Verde Volume 19 Issue 2

Page 1

V. aCTING OUT How Paly theater sets the standard for racial inclusion in the performing arts pg. 28


2

NOVEMBER 2017


FROM THE EDITORS

November 2017 Volume 19 Issue 2

embracing expression

I

magine you are in America in the 1940s. Cushy velvet chairs and saxophone soloists surround you. Almost everyone is Caucasian — the term Asian-American has yet to establish itself in society’s collective vocabulary. And yet, Palo Alto High School’s production of “Heaven Can Wait” — set in the 1940s — features actors of Asian descent in three of the six leading roles. Asian Americans are one of the most underrepresented minorities in the world of theater. Most characters in major plays are written for white actors, but while whitewashing is all too common in Hollywood, Broadway productions do not often practice the reverse. At Paly, however, actors are judged not based on their physical likeness to a character, but on their personality and potential to represent a character as a whole. In our cover article, “Acting Out,” staff writers Maia Lagna and Bridget Li explore diversity — and the lack thereof — in performance from the perspective of local theater students. Other local students channel their creativity through different means. In “826 Valencia,” staff writers Kamala Varadarajan and Ashley Hitchings investigate how a San Francisco nonprofit is combatting the achievement gap by inspiring underserved students to embrace and express their imaginations through writing. Thomas Chapman and Cecelia Ward explore senior Katie Look’s art-filled garage in “Painting a Party,” discovering how some students relieve stress with tools as simple as paint and canvas. And in “A Picture of Politics,” Olivia Brown and Kaitlyn Ho demonstrate that creative expression has the potential to influence the very powers which govern the world around us. Diversity in theater tackles harmful stereotypes; sparking passions for writing shrinks the achievement gap; painting freely relieves stress; and highlighting important issues through art has tangible political effects. From plays about aspiring boxers to charcoal drawings of refugees, nothing has quite the same power as art to impact opinion and bring attention to the issues that matter. So we urge readers to embrace their creative side in whatever form it takes, be it acting, writing, painting, drawing or something else entirely. At best, your art could impact someone else, or even yourself — and at worst, you could get something aesthetic to hang on your wall or post on Instagram.

—Emma, Julie & Saurin

Editors-in-Chief Emma Cockerell Julie Cornfield Saurin Holdheim Design Editor Thomas Chapman Digital Editor Asia Gardias Features Editor Frances Zhuang Profiles Editor Rebecca Yao Culture Editor Daniel Logan Perspectives Editor Tamar Sarig News Editors Ashley Hitchings Ashley Wang Launch Editors Riya Sinha Allison Cheng Photo Director James Poe

Managing Editors Stephanie Lee Michelle Li Business Managers Amira Garewal Angela Liu Staff Writers Nicole Adamson Zakir Ahmad Lucia Amieva-Wang Olivia Brown Megan Chai Margaret Cheung Sophie Dewees Kaitlyn Khoe Maia Lagna Bridget Li Estelle Martin Riya Matta Allison Mou Maraleis Sinton Mara Smith Zoe Stanton-Savitz Ella Thomsen Jenny Tseng Kamala Varadarajan Ashley Wang Cecilia Ward Gila Winefeld Calvin Yan Adviser Paul Kandell

Art Director Kaitlyn Ho

Publication Policy Verde, a feature magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Magazine Journalism class, is a designated open forum for student expression and discussion of issues of concern to its readership. Verde is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. Letters to the Editors The staff welcomes letters to the editors but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity. Send all letters to veics-1617@gmail.com or to 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301. All Verde stories are posted online and available for commenting at verdemagazine.com Advertising The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with Verde, please contact the Verde business managers Amira Garewal and Angela Liu through our adviser at 650-329-3837 for more information. Printing & Distribution Verde is printed five times a year in October, November, February, April and May, by Folger Graphics in Hayward, California. The Paly PTSA mails Verde to every student’s home. All Verde work is available at verdemagazine.com

verdemagazine.com

3


In this issue Foreword 6 Editorials 9 Launch 12 News

Features

16 Meme Culture 18 Politics and Art 20 Asians in Theater 24 Commenter-in-Chief 26 Catalan Independence 28 Lessons from Spain 29 Where Does Our Trash Go? 32 Staff Mental Health

Profiles

35 38 41 43 45 48 50

826 Valencia Immigrants’ Rights Clinic Colin Bucks Late Night Sushi Callum’s Critters Twins on Ice Paint Parties

Culture A HOUSE DIVIDED pg. 26

Palo Alto High School Spanish teacher Josep Vericat gestures to a map of Catalonia, which recently voted for its independence from Spain

ON THE COVER

pg. 20

This image, taken by Verde’s Stephanie Lee, depicts three Asian-American leads in the recent Palo Alto High School production of “Heaven Can Wait.” Derek Zhou, Annie Tsui and Emily Zhang star in the 1940’s play about a boxer who reincarnates as a banker. Paly’s production is an anomaly in the theater world, where minorities are often underrepresented.

4

NOVEMBER 2017

52 54 56 58 59 60 62 64

Instant Ramen Impossible Burger Reputation’s Reputation Teachers in Trouble Birthday Traditions Tut’s Bakery International Candies Aromatherapy

Perspectives

66 Vitiligo 67 Complaint Culture 68 Mental illness and the Media 69 Detriments of “tbh” app 70 Column


STAFF STRESS pg. 32

While student mental health has become a priority, teachers still struggle with issues of their own

826 VALENCIA pg. 35

Verde visits storytelling central 826 Valencia, where San Francisco’s underresourced students learn to explore their creative sides

CALLUM’S CRITTERS pg. 45

Peering into Junior Callum Day Ham’s animal enterprise

INSTANT RAMEN REVIEW pg. 52

TWINS ON ICE pg. 48

TUTS BAKERY pg. 60

verdemagazine.com

5


VERDICT

judge persky should be removed from the bench

S

INCE THE UPROAR OF THE Brock Turner case in June 2016, critics have called for Judge Aaron Persky’s removal from the bench in Santa Clara’s Superior Court. Since Turner’s trial, increased awareness about sexual assault within the Palo Alto community casts a shadow upon students as the district struggles with the issue and how to emphasize the significance of consent. Persky gave Stanford freshman Turner what was considered a light sentence for felony sexual assault. Prosecutors recommended six years while Persky granted Turner six months jail time and three years probation. Persky’s decision was an anomaly that did not adequately sentence the perpetrator for his crime, Verde supports recalling Persky because his lenient sentence did not fit the seriousness of Turner’s crime. Persky’s recall is not important simply because his ruling went against public opinion, but because the judicial system must not unfairly protect one side of a sexual assault case at the expense of the other. Despite prosecutor recommendations for six years in prison, after the release of Turner’s statement acknowledging the magnitude of his crimes, it is clear that Persky heavily weighed Turner’s account of events. “I take him at his word that, subjectively, that’s his version of his events,” Persky said. “The jury, obviously, found it not to be the sequence of events.” Persky has a long history of giving lenient sentences for higher crimes, showing a pattern of gender bias. According to the campaign asking for Persky’s removal from the bench, Persky found a college football player guilty of domestic violence and an attack on a good samaritan in 2016.

6 NOVEMBER 2017

Persky gave the perpetrator a sentence that suited his football schedule and did not hold him accountable when he failed to comply with the conditions of his sentence. Persky also sentenced Tony Chiang, a Cisco Systems engineer, to one weekend in jail for felony aggravated battery against his fianceé in June 2016. Robert Chain, convicted of child pornog-

phy, received just a four-day sentence from Persky, who also offered to reduce his felony conviction to a misdemeanor for which Chain could receive one year probation in 2015. Persky’s recall will show that we will not tolerate sexual assault or lenient rulings that are not based solely on the evidence presented in court, but could have been swayed

Art by Vivian Nguyen

ra-

ND E K WEE IL FOR A IN J ONY FEL ERY. T BAT

SENTEN CE BASED ON A FOOTB ALL SCHED ULE.

FOUR DAY SEN TENCE FOR CHILD PORNOG RAPHY.


by personal biases. who adjudicate cases where the punishment Some question whether it’s advisable does not reflect the gravity of the crime. to recall Persky, but the danger in not reMedina Husakovik, a columnist for moving him from the bench is that it may the Stanford Daily, wrote, “If there is not set a standard that allows our judicial sys- legal and social punishment for sexual By STEPHANIE LEE tem to not take cases of sexual assault se- abuse on all levels, from leers to rape, we are riously. And in doing so, we diminish the telling women that the sexual abuse of their integrity of the victims. bodies doesn’t matter, that it’s expected.” “This [recall] isn’t about undermining In the last decade, college campuses a judge’s decision,” said Carrie LeRoy, a have experienced a 50 percent increase in lawyer who educates students about their reports of sexual assault, according to the rights regarding sexual assault. “This is U.S. Department of Education. This data about availing ourselves of a process that is doesn’t necessarily mean that more sex in place when judges act in the manner that crimes are occurring; instead, the increase he [Persky] acted.” might be reflective of an increased willingStanford Law students wrote a letter ness to report assaults. that details the dangers of Persky’s recall, If Persky remains on the bench, vicclaiming that his removal from the bench tims of sexual assault may be less likely to allows judicial power to be vested in the come forward because they may feel that voting public. The fear: Persky’s recall will such minor punishments for their offender remove judicial independence and due pro- are not worth the trauma of being in the cess. public eye. We do not advocate removing judges Campus sexual assault is complicated who simply go against public opinion due because of the shifts in its definitions and to the dangerous precedent this would set, though schools may be setting new rules to but we do want see penalization for those bring awareness to sexual assault, students

Verdoodles

are following societal norms that have been around for decades. The Office of Civil Right’s report in March 2017 addressed the Palo Alto Unified School District’s failure to follow correct procedures for sexual harassment in eight cases and raises the question: What new measures will PAUSD need to take to better handle sexual assault? Verde agrees that solving the issue of sexual assult does not rely solely on schools and colleges, but rather the steps society as a whole is taking. One step, removing Persky from the bench, will demonstrate that sexual assault will not be condoned in our community, nor will sentences that do not accurately reflect the details of a case. A second requires conversations about sexual assault to occur, becauseopen discussion removes the stigma around the issue. “The Brock Turner case is a part of a much larger important conversation about rape culture,” LeRoy said. “[We] need to look at the system that supports the judicial one. … We need to tear down essentially everything that props up a rape culture.” v

By STEPHANIE LEE

verdemagazine.com

7


STYLE MATTERS Personalized. Elevated. Timeless.

LEAF & PETAL 439 South California Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94306 650.329.8070

CASSIS

206 Homer Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 650.327.2997 www.lpetal.com After hours appointments available Locally owned for over 35 years Best Boutique & Women’s Apparel 2017

Now Hiring Part Time Sales Member!! Looking for knowledgeable, energetic, and inspired talent. Great staff, fun environment & flexible hours Join our growing company and be part of the team dedicated to helping others Live Well! Call @ 650-322-1319 for inquiry Fill out application @ careers.gnc.com & search for Palo Alto locaiton Or bring in resume/ printed application to 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301


LAUNCH

ASB ANSWERS:

Paly's Holiday Calendar

What activities does the Associated Student Body have planned for finals week?

by JENNY TSENG

1

Fiery Arts Winter Glass Sale

9

December Flea Market

3 p.m.-6 p.m.

dec

Madrigal Feaste

— Jaiveer Sandhu, ASB President

2 p.m.-5 p.m.

21

Play in a Day

22

First day of winter break

1 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

Reporting by CALVIN YAN

dec

All day

We’re probably going to have some sort of cookies-and-cocoa event. There are some activities we’re planning beforehand … our sports commissioner, Benner Mullin, is working to put together a ping pong tournament.”

dec

dec

Art by ASHLEY ZHAO

Illustrated Interview Verde asked Paly students and staff to draw their responses to questions which relate to stories in this issue. Here are their answers.

“I think this represents me.” Compiled by GILA WINEFELD and MARA SMITH

— PRIYA BAKSHI, sophomore

“I’m going to put away my phone in class and do as much homework as I can!”

— ZACHARY BARNES, math teacher

See Trash (pg. 29)

See Meme Culture (pg. 16)

“The best way to eat KitKats is ... right out of the wrapper.” — NICHOLAS SCHLEGEL, junior

See Candies (pg. 62)


LAUNCH Holiday Fun Runs Hot Chocolate 5K/15K Jan. 7 ($49/$74) Always wanted to run a race but need a little motivation? Consider the Hot Chocolate Run, which takes you through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and provides you with chocolate through the whole race.

Art by JESSICA LEE

by ALLISON MOU

Elf On the Run 5K/10K Dec. 16 ($25) Want to wear a Santa hat and support charity while running around San Francisco at the same time? Consider registering for Elf On the Run. Taking place right before finals, Elf On the Run is a good way to destress before your tests.

Mermaid Trail Run 3.5/6/9 miles Dec. 9 ($40/$50/$60) Interested in battling some steep hills? Consider the Mermaid Trail Run at Huddart Park. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and make sure to pack the proper shoes for braving dirt trails.

Tips for Rounding Up Borderline Grades

by KAITLYN HO

Are you frustratingly close to an A and need a small boost help get you there? Here are three tips on how to convince your teachers to round up your grade.

1 Reverse Psychology You need an increase of .3 percent? Argue for a decrease of .6 percent. This is sure to confuse teachers into rounding your grade up.

2 Show Respect

3 Fair Debates

Get on their good side by showing respect. Use old English and call them “your majesty.”

Art by MARALEIS SINTON

If you need a small boost of 4%, you should just ask for 14%, so when you sit down to discuss the “issue,” you can be the bigger person and “compromise.” Hey, they did get to decrease it by a whole 10%.

VERBATIM Finals are coming up, which means more studying — and more study breaks. What are your favorite ways to destress and relax while studying? Photos and interviews by KAMALA VARADARAJAN

10 NOVEMBER NOVEMBER2017 2017

I usually listen to pop music if I’m almost done with my homework. Then I’ll take a break. — HELEN HASSAN, freshman


Winter Lookbook plaid flannel

Compiled by STEPHANIE LEE

As the weather gets colder, the sweaters get thicker. Because some days are warmer than others, layering is your best bet. Verde's Stephanie Lee offers some stylish ways to stay warm this winter.

VERDE'S WINTER PLAYLIST Christmas in L.A VULFPECK

En Navidad THE PINKER TONES

Nappy Holidays (Stay A While) NAPPY ROOTS

Father Christmas THE KINKS

leather jacket

army jacket

scarf

Winter Song THE HEAD AND THE HEART

Take Me Back to Toyland NAT KING COLE

Winterglow GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS

Santa Claus is a Black Man AKIM & TEDDY VANN

sweater Art by MARALEIS SINTON

I normally just set a timer for 20 minutes and then I hang out with my dogs and pet them. — GEORGIA LUEHRS, sophomore

Every twenty minutes I take a five minute break ... and that’s a good balance between studying and doing other stuff. — WARREN WAGNER, junior

Find this playlist on Spotify: goo.gl/iRrbWd

Compiled by KAITLYN KHOE

Dec. 25th KWEKU COLLINS

If I've been studying for a while ... I might take a 10 minute break and do something else. — SAM CRAIG, senior

verdemagazine.com

11


NEWS Former U.S. ambassadors visit Paly

F

ORMER U.S. AMBASSADORS to Afghanistan and Russia under the Obama administration visited Paly U.S. Foreign Policy classes in October to speak about developments in foreign relations. Both ambassadors focused on post-war tensions, with former ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry discussing effects of the War in Afghanistan and former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul examining consequences of the Cold War. Clay Volino, a senior taking the foreign policy course, said his understanding of foreign relations improved as a result of the two talks. “I better understood how American foreign policy goals such as economic development and public health around the world can conflict with each other,” Volino said. Instructor of U.S. Foreign Policy Adam Yonkers plans to offer similar opportunities to his students in the future. “It’s really important for Paly students to understand the intersection of diplomacy and policy,” Yonkers said. “You can see how policy, in terms of being rolled out, can somewhat get derailed.” Political scientist professor Francis Fukuyama will be visiting on Dec. 11, 2017. by ASHLEY WANG

THE KEY TO CYBERSECURITY Yubico CEO Stina Ehrensvärd plans to implement Yubikey, a new authentication method, to better protect student information online. Photo by Kaitlyn Khoe.

District ups security after data breach

T

HE PALO ALTO Unified School District is working to improve data security after the Oct. 5 data breach. According to district Chief Technology Officer Derek Moore, names, student numbers and weighted GPA values for students in grades 10, 11 and 12 at Palo Alto High School appeared on a website. The district took down the website twice but it reappeared each time. “This is a violation of the acceptable use policies in place at PAUSD and could potentially rise to the level of criminal activity,” Moore said. This is the second district-wide data breach this year. Last April, former data warehouse vendor Schoolzilla notified the district that a computer security researcher “was able to access an off-site backup that included partial student records for approximately 14,000 … students,” according to a message posted on the PAUSD website. After the Schoolzilla incident, the district began working with local security company Yubico to improve the security of student data. Yubico plans to implement their new authentication method, Yubikey, to replace the typical software key. “It’s actually a physical key, and you can tap it to your phone or you can plug it into your computer,” said Stina Ehrensvärd, Yubico CEO. “What we have provided is like an iron door.” A set plan has yet to be introduced, but the goal of the project is to secure all online accounts for Paly students, a process enabled by a government grant. “PAUSD takes the security of information entrusted to us very seriously and is continually working to improve security measures as new options become available,” Moore said. by KAITLYN KHOE and MAGGIE CHEUNG

12

NOVEMBER 2017


Controversial roof deck proposal awaits evaluation by CALVIN YAN

T

HE PALO ALTO City Council is considering a proposal by home design company Houzz to build a downtown rooftop dining patio that would violate current building regulations. Houzz intends to install the structure on its five-story building across from City Hall, which will grant employees a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding neighborhood. However, the city’s 50-foot building height limit prevents the company from moving forward with the installation. “What they [Houzz] are asking for is a policy discussion with the city council to consider whether or not they want to allow these buildings … that are taller than they’re allowed to be,” said Jonathan Lait, assistant director of planning and community environment. Houzz spokesman James Walgren argued in a letter to Lait that approval of the project could set a precedent for innovation among community property developers. City Manager James Keene conceded that rooftop patios hold various benefits, calling them a “nice amenity” that could “provide an opportunity for outdoor breakout space, employee break areas, outdoor lunch space, and employee events.” Nevertheless, Lait cited numerous concerns the council must consider before greenlighting the project, including invasion of privacy, light and noise pollution and the need for increased parking space. According to Hillary Gitelman, director of planning and community environment, the project could also generate significant pushback from locals. “There’s a large segment of the community of Palo Alto that holds our 50-foot height limit as sacrosanct,” Gitelman said.

Community weighs in on proposed new English AP by ASIA GARDIAS, ESTELLE MARTIN and LUCIA AMIEVA-WANG

A

S OF PRESS time in mid-November, the English Department was considering adding a new Advanced Placement English course, AP English Language and Composition, said English Department head Shirley Tokheim. According to Tokheim, there is no set date for the decision, but more information will come after Thanksgiving break. Unlike AP Literature, which emphasizes literary analysis, AP Language focuses on helping students “develop evidence-based analytic and argumentative essays.” Below, Paly students and teachers offer their opinions on the possible course. “We [English faculty] are still trying to figure out our values. Right now, the conversation is about the ‘AP race’ in our Paly culture. There is a race to take as many APs as possible to enhance your GPA. But ... what does that do to mental health?” — English teacher Marc Tolentino “I learned so much in my elective so I think it’s important that students take the electives in junior year ... If I had the option, I would’ve taken the AP last year and then this year because I love English as a subject, but I also see the value in the electives. The more the merrier.” — AP Lit. student, senior Alix Barry “I worry that students who would take and enjoy the electives, that they ... would end up taking the AP language because it looks good … We would see a huge drop in our elective offerings and I think that’s a huge loss for the benefit of feeding an [AP] monster that doesn’t need to be fed. — English teacher Trinity Klein

63% RISING UP On the corner of Hamilton Ave. and Bryant Street, the Houzz headquarters towers over onlookers. A roof deck installation would alow employees to view most of downtown from above. Photo by Calvin Yan.

of Paly students surveyed would be interested in taking AP Lang

The student poll results collected for this edition are from a survey in Paly English classes during November 2017. Sixteen English classes were randomly seleted and 354 responses collected. The surveys were collected online and responses were anonymous.

verdemagazine.com

13


ASB plans to increase engagement

A

SB AIMS TO increase transparency and communication with the student body through upcoming winter events, a newly designed website and a revised constitution. “We want to connect ASB VP Vivian Feng discusses upcom- with the student body directing changes. Photo by Ashley Hitchings. ly,” said junior Vivian Feng, ASB vice president. “Our goals are getting more direct student feedback, specifically from underclassmen, and increasing the amount of students we can cater to with our events.” Upcoming school-wide events include Cookies and Cocoa on the Quad, a movie night and Tea with ASB. ASB is also working with a designer to create a more user-friendly site which will make ASB minutes more accessible and allow students to contact officers directly. In addition, ASB is changing its constitution for the first time in five years to address the increased size of the class. Officers will discuss the officer appointment process and the current requirement for candidates to win a majority of the votes. “We’re getting more informed and preparing ASB members to become more knowledgeable about the greater community outside just the classroom,” Feng said. by ANGELA LIU and MARA SMITH

Thespian club to host Play in a Day

A

FTER THE LAST day of finals, Palo Alto High School’s Thespian Club will host Play in a Day, an annual event where students and alumni collaborate to write, block and stage a play in 24 hours. The play will be performed the next day on Friday, Dec. 22, in the Performing Arts Center. Created as a fun way for students to showcase their creativity, the event divides participants into groups which are assigned props, costume pieces, sound effects and topics to include in their plays. "It is an event where the focus is really on the process [and] the performers,” said Kathleen Woods, director of the Paly theater program. “It's not on all the details that you usually have to pay attention to for a production." All interested Paly students are invited to participate, regardless of whether they have former theater experience, and should attend the Thespian Club meeting in PAC 131 on Thursday, Dec. 7, for more information. "I'm always really excited about Play in a Day because it's an event almost no other school does,” said junior Annie Tsui, a past Play in a Day participant. by MEGAN CHAI and ALLISON MOU

14

NOVEMBER 2017

Library remodel on track for 2018

A

FTER THE RECENT teardown of the library walls, library renovation at Palo Alto High Schol is on track to finish next winter. Blueprints showcase the library. “We’re optimistic that we’re Photo by D.L.M. Architecture. approximately on track for winter of next year,” said Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman. Students can look forward to glass-encased study rooms, collaborative work spaces, cafe-style seating looking out onto the quad, open architecture and a second-floor archive that students can reach by chairlift, according to Kellerman. These features are meant to modernize and revitalize the Paly library, which was moved in the’ 70s from the Tower Building to its current location. The Guidance Deparment and College and Career Center will also be housed in the building across the hall. “We really don’t know what to call this building, because it’s more than a library,” Kellerman said. “The most important thing … [is] to honor the initial spirit of the library, which was a cozy, comfortable, light and airy space.” by REBECCA YAO


Free speech panel celebrates activism

T

O MARK THE official opening of the Paly Journalism archives, Palo Alto High School will host a free speech panel today during Flex in the Per- Rachel Kellerman and Charlotte Kadifa show off the digital archive. forming Arts Center. Photo by Ashley Hitchings. The panel, planned by junior Charlotte Kadifa with help from librarian Rachel Kellerman, will be moderated by junior Noor Navaid and consists of historian Steve Staiger, former Campanile reporter Chris Kenrick and Joe Simitian, county supervisor and former student body president. Kadifa says she hopes students will “learn a little bit more about people who were here at the time.” In her archiving work, Kadifa discovered a rich history of student speech which she plans to cover during the panel. “I want people to know that students do have a voice; we're not limited because of our age,” Kadifa said. by TAMAR SARIG

Admin to consider Mastery Transcript

T

HE PALY ADMINISTRATION is expressing interest in the Mastery Transcript, a new transcript model already supported by many Bay Area private schools. Created by the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the Mastery Transcript aims to em- Principal Kim Diorio transcript phasize learning over test scores by eliminating discusses letter grades. Unlike traditional transcripts, it models with other administrators. Photo by evaluates students on their mastery of seven ar- Lucia Amieva-Wang. eas: creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, self directed learning, humanities and STEM. Multiple private schools around the Bay Area are joining this progressive education movement, including Castilleja School, Menlo School, Nueva School and Woodside Priory. Paly principal Kim Diorio said she hopes to learn from these schools’ experience as PAUSD considers alternative transcript models. “I’m very excited about this idea and this concept,” Diorio said. “We have had conversations at the district level in the past rethinking the transcript and what we report and how do we take the focus away from letter grades and GPA and look more into student learning.” Junior Courtney Kernick supports this new style of assessing grades. “I think the problem with the letter grade system and the school system in general is that they focus on going through the motions and memorization rather than learning for the sake of learning,” Kernick said. However, Diorio is apprehensive about how students and parents would react to the drastic change and says the transition is more difficult for large public schools. “I think the anxiety is always making sure that student outcomes in terms of getting into the selective colleges isn’t hurt or jeopardized,” Diorio said. “That's usually what comes from the parents or the students.” Nevertheless, Diorio says a transcript focusing on mastery of a diverse set of skills will become more widespread in the future. “I think that there is a real acknowledgement and awareness that the traditional model of education is no longer working,” Diorio said. “Twenty years from now, it is going to be this transcript.” by ESTELLE MARTIN

Children's Theater to host contest

P

ALO ALTO CHILDREN'S Theater is hosting its annual Play Palooza Ten Minute Playwriting contest to showcase the talents of young writers. The theater invites student writers in grades three to 12 to enter their work, recieve feedback and win prizes donated by Friends of the Palo Alto Children's Theater. For more information, email christopher.luciani@cityofpaloalto.org. The deadline to submit entries is Dec. 22. by ASHLEY HITCHINGS

verdemagazine.com

15


Art by ANGELA LIU and KAITLYN HO

Text by RIYA MATTA and ZOE STANTON-SAVITZ

What Do You Meme? TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BEING A MEMER

A

CCORDING TO ALL KNOWN laws of meme-making, there is no way a meme should be able to go viral. Its followers are too hidden behind screens to spread its ridiculous content across the Internet. The memes, of course, spread anyway. Between 2009 and 2011, a group of researchers from Facebook, the University of Michigan and the Genome Institute of Singapore identified 4,000 memes that were copied and posted on Facebook that over a period of three years, demonstrating the connective and unifying effects on the Internet. Y u no study in college? Memes! If you were to look at the Facebook feed of students from Palo Alto High School, chances are you’ll see posts from at least one meme page. Since 2016, school-specific meme pages have emerged for countless institutions across the country, with membership reaching up to 130,000 in UC Berkeley’s meme page, “UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens.” UCBMFET was created by Berkeley student Chris Tril in May 2015 as a way to share memes among like-humored friends, Tril says. After holding a candlelight vigil for Harambe — a gorilla who posthumously became the subject of a viral meme — the page started growing rapidly, attracting members beyond Berkeley’s student body. These non-students began post-

16

NOVEMBer 2017

ing frequently, and soon, Tril says, it started to feel like his vision for a meme-page for and by Berkeley students to share original content came crashing down. “UCBMFET became ‘UC Berkeley Memes for Non-Berkeley Students Who Post Stale Garbage,” Tril says. By December of 2016, Tril had come to regret ever creating UCBMFET. Debates and comment wars flared up on nearly every “edgy” or original meme that was posted on the page, and Tril would often get emails and messages from various student groups or professors asking him to take down what he calls “nihilistic” content. Around this time, Tril was also facing outrage from members of the page who felt that the censoring policy he and his team of admins and moderators were enforcing was too strict. “They would complain about our strict moderation, but then they also complained

about the poor quality or unoriginality of the memes,” Tril says. Tril and his team of moderators tripled the ban rate of posts and blocked all new join requests, but the page never returned to its former glory. Tril gained a reputation for extreme censorship, and following a series of conflicts between him, his team of moderators and the members of UCBMFET, he resigned as the admin of the page. “It became glorified babysitting, and it was honestly a relief to leave the page,” Tril says. Tril admits that running the most followed collegiate meme page on Facebook had its advantages, but, he has come to a single conclusion: “Memes were a mistake.” Despite Tril’s regrets, however, the trend of meme pages continued to spread to schools around the country. Following suit, Stanford sophomore Robel Daniel created Stanford Memes for Edgy Trees in November 2016. “Meme pages were catching on and we didn’t have one yet, so I decided to make one,” Daniel says. SMFET has since grown significantly in size and is followed by much of Stanford’s undergraduate student body, according to Daniel. For stressed-out students at one of the most elite institutions in the world, scrolling through or posting relatable and funny memes is an ideal way to wind


down and distract themselves, Daniel says. Like many other school meme pages, Daniel and his moderators require all content to have some kind of Stanford-specific relevance, but the page is not limited to just Stanford students. “We have about 14,000 members currently and there are only around 7,000 undergraduate students at Stanford,” Daniel says. Having open membership and allowing anyone to post content, however, is not without its own challenges. Much like Tril, hDaniel periodically encounters problematic or offensive content on his meme page, and says that these posts are almost always posted by non-Stanford students or “trolls.” “Trolls,” as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, are people who make “deliberately provocative or offensive online posts.” Nevertheless, Daniel tries not to be oppressive, censoring posts and comments as sparingly as possible. “If you post something racist, homophobic, or specifically targeting a person or a group, then it gets taken down and you get banned,” Daniel says. Beyond these basic conditions, he says, comes to a grey area. Recently, Stanford has faced a number of high-profile sexual assault incidents, and most of the more controversial posts on Stanford Memes for Edgy Trees have been related to these cases. While these memes often offend some members of the group and occasionally cause comment wars, Daniel leaves almost all of the content untouched. “Humor is subjective, and it’s not my job to judge what is funny or not,” he says. Paly meme lords As collegiate meme pages spread across the nation, many high schools have jumped on board, including Paly. Paly senior Cooper Kim created Paly’s own meme page, Paly Memes for the Dank Youth, in April 2017. “I saw that meme pages were kind of blowing up and I saw that a lot of schools had them, so I just decided to make one,”

Kim says. As with most meme pages, Kim and his team of admins enforce a set of rules for content posted in the group. This includes a requirement for all memes to be Paly related, with common themes being making fun of teachers, administration, fire alarms, and Gunn High School. “All the memes have to have a Paly relevance, so you’ll see a lot of [Kim Diorio] memes and memes about Reese,” Kim says. Despite rules set by Kim and his admins, offensive memes pop up periodically on the page, often making fun of various sexual assault controversies, such as the 2016 incident regarding Paly science teacher Ronnie Farrell, as well as the scandal involving a Paly student that shook the campus at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. “ W e have to take memes like that down, and I definitely think they’re inappropriate,” Kim says, “but I guess with humor you have to make fun of everything; that’s just meme culture.” Crossing the line? This past June, ten incoming members of the Harvard University Class of 2021 had their admissions rescinded by administration due to a controversy surrounding highly offensive memes shared in a private Facebook groupchat entitled “Harvard Memes for Horny Bourgeois Teens.” The provocative memes in question dealt with harmful racial stereotypes, suicide, sexual assault and the Holocaust, according to the Harvard Crimson. The decision to rescind the students caused outrage among many who felt that Harvard was encroaching on the students’ rights to free speech. Cam, a current sophomore at Harvard whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, felt that, while the memes were certainly offensive, administration did not handle the situation well. “I saw the memes and, of course, I thought they were really horri-

ble, but a lot of people make jokes like that and I don’t think that the administration should be allowed to determine what we joke about,” he says. What does it all meme? One of the most unique things about Facebook meme pages is that, unlike other popular platforms for sharing memes, members and contributors are actively tying their names and profiles to their posts, and sharing them with thousands of people, ranging from close friends to complete strangers. The startling lack of anonymity is entirely contradictory to the origins of meme culture. Since the introduction of the concept, the sharing and posting of memes has been impersonal. On popular meme-sharing sites like 4chan, Reddit and Tumblr the identities of posters and commenters are hidden behind vague usernames or serial numbers; there is no archive of data to which it is possible to reference. Over time, the distinction that emerged between an “online self ” and a “real self ” has become increasingly apparent, and has introduced the notion that digital actions are somehow disembodied from the human being behind them. “People seem to think that who they are online is different from who you really are,” Paly senior and co-admin of Paly Memes for the Dank Youth, Reza Safarnavadeh, says, “But I think it’s really important to remember that social media is not separate from you as a person.” v DOGE A popular internet meme of a dog of the Shiba Inu dog breed.

verdemagazine.com

17


Text by OLIVIA BROWN and KAITLYN HO

Picture of Politics USING ART PIECES AS A MODE OF COMMUNICATING BELIEFS

W

ITH CHARCOAL smeared down his right arm, David Foster completes the finishing touches of his masterpiece: the humble eyes of a scarved Syrian refugee. “The background is just rubble and the burning, and a lot of these [refugee] women have very similar stories, coming from destroyed cities,” Foster says. Like most artists who examine political messages through their art, Palo Alto High School junior Foster highlights a topic that needs exposure: Syrian refugee women. Many people today, outraged by decisions made by our political leadership, turn to visual art to express their opinions. Photography is one of the strongest forms of expression, says Margo Wixsom, AP Studio Art 2D Design teacher.

18

NOVEMBer 2017

are consequences of climate change,” Wixsom says. The immense power of photography, and visual art in general, is that everyone is able identify the message from the piece. “[Visual] art is democratic. … People from different backgrounds and different education levels can all sympathize and un derstand [visual] art,” AP Studio Art 2D De sign student Sophia Muys says.

The power of visual art “Photographers are possibly the most Future of political art influential artists today and will continue The foci of political art have fluctuated to be into the future because our world so throughout history, but similar topics tend deeply depends upon photography to illus- to resurface, Wixsom says. This is because trate, authenticate, the focus of political advocate, adminisart often describes People from different trate everything,” that need backgrounds and differ- problems Wixsom says, addto be addressed by ing that photograent education levels can... the community. The phy is one of the consistency in morand understand art.” strongest platforms als causes certain — SOPHIA MUYS, senior to advocate for issues topics to re-emerge, because it illustrates messages in a digestible as they play an important role in society, way. regardless of the time period. Wixsom de“Our very understanding of politics is scribes her inspiration for the project “Art premised on photojournalism, I would say: as a Social Issue” as being based off this the front page images of the [North Caroli- concept of re-emerging problems in society, na] protests, documenting the genocides in more specifically attitude towards LGBT. the world, recording natural disasters that “Art was a response to an abusive in-


features

v

RESILIENCE David Foster shares an underexposed story of displacement through the image of a woman in front of the chaos. Art by David Foster.

dividual who sought to destroy freedoms sion, and he said, ‘Oh. You girls don’t need through cutting up books on LGBTQ, sex, to worry about this. If you just marry somewomen’s studies,” Wixsom says. “Sadly we one rich, you won’t have to do any work are seeing a resurgence against LGBTQ ... or anything like that. It shifted my artistic that is certainly a national tragedy and dis- perspectives in the direction of activism.” heartening to me personally.” Once an area of interest is identified, However, acartists often research companying the to create a fully develresurgence of these A well-executed piece is oped idea, Foster says. social issues is a easier for audiences to After refining movement of artists the idea, one should who take to technol- understand and take a move to execution of ogy to advocate for message from.” a piece. their opinions. “A well-executed — DAVID FOSTER, junior “Advocating for piece is easier for ausocial issues will continue to expand with diences to understand and take a message social media and new technologies, all of from,” Foster says. which heavily employ visual content,” Wix- Although it should be clear as to what is besom says. ing portrayed, the message behind the piece is still up to individual interpretation. Becoming a political artist Wixsom is trying to normalize thinkA good starting point for a rising po- ing about art in a more meaningful way litical artist is to choose a topic to focus on through her project “Art as a Social Issue.” based off specific instances where you expe- She is familiarizing her students with using rienced a serious issue, according to Muys. art as a means of aelf-expression. Wixsom “There was one occasion where a ph- not only helps improve students’ art skills, tographer came to our school,” Muys says. but also makes them more comfortable us“Me and my friend were really interested in ing their art to display a message. his work, and went up to talk to him and The project gave Muys a platform to ask him a few questions about his profes- express her topic of interest: feminism. She

plans to highlight people’s stories and create powerful pieces to empower young women, which in turn forces the message into public’s eye. “It’s to make people think,” says Foster. “There’s a fine line. Even if there is a politcally motivated piece that has a point that you may not agree with, it makes you think.” v

STRONG AND CONFIDENT. Senior Sophia Muys calls for women to unite for gender equality. She skillfully utilizes vibrant colors to catch viewers’ attention. Art by Sophia Muys.

verdemagazine.com

19


FIGHTIN' FORTIES Three Asian actors in Paly's "Heaven Can Wait" pose by a grand piano. "Heaven Can Wait" takes place in 1940s Los Angeles and stars Derek Zhou (far right), who plays an aspiring boxer. "I don’t know if this is the start to everything [more representation],” Zhou says. “But I really hope so.” Photo by James Poe.

20

NOVEMBER 2017


ACTING OUT T

Text by BRIDGET LI and MAIA LAGNA

ASIANS FIND OPPORTUNITY IN PALY THEATER HE SOFT MELODY OF Yet in “Heaven Can Wait,” a romantic a harp dances in the air as the comedy set in Los Angeles, three out of six wine-colored curtains sweep principal characters were played by Asian aside to reveal actors clad in Americans. Zhou played the protagonist, modest skirts, black kitten heels and sky- Joe Pendleton, a passionate and reckless blue tailored suits. aspiring boxer who, after dying unexpectPalo Alto High School junior Derek edly in a plane crash, is reincarnated as a Zhou's booming voice cuts into the gentle successful banker. He was joined by many tune, his shouts reverberating throughout other Asian Americans, among them senior the theater. An Emily Zhang, the second actor in a dashing lead, and junior Annie pastel suit drags "When it comes down Tsui, a supporting lead. Zhou onto the to the essence of the- Zhang’s character, Jordan, stage. is Pendleton’s accomplice, “Get me out ater, pretty much while Tsui’s character, of here! What are everybody's the same." Betty Logan, is Pendleyou doing?” Zhou — KATHLEEN WOODS, ton’s protective love inyells. He stomps director of "Heaven Can Wait" terest. his feet wildly, and Paly theater instructor clutching a brass Broadening the spotsaxophone, his light actions intensified by the stark contrast beZhou is optimistic that mainstream tween his tan sherpa jacket and the refined productions will follow in Paly Theater's formal wear of the actors around him. footsteps. To some, Zhou, an Asian-American “I don’t know if this is the start to student, may look out of place among everything [more representation],” Zhou the velvet chairs and creaking 20th centu- says. “But I really hope so.” ry wooden chests. Set in the 1940s, Paly The casting of “Heaven Can Wait” Theater’s latest production “Heaven Can reflects changes that Asian Americans like Wait” was set during an era when the Zhou hope to see in the broader picture of Asian-American population was miniscule. professional theater productions. A picture of a typical scene in 20th-century For instance, the breakout production, America hardly would have warranted the “Hamilton: An American Musical,” which inclusion of any people of color, let alone chronicles the life of Alexander Hamilton, Asian Americans.

cast people of color as characters who lived in revolutionary and early America. In the original production, African-American Leslie Odom Jr. played Alexander Hamilton and half-Chinese Phillipa Soo played Elizabeth Hamilton. The critically acclaimed musical set a record for the most Tony nominations in Broadway history, and snagged both the Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy award. “Hamilton’s” popularity on Broadway — and in popular culture — demonstrates that a production can achieve success while exhibiting a racially diverse cast. It also shows a positive example that actors of color can play characters in historical contexts where people of color are not heavily involved, emphasizing an actor’s personality above their race. The casting methods employed by “Hamilton” have yet to affect mainstream production casting. There still exists a significant representational disparity between the racial makeup of the actors cast on Broadway and that of the general population. According to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, around 80 percent of all Broadway roles have been played by white actors for the past seven seasons. However, in 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau found the U.S. population to be only 61.3 percent white. The same U.S. Census Bureau study found the U.S. population to be 5.6 percent

verdemagazine.com

21


TAKE A BOW (LEFT): Some of the Asian actors in "Heaven Can Wait" strike a pose. Of the cast of 30, 12 are of Asian descent. "This is the first time that I’ve been really conscious about it [having Asian actors in a production]," Nandini Relan, the assistant director, says. Photo by Stephanie Lee. FINAL TOUCH-UPS (RIGHT): Tsui applies makeup before a show. Her character, Betty Logan, falls in love with Joe Pendleton, played by Zhou. "It's a surprise seeing a lot of Asian actors in Paly Theater, just because in the other shows I've done, I was almost always the only one," Tsui says. Photo by Stephanie Lee.

Asian, yet in the beginning of the 2014- of the year we had a unit where we were 2015 Broadway season, just 2 percent of supposed to play a character of a different actors were of Asian descent, according to race.” the same AAPAC study. Paly Theater also employs “color-blind” It also reported that “The King and I,” casting, according to Relan. “Color-blind” a play set in 1860s Thailand, single-hand- casting is where an actor’s race or ethnicity edly boosted this figure to 11 percent has no effect on their consideration for a during the 2014-2015 season. Though the role, regardless of a production's time periincrease in Asian representation was ben- od and setting. eficial in raising the amount of Asians on According to Kathleen Woods, theBroadway, the deciater teacher and dision to cast such a rector of “Heaven significant number Wait,” profesIt can feel like I'm there Can of Asian actors was sional productions as the token minority may take race into driven by their race, not their abilities. to maximize you see on college bro- account profit, while schools chures.” Open stage aim to include any— KATHY YAN ('17), current theater major Despite the one who is interested at Northwestern University disheartening disin theater, placing parity between Palo maximum value on Alto and the nation as a whole that seem an actor’s skills or potential. to hint at yet another "Palo Alto Bubble", “Theater is about the human experilocal efforts to promote diversity and avoid ence, and there are a lot of different ways discrimination are well underway. Senior that you can portray a character, portray a Nandini Relan, the assistant director for role in theater,” Woods says. “And when it “Heaven Can Wait,” says Paly Theater comes down to the essence of theater, pretstrives to promote inclusivity through dis- ty much everybody’s the same.” cussions on race. Relan says that in class, Paly Theater’s efforts have evidently students discussed when it is and is not been effective. The cast of “Heaven Can suitable for an actor to play a character of a Wait,” numbering 30 people, boasts 12 different race. actors of Asian descent, a whopping 40 “Paly Theater is very aware,” Relan percent. In comparison, the 2010 Bay says. “Last year in my theater class we had Area Census reported Santa Clara Counlong conversations, because at the very end ty’s Asian population to be 32 percent. The

22

NOVEMBER 2017

number of Asian actors in Paly Theater’s most recent production not only met, but exceeded, the number necessary for a proportional representation of the local Asian population. Outside the playhouse Although Tsui and Zhang have attained success through Paly Theater with principal roles in “Heaven Can Wait," they say they have encountered prejudice while auditioning and acting outside of Paly Theater. “The unfortunate reality is, the majority of roles that producers and directors will make available to AAPI [Asian-American Pacific Islander] actors are more stereotyped and call for actors to project their foreignness over their humanity,” Andy Lowe, an Asian-American industry professional, says. Lowe is the production manager of East West Players, the longest-running theater of color in America. While Tsui, a California State Student Thespian Officer, was living in China, a director mentioned that her eye shape had a negative impact on her acting, and that unless she adjusted her position in a certain scene to make her eyes visible, she would be replaced by another actor. “That was definitely a very pivotal moment for me,” Tsui says. “That’s when I realized, ‘Hey, the industry isn’t nice’ ... you have to find a way to combat what society thinks are flaws.”


Zhang, who hopes to major in theater and serves as the president of Paly’s Thespian Society, says she was told she was unfit for a role because she is not white while participating in a summer program in Chicago. According to Zhang, every other classmate had six to seven choices for roles they could play in a number of productions, but when it came to her, the instructor struggled to find one. Zhang says that even when the teacher found a role in a play set in the modern day that had no race specifications, he refused to assign it to her. “You’ll run into people — like directors, other actors — people who will discriminate against you, and people who will make it harsh,” Zhang says. “You may have to get over the fact that these things will happen.” Home is where the heart is? On top of the difficulties Asian-Americans face in being cast, some are discouraged by their families from pursuing theater as a hobby or career. Tsui says she believes this factors significantly into the lack of Asian representation in theater. When Tsui speaks with her Asian-American friends about auditioning for productions, she often hears the same reply. “Nine out of 10 times if they say they’re not going to audition [they say] ‘because my parents think theater is a waste of time,’ or ‘my grades are really bad right now,’” Tsui says. “Theater is a really large time commitment.” In fact, a study published by UCLA’s AAPI Nexus using data from 1998 to 2000 found that Asian-American students experience the highest expectations to major in science and engineering. Furthermore, the study also reports that Asian-American students tend to “formulate certain negative self-perceptions associated with their inclination towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.” Consequently, 30 percent of Asian bachelor’s degree recipients ma-

jored in STEM, the highest proportion out of any racial group, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Kathy Yan, who graduated from Paly in 2017 and is currently studying theater at Northwestern University and completing a module in theater management and design, recounts experiencing judgement from family and friends who expected her to pursue a career and obtain a degree in a STEM-related field. “They’d tell me all about how little money I’d make, how smart I was and how it would be a waste,” Yan says. Though Yan, who originally intended to attend medical school, ultimately decided on a degree in the arts, her older brother attended Harvard University and majored in computer science and mathematics. “It kinda makes you wonder if I’d

still have the okay to pursue theater if my brother had not already fulfilled the ideal for our family,” she says. Behind the curtains Stage technicians have a different perspective on discrimination against Asians in theater. Senior Samuel Kim, the sound designer for “Heaven Can Wait” and student technical director of Paly’s Thespian Society, has not felt marginalized because of his race at Paly. “I think it’s really different because obviously we’re a public school ... we’re a pretty accepting community,” Kim says. “I know that in the greater theater community, much of acting and casting is whitewashed or white in general.”

Furthermore, Yan notes that a small percentage of students studying theater at Northwestern are Asian, and this has caused some feelings of isolation. “It can feel like I’m there as the token minority you see on college brochures,” Yan says. Act IV: Epilogue Paly Theater seems to be a haven for Asian-Americans interested in acting. Yan estimates that at Northwestern, less than 10 percent of theater students are of Asian descent, compared to Paly Theater’s much greater Asian population. Consequently, she did not experience as much discomfort in high school. “Theater was kind of the only thing I enjoyed [in high school],” Yan says. Zhou has also encountered racial prejudice in theater programs outside of Paly, and says that Paly Theater is more inclusive compared to outside programs. “They [Paly Theater] have been really good about giving different people opportunities, no matter their race,” Zhou says. As the last act of “Heaven Can Wait” comes to a close and the lights fade, the inclusivity that Zhou mentions is clear. Showered with cheers and applause, the actors line up side by side and take a collective bow. Zhou and Zhang, whose characters Pendleton and Jordan develop a sense of camaraderie over the course of the play, step out from the line. Beaming, they both bow once again as they enter the spotlight, and the cheers escalate in volume. While the ideals of equality championed by Paly Theater have yet to become standard in the greater world of professional theater, its efforts signify a hopeful blooming of progress. “‘Oh my god look, an Asian actor, that’s so cool’ — that shouldn’t be something that I have to notice,” Relan says. “Hopefully in time it’ll become normalized. In time, the younger generation, when they grow up and they’re actors and directors, they won’t be thinking twice about it.” v

*The student poll results collected from this edition are from a survey done in 16 randomly-selected Paly English classes over the course of the month of November in 2017. 354 responses were anonymously collected online.

verdemagazine.com

23


Text by ZAKIR AHMAD and RIYA SINHA Art by KAITLYN HO

COMMENTER-IN-CHIEF

POLITICS INFLUENCED BY SOCIAL MEDIA

T

HE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE In 1927, a new invention made news accessible to hubbub over the President’s 4 a.m. tweets. The the American public at unprecedented levels. The TV negative press covfefe. All these events, and and the new T.V. stations, programs and advertisements countless others, would have it spawned helped turn politics into been completely different without soa mainstream form of interaction becial media. tween American citizens and their rep“I worry From a dorm room project to resentatives. In 1960, presidential dea multibillion dollar business, Facebates were televised for the first time. about news book paved the way for social media’s This shift signified the beginning of a sources becoming growth. Now, nearly a decade after its new era of communication in politics, founding, social media has become a according to Yonkers. increasingly potent political force, traveling far be“I think like any new technology partisan.” yond its origins. it [the television] had a disruptive ef— DAVID FOSTER, junior fect … Oftentimes when TV came on The good ol’ days you had three main networks, and you Before the age of social media, had Walter Cronkite who was seen as most news spread through newspapers the authoritarian viewpoint … preand by word of mouth. Today, while only 31 percent of senting it in a way that’s objective,” Yonkers says. Paly students get a physical newspaper, 67 percent of stuCronkite, known as the “most trusted man in Amerdents still get political news from family and friends. This ica,” was the anchorman for CBS news for 19 years and data was gathered from student poll results collected from reported on various landmark events of the latter half of a survey done in 16 randomly-selected Paly English classes the 20th century. His contributions changed the way jourover the course of the month of November in 2017. 354 nalism and the media was perceived in terms of politics. responses were anonymously collected online. Adam Yonkers, a teacher of U.S. government and Newfangled politics Foreign Policy at Palo Alto High School, believes that this Now, online news has started to gain influence. Sevform of communication has set the stage for the modern enty eight percent of Paly students use a online news journalistic crisis of fake news. source, evidencing the decreasing demand for physical “People love to gossip,” Yonkers says. “The reason why newspapers. Websites from newspapers have also become fake news and social media is so popular, it’s that people increasingly popular to accommodate the evolving marlove to buy into people’s chatty kind of sense of gossip.” ket.

24

NOVEMBER 2017


features

v

“I’ve been reading the New York Times “What we’ve gotten with the media have added a new dimension to society, and for a bunch of years,” says junior David and social media is subjective, and they’re politics is no exception. Foster, an avid follower of politics. “I didn’t trying to get as many likes, and views, and “It [social media] definitely has get a Facebook till 9th grade, so now it’s thumbs up as possible,” Yonkers says. “And changed the way I teach elections,” Yonkers split.” they don’t really says. “Especially with Despite the new ways to get news, care if it’s objec2016, we’re finding many recent events have increased political tive, or if it’s good out about how the polarization, causing perspective to have an reporting.” “What we’ve gotten with Russians used bots ever increasing influence on stories. Now, This “like and basically dissemthe media and social even the most reputable sources warrant culture” and the inated disinformaquestioning. rise of fake news media is subjective, and tion.” “I worry that news sources are becom- creates a nevIf anything, sothey’re trying to get as ing increasingly partisan,” Foster says. “I er-ending cycle cial media has made very much respect the New York Times, for of positive and many likes, and views, politics more accesexample, and I trust everything that comes negative reinsible. and thumbs up as out of there. But I worry, even with them, forcement. This is “With social meof them becoming too liberal.” further stimulated possible.” dia there is the whole Jevan Yu, however, does not find this by many social comments section, so — ADAM YONKERS, history teacher to be a problem. media platforms, it allows people who “If people are critical of a certain news which contain alare not journalists to outlet for being too biased, they can just get gorithms designed to show you what you say what their opinion is,” Yu says. “When news from another source,” Yu says. want to see. it was just hard copy newspapers, you just While maintaining this view, Yu has “They [social media] will feed you heard what they say, and that’s the end.” v no problems with the media’s current role more and more stories from whatever your in politics. political viewpoint is,” Yonkers says. “It’s “A lot of like the echo chamber effect… people are focusYou’re more and more suring on media, rounded with the people who “Social media has because the reagree with you.” cent election has The result is a jumbled certainly facilitated provoked a lot of mix of contrasting viewpoints the growth of fake questions about and ferocious arguments. the nature of Only 2 percent of Paly news.” media,” Yu says. students deemed — JEVAN YU, junior PAL Y ST “People forget the comments ATS 7 1 % that the media is section purely o f PA hav er LY supposed to have constructive, stor un into studen y ts a an adversary role with respect to the pres- while 64 percent believed on t heir fake ne w new ident. Just because a news organization is that it is generally both 50% s fee s of P holding the president accountable, for in- hateful and constructive, d A You tube LY stud stance does not mean that it has a liberal according to a survey aden for t heir ts use 33% bias. In previous administrations, the me- ministered by Verde. new of s dia always holds the presidential adminis“In the midst com PALY s t m u d e tration accountable, and I feel like they are of all these serious post nted o ents h av n s on just doing the same thing.” stories, there is a soci politica e a l med l This questioning of the media has co- humorous element ia *The s tud incided with the rise of fake news and the to scrolling down comare from ent pol l res Paly a su u r accuracy — or lack thereof — of social me- ments and seeing how Nov English vey do lts colle ne cte emb clas s l e y e r s ov in 16 ra d from colle in 2 dia. According to Yu, there is a correlation. unreasonable a lot of er th this ndo 017. cted ml ed e 3 onli ne. 54 resp course o y-select ition “Social media has certainly facilitated people are,” Yu says. onse ed f the s we m o re a non nth of the growth of fake news,” Yu says. ymo usSeventy one percent of Paly students Following social reported having seen a story on their news media’s ripples feed that seemed to be fake. Yonkers beThere is no denying lieves that the rise of fake news is linked to the profound effect that social methe nature and scale of social media. dia has had. Popular social media platforms

verdemagazine.com

25


A house divided

LOCAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CATALAN CRISIS Text by LUCIA AMIEVA-WANG and CALVIN YAN Art by LUCIA AMIEVA-WANG and KAITLYN HO

J

OSEP VERICAT REMEMBERS A disperse the voters with rubber bullets and tense morning 41 years ago in a small batons. police station office in the Catalonia A digital paper trail of pictures and region of Spain; a pistol upon the ta- videos, taken by news organizations such as ble served as the only barrier between him BBC and Reuters, captures the brutality. In and the uniformed policeman peppering one example, a woman’s fingers are nearly him with questions. broken before she is dropped down a flight Now a Spanish teacher at Palo Alto of stairs. In another, a man suffers a heart High School, Vericat was once attack while police bludgeon his compandetained by ion. police for helpicat Putting a paper inside a joinsVe rother ing organize La Marxa det box? That’s rebellious? current and la Libertat — former SpanThat’s what doesn’t ish nationals Catalan for the “The March for in observing make sense to me.” Freedom” — in the tension 1976. unfolding in — PAULA RODENA, former Paly student The march Catalonia. never made it to the streets, as the govern- Their unique perspectives demonstrate how ment cracked down, detaining, interrogat- international conflict stretches across the ing, fining and jailing several of the orga- globe to affect people’s lives. nizers. On the day of the march, Vericat’s small town of Ulldecona was practically Taking to the streets swarming with police. In his native SpanVericat reacted to the Oct. 1 ish, he recalls sitting alongside his friends crackdown with disgust as did in front of the local police station watching much of the rest of the world. the scene unfold. “For me personally, I felt Although their struggle never came to somewhat nauseous because, fruition, the organizers, according to Veri- while it’s true that the referencat, regarded their march as a historic mo- dum was illegal — because it was ment and as the start of a new democratic not approved by the Spanish govera. ernment — it’s also true that the “That [march] was in a way the begin- people of Catalonia were exercising ning of the desire to control your own des- their fundamental rights, the freetiny in any form, not necessarily through dom of expression and the right to independence,” Vericat says. demonstrate,” Vericat says. But independence was on every CatFormer Paly student Paula alan’s mind four decades later, during the Rodena, who moved back to BarCatalan independence referendum on Oct. celona after her freshman year, 1, 2017. It was on this day that more than shares a similar sentiment. two million people took to the streets of “What have we done?” Catalonia to vote for or against their seces- Rodena asks. “Putting a paper sion from Spain. The central government of inside a box? That’s rebellious? Spain declared the referendum unconstitu- That’s what doesn’t make sense tional, and deployed government police to to me.”

26

NOVEMBER 2017

Rodena found an outlet for her outrage in political activism. She enjoys the sense of solidarity that protests instill, and appreciates the opportunity to meet new people. “We do the protest basically to show the Spanish government how we’re not afraid,” Rodena says. “They’re going to eliminate the Catalan constitution? Fine. We’re not afraid. … We don’t get independence? We’re not going to stop.” Catalan officials stated that more than 800 people were injured on Oct. 1. Videos of police dragging voters by their hair, beating crowds of people and smashing their way into polling stations went viral and sparked worldwide criticism. Mainland Spain’s attempts to play down the damage only exacerbated the situation, according to Professor Joan Ramon Resina, an expert on Catalan culture at Stanford University. “There were hundreds of people treated


for wounds and Spanish sources said only two people were hurt,” Resina says. “You might have seen pictures of elderly people bleeding … People have seen those images, but the Madrid press claimed they were fake. Fake, like made in a studio?” Resina believes that this misrepresentation is a result of Spain’s history of antagonizing the Catalan region. “They [the Spanish] claim Catalonia is part of Spain and yet they treat Catalans as non-Spaniards … as some kind of second-class citizens,” Resina says. At an impasse With neither government budging and tensions rising, many Catalans, as well people from outside the region, are calling for dialogue.

“Each of them has taken an extreme position; the [Spanish] government doesn’t want to negotiate in any way and the government of Catalonia only proposes ‘yes or yes’ in a referendum,” Vericat says. “They are in two opposing positions with no chance of dialogue.” Pro-independence parties have been criticized for downplaying the obstacles and responsibilities that come with being an independent nation. “It’s one thing to declare independence, you can do this tomorrow or Saturday, but it’s another to actually gain independence,” Vericat says. “To be independent means that powerful countries around the world will support and recognize you, and right now in Europe no one can support them [Catalonia].” Also speaking in Spanish, Pilar Badillo, a Paly Spanish teacher originally from Madrid, believes that the movement for independence lacks a clear understanding of the re-

percussions and responsibilities that come with secession. “I do not think Catalonia should be independent,” Badillo says, “I think that they should have a lot of autonomy, they should have their own language, their own institutions, but I do not think it should be independent.” For Badillo, Spain gains power and diversity from its 17 autonomous, culturally and linguistically distinct regions. “For me it’s like someone’s arm has been cut off,” Pilar Badillo says. “I don’t want Catalonia to separate because I don’t want my arm to be cut off.” Many see and understand the conflict in Spain as a direct struggle between the central government of Spain against that of Catalonia, but Badillo sees it differently. “The government is in the center of the country, but it’s not the government of the center, it’s the government of all of Spain,” says Badillo. “That’s what people don’t understand.” The long road ahead Even as the next generation of Catalans wave the banner of freedom, Vericat thinks independence remains out of reach — at least for now. “Being someone who has always dreamed of the independence of Catalonia, I know that right now, in this current historical and political juncture, it [independence] is practically impossible,” Vericat says. Catalonia’s formal declaration of independence on Oct. 27 was met with immediate opposition as the Spanish Parliament invoked its constitutional right to dissolve the Catalonian government. The former Catalan president, as well as many of his cabinet members, have fled to Belgium where they remain in exile, having been charged with rebellion, sedition, and embezzlement of public funds. Perhaps Catalonia will eventually prevail, leading it, and the rest of Spain, to an uncertain future. Or perhaps its dreams of independence will be buried, only to be unearthed by the next wave of activism. By the time we know for sure, however, the independence movement will have cemented itself in the memories of people like Vericat — and in modern history. v

verdemagazine.com

27


lessons from spain

SCHOOL CAN’T TEACH EVERYTHING

“D

ON’T LET SCHOOL GET in the way of a good education.” To my family, this quote means that school cannot and will not teach students everything; to learn those unteachable lessons, one must see and experience the world. And that’s what we did ­— on Jan. 4, my family and I left our home in Palo Alto and moved to Barcelona, Spain for a semester. It was a nerve-racking moment for us all: My mom quit her job, my sister and I left our friends and school, and my dad worried that we would never come back. But our fear was only half the story; we were also anticipating a grand adventure. Catalonia, the region of Spain where I lived, has wanted independence since the Siege of Barcelona in 1714. Movements for independence have ebbed and flowed ever since, creating a tense and divided atmosphere. The region is split; it feels like half want their independence and half do not. But because it is such a sensitive topic, you don’t ask people what they think unless you are really close to them. It was intense and sometimes uncomfortable when I was there, but the conflict exploded just after I left. Once my family made it back to CalText and pho tos by ELLA THOMS EN

28

OCTOBER 2017

ifornia, Catalonia held an illegal election and declared independence from Spain. The conflict is still developing, but my thoughts are with my friends from abroad as the Catalan and Spanish governments figure out how to communicate. While I was in Spain, I did a lot of learning outside of school. One of my biggest takeaways was the different mentality on working, living and success. In Palo Alto, we are surrounded by incredibly smart and talented people, and we come to think that this is what success looks like — that we have to go to an amazing college, get perfect grades and end up just like the adults that surround us. In America, and particularly in Silicon Valley, people live to work. I’ve tried to deny this, but the more I think about it, the more true it feels. Success is tied so tightly to where you work that it becomes impossible to separate the two, creating an atmosphere where people’s lives revolve around their careers. I experienced a different kind of living in Spain, one where people work to live. This is an environment where people prioritize traveling and enjoying time with friends and family. Success isn’t measured by the job you have but by the activities you do outside your job. This creates a happier environment for everyone, and I prefer it over the American outlook. Now I am able to look back at these moments and appreciate them. I see that moving to Spain was one of my most difficult experiences — I was put in uncomfortable, awkward and difficult positions and had to deal with them on my own, or alongside my family, who was just as lost as I was. I joined a soccer club where only two people spoke English. I spent most of my energy trying to understand what was going on, and used my remaining energy to participate in practice. Every day, I came home exhausted, sometimes with

a headache, until eventually I became more confident and adapted to the situation. Those were the first moments I realized how much this trip was going to change me. Since no one had any preconceived ideas about me when I introduced myself, a lot of who I am as a person became more recognizable to me as I showed myself to people for the first time. Moving was incredibly hard, but I did it. I made friends, learned how to get around a sprawling city and adapted to a myriad of difficulties. And now that I’ve done this all, difficult situations seems less daunting; I now have more courage and strength than I did before. If you are ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to leave your home for an unknown place, take it. Put yourself in those uncomfortable positions. You will grow and learn more than you ever could. If you aren’t able to physically leave, still seek those challenges, because those are the only places where you grow and learn the most about yourself. Now that I’ve returned to California, I scroll through my Instagram and Snapchat feeds to find my friends posting photos and videos of marches and flags. I see friends voicing opposing opinions on the independence movement and wearing opposing flags to school. The strength I gained from living abroad is the same I hope Catalonia and Spain can find; the strength to overcome the most dificult situations. While I don’t know what that solution may be, I hope it can be found in the near future, and without any violence. v


Text by MAGGIE CHEUNG and CECILIA WARD

Down in the Dumps: Litter-ally

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR TRASH

I

T’S LUNCHTIME AT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL and students are rushing back from Town and Country, arms laden with take-out boxes and soda cans. After finishing their meals, their waste is tossed into the nearest bin — if there’s one in sight. Otherwise, some leave the remains of their lunches on the ground. The contents of the blue, green and black bins are indistinguishable: the recycling bin, full of chip bags, might as well be the trash bin. But who cares — it will all get sorted later, right? In reality, many mis-sorted items never find their proper homes. According to Paly custodian Regina Buckner, the custodians bagging up waste classify a bag as recycling, compost, or landfill based on what it contains the most of. “If we have more compost in a [recycling] bag than recycle, we put it in the compost bin,” Buckner says. Furthermore, a single misplaced item often leads other students to also misplace their waste. “As soon as one person messes up and puts a chip bag in the compost bin, it’s like a sign that it’s OK for everyone else to do it,” says Photo bycCecilia verdemagazine. om Ward 29


senior Olivia D’Arezzo, board member of Paly’s Zero Waste Club. Waste undergoes a rough sorting procedure before processing, but it’s still more effective to initally deposit one’s waste into the correct container. “There is some sorting [at the facility], but not enough,” says Christy Resinger, Paly Zero Waste Champion and French teacher.

waste on their campus.” Resinger created the Paly Zero Waste club to help implement some of these goals. For the 2017-18 school year, the Zero Waste club hopes to educate students on how to better sort their waste. The club has been making waste stations with all three bins easily accessible throughout campus since spring of 2017. “Wherever you see a trash can, there’s always a recycling and compost bin right Zero Waste Champions next to it,” D’Arezzo says. “They’re conFrom 2007 to 2011, the Palo Alto Uni- nected, so there’s no situation [where] fied School District implemented Green if you have a banana peel to throw away, Teams at schools to regulate the sorting of you won’t just throw it in the closest bin, waste, and began to because they’re all use the three-bin sort equally close.” It’s one thing to educate peosystem in 2010. Zero Waste Club ple, but it’s another thing to “The Zero Waste sees a limited amount Champion program of positive outcomes get people to care about it.” — Leila Tjiang, Zero Waste Club resulting from the was ... started by the City of Palo Alto as addition of signs at a way to implement the new ordinance the waste stations. … that [states] we must sort our waste,” “I think in order to really actually Resinger says. change anything, it would take ... years, if The goal of the program, which began not decades, to actually completely change three years ago, is to reduce the amount of people’s mindsets,” Tjiang says. “It’s one waste in schools throughout PAUSD to thing to educate people, but it’s another the point where waste will be negligible on thing to get people to care about it.” campuses by the year 2021. “[The] program is at each school, and Reduce, reuse, recycle (and compost!) the champion is a teacher or some type of On April 1, 2016, the City of Palo staff ... and they’re given a yearly stipend,” Alto implemented the first phase of a threesays senior Leila Tjiang, board member of phase recycling and composting ordinance. Paly’s Zero Waste club. “Using that money, The first phase affected the largest garthey’re also supposed to recruit students to bage producers, including hospitals and help them … carry out projects that reduce restaurants. The second phase, which was

WASTEFUL SORTING A recycling bin on the Paly quad reveals compost and landfill waste mixed in with recycling. According to custodian Regina Buckner, recycling bins often have the most contamination. Photo by Cecilia Ward.

30

NOVEMBER 2017

REMOVING RUBBISH Custodian Tap Phou loads bags of waste after lunch to be taken to multiple facilities. There, various materials undergo a sorting process before being sent to their final locations. Photo by Maggie Cheung.

implemented on June 1, 2017, affected medium-scale waste producers such as office buildings. The final phase will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018, and will affect everyone including homeowners. To enforce the ordinance, GreenWaste conducts Zero Waste audits at schools and businesses. Since the ordinance was created, the amount of waste diverted from landfills to recycling and compost has increased. “Palo Alto is at about 85 percent diversion right now, which is ... really good for most cities,” Cissna says. He says the city’s new goal is to have 95 percent diversion by the year 2030. Beaten by elementary schoolers It may be hard to believe, but younger students in Palo Alto appear to be better at sorting waste than most high schoolers. According to PAUSD’s sustainability manager Rebecca Navarro, elementary schools have an advantage at sorting waste. “Weaving waste sorting and not littering into the language that teachers are using is pretty natural at that age,” Navarro says. “They’re also young enough that they need constant supervision, so they’re never without an adult watching them and guiding their decision-making.” Audits implemented at schools give green, yellow or red tags based on the


features amount of contamination in the bins. For a green tag, the garbage must have less than 30 percent contamination, meaning less than 30 percent of the waste is compostable or recyclable. The compost must be less than 20 percent contaminated, and the recycling must be less than 10 percent. If a school obtains four red tags, it will be fined. The city hasn’t fined anyone so far, and the only school to get a green tag was El Carmelo Elementary School. Paly received a yellow tag. Margaret Row, the Zero Waste Champion at Duveneck Elementary School, says many students as young as 2nd graders are participating in Duveneck’s Green Team. According to Navarro, it is more difficult to enforce proper waste sorting at the high schools due to the sheer volume of people on campus every day.

TALKING TRASH Zero Waste Champion Margaret Row helps people sort their waste at Duveneck’s Harvest Carnival in October. “At the end of the carnival [last year], there was just trash everywhere. … It was just a disaster. So this year [at] every big event we’ve had, I’ve run a station like this,” Row says. Photo by Maggie Cheung.

Where our landfill goes Palo Alto’s waste is collected by a com- the conveyer belt, [where] there are some pany called GreenWaste. According to human sorters that are pulling out bulky GreenWaste’s environmental outreach co- items that might damage the machine.” ordinator Eric Cissna, Palo Alto’s garbage, Following the initial separation, a marecycling and compost go to three different chine removes cardboard from the flow. facilities. “It [the machine] has these spinning Garbage is sent to the Sunnyvale Ma- discs that are calibrated to separate the terials Recovery and Transfer (SMaRT) cardboard. It [cardboard] just floats on top Station. When it while everything arrives, workers else falls down bequickly pull out It takes a will. You know if there’s low,” Cissna says. some recyclable a will, there’s a way.” The machines — Christy Resinger, Zero Waste Champion that separate glass and compostable items from a conand paper operate veyer belt. The remaining garbage goes to a similarly. landfill in Morgan Hill. Additionally, metals are picked up by Cissna emphasizes that sending waste large magnets spinning over conveyer belts. to the landfill should be avoided whenevPlastics pass through three machines er possible because of its harmful environ- that use lasers to separate various kinds of mental effects. plastic. “There’s this slurry of wet [substance] “Depending on how much light comes ... called leachate,” Cissna says. “It sits in out the other side of the plastic, it will either the bottom of landfills. Landfills also pro- recognize it as plastic it wants to separate, duce methane … a really, really, really or it won’t,” Cissna says. “If it recognizes it, strong greenhouse gas.” it shoots a puff of air, and then that piece of plastic gets flung into a separate area.” Journey of the recyclables After separation, the recyclables are Santa Clara County’s recycling goes to compacted into rectangular bales and sold the Material Recovery Facility in San Jose, to a company for reuse. where 45 tons of materials are recycled every hour. Our compost’s fate “It [recycling] goes to this bag breaker According to Cissna, compost and that has these spinning blades, and they rip yard waste from Palo Alto goes to a Zero open the bags,” Cissna says. “All those re- Waste Energy Development facility in San cyclables fall out, and then it continues on Jose, the largest in the world.

v

First, the compost goes through a sifting process that screens out large items, like tree branches. Afterward, trucks push the compostable material into long, sealed tunnels. “They [ZWED] want the inside of the tunnel to go anaerobic,” Cissna says. “The bacteria is specialized in anaerobic conditions … they spread this bacteria all over the compost, and the bacteria is used to basically eat the compost.” According to Cissna, this process takes about 22 days. Afterwards, the material is sifted and piled into the back of a semi truck to be taken to Z-Best Composting Facility in Gilroy. At Z-Best, the compost sits out in the open for a few months, arranged in long rows called windrows where it will continue to be broken down into fine pieces. The final product is a nutrient-rich, certified-organic compost that can be added to crops. Palo Alto residents can pick up free bags of compost at the Sunnyvale SMaRT station. Changing habits is always a difficult process, especially when it involves an entire community; however, it is necessary to preserve our planet. “It takes a will,” Resinger says. “You know if there’s a will, there’s a way.” v Visit this link for GreenWaste’s sorting guide: http:// www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pwd/zerowaste/ whatgoeswhere/curbside.asp

verdemagazine.com

31


staff stress Text by NICOLE ADAMSON and JENNY TSENG Photos by JAMES POE

FACULTY VOICE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH STORIES

32 NOVEMBER OCTOBER 2017 2017


F

ROM THE END OF THE HALL, strands of upbeat music drift out of counselor James Hamilton’s open door. Always ready with a warm smile, Hamilton is someone students can rely on for assistance. But who can teachers and other staff turn to when they themselves are in need of support? Counselor stress Everyone grapples with stress, even those designated to provide support in challenging times. Guidance counselors can often find themselves caught up in their students’ emotional turmoil. Hamilton, who oversees and shares close bonds with many students, finds it difficult to help without sometimes becoming emotionally overwhelmed, himself. “Particularly when you get to know students really well and you see them suffering, it’s hard,” Hamilton says. “You wake up in the morning and sometimes they’re on your mind. Or you go to bed at night and you hope they’re okay.” This stress sometimes causes Hamilton to experience burnout in the form of compassion fatigue, a problem commonly experienced when those who help others in distress become overloaded by others’ struggles. Those who surround him may occasionally find him distracted after a long day at work, but Hamilton finds that such preoccupation can be remedied by an appropriate work-life balance. At your service The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), implemented at the start of the 2016-2017 school year, aims to connect staff to services that provide emotional, legal and financial support. Science Department Instructional Lead-

er Kelli Hagen says that instructional ception that, hey, do we need help?” Vuong leaders sent out multiple emails informing says. staff about the EAP at the beginning of the school year. The Palo Alto Educators Asso- Remembering self-care ciation, too, has made an effort to ensure Hagen herself has faced struggles, that teachers are aware of this valuable re- grappling with the stress of motherhood source. combined with her difficult grading schedEnglish teacher George Vuong utilized ule. the EAP when he was struggling with stress “I get summers off, but I feel like regarding his father’s health problems last those summers are my lost weekends all year. year long,” Ha“It was a heavy gen says. “So it When it comes to topic, but it was one I feels equivalent needed to talk about, weakness, we feel real to a normal job and the Employee Asbecause I work sistance Program was fear if it comes to that all weekend. I a huge huge help and perception that, hey, do grade all weekbenefit when it came to end, I prepare all we need help?” that,” Vuong says. weekend, I give — GEORGE VUONG, English Teacher Though Vuong up pretty much benefited, many staff every weekend members do not take advantage of the EAP. until school’s out.” Just like students, teachers also fear the After many years of this demanding perception of weakness that can be load, the stress can build to a breaking associated with seeking help, point. according to Vuong. “I’m on this eight-year cycle “As your teachers, where I do eight years just fine we’re expected to be and then everything is a lot,” those role models Hagen says. “Like, okay, and to be strong for I am yelling at you guys and for ourselves, and to have all the answers, COMPASSION FATIGUE etcetera, so when it James Hamilton, 11th grade comes to weakness, guidance counselor, strugwe feel real fear if it gles to separate hearing comes to that perstudents’ stories from his

personal life.

LEFT PAGE TOP English teacher George Vuong explains his challenges with his aging father and stressful career. LEFT Kelli Hagen, chemistry teacher, recounts the difficulties of her nonstop grading schedule. RIGHT Hilary McDaniel voices her concerns about being spread too thin among her Social Science classes and other duties.

verdemagazine.com

33


my kids, I’m not a very good teacher. I need a break.” In response to encouragement from the PAEA, the EAP is included in teachers’ contracts. At no cost, they can call a hotline (found on the Human Resources website) or go through online channels to connect with an appropriate professional in person or through video chat.

“I want to be the best that I can be at time, and would serve as the intermediate everything,” McDaniel says. “When you step before reaching out to administration. feel like you don’t have enough time, you Often, McDaniel says she is hesitant get down on yourself and you’re constantly to reach out to her instructional leader or wishing you could the adminisdo it better.” tration when When you feel like you Teachers who she encounfeel overburdened ters a problem don’t have enough time, at work struggle to because she you get down on yourachieve the coveted knows they are Teacher stress, student stress work-life balance, at their full caself and you’re constantly Advanced Authentic Research, Early according to Mcpacity. wishing you could do it Childhood Development and Psychology Daniel. “I don’t teacher Hilary McDaniel experiences stress “I need to have want to take better.” due to a rigorous class schedule and an the time that is for up their time, — HILARY MCDANIEL, Social Sciences Teacher abundance of students. me and I do dance students need McDaniel expresses frustration at the … that’s something them,” Mcdaunting task of fully devoting herself to I prioritize and stays in my life so that I can Daniel says. “[I want] someone who is each student while juggling a demanding have that stress relief,” McDaniel says. more available, someone who is specifically course load. To reduce teacher stress, McDaniel for teachers and teachers know that.” envisions more on-site service that would help teachers handle probHelping teachers help students lems like lack of Finding time for oneself amid many obligations is a challenge many teachers struggle with, but is a necessity that allows teachers to give students I work all weekend. I grade the education they deserve, according to McDaniel. all weekend, I prepare all In Vuong’s words, “If we can weekend, I give up pretty take care of ourselves as teachers, the students will benefit as well much every weekend until because we’ll be in a better mindschool’s out.” set to teach you to the best of our — KELLI HAGEN, Chemistry Teacher abilities.” v

INFORMING TEACHERS Kelli Hagen, chemistry teacher and science department Instructional Leader, has made efforts to better publicize the EAP.

34

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER2017 2017


826 Valencia BRIDGE THE LEARNING GAP WITH PIZZAZZ Text by ASHLEY HITCHINGS and KAMALA VARADARAJAN

U

NDER A SKY OF PAPER LANTERNS, the watchful eyes of stuffed hog heads and the guidance of volunteer tutors, the achievement gap shrinks with every furious scribble of a pencil, every encouraging word and every student who learns to love writing. At education nonprofit 826 Valencia’s Tenderloin writing center, San Francisco’s underserved students are transported into another realm as they pour their hearts out on paper. Against the backdrop of a painted forest, tutors coax stories from students who’ve held in too much for too long. If imagination was tangible, it would look like this. “We try to keep it weird and wonderful,” says Tenderloin program manager Jillian Wasick. “It’s part of our mission to cultivate wonder. We want to be a portal to imagination.”

On this particular Friday morning, students from Aptos Middle School embark on a podcasting journey. After composing and recording short stories about their heritage, they upload their podcasts to the 826 Valencia Soundcloud, which racks up thousands of listens. “The writing [that] students are doing is not just living with their teacher and classmates, it’s getting out there,” Wasick says. Workshops like this are a field study in creativity, vulnerability and the power of writing. These efforts are especially paramount now. Each day, 7,000 students nationwide drop out of high school and the education gap widens, according to the New York Times. As the country grapples with rampant education disparities and federal budget proposals which threaten education funding, 826 Valencia combats the achievement gap one student at a time. Photo by Maraleis Sinton

verdemagazine.com

35


Humble beginnings 826 Valencia is the brainchild of educator Nínive Calegari and writer Dave Eggers. In 2002, the pair sought to connect San Francisco’s under-resourced students with personalized attention and kindle passions for writing. Their answer? A cozy writing center nestled in the back of a pirate supply shop at 826 Valencia Street in San Francisco. Fifteen years later, the organization

has expanded from one homely venue into six nationwide chapters and earned recognition from major celebrities like Tom Hanks. It also won a $500,000 grant from Google, which funded the creation of a second writing center at 180 Golden Gate Ave. “We find that writing is underserved,” says Tenderloin program coordinator Kona Lai. “There are a lot of after-school programs that focus on sports, for example,

science, [or] coding, but there’s not much that focuses specifically on writing. That’s part of the reason why we decided to open up in the Tenderloin.” “It’s terrifying, but also there’s so much possibility,” Lai says. “Every program that we do is totally different from the one that happened before because it’s never existed before.” While the center initially struggled to attract students, a year after its opening, it expanded from serving 380 students to 2000 students annually. Re(ad)defining learning Student-produced writing is not confined to the walls of 826 Valencia’s writing centers. Through uploading student podcasts to Soundcloud and publishing student work in books, 826 Valencia provides students with the platform to reach readers nationally. “It is very much a sense of pride, especially when students can go, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve been published like six times. My story has been published in this book and this book,’” Lai says. To Lai, it is this sense of pride and determination that drives both tutors and students at 826 Valencia to persist in their efforts. “Our goals are to amplify student voices … [and] transform their relationship to writing,” Lai says. Lai recalls the transformation of a particular student who she watched grow from abhorring to adoring writing as a result of his time at 826 Valencia. “He was like, ‘I’m not good at writing. I don’t have anything important to say. Writing is hard, it’s difficult and it’s pain,’” Lai says. “He’d be hard-pressed to complete two sentences. If he got two sentences down, I know he worked hard that day.” After a year of weekly sessions, grueling effort and constant encouragement, the student’s gradual progress finally shone through. “This year, the first week that he was back, he busted out two entire pages, front and back,” Lai says. “I was just like, ‘Oh my LEARNING TO LEAD Program manager Jillian Wasick reflects on the fledgling Tenderloin center’s growth over the past year. Photo by Maraleis Sinton.

36

NOVEMBER 2017


profiles

v

HUSTLE AND BUSTLE Volunteers bounce from table to table as they work with students and prepare materials. Photo by Stephanie Lee.

God! What happened?’ Partially, it’s that “This is a really intimate kind of job,” they’re maturing … But also, they know Bodilla says. “We get so many ranges of that when they come to our program, there kids from little second graders who are like, is [someone] who’s going to be there to ‘My favorite color is purple’ and a poem help.” about the color purple to the kids who are More than just an environment pro- in remedial high school and have crazy stomoting self expresries about how they sion, 826 Valencia got there.” also publishes stuBeyond teachdent work online ing mechanical and and in physical paliterary skills, volperback books. unteers are there to “The books help students open that we publish are up in person and a physical, tangible on paper. way to show stu“We’re always dents that we take asking ‘How did Design by Ashley Hitchings your ideas seriousthat make you ly,” Lai says. “Here’s the proof, and here is feel?’ and, ‘What exactly was happensomething that you can now shove at other ing during that moment, what was people and show that you’re a published au- going through your head? How has thor whose book is out in the world.” this impacted you?’” Bodilla says. “I think that forces them to look inwards on Long story short themselves and kind of realize things; it’s As a volunteer, Monica Bodilla gets to very personal for them.” be a firsthand witness to student triumphs From the boy with writer’s block who and travails. learned to love writing to the silenced stu-

dents who could finally tell their stories, 826 Valencia channels the creativity of every child and allows them recount their experiences in a safe space. “Every kid has a story to tell, every kid has a poem they can write about,” Bodilla says. “It’s all about bringing out the story from them.” v

Art: 826 Valencia

verdemagazine.com

37


38

NOVEMBER 2017


Text by SOPHIE DEWEES and ASHLEY HITCHINGS Art by VIVIAN NGUYEN

By IMMIGRANTS, for IMMIGRANTS MAKING A CASE FOR THE AMERICAN DREAMERS

T

HEY WAITED UNTIL THE LIGHT faded from the sky and the moon rose to its peak. Cloaked in the darkness of midnight, they fled. “Families would cast out in boats with 200 other people on them — these tiny little fishing boats — with really nothing except the clothes on their backs,” Tiffany Lieu says, describing her parents’ escape as teenagers from Vietnam during the war 40 years ago. We met with Lieu at Peet’s Coffee across the street from Palo Alto High School and a mile away from the Stanford Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, where she works as a student immigration attorney. “You would cast out in hopes that an American oil tanker or French oil tanker would rescue you and then you would seek refuge that way,” Lieu says. It was the kindness of “There were many boats strangers, really, that that never made it — so it was an incredibly dangerhelped my family get ous journey.” their feet.” When the Socialist — TIFFANY LIEU, immigration lawyer Republic of Vietnam took power, Tiffany Lieu’s parents were two of countless refugees uprooted by guerilla fighters, widespread bombings and government persecution during the Vietnam War. Behind them, Lieu’s parents left everything: their home, their friends and a lifetime of memories. They left with no specific destination in mind and with no plan except to get away. It was pure luck that they survived the perilous voyage and, after a temporary stay in Malaysian and Hong Kongese refugee camps, made their way to the United States. When they arrived, they were warmly welcomed by a host family who helped Lieu’s parents settle into their new lives. Now, as Syrian refugees like the boat people fleeing Vietnam face a perilous journey to reach safety and a resurgence of xenophobia rekindle disputes over immigration, their daughter carries the torch for immi-

grants seeking haven in the U.S. As a Stanford Juris Doctor candidate and immigration lawyer-in-training, Lieu hopes to pass forward the compassion shown to her parents. “It’s part of the reason why I went to law school in first place,” Lieu says. “It was the kindness of strangers, really, that helped my family get their feet under them after being totally torn away from their homes. That’s something that’s really stuck with me — knowing that that kind of generosity helped my family so much makes it doubly important for me to try to do that for other people as well.” Family history Growing up in Seattle, Lieu led a very different childhood than the one her parents experienced in Vietnam. Nevertheless, her family’s trials as refugees and immigrants shaped Lieu’s upbringing with a heavy hand. She recalls how her grandmother would become infuriated whenever Lieu didn’t finish her meals and would always tell her to put on a coat before she left the house, no matter what the weather. “When I was a kid, I didn’t understand why … but as I grew up I became more interested where those concerns stemmed from and I started digging into my family’s history,” Lieu says. “My grandma’s experience of having nothing, leaving Vietnam and being thrust into a refugee camp where there was a lot of struggle … I think that that was her way of telling us to be very thankful for what we have.” When they arrived in America, Lieu’s parents faced the immense struggles of learning a new language and assimilating into a new culture. Because of their own challenges, many of which stemmed from a lack of knowledge, they stressed the importance of education and diligence when raising their children. “My parents sacrificed so much for my siblings and I, and they really prioritized our education above all else,” Lieu says. “Part of the reason my siblings and I work so hard now is because … of how much sacrifice my family has gone through to bring us to

verdemagazine.com

39


where we are today.” Lieu’s drive, bolstered by support from her parents, brought her to Duke, where she earned a degree in history and English, and later to Stanford Law School as an immigration lawyer-in-training. “I’ve been interested in immigration since I found out

40

NOVEMBER 2017

more about my own family’s history,” Lieu says. “There’s a whole range of reasons why people come. Lawyers fit in in terms of fighting for their rights to stay in this country and fighting for rights that they have once they’re here.”

life the impact of a network, the impact of working in community, the impact of having a lawyer,” Weissman-Ward says. "Being able to see that in real time and actually experience it is an incredibly powerful tool.” The impact of lawyers extends beyond Defending due process paper; outside of defending clients in court, Instead of protesting and holding ral- they also have a profound impact on the lolies like traditional activists, Lieu wields the cal and wider communities. power of law to advocate for equal treat- “By virtue of the fact that they [unment of immigrants. documented immigrants] have an attorney, “I’ve been to a detention center and their odds of having a successful outcome when I went, it felt like you were in a are already exponentially increased,” Weissprison,” Lieu says. man-Ward says. “Not “Because it’s civil only do we want to Every single person detention, it’s provide them with not treated the here was an immigrant a critical right to same as a prison … due process, it’s also at some point." I don’t think that about community — TIFFANY LIEU, immigration lawyer immigrants have empowerment and the same rights as providing a space citizens and I think that’s problematic on where our clients can be heard and seen for many levels.” who they are, not whether they have a piece As an immigration lawyer, Lieu works of paper or a certain criminal record.” to fight against such injustices. Through work in the Stanford Immi- In Lieu of discrimination grants’ Rights Clinic, According to Lieu, immigration is Lieu learns to use the the foundation of a fundamental aspect of law to defend her America: its diversity of opinion, people clients. and culture. “Having people “Every single person here was an imwho are passionate migrant at some point,” Lieu says. “Everyabout immigration one has different reasons for coming. Havgo into representing ing that diversity is incredibly important to immigrants is extremely the community and the country.” important,” Lieu says. From her personal background and “As students, we’re being her work as an immigration lawyer, Lieu trained, but we’re also being is a firsthand witness to the importance of exposed to these very import- immigrants. ant issues and being able to help “We are a nation of immigrants,” Lieu clients early on.” says. “Being able to have people come and Under the guidance of senior not be discriminated against is vital to who lawyers like Lisa Weissman-Ward, we are as a country and as a people. My one of Lieu’s mentors and a super- own family’s history docuvising attorney of the clinic, young ments that.” v lawyers are able to change the lives of their clients in the court of law. “It [the clinic] gives students an opportunity to see in real time and in real


Text by ELLA THOMSEN Photos by LUCIA AMIEVA-WANG

PREPARING FOR THE WORST Colin Bucks runs a simulation for a mass casualty incident in front of the Stanford Emergency Department. He throws questions at his fellow doctors and nurses participating in the drill. “What do you do next?” Bucks says. “Is this where you should be?”

bucks’ recipe for a disaster PREPARING FOR A MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT

8

A.M. — COLIN BUCKS STANDS in front of a group of doctors and nurses in front of the Stanford Emergency Department. A simulation of a mass casualty is about to take place. The patients — a row of sock monkeys — are arranged atop a nearby hospital bed and tagged with various conditions. In detail, Bucks lays out how a situation like this is handled in the hospital. He answers questions and quizzes doctors on their responses to various situations. Then a fake phone call alerts the group of an impending mass casualty. They head outside and prepare for the incoming sock monkey patients. Recent natural disasters emphasize the importance of knowing how our com-

munity is prepared. Bucks helps prepare Stanford Hospital, likely the first local care facility to fill up during an emergency, for fires, hurricanes, shootings and other mass casualty events. The path Bucks took to get to where he is now is so complex it is hard to follow. He graduated from Macalester College, where he studied international development, in 1994. But after spending a semester in East Africa during college, he realized that policy work wasn’t for him. “I’m too hyper, my personality, for policy work and waiting years for things to happen,” Bucks says. While studying abroad, Bucks noticed that the people who were making the

biggest impact on the quality of life were educators and health care professionals. Inspired by these change-makers, Bucks spent three years as a school teacher in Baltimore, all the while thinking of the health care professionals he encountered while abroad. Their service led Bucks to volunteer at an emergency department, changing bed sheets and observing the doctors and nurses. He went on to pursue a career in health care, eventually completing additional EMS and disaster response training. But after a number of years in medicine, Bucks left to try his hand at firefighting. Bucks is one of two emergency medicine physicians that advises the Office of

verdemagazine.com

41


Emergency Management on specific medical issues, and he also creates and maintains disaster preparedness strategies for Stanford Hospital. According to Bucks, these strategies are primarily focused on reaching the requirements set by the federal joint commission that accredits hospitals around the country. These requirements state that hospitals must have enough basic supplies to continue operations for at least 96 hours during times of crisis. “Somebody has to count widgets, and count bottles of water and count rolls of toilet paper,” Bucks says. “So as much as the topic of disaster response is somewhat glamorous and exciting, a lot of the actual preparation is mundane and takes a lot of attention to detail.” Along with his responsibilities at the Stanford Hospital, Bucks is also a physician for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 3, one of 28 national task forces. Once the president declares that a situation is a federal natural disaster, different task forces like are deployed to the location of the disaster. Bucks’ team was deployed to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma, the first time their team had gone out in 10 years since not all federally declared natural disasters require assistance from all task forces. For example, the fires that ravaged the Californian coast were declared a federal natural disaster but did not require the Urban Search and Rescue teams. Bucks also co-directs a team called the Stanford Emergency Medicine Program for Emergency Response, known as SEMPER, which is made up of about 50 doctors and nurses who train to deploy internationally. The team isn’t involved in conflict medicine, so they typically respond to natural disasters, like earthquakes and hurricanes. As part of this team Bucks has traveled to Haiti, the Philippines, Liberia and Ecuador, where he treated injured survivors. Teams from SEMPER consist of about 8 to 10 people. The team will typically be out for two weeks, but can only be self-suf-

42

NOVEMBER 2017

ficient for 78 hours, since they can only hold so much food, water and medical supplies. “To continue working we only have what we can carry, and it’s well over 200 pounds of gear that you carry out,” Bucks says. “You have a small backpack that you wear on the front, a big backpack that you wear on your back and a big hard case of expensive equipment, and a massive duffel bag of medical supplies. And so you kind of waddle along until you can get stationed some place, and that is literally equipment for 72 hours.” When a natural disaster occurs, what should people do? Bucks says there is usually work at local shelters that is always helpful. He also notes that the most helpful things people can do are donating blood, volunteering at shelters, buying items from the

area of the disaster to boost the economy and donating money to a reliable organization such as the Red Cross. Bucks’ career path is proof that following your interests can lead you to find what you love. “Each time that some kind of opportunity has come up and someone said ‘Hey, do you

want to go do this?’ I’ve said, ‘Sure, I’ll do that,’” Bucks says. “You think, when you are 18, by the time you get to almost 50 years old you figured out how to do your job. But the truth of the matter is that I’m still learning, still reading, and I have to have people that I can go to to say ‘What’s the next step, how do I do this, how do I get support for or organize this project, or get this published.’” Bucks encourages students to do the same, to be open-minded and say yes to opportunities because in the end, that will lead you to your passion. “Always saying yes, and if it is interesting, even if it is extra work just saying ‘Okay I’ll do that,’ that’s how a whole career path just got set in motion, and once you start saying yes then people start saying ‘Oh you might also like this.’” v


T PALO ALTO’S NIGHT OWLS AN INSIDE LOOK A Text by THOMAS CHAPMAN and DANIEL LOGAN

W

Art by ASHLEY ZHAO Photos by THOMAS CHAPMAN

HEN TOWN AND COUNTRY closes for the night at 8 p.m., most of Palo Alto begins to settle down for the day to come. However, Cardinal Sushi, a small nook on El Camino Real, provides a well heated, fun spot for Stanford students and local residents who choose to burn the midnight oil. The subtle whisper of Top 40 Hits hisses from an outdated radio as groups of weary late night travellers huddle in the bright yellow confines of the sanctuary open till 1:30am. Verde visited Cardinal Sushi to learn about the lives of local night owls. v

Onsies at One Among these late diners are Abby Barker and Emily Jantz, both juniors studying at Stanford University. The duo sported grey onesies, and had caught a ride to the well heated diner to enjoy time out on the town away from the frigid, cold night air. They planned to call an Uber to get back to their dorm at the end of their late-night excursion. “I usually come to Cardinal Sushi once every week or once every two weeks,” Barker says. “For me, I was finishing up dinner with others around seven at night. Around seven to eight I had a rehearsal with my choir.” Although Jantz and Barker are full time students, they have struggled in the past to make it to bed at a reasonable hour. “We have a deal this year where whenever we stay up so late that we see the sunrise, we have to eat anchovies. We have this plan as an incentive to not stay up so late because we were really bad at getting enough sleep last year and we have morning classes this year,” Jantz says. “You caught us on a very different day,” Jantz says with a blush. “The one time we wear onesies we get interviewed.”

verdemagazine.com

43


After-hours Anniversary Another pair of diners sits on the high chairs facing the empty streets of El Camino while slurping Miso soup and picking at their California Rolls. Both students at Stanford, Melanie Martel and Armando Banuelos are celebrating their second anniversary. Martel and Banuelos are studying to go to medical school and to learn computer science, respectively, and after a late night of studying often come to Cardinal Sushi to regain some energy. “Usually we come here after we have been studying,” Martel says. “There are a lot of late nights, and the dining hall usually closes at seven-thirty. So, if you are up until around one-thirty, you get hungry.” For the busy couple, sushi has been a great way to relieve some of the stress. “We’re juniors now and we’ve been going to Cardinal Sushi since freshman year,” Martel says. “It’s one of those places where you can sit down, have a nice conversation, and it’s relatively inexpensive, especially for college students who don’t have much time or the means to get off campus.”

July 30 - August 3 palyjournalismcamp.wixsite.com/camp-mac

44

NOVEMBER 2017


'

Callum s Critters ROACHES TO RICHES Text by GILA WINEFELD and BRIDGET LI Photos by GILA WINEFELD Art by KEVIN KERR

verdemagazine.com

45


LIZARD LOVE Day Ham holds his bearded dragon Dezi-girl. Her need for a nutritious feed inspired him to start breeding cockroaches. “I started doing research trying to find out what the best type of feeder was [for Dezi-girl],” Day Ham says. “I learned that breeding them myself would be best.”

M

ANY STUDENTS CAN why Day Ham began keeping cockroaches. boast of once taking care of Originally called Dezmond, her name was a lone beta fish or a potted changed when Day Ham discovered that plant, but how many can say she was not male. In search of a healthy and that they’ve looked after tens of thousands cost-effective feed for Dezi-girl, Day Ham of cockroaches, two rabbits, a bearded decided to supply the food himself. dragon and a black widow, all at once? “I started out small,” Day Ham says. “I Callum Day Ham, a junior at Palo Alto started out with 20 [cockroaches] and from High School, can lay there I got to about claim to this amazing 200.” feat. His backyard But running a If people were to come is home to around cockroach farm is no and see my farm, they’d easy task. To keep the 40,000 dubia cockroaches, all scuttling see that these animals cockroaches healthy about in egg filler and thriving, Day are being treated with Ham requires materiflats neatly stacked in plastic storage conals such as heat pads, respect.” tainers. As he holds — CALLUM DAYHAM, junior 20-gallon tubs and a up a palmful of his temperature probe; roaches, he also lovhis farm initially cost ingly clutches a pale orange bearded dragon about $1,000, even though he set everyand proudly shows us his black widow. thing up himself. Day Ham admits that he isn’t sure Fortunately, Day Ham found a way where his love for animals comes from. Al- to cover his costs, and then some. When though his paternal grandfather grew up a family friend expressed interest in buydriving tractors on a pig farm, and his ma- ing Day Ham’s cockroaches as a feeder for ternal grandparents are avid birdwatchers, his chickens, Day Ham realized his hobby his parents do not share the same passion. could become a successful business venture. “My dad’s more tech and my mom’s an Now, Day Ham sells his cockroaches artist,” Day Ham says. “It sort of skipped a to pet stores as a feeder for reptiles. Initially, generation.” Day Ham pitched to PetSmart, but found His ventures began with Dezi-girl, that a test run with the retail chain would be Day Ham’s bearded dragon. She is precisely too difficult. He then successfully formed a

46

NOVEMBER 2017

contract with The Reptile Room, a local pet store in Hayward, driving there on weekends to deliver cockroaches. “We have a nice relationship with them [The Reptile Room],” Day Ham says. “They buy all the roaches that I produce, so if I produce more one week, they just buy more.” Day Ham’s love for critters has manifested in many other unexpected ways: he has even had a stint raising black widows. At one point, Day Ham had 40 full-grown black widows and thousands of their babies; the original intention was to collect their silk. “It was very time-consuming, since that [the silk] is very hard to collect,” Day Ham says. “I never really got around to selling it; it was more just interesting.”


A SILKY SITUATION Day Ham’s black widow scuttles on a bundle of straw. He once bred black widows for their silk. “I never got around to selling it; it was just interesting,” Day Ham says.

Day Ham has even unintentionally fostered groups of animals; he once accidentally harbored wild mice at his house. “The mice story was pretty funny,” Day Ham says, grinning. He recounts a time when he and his friend bought mice from a pet store on a whim. The two mice escaped from their shed and mated with wild mice and each other, starting a mouse colony in Day Ham’s backyard. “We were told that we got two females, but of course, they were a female and a male,” Day Ham says. “So then I had nine mice, and then I had 18 mice … My parents didn’t know.” Although these attempts at raising animals did not pan out, one of Day Ham’s other projects has proven quite successful. A former student athlete, Day Ham quit varsity wrestling for an unusual reason: to focus on raising and breeding rex rabbits, planning to sell their fur and meat. With no after-school practice to attend, he spends around 40 minutes tending to them, ensuring they have enough roaming time, Timothy hay and Orchard grass. The rabbits are housed in the backyard of a family friend’s house along Day Ham’s bike route home. In exchange for 10 hours

of babysitting a month and taking care of the chickens, the family allows Day Ham to use their 300-square-foot backyard. Day Ham hasn’t produced any rabbit products yet, but his business has already garnered backlash. He recognizes that some of his peers may question the humaneness of his practices, especially when they hear about it through the grapevine. “I try not to spread the word too much, because when it travels by word of mouth it turns into, ‘Hey I know somebody who’s selling the brains of slaughtered rabbits,’” Day Ham says. “That doesn’t sound too good.” Despite the rumors, Day Ham argues that his rabbit farm is much more humane than many other animal farms in the meat industry. “It’s a place where rabbits are kept calm, and their health is checked,” Day Ham says of his farm. “The only way you can make a solid argument is if you’re vegan. But even then, a lot of people are vegan because they don’t like how the animals are being treated. I think if people were to come and see my farm, they’d see that these animals

MAKING BUCKS Day Ham holds Stockton, one of his two rex rabbits. “I wanted [to breed] something that’s more complicated,” he says.

are being treated with respect, and are not stressed up to point of their death.” Day Ham wanted to share his experiences, so he created a YouTube channel, CallumsCreatures, to educate others about animal care. “With this whole internet thing, the world is open to those who are curious,” Day Ham says. “You have to learn from your mistakes and learn on the process.” Despite his current passion for his animals, Day Ham doesn’t foresee maintaining his cockroach or rabbit farms after graduating high school. However, he is considering pursuing either a biology or zoology major in college. In fact, Day Ham has already taken steps to explore these fields of study by interning for the past three years at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. For now, however, Day Ham plans to maintain his thriving cockroach business and is expecting the birth of more rabbits in the coming weeks. “It is very helpful to understand the ecosystem around you in order to act in a way that will preserve its beauty for future generations,” Day Ham says. v


Text by AMIRA GAREWAL and MARALEIS SINTON Photos by MARALEIS SINTON

Twins on Ice SOPHOMORES REACH INTERNATIONAL ICE STAGE

TWINS ON ICE: Last year Heather (left) and Bella Davies (right) competed in nationals in Birmingham, Alabama. The two pose for a picture wearing the medals they won. “The [US Figure Skating Association] board chooses two teams that are really good to compete at Nations Cup with the rest of the country,” Bella said. “Our team was picked twice,” Heather said. The Davies Twins look forward to a succesful season for this year’s nationals where their team hopes to defend their title.

48

NOVEMBER 2017

A

S THE SUN STARTS TO rise in the early morning sky, we open the glass doors into the San Mateo Bridgepoint Ice Rink and a rush of cold air sweeps onto our faces. Skaters, dressed in jet black leotards, spin in graceful circles to the slow melody of “The Prayer” by Celine Dion. Beyond the rink walls, parents sit back, many wearing boots or slippers to stay warm. Bagels, fruits and muffins sit on a nearby table, waiting for the skaters to return from their morning class. A coach’s voice echoes through the building as his arms direct a team of skaters. Among them, two local students blend into the beautifully synchronized crowd. Twins and Palo Alto High School sophomores Bella and Heather Davies were just five years old when they first tied up their skates and ventured onto the ice. From birthday parties at Winter Lodge to a third place victory in the Nations’ Cup International Competition, the Davies twins have fallen in love with the sport. “Sometimes when you don’t land jumps, or it’s taking a long time, you feel like ‘I’m never going to land this, it’s impossible… maybe I should just quit,’” Heather says. “But then when you do land the jump, it’s worth it because it’s so satisfying,” While some consider ice skating to be a calm wintertime activity, competitive figure skating is far from relaxing. The sport demands year-long physical and mental perseverance. The Davies twins are part of a team that specializes in theater on ice, a subset of figure skating that utilizes sets, music and costumes to tell a story. “It’s a great division of skating because you really get to support each other,” says San Fransisco Ice Theater coach Louis Vachon. “Competing singles is quite challenging [because it has] triple jumps, so this [theater on ice] gives an outlet for skaters that can’t do all these hard jumps, but are loving skating and still want to do it.” Just like any other sport, the team has traditions that bring them together. “Before we get onto the ice, we always rub our coach’s bald head — he has a lucky head and every time we do that, we get on the podium,” Bella says. The misconception that ice skating is “not a real sport” frustrates the twins, and they hope that people will come to appreciate the stamina and technique it requires.


profiles “There was a point where we did six this inner actress. They really brought their hours of classes back to back,” Bella says. characters to life.” “We had edge classes to improve our edgThe countless hours that Bella and ing, power classes to improve our stamina Heather have spent together on the ice have and speed, and we did a lot of intense train- brought them even closer than they were ing to get better.” before they started skating together. Their Between practices at the rink and sense of competition and support for one cross-training at home, the sisters are fully another has strengthened their relationship. dedicated to improving their performance. “We watch each other during practice “We wore weights around our ankles and give each other tips,” Bella says. “We around the house to make our legs stron- keep each other going.” ger,” Bella says. With the ambitious goal of defending Through skating, the team’s national title the twins have gained and reaching the world confidence and persestage this upcoming seaWhen you do land verance that they plan son, Heather and Bella the jump, it’s worth have a lot of work to to carry with them in the future. do, and they continue it because it’s so “They’re both a to train with intensity satisfying.” little bit on the shy and passion every day. — HEATHER DAVIES, sophomore side, and I have really As a warm smile spreads seen them both open across her face at the up and become more outgoing performers thought of skating, Heather says, “I don’t with the team,” Vachon says. want to ever stop.” The assistant coach, Paige Scott, recalls From their five years with the San the time when Bella and Heather blos- Francisco Ice Theatre, the twins have somed while working on a show as the lead gained different perspectives on commitroles. ment as athletes and as individuals. “The story revolved around these two “We’ve learned what it means to girls, and it was difficult to get them to work hard in order to achieve [our] goals,” smile, to show the act of surprise and won- Bella says. “It has brought us many friends der,” Scott says. “It was a constant push. But who’ve helped us become better skaters and then the day of the performance, out comes better people through ice skating.” v

v

A DAILY ROUTINE: Bella and Heather Davies begin their routine of lacing their skates.

TEAM USA: Below: As a member of Team USA, Bella wears the team jacket with USA Theatre on Ice’ sewn into the fabric.

verdemagazine.com

49


Painting a party

KEEPING IT COLORFUL WITH KATIE LOOK

Text by THOMAS CHAPMAN and CECILIA WARD Photos by THOMAS CHAPMAN

D

RIED PAINT AND CRUSTY brushes populate nearly every inch of the worn tarp that’s splayed on the floor of Palo Alto High school senior Katie Look’s cluttered garage. As rap music blares in the background, high schoolers huddle together, talking and experimenting with different bursts of color across blank sheets of paper. To a passerby, this might seem like an unexpectedly relaxed school night for a bunch of stressed teens; however, for Look, this is just another one of her paint parties.

50 50

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER2017 2017


culture

v v

She lays out a plastic carton teeming with paint brushes, tubes whatever comes to mind, some painting swirls of shades lapsing of paint and loose sheets of paper she found around her house and into a leafy design, others creating images of cartoon penguins. Look invites people to take as many materials as they want; the Some do homework, while a few simply chat. Look and her next few hours are spent in a hurricane of guests believe that people come to have a good patterns and splatters. time and to get away from the stress of school. [They] are strangely Look’s decision to start organizing “[The parties] are strangely therapeutic,” paint parties was spontaneous, catalyzed therapeutic” says senior Ida Sunneras Jonsson. “More therone morning after she woke up and decided apeutic than anything else.” — IDA SUNNERAS JONSSON, senior that she wanted to paint. Drawing inspiraWhile Look believes that her paint partion from former choir classmate Chelsea ties have a positive impact, she’s unsure if she’ll McIntosh (‘16) and her Wednesday night continue with them in the forthcoming years. cereal parties, Look seeks to emulate the same relaxing atmosphere. “At this point I don’t really know what the future holds or “She would have friends over and would have like fifteen boxwhere I’ll be after graduation,” she says. “All I can say is I hope es of cereal and three different kinds of milk, and we just ate cereal they [the paint parties] continue to grow and bring more people together every Wednesday,” Look says. together.” v As guests smear layers of pigment atop one another, Look lays down a jean jacket that she has been decorating for the past few months. While others doodle, Look works on embellishing the jacket as a present for a friend. “I decided to make it [paint parties] a regular thing when I realized how therapeutic it is and how nice it is to spend time with friends doing something that there’s no pressure with, no pressure to be good at it,” Look says, dabbing complementary colors onto the jacket. The carefree ambience she manages to create encourages people to come. “I’m not a very artistically inclined person but I enjoy hanging out with some friends, listening to music, and painting random stuff that comes to mind,” says senior Benner Mullin, someone who frequents such parties. The gatherings in Look’s garage are always informal – almost as a rule – and an array of people come each time. Throughout the night, guests continue to flow in at their leisure, plopping down onto the worn, dark blue tarp. “The first one was really just my close friends plus some of my brother’s friends who had been over that day to watch football,” Look says. But soon after the initial paint party, she created a Facebook group consisting of people she thought would be interested in attending, and regularly insists that people add or invite other friends to come along. “I wish more people would come,” Look says. “I always want there to be more people and I tell people ‘Bring your friends, bring whoever you want’... I always think it’s more the merrier and I think it’s fun when different people show up.” For the duration of the evening, partygoers draw

verdemagazine.com

51


Photos by JAMES POE

Text by MICHELLE LI and ANGELA LIU

INSTANT RAMEN REVIEW EXPLORING NOODLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A

S THE SEMESTER WINDS down, students’ time and desire to acquire healthy and complex food products often significantly diminishes. Instead, they seek quicker and cheaper alternatives, such as instant ramen. Verde sampled four different types of instant ramen that can all be found at your nearest Safeway or Asian market. v

52

OCTOBER 2017

Shin Ramyun • $1.14

AAAAA The quintessential meal for any ramen lover, the iconic black-and-red Shin Ramyun holds its ground as a revered classic among the heaps of noodles that fill your local Asian supermarket. With chewy noodles and a chili-pepper spiciness that will give a kick but won’t knock you out, Shin delivers on every note. We recommend adding an egg into the broth to counter-balance the spice.

52

NOVEMBER 2017


culture

v

Buldak Bokkuemmyun • $4.29

AAAAA For all those spice lovers, the Bulddak Bogguem Myun is the one for you. The brothless ramen had a blood-like, gelatinous appearance that warned of the extreme chili spice we experienced at once after the first bite. At some point, you have to stop because the spice burns, but you’ll keep coming back for more because it tastes so good — it’s an endless cycle. Between gasping for air and gulps of water, we discerned a distinct chicken taste in the back of our tongue, a welcomed addition. Give it a try, but beware: Come prepared with plenty of water.

Indo Mie Beef Lime • 59¢

AAAAA Indo Mie’s Beef Lime ramen is an exotic taste among the dime-a-dozen spicy meat flavors commonly seen in instant ramen. Although the smell of the broth is acrid with citrus, the taste of the broth itself is much more palatable. The beef broth screams of MSG — the second ingredient listed for the sauce packet — but paired with the thick and firm noodles, we bwe able to overlook it. We advise eaters to not add condiments to the ramen, as the classic combination of beef and lime is quite strong on its own.

Neoguri • $1.39

A A A A A verdemagazine.com

53

Don’t let the fire-truck red broth scare you away. The Neoguri broth is a delightful seafood spice paired with generous amounts of seaweed ensnares the senses. A sister-brand of Shin Ramyun, this ramen is a spin-off of udon and ramen topped off with a seafood broth. The udon-ramen hybrid noodles deserve a special mention: they’re the thickest, chewiest, and most dense noodles we’ve seen. In short, these noodles are perfect for those seeking a heartier bite to their ramen.

verdemagazine.com

53


THE

IMPOSSIBLE BURGER

MEAT-ING A NEW, ANIMAL-FREE ALTERNATIVE

Text by ALLISON CHENG and STEPHANIE LEE Photos by STEPHANIE LEE

54

NOVEMBER 2017


I

T SIZZLES WHEN GRILLED, and bleeds when bitten into, yet it contains zero traces of meat. High-end restaurants and local burger joints alike have popularized this taste bud tantalizer, appropriately named the Impossible Burger. The company behind this creation, Impossible Foods, engineered the plant-based burger to combat the potential disaster of a food or resource shortage for the exponentially growing human population, according to the Impossible Foods website. Five years of research led to the discovery of heme, the compound that provides the smell, sizzling and bleeding characteristics of meat. Impossible Foods uses genetically-engineered heme, along with natural ingredients such as wheat, coconut oil and potatoes to create a burger patty that sizzles, bleeds and smells just like meat. The taste, however, is a different story, at least at Gott’s Roadside in Town and Country Village. v Our thoughts From the outside, the burger closely resembles a classic InN-Out burger, with similar condiments and toppings, such as iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. The patty, however, looks questionable. Upon first bite, the flavor is pleasThe patty, however, ant — it seems to taste just like any fastfood chain burger. We were impressed looks questionable. and went to take a second bite, expecting the burger to be equivalent to a quarter pounder in taste and texture. However, we were sadly mistaken, as the second bite of the burger falls limply on our tongue. The taste becomes increasingly complex, with sub flavors of meat, vegetables and quinoa. The taste wasn’t horrible, but for something so expensive, it just wasn’t worth it. Like the taste, the texture also starts out as expected. However, the feeling of the rubbery burger between our molars is disillusioning; the food is dry yet surprisingly moist and oily. After trying this burger three times, After trying the burger we rate it 6/10 stars, because of two main three times, we rate it aspects: the taste and the price. Compared to other meat and veggie burgers, 6/10 stars. the price is quite high — and does not match the quality. The burger (at most five inches in diameter) was $11.99, with no add-ons. It left us wishing that we’d opted for five In-N-Out cheeseburgers instead, which we could’ve gotten at the exact same price. Vegetarian opinion The burger’s appearance is impresThe meatless meat sively similar to that of a true meat burger, but it is difficult to tell whether or not the would be a great optaste and texture are also realistic. tion for people considThe meatless meat would be a great option for people who are considering vegering vegetarianism. etarianism but are having a difficult time letting go of the taste of true meat, as it can be a middle ground between an omnivorous and vegetarian diet. BITING IN The Impossible Burger, manufactured by Impossible Foods, is sold at Gott’s Roadside and The Counter, among other burger joints. The appearance is impressively realistic, but the taste does not compare, especially for Gott’s price of $11.99.

verdemagazine.com

55


Text by ZAKIR AHMAD and ASIA GARDIAS Art by AISHAH MAAS

Reputation’s Reputation

REVIEW OF SWIFT’S SIXTH ALBUM REPUTATION

T

HE OLD TAYLOR IS DEAD, and the new one is reborn as the same old Swift, but without her musical soul. Her new album, released Nov. 10, “Reputation,” attempts to reinvent Swift through a blurry melange of trap beats, electronically distorted lyrics and synthetic melodies. Although she tries to shed her “bad reputation” and country-phenomenon-turned-pop-darling past she fails to “Shake It Off.” A Swift debut The eerie feel of “Look What You Made Me Do” is a fitting kickoff to the album. The first single was met by the eager anticipation of Swift’s return, and quickly ascended the charts. While the song has a mildly interesting melody, there is a lack of singing — Swift’s usual voice is hidden behind aggressive recitations. In addition, the line about the old Taylor being “dead” is melodramatic.

Art by ASIA GARDIAS

“...Ready For It?” begins with a strong, distorted bass, an unlikely candidate for Swift’s more smooth, melodic voice. A brief respite to the harsh base is filled with the extremely catchy pre-chorus, which could easily provide the main melody to the song. The song would benefit from the addition of an artist more suited to stronger beats — perhaps Future, who appears on “End Game.” “Gorgeous” is a fun pop song with a catchy message, whose lyrics reflect the predictable Taylor Swift drama. The beats, reminiscent of Lil Yachty in their trap style and endearing lyrics deviate from her previous darker releases. “Call it What You Want” is an authentic song, displaying Swift’s signature style. Light hums in the background make the song relaxing to listen to. The message, finding peace with loved ones amidst a storm of hate, makes the song inspirational. The mixture of the carefree nature of the song and crisp beats simultaneously evoke the urge to dance and cry. Taylored to the drama Most of the album revolves around a transitionary period into a tumultuous yet pleasing new relationship. The album begins by describing an electrifying figure who is ‘younger than her exes,’ leaving Swift infatuated. However, beginning with the song “Delicate,” the relationship experiences some complications. Swift sings about her anxiety surrounding losing this person as a result of the relationship progressing too rapidly. Through the progression of the three songs, “So it Goes,” “Gorgeous” and “Getaway Car,” Swift describes the momentous but shaky nature of their time together.

Swift plays with some unxpectedly mature themes in songs like “Dress,” and even drops her first expletive. By the end of the album, Swift successfully defines her romantic interest as a person who will be with her forever. She shakes off public opinion about relationship, saying he “changes my [Swift’s] priorities” and that she is able to “trust him like a brother.” The story of the relationship presented in the album has a good time scheme and a pleasant resolution. However, unlike her previous albums, “Reputation” lacks the vivid, alluring lyrics that made listeners fall in love with Swift’s previous boyfriends. The second theme presented in the album is betrayal and embarrassment. After the infamous West-Swift incident, Swift attempts to ditch her new reputation as a two-timer. In songs such as “I Did Something Bad,” “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” and “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift tells of a “mind-twisting,” “shady” friendship which is mended but “axed” when she feels tricked. Furthermore, she sings about people coming at her relationship with their “pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons.” While this theme is present in almost every song, her overall message about the incident is unclear and not well-thought-out, leaving the reader questioning who is at fault. Hip pop influences Swift balances quick-paced Imagine Dragon-esque songs, such as “I Did Something Bad” and “Don’t Blame Me,” with a few slower-paced jams, such as “Delicate” and “New Year’s Day.” The album lacks Swift’s staple guitar melodies, relying on heavy synthetic melodies and beats, foreshadowed by “Look What You Made Me Do.” In her only collaboration, Swift is joined by Ed Sheeran and Future on “End Game,” featuring a verse from each, glued


RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI RUINED REPUTATION RUINED R TATION RUINED REPUTATION RU REPUTATION RUINED REPUTATI

Sss

Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS H Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. TO MY CATS HOME T Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. MY CATS HOME TO M Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. CATS HOME TO MY C Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why? Oh, she’s dead. HOME TO MY CATS C BEAUTIFUL EYES FEARLESS NOW RED1989 HOME TO MY CATS Why? Oh, she’s dead. Why?SPEAK Oh, she’s dead. REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAK Drunk and made fun of t NOWRED1989REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYES Drunk and made fun of t FEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989REPUTATIONBEAU- Drunk and made fun of t TIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989REPU- Drunk and made fun of t TATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOW Drunk and made fun of t RED1989REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESS Drunk and made fun of t SPEAKNOWRED1989REPUTATIONBEAUTIFUL Drunk and made fun of t EYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989REPUTATION Drunk and made fun of t BEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989 Drunk and made fun of t REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAK Drunk and made fun of t NOWRED1989REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYES Drunk and made fun of t FEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989REPUTATION Drunk and made fun of t BEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED1989 Drunk and made fun of t REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAK Drunk and made fun of t NOWBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAKNOWRED Drunk and made fun of t 1989REPUTATIONBEAUTIFULEYESFEARLESSSPEAK Drunk and made fun of t NOWRED1989REPUTATION Drunk and made fun of t Drunk and made fun of t Drunk and made fun of t Drunk and made fun of t KANYE Drunk WESTKANYE and made WESTfun KANYE of W t

TRAP T - SWIFT! TRAP T - SWIFT! TRAP T - SWIFT!

together by Swift’s chorus. While the song allows Sheeran to show his talents, Future’s contribution falls flat. The song is more suited to an artist with smoother flow, like Big Sean or Quavo. Some memorable songs which are worth listening to are “Don’t Blame Me,” “Call It What You Want,” “I Did Something Bad” and “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” They all tell witty stories, and are accompanied by appropriate melodies, which further their cause. The most disappointing part of the album is a soulless hole which was once filled by Swift’s worldly, spiritual ballads. While the album slightly diverges from Swift’s traditional themes and melodies, the final product is not revolutionary and is quickly put into the pile of other generic pop music. Despite containing a few high caliber songs, the album appears to lack any chart toppers that will stand the test of time. The album contains no “Shake it off,” “Bad Blood” or “Style,” a song that would be an instant hit. As of now, “Reputation’s” reputation hinges on perspective. v

Zombie Taylor Swift

dirty laundry dirty laundry dirty laundry

Gorge

WESTKANYEWESTKANYEWESTKA

KANYEWESTKANYEWESTKANYEW

WESTKANYEWESTKANYEWESTKA

KANYEWESTKANYEWESTKANYEW

WESTKANYEWESTKANYEWESTKA

KANYEWESTKANYEWESTKANYEW

KANWWYEWESTKANYEWESTKAN

KANYEWESTKANYEWESTKANYEW

WESTKANYEWESTKANYEWESTKA


Text by MICHELLE LI and MAGGIE CHEUNG

Teachers in Unusual Situations FUN AND QUIRKY TALES FROM PALY TEACHERS

T

HROUGH THE BLUR of daily classroom activities, it’s often hard to find time to get to know a teacher aside from the small snippets of their outside life they share in or between lectures, leaving students curious to know more. Verde went from teacher to teacher seeking quirky, unusual stories. Here’s what we found. v

Alanna Williamson, English teacher & dance coach Alanna Williamson was attending a national dance convention with the Paly dance team last year when she found herself in a predicament. “At the very end, after the awards, we're exhausted. And everybody's in line for the bathroom — the girls bathroom,” Williamson says. “So I was like, whatever, I'm just going to go in the guys’. There's no guys going in the bathroom right now. I don't care.” She entered the only stall in the mens restroom, forgetting about the urinal.

“I just didn’t think about it, because we don’t have those in our bathrooms,” Williamson says. While she was inside the stall, a group of men entered the restroom. “I was like, oh my god, do I say something, do I be like, hey, sorry?” She was about to exit the stall and apologize when one of the men began to use the urinal.

“The guy that’s going to the bathroom has a Starbucks [pastry] in his hand, … and he’s eating while he’s peeing,” Williamson says. “And then he puts it on top of the urinal, and then keeps eating it when he’s finished.” When the men finally left, Williamson sprinted out of the restroom. “I’m never using the boys bathroom ever again,” she says.

Lucy Filppu, English teacher

Debbie Henry, library assistant

A member of her high school’s Associated Student Body, then-senior, now-English teacher Lucy Filppu had quite the knack for pulling fun pranks. “So I and my rascal friends thought it would be a great idea to place a life size mannequin on top of the student center,” Filppu says. The mannequin, named Faye, didn’t receive seniority treatment despite being decked all out in senior colors. “The principal thought our mannequin, who looked fabulous by the way, was probably not the best choice for sitting on top of a building,” Filppu says. “Thankfully, the photo of Faye made it into the newspaper before being taken down.”

It all started with a potted plant in the office of library assistant Debbie Henry’s husband. “We used to live in Sacramento, and my husband was really worried about a plant that was in the hallway of his office,” Henry says. “It was very, very hot during the summer.” As summer got progressively more scalding, Henry noticed the declining condition of the plant and decided to take matters into her own hands by bringing the plant from the office back to their house. “Because we had a new baby, and we had no air conditioning in the car, it was kind of a pain — we lived out, a little bit out — in the country,” Henry says. “So we got it home, and I said, ‘Well, the first thing we need to do is get all the construction dust off the plant,’” Henry says. “So I started to get the construction dust off the plant, and it was a plastic plant!” After this discovery, her husband transported the plant back, making sure not to be noticed. “He didn't want to get in the elevator and get discovered, so he had to walk up five levels and put it back,” Henry says.

58

NOVEMBER 2017


%BIR

THDAY%TRADITI

SPE CIAL

% S N O

E T A R WAYS S TUDENTS CELEB

Text by KAITLYN KHOE and JENNY TSENG Art by VIVIAN NGUYEN Photos by STEPHANIE LEE and JAMES POE

T

HE THRILL OF PLAYING laser tag or having a competition with arcade games occurs less and less frequently, especially when students grow older, trading birthday celebrations for a dull cycle of studying and testing. It seems as if no one has any time to spend on birthdays. Here are some birthday traditions of Palo Alto High School students — maybe you will be inspired to start some of your own. v

Shave one-year-old baby’s head on their birthday in the hopes that healthier, thicker and fuller hair grows back.

Canada Grease birthday person’s nose with butter so it is too slippery for bad luck to hold onto it.

China and Taiwan Eat long noodles, which symbolize longevity. source: mentalfloss

— BENJAMIN AVNY, senior

I usually end up moving at the end of school years, so we wanted to combine my goodbye party with my birthday party as a final hoorah. … Happy birthday/ goodbye to the Tehrani family! My signature at the end of every party has always been a farewell speech.” — NILOUFAR SAEED TEHRANI, senior

It first started when I was talking about my half birthday at my brother’s baseball game [on my half birthday] and one of the moms heard it, a really nice mom. [She] delivered half of a cake to my house. Every year it’s some half cake with half of my age on it, like in May, last year, it was seven and a half candles.”

international customs India

Every birthday dinner, my dad or anyone else will randomly get up and hit you with leeks every year for any birthday.”

— ZACHARY PHILLIPS, junior

We have this yellow headband with a sunflower on it that we wear every birthday, and we force the person to wear it the whole time we’re celebrating their birthday. Pretty simple, pretty fun.

— OSCAR SCHERER, senior

My brothers have birthdays that are really close to Thanksgiving, so … we tend to do a pie or many different types of pies instead of a birthday cake. [I make] as many [pies] as I have the patience to make. Every year, it’s usually something different.”

— VYOMIKA GUPTA, sophomore

verdemagazine.com

59


Text by ALLISON MOU and ZOE STANTON-SAVITZ Photos by JAMES POE

Tuts Bakery and Treats

NEW BAKERY MAKES A STRONG DEBUT

F

“My friend suggested I should go into [the restauLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOWS display the wood and marble furnishings of rant] business,” Guloz says. When he arrived in Palo Alto, Guloz started by Tuts Bakery at 535 Bryant St., evoking images of an outdoor Parisian café. Sun- learning about the business and researching restaurant light streams through, creating a warm glow and investing. Guloz’s business experience spans from food industhe ideal light for any patrons wishing to decorate their Instagram feeds with photos of gorgeous pas- try to architecture, and Tuts reflects his vast areas of extries or refresh their feed with strategically placed pertise and entrepreneurial spirit. “I have a construction company in my country and coffee cup. An artfully arranged stack of cookbooks sits on a I did all the construction,” Guloz says. “I made the brick long communal table and a wall of inspirational post- and tiles myself.” Guloz says that the restaurant business is difficult to ers sits above a jug of strawberry-infused water and a mason jar of biodegradable straws. The floor is made navigate and Tuts has faced multiple obstacles challengof European-style patio tiles and overhanging accent ing its success. “If you look at the Bay Area, there are hundreds of lights swing from the ceiling, illuminating the glassrestaurants and coffee chains,” lined counters showcasing a collecGuloz says. “You have to always tion of delicious-looking pastries. You have to always be on top.” The word “aesthetic” seems to Guloz says that he relies on perfectly capture the modern rustic be on top.” reviews and Yelp postings to draw interior of the cozy bakery. Tuts is — Mu Guloz, restaraunt owner in more customers. He also tries an inviting place to sit down for a to make relationships with his customers so people will cup of coffee and complete some work, without the come back. darkness and noise that of an average coffeehouse. “I like to talk to the people ... what they are feeling, Empty plates and stacked placecards hint that by the what they like,” Guloz says. afternoon, the best offerings of the day may have alIn the future, Guloz plans to open a second Tuts in ready disappeared. San Francisco. Despite the fact that Tuts only opened about a “This is the first of a chain,” Guloz says. “We would month ago, it already possesses a four and a half star like to set this [Tuts] as a brand.” rating on Yelp and promises to become an emerging Tuts offers multiple pastry and bread options, and cultural staple of downtown Palo Alto. also boasts complete breakfast and lunch menus, all foods Mu Guloz, Tuts’ owner, is long practicing busicooked and baked onsite. According to Guloz, the bakers nessman who moved to the Bay Area from his home begin work at one in the morning. Overall, the baked in Istanbul two years ago to break into the restaurant goods and pastries are tasty, making a trip to Tuts, whethbusiness. According to Guloz, he has been working er it be in their busy breakfast or lunch hours or during a since he was ten years old and actively runs compaslow period, worth it. v nies in both Turkey and the Netherlands.

60

NOVEMBER 2017


culture

Coffee

Blueberry Muffin

5/5

v

4/5

Tuts uses artisan coffee beans roasted by Verve, a popular coffee brand, shipped from Santa Cruz. The mild roast of the beans was not overly bitter and its rich flavor paired well with the pastries.

Crumbly upon first bite, the blueberry muffin had the perfect blend of sugar and baked berries. The texture of the springy muffin and the sugary crust set this muffin apart from average.

Cinnamon Bun

3/5

The cinnamon bun was topped with too much icing, perhaps to offset the dryness of the bun itself. The icing also had the unintended effect of making the crust of the bun less crunchy, setting itself up as just average.

Orange Cranberry Scone 2/5 This was the lowlight of our bakery trip. Dry and containing no discernable orange flavor, the whole combination left a lot to be desired.

Fruit Tart 5/5 The flavors were harmonious, and no component of the tart was overpoweringly sweet. The creamy lemon custard mixed well with the crust, baked to a perfect golden brown. Topped with fresh blackberries, the tart’s sour tang complimented the sweetness. Again, as texture can make or break a pastry, the fruit tart was perfectly done.

verdemagazine.com

61


International Sweets CURB ANY SWEET TOOTH WITH CANDY FROM AROUND THE WORLD

P

UMPKINS AND HALLOWEEN candy may have made way for twinkling Christmas lights, but it will take much more than a change of scenery to curb any candy-craving sweet tooth. That leftover stash of Kit-Kats and Skittles, however, should certainly not be the be-all end-all of the realm of sweets. Peek into an international market and you’ll find that Chinese sesame brittle and strawberry-pepper chocolate bars are only the beginning of the exotic flavors that carry centuries of deep-rooted culture. Here are two that caught our attention: Turkish Delights C.S Lewis’ novel “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is likely the reason why most are familiar with the Turkish delights. But the dreamy image Lewis paints of the confectionaries in his children’s book is not one that is easily reminiscent of the simple, cubed form of the traditional Turkish candy. Blanketed in a snowy dusting of icing sugar, the sweets are instead evocative of a more angular gumdrop. That’s where the similarities to more conventional sweets end. The rose flavoring of Galil’s Turkish delights, sold at international markets like Crossroads Specialty Foods on San Antonio Road, was the first thing to make itself known. As soon as the box was opened, a striking floral aroma became immediately apparent. Biting into the soft, gel-like candy yields a flavor that’s exactly like how it smells: sweet, flowery essence that’s just short of cloying will assail your tastebuds and continue to linger there for many minutes after in a faint imitation of an 80’s perfume. It makes for a rather strong flavor especially to an unaccustomed palate. But it’s

62

NOVEMBER 2017

also light and delicate and without a doubt perfect for those who enjoy their unconventional flavors. Peanut and Sesame Brittle The centuries old celebration of the Lunar New Year is quite an important tradition in China. And sugar, being a luxury that many are unable to afford on a day-today basis, is a large part of it. Commonly gifted in red boxes along with an assortment of other colorful sweets, peanut and sesame brittle are some of the most traditional of Chinese candies. A brand found at Asian American supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market makes them yearround in a package that contains white sesame, black sesame, peanut and combinations of the three. Despite there already being peanut brittle in the U.S., the Chinese variety is decidedly dif-ferent. Its appearance is glassier, with peanuts and sesame suspended in a rich amber; the texture is crunchier, each bite resulting in the same audible snap that you get with rock candy; and the taste is deeper on all levels: gently sweet from the caramel, slightly savory from the peanuts and distinctly smoky from the sesame. It’s not heavy, it’s not overwhelming and it’s a rather perfect treat that combines all the right textures with all the right flavors. Like most caramelized candies, it’s inevitable that the brittle sticks to your teeth, but that certainly isn’t enough to deter anyone from reaching for more. v

Text by ASHLEY WANG Photos by JAMES POE


THIS YEAR...

GET FIT WITH G:FIT M - F @ 6, 7, 8:30 a.m. on Cubberley Track, 4000 Middlefield Rd

Yoga Fridays at 7 a.m. on Cubberley track M - F @ 6 p.m. Palo Alto High School track

STIMULATE THE MIND, STRENGTHEN THE BODY ★ All outdoors! ★ For all ages & fitness levels ★ Lifelong wellness habits ★ Quality instruction ★ Team-building FREE CLASSES ON FRIDAYS

2x a month @ Athleta in Town & Country, 855 El Camino Real

(650) 906-3036 • granvillefit@gmail.com • www.granvillefit.com/

Daphne Chou Real Estate

Fluent in English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese Bay Area resident for over 25 years Backed by Alain Pinel Realtors’ luxury brand Ph.D in Applied Statistics

(650) 888-8268 dchou@apr.com verdemagazine.com

63


AROMATHERAPY DO-IT-YOURSELF RELAXATION VIA THE SENSES Text by ANGELA LIU and KAMALA VARADARAJAN

P

Photos by ANGELA LIU and JAMES POE

LUMES OF STEAM INFUSED with light citrus notes greet the senses at Japanese retailer Muji in Stanford Shopping Center. In a corner of the store, the bustling activity of the mall is momentarily forgotten as an array of aroma diffusers gently lull passersby into relaxation. Muji’s aroma diffusers, similar to the diffusers in the Palo Alto High School Wellness Center, use ultrasonic waves to vaporize scented essential oils, dispersing mist throughout the room. Some believe that the various scents serve different purposes, ranging from alleviating stress to promoting focus to exterminating odors. “When we inhale air, particularly air that is infused with essential oils, it goes to the roof of our nose,” says Carolina Padilla-Pineda, Paly’s Mental Health Services therapist. “Olfactory receptors in the nose then transport the information to the limbic system, where our emotions are processed. While diffusers may be too costly for Paly students, with most ranging from $30-$120, there are a multitude of easily accessible options that allow students to experience aromatherapy on their own, including a scented Play-Doh-esque clay. v

DIY AROMATHERAPUTIC PLAY-DOH Ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp vinegar, 3 tbsp salt, 3-4 drops essential oil of choice, food coloring

Step one: In microwave-safe dish, mix together flour, olive oil, vinegar and salt, slowly stirring in water until the consistency is thick.

64

NOVEMBER 2017

Step two: Place bowl in the microwave, heating the mixture in intervals of 45 seconds until it begins to solidify into a dough-like texture.

Step three: Knead dough until no longer sticky to the touch, microwaving again if needed. Add 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil and food coloring if desired.


Tenergy Tenergy Bluetooth Beanie: Built-in wireless headphones for your music and calls

4 Adjustable Light Colors Lasts Up To 25x Longer Than Traditional Bulbs USB Charging Port For Smartphones

Tenergy LED Desk Lamp: Perfect for Studying and Reading Visit http://www.all-battery.com Use Coupon Code PALY25OFF to get a 25% discount off your product

verdemagazine.com

65


Text by STEPHANIE LEE Art by BRITNEY FAN

The Big White Spot LEARNING TO WEAR MY SKIN WITH PRIDE

T

HERE IS A BIG WHITE spot on my neck. Technically, that “big white spot” is called “vitiligo,” but calling it that would mean I’d have to explain that vitiligo is a dermal condition where the skin loses its pigment whenever someone asks me what it is. Whereas if I just tell them it’s a Big White Spot, half of my condition would be explained. The Big White Spot is really a cosmetic issue; its only harmful effect is that I am more susceptible to sunburns. Even so, the implications of the Big White Spot are far larger than its health impacts. The main effect, of course, is my increased awareness to the pressure of societal beauty standards. I wish I could say that the Big White Spot made me defy societal beauty standards through supporting social media beauty campaigns or something similar to that. But really, it’s taught me something a little different. In order to understand fully how I learned about self love, we’d have to start at the moment the Big White Spot popped up on my neck. The Big White Spot showed up when I was spending the summer in Taiwan, when

66

NOVEMBER 2017

one of my great-aunts found a spot on my neck that lacked color. The spot grew as weeks passed, and my relatives frantically took me from doctor to doctor, trying to fix my skin. Needless to say, nothing worked, and the cycle continued as I returned to Taiwan every summer. Though their actions were out of love, my relatives didn’t really help my self confidence. Each yearly visit to Taiwan was another visit to a different hospital, to different doctors to try different medical solutions, but all lead to the same conclusion: nothing worked. And I grew to hate my skin, to hate the swath of white. It was like a non-divine version of the Mark of Cain: I was ashamed of it. It cursed me. I thought people would hate me for it. About the time I turned 11, I went with my aunt to Macy’s to look at foundation and other ways to cover up my blotched skin with makeup. I was amazed and thrilled; finally, something in the world that could make my ugly Big White Spot go away, even if only temporarily. Until freshman year, I would wear my hair down or cover up the Big White Spot with makeup, a scarf or a collar. It was a

successful way of hiding the Big White Spot — many people didn’t know I had it. This all changed one day during track and field practice, when I decided to tie my hair up because it was over 80 degrees. To my surprise, no one cared. The Big White Spot was invisible. Not screaming across my skin, but silent. I don’t know if I accepted that the Big White Spot would be there forever, or if I just gave up on trying to make it go away. Maybe I did both. What I do know is that was the true defining moment. I realized that the only person who was really judging me and making me feel bad was myself. And it took years of going to the doctor, days of looking for collared shirts and scarves, hours of putting on makeup, to find a cure for something that wasn’t really necessary to cure in the first place. It was learning to accept my skin as my own, love it and wear it proudly that made me confident. And although every single one of us has our own vitiligos, the parts of us we abhor, accepting them as what they are — an important part of us — is what makes us, us. They are what makes each and every one of us beautifully human. v


Art by KAITLYN HO

Text by RIYA SINHA

Our Complaint Culture

WHY POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS ARE BETTER

“U

GH, I HAVE SO MANY tests this week! There’s no way I can handle everything.” “You’re so lucky. You got the easier

teacher.” Walking down the halls of Palo Alto High School, I hear these phrases repeated again and again. Every time I engage in a conversation about schoolwork, I know it will end in one of two ways: Either the other person will complain about their workload, or they’ll grumble about how much easier mine is. Not only does this perpetuate insecurity, but it also has no benefit in helping either person with their work. It’s just another way for people to subtly show off their workload and simultaneously make them feel better about themselves in a cynical way. “Comparing has always been a problem at this school,” says Angelina Michael, Paly’s wellness outreach worker. Even though this mindset seens ingrained in our culture, it would benefit students to try to reduce their complaining, as shown by scientific studies that demonstrate the benefits of positive thinking. A study conducted by the University of Toronto shows that having a positive mindset, as opposed to a negative one, directly affects how the brain contextualizes and stores information. The study, conducted by psychology professor Adam Anderson, shows that when we’re in a positive mood, our visual cortex takes in more information, while negative moods result in tunnel vision, which means that we tend to focus exclusively on a limited point of view. When people engage in negative conversation, they walk into any test or exam with a negative mindset, perform worse than they could have and subsequently create negative associations with school. It’s a vicious, never-ending cycle. “It [complaining] can contribute to feeling more anxiety than is okay, … than is healthy,” says Eva Whitney, the Counsel-

ing and Support Services For Youth thera- that you’re thankful for. Never the same pist at Paly. things. It’s just about noticing those good On the other hand, conversations that moments in life.” focus on growth make for a happier school However, there is also a lot that we environment. Our brains will be able to can do as a community. Trading negative make deeper connections, not only in re- conversations for discussions about topics lation to schoolwork, but in all aspects of of mutual interest can create more produclife. Elizabeth Spective conversations. tor, Paly’s wellness For me, just having coordinator, empha- There are small steps stimulating consizes the importance we can take to associate versation with my of mindset. friends about varithe word ‘school’ with “Sometimes, the ous current events, negative thoughts laughing about a more positive connota- or become a self-fulfillfunny joke online is ing prophecy, so if tions. It all starts with enough to make me you think that some- one word: balance.” leave school feeling thing is going to happier, healthier, happen, just thinkand more motivating about the actions cause[s] it to happen.” ed to do my work. I know there is a direct So what can we do to promote positive correlation because I’ve felt it. thinking? Individually, we can make the I know that this is a hard feat to conscious decision to verbalize our appreci- achieve. I am guilty myself of complaining ation and to equally acknowledge all parts and brooding about my tests or schoolof life, both negative and positive. work. It isn’t easy to stop discussing school “What I recommend is starting a when that is where we spend the majority journal, a gratitude journal,” Spector says. of our time. But there are small steps we “Every day, you write can take to associate the word “school” three things with more positive connotations. It all starts with one word: balance. “That word balance … that’s huge. It means creating balance in your life, so that it’s not all work ... but finding time for fun,” Spector says. Ultimately, finding balance is something that many people struggle with throughout their lives. If we learn the skills necessary to maintain our happiness and zest for learning in an environment that sometimes seems all too focused on the outcome, it can help us go further in life than any grade or test score can. v

verdemagazine.com

67


Text by MEGAN CHAI Art by ANNIE ZHOU

mental health & malice

MISREPRESENTATIONS IN THE MEDIA

T

HE RECENT MASS SHOOTIn a study from the Johns Hopkins ing in Las Vegas was the deadli- Bloomberg School of Public Health, reest shooting in modern Amer- searchers found that almost four in 10 news ican history, leaving 58 dead, stories falsely associate mental illnesses with injuring over 500 and instilling fear in the violent behavior. According to study leadwhole nation. Considering the sheer num- er Professor Emma McGinty, the negative ber of casualties, many people have won- portrayal of mental illnesses aggravates a dered: why hasn’t the Vegas shooting been distorted perception, influencing the opinofficially labeled as an act of terrorism? ion of the public and leading people with The definition of terrorism involves these symptoms to be less inclined to seek the perpetrator’s intentions, but since there treatment. is an absence of a clear motive, the shooting Considering that almost one in five has not been called a terrorist attack. American adults have experienced menInstead, the media have turned to tal health issues, mental illness is a prevathe shooter’s mental health to explain his lent issue that we should work together to deadly act. The shooter, Stephen Paddock, destigmatize. was suspected of an I am not deundiagnosed men- The negative portraynying that serious tal illness, according mental illnesses have al of mental illnesses to headlines from caused violence in the USA Today and ABC past — the Planned aggravates a distortNews. Parenthood shooter ed perception. At the same time, Robert Dear, Virginia Las Vegas police sugTech gunman Seunggested that Paddock’s brain autopsy had no Hui Cho and Sandy Hook shooter Adam abnormalities, nor did he have a previous Lanza all suffered from severe mental disorhistory of mental illnesses. ders that spurred some of the deadliest mass So why did the media assume the shootings in modern U.S. history. mental state of the shooter despite the abBut the number of shooters reported sence of evidence? in the media with serious mental illnesses Regardless of the new revelations that pales in comparison to the actual number may come forward in the Las Vegas shoot- of shooters with serious mental illnessing investigation, the media heavily insinu- es. According to the American Journal of ated that mental illness was involved. Mental Health, less than five percent of all Understandably, we like to think that gun violence in the U.S. stems from diagno one in their right mind would commit nosed mental health issues. such crimes. But speculating that the vioBy misrepresenting the facts, the melence was due to mental illness, especially dia perpetuates the illusion that individuals without evidence, is inappropriate. Instead, with mental health issues are unpredictable media outlets should take all evidence into and dangerous. The media should avoid consideration before reaching a conclusion oversimplifying mental illnesses and should and should choose their words carefully to be more aware of word choice when reportavoid misrepresentation. ing on mass shootings. v

68

NOVEMBER 2017


perspectives

To be honest...

v

Text by GILA WINEFELD Art by KEVIN KERR

THE DANGER OF ONLINE COMPLIMENTS

T

O BE HONEST, I’M NOT A big fan of the app “tbh.” While some may enjoy the short-term self-esteem-boosting effects of “tbh,” in the long term, the app only exacerbates an obsession with online validation. “tbh” has soared to the top of Apple’s app store charts in recent months, attracting the attention of countless teens. The app, which describes itself as “the only anonymous app with positive vibes,” claims to combat issues of cyberbullying present in previously popular anonymity software such as ask.fm or Sarahah. But does “tbh” achieve what it set out to do? The app’s positive reputation can largely be attributed to its lack of typed comments; users simply receive “positive” prompts such as “best smile,” “hotter than the sun,” or “your favorite.” The user then receives four choices — people from their friend list — that they can select as an answer for each prompt. When you are chosen for a prompt you receive a gem, but can’t see who it’s from. At first glance, this seems like a cute and innocent idea — what’s so bad about giving and receiving compliments, without the anxiety associated with real-life interactions? But a major issue with “tbh” stems from its element of comparison; these compliments are generated by comparing four people, prompting the user to promote one of their friends over another. This comparison issue also affects people receiving gems, since when you get a gem, you can see who you were chosen over, and how many gems your friends have received. As harmless as this idea sounds, it triggers a superficial and unhealthy competitive attitude in some users of the app.

Palo Alto High School AP Psychology teacher Chris Farina agrees. “When you get into comparison, if they [users] can see how they rank among friends, I think that gets into some really bad issues,” Farina says. “Is the goal to get some recognition from somebody that you know? Or is your goal to end up at the top, and if so, what are you trying to do to get there?” The larger issue with “tbh,” however, is the resulting dependence on constant validation from peers. Validation has long been an issue associated with social media outlets such as Facebook or Instagram, taking the form of likes, followers and friends. However, this issue is not as apparent on these sites because it is combined with more personal aspects, including photos and comments. But in an app where the sole purpose is to vote on and receive nominations for polls, validation becomes a completely different issue, as users become fixated

on earning the highest number of positive prompts, only nurturing a demand for continual online recognition from peers. In addition, most prompts on “tbh” are extremely superficial; the app lacks the depth necessary to qualify as a source of meaningful online positivity. “How do we quantify what kinds of actions and behaviors get what kinds of gems?” Farina says. “Are those really the kinds of behaviors that we want to be incentivizing in people?” Some people argue that the app reduces the anxiety often associated with giving and receiving compliments in real life. “It’s nice to get compliments from people,” sophomore Taylor Yamashita says. “Since it’s anonymous some people may be more likely to say things they wouldn’t say otherwise.” In fact, many apps are following in the footsteps of “tbh”; for example, an app released in early November called “Sorry” allows users to accept or reject typed apologies from friends. But is this trend really a good thing? In a world where we are constantly setting up technological barriers, these apps may do more harm than good. Instead, we should be learning values of real-life communication and compassion; in this way, compliments can become more meaningful than a multiple choice popularity question. “tbh” will likely fall out of favor within a couple months, but teen obsession with online anonymity will persist: an obsession that walks the line between excitement and destruction. For now, however, apps like “tbh” tend to push us into the latter camp. As Farina says, “The absence of positive recognition can be every bit as damaging as the presence of bad responses.” v

verdemagazine.com

69


TAMAR’S TANGENT

Text by TAMAR SARIG Art by ASHLEY ZHAO

the death of the hobby

HOW PASTIMES BECAME A THING OF THE PAST

“D

O YOU HAVE ANY HOBbies, special interests, or special talents not mentioned above?” I’d been filling out my TA profile late this summer, writing endless paragraphs on school activities and favorite classes, when this question confronted me. Simple enough, right? We all have hobbies and interests that keep life interesting between classes and homework assignments. But as I thought about my answer, I was forced to admit a profoundly bleak fact: for the past few years, I’ve had hobbies in name only — and that’s a problem that seems more common than we’d like to admit. So how did this happen? At what point did I stop leading the rich, dynamic life I used to have — the kind where I had something concrete to look forward to after school and on the weekend, something besides homework, résumé-ready extracurriculars and mindless scrolling through social media in the time between? I think the answer is this: as school became more intense and college loomed ever closer, all my hobbies were replaced with extracurriculars. Make no mistake, the two are vastly different things. My hobbies had little practical use to me, other than the fact that they made life interesting and fun. Gymnastics, writing poetry, even stamp collecting: all ways I used to spend my time, all of which began to seem wasteful as school grew more time-consuming, all of which I’ve essentially abandoned. I began to spend my time on more pragmatic things: Hebrew school, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, tutoring at the Peer Tutoring Center — all things I enjoyed, but none of which enriched my life the way my hobbies had. A quick survey of my friends reveals a similar problem: ceramics, gardening, spirit

70

NOVEMBER 2017

week activities, even reading — all neglected in the rush of the school year. “I’ve wanted to help out with the theater set stuff, but I always have softball practice.” “I picked up ukulele, but now I don’t have the energy to maintain it. All the time I’m not doing something, I sleep.” “No one does anything just to do it anymore.” One after another, I see lives pressed flat, reduced to colorless monotony by the time pressures of school and extracurriculars. We may be so used to our hobby-free lives that it seems normal not to invest time in the things we love, but in reality, that sacrifice makes us robots. I’ve steadily abandoned many of the things that used to bring color and excitement into my life; that’s not to say I don’t have fun anymore, but the things I do in my spare time are no longer those that once made me myself. Ironically, my dedication to academics has made me less of an intellectual and a reader outside of school. The rush for college acceptance has created narrow, studies-obsessed students — the opposite type from what colleges claim to want. But I don’t place full responsibility for this loss on school or college applications. For many of us, sacrificing hobbies has been a matter of prioritization and time management; we choose to value school over “real life.” When it comes to spare time, I’m guilty of clicking aimlessly through Facebook, wasting time on something that rarely makes me happy. Increasingly, I hear my peers answer “What do you do for fun?” with some variation on “watch Netflix.” Maybe we’re too tired to engage in meaningful activities once our work is done; maybe we simply don’t value those

activities as much as we should. So what can be done? I’ve yet to find a good answer. Can we take back some of our spare time without jeopardizing our success? Would it have made a difference if I’d sacrificed some volunteer work so I could make time to write, exchanged a few hours of tutoring for hikes with my dad? That’s not a guarantee I can confidently make. But I can say this: at some point, the things we gain by abandoning our hobbies cease to warrant the sacrifice. If our definition of success does not include enjoying life, it’s a meaningless definition. And dedicating just an hour a week to things that make us genuinely excited can’t possibly derail our academic careers. This month, I bought two poetry books and set aside the time to read them. I hope you’ll make a similar commitment, tiny as it may be, to something you love. v


verdemagazine.com

71


Palo Alto Unified School District Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301

Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Palo Alto, California Permit #44

verdemagazine.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.