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NEWS BITES Student reaches finals of national Olympiad
On Feb. 15, former and current biology students partcipated in the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) Open Exam. A month later, six biology Gunn students were chosen as semi-finalists in the USABO, having scored within the top 10 percent of the nation. The semi-finalists then took a two hour semi-final exam and the top twenty scores in the nation were chosen to attend a final testing period in Indiana at Purdue University. This last round of the Olympiad begins at the start of June, when finalists will attend a 12-day camp. The camp will consist of 10 days of instruction and two days of testing. The tests include a four-hour theoretical test and a six-hour lab practical. Junior Angela Chen was the only semi-finalist at Gunn to make it to the final round. According to Chen, she was unaware of the final testing conditions when she agreed to go to the finals. “Ms. Moser announced it in class, and I figured it couldn’t hurt, and it would look good for college applications,” Chen said. Originally, Chen did not plan on making it past the semi-finals and into the finals. “I never really thought of myself as a math or science person,” Chen said. “You have no idea how surprised I was.” Chen walked into her AP Biology class the day after break and was greeted by her name on the board. According to Chen, the most surprising part of this experience was that “a lot more people know [my] name than [I] thought.” The top four contestants at the finals at Purdue University will be chosen to represent the United States in the International Biology Olympiad, a competition involving roughly sixty teams worlwide, which will take place in Taiwan this July.
Junior wins study trip to Germany Amrita Moitra Reporter
I n Ma rch, ju n ior Ha n na h Katznelson was selected as one of the 39 winners of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) National German Exam to take a summer study trip to Germany. A non-native speaker in the German Advanced Placement (AP) level class, Katznelson took the National German Exam in January along with other Gunn German students. “All my students in level 2, level 3 and level 4/AP took the National German Exam,” German teacher Kerstin Helbing said. “It is part of my curriculum.” The National German Exam tests students on reading and conventional skills, grammar and passage comprehension. “The exam is a good measurement of not only the quality of each individual, but also of the whole program,”
Utkash Dubey
Freshmen
Events: Quad Spring Dance (5/13) Spring Fling, Powderpuff (5/19 and 5/20) Field Day Carnival in parking lot (5/20) Terman Visit (5/24) Yearbook Distribution (week of 5/31) If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact us! Email: sec.gunn@gmail.com Facebook: “Updates from Gunn SEC” Or ask us a question at www.formspring.me/GunnSEC
Quarter 2
Reminders: Link Crew Informational Meeting (4/16) Link Crew Applications due (4/27) ASB Appointed Apps due (4/29) ASB Appointed Interviews (5/2 through 5/6) SEC Transition Training (5/26)
someone close to you is struggling to cope or even feeling suicidal,” Chief Executive of Samaritans Catherine Johnstone said in a press release. “We want to remind people that if a friend says that life isn’t worth living, they should always be taken seriously. Facebook is a part of daily life for so many of us and we must make sure that people online have support when they need it.” Responses have been varied, with some supporting the new feature, while others are concerned it may be abused. “There are so many people on Facebook and this social networking site is bound to have a couple of immature [pranksters],” an anonymous Gunn student said. Facebook has not yet publicized
if there would any punishments or consequences for possible pranksters. However, it’s notable that the social networking giant does not have any power or influence to deter this kind of anonymous reporting from being abused. Although they have the jurisdiction to report instances of pornography to the appropriate authorities, they cannot instigate federal or lawful involvement for something that is not actually illegal. This suicide alert form can be found on Facebook under their help center page. Concerned people can enter the URL of their friend’s Facebook profile and the potentially suicidal comment. The report is then reviewed by Facebook administrators who will take any available action to help.
3rd quarter brings increase in tardies
Quarter 3
Librarian hosts pilot science competition
In early March, social networking giant Facebook unveiled a plan to improve on online protection and awareness for suicidal Facebook friends who are possibly dealing with emotional issues. The company joined a United Kingdom suicide prevention group, Samaritans, in amending an online form to make it easier to report and notify suicide groups and professionals if someone is showing worrisome behavior. The Samaritans group hopes that with the popularity of Facebook, people can utilize their friendships and social connections to get help. “As a friend you are better placed to know whether
—Compiled by Eden Lauffer and Sophia Jiang
SEC SCOOP
nice,” she said. “I’m interested in humanities, so German is a really helpful class.” Katznelson has shown her passion for German in her class, according to Hebling. “Hannah has an excellent memory for vocabulary,” she said. “After presenting a video broadcast in class, our exchange students from Freiburg were truly amazed by her language proficiency.” Next year Katznelson will be taking an independent study course in German and is unsure if she is eligible to partake in the study trip again. However, she strongly urges other students to take the German National Exam and apply for the study trip. “We are so lucky to have such a great German program at Gunn,” she said. “The AATG people are so nice and helpful, and they select people who are passionate about the language.”
Facebook expands to help teenagers Reporter
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Slam began as an innovative idea from Librarian Meg Omanisky when she entered the competition STEMposium and became one of the five finalists. Her concept involves using the idea of “Google demo slam,” which asks users to make funny, creative videos on how to use Google tools. STEM Slam uses the same concept in order to encourage students to become more engaged through technology. “It’s a competition for kids grades K-12 that encourages them to make zany, funny video demonstrations on how they can use STEM skills in their lives,” Omanisky said. The project has already gone through several levels of development and has not only granted Omanisky numerous prizes but also a marketing session to help market and expand the idea. “I hope one day it’ll be on a global platform to showcase student learning with bigger prizes and a STEM mobile application for users,” she said. Although STEM Slam has yet to be launched, Omanisky plans on beginning the competition as a pilot here. Students are encouraged to submit these videos by June. The winner will be determined though Youtube “likes.” The winner of this contest will receive a $150 cash prize. For further information about STEM Slam and how to enter, email momlainsky@pausd.org.
Helbing said. The highest scoring senior and non-senior then get the chance to apply for the study trip. Those selected to participate in the summer study program will immerse themselves in German culture. Students stay with host families and attend a German academic high school, where they will be able to strengthen their language skills. The trip also includes group outings and host family trips to Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf and other popular locales. Katznelson, however, is unable to attend. “It was a matter of logistics,” she said. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to win, so I had planned some other summer trips and programs. I would have to go back and forth between the U.S. and Europe throughout the summer, and that wouldn’t work.” Katznelson started German as a freshman. “When I was shadowing, Frau Helbing was really
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
3.036
2.948
2.931
3.050
3.194
3.380
1.977
2.109
The Oracle compiled data from the attendance office for all four grades to show the average tardies per student from 2nd and 3rd quarter. These numbers indicate that all grades experience an increase in tardies in 3rd quarter, possibly due to 3rd quarter slump. Seniors are impacted more so than others. Compiled by Yilin Liang, Anna Qin, Divya Shiv, Jean Wang and Lisa Wu