BY DHIRAJ NALLAPOTHULA AND ASHWIN RAVI
College Board develops another iteration of its SAT Reasoning Test in order to better align its test material to skills needed in college. Staff writers Dhiraj Nallapothula and Ashwin Ravi take a look at the new changes.
O
n Mar. 5, The College Board announced changes to the SAT Reasoning Test set to be implemented in the spring of 2016. According to The College Board, the redesigned test will have questions which model the class work that students will see in school, and is meant to help students gain a deeper understanding of aspects necessary for college readiness. Among the changes include the decrease in the maximum score from 2400 to 1600, the removal of the penalty for incorrect answers, the replacement of the infamous SAT vocabulary words with more relevant vocabulary that students are likely to encounter in college, and a now optional essay component. The College Board explained that the changes were made because the current SAT exam has strayed too far from its original goal of fairly assessing academic readiness for college. Although the exam is supposed to provide “a path to opportunities, financial support and scholarships, in a way that’s fair
ALL PHOTOS BY KASTURI PANTVAIDYA—EPIC
to all students,” wealthier families often hire expensive tutors which prepare students for the test’s unique style and provide an unfair advantage over those who cannot afford study resources. A major point of emphasis of the redesigned SAT was to curtail the aforementioned inequality. “We need to get rid of the sense of mystery and dismantle the advantages that people perceive in using costly test preparation,” said The College Board President David Coleman in an article published in The Atlantic. “Too many feel that the prevalence of test prep and expensive coaching reinforces privilege rather than merit.” The College Board also plans to team up with Khan Academy, which will provide free online resources with which students may prepare for the test. “For too long, there’s been a well-known imbalance between students who could afford test-prep courses and those who couldn’t,” said Sal Khan, founder and executive director of Khan Academy in an article in The College Board. “We’re thrilled to collaborate closely with the College Board to level the playing field by making truly world-class test-prep materials freely available to all students.” The essay section, for which nearly every private tutor and class coaches a specific formula, will become optional in attempt to provide egalitarian opportunities for all students. In the redesigned essay, however, students will be asked to analyze evidence provided by the SAT rather than use their own background knowledge and experiences, which were not checked for accuracy by essay scorers. This essay style is very similar to Advanced Placement (AP) essays for the English Language and Composition classes. “I think it’s nice to have the test adjust to what we’re already doing in class, instead of having it being the other way around,” said English Department Chair Robert Richmond. All of the modifications described above are meant to collectively form a more
FRESHMAN IRIS ZHAO “The people in my class also seem pleased that we’re not being tested on words that I’ve never actually seen in any books except SAT books and dictionaries.”
straightforward, less confusing, and less stressful standardized test. Freshman Iris Zhao finds the changes helpful and more applicable to the classroom environment. “The people in my class also seem pleased that we’re not being tested on words that I’ve never actually seen in any books except SAT books and dictionaries,” said Zhao. “And a lot of people seem especially happy that the essay, which used to be done in 25 minutes, is now optional.” According to junior Andy Cui, who took the exam last year, “It is impossible to gauge how effective these tests are to their true goal because it is extremely hard to measure student ability in an objective way.” Freshman Kathleen Cui is none too excited to be among the first to take the updated SAT. “In a way, being the first to take the test
FRESHMAN KATHLEEN CUI “In a way, being the first to take the test makes me unsure of what to expect, and somewhat feels like we are being experimented on. I have no idea how this will affect my performance.”
makes me unsure of what to expect, and somewhat feels like we are being experimented on,” she said. “I have no idea how this will affect my performance.” Tiffany Lu, a College Counseling Chief, does not plan on altering her counseling techniques to accommodate for changes to the SAT because she believes the fundamental goals of her company’s instruction are still the same, but she speculates that the recent changes will sway more students to show greater preference for the ACT. “It takes a number of years for the changes to settle in, and most students will be more comfortable taking a test that’s already wellestablished,” said Lu. “We’re expecting to see more students take part in the ACT for the next few years until the SAT testing style becomes familiar again.” GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION
NEWS IN BRIEF By Urmila Venkat and Audrey Zheng
“One can see how the sport of basketball can connect so many different groups of people.”
Senior Gary Chen, who has participated in the tournament since sophomore year, describes the March Madness basketball tournament. Sixteen teams will face off against each other in the gym at lunch this week over the course of the competition.
Taking Chances This year’s Junior Prom will take place on Saturday, April 5 from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at David’s Restaurant at the Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club. The theme is Taking Chances. Pricing starts at $45 per bid on March 24 and increases by $1 a day until it reaches $50. Bidding stops on April 4.
March 11, 2014
The day the Facilities Master Plan committee and the school board finalized a plan for the school’s new construction. The next step is determining costs.
“It is funny and poignant and everyone can enjoy it!” Freshman Claire Dunn describes the Spring Production, “Almost Maine.” Opening night will be on March 28th at 7:30 pm in Studio 74. Tickets will be sold on the top of the quad this week for $10 with ASB and $12 without.
NEW BELL SCHEDULE FOR ‘14-’15 Monday: Friday schedule Tuesday: Tutorial Wednesday: Even Block Thursday: Odd Block Friday: Tutorial
Senior Vishnu Murthy and junior Shivani Kavuluru received Commendation awards at the Model United Nations (MUN) Conference which took place at UC Berkeley from Mar. 7 to Mar. 9.
“Though we got [the stunt] during practice a number of times, dancing on stage with all that adrenaline is so different and uplifting!” Senior Susmitha Bhat, who performed the Bhangra dance for Lynbrook’s annual South Asian Cultural Showcase, Silsilay, held on March 8, recounts her exhilarating experience pulling off a difficult stunt for the ending poses.
After months of anticipation, Mrs. Andrea Badger and Mr. Tim Wehner were recognized as Lynbrook’s certified and classified staff members of the year for 2014. In the past year, Badger has made several contributions to Lynbrook through her roles in Student Leadership, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Lynbrook’s Department Chair Leadership team. For Badger, the award is a reminder to take a step back from searching for ways to improve and enjoy the results of her work. “I am always so critical of myself that I often forget to take a moment and reflect on what I possibly have done right,” she said. “This award forces me to acknowledge that
“I am always so critical of myself and always see how I can improve. Getting this award forces me to acknowledge that while I may want to do things better, what I am doing right now is good too.”
didates that were nominated by students, parents and staff in January. Every year, the council attempts to select employees from various departments to be “representative of the best in all that staff have to offer,” said Broman. Both Wehner and Badger attribute their individual success to the “multitude of staff and students who are very driven and disciplined, and [who] are achieving great things,” said Wehner. They express hope that such teamwork will continue to define Lynbrook.
“There is a multitude of staff and students alike who are very driven and disciplined, and they are achieving great things, big and small,”
ANDREA BADGER
TIM WEHNER PRASANN RANADE—EPIC
BY PRACHI LAUD
KASTURI PANTVAIDYA—EPIC
GETTING TO KNOW OUR EXEMPLARY EDUCATORS
what I am doing right now is good too!” Wehner on the other hand, is actively involved in Lynbrook Athletics in addition to being a Para Educator. He has coached the Lynbrook Baseball Team and assistant coached the girls’ tennis team. “Mr. Wehner is a gem,” said Executive Assistant Jan Broman. “He’s Lynbrook’s spirit.” In a vote by the School Site Council, these employees were selected from a pool of can-
RETIREMENT: THETEACHINGSOFDARRYLHAYWOOD BY HENRY SHANGGUAN
A
KASTURI PANTVAIDYA—EPIC
fter 12 years of teaching science at Lynbrook, Physics teacher Darryl Haywood will retire at the end of this school year. During his tenure at Lynbrook, Haywood has taught courses in all areas of the science triad—chemistry, biology, and physics. Prior to joining the Lynbrook staff, Haywood had already been teaching for 25 years. In the classroom, students enjoyed Haywood’s lighthearted personality and teaching style. “Mr. Haywood’s best quality as a teacher is his ability to create a fun learning environment,” said senior Sohil Sathe. “I’m going to miss his jokes and how he ran class overall.” Many also appreciated his skill in engaging students and teaching the material in entertaining ways. “He takes the time to really get to know his students and that really makes a difference in the learning environment,” said senior Divya Saha. “I always had a lot of fun in Haywood’s class whether it be doing labs or watching physics videos from the 80s.” Sathe added, “Mr. Haywood’s class taught me that learning isn’t about memorizing random things, but rather about building good habits that will come handy in the future.” Above all, students and staff alike will miss Haywood’s unique brand of tongue-in-cheek humor. “Professionally, I will miss his insight from years of experience,” said Physics teacher David Taylor. “Personally, I will miss Mr. Haywood’s witty humorous comments.” Summarizing how many students reacted upon learning of Haywood’s retirement, Junior Samantha Khan noted, “Lynbrook just won’t be the same without his wit and cynical sense of humor.”
Why Facebook’s acquisition of Whatsapp was the right move BY PRASANN RANADE
F
rom rags to riches. That was the story of WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum when, on Feb. 19, social media giant Facebook bought the budding social messaging service for a staggering $19 billion—$4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares, and $3 billion in restricted stock units. Market analysts the world over shook their heads over the seemingly high valuation and wondered about Facebook’s motivations. The only larger acquisition of a tech company was way back in 2001 when Hewlett-Packard bought Compaq Computer Corporation for $25 billion. Buying WhatsApp, however, was the right move for Facebook because of the potential of mobile communication, an area that Facebook has only recently begun to exploit. Let me explain the relevance of WhatsApp, and why Facebook so desperately desired to acquire it. In essence, WhatsApp is a mobile social messaging app, similar to text messaging, but charges only a dollar a year after the first year of use and does not show any ads whatsoever. WhatsApp is, quite easily, worth more than $19 billion in the long run, based on the projected income the mes-
INFOGRAPHIC BY OPINION SECTION
saging service will reel in for Facebook. After four years, the app has about 450 million active users and is the fastest growing mobile messaging app, with 1 million new users each day and a projection of 1 billion users by August of 2015. In comparison, Facebook as a company, before acquiring WhatsApp, was a wheezing old codger, only managing to attract a third as many users in the same time. Given that the company has not spent a dime on public relations and heavily targets the overseas social messaging market, where SMS is the other dominant text messaging service, Whatsapp, post-acquisition, has a number of new technological avenues to explore; for example, providing voice calling features. While it does come with a hefty price tag, WhatsApp is a steal for Facebook because it now has access to 450 million new users. Furthermore, while Facebook has a developing mobile service with Messenger, it is losing out with its central social networking service, the core of its initial business plan. Facebook has a solid user base, with 1.3 billion users, but the relative percentage of adults using it has been steadily increasing as younger users drop out for other mobile social apps, such as Snapchat, Ask.fm, and Twit-
ter. According to a report by investment bank Piper Jaffray, just 23% of teens cite Facebook as the most important social network, down from 33% six months ago and 42% a year before. That demographic that Facebook caters to is shifting toward mobile apps; thus, its acquisition of WhatsApp will help Facebook gain a stronger foothold in that arena. Additionally, Facebook already owns Instagram, which it acquired in April 2012 for $1 billion, and is a major player in the mobile field. Granted, Facebook simply likes buying out its competitors instead of developing its own substitutes—it offered $3 billion for Snapchat last November—but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg clearly sees that mobile is the way to go. With that in mind, Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp did not just allow it to exploit WhatsApp’s potential but cemented its status as a champion in the mobile field.
My experiences at a memorable mixer BY STEPHANIE LU
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION
S
hould’ve gone for the waffles, if not for the dancing. Livin’ the Night, the new black light mixer-style dance, was held on Saturday, March 7 in place of the traditional Sadie Hawkins dance, which according to ASB Social Manager senior Caitlin Lee only had “around seven couples on the dance floor” last year. Lee hypothesized that part of the reason Lynbrook’s Sadie Hawkins dances are not as popular as other dances is because girls, who are supposed to take the initiative and ask, are generally less inclined to do so than guys. This is probably because Lynbrook promotes irritatingly expensive posters-and-flowers affairs, and girls are far too used to getting away with being cheap. Take it from a girl who has no qualms about telling her male friends to buy her food at all given opportunities. Getting beyond the pre-dance mating rituals and to the actual dance itself, I’d say that it was pretty decent. I went in without any expectations at all--the only other school dances I’d gone to were Blue Pearl (highly recommended) and Homecoming, and what I mainly remember from Homecoming is being disgusted by the sight of people grinding. Livin’ the Night was far more visually appealing than Homecoming. Neon clothing and people’s teeth lit up the inside of the gym, which was cool, but then I realized that the blacklight also lit up the cat hair all over my clothes, which was gross. The DJ from 99.7 FM played stuff that hurt my ears—or in other words, the usual. Attendants who had their fill of grinding (or deafening sound, like me) could buy freshlymade waffles with a variety of toppings from a nearby waffle stand, whipped cream, chocolate chips and Nutella included. But don’t be mean and ask for Nutella, cause that stuff needs to be microwaved before being put onto your precious little waffle. And how, you ask, did these waffles taste? Borrowed from a more poetic friend: “eating the waffles is like eating a piece of heaven.” (This
friend was one of the mean Nutella kids, by the way.) Another friend said that the dance was “a waffle stand with music.” Believing these quotes is up to you, of course, and don’t let me influence you, but I totally stand behind what they said. Waffles aside, some students expressed mixed feelings about the overall dance experience. “It’s kind of sad that nobody came,” said freshman Shannon Barrie. “Though the lights were cool and all.” Sophomore Samuel Morris admitted that he mainly went to the dance because he’d heard that a girl he was interesting in was also going (though he refused to reveal her name) but he also said that “I’d heard about the black light thing, and I found that pretty intriguing.” Visiting Harker senior Arthur Shau agreed with Barrie on attendance. “Everything but attendance was fine. There weren’t as many people as I’d expected, and I wanted to meet new, potentially more attractive girls here, so I was kind of disappointed.” Luckily for me, he saved my ego by assuring me that my looks completely met his high standards. What a gentleman. Other male (and female) students seemed to have better luck than Shau. Morris described the dancing as “aggressive--I was expecting some, you know, suggestive dancing,” he said with an embarrassed smile, “but what I saw was really aggressive.” For any readers who are shocked and dismayed by Morris’ statement, they should know that most of the grinders stood in a circle near the back and it was easy enough to avoid seeing them. A better question would be why they’d want to stand in the circle and face each other while partaking in clothed simulated coitus. Anyone who can answer this question should contact the Epic immediately. Though Lee made no comments regarding ASB’s plans for later years, she did say that “future ASB Social Managers should consider every aspect and decide [what to do] on their own.”
I
can’t wrap my head around the concept of a “selfie.” And there are so many doggone acronyms out there, it’s impossible for me to keep ‘em straight. But what’s perplexing me most right now has to do with summer vacation. It seems to me that the young’uns are getting way too riled up about summer… Sorry about that. When I start talking about my opinions on summer planning, my grandpa voice tends to take over. That happens because today’s idea of “taking advantage of one’s summer” makes my concept of summer seem antique. I still feel, however, that my thoughts on summer have some truth in them. The belief that what one does with their summer will be-all and end-all in determining their path to college is a myth; it forms a part of a larger whole. Summer should be used as a time to relax and explore interests. Contrary to popular belief, it should not be used to mindlessly pad one’s resume. One misconception of summer which many Lynbrook students buy into is the idea that how a student uses their summer vacation will make or break his or her collegiate future. At any information session, regardless of the school, college admissions representatives emphasize that the first and most important part of any application is the transcript. Grades and academic rigor form the foundation of any evaluation. In other words, that highly selective internship isn’t a “FREE ADMISSION” ticket, redeemable at the school of your choice. So if you’re participating in some program that doesn’t even interest you just to pad your resume… Congratulations! You’ve just wasted a month of your life doing
something that you didn’t like, and it might not even help you reach your goal! Now, I’m not totally discounting the value of summer programs as a tool to increase one’s odds of getting into selective schools. Summer activities are a piece of the puzzle, to be sure, but the academics-based nature of college application evaluation ensures that said piece is not exactly a giant one. Yes, I realize that some people use their experiences at a summer program as inspiration for their college essays. In a way, however, that defeats the whole purpose of the college essay; the objective is to stand out and showcase yourself as an individual, yet participating in a group program can suggest an inability to create opportunities for oneself and think outside the box. And how much does it really mean when you participate in a program that is expressly designed to give you some sort of moral dilemma to expound upon in your applications? Suppose you enroll in a program to help impoverished people in Africa. You come back and churn out a piece on how you want to help the poor, having finally seen it for the first time. Does that make you a model citizen, or just naive and ignorant? Did it really take that trip to realize this when there are hundreds of homeless people within a 10-mile radius of your home? Also, the fact that many students want to continue in an educational environment (I’m talking about compressed yearlong courses, SAT boot camps and stuff like that) during the summer baffles me. Summer serves as a time for both students and teachers to recharge their batteries. Subjecting one’s mind to the grind and stress of difficult assignments and tests only lead to a burnout by the middle of
first semester during the next school year. That causes one’s grades to dip, which circles back to what I noted earlier about the nature of college admissions. It leads to a buildup of stress as well, which negatively affects one’s mood and ability to get along with others. Enough about what summer isn’t, or shouldn’t be. Let’s talk about what summer is. It is a time to explore interests. Whether that means writing poetry or serving as an intern at a local hospital, pursuing one’s interests is beneficial in two ways. First of all, it adds meaning to the activity. Additionally, it enables a student to decide whether or not he or she is interested in studying that particular field in college. Doing something that involves one’s passions, even if it is just something small, matters infinitely more than weeks of work in a program chosen based on its impressiveness. The added benefit of participating in a meaningful activity is that it naturally helps one in the college application process. The resume is expanded, to be sure, but more importantly essays flow more easily and with a more human touch. So that’s my take on summer (with the assistance of the curmudgeonly Grandpa James, of course). Even though most of what I believe flies in the face of what many Lynbrook students seem to believe, a closer look reveals that my old, outdated viewpoints may have more than a little truth to them. Now if only I could figure out how to use this doggone iSmartphone thing…
ART ILLUSTRATION BY AUDREY ZHENG
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN AND MICHELLE SU
A look on media misrepresentation of people of color BY MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY
I
remember a time when I [felt] unbeautiful,” said Lupita Nyong’o, the 2014 winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, at the 7th annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon. “I put on the TV and only saw pale skin, I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned.” Nyong’o went on to explain that her self-image only improved once she saw the Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek in a magazine. Just as the appearance of relatable people of color (POC) in the media enabled Nyong’o to appreciate herself just the way she was, it has the po-
tential to do the same for countless other POC across America. The cries for more accurate representation are often dismissed as the whines of the Tumblr social justice police, but taking action is of paramount importance because of the power of POC appearances in the media can affect individual self-esteem and mitigate prejudices.
Lynbrook Reactions to POC Representation Unfortunately, as of now, POC representation in the media is disappointing. A report by “Think Progress” magazine’s Alyssa Rosenberg showed that if the U.S. mirrored the racial representation on television, POC
students to see people of their race succeed in a non-traditional work environment.” For POC, even viewing POC that do not share their race on TV can be inspiring. “Seeing the character Mako Mori in ‘Pacific Rim’ was great,” said junior Vidya Palepu. “Even though I’m not Japanese, the fact that there was an Asian female lede in a popular movie made me feel more empowered.”
KASTURI PANTVAIDYA -- THE EPIC
would consist only 13.5% of the population. According to a 2010 Census prediction, however, the number of POC in America today is almost triple that amount. This lack of POC representation has negative effects on many who draw upon the media for encouragement and motivation to achieve greater heights. “Growing up in 90s, I suffered a lot of racism,” said English teacher Andrew Seike. “Watching [POC] in shows like ‘Star Trek,’ inspired me during that time, and still do.” Viewing, and even meeting, public figures of color is motivating because it shows the possibility of obtaining success in fields normally dominated by Caucasians. “I met Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman and the first African American congressman from Minnesota,” said Muslim Student Association co-president, junior Safwan Siddiqi. “He was inspiring especially because he encouraged Muslims to get involved in politics. A lot of people, especially Muslims, complain about politics, but never do anything about it. He’s an example of how we can.” After seeing Ellison, Siddiqi was encouraged to be more politically active. “[Meeting Ellison inspired me to start] contacting Congressmen and other officials regularly in order to have my voice heard on political issues involving Islam [and virtually everything else],” said Siddiqi, “ Since I met him, I’ve been contacting the local government officials so often that most of them know me by name.” Seeing POC succeed in fields traditionally dominated by Caucasians, like the entertainment industry, provides hope and inspiration for those interested in pursuing a career in Hollywood. “I get inspired by some of the Indians in entertainment: Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, and [Dev Patel], to name a few,” said American Indian Student Association (AISA) copresident, senior Kavita Krishnan. “It’s so traditional to see Indians associated with being doctors and engineers; it’s motivating for
Changes in Self-worth and Racism Aside from underrepresentation, perjorative representations of POC can also affect an individual’s sense of worth. Researchers from Indiana University surveyed 400 boys, half of whom were white and half of whom were African American, to examine the correlation between watching TV and self worth. The study showed that a majority of the African American children’s self-esteem dropped after watching TV, while the white children’s did not. The researchers attributed this to the fact that white TV characters tend to be powerful, intelligent, well respected, and well endowed, while African Americans are often criminalized on TV. “The glass ceiling, in terms of media diversity, does still exist,” said Seike. “Showing one race more than another does give off the impression that the more represented race is in a higher position of power.” This “glass ceiling” stems from racism’s roots in American history, specifically the treatment of POC as “the other.” “They” were stealing our jobs and ruining our economy. During the Progressive Era, some reformers,
including Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, proposed sterilization of immigrants to prevent their “bad blood” from invading another generation. While people’s perceptions of POC have gotten better since the early 1900s, racism is still prominent. “I’ve never experienced racism with intent,” said Muslim Student Association copresident, junior Numair Baseer, “People sometimes call me a terrorist, but it’s usually either a joke, or they somehow try to intend it as a compliment. I never really take it to take it to heart, but the underlying racism in their comments is always apparent.” The media has affected people’s perception of Muslim POC (especially those of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent.) When referring to the terrorists who bombed the Twin Towers or initiated the drone attacks in Pakistan, media reporters always make sure to include the religion of these terrorists: Islam. This constant association has caused people to consider “Muslim” and “terrorist” to be synonymous. Media portrayals deeply affect nationwide perception because many people rely solely on the media for education. “The media is where people get information,” said Baseer. “No one really searches up scholarly articles and studies; everyone just goes by what the media says, and assumes that whatever they read or hear is true.” The media’s current minimal and derogatory representation of POC is the only angle most people see, and therefore is the stance that they will adopt against the POC. Because
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONs BY AUDREY ZHENG
there are so few Muslims in the media besides those in terrorist organizations, most people believe that all Muslims are like them. Increased favorable portrayals of POC will decrease negative associations, and will positively affect the way people perceive them. “There are so many white people on TV that if one white person does something wrong, it won’t be a reflection of his/her race,” said AISA co-president, senior Nisha Nadkarni. “There are so few [POC] to represent our community, so when one [POC] does something wrong, people associate that wrongdoing with everyone of that ethnicity.” Fortunately, the media has been increasing favorable POC portrayals in the last few decades. African Americans, especially, have been shown in a much more positive light, with the advent of popular African American television hosts like Wendy Williams, Tyra Banks and Oprah, and more prominent African American actors, like Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. “We have a black president now, an event that would have seemed implausible even fifty years ago,” said Seike. “The media definitely had something to do with that.” Decreased negative portrayals have also bettered other POC perception in the past. Japanese Americans used to be portrayed as parasites to society, due to the events of Pearl Harbor, and the threat that Japan posed to the U.S. in Asia around the time of World War II.
“[Japanese Americans] were portrayed that way because that was the way society perceived them,” said Siddiqi. “They’re not portrayed that way anymore, and no one today thinks of them negatively anymore.”
The Benefits of Increasing Representation It is not just a coincidence that perception of Japanese-Americans has become more positive as media portrayal became more positive. The media, therefore, should actively increase positive POC representation. While TV show and movie casting directors are allowed a certain amount of leeway for “creative direction,” increasing POC diversity increases accuracy, viewership, and selfworth in persons of color.
POC also provide opportunities to play different characters. Saturday Night Live (SNL), for example, to end public pressure for increased representation, hired one black cast member and two black writers. With the addition, SNL can now portray and poke fun of a greater variety of black personalities, which will open the floor for better bits and skits. With all the benefits that POC can provide to the entertainment industry, networks have no excuse -- all they have to do is look. In this regard, student organizations at Lynbrook can also play their part to raise awareness and support for POC public figures. “AISA has been having speaker events,” said Krishnan. “We had Ash Kalra [from the San Jose City Council] speak a few years ago, and we want to have Ro Khanna [the Indian running for Congress,] talk at one of our events. We want students to be exposed to different types of inspirational figures, to stop Indian stereotypes from being spread.” The next time someone argues that representation is not an issue, remember the discrimination that several POC groups suffer on a daily basis, solely based on their race. Remember that a young African American girl stopped herself from bleaching her skin after seeing Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave. POC representation in the media will not only increase programs’ viewership and accuracy, but it will also help countless POC feel beautiful, understood and included.
The perks and drawbacks of Tpumps, Milk Tea franchise, located on Stevens
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION AND KASTURI PANTVAIDYA
BY AMANDA CHANG
A
fter seeing all the Instagram posts about how “the notorious Tpumps of San Francisco was finally coming to Cupertino” and how “the wait was definitely worth it,” I knew I had to find out if Tpumps’ pearl milk tea would live up to the hype. Despite the warnings that the wait was extremely long following its March 6 soft opening, I decided to go on a hot Sunday afternoon. While waiting in the half-an-hourlong line and basking in the burning sun, a Tpumps employee offered everyone a few samples of the different flavors that Tpumps offers. Tpumps is unique from other Bay Area milk tea places because it allows you to personalize your tea. You can choose different combinations of up to three flavors (mango, peach, passion fruit, etc.); the type of tea you want (green, black, or noncaffeinated); the degree of sweetness (none, light, normal, very); and the toppings (honey boba, red bean, taro, popping boba.) Tpumps’ milk tea without any added flavors is un-
remarkable and is comparable to that of Verde Tea Cafe or Cafe Lattea, which both have much shorter lines, but its noteworthy flavored milk tea is what makes it stand out. Since Tpumps gives customers the ability to mix and match of up to three out of 25 different flavors, the options are truly endless. You can go from the sweet chocolate caramel almond milk tea to the fruity lychee peach mango tea. And don’t forget the toppings! While the popping boba, which contains juice that “pops” inside your mouth, is good, the Tpumps honey boba is hands-down the best part of the milk tea. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and softness, as well as a honey flavor that the boba of many other milk tea places lack. Once you find the combination (or combinations) that suits you, Tpumps will be the perfect milk tea place to go to. Its prices are also fairly reasonable ($2.95 for 24 oz; $4.05 for 32 oz) considering the large size and the number of possible flavor combinations. One of the drawbacks of the Cupertino Tpumps lo-
the new Pearl Creek Boulevard cation, however, is its lack of seating. The place itself is rather small, with barely enough room for the people waiting for their drinks. Other than the few tall, circular tables customers can stand around, there aren’t many places to sit and talk while drinking your milk tea. The lack of seating makes Tpumps more of a “to-go” place. Overall, I do believe that Tpumps is overhyped, just like almost every other new establishment around the area. The tea is just mediocre, and the boba isn’t that much better for Tpumps to deserve the title of “new best milk tea place in the area.” Tpumps is definitely still worth a visit for all you milk tea lovers, especially if you like to personalize your drink. But if you prefer just regular pearl milk tea, Verde would be a better choice. If I were to visit Tpumps again, I would probably only be willing to wait at most ten minutes; otherwise, I would go elsewhere. It would be a smart idea to wait a month or so before going to Tpumps so that you don’t have to wait half an hour for a overhyped drink.
Tearing down history Reviewing the hidden treasures of Retrodome Century 21 BY JESSICA CAO
T
he Century 21 theater on Winchester was built during the optimistic 1960s Space Age era and seats 958 people. You walk in, and that screen, sitting six feet above the ground, is like the moon. There’s a starfield of seats in an ocean of darkness, and the space between head and roof takes “high ceiling” to new heights. From the outside, The Retro Dome (TRD) looks dilapidated and the lobby isn’t flashy, either, but it’s really a wonderful place to see a film. Yes, the threat of demolition is very real: the RetroDome lease was not renewed earlier this month. “We don’t know the fate of the structures just yet, but we have been told that we as well as the movie theaters need to evacuate at the end of the month,”
said Melissa McKenzie, journalist for The Santa Clara Weekly. The live theater acts, singalong movies, and retro movie marathons are such refreshing entertainment options. An escape from the latest New Hunger Games out in AMC theatres, if you will. Maybe it’s Golden Age syndrome, but watching movies from the past, whether they be “Finding Nemo” or “Casablanca,” on a gigantic screen under a dome is not an opportunity you’ll regret taking. Couples, BFFs, families; everyone is welcome. On an event night, AKA either a Sing-Along or Quote-Along, showgoers are given Prop Packs that correspond with whatever’s playing. Think lollipops, donut holes and clappers for the 1960s Hairspray (which I attended) or swords, among other props, for Princess Bride. When a song comes on, you can clap to the beat, sing without getting weird looks shot at you, and dance if you really want. During the actual movie, the karaoke-style subtitles were extremely helpful when the songs came on, despite my lack of familiarity with the Hairspray soundtrack. There’s a
4D element as well, with streamers bursting at the audience, and apparently guests can be expected to be sprayed by a water gun when the fountain bursts during the Mamma Mia! ending scene. In any case, interactive shows happen once a month, with a regular showing of retro, epic, and family movies and occasional double-billings in between. You could have seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club back-to-back on a giant screen in March! Or maybe you could have taken a younger sibling to experience the Spielberg festival! Sign a petition here: http://www.change.org/ petitions/save-the-winchester-domes to help save the domes! I really must say, it will be an absolute pity if TRD gets demolished. If the new lease owner decides to destroy one of the last examples of mid-century architecture in NorCal, though, I’m so glad that I at least had the chance to participate in a singalong show.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION AND KASTURI PANTVAIDYA
D
isclaimer: this is directed toward the generally outof-shape, unfit population out there. Face it: you’re not getting any thinner. You’ve had yet another Five Guys bacon cheeseburger for lunch today. Eating healthier and getting in shape has been on your mind recently, but now you’re at home, and just woke up from that food coma, so you decide to shower because you’re feeling groggy. Unfortunately, there’s no point looking in the mirror to see if the formless bulge that is your stomach has gotten any leaner. So you finally decide, “This is it, time to work out.” But then you realize that you’ve said this about eighteen
times over the past 2 months. If you’re one of the poor souls who has found yourself in this type of situation, then fear not my friend, because I’m here to help you. From what I’ve read around on the Internet and observed from the numerous so-called “swoldiers” we see around campus, I’ve come up with a guide to help you get that picture-perfect body you’ve always dreamed of (my God, I feel like Shaun T). To make it easier for you, I’ve made three different levels of intensity, depending on how ripped you want to be. Ordinary: Get a Right Stuff membership: Apparently this seems to be the most popular location to work out, so you’ll get to see your Lynbrook buddies all the time! Make friends and build muscles?? Sign me up
pronto. You could hop onto a treadmill, or unleash your inner macho persona and hit the weights. What’s even better is that you can get the little Right Stuff keychain card for your lanyard—since every teenager has one—so everyone who sees you knows that you ain’t nothin’ to mess with. Post a photo on a social media site when you go work out: Because obviously this is the only way to fully complete a work out these days. Yeah sure, you could scoff and move on with your life but you’d just be selling yourself short of instant popularity; plus, everybody will know that you’re gettin’ yolked so why not exploit the potential for attention? Intense: The Shake Weight: All veteran weightlifters know that the Shake Weight is the ultimate way
to maximize your gains. I don’t know about you, but after seeing one of those television ads, I became a believer. Just look at how toned those people’s bodies are in the ad. And it’s not like that As Seen on TV stuff is ever a scam (ha). Extreme: Dead lifting cars: I’d break this up into a few categories: sedans, pickup trucks, and semi’s. The best way to go about this is probably to grap the bumper and rip off 10 reps or so. Oh, and Priuses don’t count because… well, you know. Bench pressing benches: Go above and beyond and take the term “bench press” to a whole ‘nother level. Who needs bars and dumbbells when you can use actual benches? If you truly want to be a swoldier, have people sit on the bench while you work out.
Academic dishonesty and getting the A at Lynbrook
Dear students and teachers, There were 48 total academic dishonesty infractions recorded at Lynbrook during the 2012-2013 school year. This year, 49 infractions were reported during first semester alone, 22 of which came from seniors in the Class of 2014. English teacher Stacey McCown, who teaches two senior-only AP English Literature and Composition courses, told us, “I did not have anything like this at Monta Vista. I’ve had about half a dozen total [cheating incidents] here, and I had one plagiarism incident in four years at Monta Vista, so that really makes me question what is unique here.” Teachers have been more vigilant, but there’s no question that the ever-increasing student stress levels encourage academic dishonesty, often referred to as “cheating.” The technological advancements in word processing, search engines like Google and accessibility of materials like test banks have made both cheating and catching cheaters easier. Over the course of putting together this special report, we have sought and heard a wide variety of opinions, thoughts and anecdotes from educators and students alike, information that is understandably difficult to share in a busy classroom setting. the Epic hopes to bridge that gap, and that our presentation of the various perspectives on academic dishonesty will be somewhat illuminating for this community. This is by no means as emotionally charged a topic as race relations or abortion, but it is one that impacts society beyond the academic realm. The societal, cultural, and economical--yes, even economical--factors behind academic dishonesty are too numerous to trace. One possibility is the culture of grade inflation and academic bullying as discussed on pg. 34. To see a statistical breakdown of the ways students cheat at Lynbrook, see pg. 22. It’s important to note that despite the instatement of a district-wide Academic Honesty Policy in fall 2008, most students have their own ideas about what constitutes cheating, and thus what behavior is acceptable. Students, for some perspective on why authority figures discourage academic dishonesty and how cheating impacts your teachers, see pg 32. Teachers, the student side on pg 24 may be an unpleasant wake-up call. A thanks goes out to all the teachers who contributed their time and interesting conversation, and Jason M. Stephens, Ph.D for your willingness to help out, expertise and illumination of academic dishonesty across the U.S.
Examining the root of academic dishonesty BY JACOB ANTONY AND HENRY SHANGGUAN
ending the rules—whether on Wall Street or on the testing floor—occupies a strange area in the psyche of American culture. The runaway popularity of the Oscar-nominated Wolf of Wall Street, a film that arguably glorified the cheating culture of stock brokers and the debauchery it engendered, is an example of the ‘inspiring’ side of cheating—the thrill of getting away with breaking the rules. But the outrage we all witnessed after the fall of Bernie Madoff and his $50 billion Ponzi scheme tells the other side of the story. It’s a story that can be localized to a school so riddled with pressure and competition, so inundated with one-in-a-million test scores, so obsessed with setting the GPA bar to within a few hundredths of perfect. It’s the story that explains why hundreds of students are in uproar over the
Ivy League acceptance of an applicant who allegedly had his essays written for him—in a high school that at least partly owes its heritage of academic excellence to, yes, even its brightest students’ corner-cutting capabilities. This article does not aim to criticize cheating or the students who find themselves doing so. But it does tell their stories.
Cheating defined To write about cheating in high schools requires a high school definition of cheating. The FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy defines academic dishonesty, or cheating, as “using a person’s work, concepts, designs, data, ideas, research, or documentation, without giving proper credit to the source” and “providing unauthorized materials in preparation for an exam/test/quiz,” among
other things. Most students, however, don’t see eye-to-eye with the writers of the policy or those who enforce it. Among the 678 Lynbrook students surveyed, under 80% believed that looking at another student’s work or using a “cheat sheet” during a test was considered cheating. Of those same students, less than seven in ten thought that plagiarizing, getting help from a TA, using technology to gain an advantage or utilizing a “test bank” of test questions were acts of cheating. Finally, showing the largest disparity between student and administrator views, less than 60% considered copying homework, receiving information about a test, manipulating Turnitin submissions to avoid plagiarism detection or getting aid from an older sibling acts of cheating. Many students provided interpretations of cheating that center around oneself and one’s own abilities rather than utilizing the work of others, as the current academic honesty policy classifies it. “Cheating is anything that allows you to do better on a test or homework assignment than you could have done on your own,” said one student in the anonymous survey. Another said that “copying homework is cheating because homework is meant to help students, and by copying they’re putting themselves at a disadvantage.” Driving it all is a toxic mix of unrealistic pressures, expectations, and a bit of teenage laziness. A perfect storm Though students at Lynbrook and schools like it often tout their
campuses as rife with academic dishonesty, cheating rates are surprisingly constant at every school. “Since the 1990s, when I started doing these cheating surveys, the rates usually add up to around nine out of ten students doing some form of cheating in any given year,” University of Connecticut associate professor Dr. Jason M. Stephens explained. “It doesn’t matter if you’re at a high-achieving school, or a low achieving school.” What sets each school apart, however, is why their students are academically dishonest. Like all habits, cheating has its roots in a psychological dilemma: the belief-behavior incongruity (BBI). The BBI is a disparity between what an individual believes to be right and what he or she actually does—a phenomenon most clearly seen in cheating. Numerous studies from the 1990s and early 2000s have found that students believe that cheating is wrong, yet they do it anyway. In a 2008 University of Connecticut paper, Stephens and his colleague Heather Nicholson delineated the four cases that involve a BBI: individuals who cheat because they are unable, under-interested, under pressure or unrepentant. According to school psychologist Dr. Brittany Stevens, “Many of our students who do well have created an ongoing pressure for themselves, which is extending expectations. They’ve intensified their own pressure by setting the bar high.” Senior Victor Wang, who transferred to Lynbrook from Homestead High School after his freshman year, notes that the competition among students and drive to earn high grades is especially high. “People care so much
more about grades here, and seem much more willing to cheat to earn them,” said Wang. “There’s just this expectation that everyone takes hard classes and earns good grades.” In other words, the pressure from parents, fellow students, and perhaps themselves keeps students habituated to a practice that they consider wrong in the first place. Topping the list of pressures for students is the pressure to earn good grades. Of the 678 students surveyed, over half cited the need to earn good grades as a motivation to cheat. An inability to study or do schoolwork because of temporal circumstances, like an upcoming SAT or captaining the soccer team for three hours a day, is why 38 percent of students surveyed believe they need to cheat to get by. Pressure and inability don’t explain the whole problem—while less common, student laziness also plays a role in explaining cheating’s prevalence for about a quarter of students. Unengaged students who want a certain grade in a class are highly likely to cheat as well. “I think some people think APs are just a way to impress colleges with a tough courseload rather than an actual universitylevel class that is structured to challenge them,” said Senior Tony Pan. “Since an A in an AP class looks better to colleges resume-wise, I think students would be motivated to cheat for the A.” The ends and the means An indication that schools need not be a hotbed for cheating is the fact that most students
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB ANTONY, PRACHI LAUD AND SANA SHARFUDDIN
still understand that cheating to get ahead is fundamentally wrong. Yet, students regularly push their moral qualms aside and allow other considerations to take precedence. “Cheating is honestly a way to get good grades,” said one anonymous student. “Our school is so competitive and people find that they need to cheat in order to get by. Although I know it’s bad, it’s starting to become a way of life.” For most students, this boils down to a decision between choosing performance-oriented goals, which Dr. Stephens defines as being focused on the attainment of high grades, test scores and other accolades or activities that symbolize “success”, or mastery-oriented goals, which focus on the development of competence and improving one’s own knowledge and skills. “For performance goals, that demonstration of competence is often cast in social comparative ways. It’s not ‘Am I doing better than myself?’. It’s ‘How am I doing vis-à-vis others?’” said Stephens. “It’s about appearing successful. There’s status in being somebody who’s doing well.” With such high pressure to achieve, students quickly orient themselves with a set of priorities in which rectitude and acquiring new knowledge hardly even register. With these priorities in place, cheating almost becomes a natural second step. “Once you have that higher performance over mastery goal, then cheating becomes a viable strategy for getting you there,” said Stephens. “It’s completely antithetical if you’re about developing your competence.” As one student simply put it, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” Students utilize a variety of conscious and subconscious psychological mechanisms to justify this cheating (see “Six Common Excuses for Cheating”), which a majority of the student body still recognizes as being fundamentally wrong. A code of silence While some forms of cheating can occur without the aid of
another individual, most acts of academic dishonesty, from copying homework to getting test answers, require an accomplice. Although the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy clearly cites “knowingly allowing someone else to look at one’s work product” as an example of academic dishonesty, many students share their work without thinking twice. This usually stems from a feeling of responsibility to help their peers earn the grades they desire, and an expectation that their actions will be reciprocated in the future. “People definitely feel obligated to share homework answers and test information, especially with their friends,” said freshman Kathleen Cui. And while not all students actively help their peers cheat, most subscribe to an unspoken code of silence which prevents them from reporting the acts of academic dishonesty they witness. “I think it’s rare for people to call out cheaters since it doesn’t directly affect their own grades. Nobody wants to be the one that calls other people out since if others find out they’ll ask ‘Oh, why do you care if it’s not your grade?’” contended Pan. Consequently, the incidence of studentreported cheating is almost infinitesimal compared to actual cheating rates. Some of this can be attributed to an individual’s fear of being ostracized by his peers. “In cases where cheating occurs out of the realm of friendship, it is generally not reported because of the social tension it would create, through arguments, accusations, and destruction of relationships,” said freshman Harrison Wang. The regularity of cheating
also makes it easy for students to look the other way. “Personally, I just think it’s too much trouble to go through the whole process of reporting cheating,” said senior Anirudh Velamuri. “But I feel like a large majority of students just believe that cheating is so commonplace that they’re conditioned to accepting it as the norm.” Or as another student simply put it, encapsulating the mindset of many who decided against reporting acts of academic dishonesty, “I don’t say anything because I’m not a little b****.” Practice makes perfect Everyone has heard the claim: “I’ll stop cheating in college.” Everyone’s also heard: “Old habits die hard.” “If you believe [cheating is] morally wrong, the repetition of such an act has a corrosive impact. You get used to using the disengagement strategies. That becomes part of your coping mechanism,” said Stephens. “That to me is the real danger in adolescence.” Although many students view cheating in high school as
a means to gain admission to top universities, changing such a firmly established habit once they arrive is easier said than done. “If nine out of ten kids are cheating in high school, the numbers are roughly seven out of ten in college,” said Stephens. “It’s not that normal to see cheaters in high school stop cheating in college.”
A reliance on cheating naturally forms a predisposition to cutting corners, which has serious implications both in the personal lives of these cheaters and in the lives of those who depend on their work. According to a study conducted by Dr. Trevor Harding at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), “students who engage in cheating in college are significantly more likely to engage in behaviors that violate the policies of their professional workplaces. This relationship was only strengthened for those students who reported frequently cheating in high school.” Conclusion As long as students are forced to navigate Lynbrook’s hypercompetitive environment and satisfy high pressures to “succeed,” cheating will undoubtedly persist—Stephens’ nine-out-often figure comes to mind—but to what extent? While culture is slow and difficult to change, an academic honesty policy more finely tuned to the pressures and motivations of students, and a grading system that more di-
rectly emphasizes competence in conjunction with performance, have the potential to reign in academic dishonesty. For more on this paper’s proposed changes to the academic honesty policy, see the Staff Editorial on page 28.
Staff Editorial
Embrace a new approach to preventing academic dishonesty
Combating cheating is the ultimate bane of a teacher’s existence. From creating multiple versions of tests to using turnitin.com, many teachers spend countless hours trying to ensure fairness in the classroom. With students finding new methods of cheating, however, teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up. To combat this new generation of technology-aided cheaters, teachers and the school administration must adapt strategies that encourage students to make mistakes, learn intrinsically and honor their individual academic integrity.
‘‘
What does it say about us as a school and about how we are enforcing cheating if someone who has been a chronic cheater throughout high school can get away with it?
It is no secret that students at Lynbrook feel an elevated sense of pressure due to the academically competitive environment. It’s possible that they may consider cheating as simply another way to get ahead. A choice like this, however, can evolve into a continuing habit of making decisions that the student may not fully realize constitutes cheating. Some students believe that the rise of chronic cheaters at Lynbrook is having a negative impact on the school’s reputation. “What does it say about us as a school and about how we are enforcing cheating if someone who has been a chronic cheater throughout high school can get away with it?” said senior Vishnu Murthy. “So, it worsens our reputation as a school and among colleges in general because they view Lynbrook as a school where a grade might not have any value.” Some cheaters are able to put their decisions into perspective, and therefore rationalize what is actually cheating as a means of just getting ahead, or a necessary practice due to demanding circumstances. “People can really rationalize cheating in that it’s okay because, for example, a test is so unbelievably hard or everybody else is doing it,” said school psychologist Brittany Stevens. “Through this rationalization, they can feel more at peace with their decision.” Acknowledging the new trends in cheating and an inherently competitive student mindset, teachers must use a radically different approach in combating cheating. First, they must recognize that our generation thrives on collaboration. After all, one of the great-
est assets of Generation Y is our ability to connect and cooperate with each other, both in person and online. Whether it be seeking help on a difficult homework problem or trying to understand the subtext of a literary work, students will naturally make the most of online resources. Instead of inhibiting this behavior, teachers should instead foster collaboration and design their assignments accordingly. On this basis, getting homework help or using online resources should not be considered cheating. It is when collaboration evolves into plagiarism or cheating on tests that teachers need to take action. Penalizing students for cheating or deploying cheat-proof assignments can only go so far in preventing cheating. In addition to these conventional practices, teachers must attack cheating at its roots by changing student’s mindsets and eliminat-
“Hopefully, with quiz corrections, students are doing their own work because they know they can make it up anyway. This way you can learn from your mistakes.”
’’
ing what compels them to cheat. Given how prevalent cheating is at Lynbrook, it is not a stretch to say that the urge to cheat has become more or less ingrained in various students. Therefore, methods that simply force students into believing that they will be caught for cheating merely reduces that compulsion, rather than instilling integrity. One of the practical ways teachers can combat cheating is by offering retakes and corrections. Knowing that corrections will offer a safety net to fall back on if they are unsuccessful in their first try, students will be less compelled to cheat. This type of approach would not only disincentivize cheating, but it would also encourage learning. In subjects like English and social studies, essay rewrites would allow students to learn from their mistakes and apply that learning when producing a higher-quality paper on their second try. Similarly, quiz corrections in math and science classes would give extra opportunities for practice and allow students to hone the concepts. “I think that offering test corrections would be a very effective way to prevent cheating because people would not have to worry about doing bad the first time,” said senior Harrison Chen. “One of the biggest reasons why people cheat on tests is because there is no second chance. It’s either make it or break it.” Math teacher Sarah Kraemer is one such teacher who offers a second chance. Students who correct their errors on quizzes and provide a written analysis of their mistakes get
back up to half of the points they had lost on the quiz. Kraemer believes that the entire purpose of taking quizzes is to learn from them. “Hopefully, with quiz corrections, students are doing their own work because they know they can make it up anyway. This way you can learn from your mistakes,” said Kraemer. “I hope that students do care about learning and preparing for their AP tests rather than just getting it correct.” Of course, retakes and corrections come with their own set of challenges, such as the extra workload they place on teachers. Even Kraemer has set her limits on corrections, offering quiz corrections but not test corrections. Like any other solution to cheating, quiz corrections will be a burden on teachers, but they will be a worthwhile investment of time and effort because they will encourage students to do genuine work and learn from their mistakes. Another innovative approach to prevent cheating is by amending the inherently flawed grading system present at Lynbrook. At the moment, a student with a 99 percent is not differentiated in any way from a student with a 89.5 percent. Both student may get ‘A’s, but there will be a huge discrepancy between the effort each student put in. This reflects the need for a smarter grading system that more accurately conveys a student’s abilities. A more segmented grading scale that features pluses and minuses would be a great addition in many ways. Not only would this system offer a more accurate representation of a student’s grade, it would also dissuade cheaters by giving them a compromise. Consider this situation: a student with a 88% at the end of a semester may feel pressured into cheating on his final to get an ‘A.’ With a segmented grading scale, however, he would still have a ‘B+,’ much better than the ‘B’ he would have originally received. Now, he may be appeased with a B+ and avoid the risk of cheating on the final. While Kraemer suggests that a segmented grading scale could cause more cheating, she still supports its implementation for other reasons. “I think people would cheat more with a segmented grading scale because if you have an 86 percent and a B, you would want to get the 87 percent for a B+. However, I am in favor of having pluses and minuses because it doesn’t show me as a teacher when someone gets a B in a class whether they got an 89 or a 82. Those are completely different grades,”said Kraemer. Besides retakes, corrections and a more just grading system, a recalibration of the weighting of different grading categories is necessary to prevent cheating. The main reason why students cheat on tests is because tests are given so much value in the first
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KHAYA BHATIA AND FRINA REDOLOZA
place. In certain AP classes, tests and quizzes contribute to over 60 percent of a student’s grade. Although this weightage is used to give students a realistic assessment of college classes, it may not be the most appropriate model for a high school class. After all, high school is a place to develop good habits and academic integrity for the long run, not simply to do things that gain acceptance into college. Compromising on good habits and academic integrity just to give students a “college experience” is a ripoff. It is an injustice to the students who are being driven to cheat by an unnecessarily high importance given to examinations. By lowering the weightage of examinations on the grading scale, teachers would be effectively mitigating the urge to cheat on tests and quizzes. The percentage taken out from tests and quizzes can be diverted into categories like home-
work and projects, where cheating tends to be less rampant and destructive. Let’s admit it: students are far too advanced to be discouraged from cheating by simple deterrents like multiple-version tests or a zero tolerance policy. It is naïve to assume that these types of conventional approaches will be effective in combating cheating in the long-run. What is needed is a fundamental change in the approach to preventing cheating that responds to the competitive mentality present at the school. A new framework for combating cheating must eliminate the compulsion to cheat by empowering students to fail with dignity and learn from their mistakes. At the end of the day, high school is meant to prepare students for the future—whether it be college or joining the workforce—and it is vital for students to develop integrity over anything else.
“
There’s no assignment that I give that is more important than teaching a student to be ethical, to be proud of his or her work, and to feel like an honorable human being.”
“
Once your integrity is compromised, the next time you need someone to trust you, they question you instead. Someone cheated on the first semester final, and I was questioning all their test grades.”
“
If you think of all the different main parts of this problem they all have an equivalent in the adult world. They’re all the high school version of it. We’ve watched a world be created for these kids that buys into that [competitive mindset] and that’s really disconcerting, because how can you fix a problem that’s not localized? It’s a systemic problem with American society.”
“
A wrong choice is like exercising a muscle; the more you do it, the easier it gets.”
“
I’ve been in the industry like many teachers at Lynbrook. I know what it’s on the other side and what’s expected of you. There are no make-ups. Your client doesn’t care if you were sick and your document isn’t done, they’ll choose your competition instead.”
“
I would like to have students think about why they are in school and to reflect on the purpose of learning the material they’re being asked to learn. It’s not just to get an A and move on ahead, you’re here to learn things that are important for you.”
“
I think a lot of people adopt the philosophy that once you’re done with school you stop learning, but I’m learning every day. It’s a lifestyle choice, and if you cheat your way through instead of actually valuing your learning, that’s only going to perpetrate.”
“
In college, I never took a test with a teacher in the room. It was up to students to police one another, and what [administrators] were trying to get us to realize was that the integrity of our community and the validity of our diploma was dependent on our own behavior.
“
I think it’s tough because we’re dealing with a larger social issue. In a lot of ways, cheaters are known to get ahead-whether you’re talking about sports, or businesspeople, it seems like a lot of times cheating is glorified more than condemned, and I think that sends conflicting messages to students about what is a measure of success.”
I
n order to foster inter-departmental communication and provide the most accurate representation of an administrative view on cheating, we have compiled a series of direct quotes from eight teachers regarding their experiences with academic dishonesty. Our goal was to eliminate redundancy and avoid editorializing, so we decided to let the teachers’s quotes speak for themselves.
BY JESSICA CAO AND SARAH TARTER
“
“
The availability of material online is what has changed cheating the most. It’s worse this year than I’ve ever seen it, and I think there’s been an upward trend in cheating.”
A competitive environment requires that there will always be people above you and people below you. That’s the danger of seeing everything in the world in a pecking order -- you’re just constantly climbing, trying to be above others, no matter what you have to do to get there.”
“
I’m amazed at the lack of curiosity now that it’s so convenient to look things up. People are just waiting to be told what to do, instead of taking on the onus of discovering things for themselves.”
“
I think academic bullying is using any sort of academic scoring or rating for social posturing.”
“
You can’t just sit there and be complacent … if you see someone doing something wrong in the neighborhood, you call the police. You have a stake in how the society is, just like students have an impact on the classroom environment. If a teacher is dedicating a large amount of [all] their time to making test versions, that takes away from [then what about] planning interesting classroom activities or having the energy for entertaining lectures? If more resources in a community go toward the police department, then less goes toward parks and libraries that enrich a neighborhood.”
“
Students have a lot of pressures on them, and it’s not to make an excuse but I think some feel like in order to cope with the amount of work they’re faced with they have to resort to cheating.”
“
It’s ridiculous for us to expect kids to have an A in every single class. You shouldn’t be amazing at every subject, because then how are you supposed to figure out what you’re passionate about?”
“
Maybe the kids are crying out for help. They’re doing things they shouldn’t do, like cheating, and it’s out of control. They feel like they’ve been reduced to a number, and the numbers replace their self-image.”
“
We [as teachers] want to give you the freedom. If we ask a question and you want to use your cellphone to immediately look up the answer, that’s fine! But most students take that liberty and turn it into a nightmare in the classroom.”
“
When you make up a test, the pressure is on the teacher to manage all the makeups and administer the test, maybe during tutorial when I could be helping other students. The whole class gets held up because I can’t give tests back because one person hasn’t taken the test yet, and students who want feedback can’t progress.”
“
I remember vividly the first time I caught students for plagiarizing on a report. At first I was angry, and then I was disappointed, and then I wondered, ‘Where did I mess up on this assignment? Where did I add too much stress or give unclear instructions?’ Then I thought, ‘Let’s move on. You’re a teenager and you made a mistake.’”
“
When students think an assignment is superfluous, that encourages cheating. The more that teachers are able to make the learning experience relevant to teachers’ lives, the more curious they’ll be about doing the project and not cheating.”
“
In many classrooms, teachers will give you an extension and set aside office hours to work with students. I think we as a staff need to do a better job of communicating that and expressing that in our actions.”
STACEY MCCOWN DAVID TAYLOR
KEY
“
In graduate school the things I was reading and the papers I was writing had tangible applications. What questions I had, I could learn more about and explore.”
DAPHNE WILLIAMS CHARLOTTE KRUK
KEN IAMS
ASHLEY STOLHAND
DENISE SCHANG NATE MARTELL
The appeal of the letter: why lying has become the norm BY JAMES WILHELMI AND YONATAN ZEMLYAK
“From time to time, I feel like it’s no big deal.” At Lynbrook High, a surefire way to ‘look good’ and gain the respect of peers is to maintain a flawless grade-point average. Lower marks tend to invite malicious gossip and insults. A simple solution: get better grades. But this is easier said than done, particularly at a school which placed seventh nationally in a January report released by education analysis website niche.com ranking schools by average SAT score. During the ever-present rush of inquiring voices after a test or important assignment is handed back, some students who do not fare well blatantly lie about their grades to avoid the negative implications. Outright lying, however, often crosses a moral boundary, so many students have resorted to a more innocuous yet insidious form of dishonesty: a phenomenon known as “grade-boosting,” in which students inflate their grades by small margins - maybe two to three percent - to paint a prettier picture of their academic achievement. In order to gauge both the scope and severity of grade-boosting, the Epic surveyed seven classrooms across all four grades, asking a total of 178 students to anonymously write down their first-semester percentage
grades. These self-reported grades were used to calculate an average, and then compared to the actual class average as given by the gradebook data. The results of the survey both confirmed the existence of grade-boosting and revealed interesting trends in its manifestations. In all classes included in the study, the average determined from student submissions was higher than the actual average. The inflations ranged from 1.22 percent to 3.53 percent. Mathematics classes inflated their grades the least, with just a 1.23 percent boost, while students in English added an average of 2.81 percent of their grade, greater than any other department. Regardless of how the findings were divided by department, grade or class period, grade-boosting was always present. Why People Grade-boost The pressure on students to appear successful can be seen on a day-to-day basis in Lynbrook classrooms. A high score on an assignment or test will lead to a few “Congratulations” and a smattering of high-fives, while a lower score can result in the cold shoulder from classmates. To avoid this negative outcome, some cheat, but the penalties placed upon cheaters far outweigh the cost of looking unintelligent in the eyes of other students, so many stu-
dents choose grade-boosting instead. “I don’t want people to think I’m being left behind,” said junior Jessica Jiang. “I don’t want to lose that feeling of people asking me for help because I have a high grade.” Grade-boosting also commonly occurs between people who see each other as intellectual peers. It serves as a way to win the constant battle to one-up the other person. “This year I got a 72 on a test but I told my friend I got an 82,” said junior Greg Lerner. “He got an 80...I felt that I had to beat him.” The ubiquity of grade-boosting has led to it being used as a mechanism to “keep up with the Joneses.” In a school where many students inflate their grade, students who do not do so put themselves at risk of looking below average. In order to maintain their standing as a ‘good’ student in the eyes of others, many who do not necessarily agree with grade-boosting partake in it anyways. “It’s really just part of the atmosphere here,” Lerner said. These justifications for grade-boosting are explained by Dr. Jason Stephens. According to Dr. Stephens, schools promote two types of goals: mastery-oriented goals, which hone in on the development of a student’s skills in a
ing in the opposite manner is better. “If I get a bad grade and tell people the truth, I know I should technically feel better for being honest. But in reality, I would feel much worse.” Lerner sees it differently; grade-boosting helps raise his self-esteem; he claims that he commonly persuades himself that his grade is higher than it really is. Unfortunately, he occasionally convinces himself so thoroughly that he needs to take a long look at his grades to bring himself back to earth. “Hopefully, it’s the other people that are convinced,” said Lerner. “Not me.” Because of grade-boosting’s nature as a mechanism for improving one’s standing in the eyes of others, the phenomenon most frequently occurs in conversation. This can lead to conflict and the questioning of honesty, even between close friends. Senior Michael Wong is certain of his friends’ boosting. “When I say a score, some of [them] just give a slightly higher score; it doesn’t matter what they actually got.” Wong’s experiences with grade-boosting bear a striking resemblance to Lerner’s story. In Wong’s eyes, incessant grade-boosting has caused the friends that do so to lose much of their credibility. He has learned over time to take their pronouncements with a grain of salt. “I just want people to be honest with me the way I’m honest with them.” Unsurprisingly, Wong’s experiences are not unique. Lerner, ironically, lost respect for an acquaintance who he saw routinely inflating his grades. “I have a friend who constantly
bragged about his A’s when really, he had B’s. I guess it makes me somewhat of a hypocrite, but I lost a lot of trust in him.” Wong swears that he has never inflated his own grades bringing up a pragmatic reason. “I don’t want to run that risk. If someone discovers that I’m inflating my grade, I look like a liar.” Lerner echoes Wong’s reasoning. “My worst fear is that I get caught inflating my grades,” he said. “I would have to come clean because I don’t want to become even less believable.” No End in Sight Lerner’s assertion is correct. Endless pressure at Lynbrook, perpetuated by a continuing stream of grades-based comparisons, has spawned an entire student body full of grade-boosters itching to appear more accomplished than their peers. Our data was supported by countless anecdotes from interviewees, underlining an alarming fact: grade-boosting has become norm. “I would say approximately 95% of my friends grade-boost,” said Jiang. “Pretty much everybody is doing this.” As our interview comes to a close, we ask Lerner whether he foresees an end to gradeboosting. He smiles and shakes his head. “For me - for everyone - to stop doing this, the entire Lynbrook atmosphere would have to change. I doubt it will happen,” said Lerner.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN AND CHRISTINA LIU
particular area, and performance recognition goals, which focus on reaching the benchmarks that are expected of a “good student.” “Most communities or school climates communicate some mixture of these two types of goals,” Stephens said. “In schools like Lynbrook, performance goals have come to overshadow mastery goals - the appearance of success has come to be more important than the development of competence.” Stephens cites several factors as a reason for this imbalance. “Schools like [Lynbrook] are certainly special, if not unique, in that the pressure to perform and appear successful is incredibly high,” Stephens said. “This is fueled by the demographic, social, cultural and economic realities of the Silicon Valley.” Pitfalls and Perils In spite of its apparent advantages, gradeboosting presents a variety of drawbacks. Viewed from a strictly ethical standpoint, grade-boosting is lying, and as with any other morally dubious act, it can come into conflict with rooted beliefs. In some cases, the compunction physically manifests itself. “I feel bad after I gradeboost,” said Jiang. “I walk around and ponder ‘why did I have to lie.’” Still, she believes that the tradeoff is a good one. Avoiding the shame of incredulous looks and half-hearted encouragement resulting from a poor grade has long superseded internal qualms over morals. On top of that, Jiang doubts that behav-
BY MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY & KASTURI PANTVAIDYA KASTURI PANTVAIDYA —EPIC
Senior Haley Zhang* stared blankly at her empty Word document, trying to come up with a thousand words that could decide her future as an undergraduate student. “Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.” Senior Haley Zhang* stared blankly at her empty Word document, trying to come up with a thousand words that could decide her future as an undergraduate student. Her vibrating phone, the loud chatter in the Starbucks cafe and the dread of the looming application deadline weren’t helping the cause. Her friend, noticing her anxiety, gestured to an orange, almost empty, prescription bottle of pills. “Do you want to try some?” she asked. And that was Zhang’s first encounter with the “smart drug” Adderall. “As a first-timer, I took half a pill,” said Zhang. “I finished those essays within one sitting and didn’t even notice that it had kicked in. Sooner or later, you realize how much time has passed and how much work you got done.”
Adderall Defined One of Adderall’s biggest attractions to high school students is its ability to increase focus, although, according to Darin Conway, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), “Less than 10 percent of teenagers nationally use Adderall in a non-prescriptive fashion.” Conway acknowledges, however, that this number “goes way up in college,” despite the fact that the sale, possession and use of Adderall for illegitimate purposes is a felony, and those caught are subject to fines and/or extensive time in prison. Used mainly to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD), “smart drugs” such as Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta have become more popular among high school and college students to enhance academic performance. Adderall releases chemicals called serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline, usually released when one is performing enjoyable activities, such as exercising and eating chocolate, and sends them to the synapses
in the brain. These chemicals allow the body to feel more motivation and less of fatigue. These chemicals affect the brains of those diagnosed with ADD or ADHD differently from those users who are not diagnosed. “When normal [people] with a normal blood chemistry take [Adderall], their minds start moving quickly,” said art teacher Lee Akamichi, who was diagnosed with ADD about 11 years ago. When Akamichi drinks coffee or takes Concerta, he does not feel energized or more motivated. These drugs balance the brain of someone with ADD or
ADHD so it can have normal activity.
Pros and Cons of Initial and Continued Use Adderall’s effects on those without attention deficit disorders cause more people to use this substance to experience its benefits. “Laziness, work and the competitive Lynbrook environment prompted me to start taking Adderall when I was in high school,” said Lynbrook alumnus Scott Cho*. The highpressure Lynbrook atmosphere has often been said to place emphasis on grades, which can impede motivation and focus on tests. “If students find learning exciting and enjoyable, then their brains will be naturally activated to think quickly and clearly,” said
Joy Frimmel, Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). “A stressed and anxious brain has a much more difficult time with using the higher brain functioning to stay focused.” The experience of being under the influence of the drug for the first time is, according to users, generally a positive one. “I felt limitless,” said Cho. “ I felt like I could accomplish anything.” Senior Martin Kim* first took the drug during his sophomore year to enhance his preparation for final exams. “I wasn’t able to do things faster,” admitted Kim, “But for the four-ish hours I was on it, I was able to focus entirely on studying. Adderall made everything clearer and seemed to enhance hearing, sight, and energy.” While the effects of Adderall are different for those with ADHD and those without, people diagnosed with ADHD still feel more focused and energized after taking Adderall for the first time. Senior Navaneeth Jayendran started taking Adderall when he was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and he remembers his first experience with the drug vividly. “I remember having a lot more energy, and I was able to talk to people more easily,” said Jayendran. “I felt very uninhibited and my general motivation improved.” This initial positive feeling, however, has the potential to fade with continued use. “First, Adderall felt good, said Jayendran, “After a few days, I felt the negative effects. It made me frustrated and gave me body aches. The effects have varied since then.” Akamichi’s experience with Concerta, however, has always been relatively similar. “When [the drug] hits, it’s between 25 to 45 minutes, all of a sudden, my mind will suddenly quiet,” said Akamichi. “The kids will notice me staring out the window, and I’ll usually tell them ‘Be quiet. I’m on a beach in Maui right now.’” The side effects of Adderall vary depending on the individual; therefore, continued experiences with the drug has the potential to be either positive or negative.
is strongly connected to over 1,000 cases of psychosis or mania -- particularly hallucinations. Obtaining the Drug Another attraction to the drug is that people believe obtaining it is “easy.” According to Frimmel, however, Adderall “tends to be more difficult” than getting access to medical marijuana because marijuana can be grown while Adderall is manufactured in a lab, and obtaining a medical marijuana prescription is much easier than obtaining one for Adderall. Because students need a prescription to get access to the drug, some try to get diagnosed with ADHD to obtain a prescription. “In my opinion, it’s [pretty] easy to get diagnosed with ADHD,” said Jayendran. “The doctor that diagnosed me just gave me a questionnaire. ” This disparity depends on the medical facilities administering the diagnoses, because Akamichi and his daughter, who was diagnosed with ADHD the same time as her father, went through long diagnosis processes. “I’m amazed that students claim they have such easy access,” said Akamichi. “[In order to get diagnosed with ADD, we had to fill out] a lot of paperwork and were subject to a lot of medical observation.” The inconsistency between Jayendran’s and Akamichi’s experiences exists because the diagnosis of ADHD and ADD is subjective. “Unfortunately, there is no objective test that can prove ADD,” said Dr. Neil S. Kaye, a specialist and expert witness in Forensics Psychiatry. “Tests such as the Connors Continuous Performance Test simply quantify inattentiveness. Many things cause inattentiveness that are not ADD. ADD, like most medical diagnoses is subjective.” Additionally, getting diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder does not automatically lead to getting an Adderall prescription, because there are other treatment options. “Many people [do] much better with nonmedication treatment as it is safer and usually more effective and lasting,” said Kaye. Because the ease of getting diagnosed varies, most resort to obtaining Adderall from friends who already have a prescription. “You have to ask around and you’ll find
that someone can get it for you,” said Kim. While this process is relatively simple, taking non-prescribed drugs can be dangerous. “Each person is [unique] and so what might work or be safe for one person or for a group of people as averaged in a research study, only your treating doctor can try to predict what is best for you as an individual and what you might best tolerate,” said Kaye.
The Risks of Addiction Adderall may still seem like an attractive alternative to combat stress and ease studying, but this little study boost can easily spiral into addiction. From 1999 to 2003, Adderall was involved in more fatal case reports than any other ADHD/ADD drug, with 24 deaths
reported. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had to classify Adderall as a schedule II controlled substance because of its addictive qualities and adverse side effects. Kim’s hopes for quitting Adderall, therefore, are not optimistic -- which leaves him open to the risk of the deadly side effects. “I [have] stopped [before],” said Kim. “But I can see myself using it in the future, especially with college coming up. I wouldn’t be surprised if I used it again.” Because of its addictive nature, taking Adderall is considered one of the stepping stones to the use of other, more harmful
drugs. “A d d e r a l l opens the awful Pandora’s Box of addiction,” said Conway. “It is a ‘gateway’ drug, often leading to the use of other drugs like cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy.” This escalation only happens to non-prescribed individuals. “There is limited evidence that [Adderall] becomes a gateway drug, if it is properly [prescribed] to a person with a bona fide diagnosis,” said Kaye. “However, that risk increases if it is misused for recreational purposes.” Too much faith in Adderall’s power can also lead to an unhealthy dependency on the drug, which can last for a lifetime. “Many students, for example, fear they will be a failure forever if they don’t get into a top tier school,” said Conway. “So they do crazy things, like taking stimulants, to get into the colleges that they shouldn’t be at in the first place. When they get there, the only way they can continue to be successful is to continue with the stimulants and they find themselves in a world of trouble that can have lasting consequences on the rest of their lives.” Cho has experienced this dependency firsthand. “The withdrawal symptom I underwent was the fiend for more,” said Cho. “I built the dependency through habitual use.” This reliance, which leads to the abuse of Adderall, can have serious physical consequences. The short-term effects of this abuse include insomnia and malnutrition. A few days of amphetamine abuse coupled with sleep deprivation will cause paranoia and psychosis, and these symptoms get worse until the person stops usage. Withdrawing from an addiction also causes extreme agitation and, ironically, an inability to focus. Longterm amphetamine addicts report anhedonia, or the inability to feel a sense of enjoy-
LIU
INA IST HR NB YC AT IO TR ILL US HIC
Adderall’s Failures in the Academic World For all its touted benefit, Adderall may not even help students academically in the way they desire. “I think it helps you study but it’s not something to depend on,” said Kim. “There’s nothing that’s miraculously going to make you smarter.” While Adderall enhances one’s ability to be more focused, this often does not translate directly into doing well on a test. “Sometimes, Adderall makes me do worse on a test,” said Jayendran, “but my performance on tests is usually very unpredictable.” Cho has experienced Adderall’s negative effects while test-taking as well. In his sophomore year, Cho decided to take Adderall to pass an algebra exam. “It was a stupid mistake, “ said Cho. “I started double, even triple guessing my answers for my algebra test. I was too meticulous taking it, and I couldn’t finish the test quickly. I felt bipolar and got angry.” Apart from the physical and mental hindrances, taking Adderall can come with moral qualms. The usage of Adderall to finish an assignment or concentrate during a test can be considered a form of academic dishonesty. Dr. Martin Stein, professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Diego looks at the issue as an ethical question. “Those who are taking Adderall for the grades do so because they either have the money or the means to obtain the drug,” said Stein. “Many students do not have that access, is that fair?” Conway believes that it is not. “Adderall makes a student with ADHD ‘normal,’ but it makes a student without
Legal Alternatives When deciding how to deal with students illegally taking Adderall, it is important to understand their motivation. “[When] a youth takes Adderall without a prescription, it is an indicator that something is amiss,” said Frimmel. “They could be driven by low self-esteem, an undiagnosed mental health issue, fear of failure, and being overloaded with too many responsi-
bilities. Only once the underlying issues are identified can an adult be able to be a true source of help and support.” Kim agrees with Frimmel’s perspective. “I feel like people take it because they need to meet people’s expectations,” said Kim. “That comes with stress that not everybody can handle on their own.” One of the reasons that students take Adderall is to boost academic performance, a problem that does have legal solutions. “There are many other non-medicated options to enhance one’s academic performance,” said Frimmel. “Such as relaxation and stress management techniques, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating healthy and finding interest and excitement in one’s studies.” During high school, Cho succummbed to the allure of Adderall, despite the existence of the aforementioned alternatives. Now, he feels as if he has an excuse to use it whenever he feels like it’s necessary. Had he never taken the drug before, he thinks that he wouldn’t feel the same need that he does now. After recounting this experience, he said, “I wish I never messed with it in the first place.” * Names have been changed
AP
chance,” said Conway.
ADHD above average,” said Conway. “If you can get by on less sleep with greater focus while on drugs, that is an unfair advantage for those not on drugs.” Kim disagrees with Conway’s position. “Having experienced the effects of Adderall, I do not consider it cheating at all,” said Kim. “It does not make you smarter. It’s still up to you to make the decision to study; it just helps you stay on task.” The possible “cheating” aspect of Adderall makes some users ashamed of their actions. “My past teachers would read this and most likely would be disappointed if they knew I took Adderall,” said Cho. “I’m just trying to shed light, not condone the behavior. I don’t condone taking it.”
GR
ment or pleasure without stimulants, which can linger after quitting. Even though Adderall is considered safe for prescription use in pill form, it is a Schedule II amphetamine, and the addiction potential is high. Adderall abuse is also linked to several diseases. From 2002 to 2005, the FDA found that drugs like Adderall were strongly connected to over 1,000 cases of psychosis or mania -- particularly hallucinations. Users of drugs like Adderall are also, according to a 31-year study presented at the American Academy of Neurology, are nearly 60 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who do not take the drug. The most serious consequences occur when one overdoses on Adderall; this can lead to cardiac or pulmonary arrest, kidney damage, mental defects, and even death. “Which one happens to you is a matter of
*According to The New York Times
First CCS win for Girls’ Basketball since 1997 Last year, the girls’ basketball team demonstrated championship ability when they made it to the NorCal finals, coming up just short to St. Francis at Sleep Train Arena. They did, however, beat the uncertainty surrounding the success of the Vikes’ season following the loss of key players such as alumni Jackie Hudepohl and Emily Fong. As it turned out, this year’s squad would not only replicate their past success, but surpass it. Last year, they won third place in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Open Division bracket; whereas, this year they captured the CCS Division II Championship. While they were unable to make it to the NorCal championship game again, the Lady Vikes had their sights set on a CCS title for a long time. “It took a little while for them to realize that they were still going to be as good as last year,” said second-year coach Cynthia Ting. “My goal was always to make them believe that they could do it. We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder.” At the beginning of the season, the Lady Vikes knew that they had to change their approach on the court to compensate for the loss of players from the class of 2013. Instead of centering their gameplan around one person, they had each player utilize their individual strengths to help the team work collectively. Whether it was junior point guard Dolly Yuan driving to the hoop and scoring layups, senior center Sara Dyslin dominating in the paint, or senior forward Paige Song knocking down three pointer’s, the team was able to realize its potential once it fully took advantage of the array of talent on the court. By focusing more on the teamwork aspect of the game, the Lady Vikes “[found] that we had to use each other in order to be successful,” said senior Paige Song. This resulted in an improved cohesion on the court, posing a challenge for opponents, who found it difficult to attack a certain aspect of their game. “Everyone was good and everyone played their roles just right and with confidence,” said Ting. “[Opposing] defenses couldn’t just focus on one person because everyone was a threat.” Aside from winning games, the girls fo-
BALLIN’// The Lady Vikes worked hard to challenge their opponents during the round two CIF NorCal game.
cused on developing strong bonds with each other. As a result, success on the court came naturally. To avoid a lack of familiarity once the season began, the senior leadership took the initiative to hold preseason workouts. “This year we did workouts before open gyms that allowed us to get into basketball shape and to have a lot of time bonding together,” said senior guard Kristina Okamoto. “Those workouts are one of the many reasons why we were so close this year.” Thus, it comes as no surprise that the girls were more concerned about playing their best basketball, while also supporting each other both on and off the court, instead of preoccupying themselves over their record.
JOEY LI -- EPIC
BY SABRINA JEN AND VIK WAGHRAY
This change in attitude marked a significant change from last year’s mindset. “A lot of times [last year] everyone was just upset about the game and not happy at all,” said Ting. “But the atmosphere after the [loss to] Clayton Valley game was more sad because the season was over and that were not going to be in the gym the next day.” Because of the Lady Vikes’ devotion to both improving their gameplay and establishing strong relationships on and off the court, they managed to pull off one of the most impressive girls’ basketball seasons in school history. But for coach Cynthia Ting, this is simply a culture she seeks to maintain for many years to come.
Contrary to popular belief, expensive gym memberships are not always the key to getting fit. For as long as people have been exercising, there have been those who choose to take advantage of an older and cheaper form of exercise: calisthenics. Thanks to the newly passed club, Kalisthenics Krew, Lynbrook students can now train like the best. It’s a form of exercise like no other “Calisthenics is different from other routines because it is solely [bodyweight exercises],” said senior Daniel Peterson, president of the Kalisthenics Krew. This “bodyweight” aspect allows people to do calisthenics whenever and wherever (no external equipment needed.) Those who do calisthenics are able to gain overall muscle strength, as opposed to exercising one muscle at a time. “Calisthenics is [also] a lot safer than weight training exercises,” said senior Sasha Wootton, secretary of the Kalisthenics Krew, pointing out a benefit. “You are moving your own body, so you can gauge the limit [to which you want to push your own body] much more easily.” Bar Brothers’ Effect on the Krew Peterson and senior Ajay Shenoy, vice president of the Kalisthenics Krew, have been doing calisthenics since their sophomore year, inspired by the online calisthenic community, the Bar Brothers. “I did some more research into them and watched some of their videos and was hooked instantly,” said Peterson. “I wanted to be able to do what they did.” Both Shenoy and Peterson aspired to join the Bar Brothers “family,” a social networking group that one can only join after reaching various fitness targets. “I did strictly bodyweight exercises during most of my junior year,” said Peterson. By training six days a week, six months later Peterson and Shenoy completed the requirements, posted their videos, and were accepted into the family. Because of their time with the Bar Brothers, Peterson and Shenoy realized
the effect calisthenics had in their lives. “I saw amazing results in a relatively short amount of time,” said Peterson on his experience. “[Doing calisthenics] is not only about going through your workout at 100%, it’s a lifestyle: getting your school work done, eating healthy, and sleeping enough.” What is the Krew? To promote this lifestyle, Peterson and Shenoy started the Kalisthenics Krew. During their first meeting, the officers gave handouts to their members to discover and record their fitness goals. “School meetings [have been] more of a status check where we see how everyone is doing,” said Shenoy. “We talk about what steps people need to take in order to get the maximum amount of muscle growth through nutrition and weight lifting,” said Peterson on the content of their meetings. “We are open to questions if people want to know about what fits them and we will develop a plan for them to follow, no matter what their goal is.” The workouts occur at the club’s optional Saturday afternoon meetings. “We create workouts for members of different skill levels, pushing them beyond their limits,” said Peterson. While these after-school sessions may seem to be geared towards the athleticallyinclined, the Kalisthenics Krew exists to cater to its member’s individual fitness targets. “The goal of our club is to set your fitness goal and then reach it,” said Wootton. The Saturday meetings are generally an hour and a half long. Each member gets a print out for the meeting’s workout, which list the number of repetitions. Peterson, Shenoy, and Wootton use their athletic experience to write all the workouts. “The three of us are all educated in all of the different muscles and all of the different muscle types,” said Wootton. “They’ve been doing calisthenics for a while and I’ve been doing gymnastics for 11 years and its a 100% calisthenics based sport.” Members really enjoy the workout structure and the printed workouts. “It’s very relaxed,” said sophomore Justin Robison, a member of the club. “And you can go at your own pace.” The club has 45 members, and the Saturday workouts are generally attended by 1020 people. Those people, because of all the hours spent together, feel like a family. “Like any close knit family, it looks like it’s hard to get in,” said Robison. “But once you make the effort, it’s worth it.”
JOEY LI -- EPIC
BY IZABELLA KIPNIS & MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY
MONKEYING AROUND// At one of their Saturday workout sessions, these Krew members use the monkey bars for more than just play, doing pullups as they move across the bars.
Want to get fit? Consult
The Krew
O
3. Anger.
h, the Olympics: An exciting time when the best athletes from First, I was angry across the globe get together to compete in a collection of excitat myself for not having set high ing sports, and when families around the world gather on the enough goals prior to now. I should’ve couch to watch these athletic triumphs with Cheetos in one hand started aiming for the moon long before my 17 and a Big Gulp in the other. Although I prefer cookies to chips, years of age to have a chance at the Olympics. I and am not a soda drinker, during the recent winter Olympic should’ve been more dedicated and had less of a games I found myself glued to the television, watching even fun childhood. When I could no longer justify being the most boring of sports (biathangry at myself, I found a new direction to send my anlon, I’m talking to you) day and ger: My parents. I blamed my parents for the fact that night. As I journeyed through I’m not an Olympian. What do most Olympians have the winter games, as a selfin common? Pushy parents. If only mine had been 2. Disappointharsher, meaner and less forgiving. Maybe then I appointed cheerleader for ment. The disappointment would posses more athletic talent. If my mom Team USA, I found myquickly set in when I realized that had been like a pageant mom and gone ballisself experiencing a vaI have very little athletic talent. Sure, tic every time I made a mistake, I would’ve riety of emotions and there are a lot of sports that I’m okay at, but learned to make fewer mistakes. Yes, I was realizations, and there aren’t any that I really excel in. As soon as convinced that my parents were the perthey are as follows:
I realized that I had no talent, I began to realize fect people to be angry at. how young many of the Olympians are. Quite a few are MY AGE. Yes, I’m talking about you, Gracie Gold, who by the way, has the most perfect Olympian name ever. In comparison I’ve done practically nothing with 1. Awe. my life, while I could’ve been training hard all Dang, did you 5. Inspired. these years so that I would actually be talsee her nail that douWhen the Olympics were wrapented enough to go to the Olympics. If ble axel? Wow! Her form ping up, and my feelings of laziness only I’d realized my dream sooner, was perfect in that I-Spin! and underachievement were fading, I people could’ve been chanting The things these athletes do watched happily as medals were awarded, my name. Which brings me to are amazing, physically demandteammates were hugging, and nations were my third stage… ing, and outrageously impressive, bursting with pride. It was at this point in time so of course my first instinct was to that I realized there is something positive one watch in awe . Many a time I sat in sican take away from the Olympics. When Olympiclence, eyes fixed upon the athletes, fists themed commercials finally stop playing, stories clenched, teeth gritted, eyes wide, with are done printing and you forget who stuck the only the sounds of the announcer’s 4. Laziness. landing and who fell, a lasting impression is voice and my occasional gasps. I After the anger wore off, I still left by the event. The Olympics teach was completely captivated and began to feel incredibly lazy. audiences that there’s always something amazed. I was inspired, and Before the Olympics I felt like a larger to strive for, and that records are somehow all of my previous champ when I told my mom that made to be broken. And it’s that little goals seemed to fade away she could go inside and kick off her glimmer of hope they leave for you and I was left with one shoes while I brought in ten bags of grothat motivates you to go for it. lasting desire: to be an ceries. After the Olympics, I no longer found joy Olympian. in carrying heavy bags of yogurt and instead felt discouraged at the thought of how much better Meryl Davis would be at carrying them. Before the Olympics I thought making a few laps around an ice rink deserving of a popsicle. After the Olympics, I was no longer impressed by my simple skating tricks. There was no looking past it now. Thanks to Sochi I felt like I had reached the pinnacle of underachievement.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SPORTS SECTION
T
op: Seniors Gayathri Nair and Manasa Padmanabhan practice a routine for Bhangra Empire, their competitive dance group. Nair and Padmanabhan have been learning various dance styles from a young age, but were introduced to bhangra in high school. The two practice about ten hours every week with the traveling team, and thoroughly enjoy the way that bhangra allows them to express themselves.
B
ottom left: Sophomore Megan Wong practices her routine at the Pacific Ballet Academy. Wong takes five different classes and practices for 14 hours a week. After learning styles such as jazz, lyrical, tap, modern, and ballet, dance has truly become
a way for Wong to focus on herself and her passions. Bottom right: Senior Fujia Luo works on his breakdancing moves. Luo enjoys dance because it gives him something to work for and look forward to. He also enjoys connecting with others who share the same passion.
T
op left: Sophomore Shreya Kumar poses for the audience at a Kathak recital. Kumar has been learning the Indian classical dance from age 9, and fell in love with the style during her first class. Now, she practices about 10 hours a week in addition to her class. Kumar loves Kathak because she feels like she is the best ver-
sion of herself while performing. Bottom left: Junior Claire You, along with her teacher, perfects her form at Dance Academy USA. You is trained in six dance styles and practices for about 16 hours a week. She is also the production assistant of a touring competition and holds many national dance titles. You loves the way that dance has become her out-
let and hopes to major in it in college. Bottom right: Sophomore Hinten Mui works on his hip-hop at the weekly Bboy club meeting. Mui has been teaching himself dance for almost two years, and has learned Bboy and popping so far. Mui’s goals for his hobby are to perfect his moves, learn more styles and to “just have fun!”