Issue 3, 10/18/19 by The Campanile

Friday October 18th, 2019

The Campanile

Vol. CI, No. 1

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Palo Alto woman comes forward with Weinstein allegations Local mother Rowena Chiu alleges that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel 21 years ago By Kris Risano & Jace Purcell Staff Writers

Palo Alto resident and former assistant of Harvey Weinstein Rowena Chiu has accused him of attempted rape that allegedly occurred 21 years ago. Chiu wrote about her experiences in an op-ed published by the New York Times on Oct. 5 and said the alleged assault took place at a hotel where both she and Weinstein were staying. She is also featured in the book “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

“Multiple senior individuals acted to shut us down. Some outright laughed in our faces." Rowena Chiu

Weinstein, a former film producer, has been accused by over 80 women of sexual abuse. Chiu wrote in The New York Times that her nightmare started when she was asked to see Weinstein in his hotel room late one night to go over scripts they were working on for Miramax Films, a

company once owned by Weinstein and his brother Bob. Chiu was 24, and this was one of her first jobs in the film industry, a longtime dream of hers. After the incident, Chiu said she reported it to Weinstein’s superiors looking for support. To her surprise, they discouraged further action and pressured her to sign a non-disclosure agreement. “Originally we were adamant about not signing the NDA, and that we would expose Harvey to his seniors at Disney or that we would involve law enforcement,” Chiu said in an interview with The Campanile. “But it was clear no one would believe us. Most people that we spoke too said no one would believe us; in fact some of them even laughed at us.” According to Chiu, at this point the only option was to erase the incident from her memory. “We were told to treat that period of our lives as a black hole and never speak of it again,” Chiu said. Chiu said she was terrified for decades about coming out with her story. In an interview on The Today Show, she said the three main reasons she waited so long to tell her story were her children, the legal repercussions that could come as a result of a non-disclosure agreement she signed with Weinstein’s attorneys, and the personal ramifications. “It is not a story that is easy to tell,” Chiu told The Campanile. “Most times in the last couple of

years, I’ve been adamant about not coming forward because my kids are still very young. I really think that the personal cost is too high. In many sexual assault cases, the victim has already paid a huge price, and then, if you go on to sign an egregious non-disclosure agreement as we did, there is the sense of a double violation.”

“The message was always the same: Who would ever believe us over the most powerful man in Hollywood?" Rowena Chiu

Chiu said these fears were realized when a journalist showed up in her driveway and approached her spouse. “When your husband is cleaning out the car and a journalist from New York Times appears on your driveway, it is reasonable to fear the invasion of privacy that will come,” Chiu said. In 2018, as Chiu started hearing reports about other victims of sexual misconduct such as Palo Alto resident Christine Blasey Ford, she said she found comfort in talking with other survivors before she was ready to tell her story. She even met Blasey Ford at a Los Angeles event for women who

Rowena Chiu I A3

KAITLYN LEE/THE CAMPANILE

College fair attracts students and parents Advisory committee to Representatives from universities all over the world inform people about their school draft new curriculum By Kai Vetteth

TIEN NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE

PAUSD held a college fair on Tuesday night, Oct. 15th, offering a platform for students to communicate with college representatives. A student is stopping by one of the many college representative tables. Over 50 universities attended to inform Palo Alto students about their

By Tien Nguyen & Paige Knoblock

Art & Photo Director & Multimedia Editor

aly held the annual College Fair in the Peery Center on Oct. 14, which showcased an array of colleges from all over the world.

“We’re just here to share our experiences with perspective students so I think that’s a key thing that pulls students to a school, that personal connection.” Caroline Wheeler

One of the booths at the fair was Carleton College, where two alumna came to speak about their

INSIDE the edition

News. . . . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . . . . . B1-B4 Sports. . . . . . . . C1-C3, C6 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5 Science & Tech. . . C7-C8

personal experiences at the school in hopes of helping students get a more personal sense of what the school has to offer. Caroline Wheeler graduated from Carlton in 2018 and was interested in coming to meet prospective students at Paly. “For us in particular, we don’t work for the school, we’re alumni,” Wheeler said. “We’re just volunteering, (and) we’re just here to share our experiences with perspective students, so I think that’s a key thing that pulls students to a school: that personal connection.” The fair showcased a multitude of pathways, including recruiters from the Armed Forces and The U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard attended the fair to show students different pathways after college and the different ways students can pay for college through the Minuteman scholarship and the ROTC program. Richard Chapman, commander of South Bay recruiting, was one representative hoping to inform juniors and the seniors on

alternative career paths and ways to pay for college. “I’m not actually the recruiter (for Paly), but I have a good visibility of the entire country when it comes to this,”Chapman said. “I’m in the San Francisco Bay, (and)we have seen a 10% increase in people interested. And in fact, we actually have to turn away nearly 70% of people because they don’t qualify.”

“In fact, we actually have to turn away nearly 70% of people because they don't qualify.” Richard Chapman

Both Peery Center gyms were filled with students from Paly and Gunn. Paly junior Dani Colman said she went to the fair to find out more about colleges and universities. “It’s really finding out

Opinion

Affirmative action should be based on socioeconomic status. PAGE A6

College Fair

PIXABAY

Minecraft

How Minecraft shaped an entire generation, then disappeared. PAGE B4

newly formed Advisory Steering Committee, consisting of both teachers and students, will investigate blending the successful aspects of current advisory curriculum, such as close teacher-student relationships, with new ideas like socialemotional learning. Assistant Principal and ASC Co-Chair Clarisse Haxton said the committee hopes to expand the advisory curriculum based on student and teacher feedback. The committee intends to make recommendations to Paly administrators by the end of the 2019-20 school year. “We started this work together last year by doing a survey of all students about advisory,” Haxton said. “I did student focus groups with students about their advisory experience.” According to Haxton, the ASC will also examine student and staff feedback from previous years of advisory.

“They think you’ll steal from them. Don't give them your money. Instead, spend it in places where your business is appreciated.” Kristine De Lorimier Dworkin

“This year, the steering committee is a more formal look at data and history, and student voice and staff voice,” Haxton said. “Once we build all that foundational knowledge, then we'll use all of that to make recommendations about changes to advisory moving forward.” Haxton said the ASC also plans to incorporate the opinions of teachers who are currently serving as teacher advisors. “This work is really just start-

Sports

Lifestyle

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Affirmative Action

more but also just like learning about because there’s a lot of these schools here, most of the schools here, I didn’t even know existed,” Coleman said. “So I’d say that pretty much just finding out more.” The fair attracted many colleges and universities, both nationally and internationally, with schools from Canada, England and Japan. Representatives from Waseda University in Tokyo hope to get more students from the U.S., as their university is quickly growing in popularity among those in Japan and internationally. Dr. Yoichi Aizawa, who came to represent Waseda University in Japan, said that the school is interested in having more students internationally. “We’d like to welcome more international students to Waseda University… we have an Englishbased program we started 10 years ago,” Aizawa said. Some students deem it nec-

Online Editor

PHOTO BY CHOOYUTSHING/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Cupping

The ancient Chinese practice that athletes use to recover faster. PAGE C6

ing, and then we have scheduled to share it with the teacher advisors as a whole at different points along the way, basically, to keep them updated with the work,” Haxton said. “Then, we'll build them how to get their feedback as we move more towards the recommendation status.” According to Haxton, the committee plans to work with related groups, such as Sources of Strength and the Paly Wellness Committee, to better address issues of mental health and socialemotional learning within advisory curriculum.

“We have an Ace Hardware that handles it a little differently. They actually cater to the kids needs with a lunch counter and carry stuff that kids want.” Jeff Phillips

“Given that (social-emotional learning) is a priority for our schools, (we’re thinking about) how we (can) best incorporate it to advisory,” Haxton said. Senior Leo Marburg said that while some parts of the advisory curriculum, such as the lessons for seniors regarding college applications, are helpful, there is lots of room for improvement. “I'm generally happy with the advisory curriculum,” Marburg said. “I think it would be improved by having more activities that engaged with students, as right now, advisory only consists of presentations and I see many students zone out or play video games.” Marburg said he would support efforts to further integrate social-emotional learning into the curriculum. “In previous years I know people have made fun of content

Advisory Committee

Science & Tech

SOUHA NAHRI/CC-BY-NC 4.0

Corporal Punishment

How physical discipline affects children psychologically. PAGE C7

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

NEWS

Impeachment inquiry continues Board, city agree about Cubberley

Politicians disagree over impeachment investigations into Trump Potential Cubberley high school area and Stanford housing discussed By Olivia Ericcson Staff Writer

t is difficult to know now, Paly teachers and students say, how the historically momentous impeachment inquiry unfolding in Washington might affect local communities. Two Paly social studies teachers, Jack Bungarden and Grant Blackburn, said the impeachment inquiry’s impact on the next presidential election and ultimately on Palo Altans will only be known as more details emerge during the proceedings. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi initiated an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump last month after the emergence of whistleblower allegations that Trump tried to solicit foreign aid to advance his re-election bid, sparking conversation and controversy throughout the U.S. and the Palo Alto community. In response to the situation, Bungarden said he doesn’t know how the 2020 presidential election might be affected by this attempt to oust Trump since the process of impeachment has just begun.

“I don’t think Senate Republicans have the political courage to convict Trump.” Rohin Ghosh

Bungarden said that divisions between the two parties may prevent conviction of the president. “Current pundit consensus is that the House will impeach and the Senate will not convict,” Bungarden said. The House is controlled by Democrats, and the Senate is controlled by Republicans. “The Democrats are saying what is already public knowledge is sufficient,” Bungarden said. “The Republicans range from, ‘he did nothing wrong’ to ‘what he did was wrong, but not impeachable.’ Whether that shifts depends on what else is discovered during the inquiry.”

Bungarden also said if more information is released, changes in the transcript of the phone call may result in a different outcome.

“If we all end up with is what we have now, then it would seem likely that the slight but discernible erosion of support for Trump would stop.” Jack Bungarden

The phone call at issue is a call between Trump and government officials from Ukraine, during which Trump requested an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden, the current democratic frontrunner and Trump’s potential democratic rival in the 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to releasing formerly confidential information regarding the phone call, the whistleblower has accused the White House of covering up parts of the phone call. “If all we end up with is what we have now, then it would seem likely that that the slight but discernible erosion of support for Trump would stop,” Bungarden said. Junior Rohin Ghosh, who is on the Board of High School Democrats of California, said he believes the impeachment hearings will force Trump and many of his supporters to begin realizing that he is not the right fit for the office of the presidency. “I feel like the inquiry process will uncover many details about the president’s criminal actions, which will hopefully give voters a clear view that he is unfit for office,” Ghosh said. In addition, Ghosh said even though the impeachment hearings have been a hot topic of discussion, it is difficult to see the immediate impact, if any, that the hearings could have in Palo Alto and its surrounding cities.

“I don’t think this has too direct an impact on the Palo Alto community except that our congresswoman is on the intelligence committee, so she will be in the news more,” Ghosh said, in reference to Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat who represents the Midpeninsula in Washington. Regardless, Ghosh said he doesn’t think Trump will be removed from office. “I don’t think Senate Republicans have the political courage to convict Trump,” Ghosh said. Blackburn said that with regard to the upcoming election, is it hard to say how impeachment hearings will affect it. “The problem with the last election was that a lot of things that we thought were going to happen were based on models that we used in the past, based on how we would interpret exit poll data, how we would interpret all the polling data going into the election,” Blackburn said. “There was the prediction that Hillary Clinton was going to win by a lot, however that did not happen.” Blackburn said that during the 2016 election, a major effect that changed the surprising outcome was a shift in the demographics, specifically a huge regional divide that exists to this day.

“There was the prediction that Hillary Clinton was going to win by a lot, however that did not happen.” Grant Blackburn

Additionally, it is now believed that there is a possibility that Russia had an effect on it as well. “Going forward to 2020, it’s really anybody’s guess. It is hard to say whether the impeachment inquiry will have an effect,” Blackburn said. “If you are already democrat, if you are already liberal, if you don’t like Trump, this situation will not change your mind.”

BRUNO KLASS/THE CAMPANILE

Hard at work! Diligent board members at the meeting on Sept. 27, where the Board came to a major agreement in renewing the parcel tax to continue paying for non-core classes. According to board member Melissa Baten-Caswell, the tax helps pay for the district’s small class sizes.

By Maya Rathore Lifestyle Editor

ith the school year now in full force, the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education has been working on discussing and resolving issues that could potentially impact the district’s quality of education in the future. The last board meeting was Sept. 27, 2019. Stanford recently sent a letter to PAUSD affirming that if Stanford develops housing that brings more children into the school district, they will honor the original terms of the April. 15 agreement. That agreement between Stanford and PAUSD said Stanford would help PAUSD adjust to the influx of students from Stanford housing. However, this recent acknowledgment is a tentative agreement, and neither party signed any legal documents. “They said that no matter how their negotiations go with the

county, they’re committed [to the district],” school board member Melissa Baten-Caswell said.

“Assuming our community hasn’t changed their opinion about the value of smaller class sizes and enrichment classes, I would hope that they would support it an additional six years.” Melissa Baten-Caswell The city of Palo Alto and PAUSD reached an agreement to extend the lease on the development of Cubberley Community Center, Baten-Caswell said. Since the Cubberley site has existed, the

Climate change affects communities disproportionately

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nonprofit organization presents about possible issues for local communities OCT.

OCT.

ADORA ZHENG/THE CAMPANILE

Climate Resilient Communities Program Manager Violet Seana from Acterra told students about the consequences of climate change. Seana warned that East Palo Alto residents must make changes, as with temperatures rising, East Palo Alto could be sucseptible to catastrophic weather. The revelation that such a close town could be at risk was surprising to Social Justice students, but the students now see the effects of climate change.

By Adora Zheng & Andrew Toteda

Lifestyle Editor & Staff Writer

limate change disproportionately impacts communities of color and lowincome communities like East Palo Alto, according to Violet Seana, the Climate Resilient Communities Program Manager at Acterra, who recently spoke to Social Justice Pathways Cohort 6. Acterra, a local nonprofit whose mission is to create solutions for a healthy planet, is working to inform students of the aspects of climate change that could affect nearby communities. Seana discussed the impact of climate change on communities and how it could affect areas like East Palo Alto. Students learned why the area is vulnerable to flooding and were shown a computergenerated map of the different areas near Palo Alto that could submerge in water in the event of a flood. “It was surprising to me that

(residents of East Palo Alto) are directly in danger,” Social Justice Pathway teacher Lizzie DeKraai said. “But because (climate change is) not affecting them right now, they don’t know that they need to make changes, and they don’t have access to being able to make those changes.”

“Because climate change is not affecting them right now, they don’t know that they need to make changes, and they don’t have access to being able to make those changes.” Lizzie DeKraai

Seana’s role at Acterra is to remedy this lack of access and to make communities like East Palo Alto aware of the resources that they

have available to them to combat climate change, including events sponsored by Acterra that help residents learn how to protect their homes against flooding.

“It was suprising to me that (residents of East Palo Alto) are directly in danger.” Lizzie DeKraai

She helps members of lowincome communities to find viable solutions and has been giving talks like these to spread awareness about climate change. “Climate change directly affects a town that’s right across from us,” said sophomore Phoebe Kim, a student who attended Seana’s talk. “That was something I didn’t realize because I thought it only affected the least developed countries that are far away from where we live.” Seana, who was born and

raised in Samboa, Panama, felt effects of climate change firsthand. She spoke about her experience through ten severe tropical cyclones in her hometown, as well as the increased hurricane danger along the eastern seaboard of America. Students learned of the detrimental effects climate change has on global communities, including the increase in severity of storms and subsequent outbreaks of disease and destruction of homes.

“Before, I wasn’t educated in the effects of climate change and the direct impact it has had on people.”

PALY CHOIR FALL CONCERT What better way to avoid doing homework on a Sunday evening?

FLOAT BUILDING STARTS Its always rigged, but who knows? Water balloons exist.

DIWALI A well-timed religious holiday to get you out of your inevitable Spirit Week tests.

OCT.

BEGINNING OF SPIRIT WEEK Tally how many Freshmen choose not to dress up in order to feel cool.

NOV.

EARLY APPLICATIONS DUE

NOV.

You have to grind through Spirit Week but at least you get your rejection letter faster.

HOMECOMING Ends at 10 p.m. to promote a healthy school-sleep-life balance.

NOV.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS Your teachers will all assign you an extra hour of homework to make up for it.

NOV.

PTSA GENERAL MEETING Like the PSAT; same letters and nothing important happens.

Phoebe Kim

“Before, I wasn’t educated in the effects of climate change and the direct impact it has had on people,” Kim said. “After this talk, I realized how many lives it really affects.”

City operated Cubberley through a lease agreement with the district. This lease will extend another five years. In 2021, the current parcel tax – a tax that property owners in Palo Alto pay – sets to expire. Because of this, the Board decided to renew it in the Spring of 2020. Money from the parcel tax accounts for about 6% of PAUSD’s budget, Baten-Caswell said, and funds non-core classes such as arts, music and journalism. “Assuming our community hasn’t changed their opinion about the value of smaller class sizes and enrichment classes, I would hope that they would support it an additional six years,” Baten-Caswell said. “Our class size average is around 27. That’s very unusual in public schools in California. It’s paid for by our community – (they) are willing to tax themselves so we have smaller class sizes and more enrichment classes.”

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

NEWS

ASB prepares a variety of events for annual Spirit Week

Student governing body anticipates rowdy lunch rallies, creates new games and continues old traditions By Jace Purcell

Staff Writer

ith this year’s Spirit Week starting Oct. 28, the Associated Student Body is busy planning a multitude of events for the occasion that will serve to de-stress students and further connect the Paly community. According to ASB President Pooja Akella, Spirit Week is a time to connect with your class and have fun. “Each day features intense lunch rallies complete with class cheers, big games and a bestdressed competition,” Akella said. “Throughout the week, classes work on their floats in the auto shop to present along with their class dance on the Friday afternoon rally.” According to junior Social Commissioner Marina Buendia, ASB is excited to reveal what they have been working on and are ready to get Spirit Week rolling for this year.

“We have had issues with class rivalry in the past, and we want to make sure we address it before the week starts so everyone is aware of the consequences for their grade.” Pooja Akella “I am super excited for some of the new games that will be presented during Spirit Week,” Akella said. “Our spirit commissioners have been working really hard to find creative, inclusive games, so I can’t wait for the school to see them come to life.”

FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE

’Sko Vikes! Senior Class Vice President Teddy Butler and Senior Site Council Representative Mahogany Grissom organize Spirit Swap to prepare for Spirit Week which will take place during the week of Oct. 28. ASB hosted this activity during lunchtime from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17 for students in need of costumes corresponding to their respective class themes. One piece of old clothing is equivalent to one piece of new clothing One of these spirit commissioners, junior Emma Lin, says that her job is to oversee and plan all aspects of Spirit Week, such as rallies, rules and games. “It has been time-consuming but I think we’ve come up with something were proud of,” Lin said. The majority of points are obtained during lunch rallies, where the opposing classes cheer for their respective teammates and compete against each other in games such as tug of war, relay race, guess the song and more. “Usually the rallies we do are a lot of fun there are loud cheers, fun games and we get to see everyone who dressed up that day,” Lin said.

According to Buendia, a big part of Spirit Week is dressing up according to certain themes for each class each day. “It is a tradition at Paly we have had for a long time,” Buendia said. “A week full of dressing up for different class themes and collecting points that rack up eventually deeming a class the winner of Spirit Week.” In preparation, ASB has been working on the logistical aspects of Spirit Week. “With Spirit Week and homecoming just around the corner, we’ve been busy designing and voting on games as well as discussing the dance theme,” Akella said. However, Akella expressed

concern over issues regarding sportsmanship during the rallies and hopes that students remain respectful of competing classes. “One of the biggest challenges for Spirit Week this year is definitely going to be sportsmanship,” Akella said. “We have had issues with class rivalry in the past, and we want to make sure we address it before the week starts so everyone is aware of the consequences for their grade. We will be discussing the point breakdowns in ASB, and I know that will be a major part of the discussion.” Last year there were issues with water balloon throwing and spray painting over the 2019 painting in front of the senior deck. “Last year got a little out of

New CVS policy limits Paly student presence Amid fears of students stealing and destroying property, CVS restricts attendance

hand, and we just want to make sure that people remember that even though spirit week is a competition, it is also about bringing Paly together,” Buendia said. Because Spirit Week has been successful in the past, it is difficult to make changes as Lin sees fit. For instance, Lin wants to change the advisory rally and implement a fundraising event but she cannot due to the strict regulations made by administration. “There are so many restrictions on what you can do so it’s hard to make changes,” Lin said. “But a lot of the games will change and include many students so that more people can participate.” The night rally, a Wednesday night event similar to lunch ral-

Rowena Chiu

Continued from A1 have experienced sexual abuse. Chiu wrote in her Times story, “Meeting others who had similar experiences created a seismic shift within me.” Chiu said she has spoken with many other survivors and said every experience is unique and the aftermath affects people in their own way. “Everyone’s experience of sexual assault is very personal and very different,” Chiu told The Campanile. “There’s a great variety of experiences. People might think they would run screaming from the room, but in reality, when they actually experience sexual assault find that their reaction is quite different from what many think, and freeze up.” Although Chiu said she is affected by other sexual assault stories, she said the link between survivors is not as clear as one might think. Since she came forward with

Advisory Comittee Continued from A1

EMILY ASHER/THE CAMPANILE

One less hot lunchtime location for both Paly students and Palo Alto residents... CVS Pharmacy implemented a new policy that only permits five people at a time to enter the store during Paly’s lunch break from 11:35 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Palo Alto resident Kristine Dworkin is working on combatting this new rule, mainly through Facebook.

By Emily Asher

Managing Editor

tarting this school year, CVS Pharmacy at Town and Country is implementing a new lunch policy, which limits the number of students and community members allowed in the store to five at a time. According to CVS, this rule is an effort to reduce the number of thefts and vandalism by students during lunch.

“Kids, you are out here because these folks have decided you have criminal tendencies. They think you will steal from them. Don’t give them your money.” Kristine Dworkin “The reason is because when there are too many students, there is no control,” employee Ellen, who declined to give her last name, said. “The students come in here and destroy the store. We used to make the students

put their backpacks in the front, but we stopped that because we don’t want to be responsible for their bags if anything happens to them.”

“When there are too many students, there is no control. The students come in here and destroy the store.” Ellen However, many are not impressed with this new system, including Palo Alto community member Kristine De Lorimier Dworkin, who expressed her concern to students waiting in line at lunch to enter the CVS due to the new policy. “I turned to the approximately 20 high school kids outside the CVS door and said, ‘Kids, you are out here because these folks have decided you have criminal tendencies,’” Dworkin said. “‘They think you will steal from them. Don’t give them your money. Instead spend it in places where your business is appreciated.’ All of them decided I had a point and they left.”

Dworkin said the new policy is inconsiderate given the amount of time Paly students have for lunch. “Given how many kids were there and how little time there is for lunch break, it was going to take forever for everyone to get into CVS,” Dworkin said. “I understand that the shopping center is busy at lunch time, and it isn’t possible to watch everyone, but to treat everyone as they’re criminals is wrong.” Dworkin even went to Facebook to share her experience, where she got overwhelming support from the community. Other residents also shared their displeasure with the new CVS policy as well. “We have an Ace Hardware here that handles it a little dif-

ferently,” Palo Alto residents Jeff Phillips said on the message board. “They actually cater to the kids needs with a lunch counter and carry stuff that kids want. However, they do make the kids check their backpacks at the door.” Dworkin said it’s important for customers to know a business before spending money there. “I want the kids at Paly to know that as a consumer, you should spend your money where your business it appreciated,” Dworkin said. “Respect is a twoway street. If you’re being respectful, you should expect that in return. I don’t think CVS appreciates the high school business they get. If so, they wouldn’t treat all students like thieves.”

like the handshake workshop, myself included, but it is very true that having a solid handshake can make a big difference when someone is creating a first impression,” Marburg said. “Maybe people should’ve been a little less cynical.” According to teacher Josh Bloom, another ASC co-chair, advisory was originally designed to facilitate close relationships between teachers and students. “One of the original goals of the advisory program when it

College Fair

Continued from A1 essary to attend events like the college because of the mounting pressure they feel to get ahead of the college process ahead of them and learn more about the options and what they want for themselves. Several students feel that the college fair provides a means, that

lies, is an event that ASB has been pushing to reintroduce. “One of the biggest things we’ve been trying to do is get back the night rally,” Lin said. “But that is not possible because the student behavior that was outside school hours was kind of a disaster, so admin is not willing to let us.” According to Lin, there were problems with alcohol and marijuana, as well as roughhousing among the students and staff. While issues from past Spirit Weeks may hinder the outcome of this year’s, Lin hopes that ASB’s intricate planning will make Spirit Week highlight of this year. Lin said, “We just want to make sure this week can be fun and inclusive for everyone.” her allegations, Weinstein and his attorneys have said he and Chiu had a long-term relationship. “Harvey denied my account and threatened to sue me, claiming we had a consensual sixmonth physical relationship,” Chiu said. “It isn’t true. But muddying the waters is a common tactic of abusers.” Regardless of the reaction to her Times piece, Chiu said since sharing her experience, she feels relieved and empowered. Chiu wrote in the op-ed, “I can briefly glory in the relief that I am no longer sitting on a sickening secret that has finally and ultimately come to light.” And since bringing her story to light, Chiu told The Campanile she is happy seeing the impact her story has had on others. “I love hearing stories of young women saying they found meaning in the story,” Chiu said. “I love hearing that they found it encouraging, empowering or at the very least that they felt connected to the story in some way.” was first formed back in the early 90s was to basically forge a more familiar connection between students and a trusted adult on campus,” Bloom said. Bloom said the committee hopes the changes it recommends will encourage this sort of bond. “One of the things I think is probably no mystery is that sense of connectedness and familiarity, is something that, you know, we could probably do better at as a program,” Bloom said. “So one of the things that we’re trying to look at is, you know, how can we improve opportunities to do that?” often is not available at schools, to become more informed of possible post high school plans and less known colleges. “I just feel like especially where we live, there is a lot of pressure to start applying and start thinking about college early,” Colman said. “A lot of my friends, I know, are doing their ACT and SATs really early and try to figure out where they want to go to school.

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

NEWS

College & Career Center runs Theater screens documentary essay workshops, hosts visits DJ Savarese showcases his new activist film in Haymarket By Sophia Moore & Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe

News & Opinion Editor & Business Manager

uman rights advocate and non-speaking autistic DJ Savarese, the director, co-producer and inspiration for the PBS documentary “Deej,” visited Paly’s Haymarket Theater on Oct. 10 for a screening of the film.

MAYA RATHORE/THE CAMPANILE

Senior Isabella Moussavi views the event schedule listed on the board in front of the College & Career Center. The CCC has been hosting various college information sessions and application workshops at its new, more expansive location in the library. "More people are coming to the CCC because of its new and central location," college counselor Sandra Cernobori said.

By Maya Rathore

Lifestyle Editor

ow that the College & Career Center has moved to a new facility and is located centrally on campus in the library, more seniors than ever are dropping in for help with their college applications, or to attend college representative visits and application workshops, according to Paly college counselor Sandra Cernobori. Despite the unveiling of this new dedicated space and the upsurge of use, Paly administration terminated the third college counselor position — leaving only two college counselors to ensure the futures of the steadily increasing size of incoming classes. According to the California Department of Education, the 2019-20 class has 589 students, compared to the 2018-19 and 2017-18 class sizes of 542 and 551, respectively. In August 2019, a third college counselor position, held by Andrea Bueno, was eliminated due to a lack of funds. According to Cernobori, the loss of one college counselor makes her job a lot harder compared to last year. “Miss Bueno was here last year, and although she was gone for a few months for maternity leave, in the time she was here, she saw a huge number of students,” Cernobori said. “That made a big impact. So it was a real asset to have a third college advisor even if she wasn't here for the whole year. To lose that funding and her position this year, I'm feeling it.” The CCC, Chernebori said, had requested for a third college counselor in the past, which then Principal Kim Diorio allocated funds for. However, now two college counselors serve a graduating class of over 500 students, plus second semester juniors. Bueno now works at Gunn

High School as a general counselor as opposed to a college counselor. “She was awesome,” Cernebori said. “I got compliments from students (and) parents, and, because of our old setup, I could hear everything she was saying. She was amazing. Quite frankly, we would have loved her to stay."

“It was sometimes a little awkward, because you've got a college and students meeting and me just a few feet away and (college counselors) meeting with another student at the same time.” Sandra Cernobori

Cernobori said the need for another college counselor, especially with future class sizes growing, is evident. More people are coming to the CCC because of its new and central location, in contrast to the previous CCC location — tucked away in the Tower Building on the outskirts of the campus. “We’re in a new space,” Cernobori said. “I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but we’re able to accommodate more students in the college representative visits, and it’s in a space that’s separate from where I’m meeting with students. That’s a pretty big change. It was sometimes a little awkward, because you’ve got a college and students meeting and me just a few feet away and (college counselors) meeting with another student at the same time. It was a little distracting for both parties.” According to senior Isabella

Moussavi, the new space for the CCC has created a bigger demand for its services. Like the previous years, and despite the larger space, she said she sees students still vying for spots to fit into the room. “I’ve gone to New York University, University of Southern California and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,” Moussavi said. “NYU and USC were really busy — the entire room was completely packed, and with NYU, people were really anxious to be one of the first people in the room.” Cernobori also said that in response to these growing class sizes and less time for face-to-face counseling sessions, they’ve been holding more workshops to get information to more students. “The first workshop I held (this year) was about non-Common App schools,” Cernobori said. “Before, we would get like six people. Now, it’s over 30.” Despite the looming difficulty of the college counseling process as class sizes increase, the two remaining college counselors have done an amazing job in keeping personal touch with seniors throughout the college admissions process, according to senior Ella Ball. Ball is one of the many students going through the college admissions process and who stop by the CCC frequently to see their college counselor for questions and advice. Despite the upsurge in student demand to visit their college counselors and the elimination of a third counselor, Ball said that recently she has had no trouble setting up an appointment with her counselor. “My college counselor has been super accessible and helpful,” Ball said. “Even if I can’t see her when I just drop in, I’ve never had a problem getting an appointment with her.”

“I embody the intersection of these worlds seeming to cross back and forth across certain externally imposed borders that few have had the opportunity to diverge.” DJ Savarese

Deej follows the journey of Savarese as an upperclassman at Grinnell High School in Iowa to his time as a student at Oberlin College. Throughout the film, he utilizes text-to-talk devices to communicate with other people and narrate his story. “As an alternatively communicating autistic, who has been educated in mainstream classrooms for 18 years after a disparaging time in a segregated preschool setting, and as a student of cultural and linguistic anthropology and creative writing, I embody the intersections of these worlds seeming to cross back and forth across certain externally imposed borders few have had the opportunity to diverge,” Savarese said in a Q&A session following the film screening. “In this sense, I am incredibly privileged and self identify on my personal website as a poet, an activist, an optimist and a scholar.”

“I am incredibly privileged and self identify on my personal website as a poet, an activist, an optimist and a scholar.” DJ Savarese

Although he said he struggled through his formative years on the road to inclusion in the public school system, Savarese is now a college graduate with degrees in anthropology and creative writing and is an outspoken leader in the neurodiversity movement, in which advocates promote the idea that there is non-pathological

variation in the human brain and its mental functions. Throughout his time in the U.S. education system, Savarese said he studied with 52 teachers, 22 professors, 18 school support assistants, 15 after-school assistants, five speech therapists, core occupational therapists and six principals in two different school districts. As a result of his positive experience in these educational environments, Savarese said he works to make literacy-based education, communication and self-determined inclusive lives a reality for all people. “Since then, my identity as an autist has always been linked to my advocacy and activism.” Savarese said. “Inclusion should not be a lottery.” While the film touches on a personal topic, Savarese said his choice to participate in the film was an opportunity to share his voice and to educate a widespread audience. “Video offers a chance to show people their misperceptions,” Savarese said. “We alternatively communicating autistics are defined by misassumptions. Film allowed me to juxtapose those outsider assumptions with the truth that insiders experience. Video brings all communities together, allowing them to see collectively what they don’t know and engages people, brings them together and offers opportunities for me to engage the community more.”

“My identity as an autist has always been linked to my advocacy and activism. Inclusion should not be a lottery.” DJ Savarese

Melissa Baten-Caswell, a member of the Palo Alto Board of Education who was present at the screening, said she thinks “Deej” serves as a wake-up call for the Palo Alto Unified School District — an all-inclusive education system is what PAUSD should strive for, she said. “I think this film screening was particularly important for parents who want their child fully included, but are not sure in their hearts if full inclusion will really work,” Caswell said. “It also is important for students, teachers, staff and administrators who need an inspirational vision of what is possible. It shows the possibilities but also the hard work that is required at every level for everyone involved, including the parents.” For audience member Angie Foster, a parent of a fifth grader at Barron Park Elementary who uses an alternative communication device, Deej brought hope.

“I watched it carefully, with a lot of joy in my tears,” Foster said. “That a kind person who’s nonspeaking can communicate and graduate from college sounds very, very touched and inspired.”

“I watched it carefully, with a lot of joy in my tears. That a kind person who's non-speaking can communicate and graduate from college sounds very, very touched and inspired.” Angela Foster

While Savarese’s success serves as an inspiration to many, it did not come without persistence and diligence. Currently, Savarese, who identifies himself as a human rights advocate, was a fellow with Open Society Foundations, a keynote speaker of the United Nations during the World of Business Awareness Day events and has published a wide array of poems, prose and literary journals. “I live in exactly this sort of interstitial zone,” Savarese said. “Call it a neurological No Man’s Land: I’m neither fully autistic anymore, not even remotely neurotypical — I’m a neurocosmopolitan. I’ve travelled east from the Tokyo of unlabeled sensory impressions to the New York of categorical distinctions.” While Savarese is a committed leader for the neuro-diversity movement, he asserts that “neurotypicals” — who are described as “not displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior” — also have work to do.

“I'm a neurocosmopolitan. I've traveled East from the Tokyo of unlabelled sensory impressions to the New York of categorical distinctions.” DJ Savarese

“Disabled isn't our notion of ourselves,” Savarese said. “It’s neurotypicals’ ideas of what makes someone human…The work I have to do is the work I'm currently engaged in: teaching, organizing, connecting and using artful advocacy to tries to disrupt people’s misperceptions and allow them to grow and learn. ‘What do neurotypicals have to do?’ is something I’d love (them) to answer.”

Performing Arts Center black box theater hosts first play

Musical comedy "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" uses new space to create intimate viewing experience By Emma Todd

Staff Writer

n the first use of the black box theatre in the Performing Arts Center classroom, the Paly theater program put on a production of the musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The show, about kids competing in a spelling bee run by three unpredictable adults, ran in late September and even involved audience participation. The cast invited four audience members onstage to compete with six different characters.

“I wanted to direct this play because it is a really fun and funny musical with great songs, but it also has a great book with truly touching story for the characters.” Alyssa Bond

The cast included only nine actors, with some playing multiple roles. The understudy for the character Logainne Shwartzandgrubenniere, junior

Zoe McCrea, said she loves theatre and participates in all of Paly’s productions since the beginning of her time at Paly.

“(The new theater) made it easier to connect with the audience.” Leo Marburg

Although McCrea did not perform every night, as an understudy she acted in one of the shows on the weekends, in September. The cast was practicing constantly up until the performing dates. “It was a really short time to put it all together, so we had to be very focused and work hard,” McCrea said. “Everyone worked together very well and spent lots of time perfecting the show.” According to senior Leo Marburg, who played the character Chip Tolentino, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was particularly interesting because of the element of audience participation, which was one of the things that he enjoyed most about the play. Marburg played Chip Tolentino, one of the spelling bee contestants who was a boy scout, and last year’s winner. Marburg said it was also the first show

PALY THEATER/USED WITH PERMISSION

Intimate performances; Leo Marburg (left) and Zoe Mcrea (center) perform a scene from "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the new play that was hosted in the Performing Arts Center. Marburg, who plays Chip Tolentino, watches Mcrea, who plays Logainne Shwartzandgrubenniere, recite a short monologue. The production sold out four days worth of shows to parents, students and faculty. done in the black box theatre at Paly, which used to be a PAC classroom that was renovated into a theatre. The space only allows 50 people which was one of the reasons why it was sold out for four different shows. “That made it more of an acting challenge but also made it easier to connect with the audience,” Marburg said. “The only downside was that the black box only sits 50, and we ran for just a weekend, so not as many

people could see the show that usually could, which was sad.” Marburg has been a part of Paly theatre since his freshman year and said he has developed a love for it through his experience. “There’s a really caring theatre community at Paly, and it’s something I wanted to keep being a part of,” Marburg said. The play “Spelling Bee” appeared on Broadway in 2005 and won two Tony Awards, which was part of the reason why

Director Alyssa Bond wanted to produce it. “I wanted to direct this play because it is a really fun and funny musical with great songs, but it also has a great book with truly touching stories for the characters,” Bond said. “Additionally, it was a perfect show to premiere in the new Black Box theatre because it is a small cast and the intimate setting allowed the actors to interact with the audience easily.”

The cast’s first rehearsal was on Sept. 3 and they had three weeks of rehearsals and one week of tech, including lights, costumes, hair, and makeup. “This is a very short turnaround time for a fully produced musical, and it took the tireless dedication of everyone involved to make it happen,” Bond said. “They were the hardest-working group I have worked with in theatre in a long time, and it was a very rewarding experience.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

OPINION

Affirmative action should prioritize socioeconomic status over race By Jace Purcell

Staff Writer

n the night of Oct. 4, Harvard University won an important federal affirmative action case. This victory allowed Harvard to hold AsianAmerican applicants to a higher standard than other students with the goal of diversifying its campus. Historically, affirmative action was a practice meant to help groups of people who have been oppressed, namely m i n o r i t i e s . I n re g a rd s t o c o l l e ge ad m i s s i on s , affirmative action gives special consideration to minorities to offset dispropor tionate r acial discrimination, making the admissions process more fair.

While those who are part of a minority race often have less opportunity than those in the majority, it is wrong to generalize and say all minorities lack opportunity.

Additionally, it ensures that a campus will be more diverse, both racially and ideologically. Today’s affirmative action is primarily based on race. Instead, affirmative action should have an emphasis on socioeconomic status. This change would expand the number of people receiving benefits while not taking away from the people who currently benefit from racebased affirmative action. The new groups benefiting from socioeconomic-based affirmative action would be low-income but not considered a minority, such as Asians and Caucasians. People f rom low-income families have been deprived of advantages that their wealthier peers have access to such as attending a good high school, affording tutors and accessing standardized and AP tests — thus, logically, they should receive

ART BY BRANDON LEUNG

an advantage in admissions considerations. W hen race is the primary factor considered in affirmative action, it often correlates with socioeconomic status. H o w e v e r, w h i l e t h e y should set their criteria, colleges should cut out the middleman and have affirmative action admissions be mainly based on socioeconomic status rather than race. While those who are part of a minority race often have less opportunity than those in the majority, it is wrong to generalize and say all minorities lack opportunity. A wealthy person of a minority race will likely have similar educational opportunities in life as a wealthy person in the majority race. An affluent minority student, therefore, should not have an advantage in the college admissions process because of their race, as the opportunities they have in high school

are primarily determined by their wealth. A system based on admissions preference towards students of low socioeconomic status is more fair. Conversely, there are non-minority students of low socioeconomic status who lack the same opportunities as minorities with the same status and need the admissions advantages just as much as the minority students of low socioeconomic status do. You may ask, why should we care about a fairer system? Our society should strive for the fairest system as it will reflect the best in our society. With the race-based affirmative action system, many qualified students are overlooked. Many students are never able to reach their full potential because they aren’t able to pursue higher education, but if the most deser ving and qualified people are the ones who have access to higher education, we will have more innovations, more progress

and a more stable world. By including more people in the affirmative action benefits, naturally, the process is bound to be more difficult for other groups of people. Some of the people that it may affect negatively are wealthy minorities, athletes and legacy students. As of now, those groups are typically held to a lower academic standard. Under a socioeconomicbased system, these students would generally be held to the standard of that of any other student. A d d i t i o n a l l y, s o m e people may argue that racebased affirmative action is necessary because it makes up for horrible historic d i s c r i m i n a t i on a g a i n s t people of color. However, we should never make judgments about people based on skin color because it holds no correlation to their abilities, character or anything important to college admissions. We should instead judge people

on things they can control like their academic achievements and give preference to those who haven’t had the full economic advantages of the children from wealthy families. Another case that could be made favoring a racebased affirmative action system is that it increases diversity on campuses more than a socioeconomic-based system. But according to S upreme Cour t Justice Lewis Powell in 1978, true diversity is achieved through more factors than just race: “Genuine diversity... encompasses a far broader array of qualifications and characteristics, of which racial or ethnic origin is but a single, though important, e le me nt. ” Dive r s it y of socioeconomic status should also be present on college campuses in addition to racial diversity. For example, according to a study by Raj Chetty, a leading economist who teaches at Harvard, Harvard had 23 times as

many high-income students as low-income students. W ith both diversity of socioeconomic status and race, the ultimate goal of diversity of thought is bound to be there.

Diversity of thought ensures that everyone hears many opposing views and can formulate their own values and beliefs. Continuing to use race in the college admissions ine vitabl y prolongs an institutionalized system of judging applicants primarily on the color of their skin. Instead, colleges should expand their definition of affirmative action practices to primarily include socioeconomic status, in addition to race, when considering which students to admit so all students have a fairer chance towards a good education.

Student-run publications allow for self-improvement and reflection By Kris Risano Staff Writer

ach year, many high school publications across the nation are forced to pull rather than publish certain stories. This is often due to school administrator or staff intervention, either to cover up an issue or preserve the image staff want the school to have.

However, this does not mean administrators can censor any story they want; there must be a reason for the censorship.

On Aug. 20. in Winchester,VA., the Frederick County School Board sanctioned a policy that required administrators to approve every story produced by publications within the district. Despite many believing that this policy violates the First Amendment rights of the publications, the district is able to implement this rule due to the 1987 Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which allows school administrators and other staff members to censor student journalism and force students to pull stories. However, this does not mean administrators can censor any story they want; there must be a reason for the censorship. However, the power to veto stories often goes unquestioned, leading to students not being able to exercise their First Amendment rights. This ruling does not apply to 14 states, including California, thanks to the New Voices movement, a student run organization that seeks to counteract the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier case by raising awareness toward student censorship and encouraging state law-

ART BY ZANDER LEONG

makers to pass legislation that protects free speech for students. Censorship will always exist if there is an unequal power dynamic, which is why giving students more independence will slowly rid school publications of censorship. It is important to prevent suppression of the student press as they have the skills and opportunity to make a difference in their communities, but in some cases they aren’t able to due to coverups by administrators. It is crucial to eliminate censorship at schools because often times school publications are the sources communities turn to for information regarding their schools. The communities should not be receiving stories that have been tampered with by school administrators for that reason. The first and most important step in avoiding the issue of unnecessary student censorship is to make

all high school publications student-run, like the Paly publications. A student-run publication not only helps to prevent censorship by letting the student leaders make important story decisions, it also increases their creativity by granting them more freedom to choose what they write about. Additionally, it teaches valuable lessons in problem-solving and communication with others in a work environment. These lessons can be transferred into other aspects of life and, eventually, the workplace. Students in California are automatically given the right to make decisions within a publication; however, this is not the case in most states. Students are given this right due to the California Student Free Expression Law which counteracts the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruling. Giving students greater responsibilities not only allows them to learn more, it

can help build confidence that carries into future endeavors a student may face. In a student-run publication, each individual plays a crucial role in the creation of the final product. They must rely on one another, which teaches responsibility, collaboration and communication skills that are valuable in any workplace. Composure is another crucial lesson that students learn, as when producing a new issue, students are forced to make crucial last-minute adjustments due to unforeseeable hindrances. Students must ensure that the work they are producing is at a high enough quality to be published and viewed by the public. Student leaders are sometimes asked to make important decisions that could lead to controversy and consequences, such as choosing their successors and punishing members for not meeting deadlines. However, making these strenuous choices builds character and teaches stu-

dents that they must live with the decisions they make, whether they be good or bad. Despite the name “student-run,” adults can play important roles in a studentrun publication. Ideal advisers not only teach students, but they also oversee the publication without being overbearing and provide guidance whenever necessary. A student-run publication does not mean that an adult opinion is not present in the decisions the student leaders make, but rather that an adult opinion will not trump that of the students on most issues. According to Ed Code 48907, it shall be the advisor’s responsibility to supervise the production of the pupil staff. When students lead themselves, they are able to bring new perspectives to journalism and, in many cases, to take unique and rewarding risks that they otherwise may not be able to try. Allowing students to be more hands-on within a

publication enhances their learning experience, by furthering their own problemsolving skills if they are allowed to make and correct their own mistakes.

Students in California are automatically given the right to make decisions within a publication; however, this is not the case in most states.

With society continuing to rapidly change its means of consuming media, students can offer fresh perspectives. This could include increasing the use of social media to promote stories or using new technology for the design aspect of journalism. Letting students run school publications is a way for them to make a difference in the present and hone their skills to be future leaders.

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

OPINION

Trial period ought to be implemented to re-open MAC

ART BY NOA LEHRER

By Sarah O’Riordan Senior Staff Writer

alking into the Media Arts Center just one year ago, one was immediately immersed in student life — from groups chattering around a table in the atrium to solemn studiers burying their noses in textbooks in quiet corners, the MAC quickly became the unofficial student union center of Paly.

The MAC had become overcrowded and loud, making it difficult for classes in session to focus.

Surprisingly, this was not the intended purpose of the MAC. In fact, according to journalism teacher Paul Kandell, the initial plan for the MAC was to be an open space for media-centered classes to collaborate using the multitude of resources available for students.

However, not all classes that are held in the MAC are media or arts-centered, and, more importantly, all classes on Paly campus are closed. In other words, the collaboration that justified the cost of the technology and amenities of the MAC did not, and cannot ever happen. With this knowledge in mind, it makes perfect sense that the student body instead used the MAC’s assets to fit their individual experiences. Whether it was hiding from the weather, running in to print a paper last minute, charging your devices while you study or simply hanging out with friends, the MAC was a place of solace for many students. These days, dust collects on the tabletops, and the rows of TVs on the walls play 3-year-old InFocus reruns for empty clusters of chairs. “Sorry,” the sign just within the MAC door reads, “but the MAC is no longer supervised, and is therefore not open during your preps,

lunch or tutorial.” Why close such an important student hotspot? According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the MAC had become overcrowded and loud, making it difficult for classes in session to focus. Additionally, there were frequently many more students present in the MAC than had preps, posing an additional need for supervision and regulation. For example, Berkson said, the MAC would be left unsupervised if the chaperone on duty had to leave for an emergency. Berkson continued, saying that having a staff member stuck in the MAC all day isn’t the most efficient use of resources, and because the MAC continued to be left filthy, sometimes trashed by the students, the administration opted to close the MAC instead of devoting more resources to keeping it manageable. Despite the challenges that come with having many

students in one area, it is a larger waste of resources to leave the MAC as it is now. With so much time and money dedicated to providing a space that differentiates us from other top-notch high schools, a place where students can choose to use the incredible resources they think will best benefit them, it seems ironically misguided (although well-intentioned) to shut down the MAC for everything except classes. To solve this problem, a trial period should be implemented where supervision is returned and there is a check-in system to the MAC. This would effectively stop the problem of students being in the MAC when they don’t have a prep period in which to work. The effect of this would be fewer students and therefore less noise in the MAC than in previous years. The students there would have to have their schedules checked on a computer system upon entry and inform the supervisor on duty whether they

plan to study or simply hang out. Fewer students would mean less required supervision, which would be covered by a campus supervisor or administrator. Another aspect of this trial period would include more trash cans being located around the MAC, particularly near areas where students tend to convene. If it’s more convenient for students to throw away their trash, the amount of litter left behind in the MAC will most likely drop and will not be a nuisance for custodians. If students are made aware, perhaps by a sign on each table, that the trash they leave behind means extra work for another real person, we would all take more initiative in cleaning up after ourselves. This would provide justice for the custodial department which cleans the MAC and has dealt with the staggering amounts of trash left behind by students over the years. It is completely valid that

the misuse of a resource like the MAC should warrant changes and/or punishments, but with the graduation of last year’s seniors, the Paly student body should be given another chance to earn their access to the MAC back. If disruptive behavior and littering continue during this trial period, it would be more than fair to shut down the MAC again.

A trial period should be implemented where supervision is returned and there is a check-in system. However, if the administration does not allow the current students a chance to prove that they can behave maturely in the MAC to reap all the benefits it offers, they would be denying students opportunities to learn, study or take a mental break, as well as effectively negating the entire purpose of the MAC being built on campus.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

OPINION A7 Senior advisory should focus on college application help By Johnny Yang Sports Editor

ith college application deadlines approaching, many seniors have made their applications a focus of their life. Thankfully, Paly offers a wide array of resources to assist students, including the new office for the College & Career Center, experienced college advisers and Naviance, an informative online system. However, the complexity of the process often overwhelms students, making them unable to utilize the resources effectively. The solution lies in the instructions during advisory.

For the students who are the first in their family to apply to college or lack a guardian who completely understands the application process, it is easy to make careless mistakes. Paly aims to provide an encouraging environment which prepares students to earn good grades, receive satisfactory scores on standardized tests and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. However, when it comes to reporting these accomplishments to colleges in the form of a coherent application, students tend to

struggle completing this convoluted process. Some colleges require all standardized test scores, while others only require a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest one; some colleges ask students to self-report grades and courses, while others ask for official transcripts; some colleges will accept proof that the tests were taken before the deadline, while others require the scores to be delivered to the office, which usually takes two to four extra weeks after the test. Overlooking these details can have serious consequences, such as delaying the review of a college application, and, more often than not, the deadlines are not communicated well. Of course, it should be a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibility to research the colleges they are applying to and their requirements, but for the students who are the first in their family to apply to college or lack a guardian who completely understands the application process, it is easy to make careless mistakes. Due to this, Paly should help students address these problems so they don't miss important deadlines. On the day the college cover sheet for Early Decision and Early Action schools was due, I met with college adviser Sandra Cernobori in the CCC and learned that in addition to the cover sheet, students need to

ART BY NOA LEHRER

indicate their Early Decision and Early Action schools on the Common App website and invite their teacher advisers and teachers as recommenders by that date in order for them to complete the letters of recommendation on time. Information regarding college deadlines should be better communicated to students during advisoryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it should not just be up to the college advisers. Changing the way advisories are organized could be an effective solution to the issue. During the three advisories that were dedicated to the college application process, teacher advisers had a presentation describing

the process and the Common App. However, because most students had not begun filling out the application at the time, the instructions did not make sense. When they refer back to Schoology later, it can be difficult to find the information needed from a large stack of documents. Instead of talking at students with a presentation, teacher advisers should dedicate one advisory period to having students create an account on the Common Application and giving instructions to the basic operations, such as reporting scores, courses and grades and inviting teachers. This would not only help

students complete their tasks more effectively, but it would also reduce student stress by telling them exactly what they need to do for the college admissions process. Additionally, teacher advisers should tell the students what they need to know about the requirements of colleges they are interested in. One of the main reasons why the counseling resources and online information systems are not utilized effectively is that students do not know what questions to ask. Teacher advisers should also inform students about common misconceptions, such as the aforementioned score

sending, and encourage them to find out what the case is for their own colleges through research or asking for help.

The complexity of the process often overwhelms students, making them unable to utilize the resources effectively. In this busy season for both students and teachers, a more clear introduction to the college application process during advisories will make use of the rich resources at Paly to help students who would like to attend a four year college.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Advisory reform is necessary Teachers need to be paid during for individualized attention maternity or paternity leave

s many seniors rush to obtain the materials necessary to complete their college applications, it’s important to recognize that at the core of all this activity is their relationship with their teacher adviser. But what if a student has only exchanged a total of six words with an adviser over the last three years? Our hope is that the Advisory Steering Committee, chaired by Assistant Principal Clarisse Haxton and science teacher Joshua Bloom, will improve the present advisory system, and we commend them for their efforts.

By meeting on an individual basis, advisers and advisees will have the opportunity to become more familiar with one another. According to Haxton and Bloom, the committee’s goal is to research and collect data regarding the advisory experience, as well as to make recommendations about how to reform advisory over the next three to five years. They

say their committee aims to analyze how well advisory meets the needs of students and how it can better meet these needs, which is a strong start. The main concerns regarding advisory are the tension between advisory and tutorial, the difference between the systems at Gunn and Paly, and the lack of connectedness and familiarity between students and their teacher advisers, according to Haxton and Bloom. We appreciate the Advisory Steering Committee’s efforts to hear student voices through surveying all students about advisory, as well as assembling student focus groups of different grade levels. The Campanile thinks it is essential to be inclusive during a process of change, and the administration should use this committee’s work as an example of how to collect broad student input when making major decisions that affect students’ lives. In order to improve the advisory system, we think advisory ought to be one-on-one, with each student having a designated time to meet individually with a teacher adviser. This would make advisory more tailored, efficient and effective. An added benefit would be that students planning to pursue alternative pathways would not have to participate in the required

college application lessons that are currently part of the advisory curriculum, and could use that time for more relevant pursuits.

To improve the advisory system, we think advisory ought to be one-on-one. Additionally, by meeting on an individual basis, advisers and advisees will have the opportunity to become more familiar with one another. This would likely make counselor recommendations more personalized, as well as better meet the original purpose of advisory — to forge connections between students and trusted adults on campus. It is clear that the Advisory Steering Committee is headed in the right direction, and The Campanile thinks its proactive measures will help improve the current system. We urge students, staff and teacher advisers to support this initiative and implement the committee’s recommendations, while in the meantime, continuing to find more ways to make advisory an opportunity for developing personal connections between students and advisers.

very year, the Palo Alto Unified School District and the Palo Alto Educators Association spend hours discussing the Collective Bargaining Agreement — the legal contract negotiated between the teachers union and the District. They eventually reach a consensus on changes for the following school year. However, because there are so many sections in the agreement, it is nearly impossible for all the articles to be opened for discussion every year, meaning that there are some articles that have been consistently neglected, including the Leave Provisions article. But finally, this year, this article will be opened for negotiations according to PAEA President Teri Baldwin. The Campanile commends both the PAEA and district negotiators for doing so, and we encourage both sides to include language giving teachers a 10-week term of paid maternity leave after having or adopting a child, without having to use their accumulated sick days. This Leave Provisions article outlines the basics of leave policies, including types of leaves teachers are allowed to take and the compensation guidelines that come with them. Currently, female teachers who have a child during the school year and want to be paid for leave have

to use their accumulated sick days to receive pay. Under the Pregnancy Disability Leave policy, female teachers are allowed to take six to eight weeks off. If they do not have a sufficient number of sick days, they will not get paid. After a doctor says a person on leave is physically able to resume working, this employee may continue to use their sick days and transition to bonding leave if they want to continue their paid leave. This policy allows both male and female teachers to receive payment using any remaining sick days up to 12 additional weeks.

This cause is a progressive step to helping our teachers be better parents. The current policy of using accumulated sick days for paid maternity leave comes with various downsides. First, this policy puts teachers who have been in the district for a short amount of time at a disadvantage as teachers are allotted 10 sick days each year. A younger teacher who is more likely to have a child probably has fewer accumulated sick days.

While we recognize the enforcement of a standardized paid maternity leave policy would be costly to the district, The Campanile thinks allocating funds towards this cause is a progressive step to helping our teachers be better parents. Although the issue has will soon be debated on a district level, the California Senate recently approved Assembly Bill 500 which calls for required paid leave in California public school districts. The bill, which is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, proposes a requirement for all school districts, charter schools and community colleges to provide at least six weeks of paid leave for teachers and other school district employees for pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth and recovery. Instead of merely waiting for state law to be changed, though, The Campanile thinks the issue should be prioritized on a district level. We are glad to see that PAUSD and PAEA will open the discussion of Article XI when negotiating contract issues this year. The introduction of paid maternity leave without the necessity of using accumulated sick days would promote equity, prevent inconsistencies and help PAUSD parents during a time when their child most needs them.

More resources should be made available for college essay writing

he first semester of senior year is widely regarded as one of the most stressful periods in a student’s career, mostly due to the strenuous process of applying to college application process. However, for a school lauded for its academic resources and college-oriented culture, seniors are sometimes left struggling with seemingly meager guidance for one of the most important portions of college applications: the essays. Although the College & Career Center does offer support for the application process, assistance specifically with essay writing is limited and often exists under students’ radar. Consequently, many seniors have resorted to outside advisers or writing coaches for help, which often requires large amounts of money.

Many seniors have resorted to outside advisers or writing coaches for help, which often requires large amounts of money. The Campanile thinks more resources should be allocated to services specific to essay writing in not only the CCC, but also within the English department. The CCC currently offers only one workshop dedicated to the UC application, the UC App Case Study workshop that was held on Oct. 15 during tutorial this year. Not only is its single occurrence inconvenient for those who are unable to attend because of other commitments or absence that day, but its limitation of only 50 students also means almost 90% of the senior class cannot take advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, many students

were unaware of the event in large part due to a lack of publicizing, as it only appeared on the Schoology calendar, Naviance emails and InFocus, which students don’t often view. Although students should be responsible for locating this information, having teachers or advisors inform them of these events and their dates would likely increase awareness more effectively.

The CCC should hold more workshops specifically about application essays. General help with completing applications includes the Common App and School Forms workshop, the CSU, UC and Common App Help workshop and the CSU and UC Application Help workshop on Sept. 19, Oct. 19 and Oct. 22 respectively. This amounts to a total of four application assistance events so far, none of which were specially geared toward essay writing. The Campanile thinks that the CCC should hold more workshops specifically about application essays to ensure that all seniors have the opportunity to attend and receive help. Some classes should also be dedicated to essay writing due to the overwhelming number of students who deem that portion as one of the most difficult aspects of applications. CCC counselors are available to students who seek one-on-one feedback on their essays, and we commend their efforts. However, these workshops could be more ideal for those who don’t have a full draft, but rather are experiencing difficulty framing or starting their essays. The Campanile also urges more consistent support in college es-

say writing from the English department. According to Principal Adam Paulson, while there have been occasional events dedicated to teachers reviewing essays in previous years, such as College Awareness Day, they often received low attendance. According to English Department Instructional Leader Shirley Tokheim, the general narrative writing sections in the English curriculum are the main source of assistance for college application essay writing, although some teachers do add assignments or units devoted to improving application writing. Especially since the English department is one of the most qualified to assist students on their essays, it should be guaranteed that all seniors have the opportunity to receive feedback or advice on their application writing from these teachers. This can be achieved by dedicating at least one period or more to helping with essays or having an assignment pertaining specifically to application writing in place of an existing one. While The Campanile would like more resources for students writing their college essays, seniors must also take responsibility to actively seek out the support that is currently available.

This can be achieved by dedicating at least one period or more to helping with essays. That being said, there is definitely room to expand resources to assure that all students are sufficiently equipped to complete their application essays and reduce some of the anxiety that comes with this particularly stressful process.

OCTOBER’S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Things to Do During Spirit Week 10) Submit your early decision/action college apps — with spirit! 9) Stock up on eggs ... for a hearty breakfast 8) 'Forget' to go to any of your clubs and then just don't go for the rest of the year 7) Don't dress up for Spirit Week and see how much criticism you get 6) Get attacked by water balloons 5) Play king of the hills on the senior deck 4) Compliment your teachers on their Spirit Week costumes and realize they didn't dress up 3) Lose your voice after screaming for five days straight 2) Study for all the tests you have the week after 1) Wear the wrong color on color day and proudly proclaim, “I don't see color.”

—ANDY WANG AND SLOAN WUTTKE

ART BY FRIDA RIVERA

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Annie Chen • Miranda Li • Lucy Nemerov Frida Rivera • Jaures Yip

Online Editor Kai Vetteth

Managing Editors Emily Asher • Leila Khan

News and Opinion Editors Neil Kapoor • Sophia Moore

Lifestyle Editors Maya Rathore • Adora Zheng

Science & Tech Editor Anna Meyer

Sports Editors Rebekah Limb • Johnny Yang

Multimedia Editor Paige Knoblock

Business Managers Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe • Kiana Tavakoli

Art & Photo Directors Kaitlyn Lee • Tien Nguyen

Board Correspondent Bruno Klass

Olivia Ericsson Alex Liu Shiva Mohsenian Sarah O'Riordan

Staff Writers Jace Purcell Kris Risano Krista Robins Benjamin Stein

Emma Todd Andrew Toteda Andy Wang Sloan Wuttke

Illustrators Photographers Kaitlyn Lee • Noa Lehrer • Zander Leong Emily Asher • Olivia Ericsson • Kaitlyn Lee Rebekah Limb • Sophia Moore • Tien Nguyen Shiva Mohsenian • Jace Purcell Frida Rivera • Kiana Tavakoli • Andrew Toteda Benjamin Stein • Emma Todd Sloan Wuttke • Adora Zheng Andrew Toteda • Johnny Yang Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki

Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien

Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to theeds20@googlegroups.com The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements or

sponsors in The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of The Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community. The Campanile would like to thank the PTSA for supporting the mailing of our newspaper!

Our Vision Statement: The Campanile strives to uphold the highest standard of journalistic integrity through diverse mediums of storytelling and responsibly informing readers about local news, culture, opinion and athletics.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Text & Design by Andrew Toteda

Design by Kris Risano

Art By Kiana Tavakoli & Paige Knoblock

aly junior Eli Crystal steps back from the 2,100 degree Elegant teal-colored glass vase with swirls of blue on the cooling rack where the still radiating heat buckles the air around it. Satisfied with his work, Crystal begins preparing a colored glass rod, called a cane, for his next piece. “I’m really grateful to the school,” Crystal said. “Only six public high schools in the United States offer glass blowing, so without the Fiery Arts program here at Paly, I would never have found my passion.” For many Paly students, art is just another graduation requirement: a roadblock standing in the way of a successful career in STEM. Around campus and across the nation, starving artists are featured in punch lines of one-liners. As well as being unwarranted, these jokes have no basis in fact. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for independent artists in the United States was $52,200 in 2018. The national average for all jobs is $56,516, according to data from the 2015 U.S. Census. Even so, in high cost cities like Palo Alto, students interested in careers as artists have to put an exceptional amount of time into perfecting their craft while still in high school in order to distinguish themselves in to build a solid reputation early on. Crystal has been glassblowing since joining the Paly class. He said he had developed a passion for working with glass from the first time he tried it, and is interested in pursuing a glassblowing career. “Each piece I make takes an average of six hours,” Crystal said. “That’s not (even) counting the time I spend preparing glass for other projects and helping students, since you always need at least one person helping you for safety.” Time is not his only investment: Crystal said he now buys his own powdered metal oxides since he blew through his school allotment so quickly. Metal oxide powders are used to color glass, and they can cost up to $75 per kilogram in the U.S., according to Crystal. Because the material is often a third of the price or lower in Europe, he has imported hundreds of dollars of color to complete his work. Despite this, Crystal said he has already seen returns on his investments. “I recently started selling my work,” Crystal said. “A collector bought one of my best vases last week, and I was able to cover the cost of (22 kilograms of ) colors. My next step is to open an online store like Etsy so my work is more accessible to potential buyers.” After high school, Crystal is interested in attending a fine arts school where he can further hone his craft. Because of his developed talent and demonstration of entrepreneurship, Crystal feels confident he will have a solid application. Sandra Cernobori is a College and Career Counselor at Paly who works with upper classmen in the second semester. “Students can aim for a BFA, or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, which is a specialized professional degree,” Cernobori said. “That's what most art students would pursue. And two thirds of that is studio time. These

ART BY SHIVA MOHSENIAN/THE CAMPANILE

"The argument is that artists are more capable of skills like creativity, and (these kinds of thinkers) are who is needed for the jobs of the future, because they are more flexible."

“Art is definitely a viable career pathway,” Shi said. “I’ve sold a couple of pieces, as well as prints. Also, I’ve sold a sculpture and a large painting.” Even so, Shi doesn’t plan on attending a fine arts school. “I’m just not sure yet what I want to do in the future since I also have other interests, and I’d like to keep my options open,” Shi said. According to Cernobori, students’ majors may change or evolve several times over a long career and employers recognize this which is why they tend to put an emphasis on hiring people who can demonstrate flexibility, she said. “Students’ majors these days are not always directly related to their future career," Cernobori said. "The world changes much too quickly.” Studies show people typically change their careers two to three times within their lifetime. “Graduates need to be adaptable, right? And artists are very adaptable,” Cernobori said. “So this is a benefit that they have: they think outside of the box, they’re creative, they’re adaptable. These are skills that translate to a variety of industries and careers.”

Lifestyle

SCIENCE & TECH

Physical Discipline

schools still have some liberal arts classes, but it’s mostly studio time, which is why it's a very talent based admission process.” According to Cernobori, art degrees can be extremely prestigious, and they are desirable in the business and technology worlds as well. “There is this new idea that the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is the new MBA (Master of Business Administration),” Cernobori said. “The argument is that artists are more capable of skills like creativity, and (these kinds of thinkers) are who is needed for the jobs of the future, because they're more flexible.” When Paly artists are unsure of their future, it is almost always because they have other interests and passions, not because they are worried about a potential lack of success. Senior Jenny Shi has been drawing since a young age, and took up painting in earnest in middle school. Her works, consisting of multiple series of oil paintings, have been featured in exhibitions from Los Angeles to Washington D.C.

A look into the controversial parenting techniques used to control or punish children, and their effects on child development, mental health and today's society as viewed through a child's eyes. PAGE B7

PIXABAY/STOCKSNAP

Podcasts Rise in Popularity Students seek new forms of media entertainment. PAGE B2

Lifestyle

PIXABAY/QUERPOLPIXEL

Minecraft

A peek behind the resurgence of Minecraft. PAGE B3

Sports

ALEXA GWYN/USED WITH PERMISSION

Backpacking

Athletes use backpacking as a way to stay in shape during offseasons. PAGE C6

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

LIFESTYLE Podcasts rise in popularity among students

Due to increase in accessibility, Paly community turns to audio media for entertainment, news

EMMA TODD/THE CAMPANILE

Satire: Why climate change is fake By Emma Todd Staff Writer

he climate strike day in September had everyone from children to grandparents out on the streets protesting. People marched in downtown Palo Alto and in large cities all over the world, raising their hand-made signs high. For years, scientists have claimed that climate change is upon us and that the global temperature of the earth is increasing. But how do we know that they are right? How do we know we can trust them? People are obviously making these things up. The earth has been around for thousands of years, and there is no way that we as insignificant humans can mess up the planet. Right? There are many reasons why we can go on ignoring climate change and to why it is fake. For one, scientists and climate change activists are always talking about Earth’s temperatures rising, as well as ice caps and glaciers around the world melting, making summers longer and winters shorter. But it still snows in the winter — everywhere. If it still snows every winter, how can global warming be real? A 16-year-old climate change activist named Greta Thunberg sailed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean from Sweden on her sailboat because she didn’t want to take a plane, and this certainly captured the media’s attention. But everyone knows Thunberg only came to the U.S. to get into a good college and doesn’t care about climate change. Kids these days don’t actually care about their earth melting and future generations suffering from it. They only care about getting into Harvard or Yale. There are thousands of scientists who say they have done “tons of research” about climate change, but they can never agree on what is actually causing the climate to warm up. Is it the supposedly melting ice caps or the burning of fossil fuels? If scientists can’t make up their mind on the issue, how can we? So just keep on taking your non-electric car to school or work every day and never walk or bike. There is no need to reduce your carbon footprint because you don’t actually have one. If you walk outside and smell smoke from fires that are in a forest thousands of miles away, don’t be alarmed, this is normal. Don’t have a second thought when vacationing in Hawaii, snorkeling in the ocean when you see an entire brown, dead reef when looking for fish. There is no need press that “Donate Now!” button on someone’s Instagram story to help the Amazon rainforest fires. They don’t need your help. After all, climate change is not real; it’s just a hoax.

ANTONIA MOU/KPLY

Ready, Set, Record! Junior Jonathan Sneh and senior Ria Pai are guests on the latest KPLY podcast series, Unfamiliar Faces. The show’s goal is introducing strangers. “For this series we bring on two strangers and ask them personal questions,” Antonia Mou said. “Through these questions they hopefully bond and discover similarities with each other.”

By Bruno Klass

Board Correspondent

hile podcasts have been around for at least a decade, the number of listeners has increased in the past years. According to the New York Times, about one third of the U.S. population listens to one podcast every month, and over half of the population has listened to at least one podcast.

“Unfamiliar Faces is a podcast series where we bring together two students who have never met before.” Antonia Mou While many people do not have the time to sit and read lengthy articles, podcasts are a convenient way to listen to the same content, especially if presented in an entertaining, narrative way. Due to the easy access, an increasing number of people are listening to this form of media.

For history and social science teacher Christopher Farina, these podcasts are ideal as they fit into his busy life. “They are really convenient for me to listen to, so I can listen to them while I am doing something else like working around the kitchen, cleaning up the house or even on my commute to work,” Farina said. Farina said he typically listens to podcasts that cover history, psychology, politics and news from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Some of these popular podcasts do not tackle hard news but instead topics like fashion and music, with hosts who may not be well-known celebrities but are local students like juniors Antonia Mou and Amy Yu. Together, they created a podcast with 10-20 minute episodes called “Unfamiliar Faces.” “Unfamiliar Faces is a podcast series where we bring together two students who have never met before and enable them to have an interesting conversation through personal questions,” Mou said.

Mou said she primarily joined KPLY because she had a free period and thought it would be fun to explore and create a different form of media. Mou said she wanted to start this podcast series because it is an outlet to meet new people and host deep and thoughtful conversations.

“(Podcasts) are really convenient for me to listen to. I can listen to them while I am doing something else.” Christopher Farina Podcasts come in a variety of topics and also varying lengths. These podcasts create the possibility of learning about subjects ranging from comedy to science to entrepreneurship. Senior Erik Schubert said he takes advantage of this wide range of subjects by listening to podcasts such as the Joe Rogan Experience, Planet Money, The Indicator, NPR

Politics and This American Life on a regular basis. He also said he discovered his podcasts through his family or just by listening to random podcasts until he found one he liked. Like Farina, Schubert said he enjoys the easily digestible format that podcasts provide. “NPR Politics is pretty good about keeping you informed politically without actually making you sit down and read articles,” Schubert said. “I legitimately enjoy listening to them, and they make activities I normally would not enjoy bearable like getting ready, and driving to school and cleaning the kitchen.” Schubert also said he appreciates the versatility of podcasts and the range of emotions they evoke. “I think in this time of constant social outrage, it’s important to have the ability to actually hear what people think,” Schubert said. “I think the JRE is one of the best platforms out there.” Ultimately, Farina said choosing whether or not to listen to a podcast depends on the person’s learning style.

For example, podcasts would be more suitable for auditory learners. One of Farina’s favorite podcasts right now is Invisibilia, a three-season show that focuses on how certain things affect human lives and thought that are not as apparent to the naked eye. Farina said teens should listen to this podcast because of its unique narrative style.

“I legitimately enjoy listening to (podcasts), and they make activities I normally would not enjoy bearable.” Erik Schubert Although people can listen to podcasts anywhere, they are not necessarily integrated with all current, advanced technology. As podcasts become more mainstream, more integration will be seen with devices, allowing people to listen to whatever podcast they want, whenever they want.

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

LIFESTYLE

Staff members had diverse experiences prior to coming to Paly

Math, science, history teachers describe their journeys that brought them to their present-day careers in education By Alex Liu Senior Staff Writer

oma, Mishali and Bungarden. A math teacher, a science teacher and a history teacher. A political refugee, a traveler and a soldier. Each one of these teachers come from different backgrounds, with different reasons to teach, and different stories to tell. Toma From student to political refugee to working at Paly, math teacher Radu Toma has lived a life full of experiences, one memorable and rich. Toma’s story began at the University of Bucharest in Romania, where he earned a his degree in math. He taught there for five years in a special math program, helping with Math Olympiad preparation before moving to the U.S. Originally from Romania, Tomas’ parents and grandparents were also teachers. Toma attributes his teaching career not only to his parents, but also to the profitable nature of the job. “(Teaching) was well respected at the time in Romania,” Toma said. “The income was significantly higher than other incomes if you were teaching math because of the fact that there was a whole industry of private tutoring going on. Math came easy to me, and I liked it. I think I am a people person, so it was a relatively simple choice to make. And I never regretted it.” After teaching for five years in Romania, Toma moved to the U.S. due to the ongoing political turmoil.

“Math came easy to me, and I liked it. I think that I am a people person, so it was relatively simple choice to make. And I never regretted it.” Radu Toma “At the beginning of the ‘90s, we had a revolution in the country,” Toma said. “There were tanks in the streets. Our ex-president was executed after a two day trial.

It wasn’t clear where the country was heading when the communists lost power and the neo-communists took over. So it was a very sketchy political environment. ” Once reaching the U.S., Toma obtained his political asylum. After that, he began teaching middle school math at a private school, ultimately transitioning to teach at Paly. “Well, I feel very privileged to work with (this) group of kids,” Toma said. “They care and they’re smart and they are funny. I know they’re going to go somewhere in life, and I feel like I can make a difference in their education.” Mishali As a college student, Michael Mishali biked around in the Long Island snow to tutor kids in chemistry. Known then as the kid with the bike lights, Mishali now teaches to kids at Paly. “I wanted to become a teacher since I was in high school,” Mishali said. “I had (a) bunch of teachers who inspired me; I had Ms. Bert and Ms. True. They were my two major influences.” Mishali describes his teachers as people who went above and beyond to improve his education. “Ms. Burt and Ms. True, and the other teachers that left me with positive memories, were the ones who saw me as more than just a student,” Mishali said. “They were approachable, kind and reliable. They seemed genuinely interested in my present and my future. That, and we would talk about the TV show Lost together.” However, Mishali said he ended up going into college thinking he wanted to be a doctor due to parental pressure. “I was misled for a time, and I thought I wanted to be a doctor ... I applied to medical school, I took my MCATs and everything,” Mishali said. “And then after I’d applied, I rescinded my applications because I realized that’s just really not what I wanted to do. I went forward with becoming a teacher, and I have not regretted the decision since.” After acquiring his teaching credentials at UC Berkeley, Mishali went on to teach 8th grade science at Greene Middle School for four years before deciding to take a two year hiatus. “After working at (Greene) for a couple years, I kind of began to feel like there was a lot that I hadn’t done when I was young,”

ALEX LIU/THE CAMPANILE

Back to work! Paly math teacher Radu Toma spends his extra time throughout the day catching up on grading papers and tests. Toma moved to the United States from Romania in the ‘90s and became a math teacher because “math came easy” to him and he loves working with Paly students. Mishali said. “And now I had some savings. And I thought I can go see things and do things, so finally after my fourth year, I decided it would just be time and I would travel. It was nice to have a different type of stress. My stresses were sometimes where I’m going to sleep and what I’m going to eat, stresses I don’t have here. It’s good to have different challenges.” Mishali ended up abroad in Spain and Israel, where he spent most of his trip. “In Spain, I worked at an English immersion camp in Basque country,” Mishali said. “I lived with Spaniards, made friends, practiced my Spanish and walked across the country on the Camino. In Israel, I lived in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, practiced my Hebrew, tutored English a little bit, worked on a peach farm and hiked in the desert.” After Mishali’s trip abroad, he ended up teaching at Paly. Mishali said he hopes to build lasting connections with his students and see them grow — something he did

not have the opportunity to do before. “I’ve seen my old students around campus and seen how they’ve grown and changed since middle school,” Mishali said. “I’m just excited to be on campus with my old students but also with new students and see them grow over the course of their high school. It’s one of the things you lose teaching eighth grade — I teach the kids for a year, and they’re gone.” Bungarden Before coming to Paly, history teacher Jack Bungarden served in the Army, worked at a small electronic startup, worked in financial services, as a manager of a local branch of a small environmental services company and taught at Mission San Jose High School. “I was an artillery guy (in the army),” Bungarden said. “So I served. I had a stint in missiles in Germany. I was in an artillery unit in Korea. When I wasn’t in either of those places, I was a student at the Artillery School in Oklahoma.”

Commissioned to the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1978, Bungarden went on to serve for six years before leaving active duty in 1984. After leaving active duty in 1984, he went on to join an electronic home automation startup created by a friend of his.

“I was in an artillery guy (in the army). So I served. I had a stint in missiles in Germany. I was an artillery unit in Korea.” Jack Bungarden “The (company’s) technology wasn’t really great, and user interface was close to what was stateof-the-art, but state-of-the-art for a small company is not the same for a big company,” Bungarden said. “Home automation is a huge

industry now. So we were maybe a bit before our time. But it lasted for a while, went through a couple rounds of funding, and it certainly was an interesting experience.” After six to seven years at the startup, Bungarden moved on to work in financial services, then as a manager at an environmental services company before getting his teaching credentials at San Jose State University. Bungarden went on to teach U.S. History then AP U.S. History for two years at Mission San Jose High School, before coming to Paly. Looking back, Bungarden said that given a second chance, he would have taken the same exact route. “Each of the experiences I have had in the past were interesting at the moment, made sense at the moment and to some extent they helped with the things that happened after,” Bungarden said. “Most of those experiences in some way directly or indirectly helped me be a better teacher.”

The Campanile

L FESTYLE

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Revival of Minecraft s junior Laura Malagrino and we started playing together.” scrolls through YouTube, Minecraft, an action and advenlooking for something ture game, first peaked in popularity worth watching, she stumbles across around 2011. It reached an estimata video that imed one million mediately gives users in January her a rush of “Being that we’re all far of that year, and childhood nosrose up to 10 talgia. The video apart, it’s nice to come million just six shows popular months later. together to a game YouTuber FeS e n i o r we’ve been playing lix Kjellberg, Samuel Xing also known as also played for so long.” Pewdiepie, playMinecraft ing a game he around 2010 hasn’t touched and said he was since the late 2010s: Minecraft. influenced to begin playing by You“I started (playing Minecraft) Tubers. around second or third grade, so it “I started playing during the wasn’t like I was on social media and beta, and have basically played since knew if it was talked about,” Mala- then with a couple breaks,” Xing grino said. “I had no idea about it said. “When I wasn’t taking a break, until a friend introduced me to it, I used to basically play every day.” However, Minecraft started to become a game of the past as its players, including Malagrino, grew older and busier, and newer games hit the market. “I used to play pretty consistently, but (as the) workload got heavier, it became a lot harder to play Minecraft and be on top of everything else,” Malagrino said. Minecraft’s popularity decreased, as did the relevance of the YouTubers who dedicated their entire channel to playing the game. However, over the summer, when Kjellberg reintroduced his audience of over 100 million subscribers to the game of their childhood, Mine-

Laura Malagrino

Text, Art & Design by Kaitlyn Lee

craft’s popularity rebounded. Malagrino and many others dusted off their old accounts and hopped back into the game. “This past summer, once Pewdiepie started his series, I started playing more frequently since I saw how much fun he was having, and it reminded me of the good old days,” Malagrino said. Junior Lulu Gaither said she has gotten back into playing Minecraft for the sense of nostalgia that it brings after not having played it for multiple years. Another cause of the recent revival of Minecraft is a tournament called Minecraft Monday, according to Patricia Hernandez of Polygon, a gaming website. Hosted by YouTuber Daniel Keem, also known as Keemstar, the tournament gathers Minecraft YouTubers and streamers to compete in minigames for a $10,000 prize. Because almost all of these players stream the tournament, viewers get reintroduced to the world of Minecraft. Additionally, beauty guru James Charles, who has over 16 million subscribers, competed in and streamed Minecraft Monday, which brought viewers from a whole different realm of YouTube. Minecraft has two main game modes: creative and survival. In creative mode, players can fly, can have an infinite amount of resources and cannot die. According to Malagrino, players mainly focus on building in this mode. “I like having fun building different houses,” Malagrino said. “It’s a really good outlet for any type of house ideas I have. I’ve always loved design and the root of that has always been Minecraft and the ability to build whatever you want. I have one world where it’s basically a town full of different houses I’ve built.” Malagrino and Xing, however, say they often play in survival mode, which is the most conventional type of Minecraft. In this mode, a player tries not to die by getting killed by monsters, falling from large heights, falling in lava and more. Additionally, players can mine, build and ex-

plore the world, as well as work to- lighthearted game, Minecraft serves wards defeating the Ender Dragon, as a way to connect with friends, eswhich is the way to beat the game. pecially those who are long distance, When Malagrino is playing with according to Malagrino. her friends, she “I definitely plays on survival play for fun,” “There are so many servers, which Malagrino said. allow multiple servers with their own “I don’t care people to play about cheats together in the or anything – I plugins so there’s a same world. just try to build “The best huge variety of games my house or part of playing find some diato play that are on small servers monds. Once where it’s just different from normal Thanksgiving your friends is break or even survival Minecraft.” definitely the winter break team and comcomes around, munity aspect,” I’ll probably Malagrino said. “When we play, hop back on with my friends. Bethere’s always certain jobs people ing that we’re all far apart, it’s nice to have and we all work together to come together to a game we’ve been succeed in the game.” playing for so long.” Other types of servers allow for players to play multiplayer minigames, which Xing said he often uses to play with friends. “In multiplayer, there are so many servers with their own plugins so there’s a huge variety of games to play that are different from normal survival Minecraft,” Xing said. Gaither, however, plays on these servers just for kicks. “I normally play on multiplayer servers with my friends and we just play for fun, and are really bad at it,” Gaither said. “The most fun thing we do is go on the Hunger Games servers and usually die right away.” Along with being a fun and

Samuel Xing

Design by Sarah O’Riordan

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

SPORTS

Diving into

SCUBA

Under the surface of the diver experience

hen the sun goes down, the sharks come out and so does senior Olivia Danner, submerged in pitch black water with nothing but a handheld flashlight to see in front of her. While staying off the coast of Australia on a liveaboard, a diving boat designed for people to settle on for a few days, Danner spent a lot of time in the water. She even went on multiple night dives, which gave her the opportunity to watch sharks hunting for fish. “It was a bit terrifying, since we didn’t know where the wildlife was until we shined our lights over it, but we had guides, and the experience was worth it,” Danner said. These night dives were just a few of the 25 dives Danner has gone on since obtaining her scuba certification. Danner is one of few Paly students who are scuba certified. The rigorous process to become certified involves reading a booklet, taking online quizzes, attending a classroom information session to take an in-person test, practicing scuba skills in a pool and, finally, applying those skills in open water. This meticulous procedure helps to ensure that divers know how to descend and ascend safely. “If you can’t equalize or (you) descend too fast, your ears start to hurt a lot and you have to go back up a few feet to equalize again,” senior Anna Tomz said. According to Danner, complicated dive tables help divers safely navigate this process by calculating how long they can dive for and

at what depth they should take a break before returning to the surface of the water in order to prevent an excess of nitrogen from entering their blood. In addition to these intense safety p re c a u t i on s , scuba diving requires cumbersome equipment including a wetsuit, mask, hood, boots, flippers, tank and regulator. Despite these inconveniences, Tomz said the experience is worthwhile because of the sights she gets to see. “The gear weighs a ton and the water can be pretty uncomfortable at first, but I’ve seen sea stars and anemones bigger than my head and have swam through kelp forests,” Tomz said. Scuba diving also provides the diver with a variety of unique emotions and sensations, according to master diver Manooch Mohsenian, who also said scuba is an acronym standing for self contained underwater breathing apparatus. “Scuba diving evokes feelings of freedom and weightlessness, excitement of exploring a new world, satisfaction of overcoming physical and mental challenges, accomplishment, adrenaline rush and fun,” Mohsenian said.

“It was a bit terrifying ... but we had guides and the experience was worth it.”

Olivia Danner

SPORTS SPREAD

College Athlete Brand Endorsement

A new California rule allows athletes to make money off their image. The law has sparked controversy with the NCAA because of its conflict with current league rules, which do not allow players to make deals.

YANPING NORA SOONG/CC BY-SA 3.0

PAGE C4-C5

Danner said part of what is so enjoyable about diving is that it has opened her eyes to the vastness of the ocean and the wide variety of plants and animals. While diving, it is possible to observe marine ecosystems which are normally only seen in aquariums or in the media. “You get to see a whole new world that very few people get to see in person,” Tomz said. “It’s amazing to see things that you’ve only seen on TV in person and to experiText & Design ence something so by Anna Meyer unique.” In addition to the organisms he has observed, Mohsenian said he has also seen historic ruins such as wrecks of World War II naval ships while diving in the Salomon Islands. For Danner, another appeal of scuba diving is the chance to disconnect from everyday life and self-reflect. “Scuba diving is very relaxing, since you can’t talk to others, and it gives you time alone to think, reflect, and enjoy being undersea,” Danner said. Diving can also nurture a relationship between the diver and the ocean as it provides the diver with a closer connection to aquatic life. “I have always loved water and oceans,” Mohsenian said. “However, after I started diving, I was able to experience the underwater world and appreciate the beauty of oceans from above and below the water’s surface.”

Art & Design by Tien Nguyen

“You get to see a whole new world that very few people see in person.” Anna Tomz

Sports

Science & Tech

PUSTEBLUME0815

Cupping

An up-and-coming method relieves muscles after strenuous use. PAGE C6

DEAN812/CC BY 2.0

Xanax

Many students are using this popular drug to help cope with anxiety. PAGE C7

Science & Tech

ART BY REBEKAH LIMB/THE CAMPANILE

Twins

Siblings share similarities and differences in personality. PAGE C8

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

SPORTS REPORT FOOTBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Wilcox 9/27, L, 26-15 Paly vs. Santa Clara 10/4, W, 42-9 Paly vs. Fremont 10/11, W, 42-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/25, 7:00 p.m. Paly vs. Mountain View 11/1, 7:00 p.m. Paly vs. Milpitas 11/8, 7:00 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. St. Francis 10/12, W, 2-1 Paly vs. Rocklin 10/12, W, 2-0 Paly vs. Marin Catholic 10/12, L, 2-1 Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/15, W, 3-0 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Los Altos 10/17, 6:45 p.m. Paly vs. Gunn 10/24, 6:45 p.m. Paly vs. Mountain View 10/29, 6:45 p.m.

BOYS WATER POLO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Los Altos 10/8, L, 12-17 Paly vs. Mountain View 10/10, W, 18-18 (O.T.) Paly vs. Gunn 10/15, L, 5-11 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Wilcox 10/17, 3:00 p.m. Paly vs. Las Lomas 10/18, 4:30 p.m. Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/22, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS WATER POLO RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Heritage 10/12, L, 13-12 Paly vs. Gunn 10/15, L, 2-11 Paly vs. Menlo 10/16, L, 3-14 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Saratoga 10/17, 3:30 p.m. Paly vs. Los Gatos 10/22, 6:00 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS RECENT SCORES

Paly vs. Saratoga 10/8, W, 6-1 Paly vs. Monta Vista 10/10, L, 3-4 Paly vs. Los Altos 10/15, L, 3-4 UPCOMING GAMES

Paly vs. Menlo 10/17, 4:00 p.m. Paly vs. Cupertino 10/21, 4:00 p.m.

SPORTS Girls water polo team stays undefeated at home

Team looks forward to Gunn game after defeating Los Altos for first time in six years By Bruno Klass Staff Writer

ith an undefeated home record and a win against Los Altos High School for the first time in six years, the girls water polo team is looking to score a place in the Central Coast Section Playoffs. Varsity captain and senior Alexandra Lee said she is most excited about the upcoming home games against Los Gatos High School and Gunn High School. “We are currently undefeated at home, and so we hope to keep that up against some good teams that we play pretty competitively with,” Lee said.

“We are currently undefeated at home, and so we hope to keep that up against some good teams that we play pretty competitively with.” Alexandra Lee

Lee said she is also looking forward to having fun, bonding,

getting better as a team and winning games. One of the wins that Lee, alongside the team, is most proud of was in the match against Los Altos.

“Something we are working on improving is our outside shooting and keeping the energy high for all our games.” Lulu Gaither

“We beat Los Altos on Tuesday, Oct. 8, by one in double overtime, and that was a huge win for us,” Lee said. “It’s the first time we’ve beat them in six years, and we just had so much energy and fun.” According to Lee, even though the season is going quite well, there are some things that can be worked on in the future. “I really want to work on my general knowledge of the game,” junior Grace Lindstrom said. “The more I know the better I play. My teammates are always teaching me so much about the game, and it helps me play so much better.” In terms of team goals, Lindstrom added that keeping a more

JENNA HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE

Splash! Senior varsity water polo player Chesnie Cheung shoots for the corner of the net, scoring a goal against Los Altos and finally defeating their team after six years being unable to defeat them. positive energy throughout games could be beneficial. Junior Lulu Gaither also has plans for herself and the team to provide an even better outcome for the next couple of games. “Something we are working on

improving is our outside shooting and keeping the energy high for all our games,” Gaither said. “Something that I could personally improve on is being more vocal in the pool.” While all three players agree

that the energy level is lacking at some games, they are hopeful for what is coming next. Lee said, “I think we’ve come far, but we can keep working on our teamwork, trust and energy every game.”

Boys water polo team defeats Boys football team Mountain View in overtime continues win streak By Benjamin Stein Staff Writer

n a riveting game, the Paly boys varsity water polo team overcame a five goal deficit at the half to defeat Mountain View High School 19-18 in sudden death overtime on Oct. 10. This victory follows a narrow 14-13 loss to Mountain View on Sept. 19. With a win definitely within reach, junior Luke Thieman said the team intended to retaliate. “(Mountain View) made a big comeback against us in our house, so we had a chip on our shoulder and wanted to do the same in their house,” Thieman said. Another factor in the minds of the team was playoffs. As the season progresses, each game becomes more important for qualifying in Central Coast Section. “We felt a sense of urgency because we were entering the second half of the league season and were preparing for the playoffs,” Thieman said.

“I’m looking forward to League playoffs and hopefully getting the number two seed in League if we win the rest of our games.” Zander Darby

With these two elements in mind, the team set out to play

their best game and bring home a win. “(Our mindset was to) play hard with intensity and get the win,” senior captain Ryan Stanley said.

“We carried the momentum all the way through the second half and they had no answer.” Ryan Stanley

Unfortunately, the first half was not consistent with what the team had hoped for. By halftime, Paly was down by five goals. “(The first half went) very poorly,” Stanley said. “We were playing lazy defense, and our shots weren’t falling.” Following an unsuccessful first half, halftime offered a brief period for the team to shift their approach. “Basically we wanted to stop playing soft and go 120%,” Stanley said. When the second half began, the team found their groove and began to dominate the pool. Both defense and offense upped their games and evened out the scoregame by the end of the second half. “We shut down their best players, and our shot selection got better,” Stanley said. “We carried the momentum all the way through the second half and they

had no answer.” The game went into overtime, where Paly struck first. However, Mountain View managed to pull off the equalizer by the end of the period. With overtime ending in a tie, the game went on to sudden death. Senior captain Dexter Gormley won the sprint for possession, and Stanley scored soon after, winning the match for the Vikings. The result was largely due to dominant performances by Stanley, who scored five goals, and sophomore Nick Hoffs, who scored four goals. Coming off this victory, the team is excited for the rest of their league games and playoffs.

“We felt a sense of urgency because we were entering the second half of the league season and were preparing for the playoffs.” Luke Thieman

“Next, we have Los Gatos, Wilcox and Gunn, which are all very winnable games,” junior Zander Darby said. “I’m looking forward to League playoffs and hopefully getting the number two seed in League if we win the rest of our games.”

By Jace Purcell

Staff Writer

n Oct. 11, the varsity football team brought home another win against Fremont High School with a score of 42-0. This win at home felt great and the team plans on continuing this success, according to senior captain and safety Kevin Cullen. “Winning at home is the best feeling in the world,” Cullen said. “The roaring crowds along with a favorable scoreboard is an experience that is unmatched.” Junior cornerback Adriel Ontiveros attributes this win to the bond the team has created. “As a team, we’ve become much closer to one another and everyone knows their assignments to the team,” Ontiveros said. “This allows us to work on what we need to for ourselves without having to worry about other people because we have that trust.” For Ontiveros, this relationship holds the team together and leads to the team’s success. When players think of themselves as more than just a football team, they feel more connected and that chemistry reflects on the field. “At first, the season didn’t start how we wanted it to when we lost to Saint Ignatius,” Ontiveros said. “But since that game we’ve been getting closer and improving as a team.” The team’s four-game win streak was ended by Wilcox High School in a nail-biting game with a result of 26-15. “We have definitely improved

as a team, since our first start going on to win all those games,” Ontiveros said. “We wish we beat Wilcox, but now we are focused on what is left in the season.” Despite this loss, the team is keeping a level head, working out their mistakes and focusing on the rest of the season, according to Ontiveros. One of the changes the team hopes to implement is their presence and pressure on the field. “Some things we’ll need to work on is managing the pressure during the games and keep working hard every practice to improve,” Ontiveros said. According to junior lineman Patrick Crowly, a challenge that the team had to overcome this season was the decreased size of their roster from last year. “Low numbers was a problem at the start of the season because we didn’t know how to deal with the stamina,” Crowly said. “Now, we have adjusted our playstyle to adhere to the low number and it has made us much closer and more consistent as a team.” Overall, the team’s chemistry, effort and talent have all played parts in their success. However, for Ontiveros, the biggest factor of their success is the coaches. “Our coaches are truly helpful on and off the field because they show they really care and want you to become better players by pushing you hard in practice,” Ontiveros said. “Without these coaches we wouldn’t be as successful as we are so they deserve a lot of credit for helping us succeed on the field.”

Cross country teams place first in SCVALS

Varsity, freshman boys, girls teams show strong performances at second league conference By Emma Todd Staff Writer

ith three teams placing first, the cross country teams competed in their second Santa Clara Valley Athletic League conference of the season on Oct. 8. Held in Burlingame, varsity boys, freshman boys and varsity girls all placed first. The varsity girls team won by 36 points, and the freshman boys won by 80 points. Junior varsity boys placed second in the conference. Junior Alex Selywn said the boys’ next meet is the Monterey Bay Invitational on Oct. 19. The course is about three miles long, and the second mile is almost entirely uphill. “We will most likely be doing some hill repeats to prepare for this section of the race,” Selywn said. “The last half mile of the race is completely flat, and it’s always important to finish fast, so we will also be doing speed workouts on the track.” Selwyn said his main focus for the rest of the season is staying focused when he is competing. “I tend to lose focus in the

middle of races and get detached from the racing aspect of cross country,” Selywn said. “I sort of lapse into this phase where I’m just going through the motions of running, and I’m not actually present and aware during the race.”

“The team is in fantastic shape, and we’re all hungry for competition and ready to push ourselves past our limits.” Alex Selwyn

Selywn also said he is doing everything he can to stay healthy during the season, including stretching after running, lifting weights at the gym to prevent future injuries and eating healthy food. “I think the season is going great so far,” Selywn said. “The team is in fantastic shape, and we’re all hungry for competition and ready to push ourselves past our limits.”

BHUSAN GUPTA/USED WITH PERMISSION

Zoom! Senior varsity cross country runner Kai Douglas passes her competitors in the second SCVAL conference on Oct. 8. The conference was held at the Baylands where several Paly teams placed first in the meet. As the teams heads towards the end of SCVAL meets, senior Kai Douglas said that although she has suffered injuries, the overall team is doing very well. “The underclassmen have been performing really well which gives me a positive outlook on the end of the season and the next few years,” Douglas said. “The season hasn’t been going the best for me

as an individual because of some injuries I’ve had to deal with, but seeing the team do well motivates me to train hard as I come back from the injury.” Junior Hailey Hwang said the varsity girls team has been doing lots of hill running to prepare for their next meet on as well. “We’ve also been getting solid mileage in and going to the weight

room twice a week,” Hwang said. The team is helped by the addition of a lot of new freshman runners according to Hwang. “I think the team is working hard to push everyone to their full potential,” Hwang said. “Our group workouts create a great environment that allows us to push each other and support each other along the way.”

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Girls field hockey shows improvement Girls tennis aims Team focuses on perfecting foundational skills, applying them to league games to qualify for CCS By Krista Robins

Staff Writer

ith only two games left before league finals, the girls varsity tennis team sets its goal on qualifying for Central Cost Section. Since Oct. 8, the Vikings have won six games and lost one, defeating Saratoga High School and Los Altos High School, but taking losses against Cupertino, Homestead and Los Gatos. After playing against the top teams in its division, junior Noelle Burwell said the team is better prepared for CCS.

JENNA HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE

She steals the ball! Senior captain Emma Siskens receives the ball from her teammate and holds off the defender while playing Saint Francis. Paly lost 1-0 for the second year despite the effort they put into the game. Regardless, they still have a positive mindset on and off the field.

By Kris Risano

Staff Writer

ollowing a disappointing first season last year, the field hockey team has used its previous experiences and its will to work on basic fundamentals to exceed last season’s record.

“This season is all about execution. We have experience playing, and we are working on utilizing what we have learned and applying it to our gameplay.” Lexi Gwyn This year, the team has already more than doubled last year’s results in the win category, and they still have matches to play. The team has managed to stay competitive with teams who beat

them last year, such as St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty. According to junior captain Lexi Gwyn, the team has already improved in all aspects of the game since last season, and it is fun to show this on the field. The team has stayed competitive, and won against many teams they lost to last year. Gwyn said the team has emphasized learning lessons from each game. “This season is all about execution,” Gwyn said. “We have experience playing, and we are working on utilizing what we have learned and applying it into our gameplay.” Since the program is only two years old, coach Jennifer Crane said she wants the team to focus on the basics. “I strongly feel we can improve upon everything,” Crane said. “I believe a strong foundation of basics is essential to a team’s success. Stronger passing, accurate passing, dribbling on the move and receiving are all basic skills I hope to improve upon this season.” Crane said the team is focus-

ing more on what it can control, instead of worrying about the other team.

“Stronger passing accurate passing, dribbling on the move and receiving are all basic skills I hope to improve upon this season.” Jennifer Crane “If we focus on the things that are in our control and prepare for them, then no matter the outcome of the game, we can hold our heads high,” Crane said. Crane said there are many reasons to feel encouraged for this season, due to the enhanced preparation and focus at practice. “We played Saratoga at home and won 1-0,” Crane said. “Saratoga beat us twice last year, so it was encouraging to see the girls

come out a year later and pull out a win.” With the momentum from the Saratoga game, junior Madeline Lohse credits the team’s win against Monta Vista High School to their quick shots. “Our last game was against Monta Vista and we won 2-0,” Lohse said. “I think we performed well because we kept trying to get quick shots on goal and create space so that passing would be easier.” Looking forward, Crane said she wants the team to play hard and maintain a good attitude on and off the field. She also expects the team to continue to use their new knowledge of the game to stay competitive against tougher opponents. “I will encourage the team to play with as much heart and hustle as they did (against Saratoga),” Crane said. The team hopes to continue the recent success against Lynbrook on Oct. 22, making a push for a Central Cost Section playoff run at the end of the season

“If we can become more comfortable with these stressful situations, the team will gain more confidence and consistency, leaving us in a better position.” Myra Xu “Getting the opportunity to play some of the tougher teams in our league will help us prepare for the teams we haven’t played yet, and the teams from different leagues that we might face in CCS,” Burwell said. Yet CCS is only a part of the fighting the team must endure, as the team is set to play its number one competitor in three days.

“The possibility of making CCS is exciting and makes us want to play smarter and work harder to win each match.” Noelle Burwell “Our biggest competition is Cupertino,” Burwell said. “They

play very aggressively and always put up a good fight.”

“Getting the opportunity to play some of the tougher teams in our league will help us prepare for the teams we haven’t played yet.” Noelle Burwell According to Burwell, the team is experiencing angst when playing highly competitive teams. “The idea of playing teams we haven’t yet is a bit stressful, we must practice every scenario possible, mostly tie-break situations,” Burwell said. “Practicing and getting as comfortable as possible with discouraging matches will help us be successful in CCS.” Junior Myra Xu said recent losses are a result of the team’s lack of consistency in its tie break situations, and the best way to prepare for the finals and CCS is to practice the scenarios. “If we can become more comfortable with these stressful situations the team will gain more confidence and consistency, leaving us in a better position,” Xu said. According to Burwell, the competition is pushing the girls to strive for their goals. “The possibility of making CCS is exciting and makes us want to play smarter and work harder to win each match,” Burwell said. Although the team is pleased with how they have performed so far this season, their aspirations are still set high as they hope to do well in CCS, according to junior co- captain Rachel Owens. Owens said she hopes to carry the team to victory this season after its disappointment from last year where the team lost in the semi-final. “We came so close last year,” Owens said. “We are really looking forward to redeeming ourselves.”

Girls volleyball alters routine Girls golf remains undefeated

Team implements new drills, activities into pregame rituals Team starts preparing for upcoming tournaments and games By Andrew Toteda Staff Writer

JENNA HICKEY/VIKING MAGAZINE

Ace! Junior Kylie Mies serves the ball against Monta Vista Oct. 8, which gave her team one of the 25 points it scored in the first set of the match. Paly came out with the win, defeating the Matadors 3-1.

By Sloan Wuttke Staff Writer

unior Sophia Krugler said she has noticed the girls volleyball team frequently struggling to take the lead at the beginning of matches, possibly suffering from inconsistent performances. “Our last two games we won in three sets, but prior to that, we’ve been losing a lot of sets in the first half of games so we need to stay consistent,” Krugler said.

“Moving forward, we need to come in with a more focused mindset from the very start, whereas before we were a little bit more relaxed.” Kimi Lillios Junior Kimi Lillios said the team’s losses of sets early on may relate to their warm-up routines, which she says are not intensive enough.

“We began our games kind of slow, so now we’re trying to incorporate more discipline into our warm-up routines,” Lillios said. “Moving forward, we need to come in with a more focused mindset from the very start, whereas before we were a little bit more relaxed.” Following a pattern of repeated losses in the first few sets, the team captains held a meeting to discuss how they’d improve their warm-up routines to better prepare them for gameplay. “We needed to change our pregame routine to start with more energy, so we introduced new things like drills, jogging to the net and back and stretching,” Krugler said. “These new elements added to our warm-up routines will really help us when we’re on the court and prevent injuries.” Junior Trisha Razdan, said she is hopeful that these changes will result in future wins. “It (warm-ups) can give us (the team) the confidence that we are ready to play strong,” Razdan said. “Warm-ups are crucial to gameplay, and to know that our team is trying hard to improve shows how determined we all are and how much we care about the

future successes of our team.” Even though the faulty warmup routines haven’t evidently caused the team to lose, Lillios says the warm-ups will soon be critical to future gameplay. “Once we start to face higher teams and more competitive teams in CCS and beyond, it’ll be more crucial to start the game strong rather than having to play catch up throughout the game,” Lillios said.

“These new elements added to our warm-up routines will really help us when we’re on the court and also prevent injury.” Sophia Krugler Moving forward, Krugler said she and her teammates are hopeful based on their progress thus. Krugler said, “We hope we can qualify for CCS open this year and the only way to do that is to come out on top of our league and fix these minor problems, which we’re all doing so far.”

aintaining their streak with nine wins and zero losses, the girls golf team continues to sink its opponent’s aspirations. On Tuesday, the team played Los Gatos, winning by 14 strokes: 207-193. They will play Los Gatos again on Thursday for their last friendly match of the season, and the team expects a similar outcome. With the team’s spot as number one in their league assured, head coach Doyle Knight has turned his attention to the upcoming tournaments. “So far no team has really given us any competition,” Knight said. “Not because they’re not good,

it’s just that we are better. Our league tournament next Tuesday at Santa Teresa Golf Course will be a much better test of our skills. (Our rivals) Valley Christian and Harker both have really good teams this year, so the girls are looking forward to the challenge.”

“So far no team has really given us any competition.” Doyle Knight The team won their previous tournament, the Helen Lengfeld Invitational at Poplar Creek on Sept. 23, by a large margin. Because of this, senior team captain Priya Bakshi is looking to replicate her team’s success at this year’s De Anza League.

“We are really happy with how we played at the Helen Lengfeld Invitational,” Bakshi said. “It gave us a big confidence boost going into our matches for the rest of the season, as well as for CCS, NorCals and States.” Coach Knight knows that his roster is stacked going into the upcoming competitions. “As individuals, the girls hold the top five of six spots in the league, with Katherine Sung being the top player in our league,” Knight said. All six starters are in the top 11 of the league, according to Bakshi, so the team is expected to do well. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, because this is what we’ve been leading up to for the past two months,” Bakshi said. “We’re all really starting to see our hard work pay off.”

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

BRAND END RSEMENT

y a p r i a f t

New bill allows college athletes in California to make mon

his year alone, dozens of Paly athletes have committed to play for Division I colleges such as Fresno State, Stanford University and UCLA. They will not only represent their school at every game, but also the brand their school has made a deal with. An unmissable Nike swoosh is stitched in the corner of the jersey of every player on the University of Michigan football team. The Under Armour logo is plastered on the shoes of all UCLA basketball players. These Division I colleges rake in tens of millions of dollars per year on athletic company brand deals — yet their athletes receive no share of the profit. However, in 2023, that will change for collegiate athletes in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “Fair Pay to Play” act on Sept. 30, which will allow collegiate athletes at both private and public universities in California to hire agents and make money from brand endorsement deals. The bill takes eﬀect in 2023 and received overwhelming bipartisan support — the vote was unanimous in the state assembly and 31-5 in the state senate. According to Newsom, the bill was passed in an eﬀort to

make big-money college sports more fair for the athletes themselves. Peter Snodgrass, a 2017 Paly graduate and long snapper for the Northwestern University football team, supports the bill’s sentiment.

ers Association to create a union for student-athletes nationwide in the “All Players United movement” — and according to the NCPA’s website, one of their main goals was to “eliminate restrictions on legitimate employment and players ability to directly benefit from commercial opportunities.” According to Snodgrass, the bill reorganizes the power between the NCAA and student athletes and gives student athletes an opportunity to use their voice in matters involving the use of their name, image and likeness. Some other vocal supporters of the bill include Warriors players Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, and Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. “(The current laws don’t) make any sense,” Green said during a Warriors press conference on the day the act was passed. “(Colleges) can make all the money oﬀ your likeness, and the moment you decide to make some money oﬀ your likeness, you can’t play (for your college) anymore. You’re ineligible. You’re suspended. It’s backwards.” Professional basketball players Lebron James and Ed O’Bannon

“(The current laws don’t)

$280 million

make any sense. (Colleges)

can make all the money off your likeness, and the

moment you decide to make

some money off your likeness,

UCLA revenue from 2016 under armour deal

you can’t play (for your college) anymore.”

draymond green “(Student-athletes) are putting all their time into the sport, and they’re really not seeing any benefit — meanwhile, universities are making millions and millions of dollars,” Snodgrass said. “Our school has a $100 million (television) deal just because of the football team, and not a single dime of that is going to the guys on the team.” In 2014, several players on the Northwestern team worked with the National College Play-

UCla athlete revenue

Tex

The Campanile

Friday, October 18, 2019

BRAND END RSEMENT

y to play

ney off brand usage of their name, image or likeness in 2023. sat alongside the Governor as he signed the bill, and have shown strong support for it. O’Bannon won a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA in 2014 where the judge ruled the NCAA’s use of names, images and likenesses of college athletes without compensation violated antitrust law. The NCAA has raised concerns about the logistics of the bill once it comes into effect in 2023, though. In a statement the organization released just after the signing of the bill, they say the bill “is creating confusion for current and future student-athletes, coaches, administrators and campuses, not just in California.” When the bill was still being debated, the NCAA urged the governor to veto it, saying it would blur the lines between amateur and professional athletics. The bill also conflicts with NCAA bylaws, which state that college athletes cannot make money oﬀ appearances or be paid for athletic brand endorsements. The organization also said that if a change in the policies regarding college athletes and endorsements is implemented, it ought to be reflected nationwide. According to the NCAA, implementing the bill exclusively in California would give California schools an unfair recruiting advantage. Alexa Malone, the Associate

Director of Football Recruiting Operations at Stanford University, and Scott Swegan, Stanford Director of Communications for football and golf both said they did not want to comment on the issue and referred a Campanile reporter to the university’s statement, which echoes part of the NCAA’s sentiment.

Snodgrass, one consequence of the California bill, regardless of whether or not it is implemented on a national level, could be potential improper use by recruiters. “What stops a major donor from saying, ‘Hey, tell this recruit that if he comes here, I will give him $1 million to be the face of my car dealership?” Snodgrass said. “Some of these (recruiters) and these donors will severely inflate their value just to get these kids to go to the schools.” Lawmakers in states including Washington, Maryland, New York, Minnesota and South Carolina have already introduced or are moving to introduce similar legislature, and the NCAA has said that they are looking into next steps. “(The bill will) give a lot of (athletes) an opportunity to benefit from putting their lives on the line,” Snodgrass said. “And also to finally see some rewards and benefits from these 40 plus hours a week put in just for their sport.”

“(Student-athletes) are

putting all their time into

the sport, and they’re really not seeing any benefit — meanwhile, universities

are making millions and millions of dollars.”

Peter Snodgrass In this statement, Stanford University says it supports the goal of improving flexibility in the use of the names, images and likeness of student-athletes, but that “true progress can only be achieved when it is undertaken at the national level, with appropriate safeguards against unintended consequences.” According to

xt, art & design by Adora zheng Design by Benjamin Stein art by Lucy nemerov & shiva mohsenian

What athletes received from the $192.6 million in revenue the texas a&m athletic dept. made in 2016

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

SPORTS

Controversy regarding Backpacking benefits physicality and mindset P.E. grading system Athletes maintain their athleticism during the offseason through backpacking adventures By Krista Robins

Staff Writer

fter a strenuous crosscountry season, thensophomore Ella Miranz expected to sail through the remainder of her physical education course, but found herself struggling to succeed in the class. Now a junior, Miranz has been able to reflect on her sophomore year and is questioning the grading system. P.E. teachers often hold athletes to a higher standard in terms of grading in an effort to keep a balance between the athletes and non-athletes. This has created a rift among student athletes as they fear their grades are based on the fact that they play sports, according to Miranz. “I always tried my best in any P.E. run or activity,” Miranz said. “While completing a graded run, I was given points off, as my teacher believed I could have completed the run faster than I had. Regardless of the fact that I was trying my hardest, I was judged based on how I was an athlete and therefore expected to be one of the fastest in my class, which was not the case.”

“We definitely hold them to a higher standard as far as their participation and their attitude in class.” Stacey Kofman

While she acknowledges that grading students based on their physical abilities is difficult to assess, Miranz said that steps can be taken in order to create a more level playing field. “Relative to the preconceived idea that P.E. teachers would have a bias toward student-athletes, it’s actually on the contrary,” Miranz said. “I think it’s important for teachers to establish a more level mindset toward grading student athletes and non-student-athletes.” P.E. teacher Stacey Kofman said the department expects stu-

By Sloan Wuttke

dent athletes to be role models and perform better than their peers in fitness testing and graded assignments.

“I was in the last period of P.E. which is where the majority of athletes are put.” Ella Miranz

“We definitely hold them to a higher standard as far as their participation and their attitude in class, we want them to be leaders,” Kofman said. Kofman said all studentathletes are expected to strive for the Viking standard: Times and scores set for overachieving students, primarily athletes. “We hope that our student athletes are making the P.E. standard for fitness testing, but we really want all our athletes to hit the Viking standard for all our fitness standards and assessments, regardless of the sport they play,” Kofman said. Junior Lulu Gaither, who plays both varsity lacrosse and water polo, believes it is unacceptable to have points deducted for not reaching the overwhelming goals set for athletes in P.E. “I was in the last period of P.E. which is where the majority of athletes are put,” Gaither said. “We would often have to go above and beyond to reach an unattainable standard. Yet even though I would give my full effort, if I was unable to reach most of the preset athlete standards.” Peter Diepenbrock, the head of the Paly P.E. department, said teachers are working toward creating a fair grading system for students and student athletes. Staff observed that nonathletes don’t put in the time to improve their performance on athletic tests, so they decided to grade the performance as an incentive. Diepenbrock said, “Maybe that would motivate them to try and improve throughout the year, as student athletes are always expected to improve.”

Staff Writer

ituated on the ridges of the Teton range, junior Alexa Gwyn peers above the jagged lines encapsulating Wyoming’s natural artistry. Looming over the Idaho border, the Teton range rises to an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet. While scaling a mountain this tall might strike fear in most people, Gwyn is not most people. “I realized I wanted to push myself and try something new and to retain my athleticism during the off-season for field hockey,” Gwyn said. “My brother had done a backpacking trip before and loved it, so I decided to give it a try and I was soon hooked.” Backpacking, although seemingly uncomplicated, can be a gruesome and mentally challenging sport. It requires one to carry their life necessities on their backs for up to months at a time, according to Gwyn. “Backpacking isn’t always going to be fun while you’re doing it,” Gwyn said. “It can be cold, difficult and painful. Gusts of wind could blow away your kitchen tarp as rain pierces your face at 60 mph. It truly is a sport both mentally and physically and tests your limits.”

“Going backpacking is a big stress reliever for me.” Sasha Lehrer

Because of these challenges, Gwyn said backpacking can be beneficial in expanding an athlete’s physical and mental strength. “Backpacking improves your endurance, improves your mental state and pushes your limits in every aspect, which is helpful if you’re trying to improve in sports,” Gwyn said. Junior Sasha Lehrer said she also experienced these improvements, as backpacking has helped her decrease her race times in both track and cross country. “I’ve seen improvements in my 800 meter dash times for track and field as well as cross country

ALEXA GWYN / USED WITH PERMISSION

Life depends on a single strand of rope. Lexi Kranich belays one of the members in her rope team as they ascend the Grand Teton. Kranich said, “We had to trust each other with out lives as others would do the same for us.” times, which I think was partially due to backpacking,” Lehrer said. “These improvements could have been a combination of how backpacking has mentally and physically challenged me.” The benefits of backpacking are also supported by scientific evidence. Paly biology and human anatomy teacher Randy Scilingo, an avid backpacker, notes the physiological changes in human adaptation when backpacking. “When in high-altitude environments like in backpacking, humans produce new red blood cells that are more capable of supplying oxygen as they’re acclimated to a more intensive environment,” Scilingo said. “Those new and improved red blood cells are sent to their muscles and organs, which can then improve physicality and endurance.” In addition to improving physical health, Lehrer said that backpacking can relieve stress and provide periods of mental relaxation. “Going backpacking is a big stress reliever for me because it reminds me that there are other

things that are worth experiencing and dedicating time to,” Lehrer said. “Taking time to let my brain just think helps me mentally and physically by giving me more energy, but, more importantly, more focused energy that I can put towards my sports.”

“Through backpacking, I’ve learned that life isn’t so complicated; at least, it doesn’t have to be.” Lexi Gwyn

Junior Benny McShea, a decathlete, said student athletes should find time for mental relaxation because it is key to strong athletic performance. “If you’re overwhelmed by school or sports, you have to set aside time to relax your headspace and backpacking is a great way to do just that,” McShea said. Gwyn notes that mental relaxation and physical exercise culti-

vates a healthy mindset that most may find unachievable. And in attaining this aspired, serene mindset, one will often transform their values and priorities. “Through backpacking, I’ve learned that life isn’t so complicated; at least, it doesn’t have to be,” Gwyn said. “If we look out for one another, listen to ourselves, and listen to others, life becomes a whole lot easier.” Mental and physical restoration through activities like backpacking is instrumental to achieving a physiological equilibrium and peace of mind, Gwyn said. And in her case, she achieved just that through her treacherous uphill treks. Gwyn said, “You’ll step foot where no man has ever stepped foot, and when you reach that peak where the horizon uncovers itself from behind the sharp moving rocks and you feel the sun touch your face, you can exhale, because it was all worth it and things that seemed so important in your stressful, pressure-filled life, suddenly don’t seem so important anymore.”

Cupping therapy offers pain relief for competitive student athletes Medical method for increasing blood flow throughout the body has helped many students recover from their competitive sports seasons ping over any other tension release method due to experiencing less pain since receiving treatment. “I get it done every one or two weeks on my right shoulder and upper back,” Henry said. “It helps loosen my muscles and not have any muscle pain.” Cupping has also been used by baseball players who train in the off-season and continuously utilize their arms in drills to strengthen their trapezius in preparation for the season, senior varsity baseball player Dean Casey said.

“Once I stopped my rehab, I noticed that my back was constantly tight, so I started cupping regularly.” Grace Thayer

LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE

Muscle clenching, ouch! Senior volleyball player Grace Thayer lies down as she prepares for her cupping appointment. Thayer attends these appointments twice a week, even during the offseason, as being a competitive athlete strains her body and causes pain. Thayer said, “I started using cupping after I fractured my spine for the first time.”

By Leila Khan

Managing Editor

wice a week, during season as well as off-season, senior Grace Thayer makes her way to the Peery Center for a regular cupping appointment. Cupping has become a popular method for reducing muscle tension and removing knots in the body for athletes playing competitive high school sports, but is more effective when paired with other muscle treatments. It involves a suction on the skin where the negative pressure loosens muscles and allows for more blood flow. According to Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and Paly athletic trainers, cupping sedates the nervous system and relieves back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, rheu-

matism and cellulite. Athletic trainer Justine Iongi, who is known by students as Mrs. E, said she utilizes the cupping mechanism on two to three students per day. “Cupping is considered an instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization technique for myofascial release,” Iongi said. “In a perfect world, the fascia that surrounds your muscles moves independently from muscles. But, adhesions happen when the muscle and fascia collide and get stuck, and that’s when you feel tightness or restriction in your movement.” Cupping lifts the fasia from the muscle and helps return the athlete’s full range of motion in that part of their body, according to Iongi. However, she uses the cupping treatment as her last resort because other methods are easier and

less painful. Thayer said she combines cupping with other muscle rehabilitation techniques, including electrostimulation therapy, scraping and cryotherapy.

“Cupping is considered an instrument-assisted soft tissue technique or myofascial release.” Justine Iongi

“I get cupped on my shoulders, back, calves and my upper legs once a week,” Thayer said. “I’ll do legs at the same time and then back and shoulders together the next day.” Thayer has experienced two

different types of cupping based on the preference of the two athletic trainers, and she said both are beneficial in different ways. “Mrs. E does this painful technique where she suctions cups and then drags them to break up your knots, and Bryan does an acupuncture-like less painful technique,” Thayer said. Thayer has had several severe injuries in her athletic career. Before freshman year, she fractured her spine while playing beach volleyball. Both times, cupping helped, she said. “Once I stopped my rehab, I noticed that my back was constantly tight, so I started getting cupped regularly and that was the best I had felt in a year,” Thayer said. According to Iongi, there is no particular sport that garners more cupping treatment than others,

as it depends on how often the athlete is training and what they specifically do in their position, which directly affects the tension of their muscles.

“I can’t walk sometimes because my muscles hurt so much, but then I get cupped and (the pain) goes away.” Grace Thayer

“For example, water polo players swim a ton for conditioning, and they also throw a lot, so their upper shoulders and traps are tight,” Iongi said. Freshman water polo player Paige Henry said she prefers cup-

Casey said he uses cupping in unison with other treatments including electro stimulation, which utilizes pads that send shocks to muscles to activate them, and GameReady, a wrap that goes around a certain body part that fills with ice water. “I get it all across my back and down the shoulder and arm of my throwing side,” Casey said. “I don’t necessarily prefer it over other methods because it would work in unison with other treatments (such as) general stretching out on a table with the trainer, electro stimulation and GameReady.” Some students continuously use the technique and suffer more pain if they stop receiving treatment. “I can’t walk sometimes because my muscles hurt so much, but then I get cupped and (the pain) goes away,” Thayer said. Although some are skeptical about the effectiveness of cupping alone, it has become a valuable technique in muscle treatment for student athletes when paired with other methods.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

SCIENCE & TECH

Abuse of Xanax yields consequences Computer science pathway hopes Students misuse the medication recreationally without a prescription to implement engineering courses By Neil Kapoor News & Opinion Editor

ollowing a national trend to expand high school STEM curricula, the Paly Career Technical Education department and administration are in the early stages of proposing new engineering courses for next school year.

ART BY SHIVA MOHSENIAN

By Paige Knoblock

Multimedia Editor

s a Paly senior girl is handed a single white pill, she considers the consequence: short-term relief but long-term drawbacks. After a lengthy deliberation, her decision ultimately comes down to a consideration of the pill’s addictive nature, and she decides to stay away for now. The senior agreed to be interviewed anonymously because she is taking part in an illegal activity — obtaining and using Alprazolam, which is widely known by its brand name, Xanax, without a prescription. The highly addictive sedative is being used increasingly by teenagers illegally for recreational purposes. “They are sedating,” said Dr. Anna Lembke, author of ‘Drug Dealer, M.D.’ and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stanford University. “They relieve anxiety acutely. They are hypnotic in that they help people fall asleep.” The drug is a benzodiazepine, a class of drug that is often used among teenagers and is second to cannabis as the most commonly used drug by adolescents. “When you’re looking at drugs not including alcohol, it’s a very common drug of abuse of use or misuse among adolescents,” Lemke said.

Xanax prescriptions have increased 9% per year since 2006. It is one of the most highly prescribed drugs for anxiety and the number one prescribed psychiatric medication, according to the AddictionCenter.com. As word spreads about the dangers of opioids, some teens turn instead to abusing benzodiazepine drugs, which are commonly available in parents’ medicine cabinets, according to a report published in 2018 by the Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan organization. The drug was created to boost gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in the central nervous system, which responds to the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid. Gamma aminobutyric acid’s main role in the nervous system is to regulate neuronal excitement throughout the nervous system. A male senior at Paly, who requested to remain anonymous because he is participating in illegal drug use, said he got access to the drug from a friend with a prescription. This senior is not the only student at Paly who uses Xanax, as he previously sold it on behalf of his friend who paid him to sell the pills. The student said although they sold the pills for a short amount of time, they sold to

many students. “It was somewhat popular,” the senior said. Healthcare professionals do not recommend that Xanax be prescribed to people under 18 because of its addictive nature. According to Lembke, once someone uses an addictive prescription drug like Xanax, it can become a vicious circle of anxiety and overmedicating, and if used long enough, Xanax can cause users to need a higher dose of the drug to feel the same effects. “It’s called neural adaptation, where the brain gets used to seeing the drug, builds up a tolerance and needs more to get the same effect users become are dependent and experience withdrawals,” Lemke said. As users’ dependence on the drug increases, they often feel anxiety about their addiction. This can cause them to selfmedicate and use a higher dose of Xanax without any medical oversight, leading then to an increased level of anxiety. “The danger happens with these drugs when people take them in high doses, and/or for a long period of time ... they are not meant to be taken for weeks to months to years,” Lembke said. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe, so if a student becomes addicted to Xanax, getting off the drug can be a long, painful process, experts say.

“Personally, I think it’s ridiculous that schools within the same state have different curriculums and offer different classes.” Jordan Lee

CTE Instructional Lead Deanna Chute, who is involved in the discussion to potentially offer these new engineering courses, is part of a committee structure through the National Academy Foundation, a network of education, business and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career and future-ready. “The big picture is a more substantive program, linking to internships and certifications, to make you certified or hireable in some way for real experience,” Chute said. “That’s what NAF is known for.” Superintendent Don Austin said the partnership with NAF began after the district decided to develop CTE programs at Paly and Gunn high schools. “Last spring, site leadership at the high schools identified top areas of needs in regards to pathway development,” Austin said. “The selection of the pathway was decided based on students’ interests, parent communications, site leadership consultation and teacher input. The district is supporting site leadership in the expansion of the Paly Engineering pathway and the creation of a business

pathway at Gunn.” However, the approval of any possible proposal will face challenges. “We are going through our due diligence process right now to explore what, if anything, will happen next year,” Chute said. “Two markers of importance are if a new course is going to be approved by the board, we’d need to know that before Thanksgiving this year … The other thing to consider is that the course guide is published before we break for Winter Break. Once January comes, they’re already at middle schools registering for classes.” NAF’s role is facilitating what is known as the “Year of Planning” process, according to Austin. “YOP allows school sites to formalize their pathway development as well as build in the necessary work-based learning experiences to gain certification,” Austin said. Principal Adam Paulson said Paly is financially prepared for the potential new courses. “As it will not require any extra funding,” Paulson said. “Building a new pathway will take some time, and in the beginning, we can utilize the teachers we have. We may need to bring more teachers on depending on the size and scope of the pathway, but we will not know this information until we develop and offer some initial classes.” While Paly and District leaders seem enthusiastic about the potential new courses, senior Jordan Lee, who took two years of computer science at Paly, said developing an engineering pathway is more complicated than it may appear. “It’s such a mixed bag, in that there are a lot of pros and cons to weigh,” Lee said. “I’m not going to say no to increasing the size of the engineering department. It’s definitely a smart move by the administration. Engineering is a really lucrative industry, and in an area such as ours, it’s really good for the school to pump out engineering-focused students.”

However, Lee said the efforts aimed at the pathway may divert attention from other pressing issues. “Personally, I think it’s ridiculous that schools within the same state have different curriculums and offer different classes,” Lee said. “This is inequality of opportunity. Schools get most of their funding from local funding, which is another word for property taxes. Basically, if you’re wealthy you get a better funded education provided by the government than someone poorer. It perpetuates the system of rich getting richer.” Instead, Lee said he believes Paly should focus on improving the many programs that already exist. Although the pathway would only be for Paly, Chute said her efforts require close collaboration with administration and the district.

“The pathway was decided based on students’ interests, parent communications, site leadership consultation and teacher input.” Don Austin

“I want to say that obviously nothing happens without admin support,” Chute said. “So I’m constantly meeting with Dr. Keating weekly about this, and I’m very connected to the district. Dr. Choe is my boss for the past four years. She’s in charge from the district end, she’s cultivated this partnership with NAF, and she’s working with Gunn.” Austin remains optimistic about the efforts to implement new engineering courses. Austin said, “I am excited about the potential of the proposed pathways. Time will tell if they resonate with our students and add value to our school sites.”

Long-lasting impacts of familial corporal punishment Students, staff discuss the future effects of physical discipline on childhood development, relationship between children and parents By Benjamin Stein

Staff Writer

hen a male Paly junior got in trouble with his eighth-grade teacher, his only request was that the teacher didn’t tell his parents. He, like many other students, grew up in a family that used physical discipline to keep him in line. “My parents hit my rear end or my hand with a big salad spoon,” said the student, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that his name not be used. “It happened quite a bit until I was 13.” Spanking. Wrist-slapping. Ear-pulling. The list of corporal punishments goes on.

“So for one person, (physical discipline) may have been cathartic, or it may have taught them life lessons. But for another person it may have traumatized them from the first moment.” Christopher Farina

Despite several state laws banning physical discipline at school and attempting to curtail it at home, some parents continue to practice physical discipline on their children. For students who grew up in homes where corporal punishment was used as a form of discipline, the issue is polarizing. While some students praise the effectiveness of corporal punishment, others decry its longterm effects. Physical discipline typically occurs when children are younger and more prone to breaking rules, but the specifics of how corporal punishment is dealt vary by case. For most, the punishment came in the form of hitting, wrist slapping, and in the case of another male Paly junior, who did not want his family to be identified and asked that his name not be used in the story, even be-

ing hit with a plastic sword. The usual actions that elicited corporal punishment were misbehaving in school and breaking household rules. “One cause would be if I got in trouble at school,” the second student said. “(Another would be) if I got physical or got into fights with other people.” Another Paly student, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the threshold for physical discipline in his household was much lower. “It was the norm,” the student said. “When I displeased my parents, they hit me.” For most students, physical discipline was much more effective than other forms of punishment. Students who received corporal punishment noticed that they were less likely to repeat an action when it resulted in physical discipline. “Imagine that there is one kid that gets slapped and another that gets a talking-to,” the third student said. “What would prevent the kid from not breaking the rules again? Obviously the kid that got slapped wouldn’t want to get slapped again.” A female Paly junior, who did not want to be named to avoid recognition, said that physical discipline was a way for her parents to teach her a lesson so that she wouldn’t be able to ignore or disregard. “It got me to listen to them,” the student said. “It is definitely harsh, but in terms of effectiveness, it got me in line quickly.” However, early childhood development teacher Hilary McDaniel said that physical discipline does not teach children the right type of lesson. “(Corporal punishment) doesn’t teach them the lesson as much as it teaches them to fear the punisher,” McDaniel said. “Children do not learn why their actions are wrong, just that they get hurt when they do them.” Paly psychology teacher Christopher Farina also said that corporal punishment is less effective for two main reasons: it has the effect of teaching children that violence solves problems and

SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST ART BY SHIVA MOHSENIAN

does not help children distinguish between what they should and shouldn’t do.

“I guess their actions kind of confused me when I was younger because I loved my parents, but at the same time they caused the most pain I had ever experienced, and I had trouble feeling completely comfortable around them.” Anonymous

“The child may think that they can use that general principle of violence to deal with other issues,” Farina said. “(Corporal punishment also) teaches kids to circumvent or mask bad behavior rather than entirely ceasing that bad behavior.” When it comes to the long-

term effects of corporal punishment, disparities emerge between the experiences of different students. According to the student, while some people regard the discipline as instrumental in their upbringing and a way in which their parents taught them what not to do, others feel that it has fractured their relationship with their parents. Farina said that this is primarily because different people have unique reactions to different events. “So for one person, (physical discipline) may have been cathartic, or it may have taught them life lessons,” Farina said. “But for another person it may have traumatized them from the first moment.” In McDaniel’s eyes, the risk of causing lasting psychological harm to a child does not outweigh the possible benefits of corporal punishment. “Depending on the child and the relationship, (corporal punishment) may not have a long term negative influence,” McDaniel said. “But you don’t know if (corporal punishment) is the tool that makes the table fall apart, so you

are taking a risk there, and you don’t want to do that with a child.” Regardless, the student whose parents used a salad spoon to discipline him considers the punishment as beneficial and that he would likely use corporal punishment with his future children. “I’m already pretty poorly behaved, and I think I would be worse (if I did not receive physical discipline),” the student said. “I would physically discipline my kids.”

“I’m already pretty poorly behaved, and I think I would be worse (if I did not receive physical discipline). I would physically discipline my kids.” Anonymous

McDaniel attributes this attitude to the psychological theme of regression toward the familiar. “It is very easy and natural to revert back to how you were raised

and what happened to you (when raising you own children),” McDaniel said. In contrast to the reaction of the male junior, the female junior said that the physical discipline confused and scared her as a child, and has had lasting effects on how she interacts with her parents. “I guess their actions kind of confused me when I was younger because I loved my parents, but at the same time they caused the most pain I have ever experienced and I had trouble feeling completely comfortable around them,” the student said. “This defined our relationship because I still find it difficult to feel completely at ease around them and flinch if they make any sudden movements.” Instead of using corporal punishment to discipline children, Farina recommends nonviolent punishment followed by positive feedback that emphasizes the desired behavior. “(Initially), I may verbally scold or warn my child,” Farina said. “However, the ultimate long term goal would be to replace that (bad) behavior with a desired behavior by reinforcing that behavior instead.”

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Campanile

SCIENCE

TECH

S A M E BUT DIFFERENT THE

unior Joe Hillesland is right handed while his brother Samuel Hillesland is left handed. Joe’s hair goes in one direction while Sam’s goes in the other. Whenever the brothers face each other, it is almost as if they are staring into a mirror, as their physical features are essentially identical, but on opposite sides. Joe and Samuel are identical mirror twins and share 100% of their genes with each other. Their whole lives, they’ve had similar tendencies and noticed common interests, from musical instruments to video games to friends. “When one of us does something, the other usually does it too because we are around each other all the time, so we develop similar hobbies,” Joe said. Another set of identical twins, juniors Lauren and Lana Purdy, have almost everything in common. They have the same classes, the same facial features and the same fears; they can even communicate with each other without talking. The Purdy’s have observed special habits like simultaneously thinking of the same song or accidentally wearing identical outfits. “We both are comfortable expressing our emotions easily,” Lauren said. “We also have the same sense of humor, which is really cool. A huge thing we have in common is that we both have trouble speaking in front of large groups and any presentations or debates freak both of us out.” Unlike identical twins, fraternal twins share 50% of their genes and can even be different sexes. According to AP Psychology teacher Christopher Farina, since identical twins are genetically the same person, they are likely to have more similarities compared to fraternal twins. “If they’re identical (twins), then you have 100% shared genes, so there are going to be some aspects of yourself that are 100% identical, or very heavily influenced, more so than if we were to compare them to just fraternal twins,” Farina said. “So things that we’d be looking at would be temperament, personality and physical traits for identical twins.” However, even though identical twins share the same DNA, aspects of personality can differ between twins, according to Farina. “Not everything about your personality is coded for in your genetics, but your genetics is a strong basis for (personality),” Farina said. “(Genetics) has a relatively greater influence on personality than does your experience out in the world, but it’s not the whole story.” Although the Purdy twins have pursued similar lifestyles, according to both of the twins, one has always been more extroverted than the other. “I am more outgoing, and I also have stronger opinions that I’m more vocal about,” Lauren said.

“Lana is a lot calmer and keeps what she thinks to herself most of the time.” Fraternal twins, although born on the same day, are no different than normal siblings, according to Farina. Fraternal twins are born when two eggs are fertilized by two different sperm cells, thus producing two genetically different offspring. “Fraternal twins don’t have the same genetic material,” Farina said. “So the way that they would be similar is that they’re both growing up with a person the same age, in the same household — generally, in the same environment.” Seniors Maddy and Jackson Druker are fraternal twins and although they have observed many similarities, their personalities are distinct, according to Maddy. “One of our biggest personality differences is our political views,” Maddy said. “Jackson is much more right-leaning than I am. Surprisingly, people have asked me if I have the same views as my brother because we’re twins, but we are different people.” Although the Druker twins get along well and do many things together, according to Jackson, their interests are very contrasting. “She’s more introverted, and I’m more extroverted,” Jackson said. “She’s more into arts and science, while I’m more interested in math, history, politics, and athletics. She also procrastinates a lot less than I do.” According to Farina, because fraternal twins only share 50% of the same genes, they are less likely to have the same diseases or have the same personality traits, unlike identical twins. “The other way that they (fraternal twins) can be different (from identical twins) is there’s more of a potential for them to have differences in terms of genetically-based things,” Farina said. “Whether that’s risk factors for different diseases, or something like personality, they have the potential to be more different because they don’t share 100% of the genes — they only share 50%.” According to Farina, studying the differences in personalities of twins can be traced back to the study of behavior genetics, the study of the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. This is otherwise known as the natureversus-nurture debate in psychology. Nurture refers to the environment, including people and social constructs, whereas nature is concerned with biology and genetics. Farina said personality differences in identical twins can be attributed to the nurture side. “There is still a relatively strong role for the environment in the development of your personality,” Farina said. “So even though identical twins tend to, on average, to be more alike in terms of their personality than even fraternal twins, there are still environmental effects that will cause them to be different, or could reinforce the similarities.”

“One of our biggest personality differences is our political views ... Surprisingly, people have asked me if I have the same views as my brother because we’re twins, but we are different people.” MADDY DRUKER

Th e Pu r d y Tw i n s

The Hillesland Twins

Th e Dr u k er Tw i n s FRATERNAL TWINS:

50% shared genes IDENTICAL TWINS:

76% increase in twin birth rate from 1980 to 2009 according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

100% shared genes according to AP Psychology teacher Christopher Farina

40% of twins have a secret language according to PubMed.gov

TEXT, DESIGN & ART BY REBEKAH LIMB DESIGN BY PAIGE KNOBLOCK