Issue 3 11/8

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCVI, No. 3

Palo Alto High School • 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • www.palycampanile.org

Friday, November 8, 2013

Seniors take victory, sophomores second in Spirit Week

Jensen Hsiao/ The campanile

Students from all grades come together during the first-ever brunch rally to win points for their respective classes on Oct. 23. The seniors clinched the win at the end of the week, See SPIRIT WEEK, A3 with sophomores in second.

ACT to pilot digital assessment in 2015

By Angela Stern Senior Staff Writer

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tarting in the spring of 2015, students can trade in their pencils for keyboards on ACT testing days. The nonprofit organization recently announced that it will pilot a digital version of the test at select high schools in 2015 and plan to make the new format available to all test takers shortly after.

The ACT exam is a “curriculum and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college,” according to the organization’s website. The test is taken by nearly 1.7 million high school students every year. Jon Erickson, president of the ACT’s education division, said that the new format will resemble the current test, but allow for more rapid score returns and reflect the increasing presence of computers and technology in students’ lives.

“This has been in the planning for a long time,” Erickson said in an interview with Deseret News. “But,

we’re not doing it for the technology.

It’s really a vehicle around the need to address immediacy of results, new ways to measure skill performance and informing and improving instruction.”

Results can be returned to the student much quicker, if not almost immediately.

Jon Erickson

President of ACT Education

Faster delivery of results was one of the foremost reasons for creating a digital version of the test, as the new format will hopefully be able to score the tests in anywhere from seconds to minutes following completion. The organization has yet to release specifics on how the new results will be delivered, since the optional writing component must still be hand-scored and will thus take extra time.

“Most of us want to have our re-

See ACT, A3

New Common App malfunctions

By Jeffrey Ho Staff Writer

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he Common Application, an online program utilized by schools nationwide for college admissions, has recently encountered numerous technical difficulties, hindering the college admissions process for many seniors applying to universities this year.

Over this past month, complications with the Common App system have delayed submissions of college applications for the nationwide high school class of 2014. Such complications on the website have caused frustration throughout the nation.

When the website is busiest, many students reported complaints regarding failure to log into an existing account, trouble importing transcripts and letters of recommendation onto the site, jumbled document conversion formatting and glitches in the payment systems. In addition, due to the increasing number of colleges utilizing the Common App for college admissions, its server has been in high demand for students, resulting in periodic crashes that affects the users.

According to Scott Anderson, the Common Application’s Director

See COMMON APP, A3

JEnsen Hsiao/the campanile

Students have been encountering issues while using the Common Application website when submitting applications to colleges.

Environmental Club revamps recycling effort to minimize impact

By Heather Strathearn Senior Staff Writer

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he Paly Environmental Club (PEC) has decided to turn the current ineffectual system of separating waste into compost, recycling and trash at Paly into one that is functional in correctly separating waste to benefit the earth.

Disregard for the proper usage of the green compost or blue recycling bins is prevalent; along with a few compostable or recyclable items, trash is common throughout. This misplacement of items also occurs in the trash bin, which often contains items that could be recycled or composted.

This compost and recycling movement has infiltrated many other Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) schools, but has failed to take hold at Paly. A few years ago, the Green Team, a former Paly club focused on bringing awareness to environmental issues, attempted to initiate this movement through labeling the compost, recycling and trash bins and creating laminated “Got Green?” posters that displayed information as to which color represents which means of waste disposal.

However, these efforts by the Green Team “didn’t change the climate of

the school,” according to Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson. Despite the Green Team having disbanded and never succeeding in creating an effective system to promote composting and recycling at Paly, this year, PEC has assumed plans to revamp prior efforts.

PEC plans to kick off its efforts to increase awareness around the school of the importance and environmentally positive effects of compost and recycling during Paly’s annual Turkey Trot on Nov. 22.

Along with the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) handing out Thanksgiving feasts for a cash or canned food donation, PEC will be stationed on the quad to advise students in their trash disposal.

Added guidance supplied by the club is aimed to help students and clear up any confusion on which items belong in which bin. PEC realizes that sorting composting, recycling and trash is not always simple, and even the most environmentally conscious people struggle in deciding where each item belongs.

“I was a part of the Green Team, and I still walk up to [recycling and compost bins] and take five seconds to really think about what goes where,” Berkson said.

With club officers manning every recycling and compost bin on the Quad during Turkey Trot, PEC is hoping to leave students with no

See RECYCLING, A3

Coby Parker/the campanile

PEC is hoping to correct the current disposal of student waste.

WASC accreditation review ongoing

By Arjun Parikh

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Senior Staff Writer

alo Alto High School has been working closely with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) since the 2008-2009 school year in an attempt to improve the school in all areas. WASC is one of six regional associations that accredits schools.

Schools across the United States must first be accredited before they are eligible to take part in federal and state financial aid programs. According to WASC’s website, a school is accredited once WASC finds evidence that the school “possesses the resources… to achieve its educational goals.”

Schools must also “provide evidence of the quality of its educational programs.” Peer evaluation and institutional self-review are required for initial accreditation.

A WASC report on a particular school has two major sections.

“One [report] is called the selfstudy, which is reporting everything Paly is doing — if we could take a snapshot of the entire school right

now, what does our school look like?”

Paly WASC coordinator Emily Garrison said. “And the second set is the action plan, which is, ‘How do we get better?’”

WASC is dedicated to helping Paly create a brighter, more sustainable future.

Accreditation is reaffirmed every six years to ensure that schools stay on track and are meeting goals. An institutional self-study, an external review and a site visit are required during each reaccreditation period.

In addition to granting eligibility for financial aid programs, accreditation allows college credit to transfer between accredited schools. Accreditation is also vital for graduate programs.

“So then what happens is that WASC sends a visiting committee and they spend about four days with us in the late winter or early spring,” Garrison said. “They read this report, they talk to everyone, they come to classrooms, all to validate our report

and then to give us feedback about our action plan.”

Although the amount of work going into to WASC escalates at the beginning and end of each six-year cycle, there is always a WASC-related task going on behind the scenes.

“What’s really interesting about WASC is that it’s a six-year cycle that is being worked on all the time,” Garrison said.

At Paly, the most recent WASC cycle took place during the 20082009 school year.

“Primarily, teachers are the main driving force behind WASC,” Garrison said.

WASC is dedicated to helping Paly create a brighter, more sustainable future, and its findings have helped bring about major change — WASC is responsible for the implementation of the later start time (8:15 a.m.) and the block schedule that came into effect three years ago.

Most students feel the block schedule has had a positive impact at Paly.

“Even though I questioned it at

See WASC, A3

INSIDE N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A 1- A 5 Opinion...............................A6-A8 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B6, B8 E d u c at i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 2 F a c u l t y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 3 Spotlight...............................B4-B5 StudentLife....................................B7 S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C 1- C 8

SPOTLiGHT Common Core

A preview of the new federal standards and how they affect classes.

B4-B5

LiFesTYLe Women Empowerment

Students in Palo Alto take initiative to encourage women empowerment. B6

sPORTs Single Sex Sports?

Should all sports be co-ed or offer teams for both sexes?

C4-C5

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Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

NEWS

A2

School Board Update

NEWS TO KNOW

By Josefin Kenrick

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COURTESY OF SKY 5 NEWS

@cnnbrk Evacuations are under way at Los Angeles International Airport after reports of shots fired there, police said. @AP Pakistani Taliban spokesman confirms the death of the militant group’s leader in a U.S. drone strike. @HuffingtonPost Justin Bieber allegedly spotted at brothel in Brazil. @nytimes On HealthCare.gov ‘s first day, fewer than a dozen people managed to sign up.

COURTESY OF JILL TUCKER

The family of Colman Chadam, a student at Jordan Middle School, is suing for damages related to a 2012 lawsuit.

Parents file second lawsuit against school district Lawsuit seeks payment for damages and attorney’s fees

By Bowen Gerould Senior Staff Writer

I EBRAHIM NOROOZI/AP

@NBCNews 10,000 Iranians protest, burn American flags on US Embassy siege anniversary.

n the wake of a lawsuit against Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in Oct. 2012, the parents of seventh grader Colman Chadam are seeking damages as well as payment for attorney’s fees in a second lawsuit filed against the district.

Chadam, who has genetic mutations for cystic fibrosis (CS), but not the condition, moved with his family to Palo Alto before the start of the 2012-2013 school year, and was to attend Jordan Middle School, but was asked to transfer to Terman Middle School, three and a half miles from their house, in order to protect a

@NewsBreaker Gay rights bill barring discrimination clears first hurdle in Senate. @usnews Twitter raises IPO value to $13.6 billion, bringing its stock price range to $23 to $25 per share. @NewsBreaker Maine @RepMikeMichaud came out as gay today, and he asks, “Why should it matter?’’ @cnnbrk The gunman in the New Jersey mall shooting was found dead inside the mall, police said.

student with CS at Jordan Middle School.

Cystic fibrosis, which is associated with mucus buildup in the lungs, is not contagious. However, it is dangerous for two people with the CS mutations to be near each other because of the possibility of passing bacteria from one person to another. Afflicted people are advised to stay three to six feet away from one another.

Chadam, however, has been tested and his physician says that he does not have the condition, therefore making it safe for him to be around other CS patients. The school decided to err on the side of caution and ordered that Chadam be relocated to Terman instead, which was initially what sparked the controversy and ul-

timately led to the suit.

The district’s attorney Lenore Silverman spoke on behalf of the school to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“This is a very unusual situation,” Silverman said. “The district is not willing to risk a potentially lifethreatening illness among kids.”

The family sued the district in Oct. 2012, winning the case for their son to remain at Jordan, but it came at a cost. The family has had to deal with the embarrassment of the whole situation in the wake of the suit and now wants retribution.

The family has decided to sue again on the grounds that a teacher violated its child’s rights by exposing sensitive and private information about Chadam’s medical situation.

ADMINISTRATION UPDATE

New buildings close to finish

By Galen Byrd Staff Writer

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s the media arts center and new math and social studies buildings wrap up, the administration has moved on to the interior planning stage of the construction.

According to Principal Kim Diorio, the administration is looking for ways to get student help and advice for the interior design of the buildings.

“I am hoping to come back to some students because I think it is re-

ally important that kids have ownership of those spaces and are involved in the design process,” Diorio said.

Diorio is unsure about how exactly to get the student involvement they are looking for, but will be working towards it with Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson and other student groups such as the Associated Student Body (ASB), and student publications.

In addition, the administration started a new tradition on Nov. 1, with seniors wearing pajamas to school to recognize the day after the due date for early college applications.

“I thought that could be a really cool legacy as a new, positive, tradition for this senior class,” Diorio said.

Lastly, according to Diorio, some new courses will be proposed to the school board on Nov. 6. One proposed class is a Nanotechnology class in partnership with Foothill College.

Diorio is passionate about preparing students for the world ahead and offering classes that will assist them in their futures.

“We’re looking at our course offering as and making sure they are more appropriate for what’s coming down the road,” Diorio said.

ASB UPDATE

By Zach Levitan Staff Writer

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NOV

FOOTBALL: PALY VS. LOS GATOS

NOV

SECOND PROGRESS REPORT

NOV

VETERAN’S DAY

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TURKEY TROT

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COURTESY OF JANE GEE

Students compete in a “Minute to Win It” activity during a rally on Oct. 22. ASB is in the process of reviewing the successes and controversies of the week. [during Spirit Week],” Senior Class President Audrey DeBruine. “We had the issue this year where a small group of people were losing points for their grade to the point where it became unfair for their classmates.

We don’t want that to be happening, but we still want to show that rude behavior is not acceptable during Spirit Week or at any other time.”

he Oct. 22 school board meeting focused on the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.

In a previous Board meeting during April, the school board updated Common Core standards which will be put into effect starting in the spring of 2014-15.

The April report included an overview of key features, design, background information and implementation plans regarding the new standards of the Smarter Balanced Assessment system.

In the October meeting, the Board checked on the progress of the new Common Core standards in the school. There have also been changes in legislation regarding the statewide assessment system, and new legislation created the CalMAPP (California Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress). The CalMAPP is supposed to help improve measuring assessments.

The Board reviewed how these new standards and their implementation could potentially impact different areas of the district, such as curriculum, instruction and assessment.

The Nov. 5 meeting discussed the new Strategic Plan that was devised during the 2012-13 school year, specifically around Section E on Governance and Communications.

There were discussions of employee evaluation for the superintendent, a conference with labor negotiator and employee discipline or dismissal regarding a specific government code.

A declaration of need for emergency permits and short term staffing permits for employees was also discussed after being approved on Sept. 10, 2013.

As with most school board meetings, there was also an open forum for citizens and board members. In the open forum, citizens can discuss items not mentioned in the meeting. Some of these items included the 2013-14 additional resource allocations, the academic achievement of alumni for SAT and AP testing and the annual report on school impact fees for 2012-13, among other topics.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19, 2013 and agenda items include the calendar, more strategic plan goals, guidance and counseling update, safe schools and the first interim financial report.

Board meetings are usually televised on channel 28 webcast and can also be viewed online. Information summarizing board meetings and upcoming board calendars can be

UPCOMING EVENTS

ASB to review Spirit Week successes, failures he Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body (ASB) is working on ways to further improve future student activities following the conclusion of Spirit Week and the Homecoming Dance on Oct. 26.

“In our discussion we bring up what worked and what didn’t so that each year Spirit Week gets better,” junior Spirit Commissioner Maya Ben-Efraim said. “We will continue discussing aspects of Spirit Week and will wrap up with discussing the Homecoming Dance, which was a huge success.”

Spirit Week at Paly is one of the biggest events of the year and ASB hopes to improve each year while still retaining old traditions.

“We introduced new games this year and kept a few of the old ones,” Ben-Efraim said.

However, this year’s Spirit Week was plagued with controversy.

“We’re going to be talking about our sportsmanship point system and the fairness of that, and how we can work on dealing with some of the unsportsmanlike things that occurred

News Editor

ASB is working hard to make Paly and its student activities more enjoyable and safe.

The events that occurred over Spirit Week will hopefully lead to a better experience for future activities.

“It’s important for us to document everything now so that when ASB plans for next year, it’s even better,” DeBruine said.

22

NOV

27

Who goes for the games, anyway?

It doesn’t go in your GPA; it doesn’t matter.

On a serious note, thank you to all of our troops.

Free lunch if you can brave the two-milelong line!

THANKSGIVING BREAK BEGINS

It’s all about the food.

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

A3

NEWS

Seniors rebound on last day to win Spirit Week Junior class finishes third due to poor sportsmanship and disunity, freshmen come in last

By Ziv Schwartz Sports Editor

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fter a tight final day of Spirit Week 2013, the seniors were able to pull ahead and clinch the victory on Friday with an impressive performance at the lunch rally, a wellbuilt float and cohesive Spirit Dance after having trailed the sophomore class for the whole week. The sophomores came in second place, beating out the junior class by 325 points and losing to the seniors by the same margin. The freshman class came in last, trailing the juniors by a total of 875 points.

However, this year’s Spirit Week was marred by much controversy, as tensions between the junior and sophomore classes grew to extreme levels, resulting in a physical altercation and food being thrown at the sophomore spirit dancers. In addition, the senior class began to panic

and there was a frenzy throughout the class’ Facebook group when they fell behind early in the week.

Despite the final result, each class had a defining moment during this year’s Spirit Week. For the freshmen, their moment came during Thursday’s advisory rally, when freshman Miles Tention went on to beat both senior Noah Phillips and junior Kevin Mullin in the 3-point shootout to secure the class’ only first place finish in the week. Tention sank 18 threes in the final round. Freshman Noa BenEfraim was very excited about the her class’ performance this year and about the future Spirit Weeks to come.

“Spirit Week was a great experience to be a part of and I’m looking forward to the years to come as our grade improves,” Ben-Efraim said.

“I’m really impressed with the sophomores because they put up a good fight, but I’m glad the seniors won overall.”

The sophomores had many wins during week, winning “Best Dressed” almost every day and having some of the loudest cheers. The class also won the Wednesday lunch rally, which involved three “Minute to Win it” games, furthering their lead on the seniors for the day. Sophomore Ariya Momeny was extremely impressed by his class and their showing of school spirit.

“Spirit Week was an awesome experience like it is every year, but this year, we all came together and supported each other so much...it was amazing,” Momeny said. “Everyone put in 110 percent effort and it really brought our class together, and it made us all glad to be from the Class of 2016, but mostly, glad to be Vikings.”

Although the juniors came in third, the class had some positive moments throughout the week, including winning best dressed on Monday

for their theme of “Yellow Submarine.”

“I think the sophomore class did a decent job pulling it together with the cheers and games to almost come out with a win,” junior Anish Haris said. “They definitely had their Agame on, but it just didn’t seem like it was enough to beat the senior class.”

Unfortunately, some members of the junior class were involved in incidents ranging outside of Spirit Week, leading the entire junior class to be docked points — not helping their chances of even getting second in Spirit Week. Lost sportsmanship points increased class tension.

“Spirit Week is supposed to be a friendly competition, but I think the food fights and food throwing is just going too far,” Haris said. “I’m not sure who was involved, but the few who were part of it should realize that their actions ruin the fun for everyone else.”

Aside from the altercations, the week proved to be extremely fun and exciting for all of those involved, resulting in a surprisingly large turnout at the Homecoming dance, with a reported 750 students attending. Senior Hope Crockett praised ASB on their transparent point system and gave her respect to the sophomore class as a whole. “[The second place victory for the sophomores] showed that Spirit Week really isn’t rigged anymore, and that seniors aren’t guaranteed the win,” Crockett said. “Also, it seemed that some judges wanted to make an example out of our class, since some of the subjective judging was questionable in my opinion. How did sophomores win best dressed four out of the five days? Especially on generations day. I have to hand it to the class of 2016, they’re pretty good and remember, we did what they did our sophomore year.”

Stanford begins construction on WASC review continues new housing units to open in 2016 WASC, continued from A1

Conner Harden/ The Campanile

New complexes will look similar to existing housing, pictured above.

By Grace Kim Staff Writer

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early 250 new family-friendly Stanford University housing units will be ready for people to move in by 2016. With construction set to begin next year, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is beginning to figure out where the children living in these new Stanford units will attend school.

Stanford and PAUSD officials have already discussed the enrollment situation for the kids who will reside in these new homes, and they plan to determine the school boundaries before construction begins next year.

Although the housing units will be closer to Escondido Elementary

School, it is likely the new children will be enrolled at Nixon Elementary School. This is due to Nixon’s smaller student population at 482 students compared to Escondido’s 538 students, making Escondido the district’s second-largest school. From Nixon, these students would then attend Terman Middle School and then Henry M. Gunn High School.

The first collection of new units will be located in upper College Terrace near the former Facebook headquarters. Where California Avenue becomes a dead-end into Amherst Street, 180 new owner-occupied units will be built.

The first housing units will be a mixture of 112 condominiums and 68 single family houses. The condos

will range from 1,080 square foot two-bedroom condos to up to 2,700 square foot four-and five-bedroom condos. The houses will average 2,150 to 2,200 square feet and will vary in bedroom size.

The second housing group will face El Camino Real, south of California Avenue, between the Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank buildings. These 70 units will be up for rent. The El Camino homes will include 24 one-and-two-bedroom units, and 22 three-bedroom units.

Stanford hopes that the College Terrace housing will help recruit Stanford faculty members and their families; sales will be restricted to faculty housing. However, the new housing along El Camino will be rental units available to the general public who are of low-income, defined as 60 percent of the Santa Clara County median income.

Stanford University and PAUSD have a history of cooperation. Stanford housing currently generates 681 students in the PAUSD system, which has increased in recent years due to other Stanford housing developments off of Stanford Avenue. PAUSD also currently has five schools located on land that was once belonged to Stanford: Palo Alto High School, Henry M. Gunn High School, Escondido Elementary School, Nixon Elementary School and Menlo Park’s Oak Knoll School.

Seniors struggle with Common App COMMON APP, continued from A1 of Policy, the Common App system has attracted an increasing number of students this year, and at the time of its yearly launch, many technical difficulties were spotted.

“Many, many students have been able to submit just fine,” Anderson said in an interview with the Washington Post. “But for those who can’t, it’s maddening. It’s frustrating. . . We are apologetic and regretful that they find themselves in this position.”

As a result of these difficulties, many schools have pushed back deadlines for early action and early decision admissions. Universities such as Yale University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Boston University

have all extended deadlines upwards of two weeks. Other schools, such as Princeton University, have alternative methods for submitting applications not through programs.

Senior Travis Chen believes that colleges with extended deadlines have really helped students in a time of stress.

“I think [Common App’s problems] have added unnecessary stress to the [college admissions] process,” Chen said, “I agree with the colleges’ decisions to extended deadlines, because it allows students to submit what they actually want, instead of conforming to time pressures caused by [Common App’s] problems.”

The Common App has since fixed many of the glitches that has caused seniors across the country to lengthen their college application processes, but there remain occasional bugs and

glitches that students still face. Luckily, many of the remaining errors in the system are either purely cosmetic, or they do not apply to the majority of applicants. Portions of students’ uploaded application documents are not inadvertently deleted, and credit cards are not charged multiple times for fees; however, document and website formatting remain jumbled for many users.

Regardless of whether colleges have changed their procedures for admissions this school year, or if the Common App continues to glitch for students, this has caused an overall delay and struggle to submit college applications in a timely manner.

As deadlines for early action and early decision pass, the Common App program hopes to rebound from its early inconveniences in time for regular decision applications.

Environmental Club introduces new plan PEC, continued from A1 excuse to put items in the incorrect bin. To publicize their efforts at Turkey Trot, PEC will be decorating the library chalkboard wall.

Since PEC focuses on promoting environmental awareness, it will not display paper posters around school in order to minimize paper waste.

The PEC will instead use Facebook to gain more publicity. In the near future, PEC plans to photograph

typical packaging waste from Town and Country stores and display which bin each piece of waste correctly belongs in.

This specific labeling is intended to present students with the knowledge they need. This is one of the club’s many efforts to tune the composting and recycling system to Paly students’ needs.

Additionally, the club is aiming to work with InFocus to provide segments on composting and recycling

to better inform and remind students of their potential positive impact on the environment.

Palo Alto, a relatively green city, has taken many steps towards being more environmentally conscious.

PEC hopes to push Paly in the same direction by changing the Paly perspective of trash as a burden to the view of trash as a resource that can be an asset to the environment when compost and recycling are being used effectively.

first it has turned out to be a great system, allowing more focus to each class while reducing daily homework,” senior Andrea Clerici-Hermandinger said.

According to WASC’s Single Plan for Student Achievement for Paly, three major goals were established during the last WASC process.

“Once we look at the data, we can discuss areas that we really need to work on,” Garrison said. “Paly’s an amazing school, but just because you’re the best school, it doesn’t mean you can’t get better.”

The first goal, Horizontal and Vertical Curricular Alignment, was established to ensure “that teachers work together in the best interest of each and every student at Paly.” Based on this goal, English teachers worked to align their courses and the Guidance Department created new advisory plans to better assist students with the college application process,.

The math and science departments worked together to avoid overlap: that is, to make sure big assessments and projects were more spread out.

“Students can’t always totally see the effects of what we do all the time, but they really have been making a huge difference for students,” Garrison said.

The second goal was to “prepare each and every student for college” and to ensure that “each and every student graduates from Paly with a robust and individual plan for his or her education after high school.” As part of the “College Readiness and Post-Secondary Planning” initiative, Paly worked hard to better its College Essay Writing Workshops and added a Multivariable Calculus Honors course for students who completed AP BC Calculus before senior year. Paly also started a Summer Bridge Program to increase stu-

dent preparedness for incoming high school.

“We’ve been working to just build up our advisory and guidance programs,” Garrison said.

The third goal, “Support for All Students,” aimed to ensure “every student is supported in his or her personal and academic work.” This goal included increased collaboration between Special Education and all departments, the addition of Conceptual Physics, a more basic physics course and Outreach Specialists “to provide additional direct support to our underrepresented population.”

Goal three was created to decrease the amount of students who fall behind and to give proper attention to those who do. A more complete understanding of WASC’s goals for Paly and progress made can be found on the WASC section of the Paly website by clicking on the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA).

With the WASC process renewing itself in 2015, Garrison is in the process of forming a student group to allow Paly students to be involved.

“The primary focus for the student group is giving input into how to make Paly better,” Garrison said.

The student group is being created to prepare for next year’s WASC Visiting Committee by discussing and researching solutions to issues at Paly. Students involved in the WASC process will focus on improving Paly’s learning environment.

“We’re looking for people who not only have a lot to say, but people that really want to work for positive change,” Garrison said. “It’s not about changing the food in our cafeteria, the forum for this is, like I said, really serious study and the analysis of hard and soft data.”

The student group will meet every other week in a group effort that will culminate in what will hopefully be a successful WASC site visit.

ACT to be offered digitally ACT, continued from A1 sults the second we finish because our attention and focus is right there,” Erickson said. “Results can be returned to the student much quicker, if not almost immediately and we’ll be able to have scores and results tailored to the receiving audience. We’re scratching the surface on what we can do in a digital-delivered type of assessment.”

By having a digital format, the test will also be able to utilize new, unprecedented question formats.

For example, the new test is said to contain more engaging free-response questions “in which students manipulate on-screen images to form their conclusions,” according to The New York Times. “In one sample question, students move a plunger on a cylindrical gas tank to change gas pressure and temperature. They then write a few sentences describing the relationship between distance and pressure and between temperature and pressure, and graph those relationships.”

However, since not all students across the United States have equal access to technology and computers growing up or at school, for now, the ACT will still offer a traditional

paper-and-pencil testing format to schools who opt to. The organization says their goal is to eventually have a 100 percent digital medium.

Several states, such as Kentucky and Wyoming, where the ACT is part of state-mandated programs, have reported difficulties with digital formats of other ACT administered exams, ranging from capacity issues to a lack of technical infrastructure.

Indiana and Oklahoma also reported major issues with online formatted tests due to computer glitches and bogged-down Internet connections, according to US News. Erickson brings up that the traditional penciland-paper tests come risks too, as they can be lost, damaged and filled out incorrectly.

The ACT assures parents and students worried about the switch to digital that the organization will not proceed with the new format until both the test takers and makers are sufficiently prepared. Erickson said that this is not the first time the ACT is attempting online testing, as they have already experimented with the format for some of the many other tests that they offer.

“We’ve been doing computer adaptive testing for decades,” Erickson said. “We’re good at this.”

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

NEWS

A4

Stanford Shopping Center stores renovated, relocated

Courtesy of Apple Images /Google Images

Stanford Shopping Mall unveiled Apple’s newly renovated 12,000 square foot pavillion style retail store in mid-September that replaced the old nine-year-old store. The store was welcomed by an excited crowd.

By William Shin

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Staff Writer

tanford Shopping Center has decided to revamp and revitalize its atmosphere by adding new brands in an attempt to create more revenue and attract new customers.

These changes will consist of new stores and remodeled buildings. The specific type of stores have not yet been released to the public.

Some of the remodeled buildings will include a Silicon Valley favorite Apple, as well as Fleming’s Steakhouse.

With Fleming’s Steakhouse moving to a larger, newly renovated loca-

tion in the former parking lot facing El Camino Real, as well as remodeling of Bloomingdale’s, Stanford Shopping Center will create space for three more retail stores and one multi-functioning building that will stand on the northeast corner of the mall.

Apple’s newly renovated 12,000square foot, 23-foot tall store replaced the previous nine-year-old store in early September. Apple used a pavillon design, enclosed by glass on three sides of the building and topped with a cantilevered roof.

Students at Palo Alto High School were fond of the futuristic design and the potential impact it could have at Stanford.

“I think it’s great that the mall is going under all these renovations,” junior Sheila Subramanian said.

“Such a large structure like the Apple building impacts the feel of the whole mall.”

There will be two one-story buildings and two two-story buildings on the northeast corner of the mall replacing Bloomingdale’s.

Each building will have smaller retail stores that have not yet been specified, rather than national brand names. By adding smaller brand name stores, Stanford will attempt to attract a new class of customers.

Many students agreed that newer stores would make them more likely to shop at the shopping mall.

“I would definitely be more likely to go there if there were newer small brand stores, and I don’t shop there that often right now,” junior Xavier Sherer said.

Such a large structure like the Apple building impacts the feel and aura of the whole mall.

Sheila Subramanian Junior

However, other students at Paly did not think that adding a few extra

stores would change their opinion or attitude regarding the shopping mall.

“I shop at Stanford a lot because they already offer a good selection of clothes, so I don’t think adding smaller brand stores would change how often I shop there, it just helps add to the variety that they already offer,” Subramanian said.

In addition to moving several stores to create space, there will be a new aesthetic look to the mall as well.

“It’s always nice to be shopping at a mall that has nice surroundings around the shops,” Subramanian said.

The lighting of the pavement and parking lots will be renovated as well, adding a fresher look at Stanford Shopping Center.

United Nations declares Internet access a human right Security Council passes declaration proclaiming access to Internet a natural right, form of freedom of expression

By Parker Devine

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Senior Staff Writer

he United Nations Security Council has passed a declaration that proclaims access to Internet a human right.

The declaration was made in response to multiple countries, including France and the United Kingdom, passing laws that gave government the authority to shut down websites because of copyright infringement.

The declaration was also passed in part to protect freedom of expression and increase protection against abusive governments: “Noting that the exercise of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression, on the Internet is an issue of increasing interest and importance as the rapid pace of technological development enables individuals all over the world to use new information and communications technologies,” the declaration stated.

The main purpose of this declaration is to stop governments from blocking certain websites or information sources on the Internet.

“While blocking and filtering measures deny users access to specific content on the Internet, states have also taken measures to cut off access to the Internet entirely,” one UN representative said. “The Special Rapporteur considers cutting off users from Internet access, regardless of the justification provided, includ-

ing on the grounds of violating intellectual property rights law, to be disproportionate and thus a violation of Article 19, Paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

The resolution also aims to eliminate current laws that allow Internet censoring.

“The Special Rapporteur calls upon all states to ensure that Internet access is maintained at all times, including during times of political unrest,” one UN representative said.

“In particular, the Special Rapporteur urges States to repeal or amend existing intellectual copyright laws, which permit users to be disconnected from Internet access, and to refrain from adopting such laws.”

The Special Rapporteur calls upon all states to ensure that Internet access is maintained at all times, including during times of political unrest.

UN Representative Many Palo Alto High School students agree with the UN’s decision because it helps increase international transparency, as well as grants countries equal opportunities.

“The Internet is extremely important because it allows for equal distribution of knowledge, so countries

Courtesy of global business technology

The United Nations Security Council passed a declaration that proclaims that Internet access is a natural and human right. can interact peaceably better,” senior Remi Wolf said.

Other students believe that Internet access is crucial for things like education and the development of other countries.

“I think universal Internet access is key for things like education because lots of basic and supplementary information is located on the Internet,”

junior Noah Hashmi said. “If everyone had Internet access it would help third world countries in particular.”

Many Paly students value Internet access because of job opportunities and information access, and value internet access as an important tool for acquiring new knowledge.

“I think that universal Internet access is extremely important because

the Internet can provide people with really important information. The Internet is undoubtedly becoming more and more essential in finding a job and in business,” sophomore Reid Walters said.“The Internet is a main source of what keeps people up-to -date on current events and important issues. Because of these factors, Internet is incredibly essential.”

The Campanile

Friday, November 8, 2013

NEWS

Senior polls amended after consultation with administration

A5

Number of special education students in district drops below national average Schools using early intervention approach

By Josefin Kenrick News Editor

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Hillel bmn nmb/The campanile

This year’s edition of Madrono will feature a few different senior polls categories after deliberations by the yearbook staff and administration. For instance, “Hottest Body,” seen above in the bottom left of the 2013 yearbook, will be renamed “Best Physique.”

By Irene Ezran

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Lifestyle Design Editor

enior polls have been a tradition in Madrono, Paly’s yearbook, for many years. Several weeks ago, the administration and yearbook staff came to the conclusion to change some of the senior polls for this year’s edition of the yearbook.

While most of the polls remained the same, some poll names were changed, such as “Most Desirable,” which became “Sweetest Sweetie,” and “Hottest Body,” which became

“Best Physique.” In addition, “Hormone Driven” and “Never Seen on Campus” were taken out of Madrono because of their negative connotations. As rumors of these changes spread throughout the school, many students were confused about why the polls were different this year and blamed the yearbook without knowing what truly happened.

Initially, senior Section Editors Karina Dutra and Alex Grandy wanted to keep most of the polls that had existed in the past, with the exception of a few because of the smaller yearbook staff this year. However,

yearbook advisor Margo Wixsom and the administration felt that it would be better to keep only positive polls so students have fond memories when looking back through the yearbook. After Dutra, Grandy and the administration discussed the issue, they came to the conclusion that it would be best to make these minor changes.

Although some polls were taken out and others were given new names, there are still over 40 polls that have been voted on and placed in Madrono, continuing this long-standing tradition.

3946 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303

pproximately nine percent of students in Palo Alto qualify for special education, according to the Palo Alto Weekly. This number is less than the national average of 10 percent.

The Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has been making a more “marked early” intervention approach to special education in pre-school and elementary school.

This targeted early intervention work has dropped the number of students who qualify for needing special education by 150 in the past three years.

The methods by which the numbers have dropped is described as “aggressive inclusion,” which could mean integrated classrooms or more interschool activities. At Palo Alto High School, some examples of inclusion are Unity Day and the Best Buddies Club. Unity Day, which took place on Oct. 9, held many inclusion activities on all PAUSD campuses, including Paly.

Best Buddies is a national volunteer movement that focuses on inclusion for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Paly chapter is very successful, having won Best Buddies pair of the year and having club president Kate Marinkovich

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move to the California Best Buddies state panel.

Unity Day and Best Buddies are two of the more inclusive programs or events happening in education for older students, but most of the intervention that brings special education numbers down is with the younger students, either in pre-school or early elementary school.

This is done through the “PreSchool Intervention Program” by PAUSD in which children are assisted through designated instruction or services, or specialized academic instruction.

There are also support services provided to special need students to help them in their programs.

Speech and language services are offered at all schools, no matter the grade, and PAUSD has language specialists to provide support for language disorders or fluency and articulation issues.

For pre-school options, PAUSD also provides special education students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in which individualized therapy, support, consultation, education and more.

PAUSD’s increased efforts in past years have created a measurable result in reducing the number of special education students, however, the district is still working to remedy problems of inclusion and bullying.

Friday, November 8, 2013

A6

OPINION

The Campanile

Teenagers should not be deterred from designated driving

By Esther Doerr

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Staff Writer

his past month, a high school honors student, Erin Cox, was suspended from five of her volleyball games and demoted from her position as team captain because she drove home a drunk friend. Andover High School in Massachusetts has a zero-tolerance policy against drug and alcohol use in the hopes of preventing underage drinking and the harsh consequences that can accompany it. Though this policy does have good intentions, to prevent harm to its community, it was applied incorrectly in this case.

Cox was confirmed sober by the police, yet the school still took action and punished the star athlete and student, arguing that she had violated the zero-tolerance policy by even being in the vicinity of alcohol and drugs.

Schools are not expected to be tolerant of illegal activities, such as underage drinking; however, schools need to differentiate between those who perpetuate the situation, from those who aim to alleviate its con-

sequences. In this situation, Cox was alleviating the situation, as she potentially saved her drunk friend from injuring herself or those around her by choosing to help.

By punishing Cox, the school is sending a negative message about designated driving, that friends should not offer or receive help from each other. Is this really the message communities want to be sending to teens?

By punishing Cox, the school is sending a negative message about designated driving, that friends should not offer or receive help from each other.

It is not a secret that underage drinking occurs and that in itself is an issue. In a perfect world, minors would call adults for help, but in reality, they fear punishment from both parents and the law. Schools and parents need to understand that kids rely much more on their friends than on adults, because they have less to fear from their friends.

As a result, minors tend to refrain from, or hesitate from, contacting an adult when they are under the influence and either call a friend or fend for themselves. If they choose the latter, chances are the minor will drive drunk or be driven by someone else who is intoxicated. Both of these scenarios could end in accidents, DUIs or death. However, if teenagers choose to call a friend the chances

of getting into an accident or facing unintended consequence goes down immensely.

“I’ve been driven by someone who was drinking that night, and it was a really scary experience for me,” a junior who would prefer to remain anonymous said. “I think that even though adults might not want their children drinking, they would feel better knowing that a sober person was behind the wheel as opposed to someone who had drunk that night.”

Considering those two options, encouraging designated drivers is a better option for the safety of the community than discouraging designated drivers, which most likely would lead to drunk driving.

There need to be policies, especially in schools that have zero-tolerance policies, that excuse students in situations where they act responsibly and maturely by driving a friend home or simply taking care of them.

Teenagers should be praised when they make the decision to help

a friend, and if there is a positive stigma around responsibly dealing with drunk friends and designating driving, then teens are more likely to reach out to adults if the situation spirals out of their control.

Adults encouraging students to assign a designated driver creates a rapport between students and adults.

By creating a positive environment geared toward commending responsible teens, adults can grow to become an option for teenagers to go to when things may get out of hand.

Courtesy of Autoevolution

Driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous for everyone and claims the lives of thousands every year.

Student streakers undeserving of registration as sex offenders

By Maya Kityama

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Editor-in-Chief

apist? Child molester? Avidsexter? These are the blunt descriptions of a sexual offender, a criminal who threatens the safety of citizens they encounter and is required to continually report updated information regarding their whereabouts at all times.

Now, take a step backward and juxtapose a harmless teenager, under the age of 18, who chooses to remove all articles of clothing and streak across a football field. Consider the circumstances of a teenager: a minor whose frontal lobe, the decision-making part of the brain, is still in development, hindering his or her ability to properly take into consideration long-term consequences when making decisions. Does this teenager belong alongside the aforementioned criminals? Granted, a minor who commits a serious sex offense of bigger and more dangerous proportions should without a doubt suffer the consequences. However, should an act of rash judgment such as streaking mark an adolescent by the law for an extended period of time, potentially ruining his or her chances at finding employment or even housing?

According to the authorities and school officials of Hunstville, Ala., this sort of punishment is entirely within reason. Christian Adamek, a 15-year-old student from Sparkman High School, hung himself on Oct. 2 after streaking during one of his school’s football games and subsequently getting caught and punished. Although Adamek was not referred immediately to the police, he faced discipline from his school, details of which were not released to the public. Michael Campbell, principal of Sparkman High School, released a statement citing the evident repercussions that Adamek’s action could potentially result in.

“There’s the legal complications,” Campbell said, according to International Business Times. “Public

lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.”

Alabama is one of several states that has substantially implemented the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which refers to Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. According to state law, a case of indecent exposure can lead to registration as a sex offender. Even in the case of juveniles, a minor must register to assume “youthful offender status” under which the juvenile must continue to register for ten years.

Registration as a sex offender essentially ruins the future of the perpetrator by alienating them as citizens. To place this doomed future upon the life of a mere high school student thus vanquishes any opportunity for a normal teenage lifestyle.

This sort of measure is far too extreme in the case of teenage streaking. Registration as a sex offender ruins the future of the perpetrator by alienating them as citizens. Placing this doomed future upon the life of a mere high school student thus vanquishes any opportunity for a normal teenage lifestyle. A student who chooses to streak should not suffer such a severe punishment.

In the case of Adamek, the boy’s father released a statement claiming that Adamek suffered from severe depression, and that threats by the school and authorities were not the only trigger for his suicide. In a case of teenage suicide, attempting to isolate the singular cause is a rather ambiguous process. However, regardless of whether or not Adamek’s choice to take his own life came from the streaking incident, the idea that he could have potentially been forced to register as a sex offender is taking the matter to a world of extremes.

Children and teenagers obviously hold stark differences from fully-developed adults, and should be treated in a court of law as such.

Furthermore, there is no scientific research proving that a minor who commits a sexual offense is more

likely to become a second offender, according to Raised on the Registry, sponsored by the Human Rights Watch. However, there is proof that adult sex offenders are rarely, if ever, sex offenders as children.

The psychological toll an adolescent may face after being labeled as a sex offender is yet another reason why this sort of punishment is far too severe. According to Human Rights Watch, “the alienation that emerges from a system set up to regulate personal relationships can thwart healthy development in young people.” In other words, placing a teenager on the sex offender list does more damage to their personal development and does little to actually protect the public or even help the teenager in question.

California, in comparison, has chosen not to implement Congress’s SORNA legislation. However, that isn’t to say that juveniles aren’t susceptible to sex offender charges. According to California Penal Code, Section 290.008, “juveniles adjudicated of certain offenses are required to register as sex offenders upon release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities.”

It would require a slightly more arduous process for a teenager who commits an offense such as streaking to end up qualifying as a sex offender in California. Nonetheless, even the notion of this possible punishment should be abolished. A child registered as a sex offender for a small offense ultimately accomplishes nothing for all parties involved.

Palo Alto High School is home to the previously-notorious “Streak Week,” a tradition of devoting a week at the end of the year where seniors will sporadically leave all clothes behind and run through the Quad. In the past, administrators at Paly have looked the other way, choosing to ignore the lewd behavior exhibited by the participants. However, this year, the administration has put a decisive foot down in regards to senior streaking.

The streakers who chose to get an early start on “Streak Week” were subsequently caught by the administration and suffered a twoday suspension as their punishment. Although they did not face actual conflict with law enforcement, Principal Kim Diorio chose to open up a conversation involving both the streaker and Paly’s School Resource Officer.

Ahmed awadallah/The Campanile

Paly has been dealing with the controversial issue of streaking for a few years.

“We’ve brought the School Resource Officer in on the conversation, it’s part of that processing piece, so that [the streakers hear] from law enforcement what would happen if they did this somewhere else,” Diorio said. “But I’ve been very careful and clear to say that this is just a conference or a consultation with law enforcement.”

Diorio does not believe in the idea of punishing high school streakers in such a permanent manner, although she wants to emphasize the fact that streaking is, in fact, an illegal offense.

“I want kids to know at Paly that you’re not going to be cited for

streaking, but you are going to have to talk to the police, and I want you to hear from them and why it’s not a good idea,” Diorio said. “[Students need to hear of ] some of those unintended consequences, being registered as a sex offender is one of those unintended consequences.”

Although the Paly community is slightly more lenient in terms of minors being charged as sex offenders, it is still within the realm of possibility. Even this possibility requires correction. Teenagers who commit minor crimes of indecency should face consequences, but do not deserve the lifetime label of “sex offender.”

The Campanile

OPINION

Friday, November 8, 2013

A7

Teachers ought to provide substitutes with more detailed, structured lesson plans

Jeffrey Ho/The Campanile

A substitute teacher fills in for an Algebra 2/Trigonometry class . In order to maximize productivity in substitutes’ classes, it is important for teachers to provide substantial classwork for when they are absent.

By Seth Alston Staff Writer

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ubstitute teachers fill a unique role in our educational system.

They are an important contingency plan for when full time teachers are sick, missing, called for jury duty or otherwise indisposed. They come

to the rescue for any class at anytime, and are recognized as being so important that they even have a holiday named in their honor.

However, students often criticize substitutes for being underprepared to teach the classes they are assigned to or even wholly ignorant of the subject matter they are supposed to teach.

Rather than substantial coursework, substitutes often provide busywork, leaving students without information their regular teachers will eventually test them on. To remedy this disconnect, when possible, substitutes should work with more closely with regular teachers to make sure that students are not short changed by this system.

Substitutes teachers are supposed to fulfill the role of the teacher whose

place they take; however, many do not give the same level of educational environment, often because of their lack of a lesson plan congruent with the regular teacher’s curriculum. At best, the lessons taught by the substitutes are out of sync with the material the class has been exposed to up to that point, and at worst, substitutes forgo any traditional lesson plan or instruction and simply show movies.

“I had a substitute in my math class who showed us a movie for the entire class period,” freshman Andrew Jozefov said. “It was entertaining at the time, but there was a section on the test the next week nobody knew.”

In other cases, substitutes may be unsuited to instruct a certain class due to a lack of knowledge in a specific subject.

“My Spanish teacher was sick and the sub who came in for our class couldn’t even speak Spanish,” junior John Knowles said. “It was a waste of time for everybody.”

It remains undoubted that substitute teachers are capable professionals who each have unique traits to bring to the classroom, however often times there is a disconnect between them and students due to differences in material compared to that of the regular teacher. As a result, work done in class seems less productive.

To ensure that students and substitutes to get the most out of the days when a regular teacher is absent, substitutes should have easy access to the materials necessary for them to successfully take charge of the class, with as little disruption in the curriculum as possible.

With the recent adoption of Common Core State Standards, school curricula nationwide will be aligned to central standards, making it more important than ever that materials given to students by substitutes coheres with the rest of the information taught to them.

But with this greater responsibility handed to substitute teachers comes a greater need for more highly trained and better prepared substitutes. It is not sufficient that a local parent who knows nothing about science can teach an AP Biology class.

In order for the periods where a regular teacher is unavailable to not be a waste of time for everybody involved, more concerted effort needs to be made to give students the interesting, professional education, which substitutes are capable of.

Students should take Unity Day more seriously

By Jack Paladin

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Opinion Editor

ullying, discrimination and inequality are prevalent issues in high schools throughout America, so it is important to spread awareness and campaign to stop these horrible realities. At Palo Alto High School, Unity Day does just that. At lunch, tables are set up around the Quad all preaching their anti-bullying and equality ideals that Paly students should share. However, it seems that students are not taking this day seriously, and in turn are not receiving the message that those participating in Unity Day are trying to share. It is important that this changes. Paly students must step up their maturity levels and make the most out of this day, so that we can take a step closer to becoming a more thoughtful, kind and inclusive campus.

First and foremost, it is important that people actually participate in the events hosted during lunch. While there are a lot of people who visit each

table, the majority of students stay seated eating their lunches or spend their time at Town and Country staying out of the way of the activities.

While some may consider the topics taboo, high schoolers should be able to take a step out of their comfort zone and do something meaningful for the school and their peers. Some are unwilling to participate because they do not care, but how can one honestly not care about some of the most pressing issues affecting adolescents in our country today? Those that show no interest in Unity Day are most likely unaware of the horrible statistics behind bullying.

According to a study done by Michigan State University, over 20 percent of high school students are bullied. It is important that students are aware of this, and other, staggering numbers, so that they can understand the affects of bullying on their fellow classmates and peers. Participation is one of the biggest issues of Unity Day; if students were more informed, they would be more likely to participate in the activities and Unity Day would be much more successful than it has been in the past.

For those who participate, it seems that many of them are only visiting the tables to make fun of the day.

They are approaching the tables and doing the activities, however they are unaware of what they are actually doing. This blind participation is pointless and for those signing petitions like “Spread the Word to End the Word” or anti-bullying, it is prefer-

able for them not to sign the campaigns.

If a student is willing to participate, they should make the most of the experience and approach everything with a mature mindset. Paly does not need people who think they are funny or cool to participate in the events, just to turn around and continue bullying or discriminating.

This is immature and takes away from those who are trying to experience the

day for its actual purpose. Similarly to increasing participation, this can be fixed easily by raising awareness about what happens at high schools across America. Students may then be able to understand how meaningful Unity Day really is.

Setting aside an entire lunch for the school to raise awareness about anti-bullying, gender equality and other issues that adolescents face takes a lot of time and effort and stu-

dents should not squander the opportunity to do something good for the Paly community.

People need to mature and approach Unity Day with a positive and serious attitude. If the student body can do this, the school as a whole will learn a great deal and make a difference for those who have been bullied or discriminated against. So Paly, stand up and do the right thing, take action and participate in Unity Day.

Courtesy of Paly ASB

Students gather on the Quad to participate in lunchtime activities for Unity Day, hosted by Paly’s Associated Student Body.

Friday, November 8, 2013

A8

EDITORIALS

Teachers should not resort to peer grading, creates an unfair environment

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ith a growing student body at Palo Alto High School and increased enrollment in classes, teachers now have to grade more tests than ever, yet students and parents still expect these tests to be graded in a timely fashion. Teachers are employing a peer grading system in order to keep their grade books up to date and help students better understand the material. While peer grading does speed up the process of grading tests, it is not fair to students whose tests are being corrected by their classmates.

For one, students do not have teaching credentials. They are not properly trained to grade or make decisions on partial credit. Because of this, there are often discrepancies on how the same test is graded. Furthermore, with many graders, these discrepancies are much more frequent as it is impossible to eliminate human differences.

While these problems are unavoidable with so many untrained

graders, there are instances when students may intentionally affect their peers’ grades positively or negatively. Students are biased towards the grading process more than teachers are. Some students may want to help their classmates or friends by awarding them undeserved points.

Conversely, some students may want to unfairly mark their peers down in an attempt to create a better curve on the test. Neither of these scenarios are ethical or fair to the students.

Teachers may want to use a peer grading system because they think students will learn from the process.

However, this could also be accomplished by going over the test in class or by assigning test corrections, neither of which jeopardize a student’s grade or the test’s integrity.

If a teacher feels that a peer grading system is absolutely necessary, there are ways in which a peer grading system can be made more fair to the students involved. In AP Psychology, students grade each other’s free response test questions. To help

NOVEMBER’S TOP TEN LIST

eliminate potential bias, students grade in pairs and are given detailed rubrics. The rubrics outline exactly what a student must say in order to receive a point for that section of the prompt. Furthermore, once the test is returned, students who feel their tests are not graded properly may challenge their grades by underlining the sentence or sentences that they believe should have received points.

The challenge is then reviewed by the teacher to determine if the student should have received credit for their answers.

While this system is far from perfect, it does just about as good a job eliminating discrepancies as a peer grading system can. Therefore, if teachers feels that they must employ a peer grading system, they should look to use one following the AP Psychology model. However, simply handing out tests for students to grade is not fair especially in an era during which students are so ruthlessly scrutinized for their grades and competition for college acceptance is cutthroat.

Homecoming and Spirit Week improved from previous years

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he Campanile would like to praise Palo Alto High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) for its tremendous hard work and successful implementation of a fair Spirit Week and a meaningful, enjoyable and profitable Homecoming Dance.

Paly has had a long-standing tradition of making the seniors win Spirit Week, using either “unity points” or other methods to rig the point system. This year however, in an attempt to make Spirit Week a more fair, safe and honest competition, ASB changed some of the rules and guidelines for Spirit Week.

First, the implementation of “unity points” two years ago has been a major controversy as lower grades, whom received fewer “unity points,” felt cheated out of a win. We praise ASB for the removal of “unity points” and making sure that every class has an equal chance to participate and win during Spirit Week.

Second, in an attempt to make Spirit Week more competitive, the difference in the amount of points awarded for the various games was smaller than ever before. This not only highlights that not one class is better than all the rest, but it keeps the games more interesting and engaging as it is easier to catch up after a loss. In the past, the freshman class would normally be brutally behind the rest of the classes, but because of this small change, classes who fell behind early did not lose hope in their quest for victory.

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expected to take AP English senior year, as many plan on taking many AP classes outside of the English department. Those that do not take AP English should not be entering a class where the curriculum is arguably less challenging than it was in junior year.

The Campanile acknowledges the English department’s rationale for making such a decision, seeing as there was a severe socioeconomic divide separating the two English lanes for seniors. However, rather than combining both classes into a single lane, it would be more beneficial for all students involved to keep two lanes of non-AP English open for seniors, and instead work to regulate the curriculum of the separate English courses. Both lanes of English, regardless of the level, should focus on college preparatory skills in order to provide seniors with the tools they will need when entering college.

Furthermore, due to the inherent subjectivity of any English class, there are some discrepancies between different classes and their level of difficulty. Not all World Literature 12 teachers follow the exact same syllabus, therefore some teachers may imbed more challenging projects or coursework into the semester.

Students at Paly should have the right to be challenged in their coursework even if they choose not to take Advanced Placement classes.

Topics not to bring up at Thanksgiving dinner 10) Your uncle’s drinking problem 9) Miley Cyrus’ twerking video 8) Your aunt’s fourth divorce 7) Gun control 6) That 47% you just got on your math test 5) PETA’s animal cruelty protest 4) Your newfound love for vegetarianism 3) Being sixteen and pregnant 2) The recent outbreak of turkey-bird-flu 1) Starving children in Africa -JACK PALADIN

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Third, various minor rules to promote class unity and a reprieve from social divides were established. One, students could not participate in more than one event or game during the week. This helps raise participation and does not allow the same set of students to participate in all the games. Another proactive rule that was established this year was the four people per table rule. Last year, there were more than ten people at the tables guiding cheers; this not only created confusion in cheers as well as a general mess blocking people’s views, but also created an elite Spirit Week “crew” that stirred resentment from many people in their respective class.

By only allowing four people per table, the track was much less crowded, games ran more easily and everyone seemed more equal. The Campanile also appreciates that ASB took action against disrespectful cheers and gestures. While Spirit Week is an intense competition between the classes, this is not an excuse to be disrespectful and employ spiteful cheers. Spirit Week should be good, clean fun.

These changes made Spirit Week a much more competitive yet enjoyable event. Congratulations to the seniors for continuing the tradition of winning without a rigged system.

On top of a successful Spirit Week, the Homecoming Dance had a record number of attendees and many “asks.”

This is all thanks to ASB for taking the initiative to make Homecoming a “thing” when it has traditionally not been at Paly. Hats off to ASB.

Merging of World Literature classes negatively impacts students ast year, the Palo Alto High School English department made the decision to reduce the number of non-elective senior courses from three to two. By merging World Literature 12 and World Literature 12A, the department believed that this change would benefit students and teachers alike. This change left Advanced Placement English as the only advanced English class available to seniors.

The Campanile believes that this merger, although sensible in concept, has proved impractical and even detrimental to seniors. Students in World Literature 12 this year report being unchallenged and disappointed by the lack of college-preparatory coursework. Especially those who took American Literature 11H, the higher of the two junior English lanes, but chose to not take AP English senior year are being dealt a great disservice by this merger.

World Literature 12 classes have written one or two essays at most this semester and find literary analysis essays being replaced with other forms of assessments, such as monologues.

In their final year before college, seniors ought to be challenged by their English classes to better prepare them for the challenges that postsecondary writing will pose.

American Literature 11H students should not be automatically

The Campanile

Courtesy of Jacques Manjarrez

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Rachel Cui • Jensen Hsiao • Maya Kitayama Daniel Tachna-Fram • Hillel Zand • Stephenie Zhang News Editor Josefin Kenrick

Opinion Editor Jack Paladin

Lifestyle Editors Kian McHugh Michelle Yin

Sports Editors Julia Kwasnick Ziv Schwartz

Online Editor Jonathan Ziegler

Lifestyle Design Editor Irene Ezran

Spotlight Editor Emily Semba

Photography Editors Ahmed Awadallah Andrew Choi

Cartoonist Jane Gorlik

Business Managers Shivonne Logan Alvina Zou

Seth Alston Galen Byrd Parker Devine Esther Doerr Haley Fang Lauren Gargiulo Bowen Gerould Lauren Giurata

Staff Writers

Conner Harden Jeffrey Ho Grace Kim Zachary Levitan Claire Liu William Mendenhall Paul Mewes Kevin Mullin

Ahmed Awadallah Andrew Choi

Hannah Nguyen Arjun Parikh Coby Parker William Shin William Snodgrass Angela Stern Andrew Sternfield Heather Strathearn

Photographers Conner Harden Jeffrey Ho

Alec Sullivan Nicholas Sullivan Sarah Tayeri Oliver Tucher Jacob van Zyll Leslie Wan Lily Zhang Maggie Zheng

Grace Kim Andrew Sternfield

Advisor Esther Wojcicki

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We reserve the right to edit submissions.

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Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE The Silent Majority W

hile walking around campus, it is easy to pick up giggleheavy conversations between sophomores that are heavily composed of phrases such as “LOL how do I do chem” or between seniors inquiring, “guys, what’s calculus?” These expressions, while fun to laugh about, stem from a pressing problem that is growing in the modern classroom — the silent majority.

The term “silent majority” describes a situation in which a majority of a population shares an idea that is not expressed or voiced publicly. In the past, silent majorities have often been associated with political affiliation.

But lately, the silent majority has taken on a new environment closer to the average high school student’s heart: the classroom.

In the classroom, the silent majority refers to the group of students who elect not to raise their hands when the teacher calls out, “any questions?”

The reaction to this question often parallels, as many students will testify, the infamous scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Anyone?

Anyone?

According to a study published by the University of Utah, students refrain from asking questions for several reasons: fear of embarrassment, fear of wasting class time and intimidation.

Denis Dubay, an Earth and environment teacher in Raleigh, N.C., claims that “no student wants to appear stupid, and fear of revealing that they don’t know or understand something can silence students in front of both peers and teachers.”

One issue of the silent majority is the manner that questions are typically asked in a classroom.

The traditional method of raising hands demonstrates an open, public gesture of confusion or uncertainty. This feeling of exposure and vulnerability contributes to why students hesitate to ask questions. At Palo Alto High School, 88 percent of students claim that they do not always raise their hands in class when they do in fact have a question, and three in five Paly students claim that they would feel more comfortable asking questions if they were to do so anonymously according to an online survey.

Other students suggest using a system akin to an “ask.fm” for teachers: an online interface where students could pose anonymous questions for their teacher to answer. Students currently use ask.fm to ask each other personal questions, but this model can easily be spun into an educational tool. One anonymous student, Jesse, however, feels that the use of these online sites will diminish the personal connections established within a classroom.

“I think we are too technology-based to begin with,” Jesse said. “Starting to depend on [technology] in classes to ask questions will make us more socially uncomfortable.”

Another anonymous student, Taylor, claims that even though asking questions with an unknown identity is preferable in some situations, it is not always the best solution.

“Asking questions in class is efficient and convenient,” Taylor said.

“With some teachers, I would feel more at ease if questions were anonymous, however that varies on a teacher-by-teacher basis.”

Other solutions have been presented by the education community to eliminate the learning complication of the silent majority. In an article published by edudemic.com, language teacher Colleen Lee advocates for the “pair-and-share” method in the classroom. “[Students] will always get to practice or test out [their] response with [their] partner first,” Lee said. “[They] will have time to try.”

Three in five Paly students agree that group discussions would create a more comfortable environment for them to ask questions.

The problem with students not raising their hands in class is not confined to America.

Education expert Professor Dylan Williams conducted a study called “The Classroom Experiment,” which was published on the British Broadcasting Corporation website in April 2012.

One of his trials included a “no hands-up” policy. By eliminating this method, he found the results were boosted confidence amongst students and higher test scores.

“I want a classroom culture where it’s OK not to know the answer,” Williams said to British newspaper The Independent.

Williams is a strong advocate for the whiteboard method used in some classrooms.

“I think mini-whiteboards are the greatest development in education since the slate,” Williams said. “You can get an overall view of what the whole class [thinks].”

Many alternatives to the traditional method of raising hands, such as anonymity and group collaboration, have been proposed by educators in the effort to make the classroom a welcoming, understandable environment. The silent majority is a large group of individuals that has formed as a result as these nerve-wracking pressures — a group suppressed by the intimidation factor of a statement of public confusion.

Top three methods students prefer when asking questions in class

1 2 3

Discussing questions with a group in class

Submitting written questions during class Anonymous online question system

How often do you raise your hand in class when you have a question?

Do you feel comfortable communicating with your teacher when you need help?

Text by Hannah Nguyen Staff Writer Design by Irene Ezran Lifestyle Design Editor

No 31.3% Yes 68.7%

Would you feel more comfortable asking questions in class if you were anonymous?

INSIDE

By Michelle Yin

Twelfth Night

B2

B7

By Alvina Zou

By Leslie Wan

B3 The “Nice Guys Finish Last” Column

By Hillel Zand The following is a lesser-known portion of “Law Codes of Masculine Men,” known colloquially as the “how to get a chick without asking her how she feels” section of the “bro code.”

Volume XCVII. Relationships Section V. Instances when men in good standing fail to succeed We, the framers of “Law Codes of Masculine Men,” deem it necessary to lay out the reasoning as to why men in good standing often fail to succeed in interpersonal relationships. In order to explain why “nice guys finish last,” we will lay out the framework for how to finish first: Article I. Do not ask a female about her emotions.

Corollary : If this occurs, you will be delving into an unnecessary realm, as you have no reason to show any interest in caring for this female’s emotions. Reply to any emotional statement quickly with “Yeah, I feel you.” Proper questions to be asked include questions to the nature of, “What are you doing later tonight?” or “Want to hear about my fantasy football team?”

Article II. Never ask a female where you and her stand.

Corollary: As far as you are concerned, she wants every part of you and is waiting for when she can get you to herself. Females have always, and will always, be in constant need for males’ sexual desires.

Article III. Never delve into your own personal issues while in the presence of a female.

Corollary : This one is fairly easy, as males have few personal issues that ever need attention: they are emotionless creatures who bear the sole purpose of showing superiority to women.

Article IV. Partake in risky activities while in the presence of a female so as to exhibit masculinity.

Corollary : The male gender in his natural habitat is quite a vicious beast. Observe his displays of affection in the art of risk-taking. Males earn extra points if the risk-taking is of the illegal nature.

Article V. Assume any communication initiated by a female as a sign for initiating sexual prowess.

Corollary : There is no rarer of an occurrence than that of a female initiating contact with a male. If you are honored with this occurrence, pounce upon it like a lion with carnal desires.

Although these examples are exaggerated, it seems as though this is the direction the time-old practice of courtship is heading in. Will bawdiness reign supreme? Are the values of patience and respect deteriorating?

I encourage you to define for yourself, whether you are male or female, how you expect to treat others and be treated yourself.

Number of students polled: 70

Best study spots

Faculty a capella

Thanksgivukkah

By Hillel Zand

B8

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

B2 STUDENT LIFE Top four places to study in Palo Alto Here are a few fun places that will brighten up your long pre-test study sessions

By Michelle Yin Lifestyle Editor

Starbucks 

Meyer Library 

2000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306

560 Escondido Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

If you are seeking some peace and quiet away from the chaotic environment of high school, Stanford University’s Meyer Library is the place to go. Located half a mile across the street from El Camino Real, it is easily accessible to high school students due to its close proximity and lack of security in terms of checking Stanford IDs. So bring your textbooks, laptop and study materials and feign maturity as you pretend to be a Stanford student. Not only will you find total solace in its quiet and seemingly ever expansive study spaces, but you may even feel motivated in trying to blend in with the hard working, focused Stanford students surrounding you.

Meyer Library is great for a quiet, academic environment.

Keith Walters/Flickr

AnnaLynn Martino/Flickr

Coupa Café

Students embrace the chill vibe at Starbucks by ordering a signature drink and hitting the books.

Though popular for their brand name coffee, Starbucks locations such as the one located on El Camino Real also offers fantastic study spots. With a study bar equipped with outlets for each spot, you can bring your laptop and work on cutting edge research or college applications without worrying about battery life. There are also couches in isolated corners if you are seeking a quieter environment for intensive exam preparation. Now Starbucks also carries pastries and other food items from La Boulange, providing great study snacks from typical cookies like chocolate chip to their popular panini’s like the roasted tomato and mozarella. Order a cup of coffee or a Frappucino and find a spot along the high bar for some intensive studying.

Your House Roof 



538 Ramona St Palo Alto, CA 94301

Are you the type of student that eats voraciously while studying? If so, Coupa Café will fulfill all of your study cravings and supply you with almost any type of brain food you can imagine.

You can enjoy their popular drinks and snacks, including the Tiger Spice Chai tea latte, Mayan hot chocolate — $2.85 and $3.10 respectively for the small size ­­— and variety of pastries and savory foods while frantically annotating your English book or taking notes for your upcoming chemistry test. Grab a snack and find a spot along the walls with cozy sofa-like seats to study.

Be warned that there will be conversations going on; though not loud, they could be distracting. If you don’t mind the buzz, then Coupa Café offers a warm, relaxing environment for students to snack while cozying up with books or digging deep into assignments.

Your Address

Tired and bored of slaving over school work at your usual desk? Try and finagle your way up to the roof of your house. Though often overlooked for the difficulty of getting up and lack of furniture to write or lounge on, roofs can be quite serene and give you a peace of mind while studying out of a textbook or reading the 90 pages of Shakespeare assigned for Advanced Placement Literature due the next day. Being isolated from the chaos and stress associated with your usual study spot will give you some tranquility while slugging through work.

Make sure you take paperweights Roofs can facilitate enhanced academic concentration because unless you want your AP Statistics they offer a tranquil and solitary environment. worksheet flying away!

Corey Piina/Flickr

Agency Charlie/Flickr

David KLein/Flickr

Coupa Cafe is popular for its cozy atmosphere, with snacks, hot drinks and soft chairs available.

Students explain unexcused absences

Total Number Of Cuts At Paly in 2012-2013 YEar:

(21,636 Cuts) =1000 cuts

Average Number of Cuts per Student: 10.94

By Oliver Tucher

T

Staff Writer

he administration has recently released several new guidelines to address the issue of Palo Alto High School students cutting class. Students cut for several reasons, but usually because they have an assignment that they aren’t quite ready for.

“There is Saturday School for any student who cuts four or more of the same class,” assistant principal Jerry Berkson said. “[Students] could lose their ability to get a drivers license until they’re 21 or they could be fined.”

However, the administration’s current guidelines don’t seem to be enough to persuade students not to cut. With one parent call, students can bypass all punishments.

“If parents are willing to back their children in letting them get out of test for reasons that aren’t legitimate than there’s not a lot teachers can do,” junior math teacher David Baker said. “[A teacher] could write a harder make up test, but then that is penalizing 70 percent or 80 percent of the absentees that were absent for legitimate reasons.”

Students and parents know this and take full advantage of it. Parents are willing to help because they want their children to receive good grades as well.

“My parents call me in because they feel like I can use my time well

enough to do well in class and keep up,” junior Jane, whose name has been changed, said. “They want me to succeed, so they’re willing to call me in.”

“If we see them on campus, they still get a cut,” Berkson said.

Although these are the guidelines, according to campus supervisor Scott Reese, Paly’s attendance policy is lenient compared to other surrounding schools.

“In other school districts, if you don’t have that done, you literally can’t get out of class, their parent can’t go get them,” Reese said.

Students aren’t learning to take responsibility for themselves.

David Baker Math Teacher

Despite this, some students consider taking these risks and falling behind in class is a small price to pay for a better grade. With other requirements such as sports, extracurricular activities and outside jobs, students feel they don’t have enough time to study for tests. Some feel that these time consuming extracurriculars justify taking the test later.

“It’s worth skipping one class period here and there to study for a test for another class if you are truly not prepared, Jane said. “Tests are always worth the majority of your grade, so not doing well can have a significant impact on your grade.”

“[Teachers] don’t know that I had sports practice for three hours yesterday and I didn’t have enough time to study,” Gina, whose name has been changed, said. “I’m tired and I can’t just skip practice because that affects my college recruitment.”

Skipping one class testing period can provide up to an extra week to study, a serious advantage for students who would have otherwise been unable to.

But if skipping class provides such an advantage, why don’t all students do it? There are always more students who show up to class to take the test than those who cut to avoid it.

“It’s tempting to cut class, but my parents push me to get something from school more important than grades like being responsible and meeting deadlines” junior Jim, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said. “If you take the test later you get an unfair advantage, but I want to be proud of my accomplishments.”

To keep things fair, teachers and administrators try to discourage students from cutting, however there is only so much they can do.

“Students aren’t learning to take responsibility for themselves in the way that we want them to,” Baker said. “[Students] have to remember that high school is about more than just academics, it’s about learning how to become responsible.”

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The Campanile

FACULTY

Friday, November 8, 2013

B3

Positive student response to special education integration

Ahmed Awadallah/the campanile

Ahmed Awadallah/the campanile

LEFT: History teacher Adam Yonkers thinks that co-taught classes can positively influence students and that with more teachers, students can easily find help when needed.

RIGHT: Social science and history teacher Chris Farina and special education teacher John Mackey take advantage of being able to co-teach . They believe that this policy has greatly benefitted their students.

By Haley Fang

I

Staff Writer

magine a class where students take their seats and get ready to discuss last night’s homework.

They push their desks to form discussion groups and hands go up to attract the attention of the teacher, but unlike most regular classes, this class has two different levels of learners and two teachers circulating the classroom and answering questions.

There is more teacher aid, more participation among students and more unity in the class.

Three years ago, Palo Alto High School’s administration implemented a program to try and make that vision a reality. This program involves special education teachers working side by side with regular education teachers in classes to bring together the special and regular education students, give students more support and let everyone feel more comfortable in school.

Since the policy’s inception, an assortment of 11 classes ranging from

math to science have both regular and special education students, the same number of co-taught classes held at Henry M. Gunn High School, according to principal Kim Diorio.

The instigation of these classes started as an effort to integrate different students into one class and to teach regular education teenagers about the importance of accepting others and creating a safe environment for peers inside and outside of school.

This idea of unity led to the annual district wide Unity Day, which was held on Oct. 9.

After having another instructor briefly teach with her last year, English teacher Melissa Laptalo reflects on her mostly positive experience in her co-taught class.

“I think that it is a very beneficial structure because in any classroom whether is it labeled honors, advanced or mainstream, special education there’s always a variety of skill level in the classroom,” Laptalo said.

“So I think that the greatest benefit for co-teaching is having two instruc-

tors in the classroom because there’s more help to go around.”

Like teachers who are ecstatic about co-taught classes, students such as junior Margaret Schmit who has an integrated class also notice the difference in unity in their classes with special and regular education teachers.

I think that the greatest benefit for co-teaching is having two instructors in the classroom because there’s more help to go around.

Melissa Laptalo English Teacher

“Well I think that it’s better [for classes] to be integrated than not integrated because it’s better for everyone to just to meet new people and not have segregation between special [education] and not special [education],” Schmit said. “I think special education teachers help that integra-

tion happen because it’s a lot of work and takes up a lot of time for normal teachers to accommodate for the special [education] kids.”

While some students find this plan to be useful, others do not even know about this dual teacher effort.

The role of the teacher may be a little bit misleading since the special education teacher does not actually stand in the front of the room to teach. Instead, they pop in and out to assist the class and tend to the needs of the students.

“I think the special [education] teacher isn’t really a teacher,” Schmit said. “[The special education teacher is] more of an aid that helps out with the class and with the special [education] students. She’s helping the class in general but specifically the special [education] kids.”

With these new co-taught classes, regular education teachers do not need to put as much effort into working with the kids who need more attention, yet the special education students still receive the help and attention that they need. It is not exclu-

sively beneficial to special education students. Though some may argue that having classmates who need more guidance slows down the class, others think that having unity within the class and getting students to understand the importance of accepting their peers is more essential.

The system gives special education and regular education students more necessary individual attention.

There are always students in classes who would feel more comfortable not being put on the spot in front of the whole class, so having more teachers in the classroom can make those students feel more comfortable with asking questions and inputting ideas into discussions because there is more individualized attention.

“I think that having more than one teacher in the room just offered twice as much support for students than one teacher can give,” Laptalo said.

“Every student has different talents and capabilities and so I think having the combined format allows students to showcase that regardless of what their strengths and weaknesses are.”

Choir teacher creates faculty a cappella group

By Leslie Wan Senior Staff Writer

A

new group of faculty enthusiasts a cappella, the “8’T’s”, are making their way in to the Palo Alto High School choir scene. Despite being unable to perform during Spirit Week, the faculty group is working together to prepare for upcoming performances of singing eighties music later this semester. Founded by choir teacher Michael Najar, the “8 T’s” is a faculty a cappella group comprised of choir teacher Michael Najar, science teacher Elizabeth Brimhall, counselor Paige Johnson, math teacher Arne Lim, music teacher Jeff Wilner, special education teacher Elizabeth Mueller, science teacher Kelli Hagan and history teacher Steve Sabbag.

I’ve always wanted the teachers to come together to perform. It’s a lot of fun and it’s always a great time.

Michael Najar Founder of the 8 T’s

A cappella music does not contain background instrumental music, but instead has the singer perform only with his or her voice. A cappella has been popularized by movies, TV shows and other performers such as “Pitch Perfect” and “The Sing-Off ” and “The Pentatonix.” Najar was first inspired by the idea of a faculty a cappella group at the Viking Variety Show, where Najar first noticed the teachers’ musical talents.

Ahmed Awadallah/The campanile

Choir teacher Michael Najar established a faculty a cappella group, the “8 T’s,” to harmonize the teacher’s musical voices for an upcoming lunch show.

Furthermore, Najar wanted to ral- Heartbreakers and Folk Yes. Even singing primarily eighties music. due to their busy schedules, he bely the teachers together for a time to though the group did not perform However, due to course loads and lieves that the faculty a capella group showcase their musical essences, and during Spirit Week as previously tight schedules, some teachers are be- is a way to hang out with the teachers bring an amiable ambiance to the planned due to inconsistent teacher ginning to leave the group. while creating something unique and Paly campus. attendance, the group believes that The main core group now consists different from other musical talents.

“I’ve always wanted the teachers they will be well prepared by mid- of Najar, Jeff Wilner, Mueller, Brim- Nonetheless, Najar and the remainto come together to perform,” Najar way through November. According hall, Johnson and Lim, but the group ing 8 T’s looks forward to a successful said.“It’s a lot of fun and it’s always a to Najar, no student aid is needed for is still trying to find two more teach- show in November and another show great time.” the faculty a cappella group. ers to complete the faculty a cappella during second semester.

The group comes together every “I think it’s interesting to watch group.

“The great thing about a capella is Thursday at lunch to practice their my past and current teachers work“We’re still choosing teachers,” that it is accessible, even for people vocals in preparation for an upcom- ing together outside of their normal Najar said. “[The teachers] have to who don’t sing very well or can’t read ing lunch a cappella show sometime fields and watching them step out be available. Everyone who comes is music,” Najar said. “We have a lot of during the first or second week of of their elements,” senior Vikapella great. They have amazing voices and great teachers who sing and a lot of November. The 8 T’s will be perform- member Jonathan Kosaka said. it’s always a great time.” great musical teachers. It doesn’t take ing alongside the student a cappella The 8 T’s, which is similar to the While Najar understands that not a lot of time and it’s a great way to groups; the Vikapella, Heartbeats, consonance of “eight-tees,” will be all the teachers can make it to practice spend time with one another.”

Friday, November 8, 2013

B4

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

COMMON CORE ST

written by stephenie design by emily semb

WHAT IS COMMON CORE?

hile eager first g r ad ers were once required to “demonstrate comprehension by identifying answers in the text,” under the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they are now expected to “ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to text as the basis for the answers,” a giant step up in application level and a leap forward in rigor and drop deeper in understanding.

On Aug. 2, 2010, California officially joined the assemblage of 45 states, the District of Columbia and four territories to adopt the CCSS. With the CCSS comes the implementation of a summative assessment at the end of each school year; as of now, the selection of assessments are between Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers (PARCC). Each state decides which assessment consortia it would like to join – California has chosen the Smarter Balanced assessment.

“California wavered in going with PARCC or Smarter Balanced, shifting around with which consortia [it] would go with, but there was never much of a hesitation in terms of adopting the [Common Core State Standards},” Director of Research and Evalu-

w

ation Diana Wilmot said in a presentation on Oct. 30 at the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) office.

The CCSS acts as the framework for college and career readiness by giving students experience in the 21st Century Framework — the 4 C’s: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking — in order to prepare students for the developing workplace. The 21st Century Skills creates a new standard focused on “teaching content mastery with critical thinking” for effective, meaningful learning.

“We look at [the standards] as helping us focus on the things we know are right, and that work well for our kids and help them get ready for college and career,” PAUSD Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Charles Young said.

The 21st Century Framework and the CCSS place more stress on thinking critically about information as opposed to gathering information. Learning is focused less on memorizing and procedural work, and more towards making connections and actually “doing.”

literacy goals The Common Core has placed increased rigor and detail in the standards for literacy, writing and mathematics curriculums. With regards to literacy, which includes reading, writing, speaking, listening and language, the CCSS

has placed Literacy Anchor Standards across all content areas. The Common Core states that literacy is “a shared responsibility” and emphasizes a balance between literature and informational texts.

“Today, there is much more emphasis on literary [texts], more than 50 percent of the day in our English classes,” PAUSD Director of Secondary Education Katherine Baker said.

new standards in writing In addition to the shift in literacy standards, the Common Core delves deeper in the three emphases of writing — explaining, persuading and conveying experience — to create a distribution that guides c lassrooms in allocating time and resources.

“In the workplace, there is a tremendous amount of writing that requires you to either [make] an argument or [make] a claim about something, as opposed to [write] a narrative, a letter, type of format,” PAUSD Director of Elementary Education Kathleen Meagher said.

The Literacy Anchor Standards creates a golden thread among classes and among grade levels that facilitates discussion and collaboration. In addition to acting as an umbrella over class expectations, the CCSS can hopefully ease intra-school and inter-school transitions.

In mathematics, the Common Core stresses the “Eight Mathematical Practices and Habits of Mind.” A productive mathematical thinker should make sense of problems, persevere in solving them and attend to precision. In addition, students are expected to have practices falling under the umbrellas of “Reasoning

and Explaining,” “Modeling and Using Tools” and “Seeing Structure and Generalizing.”

These six habits are to reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics,

use appropriate tools strategically, make use of structure and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

“What is different in mathematics is all of the teachers having a keen understanding of what those headings mean and continuing to apply them to mathematical concepts and work with students, which is really what is taking mathematics to the level of application and higher-level problem solving type thinking,” Young said.

Part of the mathematics curriculum shift includes the “Progression of Skills Toward Real-Life Application.” The Common Core stresses departure from memorization and procedures without connections and progression towards procedures w i t h connections and “doing ” mathematics.

T h e district points out that, e v e n w i t h the new s t a n dards, sequencing of math courses and titles of math courses will remain the same despite conceptual shifts.

“I think sometimes people are concerned that mathematics will take a different turn,” Young said. “This is absolutely not the case with us.”

standardized testing In spring 2014, California will field test the new Smarter Balanced summative assessment, which includes two parts: a computer adaptive piece and a performance task piece. The computer adaptive piece has an adaptive delivery that individualizes questions to each student: for example, if a student answers a questions correctly, then he or she will receive a more difficult question for the next question.

If a student get the question wrong, then he or she will next receive an easier question. “[From the new adaptive assessment], we will not only get more information about where [students] are along the trajectory towards college and career readiness, but also how they are between grade levels,” Manager of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment Janine Penney said.

For the second portion of the summative assessment, students would have to complete one performance task in both English Language Arts and mathematics. The performance task has two parts: for example in ELA, students are presented with documents and are told to approach and answer a few short answers after processing the information.

For the second part, students write a longer, more extensive and detailed piece of writing.

The math performance task is similar in concept.

Currently, California is transitioning from the STAR test to the California Measurement of Academic Perfor-

fall 2014 DATE CALIFORNIA WILL IMPLEMENT COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

THE 4 C’S

c ommunication c ollaboration c reativity c ritical thinking

man APP asses trict test ate d from a sm grad the new its s dent in ei sess lege. take Perf seve will is ex over ing each “ tests are “Wi enou is n for t hasn able

se

In themen are a to h keep weak T man in P curr to fi adeq stud

Friday, November 8 2013

The Campanile

B5

SPOTLIGHT

TATE STANDARDS

zhang, editor-in-chief ba, spotlight editor

nce and Progress (CalMP). This spring, the new ssment requires all dists to participate in a field to discern the appropridifficulty. But in addition, m the field test this spring, mall sample of students in des nine or ten will have opportunity to try out the w test and be accustomed to structure and format. Stuts in grade 11 will be tested ither ELA or Math to asstudent readiness for col. Students who currently e the California Alternate formance Assessment for ere cognitive disabilities not be field tested. The test xpected to be administered r multiple sessions lastapproximately 45 minutes h.

We don’t know if [the s] are good items or if they bad items,” Wilmot said. ithout having field tested ugh of these items, there no way to provide results the students on a test that n’t been validated as a relie test.”

institutional elf-assessments

n addition to the end-of-year summative assessnts, interim assessments available to school districts help students and teachers p track of strengths and knesses.

To prepare for the test, ny schools, including those PAUSD, are re-aligning iculum to adjust courses fit the new standards and quately equip and prepare dents for the new tests.

CHANGES IN THE DISTRICT h e district started to implem e n t Common Core standards a few years ago, talking in district-level, content-area steering committees to get a better understanding of the Common Core State Standards. Starting this year, the district has grown more focused in the implementation and effects of these standards.

“Palo Alto Unified School District is one of the top school districts not just in California, but in the nation, and it’s achieved that reputation over a long period of time for a whole bunch of right reasons: great kids, great parents, great teachers, and a focus on excellence and continued improvement,” Young said. “So we think the work with these standards – the way that we are looking at them – is to help us continue to get better.”

Currently, the district has prepared a roll-out plan to help PAUSD adapt to the new Common Core State Standards. In addition to the district’s movement, the district passes on the more detailed roles to each department to create adjustments specific to its curriculum.

According to Principal Kim Diorio, the implementation of the Common Core is a big goal with multiple components: making tweaks or refinements in instruction to best support both students and

t

HOW PALY IS IMPLEMENTING IT preparing teachers in meeting the new standards.

“We’re trying to backward map,” Principal Kim Diorio said. “In other words, how we plan for our students to be successful on that assessment so that they are demonstrating that they met these new standards.”

The district has been receiving feedback from administration who believe that the new standards and performance tasks align with our current curriculum, only requiring minor refinements rather than drastic shifts. “[The Common Core State Standards] look like the kind of instruction we’ve been doing for a long time in Palo Alto: the increase in rigor, the expected demands,” Wilmot said. “There is a lot of positive feelings around the fact that we finally have an instrument that measures how we believe students learn, and it really gives us an opportunity to think about how the assessments are catching up to curriculum instruction and the way we know students learn for the past three decades.”

For example, after discussing the new standards and assessments, the math department, led by Instructional Supervisor Radu Toma, has begun planning, re-pacing and organizing for new additions in the courses since last spring.

“Although the new California Mathematics Framework based on the Common Core Standards is yet to be published, we have started to prepare for the switch to the new standards last spring already,” Toma said. “We first mapped the new standards onto the present standards, identifying the topics in the new standards that we already cover, the ones we don’t yet and the ones we

do despite them no longer being required.”

CHANGES IN DEPARTMENTS

“It’s really going to be a school-wide approach, so the teachers really are spending this year learning about the standards, understanding the impact they are going to have on them in the future and then trying to figure out what kind of adjustments they need to make in terms of their own instruction,” Diorio said.

In addition to preparing for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, Paly is also heading towards another cycle of WASC, in which Paly must self-study and self-reflect to determine areas of improvement.

“It’s actually really good that [WASC] and the [Common Core State Standards] are happening at the same time,” Diorio said. “We’re taking this year to learn about what do we currently do, and next semester we are putting together a plan on what to do to make it better. As these two things are happening in parallel, it is really forcing our teachers and our school to think about what are the skills and what are the things we need to do in the

mon Core will span across departments to gain an overview on the mission and vision of student learning at Paly.

“It’s kind of an intersection [between WASC and Common Core] because WASC is looking at what do we think we want to be doing in six years, and part of what we’re doing in six years is Common Core,” Laurence said. “So it’s actually a good time to be looking at both because it’s a good examination of where we have been, where we are now and where we want to be.”

The math department has decided to make three significant curricular changes in order to address some of the new CCSS. The first is the addition of a substantial number of Statistics and Probability topics to Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 courses. The second change is the stronger emphasis on transformation in the Geometry curriculum; the math curriculum will introCHANGES IN duce concepts through differFACULTY ent perspectives, such as congruence through rigid motions The Paly administration and similarity through dilais taking the opportunity to tion. The third major change further collaboration and creis the addition of trigonometativity, emphasized by the ric functions to the Algebra 2 Common Core in the school course curriculum. environment.

The English Department “We’re looking at part of is working on creating minor the Common Core as the tweaks to align its current curnew building,” Laurence said. riculum with the Common “We’re looking at different Core, but is not expecting any kinds of furniture. We may drastic changes in curriculum. not end up with those kinds “We have the rest of the of sled-type desks; we may end year and this sumup with mer to figure out desks that how we are going move and to tweak our currotate so riculum to fit the that you Common Core can group.

“We’re taking this year to learn about standards,” EngA lot of what we currently do, and next semeslish Instructional Common Supervisor Shirley Core is ter we are putting together a plan on Tokheim said. “Algoing to though I have to say be projwhat to do to make it better.” –Kim Diorio, that much of what ect-based Paly Principal we do already does.” work. It’s Teachers have just a difbeen trained in the ferent way Smarter Balance of thinkassessment and in ing about the Common Core how we State Standards. Under the classroom to make it better.” measure students.” standards, teachers are seen as Through the upcoming But not just stressing the facilitators of student learning WASC cycle and examination, collaborative environment, the in a student-centered system. the adaptation of the Com- Common Core encourages the

use of technology with regards to assessments as seen through the computer adaptive assessment and classroom use.

“I think that what you’ll see is more technology use in assessment and taking advantage of the tools that we have because we have to get used to being assessed on technology, not just paper and pencil,” Laurence said.

Not only is the Common Core State Standards changing course curriculum and instruction, it is changing classroom dynamic through the 4 C’s policy.

The overall goal, in Paly and in the U.S. educational system, is to create a group of students who are college and career ready and to prepare students for a budding job market that is going to be filled with jobs, a projected 65 percent of which are unknown today.

“The generation that is coming into our school is all digital natives, all technology natives,” Diorio said. “We need to make sure, as teachers, that we are learning about this as much as we can to keep up.”

Because future career paths are unknown due to rapid technological advances, there is an emphasis for schools to teach students the 21st Century Framework and industryfavored skills to help them succeed after their high school careers are over.

Through the implementation of the Common Core, the Department of Education wants to place a further emphasis on students to learn qualities and skills that industry has been seen to favor — knowledge and skills, flexibility, cross-training, projectbased work, multi-tasking, teaming and problem-solving — to prepare them for the great unknown: the fast-paced,

Friday, November 8, 2013

B6

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Students strive for gender equality

By Shivonne Logan

A

Business Manager

t Palo Alto High School, gender inequality is something that has often been scoffed at, or brushed off as a problem that is not prevalent in Palo Alto.

However, a few students recognize the issues they and their peers face, and have taken the initiative to found groups to work towards gender equality inside and outside of Palo Alto.

With all the issues that women face internationally, it is pretty easy to focus on the negatives. However, several Palo Alto teenagers are helping to create positive solutions and turn around the negative trend that women have encountered around the world. Through school clubs and outside organizations, Paly students are making a difference and contributing to a movement that empowers women near and far.

Senior Lande Watson, one of the two presidents of the Gender Equality Club, has attended many women’s rights conferences and participated in multiple protests and other events for women’s empowerment in the recent past.

Watson and fellow senior Kelly Patterson founded the Gender Equality Club in spring 2013 last year, and since then the club has taken off, with active members from all different grade levels and interests. Their most recent event, “I need gender equality because…,” involved a booth by the senior deck on the Quad, where many Paly students wrote their motives for supporting gender equality on small white boards and were photographed

by Watson.

“I’m really happy with how [the event] went because so many people participated,” Patterson said. “I hope we’ll get even more people [especially guys] to come out next time.

You would think that since we live in such a liberal community that more people would be advocates for gender equality and so I’m hoping our events will get more students involved.”

The club is currently in the planning stages for a upcoming display on the library chalkboards, which they hope will involve several drawings.

They also plan to create QR codes that link students to women’s empowerment articles and videos and pictures from their previous event.

Senior Daniela Ivey is also interested in empowering young women, but she has taken a slightly different approach. Ivey, who is interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), began volunteering at Ronald McNair Middle School in East Palo Alto last year. She was shocked to find that, while many boys were involved in academic clubs and science experimentation, there were few girls doing anything similar.

“They were literally surrounded by glitter,” Ivey said of the girls’ afterschool program. “I started talking to some of the girls. I asked them about the after-school programs and what was offered. There was one girl who liked after-school sports, but none of the boys wanted her on their team.

Another didn’t even know that Girl Scouts existed.”

Ivey’s mission wanted to get the girls at the school more involved in science experiments and other lessons, and immediately went to ask school officials’ permission to begin.

“I told [the after-school coordinator] that I wanted to make an afterschool program,” Ivey said. “I told him that I didn’t care if it was just me. I wanted to give the girls an after school program other than playing with glitter pens.”

Though Ivey was anxious for her first visit at the school, she planned a physics activity for the girls.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Ivey said. “I started asking friends to go with me. The first time I went was with two other people. I brought a whole bucket of eggs.”

Ivey’s first experiment, involving a simple but engaging egg drop experiment, attracted only two girls, who had arrived at her door by accident. They stayed, saying they had nothing better to do, and the compe-

COURTESY OF LANDE WATSON

Daniela Ivey advocates for female involvement in STEM at an event hosted by the Gender Equality Club. tition went on with two participants.

Nonetheless, the experiment was a huge success.

Ivey was unsure if any students would even show up for the next meeting, so she showed up alone. At her next meeting, around ten girls showed up, and this time they had all come on purpose.

“They all rushed towards me and were like ‘We hear you were letting girls join your club,’” Ivey said. “They stayed. Some girls came and went.

They would leave if they weren’t into it, which made me a bit happier. It wasn’t like they were obligated to stay with me. They chose to be there.”

Ivey’s main opposition for her progr am was from the parents of her students, many of whom were already working or tak ing c are of their younger siblings.

S ome parents were under the impression that their children were obligated to attend, and Ivey told them that they should “wait and see.”

I told him that I didn’t care if it was just me, I wanted to give the girls an after school program other than playing with glitter pens.

Daniela Ivey Senior

“I wasn’t going to put myself in the position to promise them anything,” Ivey said.” It’s not going to reap benefits right away. Some of the girls are doing better in school because they saw that learning could be fun. I could bring these girls so much joy with [even] five

dollars [for materials],” Ivey said with satisfaction.

Ivey is currently wrestling with continuing her project after she leaves for college next year. She recognizes that high school students cannot be expected to maintain it, as it is a nonprofit, so she went to the teachers for help. The program is currently in its trial run for a few months to see how it can function without her, with teachers working after school voluntarily, with little to no compensation.

These students are just a few of many starting unique organizations and taking the initiative to impact women’s empowerment. Other students blog for several organizations, or simply participate in club activities or outside organizations. Paly students are creating positive change in narrowing the gender gap and empowering women in a variety of ways.

The Campanile

STUDENT LIFE

Friday, November 8, 2013

B7

Theatre performs 1920s version of “Twelfth Night” Alvina Zhou

Business Manager

O

n Nov. 1, Paly’s performing arts and theater program premiered its twist on Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” by setting it in 1920s Hollywood. The comedy centers around Viola and her identical twin brother Sebastian, who are separated after a shipwreck. Viola, played by senior Sarah Ohlson, believes that Sebastian, played by senior Jonathan Mackris, is dead and assumes his identity as a boy servant. As the twins are separated, they become caught in a love triangle.

Other cast members include seniors Paige Esterly and Aaron Slipper, as well as juniors Winston Wang, Guive Asadi and James Chau.

This 1920s setting allows for more creative expression and assists in the audience’s understanding of the play.

“We have made everything very bright because it’s Hollywood,” performing arts director Kathleen Woods said. “We made it very showy and it’s very physical so the audience should be able to follow the story.

Even if they don’t get every word, they should definitely be able to follow.”

In Paly’s adaptation, Viola, dressed as a boy under the alias Cesario, works for movie director Orsino, whom she

falls in love with. However, Orsino is in love with movie star Olivia, who ends up falling in love with Cesario.

The intricate plot and unique setting provides the cast with an obstacle in order to engage the audience during the performance.

“It’s a real complex show because it has singing, dancing, a newsreel and a film in it,” Woods said. “[Shakespearean] language is always a challenge for young people and for modern audiences so it’s a challenge, but we have lots of great people helping out.”

Each production and show can be interpreted to emphasize a particular theme that differs from the author’s original vision. Each member of the cast can portray various perspectives and display different emotions that they believe best represents the character and the story. “‘Twelfth Night’ can be done a lot of different ways,” Woods said.

“It can be done sort of on the darker side because one of the key characters is Malvolio, who is Olivia’s servant.

Some people sometimes consider Malvolio in a way to be the center of the play. It’s different because it’s a kind of combination of humor but there are some things that happen that aren’t so happy.”

The language used in the adaptation is the same as in Shakespeare’s original play, but to compensate for the difficulty of Old English, the

Courtesy of Rob Wilen

Malvolio, played by senior Aaron Slipper, provides the play with both a comedic and tragic aspect. actors rely more on movements and so we have a great group of female specifically, the historical twist the vocalists who are doing [both] songs play offers. physical actions to portray the story.

“I hope that they will first of all “We have a very active, physical from 1920s and songs that have been production,” Woods said. “I would say composed by Julian Hornik [‘13] and just enjoy the show and that they’ll understand the story and enjoy our even 7 or 8-year-olds would enjoy the also by our vocal director.”

After the first shows on Nov. 1, concept of the show,” Woods said. “As characters, costumes, scenery and action. The opening number is a 1920s Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, there will be two a result, [I hope that] they’ll also see dance number that [the characters more shows on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 that Shakespeare is a fantastic theare] filming on the beach. There’s at 7:30 p.m. in Haymarket Theater. atrical experience and that you don’t more music in ‘Twelfth Night’ than Woods hopes the audience will ap- have to study a lot of Shakespeare to in any of Shakespeare’s other plays preciate the show overall, but more enjoy Shakespeare.”

Polish exchange student contrasts Paly with native country

By Claire Liu

M

Staff Writer

eet Nick Janiak. Decked out in a crisp, dark blazer and skinny jeans, Janiak makes his way around the unfamiliar Palo Alto High School campus.

Janiak seems like just another busy student at Paly. However, once he begins to speak, he talks with an exotic European accent. After a brief conversation, he explains that he is an exchange student from Poland who will spend the next few months at Paly.

“My mom is a visiting scholar at Stanford University and my aunt [Esther Wojcicki] works [at Paly], so that’s the main reason why I got the opportunity to spend time in Palo Alto,” Janiak said.

One of the first things Janiak noticed was the age difference between students in America and in Poland.

“In Poland, we begin our education a little bit later than here in America,” Janiak said. “I am nineteen, for example, which is normal at home, but here, I am older than most of the seniors.”

Janiak also observed that some aspects of Paly are fundamentally different from those at his school in Poland. Namely, the abundant resources that come free of charge for all students.

“There is free water here,” Janiak said, pointing at the water fountain as he walked past the library. “Also the tennis courts — you can use those for free. In Poland, everything costs money. Water cost money in schools, and there is always an entrance fee to use tennis courts.”

Gesturing toward the rows of Mac computers, Janiak mentioned that the large selection of technological devices also shocked him when he first arrived on campus.

“In my school in Poland, we don’t have nearly as many computers, and we have zero Apple products,” Janiak said. “Here, [Apple products] are everywhere! On the first day, my teacher gave me a MacBook to use for an assignment and I was so shocked. I thought, ‘Why are you handing this to me? Is it for me to use? Do you want me to try and fix it?’”

In contrast to what Janiak described as more structured and restraining graduation requirements in Poland, the style in which students pick classes in America surprised Janiak. However, Janiak sees Paly’s block schedule as an overwhelming characteristic of everyday school life due to the length of the class periods.

“At my old school in Poland, which is a theatrical school, classes are only 45 minutes long,” Janiak said.

“Sometimes, the 90 minute periods here feel so long. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Art courses and the fact that students choose a large portion of their schedules pleasantly surprised Janiak.

“Here at Paly, you have many creative classes,” Janiak said. “For example, glass blowing and drawing and many others. Also, kids can choose most of their classes. So if a kid is interested in art and literature, they have the option to focus on courses of their liking instead of being forced to attend all the science classes too — that’s very different from Polish schools.”

Additionally, he noted that “the Paly campus is huge”— especially in comparison to his own school back at home, which he described as “a single, small building that holds around 500 kids” and “resembles Hogwarts.”

Janiak went on to explain some contrasting cultural differences between Poland and Palo Alto, zoning in on issues regarding social welfare.

In Poland, everything costs money. Water cost money in schools, and there is always an entrance fee to use tennis courts.

Nick Janiak Polish exchange student

“Well first, there are far fewer homeless people here compared to how many we have in Poland,” Janiak said before pausing for a moment to reflect. “But maybe that’s because Palo Alto is an affluent city. Also, Poland is having a political crisis right now.”

On the topic of politics, Janiak has made some interesting observations on differing views of social issues. He points out obvious contrasts he has noticed since moving from the ultra-conservative Poland to the very liberal Palo Alto.

“In Poland, many people are very Catholic; they’re very religious,” Janiak said. “Most people go to church and tend to be a little more conservative than the people here. I have noticed that Palo Alto is very liberal. I haven’t come across too many churches. Also, for example, in Poland, homosexuality and gay mar-

riage is a taboo. Here, it seems like it is not.”

Focusing in on teenage high school culture, Janiak pointed out differences in student behavior and social scenes. According to Janiak, Polish teenagers are a “little more wild,” due to the fact that Polish society, similar to much of Europe, has a more liberal view on alcohol consumption, smoking and partying than that of the United States.

“In Poland, it seems there are many more parties and social events for young people,” Janiak said. “Also, a big difference is that no one here smokes cigarettes, whereas in Poland almost all the students do. If you look at my school, or any school during the breaks and lunches, it feels like hundreds of kids are smoking.”

Janiak feels that Paly has an “amazing sense of school spirit”, unlike any he has ever seen or experienced back at home in Poland. After attending a football game and Spirit Week rally, Janiak became very impressed with Paly’s school unity and pride.

“I didn’t have too many clothes for Spirit Week, but I still attended the last rally on Friday,” Janiak said.

“It was so cool, like nothing I’ve ever seen. We don’t have that in Poland.

Also, football games are so popular.

Before coming to Paly, I had never really experienced school spirit.”

Additionally, Palo Alto exposed the fallacy of stereotypes for Janiak.

In addition to disproving the myth that all Americans were obese and junk-food consumers, Paly sports and athletes showed Janiak that many Americans are actually very athletic and health-conscious.

“In Europe, some people believe that Americans are very overweight and eat lots of McDonalds,” Janiak said. “But actually, from what I’ve seen in Palo Alto, that is completely false. In fact, Americans, or at least people in this city, are more athletic and in better shape than many Polish people. I think maybe that is because at school, you have serious organized sports. In Poland, there is not a lot of that.”

Adding on, Janiak applauds American journalism and is impressed with the student publications at Paly.

“In Poland, journalists are corrupt,” Janiak said. “We don’t see them as people who serve to speak the truth and let us know what is really happening, so journalism is not very popular. There is a lot of lying involved in Polish journalism. At my school, we do have a good newspaper — but it comes out only once a year.

When it is published, it’s really exciting and it feels like a holiday.”

On a last note, Janiak shared a couple bucket-list items that he hopes to complete before his time in Palo Alto is finished.

“I would love to learn how to play American football and also get a driver’s license here — it’s amazing that you only have to be 16 years old to get one in America,” Janiak said.

“Also, I’d like to meet James Franco.”

Perhaps, though, February won’t mark the end of Janiak’s American education.

“Schools in Poland are good, but not as good as American schools,” Janiak said. “It would be amazing to go to college here. Maybe that will happen.”

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Friday, November 8, 2013

B8

The Campanile

LIFESTYLE Co ur te

sy

Of

b Li ry ra

By Hillel Zand

1

2000

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h a k k u v i g s k n a th “LIGHTS n' THANKS”

in

Editor-in-Chief

W

hat happens when you mix the festival of lights with the festival of thanks? You get Thanksgivukkah.

On Nov. 28, for the first time since the holiday’s establishment as a national holiday in 1863 and since it was mandated to occur on the fourth Thursday of November in 1936, Thanksgiving will coincide with the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. As Jews across the nation stuff themselves with turkey and mashed potatoes, they will further culminate their meals by lighting three candles in honor of the second night of Hanukkah.

Not for another 70-plus millennia will Thanksgiving fall in the middle of Hanukkah. So is the hype surrounding this hybrid holiday deserved or just another instance of American pop culture and consumerism? Let’s delve in.

The Contrasts Hanukkah usually falls in early to mid-December and has long been associated with its Christian counterpart holiday during that month — Christmas. However, the similarities between Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are far more noticeable.

Both the Maccabees and Pilgrims fought against religious persecution and established themselves as dominant leaders in their newfound roles.

“Thanksgiving is the time in American culture [when] it’s safe to express how you feel,” says Rabbi Laurie Matzkin, Director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto.

“It’s sort of ‘kosher.’ I think that’s a Jewish value. I think Jewish homes… are supposed to be emulating that value always.”

But as in most tales, fraud often follows in power’s footsteps.

“There’s a sense of purity in [the Maccabees’] mission, but later on, they become corrupt and totally corrupt kings,” Matzkin said.

“What happens is they centralize power… and it was very nepotistic. How do we celebrate the courage of these early folks who paved new paths and did take a lot of risks and risked their lives… in sort of both cases fighting against establishment governments.”

In a similar manner, the Pilgrims’ success in the New World lead to destruction, as their historical injustices against Native Americans become more and more documented. Although involuntary acts of destruction, such as the spread of disease, could not be prevented, massacring of Native American tribes and forced seizure of land are only a couple of examples of how Pilgrims abused their freedom.

As Matzkin notes, “rebellious energy eventually becomes institutionalized itself and gets corrupt.”

The Background In 165 BCE, Judah Maccabees and his sons led the Jews to victory in a revolt against the religiously oppressive Assyrians, lead by King Antiochus. This classic Jewish underdog story was considered a miracle, but not only because of the Assyrian defeat.

Legend has it that after the Jews reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem, they lit a candle that had only enough oil for one day, but the candle ended up burning eight nights. It is for this reason that Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting one candle a night for a course of eight days, in addition to one “helper” candle each night that is used to light the others.

A couple thousand years later, in 1621, English Puritans seeking religious freedom — known colloquially as Pilgrims — arrived in the New World at Plymouth Rock after voyaging across the Atlantic Ocean on the famed Mayflower ship. To celebrated their arrival and newly found freedom, the Pilgrims had a harvest feast with the local Wampanoag Indians. This feast became a symbol of coexistence and although the fall harvest was nothing new for Native Americans, it became a staple holiday that was officially designated as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

The Modern Twist “The ‘December dilemma’ has moved to the ‘November dilemma,’” Matzkin points out. “Why can’t Hanukkah be a stand-alone holiday?

Why does it always have to be assimilated into the context of a greater American holiday?”

American consumerism has infiltrated Hanukkah, a holiday that in its purity has little to do with giving presents, largely due to the fact that it often falls within a week or two of Christmas. The question that is being posed this holiday season is whether Hanukkah pop culture will be affected by its shift toward Thanksgivukkah. Matzkin hypothesizes that consumerism might be something “the secular Jewish population [is] looking to grab onto.”

A notable shift that will happen as a result of Thanksgivukkah will be new cuisine, as standard Hanukkah fare will be fused with traditional Thanksgiving food. Sweet potato latkes, cranberry applesauce, challah-apple staffing and rye pumpkin pie are just a few of the recipes that have been recently concocted in honor of the (literally) once-ina-lifetime holiday.

SEnior Spirit

war Photos By Jensen Hsiao Collage By Andrew Sternfield

This edition featuring

Will Crouch with The Campanile’s own Ziv Schwartz and Jonathan Ziegler The Campanile: So, Will Crouch — the man, the legend — how has it been these last couple weeks?

Will Crouch: I’ve lived in fame. It’s been good.

TC: How have you handled all your fame?

WC: I don’t know. I try to stay down-to-earth. I try to make the “Will Crouch movement’” personal to everyone that follows it.

TC: So what is the “Will Crouch movement?” Tell us how it started.

WC: It started on the first day of Spirit Week. [It was] the bright idea of a few brilliant minds was to start a cheer that was simply my name and my name only.

TC: How did it spring from there?

What has it become?

WC: I think it’s something legendary. I’m a legend. It’s become a movement; it’s become a way of life.

TC: Has there been any opposition?

WC: I understand there’s a lot of controversy around its purpose. I think that people didn’t understand the purpose of it.

TC: What is the purpose?

WC: The purpose of the “Will Crouch movement” is truth, freedom and a better future for Paly students.

TC: You’re a very active member of Twitter (@WillNickatina).

What inspires all of your tweets?

WC: The free, unstoppable mind of Crouch. It’s my thoughts, my feelings about the world we live in: my perspective on current events. I’m somewhat anti-establishment. I’m against a totalitarian police state mentality that many countries fall into in desperate times.

TC: Do you think that the U.S. is falling into one of those tyrannical movements?

WC: Yes. Every day, the police [infringe] on the rights of people.

Various debates about changing amendments in the Constitution, namely the second amendment.

The founding fathers knew that these corporations and banks would find their way into the government, no matter how regulated it became.

TC: Has your “Will Crouch movement” been a medium for which you can express your viewpoints to certain peoples?

WC: The “Will Crouch movement” has [made me more recognizable] in the Paly community, more so than before.

TC: If you could give one piece of advice to the emerging minds of today’s world — to every student sitting in math class — what would it be?

WC: Be vigilant. Don’t trust everything that you’re being told.

[Mainstream media] is portraying stories and events the way certain people in power want it to be portrayed. Freedom of the press means freedom of the press. This means the government can’t use certain companies to deter certain companies from certain news sites and direct them toward other news sites they have control over.

TC: If you could come back to Paly in the future, what would your hope be for a lasting image of the “Will Crouch movement?”

WC: Liberty in Paly and undying cheer of my name.

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Campanile

SPORTS

CONdELEEZZA RIcE NAMEd TO BCS SELEcTION cOMMITTEE

RUSSIAN ANTI-GAY LAWS PRESENT dILEMMA IN 2014 WINTER OLYMPIcS

Stanford professor, former Secretary

Discrimination on the basis of sexual

of State appointed to College

orientation effects the Olympics in Russia.

Football Playoff Committee.

C2

C7

Sports should not be gender specific

Stephenie zhang/the campanile

The idea that some sports are specific to a certain gender is being challenged by schools in the Bay Area. For example, Palo Alto’s David StarrJordan Middle School has begun making traditionally single-sex sports open to both genders.

By Lauren Gargiulo Staff Writer

A

t Palo Alto High School, it is fair to say that most people believe in equal opportunities for both boys’ and girls. However, this belief does not seem to be applied when it comes to sports. While most of our sports have both boys and girls teams, volleyball and football are gender specific. Why is this? Why isn’t there a girls’ football team or a boys’

volleyball team? In the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, nine out of the fourteen schools have boys’ volleyball. Even one of the local middle schools, David Starr Jordan Middle School, has a boys’ volleyball team. “[The middle school boys’ volleyball program] was very successful last year and we plan to have double the amount of participants playing this spring at all three local middle schools in Palo Alto,” Chase Hartman, Jordan Middle School’s Athletic Director, said.

If the district’s middle schools have volleyball teams for boys, why doesn’t Paly have boys’ volleyball too?

In 1972, a federal law known as Title IX established that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity.

This provision calls for equal fund-

ing for sports for different genders; adding a boys’ volleyball team would not conflict with it, but would further support it. As of now, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) is not breaking any laws at all.

[The middle school boys’ volleyball program] was very successful last year, and we plan to have double the amount of participants playing this spring.

Chase Hartman

Jordan Middle School Athletic Director

“We’re in good shape as far as Title IX,” Paly Athletic Director Earl Hansen said, “[Boys’ volleyball] is coming, maybe not in the next couple of years because of construction, but it is coming.”

There is no law or provision that prohibits the possibility of a boys’ vol-

leyball team. Likewise, girls’ football has no law barriers, but the amount of interest would be a problem.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, roughly 1,800 girls in the United States played high school football in 2012, and that number is growing steadily over time. However, this number is not nearly enough to start a girls’ football league by itself, which indicates that football should be co-ed. Making football co-ed could be a problem because Title IX, which was created to help females in sports, actually may be a hindrance when it comes to football.

There is a built-in “contact sports exception” in Title IX which some football coaches can use to actually block girls from playing. But this oldfashioned way of thinking that girls should not participate in contact sports is dying out. Many school districts, including PAUSD, ignore this

rule, so Title IX ought to be amended to reflect today’s current values. In PAUSD, middle school flag football is a co-ed sport.

“We have had girls play each of the last two years with the boys and they were very successful,” Hartman said. “Girls have also participated at Terman [Middle School] and Jane Lanthrop Stanford Middle School for flag football too. I would encourage more girls to come out and play flag football at all of the middle schools.”

Although Paly might not be ready for an exclusively girls’ football team, there is no reason not to make the existing boys’ team co-ed. In addition, because there is enough interest, Paly should form a boys’ volleyball team.

Sports, especially in this day and age, should not be assigned any gender and should be enjoyed by any person, man or woman, that desires to participate.

INSIDE THE COST OF BEING AN ATHLETE

FIELd HOcKEY

THE BET LEAGUE

Sports consume the world of an athlete

Senior searches for Argentina’s beloved

Ten men, one mission: to create a fantasy

when it comes to time, money and

sport in America.

football league using humiliating bets as

school.

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motivation.

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Friday, November 8, 2013

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SPORTS

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Condoleezza Rice appointed to BCS committee

By Hannah Nguyen

F

Staff Writer

ormer Secretary of State and current Stanford professor Condoleezza Rice will join the College Football Playoff selection committee when it is officially announced in November, according to ESPN. The announcement of Rice’s participation was initially met with controversy. Many football fans declared the diplomat unqualified to serve on the committee. Some fanatics furthered tensions by suggesting that women do not belong on the panel.

These disputes, however, were mostly settled after diplomatic responses from the committee executives and Rice herself.

Executive Director of the College Football Playoff Bill Hancock noted that Rice rightfully earned the spot on the panel.

Rice knows the game. Obviously part of this is going to be the ability to make judgements under scrutiny, and [Rice] has that.

Bill Hancock Executive Director of the College Football

“Rice knows the game,” Hancock said to ESPN. “Obviously, part of [participating in the selection committee] is going to be the ability to make judgements under scrutiny, and [Rice] has that.”

Hancock noted that Rice met all of the appropriate criteria of a selection committee judge.

“We wanted people of the highest integrity for this committee,” Hancock said in an interview with USA Today. “Every one of [the judges] has vast football knowledge, excellent judgement, dedication and love for this game.”

According to ESPN, Rice believes she is well-qualified for the job.

“I have experience in decisionmaking under pressure, decisionmaking when you have to evaluate information, look at it in a variety of ways [and work] in a team to try to come up with good decision,” Rice said in an interview with ESPN. “I think I can bring that to [this] committee.”

In addition, Rice claims that her presence will add variety to the mixture of judges on the panel.

“People thought it was important to have diversity of experience,” Rice said to the New York Times. “Secondly, they said [they] want people who will make critical judgements.”

The selection committee will be responsible for determining the four teams that will compete in the College Football Playoffs following the 2014 regular season. The committee is comprised of athletic directors across the National Collegiate Athletic Association conferences, which include the Big 10, Atlantic Coast, Pacific-12 and Southeastern Conferences. The panel also determines the teams that will play in the Cotton, Fiesta and Chick-fil-a Bowls.

Former athletes, coaches, administrators and media representatives will make up the panel of 13 members.

Rice will be the only female member.

Rice has never worked in college athletics; however, she is an avid sports fan, especially when it comes to Stanford football. Rice’s father, who passed away in 2000, played a significant role in her attachment to the game. While speaking with the New York Times, Rice claimed that her father would be proud of her position.

“He’d be thrilled about the playoff system,” Rice said. “I think he’d think I’ve finally found honest work.”

Chaired by Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, the committee will begin work in the fall of 2014, when the new playoff system begins.

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images

From left: Condoleezza Rice, alongside Bo McNally (22) and Toby Gerhart (7), prepares to perform the ceremonial coin flip ; the Stanford Cardinal pose with Rice after winning the Rose Bowl last year.

Argentinian student faces different sports culture Senior adjusts to culture with less of an emphasis on field hockey in America

By Emily Semba

I

Spotlight Editor

t came as a shock to senior Cata Faerman that one of the most popular sports of her native Argentina was absent at Palo Alto High School. Faerman had been a field hockey player for eight years in Argentina, but struggled to find a team when she arrived at the United States in Dec. 2011.

“I knew that field hockey wasn’t the most popular sport, but I was so surprised that there wasn’t a team at Paly,” Faerman said. “In Argentina, girls have compulsory field hockey in gym class. That’s how it is: boys play soccer or rugby, and girls play field hockey.”

Faerman started playing field hockey at age seven when she joined a club team called River Plate. Although she also swam for many years, Faerman had to choose one sport to

further pursue, as both became increasingly competitive.

“I chose field hockey because it is a team sport,” Faerman said. “It is a very exciting and fun game.”

When she moved to the United States, she was curious to discover why Paly does not offer field hockey.

“I heard that [Paly] used to have [a field hockey team a few years ago],” Faerman said. “I talked to [Athletic Director Earl] Hansen, and he said that the reason why they stopped having a field hockey team was because they used the lacrosse field and it used to get really messed up when it rained. They had to cancel a lot of games through the season and it just didn’t work.”

Faerman noticed many differences between the club teams in the United States and the ones found in Argentina.

“Argentina was a very competitive environment,” she said. “We were all

from different parts of the Buenos Aires Province, and sometimes it was hard to understand each other because we lived such different realities.

My parents always drove me to the games, while some girls had to wake up at 5 a.m. [and] take multiple buses to get to the game at 11 a.m. [On the Bay Area club team], everyone was fairly similar in terms of lifestyle and I knew I was just trying to have fun.”

Though many people claim that lacrosse is similar to field hockey, Faerman disagrees.

“When I came here, I asked about [field hockey, but] everyone was like, ‘well, we have a lacrosse team!’” Faerman said. “[Field hockey and lacrosse are] definitely not the same thing.

The balls are not supposed to be in the air [in field hockey]; you’re not supposed to catch them and we don’t have as many pads.”

Faerman believes that the lack of a Paly field hockey team has contrib-

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uted to less participation in the sport in Palo Alto. “[People don’t] know about the game, so they can’t just go out looking for teams,” she said. “There’s not much advertisement. You really need to go out and look for it, and since [people] don’t really know about the game, they don’t know where to start — it’s like a cycle.”

In Argentina, girls have compulsory field hockey in gym class.

That’s how it is: boys play soccer or rugby and girls play field hockey.

Cata Faerman Senior

Faerman says the game has taught her many lessons that she can now incorporate both on and off the field every day.

“[I have learned] patience, anger management, respect [and] how to be a good teammate,” Faerman said.

“That’s not something you just know how to do, and that’s something that is going to be useful in other environments.”

Though Faerman is not attempting to be recruited for a college team, she hopes to continue playing the game at the club level after high school.

“For my college list, I made sure field hockey was part of [each school],” Faerman said. “I would love to [be recruited to play], but I don’t think it is going to happen.”

Faerman encourages students at Paly to consider taking up field hockey as a sport to try and strengthen its prevalence in America.

“I don’t think there is another sport similar in any way to field hockey,” she said. “Imagine if the West Coast had good teams — [we could have a] West Coast-East Coast rivalry.”

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Friday, November 8, 2013

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Football team struggles down the stretch

By Julia Kwasnick Sports Editor

Arjun Parikh Senior Staff Writer

A

fter four straight De Anza League titles, the Palo Alto varsity football team has been struggling to find their rhythm. Despite pounding Mountain View High School on Nov. 1 to the tune of 41-0, their fourth victory by a margin of at least 21 points, the Vikings have yet to string together consecutive wins and find themselves with a relatively disappointing record of 4-4 overall and 3-2 in league.

Three of their four losses came by exactly three points, with their only other loss a 34-14 defeat at the hands of Archbishop Mitty High School.

After seemingly finding their groove during their Oct. 4 win at Fremont High School, the Vikings were beaten at home by the Wilcox Chargers by a score of 42-39.

The season hasn’t been going as well as we expected.

Malcolm Davis Senior

The Chargers raced out to an early lead by way of a long touchdown run within the first few minutes of the game and responded to senior Malcolm Davis’ touchdown catch with two more touchdowns. The Vikings closed the half on a high-note with two touchdowns of their own to slice the Chargers’ lead to one at 21-20.

After the Chargers opened the second half scoring with a touchdown, senior quarterback Keller Chryst connected with sophomore Eli Givens for Givens’ second touchdown grab of the day before senior Keesean Johnson ran a punt back to put six more on the board. After trading a couple more scores, the Chargers scored the winning touchdown with under two minutes remaining.

The Vikings responded to their loss against Wilcox with a strong showing at Saratoga High School, winning by a score of 55-21 on Oct. 18. The Vikings opened the game with 28 unanswered points, and their dominance was only interrupted by a one-yard touchdown run. The team added two more touchdowns to bring the score to 41-7. With the game out of hand, Saratoga closed the game on a 14-7 run. Davis starred for the Vikings with three long touchdown runs, including an ankle-breaking 62-yard touchdown scamper.

The Vikings’ inconsistent record continued with a 31-28 loss to the Milpitas Trojans on Paly’s Homecoming Night. In a tightly contested affair, the Vikings and Trojans traded leads six times. Milpitas rounded out the scoring with a clutch 57-yard touchdown pass. Former Viking Savion Black punished his former school with 12 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson led the way for Paly with a stellar 117 yards on 7 receptions while Chryst was his usual efficient self, throwing for two touchdowns and 238 yards.

After their loss to Milpitas, Paly hammered Mountain View 41-0.

Paly gashed Mountain View’s po-

Conner Harden/The Campanile

Football teammates Charlie Olivera (6) and Matt Fogarty (19) observe from the sidelines Paly’s win over San Benito.

rous defense with six touchdowns, including two of their longest plays from scrimmage: a 95-yard pass from Chryst to Johnson and another stellar Davis run for 92 yards. Chryst was involved in four of Paly’s touchdowns, two of which he ran for, from five and two yards out, respectively.

D Senior running back Malcolm Davis believes that the Vikings are

talented and can rebound from their league struggles.

“The season hasn’t been going as well as we expected,” Davis said. “[But the team] picked it up [against Mountain View] a little bit.”

Davis hopes that the Vikings can carry on the momentum they gained from the teams’ Mountain View victory.

“We have playoffs coming up,” Davis said. “Hopefully we can make a run in the playoffs, and [maybe even] go far and get a CCS [Central Coast Section] title.”

The Palo Alto Vikings will be hosting another game against Los Gatos on Nov. 8 before finishing up their season at Santa Clara on Nov. 15.

Volleyball loses last home match

By Jake van Zyll Staff Writer

W

ith a league record of 8-3, the girls’ volleyball team is on a roll. The Lady Vikes beat Henry M. Gunn High School on Oct. 15 at home in four sets. They also defeated St. Ignatius College Preparatory 3-1 at home on Oct. 22, along with Mountain View in three sets at home on Oct. 24. The team won their match against Monta Vista High School in three games in one set on Oct. 29.

Senior tennis player Caroline Nore serves the ball during a win over rival Monta Vista High School.

aNdrew Choi/the campanile

Girls’ tennis avenges first loss Team manages victory against rival in intense second match

By Nick Sullivan Senior Staff Writer

Haley Fang

A

Staff Writer

fter having their undefeated record broken by Monta Vista High School, the girls’ varsity tennis team is hoping to bounce back and regain a winning streak.

The team continued their season with a final score of 6-1 against Milpitas High School. However, they lost to both Saratoga High School and Los Altos High School with identical scores of 3-4, but won against Sacred Heart Preparatory 6-1 and Gunn High School 7-0. The team lost to Lynbrook High School 2-5, but avenged their earlier loss with a win against Monta Vista High School — the team’s rival and one of the best girls’ tennis team in California. Monta Vista High won the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs in 2011, going undefeated.

The girls claim the matches were very intense and nerve-wracking.

Though the team only won with the margin of one match, the team’s three-doubles team pulled the team to victory. The varsity girls were very happy with their win.

“It’s really a relief that we’ve finally edged past Monta Vista [High School],” sophomore Kelsey Wang

said. “The entire match against them was really intense, especially the last few matches played, and we all felt so exhilarated when we won. Beating Monta Vista was definitely the best win of the season so far.”

Senior Samantha Dewees is also proud of the victory especially because this was a rare occurrence.

“Monta Vista [High School] is one of the best teams in the state, and certainly the highest performing team in our league, so it was amazing to beat them,” Dewees said. “Since I have been at Paly, we haven’t won against Monta Vista, so this was a huge triumph for us.”

Monta Vista is one of the best teams in the state, and certainly the highest performing team in our league, so it was amazing to beat them.

Samantha Dewees Senior

After a very good start to the season, the team believes that they will continue the season strong, especially because this year’s team is thought to be superior to other years’. They are very satisfied with their comeback and hope to be able to continue to work hard. The team also hopes to

learn from their mistakes and grow throughout the season.

“Since we are doing well, we are all more confident this season than we have been in past years,” Dewees said.

“And that has served us well.”

Even with the goal of winning in mind, the girls still want to keep good sportsmanship instead of being completely focuses on gaining titles.

“Our biggest goal, more than winning, however, is always to play our best, and leave a match feeling confident in the way we performed,” Dewees said.

The team now holds a solid record of 16-4 and is confident in their prospects of making it to CCS, which takes place in the middle of November. Regardless of if they make it to CCS or not, the team has smaller goals that it wants to accomplish before reaching a bigger target, like finishing their regular season strongly.

Beating Saratoga High School is a huge goal for the team. If the team beats Saratoga, it will mean the team will have never lost twice to a league team, and it will get the team in a better position before they enter any tournaments post-season.

“I know we really want to do well in CCS,” sophomore Kelsey Wang said. “But first we need to work on beating Saratoga [High School] in the regular season.”

The season has been going great.

We’re playing really well, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up.

Katie Passarello Freshman

After winning four league matches in a row, the team was enthusiastic and hopeful about winning the last few matches of their regular season.

Freshman Katie Passarello, who had three aces against Monta Vista High School, was pleased with her team’s latest win of the Lady Vikes’ four-match hot streak. “[Playing Monta Vista] was a fun game, and a lot of us got to be involved,” Passarello said. “We played

really strongly, and it was nice to get out of there in three [sets]. The season has been going great. We’re playing really well, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up.”

However, the Lady Vikes fell to Los Altos High School on Oct. 31, the team’s last home match of the regular season. The Los Altos Eagles were in control during the first set of the match, defeating the Vikings 2518. The Vikings struggled in an intense second set, eventually falling to the Eagles 21-25. Despite a great effort from the team in the third round, led by senior Becca Raffel, who had several aces and kills, the Eagles again prevailed, winning the set 25-21. The game was also the last volleyball game to ever be played in Paly’s historic Big Gym. The team destroyed cross-town rivals Henry M. Gunn High School in straight sets on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Gunn. Senior Lauren Kerr was selected Player of the Match. She tied junior Jade Schoenberger for the most kills, with 10. Kerr also had some key stuff blocks and control blocks.

Despite their loss to Los Altos High School, the team feels strongly about their upcoming league matches.

After the league season ends on Nov. 7, the Lady Vikes will look to move onto the CCS playoffs, which begin Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Conner Harden/The Campanile

The volleyball team huddles to support each other during a recent match.

Friday, November 8, 2013

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The Campanile

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The Cost of Being a

The physical, financial and menta

P

By Bowen Gerould Senior Staff Writer

Kevin Mullin Staff Writer

articipating in athletics can be one of the most rewarding experiences for students.

However, like all extracurriculars, athletics have various costs associated with them that an athlete must accept and deal with in order to even participate.

The more obvious costs, like the dollar value associated with a sport, are always present, but as the Palo Alto High School year progresses, many student athletes are starting to realize that there are less obvious costs involved as well.

Serious athletes, whose daily practices can last up to three hours, have to sacrifice much of their afternoon for their sport, time they could be using to work on homework, socialize with friends or catch up on lost sleep. This extra time could help student athletes dealing with borderline grades get over the hump.

For students at an academically competitive school like Paly, a lower grade in even one class can mean the difference between getting into the college of your dreams or falling short to another student who may

have different, possibly less rigorous or less time-consuming after school commitments.

Many students feel the pressure of everyday practices, but some have come up with solutions that work to help them stay on track despite the time crunch between school, sports and a social life.

“Basketball is at least two hours, six days a week of intense practice and games, so you are losing 12 hours right there when you could be doing something associated with academics,” senior Noah Phillips said. “As an

athlete, it is really important to stay on top of your school work.”

Other athletes believe that their sport actually keeps them on task during the long school year, even if the sport is time consuming.

“Volleyball definitely takes up a lot of time outside of school that could be used for homework and projects, so it is really easy to fall behind in class,” senior Becca Raffel said. “But at the same time, being in season helps me with my time management to be more efficient in my schoolwork.”

SETH ALSTON/THE CAMPANILE

Junior cross country runner Clara Harrington nurses her knee injury with ice outside of the Paly weight room. Many Paly athletes have suffered from an injury at some point in their sport careers.

A

Physical

mong other sacrifices, athletes endure physical costs that arise throughout the course of a long season. Whether it be injury or simply fatigue, these ailments can persist even after the last game is over. Injuries sustained on the field not only have serious repercussions in the immediate future, but can also persist and grow into bigger, chronic problems further down the road.

With all those practices and games six days a week, you have very little time to rest, so you have to train your body to recover fast.

Noah Phillips Senior basketball and baseball player

Most athletes have preseason workouts in order to prepare their bodies for the grueling season ahead, allowing them to fight through the pain during the final stretch of the regular season or playoffs.

An example of the high physical requirements is last year’s varsity basketball team, which practiced every day except Sunday for two to three hours, lifted weights two days a week

and had mandatory meetings at lunch to review film and go over plays.

“With all those practices and games six days a week, you have very little time to rest, so you have to train your body to recover fast,” senior Noah Phillips said.

Injuries are a different problem altogether. They can completely disrupt a season as well as one’s way of life. Take knee injuries that require crutches for example: those affected find everyday tasks like walking to class, driving and even going up and down stairs challenging.

Likewise, injuries to an athlete’s dominant arm can be debilitating, inhibiting the ability to write and lift heavy objects.

Phillips, who has suffered various injuries throughout his high school career, recalls the difficulty of dealing with a sprained ankle both on and off the court.

“I had to sit out a quarter of my sophomore season in baseball because I severely sprained my ankle towards the end of basketball season,” Phillips said. “It’s tough walking around with a sprained ankle or another injury soreness, because you can’t do everything your friends can, which is frustrating.”

Various tennis rackets are displayed on a local tennis store’s wall. Tennis rackets are an example of necessary expenses for

The Campanile

Friday, November 8, 2013

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high school athlete

al sacrifices of high school athletes

Mental

S

ports at times can prevent athletes from participating in social activities or getting adequate sleep as well. They can also lead to mental exhaustion, which can have a profound effect on multiple aspects of one’s lifestyle.

Draining practices deter many players from hanging out with friends, and late night games shorten the time available for athletes to do homework. For some, away games force athletes to miss their sixth or seventh period classes. Athletes then have to make up tests, homework and activities without having learned the material in class. The combination of a rigorous academic schedule and long, tedious practices are a lot of pressure and too much stress for an athlete to handle.

These pressures lead to a lack of sleep, which can cause underwhelming performance in the classroom.

This vicious cycle is something that many athletes have to fight through in order to perform well both in school and on the field.

Athletes can only take so much before they crack under the pressure. When this happens, the quality of life of the athletes are affected on multiple facets.

Homework becomes more monotonous, and classes and readings become less and less interesting or engaging.

Before long, many student-athletes fall into a pattern where they get all of their work done without absorbing the material. This can be dangerous, because these athletes are not well prepared for unit and final exams.

Other athletes, however, view their sport as the key to maintaining their sanity and composure as the year progresses, helping them refresh after a long day at

school and also helping them forget other issues off the court.

“I think everyone on the team would agree that we need volleyball to help us de-stress from everything else going on in our lives; it’s kind of our sanctuary,” Raffel said. “Every day we walk in the gym and we talk about there being a virtual ‘shower’ outside that washes off the stresses of the day, and we know that for the next two hours we just get to have fun competing and playing volleyball and not worrying about anything else.”

Regardless of whether or not sports is therapeutic or burdensome at times, it is always healthy to take a break from the game and come back energized and ready to play when the time comes. This way athletes can enjoy their sports even more and can even extend their careers by preventing themselves from “burning out.”

Junior soccer player Steven Blatman utilizes his seventh period prep to catch up on homework. Like many athletes, Blatman must use his limited free time wisely to work on schoolwork.

SETH ALSTON/THE CAMPANILE

Monetary T

an athlete to compete and succeed in high school sports.

GRACE KIM/THE CAMPANILE

he monetary cost of sports factors in as well because each sport requires different equipment; the costs vary for each sport. Golfers, for example, have to pay for a full set of clubs, which can easily run for $1000 even for a cheaper set. Other sports do not even require equipment and therefore never run into such high costs.

Baseball is another example of a sport that charges exorbitant prices for the highest quality equipment.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult to determine the quality of a purchase beforehand, leaving doubt until the equipment breaks or is no longer functional.

“The average wood bat costs around $80, but more serious players will buy a better brand bat which can cost up to $200,” senior Austin Kron said. “The problem with wood bats though is there is no way of telling how long each one will last.

I’ve had some bats last me an entire summer and fall season and I’ve also had some that don’t even last a month.”

Metal baseball bats can also cost up to $400 and often do not perform well after they have been through a full season. When you add in a $300 glove, $100 batting helmet, $120 cleats and $40 batting gloves, you are in the thousand dollar range.

Costs associated with specific positions, like a catcher in baseball, can also add to the total cost for athletes.

Many travel or club teams can also charge high prices for participation, and traveling to tournaments can also be costly.

“A hockey-style mask costs $150, a chest protector is also $150, and shin guards are $160,” Kron said.

With good care however, these pieces can last multiple seasons without having to be replaced. Performing the little tasks to keep the gear in good condition can be very important in reducing the costs.

“The chest [protector] and shin guards usually last me two years of year-round playing before they need

to be replaced, and I haven’t had to replace a mask yet because of wear,” Kron said.

Other sports have similar costs, but all athletes can keep these prices down by buying relatively inexpensive yet durable equipment over the more flashy products, which are often made out of cheaper material and do not perform as well.

Many travel or club teams can also charge high prices for participation, and traveling to tournaments can also be costly. An alternative to this can be to play on the local teams hosted by Palo Alto, which only charge a small fee to play during the off-season.

For the more serious athlete, showcases are used to get recognition from college coaches, but they also run in the hundreds and sometimes thousands for the longer camps. However, the benefit of these camps is the opportunity to get recruited by colleges, which sometimes offer students scholarships to go to their schools, easily returning the cost.

Friday, November 8, 2013

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Russian anti-gay laws present ethical dilemma in 2014 Winter Olympics

By Ziv Schwartz

T

Sports Editor

he Sochi Winter Olympics are only three months away, yet many Olympians may face problems they never thought they would have to deal with. Due to Russia’s anti-gay laws, many gay Olympians are facing trouble simply due to their presence in Sochi. Last June, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed an anti-gay law “prohibiting the promotion of nontraditional sexual relationships to minors. It has been interpreted as banning gay pride parades – children might see them – and preventing any discussion of homosexuality among teenagers,” according to the Washington Post.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), during their final inspection of Sochi before the Feb. 7 Opening Ceremony, concluded that Russia was not violating any Olympic rule. This response infuriated many athletes and spectators, fearing discrimination and possible arrest.

Putin recently stated that the West is “denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. [The West is] implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan,” according to the Washington Post.

Many athletes, such as gold medal Alpine skier Bode Miller, think that an Olympic boycott is in order.

reuters/creative commons

A poster stating “Queen Putin” appears during a protest of the Russian anti-gay laws in light of the Winter Olympics this February to take place in Sochi, Russia.

“It’s absolutely embarrassing that there are countries and people who are that intolerant and that ignorant,” Miller told Philly.com. “My main emotion when I hear and deal with situations like that is embarrassment. As a human being, I think it’s embarrassing.”

Many Palo Alto High School students also have strong opinions regarding this issue as well.

“The whole situation is terrible and preposterous,” senior Fionn Ruder said. “How can the Russian people be okay with letting that happen?”

Junior Noah Hashmi voiced similar views to Ruder, stating that all athletes deserve equal chances to compete, regardless of sexual orientation.

“It’s definitely unfair and the law should be abolished to allow every-

one equal opportunity in the activities that they enjoy,” Hashmi said.

The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics will take place in Sochi, Russia this coming February, and participants and spectators alike may see the affects of the laws.

Cross Country gains momentum late in season

By Will Snodgrass

T

jensen hsiao/the campanile

Paly Cross Country competed at the Lowell Invitational (top, left), and Crystal Springs (right) meets earlier this season.

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he Palo Alto boys’ and girls’ cross country teams have picked up momentum leading into the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship.

Junior Katie Foug thinks that the varsity cross country teams can carry their recent success into the CCS Championship.

“We’ve been resting some of our top runners because the varsity team has had a lot of injuries,” Foug said.

“We’ve been saving up for this race a little more. It’s one of the more important races of the season.”

Both teams competed well at the Monterey Bay Invitational on Oct. 18. The boys’ team took second place out of ten, losing only to Wilcox High School. Junior Lucas Mattison and freshman Kent Slaney took first and third place, respectively.

The girls’ team found similar success placing third, with rival Gunn High School finishing first. Sophomore Bryn Carlson finished fifth overall and Foug ninth.

Success at the Monterey Invitational carried over for the boys’ team at the third and final SCVAL meet,

as they finished third overall. Matison once again led the way for the boys with a second overall finish. He was followed by Slaney and junior Aaron Chandler, who finished 11th and 31st, respectively.

The girls’ team did not fare as well, but still placed sixth overall. Carlson and Foug were once again the top Paly finishers, placing sixth and 21st overall respectively.

Both boys’ and girls’ teams took second at the City Championship at Gunn High School on Oct. 29. The boys’ lost to Gunn 21–28, but placed the top two runners. Mattison and Slaney continued their success by placing first and second, respectively.

The girls’ also lost to Gunn by a score of 21–48, but beat out Castilleja for second place. Carlson claimed second place overall for the Lady Vikes with a time of 12:28.5.

“We’ve been getting progressively better, I think it’s just an accumulation of harder workouts and the team just getting more focused as the season is coming to an end,” Foug said.

The Vikings’ next meet is the CCS Championship on Nov. 16 at Crystal Springs High School. This is the final meet before the State Championship on Nov. 30.

The Campanile

Friday, November 8, 2011

SPORTS

C7

CCS qualification unlikely, but girls’ Athlete of the water polo holds onto hope month

This edition featuring

Tess van Hulsen with The Campanile’s own Jensen Hsiao and Andrew Sternfield

Ahmed Awadallah/The Campanile

The girls’ water polo team joins in a huddle to prepare for its game. The team finished its league season 4-8 and hopes to continue on to CCS.

By Coby Parker

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Staff Writer

he Palo Alto High School girls’ water polo team has finished its league season on Oct. 31 with a record of 4-8, losing in the final regular season game to Los Altos High School 6-5.

It is unlikely that the team will participate in the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament this year due to its record, but it is still possible if the team were to win a game on Nov. 7 in the league championship tournament. The Lady Vikes would have to defeat Los Altos High School, who had just beat them last Thursday in the qualifying game.

“Our first game on Thursday will determine whether we can go to CCS,” coach Aileen Delaney said. “If

we win that, we will be able to play for top four in our league, and the top four teams qualify.”

The season has been difficult for the girls, given that the record is not what they wish it to be.

“The losses are very hard on us, but we’re still working hard,” senior captain Emma Wolfe said. “Our communication is much better. It really helps to see our ball work.”

Former coach Danny Dye’s resignation initially created challenges for the team, but the team upped its winning streak after Aileen Delaney filled in Dye’s spot.

Delaney has been well-liked as a coach on the team, and many of the girls are glad that the switch in coaches midway through the season did not negatively affect their play. Delaney brought the team up

and proceeded to improve upon the team’s previous streak.

The losses are very hard on us, but we’re still working hard.

Our communication is much better.

Emma Wolfe Senior Captain

“Delaney has been a great coach and has taught all of the players on the team a lot about water polo in such a small amount of time with us due to the coaching switch,” junior Sheila Subramanian said.

The water polo team has stayed positive through all of its trials and hopes to come back better and stronger than ever in next year’s season.

Although the team will lose a fair number of girls, it hopes to be competitive and have a great season next year.

“I think there’s a lot of potential here,” Delaney said. “They have improved throughout the time I’ve worked with them. I think they always compete hard in the games and it shows. We’ve had a positive season and I hope we can finish it off by making it to CCS.” Though participation in CCS is doubtful for this year, the team is hopeful that next season will be better. The two captains, along with a few other teammates, will be graduating this year, but the majority of the team will stay for the following season. With stable leadership and strong players, the team hopes to outperform this year and years past.

Boys’ water polo looks to keep its winning streak alive into playoffs

By Zach Levitan

By William Shin

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Staff Writers

ith the season coming to a close, the Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity water polo team looks to keep its winning streak alive going into the playoffs.

With three key league wins against Mountain View High School, Monta Vista High School and Los Altos High School, the Vikings head into league playoffs with a 10-2 league record and 20-4 overall record.

The victory against Monta Vista High School was bittersweet as it was the last home game of the year.

“It was really fun to play with such a great team,” senior captain Ethan Look said. “I think I speak for all the seniors when I say we are playing with our best friends, and there is nothing better than that.”

“The game was a huge success, not only because we won, but [also due to] the big fan turnout and support,” junior Maclean Mansfield said. “It was bittersweet knowing [the seniors aren’t] going to be back [next year], but I was happy for them.”

Every senior played on Senior Night, and senior captain Sam Kelley had a strong game, leading the team with three goals to contribute to the 14-7 win.

The team carried the positive momentum from the victory on Senior Night into its next game against Los Altos High School, which left the team with a 12-11 win and high hopes for the playoffs.

Even after another win against Los Altos High School, the team captains reinforced the idea that the team needs to continue to improve in order to make a strong push into the league and Central Coast Sectional (CCS) playoffs.

“It was a tough game,” Look said.

“They came out strong and pumped

Ahmed Awadallah/The Campanile

The seniors of the boys’ water polo team pose together after their victory on Senior Night. The team looks to continue their impressive streak into the Central Coast Section playoffs. up on their Senior Night, and we didn’t put the balls away that we needed to. We scrimmaged Saint Ignatius yesterday, and our defense was lights out. That’s the kind of game we need to play to win out this week at league championships and go deep into CCS following that. We are excited for what is to come.”

The team is in the middle of an impressive winning streak now and hopes to ride that momentum into both league and CCS playoffs. “[We’ve won] six games in a row now,” Kelley said after the team’s win.

However, Paly still sits second in league standings behind crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High School.

It was really fun to play with such a great team. I think we are truly playing with our best friends, and there is nothing better than that.

Ethan Look Senior Captain

“If all goes well, we should meet [Gunn] in the SCVAL [Santa Clara Valley Athletic League] finals at Paly

in two weeks,” Kelley said optimistically.

After losing to Gunn twice this season, Paly is looking forward to playing its rival and other teams, in the league playoffs.

“I have high expectations for our team in winning [league playoffs],” senior Omri Newman said. “I’m not underestimating the other teams and [I] know it will be hard to win.”

“We have leagues the week after next and then CCS will follow that,” Look said. “We have high hopes for both, looking to come back with lots of hardware.”

Junior Tess van Hulsen, who started playing water polo only three years ago, scored 30 goals for the varsity water polo team over the course of 11 games in October. She scored seven goals in a thrashing of Lincoln High School and currently leads the team in goals scored.

She helped the team rebound from a dismal 3-5 record in September to a 7-4 in October.

Tess van Hulsen: I’m Tess van Hulsen and I play water polo for Palo Alto High School. I play utility, which means I am comfortable playing two-meter, two-meter defense or attacker.

The Campanile: Tell us about your passion for water polo.

TVH: I’m very passionate about the sport, and it’s a great community.

I’m passionate because it’s a great foundation, and we’re able to spread knowledge about water polo. Project 20/20 is a foundation that was created to help underprivileged girls.

TC: When did you start getting involved?

TVH: Two summers ago.

TC: How has it transformed your experience in the pool?

TVH: I think bettering myself in the water allows me to better the students and the girls I’m teaching, and it creates bonds that will last a lifetime.

TC: When did you realize that you were passionate about water polo?

TVH: Transitioning from swimming my entire life to playing water polo was something that really benefited me because that’s when I realized I wanted to play water polo. I didn’t want to swim back and forth for the rest of my life, and I think the friendships that I’ve created and the skills I’ve learned inside and outside the pool have really made a difference in my life. I don’t know where I would be without it.

TC: How did you find out about the sport?

TVH: I started in 8th grade with Stanford Water Polo Club. I was no longer happy with swimming, and I wanted to try something new.

TC: What are your future expectations for yourself and the team?

TVH: We’re entering leagues this week and we play Los Altos [High School] this Thursday who we just lost to by one goal last Thursday, so I’m excited to see the outcome of that game, and I’m optimistic we will win.

TC: What’s after that?

TVH: After that comes a winter season of training and then in the spring we will get ready for the summer season and Junior Olympics and all the summer tournaments we will participate in.

TC: Who are your heroes?

TVH: Brenda Via is the world’s best water polo player and I had the opportunity to play under her this summer.

She’s been in all the Olympics for water polo and she is the head coach for Castilleja [School] right now and I got to have the opportunity to work with her this summer at the 16th national A team for Stanford Water Polo Club. She’s not only an amazing mentor and player, but she is also one of the most inspiring and downto-earth people I know.

TC: What are your long-term goals for water polo?

TVH: I would love the opportunity to play in college because I can’t imagine my life without water polo and I think I’d be really empty without it.

Friday, November 8, 2013

SPORTS

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eek ten of fantasy football is crunch time. With fantasy playoffs just around the corner, teams now begin to face that dreaded win-or-go-home situation.

It’s that time of year when people will do anything to turn their team around; this is the time when people will begin to become completely consumed by fantasy football. And they do this all for one single reason: the money. Yet ten fantasy gurus of Palo Alto High School have taken a different approach to this monotonous routine. Instead of playing for money, these seniors have decided to play with bets, gambling their dignity along with it. The rules are simple: lose and perform the bet for that week.

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Week 1: The Cinnamon Challenge Week 2: Cheerleader Shirts The cinnamon challenge, where one must eat a tablespoon of cinnamon with no water, would bring any man to tears.

The five people who lost this week were forced to put both mind and body on the line in this week’s classic bet. They stood on the senior deck showing no signs of fear for the challenge at hand. With ice in their veins, the fallen fantasy gurus attempted to swallow the cinnamon without mercy.

And thus week one came to a close.

Have you ever worn a shirt that was way too small for you?

It is a pretty humiliating sight. But nothing compares to having to wear an extra-small shirt that also says “I’m a little Viking cheerleader” on it. Yet once again the losers walked onto the senior deck and presented their shirts for all to see.

Sadly, some Paly students saw more than they wanted to, as many a midriff was showing. And thus week two came to a close.

Losers:

Losers:

Neal Biswas, Frankie Comey, Bowen Gerould, Blake Smith and Josh Totte

9 k e e W ger n u H es Gam

Edward Mei and Blake Smith

Week 3: Running Shorts

Week 4: Lunch WIth Freshmen

Losers:

Losers:

There is one thing a man should never wear and that is women’s “short-shorts.” But the four losers of this week proudly walked onto the Quad with their thigh muscles gleaming. Then, to add to the punishment, the participants took part in a race across the Quad... rolling across the Quad. Yet the losers could not help but think that only a true man could wear women’s running shorts with that much style. And thus week three came to a close.

Neal Biswas, Bowen Gerould, Blake Smith and Josh Totte

If one were to look around the Quad at lunch, one would notice cliques that sit around on the grass in tightly knit circles. Now imagine you had to go to a group such as this and silently sit with them. Sound horrible? Not quite yet.

Now imagine the same scenario but with a group of freshman girls. Now that is painful. The losers this week had to bravely go eat with freshmen; they had to eat where others would not dare go. And thus week four came to a close.

Neal Biswas, Frankie Comey, Andrew Liang, Blake Smith and Chris Smith

Week 5: Homecoming (EVENT I)

One man, one mission. In this week’s twist, only the man with the least amount of fantasy points faced punishment.

Senior Edward Mei had to ask a girl to Homecoming using a sign created by the other fantasy gurus, which had a message for a girl different than the girl of Mei’s choosing. As he charged onto the Quad to the tune of “Wrecking Ball”

by Miley Cyrus atop a wooden chariot, one could not help but think of him as royalty. And thus not only did week five come to a close, but Mei also found himself a date.

Week 6: Overalls

Losers:

As you enter Paly’s campus, one thing will cross your mind: this is not a farm. So when the losers of week six were forced to wear overalls, they obviously did not belong. As the brave men walked onto the senior deck, they had a fire in their stares that could not be forgotten. Although they were not farming, they still went to class. Alas, they were soon dress coded by the administration, as it turns out overalls do not count as a shirt. And thus week six came to an abrupt close.

Losers:

Jack Anderson, Blake Smith, Chris Smith, Josh Totte and John Young

Edward Mei

Week 7: Spirit Week Drama

Week 8: The Dance (EVENT II)

Losers:

Losers:

What is one of the best days of Spirit Week? Color day: a chance to show class spirit. The seniors wear green, and orange is the color for the freshman class... and the color that the losers of this week had to wear. The bet league is all seniors, so losers this week experienced the shame of wearing orange in a sea of green. Yet, on the bright side, they were easily the best dressed “freshmen.” And thus week seven came to a close.

Bi gg e 1. N st 2. B eal Bis LO 3. J lake S was SE osh mith R S Totte

Neal Biswas, Bowen Gerould, Blake Smith and Josh Totte

The senior deck clears as ten men take the stage. As ‘N Sync music begins to play, a dance of epic proportions begins to unfold. Only known as “The Event,” this dance features all ten of the fantasy gurus as they have an ‘N Sync versus Backstreet Boys dance-off in front of the whole school. After five minutes of dancing and guest appearances by senior William Crouch and freshman Bennet Huang, the entire school was speechless. And thus week eight came to a close.

Anyone who missed seeing the dance.

Week 9: The Hunger Games

We all have to eat and this week’s bet is all about hunger.

It starts with an epic journey to Town and Country Village across the street. After pushing through crowds and crossing a street jam-packed with cars, the losers of this week proceeded all the way to Trader Joe’s. It is there that they fulfilled the ultimate task of buying lunch for the more superior fantasy gurus who had beaten them. Then losers trekked back to Paly and presented the winners with their complementary lunches. And thus week nine came to a close.

Losers:

Jack Anderson, Frankie Comey, Edward Mei, Josh Totte and John Young