The Talon | Issue 8 | May 24, 2016

Los Altos High School, Los Altos, CA ■ May 24, 2016 ■ Volume XXXI, Issue 8

School to undergo summer construction

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lahstalon.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

SAVITA GOVIND AKHIL JAKATDAR AVI VARGHESE Staff Writers

As students take their final exams and leave school for summer vacation, the campus will undergo several improvements, from changes in the ASB Leadership class and renovated locker rooms to a new fitness center and LED lighting.

These new developments will attempt to create a more comfortable learning environment for students throughout the school and foster school spirit.

SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR RETIRES LAHS special education director Kathy Sulaver retires after 35 years at the school.

News, 3

Varying on-campus food options After years of monotonous food options at LAHS, the school’s growing population means that a change is in store. News, 3

A white male’s opinion on rape culture Read up on Jim Hollingworth’s perspective on his journey to try and understand the nuances of rape culture in the United States.

Opinions, 5

School traffic safety Keith Bohrer sheds light on the benefits of traffic safety on and around campus and why its not always right to “risk it for the buscuit.”

Opinions, 5

Meet music enthusiast Eduardo D. Cuellar Senior Eduardo D. Cuellar is no average rock enthusiast, but his passion for music is one-of-a-kind. Features, 8

Campus Maintenance and Remodeling TALON FILE PHOTOS, COURTESY BOB FONDA

Bob Fonda leaves behind cherished legacy Beloved substitute, enriching story-teller, great friend

JOSH KIRSHENBAUM Sports Editor

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obert “Bob” Fonda wasn’t a coach, an administrator or even a full-time teacher at LAHS. He was a substitute at Los Altos and Mountain View High School, as well as at the elementary and middle schools in the Los Altos School District.

He touched the lives of thousands of students and coworkers. When Fonda passed away on Tuesday, April 12 at the age of 90, many of those he taught reflected on the man considered one of the best substitutes in the district.

“Mr. Fonda was the kind of sub that students always looked

forward to having,” junior Margo Lusinchi said.

Born in Oakland in 1935, Fonda lived enough for two lives even before he became a teacher. After joining the Coast Guard during World War II, Fonda attended San Jose State University and then Stanford to receive his education. From there, he travelled all over the world, for both business and adventure. His journeys took him from the Soviet Union to China, and on the way he became a veritable polyglot, eventually achieving fluency in nine languages. He spent years living in Thailand and Japan before eventually returning to the Bay Area and becoming an icon within the community.

As a substitute, Fonda became wellknown for his kind and caring attitude

and his gentle demeanor. Fonda transcended the traditional expectations some students would have for substitutes; he was a passionate teacher, even though he was usually only in each class for a day or two. He brought his unique sense of humor — often centered around students’ notions of his age — and a love of knowledge to the classroom environment.

“Whenever he would sub for us, especially in seventh grade for world history, he would always bring in artifacts from the time period,” sophomore Ananya Subramaniam said. “He would make jokes like ‘Yeah, I’m so old that I’ve lived through Ancient China.’”

“Fonda”

continues on page 8

The school is currently working with Kramer PDC, a firm that has previously managed LAHS construction projects, to remodel the locker rooms, build a new fitness room and remodel the weight room. “[Remodeling] the locker rooms [was] a plan a couple years ago,” Associate Superintendent Mike Mathiesen said. “The locker rooms at Los Altos were one of the last untouched areas that hadn’t been affected by the improvements that started back in 1985.”

The locker rooms will undergo a full remodel, with the construction crew demolishing elements of the buildings to make way for new bathrooms, showers, lockers and finishes, in addition to a host of layout changes.

“There’s going to be accommodations for the coaches so they’re going to have better offices,” LAHS site manager for Kramer PDC Roy Atkins said. “There’s also going to be team rooms installed… [and] we’re incorporating the new designs and layout for this new space.””

“Construction”

continues on page 2

Behind the scenes of Broken Box Get to know the crew that takes care of all of the Broken Box style.

Entertainment, 9

Senior Lizzy Beutter’s Los Altos Legacy Lizzy’s success on the school team has won her immense accolade in her sport of softball.

Sports, 11

UPCOMING EVENTS

CHANGING OUR MINDS: POP CULTURE WE LIKED BETTER THE SECOND TIME

Entertainment P. 10

May 26

Film Festival May 27

Senior Showcase Senior Finals — Even Block

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A CCS CHAMPION Sports | 12

May 30

Memorial Day — No School May 31

Senior Finals — Odd Block June 1-3

2nd Semester Finals

HOW DO YOU SEE

June 3

Graduation

News Editorial Opinions

2 4 5

In-Depth Features Entertainment Sports

6 8 9 11

RED?

In-Depth P. 6 PHOTOS BY KUNAL PANDIT

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The Talon May 24, 2016

Get daily LAHS updates and read the news archives at lahstalon.org/category/news

A new look for Los Altos

As the school year comes to a close, Los Altos prepares to revitalize older facilities and ASB discusses ways to expand leadership and improve school-wide activities.

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE “If you are walking from AlThe new fitness room, for which blueprints include mond towards the softball field, 15-foot-ceilings and a stucco- it’s very dark at night so we are finished exterior, will replace adding [lightposts] so that enone of the basketball courts at tire path is lighted,” Mathiesen the rear of the school. The P.E. said. “The lighting… helps with department is currently fund- the [darkness] down that road, raising for new equipment to which is a safety issue.”

Maintenance plans also include outfit the space.

“We have a weight room new shut off valves that minimize the impact of leak repairs. but it’s in a por“To fix some leaks table building,” under the 200 wing or Mathiesen said.

300 wing you have to “‘At some point The locker shut off water to the we [figured] we whole campus,” Mashould redo that rooms are one with additional of the last areas thiesen said. “So over the summer we’re gofunding, so we that haven’t ing to install valves folded that into been affected for each wing. So if the project.” by the improvethere was a leak in the The old weight 300 wing, you could room will be used ments... that for other fitness started in 1985. close of the valves [in just that wing] and fix initiatives in— Associate that, but nobody else cluding the freshSuperintendent Mike Mathiesen gets impacted in the men P.E. wellness campus.” unit, which uses With a new counyoga and mindfulness techniques to help stu- selor arriving at LAHS next year, an additional office will dents cope with stress.

By utilizing both the new be partitioned within the main weight room and fitness center office. Similar construction in class, students will be able to will be used to divide Room branch out of the standard P.E. 126, which faces the staff parkcurriculum and possibly make ing lot, into a separate conference room and office. their own fitness regimen.

According to Mathiesen, vis“We’d love to add another class, a CrossFit class, like an itors to the campus this sumelective where you’re getting a mer may also notice different variety of exercise,” P.E. teacher constructions methods being Kiernan Raffo said. “It’s not nec- used to remodel the school.

“How they actually take off the essarily, ‘Run two laps for an A and this for a B.’ It’s more for you old [modular concrete] units and to maybe create your own kind put them on is using a helicopof program and use the new ter,” Mathiesen said. “It takes two days to deliver 70 or 80 units as equipment that we have.”

The school is also pursuing opposed to two weeks.”

Changes to the locker room are greater efficiency by replacing outdoor bulbs with light posts scheduled to finish by late August, while other maintenance that use LED lighting.

and changes to the campus will conclude before school starts.

anything double the size of ASB leadership.”

ASB also looks to refine many Changes in ASB of the activities and events As the district moves for- that they brought up and inward with summer renova- troduced to the school this tions to improve maintenance year. Some of these events will and efficiency on campus, ASB be the rallies and spirit weeks is considering new plans to en- before major rivalry games. hance its impact on the school “What we are actually going community by increasing to be talking about these next leadership and participation. three weeks in ASB are…[all of These changes will include a the] new activities [we had] variety of initiatives, but ASB this year [and] what we want will primarily focus on rep- to build on,” Woolfolk said. resenting the student body “[Also,] we hope spirit week through the ASB application will be even bigger.” process and increasing the Other changes include imroles of club officers to encom- proving old ideas, such as dipass greater responsibilities. versity week and pep rallies.

“The biggest improvement New ideas are tested first, will be school-wide, that there followed by alterations in the are more students involved in years following to produce school leadership,” Assistant better events each year.

Principal and ASB advisor Su“We will be building on zanne Woolfolk said. “That the things that were new this will mean more meaningful year,” Woolfolk said. “We tried involvement [in the school] new things out like from major club winter formal, spirofficers.” it week [and] wellOne of the largness and attitude est changes that We tried new week, and want will happen in the things out to build on those the next school like winter things. We made a year is the creation formal [and] diversity week this of a new leader- wellness year, and I know ship class, Stu- and attitude we will be revising dent Community that.”

Leaders (SCL), led week, and Some of these by social studies want to build changes are still in teacher Sarah Al- on those the brainstorming varado. ASB hopes things. process, but many the class will douwill be implement— Assistant Principal ble the number of ed in the following and ASB advisor Suzanne Woolfolk students in leadermonths. Ocurring ship classes. over the last weeks “I know [SCL] of the school year, will mean more involvement ASB’s meeting will prove pivfrom students,” Woolfolk otal in bettering the next year said. “We have never had for the students.

The biggest improvement will be school-wide, that there will be more students involved in leadership. That will mean more meaningful involvement from major club officers.

— Assistant Principal and ASB advisor Suzanne Woolfolk

GRAPHICS BY VANESSA MARK

The Talon May 24, 2016

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Sulaver’s travels: Special ed director retires RACHEL LU Staff Writer

Kathy Sulaver recalls the graduation of one of her students as her proudest and most emotional moment throughout her 35 years in the MVLA district. “[I] watched one of my students walk across the stage at graduation when he never thought he would make it,” Sulaver said. “After the ceremony, he sought me out and thanked me for believing in him and not giving up on him.

His parents’ words to me were, ‘Thank you for saving our son.’”

Years later, Sulaver found the same student as a Mountain View policeman.

“He stayed in contact for a few years after he graduated, and then we lost contact until one day I was driving home from work and was pulled over by a Mountain View policeman,” Sulaver said.

“I couldn’t figure out why. When the cop took off his glasses, and smiled at me, I realized who he was. He achieved his career goal and thanked me again for believing in him.”

After years of contributions to the district, Sulaver made the decision to retire. Despite her passion for her work, she believes that retirement is the next step. “[A teacher once] said, ‘You know, you’re going to absolutely know when the time is right [to retire],’ and I did,” Sulaver said. “Everything kind of just fell into place and the timing was right. It’s time for someone new to come in with fresh new ideas.”

As part of her early retirement, Sulaver will work 25 days per year for the next three years at the special education department. For the future, she hopes to become an educational consultant and advocate for students with disabilities, but for now, Sulaver looks forward to her retirement time.

“Initially, I will be taking time to ‘smell the roses’ and look forward to a new chapter in life’s journey,” Sulaver said. “I have been privileged to work in… a

district with strong core values, focused goals, data-driven-decision making [that] never loses sight about what is best for kids and an extremely bright, talented and dedicated staff. I wish my colleagues the best.”

Sulaver’s role as director of special education comprised implementing protocols, acting as a liaison between the special education, local and statewide education departments and staying updated on the current legislation regarding the delivery of services to special education students.

“There is a long list of job responsibilities, which are quite daunting,” Sulaver said. “Overall... the director acts as a ‘troubleshooter’ and plays a role in supporting administrators, teachers, parents and students with any issues relating to special education.”

While at Los Altos, Sulaver created the wellness support program and helped develop the Western Association of Schools and Colleges system (WASC).

“She was integral in the WASC process that we have, [and] that started to change the culture of the school,” Principal Wynne Satterwhite said. “We went from a top-down model where we got a lot of influence from the district office and administration to a more collaborative decision making process.”

Sulaver also emphasized the importance of organization and structure in creating courses within the school and district.

“She looked for teachers and courses that could meet needs of all different students,” Principal Wynne Satterwhite said. “When she was an administrator, she did counseling and she was constantly looking for people who could meet the needs of different kinds of kids. [At the] district office, a big part of what she did was trying to create structures both schools could use that would best meet the needs of the learning environments.”

Sulaver began her work in Los

Altos in 1981 when she replaced a part time special education teacher who went on medical leave.

“She started here as a student conduct liaison [and classroom aide]… when she first came out of college and she’s moved all the way up to director of special education in a very large school,” Satterwhite said. “[She is] very people-focused and product-oriented. Kathy, and this is a hard thing to do, [is] able to rally people, staffs and students in order to attain a goal. People always come first to her.”

Twelve years after arriving, Sulaver was appointed assistant principal and worked in that position for eight years. However, she missed the classroom environment and working directly with students.

“As an [assistant principal] you typically get a lot of the problem kinds of things,” Sulaver said. “I had guidance and counseling as one of my responsibilities and it was great, but… my passion was really being around kids, having

COURTESY PERLA PASALLO

Special education director Kathy Sulaver sits on a balcony and smiles for a photo. Sulaver retired after working for 35 years as a teacher, director, department coordinator and assistant principal.

kids come in, working with kids, listening to their stories and trying to make a difference. I missed the energy of that. In fact, when I was first asked to move to the district, I hesitated.”

Sulaver requested to go back to being a special education teacher and was appointed department coordinator. Eleven years later, she was asked by the superintendent to take the position of director of special education.

Throughout her career, she focused on changing the stigma of special education.

“The continuum for special [education] is huge, and it’s always been a [term] that bothered me personally, because we have kids that are absolutely brilliant that might learn a little bit differently,” Sulaver said. “When you look at that broad spectrum I think that’s kind of reconciling how to move forward, meeting all those diverse needs.”

Her work, passion and genuine care for students as a teacher, administrator and director inspired many of her colleagues.

“I worked under her for four years [and with her for 15 years], and she actually made me want to become a teacher,” Department Coordinator of Special Education Zach Waldorph said. “She’s been a great example for me and the rest of the people in the department.

She definitely made her mark on the special education department.

She’s always provided a smaller feel to it like we’re a family.”

Sulaver’s colleagues are reluctant to see her go, as her passion and work ethic allowed her to create pivotal changes in the special education department.

“It has been my pleasure to know Kathy since the 1990s when my children went here,” MVLA Board President Phil Faillace said.

“Kathy was one of the most empathetic [and] caring people I have ever seen. [She] was off the charts.

I think the world of Kathy, and I’m going to miss her terribly. But she’s earned her retirement so I can’t begrudge her that.”

District plans to improve food accessibility SOFIA GUO KATHERINE YEN

Editor-In-Chief Print Managing Editor

For more than a decade, oncampus food options for students have consisted of the PTSA-run pizza cart and the school cafeteria.

With the school’s growing population, the cafeteria — which was last renovated in 2002 to serve about 1200 students — is limiting access to food options on campus.

“I know that [everybody] recognizes... that the cafeteria kitchen and the facility for students to get food is not designed for the population we have,” Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg said.

The school and PTSA are currently looking into solutions to improve student access to on-campus lunch options. In particular, the PTSA believes that it can reduce the crowding in the cafeteria if the school adds a cold foods cart on campus. The cart would offer the surplus sandwiches and salads from the cafeteria in the quad.

“I’d love to see another cart operating,” PTSA pizza cart co-

ordinator Rachel Botsford said.

“You can’t take away the pizza or the snacks, but you can move the salads and sandwiches that are already available inside the cafeteria to a [more accessible place]. ” The district echoes the PTSA’s sentiments and is considering adding another food cart to the campus. Though details remain up in the air, Associate Superintendent Mike Mathiesen believes it likely that there will be a cold food cart on campus next school year.

“It’s not as simple as it might sound,” Mathiesen said. “It’s a matter of [whether] we have staffing, how much does additional staffing cost, how much money would we generate off of the mobile station, [but] I’d say it’s pretty likely.”

The addition of the cart would potentially reduce lines in the cafeteria and draw more students to the cafeteria previously deterred by wait. Students who currently buy lunch from the cafeteria voice frustration overthe longer lines.

“I usually get a salad from the cafeteria because I can’t go out,” junior Natalie Muningua said. “It’s healthier and less processed [than

other food options], but some days I don’t get lunch because the cafeteria’s too crowded or the food looks nasty.”

The current food offerings of the school cafeteria and PTSA comply with the federal and state mandates that restrict the types of high fat, sugar and sodium foods that are sold to students

on campus.

As part of the National School Lunch Program, which offers grants for free or reduced lunch for lower income students, the cafeteria is required to serve whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables and two choices of milk every day and a certain amount of servings every week.

For Rosenberg, the issue lacks priority, as administration hasn’t received enough of student feedback.

“We have the luxury of going beyond the basics [of improving the school, and] this is certainly something people would think is worth looking at,” Rosenberg said.

“But I haven’t heard it’s that high a priority.”

KIMIA SHAHIDI

Students wait in line at the PTSA-run food cart, which sells pizza and snacks. The PTSA and district want to expand the accessibility of food from the cafeteria, such as salads, by creating another cart.

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The Talon May 24, 2016

Please send letters to the editor to talon.lahs@gmail.com Los Altos High School

Lower speed zones: the benefits outweigh the costs Lower speed limits around school areas might seem inconvenient, but saving lives and preventing accidents is worth a few extra seconds in the morning.

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ecently, the city changed surrounding school speed limits from 25 to 15 mph for 500 feet in all directions from the center of the school. The city council instituted the change after years of resident complaints about the school traffic, in addition to a noticeable spike in pedestrian and bike accidents during the school year. The aim of the lower speed limit is to decrease the amount and severity of traffic accidents and, as a result, decrease traffic due to accidents — agreeably good aims.

However, this well-intended change will only be effective if drivers, especially students, understand and abide by the law.

Contrary to their current mentalities, students should strive to follow the new speed limits for their own and others’ safety. This speed limit will decrease the risk of injury and accidents for all students.

In a Talon poll of 63 juniors and seniors, 81 percent did not approve of the change. A concerning 89 percent felt that the new speed limit would not be effective in slowing drivers down, and a majority said they MICHAEL SIEFFERT would not change their driving as a result of it. This mindset is A 15 mph speed limit sign outside of Los Altos High School. The city recently changed speed limits from 25 counterproductive to benefit- to 15 mph around the school, and while many student drivers have found the switch to be a nuisance, the ting student drivers. Students safety benefits of the change must be acknowledged. who drive must realize that they and their friends are the major traveling 20 mph or less. limit, even when the speed lim- from point A to B significantly beneficiaries of this new law, Despite what students may it is lowered in a school zone. more quickly. But students will and they need to slow down in think about the feasibility of It does not matter whether ev- benefit the most from this new order to prevent this new law, ery single person that passes by speed limit, and they will not be accidents and further research the school goes exactly 15 mph able to reap the long-term beneresulting trafalso supports the — the change is fits of the change fic around the The truth is that idea that lower going to be efunless they do student drivers like school. speed signs are fective because, their part to make Unsurprisingly, to drive fast. Some actually effec- on average, many When the city created it happen. The extensive stud- people think it is cool tive in decreas- people will go 15 safety benefits of this new speed limit, ies show that veing the speeds of mph, and those driving slower far hicles travelling to do so, and frankly, drivers. A 2009 that do not will they acted on behalf outweigh the cost at lower speeds many drivers think study conduct- still go signifi- of students, and stuof spending a few are less likely that speeding will help ed by the Texas cantly slower dents will not be able extra seconds to cause injury them get from point A A&M Transpor- than they would commuting, and to reap the benefits and/or severe actation Institute in a 25 mph zone. in order to preto B more quickly. cidents in case showed that the The truth is of the change unless vent serious injuof a collision. A measured 85th that student driv- they do their part to ry to themselves National Highpercentile speed, ers like to drive make it happen. and others, it is way Traffic Safety Administra- or the speed that 85 percent of fast. Some peoimperative that tion study reported that only 5 drivers are traveling below, is ple think it is student drivers percent of pedestrians are fatal- about five to seven mph high- cool, and many drivers think abide by the new 15 mph speed ly injured when hit by a vehicle er than the posted school speed that speeding will help them get limit surrounding the school.

Dear Editor, All Mountain View residents who will be 18 by Election Day, November 8, should register by June 1 to take part in a crucial petition drive going on presently to put rent stabilization on the November ballot.

As many of you are aware, rents have been rising rapidly in Mountain View, with the average monthly asking rent going up 52.7 percent from 2011-2015. The median

household income, on the other hand, has gone up just over 1 percent. Most of us know families who have been forced to move out of Mountain View as they can no longer afford the rents.

A newly formed group, Mountain View Tenants Coalition, is attempting to obtain enough signatures by June 1 to put an initiative measure on the ballot, which would then be voted on by all Mountain View voters. The key element of this initiative is to limit rent increases to one increase in a 12-month period; the rent increase would be tied to the consumer price increase (CPI, an inflation-measuring tool), but landlords would always be allowed to

have at least a 2 percent increase, but no more than a 5 percent increase, no matter what the CPI is.

The initiative also provides that tenants can only be evicted if the landlord has a good reason. Also, landlords can petition for higher increases to ensure a fair rate of return.

Signing the petition does not mean you have to vote “yes” in November. It just means that you think the people of Mountain View should decide whether this initiative should be voted on to ensure the diversity of Mountain View.

For more information, go to mvtenantscoalition.org. If you, or anyone in your family, want to sign

the petition, you can go to the St. Joseph’s parking lot at Castro and Church on Tuesdays between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays between 10 and 11:30 a.m. or Rengstorff Park in the gazebo near the tennis courts on Wednesdays between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Sue Russell The Talon welcomes letters to the editor.

E-mail letters to talon.lahs@gmail,com, drop them off in room 409 or the box in the attendance office.

In the case of spelling or grammatical errors, obscenities, libel or personal attacks, a letter may be edited or not run. Letters must be signed, but a name may be withheld upon request. Letters may be published online, in print or both.

201 Almond Ave., Los Altos, CA May 24, 2016 Volume XXXI, Issue 8 Editor-In-Chief Sofia Guo Managing Editors Alice Dai (Print) Katherine Yen (Print) James Sun (Web) News Editor Spencer Dembner Opinions Editor Hanna Khosravi Features Editor Emily Aoki In-Depth Editor Olivia Jerram Entertainment Editor Jessica King Sports Editor Josh Kirshenbaum Media Editor Carl Faust Copy/Content Editors Claire Bai, Teddy Chmyz, Cole Hanson, William Jow Business Manager Eric Thiem Senior Writers Chris Dadok, David Lisbonne, Emily Terada, Kevin Yen Staff Writers Keith Bohrer, Paola Campos, Eli Colbert, Anisha Desai, Savita Govind, Jim Hollingworth, Akhil Jakatdar, Miranda Li, Rachel Lu, Alexis Malgesini, Booker Martin, Julia Santos, Tinomuda Tugwete, Avi Varghese, Alex Wong, Ben Zaeske Photographers Francesca Fallow, Katie Klein, Rachel Lu, Allegra Maeso, Kunal Pandit, Michael Sieffert, Kimia Shahidi, Meilin Tsao Graphic Artists Jim Hollingworth, Miranda Li, Skylar Maeso, Vanessa Mark, Anne Schill Videographers Bobak Afshari, Matt Carpenter, Britt de Visser, Danny Nguyen, Eitan Weiner, Andrew Young Adviser Michael Moul

POLICIES Los Altos High School’s Compositional Journalism class is solely responsible for The Talon, which is published eight times a year. The Talon also updates its website, www.lahstalon.org, with full-time coverage.

The Editorial Board sets the policies of The Talon and crafts its editorials and thumbs. Its members are Eli Colbert, Alice Dai, Spencer Dembner, Jim Hollingworth, Olivia Jerram, Josh Kirshenbaum and Katherine Yen.

ADVERTISE & SUBSCRIBE Send advertisement and subscription inquiries to Eric Thiem at talon.lahs@ gmail.com.

Talon Supporters Honorary Pulitzers Sanjay Desai, Corrie Dunn and Rick Jow, Fallow Family, Elizabeth Faust, Haiyan Gao, Lisa Giannini and Simon Patience, Emily Goto, Tabitha Hanson, Gary Herbert, Su-Jane Hsieh, Quyen Nguyen, Susan Slater, Lillian Terada, Tracy Weatherby, Wendy Yang and Yusheng Bai, Danny and Tracy Young

Silver Supporters Martin Family, Zeyu Li, Puneet Pandit, Pradeep Parmar, Taya Perry, Ruth Slater, Tony Sun

The Talon May 24, 2015

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Read more opinions articles at lahstalon.org/category/opinions

When it comes to safety, don’t risk it; there’s no biscuit KEITH BOHRER Staff Writer

When I was 6 years old, my oldest brother was hit by a car as he was biking home from Egan Junior High School. After being rushed to the emergency room, our family received news that he was going to be fine thanks to one special thing — a helmet. However, as my brother left campus that day, he wasn’t wearing his helmet, and he usually didn’t.

Luckily, the Egan principal saw my brother and wouldn’t let him leave without buckling up his helmet.

After the collision, my brother’s helmet laid in the middle of the street with a gaping crack across the top. Had it not been for the hardened plastic shell around his head absorbing the force, his skull might have displayed the fatal crack instead. It is potentially tragic scenarios like this that have caused the school to crack down on helmet infractions, and I am all for it.

I will be the first to admit that during my underclassmen years, I never wore a helmet. I completely understand the motivation for letting your hair blow in the wind as you ride to school. Maybe you don’t want to look like a dork in front of your friends or the girl you’re trying to impress. Maybe you’re trying to get rid of the inverted mushroom on your head each morning known

FRANCESCA FALLOW

Cyclists, skaters and pedestrians leave campus aside cars waiting in the parking lot. The school has recently instituted stricter traffic policies such as helmet and speed regulations to improve student safety for the better. as helmet hair. Maybe you are trying to show your parents who’s boss.

Or maybe your helmet is just uncomfortable. But to be honest, after having two years to take a step back and reconsider all my reasons not to wear a helmet, I am able to determine that I was stupid. In the end, I never lost friends or got girls because of a helmet. All I did was make my ride to school a bit riskier every day.

That’s why the school adopted a new helmet policy that will deliver harsher punishments to students, like me, who ignorantly compromise their safety.

If you think about it, our school parking lot is the absolute worst

place, probably on the planet, to be lax with your safety and protection.

There are new, error-prone drivers, overconfident seniors and parents rushing to get to work on time. All three of these make a devil’s triangle of terrible driving decisions and further escalate your susceptibility to injury. So put your helmet on for ten minutes of your morning — if you never have an accident, that’s great, but if you do, and you don’t have a helmet, you will regret it.

On top of the tightening on helmet restrictions, the school is also taking speeding violations, in and around the school parking lot, much more seriously. I cannot count the num-

ber of times I’ve seen a car flying through the parking lot at 40 mph, barely dodging the walking students trying to mind their own business.

And don’t even get me started on the kids who think revving their engines and screeching their tires is cool — hint: it’s not! If you have a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Bugatti, you have earned the right to flaunt your car.

But the next time I hear an un-muffled Honda Civic revving it up, I’ll be very annoyed and most likely want to deliver a roundhouse kick straight to the driver’s lower jaw.

We are all in the same situation.

We are all trying to get out of the parking lot as fast as possible, but maybe if we didn’t have people always trying to cut one another off to reaffirm their testosterone levels, we would all get out of the parking lot quicker. What the drivers trying to rush out of the parking lot need to do is relax and take it slow. And that is exactly the effect that tightened police monitoring will have. The school will be keeping a close eye on drivers and in doing so, will force everyone to slow down and be safe.

For that reason, the stronger stance on speed violations is a sight for sore eyes. For some reason, people feel invincible when they are enclosed in their cars, but the reality is they aren’t, and they just are making fools out of themselves. Drive safe, be polite, and the school’s parking lot will be a safer and more smoothly exited place than ever.

On disbelief, ignorance and rape culture expressing similar, sexuallypressured experiences with him JIM HOLLINGWORTH stacked up; damning accounts of Staff Writer his vulgar personality and heavy drug use were made public. I became disgusted with the blatant Last month, a childhood hero worship of Toby’s fanbase.

So, in an effort to try and conof mine was accused of rape.

His name is Toby Turner, a You- sider this issue from a less biTube sensation who made his ased standpoint, I Googled the way into my 11-year-old heart phrase “anti-rape” and contacted the first organizawith a collection of tion that came up. video game parody A few days later, I songs. He was acmet with Caitlin cused by an ex- People get worked Kauffman, the outgirlfriend named up about rape reach coordinator April, who detailed allegations, but for a group called his sexual abuse in the percentage of Bay Area Women a 3,000 word Tumfalse accusations Against Rape. blr post.

Over the course At first, I didn’t is the same as any of our long disbelieve it. I read other crime. cussion, I realized the first paragraph — Bay Area Women Against something: I was and decided she Rape outreach coordinator Caitlin Kauffman being an idiot. And was probably lywith the calm, ining. Maybe for attelligent condetention, maybe for money, maybe for the fun scension of a professional who’s of destroying someone’s career. dealt with a million ignorant “Toby’s a good guy,” I said. “And dudes before, Kauffman proceeded to show me the flaws in he wouldn’t do that.”

I followed the resulting online my thought process.

She explained the concept of debate closely. Was April telling the truth? Two opposite com- victim-blaming: the caustic tenmunities emerged: the diehard dency of victims reporting infanboys vehemently denying the stances of rape to be met with allegations and the enthusiasti- harsh criticism and disbelief. ”People get worked up about cally empathetic Tumblr girls voicing their unconditional sup- rape allegations, but the percentage of false accusations is port for April.

At first, I felt confident in my the same as any other crime,” disbelief. But as conflicting evi- Kauffman said. “Any other crime. dence began to mount, I became Two to eight percent. And so the more and more uncomfortable. fact that every accusation is met Testimonies of ex-girlfriends with ‘She’s lying’ is ludicrous.”

I still have some concerns about the idea of unquestionable belief, no matter the context. I would still argue that social media should not replace the courtroom; the ignorant, impassioned public should not serve as the judge, jury and inherent punishment.

But Kauffman says it better than I could, and with the weight of a lot more wisdom: “Rape is a serious allegation that has the potential to destroy careers and reputations and all that stuff. But I just ask that in thinking about these cases that we think about the survivor. Because so often in hearing these stories the focus is pulled onto the alleged perpetrator and the effect that this is going to have on him or her, and we rarely think about the effect that this has had on the survivor.”

In my head, I’m a perfect feminist. I read “Upworthy” Facebook articles shared by my feminist friends: poems on con-

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sent, speeches on slut-shaming, arguments explaining the core problems with victim-blaming. I felt confident in my understanding of rape culture and its deeply rooted problems.

And yet the moment I encountered a situation that wasn’t black and white, I forgot it all.

I eagerly jumped to sympathize with Toby. It took a somewhat strained conversation with a literal expert on rape for me to understand my own shortcomings as a decent human being.

I don’t pretend to grasp the complexities of rape allegations.

In some ways, I’m left with more questions than I started with.

But I’d rather be unsure than falsely confident.

“We’re realizing at the college level that a lot of people have a lot of behaviors that are learned well before they even get to college,” Kauffman said.

Perhaps it’s time we start unlearning some of them.

JIM HOLLINGWORTH

Jim Goes to College

By Jim Hollingworth

Impossible Yesterday, I went back through my old columns from the preadmissions days and thought about my shaky transformation from stressed applicant to carefree admit.

In September, I felt very alone in my process. This sentiment was probably echoed by a majority of the class, but I thought everyone else had things under control and I was struggling to keep up. Conceptually, I was confident in my ability to cough out a 600 word essay, but my mounting inability to even come up with a basic premise troubled me.

In December, the only encouragement I had was a thin-lipped rejection letter from my early action university. I watched friends sit on admissions to Ivy League schools and flippantly mention their lack of motivation to study for upcoming finals.

And in February, the gravity of a depressing possibility finally hit me: “What if I don’t get accepted anywhere?”

It’s May now, and the full absurdity of college admissions rests heavily on the senior class. Some of us got lucky, some didn’t. That’s really the best comfort for anyone disappointed with their results, and the best ego-check for happy admits.

I’m studying computer science. A few months ago, I attended my first and only hackathon, and spent 24 hours creating a stupid video game that was fun to play for about 12 seconds. The guy who won the entire thing, however, combined cuttingedge hardware with an immense mass of weaving, intricate code to create a virtual 3D spacial masterpiece.

We applied to the same school. I was accepted and he was denied. So it goes.

I look back and wonder what I could have done differently. Then I think about whether or not I would’ve actually wanted to do anything differently. What advice is there to give here? How do you beat an impossible process?

Maybe you just don’t try.

I spent so much time worrying about a few bad test grades. I joined clubs I didn’t care about, and I spent a whole summer scrubbing the undersides of boats because I thought colleges were looking for kids with job experience.

I don’t know how much any of that mattered. But I do know that in the end, despite every mistake, despite my inability to find a prestigious internship, despite my lack of a perfect SAT score and the fact that I dropped out of NHS: I am happy.

If you would like to write about your stance on an issue that’s affecting students at our school, email Opinions Editor Hanna Khosravi at opinions.lahstalon@gmail.com with a summary of your idea.

The TalonPublication May 24, 2016 6 The Talon Date

Red,

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YALDA KHODADAD Guest Writer it is the color that seeps out of chopped flesh and sinew it is the flexing of your muscles before you count one, three, and two because the mailman never seems to see the color of the post flag in the air it’s the color of the matches before they burst into the color of a dress you danced in once it’s the color of the way that people don’t seem to care that there’s a soprano buildup in your ears, the pounding in your veins as it closes with the color of your throat when you scream because nobody sees the color of you being hurt, so it is the color of when the ashes have stopped falling and everything you love and more has been burnt, so it’s the color of your nails as you try to hide your shame because out of everyone else, you’ve got to be blamed because only you know the color of yourself in the mirror and since you’ve got passion for yourself, they might call you a sinner throw some words, in a color that is known can evoke anger, rage, and dread but the truth is there’s more to be said don’t slap labels of this color like people are merch or marathon runners this color is a beauty that is limited in our heads let it out, set it free like the emotions this color should be passion is not so easily expressed so, by letting you see my red? well, let me tell you you’ve been blessed

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SARAH KATSEV Guest Writer Red evokes emotions I’ve felt while standing in line in public bathrooms, simultaneously trying to plug my nose and my bladder– fear (that my nose or bladder will somehow become unplugged), animosity (towards my fellow bathroom goers), and regret (why did I sell my soul to the devil if I didn’t even get a fastpass to the front of public bathroom lines?).

Sanguine Fury

SONNET PHELPS Guest Writer the joke reddens our faces and we clutch, shaking, at our bellies, lips stretched tight across teeth as our heads swing lightheadedly skyward and our eyes, bouncing, roll gleefully back in maniacal convulsion as does the bloodthirst which reddens our faces and our hands, shaking, clutch into fists, our jaws, tight-lipped, set into marble lines as our eyes swing angry linear passes in maniacal convulsion

The David

ALEX WONG Staff Writer “I used to be scared of reimagining the colors, you know.

Always scared that I’d forget and start making them all up again.”

“Imagine this,” the guide said. He stared into the man’s eyes. “In front of you is ‘The David.’ Not the big one, but the bronze one, slender and sly. Donatello’s. What color is it?”

“You just said it. It’s bronze.”

“No, it’s made of bronze. What color is it?”

“Oh.” The man stood still. Rubbed his fingers together.

“It’s red. Yes, it’s red.”

“What shade?”

The man’s eyes strained. His blunted black tux, frayed at the fringes, seemed to compress his form. What had once seemed a lean figure had warped into a gaunt frame, lines creasing the corners of his eyes. The cane tapped.

“I... I can’t seem to remember. The shade escapes me.”

“Red.” The guide pondered. An image of a red “The David” crossed his mind, and he smiled. Then he focused on the task at hand. “Excuse me for asking, but what are you doing here? A blind man in a museum of art?”

“A friend. She said I should come. She said you could return the colors.”

The guide paused, forgetting, losing vision of what he was to do. “Where do I begin? What do you see?”

“Nothing. It’s all red.”

“What is red? What does that mean?”

“Funny, I don’t know. A feeling, I suppose. What is red?”

What is red? Around him the aroma of colors, wisps of pink and dashes of crimson spiraling. The fears that had once held him captive dissipated, and the world behind his bleached retinas bloomed of laughter and magic.

Red, a shade out of his world, a gift amidst forgotten memories. Something he could shape into his own. And really, what else could it possibly be?

Red Is

MARGO LUSINCHI Guest Writer full lips waiting she doesn’t knock bare feet over slick marble fabric swishing across waxy legs the scarlet catches a glass slipping off the edge of a low table scattered shards but no blood is drawn

Canvas

TINO TUGWETE Staff Writer To my Canvas,

You gave yourself to me And from your veins I took red You poured lemon grass in my violent storms And blood orange in my tortured skies But I repaid you in watercolor Only muted hues passed these lips For those cost me nothing Those betrayed nothing I saved the true colors of my passions the violets and rich reds for this aching beast But all the pastels I painted you in Paled in comparison to this bleeding heart

As time wove your tales through my eyes As I suffocated in the heat of your embrace I lost myself I dripped upon my canvas, in spite of all I had, a blistering yellow You grew near me with your kindness and I grew to tease you with my blues But before I fell out of your trance You ripped from me rich tones that bubbled past my tongue But for all your efforts I still held the rich tones of red for greedy self For reds were worn by my truth They were the flesh of my heart And I could not part with sinful red But yet You remained through my moods All my hues wore themselves on your sleeves But mostly, You were violent in your approach Because through all the hideous fragments of this painter You stayed You made me splatter in sharp staccato shred through paper Until I poured boiling red upon your skin

thick wine trickles down smooth edges but leaves no stain

At last I found a canvas To transform fickle crimson To tender scarlet

a voiceless exit trailing behind her glossy fingernails pulling the door to a crack her glow following her out she leaves a void in her wake

My Canvas, thank you for letting this artist bleed red again

The Talon May 24, 2016

7

Tennis Courts

ELI COLBERT Staff Writer 1. What did you make before you were gone? What would I remember?

The latchkey fireflies on the ceiling of the schoolbus. The impressions on a courtyard’s grass in a wet heat, like the shading of a helicopter’s wings. The last branch that broke before we knew that we had gone far enough.

Your visage, like a religious painting. The breath of the tungsten above our heads and the avocado of the tennis courts, unseasoned in the darkness. The tractorclaw shadow in your faraway, beheld between spells of averted gaze. Drunken noodles in a dim restaurant and my sad feeling: preemptive. My body felt weird. The mustard color of your coconut curry, the musty curdle of close quarters. I lied before, but it’s easier this way. How do you make a room unbearable? What is this thing with a thousand names, that I call a dream?

I loved the baboon’s eyes and the sounds you

seemed to make, like ice cream in an amplifier.

2. The tattoo in the thatching below your breast, of iodine and ink; of pin and pencil. I might not know what we are for, but I do know that when my cheeks get red, I would like to give the color to you. I said the things which made me feel less lonely, but were you alone? I couldn’t tell.

The trembling crest and the flowing cleft and the spaces and places that I didn’t know, do not know, and all the other parts that make a woman. Georgia O’Keeffe went blind and

Frida Kahlo died three deaths and you are alive. Who was I on those tennis courts that I didn’t do more than feel sorry for what I might do? The moonlight was wet and the water was water and I felt alright. I wore that night’s mos-

quito bites like how some people in Egypt marked their doors with lamb’s blood. I thought you wanted to be eaten.

an exercise on the challenge of interpretation.

These pages present a compilation of creative writing that was written about the color red. Each writer was given no context other than the topic and was asked to express their individual interpretation of it through a piece of writing.

Like the color red, music, art, literature and the spoken word are all up for interpretation. What’s red to some is orange to others and what is beautiful to one may be incomprehensible and frustrating to another — in short, you’re not going to feel the same way about all of the writing you read in this section.

Some of it, we hope, you will find easy to see as beautiful. Some of it you will find easy to understand, even if you may dislike it. Some of it will be frustrating, seemingly impossible to comprehend.

It is easy to form an opinion on things that we understand. Pepsi or Coke? Inn-Out or Five Guys? Regardless of which you choose, the answer is simple because soda and burgers are not complicated concepts. When people are faced with creative work that is more abstract or difficult to fully understand, the immediate response is usually to dislike the work or to label it “pretentious,” a scapegoat word

for the viewer’s inability to access.

Most people interpret things (writing, art, conversations about politics) with the intention to respond and form an opinion, not to understand. An immediate desire to decide between liking or disliking something often hinders us from true comprehension, which may require more time to digest. It isn’t laziness, per se, but a habitual distaste for things we feel are confusing or difficult.

Before forming a negative opinion on a piece of creative work, it is useful to be mindful that each piece has a context and a creator with an idea and intent for its

interpretation. It is not only wise but also respectful that we try to understand the piece before disliking it.

If you understand something and decide you dislike it, that is an entirely valid opinion. We are fully entitled to our distaste if we do not like what the piece represents or what it means, as long as we have taken the time to understand it.

These works are intended for you to read for the sake of reading, forming whatever opinions you wish after contemplation. Look before you leap, think before you speak, and seek to comprehend before you form an opinion.

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The Talon May 24, 2016

Read more features articles at lahstalon.org/category/features

Eduardo D. Cuellar: a hidden rockstar SOFIA GUO

Editor-in-Chief

With his calm demeanor and quiet personality, senior Eduardo D. Cuellar is one of the last people one expects to fit the stereotype of a rock enthusiast. But for the past eight years, Eduardo has self-built all the musical skills and expertise needed to produce one-of-a-kind instrumental covers, such as a hardcore rock version of the “Frozen” song “Let It Go,” that continue to showcase his inner rockstar.

“The key moment where I realized that I really wanted to go into music was back when I was in seventh grade,” Eduardo said. “I finished playing the flute, and my music instructor offered to teach me the clarinet and the bass clarinet, since they needed those woodwinds. Once I got a feel for those instruments, I really fell in love with music during that time because that’s also when I started to learn how to improvise, and that’s when I also learned more about music structure.”

He currently owns a guitar, bass, drum set, clarinet and flute, but he can also play the alto and tenor saxophones and bass clarinet. Through his Soundcloud, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram accounts, Eduardo shares his covers of famous songs, including “American Idiot” by Green Day and “Seize the Day” by Avenged Sevenfold.

“When I was in middle school, I tried to experiment with different instruments and get certain different sounds that I liked,” Eduardo said. “I think it was when I listened

to ‘Young, Wild & Free’ by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. I remember noticing it had a weird kind of feel to it where the piano felt really light, but it felt [heavier] with a rap at the same time, so that’s where I started mixing different genres with different instruments.”

Around the same time, Eduardo began picking up the bass and guitar and found that he loved rock.

Today, he functions as a one-manband, producing his own tracks and recording and arranging everything at home on programs like GarageBand.

“Music has been a big part of my life since I learned it,” Eduardo said.

“It’s been a really big time filler, and it’s really taught me to learn things on my own instead of relying on other people to teach me. It’s also kind of made me stubborn in a way too. I’ve been so used to learning things off the Internet and other people so sometimes I get kind of irritated when people are trying to teach me how to do things, which I know is a bad habit but in a way it’s kind of a good thing because I’m more independent.”

Although he’s already produced dozens of tracks and even performed at the recent Diversity Assembly, Eduardo feels like his future lies in a completely different field: teaching. He plans to major in math and education at San Jose State University and pursue music as a hobby.

“I definitely love music,” Eduardo said. “If I’m feeling a certain way or a certain type of emotion, it’s going to find its way into my music. I’ll add different styles or techniques into it

that make it sound angrier, sadder or happier. But it’s just a hobby for now. Maybe if I start getting into a band or find people to play with, I might make it a bigger part of my life, but as of right now it’s something I like to do on the side.”

Although he hopes to pursue music solely as a hobby in the future, Eduardo believes his experiences

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By Eli Colbert

Vol. 6: The Last One War Stories | By Eli Colbert

MEILIN TSAO

Senior Eduardo Cuellar plays “Only Expection” by Paramore with his electric guitar in the common area of his complex. Eduardo has embraced his passion for music and honed his skills for the past eight years.

Fonda CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Substitute teacher Bob Fonda is pictured in 1943 in the U.S Coast Guard. Fonda touched the lives of many with his work before and during his substituting days.

have taught him a major life lesson.

“Try new things that you don’t think would actually fit you,” Eduardo said. “Even if it doesn’t seem like something you would do, go out and pursue it. If you don’t like it after doing it for a while, move on and look for something you do like because eventually, you will find something that you want to pursue.”

Choose Your Own Poetry Adventure!

What made Fonda such a good teacher and an even better role model was that just as students loved learning from him, he loved teaching and interacting with students. Even as a substitute teacher, he still had the effect that long-term teachers can have on their pupils.

“Doing this brightens me up,” Fonda said two years ago in an in-

terview with The Talon. “I come in feeling very brightened up [with] a quick step… I feel I’m composting… recycling myself in a sense… My greatest desire is that after I have left the class, I hope and pray that students have been enriched by… my ‘composting,’ [that it] is really helping [to] provide good soil for them to grow and mature.”

Perhaps most emblematic of Fonda’s care for the community was his work as a substitute for special education classes. While such a task may seem more challenging to the outside observer, Fonda embraced the challenge with his trademark kindness and dignity.

“He was different than most of the subs we encountered,” Bobbi Behlen, a retired Special Day Class (SDC) aide who worked with Fonda at Loyola Special Day School and Bullis Charter School said. “He actually wanted to connect with kids and learn more about their learning needs. Most subs come in [to].... SDC, sit back and let the aides take charge. Not Mr. Fonda.

He sincerely spoke with them, individually trying to memorize each name. He told them stories of his life and did get off topic at times, but it didn’t matter. You could feel his passion for life.”

Fonda epitomized class, kindness and compassion, and while he might not be subbing anymore, his lessons will remain in the school and the community for many years to come.

“I learned from him never give up,” Behlen said. “Even when our old bodies start to weaken, keep moving on. Continue to do what you love no matter how old you are.”

Her pearl earrings are the only holy thing in the driveway.

Add decadence to the new wounds he said, before bolting Onto the interstate. The last warning is a vase inside of a trunk, In a flatbed truck, in a storage locker in Fresno. He can talk About man’s pity for hours, so you’d better stop him when he Gets to the part about Bathsheba, and Kentucky, and a brother Who fell from a bell tower. The bell is still there, but not the lake, Or silo. He says he doesn’t trust the sounds of the new microwave And he curses the dogs, despite the dogs. He is still hoarse when they start jumping around in the sheets. The light makes His face look purple. The light blurs to no light. He is in exile from his body, which has no conviction so he will use the same scummy glass without washing it. Her pearl earrings are like a curtain for his soliloquy. The unobservable distance is a paradise.

Clay | By Jim Hollingworth I’ve got penguins in my chest.

Everything evolves to be uncomfortably cold, So there’s magic in stove burns.

Some people like to miss a stair step on the way to work Awake! Less so when they’re falling asleep, though.

When I was four I stuck my head between the banisters.

The whole neighborhood came out with butter, And I got to meet a fireman.

I just missed the car crash, I heard it but glass was already on the lawn.

Warm, warm Sun hills and beach sand burials and dryer underwear Getting cozy into bed with someone, cushions ­ but there are no blankets in my head only spark plugs and clay if I have to take one more concrete step I might fall right through if I have to repeat it I might say forget it instead if I have to hear it again I might put a mechanical pencil through my ear and have it slowly come out the other side make you watch that’s not nice that’s not nice blankets, concrete and tuesdays the engine isn’t here so what is the point of these spark plugs?

The Talon May 24, 2016

9

Catch reviews of new movies, music and more, plus read the entertainment archives at lahstalon.org/category/entertainment

Behind the scenes of Broken Box ANISHA DESAI Staff Writer

It’s easy to imagine the costumes for a high school play being thrown together by a director after a couple read-throughs of the script, but for Broken Box, costume design is an art form and furthermore, a key element in the production of each show. The student-led costume design department works to bring a performance to life through costume and makeup looks. Without their work, the characters would be visually incomplete, and the actors would be significantly less effective at delivering their roles.

Broken Box’s lead costume designer this year is senior Selena Weltz, who is aided in the job by her assistant, sophomore Allison Wang.

“I think the tech people put a lot of work into the show, and we don’t necessarily get as recognized as the actors because we aren’t on stage,” Selena said. “Everyone’s part in the play process is really important… as long as everyone does their job, it goes really well.”

Allison will be taking over the department next year once Selena graduates. Broken Box has three major plays a year, and the assistant’s responsibilities increase with each production.

“Over each play, I’ve been taking on more responsibility as a costume designer,” Allison said. “The first play was mainly Selena pioneering through it and I was just there to help… The second play was more 50-50, and I put in more of my opinions. For [the last play] I had a lot

more authority.”

Both Selena and Allison agree that their interests in fashion and design are what initially motivated them to apply for their positions.

“As a kid, one of my favorite holidays was Halloween, and I really loved costumes and dress-up,” Allison said. “I also liked to learn how to sew and those kinds of things, and I’d make my own costumes for Halloween… I realized that I really liked theater, but I didn’t really like acting, so when I heard Broken Box had tech positions, I looked into costuming and decided to go for it.”

Some plays are far more difficult to design costumes for than others. Last year, Selena worked on a play called “The Birds.” The costume designers had to design elaborate outfits by sewing together patterned fabrics and gluing on feathers, a process that became stressful at times.

“We had bought all the stuff beforehand, but we hadn’t actually made any of the costumes yet,” Selena said. “During [Broken Box’s] tech week, every single night from beginning to end, we were just on the floor making all the costumes, gluing everything, and it was super stressful… Coming up with how to turn humans into bird characters was difficult because you can try to make them realistic with feathers, [but that] can get expensive and time-intensive, so we decided to use fabrics that mirrored that same texture. It was hard to manipulate the fabrics into shapes that copied the shapes of the real life birds.”

All the costumes seen onstage are the product of many hours of work

MEILIN TSAO

Senior Selena Weltz (right) and sophomore Allison Wang (left) pose together in Broken Box’s costume closet. Selena and Allison choose from this selection and add their own creations to design the full outfits worn by actors in each play. put in by the costume department of Broken Box. Selena and Allison go through a specific process for each show in order to ensure that the costume they design is true to the character and fits the overall feel of the show.

“One group of costumes that I loved were those of Priscilla, Debbie and Lucy, a clique of popular girls in ‘Spy School,’” Allison said. “They were all in a matching uniform of skirts, cardigans and hair bows.

Even though it was a simple costume, it really helped to transform the actresses into their characters. It was nice to be able to add another layer to the characters.”

The first step is to read through

the script, picking up on any clues the playwright wrote regarding characters’ appearances. Then, Selena and Allison proceed to search the storage closet, pulling clothing they think may work well. For any pieces they do not already have, part of the costume department’s job is to either ask actors to bring clothes from home or shop on their own time.

“We get a sense of who the characters are by how the actors are reading them,” Selena said. “Through their personalities, how old they are and just different aspects of their life we decide what we want them to wear…

We didn’t [have to] make anything this year, [since] everything was bought from second-hand stores or

used from the costume closet, but I was really proud of the entirety of ‘Spy School.’ Because it was set in a different time period it was [fun] to shop for and figure out the personalities of each character and translate that into a costume.”

Then, Selena and Allison integrate their materials and research into representative costumes that contributes to the play.

“For each character, we design a costume that we think would help personify and make real the character as well as add to the [theme and storyline],” Allison said. “We make sure [each character] is believable and make the play more believable for the audience.”

In full color: Hollywood’s lack of diversity PAOLA CAMPOS Staff Writer

Take a second and think of an actor. He or she doesn’t have to be in your favorite film, be good looking or even be particularly good at acting.

Go ahead, any actor at all. Do you have someone in mind? Good. Now, ask yourself this: Is your actor white?

Is he male? Is he or she straight? My guess is that you answered “yes” to at least one of those questions. Not because there’s some sort of prize for you by the time you finish reading this sentence, but because it’s what you’ve been trained to think.

Hollywood seems to work in this perpetual cycle of ethnic exclusion.

Predominantly white films are produced because they have become the norm within the industry. For decades, white actors have been casted by white directors who have worked with white producers to create films that represent only a small fraction of America’s diversity. As a result, a cycle of silence was formed in which audiences refrained from objection because they didn’t think anything was wrong with the films Hollywood presented to them.

One of Hollywood’s greatest flaws dates back to America’s history of racial segregation. During times of prejudice and social injustice, productions were being made by predominantly white crews. This

MIRANDA LI

process then created an unjust and biased preference for white cast members that seeped into the norm and stuck around. Today, culturally diverse roles hardly exist because white actors are casted to fit all roles, eliminating the possibility of diversity even when a film desperately calls out for it.

When it came time to cast the first “Hunger Games” film, Jennifer Lawrence was hired to play a character described as an olive-skinned, greyeyed 16-year-old girl with straight black hair. When the casting call for the film said the actress should be a Caucasian in her late teens who

looked “underfed but strong” and “naturally pretty underneath her tomboyishness,” it eliminated all traces of ethnic diversity Suzanne Collins had originally intended in the novel.

When it came time to cast the “Harry Potter” films, Emma Watson was casted to play a character who was described as having “lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth,” and no specified race.

Watson’s perfect teeth, pale skin and hair that becomes noticeably lighter and ironed out as the films progress seemed to fit the preferred Hollywood mold. When “Harry

Potter and the Cursed Child” was announced and Hermione was casted as a black woman, controversy began because the role was “supposed” to be assumed by a white woman when no race was originally specified in the novels.

It wasn’t until recently that awareness of the white dominance in film began to blister under the spotlight. Last year was the second year in a row that the Academy Awards committee failed to nominate a single non-white person in the four main acting categories.

The #OscarsSoWhite controversy sparked a social media movement that opened the eyes of those who were blind to the lack of color in Hollywood.

However, despite all the exclusion Hollywood reinforces, on few occasions certain productions have ventured into ethnic inclusion. Yet, the few times Hollywood attempts to include diversity within its films, it often ends up stereotyping different races and cultures. Black roles portray loud, violent, over-dramatic characters who are dumbed down to mindless jokes. Hispanic roles portray careless, uneducated highschool dropouts who are dimmed down to the streets.

Before this year, I didn’t pay much attention to Hollywood’s sparse diversity. I attended movie theaters and purchased tickets for

films that broke box office records and fed the machine that silenced valuable stories and lives as if they didn’t exist. My awareness of this changed when I joined a senior film class in which the only film we viewed that had Hispanic producers, directors, editors and actors was in the international unit. Nine months into the school year, it took an entire unit dedicated to film outside of America for me to hear my grandfather’s accent and recognize my uncle’s workplace and see someone whose hair reminded me so much of my mothers.

I don’t want to grow up to be an Academy Award winning actress. I don’t want to make timeless films for students to analyze across the globe. I don’t want to invent a new editing technique that will change the industry forever. What I do want, however, is to know that I belong and that my history matters.

None of my personal role models are major Hollywood participants, and though that may be the case for me, I realize that it isn’t the case for everyone. Hollywood, like any other profession, becomes a dream job for many young people across the world.

And yet, some oWf these people are never represented in the industry, and it’s not fair that their dreams shouldn’t seem like a possibility for them.

10

The Talon May 24, 2016

“It’s difficult to speak badly about something you love.

Even if you know you once hated it, you can’t help but look back at that time and wonder why you ever did.”

Talon writers share their stories about art that challenged them to broaden their horizons.

AN “IMPLICIT DEMAND FOR PROOF” JESSICA KING

Entertainment Editor

feeling or action, but instead of photos, TØP uses music.

From there, I cast aside my confirmation bias and conceded defeat: my brother was right, Twenty One Pilots is incredible. While Tyler’s voice is certainly an acquired taste, it has grown familiar enough to me that I’m more bothered by the fact that I now cannot seem to find one TØP song that I don’t like.

LOVING BOTH “GODFATHERS” HANNA KHOSRAVI Opinions Editor

C

inephiles will forever be divided into two camps: those who favor “The Godfather, Part I,” and those who prefer “Part II” — true fans tend to reject the existence of Part III, unless of course you are Ted Cruz, who by some magical decree declared that “Part III” was the best of the franchise. “Part III” doesn’t matter — we aren’t going to talk about “Part III,” or Ted Cruz’s blatant lack of connection with the American population. That discussion is one for another day.

My family is a “Godfather”-loving family. We will watch it every time it is on. I cracked Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) jokes before I was fully conscious of what the series was about, and I distinctly recall practicing my Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) snarl as I muttered “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” as a youngster. We quote the film, we compare it to real life, we hail cast director Francis Ford Coppola as a king. Our af-

A LI MIRAND

Maybe you love it now because it simply grew on you, or maybe you outgrew your confirmation bias, but it remains quite impossible to pinpoint what exactly about it initially turned you away.

I was introduced to TØP three hours into a seven-hour car trip.

My brother, a committed TØP fan, decided to play the newly-released “Stressed Out.” And I had WITHOUT APOLOGY to admit, I loved it. But, when my brother proceeded to hijack the ELI COLBERT auxiliary cord and blast nothing Staff Writer but TØP’s oldest original songs in a car full of unhappy, cramped Thick New Jersey English crawls people, I concluded that the from the static. Horses loops band was a one-hit wonder. out of its first apostasy, “Jesus My instant observation was of died for somebody’s sins but not Tyler Joseph’s voice: grating, na- mine,” growled over soft, incipient sally and squeaky, seemingly on chords. Her mutiny, which might the verge of tears. His voice per- sound blustering in another voice, vaded the songs, overwhelming comes across fierce and sovereign. the producing and Josh Dunn’s She continues, “Melting in a pot of drums. All the songs thieves/Wild cards began to sound uniup my sleeves/Thick form, each defined heart of stone/My by the voice I found I cast aside my sins my own/They so unpleasant. belong to me.” From confirmation bias the brown fields of And then one day it shifted. I came and conceded central New Jersey home from school defeat... Twenty to New York, Patti to hear the words One Pilots is Smith burst onto “she’s the tear in the art scene and incredible. I canmy heart, I’m alive, brought her own she’s the tear in my not seem to find kind of poetry with heart, I’m on fire” one [Twenty One her. echoing through Pilots] song that I Nearly anythe kitchen, ac- don’t like. where in my room, companied by a I can meet Smith’s previously unheard proud rivet from upbeat piano riff layered with my bookshelf. Propped against a drums and fanning synth. I thor- white wall, jacket over her shouloughly enjoyed the song, only to der, lip curled, radiating swank. learn afterwards that it was “Tear Her expression is hard to place, In My Heart” by none other than half-wild and half-calm, half-conTwenty One Pilots. Somehow, temptuous and half-ambivalent.

Tyler’s voice had faded to the Mostly, it is proud and simple. back. Somehow, the lyrics and Years after my introduction to instrumentals stepped out from Smith and her group, I met Lisa the background, and I couldn’t Shea, author of Hula, who told help but appreciate them. me that Smith had played a show My repertoire of accepted TØP at Barnard during Lisa’s studentsongs began to grow. I attempted ship there. Upon encountering to hold onto my belief that TØP her in the john, Patti told Lisa, had a majority of simply “meh” “Don’t you f ***ing talk to me!” songs. But I was like a person on Despite my small connection a diet trying to avoid eating do- with the musician and my nownuts by telling themselves that smitten relationship with her they are bad for you. I began to music, I didn’t enjoy Horses inicrumble, one song at a time. tially. Patti’s wailing and strange What draws me in is the emo- melodies didn’t strike me as they tion and imagery that TØP ef- do now. So much of our listening fectively creates through only experience is removed from the sound. The producing captures music itself. It’s what we listen a mood and paints a picture for and in what context we listen, to accompany it; “Fairly Lo- which determines our response. cal” combines a heavy base and As I began to listen to more of strobing instrumentals to form Horses and to listen more closely a lightning bolt, anxious feel, to Smith’s eye-popping monowhereas “Car Radio” uses offset- logues, I began to like it. layered piano, drips and drums Horses is an album of renunciato give the feeling of running. tion and veiled energy, where sex Each song has a sound that is disguised as violence and viocan be connected to a physical lence as sex. Although the songs

tell different stories, Patti creates a lyric unity, fusing religious iconography (“At that Tower of Babel they knew what they were after”), with figurative mention of the body (“The butterfly flapping in his throat”), and quiet rue (“There must be something I can dream tonight”). Smith’s vocals mosey through loose instrumentation. They are the focus.

The music in Horses is restless and constantly evolving, but also fluid. It builds momentum and diffuses, in arc with Smith’s multipoint narratives. ‘Gloria’, a reimagined Them song, fixates on a young woman leaning against a parking meter who the narrator tries to seduce. In ‘Birdland’, nearly a jazz-fusion song, a boy has a vision of his dead father in an alien ship and begs to be taken up by it, offering his eyes as payment. ‘Land’, the album’s nineminute centerpiece describes the physical and spiritual journey of Johnny, who is assaulted, visited by an angel, and who eventually commits suicide.

Patti Smith would write, “‘Gloria’ gave me the opportunity to acknowledge and disclaim our musical and spiritual heritage. It personifies for me, within its adolescent conceit, what I hold sacred as an artist. The right to create, without apology, from a stance beyond gender or social definition, but not beyond the responsibility to create something of worth.”

fection in a way that the other films do not. for the I came to realize that while “Part II” film is spans decades, “Part I” is more sinpractical- gular in its story and is therefore an ly undy- essential focal point. “Part I” follows ing. Even the end of the reign of Vito Corleone, though I’ve the original Godfather himself, and already seen the life of his children as they start both movies to enter into the business of their a million times, crime-ridden Italian family. “Part II” my Dad and I gives context to Vito’s life as an Italwent to see a theat- ian immigrant, and also tells the tale rical showing of “Part of his son Michael’s takeover of the I” over the summer, and family business after his death. “Part we still talk about what a II” contributes more coverage, while phenomenal time we had.

“Part I” provides insight into a snapUntil a couple of years back, my shot of time. “Part I” benefits from its recollections of “The Godfather” all focused perspective, and the story’s revolved around the scenic master- emotional intricacy and suspenseful piece that is “Part II.” My adoration shockers have given it a reputation as for “Part II” could also be grounded one of the best films of all time. in the fact that I fell asleep watching If “Part II” is the prologue and the first one when I was little, but epilogue, that would make “Part I” happened to awaken during “Part II” the story itself. “Part II” might have and therefore only christened “Part more magnetism, but “Part I” is the II” with my approval. My freshman original story of the Corleone famyear, this one movie channel my ily without the dazzling devices of family had ordered showed “The time-shifting, and there is someGodfather” series evthing to be said about ery Saturday. When that. So if someone I woke up early one asks which film is weekend morning, Considering my my favorite of the groggy with my hair present adoration franchise, I won’t be matted in knots, my ashamed to say that father’s eyes were al- of [Patti] Smith, I I love both equally. ready wide awake as often have to reThey both deserve he nursed his sixth mind myself that my utmost admiracup of tea, excitedly our introduction tion, because they are perched upon the left a unit rather than dicorner of the couch. I was less than vided entities. recognized the char- cordial.

When Francis Ford acteristically dramatic Coppola made “The score, which serves as Godfather,” and made an interlude between the film’s emo- legends out of Marlon Brando, Al tional peaks, and he acknowledged Pacino and Robert de Niro, he cremy presence quickly before saying, ated a historic landmark for the “This is the end of ‘Part II.’ I’ve been American cinematic identity. To watching since 5 a.m. — I saw all of this day, hearing the musical score ‘Part I,’ too. You’ve got to watch it, makes me sentimental, and reminds Hanna.” me that the two first films are, toSo I did. And let me tell you — I gether, an experience. Sometimes, I loved it. I really loved it. I’ll make this have trouble differentiating the stodistinction right here and right now: rylines from one another, because “The Godfather” is to film as “Ham- in my mind, they have meshed into let” is to theater. It’s a staple, a cen- one heroic saga, which I think is the terpiece, a pivotal grounding force. intention. I try not to think of them “Part I” does not have the change- as separate anymore — they are both over in storylines of “Part II,” but that deeply special films that connect to doesn’t compromise the story’s com- create a masterpiece of an epic. plexity, and “Part I” can stand on its own

The Talon May 24, 2016

11

Get daily updates on Eagle athletics and read the sports archives at lahstalon.org/content/sports

How much do high school sports cost?

GRAPHIC BY ANNE SCHILL, INFORMATION COLLECTED BY RACHEL LU

2016 Rio Summer Olympics: The show must go on CHRIS DADOK EMILY TERADA

LIZZY BEUTTER

ANISHA DESAI Staff Writer

Senior Writers

This August, the 31st summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, but unlike previous years, the fate of the summer Olympics in Rio is now more of an “if ” than a “when” due to logistical and health problems. However, in order to appreciate the talent and training coming into fruition, viewers must look past Rio’s f laws and enjoy the show.

When the last summer Olym- thing à la Sochi Winter Olympics was held in London, Eng- pics, with unfinished hotel land was easily able to put forth rooms and no other dining opthe money and the necessary tions aside from fast food. When manpower to host a successful there is any news regarding Rio, Olympics. On the it is typically with contrary, this year, a fear-mongering the United States take on the situaIt is important for has been forced to tion. Despite this, pump hundreds of viewers to support it is important for millions of dollars the event and the viewers to support into construction athletes rather the event and the in order for Brazil than focus on the athletes rather to even host the than focus on the Olympic games. potential problems potential probImportant devel- surrounding the lems surrounding opments such as event. the event. the metro extenIn the past sion needed for Olympic games, transportation to and from the there were issues and controgames are not on track to be versies that affected not only finished in time for the open- the Olympians but the country ing ceremony on August 5. Even hosting the games as well. When with financial aid from the Russia hosted the winter OlymU.S. and all of the money be- pics, many accused the country ing spent, preparations for the of corruption and funneling event continue to run behind money away from the event. The schedule. problem with the Rio Olympics One of many concerns regard- is that the issues at hand affect ing the upcoming Olympics is not only the local populace, but whether Rio will resemble any- also incoming athletes as well.

Soaring Eagle:

SKYLER MAESO

Adding to the list of problems is the spread of a mosquitoborne disease called the Zika virus, which has plagued Brazil and surrounding countries since the beginning of this year.

It has even made some Olympians, such as U.S. women’s soccer team goalie Hope Solo, question whether they will even be attending the event.

“The Zika virus is definitely a concern to me,” Hope Solo said in an interview with “Sports Illustrated.” “I’m obviously keeping an eye on what’s going on in the news. I do know that it’s spreading, and they don’t really have a vaccination to treat it, so it’s definitely worrisome.”

Over time, Olympic spectators on the world stage have become more cynical about host countries being successful in hosting the event. However, heightened expectations for the Olympics should not overlook the true meaning of the games, which have for decades fostered sportsmanship and talent for all to enjoy.

Deemed a “star pitcher” by MaxPreps, senior Lizzy Beutter is one of the best softball players in the Central Coast, Los Altos’ team captain and starting pitcher.

“I actually initially didn’t like softball,” Lizzy said. “But then I started pitching a little bit, and I really liked being able to control the rest of the game, which is kind of weird. I liked touching the ball every time, and then having it be my fault when things went wrong but also my [doing] when things went right.”

Lizzy began playing softball at the age of 8, making the decision to play competitively soon after.

From the beginning, she was always drawn to the position of pitcher, despite its difficulty.

“Pitching is a lot of mental toughness,” Lizzy said. “Lots of times, if things are going badly for your team or for you, you have to pick yourself up and problemsolve in the

FRANCESCA FALLOW

middle of a game. There is never a perfect game; things go badly all the time. Being able to analyze what is going badly while playing and trying to fix it is probably the hardest part.”

Lizzy describes softball as being low-intensity, and then very high-intensity and highpressure all at once. Because of the difficulty of batting and the relatively small amount of chances a player gets to hit, a large part of softball is failing.

Lizzy has her own routine for accepting and getting over failure in a constructive way.

“Whenever I have a bad pitch or someone hits it or someone makes an error, I walk back behind the mound, and I look at the same tree that’s out way behind center field, take a deep breath and then turn back around,” Lizzy said. “I just think about resetting and visualizing what I want to have happen and forgetting whatever [mistake] just happened.”

Lizzy tries to pass down these lessons she has learned about letting go of mistakes to her teammates, particularly the younger players on the team.

“A lot of it is leading by example, always being the one to hustle and always being the one to pick other people up,” Lizzy said. “Being that person is harder than you’d think because sometimes it feels like they are always watching and looking up to you so you have to be very consistent and never show disappointment or anger.”

12

The Talon May 24, 2016

TAKING ON THE CENTRAL COAST

As of Tuesday, May 16th, 17 teams at LAHS qualified for CCS and were given the chance to compete to be crowned the best in the Central Coast.

GRAPHICS BY ANNE SCHILL

What does it take to win CCS? ERIC THIEM BEN ZAESKE

Business Manager Staff Writer

When it comes to advancing in CCS, there are many factors that come into play.

How prepared is the team? How prepared are the individual athletes? How does everything come together on that specific day? Often times, the win hinges upon so many factors that it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen before it already has.

Two key ingredients to finding success in CCS are proper preparation and diligent training, which allow athletes to go into a meet feeling confident and ready.

However, as important as training is, it is not enough to carry any one team or any individual athlete all the way through CCS finals alone. A team needs to be capable of working effectively and trusting each other, with a competitive mindset that pushes each athlete to the win.

Senior Albert Gwo, who placed first in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle races in CCS in both his junior and senior year, can attest to what proper preparation can do for an athlete’s confidence going into a meet and their performance as well.

“What was most important was that going into the [CCS] competition, I knew I had done enough training, and I had done more than my competitors,” Albert said.

“The most important thing for athletes is going into a competition and being confident enough that you have already done the work and not freaking out last minute and trying to fix anything.”

Training well allows athletes to go into a meet or a game feeling confident and ready, and shows them where they stand in comparison to where they want to be.

An athlete’s training is a good indicator for how they will perform, and knowing this allows athletes to head into a meet with a few less unknowns. But if you’re aiming for the CCS title, there’s something else that is needed, which is a little harder to

come by and a lot harder to perfect: team dynamics.

Having the ability to work together cohesively as a team is crucial for success no matter how talented each individual athlete is.

“One of the biggest things about having a team sport is you can’t just focus on your own individual skills, but you need to focus on how you interact with your teammates on and off the court,” senior boys volleyball captain Nathan Smith said.

“There’s a lot of trust you have to build with teammates in making sure not to take over what they are doing or else you both fail.”

Seniors Carina Burdick and Juliette Martin won CCS in doubles tennis this year. The two have also competed together in numerous tennis competitions outside of school. Carina attributes a lot of their success this year to their chemistry on and off the playing field.

“I think that [the reason we won] was because of the friendship we had established since fourth or fifth grade,” Carina said.

“We practiced together a lot and established our growth together throughout our years in tennis.”

Being comfortable with the competitive aspect of a sport is another key for finding success in CCS. Competition is the drive of many athletes who make it to CCS finals and is something that pushes them throughout the season, whether it’s during practices or in the final moments of their game or race. Where other athletes might crumble under pressure, champions flourish within it.

“Tennis is a very competitive sport,” Carina said. “It’s you versus the other player, and everyone is always competing. Competitive mindsets can get you a long way in tennis.”

Often times, many athletes find that they enjoy competition. Those who are able to find their competitive drive and use it to push themselves are often the ones who are able to pull off the win in CCS. “Most of my [competitive mindset] is having fun while I compete,” Albert said.

“My competitive mindset while I’m at the meet is as my coach puts it, just [getting] my hand to the wall first. But I think for sports, competition is what keeps athletes in the game... It’s super fun to compete with everyone.”

DIVING PHOTOS COURTESY ELLA MILLIKEN; GIRLS TENNIS PHOTO BY FRANCESCA FALLOW; OTHER PHOTOS BY KUNAL PANDIT