The Winged Post - Vol 13 No 2

SPORTS, page 17

TECH, page 15

FEATURES, page 7

Coach serves in National Guard

New microchip sticks to skin

Heyes tutors in unusual setting

Winged Post FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

the

THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 13, NO.2

500 SARATOGA AVE. SAN JOSE, CA 95129

Bathroom bandit strikes again samantha hoffman & diba massihpour chief in training & reporter

“Oh no, not again.”

Lydia Werthen (11) had opened the door to the girls’ bathroom and found herself looking at a floor littered with toilet paper and toilet seat covers.

Similar thoughts would run through the minds of all those who encountered the vandalism of the bathrooms in the buildings on campus, indicating the return of the “Bathroom Bandit.”

“I’m really disappointed because I thought people would have matured over the past two years[…], so I was frustrated,” Lydia said. “I had such high expectations for the Harker community, and it was just a big disappointment to see the trash

back there again.”

After receiving an email from Lydia alerting him of the problem, Upper School Dean of Students Kevin Williamson, contacted the maintenance staff to see if they had noticed similar defacement but received no news.

However, as the vandalism continued to progress, the administration decided to close several of the boys’ bathrooms and posted signs saying “Bathroom closed due to vandalism” on the doors.

“I feel it’s very disrespectful to the community and the school because [the] actions of maybe a couple people, maybe only one, [are] affecting everyone around the school,” Srivinay Irrinki (9) said.

Student Council gave a brief presentation on the problem during school meeting on September

27. Pictures depicting the vandalism and a video interview with one of the maintenance workers elicited gasps of shock and indignation from the students.

ASB President Revanth Kosaraju (12) explained that the closing of the bathrooms was intended not as a “witch hunt” but instead to indicate a breach of trust in the school community.

“We can either point fingers and start accusing [each other...], or we can begin to be more vigilant,” Revanth said in school meeting this Tuesday.

“We’re all here to help each other and make this a place we want to be,” Williamson said. “Tearing up the bathrooms definitely isn’t helping.”

Endeavour astronaut shares story

Chess team wins first match The chess team beat Leigh High School to win its first match on September 28. Comprising seven players, the team beat their opponents in a 4-3 victory.

“It’s always nice to win,” Anthony Silk, faculty advisor of the chess team, said. “It was a close match[...] and a good start to the season.”

Led by the two co-presidents, Rahul Desirazu (11) and Andrew Luo (11), the team is looking forward to future matches.

Community service fair On Wednesday, several local organizations set up tables outside of Manzanita during long lunch for the second annual community service fair.

Eight different service places, such as Sacred Heart Community Center and Boys and Girls Club, brought posters and informational flyers to try to convince students to volunteer with them.

NASA

Shakespeare festival

ASTRONAUT Dr. Gregory Chamitoff works outside of the International Space Station as part of the final mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission. Chamitoff spoke to students, parents, and other members of the community on September 26 as part of the Speaker Series.

priyanka mody & shannon su

editor in chief & reporter On Monday, September 26, the Upper School kicked off its Speaker Series with a presentation by renowned astronaut and flight engineer Dr. Gregory Chamitoff.

Chamitoff is the 201st human to walk in space and is one of six astronauts who went aboard NASA’s 25th and final spaceflight of the Endeavour Space Shuttle. So far, he has logged over 198 days of time in space and has spent six months on the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS).

Born and raised in Montreal, Chamitoff had always been an avid student. On July 20, 1969, while on a visit to Daytona Beach, Florida, he and his family witnessed the launch of Apollo 11, the first space voyage to land humans on the moon. That day, at the age of six, Chamitoff decided that he wanted to become an astronaut.

His father was a mathematician and an engineer, and both were enthusiastic fans of Star Trek. However, he says that those who inspired Chamitoff the most were his teachers at Blackford High School. Two of them, French teacher Maureen Volpi and

Chemistry teacher Michael Du Bois, attended the presentation.

Both said that they felt honored to have been at his first launch as well as this recent presentation.

“I will be eternally thankful to Greg for the experience he has given me as a teacher to think that I could in some way—small, small way—influence the life of a youngster and pursue science which is way beyond my capabilities,” Du Bois said. “The thrill of sitting there on his launch brought tears to my eyes.”

Chamitoff opened his speech with reminiscent thoughts about the important moments in high school and the memories that stuck throughout.

Among several other anecdotes, Chamitoff recounted the time when he and his friend attempted to build a flying saucer that they could fly around the neighborhood to “scare all the neighbors.” To make this flying saucer, Chamitoff solicited the help of NASA. “I thought, ‘Gee, a flying saucer it’s got a certain shape—it’s got an airfoil,’ and I thought, ‘Well, how do you calculate all that?’” he said. So, he wrote a letter to NASA, and to his surprise,

someone responded.

“I still have the letter explaining exactly how the lift works,” Chamitoff said. “We learned how to make this thing based on what this NASA engineer told us. He inspired us.”

Little did Chamitoff know at the time that he would contact NASA again several years later to seek guidance on becoming an astronaut.

To achieve his dream, Chamitoff underwent several phases of higher education, from his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from CalPoly State University, a subsequent masters’ degree in aeronautical engineering from California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

During these years of study, Chamitoff began his astronaut training. He started as a member of Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in 1995; three years later, he joined NASA as an astronaut candidate. He worked on projects for NASA covering many aspects of the space industry and even had to learn multiple languages since training was international.

In 2008, he finally had the opportunity to experience the real thing: he launched into space. He was the flight engineer and science officer on the 6-month mission for Expeditions 17 and 18.

Remembering his state of mental and physical unexpectedness then, Chamitoff explained how different being in space was from what he had imagined. Although he had already familiarized himself with the feeling of zero gravity, he said that he was “so sensationally overwhelmed by the launch and just the shaking, rattling, rolling, and acceleration. It’s very different when […] all of a sudden nothing is pressing your feet anymore. You feel like you’re superman when you’re in space.”

He showed the audience a video in which he and his crew slid through the air in the shuttle, did flips and spins, and entertained themselves attempting to eat and drink items suspended in midair.

Chamitoff ’s most recent voyage, a 16-day mission, was the last of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

A group of students and several faculty chaperones leave today for Ashland, Oregon, for the annual Shakespeare festival.

“The whole environment of the theater and walking down the street and seeing actors [...] it’s this whole culture,” Dr. Pauline Paskali, English teacher and chaperone on the trip, said. “I’m excited for a whole new group of students [to come].”

The students will visit all three theaters, watch multiple Shakespearean performances, and attend a workshop run by the actors of the festival.

Speaker coming in October On October 4 at 7 PM, Dr. Paul G. Stoltz will give the first lecture of this year’s Common Ground Speaker Series.

The talk will be held in the Nichols Hall Atrium. It will be free of charge for parents, and AP Psychology students have special permission to attend as well.

Dr. Stoltz, developed the Adversity Quotient (AQ), a measure of human perseverance. His lecture will cover the application of AQ ideas to family life.

“The Common Ground Speaker Series is helping to educate parents about common pertinent issues that face our students and parents today. Bringing in expert speakers … to help guide parents is a wonderful service,” Joe Rosenthal, Executive Director of Advancement, said.

ASTRONAUT, page 4

Survey: teen social networking linked to drinking and drug use KACEY FANG- WINGED POST

A national study has found an association between teenagers’ use michelle deng & nayeon kim of social networking sites and substance abuse. asst. editor in chief & managing editor The study, published in August by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia) as the 2011 installation of its annual teen survey, found that 12 to 17-year-olds who use social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace are five times as likely to use tobacco, three times as likely to drink alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana than those who do not use such sites.

The researchers proposed that social networking sites are acting as a new forum for peer pressure: NEW STUDY A recent study from Columbia Univer- study results also indicated that 40 sity found a correlation between the use of social percent of the teens surveyed have networking sites and substance abuse. seen photographs of other teens

drinking, using drugs, or passed out.

“Images of kids getting drunk and getting high […] tends to normalize that behavior,” said Steven Wagner, President of QEV Analytics, in an interview with The Winged Post. QEV Analytics is a company that helps CASA Columbia conduct the survey and process the data annually.

Normalization refers to the idea that when teens see their friends or friends of their friends— people like themselves—partying while drinking or using drugs, these illicit actions no longer seem like stories of nameless teenagers from a distant environment.

Drinking and drug use has become a normal way to have fun. According to Wagner, teens may just want to try it out because “all the kids are

“

Images of kids getting drunk [...] and high tends to normalize that behavior.

”

Steven Wagner, President of QEV Analytics doing it.”

Daanish Jamal (12) finds some merit in that belief.

“I remember seeing older kids doing all these sorts of things, and I’m like, ‘Wow, is that what high school is?’ because it seemed cool at the time,” he said.

Moreover, according to Upper

School Counselor Lori Kohan, the normalization of substance abuse is particularly concerning because teenage students are at emotionally challenging points in their lives.

From academic pressures to family tensions to friendship and relationship issues, many teenagers suffer whirlwinds of stress, and photographs of their peers partying away without a care may lead them to think drugs and alcohol are the best solution. Use of social networking can aggravate this emotional turmoil by increasing teens’ chance of exposure to cyberbullying.

“Whatever [the substanceseeking behavior] is, it becomes a more viable answer because it is normal,” Kohan said.

SURVEY, page 11

2

News

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

Mentor program begins

29 Upper School students have been paired emily chu

dations from their English or History teachers.

“I would recommend students Launched in the week of Sep- with a sense of how to approach writtember 19, this year’s Middle School ing an essay from a content standpoint, Writing Mentor Program has paired structural standpoint, and mechanic 29 Upper School mentors with Middle standpoint,” Marc Hufnagl, English School students for English tutoring.

Department Chair, said. “Secondly, Patricia Lai Burrows, Middle because they are mentoring Middle School English teacher, created this School students, they have to be good program four years ago to give Middle listeners with personalities that are paSchool students a chance to improve tient and cooperative.” their writing skills and reading comOne of the program’s goals is to prehension with the help of Upper benefit not only the tutee but also the School mentors. mentor. For Pooja Shah (11), mentor“Oftentimes, students are afraid to ing is “extremely rewarding” because it admit to their teachers that they don’t allows her to form a new bond by lendunderstand the instruction or the point ing a hand to a younger student. of the lesson,” Burrows said. “However, “Watching [the tutee] improve as they may feel more comfortable relay- the weeks pass fills me with pride and ing this information to someone who is an overwhelming sense of accomplishjust like them – just older.” ment,” Pooja said.

Both the Upper School mentors Though both the Upper School’s and Middle School students were se- Tutor Club and this program serve the lected via an application process to purpose of mentoring, the main differparticipate in the program. Middle ence is the fact that, in this program, School participants were chosen based students are not allowed to work on upon levels of commitment, need for their homework during their tutoring tutoring, and reasons for their interest sessions. They complete assignments in joining the program, while the tu- directed by their mentors during their tors were chosen based on recommenhour-long meetings.

“It isn’t a remedial program. It isn’t about just about making weak writers better. It can also be about making good writers great, and maybe even effective writers inspiring,” Burrows said.

Nikhil Singh (9), a former tutee, thoroughly enjoyed his experience in the program although he did have one suggestion for improvement.

“A good improvement would be to expand the program because only a few [Middle School] students are let in,” Nikhil said.

Burrows attributed the previous success of the program to the “amazing, often untapped resource” of Upper School students, who serve as a HELP As a tutor, Pooja Shah (11) helps sixth“meaningful bridge” begrade student Justin Cho student edit his essay. tween the Middle and Thanks the the Middle School Writing Mentor Upper Schools.

Program, Justin has the opportunity to grow as a

USPS faces spending cuts

writer and English student with the help of Pooja.

sanjana baldwa & mercedes chien like the Upper School, it is important lifestyle editor & photo editor Rising from the movie The Race to Nowhere, the concern of excessive stress and work overload in students alarmed many faculty members, resulting in the school’s recent membership of Challenge Success, a program established to improve students’ health and to instill curiosity in academics.

A project of Stanford University’s School of Education, the Challenge Success program “addresses the concern that children and adolescents often compromise their mental and physical health, integrity, and engagement in learning as they contend with performance pressure in and out of school,” as stated by its website.

According to Amy Alamar, the Schools Program Director at Challenge Success, what makes the program unique is its approach.

“We use a multi-stakeholder, sitespecific model,” she said.

Additionally, the organization will assign a coach to each school committee to extrinsically observe and comment on the specific needs of the organization. Coaches will help look at symptoms and root causes of stress, and develop a vision and plan of action in specific schools.

Members of the organization challenge students to reevaluate their definition of success and to apply it to a wider range of ideas.

“We will be focusing not only on how to reduce stress in students’ lives but also on whether that stress is directed toward appropriate areas while maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle,” student representative Jenny Chen (11) said in an email response.

Jennifer Gargano, Assistant Head of School, believes that in a rigorous and sometimes intense environment

to enforce healthy lifestyles in terms of stress and pressure.

“I think it’s always a desire to make sure our students have the most balanced lives that they can,” she said.

“We want them to be able to pursue their passions and be able to see what they’re good at.”

She additionally hopes that joining this project will recognize the school for its character and community aside from its academics and broad programs.

Like Gargano, faculty and parent representative Mala Raghavan thinks that participating in Challenge Success is the first step in alleviating tension throughout the school.

“We’re trying to tell [the students] that it’s okay if you’re not getting into the top schools, which is easier said than done in most cases,” she said.

Helena Jerney, parent representative and mother of Cristina Jerney (11) believes that introspection is key and that the school’s involvement will truly encourage change.

“From attending the conference, I really hope to gain some insight on the views of people in this particular initiative and an insight on how we can best look toward our own organizations,” she said.

Raghavan notes that changing the perspective of the students will be difficult as “[they are] all victims of the environment.” To succeed in the group’s mission of improving the community, she believes that the representatives must alter the way students are perceived in the surroundings that they are in, not just change the school curriculum or the teaching methods.

The organization hosts conferences and conducts comprehensive surveys to gain further knowledge of students’ well-being and the education system.

IMAGE FROM ABAOUT.USPS.COM

SNAIL MAIL With massive losses expected for this fiscal year, the United States Postal Service is now attempting to cut its spending, including a five day delivery schedule.

daniela lapidous opinion editor

When its fiscal year ends on September 30, the United States Postal Service is expected to announce up to $10 billion in losses. It is now struggling to enact cost-cutting measures, including a possible five-day delivery schedule.

Much of its financial woes stem from a 2006 law requiring the USPS to annually pay $5.5 billion to pre-fund retirement health benefits for its employees, on top of its annual payments to current retirees.

According to regional media contact Augustine Ruiz, Jr., the USPS is the only government entity required to follow this pre-payment policy. On September 6, the Obama administration announced it would extend the September 30 pre-funding deadline by three months.

In general, Ruiz said that governance of the USPS is inflexible and does not allow Postmaster General Patrick Donahue to make decisions on matters such as the delivery schedule or the restructuring of employee health-care packages. That power lies with Congress. Donahue has suggested a five-day delivery schedule although a number of small towns that currently receive mail only two days per week have protested.

Several students in the Upper School, however, mentioned that they would barely feel the impact of the change.

“If [someone] really had to send something, they would send it by UPS or FedEx anyways, so I feel like the mail service is kind of optional,” Sarah Howells (12) said.

She and others mentioned that they are flooded with mail from colleges or businesses, but otherwise they do not receive or send a significant amount of letters.

“I think I sent one in third grade, once,” Nandita Krishna (12) said.

In a poll of students, 58 said they would feel neutrally about a five-day delivery schedule, while 41 would feel negatively and five would feel positively.

“

If [someone] really had to send something, they would send it by UPS or FedEx anyways, so I feel like the mail service is kind of optional.

”

Sarah Howells (12)

A few senators have introduced bills to enact the new schedule, including Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.).

His version of the bill would end deliveries on Saturdays and allow other financial reforms to be controlled by the USPS, as reported by The Washington Post.

Donahue said in a press release that the USPS would have to eliminate 220,000 workers by 2015 to retain

profitability, but collective bargaining agreements with postal workers prevent many of them from being laid off.

He has submitted a request to Congress to use the Reductions-in-Force initiative to be able to cut back on the labor force, but Ruiz said the timeline of the answer is unpredictable.

What may come as a surprise to some is that the Postal Service does not receive any tax dollars to operate. It is simply funded by the sale of packages, stamps, and other services from its offices.

That explains why a 50 percent decrease in mail sent since 2006 has hit the USPS so hard, even though it delivers 40 percent of the world’s mail to 150 million addresses in the United States, according to the USPS website.

On September 15, the Postmaster General announced that the USPS aims to save $3 billion a year by restructuring and consolidating its processing facilities, where machines unseen by the public sort mail. Soon, 252 processing centers will be under consideration for closure and up to 35,000 jobs may be cut.

Donahue also hopes to adjust the delivery standards for mail; the change is not drastic, but mail-senders may soon forget about expecting to receive any letters overnight.

The Postal Service estimates that studying potential processing centers for closure will take about four to five months to complete, and consolidation will begin in February or March of 2012.

Overall, the USPS aims to cut $20 billion from its spending by 2015 with a combination of network reforms, employee benefits reforms, and legislative changes.

Honor Council hosts first annual Honor and Ethics conference with student representatives to discuss case studies aditi ashok sports editor

On September 16, representatives from every advisory in the Upper School attended the first Honor and Ethics Conference, held from 8 to 11:15 a.m. in Nichols Hall Atrium.

As students entered, they were assigned to a table that contained an even mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The conference opened with an introduction from Dean of Studies Evan Barth, who explained the schedule for the morning and purpose of the conference.

After the introduction, each table was given three different case studies, each reflective of a potential case that Honor Council could judge in real life.

The cases dealt with controversial issues such as cheating, plagiarism, and stealing. After reading the case, each table group had a chance to discuss it among themselves, and then share their findings with the conference as a whole.

“I thought the conference was really enlightening because it showed what honor council had to do during their cases. […] We found out that a lot of cases are not black and white,” David Fang (12) said. “We were also able to discuss what Honor Council can do to help us understand what they do, and this conference is a good first step toward that goal.”

Shrish Dwivedi (9) agreed that the conference was an effective method of seeing how the Honor Council operated.

“This idea of students deciding the verdicts for wrongdoings is absolutely fantastic because it makes [the process]

ADiITI ASHOK - WINGED POST

EMILY CHU - WINGED POST

reporter

HONOR Conference attendees were divided into table groups containing a mix of students from different grade levels. Students discussed three case studies: one about cheating, one about plagiarism, and the last involving stealing.

a little more fair for students, and also provides a new perspective for teachers to see how students think,” Shrish said.

The conference ended with some final words from Barth along with the chance for attendees to share their reflections on the morning on note cards.

“I thought the conference went well, and I was extremely glad to see people show genuine interest while discussing the case studies,” said Nicole Dalal (12), Honor Council Student Chair.

Kelly Horan, Honor Council faculty member, said that the group is looking into hosting similar events in the future.

“I thought it was a great opportunity for the students of Harker to come around and sit and discuss with people they hadn’t necessarily talked to before […about] issues of honor and possible infractions that might occur on […]

campus,” Horan said. “I think from that everybody gained a lot of insight about how difficult decisions and understanding situations might be.”

Students who attended the conference had the opportunity to share their experiences and observations with their advisory groups on the following Thursday in order to impart their observations to the student body at large.

“I thought the honors and ethics conference went really well. It gave all the students a glimpse into the difficulty of the job the Honor Council has to do, and I have a lot of appreciation for the Honor Council after this conference,” Arjun Goyal (10) said. “In advisory, my classmates responded well to the activity and had some differing viewpoints which really drove the discussion.”

September 30, 2011

News

the Winged Post

3

Record number of freshmen run for council alyssa amick & sindhu ravuri reporters As the school year progresses, 30 freshmen initiated campaigns for positions as representatives for their class on the Student Council.

All four positions received a considerable amount of enthusiasm, with seven or eight candidates for each. According to Class Dean Diana Moss, “This is the biggest slate of candidates I’ve seen yet, and everyone seems to be very well qualified.”

Each of the four jobs play a significant role for the class.

The President acts as the mediator between the class, administration, and ASB. The Vice President is in charge of the numerous clubs the school offers.

In times of a President’s absence or inability to complete a job, it is the VP’s responsibility to become the leader as well.

The Treasurer takes on the responsibility of raising money through concessions at the home games and other fundraisers and manages the class budget to buy accessories to increase class spirit.

The Secretary is in charge of taking notes during all the meetings, both the class student council meetings and the ASB meetings, as well as formulating the Agenda for class meetings.

“This year I’m tremendously excited about the enthusiasm of the Class of 2015 […] I anticipate that every one of the candidates running for office will continue to contribute to our class energy, organization, and spirit whether they are elected or not,” Moss said.

Campaign speeches, in which candidates elaborated on the values and meanings Student Council rep-

resented and urged their peers to give them their votes, were spread over a two-week period. Candidates for President gave their speeches yesterday.

“We can look forward to great things from the Class of 2015,” Moss said.

Elections take place today at lunch. Results will be announced the following Monday.

president A possible goal for Stanley Xie, if elected, is “cross-advisory activities” as he tries to help the class of 2015 “have a good start as freshmen.”

Stanley Xie

Jessica Chang

Srivinay Irrinki

One of the numerous goals Jessica “Fred” Chang wishes to accomplish if elected President is “[bringing] the class of 2015 closer together by organizing activities and things that would interest the majority of [the] class.”

“I want to make a difference in our school, especially our class.” Hemant “wants to take the skills [he] learned from past experience, and utilize them to make the school year better for all.”

Hemant Kunda

“Freshman year is [the class of 2015’s] step into high school, so it’s important to have a good foundation.” It is Srivinay’s goal to make this year spirited and exciting.

Ryan Pachauri hopes that everybody will vote for him so he can “improve the entire class,” promising that “everything [will be] better for our class.”

Madhavan Nair

Madhavan Nair is ready “to make this community better” if elected for Vice President. With the upcoming election, he is “really excited” about his campaign. “The best part is “meeting new people” during the process.

“I hope that [the class of 2015] will work together for the next four years [...] that we get to know each other well so that by the end of senior year [...] our whole class will be like a family,” Angeline Pan said.

Rahul Jayaraman

Matthew Huang

“I have a strong passion in finances, so I believe this position would be great for me,” Matthew Huang said.

Matthew would like to present the freshmen class as a more spirited group who are confident of themselves.

Kevin Su

Ransher Dhaliwal

“I can do some good for this school and really […] help out,” Edar Liu said. “[I want to] incorporate all the thoughts of the student body.”

Edar Liu

Diba Massihpour is ready to “guide this school […] and give back to the community.”

“You can be sure to expect a great freshmen year with me as vice president.”

Some of Aaron Huang’s goals for the year are “more rallies and increas[ing] the bonds between students.”

Aaron Huang

Former Vice President, Ransher Dhaliwal helped raise money for a children’s hospital, and he is hoping to do a similar project this year as the class President. Ransher hopes to “change the school and get [his] message out.”

Nikita Mittal

Cindy Liu

Vedant Thyagaraj

Jason Chu hopes to strengthen the “link between the students and the faculty,” and is using his campaign to meet “a lot more people.”

Ayush Midha

treasurer

Nikash Shankar

Gabriela Gupta

“I like running for student council because I think it is really cool how you can serve as the link between faculty and students,” Nikash Shankar said.

“I feel like I can really raise a lot of money through the fundraisers I have planned out,” Gabi Gupta said. “I want to make sure this year is a lot of fun, and without [sufficient] money, we have nothing with which to have fun.”

Daniela Lee

Ashin Mehta

Nikita Mittal’s goal is to make sure that “everybody in this community has a voice […] that we all feel like a part of something and that we don’t feel isolated […] or distant,” she said.

Avik Wadhwa is running for the office of Vice President “to give back to [his] community.”

Cindy Liu states that she would like to make information about events easily accessible and organized to the freshmen class. If elected for Secretary, “I’ll feel really accomplished and motivated to continue working hard and start making good changes for the freshmen class.”

Jason Chu

If elected, Kevin Su will strive to “raise the spirit […] and feeling of unity, and have better dances.” To him the best part about student council is “the feeling […] that you can make a difference.”

Avik Wadhwa

secretary

Manthra Panchapakesan

“I want the entire freshmen class to have a lot of fundraisers so they can raise a lot of money [...] I [also] want the class of 2015 to be more unified and spirited,” Rahul Jayaraman said.

Arya Kaul is ready to change the school with 23 different ideas that he has listed in preparation for his speech. His goal is “to make it the best freshmen year ever.”

vice president

Manthra Panchapakesan wishes to “take everyone else’s ideas and incorporate them into the student council so [the freshman class] can plan out different events.”

Angeline Pan

Sarah Bean

Arya Kaul

Diba Massihpour

Ryan Pachauri

Sarah Bean was Class President in seventh grade, and she “missed it so much” that she is now running for the position again.

Her main goal is “getting the voices of the students heard […] because they have the best ideas.”

“I [would] really enjoy having that ability to make changes and make the school a better place,” Ayush Midha said, speaking about what motivated him to run.

“I hope to influence people that new kids can also fit in and take on leadership roles in school.

I want to be an inspiration to [new kids],” Daniela Lee said. “If I win, it will prove that newcomers can win and that we can participate in school.”

Ashin Mehta, who would like “to be an effective member of student council,” wants to host and plan fundraisers if elected as Treasurer to make the freshmen class extremely spirited and to supply them with items like class t-shirts, sunglasses, and more.

“I just want to make [everything] better for the entire ninth grade, and the way we are going to go about this is by taking in the opinions of the ninth grade class themselves,” Vedant Thyagaraj said.

“I really want this school year to be really fun, and I know that if I’m on the council, I am going to really help the freshmen class,” Vivian Isenberg said.

Vivian Isenberg

Andrew Jin

David Lin

“For [his] skills and personality,” Andrew Jin believes that Treasurer is the perfect way for him to give back to the community by raising money and managing the budget,.

David Lin hopes to be able to “make sure that our budget is okay and that we have sufficient money to spend on the students.”

4

September 30, 2011

News

the Winged Post

Planning: L.I.F.E Board to expand

“It was amazing and motivating [to see] everyone believe in everyone else.”

Sophomore and junior class trips

allison kiang & allison sun

OCEAN Trimming the sails, Amanda Kalb (11) helps out her fellow shipmates during the sail boat race (Top). Kiran Arimilli (11) tugs the rope of the sailing boat (Left). As a way to demonstrate their newly learned sailing skills, juniors who traveled to Santa Cruz raced against each other at the end of the day. Juniors enjoyed learning new skills and working with each other during the trip.

TREES Sophomores Shreyas Parthasarathy, Dennis Moon, and Raymond Xu help a fellow student up a wall at Ropes Course (Bottom right). Several advisories worked together to pull individuals up and over a wall in a limited time.

reporters This year, with hopes to incorporate more input from students, the Living with Intent Focus and Enthusiasm (L.I.F.E.) Board headed by supervisor Jane Keller is recruiting new members to expand and improve its program.

“The more opinions that the board can hear, the better of an understanding they will grasp for the general opinion towards the L.I.F.E. sessions and high school,” said Claudia Tischler (10), a member of the L.I.F.E. Board.

The “ideal” size of the board consists of three seniors, three juniors, two to three sophomores, and one to two freshmen.

The L.I.F.E. Board provides activities such as yoga sessions for juniors, Eagle Buddies program for sophomores, informative presentations for all classes and more.

“You understand the influence you have, and you want to make L.I.F.E. days better,” Noel Witcosky (12) said.

“The point is to rejuvenate the program, and I feel you can do something good with the help of your fellow students on the committee.”

A few years ago, only freshmen were required to take Wellness classes every Tuesday and Friday for a quarter in the year. Today, Wellness is known as L.I.F.E. and is offered to all upper school students.

When Keller was appointed as supervisor last year, she immediately asked for a board of both students and faculty, differing from the original onemember “board.”

“I wanted to make sure that it was a community effort [and] something that we all think about,” Keller said.

“I had students join last year and they were great.”

Last year, the L.I.F.E. Board or-

ganized presentations on topics such as time and stress management, drug awareness, sex education, and college preparation to educate students on making conscious decisions regarding their lifestyle.

“Wellness is a way of life, wellness is a way to think, and maybe [a way] to start getting people to look at how they eat and how they sleep,” Keller said.

In addition to advising students about healthy lifestyles, the board has been coordinating the sophomore Eagle Buddies program. This year, the board is continuing the program by extending it to three years from sophomore year to senior year. Juniors will continue to meet their Eagle Buddies from last year while current sophomores will begin the program in the beginning of October with a trip to Bucknall. By next year, every senior, junior, and sophomore will have an Eagle Buddy.

“I really like the principles behind [L.I.F.E.], and I’d like to see it expand and see more done,” board member Daanish Jamal (12) said. “We want our message to be heard, and we want it to be relevant.”

With the first L.I.F.E. day of the school year on October 5, freshmen will have their first assembly on enjoying high school, while sophomores will visit their Eagle Buddies, and juniors and seniors will attend a session on social responsibility.

All interested students will be evaluated by Keller and the administration. According to Keller, potential L.I.F.E. representatives should maintain a healthy lifestyle and set the example of positive attitude and behavior.

In addition, they must be able to effectively manage their schedules and be prepared for a four-year commitment on the L.I.F.E. Board.

The necessity of standardized testing

University goes SAT/ ACT test optional william chang & dora tzeng news editor & reporter DePaul University, a private nonprofit institution of higher education, has joined hundreds of other schools in adopting a SAT Reasoning and ACT test-optional policy for its application.

Those who choose not to include their standardized test scores for DePaul’s application will be evaluated through their high school performance in college preparatory courses and required supplemental essays, which, according to the school’s website, reveal the most about the student’s academic abilities.

The university adopted this policy due to its mission statement, which affirms that the school was originally founded chiefly to serve “first generation college students, especially those from the diverse cultural and ethnic groups in [Chicago’s] metropolitan area.”

“We focus on those students, and we know that if anyone gets shortchanged educationally in this country, it’s those kids,” said Jon Boeckenstedt, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Policy and Planning, in an email interview with The Winged Post. “They have less access to the test-obsessed schools, the test-prep, and the resources to take the test several times.”

FairTest.org, a website which purports to list almost 850 test-optional universities, including DePaul University, Bates College, and Bowdoin College strives “to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial.”

The college counselors at the Upper School agree that there is iniquity in judging such a diverse pool of ap-

plicants based on standardized tests.

“Imagine a different environment. You’re home-schooled or [go to a] rural school—Northern California [or] Weed, California. For [Upper School students] to sit through the SAT, it might be no big deal, [but] some other kids coming from different areas might not have ever had something thrown at them like this,” College Counselor Martin Walsh said.

“

For [Upper School students] to sit through the SAT, it might be no big deal, [but] some other kids coming from different areas might not have ever had something thrown at them like this.

”

Martin Walsh, College Counselor

However, even though many schools have stopped requiring the test scores, the college counselors do not see a trend that will eventually eliminate the SAT and ACT from the application process.

“The SAT is inherently unfair, but I don’t see [the SAT] going away because I think colleges need the data [for school statistics],” Walsh said. “I think they like to use it in their rankings [as well].”

Removing the standardized testing might actually lead to undesirable consequences according to College Counselor Sandra Padgett.

“If everybody dropped the SAT’s tomorrow, what you would probably see is grade inflation across the board, all over the United States,” Padgett said.

“Many [public] schools would feel that they’d like to do their students a favor and make their districts look good.”

At the Upper School, students are advised to begin taking their SAT Subject Tests as sophomores and have the SAT Reasoning or ACT completed by the end of the first semester of their senior year. Students who are well acquainted with the testing process have varying opinions on the requirement.

Aranshi Kumar (12) believes that test-optional is a good policy for applications.

“I feel like my SAT scores don’t really reflect how well I do in school,” she said.

Edar Liu (9) agrees that standardized tests are not accurate assessments of aptitude. “[I think the SAT Reasoning and ACT] only [assess] the way students take tests-their testing skills, not their actual brain capacity,” he said.

Other students believe there is some merit to the examinations: the tests give universities an easy way to evaluate its applicants.

“I think the SAT is an accurate way to gauge someone’s understanding of the basic subjects,” Shrreya Jain (11) said. “[Schools] can’t just rely on grades; they need something uniform to test everyone so that they can measure on a national level instead of an individual school.”

Whether or not standardized testing is a good way to assess ability, students at the Upper School will nonetheless have to take the SAT or ACT on their path to college.

During the voyage, he served as the Mission Specialist, coordinated international projects and experiments, and conducted the final space walk of the shuttle program. The five other members of the crew were Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittorio, and Andrew Feustel.

One of the group’s major priorities was the installation of the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), a spectrometer that identifies particles instead of light photons and that can detect dark matter and antimatter. Moreover, they helped finish the International Space Station. In fact, Chamitoff was the one who placed the last and final piece of the station.

After returning to Earth, Chamitoff noted significant physical changes in his body. He had lost 10 percent of the bone mass in his hip and had

extreme difficulty walking in the presence of gravity. It was three days before he could walk normally and months before he could fully run and exercise.

Chamitoff ’s voyage represented the end of NASA’s Space Shuttle program. However, space research and a commitment to astronautics is still a priority for NASA. “We need a big rocket again, and that’s going to take a few years,” he said. “The mistake we made was that we retired the shuttle before we had the next vehicle ready to go [...] and that’s all politics.”

He said that the program is aiming to have the first crew flight beyond the first lower orbit by 2018, which in his opinion is too late but is all the government can fiscally support.

Chamitoff hopes to inspire in students a desire to investigate the world of aeronautics, science and the “infinite unknown.”

Nikoloff continues lecture series

DARIAN EDVALSON -- WINGED POST

TRISHA JANI -- WINGED POST

ALL OTHER PHOTOS KEVIN LIN -- WINGED POST

Astronaut CONTINUED FROM FRONT

SEMINAR Head of School Christopher Nikoloff discusses the relationship between the physical body and the soul. The first lecture of his six-part seminar series was held at Nichols Hall Auditorium on September 28.

mercedes chien photo editor

Head of School Christopher Nikoloff recommenced his lecture series on September 28 during long lunch, discussing the philosophical concepts between the soul and the human body. The seminar is comprised of six general topics based off of Alan Watts’ s The Book: on the Taboo against Knowing Who You Are. Nikoloff started the lecture series a year ago to open participants’ minds and to present new concepts that they have not necessarily considered.

In contrast to Six Great Ideas examined last year, the chapters that will be explored this year are more interactive and designed for young adults by introducing “the notion that [they] have implications for [their] decisions,” according to Nikoloff.

“This [year’s lectures series are] much more personal in terms of looking at who you might be versus a straight lecture series on truth and justice,” he said.

Besides suggesting a new perspective on the relationship between the physical body and the soul, the presentation also questioned the existence of self. Audience members also debate the influence of religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Daoism on identity.

“It was fascinating [and] really interesting to think about,” audience member Anna Kendall (10) said.

Maya Nelson (12) agrees. She believes that the discussions allow students to explore individuality and pause from their hectic agendas.

“I definitely enjoyed being in an atmosphere where kids and teachers were on the same playing field and all of us could discuss the same concepts with each other without it being as hierarchical as it is in class settings,” she said.

The remaining five concepts Nikoloff will examine are “Games of Black and White,” “How to be a Genuine Fake,” “The World – Your Body,” “So What?,” and “It.”

Opinion l

the magic of food priyanka mody

editor in chief Every Sunday morning, for as long as I can remember, I’ve accompanied my mother to our local farmers’ market where I am always surrounded by the difficult choices: bright, fuchsiacolored beets or tender, milky-white horse radishes.

What used to be a dreaded, early-morning chore of waking up and shuttling over to the farmer’s market, has now become a privilege I seldom enjoy during first semester senior year.

Weekends are used to catch up on lost sleep, so I reluctantly must reject foggy-skied mornings amidst rows of garden-fresh produce to remain underneath a heap of down covers.

Food is one of those things that has always intrigued me to the point of obsession. I ask my mother what’s for dinner as soon as I finish lunch. The pressing question is always, what’s in the fridge? I eat when I’m bored; I bake when I’m stressed.

I spend more hours on Food&Wine and Epicurious than on Facebook, scanning the hundreds of possible pies and casseroles and book-

“

marking my favorites along the way.

I own a library of recipe books and year-old cooking magazines, stained from gastronomic disasters. And I’ve watched Ratatouille enough times to recite the lines word for word.

It baffles me that not enough people cook.

Families would rather bring home a quick takeout than spend less than an hour putting together a basic, healthy meal.

Cooking is the marriage of flavors. It’s finely chopping a garlic and tomato and sautéing them in olive oil. Slicing a plump, green zucchini and tossing it into the mixture. Turning up the flame and sprinkling a pinch of salt.

It’s the chemistry and art of being able to create an intense masterpiece out of simple compounds. A bit of tradition with a dash of creativity, spiced up with my own personal touch; that extra ingredient called “me.”

Every recipe isn’t just a regurgitation from a cookbook. It contains traces the chef ’s fingerprints—a spontaneous garnish or an extra hint of chili to add some heat—as it is served upon the table, ready to be devoured.

But more than self-expression and the unity of flavors, food brings people together. Across the world and throughout history, food has played an integral part in celebrating festivals, weddings and other joyous occasions.

Thanksgiving is celebrated around food, because it is the quintessence of family and friendship.

My own family makes it a priority to eat together every night; no matter what, all four of us will sit at the dinner table and share the little bits of insight we gleaned from the day—a funny

talk around campus

”

“I feel like if you’re really going to destroy the community, then consider who it’s affecting, because it’s literally going to affect everybody: girl, boy, faculty, student, maintenance, whoever.”

What’s your message to the bathroom bandit? meena chetty reporter

“We have an incredible community and people who work at Harker and care for the students and try to make the school a really warm and clean, wonderful place; instead, because of our actions, the school is a place where students don’t feel as if they’re respecting their own environment.”

- Amy Gendotti (11)

- Jennifer Siraganian, English Teacher “They’re rather insensitive to do something like that which would cause an inconvenience to the entire school.”

“If you’re troubled or if you’re angry about something, find help or talk it out. Don’t destroy property.”

- Dr. Victor Adler, Mathematics Teacher

- Vikas Bhetanabhotla (10) “Defacement of property at Harker is wrong because the maintenance staff will always have to clean up the bathrooms.

Closing down the bathrooms was a good idea to show students that we are all a community and if one person dos something, that will affect all of us.”

“They should come out and say they did it. While it is bad that they did it to start, it’s worse that they’re hiding.”

- Michael Cheng (11)

- Rohith Bhethanabotla (10)

“I think what the person did is really obvious and they should confess that, because if someone else finds out, then they can tell on them.”

- Julia Wang (9)

on the clock manthra panchapakesan

reporter Have you ever come back home after an intense workout at soccer practice, only to realize that you have a ton of homework, a science test the next day, and an hour long session of violin practice?

The answer is time management: 1) Plan out your day Everyday after school, I make a list of everything I have to do. I group them under the categories “must do,” “like to do,” and “appointments.” The “must do” category includes homework due the next day, tests to study for, and any other daily obligations.

The “like to do” category has items that are still important, but can be done later.

For example, a math test coming up in two days. This category is useful in balancing your workload for the entire week or longer. Finally, the “appointments” category consists of scheduled commitments such as dance classes.

This method of planning works well, because I can estimate how much time each item on my list will probably take.

2) Take scheduled breaks When you work for long periods of time without a stop, you tend to lose focus and not be as efficient. Make sure to assign some time in your schedule just for you to relax and do whatever you want. The key to this is fixing a specific time and the amount of time during which you’re going to take a break. The most common way high schoolers waste time is by suddenly thinking, ”Let me just take a five minute break right now...” This sudden, unplanned break often lasts for much longer, mostly because of the Internet. In order to prevent this, arrange fixed intervals throughout the evening when you can relax.

anecdote, a not-so-great test score, something I learned in class. It’s the ideal way to spend “quality family time.”

Similarly, at school, lunch is often the only time when I can socialize with a few of my friends.

My advisory can’t even function without some sort of delectable sweet or savory. In fact, one of the first things we did at the start of the school year was create a food sign up sheet. Ah, the priorities.

Alumni always come back to the food—yes, it’s really no mystery that most post-graduates visit during long lunch.

We’re immensely lucky not to have typical school cafeteria food served daily. Our menu carries the whole spectrum of international flavor: from sushi to samosas to Swedish meatballs, the options are endless. Somehow, even the French fries seem healthier.

But this column is hardly about being healthy. In fact, some of the most creatively wellmade dishes are drizzled with butter or topped with ample amounts of crème fraiche. Cooking is so beautiful, yet so simple.

Many of us have been in that position where we’re choosing between ready-made boxed salads or take-out.

But I urge you to create space to genuinely care for the food you ingest. Explore the endless options and cook something—whether it is revisiting an old recipe you’ve been saving, or just boiling pasta for the first time.

You may suffer through a few kitchen catastrophes with a couple battle scars, but I promise you, the end result will be pure satisfaction.

“My message is to think about the people that you’re affecting. You have to think about the people who have to stay here and they already clean our bathrooms. Why do you have to make it worse for them? They’re closing down all the bathrooms and it’s crazy.”

- Margaret Krackeler (12)

Real girls face real pressures riya godbole reporter

Dove’s “Real Girls, Real Pressure” national study surveyed 1,029 girls and concluded that seven in ten believe they are not good enough or do not measure up to others in some way, including their looks, academic performance in school, and their relationship with friends and family members. Sad? Yes. Shocking? Hardly. In fact, just a short while ago, I was one of those seven girls.

It started innocently enough. I, being an immense fan of Abercrombie & Fitch, was casually browsing through its website when I happened to look upon a section called “Classic Looks.”

Basically, it was a way to showcase the newest, most ridiculously-priced clothes from its latest collection on a model. I was mesmerized. I wanted the clothes to look as good on me as they did on her.

So I started to compare myself to her. We’ve all been told how stupid it is, right? To compare yourself to a Photoshopped, retouched model?

But we do it, anyways. When I went into the fitting room and tried on the clothes I had seen the model wearing, I felt discouraged, unattractive, awkward, and chubby. I honestly think that’s one of the worst feelings in the world. Feeling as though you don’t measure up and never will. You suddenly begin to see yourself in an entirely new light, one that highlights each of your flaws and disregards your strengths entirely.

After that, I would put myself down constantly and blame myself for not being able to pull off the clothes. You have to stop being lazy and do more crunches, I would tell myself. Stop stuffing yourself with Oreos; you know that’ll make your tummy stick out. I became paranoid about my appearance, obsessing over the tiniest blemish.

At the time, I do believe I had good intentions. Exercising and cutting back on junk food are essential for staying healthy and fit. It was my motives that were wrong. I should’ve wanted to

start being healthy for my own satisfaction. Instead, I was pressured by the media’s version of the ideal body image and felt obligated to conform.

Because we’re surrounded by it, we’re suffocated by it. That latest issue of your favorite magazine you just picked up? Yup, it’s in there. Those ads you see every time you walk past Victoria’s Secret?

Totally. Star Magazine featured an issue named “BEST & WORST BEACH BODIES” in which they offered praise as well as unnecessarily brutal criticism of those celebrities who actually had realistic bodies. The media sets an unattainable and unachievable image that is only possible to live up to through computer editing. The scary part?

Girls take it to heart. The “Real Girls, Real Pressure” survey also revealed that an alarming 75% of girls between the ages of eight and 17 resort to engaging in harmful behavior such as eating disorders, cutting, drinking, or smoking due to low self-esteem.

I, like many others, chose to listen to these harmful sources and to encourage them. For example, on blogging sites like Tumblr, there are countless blogs and posts related to becoming skinnier or stating negative thoughts such as “Why am I so ugly? I wish I could just be pretty,” and “I’m worthless and insignificant.” Many of these stem from pressure from the media.

Looking back at my previous mindset, I feel angry more than anything. At the media, of course, for lowering my self-esteem, making me feel like I wasn’t good enough, making me cry, and feel disappointed in myself for not reaching unrealistic expectations. But I also feel anger towards myself.

How could I let something so shallow and petty affect me to the point where I felt disgusted with myself ? As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

So, next time you feel disheartened in a fitting room, erase the image of perfection from your mind. Think of this article and think of me, telling you that you are so much better than succumbing to the idiotic expectations of a superficial industry.

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

6

on the

DL

daniela lapidous opinion editor

Every day, I have access to some of the best advice-givers I could ask for.

They are world-renowned writers and masters of their lives. They have hundreds of thousands of loyal followers that keep up with their every move. And I am one of those people who has personal access to the inner workings of their minds.

Yes, the rumors are true. I’m really, really, really addicted to reading their blogs.

At first, this activity even seems somewhat wholesome: reading posts like “100 Ways You Can Start Loving Yourself Right Now,” or “34 Little Ways to Share with the World,” or “De-clutter Your Room Once and For All” could do no harm, right?

I mean… self-confidence, upstanding citizenship, and a clean desk are nothing to sneeze at.

These authors – including Gala Darling of her eponymous website and Leo Babauta of Zen Habits – have helped and inspired a lot of people, including me.

But when I find myself wasting away minutes and even hours reading advice that other people dispense around-theclock, I have to wonder whether I’m spending more time reading the advice or taking the advice.

And what exactly am I looking for? If all of these bloggers are so brilliant, enticing me back again and again, why don’t I feel satisfied?

The answer suddenly became clear to me, maybe a week ago: whether you are a blog addict or just constantly asking friends for help or advice, there’s probably something inside of you that already knows exactly what you need to hear.

When I saw a therapist for anxiety attacks, it seemed funny to me that I knew everything that she was telling me already; my errant mind just needed to hear it from someone authoritative.

So, basically, note to self: I am my only real authority!

With my own mix of experiences, personality traits, and perspectives, I am the only one who can know the truly right path for myself, just as you would know it for yourself.

What to do with this revelation?

Well, having read so many of these selfhelp pieces by now, I could probably start monetizing a regurgitated version of that.

Or, you know, I could just be straight up honest and tell myself what I know I want to hear. Let’s briefly give that last bit a try: 1. No matter where I get into or go to college, life will be what I make of it.

2. Nothing’s going to get done unless you just do it. Forget productivity or organizational tips. They all just trick me into thinking that magic will help me get stuff done while I spend the rest of my time online, anyways. No. Just develop an intolerance for inaction.

3. Happiness is a choice; optimism is the method. Remember that every thought, action, and reaction is truly a choice (maybe something useful did stick from those nefarious blogs).

4.“Right now, I am doing my best, and that may not be exactly what I want it to look like, but that is perfect.” I actually got this one from a real person, a yoga teacher, whom I know. Booyah!

5. Your past has led you to your present. Even your mistakes have been stepping stones to the present moment, so just assess whether you’re happy with now, rather than dwelling on long ago.

Anyways, it may seem a bit early to do this kind of “here’s-what-I’ve learned” piece – after all, I have six columns to go.

But I figure that you need advice in the middle of things, not when you’re done.

When you’re done, you give advice to others who are in the middle.

So, my timing is perfect, as this is my advice to myself in the midst of my last year of high school.

I simply can’t be held responsible if you either follow one of my four pieces of advice or see what advice you could give yourself.

Because that would just be too ironic, wouldn’t it?

Features

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

7

“It’s offering them a second opportunity at life in general.”

John Heyes tutors English at San Quentin Prison meena chetty & monica thukral managing editor - talonwp & reporter This past summer, John Heyes, English teacher, tutored his students in writing papers about The Odyssey. Their dedication, motivation, and goals impressed him greatly. During this time, Heyes learned about the challenges and resilience of incarcerated men at San Quentin State Prison while he shared his knowledge with them.

Over a course of ten weeks, Heyes visited the prison near Oakland weekly to assist inmates in redirecting their lives through tutoring sessions.

Heyes began volunteering at the Prison University Project (PUP) at San Quentin after hearing about it a couple of years ago on KQED Public Radio.

“I thought it was such a great idea because I have always felt from what I read and hear that incarcerated men and women often don’t have opportunities while they are incarcerated to improve their job skills, expand their mind, be in a better position when they are paroled to find a job, and develop more self respect and more confidence so they can function when they are outside.,” he said.

He worked as an English tutor for inmates interested in taking classes that would enable them to fulfill their high school General Educational Development (GED) or Associates in Arts Degree (AA) and become better prepared to begin to work once they are paroled.

Every Friday evening, Heyes drove over two hours to the prison from his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains to meet with the prisoners and assist them in writing essays and developing ana-

lytical and grammatical skills.

The prison categorizes the inmates into four categories, with members of the first level being the least dangerous and those of the fourth level posing the greatest threat. In order to ensure maximum security of the program, only prisoners of levels one and two were allowed into the program after undergoing several screening tests.

According to Heyes, the PUP tutor orientation reassured mentors on the program’s high level of selectivity in terms of the prisoners chosen.

Although San Quentin houses the state’s only gas chamber and death row, Heyes explains that he did not feel afraid. Most of the guards that he noticed did not carry firearms.

“Yes, I walked by fencing with barbed wire on top, but after a while, you see that it is just a fact of life,” he said.

Heyes compared the tutoring to “a big extra help session.” About half a dozen inmates would enter the room and choose a tutor depending on which subject they needed help on.

These sessions would often be one-onone.

Additionally, Heyes noticed that all the prisoners selected for the program were highly motivated. He mentioned that one inmate, who happened to be a three-striker, was one of his most dedicated students in terms of improving essay-writing skills and discussing books such as The Odyssey. All of the students, even those who did not expect to be paroled in the near future,

had a purpose and goal in mind for their studies, according to Heyes.

“One of the pleasant aspects is that I never had to try to motivate them. They were eager and ready to make their lives better,” he said.

Heyes also explained that after completing the requirements to receive a GED or an AA degree, the prison held a graduation ceremony for graduates and their families. Similar to high schools and colleges, PUP always honors a particularly accomplished individual with the title of Valedictorian and the opportunity to present a speech at the ceremony.

Heyes recounted an experience when the valedictorian of one of the prison’s programs approached him for help on his graduation a d -

dress.

After reading it, Heyes described it as a “knockout” speech. Working closely with this student was one of the reasons why Heyes was determined to attend the graduation, even though it meant leaving his home at 5:30 a.m.

At the ceremony, the valedictorian of another branch of PUP gave

Hats Off Harker: 61st annual picnic kevin lin & sarah bean

Clubs such as WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Have no hesitation to don that der- ily picnic, where the atmosphere and Mathematics), Robotics, GEO by. No need to shy away from the som- of the day is not focused around (Global Empowerment and Outbrero. Flaunt a fedora without fear. Hat academics, but is centered on takreach), NHS (National Honor Socihair is perfectly permitted at the 61st ing a break from the stress of school. ety), and the football team have been annual family picnic, Hats Off Harker.

“The picnic gives the school a sense helping to run booths and activities.

On October 9, the 61st an- of continuity over the years,” Martin This year, the 11th grade Eagle nual family picnic will be held at the said. “There are people that come back Buddy groups will be meeting their Blackford campus from 10 a.m. to to see how the school has changed. buddies for an hour and playing games.

4 p.m., providing a day of fun-filled [The picnic] allows the school to show Every year, NHS members volactivities for the school community. off a little bit – all the wonderful things unteer to work the train that circles Picnic Coordinator Lynette Sta- that have happened at our school.” around the picnic. Amy Gendotti (11), pleton and Director of Summer ProLike parents, students atwho went to the picnic grams Kelly Espinosa, have when she was a youngworked together for over 25 er student, is a member years planning the annual of NHS who will be picnics. They manage a team volunteering this year. of parent volunteers who “I love berun different committees. ing able to [volunteer] This year’s theme was for other people. It’s decided at a picnic comprobably one of my mittee meeting with parfavorite things. […] ent volunteers. Espinosa It brings back good said the committee was memories,” Amy said. “having coffee and tryAccording to Espinosa, Uping to think of something clever and tending the picnic also enjoy the per School students have been setdifferent [… until] one of the par- school wide community feeling. ting an example for the younger ents said something about hats.”

Sonali Netke (9) goes to the students by contributing to the Espinosa said she works to keep picnic “just to have a good time, to community during the picnic. the same thing that “kids and families have the weekend off to do some“Older students coming to prolove” in the traditional event, but also thing fun, and spend time and vide fun for younger ones is a termake the event fun and of interest. get closer with [her] friends.” rific example of how our commuThe newest addition to the picnic Unlike most Lower and Midnity works,” Espinosa said. “The this year will be food trucks. Five of the dle School students, many Uppicnic is evolving into an event for Bay Area’s most popular food trucks will per School students said that they Upper School kids to give back to be catering at the event, such as Treatbot. do not have time to go to the picnic. their school and [helping] younger Treatbot’s cofounder Chris“I think it’s because they’re busy ones make memories of the picnic that tine Sebastian said “we offer eight either with studying for SATs, or they enjoyed in their younger years!” super premium ice cream [flavors] they think that it’s boring because Like students, teachers also enjoy and custom ice cream sandwiches [...] it’s more of a function for little the festivities of the picnic. Some even [… and] also offer karaoke, which kids. [The picnic] should have more take on the extreme by volunteering to sets us apart from the rest. Karaoke activities for older kids, like more be in the dunk tank. Computer science is an engaging and entertaining ele- physical games instead of more prize teacher Susan King, has previously rose ment of what we offer to our clients.” games,” said Junior Daniza Rodriguez. to the challenge because the activity Greg Martin, a long-time parInstead of going to the picnic sounded like fun to her, and she wantent volunteer for the family event, said for the carnival games, some Upper ed to contribute to the community. the major goal of the picnic “is to cre- School students have been going to “It’s surprising – the whiplash ate a sense of community to give stu- the picnic for the service component. you get from being [in the dents of all ages, their families, dunk tank]. I wasn’t prepared [and] alumni, the opportunity for ‘BOING!’” King said. to get out of the classroom Although not whipand basically just have fun.” lash-inducing, Espinosa’s Martin started volunteermost cherished memoing to get involved in the comries involve the satisfaction munity and meet families doing she receives from younger it. He is responsible for running students after the picnic. the picnic bar in the Multi“Last year a tiny little girl, Purpose Room at Blackford, maybe first grade, came running and his favorite picnic memory up to me at school – totally unwas decorating the bar with expected – and hugged my leg.” a moose head two years ago.

Espinosa said. “I patted her on The community comes PICNIC ATTENDANCE 182 polled students described the back and said ‘Thanks for together every year to relax whether or not they would attend the picnic this year. the hug’ and she said, ‘Thanks This year’s event will take place on October 9. and play games at the famfor making a great picnic!’” managing editor & reporter

a memorable speech regarding racial walls. Heyes said that the graduate described how upon beginning his term in prison, he saw each person as his or her race. However, as his time in San Quentin progressed, he noticed that the prisoners no longer thought of each other in that way.

“It was one of the best graduation speeches I had heard. It was so heartfelt. It was so powerful. You c o u l d n’t make it up,

and it was so worth that,” Heyes said.

Amy Roza, the Program Director of PUP, explained that working with the 150 volunteers at the program is “inspiring” because they help to teach people who may not have received complete educations growing up. She hopes to inform the public about the experiences of PUP students and also about the prison system in California and in the United States.

About Heyes she said, “He has an excellent rapport with the students and he was very dedicated in his work with them.”

Heyes’s students echoed the idea that his volunteering was commendable.

“I was really impressed and kind of inspired because I thought it was a really nice thing [...] to help a prisoner, because it’s offering them a second opportunity at life in general,” Mary Liu (10) said.

Although this volunteer position was similar to what he does every day, he felt that he was applying his skills in a different venue.

“I’ve always liked new challenges,” Heyes said.

Heyes encourages anyone interested in volunteering at San Quentin State Prison to learn more about it through the PUP website.

“Any contribution we can make, however small, is worth making,” he said.

Heyes is eager to return next summer to volunteer at PUP and continue tutoring inmates to assist them in improving their futures.

MEENA CHETTY & MONICA THUKRAL -- THE WINGED POST

Preview of Fall Play

You Can’t Take It With You sanjana baldwa & jason chu lifestyle editor & reporter At first the Sycamores are crazy, but if they are crazy, then the rest of the world is crazier. Welcome to the show ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’ this year’s fall play that will be taken on by the Upper School Conservatory.

The play is a comical and fun clash of lifestyles and ideologies, following a man from a wealthy and snobbish background who falls in love with a woman from a modest and lunatic family.

Jeffrey Draper, the fall play director and Study of Theater Arts and Advanced Acting teacher, along with the whole cast, is excited to present this “really, really funny show”.

The play follows the story of Tony Kirby, the son of a greedy and arrogant family, who is in love with Alice, the daughter of the crazy, simple, and happy Sycamores. When Tony brings his parents to dine with Alice’s family, they are astonished by the Sycamores’ cheap and plain lifestyle. Compared to the Kirby’s lavish and expensive customs, the Sycamores buy inexpensive food and live an ordinary life. The Kirbys reject Alice, and an unavoidable yet hilarious conflict arises between the two very distinct families.

“It’s a beautiful story. It has a lot to say about love and acceptance,” Draper said. “And it’s all done with the guise of silliness, but it really has got a message at its heart. It is a very sweet show.”

Twenty people will perform the show and each will have an important role.

“The cast meets beyond my expectations,” Draper said. “The extra time and energy that went into putting the actors into their roles is paying off because they fit their roles really well.”

Cecilia Lang-Ree (11), who is playing Alice Sycamore, the obsessive and pessimistic character in the show, is extremely enthusiastic for rehearsals.

“I have simply been looking forward to rehearsal every day for this show more than any other show that I have been in to date,” she said. “I have had an absolutely wonderful time so far and the best is yet to come.”

Tina Crnko (12), who is playing the wise, quirky, and down-to-earth matriarch Martina Vanderhof, is mainly excited for working with Draper and the cast.

“This cast is so endlessly funny.

Each person brings so many new ideas to each rehearsal. We have great chemistry as a group,” she said. “And working with Draper is something I’ve been

looking forward to all summer.”

The performance holds many challenges for the cast. One of the most difficult tasks is interpreting and understanding their characters.

“I think the emotional progress of this character is deeper than anything I’ve been challenged with before, so working on the honesty and truth of my portrayal will be difficult but definitely fun,” Cecilia said. “I look forward to rising to this occasion.”

Tristan Killeen (12), who is playing pyromaniac Paul Sycamore, finds

“

This show is uncorked sparkling cider. This show just bubbles over with love and warmth... definitely not a show to miss.

Tina Crnko (12)

”

maintaining the hilarity of the show challenging.

“The hardest part of a comedy like this will be in a few weeks, where the jokes stop being funny to the cast,” he said. “The challenge will be making sure that we’re still hitting the laughs even when the humor becomes stale to us.”

Draper agrees with the many challenges actors have to face in this play.

“I always pick a show that has a large cast to get as many performers in the conservatory to have opportunities as possible,” Draper said. “I think it offers the performers unique challenges in different kinds of humor and different kinds of characterization.”

Overall, the cast has faith that this show will keep the audience entertained.

“This show is uncorked sparkling cider. The humor is so light and buoyant and sweet … this show just bubbles over with love and warmth,” Tina said.

“This is definitely not a show to miss.”

Starting from October 27, four performances will be held over a span of three days at the Blackford theater.

8

September 30, 2011

Features

the Winged Post

John Near scholars share summer research SHILPA NATARAJ - WINGED POST

Five seniors recount preliminary findings and future goals

Max Isenberg shilpa nataraj global editor Poring over history books in the library, watching documentaries, and collaborating with mentors have constituted the summers of five seniors: Max Isenberg, Sarah Howells, Laura Yau, Dwight Payne, and Cole Manaster.

As a culminating senior thesis, rising seniors had the opportunity to apply for either the John Near Grant or the Mitra Family Scholar Grant to work closely with librarian Sue Smith and mentors to pursue independent research in history.

“I know for my dad and my grandpa, a big part of establishing this grant was to bolster the history department and provide an avenue for students who are passionate about history,” Casey Near, Near’s daughter and a member of the selection committee, said.

According to parent Samir Mitra, the vision of the Mitra Family Scholar Grant was to emphasize the importance of the humanities, particularly in the professional sphere. “[With this grant,] we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to the humanities as being an integral and critical part of the development of students,” he said. “We see [its importance] ourselves everyday.”

Max Isenberg After reading a couple of his father’s books on naval battles, Max Isenberg became inspired to research how nuclear submarines affected Cold War diplomacy between the years of 1955 to 1985.

The primary challenge he not-

Sarah Howells ed about his research was that certain information was classified.

“Sometimes, going towards fiction gives you a good place to start, to see how people think,” he said.

With the assistance of history teacher and mentor Ramsay Westgate, he is compiling and reading an array of resources and taking notes since the start of summer.

In particular, Westgate appreciated Max’s “intellectual curiosity to find material that is difficult to come by.”

Max plans to interview faculty members who were in the navy and hopes to travel to the Reagan National Library.

Sarah Howells Sarah Howells received the first Mitra Family Scholar Grant to conduct her research on how propaganda influenced civilian morale in Britain during World War II. “The reason I applied for the grant in the first place was partially because I’ve grown up hearing stories about my ancestors,” said Sarah, who has a European heritage. “I enjoyed my three years of history in high school, and I wanted to take it a step further and research.”

Sarah knew she wanted to research World War II because her grandfather is from Britain, one of her ancestors was a British nurse during the war, and her mother’s parents were Holocaust survivors. “[World War II] is a turning point in history,” Sarah said. “If Germany had won, the entire history of the world as we know it would be completely different.”

Sarah’s mentor, history teacher Dr.

Ruth Meyer, was raised in Britain and could thus provide her with guidance.

“When I grew up, I imagined that we were all pulling together for the war effort,” Dr. Meyer said. “But underneath that initial story is how different classes responded to the propaganda.”

During the course of her research, Sarah has said that the challenge is to find information relevant to her topic.

Although she is unsure if it is feasible, Sarah hopes to travel to London to see artifacts from World War II in imperial war museums.

Laura Yau Having found independent history research appealing, Laura Yau applied for and received the John Near Grant to investigate Japanese American Internment Camps in World War II. “[The John Near Grant program] was an opportunity for me to immerse myself in something,” Laura said. “There are no parameters with the grant, and it’s really up to you where you want to take it.”

Laura said she selected this topic partially to connect with her AsianAmerican heritage. She has studied Japanese for five years and has been interested in Japanese culture.

“I probably will go down to Manzanar and visit one of the internment camps and the museum,” she said.

Laura said that her mentor, history teacher Ray Fowler, has “a wealth of information.” She added, “It’s nice to have a mentor because you know they’re there for you, […] because it’s a really big undertaking.”

Students to become Eagle Scouts reporter

A flurry of glowing sparks sputtering off a crackling fire. The tranquil sound of crunchy leaves rustling in a gust of wind. Faint trills of cicadas resonating in the distance. The rich scent of pine bark and crisp mountain air permeating through the placid ambience.

This a common atmosphere for boy scouts Noah Levy (12) and Rohan Chandra (11), who are training to reach the highest of the 6 ranks in the program: Eagle. Only about 1% of scouts are able to achieve this greatly acclaimed level, as it takes a substantial amount of commitment and effort.

Noah and Rohan both joined boy scouts at very young ages: first grade and kindergarten, respectively.

“The fact that I’ve been doing this for so long has made it such a huge impact on my life,” Rohan said.

In the beginning stages, the program consisted mostly of fun outdoor activities and bonding within the troop. However, as they grew older and increased in rank, scouting became increasingly serious and difficult.

“It’s a journey. […] It feels tedious in the beginning, but once you get to where I’ve gotten you really begin to appreciate it,” Noah said.

Contrary to popular belief, scouting is not just about camping and hiking. In fact, scouts participate in a wide range of projects that include working with firearms, first aid and emergency preparedness, going to town council meetings, and community service, among many others.

“You learn so many different skills that you wouldn’t learn outside [of boy scouts],” Rohan said. “For example, you learn to use a pocket knife, and you learn to deal with fire.”

Members of Noah’s troop were even asked by the police department to be part of their hand radio program.

EAGLE SCOUTS Rohan Chandra (11) and Noah Levy (12) are currently training to reach the Eagle rank, the highest in the Boy Scouts program. They have been in the program since kindergarten and first grade, respectively.

“If anything ever happens, we would be one of the few people allowed to use the radios,” Noah said.

However, in order to reach the rank of Eagle, one must exceed beyond these regular activities and meet a series of arduous requirements. This includes earning a total of 21 merit badges in aspects such as first aid, environmental science, citizenship, and lifesaving. In addition, they must also independently develop, organize, and conduct a service project for the community.

“The bulk of the project is not the project itself, but rather planning it and getting the budget and all the logistics figured out,” Rohan said. “[It takes] a lot of independence [and] a lot of leadership.”

For his community service project, Rohan is building and delivering over 250 earthquake kits for the elderly.

“Because the bay area in general has quite an ethnically diverse population especially with the seniors, I also decided to translate the directions [of the kit],” Rohan said.

Due to the fact that fulfilling these requirements takes a lot of time and commitment, most scouts either drop out or do not finish before the maximum age of 18.

“The hardest challenge in the beginning is just being motivated,” Noah said.

However, both Rohan and Noah feel that in the end, their experiences as boy scouts have had a very positive impact on their lives.

“You learn to become a better person in general; you learn to help others when they need it,” Rohan said. “I have [no doubts] I will continue to apply the knowledge that I learned from scouting.”

Noah agrees. “It’s a really good program they have. It teaches you] how to be a leader, how to motivate people, and how to get things done when you don’t have guidelines,” he said. “It was definitely worth it.”

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

emily lin

Dwight Payne

Laura Yau

Fowler noted that serving as a mentor is different from the typical student-teacher relationship.

“It allows me to get to know a student more as a colleague,” he said. “You can see their enthusiasm, and sharing in that is a lot of fun as the mentor.”

Dwight Payne Dwight Payne knew he wanted to pursue research in a topic relevant to today: education.

With parents who are educators, he became interested in education reform. Dwight’s topic is understanding the viability of charter schools in closing the achievement gap of students in different socioeconomic classes.

“What I’m doing is kind of uncharted for the Near program in that it’s more recent than any other project that I think has been done before,” he said.

“History is still being made today, which is why I wanted to do [this research].”

His primary challenge is the scope of his project; with millions of students nationwide and even more sets of test scores, Dwight decided to narrow down his topic by looking at charter schools in California as a case study. “[The achievement gap] is the debate that’s going on all over the country right now,” he said.

As Dwight’s mentor, psychology teacher Kelly Horan said she is impressed by the ambition of the project.

“Seeing [Dwight] go through and ask questions and think about the different implications of questions is really interesting,” she said.

Dwight hopes to interview

Cole Manaster the administrators, superintendents, and principals of certain charter schools to understand their opinions and how they react to his findings.

Cole Manaster After a brief discussion in his AP United States History class, Cole Manaster wanted to delve deeper to understand the decision to use the Green Berets in the Vietnam War. “I think the grant has given me the opportunity to do something that most high school students don’t get to do, which is to do original research in something and then write a gigantic paper about it,” he said. “And the resources to do that are something that most people don’t get at this stage.”

In the summer, he spent time in the library, conducting research. One book he read was A Long Grey Line.

“It was about a class at West Point, the class of 1966, and the majority of the class were the ones that fought in Vietnam,” he said. “It was fascinating just how much it affected our society at that time and how polarizing it was.”

Cole has always had an interest in history but said that his research has further renewed this interest.

His mentor, history teacher Carol Zink, said she was impressed that he wanted to conduct research even though there was no extrinsic reward.

She said, “I always find it exciting to see students do something just because they’re interested in it, not because there’s a payoff.”

Students will complete their final papers prior to Spring Break.

Harker Students: Words of Wisdom

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9 SDS: Student directors preview shows September 30, 2011

Features

The lights dim, the audience hushes, the curtain swishes open. For three Upper School seniors, this is their moment: the annual Student Directed Showcase, an opportunity to put everything they know about performing arts to the test in a halfhour production of their own creation.

After passing a rigorous application process involves personal reflection, interviews, and prerequisite completion of multiple performing arts courses, seniors Tina Crnko, Sebastian Herscher and Alex Najibi were selected to be directors for this year’s Student Directed Showcase.

Tina Crnko (12) For Crnko’s production, she chose the play “Voices in Conflict,”

by Bonnie Dickinson. Designed as a series of monologues on the Iraq Wa r, “Voices in Conflict” is “not a typical play,”

said Crnko. “It’s not written stylistically to resemble any other style of writing because it’s taken directly from interviews, letters, books and blogs.”

She hopes that audiences will be impacted by the production in a way that makes them think about the Middle Eastern conflict from a new perspective.

“You don’t really get to see how immediately it effects certain people,” Crnko said. “[The production] allows insight into the human perspective of those individually involved […] it’s more of a primary source than anything you could see through CNN or Fox.” Given the more serious tone of the play, Crnko hopes to find actors ready to go o u t o f their

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jackie jin

editor in chief - talonwp

comfort zone.

“The biggest challenge will be the darkness of the show,”she said.“Each individual monologue will be very powerful, very gripping. The big challenge for the entire cast is to come to terms with the emotion in the play, but also realize that it’s not a one-toned production.”

Crnko’s interest in participating in the showcase stemmed from her longlived involvement in the performing arts.

“I knew I wanted to be a director in my freshman year,” said Crnko.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing how much my cast is going to grow.

I’m really excited for them to experience a complete one-eighty as far as performance and experience goes.”

Sebastian Herscher (12) After reviewing over forty scripts over the summer, Herscher selected the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” by Tom Stoppard.

“During the reading process, I fell in love with the British playwrights very quickly,” said Herscher.

“That’s how I stumbled upon Stoppard. I had actually performed part of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in freshman year as part of Study of Theater, and after rereading it and narrowing down [my selection], I decided it was the one I wanted to direct.”

The production is a fast-paced comedy, which Herscher foresees as both an asset and a challenge.

“I was drawn to the witty, dry comedy,” he said. “But the humor is fast. At the speed of a human interaction,I would say, which is the biggest challenge.”

Additionally, Herscher notes that the relationship between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern makes the play unique.

Great white shark held in local aquarium alisha mayor & samar malik lifestyle editor & reporter

Opening its massive jaws, the great white shark stealthily swims up behind its prey, lunging in for the kill and tearing it to shreds with its razor sharp teeth. Still ravenous, it moves closer to shore, attacking every man and woman in sight and tearing boats and bridges to shreds.

Pause. Rewind. Replay.

The movie Jaws ingrained in people’s minds decades ago that the great white is a vicious beast of the sea, and since then every movie reference to this shark has included ruthless, unwarranted attacks on humans. On August 31, the Monterey Bay Aquarium research team brought their 6th juvenile great white to the Open Sea exhibit.

The shark, a four-foot, seveninch male, was collected near Marina Del Rey August 18 with the help of a commercial fisherman’s purse-seine net. After faring well for two weeks in a four-milliongallon ocean holding pen off of the Malibu coast, the shark was deemed ready to be brought to the aquarium.

Students were asked what first came to mind when they heard the name “Great White Shark,” and words like dangerous, powerful, deadly, and Jaws were some of the most common.

When the Monterey Bay Aquarium began Project White Shark ten years ago, its first and foremost goal was to educate the general public about the truth of excessively dramatized great white shark. Over the last seven years, the program moved on from simply tagging the sharks for research data to successfully bringing them to the aquarium.

“I think they’re aggressive and appear to be vicious, but it’s kind of

their nature,” Sean Pan (10) said.

“They can’t be blamed.”

Staff members at the aquarium like Lisa Borok, Guest Experience Programs Specialist, give presentations each day on Project White Shark, including a video presentation in the auditorium and a live narration during the Open Sea feeding.

“I saw this little boy, about 6 or 7, who was so excited [to see the great white] that he almost was speechless,” Borok said. “When you see that kind of reaction in somebody, you realize that we’ve touched somebody’s life so profoundly in that way.”

Traci Reid, Guest Program Assistant Manager and staff member of ten years at the aquarium, was with the collection team in Malibu when they transported it to Monterey. She spoke with awe in her voice of how gentle the great white seemed under her wary fingers, despite its immense size, strength, and dexterity underwater.

In terms of Project White Shark, she highlighted that the great whites were not simply on display as curios but were brought to the aquarium to serve as pioneers for the conservation of their species.

“It all goes back to the mission of the aquarium, which is to inspire conservation of the world’s oceans,” Reid said. “Having a white shark here and having this building and other animals here is just touching the surface of what we’re trying to do for these oceans.”

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the only institution to date that has exhibited a great white shark for more than 16 days, the longest stay being five-and-a-half months between 2007 and 2008. With Project White Shark, the aquarists

have been able to successfully release each shark back into the wild, tagging them to track movement.

“We know that this actually inspires people to take action, because they now have a personal connection to something that’s real, not something that’s just on TV or in a book,” Borok said.

Peter Benchley, author of the book Jaws, later adapted by Steven Spielberg for the movie, actually spent a majority of his life after the movie defending sharks.

Hewas invited to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2004 when the first great white was brought in, and a volunteer present during his special viewing said she saw a tear streak down his face.

“I realize now, though, that I was very much a prisoner of traditional conceptions. And misconceptions,” Benchley said to aquarium staff. “If there is something I’m dead certain of, it’s that I could not write Jaws today. I could not turn this beautiful beast into a villain.”

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is also working on a political level to legally protect sharks from consumerist practices like finning, where fisherman cut off the fins of sharks to sell as delicacies. A shark cannot stay afloat without its fin, and therefore, according to nationalgeographic.com, approximately 40 million sharks die each year from finning. On September 6, California passed a bill to ban finning, a motion the aquarium was strongly involved with.

Reid said, “It’s a combination of public education as well as political empowerment that can take a research institution that is also a public aquarium and actually make a really big difference.”

ALISHA MAYOR -- THE WINGED POST

the Winged Post

Herscher hopes to find leads that are “enigmatic, as there is a lot of emotion in the play.”

“They are best friends, they can argue, fight, contemplate,” he said. “I love all Shakespeare […] and it was great that I could find a play that found a different way of looking at [Hamlet].”

so viewers can laugh and have fun.”

Though Najibi believes that dramas “have a lot of art” and can convey powerful messages, he was drawn to comedies due to his own sense of humor.

“I’m kind of a comedic person,” Najibi said. “I want to convey a light-hearted message and have audiences laugh and enjoy themselves.”

The cast for Najibi’s production has flexibility in terms of number, but he aims for “between eight and 20 dynamic, exciting people.”

“It’s a really fun show,” Najibi said.

“I’m looking forward to all the behindthe-scenes stuff that go into making the show possible – that’s always fun.”

Auditions began this past week, and the productions are set to be performed in early January.

Alex Najibi (12) Najibi decided he wanted to be a student director in his freshman year.

“I remember thinking that it was just the coolest thing ever, that a student could direct a play and have it be performed for [anyone] to go see,” he said.

Like Herscher, Najibi chose a comedy for his directed piece, “How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying,” by Jonathan Rand.

Designed as a series of lessons by agents on how to succeed in high school with minimal effort, the play drew Najibi due to its style of humor.

“I was mostly interested in comedies,” said Najibi. “I made this big chart about what I liked about each play [I read] and what I didn’t like, and that’s how I settled on Rand’s.”

Comedy comes WITHOUT with its own fair share of challenges, however.

“The style of humor is a lot of slapstick stuff, in-your-face-funny that audiences will enjoy” he said. “A challenge might be in properly conveying that

HOW TO

SUCCEED

(

REALLY TRYING )

IN

HIGH SCHOOL

PHOTO CREDITS: IMDB.COM

Seven clubs set high

New Clubs: goals for inaugural year kacey fang

reporter Oftentimes, organizations start with a spark. They begin with an idea that eventually rises to become a fullfledged reality, whether it be in the form of a small business, a national program, or one of the new clubs that are starting this year at the Upper School.

Seven clubs that had not previously existed before are now fully equipped and running: the Clean Technology Club, Empowering the Future, Fishing Club, Interp Club, Outdoor Club, Trading Card Games (TCG), and Visual Arts Club.

For Interp Club, the spark was a desire to provide flexibility and opportunities in forensics for those outside the debate program.

“I feel like a lot of the students don’t realize the diversity of Forensics.

So there are people that probably think that debate is only speaking really fast, or that Interp is only acting,” Interp Club advisor Jonathan Peele said.

Claudia Tischler (10) feels that Interp Club works perfectly for her schedule.

“I’m interested in speech and debate, and I haven’t had the chance to participate in it along with my other classes. I’m looking forward to participating in a tournament, [but] I don’t have experience in [Interp], so it shall be full of surprises and challenges,” Claudia Tischler, a member of the Interp Club, said.

On Tuesdays, card players in TCG convene for some light-hearted banter and a game or two of cards. When asked what motivated him to start the TCG club, Josh Bollar (11) shared a laugh with his friend and club secretary Nikhil Agrawal (11).

“I noticed a lot of people play Yugioh, like Nikhil. And I really like playing it so I thought it would be really cool [to start] a club,” Josh said. “One of the things I [still want] to set up is a point system so we can rank the players in the club. We also want to have more underclassmen represented as officials.”

Pranav Sharma (11), founder of the Empowering the Future club, was

inspired by a program he participated in India and summer camps at school that focused on helping out younger students.

“I thought that [for] Harker, this would be a great way, with the connection we have between the Lower and Upper School, to make an afterschool program,” Pranav said. “We are essentially mentors to them.”

Once the club has been established, it takes another process to plan future events and to gear members up for them. The Clean Technology club aspires to prepare members for the competition by Applied Materials in addition to hosting outside speakers.

In the wake of recent natural disasters, this year’s contest challenge is to design solar-powered solutions to amend damage caused by catastrophes.

“I will work with other officers [Shelby Rorabaugh (11) and Lorraine Wong (11)] and the faculty advisor [Dr. Koodanjeri] to develop a set of goals the club ought to accomplish in each semester,” said founder Maya Sathaye (11).

However, a lot of challenges are also involved in club planning. Empowering the Future’s primary limitation is in the form of transportation, and Fishing club needs to work on acquiring funding and finding locations for their recreational trips.

“If people haven’t done a lot of things outdoors, it might be a little bit of a challenge to get people motivated for it because the physical and outdoor aspect of [the club] is definitely challenging,” Gilad Nilo (11), a member of the Outdoor Club, said. “ It’s pretty easy to just think, ‘I’m done, I don’t want to do this anymore,’ so I think that the biggest issue is for people to just keep on pushing.”

With new ideas, training, and dedication, the spark that initiated these new clubs can grow to become an integral part of our school’s identity.

Andy Wang (10), President of the Interp club, said, “I hope that [club members] have a good time and fall in love with [the club].”

10

Lifestyle

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

Fall Recipes: Unique dishes from in-season produce juhi gupta & apoorva rangan

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and Yams Ingredients 4 garlic cloves olive oil 3/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled (cubed - optional) 3/4 pounds yams, peeled 1/4 cup milk

reporters 1/8 cup butter Fall isn’t exactly in the air right the preheated oven, until the brownies 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary now, with the cloudless skies and the spring back when gently touched.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese sweltering pavement, but here are some heavy whipping cream recipes that use in-season produce Curried Butternut Squash when the days start to get a little bit Soup Preheat oven to 325°F. Roast chilly. Squashes, root vegetables, and Ingredients: garlic on a stove or in a toaster oven, pears are all at their peak from early fall 2 halves butternut squash and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for through early winter, so take advan2 cups vegetable broth 20 minutes, or until tage of Mother Nature and try making 1 teaspoon garlic powder very soft. Cool these recipes.

1 teaspoon onion powder and peel the 1 teaspoon curry powgarlic. Boil Zucchini Brownies der potatoes Ingredients Salt and ground black and yams 1/2 cup vegetable oil pepper until ten1 1/2 cups white sugar der, about 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Season the two halves of 20 min2 cups all-purpose flour squash with salt and pepper, and utes. Place 1/2 cup unsweetened place in a 405°F oven for 45 minthe potatoes cocoa powder utes, when the squash becomes and yams in 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda soft to the touch. Scoop the a large 1 teaspoon salt flesh out of the roasted butbowl 2 cups shredded zucchini ternut squash with a spoon. with 1/2 cup chopped walnuts In a medium saucepan, milk, combine the broth, butterbutPreheat oven to 350°F. Grease and nut squash, garlic powder, ter, flour a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan. onion powder, curry powder, roseIn a large bowl, mix together the oil, salt and pepper. Set pot over m a r y, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well medium heat and bring to a and garblended. simmer, about 10 minutes. Puree lic. Mash Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, soup with an immersion blender unto desired baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar til smooth. Ladle into bowls. c o n s i s t e n c y, mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walAPOORVA RANGAN AND JUHI GUPTA -THE WINGED POST adding heavy whipnuts (optional).

IN-SEASON PRODUCE Fall recipes combine a large variety of produce of the ping cream or milk as needed. Mix in Spread evenly into the prepared season to create unique and tasty dishes for this season. From zucchini to yams, 1/4 cup cheese. Season with salt and pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in various fall fruits and vegetables have been put together for a tasty meal spread. pepper to taste.

Sautéed Pears With Vanilla Yogurt and Honey Peanuts Ingredients 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3 large pears peeled, cored, and sliced 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ¼ cup smooth peanut butter 1 tablespoon honey 2 cups low fat vanilla yogurt honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger Pinch of fine salt (optional) Melt butter in large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice (and cinnamon, ginger, and salt if desired).

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft (about 5 to 7 minutes).

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, and yogurt; stir until smooth.

To serve, place pears in a shallow bowl. Top with the yogurt mixture.

Sprinkle peanuts on top. Serve immediately.

Returning TV programs show promise for the upcoming season mariam sulakian reporter

CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS

Season Four of 90210 aired Tuesday, September 13. Right from the start, the show seemed it would be promising throughout the upcoming season.

The Beverly Hills crew are now freshmen in college. Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) buys an extravagant house, in which Raj (Manish Dayal), Ivy (Gillian Zinser), and Annie (Shenae Grimes) live in with her.

Liam (Matt Lanter) proposed to Annie twice in this episode, and both times she rejected him. This was the first time since the end of the summer since he had even talked to Annie, so it was confusing as to why he would propose out of the blue.

Navid’s sister moved in with Navid (Michael Steger) and Silver ( Jessica Stroup) after much begging, but she didn’t seem very appreciative after she did. Adrianna ( Jessica Lowndes) came back from Africa, and even after apologizing to Silver, she was not forgiven.

Dixon (Tristan Wilds) got stuck having a room in the girls’ dormitory, but he finally found somewhere else to stay. Also, Teddy (Trevor Donovan) finally told his father he was gay, although he probably could have found a better way to do so.

Castle, Season Four, premiered Monday September 19. The premiere was filled with tension right from the start, as it immediately picked up where season three left off.

At the Montgomery funeral, Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) was shot and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) finally confessed his love for her. Fortunately, Kate did not die, although that is not much of a shock.

Meanwhile in the waiting room, Josh yells at Castle and blames him for the shooting, and though Mr. Beckett calmed the argument, Castle could not rid himself of guilt.

Castle, Beckett, and the others dig further into Johanna Beckett’s murder case as more evidence and discoveries come up. Beckett doesn’t recollect any events prior from the shooting until she goes to see her psychologist, when she remembers everything—including Castle’s confession.

In the premiere of The Vampire Diaries, Season Three, Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) search for Stephen (Paul Wesley).

Without a doubt, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder’s on-screen chemistry is truly amazing. It is very heartbreaking when Elena and Damon try forgetting about the goodbye kiss Elena gave Damon when he was about to die before being saved by Stefan.

Stefan killing and torturing innocent people with Klaus ( Joseph Morgan) is disturbing, but it is very touching that he called Elena on her birthday, expressing his love and emotions even through silence.

One of the most mind-blowing parts of the episode was when Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) began seeing deceased figures from his past after Bonnie (Katerina Graham) brought Jeremy back from the dead in Season Two. In the upcoming season tension continues to build as everyone faces their problems. So far, Season Three of The Vampire Diaries seems to be quite promising as both new and old relationships stir and tension develops.

On Tuesday, September 13, NBC premiered season three of Parenthood. Though the beginning of the first episode was less than captivating, the end of the show was quite enticing Sara (Lauren Graham) wrangles with entering a new decade in her life as she celebrates her 40th birthday, and unthinkingly kisses Mr. Cyr ( Jason Ritter) after seeing him at the school office.

Amber (Mae Whitman) strives for independence, though she was a bit discourteous when she left her mother’s 40th birthday party early just to get the key to her new apartment.

After Haddie (Sarah Ramos) gets drunk at a party, Alex (Michael B. Jordan) tries to take her home, but ends up getting into a fight and going to jail.

The beginning of this season of Parenthood seems a bit shaky, but nevertheless drama is rising in wait for next episode.

ABC STUDIOS

Films to look out for this season New action-filled movies to be released soon rachel salisbury

The Twilight Saga continues with Breaking Dawn Part 1, to be released on November 18. It will feature the original cast and the plot will follow the first half of Stephenie Meyer’s book Breaking Dawn. Directed by Bill Condon, the film features Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, says the official movie website.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the film, such as what potentially inappropriate parts of the book will be included and how they will be displayed. Summit Entertainment has announced that it will keep its rating PG-13 that is appropriate for the younger audience, according to MTV. The plot will follow the story line of the first half of the book, in which Edward and Bella are expecting a child and threatened by a gang of evil Italian vampires.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 is set to be released on November 16, 2012.

DREAMWORKS PICTURES

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

reporter

ROMANCE AND ACTION Breaking Dawn and Real Steel, to be released on November 18 and October 7, respectively, combine elements of action, romance, and drama to attract a wide variety of audiences.

Real Steel, to be released on October 7, is about robots taking the place of people in the boxing ring. A former boxer creates a superior fighting robot because it is hard for him to make a living in his job as a boxing advertiser.

According to the movie’s website, this science fiction film is set in the near future, where machines participate in boxing as a sport. Real Steel is based on the short story “Steel” by Richard Matheson, following a plot line in which human fighters are replaced by metal boxers. Though the movie takes place in a setting that is more modern than that of the short story, the plot is very similar.

Charlie Kenton, a retired boxer, works with his son, Max, to build a robot that will compete in the championships.

Directed by Shawn Levy, the film stars Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand, and Anthony Mackie.

CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS

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HOW-TO BUSINESS COLUMN:

ONLINE SHOPPING

kevin lin managing editor Some say that becoming the perfect economical shopper takes years of experience. Some say that it takes decades. I say that it takes 16 years.

“Why?” you might ask.

Many unforeseen factors have to be taken into consideration when striving to be the best shopper possible, such as how many bags your arm can hold at once or how fast can you change into five different outfits at one store. These various factors only hinder shopping progress and cloud the most important thing about this recreational pastime – finding sales and saving money.

The solution to avoiding these impeding factors is simple: online shopping. And it does not require years, decades, or a lifetime to learn how to be the perfect economical online shopper.

It only takes the time you spend reading this column.

Online shopping, unlike regular shopping, is fast and easy, no questions asked. Most of your favorite retail stores probably already have websites, so instead of taking the time to print out a coupon, drive and move, you can sit in the relaxation of your own home and click to shop. Plus, with gas prices soaring through the roofs and into the heavens, online shopping sure saves money.

Besides convenience, another advantage of online shopping is being able to find the best price for a specific item. With an easy Google Shopping search, the lowest price for the product can be found.

Another way to save money is by using coupon codes on online retail stores. For example, consider that I am buying clothing online from the popular, world famous, nonexistent clothing superstore, Kevin’s Kloth. (Of course my online cart would have plaid shirts and striped V-necks.) After clicking on the checkout button, my eyes immediately dart to the coupon code box, knowing that I can save money by applying a code.

The next step is to search “Kevin’s Kloth coupon codes.” As you have noticed, search engines are your friends.

Websites such as retailmenot.com or couponcabin.com will pop up. After clicking the link, coupon codes that look like ABC123 or 123ABC will appear, with the coupon details next to the code. The online coupons range from a percent discount off your entire cart to free shipping.

The last step is the friendly copyand-paste function. I’ll just paste that sucker into the coupon code box, hit apply, and feel good about the money I saved.

Returning items is also not a problem. Usually, stores have simple instructions to return items on their websites.

The only questionable part of online shopping that might convert you back into a regular shopper is shipping costs and shipping time.

But do not fret! Shipping costs can be avoided either through coupon codes, or if some companies offer it, free shipping on a particular day (usually around holidays). Some websites also offer free shipping if your cart is over a particular amount of dollars, which ranges from 50 to 100 dollars, in my experience.

Shipping time, however, can not be avoided. Your items rest in the hands of shipping companies that take either days or weeks to deliver. The only answer to shipping time is patience, which is not a bad thing. Maybe you can play little waiting games. I personally suggest reading this column over and over again.

Survey

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“Personally I’m a very anti-alcohol, anti-drug person, so I’m not influenced by photos on Facebook,” Alice said.

However, Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari (9) said that the ability for teens to friend and to view Facebook photos of those outside their direct social circles may increase the possibility of peer influence on illicit behavior.

“

You never know what was going on in the images that you’re seeing—what’s going on in the background, how they ended up there, or what [...] emotions they’re really feeling.

Lori Kohan

”

“If you’re friends with some shady person that you met for like five minutes, then it may have some impact,” he said. However, he himself has not viewed any of these behaviors.

Critics have argued that the study merely reveals a correlation and not a cause-and-effect relationship between teenagers’ use of social media and intake of illegal substances; they say that a variety of factors could cause similar people to do both. Sarah Howells (12) shares this perspective.

“Social networking sites don’t cause people to [use these substances],” Sarah said. “It’s more like their personality- they’re not doing their homework, and they have a lot of free time to be spending on social networks and going out and finding drugs.”

Indeed, according to Wagner and CASA Co- sure to social media and finds it “crucial” that parents lumbia’s Director of Communications Lauren Du- friend their children on networking sites. Although ran, this study was designed to reveal the differences she says she is not concerned with her son’s use of between teenagers who drink, smoke, and use drugs Facebook, she occasionally checks his activities online and those who do not, rather than to explain their to know more about his social life. reasons for using the substances. The survey quesHowever, Kohan said that the acceptability of tioned the teens about their substance use as well as parent-child friending may depend on the family possible risk factors for substance abuse, including culture.“It wouldn’t be a healthy thing if the parent friends’ substance use, their families and social cir- is being really invasive or responding to things that cumstances, and various behaviors such as television friends are saying or just being inappropriate with it,” viewing and social networking. she said.

The survey was primarily intended to make parUltimately, the experts stress open communients of teenagers aware about potential risk factors, cation between parents and teens, so that parents which could indicate a higher likelihood that their understand and trust their teens, teens can confide children would become influenced by or involved in their parents, and all understand the true implicawith substances. tions of content on these social networking sites.

Given the study’s results, Wagner, Duran, and Kohan all emphasize active parental engagement in FACEBOOK CASA Columbia released survey results in August, revealing the relatheir children’s lives. tionship between teens’ exposure to social “Regularly talking to children about what’s gonetworking sites and alcohol and drug abuse. ing on in their lives and monitoring their behavior when appropriate is key,” Duran said. “It may be as simple as a parent discussing with their teens how images on social networking sites that glamorize teen drinking do not tell the whole story.”

Kohan elaborates further. “You never know what [the lives of the photographed teens are] truly, truly like because you don’t live in their house. You never know what was going on in the images that you’re seeing—what’s going on in the background, or how they ended up there, or what are the emotions that they’re really feeling.”

Susan Cho, mother of J.T. Cho (11), believes in the importance of ALL ARTWOR K -- KACEY FA parental involvement in teens’ expoNG

Lady Antebellum owns the night

DeGraw: An unseen vulnerability exposed in new album alisha mayor

allison sun

reporter Following its one-hit wonder, “Need You Now” that propelled the band into stardom in 2010, Lady Antebellum is ready to own the world with its new album Own the Night.

Released on September 13, Own the Night is Lady Antebellum’s third album and consists of 12 songs. The country band of three, Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, have crafted a poignant and artistic album filled with heart-warming emotions that touches the souls of its audience. Like its predecessor, Need You Now, the album revolves around the theme of young love and its ups and downs.

Lady Antebellum’s lead single, “Just a Kiss,” revolves around the beginning of a new relationship. The song opens with tranquil piano chords that later lead into soaring choruses with

the beautiful inter

locking vocals of Scott and Kelley.

Scott’s serene and passionate vocals shine in “As You Turn Away” as she unravels the story of a deteriorating relationship and aching heartbreaks. Towards the end, the bittersweet song drifts off into silence but suddenly surprises listeners with an outburst of strong vocals accompanied by driven instrumentations of drums and strings.

One of the darker and more sorrowful songs of the album is “Cold as Stone,” which weaves the story about the departure of a loved one and the ensuing pain that lingers on. The song leaves a mark on the listener’s heart when the band sings, “Wish I was cold as stone, then I wouldn’t feel a thing. Wish I didn’t have this heart, then I wouldn’t know the sting of the rain.” It ends with a magical flute solo that brings back reminiscences of the Titanic theme song.

lifestyle editor

OWN THE NIGHT Released on September 13, Lady Antebellum’s new album revolves around the concept of young love and its ups and downs.

To balance the melancholic love songs and to liven up the spirit, Lady Antebellum also showcases songs with upbeat tempos such as “The Love I’ve Found in You” and “Friday Night.”

Picking up the pace, “Friday Night” begins with an electrifying guitar solo and merges Lady Antebellum’s usual country components with rock. The track features distinct parallels between love and Friday nights: letting loose and having fun.

The band perfectly ends the album with the soothing “Heart of the World” which reflects upon the beauty of love. Known for the band’s lyrical grace, Lady Antebellum incorporates lyrics with depth and originality: “Hope is the soul of the dreamer, and heaven is the home of my God […] Love is the heart of the world.”

The only setback is that the band tends to be redundant in its themes, serving more as a continuation of Need You Now rather than something fresh.

The trio portrays a captivating chemistry as they express their emotions and love experiences in musical language. Lady Antebellum captures the hearts of its audiences with poignant harmonies and lyrics of its new album.

With a distinct reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter type, Gavin DeGraw tries to stretch boundaries with fresh rock-soul music on his latest album Sweeter, but falls short altogether.

Released on September 20, Sweeter is a multilayered ten-track record that explores new musical territory for DeGraw, as he worked with other songwriters–Ryan Tedder of One Republic and Andrew Frampton–for the first time to create an edgy fifth album.

Sweeter is a radio-ready album in which DeGraw puts his heart on his sleeve, moving back and forth between rock and soul, expressing a more personal side in his lyrics than he has in the past.

The title track, a

combined project between DeGraw and Ted- der, combines funk, rock, and soul as DeGraw uncharacteristically sings about wanting to steal someone else’s girl. The hardhitting guitar chords and pounding drum beat create a musical chaos pieced together just so to become a catchy, rocking stomper.

“Not Over You,” the first single off of the album, has “Tedder was here” written all over it. Though taking from DeGraw’s style and remaining pianodriven, the only saving grace of the song is a thoughtful and compelling hook that serves as a reminder of both DeGraw’s and especially Tedder’s expertise at writing radio hits.

With “Soldier,” DeGraw pares back the extra production and drum fanfare, sticking to piano and hand claps for a resonating love anthem that brings out the soulful grit in his voice.

“Candy” has a unique running backbeat that continues throughout

RCA RECORDS

LIN’S

CAPITOL NASHVILLE

11

September 30, 2011

SWEETER DeGraw released an album that showcases a completely different side of his music, revealing his true sensitivity and vulnerability.

an ode to hardships of relationships, and the subtle guitar in the background builds up to a rocking chorus. “You Know Where I’m At,” however, is just yet another version of a cheesy love song to a girl out of reach.

The artist returns to a more hard rock style with “Radiation,” though the beats and lyrics are not as strong in comparison to the title track. In the same way, “Run Every Time” is a weak, repetitive version of an indecisive man afraid to commit to a relationship.

“Stealing” has possibly the best hook of the album, showcasing DeGraw’s more unique lyrical style on this album: “Cause we had a good time/Then it was sorrow/I call it stealing/You call it borrow.”

The album closes out with “Where You Are” and “Spell It Out,” which bring the tone back to a softer place DeGraw is more comfortable with.

Though the mood is significantly similar to his previous albums, he showcases a sincere vocal vulnerability and a gorgeous falsetto.

12

September 30, 2011

Lifestyle

the Winged Post

in the

: Beta users share experiences apurva gorti reporter

Owl mail. Wand selection. Getting sorted.

Casting spells. Brewing potions. Living in a world of magic. What used to exist only in a reader’s imagination is now possible to experience on J. K. Rowling’s newest project, Pottermore.

Many thought that the last film was the end of an era and that there was no more left for Harry, but in June, Rowling announced that she was working on a new project.

“The video said, ‘The owls are gathering.’ I was freaked out!” said Shenel Ekici (10) of her reaction to Rowling’s video. The excitement built even though no one knew what the new project was.

The wait was not long, however, until users

found out that she was creating Pottermore, a unique online reading experience designed around the series.

In Pottermore, users can not only interact with other Potter fans, but also read additional unpublished information contributed by Rowling herself.

By participating in the Magic Quill challenge that lasted from July 31 to August 6, only a few people have gained access to Pottermore as early beta users.

“I thought it would be cool to see how the website develops, when it’s not even open to the public,” said Dwight Payne (12). “It’s nice to be part of an exclusive section of Harry Potter fans.”

The Magic Quill challenge refers to the books, where every time a magical kid is born, the magic quill write the name down, so that at age 11 they get their acceptance letter.

Each day a question from the books was posted on pottermore.com at an unknown time, and as the challenge progressed, the questions became easier to answer. Participants had to provide the correct answer and then find the Magic Quill in order to register for an early-access Pottermore account.

Because it was generally unknown what time each question would be posted, many fans stayed up late at night and waited for registration to open. Devoted Harry Potter fans Cecilia Lang-Ree (11) and her sister Madi Lang-Ree (9) pulled an all-nighter so they could participate on the first day of the challenge.

J.K. ROWLING

POTTERMORE Beta users are generally impressed by the various aspects of Pottermore, a website created

by J.K. Rowling to provide more information on the series. The site offers an interactive reading of the popular novels, including graphic representations, as well as user sorting into one of the four houses of Hogwarts.

The site officially opens up to the public in October.

“We camped out with food and caffeine; our laptops were on auto-refresh. We took shifts sleeping and at around one in the morning, I screamed and woke my sister up, and we answered the question and got in,” Cecilia said.

However, simply registering for Pottermore through the challenge did not give users immediate access to the online Wizarding World. Users had to get their official welcome email. Shenel, Dwight, and Amy Wardenburg (11), have already registered but are yet to receive their welcome emails.

“We [answered the question] the first day, so we got the hardest question but we’re still not in,” Shenel said.

Regardless of not receiving their emails, Shenel and Amy are excited to experience everything in Pottermore, such as the Sorting.

“I want to get into Hufflepuff,” said Amy, “The common room is right next to the kitchen! I can’t wait to see the extra stuff.”

Having gained access to Pottermore on the fourth day, Hemant Kunda (9) has already received his welcome email and is exploring Pottermore.

“It wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a role-playing game, but I like this new thing better because it’s more interactive and you get to explore the books,” said Hemant.

Cecilia, Madi, and Alana Shamlou (10) have all gotten their welcome emails and are enjoying the experience that Rowling and her team have created.

Madi is fascinated by the graphics of the website: “I think it’s cool that it’s really beautiful, everything they created and drew, and all of the scenery they made.”

Regarding her favorite interactive aspects of Pottermore, Cecilia said, “You get your wand, you get Sorted, it’s awesome.”

Alana’s favorite part about Pottermore is “those little passages where J. K. Rowling talks about how she thought of stuff, like the names of streets. I would have never imagined them to be so intricate.”

The Harry Potter series brings many memories to fans like Rohan Chandra (11).

“It’s fun to continue Harry Potter now that it’s over,” he said. “I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies, so there’s not much more I can do. So I think this is something for me to continue to enjoy, since I love Harry Potter.”

Though still in beta testing, Pottermore will open to the public for all wizards and witches at an undisclosed date in October.

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Global

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

13

Students join the Upper School after having an education abroad pavitra rengarajan & corey gonzales features editor & reporter For some students, the challenge of a new school has brought with it yet another challenge: acclimating to a new country.

This year, five students joined the Upper School from abroad: Zoya Khan (11), Kevin Xue (10), “Wei Wei” Buchsteiner (10), Sandra Yin (10), and Felix Wu (9).

Zoya Khan (11) Zoya Khan (11) had lived around the world before coming to the United States. Born in Texas and raised in Chicago for nine years, she lived for a year in Bahrain and for six years in Dubai before coming to our school.

School was different in large part due to religious holidays; her school had holidays on both Eid and Christmas, and school did not begin until after Ramadan. In addition, there was no such sport as football.

“I think it is important to be welltraveled and experience different cultures,” she said. “That being said, it gets hard, and it’s not for everyone.”

Though she was comfortable with her lifestyle and close with her friends, she was ready for the transition. “I was excited for the new adventure. Anxious, excited, and scared at the same time,” she said.

Despite her excitement, she admits the difficulties of transitioning to a new school, particularly from abroad.

Nevertheless, “I don’t really see it as a challenge, but more of an experience,” Zoya said, who has become accustomed to travelling the world and visiting new places.

Sandra Yin (10) Sandra Yin (10), who used to live in China, found language to be the primary obstacle to overcome. “I’m still not completely comfortable speaking

in English, but I am getting there,” Sandra said.

Life living in the metropolis of Nanjing was somewhat similar to America due to globalization. “All the people I met here at school are accommodating enough to help foreigners adjust to this country,” she said.

She finds the teachers at the Upper School far more helpful than at her old school, and she enjoys her life here.

“With various opportunities such as athletics, conservatory, art courses and different clubs, Harker inspires me to develop any of my interests,” she said.

She would undoubtedly rather live in America. “Better climate, more food I like, higher civilization—this is super important [to me]—equal rights, and more opportunities,” she said.

Felix Wu (9) Felix (9) lived for five years in Hong Kong and eight years in Shanghai before coming to California just this year. In Shanghai, he attended a British International school.

“If I could choose to live anywhere, I would definitely choose to live [in California],” Felix said. “There are so many more opportunities. Plus, the pollution in China is pretty bad; you never see the blue sky except for during summers.”

Nevertheless, he expressed some disappointment in moving, mentioning that his friends are what he misses most about Shanghai.

“I think I’m getting acclimated pretty well,” Felix said. However, Felix was always aware of American lifestyle and culture. Ever since he was born, he has visited the United States to see his relatives and sometimes even attended summer programs. He looks forward to

NEW STUDENTS Clockwise, from left to right, the new students are Kevin Xue (10), Zoya Khan (11), Felix Wu (9), Sandra Yin (10), and Wei Wei Buchsteiner (10).

the upcoming four years here.

Kevin Xue (10) Before moving to the United States, Kevin (10) lived in both Beijing and Canada. Attending an international school in China made the transition easier. “[My old school] was very similar because I was constantly living in an English-speaking environment,” Kevin said.

Kevin feels as though attending the Upper School has changed him for the better. “Somehow I feel like a better student,” he said. “My friends [here] work hard, and I do my best to keep up with them.”

His old school used the International Baccalaureate (IB) system rather

than the Advanced Placement (AP) system. He describes the system as “more complex,” because the IB’s grading criteria was not as black-and-white as the AP’s right-or-wrong system.

He enjoys the new environment, including the less polluted climate and the more comfortable lifestyle.

For the remainder of his time here, Kevin sets high expectations for himself. He said, “I [would like] to be more active in school events likes clubs and... take more risks and step out of my comfort zone more often.”

Wei Wei Buchsteiner (10) Wei Wei lived in Düsseldorf, Germany before moving to the United States. He has started his first year here off well.

When he lived in Germany, Wei Wei said, “I was never sure of what I was doing, because I never got great directions. Here, they have made it really easy for me.”

“My life has kind of changed in matters of freedom because back in Germany we had great public transport systems that went literally everywhere, and I didn’t have to rely on my mom to drive me all the time,” he said.

However, the transition has carried few challenges for Wei Wei, since he visited the San Jose area every summer, and everyone at his old school spoke English.

Nevertheless, Wei Wei said, “Some of the challenges I had were definitely getting to know HHMS, adjusting to the schedule, and making good use of extra help. [It has also been tough] what with all the things I’m supposed to know as a sophomore already that I [didn’t know] as a freshman.”

From being first-generation students to world travelers, new students continue to add diversity to the school.

October holidays: Three festivities and cultural celebrations anishka agarwal

CREATIVE COMMONS

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

reporter

OCTOBER FESTIVALS Above: Observing Yom Kippur with his family, Drew Goldstein (11) lights a candle as a child. Below: The clay lamps called diyas are used to celebrate Diwali, “The Festival of Lights.”

global journalism project The article to the right is 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. Watch www.talonwp.com for The Winged Post’s corresponding article on the same topic that will be published at the Taipei American School.

To many people’s astonishment, lights, fasting, and fitness have one thing in common: they’re all aspects of major holidays in the fall. From October 8 to the 26, Diwali, Yom Kippur, and Health and Sports Day are celebrated around the world, and in the Upper School community.

Diwali Celebrated by Hindus, Diwali is the festival of lights. The date of Diwali changes each year based on the position of the moon.

For some Hindus, Diwali is the beginning of a new year and a new financial calendar, while for others, it is a way to welcome the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, into their house.

Arjun Ashok (9) said that his family celebrates Diwali by putting up lights, because “the lights carve a path.” Families celebrate this Hindu festival each year by lighting fireworks, exchanging gifts, putting lights up all around their house, and feasting.

For chemistry teacher Dr. Smri-

LONDON

ti Koodanjeri, Diwali “signifies the meaning of family.”

Yom Kippur A day of atonement, Yom Kippur, is a holiday celebrated by Jews. Jewish people fast from the sunset of the day before Yom Kippur to the sunset on Yom Kippur and visit a synagogue numerous times that day as a way to repent for their sins. The day before fasting, families have a feast before the sun sets down. They also miss school or work, similar to Sabbath.

According to Drew Goldstein (11) Yom Kippur is celebrated to be forgiven for the sins one has committed. “[As a child] we used to go out to the creek and throw our bread crumbs in there and that was supposed to represent our sins,” he said.

Jacob Erlikhman (10) believes Yom Kippur “is not really a holiday” because it is a day of self-denial during which one must suffer and wash away their previous sins.

Yom Kippur is typically on the tenth of the month of Tishrei and is the tenth day of the Days of Awe, a

time period including Rosh Hashanah.

Yom Kippur is also considered the final day of judgment.

Health and Sports Day Celebrated in Japan, Health and Sports Day, is not a religious festival but is meant to commemorate the Summer Olympics held in 1964 in Tokyo. It takes place on the second Monday of October.

Health and Sports Day is a day to promote a physically healthy and active lifestyle.

“When I was in elementary school, junior high school, and high school, Sports Day was a very exciting day,” Japanese teacher Keiko Irino said.

“We played sports and cheered for each other.”

In Japan, Health and Sports Day is celebrated with a parade involving events with physical exercises. It is a time when people from all over Japan come together not only to be active, but also to make new friends and bond during the activities of the day.

A perspective from the RIOTS: Taipei American School

george chang editor from the Taipei American School For five harrowing days, London burned.

Following the death of Mark Duggan and the peaceful demonstration at Tottenham, violence broke out across London. Between August 6 and 10, thousands of people, the majority being young Black British men, looted, set houses on fire, and bombed buildings.

The chaos cost Britain $330 million worth of property damage.

Along with the shock that has rippled across the world, the concern of whether a similar outbreak might occur elsewhere is raised. In Taiwan, the likelihood of a similar version of the London riots is relatively slim.

As with other oriental societies, the tightly-knit Taiwanese community tends to emphasize the importance of order and harmony and downplay the importance of individuality. In a Confucian-based society, citizens here are much more likely to obey social norms, as evident in the uniform and academic-focused education system. Youths grow up in an environment that encourages filial piety, respect for elders, and self-sacrifice. As a result, Taiwanese people are more likely to have a higher tolerance for social injustice and less likely to engage in

criminal activity. Serious assaults, for instance, is ten times higher in Britain than in Taiwan.

In addition, Taiwan’s political atmosphere simply doesn’t foster violent riots. From a glance, it may seem like there is potential of ethnic conflict: Taiwan has 2 percent ethnic aborigines to Britain’s 3 percent African Americans, and both ethnic minority groups are more likely to be poorer and have lower levels of educational attainment. However, there has been no documented targeting of Taiwanese aborigines by police forces, whereas in Britain, blacks are five times more likely than whites to be stopped and searched by police forces.

In Britain, there have already been deeply-rooted racial and socioeconomic tensions, as observable from the 1981 Brixton riots that were also instigated by a trifle between the police and a black male at a time of recession in a region of racial and socioeconomic problems. Taiwan’s history, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to indicate any preexisting racial or socioeconomic tensions.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that Taiwan won’t catch fire in the foreseeable future.

14

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

China

Connie Li (10), her sister Vivian Li (12) and Jessica “Fred” Chang (9) have both been doing Chinese traditional dance since childhood, and enjoy displaying the expression associated with the dance.

The dance is set to modern ballet pieces or traditional Chinese music, and the dancers wear a va- riety of silk dresses - anything ranging from a silk skirt and tunic to an elaborate dress with sequins, ribbons,

lace, and other adornments.

Fred, who has been dancing since the age of three, likes dancing to songs that have meaning.

She explained that each new style of dance she tries has a different story and technique associated with it; in fact, her teacher lectures about the history of the dance. Vivian also thinks about Chinese dance the same way.

“I’ve learned to comprehend and properly perform the dance styles of various Chinese ethnic groups-- like the Dai, Manchu, etc. It’s very fun to learn the different kinds of movement--some are sharp and vigorous, others soft and slow,” she said.

All three find that practice is an integral part of the nimbleness associated with Chinese dance.

“One summer, I stopped dancing [because] I was too busy and couldn’t take summer dance, and when I restarted later that year, I was inflexible, and my technique went down like the stocks [of ] today,” Fred said.

Connie, Vivian, and Fred all note that the dance has extensively influenced their perspective on their culture. “[Chinese dance has] given me a good look at how different cultures are in China,” Connie said.

Fred also agrees that dancing has made her feel more in sync with her culture. She said, “If I go back to China, I’ll be partially Chinese.”

Global

Dance Styles

from around the

World

rahul jayaraman & manthra panchapakesan reporters

Bright lights. Expectant audience. The nerves. Upper School students are no strangers to these feelings. Many have been dancing for years and agree that it has helped them keep in touch with their roots.

Brazil

Meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Capoeira is an after school P.E. class that combines martial arts with music and dance. Capoeira, which originated in Brazil and was developed by African slaves, gives students exposure to foreign cultures other than their own.

Contra Mestre Poeta, the instructor of the class, has been teaching Capoeira since 1994.

His favorite part is dancing Capoeira with music for fun, not as a training or fighting

session.

He said that it helps him stay “...in touch with [his] African roots, since [he has] African ancestry.”

This year, a number of students joined the class for the first time, and learned a variety of techniques, as well as background information about the origin of Capoeira.

“Now I can kind of do handstands and cartwheels,” Alex Jang (9) said.

Additionally, Jessica Shen (12) and Tiffany Jang (12) said that the class w a s interesting and a great source of exercise.

Many other students have been in the class since the previous academic year, including Erik Andersen (11), who started attending in January this year.

“I like foreign culture,” he said, describing his reasons for joining.

P.E. credits also entice many students to join, and of course, it does offer a form of exercise.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST MANTHRA PANCHAPAKESAN - THE WINGED POST

India Bharatanatyam Madhuri “Maddy” Rao (12) and Suchita Nety (11) are dedicated to Bharatanatyam, which is a traditional South Indian dance that emphasizes expressiveness.

“There’s a lot involved; it’s about storytelling and Indian culture. It teaches you the way to respect your elders,” Suchita said, describing the many Indian customs and traditions that she has learned through Bharatanatyam.

Both Maddy and Suchita have given their arangetram or solo performance: Maddy after her sophomore year, and Suchita on the weekend of September 24th.

Bharatanatyam dancers are accompanied by Carnatic music, a form of South Indian classical music that utilizes instruments such as flute, violin, and nativangam, which are cymbals. Dancers wear a 7-piece costume, including a silk sari, which is a drape with a pleated front, a fake braid, m a n y

pieces of jewelry, and makeup.

A l though both admit that Bharatanatyam requires a lot of stamina, concentration, and extensive practice, they enjoy it and feel more connected to their heri-

tage. Reflecting on how dance has influenced her perspective on culture, Maddy said that she appreciates India more and feels in place whenever she visits. Additionally, Suchita said that she was “definitely more aware of my [her] own culture.”

Bollywood Apart from traditional styles, there is also Bollywood, an Indian dance form appearing in films. Sindhu Ravuri (9), having danced since the age of two, practices this ethnic dance from one to one-and-a-half hours everyday.

Set to songs from Hindi movies, Bollywood is a dance form that utilizes fluid, rhythmic movements. Dancers wear outfits ranging from Indian attire such as ghagras, long Indian skirts, to the tight fitting costumes of classic Bollywood films.

Sindhu has danced in front of prominent audiences and garnered numerous awards, and she feels that this has helped her understand her culture better.

“I would have to say that my finest moment was when I danced in front of the Parliament of India [and] also became the national champion of the U.S.,” she said.

Sophia Shatas (9) who has been doing Bollywood dance for two years now, feels that she can understand Indian culture while dancing even though she is not Indian.

“It’s an accessible culture that anyone can experience,” she said.

Gaurav Kumar (10) has also been doing Bollywood for a number of years, and his dance company has also been featured on America’s Got Talent, making it to the top 48. He feels that Bollywood dancing has helped him respect Indian culture, movies, and music.

He said, “[Bollywood dancing’s] as close as I can get to India without actually going there.”

Tech

Is it even plausible that our generation, the first generation to grow up with the personal computer as a household item, will outgrow the personal computer in the foreseeable future?

It may not seem like it, but the first true computer – ENIAC, which took up entire rooms of space and was reserved for the military – was finished in 1946, just 65 years ago, according to University of Pennsylvania, where ENIAC was built. That’s after my grandparents were born. The first personal computer was produced in the 1970s, when most of our parents were already in their teens. But in the short span of under 50 years, personal computers have evolved and expanded, and they’re a requirement for class instead of a luxury.

So how is it possible to even imagine a world after the personal computer?

Strange as it may sound, some experts believe that our world will grow out of the personal computer within our lifetimes. This is known as the theory of the “post-PC” era (PC here also encompasses Apple’s personal computers), and with some recent developments in tech, it’s quickly gaining steam.

To clarify this idea, the post-PC era doesn’t actually refer to a time period when PCs are obsolete. It refers to the loosening of the PC’s dominance over the workplace and home. The theory is that in the future, consumers will use tablets and smartphones instead of PCs for daily activities.

So what does this mean for the future role of the PC? Some manufacturers are looking to build an “ecosystem,” where users will own many interconnected devices, from phones to personal computers, to serve their technological needs. Most likely, consumer tech will transition toward these “ecosystems,” where consumers use tablets or smartphones for on-thego tasks, but PCs are still very much in use for more serious computational work.

The transition to “ecosystems,” however, will rely heavily on the development of what is known as cloud computing. Cloud computing is a technology that allows information to be processed over the Internet. The moniker “cloud computing” refers to the way data is accessible from anywhere on any device: it floats like a cloud, unanchored to any point or device on the Earth.

Dropbox, an application used by students in Debate and other programs, is a type of basic cloud computing – cloud data storage, where users can store files on Dropbox’s server and synchronize them to other computers quickly.

A more intricate form of cloud computing is SETI@Home, a program that allows users with regular computers to help analyze radio telescope signals for signs of extraterrestrial life. Combined, the computers participating in SETI@home are hundreds of times faster than the fastest supercomputer. Cloud computing, once perfected, will allow mobile ecosystems to thrive, as data and programs will be freely transferrable between devices.

One question remains: can we actually live without the power of the PC? Surprisingly, mobile device processors are catching up to lower-end laptops. Most smartphones today have a processor with similar capabilities to a small laptop.

Additionally, the hundreds of thousands of apps in the Android and iOS app stores include many workrelated programs, such as word processors.

Though technology is generally moving more toward the mobile side of things, as long as there are heavy computations to be done (whether it be gaming or statistical simulation), the personal computer will always have its place, and it will likely stay a fixture in daily life.

PROFESSOR JOHN ROGERS

technology editor

chief in training Having just left the doctor’s office, the patient goes home and applies what appears at first glance to be a temporary tattoo. Upon further examination, however, the “tattoo” is revealed to be a small electronic microchip that is capable of monitoring and stimulating bodily functions such as brain patterns and heartbeat.

While years ago this might have seemed impossible, this microchip is now a reality, although not yet available for public consumption.

Developed by researchers in Singapore, China, and the United States and introduced in a paper in August of this year, this device is a synthesis of technology and medicine that eliminates the wires and machines of typical hospital monitoring.

“It sounds amazing, and it sounds like a great way to be noninvasive so you don’t have to put a chip into their body,” Biology teacher Jeff Sutton said. “I think it will be a really cool way to look at physiology over a period of time and get data that will hopefully help physicians and scientists improve human health.”

Because the chip also has the ability to stimulate muscle functions, it also has the potential to assist in physical rehabilitation.

“We had been interested in different ways to integrate electronics with the human body for a number of years, focusing mostly on the heart and brain and other internal organs in a surgical context,” Professor John Rogers of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, one of the developers of the microchip, said in a phone interview with The Winged Post. “We figured out that in order to bring electronics and integrate them with the body, you really need to reformat conventional electronics.”

According to Rogers, devising a means by which the electronics could be successfully grafted seamlessly onto the skin was one of the greatest challenges the researchers faced.

“The challenges are in the three ‘M’s’: materials, manufacturing, and mechanics related to this circuit technology,” Rogers said. “To go from conventional technologies to something that looks like the skin, there’s a big gap there.”

In order to overcome this, they “used silicon in unusual ways,” laid circuits in different mechanical configurations, and combined silicon with silicone to build a skin-like device.

The current models of the electronic “tattoos” are strong enough to withstand showers and normal daily activities and are able to adhere firmly

MICROCHIP The skin chip, developed by Professor John Rogers and others, is applied directly like a tattoo. According to Professor Rogers, one of the developers, a major challenge for the researcherswas creating a chip with skin-like materials.

to the skin for about a week. In order for the chip to stay longer, developers must overcome the major limitation of “the intrinsic biological processes of the skin” that slough the microchip off with the exfoliation of dead skin cells. Also, they must take care that the microchip does not irritate the skin or interfere with exfoliation.

The microchip has not yet been implemented in the general community because it is still being researched; however, Rogers anticipates much future development.

“Stretchy, bendy electronics are useful products that we think will be valuable and will advance human healthcare in the [hospital and surgi-

cal] domain,” Rogers said. “Our hope is that area of technology will expand, and other researchers will bring new ideas and new materials to this field.

It’s a whole new design space.”

Following the release of their paper, Rogers and the rest of the research team found themselves “overwhelmed” with requests from clinicians and other scientists to collaborate on further research related to skin-electronic technology.

Many companies also expressed interest in implementing the technology in their respective fields. For example, Reebok plans to introduce a modified version of this technology in mid-2012 that will allow for the mon-

itoring of an athlete’s body function.

Some members of the school community, such as Sierra Lincoln (11), agree that the chip has much potential and look forward to seeing more of this technology in the future.

“I think that this new technology is really useful,” Sierra said. “It’s definitely applicable to many things, like if a patient gets minor injuries, a doctor can monitor them [much] more easily.”

For now, Rogers and other researchers are continuing to conduct studies using human test subjects in order to perfect the chip before releasing it for public use.

Digital currency bitcoins are innovative spending method meena chetty & juhi gupta

managing editor-talonwp & reporter Imagine using virtual currencynever having to go to the bank, never having to pay credit companies, and never having an organization controlling how money is spent. This concept exists in a relatively new form of currency called “bitcoins”.

Created in 2009, bitcoins are a form of online currency based on open source software that does not have any central government involvement.

According to bitcoinme.com, bitcoins are based entirely on supply and demand, unlike U.S. currency, which is backed by the federal government.

Version 0.4.0 of the Bitcoin software was released on September 23.

The main new feature is an optional password for their bitcoin “wallet,” which must be entered before every transaction.

The currency can be attained by selling an item on the bitcoin market in exchange for bitcoins. The resulting currency can be used on any website that accepts bitcoins, such as SpendBitcoins.com, through which users can buy products from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The number of bitcoins in existence at any time is limited to 21 million. However, the currency can be divided up into infinitely smaller values.

As of September 28, the bitcoin was valued at $4.79.

“People expect that if [bitcoins are] used [...], the value will continue to go up because no one can make more of them,” said Bruce Wagner, host of the daily bitcoin talk show, in a phone interview with The Winged Post.

“Any other currency throughout the history of mankind has been abused eventually.”

The bitcoin transaction system is anonymous; users can buy products without having to reveal their identity.

However, though no personal information is revealed, their purchases are recorded and made public by bitcoin addresses, which are issued to each individual user.

“I think it’s convenient because it’s not so much of a hassle to have to keep track of bills and repay taxes on time. In addition, an online account of exactly how many [have] been spent is organized,” Shreya Vemuri (11) said.

The recent popularity of bitcoins IN

patrick yang

samantha hoffman

O

POST PC ERA

15

Microchip applied like a tattoo gives doctors immediate medical readings and info

TC

about the

the Winged Post

Researchers create medical skin chip

BI

Patrick Ponders

September 30, 2011

can be attributed to the fact that they are free of charge and easy to use. Developers write that the security of bitcoins surpasses that of existing online banking systems, claiming that it is absolutely unhackable and unbreakable because the currency is not controlled by any organization other than the actual users.

Bitcoins can also be exchanged for regular physical currency at any time in person, in the mail, or as a direct deposit into a bank account.

However, bitcoins do have potential defects. Statistics show that the value of the bitcoin fluctuates often, making the currency unstable.

This past June, the value of the bitcoin dropped 45 percent in two days; the drastically varying values of the currency are due in part to the fact that it is based entirely on usership. In October of 2010, the bitcoin was worth $0.06, but in a span of eight months, that number jumped to about $20.00.

“If you replace real money with [bitcoins], you run into problems like [bitcoins] going down in value while the dollar stays up, except that the bitcoins are more liable to fail than the dollar because it’s like inventing a new currency altogether. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Shreyas Parthasarathy (10) said.

The fact that bitcoins are such a new currency adds to the fact that they are unstable in value. Until bitcoins reach a constant usership, the value will continue to change often.

“If bitcoin currency circulation

ever became really stable, then the value to the dollar would rise continuously. In that case, eventually it would reach such a point that I think counterfeiters would have an incentive to try to counterfeit it,” Economics teacher Samuel Lepler said. “I’m wary of it for that reason.”

“

I don’t trust [their] value or the concept in general.

Arden Hu (9)

”

Additionally, payments and transactions with bitcoins are irreversible; the wavering cycles and the possibility of illegal proceedings contribute to the potential unreliability of the currency.

“Personally, I wouldn’t use bitcoins because I don’t trust [their] value or the concept in general...I think some of the disadvantages of the bitcoin enterprise would be that because it’s private and not impacted by other organizations, you don’t know whether it’s actually secure and safe,” Arden Hu (9) said.

Although bitcoins facilitate transactions because they are used in a similar manner as an email, the concept of online currency is still new and has some uncertainties that may potentially affect the growth of bitcoins.

16

September 30, 2011

Tech

the Winged Post

Google ventures into streaming music

Local business offers Music Beta now available on mobile devices BOX.NET:online data storage

nikhil dilip talonwp lead

On September 8, Google released the Google Music Beta web service for iOS devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

During its annual I/O Conference, a two-day convention for developers that took place on May 10, Google released its beta version of Google Music, an online database for storing and streaming music, in addition to a Google Music Android app.

Since all the music is stored on Google’s cloud servers, after uploading their music, users can stream it from any computer, Android or iOS device, including both phones and tablets, as long as it is connected to the user’s account.

Based on a particular song or what a user’s interests seem to be, Google Music will create playlists and song mixes, similar to Apple’s Genius feature.

“I think storing music online is a good idea because you can organize your playlists easily and have access to them wherever you go. The only downside is if you have spotty Internet access like I do,” Sarika Asthana (12) said.

All the changes to a person’s playlists and song collections hap-

pen over the web, so synchronizing a device, such as a phone or iPod, to a computer is unnecessary.

In addition, Google supplies users with free music without royalties based on the genre interests that they enter after they complete the initial

“

The only downside is if you have spotty internet access like I do.

”

Sarika Asthana (12)

uploading process.

Google Music can store 20,000 songs, which equates to about a hundred gigabytes if each song is five megabytes large. Only one current iPod model, the iPod Classic, can hold over a hundred gigabytes of music.

Unless the user grants Google Music access, it does not take space on the device because it is a web service rather than an iOS app; all the music is stored online. Users can only access it by entering Google Music’s URL into the web browser.

The product does not include a

place for users to purchase music like Apple’s iTunes Store.

Competing with Google’s instant synchronization, Apple plans to release iCloud, a feature for iTunes, later this fall along with iOS 5. iCloud will help users synchronize their music on iTunes with those on their iOS devices after every new purchase.

“It’s useful and innovative, but I don’t think Google can pull it off, because people tend to accept the original idea,” Neil Khemani (10) said. “Google is doing something that Apple isn’t, but the style and functionality of Google Music is so similar to iTunes, and it will fail compared to iCloud.”

After being invited to Google Music, users must download Google Music Manager, an application that helps them upload music to Google’s servers.

“I don’t think it will be very useful. It’s tedious to upload music online, and I will probably have the same music on my laptop and phone anyway.

And if not, there’s always YouTube,” Melody Huang (12) said.

Many of Google’s services begin in beta testing before being released to the public. Google has yet to announce when it will release Google Music publicly.

reporter Businesses, companies, and everyday users alike are always looking for easy ways to manage and share data safely. Box.net, a company located in Palo Alto, is expanding as a file sharing and cloud storage provider.

Cloud storage sellers allow their users to access their files from any computer or mobile device without having to go through the trouble of copying files. For this reason, the concept of cloud storage has appealed to many of its users.

Box.net allows its users to safely access, share, and collaborate files on its virtual file server. Users can manage their files from anywhere; they simply need a working browser and Internet connection.

“With virtually any web enabled device, you can access Box. [You] can take your content on the go,” Brandon Savage, the product manager of Box. net, said.

Box’s mobile apps let its users reach their information from practically anywhere. The company provides apps for devices including the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Touchpad, and PlayBook.

“If you look at our platform strategy, we have number of applications that we connect to, so you can access your content from within,” Savage said.

“Anywhere that you are, we want to be as well.”

Box.net was founded by current CEO Aaron Levie and current CFO Dylan Smith in 2005.

The

company has grown since then and is often compared to Dropbox, its competitor cloud storage and file sharing company.

Unlike most other online data storage services that supply storage for backup purposes, Box.net is more focused on enterprise collaboration, in which many people can access files at the same time. Because this system is used by big businesses, Box has to make sure that they have security mechanisms to prevent the loss of important information.

“With our focus on enterprise collaboration, we have to be more secure than other [businesses]. One breach in our system means that potentially super secure information could get leaked,” Savage said.

Businesses that store their information in an online storage server must make sure their content remains secure. Many companies work on providing a safe medium that allows users to manage and share their information.

Students at the Upper School who are involved in debate find online file sharing especially useful. Because they share a lot of large files, the students find it convenient to have all of their files complied in one place.

“If it is on your computer, it is harder to find, and obviously it takes a lot of space. So it is useful to have them in a place where you know they will always be,” Shivani Chandrashekaran (10) said.

As online file sharing becomes more widely used, cloud storage companies such as Box.net hope to expand their businesses.

BOX.NET

MUSIC BETA The service, which allows users to store music online and create playlists, takes no space on a user’s device.

SCREENSHOT

trisha jani

CLOUD Box.net’s services are available on mobile devices through apps. The cloud data storage provider focuses on making collaboration and sharing secure.

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Sports

September 30, 2011 the Winged Post

17

ALISHA MAYOR-WINGED POST

Andy and Michael: Athletes discuss future plans

ATHLETES Michael (left) and Andy (right) both have caught the eye of soccer recruiters by participating actively in the sport.

alisha mayor & mariam sulakian lifestyle editor & reporter

When it comes to soccer, juniors Michael Amick and Andy Perez both agree that their love for the sport is based on the camaraderie and the team atmosphere in which they play. The two have been looking toward their futures since their sophomore year in high school and have made great strides in terms of college and professional careers in soccer.

Michael Amick (11) When the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) offered Michael an early spot on their Division I soccer team, he was thrilled that

Cross Country Coach Paul Nangle serves in the military

ten the impression from him that he knew everything,” Tsakiris said. “He was willing to be a sponge and soak in everything that we were giving him as coaches. I knew his freshman year that there was something special about him because of his mentality toward training.”

Having met most of his future teammates already, Michael looks forward to 2013, when he can begin his fall seaSOCCER Michael and Andy participate in soccer in and out of son. school.

Andy Perez (11) “He’s dangerous and he’s good on the ball— Growing up with a afather who played proa pretty dynamic player,” Tsakiris said. “His techfessional soccer for the San Jose Earthquakes, nical prowess with the ball is probably his best Andy learned to play soccer as soon as he could quality as a soccer player.” walk, and he is now training to take the sport to As Andy works with the Earthquakes develthe collegiate and eventually professional level. opment team, he often looks forward to both colWhen he was invited this summer to lege soccer and potentially professional soccer in join the Earthquakes development team, a his future. In terms of college, he has already been youth development program for the prospeaking with several Division I college coaches fessional environment, he said he was in the hopes of snagging a spot on one of their “definitely excited because it’s a big opportunity.” teams. However, on a professional scale, the future “Since they’re a professional team, it’s great is not as clear. for me because I often get seen by professional “It’s pretty hard to make it to Major League coaches,” Andy said.

Soccer,” Andy said. “I’m not simply expecting [to According to Andy, playing on such a high make it to the professional level], but I think I performance team has its fair share of challenges, have a good chance because of the team I’m playand he has to put a lot of training and hard work ing on.” into the program.

Andy’s father, Ismael “Easy” Perez, remains a “Playing at this level, there aren’t any bad constant pillar of support and inspiration for him, players,” Andy said. “For me to be on the starting helping him train on and off season. line up, or for me to play the full 80 minutes of the “Since before I started playing competitively, game, I have to work really hard at practice and he always pushed me to be better than me,” Andy show the coaches [sincere effort] and strong play.” said. “All of his friends always joke that I’m going However, he finds that everything that he to be better than him. It’s definitely a big motivaputs into the sport eventually comes back to him, tion for me to make it as far as he did, and maybe especially because he loves the sport so much. further.”

“It’s just the atmosphere of the game–the Tsakiris asserted that for both Andy and Mifeeling when you score a goal, when you do somechael, their greatest strengths lay not only in their thing good, or you hear the fans cheering and your athletic expertise on the field but also in their teammates saying ‘Good Job,’” Andy said. ability to be good teammates, which in his opinTsakiris, who also coaches Andy at school ion is just as valuable. and was Andy’s former coach at Force, commended Andy’s technical capabilities in soccer.

SEPCIAL TO THE WNIGED POST

years of hard work and long hours at practice had finally paid off.

“It was exciting,” Michael said. “It’s a great feeling to have such a significant result after lots of hours of practice and training.”

This past March, when Michael was still a sophomore, he received the offer from UCLA to verbally commit to its program. Usually, the recruitment process for most soccer players interested in playing at the collegiate level continues through their junior year, so Michael had not expected to be presented an opportunity so early.

Coach Shaun Tsakiris, who works with Michael both at school and as part of the De Anza Force Academy, played soccer for UCLA himself before moving on to the professional world.

“With someone like Mike, it was a no brainer to try and push him to become a Bruin,” Tsakiris said.

Michael began his soccer journey with Kidz Love Soccer youth camp as a toddler, and he now finds his UCLA commitment surreal yet rewarding. For him, the decision has only served to strengthen his love for the sport. “[The best aspect of soccer] is just the fluidity of the game. There’s no stoppage of play, just constant action,” Michael said.

Spending most of his elementary school years as an all-around athlete, Michael finally chose to focus solely on soccer just before high school began, joining the National Development Soccer Academy, a developmental group for the United States National Team.

From then on, it seemed that college was always on his mind, especially since college recruiters would come out to every Academy game.

“It wasn’t that I was looking for colleges, but more that colleges started looking for players,” Michael said. “They came out, watched our games, and talked to our coach, beginning the college process.”

Aside from the process itself, Tsakiris emphasized how Michael’s innate love for the sport and willingness to always learn more from his coaches were the biggest factors in earning him the early college recruitment.

“Since I’ve been around him, I’ve never got-

current records

Eagle

As of September 28

October

E vents Tennis

NANGLE Paul Nangle has served in the military for the last eleven years as a member of the National Guard. He participates in various training exercises in order to perform his best while serving.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

GIRLS TENNIS

nikhil dilip

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battlefield. We may not necessarily be in combat on the field, but [we] will be there managing the movement on the battlefield,” he said. “Our training is the top notch in the world [….] I think the U.S. does a great job of training

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significant moments in [his] life that [he] will definitely remember,” he said.

Nangle initially joined the army because he wanted to thank the country for everything that it did for him. Although that has not changed, he now feels that he also owes something to his fellow soldiers.

“This country has a lot of opportunities, and one way to give back to the country is to be in the military. Ours is a great country, a great nation,” he said.

“Also, I enjoy it. It’s fun.

I learned a lot from the military in terms of leadership. I think it’s time I give mentorship and guidance back to the soldiers.”

He encourages any student who has given any thought to joining the military to attend an introductory session to experience the military environment.

One way to give back to the country is to be in the military.

Paul Nangle its leaders and followers in the battlefield, and we do that in a safe environment.”

Out of all his experiences during his 11 years of service, his most vivid memories are of the reactions of the military after the September 11 attacks ten years ago and the death of Osama bin Laden earlier this year. Although the two events elicited opposite emotions from the general public and those in the military, “they were

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Volleyball

Girls Volleyball

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3

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talonwp lead

Following the footsteps of both his grandfathers, who served in the military during World War II, Paul Nangle decided to join the armed forces to give back to his country.

A Private in the National Guard for 11 years, Nangle plans to remain a member of the military for another 10 to 20 years. As a Captain of his particular unit, Nangle both draws up strategies in addition to fighting on the field, like he did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have learned [both] that planning and organization are very important and [about] the importance of people as people, getting to know them, and getting to enjoy time with them,” Nangle said.

He cites the rigorous training process that new soldiers have to routinely complete as the reason for his personal success on the battlefield.

“For my specific job, there is a lot of physical training as well as training in military tactics and management on the

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2 Losses

Football

0 Ties

Girls Water Polo

2 Wins

3 Losses

0 Ties

boys water polo

1 Wins

4 Losses

0 Ties

GIRLS GOLF

3 Wins

2 Losses

0 Ties

Cross Country

Toro Invitational: boys 24th out of 41 schools, girls 37th out of 40 schools Stanford invitational: boys 24th out of 40 schools *All records not including tournaments

10/18: Eastside College Prep 10/20: Immaculate Conception Academy 10/25: Pinewood School 10/27: Priory

Ties

FOOTBALL

2

10/3: Cupertino High School 10/6: Crystal Springs Uplands 10/11: Pinewood School 10/13: Notre Dame High School 10/18: Menlo School 10/20: Sacred Heart Preparatory School

10/7: Santa Clara High School 10/21: Fremont High School

Girls Water Polo 10/4: Saratoga High School 10/6: Fremont High School 10/13: Mountain View High School 10/20: Cupertino High School

Boys Water Polo 10/4: Saratoga High School 10/6: Fremont High School 10/13: Wilcox High School 10/20: Cupertino High School

Golf 10/3: Menlo School 10/7: Castilleja School 10/14: Notre Dame High School

Cross Country 10/8: Crystal Springs Invitational 10/13: WBAL #2

Sports

the Winged Post

Keri Clifford (11)

ATHLETES OF THE

MONTH sonia sidhu & sheridan tobin reporters

SONIA SIDHU - WINGED POST

Varsity water polo player, Keri Clifford has lead her team with 47 goals and 14 steals so far this season. According to her coach, she is one of the best, and most well known, scorers in the league, along with being one of the team’s captains. In addition to those outstanding achievements, she is also September’s female athlete of the month.

Keri shows outstanding dedication to the team, as she “comes to every practice and gives one hundred percent and continues playing and learning during the off season,” said Head Coach Allison “Allie” Lamb.

Keri plays whole set, the player that her team tries to work the ball to, so that she shoot, provided that she is open.

“She is one of the most dominant set players in our league” said Allie, and “teams are forced to double team her.”

She is a natural leader, clearly shown by her organization of not only biweekly team bonding events, but also morning dry land practices for her teammates.

“She’s really passionate about our team,” said cocaptain Simy Bhagat (12).“We wouldn’t really be a team without her.” In addition to this, she’s very open to new players and constantly “takes everyone under her wing,” according to Simy.

During games, “whenever the team’s down [...] she’s still so positive,” Anna Levine (10) said. “She’s just so inspiring.”

Daanish Jamal (12)

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September 30, 2011

FOOTBALL Daanish Jamal (12) plays against Cochrane High School from Canada. During this game, Daanish had an interception at the goal line.

WATER POLO Keri Clifford (11) shoots a goal during an after school practice. Keri and her teammates practice various drills in order to improve skills.

Varsity football captain Daanish Jamal (12) has already played multiple outstanding games, one of which earned himself a mention in the San Jose Mercury News for his strong performance during the game against Emery High School.

This and many more achievements have lead to his earning of September’s male athlete of the month. Daanish is a wide receiver, defensive back and linebacker. He has scored six touchdowns so far.

“He works hard. He’s one of our captains.

He’s our leader. People look at us and try to stop him.” Head Coach Karriem “K” Stinson said.

His drive has a prominent effect on the efforts of his teammates. He “really pushes everyone to work harder, just by working hard himself ” Zachary Ellenberg (12) said, another one of the team’s captains. Part of his leadership includes helping his less experienced teammates improve by spending time to work on basic skills before and after practices.

His dedication is apparent as he is “more committed than anyone on the team” David Fang (12) said. “His training doesn’t stop when the season finishes.”

Daanish not only attends the practice of the team but also trains with Coach Ron Forbes,attends football camps and works out on his own.

Coach Stinson expects that Daanish “should have a great season.”

After school yoga class has waitlist of twenty students aditi ashok & priyanka sharma sports editors

Breathe in. Recline. Bound angle pose. Hold the pose. Keep breathing.

Relax. And thus progresses a typical yoga class.

Over the past few years, the popularity of the yoga program has continually increased in the Upper School.

Students who participate in yoga for one semester can earn 0.5 Physical Education credits, the same as participation in a competitive sport earns. This year, there is only one yoga class that can take 25 students, while 20 more are on the wait list. Due to the high demand to enter the program, students who do not routinely show up to class are not allowed to participate so others from the wait list can fill their spots.

“What happened this semester was there were a couple of students who were able to get into the class because a couple of students didn’t show up,” said Chris Collins, Assistant to Director of Athletics. To deal with this, yoga instructor Denise Wendler holds class for the first week, and adds students in from the wait list if enrolled students do not attend.

Athletic Director Dan Molin stated that the Athletic Department is looking into adding a second yoga class next semester, but nothing is definitive yet.

“It’s not easy with the facilities that we have to add not just yoga but any other P.E. class,” Molin said. “The instructor is wonderful. […] We’re looking at her schedule, and we’re try-

ing to fit in a second section.”

Albert Xu (12) has participated in the program since his sophomore year.

“I think yoga is a nice way to alleviate the stress of senior year,” Albert said. “It’s great to have a place to relax after a stressful day of school.”

Vikas Bhetanabhotla (10) joined yoga during the first semester of his freshman year.

“I joined because I felt it would be a good way to unwind while also helping me be calmer and more focused for my academics,” he said. “Ever since I joined, I’ve been a lot more relaxed while doing school work, especially when the workload gets really heavy.”

Yoga is different from most of the other noncompetitive athletics options offered because the class only

Irvine: Kayak Polo Update darian edvalson & vasudha rengarajan talonwp lead & reporter solidified that addiction.”

Due to a rigorous practice schedule that includes water and dry land exercises, Irvine says he continues to improve as an individual, but that having more team practices would be beneficial. Irvine practices three times a week, two times at Shoreline’s Aquatic Center in Mountain View, and one time in Richmond on Tuesday nights.

“We would try to get the B team players together as a group as much as possible, but sometimes that’s challenging given the coordination of going to Richmond versus coming down here,” said Irvine.

Irvine, one of the more experienced players on his team, made his debut on the waters at National as a goalie with over 40 saves and a couple memo-

rable experiences.

In a game against the New York Bagels, Irvine performed what, in his opinion, was an extremely impressive save.

Blocking a shot, and chasing after the ball, he was caught and flipped by two players.

“I grabbed the ball, went under, did a hand roll with the ball in my arm, and threw it to my teammate,” he said.

“I was really proud of that moment. We didn’t get a goal, but it was worth every single second.”

Armed with more experience, Irvine hopes to return to the Nationals as a member of the Golden Gate Breakers’ A Team sometime within the next two years.

SPECIAL TO THE WINGED POST

Upper School chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine, cocaptain of the Golden Gate Breakers’ B kayak polo team, capsized the U.S. Kayak Polo Nationals, helping his team earn seventh place out of 16 teams at the competition held in Omaha, Nebraska between September 9 and 11.

Dubbed “Shipwreck” by his teammates, Irvine combined his high school water polo experience and his affinity for kayaking to discover this unique sport, kayak polo.

“I showed up to one practice at Mountain View. It was very challenging,” he said. “And I was not going to come back... [but] I just kind of went with it. And eventually, it turned into something I was enjoying more and getting better at, and over time, I just kind of became addicted. And the tournament has

WATER POLO Andrew Irvine participates in a match of Kayak Polo. Irvine is a member of the Golden Gate Breaker’s B kayak polo team, and has played Kayak Polo since June of 2010.

meets twice a week. The Tuesday session of the week consists of practicing active poses to work the muscles and the Friday meeting involves practicing primarily relaxation poses. Since the class does not meet three days, students are required to do an additional hour of yoga throughout the week, which allows students the freedom to do any pose they like. The students then must write a journal about it either by hand or online. “[Students] do a yoga journal so they’re practicing yoga at home,” Wendler said. “It’s important that yoga becomes a part of their daily lives [...] It will help students as they get through high school and also in college and in the rest of their lives [to know] how they can relieve their stress, what

they can do if their shoulders are really tight, what they can do to relax, […] how they can do it on their own.”

Wendler has been active in the art of yoga ever since 1985. Since then, she has trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institute at San Francisco and has been a teacher for 16 years. She has been teaching at the Upper School for seven years and extended the program to the Lower School three years ago.

“In yoga, because you’re so focused on what you’re doing […] it’s mind and body together,” Wendler said. “It’s not just working your body like you would in an exercise class.”

Wendler encourages students in her yoga class to practice yoga at home at their own pace.

September 30, 2011

Sports

the Winged Post

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Dancing Through Life: Dance program takes new direction priyanka sharma & felix wu sports editor & reporter

four years in high school.

“While I do love the new dance teachers and I am excited to see the program grow under their direction, I do miss Ms. Rae because she was my dance teacher for the past three years, and we had some really fun times together,” she said. “She taught me a lot about what it takes to make a strong, bonded team, and she was the first person who really made me consider the artistic, creative side of dance rather than just pure technique in the movement.”

Michaela Kastelman (11) has been a part of the Upper School dance program since her freshman year. She also admits that having two new dance teachers was one of the largest changes in

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The changes that have been made are ultimately for the dance program’s benefit and will help contribute to the success of the dance program.

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Michaela Kastelman (11)

the program.

“Even though I am sad that Ms. Rae left the dance department, I am excited that Mr. Kuehn and Mrs. De La Rosa are now part of the Upper School dance staff because I believe that the two new dance teachers will help to make the Upper School dance program stronger and larger,” she said.

Michaela believes that the dancers have adapted well to the system.

“The dancers have been adjusting to the changes of the new dance programs,

just as a sports team would adjust to the new programs and practices of a new coach, but the changes that have been made are ultimately for the dance program’s benefit and will help contribute to the success of the dance program,” she said.

For Margaret, the dance show theme, Dancing Through Life, also adds a different spin to this year’s dance program. “ T h e i r theme, compared to the last three years, is pretty simple, which is a good thing because they can m a k e smooth transitions and real-

ly tell a story from past, present and future of dance and music,” Margaret said.

Kuehn, enthusiastic about preparing for the show, said, “We are trying to keep it clean and simple this year, [and] put on a really solid and enjoyable [performance].”

ALL PHOTOS PRIYANKA SHARMA - WINGED POST

After a fan kick and a double pirouette, the dancers rapidly returned back to their starting positions to try the count of eight again during rehearsal. In addition to the new technique classes that have started, many changes have been made to the structure of this year’s dance program.

Coming from the Middle School to head the dance program at the Upper School, Amalia De La Rosa and Karl Kuehn have brought numerous changes to the dance syllabus to prepare for the dance show scheduled for January.

Both teachers have felt the change transferring from the Middle School. De La Rosa and Kuehn agree that the teaching technique at the Upper School is more advanced than the style used with younger students.

“I feel like with the older students we can give corrections, and [they] get it quicker. There was a challenge for us, too, to create movement and create dances in classes that move quicker and are more challenging because [they] are all ready for it,” De La Rosa said.

Kuehn is excited to teach more complicated dance routines to former Middle School students again.

“It’s been fun seeing familiar faces and creating a more technically challenging curriculum for these students at the Upper School,” he said. “Working here, it’s just a different environment. It’s a community that’s unlike any other. [...] The students are driven when it comes to their passion and dance both inside the classroom and out.”

As part of ano t h e r change to the dance program, students can now take dance classes during the academic school day. Although Varsity dance has been part of the academic schedule for the past few years, choreography classes and Study of Dance are newly incorporated this year.

Kuehn believes that the Study of Dance course gives students a chance to learn dance from a more academic point of view. “[Study of Dance] was the only aspect of performing arts that was not included in the ‘Study of ’ series,” he said. “It’s great that students have

that option, if dance is their interest in the conservatory, [to] pursue Study of Dance and learn more about the history of dance and the academic side of dance.”

According to De La Rosa, the choreography classes offered during seventh period and also after school only for this year are designed to help students through the process of creating a dance routine for the show.

“It’s just so that students learn that there actually is a process to choreograph, and they would have hands-on help all the way through the process,” De La Rosa said. “It’s more for the advanced student that has a lot of experience.”

One of the final changes made to the dance program is the audition process for the dance show. De La Rosa and Kuehn agreed that the number of students who showed up for the auditions was far greater than they had expected.

“We got a lot of people who used to dance in the past and hadn’t been for the past couple of years restarting the process,” Kuehn said. “Our numbers increased from the previous years, so that’s a good sign. I think we are setting up for a really strong year in dance.”

Gaurav Kumar (10) also noticed that the number of new participants in the dance program this year accounted for much of the change from last year.

“Personally, I think the main difference in the dance program this year is the large number of incoming freshman dancers, which really widens the variety of dance styles in the program. This will hopefully help us out in the dance show a lot,” he said.

According to Varsity dance captain Margaret Krackeler (12), the dance program is organized much differently compared to previous years.

“There’s a lot more structure this year, guidelines and specifics, whereas last year, people who knew [Laura] Rae knew the way she worked, and then we just taught everybody else how to adapt to that,” she said. “This year they made [...] the requirements and the structure that needs to be going on [pretty clear].”

Varsity dance member Sarika Asthana (12) is excited to have two new dance teachers leading the p r o g r a m .

However, she wishes that the former dance teacher could have stayed for her

POINT Dancers Kirsten Herr (12), Tiphaine Delepine (11) and Maya Gattupalli (12) rehearse the counts of eight that dance instructor Karl Kuehn choreographed. Practices for each dance in the show have now begun.

Cali, Davis and Schmidt discuss college sports talonwp lead & reporter Alumni Cole Davis (‘10), Ryan Cali (‘10) and Tanya Schmidt (’08) share their insights on their experiences playing college sports and the differences between collegiate and high school athletics.

Winged Post: How long have you been playing your sport?

Ryan Cali: I’ve been playing basketball since I was two or three years old—ever since I could walk.

Cole Davis: I started swimming on a swim team when I was four years old.

Tanya Schmidt: I have played volleyball since seventh grade at Harker. I remember first playing on the blacktop on the Saratoga campus, where the parking lot is now.

WP: What has been your motivation to continue playing sports?

RC: I started playing basketball because my dad got me into playing all sports, and it was another sport to play.

My friends were playing, so I played,

too.

CD: Well, I actually quit swimming in middle school, but got back into it again in high school because I was looking for a sport to play during the spring. Now I’m glad that I got back into it.

TS: I continue to play volleyball because I love the game, and I think important life lessons can be learned through playing sports.

WP: How does your experience playing in college differ from your experience at the Upper School?

RC: It’s definitely more time consuming. At Harker, practices were usually two hours. At Foothill [College], practices go from three to four hours and sometimes, as long as five hours. Additionally, the talent level is completely different. When I was at Harker, I was always one of the better players, but in college, everyone is good. I’m not one of the better players now, just average.

It means that I have to work harder to get better.

CD: The swimming at Stanford [University] is a lot faster, and I’m swimming against world-class athletes.

There are Olympians on my team. It’s a much larger time commitment than at Harker. It’s really a lifestyle rather than just something I do after school.

TS: In season in college I practice volleyball with my team for at least three hours a day. Often, I am in the gym for more than three hours. It’s a big time commitment, but to me it’s worth it. As captain of the Santa Clara University team this year, I spend about 25 hours a week in the gym. That includes practice, film on my own, strength and conditioning workouts, meetings with the

coaching staff, and getting treatment in the training room. I’m learning a lot, both in volleyball and life lessons!

WP: Is sports something that you think you will continue to pursue even after college?

RC: No. CD: I don’t know yet. This year is an Olympic year, and I will be participating in the Olympic trials. I guess I will have to see what happens there. And it’s obviously another four years after that until the next Olympics. I don’t know if I’ll do anything with swimming after I graduate or not.

WP: What are your goals for participating in a college sport?

RC: Hopefully, I can help Foothill win a lot of games over the next couple of years, which will allow me to go on to play basketball at a [Division III or Division II] school. My ultimate goal is to play somewhere else.

CD: Generally to have fun. But, this year, I’d really like to make the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team, and I’m hoping to win an NCAA title this year. I think I have a pretty good shot.

WP: Did high school sports prepare you to become a collegiate athlete?

RC: Yes and no. The discipline I learned while being on the basketball team at Harker really helped me prepare for college. I feel like I’m a lot more disciplined than some of the other guys I play with at Foothill. On the other hand, since Harker is a small school, the talent isn’t at the same level as some of the other schools; so in that regard, Harker didn’t prepare me as well.

WINGED POST ARCHIVES

darian edvalson & vasudha rengarajan

TEAM LEADER As a high school senior, Ryan Cali (‘10) leads his team while at the Upper School down the court. Cali now plays for the basketball team at Foothill College.

CD: It did get me into college and onto the team, but I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the jump from high school sports to collegiate sports.

WP: What is your advice for Upper School students who want to play a sport in college?

RC: Keep working hard, and take the opportunity to go out and play against kids who are not at Harker. Even if you think you are a really good player at Harker, you won’t know how you compare to athletes elsewhere unless you play against them. If your heart is really into it, just go after it.

CD: As a member of the team, I play an active role in recruiting new athletes.

Obviously, you have to be dedicated to and good at your sport if you want to play at the collegiate level. However, at Stanford, we see a lot of athletes we can’t recruit because they don’t have good enough grades, even though they are amazing athletes. I know that’s not an issue for kids at Harker, but I would say that they should keep up their grades.

TS: Keep playing!

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The Back Page

I definitely support conserving the environment because especially in our lifetime, we’re all going to feel the [pollution] more than many people in previous generations.

- Alexander Tuharsky (9) I think that preserving the environment is a duty that everyone should perform because you’re part of the community and you have to be respectful to the environment.

- Pooja Chirala (10) I think it’s a good thing to preserve our environment, especially with greenhouse gases and car emissions. That’s why I drive a Prius.

- Jacob Hoffman (11) [Pollution] is something that will affect the future and it’s important that we deal with it now.

- Gerilyn Olsen (12)

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BIOLOGY Alan Soetikno (11), Kevin Susai (11), Lydia Werthen (11), and Justin Gerard (11) are collecting plant specimens for their science lab in Biology teacher Daniel Ajerman’s class on September 15. The lab was to gather a variety of plant samples, particularly flat grasses like leaves and rounder grasses like stems, and then examine the characteristics of the plants under a microscope.

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