Verde Volume 11 Issue 3 by Verde Magazine

SHOULD CALIFORNIA LEGALIZE MARIJUANA?

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INDEX VOLUME 11 • EDITION 3 • PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL

Briefing

Compiled by Sophie Cornfield and Whitney Drazovich

FEATURES CONTD. Art Speak Speaks Up 48 By Mira Khanna

NEWS 9

A New Kind of Princess By Kianna Evans

By Sonali Sastry

COVER

22 PROFILES 24

Life in Motion By Anabel Homnack

Feeling the Heat

In Plane Sight

By Ryan Flanagan and Whitney Drazovich By Allison Chang

A Woman’s Touch

By Camille von Kaenel By Emma Tucher

Clean Sweep

By Bella Hernandez and Kianna Evans

Arrive Alive By Emily Efland

35 36

When 5 Is Fire Engine Red 38 By Manon von Kaenel

Hooking Up By Sarah Jacobs

On the Fault Line

Resisting Restrictions

By Silvia Maraboli By Max Cohen

Vote To Smoke

Puff Puff Pass

Trading Health for Marijuana

The Teacher Perspective On Marijuana Legalization

By Ally Messick

By Mary Vericat

By Jessica Madej

FEATURES Race and Sports

What Are You Smoking? By Emily James

The More the Merrier By Emma Tucher

Caught in the Act

PERSPECTIVES “We Shall Overcome” 20 By Asha Albuquerque

By Zachary Stanton-Savitz

CULTURE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM A Woman’s Touch (pg. 33), Art Speak Speaks Up (pg. 48), Caught in the Act (pg. 50).

“Going Rogue”

Just The Little Things

Mischief Managed

Raising The Bar

By Jessica Madej

By Sarah Henderson

By Amanda Groziak By Sophie Cornfield

Oscar Watch By Asha Albuquerque

In 1,000 words or less explain why college essays SUCK By Ryan Flanagan

68 70

cover

by sarah henderson

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verde excerpts

“They have portrayed us as backward, illiterate people who fart.”

Page 21

President of CODOFIL “Introducing a New Kind of Princess”

“The other day, when I was listening to a song, a whole bunch of circles of different colors flowed in and out of my vision.”

Page 38

Senior Sam Bromley Coolidge “When 5 is Fire Engine Red”

volume 11 edition 2

verde

palo alto high school volume 11 edition 2

“Listening to the advice from the speakers has really taught me to keep an open mind about what I make as an artist.”

Page 48

ArtSpeak Founder Tom Scarpino “ArtSpeak Speaks Up”

INSIDE • Illegal Immigration • Bollywood • Middle College

“We are not luxury division, we do what we do to protect and serve citizens to keep them safe.”

Deputy Chief of Operation Richard Bloom “Feeling the Heat”

INSIDE • Budget Cuts • iRevolution • Football Concussion • Text Message SAT Prep

Page 52

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS “A Heritage of Snow” My husband is a co-leader for the Sierra Club Snow Camping section in the Bay Area. For the last 4 years, he has held an Igloo 101 training class for the Alumni students (already completed the training series). He takes 10 to 12 students out for a 2 night trip in the snow, teaching block cutting, igloo and other snow shelter construction. For more information check out www. snowcamping.org —Anne Johnson 4

FEBRUARY 2010

“Don’t let the bastards get you down.” Sarah Palin’s Grandfather Sheeran “Going Rogue”

Page 62

verde

volume 11 edition 3 february 2010

from the editors

Staff List Editors-in-Chief Caroline Wang Amanda Young Managing Editors Sophie Cornfield Whitney Drazovich Business Managers Sarah Jacobs Harry Nordlinger

he fact that a number of Palo Alto High School students smoke marijuana should not be news to anyone. However, what is new, is that Californians may have the opportunity to legalize marijuana for those over the age of 21 in the November 2010 elections. Many publications have covered the debate over marijuana legalization before, but the new proposed ballot measure, which would let Californians over the age of 21 possess an ounce of marijuana and cultivate 25 square feet for personal use, signals that California may be ready to legalize marijuana, making this issue a timely topic. In lieu of the proposed ballot measure, Verde decided to investigate the pros and cons of marijuana legalization in our cover package (pg. 53) with opposing opinion pieces by Mary Vericat and Jessica Madej. In addition, Ally Messick covers Paly students’ opinions, while Zachary Stanton-Savitz covers the Paly staff ’s opinion. Finally, Emily James reviews students’ opinions of smoking cigarettes, compared to marijuana use. Another big story in this issue is Sarah Jacob’s story, “Hooking Up” (pg. 41), which investigates the vague concept of “hooking up” from Paly students’ perspectives. Verde distributed a survey to 16 English classes, four from each grade, in order to provide insight into Paly students’ experiences with sex, as well as discover students’ opinions on sexual protection, abstinence and more. We considered both marijuana legalization and sex for the cover story, but decided that the issue over marijuana legalization better related to current events. The new marijuana legislation could have a very significant impact on the future of Californians and Paly students. Our photographer Sarah Henderson and staff member Max Cohen played with possible cover images for both cover ideas. In the end, we decided that the bong was an eye-catching representation of our cover package as a whole. Lastly, check out our new short features section, designed by Emily James and Max Cohen and edited by Silvia Maraboli and Natalie Lin. Verde decided to revamp the short features section in order to promote readability and provide entertainment. Welcome to edition three and the beginning of spring. Enjoy! — Amanda & Caroline

Design Manager Emily James Short Features Editors Natalie Lin Silvia Maraboli Online Editors Asha Albuquerque Manon von Kaenel Social Media Editor Max Cohen Art Director Yelena Kasianova

Photographer Sarah Henderson Cartoonist Harry Nordlinger Staff Allison Chang Emily Efland Kianna Evans Ryan Flanagan Amanda Groziak Bella Hernandez Anabel Homnack Margaret Kadifa Mira Khanna Jessica Madej Ally Messick Sonali Sastry Zachary Stanton-Savitz Emma Tucher Mary Vericat Camille von Kaenel

Adviser Paul Kandell

Verde Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 pkandell@pausd.org Letters to the Editor Verde, a feature magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. Verde is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity. Send all letters to verdeeds0910@googlegroups.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 Sarah Jacob and Harry Nordlinger by e-mail at verde.biz.paly@gmail.com or call 650-329-3837 for more information. Printing & Distribution Services Verde is printed five times a year in October, December, February, April and June by Fricke-Parks Press in Fremont, California. The Paly PTSA mails Verde to every student’s home.

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OPINION

staff verdict School staff should vote for block schedule to reduce student stress

lose your eyes and flash back to what the scene at Paly was like a few weeks ago at the end of the first semester. During a typical week, Paly students operate at a fairly high level of stress, but nothing compares to finals week. Walking down the halls, one could see anxious and sleep-deprived kids, obsessed with their first semester grades. Students were crying, shaking, and had so much work to do they were unsure of where to begin. We have to ask ourselves, is it healthy for teenagers to have this much stress? Now that college applications are in, finals are over and most Paly students are fairly relaxed, it is a good time to ponder realistic ways faculty members, parents and students can reduce the stress level at Paly. The Verde staff feels that a clear and definite way to reduce the stress level at Paly is with a schedule change. Currently, the administration is proposing two possible new schedule changes. Ultimately, the decision will be left to the school staff but Verde urges adults to deeply consider student input. Students can submit input and take a survey on the schedule changes through Naviance, an informational Web site that students can access through Paly. As of now, there are two different proposed schedule options. The first will keep the schedule fairly similar to the way it is now, with an 8:05 a.m. start every day, and a block 7th period. The second option will also have an 8:05 a.m. start but have a four day block schedule with three block classes every day, except for Friday. A block schedule would give students less homework per

night, fewer classes to study for, and make it easier for students to prioritize their assignments. Students are less likely to have multiple tests on the same day, reducing the student stress level considerably. Many students feel that they can focus more on a subject and the material has more time to sink in when the class period is longer. Students would not have to move as frequently from class to class, which can be exhausting by the end of the day. Student backpacks will be lighter if they do not have to carry books and materials from all seven classes. In addition, a block schedule will prepare students better for college, where the periods are longer but meet fewer times a week. While we understand that teachers may be less inclined to enact a block schedule because they would have to adjust their curriculum, we urge the staff to consider what is best for everyone. If enough teachers express interest in the block schedule, the administration will likely run a test trial in the spring. During the trial, a teacher who was once skeptical may realize that he or she can actually explain concepts better with more time. Teachers should not shun change but take this opportunity to improve old lesson plans and develop new ways of teaching the material. If the staff and students do not like the new schedule after the trial, at least the students will be assured that the administration is actively trying to improve life at Paly for its students. We feel that a failed attempt is better than no attempt at all. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work together to reduce student stress and improve the school atmosphere. v

Communication is key in hiring new principal

he principal who replaces Jacqueline McEvoy when her resignation goes into effect June 30 will face numerous challenges, from growing enrollment to budget cuts to a multi-year construction project. To deal with these challenges, Verde believes communication will be vital in both the process of hiring our new principal as well as the policies of our next principal. Paly is a challenging school because students and parents expect to have significant input in the administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisions. Because of this, it is necessary that the next administration communicates clearly with the student body and parents. Currently, Supt. Kevin Skelly publishes notes on the Palo Alto Unified School District Web site. This is a practice that the next principal could use at Paly to effectively get his or her views out to the public in a convenient manner. The next principal should also use communication with staff and students when changing policies. In order to make effective

changes, he or she first needs to understand why the current system is the way it is. Communication with teachers in particular will help the next administration enforce rules because teachers have a closer relationship with students than the administration. If teachers understand and support policy changes, they can effectively help enforce these changes in the classroom. If rules come from an agreement that students and staff can respect, they appear more credible and are easier to enforce. To begin this new era of communication, Verde supports Assistant Supt. Scott Bowersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; decision to involve two Associated Student Body students, parents and teachers in the process of finding a new principal. Because our new principal will be hired with parent, student and staff input, it will be easier for this principal to be accepted in the Paly environment. Through increased communication we feel that the transition to a new principal can occur smoothly and effectively. v VERDE MAGAZINE

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Wanted: new principal to replace McEvoy The Palo Alto Unified School District is gearing up to select Principal Jacqueline McEvoy’s replacement with the help of students and the community, who are eager to find a good fit for the Paly community. Assistant Supt. Scott Bowers, director of the selection process, met with Associated Student Body representatives earlier this month to discuss their ideal replacement. “We really benefit from the input of everybody, and we want to maintain that,” Bowers said. Bowers says the district will continue to work with students and the commu-

nity to make an appropriate selection. “Right now we are talking about ASB’s goals for the process and how the process will work,” said ASB Vice President George Brown. Bowers will be working with the Principal Selection Input Committee to examine the 30 to 40 anticipated applicants. The committee will be composed of Site Council members, ASB representatives, and staff members. Bowers will meet with the Principal Selection Input committee by the beginning of April to review the input of staff and the community.

text by sarah jacobs photo by sarah henderson

Paly principal Jaqueline MacEvoy officially announced her resignation, which will take effect on June 30 and the search for a replacement has begun.

Parcelling out your money so your kids will be smart In an effort to stave off what district officials are calling “unthinkable cuts”, a new measure aiming to renew, extend, and replace the parcel tax will go before voters on May 4 in a mail-

Parcel tax campaign leader Al Yuen hopes for more money for schools.

order only election. If passed, the new parcel tax will provide Palo Alto Unified School District with $11.2 million annually for 6 years. This is a $6-per-month increase because of the state-wide budget cuts. This local funding is intended to provide PAUSD with an increase in financial stability and protect the Palo Alto taxpayer’s investment in quality education, according to the school board proposition. Al Yuen, one of the three parents leading the campaign for the parcel tax, feels that he, and many other Palo Alto parents, have much invested in the local public schools.

“I have a lot invested in the Palo Alto Unified School District,” Yuen said. “Beyond the needs of my own family, I don’t think one can live in our closeknit Palo Alto neighborhoods and not feel the desire to help whenever called upon.” If passed, the parcel tax will be enacted in June 2010 for six years. This tax will be a maximum of $589 per month for each Palo Alto property owner, with an annual 2 percent escalation, except for certain residents over 65 who can apply for an exemption according to the school board proposition. A two-thirds vote is required to pass this parcel tax. Unlike Measure A, which was

used only for construction, the money from the tax will help to avoid cuts in all schools. This includes fewer staff lay-offs, stable class sizes, protection of the art and musical programs and a continuation of staff development programs. Yuen expresses his need as an immigrant to give back to the community by supporting local schools. “I appreciate all of the blessings that my family has received in America and feel a great sense of responsibility to give back to the community,” Yuen said. text and photo by margaret kadifa VERDE MAGAZINE

Briefing Everytown no longer for everyone

New take on an old classic

to Camp Everytown last year, underThis is the first year Paly seniors will not stands why the decision was made. be able to attend Camp Everytown, a four day seminar run by “The whole reason is Silicon Valley Faces. Acthat when you come back cording to Paly resource from Camp Everytown specialist Elizabeth Muyou can make a change” Williams said. “They [the eller, seniors will not be allowed to attend because seniors] don’t really have Paly staff wants to bring time to make a change.” students who will have Junior Aisha Ahmed the most effect on the is opposed to the decision school after the program. because she believes that “We can’t take every- Paly resource specialist Elizabeth the program can help stuone who applies,” Muel- Mueller explains why seniors can dents spread the message ler said. “We take the no longer attend Everytown outside of school. kids who can have the strongest effect “They can apply it [the message] on campus.” for life and not just for Paly,” Ahmed Junior Thomas Williams, who went said. text by max cohen

Jobs, jobs, jobs galore!

By the

NUMBERS

FEBRUARY 2010

pro athlete

Graph courtesy of the Paly College and Career Center

percent of Paly students who feel pot is acceptable

psychologist

text by zachary stanton-savitz

Top three speaker requests

Chef

there wasn’t last year, according to career adviser Christina Owen. They also took into account a survey that students took, in which they voted for types of professions. Most students voted for a chef, according to the survey results. This year, the aim was also to hire dynamic speakers who can relate to students, according Owen. Signups for sessions will be available on the Paly Web site from Wednesday, Feb. 17 to Wednesday, Feb. 24 for the first week, and to Wednesday, March 3, for the second week.

Number of Requests

Free lunch and interesting discussions will be promised to students who sign up for speaker sessions occurring Monday, March 1 to Friday, March 12. Over the two-week period, called Career Week, there will be 22 sessions and presentations by a diverse group of speakers, including biologist Catherine Magill, photographer John Todd and writer Keith Raffel. The presenters were largely chosen and organized by a six-person committee, which received suggestions from parents, teachers and students. The intent was to add in some diversity in speakers that

Palo Alto High School theater teacher Kathleen Woods has a vision for Paly’s next production. This year’s second play will be a Victorianthemed adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “The idea is ‘Victorian valentine,’” Woods said. “The idea came to me because I knew I wanted our next play to look like something from the Victorian time period — lots of lace and hearts a roses. All of these images really reminded me of ‘Midsummer’.” Because the play is traditionally set in a forest, it typically utilizes a springtime, floral motif, with predominantly classical music in the background. However, Woods’ version of the play is set during the largely industrial Victorian era, and she plans to use music from a variety of different time periods to augment the setting. Senior Emily Barry, who is cast as the fairy queen Titania, predicts the play will be a success. “They [rehearsals] have been going really well. It’s been a lot of fun,” Barry said. The play opens on March 5, admission is $7 for students with ASB cards. text by emily james

billion dollars of property damage in the Bay Area from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

ge oma

Briefing

Tesla brings electric cars to Palo Alto Paly students say they are happily awaiting the arrival of a new Tesla plant in Stanford University’s Research Park. Tesla, a company that builds high performance electronic cars, will begin construction for the plant this fall. “It’s really cool that so much solar power development is occurring in our area,” Paly junior Crissi Carano said. “I’m really excited for Tesla’s arrival.” According to Deepak Ahuja, the coCFO of Tesla, Tesla will lease its location from Stanford University. “Stanford University was very excited to lease us a spot in the Stanford Research Park,” Ahuja said. “We are very excited to be in Stanford.” Tesla will transfer its manufacturing facility to the Research Park as well as its

corporate headquarters. Ahuja says that the money to build the facilities comes from the Department of Energy in Palo Alto, while the rest of the funding comes directly from Tesla. The company’s Palo Alto manufacturing facility will primarily build the electric power train in Tesla’s cars. This part contains three components: the battery pack, an electric motor, and microprocessors known as the power electronics module. According to Ahuja, the arrival of the Tesla plant will create 100 or more new jobs. “I think it enhances the image of Palo Alto as a green city to have a progressive plant like Tesla being built into Stanford,” Ahuja said. “It also helps us bring very talented engineers and employees to come work for us.” text by emily efland

Trash stinks, but Palo Alto doesn’t The City of Palo Alto has held two “We’re gonna talk trash,” said City of Palo Alto worker and Zero Waste representa- residential meetings and two commercial tive, Clay Reigel, as he introduced his pre- meetings.To understand what Palo Alto sentation about the Palo Alto recycling and residents want included the ordinance, compositing ordinance to local community two residential meetings and two commembers on Feb. 3. The Palo Alto recycling mercial meetings, which were held at the beginning of February. ordinance is an initiative to At the residential meetings, help reach the community goal Zero Waste representatives of zero waste by 2021. informed residents about the “It’s a matter of getting ordinance, and then split into the public to participate in three groups for a chance to these programs,” Reigel said, share opinions. In March, “We want to increase the parmeetings and/or online surticipation rate by education.” The ordinance will be custom- Palo Alto City worker veys will allow residents to see ized for Palo Alto and apply to Clay Reigel showcases a more concrete draft of the all community members, ac- upcoming ordinances ordinance that City Council will vote on in April or May. cording to Reigel. “Community effort, The ordinance has not yet that’s what we’re striving for,” Reigel said. been formally written because Zero Waste representatives want to incorporate commu- For more information and updates visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/zerowaste. nity ideas.

Shrinking budget shakes the city In light of the expected $10 million deficit in 2010, the Palo Alto City Council will install a series of budget cuts, notably reductions in employee benefits, department funding and infrastructure costs. “I believe we are in extraordinary times, full of uncertainty and with no assured models from the past we can presently use to predict the future,” City Manager James Keene writes in his opening letter regarding the adopted operating budget for 2010-2011. Keene proposed the tri-fold budget plan, which includes departmental and employee reductions as well as a third “bridge” solution affecting infrastructure. The Community Services Department will suffer $0.5 million in reductions, which will lead to the restructuring of the Children’s Theater middle school outreach program and more. The Police Department, with reductions of $0.2 million, will have to eliminate several positions, notably one School Resource Officer. This will eliminate the proactive programs in middle schools and reduce them at the high school level. Other departments, notably the Library Department, will also have to eliminate several positions and projects. “The City Manager Proposed Budget assumes that the decline in the economy and revenues is bottoming out, but will only slowly rebound,” Keene writes in his letter. “We have tried to build in flexibility, though, should our assumptions prove too optimistic.”

text and photo by jessica madej

84.2

percent of Paly students who have witnessed cheating

years janitor Gregorio Barela has worked at Paly

text by camille von kaenel

7.7

percent of Paly varstiy coaches who are female

VERDE MAGAZINE

Briefing

School swapping will be a-okay The specific schools that will be affected by California “Race to the Top” legislation remain unclear, Senator Joe Simitian said during a meeting on Jan 27. At the meeting, Simitian tried to predict the depth that education funding will be affected next year. “Race to the Top” is a proposed emergency education bill that will provide $4.35 billion to various school districts in California. If they fit the requirements, parents will have the option to send their children to other schools. “The bottom 1,000 worst performing schools will need to send out notices to parents advising them of the option to transfer out of the school, but there can be no more than 10 percent of any district’s schools on the list,” said Lauren Janov, advocacy chair for the Parent Teacher Association. Schools will announce on March 1 whether they accept transfer students or not, and at the end of this year they will announce if they have received transfer requests. text by mira khanna

If you make it, come flaunt it

Here’s a date to remember for anyone who makes creative projects: Feb. 28. This is the deadline for submissions to You Made it! Jamboree, an event organized by the Palo Alto Council of Parent Teacher Association’s with support from the Palo Alto Art Center that aims to showcase the creativity of students from the PAUSD. “The idea is to let kids share their creative projects,” said Paly junior Ava Dordi junior Ava submission Dordi, who submitted a Web comic strip to Jamboree. “And to look around, explore, and see what other people have done.” The event organizers encourage any K-12 student with innovative creations to fill out an entry form on the event’s Web site, www.youmadeitjamboree.com. “[We want] anything that students created themselves, whether it be artistic, technological, mechanical, robotic, or even something else we’ve

never even thought about,” said Roxane Mehta, the Arts Chair for PTA Council and a parent organizer of the event. The non-competitive event will be held at the Palo Alto Art Center in conjunction with the Youth Art Show on May 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “This is our first year, so we have no idea what to expect,” Mehta said. “But we’re optimistic that it will be successperfects her comic for ful and we can continue in following years,” Mehta said. The event will feature performances by student bands and the Paly Bhangra Club, as well as other activities, in addition to presenting the student creations. “I think it will be pretty interesting to see what kinds of creative projects other students have done,” Dordi said. text and photo by manon von kaenel

Local filmmakers support going green Submissions for the Greenlight Film Festival of the previous years. He also was a judge for will be accepted until Friday, March 26. The submissions for Grades 6-8 last year. “It’s been a festival will showcase short environmentally really cohesive event,” Rapaport said. “It’s been concious films made by local filmmakers on really together.” Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in the CubberSubmissions are judged on creativity and ley Theater. Admission to the event is free. ability to get the environmental message across Any genre of film will be accepted. among other things, according to the The City People may submit videos into three of Palo Alto Web site. A three-person panel will categories. Videos from students in grades judge the submissions, according to Fisher. One 6-8 will compete in their own category, as person will be a student like Rapaport, another will 9-12 graders’ videos. There will also be will be a professional filmmaker and the third A freeze frame from The Silent Coductor an open category for all other ages. Judges by filmmaker Arianna Tamaddon that will will be an environmentalist. will choose five finalists from each category premiere on April 15. “It [the festival] is meant to inspire youth to be displayed at the festival, according to to share ways to reduce impact on the environBecca Fisher, the Community Media Center youth services coor- ment... [and to] inspire love for media making,” Fisher said. dinator. Last year, there were five finalists per category chosen out The Palo Alto Weekly, the Peninsula Community Media Cenof a total of 69 entrants. According to the event poster, more than ter and the cities of Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and San Jose will sponsor $1,000 in cash prizes will be awarded. organize the festival. text by manon von kaenel Junior Wes Rapaport submitted films to the festival for all four 12

FEBRUARY 2010

Briefing

Flag ceremony kicks off Black History Month Associated Student Body President Kevin Ward and the Unity Club have planned a series of events to celebrate Black History Month and African American culture throughout February, many of which will occur for the first time in Paly history. First, on Feb. 5, ASB organized a flag-raising ceremony for the red, black and green Pan-African flag, symbolic of the diversity of African culture. According to Ward, the ceremony also served as an opportunity to celebrate Marcus Gavey’s work in founding the Universal Negro Improvement Association, an organization instrumental in promoting black pride and racial unity. Secondly, the Paly dance team performed African inspired choreography on Feb. 10 at the quad during lunch. In addition, on Feb.19, ASB will host an historical poetry reading and open mic night to celebrate black culture. Third, the Paly Reads book club, lead by Rachel Kellerman will be reading “Black Profiles on

Courage” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which are stories about heroic African-Americans. Finally, Paly’s Black History Month will culminate in an awards ceremony for African American students on Feb. 25, an event that has never before occurred at Paly, according to Ward. Also, the Unity Club and Thespian Club are working together to present a staged reading of August Wilson’s play, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 in the Haymarket Theatre. With the help of Paly teacher Leticia Burton and the Unity Club, Ward decided to organize these series of events because he thinks that is important to publicly celebrate black culture. He believes that history is a shared experience. “History includes all people and should be celebrated,” Ward said. “It reminds us of who we are.”

text and photo by asha albuquerque

Paly students kick off Black HIstory Month by participating in the first annual flag Pan-African raising cermony on the quad on Feb. 5. The festivites will continue throughout the month of Februrary..

New jam-packed freshmen curriculum adds journalism Palo Alto High School English teacher and Campanile adviser Esther Wojcicki and her colleagues are starting the second semester of a new program to revolutionize English classes at Paly, and across the nation. She is piloting the program of making journalism part of the curriculum with her two Critical Thinking 1 classes. Wojcicki envisions English classes that are as relevent as current Beginning Journalism classes. “Students aren’t just writing about books, but about things in their environment,” Wojcicki said. She is working with the United States Department of Education and a few foundations with the hope that the program will be implemented nationwide. Wojcicki’s class spends several days a week on journalism and several days on English. Students will learn to write in four styles: news, features, reviews, and opinion. Wojcicki has already covered reviews, with a class trip to Hobee’s and Trader Joe’s.

They will also learn to take advantage of online resources, notably Google tools, according to Wojcicki. Most students enjoy Wojcicki’s curriculum “The journalism adds variety,” freshman Matt Ersted said. “We learn a lot, but it’s fun.” Freshman Alisa Gleen said “we get to write more than just essays, I like that they [the journalism and the English] are both in my English class.” By moving her classes at a fast pace, Wojcicki plans to complete all of the normal English requirements. The students have already read the required number of books for ninth grade English, according to Wojcicki. Though the current journalism program already encompasses about 300 students and five publications, Wojcicki wants more of the student body to benefit from the program. “It’s exciting to be in fun classes,” Wojcicki said. “They [her students] write about things they care about.” text by magaret kadifa VERDE MAGAZINE

Y L A PSpeaks

How do you think the world will have changed by the end of the next decade?

TREVOR LOVELESS SENIOR u “Global warming will definitely affect how we use fossil fuels, so there will be a greater effort towards solar-powered cars.”

ANDREW COX-KOULMAN FRESHMAN u “There will be a lot more solar-powered cars.”

5 QUESTIONS WITH LAUNCH MY LINE’S KATHY ROSE Kathy Rose, the winner of Bravo’s “Launch My Line”, a reality TV show that features aspiring designers, talks with Verde about her experience. BY MARY VERICAT 1. WHO MADE YOU INTERESTED IN FASHION DESIGN AND JEWELRY? WHO ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS? I became interested in jewelry while on set filming. I also am an actor/comedian but my first love and passion. I started designing while working part time at a jewelry store, but I always had a love for jewelry. I was in awe of stones and they had living properties and frequency. My inspiration comes form nature, my kids, my culture. ION FROM DESIGNING JEWELRY TO DESIGNING CLOTHES? It’s so different. It has not been a struggle because the world is my oyster. I get to design clothes and jewelry now. 3. HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED FROM BEING ON “LAUNCH MY LINE”? The experience on “Launch my Line” was incredible. I kept my integrity; thats the only thing that kept me grounded. 4. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BEST PARTS OF BEING ON THE SHOW? The people I have met and seeing myself is surreal. It’s hard to watch but I’m proud I kept my artistic integrity! 5. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HARDEST PARTS OF BEING ON THE SHOW? The hardest part of the show was being away from my kids, no sleep, not having enough time to decide what I was going to wear. These are all shallow problems but relevant when you are being filmed on HD TV on zero sleep. But I feel blessed. I am so grateful I had this opportunity to create. 14

FEBRUARY 2010

REBECCA DEHOVITZ, SENIORq "There’ll be video cameras on cell phones so that when you call someone, you’ll be able to see them.”

HAN

te ha

VER

In 2006, Verde staff writer Anna W why Paly students started particip “Get Squashed” by Anna Widera from Volume 7, Issue 4, April 2006

The cold, white illuminates the room’s s tense, confined into their boxes, staring in of the people just outside the one clear wa or animals in a zoo. But one quick motion outside and concentrate on winning the p be expected. Long a bastion of East Coast and Euro set, squash is quickly growing in populari with courts and the abundance of college only raquet sport that is actually growing, sport of the elite, as most players earn mo Junior Molly Kagel is one of the few P athletes get involved in the future. “I wish it without knowing anything about it,” sh

P O T

HANA SCHWARTZ, JUNIOR u “We’ll probably be more technologically advanced and have faster communication. Hopefully there will be better environmental conservation.”

qPRIYA KSHIRSAGAR, JUNIOR

q MAX GRUSKY, SOPHOMORE “We’ll be using less public transportation.”

VERDE VAULT

ter Anna Widera decided to look into the sport of squash and ed participating in this sport:

"Apple will put drugs in iPods tha will go into people’s brains and control their minds so we’ll all become laborers in a giant mechanical society.”

INSIDE THE OFFICE OF

SUSAN ANTINK BY CAMILLE VON KAENEL

il 2006

the room’s stark emptiness, its bare walls and high ceiling. Two figure wait, xes, staring intently at the wall in front of them. Unable to hide from the eyes one clear wall behind them, they now know how fish feel in an aquarium, quick motion and their tension melts away. Both quickly forget the people winning the point. Squash is, after all, a competitive game, and onlookers are to

oast and European sport culture, especially among the well-heeled country club g in popularity on the West Coast, driven by the prevalence of health clubs ce of college teams. According to Racquet Industry Magazine, squash is the ally growing, based on gear sales and court construction. However, it remains a yers earn more than $100,000 per year, according to RIM. of the few Paly students who plays the game, and she hopes to see more uture. “I wish more people would know about squash, so they wouldn’t ridicule about it,” she says. “It’s fun, and really not that complicated.”

PARTY THEMES 1. GUIDOS AND GUIDETTES - The Jersey Shore craze begs for a response. 2. ARABIAN NIGHTS - Because who doesn’t love dressing up like Aladdin? 3. MATHLETES vs. ATHLETES - Easy and fun: get geek’d up again or break out those Nikes. 4. MASQUERADE - Filled with old time glamour, and it’s never been done before! 5. AROUND THE WORLD - This one’s educational; everyone dresses up in a different culture’s clothing.

1. Susan Antink in her office in the MRC. 2. Kathleen Himmelberger gave Antink an eggplant ornament in honor of her eggplant talk in Calculus. 3. “I love Melissa Earthridge,” Antink says. “I have to have her pictures everywhere.” 4. Antink’s “moocoo” clock

5 5. Antink’s husband created this stained glass piece of a duck for his father. It was eventually moved to Antink’s office. VERDE MAGAZINE

POST-IT ART sagar, a Kshir

Priy

Verde asked Paly students to draw what the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics means to them. Fariha Beig, 9th

Tobey

11th

Nelsa n

-Gal,

11th

Alicia

Gal, 1 0

ulik, 9th Charlie D Max Najork, 10th

0th u, 1

nz t We e r a g Mar

FLOODING The recent weather has caused traffic jams outside the library and plenty of wet feet. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow.

WINTER FORMAL The annual winter dance was canceled due to a low record of ticket sales. Enough said. 16

FEBRUARY 2010

DJ ABUNAI Senior Evan Gitterman’s beats are sick, and everyone seems to be noticing. MCEVOY’S DEPARTURE The recent news of her resignation angered some, but thrilled others.

COLLEGES The number of applicants to many schools has almost doubled, making this year the toughest ever for college-bound seniors.

PAL-GLEE CONCERT Paly Choir’s Glee-inspired performance was highlyattended and recieved rave reviews.

WOULD YOU RATHER WITH... Sophomore ISRAEL HAKIM Senior DINA FILLER

OR go on a date with Mr. Berkson get egged

I I

not have Facebook for a week

I D

dance on the deck alone

I D

date someone older wear Crocs

I I

D D

go on a date with Mr. Feinburg streak and get chased by Mary not use your phone for a week sing on the deck alone

D D

date someone younger

eat a Cheesehouse sandwich for lunch everyday

go barefoot

eat Kara’s cupcakes for breakfest everyday

spend a day with Mary

D I D D I D I

live in a world without pockets attend a Paly basketball game streak through the middle of the quad be a great surfer

I D

choose to listen to only one good song for the rest of your life only be able to whisper

I D I D

OVER HEARD

POLITICAL CARTOON

spend a day with Reese live in a world without shoelaces attend a Paly football game hug everyone on campus be a great chef listen only to 80s music for the rest of your life

only be able to yell

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO... • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly Your Love is My Drug - Ke$ha Tie Me Down - New Boys feat. Ray J Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival Lucky - Britney Spears Little Secrets - Passion Daylight - Matt & Kim Do You Remember - Jay Sean Telephone - Beyonce & Lady GaGa Shut it Down - Pitbull feat. Akon Waterfall - TLC All the Small Things - Blink-182

“One of us has separation anxiety.”

“I’d be rippin’ my jacket and hide something in it.”

“I want her to like me.”

“Open up.”

“Oh my god, you are such a bad girl!” VERDE MAGAZINE

BRUC

PERSPECTIVES

“WE SHALL OVERCOME” 20 A NEW KIND OF PRINCESS 21 THE MORE THE MERRIER 22

PROVING THE POINT

Cartoon By Harry Nordlinger

PERSPECTIVE

“We Shall Overcome” Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day’s significance Text by ASHA ALBUQUERQUE Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

ore than 500 people of varying race, gender, religion and age came together in a vibrant harmony at the United Methodist Church’s annual multi-faith celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day last month. People linked arms and swayed to “We Shall Overcome” in a powerful reminder of how courage and strength can allow us to transcend the barriers and difficulties that plague us to this day. Even MLK himself experienced a reincarnation at the multi-faceted celebration. Palo Alto High School senior Alex Freeman imbibed King’s subtle inflections and overpowering voice as he delivered a heart-stopping rendition of King’s “I have a dream” speech. While some Paly students may view MLK day as simply a well-appreciated break from school, the day has symbolic importance for many in Palo Alto who did not always live in a time when schools are integrated and people of all races can enjoy equal political and social rights. MLK day is always a reminder of how far we have come towards achieving racial equality and a reminder of how many obstacles we still have yet to surpass, such as the achievement gap. LaDoris H. Cordell, one of the first African-American judges in California and a speaker at the event, reminded audience members of a time when East Palo Alto residents had very little to be happy about. According to Cordell, East Palo Alto’s only high school closed back in 1975 and East Palo Alto teenagers had to be bussed into schools in the surrounding communities. “The drop-out rate in East Palo Alto was 65 percent,” Cordell says. “Most people who did graduate didn’t go to college.” Fortunately, Stanford University student Chris Bischof realized that the catastrophic situation could not continue. Upset by the lack of education opportunities in East Palo Alto, he started Eastside College Preparatory School in 1996. The school first consisted of Bischof and eight ninth-graders meeting at a picnic table. 20

FEBRUARY 2010

However, according to Cordell, the school has now grown to 255 students from 6th to 12th grades. “One hundred percent of the kids from Eastside Prep go on to a four-year college including Stanford, Princeton, Amherst, Tufts and Yale,” Cordell says enthusiastically. Even Paly, a school in a relatively affluent community, has a drastically lower percentage of students who choose to go on to a four-year university, at 79 percent, according to the Paly College and Career Center. But the efforts of junior Tremaine Kirkman may increase this percentage because of his work in crossing the achievement gap. Kirkman is president of the Student Equity Action Network, an organization that aims to increase the percentage of minority students that attend four-year colleges. According to Kirkman, the group has planned small study group sessions and is attempting to change Paly graduation requirements so that they are in line with those of Californian universities. Cordell hopes that more individuals will be inspired by the work of MLK and will attempt to try for social progress in any way they can. “Social progress never rolls on wheels

inevitably,” Cordell says. “Progress rolls with the persistent hard work of dedicated individuals.” Joan Baez, a well-known folk singer and political activist, who graduated from Paly in 1958, sang and spoke at the event. She is one of those few, rare individuals who embody MLK’s courage, and strive to make his dream a reality. Discontent to simply sing for entertainment and profit, Baez understood the significance of using her voice to strive for freedom. According to Cordell, Baez stood with César Chávez, walked with MLK, participated in the 1963 March for Washington and wrote songs that expressed her political beliefs and vision of peace. “She gives us all the courage to rise up and continue to march,” Cordell says. Baez first met King when she was 16, and she has many memories of listening to him speak and singing at his demonstrations. She reminisced about how one day in Grenada, Missisp., King was running late for a public meeting on integration so he asked her to attend and sing until he arrived. “Little, black kids were having bricks thrown at them and their parents because of the government trying to integrate the schools,” Baez says. “He [King] hoped that my presence would bring the press so the white people would quit throwing stones.” However, in spite of all the progress the civil rights movement brought to racial equality, Baez feels that African-Americans still have many struggles and difficulties in daily life. Cordell advises local youth to learn from MLK’s heroism and complete one courageous act every day. “Heroes don’t need to shed blood,” she says, adding that having a dream of a better world and the faith that your dream will one day become reality is the catalyst of change. “Real faith starts with the first step even when you can’t see the staircase,” Cordell says. v

PERSPECTIVE

A New Kind of Princess Audiences see the portrayl of minorities in “The Princess and the Frog” as both controversial and revolutionary Text by KIANNA EVANS Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

“

The Princess and the Frog”, released in December, is the newest edition to the long line of timeless Disney movies, but this movie has brought with it a lot of controversy. On one side of the issue, people are happy that Disney introduced an ethnically diverse cast of characters. However, the other side believes that the characters are portrayed in an offensive way. The movie is loosely based off of E.D Baker’s novel, “The Frog Princess” and the Grimm brother’s fairy tale, “The Frog Prince.” However, this movie is set in the 1920s in the French Quarter of New Orleans. In the film, a young African American girl named Tiana dreams to open her own restaurant in New Orleans. When she finally believes her dream may come true, she is discouraged when the evil Dr. Facilier turns her into a frog. Tiana and Prince Naveen, who suffers the same misfortune, must go on a journey to be turned back into humans. Critics have expressed concern over the movies’ representation of races. But Disney is due for a new movie that breaks the typical model of a Disney princess. It is a known fact that Disney has had a long history of making classic movies with predominantly white characters, such as “Snow White” and “The Little Mermaid”. “The Princess and the Frog” is an attempt by Disney to add some much needed diversity to its collection. This is the first movie where the main characters are black and one of the characters is Latino. However, if Disney keeps making minority characters common, then people would not be so surprised whenever these types of movies are released. This movie is opening the door for more Disney films to represent other minorities. Along with Jasmine, Pocahontas and Mulan, Tiana is the fourth minority leading character. The film’s attempt to be more diverse does not however, come without complaints. The movie still represents many stereotypes about the black and Cajun communities. Tiana is the daughter of a seamstress who makes fancy clothing for rich white families.

Again, this is the common example of the poor black family working for the rich white family. However, this is a step up from what the Disney writers originally had planned. According to the article “Disney first: black princess in animated film” reported by MSNBC, Tiana was supposed to be a chambermaid named Maddy, which has historic roots as being a slave name. However, because of the movie’s time period, this characterization would not be inaccurate. Also, critics such as Vicky Chang from OC Weekly felt that the original name Maddy was too closely related to slavery and takes away from the movie being an innocent family film. Another criticism is that the Cajun firefly named Ray is portrayed to be illiterate with a very scarce amount of teeth. This portrayal is a common derogatory stereotype of the Cajun community. The organization CODOFIL which stands for Counsel for the Development of French Louisiana, believes that this type of characterization only furthers the continuation of stereotyping of the Cajun people. CODOFIL president Warren Perrin said to New Orleans Movie News: “It has been done in so many movies over so much time, people think that’s the way we are and it’s just wrong. They have portrayed us as backward, illiterate people who fart.” In Hollywood, nothing is perfect and writers tend to build characterizations based on generalizations; this way people can feel as though they relate to the characters or understand them. But this technique also feeds stereotypes and can anger people. However, “The Princess and the Frog” is still a positive attempt by Disney toward making the effort to represent another portion of society. And despite the questionable portrayls of certain races, the movie is really well done. The music is soulful and uplifting and the setting of New Orleans provided a lot of rich culture to the film. Despite previous objections to the film, people should still go see it because it is entertaining and was made with good intentions. This film is a great addition to the long line of Disney classics. v VERDE MAGAZINE

PERSPECTIVE

The More the Merrier Why our multiple publications benefit both student readers and writers Text by EMMA TUCHER Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

ptions: everyone loves them. Whether it’s between Paly with daily updates on the goings-on of Paly. Those against several publications might say that there is too Cheerios and Frosted Flakes in the morning or Harvard and Cal, everyone loves a choice. I love frozen yogurt much repetition; however with so many different writers, angles because of all of the choices; they are almost overwhelming... al- and opinions; each source brings something new to the story. “Because of our unique program, Paly looks more like a big most. Whether to pick strawberries or M&Ms, chocolate or vanilla, Red Mango or Yogurt Stop, the choices are endless. Likewise, va- news syndicate in the way we can follow a story,” Austin says. riety is what makes Palo Alto High School’s journalism program “Breaking news can appear on The Voice, be covered a week later as an in depth news piece by Campy [The so beneficial; there is something for Campanile], and show up with a feature everyone. angle in Verde.” Whether a student is artistic, athReporters should cover issues more letic, opinionated, creative or newsthan once. Each individual journalist crazy, there is a publication for him brings a new angle and style. The Voice or her. Paly’s publications cover a covered Egg Wars suspensions immedidiverse spectrum of issues and topics ately and Verde followed up with coverproviding students with the opportuage on the effects that a suspension from nity to participate in something they egg wars could have on college admission. are passionate about, whether that is Paly publications are like the real world football or photography. of journalism: people compete for stories This year, I began my Paly journaland we learn to be creative with different ism career as a member of The Viking. angles. With more publications, reporters However, after a lot of soul searchcan cover a broader range of topics and ing, I realized that I did not want to stories can go more in depth. only write about sports. Thanks to the “Look at any major news story in the many options offered by Paly, I was national news and you will see the same able to reconsider and choose a pubsort of news cycle,” Austin says. “Stories lication better suited for me. aren’t repeating; they are evolving. That is Having more than one mainjournalism.” stream news source means students With the variety of publications, there constantly receive new perspectives are more positions available to Beginning on a range of topics. A plethora of Journalism students. According to guidoptions allows student writers to foance counselor Lue Phelps, 58 students cus on stories they are enthusiastic OPTIONS Paly offers six journalism staffs, proare enrolled in Beginning Journalism this about and students to read more dividing students with many choices. semester alone. verse stories. “Campanile normally has around 60 to 70 staff members and “We are one of the luckiest communities in the country to have so much journalism,” says Beginning Journalism teacher and The each year we have to turn some people away,” Campanile advisor Viking adviser Ellen Austin. “Sometimes I think our community Esther Wojcicki says. “Verde was created due to the excess numbers does not realize the astonishing amount of quality journalism and of Campanile students. There were 85, and that was too many, so I exceptional writing that having a family of publications brings to took 25 people and placed them in Verde.” There is less competition to be on a staff because Paly has so this school.” The publications cover a range of topics and depth. The Paly many publications. If you sign up and have completed the prereqVoice brings easy access and unbiased news through its Web site. uisites, you can more easily join. If there were only one publication, The Viking documents Paly’s athletic endeavors. The Campanile competition would be much higher. Many students would miss the provides Paly with a professional newspaper on a range of top- opportunity to experience journalism. “I think that Paly kids bring a civic engagement and a quest for ics. Verde focuses on in-depth features, culture, and news stories. Madrono provides a space for students to compile Paly’s favorite answers which makes journalism a natural intellectual fit for many memories of the year. In Focus, the broadcast news source, provides kids,” Austin says. v 22

FEBRUARY 2010

PROFILES

LIFE IN MOTION 24 FEELING THE HEAT 26 IN PLANE SIGHT 27

STORIES OF THE FACES IN THE HALLS

TAKING FLIGHT Palo Alto Adult School’s Aircraft Maintainence Technician program has been running since World War II. Now, it’s closing for good. (pg. 27)

PROFILE

Life in Motion Palo Alto High SchoolJuniors pursue the art of dance

Text by ANABEL HOMNACK Photography Courtesy of NONA YBARRA

DREAM TEAM

Juniors Letty Kerman (left) and Noa Dagan (right) have danced together since they were seven years old at Captivating Dance by Nona in Menlo Park. 24

FEBRUARY 2010

egin in starting position, bend both legs, spring up, turn and control the landing. The soft pink chiffon skirts flutter to the side of their legs as they land in perfect synchrony. The steps of the pirouette have been embedded into the minds of Palo Alto High School junior dancers Noa Dagan and Letty Kerman since childhood. Dagan and Kerman have been dancing at a small studio, Captivating Dance by Nona, in Menlo Park since age nine. Dagan practices ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and contemporary, 15 to 20 hours a week. This rigorous schedule makes dance play a fundamental role in her life. “Her commitment to the discipline of dance is what has made her such a strong performer,” Dagan’s teacher Nona Ybarra says. “She sweats, pushes and drives the other students in my class to become stronger dancers.” Dagan has performed in countless shows and competitions throughout her dancing career. Because of her hard work and commitment, dance has given her many opportunities such as performing for senior citizens at an elderly home, dancing to the “I Have a Dream” speech at a memorial service, and being taught by many well-known choreographers. “Probably my favorite outside choreographers that we have gotten the privilege to dance with are Ryan Ramirez, Kaitlyn

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Dagan at Kids Artistic Review at San Mateo High School; Kerman at Santa Clara Dance Competition; Dagan and Kerman with teammates at Santa Clara Dance Competition. Conley and Helen Estrella,” Dagan says. Dagan loves both the exhilaration of being on the stage and the feeling she gets from dancing in the studio with her team. “I guess I’m at that point with dance where it actually is such a large part of my life that I wouldn’t know what to do if I ever stopped dancing,” Dagan says. “Noa is a more contemporary dancer and is an amazing performer,” Ybarra says. “She has a style to the way she dances that makes her the dancer that everyone remembers.” Kerman, another student at Captivating Dance by Nona, has had a long commitment to dance, from tap dancing at age two, to jazz and contemporary at age 16. Kerman dances an average of 18 hours per week and has competed in 40 regional and seven national competitions. “The competitions usually lsat for six

hours the next morning. The competitions are tiring, but very rewarding,” Kerman says. Through dance, Kerman has formed many close friendships and found influential role models. She looks up to her teacher Nona and is continuously inspired by the girls she dances with everyday. “You become a family because of all the hours you put in a day,” Kerman says. “The hardest thing is watching the seniors leave, especially when they have been my closest friends. When they return home and all of us get together, it’s a true family reunion.” Kerman loves dance because it is an art in which she can express herself and release emotion, similar to writing and talking. Kerman received the privilege of dancing at a well-known dance studio in Los Angeles called Millenium.

“Letty [Kerman] has excelled in all styles of dance and is a very strong tap dancer,” Ybarra says. “She has an amazing lyrical quality that can not be duplicated, which makes her stand out above the rest.” Both Dagan and Kerman hope to major in dance at college and ultimately become either choreographers or dance teachers. Kerman also hopes to try out for the show “So You Think You Can Dance” when she becomes eligible and become a professional dancer. “I think that if they want to dance in their future they have the skills to do so, but ultimately it’s their choice,” Ybarra says. “They both have matured into amazing dancers and young women that motivate and inspire the other dancers they come in contact with. As a teacher I can’t be prouder of these two wonderful girls.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

PROFILE

Feeling the Heat The Palo Alto Fire Department struggles to make ends meet with an ever-shrinking budget Text by WHITNEY DRAZOVICH and RYAN FLANAGAN Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

he new truck was exactly what they needed. Its sleek, scarlet metal gleamed in the afternoon sun. Capt. Bill Dale says only one thing was missing from this otherwise perfect piece of equipment. Where the Palo Alto Fire Department’s insignia should be, there is only a blank space. This truck is only on loan to the department, as the department struggles to find the funds to buy the truck. The truck is just one item that the department needs as Palo Alto budget cuts take a toll on all aspects of the fire department.

Services operating budget, Dale says. This budget pays for necessary supplies, such as splints or bandages. This situation has been exacerbated by the climbing prices of the essential supplies.

The effects of the budget As a result of the limited budget, positions have been frozen and there is limited staffing available. Without funding, they have been unable to give promotional tests to fill positions.The budget has prevented the fire department from additional safety measures, including specialized training for the firefighters and replacing old equipment or upgrading to more effective gear. Shrinking revenue, expanding services “No one is angry about the budget,” On Jan. 11, all Palo Alto city departments suffered from a 12 percent Bloom says. “Everyone notices the situation the city is in and budget reduction. they love their jobs. This was done in an “Money is running too thin. effort to absorb the We have to do too much with But if we don’t get equipment to do city’s current $8.5 the job, there is a million debt. This too little.” significant impact cut amounted to —RICHARD BLOOM, DEPUTY CHIEF OF on the morale and the fire department OPERATIONS safety.” losing $60,000 from The department recently replaced a fire its budget, according to Richard Bloom, Deputy Chief of Operations. This is the truck that was so outdated it broke the city’s fifth year Palo Alto’s eight fire departments own rules for safety, according to Dale. “It was the oldest truck in the richest have been operating without an increase to their budget, Bloom says. Services, however, city,” Dale says. “We live in a beautiful have been expanding, according to Bloom. community that deserves service; the In 2005, the fire department received 6,200 budget can be a morale killer.” More importantly, money for necessary emergency calls. By the end of 2008, that annual number had climbed to 7,200 calls. equipment is running low. “The stuff that keeps us alive, all the Stations must also comply with certain tools come from the budget in the city,” mandates that are dictated by the state. “Money is running too thin,” Bloom Dale says. However, the firefighters stress that the says. “We have to do too much with too community is not receiving a lower quality little.” For Dale’s entire 24-year career as a of service. “They could provide us with two sticks firefighter and a paramedic, there has been no increase in the Emergency Medical and a bicycle, and we would still do the job, 26

FEBRUARY 2010

and get it done well,” Dale says. “Many of us did other things before fire fighting for more money, but we gave those occupations up because we love giving back; we love our job. We truly make a difference.” Other sources of income With decreased budgetary sources from the city, the department is scavenging for other sources of income. An option that the firefighters have considered is obtaining a bond measure in which every property owner would pay an extra $25 annually on their property tax. While this would open up a much needed revenue stream, the department is cautious of a potential political backlash. “We know that the community supports us, but we have chosen not to tap into that,” Bloom says. “We have to be careful because of the political climate.” The city of Palo Alto has traditionally opposed large superstores such as Ikea or Walmart, but a balance between big businesses and community-owned stores could help build a tax base of funding for all city departments and strengthen infrastructure, according to Dale. Looking forward According to Bloom, about 40 percent of the city’s entire operating budget is from Palo Alto’s sales tax. The cost of emergency services is lower than the state average. “I would encourage people to shop in Palo Alto and buy in Palo Alto, instead of going to Ikea or Costco in other cities,” Bloom says. It is important to remember not to take the emergency services for granted when evaluating the budget. “We are not a luxury division,” Bloom says. “We do what we do to protect and serve citizens to keep them safe.” v

PROFILE

In Plane Sight The closing of an aircraft technician school marks the end of an era Text by ALLISON CHANG Photography by ALLISON CHANG and SARAH HENDERSON

FIT FOR A KING This airplane, the Queen Air, rests in the back of room 904. In 1969, the Aircraft Maintenance Technician School built the Queen Air as a private airplane for the King of Holland.

n the dusty depths of Palo Alto High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room 904 lie wonders unknown to the typical Paly student: airplanes. With their long, rusty propellers and sleek wings, these planes are fully capable of flight. Their size is astonishing, not large enough to fly an entire economy class, but enormous nevertheless. The room is capacious, but unkempt. Propellers hang from the walls, and unidentifiable pieces of metal are arranged in haphazard piles. Rusty blue lockers hang unevenly distributed along the walls, and broken pieces of plane engines are

scattered about. Behind two disorganized bookshelves and various art projects sit 27 desks, lined up in rows of three, facing a chalkboard and a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desk. This classroom, like many others at Paly, is reserved for the Palo Alto Adult School, particularly the Aircraft Maintenance Technician School, which uses the Paly campus every day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Aircraft Maintenance Technician School has been in operation at Paly since the beginning of World War II, and has been consistently running every year thereafter. However, due to decreasing enrollment

and insufficient funding, the adult school will permanently close the program on June 4. Room 904 will also be destroyed to make room for new building projects at Paly. Subsequently, new generations of hopefuls will no longer be able to pursue their aviation careers in Palo Alto. In the two-year program, students train rigorously to become aviation technicians. Additionally, the Aircraft Maintenance Technician School is a government-approved program, meaning the government evaluates the program and guarantees that the program has sufficient VERDE MAGAZINE

equipment to cover all the subject areas. “To work on any aircraft, you have to have a license first,” says Don Reehl, instructor and designated mechanics examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. “That’s what I teach here: all the FAA requirements to get a license.” The program is divided into three consecutive sections: the Airframe Section, which focuses on the airplane itself, the Powerplant Section, which focuses solely on plane engines and the General Section, which focuses on the math, physics and fundamentals of aircraft mechanics. “Right now in Airframe, we’re doing painting and aircraft finishing, and we’re exploring different kinds of chemicals used for preparing the surfaces of the planes,” says Robert Borregard, an instructor of the program. “In Powerplant, we’re doing fuel systems, disassembling and reinstalling fuel pumps of aircraft engines.” Each section corresponds to a different license, with the General Section applicable to both airframe and powerplant licenses. In each section, instructors lecture for half of the class and students take apart and put together airplanes for the next half. Licensed aircraft mechanics must obtain both licenses and pass every test given. After taking the course, they must pass the Airman’s Knowledge Exam, a computerized test which serves as a precursor to the FAA license exam. The FAA license exam is composed of an oral portion and practical applications with real airplanes. Applicants must take a daunting number of tests. However, the tests are necessary to ensure that each aviation mechanic is thoroughly prepared for real situations in the field. “This is the way it has to be,” Reehl says. “The program is intense, but if an aircraft breaks down on the side of the road, trust me, you don’t want to walk home. The program prepares the students pretty well for all the tests. As a matter of fact, this year we have a 100-percent passing rate on every test so far.” Despite the program’s success, enrollment has steadily declined, and has forced the Palo Alto Adult School to cut the program. “Sadly, the program is ending because we don’t have enough resources to maintain it,” says Kara Rosenberg, principal of Palo Alto Adult School. “A significant difficulty has been getting enough students to keep 28

FEBRUARY 2010

IN CLASS Student Nader Awatla prepares his piston and cylinder for a painting and finishing job. After this semester, Awatla will be eligible for an airframe license. it going. The building will be demolished when construction begins for the new career tech building at Paly. ” The program has also faced budget cuts, exacerbated by the lack of students. “The state was funding [the program] before,” Borregard says. “But with the budget shortage, they’ve stopped paying that.” Just two years ago, there were 21 students in each section, totaling 63 students in the program. In a stark contrast, this year’s enrollment has dropped to a mere 11 students overall, with six students

in Airframe, three in Powerplant, and only two in General. In a span of almost 70 years, the Aircraft Maintenance Technician School has helped thousands of aspiring aircraft technicians fulfill their careers, and has ultimately served its purpose in furthering education in the field of aviation. “It’s a good program, but there are just not enough students to support it right now,” Borregard says. “So between the funding, the enrollment and the location problems, it seems like we’re going away, for now at least.” v

A LONG HISTORY The Apache sits, waiting to be repaired. Students often practice taking apart and rebuilding airplanes on this plane, which was manufactured in 1944. “It was built for pilots to use during World War II,” says Instructor Robert Borregard.

FEATURES GOING BENEATH THE SURFACE

RACE AND SPORTS 30 A WOMAN’S TOUCH 33 CLEAN SWEEP 35 ARRIVE ALIVE 36 WHEN 5 IS FIRE ENGINE RED 38 HOOKING UP 41 ON THE FAULT LINE 44 RESISTING RESTRICTIONS 46 ARTSPEAK SPEAKS UP 48 CAUGHT IN THE ACT 50

HOOKING UP In the feature section, Verde investigates the new trends of casual sex at Paly and looks at how national trends in hooking up have changed over time. (pg. 41)

FEATURE

Race and Sports The role of race in team composition at Paly Text by CAMILLE VON KAENEL Photo Illustration by SARAH HENDERSON Infographics by CAMILLE VON KAENEL

s the rest of the Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity soccer team does drills in after school practice, passing and dribbling, freshman Erin Chang jumps up and stretches to catch the soccer ball with her goalie gloves. Smiling, she throws the ball back to her teammate. Not only is Chang the only freshman 30

FEBRUARY 2010

on the varsity soccer team, but she is also the only Asian-American. “This sport is usually seen as dominated by whites,” she says. However, she says her race has not impacted her sport in any way. Some Paly sports teams follow racial trends, though to a lesser degree than teams in professional leagues. These patterns may

affect Paly athletes’ choices of sports, but students insist they do not let race affect relationships with team members.

How noticeable is race in Paly sports? Racial trends are clearly noticeable in

certain professional sports, notably basketball and football, which are largely comprised of black athletes. A study led by the Racial and Gender Report Card shows that 66 percent of National Football League players are black and 31 percent are Caucasian. The same study shows that 76 percent of National Basketball Association players are black and 20 percent Caucasian. At Paly, the trends are less accentuated. Paly’s own varsity football team is 27 percent black and 57 percent Caucasian. Similarly, the boys’ varsity basketball team is 64 percent Caucasian and 27 percent black. Junior Katerina Peterson, a Caucasian member of the girls’ varsity basketball team, attributes much of the level of diversity in the various basketball teams she has played on to California’s diversity. “Since California’s residents are very diverse, it is easier to find a lot of different groups of people who play the sport,” she says. “But in general you can pretty much guarantee that there is a black player on the team.” Of her own team at Paly, Peterson says that about half of the team is black. “I do feel Paly sports fall into some racial stereotypes,” she says. “But I don’t think people do it on purpose; it just turns out that way.” For example, Paly’s 2009 badminton team consisted of 81.5 percent AsianAmerican students and 18.5 percent Caucasian students. Girls’ lacrosse, however, is almost 100 percent Caucasian.

Why do stereotypes continue to exist? Racial trends in sports, both at the high school and professional levels, occur because of a variety of factors. All of these factors — socioeconomic status, biology or environment, opportunity/access, subtle or overt racism — converge in racial stereotypes, which shapes the way people view sports, according to Anthony P. Kontos. A professor of sport and exercise psychology at Humboldt State University as well as the author of numerous articles and chapters on race and ethnicity in sports from a psychological perspective, Kontos says that opportunity and access play a major role in generating and fueling sports stereotypes.

Paly Varsity Football 57%

Caucasian

27% Black

11%

Hispanic

AsianAmerican

Source: Paly sports rosters

National Football League

31%

Caucasian

66% Black

Hispanic

AsianAmerican

Source: Racial and Gender Report Card in 2008

Other

Paly Badminton 18%

Caucasian

82%

AsianAmerican

Source: Paly sports rosters

“Typically, a society’s racial/ethnic minority groups have limited access to sports due to SES [socioeconomic status] and access issues,” he says. “As such, the sports they have access to are usually those that require less space and money to play. This would partially explain the limited representation in sports like golf and tennis.” East Palo Alto, which has a larger concentration of minority groups than Palo Alto, has four outdoor tennis courts, all of which are attached to schools. Palo Alto, on the other hand, has almost 17 times that — 67 outdoor tennis courts. Of those, 32 courts are attached to schools and 35 courts are in community centers, parks or backyards. Similarly, Palo Alto has two golf courses, along with several other accessible courses on the Stanford University campus. East Palo Alto has none. However, Paly golf and tennis teams are actually relatively diverse. Paly’s varsity tennis teams are 56 percent Caucasian, 37 percent Asian-American, 4 percent black and Hispanics. The golf team is composed of 50 percent Caucasian students, 36 percent Asian-American students and 14 percent Hispanic students. Kontos explains that other factors also come into play in creating and propagating racial stereotypes, such as the hope of certain racial groups to compete as professional athletes. “Within specific racial-ethnic groups, certain sports — e.g., American football, basketball — might be viewed as presenting an opportunity to escape poverty,” he says. “This trend also limits racial-ethnic groups’ participation in other sports that might not present such perceived opportunities.” Peterson believes that the influence of professional basketball on television, especially the portrayal of black NBA stars such as Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, may have affected other basketball players. “We naturally create stereotypes even if we are not trying to, and I think it’s easier to make them by watching professional sports on TV where specific races dominate more than others,” she says. “Gradually, more black people have taken over the sport [basketball], and it is a concept that we have accepted over time.” The process of creating and accepting racial stereotypes is facilitated by the everpresent traces of racism that Peterson says VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

linger in people’s minds. “We were already racist outside of sports so usually that perspective is going to be brought into the game as well,” Peterson says. “I feel like racism still has not left everyone’s minds, so it still exists in the game and that’s why it’s so easy to form stereotypes.” Some forms of subtle racism still shapes the way many people view sports, according to Kontos. “Subtle racism - e.g., comments by announcers about a black quarterback being fast and having good instincts vs. a white quarterback being described as smart and hard working - still persists in the U.S. and in sports,” Kontos says. He explains that such subtle racism can also be seen in the positions that blacks, Hispanics and other athletes play in sports. The placement of racial minorities in certain positions based on social stereotypes, called “stacking,” is apparent in professional sports, according to Kontos. Judd Spicer of the Minneapolis City Pages conducted a survey of the race of all starters in the NFL. Positions in the defense were overwhelmingly dominated by blacks: for example, 100 percent of running backs and 96 percent of defensive backs are black. On the other hand, place kickers and punters were 100 percent and 97 percent white, respectively. Senior Marcus Young, identifying as half black and half Caucasian, plays on the varsity baseball and football teams. He plays linebacker, a defensive position. “I do recognize that I’m not necessarily breaking any molds by playing football ,especially at my position,” Young says. However, he does not see a majority of blacks in defensive positions at Paly. “I would say that there are more white players that play defense than white players that play offense,” he says of the Paly football team. Kontos also points out the misrepresentation of minorities in coaching or managing positions. To move forward into a multicultural sport environment on all levels, he says, changes must be made in positioning and in access. “Individuals of different racial-ethnic backgrounds must be included not only as players, but also as managers, coaches and 32

FEBRUARY 2010

Tennis courts East Palo Alto

Palo Alto

67 4

tennis courts

all attached to schools

32 attached to schools 35 attached to com-

munity centers, parks or backyards Source: GoogleEarth maps of Palo Alto and East Palo Alto

Defensive line

Offensive line

Defensive back

Racial makeup of NFL positions

Placekicker

Linebacker

Black Caucasian Data source: Judd Spicer of the Minneapolis City Pages; all of the starters of all of the NFL teams in 2008

owners of sports teams,” he says. “Moreover, access to sports, especially in urban and impoverished areas of our country needs to be expanded and supported by local, state and federal government.”

How do racial trends affect Paly athletes? Though racial stereotypes clearly shape the professional athletic world, it is harder to see their effect on high school sports. However, according to Kontos, stereotypes have a large influence on athletes of all levels, especially teenagers. “They [stereotypes] can have longlasting effects especially in high schoolaged athletes,” Kontos says. “Stereotypes can limit what athletes believe they can accomplish or even try and certainly affect self-esteem and identity. Also, they cause athletes to drop out of sports due to the negative experiences.” Young says that racial stereotypes have had some influence on his choice of sports. “I played football because people constantly told me I should,” he says. “People see a big black or half black guy and think, ‘Why don’t you play football?’The same person may see a big white guy and might not get the same thought quite as instantly.” Chang denies any negative experiences which would cause her to drop out of her sport. “My identity as an Asian-American and the stereotypes that go along with it don’t really change my or my parents’ attitude toward the game,” she says. Although she insists that her teammates do not judge her based on race and that the issue has never come up among the team, she does point out that unknowing opponents may jump to conclusions based on sports stereotypes. “There probably has been a situation where an opponent has misjudged me by my race,” she says. Peterson agrees that the different races represented on her team do not affect the team’s relationships at all. “We come in as equal individuals of different backgrounds,” she says. “We don’t use stereotypes against each other and they aren’t used against us by anyone else.” v

FEATURE

A Woman’s Touch The downward trend of female coaching is a national and local concern Text by EMMA TUCHER Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

t’s 5:45 p.m. on a Thursday night and the football field is filled with girls throwing and catching a tennis-sized ball with lacrosse sticks. In the center of the action stands their coach Jen Gray. Next door in the basketball gym, students swish their rackets through the air and hit the badminton birdie over the net while coach Kara Prentice watches over them. During Palo Alto High School’s three sport seasons, fall, winter and spring, only two female coaches are employed. Paly has a long record of athletic excellence, proudly displayed by the banners on the wall of our big gym. Both girls and boys, across multiple sports at the varsity level, have succeeded in winning Central Coast Section championships throughout the years. As our athletic program expands, with the recent addition of both boys and girls lacrosse, this excellence remains. With athletic success comes talented athletes, but also talented coaches. Coaches play a key role in the creation of players. They guide them through drills, strategy, and mentality to help them reach their athletic potential. Paly has a diverse athletic program boasting 26 different varsity teams, including the traditional sports — football, basketball and soccer — and the less common sports — golf, badminton, diving and water polo. But only 7.7 percent of our teams have female coaches. Paly has no all boys’ team coached by a women. In 2008, of Paly’s total 1744 student athletes across all grades, 874 are female. Therefore more than half of Paly’s athletes are female. This situation is not isolated to Paly. On a national level, across all sports teams and all levels, women’s collegiate and professional coaching positions are at an all time low (since the passage of Title IX) with less than 46 percent of all coaches of women’s teams being female, according to

the Women’s Sports Foundation, the leadand female sports, whereas currently ing authority on the participation of women females are largely limited to female coachand girls in sports. Women are not partici- ing positions. pating in upper level athletics positions like “It is more common for men to be they have historically. In 2000, women held coaches,” junior Leigh Dairaghi says. “Girls’ 45.6 percent of all coaching positions at the teams can be coached by both males and collegiate level. This number decreased to females. Whereas boys’ teams are coached 44.1 percent in 2004, according to a study predominantly by men with few female conducted by Vivian Acosta and Linda coaches.” Men are also now more inclined to Carpenter reported in a New York Times pursue women’s coaching positions. Womarticle. “This trend is one that is true across en’s athletics have begun to receive more sports across all levels all over the coun- funding and notoriety, which increases the try,” Gray says. “It is a surprising statistic appeal of women’s coaching positions to given the increase in female sports across men. Gender of the team can determine the country”. In 1972, the year Title IX outlawed gender of the coach. Of the 250 student athletes polled by gender discrimination Verde of two Engin school sports and in lish classes from federally funded educaeach grade, only 65.3 tion programs, women percent have had a held 90 percent of pofemale coach at any sitions of all women’s time in their athletic teams, according to an careers and only 17.2 August 2007 article in percent of them curTime Magazine. This rently have female decreasing number of coaches. female coaches has Student athletes carried over to the pro sometimes prefer to leagues. In 1997, seven be coached by coachof the eight coaches in — BADMINTON COACH KARA PRENTICE es of their own genprofessional women’s der. According to a basketball were female. In 2009, only four of 13 coaches are wom- survey conducted by Verde, 43.2 percent of 153 boys polled would prefer to be coached en. “I think that males are given more op- by male coaches. “Personally speaking, I think that feportunity to coach either sex,” Prentice says. “Females tend to be limited to coaching male coaches for girls’ athletics is much other females. I think there is a perception better,” senior Lauren Mah says. “Somethat females wouldn’t be able to ‘handle’ times male coaches do not know how to communicate with their team, and do now coaching males.” Less than one percent of all coaches of know the differences between male and femen’s teams and less than 46 percent of all male sports.” Some sports are more inclined toward coaches of women’s teams are female, according to a study done by the Women’s a certain gender of coaches. In lacrosse, Sports Foundation. Therefore men have the game is very distinct between girls and more coaching opportunities in both male boys; therefore girls’ lacrosse is more likely

“I think that males are given more opportunity to coach either sex. Females tend to be limited to coaching other females.”

VERDE MAGAZINE

RIGHT Freshman, Anna Dairaghi, warms up for lacrosse tryouts on the El Camino field.

LEFT Returning lacrosse teammates gather around the coach of Paly’s girls’ lacrosse team, Jen Gray, before tryouts. TOP LEFT Girls’ lacrosse players warm-up before tryouts.

to be coached by females whereas males predominantly coach boys’ lacrosse. “I’m sure that Paly has only had female coaches for girls’ lacrosse because the sport is so different from boys’ lacrosse,” junior Emily Benatar says. “There are different rules, different lines, and different equipment.” Athletic Director Earl Hansen claims that coach hiring has nothing to do with sex but more to do with availability. Both Gray and Prentice agree. “I think that coaching is open; it is just not pursued by females,” Prentice says. “That is what makes coaching get titled as a male dominated occupation”. Both Gray and Prentice have not felt prejudiced against because of their sex. “I have definitely not felt any adversity as a female coach in my experience at Paly,” Prentice says. “I feel like I am treated the same as all of the other coaches on campus.” Gray concurs saying that she has 34

FEBRUARY 2010

“absolutely not” felt adversity as a female coach. At Paly, it would seem that the lack of female coaching is not due to sexist hiring but lack of female coaches to hire due to women choosing not to coach. Female coaches often shorten their coaching careers when they have children. Such is the case, according to athletic director Earl Hansen, with Paly’s Track and Field coach Sue Rembao. According to Paly’s girls’ varsity water polo coach Cory Olcott, Anne-Marie Napolitano, Gunn’s former boys’ water polo coach ended her career when she had a baby. Gunn’s current varsity swim team coach, Melinda Mattes, was recently on leave due to maternity. Maternity is often a reason for female coaches to stop their careers. “It is difficult to say why that would be [few women coach at Paly],” Prentice says. “One possibility is that females just aren’t as interested in being coaches.” Historically, coaching has been a male dominated position. It may be more diffi-

cult for women to choose to a career that is deemed “manly”. Coaching is portrayed in popular media as predominantly a man’s profession. “I think there is a little bit of a stereotype that females who are coaches, or heavy into athletics, are ‘manly’ which is not how women want to be perceived,” Prentice says. “Another reason could be the general lack of professional women’s leagues in comparison to men, so fewer women commit to a sport and therefore don’t have the passion to coach and pass on everything they have learned.” Students concur that often it is not sexism that limits females from coaching positions, but women’s own choices. Women are limiting their own opportunities in coaching. “Female coaches are rare not because they don’t have an interest,” senior badminton player Ryan Bell says. “But because society and media has shown coaching to be a predominantly male role.” v

FEATURE

LEFT TO RIGHT Hok Ky, Celso Gumeg, Luis Estrada, Roberto Ceja, Alex Gutierrez, Cuong Huynh, Tap Phou, Xue-Liag Wu, Steve Kelly

Clean Sweep

Inside the lives of a few campus custodians Text by BELLA HERNANDEZ & KIANNA EVANS Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

ou see them at Palo Alto High School cleaning up after lunch and events held, such as club meetings, but do you know who these people really are, or what circumstances brought them here? These unrecognized workers have stories that most students would not bother to investigate. Gregorio Barela, Tap Phou and Max Arana are a few of Paly’s clean-up crew, combating dirt, vandalism and senior pranks. However, our custodians’ lives consist of more than cleaning up after students and setting up events. Outside of school, they enjoy a wide range of activities from spending time with their families to practicing kung fu. In the years before they worked as custodians; they had different lives that were put on hold due to hard economic times or their immigration to America. We set out to investigate more about our custodians and we were surprised to hear about the situations that bought them here today. Gregorio Barela Before coming to Paly, Barela was a teacher for 12 years in the Philippines. When he immigrated into the U.S., he could no longer continue having this profession because the requirements and the

language are different. These circumstances brought Barela to work as a mailman for two months until he was fired for not passing the provisionary exam. “I got eye surgery during my three month provisionary exam and it was very hard to see [the mail I had to sort through],” Barela says. “I didn’t pass the exam so I couldn’t work there.” After he was let go from the postal service, he found a job here as a custodian. Ever since joining the Paly staff, he has had fond memories of his years as a custodian. Barela has been a janitor here for 25 years and he is known as a great employee and a leader by his coworkers. However, after many years of hard work, he is planning to retire either this year or the next. Tap Phou Different circumstances brought Phou to the U.S. from Cambodia. “I worked for an electric company and I got laid-off because business was bad and I moved here in 1991,” Phou says. He was forced to move to the U.S. because of economic difficulties back at home. To Phou, his job has become such a priority that he claims he does not have time to get married or have a family. In his free time he enjoys practicing the sport of kung fu, which he has practiced since the

age of 15 when he lived in Cambodia. “Kung fu is the only way I can stay in shape; it’s good exercise,” Phou says. He also says he is outgoing. “My coworkers don’t know this about me, but I just enjoy going out and having fun.” Max Arana Similar to Phou, difficult economic times forced Arana to immigrate from El Salvador to the U.S. in 1962. However, Arana’s family faced many economic challenges, and as a result, Arana had to find a job at a young age. “When I was younger I wanted to go to school but wasn’t able to because there was no one else to support the family,” Arana says. Luckily for Arana, being a janitor has been a good thing. “My coworkers and I talk a lot when we are eating dinner,” Arana says “There is nothing they don’t know about me. I have been working with them for 12 years; they are really good people.” Although he enjoys spending time with his coworkers, he acknowledges the down side to being a janitor. “We do what others aren’t willing to do, but I love my job,” Arana says. Arana has two kids, ages 32 and 35, and in his free time he enjoys watching baseball, football and soccer. v VERDE MAGAZINE

Arrive Alive

FEATURE

FEBRUARY 2010

A night with Safe Ride: “Glee,” Jolly Ranchers, and saving students’ lives

Text and Photography by EMILY EFLAND

t 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, after three long hours of watching the TV show “Glee” and eating Jolly Ranchers, the call finally came. Two Henry M. Gunn High School seniors were at a party on Middlefield Road; could we pick them up? The other Safe Ride volunteers and I looked up with excitement. Our first call of the night had arrived. Red Cross volunteers run a program called Safe Ride every Friday and Saturday night to provide rides for intoxicated students or students who do not have rides with sober drivers. Safe Ride, whose motto is “arrive alive,” provides safe rides to any student who asks, regardless of how intoxicated the student seems. Even though Safe Ride does not directly fit in with Red Cross’s mission to save lives, it has the potential to rescue those who might otherwise suffer car crashes involving drunk student drivers. That night, however, I doubted how many calls Safe Ride would receive. According to Palo Alto High School junior Emma Ruder, a Safe Ride coordinator, the average number of students that Safe Ride drives per night has decreased to around six or seven from last year’s estimated 15. The misprint of Safe Ride’s phone number on the back of the student ID cards may partially explain this decrease in use.

“People have complained to me numerous times this year about the [phone] number being wrong, so as far as I can tell, that shows me it has made an impact,” Ruder says. I arrived at the Red Cross Palo Alto chapter building at 9:45 p.m., and along with the other Safe Ride volunteers, I manned the one phone available for drunk students to call. When a call came, a Safe Ride volunteer answered and asked the caller his or her grade, school and location. Although Ruder says that approximately six or seven people usually use Safe Ride in a night, that night at 12:45 a.m., the two Gunn girls were our first call. Safe Ride takes calls from 9:45 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. “It’s slow tonight,” senior Kailey Flather, the Safe Ride driver for the night, remarked as we drove down Middlefield with our car lights flashing on the dark, rainy road. “There’s not much going on.” It is hard to know how many calls a Safe Ride volunteer should expect per night. Because Safe Ride’s phone number was misprinted on the back of the Paly student IDs, Paly students have a hard time finding the number when they need it. The real number is 1-(877)-753-7433. It can be found online or through 4-1-1, but students would have to know to ask for the Palo Alto Red Cross building, which hosts Safe Ride. Although Paly students say they

1. Paly junior and Safe Ride coordinator Emma Ruder answers the phone to respond to a ride request. 2. The Palo Alto Red Cross building is located at 400 Mitchell Lane.

are willing to use Safe Ride, the lack of information stops many from calling. “I would use Safe Ride, but I normally don’t think of it,” junior Hana Schwartz says. “I don’t even know the number.” For one night each month the Paly branch of Safe Ride hosts the program, meaning that Paly Safe Ride coordinators manage the volunteers and drivers who sign up. Whenever Safe Ride is in session, a Red Cross volunteer must accompany each driver on the mission. All volunteers and drivers are high school students who come from one of the eight schools in the Bay Area that volunteer to host Safe Ride. When the call came, Flather and I braved the cold night air to walk to one of the two cars Safe Ride provides. As I buckled into the passenger seat of the old Safe Ride car, I felt a little nervous. It was my first drive with Safe Ride, and while I trusted the driver to a certain extent, I just was not sure about student drivers picking up drunk students. After all, how safe could student drivers really be? “Don’t worry,” Flather informed me. “I’ve driven for Safe Ride a couple times before.” To my relief, Safe Ride volunteers take their jobs very seriously. They understand that they hold students’ lives in their hands, and must be as careful as possible. Many say they volunteer for Safe Ride simply because of the possibility of saving lives.

“It [Safe Ride] makes me feel like I am directly making a difference,” Ruder says. “While I definitely think fundraising and volunteering at other places is important, by doing Safe Ride, I feel like it is a handson way of saving lives because for every ride we give, a teen is saved from being in a possible fatal drunk driving accident.” However, Safe Ride volunteers are rarely in high-risk situations. As Flather remarked, it was a slow night. The call from the two Gunn girls came at the moment when I had almost given up the idea of going on a drive. After Flather and I arrived in front of the Middlefield apartment building where the party was, we waited a few minutes before two laughing girls hopped into the backseat of our car. “Hey,” a tall, dark haired girl said breathlessly. “Thanks for picking us up.” “Want a piece of gum?” her skinny, blond friend asked. The girls named two separate destinations as Flather turned the key in the ignition and eased into the street. The blond girl wished to go home; the darkhaired girl named the address of another party she planned to stop by. Contrary to my expectations of drunk, incoherent passengers, the girls sitting in the passenger seat were very talkative. As Flather drove, she and the Gunn girls discussed mutual friends, enemies and

3. Safe Ride drivers are required to drive one of the two cars that Safe Ride provides.

“Jersey Shore” episodes. “I just don’t understand why there’s so much fist pumping,” the dark-haired girl said, speaking of the MTV reality show. “Oh my god,” the other girl broke in. “Why does Mike think he’s so hot?” Flather laughed along with them as we made a right turn to stop at our first destination, the party, and then weaved through a residential area to reach our second stop, the blond girl’s home. When we arrived back at the Red Cross building, another call awaited Flather. A different volunteer accompanied her this time. I spent the rest of the night watching “Glee” with the other volunteers, waiting for the clock to show 1:30 a.m., the time we were allowed to leave. As I walked out of the Red Cross building with a slight headache from watching TV and the taste of Jolly Ranchers still in my mouth, I reflected on my Safe Ride experience. Sure, we only received two calls. We spent most of the time sitting in a room in the Red Cross building, watching actors dance across a projector screen. But it was nice to know that maybe, just maybe, we had saved lives. v

If you need a ride, you can call Safe Ride at 1-877-753-7433 every Friday and Saturday night from 9:45 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. VERDE MAGAZINE

When FEATURE

Fire Engine Red A Paly seniorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sensory world of synesthesia

Text by MANON VON KAENEL Photography by SARAH HENDERSON Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

FEBRUARY 2010

VISUAL SOUNDS Senior Sam Bromley-Coolidge sees colors and shapes when listening to music, and associates specific colors with numbers.

eriwinkle blue. That’s the color of the number nine for Palo Alto High School senior Samantha Bromley-Coolidge. For her, numbers don’t just have a certain value and a certain shape; they also have a specific color. Seven is light orange, and eight is evergreen. Bromley-Coolidge has synesthesia, a neurological condition that involves the commingling of the five senses. “It’s like a projection on a screen,” Bromley-Coolidge describes. “Imagine a white screen, and that’s my mind. The color just fills it up.” In addition to perceiving colors with numbers, Bromley-Coolidge sees shapes and colors when she listens to music. “The rhythm always has something to do with it [the synesthesia],” she says. “Geometric shapes usually come when there’s a pulsing beat, but sometimes they’re just ambiguous. The other day, when I was listening to a song, a whole bunch of circles of different colors just flowed in and out of my vision.” Others with synesthesia — from Greek “syn”, meaning together, and “aisthesis,” meaning perception — may taste sounds, feel voices, or hear or smell colors. The musical note “C” may be a pale yellow, or a bite of chocolate cake may feel rounded. Research in synesthesia has recently undergone a surge of popularity in the scientific community as brain scans and extensive investigations provide modern researchers with a more in-depth look at the condition. Researchers now believe these mixed perceptions come from a genetically-based increased activity in the pathways between certain regions of the brain. A 2006 study conducted by researchers Julia Simner,

Jamie Ward and others, has found that synesthesia have some similar preferences as many as one in 23 people have some for the color of certain letters; O’s tend to form of the estimated 61 different types of be a shade of white, S’s are usually yellow synesthesia. and A’s tend to be red. “In theory, any two sensory modalities Most types of synesthesia involve the [receptors] could be combined, so there are melding of two or more senses, but more as many forms of synesthesia as there are complicated forms exist, such as the “ordinal pairings of sensory modalities,” says Edward sequence to visual/spatial” form. Described M. Hubbard, a cognitive neuroscientist as a 3-D timetable, this synesthesia is one at Vanderbilt University and a renowned of the most common forms, according to researcher. Day. Given that synesthesia is known to run “Most commonly, this involves days in families, recent research has revealed the of the week or months of the year beinfluence of geneting synesthetically ics on synesthesia. perceived as having Researchers believe distinct spatial cothat a genetic factor ordinates and visual contributes to more aspects, such that, neuronal activity befor example, Montween certain brain day is green and regions in synes50 degrees to your thetes (people with right and 30 degrees synesthesia). above the horizon,” “For synesthetes, Day says. specific neural pathAs researchers ways are not pruned gain access to more [reducing neuronal advanced equipment connections] away and studies regarding at the “normal” rate, synesthesia become resulting in more more widespread, the linking between two — SENIOR SAM BROMLEYscientific community areas (usually, but not COOLIDGE eagerly considers the always, adjoining) of benefits of a deeper the brain,” says researcher and professor knowledge of this trait. Sean A. Day, the president of the Ameri“Research in synesthesia has led can Synesthesia Association. “This has been to all kinds of exciting insights and shown, via brain scans, to be the case for discoveries regarding neurology and how some, but not all, synesthetes.” the brain works in the human body,” Day Synesthetes’ perceptions stay consistent says. “We have gained knowledge of the over time, and they are generally unique to brain’s plasticity and abilities to reprogram each individual. However, a 2005 study by connections between areas; this has led to Simner and Ward has shown that people breakthroughs in therapeutic techniques with “grapheme (letter or number) to color” for those suffering brain injuries.”

“I was trying to describe a song to someone, and I couldn’t remember its name, but it’s orange; I knew it was orange.”

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Researchers say that people will often report that they use their synesthetic experiences to help them remember appointments, memorize phone numbers or compute math problems. On the other hand, others report that the colors will interfere when learning basic arithmetic. For example, the colors for 1+2 do not add up to the color for 3. “It can be both an advantage and a hindrance,” Hubbard says. “Some synesthetes seem to get more of the benefits, and others more interference, but both appear to be present.” Some synesthetes use their experiences to create music or art. As a member of the Paly Choir, Bromley-Coolidge reports seeing an orderly image when singing. “If it’s a nice slow song, it’ll be a nice image, like a leaf floating in the wind,” she says. “I can usually tell if the whole choir is sounding together through that image.” Other synesthetes have even used

their perceptions to enhance their career. According to a list compiled by Day, famous synesthetes include musicians Duke Ellington and John Mayer, who associate colors with musical sounds; mathematician Pythagorus, who attributed personalities to numbers; Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov, who saw colors with letters; and artist David Hockney, who uses his “music to color” synesthesia to help him paint opera sets. However, Day and Hubbard claim that most synesthetes report not making much use of their synesthesia. “It is fun sometimes, but basically it’s just how one perceives the world,” says Day, who is a synesthete himself. “Think of it this way: How many people who are able to smell things make use of the fact that they can smell things toward shaping their career; such as, say, becoming professional perfumers, chefs or wine experts?” Bromley-Coolidge agrees that her

synesthesia is simply part of how she perceives the world. Struggling to describe her synesthesia, she asks, “How do you describe sight to a blind person?” She first learned she had synesthesia in her psychology class just a few months ago, when her teacher Kathleen Laurence started teaching about synesthesia. “I spoke up after a while, when Ms. Laurence was having difficulty explaining it [synesthesia],” Bromley-Coolidge says. “My classmates were pretty curious.” She did not feel the need to talk to a doctor about her condition because, to her, it is just a part of normal life. Like many other synesthetes, she was surprised her “colors” had a label and a genetic origin. “I was a little stunned,” she says. “Everyone has this idea in their head that everyone experiences the world the same way as we do. To find out that’s not true is a little shocking but really interesting at the same time.” v

What Causes Synesthesia? Because of the variety of types of synesthesia, a neurological condition which involves the mixing of the five senses, and the relative novelty of study in this field, researchers say that many factors may contribute to this trait. Cross-Activation The Cross-Activation theory suggests that more connections exist between brain areas in synesthetes than in non-synesthetes. This would occur due to an abnormal process of “pruning,” in which the connections between brain regions are decreased, or “pruned,” with development.

Disinhibited Feedback The Disinhibited Feedback theory involves the idea that a reduced amount of blockage along feedback pathways in synesthetes causes a greater sensory experience. 40

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Genetic Origin Because synesthesia runs in families, researchers suggest that a genetic factor may be responsible for either or both decreased pruning or inhibition in a synesthete’s brain. Varying degrees of these two incidents explain the wide diversity of types of synesthesia that exist.

Other Synesthesia can also be experienced after a severe brain injury such as a stroke or tumor, through deep trance or meditation, or hallucinogenic drugs like LSD or peyote.

FEATURE

Hook up (vb) e \huk- p\:

1. To assemble or wire (a mechanism). 2.To connect a mechanism and a source of power. 3. Slang a. To meet or associate b. To become romantically or sexually involved with someone. c. To marry or get married

Text by SARAH JACOBS Photography by SARAH JACOBS and SARAH HENDERSON VERDE MAGAZINE

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ooking up. It’s a social phenomenon, a new way of navigating adolescence, a sign of the changing times. One thing it isn’t is easy to define. It would be simply incorrect to boil down such a versatile phrase with all its intricate complexities and nuances of meaning into one definition from the American Heritage Dictionary. The Online Slang Dictionary doesn’t offer much more enlightenment: Hook up (n) 1. A person who provides illegal drugs (vb) 2. To engage in sexual activity, though typically not coitus. Usually implies more than kissing or “making out.” 3. To meet up with someone We can agree that hooking up is a vague term, and can refer to anything from connecting something to a power source (for example, “The PG&E guy hooked up the house with electricity) to meeting someone (“I hooked up with this old friend yesterday.”) In the realm of teen-speak, hooking up usually refers to some form of sexual activity. Even in this more specific context, there is a huge amount of discrepancy between different teens’ use of the term. Teens can use “hooking up” to talk about simply making out, petting, oral sex, and even intercourse, especially among college students. In a world where 50 percent of all high school students have had sex, according to the Division of Adolescent and School Health, it is relevant that people know what teens are referring to when they use the phrase “hooking up.” In an anonymous study conducted by Verde of 349 Paly students distributed evenly between the grades, 36 percent said that hooking up could mean anything from kissing to intercourse. On the other hand, 26 percent said it means only kissing, while 51 percent said hooking up can describe intercourse. 37 percent said hooking up must be a casual, one-time thing. Laura Sessions Stepp, writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, says the flexibility of the term is one of the reasons teens find it so useful. “They’ve come up with a vocabulary that gives them maximum freedom,” Stepp says in her book Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both. “The distance between what one says and what one means has never been greater. They [teenagers] don’t have boyfriends and girlfriends; they have ‘friends with benefits’ or, to confuse classmates even more, just ‘friends.’” Hooking up, whatever your preferred definition, is becoming ever more prevalent among high school and college students, according to Stepp. At Paly, 50 percent of all students say they have hooked up. By senior year, the number rises to 64 percent. Casual sex wasofrelatively century and 2. even 1. The construction an igloo unusual at Tahoeafrom startago, to finish, the parents of today’s teens generally conformed to more rigid Before starting construction at Powell Lake in Feb. 2008, 3. The finished igloo at 2009 Powell Lake with 42 FEBRUARY

standards than teens do now. “Dating was very common when I was in high school,” 57 yearold Paly parent Mark Byington says. “It was just what we did when we wanted to spend time together. The boy called the girl and then if she said yes, you could go to dinner and a movie together.” Sex wasn’t really part of the picture until later in the relationship. “The guy had a big decision to make,” Byington jokes. “He had to decide whether or not to try to put his arm around the girl’s shoulders or not in the movie.” While 64 percent of Paly students say it’s socially acceptable to engage in casual, one-time or no-strings attached sexual activity today, only 36 percent said they thought it was acceptable when their parents were their age. Although the culture of common hookups with no strings attached may be expedient for teens’ fast-paced lifestyle, it comes at a cost, according to JD Daniels PhD, a Palo Alto psychologist. “The downside is the lack of intimacy in people’s lives,” Daniels says. “The culture tells people it’s all right to have random hookups that don’t have the substance behind them of actually knowing that person. We think we are more capable of that than we actually are. People can sometimes end up feeling empty or guilty.” Alina Tompert, a Paly Junior, agrees. “I think some people use hooking up as a substitute for a real relationship,” Tompert says. In addition, the casualness with which our society is increasingly viewing sex may be swelling the already high tide of teenagers who engage in sexual activities, get sexually transmitted diseases and

become pregnant, according to Daniels. “I think there’s certainly a correlation between this cultural shift and the increase in sexual activity, pregnancy and STDs among teens,” Daniels says. “At the same time there are a lot of other possible causes.” Although the rates of teenage pregnancies and births in the U.S. fell between 1991 and 2005, they rose slightly in 2006 and 2007, according to the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University. Of high school students in the U.S., 48 percent say they have had sex and 35 percent say that they are currently sexually active, according to The Washington Post, when referring to a 2008 federal survey on teenage behavior. Although these numbers are still down from 1991, when 54 percent of teens had had sex and 46 percent were sexually active, the fact remains that they are currently rising steadily, according to the same study. At Paly, 28 percent of all students say they have had sexual intercourse, and 46 percent of seniors have. Of those who have had sex, 69 percent say they always use protection, 21 percent say they use protection sometimes, and 9 percent say they never use protection. It is difficult to pinpoint the cause of the changes in our generation’s culture. Paly junior Josh Chin says he thinks this could be a result of the media that exists today. “Teen sexual culture is driven by the media, and TV shows,” Chin says. “With the Internet, teen sexuality has increased. The Internet and television have helped spread everything.” Daniels agrees, and says that media has drastically changed our culture. “It has a huge amount to do with the media,” Daniels says. “Today with music videos and television shows, it role models teen behavior to a certain degree.” Many teen parents appear to be unaware of this shift in the attitudes of young people, according to Stephanie, a health service specialist at Planned Parenthood. She says in her experience there is a marked discrepancy between what parents think their teens do and what they actually do. “For the majority of the teens I’ve met, their parents would freak out if they knew what they do,” Stephanie says. If levels of teen sex are going to continue to rise, it will be concerning to parents and health care providers that condom use and other methods of contraception are falling. The Washington Post says condom use was on the rise until 2003, but is now dropping. Levels of oral sex are also rising drastically, even among teens who have not had intercourse, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which says more than half of all Americans between the ages of 15 and 19 have had oral sex. Young people simply do not consider oral sex as serious as intercourse, and some may be unaware that oral sex can pass STDs, according to Claire Brindis, professor of pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco. Stephanie from Planned Parenthood says that the risks of sex in high school may outweigh the benefits. Although she does not take the stance that teenagers should not have sex in high school, provided they are sure they are ready, she says they should not feel pressured. “I think that there are so many great experiences of life in high school that don’t involve sex,” Stephanie says. v

64% of Paly students

say it’s socially acceptable to engage in casual, one-time sexual activity 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Have you had sex?

9th

10th

11th

12th

50% of high school students in the U.S. have had sexual intercourse

28% of all Paly

students have had sexual intercourse Do you use protection when you have sex?

This data was compiled from an anonymous survey given by the Verde staff to 349 Paly students from 16 English classes with four classes per grade, evenly distributed between the lanes. VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

On The Fault Line Preparing for the Bay Area’s next big earthquake Text and Photography by SILVIA MARABOLI Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

he traffic ahead is moving slowly as vehicles slowly approach the Bay Bridge tollbooths. My father sighs as he comes to a stop at the booth and pulls another $2 out of his wallet. Another tiring workday, and another bridge toll, he thinks to himself. He reaches to turn the radio dial in his small Nissan coupe. Game three of the Major League Baseball World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s is about to begin; it’s enough to get him through the rest of the ride home he decides, and he accelerates forward to begin the trek across the bridge. Four seconds and 500 yards later, the earth underneath him begins to shake profoundly. He barely has time to pull over to the side of the road before he would have started across the actual bridge. Ahead, several cars have already ventured onto the bridge. However, they are fortunate enough to have a line of police cars reach them to blockade 44

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the rest of the bridge before they can move any farther. Others are not so lucky. The earthquake has snapped the bridge, and the car that was only three places ahead of my father in line at the tollbooth meets its fate with the crashing waves of the bay below. The Next Big Quake Those 12 seconds on Oct. 17, 1989 marked the second biggest earthquake in the history of the Bay Area. Not only did the Loma Prieta affect most of northern California, but people reported feeling movement as far south as Tijuana, Mexico. The temblor caused a total of 63 fatalities and 3,757 injuries, and also left roughly 12,000 people homeless. According to the USGS, it also racked up an estimated $6 billion in property damage, making the Loma Prieta one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history. Consider this: although many think of the Loma Prieta as San Francisco’s earth-

quake, its epicenter wasn’t even located near the city, but in a peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. An earthquake as calamitous and destructive as the Loma Prieta started 60 miles away from the area where it did the most damage, which is an intimidating fact to consider when attempting to predict exactly how catastrophic our next quake will be. The Loma Prieta registered a whopping 7.0 on the Richter scale, yet geologists predict that the next large earthquake to hit the Bay Area will be even greater in size and cause more damage. “It was a wake-up call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future,” Robert Page of the United States Geologic Survey says on the USGS Web site. Victoria Somerville, director of communications at the Silicon Valley Red Cross, explains what geologists believe about the Bay Area’s future with earthquakes. “They [geologists] think that the next

earthquake measuring a 6.5 or higher will occur within the next ten years,” Somerville says. “Geologists can only base their predictions on the frequency of how often we’ve had earthquakes in the past.” According to her, the Bay Area is especially prone to earthquakes because of liquefaction. “There are so many water ways in this region, and the ground around them is very much like liquid, making it unstable and easily susceptible to movement,” Somerville says.

decide to throw at us next. Somerville stresses how important it is for families to devise a safety plan and explains how to be prepared for when an earthquake comes. “The first thing every family should do is make a safety kit to keep in an accesible location,” Somerville says. “It should contain enough one gallon of water per person

house during the rumbles of an earthquake, it is crucial to have an out of state contact, according to Somerville. “Outstate calls will more often than not get through when others will not,” Somerville says. “Be sure to also have two meeting spots for when after the shaking stops - one close to the house and another further away.”

The Red Cross Can Help The local Red Cross chapter in downtown Palo Alto offers many first aid classes to those who want Be Prepared — Victoria Somerville, director of communications at the to take an extra step in being prepared for any future Seeing the car only 30 Silicon Valley Red Cross earthquake. Aside from the feet ahead of him at the tollinformation on its Web site, booth fall into the depths of the San Francisco Bay, my father is not su- per day - enough for three days.” According the Red Cross provides a large assortment prisingly trying to be prepared as possible to Somerville, there should also be enough of pamphlets in both English and Spanish with information on how to stay safe and for any earthquakes the future holds for the food for your entire family for three days. “Protein bars that are high-density and be prepared for any disaster that may ocBay Area. He keeps at least four 2-gallon cur. jugs of water in our garage at all times, as high-calorie are crucial,” Somerville says. The next most important item to have While it is easy to get upset and anxwell as a flashlight with backup batteries attached in every single room of the house. is a flashlight with detached batteries, ac- ious over the fact that the next quake hitting our area will most likely be even bigger Occasionally he will also check in with my cording to Somerville. “The batteries should be separated be- than the Loma Prieta, people must keep mother and me to see what our plan is if we experience another earthquake as cata- cause they can easily leak out acid and die,” in mind the things all families can do to be ready. Pay a visit to our local Red Cross strophic as the Loma Prieta in the years to Somerville says. Somerville also recommends cash and located on 400 Mitchell Drive in downcome. Call him apprehensive, or even a little change, essential medications and copies of town to pick up some brochures and find neurotic, but one thing I know for sure is the deed to the house, insurance policies, out more about how you and your family can be prepared for the Bay Area’s future that my father is about as prepared as one and social security documents. If anything were to happen to your earthquake. v can be for whatever earthquake the faults

“Geologists think that the next earthquake measuring a 6.5 or higher will occur within the next 10 years.”

A Red Cross-approved Safety Kit for Your Home • one gallon of water per person per day for three days • food for three days, including highprotein bars • flashlight with detached batteries • cash and change

• • • • • •

copies of important documents small, basic radio change of clothes for everyone plastic sheeting and duct tape basic first aid kit essential medications

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Resisting Restrictions How Paly students deal with California’s first-year driving laws Text by MAX COHEN Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

lthough she describes it now as “a funny story,” Palo Alto High School junior Alice was not as amused when she was pulled over in January for cutting off a police cruiser on El Camino Real. What started as a mundane trip with her physics group to gather supplies for a project turned into a serious situation. Alice, whose name has been changed to hide her identity, had only had her license for two months when the policeman pulled her over. Under California law, no driver under the age of 18 may drive someone under the age of 20 for the first 12 months he or she has his or her license, unless accompanied by someone 25 or older. “I didn’t really know where I was going and I accidentally cut off a police officer,” Alice says. “I started flipping out because 46

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a) it was a police officer and b) I had two other people in the car. I didn’t know what to do and I had heard about what happens if you get caught.” Alice, like many other first-year Paly drivers, struggles with how seriously to abide by driving restrictions imposed on new licensed drivers. At Paly, where breaking these restrictions is fairly common, students are often unaware of possible consequences, the degree of police enforcement and why the restrictions have been enacted. However, most students are usually aware of the basic rules. For example, for the first 12 months, a driver under the age of 18 may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless accompanied by an adult. These restrictions were put into affect Jan. 1, 2006, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles Web site.

According to Palo Alto police officer Michael Kan, consequences of breaking the first year driving restrictions are usually community service along with a small fine. “For a first violation, regardless of which provision you violate, driving with a passenger or driving outside of the allowed hours, you can expect to get 8 to 16 hours of community service or a fine of $35, plus fees, which actually brings the total to more than $100,” Kan writes in an e-mail. Fortunately for Alice, she was let off with a warning. “He [the police officer] pulled me over and started asking me how old I was and asking if I knew I had just cut him off,” she

“I didn’t really know where I was going and I accidentally cut off a police officer. I started flipping out because a) it was a police officer and b) I had two other people in the car.”

— PALY JUNIOR “ALICE”

says. “He told me I shouldn’t be driving people.” Some Paly students believe that firstyear drivers should always follow the restrictions. Freshman Jenevieve LucasConwell says she would not get in a car with a friend who had not completed his or her first 12 months “because they haven’t had that much experience.” Sophomore Doug Dunbar is more lenient, but still generally opposed to getting in a friend’s car or driving his friends. “I would [drive someone] if I didn’t really have an option,” he says. Dunbar says he would mostly try to follow the restrictions because his mother punished his older brother when his brother did not abide by the driving laws. In Alice’s case, her parents did not punish her and she was back to driving people soon after her encounter with the policeman. “I was so afraid of driving home,” Alice says. “And I didn’t let anyone in my car for like a week and a half. Not very long, you might think, but now every time I change lanes I look for five minutes before moving.” Unlike Alice, junior Dan, whose name has also been changed, did not reform his driving habits after an encounter with a police officer. Dan was pulled over for trespassing at Henry M. G u n n High

School at night, where he was letting his friend drive his car in the parking lot. After pulling Dan over, the officer gave Dan a warning. For Dan, this did not have a serious effect on his driving habits. “I still drive after hours and with my friends all the time,” Dan says. Alice and Dan are not alone. There are many students at Paly who drive their friends and drive past curfew regularly. Junior Derek, whose name has also been changed for privacy reasons, drives his friends frequently, despite being younger than 18 and having had his license for less than one year. “I don’t necessarily believe it’s OK to do,” Derek says. “I just do it ’cause otherwise everything isn’t as much fun.” Although many teens may think that the chances of getting caught are slim, Palo Alto police finds first-year drivers driving their friends or driving past curfew more often than one might think. “It would be fair to say that officers regularly will catch drivers violating these restrictions during the course of their duties, although I wouldn’t say we do it daily,” Kan says. To get a license in California, one can acquire a permit six months after he or she turns 15, and take a license test on his or her 16th birthday, according to the California DMV Web site. But Derek believes it should be the other way around to give teens more driving experience before they get their lisence. “I would make our permit for a year and our license for six months before driving friends,” he says. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, research shows that “motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.”The Web site notes

that these deaths are preventable through Graduated Driver Licensing systems. GDL systems are usually focused around the two California restrictions for the first 12 months of a minor’s license. The Web site states: “The presence of teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.” Alice was jeopardizing her life as well as the lives of her friends when she was driving them. The police officer pulled over Alice because she had cut him off, and only after pulling her over, did he discover that Alice was driving her peers. According to Kan, officers are not supposed to pull over drivers based solely on the suspicion of breaking these restrictions. “In California, police officers are not allowed to pull over vehicles strictly because they think the driver is ‘too young’ and may be violating the restrictions imposed by a provisional license,” Kan says. According to Kan, first year driving restrictions are secondary laws and police officers can only pull over cars for primary laws. However, Kan says, “The courts have upheld that it is perfectly legal for an officer to conduct an enforcement stop based upon a violation of one of those laws, regardless of the officer’s intent.” Some driving laws, when violated, can result in points upon one’s license. If a driver acquires too many of these points, his or her license can be suspended or taken away. But according to Kan, “A violation of the provisional restrictions does not result in a point being assigned to your license, like a speeding ticket or accident would.” In the long run, Alice claims that her driving habits have indeed changed. “I am trying to be a better driving and am more careful about letting people in my car because losing my license would be awful,” she says. v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Speaks Up Local art program seeks student involvement Text by MIRA KHANNA Photography by SARAH HENDERSON and MIRA KHANNA

alo Alto High School freshman Eyra Dordi remembers seeing Google computer artist Dennis Hwang sitting at a desk and autographing stacks of special Google logos that he had designed. There were masses of people milling about and eagerly waiting for the signed pages. One hour and 90 people later, Hwang finished and Dordi finally had the chance to ask him questions. Hwang was the first guest speaker of the school year at an event hosted on Oct. 8 by the Palo Alto Artspeak Series, where he talked about his experiences as an art student, the teachers who mentored him and what it takes to create the special occasion logos that Google is so famous for. Artspeak is a district-wide program funded by the Palo Alto Council. It was started in January 2009 by Palo Alto High School parents Roxane Mehta, Tom Scarpino and Susan McCarty. Artspeak plans to increase student involvement by hosting a Maker Fair called the You Made It! Jamboree at the Palo Alto Art Center on May 15. In addition, Palo Alto’s annual Maker’s Fair will feature a young-maker section, where students can display their artwork. “Students will be able to show their original creations,” Mehta says. “From robots and model planes, to bicycles and skateboards, to software and video games, to films, fashion, music, dance and hopefully a lot of things that we did not even dream of. The main criteria for acceptance is that 48

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THINKING CREATIVELY Students and parents gather at an Artspeak event on Feb. 4. The event was a workshop led by Ann Badillo and Monica Sallouti, who explained how mapping a discussion graphically can help to solve real life problems. it must be an original creation.” The You Made It! Jamboree has a committee of 10 Paly parents who are “working to organize publicity and promotion, create a Web site, draft rules and screen entries for acceptance,” Mehta says. “They will also seek funding and sponsors to cover the costs of rentals of equipment, to accommodate participants as well as the

bands and dancers who will enliven the event with their performances.” The You Made It Jamboree will be the latest event hosted by the relatively new program. “It [Artspeak] started out as a lecture series intended to bring an awareness to the value of visual arts in our everyday lives, as well as a career path and to foster or

reawaken the creativity that is present in all of us,” Mehta says. Mehta, Scarpino and McCarty have long known each other because their children attended the same elementary, middle and high schools. Each of them shared a passion for art, and decided to take their passion to the next level by creating Artspeak. “We decided to create it because we think art education is important, and we wanted to promote all of the different ways that art is important to different people,” McCarty says. “We wanted to promote creativity, and different ways of looking at things. Education is so structured that it’s almost like having blinders on, and we want people to think outside of the box. You don’t want to be constrained by anything; creativity is about going beyond the limits and boundaries.” Freshman Gina Scarpino is one of many students who has attended Artspeak events, including the one presented by Hwang. She believes that the goal Artspeak has set “is for students to come to and learn more about all the different types of art, from someone who does it for a living.” “The other event I attended was when the speaker was Ben Grossman-Kahn from the Stanford Design School,” Scarpino says. “I think the design school event was my favorite, because it was very hands on, and it was fun because every person had the opportunity to interact.” Artspeak is free and open to everyone in the Palo Alto community, according to Mehta. “We don’t want just the kids that are really talented, but kids who enjoy and appreciate art,” McCarty says. “We hope that it will encourage students to do the things that they like to do, and that they continue to pursue their artistic interests and open their eyes to more possibilities.” Artspeak’s first event featured a speaker from the Los Angeles California Institute of the Arts, who came to talk about her research on the importance of art and creativity in the development of the minds of children. Since then, Artspeak has hosted numerous events, and has three more events planned for later this school year. Artspeak’s co-founders find and select guest speakers for each event. “When we look for the lineup, we try to present a variety of people with different

LEADING THE PACK Co-founder Roxane Mehta coordinates with her colleagues to select a variety of speakers for each Artspeak event. perspectives,” McCarty says. Dordi believes that her experiences with Artspeak have strongly impacted her as an artist. “Artspeak really helped me broaden my vision of who an artist is, and the career paths he or she can have,” Dordi says. “I think people underappreciate art as a legitimate career and think of it more as a hobby at Paly, but it can really be both.” Scarpino and Dordi also both believe that most students have not heard of Artspeak’s events, and they wish to change this by encouraging their fellows students to attend. “I really think that it’s a good idea for students to come to these Artspeak events,” Scarpino says. “Because you learn about different forms of art and you can discover more about yourself as an artist. It’s also good for students to come because then you are informed about upcoming events and you learn about how you can become

more involved.” Dordi agrees that there are many benefits to attending different events. “I think for those that have been to one of the events, it has opened their minds a little more to the possibilities of a career as an artist, and taken away some stereotypes about ‘starving artists,’ as well as how art and design thinking can play a big role in a lot of professions,” Dordi says. Student involvement in Artspeak has begun to increase, according to Mehta, and students who have participated can attest to the lasting benefits of having such a unique opportunity. “Artspeak has absolutely changed my perspective on art,” Scarpino says. “Listening to the advice from the speakers has really taught me to keep an open mind about what I make as an artist. They have taught me to look at something I make and not say ‘oh this sucks.’ It’s really been eyeopening to me as an artist.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Caught in the Act Community reflects on cheating Text by SONALI SASTRY Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

my , whose real name has been withheld, remembers sitting in her sophomore math class, waiting for her teacher to hand out the final exam. The exam consisted of two parts: Part 1 was a scantron with multiple-choice questions, and part 2 involved a freeresponse section, focusing on geometric proofs. During the test, she overheard fellow classmates quietly discussing the final and saw a few students using their cell phones to take pictures of the second part, sending the photos to their friends in later classes. Amy felt a mixture of emotions ranging from confusion to anger. The Palo Alto High School’s academic honesty policy classifies the incident Amy witnessed as academic dishonesty, more commonly known as cheating, since students were “looking at someone else’s paper during an examination, test or quiz.” Now a junior, Amy says that cheating is prominent at Paly because of the pressure

FEBRUARY 2010

that surrounds the school. “I think it’s probably increased since the pressure to do well and get into college has been going up and people have fallen back to relying on cheating,” Amy says. “I know people cheat in my language and math classes and people copy essays.” Paly Math Instructional Supervisor Radu Toma says that cheating at Paly is a smaller problem in comparison to other schools. However, he does not deny the fact that cheating occurs in school. “I think the general perception in the school is that there’s much more cheating going on than there actually is,” Toma says. “I think most people understand that it’s not a gamble that’s worth taking.” Assistant principal Jerry Berkson, agrees with Toma. “I think it [the level of cheating] is no different than at any other school,” Berkson says. “Obviously we’re a high academic place, but I think if you go to any high school, kids cheat, so I don’t think we’re

special in that way.” However, statistics from the Paly administration show that cheating has increased in recent years. In the 2007-2008 academic year, teachers reported 11 students for cheating during first semester. However, during first semester of this academic year, teachers reported 27 students for cheating, an increase of about 41 percent. Berkson says that Paly is special because of the consequences students face upon getting caught for cheating. According to the Henry M. Gunn High School handbook, the highest offense for cheating involves a one-day suspension and research on the topic of integrity. However, Paly’s second offense requires students to be dropped from the class they cheated in and an “F” on their transcript. Toma says that students who do decide to cheat are eventually penalized if they do not get caught in high school. “People who are doing this [cheating] on a regular basis are eventually going to

15.8 % have not witnessed cheating

How many Paly students admit to cheating?

41.1% admit yes

58.9 % said no

84.2 % have witnessed cheating

How many Paly students have witnessed cheating?

Verde administered surveys to 348 Paly students from two different English class lanes in each grade.

get their butts kicked,” Toma says. “People who do it on a regular basis, most of them do get caught. And if they don’t get caught here, where the punishment is relatively minor, they will get caught in college.” Meanwhile, the Social Studies Instructional Supervisor Erik Bloom says that his department has dealt with and seen cheating in many ways. Bloom says the most common form of cheating in the history department is copying homework. Along with other teachers, Bloom looks at homework in sets, so he is able to detect signs of cheating. Bloom says that the most prevalent form of cheating at Paly is talking about a test in between classes. Both he and social studies teacher Steve Sabbag teach seven sections of history throughout the day and work together to write tests. Bloom says that this leads to students asking each other about the test. “I use SEM, standard error

measurement, which allows you to look at a distribution of scores and see what the standard error is,” Bloom says. “What I tell my students is, because I use this, you want people to make the same mistakes as you, because then that comes out as standard error. [It shows] a problem with testing environment or a problem with the language. If everyone makes that common mistake, in a sense, it doesn’t hurt you.” Bloom says that using SEM as a guide does not benefit students when cheating occurs. He also says that students who pass on information about tests tend to talk about the harder questions or the questions they most likely got wrong. “If you talk about those [harder] questions, then the people in the afternoon will get those questions right, that you got wrong,” Bloom says. “That in turn means that it narrows the SEM and makes [afternoon kids look smarter]. Afternoon kids get the advantage of getting higher

scores.” Last year in Advanced Placement Psychology, students relayed short answer and essay questions to students in later classes. To tackle the problem this year, Bloom says that some social studies teachers have varied the morning and afternoon tests. In AP Psychology and Economics, teachers have chosen test questions from a large body of questions so the test in the morning is different from the test in the afternoon. “It’s not a big deal; it’s not that hard,” Bloom says. “Every single exam I give, I have about three times the questions because I’ve been teaching for 10 years.” Bloom says the problem arises when it seems teachers are favoring one class over the other. “We don’t have a lot of analysis, so we’re really not quite sure if the afternoon tests are harder [and] we’re not quite sure if the afternoon tests are easier,” Bloom says.

VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

How Paly Cheats... Copying work (i.e homework)

Cheating 101 What do Paly students think?

24.9 %

Talking about a test in between classes 15.7 % Writing formulas on body/desk for test

10.4 %

Looking at exams of other students during test

31.2 %

Using a cheat sheet/notes on a test 17.7 %

Bloom has not noticed whether or not Paly students are using newer technology, such as iPhones, to cheat. But Bloom does acknowledge the fact that newer technology poses a problem during testing periods. “If the College Board doesn’t allow phones in the room anymore, that’s a pretty strong indicator that people are actually photographing the test [SAT] and distributing it,” Bloom says. “I think that’s what happened last year. Because it’s this ethical question, it puts kids into this mindset that an end justifies the means. ‘I have so much work to do; the only way I’m going to get this done is if I find some other way.’” In Amy’s case, students in Geometry A classes later in the day used the photos their friends had sent them, to help them with the final. However, in the process, the teacher caught a student using his/ her phone on the second part and as a result, many students, including Amy, were affected. “They [the teachers] took off the second part of the final which is the part that would have raised my grade,” Amy 52

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says. “When students discuss the test, I can understand to a certain degree [questions like] was it hard? Easy? But when people say, there was this problem where it was ‘this, this and this’ and people solve it, then it’s unfair because it breaks curves and you don’t get any extra points.” Both Bloom and Toma believe that students are hesitant to report cheating because of social pressures. “I think part of it is that there’s a social pressure not to be a snitch,” Bloom says. “They haven’t internalized the idea that, ‘my academic work is actually part of me as an individual.’ The other part is the idea that it’s a quick pro-quo [trade off ]. I’ll tell you about econ if you tell me about math. It’s a trade and I think that’s probably a large part.” While teachers like Toma believe that cheating has not become a problem at Paly in recent years, students like Amy think otherwise. “I think that it’s prominent and I don’t approve,” Amy says. “We studied and we worked hard and they’re [the cheaters] are just getting a good grade. It’s really wrong for students to cheat.” v

A form of cheating that isn’t talked about is help on projects, most notably the Rube-Goldberg project for physics. I know groups that had their parents do it mostly or entirely for the group. As far as I’m concerned that is plagiarizing just as much as turning in your parents’ essay. — junior Alex Sholtz The consequences are pretty harsh now, because [teachers] do realize cheating is a problem. They give students different versions of tests, so if you do cheat you’ll end up failing anyways and they move students around so you cant see others’ papers. — sophomore Shruti Srinivasan Most of it [the cheating] comes from the pressure to do just as well as your peers or your friends. I haven’t really seen cheating in any of my classes but I know that before tests or quizzes the teachers usually say if you cheat, then you get a zero on whatever it is you’re working on. — freshman Emily Tran Cheating happens 24/7 on this campus via phone, notecards, looking in backpacks and pencil cases. At Paly, people care about their grades enough to choose an immoral way to get their A. — senior Emerson Shiang

THE FOCUS

ON THE BALLOT Californians consider the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. Cover Intro Design by MAX COHEN

WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING? VOTE TO SMOKE? PUFF PUFF PASS TRADING HEALTH FOR MARIJUANA THE TEACHER PERSPECTIVE ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

54 56 58 59 60

COVER

WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING? Why many at Paly prefer marijuana to tobacco

Text by EMILY JAMES Art by YELENA KASIOVA

here are at least 50 people at the party in South Palo Alto. Loud, drunken energy radiates from every corner of the house. Everyone is talking and laughing together, enjoying their Friday night, but Jenna, a Palo Alto High School senior, stands alone in the side yard. With her friends out of sight, this may be her only opportunity. She looks suspiciously from left to right. Finally, she can smoke. She slowly takes a pack of American Spirit cigarettes out of her purse and lights one up, enjoying her first satisfying drag. Only 10 feet away on the patio, a very different scene takes place. A glass-blown bong is placed on a picnic table, immediately drawing a crowd. A bowl of marijuana is packed. People shout and laugh with their friends around the table, hoping for a chance to smoke. No one notices Jenna, who savors her cigarette in peace. Jenna’s reclusive behavior in this situation is puzzling. She describes herself as outgoing and friendly, and she knows almost everyone at the party. One must wonder why she smokes alone. However, Jenna’s self-segregation isn’t about her personality; it’s about what she’s smoking. Part of our Culture “If my friends knew I smoked cigarettes, they’d kill me,” says Jenna, whose name, as with the names of many other sources in this story, has been changed to protect her 54

FEBRUARY 2010

identity. “I have to hide it from them.” Although her friends are not supportive of her decision to smoke cigarettes, they smoke marijuana, “at least twice a month,” she says. According to a recent Verde survey of 16 Paly English classes (four from each grade, split between the upper and lower lanes), the condemnation of cigarette use and the acceptance of marijuana use is commonplace throughout Paly. The results indicate that only 25 percent of the 292 students surveyed feel that cigarette use is socially acceptable, while 68 percent percent of students feel that marijuana use is socially acceptable. Furthermore, only 7 percent of those surveyed admitted to smoking cigarettes, while 26 percent percent revealed that they use(d) marijuana. “At this stage in our lives, cigarettes are worse for us because they're addictive,” says Kyle, a sophomore. “When we're all trying to do well in school and get into college, we don't need an addiction to distract us. Students also cited the negative response from their peers as a reason to avoid cigarettes. “More people smoke marijuana [than cigarettes],” says Callie, a junior. “My friends and I definitely do it occasionally. [Marijuana] is just more accepted at Paly.” While students listed peer influence as the number one reason for smoking marijuana as opposed to cigarettes, a few claimed that the marijuana high was reason alone to smoke. “I smoke weed because I like the way it makes me feel,” says Will, a

senior. “I'm just so chill and relaxed when I'm high. I also love eating; when I have the munchies I eat even more than normal. Weed is just sick.” According to Will, cigarettes just don't provide this kind of feeling. “Cigs are hoot because they don't get me high,” he says. “I'd rather feel good than nothing at all.” However, despite the acceptance of marijuana by some, many members of the Paly community are opposed to marijuana. Questioning the Dangers There are a number of students who choose not to take part in this aspect of Paly culture. “I don't use marijuana because I don't like the way [drugs alter peoples'] state of mind,” senior Mari Wilson says. “I don't think that I need to be getting high at this age, but that's just my opinion.” Of course, there are also a number of adults in the Palo Alto community who oppose teen marijuana use. “I think that anyone who uses marijuana is going to have a long-term health problem,” says Tom Stone, a former Paly parent. “Putting something into your body that's not supposed to be there can affect you in a negative way.” While marijuana does carry some health risk, studies have shown that excessive tobacco use causes greater damage to one’s physical health than excessive marijuana use. In a 2006 study done by the American Thoracic Society, there was no relationship

found between marijuana use and lung cancer. Participants who had smoked a “heavy” amount of marijuana joints in their lifetimes did not show an increased risk for lung cancer when compared with those who had smoked smaller amounts over the years. San Jose pediatrician Steve Harris agrees that marijuana use is far less detrimental to one's health than cigarette use. “The long-term, regular smoking of cigarettes is riskier to your health than regular marijuana smoking,” he says. “While marijuana and cigarette smoking both involve inhaling toxins, cigarette smoke's harmful products diffuse much farther into the small airways of the lung, so the risks of cancer and emphysema are far greater with cigarettes.” Harris also points out that marijuana carries some benefits that cigarettes do not. “Marijuana relieves the pressure in the eyes caused by glaucoma, the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy, and the lack of appetite in patients with cancer, AIDS, and other chronic, wasting diseases,” he says. “Unlike nicotine, which has no absolutely beneficial medical effects, marijuana actually has bonafide medicinal properties.” It appears that there is a common thread of opinion among many members of the Paly community; cigarettes are unhealthy, dangerous and stigmatized. So why does tobacco use endure in Palo Alto?

Mutual Cravings For Paly junior Alison, cigarettes are a social activity rather than an addiction. “When I [smoke] it’s usually at social gatherings or parties,” she says. According to Alison, alcohol is usually present at these gatherings, making partygoers more likely to smoke. “I definitely think it’s more likely for kids to be drunk [when they choose to smoke cigarettes],” she says. “When people are drunk it becomes more of an impulsive decision.” This cross-craving phenomenon is not unique to Paly students. A 1997 study at Purdue University found that participants had a 35 percent higher level of cigarette cravings after drinking a vodka tonic than after drinking tonic water. A later study done in 2007 by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism illustrated that using cigarettes and alcohol together enhances the pleasure one feels from using either substance by itself. Still, despite the prevalence of cigarette use at parties, Alison finds that some people frown upon smoking. “I have gotten s--[for smoking] before,” she says. “Some of my friends don’t quite approve.” Peer Pressure The approval of friends has been found to be the most influential factor in a teen’s decision to smoke. According to a 2001 survey conducted by the U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services, the smoking rate among teens with multiple friends that smoke is up to 10 times higher than the smoking rate among teens with no friends that smoke. These results indicate that peer pressure can also influence teens not to smoke. In Palo Alto, this type of “positive” peer pressure may be one of the reasons why there is less teen cigarette smoking here than in the rest of the country, where the teen smoking rate averages 9 percent. The previously noted perception that cigarette use is socially unacceptable at Paly could also be responsible for the below-average cigarette-smoking rate. However, according to Paly senior Taylor, the classic form of peer influence does exist when it comes to smoking marijuana. “I started smoking freshman year because all of my friends were doing it and it seemed interesting,” she says. “They definitely didn’t force me into it, but I probably wouldn’t have tried it if I didn’t feel like I was the only one not doing it.” For students like Taylor, it seems like marijuana is everywhere. That's how it is for Jenna, who continues to smoke her cigarette alone. The jovial atmosphere of the patio, just ten feet to her left, feels eons away. Nobody notices the cigarette in her hand, the little white cylinder, the only thing that's preventing her from joining the crowd. v

MARIJUANA USE AT PALY Percentage of students who smoke marijuana

Data taken from random sample of 16 Paly English classes, 4 from each grade. Students responded to the question, “Do you smoke marijuana?” 70 60 50 40

Male

Female

30 20 10 0

Grade

12 VERDE MAGAZINE

COVER

Vote to Smoke? Students contemplate pending California marijuana ballot measure Text and Photography by ALLY MESSICK

itting in Peet’s Coffee, Jamie, a Palo Alto High School senior, recalls a time when he and his friends went to Stanford University to smoke marijuana and hang out near Lake Lagunita last summer. As he and his friends were smoking, Stanford police came out of the bushes and approached them. Because Jamie was the person carrying the marijuana, he was handcuffed, arrested and charged with possession. Jamie’s parents were called to the police station; he had to attend a class and serve 20 hours of community service. Jamie, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, says his encounter with law enforcement did not dissuade him from smoking marijuana. On the contrary, he says he smoked a bowl later the night he was arrested and continues to smoke on a regular basis. Jamie says that the government should not intrude upon his personal decisions if he is not harming himself or other individuals. His arrest, Jamie says, made him believe that adults should not be penalized for the decision to smoke marijuana, a drug that he feels is much safer than alcohol. And the majority of Paly students seem to agree with Jamie. The Verde staff distributed anonymous volunteer surveys to English classes, two from each lane in every grade level, in early February. Of the 200 respondents who answered the question on marijuana legislation, 69 percent of students supported marijuana legalizaiton. Californians as a whole, favor marijuana legalization as well. A recent poll conducted by Mark DiCamillo, director of the non-partisan California Field Poll shows that 56 percent of Californians are 56

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now in favor of the idea of legalizing and taxing marijuana. Legalization activist Richard Lee has taken advantage of this new support, collecting 700,000 signatures. He has obtained enough support to qualify for a marijuana legalization initiative on the 2010 November ballot, according to Erik Altri, a representative the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. According to the campaign Web site,

“I don’t approve of marijuana legalization. If we legalize marijuana, then more kids will have access to weed and it will encourage kids to smoke.” — JUNIOR DOMINIC AL-SHAMARI www.taxcannabis.org, the Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 will regulate cannabis like alcohol, give local governments the ability to tax, regulate the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older and generate billions of dollars in revenue for California. “Lee has gathered enough signatures to qualify, and the state now just needs to approve at least 434,000 signatures from registered voters to make the November ballot,” Altri says. California is leading the way to marijuana legalization and other states are fol-

lowing in its footsteps, according to Altri. “It is likely marijuana legalization will be on the 2010 ballot in New Hampshire, Washington, and Oregon,” Altri says. While NORML supports marijuana legalization, Altri says that some NORML members are critical of placing the ballot on the 2010 election. “2010 is not a presidential election, which means that voters tend to be older and more conservative,” Altri says. “However, the economy may be a motivating factor to get the bill passed.” Jamie agrees that marijuana legalization will help the California economy. “Legalizing it will not really affect most people who already smoke,” Jamie says. “Except now, people have to pay money to doctors to get prescriptions, when that money could go to government taxes. Marijuana could be a great cash crop for California, and really help the economy.” Taxcannabis.com claims that the legalization of marijuana may save state and local governments tens of millions of dollars annually for incarcerating and supervising marijuana offenders. It also will provide state and local governments revenues from sales taxes generated by commercial producers of marijuana. However, Palo Alto economist Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, remains skeptical about the potential economic effects of marijuana legalization. “I view marijuana reform as a social issue,” Levy says. “Some people are supporting legalization because they want to tax marijuana sales like we do with tobacco. It could raise a small amount of revenue. Of course taxing it could also push it under-

MEDICAL MARIJUANA Senior Jamie uses a medical marijuana card to get access to the drug.

ground again. Legalization is not a big deal to the economy.” When it comes to marijuana legalization, Lee is not the only activist blazing the campaign trail. Recently, assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco introduced a bill in the state legislature to decriminalize marijuana and tax it. “It would essentially treat pot the same way alcohol is treated under the law and would allow adults to possess, smoke and grow marijuana,” says Quintin Meche, Ammiano’s press secretary says. Both Meche and Altri admit that one of the main obstacles to marijuana legislation is the federal government. “This is a classic states’ right’s issue,” Meche says. “Approving marijuana would defy Federal law.” On Jan.12, Ammiano won a symbolic victory when lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 4-3 in the Public Safety Committee. However, the bill missed a legislative deadline so it will not make it to the California Assembly floor this year. “The victory proves that the Lee voter initiative definitely has the potential to pass,” Meche says. “This has really opened the marijuana debate.” According to Altri, one group that may pose a threat to marijuana legalization is the Peace Officers Research Association of California, according to Altri. However, Ron Cottingham, president of PORAC, remains doubtful that the proposal will appear on the 2010 ballot. “Nothing has been officially presented,” Cottingham says. “The initiative proposed still needs to be qualified to the secretary state codifying. Right now there is nothing to oppose.”

Should California legalize marijuana? Paly Students

31% No

69% Yes

Results are from an anonymous, volunteer survey that the Verde staff distributed to two different English classes in every grade in early February.

California

44% No

56% Yes

Statistics are from a recent field poll conducted by Mark DiCamillo, director of the Non-partisan Poll Company California Field Poll.

If the issue is included on the ballot, PORAC will not support marijuana legalization. “We would expect to see the same problems we see right now with medical marijuana,” Cottingham says. “Right now medical marijuana is being sold illegally and sold for non-medical purposes. Federal laws do not recognize marijuana possession.” Paly students also have concerns about marijuana legalization. “I don’t approve of marijuana legalization. If we legalize marijuana then more kids will have access to weed and it will encourage kids to smoke,” junior Dominic Al-Shamari says. Paly junior Sam Greene also worries about the marijuana proposal. “There are not enough specifics on the ballot,” Greene says. “Where can it be grown, who can grow it, and who can sell it. Tobacco companies like Marlboro have already purchased land to begin growing [marijuana] when it is legalized and that concerns me.” Other students do not believe the bill will be passed any time soon. “I don’t think efforts to legalize marijuana will be successful,” Paly senior Malaika Drebin says. “I think it’s a valid concern to bring up in state courts, but Proposition 8 has shown us that California is not as liberal as we’d like to think.” As of now, the Paly administration does not believe marijuana legalization will have an effect on campus life. “The kids who want to smoke already have access to weed,” Jerry Berkson, assistant principal, says. “No laws are holding them back.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

COVER

Puff Puff PASS In November, Californians may be able to vote on the legalization of marijuana. Hopefully, people will learn the untold truth about cannabis and this measure will pass. Text by MARY VERICAT Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

arry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, once stated: “Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality and death,” according to DrugLibrary.org. He proceeded to bombard the media with similar messages and thus kicked off his successful campaign to pass the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which led to the criminalization of the possession and transfer of marijuana. However, in 1944, New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s commission, the LaGuardia Commission, showed that the allegations that consuming cannabis causes addiction, madness and criminality were false. Congress called Anslinger back to respond to these allegations and he admitted that marijuana does not cause violence and insanity, yet 70 years later, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 still stands and marijuana remains illegal in the U.S. Since the 1930s, the media has kept people fearing marijuana, portraying it as a dangerous gateway drug. But the truth is that marijuana is not nearly as destructive as alcohol and cigarettes, the legal “bad” drugs. According to the Bureau of Mortality Statistics of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the annual American deaths caused by drug use are as follows: Tobacco: 400,000, Alcohol: 100,000, Caffeine: 2,000, Aspirin: 500, Marijuana: 0 Interestingly, marijuana, the illegal drug that is commonly stigmatized as a gateway drug, is the most non-lethal on the list. In fact, as demonstrated by these statistics, it does not seem to be lethal at all, taking zero American lives. It makes no sense that a drug that takes fewer lives than the supposedly innocuous, over-the-counter aspirin is considered to be a dangerous gateway drug. Despite these statistics that prove marijuana is not nearly as dangerous as it is portrayed to be, its much-built-up 58

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monstrous reputation precedes the truth, and an inordinate amount of money is still being poured into the destruction of this drug and the imprisonment of its users. According to a statistic noted by democratic senator Jim Webb in a 2009 article in Time, “The U.S. is home to 5 percent of the global population but 25 percent of its prisoners.” And according to a report entitled “Economics of Cannabis Legalization” by Dale Gieringer, a DEA drug regulation expert, 30 percent of arrests nationwide involve cannabis. All of this for a drug that is far less deadly than caffeine. In short, billions of dollars that could be used to fund research on heart disease and cancer, the real American killers, are being wasted to fill our prisons with nonviolent, and even sometimes sick, people. “They [marijuana-possessors] can get caught using drugs for the third time, never committing a violent act, and get put in prison for life, and yet rapists and murderers can get out,” said Ron Paul, congressman and 2008 presidential election candidate, during a debate over the legalization of marijuana on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” “And if you think of all the expenses you’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars that get spent on this and people who usually get sent to prison for non-violent drug use come out as violent criminals.” As Paul states, the U.S. government is spending billions of dollars to clutter our prisons and paradoxically to create a more violent people with its war on drugs. The story of Portugal’s recent move towards decriminalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs has important lessons for California. The Portuguese experience detailed in a 2009 article in Time entitled “Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?” indicates that war is not the answer, but rather peace and acceptance

could be the answer to the war on drugs. According to this article, after the decriminalization, or the acceptance, of marijuana, “Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10 percent. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8 percent. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.” So without declaring war on a substance and spending billions of dollars to throw people into jail for nonviolent drug-related incidences, Portugal was able to reduce the number of drug users by merely adopting a peaceful and effective approach of decriminalizing and regulating marijuana and other drugs. The U.S. too could peacefully reduce the number of drug users and the amount of drug-related crime by decriminalizing marijuana if the American people could just cleanse themselves of the misinformed propaganda that portrays marijuana as an obscene drug because the much-concealed truth is that marijuana is a therapeutic drug whose only real danger is the illegal label the government has imposed on it. “For 40 years I’ve believed that the U.S. would be a more peaceful nation if we were to legalize cannabis,” Jeffrey Hergenrather, a medical marijuana doctor in Sebastopol, Calif., says. “The misinformed public will take a generation to relax about the safety and utility of this natural medicine.” Hopefully, this informed generation that will be given the opportunity to see marijuana in its own light, free of its mediablackened image, will be us, and Californians will vote to pass the Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act of 2010 in November, which would allow adults 21 and older to possess one ounce of marijuana and grow 25 square feet for their personal utilization and would create a more peaceful U.S. v

TRADING HEALTH FOR MARIJUANA

COVER

Marijuana should not be legal because of the health problems associated with its use. Text by JESSICA MADEJ Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

magine walking into a grocery store, and right there next to the candy aisle is a display of marijuana: dried leaves in packets ready to be picked up by anyone over the age of 21. The Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act - approved for the state’s November ballot - would create a regulatory structure that would do exactly that: allow the sale and possession of marijuana to those who meet the age requirement of 21, similar to alcohol laws. Access to marijuana would be easy: one could bypass the doctor or drug dealer and quickly acquire it. But here is the truth about marijuana, its health effects and the marijuana ballot measure. Marijuana comes from the hemp plant, cannabis sativa, and refers to the dry materials of the plant, such as the leaves, stems and seeds. In the late 1980s, during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, medications for the treatment of HIV infections were rare. Scientists, including Donald Abrams from the University at California at San Francisco, were looking for ways to give pain and nausea relief to their patients. They realized that marijuana could be helpful to their patients. Proposition 215 (“The Compassionate Use Act”) was passed in 1996 in California to allow marijuana to be used by “seriously ill” patients or for “any illness for which marijuana provides relief.” Medical marijuana has caused a “corruption” in some doctors who do not care about the effect marijuana use could have on healthy patients. This act quickly became abused when a few doctors offered five-minute consultations to cash-paying patients and quickly gave marijuana prescriptions away. According to an article by Dan Noyes, reporter for the ABC7 News I-Team, Jean Talleyrand left his private practice in San Francisco and opened 19

medical marijuana clinics. Noyes said that Talleyrand’s Medicann clinics have made a profit of more than $10 million in less than five years. Talleyrand does not sell marijuana, but for $150 he provides a doctor’s recommendation that clears the patient to smoke marijuana under Prop. 215, according to Noyes. Is Talleyrand prescribing marijuana to patients who do not need it? Could this be harming the patient? These are good questions. Health risks alone should dissuade people from using marijuana. Sustained use of marijuana may affect the neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions found that mood disorders occur with: • 61 percent of marijuana addicts • 36 percent of marijuana abusers Results also show that anxiety disorders occur with: • 46 percent of marijuana addicts • 25 percent of marijuana abusers If these effects of marijuana usage are not startling enough for you, consider that an average 10 years elapses between the onset of marijuana use and contact with treatment services, according to the Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal. This means that marijuana users may not be completely aware of the effects until years later, too late for some of their problems. Marijuana was a contributing factor in over 374,435 emergency department visits in 2008, according to estimates made by The Drug Abuse Warning Network. The legal age to be eligible for medical marijuana is 18. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, pot is the illicit drug most commonly used by children and adolescents. The average age of first marijuana use in the U.S. is 14, according to the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association. Adolescents who used marijuana are 104 times as likely to use cocaine than those who have never smoked marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2007, according to results from the National Comorbidity Survey: • 38 percent of students have used marijuana at some point in their lives Of these: • 20 percent were current users • 9 percent will develop dependence to marijuana of those who try it Use of medical marijuana during adolescence has many devastating effects, both short term and long term. The use of marijuana has been implicated in as many as 11 percent to 33 percent of fatal motor vehicle accidents caused by 15 to 30-year-old users, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. According to a case-control study by the Psychological Medicine Journal in 2003, individuals who smoke cannabis are: • 44 percent less likely to graduate from college • 49 percent less likely to earn more than $30,000 per year Many marijuana advocates avoid sharing the negative effects marijuana use has. Thus the public is only informed of the “advantages” of legalizing marijuana. They justify the legalization of marijuana by saying that taxes will bring in profits for the government. What about the money that will be spent treating the effects of marijuana? The decision is up to you and whether you take these facts to heart. You can choose to have “fun” now and pay the consequences later, or you can be a mature and responsible person who votes against the proposition. If you can not vote, simply say no to marijuana. v VERDE MAGAZINE

COVER

The Teacher Perspective on Marijuana Legalization Personal stories have impact on teachers’ opinions Text and Photography by ZACHARY STANTON-SAVITZ

RACHEL KELLERMAN Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman is not sure whether marijuana should be legalized. “At this point I’m really on the fence about it,” she says. “I think it [permitting use of marijuana] is an interesting first step — I would like to see how that works first before thinking about whether it should be legalized.” Kellerman described how marijuana affected someone she knew. He had been an honor student in high school, and had gotten into University of California, Los Angeles, she said. But in college he got started using marijuana, which led to use of other drugs. “[He] lost all his motivation for reaching his goals,” she says, adding that he never graduated.

KATE McKENZIE A lot of kids got in trouble with drugs when art teacher Kate McKenzie was younger, she recalled, but in the 70s, she thought that the idea to legalize marijuana was great. After years of teaching though, she saw what drugs had done to kids, and had undergone a change in opinion, she says. It was clear to her that use of marijuana resulted in negative consequences. She does believe that medical use of marijuana is fine. She illustrated an experience that she had while teaching. At one point when she was teaching, she taught in a large classroom that had its own bathroom. One day, when she walked into the bathroom, she smelled marijuana smoke. When she walked in to inquire about “who was stupid enough” to smoke marijuana in the bathroom, she noticed right away that one student had red eyes, McKenzie says. He was clearly the culprit. The same student who was caught came back to her later and thanked her. If he had not gotten caught, he said to her, he could not be where he was then.

STEVE SABBAG “I’m uninformed at this moment,” social studies teacher Steve Sabbag said, adding that he would need to see what the potential law would say. If legalized, he believes marijuana would work similarly to alcohol in that some people would have problems with marijuana, and others would use marijuana with very little negative effect. He also said though, that the physical effect the two substances have on people are different. “If it was just a society of adults, then it should be legalized. But it’s not,” Sabbag says.

FEBRUARY 1010

CULTURE THINGS YOU CAN BRAG ABOUT KNOWING

“GOING ROGUE” 62 JUST THE LITTLE THINGS 64 MISCHIEF MANAGED 66 RAISING THE BAR 67 OSCAR WATCH 68

Cartoon By Harry Nordlinger

CULTURE

” e u g o R “Going ide of the story

s sarah palin’s re... o m d n a e m a n clears her

Text by JESSICA MADEJ Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

ow does one go about changing a person’s perception of a political figure when one is fairly sure that this person will not listen with all of his or her heart? When I told my friend Teddi that I was reading Sarah Palin’s book, “Going Rogue,” she rolled her eyes and said, “I can’t handle it. Go ahead and quote me.” Another friend just looked at me, squinting her eyes in puzzlement. I just smiled; it was not the first time that I had gotten this type of reaction.

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The question I want answered is why do so many people hate Palin, besides the excuse of different political views? In American politics there is this stereotypical pretty picture of what a politician should do, how they should walk and how they should talk. This picture presents a flawless politician who does not admit to any mistakes. Palin does not fit this picture because she is a human. Throughout “Going Rogue,” Palin shares her perspective on many of her life experiences. She admits to flaws and mistakes. This is what makes her more of a real, down-to-earth person. For many Americans, this is unacceptable because it does not fit the flawless picture. Just the other day, a kid yelled out, “Sarah is dumb.” I hear it over and over again: Why? I’ve asked why, but I never get a straight answer. Palin is not just a common sense Republican; she is a real person who has personal experience with the ideologies that she fights for. For example, many politicians say they are either pro-life or pro-choice. However, many of these politicians do not have direct experience with this issue. Palin has life experience with this matter. Palin’s daughter, Bristol, became pregnant when she was 17. Her daughter made the decision to keep the child. Palin also had to make a decision whether to have an abortion when she found

out that her child had Downs Syndrome and this decision reaffirmed her pro-life beliefs. Palin herself, just for a second, says she pondered an abortion. “It was a fleeting thought, a sudden understanding of why many women feel pressured to make the ‘problem’ go away. Sad, I thought, that our society has elevated things like education and career above the gift of bringing life into the world,” Palin says in her book. She has discovered the joys of raising her son, Trig. Those real-life experiences are what make a politician all the more real and less of a pretty painting. It is hard to summarize a 403-page book and try to get across the same message that the author was trying to send. The memoir is, as it claims, the story of “An American Life.” Throughout the memoir, the reader gets to laugh with Palin at life’s silly moments, cry at the hardships and learn about the life of a true Alaskan gal. This memoir lets the public go behind the scenes as Palin shares her perspective of events during the John McCain campaign and what the press would not tell you. This at times makes parts of this book sound like a campaign speech, focusing on the presidential campaign and headquarters. Palin is open enough to share her struggles and how she overcame them. She is also very enthusiastic about sharing her hopes and dreams for her family and the great state that she lives in: Alaska. The memoir begins at Alaska’s state fair, a seemingly average day, until the moment that McCain calls up Palin and asks her to “help him change history.” She continues sharing her life story, from being born in

Sandpoint, Idaho, to high school and college years, to her political beginnings. “Going Rogue” is what some McCain staffers called Palin when she decided to be independent from what was expected of her. This independence came in the form of free speech when Palin was being interviewed. The media was wondering who was paying for Palin’s clothes. When asked to comment on this subject, Palin told one of “The View” hosts, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, “Those clothes, they are not my property. Just like the lighting and staging and like everything else the RNC [Republican National Committee] purchases. I’m not taking them with me.” Palin had been glad to clear the air, perhaps help the campaign, and then returned to discussing politics. However she says, “We soon heard that back at headquarters, it was a big deal. The word came hurtling down that I had been ‘off script’… it’s pretty easy to issue candid, off-script messages when there is no script to begin with.” This wouldn’t be the first time that Palin would go rogue. “Word quickly came back from headquarters that I’d done it again — I’d gone rogue. What I had actually done was speak up to defend my ethics and my family, but still, the hammer came

down. ... One or more McCain senior staffers would later anonymously tell reporters that I was ‘going rogue.’” Thus the memoir is so named. Throughout “Going Rogue” there are many fun moments and witty quotes. One of my favorite quotes is when Palin asked her daughter Piper to pray with her before the vice-presidential candidate debate. “I wanted to say that my heart’s desire was that our Lord would guide my words in a way that would be truthful and honoring to Him. But I said, as simply as I could, ‘Just pray we win the debate.’ She [Piper] drew a deep breath. ‘Mom!’ she said. ‘That would be cheating!’” After Palin’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live, Piper took some of the “fun” to heart. “To this day, I still hear Piper rapping around the house: ‘You say Obama, I say Ayers! Obama … Ayers! Obama… Ayers.” Many people question Palin’s decision to resign as governor. Palin says that, “They [the media] just couldn’t believe that a politician would willingly give up power and title for good reasons.” I personally believe that Palin will one day return to the political spotlight. She does not stand on party lines; she stands on her beliefs, so when she does return she will be a threat to the

government because she could reveal the depravity of politics in Washington, D.C. Palin stands for the people, not for large businesses and corporations. When Palin resigned, her father, Chuck Heath Sr., said, “Sarah’s not retreating; she’s reloading!” I still wonder why people think Palin is dumb. I asked another Paly student, Max, whether he thought Palin is dumb. “Yeah,” he said. When I asked him why he thought Palin was dumb he replied, “Because I’ve been told to think so.” This quote made me think that Americans have stopped thinking for themselves and are letting the media think for them. I know why I like Sarah Palin: I admire her because of her personality, faith and perspective. She does not fit the “picture perfect” politician. She is not like any other politician; she is a real person who many Americans can relate to. If you have gotten this far, I hope you have learned something about Palin and will read “Going Rogue.” If not, well, I leave all the readers with this quote from Palin:‘“Hey, just keep reminding me of Grandpa Sheeran’s favorite Latin tag: Illegitimi non carborundum!’ which, loosely translated, means, ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down.’” v

Drill baby drill ”

“

VERDE MAGAZINE

PHOTO ESSAY

Just the Little Things Palyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus blooms as the rain subsides Text and Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

lthough the recent downpours in Palo Alto have brought mud, puddles and inconvenience to the students at Palo Alto High School, the blossoming of flowers and plants on campus makes the week or two of stomping through puddles worth it. The outburst of plants around campus foreshadows the coming of spring, and the start of the new semester. The things around Paly that we barely notice are often forgotten about, but are often the most beautiful.

Far right (top row): Cracks on the side of the Tower Building show how long the building has been around. Middle: Pipes leading into the Tower Building. Right: The sky above the World Languages building is finally blue.

FEBRUARY 2010

(opposite page) Bottom left: A tree on the quad Bottom right: A close-up on daisies near the Social Studies and Language buildings Top left (above): Green plants sprouting around a puddle left over from the recent downpour at Paly Top left (below): A fork left on the ground after lunch Top right: A close-up on pink cherry blossoms Right: A view of students walking past the World Languages building lockers

VERDE MAGAZINE

CULTURE

Mischief Managed Senior pranks: just harmless jokes or serious dangers? Text by AMANDA GROZIAK

magine coming to school one day, getting into a swimming suit and walking to P.E. to find a shark lurking in the swimming pool. Putting this specimen in the swimming pool was just one of Palo Alto High School’s senior pranks, and this particular one was pulled in 1968. Also in 1968, seniors broke into the dean of boys’ office, which dealt with male student punishment, and filled it with crumpled newspapers. Other Paly senior pranks include car tires in the swimming pool, beer bottles lining the roof, hinges taken off the science building, upside-down cars left on the deck, “08” written on the quad and toilet paper decorating the campus. What makes a good prank? Issues of creativity, legality and the school’s reaction should be considered when planning a prank, according to assistant principal Jerry Berkson. Even if the objective is to break the rules, no one wants to get hurt while doing something dangerous, Berkson says. Pranks can end up going horribly wrong. According to an article on Palo Alto Online, in 1994, Henry M. Gunn High 1968: Crumpled newspapers left in Dean of Boys’ office

1977: Michelob bottles lined the roof

T i m e l i n e 1968: Monterey Bay shark put in pool 66

1972: Car tires dumped in pool

FEBRUARY 2010

School seniors put explosives in a cement receptacle. It exploded in the main quad, sending eight students to Stanford Hospital and injuring 10 more. Afterward, three Gunn seniors were arrested and put into the North County Jail after confessing to police. Either the Paly administration or the police deal with consequences for pranks. “I think a lot of times students get mad at us when we make rules with their safety in mind,” Berkson says. “They don’t realize how many freak accidents happen.” The 2008 prank concerning the overturned car resulted in the arrest of the student responsible on a charge of felony vandalism. The student was taken to the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose and put on a $11,000 bail. Another question that might come to mind about senior pranks is: what motivates students to pull them? “There’s some pleasure derived in disregard[ing] authority,” says Shawn Leonard, physics teacher and former Paly student. “Students don’t mature until their late 20s. It [pulling pranks] is a sign of im-

o f

1979: Hinges taken off science building doors

1984: Spray-painted doors, choppeddown trees, glue and toothpicks in door locks

P a l y 1981: Six seniors carried a large joint around campus

maturity. I think the risk-taking dies down as you mature.” Leonard also remembers that graduating classes have put their graduation year on top of the administration building. “If you look at the roof, it’s missing tiles,” Leonard says. However, Leonard warns against repeating this prank because of the cost of restoring the roof to its orignal state. To others, the main attraction of senior pranks is continuing an old tradition. Cynthia Christensen, a 1968 Paly graduate, attended Paly when the shark was put in the swimming pool. “Though I was a goodie-two-shoes and would never have done anything so bold, I would have defended my classmates to the bitter end,” Christensen says on Palo Alto Online. “What they did represented me, as well as the entire class history.” The Paly administration is not out to punish students who pull pranks. In fact, they are supportive of well-thought through pranks. “I’m all for having fun,” Berkson says. “Just be smart about it.” v

1988: “88” painted on library roof

S e n i o r 1985: Bomb threats issued to office

2008: “08” written on grass

P r a n k s 2008: Upsidedown car put on deck

2009: Toilet papered school grounds

Raising the

BAR Text by SOPHIE CORNFIELD Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

arly one Sunday morning, I me through the registration process with pried myself out of my com- smiles. She even treated me to a free class fortable bed in Palo Alto and because it was my first. However, this cheap ventured out through tor- price tag is not the norm, as a class generally rential downpour and into costs $24. A $100 monthly pass is available uncharted territory. I was about to attend for new clients. my first exercise class and owing to my subThe studio, lined with mirrors and baloptimal athletic skill, I was apprehensive. I let bars, resembled pretty much every dance have been affectionately deemed “chicken studio around the country. The large speakarms” by my family and can barely touch er system set up in the corner blasted dance my toes, so the idea of me attending an ex- music. However, it was the exercise itself ercise class was laughable, but due to the that was different. The class targets the legs, imminent opening of the Bar Method’s stomach and arms through small moveTown and Country location in late fall, I ments working a single area of the body – knew I had to try you might spend 10 the program. I minutes squatting was immediately just an inch. But calmed when I beware. You might made it to the not sweat, but you Bar Method’s San will feel it the next Mateo studio and day. I spent the next stepped inside. two days tottering The Bar around on account Method, a form of of miniscule lunges. anaerobic exercise The instruction that mixes yoga, was extraordinary. ballet and Pilates, While the space is based on the was crowded with Lotte Berk proLulu Lemon-clad gram. Berk, a Gerwomen of every age man dancer, cre- NO PAIN NO GAIN The Bar Method, an ex- and level of fitness, ated the program ercise studio opening in Town and Country, the teacher gave after sustaining mixes yoga, ballet and Pilates. each student the ata back injury in tention she needed. 1959. She combined her dance training Initially, I dreaded being called out in front with physical therapy exercises to create of the class, but the instructor managed to the Lotte Berk Method. Burr Leonard, an help without embarrassing or calling atavid follower of the Lotte Berk Method, tention to struggling participants. She did refined the program and opened the first so kindly, but still urged participants to Bar Method studio in 1991 in Green- pushed their boundaries. wich, Conn. Today, there are 23 franchises While definitely strenuous, the Bar throughout the U.S. and Canada. Method is an easy way to ease into the From the outset, the Bar Method was world of exercise, while still seeking a chalon its game. A friendly attendant guided lenge. v VERDE MAGAZINE

CULTURE

OSCAR WATCH

As the Academy Awards ceremony nears, here are my picks for some of the best and brightest films of the past few months. Tune in on March 7 for the actual results on ABC. Text by ASHA ALBUQUERQUE

BEST PICTURE/BEST DIRECTOR

AVATAR Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

“An Education” is perhaps the best film of 2009 that you haven’t yet heard of. A warm, delicate British delight, Carey Mulligan portrays a multifaceted characterization of an innocent girl who starts to grow up a bit too fast. The film is a relatively typical coming-of-age drama in terms of an older married man seducing a naive, little schoolgirl, but is a mustsee due to Mulligan’s extraordinary acting. Instead of relying on the usual fresh-faced innocence approach, Mulligan adds her own spark of wit and charm as 16-year-old Jenny. At the start of the film, Jenny appears to have all the luck. Her peers idolize her for more than just her youthful good looks. Jenny’s greatest dream is to attend Oxford University and she has the brains to make that a reality. However, after she hitches a ride with a handsome, sophisticated man named David, Jenny is plunged into a world of jazz concerts, expensive clothes and spontaneous trips to Paris. You can guess what happens from there, but what expression or gesture Mulligan will cast next is less predictable. Expect to see Mulligan soon become a household name, as perhaps the next Kate Winslet. 68

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The best part of “Avatar” is not the lackluster acting nor the unoriginal dialogue but the sheer scope of the undertaking. Director James Cameron, known for spearheading the 1997 Oscar-friendly blockbuster “Titanic”, first wrote the screenplay in 1994 and the film had been in development for the past 16 years, waiting for the technology to develop, to usher in a new stage of 3-D imaging, according to Entertainment Weekly. Forget the wide vistas and scenic mountain ranges of recent cinematographic blockbusters such as the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “Avatar” will forever be remembered for doing what no film ever dared to do before. Instead of using a landscape that already existed, James Cameron crafted a whole new world; literally. The flora and fauna on the fictional planet Pandora are unlike any that exists on Earth and were created entirely by computers. “Avatar” is not quite the typical science fiction film. In the year 2154, humans are in the process of acquiring Pandora’s vast metal resources. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is one of the human diplomats assigned to smooth things over with the Na’vi, the planet’s indigenous people. Although the plot bares many similarities to “Pocahontas,” complete with a cross-cultural love story, Cameron’s special effects make the film a must-see. Sci-fi despisers need not fear; there is plenty of visual candy for those who are not a fan of the gun-and-battleship trappings of the genre. Cameron deserves major kudos for redefining a 3-D visual experience and creating a whole array of special effects designed to bedazzle audiences globally.

BEST ACTRESS

An Education Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

BEST ACTOR

Courtesy of Fade to Black Pixar’s latest quirky creation “Up” appeals across generations and transcends the normally limited, cliche-plagued depths of children’s movies. The best four minutes in film history are a sequence in “Up” that depicts the life-long relationship between Carl and his wife Ellie. Although the piece is absent of dialogue, it is perhaps the most powerful and emotional snippet of movie history and is sure to touch the heart of even the most callous viewer. In addition, the film is monumental for depicting the first Asian-American character (Russell) in a Pixar film. The hyperactively obnoxious Russell torments Carl in a humerous portrayal of generational conflict. The two fly up, up and away, in hope of finding Paradise Falls, a dream Carl shared with his wife, who did not live to fufill it. The film is extremely touching and all viewers will enjoy the fantastical portrayal of following one’s dream.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

UP IN THE AIR Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Colin Firth is one of those rare actors who manages to appear as a completely different person in every film he appears in. In “A Single Man,” Firth once again demonstrates that he is not just a famous name but actually has the talent worthy of his notoriety. Unlike other Hollywood icons who display very similar characteristics and facial expressions from role to role, Firth provides a completely unique personality and perspective in every character he plays. As George Falconer, a gay professor coming to terms with the loss of his beloved partner, Firth excels at portraying the subtle stages of George’s grief. At times, the film appears metaphorical as the camera depicts shots of George nearly drowning in a bottomless pool, symbolizing the depth of his suffering. Firth also adds his own unique, dry humor to the role. George’s failure to find a position comfortable enough to die in thwarts his attempt at suicide. In addition, Firth deserves acclaim for his ability to honestly and quietly portray grief, with restraint unlike the unrealistic waterworks display used by many less capable actors.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Up Courtesy of Pixar “Up in the Air” is one of the most original, witty and creative films this year. Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn, the film details Ryan Bingham’s (George Clooney) lonely, relationship-empty existence as he travels around the nation firing other employees. Most people who lack emotional connections to others at least have some ties to their objects and belongings; however, Bingham lives life with nothing to tie him down, not even meaningful possesions or a stable home. The film originally grapples with one of the oldest questions of mankind: who are we if everything that makes us who we are is stripped away? Don’t expect to find a hopeful answer as this is not a light-hearted comedy. Viewers will exit the theater pensive, confused and saddened. There is no happy ending to this hidden gem, but it might change your whole outlook on life and the values that define you. Screenplay writers Shedon Turner and Jason Reitmen succeed in touching viewers souls and challenging their philosophies. VERDE MAGAZINE

RYAN’S RULES

In 1,000 words or less, explain why college essays SUCK

College applications are painful enough as it is. Can’t these schools manage an interesting prompt or two?

f I really wanted to, I could complain about college essays for days. Honestly, I think any senior who has gone through the college application process could. The truth is, I don’t know if I ever wrote a college essay I was actually proud of. Don’t get me wrong. I spent months this fall writing multitudes of well-crafted, polished essays that earned my parents’ stamp of approval. But now when I read them back to myself, I sometimes feel as if someone else wrote them. It isn’t like I haven’t tried capturing myself in writing. God, have I tried. But how are you supposed to answer a question like, “How would you contribute to the vitality of ________ College?” without sounding like a complete tool? And how does composing a laundry list of my strengths and accomplishments help colleges build an accurate picture of who I am, beyond my GPA and test scores? An interesting prompt can mean the difference between a sterile, prepackaged essay and a thoughtful piece of writing that truly reflects the applicant. For this reason, I’ve decided to take a departure from the usual rant that fills this page. I’ll admit, an irrational part of me is afraid that if I write anything too inflammatory here, all of the schools I’ve applied to will somehow get a copy of this article and decide to reject me. But the real motivation behind this slightly subdued tone is that I am serious in my effort to offer some constructive criticism about the kind of prompts that students want to respond to, the prompts that can elicit the kind of thoughtful reflection admissions officers want to read. First off, let’s get the infamous “Why are you applying to ________ University?” prompt out of the way. This is not only the most commonly asked question; it is also the most universally hated by applicants. I can sympathize with students wrestling with this prompt, especially since quite often the real answer is, “Eh, I guess it wouldn’t suck to go to this school and it would be a good safety.” As frustrating as this prompt may be, students should recognize that this is exactly why colleges ask this question. It is understandable for colleges to want to weed out the people who lack passion for their school. However, there are limits to my understanding. I’m not naming any names here, but to any colleges out there reading this, is it really necessary to require upwards of 500 words on this subject? Even the most passionate applicants would have trouble coming up with that amount of material. A brief response of two paragraphs is more than enough to separate those with real interest from those without; so let applicants keep it short and sweet. While I’m on the note of length, it’s important to avoid either extreme. In fact, writing a 2,000-word personal statement is nowhere near as painful as squeezing a coherent response into a box 70

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Text by RYAN FLANAGAN Photography by SARAH HENDERSON that only fits 250 characters, including spaces. I understand that writing concisely is an important skill, but let’s be serious. It’s flat out painful to write something that short. If you are really looking for a two-sentence response, then say it. If you don’t, then I can guarantee there will be thousands of teenagers sitting in front of the computer sweating over that tiny essay for hours. For hours. So for the sake of high schoolers everywhere, either give applicants a little more space or clarify that you aren’t looking for a real essay. Another suggestion: keep it light. The best way to get students out of that obnoxious “look at me and all the amazing things I’ve done” voice is to ask some fun, random questions. I’m not suggesting that the entire application should be a joke, or that students shouldn’t take the essays seriously. But is a little touch of humor really that inappropriate? New York University doesn’t seem to think so. With an application that included questions like, “If you had the opportunity to spend one day in New York City with a famous New Yorker, who would it be and what would you do?” NYU allowed students to show off their creative side, giving admissions officers more insight into what each applicant had to offer. I know what you’re thinking. Sure it’s easy to criticize what’s already there, but what’s you’re bright idea? Well, I’ll have you know that I have a couple of promts of my own that I think would improve any application. For instance, if you were a fruit or vegeatable, which would you be and why? Someone could be an artichoke because they have a big heart. Someone else could be a pineapple: hard on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. The possibilities are endless! Produce not your style? How about this gem: If you were not going to college, what would you do instead? What better way to see what students are like outside of the academic lens then forcing them to think beyond college? But my real brainchild is this: questions based on absurd hypothetical situations. Everyone loves discussing hypotheticals; half of the questions students ask begin with the words, “What if...?” Colleges should use this to their advantage by asking questions like, “What if pockets were never invented? How would this affect society as we know it?” Or, “If you could have a life time supply of any product, what would it be and why?” How about, “How would wearing nothing but wetsuits for the rest of your days change your life?” I could write novels about any of those prompts. My point is that at the end of the day, college essays are the part of the applications that give students the chance to move past their grades and statistics and give colleges a glance into who they are as human beings. Because essays are the only place to be creative, colleges should try to provide promts and length guidelines that allow applicants to show what they can do instead of limiting students to generic cookie-cutter writing. Otherwise, how will you ever know if I’m a pineapple or an artichoke? v

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