The Campanile
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
Palo Alto Senior High School
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
Since 1918
Vol. 93, No. 7
50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://voice.paly.net/campanile
Monday, March 14, 2011
Official Paly transcripts now online
NEW SCI-FI CLASS
Escape Literature available for next year
New paperless option open for 3,600 schools By Laura Cui Staff Writer
ACADEMIC
“Students will have a chance to read novels in a genre uncommon in the rest of curriculum.” PAGE A2
NURSES PROTEST
Lack in progress urges federal mediator’s help Marc Havlik/Campanile
Paly alumnus, actor, director and Oscar host James Franco shares his experiences with The Campanile about his background as a Palo Alto student, his current projects and his time management.
Van Der Burg leaves Paly after 15 years
English teacher does not rule out teaching again after time off By Charlotte Barry Staff Writer
Palo alto online
“These situations are never easy, but there is a collective desire between the hospitals and nurses to reach an agreement.”
PAGE A3
GREENLIGHT EARTH DAY FILM FESTIVAL
By Rachel Mewes Editor in Chief
Mid Penninsula media center.blogspot
“The overall theme is environmental preservation and to promote the ‘green’ movement.” PAGE A2
http://voice.paly.net/campanile Visit the Campanile’s new facebook page.
See VAN DER BURG, Page A3
Susan Heinselman/Campanile
Kay Van Der Burg celebrates her last year teaching English at Paly.
See TRANSCRIPTS, Page A3
The Viking launches new website at VikingSportsMag.com
Student and local artists showcase talent
LOOK ONLINE
After 15 years of teaching, one of Palo Alto High School’s well-known English teachers, Kay Van Der Burg, decided to take a break from teaching this following school year to focus on her life outside of class. “I am not sure I’m really retiring for good,” Van Der Burg said. “I’m leaving Paly at the end of this year. I am planning to take a year off, and then see if I would like to teach another high school, junior college, or university level classes.” The idea of retiring came to mind when deaths of two former colleagues and friends
occurred last year. The colleagues consisted of a former superintendent and a Herbert Hoover Elementary School teacher who Van Der Burg hired herself. “There is so much I still want to experience,” Van Der Burg said, “I still love teaching though and have lots of energy, so I’m not sure that I’m leaving the profession.” Van Der Burg started out in the administration office but realized she wanted the classroom interaction with students. “I love discussions about what’s meaningful in their lives,” Van Der Burg said.
Palo Alto High School has begun to use the newly offered electronic transcript system, giving students the opportunity to send their official transcripts electronically to the colleges they apply. Docufide Secure Transcripts prepares the official transcripts to send to over 3,600 accredited colleges and selected scholarship funds nationwide. In effect, the online system creates a secure and paperless way for students to send their transcripts directly to their chosen colleges. Students can first start by requesting transcripts through Paly.net, by clicking on the link “Request a Transcript” located on the top right hand corner of the homepage. The link will then take students to a registration site, consisting of a selection of destination colleges, delivery options and an online pay-per-transcript fee. An e-mail confirmation of the order will also be sent to students. Docufide Secure Transcripts receives students’ records through Suzie Brown, the Paly registrar, who will locate student information through Infinite Campus and will send it to Docufide electronically. The secure system is available 24/7. Paly students, especially seniors applying to colleges, frequently request transcripts. Paly therefore will use the electronic transcript system in order to make the college application process a little easier for students. Seniors this year can use the service in June when it comes the time to mail final transcripts to their decided colleges. “We wanted to make the college application process a little less stressful for students and more transparent in terms of their paperwork being sent and received to colleges,” Assistant Principal Kimberly Diorio said. “By being able to track it electronically, students will get confirmation that the transcript went out and also that the college received the
The Palo Alto High School sports magazine, The Viking, unveiled their own website on Friday, March 11 after years of discussion and a week of development. Editors of the publication have been considering creating a sportscentered website since the first issue of The Viking in 2007. “It was always the dream of the guys who started the magazine that they would have a website,” Journalism advisor and English teacher Ellen Austin said. “They would often pull up sites like [the] Stanford sports site and ESPN and say, ‘that’s what we ought to have someday.’” With the 2010-2011 editors’ experience with websites and the increased frequency of The Viking’s sports coverage, the next logical step was an exclusive website. “This year, when the editors started out the year, they had some
experience with working with websites over the summer and developing them, so they brought more ideas,” Austin said. “And it sort of gained some speed this year also because The Viking has changed its coverage cycle. Now instead of just [publishing] a magazine every six to eight weeks we’re actually creating news daily for Paly sports, so it made more sense to start proceeding in that way.” The purpose of the new site is to give The Viking more control over their sports coverage and provide a more direct route for the editors to publish their stories and beats. “Going into this new spring season, we wanted to be able to do all the sports coverage that we wanted to do and not be limited by sharing coverage with Voice,” Viking Editor in Chief Mary Albertolle said. “[Working with] Voice was great. They listened to us a lot of the time, but we just wanted to be able to not have to trickle through their
five editors and our three editors.” The primary factor that kept Viking from branching off from the Voice site in the past was their staff’s unfamiliarity with writing code through Drupal, the program that Voice uses in creating web material. However, the editors have found a program which does not require HTML code. “We were using Wordpress, which is different from Drupal, and it’s more of a blogging thing so we can literally do live blogs, since it updates instantly,” Albertolle said. Vikingsportsmag According to Albertolle, the new system has been a success with The Viking sports magazine initates their own website that staff members so far. Wordpress, covers school sports and the achievements of Paly athletes. which was created for personal publishing and blogging, allows users to our staff, that’s what we really need is player pages, which feature an organize a page while seeing how it because no one really [knows] how athlete and show all the videos and will actually look on the website. to use Drupal.” stories that include or mention that “We gave [the staff] accounts The new site is organized by particular player. today to work on it, and Wordpress sport, with each sports team get“I think its great,” Austin said. is really easy to use,” Albertolle ting its own page. Each page shows “It’s really cool to see that sportssaid. “You don’t need HTML code scores, schedules and rosters. A dominated look that [the editors [and] it looks like Word setup. For special feature that the site provides have] talked about.”
Arts & Entertainment
GOT CAKES? Both Sprinkles Cupcakes and Kara’s Cupcakes offer customers great options. While they have comparable prices, they have different selections for students to pick from.
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INSIDE
News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A4-A5,A8 Spotlight.............................A6-A7 Sports................................A9-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features...............................B2-B7 A&E...................................B8-B12 Alex Lin/Campanile
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moCHIMAG
Features
Randomspecific
Opinion
STUDY STEROIDS
Adderall and Ritalin are the most common drug used for studying.
PAGE B3
Courtesy of Adam Manseur
Features
TEEN REVOLUTION
POLITICS AND PALY
The middle eastern revolts show youth and technology’s power.
High Schoolers get involved by sharing their views on government. PAGE B4
PAGE A5
NEWS
A2 • March 14, 2011
The Campanile
New Escape Literature class offered next year
NewsBriefs
City Council plans for possible renovations to California Avenue
The Palo Alto City Council has announced a plan to renovate California Avenue. The plan includes adding trees, bike racks, newspaper boxes, benches and repaving parts of the street and side streets. City Council voted 9-0 in favor of the renovations. The project was last discussed during the Nov. 16 meeting, but the new renovation plan has not yet commenced. The first part of the Council’s plan is to replace some of the trees that have decayed. The trees will be put in all the way from El Camino to the fountain at the end of California Avenue. The types of trees to be added will include a Valley Oak, Southern Live Oak, Shumard Oak, Freeman Maple, Silver Linden and a Chinese Pistache. Phase Two of the project will replace benches, newspaper racks, trash bins, recycling bins and kiosks. This stage will also include street resurfacing and re-striping in an attempt to make the streets more appealing and safe for pedestrians. The council approved the necessary legislation to begin planting trees in January. A kick off was held to jumpstart the renovations on Jan. 30, with a large volunteer meeting about planting trees. Palo Alto residents have already began sharing what they feel needs to be improved, and what they like about California Avenue. “I really like the art mural outside of The Counter,” Palo Alto High School alumnus Chad Smith said. “It really brightened up the area around Antonio’s Nut Bar, which is good.” The renovations are supported by residents, who view the Cal. Ave. area as a “second downtown.” “The landscaping and the pavement are still messed up, so I hope they renovate it,” Smith said. “[California Avenue] is a sweet alternative downtown,” “Right now it feels like all the trees are gone. The new trees haven’t come in yet so it’s like no man’s land.” — Sam Blake
Staff Writer
YMCA organizes intramural sports for students during lunch On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at lunch, Palo Alto High School students can participate in intramural sports at lunch on the lacrosse field. According to Intramural Supervisor, Emily Ashkar, sports that will be played include ultimate frisbee, soccer, basketball, football, flag football and badminton. The week of Feb. 28 was the first intramural registration week. Registration for ultimate frisbee and soccer was completed. “In the first two weeks that we were here, we did a little poll, which we had like 200 people put a piece of paper in, voting on each sport,” Ashkar said. To register for each sport, students can visit the YMCA tent on the quad during registration week where a table will be set up. Students bring a team of about eight people, depending on the sport, and turn in the proper registration forms to begin playing the following week. Principal Phil Winston and Assistant Principal Kathie Laurence have been in contact with the YMCA to organize the activities. “The point of intramurals is to have an activity in which all students feel comfortable participating even if they aren’t athletes,” Laurence said, “It gives students a chance to stretch their legs, breathe some fresh air, and, most importantly, have fun.” The YMCA will be providing all the equipment and staff to run the activities. They are also responsible for organizing the registration. “We had a couple of teams register but there is room for more. Anyone wanting to play, even if they don’t have a team, should come to the El Camino field at lunch and they will be included,” Laurence said. With the intramural program, the administration wishes to create a sense of athletic unity without the competition of organized sports for students. — Chayla Cummings
Staff Writer
City considers permitting AT&T to set up outdoor Wi-Fi The Palo Alto City Council gave AT&T a tentative “yes” on its Wi-Fi proposal for downtown Palo Alto on Feb. 23. AT&T is proposing to install two 12-inch Wi-Fi antennas on the roof of Hotel President on University Ave. Residents of the building, however, are expressing concerns towards the potential health risks the antennas pose. According to Palo Alto Online, “sixth-floor resident Michelle Kraus wrote in an e-mail that AT&T’s antennas put ‘the livelihood, health and safety of the residents of this historic Palo Alto residence in jeopardy.’” Many residents of the fifth and sixth-floor of Hotel President share the same concerns as Kraus, as well as dissatisfaction that their homes may be used to gain access to the antennas for maintenance. These issues lead the City Council to allow AT&T to go through with their proposal with two adjustments. According to Planning Director Curtis Williams on MercuryNews. com, “commissioners are requiring the phone and Internet company to conduct one more safety test for the equipment,” Williams said. “AT&T will also be required to place the 1-foot-tall antennas in a location on the sixth-floor balcony where maintenance crews can access them without having to go through anyone’s apartment.” The council will have another meeting to further discuss the topic and the changes made at their March 21 meeting. According to the Mercury News, AT&T’s spokesman Lane Kasselman was pleased with the outcome of the first meeting. According to the Mercury News, if the plan goes through, Palo Alto will be the third city to be part of AT&T’s new effort to improve outdoor Wi-Fi. — Riki Rattner
Staff Writer
UpcomingEvents
Mar. 17-20: My Fair Lady
Paly’s current play has its final four showings.
Mar. 25: Third Quarter Ends Third quarter grades are due on March 29.
Mar. 31: Cesar Chavez Day Students celebrate their community service.
Apr. 4 : Not In Our School Week Paly celebrates Not In Our School Week with activities during the first week of April.
Course will focus on reading, writing Science Fiction, mystery, suspense By Bailey Cassidy Staff Writer
Escape Literature, a new semester-long unweighted English course that focuses on science fiction, will be offered to Palo Alto High School juniors and seniors next school year. According to the 20112012 Program of Studies, students will study literature from genres including mystery and suspense, horror, fantasy and science fiction. Students will also complete both expository and creative writing assignments as well as various individual and group projects related to the course texts. “Escape Literature is a course that will focus on reading, studying and writing science fiction,” English teacher Erin Angell said. “The reading list includes the novels Dune by Frank Herbert, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. We’ll also be reading some short stories.” Angell says that although the notion of a science-fiction course at Paly is not new, she has just recently done the work necessary to get the idea off the ground. “This is an idea that has been floating around for quite some time and certainly did not originate with me,” Angell said. Kandell previously considered seeking UC approval for a (Dis)Utopian literature course. “I just happened to have some extra time this year to devote to the idea and then
I discovered that Henry M. Gunn High School already had approval, so the process was much simpler than we originally predicted.” Marc Igler, who teaches Escape Literature at Gunn, says that his students also read science fiction texts. “In the class, we cover three of the more popular categories of fiction – mystery, science fiction and horror,” Igler said. “In the United States, the most popular category, at least based on the number of books sold, is romance, but we don’t include that in the curriculum.” Paly sophomore Esha Datta is considering to take the course because working with unique genres appeals to her. “Escape Lit looked like fun, and it seemed like a departure from normal English classes,” Datta said. “And I like suspense, horror, fantasy, [science fiction] and mystery novels, so I [would] be reading books that I really like.” Igler says that there are many interesting elements for students to analyze. Additionally, Igler’s students explore other genres of fiction. “These authors know how to keep us turning pages, but they also know that we need to get something more out of their books than just sheer excitement,” Igler said. “I try to show students [what] these sorts of books [tell] us about human nature and the world around us.” Paly junior Brandon Schneider, who enrolled in Escape Literature, is interested in the course because he enjoys reading science fiction.
“I decided to take Escape Lit because I like to read science fiction books,” Schneider said. “Over the winter break, I read The Shining by Stephen King and I thought, ‘this would be a great book to write an essay on.’” Schneider also looks forward to the opportunity to write in styles that students do not usually get the chance to work with in traditional English classes. “A class focused on different writing styles appealed to me,” Schneider said. “I took Analysis of the Writer’s Craft, which was fun. I just want to read more examples of creative writing.” Datta thinks that Escape Literature will be beneficial to students because the topics
covered in class will likely be closely aligned with students’ interests, which is not always the case in English classes. “I think with Escape Lit, all the students will be interested in the books [and] essay topics, so we’ll have more fun with projects and discussions,” Datta said. Schneider agrees that the opportunity to study less traditional literature will be beneficial to students. “It will benefit people by straying from the norm; most English books are kind of dull,” Schneider said. “I think reading and analyzing books that have somewhat of a supernatural element in them will be interesting.” Igler adds that he believes one element that students
really enjoy about the course is its non-traditional nature. “Escape Lit has always been a popular class,” Igler said. “I think students like it because we read the sort of stories that most people actually read in real life. Let’s be honest: Most of us don’t read a lot of Shakespeare and Melville in our spare time.” Angell is looking forward to the chance to provide students with this unique English option. She adds that this course is unique to Palo Alto. “This is really a special opportunity for students,” Angell said. “Aside from Gunn, I don’t know of another public school in the area that offers a stand-alone course focusing on science fiction. It’s going to be an exciting class.”
Chalkboard, lounge area added near entrance of library By Lillian Xie Editor in Chief
Near the English Resource Center’s inner entrance, Palo Alto High School librarians and parents have rearranged what once was a reference section to a lounge and chalkboard niche as of late February. Along with the new green rug and black armchairs comes an even newer edition: the two chalkboards, one reaching the ceiling and the other buttressing the former along the wall of the entrance to the library. “I thought [the chalkboard] was a cool way for the library to bring information [and] celebrations to our community in a low tech artistic way,” Teacher Librarian Rachel Kellerman said. “All you need is paint and chalk.” As of now, the larger of the two chalkboards is dedicated to certain “themes.” A few weeks ago, it celebrated the victories of the football and volleyball teams, respectively, and as of March 1, it began to host ideas and commemorative thoughts of Women’s History Month. According to Kellerman, this will not always be the case, for these themes will soon give way to a conglomeration of daily topics, such as a “question of the day.” Even now, the chalkboard boasts a colorful depiction of the new Paly play, My Fair Lady, which had it’s opening night on March 11. “Soon [the chalkboard] will have sections where there can be more interaction,” Kellerman said. “I’d like this to be a place where students and staff just happen to find something interesting: a fact, a drawing [or] a funny signature.”
marc Havlik/Campanile
The chalkboard near the library entrance displays upcoming school events and acknowledges illustrious work by students. The lower chalkboard adjacent to the larger one is an open space for teachers who wish to showcase exemplary works of their students. “Classes are welcome to post work for others to read on the low wall, which also serves as a magnetic surface,” Kellerman said. “As the teacher librarian at Paly I get to work with a lot of classes and I see amazing work. This work should be shared so everyone can see how creative and talented our students are.” Students have started actively using this new area with the chalkboard. Senior Oz Shachaf can be found lounging in the area. “The lounge area is pretty nice, so long as it stays to people who are [working],” Shachaf said. “I have no idea went the reference cabinets went now, but I figured if I ask the librarian then I could get [reference books].”
ASB
Seniors Clare McGarrigle and Julia Moran enjoy having the chalkboard in the library as well. “I think it’s a good idea,” McGarrigle said. “It’s a fun way to get kids to write stuff up. It’s creative because kids are having fun writing stuff and drawing.” To this, Moran agrees and also adds that students can promote their work and advertise their activities. “My Fair Lady is up there and [the chalkboard] is a good way to get kids to be aware of things that are going on at school,” Moran said. However, there can be down sides to having such a vibrant niche within the quiet of a library, as Shacaf points out. “I don’t think there’s actually a point to it and it really takes away from the library environment,” Shachaf said. “There’s also people that come
Updates
every now and then to stare and start talking so the library gets noisier. [But] It’s nice to look at.” The idea for the newly refurbished area has been in the works for some time now, according to Kellerman. “At the beginning of the year a couple parents volunteered to help make the library more comfortable for students,” Kellerman said. “Together we came up with a plan for that [reference] area. One of the parents heard about a chalk ‘idea wall’ at Google and sent me pictures.” Therefore, Kellerman and her husband decided to paint the two walls with a specialized black paint that created a chalkboard texture once it dried. Before the black paint went on, Kellerman also added a magnetic primer base to the lower wall, which created a magnetic surface. After all the work put into their creation, Kellerman sees a greater purpose for the two chalkboards. In what is seemingly a direct allusion to social networking site Facebook’s “wall” posting, Kellerman hopes to bring back the face-to-face conversations in a tangible way. “I want to bring smiles to people’s faces and share some community knowledge and good will,” Kellerman said. “Sometimes we get too caught up in the ‘virtual’ and forget about the concrete here and now and what is in front of our faces every day. That’s why I called this ‘The Actual Wall.’” The chalk, however, remains with the librarians. If a student wishes to write on the wall, he or she must first get permission from either Kellerman or library assistant Deborah Henry.
School Board
The Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body (ASB) is working out the details for Prom 2011 and planning an upcoming pancake breakfast for the freshman and sophomore classes. The Prom Committee has arranged for the dance to be held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco on April 24. The committee is working towards the goal of subsidizing part of the ticket price and having an event that meets the needs students. “Currently, ASB has had a number of great discussions about what students want to see at prom, and the flexibility we have as to the ticket price,” ASB President Chirag Krishna said. With prom planning underway for the upperclassmen, sophomores Charlie Dulik and Michael Wang are organizing a pancake breakfast to raise money for the underclassmen. “The plan is to set [the profits] towards the freshman and sophomore class account, which basically means we would use the money towards socials and class events,” Wang said. “Basically, you wake up Saturday, you come and you pay [ticket price is to be determined] for pancakes.” The event, which will be held at 9 a.m. on April 2 at the Student Center, is open to all four grades and the Palo Alto community. ASB is also discussing ways to boost attendance at upcoming Paly dances after the low turnout at Winter Formal. “We had a very successful one in Homecoming, and [Winter Formal] didn’t pan out as well,” Krishna said. “As an ASB, we have to accept that, debrief the event, and figure out what we can do to improve.” —Rachel Mewes
The Palo Alto School Board met on Tuesday, March 8 to discuss the growth of the student population in the school district, approve the construction packages at Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School, and handle other school-related issues. The Board called a special meeting at 9 a.m. to address the issue of enrollment, as elementary enrollment growth in 2010 was at 4.5 percent and the high projected growth for 2011 is 4.9 percent, according to the community board materials packet. Duveneck, Ohlone and Fairmeadow elementary schools are to open a total of 10 new classrooms to combat the problem, and the District also discussed the possibility of adding an additional school facility. The regular meeting began at 5:30 p.m., where the Board approved the design and proposed a budget for the Athletics Stadium Improvement project and the solicitation of bids for the Media Center at Paly along with a number of construction projects at Gunn. The Athletics Stadium Improvement project included “a new building to house restrooms, concessions, equipment storage, and ticket sales in addition to site improvements consisting of new picnic areas, track resurfacing, and new bleacher sections for both the home and visitor’s side of the field,” according to the Board of Education information packet. A number of topics were up for discussion, including this year’s second interim financial report and whether or not to authorize the staff to enter a one year contract for a dark fiber network for between $214,000 and $331,000 per year. —Rachel Mewes
Editor in Chief
Editor in Chief
NEWS
The Campanile
March 14, 2011 • A3
Service day will honor community contributions Film festival to Cesar Chavez Day features Youth Community Service Club, others
By Nikki Whitson
By Meghan Byrd
sci-fi, music video, talk show, drama or a claymation/animaThis year marks Palo Alto’s tion. Hobbies and interests of sixth annual Greenlight Earth society also have an impact on Day Film Festival, a celebration environmental issues. Videos may examine featuring video projects that explore environmental impacts technology (e-waste, energy and how our community cre- use), fashion (eco fabrics, ates our own carbon footprint. sweatshops, organically grown fibers), food Films fea(recipes for a tured at the Films will be critiqued plan2011 Festival on creativity, ability to healthy et, organicalwill be proly grown food, duced by local inspire change, ability gardens), artists, with an to deliver the message travel (hyemphasis on brid cars, alstudent-pro- and technical executernative fuduced films. tion. els), politics, The overall theme is environmental preservation, pro- animals,changing daily habits, moting the “green” movement. global warming or consumerVideos will inspire individual ism. There are three categories action and how citizens can further help the environment for entries: students grades 6-8, students grades 9-12 and through varies techniques. Each video has its own all others. Top entries from each personal portrayal of society’s impact on the natural world. category will be shown at the A panel of environmental and Cubberley Theater on Thursday film industry professionals as April, 21 starting at 7 p.m. Festival sponsors this year well as local students will judge include the City of Palo Alto, the entries. Films will be critiqued Media Center, City of San on creativity, ability to inspire Jose, City of Sunnyvale, City of change, ability to deliver the Mountain View and Palo Alto message and technical execu- Weekly/Palo Alto On Online tion. Films exhibit any genre with special partners in CreaTV including comedy and satire, and California Waste Solutions.
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School plans to host a Cesar Chavez Service Day on March 31 to celebrate student service and community. “We are trying to put together a variety of different service projects so students can have the opportunity to learn about different problems in the Bay Area,” senior Jake Stern, Cesar Chavez Service Day (CCSD) liaison said. “For example, students interested in wildlife can work at organizations like ACTERRA that address habitat restoration, while others that might be more interested in learning about homelessness could work at a local soup kitchen.” This day is being created to provide an opportunity to students wishing to perform community service, and to celebrate the legacy of Cesar Chavez. “We believe that this is a great time to celebrate the spirit of community and values embodied in Cesar Chavez’s life,” Stern said. “We are hoping that students will be inspired to get involved with service, if they are given an opportunity to learn about some of the community’s most pressing problems.” Inspired by how successful it has been at Henry M. Gunn High School for many years, this is Paly’s first year hosting a CCSD. “Gunn has successfully executed a school-wide day of community service for 16 years, and they just had their Cesar Chavez Day of Service on March 3,” Christina Owen, who works at the college and career center said. “This is a wonderful unifying activity for our school district, with up to 600 students giving service between the two high schools.” The day will start with all the student participants forming in groups according to which service sites they signed up for. They will then be led through icebreakers to get acquainted with one another and their group leader before starting the day. The students
highlight green issues
palyycsinteract.weebly
Cesar Chavez Day, sponsored by Paly’s YCS Interact Club, will provide students with service opportunities; junior Jackie Koenig, above, served food to seniors during an event last year. will then all gather together to hear a speaker from the Cesar Chavez Foundation talk about Chavez’s legacy and the importance of community service. The students will then board buses that will take them to their assigned service site for the day. The leaders of CCSD tried to pick organizations which embodied Cesar Chavez’s core values. For example, the core value “knowledge” is embodied by the students working with Creative Montessori. The core value “help the needy” relates to volunteer work with Ecumenical Hunger and “celebrating community” is expressed by the work done with Lytton Gardens.
Youth Community Service, better known as YCS, is one of the main organizers of the event. CCSD leaders will be hosting a student orientation at Paly during lunch on Monday, March 21st. Other organizations that the CCSD team is working with include Acterra, Canopy, Creative Ecumenical Hunger, Lytton Gardens, and Peninsula Open Space. “We are trying to help students realize that they can make a difference in the community,” Stern said. “By getting involved, we hope that students can help make Cesar Chavez Service Day a tradition at Paly in the years to come.”
Stanford, Lucille Packard nurses voted to strike on Feb. 17 Large percentage of nurses unions support Palo Alto nurses in efforts to better work contracts By Ashley Shin Staff Writer
A significant number of Palo Alto nurses are banding together in discontent through the union Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) over the Professional Nurse Development Program (PNDP). CRONA is an independent union serving the nurses of the Stanford and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The union represents approximately 2,000 nurses at the two sites. CRONA helps nurses and hospitals with contracts and is responsible for the administration of the contracts. The former contracts between the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Hospital and Clinics expired on March 21, 2010. Jan. 25, 2010 signaled the start of the new process to negotiate a contract which both the hospitals and nurses would agree to, replacing the old one. Due to the complicated aspects of the situation, a federal mediator was included in the process. The representatives of CRONA and the hospitals have been working to find an agreement for almost a year, and finally in December 2010, a tentative contract was drawn up. The next step of the process was to get the approval of the nurses. However, the tentative contract failed to be ratified by a majority of the CRONA nurses. Following the contracts, negotiations began once more. After more negotiations but no agreed upon solution, both parties agreed that they had reached a deadlock and officially declared impasse on Feb. 4, 2011. Despite the failure of the proposed contract, the hospitals still went ahead with the new additions in an attempt to see some results. “As authorized by law, the Hospitals have put in place
key provisions of their Last, Best and Final Offer (LBFO) to CRONA, including a four percent wage increase, new benefits including extended sick leave (ESL) and back-up care, changes to paid time off (PTO), and adjustments to the PNDP essential to continue the advancement of nursing at Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital,” Director of Media Communications at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Robert Dicks said. Following the impasse, nurses from both hospitals voted in favor of a possible strike on Feb. 17, 2011. The growing discontent is leading to the speculation of striking with 77 percent of the union supporting the possibility. There was a strike in 2000 by CRONA nurses however the strike revolved around financial matters. Despite all the legal complications, the relationship between the hospitals and nurses has not been dramatically impacted. The nurses realize their large contribution to the community and continue to work during the process. “We feel our nurses do fantastic work and are dedicated to making patient care and safety their highest priority,” Dicks said. “These situations are never easy, but there is a collective desire between the Hospitals and nurses to reach an agreement that supports the exemplary quality of care we provide to our patients.” An additional meeting requested by the federal mediator took place on March 10 as negotiations continue. The meeting included CRONA representatives, Stanford Hospital and Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “The hospitals have revised the PNDP to include many of CRONA suggestions, and look forward to [future negotiations],” Dicks said.
MARC HAVLIK/CAMPANILE
Nurses from Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, shown above, and Stanford Hospital are deciding whether or not to strike for an increase in salary among other working conditions.
English teacher to retire after 2010-2011 school year Online transcripts facilitate admissions VAN DER BURG, Continued from A1
Seniors who had Van Der Burg look back at the SAT and regard her class as a Trinity Klein, now working in the ad- very influential part in their SAT preparaministration office, was a close friend of tory work. “I really appreciated the fact we read Van Der Burg when teaching English. Klein appreciated having a colleague such as Van tons of really influential books that were Der Burg to guide her through those first great references, the frequent in-class essays, and their persuasive formats made years of teaching. “She was a great mentor and role it extremely easy to write the SAT essay,” model for me, always happy to share her senior Vivienne La said. The class discussion shows up in every curriculum and ideas with me,” Klein said Paly senior Laura Rossiter reflects on how level of English Van Der Burg teaches, being Van Der Burg made Rossiter’s class fascinat- a main component of her class. Encouraging her students to engage in conversations ing to attend everyday. “I will miss the openness and the won- not necessarily restricted to academic topics, Van Der Burg’s derful conversations teaching style faciliwe have in the class,” “Before being in her class, I tates students’ free Rossiter said. thinking. According to would skim books and not “She brings a lot many of her past and enjoy them. Through Critical of topics to the table,” current students, Thinking and AP English, I re- Oh said. Many topSAT vocabulary and essay composition ally got to appreciate the value ics involved outside thinking, not straight preparatory work is of literature.” out of the class book. rigorous, but pays Laura Rossiter “We get to disoff in the end. “The class is a senior cuss current events as a class and they serious class itself; are always fun and we did a lot of SAT prep, so vocab and sentence structures,” open,” Cho said. According to Rossiter, Van Der Burg’s sophomore Erin Chang said, “It will deficlass brings a comfortable feel to the room nitely prepare me for next year’s English.” Sophomore Haelin Cho talks about the and lets ideas flow during any discussion. way Van Der Burg prepares her sophomores The ability to openly express opinions while for junior year, college, and SAT’s and how maintaining a respectful, intellectual tone helps students participate. effective she is. “There are really interesting debates “We learn a lot of vocabulary and she really stresses learning how to write an in-class because everyone feels safe,” Rossiter said, “We have really intense conversations essay and within a time limit,” Cho said. Rossiter enjoy reading often, because that range from political commentary, to of the motivation Van Der Burg gave them. debates about our favorite characters in a “Before being in her class, I would given book.” Klein feels Van Der Burg’s way of teachskim books and not enjoy them,” Rossiter said, “Through Critical Thinking and AP ing and personality brings a good vibe to the English, I really got to appreciate the value class, one that can be observed through the attitudes of her students. of literature.”
“I was always surprised about the amount of laughter in her classroom,” Klein said, “Her student were always laughing. They aren’t laughing at each other, but laughing in good humor.” This opinion regarding the free, open atmosphere of Van Der Burg’s classroom is mirrored by some of her students, including senior student Paige Devine. “If she’s laughing, we usually all end up laughing,” Devine said. An open atmosphere such as the one described by Van Der Burg’s teachers and colleagues also makes the learning atmosphere more enjoyable and rewarding for the students. Van Der Burg is very understanding and open to humor in class as long as the students are focused when they need to be, according to Cho. “She is a very down to earth teacher and understands all of her students’ needs and tries to accommodate them,” Devine said. Not only is she an Advanced Placement literature, Critical Thinking II, World Classics and Literature English teacher, Van Der Burg is a Teacher Advisor. “She is a really good advisory teacher because she knows almost everything about classes and gives good advice,” sophomore Robert Lee said. Van Der Burg doesn’t come to school only to teach, but to be around her students “They [students] always make me laugh — and they always surprise me with their quips and humor,” Van Der Burg said, “I also actually love to plan curriculum around literature, and even grammar.” As 15 years of teaching and mentoring passed by, Van Der Burg reflects on the bond between her, her students and the Paly High community. “I will miss the incredible support the staff and student offer each other at Paly, and the strong personal relations formed,” Van Der Berg said.
TRANSCRIPTS, Continued from A1
walk to the guidance office. You can also just figure out if anything is missing and it would just information.” be a lot more easier to communicate,” Conner Before the online system was put to use, said. “I know that a lot of seniors are jealous that students would have to wait in line at the audi- we didn’t get to use it just because paperwork tor’s office and fill out separate envelopes is much harder to take care of, I also plan on and self-stamp them. trying it out at the end of the year.” Suzie Brown would also have to, for each Incoming seniors are looking forward to packet, stamp and date them, attach a grading being the first class to make use of the electronic key, a school profile and in some cases a student system during their college application process. schedule which she “I think the online would stuff into the “It’s just the way the world is mov- transcript system will envelope to mail out. very helpful being, schools are quickly adapting be “It just took loncause I know a lot of ger manually doing to this system and seeing that it seniors who are very it so this is going to really is helpful.” stressed about getting be much more faster, their information to Kimberly Diorio all the proper colleges more efficient and also more easier for stuAssistant Principal and I think it will just dents because you can be great to have it do it from the comfort online and in one sysof your home. You don’t have to come into the tem,” junior Virginia Sheetz said. guidance office to request that service,” Diorio Junior Jessica Cox agrees with the idea of said. “We thought it was a win-win all around in the system being more efficient for students. that it’s going to help students and it’s going to “I think that it’s going to be very helpful alleviate a lot of stress and a lot of uncertainty because instead of having to rely on the Guidabout whether the transcript was received or ance office, and having to take time to go in and not. And on our end, the back-end, it’s going to get them to mail the transcripts to our colleges, save us hours and hours of just really clerical we can just go on and do it individually,” Cox time in terms of just processing the thousands said. “It will be less stressful because I won’t of transcript requests that we get every year.” have to think about the one extra when can I In addition to making the college appli- go into the Guidance office- I can just do it on cation process easier for students, colleges my own time whenever.” actually prefer to receive the information elecPaly will be the first school in the Palo Alto tronically. Unified School District to use the electronic “Most of them [colleges] are looking to- system, trying it out for Henry M. Gunn High wards developing their own online systems to School. store that data so when our information goes “We asked Gunn if they wanted to join with out electronically, they can also receive it in us in doing it but they were more interested the format that they want to receive the data in seeing how it went for us. I wouldn’t be in,” Diorio said. surprised if they came on board if not the next Senior Haley Conner wished that they had year, but the following year,” Diorio said. “It’s implemented the system sooner when she was just the way the world is moving, schools are going through the application process. quickly adapting to this system and seeing that “It definitely would have saved a lot of time it really is helpful. Again, it’s what the colleges and effort to have to go pay the auditor and then prefer — to see it electronically.”
OPINION
A4 • Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Editorials
Administration commended on addition of new classes Marine Biology, Escape Literature benefit all, AP Government, AP European History should be included After much enthusiasm from both students and staff, Palo Alto High School will add Marine Biology and Escape Literature to its curriculum for the next school year. The Marine Biology course will focus on underwater ecosystems, sea creatures and sea life. Escape Literature will allow students to read fantasy, science fiction and adventure literature that they would not normally be exposed to in a standard English class. The Campanile appreciates the administration’s efforts to broaden the curriculum at Paly. These classes will create more opportunities for students to take courses that interest them. The addition of more electives such as Marine Biology and Escape Literature add opportunities for students to expand their horizons and add new perspectives to the English and Science departments at Paly. In addition to benefits for students, more specialized courses also allow teachers to instruct courses that they are more interested in. When teachers are engaged in a subject, they are generally more energetic and excited to teach the class. This enthusiasm is almost always reflected in the quality of the teaching. The Campanile would also like to see the Paly administration and teachers take the initiative to create more classes for students, such as AP Government and AP European History. According the College Board, the main topics of an AP Government and Politics class are constitutional underpinnings of United States government, political beliefs and behaviors, political parties, interest groups, mass media, Institutions of National Government (Con-
gress, the presidency, the bureaucracy and the Federal courts), public policy and civil rights and liberties. In a time when the power of youth in politics has become increasingly clear, a class to inform students about their own government would be extremely beneficial. According to the College Board, An AP European History class would focus on Europe since 1450 and “without this knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse.” The main goals of this class would be to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, create an understanding of the principal themes in modern European History, and to foster an ability to express historical understanding in writing. These classes would allow students to take challenging classes that are specific to their fields of interest. Often, students do not take electives even if they want to, because they are worried about making their transcripts look more impressive for college applications. While this trend may be detrimental to students, it is an unfortunate byproduct of the living in the Paly community. Because of these realities, the administration should do whatever possible to make Paly a school where students have incentive to take classes they are passionate about. More Advanced Placement classes would encourage students to take classes that they want to take, without having to worry about having a less impressive application.
The Campanile
Letters to the Editors Administration urged to reconsider barefoot policy
Students need to utilize Paly’s recycling system
The benefits of being barefoot are far, wide and unrecognized by most. Everyone loves the feeling of walking barefoot on the soft grass in the summer, though many go back to the tyrannical oppression of shoes once the school year starts. Because of this, most people are likely not aware of the completely unfair rule that prohibits going barefoot on Paly campus. There are a number of reasons why even those more comfortable in shoes should be against this rule. First of all, many flip-flops have simply a thin layer between the foot and the ground, which is hardly better than none at all. Second, if you step on a rusty nail it’s your own damn fault, and you should have been paying more attention anyways. Your shoes probably wouldn’t have saved your foot anyways if you managed to set it squarely down on an upturned nail. When going barefoot people pay more attention to the ground, and so are less likely to get cuts and abrasions anyway. Primarily, shoes should only be required in classes where they have purpose, like in chemistry when we don’t want to spill chemicals on our feet. Plus, it would provide motivation to keep the campus cleaner if people want to walk on clean ground they would be more likely to pick up trash. There are numerous heath benefits to barefooting, including not twisting up your feet in the ridiculous high heels so many Paly students seem to wear. Many shoes also limit the mobility of the feet, leading to flat feet and increase the stress on the knees and ankles. Walking barefoot eliminates the hard heel strike, and it enables a more natural stride, that ends up being much more healthy for our bodies. With more and more people going barefoot across the country, Paly ought to recognize how outdated and useless this rule is, and revise its handbook.
For a school whose colors are green and white, we sure aren’t being very green. Last year, YCS [Youth Community Service] Interact put up brand new recycling and composting bins, complete with labels on where to put what. With the huge improvement, more people should have recycled, right? After all, all you need to do is to walk to the nearest bright, neon-colored bin, make sure what you have is recyclable, and throw. Easy as 1-2-3. The recycling and compost bins have been out around campus for almost a year now, yet there has been no significant improvement. In fact, many of the bins put there last year has been uncovered and converted to regular trash bins. All I can say is either people can’t read (in which case why are you even in high school?), can’t aim (some basic basketball lessons in P.E. should do the trick), or they just don’t care. What is the meaning of this? With all the environmental awareness that has been drilled into us in science class, and all the students so willing to engage in serving the community, why is this happening? When I was an eighth grader in Egan Junior High in Los Altos, our science teacher started a Green Team. We used to go out at lunch and remind people to recycle. And afterwards, we would put on some gloves, and dig into the trash to get all the recyclables where they belong. This campaign inspired many people, and by the end of the year, almost everyone recycled. Can’t we do the same? Do we really need people to dig into the trash to sort these out? Remind you, Egan is a junior high. We should be more mature than junior high school students, right? Yet why, oh why, can they spend more time and attention making the campus green than we do? Please, fellow Vikings, let us live up to our white and green.
—Clare Gill and Eyra Dordi, sophomores
—Christina Chen, sophomore
Google Apps should replace school district system
Escape Literature
Available software will streamline current bulky system, drain less money from school district Although the administration recently switched to the new Infinite Campus grading system and has been using Microsoft’s SharePoint software for the past few years, The Campanile believes that the district administration should seriously consider replacing both of these software applications. They are not only difficult and complicated to use, they are expensive. The Share Point system drains the Palo Alto Unified School District of tens of thousands of dollars annually, not to mention hardware space and the cost of set-up. SharePoint could easily be replaced by Google Apps because it is easy to use and free for schools who need to use them. The District can easily customize Google Apps for the Paly community; they simply go to Google Apps Marketplace online at www.google.com/enterprise/marketplace/ and handpick the applications they would like to install. In the left hand sidebar under “Products,” there is a link labeled “EDU.” There are a myriad of education and school suites to choose from — all of which are from safe and credible sources. One example is the suite “Applane SIS” by Applane, an education software company located in Irving, Texas, includes a “Student Information System, Grading, Attendance, Communication, Health Management and Staff Profile with Google Apps Integration” according to the Google Apps website. However, this application,
which received five out of five stars overall, is available for free for only six months. This being the case, the district and administration should act quickly if they wish to convert to a simpler, more-streamlined system. If in fact this opportunity is bypassed, there are still many more applications available, such as ThinkWave School Management Software. With saved resources from not using expensive system applications, Palo Alto High School can devote more money and time to other students and faculty needs around campus. In past few years teachers have lost grades and other important data because of corrupted files and system crashes; Google Apps has the advantage of automatically saving documents and spreadsheets to prevent system failures. By using Google Sites and Google Groups teachers can upload forms, worksheets and presentations without the hassle of uploading documents and grades through two different systems. If the administration were to use Google Apps the system would be more effective for students and teachers, save the district money, decrease the number of system crashes and would ultimately combine the Infinite Campus and Share Point system so that grades and important student information documents are in the same files to submit schedule correction forms online to eliminate useless paperwork and speed up the process.
New library wall useful for upcoming dates, promotions
Cartoon by William Lee
The Campanile
Students should be allowed freedom of speech, chalkboard may serve as useful tool Librarian Rachel Kellerman recently converted the previously blank wall in the library lounge to an expansive magnetic chalkboard for students to write on and for teachers to post student work. It is the opinion of The Campanile that the chalkboard could be an excellent medium for students to speak their minds and a way to build school unity, assuming that students are given the appropriate freedom. The library’s optimal location in the center of campus makes the chalkboard easy accessible and viewable when students are going from class to class. Having a place for people to share their ideas and feelings about sports events, administrative decisions and everyday occurrences is an excellent idea for Palo Alto High School. The chalkboard is eye-catching and sets Paly apart from other high schools as an open campus that embraces the thoughts of its students. The most recent drawing on the chalkboard, a nicely drawn advertisement for Paly’s upcoming production of My Fair Lady, is an excellent use of the chalkboard. In the coming months, the library should continue to promote student events on the chalkboard.
In the fall, details about upcoming football games should be posted on the wall so that students can see them and be sure to come out to the games. Otherwise, the wall should also be used to advertise choir concerts, library competitions, club events, Associated Student Body events and any other events that students should know about. The board should also be used to post important information, such as special schedules or announcements that the entire student body should know about. In the first weeks of the upcoming school year, a large map of Paly can be drawn on the chalkboard to help new students find their way around campus. When construction begins on campus in the coming months, certain areas on campus will inevitably be closed off. The chalkboard can be used to alert students of these sorts of changes. The library’s new chalkboard, because of its ideal location and potential for attractive designs, useful information and promotions, may serve as an excellent communication tool with the student body if utilized in a productive manner.
Editors in Chief
Nadav Gavrielov • Grace Harris • Rachel Mewes Madison Sevilla • Rachel Stober • Lillian Xie
Advisor
Esther Wojcicki
Sports Editors
Brunett John Brandon Nguyen
News Editor William Lee
Spotlight Editor
Opinion Editor
Justin Choi
Noa Dagan
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Mikey Abrams
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Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to campanile.opinion@gmail.com. The Campanile welcomes and prints letters to the editors on a space-available basis. The Campanile reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content. The Campanile only publishes signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts.
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OPINION
The Campanile
March 14, 2011 • A5
Denial of Planned Parenthood funds to yield negative effects Lack of funding could lead to $330 million in cuts, potential loss of crucial resources
On February 18, the House of Representatives passed an amendment that would eliminate all federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, an organization devoted to providing reproductive health graceharris care to any and all in my opinion who need it. Planned Parenthood has become a target for conservative lawmakers because in addition to sex education, general health care, cancer screenings, contraception, pregnancy related care and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, Planned Parenthood offers abortions to women who want them. While Planned Parenthood does receive around $300 million in federal funding, this money cannot go towards providing abortions. For many Americans, especially those living in poorer areas, Planned Parenthood is the only place where women, men and young adults can find affordable health care. In a time when millions of Americans live in poverty and the unemployment rate is almost ten percent, it is disgusting that Congressmen and women are spending their time destroying an organization whose only goal is to provide safe, affordable health care. As Representative Jackie Speier reminded the House the day before the amendment passed, abortion is legal in the United States. While this seems like an obvious statement, Americans often forget the law. Dissolving Planned Parenthood will not make abortions illegal, but simply eliminate many women’s access to a trustworthy procedure. Making legal and safe abortions impossible for women to find will only increase the number of dangerous, illegal abortions. Destroying one of the few organizations that provides abortions will set American back almost 40 years, before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. In Palo Alto, affordable abortions may not be the most pressing concern as most people have the means to safe procedures without organizations like Planned Parenthood, but that does not mean that this community would be unaffected by the recently passed
amendment, were it to become the law. Like in any other high school in the world, some Palo Alto High School students are sexually active. While one could argue that all young people who make the decision to engage in a sexual relationship should be mature enough to discuss these issues with their parents or another trusted adult, the truth is that many do not. For a variety of reasons ranging from awkwardness to fear, many teenagers do not talk to their parents before having sex. Therefore, it is vital that there is somewhere for these young people to go where they can legally obtain birth control without notifying a parent. “I chose to go to planned parenthood because it’s free and I didn’t want to tell my parents that I was sexually active but I still wanted to be safe,” a Paly senior who wished to remain anonymous said.
Even for teenagers who do feel comfortable talking to their parents about sex, birth control can be very expensive and is often unaffordable. Planned Parenthood is a primary resource for young people who need inexpensive or free contraceptives. “Being safe about sex is expensive,” another Paly senior said. “Everywhere you go Plan B is at least $50, birth control can be over $70 if insurance doesn’t cover it [and] condoms can cost $13, all of which adds up. Planned Parenthood was a way to get away from all of that. Going there was a way to still be safe about sex but at a price that was reasonable for a teenager.” Clearly, making sex illegal until the age of 18, as it is in California, does little to stop teenagers. Taking away Planned Parenthood would eliminate a primary resource for young people who want to have safe sex. The government should be supporting young people who
want to be safe, not making it harder for them. Surely it is more important for teenagers who do choose to have sex to be safe about their decision so that they can avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Although Paly students may think of Planned Parenthood primarily for supplying information and contraceptives to help young adults make safe and informed decisions regarding sex, all over the country Planned Parenthood provides even more basic health care to millions of women and men. While Planned Parenthood’s primary focus may be on reproductive health for women, according to their website, the organization also offers general health care services, such as anemia testing, cholesterol screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, flu vaccines, help with quitting smoking, high blood pressure screening, tetanus vaccines and thyroid screening.
Taking away all of these services merely because abortion makes people uncomfortable is a ridiculous use of the government’s time and could be dangerous for many Americans. For lawmakers to insist that cutting the funding for Planned Parenthood is part of the effort to diminish the country’s national debt and stabilize the economy is simply preposterous. The vote to cut the vast majority of Planned Parenthood funding had nothing to do with cutting down on spending. It was purely a political decision to destabilize an organization just because it provides safe abortions, despite the fact that no federal funding goes towards abortion care. “This is not about reducing the debt or the deficit; It’s not about fiscal responsibility.” Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a speech urging the Senate to vote down the amendment. While $330 million seems like a lot of money, in terms of the national budget, it is actually quite small. According to the American Friends Service Committee, which has won a Nobel Prize for its work to promote peace, the United States government spends $720 million every day on the Iraq war alone. This comes down to $500,000 every minute, which means that if Congress cuts the $330 million from Planned Parenthood, that money could instead fund the Iraq war for less than 11 hours. If the government wants to really cut spending and reduce the deficit, decreasing funding for Planned Parenthood is not the best course of action. Hopefully, the Senate will strike down the destructive amendment and Planned Parenthood will have the resources to continue to help millions of Americans. There is no reason to cut Planned Parenthood funding as it will do little or nothing to reduce the deficit and will take away medical services from women, men and young adults all over the country. In Palo Alto, the absence of a nearby Planned Parenthood could result in more teenagers having unsafe sex with no resource for contraceptives. For many patients, the amendment could take away a primary source of health care. Planned Parenthood is vital to reproductive health and affordable health care in general and it is despicable for lawmakers to destroy the organization in a veiled anti-choice political maneuver.
Middle Eastern revolution aided by social networking, cell phones
Groups organized through Facebook, other sites, eventually lead to the overthrow of national government By the time former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power on February 11, the news of the Middle East revolutions had spread to most parts of the world. With broadcasts of protests thousands of people strong in both Tunisia and Egypt splashed across television screens worldmaddieberger wide, by the time the Libya and Yemen protests started, it almost in my opinion seemed like old news. But the story of the revolutions in the Middle East does not just concern one region of the world. The outcome of
the protests has not only shown the rapidly transforming political climate of the Middle East, but also the power of youth in the modern world. The Egyptian protests are a particularly current example of what a small group of young people can accomplish. The Egyptian revolution did not just spring out of nowhere. While many people seem to think the protests in Egypt were inspired spontaneously by Tunisian demonstrations, the truth is that Egypt had been moving towards revolution for several years. For a long time, in what many westerners thought of as the “stable” Middle Eastern country, there existed serious food shortages, widespread unemployment and an oppressive military regime where police could arrest someone for criticizing the president in any way. Despite
Ben Curtis/Associated Press
Young activists used modern means of communication such as Youtube and Twitter to unite people, sparking revolutions in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia.
VERBATIM
the problems that consumed the country, the people were afraid to say anything. That is, until youth movements started using technology to do the talking for them. In 2008, a youth group called April 6th started a Facebook group calling for a worker’s strike to protest low wages and food shortages. Led by a group of Egyptians still in their 20s, the group had over 70,000 members after a few weeks. The strike that took place on April 6, 2008 was huge, and police quickly struck back, killing four people and jailing 400 for questioning, according to Frontline. Despite the violence, Egyptian youth groups kept working to overturn the government. Besides starting other human rights groups on Facebook to gather support, YouTube also proved to be a huge factor in spreading their cause. Most young people in Egypt have mobile phones, and many used them to film abusive acts committed by the government, according to Frontline. Horrifying videos of suspects being tortured or beaten by police were being uploaded straight from mobile devices, until the government cracked down and prohibited the use of cell phones in police stations. But the damage was done. Visual evidence of the governments’ crimes had a huge impact on the country; for the next three years following the April 6 strike, the group held more protest and rallies, despite being driven underground by the government. However, the violence in 2008 demonstrated the need for more peaceful tactics to stage a successful revolution. To learn how to accomplish this, the young members of the Egyptian movement borrowed ideas from other youth movements all over the world. One movement that especially influenced the Egyptians was the Serbian Student revolution that took place in the 1990s, during which Serbian students successfully and peacefully led a revolution to overthrow dictator Slobodan Milosevic. The Serbian students’ tactics worked so well that they launched a program to help others overthrow oppressive governments. The Center of Applied Non-Violent Action Strategies, or Canvas, gives young people the tools they need to conduct peaceful government protests, and has
worked with people from over 37 countries, according to the Reading Eagle. Members from the Egyptian April 6 group also gathered ideas from the United States. Even though the citizens of America may not have realized it, a member from the group visited the Alliances of Youth Movements Summit in New York City in December 2008 and discussed techniques to avoid government harassment and secret surveillance. All these ideas gathered from around the world made it possible for the youth movements in Egypt to finally launch the peaceful, although still risky, protests that made headlines this past winter. It was because of youth collaboration through technology and globalization that Mubarak was finally forced out of power. The significance of the protests resonates throughout the world. It shows how dictatorial regimes everywhere, not just the Middle East, could be in trouble. Anyone in any country that has access to the Internet has a whole new source of power — the power to spread the word quickly on a large scale. Because the young people are the ones who see the need for change, and because they are the main users of social networking and innovative technology, they are the ones leading these protests worldwide. Although no country looks forward to political unrest, the demonstrations and actions of the Egyptian youth send a positive message to other young people. By accomplishing something so difficult and monumental, the Egyptian youth revolt inspires hope all over the world, especially among young people who before thought they had no control over their lives. In a press conference on February 11, President Obama spoke of the far reaching effects of the youth movement, saying “I’m also confident that the same ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that the young people of Egypt have shown in recent days can be harnessed to create new opportunity, jobs and businesses that allow the extraordinary potential of this generation to take flight.” Even youth who do not live under autocratic regimes feel the impact, and will be empowered to start other types of movements for all kinds of causes, such as fundraisers for charities. The Egyptians have shown that youth have the power to impact the world, no matter how small they start out.
What’s the best way to ask someone to prom?
Compiled by Rachel Mewes, Layla Memar, Annabel Snow and Riki Rattner
“Text message.”
“Take her on a trip or something.”
“ Write it in the sky with airplanes.”
“Have your mother ask them.”
“A date, movie and a night under the stars with flowers.”
Jose Tochez senior
Bijon Boyd junior
Colette Lucas-Conwell sophomore
Dave Duran P.E. Teacher
Sam Newell freshman
S P O T L I G H T
A6 • March 14, 2011
W I N N E R
Although t h e r e have been many new additions to campus this year, from new athletic facilities to trees by the science building, the change that has most positively influenced the school was the shift in power from Jacqueline McEvoy as principal to Phil Winston. Winston gets involved with student activities and is always around to greet students and staff with a friendly wave. “I think that Mr. Winston really tries a lot harder to reach out and get the student body unified,” sophomore Bria Vicenti said.
P Os
Nominees:
Biggest improvement at Paly W I N N E R
Nominees:
Known for being traditionally senior exclusive, the deck is the prefect place to kick back with friends and enjoy a lunch. “It kind of symbolizes the seniors in a lot of ways,” senior Jack Smale said. “Each year I've been at Paly, the seniors always take control of the deck and as an underclassman you’re always waiting for your time. It’s also at the heart of Paly's campus, so that’s nice. The new tables also provide an incentive to sit there.” Sorry underclassmen, you guys will just have to wait your turn like the rest of us!
201
The Academy Award, or the Oscar, is a Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scien in recognition of excellence in the film ind year, we have taken the liberty to extend our campus. This year, we, The Campanile, staff members, facilities and other assets in School the fine institution it is. The categories will cover various areas including Best Lunch Spots on Campus, Be and Best Lunch Spots on Campus and Tow These awards are to garner recognition go unnoticed, and by giving these prestig light those that deserve to be seen around admiration. The Paly Oscars are to remind of fascinating people and places, and by b continue to be an educational institution w
best lunch spots on campus
Winner
Nominees: •Sociology •Auto
•Film Composition •Humanities
Almost any hour of the day, Paly ceramic’s student’s can be found crowded around the glowing kiln and “glory hole” as they refer to it, perfecting their latest masterpiece. Glassblowing, part of the ceramics elective, has become a deservedly popular section of the Art Department. “Ceramics is a great way to exercise your artistic abilities and the Paly glass studio is one of the best in the state,” junior Kur Freyermuth said. Allowing students to specialize in this remarkable art also provides career options. “I took away a trade skill that is unique and in the end is something I can see myself doing throughout life,” Paly graduate and current freshman at California Institute of the Arts Ryan Bell said.
best electives at Paly
The Campanile
Best event W I N N E R
Nominees:
c w s c c s g c “ a
The Campanile
S P O T L I G H T
Paly scars
10-2011
an accolade bestowed by the American nce to professionals in the film industry dustry in recognition of excellence. This this award beyond the film industry to have bestowed Oscar Awards to various n recognition for making Palo Alto High
of student and staff pride and interest, est Dressed Teacher, Best Places to Study wn and Country Village. for areas and people that usually might gious tokens of excellence, we bring to campus as people/places of respect and us all that our diverse community is full bringing out the best of the best, we can worthy of pride and excellence.
ts at Paly
There is only one week each year when students can flaunt full body paint, farmer’s costumes and togas without receiving a second glance. For the five days of spirit week, the four grades go all out, competing in hotly contested games, cheering at rowdy rallies and ultimately coming together in a sea of green on the final day. Paly students, teachers and administrators forget the daily grind and join the chaos that is Paly spirit week. “The whole schools gets to come together and compete, and it’s great,” senior Connor Fitzgerald said. “It’s fun to see the whole campus come together and attempt to beat the seniors.”
Jack Bungarden, known for teaching the gruelling and rewarding AP US History class is also noticed around campus for his excellent choice of wardrobe. Every day, he spices up his attire with a wild, eclectic tie. The ties, ranging from cartoons to faces of the presidents add some color and sass to the Gilded Age and the New
W I N N E R Nominees:
March 14, 2011 • A7
Deal. “I’m always filled with great anticipation...He plans [his ties] very strategically,” Shannon Scheel said. “Like the day we were studying the constitution, he wore the tie that had the constitution and signatures on it. I think my favorite of his ties was either the one with “M&Ms” on it where they’re talking to each other, or the Sylvester and Tweety bird one.”
Best dressed teacher at Paly
Nominees:
W I N N E R
Although the student center may be a last resort for food for some Paly students, there are a few snacks and treats that prove to be quite tasty. The unparalleled greatness of the student center’s cookies are a perfect munch for brunch or a delicious desert. “They’re an awesome post lunch snack sometimes,” senior Katie Maser said. “They’re weirdly way better than normal cookies.
best food at the Student Center W I N N E R
Nominees:
Located immediately to the left of the front entrance of the library, a furry green rug with numerous black leather chairs provides is a relaxing and quirky place to study. The “library lounge” is free from the crowd and chatter of the Academic Resource Center (ARC), but still within convenient distance of the library’s computers and print sources, making it the best place at Paly to hit the books. “It’s my favorite spot in the library to study,” junior Scotty McComas said. “It’s out of the way so the librarians don’t come over as much and the chairs are really comfortable.”
Best places to study at Paly
OPINION
A8 • March 14, 2011
The Campanile
MTV’s reality shows glamorize aspects of teenage pregnancies More schools should implement programs like Paly’s “Baby Think It Over” project
baileycassidy in my opinion
Years ago, teenage pregnancy was portrayed as shameful. Girls tended to drop out of school as soon as they started to display the first signs of pregnancy, in attempt to hide it. Today, however, there is a group of young mothers who is not ashamed to share their lives openly with the entire country: the stars of MTV shows 16 and Pregnant and its spin-off reality series, Teen Mom. The publicity and attention that these girls generate from the media essentially glamor-
izes teenage pregnancy. Teen Mom follows the lives of four young mothers as they struggle through the emotional and financial turmoil of the first years of motherhood. The show debuted in July 2010, and the teen moms appeared on the covers of countless tabloid magazines throughout the summer and fall. The Jan. 11 premiere of the show’s second season, Teen Mom 2, drew in 3.6 million viewers, breaking network records, according to OK Magazine. MTV sells the show as a cautionary tale to discourage teenage pregnancy, but critics have recently speculated that it actually has the opposite effect. Doctor Logan Levkoff, a teen development expert, says that even though MTV illustrates the harsh consequences of teen pregnancy, there are many pregnant teens in pop culture that can really influence American teenage girls. “There are more pregnant teens in pop culture than ever before,” Levkoff said in an interview with ABC News. “They are on the cover of magazines, getting paid, getting endorsement deals, and becoming calendar models. Even if MTV shows all the hardships, they’re still being supported in so many ways. The way we bring people into fame for really not doing anything has created a culture where it is exciting to be a pregnant teen and the fact of the matter is that most teens who are pregnant do not have the same experience that the girls on those shows have.” The multitude of teen moms that appear in the media reduces the shock that used to be associated with teenage pregnancy. “There is no fear and shame in teen pregnancy anymore,” Michelle Hankins, who runs a Young Moms support group in Rome, Ga. said to ABC News. “Seeing all these teen moms in the media, it makes them less fearful. It’s desensitized them, there’s just an immunity to the shock value of it.” Palo Alto High School English teacher Kari Snell agrees that Teen Mom does not necessarily accurately portray the hardships involved in being a teen mom. “[The show] glorifies [teen motherhood] in some ways by masking the responsibility involved in being a parent,” Snell said. “It’s possible that teenagers may see it as an opportunity to be on a reality show. It does seem like the negative sides and stresses involved in being a mom aren’t the main things [featured on the show] and that these girls may be getting attention for the wrong reasons.” According to ABC News, three friends of Jenelle Evans, one of the stars of Teen Mom 2, have recently be-
come pregnant themselves. This fuels speculation that these friends became pregnant just for the sake of fame, although the friends have fiercely denied those rumors. The stars of Teen Mom earn six figure incomes, according to ABC News. That, coupled with the tabloid fame and recognition achieved by these young moms could most certainly generate envy from young girls who are close to them, which is a possible explanation for the recent pregnancies in Evans’ social circle. It is entirely possible that teens across America viewing the show may overlook the harsh realities of teenage motherhood that MTV attempts to showcase due to the fame and financial success of the stars. This could be especially true for girls who are brought up in less affluent parts of the country and have not had a comprehensive sexual education course, which is the background of several Teen Mom stars. Paly’s Living Skills course does an effective job of discouraging teenage pregnancy, particularly through the “Baby Think it Over” project, which requires students to be responsible for a functioning, human-like baby doll for 24 hours and write a reflection paper on their experiences. “[It was the] worst experience ever,” junior AnaCena Zander said of the Living Skills project. “[The project] drove me to the edge. I had to miss track practice for that thing. Public schools of California, you have done your job; I don’t want a little nuisance like that any time soon.” Try as it might, the message that MTV attempts to send through its programs is simply not comparable to real-life experiences such as this Living Skills project. More schools in the United States should implement similar programs, as it would likely lead to students across the country feeling as Zander does towards the prospect of raising a child while still in high school. Despite its potentially glamorous exterior, raising a child as a teenager is exactly the opposite. For one thing, teen moms miss out on many of the typical high school experiences, that they will never be able to get back later in life. “Their peers are having a great time dating, going to movies, going to the pizza shop, going to clubs, going to the prom,” Chief of Preventive Services for the North Side Center for Child Development Adrienne Williams-Myers said to ABC News. “All of this has stopped.” Paly Guidance Counselor Susan Shultz expands on the challenges involved in being a parent and attending school simultaneously. “The best thing for the [teen mom] and baby would be for the [teen mom] to finish high school because then [the mother] could provide and care for the child with an education,” Shultz said. “Financial support from family is so important because without it, the teen mother must get a job, where she may be unable to advance as far as she would like due to not finishing her education. Then this whole thing just becomes a cycle.” This may well be the message that MTV attempts to convey, however it may not always be clear to teens. For that reason, MTV should attempt to more conspicuously convey their message. To their credit, they currently broadcast a brief Public Service Announcement (PSA) that plays during the show’s commercial breaks that says “Teen pregnancy is 100 percent preventable. To find out more visit www. itsyoursexlife.com.”
MTV.COM
MTV’s reality shows such as Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant are sold as cautionary tales to teenage girls but may actually have the opposite effect of glorifying teenage pregnancies. While this is a noble effort, many viewers record the show, enabling them to bypass the commercial breaks and miss the PSA. If MTV were to air the PSA at a time where viewers were more likely to see it, perhaps directly before or after the theme song and introduction, teens would have the opportunity to think twice about the effects of pregnancy. Additionally, the network could add more detail to the PSA, such as facts or figures on the cost of raising an infant. An extended PSA would cost MTV a couple minutes of precious Teen Mom airtime, but it would be well worth the effort as it would likely force teens to think more carefully about the consequences of their actions, which is absolutely necessary. At the very least, it is a more urgent matter for American teens than some of the Teen Mom segments, which portray scenes such as Evans’ conversation with her boyfriend, Kieffer Delp in which Evans discussed the
courses she signed up for at community college (English, Psychology and History) to which Delp replied “I don’t know what any of that means.” Although teenage birth rates in the U.S. are now at an all-time low, according to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention the pregnancy rate is still extremely high. “The number of births that teens are having is the lowest, but we have still in the United States the highest rates of teen pregnancy of any developed nation, twice as high in Canada, significantly higher than all of our European counterparts,” Levkoff said to ABC News. Although media attention on the teen moms is inevitable in this day and age, implementing activities such as Paly Living Skills’ project and MTV airing an extended PSA expressly stating their message would be steps towards ending the glorification of teenage pregnancy that this show currently produces.
Students with legacy have unfair advantage in college process
Universities should focus on applicant’s merit rather than parents’ connections
College applications and admissions can be considered the most stressful aspects of a student’s high school career. It is daunting to think about conveying the best aspects of oneself through merely words and numbers; letters of recommendation, perin my opinion sonal essays, high standardized test scores and an impressive grade point average can only take one so far before an interview. To add to the stress, competition in recent years has skyrocketed, partly because of harsh budget cuts. Although not applicable to all universities in the United States, college legacy has become a tool by which schools judge applicants, at times giving students with relative connections a leg up on qualified competition. In some instances, this procedure is part of a system that is used to reward alumni; the reasoning may seem logical, but the amount to which college legacy is influencing and affecting admissions has become unreasonably unfair. Living in Palo Alto and attending Palo Alto High School may also create the discomforting allusion that attending a top university, let alone attending a university at all, is a must. From the first day students set foot on campus, they are shuffled to advisory to sort out a tentative four-year plan, geared towards meeting requirements for acceptance into University of California and California State campuses. However, for some of the most academically, athletically and artistically driven, their goals consist of acceptance into the most prestigious, wealthy and difficult universities: Brown University, Yale University, Princeton University and Paly’s neighbor, Stanford University just to name a few. Students push themselves and are pushed by their parents to beat out their competitive peers. Some of these parents, though, especially in Palo Alto, are affiliated to the schools their children wish to attend. This creates yet another controversial problem, known as legacy or alumni affirmative action, regarding college admissions. According to Jeannie Borin, founder and president of College Connections, a company
hannahtotte
associated with the National Association for College Admission Counseling which provides consulting services regarding the college admission process, legacy means that a student has had a relatively close family member who has attended the school the student is applying to. Though legacy may not apply to all prestigious schools, such as at the California Institute of Technology, it does have a unique influence on applications at well known private universities, one that is relatively unknown in countries other than the United States. “Children of graduates make up 10 to 15 percent of incoming classes at most Ivy League schools,” Washingtonian Magazine writer Nancy Doyle Palmer said in her article “Hell Hath No Fury Like Alumni Scorned.” “Harvard accepts 40 percent and Princeton accepts 35 percent of legacies but only 11 percent of all applicants. The University of Pennsylvania rakes 41 percent of legacy applicants yet only 21 percent overall. At Notre Dame, nearly a quarter of students are children of graduates.” This undercover advantage given to students practically from birth is unfair.
Though it may seem practical, as many alumni do devote both time and money to their respective universities, the extent to which legacy has been impacting admission rates is skewed. The majority of those attending the Ivy Leagues are white and rich, and legacy keeps these schools from further increasing diversity because, at times, they consider money over merit. “One would hope that alumni’s love for their alma mater and willingness to give back is not predicated on that college accepting their son or daughter in the future,” Brian Solomon, staff columnist for The Dartmouth, said in his article “A Corrupting Legacy.” “Unfortunately, that is not the case, according to two economists from the National Bureau of Economic Research who analyzed alumni donations at an unnamed university. They showed that money given spiked in the year during which the alumni’s child applied to the school, and donations dropped off considerably if the university rejected him or her.” Although not all alumni have such surplus of money, in Palo Alto, where some of the brightest and most elite reside, parental connections to prestigious universities and
ments to the return on a successful stock investment. “At our top universities, so-called legacy preferences affect larger numbers of students than traditional affirmative action programs for minority students, yet they have received a small fraction of attention,” New York Times journalist Richard D. Kahlenberg said in a recent Op-Ed article. “Unlike the issues of racial preferences, advantages for alumni children—who are overwhelmingly white and wealthy—have been the subject of little scholarship, no state voter initiative, and no Supreme Court decisions.” Kahlenberg believes this type of affirmative action goes against the 14th amendment and the 1866 Civil Rights Act, both of which prohibit discrimination based on ancestry, and believes that the Supreme Court should outlaw legacy practices to end this corrupted selection practice. Although this specific solution may seem both drastic and hard to attain, universities are turning away qualified students because their family may not have donated a significant amount of money to the school. It is difficult and rare enough to stand out amongst thousands of other applicants, many of which share the same talents, SAT scores and GPA. Legacy is used in this fashion; a personal connection to a university, through donations or names, can elicit more companies are relatively common compared of a response and a greater chance for interest to other cities in the country. Paly’s location from that school. This unfortunately leaves in the Silicon Valley draws some of the most other qualified students at a disadvantage, successful people in their respective fields, one that the government and the universities making Paly itself home to many bound-to-be themselves need to recognize and address successful teenagers helped by their parents’ more closely to ensure equal opportunity. At this stage, legacy may well be imposcheck books. As admissions rates rise, parents who do- sible to get rid of completely, but it is time to be more aware nate can experience of its unreasonable the value of giving to influence on coleducation. Caroline “At Notre Dame, nearly a quarter lege admissions. Hoxby, a Stanford of students are children of graduColleges therefore economist, calcuneed to find a way lated that while ates.” the amount a famNancy Doyle Palmer to shrink the influence legacy has ily spends on each Washington Magazine writer on its admissions, student to attend focusing on merit a selective college instead. However, has increased at an average annual rate of 13 percent, tuition since alumni do provide a substantial amount only increased six percent annually, with the of income to these universities, an important factor amidst today’s suffering economy, they rest made up by “charitable contributions.” Saying that the investment is worth the should be rewarded. Recognition from the school in ways money, as students who graduate from highly selective universities often make more money other than a closer read to their sons and during their life time than those who do not, daughters’ application would better satisfy Hoxby compared the return on such invest- families who do not have the same privileges.
The Campanile
SPORTS
March 14, 2011
Danish student moves to Palo Alto, practices with varsity basketball
Holgar Thorup trains with boys’ team this season, hopes to make squad as senior By Kirah Ingram
“[The coach] wanted me to be on the team the minute he saw how tall I was,” Culture shock can happen to anyone, Thorup said. “It’s fun. I like the team, I like but just trying to fathom what it would be the players and I like the coach. And belike to go to school in another country for cause I’m new, [my teammates] pick on me, two years seems like a stretch. Imagine how especially the coach. He always says, ‘Not so confusing it would be to adjust to not only sophisticated in Denmark?’ But it’s fun, and the pressures of an unfamiliar school but also I’m cool with [the jokes], it’s always that way for the rookies.” adding athletics into the mix. Although Throup was not able to play in The team speaks another language that is vaguely familiar and probably handles any of the games this past season, he hopes to themselves quite differently than the team play club basketball with some of his teamat home. The team has yet to understand an mates on the Paly team and hopes to make unfamiliar accent and how other countries the varsity team next year as a senior. Junior Alec Wong sees Thorup as a team may play their sports a little differently. Junior Holger Thorup, 6’5”, just recently player and commends Thorup for his readiwent through this when his family moved ness to help any member of the team in order from Fredericksberg, a small town near Co- for them to become better athletes. “When he came [to Paly], he wanted to penhagen in Denmark, to America right after do anything to help the team,” Wong said. “He Winter Break. Now Thorup attends Palo Alto High knew he wasn’t going to play this year, but he School, while he embarks on a search for still came to practices to help the team get better and to help each individual get better. recently acquainted American basketball. Thorup, a native Dane, has come to He is always willing to learn. When the coach America before, but not for a long period of [tells] him something, he’s always quiet. He time. His family is here for two years, allowing just wants to absorb as much as he can, so he Thorup time to finish his junior and senior can learn as a player.” Thorup started playing basketball when year and graduate with the class of 2012. This past winter, Thorup practiced with he was 15 and fell in love with the sport at his the boys’ varsity basketball team in hopes of first impromptu practice. “In eighth grade, being able to have one of the ninth grada spot on the team “He just wants to absorb as ers in my class, who next year. Because much as he can so he can learn started playing basThorup is a transfer ketball a half a year student and came as a player.” me, asked me too late into the basAlec Wong before if I wanted to come ketball season, he junior to one of his team’s was not allowed to practices,” Thorup play in games. He said. “I went to the practiced with the team and attended each game alongside his practice just for fun, but the coach of the team teammates. When Thorup first thought of asked me if I wanted to come the day after to joining the Palo Alto boys’ basketball team, the game. He actually wanted me to play in the game the day after [my first practice]. I he talked to the head coach, Adam Sax. Thorup admits his height was one of the didn’t know any of the plays, but he wanted contributing factors as to why Sax allowed me to come. The next day, I played about half Thorup to practice with the team for the rest a minute [in the game], and scored my first of the season, but also indicates that jumping two-pointer.” Thorup admits that the game of basketinto the practices in the middle of the season was confusing, and the jokes from his team- ball was not easy to pick up, but within half mates and coach only showed how joining of a year of practicing with his first team in the team as a new foreign student added to Denmark, Lyngby Basket, he was getting better as a player, learning more about the game the hazing.
Staff Writer
Riki Rattner/ Campanile
Junior Holger Thorup shoots hoops outside Paly’s gym. Thorup recently moved from Denmark and trains with the varsity boys’ basketball team. and growing taller. The growth only helped Thorup appreciate more aspects of the sport because it allowed him the opportunity to play a new position, center. He now plays center full time.
“I didn’t used to be tall,” Thorup said. “When I started playing, I was one of the smallest [people] on the team, and I played point guard. Then I [grew] a little taller, so I played center. It was kind of different for me,
because I never played that [position], but it was good for me because I learned to play other [positions].” The fact that Thorup was able to play other positions opened him up and allowed him to become really interested in playing the sport. From then on, Throup was playing basketball all the time and transferred from one club team to another, up until the point where he was playing on four different teams during one season, all during his first year and a half of basketball. “I played on four teams because we had the same coach for each team, and [the coach] wanted me to play on all of [the teams],” Thorup said. “I played with one team, which was my own age, but the team was pretty bad. I [also] played on an older team which won the national championships the [previous] year.” In addition to the two previously mentioned teams, Thorup played on two additional basketball teams throughout the same season. Both teams were compiled of athletes older than Throup, ranging from a one to two year age difference. By being able to be on club teams with older, more experience athletes, Thorup was able to broaden his range of play and learn to play with many athletes better than himself. All this is what made Thorup a better player all around. Basketball is not as prominent as other sports in Denmark, according to Thorup. Therefore, the number of club basketball teams is still small. However, he asserts that being able to play with older athletes helped him become a better player. Thorup, now 17, still looks forward to continuing his basketball career, but he is not yet sure if he wants to continue after high school, to play at college-level. With options to go back to Denmark for college or stay in America looming over his head, Thorup mostly focuses on the present and reflects on how far he has come since his first team in Denmark. “[Before basketball,] I played soccer for ten years for fun, but stopped because the team was getting too serious,” Thorup said. “And [when] I started playing basketball, I went from knowing nothing about it, to becoming really good, and one of the best on [my first] team.”
Paly track anticipates successful season Sophomore plays for German lacrosse team Key athletes aspire to place in CCS, take league title By Wesley Shiau Staff Writer
After a successful season last year, the Palo Alto High School track team expects to place well in this year’s season meets, and hopes to claim the league title which Mountain View High School narrowly took from them last year. The team hopes to start their season strong with returning seniors Maurice Williams and Miles Anderson and juniors Tremaine Kirkman and Morris Gates-Mouton, along with strong long distance runner junior Nikolai Solgaard. With the loss of last year’s long distance star Philip MacQuitty, Head Coach Jason Fung and Long Distance Coach Joe Ginanni expect to rebuild the long distance team through junior Nikolai Solgaard. “Coming straight into the season at least, off the top of my head [Solgaard] would be our guy, kind of ‘let’s get him into CCS [Central Coast Sections],’ but we have some good sophomores, and of course juniors, guys like Charlie [Kelsey], Andre [Gouyet and] Ricky [Estrada],” Ginanni said While the long distance team hopes to rebuild itself during the preseason, the boys’ sprint team, mostly made up of veteran runners, will enter their 2011 season strong despite the loss of sprinter Daniel Jones. “The guys are always up there for contention for league champs,” Fung said. “We have a good team so my expectations for them is high. We got Maurice Williams, Miles Anderson, Tremaine Kirkman, Morris GatesMouton, [etc.]” Despite having a string of unsuccessful seasons, the girls’ sprint team aspires to improve their performance this year due to the increased number of people joining the team. “Last year, we had a hard time even getting a team together, much less a good one, but this year we have a lot
more depth than we did last year,” junior sprinter Lydia Guo said. “We were worried at first because we lost two seniors, but Helen [Butler] and Pippa [Raffel], I think, are going to do a lot for us.” The Paly track team also has a new addition to their coaching staff with incoming hurdles coach LaVonna Floreal, a three time National College Athletic Association champion in the 100 meter hurdles, a 1992 Olympic silver medallist in the 100-meter hurdles, as well as the only female in the state of Ohio to score all her team’s points in order to win back-to-back state track and field titles. Floreal hopes her extensive experience in hurdles will allow athletes to achieve their goals no matter what skill level they wish to attain. “Running hurdles is a challenging task, and for many, getting over the fear of hitting or falling over a hurdle is the first step,” Floreal said. “For those who already have hurdle experience, I hope to support them in reaching their [personal record] for the season.” Sophomore jumper Kenny Jones believes Floreal will be an essential part of the team’s success this year, and hopes her extensive hurdling experience will help the team obtain this year’s league title. “Having an Olympic medalist working with the team this season will definitely increase our chances of getting this year’s league title,” Jones said. “Hopefully this will raise awareness about track, and we can keep improving throughout the season. “ Following last year’s wildly successful season, and the current ability of athletes, the team’s ambitions for the following season are extensive. It will not be easy living up to the expectations of coaches, athletes and fans alike, but last year’s heartbreaking finish has the team believing that they are up to the challenge.
lauren wong/Campanile
Senior Miles Anderson receives a hand-off from junior Morris Gates-Mouton in the last leg of the 4x100 against Los Altos High School. Anderson is anticipated to place in CCS this year.
Charlotte Biffar trains abroad, prepares for World Cup By Mayssen Labidi Staff Writer
Balancing sports with a healthy lifestyle is a very demanding time commitment. Many athletes begin their athletic careers by standing out in high school on varsity teams and contacting coaches. Charlotte Biffar, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School, not only does this but also plays on a U19 German World Cup lacrosse team. Germany is hosting the World Cup for the first time this upcoming August and 12 countries are participating. Biffar has been training with the German lacrosse team since fall of 2010. Biffar’s passion for lacrosse combined with her German roots inspired her to enroll in this demanding program. “In the tryout, I had no idea what to expect and what the level of playing would be like,” Biffar said. “The tryout was a really unique opportunity and a big challenge for me. Leading up to it, I did a lot of conditioning and practicing with different coaches to be prepared.” As the only American lacrosse player on the team, Biffar was very anxious, however soon realized how supportive and welcoming the German lacrosse players were. “It was pretty intimidating playing with girls that speak a different language, although I speak some German,” Biffar said. “ With the support from the German girls, it was not that difficult.” However, although Biffar plays for the German national team, she has only gone to Germany twice, once for the tryout and once for a training session. “I don’t really have a consistent schedule but I’ll be going up more often now leading up to the world cup in august,” Biffar said. “The training session I went to was very demanding and difficult.” Biffar participates in multiple lacrosse teams such as the German national team, the Paly varsity team and the Wave club team with many Paly students. However, the numerous teams Biffar participates in diminishes the time she gets to spend practicing in Germany. “I do not practice here for the German lacrosse team, but I’ve talked to the German coaches and they understand that I’m practicing with different lacrosse teams in America as well,” Biffar said. Although balancing the multiple lacrosse teams with an academic and social life has been a challenge for Biffar, she has learned to stay on top of her responsibilities. “It definitely has been a challenge with school but the teachers and parents have been really helpful and supportive,” Biffar said. “I have to be organized and stay on top of things before making the trips to Germany.” Biffar considers this German national team a very valuable experience which has expanded her knowledge and point of view on lacrosse, however after finishing the upcoming World Cup, Biffar does not consider remaining on the German national team. “The World Cup is every four years so I think that will be it, but I will definitely keep in contact with people there and see what other options there are
Riki Rattner/Campanile
Sophomore Charlotte Biffar currently trains with Palo Alto High Schools’ varsity lacrosse. for lacrosse in Germany,” Biffar said. “It’s a brand new sport in Germany therefore they don’t have that many opportunities to play and obtain different experiences.” This program for Biffar is a big challenge that she is willing to overcome and learn from. She hopes to incorporate both styles of play into one. According to Biffar, the different experiences and atmospheres in each program has broadened her view of lacrosse. Although Biffar has traveled to the east coast multiple times for Wave tournaments over the summer and throughout the school year, the German national lacrosse team was a big step forward. Biffar’s current goal is to play on a college lacrosse team, however she does not know which college yet. Recruiting coaches have strict rules and cannot contact her until September, but she has been in contact with several coaches. Overall, Biffar remains one of the few playing on national sports teams within the Paly community and she has greatly evolved from this experience. She began rather intimidated with the German girls, but through time and support, molded into the team and is ready to compete with the German team in the upcoming World Cup.
SPORTS
A10 • March 14, 2011
SportsBriefs Boys’ basketball finishes season after harsh CCS semi-final loss After winning league championships, the Palo Alto boys’ varsity basketball team entered the Central Coast Section [CCS] tournament as the fourth seed. Their league record was an almost perfect 11-1-0, with one loss to Cupertino that they later redeemed on Feb. 4 in the second round of league games. Following a string of victories against Los Gatos, Gunn and Lynbrook, the Vikings were ready to take on the top teams in the CCS tournament. The first game took place on Feb. 26 at Foothill College, with the Vikings once again up against Cupertino in the quarterfinals. This time the Paly boys beat the Cupertino Pioneers by an even bigger margin than last time, ending the game 52-42. In the semi-finals on March 1, Paly faced a formidable opponent in Archbishop Mitty, whose team is currently ranked sixth in the State and holds a 15-game winning streak. Mitty’s defense held the Vikings at zero points for the first nine minutes of the game, and the Monarchs won with an overall score of 69-31. Mitty will play St. Francis High School in the finals on March 4. Despite the loss, the Paly team had a successful season, shutting out almost every team in the league winning the De Anza Championships.
—Maddie Berger Staff Writer
Diving starts its season strong with Spring Invitational meet The diving season started with a splash on Friday, March 4 in the annual Palo Alto High School Spring Invitational meet against Los Gatos, Los Altos, Monta Vista, University High School and King’s Academy. The season started with returning varsity divers that have proved to help the swimming and diving team significantly in the past at both the Santa Clara Valley Athletic Leagues [SCVAL] and Central Coast Section[CCS]. The Spring Invitational meet was a solid start to the season overall for the team, according to coach Danny Dye. “It was our first meet of the year giving everybody the opportunity to get off the board, especially the people that are new,”Dye said. “I really enjoyed it and returning divers got an opportunity to start the season and get off the boards and I was really happy.” Senior Grace Greenwood won the diving event with a six dive score of 235.80 for the varsity girls’ while senior Jordan Zenger took second place for the varsity boys diving event with a six dive total of 209.60. Due to the graduation of a few seniors, several varsity divers will have the chance to move up in ranking at CCS. “We have Grace Greenwood, who is a senior, who has been a top eight diver ever since she’s been at this school and we’re looking at her being top three this year,” Dye said. “We also have [junior] Emma Miller, who was in the top 16 last year and we’re looking at her moving into the top eight.” The diving season has brought in many novice younger divers as well, who have began to show off their newly learned abilities. “We have a bunch of young new divers that are learning the sport who actually have some good athletic skills, so I’m really looking forward to what they can do and I’m looking forward to their progress,” Dye said. Returning varsity diver sophomore Serena Yee already has set goals for the future after finishing the first meet of the season. “I think I’ve done pretty well at the meet today,” Yee said. “My dives were challenging and I hope to do well continuing being a varsity diver. My goals for this season are to get my 1.5 turns in every direction.” Paly divers are preparing for the next meet against Los Gatos High School on March 25.
—Laura Cui Staff Writer
New badminton coaches show hope for strong spring season After wrapping up over a month of pre-season conditioning and try-outs, the Palo Alto High School badminton team looks forward to a positive season with new co-coaches, Stephanie Hsi and Jessica Guinn. “The season is looking promising,” junior and varsity mixed double player Nathan Bills said. “Because of the new coaches this year, we need to get used to a new system but I have a feeling they know what they’re doing.” Co-coaches Hsi and Guinn, who are Paly graduates of 2005 and 2004 respectively, kicked off pre-season right after winter break. “We were out on the basketball courts running and getting back into shape for the season,” Hsi said. “Everyone has been really enthusiastic and cooperative about a more rigorous conditioning and drilling structure.” Sophomore Gavin Chan, who plays varsity singles, which, according to Hsi, is often quite rigorous, found the conditioning to be a good idea. “Badminton is a sport that requires a lot of speed and stamina,” Chan said. “The conditioning helped build a better physical foundation for players.” With over 140 players during tryouts, the team consists of 60 players with 12 on reserve. New players are “looking good”, learning fast and all have the potential to become strong players, according to volunteer coach Adam Hwung. “The Paly team is very dedicated,” Hwung said. “As a whole, most of the team is dedicated to the sport. [Players] are willing to learn and figure out things they are doing wrong.” Both Guinn and Hsi predict a promising season, although Guinn commented on a possible difficulty regarding the influx of new players who replaced last year’s more skilled players. Chan also sees prospective challenges in losing a few key graduates but remains enthusiastic for the season. “This is going to be a challenging season,” Chan said. “The team’s strongest point is that there are many players who are enthusiastic and trying to improve because they love the sport.” Generally, team members and staff have apprehensions for the season, but feel prepared for their first game on March 17. The team will play against Fremont, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Homestead and Santa Clara High School through May.
—Clara Chang Staff Writer
The Campanile
Boys’ tennis anticipates tough season ahead Intense training routine will allow team to play competitively By Grace Fang Staff Writer
The Palo Alto High School varsity boys’ tennis team lost to Los Altos High School (4-3) at home Wednesday and to powerhouse Saratoga High School (7-0) Thursday. “We were crushed with all our singles,” head coach Andy Harader said. Team members were disappointed after their losses and know that they must improve to defeat the difficult teams in their league. “Our league is extremely tough — we will have to step up our game against every team we play against because there will be no easy wins,”senior Captain Chirag Krishna said. The Vikings’ victory in their first nonleague game this season against Aragon High School, gave them confidence they hope to carry on throughout the season. The team plans to persevere in their training throughout the season to improve their game. “Our first match was a non-league match against Aragon High School last week, and the team won 5-2,” Krishna said. “I was impressed with how the team performed as a whole, but everyone will be working hard on weekends and during practices as we transition into league play. We have some tough matches coming up and the team has been putting in the effort, so hopefully we’ll do well.” After their first victory this season, the Paly boys entered their matches against Los Altos and Saratoga confident and expecting to win. Unfortunately, their high spirits were crushed with disappointment after the consecutive losses last week. “Often times in tennis one can underestimate the caliber of one’s opponent, but loses because he or she expected to win so easily and flops,” Krishna said. “Obviously there are some teams, such as league powerhouses Saratoga and Monte Vista, that are just miles ahead of the competition. Other than that though, I think we’re going to have a fighting chance in all the matches we play and we’ll definitely be taking them seriously.” Some players already have stepped it up by developing a strategy to combat the opposing team. Junior singles player Dar Shavit is one such example. “During the pre-game warm-up we rally with a partner,” Shavit said. “I test out their forehand and volleys to see their weaknesses, then I try to target that when I play.” The Saratoga Falcons, a well-known powerhouse in the league, proved themselves to be a hard opponent for the Vikings after their victory last week, according to freshman doubles player Aditya Mahadevan. “I thought that [Saratoga] was a really tough team and made lots of good shots,”
Andrea More/Campanile
Senior Chirag Krishna warms up with his team before a match. This year’s varsity team has an unusual amount of underclassmen. Mahadevan said. “I think we played well, but I just think that [Saratoga] played better.” Despite their loss, the players hope to do better in their future games and qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs on May 2. “We were hoping to win today, but since we didn’t, we’re just hoping to qualify for CCS,” junior Justin Wang said. “[We] are going to try to win the easy matches and do our best on the hard ones.” Though the team did not win any matches against Saratoga, there were a couple of wins against Los Altos, including doubles players senior Andy Hammer and sophomore Mason Haverstock with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and doubles players Wang and junior Will Lichtenger with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. “I played well with Lichtenger during trials week,” Wang said. “Our goal is to win the most matches this season.”
There are a lot of new players on the team this year, and Krisha hopes that the newer players will be able to play at the varsity level to compensate for the lack of senior players this season. “This year the varsity squad is pretty young—we have a lot of new players, including three freshmen,” Krishna said. “The team only has three seniors, so we’re trying to make sure that the new guys learn the ropes and get accustomed to playing at a higher level.” Freshmen Austin Leung, Aditya Mahadevan and Blake Smith made to the varsity team. Though they are talented players, they are still well aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. “I feel that my serves are pretty strong, though my volleys need more work,” singles player Smith said. “My forehand and backhand are moderate; they’re strokes I can rely on.” Smith started training for tennis at a very young age with the assistance of his
father, who is a tennis fan and a player himself. “I had a tennis court in my backyard back in Carmel,” Smith said. “My dad was a tennis fan and taught me how to play when I was little. I picked up my first racket when I was two years old, and I hit my first ball when I was five.” According to Smith, he did not play tennis competitively until he was older, but persevered through many years of training for tennis since informal lessons from his father. Likewise, singles player Leung knows his strengths, but feels that he has lots of room for improvement. However, unlike the team’s initial high spirits before matches against Los Altos and Saratoga, Leung is not expecting to win this season. His main goal is to improve. “I can rely on my forehand, but anything can be better,” Leung said. “I just want to improve this season and get better. I’m not expecting to win.” Although the team was defeated twice by Los Altos and Saratoga, Mahadevan is satisfied with his own accomplishments so far and aims to continue working hard throughout the season. “Making varsity was already a huge achievement for me,” Mahadevan said. “My goal this season is to just keep climbing.” The team as a whole refuses to give up after their losses, and is determined to improve their game. Furthermore, Krishna feels obligated to help lead them to victory in the upcoming matches and eventually qualify for CCS on May 2. “I want to try my best to win as many matches as I can despite the difficulty of my league, and to improve my game as much as possible,” Krishna said. “As a team, we’re looking to show that despite having a lot of new players, we can perform well in league and have a good showing in the post-season during the CCS tournament.”
Boys’ Tennis Scores
@Aragon Feb. 23, W 5-2 vs. Los Altos Mar. 2, L 4-3 vs. Saratoga Mar. 3, L 7-0
Upcoming games vs. Lynbrook Mar. 15, 3:30 p.m. @ Woodside Mar. 16, 3:30 p.m. vs. Mountain View Mar. 21, 3:30 p.m.
Olympic silver medalist becomes Paly track coach
New, experienced hurdles coach provides team with encouragement By Tanvi Varma Staff Writer
Training to be in the Olympics is hard. Months and endless hours of practice come with the great responsibility of striving to be the best. Sometimes the hard work pays off. For LaVonna Floreal, consistency in the sport that she loved throughout her whole life helped her win a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Floreal was raised in Ohio with track enthusiast parents who had limited opportunities in athletics. “My parents came up in the 40s and 50s, therefore opportunities weren’t as readily available to them, but they were
really good at noticing what our talents were, and my dad started the track team when I was about eight or nine years old,” Floreal said. “From about nine years old all the way up until starting high school my dad would take me all around the country and have me compete against the best.” Although Floreal competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 100 meter hurdles, she had originally started out as a sprinter. “At age 11 or 12 my mother noticed me jumping up on the bathroom counter, so she went to the local high school and got some hurdles and taught me how to hurdle in our backyard,” Floreal said.
Floreal’s consistent participation in track eventually led her to be the only female in Ohio to win the state championship twice, and her passion for the sport eventually led her to coach hurdles at Palo Alto High School. “I remember how [winning the state championship] felt and I wanted to give that back to our community,” Floreal said. “I think what we have to do in life is to take what we’re good at and give that support where needed. I love working with young people and I love hurdles and I love high school track.” Although Floreal was a strong athlete, she felt that her other passion was for teaching aspiring athletes.
Riki Rattner/Campanile
Olympic silver medalist LaVonna Floreal believes her extensive experience in hurdling will enable athletes to master their technique and achieve their goals.
As she trained for the Olym- that although the team has new pics, she was taking a teaching hurdler members, they have course simultaneously. After potential. her second Olympic Games, “Hurdling is one of those she gave birth to sophomore kinds of event where it really Ej Floreal. takes a long time to kind of per“I tried to make my third fect it, so my goal is to help the Olympic team a year after giving kids have confidence and help birth to Ej Floreal but that didn’t the kids have goals,” Floreal said. happen,” FloB u t real said. “ I those goals ended up run- “I think what we have will not come ning another to do in life is to take easy, accordyear and then ing to Floreal. what we’re good at I retired at 30.” “If this F l o r e a l and give that support is what you participated where needed. I love want to do, in both the it’s possible, 1 9 8 8 S e o u l working with young but it’s going O l y m p i c s people and I love to take a lot and the 1992 hurdles and I love high of work,” FloBarcelona real said. Olympics,did school track.” Floreal’s not place in extensive ex1988 but won a perience in LaVonna Floreal hurdling has silver medal in 1992 in the 100 Hurdles Coach helped hurmeter hurdles. dlers with Floreal mastering met her future their form, husband, Edrick Floreal, a one of the most important asCanadian triple jumper, at the pects of hurdling successfully. 1992 Games. “[Floreal] has very good He is currently the track form, because she was an and field director at Stanford Olympic hurdler, so she can help University. each of us individually,” junior “The way sports works is hurdler AnaCena Zander said. that you kind of go where the New hurdlers have also jobs are, so we started at Georgia found that having a former Tech in Atlanta, and then my Olympic athlete as a coach husband ended up getting a with experience has helped job at University of Kentucky, them gain confidence in their and then from there we came newfound hurdling skills. out here to Stanford, so we’ve “She knows what she’s been out here for 14 years,” talking about, and she knows Floreal said. how the form goes,” freshman Once Floreal and her hus- hurdler Jafar Alkanany said. band had moved to Palo Alto due “She tells you what you’re doto Edrick’s job, Floreal decided ing wrong and what you’re goto teach full time. ing correctly. She gives a lot of For the current Paly hur- support and it’s really helpful to dling season, Floreal believes have a coach like that.”
SPORTS
The Campanile
SportsPreviews Paly golf team joined by several talented, promising freshmen The Palo Alto High School golf team started off a strong season this year with an influx of many new, promising freshman players. The Vikings placed second in the Salinas High School tournament with 426 points, and won the two other match plays against Los Altos High School (W 247-216) and Cupertino High School (W 222-216), respectively, on the home green. The previous season ended in a pleasant surprise, with the Vikings placing in the number two spot, tied with neighborhood rival Henry M. Gunn High School. This year’s team has 10 players on it, not including senior Jon Callahan who is currently out with a wrist injury. Of these players, five of the players are freshmen. Though this would seem like a year of rebuilding for the Paly team, senior co-captain Michael Yuan and still has high hopes for success. “We hope to advance past [Central Coast Section] to [the] NorCal tournament,” Yuan said. “I think we could do better than last year because our freshmen are really good.” One of the team’s goals is to bring down its average stroke number per match. “We want to aim to shoot under 200 [strokes],” Yuan said. “We’re shooting around 210 [strokes] right now.” Among the new players, including two freshman girls Annie Chen and Cathy Rong, freshman Sam Niethammer is already making his strong presence known on the team. “Sam Niethammer is pretty much tied with me for the number one spot, so he shows promise,” Yuan said. Last year, Yuan held the number one spot as well, averaging 38 shots per round followed costly by Paly alum Aaron Lee who averaged 39.5 strokes. This year, Yuan is also averaging around 38 and 39 strokes per match. On the other hand, strong underclassmen strength and leadership is being demonstrated by sophomore co-captain Grant Raffel as well. “He’s been doing well,” Yuan said, when asked about his leadership skills. The Vikings will be playing Homestead High School on Tuesday, March 15 on home turf.
—Lillian Xie Editor in Chief
Varsity softball starts the new season with a positive outlook The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity softball team, despite losing key players such as star pitcher alum Kelly Jenks, is off to a decent start. Although they lost a preseason game against Castilleja on Feb. 26, the players still remain confident that they will improve throughout the season. The season officially started on March 1, and will continue through spring. The team captains this year are seniors Anna Gale, Gracie Marshall, Grace Stafford and Mariah Phillips. “I think the team is definitely molding well together, but it’s still early in the season and all of our players are yet to join us,” Gale said. “I have a positive outlook on the season.” Strong players from last year such as the current captains continue to help the team work well together and be strong, especially in the defensive area. New players, although less experienced, have great potential to grow according to last year’s players. “We need to step it up offensively which I think is a definite possibility,” Gale said. “This year we have a lot of young talent and I think we can all go far with it.” Marshall hopes that the team will maintain consistency in defense, as well as keep up an aggressive attitude on the base paths. Marshall is confident in the team’s placement in the De Anza league this year. Despite current absence of key defender Mariah Phillips due to the overlapping basketball season, the defense is improving adequately. Although the season has recently begun, confidence of making it to the Central Coast Sectionals is strong, especially due to success with the tournament in past years. “Our goals for the season are to try and make it to CCS for the fourth year for the seniors on the team and just make it an all around great season,” Gale said. Due to the lack of competitiveness throughout the league this year, the league championship could technically go to any team. However, this presents a great opportunity for the girls’ varsity team to reach for a high standing in league, and hopefully succeed in CCS this year. “I have high hopes for the season despite the fact that it is definitely a rebuilding year for us,” Marshall said. “We lost the best pitcher Paly has ever seen and probably will ever see in Kelly Jenks and there is a big hole in our line up with the absence of Lauren Bucolo. However, I do think that our 1-9 line up is stronger than last years and our first four or five hitters are very solid.”
—Annabel Snow Staff Writer
Baseball hopes for promising season even after shaky start Although the Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity baseball team is off to a rocky start, its players continue to have high hopes for the remainder of the season. “We are definitely shooting for a league championship,” Head Coach Erick Raich said. “That was out goal last year and that is our goal once again.” Saint Francis High School defeated the Vikings, 3-2, in the first preseason game. The team went on to beat Serra, with a score of 7-6(W). After the Mike Hazlett Tournament, the team is now seeing what needs to be improved. “We need to work on details,” Raich said. “Early in the season you are still trying to figure out what some of your guys can do.” Although the Vikings lost to Archbishop Mitty High School and Monterey High School in the Tournament, the players did not view the losses as a detriment to the rest of the season. “If we did some things differently we could have won all of them,” senior first baseman T.J. Braff said. “But it is good to see that we can compete with some of the elite West Catholic teams.” In a home game against Scotts Valley High School, the Vikings started off strong with senior outfielder Jeff Cohen scoring the first run. The team had high hopes on winning this game. “[Before the game] I was thinking that we were probably going to win,” Cohen said. “Because their [Scotts Valley High School] pitching was not too great and we wanted to take advantage of it.” The score was 1-0 as junior outfielder B.J. Boyd was sliding into second base when his cleat got caught in the turf. Boyd rolled his ankle and sat out the rest of the game. Despite Boyd’s injury, the Vikings won 14-1. “I was a little worried when B.J. got hurt, because he is my boy,” Cohen said. “He is one of the star players on the team.”
—Jillian Chacon Staff Writer
March 14, 2011 • A11
Wrestling concludes successful season
Vikings win League Championship title, place third in CCS By Michael Augustine Staff Writer
After winning the League Tournament title, the Palo Alto Vikings entered Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs with 11 wrestlers. The top four teams would earn plaques and wrestlers who placed third or better would advance to the state level tournament. The Vikings had a strong performance, finishing in the top ten, as expected by varsity Head Coach David Duran, placing seventh out of 75 teams, with 83.5 points. Gilroy High School took first with 243.0 points and Saint Francis High School placed second with 169.5 points. Riordan High School surprised many, taking fourth place with 96 points. Despite the effort displayed by the four team members who placed in CCS, Paly will only send one wrestler, junior Kalen Gans, to the California High School State Finals. Gans scored 20.00 points out of the 160 lbs. bracket, taking third place. Gans pinned his first opponent at 1:27 in the first round, won by decision 12-9 in the second, then won by decision 14-8 before losing to Johny Gonzalez of Santa Teresa in a major decision of 10-0. Gans bounced back winning by decision 8-5 in the consolation semifinals before pinning his opponent at 3:50 in the third place match. Barely missing
the cut to qualify for states was junior Ryan Oshima. Oshima placed fourth in the 152 lbs. bracket, earning 19.00 points. Oshima first lost by decision to Mike Heraz of Soledad High School, 9-7. He rebounded with a series of wins starting with receiving a bye in the first consolation round, by decision 4-2 in the second, in the third round by decision 7-3, by injury default in the fourth round, by pin at 1:32 in the fifth round and finally Oshima won by decision 8-1 in the consolation semifinals. Ian Messaros of Cupertino High School beat Oshima in the third place match by a decision 9-3. “I did okay for having only had five matches prior to CCS but I wasn’t able to pull it out in the third [place] match where it mattered so I was disappointed about that,” Oshima said. “The team did great, the seventh place finish from last years 22nd was huge and that we had four placers shows how strong we are at multiple weight classes.” Junior Nick Ortiz placed fifth from the 125 lbs. bracket, earning 13.50 points. Ortiz won by technical fall 17-2 in the first round, in overtime 6-4 in the second round, but lost to John Claitor of Half Moon Bay High School by decision of 2-9. In the consolation fourth round, Ortiz won by major decision 11-2 and in the consolation
Courtesy of Jim Anderson
From left, juniors Joey Christopherson, Kalen Gans, Nick Ortiz, and freshman Andrew Frick celebrate the team’s League Championship title. fifth round Ortiz won by decision 2-0. However, Ortiz lost to Robbie Chen from Los Gatos High School 2-4, before winning the fifth place match by decision 6-2. Junior Joey Christopherson placed sixth out of 119 lbs. bracket, scoring 14.00 points. Christopherson initially lost by pin to Josh Gonzales of Palma High School at 3:56, then received a bye, won in an overtime decision of 3-1, pinned his third round opponent at 4:02, won by forfeit in the fourth round, redeemed his initial loss to Gonzales by a decision of 4-3, before losing to Devin Brown of Pacific Grove High School 8-3. In the fifth place
match, Christopherson lost to Kaelob Obrien of Independence 1-3. Sophomore Trent Marshall scored 5.00 points for Paly from the 130 lbs. bracket, junior Jared Swezey-Gleason scored 4.00 points out of the 145 lbs. bracket, freshmen Andrew Frick scored 4.00 points from the 189 lbs. bracket, senior Jose Tochez scored 3.00 points out of the 215 lbs. bracket, freshman Gunnar Felt scored 1.00 point out of the 140 lbs. bracket and sophomores Erik Anderson and Spencer Drazovich did not score any points out of the 171 lbs. bracket and 285 lbs. bracket, respectively.
Gans did not score in state competition, going 0-2 in the 160 lbs. bracket. He first lost to Eric Davila from Firebaugh High School by decision 1-2. In the consolation first round Gans lost to Adam Busch of Castro Valley High School by decision 0-3. Duran had positive remarks for Gans, and the team next year. “The more times they go the better,” Duran said. “They can be a little awestruck [their first time]. [Gans] will be back [to state competition].” 80.5 of Paly’s 83.5 points earned in CCS competition will be returning next year, with Paly’s “Livin’ the dream” Tochez as the only senior.
Paly boys’ varsity swimming starts strong Team hopes to win SCVALs, CCS in upcoming season By Tanvi Varma Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School’s boys’ varsity swimming team began their season with their first home double meet
on March 1 against Los Altos High School and Menlo School, as well as the Spring Invitational on March 5. Head Coach Danny Dye hopes that the boys’ team will be able to perform
Courtesy of Eduardo Llach
Freshman Ethan Look takes a breath as he swims freestyle. The boys’ varsity team hopes to excel this season into CCS.
sufficiently throughout the season, in the meet. especially through leagues and hope“I think [the meet] was okay,” fully through Central Coast Sections. Zhang said. “This meet set up well “The outlook for me right now for [the rest of the season].” would be for the guys to win leagues After the double meet against and place in the top three at CCS,” Menlo and Los Altos, the Vikings Dye said. succeeded with a 2-0 streak. They The boys’ team has a solid group hope to continue the streak all the of swimmers, ranging from upper- way through CCS. classmen to new freshmen. The Vikings also swam in the “Our top Spring Invitaswimmer is [jutional at home, nior] Byron San- “The outlook for me right against Univerborn,” Dye said. now would be for the guys sity High School, “We also have Monta Vista High to win leagues and place two fast freshSchool, Los Altos men coming in, in the top three at CCS.” High School and Willy Lee and AnKing’s Academy. drew Liang. As The team divers, we have Danny Dye started off the [sophomore] meet with Varsity swimming coach double Alex Francis and a bang. [senior] Jordan Junior Rollin Zenger.” Lau placed first in For leagues, Dye believes that the 100 yard freestyle, leading the way there are no weak points. The team’s for the Vikings to place within the top main point of focus is to excel in CCS. three for nearly every event. “It’s just depth, being able to Senior DJ Fotsch placed third in go against Bellarmine [College Pre- the 100 yard butterfly. patory] because of the talent at their The boys ended the meet strong school,” Dye said. “That’s why they’ve with a solid second place finish in the been able to win 27 championships 400 Freestyle relay. in a row.” The relay team was composed of Junior Charles Zhang was swimmers Lau, Zhang, senior Arseniy pleased with the boys’ performance Kotov and sophomore Derek Tam.
Girls’ swim team awaits return of star swimmers By Hannah Totte
Devine is one of four new captains this year. Seniors Kimberley Hallsted, Sabrina Lee and Anna The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity swim- Glaves constitute the rest of the senior team proming team started out strong on Tuesday, March 1, viding leadership. winning their first home dual meet against Menlo “The leadership’s great,” Dye said. “We’ve got a School and Los Altos High School. Although Los couple of really good captains, and they do a great Altos was a relatively easy opponent, the girls job leading the team, getting them motivated, I emerged from the water looking forward to a can talk to them. And we have some upperclasspromising season. men swimmers that aren’t captains but they are “The meet went very well, I was very happy upperclassmen, they work hard with the team with it,” Head Coach Danny Dye said. “The kids and set examples. My intention is always to talk to are at a very good spot right now, they’ve been the juniors before the season ends and express to training very hard, really getting the yards in. This them, ‘this is what a leader is.’ Some people have is really our first week of competition, and they stepped up really well; I’m really proud of them.” swam really well, I’m just really Already demonstrating happy with where they’re at, “Our team demonstrated leadership in their strongest so as long as they continue to events, such as backstroke potential today by everytrain hard, I see it being a very and butterfly for Devine and one coming out and swim- long distance freestyle for successful year.” During the dual meet, the ming hard.” Hallstead, the seniors are looktop three swimmers of each ing to make the rigorous swim Shannon Scheel season supportive, enjoyable stroke swam in the 11 different events. Although some of the junior and successful for all members strongest members of the Paly of the team. team, including juniors Jas“[Devine] is a good role mine Tosky, Margaret Wenzlau, sophomore Molly model for the younger swimmers because she’s Zebker and senior Sarah Liang, are still swimming really friendly and cares a lot about the team and with their club teams, players who have been train- it shows in how she swims and interacts with our ing with the Paly team outraced their competitors. teammates,” Scheel said. “[Lee] is really nice and “Our team demonstrated potential today by focused too, and [Hallstead] and [Glaves] are more everyone coming out and swimming hard,” junior of the coordinators or schedulers, but they work Shannon Scheel said. “We’ve had an incredibly hard in the pool and set a good standard of the exrigorous training schedule, averaging 8000 yards pected work level required of the underclassmen.” per day plus another 4000 on days we have mornBefore the meet Tuesday, the swimmers had ing practices. People who were really physically been preparing for the season with three double tired came out and swam and placed first, as was days per week, and weekend practices. the case with [senior captain] Paige Devine in the Practice before school and after school has 100 fly event.” become a norm for the swimmers, as coaches
Staff Writer
say that maximum time in the water benefits the overall improvement of the individual swimmer and the team. The rest of the season will prove to be more difficult than the team’s first meet, as the swimmers prepare to race against their crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High School on April 21. “Gunn had some great talent last year, they beat us in the dual meet, we ended up coming back to beat them in leagues in the league championships,” Dye said. “They have some great girls over there, some great talent, so I’m looking for fun competition this year.” The team is looking forward to the return of some of their star swimmers as they finish out their club seasons with a sectionals tournament in Texas, and then junior nationals and nationals tournaments. They currently do not compete with the Paly team, and though they may not practice with Paly, their talents will be used to boost the team’s point totals in meets. “We always allow them to kind of finish off their winter season, and it always coincides great that they finish right before our league really starts,” Dye said. “They get to swim against fast competition, so it’s only really going to benefit them. Once they get done with that, they’ll come back and we’ll be all set to go at full strength.” With the team in action, Dye has high hopes for the season, hoping to advance to the Central Coast Section finals. “For the girls’ team, our goals are to win it all,” Dye said. “We have the talent, we’re pretty much bringing everyone back from last year’s season, because last year we got second, so our goal is to go undefeated in the dual meet season, to win leagues, and then to win CCS.”
SPORTS
A12 • March 14, 2011
SportsBriefs
The Campanile
CCS win sets new record for girls basketball
Girls’ lacrosse team strives to reach league championship
Lady Vikings defeat Gunn to win first league championship in history
The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity lacrosse team started the season off with a 18-6 loss against Amador Valley High School. The girls achieved success in their last season, winning the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Championship. The team built strong connections between players and coaches throughout the season which led to high team morale. This year, the team dealt with the loss of 11 seniors and varsity coach, Jennifer Gray. However the loss provides the opportunity for new players to fill the leadership positions of their former teammates. “Coming off last year, we lost a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of talent, but even more, a lot of athleticism on this team, so I expect that we’ll be able to compete at a high level,” current varsity coach Jamie Nesbitt said. The players are also confident that this season will be as successful as last year and the team morale will be equally as high. “The whole chemistry of the team is a lot different, but I think people are excited to learn and we have a new coach this year [and] she’s awesome, so it’s looking good,” junior Emy Kelty said. Although the girls’ lacrosse team graduated numerous seniors, they are adjusting to the change by engaging in team building activities. “Everyone’s going hard in practice and we’re already organizing events such as pasta feeds outside of practice to get geared up for the season,” Nesbitt said. Previously the junior varsity coach, Nesbitt looks forward to taking on the role as head coach and teaching her players new skills and strategies for games and practices. Her experience as a college lacrosse player at Stanford University has taught her that in sports, winning is not everything. It is important for players to improve their skills and learn the values of good sportsmanship through hard work and fair play. “I think there’s more important things than the winning and losing,” Nesbitt said. “Obviously it would be great for [the girls] to come off with something they can be proud of, but sports can teach you so much more and that’s what I look for.” During pre-season practice, the players all actively participate in the warm-ups, drills and scrimmages. The varsity girls learn new drills and techniques that will contribute to their ability to play throughout the season. Kelty predicts the season will turn out to be a success for the team. According to Kelty, their main goal is to work hard during practices to effectively utilize their skills in games. As a result, their hard work could lead to their advancement to the SCVAL championship at the end of the season. “My goal is to win the league like we did last year and come out with as good as a record as we can and I think we are capable of doing that,” Kelty said. Although lacrosse does not take part in the Central Coast Section Championship, the girls’ lacrosse team is ultimately preparing for their league championship in May. The team is optimistic about leagues and has their mind set on achieving their goal. “I think since we have a lot of new players and we’re all pretty young, [I’d want] everyone to improve and build together as a team and work better together,” Kelty said.
This season has been a season of firsts for the Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity team: first undefeated season, first time beating Henry M. Gunn High School since 2006, first time as the No. 1 seed in the Central Coast Section tournament. The Lady Vikes began CCS play as the number one seed, playing No. 9 seed Santa Teresa High School in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Paly had byes for the first two rounds due to its number one seed. The game started out slow for both sides, as neither team scored until there was 6:33 left in the quarter, when senior Sydney Davis scored for the Lady Vikes. Neither team would score again until 5:02 left, when Santa Teresa tied it up. The teams went back and forth for most of the quarter, as no team could gain the advantage. Paly continued to play the full court press it has used all year, while Santa Teresa used a zone defense that made it difficult for the Lady Vikes to get the ball inside the key. However, after a three-pointer by MARC HAVLIK/CAMPANILE senior Mariah Philips, Paly began to hit Shamelia Clay makes a lay-up down the court during the last their stride. The Lady Vikes did not slow down until the whistle blew, signaling round of CCS against cross-town rival Henry M. Gunn High School. the end of the first quarter. Paly led 17-9. The fourth quarter began with into halftime down by only two points, The second quarter began with Santa Teresa starting out strong, scoring yet another scoring lull, but Philips hit 11-9. Paly knew they had to turn it around, another three-pointer to uplift the Lady according to Osagiede. four unanswered points. “We realized that we didn’t want it Junior Lindsay Black responded Vikes. Santa Teresa had one last desperate with a three pointer to extend Paly’s push at the end of the quarter, pulling to end here,” Osagiede said. “A loss here lead. The Saints also switched to a full within five points with 41 seconds left would have been disrespectful to each other.” court press in the second quarter, which in the game. Peters said it was a matter of workHowever, the rally failed. Junior slowed down the Lady Vikes attack. Peters said that the team is not used to Emilee Osagiede and Black both had free ing harder, not changing up the strategy. “The game pace was what we throws in the final minute to put the game being pressed. “We panicked and became discom- out of reach for the Saints. The final score wanted,” Peters said. “We just had to stay bobulated,” Peters said. “We usually do was 53-47, Paly. The Lady Vikes moved with the plan, and win by playing hard on to the CCS semi-finals with the win. and playing [defense].” a much better job.” Paly tied the game up in the third Paly took on No. 5 seed North SaThere was another scoring lull, linas High School quarter when Osagiede scored. Paly but it was not due to in the semi-finals. would take the lead 3:16 into the quarter, either team having “These girls have worked Both teams played and ended the quarter with a two point trouble scoring, it extremely hard de- lead, 20-18. was because neither hard all year long. They The fourth quarter was where the dyfense at the beginteam could get to the didn’t save anything for ning of the game, namic of the game shifted. Paly’s offense basket. with each team bat- took a seven point lead two minutes into Black once again the swim back.” broke the scoring lull. Scott Peters tling to score any the quarter. Paly’s defense shut out North points. There were Salinas until there was 3:37 left. Paly won After this, Santa TeVarsity Basketball Coach also a lot of fouls by a final score of 33-25. resa began catching The Lady Vikes had accomplished in the first quarter: up to the Lady Vikes, four for Paly and yet another first: they were going to pulling within three with 2:30 left in the half. Philips had other four for North Salinas. The first quarter their first ever CCS championship game to play their crosstown rivals Gunn, the ideas though; she made back-to-back ended with Paly leading 6-5. North Salinas took the lead early in No. 3 seed. three pointers to put the Lady Vikes up The championship game started out the second, and then both of the defenses 29-20 at halftime. The third quarter was very even, kicked into high gear. There was no more with Paly taking an early lead. Paly continued to play the shutdown as both teams played aggressively on scoring until 2:49 left in the quarter. Paly was shut out until there was just over a defense that has been it’s trademark all defense. At the end of the third, Paly led 41- minute left in the quarter, but the Lady season long, despite the fact that they got Vikes managed to pull it together to go into foul trouble once again. The Lady 31, extending its lead by a single point.
—Hannah Park Staff Writer
Boys’ lacrosse season looks promising with multilple wins The Palo Alto High School’s boys’ lacrosse team gears up for another high powered season. After becoming league champions last year, expectations are high for the team. The boys’ lacrosse team is still considerably new at Paly, only approaching its second season. Unfortunately, last year’s top scorer junior, Kris Hoglund, will remain on the sidelines after a devastating leg injury while playing goalie for Paly’s soccer team. “Other guys will have to step up to fill in the hole,” Hoglund said. “We have a bunch of seniors this year to fill in the offense. Our defense is looking good, better than ever before. We are going to have a tough start playing some really good out of league teams. However, I think we can win league champions again.We have [13] seniors on the team so it should be our best year.” The defense started out strong in its preseason games. Paly went 5-0 at the jamboree during the weekend of Feb 25. The team showed strong promise, winning four out of the five games without letting a single goal in. The team was able to trump leagues opponents Henry M. Gunn High School, Los Altos High School, Woodside High School and Mountain View High School. They also defeated Livermore High School in a non-league match. These games were not played to regulation time, and did not count towards their record. “The season has gone pretty well so far we have won all of our games,” junior Matt Lam said. “However, we have a hard schedule this year so it is hard to say how far we will go. I think if we work hard we can win leagues again.” The boys look forward to Paly’s second year of lacrosse brimming with expectation. On March 3, the team continued their hot streak with a win against Marin Catholic High School. The game was fast paced with a final score of 14-10. “The team is looking very good so far,” senior Long Pole Elliot Beckstrom said. “I think we have a good shot at a repeat as long as we keep up the momentum. The team also is well rounded, both our offense and our defense are strong. ” The team plans on working extremely hard this season. “I think one of our main strengths is the individual talent, [seniors] Zach [Spain] is going D-1 and John [Brunett] is really good at face offs,” junior Midfielder Matt Lam said. “But, our defense is the stronger part because they can shut teams out. They also play solidly together. Our offense has a little trouble running plays but we will get there.” The team continued the hot streak with a crucial victory against San Francisco University High School (11-9). Paly turned on the heat in the fourth quarter with three clutch goals by John Brunett and one from Zach Spain. “It was a big win early in our season. This has definitely been our toughest game they play in a really strong league and they are a great team. It was a big win for us it sets the tone for the rest of the season and hopefully we can keep the momentum rolling through Bellarmine College, through Los Gatos High School and through Stevenson. Bellarmine is a really big game for us,” senior defenseman Cooper Levitan said. “They have been the perennial powerhouse of peninsula lacrosse. For us to get that win would give us a spot, some people call our championship run last year a fluke, first year tean getting lucky. If we beat Bellermine we will silitify our place as one of the bay area powerhouses of lacrosse.”
—Sam Blake Staff Writer
By Ben Krasnow Staff Writer
Vikes went into the second quarter with at 16-9 lead over Gunn. Paly started out slow in the second quarter, as a defensive lapse allowed the Titans to take the lead 2:20 into the second. However, both teams would have trouble scoring until later in the quarter, when the Lady Vikes took the lead back and kept scoring. A late three-pointer by Philips gave Paly the momentum going into halftime, and the Lady Vikes led 2921. In the third quarter, Paly held Gunn to five points, despite the fact that the Lady Vikes had seven fouls in the third quarter. Paly lead 37-27. The fourth quarter began with Davis hitting a long three-pointer to energize the Lady Vikes. Paly never stopped working, playing strong defense and scoring to keep the game out of reach. The team knew they were accomplishing something no other Paly girls’ varsity team has done. When the final whistle blew, Paly had won 54-44 and accomplished yet another first: CCS champions. “What an amazing experience for these girls,” Peters said. “These girls have worked hard all year long. They didn’t save anything for the swim back.” Senior Katerina Peterson said that winning the game was the icing on the cake for the Lady Vikes’ season. “I don’t have words for how I feel right now,” Peterson said. “[But this is] probably the most amazing feeling I’ve had all year.” Paly took on Lincoln High School in their first game of the state basketball playoffs. Paly was losing from the beginning, and while the Lady Vikes never gave up, Lincoln never let Paly back into the game. Lincoln won 56-34, knocking Paly out of the state tournament.
Girls’ Basketball Scores Central Coast Section Tournament vs. Santa Teresa Feb. 26, W 53-47 vs. North Salinas Mar. 2, W 33-25 vs. Gunn Mar. 5, W 55-44 CIF State Girls Div. I Championships vs. Lincoln Mar. 10, L 56-34
Boys’ soccer loses quarter finals after injury-plagued season By Brian Benton Staff Writer
Even with some ups and downs, numerous injured players and an astonishing five tied games in a row, the Palo Alto High School boys varsity soccer team qualified for the Division I Central Coast Section playoffs with a sixth place seed. Unfortunately, their playoff run was cut a bit short. Despite finishing the regular season undefeated in league games (5-0-7 and 9-4-8 overall), Paly’s odd ratio of ties to wins made it unclear exactly where they would fit into the playoff picture. They lost their final game of the regular season, a league match against Mountain View High School, but managed to barely edge out Los Altos High School. The Vikings gained a No. 6 seed in the CCS tournament. In their first playoff game, the favored Vikings took on No. 11 seed Milpitas High School (127-2), defeating them with a final score of 2-0. Senior John Richardson scored first for the Vikings on a penalty kick in the first half, followed by junior James Maa, who provided the Vikings with an insurance goal assisted by sophomore Matt Waymouth. The Vikings faced a few frightening moments – including one shot that appeared to be a Milpitas goal until it was called back due to an offsides call – but had a strong showing, and advanced to play the MenloAtherton Bears (14-3-2) on Feb. 27 in the next round. The game was played on a Saturday afternoon at Henry M. Gunn High School, but the stands were only speckled with a few Paly fans. Menlo-Atherton on the other hand was well represented with a large student cheering squad, chanting “M-A all day!” throughout the game. As the action began, the Vikings concentrated on playing, despite the loud opposing
cheers, and played confidently and efficiently. The smooth play came to a sudden halt about halfway through the game when MenloAtherton senior Edgardo Molina blasted a shot past senior Paly goalie Austin Shiau. Molina, who now has 21 goals in just 19 games this season, soon attacked again, this time with about 20 minutes left. With that goal, the game and the 2011 Viking boys soccer season were history. “Both [Milpitas and MA] are really similar,” Paly Head Coach Don Briggs said after the game. “They both have a star player. Milpitas had number eight, [Ramiro Ceja], who we shut down, and these guys had number 14, [Molina], who we didn’t.” Part of the difference between Paly’s roster and both Milpitas and Menlo-Atherton’s is that Paly does not have that one star goal-scorer. Sophomore Skyler Felt and seniors Richardson and Mark Raftrey were Paly’s leading scorers this season, but besides those three, the scoring wealth was split throughout the team. Of the 34 goals scored by Paly this season, no player scored more than five goals and many different players scored at least one. In December, Paly played at Menlo-Atherton in a pre-season game, and lost by the same margin as in the playoff game: 0-2. In that game, they did not have the same attack, the same drive and the same confidence that they showed when the two teams met for the second time. Paly played better in the second match up; the only problem was that Menlo-Atherton did too. “We told the boys to ignore the game that we played against [Paly in December] because obviously CCS is a different animal from the preseason,” Menlo-Atherton Head Coach Jacob Pickard said. “We knew that [Paly was] going to be a much more difficult team
Marc HavLik/Campanile
During Paly’s varsity boys’ soccer game against Menlo Atherton High School, left mid-fielder Mark Raftery shields away a defender as he dribbles toward the goal. to beat [in this game]. Even though the score line was the same, it was a very different two-nothing game. Paly pushed us very hard.” The score might not show it, but Paly put up a strong fight in the game. Both teams played aggressively the entire game. They were equally strong on defense, especially at the position of goalie, where remarkable saves were made on both sides. In the end though, it came down to who could take more shots and who put the ball in the net; and unfortunately, Paly was lacking in those two categories. “We had a good season,” Briggs said. “This [game] was kind of our season in a microcosm.” There were times in the year when it looked like Paly’s season could be a disaster. Almost half of the roster was injured at one point or another. After Paly’s keeper, Shiau, injured his ankle, their top scorer from last year, Kris Hoglund, spent two games playing goalie, and then finished off the season in a wheelchair with a
broken leg. And to top it all off, Paly had an eight game streak with just one win and seven ties. When all that is taken into account, it is impressive that the Vikings even made it to the playoffs, let alone to the second round. Briggs was able to come up with two things: staying healthy and scoring more goals. “[This season], a lot of the injuries came from [our players’] club seasons, so we just hope they stay healthy during the off-season,” Briggs said. “Also, hopefully we can find somebody who can put the ball in the goal more often. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense when you have opportunities and you don’t [score].” Because the team is made up of so many underclassmen, these goals, at least the team goal of scoring more, seems possible. One of this year’s top scorers was Felt, who will be returning next year as a junior. Hoglund will hopefully be back to playing forward again, so he should be another top returning goal scorer.
“We have five freshmen and sophomores who are starting [this year] so things look pretty good,” Briggs said. “[However], we have to find guys who have that knack of putting the ball in the net. They say great scorers are born not made, and that’s what we need.” Briggs’ speech to his squad after the Menlo-Atherton game was short and sweet. The season had some problems he said, but it was a good season nonetheless. When a season like this comes to an end, you take what you can get and just hope that next year goes more smoothly.
Boys’ Soccer Scores Central Coast Section Tournament at Milpitas Feb. 22, W 2-0 vs. Menlo-Atherton Mar. 2, L 0-2
Life styles Features • A&E • People
The Campanile
Monday, March 14, 2011
What Not to Wear
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laurenwong brianbenton You know there’s a problem when you see more shorts than scarves in the middle of winter. Yes, the warm weather may have much to do with it, but we have another theory for the cause of this epidemic. Some of you out there -- you know who you are — are taking full advantage of Paly’s lack of dress code, and although you’re probably enjoying the freedom of baring your legs, shoulders, and pretty much everything else to the entire school in 45-degree weather, we’re not. By now you should have figured out that although it may not be written in the handbook, a dress code really does exist. For those of you who haven’t, here are a few dont’s when it comes to clothing this spring. Because after all, who knows fashion better than us? 1. If you’re going to wear Uggs, at least wear them with pants. We get it, Uggs are comfy and warm, and wearing them feels like putting your foot inside a sheep, but there are some limitations. With jeans or leggings? Okay. With shorts? Not okay. With a miniskirt? Even less okay. 2. Just because you didn’t go to Homecoming doesn’t mean you can wear those heels to school. It’s good to dress to impress, but sometimes it’s just too much. Otherwise, Brian would be coming to school every day wearing a suit and tie. Seriously. 3. When you wake up in the morning and “get dressed,” actually get dressed. Leave the pajama pants, sweats, and oversize T-shirts at home. We understand you want to be comfortable, and that you might be a bit rushed in the morning, but you can always set your alarm five minutes earlier and put on some real clothes. If getting dressed in the morning weren’t important, Brian would be coming to school every day wearing boxers, and I don’t think we want that, do we? 4. You look like a fool wearing sunglasses at school. Unless you’re Mr. Winston. 5. Guys, unless you’re on your way to basketball practice, don’t dress like you’re on your way to basketball practice. Or football practice or track practice or any other practice. 6. Some people — Brian, for example — notice when you wear the same thing every day, so try to spice up your wardrobe a bit. Try to leave at least a day or two in between. 7. Other people — Lauren, for example — have noticed a surplus of girls wearing lace shirts without another shirt underneath. There’s a reason people wear shirts, so make sure we can tell you’re actually wearing one. 8. Raincoats. On non-rainy days. Need we say more? 9. Tights with skirts are great, especially for girls, but if you are going to wear them make sure that the pattern and color at least somewhat match what you are wearing over them. Black tights work with everything. A yellow plaid shirt with a purple flowered skirt and blue patterned tights, not so much. 10. Jumpsuits. For clarification, if your shirt is the exact same color as your pants, one of them needs to be changed. The only time it is acceptable to look like the Kool-Aid man is if you are a sophomore during spirit week. 11. From the mouth of Mr. Winston himself: “When butt cheeks hang out of shorts, it’s inappropriate. See-through spandex tights, they gotta go. There’s actually a dress code, did you know that? It was designed and created by students.” Respect your administrators. 12. If you’re going to wear sandals, do not wear tights underneath — it is the equivalent of wearing socks with flip-flops. Don’t do that either. 13. Skinny jeans are okay, but not on guys, especially if they are colored. If you need an example of how skinny is too skinny, look up the new Levi’s ExGirlfriend Jeans. Of course, there is one exception to this, which happens to be Brian ... barely. 14. It’s okay if you have a bad haircut, but don’t cover it up with an even worse hat. This includes, but is not limited to, trucker hats, brightly colored baseball hats with flat brims, neon hats with skate brands on them, and so on. So Paly, tomorrow morning when you get dressed for school, we urge that you keep a few of these tips in mind. And that you check the weather first, because we have no sympathy for girls wearing flip flops on rainy days.
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By Rachel Wilson Staff Writer On any given school day, hundreds of students walk past the Haymarket Theater on their way to class. The vast majority of them no longer give any thought to the architecture of the building. However, perhaps it merits their attention after all. The enormous double doors, flanked with columns and a beautiful arch overhead opens into a tiny lobby. The auditorium is filled with more than 500 seats, all of which are covered in worn-out velvet. Having outgrown its small building on Forest Avenue, Palo Alto High School’s current site was built in 1917 to give students more space for learning. Along with the tower building, the theater remains one of the last original buildings left on campus. It was designed by architect company Allison and Allison, a firm started by two brothers from southern California who were famous for their work on schools. Palo Alto High School was one of “their most significant contributions” to the architectural world, according to an article by Irving Morrow in a 1923 magazine called the Building Review. The Romanesque influence that is still present in the theater and tower building once pervaded the school. Now, however, the buildings have a more modern look. Both the tower building and the theater provide an alternative to the rest of the modernized buildings. The Haymarket Theater was originally an open beam space according to theater teacher Kathleen Woods, but the full roof was completed after the 1929 earthquake. Soon afterwards, the stage was moved forward to its present position. This very same stage has started the careers of many professional artists and actors. For example, actor and alumn James Franco famously began his career at Palo Alto High School as a theater student. “Palo Alto High School has a long rich production history,” Woods said, “As far as I know, there has always been a theater program.” Some of the performances, over the years, have included Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and, most recently, My Fair Lady. Yet behind these seemingly successful performances, the program has encountered some difficulty with the theater. It is a very challenging place to work, according to Woods. Despite the challenges, the students do succeed in putting on performances, which Woods attributes to their commitment to the program. For example, “the seats are worn out and there is a rat infestation,” freshman Shannon Fee said. “There isn’t much I like about the theater.” Echoing similar sentiments, sophomore Hannah Gorelik finds the theater outdated. “The green room is tiny and there are only two bathrooms in the entire theater,” Gorelik said. Like many other buildings around campus, rats have found their way into the theater. For theater students, it is no fun to practice in a rat-infested, run down building. Many of them spend much of their free time working tirelessly on their upcoming performance. Gorelik, for instance, spends an average of three to four hours practicing in the theater. Along with these minor inconveniences, which the students have learned to deal with daily, there are some major problems. “You have to talk really loudly, since sound doesn’t carry well,” Fee said. Some of the minor issues have already been fixed, thanks to the devotion of the teachers and staff who work with the program.
Many small problems are fairly cheap to repair, especially with help. “When I first got here, there was very little front lighting, but I worked with professionals and we fixed it,” Woods said. Now there is a strip of lights that provides adequate lighting for performances and band or choral concerts. Similarly, the theater’s fly, which is a loft area above the stage, is not large enough. Some plays have featured scenery flying in, however, it is very limited, according to Woods. While some things, like the lighting, can be mended quite easily, others such as the lack of bathrooms and the small fly cannot be fixed without damaging the building. The district’s master plan details the necessary updates to the theater, including structural improvements in case of earthquakes, new roofing and windows, as well as the unavoidable interior renovations. Their estimated price for the project is over $5 million. However, even with these renovations, problems such as the lack of restrooms and the small fly, will not be fixed. Conveniently, the school will have a brand new performing arts building for students, that will not only meet the more modern standards for theaters and solve the structural problems in the current building, but will also provide a new setting for schoolwide meetings. “It will be a fully functioning performing arts center. It will be a place where students talents can be showcased,” Woods said. Thanks to the new technology present in the theater, students who wish to go on to top collegiate programs will be better equipped for what they will encounter when they get there, according to Woods. The theater will seat up to 600 students and will cost approximately $14 million to construct according to the school district’s building plan. The new theater will be adjacent to the current 100s wing on the El Camino side of campus. The committee in charge of designing the new theater has already been working on the project for two years. They have toiled away to ensure that the theater will not only meet the needs of the current program, but the needs of future programs as well, according to Woods. Along with the theater portion, the building will feature a classroom, green room, an orchestra pit and a balcony. The lobby will have restrooms, tickets and a concession area and the green room will have restrooms and changing rooms. The fly will be almost 20 feet higher than that of the Haymarket and will provide sufficient space for the scenery. While the size of the theater won’t necessarily help the actors, the technology and amenities will greatly benefit them, according to Fee. Due to feedback from the community, it will be made to “visually merge with the rest of the campus,” according to Woods. Construction of the new building is due to start in June of 2013. Although none of the current Paly students will be around to see its completion, the building will benefit the school significantly as a whole, since, according to Woods, “It will not just be used for plays, also for concerts and possibly class meetings,” Woods said. Many people will be glad to know that the Haymarket theater will most likely remain intact, however it has not been officially decided yet what it will be used for. “I believe the intention is that it [the theater] will stay,” Woods said. “It is a historic building that represents Paly and means a lot to people.” While the theater is in need of certain updates, it will, at least for now, remain a part of campus.
It will be a fully functioning performing arts center. It will be a place where students talents can be showcased.
A&E
Kathleen Wood
Theater Teacher
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The Campanile
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Monday, March 14, 2011 • B2
James Franco speaks about his documentary, new movie Campanile interviews 2011 Oscar host about his upcoming film, current plans With The Campanile’s Editors in Chief
The Campanile: How did opening night [of Metamorphasis] go? James Franco: This was a special performance that was put on so that we could record it on video. This is the culmination of a documentary that we’ve been shooting. Lacey, a student at Stanford, has been helping me produce this documentary. And they’ve just recorded the whole process. So tonight was a chance to put the cameras on stage and shoot it not as a performance, but to try and get in there and shoot it as you would a movie. And then the audience was invited with the understanding that we were going to be doing that. TC: What’s the focus of your documentary? JF: Putting on the stage play. TC: So can you tell us a little bit more about Metamorphosis and how it got started? JF: The play? TC: The book and the play. JF: Oh everything? So my mother has been a children’s book author for decades — she has I don’t know how many children’s books that have been published, like 40, 80, something like that. In the past couple years she started writing young adult fiction and Metamorphosis is her first young adult novel that was published. By some strange coincidence, I also wrote a book about teenagers around the same time. So I actually did not read her book because it was just too close to mine, although I did read [the] poetry in the book, I guess the students are in a poetry class and then she quotes some of the characters and quotes their poetry. So for the audio book I read the poetry sections and my brother read the prose sections. It was, I have to admit, a little uncomfortable because there’s a lot of sexual material in there and reading stuff like that is fine with me, but when your mother has written it it’s a little awkward. And then, she adapted it into a play, and then she told me that she wanted to document the process. That was also strange because I had been planning a similar project with students at Yale, undergraduates, for months at that point. I had been asked even before I applied to Yale to teach a class there. I was planning on doing a production class where the students would put on a play and then other students from the film program would document the process. Then both the video and the live performances would be combined in various ways. When I heard my mother was doing a similar thing, I thought, ‘well I don’t want to fight it anymore or ignore it. I should just be involved. Either we’re copying each other or we just are in sync, and I might as well just embrace that.’ So I asked her if I could be a part of the documentary process, and she said yes. So then I met [co-director and producer Lacey Dorn] at the Telluride Film Festival where 127 Hours had its world premiere. I think, in an interview, I spoke about the Yale project and she said ‘would you ever do anything like that in Palo Alto’ and it turns out, yes, I was going to do exactly that in Palo Alto. And I am very drawn to people with passion and people who I think have good vision and are organized, so I called her up and I usually act on my instincts when I meet people like that, and so I did that with Lacey and it turned out to be the right choice. She really did a great job. TC: A lot of kids are really excited about your upcoming film Your Highness and we were wondering what that film is about and how it was working on that project? JF: That is a comedy that was directed by David Gordon Green who also directed Pineapple Express. It was written by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, who is the
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star of HBO’s show Eastbound & Down, he plays Kenny Powers. It takes place in some sort of medieval fantasy world [with] two princes — one is heir to the crown, and the other is a screw-up, Danny is a screw-up. TC: Which one are you? JF: I’m the heir. I’m the favored son, but I’m also kind of dumb and my fiancé gets kidnapped by this evil wizard and then I have to go and save her. Then my father, the king, forces my brother, the screw-up, to come on the quest with me, and comedy ensues. I actually have not seen the film. It’s kind of hard to classify because it’s not exactly like Monty Python where it’s a bunch of sketches and it’s just complete absurdity. It’s a weird mix of technically proficient action and then low comedy, and then actors like Danny McBride that are known just for pure comedy and then very respected British actors like Toby Jones who have very respected careers on the English stage. So all of these weird, different, disparate elements are mixed together to produce something that I’m sure most people haven’t seen before. TC:We know you’ve worked on a lot of films that are more serious like Milk and 127 Hours and then others that are less so like Pineapple Express. How do you prepare for comedic roles versus more dramatic roles? JF: It’s sort of similar. I did some preparation for Pineapple Express. I did go out and meet professional pot dealers. I kind of worked like I would on other films, I watched stoner movies. For Milk I watched documentaries about San Francisco in the 60s and 70s. So it was a similar process, it’s just that the source material was different. I guess when I was doing Pineapple Express and some other comedies, those are made using a lot of improvisa-
tion. It’s a little more loose on set, you need to be able to kind of roll with things in a different way. You also need to be able to trust the people you’re working with in a different way than in a drama that’s a little more loyal to a script, where you kind of have more of an idea of what the scene is going to come out as. In a comedy like Pineapple Express you are expected to just roll with it and just keep trying things. And a lot of things will not work but then you have to trust the director to cut the bad things out and keep the funny things in. TC: What is the difference in atmosphere between the dramatic roles and the comedic roles when on set? JF: I mean obviously people are laughing more on a comedy [set]. I usually only do films now when I can work with people who I like and who I respect and who I have a good time with. I’ve been on enough movies where I’ve seen people get along where yeah you can push people to do their best, but it doesn’t need to be torture. And so, if I know a director is going to just torture actors, they better be producing the equivalent of the Sistine Chapel because it’s just not worth it to me. The experience is key to me and so what I would say is, because of that, dramas and comedy sets are not that different because I’m usually just working with people I like. TC: So we understand you’re juggling a lot of things right now like being a student at Yale, teaching at Columbia, and all these films you’re doing. So we’re wondering how you keep up with all of this and how you find the time to do all of these things? JF: Teaching at Columbia? I’m not teaching at Columbia. Oh, Columbia? That’s a school in LA, there’s a class that my friend, Tyler Danna, taught. It was an editing class, and it
was kind of like an art project. The school gave the class this horrible title called something like “Learn Editing With James Franco.” I don’t live in LA. I’ve never been to that class, so it was a bit of false advertising, and I think foolish, advertising. I will teach a very real class at NYU in the Tisch Graduate School next year in filmmaking. But, as far as doing all of it, I don’t know, time management. I collaborate with a lot of people [who] I love and respect. That enables me to do more things than I could alone. It seems like I do more than I do because there’s this phenomenon in the press that they like to report about me. So it sounds like I’m doing a million projects when I’m not. So if you follow the blogs, it sounds like every other week I’ve signed onto a new project and it’s just not true. TC: When did you start making the transition from acting in films to starting to make them? JF: I directed my first film probably eight years ago. It was a short based on a script I co-wrote with this woman named Merriweather Williams who was a head writer on this cartoon Spongebob Squarepants. We went on to write about eight scripts. I ended up directing two of them — two feature length scripts. They were okay but I didn’t have a strong producer on them. Those early movies were a way for me to just try directing and also just have the freedom not to answer to anybody else. I think I pushed for too much freedom because I believe now it’s always good to have a guide in areas where you’re a novice. I pushed a little too far and I didn’t have a super experienced producer. It was my buddy Vince, and we were kind of figuring things out as we went. With the little experience we had in actually making films, I think we did a decent job. But after that, I decided that I wanted to go to film school just because I like being around people that are learning the same thing that I’m learning and I like being in that environment because it forces me to question my creative decisions and just makes me more sure of what I’m doing because every little decision you make in film school, or any MFA program, is questioned and analyzed, and so you have to come up with the reasons for your choices. TC:What was your favorite memory on Campy or at Paly? JF: *Laughs* I have a lot both good and bad memories. I will say that I don’t think we called it “Campy” back then — but that was a very special thing. You learn to be responsible for what you’re putting out there, because it’s a different kind of product. It’s not a paper that you’re turning into a teacher and only the teacher is going to read. It’s a paper that the whole school is going to read. And so you learn that you better do something good or you’re going to get criticized. That’s what the real world is like if you’re trying to do something where you’re putting your own work out there. You put it out there and people are going to criticize it. So you better be responsible for what you’re doing. Woj creates that atmosphere at Paly and it’s a really special thing. So I had a great time on The Campanile. I won’t say my articles were the best, but I learned a lot. I think there were like four editors in chief and then there were page editors. You had to campaign to be voted into those positions and I think out of everybody that campaigned, two people didn’t get positions and I was one of those two people *laughs*. TC: No hard feelings. JF: I now get offers from Wallstreet Journal, from N+1, literary journals, Vanity Fair, I get to write for all these things. So I got turned down by Woj and The Campanile but now Graydon Carter asks me to write things so it’s alright.
Dedicated dancers participate in intricate, traditional South Indian dance Students compete in expressive, technically demanding cultural dance known as Bharatanatyam By Madison Sevilla Editor in Chief
The majority of Palo Alto High School students know what Bhangra is after watching the Bhangra club performances during lunch on the quad last year. However, few Paly students are familiar with or have experienced the more intricate and traditionally oriented Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, preformed by senior Divya Ramakrishnan and junior Apoorva Ram. Bharatanatyam, which originates from South India, is a demanding dance that takes years of constant practice to perfect. “[Bharatanatyam] is much more classical so it takes a lot more time to build up the steps and learn to dance, where Bhangra you can just jump in,” Ramakrishnan said. “It’s like the difference between ballet and hip hop.” Ramakrishnan first began to learn Bharatanatyam with friends when she was eight and fell in love with the expressive nature of the dance. “After a couple years I switched teachers because my teacher moved to India and then I began learning the steps and [my passion] just kind of grew from there,” Ramakrishnan said. “There are many different pieces that are just footwork and there are other pieces that are complete expressions and you might be telling stories sometimes in praise of a God and there are other pieces that are alternating. [Performances] can range anywhere between 15 to 40 minutes.” Ramakrishnan is now in the senior class level at Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy in San Mateo where she practices every Tuesday. Her dance instructor, Shreelata Suresh, choreographs the majority of the pieces and holds midterm and annual performances along with arangetrams, debut performances for students after years of dedication and training. “We have annual [events] which are big things where everyone [performs] either individual or group [dances] and then sometimes we have fundraisers,” Ramakrishnan said. “Sometimes we have arangetrams and I did this at the end of freshmen year which is a three to three and a half hour piece and it’s basically ascending the stage and showing the public this is me as a dancer, its like a milestone.” In 2009, Ramakrishna competed to become a finalist in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival at the Cubberley Theater in Palo Alto. “Cleveland is a music and dance festival, it used to be just music but they recently added dance,” Ramakrishnan said. “I went three years ago for a workshop under some very famous teachers and then the next year I competed. [I had to] send in a video and I became a finalist and then went there and danced.” Yuva Bharti, is a non-profit organization that works to promote Indian dancing by holding events each year where upcoming artists, dance instructors and senior artists, like Ramakrishnan, can perform if they apply. “[Yuva Bharti] allows a lot of students to apply. Once a year they have an application process and they come and perform,” Ramakrishnan said. “It is a student showcase of student choreography, so I did that this past august.
It was me and four other people and we choreographed a dance for that.” Ram became interested in the dance when she was six years old and has continued dancing ever since. Ram, unlike Ramkrishnan, dances purely for the enjoyment instead of competing. “Bharatanatyam has structure, but I can still express myself within those lines,” Ram said. “The pure dance segments are interspersed with segments called abhinaya, using emotions to make the characters or the things you are trying to convey more realistic. This balance is unique to dance, and I love it. I dance for enjoyment. Some people can enter competitions if they choose to, but I prefer dancing for enjoyment.” Ram’s dance instructor, Vidhya Subramanian, owns a dance school in Cupertino called Lasya where Ram practices. “I practice at least twice a week, but as you near a performance or a show, you start training a lot harder and dancing a lot more,” Ram said. “The main component that could change the amount of time I practice is my arangetram. Once a student has completed their arangetram, they are truly a dancer. So as I near my solo performance, I will start training more and more.” The ability to concentrate while dancing Bharatanatyam is very important because the dance is so technical that even the slightest change in expression or movement of the hands can make a huge difference in the story that is being portrayed. “It’s nearly impossible for me to think about anything else when I’m dancing,” Ram said. “It’s the only thing you can think about, since it requires so much attention to coordinate every part of your body and still reach the audience.” Subramanian has a saying that she uses whenever her students at Lasya do not make accurate movements with their hands after finishing a group of steps. “Where the hand goes, there the eyes should follow, where the eyes are, the mind should follow, where the mind is, there the expression should be brought out, where the expression is, there the emotion will be experienced,” Subramanian said. Bharatanatyam, which was originally danced in temples and would tell stories of Gods, uses various instruments to help convey the story that is being told through the dance. “There is a live orchestra for arangetrams, and the songs we dance to almost always include the same instruments,” Ram said. “The orchestra consists of a violinista, singer, mridangam player (drum), and the teacher (to keep the beat, called talam). Occasionally a flute will be included.” Like the instruments, the traditional Bharatanatyam costumes and jewelry are all apart of the intricate dance. “We have costumes, jewelry, bells all of that. It has a lot of gestures, like hundreds and you learn them to show different expressions,” Ramakrishnan said. “This has very classical costumes that have a lot of pieces that you put together and you wear a lot of jewelry and a lot of makeup.”
Courtesy of Divya Ramakrishnan
Bharatanatyam, a type of traditional Indian dance, involves sculpturesque poses, technical movements and extreme focus. Although Ramakrishnan wanted to start a Bharatanatyam club at Paly, the complexity of the dance made it hard to get students involved. “It is hard [to start a club at Paly] because [Bharatanatyam] is a very classical dance and you have to work up to it,” Ramakrishnan said. “There are about 12 groups of steps so you go through learning them and then along the way you learn different pieces and as you continue the pieces get harder. It is very expressive because it is all about telling a story and showing expressions and at the same time you have all of these great intricate steps that look really nice together.”
FEATURES
The Campanile
March 14, 2011 • B3
Neuroenhancers used to heighten academic performance
High school students take “study drugs” with, without prescription By Justin Choi Spotlight Editor
After five hours of sleep, Sophie, whose real name will not be revealed, crawls out of bed to get ready for school. Despite her nearly sleepless night, Sophie’s spirits are high with the feeling of accomplishment. The night before, Sophie had been stressing out about studying for her upcoming SATs and three tests which she had to prepare for that night. To many students, this mass of responsibilities can be seen as daunting to the point where the thought of even completing the tasks seems impossible. However, Sophie had many nights like this one and managed to pull through every time. As a senior, Sophie is enrolled in four AP classes and spends many hours outside of school training for the varsity tennis team and practicing piano. Despite all of her extra-curricular activities, she has managed to maintain a 3.75 weighted GPA, secure her position on the tennis team while also living a very active social life — with the help of neuroenhancing drugs. All across America, students on high school campuses are illicitly distributing prescription drugs. However, it is not with the usual motive of getting high. Quite the contrary — the high schoolers are popping pills with the hope that the effects will help them get better grades. These prescription drugs are neuroenhancers, or drugs meant to treat patients with diagnosed conditions including Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Narcolepsy by heightening cognitive functions and fighting drowsiness. The underground use of neuroenhancers, such as Adderall and Ritalin, has been gaining popularity on campuses all over the country. Ritalin, scientifically known as methylphenidate, and Adderall, sometimes referred to as dextroamphetamine, are the Coca Cola and Pepsi of prescription stimulants, and are among the most commonly abused neuroenhancers. The narcolepsy medication, Provigil, or modafinil, is also gaining popularity as a “study drug,” a drug used to increase a student’s focus and ability to study, according to a National Survey Results on Drug Use. Students at Palo Alto High School have taken up the practice of using these performance-enhancing drugs for reasons including simply wanting to excel in academics to feeling a physical need for a doctor’s diagnosis.
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Many students are now using neuroenhancement drugs to increase their focus on schoolwork. “Study drugs” have begun to illicitly replace the sleep students would normally need to get through the next day at school. “I first took Adderall because my sister The pressure to do well on the SATs apwho’s in college takes it to [cram] for finals pears to be a common motive for this practice. and [for] essay[s],” Sophie said. “She said Students want to do well, and study drugs it totally helps her so she brought me back have provided a way to increase their focus, some Adderall to try. She originally brought and is said to result in higher scores. me some because I can’t focus for s*** and I “I really wanted some for the SATs [bethought it would help me to study for finals.” cause] it would really help me focus and I Sophie believes that she has a case of could possibly score higher,” Sophie said. “A ADD, but has not lot of people take it been diagnosed “Adderall definitely gives you an for the SATs.” because of her The increasedge to just about anything you do parents’ attitude ing use of these towards perfor- when you’re on the drug.” drugs also raises a mance-enhancing of ethics: Sophie question drugs. does the illicit use Anonymous Paly Student of these drugs with “I seriously think I have ADD the intention of but my dad won’t gaining a competilet me prescribe any [Adderall] because he tive academic edge constitute as cheating? thinks it’s bad,” Sophie said. “I don’t think its With convincing arguments from both a bad drug. So many people are prescribed, sides, the answer to this pressing question is I just don’t see the difference if I’m using it in a very muddled gray area. to study and so are the people that are pre“Adderall definitely gives you an edge to scribed to it.” just about anything you do when you’re on
the drug,” Sophie said, “But I don’t see it as cheating because I, myself cannot focus for s*** and I think I should be prescribed the drug, but my dad just won’t let me.” Senior Juli Gaeta, who has been diagnosed with ADHD by a doctor, has been asked on multiple occasions by peers to distribute her prescription. She has refused each time, as she feels the results could be drastic. “People have asked me [for my Ritalin] before,” Gaeta said. “I just couldn’t do it. If something happened to my friend I would feel so bad. I’ve never actually given it to someone. I thought about it [but] I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” Other students seem shifty-eyed when they claim to have certain symptoms and obtain a prescription of the drug, and in, many cases, a 504 plan, which allows the student to receive extra time on standardized tests including the SAT. Many students who partake in the use of these drugs are often unaware of the health risks of unprescribed use.
“You usually have to get tested to see what kind of dose is good for you,” Gaeta said. “And if they take a dose that is too strong for them it could end really bad.” According to an article in the Journal of American College Health by Barbara Prudhomme White, “prescribed use of methylphenidate appears to be relatively safe, [however] misuse or abuse of any stimulant medication can have adverse, if not deadly, consequences. When these drugs are taken in high doses, either nasally or orally, the risk of addiction increases, and physical side effects include cardiovascular complications, increased blood pressure and headache.” Just like any drug, unsupervised use of study drugs can result in negative side effects, and one should always look to a doctor’s recommendation before taking any prescription drugs. Gaeta feels that the effects of the drugs are extremely favorable and helpful when dealing with the responsibilities that she has as a student. “I first started taking it sophomore year, second semester,” Gaeta said. “It’s definitely helped me a lot. I can focus more, I feel like I know what I am doing more. I am more aware of my surroundings and it definitely has benefited me for the best.” In addition to the positive effects of the drug, receiving the prescription itself has also motivated Gaeta to make responsible decisions in the classroom. “Now I make sure I sit in the front and make sure that I am interactive with the teacher,” Gaeta said. “[I know] when to socialize and to not socialize.” However, Gaeta does not intend on taking her prescription nearly as frequently upon graduating college. “It’s just for school so I can stay focused,” Gaeta said. “Maybe once in a while for my job if I really have to focus. I really just use it to help with my school work.” Although she understands her peers’ motives for wanting to illicitly use neuroenhancers, she cannot fully relate to those who simply want to make their studying easier. “They don’t need it, why are they taking it?” Gaeta said. “I don’t want to have to take it.” With students on campus who have prescriptions to the drugs, they are easy for their peers to get a hold. “You can [ask] anyone who is prescribed to it or you can buy it from druggies,” Gaeta said.
New Stanford Tree mascot announced, junior ready to take the throne Tree week antics were brought up to a new level, stunts show their individuality Michael Abrams
him the win and secured his position as the new Tree mascot. Samuels is in No fire. No electrocution. No high spirits and is ready to assume his dying. Nothing illegal. These are new position. the four rules of Tree Week, Stan“All my friends have told me for a ford University’s annual week-long while that I have way too much awestunt competition among “saplings” some,” Samuels said. “I have to let it — candidates to be the next year’s out, I have to share it with the rest of mascot, the infamous Tree. the school and there’s no better way Beyond these rules, however, to do that than to be the Tree.” every year Stanford students push For Samuels and all other candithe limits of the competition (and dates, every year the way to show the the nerves of teachers in classrooms pride and mettle characteristic of the surrounding the Stanford quad). This Stanford tree is through crazy, zany year, the saplings’ tricks increased in stunts, and this year was no exception audacity. to that rule. From parachuting off of Hoover The stunts, ranging from sheer Tower to playing rugby in shopping public humiliation to amazing physicarts through the White Plaza, to cal feats, provide saplings with the opspontaneously serenading Latin portunity to show the entire Stanford classes with a song (dressed only in campus how devoted they are to the underwear, with chest hair shaved competition. into the shape of the Stanford tree) Every year, Stanford students to “human birdfeeder” displays, Tree and teachers alike look forward to Week is February’s biggest extrava- viewing the craziness across campus ganza at Stanford University. during the entire week. This year, On March 3, 2011, Michael Cortes was particularly impressed Samuels, a junior at Stanford, was an- with the quality of the stunts. nounced by the ad-hoc tree selection “There was a candidate who had committee to be Stanford’s newest me use a sledgehammer to break a tree for the 2011-2012 year, culminat- concrete block that was resting on a ing 2011’s Tree Week. According to this board on his stomach, while he was year’s tree, Benjamin Cortes, a junior on a bed of nails. I’m so glad that at Stanford, the committee, consist- didn’t end badly,” Cortes said. “In ing of Cortes and select members of another stunt, the candidate got a the Leland Junior Stanford Marching band-themed tattoo on the inside of Band, does not approach the decision his lower lip. The ink didn’t last, but of choosing a tree lightly. Instead, there are still some scars.” the committee takes a more philoHowever, according to Cortes, the sophical focus all-time best to pick the perstunt involved a fect mascot to “I put a bunch of inflatable sapling streakrepresent the pool animals and five sex ing across the school. Critestadium of a ria range from dolls in Lake Lagunita. I had crowded Stanthe ability to to rescue the dolls while the ford basketball lead a crowd only to other band members shot at game, to amount of accidentally school spirit me with airsoft guns.” rush through and drinking press secBen Cortes the capabilities. tion — inevita“G e n e r a l Stanford Tree Mascot bly generating presence, abila lot of publicity to take no ity in local Bay s*** from no Area news the one, and a whole other slew of traits next morning. [are the criteria for choosing a tree],” Cortes, himself, however, was Cortes said. involved in a variety of stunts in his This year, Samuels faced com- two experiences as a sapling. Cortes petition against sophomores Akiko ran for sapling two years ago unsucKozato and Cliff Owl, and freshman cessfully, but was only motivated Trevor Kalkus. In the end, however, he more to do even better the next year. believes it was his pure enthusiasm “Some of my favorites were and dedication to the school that gave sealing myself in a base drum that
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This year, during Stanford’s annual Tree Week, the saplings took the tricks to an entirely new level by performing different stunts including human bird feeder costumes, rugby games played in multiple shopping carts and tree-shaped chest hair. was then part of a mini-band performance, becoming a human pinata and running to my final interview from [the San Francisco International Airport],” Cortes said. Cortes defined his experience as this year’s tree when he snapped the axe of the Virginia Tech turkey, in a highly publicized moment of the 2010 Orange Bowl. This year, however, Samuels may have pushed the limits of the Tree experience even further in his stunts as a sapling. According to the Stanford Daily, Samuels enclosed himself in an inflatable penis — a play on the Trojan horse — and rolled across the Stanford Quad. Further into the competition, he dove into Lake Lagunita to obtain “sex dolls” from the bottom of the Lake. “I made a six-foot penis that I could fit inside,” Samuels said in an
interview with the Stanford Daily. “I then rolled it out to the Quad, where there was the Oregon Duck and Cal’s Oski the Bear. Just like the traditional story, the others thought [the Trojan penis] was a prize, but then I popped out and vanquished them all.” In addition, students were shocked by Samuels’ second prank at Lake Lagunita. “For another fun stunt, I put a bunch of inflatable pool animals and five sex dolls in Lake Lagunita,” Samuels said. “I had to rescue the dolls while the other band members shot at me with airsoft guns. It was really cold and I almost got pneumonia. “ While choosing how to best represent oneself as a sapling is a difficult decision, the hardest choice comes after being selected as the Tree. All Trees must produce their own costume, and unlike other college’s mascots, the Tree varies from year to
year in type, depending on that Tree’s particular preference. Cortes chose a more traditional pine tree for his costume, according to the Stanford Daily. In response, Samuels is considering choosing a more exotic tree for his costume this year. “I’m in between two main ideas,” Samuels said. “I’m from L.A., so I might go with a palm tree, but that doesn’t always look great when you’re spinning around. I might go for a more classic redwood, with little adjustments here and there.” In addition to choosing what type of costume to make, each Tree also has a signature dance style. Samuels is not entirely sure what his style will be, but he has an idea. “I’m going to have to find a happy medium between going balls-to-the wall and conserving energy,” Samuels said. “Bollox [Cortes] does a lot of
gesticulating with his hands, so I’ll do something like that when I get really tired.” Regardless of what Samuels chooses as his particular dancing styles, according to Cortes, he has a lot to look forward to in the coming year even beyond the field. “I lost a lot of free time and weight, talked to a boatload more children then usual, and got more free drinks at bars than dudes can ever expect to get,” Cortes said. While from start to finish, Tree Week is a mysterious, amusing adventure, according to Cortes, the focus is never lost on finding that perfect mix of wackiness and supremacy that characterizes any “perfect” tree. “Is there one, objective, universally perfect tree, or does perfection vary from perception to perception?” Cortes said. “As it is, Tree is Tree. I guess any Tree is inherently perfect.”
B4 • March 14, 2011
FEATURES
The Campanile
Youth & Government brings political ideas, students together
Student-run group provides insight for members, experience in current state affairs By Charlie Dulik Staff Writer
Recently, thousands of political-minded youths have stormed capitals in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and unbeknownst to many, California. Over President’s Day weekend, the student group Youth & Government held one of their three annual conventions in Sacramento. “Youth & Government is a model legislature and court program run through the YMCA,” junior Youth & Government participant Aaron Bajor said. Founded in 1936 by Clement Duran, a YMCA director, Youth & Government has since spread to 36 other states. “Youth & Government is a national program, but each state has their own specific program,” President of the Palo Alto delegation and third year Youth & Government participant junior Kuran Freyermuth said. Youth & Government is built around a complete model of the state government. Students divide up into program areas where they are able to serve as members of the Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, Press Corporation and Media, Lobbyist Firms, National Issues Commission, State Board of Education, Board of Equalization, Legislative Analyst and Special Investigative Panel programs. “Each year you assume a different role in the government,” Bajor said. “You can be a lobbyist, senator, journalist, lawyer, page and more.” The program is divided between each branch of the YMCA, or delegations, which meet throughout the year. There are over 85 delegations in California alone. Delegations range from about 30 people to over 150, depending on Youth & Government’s popularity in a given location, according to Bajor. “The delegations meet for an hour and a half each week to discuss bills, modify legislature and have fun,”Bajor said. Near the beginning of the program, newcomers are eased into the Youth & Government process. Students have the opportunity to be familiar with the program. “For the first couple meetings we just kind of get kids familiar with the program,” Freyermuth said. Each delegation works on creating new bills to modify California state law within the realm of the model government. “In the beginning you’re working on a bill or multiple bills to present to the city council, and they give you pointers on what they think the bill should do, and you bring those to Sacramento,” junior Scotty McComas said.
Delegations then present to other delegations at conventions, which are huge meetings between every branch of Youth & Government in the state. On a weekly basis, delegations works on legislative modification, writing proposals and practicing with public speaking, among other things that prepare participants for upcoming conventions and events. “We go to two conferences then the big convention in Sacramento,”sophomore Adam Mansour said. “In earlier conventions you go to sessions where you vote on statewide things. You also learn about your role in the program.” The first convention was held on Nov. 12, 2010 in Camp Roberts, an army base. “At the first conference, called Camp Roberts I, you go and elect a couple of officials and you get sent around to each program area and kind of get a feel for each one,” Freyermuth said. Since California Youth & Government models state government, there are elections to choose such positions as Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State. “At the [first convention] there’s a lot of voting and deciding your political party,” McComas said. The organization added political parties in 2009 for the elections that happen at the first and second convention. Political parties were deemed necessary for candidates to align themselves with certain viewpoints, according to Bajor. Prior to elections, candidates run full campaigns and give speeches. “I spoke in front of about 3000 people, which was hands down the best experience I’ve had,” Bajor said. “It boosted my confidence so much.” In addition to elections at the second convention, which was held on Jan. 15 at Camp Roberts, students divided up into their different program areas. Students select their program area of interest. “At the second conference, you select the program area that you want to follow,” Freyermuth said. Participants then split into their specific fields of work to prepare for the activities they participate in at the final convention. The final convention took place over the long weekend of Feb. 17 that included time off for President’s Day. The third convention is the longest meeting and is also the culminating event of the year for the organization. “Once you’ve finished all your bills you go to Sacramento and do everything that you’ve been planning,” Freyermuth said. Almost all of the work accomplished during the rest of the term of Youth & Government goes into preparation for the final conference.
Courtesy of Aaron Bajor
Paly junior Aaron Bajor gives a speech at the Youth & Government meeting in Camp Roberts, California in hopes to win the Secretary of State position. The program exposes students to issues in the political world. “The third convention is when you actually perform your duties,” McComas said. Since it is the only time that the members’ work is displayed, the last convention is the most important one by far. “At the third and final conference, you go to Sacramento, fill all the courthouses [and] take over two hotels,” Freyermuth said. “Everyone is dressed in formal attire.” In addition to being the most eventful convention, the final convention is also the most enjoyable for participants. “It was easily one of the best weekends of the year,” Bajor said. Just by looking at the website for Youth & Government, one can see that the YMCA takes pride on positive reactions from participants. The home page for Youth & Government’s website prominently displays testimonials given by more than satisfied students. Local members concur with the optimistic reviews.
“Through Youth & Government you establish yourself as a person,” Bajor said. “The social aspects of meeting so many new people and gaining so much trust in yourself really makes the program special.” Youth & Government is as much of a social experience as it is a serious program. “It’s a great way to meet new people, from Palo Alto first, and in the grand scheme of things, you’re immersed with 2500 kids,” Freyermuth said. Many students find themselves connecting with other political enthusiasts from around the state, making meaningful relationships for years to come. Students create long lasting friendships throughout their stay. “I really believe you’ll create long-lasting friendships,” Bajor said. Many participants are able to cultivate long distance friendships with other enthusiasts from all around the state.
“The best part of Youth & Government is meeting different kids from all over California,” Freyermuth said. Members ofYouth & Government encourage joining as a way to bond with friends. [It’s] a blast,” Mansour said. “It sounds boring, but the people are just awesome.” Many members advocate joining Youth & Government even if politics or government is not a major passion. “Whether or not you have any interest in the subject, I recommend [Youth & Government] to anyone,” Bajor said. Participants hope that other students are attracted to Youth & Government due to the fact that one generally regulates the amount of work they have to do. “It’s up to you to make Youth & Government prominent,” Bajor said. Youth & Government provides valuable insights for high school students to learn about problems that affect people in the world today.
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March 14, 2011 • B5
International colleges provide unique, cultural experiences
Former Palo Alto High School students find niche in schools outside the country By Lauren Wong Staff Writer
Students from Palo Alto High School can trace their roots across the globe — from Canada, England, and Scotland to Asia, India and Russia. But when it comes to college, Paly students are much less diverse. Seniors rarely venture outside the states when choosing where they will spend the next four years of their life. Paly graduate of class of 2009 Caroline Lucas-Conwell, Paly graduate of class of 2010 graduate Scott Alexander and Newbury Park High graduate of class of 2010 Chris Markides decided to take a step outside the box. The three share their experiences at colleges outside the United States. Alexander, a current freshman at Queen Mary, University of London, chose Queen Mary over Boston University for the international opportunities it provided. “I chose Queen Mary because I like traveling and I wanted new international experiences,” Alexander said. “I had the opportunity to attend Boston University, but forwent my admission because I thought living in London would be a more interesting experience. I am very happy with my decision, as studying at Queen Mary has been amazing. I have also been able to meet people from around the world; I have friends from Asia, all over Europe, Africa and I know some American exchange students.” Like Alexander, Lucas-Conwell, a current sophomore at McGill University in Montreal, also sought an international atmosphere. She chose McGill because she wanted to broaden her horizons while attending a school that would fit with her major. “When I was doing college searching, I was looking for a school in a city,” Lucas-Conwell said. “My major is Political Science [with an] International Relations concentration, and I wanted a college where I could study this in an international environment. Also, since I grew up in France, Montreal was intriguing to me. It is an interesting city; Americanized but also has a European feel to it. I didn’t want to simply have my college bubble; it was important to have the city with it too, and the outside community.” According to its website, 19 percent of McGill’s student body are international students, whereas only seven percent of students at University of California (UC) schools are from overseas, according to the UC website. Lucas-Conwell says this gives McGill “a different twist.” “I think the college experience here is very different,” Lucas-Conwell said. “It might have a lot to do also with the fact that we are in the heart of the city. Montreal is also a very young city so it really caters to our age group. The spirit is very different.” Another significant difference between American and international schools is the cost; Queen Mary’s, McGill’s and UBC’s tuitions are cheaper than that of American schools. Lucas-Conwell said this played a major role in her choosing McGill over other universities. “The price of going to school here is much cheaper than in the states,” Lucas-Conwell said. “I pay French tuition, which is even cheaper than international, i.e. for [the] U.S. or other countries. But even if I were paying U.S. tuition, it would be cheaper; it is less than a UC, to give you an idea.” Markides, a current freshman at the University of British Columbia, also took tuition costs into high consideration, and they were one of the deciding factors between UBC and his “dream school”, Pomona College. “I was accepted to both, however I didn’t get any financial aid from Pomona,” Markides said. “On top of that, I am a Canadian citizen, and the tuition cost at UBC is absurdly low for citizens. That factor and the fact that
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McGill University in Montreal offers freedom in choosing courses and cheaper tuition than most American private colleges. However, classes are large and the school is not sports-oriented. UBC is one of the best post-secondary schools in the world fueled my decision to go to UBC.” Markides says one of the greatest differences between American and Canadian schools is the importance of General Education (GE) courses, which are the classes a student is typically required to take in order to graduate from the school. “The main difference between Canadian institutions and American institutions in terms of academics, is the importance of GE’s,” Markides said. “UBC doesn’t really require any GE’s other than the classes your major requires you to take. Since I don’t need a math class, I will probably never take math ever again.” Due to the size of McGill, which, according to its website, houses 21,501 full-time undergraduate students, Lucas-Conwell says “you have to pretty much figure everything out yourself.” However, like UBC, McGill gives its students freedom in choosing courses depending on their major. “The classes here are really big, my largest class so far has been of 600 and smallest of 100,” Lucas-Conwell said. “But, in most classes you have to attend a mandatory discussion class in addition to lectures. Our ‘conferences’ (that’s what they are called) focus on weekly topics and allow students to engage in the topics. You get to pick your classes as you like, though, and requirements depend on your field of study.” Like Markides, Alexander has a room to himself. However, not all students at Queen Mary can live on-campus, and housing priority is given to students who come from farthest away, according to its website.
“Students’ dorms here are great,” Alexander said. “I have a room and bathroom to myself, and I share a kitchen with three other people. There are adjustments to living here, like learning to understand people and rely on public transportation.” McGill, like Queen Mary, does not have enough room in the dorms to accommodate all students, so “first years” live in dorms while the other grades live in apartments. Lucas-Conwell describes it as “a great experience.” “Your first year you can live in the dorms, [which are] so much fun, and then everyone moves into apartments the following years,” Lucas-Conwell said. “But living in an apartment is great. There is basically a region near campus where all the students live and everyone is overall nearby. It is fun but it is also a growing and maturing experience.” Lucas-Conwell says the school spirit at McGill is probably less than that of American schools since it is not a sports-oriented college. “In regards to athletics, our program really isn’t that big, as opposed to a lot of U.S. schools,” Lucas-Conwell said. “There isn’t much school spirit, I would say, in terms of athletic events or that kind of thing. But, there are always parties organized at the campus bars or movie showings that clubs organize for students.” Another factor that influenced Lucas-Conwell to choose McGill was its less rigorous athletic program, which allowed her to continue playing lacrosse without the added pressure of competition. “I play lacrosse and wanted to keep playing but not necessarily at a very competitive level; McGill was a good place to have that,” Lucas-Conwell said.
Although McGill may not be the biggest and the best in terms of sports, Lucas-Conwell loves the off-campus scene that the surrounding city of Montreal provides. “Overall, once school has started, you have a lot of work, so I do spend a lot of time studying, but the rest of time there is so much to do,” Lucas-Conwell said. “Compared to most U.S. schools, you have the city right there, from cultural activities, to concerts, clubs, bars, etc. I love Montreal and being able to get out of the ‘McGill bubble’ whenever I want to and go venture around the city; it really is gorgeous. It is also very cultural and has different cool neighbors you can go to. The going-out here is really fun.” While Alexander does engage in more common activities like “seeing football games, meeting people from around the world and going to clubs,” some of his favorite experiences have come from exploring the London community and partaking in uniquely British experiences. “A highlight of my studies has been attending student marches on Parliament, where students are protesting the government tripling the tuition costs,” Alexander said. “London is completely different from Palo Alto. It’s more diverse, there are more things to do and there is always something happening. Meeting people from different backgrounds gives me perspective and appreciation for what I have back in Palo Alto.” Like Alexander, Lucas-Conwell says the atmosphere in Montreal compared to Palo Alto is very different. However, the hardest thing to get used to was the weather. “We have really harsh winters most of the year; we start in September and end in April, but between November to December until mid-March it is snowy and cold,” Lucas-Conwell said. “The lifestyle here is closest to, say, an American, East Coast city. It’s still very different [from an American city] though. The spirit, mentality and people here generally are different.” Markides says that aside from the Canadian love for hockey and curling, Canada is “the U.S., just more liberal and polite.” Despite Vancouver’s “significantly colder” weather, Markides says the city has much to offer. “You will see a lot of movie stars in the city as well as on campus,” Markides said. “Fun fact: catering tents are a great source for free food, just don’t talk to anyone while you’re in there. Public transit reigns supreme here, UBC provides you with a bus pass that can literally get you anywhere in Vancouver. It depends on what part of California you are from, but I find Vancouver to be much more multicultural; also, there is much better sushi. I’m also a big fan of the Vancouver music scene; it’s just starting to blossom as a music hub, so you all should watch out for it.” Overall, the three are overwhelmingly happy with their decisions to study internationally, and they say they could not imagine themselves anywhere other than where they are now. “I am definitely so, so happy I chose to go here,” LucasConwell said. “[I] couldn’t have gone anywhere now that I am here. Everything has really been my favorite part. I love my school, what I am studying, I have met some great people from all over the world and Canadians are awesome. Also, I have great teammates. When I got it, it felt right and I didn’t doubt my decision whatsoever.” Markides is “unequivocally” glad he chose UBC, for the school, the sushi and the atmosphere. “It’s difficult to pinpoint just one thing,” Markides said. “It’s more the experience as a whole that I love. You’ll get the same feeling wherever you end up going to college, so it’s not unique to UBC, but I sure wouldn’t want to have experienced it anywhere else.”
Participation in Boy, Girl Scouts promotes community outreach By Josie Butler Staff Writer
The badges, the chocolates, the cookies and the ranks are all part of the organization that captures the attention of millions of children and teenagers worldwide. Both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America are two of the country’s biggest names when it comes to organizations for teens. The Boy Scouts, having 6.2 million members nationwide and six different ranks, is composed of boys from kindergarten to 12th grade, according to Boy Scouts of America. Likewise, there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts around the country according to Scouts.org. Despite the large number of kids participating in these huge organizations, there are fewer and fewer teens who remain scouts all throughout high school, according to Boy Scouts of America. At Palo Alto High School, it seems hard to find many teens that openly admit to being boy scout or a girl scout. The fact is that numbers dwindle in troops as scouts get older, especially when they enter high school. However, there are other scouts, such as sophomore Rose Fitzgerald, who still find joy in the many activities that Girl Scouts offers. “I have been a Girl Scout since fourth grade,” Fitzgerald said. “I joined because my best friend’s mom ran the troop and it looked like something cool and fun to do. I also thought the vests and badges were really cool too.” Fitzgerald has participated in Girl Scouts ever since, and next year she will be an Ambassador, the highest rank for a girl scout. Even though Fitzgerald has invested a number of years into the program, she still does not know many other girl scouts or boy scouts at Paly. Out of the millions of boys who participate in the organization, only about 52,470 of them, which is about five percent of the Boy Scouts population, make it to the highest rank, Eagle Scout. According to the
Boy Scouts of America, between 1912–2009 only two million Boy Scouts were honored with the title of Eagle Scout. The average age of the boys receiving this honorable title is 17 years old. The average age of girl scouts receiving the rank of Ambassador is about 16 years old, according to Scouts.org. Studying for SATs, doing school work and cramming in service hours are just some of the activities that face many students during their sophomore and junior years. The activities that these hard working individuals take on through the scouts organizations and through school explain why few students have the time to be a scout. But for some Paly students who are scouts, such as Fitzgerald, the commitment level is not daunting; it is fun and it allows room for helping the community. “I do girl scouts to stay in touch with my friends from San Mateo County,” Fitzgerald said. “I also do it to help out the community. It really gives me a chance to reach out and make a change like when I did a community garden for a homeless shelter.” Other Paly students recall joining for the same reasons. Many agree that both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America enable them to help their community in a fun environment. “I did [Boy Scouts] for three years and I know about 10 Boy Scouts at Paly,” senior Artem Skorokhodov said. “I started because I thought that it would be fun and it was.” Not only do Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America help the community, they also help scouts get into college. There are currently hundreds of scholarships catered towards individuals who dedicate their time to these organizations. Scholarships such as the National Scout Scholarships are granted annually and can award scouts anywhere from $3,000 to $40,000. The scholarships are not the only things that appeal to these scouts when it comes to colleges. With so few high school
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Girl and Boy Scouts of America provide leadership experience, community service involvement and college scholarship opportunities for members but Scout membership appears to appeal to a younger demographic. students in these organizations, it adds a bit of variety on college applications, according to collegescholarships.org. “I do believe that [Boy Scouts] helped me get into college, especially because I held a few leadership positions during my time with the troop,” Skorokhodov said. Yet, with all of these incredible things that these organizations do for scouts, some are hesitant about others students knowing they are a part of the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. There are many scouts walking around the campus at Paly who choose to remain undetected.
“Being a Girls Scout in high school is definitely a big joke to most people,” Fitzgerald said. “I get a lot of Girl Scout cookie requests, it is currently cookie season, but some people think it’s cool I guess. I don’t think most people associate ‘cool’ and ‘Girl Scouts’ with each other but it’s actually really fun.” Although some endure the teasing of fellow classmates, there is one fact that is undeniable. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America target areas in America that need help, but they also help communities in need around the world through connections with Habitat for Humanity and other service
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oriented organizations. Through Girl Scouts, Fitzgerald has had many opportunities to help the global community. “This year we’re going to Mexico to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, and I think that’s pretty cool,” Fitzgerald said. Many people have been a part of Girl and Boy Scouts once in their lives. Their huge enrollment of younger kids from elementary through middle school has made them a success nationwide. However, the small amount of scouts who continue to participate in these organizations through high school make it a rarity to find one at Paly.
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Monday, March 14, 2011 • B7
2012 Live provides information about presidential candidates Website previews upcoming elections, offers current blogs, articles, to keep public informed By Nadav Gavrielov Editor in Chief
If sites like Politico are the future of journalism, then journalism is definitely in good hands. Politico’s sites 2012 Live and Politico 44 manage to cover the huge tasks of providing in-depth coverage of the 2012 Presidential Race and President Barack Obama’s White House respectively.
2012 Live
2012 Live, recently launched by political news organization Politico, will serve as a website for keeping voters informed as the 2012 election season heats up along with speculation on which candidates will run for the United States presidency. Voters will be able to use this website to catch up on information about candidates including President Obama as well as other potential candidates such as Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. “Politico started right at the outset of the 2008 election cycle,” Deputy 2012 Editor Dan Hirschhorn said. “Politico really covered that campaign in a really authoritative way and really drove the conversation on that campaign. The goal with 2012 Live is to do the same thing but on an even larger scale. We’re covering this campaign exhaustively and comprehensively and we’re driving the conversation on this campaign at every turn.” The website’s home page includes important election-related news at the top as well as a live blog by the staff of 2012 Live. Featured news ranges from polls about Donald Trump’s potential presidential run to Michelle Bachmann’s comments about the nation being ruled by a “gangster government.” Running along the side of the front page is a column titled ‘Candidate Hub’ which features several stories about each potential candidate as well as what events they are attending each day or which area of the country they are visiting. The content in this Candidate Hub is useful, but its presentation in a vertical manner draws away from the importance of the information. The information would be more accessible and prominent — as it should be — if it were made horizontal. The candidates’ photos and names could appear in a chart which, when hovered over by the user, would present the news and events relating to each candidate. Sites such as 2012 Live could very well be the future of journalism. “Certainly, there’s a future in products that cater to a specific niche,” Hirschhorn said. “People are looking for journalism that caters directly to their interests. The beautiful thing about Politico is that we have more than one of those sorts of narrowly tailored products. 2012 Live really fills the demand that our readers have.” One key feature of 2012 Live, Early State Insider, allows visitors to click on important swing states and track which potential candidates have recently visited the state and which particular events they attended. Clicking on one of these states opens up a page with a large map of the state divided into its counties.
Nearby, users can look at a daybook to see which electionrelated events are taking place in the state. The Early State Insider page also includes key information about the state such as how many electoral votes it holds as well as how many GOP delegates it has. Election history is available dating back to the 2000 elections and even recent census data is located on the bottom of the page. The page also includes information from multiple polls detailing which particular GOP candidate seems to be leading in the state. Like all pages, the Early State Insider contains related news for that particular state. Additionally, users can track tweets related to each state from potential candidates and related organizations. Though visitors might assume that the site would need a large staff to track every single possible candidate and to be able to produce such thorough articles about them, the staff manages to complete this enormous task with just over a dozen employees working on 2012 Live. The extensive range of information presented by Politico’s 2012 Live about each rumored candidate and which events they are attending along with the organized manner in which it is reported cements 2012 Live’s impending role as a keyplayer in the coverage of the 2012 election.
Politico 44
Though Politico does a great job at covering news about the 2012 election, it does an equally excellent job at covering the Obama White House — through its two-year-old site Politico 44, “a living diary of the Obama Presidency”. Politico
44 is focused on every minute of the president’s public life. The most important feature of Politico 44 is the site’s ‘Whiteboard’ where up-to-the-minute news is posted by the staff in addition to the site’s live blogs. Additionally, visitors can easily catch up on important news in the site’s ‘Your evening speed read.’ The information on Politico 44 is presented in an organized and easy-to-read fashion, making catching up on all news out of the White House easy. According to 44 Editor Matt Negrin, Politico 44 aims “to cover the Obama presidency with a high level of scrutiny and analysis, while providing the news by the minute. We also strive to have our own unique personality and show an “insider’s” perspective of the White House.” “Covering Obama’s work every hour - or really, every minute — is an immense task,” Negrin said. “But it’s also very fun, and very important. We start very early in the morning and don’t stop until late at night. Obviously, some hours are busier than others. Most of the White House’s activity happens between late morning and early evening, so that’s generally the busiest time. But even when Obama is behind closed doors or the White House is quiet, we’re still reporting and writing. The goal is to be a living diary of every day of Obama’s presidency.” Politico 44’s detailed tracking of the President and his administration has revealed important yet subtle messages that others may not catch from reading more sporadic updates. “Nearly everything that comes out of the White House is done so very deliberately, from Jay Carney’s every word as
press secretary (and previously Robert Gibbs) to every press release and statement by the president,” Negrin said. “Our job is not only to cover all of that, but to put it in context and explain what it means — someone who doesn’t read 44 every day might not realize the nuances that are so significant to us. For example, just the other day we wrote about Obama’s use of the phrase “no stronger ally than” as a way to praise Australia. But what some readers might have missed is that he also used the same phrase to describe Britain and France.” “As for as Politico 44 goes, in some way it could guide journalists interested in telling a complex story in a new way, in the same way that a car can get you to the same place as a bicycle, just differently,” Negrin said. “What I mean by that is Politico 44 was a new idea when it was started, and it’s still a fresh idea. Instead of having 20 long stories on our page that not everyone is going to read, we have 20 quick items that are all small parts of a larger story — the politics of the White House.” Politico 44 may be a preview of the direction that journalism is going in, a great preview for the future of journalism. “So if the future of news readers is that they want constantly updated information in an easyto-digest way that’s smart and well-informed, then I kind of hope that Politico 44 is a model for future journalism outlets,” Negrin said.
2012live
2012 Live will be extremely helpful in informing the American people about different candidates. The website will have a myraid of different functions such as the ability to click on key swing states and see which political candidate has the lead in addition to various profile candidates.
Radiohead’s early-released album surprises traditionalist fanbase Long-awaited album The King of Limbs continues alternative band’s reputation of musical creativity By Helen Chen Lifestyles Editor
For four years, alternative rock band Radiohead’s fans have patiently waited for the band’s next debut album. Band frontman Thom Yorke decided to spare listeners the wait, by releasing their newest album The King of Limbs as an MP3 file on the internet a day earlier than it’s prior set release date. The album, said to be named after a 1000 year old tree, is the eighth studio album released by Radiohead. Radiohead is an impartial influence on the alternative rock musisc scene. Forming in 1985, the English alternative rock band has released several hugely successful albums and songs. Radiohead’s album Kid A received a grammy for best alternative rock album of the year in 2001. In 2005, Radiohead ranked #73 on The Rolling Stones list of the ‘Greatest Artists of All Time.’ Radiohead is best known for their musical daring, experimenting so much with all types of instruments to produce cutting edge sounds. The King of Limbs is short and simple, consisting of eight tracks which, in the fashion of Radiohead’s previously released songs, average about four minutes long. However, listeners may be slightly disappointed to find little influence of any of Radiohead’s more widely known songs, such as “Creep” and “Karma Police.” Instead, this album is clearly the result of a musical experiment. Radiohead fuses light ambient tones with Yorke’s signature, powerful wails to create an overall dreamy yet powerful sound. Additionally, Radiohead features unconventional instruments and musical techniques in the album. The first track on the album is “Bloom,” which is a great opener to foreshadow the rest of the songs. The track itself is a musical metaphor, as the song seems to bloom itself, through creating a sharp contrast between the chorus and the bars of the song. With a soft beginning that begins with a syncopated, quiet beat, the song slowly begins to grow louder to eventually peak — combin-
ing a hollow, solo bass, a chanting rhythm and a consistently running techno background. The song swells as Yorke exemplifies his stunning vocal ability, by holding impressively long vocal notes, similar to the chorus in another Radiohead song “Paranoid Android.” These long wailing choruses appear to be much more dramatic, as they are then followed by quiet singing. The second track on the album is “Morning Mr. Magpie” a catchy song that opens with a signature Radiohead light guitar riff, heard
in their older albums. “Morning Mr. Magpie” introduces an interesting back up sound that appears in many of the other songs on the album, which is a quiet and rhythmic chanting. Just like “Bloom,” Yorke stretches his notes out to create a blooming and dreamy effect. Unlike “Bloom,” which is smooth and fluid, “Morning Mr. Magpie” uses guitars to create a rough and melancholy feel, similar to the tone of an older Radiohead song, “Fake Plastic Trees.” Proceeding after “Morning Mr. Magpie” is another upbeat and catchy song,
perhaps the easiest one to sing along on the album: “Little by Little.” “Little by Little” features a simple chorus. It also features Yorke’s signature and charming falsetto, laid over once again, an experimentally ambient techno beat. As the album progresses, two clear favorites emerge. The first of them is “Lotus Flower,” the single released from the album. The single gained viral-like popularity after it’s internet premiere through a black
Radiohead
British alternative rock band Radiohead’s eighth studio album The King of Limbs was inspired by Northern European fairy tales. The album was self released Feb. 18 in MP3 and WEV format and has become a sensation.
and white Youtube video of Thom Yorke dancing erratically. It is a long song, measuring exactly five minutes, that begins slowly, but once it gains momentum, it eventually blooms into a soft, relaxing and pleasing piece. The song features layered vocals, a continuously running back beat and Yorke’s flawless crooning. Another notably beautiful song on the album is the acoustic and simple “Give up the Ghost,” which starts off curiously with a simple background noise of birds chirping. “Give up the Ghost” possesses the similar qualities of older Radiohead’s sad songs; Yorke’s combination of a simple, repeating guitar and his haunting wails creates a tragically romantic feel. Radiohead’s musical daring and curiosity is evident in the songs “Feral” and “Codex.” “Feral” is a unique track, featuring the combination of organ-like projections of Yorke’s voice repeating broken, nonsensical sounds, set to fast paced back synth beats with the occasional Spanish guitar. “Codex” is another experimental track on the album. However, it doesn’t feature the blend of noises that “Feral” does, rather it is the dreamiest track on the album, featuring a simple piano melody and such relaxing vocals that it emanates a meditative feel. The album closes with “Separator,” which is the weakest track on the album, as it is a bland mixture of all the previous tracks. The King of Limbs is not an album to be listened to simply once, nor is it an album that listeners will fall in love with upon first hearing. Rather, it is a true piece of musical artwork. Radiohead gives it’s listeners a genuine piece of sound art, as well as beautiful poetry, as the lyrics for each song are personal and well crafted. The King of Limbs is widely subjective, featuring much musical experimentation which listeners should remember to be patient and keep an open mind with. The album is worth the repeated listens. Radiohead has upheld it’s standard of preparing a fresh and a true feast for those brave enough to explore new musical heights.
A&E
B8 • March 14, 2011
The Campanile
Paper Source supplies wide variety of trinkets, paper products Town and Country store offers fun gifts like cupcake key covers, paper watches By Elizabeth Bowman Staff Writer
Where might one find Bacon Band Aids, a Pooping Hippie Chickie or a hoodie to keep an iPod warm? These unique items can be found at Paper Source at Town and Country, along with millions of different papers, envelopes, cards and unique office supplies. For example, Paper Source offers a violation ticket book with tickets that say, “Nature Of Offense: Squeezing the toothpaste tube in the middle” with check boxes for why the behavior is bothersome that say things such as “Do you hate me, or are you just stupid? It’s simple physics! I think this reveals some deeper issues in our relationship. Is the toothpaste tube me? Are you saying you’d like to crush my mid-section?” Other gag gifts include band aidzs that look like bacon, bacon jelly beans, bacon bath soap, a bacon wallet and bacon gummy candy. Paper Source sells unique candies at the counter, including strong, sweettasting violet candies to suck on or seasonal candies such as a small clear box of chocolate Easter eggs of various sizes. There are unique gifts and trinkets such as duckie earphones and a duckie tea bag holder that floats in a teacup as if it were in a bathtub. There are also ear muff headphones to keep someone’s ears warm or a soft hoodie jacket case to keep their iPod warm while they are listening. Entertaining gifts include pencil drum sticks, a mini desktop foosball table and the Shemergency kit. The emergency kit for a “she” includes 25 necessary items such as hair spray, dental floss, facial tissues, deodorant, pain reliever, nail polish remover and stain remover. Gifts, cards and paper change with the seasons. For upcoming Easter there is something called the Pooping Hippie Chickie, a “super dooper pooper” that “dispenses fruit flavored candy eggs when you wind him up and watch him waddle.” Other seasonal options include brightly colored paper with flowers and spring paper flower making kits. “We change with the seasons,” Roger Murdock, the store manager
Marc Havlik/Campanile
With a wide range of intricately designed wrapping paper, envelopes and cards, Paper Source provides consumer products uncommon for a typical store. For example, Paper Source includes unique items such as hoodie jacket cases for one’s iPod. said. “We have specific kits that are geared toward various times of year.” As an alternative to buying flower making kits, there are workshops offered at Paper Source where one can learn how to make three dimensional spring flowers out of paper. Paper Source teaches a variety of workshops such as frame, bulletin board and flower making. One can come to a designated workshop or make a request for a private class with friends for their birthday, or just for fun. The weekly ongoing workshops take place right inside the Paper Source store where there are different papers, glitter or accessories to use. Workshops, as well as products, are
directed towards a range of people: kids, high schoolers and older individuals, all who like to craft and work with paper. The atmosphere of Paper Source is very soothing, with country music in the background and solid walls painted with a variety of soft, light colors. The vast array of colorful papers, cards and envelopes complement the wall colors, as well as the spaciousness of the store. The store is colorfully full of many different paper options, mostly in a Japanese style due to Sue Lindstrom. “Paper Source was founded in 1983 by Sue Lindstrom, a woman who was delightfully obsessed with paper,” Murdock said. “Inspired by
the traditional paper-making artistry in Japan, Sue opened the first Paper Source store in Chicago to showcase beautiful handcrafted papers from around the world.” The front of the store holds lots of beautifully presented wrapping papers of all colors, from light aqua colored paper with the texture of fabric and embroidering, to stark red wrapping paper with intricate textured gold flowers, everything arranged by color scheme. Most of the wrapping papers are thick and hold up well. In addition to the variety of colors and types of papers offered, there are papers from all around the world. Specialty papers are imported from
Japan, India, Nepal, Europe, Tailand and Vellum. Different ribbons of many colors and present boxes with distinct designs are also available to go along with the wrapping paper. Paper Source sells supplies such as cardmaking glue, hole punchers and staplers that are made to look like sushi. There are many options of stamps to choose from, and there are paper cutters similar to hole punchers specially designed for card making that punch around the outside of a card to give it the appearance of lace. In the back of the store, there are 80 rows of solid colored cards with envelopes of all colors. There are also several stands of blank cards
intricately decorated with 3D flowers, glitter and paper with beautiful, complex designs, very similar to the wrapping paper. Paper Source also sells other specialized cards with writing on them. Some are funny and some are just like the other beautiful designs created for many different occasions such as birthdays, holiday and anniversaries. One of the only things Paper Source lacks is “thank you” cards. They can be found around the store, but there are not many, and they are not in the card section where they could easily be found. It is hard to find what one is looking for in Paper Source. There are general sections, but when looking for a specific item, one of the store workers must be asked for assistance. Another downside is the price. Paper Source has high prices for its products compared to competitors such as CVS or card stores in the area. Although Paper Source has expensive products, it is not an overpriced store. This is because of the quality, uniqueness and intricacy of its papers, cards and gifts. Ordinary cards are sold at CVS for a lower price, but Paper Source offers a more interesting variety if one is looking for something special such as cupcake style birthday cards to go with a cupcake bought at Kara’s. Despite its prices, Paper Source offers quality products that are environmentally friendly. “All Paper Source products are produced in the U.S.A. and create less of a carbon footprint,” Murdock said. “We have other products and fine papers that are from a variety of countries, Nepal India, Japan, Italy, etc.” In addittion to this, some Paper Source products are specifically created to be green to the environment such as sturdy reusable plates that look like paper plates, and unique glass water bottles for reuse. Paper Source is often an overlooked store with many unique items and gifts that most don’t know about. At first glance Paper Source looks like a store that only sells cards and paper, but really it is full of many interesting gifts and accessories as well as unique paper options.
The Campanile
A&E
March 14, 2011 • B9
Siri application gives iPhone users personal organizer
App provides social networking options, functional information processing center By John Brunett Sports Editor
Successful iPhone apps often rely on common themes: speed and execution. Applications on the iPhone and the iPad tend to make tasks like managing time, controlling stock and gathering information easy and quick. One app, the Siri Assistant, provides the speed and execution better than any app has done before. The concept is simple: one says what one wants, and one gets the answer. But what separates Siri from normal applications is its knowledge, breadth and impeccable performance in search technology. In essence, it is a word processing super application which comes as advertised on the app’s info page: “There’s a new way to get things done.” Siri uses the user’s input to analyze and determine what the user wants in different scenarios. The application also can help with organizing tasks, much like a real life personal assistant. Simply tap the “Say it!” button and give a command; for example, one can say “Book me a taxi” into the speaker, and the words will show up on the screen. The app then recognizes the key words in the command, and opens up a screen for users to set the time to be picked up, one’s name and phone number for the cab driver. Siri plugs in the location all by itself, but leaves the option for the user to edit it. The more remarkable aspect of the app is not how well it works, but the magnitude of commands it recognizes. Users can book restaurants, find which shows are playing at the local theater, send Siri a Twitter update, set a reminder, get the weather forecast, buy event tickets — the The Siri application features a wide variety of services, including the ability to find restaurants, make reservations, look at the weather and find nearby list goes on. In the very rare case when Siri hotspots. Siri offers an informal, organized format with clear navigation and compatibility with any iPhone. The application is free for all iPhone users. cannot recognize or does not have a function for a certain command, the app will ask one said into words, but will recognize when it has Visible satellite maps, a five day forecast and book it, find movies nearby and get tickets list which includes Open Table, Youtube, to repeat what was said or enable one to type made a mistake. For instance, there was one details like humidity, sunrise time and wind for shows. Google maps, The New York Times, Nuance, in the command. test trial in which speed. Full coverage is an understatement. Siri can also remember Twitter and Open Rotten Tomatoes and Stub Hub. Essentially, Just in case, Siri was asked to Another aspect of Siri is it’s ability to Table accounts, which allows one to speak Siri takes all these big name companies Users can book restaurants, find the app will run a find the weather in holdover a conversation with its users. For his or her tweet to the Siri application. Con- and works them to create a slick and easy search on Bing and which shows are playing at the loPalo Alto. example, a person asks Siri to find them versely, having to open up a web browser, go control center. deliver the results cal theater, send a Twitter update, The app only events happening in Palo Alto. Siri comes up to Twitter, type a tweet and then send it takes So what is the price for an app so great at the bottom of recognized“weath- with a list of categories — professional sports, far more time. it changes the way people do tasks? While set a reminder, get the weather the screen. Accorder in Palo Alto,” concerts, comedy shows, etc. Siri puts similar apps to shame with its the app previously cost $0.99, it is now ing to the demon- forecast, buy event tickets — the yet still managed If a person wants to find out what shows speed and accuracy, but only achieves super- completely free and available to anyone strative video, Siri list goes on. to find the proper are playing in San Francisco, rather than app status by maintaining practicality. There with an iPhone. reviews multiple meaning within asking Siri “What events are going on in San is no other technology that can recognize and The application requires a microphone, sources of informafive seconds. Francisco?,” the person only needs to request process information and then present it as and is not compatible with certain iPod tion before delivering an extensive report. After another five second loading screen, “How about San Francisco?” The app will aesthetically as Siri can. models. While other applications may do Siri represents a higher level of word the app opened up the Palo Alto weather report analyze how the questions are related. A Siri Part of the dominance Siri displays is the parts of Siri better than the app, none come processing, one that not only converts what is complete with Doppler Radar, Infared and user can also find a highly rated restaurant, app’s partners, an extensive and impressive close to delivering the full package.
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A&E
The Campanile
March 14, 2011 • B10
Local cupcake eateries offer variety of appetizing options Two Palo Alto establishments carry assortment of cupcakes, one clearly superior By Chayla Cummings Staff Writer
When weather ranges from the mid 50s to 60s, something besides frozen yogurt is needed to satisfy the sweet tooth. At least temporarily, the cupcake is in. These delicious personal-sized cakes have marked a new era of food frenzy. Baked into a small paper cup, and costing under five dollars, they can be the perfect treat. Here are two options right here in Palo Alto.
Sprinkles Cupcakes 393 Stanford Shopping Center Palo Alto $3.50 (650) 323-9300
Sprinkles Cupcakes is a chain cupcake store with only 10 locations world wide. The bakery was founded by Candace Nelson in Beverly Hills, California. “[Sprinkles] is the worlds first cupcake bakery,” according to the Food Network. Since the bakery opened in 2005, they have opened bakeries all over the United States. The very first bakery was opened on Little Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The store opened on April 13 and the cupcakes were sold out in three hours, according to an article in The Oklahoman. Sprinkles offers a wide variety of cupcake flavors. While some classic flavors are available everyday, many of them are only available on certain days of each week. Each cupcake is made with delicious and moist cake topped with a creamy frosting. Sprinkles uses all pure ingredients, which makes the cupcakes very rich and have strong and delicious flavors. Banana and coconut are only offered on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The banana cupcakes are made of fresh banana cake and either vanilla or bittersweet chocolate frosting. The coconut cupcakes are made of a vanilla cake and coconut cream cheese frosting.
Alex lin/Campanile
This Sprinkles Irish Chocolate cupcake, made with Belgian dark chocolate cake and Bailey’s Irish cream cheese frosting, is a seasonal dessert available from March 4 to March 20. Sprinkles offers a wide variety of other seasonal cupcakes year round. Carrot and lemon flavors are only offered on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. The carrot features a carrot and walnut cake with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Lemon cupcakes are constructed from lemon cake and lemon vanilla frosting and zest sprinkles. Chai latte cupcakes are offered on Fridays and are made of a spiced chai tea cake with a chai and vanilla frosting. Orange cupcakes are only offered on Tuesdays and are composed of an orange cake and orange vanilla frosting with zest sprinkled on top. Ginger lemon cupcakes are only offered on Wednesdays and are made of a ginger cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes feature lemon cake with lemon, coconut and cream cheese frosting. Mocha cupcakes are offered on Mondays and Thursdays and are made of a Belgian dark chocolate cake with mocha frosting.
Peanut butter chip cupcakes, offered on Tuesday and Sunday, consist of a chocolate chip and peanut butter cake with a peanut butter frosting. Peanut butter chocolate is offered on Wednesday and Saturdays with the same cake as the peanut butter chip cupcake, but with a chocolate frosting. Pumpkin is offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and is made with a pumpkin spice cake and cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Favorites such as milk chocolate and strawberry are offered more often than most other cupcakes. Milk chocolate is available Tuesday and Friday through Sunday. It is made with a dark chocolate cake and fudge milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. Strawberry cupcakes are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. These cupcakes are made with a pure strawberry
cake and strawberry frosting. These cupcakes are a delight to the Sprinkles Cupcakes customers. The classic cupcakes are offered everyday. These are the black and white, chocolate marshmallow, dark chocolate, red velvet, vanilla and milk chocolate. The black and white is a Belgium dark chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate sprinkles. Chocolate marshmallow features a Belgium dark chocolate cake with marshmallow cream and chocolate ganache on top. Dark chocolate features a Belgium dark chocolate cake and bittersweet chocolate frosting. Red velvet features a southern style light chocolate cake and a cream cheese frosting. Milk chocolate features a vanilla cake and fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. Sprinkles Cupcakes also caters to special diets. For customers with a gluten free diet, they offer gluten-
free red velvet cupcakes. It has the same light chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting, just a gluten-free version. For vegan customers, they offer a vegan red velvet. All individual cupcakes are $3.50 each. For one dozen cupcakes it costs $39.00.
Kara’s Cupcakes
855 El Camino Real Palo Alto $3.25 (650) 650 326-2253
With a location just across the street at Town and Country, Kara’s Cupcakes is another local bakery specializing in cupcakes. Kara’s takes pride in buying locally. The majority of their suppliers come from around
the Bay Area. Creameries and farms in places such as Napa, Watsonville, Berkeley and the Ferry Building Farmers Market in San Francisco are among the top suppliers for Kara’s Cupcakes according to the store’s website. Kara’s has a rather small menu and offers all of the cupcakes, all the time. One flavor is sweet s’mores, which features a chocolate cake with graham cracker crust and a marshmallow cream frosting. The sweet chocolate cupcake is composed of a rich chocolate cake topped with a sweet chocolate frosting. The vanilla cupcake is simply an average vanilla cake with a vanilla frosting. The vanilla chocolate features a vanilla cake with sweet chocolate frosting. Kara’s offers other flavors such as chocolate velvet, coconut, Kara’s Karrot, banana, Java and peanut butter chocolate ganache. In addition to the regular cupcakes, Kara’s also offers delicious filled cupcakes. Filled cupcake flavors are passion fruit, created by a passion fruit filled vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and Meyer lemony lemon which has a vanilla cake filled with lemon filling and lemon buttercream frosting. Lastly the banana caramel features a banana cake with caramel filling and cream cheese frosting. Also, Fleur de Sel which has a chocolate cake filled with caramel filling topped with ganache frosting and fleur de sel, and raspberry dazzle featuring a chocolate cake filled with raspberry cream filling and raspberry buttercream frosting. Kara’s offers individual cupcakes for $3.25, one dozen cupcakes for $36.00 and one dozen mini-cupcakes for $24.00. Unfortunately, at Kara’s the cupcakes are bit on the dry side. The frosting is rich, however, by the end of the day it gets dried out. Along with the sub-par cupcakes, the actual bakery is rather unpleasant. The service is very slow and the customer feels rushed while ordering. When one is in the mood for dessert, one can drop into Sprinkles or Kara’s to taste an exquisite cupcake. These cupcake shops offer a variety of treats that many customers enjoy.
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A&E
The Campanile
March 14, 2011 • B11
Shanghai Dumpling King produces authentic Chinese cuisine Authentic food in San Francisco provides one-of-a-kind eating experience Noa Dagan Opinion Editor
Roughly 45 minutes away in the outer Richmond area of San Francisco lies Shanghai Dumpling King, a hole-in-the-wall gem.
Shanghai Dumpling King 3319 Balboa St. San Francisco, Ca 94121 (415) 387-2088
While it appears to always be packed, especially around lunchtime, during the weekends and by locals during the week, it is always worth the wait no matter the length. There is metered street parking, but one might have to drive around the block a few times in order to find a spot, not unlike downtown Palo Alto. Be prepared to be underwhelmed by its decor as it has the ambiance of a nondescript local dive, but somehow this makes it charming. In order to accommodate large crowds, the management often asks different parties to share tables with one another. Keep an open mind, as it may be a surprise that the experience can prove to be a positive one filled with shared dishes and conversation. The service is relatively efficient, but do not expect to be checked up on by a server. It is quite apparent that people do not frequent this restaurant for its service or atmosphere, but instead for its outstanding, inexpensive and filling dishes. This authentic Chinese cuisine provides a much needed alternative to the Americanized version of Chinese food that most Palo Altans are accustomed to. The green onion pancake is the perfect way to start off any meal. For under $5, the savory pancake is light, crispy, salty and composed of the perfect blend of flavors without being overwhelming. Cut into triangle wedges, the pancake is best eaten without any toppings or sauces, despite its apparent plainness. Shanghai’s braised string beans have what appears to be a direct contradiction within its texture. The
Chowhound
Clockwise from left: Pork and chive dumplings, vegetable and pork dumplings, xiao long bao and sugar egg puffs from Shanghai Dumpling King, which is in the Richmond district of San Francisco. The restaurant offers cheap, delicious dishes that are comparable to authentic Chinese cuisine. restaurant’s chefs have truly perfected the green bean with this plate as they manage to be crispy yet tender and cooked to perfection. For roughly $6.50, these addicting beans are infused with just the right amount of garlic and are impossible to put down. The signature dish of the restaurant is the Shanghai steamed dumping. Akin to a large round wonton with the soup inside, these delicate dumplings are a fan favorite. Each order comes with 10 pieces for $5.50 and a hungry party of three can easily consume
two of these steaming baskets. Not only are the dumplings delicious, they also are well made. They are the right size — not too big, not too small. The dough’s thickness is just the right size too. However, be careful when picking up one of these dumplings as the thin dough might break and release the hot soup from inside. Another specialty is the Stir Fried Noodles Shanghai Style. The dish is only $5.50, and is simple yet satisfying. The thick, homemade style noodles are mixed with
chicken and sparse vegetables and served with a delicious brown sauce to tie it together. The noodles serve as a perfect main course to any Shanghai meal. No experience at Shanghai Dumpling King is complete without an order of the Sugar egg puff that are iconic to the restaurant. It is rumored that these Chinese doughnuts are handed out free for the asking, but they also appear on the menu for $3.00 for three puffs, which are light and slightly greasy with a custard-like texture in the center.
Covered in granulated sugar that spills over onto the plate, the Sugar Egg Puffs are an indulgence worth the extra calories. An added benefit of dining at this restaurant is that a family of five can have a complete and filling lunch for under $35, which is fairly unheard of in the greater Palo Alto area. If one wants to walk off the meal afterwards, Ocean Beach is just a quick drive away. Despite the hassle of a trek to the city, a visit to Shanghai Dumpling King is the epitome of an afternoon well spent.
Moviegoers should pass on Hall Pass to avoid redundant humor Farrelly brothers disappoint viewers with uncharacteristically poor attempt at creative comedy Austin Smith Senior Staff Writer
The prestigious comical duo of Peter and Robert Farrelly released their latest comedy film on Feb. 25. Entitled “Hall Pass,” the premise is based on two sex-obsessed, immature, married men who constantly annoy their wives with their outrageous antics and inappropriate behavior. At a certain point, the husbands are granted a one-week break, a “pass” from marriage by their wives to literally do whatever they please. With Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis starring as the pair of ambitious and misguided husbands, it seems the result would either yield a hysterical or hormone-driven movie. Unfortunately, only the latter proves true. The Farrelly brothers have been producing and directing quality films for almost two decades. In the time that they have been in the industry, they have built up their reputation as successful comedy geniuses. Since the genre-defining Dumb & Dumber was released in 1994, the pair has created other crudely comical masterpieces such as There’s Something About Mary, Me, Myself and Irene and The Heartbreak Kid. Despite the success of these films, many of their other works have fallen disappointingly short of their high standards. The deterioration of the quality of their movies is painfully evident over the years. After the release of There’s Something About Mary, they immediately went downhill with four releases. Me, Myself, and Irene, chronicling the pitiful life of a wimpy police officer who has a split personality, was the first such release that began to take away from the brothers’ prestige. This was the first instance of stale humor appearing in a film, which was clearly noticed by critics. The movie received extremely low scores, and was not as financially successful as first hoped. One year later, Shallow Hal was released to theaters. As was expected, the film failed to impress and performed poorly in the box office. As Jack Black paraded around screen as a shallow, hypnotised man who sees women for their inner beauty, critics and fans alike began wondering where the brothers were heading with their new generation of dull films. Their next two films were the most detrimental to their reputation. Two years after the release of Shallow Hall, Stuck on You hit theaters to essentially no hype. An unimpressive and uninspired knock off of Dumb and Dumber, Stuck onYou was received extremely poorly by critics. Shortly after, The Ringer was also released to theaters which was far more humorous than Hall Pass. An attempt at chronicling the experiences of several Special Olympics athletes, the movie was almost as big a flop as Stuck on You.
poptower
Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis star in a comedy by the Farrelly brothers as two married men who show signs of restlessness in their marriages. Their wives grant them ‘hall passes’ to do whatever they please. This was the lowest point of the brothers’ careers. Instead of Owen Wilson, playing the lead role, looks more uncomfortable their former reputations as comedy masters, they picked up a nega- in his part than in any other he has played. tive status as bland and boring directors Wilson normally plays the part of a whose movies were quickly deteriorating middle-aged man, who is free of worries in quality and hype. and responsibility and the epitome of the More recent movies such as Stuck on party-going person. Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter You and The Ringer, although full of the Furthermore, he is often a comedic Farrelly brothers’ personality, lack enough crecharacter, which is apparent in films such ativity and humor to be called successful Cast: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, as Wedding Crashers, Zoolander and Starsky comedies. and Hutch. Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate Instead of fresh comedy, they were However, in Hall Pass, Wilson is reRunning Time: 105 minutes characterized by stale humor and unstricted to the role of a stressed, married imaginative plots. man with unrealistic ambitions. Rating: R Unfortunately, Hall Pass can be placed Wilson clearly does not fit the part, in the same category as these flops. and every line of family-related or innocent There are many glaring problems with dialogue seems forced and insincere, leadthe film, which is uncharacteristic of the ing to a significant drop in the film’s quality brother’s previous works. First and foremost, the acting is painfully and the viewer’s enjoyment. With the addition of Jenna Fischer as vapid and uninspired. Wilson’s bland wife, who is seemingly trapped in her Office persona,
Hall Pass
the couple provides little humor or interest for the audience. There is no chemistry in their relationship, and they appear to be almost bored with each other. On a positive note, Jason Sudeikis, the 30 Rock actor, supplies energy that is otherwise lacking. With his classic awkward personality and perverted humor, Sudeikis is the primary provider of originality and entertainment in Hall Pass. When compared to Wilson and Fischer, Sudeikis sounds hilarious. Hall Pass is a classic Farrelly brother comedy filled with inappropriateness. This movie can be boiled down to two types of humor — shocking and sexual. It is not all social commentary about relationships and marriage. Most of the film’s plot is spent trying to shock and instigate laughter out of the audience. Between a disgusting, unexpected defecation and some cases of unnecessary male nudity, the plot alternates between different scenes of the exact same jokes. Whereas in their previous films nudity was acceptable and worked for the benefit of the film, it is a blatantly obvious issue in Hall Pass. This is probably due to the fact that there is no substantial comedy, but instead failed attempts at significant plot development and creative comedy that greatly takes away from the viewing experience. This is a movie that, in desperation, turned to a scene of cussing infants to get a laugh from the audience. This type of humor should be below the Farrelly brothers’ standards. Hall Pass’ sense of humor is bland and unoriginal. Not only that, but individuals with a low tolerance for gross and somewhat immature material will have a hard time sitting through the entire film. Hall Pass is a bleak representation of the downfall of the Farrelly brothers. About 10 years ago, the pair ruled comedic cinema with hits such as There’s Something About Mary and Dumb & Dumber. The creativity and originality of those classics is what gave the brothers their positive reputation in the cinematic world. One would expect these qualities to be present in this movie as well. They were fresh, innovative and set the standard for movies of the same genre. However, as time has passed, their talent has apparently faded away. Gone are the days of their groundbreaking films. Instead the brothers seem content with keeping their material almost exactly the same. Hall Pass is the result of such thinking. It is a mediocre and uninspired film. Although there are some humorous parts of this movie, for the most part this movie is trite and without anywhere near enough humor to cover up its flaws.
A&E
B12 • March 14, 2011
Palo Alto Sol offers tasty, expensive Mexican cuisine
Local restaurant creates unique flavors with different spices By Jacob Zenger Staff Writer
Nestled in the middle of California Avenue is a little Mexican restaurant that serves a unique array of Mexican food. Palo Alto Sol is a small place that gives off a warm feeling upon entering. The restaurant is painted yellow, orange and red and is adorned with brightly colored fish hanging from the ceiling along with vibrant pictures that bring life to the room. There are also many green plants on the walls that add color to the atmosphere. The dim lighting during the night can dampen the intensity of these colors, but during the day, the restaurant is brilliant. The restaurant is very small so it does not take large groups very well. It is ideal for a date or a small group of about four people. If a group is much larger, there will not be a table that is big enough for them all at one time. There is one prime outcome of it being small, which is that it inspires more table talk, but the close proximity tends to make a person feel a bit claustrophobic. This restaurant does take reservations, but usually the wait to get a table if one avoids the dinner rush is about 15 minutes or less, so those without a reservation have no need to worry. There are quite a few tables right outside of the restaurant but many more inside. Almost instantly after arriving, a waiter brings a bowl of warm chips and three different types of salsas to the table. Palo Alto Sol is known for their Enchiladas Al Sol ($9.95), which is two enchiladas, one with mole and one with guajillo, and is served with beans and rice. Both sauces are incredible and this is easily the most popular dish at the restaurant. The mole sauce is unique blend of spice with a slight chocolatey, sweet taste to it that is a great compliment to the creamy and rich guajillo sauce. Another common dish is the Caldo de Pollo ($9.25), which is a thin soup with onion, tomato, avocado, cilantro, rice and chicken. This soup is bland and has no real specific Mexican flavor to it, which is a huge let down when anticipating the
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The Campanile
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This edition featuring
Lauren Borchers with The Campanile’s own
Rachel Stober and Helen Chen
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At Palo Alto Sol, a dish including rice, beans and a savory chicken salad is the perfect compliment to any main meal. This small yet animated restaurant has great ambiance, which is perfect for a romantic date. craving of authentic Mexican food.The burritos and tacos are nothing special, but are still very satisfying. They have the perfect balance of rice, chicken, cheese and salsa. They are similar to any other taco or burrito that can be purchased in other restaurants. However, the addition of a mole or guajillo sauce will transform these meals into culinary masterpieces. The tortillas are always warm and fluffy but sometimes fall apart. The burritos and tacos are devoid of spice but with the addition of one of the salsas, the dish can be transformed into
a zesty new meal. Every entree There are a few negative comes with a side of Mexican aspects of Palo Alto Sol. Firstly, rice and beans that compliments the restaurant is very small and the meal. the tables feel as though they When it comes time for are a foot apart from touching dessert, it is a necessity to each other. get flan. The It f e e l s creamy texture as though the Palo Alto Sol is a very nice people at the wrap-up to the 408 S California Avenue n e i g h b o r entire night. ing table can Palo Alto, CA 94306 Even though hear all conportions may versations and be large and it there is no feel may seem like of privacy. no more food Secondly, can be stomached, it is always the service can sometimes take worth it to undo the belt and a while or the waiters will come enjoy more of this delicious food. around at an awkward time when
Candid Life Photos by Riki Rattner Text by Rebecca Ruff
The big events and rallies at Paly are always captured and secured in our hearts forever but it’s the small glimpses around Paly and the snapshots into every day life that will be the school’s legacy. Daily life consists of moments — influential or miniscule — that shape our high school experience’s. This is an ode to those special instances that may appear less important now but turn out to have the most influence.
they are not needed. This can be quite inconvenient. Also, when ordering the food, different waiters can get confused and bring out a completely different item or plate than expected. When trying to correct this error the waiters can sometimes be less accommodating than is desired. Palo Alto Sol can be a little on the expensive side, but is worth the price. Over all, Palo Alto Sol is an exceptional Mexican restaurant that offers delicious food with a unique blend of spice that satisfy one’s cravings.
The Campanile: Can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with your sister, Grace? Lauren Borchers: Oh Grace. It’s a very love-hate relationship. We’re a little bit competitive sometimes. She gets a little frustrated with my sense of humor sometimes, but we love each other. TC: Any picks for prom? LB: Picks for prom? You know, I’m deciding between Andrew Luck right now and some other Stanford Football players, so yeah I’m not supposed to say anything because my mom hasn’t signed all the consent forms yet, but it’s not set in stone yet. TC: How do you feel about this long dress vs. short dress tradition kind of prama? LB: I’m feeling, you know if you’re a senior go for the long dress, but I’ve heard that the long dresses are a pain in the a**, so go for the short ones if you wan to have more fun. You can dance more and walk around. People’s dresses got messed up last year so I’d go with a short dress as a junior. TC: Any nicknames? LB: For nicknames I have Lobo, which means wolf in Spanish; my sister’s Gobo. Um ... Laur, Lo, mainly Lobo though. TC: Do you have any favorite jokes? LB: Favorite jokes? They’re all a little bit racist... TC: So who’s your favorite senior: Laura Jalalian, Kristina Guzman or Grace Borchers? LB: Oh wow, well I love my Guzzy..and you know Grace is my favorite person. I don’t know I like them all. TC: Can you please describe your relationship with Kelson Warner? LB: Kelson Warner? Where did this come from? Kelson and I are really good friends, you know, chunkin’’. TC: Explain to our readers what that means. LB: I’m gonna start the next word. “Chunkin’” is the next big word. It’s an adjective, and it’s an action too. I’m not very good with English so I don’t really know how to explain it. TC: Use it in a sentence that’s school appropriate. LB: Okay, it can be like,: “What’s up? Chunkin’.” It’s only a good thing. It can’t be like, “Dude, I’m studying so hard ... chunkin’. “Like, “I’m going to a party ... chunkin’’!” You know? TC: What does it mean to be chunkin’? LB: Chunkin’’! My goal is to be chunkin’. TC: What do you think of the slang choosin’? LB: Choosin’? No. That’s a Gunn thing. I’m not going with that. Go for chunkin’. TC: Do you have any favorite teachers at Paly? LB: I do, I have a few actually. I really like Mr. Blackburn cause we both have a lisp so we have some sort of bond going on there. I also really like Mr. Foug. He remembers my first name, which is cool but he calls me Borchers. TC: Does he confuse you and Grace? LB: No. He’s called Grace “Lauren” but that’s because he can’t stop thinking about me. Okay, I’m trying to think about which class I need to boost my grade in ... I really like Ms. Kim, Ms. Kim is awesome. I’m failing that currently so yeah I love Ms. Kim! TC: What are you looking forward to the most in your senior year? LB: I’m looking forward to my sister going to college. Party time at the Borchers house! No, I mean it will be nice to have my sort of second mom move out. Be able to breathe a little bit more freely and hopefully the male market will open up a little bit when she’s gone. TC: Do you guys ever compete over boys? LB: There have been a couple of wolf pack sister situations that have been slightly uncomfortable. TC: Any plans for spring break? LB: I’m going to Colorado because my sister got into the University of Colorado so me, my mom and my sister are going to go and ski a little bit and when I get home I’ll have to party a lot because I’ll have been gone for five days. TC: If you could do anything for a day what would it be? LB: Honestly, Disneyland. I feel like I’m a kid again and chunkin’. Chunkin’ at Disneyland would probably be the best. TC: If you could describe yourself in five adjectives, what would they be? LB: I would say I am uncensored, risky sometimes, spontaneous, gorgeous (like drop dead gorgeous), and definitely just the hottest girl at Paly. TC: So if you’re the hottest girl at Paly, then who is the hottest guy? LB: Oh god, uh Nick Tumminaro knows that I think he’s quite hot so I’ll go with Nick Tumminaro. TC: Are you friends with Hannah Tumminaro? LB: No. Nor am I friends with Nick Tumminaro so this might be awkward. Hi Nick. TC: What’s your favorite dance move? LB: Dougie? But I can’t dougie. I would love for someone to teach me how to dougie. TC: Any last thoughts for the Campanile? LB: Get chunkin’ out there. Like seriously, please. It’s a lifestyle it’s a whole new way of life. Chunkin’ is a habit get like me. TC:What is your whole take on this Charlie Sheen situation? LB: Charlie Sheen ... I think he’s kinda hot. I like the personality. TC: Is he chunkin’? LB: He is constantly chunkin’. Charlie Sheen is the poster child for chunkin’ I’d say. TC: Are you aware he named his daughter after his pet cat? LB: No, I wasn’t. TC: Is that chunkin’? LB: No, that’s not chunkin’ but it’s not a horrible thing you can’t blame the guy.