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INDEX VOLUME 11 • EDITION 5 • PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL

NEWS Briefing 7 Compiled by Camille von Kaenel and

FEATURES CONTD. An Evening on Wheels 34 by Manon von Kaenel and

THE LAUNCH Short Features 12 Compiled by Anabel Homnak and Amanda

The Ones Left Behind

A Fresh Breath of ... Chocolate?

Manon von Kaenel

Margaret Kadifa

by Amanda Young

Groziak

by Sarah Jacobs

PERSPECTIVES America’s Heartbeat 18 by Jessica Madej Unschooling

On the Chopping Block

by Kianna Evans

by Mira Khanna

COVER Looking Back but Moving Forward

Just One Part of the Equation

by Caroline Wang

by Emily Efland and Emma Tucher

Exit Through the Gift Shop 21

CULTURE

by Zachary Stanton-Savitz

View From the Top by Emma Tucher

FEATURES From One World to 24 Another by Emily Efland

Hope for Phones

Off the Beaten Path

Healing with Hookworms

Growing Through Geneology

by Bella Hernandez and Jessica Madej by Allison Chang

by Mira Khanna

by Asha Alburqueque

TOP An Evening on Wheels (page 34) BOTTOM A Fresh Breath.... of Chocolate? (page 40) RIGHT Screaming for Ice Cream (page 55)

Summer Calendar

Sweeter Than Candyland

What’s New Downtown

Screaming for Ice Cream

by Ryan Flanagan and Sophie Cornfield by Caroline Wang

by Silvia Maraboli

by Margaret Kadifa

SENIOR Senior Section 57 Compiled by Whitney Drazovich, Silvia Maraboli and Emily James

The Final Chapter by Ryan Flanagan

cover

by sarah henderson

volume 11 edition 5

We had a tough time deciding which cover design to use for our cover on the new administration. Max Cohen designed this cover — which do you prefer?

verdeexcerpts “If you have a concern you should be able to be heard. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get what you want, but you will be heard”

Page 48

“This bell schedule is the first big decision that we’ve made in 15 or 20 years.”

Page 44 BE THE FIRST TO FIND THE VERDE “V” SOMEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE AND STOP BY ROOM 213 FOR YOUR PRIZE

Paly ASB would like to thank all the teachers and administrators who pitched in to make our year a success

Incoming Principal Phil Winston “Just One Part of the Equation”

Principal Jacqueline McEvoy’ “Looking Back but Moving Forward”

“He [Jack Bungarden] has a sort of borderline obsession with getting ties. He is a tie-hoarder.”

Page 13

Matthew Bungarden “TIEd with History”

“My greatest wish is that Paly students once again see the community college choice as a real choice, and not, as I perceive some to believe, that it’s for the less academically inclined”

Page 28

Steve Sabbag “Off the Beaten Path”

“I really wanted to branch outside of my comfort zone - which is what Amigos is really all about.”

— Palo Alto High School ASB/ Leadership Class 2010

APRIL 2010

Page 24

Erin Kiekhaefer “From One World to Another”

verde

volume 11 edition 5 june 2010

from the editors

he last week of school is a time of certainty for Paly students: We all know our classes and teachers and exactly how many days are left until summer. At the same time, both the administration and Verde have been undergoing many changes for the next school year. As the new Verde editors-in-chiefs, we have had to learn the challenging process of producing a 64-page magazine. For this, we would like to thank Verde’s previous editors, Amanda Young and Caroline Wang, for their help with the transition. For our cover package, we have one of the first in-depth interviews with the new principal, Phil Winston, in “Just one part of the equation” (pg. 48) and the last interview with resigning principal Jacqueline McEvoy, in “Looking back but moving forward”(pg. 46). As new editors, we could greatly relate to Winston, who will take over as principal in the fall. We have experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to get the respect of a staff that has grown accustomed to different leadership, and hope that the Paly community and students are as patient and understanding with Winston, as our staff was with us. As well as looking into new administrative changes, the magazine also explores new innovations such as breathable chocolate and helminthic therapy, in our feature stories “A fresh breath of chocolate?” (pg. 40) and “Healing with Hookworms” (pg. 30). In addition, while the topic of suicide can be controversial, we felt that it was time to publish an issue about the topic, in “The ones left behind” (pg. 35). A key point of the article, and a personal belief of ours, is that the topic of suicide must become destigmatized, so individuals who are trying to overcome suicidal thoughts and depression can feel free to seek help. Staff writer Amanda Young went to great lengths to ensure that this message was on target — both avoiding known triggers for suicide contagion and including resources for students who need mental health support; Young also took the unusual step of running drafts of the story by suicide experts, counselors, psychologists and her sources to avoid any harmful effects. We also feel strongly that this issue cannot be swept under the rug, but a topic that we, as a community and school, need to continue to discuss and combat. We would like to commend Young for her hard work and her dedication to this story. As the school year comes to a close, we want to thank our entire staff for their hard work and cooperation with the new editors. So whether you’re leaving or staying, happy or sad, we hope you enjoy our first edition of Verde! — Sonali, Ally & Max

Staff List Editors-in-Chief Ally Messick Max Cohen Sonali Sastry Camille von Kaenel Manon von Kaenel Managing Editors Sarah Jacobs Margaret Kadifa Business Managers Emily Efland Emma Tucher Short Features Editors Amanda Groziak Anabel Homnack

Photographer Sarah Henderson Cartoonist Harry Nordlinger Staff Asha Albuquerque Sophie Cornfield Whitney Drazovich Kianna Evans Ryan Flanagan Bella Hernandez Emily James Natalie Lin Jessica Madej Silvia Maraboli Mary Vericat Caroline Wang Amanda Young

Online Editors Allison Chang Mira Khanna

Copy Editor Zachary Stanton-Stavitz

Art Director Yelena Kasianova

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 students’ home.

VERDE MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

staff verdict What should we do after AP Tests? Every year the debate occurs between students and teachers about how to spend time in Advanced Placement classes after the AP test. Many students complain that they have still more strenuous work to do after the AP tests. Some students also say they have tests that cover material that deviates from AP material. In general, many students believe the time after the AP tests should be spent working at a more relaxed pace and spending time on projects that sum up everything they have learned the whole year. Verde believes that the time should be spent on constructive and educational but low stress projects. One concern is the point of mandatory tests after the AP test. For example, in AB Calculus, students are tested on non-AP material after the AP test. Verde believes that, as AP classes are centered around an AP test, it is unnecessary to test students on additional information.

An acceptable model is the AP Economics end-of-the year project: Students used the skills they’ve learned throughout the year and applied it to a current event of their choice. For example, one topic idea was to design an investment strategy. Students were to research current global economic conditions and trends, and based on the different investment options, create an investment plan for the next two years. Another example is the AP United States final. This is a madatory final, but can only help a student’s grade. Verde believes that this is a good example of an opportunity to learn in a relaxed manner. After the AP tests are taken, AP classes should focus on optional projects that enrich students’ experiences with the material they learned throughout the year, and incorporate relaxing time into the schedules. v

Charging to print is not the best way to go green Unless you are a superhuman student, it is unlikely you have never experienced a broken printer or some other event that caused you to end up printing last-minute in the library. That is one of the reasons the Verde staff is opposed to the new policy the school is instating: students must pay 10 cents for every page they print. The policy, which will go into effect at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, will require students to pay 10 cents by swiping a copy card every time they want to print a page. According to librarian Rachel Kellerman, the students will have to first send their print jobs to a computer attached to the print kiosk next to the printer and then swipe their cards. Kellerman says the policy is a response to a nearly 10-fold increase in the amount of paper printed in the library this year. Librarians and administrators say the new policy will assuage the problem by making students more responsible for the amount of paper they use, saving the school money and resources. Although the Verde staff applauds the school for this attempt to make the campus more environmentally friendly and we acknowledge the necessity of conserving funds whenever possible, we feel the potential problems that may be created by the policy will outweigh any benefits. As mentioned previously, students often print in the library as a rushed last-resort when they are not able to do it at home. If students had to take time to use a card, the library would not be nearly as useful to students. Moreover, the waiting in line for the use of the printer could cause contention among students and between students and librarians (a relationship already strained). Verde also believes that the policy might simply cause students to go to other labs, such as the English lab or CL1. This fallout

would defeat the purpose of the policy and could potentially cause problems for some classes and Paly’s journalism publications because of the increased congestion in non-library computer labs throughout the school. Moreover, not every student has money to spend on printing. Paly is a public school, and has historically prided itself on providing the same opportunities to everyone. For students who do not have the luxury of a computer or printer at home, especially in this period of tough economic times, the library has been the great equalizer. A student who is given an assignment online but cannot print it out at home has always been able to use the library printers. At 10 cents per page, it may not seem like much, but the money can pile up over the course of a year. Kellerman says the library is considering providing 10 free prints on every student’s copy card at the beginning of the year. Although this is a step in the right direction, 10 prints by no means enough to make a significant difference. Verde believes there are other ways for the school the save money and conserve resources. One possibility would be for the library to ask parents for a donation toward library printing resources along with the other donation requests sent to each family at the beginning of each year. This would serve the dual purpose of providing the library with money for the printing and raising awareness in the community and among students of excessive paper use. Verde believes that it is vital for the Paly community to stay true to its values by ensuring that every single student has access to the resources he or she needs. In the coming year, the Paly community must strive for a compromise to continue Paly’s tradition of inclusion and acceptance. v — Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Verde staff

NEWS THE LATEST AND GREATEST

Warning: portables to take over campus Students may be shocked at the new appearance of the quad when they return to school in the fall. Portables from behind the math building and the side of the English building will be relocated to two separate locations in the quad. The buildings are being moved in preparation for the Measure A Building Project. Thirteen of the portables will fit where the commemorative garden now stands and the last three will fit between the swimming pool and the science building, according to Arne Lim, Paly math teacher and member of the Facilities Steering Committee. “For those that have been around long enough this is nothing new because that’s where we had portables before,” he said, referring to a decade ago, when a similar incident occurred. By transporting the portables ahead of schedule, the committee hopes to save time as the school transitions into a construction zone. “The reason we want to vacate those

13 portables 3 portables Sixteen portables will be relocated during te summer to clear space for construction.

[portables] is because when the state of California finally says, ‘Yes, you can build what you plan to, then we’re going to start the next day,” Lim said. According to Lim, the committee wants to be prepared to begin building as soon as the district receives approval of the new math and social sciences building plans and the media arts building plans by

Time to say goodbye to some courses Several departments will not offer certain courses next year because of low student sign up and budget cuts at Palo Alto High School In addition to not running neither Gender Studies nor Ethnic Studies, classes which were not offered this year either, the Social Studies Department will not run US Foreign Policy next year. Instructional Supervisor Eric Bloom cited low enrollment and tighter budget as the reasons for these cuts. According to the English Instructional Supervisor Trinity Klein, Women Writers and American Writers of Color, both upperclassmen semester elective classes, will not be taught in the English Department either.

“We have collapsed these two classes in order to support reasonable class sizes in our other electives,” Klein said. The Reading Between the Lines course, a new offering this year, will continue to be offered both semesters next year, according to Klein. text by camille von kaenel

Classes not offered next year: Gender Studies Ethnic Studies US Foreign Policy Women Writers Writers of Color

the Division of the State Architect. These buildings are the first plans of the project to be submitted, and will fill in the areas where the portables are being moved from. While Lim said that the time period for approval is uncertain, he added that, “It takes a very long time for the department [DSA] to give approval.” text by caroline wang, art by elena kasianova

Oh, the places they’ll go! The graduating class of 2010 will receive their diplomas during the graduation ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9. Graduating students must line up in caps and gowns at 5 p.m. Tickets for the ceremony can be obtained through graduating seniors, who can each give 10 free tickets to their guests. This year’s speakers will be class president Charlie Lin and seniors Olivia Diamond and Sam Herzog. Seniors must pick up their caps and gowns on the Quad at lunch and after school Thursday, June 3. Students who forgot to purchase these items may bring cash only to purchase caps and gowns at this time. text by emily efland

VERDE MAGAZINE

Briefing

The Proof editors Pierre Bourbonnais, Katie Causey, Letty Kerman, Michelle Chung, Melanie Leng, Caitlin Dazey, and Lillian Xie, plan to publish their art magazine before summer vacation. “

“Proof” to prove art talent of Paly as art magazine The first issue of “Proof ”, a new Paly publication focusing on the arts, is scheduled to come out by the end of the school year. “Proof ” will showcase students’ art, along with some artist statements and reviews. Art teacher Margo Wixsom advises the new publication. It will be offered as a class, primarily to AP Art students. “This is a student driven vision,” says

Margo Wixsom. Wixsom decided to start this publication after visiting Columbia for a journalism convention and discovering other schools’ art magazines. “I know my students can make a magazine like that,” says Wixsom. “Proof ” will sell for about two to three dollars. “They [students] pay for it and create value in it,” says Wixsom, “This is the driv-

ing force behind the cost of the magazine.” The “Proof ” editors will be Pierre Bourbonnais, Katie Causey, Letty Kerman, Michelle Chung, Melanie Leng, Caitlin Dazey and Lillian Xie. Bourbonnais has been spear-heading the project. “He has such a good plan,” says Causey. “This magazine has the potential to be incredibly successful.” text and photography by jessica madej

Kaye Paugh retires: the end of an era

Can’t get enough yearbook memories?

After attending Paly herself and teaching for 19 years, Kaye Paugh is retiring, leaving behind a legacy and the most decorated room on campus. “Paly is in my blood,” Paugh says. “It is with many bittersweet feelings that I retire as I know that I will greatly miss the students, my colleagues and all that is wonderful about Paly.” Although she will no longer teach any classes, Paugh plans to guide her current junior advisees next year and will come the campus every advisory for her advisees. Paugh plans to use her new free time to travel the world, with plans to visit New York, North Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii as well as Holland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Poland the following year. Paugh will be greatly missed back home at Paly, where she has become a prominent piece of Paly culture. “Teaching and serving as a teacher adviser to Paly students has been pure pleasure and I believe that I gained hun-

A first-ever yearbook “supplement” pamphlet will be offered to Palo Alto High School students on June 21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 101 at Paly. The supplement, created by the yearbook staff, will have 6 pages with pictures about Prom and the Graduation ceremony, among other end of the year activities. “We wanted to have pages Prom, Baccalaureate, graduation and other cool end-of-the-year events, but the yearbook is turned in to be published before any of that happens,” student editor Maanvi Mittal said. “So we decided to make an extra, sort of minibook.” The first 50 people who come will receive a supplement for free, after which each pamphlet will be $2. “I think juniors and seniors will like it the most, but we’re offering it to everyone,” Mittal said.

JUNE 2010

Beloved teacher Kaye Paugh will be retiring after teaching for 19 years.

dreds of new friends through the experience,” Paugh reflects. “I never step on to the campus without feeling that special magic and vitality that is at the heart of Paly. What a privilege and blessing it has been to feel that Paly magic each day for so many years.” text by mary vericat

text by manon von kaenel

Briefing

Let’s go polling California voters, including many Paly students, will go to the ballots on June 8 to select the candidates to represent each party in the gubernatorial election on Nov. 2. There are seven Democratic candidates, eight Republican candidates and eight independent party candidates. Paly students have mixed sentiments about voting. Many, like senior Jamie Blake, look forward to the voting process. “I plan to vote because it’s an important facet of democracy and the American political system,” Blake said. “As a third party member, it’s incredibly important for me to vote in order to further legitimize my party.” Others, however, have yet to even register. Senior Olivia Diamond attributes this to the confusion over the registration process. “I really do hope to vote,” Diamond said. “Right now the only reason I can’t is because I’m not registered, and I’m not registered because I don’t know how to register, and it’s a very busy time of year. To vote in the June 8 election, voters must have registered prior to May 24. The Paly campus will serve as a polling location. text by sophie cornfield

Library going green, 10 cents at a time The Palo Alto High School library will charge students $0.10 for every page they print after their 10th page, starting next school year. The librarians enacted this policy to decrease the cost of printing and to save paper. “First and foremost we hope to save paper resources by encouraging students to think before they print,” librarian Rachel Kellerman says. “This year we noticed an almost 10-fold increase in the amount of paper being printed in the library.” To ensure payment, the library will install a “printing card” system. Each student will receive a card that allots 10 free prints. To print he or she will swipe their card at the printer and, if necessary, pay 10 cents per page. This will involve new technology to be installed in the Paly library, which the school has provided for thanks to a grant approved by the Education Council and the Site Council. The Academic Resource Center, assistant principal Jerry Berkson, and teacher Margot Wixsom sponsored this policy. “The school will have to devote some technology and library resources to setting up this system over the summer and set up ways to train students on the

According to the librarians, thousands of pages of paper are wasted every month.

new system once it is installed,” Kellerman says. Given that this effort is primarily motivated by the desire to decrease waste, the librarians have decided that they will donate the proceeds to the Paly Green Team and the Paly Environmental Initiative —two environmentally active clubs on campus — to help Paly go green. This extra money will also fund new supplies for the library, according to Kellerman. “We are open to suggestions on this one and are happy to work with the Paly Green Team on this,’ Kellerman says. text and phtography by emma tucher

It’s no debate: debate camp is the best

Juniors Chloe Chen and Lucas Chan will codirect the debate camp in August

The debate team will hold a speech and debate camp for incoming sixth through ninth graders at Palo Alto High School from August 9-13. Rolling admissions began in February and will continue until space runs out. The camp is entirely student-run, and the money from the camp will help cover the debate team’s travel expenses, tournament registration fees and membership fees. The team is part of the Coast Forensic League and the National Forensic League. The morning session consists of public speaking classes and the afternoon session consists of debate drills. One session costs $295, and both cost $495. “I hope that students will leave the

camp with confidence in their public speaking and logical argumentation,” Chen said. Junior Lucas Chan and Chen will work together as co-directors of the debate camp. “It’s a fun camp. We have a lot of high school students running it so it’s an enjoyable environment for middle school students,” Chan said. For more information on the debate camp or on the Paly debate team, email Chan or Chen at palyspeechanddebate@ gmail.com. Applications are available on the Paly link and by emailing palyspeechandebate@ gmail.com. text and photography by amanda young VERDE MAGAZINE

Briefing Linking to next year with the crew

Link Crew leader Aaron Ebert is happy about the program’s activities this year.

Having successfully completed their first year, Link Crew, a studentrun program designed to help Paly freshman adjust to high school, is gearing up for the next group of freshman and hope to install a few changes for next year. The program is currently working to find volunteers to help with the freshman orientation on August 15, 2011. Unlike last year, the training for freshman orientation will take place before school gets out. In the training, 50 juniors and seniors run through the activities that the freshman will participate in, according to co-advisor Paige Johnson. Monthly meetings will be established between Link Crew leaders and their group of freshman to keep them connected throughout the entire year. “Overall the year was very positive and we had a great group of students,” Johnson said. “The Link Crew class helped in many different ways” Many of this year’s events, such as the “Amazing Race” and “Cocoa and Cram”. will occur next year, according to Johnson. “Since it was our first year doing it there were some kinks, but after working them out, we will be able to add even more events next year,” senior Link Crew leader Aaron Ebert said. text by whitney drazovich

By the

NUMBERS

JUNE 2010

Paly receives its grade with API According to California’s annual Academic Performance Index Report released May 13 by the California Department of Education, Palo Alto High School received a ranking of 10 statewide and 9 compared to schools of similar rank. This ranking is unchanged from last year. Each school receives two rankingsone based on how they place in the state overall, and another for how they compare to schools with similar socioeconomic demographics.

The schools are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. Henry M. Gunn High School also received the same rankings, however they have a base API number of 915, whereas Paly has one of 901. The Base API number summarizes a school’s performance on the spring 2009 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and 2009 California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), among other tests.

text by mira khanna

The sound of (Paly) music (in Europe) Forty seven Palo Alto High School choir students will perform in Eastern Europe this summer for an 11-day tour from June 12 to 22. The Paly choir will go to Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Austria and the Czech Republic to participate in four scheduled and two informal performances according to choir director Michael Najar. “We’ll be singing in some of the most beautiful places in the world,” junior choir member Layla Moheimani said. “Just having the opportunity to do that is already so meaningful.” Najar chose Eastern Europe not only because of the beauty of its cities, but its rich history of classical music. The cities including Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and Bratislava- are “major homes of Western classical music,” Najar said. “We’re visiting the very hall that Haydn composed in.” Sophomore choir member Megan Brendenberg is excited to sing in foreign locations as well. “I am most excited to sing in Vienna,” Brendenberg said. Najar looks forward to the informal

Paly students are going to Latin America this summer with Amigos de las Americas.

Michael Najar, choir director, will be traveling to Eastern Europe to perform with the choir.

performances. “Cool things can happen when you sing at the spur of the moment,” Najar said. The trip was open to any choir member, according to Najar. Moheimani, reflecting on her experience traveling with choir as a freshman, feels that incorporating all choir members, including those newer to choir, will contribute to the quality of the trip. “The trip is pretty much for anyone who wants to go,” Moheimani said. “We have members of both Beginning Choir, and Concert Choir, which I’m really happy about. I can’t explain how great of an experience it was to go on tour as a freshman.” text by margaret kadifa

thousand Americans die by suicide every year

Briefing

Palo Alto libraries getting a summer makeover The Mitchell Park Library, closed June 5th for renovations, is scheduled to reopen by the summer of 2012. During the renovations, the Cubberly Community Center Auditorium will be turned into a temporary library, opening June 28. On Saturday, June 12th, the city will host a groundbreaking event for the Mitchell Park Library renovations from 1-3 p.m. Assistant director Cornelia van Aken is excited for the new library facilities. “It’s wonderful to be building modern, innovative, green, up-to-date libraries designed to accommodate technology and

changing customer needs,” van Aken said. “We’ll have program rooms and the ability to offer programs as never before, technology centers, study rooms, and so forth.” The City Council recently voted in favor to open the College Terrace Library this coming fall, instead of keeping it close to save money. The City of Palo Alto website says the complete price for all of the city’s library projects totals to $76 million. The downtown Library is expected to be completed by the Spring of 2011, and the Main Library by 2013. text by max cohen

The college terrace library will open this coming fall after extensive renovations.

Pamphlet lists volunteer opportunities

Laudable language instructor donates scholarships

Palo Alto High School’s community service magazine Get Involved, Paly is currently being distributed in the form a booklet due to the limited staff and late production cycle. The booklet can be found in the College and Career Center, and has already been given out at the community service fair, the President’s Award ceremony, and many Living Skills classes. Presently, the publication is a free resource which lists volunteer opportunities in the local, national, and international community. “No other high school has put together such a collection as far as we know,” said Christina Owen, faculty advisor of the magazine. “Not only is it a database of Paly students’ volunteer activities, but it’s a compilation of stories to share opportunities with young people in the same community. Next school year, we will start to gather reflections in September so it will be ready to print in magazine format by April.”

Staring this year, five seniors at Palo year were John Olson, Erin TomoloAlto High School will receive a schol- nis, Shawn Barry, Joseph Choi, and Zoe arship from the World Languages De- Levine Sporer. “I was really surprised and grateful,” partment thanks to the department’s Olson said. “I was excited to get the award. former instructional supervisor, Norman I might get some ChiMasuda. nese books for college Masuda’s scholar[with the money].” ships will go to one seAfter his retirenior student from each ment, Masuda decided language offered at to fund these scholarPaly: Mandarin/Chiships out of his own nese, French, Spanmoney every year as ish, Japanese and Sign long as Duffy is departLanguage. ment IS. Masuda donated There is a feeling a total of $500 to the of respect between the Languages DepartMasuda and Duffy, and ment for these scholarMasuda smiles for the World they commend each ships, making a total of Languages department other for their leader$100 per scholarship. ship skills. Kevin Duffy, the “I thought this would be the best way current languages IS, said that the language teachers nominated their own to help the department out,” Masuda said. students and recognized them at a de- “It’s a very cohesive department. People partment ceremony on Tuesday, May help each other out.” 18th. The recipients of the award this

text by allison chang

100

mg of caffeine in a coffee Le Whif

text by amanda groziak

percent of Paly seniors who went on to community college last year.

4271

dollars that the US spends per citizen for health related issues every year VERDE MAGAZINE

SHORTS THE LAUNCH

Verde asked Paly students to draw what summer means to them.

POST-IT ART guyen ‘11 Stephen N

Erin Chen ‘11

Justin Krasner

-Karpen ‘12

LAST CHANCE DANCE The weather and extremely low attendance and white tee and Nike theme recycled from 2008 made this a disaster

WILD THINGS DANCE CANCELLATION The 246 students who bought tickets were torn to hear of the unexpected cancellation

JUNE 2010

Arseniy K

otov ‘11

Rachel Harrus ‘11 Day on the Green The free ice cream and student band performances were entertaining and enjoyable for the many ‘quad-sitters’ FIELD DAY The activities are anticipated annually but the cold and windy weather was a little bit of a let down

STAR TESTING While seniors had a day off, the other grades were at school busy taking tests. Depending on the proctor the time was either used for fun socializing or counting down the minutes to the bell

PHILOSOPHY TALK Aired nationally on the radio and hosted by Stanford professors, this after school conversation attracted many and provoked stimulating arguments

TIEd with history

er m.

Text by MANON VON KAENEL Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

hen Palo Alto High School social sciences teacher Jack Bungarden teaches about Andrew Jackson in his AP US History class, he not only lectures about the ex-president, he wears him. On his tie. His tie collection numbers 115 and started 10+ years ago, according to his son Matthew Bungarden, a Paly sophomore. “He has a sort of borderline obsession with getting ties,” Matthew says. “He is a tie-hoarder.” Bungarden wore a tie everyday at his pre-teaching job 13 years ago and simply continued the habit as a teacher. “His tie collection started before I was born, so for my entire life, my father has always worn ties,” Matthew says. Bungarden organizes his ties by theme and lays them all out for the week during the weekend.

“The ties are on hangers,” Bungarden says. “In the history tie department, they are mostly Lincoln related, with some Andrew Jackson and early American.” With more than 100 ties, Bungarden has enough to wear each at most twice in a semester, sometimes even choosing a tie that complements the lecture of the day. Most of his history-related ties are gifts from students, and the majority come in around the holidays. “I did get a very cool bow tie that has the signatures from the Declaration of Independence; unfortunately, I cannot figure out how to tie it,” Bungarden says. His tie collection is well-known around the history department and highly enjoyed by his students. “I like Mr. Bungarden’s ties,” junior Amelia Bell says. “I think they are an interesting diversion and they’re really entertaining.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

What is your most memorable moment of the school year? Y PALeaks WILLIAM ROSSI, SOPHOMORE u “I’ll probably say, last week when I got my wisdom teeth pulled out – not exactly a good one. ”

GENEVIEVE LUCAS-CONWELL, FRESHMAN u “Spirit Week, because you got to dress-up without looking like an idiot.”

5 QUESTIONS WITH DIVYA RAMAKRISHNAN

Junior Divya Ramakrishnan is the copresident of Paly’s new peer support group, Someone To Listen. 1) WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START SOMEONE TO LISTEN? A group of friends and I realized that students didn’t have a lot of resources in terms of people their own age to talk to when they needed help. We realized maybe it would help people if we could give people that resource. 2) WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF STL CLUB? The purpose of the club is to provide an outlet for the students at Paly where they can go to talk about their problems to other students rather than an adult. It’s easier for students to relate to their peers than to adults. Peer counseling is effective because it is easiest to empathize with somebody who is the same age as you.

OVER HEARD Around Campus

JUNE 2010

“I look so hot I’d melt your popsicle.”

3) WHAT HAS THE CLUB DONE TO HELP THE PALY COMMUNITY? We have been fundraising to support the hotline number we are in the process of finalizing. We have been holding bake sales and other fundraisers; we had a really successful bake sale last Saturday at Borders and we are hoping to have more soon. We have also been trying to recruit a diverse group of members to the club so we can establish a well-rounded viewpoint. So, you should join! 4) WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE CLUB? First and foremost, we plan to get training as peer counselors so we can advise students in the best possible way. We are also getting our hot line up and running so students have easy access to counseling. With the money we have raised in fund-raisers, we plan to host events for the next school year that boost student moral. 5) HOW CAN STUDENTS GET INVOLVED? To become a member, e-mail STL at SOMEONETOLISTENPALY@GMAIL.COM

“I like to take pictures of myself chewing bubblegum.” “Someone get “Are these people stupid? There’s a me off of this teacher RIGHT there.” roller coaster.”

“We were sitting on houses floating on water.”

ARIELLE FISHMAN, JUNIORq “Late Notice. I’m their No. 1 fan. Basically everything they have ever done in their entire lives” t SIMON SCHLEGEL, JUNIOR “My first day [at Paly]. It was pretty impressive, a lot of new impressions for me.”

INSIDE THE ROOM OF

English Teacher KIRK HINTON

WOULD YOU RATHER Senior CAROLINE SHI go dancing with PeeWee Herman sport a bowl cut only be able to listen to Vanilla Ice live in the times of pilgrims be a freshman forever live as a toddler for a day Star on “Glee”

ANDREW MILLER, SENIOR u “Prom. It was fun and I finally felt like a second semester senior.”

never be able to cut your hair

Junior OSCEOLA WARD

C O C CO O O C

O C CO O

go dancing with Mr. Bean sport a mullet only be able to listen to Dolly Parton live in the times of cavemen be a baby forever

C C O

be the opposite sex for a day star on “The Office” never be able to cut your nails

Top 5 Ways to Land Your Summer Job According to Meri Gyves (Work Experience Coordinator)

1. “First impression is a lasting impression!” Make sure that even if you are just

picking up an application to always dress and act look appropriately, or else the employer will remember you but not in a positive light.

2. “Look for a job in a place you actually want to work.” If you do not like where 2. Hinton keeps a box of

you are working then you will just find excuses not to show up.

3. ‘Google’ ahead of time what the company does.” Employers want to higher

1. Hinton, who teaches English sits behind his desk.

straws in his classroom, so that whiners “suck it up.” Hinton claims he got the idea from a Marine Drill Sergeant.

3. Um . . . Hinton . . . like

4. Hinton’s clock: Good

or add filler words such as, “Um”. Rehearse prior to the interview what your strengths are so there is no hesitation.

. . . hella doesn’t like these words in his class.

at intimidating students. Bad at showing the time.

a knowledgeable staff, so being informed about the company or store you are applying for will make you look impressive. Also, know the names of the people you want to speak with, which will show employers you are serious and really want the job.

4.“Be Confident!” If an employer asks what your strengths are do not hesitate 5.“Do not be late!” There is simply no excuse for being late; it just starts you off

on a bad foot. If you are not familiar with the area where your interview is being held, go a day early to familiarize yourself. VERDE MAGAZINE

Cindyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flowers and Gifts 10% off

for Paly students

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* Flowers for all occasions * Large variety of fresh flowers and gifts * Order your corsages and boutonnieres and get a Paly discount 558 Santa Cruz Ave Menlo Park CA 94025 (650) 321 4864 www.cindysflowersandgifts.com

Services:

animal adoptions low-cost neuter and vaccination clinic volunteer opportunities pet supplies

hone: (650) 4965971

eb site: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/ pol/animal_services.asp

PERSPECTIVES PROVING POINT PROVING THETHE POINT

AMERICA’S HEARTBEAT 18 18 AMERICA’S HEARTBEAT ONUNSCHOOLING THE CHOPPING BLOCK A VIEW FROM THE TOP19 20 ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK 20 EXIT THROUGH GIFT SHOP 21 21 EXIT THROUGH THETHE GIFT SHOP THE VIEW FROM THE TOP 22

Cartoon Cartoon By Harry Nordlinger By Harry Nordlinger

PERSPECTIVE

merica’s pulse started quickening when the House passed a 2,000 page health care bill on March 22, with a vote of 219-212. All 178 Republicans opposed this bill, with 34 Democrats also voting against it. The health care debate has split the country in half for the worse. I wait with fellow Americans, and wonder: What will happen to America’s medical future? This and more are explored below, with five reasons to be against Obamacare. 1. The Quality of Care Not long ago in the United States physicians were like your family friend, who had time for you, and were always ready to help you. Obamacare will change that by having the government breathing down doctor’s necks. According to Section 3003 (i) of the health care bill, the secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use one’s doctor’s claims data to issue reports to doctors. These reports measure the amount of resources a doctor uses and compare the resources that one doctor may use to another. The government is going to charge doctors who use more resources. How is a doctor supposed to diagnose a patient if he or she gets charged for trying to be thorough? The quality of health care will go down, doctors will choose money over the treatment of patients and Americans’ health will decline. The best doctors will leave the government plan, causing a shortage of doctors for patients who are part of the government plan. 2. Get in Line Patients in the U.S. are treated quickly, waiting on average an hour in the emergency department. The waiting time in other countries for treatment takes days. In England, nearly 1.8 million people are waiting for a hospital admission or outpatient treatment, according to the English Department of Health. About 827,429 people are waiting for a medical procedure in Canada, according to the Fraser Institute. People are literally dying while waiting in line for medical care in these countries. America should look at these examples and learn from them, especially since Canada and England offer universal health care to their citizens. 18

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3. Either Way, You Pay The Census Bureau reports that 46.3 million Americans are uninsured. If these people do not acquire health care before 2014, they will have to pay a minimum fine of $95 or 1 percent of one’s income (whichever is higher). The fine can reach a high of $695 or 2.5 percent of one’s income; a cap on this price is yet to be established. This does not help the people who cannot afford insurance or the fines. According to President Obama’s web site, “Organizing for America,” 29 million people will be given tax credits to help pay for their insurance, but this will not happen until 2014. 4. The Cost for America Our government already spends more money on health care costs than any other country. According to the World Bank, the United States spends $4,271 per person per capita for health related issues each year, that is $414 more than the next country. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the health care bill will cost $1,042 billion during the next 10 years. This would increase the federal budget deficit by $239 billion over the 2010-2019 period. This number expects to increase. New administrators and workers will be needed to enforce this bill. It is estimated by the CBO that the IRS will need an additional $10 billion each year to enforce this bill. This bill spends money that America does not have. Changes must be made, otherwise America will drown in its deficit. 5. Obama’s Legacy When voting on this bill, most Congress members thought about how their voting would affect their re-election. This is what I believe Congress was thinking when they voted on the bill. According to Rasmussen Reports, only 20 percent of Americans believe that the members of Congress understood the health care bill before they voted on it, while 51 percent of Americans fear the federal government more than they fear private insurance companies. America does need health care change, but not this way. The bill was passed by a difference of nine votes; it amazes me that nine people can decide the future of more than 300 million Americans. v

PERSPECTIVE

Unschooling: A never ending summer A controversial form of “education” that has become popular in some states Text by KIANNA EVANS Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

ost of us are aware of home schooling as an alternative to public or private school education. It is fair to say that there are advantages and disadvantages to all three types of schooling. In these methods of education, the students are learning through formal lessons while the state measures competence and progress. Recently, I have come across a new type of “education” referred to as the “education of life,” informally known as unschooling. Unschoolers are children whose parents believe that life experiences can teach them all they need to know and that a formal education is unnecessary. Many citizens are unaware of this new trend because it is illegal in many states. For instance, California’s Compulsory Education Laws requires all children five to 16 years old, to be in school full-time. But, other states such as, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut do not have these requirements. People who support unschooling believe in the process of natural learning through observation. Unschoolers also believe that this form of learning should not be interrupted by formal instruction, tests or homework. Furthermore, parents who believe in unschooling simply let their children learn material through observation, but without a formal lesson or any sort of curriculum. Ann Zeise, on the Unschooling Online web site, says, “We are a group of families who are allowing their children to learn naturally without schooling. Our aim is to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow!” What Zeise says may be valid, but we can all learn this way on our own and in coordination with a formal education. We can use Zeise’ philosophy for learning in life, but we need to also be able to function in society. Unschooling is not an effective way to prepare children for future advancement, or for the technological progression our world

is constantly undergoing. A formal education is essential to preparing children to be functional in society. It is necessary that children incorporate modern technology in learning, as well as their personal lives. A formal education also offers children an opportunity to further their knowledge and think about concepts beyond what is just observed. Children need to be able to think critically and be analytical, all of which can be taught with a formal education. Danielle Conger, a mother who has chosen unschooling for her children, describes a day of unschooling on her blog as “…a lot like summer days and weekends for other people. Our conversations are our lessons without being lessons. Every time my daughter spontaneously asks a question or tells me about an observation, that’s a ‘test’ that shows me unschooling is working.” People cannot learn the technology and the skills they need to know in order to advance in society from an everyday conversation with their mother. While I would agree that some material we learn in school might not be useful to us later, it still provides a foundation with which we can further grow. For example, if I had never been taught the basic grammatical tools for writing I would not have had the opportunity to improve my skills and be able to go on to college to receive a higher education. A formal education offers the possibility to reach such goals. I believe it is the parent’s job to ensure that his or her child has every opportunity in life, and an education makes that possible. Although it is true that learning is what you make of it, children still need sufficient guidance and structure. According to Unschoolers Online, the concept of gravity is demonstrated by throwing a rock in a pond; it is very troubling that this could be considered a sufficient lesson. Although it is true that as we grow up we naturally observe many scientific concepts, we still need to know why they exist and what purpose they serve in our lives; an unschooler would not be able to provide the answers to these questions. v VERDE MAGAZINE

PERSPECTIVE

On the Chop ping B lock Chopped: A deliciously intense Food Network program Text by MIRA KHANNA Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

ll eyes bore onto the silver lid atop a heavy wooden cutting board. Inside, an artfully arranged meal has been carefully concocted. One contestant breaks out into a nervous sweat - that could be his dish. He might not have used the rosewater to the judge’s satisfaction, or perhaps his risotto is slightly underdone. He might have proportioned his dish incorrectly, or plated too hastily. For whatever reason, he fears that it could be his dish on the chopping block. “I’m sorry, but you have been chopped.” These seven words extinguish a chef ’s dream to become the Chopped champion. Chopped, a Food Network television series, currently in its fourth season possesses intense drama, comic relief, and an overall delicious viewing experience. Hosted by culinary genius Ted Allen, the show has an interesting set-up. A rotating panel of three judges decides who, out of four initial contestants, will be the Chopped Champion, and win $10,000. The four contestants begin the show by preparing an appetizer while incorporating three or four mystery ingredients into their dishes. They are then given a time limit, usually 20 minutes, for their appetizer, and judged on their final dishes. The contestant with the weakest dish is eliminated, or “chopped” from the show. The remaining contestants then compete in entrée and dessert rounds. After each round, another contestant is “chopped,” until the dessert round in which the final two competitors remain to battle for victory. What differentiates Chopped from other Food Network shows, such as Iron Chef, is the “mystery basket”. This challenge urges contestants to use creativity and ingenuity. In one episode, the “mystery basket” for the appetizer round contained turkey breast, kirby cucumbers and graham crackers. To create something not only edible,but also completely delicious,a competitor must be flexible and possess an innovative thought process. Such a competitor commands great respect from the viewer, especially given the intense time limit. Obviously, as a viewer cannot actually eat the chefs’ produce, he or she is dependent on the judge’s credibility. Fortunately, Chopped offers a number of top chefs, food authors, and restaurateurs for judges. Out of the pool of 11 judges, the three 20

JUNE 2010

who give the most insightful feedback are Alex Guarnaschelli, Aarón Sánchez and Geoffrey Zakarian. These three judges usually evaluate the show with integrity, compassion and humorous banter. The contestants are judged on their originality, taste and use of the mystery ingredients. Chopped contestants must be able to successfully integrate each of the mystery ingredients into a cohesive and delicious dish. Sometimes the judges allow a competitor who has not incorporated an ingredient into their meal to pass onto the next round, a move that makes the show seem almost criminal with injustice. In each episode, the contestants determine how entertaining the show will be for its viewers. Usually they provide the viewer with an excellent glimpse into the lives of chefs from all over the country. From sous to executive chefs, Chopped makes a decent effort in providing diverse contestants. While culinary skill is certainly a necessity to compete, personality also plays a huge role in a contestant’s overall appeal. Who could forget Luisa, the Portuguese woman who came to America by herself with only a suitcase, who told anecdotes of how she parachuted out of planes to help nurse soldiers back to health with her cooking? Or Dominic, the youthful reformed drug addict who surprised everyone by finishing in second place, despite never having gone to culinary school? Unfortunately, in addition to these gems, Chopped sometimes allows either inexperienced or unpleasant contestants to compete. However, such contenders are usually eliminated after the first round. Of course, there are exceptions in every season, most notably Pnina, winner of episode 3.10, who oozed haughtiness, explaining how her mother always told her “shy people lose.” Nonetheless, Chopped is a wonderful program filled with constant suspense and excitement. At the end of each round, the viewer may watch the unveiling of a contestant’s dish on the chopping block, signaling the termination of his or her time on Chopped. This revelation heightens the anticipation of each episode, making the hour which Chopped airs fly by. Unfortunately, the show only airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on the Food Network. Despite its minor faults, the program is well worth the less-than-ideal show time, even for those who do not enjoy watching the art of cooking. v

PERSPECTIVE

Exit Through the Giftshop An unusual and fun documentary evokes questions about art Text by ZACHARY STANTON-SAVITZ Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

he inception of the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop occurred when Thierry Guetta, an eccentric clothing storeowner, started filming his surroundings compulsively. He filmed his family. He filmed while shopping in the grocery store. He even filmed in public bathrooms. But when he started filming his cousin, known as Invader, who was posting pieces of graffiti around Paris, things changed. He decided to make a documentary about street art Guetta, it turns out, was not the filmmaker that he thought he was. In the movie, we see an early version of the film that he cut together. That film looks like a schizophrenic’s nightmare. So, one of Guetta’s subjects, the infamous and secretive British graffiti artist who calls himself Banksy, took over the project. The result was a small yet compelling documentary that is Exit Through the Gift Shop. While the street artists continue to be an essential part of the movie, Banksy shifts the focus of the film to Guetta himself, who proves to be quite an interesting subject. Because of the shift in subjects, the film explores some of art’s big questions; what does it mean to be a modern artist? Can anyone be an artist? What defines art? Through Guetta’s camera, viewers see various graffiti artists such as Invader, and Shepard Fairey, who later made the iconic image of Barack Obama in patriotic colors subtitled “Hope.” After finding the elusive Banksy, Guetta is inspired to become a graffiti artist. Calling himself “Mr. Brainwash,” he starts massproducing graffiti-style art for an exhibition in Los Angeles. In his works, he alters famous icons and images of celebrities. While most artists build their way up from the street, he bypasses the typical success route of a street artist and forces his way into graffiti culture by starting with a big exhibition, which quickly becomes a success. Artists and exhibition visitors interviewed in the film dispute whether he is a true artist or not. Some believe he is making a statement; others believe that his art is meaningless. His success begs some of the big questions. The film explores the question through interviews and entertaining commentaries from Banksy. The film is, at its core, a perfect, though unorthodox, documentary. However, at just under an hour and a half, it could have easily been another 15 or 20 minutes. Perhaps with that time, it could have presented more interesting and conflicting views on the

film’s central question. The short length and unanswered questions are, perhaps, part of the beauty of the film though. The viewers must instead decide for themselves how they will define the selfcontradictory world of art. The sincerity of the film is questionable. Due to the fact that this film about the street art movement is made by a member of the movement, the movie is clearly subjective. Within his own movie, Banksy has scenes of himself talking, face obscured and voice distorted, about his movie. These scenes feel very scripted. The film itself bears likeness to the art profiled in it at times, as its authenticity is as questionable as some of the art displayed in the film. However, this does not detract from the movie; it instead adds flavor to it. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a wonderfully quirky little documentary that thoroughly explores age-old questions, although it does not offer any definitive answers. Perhaps there are no answers. It does not much matter anyway, for the way in which it explores the question is what makes the film fun and interesting. v Exit Through Gift Shop: Rated R for some language. Running time: 87 minutes. Currently playing in San Francisco at Embarcadero Center Cinemas and at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. VERDE MAGAZINE

PERSPECTIVE

A View from the Top The Three Best Hiking Spots in the Peninsula Area

Text by EMMA TUCHER Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

xercise: crowded rooms, sweaty people, dark lighting and smelly equipment. No wonder groans and moans are elicited whenever this word is mentioned. If on a Sunday day with blue skies, you feel that the idea of attending another spin, aerobics class or power yoga session sounds like a waste of beautiful California weather, then Palo Alto High School students should head to the great outdoors. As Elle Woods so eloquently put it in Legally Blonde, “Exercise creates endorphins and endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t kill their husbands, they just don’t”. So round up your friends, slap on your walking shoes, dig out your workout clothes, and take a hike.

The Dish

The Dish, located on Stanford Avenue and Junipero Serra in Palo Alto, is the perfect place for an afternoon workout. Equipped with a huge satellite dish, strict cops who will ticket you faster than you can blink, steep hills and beautiful views, the Dish is a fun place to release some steam on a sunny day. This is the perfect hike for an energetic walker who wants to quickly conquer a feel-good work out and generate some endorphins. With its close location and quick course, the dish provides a difficult hike and a great workout for those with minimal time. The steep hills are leg burners, and as an individual who spends most of my athletic time in a pool, I will admit that my body was embarrassingly sore after my jaunty walk up the Dish. The hills are steep and close together so an ambitious walker, or dare I say runner, can get all the burn they need in a brief period. 22

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The views of the Dish are breathtaking. Once you have conquered the steep hills, you are welcomed by gorgeous views of the Stanford campus, spacious mountains and the San Francisco bay.

3.7 miles; 1.5 hours long

Windy Hill

Windy Hill, on Portola Road past Woodside Priory High School, is an eightmile loop that is host to both sprawling forests and grassy fields. Though not as steep as the Dish, but far longer, Windy Hill is the perfect spot for an eager adventurer who wants to burn some serious calories. Anyone who knows my dad will tell you he is a mountain man. He knows every hill, mountain and field in the Bay Area. As a child, he would lure me into hiking with him using candy and toys. Back in my day, I have been known to climb a hill or two for a Barbie. This particular hill is the sight of my first Barbie victory. The hike provides an option at the very beginning to go left towards the forest or straight toward the high hills. If it is a cold day and you are seeking a more difficult workout, then you should go straight. The hike is practically straight up and down hills and under the blazing sun. For an easier route and in order to stay cool, go left. In order to avoid the pain and suffering of the sharp assent, you should first conquer the left and then dissent down the peak. Although strenuous, Windy Hill has some of the best views that a Bay Area

hike can offer. Stanford, Mount Diablo, the Pacific Ocean, and downtown Palo Alto can be seen peeking through the expansive trees or from atop the hills.

8.0 miles; 2.5 hours long

Arastradero

The Arastradero Preserve, on Arastradero Road is a quick and fun loop. With grassy golden hills and a bright blue lake, the scenery that is so often associated with the freshman TEAM garden, makes for a great hiking hot spot. Hikers can park in the parking lot near the bathrooms and either cross the street or follow the gravel path toward the Arastradero Preserve hill. The preserve is a loop, and so there is no repetition, and it can be quickly accomplished. This hike is the perfect activity to do with attentionstarved parents in need of some quality time with their offspring on a warm Sunday. Far less steep than both the Dish and Windy Hill, Arastradero Preserve is a speedy way to exercise, the best choice for an inexperienced hiker who is seeking a little fun in the sun. The golden grass, green hills, and shimmery aqua lake make up for the lack of expansive views present on the other two hikes. v

3.7 miles; 1 hour long

FEATURES GOING BENEATH THE SURFACE

CHOCOLATE AIR A Verde staff member tries a Le Whif, a type of chocolate inhalent. See “A Fresh Breath of... Chocolate?” (pg 40)

FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER HOPE FOR PHONES OFF THE BEATEN PATH HEALING WITH HOOKWORMS GROWING THROUGH GENEALOGY AN EVENING ON WHEELS THE ONES LEFT BEHIND A FRESH BREATH OF... CHOCOLATE?

24 26 28 30 32 34 35 40

FEATURE

From One World to Another Amigos provides a unique summer volunteer experience Text by EMILY EFLAND Art by YELENA KASIANOVA Photo courtesy of EMILY BENATAR

ix weeks in a rural village in South America, immersing oneself in a foreign community without any friends or family living nearby, does not sound like the typical vacation. However, eight Palo Alto High School students have been training all year long for this voyage, a summer unlike anything they have experienced. These Paly students — sophomores Meghan Byrd, Skyler Tom, Maddie Berger and Jillian Chacon, and juniors Marie Furter, Ryan Brenner, Emily Benatar and Erin Kiekhaefer — are all traveling to different countries in Latin America through the program Amigos de las Americas, to live for over a month in rural communities. Amigos, which sends student volunteers into low-income villages in Central and South America, runs every summer. Students spend six, seven or eight weeks completing volunteer projects in a country the program assigns them, along with one or more other Amigos volunteers from other parts of the country. Although the different Amigos volunteers travel with one another into the country, each is placed in a different community and assigned to live with a certain family. The volunteers are not aware of the community they will be traveling to until they reach the country, but they know the city they are assigned to and that each community will reside within four hours of the country’s capital city. This summer Paly students are traveling to villages in countries such as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. According to Lauren Ponti, the Amigos training director, only four Paly students entered into the program the previous two summers. This spike in participants could 24

JUNE 2010

TEAMWORK Junior Emily Benatar, middle, trains for her Amigos summer with other volunteers through teambuilding activities.

be due to the program’s unique approach toward volunteer work. According to Brenner, who will be traveling to Boaco, Nicaragua, this summer, Amigos creates a strong bond between volunteers and members of the community. “The Amigos mission is to empower young leaders, advance community development, and strengthen multicultural understanding in the Americas,” Brenner says. “We are there to instigate development and help the process where needed. We might help [community members] organize the materials and work efforts, but it is not our job to complete the process. Ultimately, the task falls upon them.” Before the students embark on their journeys, they must go through training throughout the year to prepare for the conditions they will encounter in the communities. These exercises include team-building activities with other Amigos volunteers, as well as working with children from local elementary schools. Amigos volunteers from previous years help new volunteers through the training process. “We have frequent Wednesday night meetings, several weekend workshops, three overnight retreats, and other events and activities all to help prep the volunteers for their summer experiences in Latin America,” says Elliot Sanborn, a Paly senior and member of the Amigos training staff. During the training, volunteers learn about Amigos structure and protocol, and practice fundraising. According to Sanborn, volunteers also learn effective communication skills by working with Castro Elementary School students in order to practice organizing the camps they will run with local children. These camps, called campamentos, consist of teaching children of all ages

MEGHAN BYRD La Paz, Honduras RYAN BRENNER and SKYLER TOM Boaco, Nicaragua MADDIE BERGER San Juan, Dominican Republic

EMILY BENATAR Matagalpa, Nicaragua weekly themes, such as helping the environment. These themes relate to a greater project the volunteers will complete with the community called a CommunityBased Initiative, or CBI. CBIs range from painting murals to reforestation. “The overall theme for my project is Environmental Health, but we also want to focus on working with the youth in our community,” Kiekhaefer says. “We will basically be doing so much, so there’s really no way to say what exactly we’ll be doing until we get there.” True to the Amigos mission of selfsufficiency, the communities contribute many ideas to the projects, and continue the CBIs long after the Amigos volunteers return home. Instead of Amigos volunteers deciding the CBI in each community, the community decides what it wants to accomplish. Amigos provides funding for the CBIs and purchases many of the materials, but according to Ponti, the communities frequently contribute. “Often the projects that communities want to do are out of the scope of the Amigos budget, so they choose to fundraise additional money on their own,” Ponti says. “Only in cases where a community has an idea for a much larger project that makes particular steps to fulfill our mission do communities apply for additional funding through grants [from Amigos].” Ponti says that projects approved for grants usually benefit and are supported by the whole community, providing opportunities otherwise inaccessible to the communities. If Amigos cannot support the project, communities are encouraged to search for grants from other organizations. Although volunteers spend most of their time working on the projects, they find time to connect with the community

JILLIAN CHACON Limón, Costa Rica

ERIN KIEKHAEFER Cotopaxi, Ecuador

members by experiencing the local culture and lifestyle. Many Amigos volunteers say that they never forget the bonds they build with the community members. “We eat with our [host] families and others in the communities,” Brenner says. “We play with the children and have conversations with the locals, all in Spanish, of course. “ Kiekhaefer decided to join the program after hearing previous volunteers’ stories. “From all of the stories of our training staff and volunteers that went last summer, [I could see] it is such an amazing experience and I really wanted to branch outside of my comfort zone — which is what Amigos is really all about,” Kiekhaefer says. Six weeks of life traveling through Amigos encourages many students, including senior Haley Vertelney, to become involved in administrative positions for Amigos. Vertelney traveled to a rural community called Quebrada de Lajas in Intibucá, Honduras last summer for what she thought would be seven weeks. In a sudden turn of events, she was evacuated after four weeks due to a political coup that occurred in the country. Despite the shortened trip, Vertelney fell in love with the program and decided to become part of the training staff that trains

MARIE FURTER San Pedro, Paraguay

the new Amigos volunteers. Vertelney says she hopes to continue with Amigos into college, possibly traveling again through the program as a project supervisor who oversees the volunteers when they are in their assigned countries. “After doing Amigos, I really appreciate the value of collaborative development,” Vertelney says. “I learned how to appreciate a different lifestyle and culture for what it is, and learned that the experience taught me a lot more than I brought to it.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Hope for Phones Recycling old phones can save lives in the third world. Text by BELLA HERNANDEZ and JESSICA MADEJ Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

ell phones are common items for Americans. In fact, 89 percent of Americans own a cell phone according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Every American can access medical care solely by calling 911, yet many people in other countries cannot access care with such ease. However, there is a way to make phones accessible to everyone around the globe. How exactly? By donating your phone to people in need through a nonprofit organization named Hope for Phones, founded by Josh Nesbit, a Stanford alumnus. “Basically in Hope for Phones we’re asking people to pick up their trash, and that’s pretty easy to ask these days.” Nesbit says. Nesbit travels to places such as Malawi in South East Africa to help setup cell phone connections with the help of an organization named FrontlineSMS Medic. Each hospital is supplied with a laptop, which records the text messages or SMS sent by the cell phones used by health workers. “We’ve been focusing on groups of 1520 [people], giving them phones and showing them how to operate the cell phones,” Nesbit says. He also tells the workers “what they should be texting in [to the hospital] about, what patient, what symptoms... that sort of thing.” Nesbit describe says his company’s 26

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goal is to connect potential patients with health clinics. “What we’re doing is we are working with local organizations that are managing health clinics or are a part of a larger branch or larger mandate. They may have local staff or a local network who are communicating how often a person texts. A computer gives out a communication diagram to figure out who needs to be involved and what they’re going to be doing and what the intended impact need to be doing,” Nesbit says. If not for the communication with local workers, many of these patients would not receive medical treatment. Nesbit recalls one of the training sessions he hosted while in Malawi. “Our first training session was a first set of phones at the Pearl hospital,” Nesbit says. Nesbit shares the reaction of the Malawi locals when some of them used a cell phone for the first time. “They were using the keys to make music,” said Nesbit. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for the amazing people.” Communication can be the difference between life in death. But with the technological advances Hope for Phones has implemented in several parts of the world, medical staff can provide better care to patients and close the distance gap. For example, some doctors cannot supervise whether a patient in Malawi is constantly taking

their medications. By setting up a phone service in third world countries and supplying responsible workers with cell phones, workers can travel bigger distances and communicate back to the hospitals. This saves patients time and money if they can have a medical consultation at home. Of the local workers, Nesbit says “probably about 10 percent of them had used mobile phones before causing him to train them, “We’ve been focusing on groups of 15-20 showing them how to operate the cell phones, what they should be texting in about, what patient, what symptoms and that sort of thing.” One reason cell phones are not as abundant in Malawi is because they are not affordable for everyone. However, Nesbit says, “You drive down major highways and every other advertisement features a major [cell phone] company, so it’s very much understood that cell phones are a part of life...but none of them have access to phones just yet.” The total number of cellphones that Hope for Phones has brought in are 2,000 which according to Nesbit, will quadruple by the end of the year. Help them reach their goal, it is time to give your dead phone a new life. Donate a phone you no longer use and make a huge difference in the life of another. For more information visit www.hopephones.org v

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FEATURE

Off the Beaten Path Community college presents new opportunities for Paly seniors Text by ALLISON CHANG Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

A PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE Foothill Community College provides another option to conventional four-year universities

alo Alto High School alum Samar Syed took a deep breath. This is it, she thought. With her heart thumping and pulse quickening, she anxiously eyed her new school. Foothill Community College looked nothing like the comfortable sanctuary she was accustomed to at Paly. Preparing to take a leap of faith, she stepped onto the Foothill campus. Just last year, Syed encountered the difficult decision faced by many Paly seniors this past year: whether to attend a fouryear university or a community college. She now remembers her worried disposition. “I was nervous when I first went into Foothill because I did not know what to expect in a college atmosphere,” Syed says. In the Palo Alto bubble, it is particularly common to find many students skeptical of community college. According to Paly career advisor Christina Owen, 15 percent of 28

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Paly’s 421 graduates enrolled in community college in 2009. While Syed was once also hesitant towards community college, attending Foothill has made her realize otherwise. “A lot of people think it doesn’t ‘look good’ to attend a community college and I don’t want people to think that, because it’s not true at all,” Syed says. “People think that going to community college is an easy way out, that you do not have as much work as you would in a university and that the curriculum may not be as hard, but it’s the complete opposite. If you are focused and dedicated to transfer to a university within two to three years, then there is a lot of work to look forward to.” Committing to a community college can offer many advantages. For instance, it is much easier to transfer from a community college to a four-year university than to be accepted into a four-year university straight from high school. In California, this can be discerned from the California Higher Edu-

cation Master Plan, which was adopted in 1960. The plan calls for the UCs to give priority in admissions to all community college students, selecting their freshmen students from the top 12.5 percent of high school graduating classes and the top 33.3 percent of community college graduating classes. Therefore, transfer students are exceptionally prevalent in community college. “Universities want transfers for a few basic reasons: first, many freshmen who enter big universities end up dropping out or transferring away, leaving spots that need to be filled by transfers,” says Paly history teacher Steve Sabbag, who transferred from Foothill Community College to the University of California at Berkeley. “If you’re a transfer, they also know you have a proven track record of success at the college level.” Community college also permits students to explore many different majors to help them determine the field

“People think that going to community college is an easy way out, but it’s the complete opposite” —Palo

Alto High School alum Samar Syed

they are most interested in pursuing. “Community college is a great place for someone who isn’t sure about their overall academic goals,” says Paly alum and Santa Barbara City College sophomore Ben Afshar. “It offers a wide variety of courses, so it’s a great place to figure out one’s area of academic interest.” In addition, the class sizes are much smaller, allowing students to work closely with their professors and their peers. “It’s easy to approach your professor when you have any questions,” Syed says. “It makes learning more interactive when your questions can be answered by the professors themselves.” Paly history teacher Grant Blackburn transferred from Foothill to San Jose State University and has encountered a similar experience. “I had lots of opportunities to ask questions in class and to approach my professors after class,” agrees. “I also was able

to get to know my fellow students more easily and that fostered a better learning environment. SJSU had classes that were generally 10-15 students larger and a few of my classes were in the huge lecture halls that approached 300-600 students.” Sabbag concedes that the smaller class sizes also positively affected his experiences at Foothill. “I tended to be bored with the classes that were very big, and loved the ones where I was one of 30 or so,” Sabbag says. “In small classes, I could tell that the professors would actually look at me as they spoke and knew I was there, listening and learning. At Cal, I saw many huge classes for freshman that were enormous — hundreds of students spilled over to annex rooms on closed-circuit television.” Another advantage of the community college system is its financial aspect. Not only do community colleges have lower tuitions, but they also offer a much broader, more

accessible range of financial aid programs. “Four-year schools can be very expensive and two-year schools offer the same, or in some cases, better education than a four-year school can offer, at a fraction of the cost,” Blackburn says. “I really think that unless you can really afford it , are tired of living at home or in the Bay Area or you know exactly what you want to do, community college is the way to go.” Ultimately, attending community college can yield some substantial advantages and can be accepted as a viable possibility for college-bound seniors, regardless of their academic achievements. “I always recommend more Paly students consider community college, at every chance I get,” Sabbag says. “My greatest wish is that Paly students once again see the community college choice as a real choice, and not, as I perceive some to believe, that it’s for the less academically inclined. That’s a real shame.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Healing with Hookworms Helminthic therapy provides alternative to traditional medicine Text by MIRA KHANNA Art by HARRY NORDLINGER

ayna Dunbar anxiously eased the small patch off of her skin and saw a small group of itchy red pinpricks. About six hours later, she checked the patch again, and found that more of the tiny red dots had appeared. The sight that filled her with hope; it was proof her patch was working. The Los Angeles-based author was not using a nicotine or birth control patch; instead, she hoped to cure her illness by inserting hookworms into her body. “The hysterical irony here is that my auto-immune condition is chronic eczema, and I’m sitting there praying for a rash and an itch,” Dunbar says. Dunbar suffers from chronic eczema, a skin condition in which inflammation of the skin is marked by redness, crusts or scabs, burning or itching, and sometimes dryness. Dunbar has been afflicted with this condition for the last nine years, and since her diagnosis has searched for a cure. Hookworms, or necator americanus, are intestinal parasites that live an average of five years. They infect humans as freshly hatched larvae through the soles of their host’s feet, where they then enter the bloodstream and travel to the small intestine and fully mature into adults. However, hookworms cannot reproduce while inside a human, and are also not infectious. When found in small numbers, they are considered to be fairly harmless and can be easily annihilated. 30

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Nonetheless, hookworms still present a very serious danger in third world countries, specifically in the tropics and places where there is an absence of toilets and shoes. According to an article about hookworms in The Observer, hookworms kill 70,000 people a year. However, when used as a cure, these worms can help to remedy a plethora of diseases, including asthma, Crohn’s Disease, hay fever, irritable bowel syndrome, and multiple sclerosis, according to Marc

“I then realized that helminths had far more to offer than conventional medicine.” —MARC DELLERBA, CLINICAL DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF AUTOIMMNE THERAPIES Dellerba, clinical director and co-founder of Autoimmune Therapies. Dellerba first encountered the idea of using hookworms, or helminths, when his friend and fellow co-founder of Autoimmune Therapies, Jasper Lawrence, traveled to Cameroon, Africa to infect himself with hookworms in order to help

treat his illness. Lawrence suffered from chronic hay fever and seasonal asthma for almost all of his life, and turned to hookworms out of desperation when conventional asthma medicine failed him. He found relief with the worms, which eradicated his symptoms and prompted him to form the company Autoimmune Therapies with Dellerba. Since first learning of Lawrence’s experiences, Dellerba spent many years as a state registered clinical scientist, a type of pathologist, looking and interpreting blood results. “Many of which [the blood results] were from people with chronic inflammatory conditions or autoimmunity,” Dellerba says. “I then realized that helminths had far more to offer than conventional medicine.” Dellerba explained how Helminthic Therapy can be a safe alternative for those who have not had success with traditional medicinal methods. “There are only a few contraindications, such as very severe anemia, malignancy, blooding disorders and pregnancy, ” Dellerba says. “Almost all ‘suspected’ autoimmune or chronic inflammatory disorders are potential targets for the therapy. There appears to be a much higher success rate and it also appears that the beneficial effects last for the entire time you host the helminths.” Dellerba compares how hookworms

DR. HOOKWORM Helminthic therapy is used to help cure autoimmune diseases such as Asthma, Hay Fever, Multiple Sclerosis, and Crohn’s disease according to Autoimmune Therapy’s website. However, the therapy is not yet FDA approved. affect their host to how more traditional medicine treats autoimmune disorders. “The mechanism by which the worms work is unknown, however they do appear to work on several different pathways on the immune system,” Dellerba says. “This is in comparison to conventional drugs, which target very specific single pathways, and in most cases, are like hitting the immune response with a sledge hammer.” After spending nine years searching for a cure, Dunbar ultimately chose to try using the hookworms because of the failure she had with conventional medicine. “I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on everything in both the holistic and allopathic worlds,” Dunbar says. “I finally narrowed down what I have - an autoimmune condition. The same month I figured out what I have, I heard about helminthic therapy and Jasper’s [Lawrence] story on the Radiolab story and decided to do this rather than take toxic immunosuppressant drugs that my dermatologist wanted to give me.” When first considering the therapy, Dunbar was unconcerned with the possible side effects of the worms, which include diarrhea, fatigue, gas and an itch at the inoculation site for hookworm. “I was concerned, however, with the side effects of horribly toxic immunosuppressant drugs that are meant to do what the worms do, but also kill your liver,

kidneys and immune system.” Dunbar says. Four weeks after being inoculated with the hookworms, Dunbar believes that is it too soon to tell yet whether the worms have cured her condition. However, she does find hope in the treatment’s early effects. “I was thrilled every time the tiny rash started to itch, which compared to what I’m used to, is nothing,” Dunbar says. She also recommends the therapy to others suffering from similar ailments based on her belief in its authenticity. Although the therapy has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA did classify helminths as a drug in November of 2009. According to Dellerba, the data and information required for FDA approval from clinical trials and safety studies costs many millions of dollars to produce, which Autoimmune Therapies cannot yet afford. However, they soon plan to set up a clinical trial in the United States. Because the treatment is not FDA approved, students suffering allergies and asthma appear reluctant to attempt the therapy. Palo Alto High School junior Vivienne La, who suffers allergies, would not consider using the treatment. “I’m not comfortable in using a method that is not completely tested and FDA approved,” La says. “The idea of inserting

worms into the body is just not appealing.” However, La does believe that advances in helminthic research can provide hope for a future, safer cure. “This therapy would be useful in treating autoimmune diseases, and scientists should look into it,” La says. “It’s worth it to use the worms if the subject voluntarily requests the them.” There is ongoing research in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as several other countries. According to Dellerba, many results have yet to be published, but there is a good deal of information available at the U.S. National Library of Medicine as well as the National Institute of Health. For now, La does not find her allergies severe enough that she would attempt to use the worms. “If I was positively desperate to rid myself of my allergies, I may consider trying the worms,” La says. “But as it seems to be relatively new, and my current medication works just fine for me, I see no need to try the worms now.” For those who do wish to try the worms, they are available for ordering on the Autoimmune Therapies website. One dose of hookworms costs $2,900 and lives for about five years, while whipworms, another type of helminth, live about two years. Combination therapy costs $3,900 and includes a treatment with both hookworms and whipworms, and retreatment with whipworms after the first dose dies off around year two, according to information on the Autoimmune Therapies website. Overall, hookworms do not profess to be a complete cure; one reason for this is their somewhat-brief lifespan. However, the majority of hookworm-users do report a significant improvement in their condition, according to Dellerba. “About 75 to 80 percent of people respond reporting a moderate to significant improvement in their condition, a small minority do not respond and a small minority report complete remission of their conditions,” Dellerba says. Dunbar feels that using helminthic therapy has changed her life of painful chronic eczema for the better, despite the fact that she still does not know whether it has been effective. “Now,” Dunbar says. “I have hope.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Growing through Genealogy A student’s passion for researching her family’s roots Text by ASHA ALBUQUERQUE Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

of data has always been a source of excitement for DeHovitz. “[Genealogy] is like trying to put together a puzzle when you don’t have all the pieces and you know you might never will but you are still trying to get a general picture,” DeHovitz says. “Unfortunately, for a lot of the interesting details, we just have no way of knowing. ”

Why genealogy? DeHovitz became passionate about genealogy because of the pride and amazement she felt when she found a new relative or a new detail of her ancestors’ stories. The strong family sentiment has been the primary force that propelled DeHovitz through her research. “With family you have an instant connection, ” DeHovitz says. “With genealogy it’s not about how many people you are related to but the sense you feel of having a common, shared history.” In addition, the process of combing through records and picking through piles

Personalizing history Another amateur genealogist, Bruce Henderson, is a computer engineer from Southern California and uncle of Paly senior Sarah Henderson, is passionate about genealogy as he believes it is a path to personalize history. “When you read history of any country or culture, it is usually highly political or [about]a handful of nobility or [one] leader,” Henderson says. “That’s great if you are in the British royal family, or descended from George Washington, but I was very interested to find out where my family was and what they were doing during key events in history.” Henderson, has discovered many quirky details through researching his family’s past. He learned that one of his mother’s ancestors fought one of his father’s ancestors in the Battle of New Orleans in 1812. Genealogy has also been a way for Henderson to connect with his Scottish heritage. He currently lives in Caithness, Scotland, continuing his genealogical research at its

or most high school students, the term genealogy is as foreign as their ancestors. But for Palo Alto High School senior Rebecca DeHovitz, genealogy is even more than a passion; for her, it is practically a lifestyle. DeHovitz knows the name of the little village in Ukraine (Kamenets-Podolosky) her great-great-grandparents emigrated from and keeps track of exactly 2,909 relatives on a computer database. She combs through historical records, registries of birth, marriage, and death certificates, and interviews remaining relatives, all in hope of uncovering more of her ancestry. DeHovitz’s precision is not tedious but necessary in order to preserve her family’s past, as her ancestry is a cultural tradition that is an integral part of her own identity. Genealogy is the study and tracing of lines of descent or development, according to the Oxford American Dictionary. The process of finding ancestors and the story behind their connections has fascinated DeHovitz for nearly 13 years. Ever since she was first assigned to make a family tree in pre-school, DeHovitz has immersed herself in stories of the past while facilitating her research through the use of the technological advancements of the present.

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source. “Our family was subjected to the infamous “Highland Clearances” in 1802, when Sir John Sinclair decided to turn his lands into a giant sheep farm,” Henderson writes in an email to Verde from Caithness. “I constantly find myself humbled by the sacrifices and hardships my ancestors survived, and how as a result, I get to exist.” Henderson’s passion for genealogy also helps him grapple with existentialist concerns. “The lifetime of a single person is fairly brief,”

Henderson says. “Studying genealogy and family history is a way to help bridge the brief time we are on this earth and to make sense of it all.” Technology advances genealogy Henderson has used a wide variety of genealogy websites and companies to facilitate his genealogical search. From 23andme, a genetic testing company, he has discovered a mixture of traits, both good and bad, that he has inherited from his maternal and paternal sides of his family. “Using 23andme has been really quite an eye-opener,” Henderson says. “From my father, I ended up with (among other things) a very high tolerance to cold, and somewhat vigorous facial hair.” Henderson has also used the Family Tree DNA website to discover his original ancestral origins. He learned that his family originated from Norway and migrated to Scotland at some point in the past 2000 years. As Caithness, the home of Henderson’s relatives in Scotland, was originally a Norse farming colony, Henderson’s DNA origins validate

his own knowledge of his family history. Moments that make it matter Throughout her 10 years of research, DeHovitz has managed to make some startling discoveries about her familial origins.

“It was like a voice from the past calling down to me, ‘this is me and this is my story.’ It gave me chills. — SENIOR REBECCA DEHOVITZ Two years ago, her father Ross DeHovitz, who is also interested in genealogy, got in contact with a professional genealogist in Poland who researched the family records. DeHovitz recalls how the genealogist discovered a marriage certificate of her great-great--grandparents in Polish. In addition, Ross DeHovitz has also taken the opportunity to complete a genetic test that confirmed that the family’s ancestry originated from the Mediterranean Jews. However, DeHovitz thinks her most important discovery was regarding her maternal great-grandmother Rose’s daughter Etta. She recalls how she and her father found a death certificate, which detailed how Etta had died at age one and a half from whooping cough. The discovery brought DeHovitz a greater understanding of some of the tragedies her ancestors had to endure. “It was such an amazing moment,” DeHovitz says. “A story that my greatgrandmother had never shared was now told and we now had a better idea of what she had gone through and why she didn’t want to talk about it.” “Where the [spot on] the family tree was blank, there was now a name, a birth date and a death date,”

DeHovitz says. “It was like a voice from the past calling down to me, ‘this is me and this is my story’; it gave me chills.” DeHovitz believes the discovery of Etta’s death certificate was exceedingly rare but still hopes to make another discovery of a similar magnitude in the future. “You can’t really count on miracles but they are always nice when they happen,” DeHovitz says. Bringing the pazst into the present DeHovitz is especially fascinated by her great-grandmother Rose, who ended up marrying her brother-in-law after her sister died and emigrated to the United States from Russia. A lifelong lover of reading and writing, DeHovitz started writing historical fiction stories as a way to interact with her relatives who were no longer living. At the age of nine, she wrote a 25-page-long story from Rose’s point of view. “Until we find more records, we are not going to know how she felt,” DeHovitz says. “I really want to know more about what was going on and how she lived her life.” For the future, DeHovitz hopes to trackdown distant relatives who the family has lost track of in the passing of time. “Right now I’m focusing on the current generation, by reconnecting with lost relatives who are [still] alive,” DeHovitz says. Who do you think you are? In addition, DeHovitz is now spending time watching the new genealogy television show on NBC. The show, “Who do you think you are? airs on Friday nights and covers genealogical research akin to what DeHovitz does on a daily basis. The show depicts the research process behind the ancestries of celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker. DeHovitz believes the show heightens the excitement of finding one’s ancestors by condensing the length of the research and detail involved into a 60-minute episode. However, the feeling that the celebrities experience after discovering their familial roots is completely real, according to DeHovitz. “That feeling of pride and amazement after you discover something you though you would never know is incredible,” DeHovitz says. “That can’t be exaggerated, that is real.” v VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

An Evening on Wheels Verde tries Kwickcarts, a new downtown attraction

Text by MARGARET KADIFA and MANON VON KAENEL Riding in style

Margaret Kadifa tries out the kwickcarts with driver Elliott Waller

ight life begins to pick up on Palo Alto’s University Avenue around 8 p.m. That is when the kwickcarts come. Adorned with white holiday lights and pedaled by local drivers, these pedicabs aim to decrease traffic in Palo Alto and help make the city more ecofriendly. The kwickcarts caught our eye a few weeks ago, and one Friday night at 5:30 p.m. we decided to head downtown and try them out. Kwickcarts are the Palo Alto equivalent of Indian rickshaws — pedicabs that can take riders short distances. Unfortunately, we had no idea what time the pedicabs would arrive downtown. After wandering around for two and a half hours, we eventually found a kwickcart driver who later informed us that his hours began at 8 p.m. But besides the timing confusion and a gang of giggly teenage girls who cut us off just as we were about to enter a kwickcart, we had a pleasant experience that we expect to repeat. Our driver, Brandon Halpin, was outgoing and friendly, despite the fact that he was pedaling two teenage girls around who were writing down his every word. On leave from University of California, Santa Cruz, he plans to open up a bike shop. He told us that as a bike-enthusiast in his early 34

VERDE MAGAZINE

20s, this is a fun job for him. “I just really enjoy riding,” Halpin says. “Being able to do this for my job is awesome.” His weirdest experience? Tailing police in his kwickcart due to the request of a woman who wanted to participate in a nearby street fight. Although we were not following the police, we still experienced plenty of excitement. We people-watched and enjoyed the scenery — without the traffic, crowded sidewalks or sore feet. In three words, our ride was breezy, exhilarating and refreshing. The pedicabs will take riders as far as Stanford University or just from one end of University Avenue to the other with no charge, though tips are appreciated and fairly expected. The convenience is great — especially for those of us who are incapable of parking on University and are forced to park a good quarter mile away. The pedicabs are scattered throughout downtown, but many are parked near the Garden Court Hotel, across the street from California Pizza Kitchen on Cowper Street, off of University. The valet at the hotel is happy to help potential kwickart riders by contacting the drivers parked in the hotel garage. The kwickcarts can also be found at

Photography by CHARLOTTE KADIFA

Lytton Plaza, on University Avenue and Emerson Street. The average tip for a ride up and down University Avenue is about $5. Riding as far as Stanford usually merits about $15 to $20, according to Halpin. Given that kwickarts can carry over two people, the $5 was very reasonable, coming out to about $2.50 for each of us for a 15 minute ride. The kwickcart company started just a few months ago, and has now established services in Los Gatos, Campbell, Mountain View and Palo Alto, which is already the group’s busiest city. In addition to providing biking services every day of the week, the program also offers drivers for private parties or citywide events. The drivers rent the pedicabs from the KwickCart company and collect the tip money for themselves. With their friendly service and helpful transportation, the kwickart drivers are a great addition to Palo Alto. With the combination of great drivers, pretty white lights and a breezy ride along University, we can not imagine why our peers call Palo Alto night life dull. v Get more info on KWICKCARTS... Call: 408-858-CART Website: www.KwickCart.com

FEATURE FEATURE

the ones left behind Families and friends of suicide victims fight the battle for mental health awareness that their loved ones could not Text by AMANDA YOUNG photography by enzo njoo

VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

photography by maya shemtov MARY AND VIC Palo Alto residents Mary and Vic Ojakian lost their son, Adam, to suicide in 2004. After his death, Mary and Vic began working with national suicide prevention organizations to promote mental health awareness. “We didn’t know that Adam had a mental illness at the time,” Vic says. “In classes, we don’t get training in recognizing signs of mental illness in others. Adam was not diagnosed, and this is typical of many people with mental disorders.”

Stomach aches. Insomnia. Crying. Depression. It was February, and graduation was only a few months away for Julia Tachibana, Palo Alto High School alumna from 2005. What am I going to do with the rest of my life, she thought. Julia’s classmates at the University of California, Davis, all seemed to have set post-graduation plans: medical school, travel abroad, community service. But to Julia, the future loomed overhead. Bleak. Empty. Unknown. Slowly, Julia felt herself stumbling back into depression. She went to an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship gathering, hoping to find solace, but she left still feeling sad and alone. Then, as she drove her friend home from the meeting, all of Julia’s insecurities started coming to surface. As she divulged her worries, thoughts of suicides rose in her mind. It seemed like the easiest way out, the easiest way to relieve her pain. But then, she remembered Ben. Ben — the boy who loved to play bas36

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ketball and go to Jack in the Box. Ben — the boy who always had a smile on his face. Ben — her younger brother, a Paly freshman, who died by suicide in 2003. As Julia talked with her friend about her past and her present worries, and as images of Ben flew through her head, she realized that talking was exactly the type of therapy that she needed. Julia knew that she had to go back to a counselor, but felt weak for needing help. She held the phone in her hand, debating whether to dial the phone number of her counselor, the person who could guide her through her problems. Slowly, Julia punched each of the seven numbers and did what she later said was the bravest thing to do: She went back to therapy. “It was really hard for me to go back,” Julia says. “I waited too long because I had already received so much help that I didn’t want to go through it again. I felt like I wasn’t being strong enough, but now I know that going back to counseling was

the best decision I ever made.” As Julia continued meeting with her counselor, she realized that suicide is not the inevitable end to depression. Things will get better; Julia just wishes that her brother had known this. She also learned this from her experience after Ben’s death. “Sometimes I’m scared that suicide runs in my veins, and I’m scared that I would do it some day,” Julia says. “But what keeps me from doing it are the images that surrounded me after my brother’s death. And now that I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there are so many things that I want to do, and I have to be alive if I want to accomplish them.” Throughout high school, Julia had struggled with feelings of depression and loneliness similar to the ones she felt again three months ago. Sometimes she felt that she could not handle the struggles in her life anymore. And then, on Nov. 14, 2003, her brother, Ben Tachibana, killed himself. He was only a freshman, and had not even

finished his third month as a Paly student. Ben was one of the 33,300 Americans who die by suicide every year, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24, and the fourth leading cause of death for children between 10 and 14, children like Ben. While these numbers demonstrate the prevalence of suicide across the country, behind these numbers are the mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters — like Julia — and whole communities — like Paly — deeply affected by each of these suicides, who must grapple with the questions that many have after a suicide occurs: Why did they do it? Who could have stopped it? How can future suicides be prevented? These questions permeated the Palo Alto community after Ben’s suicide, especially because another Paly student, Steven Wertheimer, killed himself a mere 13 months prior to Ben’s death. Then, in 2009, five students with ties to Gunn High School died by suicide, prompting many discussions in the community as to how to talk about suicides and raise awareness of mental illness. Fears of “copycat” suicides and glorifying suicides have made people wary of discussing them. However, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and several other suicide prevention organizations, believe that talking about the seriousness of mental illnesses can help eradicate the stigma surrounding the topics of mental illnesses and suicides. Seven years after her brother’s death, Julia still struggles with the pain of her loss and her own cycles of depression. However, she says that Ben’s death has taught her to have the courage to live and to speak out for mental health awareness. Julia stands as part of the growing army of anti-suicide activists who have used their personal experiences with suicide victims to gain a new understanding of mental health; these activists now have a new agenda to hopefully prevent future suicides.

Battling Depression

Because Julia reached out for therapy when she needed it, she saved herself from digging herself into an even deeper hole of insecurities and depression. Several

organizations, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, emphasize the importance of identifying signs of depression and seeking help immediately for mental illness. Mary Ojakian, a Palo Alto resident, is on the local board of this organization, and Vic, her husband and former Palo Alto mayor, is on the Santa Clara Country board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their son, a former Paly student, Adam Ojakian, died by suicide in 2004 while attending the University of California, Davis. After his death, Mary and Vic decided to join several suicide prevention organizations to contribute to the fight against suicides, and the fight for openly discussing mental illnesses. The couple was even featured on a National Public Radio segment in 2009 about mental health programs in colleges. Mary has adamantly worked for these suicide prevention organizations in the years since her son’s death, which helps her cope with the tragedy of Adam’s suicide. “I need to do suicide prevention work,” Mary says. “It’s my way of being in the world.” The Ojakians stress the importance of speaking out about mental illness and getting help when one needs it. They did not recognize any signs of depression in Adam, but looking back, they realize why they missed the signs and hope that others will recognize signs of depression in themselves and in others on time. “If your leg or arm hurts, you’ll check if it’s OK,” Vic says. “But if you have mental or emotional pain, it’s difficult to seek help. We need to overcome the stigma around mental illnesses, including depression. If you have something that’s hurting, you have to get it checked.”

Resources for Paly Students

The Paly guidance office currently provides many resources for students who need to talk to someone, or who have a friend who needs help. “We’re trying to encourage students to let adults know if they are concerned over a friend,” Paly guidance counselor Susan Shultz says. “This has happened more now after the suicides at Gunn.” Paly also provides counseling through Adolescent Counseling Services, an organization that provides on-campus, no-

“Now that I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there are so many things that I want to do, and I have to be alive if I want to accomplish them.” — CLASS OF 2005 JULIA TACHIBANA, whose brother, Ben, died by suicide in 2003

COMMON WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE 1. Unrelenting low mood 2. Increased alcohol and/ or drug use 3. Recent impulsiveness and taking unnecessary risks 4. Threatening suicide or expressing a desire to die 5. Giving away prized possessions 6. Unexpected rage or anger If you or your friend exhibit a number of these signs and concerns, talk to a trusted adult IMMEDIATELY Source: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

“You have to stop and say, ‘Do I want to be a part of the world?’ And when you think long enough, the answer is yes.” — CLASS OF 2005 JULIA TACHIBANA families. ACS offers this counseling at all four Palo Alto secondary schools. The ACS number is provided on the back of every student’s identification card. Initially, Julia thought that she was weak for needing therapy. Many students may have this feeling, but Mary says that students must realize that mental treatments for the brain are just as important as physical therapy for the body. “Research on cognitive behavior therapy — talk treatment — shows that this treatment creates the same physical changes in the brain that medicine creates,” Mary says. “But in our culture, we don’t understand that yet, since this is a new field of study.”

Ben’s Story

On the evening of Nov. 14, 2003, Amir Shahhosseini was at Borders in downtown Palo Alto with a friend when Julia called him, asking whether he had seen Ben. Shahhosseini assumed that Ben was probably at the YMCA, playing basketball, as this was one of Ben’s favorite pastimes. Shahhosseini did not think too much about the phone call until Julia called him again around 11 p.m., asking again whether he had seen Ben. Shahhosseini thought that it was a little strange that Julia still could not reach Ben, and said he hadn’t heard from him. Then later on that night, Shahhosseini heard that someone had died by a train. 38

JUNE 2010

What if it was Ben?, Shahhosseini thought to himself. No — it couldn’t be. And then, Julia confirmed his fears. “I was shocked,” Shahhosseini says, remembering the night he found out that one of his best friends had died by suicide. “I wish I could’ve done anything to see the signs that something was wrong.” Many families and friends of those who die by suicide feel the same shock that Shahhosseini felt, wondering whether they could have seen the signs. According to Mary, 86 percent of families of those who die by suicide did not know that their loved one had a mental illness. Shahhosseini, who is now a senior at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, remembers the shock and sadness that permeated the Paly community after Ben’s death was publicized. “People were really worried,” Shahhosseini says. “It was really hard to get to class, and I was just really down.” As Julia reflects on Ben’s suicide, she remembers seeing some signs that Ben was not feeling right. “One time I came after school to see Ben, and he was on his bed and it was weird because it was 3 p.m.,” Julia says. “I asked Ben what was wrong, sat for 30 minutes, and asked him again. He felt like he couldn’t talk to anyone, to the point where he couldn’t utter a word. One tear came out of his eye, and at that moment, I knew it was a big deal.” However, due to several private family issues, Julia did not feel she had access to help she could get for her brother. “My family was so broken itself I don’t think we had the energy and the means to get resources,” Julia says. “I couldn’t fully be there for my brother. I did try though to be the person who he could talk to. Given the circumstances, we did the best we could.” Mary emphasizes that Julia’s situation demonstrates the importance of all individuals learning to recognize when a friend is in distress and then getting them the help they need. Like Ben, they might be unable to get help themselves, and need someone to connect them with a trusted adult.

Paly Responds

As the Paly community grieved, the administration brought in outside resources and made many counselors available to

talk with students affected by Ben’s death, or who felt that they might be suicidal. According to Shultz, a grief counseling organization called KARA and middle school counselors came to Paly to support the students. Shahhosseini remembers that the school really reached out to the student body, especially to Ben’s friends, to offer support for those who needed it. He remembers people frequently checking in on him to see if he was OK. “Paly had a lot of people there for me, and I really appreciated having this resource,” Shahhosseini says. Julia also fondly remembers how caring everyone in the Paly community was for her and her family. “I remember going home and listening to the voicemails, and there were 100 messages, so many cards in the mailbox, and all of this food in the house,” Julia says. “I look through some of the letters I got from time to time, especially around the anniversary of my brother’s death, and I realize how loved he really was.”

Flash Forward to 2010 : What Paly Has Learned

A suicide brings sadness and devastation into a community. However, it can also awaken a community to a need for talking about mental illness. Shultz believes that after Ben’s suicide, some positive effects were noticeable in the guidance office. “The guidance counselors are now all more aware, and looking closer than before,” Shultz says. “I feel like the more we talk about [mental illness], the more destigmitized it becomes.” According to Shultz, after the recent suicides at Gunn, the district discussed with several suicide experts how to best handle a suicide, or a suicide contagion. To contain suicides, the district decided not to reveal specific details that could glorify a suicide because these details are not necessarily what people need to hear, according to Shultz. “After several suicides, the district tends to not talk because they want to contain a contagion,” Shultz says. “At a certain point, you’re concerned that a suicide is magnified, which is a huge concern of mine with the media.” The school district has also thought

of other ways to raise awareness of mental illness and prevent suicides. In early April, the district received a $50,000 grant from the federal government to establish more mental health services for its students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Palo Alto was among three school districts to receive Project School Emergency Response to Violence grants. In early May, guidance counselors, psychologists, nurses and a few administrators, all from the district, participated in a QPR workshop. QPR — Question, Persuade and Refer — is a method used to identify and get help for someone who is thinking of suicide. “The workshop taught people how to ask pointed questions about how students are feeling in different situations,” Shultz says. “It was good training for teachers, because we need to be able to ask these questions.” Shultz says that the workshop was an important step that was taken to educate adults in the district on how to watch for signs that a student may be suicidal. “The workshop was meant to create gatekeepers, who can train other people on QPR,” Shultz says. “The training was like CPR: you hope that you know how to do it when you need to.” Mary is part of the Santa Clara County Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee, which is developing a suicide prevention plan that will incorporate QPR. “When we’re concerned, we need to ask someone if they’re thinking about killing themselves, and this will make the subject OK to talk about,” Mary says. “Everyone needs to learn QPR, just like everyone needs to learn CPR.”

New Beginnings

Like other anti-suicide activists, Shahhosseini has tried to turn Ben’s death into a positive experience by educating others on mental health. During Cal Poly pre-orientation week, the students discuss mental health with incoming freshmen. “I brought up my personal experience,” Shahhosseini says. “It was beneficial to educate people, and it was making my experience into something semi-positive in order to help others, and hopefully prevent it [a suicide] from happening again.” Along with Shahhosseini, Julia has also

photography by max cohen BEN’S FRIEND Paly graduate Amir Shahhosseini reflects on the death of his best friend, Ben Tachibana, who died by suicide in 2003. “By taking his own life, he was sort of taking a life away from other people,” Shahhosseini says. looked for ways to contribute to the fight against suicide. A few months ago, after hearing about the suicides that happened at Gunn, Julia researched some suicide prevention organizations and found Mary’s name. She contacted Mary and asked her how she could get involved in mental health programs and help raise awareness of mental illnesses at UC Davis. “I think that we can make a positive impact together,” Julia says. “I would love to work more with her and to just continue this dialogue. Before action comes dialogue and the sharing of our stories.” The AFSP cites various steps to help prevent a suicide: Take it seriously, be prepared to listen, seek professional help, and follow up on treatment. “Ben will never be able to experience college, never see me graduate, and never be a part of my life again,” Julia says. “It’s really such a sad thing. I think that people forget that the world does move on after something bad. You have to stop and say, ‘Do I want to be a part of the world?’ And when you think long enough, the answer is yes. I identify so strongly with those hard times that people have and will have, but you have to reach out for help.” v

IMPORTANT 24-HOUR SUICIDE HOTLINES 1. EMQ Families First Mobile Crisis Line (408) 379-9085 2. Santa Clara County Suicide & Crisis Hotline (650) 494-8420 3. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-TALK COUNSELING SERVICES 1. ACS (on campus) (650) 833-4244 2. ACS (off campus) (650) 424-0852 3. Teen Line (408) 279-8228

If you or your friend need help, talk to a trusted adult IMMEDIATELY VERDE MAGAZINE

FEATURE

A Fresh Breath of... Chocolate? Text and Photography by SARAH JACOBS Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

Caffeine Content (mg)

hat if you could devour as much luscious, rich chocolate as your heart desired without gaining a pound or feeling guilty about your health? Well, now you can; or at least that is the premise behind the new chocolate inhalant from the French company, Le Whif.   The organic chocolate-flavored powder is housed in a biodegradable tube, and comes into the mouth and throat when the user breathes in. The idea is to mimic the feeling of eating real chocolate. The lip-stick sized tube was designed by David Edwards, a Harvard Professor of biomedical engineering, with some of his students through ArtScience Labs, an international network of art and design labs. “It’s kind of like smoking chocolate,”

Edwards said in an interview with the Cambridge Chronicle. “Whiffers,” or those who use the inhalant, can experience the taste of chocolate without consuming any fat. Le Whif also contains minimal calories — “less than one per whiff ”, according to the Le Whif web site. This lack of calories and fat makes Le Whif ideal for chocolate-loving dieters, who crave the taste but do not want to deal with the adverse health effects of real chocolate. Le Whif says the company uses particle engineering to ensure the particles are small enough to become airborne but not small enough to be taken into the lungs, so theoretically there are no adverse health effects. Doctor Norman Rizk, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist at

Stanford University, says that aerosols like these tend to have a wide distribution of particle sizes and would therefore tend to be deposited in the lung. “The question is, would that be harmful,” Rizk says. “It depends on the pH, the mass, the structure… On the other hand, particles that truly are more than five microns in size generally will not be deposited in the lung. They will end up in the upper respiratory system — the nose and mouth — and aren’t harmful.” There, the particles land on the tongue and the epithelium of the nose, where sensors carry the taste and smell to the brain. Rizk says that only a small proportion of the food you put in your mouth actually touches the taste buds. This allows even the tiny amount of chocolate in the Le Whifs to do a fairly good job stimulating your

300 250 200 150 100 50 0

Starbucks grande brewed coffee, 320

Starbucks frappuccino, 115

Coffee Le Whif, about 100

Instant, 93

Red Bull, 80

Brewed tea, 53

Espresso, 50

Coca-Cola, Heshey’s Bar, 35 9

HEFTY CAFFEINE PUNCH The coffee Le Whif holds about 100 milligrams of caffeine, close to the amount in an eight ounce cup of instant coffee. Information courtesy of the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Awesome!

What does Paly think?

t LUCAS CHAN, JUNIOR “Dude! That’s super cool. I would definitely try that, especially if there are no side effects or anything.”

APRIL 2010

SUSAN LEE, TEACHER u “It might satisfy the chocolate urge. I would be all for it as long as there are no harmful chemicals.”

VERDE VERDICT When we heard about Le Whif, we ordered several packs straight away (Verde has its fair share of chocolate lovers). After weeks of anticipation, however, they were something of an anticlimax. Instead of a smooth chocolate perfection, the Le Whifs tasted only vaguely of chocolate and even caused several people to cough violently upon their first inhalation. One staff member compared it to “sucking coco powder into your throat”. The general consesus was that the hype was bigger than the new product warranted. Nevertheless, the attractive design and novelty of the idea were worth the wait!

SHAW HSU, JUNIOR u “I would try it to see what it’s like, but I prefer the real thing.”

says. “They should keep things the way they are, though it does combine two things I love doing — eating chocolate and breathing. But on the other hand, I like real chocolate. I like eating it; I like holding it. I don’t want to inhale it, period.” Besides plain chocolate, Le Whif also comes in raspberry, mint, and mango chocolate flavors.  Recently, the company also came out with a coffee counterpart to their chocolate inhaler. The coffee inhaler also has no fat content, and is almost calorie free just like the plain chocolate Le Whif, but packs a punch of about 100 milligrams of caffeine per puff. This is somewhere between the amount of caffeine in a cup of instant coffee and a double espresso.  The news is music to the ears of stressed-out

students — anyone looking for a quick caffeine fix for a boost before a test or an extra kick to make it through an all-nighter may decide to make use of Le Whif ’s new product. “On those late nights when you just can’t keep awake to finish all the work, caffeine is always your best friend,” junior Pierre Bourbonnais says. Le Whif says they will be coming out with more types of inhalable foods in the future, perhaps even full meals. Le Whif ’s invention is the “first commercial step toward breathable food” according to ArtScience Labs, and revolutionizes the idea of eating. The implications are enormous. According to Edwards, in the future it may be possible to “eat” threecourse meals simply by inhaling. v

tYSABEL SANCHEZ, JUNIOR It’s really weird; why did they think that was a good idea?

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Bad Idea

sense of taste in the same way taking a bite of chocolate would. The inhalants, which were first announced in April of 2009, each cost 1.50 British pounds (about $2.50) and contain enough chocolate powder for around four puffs. They are not widely sold in the United States yet, except over the internet; they are available online at www.lewhif.com. They are also available at Le LaboShop, Galleries Lafayette and Colette in Paris. The demand for Le Whif is so great that customers trying to buy them online have encountered delays and backorders. Some Palo Alto High School students, however, are dubious about the idea. “I think it [inhalable chocolate] is a bad idea,” Paly Senior Ruhi Sikri

LIGHT AS AIR A Verde staff member samples a chocolate rasberry Le Whif

Lots of classes in Palo Alto!

COVER

LOOKING BACK BUT MOVING FORWARD JUST ONE PART OF THE EQUATION

44 48

THE FOCUS

Remembering the McEvoy Administration

October Mike McGovern’s historical reenactments meet resistance from administration

2007 December Paly administration enforces breathalyzer use at school dances, decreasing drinking suspensions and lowering dance attendance

January McEvoy requires all AP students to participate in the STAR test, raising test scores significantly

2008

July Assistant Principal Todd Feinberg joins the McEvoy administration

February McEvoy announces that students will be September required to take prom School board apbuses to prom proves Paly media arts building plans

January McEvoy announces resignation

2009

2010 October Spirit Week rally cancelled after the “Egg Wars” at Gunn High School

August New truancy policy is initiated, drastically improving attendance

May Paly Education Council announces the new four day block schedule

Text by ALLISON CHANG Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

COVER

Looking Back but Moving Forward At the end of her journey as principal, Jacqueline McEvoy reflects on the controversies of the last three years and what she has learned, and where she’s going next Text by CAROLINE WANG Photography and Photo Illustration by SARAH HENDERSON

ive minutes after the bell rings on a Friday afternoon in May, principal Jacqueline McEvoy’s office at Palo Alto High School is still rumbling with activity. The office in the Tower Building is chaotic with murmurs of multiple conversations and the sight of students rushing by administrators and faculty. At the end of the hallway, past two secretaries, a meeting ends and McEvoy is left in her office examining the different possibilities for the new bell schedule. By this time next year, students at Paly will still be in school because of a later, 8:15 a.m. start. Reaching this point in the decisionmaking process for schedule change has not been easy. It has been a tumultuous path of three years for McEvoy to improve the decision-making process at a school that, she says, has not made a major decision in many years. “This bell schedule is the first big

JUNE 2010

decision that we’ve made in 15 or 20 years,” she says during a discussion which is likely to be her last major student publication interview in her time at Paly. “So when you don’t make major decisions sometimes you lose the process. In the last three years, we really had to reinvent how we make decisions, who should be included, who makes the final decision.” Student input has been especially important to her, despite the negative critique she has received of avoiding student opinions. “We actually do listen to students,” she heartily laughs. “We actually do.” Concerns over the avoidance of student opinions have ignited multiple accusations that McEvoy was changing the Paly identity, to the point where students organized a sit-in and posted posters with the words, “Doesn’t feel like Paly anymore, does it?” in protest of Egg Wars suspensions. In her first year, her decision to use Breathalyzers

at dances pitted her against students right off the bat. Then came the drama about social studies teacher Mike McGovern’s reenactments, the replacement of limos with prom buses and more recently, the Egg Wars and suspensions that caused Palo Alto Weekly to choose McEvoy as School Newsmaker of the Year for 2009. The media and community have both voiced negative opinions of her, but to her, the criticisms are just part of the job. Now, with her January resignation notice about to take effect, McEvoy has announced this will be her last school year at Paly. With a resume of being a physics and calculus teacher, principal for seven years at San Mateo High School, principal for seven years at a continuation school and now three years at Paly, McEvoy says she is ready for her next challenge in the world of education. “Part of me would like to work with coaching principals. I really love working

with curricular instruction, and seeing how to have the best curricular instruction for kids,” she says. “I could also teach at the college level. It [my future] is going to be in education whatever it is; I just don’t know what it’s going to be yet.” Ironically, while McEvoy says her job at Paly has been a dream job, she feels her own high school teachers would be surprised to see her choice of profession. “I think that if you were to go into my high school and say, ‘Jacquie is now the principal of Palo Alto High School,’ there would be teachers and administrators who would be stunned that I went into teaching and became a high school principal,” she says. “Academically, I was challenging to teachers. I was pretty bored in high school. I don’t think I was there half my senior year.” Besides wanting to conquer something new in the world of education, McEvoy feels she has reached a milestone in her life.

At the end of this summer, all three of her sons will have graduated from college. “My last son graduates from college this summer and all of sudden I’m in a situation in my life where I have supported three sons through college as a single parent,” she says. “I can live wherever I want, and do anything that I want now.” She adds that her sons have always remained her most important priority. Therefore, her role as a mother has had the greatest impact over her controversial decisions in the last three years. “For decisions I make around the school as principal, I always ask myself what would I want if my sons were students here,” McEvoy says. “That I’m leading a school where I would want my sons to attend is really important to me.” Specifically, McEvoy defends her 2008 decision to Breathalyze every school-dance attendee, defining it as a matter of student safety. She says that Paly went from dozens

of suspensions of students for alcohol use to zero at the dances. “That [decision] protects students,” McEvoy says. “You always make the decision that you know is best for students, even if it’s an unpopular decision.” Since the disputes of her first year at Paly, McEvoy has gradually learned the importance of communication in describing the reasoning behind her decisions. According to McEvoy, her first year was difficult, as she felt that people were often critical instead of willing to meet her halfway. “As the year progressed, I really tried to reach out so that people could feel that they could come talk to me,” she says. “I learned to communicate so that people know where I’m coming from.” Her favorite form of collecting student opinions is visiting classrooms to talk to students. While she enjoys hearing the students’ opinions face-to-face, this

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COVER

“The Ansel Adams photos are from Yosemite. I like them because they’re very calming.”

“People would always look in to my office through the window that used to be here, so I ended up installing a whiteboard.”

strategy has also proven to be incredibly time-consuming. Her greatest struggle in finalizing decisions has therefore been finding the best way to gather student input. “I can go around to classrooms and present, but then how many classrooms are enough?” she says. “If we do voluntary surveys, we maybe get 100 to 200 kids. If we require a survey, then people misinterpret it as a vote, and it’s not.” Instead, McEvoy hopes to someday see a “rep” system put in place, where every fourth period class has two representatives that would attend student leadership meetings. The representatives could then discuss with their classes and report back. The results of the changing bell schedule can also be attributed to the work of the bell schedule action team. Action teams began last year and McEvoy says the organization of action teams has been incredibly successful. According to McEvoy, each action team has approximately 30 teachers working on specific topics, including instructional strategy and curricular alignment.

JUNE 2010

“I collect local art. Whenever I travel, I try to pick up a piece of local art. I think that it’s really important in communities that you support your local artists.” “The teachers self-select what group they’re on, so they’re working on a project that they want to work on and with the teachers they want to work with,” she says. The action teams, McEvoy believes, will help create future leaders, because to her, the teachers are the ones who will be carrying on the school culture after students graduate. Another goal for McEvoy in the last three years has been preparing every single student at Paly for college. She takes pride in leading the faculty to focus on this common goal. “We talk about college readiness for all students, but at the end of four years, not all students are college ready,” she says. “It means that we shouldn’t have science courses that are not college-recommending or graduation requirements that are so low that you can’t possibly get into college.” While McEvoy and her team of administrators have had overall success, the local media and community have been unremorseful with McEvoy. Comments on Palo Alto Online and The Paly Voice often attacked her. Although she accepts that

the published opinions come with the job of being principal, she found the untrue comments hurtful. “There is a tendency for people to make really quick judgments,” she says. “There were times when I felt like if you would just sit down and have a conversation with me, we could talk about what that looks like or why I made that decision. A lot of times people say things publicly in the local paper about me and I’ll think, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met that person or I don’t think that person has ever come to talk to me.’” McEvoy also found comments about students and parents difficult to read. “One of the things that came up during Egg Wars were mean-spirited things said about the students and the parents of students that were involved, and that was also very hard for me because students make mistakes,” she says. “It upsets me the most when individuals in the community make judgments about me, the school and especially about the students that just aren’t true. I’m very protective of the students at Paly.” Despite the negative comments and

“What really defines you as principal is when you’re standing on stage at graduation. When I’m standing on that stage and shaking every students’ hand that’s getting that diploma, it’s kind of the highlight of that year, because you realize that every one of those students has a history about how they got to that stage.”

THE LAST VIEW McEvoy sits in her office, surrounded by the paintings and decorations that will be gone by the end of the summer, making room for the incoming principal, Phil Winston.

“This stack of binders looks really messy, but whenever people come in asking to see so-and-so, I’m always able to reach in and find it.” opposing opinions, McEvoy has always stuck to her values and beliefs, while trying to show a positive face. “I think people think that there’s been this real negative side of my job because of [the comments] but that just goes with the territory,” she says. “In the end, if I think that it’s in the best interest of students in the long run, then I’m going to make that decision regardless of how I get portrayed in the local press.” However, McEvoy still respects the student publications on campus, even to the point where her first advice to the incoming principal was to open up to the publications. After the announcement of Phil Winston as the new principal, Winston soon called McEvoy, asking how The Campanile had already found the way to contact him and ask for an interview. “Mr. Winston called me last night,” she says. “He said that students had already contacted him from The Campanile. I said, ‘Welcome to my world. ‘He said, ‘How did they know how to get in touch with me?” I said, ‘The Campanile has their ways.” McEvoy then told Winston her rule

has always been to give the students the scoop, despite the fact that this has not always made her popular with the regular press. Besides advice on the media, McEvoy also gave Winston other advice. “The second piece of advice is you communicate, you communicate, and when you think you’re done, you communicate some more,” she says. “And whenever you’re stuck and you don’t know what to do, you always make a decision based on what you think is in the best interest of the students.” After being hired during the summer, and not having an opportunity to get to know the school during the school year, McEvoy wanted to make sure that Winston would have a different experience, so that the community could get to know Winston and welcome him to the school. “I came in on July 1, and there was no one here,” she says. “We really need to, as a school, set up a way for him [Winston] to meet as many people as possible, because as a school you really do have to reach out. It’s harder for one person to reach out to 5,000 people than the other way around. Communication goes both ways.”

As the end nears, McEvoy looks forward to graduation. “What really defines you as principal is when you’re standing on stage at graduation,” she says. “When I’m standing on that stage and shaking every students’ hand that’s getting that diploma, it’s kind of the highlight of that year, because you realize that every one of those students has a history about how they got to that stage. A graduation ceremony at a high school is when it all comes together and symbolizes that it’s all been worth it.” At Paly, McEvoy has found a strong sense of community and identity, rich in history. There have been ups and downs to her career here, yet McEvoy has still accomplished many of her goals. In her parting words to seniors, she sums up the beliefs she has carried with her through all the controversy and drama of the last three years. “For the seniors, the best advice I can give is that you need to be true to yourself; you need to follow your heart; and you need to do what’s right. When people do that, everything else falls into place.” v

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COVER

Just One Part of the Equation New Principal Phil Winston prepares to lead the administrative team Text by EMMA TUCHER and EMILY EFLAND Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

TRUST New Principal Phil Winston hopes to have a good relationship with students and a strong presence on campus.

e arrive at Gunn High School, awkwardly realizing we are wearing Palo Alto High School athletic gear from head to toe. As we wander through the campus, in search of our elusive new principal, a voice calls our names. We turn around to see our future principal, Phil Winston, who relieves us from our misery 48

JUNE 2010

and leads us to his office. Behind his desk, adorable pictures of his children and their artwork cover the walls. We stare in surprise as the popular song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bossyâ&#x20AC;? begins to play from his computer. The incoming Paly principal, Winston has generated a wealth of articles from students and adults alike trying to pinpoint his policies and his approach to administration. The friendly, 33 year-

old Winston says he believes strongly in trust, strong relationships and good communication between students, teachers and administrators. According to Winston, his current focus is not on the past, but instead on building a safe and closely knit Paly of the future. As we sat down for the interview, Winston began to talk about his own high school situation. He believes his experienc-

es in high school taught him how to accept others, and gave him the skills necessary to work with students. As the assistant principal in charge of discipline at Gunn, Winston works with other students, parents and staff in difficult situations of investigation and, occasionally, punishment. Whenever a problem arises among students on campus, Winston is the first to be alerted. “For me, the toughest decisions are ones where you have to do what’s right even if the students, the families or the staff are not happy,” Winston says. “So you really have to be consistent, and do what’s right or what’s best in the long run.” While Winston predicts that his honest approach to dealing with students will carry over to his methods as Paly’s principal, he understands that there are some aspects of Paly that he will have to adapt to in order to communicate effectively with students. Most importantly, Wilson says, he must learn the culture of Paly’s student body. “I know I’m walking into a lot of tradition and a lot of passion, and I appreciate that,” Winston says. “I understand that there are people that have questions about Egg Wars and stuff, but that’s really none of my business. That’s in the past; we’re moving forward. Just because it’s a tradition doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.” The current administration’s new procedures have generated friction between Paly students and the administration, such as those involving the Egg Wars suspensions, streaking, hazing, and breathalyzers. This year, students have frequently used their voices to protest and complain. Through sit-ins, petitions, and Facebook groups, Paly students are quick to react when administrators impose policies that conflict with their interests. Winston was quick to stress his understanding of student concerns, and his willingness to communicate. “If you all need to [do a] sit-in we should’ve had a conversation before that,” Winston says. “If students have a problem or a question, the goal should be to have a system in place so that students are able to express their views and feelings. If you have a concern you should be able to be heard. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get what you want, but you will be heard”. Winston says that trust is essential to

a good relationship between students and their administrators. “I put a lot of trust into the students that I interact with and in return I expect a lot,” Winston says. Growing up, Winston did not always have a desire to participate in school administration. However, as the opportunity presented itself, first at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, then at Gunn and now at Paly, Winston discovered his passion for administration and came to realize his personality is well suited for the job. “In high school I didn’t know I’d want to be a principal,” Winston says. “Life has an unbelievable way of weaving and guiding our experiences. It has been a wonderful experience.” As Winston left us with these final

“If you have a concern you should be able to be heard. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get what you want, but you will be heard.” — PHIL WINSTON words, we exited his office feeling inspired and excited for the coming year. However, as we listened to our tape, we were disappointed to realize that we had learned little about his policies and his opinions of current procedures. Maybe, however, part of the reason he didn’t share these plans lies in the fact that he does not have the authority to make sweeping changes. In fact, principals are not as powerful as students believe. According to Assistant Superintendent Ginni Davis, although principals have enormous responsibility, they do not use their authority to single-handedly instigate procedures. Instead, principals propose procedures to supplement school board policies, as well as policies created by the government of California. To establish a procedure, a principal must prove a strong need in the school for such a measure. “The principals have to have some way to make sure they’re running the school safely,” Davis says. “But sometimes students don’t know how much of a process [in administrative decisions] there has been.”

Throughout the interview, Winston emphasized his passion for working with teachers, coworkers and the student body. Because assistant principal is such an allencompassing job, Winston says he cannot state one aspect he enjoys above others. “It isn’t really one thing,” Winston says. “It’s the excitement of being responsible and working collaboratively with a group of people to further the good work in place, and to work on making the high school experience the best it can possibly be for each and every student” As he prepares to leave Gunn, he hopes to be remembered for his attitude instead of specific actions. “I would like to be remembered as somebody that did a good job with everything he had, and took care of students and staff and fellow colleagues,” Winston says. “I’m not big into legacy. You need to do the best you can with what you have at that moment. Stay in the present, but forecast and plan for the future.” There we had it: therapist, friend, and administrator. In reality, it didn’t matter if we liked him or not. We understood that he was only a man in a larger equation. And while he may not have given us all the answers we sought, and a few too many generic responses, his enthusiasm was contagious and he had an undeniable good taste in music. v

New Principal Handbook: 1. Interact with students. Your presence should be felt on campus. 2. Have your office door open to speak with students. Be open minded, approachable, and a good listener. 3. Have good Viking spirit, and motivate others to do the same. 4. Manage the school budget to benefit the student body and staff members. 5. Congratulate students/staff on their successes. 6. Be ready to adapt to the unique Paly lifestyle.

~by Anabel Homnack

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CULTURE

SUMMER CALENDAR SWEETER THAN CANDYLAND WHAT’S NEW DOWNTOWN SCREAMING FOR ICE CREAM

THE LATEST AND GREATEST

50 52 54 55

SUMMER 2010

This summer’s hottest concerts and events Finally, the school year is coming to a close and it is time to kick back and relax. Luckily for you, Verde is here to rescue you from a summer spent watching TV on the couch. We’ve done the research and compiled the most exciting summer events. Enjoy! calendar by RYAN FLANAGAN and SOPHIE CORNFIELD art by YELENA KASIANOVA

June Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Goo Goo Dolls @ Mountain Winery

Wednesday Thursday 2

LCD Soundsystem @ The Fillmore The xx @ Great American Music Hall

Live 105 BFD @ Shorline Amphitheater Union Street Festival @ Union Square

Wonder Girls @ The Fillmore

Fearless Fitness Challenge 2010 @ Lululemon Atlantica

Fischerspooner @ The Fillmore

15 Matt Pond @ The Independent

Delta Spirit @ The Independent

U2 360 Tour @ Oakland Colosseum

33rd Annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair @ Haight Street

Iron Maiden @ Sleep Train Pavilion

Psychedelic Furs @ The Fillmore

Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest @ Union Square

Josh Ritter @ The Fillmore

Friday

Saturday

US Air Guitar Live 105 BFD @ Championship Shorline Amphitheater @ The Fillmore World Oceans Day Celebration @ Monterey Bay Aquarium

Stiff Little Fingers Sting with the Royal @ Blank Club Philharmonic Concert Orchestra @ Sleep Train Pavilion

Portugal The Man @ Stars @ The Independent The Fillmore Music on the Square @ The Redwood City Courthouse

Warped Tour @ Pavement @ Greek Theatre Shoreline Amphitheater Goldfrapp @ Fox Theater

Backstreet Boys @ The Warfield 40th anniversary San Francisco Pride @ Castro St.

JUNE 2010

CocoRosie @ The Regency Ballroom

Blitzen Trapper @ The Fillmore Mates of State @ Great American Music Hall

July Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

29th Annual Lillith @ Shoreline Summer Festival Amphitheater and Chili Cook-off @ Mitchell Park

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Rihanna with Ke$ha @ Shoreline Amphitheater

MGMT @ Fox Theatre

The xx @ Great American Music Hall

Avett Brothers @ Mountain Winery

Harvey Milk Tour @ San Francisco City Hall

Rockstar Energy Mayem Festival @ Shoreline Amphitheater Golden Gate Park Band Summer Sundays @ Golden Gate Park

Justin Bieber @ Oracle Arena

24 Urban Dare San Jose @ City of San Jose

Wolf Parade @ Fox Theatre

August Sunday

Cool Tour 2010 @ The Warfield

Rob Thomas @ Mountain Winery

Monday

Tuesday

Rush Time Machine Tour @ Shoreline Amphitheater

Lady Gaga @ HP Pavilion

Crowded House @ The Warfield

Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Phish @ Greek Theatre

Crystal Castles @ Fox Theatre

Dave Matthews Band @ Sleep Train Pavilion

Saturday

American Idols Live @ Shoreline Amphitheater

John Mayer Baylands Summer @ Shoreline Run @ Palo Alto Amphitheater Baylands Park

Norah Jones @ Greek Theatre

San Jose Italian Family Festa @ Guadalupe River Park & Gardens

VERDE MAGAZINE

CULTURE

JUNE 2010

Sweeter than

Candyland A novel that exaggerates the anxieties of applying for college Text by CAROLINE WANG Art by YELENA KASIANOVA

he road to college is a bit like playing Candyland. Your choices matter, but the end result is largely based on chance. The process is random because you never know who will read your file out of the thousands of other files profiling applicants of equal intelligence and creativity in essays. You never know how that admissions officer will be feeling that day, or whose application was in the file before yours. Once the application is submitted, there is nothing to do but wait, because you have just tossed the die, and must wait for the die to fall, telling you how many steps to move in the unpredictable board game. Karen Stabiner’s fictional novel, “Getting In,” follows five students through their senior year, detailing the highs and the lows of the college application process. Three of the seniors attend the prestigious private school Crestview, while the other two are from the highly looked-down-upon public school, Ocean Heights. Stabiner over-amplifies the fears and stress, creating drama in the novel, but also straying far from reality, to the point where the reader wonders if Stabiner is perhaps making fun of the process. As a graduating senior, all I can say is, I had trouble finishing this book, and “Seriously?” Be wary of reading this novel, because it might actually scare you away from applying to college. Throughout the novel, the seniors

constantly argue with their parents. Brad, who comes from four generations of Harvard legacy, wants to break free from his family’s set path of becoming a lawyer after Harvard Law School; Katie’s parents force her to attend a school other than her first choice. Lauren bickers with her parents out of fear of disappointing them. The story becomes more and more cliché as the reader reads on. Besides arguing with parents, the students have varied ways of handling the stress of college applications and senior year. Katie resorts to cutting herself with her Tweezerman to calm her nerves after she is forbidden from applying to the school she really wants to attend, and Brad relieves stress by drinking a sip of liquor each night before he heads to bed. The pressure to succeed causes intense competition between Katie and Brad for valedictorian. Katie even tries to convince Brad to purposely fail a test to lower his grade. The plot line becomes even more unbelievable when the reader learns about the experiences of Ted, the most sought-after college adviser at Crestview. He has various connections and special relationships with college admissions officers. At national conventions, admissions officers from the Ivy colleges slip him note cards with names of students they would like Ted to encourage towards applying to their school. When Lauren is waitlisted at her top choice school, Ted makes a call and threatens to

show disfavor toward the college when he opens a private office the upcoming year, if the school does not accept Lauren. Out of fear, the admissions officer bows and finds a way to let Lauren in. By the end of “Getting In,” I simply felt disgusted by the college application process. The students in the novel who really wanted to attend a certain college were not accepted, while students who did not want to go to certain schools were accepted. The system seemed corrupt, as Chloe, who lies about her race by claiming to be Native American, is accepted into many colleges from her list. Money seems to further degrade the colleges as Brad’s family donates $350,000 to Harvard University to have him accepted from the waitlist, even though he was accepted into every other college on his list. The story only further highlights the stereotypes of the college application process as well as the Asian stereotype. Of course, it is the Asian senior, Liz, who has no social life and constantly studies to reach the goal of a Harvard acceptance. Don’t worry though; applying to college is really not that scary. Instead, it can be surprisingly rewarding to see that the work leading up to an acceptance was worth it. While in Candyland, the castle is the end of the trail, the good news is that college is only a short ways up on the path of life. Trust me, the result will feel more rewarding than winning Candyland. v

VERDE MAGAZINE

CULTURE

What’s New, Downtown Palo Alto? Verde reviews downtown Palo Alto’s newest shops and restaurants Text & Photography by SILVIA MARABOLI

he rocky economy has taken its toll across the Bay Area, and stores in Palo Alto come and go with the seasons. Verde decided to explore some of downtown’s newest shops that have opened up this spring. Here’s a look at a few of our favorites. Vans: 222 University Ave. Vans is an internationally known company whose roots date back to 1966, when founder Paul Van Doren set out on a mission to create a durable and affordable shoe made with his rubber right out of his own factory. Since then, it has grown into a multi-million dollar skateboard corporation. Despite its worldwide notability, Vans Inc. has opened California’s first and only stand-alone store right in the heart of downtown Palo Alto. Employees welcomed the store to business on Friday, May 7; however, the company is planning an official grand opening on Saturday, June 5 with a live appearance and art with Bay Area artist Mars-1. The location has the same feel as other Vans stores do, despite the fact that it is smaller and sells less of an assortment of Vans gear. “Because we are a standalone, we sell less apparel than other Vans stores,” floor manager Albert Hernandez says. Paly seniors Axel Palmas and Ryan Flanagan are employees at the store. 54

JUNE 2010

“It’s cool to work here because there are only seven other stand-alones in the company,” Palmas says. Stop by Palo Alto’s very own Vans store for your typical skateboard apparel, footwear, and accessories. Monique’s Chocolates: 539 Bryant St. Cupcakes and frozen yogurt need to watch their backs; there’s a new kid in town. Monique’s Chocolates has made a seamless entry into the specialty shop scene that has taken Palo Alto by storm the past few years. Created by chocolate maker Mark West, Monique’s offers creative truffles made to satisfy the sweet tooth of any chocolate fan. The truffles are categorized by cocoa percent, varying from an assortment of milk chocolates that consist of about 34 percent cacao to dark chocolates consisting of up to 100 percent cacao. There are 12 different types of truffles, each with a unique name that tells the origin of the cacao used. “Each country’s cacao has its own different taste and spice,” West says. The shop also offers other chocolate treats such as West’s own rendition of the s’more (French s’more, $3), which consists of a large, fluffy marshmallow swirled together with bits of graham cracker and chocolate — all hand-made, of course. While it is certainly not cheap, the chocolate made at Monique’s is unparalleled to that offered in the rest of Palo Alto. So chocolate lovers, rejoice! And stop by Monique’s Chocolates on your next excur-

sion downtown to treat yourself to a handmade delicacy. Try the Brazil (65 percent cacao, $2) or the French Dark non-dairy made with hazelnut milk (50 percent cacao, $2). Crepevine: 367 University Ave. Not a newcomer to the breakfast scene, Crepevine has been serving customers classic California cuisine for the past 15 years. With eight other locations spanning the state, the chain’s newest location recently opened its doors in March to the Palo Alto crowd. The vast menu evidently centers around crepes, but the restaurant also offers a wide variety of sandwiches, pancakes, and omelettes. Crepevine’s crepe menu boasts both sweet and savory crepes, most of which feature unique combinations that other crepe restaurants do not offer. My favorite is the Santa Fe ($9.50), which consists of grilled chicken apple sausage with scrambled eggs, green onions, provolone and salsa. If your sweet tooth is getting the best of you, try the Stanford ($6.25), which has strawberries, bananas and nutella, and is served with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream on the side. While somewhat on the pricey side, Crepevine is ideal for Sunday brunch close to home. The portions are much more than enough, so share a couple of crepes between a group of friends. v

A Lo

ps Sho

am re

Palo Alto’s town Ice n w o Cr D

m ea

Scre

o f r g Ice n i C m a

CULTURE

Text and photography by MARGARET KADIFA

ith summer on the way, students begin to flock to the nearest ice cream shops, including three in downtown Palo Alto. These shops offer a variety of flavors — from classic chocolate to honey-lavender. The ice cream cones below the titles rate the quality of the ice cream out of a maximum of five cones.

Gelato Classico 435 Emerson Street

Art by AVA DORDI and YELENA KASIANOVA tomers can mix flavors for no additional charge. This allows them to pick complimentary flavors (the dark chocolate and tiramisu go very well together) and have a variety of ice cream. A small ice cream can have a maximum of two different flavors, a medium can have three and a large can have four. Though the ice cream is fantastic, Gelato Classico lacks the exterior design of other ice cream shops. There is limited seating, only two outdoor tables with two chairs each. The interior of the store is small enough that it is sometimes difficult to accommodate large parties. Many customers end up seated along the curb of the nearby parking lot. Gelato Classico’s mixture of both unusual and classic flavors, makes it a great place to get ice cream to go.

Haagen Dazs

Gelato Classico’s ice cream has a signature texture — smooth and creamy — that is unmatched by the rest of University Avenue’s ice cream shops. It offers a wide variety of flavors — from a creamy cookies ice cream to my favorite, carmello chocolate crunch. Carmello chocolate crunch is a rich chocolate gelato swirled with caramel and mixed with crispy chocolate candies. The honey-lavender gelato, though an unusual flavor, is oddly refreshing, while the tiramisu and dark chocolate are both flavorful, yet not overpowering. One of the fun things about Gelato Classico is that cus-

203 University Ave

Sandwiched between Sushi Tomo and Quality Cellular and near the Stanford Theater and Pizza My Heart, Haagen Dazs is easily accessible. Contrary to Gelato Classico, it has an abundance of outdoor seating — perfect for a summer afternoon. In general, this ice cream store lives up to the Haagen Dazs high standard. The cookies and cream is rich with the perfect ratio of cookies VERDE MAGAZINE

CULTURE

TOP Several of Gelato Classico’s ice cream flavors. RIGHT The ground floor of Michael’s Gelato and Cafe BOTTOM Haagen Dazs’ dulce de leche ice cream cupcake

to ice cream However, the chocolate ice cream had a bitter taste. Haagen Dazs offers a typical array of toppings (sprinkles, nuts, gummy bears) and waffle cones and bowls. It has also embraced the recent cupcake fad by selling cupcakes made of ice cream. Flavors include cheesecake, chocolate malt and a mocha torte cupcakes. The dulce de leche ice cream cupcake ($3.50) is fantastic. The cupcake consists of a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream swirled with caramel in a chocolate wrapper topped with whipped cream and nuts. I do not usually enjoy nuts on my ice cream, but in this case, they add a nice, crunchy texture. Haagen Dazs’ ample outdoor seating, along with its rich ice cream, offer enjoyable experience for any ice cream lover.

Michael’s Gelato and Cafe 440 University Ave

Located in the middle of University Avenue, right by Border’s Book Store, Mi56

JUNE 2010

chael’s Gelato is in the perfect location. The shop is the most aesthetically pleasing of any ice cream store in downtown. Large, open windows in the front beckon potential customers inside. There is an upstairs eating area with a balcony that has a stunning view of University Avenue, especially at night. One wall is decorated entirely in a landscape mural compliment- ing its Italian decor. The service is friendly, with the owner thanking me profusely for my business and eagerly offering me samples. The only downside to the ambiance was a guitar player who supplied background music. Though the music was fine, it was too loud, making conversation nearly impossible on the bottom floor. The ice cream in general was satisfactory, with the exception of the chocolateorange which was delicious. It has a rich chocolate flavor with just a hint of orange. The strawberry has a crisp, fresh taste. However, the spumoni and stracciatella both taste like plain vanilla ice cream with some chocolate chips thrown in. Even if the flavors were good, the texture of the ice cream was too crystallized. It lacked the

creamy, smooth texture of Gelato Classico’s ice cream and costs significantly more. Michael’s Gelato offers a wonderful atmosphere to chat over ice cream. However, I enjoyed the ambiance more than the ice cream. v

Prices Gelato Classico: Small: $3.50 Medium: $4.50 Large: $5.50 Haagen Dazs: Kiddie: $3.15 Medium: $3.95 Large: $4.95 Michael’s Gelato and Cafe Small: $4.75 Medium: $5.75 Large: $6.75

Seniors 2010 A look back at the class of 2010. Text by WHITNEY DRAZOVICH, SILVIA MARABOLI and EMILY JAMES Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

e’ve been called spoiled, entitled, immature, sheltered, and ignorant. We’re being hailed as the future of the United States and simultaneously berated as the technology-obsessed death of morality. We can pull fours and fives on our AP Calc exams yet we don’t know how to do a load of laundry. We’re coming out, going out, and speaking out like never before. We’re saying goodbye to mom and dad on edge of one of the most turbulent decades in American history. We’re the largest group of graduating seniors ever. We are the class of 2010. This is not just some self-justifying rant about why we should not be blamed for all of our bad qualities. This is an investigation of the senior class as a collective whole — at Paly, in the U.S., and throughout the world. This is a quest to find out not only who we are but why we are who we are, and where we’re going. To figure that out, we have to go back to the beginning: ’91 and ’92. We were born during the transitional period from Bush to Clinton. Our parents, having begun settling down in the mid to late 80s, flew from various cities to various suburbs and started families. Our moms took us to preschool in power suits, riding the third wave of feminism, hoping to shatter the glass ceiling for us. We drank Juicy Juice and ate organic granola bars, devouring everything “nutritious and delicious.” We played with intelligence-building toys and watched Arthur on PBS. One thing was for sure — we were going to go far. We started kindergarten in 1997, ready to learn our ABCs clad with Lisa Frank folders and colored pencils. Around

the playground, overalls and Ninja Turtles T-shirts became popular trends. Our class continued through elementary school with strength, mastering everything from O’Keefe art projects to the “immigrant experience” of third grade with ease. As most of us were reaching our ninth birthdays, the world shook with the events of September 11, 2001. Inside and outside of the classroom, conversations turned to politics. Many children brought in analysis comparable to those of adults, prompting intense classroom discussions. For many students, 9/11 and the events that followed jump-started a passion for strong political standings that made us bash Bush and sit through the 2004 election. Middle school consisted of a rocky three years like none other. Awkwardness and insecurity defined our lives as we trekked through the troubles of adolescence. Dealing with the everyday struggles of keeping up with the latest Abercrombie & Fitch trends and sneaking around our parents to go to the movies with our crushes was no simple feat. AIM and MySpace marked the beginning of online social networking and changed our lives forever. Late night chatting were all the rage, with LOLs and OMGs coming into full scope. We finally entered Paly in 2006. Freshman year we took in our new surroundings and stalked the ’07 seniors with God-like reverence. We quickly learned that Abercrombie was no longer going to cut it, so we promptly adopted the unofficial Paly uniform: Lucky Brand jeans, North Faces, and Rainbows for girls; all-white Nike Air Force 1s and pants that didn’t sag (as much) for boys. We reluctantly made the switch from

MySpace to Facebook, but quickly learned the fine art of photo stalking and practiced it frequently. Everyone relished our freedom to go off campus for lunch, to pull outrageous pranks, to live like the high school kids we’d seen in movies. As we grew older, we realized the huge impact that events outside of the Paly community have on us. The election of Barack Obama left us speechless, as did the advance of global warming. After nearly clinching Spirit Week, our junior year arrived with full force; in a whirlwind of SATs, APs and college fears. However, in between all the studying and stress, we did manage to find the time to divide ourselves up into tightly knit cliques, complete with names to augment the social dividing lines. The end of the year, albeit tense, saw us eagerly awaiting the chance to be the seniors we had looked up to when we were freshmen: intimidating, crazy, and fun. This was it. We would finally leave our mark on Palo Alto High School. So, did we succeed? That’s for future Paly generations to decide. It’s been a rough and tumultuous year that we’re still struggling to define. It began with the near cancellation of Spirit Week following Egg Wars and progressed into record low attendance at dances and strained relationships throughout our entire grade. Then, a rained out senior cut day, torn down rejection wall, cancelled Last Chance Dance, El Nino weather, and little hopes for the kind of blow-out year we had all hoped for. But does this mean we’ve failed? That we’ve shamed the seniors before us because of our lack of traditions? We don’t think so. We have to keep in mind that being the class of 2010 comes with challenges. v VERDE MAGAZINE

SENIOR SECTION

Senior Survey Answers for each question were compiled using an anonymous online survey.

1. Who are you most excited to see at our ten year high school reunion? • Everyone • Nathenial Munger • Nicolas Dumas, that kid will go places

2. Describe your funniest classroom moment of senior year.

• When Mr. Scott asked “is ecstasy still popular?” • When Wade tried to steal Mazawa’s car • Ms. Austin trying to be deep and then someone blowing their nose really loudly • Post prom gossiping in vdb

3. Describe your biggest regret. • what happened at trina’s • not taking art earlier; this is the 1st year I’m taking art

4. you’ve always had a crush on . . . • wade hauser • evan gitterman • mr. foug

5. most memorable night of senior year • Prom night • I don’t remember all of it • new years

JUNE 2010

6. Favorite and least favorite trends of senior year? • Favorites: spandex, bhangra, student hosted dances, pinkberry • Least: The weather, bad music on the quad,

hool this year?

l at sc 7. What was the biggest scanda

• Egg Wars • The stolen math test,

8. song that sums up the year? • I gotta feelin • pursuit of hapiness, • tik tok

9. Best movie of the year? • the hangover • the hurt locker • avatar

9. last word / final confession? • i will streak • keep it classy paly • I have done three math homeworks this year VERDE MAGAZINE

SENIOR SECTION

Nehika Miglani

ntering Paly campus, you see students dressed in costumes with layers of makeup gleaming across their emotion-filled faces. Haymarket Theater is overflowing with stage props and concentrated actors transforming into another role. Walk five yards forward, the thespians are now forgotten because the musicians take the stage. Choir, band, and orchestra leave their mark around the English building, resonating their music as everyone else attempts to focus on an in-class essay. Leave even that and you’re on the senior deck, where only the select few groups ever sit. What type of individuals do these groups consist of? Typical seniors, of course. Standing on the deck overlooks the quad where splashes of diverse student cliques take shape and happily mingle, taking note of nothing but the things going on in their own world. Walk even further and you’ve reached the wall, commonly known as the hang out for the minority kids. The wall is refreshing. You usually find people kicking back, goofing off, and having a good time. Engrossed in their own animated world, these students clearly know how to enjoy life. Directly across from the wall stands the library and math resource center. While some are out in fresh air, other kids are getting their study on. Both buildings have served as excellent motivation for students to get serious and crack down. It adds a nice contrast to the fun feeling of the quad. If staying in doors is out of the question, “the tables” await everyone else, usually those taking or associated with auto. As long as your skateboard doesn’t get you in trouble or get confiscated, this is the place the to be. Skating away from the theater, we enter the sports premises and home of the athletes – weight room, gyms, and fields. This is a whole other realm. Student athletes enter their zone of pure competition and physical strength. Teammates push one another and work hard to achieve a goal as a team. With this, we are at the other end of Paly, entering the other, back parking lot of Paly, exiting the place I was always so fond of. I am privileged to have attended such a diverse high school, filled with numerous unique, different personalities of people and opportunities offered.

JUNE 2010

Caleb Jones

rom age 4 to grade 8, I attended the same small private school in a notso-distant land called Hillsborough. Then I came to Paly, and met the real world – mostly. A real world, anyway. A point made very abruptly when I walked through a drug deal during my first week in high school, and when my wallet and cell-phone were twice stolen from my deliberately locked PE locker. (Though Oscar Wilde would of course tell me, “To lose one… may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”) But sometimes the real world works that way! Petty theft seems to go hand in hand with all the other wonderful things the universe has to offer. Like the performing arts, English, and social studies departments I’ve still failed to exhaust, and the great variety of clubs I have found myself in at one time or another. And although it sometimes meant tough choices – I’m sorry, Calliope, it was never lack of interest – there is something correct about an environment so saturated with good ideas that you are forced to sacrifice for the great ones. So while that may have led to over-specialization, (“A human being should be able to plan an invasion… butcher a hog… write a sonnet… comfort the dying… solve equations… program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” – Robert A. Heinlein) it was also this need to specialize that forced me to discern my passions from my hobbies and devote myself to them. Far more exciting than self-discovery, though, is meeting the people who make the other choices. As when befriending the other Paly student going to Swarthmore only after we got in, due to the simple fact that she was in the 700 and 1700 buildings while I was in the 200 and 300 buildings. Alternatively, look at the students taking an honest chance on acting or singing professionally. Or the people I can only trust are the incredible athletes they are, because I never made it to enough Paly sports games. Or perhaps you’ve met our resident published author? Or the girl who stopped coming to Foreign Policy because she was too busy saving the world from its mathematical and scientific ignorance? (I count myself in that, by the way. I’m sorry, Mr. Toma, that I did not try harder. I deserved the C.) In short, this is a special place, filled with special people. It’s a bubble maybe, but having grown up in an even smaller one, I promise it’s not as bad as you think. Not if you know where to look. And I have yet to find a better example of a community that at least knows its own ignorance, which, if you’ve taken Mr. Sharp’s humanities class (and oh, how I hope you have) you’ll know is just about all you can ask for. So good on you, Paly. Thanks for four years of life. For better or for worse, you’ve made me.

photos courtesy of anarchosyn

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RYAN’S RULES

The Final Chapter Do you have stuff you hate? So do I. Let’s complain about it! Text by RYAN FLANAGAN Photography by SARAH HENDERSON

hate a lot of things. I know that sounds terrible, but that doesn’t change the facts. I mean, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not some crazy future cat lady mumbling in the corner about how some day, people will pay. Really, I’m not. It’s just that a lot of stuff that other people don’t think twice about really get under my skin. Luckily for me, the powers that be at Verde gifted me with my very own column at the end of every issue, giving me the chance to rant about whatever was bothering me that particular month. I’ve written about boys’ hairstyles, the dos and don’ts of public displays of affection, wedding craziness, the unnecessary labor of college applications, and the superiority of elementary school compared to high school. But this edition, I faced a major dilemma: I could only complain about one more pet peeve before graduating and leaving Verde behind me forever. How could I choose? There were still so many things that frustrate me, and I still have so many random, unimportant opinions left to voice. Then, after countless hours of deep meditation on the subject, I realized what I needed to do. Complain about everything. Not only was there no way I could pick a single topic, but this would give me a chance to whine about things that I wouldn’t be able to discuss otherwise, simply because there is only so much one can write about certain topics. For example: cupcakes. I hate cupcakes. Why is everyone suddenly so in love with cupcakes? A cupcake is nothing but a smaller, less moist, less delicious cake. And slathering a pile of Crisco-textured frosting on top doesn’t make it taste any better. Sure, they look adorable. But I don’t buy a dessert to sit back and admire it. I buy dessert to eat it. Take it from me, cupcakes are nothing but a stupid fad and the world would be far better off without them. Something else that should never have been invented: Twitter. I hate Twitter. So much. First of all, what even is Twitter? A website of Facebook statuses? News flash, people: I don’t care. No one cares. I especially don’t care if the person tweeting is famous. I don’t

feel the need to know if Kim Kardashian is in the mood for Thai food, or that John Mayer is sorry about what he said about Jessica Simpson in Playboy. I don’t know how many times I need to say this: I. DO. NOT. CARE. Please do the world a favor and stop tweeting. Another awful invention: jeggings. Just because your leggings are dyed to look like jeans doesn’t mean you won’t get a camel-toe, nor does it make wearing leggings as pants any better. You aren’t fooling anyone, so stop wearing them. You know what else I hate? Toes. True, toes aren’t an invention, but they are weird, disgusting little body parts that I just don’t like. There isn’t really anything that anyone can do to fix that, but I just thought everyone should know. I wish humans could evolve to the point where toes were unnecessary. Really. On a different note, I would like to give a giant wag of my finger to all the boys who complain about having to read Jane Austen. I can deal with it if Austen isn’t your favorite, but she deserves your respect. If you think that Pride and Prejudice is just about stupid girls falling in love and getting married, then you don’t understand Austen. Her books were social commentary on the gender roles of her time, and if Austen’s satire is too subtle for you, then maybe you aren’t mature enough to read her books. Seriously. If you mess with Austen, you’re messing with me. At this point, some of you readers out there are probably thinking, hmm, Ryan wasn’t kidding, this column really is just her ranting about various unrelated topics. Well, you’re right. But even if this puppy is something of a hot mess, I couldn’t care less. Why? Look in the upper right hand corner of the page. These are my rules. And I think that Palo Alto High School should remember me for who I am: a little neurotic and very opinionated with just a dash of crazy on the side. So if I show up at our 20-year reunion pushing my cats around in a baby stroller, throwing cupcakes and quoting Jane Austen, all my teachers and classmates can look back at this column and realize that I didn’t lose my mind somewhere along the way: I was always insane. See you on the flip side, Paly! v VERDE MAGAZINE

Good luck seniors! Thank you for all your hard work this year!

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