CMEA winner Pakaluk leads 19 musicians to All-State BY MEDHA UPADHYAY
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create a symphony. While Pakaluk’s job is not always straightforward, listening to his students grasp a particularly dif�icult piece makes it all worthwhile. “I realize that students want to be part of something great. They want to be challenged,” Pakaluk said. “But they also want to have fun. Music is something different for everyone, and I’ve learned that from my students.” While band and orchestra are muchneeded stress relievers for many students, they also serve as sources of pride. On Jan. 6, 19 Lynbrook students were selected for the All-State Band and Orchestra, the most in California. They will travel to Fresno from Feb. 14-17, when they will collaborate with peers from all over California. “All-State auditions are challenging, but luckily, Mr. Pakaluk is always willing to help,” said senior Iryl Tan, who made All-State for the �irst time this year. “For my audition, he sat down and went through every section of the music with me. He showed me how to interpret the piece so that it set me apart from the other people.” Over the years, Lynbrook musicians have learned and grown together, from performing
at Carnegie Hall to playing in a worldclass concert hall in Zaragoza, Spain. Through determination and relentless practice, Lynbrook students have built a reputation of musical excellence. While Pakaluk refuses to take credit for the music department’s success, his expertise has served as a guiding force for his students. “Mr. Pakaluk understands the different dimensions of a piece, not just the outer layer,” said sophomore Richard Chiu, who will be attending All-State for the second time. “He can bring out the colors that the composer meant for the band to play. He knows the inner workings of the music, and he makes us look for the �iner details. He makes us more aware of what we are playing, and I think that is extremely valuable.” Pakaluk’s title as Outstanding Orchestra Educator of the year is proof of the skill and experience that he brings to the music department, and is just one of the things that the Lynbrook community admires about him.
ARUL GNANASIVAM — EPIC
here is an anticipatory hush in the air as musicians stand at the ready, gripping their instruments �irmly as they wait for the signal from conductor Michael Pakaluk. A swish of his hand launches the students into a symphony. It is this kind of performance that sets the Lynbrook band and orchestra apart from the competition, and recently earned them distinguished accolades. On Jan. 11, Pakaluk was awarded the California Music Education Association (CMEA) Section Outstanding Orchestra Educator award at the CMEA Bay Section Winter conference. While the CMEA executive board ultimately picks the winners for each of the 17 awards, any CMEA member, student or teacher can nominate a candidate. Awards recognize a wide range of musical educators, from those instructing at the elementary to college level, and cover many areas of expertise, from ethnic to choral music.
“The achievement of Mr. Pakaluk’s ensembles and the high level of his orchestras made him stand out,” said Bruce Lengacher, CMEA Bay Section president. “The person who nominated Mr. Pakaluk also mentioned that he was not an orchestra expert to begin with and worked at his string pedagogy to achieve the high standards that are evident in his program.” While Pakaluk is now a certi�ied musical expert, it was his parents who encouraged him to initially try music. His father persuaded him to pick up the trumpet in fourth grade, and Pakaluk eventually joined his school band. Pakaluk recalls that his school’s program never had more than 20 musicians, but he now teaches almost 250 students in �ive different groups. “I’m blessed to have really outstanding musicians, and they make me look good when they perform,” Pakaluk said. “It’s amazing to win awards, but I don’t teach to try and get awards. I’m just trying to guide my students and let them show their talents. ” Lynbrook musicians are unquestionably skilled, but a pro�icient director is required to take a group of strong musicians and
Governor Newsom establishes goals for the new year BY KAYLIN LI
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naugurated on Jan. 7, Gavin Newsom has taken his place as California’s 40th governor. Newsom looks to achieve what he calls “audacious goals” through a $209 billion state budget that could tackle some of California’s biggest issues, such as education, homelessness and wild�ires. As mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011 and lieutenant governor of California for eight years, Gavin Newsom made strides in healthcare, same-sex marriage and education, and his budget will continue this trend. Not only has he set aside $1.8 billion toward universal preschool and $80.7 billion for K-12 education, but he also plans on setting aside $40 million to add a second year to tuition-free community college education. To support teachers, $3 billion will go to reducing teachers pension obligations, providing more money for the classroom. A statewide database would track student progress from pre K-12 to the workforce to evaluate the quality of California’s education. “While keeping the pension system solvent is indeed a critically important priority, if school districts receive help from
the state in this area, it allows us to use our �inancial resources in ways that are more directly impactful for students,” said FUHSD superintendent Polly Bove. “For our school district, it may help us decrease our expenses by about 1 percent. And we are well aware that the high cost of living makes it imperative that we devote any saved expenses toward increasing staff compensation, which plays a huge part in ensuring ongoing student success.” While a large focus of Newsom’s budget is on education, his plans also address many other issues California is facing. Newsom calls for $500 million in state aid for shelters for the homeless, and another $500 million for local governments to combat homelessness. $140 million will go to expanding Medi-Cal coverage to undocumented immigrants aged 19 to 25. $415 million will be invested into forest management for preventing and combating future wild�ires. However, there is considerable risk in spending so much, as it is likely that California will experience a recession in the coming years. But some believe the bene�its outweigh the costs. “I think Governor Newsom is moving in the
right direction. I know that people criticize him, because they think that spending money on education and other aspects of social welfare is risky, and we might go into recession,” said junior Maya Abiram, vice president of logistics for the Model United Nations Club. “But I think it's a good idea. If we invest in education, more people will be able to go to college and hold higher paying jobs, and we’ll see the results.” In addition to Newsom’s several more progressive plans, he is likely to preserve many of the Brown administration’s policies on �iscal discipline and the rainy day fund. “I think the nice thing about Governor Newsom is he will probably continue with many of Governor Brown's programs, which were generally positive for education,” said FUHSD deputy superintendent Graham Clark. “I think we're heading in the right direction, and hopefully, we can remain that way.” There are many issues for Newsom to tackle, such as education, wild�ires and homelessness. As Newsom takes over the California administration, he hopes that through his plans, one day, these issues will be solved.
BOYS SOCCER // PG. 14 Camaraderie and competition on the field