins need to be changed, the two groups decided to start implementing several changes within the next few weeks after contacting the administration. These included moving recycling bins next to trash cans so students do not have to walk farther to recycle, changing less frequently used plastic recycling bins into other types of recycling bins, and asking the city of San Jose for more recycling bins to place around campus.

“We are [trying to] revamp all the recycling that goes on at the campus […] We are really trying to clean up the way our campus cleans up [through these changes],” ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) said.

The BOSS club hopes that its ideas will be put into effect, but insists they will need the support of the entire student body for the project to be successful. The organizers emphasize that students must remember to properly recycle and make the extra effort to take care of their environment to bring

about change to the Upper School’s recycling habits.

“I think it’s great that Harker has a lot of recycling bins, [so] there is definitely a lot of potential for it to be really efficient in the future because we do have the resources, but it’s basically educating people on how to recycle,” BOSS club president Shreya Indukuri (12) said. “Harker students are pretty smart and aware of their environment.”

Although the project has not been announced to the school yet, Upper School students who know about it are eager to help out.

“Recycling is very important because we have a limited amount of resources, and recycling at school is just one step in helping [the community],” Curran Shah (11) said.

The Student Council and BOSS club will continue their efforts and hope to implement their many new ideas to make the Upper School a more environmentally friendly place.

WILLIAM CHANG - WINGED POST

Make plans to adjust placement of bins in hopes of increasing recycling on campus

RECYCLE In efforts to reduce waste on campus, Student Council and BOSS Club plan to strategize the placement of bins in order increase the amount of recycling that occurs on campus.

4

OCTOBER 28, 2011 the Winged Post

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Occupy Wall Street movement active in Bay Area managing editor & reporter The Occupy Wall Street movement, a protest of the divide between the top one percent of earners and the remaining 99 percent, continued to spread to local cities throughout the past month.

Started on September 17 in New York City, Occupy Wall Street is a movement that centers around protesting the separation between the top one percent of the country, that is, the CEOs and executives who pay 37 percent of the taxes in America and earn at least $344,000 per year [IRS data] and the remaining 99 percent composed of working-class and middle-class families, according to www.occupywallst.org. Protesters convey their message by “occupying” space outside banks, City Hall, and local businesses.

The website also states that the protesters are “using [strikes, marches, and rallies] to achieve [their] ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.”

As of publication, the protests have reached 900 cities across the world. Closer to home, the protests have spread to over 100 American cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

Occupy San Jose, a protest held outside San Jose City Hall, included a march and meetings that brought together people from different parts of the community. The gatherings allowed the participants to express their views.

Protesters outside City Hall set up tents and sleeping bags in order to carry their message throughout the day and night. However, according to multiple participants, the police arrested

things that we are fighting out here have affected me in my life – affected friends, neighbors,” said Snyder. “It’s important that we fight that battle.”

Many students believe that it is an expression of the rights present in the First Amendment.

“Whenever there is a big protest, it’s going to help high school students with one thing: that the right to protest exists in the United States of America and you can definitely exercise it because it happens in real life,” Govinda Dasu (12) said.

“The Occupy protesters have a decent message in that government should not be controlled by corporations. Their message to high school students would be, ‘It’s okay to challenge authority.’”

However, some students are unaware of the Occupy movement.

“Occupy Wall Street really needs to give an update to the public because there are some people who know nothing about the protests, and OCCUPY Protesters stand on the sidewalks of downtown San Jose in protest of the divide between the they should at least let them know what’s going top one percent of the country consisting of CEOs and Executives and the remaining 99 percent consist- on so that they can also participate in a cause they ing of working and middle-class families. The Occupy movement has spread to over 100 American cities. may believe for,” Vedant Thyagaraj (9) said.

Spanish teacher and freshman class dean eight protesters and cited one for sanitation isAaron Byrne, a local protester for the Ocsues two weeks into the Occupy protests, leading cupy San Jose movement, addressed the role of Diana Moss states that the movement will have an influence on high school students. to much consternation in the camp. Nevertheless, teenagers in the movement. “[The movement] provides something for coordinators continue to take a stance outside “For high school students, I want to let them City Hall. know that they can make a difference and that students to be thinking about for their future, to “The issues that Occupy Wall Street tack- their voice does matter,” said Byrne. “[The youth be looking at how the financial institutions have les, which [are] financial inequality, access to of America] is the future, and a lot of people don’t been run in the past, and certainly have some influence in thinking about how to invest your education, [and] public services, [are things] that realize that.” affect every high school student,” said Alysa CisOther participants, such as Ashley Snyder, money when you become an adult,” she said.

Almost all the protesters believe that their neros, organizer of the Occupy San Jose protests. have protested because they have been directly af“The more people that are out here organizing fected by the problems that Occupy Wall Street message of fiscal equality may reach Washington, D.C. and change existing fiscal policies for the and talking to people, the stronger this [move- is against. ment] is going to be.”

“I’m out here because I care. A lot of the better.

KEVIN LIN - WINGED POST

kevin lin & rahul jayaraman

alyssa amick & anishka agarwal reporters On October 18, the Upper School welcomed Tor Warmdahl as the new Head of the Security for the Bucknall, Blackford, and Saratoga campuses.

After his past job as Head of Security at California’s Great America, Warmdahl notices the difference between his past job and his new one.

“That was a theme park; this is a school setting [therefore,] the safety of the students and faculty is a different dynamic being that it is not opened to the public,” Warmdahl said.

Warmdahl enjoys the privacy of the campus as he is able to become familiar with faces around

campus, something he was unable to do at Great America. Now, his job has “an atmosphere that doesn’t have a lot of change to it,” he said.

Warmdhal now works closely with Janet Rohrer, the facility coordinator, to ensure that “all needs are met for whomever is using the facility.”

On a more daily basis, he heads the security department in making rounds around the school to keep students and faculty safe.

As Head of Security, Warmdahl hopes to make the department efficient and user-friendly by easily fulfilling the students and faculty’s needs for events. “If you wanted to use a certain room or facility after hours or for an event you would go on to the Meeting Manager, a website, and

New law restricts artificial tanning

sd28.senate.ca.gov

Minors prohibited from using tanning beds

BAN A new law signed by California Governor Jerry Brown forbids the use of tanning beds by minors.

The bill was proposed by Senator Ted Lieu, who may pursue the ban of other forms of artificial tanning.

allison kiang & rachel salisbury reporters On October 9, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into effect a law that prohibits the use of tanning beds by minors.

Proposed earlier this February by California Senator Ted Lieu, the new law in Senate Bill 746 (SB 746) will no longer permit minors between ages 14 and 17 to use tanning beds even with parental consent, amending the Filante Tanning Facility Act of 1988, which originally banned tanning beds for minors under 14. The new policy will be effective on January 1, 2012. “[The senator] has been an advocate for restricting access to tanning beds for young children for years,” Senator Lieu’s spokesperson Ray Sotero said in a phone interview. “He’s doing it because he thinks [using a tanning bed] is a public health hazard.”

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website, www.skincancer.org, one million people in America use tanning beds a day.

“I think that is a good law because it’s allowing teenagers and kids who have so much life ahead of them to stay away from the risks of getting cancer, which is really important,” Ajay Chitkara (9) said.

Medical cases, such as a prescription for phototherapy to use tanning beds as a form of treatment allow minors to use such devices legally.

Other major amendments to the original Filante bill include new safety regulations. Tanning salons must now provide sanitized eyewear to protect users from the ultraviolet radiation used in the tanning beds. In addition, users are required to sign a consent form, acknowledging

that they understand the risks of using tanning beds. Physical aids must also be placed near the device so that consumers maintain a safe distance from the radiation, and tanning treatments may no longer exceed the manufacturer’s recommended exposure time.

Sotero disagreed with claims that state tanning beds prevent overexposure, which may occur when tanning naturally; instead, he said that any form of tanning in a tanning salon is more harmful than overexposure to natural sunlight.

“The senator believes that tanning should be an adult activity, that [adults] can make a poor decision. If they want to smoke cigarettes, fine,” Sotero said. “If they want to drink alcohol, fine.

[If ] they want tanning bed access, [and] they want to fry their skin and shrivel and take the risk of catching cancer and looking older before [their] time, [they’re adults], and that’s a decision [that they as adults] have the freedom to make.”

Some also disagree with the law’s policy preventing parents from deciding whether to use tanning beds for their children.

“I think while they’re still minors, their parents should influence their decision, [and that] they should have that control. But I feel that when you get older, you can decide for yourself,” Amy Gendotti (11) said.

Upper School Nurse, Clare Elchert, R.N., said that she thinks the next step to preventing skin cancer is to limit all types of exposure and stop all types of tanning. “Other than vitamin D from sun exposure, which can be gotten in supplemental form with the ozone the way it is now, I just think that maybe the whole beauty in tanness is obsolete,” she said.

Nonetheless, spray tans currently remain available for consumers of all ages to use.

you would go ahead and reserve a room […] You would tell us what [your] needs were for security, what building you needed, [and] what door [you need] unlocked or unalarmed,” Warmdahl said.

He also seeks to accomplish his goal of efficiency by implementing and integrating the feedback given into the already-set process to “affect change in a better capacity.” He strongly believes that “[security] should have a high visibility and a low profile; [students] would see us there but we don’t really get in [their] way,” Warmdahl said.

The department wants everyone to know that present to keep students safe and meet their needs.

ANISHKA AGARWAL - WINGED POST

Warmdahl: Former head of security at California’s Great America hired by school

SECURITY Former head of security at California’s Great America Tor Warmdahl was hired as head of security for the three school campuses on October 18.

Harker Students: Words of Wisdom

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Homecoming

2011-2012

Best ways to ask your date

Homecoming Court

5

Easy ways to impress your sweetheart just in time for Homecoming reporters

Posters

To avoid freezing up in the moment, make a poster. The poster can showcase your artistic abilities or simply show that you care enough to put in the effort. Spend a decent amount of time working on the poster so that it looks intriguing. An offshoot of the classic poster idea, you can make several small sheets of paper, each with a letter that spells out “Homecoming.”

Whether you make a smaller poster or a larger banner, your date will be excited and flattered to see the effort you put into it and will be more likely to say yes.

JUNIORS Class of 2013 Tara Rezvani

Scavenger Hunt

Setting up a scavenger hunt is an entertaining and creative way to ask someone as well. Coordinate the scavenger hunt at a time when the person you’re asking has enough time to complete it. Incorporate inside jokes into each of the clues and get your mutual friends to give each message to the person you are asking.

At the end of the scavenger hunt, give the person you are asking flowers and ask him or her to Homecoming.

Girls Asking Guys

SOPHOMORES

Class of 2014 Ashwin Chalaka Kianna Bisla

Though stereotypically the guys ask the girl, girls can confidently ask a guy if they want to go to Homecoming with him. Most guys will be impressed with the confidence and say yes.

If the person you want to go with is shy and afraid of rejection, making the first move yourself is always an option. A creative idea to ask a guy is to put a balloon asking the guy to Homecoming in an envelope, which the guy will then blow up.

Asking In Public

The big math unit test or asking someone to Homecoming. What is more nerve-wracking? If you answered the latter, consider some of these fun tips on how to possibly navigate your way through the process of asking someone to be your date.

Going With Friends

Homecoming is about having fun, whether it is with the guy or girl on whom you have had a crush on for months or simply with a friend. Going with a friend guarantees a fun night and reduces the stress of asking.

Homecoming will be a blast and going with a friend minimizes any nervous feelings you might have. Make sure you clarify that you will just be going as friends to avoid an awkward situation.

Confidence

Rejection. That nine-letter word is one of the biggest fears associated with asking someone to be your Homecoming date.

Remember, confidence is key. If you really are not prepared for rejection, there are a few ways to make sure that your potential date is going to accept your invitation. Ask his or her friends, and maybe give them hints that you are going to ask before you do, giving your potential date time to consider an answer so you are not catching them off guard. Even if you do not get to attend Homecoming with your ideal date, going alone or with a group of friends still leads to a fun night as Homecoming is not a “date dance.”

Flowers and Chocolate

All photos rachel salisbury & sonia sidhu -- THE WINGED POST

rachel salisbury & sonia sidhu

David Lindars

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Popular and cliché but still adorable; flowers and chocolate form a simple yet sweet way to ask someone to Homecoming. Find out your invitee’s favorite type of flower or chocolate and directly ask him or her. Alternatively, spelling out “Homecoming?” with flowers or flower petals is a more elaborate idea. Lay out the petals on the ground beforehand and surprise the person you are asking when he or she walks up to the flowers.

SHERIDAN TOBIN -- THE WINGED POST

Asking in front of the grade at class meeting, asking in front of the school during an assembly, or going into class to ask can all be rewarding, but risky. If you are confident, it could pay off. However, some- times asking in public can place your potential date in a difficult situation, if he or she does not want to go to Homecoming with you or is just embarrassed to be asked in front of everyone else. However, keep in mind that a well thought out, wow-inspiring invitation is almost a guaranteed yes. If you plan o u t something elaborate beforehand, it is easy to avoid blunders by going with a plan that does not i n v o l v e too many other people or props.

IN PUBLIC Vishal Vaidya (9) lined up a group of eleven freshmen to hold up signs spelling out “HOMECOMING?” in order to ask girlfriend Vivian Isenberg (9) to Homecoming. He gave her a bouquet of red roses as his classmates revealed the signs they were holding. She gladly and emotionally accepted.

New events introduced by spirit club

Upper School prepares for festivities FRESHMAN

All photos Kevin Lin -- THE WINGED POST

Class of 2015 Matthew Bloch Sarah Bean

opinion editor Life is not all fun and games, but Homecoming just might be.

Beginning on November 7, the board-game themed week of loud and proud class activities is already generating buzz.

The freshman class will aim to pull off a victory as sweet as Candyland, while sophomores will be strategizing their Monopoly over the Upper School. Hopefully, the juniors have a Clue, and the seniors will Risk it all in hopes of winning their last fall spirit competition on campus.

If anyone is excited, it is senior Michelle Lo, co-president of the Spirit Club.

“If you’re in Spirit, the whole week is extreeeeemely important,” Activities Coordinator Kerry Enzensperger said. Michelle has worked with her closely to plan the upcoming events.

In line with annual traditions, there will be painted eagle statues, dress-up days, lunch-time activities, and the Friday rally and skits for each class.

Stepping out of the scope of the usual, there is a new element of Homecoming quite literally being rolled out: each class will decorate a small red wagon as a float and show it off in a parade.

The idea was inspired by a California Association of Directors of Activities conference where Enzensperger saw that another school was decorating “miniature floats” using shopping carts.

Michelle said that a float-decorating tradition was common in public schools, with larger platforms like flat-bed trucks for each class to make its own.

“We’re going to start small just so that classes get used to it, because a big one would be a huge task to take on,” she said. “The wagon shouldn’t hold you back very much–you can use it to expand the size in both directions.”

Some classes may be working on something to pull the float around campus. Other groups may also perform side-by-side with the float in the parade, which will occur on Wednesday during lunch and trail around the campus.

“It’s all fun, it’s all spirit. It has nothing to do with points; once they’re parked, that’s when they’ll be judged,” Enzensperger said.

The judges will be chosen from the pool of “anybody who’s not attached to a class,” meaning people like administrative assistants and the advancement department.

“I’m really excited for the football game,” said Vishal Vaidya

(9), who is on the team. It will be on Friday night and then the Homecoming dance, hosted by the senior class as a fundraiser on Saturday night, will wrap up the festivities.

The dance décor is arranged by the Dance Committee established by the senior student council, in collaboration with Spirit Club. Enzensperger recalled last year’s Homecoming court choosing to break tradition at the dance by starting with a slow song, then having the DJ suddenly play a fast song “so they could fist-pump instead.”

It is yet to be seen whether any class will incorporate its own new traditions into its Homecoming displays, but Enzensperger’s favorite part of the events is probably staying consistent: “seeing everybody in their classes work together and have fun, gather to watch a football game, go to the dance, and enjoy themselves and forget about other stuff for a little while.”

GAS MASK Aditya Sastry (12) helps his class prepare for Homecoming by spray-painting the senior eagle. Eagledecorating is one of many spirit events that build up excitement for Homecoming.

Designed by kevin lin -- THE WINGED POST

daniela lapidous -- THE WINGED POST

daniela lapidous

6

OCTOBER 28, 2011 the Winged Post

2010-2011 Gold Crown 2009-2010 Silver Crown 2007-2008 Pacemaker Award 2010-2011 Silver Crown: TalonWP 2009-2010 Gold Crown: Talon WP

Editor in Chief Priyanka Mody

Assistant Editor in Chief Michelle Deng

Editor in Chief in Training Samantha Hoffman

Managing Editor (Business & Design) Kevin Lin

Managing Editor (Copy) Nayeon Kim

News Editor

Community grieves together in the face of tragedy

Exactly one week ago, our community was stunned by the loss of a life so interwoven with ours. The silence that followed the announcement was of a kind that we have never seen blanket our world, just as we have never before witnessed such an outpouring of grief and compassion for each other as followed the tragic news.

Gone. None of us were prepared.

The deep pain was manifested in the eerie appearance of the school. Students sat stonefaced or crying, in huddled groups around campus. Walking through hallways, one saw barelyacquainted students hold each other tight in hugs and cling to each others’ words for a moment of comfort.

Honestly, we still do not know what to think. How can we explain our loss to ourselves, let alone to anybody else? How could we explain that students who did not even know our friend were grieving, too, for the sheer loss of someone bound to us by the walls of our school community?

Somehow, through the anguish and disbelief, a mutual realization of the vulnerability of life forged a bond that connected every person on campus.

After the initial shock, many of us prob-

New girl riya godbole

William Chang

Opinion Editor

Daniela Lapidous

Tech Editor

Patrick Yang

Features Editor

Pavitra Rengarajan

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Sanjana Baldwa & Alisha Mayor

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Aditi Ashok & Priyanka Sharma

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Mercedes Chien

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Advisor

Chris Daren

Reporters Anishka Agrawal

Emily Lin

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Sarah Bean

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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.

Mast eagle courtesy of photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen.

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

opinion

reporter Fitting in is easier said than done. As much as we would like for it to happen automatically, we have to realize at some point that finding a niche and developing relationships with other people happen over time.

It didn’t come naturally for me. In fact, my first few weeks at the Upper School were some of the most miserable I’ve had in a while.

Lifers or not, it seemed that everyone who attended previously had a lifetime of inside jokes and memories.

I cringe at the memory of sitting awkwardly with a group of girls on the first day of school, listening to them reminisce about old times, and not being able to join in.

Tears were shed and curse words were shouted as I tried to come to terms with the fact that I was stuck here, lonely, while all of my old friends were enjoying their first days of high school.

As I scrolled down my Facebook news feed, statuses about orientation and the first day of school taunted me: “I love high school,” “Monta Vista is sick,” “It was amazing seeing everyone again<3.”

Eventually, by the third week, I realized that I needed to snap out of this personal pity party I was throwing for myself and toughen up once and for all. I had made my decision to come to this school, and I was going to have to stick to it.

I started cautiously at first: dipping my toes into the water and getting a feel for my new environment. I joined cheerleading in an attempt to make new friends, and looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I joined GEO and Spirit Club to become more involved with the student body.

I tagged along on daily trips to Tapioca Express. I participated in the journalism program, which allowed me to become close with people in my own grade as well as upperclassmen.

I generally put myself out there, attempting to showcase my loud, bubbly personality and make new friends.

It’s scary, I know, but sooner or later we have to trust that people will grow to like us for who we really are, not how we want them to perceive us.

A unique quality of the kids at our school is their ability to accept us, no matter what our interests or passions, and to try their best to make us feel welcome.

My crucial piece of advice? Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself: there’s a difference between setting goals and being downright delusional.

I was under the assumption that by the end of the first week, I would have a set of best friends, join a million clubs, and snap into place like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

It may not be what you want to hear, but the first few weeks are rough. I’ve practically taken a 101 course in the art of fitting in.

Trust me on this: one day, when I woke up for school, I realized that I no longer regarded it as a place of dread or misery.

In fact, it’s somewhere I looked forward to going to see my friends, go to sports practice, and, hey, even take a history test.

The journey to this point wasn’t noticeable, but somewhere from the jokes I cracked over lunch in Manzanita to the rushed conversations in the hallways before class, I became a part of the Upper School.

ably thought of our friends sitting near us and wondered how to reach out and support them best. Students battling depression do not need to suffer in silence; but how can we know if they suffer? How do we make our community open for us to express ourselves, even when it means admitting our imperfections? How do we make it easy and positive to seek help, no matter what the problem is?

The sad reality is that there is no litmus test, no easy way to determine if someone is in a desperate place. Even those on the brink of despair may outwardly appear fine, if not better than usual.

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST

One clear message we would like to convey is that everyone deserves to be happy. All of us deserve to find happiness, whether that is a hard process or an easy one. Whether it means relying on yourself or accepting the help of others.

And finding happiness is truly a possibility for each one of us. The world will not abandon

you. We will not abandon you. We, as a community, will stand by you until you achieve that goal and celebrate it once you do.

Now, the only way forward for us is together–united as a student body, as one entity, as a family. Only together can we begin to heal, however slowly, and move towards an environment where students can feel comfortable seeking help for any reason and are more cognizant of the potential warning signs of depression and other troubles.

As we all continue collecting our thoughts, the answers are not yet apparent as to how to create such an environment. But we would like to encourage an open conversation on the topic, and we call on anyone with insight to step forward and share with the community.

We trust that the administration will do all it can to foster even greater support and caring for each other through this difficult time and beyond.

If the events of last Friday have taught us one thing, it is that the presence of everyone around us is precious and beautiful. Love each other, and love yourself. In times of sadness, love may be the most important thing we have left to give.

Classes: Une langue today, arigato later

shilpa nataraj global editor

Barging through the doors of the gym on finals day, a horde of students unleashed a tribal scream: “I am done with language!” I remember feeling jolted by the statement, and I could never quite forget it.

In the over-achieving academic environment that typifies our school, I often hear of people quitting their language after ninth grade and instead opting for an additional AP class or elective in a subject that is arguably more relevant.

While I understand the importance of taking an array of courses that are challenging and related to one’s academic interest, attaining a high level of proficiency in a language is just as critical a skill.

Unlike other subjects, languages offer a “human element.”

Students can experience life in another country, forge ties with new people, understand the perspectives of that languagespeaking community, and be immersed in a unique culture.

For example, on October 19, several other members of the Japanese National Honor Society and I served as translators to bridge the difference between the Tamagawa Gakuen middle schoolers and their hosts.

After finding my assigned table, I met Eigo-kun and his host family, and it was interesting to make this connection

to people whom I would never have met otherwise.

Initially, as I sat to the right of Eigo-kun, I felt incredibly nervous, wondering if he would be able to understand my Japanese. It was a strange thought, but I was wondering if our textbook actually taught us correct Japanese.

After I hesitatingly asked him what his name was, I found myself asking other questions, learning that his favorite subject was science, that he lived in the Kanagawa prefecture, that he had an older sister, and more.

I was able to express my thoughts and feelings as well.

After telling him that I was currently studying Japanese, he replied with Ganbatte kudasai ne, which means “Please do your best, okay?” I was touched.

When the host family wanted to communicate with Eigo-kun, they asked me to tell him in Japanese, and when he understood me, I felt incredibly happy that I could make a difference, that I could communicate in another language, and that over three years of hard work had paid off.

Likewise, other languages are portals to other worlds.

Students taking French, for instance, can host students from the College de Gambach in

spring.

Languages have practical applications and bring different sets of people from around the world closer together, thereby providing new perspectives.

Because learning a language requires years of persistence (and languages are notoriously easy to forget), it is vital that students continue studying to reach maximum proficiency.

Truth be told, the hilarity of mixing up one word for another, the joy of playing games (e.g. karuta or card-slapping), and the fun of watching movies and dramas make me look forward to each and every class.

With each new vocabulary word, phrase, grammar pattern that I learn, I become further equipped to communicate.

Additionally, I have noticed that there is a bond among people who take the same language, and I have become good friends with the students in my class and the people with whom I have worked in Japan Bowl.

In fact, during the past two years of Japan Bowl held in Washington, D.C. I have cherished meeting other people learning Japanese from all over the nation and watching us share the excitement of learning a language.

As such, we should seize the opportunities that our language classes provide and embark on an incredible learning experience.

When forbearance needs to be forgotten william chang

news editor Life sometimes means doing something I do not want to do. Life is about responsibility, doing what I should realistically do. And when what I do doesn’t make me happy, I show a stubborn forbearance in the face of adversity: I try to deal with it until I cross the finish line and somehow be happy in the end. It’s a dumb way of thinking.

Unfortunately, these ideas are imprinted in my mind, ingrained in my logic. Often times, I follow them without question, not registering that I am miserable because I have chosen to suffer. And when I am able to endure until the end, what I get isn’t necessarily happiness.

I withstood nine years of Chinese school.

Every Friday night I went in, sat sleepily while the teacher rambled on, and went home. The following Saturday was predominantly a day full of tedious homework. It wasn’t something I looked forward to after a week of regular school.

After I finished my final class, I had passed the gauntlet. But when I walked out of those classroom doors, the only thing I felt was relief— not satisfaction.

Instead, I was left with a sense of disappointment at how I spent my time. I could have done something more worthwhile, started a new hobby, or hung out with my friends.

I wondered why I didn’t quit earlier on.

The problem was that I had internalized a sense that quitting would bring disappointment from the world. I felt like I would let myself, my parents, my peers, my teachers, maybe even society down, and so I continued until I was done.

My obstinacy kept me going through it all, until I could somehow realize a nominal end.

At a certain point this year though, I exceeded my threshold: too many APs, too many activities.

Life is probably dysfunctional when you have to buy a planner to organize the gazillion things that need to be done, but after writing everything

down, you can’t stand opening the planner to check anymore. The list can be monstrous.

I finally reached a point where what I thought was enough was, in reality, too much.

It was just too much. At that point, forbearance became a worthless practice.

I sought help because I needed something to change. I was fortunate. My teachers and school were understanding enough about my situation, and helped me ameliorate it.

My workload was temporarily cut and my class list was reordered. Luckily, my teachers also curved the scores on the recent tests for their respective classes as a whole, boosting my grade. For the moment, I managed to reach an equilibrium.

“

I wondered why I didn’t quit earlier on.

”

I realized that my parents and my teachers wouldn’t be disappointed at me for letting up on things that were causing me suffering. They don’t want me to drown in misery, and I am glad for this fact.

The greatest obstacle was getting over my personal expectations to bear with the difficulty.

After I was able to move past this feeling, I mitigated the burden of my situation.

I have often wondered how people can quit their jobs and face economic uncertainty, but now I understand a bit better from where they come.

At a certain point, the way I pursue happiness might bring me more detriment than the happiness is worth. The price of that happiness becomes unjustified, and something will need to change. I need to find a new path.

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay “Self-Reliance.”

I agree, a “foolish consistency” is a stupid way to live. It’s okay to do something different than what you are doing so you can thrive.

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Opinion l

it’s a sibling thing priyanka mody

editor in chief When I was four, my father had my brother and me write letters to ourselves that we’d open on our 16th birthdays.

His letter read something like, “I want to train my Pikachu to a level 25 on Pokémon Red Version,” along with some other ambitious aspirations (or however ambitious a five-year-old could be).

Two years later, I eagerly opened my letter hoping to discover some words of wisdom, only to find one sentence of scrawly, barely-decipherable handwriting: “I want to be good at Pokémon, too.”

I sighed, not surprised. Classic Piku. I had obviously overestimated the foresight of a pre-schooler.

The plight of the younger sibling is almost inevitable, and I’m sure most second-born children can agree to some extent.

My brother and I would compete in almost everything—who could build the more intricate Lego space ship, who could out-juggle the other

“

with clementines, who could down a glass of milk faster, and, of course, who could win the one-onone tackle football scrimmages that took place in our living room (thankfully this came to a halt when my parents filled the empty space with furniture)— but I was always second in each of these endeavors. I constantly would try to emulate my idol, my brother, and many a time, I seemed to fall short.

Here I was, trying to live up to some expectation that I knew so little about. Despite the 18 months between us, the bar appeared to be set at the same height.

And maybe for us younger siblings, it’s hard not to constantly compare ourselves to the older one.

After all, we’re raised the same way and share similar experiences, not to mention the 50 percent of genes we share. So, naturally, I thought my brother and I should ultimately equal one another.

It took me too long, though, to realize that homogeneity is boring, and that it’s okay to be different. I shouldn’t have to perform at the same level of expectations that he had set for himself and feel inadequate if I failed to meet those benchmarks.

Quite the contrary: the standards we hold ourselves have to be tailored to each of our unique experiences.

I constantly measured myself against him, and the mentality that I just wasn’t good enough became engrained in my head. But good enough for whom, really?

I’m fortunate to have the best role model that anyone could ever ask for—a big brother like mine

talk around campus

”

is hard to come by. He’s most definitely someone I can learn from, both his achievements and mistakes, but not someone I must aim to match.

Upon entering high school, I felt compelled to please those around me with the image of my brother in mind, and I’ll admit that this pressure was completely self-generated.

When my teachers would ask, “Are you Arjun’s little sister?” I’d say yes. But frankly, the fact that we’re siblings doesn’t mean we lead parallel lives.

For one, he’s more analytical, while I’m more intuitive. And sometimes, his serious disposition is balanced by my levity.

While I’m not quite sure what struck me to come to this realization, I do understand, now, that comparing myself to my brother was rather senseless.

Sure, there are characteristics and activities that overlap—we’re ready to defend each other in any argument against our parents, we both love good food, and we ran cross-country on the same team.

Eventually, I veered away from playing follower.

All along, I had tried to confine myself within the constructs of his accomplishments, but now, I have created my own niche.

I never did end up mastering that Pokémon game; instead, I’ve accumulated a handful of distinctly “me” endeavors. There are things I do that he would never dare—Indian classical dance, for one.

After all, why would I want to be someone else, when I have the potential to be myself ?

What do you think about Occupy Wall St? meena chetty

managing editor - TalonWP

“I don’t think Occupy Wall Street is a particularly effective way of bringing about any kind of change [...] because it is poorly organized, because it is poorly disciplined ideologically.

“It’s pretty ingenious, really. They’re already going on a controversial topic that’s been debated over and over again, and now, they’re actually taking action.”

- Jonathan Peele, Communication Studies Teacher

“I’m not really sure they’re going about this the right way. I certainly think there need to be more taxes on the rich, full aware that most people in the school fall in that category, but I’m not sure that trying to blockade Wall Street is all that effective.”

- Robert Maxton (12)

- Stacey Chao (9)

“Right now, I think there’s a lot of corporate and political corruption…that almost every major city has its own form of Occupy Wall Street shows that people want some form of reform and are willing to finally work for it.”

- Gilad Nilo (11)

“I think it’s great that young people are pursuing something they’re interested about. If they believe that something is wrong and they want justice, it’s great that they’re actually voicing their complaints.”

“I think it’s really good that their opinions are justified, but I wish they would solidify what they’re advocating.”

- Shreya Indukuri (12)

- Emily Wang (11) “I think it’s interesting that so many people are willing to actually spend their days doing something, not just talking about it or complaining. They’re that unhappy with the situation.”

- Sachin Vadodaria (10)

MEGAN PRAKASH -- TALON

- Erin Redfern, English Teacher

“The whole concept about one percent ruling the entire country is totally stupid, because the people who are coming out there don’t actually represent all of us. […]

They don’t seem like they represent the actual blue collar, middle-class, middle-aged Americans who are actually having the most problems. ”

High school comprises more than studying and stress sheridan tobin reporter

It’s happened to all of us. A teacher passes back a graded test, essay, or other major assignment, and you hear a chorus of sighs throughout the classroom. You begin asking your classmates what they got—without the teacher knowing, of course—and you glance at the top of the paper of one of the kids complaining, only to see an A- written.

It’s happened to me more times than I can count. Yes, this is probably partially due to the extremely competitive atmosphere we have here, but still, an A- is not a grade to grumble about.

Contrary to some people’s beliefs, being less than perfect at something will not keep you from getting into college, nor will it classify you as a “failure.”

Yes, I understand how high school and all the pressure of eventually getting into the college you— and your parents—have always dreamed about can make a person feel like he or she has to get A+ on everything, but truthfully, the non-academic experiences that you will have during your four years should be worth just as much.

A few weeks ago, at the first Living with Intent Focus and Enthusiasm (L.I.F.E) session of the year, the freshman class took a survey in which we had to divide a total of 100 points among 10 categories based on their importance.

I was shocked and thoroughly upset by the re-

sults. As a class, we said that getting accepted into a prestigious college was significantly more important than values like well-being, morals, and even kindness.

Also, I’m assuming that, had other classes taken the same survey, some of the results would have been similar. This got me thinking about how students at our school have grown up with one goal in their heads: to attend a prestigious college. With this in mind, some people are willing to devote their lives, day and night, weekends included, to extreme studying.

I’m not saying that studying or getting into a good school is bad, not in the least, but I am saying that balance is important. In high school, especially, academics should not be your only priority.

Ask yourself this: hypothetically, would you rather take four or five AP classes in one year, leaving you stressed out and lacking free time, or instead take a lower number of APs and maybe some easier, more fun classes and be happier?

I would choose the second option in a heartbeat; unfortunately, there are probably some of you who would pick the first one because it “looks better on college applications.”

Fine, that’s your decision, but let’s think this through. By taking all those AP classes at once, you’re going to be stressed by an overload of work that you may or may not be able to keep up with.

This will most likely lead to a lower grade in the course than what you may have been otherwise ca-

pable of receiving.

More importantly, you will most likely lose sleep, free time to socialize, and possibly part of your sanity. Is it worth it? Would you do all that to improve a college application, which is already stellar?

Some would answer yes to those questions, but I would say no.

“

In high school, especially, academics should not be your only priority.

”

So, when you’re not at school, what else can you do simply because you want to? Well, it’s different for everyone, but find something you enjoy. Let’s be honest, schoolwork and homework aren’t really everyone’s favorite activities. You can play a sport, do something in the arts, give back to your community, spend time with family, or hang out with friends— anything to maintain a balanced life.

Some people believe that high school is supposed to be four of the best years of your life. It’s when you grow a lot as a person, begin to figure out who you are, hopefully learn what’s really important in life, and have so many opportunities to experience so many different things. So, make sure that, amidst all the pressure and hard work, you remember to take breaks and enjoy yourself.

7

on the

DL

daniela lapidous opinion editor

I am angry. I am frustrated, saddened, and overwhelmed. I am all of these things for at least a few fleeting moments in every day–pretty much whenever I decide to read the news or bring up, you know, the state of the world in casual conversation.

Almost any such discussion paints a pretty depressing picture; our country has a lot of problems. War, debt, and partisanship are among them. Other countries have more problems: genocide, natural disasters, and famines.

Not to mention climate change.

I could go on and on, but I still wouldn’t be the first idealistic, arguably naïve teenager to be outraged at any of this.

Ultimately, the world never has been and never will be fully just or problem-free.

Therein lies my main conundrum: if the world will never be healed, is it part of my responsibilities to actively even try to heal it?

For example, how am I–a financially-secure, non-minority, educated girl–supposed to understand or help the girl who was unlucky enough to be born with a terrible disease in a thirdworld country? Am I supposed to support her?

I hope that last question comes off as rhetorical: in my gut, I should be doing whatever I can to positively contribute to the world. Compassion, etcetera. I do feel it, and I do want to change the status quo.

But, removing my feelings from the equation, should I is a different question.

I just started reading The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama, and he argues that the main goal of life is to be happy in a consistent, mindful way. So, could I not attain that goal by ignoring the world’s problems and just making sure my world is okay?

It would be easy. My world may not be perfect or challenge-free, but I am generally more privileged than most of the world, as is this entire student body.

I’ve been grasping for a reason to justify compassion, not just a “gut feeling.”

Is there a reason to help people, after I have theoretically attained happiness with a rack of Manolo Blahniks in my New York City walk-in closet?

Yes. In fact, there are several purely logical ones.

First, research has said that helping others is a big boost to our happiness, as I read in Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. You could also expect that someone will help you in the future in exchange for your help right now. Helping others often is a source of pride; think about the satisfaction of getting anything from a pat on the back to the Nobel Prize. I’m sure there are many more reasons, too.

When I thought about these, I connected most with the no-brainer: community service simply feels good.

Thus, I have concluded that helping other people is intrinsically–to be blunt–selfish. It is a reliable path to happiness.

Although life is not as blackand-white as this, I would argue that true, internal compassion lies in the moment when you have everything to gain, and you choose to have someone else gain alongside you without any loss on your part.

That is when you think, “I have an opportunity to help someone, and I want to,” without being motivated by an extrinsic reward.

It’s just a why-not moment: why not connect with another human being in a positive way?

I do not deceive myself into thinking my conclusion is unique at all.

But, just like figuring out a math problem for myself, I feel like reasoning this out has given me a new philosophy that clicks: As the Dalai Lama said, my ultimate goal is to be happy. It is not my responsibility to abnegate my own total happiness for the happiness of others, and I would not put that burden upon others, either.

Instead, I must create opportunities in my life that can make me happy while enriching the lives of others at the same time.

Unlike what I have been thinking for the past few weeks, contributing to the world does not mean having to agonize over all of its problems and walk around like a martyr, feeling sorrowful empathy for its victims.

It is much better to see these problems as hard facts and cultivate joy out of that through action, instead–for both myself and the people around me.

8

features

OCTOBER 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Night custodian shares his story Jorge Darce describes transition from Nicaragua to America mercedes chien photo editor

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

It was July 22, 1991. He had just graduated from high school. No parties, no midnight adventures, no celebratory outings. For him, the new environment marked the beginning of a new chapter.

That’s when Jorge Luis Darce Peraita, one of the school’s night custodians, came to America, hoping to change his lifestyle.

Born and raised in León, Nicaragua, he grew up in a relatively destitute family. Spending his childhood under the care of his grandmother, he learned the importance of having an education through self- motivation.

“When I was a child, nobody asked me what I wanted to do [when I grow up],” he said.

“I went to s c h o o l because I wanted to go.”

At the time, the opportunity to receive a quality education was based solely off of the family’s financial status. Since his family could not support a private-school education, he attended a public school and faced hardships throughout his childhood.

“My life changed [when I came here] because in Nicaragua, I didn’t even have shoes [to walk to school],” he said. “I was 17 years old and I had no shoes since I didn’t have enough money.”

His passion for learning surpassed all of the challenges he faced, which later drove him to earn his high school diploma.

However, despite his success in school, he wanted a new life. Darce immigrated to San Francisco at the age of 19, becoming an ardent Giants fan and adjusting to the new location.

“I always attended [Giants] games. Sometimes [I would go] with my friends and sometimes with my family,” he said.

After settling in to his new life, the opportunities available to him revived his hopes of pursuing his dreams regardless of all the troubles he faced as a child.

Though he grew up in a family of musicians, Darce never played an instrument in his life; both his father and his brother pursued careers in the music industry as a musician and a singer respectively. Instead, inspired by his cousin and uncle who are both doctors, he wishes to become a medical assistant. He plans on going back to school when he feels the time is right.

“I have to support my family so I don’t have time to go to school now, but I want to go back,” he said.

Since moving here, he has worked as a cook for McDonald’s, a manager assistant for the Bank of America, and a custodian for the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, before accepting his job at this school.

Darce started working here just over half a year ago. His job entails cleaning and vacuuming the various academic buildings during his shift, which starts from 2:30 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m.

“It’s empowering to have control over your own destiny.”

For his first time working for a school, he particularly enjoys the welcoming atmosphere and amiable faculty that he encounters.

According to Facility Manager Mike Bassoni, Darce was initially tentative and reserved, but after adapting to the school’s surroundings, he has become more talkative and comfortable with everyone.

“He’s become a better team member,” Bassoni said. “He interacts better with his fellow custodians in the evening as well as the community as a whole.”

In addition to improving relations between co-workers, Darce significantly increased communication between himself and the faculty, allowing teachers and students to become more familiar with him.

Bassoni also commented on Darce’s impressive work ethic throughout his shifts whether that be on weeknights or weekends.

“He’s a very reliable employee,” Bassoni said. “He works hard and takes pride [in his job].”

Aside from working regular weekdays, Darce volunteers to work overtime for school events on the weekends.

He accepts the additional work with an open mind and assiduously performs his duties.

For Darce, earning the extra money is crucial in providing for his family. Following his heart, he married his wife and moved to San Jose where he began raising a family two years ago.

When he’s not working, Darce loves to spend time with his six-month old son, Aden.

“I don’t like to pay for a babysitter [since] I [love] to spend my time taking care of my son and my family,” he said.

Although Darce aspires to re-enroll in school and earn an education in medicine in the future, he is currently focusing on raising his son. His family serves as the main impetus for his sedulous work ethic since he wants to “do the best for them,” including providing Aden with an ineffable childhood.

Ray Fowler raises awareness for a serious issue samantha hoffman chief in training The traditional green, black, and white of football uniforms rush around the field in a blur of motion under the Friday night lights. Suddenly, a flash of orange emerges briefly only to disappear again, leaving those who noticed it wondering what it was.

Most of the people who recognize it as the orange bandana around football coach and U.S. history teacher Ray Fowler’s neck understand its significance: every Friday this school year, Fowler has worn orange clothing to raise awareness for the issue of human trafficking.

According to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, approximately 2.5 million people are in forced labor at any given time around the world, and this illicit trade impacts countries on every continent.

Fowler’s initial interest in the movement was peaked when two girls from Menlo-Atherton High School made a presentation on the subject at his church two years ago. Their student-led club called Save Every Slave inspired him to do more research; however, it was only after attending a weeklong course hosted by the Not For Sale organization against human trafficking this summer that he became more involved in the movement.

“Human trafficking and modern day slavery today are the world’s most serious human rights problems. Period.

There’s really nothing more important in terms of people on the planet because it’s a problem in every country,” he said.

After completing the course, Fowler became more involved in raising awareness for the problem, joining the Not For Sale abolition movement, which is centered in Half Moon Bay. “After the course, I started doing some research, and I came across the Not For Sale movement,” he said. “It was local and I thought it might be a good thing to become involved in, and I was right.”

He is currently helping to put together law-enforcement training for San Mateo County, the first United States county to declare a zero-tolerance policy towards human trafficking and forced labor.

In addition, he made an agreement with his offensive linemen to donate $20 to the Not For Sale movement for each touchdown scored. So far, that arrangement has raised $420.

Fowler hopes to expand that tradition to the softball team, which he coaches as well.

In addition, Fowler wants to raise more awareness in the student body by collaborating with the Global Empowerment and Outreach (GEO) club and encouraging them to adopt human trafficking as their cause sometime in the years to come.

“Student-led movements can be very, very powerful,” he said. “In my view, students can become very involved in this cause and raise awareness but also become activists.”

His attitude towards raising awareness is that “it’s not about wearing a T-shirt or wristband or having a cool bumper sticker on your car […]

It’s about ending

SAMANTHA HOFFMAN - WINGED POST

Bioinformatics Research

Alumnus follows his dream Senior presents research in Barcelona samantha hoffman “You left Google, arguably one of the most powerful companies in the world…to write a book?!”

This is a response Karan Lodha (’04) has experienced many times when informing people of his plan to write a book on the stories of sports fans. He never lets it deter him, however; instead, he merely explains his concept.

“A lot of books have been written about the psychology of sports fans, but there aren’t that many books written about the stories of sports fans, so I kind of wanted to do an exploration of fans across the world and see if there were differences between them,” Lodha said in a phone interview with the Winged Post.

Having saved up money from his previous job to complete his currently untitled book, he plans to travel to all of the continents, save Antarctica, to form a better picture of fans of varying sports and ethnicities.

According to Lodha, the inspiration behind the book “kind of came out of nowhere.” Whereas when he was younger he envisioned himself working in computer science, as an avid sports fan and writer, he now sees his idea as “everything coming together.”

Until now, Lodha has worked on what he calls the “business side” of the media industry. After leaving his job as Strategic Partner Manager at Google in August of this year, however, he has since entered the “creative side.”

So far, he finds the shift rewarding.

“It’s motivating to know that you’re doing something because you want to do it, working for yourself, working towards your own dream,” he said. “There are some days where it’s frustrating or repetitive, but for the most part it’s very empowering to have control over your own destiny.”

However, Lodha still notes a few

difficulties in adjusting to his new life.

“The big challenge is self-motivation,” he said. “If you think of a typical job you have the boss [...] but now it’s just up to me. You have to be disciplined about instituting a routine, even when you don’t feel like doing things.”

Nevertheless, Lodha retains an optimistic outlook and is creating means to overcome those obstacles.

In addition to establishing a routine, Lodha also cites accepting and utilizing feedback as an invaluable tool. He said that both sports fans and those who are less interested have reacted positively to his idea so far.

“

It’s motivating ... working for yourself, working towards your own dream.

”

Karan Lodha (‘04)

While he has no publishing deal yet, he uses his blog, which is entitled 2012: A Sports Odyssey and can be found at www.sportsodyssey.tumblr. com, to keep track of and begin to raise awareness about his book. He plans to wait until he has a more cohesive proposal to approach publishers.

To those aspiring young writers who may be concerned about the profitability of writing as a career, Lodha emphatically offered his advice.

“If feel like you only have so much time and you have a passion worth pursuing, you’re never going to be truly happy if you’re just doing something for the money,” he said.

“When you are young and not attached, […] that’s the best time to try new passions. Why not do things when you have the most physical and mental strength and capabilities?”

pavitra rengarajan features editor In mid-October, senior Ramya Rangan participated in the Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods (DREAM6) Conference, where she presented the bioinformatics research she performed this summer through the Research Science Institute (RSI) summer program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

This conference was held along with two other conferences at the Institut d’Investigacio Biomedica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) FIRST RESEARCH CONFERENCE Senior Ramya Rangan traveled to Barcelona to present the bioinformatics research she performed this summer. Her project was Institute in Barcelona, Spain. She entitled “De novo splice form discovery from RNA-seq data.” was the only high school student tational computer work – to find that own work, but it’s about sharing your to present her project, which was entitled “De novo splice form discov- these sequence predictions actually work with others.”

Aside from her two days at the ery from RNA-seq data.” The core goal match what’s going on in the cell,” she of her team’s research was to under- said. “It makes it far more meaning- conference, she also spent one and a half days in Barcelona, exploring the stand a cellular process that happens ful.”

She feels that the Upper School city with her mentor. between DNA and protein.

Loh expressed his enthusiasm “Basically, what we found is that helped her significantly during the about the trip. “Ramya gave a very fluyou can put in fragments of DNA and conference.

“Harker did an amazing job of ent presentation that was well-received get alternative splices,” she said.

Her team consisted of her prin- teaching me to present at an audience, by the research community,” he said. cipal investigator Bonnie Berger, a for example at the research sympo- “Conferencing aside, we also had a fun professor at MIT, mentor Po-Ru Loh, sium,” she said. “I have learned to be time navigating Barcelona and getting a graduate student in MIT’s compu- able to compose myself and give an un- accustomed to local customs.”

Her success did not come without tational biology group, and herself. derstandable presentation.”

She decided to partake in the hardships, however.

Within the challenge she participated “There were moments when in, a total of two teams were selected DREAM6 challenge when she began conducting her research this sum- things were going wrong, and other out of six.

She spent the majority of her time mer. Her research in bioinformatics moments when I felt the question had stemmed last year when she realized already been answered before,” she said. on research throughout the summer.

She shares her advice to under“I worked for six weeks, full days her interest in problem-solving-type and occasionally on weekends, at MIT, thinking that could be used to make a classmen looking to pursue research.

“Don’t be intimidated by minor setand also spent the majority of August biological, health-related impact.

At the conference, her schedule backs,” she said. “You don’t know how doing research,” she said. “I continued my work throughout the school year as consisted primarily of keynote speech- things will turn out, so don’t give up.” es, research talks, poster sessions, and In the future, she hopes to conwell.”

This conference was an invalu- networking over meals with other re- tinue with validation to obtain results good enough for publication; she will able experience for her and shaped her searchers.

“The biggest thing I learned was continue her research throughout first perception of what the research world how conferences work and how re- semester and also partially through entailed.

“The most rewarding part of the search is conducted in the real world,” second semester. conference was to see all my compu- she said. “It’s not just about doing your

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

chief in training

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Features

9

“A successful board should go largely unnoticed by the students.” - Albert Zecher, Jr., Board member

New year brings new names to Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees consists of a group of 14 individuals who meet approximately five to six times per year to discuss long-term planning and other priorities for the school. Members include people who have strong ties as a parent of a student, an alumnus, and other affiliations.

According to Chairwoman Diana Nichols, the ultimate role of the Board is to define and ensure that the school is meeting its mission, which sets the mission statement in broad terms. In an independent school such as our own, there are two factions. The management team, which handles day-today activities, is lead by Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, the only person employed by the Board, whereas the Board itself, which holds the fiduciary responsibility to make sure that the school is being operated properly, is spearheaded by Nichols.

“We need to make certain that we have annual audits, that we make sure that the money in the school is being spent properly, that we’re on sound fiscal footing,” Nichols said regarding the duties of the Board.

Certain long-term planning decisions that the Board has made include the construction of Nichols Hall, the leasing of the Blackford Campus, and the purchase of the Bucknall Campus several years ago.

Within the Board are separate committees: Finance and Audit, Nomination, Building and Grounds, Head of School Evaluation, Development and Advancement, Compensation, and Long Range Planning. Additionally, this year, the Board of Trustees formed another group called the Advisory

priyanka mody & samantha hoffman editor in chief & chief in training Board, which meets twice a year and was developed to pay attention to two aspects of the school: the alumni and community relations; they may also make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

“They don’t have the same powers, but are all highly, highly respected peo-

“

After all, it’s a huge business. And if you don’t run it like a business, it’s going to fail.

”

Diana Nichols

ple who have demonstrated themselves to be caring members of the community and in some cases, long time members... some of these people go back 25 or 30 years,” Nichols said.

New members this year include parents of alumni Ashok Krishnamurthi and Christine Davis. In order to become a member of the Board, anyone can submit a name to the Nomination Committee, which filters through a multitude of qualifications and traits.

“You want someone who is discreet and circumspect, and who clearly understand the difference between the

management aspect of the school and the Board aspects of the school,” Nichols said, since many of the transactions and discussions that happen during meetings are not disclosed to the rest of the school.

Once the Nomination Committee suggests the names of the individuals along with their bios, the entire Board votes in a final agreement.

For alumnus Albert M. Zecher, Jr., his choice to become a Board member was “an easy one.” The only former student on the Board, Zecher was a student of Nichols back in the 1970’s.

“As a graduate, I really knew the value of my Harker experience and how well it has served me and contributed to my success, so my decision really was a no-brainer,” Zecher said.

While the Nichols said the Board does not specifically look for a certain profession, it often times helps if a member has a particular career path that contributes to the Board; Ultimately, however, the most important factor is that they must exhibit a longtime connection to the school.

For Ajay Chopra, who is a venture capitalist, parent of two alumni, and currently chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, joining the board was a way to “emotionally continue my role in Harker and give back a bit by putting in whatever I can contribute to help out with some of the planning,” he said.

One of the challenges that Nichols discussed was the concern of transparency.

“It’s always an issue, because everyone always wants to know everything that’s going on,” she said. “But that wouldn’t always be the best thing for the school. Maybe, some of the people in the school are entitled to a privacy.”

Zecher agreed, saying that although when he was a student he did not know that the Board existed, he still believes that, “a successful board should go largely unnoticed by the students.”

Nichols said that the Board has actually weighed the potential value of

having a student on the Board could bring to the group. Although they have had student speakers attend meetings and provide input, for the most part, she said, a formal student member would be unable to play a significant role on the Board.

She also said that while students are capable of keeping confidentiality, a student would hold the Board back from certain issues, and also questioned whether a student could relate to the financial and other complex agendas other complex agendas of the group.

“After all, it’s a huge business,” Nichols said. “And if you don’t run it like a business, it’s going to fail.”

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Diana Nichols....Board Chair, Consultant to Harker and Lifetime Trustee Sally Anderson......Secretary of the Board / Educator and Philanthropist Ajay Chopra.................................................Harker Parent / Venture Capitalist Marie Clifford..................................................................................Financial Office Christine Davis..............................................Businesswoman / Philanthropist Jennifer Gargano...................Assistant Head of School - Academic Affairs Ashok Krishnamurthi........................................Harker Parent / Businessman Jeffrey Lee.......................................................................................................Dentist Martin Lundie......................................Financial Officer / Business Executive Howard Nichols.....................................................Trustee Eternal (1940-2008) Christopher Nikoloff....................................................................Head of School Joseph Sabeh....................................................................Real Estate Developer Lynette Stapleton...........................................................Community Volunteer Huali Chai Stanek......................................................................................Attorney Albert Zecher, Jr.........................................................................................Attorney

views of evolution Astronomer gives talk as part of the Speaker Series Altered Fossil discovery of human ancestor priyanka mody, shilpa nataraj, & patrick yang

alyssa amick

tical wavelengths with the use of radio and optical telescopes, Dr. Tarter and her team hope to detect these “technosignatures” of extraterrestrial intelligence.

“In both cases, what we’re looking for is the kind of signals that technology can produce, an engineer can map, but nature can’t,” she said.

During her presentation, she discussed the Kepler Mission that was launched in March 2009 to determine the existence of Earth-like planets with a temperature conducive to have liquid water and the capability to support life.

She reported that there are about 2000 exoplanets and exoplanet candidates, thus far.

Dr. Tarter expressed her hope to invite the rest of the population to participate in the search with setiQuest and SETI@home because of humans’ connection to one another as “Earthlings.”

“I think SETI is so powerful because it can hold up a mirror that shows all of ourselves [an] extraordinary perspective,” Dr. Tarter said. “We see ourselves in a different way, when we think of ourselves in the context of looking for someone else out there. I think SETI helps us trivialize the differences among humans.”

Dr. Eric Nelson, physics teacher and computer science department chair who attended Dr. Tarter’s talk, has been running SETI@home since it first came out.

“I enjoyed getting up to date on what’s happening in the program, and I’m looking forward to people embracing the idea that w e ’ r e probably not alone - we don’t know, but it’s worth a

look, which is also related to the stuff I teach in class,” he said.

When Dr. Tarter was a young girl, she classified herself as “the greatest tomboy,” always accompanying her father, a professional football player, on hunting and fishing trips outside of New York City, where she grew up. At the age of eight, Tarter said, her father sat her down and tried to encourage her to partake in activities that were more feminine.

“I was so incensed about the idea that you had to make a choice--that you had to do one or the other,” she said.

From then, she remained adamant and decided that she would become an engineer. Her father’s death when she was 12 was an even stronger motivation for her to pursue this career, and she graduated from Cornell University for her undergraduate degree as the only female of 300 other students.

“I learned early on a very dignified lesson. And that’s carpe diem, seize the day,” Dr. Tarter said. “If you have an opportunity, grab it, because it might not be around tomorrow.”

After receiving her engineering degree in the mid-1960s, Dr. Tarter felt that “engineers are as boring as my professors.” She said that although she had received a great education at Cornell University, she had yet to find problems that she found interesting.

Dr. Tarter encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Today, Dr. Tarter has become one of the managers of the entire SETI project. Her team of researchers is currently busy trying to reopen the dormant Allen Telescope Array (ATA) for astronomical research. Dr. Tarter’s team at SETI hopes to reactivate the ATA by October 25.

MERCEDES CHIEN - WINGED POST

“Are we alone?”

Take a moment to think - it is not a trick question - about whether you believe there is life besides humans out there in the universe, and why.

On October 14, Dr. Jill Tarter, astronomer and director of the Center for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Research, aimed to show how scientists are trying to answer this question experimentally with a talk for the Harker Speaker Series.

“I thought that Dr. Tarter’s talk was really, really special,” said Govinda Dasu (12), who was selected to introduce Dr. Tarter.

Dr. Tarter first began her involvement in astronomy and astrophysics in college, and she considers her entrance into SETI a “great, fortunate accident.”

Because she was one of the few people who knew how to program the PDP9, an early desktop computer, she was recruited as SETI employee number one. She was immediately drawn to the work, captivated by the thought of being part of the first generation who could actually design scientific experiments to answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe instead of simply conjecturing.

Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute aims to increase public awareness, education, and research regarding the exploration of life in the universe.

The Institute consists of three main sectors: the Center for SETI Research, where Dr. Tarter serves as the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for the Institute; Study of Life in the Universe; and the Center for Education and Public Outreach.

According to Dr. Tarter, SETI’s search for extraterrestrial intelligence is essentially the search for technology out there in the universe.

By looking for radio and op-

reporter

About 2 million years ago, an animal not so different from human beings wandered through what is now called the Cradle of Humankind, near modern-day Johannesburg, South Africa. In a study released in September 2011, researchers claim that Australopithecus sediba is a direct ancestor to the modern-day human being.

The fossils were found in August 2008 by the son of Lee Berger, one of

of evidence with the new fossils that [they] can point towards and build inferences from,” Carlson said. He thinks that it is far more satisfying to have evidence supporting the hypothesis than just the ideas.

After these discoveries, a couple of changes have been made to what was previously known about human evolution. Prior to this discovery, it was assumed that the size of the brain evolved

Australopithecus sediba

Direct ancestor to the modern-day human being Discovered in South Africa, 2008 SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

editor in chief, global editor & tech editor

FOSSIL HEADS Fossils of Australopithecus sediba, an early ancestor to the modern-day Homo sapiens, were found in South Africa. These fossils add to the growing evidence of evolution and may suggest that evolution was less gradual than initially hypothesized.

the leading paleoanthropologist conducting the research. The first bone found was the collarbone of an adolescent male. The only other fossils of known age and gender are a collection of bones that comprise the skeleton of a female in her 20s to 30s, with a couple infant specimens as well.

In a phone interview with The Winged Post, Dr. Kristian Carlson, a paleoanthropologist on the team that found the fossils, said that he remembered the day of the discovery quite vividly. Stunned at first, his only thoughts were “Wow!” because to him, this moment seemed “too good to be true.”

This new species is thought to bridge the gap between Australopithecus afarensis, better known as Lucy, and Homo sapiens. Sediba had a brain size similar to that of a chimpanzee and had more proportional limbs than the modern day humans, showing that it used them for tree climbing.

From the hips and the lower limbs of the fossils, researchers have discovered that sediba was bipedal like modern humans “Also some of the organization in the brain is beginning to diverge in the direction of humans,” Carlson said. “[Researchers] now have a lot

slowly for about 3.3 million years starting with Lucy. However, this is untrue, and the evolution was less gradual than researchers hypothesized.

“The findings are indeed very exciting and adds to the growing body of evidence that evolution did occur.

However, just when we think we have some clarity about the evolution of our species, we find a fossil that raises more questions than it answers,” Science Department Chair Anita Chetty said. “Although scientific research seems to be centered upon the future, what remains one of the most intriguing and sometimes beguiling, is an understanding of our own past.”

For paleoanthropologists this discovery is even more exciting because sediba provides a clearer picture of human history. However, other scientists do not believe that these fossils are what researchers claim them to be.

Carlson said, “Science advances through debate and discussion. It would be far more boring if everyone believed everything that was said.” He thinks that more colleagues need to look at and consider the material to decide whether or not the new hypotheses are true.

Features 10 Q&A: A peek into the lives of the Upper School library staff OCTOBER 28, 2011

the Winged Post

vasudha rengarajan reporter Comfortable couches, friendly faces, and never-ending rows of books ornament a popular location on campus: the library.

Librarians Sue Smith, Lauri Vaughan, and Meredith Cranston, library assistant Courtney Schembri, and part-time library assistant and archivist Terry Walsh share a few fun facts about themselves, their experiences, and their favorite literature.

Librarian Andrew Carlos was profiled in Issue Two of the Winged Post.

Winged Post: What prompted you to enter your field of work?

Courtney Schembri: I’ve always wanted to work at a school. When I graduated from college, I was looking for a job at a school and who wouldn’t want to work here, right?

Sue Smith: Well, I’ve always liked working with kids. In fact, I had a career working with chronically ill kids in hospitals. I was traveling a lot, so I decided I needed to make a change. I thought [I’d] go back and get my Master’s.

WP: What is your favorite part of your job here?

L a u r i Va u g h a n : I think it’s putting the right book in somebody’s hand. Of course, books, they’re sort of my religion.

Meredith Cranston: My favorite part of the job is definitely working with students at any c a p a c i t y.

Certainly throwing people out of the li-

ten. I love Dave Eggers’ Zeitoun.

TW: It’s called Operating Instructions.

Terry Walsh

brary is not my favorite part of the job, but it is part of the job.

Terry Walsh: In the library, interacting with the students. I don’t really get to interact with them with the rest of my job.

WP: Who is your favorite author?

CS: William Faulkner.

LV: Harper Lee. MC: George R. Martin.

SS: Either Barbara Kingsolver or Dave Eggers.

TW: Anne Lamott.

WP: What are your favorite hobbies?

CS: I have a blog [called] “The Earth Laughs In Flowers” that I update pretty frequently. I also love reality [television], so I’m always watching that.

MC: I’m a huge fan of cars. I have an old Volkswagen bus that my husband and I work on.

It works periodically.

TW: Reading, travel, and entertaining. Being with friends, I do a lot of that.

WP: What is your favorite quote?

CS: “Hearts will never be practical un-

Meredith Cranston

Courtney Schembri

WP: What is your favorite book?

CS: Anything by William Faulkner.

LV: To Kill A Mockingbird. I love things that are simple, but deceptively complicated.

MC: Beloved by Toni Morrison.

SS: Almost anything Kingsolver has writ-

til they can be made unbreakable.”

MC: “Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis.”

WP: What is your favorite memory at the Upper School?

CS: The togetherness, particularly on Matriculation. It really made me ex-

cited to work here.

LV: My favorite memories at Harker always involve student performances. I normally sit in the front because invariably there are tears running down my face [...] It’s so good I can’t blink.

strange, but I’d much rather be on an island without anyone, and just the books in the world. Maybe the servants

W P : What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

MC: “Read the short fiction collection!”

TW: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

to provide me with a cool drink occasionally.

MC: I would take my office plant over there. That’s important. Because I think you could probably eat that in a pinch.

I would take Tim Gunn because we would look fantabulous. The third person would be my husband, so I could eat him in case, because he wouldn’t mind; we’re family!

WP: What is the most outrageous thing you have done?

CS: [In] my senior year in high school, [after lunch] we were driving around looking for something to do, and we ended up driving to Disneyland that afternoon. It was really fun.

MC: Oh I cannot share that in this context. My most outrageous thing yeah, I cannot share that.

SS: I definitely don’t do outrageous things. I just don’t do them.

Sue Smith

Lauri Vaughan

WP: If you could take three people to a deserted island, who would they be and why?

LV: This sounds probably really ALL PHOTOS VASUDHA RENGARAJAN - WINGED POST

Volunteering: Triefenbach teaches anishka agarwal

programming to local teens

fore, have] virtually no knowledge of programming whatsoever,” Triefenbach said.

For the past six weeks, Computer Science His fondest moment of teaching at the teacher Fred Triefenbach has been spending Teen Center was a night in mid-October his Tuesday and Thursday evenings teaching when he began to notice a couple of his stuprogramming to a group of ten students at the dents grasping concepts on their own. He gave Santa Clara Teen Center. them certain problems and most of them came In the seven-week term, Triefenbach up with the correct solutions by themselves; he teaches just the beginning of what the Upper no longer had to feed them the answers. There School’s programming class covers. were still students with whom he had to accom“We start off programming [at the Santa pany each step of process, but he is glad that he Clara Teen Center] with Karel J. Robot, just is being able to at least reach these students. like we do here, and that’s pretty much all we He occasionally has the help of his current have time to do there,” Triefenbach said. students as well.

Due to a lack of time, he is also unable to “Having the Harker students, that have encompass all the minor details. taken programming, is great when they can be Triefenbach desired to do this kind of vol- there because these kids [at the Teen Center] unteer work because he “wanted to try to reach really need the individual help,” Triefenbach students that probably did not have the oppor- said. tunity that students that go to Harker have.” He He would have liked if those students proposed the idea of teaching programming to came regularly because he often has to devote the Teen Center in May, however did not start his complete attention to one student. the course then due to a lack of available stu“There were times that I did not have any dents during the summer time. help that I really could have used help because His ten students at the Teen Center con- of having to sit with one student and so then I sist of six eighth graders, three ninth graders, have to try and spread myself around,” Triefenand a 12th grader. bach said.

“I would imagine most of them are pubAccording to Triefenbach, the environlic school students but there might be one or ment at the Teen Center is not very conducive two private school [students], but they’re not to teaching programming, especially compared like Harker,” Triefenbach said. Therefore, these to the Upper School. He must teach in a 15-feet students do not have many of the options that by 15-feet room where he sets up the projector students at Harker do. for a roller screen that is three feet by three feet.

“They don’t even have the opportunity to “It’s a small room so you can’t really do take programming at their school [and, there- what we can do here,” Triefenbach said.

Also, he was provided with ten computers and only nine of those worked. To make sure everybody had a chance to get on a computer, he would bring his own extra laptop.

Tr i e f e n bach hopes to set up something similar here in his classroom during the evenings for those students with fewer opportunities.

KAREL J. ROBOT Triefenbach spends Tuesday and Thursday evenings ANISHKA AGARWAL -- THE WINGED POST

reporter

teaching programming to a group of students at the Santa Clara Teen Center.

fall play

11

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

“You Can’t Take it With You” behind the scenes

emily chu, apurva gorti & apoorva rangan

reporters magine a play where the actors step onto the bare stage, running through the show for the first time with their fellow cast members. They stumble through their lines, lacking coordination and direction. The audience members strain their ears to hear the voices of the actors without microphones. Throughout the show, the same harsh shade of fluorescent light shines on the actors’ faces.

That is not the case for this year’s fall play, You Can’t Take it With You, thanks to the technical crew, designers, director, and cast. The story centers around a dynamically dysfunctional family, the Sycamores. Alice Sycamore, the “normal” daughter, has fallen in love with the son of a corporate executive. Throughout the play, the audience is challenged to redefine the word “normal.”

Direction: “Delightful” is the word director Jeffrey Draper used to sum up this year’s fall play.

Draper has been working with the cast both to hone comedic timing and to portray complexities of the relationships on stage.

What really goes on in a director’s head, though? How does a director find minute details to make the show truly successful?

“First off, I have to think about what the student needs to grow into the role,” Draper said.

“How will what I say help the dynamic between the people on stage? I also have to think about the most effective way to get the humor across to the audience. Like, what’s going to make the audience laugh? And thirdly, of course, I have to think about what the playwright wanted to happen on stage.”

He motivated actors to reach beyond their comfort zone. Hand gestures and facial expressions had to be exaggerated for Draper to deem them satisfactory.

“It’s all about getting [the actors] to push a little bit harder, because that’s really what makes the audience laugh,” he said.

Rehearsals were active as Draper dashed around the stage to offer feedback for the next run-through. He leaped on and off stage to adjust a minute hand gesture to increase comedic pizazz.

“When I direct, I want the audience to track the fun. That’s why the little details are really important,” Draper said. “It’s got to keep the audience engaged.”

Draper also applied his experiences as an actor to directing the play.

“I’ve had a lot of great directors in the past, so I try to learn from them and apply what works in my direction,” Draper said. “It works best when you offer positive feedback and then follow it up with a suggestion.”

According to Cecilia Lang-Ree (11), “it’s a difficult balance between having a believable character and also being funny, and Mr. D r a p e r ’s really

I

helped [the cast] with that.”

Technical Theater: Although their presence is unnoticed by the audience, their absence will surely affect the show.

Besides the cast, the designers and the student technical crew also played a part in consolidating the production of the play. Subtle changes in lighting and fine-tuning of pitches enhance an effective performance.

Scenic designer Paul Vallerga, Draper, costume designer and prop master Caela Fujii, and lighting designer Natti Pierce-Thomson collaborated to create the world where the actors and actresses live during the play. Production manager Brian Larsen ensured that “things [happened] on schedule.” He also transported set pieces and coordinated set designers.

Because the play is performed at the Middle School, the set had to be shrunk to accommodate the limited space. According to Vallerga, this would be the first show they have done in a while where the set is a single, specific place instead of a “fragmented” scenic design to represent multiple locations.

“One of the challenges is making all the different elements work together, giving the director what he or she wants and, at the same time, fulfilling all the needs of the set and making that work in the space,” Vallerga said.

The stage is set in the Sycamores’ living room, complete with a dining table, couch, and stairs. Although at a cursory glance, the set seems like a normal living room, a closer look reveals details that complement the quirkiness of the Sycamores. The tan walls of the room with a white diamond pattern do not seem out of the ordinary, but under close scrutiny, splatters of orange can be found. The set is designed to have a cluttered, disorganized feel, with odd angles and seemingly random objects on the tables and shelves. Only in the Sycamores’ living room would a skull and a glass container filled with pet snakes be found on the dining table.

Working closely with the designers and director is the student technical crew. Ranging from stage manager to soundboard operator, the students in the technical crew accomplish the tasks behind the finished production. Light board operator Christophe Pellissier (12) is responsible for altering the lighting scheme to accompany the mood for each change of scene. Sound operator Simon Orr (11) has to actively listen and constantly balance out the changing volumes of actors to make their pitches smooth.

“Acting in a show is one thing; seeing everything from behind the curtains is another. It’s pretty amazing to see how different a show is backstage. There is so much that goes on that the audience never sees,” Alice Tsui (11) said.

Although technicians find their work enjoyable, they must also overcome various difficulties. Each crew member who wished to obtain a technical theater certificate contributed at least 10 hours of work. As co-stage manager, Lori Berenberg (11) had to keep up with the script as she tracked down line mistakes. Prop assistant Alice had trouble with keeping track of the large amount of costumes as well as tailoring or mending costumes and props. Actors and actresses donned 1930s fashioned clothing with suits and trousers for males and long dresses topped with fur coats and cloche hats for females.

Technical crew members who helped with the process of building the stage faced obstacles of their own. Christophe described the set-building process as “painful.” He and other crew members transported platforms onto the stage, shaped the general frame of the set, and stapled or nailed in everything together. Chuckling, Nicholas Semenza (10) joked about how he could “still feel the splinters” in his hands a week after building the set.

Tina Crnko (12) appreciated the hard work of the tech crew. She showered praises upon the designers for the incorporation of “detailed, realistic elements” that reflect the family’s “love and vivacity.”

Rehearsals: “Let’s run it from the top!” Draper calls. All cast members get into position, ready for their cues.

Rehearsals for the fall play have occurred over the last one-and-ahalf months. Right after Labor Day weekend, students lined up for auditions outside Room 51 hoping to earn a role in the play.

After the audition process, rehearsals started at the Saratoga campus on September 12. Whether rehearsals were held in Draper’s classroom, in the quad, or in the Blackford auditorium, cast members agree that rehearsals were one of the most fun parts of the process.

During some rehearsals, the cast members threw jokes around at each other, leading to never-ending laughter.

They incorporated a game, “Funny, Sexy, Smelly,” into one of their run-throughs.

In the game, cast members

FALL PLAY This year’s fall play centers on the story of the dysfunctional yet lovable Sycamore family. The daughter Alice Sycamore falls in love with a boy, and the two families fall into conflict with one another.

These scenes from You Can’t Take it With You feature cast members Namrata Vakkalagadda (10), Tristan Killeen (12), Charles Levine (12), Kovid Puria (12), Cecilia LangRee (11), Lydia Werthen (11), Alex Najibi (12), Hannah Prutton (11), Govinda Dasu (12), Lauren Pinzas (12), and Tina Crnko (12); tech crew member Simon Orr (11); and director Jeffrey Draper. Rehearsals for the fall play began about one-and-a-half months before opening night. Shows are being held from October 27 to October 29 at the Blackford campus theater.

ALL PHOTOS BY MERCEDES CHIEN, EMILY CHU, APURVA GORTI, AND APOORVA RANGAN - WINGED POST

treated other characters in the scene as funny, sexy, or smelly. Then, while rehearsing their normal lines, they acknowledged those traits and acted towards their scene partners accordingly. They also played onstage tag while rehearsing. “[The cast had to] make everything ten times more awkward,” cast member Lauren Pinzás (12) said. She said that the games made the actors more comfortable with each other.

More serious portions of rehearsals started with the cast reading through the script. Many of the characters are stereotypical, so the cast had to explore extremes in order to give the roles more depth. The ages of the characters in the play range from the mid-20s to the 60s, adding on to the actors’ challenges of accurately portraying their characters.

According to the director and the cast, the actors only spent about four or five days on blocking, time when the actors and director work to decide where characters move and whom they will interact with onstage. Cast members made their own decisions in blocking, looking for approval

from the rest of the cast and the director.

The cast had to adapt when rehearsals moved from a small classroom at the Upper School to a huge stage and set in Blackford.

Shenel Ekici (10) said that the cast “adjust[ed] with the new space” by re-blocking.

During the rehearsals there, characters walked in and out of doors, went up and down stairs, and interacted with other aspects of the set.

During the full-day tech rehearsal, the cast and crew worked together to finalize sound and light cues as well as interactions with the technical aspects, such as doorbells and explosions.

Everything came together during the two dress rehearsals this Tuesday and Wednesday.

Draper and the cast worked out a few minor kinks, but for the most part, the show was nearly ready.

The actors were dressed in full costume and stage makeup and ran the show in its entirety both days.

According to the cast, crew, and director, the making of the play was fun yet exhausting, and they are excited to share the results of their work with the audience in the Blackford auditorium.

breast cancer awareness month

october 2011

Celebrating Survivors michelle deng & allison kiang

Susan Prutton

1 in 8

women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes

30%

of cancers in women are breast cancers

2.6+

million

breast cancer survivors are currently living in the U.S.

85%

of breast cancers occur in women with no family history

290,000

U.S. women are expected to be newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011

2,000

U.S. men are expected to be newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011

40,000

U.S. women are expected to die of breast cancer in 2011 ALL STATISTICS FROM BREASTCANCER.ORG

asst. editor in chief & reporter

stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ

D

iagnosis Just before spring break in April 2005, Prutton went for a mammogram. She had started getting annual screenings a few years before and done regular self-exams since she had some family history with breast cancer; this was just another routine mammogram.

Except this time, the call came. The mammogram had revealed a small mass.

“Initially, when you’re diagnosed, it’s very traumatic,” she said. “You kind of ask yourself questions—should you have found it yourself, have you made some mistake along the way?”

To her relief, she was told straight away that she could not have found it herself since the tumor was so small.

Specifically, she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Ductal carcinomas, tumors originating in the lining of a milk duct in the breast, are the most common form of breast cancer.

Her mammogram had caught the cancer early, far before it formed a tangible lump that could be caught through a selfexam. According to breastcancer.org, a tumor in situ is noninvasive and is called Stage 0 cancer to distinguish it from the invasive Stages I through IV. So the first person she spoke to about the diagnosis, a surgeon, immediately assured her that she would be fine. She would not die or even lose her hair.

“I thought, ‘Cool!’” she said, laughing. “That made me feel so much better. It’s amazing how important it is to me that I wouldn’t lose my hair.”

Treatment Prutton began her treatment at Stanford Hospital: first a lumpectomy, a surgery in which the tumor and some surrounding breast tissue are removed, followed by a few rounds of radiation to eliminate remaining cancerous cells. It was a simple treatment plan for a noninvasive cancer caught early by a mammogram. No chemotherapy, no mastectomy.

“If there’s a message for me to get across to people, I would say, ‘Do not ever delay on getting a mammogram done when you’re old enough to start,” she said.

One May morning that year, she arrived at the hospital for the surgery. After she was anesthetized, the operation began and ended around an hour later. She left before the end of the day.

Prutton looked after her wound for a few weeks after the surgery. Radiation could not begin until healing was complete.

Though she said her daily routine changed little during that period, she felt more stressed.

“I felt like until I had completed my treatment, this wasn’t really dealt with and wasn’t really gone. I just wanted it gone. I wanted it all behind me.”

Prutton chose to participate in a trial breast cancer radiation study at Stanford, so her radiation treatment was unusual. Rath-

er than receiving the typical treatment with six weeks of daily radiation, she received twice-daily radiation treatments for just one week. The experimental procedure did cause some minor side effects, but overall, she found it a “really, really easy” treatment, and she was glad to help.

And the radiation provided bonding time. A couple of times, her children, Hannah (11) and Michael (’11), accompanied their mother to the hospital; once, Hannah even operated the radiation equipment with the guidance of the professionals.

“I saw how much care was being taken to make sure she was going to be fine. […] I think that was one of the things that made me a whole lot more comfortable with the situation,” Hannah said.

When the week ended, Prutton’s main treatment was over. It was about two months after the diagnosis. The doctors told her that she would be followed, but for the most part, she could move on.

Stars in a night sky During the course of her treatment, with doctors reassuring her that she would be all right and that treatment would be relatively smooth and easy, Prutton generally felt confident about her prospects. For her, the hardest aspect of the experience was telling people about the cancer.

“As soon as you mention cancer to other people […] they look at you like you’re going to die,” she said. “That reaction is very disheartening. You kind of question: am I wrong? Am I being too optimistic here?

Clearly it’s a huge deal to other people, and I’m sitting here thinking, ‘This is fine; it’ll all be gone in a few weeks.’”

“

Hannah and I had been close already, but this […] really made us connected.

Susan Prutton

”

But for the most part, she said, people were “incredibly uplifting.” Family, friends, and acquaintances would call her, send her messages and cards, and spend time with her. At the time, she substituted frequently at local schools, and once, her students made her a “massive” card signed with “gorgeous” messages.

“It’s at those moments that people really come through,” she said.

A friend who had been diagnosed three months before Prutton was accompanied her to doctors’ visits, advised her on what websites to visit and treatment groups to choose from, and reminded her “things that are important for a cancer patient to remember.” Prutton thinks one of her best pieces of advice was “to take a break from

cancer.” “[Cancer patients] think about [cancer] virtually all day every day. You’re either going to doctors’ appointments, or you’re doing research to figure out what you should be doing,” Prutton said. “So you

“

You need to decide occasionally that you’re not going to think about cancer for a day […] to save your sanity.

Susan Prutton

”

need to decide occasionally that you’re not going to think about cancer for a day. You’re just going to take a break from it, to go do something fun, or just do nothing. […] You need to do that just to save your sanity.”

On these “days off,” she would go shopping or enjoy the beach with friends or cherish time with family. Companionship helped to keep her mind from wandering back to cancer.

Tales of two women in the community and their victories against breast cancer

Every October, people worldwide observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Charities hold cancer walks and partner with grocery stores to raise funds for breast cancer research and treatment, and organizations broadcast information about the disease and provide extra support for those affected.

In honor of BCAM, featured here are the stories of two women in the school community who have fought breast cancer, and published on talonwp.com are two additional stories.

O

ut of left field On a trip to Prague in the summer of 2006, second grade teacher Judi Beil sat on a bridge overlooking the city with her daughter.

“I’m so glad we took this trip together,” she told her daughter. “I’m so glad we decided to do this this summer, because you never know what life can bring.”

She had no idea that just two months later, she would be diagnosed with cancer.

The first hint that something was wrong came during the last full week of summer vacation, when she experienced mild pain under her arm. By the weekend, the pain had turned into agony—she felt “as if someone were stabbing [her] in the side with a knife,” she said. And all of a sudden, her breasts became “red and swollen and kind of hot and hard to the touch.”

Yet, she still did not consider cancer: “eve r y b o d y, ” including some with medical backgrounds, told her that if it hurts, it could not be cancer.

But the pain had become too great to bear, so Beil made an appointment with an OB/GYN. Initially, the doctor hypothesized that she had an infection, but the tests came out negative, and the OB/GYN referred Beil to a breast surgeon the next day. After performing several more tests, the surgeon conVICTORY ducted skin punch biopSusan Prutton sies to see if there were (left) and Judi Beil (right) both cancer cells. won their battles The following day, against breast the first day of school, cancer. Prutton had Beil received the ductal carcinoma in dreaded phone situ, the most common non-invasive call from the surbreast cancer, while geon. According to Beil fought inflammatory him, she had a “parbreast cancer, a rare, ticularly misbehaving” type of unusually aggressive cancer. She was stunned. She had form of breast cancer. no family history of cancer. She

one or two doctors every three months; over time, the frequency of appointments decreased.

When she gets aches and pains, she often wonders whether the cancer has come back and whether the doctors have missed something.

“It takes a while to put it truly behind you,” she said.

In the same way that her friend guided her throughout her treatment, she now guides friends, friends of friends, and family who have been diagnosed and has realized how “prevalent” the disease is. In fact, her own mother was diagnosed three years after her, and Prutton traveled to England regularly to care for her mother. While substitute-teaching, she has also shared her story with a biology class learning about mutation and helped a student whose mother had just been diagnosed cope.

Despite the ups and downs, she said that she is happy overall with the course of events and comfortable with where she is now. She said, “Confident is a good way to put it.”

A family fight Prutton’s cancer affected her entire family. According to Hannah, her mother tended to be more tired, so she, her brother, and their father did everything they could to reduce her mother’s stress.

Also, Hannah said, both she and her brother were more “freaked out and angry at the world” and did not quite understand that different stages of cancer have different prognoses. She went through a phase during which she blamed everyone for her mother’s illness.

“I think [my brother and I] understood that cancer kills people, and I think that’s as far as we got,” she said. “She kept telling us, ‘I’m going to be fine; it’s all going to be okay.’ That didn’t fully settle in until she was fine.”

Nonetheless, the family did grow closer as they supported each other through the tough times. Hannah recalled times when she was “completely depressed,” and her brother would try to “lift [her] up again.”

“Those times are probably the closest Michael and I have ever been,” she said.

Mother and daughter bonded as well.

“Hannah and I had been close already, but this […] really made us connected. I think that’s probably the most profound thing that came out of [the experience],” Prutton said.

Moving forward After her treatment ended, Prutton was eager to move on. However, she needed to be more cautious than ever about her health. Early on, she had follow-ups with

Judi Beil

felt pain. She had no lump. “[Cancer] was the last—excuse my French—friggin’ thing that I thought would ever… you know, I thought heart disease, diabetes… that was where my family was at.” Not cancer.

What she had was a rare and very aggressive form of breast cancer called

“

[My OB/GYN] saved my life. She knew it was IBC. [...] I got very, very, very lucky that they acted on that fast.

Judi Beil

”

inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). According to cancer.gov, the website of the National Cancer Institute, in patients with inflammatory breast cancer, cancer cells block lymphatic ducts in the skin of the breast, causing redness, swelling, and warmth, symptoms that resemble an infection. About one percent to five percent of breast cancers are IBCs. Moreover, compared to other breast cancers, IBC progresses unusually rapidly and is typically more advanced by the time they are detected.

At the time of diagnosis, IBC patients are always either in Stage IIIB, meaning the cancer is locally advanced and has spread to nearby lymph nodes or breast tissues, or in Stage IV, meaning the cancer has metastasized (spread) to other parts of the body and is nearly impossible to recover from. As such, the survival rate of IBC patients is dramatically lower than that of non-IBC breast cancer patients, says cancer.gov.

Luckily for Beil, her cancer was caught early: she was in Stage IIIB. Beil believes she owes her life to the speed and acuity of her doctors.

“That [OB/GYN] saved my life.

She knew it was IBC. She didn’t tell me, she didn’t scare me, but she knew,” Beil said. “I got very, very, very lucky that they acted on that fast,” she said.

In fact, she stated that another surgeon told her that the rapidity with which she was diagnosed and began treatment was “practically unheard of.”

Her next scheduled mammogram was not supposed to be conducted until October, by which time “it would’ve been too late,” she said.

Darkness When she received the call, Beil immediately thought she would lose her job, that she would have to go on temporary disability insurance to sur-

inflammatory breast cancer

vive. In despair, she ran to the Lower School office begging not to be let go.

However, to her surprise, the school community came together and helped her both emotionally and financially through the treatment. Fellow teachers donated their paid time off days to compensate for her absences.

Between her own sick hours and the gifted hours, she missed not a single paycheck. Director of Summer Programs Kelly Espinosa accompanied Beil to some appointments.

Others outside of the school community reached out as well. Without Beil’s knowledge, her childhood friend and “angel” Susan provided Beil’s children with airfare so that at least one of them stayed with their mother at any given time. Beil’s real estate agent, the only other person she knew who had gone through the trials of breast cancer, brought her gifts of wigs and scarves to use during chemotherapy.

The fight When it came time for treatment, Beil entered “fighting mode” and maintained a positive outlook.

“I didn’t think about what was happening to me,” she said. “I was never spiritual, [but] I am now. I visualized the cancer leaving my body. […] I focused on things that I love.”

According to Beil, procedure for a “normal” type of cancer would call for first surgery and then chemotherapy, during which one or more anti-cancer drugs are used to kill cancer cells. However, her cancer was particularly aggressive, so she needed to undergo four rounds of chemo before surgery to prevent metastasis during the procedure.

Because chemotherapy weakens the immune system, her oncologist

“

I was never spiritual [but] am now. I visualized the cancer leaving my body. […] I focused on things that I love.

Judi Beil

”

initially forbade her from returning to work because young children transmit pathogens unusually frequently than adults. Beil was furious: “I felt fine, I felt strong, [and] this was stupid to me,” she said.

But gradually, she weakened.

Come November, it was time for her mastectomy, a surgery in which the whole breast is re-

moved. Her surgeons “scrap[ed] down to the bone” to remove the one-pound mass of tumor in Beil’s breast as well as two affected lymph nodes. “[The tumor] was like a ball. […]

Think of spider webs all balled up together,” she said. “You can’t remove it as easily as you can [with typical lump cancers].”

After a period of recuperation, in January, she began the stronger and longer chemotherapy rounds in January.

By then, she became so drained that she did not even have the energy to go up the stairs of her home. She also lost her taste for previously tolerable foods and smells—they now made her “nauseous.”

And, like many other chemotherapy patients, her hair fell out, and she adopted scarves.

She completed her treatment in the end of April, following six weeks of radiation for five days a week. Today, Beil is classified NED: she exhibits no evidence of disease.

A “new normal” Ironically, Beil sunk into depression when her treatment ended: all the professional support from doctors and counselors that she had enjoyed during treatment disappeared, and she had “no one to talk to about [her ordeal] anymore,” she said.

And she continued to suffer physical pain from the irreversible nerve injury from surgery and radiation. Even today, five years later, she says she still rubs her right arm continually to assuage the “raw” pain. She also has occasional “waves” of exhaustion. Beil continued to see the oncologist every three months for regular checkups, and now her appointments are biannual.

A few times though, doctors had “scares” when they thought the cancer had reemerged, including an instance that required the mastectomy wound to be reopened.

Two years ago, she decided to have her second breast removed both to reduce the probability of recurrence and to set herself back in balance.

“I couldn’t stand looking at myself anymore. I felt like a Picasso painting,” she said. “I think I’ve been the happiest since I’ve had the second breast removed.”

Especially because IBC is such a rare form of breast cancer, Beil tries to raise awareness about the disease.

“If you have a mother, sister, anyone you love, you need to make them aware,” she said. She hopes that from her story, people can learn that “there is a breast cancer that is deadly, that grows quickly, and is aggressive.”

Fibroadenomas: A student’s experience with benign breast tumors michelle deng

asst. editor in chief Many people regard breast tumors as something older women worry about.

After all, the median age of breast cancer diagnosis is 61, and yearly mammograms are recommended for women over age 40. But sometimes, things happen far earlier.

Sometime in eighth grade, Ashima Agrawal (12) felt a small lump in her breast. However, for a while, she dismissed it.

“I was in eighth grade. I didn’t really think about it too much,” she said.

As time passed, the lump became visibly larger, so in April of freshman year, she told her mother.

“I wasn’t alarmed because in our own family there was no history of

breast cancer, and she was very young. I thought it had to be something benign,” her mother, Carmen Agrawal, said.

But Ashima felt the lump continue to grow. In the fall of her sophomore year, they visited her primary care doctor, who suggested that they get it checked out further by a specialist. They consulted a breast surgeon, who in turn recommended she get an ultrasound for more information about the growth.

The ultrasound revealed not one but three solid lumps. Two were less than 1 cm in diameter, but the third, the one that she felt, was 3 cm.

“When my surgeon heard that it was 3 cm, she was like, that is ginormous,” Ashima said. “She describes them as food objects. That one was a walnut.”

The doctors were not sure precisely

what the tumors were; the lumps needed to be taken out for testing. So in November that year, her smaller tumors were removed through a core biopsy, where a hollow needle is used to draw out tissue for further examination. During the procedure, she was anesthetized but still conscious, so she could view the operation projected on a screen beside her.

“I was completely numb. It’s the weirdest feeling I’ve ever felt. They just go in with the needle, and at first you don’t feel anything, but you can see it on the screen, and then they go in deeper and push around and it’s just so weird.

So weird,” she said with a wince.

In contrast, the larger tumor needed to be removed through a full-fledged surgery. December, in the week before finals, she had her surgery. This time, she

was fully unconscious.

“

It was frightening, honestly.

But now I’m fine.

I still check myself, but I’m not too worried.

”

Ashima Agrawal

“Even though I had my core biopsy, it didn’t really hit me that it was something serious until the week before my surgery,” she said. At that point, she began to feel more frightened.

Fortunately, the biopsies and surgery indicated that none of the lumps were cancerous. Rather, they were solid benign tumors called fibroadenomas. According to the New York Times Health Guide, fibroadenomas are the most common benign breast tumor and grow most commonly in women under 30—including in teenagers.

Ashima recovered from the procedure quickly. In fact, the day after her surgery, she had the callback for the 2010 spring musical, Les Misérables, for a major singing part. Because of the surgery, she couldn’t breathe deeply, so she explained the situation to the female teachers. The solution? She rapped her audition—and won the role of Cosette.

Nonetheless, the surgery did leave scar tissue, and while the tumors themselves did not hurt, the scar tissue does.

Occasionally, she even feels “sharp pains.” She said that the pain has lessened over the years but was “particularly bad” in her sophomore and junior years when the scar tissue was growing.

About two months after her surgery, her ultrasound-mammogram specialist found two more tumors. However, because they were small, she could not actually feel them, and she was told to come back in six months. When she returned, the specialists found eight more, one of which she says she can feel right now and is “M&M-sized.” She will have another checkup in February.

Meanwhile, her mother said she helps her daughter “by helping [Ashima] be more aware of her own body.”

She encourages Ashima to perform regular self-examinations in the shower and to continually monitor her health.

“[The process] was frightening, honestly. But now I’m fine. I still check myself, but I’m not too worried,” she said.

Still, she stresses the importance of being alert and cognizant of the possibilities. “Even though we’re in high school and we’re young, we should still check because you never know,” she said.

She feels lucky to not have had anything malignant, especially since she waited so long before getting the tumors checked.

YOUTH When in eighth grade, Ashima Agrawal (12) discovered tumors in her breast. Fortunately, they were fibroadenomas, benign growths most common in females under 30.

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Halloween

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

15

Trick-or-treating alternatives Five Freaky Figures Engaging in the Halloween spirit without costumes and candy sacks

diba massihpour reporter

samar malik & sindhu ravuri

Favorite Part of

HALLOWEEN

76

u

dh

i -- THE WING

r vu ra

Total Polled: 198

Favorite

ED

CANDY Twix

51

Apple Bobbing samar malik -- THE WINGED POST

so that a portion of the apples is submerged. Lastly, keep towels handy.

Let the games begin! The contestants take turns dunking their heads in the bucket, trying to get as many apples as they can using solely their mouths.

The first to capture the marked apple is the winner of the game. Players should aim to reach for the apples riding the ripples towards you, not away. Also, you should use firm apples such as Grannysmith. To amp up the difficulty of the game, simply use fewer and larger apples.

Total Polled: 171

Favorite

HALLOWEEN MOVIE

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

Amusement Parks

Witness a ghastly nightmare coming to life with a trip to the Halloween Haunt at California’s Great America: a hair-raising event packed with 15 attractions, including haunted mazes, themed “scare zones” and attractions, and spine-tingling live stage shows. Open this Friday to Sunday from 7 p.m to midnight, with tickets starting at $36.99, the Halloween Haunt is a local horror fest, featuring a wide range of activities to partake in. Even returning visitors will find new attractions in store, such as the “Dead Man’s Cove” where ghost pirates wander in search of souls to feast upon, or the “Slaughterhouse Annihilation” maze, intended to render guests terrorized as they attempt to elude the creatures yearning for their flesh. Walking through the gates of the Halloween Haunt is like stepping into another dimension filled with KEVIN LIN -- THE WINGED POST sinister characters, notorious for delivering an ex- HALLOWEEN HAUNT Amusement parks come to life during the month of October hilarating rush every waking moment of the night. with decorated rides, attractions, and stage shows.

67 ll

Bi

“Friday the 13th” “Halloweentown” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

“Halloween”

reporter The seniors won the pumpkin carving class competition on Wednesday October 26 during long lunch outside the Edge. The resulting pumpkins from each grade were unique with different themes.

Each class was given a pumpkin and had the entire lunch period to carve any Halloween related design. A set of anonymous judges was in charge of deciding which class had carved the best pumpkin.

Pumpkin carving contests for Halloween are a tradition at the Upper school, but this year, there was a twist: each participant was only allowed to carve for 30 seconds. “[We did this] so that everybody would get involved and really utilize the entire class because everyone would have to be there,” said Michelle Lo (12), copresident of spirit club.

The seniors’ winning design was symbolic as well as original.

“There are three pumpkins inside [the main pumpkin] representing the three other classes, and the jail is locked closed, so that’s how the seniors conquer everyone,” Sarika Asthana (12) said.

The juniors also had a metaphorical meaning to their design.

“It’s all about unity: we have four people that represent each class holding hands,” Pooja Shah (11) said.

Junior class president Simar Mangat enjoyed the teamwork associated with the contest. “[My favorite part was] when everybody was trying to get a hand, and everybody was working together,” Simar Mangat (11) said.

Meanwhile, the sophomores showed class spirit by

connecting their pumpkin to their Homecoming theme.

“We’re trying to base [the pumpkin] off our Homecoming theme, which is Monopoly, so we’re drawing monocles and a mustache,” Sahithya Prakash (10) said.

For the freshmen, this event was the class’s first pumpkin carving contest at the Upper School. The students carved a standard Jack O’ Lantern face on the front, the numbers ‘15’ on the back, representing their graduation year, and the words “Happy Halloween” on the side.

“Getting people to come together and actually cooperate, and make sure that no one went twice” was the biggest challenge, Nikita Mittal (9) said.

Ideas from previous years have ranged from students putting lights inside the pumpkins to spelling their year on the outside.

47 34 29 8

Total Polled: 185

SCARIEST Part of HALLOWEEN I Don’t Get Scared

Spirit: Carving pumpkins for points manthra panchapakesan

z

de

en

l Me

70

FEAR Murderers Spiders The Dark Haunted Houses

47 36 28 9

Total Polled: 189

Favorite

COSTUME Princess

63

TV Show Character 58

Superhero Pirate Grim Reaper/ Horror Mask

1 2012 ST

2 2013 ND

3 2014 RD

4 2015

KEVIN LIN -- THE WINGED POST

While pulling practical jokes on friends and trading heaps of chocolate bars and candy corn, kick the livelihood of Halloween up a notch with often unconventional yet endlessly entertaining activities like bobbing for apples. Frequently played by children of all ages during Halloween, bobbing for apples engages contestants in a unique competition.

First, place up to eight apples in a large bucket, depending on the number of participants, and mark one apple using a sticker. The next step requires filling the bucket with enough water

40 36 23 21

Kit Kat Reese’s Candy Corn Snickers

TRADITIONAL GAME A historical ritual, bobbing for apples was celebrated back in the 18th century. It has been passed down as a game for the Halloween period.

17 17 14

Total Polled: 169

diba massihpour -- THE WINGED POST

n si

59 28 23 7

Dressing Up Pumpkin Carving Scary Movies I Don’t Celebrate

diba massihpour -- THE WINGED POST

ingredients

Halloween Baking

TH

manthra panchapakesan -- THE WINGED POST

Designed by kevin lin -- the winged post

diba massihpour -- THE WINGED POST

Trick-or-Treating/Candy

diba massihpour -- THE WINGED POST

reporters Gruesome ghouls, fearsome phantoms, and candy galore, Halloween is considered by many to be a favorite holiday for children of all ages. Even among high school students, the usual Halloween experience seems to be limited to spooky costume parties or classic rounds of trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. In an attempt to expand the average teens’ selection of activities for this action-packed holiday, here are three fresh, alternative activities to try out this Halloween. medium heat until it is hot, and preheat the oven to 325ºF. 3) Working quickly, squeeze the batter • ¾ cup all-purpose flour from the bottle onto the skillet to form four • ½ cup granulated sugar straight, thin lines that intersect at a common • ¼ cup vegetable oil center point, forming a star shape. To form a • ¼ cup milk cobweb, squeeze slightly curved, thin streams of • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract batter to connect the lines.

• 2 eggs 4) Allow the batter to cook for 30 to 60 (Optional: Powdered Sugar) seconds, or until the bottom is golden brown.

Carefully turn the cookies over, and repeat this Take a break from gnawing process. on mountains of candy this Hal5) Once cooked, place the cookies onto an loween, and try out this recipe for ungreased cookie sheet, and allow them to bake Cobweb-Shaped Sugar Cookin the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are ies: a one-of-a-kind delectable slightly firm. treat.

6) Remove the cookies from the sheet, and 1) Excluding powdered sugar, allow them to cool. (Cooling the cookies makes beat all of the ingredients together in a them more crisp). medium bowl using an electric mixer set 7) Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the POST to medium until smooth. Pour the batter into cookies, and eat up! When storing, be sure to COOKIE Out of the ordinary cobweb a plastic squeeze bottle with a narrow opening. keep the cookies in a container with a loosecookies can be made at home with a 2) Lightly grease an 8-inch skillet over fitting cover. group of friends.

Lifestyle

the Winged Post

LIN’S

lessons A

HOW-TO BUSINESS COLUMN:

MAXIMIZE GIFT-CARD USAGE

kevin lin

managing editor Balloons are hovering in the wind, fireworks are exploding in the sky, and people are busy chattering away. A night to be remembered, a momentous time, whatever the heck you want to call it! It’s the day of [insert ceremony involving gifts].

Whether it be a graduation party, a birthday celebration, or a white elephant Christmas gift exchange, presents are generally involved.

Now imagine that it is your party, and your parents decide to do one of those dubious “open-all-thepresents-to-see-what-I-got” undertakings. (After all, it was in the schedule.)

All eyes are fixated on you as you are opening the very last present, a wrapped cube approximately six inches by four inches by one inch.

You shake it – the clanging noises do not give away the item. You look at the gift donor – no inference can be made from the expression. You taste – it tastes like a box, wrapping paper flavor.

Upon ripping the box open, you discover a meaningful, handwritten card, covered front and back in words, that must have taken hours to make. But where is the gift? Hidden in the little crevice, peeking ever so slightly out of the craft, you see it.

It’s … it’s … a gift card. A gift card.

Although it seems like a runof-the-mill gift, a gift card has many advantages compared to any other gifts. It is convenient and allows the recipient to purchase whatever he or she wants from the store. However, it is less thoughtful than picking out a gift. And what if you receive a gift card from [insert store that you never go to]. What then?

The answer to one of life’s most asked question is this: PlasticJungle. com. This website is used for selling and exchanging gift cards that you do not want. I’ve personally used it and wow, is the process simple.

First, find the retailer to your gift card. Over 400 retailers are accepted at PlasticJungle.com. Next, enter the amount that your card is worth and receive an offer on the card. PlasticJungle.com will pay out up to 92 percent of the gift card’s balance. You will receive a prepaid shipping label that you can mail your card in. After mailing your card, you will receive cash (check or PayPal), Amazon.com gift card, or an option to donate the money to charity.

Now let’s do a role reversal.

Suppose that you don’t have time to pick out a gift for a friend, don’t know the friend well enough to get a specific item, or want to save money at a store that you often visit.

How do you save money on gift cards?

The second answer to one of life’s most answered questions is still PlasticJungle.com. You can also buy gift cards at a discounted price!

Trust me – this process is even simpler. It’s one step. Just buy the card.

You can purchase gift cards of popular stores such as Target, California Pizza Kitchen, and H&M, among hundreds of merchants from this site.

The benefits of buying discounted gift cards are saving two to 35 percent off the face value and getting more stuff for less money.

Just imagine the equivalent to buying discounted gift cards as using a coupon that saves money. Now add a sale and a coupon and reap the rewards.

If you absolutely cannot wait to save money and want a discounted gift card as soon as possible, you can opt for an eCode gift card instead.

The eCode gift card is essentially a gift card that you use online and is sent to you by email.

So whether selling gift cards that you never use or buying gift cards to save money, take advantage of websites such as PlasticJungle.com.

It’s only another trick in your bag to being a price savvy shopper.

Recreating a timeless 1984 classic

Footloose dances its way back to theaters allison sun reporter

From tapping toes to the fistpumping beat. Shuffling feet in cowboy boots and a twirl of the hat. A glide there, a swivel here, a lock, and a pop.

With ‘80s music blasting amidst the energetic and lively atmosphere, it is just a typical night out for teenagers to let loose and have fun.

That is, until a wild night of partying, drinking, and rowdy dancing leads to a tragic car accident and the deaths of five local teenagers. The town of Bomont, Georgia, shocked by the catastrophe, takes on ludicrous precautions by banning ordinary leisure activities such as public dancing and cranking loud music.

Footloose, released in theaters on October 14, is a remake of the 1984 classic movie co-starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer. Directed by Craig Brewer, it takes on a modern spin and revisits the ‘80s at the same time.

Contrary to the original version, which begins with a scene of upbeat dancing, the remake opens with the post-party crash. Ever since the accident, the town has remained silent and obedient. Nevertheless, the teens secretly sneak out to parking lots and diners for a fun night of dancing to rejoice in the spirit of youth.

When a new kid in town, Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) challenges the laws and tries to prove that

nothing can stop people from dancing, he causes tensions between him and the townspeople, in particular, Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) whose son was among the dead from the crash. Hence, Ren creates a “bad boy” image. When he meets Ariel ( Julianne Hough), the rebellious and headstrong daughter of the Reverend, sparks fly.

“

Wormald and Hough [...] absolutely mesmerize the audience with every spin.

”

Both Wormald and Hough come from a dancing background and are thus better dancers than actors; Hough is a professional ballroom dancer while Wormald is a professional hip-hop dancer. Having to fill in the shoes of Bacon, Wormald lacks the charisma and charm for the role of Ren. Although Hough succeeds in portraying the rebel attitude of Ariel, the interaction between her and Wormald is

dull and lifeless. Perhaps casting actors rather than professional dancers would have been a better move.

Though their acting fails to evoke the drama of the original, Wormald and Hough exhibit a captivating and dynamic chemistry through dancing.

When it is their turn to shine on the dance floor, they absolutely mesmerize the audience with every last spin.

Hough whirls with her golden locks flailing, while Wormald ups the energy level and impresses with his swagger.

Wormald showcases his skills and passion for dance in the iconic warehouse scene where he frees his overflowing emotions and dances like there is no tomorrow.

Willard Hewitt (Miles Teller) brings out the best of acting in the film.

Teller successfully portrays the goofy, yet charming, character of Willard, Ren’s new buddy, and generates laughter during the scene where he learns how to dance, one of the highlights of the movie.

Though many scenes replicate that of the classic, the skirmish between Ren and Ariel’s boyfriend, Chuck (Patrick Flueger), which was originally depicted through a game of “chicken” with tractors is replaced with a more intense bumper-car-style race using decorated school buses.

Brewer effortlessly revives memories of the classic through iconic symbols such as Ariel’s red cowboy boots and Ren’s vintage yellow Volkswagen

Beetle.

The soundtrack further brings back reminiscences of the ‘80s version. The legendary Kenny Loggins is back with his infectious “Footloose,” a prominent feature of the original. The film also incorporates hip-hop and modern rock in its soundtrack to introduce the classic music of the ’80s to a new generation of audiences.

Though the rendition falls short of the classic, its effort to fuse the timeless groove of dancing with contemporary twists is praiseworthy.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

16

OCTOBER 28, 2011

CUT LOOSE A modernized remake of Footloose (1984) was released in theaters on October 14. Starring Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough, Footloose tells the story of small-town teens fighting for their right to dance.

Pets: Choosing adoption or buying from breeders One feature of the pet debate highlights where an owner should get his or her pet. Purchasing one reporter from a breeder increases the likelihood that an animal They sniff, bark, meow, scratch, wag, ribbit, chirp, is free of medical problems, but adopting a pet from fly, and fetch. Pets, whether they are from a breeder or a shelter helps reduce the high number of homeless animals in shelters and potentially save a life. an animal shelter, can be given a home.

Charles Levine (12), who bought a dog from a Owning a pet can be a very rewarding experibreeder said, “[Whether someone decides to adopt a ence for many. In several cases, the animal becomes pet from a shelter or purchase a pet from a breeder] more than a pet: it becomes a companion. depends on preference. [...] For instance, [choose] “My dog is kind of just like a best friend,” said adopting dogs if you have a problem with them being Caroline Howells (9), who bought a dog from a put down.” breeder.

According to an article called “Shelters Rock!” published on October 12, 2011 by the Humane Society of the United States, there are around 3,500 shelters in the country that serve as homes to approximately 6 million to 8 million animals that would otherwise have no stable place to live. The massive number of animals in these shelters can be reduced if adopters decide to get their pet from the pound rather than from a breeder.

When adopting a pet, one is giving a home to an animal that may have never had a stable place to live before. Mathematics teacher Anthony Silk said this was one of the main reasons he adopted his two cats.

“I think it’s important that these cats that have no other home get a home,” Silk said.

“As opposed to somebody who is interested in finding a specific type of cat [...], I really just wanted a cat, and therefore I wanted a cat that really needed a home.”

Though the health of an animal from a shelter or rescue may be questionable, the aniSANJANA BALDWA - WINGED POST mal can still be a suitable pet.

HUMANE SOCIETY Pictured is Dwight, a cat living at the “[Animals from shelters] might have

sarah bean

Humane Society facility in Milpitas. Volunteers care for Dwight, as well as many others including birds and dogs.

been through trauma in their past,” Sahana Rangarajan (9) said. “So while you have to use that extra effort to maybe nurse them back to health, mentally or physically, it’s more rewarding at the end, in my opinion, because you go through that whole thing with them.” Sahana is currently fostering a rabbit.

“

While you have to use that extra effort to maybe nurse them back to health, mentally or physically, it’s more rewarding at the end.

”

Sahana Rangarajan (9)

Some pet owners may choose to buy a pet from a breeder rather than adopt or rescue one from a shelter because they want to raise the animal from a very young age. Since there is a wide range of ages of pets at shelters, it is not certain that an adopter will be able to find a pet of the specific age they are looking for, but Katie Marcus Reker (12) has no problem with adopting pets that are not in their youth.

Katie has rescued dogs from the Humane Society when they were in their adult years, but she said that the dogs she adopted had not yet had the typical experiences that an average dog of that age would have normally had. “It’s almost like raising an adult puppy,” Katie said. “When he came to us, he was pretty stable.”

There is no clear answer to the question of which way is the better method of attaining a pet; it mainly depends on the opinion of the owner.

Upcoming releases of classics in 3D

Production companies plan to remake old movies, inspired by Lion King: 3D’s success juhi gupta reporter 2012 seems like a popular year for re-releases of classics, as movies such as The Phantom Menace, Titanic, and The Little Mermaid will hit theaters in 3D. Disney’s The Lion King: 3D has already passed the $90 million mark in the domestic box office, and its success rate has caused Disney to announce the releases of four additional 3D films.

Beauty and the Beast is expected to start off this string of re-releases in January 2012 and will be followed by Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., and The Little Mermaid.

“Disney’s a part of our lives, basically [a] part of our childhood, so it’s really nice to [...] relive those childhood memories.” Neelima Gadagottu (11) said.

Some students attribute the success of The Lion King: 3D to teenagers who wanted to watch the movies again to remind them of the love they felt for Disney in the past.

When asked why he thought The Lion King: 3D did so well in the box

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

20TH CENTURY FOX

RERELEASE Inspired by the success of Lion King: 3D, production companies plan to re-release more classics in 3D in the next few years. Pictured are three such films:Titanic, The Little Mermaid, and Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace.

office, Arvind Ramgopal (11) said the reason was that the movie was a classic, and that teens had watched it when they were younger.

Many young adults had watched the movie as children and had gone to see it again to feel the familiar sentiment associated with their childhood.

“After the VCRs have been gone, I feel like Disney’s been gone too [...] I felt like this really brought it back, and I think parents felt the same way,” Ga-

briela Gupta (9) said.

With childhood nostalgia influencing its audience, Disney put forth the idea of remaking four more popular classics in order to take their viewers back into the past. These movies could potentially appeal to a range of generations, from the adults that watched them the first time they came out to the children who want to watch them in 3D. In a studio press release, Alan

Bergman, President of The Walt Disney Studios, said, “We’re thrilled to give audiences of all ages the chance to experience these beloved tales in an exciting new way with 3D – and in the case of younger generations, for the first time on the big screen.”

Disney is not the only company taking advantage of the growing resources in the film industry; both James Cameron, backed by Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, and Lucasfilm Limited will be releasing 3D remakes of their own classics in the year 2012.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy, Cameron’s Titanic will be released in 3D in April 2012, and is competing for recognition with another 3D re-release; The Phantom Menace, by Lucasfilm Limited, will also hit theaters early next year.

Lucasfilm Limited will be putting out The Phantom Menace as the beginning of a re-release series of the Star Wars saga; the movies will be converted into 3D, starting with the prequels in 2012 and leading up to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 2017.

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Lifestyle

Heavy backpacks: A look at what is inside

in the

bay

sanjana baldwa & alisha mayor

lifestyle editors The Winged Post examined the weight of Upper School students’ backpacks and their contents. The weights spanned nine pounds to 29.5 pounds and varied greatly across the four grade levels. Take a look inside to see what contributed to the weight.

textbooks

laptops

november 2011

“I’m not going to kill my back [and] it’s comfortable having it light. Efficient locker use is key.”

– Karan Das-Grande (11)

ith NP R Simon ’s Scott 5 PM 8P Lucie S tern C M ommu nity Center $30 SINDHU

MEENA CHETTY - THE WINGED POST

binders, folders, and notebooks

6

Evenin gw

“My backpack is 23.5 pounds? It’s pretty light, I guess.”

– Damon Aitken (10) “There are a lot of textbooks, and they’re really heavy.”

- Ayush Midha (9)

17

“I just carry a lighter backpack. You realize that you don’t need all your stuff for every class.”

– Sally Chen (12)

SINDH

29.5 lbs

RAVUR

I - THE

3

WINGE

U RAVU

“With the traffic in the morning, I come right on time to school, so I don’t get a chance to use [my locker] in the mornings. My locker is also pretty far from a lot of my classes, so sometimes it’s hard to get to.”

– Shreya Dixit (9)

RI - TH ST ED PO E WING

“I don’t use my locker because it’s in Shah.”

– Aneesh Chona (11)

25

“I have one folder with every class’ assignments, and I use my locker often because it’s in Main.”

– Karen Wang (12)

10

D POST

Awarec Cancer Pancreati ith the Sharks tw ness Nigh 0 PM 7:3 n HP Pavilio 0 6 $ 0 $4

11

San M at Origin eo Har vest Festiv al Art al & 10 AM Craft Sho ® w - 6 PM San M ateo C ounty Event Ticket Center price based on age

Backpack Weights by Grade

13

22.7 20.8 20

nch Does Bru Har vard 11:30 AM Bistro ia ge Californ The Villa $10

18.9 16.4

Weight (pounds)

“During the day I find time between classes to switch out my things between my book bag and my locker.”

– Stephan Pellissier (10)

15

10

Grayw ater fo r A Gr een Ga 10:3 rden Comm on Gro 0 AM den Su u pply an nd Organic G d Educ ation C arenter $31

5

“It’s not so much the textbooks, since I don’t carry a lot of them this year, but the folders and the papers actually weight a lot. They’re pretty bulky.”

– Crystal Chen (12)

D POST

E WINGE

AYOR - TH

ALISHA M

0

Freshmen Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

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october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Lifestyle

Heavy backpacks: A look at what is inside sanjana baldwa & alisha mayor

textbooks

in the

bay

laptops

lifestyle editors The Winged Post examined the weight of Upper School students’ backpacks and their contents. The weights spanned nine pounds to 29.5 pounds and varied greatly across the four grade levels. Take a look inside to see what contributed to the weight.

november 2011

“I’m not going to kill my back [and] it’s comfortable having it light. Efficient locker use is key.”

– Karan Das-Grande (11)

SINDHU

ith NP R Simon ’s Scott 5 PM 8P Lucie S tern C M ommu nity Center $30

RAVUR

I - THE

WINGE

D POST

3

10

MEENA CHETTY - THE WINGED POST

SINDH

“I just carry a lighter backpack. You realize that you don’t need all your stuff for every class.”

– Sally Chen (12)

U RAVU

“With the traffic in the morning, I come right on time to school, so I don’t get a chance to use [my locker] in the mornings. My locker is also pretty far from a lot of my classes, so sometimes it’s hard to get to.”

– Shreya Dixit (9)

HEAVIEST WEIGHT MEASURED

RI - WIN

29.5 lbs

OST GED P

“I have one folder with every class’ assignments, and I use my locker often because it’s in Main.”

– Karen Wang (12)

6

Evenin gw

“My backpack is 23.5 pounds? It’s pretty light, I guess.”

– Damon Aitken (10)

binders, folders, and notebooks

17

“I don’t use my locker because it’s in Shah.”

– Aneesh Chona (11)

25

Backpack Weights by Grade (147 polled)

Awarec Cancer Pancreati ith the Sharks tw ness Nigh 0 PM 7:3 n HP Pavilio 0 6 $ 0 $4

11

San M at Origin eo Har vest Festiv al Art al & 10 AM Craft Sho ® w - 6 PM San M ateo C ounty Event Ticket Center price based on age

13

22.7 20.8

“During the day I find time between classes to switch out my things between my book bag and my locker.”

– Stephan Pellissier (10)

20

nch Does Bru Har vard 11:30 AM Bistro ia ge Californ The Villa $10

18.9

Weight (pounds)

16.4 15

“It’s not so much the textbooks, since I don’t carry a lot of them this year, but the folders and the papers actually weight a lot. They’re pretty bulky.”

– Crystal Chen (12)

10

Grayw ater fo r A Gr een Ga 10:3 rden Comm on Gro 0 AM den Su u pply an nd Organic G d Educ ation C arenter $31

5

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Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors (36 polled) (36 polled) (38 polled) (37 polled)

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Who says taking the SAT has to be boring? Have fun - Excel! “ - Parul ’11

200 Point Score Increase Guarantee for the SAT

Highest Number of Perfect SAT Scores in the Bay Area Riju Agrawal Kamna Balhara Victor Ban Christopher Barot Patrick Bhadra Amy Chang Meng Chen Cynthia Chi Geoffrey Dawson Dale Ding Nisha Gadgil Sara Hakeem Waqar Haque Madelyn Ho Aaron Huang Mengfei Huang Kristin Hung Rishi Israni Rishi Jajoo

Casey Keller Athena Katsampes Paras Khandheria Kevin Khuong Alisa Lee Sophy Lee Grace Lin Stacey Louie Joseph Lu A. Madgavkar Travis Meyer Sai Mohan Andrew Nepomuceno Ja-Mei Or Sarah Pak Anish Patel Sarita Patel Christine Peng Abishek Prasad

excel test prep

R. Ramchandani Kirtana Raja Shaumo Sadhukhan Steven Savoy Amishi Shah Scott Singer Deren Tavgac Ting Ting Turski Jia Tolentino Rohan Varvadekar Vik Vaz Ajit Vyas Xinchen Wang Johnny Wong Jessica Wu Nick Xu Risheng Xu Katy Yang Peter Ye

Eric Yieh Anonymous Cybil Zhang Hope Lee Shalin Patel Patricia J. Yan Timothy Lin Hojoon Lee Yang Mou Eric Sung Stephanie Ng Nirav Sanghani Rui Mao Sarah Owen Vishal Chenani Michael Balagia

Jason Hsu Cassie Liu Neelaysh Vukkadala Chetan Vakkalagadda Brandon Araki Juliane Tran Alex Han Jyoti Narayanswami Timothy Lin Bernard Goal Lingxi Chenyang Hyunwoo (Samuel) Lee Pooja Shah Nikhil Garg Andrew Kau ** Rishi Sharma**

** read their stories at: www.exceltest.com/blog

510-490-7000 | www.exceltest.com | info@exceltest.com

18

Global

OCTOBER 28, 2011 the Winged Post

global journalism project

Educating students about wellness Beyond the safe haven of school, there is a world out there that students have to face. In order to prepare students for independence, there are different approaches to educate students about teenage issues, such as sex, driving under the influence, drugs, and so on, in addition to sharing ways of overcoming stress and leading a healthy and ful-

filling lifestyle.

By exchanging articles with Saint Stephen’s College and the Taipei American School, The Winged Post hopes to present an array of perspectives from other parts of the world about this topic that is a hallmark of growing up.

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 trystan bass

At Saint Stephen’s College in sunny Australia, sexual education and other life lessons are taught sparingly despite apparent initiatives taken by the school to educate the student’s minds.

Sure, Saint Stephen’s has shown its intent to impart living guidelines through programs such as Health and Personal Development, the Pastoral Care Program and Habits of the Mind --with topics ranging from disability to personality types-- but it’s hard to say how much these twice-aweek programs really achieve.

The y

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

tend to either be done poorly or frivolously, usually culminating in the completion of a fun task, like watching a movie, with any practical work or thought that was originally planned to follow seemingly bypassed by the lack of class and teacher enthusiasm.

The point of these programs seems to be lost when the reason for the tasks involved are forgotten.

An example of this was in the United Nations Pastoral Care Program last year.

High School Students from different year levels were put into 12 groups and asked to appeal to the United Nations to have a chosen country of their choice host the next Olympic games.

Even after this extensive sequence, almost half the people involved who were surveyed the following year were unable to list more than six nations that are involved in the UN. So if these

reporter from Saint Stephen’s College programs are known not to teach much even when they are relatively successful, what is really achieved from Saint Stephen’s College’s initiative in making students attend these classes?

Today, it is not uncommon for these classes to be used by students to work on curriculum activities, like study or assignments, instead of being made to learn important life lessons.

This is, without doubt, an indication of how the school and students view the relative importance between life lessons and curriculum standards.

Even the sexual education program was ceased for students back in Grade 7, with the majority of knowledge about the subject coming in Year 10 Biology under the topic of reproduction.

This decision in schools to stop sexual education being taught from this year received gratuitous amounts of criticism and controversy, especially when, in 2008 --just one short year later-- the percentage of teenage mothers around Australia jumped dramatically around Australia.

Most notable was the 15 percent jump in teen fertility rates in New South Wales compared to the previous year.

However, Australia does still seem to be successful in its communication of safe sex, with a lower rate of teenage pregnancies per 1000 teenagers than USA, Britain and New Zealand.

This probably explains why schools like mine are happy to cut the sexual education program for students at such a young age.

Although Saint Stephen’s College does acknowledge its need for life les-

“

The point of these programs seems to be lost when the reason for the tasks involved are forgotten.

Trystan Bass

”

students and teachers commonly fail to take these educational teachings as seriously as they should.

It seems the best way to keep these lessons active in school is to find a way to add them to the curriculum.

Yet even devoted Pastoral Care Program teacher Keith Leitch admitted it would be very difficult to grade students on such a subject.

“How would we grade what is a pass and what is a fail?,” he said.

“If they didn’t do well, what would we say: You fail at life?”

It is obvious that Saint Stephen’s College needs to do more in the teaching of life lessons for these programs to have any real affect on students.

American Author Erica Jong once said: “Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.”

The Australian schools system does want to give its students a chance to take their lives into their own hands, but surely lessons about life’s non-curriculum factors would not be overstepping the mark between guidance and personality imprisonment.

sons to be taught, the need to have students succeeding in curriculum means

The Upper School shilpa nataraj global editor member Kevin Lin (11).

Examples of speakers include a representative of Planned Parenthood who discussed the importance of protected sex and the methods of contraception.

Additionally, the L.I.F.E. session held on October 5 featured 22-year-old Austin Whitney who, from the experience of his accident that rendered him a paraplegic, discussed the ramifications of drunk driving and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude.

“I think [L.I.F.E.] was effective this year because our speaker Austin

“

Austin Whitney was closer to our age, and he didn’t just preach at us not to do something.

Jessica Lin (12)

”

Whitney was closer to our age, and he didn’t just preach at us not to do something,” Jessica Lin (12) said.

In particular, Jessica hopes that the seniors can hear from college student speakers.

Other students have different opinions about parts of the L.I.F.E.

DEVIN NGUYEN - TALON

Transcending the bubble wrap that enshrouds a school setting, the Upper School has in place the Living with Intent Focus and Enthusiasm (L.I.F.E.) program to inform students about teenage issues, reiterate the importance of making smart decisions, and to encourage students to lead healthy lifestyles.

Because the Lower School has a Maturation class and the Middle School has sex education, the Upper School L.I.F.E. program has speakers, panelists, and advisory discussions to emphasize how to deal with sex and other issues in the real world, such as drugs, driving under the influence, and so on.

“I know [the L.I.F.E. program is] way on the right track,” Chris Colletti, L.I.F.E. faculty board member, said. “[L.I.F.E. speakers] are informative, giving students the knowledge they need, because knowledge is power, and we hope that students will be able to discuss and talk about [these topics].”

According to Jane Keller, the head of the L.I.F.E. board, the L.I.F.E. program has a separate emphasis for each grade level: the ninth graders focus on implementing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens into their own lives; the tenth graders, understanding the meaning of community and communication, by being partnered with Eagle Buddies from the Lower School; the eleventh graders, managing time and stress; and the twelfth graders, preparing to enter college.

The theme that unifies the L.I.F.E. program is learning to be “a healthy and smart individual,” in the words of board

SPEAKERS After his presentation about the ramifications of drunk driving and the importance of having a positive attitude, Austin Whitney shakes hands with an Upper School student. The Living with Intent Focus and Enthusiasm (L.I.F.E.) program features several speakers to inform students about teenage issues.

program.

“The speakers do talk about realworld topics, but it’s a little hard to connect with them sometimes,” Simon Orr (11) said.

For Preethi Periyakoil (10), some parts of the program were repetitive and unnecessary.

“Truth be told, [during a L.I.F.E. activity] last year, we were basically hearing things that we already knew,” she said.

In order to address this issue, Katherine Paseman (10) hopes that there will be more student input in the

topic selection.

“That way the students would be listening to things that they’re interested in, rather than what the representatives of the board think,” she said.

Nevertheless, Justin Gerard (11) said he felt that the speakers that the board selects present interesting perspectives.

“There was [this one speaker] who was a parent and a teacher at some other school, and he talked about how his daughter went to this party, and she didn’t tell him about that,” Justin said.

“And then he discussed the importance

of trust, which I think is really applicable to our lives. Hearing about things like that really contributes to L.I.F.E.” Camille Piazza (10) agreed that L.I.F.E. was a beneficial program overall.

“I think L.I.F.E. is really interesting, and I learned a lot about experiences in general,” she said.

At present, the L.I.F.E. board is hoping to expand with additional student members.

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

Global

Jian-Hu Shi shares his life BUDDHISM: Abbot story and philosophy

19

daniela lapidous opinion editor

professor. His specialty was artificial intelligence.

“I met some of the smartest people in my field, and they may be very, very smart, but they are not necessarily happy,” he said. He related the story of a professor who had a theorem to his name at age 30 but cheated on his wife.

After graduation, Jian-Hu started looking for answers.

“Most of my friends have given up without going far to find out what is meaningful in life,” he said. Instead, he searched through Western and Eastern philosophies alike before finding Buddhism. It struck a chord with his existing way of thinking as a student of science.

“The Buddha’s approach to spirituality is very scientific,” Jian-Hu said.

According to him, Buddha him-

self accepted ideas that could be verified and rejected those that could not be verified. He invited disciples to test his philosophies for themselves and use what was most effective.

“I didn’t know you could approach spirituality this way,” Jian-Hu said.

Jian-Hu met his Master after graduate school and studied under Grand Master Wei Chueh at the Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Taiwan.

“I just felt that I had found my calling,” he said. “I didn’t see that I was giving up anything… I was gaining so much more, a lifestyle I find meaningful.”

The Grand Master eventually assigned him to be the Abbot of the first United States branch of the monastery and then the Abbot of the Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale when it opened in 2004.

Buddhism teaches that greed, desire, anger, and ignorance are elements that make people suffer, but one of its more well-known concepts is enlightenment: “an awakening to some aspect of truth,” according to Jian-Hu. Through the many years of his practice, including almost a year spent alone on a mountain in Taiwan, has Jian-Hu attained enlightenment?

“I’ve understood a lot more about the nature of what we are and the nature of life,” he said.

“But I have not reached perfection.”

After all, his philosophy holds that truth has many dimensions.

DIBA MASSIHPOUR - WINGED POST

Becoming a Zen Buddhist monk is probably not the typical career path a parent envisions for a child graduating with a doctorate in computer science.

In fact, Venerable Jian-Hu did not even tell his parents when he made the “most important decision” of his life.

Only six months later did he let them know that he had pledged to detach himself from worldly possessions and dedicate himself to the Dharma, the Buddhist teachings.

Such a path was, perhaps, unforeseeable. Aside from praying to Buddha statues on trips in China, Jian-Hu’s parents were not Buddhists and did not tell their son to become one.

Furthermore, he came to the United States from Taiwan at age 14 and completed high school, college, and graduate school at UCSD here, hoping to maybe become a teacher or

“The lessons here impressed me a lot. It let me have a new view of teaching.” - Qiqing (Katie) Ruan

Teacher from Shanghai visits the three campuses shilpa nataraj global editor With nimble strokes, she writes the Chinese characters of her name on the board, turns around, and asks the Mandarin 2 students if they can read her name. Hands shoot up in the air, and a broad smile appears on her face.

Qiqing (Katie) Ruan, a seventhgrade English teacher from the World Foreign Language Middle School (WFLMS) in Shanghai, China, visited the three campuses during her stay from September 25 to October 8. By observing and teaching classes, she received insight into the American education system.

“Everybody in Shanghai, I think, would like to go to America and go to Harker to have a look at how the teachers teach here and how the students learn,” she said. “I’m just lucky enough

to be chosen to come to Harker.”

During the two weeks, Ruan observed an array of classes, from drama and acting to Mandarin classes.

“The lessons here impressed me a lot,” she said. “It let me have a new view of teaching.”

In particular, she said she enjoyed the use of games in certain classes to stimulate student interest and the use of other media to reinforce classroom learning.

Additionally, Ruan taught students about Chinese culture, the history of Shanghai, and Mandarin.

“It was fun to have [Ruan] in my Chinese classes, because she brought a fresh perspective […] of what it is like to live and work in contemporary Shanghai,” Chinese teacher Dr. Shaun Jahshan said.

Stephanie Hao (12), a student in Mandarin 2, said she enjoyed Ruan’s

explanations of “daily life in Shanghai,” including transportation and weather.

“

[I]t was easy to confirm that Harker had a strong Mandarin program.

Aaron Lee (10)

”

“Seeing how my class conversed smoothly with Ms. Ruan, it was easy to confirm that Harker had a strong Mandarin program,” Aaron Lee (10) said.

Although Ruan initially believed that Shanghai has the busiest teachers, her experience at the Upper School

changed her preconception.

“The teachers here are as busy as us,” she said. “One thing that impressed me a lot was that Shaun [Dr. Jahshan] has got four different teaching plans for one day. [At the WFLMS,] we all have two teaching plans, at most.”

Although she said the teachers here and at Shanghai are very responsible and the students from both schools are well-behaved, she noted several key differences. For instance, at the WFLMS, there is an emphasis on recitation. “[In China,] we like to train the students’ creativity in another way,” she said. “[My English students] have long passages to recite, a lot of vocabulary to recite, because we just want to train them to have a better understanding and a better sense of English.”

Ruan also said that in China, students study in a fixed classroom, while

teachers move around to different classrooms.

Compared to the Upper School, she said that the WFLMS has larger class sizes, with as many as 40 students in their Chinese and math classes.

However, because one of the specialties of the WFLMS is English, those classes tend to have smaller sizes to increase the amount of time students can practice speaking English.

After her experience here, Ruan said that she has a few ideas to take back to Shanghai.

“Maybe I will not do so much memorizing [in my English classes.] I would like to emphasize more of their creativity by talking,” she said.

Ruan hoped to implement these ideas upon her return.

Japanese students greeted with Tamagawa Welcome Dinner

ALL PHOTOS SHILPA NATARAJ - WINGED POST

WELCOME Held on October 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Nichols Hall, the annual Tamagawa Welcome Dinner brought the Middle School host families together with the students from Tamagawa Gakuen in Tokyo, Japan.

Students from the Upper School Japanese National Honor Society served as translators at the event, and several Upper School faculty were present as well. After the attendees picked up dinner at the Rotunda, they returned to the dinner tables at the Atrium, where the host families attempted to get to know their homestay guests better. Following the dinner, the Tamagawa Gakuen students individually provided brief introductions of themselves, by sharing their names, birthdays, likes, and dislikes. Entertainment was provided by a middle school dance troupe and magician Jay Alexander. The Tamagawa Gakuen students picked up their suitcases from an Upper School science classroom and returned with their host families for a new adventure.

Tech

the Winged Post

”

The iPhone 4S also includes a stability sensor, which edits shaky videos to look smoother. The iPhone 4 recorded video in 720 pixels, but this phone records video in 1080 pixels, a standard among high-end smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Droid RAZR, HTC Amaze 4G, and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. iOS 5, Apple’s newest version of mobile software, which is also available on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and select iPod and iPad models, comes with 200 new features, including Notification Center, a feature that

SCREENSHOT

“

Pictures and videos were definitely brighter and clearer.

SIRI The voice-activated personal assistant is currently exclusive to the iPhone 4S. Despite being in beta, the voice recognition is extremely accurate and useful.

save web pages that they would like to read later.

Last year, Apple purchased Siri, a company founded in 2007, but the software is still officially in “beta” version, meaning that Apple still seeks to make significant changes. These may include the ability to control thirdparty applications, since currently Siri can only use applications that come loaded with the phone.

It is remarkably accurate for a phone but could not perform some tasks that users may request. However, each time a user “teaches” Siri, by introducing something new to its already vast knowledge, the “lesson” is sent to the Apple servers and can then be used by all other iPhone users.

The phone does not offer many

remarkable new features, and Apple is still improving Siri, which will presumably be available in later models.

Many current iPhone 4 users purchased their phones last July, when it was originally released, so purchasing a new phone may not be economical, as another one is expected to come out next summer. Purchasing a new iPhone without a two-year contract from a carrier costs an additional few hundred dollars.

Users looking to purchase their first iPhone should not wait until next summer, when the next iPhone is expected to be released, as the iPhone 4S brings enough to satisfy those who do not currently own an iPhone 4, but those who do may not be content with the number of new features.

The Voltbug can reach a top speed of 65 mph; however, because it only has a 60-mile range, Pranav has to charge it every night. The charging process is simple, he said; he can plug it into any ordinary wall socket, and it takes approximately eight hours to charge.

Between 2007 and 2009, the Bhedas worked on the car every day for two summers and every weekend during the school year.

The previous owner of the 39-year-old car requested that they call it “Gerty.”

The Bhedas primarly referred to “The Idiot’s Guide to Your Volkswagen” to become more familiar with the car.

His uncle and his father mostly helped with the process, but they also referred to other books and people who had converted their cars to

THE VOLTBUG

nikhil dilip & corey gonzales TalonWP lead & reporter

He turns the key, starting the ignition. Slowly, the Volkswagen Beetle comes to life: the lights flicker, the windshield wipers reset, and the driver pulls the gear shift. From the engine compartment, however, comes not a roar, but a high-pitched buzz.

That is right, this car is electric.

Pranav Bheda (11) and his father, Hemant Bheda, share an interest in cars and felt that making this car electric would n o t only help reduce gasoline usage but

also provide an enjoyable adventure for both of them.

When they finished working on the car, Pranav did not have his license, but now that he does, he drives the yellow car to school everyday.

“When I see another old bug on the road, I’ll always wave, and they’ll always wave back every time or they’ll honk back,” Pranav said.

The car’s vibrant color and unique license plate, VOLTBUG, attract attention from many other drivers, according to Pranav.

PO

Volkswagen Beetle made to run on electricity

ST

Student and father modify classic car

VOLTBUG Pranav Bheda (11) drives his electric car to school every day. The 39-yearold vehicle was modified

by Pranav and his father, Hemant.

GE D

Around this time last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a decision on one of the most hotly debated tech policy issues – net neutrality. The FCC has now finalized its rules, and aims to implement them by November 20.

With this, the FCC has taken the first step toward reaffirming our rights in a rapidly evolving technological era.

Net neutrality, put simply, is the idea that all data transmitted over the Internet is created equal.

Though the legal battle over net neutrality has been going on since 2005 or so, the concept itself has existed since around 2000, when Internet service providers (ISPs) first tried to impose restrictions on customers’ Internet usage.

Since the Internet’s beginning, it has operated on a net neutrality basis, and the FCC has simply finalized rules to ensure at least a weak form of net neutrality is set in stone. The basic tenets of the FCC’s new regulations are that ISPs must have transparent business practices and that they may not discriminate between lawful content.

The net neutrality supporters, including companies such as Microsoft and Google, simply have much more compelling arguments.

For one, in part thanks to the recent wave of revolutions powered by the Internet and social media, free access to the Internet is becoming entwined and identified with constitutional rights: the rights to free speech, assembly, and rebellion, to name a few.

Twitter, for instance, can be the modern equivalent of pamphlets like Common Sense from the revolutionary era.

For another, the rules ban unscrupulous business practices by ISPs, such as charging websites to let customers access them or blocking competitors’ sites. Even though such behavior is rare in America, the rules are still a useful safeguard that ensures the rights of Internet users.

In any case, the depth of the legal battle over net neutrality demonstrates an emerging change in the Internet: more and more, it’s becoming an integral part of our life and culture.

In its earlier stages, the Internet was treated as a premium service, but as broadband became more available and affordable, the Internet has become a right. Now, with the finalization of the FCC’s rules, unrestricted access to the Internet is now a government-protected freedom. If that doesn’t demonstrate the vast importance of the Internet in modern times, I don’t know what does.

Of course, as the battle raged in Washington, D.C., the issue of net neutrality became a party dividing line. The FCC’s rules were approved by a 3-2 vote: three Democrats for, two Republicans against. I’m honestly confused by the party division on this subject – net neutrality should be agreeable to both sides. It shouldn’t be thought about in terms of restricting ISPs’ business practices, but rather in terms of protecting citizens’ right to Internet access. That protection should span the ideologies of both parties.

In the end, whether you agree with the FCC comes down to personal philosophy. How much does net neutrality correlate to personal freedom for you? How much control do you think ISPs, the government, or other corporations should get over the Internet? These questions have no absolute answer, judging from the divisive and heavy legal war over the FCC’s rules.

WIN

tech editor

THE

patrick yang

TalonWP lead On October 4, Apple announced the newest in its line of smartphones, the iPhone 4S, which as the “S” indicates, only makes a small yet significant leap.

The phone boasts a new A5 processor, in addition to an eight-megapixel rear camera and a voice recognition software called Siri.

The new processor, upgraded from the A4 processor that was in the iPhone 4, lets the phone accomplish tasks faster and load graphics seven times as quickly, according to Apple. The difference was noticeable, but it did not seem even close to the magnitude of seven that Apple advertised.

One of the greatest improvements in the phone was in the camera, as pictures and videos were definitely brighter and clearer. The new camera adds a fifth precision lens, which will greatly improve the camera’s focus.

The aperture was also increased, letting more light come through, leading to a brighter picture. The camera includes face detection technology, which automatically focuses on a face if it is in the picture.

was already available on Android devices. It houses all notifications from every application, and users can access it by sliding down from the status bar at the top of the screen.

The software comes loaded on the device, and it allows users to access the camera directly from the lock screen by pressing the home button twice consecutively and tapping the camera icon that appears.

From the lock screen, users can also access Siri, which is only available on this phone, by holding down the home button for a few seconds, until the image of a microphone pops up, even if the phone has a passcode. Siri allows users to dictate emails and texts, set reminders, start timers, play music, and much more.

By pressing an info button near the microphone icon, users can find a list of other tasks that Siri can accomplish.

The disadvantage of this shortcut is that if a customer loses an iPhone, anyone can send emails and text messages from the user’s account; however, emails and text messages can only be sent to people in the user’s contacts list.

Some even speculate that the “S” stands for Siri, which is easily the most important upgrade and a vast improvement over the Voice Control option that was included in the previous two iPhones.

Except for the camera, the iPhone’s exterior remains the same. Its Retina Display is the same as that of the previous iPhone, which has a pixel resolution that is twice that of its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS, which was released over two years ago.

All iOS devices are now “PC Free,” meaning they can be set up without a computer and iTunes. Since all software updates and synchronization happen through iCloud, connecting an iPhone with a computer is superfluous.

Minor updates have been made to all existing applications, including Rich Text Formatting in Mail, weekly views on Calendar, and secure AirPlay Mirroring.

Apple also improved Safari, including a feature called Reading List, which is similar to the third-party application Instapaper. It allows users to

IP -

NET NEUTRALITY

nikhil dilip

DIL

about

iPhone 4S: Siri is most useful new feature

HIL

Patrick Ponders

NIK

20

OCTOBER 28, 2011

• Travels at a top speed of 65 miles per hour • Has a 60 mile range on one charge • Modifications required over two years to complete electric vehicles, too.

Along the way, most of the issues they encountered involved buying spare parts.

“It was actually difficult for parts because they would come and they wouldn’t be very good, so we would have to send them back,” Pranav said.

“We also had to get the car sandblasted because there was a little bit of rust in the front.”

Pranav said his love of cars that inspired him to embark on this project only increased over the two years. This passion is emphasized every day when he pulls the car that he transformed out of the parking lot.

BETTER PRICES THAN KINKOS AND GUNN H.S. STUDENTS TUDENTS, STAFF & PARENTS GET AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF

tech

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

21

kacey fang & felix wu

reporters It seems as if the majority of teens in this generation have been told repeatedly by parents and teachers that video games are rarely beneficial. They say that most of the time all games accomplish are unfinished homework and wasted time. However, a recent breakthrough by players of the online game Foldit has shown that video games may indeed be worthwhile, or even productive. Yes, productive.

Players of Foldit, an online game in which users fold virtual proteins, have recently helped decipher the structure of a protease molecule instrumental in finding a cure to the AIDS virus.

“

Human players were able to try something completely different.

Dr. Firas Khatib

”

Although scientists had been trying to solve the protein model for over a decade, Foldit players, most of whom had little to no previous biochemistry experience, cracked the puzzle after working on it for only three weeks. The winning team came up with the most successful model in less than ten days, allowing scientists to pinpoint every detail of the protein.

Foldit was created in 2008 by a collaboration between The University of Washington’s Biochemistry department and its Computer Science and Engineering print-ad.pdf department.

1 8/12/11 12:08 PM The game’s purpose is to make use of the human brain’s unique abilities in finding patterns and to apply them to science. Users of the program try to find the structures of proteins and get points for coming close to a plausible algorithm for a chemically

stable protein.

Dr. Firas Khatib, a senior fellow biochemist at The Baker Laboratory who assisted in the creation of Foldit, was thrilled by the recent discovery and hopes that Foldit can continue to make medical and scientific advancements. “[Helping to find a potential cure to AIDS] is a wonderful feeling, obviously,” he said. “We only hope that the idea of citizen science and scientific discovery games would be able to contribute to and help with the disease because it’s such a difficult problem and it’s going to take every single bit of help that we can get.”

Khatib thinks that Foldit players were able to solve the puzzle because humans have a line of thinking that is different from the computer programs the scientists were using.

“Every computer simulation was going in the wrong way; all the experimental methods were going in the wrong way,” he said. “Human Foldit players were able to try something completely different because they didn’t have any parameters of biochemistry knowledge that [simulations and experiments] were restricted by. They kind of had this freedom to quickly try different things that might seem crazy, but turned out to be spoton.”

The original Foldit game was based on a volunteer computing screensaver project called Rosetta@ home that was developed by principal investigator Professor David Baker’s biochemistry lab. In an era of increased computer use and technology, Foldit’s creators were inspired to employ the kind of human creativity that cannot be programmed into any machine.

“From a computer’s perspective, [the protein is] just a bunch of numbers on a list, so it’s a little bit like trying to find your way out of a room blind just by feeling with your hands,” said Professor Adrien Treuille, one of Foldit’s designers who is now at Carnegie Mellon University.

“When we put Foldit out into

FOLDIT

Video game uses human thinking to crack molecular mystery

FOLDIT The video game takes a novel approach to scientific research, challenging players to “unfold” molecules to discover their structure. In under three weeks, Foldit players with little to no training solved the puzzle of the protease molecule.

the world, it’s like taking the blindfold off and suddenly [being able to] see a protein [and] what it looks like in 3D. [Gamers] are able to see the ways to get to the answer [when] a computer would have to feel its way blindly to get to the same answer,” Treuille said.

Dr. Seth Cooper, co-creator of Foldit and the creative director of University of Washington’s Center for Game Science, believes that the discovery of the protease molecule’s structure can lead to major advancements in medicine and eventually to an HIV cure.

“In this case, now that the structure of this protein is known, the hope is that this information will be useful in designing antiretroviral drugs to inhibit the protein’s function and help prevent disease,” Cooper said.

According to Cooper and Khatib, further developments are expected to occur. Designers and gamers alike hope to take protein folding one step further and design new proteins that are nonexistent in nature. These molecules may be instrumental in creating new biofuels, cleaning up toxic waste, and combating various toxins.

Despite this accomplishment, Khatib claims there is still a long way to go.

“I know a lot of the press has written [that] gamers cured AIDS and that’s not, obviously, what happened here. This is just one small piece of the puzzle and one very exciting step in the right direction,” he said.

Numerous puzzles are available on Foldit for users to help solve different ailments. Foldit is available to be downloaded at www.fold.it with a current community of over 60,000 players.

Sports

the Winged Post

Kristine Lin (10)

ATHLETES OF THE

MONTH sonia sidhu & sheridan tobin reporters

MICHELLE DOUGLAS - TALON

Sophomore Kristine Lin leads the girls golf team by generally having the team’s best score and maintaining a helpful attitude, according to teammates.

Kristine has earned medalist honors on numerous occasions, including the team’s match against Castilleja High School, when she shot a 36. She also shot a 36 in the team’s match against Mercy High School - Burlingame and shot a 37 in the match against Notre Dame High School - San Jose.

She also recently qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships for her second consecutive year, when she shot a 83 on October 26.

Being only a sophomore, she is still relatively new to the team. However when she started playing for the group, her teammates quickly saw major potential.

“When she joined the team, we were all really really impressed about her skill. [...] She’s really consistent, and we’re glad to have her on the team,” Karen Wang (12) said.

Kristine consistently shoots on par, and next year her teammates expect her to shoot under par. She is currently ranked second in league, and averaging the strokes, she is only one behind the number one player.

“She has a very well rounded game. She is a very good shot maker,” head coach IeChen Cheng said. “Out of the ten matches the team has had, she has led [them] in eight.”

According to Nina Sabharwal (11), Kristine shares her knowledge with fellow teammates at practice in order to help them become better players.

“At practice, she always helps us out with our strokes. She’s very motivating,” Nina said.

According to her coach, one of the major reasons for her success, even in her young age, is her dedication.

“Her work ethic is amazing,” Cheng said. “She works hard on her game and she’s very passionate about golf.”

Jason Yu (12)

GOLF Kristine Lin (10) swings her club in a golf match against Notre Dame. Kristine qualified for CCS after a playing in the WBAL League Championships at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo.

ADITI ASHOK - WINGED POST

22

OCTOBER 28, 2011

WATER POLO Jason Yu (12) poses in front of his team and fans during his senior night ceremony.

The team won their game against Cupertino High School with Jason performing well in the net.

Senior Jason Yu is the defensive core of the Varsity boys water polo team with over 100 blocks as goalie throughout the season.

The team is currently 9-14 overall. According to head coach Ted Ujifusa and his teammates, Jason has greatly helped the team in its victories, especially against Santa Clara High School and Cupertino High School. In both games, Jason blocked shots even in one-on-goalie situations where there was no defense helping him out.

Teammate Tariq Jahshan (12) stated that Jason plays a central role on the team and helps tell the defensive players how to position themselves.

“He’s our goalie and without him we’re pretty much [in major trouble],” Tariq said.

This year, Jason has conditioned more with Coach Ron Forbes and these extra work-outs have enhanced his endurance in the pool, according to Ujifusa.

“Jason’s overall conditioning has improved markedly. [When blocking shots,] he’s able to get up out of the water and stay up very high for a long time,” Ujifusa said.

Jason is also on the swim team, so he works out during the spring season as well as the fall. This commitment to conditioning has helped improve his stamina. However, Jason has been focusing on goalie-specific training during the season.

According to Ujifusa, Jason’s experience as a goalie is apparent when he plays. He is now able to anticipate when a player is going to take a shot and, therefore, he can prevent more goals.

Jason has worked on his passing more this year so that he is able to make farther and more accurate passes to his teammates and lead the offensive attack in the pool.

Co-Captain Cole Manaster (12) also believes that Jason has improved his game this year and is happy with his defensive and offensive feats.

“He leads the counter attacks with his passes,” Cole said. “It’s great to see him get better each year.”

Winter sports teams commence practices Athletes and coaches share hopes for this year’s season

Girls Basketball

jason chu & emily lin reporters As fall sports come to a close, the basketball, soccer, and wrestling teams begin practice for their upcoming season this November. The coaches and returning players share their hopes and expectations for this year, which include improving technique, training vigorously, and winning more games.

Girls Soccer

Boys Basketball

Coach: Alfredo Alves

Coach: Butch Keller

Senior player: Neda Ghaffarian

Senior players: Stephen Hughes, Vikrum Jain, Chaitanya Malladi

Hopes for this year’s season: “My expectations for our team is to really work hard this season. After making it to the second round of CCS last year, we know how much work needs to be put in to get to that third round, so I expect practices to be hard and very intense, but the outcome will be all worth it.”

-Neda Ghaffarian (12) “My hopes for this season is to just have the girls playing together and getting good and that means playing and being accomplished with progression.”

-Head Coach Alfredo Alves

Hopes for this year’s season: “We have got a lot of firepower, and I think we’ll be able to go pretty far. We have all decided that we’re looking for a league title, and we’re training a lot of players so I think we can probably win every single game in league. We also want to go farther in CCS than we have before. The past three or four years we’ve lost in quarterfinals so want to break that trend too.”

-Stephen Hughes (12)

Boys Soccer

Eagle

E vents November

Football 11/11: Cupertino High School (Homecoming)

Cross Country 11/4: WBAL Finals

Wrestling

Coach: Jason Berry

Coach: Shaun Tsakiris

Coaches: Karriem Stinson, James Arballo

Girls Water Polo

Senior players: Nicole Dalal, Samantha Walker

Senior players: Avinash Patel, David Brunfield, Maximilian Quertermous, Proteek Biswas

Senior players: None

11/1: SCVAL Tournament

Hopes for this year’s season: “I think our team really has potential to do well this year [...] I think we can improve upon last year and make this a really fun and rewarding season.”

-Nicole Dalal (12) “One goal is to post more wins than the girls team accumulated last year [...] Also, I’m looking forward to interacting with the players, seeing them outside of their classrooms, and seeing them blossom as athletes.

[Lastly,] I’m looking forward to continuing the strong tradition that Coach Thiele has bequeathed to me.”

-Head Coach Jason Berry

Hopes for this year’s season: Hopes for this year’s season: “To keep the tradition [from last year]” “I am very excited. You never know who is go-Coach Karriem Stinson ing to come out, and we have quite a few return- “Our hopes for this season is to win on the mat, get more ing players. I am very optimistic just for that people to wrestle, and propagate our wrestling style.” reason because last year I think I started all sopho-Daniel Wang (11) mores and juniors for the majority of the season.”

-Head Coach Shaun Tsakiris “We’re losing a few players from last year, so we’re just hoping to be able to win a few games. We will definitely have to work a lot harder because we’re losing our two captains from last year and change how we play.”

-Proteek Biswas (12)

Girls Volleyball

FOOTBALL

overall records As of October 26

2 Wins

6

0

Losses

Ties

17 Wins

Girls Tennis

10 Wins

Wins

0

Losses

Ties

Girls Golf

4

0

Losses

Ties

Girls Water Polo

13

5

10

0

Losses

Ties

6 Wins

4

0

Losses

Ties

Boys Water Polo

9 Wins

14

0

Losses

Ties

Cross Country

The team’s second league meet was at Westmoor High School. Corey Gonzales (9), Proteek Biswas (12) and Tyler Yeats (11) overall placed sixth, eight and 10th respectively in the boys’ race.

For the Varsity girls, Ragini Bhattacharya (11) placed 11th overall. On October 20, the team participated in the Aragon High School meet at Crystal Springs.

Corey placed 12th for Varsity boys, and Ragini placed 14th.

Varsity boys are fourth in league.

Boys Water Polo 11/3: SCVAL Tournament

Girls Basketball 11/22: Sobrato High School (away) 11/26: Silver Creek High School (away)

Girls Soccer 11/29: Redwood Christian Jr-Sr High School (away)

Boys Basketball 11/21: Aptos High School 11/25: Pioneer High School (away) 11/29: Del Mar High School (away)

october 28, 2011 the Winged Post

sports

23

Chance to Dance provides workshop for special needs children monica thukral

CHANCE TO DANCE Kirsten Herr (12), Ria Desai (11), and Jennifer Dai (10) guide the special needs children at Tiphaine Delepine’s (11) Chance to Dance workshop. The participants had the opportunity to interact with other special needs children in an accepting environment, while learning new dance skills from the volunteers.

MONICA THUKRAL - WINGED POST

reporter

Sharing her love of dance, Tiphaine Delepine (11) organized her first Chance to Dance event for ten special needs children from ages five to 14 in the Upper School dance room on Sunday, October 23.

Inspired by a summer camp regarding social entrepreneurship from which she learned about creating businesses for the good of society, Tiphaine established Chance to Dance to impart her skill in dancing. As a weekly volunteer at a soccer organization for children with special needs, she could reach out to the community of parents of children with special needs.

Tiphaine recruited ten volunteers: girls from the Varsity dance team and other supportive volunteers who were “eager to help.” Each volunteer passionately and energetically assisted one of the ten children during the dance event.

“I realized doing the smallest things can really help the kids,” Sarika Asthana (12), a Varsity dancer who volunteered, said. “It was fun to share something I love as much as dance with another student.”

The children and their respective buddies learned dance moves and played games ranging from the freeze dance to the hokey pokey.

“My son [has a short attention span] so these

classes will teach him [to do] something with others,” Kyoko McPartlan, a parent of one of the special needs children, said.

At the end of the session, the partners choreographed their own dances with the steps they had learned throughout the day. Everyone encouraged their friends, clapped, and cheered for each other after every performance.

Tiphaine patiently worked with the children to meet their individual needs and made sure that all participants enjoyed themselves.

“It is a great opportunity for the kids to come out and run around and have fun and get crazy. It gives an opportunity to social-

ize with other kids,” Jason Elizondo, another parent of a special needs child, said.

After spending over an hour with their new buddies, the partners hugged each other goodbye and departed with smiles across their faces.

“It was better than planned because I wasn’t really sure what to expect in terms of how the children would react. But, in general, it seemed like they stayed with me in the class and it went really smoothly,” Tiphaine said.

Tiphaine hopes to hold more of these events in the future in response to positive feedback from parents and from children asking when Chance to Dance will take place again.

aditi ashok & shannon su many schools also incorpo- never experienced before, so sports editor & reporter

The stadium lights go on as the players stream onto the field for the most important game of the season. Green and white decorations adorn the field and fans crowd into the stands. It is that time of year again: Homecoming.

The annual Homecoming game is a long-standing tradition in the United States. According to Active. com, although the colleges who played in the first football Homecoming game are widely contested, Baylor University, University of Illinois, and University of Missouri all had “coming home” games around 1910.

Since then, the tradition of a Homecoming game that invites the alumni to come back to their old schools has broadened to include high schools as well as colleges.

Along with the standard game,

rate spirit activities throughout the week. The customary Homecoming court where the King and Queen are crowned takes place during the game.

The first Homecoming was held at the Upper School on October 21, 2001, three years after the inauguration of the school, due to the combined efforts of ASB and Spirit Club. The game was held at Police Athletic League (PAL) Stadium in downtown San Jose, where the Eagles battled Justin Sienna High School, losing 12 to 42.

Crowned at the game were the first Homecoming king Adam Vurcurevich (‘02) and queen Carmen Antoun (‘02).

Teachers who have been at the Upper School since the first game said that Homecoming has progressed a long way since 2001.

“As our first Homecoming, the students were going through something they had

this was new to them; they did a great job beginning the traditions, some of which we still do today,” Bradley Stoll, Mathematics Department Chair, said. “Now, faculty

“

The game, I think, is bigger than any of us in the field or in the stands.

”

Neel Salukhe (12)

and staff from all campuses [and] students from K-12 are involved, and their parents even come. We have local alumni who will be in attendance, and the reigning king and queen [will] make their return, if possible. It is quite an affair, to say the least.”

Diana Moss, Spanish

Teacher and Class of 2015 Dean, came to the Upper School in 2000, and participated in the first Homecoming game, volunteering to be the driver of the Mercedes-Benz for the Junior prince and princess.

“The first few years of the high school, we could barely field […] a football team,” Moss said. “I just remember that our football team had to drive a long way to get to their competition. But it was very exciting because we had all four classes for the first time.”

Since its inauguration, the game has moved to a few different locations.

Two years after the first one in PAL stadium, Homecoming was held at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

Finally, in 2009, the Eagles held their Homecoming game on campus for the first time.

Football players across grades look forward to the an-

Students participate in martial arts Athletes share stories about karate experiences priyanka sharma & apoorva rangan sports editor & reporter

they have shorter attention spans. However, she asserts her role as an educator when she teaches older students.

“I’m not really good at being strict, but I have to, and when you teach them you have to really emphasize the importance of technique and intensity and make every movement look clean,” Asia said.

On the other hand, black belt Eric Swenson (11), a seven year participant, prefers teaching adults.

“I generally teach the mix adults class, which is everything from white belts to red belts and candidates getting ready to go into [black belt] training season,” he said. “I generally don’t teach kids just because I like being picky, and you can’t be picky with kids.”

Though she does not teach yet, Neha said that her favorite part of participating in martial arts is “the feeling [she gets] when little kids come up to [her] and tell [her she’s] doing great.” She is seriously considering teaching in the future.

According to black belt Adith Rengaramchandran (10), karate gave him a “kind of [a] family.”

“We’ve all known each other since the fourth grade and have become really close,” he said. Karate also reinforced his value of respect for others.

Punching gloves by their sides, Asia and Isabelle bow respectfully to each other as they leave the floor after a competition, looking forward to seeing each other soon at school.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Donned in gi, the typi- times from all the sore muscal training uniform, the par- cles I got from every time I ticipant prepares to deliver slammed on the floor,” she said. a punch; in retaliation, the According to karate adversary braces for the next participant Neha Sunil (9), blow. This routine is familiar to who currently has a secmany martial arts participants. ond degree black belt in kaFor some students, mar- rate and has been doing it tial arts call for the same level for nine years, time manageof commitment displayed in ment is key. Participants ofmore prevalent sports. The ten spend years to earn a belt. different colors of belts, black Neha stated that being the highest rank, repre- finally getting her sent the player’s mastery of a black belt was certain stage of the martial art. “r e l i e v i n g Monica Lee (10) start- [because] ed participating in mar tial it’s so arts at the age of seven. With a second-degree Ta e - K w o n - D o black belt and firstdegree Capoeira black belt, she does a lot of in- KARATE Asia Howard (12) pertense cardio exercises as forms a kick during well as sparring with op- her third-degree black ponents during practice. belt test. Martial arts Though her prac- students dedicate many tices are energetic, Mon- hours a week in order to earn each belt color. ica said that “[her] studio puts a lot of emphasis rewarding to see that on dodging and ducking,” your work pays off.” so she has not been injured.

Isabelle ConHowever, martial arts nell (11) agrees. The participant Asia Howard (12) best karate-related moment has found that injuries are a for her was when she earned common obstacle during play- her third-degree black belt, ers’ training. According to and performed a “victory lap Asia, who has been in the sport at the end of the [...] test.” since she was seven years old, “Everyone was muddy, reoccurring injuries include sweaty, and dead tired but sprained ankles, bloody lips, everyone was chanting ‘Red hurt backs, and torn muscles. Top, Three stripes,’ [which is] While trying to learn the what you earn when you bebutterfly aerial, a trick that come a third-degree,” she said. resembles a no-handed cartHaving earned a thirdwheel, Asia suffered injuries degree black belt, Asia asbecause she did not know how sists in teaching many classes to land properly at the time. at Ernie Reyes West Coast “I hurt my knees mul- Martial Arts Association. She tiple times, so I couldn’t re- trains students of all ages, but ally do any squats or bend my she particularly enjoys teachknees that often. I had trouble ing the basics to younger chilcarrying my backpack a few dren, even though she believes

nual game for various reasons.

Sidhart Krishnamurthi (9) is a Junior Varsity team member and hopes to have fun at the game.

“I expect to win out of it and I expect the Harker spirit to be lively and cheer us on for the whole game,” Sidhart said.

Varsity player Neel Salukhe (12) is excited for the game, but is not looking forward to the end of his football career at the Upper School.

“Playing in front of our fans on Davis Field is always special, but playing during Homecoming is on another level. ” he said. “In my opinion, Homecoming is not just about a football game. It’s about our school coming together. [...] The game, I think, is bigger than any one of us in the field or in the stands.”

The Homecoming game this year will be held at 4 p.m. for JV and 7 p.m. for Varsity on Davis Field against Cupertino High School on November 11.

TALON ARCHIVES

Homecoming: ten years since inaugural game

HOMECOMING GAME Coached by English teacher Sharron Mittelstet, a group of faculty cheerleaders including current faculty members Jeffrey Draper and Julie Pinzas perform at half time during the first homecoming game.

The Back Page

24

I thought [flag football] was cool because it gave everyone an opportunity to play football, and it keeps us involved in spirit activities.

- Srivinay Irrinki (9) I thought [flag football] was a lot [of] fun, [and] it made a whole bunch of people bond together.

- Alexander Johnson (10) Flag football gives us a chance to just run around and goof off without being super competitive, and the fact that two girls have to be on a team is fun [since that way] everyone is involved.

- Tara Rezvani (11) It was a great way to have a spirit event that wasn’t a class competition but just a friendly thing between the students.

- Kirsten Herr (12)

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FLAG FOOTBALL While Andre Tran (11) runs to pull her flag, Lauren Cali (10) catches the ball during a game of flag football on October 19. Flag football was promoted by the spirit club to give everyone a chance to participate in friendly competition. The tournament comprises 11 brackets with each team consisting of seven players, two of whom must be females.

MERCEDES CHIEN -- THE WINGED POST

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october 28, 2011 the Winged Post