Friday March 1, 2019
The Campanile
Vol. CI, No. 7
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Governor Gavin Newsom appoints multiple Paly alumni to staff positions
Alumni staff includes Kate Gordon, Jason Elliot, Catheron Lhamon, Nadine Harris By Adora Zheng
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Staff Writer
aly alumni are making their presence felt in Sacramento. In the last seven weeks, Newsom has appointed four Paly graduates to key positions in his administration. Kate Gordon (’91) became the new director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research; Jason Elliott (’01) the Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Executive Branch Operations; Catherine Lhamon (’88), the governor’s legal affairs secretary and Nadine Burke Harris (‘92), California’s first Surgeon General.
“(Gordon) was one of the most confident students I've ever had. From a young age, she would come across as poised in everything she did.” Arne Lim
“That’s an impressive little group,” Newsom said during a recent surprise visit to The Campanile, acknowledging he had been unaware of their common high school alma mater. He even went so far as to call several of them “rockstars” and praised all of them for their talents and strong capabilities.
ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE
Gavin Newsom visited Paly students and talked about topics ranging from education to his personal life. Kate Gordon Gordon was choir president her senior year at Paly, and was driven and diligent. “She was one of the most confident students I’ve ever had,” Arnie Lim, Math Instructional Leader who taught Gordon at Paly, said. “From a young age, she would come across as poised in everything she did.” Gordon studied housing and economic development at Wesleyan University. After discovering her talents in housing law, she became a tenant rights organizer and met then supervisor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco.
In 1998, Gordon went to law school at UC Berkeley and got a job at a law firm. However, her mentor at the firm was involved in a serious car accident and was away for a year. “It just changed the whole experience of working there for me,” Gordon said. “I decided not to stay as a lawyer and another opportunity came up.” After leaving the firm, Gordon returned to her hometown of Madison, Wisconsin to work at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, which her friend ran at the time. There, she headed a project that linked clean energy and eco-
nomic development and found her passion — she’s worked in energy and climate for the last 15 years. “It wasn’t at all a linear trajectory, but I think that’s true for most people,” Gordon said. Gordon’s expertise in climate change, clean energy and economic development contributed to Newsom’s decision to ask her to join his team as Office of Planning and Research (OPR) director, according to the Governor’s OPR website. Gordon said she plans on using her role to work
Paly Alumni A3
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
www.thecampanile.org
District acts on Gunn sexual misconduct case By Lucy Nemerov
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Business Manager
aying that the decision would protect both students' rights, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has asked a judge to uphold the District’s decision to allow a male student to continue participating on the Gunn robotics team after a female member accused him of sexually harassing her. According to an article on Palo Alto Online, the District made this request in response to a legal motion from the female student, who requested that the boy, her former boyfriend, be banned from the robotics team. According to a timeline of the case on Palo Alto Online, in late spring of 2018, the female student went to Palo Alto police, alleging that the male student had sexually assaulted her twice in January 2018 when they were in a relationship. The boy denied the allegations to police. Later on in the timeline, the female student filed a complaint with the school district in June, saying she was being sexually harassed by the male student. PAUSD then launched a Title IX investigation and put in place no-contact order between the two students in place for the duration of the investigation. According to Palo Alto Online, Megan Miller, an attorney the District hired to investigate the case, concluded that the boy had sexually harassed the girl through verbal comments and text messages. Miller also investigated the girl’s claims that the boy had violated the nocontact order and later concluded
that that had not happened. According to Palo Alto Online, the results of the investigation led PAUSD to issue a directive that prevented the boy from participating in robotics for the remainder of the school year. After the District’s decision, the boy's mother filed for a hearing before a judge, seeking to overturn the District's initial directive. According to Palo Alto Online, the boy's mother attempted to block the District's directive by filing a complaint with the California Office of Administrative Hearings, which focuses on solving special education disputes between families and school districts are resolved. According to a timeline of the case on Palo Alto Online, on Jan. 22, PAUSD issued a new directive that would allow the boy to attend robotics with the accompaniment of a PAUSD staff member. In response to the District’s change, the girl’s legal team wrote: “The District is essentially asking (the girl) to make an impossible choice — to choose either her safety or her access to education.” The girl’s legal team has responded to the change in the boy’s punishment by asking the courts to reinstate the boy’s original ban from robotics. The District now has the challenge of dealing with two laws put in place to protect the rights of both students involved — the gender-equity law Title IX and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that deals with special education students. On Feb. 25, the District filed
Gunn Sexual Assault A3
Vape sensors installed Board votes to make changes to Cubberley in Paly bathrooms Area to be converted to a full high school, staff housing, and PAUSD central office By Antonia Mou
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Staff Writer
n response to rising concerns about the number of fire alarms set off by on-campus vaping in the past year, Paly administration has recently installed vape detectors in the Media Arts Center (MAC) bathrooms to detect and deter vaping. However, it is unclear whether the new $995 detectors and $495 software can correctly identify vape smoke, and skepticism from admin on the accuracy of the detectors is slowly increasing. "After researching several manufacturers, the Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, Ron Ellis, decided to go with the Fly Sense detectors," Doa Morsy, the PAUSD Maintenance and Operations Secretary said. "These detectors can detect real-time vaping. What makes them unique is that they also have the capability to detect elevated sounds as a means to prevent vaping." According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the detectors will send a text and email to administrators when set off by vapor. Then, admin will send someone to check on the bathroom it was set off in.
“I have doubts at this point because the (students) we have thought that we caught, didn't have anything on them." Jerry Berkson
Berkson, who has worked closely with the District to install the vape detectors, said that there has been no official evidence that the vape detectors work, and no one has been caught with the sensors yet.
INSIDE the edition
News. . . . . . . . . A1-A4 Opinion. . . . . . . A5-A7 Editorials. . . . . . . . . A8 Lifestyle. . . . . B1-B3, B6 Spotlight. . . . . . . . B4-B5 Science & Tech. . . B7-B8 Sports. . . . C1-C3, C6-C8 Sports Spread. . . . . C4-C5
“I don’t know how well they’re going to work,” Berkson said. “I have doubts at this point because the (students) we have thought that we caught, didn’t have anything on them. Whether they stashed it or something else, I don’t know, so far it has not been effective ... I’m not convinced they work.”
“It seems like, if (the District) is going to be spending money on this kind of thing, they have to make sure it works." Davis You
Junior Davis You was one of the students accused of vaping after a vape detector was set off while he was in the gender-neutral bathroom. “I was just using the bathroom, and then I hear knocking on the door,” You said. “So I come out and it’s three people from administration, and they say that the vape detector went off. Then one of them goes inside and says that ‘it looks hazy,’ even though it didn’t.” You was then brought to the office and told to empty his pockets. However, no evidence suggesting that You had been vaping was found on him. “It just seems like, if (the District) is going to be spending money on this kind of thing, then they have to make sure it works,” You said. While there is no indication that the new vape detectors work, Berkson said Paly is just a test school for the vape detectors to see how they work on a smaller scale before expanding. “We had so many darn fire alarms going off, (the District)
Vape Detectors A3
By Anna Meyer
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alo Alto Unified School Board confirmed three goals for the Cubberley plan presented by Concordia LLC at the Board meeting on Feb. 26. The plans include sufficient area to accommodate construction of a high school and staff housing if necessary, along with space to move the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) central office. These plans were the result of three meetings held for the purpose of receiving community input. PAUSD Board President Ken Dauber said the purpose of discussing the plans at the Board meeting was not to proceed with any actions but rather to ensure the all desired options remain open. “The current plans have been very reflective of what the community has spoken up about,” Paly Site Council Representative Ben Gordon said. “There is a very strong design at the moment that will support children, adults, the elderly of Palo Alto and the surrounding communities.”
Gordon, along with other Associated Student Body (ASB) members including senior Annie Tsui, is a student fellow, whose job is to communicate with community members. These meetings are hosted by Concordia. While ASB does not have an official role in the development of the Cubberley plan, Concordia initially invited the student fellows to co-host a meeting during a class period. However, ASB was unable to host the meeting.
Instead, they hosted an outside meeting that was available for students to provide input. “Together, we have broad discussions, (and) Concordia moves forward with (the plans) based on public feedback,” Tsui said. According to Tsui, Concordia heavily weighs public opinion when creating Cubberley plans. The project is moving along slowly, and there is no estimate as to when construction will begin. “The District is taking their
time with this project, and no school will be built for many years to come,” Gordon said. The fourth and final meeting will take place on May 9, and a draft of the full plan will be presented shortly after, according to Tsui. Tsui said, “The current plans for Concordia are very fast-moving, but they seem to be very innovative and definitely a community center to look forward to in the coming years.”
Long-term replacements fill in during absence of teacher, CTE leader Patrick O'Hara By Hyunah Roh
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Staff Writer
areer Technical Education (CTE) instructional leader Patrick O’Hara has been on leave since November, causing some rearrangement in the CTE department both in the classes he was teaching and in his role of instructional leader. Journalism teacher Paul Kandell and math teacher Diana Chute have temporarily filled the position of CTE instructional leader until O’Hara returns. Administrators say they don’t know
FOUNDRY/PIXABAY
New earbud technology has influenced the daily lives of students. PAGE B1
STEFANIA POMPONI/USED WITH PERMISSION
In a meeting on Feb. 26, the School Board discussed three goals for the Cubberley Community Center.
Adjustments made after teacher's sudden leave
Lifestyle
Airpod culture
Staff Writer
when O’Hara will return, and O’Hara could not be reached for comment. O’Hara was teaching Business Law, Business Entrepreneurship and Game Design before his leave. Rick Armstrong Shaul, also known as Mr. Rick by students, is substituting for Business Law and Business Entrepreneurship. Assistant Principal Tom Keating, the administrator responsible for overseeing CTE, said he is grateful to have Shaul as a sub at Paly, since he has a background in computer science, startups and the greater business world.
Spotlight
LUCY NEMEROV/THE CAMPANILE
Depicting divorce
A closer look into the lives of students affected by divorce. PAGE B4-B5
“He is a great long-term sub because he has a mix of practical experiences, and he can plug in those areas,” Keating said. Unlike Business Law and Business Entrepreneurship, Game Design went through multiple temporary substitutes before finding a consistent teacher in Ashcan Ehsanipour, also known as Mr. E. According to senior Maryanne Fu, who took a semester of Game Design, and senior Lauren Krieger, who is taking the yearlong Game Design course, there were about five different subs before Ehsanipour arrived half way
Science & Tech
PHOTO BY SARAH STIERCH/CC BY 4.0
The Impossible Burger
An eco-friendly and popular alternative to a traditional burger. PAGE B8
through first semester. Having a long-term sub who lacks experience in game design caused the class to get off track and not follow the planned curriculum, Fu said. After Ehsanipour finished subbing for the first semester, Christopher Kuszmaul, who previously taught game design at Paly, returned from leave to teach the class for second semester. Krieger said Kuszmaul has been developing the curriculum as they go and she has begun to
Teacher Departure A3
Sports
DAVID HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION
Hitting plateaus
How athletes struggle with stagnating performance. PAGE C4-C5
The Campanile
Friday March 1, 2019
A2
NEWS
District revitalizes old Paly Choir hosts 2000s-themed Pops Concert Strategic Plan survey Soloists and a capella groups sang hits like ‘Mr. Brightside,’ ‘Hey There Delilah’ By Rebekah Limb
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Staff Writer
ollowing the debrief of the results from the spring Strategic Plan survey administered to Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), high school students, parents and District administrators are making plans to maximize the reliability and effectiveness of the survey. The District originally created the Strategic Plan survey to gather information regarding several relevant topics and issues in PAUSD. In 2008, the District alongside outside consultants set priorities and focused their energy on making sure the District had an appropriate understanding of how students, teachers and parents viewed PAUSD. “That effort looked at a wide range of information about our environment — things like enrollment, funding, test scores and of course, the views of various stakeholders,” School Board Vice President Todd Collins said. However, during a Jan. 15 board meeting, PAUSD Superintendent Don Austin announced the results from the recent spring 2017 and 2018 Strategic Plan surveys were unreliable, as the District felt the data was not sufficient to making any concrete conclusions. “I wouldn’t call it a problem, but the survey itself was an older document,” PAUSD Director of Research, Assessment and Evaluation Chris Kolar said. “It had been given for many years and things got tapped on as the District went along. The issue was that it no longer aligned well with the District’s goals as well as the actions that we were taking to meet those goals.” Looking to revitalize the purpose of the survey, the District has taken the time to analyze the issues with it and discuss future revisions. “Once it gets finalized, then we’re going to talk about a strategy for helping make sure that any survey that we send out tightly aligns with our calls,” Kolar said.
By Emma Todd
“We look at these things and say, ‘Okay, so what does that tell us we should do?’ The questions need to be written in a way that will help us make decisions.” The outdated survey administered in spring 2018, which contained more general questions instead of focusing on particular issues, saw a drastic decrease in participation from the student base. According to Collins, responses from both Paly and Gunn went from 2,500 students in spring 2017 to 825 students in spring 2018, the latter of which fails to represent the student body well. “I think that (student engagement is) one thing; as much as we’ve tried to reach out to the student councils a couple times, it hasn’t become a real District practice yet to include students in something like this,” Kolar said. “That’s where I would like to go, and I think that it would increase participation if it was something that you had a stake in helping create.” Junior Class President Zoe Silver believes that by making the survey a more accessible priority, the District would see a surge in student participation. “I think it is important that teachers give ample class time to take the survey,” Silver said. “It would be better to have the survey open for a longer period of time, because it is only open during and right before finals when students are frantic.” According to Kolar, Austin and his team are currently taking several factors into account regarding the Strategic Plan survey, and are continuing to reflect on and analyze what data would be most suitable to guide the District in the right direction in terms of designing the survey. “Like most surveys, the Strategic Plan survey was originally designed to meet the particular needs of a particular time and project,” Collins said. “Ten years on (from when the survey was reinvented), it makes sense to take a fresh look and create something that works for our current needs.”
Staff Writer
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alo Alto High School music groups put their spin on songs written by Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, Coldplay and other big names of the 2000s in the Pops Choir Concert last month. Many students and parents attended the Pops Choir Concert, hosted by the Paly Choir in the Performing Arts Center on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9. The show featured a number of pop songs songs from the 2000s, which were performed by a combination of sololists and a capella groups. It ranged from senior to freshman singers. The concert was directed by choir teachers and directors Michael Najar and Brittney Kerby. The concert was split up into two acts, which consisted of 37 different songs. The student groups that performed included the Heartbreakers, Premier Choir, Vikapella, Madrigal Singers, Heartbeats, Acafellas and The Festival Choir. The song selection included “Mr. Brightside,” “Chasing Pavements,” “Yellow” and “Hey There Delilah,” among others. For the final song, The Festival Choir performed “Party in the USA.” According to Najar, the students had been preparing for this production since the last week of December.
EMMA TODD/THE CAMPANILE
The Paly Premier Choir students perform an ensemble piece rendition of the song “Beautiful Day” by U2. “For 16 years, it has been a Paly tradition,” Najar said. “Every year we have a different theme. We actually think it’s educational for students and parents to learn about pop songs from the 2000s, which is what we decided to do this year. This concert was really important because, for most of these kids, it’s all about the individual singer. If you make the individuals stronger, the choir as a whole then gets stronger.” Senior Esme Stotland has been a part of choir for four years
and performed a solo called “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. “Choir is such a wonderful community,” Stotland said. “I’ve met some of my dearest friends through choir, and I also just love music and I love singing.” Stotland said that watching her classmates perform was a positive experience for her. “This concert was so much fun to be a part of,” Stotland said. “I always love hearing everyone sing solos, especially those who aren’t as loud in class.”
Senior Jess Weiss has been in choir for four years as well, as it is her passion. “I always loved to sing and I was already taking voice lessons so it felt like an obvious choice to sign up for choir,” Weiss said. “We have a concert every year but I feel like the 2000s theme made this one really special because we all grew up with that music.” The next performance from the Paly Choir will be the Golden State Spectrum concert, on March 8.
Midtown Starbucks suddenly shuts doors Reason for closure unclear; speculation about rent hikes, lack of foot traffic rises By Emily Asher
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Staff Writer
ith its revolutionary frappuccinos and delicious pastries, its syrupy aroma and its casual vibe, Starbucks was a Midtown staple. Yet after decades of business in Palo Alto, the Starbucks located on Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue closed its doors for business in late January. While the reason for the sudden
closing has not been made public, there is speculation that rent hikes might have put the business under financial pressure, according to Starbucks employee and Paly senior Lydia Wilson. “We were never told a concrete reason why the store closed, but as far as I know, our store closed because the rent increased by over $2,000 from 2017 to 2018, and it made our store much less profitable, and it didn’t make sense to keep the store open,” Wilson said. “The rent increase definitely did happen, I just don’t know if that’s the main reason the store closed.”
“Greed is the culprit for rents rising and businesses going out fo business or relocating.” Heidi Schwenk
Other customers, such as resident Joan Goldner, have other theories. “It was poorly located and the parking was very difficult,” Goldner said. “The parking was tight with few spaces and just very awkward getting in and out of the parking lot. The outdoor seating and the ambiance indoors was uninviting and did not encourage people to congregate, read the paper and get work done. For a business to thrive, they have to be in an area where
there is a lot of foot traffic and this Starbucks doesn’t have an ideal location.” While Starbucks is popular across the nation, smaller chains such as Philz or local restaurants like Palo Alto Cafe located near and in Midtown often attract larger crowds. “Midtown has a long-standing mom-and-pop cafe (Palo Alto Cafe) that most locals congregate at,” resident Lisa Barkin said. “I figured if the hours were the same, then people would prefer the more local, friendlier environment over a big-box coffee shop like Starbucks.” However, not everyone was unphased by the closing. Resident Vincent Sullivan started a petition to “Keep Midtown Starbucks Open” and successfully spread the hashtag #savemidtownstarbucks. This petition got 150 signatures and opened up the conversation about it. Other residents, such as Heidi Schwenk, parent of two Paly graduates, expressed their concerns about its closing on Nextdoor. “Greed is the culprit for rents rising and businesses going out of business or relocating,” Schwenk said. “Noxcuses was next door to Starbucks and had to go out of business in December because of the newest owners significantly raising their rent. It is disheartening to see a community location losing primary business.” While it might not have been the busiest store at Midtown shopping center, there was still a strong
sense of community among the customers according to Wilson, who worked there for one and a half years. “Not only did us employees get to know the customers pretty well, but the other customers got to know each other,” Wilson said. “We had one regular customer who would come spend hours in our store almost everyday and just read the newspaper. Many of our other customers would come in and see him and want to talk to him. They clearly didn’t know him, but they all got to know each other and connect over coffee.”
“It was poorly located, and the parking was very difficult ... For a business to thrive, they have to be in an area where there is a lot of foot traffic.” Joan Goldner
Employees also got opportunities to connect with their customers. “We had a lot of regular customers that would come in at least once a day, some even twice a day,” Wilson said. “I got to know them really well throughout the time that I was working there, and I definitely miss seeing them now that the store is closed.
UPCOMING EVENTS MAR
GUYS AND DOLLS PREVIEW
MAR
FLEA MARKET
MAR
LOCAL HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL
MAR
JOB FAIR
MAR
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
7
9
11
13 17
And they said guys couldn’t play with dolls.
Not actually a place for insect breeders.
St. Patrick’s Day Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve.
Become a societal pawn.
Green Day (not that one).
MAR
ASB ELECTIONS BEGIN
MAR
INSTRUMENTAL POPS CONCERT
20 22
For the power hungry: good luck.
Shhh.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
Paly alumni in politics
NEWS
hood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are stressful or traumatic events during one’s childhood that create a significant risk factor for substance abuse disorders and impact lifelong health and opportunity, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A decade ago, a young patient who came to her and suffered from asthma, eczema and behavior issues inspired Harris to begin researching ACEs. She sat down with him to discuss his medical history and found out that he had been sexually assaulted as a 4-year-old.
Elliott was a staff writer for The Campanile during his time at Paly, and stood out because of his eagerness to try new things. “The most notable thing about Jason Elliott was his enthusiasm,” Esther Wojcicki, adviser for the Campanile, said. “He was always coming up with new ideas and was always enthusiastic about trying new things — and he was a
very hard worker.” Elliott studied American History at Columbia University. Just one year after graduating from Columbia, he went on to get a master’s degree in public and social policy from Harvard. Elliott worked for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee from 2009 to 2018 as a policy director for two years, Deputy Chief of Staff for six years and Chief of Staff during his final year there. Starting in September 2018, Elliott joined Newsom’s gubernatorial campaign as a senior advisor and is now Newsom’s Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Executive Branch Operations. “Jason Elliott is like my right hand [man],” Newsom said. Nadine Burke Harris Harris got her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. She went on to study medicine and earn her MD degree at UC Davis, then got her Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard University School of Public Health. She completed her residency at Stanford from 2002 to 2005 and has been a pediatrician in San Francisco since 2007. She is also the CEO of the San Francisco Center for Youth Wellness. Her work has helped spread awareness about adverse child-
needed to try something,” Berkson said. “So we ordered these somewhere around November, and it took more than a month to come in because they were backordered, because the whole world wants to buy these things right now.” According to PAUSD Superintendent Don Austin, Paly is
not the only school in the school district trying out vape detectors. Gunn High School Principal Kathleen Laurence reports that Gunn already has the detectors on order but has not yet installed them. However, some students believe vape detectors are not the solution to preventing student vaping. “I do believe that vape detectors will help, but I don’t think
they will be all that effective,” junior Lilli Corny said. “I think admin should advocate more about not vaping. I just don’t think that they should close the bathrooms or anything.” Austin agrees that informing students on the dangers of vaping should be the main focus for combatting the vaping crisis at Paly and Gunn. “I still think our efforts are better spent on the front end,
making sure students understand the dangers of vaping and that it’s not allowable on a school campus to start with,” Austin said. “That being said, for those that choose to make bad decisions, we’re going to use a combination of detectors and monitoring to try to curtail the use of illegal substances of all kinds on all our campuses.” According to Corny, not only does vaping crowd bathrooms and create unnecessary lines, it also
Teacher's sudden leave
Sexual misconduct
learn the things she signed up for, but she said she also dreads the class because the environment this semester is so different. “Now there’s structures and rules we have to follow, and everyone’s just really reluctant to listen, Kreiger said. Principal Adam Paulson said he anticipates no more CTE issues. Paulson said, “We will staff accordingly this year and next year with high quality teachers as we always do.”
its response to the girl’s legal motion, requesting that the boy be allowed to participate in the robotics program. Citing laws protecting the privacy of both students, District officials and school administrators declined to offer comments on the pending case. The girl’s legal team is expected to file a response brief on March 1. Check www.thecampanile.org for further updates on the sexual misconduct case.
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toward a more sustainable California. Lhamon began her career in law as a clerk for Judge William Albert Norris of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She left her position a year later to work as an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union for the next decade. She went on to work as Director of Impact Litigation at Public Counsel, America’s largest pro bono law firm. "She's a fearless litigator that doesn't mind taking on the biggest institutions to get justice for her clients," Hernan Vera, president and CEO of Public Counsel when Lhamon worked there, said in a December 2018 interview with U.S. News. In 2004, Lhamon was named Attorney of the Year for Civil Rights by California Lawyer, a San Francisco-based legal magazine. The Daily Journal also listed her as one of the Top 20 California Lawyers Under 40 in 2007 and later as one of California’s Top Women Litigators in both 2007 and 2010. “She always ground out her work,” Lim, who also taught Lhamon, said. “She was a worka-
Vape detectors installed Continued from A1
Continued from A1
holic who still knew how to enjoy life, and it was fun to have her in class.” On June 10, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated her for the position of assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education and she was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate less than two months later. In December 2016, Lhamon was appointed chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and was appointed legal affairs secretary by Newsom this January.
"She's a fearless litigator that doesn't mind taking on the biggest institutions to get justice for her clients." Hernan Vera
Continued from A1
"She was a workaholic who still knew how to enjoy life, and it was fun to have her in class." Arnie Lim
She realized a pattern in the patients she had been treating — children who experienced the worst symptoms often had the most severe history of trauma, according to published reports. Harris spoke about ACEs during her 2014 TED talk. The talk has over five million views and dives deep into the effects of parental abuse or neglect
on the development of the brain — and the lifelong trauma that ensues. The comments on the talk have a central message of thanks to Harris for addressing and shedding light on the issue — many commenters were victims of childhood abuse themselves who supported and reinforced Harris’ idea. “As an adult who has been through many of the things she discusses, it would have been a lot easier if people had been educated about this,” one online commenter on Harris’ talk wrote. This January, Newsom named Harris California’s first-ever surgeon general. According to the governor’s office, she will use her platform to combat the root causes of ACEs and reach out to young families across the state. “Nadine is just this rockstar — she’s amazing!” Newsom said. Newsom has already set aside $45 million to identify ACEs among children and adults who are involved in California’s Medicaid program, according to his budget proposal. To read more about how students can move into politics and how Paly impacted Kate Gordon’s career, see “Paly alumni share their path into the world of politics” on B2. damages the health of other students. “I have asthma and when I go into the bathroom and people are vaping, I actually do get some asthma attacks if it’s really really bad,” Corny said. In the meantime, the district and Paly administrators will be keeping a close eye on the new detectors, with Paly acting as an example for other PAUSD schools.
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ASB Update
By Samantha Hwang Board Correspondent
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ith the Associated Student Body (ASB) elections right around the corner on March 20, the current ASB members have been working on fine-tuning job descriptions in preparation. This week ASB voted to approve multiple proposals including updates to the ASB Constitution as well as additions to the responsibilities of certain elected positions. “We [added] certain jobs for the Vice President, specifically things about planning goals and running the class,” Senior Class President David Foster said. “For the Senior Class President, we clarified the role in running alumni events and added the Senior Class President as one of the members in charge of running elections.” In addition, ASB proposed amendments to its current Constitution. Although no major changes to the Constitution have been made, there has been debate revolving around term limits and the role of Executive Officers. ASB plans to continue voting and discussing different aspects of the Constitution. “[The discussions] will include adding a new ASB position, and potentially edit the site council position,” Junior Class President Zoe Silver said. “One of the new things that we have just decided to add to the Constitution is for each ASB administration to look through the ASB Constitution and amend anything that they would like every single year.”
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
NEWS
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Annual Career Month kicks off County Supervisor requests Speakers from various vocations give insights at Paly developer for teacher housing By Alyssa Leong
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By Neil Kapoor
Photo Editor
News & Opinion Editor
s part of the centennial celebration, the majority of speakers at this year’s Career Month are Paly alumni. Paly’s eleventh annual Career Month, which hosts speakers from a variety of professions, began on February 25 and is running through March 8 in the Media Arts Center (MAC) and the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Lobby.
“This year’s career month will be a part of the centennial celebration.” Yue Shi The series kicked off with speakers including interior designer Melinda Mandell, Castilleja Admission Director Laura Martinez and Stanford electrical engineering professor Tsachy Weissman. Some of the speakers coming up include CEO of People Powers Gene Wang, Google global product lead Mary Minno and California Assemblyman Marc Berman. “This year’s career month will be a part of the centennial celebration,” said senior Yue Shi, vice president of the Career Month Committee. “In collaboration with the centennial committee, we have invited over half of speakers who are Paly alumnae.” Karla Larson, Paly’s Career Vocational Education Assistant and Beth Martin, Paly’s Volunteer Coordinator, also meet with the student committee. The Committee wanted to focus on the broad range of careers that a Paly graduate can go into, according to Martin. “We try to get a wide range of careers for our speakers,” Larson
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fter the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education expressed unanimous support for the teacher housing project in January, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian issued a Request for Proposal to secure a developer for the new project of 60 to 120 housing units located at 231 Grant Ave. in Palo Alto.
ALYSSA LEONG /THE CAMPANILE
Sports broadcaster David Feldman shares details about his career. said. “The committee sends out a survey asking what fields students are interested in, one thing that was clear from the survey was students would like to hear from a doctor, and we do have an OB/ GYN coming this year.” One of the speakers is Paly alum and former Campanile staffer David Feldman, who is currently a sports broadcaster for NBC Sports Bay Area. This is his second time coming to speak at career month. According to Feldman, he loved his Paly experience and enjoys speaking to current Paly students. “I wish they had this when I was at high school,” Feldman said. “I think it’s great to hear about people in different professions.” Christina Owen, founder of nonprofit Get Involved Palo Alto (GiPA), originally started Paly’s Career Month. While she recruited parent volunteers for the first six years, she started training students to run it starting in 2015. When GiPA started offering student internships, Owen created the Career Month Student Committee. Owen no longer works at Paly, and the Career Month Committee is now run by the school.
“I started Career Month after working at Paly for a couple of years and seeing that there wasn’t much exposure to the world outside of high school,” Owen said. “Silicon Valley is such a rich community of professionals and students needed to experience that. We would survey students about their interests, and read up on hot careers and invite certain dynamic professionals that we thought would inspire Paly students.”
“We try to get a wide range of careers for our speakers.” Karla Larson As advice to teenagers who aren’t sure about what they want to do, Feldman suggests keeping one’s options open and exploring new opportunities. However, he also emphasized that career aspirations can change. Feldman said, “The thing is you’re a teenager … you don’t exactly have to know what you have to do. Whatever your interest is, pursue it, maybe try a couple different things.”
“It’s better for everyone[...] when our teachers can live in or close to the communities where they teach.” Joe Simitian The request came after the Board confirmed its intent to identify a funding source for a $600,000 contribution to the project at its Jan. 15 meeting. The project involves four other local school districts — Mountain View Whisman School District, Mountain View Los Altos District, Los Altos School District and Foothill-De Anza Community College District — that are also in the process of securing their $600,000 funds. In total, the project is estimated to cost $36 million. “It’s better for everyone – folks trying to avoid traffic, kids getting an education, school districts trying to hire and retain the very best teachers for our schools and of course our teachers themselves – when our teachers can live in or close to the communities where they teach,” Simitian said in a statement on Feb. 14. “It’s never easy to develop workforce hous-
ing in such an expensive area; but we have the land, we have some funding available and we’re finding the partners we need to make this work.” According to a statement from Simitian’s office, the project’s advancement comes at a time when housing prices remain sky-high in the Bay Area, causing a housing crisis for middle-income earners like teachers, who often cannot qualify for affordable housing and can’t afford market-rate prices targeting higher-income earners. According to Supt. Don Austin, the District expects to receive 12 units of housing. “The number (of units) is fluid and could grow if we decide to take action,” Austin said in an email. “I would add that 12+ units is barely a start. We are going to explore many options to help our employees enter the local housing market. We use a company called Landed to help staff members with housing down-payments. However, details such as a selection process to determine which teachers will occupy the housing are not yet finalized. “The details are still undetermined,” Austin said. “At this point, there is no identified mechanism to determine which PAUSD staff members would get the first shot at housing units.” Although the upfront cost of the project may vary depending on how many units the District obtains, Austin believes the District could break even on the project over the long term. “We believe that the project could produce funds back to the District in time,” Austin said. “On the front end, we are essentially getting each unit for about $50,000. That is an incredible price, and our employees would benefit with Below Market Value pricing and great proximity to our school sites.” Proponents of the teacher
housing project state that it enables teachers to get involved in the community, sentiments that Austin echoed.
“We believe that the project could produce funds back to the District in time,” Don Austin “I believe strongly that people are more able to participate in activities when the barrier of a long commute is erased,” Austin said. “We are going to look at this issue through every perspective and plan to launch a District-wide staff survey within the next two weeks.” Paly math teacher Cynthia Chen agrees with Austin about the benefits of teacher housing. “I think having teacher housing nearby could help strengthen the school community because the teachers could be more involved with school life,” Chen said. “They could attend after school events like theatre productions and home games/meets. Better yet, living nearby might enable a teacher to be a coach for a sport.” In addition to the $3 million in funding the five school districts will contribute, the project is expected to secure $3 million from the city of Palo Alto, $6 million from the county’s affordable housing fund and $24 million in loans, according to a statement from Simitian’s office. Austin added that the District is looking to support its own affordable teacher housing in addition to the joint project with the other school districts. Austin said, “We are also looking at property near Cubberley as an option for future housing developments for PAUSD staff.”
Survey shows Palo Alto becoming less appealing to residents Limited quality healthcare access, public transportation, high costs cause decrease in satisfaction among Palo Alto locals By Bruno Klass Staff Writer
P
alo Alto apparently isn’t as likeable as it used to be. According to new survey results, 58 percent of residents surveyed didn’t give Palo Alto a rating of “excellent” or “good” when asked about the “overall direction that the city is taking,” an 11 percent decrease in satisfaction since 2017. The results of the 2018 National Citizen Survey, sent to 4,500 Palo Alto residents and completed by 889, were released in January. According to the survey, among the reasons Palo Alto has become less attractive to residents are the limited access to affordable and quality healthcare, as well as limited public transportation. According to Carol Carnevale, a
long-time realtor, the high cost of living is another reason people may be dissatisfied with living in the area, especially senior citizens. “We have had several seniors relocate to other states because they do not feel the need to stay in California and their retirement savings go further in other states,” Carnevale said. ”One couple, in particular, wanted to make the move before age 70.5 when they are required to start withdrawing from their IRA (individual retirement account) accounts.” Carnevale also said that with the high cost of living, seniors may be looking for a place with property taxes that are lower or have little to no state tax. The state tax in California is the highest in the nation that ranges from 7.25 to 12.3 percent based on income. On the other hand, there are
many positives aspects to living in the heart of Silicon Valley that make people want to retire in Palo Alto, according to Carnevale. These include the wonderful community, a nearby university, diversity, proximity to the city and to two international airports and the fact that Palo Alto is equipped with outstanding medical facilities. Therefore, many seniors look for retirement home facilities in Palo Alto like The Moldaw and the Vi. But, as Carnevale explains, even though many seniors or older members of the community are looking for places to live outside of Palo Alto, there are still many great opportunities within the city. Juan Carlos Rey, a parent of two Paly graduates, moved from Argentina to Palo Alto 30 years ago. The main reason Rey moved
to Palo Alto was so that he could complete his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Stanford University. Thirty years later, Rey still lives in Palo Alto, and plans to stay around even after retirement.
“We have had several seniors relocate to other states.” Carol Carnevale For Rey, who’s planning to retire, the four main reasons for staying were the great community, diversity, amenities and the weather. Even with all of these factors are keeping him here, Rey thinks there are still some things that
could be improved. One of these is traffic, as it is becoming worse mainly during rush hour due to the increase in population. The value of healthcare is also decreasing in Palo Alto mainly because of the cost. Rey said he does not only see this as a problem in Palo Alto, but also nationwide. Both reasons are among those listed the National Citizen Survey. However, a receptionist who preferred to stay anonymous and works at Channing House, an independent living community in Palo Alto, stated that the facility is full with residents. “We have a waiting list for certain apartment rooms, since we are in the middle of renovating,” she said. Due to the renovation, the number of people interested in registering and calling has gone up recently. In terms of expenses,
she said that renting a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment costs around $5,000 a month, though cost also depends on what floor residents live on. She also explained that most of the people in the community are from or grew up in Palo Alto, and moved to the East Coast when they grew up. When they were ready to retire, they moved back to Palo Alto mainly due to family or friends who live in the area. Although there may be dissatisfaction with the direction the city of Palo Alto is taking in some areas, the number of people interested in Palo Alto, based on the scarcity of existing homes for sale, has increased due to what many say is the positive family atmosphere and the vibrant community with many resources.
Sources of Strength club hosts event to recognize mental health
Paly Parent Night event looks to foster conversations between students, parents about well-being, growth in the community By Yusra Rafeeqi
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Online Editor
hrough the introduction of a new event hosted for Paly parents and students, the Paly Sources of Strength organization is taking an ambitious step to bring to light the critical relationships between students and their parents and/or guardians.
“Parent Night is to encourage parents to create spaces for open dialogues with their students about well-being, and mental health.” Nura Mostaghimi “Parents are one of the primary people that students communicate with upon experiencing some sort of up or down,” said Sources of Strength co-president and steering committee member Nura Mostaghimi. “They are our caregivers and we see them at
home, but sometimes we struggle with expressing how we truly feel to them when it comes to talking about mental health.” Sources of Strength’s Paly Parent Night was to take place Thursday night at the Media Arts Center on campus. The purpose of Parent Night is for Sources of Strength peer leaders, the organization’s members, to share their stories and spur the needed conversations between parent and child, according to Mostaghimi. “Parent Night is to encourage parents to create spaces for open dialogues with their students about well-being and mental health,” Mostaghimi said. “The Sources of Strength Parent Night is intended to model story-telling behaviors from Peer Leaders in the Paly community and answer any of their questions about their stories or the program at large. By having different classrooms set-up for parents to come by, we hope that they leave the evening feeling inspired and motivated to talk about such important topics with their child more.” Sources of Strength peer leaders organize and run the event, according to Mostaghimi. “From helping book the venue, to creating presentations to share
with the parents, (students) will be at the center of this process to ensure that their voices are heard by a receptive audience,” Mostaghimi said. “The Peer Leaders and Steering Members of Sources alike will collaborate in sharing their stories in the different spaces and will have opportunities for parents to converse and discuss amongst themselves and ask questions of the presenters.”
“Not only will students learn more from their parents, but parents will actually be able to get [...]perspectives of their children’s peers as well.” Noor Navaid At the end of the night, both parties should have gained new perspectives on the challenges that arise in student’s lives and the involvement of health in these aspects of a student’s life. “We believe changing the narrative in the home setting is one of
PATILLE PAPAS /USED WITH PERMISSION
Seniors Nura Mostaghimi and Bridget Leonard lead students in activities at a Sources of Strength booth. the first steps to making a largescale impact on de-stigmatization of mental health in the community and beyond,” Mostaghimi said. “This event happens once a year, but as our student group grows, we would love to see more Parent Nights happening throughout the school year.” Senior Noor Navaid, another Sources of Strength steering committee member, said Parent Night is an important event that allows parents to offer new ideas that
students may not typically consider. “Hosting events such as (Parent Night) (is) important for the Palo Alto community, in my opinion, as they allow for growth of interpersonal connection amongst community members,” Navaid said. “Personally, I’ve had great conversations with some of the parents who have attended (Paly and Gunn’s) Parent Night and have maintained connections with them past the event, which
exemplifies the effectiveness of (the) community building this event offers.” In a setting where one can be vulnerable and comfortable sharing their personal experiences, both Navaid and Mostaghimi say that individual growth should be the main take-away of the night. Navaid said, “Not only will students learn more from parents, but parents will actually be able to get first-hand perspectives of their children’s peers as well. ”
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
A5
OPINION
Students should be more involved in school board decisions
ART BY KIANA TAVAKOLI
By Frida Rivera
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Staff Writer
wice a month, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board members come together to discuss issues concerning students and teachers in the Paly community. However, more often than not, students are unaware of and uneducated about the decisions being made or the policies being enacted.
Students often give their input too late, while the information provided would have been beneficial earlier in the conversation.
Though there are currently a few ways students are able to voice their opinions, student fishbowls hosted by Associated Student Body (ASB) are necessary in order
for students to have an outlet for having their voices heard. The topics covered at Board meetings range from teacher housing to elective offerings at Paly. For all of these topics, a greater number of students should be more involved in the conversation. They can offer a unique perspective that is valuable for the decisions being made. With the exception of student Board representatives and student journalists, most students are uninformed about the issues discussed at Board meetings, and often learn about them too late. For example, when decisions were being made about grading practices, students who felt passionate about the topic attended meetings and spoke about their experiences. However, this input was given too late and students should attempt to voice these concerns when they
first come up, as opposed to when board members are implementing policies. According to PAUSD Board member Melissa Baten Caswell, students often give their input too late, while the information provided would have been beneficial earlier in the conversation. Baten Caswell encourages any student who is passionate about a topic to reach out to a Board member in person, at the District office or over email. A drawback to this is that some students may be intimidated with the idea of directly contacting a board member, while others simply do not have the time. Another way any student can address the Board is during open forum, time allotted during Board meetings in which anyone can speak for three minutes about any topic. For example, at the Jan.
29 PAUSD Board meeting, Paly senior David Foster spoke at open forum about the lack of history electives offered at Paly. According to Foster, Board meetings are a great way for students who are passionate about specific issues to bring them up to the community. Foster recommends that any student in PAUSD speak up about issues they care about. Another example of this is the Greene Middle School name change. The long and controversial debate over renaming David Starr Middle School was sparked by junior Kobi Johnsson, who spoke during open forum on this topic.Though open forum is a good outlet for students who are openly passionate about a certain topic, some students are unwilling to speak at a board meeting. For them, fishbowls are a great alternative.
According to Baten Caswell, Board members and former Superintendent Kevin Skelly hosted fishbowl discussions in 2014. Randomly selected students attended these meetings at the district offices prior to Board meetings. However, Board members and Skelly found that the group of students who attended these meetings was not a representative sample of the students at Paly, because not all students were able to be at the District offices in the evening. To fix this, in the following years former Superintendent Max McGee and Board members hosted fishbowls at Paly. One problem with this was the lack of participation from the student body. At Gunn High School, the students in Student Executive Counsel (SEC) organize similar meetings
with Board members and Gunn admin. According to Baten Caswell, last year each student invited brought someone new with them, which diversified the group.
Students should have a say in the decisions made by the Board.
It is more impactful when students organize and plan these events instead of administrators. Fishbowls allow students to give the school Board a different perspective that they may have not considered. As a member of ASB, this is ssomething I hope to accomplish alongside my peers. (Note: My involvement in ASB did not influence my proposed solution of ASB hosting these discussions and was not a factor in determining the best solution.)
English classes should incorporate more creative writing By Sophia Moore Staff Writer
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aly students are well acquainted with the ongoing monotonous struggle to make it through another day of school. Every hour seems to stretch longer as the day goes on and the block periods feel endless. How has education, which is regarded as a privilege, become a tedious chore for the vast majority of teens enrolled in the school system? One of many noticeable changes that happens to most high school students is the loss of enthusiasm for education. This is because courses often require students to follow an endless cycle of hearing information, bringing material home, studying it and then churning it out onto scantron sheets for an A grade. That’s not to say rote memorization is all that is plaguing today’s school systems. Some subjects do require information to be committed to memory. The problem, however, is that this endless cycle of “learning” information has become the new normal for education across all courses; education should not solely consist of memorization, but should embody a student’s self-driven search for knowledge, and recognize how imagination affects that.
It is important that students are not just exposed to quality literature, but also are taught how to write quality literature. People often associate imagination with a childish mentality. However, with imagination comes one’s ability to form theories, make elaborate creations and invent something new. It pushes us to take risks,
ART BY NOA LEHRER
to strive for further education and to shape our own opinions, traits which are often associated with being mature. A step towards thinking outside the box and pushing the boundaries of a formal education would be the implementation of more creative writing assignments in all English courses. Yes, Paly does provide a selection of writing electives that span a plethora of writing topics and styles. However, the current curriculums include many “book report” style assignments which barely scrape the surface of how to effectively write creatively. Most of these assignments require students to search for rhetorical devices within a specific text, yet they rarely prompt students to practice using the rhetorical devices in their own writing. One important aspect of creative writing is storytelling. According to writing
tutor Jennifer Tsay, who majored in English Literature at Stanford University, students who practice creative writing tend to be stronger writers because they practice storytelling and imagery — these grab the reader’s attention, resulting in a more memorable message. As such, it is important that students are not just exposed to quality literature, but also are taught how to write quality literature. For example, a more effective way of analyzing literature, as opposed to assigning the same chore over and over, would be implementing creative writing by allowing students to write in the same form and style as the authors they are studying. By integrating creative writing prompts with literary analysis, students could see how authors apply their writing techniques of diction, syntax and tone. No, writing does not
have to be fiction to be compelling. Classes like Advanced Placement (AP) English Language, which is mainly focused on analyzing non-fiction texts, can incorporate memoir and autobiography in order to take a different approach from the usual analysis of lengthy texts, something often found to be monotonous and dull. In Melissa Laptalo’s AP Language class, students were given an assignment on the various rhetorical modes. Although not focused directly on AP Language test preparation, students still benefited by being introduced to new types of writing outside the styles prompted on the AP exam. While the main focus of AP courses is usually on acing the AP exam at the end of the year, educators can do better. The main focus of a class should not be on passing a test, as it is more important that students learn
for the sake of education and expand their intellect. Allowing students to select from a variety of rhetorical modes and utilize them in their own pieces of writing enables students to become more confident and fluent in their writing. This is a more in-depth, effective way to teach the forms of rhetoric because students learn about rhetorical modes by weaving them into their own writing, rather than exclusively memorizing how to spot the modes in texts that are not their own. Tsay mentions how her students tend to prefer creative writing but don’t often get the opportunity to write creatively in regular English classes. She has observed that her high school students adopt a “dry, academic” tone because that is the writing style they have practiced throughout high school in various English courses.
Then when senior year arrives, Tsay notices many students panic when they have to change their writing style for the Common Application college essays. It is difficult for most to transition to writing a compelling story and finding their own authentic voice. However, those who have been practicing creative writing have an advantage and tend to write better personal statements for college.
No, writing does not have to be fiction to be compelling. A step toward increasing student enthusiasm for education is to put more emphasis on creative writing and writing diversity. This would allow for a break in the redundancy of the current curriculum, and would allow students to both find and express their originality.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
OPINION
A6
Metric system should be encouraged throughout education By Byron Zhang
A
Managing Editor
ball is thrown straight up from the top of a 128 foot tall building with an initial speed of 32 feet per second. How long will it take for the ball to hit the ground?” The physics problem asks for students to perform simple projectile-motion applications. In a time when the customary system is uncommon and inapplicable, such curriculum is obsolete. Although Americans, especially students from Silicon Valley, live amid the technological boom, surrounded by advancements in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), our measurement system does not match up with the rest of the world. According to the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), out of the 195 countries in the world, only four countries (two percent) do not use the metric system as the solely recognized system of measurement. The metric system is simply easier to use. Almost all units of measurement have conversion factors that are multiples of ten.
It would be appropriate to start teaching students the metric systems at an early age so that they would be able to visualize metric measurements for the rest of their life. For example, one gram is 1000 milligrams and 1/1000 kilogram. While students from foreign countries manipulate the unit of length using millimeters, meters and kilometers, American kids are
ART BY ZANDER LEONG
being forced to wrap their brains around 12 inches per foot and three feet per yard. When it comes to cooking, recipes that use the customary system are disasters — converting between tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, pints, ounces, quarts, gallons and pounds is tedious. However, by using a millilitermeasuring cup, one can easily find measurement marks from 1001000 without becoming confused and frustrated with converting back and forth between units. The metric system is also powerful. With the help of scientific notation, scientists can express extremely large, complex numbers and constants that are otherwise difficult to quantify. For example, the gravitation constant G, which has the unit of Newtons times meter squared divided by
kilogram squared, would be unrecognizable in its imperial form. If American scientists were to express such constants with customary parameters, they would find it difficult to collaborate with scientists from the rest of the world. The United States is making improvements in increasing the engagement of the metric system in its educational curriculum. In all of Paly’s science classes, students learn to use the International System of Units (SI Unit) from freshman biology courses to Advanced Placement science classes. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, “students need to develop an understanding of metric units and their relationships, as well as fluency in applying the metric system to real-world situations.
Because some non-metric units of measure are common in particular contexts, students need to develop familiarity with multiple systems of measure, including metric and customary systems and their relationships.” It would be appropriate to start teaching students the metric systems at an early age so that they would be able to visualize metric measurements for the rest of their life. Once a child enters high school, he or she should have accumulated enough knowledge on these systems of measurement. At this point, schools should increase the emphasis on the metric system, instead of including more problem sets or lectures using the customary system, especially in math or science classes. Students should have a sense of how far a kilometer is, how
warm zero degrees Celsius feels and how much a liter contains.
With the help of scientific notation, scientists can express extremely large, complex numbers and constants that are otherwise difficult to quantify. This is not a call to terminate the use of customary measurements in the United States; the usage of such a system should remain a choice. However, students need to know enough about the metric system — just as much as we do about the customary system — to stay in pace with the field of STEM, as well as the rest of the world.
Five minute breaks during class periods ought to be mandatory
ART BY KAITLYN LEE
By Shiva Mohsenian
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Staff Writer
or most students, 90 minutes of constant, intense focus on one subject can be overwhelming. Although Paly’s block periods have proven effective in allowing students to better comprehend material by granting more time in their respective class, a five-minute break in the middle of the period should be required to help students remain focused throughout the lesson.
The Wellness Center encourages engagement in physical activity, as according to them, sitting for long periods of time can increase risk for health concerns. Paly’s fast-paced academic climate requires students to contribute their absolute focus through-
out each lesson in order to avoid falling behind. This demanding environment can cause students inordinate amounts of stress, driving some students to grapple with mental health issues. According to Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator Elizabeth Spector, such stress could be minimized by having classes take regular breaks. Allowing students a chance to relax and recuperate in the middle of a work period increases student productivity and combats fatigue. According to Spector, many students utilize the Wellness Center as a resource for taking breaks. The center is a technology-free zone, which both promotes selfcare and prompts students to use their break time to engage in reinvigorating activities, such as deep breathing exercises and coloring. The Wellness Center encourages engagement in physical activity, as according to them, sitting for long periods of time can increase risk for health concerns. Such physical activity should not only be reinforced at the Wellness
Center, but in all classes for students who are uncomfortable with leaving their class but who would still like access to this opportunity. Multiple administrators and teachers agree that taking breaks is crucial to restoring motivation. Government and Contemporary World History teacher Mary Sano uses breaks to help students stay focused. She said taking breaks is beneficial to student efficiency. Several students have discovered the power of breaks both in and out of the classroom. Students’ challenging classes and time-consuming extracurriculars often compel them to curtail their personal break time, which can lead to them feeling drained and frustrated by the end of each school week. Sophomore Neel Fulton said he employs breaks in his everyday life, as they are essential to managing his strenuous course load and extracurricular activities. Understandably, different classes require different amounts of fo-
cus or attention. However, for many students it is in their most challenging courses that they are not permitted to take breaks. This might be because some teachers harbor concerns of wasting valuable class time by taking breaks. English teacher Hunter Reardon, speaking only about his own classroom, said administering breaks during class is dependent on a number of factors, the most considerable one being the amount of content reviewed during that class period. But some quick calculations show the total time that would be “lost” from five-minute breaks is insignificant, amounting to only 6.7 percent of all class time in the school year. If students are permitted a five minute break each period, 30 seconds will be used both before and after to transition to and from it, totaling to six minutes. Six divided by 90 amounts to 0.067, showing that if this were to be implemented into each class, it would only take up 6.7 percent of the comprehensive time.
Focusing on any one task for an extended period of time is not only harmful mentally and physically, it is also inefficient. According to Spector, a deficit of down-time can make people apprehensive, causing students to perform poorly in school.
Paly’s fast-paced academic climate requires students to contribute their absolute focus throughout each lesson in order to not fall behind. By having Paly administrators enforce breaks in each class, students will be better able to combat the aggressive academic competition that predominates at Paly. Administrators must make this a requirement for the 2019-2020 school year, and urge teachers to make adjustments to their lesson plans as soon as possible.
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
A7
OPINION
Gen Z should stop Photoshopping its social media images
ART BY LARA NAKAMURA
By Kennedy Herron Managing Editor
O
ne of the most exciting features of Snapchat is its filters. In a split second, you can surround your face with butterflies, turn your face into a dog or merely appear slimmer. While using Snapchat to alter your face may seem like harmless fun, it may be your first step into the world of editing your appearance with the swipe of your finger.
The media is just making matters worse by giving social media users a tool to change themselves.
Photo editing applications such as Facetune have increased in popularity among celebrities and social media users in the past few years. These apps allow for the user to remove
their blemishes, smooth their skin, whiten their teeth and even modify their body structure. In an age when social media influencers and reality television stars appear flawless, it is hard not to compare yourself to the faces and bodies of these figures on the “Explore” pages of Instagram and Snapchat. Thanks to these easy-touse apps, many teenagers and young adults have resorted to presenting a different version of themselves by digitally distorting their body or their face structure. Reality television star Khloé Kardashian endorsed Facetune in a 2016 episode of “Chelsea Does Silicon Valley,” describing it as “the best thing to bring to the table” and “life changing.” Kardashian is just one of many social influencers who have openly supported Facetune and other photo editing applications. In the television episode, Kardashian also mentioned
that when using Facetune, “it’s not real” and “you are presenting to the world what you want them to believe you are.” With 86.4 million followers on Instagram, it’s fair to say Kardashian has some influence on the younger generation. We, as a society, should remove the message that teenagers and young adults must change their body and fix their imperfections before they can post a photo on social media. When it comes to teenage girls, body image has always been an issue, but it has gone past the point of wearing makeup to highlight certain parts of one’s face or wearing certain clothes to accentuate one’s body. It is almost impossible to immediately fix society’s stigma about girls but the media is just making matters worse by giving social media users a tool to change themselves. This just exacerbates the
problem when in reality we need to be taking steps in the right direction. Additionally, the use of these tools is heavily advertised on several platforms. With the help of supporters like Kardashian, apps like Facetune are aggressively marketed, showing up through sponsored ads and on “verified” Instagram users’ posts. However, these ads center on the insecurities of their viewers. According to Wellness Outreach Worker Angelina Bena Michael, since teenagers and young adults are joining social media at such a young age, edited photos tend to affect the younger generation more. The age at which children are joining social media is in “a really awkward phase when you maybe don’t have as much self confidence, when you’re more impressionable,” according to Michael. As far as solving this issue, Michael said the first
steps are having reality checks every once in a while to remind yourself that what people post on social media may be visually appealing, it is not necessarily real. This can come in the form of a discussion with one’s parents or friends on how to be safe on social media. Some may think that parents should advise their children to completely delete their social media, as it is one of the main factors of stress and low self confidence; however, Michael said this is not responsible because social media is the main source of communication for teenagers. On the other hand, a new wave has started with some women, specifically celebrities, calling out corporations for Photoshopping them in magazines and photo shoots. Bella Thorne, Zendaya and Lili Reinhart are just a few celebrities who have spoken out about the unethical retouching of their photos in popular magazines.
This movement has been what seems like a progressive step and has been inspiring for many young girls. Nonetheless, no progress can be made when Facetune and Photoshop are encouraged by many individuals’ role models.
In order to end (photo editing), our generation must stop normalizing the use of these editing apps.
Trends are constantly coming and going, and I believe the age of editing is solely a trend. In order to end it, it is imperative that our generation stops normalizing the use of editing apps. If the popularity of these apps gradually decreases, the trend will too. With any luck, our generation’s next trend will be a positive one — embracing their own natural beauty.
CROSSWORD
Hello Campanile readers! The answers to this crossword puzzle can be found in the articles in this issue. When your crossword puzzle is complete, bring it to MAC 103 to get a free cookie! Down 1. The most potent greenhouse gas. 2. The last name of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Director of Evaluation, Research and Assessment who evaluates the credibility of school survey results. 4. When an athlete’s rate of improvement slows dramatically, that athlete is said to have reached a _______. 6. The last name of the dancer who played Waldo in the sophomore “Where’s Waldo?” dance. 7. Chemicals commonly used both in food and cosmetics to prevent bacteria, mold and other forms of decay. 9. The last name of the non-religious former Paly student who served as the president of the Jewish Student Union while in high school. 10. This year’s career month speakers are part of the school-wide _______ celebration. 11. A new event being introduced to the Paly community by the Sources of Strength club.
Across 1. The Impossible Burger is a good option for vegetarians, as it contains no _______. 3. Palo Alto Unified School District Board members meet _______ a month. 4. Some aspiring professional athletes struggle to adjust to the sports _______ school atmosphere.
5. AirPods cost approximately _______ times the price of wired Apple earbuds. 8. Vaping can be especially harmful to students with this medical condition. 11. Converting people to another religion. 12. The first month of the annual Girl Scout cookie sale season.
15. Rising _______ is a likely cause of the Starbucks’ midtown location’s recent closure. 16. A fashion trend in which clothes designed for athletic wear are worn in casual settings. 19. The type of growth senior Noor Navaid said results from being involved in events like parent nights.
22. The _______ building is the tallest in Palo Alto. 24. Majority of the Class of 2019 will participate in a game of _______, which starts today. 26. The technology that allows Apple AirPods to be wireless. 27. The yearly survey administered to students and parents is called the _______ Plan survey.
28. Associated Student Body (ASB) _______, occurring on March 20, will determine next year’s representatives. 30. The state in which Icon Theatres originated. 31. A photo editing application used to enhance and retouch photos. 32. The total time taken by implementing a five-minute
13. Marvin Zou’s average number of points per game. 17. _______ writing, which is rarely integrated into English curriculum, is said to help students develop a broad set of literary skills. 18. Senior Paul Thie was named to the All-League team for this sport. 20. Game design has had five different _______ teachers over the 2018-2019 school year. 21. A sport where athletes practice together based on weight and size, not gender. 23. The _______ measurement system is used by the United States. 25. The Impossible Burger was created _______ years ago by Impossible Foods, a company founded in 2011 to reduce the adverse effects of the commercial agriculture industry. 29. The new affordable housing for teachers in Palo Alto will include at least _______ units. 31. There are _______ players returning to the varsity boys basketball team, which won the Central Coast Section championship.
break each block period equates to _______ block periods each year. 33. Insomnia can be a _______ disease. 34. Adopting _______ based diets would significantly lower carbon emissions. 35. A _______ passed in 2008 funded the construction of the new Paly library.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
A8
EDITORIALS
Praising librarians, administrators for new state-of-the-art library
I
n the fall of 2007, librarian Rachel Kellerman spent a weekend transforming a run-down magazine room in the old library into a makeshift silent study space. She had seen the lack of a focused environment in the library and set out to do something about it — with dust bunnies flying about, she and her husband worked tirelessly, sorting through old magazines, cleaning out the space and picking up furniture from the District warehouse. The end result was still not ideal — “a moldy, dark space,” as Kellerman puts it — but it was a space for the students, created by a woman with the students’ interests at heart.
The library offers designated collaboration spaces, comfortable seating, computer and printer access, a diverse collection of books and a supportive team of librarians. Over a decade later, the same woman has played a key role in the creation of another silent study space, one within a facility unimaginable for a public high school. With task lighting and high ceilings, the new silent study room is an example of the librarians’ and administrators’ attention to students’ needs throughout the construction of the new library, efforts The Campanile applauds and thanks them for. The state-of-the-art facility, which opened on Feb. 6 after 11 years of planning and two years of construction, is a resource Paly students are fortunate to have access to — from the building’s design to the resources within, Paly’s new library is comparable to university and city buildings. According to Kellerman, this was the goal — the team behind the building’s design modelled their decisions off of what they observed in university and
city libraries. Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said the construction costs came out to $10.1 million, money that came from a bond measured passed in 2008 by PAUSD voters. For many public schools, a budget this large is unimaginable for a library, a fact that only adds to how lucky we are to have access to the new facility. The library, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, offers designated collaboration spaces, comfortable seating, computer and printer access, a diverse collection of books and a supportive team of librarians in addition to the silent study space. The layout of the building not only effectively utilizes space for the library, it also is designed to hold the guidance and counseling department, college and career center, staff collaboration room, ASB classroom, computer lab classroom, makerspace, art gallery and staff and student restrooms. These spaces are still receiving finishing touches and are expected to be ready for use in the near future. Furthermore, The Campanile praises librarians and administrators for making alternative spaces available during construction — students were given spaces to study and collaborate in the Media Arts Center (MAC) and Student Center, and student access to books has been made possible through storage in the Student Center and portables and extra effort from librarians when it comes to checking out books.
The Campanile applauds and thanks the librarians for their dedication. The library is not the only new facility Paly students have been blessed with — in recent years, the campus has been lucky to also gain a MAC, Performing Arts Center (PAC) and Peery Center, and according to Paulson, the creation of new facilities is not over. PAUSD voters passed Bond Measure Z that promises up to $460 million for school construc-
tion projects. According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, the school still has funds from the 2008 bond, a portion of which administrators will use to add four new classrooms to the science building. Paulson said potential projects for the money from the 2018 bond include renovations to the 200s and 400s buildings. The Campanile believes these projects further emphasize how fortunate students are to have such modern facilities made possible by supportive community members, administrators and staff. While the new library offers countless benefits to students, staff and the Paly community, The Campanile urges administrators to look for ways to extend the library hours. According to Kellerman, the library is currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and would require an adult supervisor to be present at all times if library hours were to be extended, which could only be arranged by administration or the District. For many students, the library represents one of the only quiet places they can consistently rely on to provide them with a place to study after school. Equipped with textbooks, computers and an abundance of resources, the library is an ideal place for students to work on homework, but its advantages are mitigated if students don’t have access to such facilities after 5 p.m. For example, many extracurriculars such as athletics meet later in the evening, leaving students who stay after school for extended periods of time with no place to study. A simple solution to this problem would be to hire an adult who could stay in the library till later, perhaps even from the money guaranteed by Bond Measure Z. In conclusion, The Campanile would like to highlight how grateful we are, and how appreciative students should be, of our brand new library. The building provides a safe, quiet and productive environment for all students, which would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our administrators and librarians.
School should employ more athletic trainers for students
W
alk into the training room after school, and one is bound to see students nursing bruises, sprains and an assortment of other injuries. Despite the number of injured athletes at Paly, there is only one athletic trainer: Justine Iongi.
Though Paly has a general wellness center, athletic trainers are a necessary aspect for a student-athlete population subject to injury. The Campanile thinks that in order to better support our large student athlete population, administration and the District ought to allot funding to hire more athletic training staff. Currently, according to Brian Arakaki, volunteer athletic trainer, the athletics department has to support around 700 students per season,
and is on the verge of entering the spring season. With track and field, badminton, lacrosse, boys tennis, swimming and diving, the spring season attracts a large contingent of student athletes. During the winter season, the training room was still understaffed despite the presence of a graduate student from San Jose State University who assisted Iongi. However, according to Arakaki, the student was transferred out of the program and has not been replaced. It is not sustainable to plan all of Paly Athletics around the availability of one staff member. Furthermore, according to Arakaki, the athletic training department is currently not able to attend all Paly games. Given how spread out the multiple fields and tracks on Paly’s campus are, attendance from an athletic trainer can only be guaranteed at the riskiest and most potentially dangerous games, leaving every other Paly athlete at risk of not receiving timely treatment for their injuries. Other schools that can make do with just one trainer, according to
Arakaki, tend to have smaller student athlete populations and are less athletically competitive.
The Campanile strongly urges the district allot funding for the hiring of more athletic training staff to better support our athletes. Though one solution might be to re-introduce graduate students, multiple students have had bad experiences with these trainers and have not received the quality of care they need to return to their sport. Though more athletic training staff is an necessity, underqualified staff either fail to help student athletes or actively make their problems worse. The Campanile strongly urges the district to allot funding for the hiring of more athletic training staff, so as to better support the needs of our athletes.
MARCH'S TOP TEN LIST Top Ten Ways To Annoy Your Teacher 10) Ask them for the final study guide. 9) Tell them that you'll miss them next year. They won't miss you. 8) Become sneakier in watching March Madness every single day. 7) Ask them to give your grade a slight 10% raise so your quarter grades don't look as bad. 6) Remind them to turn on InFocus. 5) Request no homework for St. Patrick's Day weekend. 4) Airpods. 3) Pretend that the start of Daylight Saving Time is the reason you were late to first period. 2) Start to recite pi on March 14. In English class. 1) Pull the fire alarm to raise awareness in Fire Awareness Month. Yes, that's a real thing. –SHIVA MOHSENIAN & JOHN TAYERI
Media Arts Center should be reopened for preps and lunch
T
he opening of the new Paly library came with much fanfare: a ribbon cutting ceremony and a new, welcoming study space for students. The library opening, however, sparked the administrative decision to close the Media Arts Center (MAC) during classes. Since its opening in 2014, the MAC has provided a space for students to use during prep periods. With two and a half stories of workspaces, it was the most popular spot for students during preps during library renovation. The Campanile thinks the reasoning behind its sudden closing, while logistically sound, is flawed and that the MAC should be reopened to students with preps in some capacity as soon as possible. Currently, students with preps looking for a study space are encouraged to go to the library, while those who want to socialize can go to the Student Center. While there is ample space in both buildings, The Campanile thinks the MAC provides a unique workspace for students. The Campanile commends the librarians for overseeing a great facility. However, the style of workspace in the library differs greatly from the MAC. The library is often silent since it is filled with students who primarily work independently. This can sometimes can be stifling and uncomfortable for students who want to work in a less restrictive environment. The Student Center, which doubles
the central downstairs area of the MAC, not students using the space productively. The Campanile proposes a solution: Administration should only open the mezzanine and upper level of the MAC to students on prep periods, using the campus supervisor who staffs the Student Center to control the noise levels. This alleviates all the major administrative and teacher concerns. By confining student workspaces in the MAC to a select area, the designated campus supervisor now has a much more feasible and manageable path to ensuring that the space is quiet. Currently, the Student Center is open, but is hardly utilized by students since it no longer serves as the temporary library. The MAC was always the more popular option; thus, it makes sense to shift the campus supervisor from the Student Center to the MAC. The Student Center should be used exclusively as a cafeteria since that was its original purpose. Closing the MAC to students during their prep periods is not using a beautiful, state-of-theart facility to its full potential. It makes little sense to staff the Student Center rather than the MAC, especially if the main concerns with the keeping the MAC open can be alleviated by confining the workspace for students. The Campanile urges Paly administration to find some sort of compromise to better utilize all of Paly’s resources and facilities.
as the cafeteria, is often dark and smelly, making it an unsuitable workspace. The MAC should be reopened in place of the Student Center so students have the alternative option to work in a clean and relaxed space.
The Campanile believes the Media Arts Center should open the second floor to all students with preps. The Campanile acknowledges the distraction sometimes created in the MAC by socializing students. According to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson, several teachers with classrooms in the MAC have complained about noise levels and students being unproductive during classes. Berkson says this disruption to classes in the MAC, as well as the limited campus supervisors, led to the decision to close the MAC to students without classes inside in February. The MAC had a full-time campus supervisor for the first part of the year, and, according to Berkson, supervising the whole campus, library and Student Center would likely not be feasible. However, it is unfair to close the MAC to all students because of a few who cause disruptions. The disruption largely stemmed from students hanging out in
Meanwhile at Paly...
The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Leyton Ho • Kaylie Nguyen • Ethan Nissim Waverly Long • Ujwal Srivastava
Online Editor Yusra Rafeeqi
Managing Editors Kennedy Herron • Byron Zhang
News and Opinion Editors
Lifestyle Editors
Noah Baum • Neil Kapoor
Annie Chen • Leela Srinivasan
Science & Tech Editor
Sports Editors
Miranda Li
Navid Najmabadi • Ben van Zyll
Multimedia Editor
Business Managers
Vivian Feng
Lucy Nemerov • John Tayeri
Distribution Manager Khadija Abid Emily Asher Loic Bosch Eve Donnelly Olivia Ericsson Leila Khan Bruno Klass Paige Knoblock Bernie Koen Kaitlyn Lee Nicholas Le Cameron Legrand Rebekah Limb
Photo Editor Alyssa Leong Alex Liu Anna Meyer Shiva Mohsenian Sophia Moore Antonia Mou Lara Nakamura Tien Nguyen Sarah O'Riordan Henry Queen Yusra Rafeeqi Maya Rathore Kris Risano
Board Correspondent Samantha Hwang Frida Rivera Hyunah Roh Sid Sahasrabuddhe Kiana Tavakoli Emma Todd Kai Vetteth Andy Wang Jeffrey Wang Johnny Yang Jaures Yip Shannon Zhao Adora Zheng
Photographers Khadija Abid • Emily Asher • Leila Khan Alyssa Leong • Yusra Rafeeqi • Shiva Mohsenian Antonia Mou • Johnny Yang
Illustrators Annie Chen • Frida Rivera • Zander Leong Miranda Li • Shannon Lin • Lucy Nemerov Lara Nakamura • Tien Nguyen • Jaures Yip
Advisers Rodney Satterthwaite • Esther Wojcicki
Writing Coaches Evelyn Richards • Elisabeth Rubinfien
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Our Vision Statement: The Campanile has upheld the highest standard of student journalism for the last century by engaging the community through various mediums of storytelling. Our coverage of news, culture and athletics aims to represent the diverse perspectives of our student body.
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
L FESTYLE
AirPods
Spotted
N
early 30 students are scattered before AP Macroeconomics teacher Grant Blackburn, glancing back and forth between their desks and the presentation projected on the screen. Some type furiously on their computers, while others opt for an old-fashioned approach, handwriting their notes on spiral notebooks. Blackburn chooses to trust that his students are staying on task — that is, until he spots a small, long-stemmed white AirPod attempting to hide in the back of the room. “I hate the fact that people have (AirPods) in their ears when they’re in my classroom,” Blackburn said. “I have no way of knowing whether they’re really listening to music or not.” Tucked beneath tufts of hair and reaching just below the earlobe, AirPods are a subdued accessory compared to the classic pair of earbuds. All students that had mastered the complex art of running the white earbud wires up the inside of their sweatshirt and tucking them underneath their hood, concealing them from teachers’ watchful eyes, thanked Apple for the convenient upgrade, but teachers did not necessarily welcome the new product with open arms. A portion of Blackburn’s frustration comes from a gap in understanding: individuals who are more versed in the systematics of AirPods often make the assumption that those around them are just as familiar with the audio device
and how it functions. For example, senior and frequent AirPods user Claire Chen said, from her point of view, her AirPods do not necessarily inhibit her focus or ability to contribute to a conversation; she said she is still able to engage without intrusion. “If I have one AirPod in, I won’t take it out because it’s quiet that where I can fully participate in a conversation without missing anything,” Chen said. However, Blackburn, along with individuals who don’t own a pair of the little white earbuds, goes by what he can see, which is simply whether or not the AirPods are in a student’s ears. “A lot of times, kids will tell me that they’re not playing any music, that it’s super quiet or that they’re not on, but there’s no way for me to know,” Blackburn said. “Maybe this is my old-school way of thinking, but if you’re not listening to anything, why have them in at all?”
Social Dynamics
F
or teachers like Blackburn, the idea of music drowning out a carefully prepared lecture can be interpreted as a lack of respect on the student’s part, regardless of the volume level of the song itself, or the student’s ability to multitask. However, in a world swimming with distractions, conversational dynamics are constantly shifting, and social expectations are evolving as well. Pulling out
Takeover
a smartphone and sending a text message while conversing with a friend is no longer considered a sign of blatant disrespect, but rather a social norm. Senior Walker Rosenthal said the recent increase in AirPods use is no different — having background sound isn’t a big deal and shouldn’t be considered offensive. “If I’m talking to someone and it’s a quicker conversation, I’ll just keep them in,” Rosenthal said. “I would expect the exact same thing from anyone else. Keeping them in is kind of like a social cue that we’re just saying a quick hello to each other; we don’t have to say it, but we just know.” Rosenthal said he does not attempt to conceal his AirPods from view; however, Chen takes advantage of the fact that the audio device is fairly discrete. When kept to herself, AirPods don’t have to be a big deal, but more of a personal tool, according to Chen. “My AirPods are usually hidden in my hair, so I don’t think people can tell I’m using them,” Chen said. “If people found it disrespectful, I would take them out immediately, but most people don’t even realize I’m using them.”
Athletics
A
thletes, in particular, reap the benefits of the contemporary audio device, as they allow the user to move freely, unlike the classic white wired earbuds or even Bluetooth sets produced by brands such as Beats and Bose, which sport wires that wrap around the user’s head. Rosenthal said he bought his AirPods with the intention of using
them to work out, and has found the best use for them during his time in the gym. Certain athletic activities— such as lifting weights, doing stand-still workouts or rock climbing — make excellent use of AirPods, as one can keep their phone nearby and not have to worry about losing Bluetooth connection. Senior Bryan Kagiri, a sprinter on the track team, said his pair of AirPods can be effective depending on the type of running he is planning on doing on that particular day. “They’re really convenient because they stay in while (you’re) running — but it has to be light jogs only,” Kagiri said. “If you’re all-out sprinting, it’s really hard to maintain them, and you’d have to sprint with a bulky phone in your pocket since the Bluetooth connection doesn’t reach too far.”
Looking Forward
R
egardless of their benefits, Blackburn said the use of AirPods in a classroom setting gives students room to further distract themselves from the classroom focus. According to Blackburn, the music tugs at students’ attention, and he’d like to do everything he can to eliminate distractions from students’ lives, which includes making a future change in computer usage policies. “Next year’s students are not going to be allowed to use laptops in my classroom, with the exception of certain times when it’s absolutely necessary,” Blackb u r n said.
“IF YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ANYTHING, WHY HAVE THEM IN AT ALL?”
Grant Blackburn
However, there are ways to work around carrying a cell phone while practicing or running if you are properly equipped, something Chen has discovered. She connects her pair of AirPods to her Apple Watch, a device that she always keeps around her wrist during her soccer practices, and can control her music from the watch without having to worry that the Bluetooth connection will fail. The watch is slightly restrictive, preventing her from picking from a wide selection of music, limiting her to making skips within a selected playlist. Nevertheless, she appreciates that the AirPods-Apple Watch combination allows her to listen to pumpup music while warming up at the beginning of practices and ultimately gets her in the zone to play.
“In addition to the fact that studies have proven that handwriting notes are more effective in terms of retaining information, many students aren’t using their laptops appropriately, and I want them to be as focused as possible in class.” He said he, too, finds himself sidetracking and clicking on emails or checking his messages while he’s planning a lesson, for example, and understands where his students are coming from. It’s going to take an extra push to get students to focus, he said. “Having (AirPods) in is just like being on your laptop, being on your phone, being distracted (or) doing all of these things instead of paying attention,” Blackburn said. “With all of these things in our lives, we’re just becoming less present from the world.”
TEXT, ART & DESIGN BY LEELA SRINIVASAN DESIGN BY EMMA TODD & JEFFREY WANG
Student Life
Politics
SPOTLIGHT
Science & Tech
The impact of divorce on families
Several students speak out about their experience with adjusting to the impact of divorce and how it can affect their family dynamics and shape their lives.
TUMISU/CC0 1.0
PAGE B4-B5
TED/FREE USE
Pathways to politics
Read about Paly alumni that have climbed the political ladder. PAGE B2
BEN SUTHERLAND/CC BY 2.0
MARK J SEBASTIAN/CC0
Religious campus clubs
The science behind makeup
PAGE B3
PAGE B7
Groups that open arms to students, both religious-minded and not.
Studying the ingredients in the cosmetics that we put on our skin.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
B2
Paly alumna shares her path into world of politics Director of Planning and Research Kate Gordon discusses experiences, gives advice to aspiring politicians By Adora Zheng
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Staff Writer
hen it comes to the ever polarized field of civil service, few ever think about how politicians like Hillary Clinton began their careers — and high school students who are interested in politics are often unsure of how to start pursuing such a career. Kate Gordon, who graduated from Paly in 1991, is the Director of Planning and Research in Governor Newsom’s office. She began learning skills that have been key to her success and career in politics as early as high school — from developing proficiency in writing to learning to conduct thorough research, there are many opportunities to strengthen one’s skill set at Paly. For Gordon, two courses had a lasting impact on her career path and view of American politics — U.S. Government and AP English. “I found (U.S. Government) really interesting, just thinking about the different roles that policy and politics play in addition to the private sector and the public,” Gordon said. “The role of the government in helping to deal with problems that the private sector doesn’t have the appetite to deal with and where there are just longer term issues that have to do with people who don’t really have a voice — I found that really interesting.” According to Gordon, her AP English teacher was “phenomenal,” and the course helped her become a well rounded writer. As for extracurriculars, Gordon said any area where one can become involved in leadership of any kind is valuable — Gordon was choir president her senior year at Paly, which she said
helped her develop great leadership skills. For students seeking a career in politics, Gordon recommends working on a political campaign for a local representative. “The people that I know who have made careers in politics and end up as chiefs of staff all started on campaigns,” Gordon said. Senior David Foster worked on Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill’s campaign last year, and said he has always been interested in politics, but the 2016 election was what pushed him to begin looking for ways to make an impact. “Many politicians come to the Bay Area looking for funding — this gives students a great opportunity,” Foster said. “Politicians are really open to letting students come to these fundraisers without paying — just to meet them and take 30 seconds to talk to them. It's a great way to meet unbelievably important people.”
“The people that I know who have made careers in politics and end up as chiefs of staff all started on campaigns.” Kate Gordon Foster looked around at the districts that had important races as well as the ones he felt he could most feasibly work on — he then emailed someone on Sherrill’s campaign, saying he was interested and what he had to offer to the campaign. Foster said Sherrill’s communications director got back to him three weeks later, and after an inperson interview, Foster got the job as a Press and Policy intern on Sherrill’s Communications team.
NOAH BAUM/ THE CAMPANILE
Column: Working in coffee shops By Noah Baum News & Opinion Editor
O MEREDITH GIOVANELLI/USED WITH PERMISSION
Senior David Foster worked for candidate Mikie Sherrill's congressional campaign for the 2018 midterm. “There are always things to do, and if you put yourself out there as someone who can really be devoted," Foster said. "You can get these great, special jobs and really be involved in such a crazy important process” According to Gordon, certain general skills like writing and collaboration are also imperative to develop in order to be successful in a political career. “There is nothing more important than writing if you want to go into a policy career, or a career in doing anything where you have an impact on other people,” Gordon said. “You’d be amazed how few people are good writers.” Gordon also said collaborative skills are integral to success — not just in politics, but in any career. “Working with other people to get things done is what life is about once you get out of school,”
Gordon said. “Learning how to run a meeting, how to get consensus and how to bring a diversity of viewpoints together and move something forward is incredibly important.”
“Politicians are really open to letting students come to open fundraisers without paying just to meet them and take 30 seconds to talk to them.” David Foster In the end, the path to a career in politics, or any other career where a person’s work impacts others, is not the single-laned track many may see it as — rather, according to California Governor
Gavin Newsom, it is simply to exercise one’s moral authority every step of the way, on whatever platform one can. According to Newsom, a “mythology” many people believe is that one can only make a difference if they have the position and platform to do so. “We don't celebrate former president Martin Luther King [ Jr.] every year in the United States — some of the most transformational figures in our history had one thing in common: number one, they never had formal authority, and number two, they all exercised their moral authority,” Newsom said. “They didn’t wait to be something to do something, so my advice to you in that stead is you don’t have to be in politics to be a transformational leader — leadership can be found anywhere.”
Girl Scout cookie season teaches valuable skills
Teenager Scouts discuss different marketing strategies to sell cookies, important life lessons learned
vertise my cookies in an appealing way,” Pao said. Sophomore Girl Scout Ilene Trach observes similar helpful skills and some friendly competition between scouts. “It forces you to be social and sell as many as possible to people you don’t know or to people you do,” Trach said. “Trying to sell as many as possible to people before the other Girl Scouts do is a struggle but in a way fun.” Trach is part of a troop that was constructed by the Paly Robotics Team. They meet every Friday during the off season of robotics and every day during build season and have a different approach to the traditional troop as they promote females in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE
Sophomore Krista Robins purchases Girl Scout cookies from junior Sam Pao on the quad, a common setting for student transactions.
By Kaitlyn Lee Staff Writer
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esidents in house after house repeated, "No, thank you" when junior and Girl Scout Sam Pao went door to door selling cookies for her first time in elementary school. Excitement turned into discouragement as Pao found that selling Girl Scout cookies wasn’t as easy as she thought, and she asked her dad who was accompanying her if they could stop. “My dad encouraged me and told me that rejection is something that I had to accept and I should never stop trying,” Pao said. “I went on and sold more cookies and felt O.K. when I got rejected and was always positive when selling door to door.” On Jan. 28, 2019, Girl Scout cookie season launched into full swing as Girl Scouts across Palo Alto embarked on their annual mission of selling boxes of popular Girl Scout cookies such Thin Mints and Samoas. Paly students and the local community eagerly searched for those unmistakable cardboard boxes, knowing fully well what lay inside. Lasting until March, Girl Scout cookie season is the one time of year when consumers can purchase these classic cookies. Junior Taylor Yamashita has become a regular customer and said she makes sure to purchase Girl Scout cookies each year. “Usually, my family buys four or five boxes, but it also depends
on how many people ask us,” Yamashita said. “I have a few Girl Scout friends that I buy cookies from every year, and I buy them to support my friends.”
“Everyone knows about Girl Scout cookies, and when it's cookie season, everyone runs to the nearest Girl Scout to buy some.” Sam Pao From an external perspective, many are unaware of where the proceeds go, but selling cookies acts as a fundraiser for the troops. According to junior and 12th-year Girl Scout Lavender Legerwood, part of the profit goes to the troop, part of it to the Little Brownie Baker, the company that bakes the cookies, and part to the Girl Scout organization. “The troop gets to keep between 75 and 80 cents per box of cookies, which is five dollars, and how much in total is added to the troops funds depends on how many cookies the girls sell,” Legerwood said. “The Baker gets around three dollars per box sold, and the Girl Scout organization receives the rest.” Scouts strive to sell as many boxes as they can in order to raise more money for their troop, which can be used for their group trips, events and more. “My troop has been raising and saving the money we have earned
from cookie sales, garage sales, as well as a few other events we have participated in for a big trip outside the country after senior year,” Legerwood said. “We have been saving up since middle school and are close to (earning) all the money we need for our trip.” Girl Scouts find different methods of soliciting, such as selling door to door, selling in front of stores and selling to other students around campus. Sometimes Gil Scout even take orders beforehand from friends and classmates. On the other hand, Legerwood found soliciting in front of stores to be the most effective. “I do the best at booth sells outside of grocery stores in the afternoons,” Legerwood said. “I also do quite well outside the movie theaters on the weekend in the evenings. However, many others go door to door selling on the spot to neighbors and complete strangers, but the problem with that is that there are so many Girl Scouts in the Bay Area. It seems that every other house has a resident Girl Scout so it becomes difficult to find people that haven’t bought yet.” Legerwood found that parents can be a useful tool to help sell and advertise cookies. “Parents are also helpful to take some cookies to their workplaces with a message from the girl to sell to their co-workers. This usually brings in a lot of sales as well.” Legerwood’s mother, Heather Legerwood has been a troop leader for eight years and looks for a variety of ways to make selling enjoyable for the scouts.
“I try to make selling fun," Heather said. "In the early years I had the girls collect statements from people refusing to buy cookies. The girls had fun writing down comments and sharing the best rejections. The girls then developed strategies to change the rejections into sales.” Besides acting as a fundraiser for the troops, Lavender Legerwood said selling cookies helps build valuable life skills and lessons.
“I have a few Girl Scout friends that I buy cookies from every year, and I buy them to support my friends.” Taylor Yamashita “(Selling cookies) encourages the girls selling them to use marketing skills — at a booth, the girls need to be talkative and outgoing in order to bring in and persuade the people around them to buy,” Legerwood said. “Many girls I see selling around town tend to be quiet, so this is helpful for them to gain a voice and take charge. (Handling money also) makes them use their math skills to be able to make and break change, count money to find total profits and more.” Pao has found other useful skills in selling cookies. “I used to sell cookies door-todoor and I’ve learned how to deal with rejection as well as how to ad-
“Trying to sell as many as possible to people before the other Girl Scouts do is a struggle but in a way fun.” Ilene Trach “Every year during off season, we go to outreach events and talk to young Girl Scouts about STEM related activities and future jobs,” Trach said. “We do outreach in other communities and we mentor some For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology (FIRST) Lego League teams, FIRST Tech Challenge teams and FIRST Robotics Competition teams at elementary and middle schools. We often bring our robot to demonstrate, which allows us to promote the idea of more girls in STEM. We write programs, materials and have our own robotics badges that we send out to young troops in our area.” Trach finds working with these people to be one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Girl Scout. On the other hand, Heather said it is most gratifying to see the girls grow as people. “The best thing about being the troop leader has been watching the girls grow from Daisies, to now Ambassadors,” Heather said. "I have two girls left of the original troop. Others have come and gone but the troop right now have been together since I took over the troop. I still remember teaching them how to strike a match, open a pocket knife, set up a tent, tie knots, stuff their sleeping bag into a sack and build a fire. I have enjoyed every minute. It has been so rewarding be a part of their lives.”
ver 300 years ago, a group of Europeans exchanged their pints of beers for cups of coffee and began discussing a variety of theories and topics, sparking the Enlightenment Period. Now, it should be noted that these scholars were the ones who named it the “Enlightenment Period,” so take their actions with a grain of salt. The influences on modern society of the century-long Enlightenment Period are clear: we dedicate a unit to the Enlightened in freshman World History. More influential than their theories, however, was the scholars’ practice of working in public coffee shops. Modern Coffee Houses Coffee houses in the Enlightenment Period were nicknamed “penny universities” in reference to their low cost for offering their patrons discussions with great minds. For a much steeper price, Palo Alto workspaces still attract high school students and our across-the-street neighbors from the “1.8 million pennies university.” Since the popularization of the headphone-laptop combo, there have only been seven documented discussions in coffee shops between strangers — now, coffee shops are a space for individuals to work alone or for a group to work alone together. The Myth of Working Together Similar to coffee, doing work is an acquired taste and until we’re 40 and exclusively enjoy acquired tastes, there will simply be things that taste better than coffee. In parallel, until we acquire the taste of doing work, we will simply prefer hanging out with friends over doing work. This fact makes “working with friends” an anomaly — that is, if it worked. “Working with friends” is multi-tasking just like “texting while driving” or “listening to music while taking notes” — it’s just switching between two activities really fast. Working with friends is fun and is evidence of a problem — when working become “fun” in itself, you should question if you are really working at all. On the contrary, if you work “well” with someone else, you’re either blasting an instrumental “study playlist”or you’re just not that into your friend. In the words of Rousseau, one of the original Coffee Drinkers, “Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.” The Pain of Working Alone Hobbes, another Coffee Drinker, called life “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Once we become cognizant of the myth of working together, we must consider working in the fashion of Hobbes’ first adjective: “solitary.” While working alone, there is no friend(s) there to personify your distractions, so the world provides your distractions — the cars passing by the window, the conversations people are having with friends they promised to work uninterruptedly with, the baristas’ irregular calling of names — all pulling you away from what work you intended to complete. As you stare at your ignored cup of coffee, you consider whether paying the five-dollar admission fee to a loud public coffee shop was really a fair trade for your much quieter room. The Anomaly of the Workspace The Enlightenment Period was built on skepticism, along with caffeine. Coffee wasn’t a hit when it was first introduced to Americans. After the Boston Tea Party, however, Americans switched from tea to coffee, whether that be because they were now cut off from tea imports or for the same reason we use inches, pounds and Fahrenheit — to be less European. However, the European Enlightenment can teach Americans one thing: if we do manage to work hard and avoid distractions, one day, 300 years from now, we may have our own name on the back of some freshman’s flashcards.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
B3
Apps allow parents to track their kids Increase in popularity of Modern technology gives an efficient new method for checking in with children By Paige Knoblock
durags, waves on campus By Nicholas Le
Staff Writer
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s junior Emma Siskens walks downtown with her friends on a Friday night, she hears a buzz and looks down at her phone. It’s a text message from her mom. It reads, “What are you up to downtown?” She looks up, knowing her mom is looking at her location through Find My Friends.
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“If the kid never tells their parents where they’re going, I would understand why the parent might want to track them for their own safety.” Sofie Vogel
Siskens is one of many teens in Palo Alto whose parents track their location with apps such as Find My Friends, Google Maps and Life 360. Apps and digital software now allow parents near and far to see where their kids are, what they are doing and who they are with at all times. Junior Sofie Vogel’s parents do not track her, and she said she would feel uneasy with someone knowing and being able to see her location at any time. “I feel that I would rather not have my parents track me just because the thought of someone knowing where I am all the time just feels weird,” Vogel said. Although Vogel has not had a conversation with her parents about tracking, she said she understands why some parents feel the need to track their kids. “If the kid never tells their parents where they’re going, I would understand why the parent might want to track them for their own safety,” Vogel said. Some students’ parents track them for safety reasons. However, many students aren’t comfortable with this — the idea of someone looking at their location at every moment may feel invasive. Junior Virginia Thayer, whose parents track her through Find My Friends when she goes out at night, said while she understands her parents reasoning for tracking
PAIGE KNOBLOCK/THE CAMPANILE
Many parents use different apps such as Find My Friends to track their children’s locations when they go out. her, it can be hard and difficult at times. “I always say where I’m going, so when they are persistent about having my tracking on I feel like they don’t believe me,” Thayer said.
“It’s about safety (and) being able to know where she is, especially if I can’t get a ahold of her.” Karina Longinidis
Other Paly students have similar reactions to the idea of their parents tracking them. In their eyes, the term “tracking” feels like a violation of trust and respect. Siskens’ parents track her through Find My Friends, and despite understanding why they do it, sharing her location can seem unnecessary. “They’ll text me like, ‘what are you doing here’ or whatever,” Siskens said. “If they would just ask me where I am, I would tell them. They don’t need to track (me).” However, many students’ parents don’t use tracking as a way
of finding out where their kids are. Vogel simply tells her parents where she plans on going before leaving. With the access of cars and other transportation methods, it is easy for teenagers and their friends to travel without notifying their parents. This is one of the many reasons parents feel as though tracking devices are important. According to parent Karina Longinidis, she tracks her daughter, a junior at Paly, as a way of checking up on her, to know if she has made it to her final destination.
“I feel that I would rather not have my parents track me, just because the thought of someone like knowing where I am all the time just feels weird.” Sofie Vogel
“It’s about safety (and) being able to know where she is espe-
cially if I can’t get ahold of her,” Longinidis said.
“I always say where I’m going, so when they are persistent about having my tracking on I feel like they don’t believe me.” Virginia Thayer
These parents agree that tracking is used only for safety. “I believe in trust,” Longinidis said. “As long as the trust is not broken, the doors are open to a certain extent.” While some may argue parents in the 21st century are more protective or invasive than ever before, their access to more devices that can provide information allowing them to more intel than ever before. Today, users of technology have more access to what some may deem as ‘intrusive apps.’ Thayer said, “I don’t think my parents are overprotective because even though they track me, they only really use it in emergencies.”
Senior Staff Writer
eople wait in anticipation as YouTuber Wavy Cakes slowly removes his durag after a week of brushing. The durag comes off and reveals a ripplelike pattern wrapping around his head, otherwise known as 360 waves. He notes that this is only the beginning of his journey with waves. Students at Paly have a wide variety of hairstyles, and waves — a style of hair named for their ripple-like effect — are quickly increasing in popularity. There is a wide variety of waves, including the 180 waves, 360 waves and 720 waves, each determined by how the ripple like effect goes around one’s head. Unlike most haircuts, waves require rigorous work to improve the depth of the ripple-like effect. The process requires constant brushing and moisture, as well as wearing a durag in order to protect the ripple effect from the brushing. Short, curly and coarse are optimal hair textures for quality waves. Students such as senior Marco Tan began their journeys with waves this school year. “I thought (waves) looked nice and I decided my hair could do this, so why not try?” Tan said. Many other students have joined in this burgeoning hairstyle trend. Each student, including junior Keebin Dame, has a unique reason behind the decision to get waves. “I got the waves because it’s part of my culture,” Dame said. “I really like the hairstyle. Waves are unique because they only work for certain hair types.” Some have even gained a following for their progression of waves. This is due to people being intrigued with the different routines and seeing the ripple effect become more prevalent over time. Wavy Cakes has gained a following of nearly 40,000 subscribers. “Other YouTubers got me into waves, and I wanted to try them out,” Wavy Cakes said. “I started getting waves because I feel that it is the coolest hairstyle in world at the moment.” After someone like Tan obtains waves, a rigorous maintenance routine begins. Tan initially struggled with preserving his
waves, but eventually refined his personal process. “It was annoying at first, but after a while, I got used to it,” Tan said. “It’s all fine now — it’s a part of my day. I maintain them by conditioning my hair, brushing it and putting my durag on.” However, the tools necessary to obtain and enhance waves can also be costly. Although there are $3 durags and brush sets starting at $10, premium products come at much higher prices. Additionally, haircuts are needed more often — Tan gets a haircut once a week. With the products and services combined, maintaining waves can cost hundreds of dollars. In addition to frequent haircuts, waves also require daily maintenance. Unlike most hairstyles, waves require more than a simple shower and brush. Rather, they have to be maintained throughout the day. According to Wavy Cakes, frequent brushing and moisturizing, coupled with the use of durags, is essential to improving the depth and swirls of the ripple effect. “Waves are a lot of work to get and maintain, but I think in the end that it is worth it,” Dame said. Each person has their own routine to maintain their waves, making each individual’s experience unique. Wavy Cakes has a similar but slightly different routine to Tan. “My routine is just to brush as long I can,” Wavy Cakes said. “When I’m not brushing, I have my durag on to save my progress. Whenever my waves are dry, I put on natural oils and moisturizer.” In recent months, there has been an increase in people attempting this hairstyle at Paly, according to Tan, who said he originated the style at Palo Alto High School. “They’re followers,” Tan said. “They just joined the wave game.” The increase in popularity of waves has affected people beyond just appearances, according to Wavy Cakes. To Wavy Cakes, waves are more than just a hairstyle they’re a way for him to connect with others. “I see it being the highly wanted hairstyle available for different races,” Wavy Cakes said. “It has affected my life by being able to have the platform and give peoples tips and possibly make it a career.”
Religious clubs offer outlet for students to express themselves
All-inclusive student-run organizations, including Jewish Student Union and Christian Club, meet during lunch weekly By Kai Vetteth Staff Writer
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ore than 100 signs and folding plastic tables line the exterior walls of the library on Club Day. Each sign advertises a group to join, an activity to practice or a skill to learn. Three clubs among them, however, tout unique messages. Distinct in their message, purpose and philosophy, yet united under a common theme of discovery, each table represents one of Paly’s religious clubs. For some members, the clubs help to expand their understanding of the major religions. For others, the groups represent the culmination of a life of religious passion. Cookies and Miracles is the newest of the religious clubs, created by siblings Luc L’Heureux and Coco L’Heureux in January of this year to promote what they view as Christian values.
“Apart from it just being incredibly fun to get a taste of what other cohorts of people cherish, we grow so much from exposing ourselves to perspectives outside our comfort zone.” Eyal Cohen
Luc L’Heureux said the club received over 40 sign-ups in just one day. “Every Monday, people are invited to come to room 858 in the back of the math building to enjoy free, homemade cookies,” Luc L’Heureux said. “We talk about miracles in the Bible and watch videos about miracles happening now.” Luc L’Heureux, who regularly
leads worship at the Victory International Church in Foster City, hopes the club will be an accessible way for students of all religious backgrounds to learn more about Christianity from passionate practitioners. “Miracles can be as wonderful and as easy to obtain and enjoy as cookies, and that’s part of what we’re sharing with this club,” Luc L’Heureux said. According to Luc L’Heureux, Paly’s Christian Club served a similar purpose for him as an underclassman until he grew frustrated with the infrequency of their meetings. “I tried attending the Christian Club sophomore year, but they rarely met so I stopped going,” Luc L’Heureux said. Senior Jared Yang, co-president of Paly’s Christian Club, said they began to meet monthly instead of weekly in an effort to host more meaningful events. According to Yang, the club plans to host such events for members of local high school Christian clubs in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley Campus Ministry. “We had a Q and A session, and are working with the Berkeley ministry to organize an event with Christian clubs all across the Bay Area,” Yang said. Yang said the activities not only provide their members with the time and space to discuss their faith with like-minded students, but also the opportunity to strengthen their beliefs by learning about other aspects of their religion. “We’re encouraging our members to be confident about their faith and (teaching them) how to answer challenging questions,” Yang said. “This year, we thought it would be interesting to have some more experienced believers talk about their faith.” Yang still believes in the club’s founding ideals — that campus religious groups have the ability to dispel potentially damaging
HYUNAH ROH/THE CAMPANILE
Cookies and Miracles Club President Luc L’Heureux shows Holy Ghost Reborn, a film by Darren Wilson, during a meeting earlier this semester. myths about their religious beliefs. “There (are) a lot of misconceptions about Christianity and I welcome anybody to come learn for themselves,” Yang said. “Our club is a great place for that.” Senior Eyal Cohen, who has served as the president of the Jewish Student Union since his sophomore year, said his club serves a similar purpose. “Apart from it just being incredibly fun to get a taste of what other cohorts of people cherish, we grow so much from exposing ourselves to perspectives outside our comfort zone,” Cohen said. Cohen said the participationbased structure attracted more students to join, citing the fact that more than 80 students signed up for the club in 2019. “It would be great if Paly cul-
ture gets to a point where every student picks a new culture to explore every day of the week,” Cohen said. According to Cohen, the universality of the values taught by the club caused a seemingly peculiar trend over the last four years. The majority of students joining the Jewish Student Union have not been Jewish. “Judaism has a rich philosophy through the themes of its unique tales and interesting and fun traditions to take part in,” Cohen said. “Being Jewish has little to do with the ability to feel empowered or to have your thoughts provoked through the activities.” Cohen said the club’s former president Alexander Gouyet, who was not Jewish in high school, exemplified the Jewish Student
Union’s philosophies of introspection and inclusivity. Gouyet first attended a meeting on the promise of free food, but stayed for the welcoming atmosphere. He later took a prominent role in the club leadership regularly managing activities and recruiting new members. “The fact that a non-Jew can be the most passionate individual in the school in regards to amplifying the values integrated of Judaism is a reflection of the club being for all those willing to explore their inner virtue than it is a club for Jews to interact,” Cohen said. According to Cohen, club membership does not attempt to convert non-Jewish students. Instead, Cohen believes they should
aim only to educate students about cultural principles rather than attempt to change their religious beliefs. “For the same reason someone might travel to another country to experience a new culture, we hope that people gain a greater appreciation for the ( Jewish) faith and culture and perhaps internalize some of the lessons they learn,” Cohen said. Cohen believes religious clubs, in any form, serve as valuable resources for students to experience traditions and customs which they might never have encountered otherwise. “There is so much to learn and so much to see,” Cohen said. “Students should take advantage of (the) opportunity to sample parts of the world within our campus.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
B4
SPOTLIGHT
Text & Design by Annie Chen, Miranda Li and Johnny Yang
Diving int
Family divorces catalyze change a hen junior Sasha Poor was 11 years old, she came home one day and found a brand new book sitting on a bookshelf in her garage, titled “A Smart Girl’s Guide to Her Parents’ Divorce.” A sixth grader at the time, she said she did not understand the meaning behind the book until two years later during a family dinner. “When I walked in, (my parents) were sitting at a table with a cupcake and a little book, which they told me was a present,” Poor said. “I was a little suspicious, since it was not my birthday or anything. And they then told me that they were getting divorced.” While children of divorced parents often carry the stigma of coming from a broken home, many students, parents and therapists say it doesn’t have to be that way. Divorce can create complications in terms of parenting styles, living arrangements and sibling rivalry, but students and experts agree that if divorcing parents don’t make their children a central part of the conflict and can agree on principles of discipline and child rearing, kids of divorce can overcome the initial trauma of the split to come away with few negative long-term effects. In many families, parents have trouble communicating with their kids about their divorce, especially when the kids are young. However, according to Poor, her parents became more open to share their thoughts and decisions with her after their initial talk, which benefited her family dynamic.
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“Since I was pretty young (when my parents divorced), I think it was reasonable for them to think that I wouldn’t really understand,” Poor said. “I’m glad they chose to tell me about it. After the talk we had on that day, they began to discuss with me openly about their decisions and conversations, which made things a lot easier for all of us.”
New Places, New People ne night away a week. Two nights. Three. Since senior Sarah Mitz’s parents’ divorce seven months ago, when she was 17, her dad has been slowly transitioning from living with the family to living on his own in an apartment in Palo Alto. This is the case with many families with divorced parents — one often moves out, leaving the family physically split in two. Since Mitz’s parents’ divorce is quite recent, her dad is only living with her for half of the week. According to Mitz, her parents made this arrangement because they wanted to create the least possible change in their children’s lifestyles. However, Mitz said she predicts that when she goes to college, her dad will live full-time in an apartment or a different house and her sister and brother will switch between living with her mom and dad. Mitz and her sister still get to live in their house, but senior Halle Gelman recalls a time when she had to constantly move with her mom and sister in and out of where she was living because of her mom’s attempts to bring the
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family back together after the conflict. “When I was 4 up until I was probably 9, it was lots back and forth,” Gelman said. “We lived in (an) apartment for six months, and we lived with my grandma for a while. After the divorce got finalized, my mom, my sister and I moved to Mountain View, to Palo Alto, to Menlo Park, then back to Palo Alto.” According to the Financial Planning Association, in 2012, 17 to 25 percent of custodial parents move out within two years after the divorce. Gelman said although she grew used to moving every two or so years, it was difficult having to repeatedly assimilate into a new environment. “It was definitel y hard just getting aware of your surroundings,” Gelman said. “And when you’re at that age, that young, you tend to find friends within your neighbors and your community, so it was definitely hard leaving some of the friends I had. Once I moved into my current house, which I’ve been living in for six, seven years or so, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s what I was missing out on the whole time.’” In addition to adjusting to a new place, children with divorced parents may have to embrace new people in their lives, potentially
including a parent’s new significant other. Gelman’s mom, though not remarried, has been dating her current boyfriend for seven years. Gelman said it was initially difficult to accept that her mom’s boyfriend was going to be a part of her daily life. According to Gelman, one main reason she is not able to connect well with her mom’s boyfriend is because his parenting style and disciplinary methods are very different from her mom’s. “I just always didn’t want (my mom’s boyfriend) to be part of my family, and I think to this day I don’t really like it because I was so used to having three girls in the house — my mom, my sister and me,” Gelman said. “Having another male in the house is weird, especially one that I don’t talk to that much — I’m not close with him. So it’s definitely awkward, and it’s hard to express your feelings.” Additionally, if a parent remarries or starts dating, the children may also have to adjust to a step parent’s children as well. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends survey, three in 10 people have a step or half sibling. Junior Matthew Marzano, whose parents divorced when he was in fourth grade, has one biological brother and sister, two step sisters and one step brother as a result of his father’s remarriage. Marzano said while he gets along with his step siblings, there is not much communication between
"I actually learned how much they care about me through their divorce - I can see that they go out of their way to do things for me when they're separated."
Matthew Marzano
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them. “It definitely felt weird having four new people in my house at first, because I was not used to who those people are,” Marzano said. “They are different from my siblings and have different mannerisms … It’s not like your actual brother, your actual sister. It’s a lot different from that — you didn’t grow up with those people … There’s not that love — I really had to adjust myself for that.” According to Marriage and Family Therapist Richard Stolee, divorce and the new people and places it introduces in a child’s life increases the need for thorough communication. “If you have two households, it makes the communication more complex,” Stolee said. “It adds stress to the teenager or child because now they have to deal with two households and when the parents get involved with other people, now we’ve got four different family systems involved. Each couple has their own systems, and they’re trying to work out those systems. There’s more difficult communication, more complexity (and) lack of consistency amongst the different households.”
Hardships and Struggles ivorces, especially high conflict ones, often affect all aspects of students’ lives. Initially, divorce can have a profound impact on a child’s emotional wellbeing, as that child is subjected to a myriad of emotions including anger, sadness and resentment. This held true for Mitz, whose parents’ divorce in the summer of her junior year led to a decline in her mental health as well as her academic performance when she returned to school. “I was definitely sadder this first semester of senior year, more sad than I had ever been,” Mitz said. “There were days where I was really sad, I wasn’t doing my best work and I wasn’t paying attention in school.” According to Jennifer Kleckner, the Paly Guidance and Wellness Center Health Technician,
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"I've def become a indepe woman parents' made m thicke and app relationsh It's definit me who
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students are often struggle with their parents’ divorce but hide their emotional damage behind other excuses. “Over the years I have seen many students in the Health Office who have come in with headaches, stomach aches, and saying that they just wanted to go home because they weren’t feeling well, whom I learned later were experiencing the stress of seeing their parents’ marriage fall apart,” Kleckner said. “You don’t have to have a fever to really not be feeling very well.” For many children of divorced parents, opening up to friends and peers about their family’s divide can be a difficult and daunting task. Mitz was hesitant to share about her parent’s divorce at first, as she did not feel others could relate to her situation. “I didn’t know anybody whose parents got divorced when they were in high school,” Mitz said. “I have some friends whose parents got divorced when they were little kids, so it was more normal for them, but I didn’t know anybody who had that transition the summer going into your senior year, when your whole life is about to change, you’re going to college, you have a lot of pressure on you. And that was hard, and nobody could really relate to me.” For Poor, even though her parents’ divorce occurred before high school, the separation was equally trying, as immediately after the divorce paperwork was filed and before the dust had settled, her father moved to New Zealand to live with his mother and brothers. Poor said what she misses most about having her father around is
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The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
SPOTLIGHT
B5
Art by Annie Chen and Miranda Li
to Divorce
and growth in Paly students’ lives
Gelman
Family Dynamics eside the emotional status of the child, divorce usually also affects the relationship between a child and his or her family. “Often in divorce, it’s a time of stress, and the relationships are suffering,” divorce coach Nancy Gray said. “So I’m really trying to rebuild connections between the parent and the child or the teenager and the parents, maybe a teenager feels ‘nobody’s listening to me (and) you parents are just off there fighting and you don’t really care about me.’ So I’ll really try to be the interpreter between the teenagers and the parents to try to get them back on track.” Additionally, changes in schedule caused by the divorce and having to move to new places usually decreases the time the child gets to spend with his/her parents.
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go wrong. And you should always remain positive and do whatever makes you happy.” Diaz said his parents’ divorce actually improved the relationship between his brother. “I definitely got closer with (my brother) because of the divorce,” Diaz said. “When he was young, I never felt like I could go to him when I need something, since I needed to look out for him. But as he grew up, we kind of began relying on each other.” “It’s weird seeing your parents as co-workers and that the only reason that they’re talking is for the kids,” Mitz said. “It’s more pressure because when I’m tired at dinner, I want them to have fun talking to each other … it’s all about the kids now.” As the oldest child in her family, Mitz said she usually takes the responsibility of trying to make things more cohesive. “I feel a lot of pressure to keep my family together because both my siblings took it a lot harder than I did,” Mitz said. “It’s really hard for (my) parents too because they’ve been married for 20 years. It’s just more pressure.”
Misconceptions ike any other taboo topic, divorce is often misrepresented in mainstream media. According to Poor’s mother Suni Memdis, divorce is largely depicted as a purely negative time for a family, full of disputes and stress, but low conflict divorces can be surprisingly peaceable. “One (misconception) is that divorced people don’t get along, so people are usually quite surprised to find out that (Sasha’s father and I) visit each other, and we go on vacation together (as a family),” Memdis said. “Apparently (divorce is) becoming more and more common, so I think it’s not as rare as people might imagine … I think it’s not that well known that you can have a recent divorce and continue on good terms.” For divorces that do have a high level of conflict, Gelman
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said a common misconception is the assumption divorce is only a conflict between the two parents, which she says ignores the impact on the children involved. “Depending how bad the divorce is, sometimes the child even has to go to court or (see) a psychologist to talk about it, and I think that’s one of the aspects that isn’t really talked about,” Gelman said. “(Divorce) really affects the child so much and they have to be almost incorporated into the divorce because they have to figure out a schedule that works for them and their parents.” B e cause they often end up being caught in the middle of divorces, Gelman said children of divorced parents need to take time to focus on their own wellbeing. “Focus on yourself — be a little bit selfish,” Gelman said. “Don’t worry about your parents, because they’re older, and they’re supposed to be caring about you. Work out your time schedule. Do what’s good for you and not for your parents because sometimes when your parents are divorced, they want you since they only get half of the time with you.”
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living with unfamiliar people, to experiencing new hardships and to disrupting family dynamics — it can lead to less conflict and tension and allow a young person to grow and learn from their parents’ relationship. “There’s times when I wish (the divorce) didn’t happen,” Marzano said. “But I know that it was the best decision for them. And if they stayed together and weren’t happy, it would probably be harder for me, because it would be such a negative, toxic relationship. I actually learned how much they care about me through their divorce — I can see that they go out of their way to do things for me when they’re separated.” According to a 2002 study by psychologist E. Mavis Hetherington and graduate student Anne Elmore of the University of Virginia, though many children initially experience negative reactions immediately following their parents’ divorce, within two years of the divorce, these effects generally diminish. In the longterm, children typically recover and do well. Many students, including Poor, also developed a new perspective on relationships from
"It’s weird seeing your parents as co-workers and that the only reason they’re talking is for the kids."
Sarah Mitz
Takeaways hough divorce can change many aspects of a child’s life — from moving, to
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Marzano’s parents had decided an alternating schedule for him, which makes him to switch houses every weekend. While cannot see both of his parents together everyday, Marzano said he appreciates his parents’ efforts to make sure he doesn’t feel left out by spend as much time with him as possible. “(My parents) would always try to do things for me,” Marzano said. “They would take me out for dinner when I’m at the other parent’s house and bring me to movies and sports games. I really see the efforts they put (into) giving me a better sense of family, and I really appreciate that.” While it is not feasible for Poor to see her parents regularly, she said her parents always try to spend time with her as a family, even though they are not technically a family anymore. According to Poor, her mom and dad still discuss parenting issues with each other, and the family goes on trips together for Christmas and Thanksgiving. She even said her parents not married makes the family atmosphere less intense. While Poor and her family focus on spending time together as a whole family, senior Carlos Diaz said he chose to focus on hanging out more with his younger brother after their parents divorced, trying to build up a positive view of the world for him. Diaz was 11 at the time of the divorce, and his brother was 7. “(My brother) didn’t take it too well, and I don’t think he completely understood what was going on at that moment,” Diaz said. “As the older brother, I would always tell him that everything would be okay, and our parents will always be there with us when we need them.” Playing sports was one of the things that gave Diaz and his brother a chance to spend more time together, Diaz said. “We both used to play soccer, and we would play together when we hang out together over the weekend at my dad’s house,” Diaz said. “I also invited him to join the cross country team with me. I just wanted to tell him that there are still things that you can control and things that are not going to
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the unique and thoughtful dayto-day conversations they enjoyed before her parents’ divorce and having her father’s perspective on important decisions in her life. “(My dad and I) have a lot of philosophical discussions,” Poor said. “He talks about that kind of stuff with me, and I don’t really talk about that with my mom, so I kind of miss that. (Also, my mom and dad) are very different and have different views. So when (my dad is) not there, it’s hard to make a decision or take everything into account,” Poor said.
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experiencing their parents’ divorce. Poor now recognizes relationships can be flexible, rather than set for one’s entire life. “When you’re young, you might not be looking at your future goals as much,” Poor said. “When you get older, that might become more clear to you, and then if the person that you’re with doesn’t have those same goals … sometimes it can be best to just not have that relationship.” In addition, one can also be shaped by a divorce and the responsibility having divorced parents comes with, as was Gelman. “I think I’ve definitely become a stronger, independent woman,” Gelman said. “(My parents' divorce) definitely made me have thicker skin and appreciate relationships more. It’s definitely made me who I am.” Divorce and the initial split may be painful, but experts, including Stolee and Gray, say in the long run, it is possible to create a healthier environment for families in which children can recover and flourish. “I had always had this perfect life — nothing had ever gone wrong with me,” Mitz said. “And now I have parents who are got divorced … I wanted a happy family. I didn’t want my parents to get divorced, and they did. I’m still happy. I just learned to deal with the things that happened to me, and I had no control over my parents’ relationship. I didn’t let it put me down, so I feel more confident for the future, because I know that things that aren’t ideal are going to happen, and I just feel more confident tackling them.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
LIFESTYLE
B6
iCon starts screening movies, Athleisure’s popularity rises reinventing viewer experience Non-athletes follow athletic gear fashion style By Andy Wang
By Leila Khan
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Staff Writer
ith heated, reclining seats, a full bar and lounge and spacious auditoriums, the newest modern movie theater of the area stretches the margins of the common public movie experience. Located in the San Antonio shopping center in Mountain View, the newly opened ShowPlace iCon theater showcases its high-tech and efficient manner of delivering entertainment and amenities to its guests. Along with comfortable seats and lounges, the theater features digital screens at the entrance of the theater on which guests are invited to order their own food and drinks with the touch of a button. “You order your food when you pick up your tickets on a screen and then you just pick up your food at the next station which is super quick and convenient,” senior Maddie Yen said. Opening on Oct. 5, 2018, the iCon Theater has gathered popularity predominantly among teenagers who enjoy the ease the theater provides, according to employee Arthur Mane. “For the first few weeks, it wasn’t too busy because not a lot of people knew we were here,” Mane said. “Now it is safe to say we get a lot of customers, especially teenagers on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights.” The iCon theater is one of two located in the Bay Area, the other located at Valley Fair which opened in January 2019. It is part of a small chain of theaters that originated on the East Coast. “What we have here is a more modernized version of going to the movies,” Mane said. “We offer lots of food options and take pride in the high comfort level of our reclining and heated chairs.” In order to keep up with the escalating prominence of technology in society, the theater offers many amenities that can be easily accessed on a screen, according to Mane. “It’s super easy to buy tickets and order food because it’s all
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Staff Writer
he infamous Adidas track pants with three stripes on the side were first designed to be worn for activities such as running, hence the name “track pants.” However, in the past decade, more and more people have begun to wear these track pants throughout the day, regardless of whether they were planning to exercise or not. Many believe that these Adidas track pants sparked the new trend that has become prominent in fashion and style — athleisure.
LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE
Digital screens at the front of the theatre sell movie tickets and food. digital,” senior Dwayne Trahan said. The theater entrance itself includes many modern features, such as neon colored wall panels and crossing escalators. The rectangular glass doors at the entrance lead into a large lobby area with high ceilings and stairs alongside the escalators.
“What we have here is a more modernized version of going to the movies.” Arthur Mane
Inside the multiplex are 10 separate auditoriums, each containing over 20 rows of reclining and heated seats for visitors to reach their maximum comfort level. “I was pleasantly surprised by the seat warmers because I always get cold at the movies,” Yen said. If seat comfort wasn’t enough to draw in viewers, the new theater also dedicates part of their theater to the VIP section in which employees directly deliver food to the seats of their customers while watching their film. “There are lots of food choices, and it’s definitely less expensive than most (existing movie theaters) that I have been to,” Trahan said.
According to chemistry teacher Ashwini Avadhani, bringing blankets and stretching out on the comfortable seats makes the new modern theaters feel as relaxing as watching at home. Since movie theater attendance has recently taken a dive due to the rising popularity of online streaming and other forms of media, the iCon theater attempts to simulate the luxury of watching movies in the comfort of one’s own home. “It is comfortable enough and instead of watching a movie at home, going to the movies and looking at the huge new screens (is) really great,” Avadhani said. “I know some people have basement home theaters, but they still can’t compete with the Century 21 movie screens.” To parallel the ease and comfort of viewing films at home, iCon has installed easily accessible snacks and even full meal items available at the touch of a button. “Now that they’re adding food and beverages, it makes the experience so much more relaxing,” Avadhani said. According to Mane, more modernized movie theaters will begin to take over the more traditional theaters because they are much more comparable with the latest forms of entertainment that most people enjoy in their own homes today.
“This is why I wear sports clothing to school sometimes. I don’t have to bother changing. Athleisure is convenient, but also stylish.” Zander Darby
Athleisure is a fashion trend in which clothes that are designed for athletic wear are worn in casual settings such as school, daily life, the workplace and other social occasions. Today, not only are track pants worn casually throughout the day, but running shoes, basketball shoes, yoga pants, sports jerseys, tennis shirts and other athletic wear are worn on a daily basis. “Athleisure is the new casual,” said Deirdre Clemente, a history professor who studies fashion and clothing at the University of Nevada, in an interview with Business Insider. According to Clemente, the rise of athleisure can be attributed to technological improvements in fabrics and a modern focus on comfort and wellbeing. Technological improvements in materials used in athletic clothes have made them more comfortable, durable and stylish. Nike’s Dri-Fit material and Adidas’s primeknit material are just two materials that consumers love, as spandex, polyester and knit tech-
nology incorporated in sports clothes make them more flexible, durable and lightweight. This can make athletic wear more comfortable than traditional jeans and cotton sweatpants. Clemente believes Athleisure is a part of a larger trend of wellness and self-improvement. Wearing sports clothes can symbolize a healthy lifestyle. According to Fortune, in 2015, the sales of athletic wear increased by 12 percent. In addition, since Lululemon Athletica Inc. IPO’d, the athleisure wear company’s stock price has climbed 224.56 percent in the past five years (From Robinhood). In the past, people only wore athleisure clothing, such as yoga pants, in the gym, or for certain sports practices. Wearing athletic wear to class or out to eat was hardly thought of as fashionable or acceptable, as sweatpants could be associated with pajama wear and regarded as sloppy. Today, however, thousands of students go to classes wearing yoga pants and sportswear. Palo Alto High School sophomore Zander Darby, a tri-sport athlete, believes wearing sportswear is extremely convenient. “Being a sports lover, I often wear athletic clothing for my practices and training,” Darby said. “During school, going to the locker room and changing can be a hassle at times. This is why I wear sports clothing to school sometimes. I don’t have to bother changing. Athleisure is convenient, but also stylish.”
“Because of its convenience, athleisure is definitely here to stay.” Zander Darby
Convenience plays a huge factor for athletes. Combining comfortability with convenience has made athleisure a huge component in fashion. “Because of its convenience, athleisure is definitely here to stay,” Darby said.
Not too long ago, the Adidas Ultra Boost shoes became a huge trend in fashion. Originally, the sneaker had been designed and created for running purposes. However, the Ultra Boost instantly sold out in stores and became an extremely popular shoe among teenagers and adults. Some colorways of the Ultra Boost can cost up to $3,000 on resell websites. As a type of athleisure shoe, Ultra Boosts are comfortable, stylish and popular. At Paly, several students wear Ultra Boosts daily and match them with jeans, shorts or track pants.
“I love wearing Nike’s sports hoodies, sweatpants, and running shoes. It gives off a sporty vibe but (it’s) fashionable at the same time.” Ras Kebebow
Today, athleisure is no longer only the product of sports brands such as Nike and Adidas. Highfashion designers, such as Gucci, Fendi, Versace and Chanel have entered the athleisure market, advertising their models posing in designer yoga pants and sports jackets on the runway and in magazine ads. The versatility of athleisure wear has attracted many consumers to the category. It also tends to be to be much more durable, comfortable and convenient than alternative styles of clothing. Athleisure is more than just a trend; it will continue to thrive in our culture and fashion, according to sophomore Ras Kebebow “It’s comfortable and easy to move in, and I believe that it is very stylish as well,” Kebebow said. “I wear athleisure attire every single day. I love wearing Nike’s sports hoodies, sweatpants and running shoes. It gives off a sporty vibe, but (it’s) fashionable at the same time.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
B7
SCIENCE & TECH
Organic makeup offers alternative to harmful chemicals
Users become wary of effects of unhealthy ingredients, look for safe alternatives in various types of cosmetics By Jaures Yip
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Staff Writer
s beauty and cosmetics have rapidly expanded over the last decade into a multi-billion dollar behemoth of an industry, public scrutiny over the ingredients inside these products has simultaneously increased. The constant application of makeup results in the user’s skin being consistently exposed to and often affected by the product, causing many consumers to become more conscious of the components inside their makeup. “After I became vegan, I realized that I wanted my cosmetics to also be vegan,” Paly graduate Katie Gibson said. “I started looking into ingredients and found out that so many products have highly questionable ingredients.” Gibson has since switched to organic products after discovering a myriad of alarming additives in those she previously used. “One thing to look out for is perfume, because that’s in almost every product,” Gibson said. “Also, lead is in a lot of makeup, despite the risk of lead poisoning.” Other consumers, such as Paly AP Environmental Science teacher Alicia Szebert, became more conscious of potentially dangerous chemicals inside makeup after experiencing significant skin reactions from non-organic cosmetics. “I developed horrible allergies and reactions to makeup and skincare products years ago," Szebert said. "Now I only use only organic products and buy from companies that I trust. It’s definitely not foolproof, but all of my allergies have gone away, so I believe that I’m doing something right.” Concern for health risks due to harmful additives in cosmetics has prompted the rise of “clean” brands, promoting safer alternatives by replacing them with organic ingredients. Sephora recently launched a Clean Beauty category, where brands are featured with a “Clean at Sephora” seal, indicating that their cosmetics are free of the sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, triclosan and others. Despite the spike in ingredient awareness and demand for “cleaner” beauty, the actual definition of organic makeup remains vague to the general public, according to Valley Fair Sephora Senior Skincare Advisor Jen, who has a background in organic chemistry. Jen was not permitted by Sephora to give her full name. “The problem with the word ‘clean’ is not everyone has the same idea of what clean is,” Jen said. “It’s not a definitive term.”
According to Jen, there is no agency or governing body regulating “organic” terms, nor is there an established definition for them in cosmetic labeling. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates food, does moniter the agricultural ingredients in beauty products according to USDA organic standards, but popular marketing claims such as “natural,” “green” or “clean” are not federally defined or monitored. Whether beauty products labeled as clean are actually healthier and safer is also an ongoing debate. According to Szebert, proving causation between chemicals applied on the skin and adverse effects is difficult due to the inability to control either variable. “My take on it is that if a molecule can be absorbed through the skin and is not a molecule our bodies are accustomed being exposed to, or a molecule we did not evolve being exposed to, it is better to avoid it,” Szebert said. Long term makeup usage sometimes irritate and cause inflammation to the skin. Wearers can develop acne due to comedone formation, which is when dead skin cells create a blockage in pores. Mineral oil, made from petroleum, is a comedogenic ingredient common in several cosmetics and can form a physical barrier over the skin, trapping bacteria and increasing risk of breakouts.
“I started looking into ingredients and found that so many products have highly questionable ingredients.” Katie Gibson
The most common reaction to makeup is irritant dermatitis, especially among those with sensitive skin or skin disorders such as eczema and rosacea, which causes rashes and sometimes even blisters. However, the elimination of certain ingredients does not necessarily eradicate these effects, as there are numerous factors that can contribute to them. Though fragrances and preservatives are the most prevalent causes of contact allergy, natural cosmetics can still induce the same symptoms. The Food and Drug Association (FDA) states that since all cosmetics have the same requirements for safety regardless of their source, organic products are not necessarily safer. Skeptics of the organic cosmetics movement state that the issue is not necessarily the chemicals themselves but rather the
LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Allison Cheng positions herself in front of the mirror to apply foundation and curl her eyelashes, a routine familiar to many Paly students.
quantity, since makeup is not the only means of exposure to several allegedly dangerous ingredients. “With most of these ingredients, there are only issues and dangers when there’s too high of a concentration,” Jen said. “A lot of them are used in very low amounts, and you’re constantly exposed to them by food and air.” Although most cosmetics do contain chemicals that have been shown to be dangerous, they are usually found in extremely low amounts. Over 99 percent of the cosmetic lip products and externally applied cosmetics on the U.S. market contain levels of lead below 10 ppm. However, since exposure to lead from makeup occurs mainly through incidental ingestion and skin absorption, the FDA has found the amount so miniscule that it cannot be measured in routine blood testing, and is therefore low risk. “It also depends on your skin,” Jen said. “Sometimes certain ingredients, like fragrance, can irritate some people more than others simply because their skin is more sensitive.” Certain ingredients in particular have been a point of contention among consumers, including parabens. Intense media scrutiny arose after a 2004 study conducted by Dr. Philippa Darbre of the University of Reading in England that detected traces of five parabens in the breast tumors of 19 out of 20 women. Parabens mimic estrogen and bind to estrogen receptors, causing expression of genes change and communication within cells to be altered. A 2015 study lead by Dale Leitman, a gynecologist and molecular biologist at UC Berkeley, found that they were able to trigger estrogen receptors
by turning on genes that caused breast cancer cells to proliferate. Despite these claims, many believe that parabens’ estrogenic activity is too weak to cause harm. The American Cancer Society website states that “there are no clear health risks from parabens in food, drugs, cosmetics, and skin care products.” In addition, some argue that parabens and similar chemicals are essential in cosmetics as powerful preservatives. “Parabens and triclosan are meant to prevent harmful bacteria and mold,” Jen said. “So even when products don’t contain them, they still have to have some kind of preservative.” Although the mechanism behind parabens’ antibacterial action is still being investigated, studies suggest that it is linked to the membrane, causing some to believe that they disrupt bacterial membrane transport processes, leaking intracellular fragments.
“Most inexpensive makeup is full of what I would consider 'toxic' chemicals that are used as filler.” Alicia Szebert
Another common preservatives are formaldehyde releasers, which are chemicals that emit a naturally occuring gas called formaldehydes. Although it also has been linked with some types of cancer, it is usually used in concentrations far below what is considered hazardous. Preservatives generally target a single type of microorganisms; for example, parabens are most
effective at yeast and molds while formaldehydes target bacteria. As a result, a mixture is used to ensure that a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity exists. Other controversial additives include phthalates, a family of industrial chemicals typically used as a solvent and fixator in makeup. Broadly classified as an endocrine disruptor, rodent studies have shown adverse effects specifically to the male reproductive system and sperm production. Despite this, they were concluded to be safe in cosmetics by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR). As a result, critics of clean beauty believe that these chemicals are not risky in makeup. “I’m not scared of any of them,” Jen said. “The thing is, all ingredients in products are regulated to ensure that they are safe for the public. Many of these have been in cosmetics for many years and are regularly checked.” Although cosmetic products and ingredients, except for color additives, are not required by law to be approved by the FDA before entering the market, the FDA can request, not order, product recalls if they suspect that the product is contaminated or misbranded. Companies are legally required to determine that their ingredients are safe and correctly labelled, but, according to Szebert, despite this, cosmetic brands are not obligated to mention ingredients that are present in low amounts. “The problem is that a lot of chemicals put in makeup are not even required to be included in the ingredients list if they're below a certain quantity,” Szebert said. “Most inexpensive makeup is full of what I'd consider ‘toxic’ chemicals that are used as filler.”
The appeal of organic brands also extends past health risks. Despite believing that most supposedly hazardous ingredients are not in fact harmful, Jen notes their negative environmental impact. “I’m more concerned about how some of these, like microbeads and triclosan, effect the environment,” Jen said.
“Sometimes certain ingredients, like fragrance, can irritate some people more than others simply because their skin is more sensitive.” Jen
Studies have found that ingredients such as Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), synthetic fragrances and silicones cause pollution in marine environments and are often toxic for many aquatic wildlife. Although viewed as more ecofriendly, organic products replace synthetic preservatives with natural ones, which are mostly weak acids including salicylic acid, lactic acid and citric acid. As a result, they are less effective and must be used in higher dosages, leading some to become quite allergenic. While natural cosmetics may promote a more holistic lifestyle and be beneficial to some, the formulation of organic and nonorganic cosmetics are still being researched and have yet to have been decisively determined superior or not. Therefore, when considering converting to either side, consumers should be aware of the risks and benefits of both markets.
Students seek coping mechanisms for dealing with insomnia
Exploring the nature of insomnia; common challenges that students with sleep disorders experience on a regular basis By Alex Liu
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Staff Writer
unior Maia Tindall typically finds herself going to bed every night at 11 p.m. For many, this would seem like a regular or even early bedtime. Instead of sleeping, however, most nights Tindall reads until she is physically unable to, which is around 2 a.m. Overwhelmed by the need for rest, she feels exhausted but is mentally unable to sleep as her mind continues to race. On good nights, Tindall gets four to six hours of sleep, but on bad nights, only one to three. She is one of millions of Americans who have a sleep disorder known as insomnia. Defined as the inability to either fall or stay asleep, insomnia adversely affects all who have it and threatens to ruin one’s productivity, and physical and psychological well-being. Dr. Kate Kaplan, Ph.D., a clinical instructor at the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, explains the science behind the constant
awakeness in a person with insomnia. “Oftentimes with insomnia we start to develop an association between the bed and being awake — the brain starts to link bed with wake rather than with bed and sleep which can start to lead into bad habits,” Kaplan said. “It gets harder and harder to sleep, we can drink more and more caffeine in the daytime, (and) it can make us take more naps in the daytime, which is actually bad for us.” Paly AP Psychology teacher Christopher Farina elaborates on the symptoms of the sleep disorder and why sleep disorders generally share symptoms. “(Insomnia affects people) the same way that any kind of lack of sleep would,” Farina said. “So exactly the same things you would see if a person is generally not getting enough sleep, you’re going to see if a person can't fall asleep or stay asleep. Everything from irritability to poor cognitive performance — there does seem to be some correlation with weight gain and all that bad stuff.”
Farina additionally mentions how insomnia develops and why some people have acute or chronic insomnia.
“(With insomnia) the brain starts to link bed with wake rather than with sleep which can start to lead into bad habits.” Dr. Kate Kaplan
“There's likely some genetic predisposition towards it, but then on top of that there pretty much always has to be some kind of environmental triggers that would cause it as well,” Farina said. “That could be anything from bad bedtime habits, (such as) people who will just stay up late looking at backlit devices, or it could be a stresser in one’s life, (such as) some kind of anxiety producing situation, whether that's an up-
coming test (which) could cause a very acute type of insomnia or dealing with an ongoing issue (which) could cause some type of chronic insomnia.” Tindall, who has experienced chronic insomnia her entire life, believes the chronic state of her insomnia may stem from her genetics. “According to my mom, I’ve had it since I was a baby — I've just always had insomnia, it (got) worse especially in high school and middle school,” Tindall said. “(Additionally,) my whole dad’s side of the family has a lot of mental health issues, mostly anxiety and insomnia. My dad in particular only gets three or four hours of sleep a night.” Tindall likely suffers from hereditary insomnia, but also believes that her insomnia is tied to her mental health and academic stress. “My insomnia is usually tied to my anxiety,” Tindall said. “And I usually don't sleep as much as other people. During finals week and stuff like that I tend to sleep
less just because when I’m more anxious about anything in life, particularly school … it just keeps me up a lot more at night.” Tindall also suffers from the disorder known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which worsens the quality of her sleep. According to Kaplan, OCD fills the mind with obsessive thoughts that prevent an insomniac from sleeping.
“According to my mom, I've had it since I was a baby — I've just always had insomnia, it (got) worse especially in high school and middle school.” Maia Tindall
“Some people (with OCD) get so fixated on their sleep and
sounds in their environment that they’re not sleeping,” Kaplan said. “Thus, it becomes more of a challenge to shift their attention to other things that are more conducive to sleep.” Tindall has seen a decrease in her OCD symptoms thanks to her sleep medication. She now sleeps six to seven hours, and, although it’s still less than the recommended number of hours of sleep, Tindall knows it's better than nothing. “I take medication because I also have OCD … they think it's a side of effect of it, part of the insomnia, (...) that’s been helping with it a lot recently," Tindall said. Tindall, who is finally able to cope with insomnia, shares some advice with those who may suffer from the same disorder. Tindall said, “If anybody has insomnia and doesn't know what to do about it, try and talk to a therapist, there could be a pretty easy solution to it that you haven't been able to check out because you don't have the resources or the means.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
B8
SCIENCE & TECH
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE BURGER
How the invention of a meat-free burger could save the planet
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ith ocean levels rising, glaciers melting and global temperatures increasing, the effects of climate change are at an all-time high. Although society’s recent efforts to carpool, recycle and shorten showers may lessen humanity’s carbon footprint minimally, they do not prevent events that will have a significant impact on climate change. Impossible Foods, a company founded in 2011, has made it their mission to reduce the animal agriculture industry’s negative effects on the planet by creating plant-based, synthetic beef. Although completely meat-free, the Impossible Burger very closely mimics the appearance and taste of a real hamburger. Achieving this level of realism for a non-meat patty took hours of trial and error in Impossible Foods’ lab, as seen in their video, “The science behind the Impossible Burger.” Celeste Holz-Schietinger and Richard Brown, the project’s lead neuroscientists, started with the question, “What makes meat, meat?” Brown and Holz-Schietinger began by isolating a single aroma molecule in a real hamburger, then recorded individual observations of what they smelled in the molecule. From this data, they pinpointed heme as beef ’s crucial ingredient. Heme, also known as soy-leghe-
moglobin, is a molecule that looks and tastes like blood. It is responsible for beef ’s unique, meaty flavor as well as its deep red coloring. In the production of Impossible Burgers’ nonmeat patties, heme is extracted from the soy plant, and then combined with yan and xanthan gums, coconut oil and wheat and potato proteins.
“The Impossible burger was created with the goal of being something that meat eaters would choose instead of traditional beef.” Michelle Ishida
Each ingredient makes a certain contribution to creating the same experience as eating a real hamburger. Heme matching the color and flavor of red meat appeals to the visual, taste and smelling senses, the sizzling of coconut flakes creates an auditory experience and the texture of the wheat and potato proteins imitate the fleshy textu Offering an eco-friendly alternative to beef could greatly improve the state of the Earth’s environment. Nicole Loomis, an AP environmental science teacher, sees plant based meat as a possible method for reducing car-
bon emissions. “Eating lower on the food chain is definitely a good solution, even if people only do it once a day, or one day a week,” Loomis said. “The Impossible Burger is made mostly from wheat, potatoes and soy, all of which have far lower carbon emissions than beef.” According to Loomis, beef production has the highest level of carbon emissions and water usage of any food eaten, accounting for 67 percent of all food related emissions. Beef is an incredibly popular food option — the average American consumes 222 pounds of red meat and poultry per year. This is equivalent to every person eating 800 quarterpound burgers annually, or 2.4 burgers a day. The Impossible Food company’s mission closely aligns with that of non-meat eaters, but Impossible meat is actually created primarily for meat eaters, according to Impossible Foods’ customer service manager Michelle Ishida. “The Impossible Burger was created with the goal of being something that meat eaters would choose instead of traditional beef,” Ishida said. “The vast majority (of consumers) regularly consume animal meat.” Only three percent of the company’s customers identify as having a plant-based diet. One of these consumers is Paly junior Noa Leher, who has been vegetarian for five years and was startled by how realistic the Impossible Burger tasted. “The texture was very fleshy and meaty,” Leher said. “It was off-putting
to me because it felt like I was eating meat.” But Leher thinks that for the very reason that she was shocked by the burger, a meat-eater could enjoy it. “I think [the Impossible Burger] is an awesome alternative for people who want to be vegetarian for moral or environmental reasons, but still like the taste and texture of meat,” Leher said.
“There’s a lot of carbon emissions, water usage and maintenance, whereas the Impossible burger doesn’t have that cost.” C a ry G u t k n e c h t
Leher’s first Impossible Burger experience was at Gott’s Roadside, a popular Town and Country restaurant. Manager Cary Gutknecht, who has worked at Gott’s for five years, said they started making their own Impossible Burgers to attract meat eaters who want to eat less meat for either health or environmental reasons. “Think about everything that goes into raising meat,” Gutknecht said. “There’s a lot of carbon emissions, wa-
ter usage, and maintenance, whereas the Impossible Burger doesn’t have that cost.” Gutknecht explains that Gott’s has a very close relationship with the Impossible Foods company. If the Impossible Burger continues with its increasing popularity, Gott’s could potentially decrease their beef production. “We are here to serve the community and give the people what they want,” Gutknecht said. “If the community wants to move towards meatless meat, we will be right here to do so.” Ishida is also confident that a world with reduced beef consumption is in the near future. According to Ishida, the company partnered with researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) to investigate what the future impacts of plant-based, beef could be. Their findings revealed that should Americans replace 50 percent of ground beef from cows with Impossible beef, 45 million metric tons of carbon would be spared from entering the atmosphere, 3.2 trillion gallons of water would be saved and 190,000 km of land could be restored to a healthy, wildlife habitat. “As a young company, we can’t be sure that there’s a decrease in beef sales yet,” Ishida said. “But it’s certainly our goal as we move forward.”
sign T e x t & Doen n e l l y by Eve D o Klass n u r B y b n g i s De
Art &Design by Jaures Yip
Between 14.5 and 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from cows. S o u r c e : T h e N e w Yo r k T i m e s
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
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ith sweat glistening on sion II] and earlier this year we his face and determi- were ranked fourth nationally.” Tention said he was striving nation evident in his demeanor, Miles Tention drives to get an athletic scholarship to left with four seconds remaining play basketball somewhere in the in a critical moment of a 2017 country that would push him acaCentral Coast Section (CCS) demically as well as allow him to playoff basketball game. Ten- compete at a high level. Tention said he learned tion hears his teammate yell for the ball and spins, threading the about the prep school pathway through Auball perfectly brey Dawkins, to his open another Paly t e a m m a t e . Prep school allowed me to alumnus. He watches get a full ride scholarship Dawkins went intently as Paly to his teammate to Saint Anselm College, from New Hampton shoots, and a Division II school. We School in New then scores the Hampshire, game winning are currently ranked 19th went onto the basket. in the nation [in Division University of Despite Michigan, and moments such II] and earlier this year now attends, as his CCS we were ranked fourth and plays basgame-winning ketball at The assist, Tention nationally. University of was not offered Central Floran athletic Miles Tention ida. scholarship P r e p coming out of schools have high school, and had to find another path to produced professional athletes such as National Basketball Assoget into a college he wanted. With many students interest- ciation (NBA) role players Delon ed in becoming collegiate athletes Wright and Kyle Kuzma, however after high school, more athletes the environment at a sports prep are looking to prepare for poten- school comes with struggles. For one, Tention said he found tial careers in sports by attending the transition difficult. a sports prep school. “(At) Paly we had a block A misconception about sports prep schools is that there is a schedule, and I had several prep guaranteed scholarship awaiting periods throughout high school,” student athletes who finish prep Tention said. “Coming to prep school we had a more strict school. However, according to MCN schedule, whether it be in the few Sports Management, in most classes we had, or our workouts cases, financial aid is only given to and practices. As well as living on campus and not going home students in need. Tention, a former Paly varsity to family and your own bed evbasketball player, went on to at- ery day. It really tests your mental tend prep school at Saint Thomas strength to make sure you keep your final goal in sight.” More School in Connecticut. Furthermore, admission to Right now, Tention plays basketball for Division II school a prep school is competitive. At Saint Thomas More School, Saint Anselm College. “Prep school allowed me to where Tention attended, appliget a full ride scholarship to Saint cants were required to have recAnselm College, a Division II ommendations from an English school,” Tention said. “We are teacher, math teacher and either currently ranked 19th [in Divi- the principal or guidance coun-
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Art By Jaures Yip
SPORTS SPREAD
When progress levels off
Inside the minds of plateauing athletes who feel that no additional amount of practice can help their game and how they attempt to overcome it.
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PAGE C4-C5
come way more independent beselor. But prep schools can help stu- ing across the country from my dent athletes gain exposure to col- family.” With Paly’s high academic lege coaches. Students who need more cred- standards, Jefferson left Paly feelits, or want to improve their test ing prepared for his next destination. scores often opt for prep schools. “The transition was fairly Other athletes who generally go to prep schools are those who smooth,” Jefferson said. “Academhave lost college offers due to in- ically, Paly definitely prepared me jury, as well as players who did not for this opportunity. Athletically, have a college offer coming out of it was also fairly smooth (playing) in a highly competitive section high school. After Paly, Tention did not like Central Coast Section, but receive the athletic scholarship the games at the prep level are at offers that he was hoping for, and another speed. We are playing Diprep school gave him another op- vision I and II players every game and in practice, so you get caught portunity. Tention said that he thinks up to the speed fairly quickly.” Sports prep schools are gaining prep school is responsible for his full scholarship to Saint Anselm more and more traction among high school students who found College. Former Paly varsity basketball themselves lacking in opportuniplayer Bryant Jefferson graduated ties to play sports in college. However, some athletes leave from Paly in 2018, and also attended a prep school to pursue a high school in order to go to a career in basketball and said it was prep school. Patrick McIntosh left Paly in the perfect fit for him. “I wanted to gain an extra year 2017 and attends Salisbury Prep of exposure training and be able School in Connecticut. McIntosh to get more acclimated to [the life will play lacrosse at the University of Virginia. of ] a college “Salisbur y student athlete offered me a like schedule, different type which will let Academically, Paly of learning enme be more definitely prepared me vironment,” prepared for McIntosh said. college,” Jefferfor this opportunity. “Here at Salisson said. Athletically, it was also bury, we are With a goal required to play of playing at a fairly smooth (playing) a sport all three low Division in a highly competitive seasons, but my I school or a high Division section like Central Coast main sport is lacrosse. I have II school, JefSection. benefitted at ferson said his Salisbury both main goal was Bryant Jefferson in the classto become a room in raising stronger and my grades and smarter player overall. Jefferson now attends on the field in committing to play Bridgton Academy in Maine and Division I lacrosse at the Universaid he has benefited both on and sity of Virginia.” McIntosh said the experience off the court. “I have a 4.0 GPA here,” Jef- benefited him socially. McIntosh said, “Overall it has ferson said. “Being at this prep school has definitely made it been a super cool experience, leteasier to be more focused and take ting me meet tons of great peocare of my studies. I have also be- ple.”
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Text & design by Olivia Ericsson & Siddhartha Sahasrabuddhe
Inclusion
KEITH FARELL/USED WITH PERMISSION
Gender-dominated sports Athletes who go against the grain break barriers in the process. PAGE C6
Design by Noah Baum
Workouts
BYRON ZHANG/THE CAMPANILE
Powerlifting
Competition and community surround the strength sport craze. PAGE C7
Family
KEVIN CULLEN/USED WITH PERMISSION
Generational dynasties
Perspectives of students from sportsheavy households. PAGE C8
m.
Friday, March 1, 2019
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SPORTS
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SPORTS Wrestling ends season on high note, looks to expand REPORT Team sends three athletes to State championship, prevails in numerous post-season tournaments
BOYS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES
Sonora vs. Paly Feb. 26, W, 62-68 Paly vs. Piedmont Hills Feb. 23, W, 33-42 Carlmont vs. Paly Feb. 21, W, 47-62 Independence vs. Paly Feb. 19, W, 54-58 Paly vs. Gunn Feb. 12, W, 62-39 Los Altos vs. Paly Feb. 8, W, 46-56
GIRLS BASKETBALL RECENT SCORES
Del Norte vs. Paly Feb. 26, W, 70-75 Paly vs. Sequoia Feb. 23, L, 37-50 Paly vs. Menlo-Atherton Feb. 21, W, 58-47 Paly vs. Saratoga Feb. 11, W, 51-40
By Kaitlyn Lee
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Staff Writer
ith beads of sweat trickling down her face, senior Ashley Wang concentrates on her opponent, laser focused and determined to win the matchup. Not long after, Wang’s efforts would prevail as she clinched the 2nd place title at the Central Coast Section (CCS) championship, a remarkable achievement. Wang, however, is not Paly’s only wrestler to succeed recently. Over the last month, the Paly wrestling team has competed at postseason tournaments such as Leagues, CCS, California Interscholastic Federation states and the Colt Invitational.
“Girls wrestling has been said to be one of the fastest growing sports recently. I think that’s a great thing.” Zoe Wong-VanHaren
Senior Andrew Wang and junior Alexandra Lee were State qualifiers from the team. They attended the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships on Feb. 21-23. Andrew won one match and lost two matches, Ashley won two and lost two and Lee also won one and lost two. “I think the team did really well,” said junior wrestlerZoë Wong-VanHaren. “We sent two girls to States for I think the first time ever, so that was a big achievement. I think the fact that we sent three people in total to the State competition is great.” On Feb. 15 and 16, the team
JENNA HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION
Junior wrestler Dara Heydarpour moves to pin his opponent to the mat in a league match against Henry M. Gunn High School on Jan. 22, 2019. went to Independence High School for the CCS Championships, one of the team’s most anticipated tournaments. The team overall scored fifth, with Andrew Wang and Ashley Wang taking second, junior Dara Heydarpour, freshman Cade Creighton and Lee placing fourth, junior Peter Graham taking fifth and sophomore Adar Schwartzbach clinch-
ing sixth. On Feb. 8, the team competed at the League Tournament and took second as a team. Andrew, Schwartzbach and Creighton all won first place. Freshman Max Felter, senior Charlie Williams, Heydarpour, sophomore Halo Lynch and Graham placed second and Ferrell took fourth. At the Colt Invitational, the
Wilcox vs. Paly Feb. 8, W, 51-61
RECENT SCORES
Paly vs. Bellarmine Feb. 16, L, 2-0
By Johnny Yang
D
Santa Clara vs. Paly Feb. 11, T, 2-2 Paly vs. Santa Clara Feb. 8, T, 0-0 Saratoga vs. Paly Feb. 6, W, 0-5 Paly vs. Saratoga Feb. 4, W, 5-0
“Our coach tried to always be positive and wanted us to succeed.”
Paly vs. Los Gatos Feb. 1, W, 3-1
Paly vs. Fremont Feb. 13, W, 2-0 Santa Clara vs. Paly Feb. 8, T, 1-1 Paly vs. Saratoga Feb. 6, T, 1-1 Saratoga vs. Paly Feb. 4, L, 2-0 Los Gatos vs. Paly Feb. 1, L, 4-2
WRESTLING RECENT SCORES
CIF State Championships Feb. 21-23 Ashley Wang goes 2-1 CCS Championships Feb. 15 Team 5th Sweepstakes SCVAL Finals Feb. 8-9 Team 2nd Sweepstakes
Staff Writer
espite a 2-0 victory against Fremont in the last regular season game, the girls varsity soccer team was not able to make the Central Coast Section (CCS) league and ended their season with an overall standing of 3 wins, 10 losses and 6 ties. According to junior goalkeeper Mikayla Rimsa, given the team’s historical record of competing in the CCS championships, it was surprising that the team did not make the CCS playoffs.
Los Altos vs. Paly Feb. 13, W, 2-0
RECENT SCORES
year more girls come out, especially freshmen,” Wong-VanHaren said. “It’s good to have a big team. I hope (the wrestling team grows in popularity). Girls wrestling has been said to be one of the fastest growing sports recently. I think that’s a great thing. Although (wrestling is) not a sport for everybody, people should think about it.”
Girls soccer misses CCS, enjoys season
BOYS SOCCER
GIRLS SOCCER
team took third overall, with Andrew Wang and senior Aidan Gans placing first, Felter coming in second, Schwartzbach getting third and Creighton, junior Maguire Ferrell and Williams all securing fifth. As the season winds down, the team is looking to expand in membership next year. “Moving forward, I hope next
Mikayla Rimsa
YUSRA RAFEEQI/THE CAMPANILE
Junior Anthony Yu leaps up against Piedmont Hills as teammates Ryan Purpur and Jamir Shepard look on.
Boys basketball poised for success Following a strong season, team maintains winning streak By Jaures Yip Staff Writer
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ollowing a nine-game winning streak, the boys varsity basketball team won its first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) game against Sonora High School with a score of 6862. “Everyone on the team is really happy about the win because we worked hard all season,” sophomore Nick Burwell said. Although the team performed well throughout the game, the score narrowed at the end.
“We were able to lock down defensively in the second half just as well as in the first half, if not even better.” Marvin Zou
“It was tight at the end of the game,” assistant coach Erik Olah said. “We had to make a couple of free throws to win.” The successful outcome is largely attributed to the intense offensive strategy, which confined
the opposing players to a defensive position, according to Olah. “On offense, we tried to push it because we could tell they weren’t as defense oriented,” Olah said. “We tried to push them to make them play defense. They didn’t handle that as well, so we could score pretty easily.” The win joins a string of victories this season, the most recent one being in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships, winning 42-33 against Piedmont Hills High School on Feb. 24. The first half of the game against Sonora was particularly low-scoring due to Paly’s underperforming offense, according to senior Marvin Zou. “We had a really tough time scoring in the first half of the game,” Zou said. “We struggled a lot with just making shots. We had a lot of openings, but we just couldn’t make them.” However, the team remained calm and bounced back during the second half as improved offense coupled with defensive dexterity limited the opposition and gave Paly the lead. “In the second half, we did a lot better job of just staying composed, finishing off the basket and doing all the little things cor-
rectly,” Zou said. “We were able to lock down defensively in the second half just as well as in the first half, if not even better.” Earlier in the season, the team struggled to adjust with new players and play consistently.
“Everyone on the team is really happy about the win because we worked hard all season.” Nick Burwell
“I think at the beginning of the season we had a bit of trouble trying to get the football players involved,” Zou said. “But as the season has progressed, we’ve continued to improve, and we’re hitting our stride at the perfect time.” This significant change of course is largely attributed to increasing the energy in training, with the seniors especially stepping up to guide everyone. Burwell said, “We stepped up the intensity of our practices. We had some good leadership in the locker room that really helped us focus.”
“Since Paly has been such as a strong school soccer-wise, the possibility of not making CCS didn’t even cross my mind,” Rimsa said. “I was surprised that we didn’t make it. Overall, the season wasn’t (as good as) what we had hoped since there was a lot of talent on that team.” Even though the record was not as good as last year’s, coach Ernesto Cruz said that the girls had more fun as a team. “This season was a lot of fun, and I would say we had more fun than last year,” Cruz said. “We did not make (the CCS league), but I care more about if the girls enjoyed the season. And they really did.”
“I was surprised that we didn’t make it. Overall, the season wasn’t (as good as) what we had hoped since there was a lot of talent on that team.” Mikayla Rimsa
Rimsa agrees with Cruz and said she really enjoyed the time she spent with her coach and teammates. “My teammates always made practices or bus rides really fun,” Rimsa said. “Our coach tried to always be positive and wanted us
to succeed. With that said, I really enjoyed the season and appreciate what they have done.”
“We did not make (the CCS league), but I care more about if the girls enjoyed the season. And they really did.” Ernesto Cruz
From the perspective of the head coach, Cruz said the team really did a great job developing leadership and working together as a team. “The captains did a tremendous job, so did every player in the team,” Cruz said. “You wouldn’t know who are the seniors and who are the juniors by just looking at them. Everybody is hugging each other and talking to each other, they are all close friends.”
“I’m excited to see what the team will be like next year because the JV team was so strong this year. I hope to continue training so we can be stronger as a team next year.” Mikayla Rimsa
Despite the unexpected result this year, Rimsa said she still plans to come back and has strong expectations on the new team next year. “I’m excited to see what the team will be like next year because the JV team was so strong this year,” Rimsa said. “As a player, I hope to continue training and getting better so we can be stronger as a team next year.” Cruz, however, said he has not yet made the decision to come back as a soccer coach next year, though he held the position for years. “I don’t want to say anything yet, you know, now I kind of go year by year,” Cruz said. “Whenever I do something, I do it with a lot of love. If I choose to come back, it would be a lot of energy and a lot of time taken off from my daughter and my doggies.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
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SPORTS
C3
ALYSSA LEONG/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Nathan Seto fights for the ball against an opponent from Menlo Atherton. The team had a mixed record and loss in the CCS quarterfinals; however, they saw strong improvements according to Kenzo Morabia.
Varsity boys soccer faces adversity, ends season with resilience
Soccer team overcomes early season struggles with injury, closes out season strong with final record of 10-4-8 By Anna Meyer
A
Staff Writer
fter team improvements in the second half of the season, the Paly boys varsity soccer season ended on Feb. 16 with a 2-0 loss against Bellarmine College Preparatory School in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Open Division quarterfinals. Throughout the season, player injuries impeded the Vikings’ ability to perform optimally, leading to a disappointing six
game streak of ties and losses.
“I personally had loads of fun playing my final season of Paly soccer and (am) looking forward to watching next year’s team.” Kenzo Morabia
“Most of our players (had) been injured, so (we had) not
been performing well,” junior Marc Essindi said. The soccer team ended this streak in their much-anticipated game against Los Gatos, which they won 3-1. According to senior Juan Aguila, they were down 1-0 at half time, but came together in the second half to beat Los Gatos. “The win shifted our mindset, and made us realize that CCS was actually in our hands,” senior captain Kenzo Morabia said. “The first half of our season didn’t go too well, and the win enabled
us to look at each and other and say, ‘Hey, we can actually do this.’”
“The guys were resilient, even with a struggling stretch of games.” Kenzo Morabia
Despite the season’s rough start, the win against Los Gatos gave the team hope and allowed
them to shift to a more optimistic outlook. “It was a nerve-wracking second half of the season for us as we played game by game with hopes of reaching CCS,” Morabia said. Although they ultimately lost in CCS, Morabia said their play did improve as the season progressed. “We had quite a few juniors and new players who really stepped up towards the latter half of the season which helped us reach Open (Division), and I think it’s fair to say that us se-
niors really saw a lot of improvements all across the team,” Morabia said. The team ended the season strong with an overall record of 10 wins, four losses and eight ties. “The guys were resilient; even with a struggling stretch of games we had mid season, we overcame it and I think we had a great season even if we ended with a loss,” Morabia said. “I personally had loads of fun playing my final season of Paly soccer and (am) looking forward to watching next year’s team.”
LEILA KHAN/THE CAMPANILE
Sophomore Annika Shah looks to pass the ball to another teammate in a game against Los Altos. Palo Alto went on to win 54-49 but lost in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I Championship.
Girls basketball maintains strong season despite playoff loss Vikings go into CIF Division II championships with 16-3 record, an optimistic outlook on their season’s conclusion By Maya Rathore
A
Staff Writer
fter beating MenloAtherton in the semifinals, the girls lost to Sequoia High School in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I finals, losing by 50-34 on Feb. 23. The team had kept up their pristine league record of 12-0, bolstering them through league finals and through to Central Coast Section finals with a win against Menlo-Atherton 58-47 in the semifinals. In an unfortunate turn of events, the team
failed to cinch the CIF Division I title for a second year in a row despite their stellar performance in league and in the past years. The team fell last year in the CCS semi-finals to Carlmont, in a close 47-41 game after several consecutive Division 1 champion titles. The team had hoped to bounce back and continue their former champion streak, however fell short for the second year in a row. Despite the loss, the team is still optimistic and happy about the results of their hard work throughout the season. “The season has felt great,” ju-
nior shooting guard Alana Abeyta said. “We have gotten further in CCS than last year, which means we’ve improved, but we still aren’t perfect and have a lot to work towards in the next week and going into next season.”
“We’ve had a couple close games, but nothing too close.” Esme Stotland
In the face of the championship loss, the team is looking
ahead to next season to improve their ball handling skills, communication and stamina. The team had a couple of close calls in league, especially against powerhouses like Pinewood and powerful rival Los Gatos High School, according to Abeyta. “We’ve had a couple close games, but nothing too close,” Stotland agreed. In regards to their improvement, the girls believe they’ve improved tremendously over the season by starting to cohesively as a fluid team. “The team has just gelled together and we started moving
the ball really well, which really helped our offense,” Stotland said.
“The team has just gelled together and we started moving the ball really well, which helped our defense.” Esme Stotland
According to Abeyta, the team is still proud of what they’ve achieved and is hoping to go farther next year.
“We have improved so much as a team throughout the season,” Abeyta said. “We definitely tremendously improved our communication, ball movement, stamina, and overall confidence.” Abeyta said one of their greatest downfalls this season was their inabiility to work together on offense in the beginning of the season, but the team still made strides to work together over the course of the season. Despite the loss, the girls will still compete in and look forward to the CIF Division II championship against Del Norte High School.
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
SPORTS SPREAD
C4
Plateaus: Practice EXPLORING THE EFFECT
Te x t & D e s i g n b y
Design & Ar t by
Design by H
E
very athlete has had a bad day, whether it was a bad practice, game or race. Sometimes they land on their ankle the wrong way, distracting them from their shot, or they flick their wrist in the wrong direction throwing the ball way out of line, or sometimes they just can’t move as fast as they’d like to. Mistakes and failures are a part of life, and they manage to wiggle their way into athletic ventures as well. Sometimes, though, mistakes are persistent. A basketball player takes the shot she has practiced 20 times but throws an airball, or a soccer player shoots the same penalty he has taken in practice and it clunks off the post. For many student athletes, practice after practice, hour after hour, determination and perseverance run low as their performance remains the same. This is a common, annoying phenomena with athletes, informally known as plateauing. Plateauing is when an athlete seems to stop getting better in their sport, hitting a “plateau,” where their rate of progression over time slows to a halt. Despite going through tough practices everyday, eating right and sleeping enough, athletes seem to stop improving. Sometimes athletes can bounce back, but some never do. Junior Alana Abeyta, a varsity basketball player and former soccer player, started to burn out after nearly nine years of soccer when she hit a plateau. “It was a downward spiral for
about three years,” Abeyta said. “I just reached a natural point where I felt that I wasn’t going to see immediate results anymore and that was hard for me to accept. I did
burnout caused by her lack of progression drained her motivation, pulling her deeper into an athletic limbo. “It was more of an internal feeling,” Abeyta said. “It wasn’t all at once, but I noticed it in the span of two or three seasons, and it made me feel stuck and no matter how hard I tried, nothing was changing. I saw no point in working so hard if I wasn’t going to see the results I wanted.” In Abeyta’s case, while her performance slowed to a halt, her relationship with her coaches remained healthy and friendly, and she never received any negative reinforcement or comments despite her stalling progress. In her case, it was mostly her parents pushing her to succeed. “I felt really pressured by my parents to be better but my coaches were very supportive for the most part,” Abeyta said. “I didn’t get punished because it wasn’t until about a month before I quit that they could really tell something was going on.” A b e y t a persevered through her last few seasons, but eventually was forced to quit after her plateau-induced burnout. “I mostly internalized it and tried to push through, but after a while I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Abeyta said. Abeyta is not the only
A “plateau” is when an athlete does everything right, but stops getting better. the same thing every single day for so long that I could just tell I was not improving.” Abeyta recognized the plateau when she started to feel like she was not improving, despite toiling in practice after practice. “It was exhausting,” Abeyta said. “I remember after a while I started to dread coming to practice and going to soccer games because it wasn’t fun anymore. It was just so monotone.” As an athlete, it can be difficult to differentiate between just “having a bad season” or genuinely plateauing. However, in the case of an athletic plateau, there’s usually a powerful mental component in addition to the physical inability to perform properly. In Abeyta’s case, her stagnating performance caused her to burn out as she no longer reaped any benefits despite putting in hours of work a week. In a vicious catch-22, her mental
“I could just tell I wasn’t getting any better.” Alana Abeyta
Paly athlete who has burned out as her performance struggled; varsity junior volleyball player Ashley Xu sympathizes with Abeyta’s experience. Xu, who has played volleyball for six years, found herself exhausted and insecure after working for countless hours with little results during her junior year volleyball school season. “Before last season, I was always a starter and got the most kills out of everyone on the team,” Xu said. “It was a pretty large difference between last club season and last school season.” In the wake of her seemingly stalling performance, Xu worked harder in practices to make up for her increasing time on the bench. “I’ve found myself trying to compensate by working harder and more, but I haven’t seen much of a result, so it’s really emotionally and physically draining,” Xu said. “When I looked around, I felt like the skill gap between my teammates and I was growing; I slowly started losing playing time during games.”
Xu noted that once her performance started to stall, she started to lose playing time, experiencing a vicious cycle similar to Abeyta’s. As her playing ability began to stagnate, she received less playing time, and started to lose those chances to improve in-game. “I did feel unfairly treated,” Xu said. “When our stats came back, the amount of points I’ve played was among the least of my team. Every time I was on the court, I was too focused on not messing up instead of enjoying the sport or playing smart. It was super stressful, too, since if I made a single mistake my coach would just take me off.” Unlike Abeyta’s story, however, Xu is starting to break through her plateau as she recovers during her offseason and club season. “I was super unwilling to invest my time into volleyball during the school season, since I just felt unneeded on the team,” Xu said. “My passion’s growing back, though. I haven’t broken through it yet, but think I’m starting to.” Unlike Abeyta, Xu still has some passion for the sport, and will continue playing through her high school career. However, the plateau has still affected her performance and love for the sport, and her perspective on the sport has changed since. “I’m not going to quit volleyball just yet, sin we I think I’m nearing the end of my dry spell; however, I will say I’ve considered it,” Xu said. “I definitely no longer want to play in college, though.” Plateaus can be difficult for everyone
“After a while, I couldn’t do it anymore.” Alana Abeyta
12-13 years is the minimum age recommended for specialization in sports. American Academy of Pediatrics
David Hi c
key /
Th eV iki
ng
Alana Abeyta (‘20)
“I saw no point in working so hard if I wasn’t going to get the results I wanted.”
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
SPORTS SPREAD
C5
Without Progress S OF ATHLETE BURN OUT
y Maya Rat hore
y Fr ida Rivera
H y u n a h Ro h
involved: the struggling athlete, their teammates, and even their coach. In her years of coaching, varsity dance coach Alanna Williamson has encountered many plateauing athletes, and despite their seemingly endless stalling progress, Williamson has found several ways to help her athletes diagnose and eventually overcome their plateau. “It’s clear as a team when we start to plateau because we’re not able to make progress with our scores, or I start seeing corrections that I give not being applied,” Williamson said. “That’s not because the [athlete] isn’t working hard enough, but because they either aren’t sure how to apply the correction or they need it explained in a different way, or because they don’t have the strength or flexibility needed to really apply it fully.” Williamson describes plateauing as what happens to athletes when their bodies stop responding well to the workouts because they no longer work the weaknesses of the athlete anymore. “A plateau of any kind signals that you have gotten comfortable, and that your body needs to be given somewhat of a dramatic stimulus to kick start change,” Williamson said. “Sometimes when students plateau in a skill and aren’t making progress, it can signal that they need to introduce some kind of cross-training into their routine to develop supporting muscles that will help them execute their skills.” Williamson also stresses how common the affliction is, especially prevalent when athletes start to bridge from intermediate to advanced proficiency in their sport. “It’s very common to plateau in any sport, particularly when you have hit the intermediate level, and are trying to push to an advanced athlete in your sport,” Williamson said. “When you’re a beginner, the improvement is very visible and has very clear steps for improvement. However, at an
intermediate-advanced level, the changes athletes start to make end up being very minute.” For Williamson, the best way to keep her team from stagnating is to diversify their range of drills and exercises, so the athletes can find what works best for them and they can work more on those specific exercises depending on the athlete’s weakness. “I try to incorporate and introduce new stretches and exercises into practice constantly so that they can figure out which ones work best for them,” Williamson said. “ I want to encourage my team to do these workouts at home, based on what they need to get stronger or more flexible.” In addition to keeping workouts physically diverse, Williamson also sits down with her athletes to discuss their specific goals and how she can specifically aid them in achieving those goals. “We have meetings one on one where we discuss goals that they have for themselves as athletes, and that gives me the power and confidence to really push them through plateaus to meet those goals,” Williamson said. Though Williamson coaches a competitive team, she understands that the mental and physical health of the athlete are necessary and prioritized. “Injury prevention and compassion come first; I would never want to push an athlete so far that those things took a beating,” Williamson said. According to Williamson, the correct way to overcome a plateau is through hard work, and a sense of compassion on the coach’s part. “I don’t think a plateau is something that needs sympathy, but rather compassion, and then lots of hard work, Williamson said. “However, I try to be the coach that the team needs, rather than trying to force mold them into the athletes I want them to be.”
“I was too focused on not messing up instead of enjoying the sport.” Ashley Xu
70%
of kids quit sports by age 13
National Alliance of Youth Sports
6%
of high school athletes will continue playing sports in college = Student athletes who compete in college = Athletes who stop playing after high school
National Collegiate Athletic Association
id av D y/ cke Hi The Viking
“Everyone had improved a ton, but I was still at the same level.”
Chesnie Cheung (‘20)
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
C6
SPORTS
Student athletes break barriers in gender dominated sports
From girls wrestling to boys figure skating, students are redefining norms, changing male to female ratios in sports By Kiana Tavakoli
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Staff Writer
wo opponents enter the ring and stand ready to spar. The silence is broken by the sound of a whistle. One wrestler swiftly takes down the other, gaining an early advantage. The wrestler, junior Zoe WongVanHaren calculates her next move quickly to maintain the upper hand. Meanwhile, at the San Jose dance theater, classical music plays throughout the studio while dancers rehearse for the upcoming show. Among them is sophomore Atticus Scherer, who began his ballet career eight years ago. Recently, girls have no longer been restricted to ballet leotards, or boys to cleats and baseball bats. More and more students are taking steps toward breaking gender barriers in sports that are traditionally labeled as male or female dominant. “(A) challenge of competing in a sport that’s male dominant is explaining what it means to be a girl wrestler,” Wong-VanHaren said. “Some people don’t understand that as girls, we still can compete against guys (sometimes, despite generally being in separate categories), and that we still drill with them during practice. We’re not a separate team. However, people are understanding it better now since girls wrestling is becoming more well-known — the male to female ratios are changing.” Though female wrestlers are becoming more common, there are still difficult aspects for girls competing in male dominant sports. According senior Masa Perez, a former Paly wrestler, the unequal treatment of girls and boys on the team at the time was one of the the reasons she decided to quit. “The conflicts were more than what I signed up for,” Perez said. “(In my opinion,) boys success seemed more rewarded than girls success.” According to Perez, the unfair environment was partly attributed to the lack of effort put into providing female wrestlers with the competitive experience necessary to succeed. “(It seemed as though) it wasn’t worth a long drive or not even worth the time to take us (to more competetive girls competitions because), we didn’t have
KEITH FERRELL/USED WITH PERMISSION
Junior Alexandra Lee, a member of the wrestling team, takes down and defeats her opponent during the California State Championships earlier this year. enough girls at that level,” Perez said. “(Not going to competitive girls tournaments was detrimental) because it meant our really good wrestlers wouldn’t get the experience they needed to improve.” According to Perez, learning to stand up for yourself is crucial, especially as a female athlete in situations where one can easily be pushed around.
“The number of male dancers (is low), which gives (men) an advantage in getting into programs.” Atticus Scherer
“What I want every girl to know before entering our school’s (wrestling) team is the power of advocating for yourself,” Perez said. “I made the mistake of allowing (others) to dictate my future with that sport.” Despite the obstacles during her time on the wrestling team, Perez said the community amongst the girls was positive and
supportive. “I can’t speak for this season, but last season I felt like I had sisters,” Perez said. “Even across teams, like at tournaments, you make friends with girls from opposing teams.” It is likely that girls wrestling will soon become a more common sport as gender barriers begin to fade, according to Wong-VanHaren. The current wrestling team is structured as a co-ed sport in which students drill together during practice based only on weight, not gender. Generally, male and female athletes compete in separate categories. However, women can sometimes compete in men’s events to gain extra practice and experience. “Wrestling is quickly gaining popularity, and as time passes we won’t really think about it being divided by gender anymore,” Wong-VanHaren said. “Our team is co-ed, and that’s what makes it special. We’re not separated, girls and boys, because we don’t have to be. It’s the same for us as it is for them, even if traditionally it’s looked at as a male sport.” While wrestling is often labeled as a male sport, dance is
traditionally viewed as a female dominated sport. However, according to Scherer, seeing men step onto the stage is not uncommon. In fact, being a male in dance can actually be an advantage in some ways. “In dance, the field may be dominated by women, but since the number of male dancers (is low), it gives (men) an advantage in getting into companies and programs,” Scherer said. According to Scherer, the dominance of females in dance could create reluctance for men to join.
“Girls wrestling is becoming more well-known — the male to female ratios are changing.” Zoe Wong-VanHaren
“The reason why men are becoming less interested in dance, especially straight men, is because many find it too feminine,” Scherer said. “I think overcoming this has been great for me, but that’s
also in (my being gay). (It is difficult to get) more men interested in dance, a sport so heavily dominated by women.” In order to combat the reluctance of men to join dance, some studios such as San Jose Dance Theater, offer scholarships to men who are willing to commit to the sport by attending class regularly and performing in their performances, according to the San Jose Dance Theater website. “I personally think (the scholarships for boys at my studio) are great and that it encourages young boys to dance (and participate in a sport) that really needs more men,” Scherer said. In contrast to wrestling, dance often provides the upper hand to the underrepresented gender. Low male participation in dance is the result of socially acceptable norms surrounding masculinity, many of which may cause men to view the sport as too feminine. “This gender barrier has affected many more women than it has me because there are so many more people competing for one place whereas there are a lot less men competing for one place,” Scherer said. Similar to dance, figure skat-
ing is a sport that lacks male participants. According to senior David Foster, who began figure skating at a young age, each year he noticed more and more boys begin to leave. “When I was little there were a lot of boys (in ice skating), but every year there were fewer and fewer until I was the only one left,” Foster said. The low number of boys participating in figure skating closes the door to some opportunities for them such as being on a drill team and joining certain classes, according to Foster. “At least at Winter Lodge where I skate, some things are restricted to only girls because there are so few boys,” Foster said. “It would be cool to have those opportunities as well, and that is something you don’t get as a boy in ice skating.” Although figure skating is generally viewed as a female sport, it is common to see male figure skaters compete and do well in the Olympics, according to Foster. Foster said, “The moves are hard and require a lot of work and commitment. I think that’s something that a lot of people don’t realize.”
Paly students honored with All-League distinction after season successes Coaches from across SCVAL gather at end of season to discuss, vote on All-League award for players By Ben van Zyll
A
Sports Editor
s senior wide receiver Paul Thie splits between two Los Gatos High School defensive backs, he uses his explosive speed to score a 60 yard touchdown and lead his team to a spot in the Division One Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Thie, along with several other members of the Paly football team, earned a spot in the football All-League First Team for the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL). Each All-League team is a fantasy roster comprised of the best players at each position during the season. All-League athletes are voted on by the coaches of each team in the SCVAL at the end of the season.
“It means a lot to have all my hard work since freshman year pay off, especially all of the weightroom and offseason training that we did.” Paul Thie
Every coach, having taken notice of the best athletes in the league, decides who is worthy of the All-League distinction. The football team had a great season, making it to the CCS semi-finals before losing a hard fought battle to Menlo Atherton High School. “We had the talent to go all the way,” Thie said. “With a mix of things — bad calls, bad luck — we finally got beat. Regardless, it was a great seasson.”
Despite relying heavily on the running game in past years, the football team was more balanced this year in terms of running and passing the ball. Thie recorded a staggering 923 yards in 48 receptions, resulting in 10 touchdowns over the course of the season. “It means a lot to have all my hard work since freshman year pay off, especially all of the weightroom and off-season training that we did,” Thie said. While the All-League title represents Thie’s athletic prowess, he sees it as a reflection of more than just his capabilities on the football field. He credits his success to the balance of skill and help from his teammates and coaches. “The coaches did a great job putting us in a good position to win everytime we stepped out onto that football field,” Thie said. “The work I put in was supplemented by the help of my coaches and teammates to bring the best out of me, and that’s what really got me the award.” When he became a member of the Paly football team, Thie set humble goals for himself, and managed to achieve far beyond what he believed possible at the time. “My goal when I started playing football freshman year was to just go out and enjoy myself,” Thie said. “Looking back on that I feel like I have not only done that, but accomplished even more as I developed a passion for the game and the determination to get better with every minute I spend playing.” After a great season, sophomore Madison Pineda earned a spot on the All-League first team for girls golf. Pineda contributed to the team’s SCVAL undefeated championship winning run and CCS win. The team finished in fourth
place at the NorCal Championship but failed to advance to the State Championship. “Being a sophomore and making first team All-League is something pretty cool because I know that there are so many other great golfers out there and doing it as a sophomore makes it even more special,” Pineda said. Pineda, despite earning the award for her regular season performance, believes that her postseason playing was her most dominant display of golf this season. “My favorite moment this season was at (league championships) because I shot one under for the first time during 18 holes,” Pineda said. “I was super excited especially because it was a time that I could help the team out and it was not just for myself.” Like Thie, Pineda credits much of her individual prowess and the team’s success to her coach. According to Pineda, Doyle Knight, the girls golf coach, knows exactly how to bring the best out of every player on his team. “Knight is a great coach and realizes what we need to practice from watching us during our matches,” Pineda said. “He tells us how we could improve our game in order to do better next time.”
“The work I put in was supplemented by the help of my coaches and teammates to bring the best out of me, and that’s what really got me the award.” Paul Thie
Pineda’s work does not end when the school season is over. In the offseason, Pineda trains with
KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION
Senior wide reciever Paul Thie lunges away from a Los Gatos defender during CCS playoffs this fall. her parents, who work with her to achieve her goals as a golfer. “My parents are my coaches outside of school and they really push me hard because they want me to be the best player that I can be,” Pineda said. “My main goal is to play Division I golf in college. I would love to get recruited and play for a golf team in college.” Hoping to achieve greatness in coming years, Pineda’s ambition going forward is to win the first Paly girls golf State championship title. The girls volleyball team was yet another triumphant Paly athletics team during the Fall season. After winning league, the team went to the CCS Open Division, the highest level of competition in high school athletics. After managing to upset multiple highly seeded private school teams, including Saint Francis High School, the team finished in third place, qualifying it for the NorCal Championships, where it faced off against the seven best
teams in NorCal to determine which team would play in the State Championship. The season ended after a loss to Buchanan High School.
“Knight is a great coach and realizes what we need to practice from watching us during our matches.” Madison Pineda
“In the end, the team did amazing,” sophomore All-League player Kylie Mies said. “We qualified for the Open Division which no Paly volleyball team has ever done before.” Mies also made a name for herself as an underclassman playing varsity athletics, impressing coaches across the league enough to earn a spot on the All-League team for girls volleyball.
“Getting All-League my sophomore year means so much to me,” Mies said. “It shows that my hard work has been acknowledged by others and I feel proud that I get to have the title.” Echoing the same humble sentiment as Thie and Pineda, Mies credits everyone around her for her success. “The coaches have really helped me develop into a player who is on the court all the time,” Mies said. “I am so grateful to be surrounded by great teammates and coaches.” Mies hopes that she can continue her great form and keep the girls volleyball program competitive through her contributions to the team. “I hope that we continue to dominate our division and stay tight as a team,” Mies said. “Individually I would like to continue training and getting better and eventually follow through on my plans of getting recruited by a university.”
Friday, March 1, 2019
The Campanile
SPORTS
C7
Powerlifting increases in popularity
Growing trend involves high-weight , high-intensity weightlifting
YUSRA RAFEEQI/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Chris Martinez lifts in the weight room. Deadlifting is one of the main powerlifting events.
By Henry Queen
S
Senior Staff Writer
ince time immemorial, humans have pondered the purpose of existence and the meaning of life. The answers to our existential questions have long seemed like the carrot at the end of a stick, forever teasing us with endless recession. But in reality, the answer has been staring us in the face all along. It’s simply to “get big.” That’s probably what senior Ryan Strathearn, who spends much of his time in the weightroom, would tell you. “There’s nothing more rewarding than getting a good lift in and leaving feeling bigger than you did when you came in,” Strathearn said. In all seriousness, weightlifting is an incredibly popular form of exercise that has a very competitive culture. Whether people are competing with themselves to beat their personal records (PRs) or with others to see who can lift more weight, the weight room is always an intense arena full of competition. “Whenever someone is going for a PR, we all like to crowd around them so that we can celebrate with them if they succeed and encourage them if they don’t,” Strathearn said. “But if we’re
competing for the highest weight, it’s much more of an ‘every man for himself ’ mentality.” This competitiveness manifested itself in the form of powerlifting, a sport that began in the U.S. in the 1950’s but has seen a recent growth in popularity.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than getting a good lift in.” Ryan Strathearn Powerlifting is comprised of three “movements,” — the squat, the deadlift and the bench press. Together, these three movements test the strength of the entire body. Additionally, powerlifting is split into two main categories: unequipped, in which no supportive equipment is allowed, and equipped, in which contestants are allowed to use supportive equipment such as knee wraps and bench shirts. With the added support, equipped powerlifters can lift greater weights. The world record for equipped bench press, for example, is 1,075 pounds, over 300 pounds higher than the record for unequipped. The other world records for equipped powerlifting, according
to the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), are 1,268 pounds for squat, and 1,102 pounds for deadlift. In comparison, the average untrained male can only lift 100-150 pounds in all of these categories, according to LiveStrong, a health & fitness website. Alex Bruskin is the president of the Northeastern Powerlifting Club, a group which focuses on equipped powerlifting. According to Bruskin, it requires more skill and technique than unequipped. “We focus on equipped powerlifting because it adds another element to the sport,” Bruskin said. “Anybody can walk into a gym and learn to squat raw, but it takes time and dedication to master a geared lift. Equipment puts a stronger emphasis on the form of the lift and requires more than just brute strength.” John Goodyear, another member of the Northeastern team, also favors equipped because of the unpredictability it adds to the competitions. “While raw lifting requires about an 80-20 split between strength and technique, equipped powerlifting is closer to 50-50,” Goodyear said. “It requires more mental consideration, so meets become more interesting as the results are more unpredictable. With unequipped, it’s easy to predict the outcome because people
will likely reproduce their PRs, but in equipped, someone could have a bad day or screw up on their technique and an underdog could end up coming in first place.” Although equipped may be more interesting, unequipped or “raw” is the more popular of the two, according to Bruskin. “As much as I hate to say it, I think geared powerlifters are a dying breed,” Bruskin said. “Raw lifting has been gaining more and more popularity every year. This is likely due to the accessibility of raw lifting vs equipped lifting. It’s difficult to find a gym and enough people to train as a geared powerlifter, but anybody with a gym membership can work towards competing in a raw competition.” Despite the dwindling amount of geared powerlifters, Bruskin is still excited about the future of powerlifting as a whole. “I hope to see the sport continue to grow and gain popularity, hopefully to the point where it will be considered for the Olympics,” Bruskin said. The Olympics already includes weightlifting, which may be easily conflated with powerlifting, but in reality they are two very distinct competitions, according to Giselle Castro, a writer for the fitness website Muscle & Fitness. “Olympic weightlifting focuses on performing two ballistic overhead lifts with good technique known as the clean and jerk, and the snatch,” Castro wrote. “Powerlifting, on the other hand, is less technical and focuses on completing three, controlled, heavy lifts (the squat, bench press, and deadlift).” While powerlifting stands in a long line of sports waiting to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee, Bruskin said it will continue to grow and help countless people in the meantime. “Powerlifting is a great sport for people of all ages and walks of life,” Bruskin said. “It teaches dedication, humility and gives someone a sense of accomplishment when beating personal PRs.”
Boys, girls lacrosse have different style
Boys play is more physical, girls more restrictive
JOHNNY YANG/THE CAMPANILE
Freshman Jackson Bishop defends with physical play, forcing the offensive player to push through.
By Frida Rivera Staff Writer
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printing down the field, boys junior varsity lacrosse player Quintin Dwight checks his opponent to the ground, ferociously competing with a level of aggression comparable to hockey or football. Though they share the same name, boys and girls lacrosse are almost entirely different sports, aside from the objective of the game — scoring as many points as possible in the alloted time. According to senior girls varsity player Sydney Schwan, the main differences between the two are the set of rules, balls, safety equipment, sticks and field setup. Schwan said the biggest difference between the two is the level of aggression used during a game. The draw is at the start of every quarter and after every goal, two players place their sticks together with a ball in between, and fight for it after. “The draw for girls is no contact, and we start standing up,” Schwan said. “Whereas the boys start they face off on the ground and they wrestle for the ball.” For boys lacrosse, it is called a face off and is when two players get on their knees and there is a ball on the 50 yard line with a ball between their sticks Senior boys varsity lacrosse player Ryan Strathearn echoes
this sentiment, and adds that boys lacrosse is more aggressive than girls lacrosse. “I would say that the full contact aspect of boys lacrosse is a major difference between the two,” Strathearn said. In addition, there is a lot of starting and stopping in girls lacrosse, according to boys varsity lacrosse coach DJ Shelton. “(In girls lacrosse), the referees can stop the game when they want based on a minor infraction,” Shelton said. “But boys lacrosse doesn’t have that — it’s a lot more free form, and if a penalty is thrown, the play continues until the ball is out of bounds or the play comes to a natural stoppage.”
“Sometimes the boys team talks about girls lacrosse. They’ll make fun of us because we can’t hit people.” Sydney Schwan According to Dwight, there are 10 people on the boys lacrosse field. Three defenders, three midfielders, three attackers and a goalie. “Each team is only allowed to have six people on a given side of
the field at a time, either attacking or defending,” Dwight said. “Gameplay is fast and physical, so padding from the chest up is used along with a helmet. However, the goal of hitting is different than football, as the rules are more strict and sometimes going for big hits is not optimal for helping your team.” Recently, the state of Florida has started requiring all women youth lacrosse players to wear helmets, the only state to enforce such a rule. Shelton said that some believe that this rule may have a large effect on the way girls lacrosse is played. “This created a lot of controversy because people thought that if you gave players more protection, then they are going to start playing more dangerously,” Shelton said. According to Shelton, some people may think boys lacrosse is more difficult than girls, which Shelton disagrees with, saying the two are too different to compare. “Girls lacrosse in some ways is much more difficult than boys lacrosse,” Shelton said. “They don’t have pockets in their sticks so the ball falls out much easier and they aren’t wearing pads. By no means is it lesser of a sport, is just very different and it’s very interesting that the rules have developed into something almost entirely different.”
In addition to this, the guidelines for checking differ between the two, according to Dwight. Body checking is when a player hits another with their body and stick checking is when a player hits another with their stick. “Overplaying someone and losing your ground can result in a shot on goal from the opposition, so defense is more about positioning and footwork (than checking),” Dwight said. “As for rules, stick checking and hitting has to be below the head and not overly aggressive, such as winding up or a running start.” In addition to these differences, Dwight said he has noticed a stigma surrounding girls lacrosse. “I think some people may look down on girls lacrosse because there is almost no physicality, calling it ‘not a real sport’ or whatever,” Dwight said. “In that sense, it has a negative connotation because people are used to boys lacrosse where there is a lot of hitting and stick checking.” Schwan has also noticed this negative reputation around girls lacrosse. “Sometimes the boys team talks about girls lacrosse,” Schwan said. “They’ll make fun of us because we can’t hit people.” Shelton said that because of these differences and other “odd” rules that don’t align with the men’s game, he finds girls lacrosse to be a misogynistic interpretation of boys lacrosse. According to Shelton, some of the more obscure rules have begun to be phased out, as the sport develops and becomes more “modern” in relation to the men’s game. “I’m not super well acquainted with the history of girls lacrosse,” Shelton said. “It appears to me that it is a somewhat misogynistic interpretation of boys lacrosse.” Shelton said the difference between boys and girls lacrosse is similar to the differences between boys and girls basketball in the 1890s, in which women’s basketball had modified rules. “If I could snap my fingers, they would be the same sport,” Shelton said. “I don’t think it’s fair to separate people based on old archaic versions or perceptions of athleticism.”
DAVID HICKEY/THE VIKING
Marvin Zou blocks a shot as the Vikings beat Piedmont Hills.
Marvin Zou’s journey to becoming a varsity starter By Kris Risano
V
Staff Writer
arsity basketball player Marvin Zou loses control of the ball as he is double teamed by two opposing players. As all three of them rush to retrieve it, Zou, number 35, gets there first and makes a move that leaves the opposing players far behind. He then glides to the basket for a layup, as the home crowd erupts. Zou, a senior, went from getting limited minutes on the varsity team as a junior to becoming one of the team’s leading scorers as a senior, averaging 12.4 points per game. Zou, who had eight senior teammates last season, said he realizes how important it is to create a positive environment for younger players. “The seniors last year (were) super friendly and treated me respectfully, which is something I’ve tried to do this year with the new players on the team,” Zou said. The graduation of a large group of seniors last year left the team searching for new leaders, as the team only had five varsity players returning this season. “None of us got playing time last year, so we definitely struggled at the beginning of the season,” Zou said. Learning how to treat his teammates with kindness and respect was not the only thing Zou said he learned during his first season on varsity. He said he has also learned from them what it is like to be a player on varsity and used it to become a star player.
“Zou has improved in every phase of the game, from his on-ball defense, his defensive rebounding, to his ability to anticipate when he can get steals.” Rodney Tention “Last year I was one of the younger players who was still learning how to play at the varsity level,” Zou said. The big hole in the team left by the seniors opened the doors for new leaders to step up, one of whom was Zou. Though Zou is not the traditional vocal leader, he finds other ways to lead his teammates. According to varsity coach Rodney Tention, Zou is quiet most of the game but leads by making the correct plays on the court. “He leads by example; he is not vocal and that’s who is on the court,” Tention said.
“(Zou) is a very smart player, and his confidence has gone through the roof, because of his increased playing time this season.” Rodney Tention It was not hard for Zou to embrace this new role, as he said he feels last year’s experience helped him prepare to play more minutes per game. Zou credits the amount of playing time he is receiving for allowing him to get into a rhythm on the court. “I think it has been fairly easy
to adjust to having a bigger role,” Zou said. “This year I am getting a lot more playing time, so it is easier to get into a rhythm in the games, and I’ve had the opportunity to be a lot more aggressive with this larger role.” Zou’s teammates say they have noticed his growth as a player and his value to the young team. “His ability to anticipate what the other team’s offense does helps us mess up their offensive plays and close out games,” senior teammate Josh Wong said. His defense is not the only aspect of his game that has improved. He has also taken his offense to a place where he can consistently score around 12 points every game. “(Zou) has gotten more unguardable, his first step is quicker and he is stronger in the paint,” Wong said. Other players on the team say Zou is more motivated to perform at his highest level this season, as he has received more chances to make an impact. “He’s more focused in the locker room this season because he knows he is going to play a lot,” junior teammate Matthew Marzano said. “You can tell he locks in physically and mentally.” Going from limited minutes to becoming a star player comes with its challenges, though. “Being a starter and getting heavy minutes is completely different from a bench role with limited minutes so the transition was definitely something I had to get used to,” Zou said. “I think experience is mainly what solved these problems. Over time they just start to go away.” Zou continues to prove he’s adjusted to his new role with each game, as he has put up great numbers throughout the season, according to Tention. One factor that has helped Zou excel this year is his ability to play without being nervous. “(Zou) is a very smart player, and his confidence has gone through the roof, because of his increased playing time,” Tention said. Zou’s coaches and teammates say his transformation has been a big factor for this years Central Coast Section (CCS) winning season. One other element that has led the varsity team to a championship season is the chemistry they have built with each other throughout the season.
“This year I am getting a lot more playing time, so it is easier to get into a rhythm in the games, and I’ve had the opportunity to be a lot more aggressive with this larger role.” Marvin Zou “As the season has progressed we have gotten more used to playing with each other, and are playing at a much higher level,” Zou said. The way Zou has stepped up this season has allowed the varsity team to fulfill its goal of winning the CCS championship. Zou’s coach credits his improvement throughout the season for playing a big role in the team’s success. Tention said, “Marvin has improved in every phase of the game, from his on-ball defense, his defensive rebounding, to his ability to anticipate when he can get steals.”
The Campanile
Friday, March 1, 2019
SP RTS PASSING ON THE BATON Generations of family athletes bond over their love of the game eirlooms have always been a source of connection between generations in a family. Sometimes these tokens are physical objects like a ring or a set of china. But sometimes they are intangibles, like particular celebrations or stories or even the drive or talent for a certain sport. Palo Alto High School has its share of these people — students who are recognized by coaches and fans as part of a family of sports figures. The four students profiled here represent a sample of Paly athletes for whom a particular sport has been a way of life.
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Kevin Cullen he youngest of four children, junior Kevin Cullen has always had football in his life as it always had a place in his family. He himself has been playing football since the age of six. “My entire family revolves around football in some way or another,” Cullen said. Cullen’s father played football throughout his life. One of his brothers played at the collegiate level and the other played during his high school career. His sister was also competitive cheerleader and also cheered for Paly’s football team. Cullen’s mother was a long jumper and cross country athlete throughout her high school career. Now, his mother is a loyal attendee at his games. She takes photographs and previously acted as the team mom, which included sending out emails with information about games, collecting money for the fees and coordinating with other coaches. Cullen feels that football has really brought his family together, with them being an essential source of support behind him. “It brings us all together over a common interest, and they are always extremely supportive,” Cullen said. “Sunday Night Football is practically a weekly holiday in my family, as we all come together and watch the sport we all love.” For Cullen, playing football did not feel forced upon
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him by his older siblings. In- They additionally have shaped stead, their participation in- a lot of our family dynamic. spired him to get into the Knowing that my family is alsport for himself; he wanted to ways in the stands cheering me be a part of what he had heard on is something that always reassures and motivates me.” such great things about. “I think my family had a huge role in my decision to Jackson Chryst play football,” Cullen said. “I always heard amazing stories enior Jackson Chryst from them about their experifeels that, even with his ences with the game and we family’s involvement in were always watching games athletics, his decision to go at home. The entire atmo- into football was his own. sphere of the sport and the For Chryst, the decision to way they presented it to me go into sports was a very natuconvinced me from a very ral path, and not one that he early age to play.” had to put too much thinking Because of the heavy em- into. phasis on sports surrounding “I grew up playing sports, him from a young age, Cullen so it just became natural for occasionally me to play feels pressports,” sured by the Chr yst achievesaid. “My ments of family alThe entire atmosphere the rest of ways enof the sport and the way c o u r a g e d his family. “ T h e they presented it to me me to play only probsports, no lems I have convinced me from a very m a t t e r faced is that what it was. early age to play. there are It was just high exthe more Kevin Cullen pectations the better, for me with the more the sport,” fun you Cullen said. have, the “The bar [is set] pretty high more people you can meet.” in regards to my playing stanThough Chryst’s family dards.” had gotten into football before Rather than intimidate him, he felt that, ultimately, he Cullen, this pressure has only fell in love with the sport on made his love for the sport his own and for his own reagrow more, ultimately inspir- sons. ing him to play in college as “The companionship you well. get from playing football “Sports mean everything to (drew me into playing the me,” Cullen said. sport),” Chryst said. “A lot of “They have the relationships that you’ve shaped the built throughout playing the majority of sport... I think that was really my charone of the reasons I was drawn acter and to it (for myself ) as much as made me my family’s part of it.” the person According to Chryst, there I am today. was no pressure from his family or any overwhelming expectations that they wanted him to achieve.
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“I think they just wanted me to find something I really enjoyed and something I really loved, and wanted me to pursue it,” Chryst said. Chryst’s older brother, Keller Chryst, played Division I Football at Stanford University and Tennessee University, his father Geep Chryst has coached in the National Football League (NFL) for decades, and his uncle Paul Chryst is the current head coach for the University of Wisconsin Badger football team. Yet, if Jackson ever wanted help, he has to proactively approach his family first. “I think it helps to have my dad around, because he knows a lot about football and he doesn’t pressure me,” Chryst said. “I have to come to him first to get his advice. It’s never him pushing it on me. He wanted me to love the sport before he could really push me with anything.”
Hailey Hwang ophomore Hailey Hwang and her two siblings grew up playing soccer as their only sport until she started track and cross country this year. Her father played soccer growing up, and now plays in an adult league. Her mother played sports such as basketball, field hockey and tennis in high school. Hwang started playing soccer with the influence and guidance of her older sister, Campanile Board Correspondent and senior Sam Hwang, and the encouragement of her parents. “I started soccer when my older sister decided she wanted
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to try it,” Hwang said. “My but I was encouraged to try new parents decided to sign me sports.” up too, and I instantly fell in love with the game. My family Chloe Japic has definitely encouraged me to play soccer and continue to majority of junior Chloe play regardless of the level of Japic’s life has involved play.” soccer, as she has played Because they started play- the sport the age of two. Her ing around the same time, two younger sisters, a freshsibling man and a competififth grader, tion seem both play to arise at soccer at times, esthe same I always believe it’s the pecially as club team. they both work that the individual Additionrose to the ally, her faPaly var- puts that determines how ther played sity socbasketball good they become. cer team. in college at M o s t l y, San FranChloe Japic h o w e v e r, cisco State as a comUnivermon intersity and now est within plays golf the family, soccer gave them regularly. Since all of the chilsomething to bond over. dren of the family share a com“I think (soccer) has caused mon sport, Japic cites this as an some competition,” Hwang opportunity to learn from one said. “But overall, it’s really another and make each other nice to have siblings to prac- better players. tice with and cheer for teams “The good thing about all of with for the World Cup.” us playing the same sport is that Hwang and her siblings’ we can learn from each other mutual love for soccer allowed and practice together,” Japic said. them to grow closer. “My sister and I are very com“Sports have been a part of petitive, so she makes a great every day conversation in my player to train with because I family growing up,” Hwang know she will work hard. said. “I was never expected to This advice can sometimes be good at sports, become a bit much, as overwhelming expectations arise. “[The pressure our parents put on us to perform well] stresses our relationship a lot, but at the end of the day I know they just want the best for me and they want to see me accomplish my goals.” According to Japic, the incorporation of sports in her family has caused it to become stronger and gives them a common ground to all understand one another. “Sports has both brought us closer together and caused some tension in the family,” Japic said. “I never expected to be good at any sport growing up because of my family. I always believe it’s the work that the individual puts that determines how good they become.” Even though these individuals are often grouped in with the rest of their families, they have all made their own names for themselves. No matter how each got into their respective sports, they have found their own drive and love for each of their sports along the way.
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