Issue 4

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. XCV, No. 4

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

Friday, December 7, 2012

English Department addresses concerns with plagiarism policy Ben Hawthorne Business Manager

Albert Lee Staff Writer

O

ne of the few lectures that is common to nearly every English class at Paly is the plagiarism lecture. Almost all students are familiar with its basic idea: “plagiarism is bad, and it will be punished.”

However, these lectures often fail to address a critical point: what, exactly, is plagiarism?

Paly’s current official plagiarism policy defines plagiarism as “copying or closely paraphrasing sentences, phrases or passages from an un-cited source,” being determined by a teacher’s “professional judgement.” Despite the subjectiveness inherent in this definition, teachers maintain that their professional judgement is nearly always successful and that students should trust them.

“I don’t know of a time when my ‘professional judgement’ has been wrong,” English teacher Erin Angell said.

According to English teacher Kirk Hinton, plagiarism is simply “students not doing their own thinking.”

Most plagiarism can be divided into two types: cut-and-paste plagiarism, the most common type, and “plagiarism of ideas,” i.e. stealing someone else’s idea or argument without citing it.

“99 percent of the plagiarism that I see is stuff cut and paste from the Internet,” Angell said.

In the eyes of some students, teachers do a poor job of explaining how they determine whether something is plagiarism. When asked how well she understood the English department’s definition of plagiarism, senior Susanna, who prefers to remain anonymous, merely replied “What is the definition again?”

However, other students contend that the department is doing a better job of explaining its definition of plagiarism than in previous years.

“I think that this year, [the English Department has] made more of an effort to explain their policies, but before now, they have done a very poor job,” senior Sri Ghadiyaram said.

While determining whether text has been cut-and-pasted from the Internet is straightforward, determining whether ideas have been

Staff Writer

T

he results of an alumni survey were presented in a school board meeting on Nov. 19.

The survey examined the strengths and weaknesses of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in preparing students for college. It was based on the feedback from 227 of the 773 (29 percent) Palo Alto and Henry M. Gunn High School (Gunn) graduated students out of the class of 2011.

The graduates were confident in the district’s academic preparation

INSIDE News...............................A1-A5,A8 Spotlight...............................A6-A7 Opinion............................A9-A12 Lifestyle....................................B1 Music.................................B2 Food...................................B3 College..................................B4 Communication.....................B5 Academics..........................B6 Winter................................B7 Style..................................B8 Sports..................................C1-C8

Rachel Cui Staff Writer

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rincipal Phil Winston hopes to make finals optional next year in order to reduce the immense amount of stress that affects virtually every student at Paly during finals season.

In addition to reducing student stress, Winston believes that allowing voluntary finals will help transform school into a more enjoyable environment for students. If students have worked hard all throughout the semester, Winston sees no point in piling further stress on students and assigning large tests that could potentially drop borderline grades.

“There could be a tremendous reduction in student stress and in the amount of time that young folks study for tests, and just an overall better experience and an easier end to the semester for everybody,” Winston said. “If you demonstrated competency all semester long, do you really need to take a final?”

See FINALS, A3

Adam Mansour/the campanile

English Department Instructional Supervisor Shirley Tokheim, Ph.D. addresses The Campanile regarding the department’s plagiarism policy and how the teachers determine what constitutes plagiarism.

This essay consists entirely of my own work. Any ideas or words that are not mine have been properly cited.

or doesn’t copy the structure of logical argument from its source.”

One way teachers search for plagiarism of ideas is by looking at the level of argument in an essay. For example, teachers may suspect that an essay has been plagiarized if in it, the student incorporates arguments that they would not expect a high school student to be capable of making.

“It’s unlikely that the ideas that you come up with on your own as a 16- or 17-year old are going to be of the same sophistication as ideas from the PhD students writing for

going into college. From a question in which the survey-takers could select multiple choices, the survey indicated that 82 percent of the college students felt connected to their

past high school experience through academics, 44 percent through athletics, 31 percent through

clubs and 26 percent through performing arts.

“I think Paly prepared me really well academically for college,” Eloise Rippey, Paly graduate of 2011, said.

“My classes are basically on the same level of difficulty as the classes I took at Paly, but Paly is also really sheltered which made leaving and moving to college really hard.”

30 percent of students felt very prepared, 38.3 percent felt prepared, 24.7 percent felt somewhat prepared and 7 percent felt

William Kershner senior Staff Writer

A

unprepared. Most felt confident with their preparation.

The survey was presented in the College Readiness Report that indicate high schools’ preparation for a diversity of people. There was student concern over lack of preparation over topics such as managing money.

“Go into college being open minded, try new things and don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone,” a 2011 alumni said, “If you don’t do something, no one will do it for you.”

The school board is using the feedback from this survey to improve upon preparing future high school students for college.

COURTESY OF BERKELEY.EDU

The campanile

Every student in Shirley Tokheim’s American Lit 11 Honors class and in several other teachers’ classes must hand write and sign this statement in ink on each essay they write, prior to turning it in. plagiarized is often ambiguous and can be confusing.

A common way to check for plagiarism of ideas is by looking for paraphrasing and similar argument structure. According to Angell, every essay she has seen that incorporates plagiarism of ideas paraphrases the original source or copies the original source’s argument structure in the same manner as it was presented.

“When you plagiarize ideas, you are just paraphrasing,” Angell said. “I have yet to find an essay with plagiarism of ideas that lacks paraphrasing

City Council proposes Newell bridge redesign plan to replace the Newell Street Bridge on the San Francisquito Creek has begun under joint work between the City of Palo Alto Public Works Department (CPPWD), the City of East Palo Alto, the San Franciscquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD).

The purpose of replacing this 100year old bridge is to improve the flood control in the surrounding area. The bridge is thought to be functionally obsolete due to its narrow width, severe vertical profile and poor sight distances.

The current bridge is 18 feet wide by 40 feet long (one and a half cars distance across), and has no provision for bicycle or pedestrian traffic. The proposed replacement bridge will be a 45-foot by 86-foot structure with two 16-foot shared lanes and two five-foot sidewalks. The new bridge would be realigned to create a traditional four way stop on the East Palo Alto side of the creek.

The primary goal of the reconstruction is to decrease possible flood damage. A secondary benefit of the bridge is an alleviation of traffic on University Avenue; Newell Street crossing would draw attention as a throughway and an alternate route.

A major downside is increased neighborhood traffic in the adjacent region of Crescent Park. Other problems relating to bike and pedestrian safety may be present with the inflow of traffic, especially as the intersection of Newell and Dana is a major crosswalk for Duveneck Elementary.

Recently there has been major pushback from the residents in the surrounding area, (from both PA and EPA sides) who have begun to mobilize an effort to deny this request.

If approved, the Newell Road Bridge Replacement Project is scheduled for construction during the spring and summer of 2014.

Shmoop,” Shirley Tokheim, the English Department instructional supervisor, said. “Most teachers would not consider it plagiarism if you fail to cite other 16- or 17-year olds in class discussions.”

If a student writes an essay that uses arguments that a teacher would not expect a high school student to make, the teacher may suspect plagiarism but many view this as unfair.

“That [definition] seems kind of unfair,” junior Samuel Erickson said.

“High school students are often

See PLAGIARISM, A3

Alumni survey reveals adequate college preparedness alvina Zou

Administration considers optional finals

Spotlight Year in Review A recap of the year’s local, global and pop culture highlights.

A6-A7

News Prop 30 and UCs

Opinion No Shave November

UC schools postpone tuition hikes after Prop 30 passed.

A4

Males grow out mustaches and beards for No Shave November.

A11

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

A2 NEWS NEWS TO KNOW

@AircraftTalking The IDFAF oficially concludes operation “Pillar of Defense”. Over 1500 targets attacked and new Iron Dome defense system rolled out. @RT_America The UN asks for control over the world’s Internet

@Calestous UN recognizes Palestine as non-member observer state @Slate POLL: Americans fear the fiscal cliff, expect the fiscal cliff, and blame Republicans for the fiscal cliff

Gigi Ibrahim/Creative Commons

@kirstenpowers10 President Morsi accused of ‘vicious and deliberate’ attack as activists killed in Cairo and more than 300 injured @BreakingNews Syria prepared to use chemical weapons against own people; military awaits final orders, US officials tell

Administration considers optional homework policy for future jack paladin staff writer

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rincipal Phil Winston is currently discussing a new homework policy that would make all homework optional.

Although Winston has brought up the idea for a new system of homework with students, he has yet to discuss the issue with the Education Council.

If this system were implemented, students would not be penalized for missing credit on homework. This includes late or missing assignments or getting a score that is less than the student’s current average grade in the class.

Although there is no time frame for the school to implement this new system, Winston is hoping that he can make headway on putting the new system into place. “[The administration has] not thought deeply into the subject, but there is a little more to [the new system] then just no homework, such as the purpose of homework,” Winston said.

Many other schools around the country use the system of optional homework and even teachers at Paly already use the system.

Physics teacher Keith Geller uses a similar system to the one that Winston is trying implement for the whole school.

Geller’s system allows students to turn in all of the homework for the unit on the day of the test.

After reviewing the student’s work, if the grade is lower than their overall grade, the homework will not be added to the books, but if the homework helps the student, it will be added to their grade. “[Geller’s] idea of homework never counting against students whether they do it or not is a terrific model,” Winston said.

While optional homework may benefit some students, others oppose implementing the new system.

Geller’s idea of homework never counting against students whether they do it or not is a terrific model.

Phil Winston Principal

Junior Alex Fang has raised concerns that if students did have optional homework, then many might not do any of their work and have more trouble learning the material for their classes.

“I don’t think [optional homework] is a good idea,” Fang said.

“Nobody will do optional homework and students will get behind.”

While some students are skeptical of the idea and believe that in the long run it would hurt students, others feel more positively about the idea, although they do still believe that some students could suffer from the new system.

“Paly should implement the system,” senior Miles Kool said.

“Although it would negatively impact most students’ grades, it would also force those that truly wanted to do well to motivate themselves and thus succeed more.”

If the system is put into place, Winston hopes that the entire school, and all teachers will comply with the new policy.

“I prefer that adjustments are campus wide,” Winston said. “If they are, things just run much more smoothly.”

Although there is still no determined date for the change in policy, Winston hopes to work out the issues in the possible system by talking with teachers and students in the near future.

With the assistance of staff and students, Winston aims to implement the best possible system for the school.

Graphic design students to sell calendars marie ezran

senior staff writer

S

tudents in the graphic design class at Paly will be selling three different 2013 calendars they created in order to fundraise for the new design program, according to graphic design teacher Christine Hale.

Each student used Adobe Illustrator and the skills they learned throughout the semester to design a calendar page. Students worked together with a team of classmates to create a common theme and color scheme for each of the seasons.

One of the calendars available for purchase is a square format calendar (11” x 12.375”) with a bird, bug and

nature theme for $25. The second calendar style has a similar theme as the first, but is in a rectangular format (5.5” x 17” ); it will sell for $16.

Lastly, the “year-at-a glance” calendar (4.5” x 16.5”) has a Japanese koi fish theme. This style will be sold for $7.

The three calendars can be purchased online through the Viking Shoppe. Orders must be placed before Dec. 11 in order to be picked up in the Main Office during finals week. If orders are placed after Dec. 7, calendars can be picked up after winter break. Hale will also sell the calendars in front of the library at lunch during finals week.

The money raised from the calendar sales will go towards supporting

the new class at Paly, specifically for supplies and online resources.

“The price covers printing costs with a minimal mark up,” Hale said.

“Money earned will fund the graphic design program including printer, inks, papers and fonts.”

The graphic design class hopes to use the calendars as a way to exhibit their design talent to the community.

“If people get the calendar around to local graphic design firms it would be cool to have graphic design opportunities for students, like internships,” senior Masha Andreyeva said.

To see all of the calendar art, students can visit the graphic design website: palydesign.tumblr.com/post/37092110496/ paly-design-2013-calendars

History department receives new iPad cart Edward Kimmel/Creative Commons

@HuffPostPol Elizabeth Warren nabs seat on Senate Banking Committee @thefader New York rap groupDas Racist announces break-up via Twitter

albert lee staff writer

T

he members of the Paly technology department put a new iPad cart in the History Department this month, according to technology teacher Pat O’Hara.

“We mainly got [the iPads] for economic reasons: they were better priced,” history teacher Debbie Whitson said.

As schoolwide department demands for laptop carts have risen, the Technology Department has had to look for viable methods to lower cost while increasing the quantity of machines. Demand has risen especially because classes with struggling students need a higher computer per student ratio, according to O’Hara.

The iPads also afford some advantages within the classroom. Students can use the iPads for a variety of activities such as economics projects and even quizzes.

“The iPad is nice because I can see all my students at the same time and therefore prevent cheating,” history teacher Steve Gallagher said.

However, the shift to iPads was a bit difficult as teachers needed to learn how to use them, according to Whitson.

“The iPads are something new, and some of us don’t know how to use them well,” Whitson said. “They also didn’t come with keyboards. But once we got the keyboards, we were fine with the iPads.”

josefin kenrick staff writer

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oogle Inc. released its sixth biannual transparency report on Nov. 13. In this three-part report, Google revealed information about its traffic worldwide, discussed government and corporate requests to remove data and lastly stated government and corporate requests for Google to disclose data.

These transparency reports were created to show people what kind of information is being censored online. The first part of the transparency reports shows data regarding the traffic Google receives during the day. For the United States, most people use Google at around 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The traffic reports also determine what countries are

blocking some or all of Google’s services.

For example, they show how China went from all Google services accessible on April 11, 2012 to all services inaccessible on Nov. 9, 2012. This essentially means that in April one could search anything and it would not be censored, however

by Nov. Google’s services were not available.

Google measures its data by taking the total worldwide incoming traffic, then dividing it by the incoming traffic for a specific geographical region.

Google uses this data to make graphs showing the amount of use it receives in a given time period; this can also be divided up by region. The y-axis on the graphs serve as a way to relate two different graphs to each other.

The transparency report also shows the number of removal requests that Google receives from governments or copyright owners. In 2012, Google received 209 requests from the U.S. government to remove specific URLs online. These requests were all completed by court orders and the major reason behind these was defamation of the government.

Google also receives requests to remove URLs from copyright infringement companies. In the past month, 8,600,766 URLs have been requested to be removed because they allegedly infringed copyrights.

Degban, a compaxny that battles online piracy, has made over 8,000,000requests for removal, the most out of any other company. The final part of the transparency report releases the amount of requests by governments for user data. This data is mainly used for law enforcement reasons.

The amount of requests for data in order to assist in criminal investigations has consistently increased over the past few years. The U.S. government has made over 7,000 requests for user data from January to June of 2012 and Google complied with 90 percent of these requests.

Google encourages its users to view these transparency reports in order to better understand how the website’s information is being used and by whom. All of the information regarding Google transparency can be seen on the website: google.com/ transparencyreport

Jacob zenger senior staff writer

ASB has been planning some small events for the close of the year and also looks into the near future to foresee events of the coming year. They have already started to plan end of the year events such as Prom and Field Day. “Currently in ASB we are working on planning Prom to make it better than last years’, and in addition to that we are also planning Friday events such as live musical performances during lunch,” ASB treasurer Josh Madej said.

ASB has also booked multiple bands for a series of on-campus concerts starting in January.

Aside from events to take place in the distant future, ASB has plans for the weeks leading up to finals week to help lighten the atmosphere on campus.

“ASB has a few smaller events planned such as study snacks in the library during finals week and post finals cookies and cocoa,” Madej said.

Senior members of ASB are also working on a redesign of the Social Studies Resource Center that would transform the area into a social atmosphere.

ASB is currently developing a peer counseling program called “ROCK” with junior Jessica Feinberg.

ASB continues its various publicizing efforts in an effort to become more transparent.

School Board Update sam dodson senior staff writer

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) School Board members met on Tuesday, Dec. 4 to discuss primarily financial issues with the public.

School Board president Camille Townsend was recognized for her work with PAUSD as the Tuesday meeting was her last as president.

Financially, the School Board had good news to share. Since Proposition 30 passed, the district is allowed to remove $5.4 million from what would have gone to state budget cuts.

In addition, revenue for special education and parcel tax has increased.

The Board intends to use these extra funds to eliminate structural deficit, for employee compensation and for professional development among others.

Due to higher enrollment, there was a drop of three percent in revenue per student and there is talk of opening up a fourth middle school.

The board also noted that funding from Partners in Education (PiE) doubled during the nationwide economic downturn, which lead them to praise PiE as a vital part of the community.

UPCOMING EVENTs

Google releases bi-annual transparency report Google Inc.’s transparancy report was recently released to the public in order to reveal what information is censored online.

ASB Update

Dec

Finals begin

Dec

THE END OF THE WORLD?

Dec

WINTER BREAK

19 21 22

Best strategy: study hard, study often and go on Facebook to pray for an A.

We all go down in flames and never get to experience Winter Break 2012!

Get ready to hit the powder and chug the mocktails on New Year’s Eve!

JAN

BACK TO SCHOOL

JAN

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

7

21

At least we all start off with an 100% in every class.

Sleep in and have a dream about MLK.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

NEWS

A3

English department continues to clarify plagiarism PLAGIARISM, continued from A1

perfectly capable of making college level arguments.”

However, teachers maintain that it is not as unjust as it seems, even though encountering an argument that a teacher would not expect a student to be able to make is not a “smoking gun” for plagiarism, one that would draw immediate attention.

Teachers also stress that it will not lead to anything more severe than having a discussion with a student.

“Seeing an argument that I would not expect a student to make would be cause for me to dig deeper,” Angell said.

Teachers also insist that checking the quality of essay arguments to find plagiarism tends to be extremely reliable at detecting plagiarism and rarely causes those who have not plagiarized to be accused of plagiarism.

“In my experience, there is a consistency between the level of discourse that I see outside of essays, not just in classroom discussions, and the level of discourse in essays,” Hinton said. “[Inconsistency between the two] does not prove that they are plagiarizing, but if there’s a It’s kind of ridiculous that [teachers] don’t trust us to the point that sounding ‘too smart’ in an essay would be cause for suspicion.

Esha Datta Senior

huge inconsistency, it can point to something having influenced their essays.”

Nevertheless, some students feel that the measures taken to detect and prevent plagiarism, including looking at the quality of a student’s arguments to detect plagiarism, are a sign that teachers do not trust students to produce their own work and be honest about doing so.

“It’s kind of ridiculous that [teachers] don’t trust us to the point that sounding ‘too smart’ in an essay would be cause for suspicion,” Datta said.

But the Paly student body is diverse. Though some students would

This Campanile test essay on the The Great Gatsby was entirely copied and pasted from 123helpme.com, one of many websites that provides students with pre-written analytic papers. When the essay was submitted on turnitin.com, a plagiarism-detecting website that Paly teachers commonly use, it only generated a 36% similarity index, despite having been 100% plagiarized.

prefer that teachers trust them to produce their own work, others believe that an over-reliance on trust would cause plagiarism.

“If my teachers didn’t check for plagiarism and didn’t make me cite my stuff, I would just copy and paste from the Internet,” an anonymous student said. “I’m just too lazy, and I don’t have the time for this kind of stuff.”

Teachers, however, reject the claim that they are “out to get” students or that they do not trust students.

They claim that if plagiarism policies come across as excessive or harsh, it is only because teachers want to make plagiarism policies absolutely clear.

“There is a sense of pressure and urgency to make [plagiarism] standards clear that often adds to

student distrust,” Angell said. “I feel like that’s a reaction to the most common response to being accused of cheating from students: ‘I didn’t know it was plagiarism.’ There’s no ‘punitive dragnet.’”

Some teachers may also come across as distrusting because they do not want to come across to their students as weak or easily manipulated.

“There is an impression from some students that some teachers are ‘soft’ on plagiarism, so some teachers may come across as harsh in their plagiarism policies to impress upon students that they cannot be taken advantage of by crocodile tears,” Angell said.

Additionally, teachers stress they want to make the severity of plagiarism

absolutely clear to students before they enter college, where the penalties for plagiarism are much harsher.

“My job as a teacher is to educate students about the consequences In my experience, there is a consistency between the level of discourse that I see outside of essays, not just in classroom discussions, and the level of discourse in essays.

Kirk Hinton English Teacher

of their choices,” Hinton said. “In the real world, there are very real consequences for plagiarism. If you become known as someone who

doesn’t do their own work, you will not get hired.”

Because of the ambiguity surrounding the plagiarism policy, students may not know how to make sure that they are never falsely accused of plagiarism.

“Do a works cited page that includes everything that you’ve read,” Tokheim said. “It’s better to over-cite than to under-cite.”

The one remedy that teachers consistently recommend for ambiguity surrounding plagiarism is talking to your teacher to check if something constitutes plagiarism.

“If I was [sic] a student, I would talk to my teacher about what I should cite and what constitutes plagiarism, since the teacher has the final say,” Hinton said.

California begins testing of recently developed driverless cars Google uses artificial intelligence to start the race for the first autonomous car.

Ryan Deslauriers Senior Staff Writer

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alifornia has recently begun allowing the testing of self-driving cars, although there still must be a human present in the car during times of operation. The bill, SB1298, sets up procedures and requirements for autonomous cars in the state of California.

Google is the largest company currently working on self-driving cars, their cars use a combination of technologies, including radar sensors, video cameras, lasers and artificial intelligence to steer the cars.

Google has already begun testing cars in Nevada, which passed a similar law last year, and has driven the fully automated cars over 50,000 miles without an accident.

The only incident that has taken place was a fender bender that occurred when a human was in control of the car. Google is thrilled

Pros, cons of optional finals being considered

FINALS, continued from A1 Although most students would certainly enjoy having a choice in whether they take finals, Winston says that if his idea is implemented, seniors will be the first target group to try optional finals because they

DoNotLick/Creative Commons

Above is the “lidar” which is a $70,000 mechanism that rotates constantly to construct a three dimensional map of the road ahead, behind, to the right, and to the left of a distance up to 200 feet. Lidar is a detection system similar it radar, that uses light instead of radio waves.

about the benefits of autonomous cars to modern day society.

Self-driving cars have many benefits to society. For instance, they could provide means of transportation for blind or disabled people, as

well as allow people to be productive on the way to work instead of listening to NPR or honking at other cars on their morning commutes.

The bill has many features but mainly does the following: It sets up

safety and performance standards for autonomous vehicles on California’s public roads. The bill also allows for the use of autonomous vehicles on California roads and highways, provided a licensed driver is behind the

wheel, it requires that all autonomous vehicles meet safety standards as required by the law and it allows for California Highway Patrol to suggest additional safety requirements to the California Legislature.

are the most mature, intellectually developed and experienced group of students.

Decreased levels of stress and building a more enjoyable high school experience are two of the positive and immediate after effects of Winston’s idea.

But, true to the saying that there is no free lunch, Winston acknowledges that there may be repercussions to making finals optional. To try to prevent these detriments, he plans to research the full effects of his idea and the possible effects of the policy.

“I know that there are some other schools that have a system [similar to my idea], so we definitely

want to contact them and see what unintended consequences happened,” Winston said.

substituting another test that would serve the same purpose as finals.

“There are some restrictions for UC classes that we want to make sure that we meet,” Winston said. “I wouldn’t want a big accumulative test to take the place of the final. [The staff and I] have to talk about it.”

Furthermore, if the system is implemented, it will not affect the rest of the district because Winston is only responsible for Paly. Winston has the power to lead the discussion, but unless the district School Board approves the plan, Paly will be the only school with the innovation.

Winston stresses that making finals optional is currently just an

idea; he has not proposed or started any conversations regarding this idea as of yet.

“In the next year, [I’d love to] have a conversation with staff about the purpose of finals,” Winston said, unsure of fine details. “Part of my job is to start conversations, to have a vision and to try to chase that vision.”

There still is a long process of transforming the idea into a functioning system, and it seems unlikely to come into effect this year and possibly even next year.

“I’m always a forward thinker,” Winston said. “[We have] a great staff that is very innovative and totally interested in doing new things.”

I’m always a forward thinker. [We have] a great staff that is very innovative and totally interested in doing new things.”

Phil Winston Principal

Winston maintains that allowing finals to be optional will not affect eligibility or conflict with any standing requirements. He does not want teachers to bypass his idea by

Friday, December 7, 2012

A4

The Campanile

NEWS

Administration strives for uniform grading

leslie wan staff writer

S

tudents have been demanding a need for a uniform grading system for all subjects, especially English, especially those in upper grades gradually realize the issue that different teachers of the same course have different expectations for the classes.

In other words, students must be able to meet the teacher’s standards and criterion even if their standards differ from another teacher that teaches the same class.

Junior Aaron Slipper believes that teachers who teach the same subject should not have much variation in levels of difficulty.

“I don’t think two courses viewed as exactly the same from the outside world ought to be very different in difficulty,” Slipper said.

The administration and academic departments are trying to resolve this issue and find a uniform grading system so that the grading criteria would be the same in all departments.

Principal Phil Winston has acknowledged these issues; those such as grading and class difficulty before and plans to resolve them in the near future.

“I have plans with discussing this issue with the Ed. council [education council], and eventually hold a staff meeting,” Winston said.

Slipper shares the same thoughts as Winston. However, he believes the grading in certain departments is very straightforward so these departments may not need a uniform grading system for teachers to follow.

Some classes, such as math, are very direct and do not require much elaboration and guidelines such as those that are required in English classes.

“In a class which demands already very uniform requirements for work —such as math classes—there is not much need for teacher discussions about difficulty,” Slipper said.

“Having taken Analysis, I can say that I know that there are cases where teacher discussion about difficulty is both helpful. But it is in reality quite common, too.

Although Slipper believes that subjects such as math do not need a uniform grading system for teachers to follow, he does believe that the English department should consider implementing some sort of system merely because the grading of English essays is inherently subjective.

“I feel like the most diverse levels of difficulty can be found in English classes, where the grading is most subjective,” Slipper said.

Instructional Supervisor of the English Department Shirley Tokheim also shares Winston’s thoughts of this recurring issue and has organized meetings with the English teachers to improve the grading system in order to increase uniformity among classes for equal levels of difficulty in each course.

“In English, we align classes within a department,” Tokheim said. “Everybody reads the same core texts, but teachers have different ways of teaching it. However, we have standards to guide them in the classroom.”

Tokheim believes that the English teachers are improving how they collaborate in grading essays and in determining the breakdown of the class. However, she still believes that there is room for improvement.

“During staff meetings, we always talk about it [uniform grading system],” Tokheim said. “Part of the teacher’s work is to keep in check with one another, but it is still a process. We’re working on it.”

Mitchell_c_brown, sawyerlaw/Creative Commons

The University of California at Irvine, one of the UC’s who has been forced to adjust to Prop. 30

Proposed UC/CSU tuition increases postponed BOwen Gerould Staff Writer

T

he University of California (UC) system and the California State University (CSU) system have postponed tuition hikes after voters approved Prop 30, which raised taxes and avoided nearly $6 billion in cuts to public schools and California’s higher education system.

Governor Jerry Brown had strongly advocated for the proposition among California voters, and persuaded both the University of California and California State University to postpone critical votes on tuition fee hikes scheduled on Wednesday Nov. 14 according to the Los Angeles Times.

Brown had campaigned for Prop.

30 on the promise that it would keep college costs down while helping public schools and the state budget.

CSU and UC each would have faced a $250 million cut if the measure had

IZZY’s Brooklyn Bagels Catering for all Occasions

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failed according to the LA Times newspaper.

Typically, fees at UC are increased in the fall to give prospective students a better sense of what they will need to pay in the coming year. But with the passage of Prop 30, voters would likely have felt betrayed if the new taxes were still followed by fee increases.

Paly college advisor Sandra Cernobori feels like some families of prospective UC or CSU bound students are starting to wonder if the cost differential compared with that of a private school still outweighs the educational differences.

“The question people are asking is ‘If the tuition is going up, is the value decreasing?,’” Cernobori said.

The LA Times stated that CSU trustees postponed action on a plan to impose stiff new student fees and UC regents also agreed to abandon a proposal, scheduled for a vote Nov. 14, to add supplemental fees to some professional degree programs. The CSU plan would have increased fees

for students who gather more credits than they need to graduate, who carry more than a full load and who repeat courses.

When Cernobori talks with students, she often wonders if they have the conversations over the costs of these universities with their parents at home.

“I meet with students and they don’t know, or they will have a very general [understanding].” Cernobori said, regarding the issue of tuition costs.

Paly students do not seem to be as bothered by the tuition increases as other prospective students are.

“If they raised their tuition for students, it would not really affect my decision to apply,” senior Alec Furrier said. “ It would just be annoying to pay the extra costs.”

Senior Kirby Gee also agreed that an increase in costs would not alter his decisions to apply.

“It honestly would not be that much of a factor in my decision,” Gee said.

The Campanile

Friday December 7, 2012

NEWS

A5

New teacher’s methods stimulate students New on the Paly campus this year, Herb Bocksnick feeds off the positive student attitudes to create an energetic learning environment.

Sophie Parker SPORTS EDITOR

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ringing new spunk and energy into the Math Department, Herb Bocksnick teaches Algebra 1 and Introduction to Analysis and Calculus this year.

Bocksnick did not always live in California. Coming from Montana, Mr. Bocksnick has found his way all the way to Palo Alto this year.

“When I graduated college from the University of Montana I had always initially thought I was going to stay in Montana, like a lot of people tend to do,” Bocksnick said. “I came to the realization that if I wasn’t able to teach multiple subjects then I wasn’t going to be able to stay in Montana because the schools are so small they require teachers to teach multiple subjects.”

When looking for a new place to live, Bocksnick realized he had always enjoyed many aspects of California and was especially fascinated with the diverse culture here. He ended up searching for a job in Northern California.

“I didn’t want to live in or near the city so I found this small town called Hollister,” Bocksnick said. “They offered me a job, so that’s where I ended up, and I had been there for the last 13 years.”

Bocksnick, along with his family of five, adjusted to life in Hollister, California, but they recently decided they needed a change of scenery. That year, he and his family decided to move to Morgan Hill.

“I figured it was time for a change professionally as well,” Bocksnick said. “I was looking for a district more academically focused, so I applied to three districts in the area. I liked Palo Alto most and have not regretted choosing it since.”

When stepping onto the Paly campus, Bocksnick immediately felt several changes from the atmosphere at his old school in Hollister.

Charlotte Barry/The Campanile

New math teacher Mr. Bocksnick introduces an engaging and entertaining way of educating students.

As he began to teach, he could feel a huge increase in motivation from both the parents and students, which was very different from the attitudes he faced at his old school.

“Hands down the biggest difference is parent support,” Bocksnick said. “Not to say the parents where I was didn’t care, but [Hollister] being more of a rural community and less educated, the parents aren’t as comfortable with the school systems and don’t know how to be an active part of it.”

The positive attitude towards homework at Paly is also a major difference from his time in the Hollister district.

This change in pace has helped Bocksnick improve his teaching

styles so that he can work and strive towards meeting every students needs.

“Students here on the whole have the expectation that they are going to have to do work outside of class to do well. The kids at my old school had the idea that they would only work during class. My homework rate is about 30-40 percent better here than at Hollister.”

Before Bocksnick began teaching, he had always had a passion for math, which is why he has pursued the subject throughout his teaching career.

“Math has always been concrete for me,” Bocksnick said. “I like the right and wrong, black and white aspect of it. I like things set in stone, with a conclusion at the end.”

Many students claim that his energy stands out compared to other teachers.

I try to do things in a way I knew I would have liked when I was a student,” Bocksnick said. “I try to be a culmination of the best teachers I had, full of energy, and I fashion myself after them.

Herb Bocksnick Math Teacher

“I like Mr. Bocksnick because he is really funny,” senior Sean Harvey said. “He reminds me of Jack

Black’s character ‘Mr. Shneebly’ in the movie School of Rock. He’s really loud. It is sick.”

Bocksnick knows that math can be challenging for students so he creates a way to put a fun spin on class lectures to encourage his students.

“I try to do things in a way I knew I would have liked when I was a student,” Bocksnick said. “I try to be a culmination of the best teachers I had, full of energy, and I fashion myself after them.”

Bocksnick has felt very welcomed by the Paly community and enjoys the challenges teaching in a new environment.

He loves Paly so far and cannot wait to experience more of the Palo Alto community.

Comedy Literature class to be added next year

After developing the curriculum herself, Ms. Filppu introduces Comedy Literature as an English elective for juniors and seniors. daniel tachna-fram staff writer

S

tarting next year, the Paly English Department will add “The Literature of Comedy” to its list of English elective choices.

Over the course of a semester students in Comedy Literature will examine the questions “What is comedy?” and “Why do we need humor?” as well as trace various comedic movements that have occurred throughout history, according to the elective’s founder Lucy Filppu. Students in Comedy Literature will study not just past comedic works, such as those of William Shakespeare, but also present day comedians and satirists such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Filppu, a current Humanities and Sophomore English teacher, will be the one teaching this semester long class. She first came up with the idea for a Comedy Literature class during one of her Critical Thinking II classes last year and then spent the summer

working on creating and developing a curriculum.

One of the driving forces behind creating the Comedy Literature class is Filppu’s belief that with books such as The Count of Monte Cristo, Romeo and Juliet and Lord of the Flies on the reading lists for many Paly English courses, the tone of these classes can get too dark.

“Our literature can be extremely depressing at times. Students need more comedy,” Filppu said.

One of the most important concepts Filppu hopes to bring to Comedy Literature is to make it possible for all types of learners to succeed in it.

“My goal is to make Comedy Literature the type of class that is accessible to all students,” Filppu said.

For this reason Filppu has incorporated a wide variety and range of assignments into the course curriculum.

“Students will have the opportunity to do a dramatic performance, a satire of Paly, a personal stand up routine and some sort of analytical essay,” Filppu said.

Like all other Paly English electives, the course will only be taught if enough students sign up to fill at least two sections of it that particular year.

Chrissie cheng/The Campanile

Ms. Filppu wants to explore lighter topics through more experimental and creative methods.

For now, Filppu is trying to ensure that Comedy Literature does not suffer the same fate as the Women Writers elective class, which did not have enough enrollment for implementation this year.

“My neck is on the line,” Filppu said.

Although students do not sign up for classes until February, Comedy Literature has already started to attract attention from some incoming juniors and seniors.

“I can tell this is going to be a pretty popular class,” current sophomore Christopher Skokowski said.

Filppu believes that students can not only have fun and become better writers in her new class, but also learn valuable lessons through comedy.

“Comedy is a wonderful lense for students to view society, social justice, literature and themselves,” Filppu said.

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Friday, December 7, 2012

SPOTLIGHT

TheILE’S N A P CAMannual

year i n

YA, THAT’S THE WAY WE LIKE IT..yeh Former vice mayor and Gunn graduate Yiaway Yeh elected mayor of Palo Alto.

Cruise ship capsizes off Italian coastline

After hitting a reef off the western coast of Italy, the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia partially sunk. Around 30 passengers were confirmed dead while many more were injured.

february

JANUARY

Written by Chrissie Cheng, Gina Scarpino and

LIKE DIAMONDS (jubilee IN THE SKY

People around the world tuned the Diamond Jubilee celebratio which marked the 60th annivers of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascent to English throne.

ACCEPT MY FRIEND REQUEST? Facebook, the social media giant that revolutionized the world in the course of a decade, went public in May with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of around $5 billion.

Former Paly student EJ Floreal breaks Paly’s 31 year-old-school record with a time of 10.52 seconds at the 100-meter dash. Also breaking Paly’s 200 meter dash, Floreal becomes fourth fastest time 100 meter dash in the state and third in the 200 meter dash.

indianapolis colts are in luck!

AS Stanford’s star quarterback Andrew C Luck gets drafted by the Indianapo- M lis Colts, taking over Peyton Man- ha ning’s vacated position.

HEY I JUST MET YOU, AND THIS IS CRAZY...SO YOLO? Thanks to Drake & Carly Rae Jepsen, the motto ‘YOLO’ & pop song ‘Call Me Maybe’ take over the world.

june

ca fire nc al els ar th m es at

may

FLO REAL?

St an ude d n Pa ea ts w af t ly rly h le er a we to o w ge r bo fire e to take oke ar a ld th up d la to rm to g e S bri ca c o AT gh nc au ho s a t el se me t th s C e SA olT.

supreme court says yes to obamacare

The Supreme Court voted in favor of Obama’s health care policy. They dete mined that the individual mandate re quiring all citizens to have health insu ance is indeed constitutional.

According to a range of Mayan beliefs, a series of cataclysmic events is supposed to take place on December 21st, 2012. This day is supposed to be the end of a 5125-year-long cycle in the Mayan world.

finals & winter break PAUSD’s new school schedule takes is put into action as finals end before winter break and out of school on the 21st.

cut these player pieces out & play!

Hurricane Sand in recent years, the eastern half lion, Sandy is ra ricane Katrina. created power o entire nation as

LAKE PALY Multiple storms pass through Palo Alto, making giant puddles (or ponds for that matter) around campus.

december

A6

The Campanile

On Nov. 6 Obama w dent of th President lican Mitt toral vote

The Campanile

Friday, December 7, 2012

SPOTLIGHT

A7

n re v I EW

d Beth Yan Design by Chrissie Cheng, Bo Field and Gina Scarpino

in to ons sary o the

ALL WE DO IS LIN, lin, lin

Unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in Florida. When reports hinted that Zimmerman may have deemed Martin as ‘suspicious’ based on his race, protests swept the nation.

Demonstrations called for justice and the arrest of Zimmerman as celebrities, civil rights leaders, and even the president voiced his opinions on the tragedy.

Palo Alto’s own Jeremy Lin leads NY Knicks to seven game victory.

kony 2012 video sweeps nation

PRAMA

SB holds Prom at San Francisco Design A YouTube video titled ‘Kony 2012’ was reCenter as Prom venue. With the theme leased, detailing the actions of military leader Midnight in Paris, Paly upperclassman Joseph Kony against youth in central and south ad a fun night full of casino games, phoAfrica. The video went viral, raising awareness tobooths, live DJ-ing and dancing. for the cause through social media.

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at p i r tic nge . n a u s ly e H ord h g Th ec hi r e h film fice t f , e ch th ox o r f a M eo eb e k s lat elea bro In r es ed am G

GUNMAN ATTACKS AT BATMAN PREMIERE

After four years of training, the olympics finally take place in London. With so many wins thanks to Michael Phelps, the FAB 5, Missy Franklin, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh and many more the U.S.A. ends up with 46 gold medals ranking number one.

spirit week

Seniors win the first unrigged Spirit Week in recent history with their Matrix

hurricane sandy

dy, one of the worst storms to hit the United States , created widespread damage and flooding across f of the country. With damages valued over $60 bilanked as the second most costly storm behind HurThe storm necessitated large scale evaluations and outages across the East Coast. Sandy affected the s everything from the Presidential campaign sched-

november hope and change 2.0

6, President Barack was re-elected Presihe United States. t Obama beat Repubt Romney 332 eleces to 206.

At the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a masked gunman shot dressed as “the joker” killed 12 victims and injured 58 others in Colorado.

august

amuuuurica!

july

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MARCH

Trayvon Martin Case

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we are the champions

Giants win their second World Series in three years against the Detroit Tigers.

october RAGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST The release of the

anti-Islamic video trailer ‘The Innocence of Muslims’ sparked violent protests and lead to the targeting of Western embassies around the world.

endeavour’s last flight On Wednesday Sept.19, the space shuttle Endeavour began its final flight before being put in the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Endeavour space shuttle was active for two decades and spent 299 days up in space. After taking its three-day victory lap, the Endeavour now resides at the California Science Center where it will

IN S

ESS

ION

R.I.P. korean bbq Much loved Korean BBQ at Town And Country closes its door, breaking the heart of many PALY students.

september AY, SEXY LADY? Korean Pop Star PSY takes over America with his poppin’ tune and dance “Gangnam Style”.

palo alto film festival The 2nd Annual Palo Alto Film Festival showcases various international films, speakers and awards.

PHOTO CREDIT IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: WERTHMEDIA/FLICKR, PALO ALTO ONLINE, MARCOPAKO/FLICKR

Friday, December 7, 2012

A8

The Campanile

NEWS

Walter Hays students hope to bring Project Aurora to Palo Alto Sam and Julia Hirschman support instillation of a 30 foot tall steel willow tree with 40,000 LED lights outside of Palo Alto City Hall.

Stephenie Zhang Staff Writer

T

owering 30 feet into the air and illuminating City Hall Plaza with 40,000 full color LED lights and 4,000 shimmering copper leaves will stand a large steel willow tree. Or so two Walter Hays Elementary School students hope.

So for the past year, two elementary school students have put in countless hours and more than ample efforts in bringing that work of art to Palo Alto, petitioning and collecting funds, in an endeavor called Project Aurora.

In September of 2011, Harry Hirschman, a Palo Alto resident, returned from an art festival and promptly told his two children, Sam (10) and Julia (8) who attend Walter Hays, about the tree Aurora, which was on display; the two immediately became fascinated with Aurora.

And when they found out from their father that the artist behind Aurora, Charles Gadeken, was searching for a home for Aurora, they did not hesitate to suggest Palo Alto and thus began to fundraise and petition to bring it here.

“I’ve always been interested in any kind of art,” Julia said. “But when I saw Aurora I could not believe my eyes. It was extremely beautiful. I saw it six months after I found out about it when I saw a show and the artist invited us up to see it.”

Charles Gadeken built Aurora from his own daughter’s inspiration; he wanted to create for her an interactive and natural environment full of color.

As a result, he, with helpers, created, over many months, a

30-foot-tall willow tree weighing 13,500 pounds with a 40 foot canopy, 40,000 glowing LED lights, and 4,000 copper leaves.

Sam and Julia have been working on Project Aurora for about a year, raising money, petitioning and meeting with the art commission as both on and off its agenda. The two have petitioned for its installation, attaining hundreds of signatures mostly from students and parents at their school.

“We’ve gotten a lot of help from my class,” Julia said. “Also, we have gotten a lot of donations from Palo Alto stores and also have gotten a lot of people to help by volunteering.”

Just last month, the proposal to bring Aurora to Palo Alto received formal preliminary approval to be placed on Centennial Walk in front of City Hall, City Hall Plaza because it is the “civic heart of the plaza” and the addition of the tree would attract people to the unique public gathering area.

The two siblings have also been working on a website as well as on a Kickstarter campaign, the latter of which will help the campaign both with raising funds to install Aurora I want the city to know how amazing art is. It is a really great piece, and I think it will be really good for the people.

I want to bring hope and admiration of public art.

Julia Hirschman Walter Hays Student

as well as spreading awareness to the community. So far, Sam and Julia have received positive feedback on Project Aurora.

“From a parent’s viewpoint, I wanted the kids to understand that they can have an impact on their community,” Harry Hirshman said.

Courtesy of Charles Gadekan

The Aurora tree is a public art display composed of LED lights and copper leaves. Two Walter Hays students look to raise approximately $20,000 in order to install the tree outside of City Hall.

“Essentially, it [Project Aurora] has been their energy and their enthusiasm.”

The soonest the Hirschmans hope to bring the tree to Palo Alto is in Jan. 2012 in order to leave time to raise the funds needed. According to Harry Hirschman, Project Aurora looks to raise approximately $20,000 in order to install the art in front of City Hall.

“We’re not even close [to earning all the money needed] but we’re getting closer,” Julia said.

Gadeken is working with the city to attain the permits, which are currently in process.

The art commission has allocated the budget to pay for the permits and the insurance.

After the money is raised and permits are received, Aurora would only

need one day for its actual installation, though site preparations would need to take place beforehand. Public art is essentially temporary; the artwork would stay for a year before being up for renewal.

As part of the proposal for installment in Palo Alto, Aurora will be programmed to be interactive with the environment and people, with the leaves changing colors at a variety of paces and in accord with the changes of the surroundings.

People will be able to interact with it through an android and iPhone application that the tree will react to or through the lights changing to the sounds in the environment around it.

With the addition of Aurora to City Hall Plaza, the children hope to attract people and bring new artistic

culture due to the grand stature of the tree.

“I want the city to know how amazing art is,” Julia said. “It is a really great piece, and I think it will be really good for the people. I want to bring hope and admiration of public art.”

Sam and Julia are hoping that other students will take part in the project and help move it forward.

In the near future, they wish to have people from each school to get involved in Project Aurora by helping by fundraising or spreading awareness.

“This is going to be the city’s project,” Harry Hirschman said. “We hope to seek other students who want to take up a part of this project as their own and help us move it forward.”

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

OPINION

A9

ASB should increase outside student involvement

Alexander JENSON/the Campanile

Josefin Kenrick Staff Writer

A

lthough Paly’s Associated Student Body (ASB) puts on wonderful dances and is the puppet master behind Spirit Week, any other impact on the school is not clearly seen. However, there was once a time in Paly’s history when ASB involved many students and made a significant difference on campus.

Before ASB was made a class, there was a student government meeting every Tuesday at lunch in which student council members and fourth period representatives met to discuss changes that they wanted to make to the school.

These meetings were run like a forum and there was a posted agenda that would display the topics of the day.

Anybody was allowed to attend these meetings and if they attended

more than three times, students would be able to vote. The student council members created the agenda sometime before the Tuesday lunch meeting and the issues on the agenda were voted on by student council members, fourth period representatives and students who came to the meetings.

Items discussed in these lunch meetings ranged from planning prom, making activity days, planning an international festival (a tradition that has died out at Paly) and making schedule changes.

Fourth period representatives would attend Tuesday lunch meetings and then report back to their fourth period classes once every week.

This way, many students would be aware of what was happening even if they did not go to the meetings themselves. This system of student government encouraged student

Advanced Placement classes should focus less on end of year exam

elena pinsker news editor

P

aly offers a host of different Advanced Placement (AP) classes, with difficulties ranging from “the easy AP” to heartbreak served on a platter.

While many students do not begin to worry about the AP tests that take place in May until well into second semester, teachers must work throughout the entire year to prepare their classes.

Although Paly teachers do an excellent job preparing students for the test, and many Paly students perform extremely well on these exams, there is still too much focus put on that one long day at the end of the year.

Placing so much emphasis on preparing for the AP test detracts from actually learning the subject material in class and gives students the wrong ideas about why education is important.

This practice of placing so much weight on the AP test is evident in schools throughout the country, and is more commonly referred to as “teaching to the test.”

This practice puts heavy importance on one standardized test—a single make-or-break experience students must face at the end of the year—instead of emphasizing the real reason students should be taking a class: to open and enrich their minds through learning.

Although some preparation for the AP exam is necessary for all students, teaching to the test places an unhealthy importance on memorization and the subsequent regurgitation of this knowledge.

It gives students the idea that learning is about memorizing textbook information and that success is

about being able to pick the correct answer out of five given choices.

This provides not only an unhealthy image of education but also incorrectly prepares students for later in their lives. Placing so much importance on the test instills the feeling that one bad test day can negate an entire year’s worth of work.

One can spend an entire school year learning material, but if that magic number five does not arrive in the mail over the summer, a student may get the idea that nothing has been gained from the classroom experience.

AP classes are targeted for advanced students who are willing to put in extra work in order to study topics more in-depth and at a quicker pace. However, teaching to the test takes these bright minds and teaches them Although some that one should preparation for only spend the AP exam is time learning necessary, material if it is teaching to the for some external motivation. test places an With stuunhealthy dents at such importance on high levels, memorization classes should and the be promoting subsequent intrinsic motiregurgitation of vation —that this knowledge. students should find joy and satisfaction in learning simply for the sake of learning.

When students leave formal schooling and enter the “real world,” there will be no advanced placement classes to shine on a report card.

There will be no 1-5 grading scale, and no 4.0 to fall back on. If students are to continue their success after schooling, they must be taught that, although studying is extremely important, there is more to taking a class and learning material than demonstrating knowledge on a test.

Due to this way of learning, many students simply study for the upcoming test and forget the material afterwards. If students are involved in interactive discussion, for example, then they are more likely to remember the information in the future.

Self-satisfaction cannot be found in a number given by the College Board; true success comes from the joy of learning.

participation while at the same time was very productive and orderly.

Paly’s ASB does a fine job of planning dances and arranging Spirit Week, but they should allow for more participation from the general student population so that as many people as possible can voice their opinions.

ASB does its best to communicate to the Paly community through Facebook groups and posters around campus, but the truth is this is not an effective way to reach out to the student body. If ASB and the Paly administration really want student participation, then they should reinstate Tuesday lunch meetings.

Another advantage to having these lunch meetings is that students who have a full schedule can still have a voice regarding student politics.

Because ASB is a class that requires a free period, many students who want to participate are unable to because they are already taking seven classes.

In this way, it would be possible to engage in student government without needing to drop a class.

The importance of student government is that it allows many people to get involved and helps students look into what a political career would be like. With lunch meetings that are set up as a forum in which there is an agenda, students feel firsthand the power of democracy.

ASB does its best to communicate to the Paly community through Facebook groups and posters around campus, but the truth is this is not an effective way to reach out to the student body.

However, no student feels like they are “making a difference” if their class president posts on a Facebook

group that there is a dance on Friday and people should “support Paly social events.”

Because Facebook groups are so unsuccessful in communicating ideas, fourth period representatives should be reinstated in order for students to receive vital information regarding the inner workings of ASB. Fourth period representatives could also briefly go over other topics such as college visits or club meetings, since many teachers fail to put on InFocus and consequently students do not receive this important information.

As much as ASB is adored around the Paly campus, they would have a more positive impact on the school if they allowed the rest of the students at Paly to share their opinions as well.

ASB can continue to be a class, but it should also reinstate lunch meetings so that many people can participate in student government, not just an elite few.

Record labels’ malicious ploys fail to halt rise of independent artists

kian mchugh Staff Writer

I

n early 2012, rap sensation Tauheed Epps, better known by his stage name 2 Chainz, exclaimed in an interview, “Independent is definitely more fun.

I have developed more relationships.

I talked to people to create my buzz instead of someone else going in and talking for me.”

Just months after this statement, Epps began talking record deals with Def Jam Records and committing to the king of modern hip-hop, Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label. Just before signing away his music career, one of Epps’ mentors, Tyree Cinque Simmons (DJ Drama), spoke to him advising that “the way [he had been] doing it is the way it is supposed to be done.” Though Epps did not heed Simmons’ advice, Simmons highlighted a valid point. In this day and age, building success through an independent career is truly “the way it is supposed to be done.”

Luckily for artists like 2 Chainz, lawyers are there to protect their rights and ensure that they receive sufficient payment and benefits. Other artists such as Bruno Mars have not been so fortunate. Like many artists, Mars was offered a record label early in his career and out of excitement he accepted. Mars’ specific contract with Bug Music Inc. stated that Bug Music firmly owned 50 percent of each song Mars released. When Mars released his singles such as “Nothin’ on You” and “Just the Way You Are,” both had incredible success, yet after all the specificities of the contract, Mars ended up making just a small fraction of the money he was entitled to. Mars is only one example of this blasphemy.

Artists as famous as Cher have been robbed of their profits. By rendering the amount earned on specific downloads, Universal Records

cheated Eminem, one of the music industries most successful individuals, out of royalties estimated to total up to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Labels have been getting away with the same trick for years, effortlessly taking advantage of talented individuals ecstatic to taste success and in no position for bargaining.

Thankfully for the present day artist, a new era is at hand. With websites such as YouTube or Vimeo, artists can upload their music to the Internet within just minutes of recording it and then share it to their fan base just seconds after that using the ever popular social media sites Facebook and Twitter.

With social media playing a larger role in people’s lives more than ever before, the artists no longer need to fight the struggle of promoting their music. Social media has also shown us that the idea of “viral videos” is enough to make an artist big overnight, whereas some labels fail to ever boost the popularity of a hard working artist.

YouTube is responsible for getting artists as famous as Justin Bieber recognized and can take credit for making Korean pop sensation Psy an international icon. In the past, labels have helped artists gain promotion after promotion, giving them the needed extra push to go from known to famous. This help is no longer needed from labels, liberating artists from the reliance they once faced.

In early October, history was made when an independent rapper from Seattle reached the number one album ranking on iTunes. Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, and his producer Ryan Lewis successfully

reached this highly regarded position without any contact with a record label. Haggerty explains that he and Lewis got to “this point doing it [themselves] and [they] wanna keep that creative control, [they] wanna be able to move when [they] wanna move, [they] don’t wanna get caught up in label politics.”

The success of these two individuals sheds light on the newfound possibilities of being a successful independent artist. By remaining independent, artists do not have to suffer the wrath of the malicious intentions of record labels.

Haggerty and Lewis’ success sparks the fuse to the death of the record label. These big name corporations will soon fall one by one as more success stories such as this Seattle duo come up.

The thought that the sheer love of the music is enough to take an artist to the top should brighten any musician’s views on his or her career.

Artist Amanda Palmer, yet another victim of a greedy label, declared that she was done with the nonsense of trying to support her career when her income was being stolen from her.

With the help of fans all over the world and a simple fundraising website, kickstarter.com, Palmer was able to raise nearly $600,000 from generous donations which allowed her to release another album, tour the country and give thanks to her fans through the release of apparel and art related to her music.

With these success stories, it will be difficult for record labels to take advantage of artists as they have in the past.

Courtesy of echo62.com

Musicians such as Bruno Mars (above) have become controlled by music labels, preventing them from being able to express themselves as artists.

Friday, December 7, 2012

A10

The Campanile

OPINION

Palo Alto middle school names in need of change

Michael wang Editor-in chief

P

alo Alto, with its close proximity to both Stanford and the Silicon Valley, finds itself right in the center of many of the world’s premier discoveries and people. With the discovery of G-protein structures, or the formation of the Grateful Dead, Palo Alto is tied to some of the most important aspects of American history, both good and bad. In fact, one significant example lies within our beloved school district.

Jordan, Terman and JLS Middle Schools have been a benign aspect to much of the Palo Alto community, with few inquiring as to who the people are whose namesakes are our middle schools. Little do most know that both David Starr Jordan and Lewis Madison Terman were prominent eugenicists during their time, and then some.

Terman, who began in Palo Alto as a professor of educational psychology at Stanford, was fascinated by “genius” children, and dedicated much of his research to the discovery of biological and ethnic factors of intelligence. His curiosity of high intelligence, as described by his own journals, stemmed from his childhood experience of being categorized as such by a phrenologist, based on the measured dimensions and shape of his head.

It is to Terman that we credit the invention of the term “moron,” as someone of low IQ, and the idea that IQ measures the aspect of

COURTESY OF swisswuff.com, COURTESY OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY CENTENNIAL GALLERY

Lewis Madison Terman (left) and David Starr Jordan (right), the namesakes of two Palo Alto middle schools, were known to be prominent eugenicists.

“intelligence” at all. This was a dramatic deviation from the IQ test’s original goal, which was to determine mental age of children.

He also pioneered the use of widespread IQ testing, which is now outlawed, on military recruits and immigrants. The English-based tests were administered to unschooled African Americans and Spanish speakers, to which Terman concluded were mentally inferior “races” to the presumably “Nordic” race of northern Europeans. His findings led him to become a strong proponent of compulsory sterilization and push for eugenics legislation.

These actions viewed now, can only be viewed as highly controversial, if not outright wrong. And given that Terman has only been around for 11 years, one question must be asked: What was the PAUSD thinking,

using such a deplorable character’s name for one of its schools?

David Jordan lies along the same vein. As another prominent eugenicist and academic, Jordan was a staunch anti-Semite, and was an early proponent of the idea of “superior bloodlines,” which Adolf Hitler later adopted in his political message. He was also at the forefront of promoting forced sterilization of inferior groups, determined so by biometric and psychometric tests.

Even more dastardly was Jordan’s relationship to Jane Lathrop Stanford, the namesake of JLS. As the first Chancellor to the theninfant Stanford University, Jordan had ties with the founding family, and not necessarily good ones either.

Rumor was at the time that Jane Stanford, the sole manager of Stanford University following her

husband’s death, was attempting to unseat Jordan from his position at Stanford.

Suspiciously, later that year in the Stanford’s vacation to Oahu, Jane Stanford died from what the local coroner reported was poisoning. Following that, Jordan flew in with his own licensed physician, who declared the cause of death as not poisoning, but heart failure. With Mrs. Stanford dead, Jordan could once again secure his position at the university.

With Jordan and Mrs. Stanford entwined in a bizarre murder scandal, and Terman being the bigoted and elitist eugenicist, it is not easy to understand why our middle schools, which so passionately promote acceptance and inclusivity, are named after these contemptible (albeit interesting) characters. It is a mark of a prejudiced

time that should be removed from our schools, for these names should not be celebrated.

How Terman and Jordan even arose as candidates for the names of our schools eludes me, especially given the context that Jordan likely murdered Jane Lathrop Stanford.

Had the naming committee simply not researched who these people were? Did PAUSD once have a closet eugenicist in its ranks? Or were the namings of our schools left to a group of historians with a twisted sense of humor?

Palo Alto may never know, but one thing is for certain. The names of our middle schools must be changed. It is a strange quirk at best, and homage to a dark, prejudiced time at worst. But regardless, it is wrong to be celebrating murderers and pseudoscientists, especially on the face of our schools.

Physics courses across district should be aligned

Paly and Gunn High School should offer the same physics courses to give students equal opportunites.

heather Strathearn StaFF writer

O

ne would think that schools within a district would offer the same classes, however this is not the case. Paly and Henry M. Gunn High School (Gunn) would ideally offer all of the same advanced courses in order to ensure that all students within the district are given an equal opportunity at obtaining an advanced education.

Paly and Gunn science departments have offered different physics options for many years now. Both schools offer a normal lane of physics and an honors lane of physics, as well as the option of taking AP Physics C as a second year physics class concurrent with a calculus course.

Unlike Paly, Gunn offers the option of taking AP Physics B as a first year Physics class. Offering AP Physics B gives juniors at Gunn the ability to take a lane higher than Physics H and push themselves academically.

At Paly, a student enrolled in AP Physics C, a second year physics class, does not get credit for both AP Physics C and AP Physics B. Although AP Physics B is normally taken before AP Physics C, they are completely separate courses and AP Physics C does not cover AP Physics B material. The main differences between the two courses is that they cover different topics in various depths and AP Physics C is calculus based.

The College Board highly recommends that AP science classes are only offered as the second year of that particular subject of science.

Paly took on this philosophy and uses it as reasoning behind only offering an AP Physics course after a student takes a prerequisite year of Physics H. Gunn however allows their students to get a head start, starting on AP Physics B their junior year.

The AP Physics B course covers the same curriculum as the Physics H course with an additional six weeks of material. Our district is filled with remarkable students whose ability to take an Advanced Placement course should not be dependent on which of the two public high schools they attend.

It is interesting that Paly does not offer its students the same opportunities Gunn does.

It is understandable that the Physics H class offered at Paly does not count as AP Physics B how it exists currently, as there are six weeks of topics not covered in Physics H at Paly that are covered in the AP Physics B class at Gunn.

Paly students are as capable as Gunn students and can manage this extra work throughout the year; to offer Gunn students this option but not Paly students discredits Paly students’ abilities.

Recently, the College Board came to the conclusion that the AP Physics B curriculum is too dense for schools to teach in one year.

Our district is filled with remarkable students whose ability to take an Advanced Placement course should not depend on what public high schools they attend.

As a result, for future years, the College Board will be breaking the curriculum for AP Physics B into two years.

Paly and Gunn teachers plan to discuss together how to move forward with this change, according to the Paly science instructional supervisor Michelle Steingart.

This change from a one-year curriculum to a two-year curriculum affects both school’s schedules as they currently stand. Neither of the two schools currently have a two year AP Physics B course so whatever decision Paly and Gunn make with regards to what courses they decide to offer, may they be uniform throughout the district.

It is best for this change to act as the means to unify the curriculums Paly and Gunn offer into a singular course list for both schools.

The Campanile

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Friday, December 7, 2012

A11

The Campanile

OPINION

‘No Shave November’ creates great opportunity to embrace lazy spirit of holiday season

Courtesy of Quinn Rockwell

Senior Quinn Rockwell was one of the many Paly males who decided to take part in the tradition of No Shave November. To take on the challenge of No Shave November, a person must not shave for the whole month of November to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

Josh arfin Senior Staff Writer

O

f all the traditions in our society, there is one that stands out as the greatest: No Shave November. This is the one time every year where all guys get to be incredible. Whether he can only grow a mustache or a full beard that makes him look rabbinic, every male is able to enjoy this lack of responsibility to shave.

For years, I have participated in the greatest ritual I can legally participate in (I am still three years away from celebrating Purim in the way it was intended). In fact, last year, I decided to shave at 11 p.m. on Oct.

31 and the morning of Dec. 1. This year I took a different approach. On Sept. 7, the Giants started a three game series with the Odgers (I refuse to spell the terrible name).

I shaved that morning for a college interview and decided that if the Giants won that series, I would not shave until they were eliminated.

They won that series and as you likely know, went on to win the World Series.

In the spirit of their injured closer and replacement, Brian Wilson, I decided to grow out my beard through the end of November.

This was a great situation. While the beard was inconvenient at times, this embodied the best of the great month.

My superstitions were combined with my laziness and my love of the month. As the Bud Light commercial eloquently puts it, “it’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.” It worked, and I loved my beard.

Additionally, No Shave November provides an incredible excuse to be unabashedly lazy.

Instead of waking up early twice per week (or more if you grow hair like a woolly mammoth), people get the opportunity to sleep and ignore

normally required chores. Not only do people get to sleep more, people get to ignore useless tasks that otherwise distract them, like shaving.

Unfortunately, No Shave November has taken on an aggravating enemy this year: Movember.

I am normally in favor of anything for charity, and I was even in favor of Lebron’s “The Decision” show because it gave money to charity.

However in this case, the Movember cause has had the reverse effect of what No Shave November is supposed to have.

During Movember, people only grow out a mustache but have to shave their beard. This actually requires more work than shaving and eliminates all the benefit of No Shave Nov. If people changed Movember to Mustache March, I would support the cause and possibly participate but by putting it in November, Movember has tried to fight the great American tradition of No Shave November.

Having a month where people grow facial hair for charity is a great idea. Even the grooming of a beard is against the spirit of the holiday.

November is one of the great months on the calendar. While it includes

Chrissie Cheng/Campanile

Senior Peter Skorokhodov shows off his facial hair after not shaving for the entire month of November.

Thanksgiving, the end of the college football season, the start of the basketball season and sometimes the clinching game of the World Series, the greatness of November lies in the ability to ignore normally required tasks and the fact that nobody will care if you do. It is truly the spirit of

laziness that keeps this tradition alive and well.

Using this tradition as an excuse to grow out a full beard has opened my eyes to the advantages that comes with the grooming of a beard such as stroking it. I feel that this tradition is all that America stands for.

The irony of ‘social’ in social networking

JAke Kerman Opinion editor

I

’m talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online.”

These words are spoken by Jesse Eisenberg as he portrays Mark Zuckerberg in the movie The Social Network.

The scene reenacts a moment that has affected everybody in the modern world—the moment when the social media revolution hit full stride with the invention of Facebook. Over 60 percent of computer owners actively use at least one social media site,

according to Reuters. But not everybody uses social media, you say. True, but you do not need to use something to be affected by it. Parents who interact less and less with their social media dependent children would agree. Or the girl who does not have a Facebook but gets bullied online and suffers the repercussions in person. And no longer is Facebook the only big player. Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Myspace, Google plus and others have all joined the party, each offering their own unique spin on the interactive online experience.

But what is startling is not the amount of people using social media.

It is our dependence on it and how easily we can fulfill that dependence.

To everybody reading this article, ask yourself if you could log into social media within 15 seconds of finishing this sentence.

Whether it be by computer, smartphone, tablet, etc, I’m willing to bet the answer for almost everybody is yes.

What makes social media so ingenious is its accessibility, which makes it possible to place it a hand’s reach away, wherever we go. But just

because we can do something, does that mean we should?

When Zuckerberg was talking about taking a college experience and placing it on the Internet, it is possible he did not consider some long term repercussions. More likely, he

I’m talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online.

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg

knew them and just did not care.

Maybe he even thought that socializing with a monitor is more fulfilling than with flesh and bone, considering that is how he has spent most of his lifetime.

I am probably overstepping my bounds by forming judgments against arguably the most influential figure of the decade. Regardless, repercussions do exist, and they possibly outweigh the benefits of being connected online. For example, the term “social media” is a bit of a misnomer,

considering how it has made our society less social as a whole and more prone to isolation. Parents always talk about how they went to play outside and had fun with people, not the little effects on Instagram that make a photo more or less blurry.

We also use social media so often that it has become a knee-jerk reaction, something to turn to when adversity pops up in real life.

I will be the first to admit I pull out my iPhone when a conversation starts getting awkward. I cannot stand that I do it. But it is a bodily function now, pruned and perfected over many hours of scrolling down screens.

Another misnomer in social media is the term “friend,” or “follower.”

How many of your so-called “friends” do you actually enjoy? Want to spend time with? I probably dislike more of these people than I actually attempt to seek out. I am just one of many people who are making assumptions about others based off what is visible online, which leads to my most critical point. The biggest sign that social media is having a detrimental effect is that it is affecting our relationships.

If we could lead two separate lives, one online and another off, this issue would not be relevant. But it does not work that way. A culture of animosity is developing online, where teens spend hours raking across wall posts and Tumblr feeds for an excuse to complain about another individual they can not stand.

People already create enough conflict by themselves face to face.

Society does not need our online personalities to feed the fire as well.

There is no doubt that social media is extremely useful in many situations.

Asking a classmate what the assignment for English is on Facebook, keeping up with your cousin’s trip to Europe on Instagram and having a good time looking over the photos they posted. Covering global events on Twitter, where news is broken faster than anywhere else in the world.

But with all of this upside comes a fair amount of downside as well.

To me, the negatives outweigh the positives, and I believe that social media is taking two steps back when it takes us one forward. This issue will continue to press us for years to come.

Friday, December 7, 2012

A12

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Plagiarism definition requires revision

T

he English Department’s age-old definition of plagiarism has recently come under scrutiny following various incidents regarding plagiarized essays. The definition states that taking “ideas and language” that are not one’s own are plagiarism, but this broad definition, specifically citing “ideas,” is problematic for many reasons.

The Campanile does not in any way condone cheating. If students steal work, then they must face the consequences of the schoolwide plagiarism policy. However, there is a whole range of gray area regarding the use of “ideas,” especially in classes as subjective as English, that creates a great deal of uncertainty and confusion among students. Stealing ideas is extremely difficult to pin down.

It is an issue that lawyers across the country dedicate their lives to, often spending a considerable amount of time on one specific case. Giving teachers the power to come to conclusions that would take lawyers months and perhaps even years to reach is potentially a dangerous situation.

Determining theft of ideas, specifically literary analysis ideas, is

immensely difficult, owing to the inherently vague definition of “ideas.”

As such, by using this definition in English, the department is adding more subjectivity to a series of classes that are rather subjective to begin with. A more objective system for weeding out plagiarism of literary analysis ideas is necessary. Since turnitin.com has been discredited as an accurate detector of plagiarism, we as students are left with little but the sole discretion of teachers in an inherently subjective area of study. This puts students in a precarious position.

Furthermore, attributing one “idea” to a single person or source is difficult, if not impossible, in this day and age. Thirty years ago, if a student wished to peruse a literary analysis of a book in order to find ideas for an essay, he or she would have to go to the local library, tediously search through various books, flip through many pages before stumbling upon useful information. Thus, citing that information would be the logical conclusion. Today, with the rise of the Internet and social media, students are receiving a constant stream of information from a variety of sources,

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We use Facebook to communicate.

We use Google Docs to collaborate and edit essays. If we come across an unfamiliar topic, Wikipedia is our immediate reflexive response.

The expectation that we would have to cite every single source of ideas or inspiration that we stumble upon in our daily lives is unrealistic.

It deters students from collaborating or researching further and stifles the spirit of education. Students may sense that in this atmosphere of uncertainty, where teachers’ suspicions can be aroused simply because they think an essay “sounds too smart,” there is no trust.

Many times, we students hear that these policies are “preparing us for college.” Yes, colleges are in fact as severe, if not more severe, than Paly regarding plagiarism, including idea theft. However, even if the higher institutions of education subscribe to a series of archaic standards for academic honesty, it does not mean that we should too. At best, this definition hinders the pursuit of knowledge, and at worst, it stands as a potentially serious compromise of justice.

Pre-final review days should be extended

P

reparing for semester finals is undoubtedly a stressful task for Paly students. For many of these exams, students are expected to recall five months worth of material for a single test that often comprises a large portion of his or her grade.

Because of the inherent stress associated with finals and the time needed to prepare for them, “dead week,” the week before finals in which no new material is taught, is an important review time for students.

The Campanile thanks teachers for their time spent preparing review lessons and materials and requests the Paly administration ask teachers to extend this review period.

For the upcoming first semester finals, “dead week” is three days long. This is an improvement from last year when only the Thursday and Friday before finals week were “dead days.” However, students had time off of school prior to finals that many used for additional studying. This year, there are no days off of school close to the final exams. The designated “dead days” are those on the Friday, Monday and Tuesday immediately before students begin taking their finals on Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Teachers will be able to teach new information up to the Thursday before finals week, asking students to learn this new material, in addition to review of the past semester’s material, the weekend before finals.

The Campanile believes that it

would be hugely beneficial if Paly’s “dead days” were extended to a full “dead week.”

Because of the block schedule, the current schedule allots for only one 50-minute class period and one 90-minute period of review for students in each of their classes.

Additional time in class, in which teachers are reviewing old material rather than teaching new material, has the potential to substantially increase students’ understanding of the material on their final exams, as well as decrease the stress of learning new material close to finals week.

Although many of these changes in the finals schedule were necessary due to the calendar change for the 2012-2013 school year, the school board should consider mandating additional review days in the future.

If possible, the school board should also explore making the Monday before finals a school-wide holiday, so students will have the same three-day weekend to study for finals as they have had in the past.

In the more immediate future, the administration should focus on encouraging teachers to begin reviewing for finals earlier.

The Campanile appreciates the administration’s consideration of student stress in its decision to place finals before winter break, and suggests the administration further work to reduce stress by adding extra review days before the testing period.

Optional senior finals would reduce college stress

P

rincipal Phil Winston has been looking for a possible method to make final exams optional for seniors, and the Campanile supports this idea and supports the implementation of optional finals for seniors.

Due to a combination of the schedule change which led to finals taking place before winter break, and college applications still holding the same due date, seniors have more work to do than they had have in previous years. College applications are one of the most time-consuming and stressful aspects of high school student life and it has serious implications in the futures of seniors.

Therefore, the stress from college applications in addition to that from studying for finals can appear overwhelming.

By making finals optional, seniors would be able to decide whether they should study for finals or finish college applications, and seniors can therefore do a better job in whichever one they choose. If they need or wish to undergo both, then this opportunity remains open. However, there lies the potential issue that by making finals optional, some colleges will not accept the credit of classes that follow this policy. Winston has recognized this possible flaw and the

Campanile supports any attempts that the administration makes in order to find a method that does not have any negative consequences that would impact college eligibility.

Even not considering the added pressure of college applications, the Campanile believes that students deserve the right to waive their finals.

Students put in countless hours of work and studying throughout the whole semester and their grade before finals already exemplifies their effort in the class.

Therefore, if students are given the option to choose whether or not they want to take finals, they can either choose to take them to show their improvement or their continued excellence, or those who are content with their work can opt out and allocate their time to more meaningful activities.

This policy should not be implemented with the intent to forego responsibility but rather to give a diverse range of choices to students who feel overwhelmed. As long as classes that hold optional finals remain eligible for college credit and that all other lurking consequences are addressed, the Campanile believes that the policy of optional finals will help alleviate a great source of student stress.

DECEMBER’S TOP TEN LIST “Problems of the Palo Alto Teenage Suburbanite” 10) Your Nike Elite socks shrunk two sizes in the washer.

9) The wall opposite your bed only has room for the 72’’ TV, not the 84’’.

8) The low thread count in hotel sheets gives your skin hives.

7) Nobody replies to your Snapchats on Saturday night.

6) Your new profile picture got just 93 likes. Unpopular...

5) 3G coverage sucks on the other side of Embarcadero.

4) Your BMW 6-Series only takes premium gasoline at the pump.

3) Homesickness during the two month trip to Europe your family took.

2) Your parents only have legacy at Stanford and Yale, but not Harvard.

1) You have a really hard time thinking of ten problems.

-JAKE KERMAN

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Got something on your mind?

Submit a letter to the editor at campanile.opinion@gmail.com

COMIC OF THE MONTH

Alexander Jenson

“The English Department’s Approach to Plagiarism”

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Kate Apostolou • Charlie Dulik• Yasna Haghdoost Alvin Kim • Nira Krasnow • Michael Wang News Editor Elena Pinsker Business Managers Ben Hawthorne Elizabeth Bowman

Opinion Editor Jake Kerman

Spotlight Editor Chrissie Cheng

Lifestyle Editor Anna McGarrigle

Art Director Kate Apostolou

Features Editor Grace Fang

Sports Editors Logan Mendenhall Sophie Parker

Technology Editors Wesley Shiau Beth Yan

A&E Editor Emily Tran Graphic Artist Bo Field

Copy Editor Charlotte Barry

Photography Editors Adam Mansour Gina Scarpino

Social Media Editor Julia Poppy Cartoonists Alexander Jenson Eric Wang

Staff Writers Joshua Arfin Charlotte Barry Brandon Byer Andrew Choi Rachel Cui Ryan Deslauriers Samuel Dodson Irene Ezran Marie Ezran James Foug Bowen Gerould

Jensen Hsiao Josefin Kenrick William Kershner Maya Kitayama Julia Kwasnick Albert Lee Emily Lee Kian McHugh Will Mendenhall Jack Paladin Perri Pond

Charlotte Barry Chrissie Cheng Andrew Choi

Emily Rosenthal Gina Scarpino Ziv Schwartz Blake Smith Jordan Smith Angelstank Stern Kelly Stern Kyle Stewart Heather Strathearn Daniel Tachna-Fram Alex Taussig

Photographers Jensen Hsiao Adam Mansour Anna McGarrigle

Sidhanth Venkatasubramaniam Leslie Wan Rachel Wilson Michelle Yin John Young Hillel Zand Jacob Zenger Lily Zhang Stephenie Zhang Jonathan Ziegler Alvina Zou

Gina Scarpino Emily Tran Hillel Zand

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The Campanile

LIFESTYLE paly

B2

STUDENTS text by Maya Kitayama design by Anna McGarrigle

tumblr

studenT-run Commentaries range from complaints about school to universal jibes at palo alto culture

“

Paly Tumblrs.

The only place where a snapshot from Lilo and Stitch or The Office can perfectly describe the daily obstacles of an everyday student. These blogs include random images or GIFs, often picturing funny expressions or quotes, that have the uncanny ability to accurately describe the average student’s reaction to the many struggles students face at Paly.

In particular, the past couple of months have brought an upsurge of Paly-related blogs, which are quickly gaining student recognition. Palyproblems.tumblr.com, also known as Paly Problems, is among the blogs recently created that speak directly to Paly students, and uses gifs and pictures to acknowledge the universal problems relating being students or to Palo Alto. “[Paly Problems] is entertaining because the posts capture what a lot of Paly kids are thinking in a very comedic and amusing way,” junior Alex Hammer said.

Many Paly-themed web interfaces have also been created in the past. Twitter accounts like @ paproblems or @heardonthequad, as well as Facebook pages like Paly Compliments have all appeared within the online Paly community.

They often gain popularity and recognition, and usually hit a peak of student interest before they start to lose momentum and soon become a thing of the past. The creator of palyproblems.tumblr.com, who wishes

who to follow

Paly Rocks

Welcome to Lake Paly

on

Whenever I ranted in public, no one would listen, so I decided to post it on Tumblr.

to remain anonymous, decided that despite the past success of accounts such as @paproblems or @heardonthequad, they chose to try something new. “@paproblems got a lot of critique for not directly relating to Paly, so I wanted to make sure I was always very relatable,” Paly Problems said, “[@paproblems] also gone kind of downhill since last year and seems to be past its prime, so I thought it was time to start something new.”

Some students are also taking this new phase of using tumblr GIFs to illustrate different situations to a personal level by creating new blogs somewhat based off of these Paly blogs, but adding their own personal spin to it.

Sophomore Lydia Barry, creator of lydzlyfe.tumblr.com made a blog following the same general set up, but her posts aren’t strictly related to just Paly. Barry decided to create a blog that catered more to her specific style, while still following the general setup.

“Whenever I ranted in public, no one would listen, so I decided to post it on Tumblr,” Barry said.

-Sophomore Lydia Barry Barry’s blog has also gained recognition within the Paly community.

“I have received positive and negative feedback.” Barry said. “The positive is that a lot of people think that it’s funny, and they can relate to my daily struggles, and the negative is that people think I’m copying other people, but I’m not.”

The anonymity of the creators of the school-related Tumblrs can also create a fun twist for reader, according to the creator of palyproblems. tumblr.com.

“I think that when the creator of a funny account is revealed, it takes away from the fun,” the creator said.

“When we found out Brian [Benton] was @paproblems, it suddenly became less funny.”

Original creator of @paproblems, and Paly graduate (Class of 2012) Brian Benton disagrees.

“I think [loss of anonymity] just made [students] look at the account from a different perspective. Instead of being a universal account that everyone could connect with, @ paproblems just became ‘Brian’s second twitter.” Benton said. “For some

“The things I look for in a friend are honesty, sense of humor and if they own a pool.”

@paproblems @heardonthequad

-palystruggles

On Tumblr palyproblems.tumblr.com palystruggles.tumblr.com wheninpaloalto.tumblr.com lydzlyfe.tumblr.com

letter writing

people, that probably made it less funny, but I think for the most part the jokes were still the same and most people didn’t really care who was responsible.”

Benton believed that despite the immediate student population being informed of his identity, the integrity of the account remained.

“The only real effect of people finding out the account was me was that I had to be a bit more accountable for what I was saying, and started to steer away from offensive jokes or jokes aimed at specific people.”

Benton explained.

However, even with this slight change in the humor of the jokes, the switch didn’t really affect the overall appeal.

“That wasn’t much of an issue either, because the account mostly was making fun of all of us, so having to stop making that kind of jokes didn’t have that much of an impact.”

Benton said.

Whether or not Tumblr blogs like palyproblems.tumblr.com and palystruggles.tumblr.com will continue to grow and thrive is uncertain. There is a clear history of these kinds of websites slowly fading with time. For now, their popularity is clear among the student population.

“It’s hard to gauge just how I’m doing since I don’t track hits or get that many notes, but I hear people talking about it and see people posting links on Facebook, so that makes me pretty happy,” creator of Palyproblems.tumblr.com said.

“Moment of silence for all the pairs of Uggs ruined by the rain today.”

On Twitter

the lost art of b5

Friday, December 7, 2012

“Life’s all about finishing tests first but awkwardly waiting to turn it in so it doesn’t look like you rushed.”

“Subs out, phones out.” “alcohol is like a push-up bra for your personality.”

“Paly librarians: Thanks for teaching me how to use the internet, again!”

-Lydzlyfe INSIDE

-@paproblems

charlie dulik

Until recently, I was not aware that Paly was located in a third world country. Then, the administration decided that sandbags constitute acceptable substitutes for bridges, and my viewpoint changed.

Hyperboles aside, every year during the rainy season, our scenic, construction-filled adolescent day camp transforms into a marshy wetland. Walking onto campus transports one onto the planet from Kevin Costner’s “Waterworld.” Parents and non-Paly students questioning how serious this issue could be, consider two facts.

First, the fact that Lake Paly is a ubiquitous student nickname exhibits what students truly think of our academic institution.

Second, there is a video on Facebook of a student swimming in one of the school’s large murky cesspools. Why this student decided that lowering himself into this quasiaboveground sewer was an intelligent or sanitary idea is beyond me, but the ability to pull a Phelps on one of these puddles speaks volumes about the severity of the infrastructure flaws at Paly.

Here are the administration’s three most effective tools for combating the rampant flooding that paralyzes Paly on rainy days: 1) The aforementioned sandbags.

I assume because they were placed in puddles that they were supposed to act as bridges, though they could just be a hip, fun addition to campus.

2) A hilariously dangerous semicircular bridge that is impossible to climb over. Instead of the inconvenience of stepping through puddles, students, why not make a casual gamble with your life and stroll over a steep, slippery safety hazard of death?

Genius!

3) Various wooden slats and planks. Most likely from the dumpster.

So, to recap, before working on fixing our drainage system, or instead of using grant money to provide measures to alleviate the flooded areas, we have begun to construct gigantic new buildings and purchase iPads in bulk for the history department. So when some poor freshmen drowns while walking to Biology, seniors like me will get to enjoy playing Angry Birds on an expensive Apple device, ever so classily embossed with the PAUSD logo. A completely necessary touch, I might add.

Paly administration: a sidebar please. Phil, Jerry, Kim, Kathy, Craig, you know I’m a fan. But when planning out what to do with the $90 million bond Palo Alto taxpayers have so graciously provided you, did it not seem logical to alleviate basic drainage problems before building new structures on the tragically flawed system? Does placing an inadequate amount of wooden pallets in a few of the campus’ puddles seem like an acceptable, safe, twenty-first century solution to the problem?

Please, buy a portable bridge or ramp or anything that doesn’t look like I made it with my third grade Boy Scout troop.

At least we’re safe from the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, since Paly has no adequate piping for it to slither through. For that, the students thank you.

Friday, December 7, 2012

B2

The Campanile

MUSIC

Hip-hop artist performs at local high school

Steven Markowitz, also known as Hoodie Allen, is a hip-hop musician from New York. Hoodie recently held a concert at Castilleja School.

MICHELLE YIN Staff Writer

U

p-and-coming rapper Hoodie Allen kept his teenage fans screaming with hysteria on Nov. 30, 2012 at Castilleja School, despite arriving an hour late and performing a short 60 minute concert.

At the end of the night, there were ambivalent reviews from the crowd, showing that only his true fans enjoyed the performance.

The concert was held in Castilleja’s small gym; the concert had a bland setup consisting of a rather small stage with simple red and blue lights to reflect the theme of his album, “All American.”

Although the event sold out weeks in advance, the audience failed to fill up even half the gym.

Hoodie and his band began the concert by pumping up the crowd with “The Chase is On,” and “You are not a Robot,” which were instantly received by a horde of mesmerized girls and boys belligerently shoving and clawing their way to the front in order to get a closer chance of touching his hand.

Although security was implemented in front of the stage as an attempt to keep fans away, they did not succeed against the entranced high schoolers.

The audience gradually dispersed into fervent fans clustering around the stage and a disappointed few socializing in the back of the gym.

People seemed to be either enthralled or bored by Hoodie’s performance.

“I thought it was great and the energy was awesome,” senior Yoko Kanai, who scored a front row spot, said. “The sound wasn’t too loud or too quiet.”

On the other hand, junior Lizzie Rose was extremely displeased with the concert.

“I did not enjoy the concert at all,” Rose said. “I was glad it was short so that I could leave.”

Even though the sound was pleasantly resonant, Hoodie’s voice was constantly drowned out by his screaming fans. Also, because the acoustics in the gym were terrible, he was barely audible behind his tracks.

As an attempt to get his fans involved, Hoodie held a trite dance contest on stage. Most contestants were shy and uninteresting; however, Kanai received perhaps the loudest roar from the audience but lost to a Bellarmine Prep senior, Jeremy Edwards, who performed to a ridiculous rendition of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”

“Jeremy was the best part of the concert,” junior Lizzie Rose said.

“His dancing was very seductive.”

Most of Hoodie’s songs were from his “All American” album, although he did include a few covers, some of which included versions of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA” and other covers of Blink -182 and Beastie Boys songs. His covers included original lyrics to well known ballads. Despite this, not all song selections were well received by the audience.

“I did like most of his songs, but some were too mainstream,” Kanai said.

Charlotte barry/The Campanile

Hoodie Allen sings his heart out for the hundreds of high schoolers at his show held at Castilleja last Friday.

Hoodie concluded the concert with “No Interruption,” a crowd favorite, and the most popular song from his “All American” album, which received the loudest and most excited response. The entire audience, including the few disappointed fans, seemed to be dancing and enjoying themselves. However, his voice was again almost completely overpowered by the passionate crowd, especially during this popular song.

Overall, the biggest audience complaint was the brevity of the concert.

Originally scheduled to perform two hours, Hoodie made an appearance of less than an hour.

“The concert itself was way too short,” Kanai said.

Although Hoodie is known for fan interaction as he often retweets them, he initially did not want to take pictures and sign autographs after the concert.

Hoodie eventually gave in when persistent fans refused to leave the gym. According to manager JD Yarosh, his voice was too hoarse to speak after the concert, aside from this one comment.

“It was a lot of fun,” Hoodie said.

“I hope to be back in the area soon.”

This was Hoodie’s first concert ever held for high schoolers, and according to the artist, he enjoyed the experience.

Seniors start lunchtime musical jam group Seniors Andrew Solway and Benjamin May have created a collaborative jam session for Paly students.

Charlotte Barry COPY EDITOR

S

Charlotte Barry/The Campanile

Rock band members (top left to right) Edward Kwiatkowski, Gabe Galang, Patrick Stormer and Ben May collaborate on music.

eniors Benjamin May and Andrew Solway have been “jamming” throughout their high school career; they used to be part of an unofficial jam group in which they wrote original songs and jammed together with some friends here and there.

However, they both decided to turn their unofficial band into the Paly’s “Rock Band” club.

“Andrew wanted to start the club in order to give people a chance to casually jam with others and have a fun time as well,” May said.

Grant Blackburn, the band’s teacher advisor, was interested in helping out with the club, as he has had experience with instruments and has been playing since childhood.

“I have played the guitar since I was in high school and I have helped in a couple shows at Paly,” Blackburn said.

Their rock band consists of students of all levels and grades who play a variety of instruments. There are guitarists, bassists and drummers, all components of a successful rock band, according to May. They hope

to expand their group and give lessons as well.

“We have members of all skill levels,” May said. “We hope to get more musicians that feel less experienced but still want to jam as hard as the rest of the group.”

Every Wednesday at lunch in room 309, the band plays a variety of songs with a similar general theme, but not specific song choices.

“Andrew and I want to focus more on impromptu jamming, not only reading a music sheet or following bar by bar,” May said.

Thanks to Blackburn, the club has been provided with guitar amplifiers that Blackburn has in stock.

However, musicians do occasionally bring in their own instruments.

May recommends that if musicians want as much playing time as possible, they should bring their own instruments.

In the next couple of weeks, May and Solway are going to start giving lessons to guitarists, bassists and drummers about how “jamming” is not only about technique and form but also about improvising and playing what one feels is right. Once the band feels comfortable enough to play as a whole, they plan for big projects second semester, from playing in the quad, at Mic Night and for larger venues in Palo Alto.

“As a whole, I think that the entire Paly Rock Band club really wants to

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perform,” May said. “It is just a matter of time until we do and [Solway] and I cannot wait.”

Although the band practices every Wednesday in room 309, they are hoping to move to the Black Box Theater, adjacent to the InFocus studio. The Black Box Theater is a better atmosphere to play in because of the We have members of all skill levels. We hope to get more musicians that feel less experienced but still want to jam as hard as the rest of the group.

Benjamin May Senior

room’s acoustics, the larger practice space and the isolation from outside noise, according to May. Blackburn thinks that the band is heading in the right direction and feels that the band could have a successful future. “[Solway] has some great ideas and a great vision for this team.”

Blackburn said. “[The band] is really about them playing, being able to jam, and to have a good time every week.”

May and Solway hope that their band grows successfully in the next several years when they pass it down to fellow Paly musicians.

The Campanile Would love your help!

Send checks payable Palo Alto High School to: Palo Alto High School c/o Esther Wojcicki 50 Embarcadero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94301

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Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

FOOD

B3

Homemade holiday sweets Yule Log Cake

angela stern

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

staff writer

W

inter break is just around the corner, and that means sleep, relaxation and special food. One of the best parts of the holiday season are the warm, aromatic scents that loom from the kitchen and waft outside, drawing in tasters from the cold outdoors. It may not snow here, but for us Palo Altans, those 50˚ F December days are brutally cold, and there is nothing like curling up on the couch watching TV shows and Netflix movies with warm apple cider, peppermint hot chocolate or eggnog. To match those warm drinks are an array of holiday goodies, fresh out of the oven. No matter what holiday you celebrate, everyone loves both the traditional and the modern food this season brings. From fruitcakes to latkes, there is nothing quite like that homemade holiday meal.

Whether you like to be daring and try new, intricate holiday recipes from Food Network, or prefer the traditional style recipes that have been passed down in your family for generations, here are a few recipes to experiment with this holiday season.

Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network Yield: 12 sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Cake: 5 egg yolks ⅔ cup sugar ½ tsp. vanilla extract 5 egg whites ½ cup sugar 1½ cups sifted cake flour ¾ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt powdered sugar Buttercream filling: 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1 cup sugar ½ cup water 3 egg yolks ½ cup butter, room temperature 1 tbsp rum

Cake:

courtesy of the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

1 (16.5 oz) tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough ¼ cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided ¼ cup heavy cream 1 tsp. pure peppermint extract 1 tsp. vegetable oil Decorating suggestion: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies; white, red and green sprinkles; or red and green decorating sugar

Directions:

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour until smooth.

3. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough.

4. Knead together any scraps of dough and roll out again. Continue to cut out pastry circles until there are 24 pieces in total.

5. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve one parchment paperlined baking sheet.

6. Combine one cup of chocolate chips and the cream in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract and refrigerate the mixture for one hour.

7. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of the flat side of 12 of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly.

Place on a baking sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.

8. Combine the remaining chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies.

9. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic container.

1. Grease a 15” x 10” baking pan and line with wax paper.

Grease wax paper; set aside. Grease two custard cups; set aside. Preheat oven to 375˚F. 2. In a small mixer bowl, beat egg yolks until thickened and lemon-colored, about five minutes. Gradually add ⅔ cup sugar, beating constantly. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a large mixer bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.

Gradually add ½ cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry.

4. Fold egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites.

5. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into egg mixture.

6. Spoon roughly two tablespoons of batter into each prepared custard cup. Gently spread remaining batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake 10-12 minutes.

8. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a clean, dry dish towel.

When cake is done, loosen edges and immediately invert onto prepared towel. Remove pan and wax paper.

9. Starting with longer edge of cake, roll up cake and towel together. Cool. Remove cake from custard cups; cool.

10. Prepare the Buttercream Filling (see below).

11. Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with half of filling. Reroll cake without towel and frost with remaining filling. Lightly press both cakes from custard cups into filling along side of log to resemble knots. Spread filling over all. Swirl with a spatula or score with a fork to resemble bark.

12. Slice and serve, garnish with meringue mushrooms if desired.

Buttercream:

1. Melt chocolate; set aside to cool.

2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil.

Cook to 240˚F on a candy thermometer or soft-ball stage.

Remove from heat.

3. While candy is cooking, beat egg yolks in a small mixer bowl until thickened and lemon-colored. Very gradually add hot syrup, beating constantly. Continue beating until lukewarm. Beat in butter one tablespoon at a time.

4. Mix in melted chocolate and rum. Beat until thickened.

Chocolate Chip Challah Bread Courtesy of Aliza Schwartz, Food Network Magazine Yield: 16-18 inch loaf

Ingredients:

2 packets active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons) ½ cup sugar, plus a pinch 7 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 tablespoon salt 2 large eggs ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Angela stern/the campanile

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. 2. Mix the yeast, a pinch of sugar and one cup warm water in a small bowl. Set aside while you measure out the other dry ingredients, or until frothy.

3. Whisk 3 1/2 cups flour, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl.

4. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Add one egg, the vegetable oil and one cup warm water; stir until combined. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups flour until the dough starts to come together. Mix in the chocolate chips.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, one hour to one hour, 30 minutes.

6. Divide the dough into three equal portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a ball, then roll each ball into a one 1/2-to-2-inch-wide strand, about 16 inches long. Lay the strands side by side on a sheet of parchment paper and pinch them together at one end.

7. Braid the three strands: Cross the right strand over the middle strand. Then cross the left strand over the middle strand. Repeat, crossing the right strand over the middle strand, then the left over the middle, until all of the dough is braided. Pinch the dough together at the end.

8. Slide the loaf (with the parchment paper) onto a baking sheet. Beat the remaining egg with one tablespoon water in a small bowl, then brush the egg wash all over the loaf. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

Cranberry Bread

Courtesy of Sandra Lee, Food Network Yield: 12 to 15 cookies, depending on the cookie cutter size

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp salt ½ tsp baking soda ¼ cup butter 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. grated orange peel ¾ cup orange juice 1½ cups frozen or fresh cranberries, chopped 1½ cups light raisins*

Cookies: 1 package sugar cookie mix 1 egg ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup melted butter 2 tbsps. pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ cup dark molasses 1 tsp. vanilla extract Royal Icing: 2 large egg whites or 5 tbsps. meringue powder 2 tsps. fresh lemon juice or 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted Food coloring, if desired

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F 2. In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients together and chill for up to one hour.

3. Roll dough out on floured board about 1/8-inch thick.

4. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters and place onto sheet pan.

5. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

Royal Icing:

Angela stern/the campanile

1. With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or extract until frothy.

2. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny.

3. Turn to high and beat approximately five minutes till stiff and glossy.

4. Add food coloring, if desired, and transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cookies.

www.quest.eb.com

Directions:

courtesy of jamesandeverett.com

1. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.

2. Cut up the butter and add it to the flour mixture, stir with a fork until it is crumbly.

3. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice all at once; stir just until mixture is evenly moist.

4. Fold in cranberries and raisins.

5. Spoon the dough into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ F for one hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack. *If you wish, you may substitute cranberries for the raisins to have an all cranberry bread (total three cups of cranberries).

Friday, December 7, 2012

B4

The Campanile

COLLEGE

Hidden Costs of College Applications Between standardized tests, application fees, mailing transcripts, postage, counselors and tutors, students are paying for college before stepping on campus

Emily Rosenthal Senior Staff writer

N

early every senior in high school dreams about finally receiving an acceptance letter to college. They have put in countless hours of work—editing essays, frantically filling out forms, asking teachers for recommendations, agonizing over essays—that the process has become a surreal blur. Many younger students understand the hard work that is waiting for them, and nearly everyone has heard of the rising cost of tuition. Yet many people do not realize the hidden costs of applications, or how to reduce these costs.

The most obvious of these costs is the application fee many colleges and universities require. According to the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), in 2011 the average student applied

to ten colleges. In spring of 2012, the U.S. News and World Report conducted an annual survey which found that the average application fee for schools was $37.88, the highest it has been in the last five years. This means that, on average, students are paying $378.80 simply for the privilege of applying. The same U.S. News survey stated that the average college receives 5,948 applications each year, meaning it makes $225,310.24 each year from these application fees.

However, many colleges offer fee waivers if applications are a financial hardship for applicants.

Standardized testing is another contributor to the cost of applying to colleges. If a student takes the SAT twice, the national average according to the College Board, it would cost $100 for registration and $110 to send the scores to schools. Many colleges also require two subject tests, which if taken once on the same day

would cost $47. There are four free score reports when registering for the SAT, but these must be used within nine days of taking the test. So seniors may not be able to take advantage of these free score reports.

Taking and sending the ACT twice would result in a similar bill of $211. Both tests offer fee waivers for a limited number of tests if students qualify.

Some of the highest hidden costs are for those resources that are not required but are widely used. SAT tutors, private college counselors and college tours all add significantly to the growing bill of the college search.

Many believe that these options increase a student’s chance of admittance, whether by raising an SAT score 100 points or demonstrating interest in their top choice. This extra help can become a disadvantage to low income students, who might not be able to afford tutors.

401 (K) 2012/creative commons

How to Save Know what you want in a college.

The most effective way to reduce the cost of applying to college is narrowing your application list. Applying to six to eight schools you love is less costly and less stressful than spending a fortune in applying to 15 schools.

Look for bargains.

Some schools have no application fee if you apply online. Though this is becoming less common as the Common Application is gaining popularity, there are still a large number of schools that do so. Looking on a college’s website can reveal money-saving options.

Ask for the waiver.

72 percent of the institutions surveyed by the U.S. News and World Report in 2012 reported they waive application fees for students who demonstrate financial need.

Students who need waivers often have to coordinate with their high school’s counselor, so begin having these conversations early to get the help you need.

With planning and research juniors may be able to avoid high costs next year when applying to college.

Suzie Brown: the woman behind the transcripts

GRace Fang

features Editor

“I

work with and for some of the greatest people on earth.

It is a real pleasure to come to work knowing I will spend the day with all of the students confronting and solving problems and just enjoying the camaraderie,” Paly registrar Suzanne Brown said with a smile of excitement as she addressed transcript envelopes.

Brown has been serving Paly students for almost 15 years and the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) for over 30 years. She has assisted many Paly seniors with compiling their college applications, and has made sure their paperwork is filled out correctly.

“She has sent my transcripts, helped me with my envelopes and sends me friendly emails whenever I have done something wrong with my envelopes,” senior Emily Pomeroy said. “She is a very sweet and helpful lady.”

According to Brown, transcripts are her main responsibility, which includes recording grades and checking transcripts for corrections and omissions. She is also responsible for sending Secondary School Reports, revised transcripts and quarter grades to schools and for ensuring that the students fill them out on time.

“She works hard to make sure all of our transcripts go to our schools before the due date, and always greets me and other students with big smiles,” Pomeroy said.

According to Brown, one of the most challenging jobs connected with transcripts is computing credits for students coming from foreign countries.

“Creating a way to compute credits based on Paly’s graduation

requirements has become both challenging and time consuming,” Brown said. “The good thing about this is that it can be done – it just takes time.”

Brown also transcribes students’ grades from Foothill Middle College, one of PAUSD’s alternative schools, onto their Paly transcripts. On top of that, she enters community service hours onto senior transcripts.

Because Brown’s many responsibilities seem overwhelming, she is grateful to be able to complete much of it online.

“One of the biggest and most important jobs I have connected with transcripts is sending out electronic transcripts via Parchment,” Brown said. “I am thrilled to be able to send transcripts to colleges this way because transcripts can be sent and received by colleges in the same day they are approved and sent. This eliminates officializing transcripts by hand with signatures and seals.”

In addition, Brown has walked students through the process of filling out the Secondary School Report forms, applying for scholarships, and many other college application requirements. “[She] is very helpful and approachable,” Paly grad of 2012 Hannah Kim said. “She definitely helped me a lot last year, and walked me through the process of how to send transcripts to scholarships.”

In addition to her other duties, Brown keeps track of test results from Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests, American College Tests (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT), Education Record Bureau (ERB) Writing Tests, PLAN and PSAT tests.

“I answer requests for records from schools where our former students have moved from, writing letters of various kinds,” Brown said. “I also work with Mrs. Deggelman preparing

college envelopes for consideration by our TAs, which involves hundreds of envelopes and lots of time.”

Not only does Brown work during the day while students are in school, but she also often stays after school to finish work.

“As many have experienced, there are certain times of year when college applications flood the Guidance Office, and now is one of those times,” Brown said.

Brown is grateful to have volunteers who have helped her with her college application organization.

“One of the things for which I am most thankful, is that I have two volunteers who come every Monday and Tuesday for one and a half hours each

day to work in my office,” Brown said.

“One of these volunteers is a real veteran, having worked steadily for two registrars before me.”

Prior to her tenure as the registrar, Brown was hired by PAUSD as a classroom aide in 1979. The next year, she became the special education aide to PAUSD resource specialists and special day class teachers at Addison and Juana Briones elementary schools.

She spent the next 20 years there before beginning her work as the Paly registrar in 1999.

“I had expected to retire with my teacher doing this same kind of work, but she decided to move to regular [education] teaching and has since retired,” Brown said. “I tried to stay

with her, but there weren’t enough work hours in a day in regular [education] for me to make a living, so I had to move on.”

She is still a ten-month employee, but this is the first time in her PAUSD career that she has had an eight-hour day position, according to Brown.

The best thing Brown loves about her job is helping students achieve their dreams and aspirations by helping them get into college as a first step.

“I love the students,” Brown said. “I wish I had time to spend much more time with them, getting to really know them. I find great satisfaction and pleasure in being able to solve problems with and for them. It’s my life work and I love it.”

adam Mansour/The campanile

Suzie Brown keeps meticulous records of transcripts and assists seniors in the college application process.

The Campanile

Friday, December 7, 2012

COMMUNICATION

Internet-based texting applications expand while text messaging declines Elizabeth Bowman buisness manager

F

or the first time in all of cell phone history, Americans are starting to text less.

Until now, SMS text messaging has seen continued growth, but a new report by Chetan Sharma, the president of an independent mobile analyst and consulting business, shows a surprising three percent drop in the number of text messages sent by Americans. This small

change has shown the beginning of a new revolution: the decline of phone carriers such as AT&T and at the same time, the rapid growth of free Internet-based texting apps like Apple’s iMessage.

Many high schoolers text via phone carriers (such as AT&T) that their parents pay for, while college students are starting to use different platforms for mobile communication.

“I think that if you already have unlimited texting, it’s pointless to use a free texting application since you’re already paying for the unlimited texting,” senior Jessica Tam said.

College students, on the other hand, are low on money, so many of them explore other alternatives to costly phone plans. At Stanford

University, entrepreneurs are seizing this opportunity to create free Internet-based mobile apps such as iMessage or Text +, which provide free texting communication.

As people use free Internet-based phone app texting software, wireless phone carriers are starting to feel threatened. Many carriers depend on the incoming revenue they receive from each text sent, sometimes up to 20 cents per message. According to Sharma, the top three carriers obtain four percent of their revenue per customer from mobile data plans like these.

Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, worries about the problems that come with the usage of Internetpowered alternatives, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

“You lie awake at night worrying about [Internet-powered alternatives] which [can] disrupt your business model,” Stephenson said in WSJ.

“Apple iMessage is a classic example.

If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right?”

Fewer people are using wireless carriers for texting, and if the number of Americans texting continues to decline, soon the carriers will have to change their business models.

Despite the negative impact iMessage has had on AT&T, the company still remains robust, maintaining an annual increase of 18 percent in assets according to WSJ. In addition, it is possible for phone carrier companies to obtain their revenue using more different methods.

“I think that some people still prefer to pick up their phones and call so I don’t think phone carrier companies would necessarily go out of business,” Tam said. “Phone companies can benefit from the data plans for smart phones, so people would still pay phone companies in order to use the free texting app.”

The gist is that Americans really are not texting less; rather, they are just moving on to use free and more advanced texting softwares.

Los ing Tou ch Internet communication has led to the demise of letter writing ANNA MCGARRIGLE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

T

he Internet controls us. From the way we connect with friends to the way we retrieve our homework, its hypnotic power is unfortunately essential to living today.

Sure, the Internet can be extremely helpful at times when it lets us do things otherwise unthought of, like spy on neighbors via Google Earth or video call friends living across the country. We are so connected that a new psychological disorder has even been recently invented to describe teens’ separation anxiety when detached from their cell phones.

When I saw peers for whom addressing their college envelopes was their first contact with the United States Postal Service, I grew concerned. With all of this constant communication, whatever happened to handwritten thank you cards and old fashioned care packages? They still do exist, but it seems like these ways of communicating are as foreign to the

people of my generation as Facebook is to our grandparents.

What was once old-fashioned is now in vogue again. From drinking whiskey out of mason jars to vintage film photography, tech-free culture is making a comeback. Even “Skyfall” featured James Bond’s return to the old-fashioned. While writing letters was once as ordinary an action as checking Facebook is now, it has become a lost art equivalent to developing film. But in truth, our generation’s inability to bring pen to power is frightening.

Writing a letter is more than just the words it contains. It is the thought and care embodied in a single piece of paper, a token of friendship or a shared memory. It involves paper and writing things by hand (gasp!) and stamps (“you mean you have to pay to send something?”). But all said and done, it’s worth it.

“I love to write letters because I know how fun it is to receive a letter,” senior Shelby Knowles said.

Seeing a colorful, postmarked envelope waiting for you in the mail

is like seeing your presents under the tree on Christmas morning (or beside the menorah). It is the wonder of all of the hands who touched it to bring it to you, and the mystery surrounding its foreign contents.

“I write to my grandma and letters to friends in college and to friends who live in different states,” Knowles said. “I would write letters to Nira [Krasnow] in fifth grade even though we lived in the same neighborhood.”

Knowles has also maintained her letter correspondence with senior Nora Rosati.

While writing letters was once as ordinary an action as checking Facebook is now, it has now become a lost art equivalent to developing film.

“I [wrote] with Shelby Knowles in the summer when we were away for the summer since we did it before we had email when we were in middle school,” Rosati said. “Now we still

go away for the summer, and we send each other a few letters per summer just to keep the tradition alive.”

Right now, we may live a mere matter of minutes away from our friends. But in as soon as a year for some, close friends will be scattered nationwide. And it definitely takes more than a few Facebook posts to maintain a friendship.

The personal touch of a letter is incomparable to electronic messaging.

“Letters are fun,” Knowles said.

“You can’t put stickers on a text message.”

Rosati adds, “It’s kind of a fun thing to do, especially because emails or Facebook usually monopolize the communication world.”

So the next time you want to go on Facebook to send someone a message, try writing them a note instead, even one that you slip to them at school, and you will see how different it is.

As the great James Bond said, “Youth is no guarantee of innovation.”

So let’s stop spending time in cyberspace and start innovating.

B5

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

B6 ACADEMICS

ARC provides friendly atmosphere to collaborate, relax Alvin Kim

Editor-in-chief

N

estled in a secluded corner of the library lies the Academic Resource Center (ARC), a place for students to tutor, study and socialize.

In addition to providing books, tables and chairs for work, the ARC has been used by the students as a medium of relaxing and talking with friends.

Junior Annie Chen, who frequently goes to the ARC, said that her older friends influenced her to begin utilizing the ARC. “All of my favorite upperclassmen friends during sophomore year just happened to be residents of the ARC, so I started going to the ARC since it increased the chance that I would see them,” Chen said. “I started tutoring for credit too, although that only explains why I’m there for one out of the five days a week I’m in there.”

Senior Clara Lee also attributed her ARC habits to older friends.

When she was a freshman, the primarily Asian Key Club members would spend time in the ARC, and as a member of Key Club, she would follow along. After spending time in the ARC, she enjoyed it enough to continue frequenting the center.

Due to the amount of people and subsequent noise, students find it hard to successfully accomplish work.

However, people tend to not focus on working but rather on socializing.

“At lunch it’s a madhouse,” Lee said. “It’s really really loud and rambunctious and pretty crowded. It’s a great place to be if you want to just relax, eat, hang out and yell a lot.

“During prep there’s a few people and it’s pretty quiet sometimes, save a few people who laugh extremely loudly.”

A key figure in the ARC is ARC co-coordinator Maria Lim, who oversees the students and helps organize the tutoring for the students.

Students have developed a close relationship with her, some calling her “ARC queen,”as they interact with her daily and she is the definitive person in charge.

“I really enjoy my relationship with the students,” Lim said. “I think I have a really good working relationship with the students. I enjoy getting to know them, not just in a tutoring relationship but also in a personal relationship. I have a great time working with the students for the most part.”

Chen agreed that Lim improves the ARC experience in many different aspects, whether it is keeping order or organizing tutoring sessions.

Students feel comfortable talking to Lim about various topics ranging from schoolwork to inside jokes.

“She keeps things under control and tries to get students to help with decorations by contributing photography or artwork,” Chen said. “She’s helpful and makes sure the place is clean for people who want to study.

She tries to make tutoring the most helpful to tutees by occasionally supervising tutoring sessions.”

Lim believes that the ARC is a place where students feel at ease in and enjoy spending their time in, partly due to the diversity of activities they can do. Other resource centers such as the Science Research Center and the English Research Center do It’s always a place for kids to relax if they want to, hang if they want to, study if they want to, socialize if they want to and eat if they want to.

Maria Lim ARC Co-coordinator

not have an adult in charge of the location.

“It’s always a place for kids to relax if they want to, hang if they want, study if they want, socialize if they want and eat if they want,” Lim said.

“It’s a comfortable place for students to be and do whatever they need to do.”

Due to multiple factors such as a strong ARC contingency graduating last year and students finding other after school activities, the amount of students now is a shadow of what it was in previous years.

ADAM Mansour/The Campanile

Sophomore Haley Fang works diligently to finish her homework and prepare for her next class in the ARC

“In freshman year the ARC really was a popular hangout spot for mostly Asians but some other people too,” Lee said. “Usually at all times of the day it was loud and enervating, lots of people and friends, especially in the old closed room. Nowadays it’s gotten a lot quieter and less people are staying after school.”

Paly alum of 2012 Chris Xu said that when he attended Paly, people would go to the ARC because of an excess of free time “It got more and more crowded because later, people started going there not only to do work but to also hang out,” Xu said.

Due to the high percentage of Asians who reside in the ARC, it has been dubbed the “Asian Resource Center” by some students, a name

which the students who frequent the location have nicknamed and embraced. However, Xu does not believe that the Asian majority as a major issue to the students in the ARC. “I don’t know why so many Asians go to the ARC, maybe because they’re studying or they enjoy the environment,” Xu said, “Whatever the reason is, I don’t think it’s a problem because the ARC is for everybody, whether they are Asian, white, black, or latino.”

Chen agreed that the overwhelming proportion of students who reside in the ARC are Asian, but attributed the skewed proportion to the passing down of the tradition.

“I don’t think it’s as much of a question about how many Asians go

to the ARC but rather how many non-Asians don’t go to the ARC” Chen said. “The percentage of nonasians who come to the ARC has stayed almost constant. It’s also a generational sort of trend. It has always been sort of a thing for Asians to hang there, and each generation of Asians move up once the seniors graduate.”

Sophomore Ken Chen said that students foreign to the ARC probably look down on the center. He say that students should try to spend some time in the ARC to experience the friendly atmosphere .

“They probably think we’re a bunch of geeks and the ARC is just a place to get tutored but it’s more than that,” Chen said. “They’re missing out on a lot.”

Club Academia strives to help struggling students Sam dodson

Senior Staff writer

Two Gunn students have created a website for showcasing supplemental information to help struggling high school student understand new school material

S

ummer break is often seen as a time to forget about school, relax and have fun.

For two Henry M. Gunn (Gunn) students, however, the summer of 2012 was an opportunity to launch a student-run website designed to benefit students that struggle with certain classes at school. Similar to Sal Khan’s “Khan Academy,” Club Academia, created by Gunn junior Shilpa Yarlagadda and senior Roya Huang, is a non-profit company that provides students with video tutorials in subjects such as statistics and biology.

Starting by simply creating physics videos for Advanced Placement (AP) Physics students worried about the end of year exam, Yarlagadda and Huang are now in charge of a company that recently received a grant of $1,000 from Google and Khan Academy.

It recently went public in early November. The idea came when Stanford University computer science professor Mehran Sahami spoke to Gunn students one day.

“I approached him after his speech and asked him about making video tutorials,” Yarlagadda said. “I never expected to create a company out of it, but now he is part of our unofficial board of directors.”

Club Academia selects high school students that have recently finished a course to provide tutorials.

This way, the material is fresh in the tutor’s mind.

According to Yarlagadda, the focus of Club Academia is to provide easy access to supplemental information to help students ace a test or simply do better in a class.

Gunn senior Roya Huang films a vectors video, along with other physics videos, to help students

“We want to make learning accessible to anyone no matter where you are,” Yarlagadda said. “And we also want to create a supplement for outside of the classroom so students can understand the material better. “ Yarlagadda believes that making the videos concise keeps the tutorials entertaining and lessens the chance of a student getting bored.

“The biggest thing we try to do is make our videos very short and concise,” Yarlagadda said. “Unlike Khan Academy, where the average video length is 10-12 minutes, most of our videos are below three minutes.”

The motto of the company is reminiscent to something familiars: “of the people, by and for the people.”

I think Club Academia could really help some students that need to clarify their understanding of the material. I have seen the videos and I love that the videos are made by students.

Daisy Renazco Gunn Math Teacher

Club Academia staff hope to align with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) goals and values of supporting all students in all their academic subjects.

With many for-profit tech companies in Silicon Valley, Club

Academia is unique because it is a non-profit company.

Because Club Academia is already well-known to the Gunn community, students and teachers have already begun using and asking for the beneficial videos.

Algebra 2 teacher Daisy Renazco sees Club Academia as a potential benefit for all her Algebra 2 students, though currently Club Academia has not made any videos for Algebra 2 yet.

“I think Club Academia could really help some students that need to clarify their understanding of the material,” Renazco said. “I have seen the videos and I love that the videos are made by students.”

Though a new company, Club Academia has already been successful in moving forward and reaching out for support.

According to Yarlagadda, over half of the students in the Focus on Success classes at Gunn are currently using Club Academia.

Moreover, Yarlagadda and Huang have met with Sal Khan after the two students won the “Khan Hangout” competition, in which selected participants attend a three-day workshop at Google.

Yarlagadda hopes to keep moving forward and expand to a wider audience, while keeping a high quality standard.

“In the future, we hope to expand Club Academia so that anyone can post videos,” Yarlagadda said. “Before we do this, however, we really want to set a high standard.”

Rachel Lew, a current Gunn student and staff member for Club Academia, is optimistic about the company and feels that the website is helpful for both the tutor and the tutee.

“I’m extremely impressed with how quickly Club Academia has reached its current level of success,” Lew said. “I have used the statistics videos and found them to be very helpful. Even just making videos for other classes has helped me understand the material better.”

What started as a simple idea has now turned into a more complexstudent-run company with support from PAUSD superintendent Kevin Skelly, in addition to Google and Khan Academy, according to Yarlagadda.

Club Academia can be a beneficial resource to Paly and Gunn students alike, both for students who want to make videos and for those who would like to learn from the videos to help the students understand the material better “We really want a strong following within Gunn and Paly,” Yarlagadda said. “The biggest challenge that we are going to face is how to reel in so many new recruits yet maintain our quality.”

The Campanile

Friday, December 7, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Three stress relievers to calm Paly students

B7

Reindeers Go Ham

Students often feel pressure in school, especially during finals season. However, there are many ways students such as Yoga, Green Tea and Puppies that can reduce stress in order to remain concentrated in school.

Alex Taussig

beth Yan

Jacob Zenger

Technology Editor

A

s the year culminates with the familiar holiday season chaos, students at Paly have a little extra on their plates this December.

Since this year is the first time students will be taking final exams before winter break, it is understandable that anxiety levels are running a bit higher than usual. These convenient, affordable and effective stress relievers can offer a reprieve from the academic pressures of the upcoming semester finals.

Yoga

Although yoga originated in ancient India and has been around for centuries, it has become increasingly popular in recent decades for its health benefits. Many aspects of yoga make it an effective stress reliever.

While yoga physically relieves anxiety by stretching and loosening tense muscles, it also provides a healthy mental state of relaxation.

Senior Sara Billman attends yoga classes at Form Fitness and finds that it helps her minimize stress and maintain a healthy focus.

“I think that [yoga] helps to calm and relax a person,” Billman said. “It’s important to take moments during the day to reflect on your life and to channel positive energy. Sometimes I get caught up in all the work I have to do and yoga helps clear the mind as well as exercise the body.”

By focusing on practices such as breathing and clearing the mind,

Charlotte Barry/THE CAMPANILE

A mug of green tea and puppies like Wyatt (above) can help soothe students during the stressful winter seasons.

yoga also forces the participants to concentrate solely on themselves and their exercise. This subconsciously relieves stress as there is no opportunity to dwell on the havoc of the outside world.

“After yoga I feel more in-tune with myself and feel determined and ready to carry on working hard,” Billman said. “I feel more aligned and I feel more focused.”

Green Tea

Green tea is another effective stress reliever, perfect for students who are pressed for time. While it may seem counter-intuitive that a caffeinated beverage can help lower anxiety levels, there is significantly less caffeine in green tea than in other varieties of tea.

Moreover, green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that has been

proven to produce feelings of relaxation. Theanine has the ability to influence the activity of neurotransmitters that affect emotion and mood, such as dopamine and serotonin.

Senior Miles Kool uses green tea as a relaxing substitute for other more highly caffeinated beverages.

“Green tea generally makes me relax, whether through the heat or the caffeine,” Kool said. “Both, I suppose, help me in times of stress.

When I drink tea I feel like I’m getting down to business, because it usually happens late at night in front of homework. It helps me focus and lets me get caffeine without my usual Dr. Pepper.”

Hug a Puppy

While interacting with animals is something that most pet-owners do on a daily basis, it has been shown that handling animals can lead to lower blood pressure and stress levels.

The University of MissouriColumbia studied the effects of petting dogs on the human body and found that interacting with pets can actually increase levels of hormones that can elevate mood, such as serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin.

Senior Jessica Tam experiences the calming effects of animals frequently through her job at the CuriOdyssey Museum in San Mateo.

It’s important to take moments during the day to reflect on your life and to channel positive energy.

Sara Billman Senior

“Hanging out with animals is a really good way to destress,” Tam said. “It is very soothing to be able to sit in a quiet place and get your mind off other things.”

Tam not only benefits from animals in the workplace but also finds that interacting with her pets at home offers a similar reprieve.

“I have heard that people who own pets tend to be happier,” Tam said. “I have two red-eared sliders, which are turtles, and it’s calming to just take care of them. It distracts me from all the other things in my life.”

It may seem easy to become overwhelmed in the deluge of homework and finals during this month but it is important to carefully maintain healthy stress levels by relaxing in different ways.

In many cases, relaxation can be conveniently obtained by making small adjustments to one’s daily routine that will fuel calmness in one’s day. Whether through petting a puppy for a couple of minutes each day or committing to yoga lessons, stress relief can be both attainable and enjoyable for all.

While a lack of school will undoubtedly bring joy to every member of Paly’s student body this holiday season, it is important that none of the students lose sight of the true meaning of holidays as students rip through distinct religious ceremonies and awkward dinners with relatives.

As soon as we finish frantically purging our minds of anything academic, we should take time to reflect upon the great and eternal sacrifice of maximum tarandro, the mystical flying reindeer that fly Santa Claus across the globe every year. The sacrifices that the species make on a yearly basis are well known, but very few students have any practical knowledge on the species and its fascinating evolutionary origins.

Many people believe that reindeer fly because Santa sprinkled aviation dust on them but now with modern technology, scientists have disproven that claim. Scientists now have discovered one similarity with the three collections of flying animals that has led them to the reason behind these mysterious powers. In the diet of all three herds of animals the main source of food is gramen which can mainly be found in the North Pole, Jamaica and in areas around Djibouti.

Gramen consumption has varied effects, such as greater enjoyment of food taste and aroma, an enhanced enjoyment of music and comedy and an altered perception of time.

Flying reindeer have been discovered on every continent, with the largest colonies in Jamaica and the North Pole, but they are conspicuously absent from the fossil record, leading most scientists to believe that they are an alien species native to Mars that got bored and flew to earth roughly 2000 years ago, similarly to the Djibouti tree hound and Ganges purple elephant.

Maximum Tarandro has various subspecies, all of which share a diet of gramen, a plant that they cultivate and consume in large quantities.

Gramen consumption has varying effects on each of the different subspecies of Maximum tarandro, but all subspecies are known to forge wildly for nearly any type of food after gramen consumption.

Maximum Tarandro Occumbo is one of these subspecies of reindeer and is the most commonly found in the wild. This species has been known to only cultivate small quantities of gramen at a time and only will find enough for one to three snacks.

While many reindeers have been observed following rigid schedules Maximum tarandro has been known to lag behind its peers. Observation of this subspecies is complicated due to the irregular schedule patterns that it tends to follow. Some theorize that this is due to a uniquely apathetic mentality.

Maximum tarandro comitatus is a highly diverse subspecies known to inhabit college campuses and parties across the globe. This species rarely fraternizes with other species of reindeer, and is known to exhibit many highly temperamental behaviors, often feuding with their mates and family members. Highly sociable among their own cliques and attractive to other reindeer, this species has been known to consume alcohol in large quantities along with gramen, and can be seen out at fast food restaurants anywhere between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Maximum Tarandro venatus is among the most rare of all the species of reindeer to find in the wild, not due to its small numbers, but mainly due to the fact that it spends most of its time hidden from the view of most people.

Compared to the other reindeers, the Maximum Tarandro Venatus consumes the most gramen. Typically the motor skills of this species are below par compared to that of other species but after gramen consumption the motor skills are greatly enhanced far beyond normal levels.

Friday, December 7, 2012

B8

The Campanile

STYLE

1

in

2000

This edition featuring

Caroline Moley with The Campanile’s own

Charlie Dulik and Kelly Stern

ADAM MANSOUR/ THE CAMPANILE

Winter Fashion Trends

Students layer up for the cold season emily tran a&E editor

W

elcome to the darkest time of the year. Literally. The end of daylight saving is signaling our jump into the beginning of the winter season, so it is time to say adieu to the daisy dukes, crop tops and flip flops and give a warm hello to layers, sweaters, gloves and scarves.

Yes, it is possible to dress warmly and look fashionable at the same time, and it can be easily done with a few clothing pieces to construct the perfect winter outfit from top to bottom.

TOPS

It is a no-brainer that the winter season is meant for sweaters. From cashmere to wool, these are essential.

When paired with a scarf wrapped around your neck, you have half of your outfit already complete. Many Paly students find stores such as J. Crew, Free People and Gap as their favorite places to shop for tops during the winter season.

“My winter essentials without a doubt are my J. Crew scarves and a couple of great sweaters,” junior Kate Marinkovich said. “A piece I live in throughout the winter is my cashmere sweater. I have a Lucky Brand sweater that is literally like a giant blanket. Free People also has the best selection of sweaters.”

While good quality clothing nowadays does not come cheap, some places offer the very same product for a bargain, such as Gap, which offers weekly sale promotions to their customers.

“Gap has some awesome sweaters and scarves that aren’t too pricey,” senior Emma Ketchum said. “They tend to have a lot of circle scarves, which are nice for the winter because they tend to be thicker and warmer. I would say scarves are necessary, and so is a nice sweater.”

Now if just a sweater and scarf do not provide enough warmth, it is time to throw on some jackets. Of course, the North Face jacket is a staple for many during the winter, but pea coats, down vests and blazers are some other outerwear options during this cold time. For guys, instead of wearing the average sweatshirt, settle for a nice sweater quarter zip or a collared shirt under your sweater.

“I feel like during winter, I have more of those days where I just want to feel cozy, so sweaters are a great way to do so without looking sloppy,” senior Spencer Carlson said.

“The other great thing about sweaters is you can basically buy them anywhere. I usually get most of my winter clothing at the Macy’s Men’s store for convenience, but Nordstrom and actually Kohls also have lots of nice shirts, sweaters and all kinds of other stuff.”

Combine everything together— the scarf, the sweater and the jacket of your choice—and you have completed the top half of your outfit.

ADAM MANSOUR/ THE CAMPANILE

said. “I live in [my boots] throughout the winter. My favorite places to shop for pants and winter shoes are Bloomingdales and J. Crew. J. Crew has every single winter essential.”

If you add in a little bit of effort, you can construct your perfect winter outfit, while also staying comfortable

and warm through the cold winter months.

“Winter in California is by far my favorite season to dress for,” Marinkovich said. “It is the perfect weather for me to wear every one of my favorite pieces of clothing in one outfit.”

BOTTOMS

ADAM MANSOUR/ THE CAMPANILE

To the female audience, winter is not the time to be wearing the incredibly miniscule shorts, but rather a time to start wearing jeans, leggings or a winter skirt with cable knit tights. For males, especially the jock population at Paly, put away the basketball shorts and take out your nice blue dungarees. Dressing the bottom half is incredibly easy and simple for everyone; it requires the least effort.

For girls, winter is the opportunity to wear shoes other than flip flops, such as a pair of nice leather boots, flats and any other closed toed shoe.

“Some of my other winter essentials are a pair of my dark wash skinnies and one, classic pair of flats, or leather boots,” Marinkovich

ADAM MANSOUR/ THE CAMPANILE

The Campanile: Who most embodies the idea of royalty: Prince William, his baby or you?

Caroline Moley: Me, because Prince William kind of like, used to be kind of hot, then he lost his hair. And then I said “Lord bless you” because now you look hideous. And I’m more of a people’s person, because I represent true beauty.

TC: Obama or Romney?

CM: Mitt Romney! Power to the rich!

TC: Could you explain your appreciation for the Republican Party?

CM: Republicans are just the most selfish people, and I love them because they just tell you they’re going to support programs for poor people, but at the end of the day, are they really? And you know what? I’ll be okay in the end.

TC: Are there any royal figures that you look up to or aspire to be like?

CM: Marie Antoinette, no questions asked.

TC: Could you describe your relationship with Marc Armitano?

CM: It’s a bit sexual, it’s casual, it’s casual. We’re just soulmates, I just think we are kind of like the Olsen twins. The Olsen twins have been sexual, haven’t they? I don’t know, they are the Olsen twins, they can do what they want. We’re kind of the Olsen twins in the sense that we are fantastic, and who can beat the Olsen twins?

TC: There is ASB in Paly, should there be a position of royalty at Paly?

CM: Yeah I definitely think so, and I think they should really consider me either next semester or next year. You can’t actually run for king or queen, you have to be born and I think of the student body at this school, I’m the only option.

TC: What is your like-getting strategy on Facebook?

CM: I mean, just pull them out, I guess that’s the only way in this day in age. I usually try to do something provocative.

TC: We are going to play a game called “What’s more important?”

CM: I love this game.

TC: The AIDS epidemic, or Facebook likes?

CM: Facebook likes!

TC: Royalty or world hunger?

CM: Royalty.

TC: Fur or child obesity?

CM: Fur. TC: And royalty or fur?

CM: Oh my god what are you doing to me! I might have a seizure... I think royalty, I know that sounds crazy but after I become royal, I could buy all the furs I wanted.

TC: Any final comments for the peasants at Paly?

CM: Stop being so tacky, don’t fold your Uggs down. Don’t wear Uggs they’re kind of weird. If you don’t want me to say anything about you on Facebook, don’t put anything on Facebook that would make me want to say anything about you. And also just like bow down to me and get over it you are not going to get any better than me.

TC: Sum up the Caroline Moley experience in one word.

CM: Orgasmic would be the word that I would use.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

SPORTS

paying college athletes Should college athletes receive payments in return for their participation in Division I athletics?

See C4-C5

Soccer players opt for academy teams opposed to playing for Paly lily zhang staff writer

M

any star soccer players attend Paly, yet they don’t play for the school team.

The question is, why?

Last year, the Paly boys’ and girls’ soccer team struggled in their leagues, causing both teams to be relegate to a lower league. The boys’ team was dropped from the De Anza league after losing almost every single game last season. Although both of the Paly soccer teams have not been very successful in the past seasons, Paly actually has many soccer players that choose not to play for the school team.

Donald Briggs, the coach for the Paly boys’ soccer team, said that clubs outside of school are the cause for some soccer players’ no participation in Paly soccer.

“Sometimes, it’s because they buy into the club thing and they think that the club is better,” Briggs said.

“They believe that so they want to train with their club team and they think that’s the way to go. It’s just a personal choice they make.”

Senior soccer player Skyler Felt, who has been playing soccer since the age of four, also said that the main reason why many good soccer players do not play for Paly is due to their association with their clubs or academies outside of school which repeatedly feed players into college teams. Unlike Briggs, Felt claims that these academies have strict policies which do not allow them to play for the Paly team while still playing in the academy.

“I don't play for the Paly soccer team because I play for De Anza Force Academy, which does not let its players play high school soccer,” Felt said.

Junior Josh Totte, who plays in a different academy for the San Jose Earthquakes Academy is in the same situation.

“I play for an academy team, and they don’t let you play high school so I would play for Paly but I’m not allowed to,” Totte said. “It’s a rule because the academy season goes throughout the entire year.”

Even though many believe that the addition of many academy players would definitely help improve the Paly boys’ soccer team, Briggs feels

that the players should still stick to their academies if they don’t want to commit one hundred percent to the school team.

“I wouldn’t want somebody who doesn’t want to be out here to be out here because they’re not one hundred percent committed,” Briggs said. “It’s either they commit or don’t commit.

We want guys who want to be out here and if they decide to play club there’s nothing we can do.”

However, unlike Totte, who if given a choice, would play on the Paly soccer team, Felt believes that his experience on the Paly varsity soccer team did not help him improve his soccer skills.

“If I could, I would not play for Paly because the competition is not great, there is no exposure, and I do not think it would help me develop as a player,” Felt said. “Also, I did not fully enjoy my experience playing under Coach Briggs my sophomore year because his style of coaching was completely different than what I was used to.”

Some players who currently play on the Paly believe that they suffered especially badly last year because many were unaware that their star players would be leaving.

“Last year, we didn’t really know that none of the were going to play due to various club obligations so it I wouldn’t want somebody who doesn’t want to be out here to be out here because they’re not one hundred percent committed.

Donald Briggs Varsity soccer coach

really hurt our chances to have a winning, successful season,’” senior varsity captain Alex Chin said. “It hurt the morale of our team and made us a lot worse than if we had these players.”

However, Chin said that he does not view the players who left in a bad light.

“I don’t think there’s any ill will,” Chin said. “Last year, some of the players did want to play but because of club obligations could not. Even if they decided not to on their own accord, they had their own reason and I don’t think it’s reasonable to hold

them to that just because they don’t want to play.”

Despite many players not playing for Paly due to outside influences, Briggs said that every single player on the school team actually plays for a club team outside of school.

“The thing that’s kind of funny is that every player [on the Paly team] plays club,” Briggs said. “So in a lot of ways we get to pick from five or six or seven clubs and we get to pick the few best players because we cut a lot of players that are club players.”

According to Totte, around four to five students at Paly play in academies outside of the school instead of the school team, which causes a big setback to the Paly soccer team. He said that another major reason is that colleges recruit more heavily from the academy teams.

“I get better exposure to colleges through academy because they recruit through academy and not through high schools,” Totte said.

Felt thinks that if every one of the academy club players did play for the Paly, the team would quickly improve.

“If everybody played for Paly there is no doubt in my mind that we would compete for a CCS Championship and possibly win,” Felt said. “There are some very talented players at Paly who would all be key contributors to the team.”

Although this situation is impossible due to participation in soccer academies, Felt still believes that the Paly boy’s soccer team can improve from last season where they lost every game and dropped down from their league.

“I think the Paly team can improve with time,” Felt said. “They were very young last year with zero returning varsity players, so if they can get some veterans or guys with experience under their belts, they can improve a lot. A lot of the high school teams are facing the same issue Paly is with guys not playing, so I presume they will show a significant improvement this season” Chin also echoed this optimism for the team this year.

“We got used to [players leaving] after last year,” Chin said. “We figured it’d be the same as last year. The outlook on the season is a lot better than last year considering that we already won two games compared to last year’s disappointing zero.”

Anna Mcgarrigle/ The Campanile

Junior Josh Totte, a former Paly soccer player, is one of the many players who plays on an academy team outside of school instead of participating on the school team.

Jeremy Lin on Houston Rockets

INSIDE Coach Favoritism?

football season wrap up Paly football season concludes with a loss to Serra High

Jeremy Lin lands in Houston after signing a large contract in the

Are Paly coaches playing

School in the Open Division

offseason.

favorites?

first round.

See C7

See C3

See C2

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

C2 SPORTS

Football season ends in first round of CCS

Anna mcgarrigle/the Campanile

Clockwise from top left: The offense lines up for a play versus Serra High School in the first round of CCS open division. Junior quarterback Keller Chryst and kicker James Foug line up for the extra point. Senior running back Matt Tolbert runs down the sideline for an 82 yard run which led to a touchdown.

Brandon Byer Senior Staff Writer

Bowen Gerould Staff Writer

F

or the Paly football team, a great season came to a sudden end in the first round of the CCS playoffs as Serra High School defeated the Vikings 52-35. Serra running back Eric Redwood carried the night as he ran for the school record of 288 yards with four touchdown runs.

The first half showed both teams trading big plays as each team continued to match the other score for score. Senior running back Matt Tolbert had one of his biggest games as a Viking with a first quarter 20 yard screen pass and followed an 82 yard run that both went for touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Keller Chryst had a solid game as well, scoring one touchdown by air as well as one on the ground. More importantly he did not turn the ball over which kept Paly from giving Serra easy opportunities to score.

Serra, which usually does not have problems with turnovers, coughed up the football on two separate occasions; first, on a botched reverse followed by a fumble forced by senior Jayshawn Gates-Mouton late in the first quarter.

At the half, the game was tied at 28-28, with Serra slotted to receive the ball. Serra did not waste many possessions in the second half, as the team scored three touchdowns and kicked a 45-yard field goal.

Redwood dealt almost entirely all of his damage to the Viking’s run defense in the second quarter with

three scores, but tacked on a fourth quarter touchdown run from two yards out with under two minutes to go in the game.

“Looking back on our season now, I think we could have prepared better for a few of the games that we lost,” junior linebacker Andrew Frick said.

“And we could have done even more work off the field in the weight room to be stronger and more physical against teams like Serra.”

Even though the game did not turn out as planned and players walked off the field disappointed, players who will be returning next season are already thinking about what they can do individually and as a team to prepare.

“For next year we need to do lots of off season work and get in the weight room to be the best we can possibly be for when the season

starts,” Frick said. “And the once the season comes around we have to show more focus each week to make sure we have the best shot at beating our opponents.”

As for senior Erik Anderson, his football season may have ended abruptly, but looking back on his career he could not have asked for a better high school career filled with so many great memories with his fellow athletes-.

“I have enjoyed every moment under the Friday night lights representing Palo Alto,” Anderson said.

“All of my teammates are great guys and I am going to miss going into battle with them. I have no regrets and I am lucky to have such great coaches and trainers.”

Junior wide receiver Malcolm Davis, who had a great all around season, mentioned that he would like

to see some changes when it comes to support for the Paly football team.

“Next season, we need to connect better as a students and athletes by having more unity as a school,” Davis said. “[We need] more school spirit for our games essentially.”

With senior players such as Erik Anderson, Spencer Drazovich, De’Antay Williams and Jayshawn and Justin Mouton graduating this year, new players are going to have to fill the open positions on the depth chart next year, leaving questions as to where people might play next year.

“Next year, we are losing great players all over the field, at our skill positions especially,” Frick said. “But I’m confident that most of the voids left by our seniors this year will be filled with guys that are equally talented and can come out and perform just as well as this year’s seniors.”

Volleyball team reflects on efforts to rebuild team

Rachel Cui

Daniel Tachna-Fram Staff Writers

N

ovember marks the end of the season for fall sports such as volleyball. The varsity team lost in Central Coast Section (CCS) semi-finals to Homestead High School.

Despite that the varsity volleyball team only had two seniors this year, Shelby Knowles and Sophia Bono served as great role models through

assuming large responsibilities and displaying great leadership to the team.

Junior Sarah Limb appreciated playing with Knowles and Bono and says that having only a few seniors did not hurt the team.

“Having two seniors on the team allowed more underclassmen and juniors to contribute to the team’s success,” Limb said. “It was a good opportunity for the non-seniors to step up and to represent our school.”

Because many star players had graduated from the varsity team last year, head coach David Winn did not

expect the team to do as well as they did this year. Winn was pleasantly surprised at his team’s abilities and at

We worked well together and built each other up to where we are today.

Sarah Limb Junior

the successful outcomes of this season, such as how the team performed in the league championship game.

“If you had told me at the start of the season that we’d be playing [Los]

Gatos on senior night for the league championship, I’d have said ‘no way’,” Winn said.

According to Limb, Winn was not alone in his initial doubts about the season; many others thought that the team would struggle this year due to losing many senior plays the previous year. However, Limb believes that the players were able to pull through with determination and hard work.

“I believe the team played very well this past season,” Limb said. “We worked well together and built each other up to where we are today.”

Although the team did not win CCS this season, they secured the Paly volleyball’s seventh straight league title, allowing the team to play in the CCS semi-finals.

Knowles and Bono will be much missed by the team; however, Limb believes that the team will be able to build itself up again like it did last year. “[Knowles and Bono’s] roles on the team will be really hard to fill,” Limb said. “But like this past season, we will set our goals from the start and work very hard. We will be the best that we can be.”

Math help for all students grades 1-10

Phone: (650)-321-MATH (6284) Email: paloalto-menlopark@mathnasium.com

605 Cambridge Ave., Ste. A, Menlo Park For more info, go to mathnasium.com

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

SPORTS C3

Lacrosse styles differ greatly between boys and girls Jack Paladin Staff Writer

W

hen people think of boys and girls sports, they usually do not imagine too many differences between the two.

Sometimes, the only true difference is the gender and maybe the uniform. Lacrosse, on the other hand, is in a completely different league.

There are so many differences between girls’ and boys’ lacrosse that it is hard to even compare the two.

While the two genders have the same objective (score the most goals within a specified time), the differences range everywhere from the rules of the game to the gear that they wear.

Both boys and girls have some similar guidelines to follow but the main differences are the rules regarding contact. The rules for girls’ lacrosse are created to limit contact among the players.

Women are allowed to try and knock the ball out of their opponents stick with their own stick, although pushing and checking at the ball carrier is not permitted for women’s lacrosse.

For men on the other hand hitting the other team is allowed but only under certain circumstances.

These conditions include only hitting the player that currently has the ball, the contact is from the front and the contact is between the shoulders and the waist.

While the contact differs for both women and men in lacrosse, any illegal contact, as well as other illegal moves, such as tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct, will result in a penalty.

These penalties can range anywhere from a one-minute penalty to a three-minute penalty to a change in possession.

Due to the lack of contact in women’s lacrosse and the allowance of contact in men’s lacrosse, the uniforms differ greatly from each other.

Women are only required to wear a mouthguard and eye protection.

While the amount of protection is

Brian benton/The Campanile

Senior Genevieve Lucas-Conwell cradles the ball away from a defender. Some boys believe that the girls’ game is not as physical as the boys’ game.

limited, many injuries may still occur due to accidental checks with the stick or the body.

While the girls do not have to use much contact throughout the game, they still believe that they have many difficult aspects to their sport.

“Girls’ lacrosse requires skill where boys’ lacrosse requires strength,” junior Kristen DeStefano said.

Some of the players on the boys’ lacrosse team believe that because women are not able to hit each other, girls’ lacrosse is not as difficult at boys’ lacrosse and require a different type of skill that is not aggression.

Boys believe that aggression and physical nature of the games are the two qualities that separates boys’ from girls’ lacrosse.

“Men’s lacrosse is much more aggressive than girls lacrosse while women’s lacrosse does not even

require running,” junior Josh Stern said.

While women only require minimal protective equipment, men are much more prone to injury because of the large amount of contact allowed.

Because of this, men are required to wear much more equipment than women. Their required equipment includes a full helmet with an attached face mask, gloves, shoulder pads and a highly recommended protective cup.

Another big difference between boys’ and girls’ lacrosse is the stick used. For men the stick has a much deeper pocket and they have to cradle much more vigorously to keep from losing the ball while being checked.

While men have to do this, women do not need to cradle the ball as much and are able to run just holding the ball in their stick because of the lack

of contact in comparison to the boys’ physical brand of lacrosse.

With the deeply shaped pockets, men are able to shoot the ball much faster, sometimes reaching speeds of over 110 miles per hour.

Another big difference between the sticks that men and women use in lacrosse is at the defense position.

For boys’ lacrosse the defensive players use a longer stick while women playing defense use the same sticks as every other player on the field (other than the goalie). Obviously there are an incredible amount of differences between boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. For Paly, to help see the other sport and just have a little fun, the two teams, girls’ and boys’, have a scrimmage against each other.

In this scrimmage the two sides can really bring the differences to life and see how difficult it is for the other

team to play with the gear that they have to use. During the scrimmage, the boys use the girls’ sticks and wear their equipment, even the skirts.

On the other side, the girls use running shorts and the men’s sticks.

The game is played using the girls’ rules so the girls do not use the pads that guys have to wear because checking and other forms of contact (other than just hitting the stick like stated above) are prohibited.

At the end of the day, women’s and men’s lacrosse are incredibly different sports and can barely be categorized with the same name.

While the two sports have the same objective, the rules are so different as well as the gear.

It is important to know that both sports have their difficulties and aspects that make them easy, but they are still very difficult to compare.

Players question coach favoritism toward top players Hillel Zand Staff Writer

C

ompeting for a starting spot on a varsity team at Paly is always an ambitious process that takes weeks or even months to complete. But when the rosters come out, the second and third-string players are often left wondering if favoritism by the coaches played a part in the process.

“Obviously coaches are going to have players that they like more than others, but I think their job as a coach is to treat everyone equally,” junior volleyball player Becca Raffel said. “Naturally, there are players who [the coaches] might like more and have a better work ethic. But at the same time, [the coaches] have to teach everyone.”

Junior three-sport athlete Jacob, who wished to remain anonymous, believes that the coaches do try to give every player a fair shot, but the success of the team relies on the more talented players.

Often times, a team’s roster cannot be heavily modified during the season, making it harder for players who do not get as much playing time to show their talents.

“I think that the coaches do a good job of doing as [many] evaluations as they possibly can before the season begins,” Jacob said. “But I feel that once the season begins and positions are decided, it’s extremely hard to change [the lineup].”

Adam mansour/the campanile

Head Coach Earl Hansen offers quarterback junior Keller Chryst advice before he heads onto the field.

Jacob says that players that are benched and do not get as much playing time as other players, “don’t get the opportunities to show off

I do play favorites. And my favorites are the ones that work the hardest, that come ready to practice, who stay coachable.

David Ellis Maryville High School Offensive Line Coach

what they are capable of doing and... have to stand behind in the shadows and work their way just to get [the] opportunity.”

A January 2012 survey with data from multiple sources, including Michigan State University and USA Today, showed that the importance of playing time to impress their coaches often makes or breaks their outlook on their sport.

The survey showed that playing time issues and favoritism are more prevalent than one would think.

According to the survey, 90 percent

of youth who play sports would rather play more on a less successful team than be a “benchwarmer” on a winning team. In addition, over 45 percent reported being called names or insulted by their coaches. The line between talent and favoritism can be vague.

Sometimes more talented players are often immediately labeled as coach’s favorites. Senior varsity baseball player Sean Harvey believes the decision behind which players play must come down to talent, not necessarily favoritism.

“If you suck, you don’t deserve to play as much as someone who’s really good,” Harvey said.

Harvey also cited a player’s attitude, their work ethic, the skill of the opposing team and even the score of the game in progress as factors that influence a player’s playing time. Also, Harvey believes that a player that has extraordinary talent is not necessarily a coach’s favorite, but simply seems like one because of the amount of playing time they get.

“But I’ve never really experienced coaches picking favorites,” Harvey added.

David Ellis, a Maryville High School offensive line coach who has produced multiple Division I linemen, told the Daily Times of Maryville, Tennessee that favoritism should not be stigmatized because a favorite could mean a player works more than others.

“I do play favorites,” Ellis told the Daily Times. “And my favorites are the ones that work the hardest, that come ready to practice, who stay coachable. My favorites are the ones that listen the best, that know what they are supposed to do, who learn their lessons.”

With pressure for getting a college athletic scholarship as high as ever, every minute of playing time counts for high school athletes. While some Paly athletes believe that work ethic is the major factor in appealing to one’s coaches, the question will always remain as to whether or not an unfair advantage is given to certain players.

Friday, December 7, 2012

C4

The Campanile

SPORTS

College Athle Should they get paid?

With the massive amounts of revenue generated by college sports, many athletes feel entitled to financial benefits James foug

Ryan deslauriers

senior Staff Writer

Senior Staff Writer

N

Y

o. Almost all Division I football and basketball players are under scholarship. That alone can save a student up to $200,000 in tuition for four years of college. Opposed to regular students where many families are back home worried about paying back the loan for their child’s college tuition.

As scholarship athletes receive free tuition, they already have extra money for college while many regular students work jobs.

Also, when an athlete receives an athletic scholarship, he is also receiving a free education.

College is a privilege by itself, but it does not get any better than going to college for free. For every college athlete wanting a paycheck, they are many more non-athletes hoping to attend college. A chance at a college degree supersedes the idea of receiving a direct deposit every so often.

As one of the most successful college basketball coaches in Bobby Knight stated, “paying players diminishes the value of education.”

As of now, student-athletes graduate college at a higher rate than regular students. It has been this way for the past few years. If the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) started paying players, then the student athletes would lose interest in school as they would be already be earning some sort of an income.

In the end, it is not like football and basketball athletes endure a tough college career.

They have the opportunity of playing a Division I sport, which includes flying on charter jets to away games, where they stay at five star hotels, and are always a recognizable face on campus.

Playing Division I basketball almost guarantees you a trip to a tropical island in your four years.

In football, many teams often reach bowl games at the end of the season where the team travels to a select destination to play on national television and receive prizes and gifts from the bowl sponsors. For example, in last year’s Rose Bowl, players had the opportunity of choosing between a 26-inch HD television or a wifi bluetooth tablet from the game’s sponsor Vizio.

ES. The notion of paying college athletes has been floating around for many years. A hotly debated topic, college athletes should most certainly be paid for having to endure a tough life and for all the money they generate.

Most people tend to argue that college players should not receive money for playing because they are usually under a scholarship.

However, today’s “full-ride” scholarships can only include tuition, fees, room and board and books. The Collegiate Athletes Coalition notes that NCAA scholarships are worth anywhere between $2,000 and $3,000 less than the cost of attending a university as scholarships do not account for travel expenses or other sundries.

Former NCAA president, Myles Brand, has come out in support of increasing scholarships to help cover these costs.

So although scholarships are viewed as receiving a free education to play, students will still have to spend anywhere between $8,000 and $12,000 out of pocket money to cover the cost of living. Therefore, a full athletic scholarship does not provide a “free” education.

Another reason college athletes should be paid is because of how much money they bring into their colleges. Just last year the NCAA came to an $10.8 billion deal with CBS/Turner to broadcast the March Madness games. That’s almost $11 billion for three weeks worth of television between 2011 and 2024. ESPN also came to a deal with the BCS worth $500 million dollars over four years. That’s two deals worth $11.3 billion and what does the NCAA

need to do? Just get college students to play football and basketball. If these students are working hard and generating the NCAA and their respective colleges a total of $11.3 billion, they deserve to at least get a tiny sliver of that money. If the NCAA took just $1.3 billion away from those deals and invested it into a fund for football and basketball playing students, that would be plenty fair and could easily cover the out of pocket costs they pay and leave some money for other expenses.

Most Division I college athletes will tell you that playing a Division I sports, especially football or basketball, is a full time job. Students quickly learn that between sports practice and having a reasonable social life, they have no time for academics.

For example, Robert Smith, former Minnesota Vikings running back and pre-med student at Ohio State, needed two afternoon labs in the fall semester. Since they conflicted with football practice, coaches suggested he drop the class. This is one of many examples that the students are not getting the education they need to be successful in life after their sports career ends.

These are a few of the endless reasons that college athletes should be more compensated for their efforts on the field or court.

The Current Market for College Athletes $100,000 $121,000 $265,000 $1 million The average fair market value of toptier college football and men’s basketball players

The average college basketball player’s worth per year if college sports shared their revenues the way professional sports do

The average college basketball player’s worth per year if college sports shared their revenues the way professional sports do

Duke’s basketball players’ highest individual worth

All statistics from CBS Sports

The Campanile

Friday, December 7, 2012

SPORTS C5

etes

Just getting my name on the map now is what’s most important because ultimately I want to go to the NFL. Davante Adams Paly Graduate ‘11

Catching up with Davante Adams, as he takes on Fresno State football Interview by Daniel Tachna-Fram, Staff Writer The Campanile: What are your thoughts on being nominated for the Biletnikoff Award?

Cole Plambeck

Davante Adams: It’s a big honor for me to be nominated for an award like that, especially when it’s a national award.

It’s humbling knowing that I’m getting recognized for all the hard work I’ve put in. A lot of people get nominated for it, but it’s still a really good thing.

Senior diver Plambeck plans to join the Duke University diving team next Fall. He chose Duke over Harvard and Princeton.

TC: Are you at all surprised with how well you have been playing this year?

courtesy of Cole plambeck

DA: I’m not really surprised. I put in a lot of hard work so most of what I’ve done is what I expected based on how much I put into what I do. I didn’t really have any idea of how my stats were going to be, but I’m pretty happy with the way things have been going.

TC: Have you considered declaring for the NFL draft after next season?

DA: I haven’t really given it a whole lot of thought. We’ll see how things go next year and if the opportunity presents itself where I could possibly leave early then it may be an option, but I’m just going to take it week by week and see what happens when the time comes.

TC: How do you think Paly prepared you for college football?

Paly divers sign with prestigious universities irene ezran staff writer

S

eniors Cole Plambeck and Nadya Nee are excited to join the college diving teams at Duke University and University of Pennsylvania, respectively.

Plambeck and Nee have been diving at Paly for the past three years, and they are planning to continue this spring. In addition, they have been diving at the Stanford Diving Club for several years, where they practice year round.

Both students are very passionate about diving. Nee especially enjoys the process of learning and practicing new dives.

“The best part about diving is the adrenaline rush I get, especially after learning new dives,” Nee said.

However, Plambeck, like many other divers, prefers competition, as he believes that it is the most exciting part of the sport.

“I do enjoy competitions because it is inspiring to see really good divers, and I like to showcase what I have been working on,” Plambeck said.

After Plambeck and Nee trained intensely for several years, their dedication paid off when they were accepted to top level colleges early in the school year, while most seniors must wait until second semester to hear back from colleges.

“It was definitely really exciting to get the acceptance letter,” Nee said.

“It’s weird though because I’m done, but all my friends are still worrying about college.”

Even though the college struggle is facilitated for athletes, it is still a difficult process to visit schools and to

It was definitely really exciting to get the acceptance letter. It’s weird though because I’m done, but all my friends are still worrying about college.

Nadya Nee Senior

be recruited. According to Plambeck, he chose to look at colleges that have good academics and athletics, and then emailed the college coaches his academic information and videos of him diving. When colleges offered him opportunities to visit the campus, he went on tours to experience being a student at that school.

“The process is not that stressful overall,” Plambeck said. “But communicating with all the coaches at once can be difficult.”

Although recruitment can be complicated, Nee’s Stanford coach, Doug Schwandt, helped guide her through the college recruiting process.

“Doug was really helpful with the recruiting process,” Nee said. “Some the college coaches contacted him

and he also helped me create my diving video to send to the coaches.”

In addition, Plambeck and Nee helped each other decide which schools to visit.

“Cole gave me lots of guidance on the recruitment process,” Nee said.

“It was really helpful having a friend who was going through the same process, so we could exchange information and advice.”

Although Nee’s coaches and teammates helped guide her through the recruitment process, she still had a difficult time choosing which college to attend. Nee was deciding between Dartmouth, Yale, and University of Pennsylvania, and in the end, she chose University of Pennsylvania since she believed that it was the best fit for her. “[University of Pennsylvania] was definitely one of my top choices,” Nee said. “The other schools that I looked at were all really good and it was a really tough decision, but in the end it came down to the schools more than the diving programs.”

Similarly, Plambeck committed to Duke University because he loved the school’s diving program and the student environment.

“I took a recruiting trip [to Duke] this fall which was amazing,” Plambeck said. “I loved the campus, team, coaching and facilities, and the students I met there were really interesting. I took other trips to Harvard and Princeton, which were both great schools, but Duke was my favorite.”

DA: Obviously I had some great coaches at Paly with Coach Hansen and all his staff, they know exactly what they’re doing over there. Coach Hansen is actually pretty similar to my head coach from last year. Coach Hansen and his staff really got me ready for the kind of coaching I’ve been getting at Fresno, not just on the field, but off the field as well, making sure that my grades are right so that I will stay eligible.

TC: What has been the biggest difference between high school and college football?

DA: The game speed is much different. It’s not so much that people are a whole lot faster, it’s making decisions on the run, and not always knowing exactly what you’re going to do before the play starts, you have to think on your toes.

TC: What is your best memory of Paly?

DA: Hands down winning the State Championship. There’s not very many people who can say that they won any sort of championship, so to win the League Championship is a great accomplishment, but when you take it farther and become thirteenth in the nation, that’s something that you take to with you to the grave. I’ll never forget things like that.

TC: Seeing as you weren’t heavily recruited out of Paly, what does your performance this year mean to you?

DA: It means a lot because it just kind of shows that all along I had the tools, and maybe me getting started a little later in my high school career had something to do with the recruiting process. Just getting my name on the map now is what’s most important because ultimately I want to go to the NFL. Now that I’m in college and I’m playing pretty well getting my name out to the NFL coaches is very important for what I ultimately want to accomplish.

Statistics

13 89 198 1168

Touchdowns (4th most among Division I wide receivers Receptions Yards in one game against New Mexico Total yards

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

C6 SPORTS

Boys’ basketball tries to fill holes after losing key players The undersized team will put more focus on playing a perimeter game with new and returning players.

Brandon byer Senior Staff writer

Jensen Hsiao Staff writer

P

aly boys’ basketball got their first win of the 2012-13 campaign as they defeated Menlo School by a score of 73-47. Senior Aldis Petriceks scored a team high of 25 points along with eight rebounds.

Not to be forgotten is the play of senior Scotty Peery, who came off the bench and put up 16 points, with 12 of his 16 points coming from downtown.

Paly also welcomed the addition of starting varsity quarterback Keller Chryst, who will play center for the Vikings. In his debut, he scored four points and had eight rebounds.

Petriceks, who had a great start to his senior season for the Vikings, felt his team showed the potential it has to be solid in all facets on the court, particularly three point shooting.

“We shot around 50 percent from three, and if you do that you will always have a great chance to win,” Petriceks said. “I think we also did a

great job of adjusting defensively to what Menlo tried to do in the second half.”

Under head coach Steve Sax, the team has high expectations after going 21-5 overall and 10-2 in league last season. Senior leadership will be important this year, as previous top player E.J. Floreal, who would have been a senior this year, moved to Lexington, Ky. over the summer.

“Some people think we are in trouble without E.J. this season,” Peery said. “But if we play to our strengths we could definitely win some games.”

This year’s playing style will change with the loss of Floreal, as Paly will have to look for more perimeter scoring which plays to the advantage of this group of players.

“It’s very different from Paly teams in recent history,” Petriceks said.

“We’re going to look to the three ball a lot, and I don’t think we’re as focused on defense as we have been in the past, but I think it’s the strongest team we’ve had in a few years.”

Seniors this year include forwards Aubrey Dawkins, Aldis Petriceks and Eilon Tzur along with guards Mathias Schmutz, Kenny Jones and Scotty Peery. The seniors will be key to the team’s success because they will have to take the reins of the team with leadership on and off the court.

Israel Hakim, who now plays at Prairie View A&M, point guard Alec

Wong and centers Tory Prati and Michael Augustine all graduated last year. Without Prati, Augustine and Floreal, the new squad lacks height on its roster. In order to make up for the loss of big men, the team will rely heavily on Chryst to rebound and play interior defense. Petriceks and Dawkins will also be asked to go after the boards more often than they did last year.

“I don’t think people have realized that we have so many options this year that are capable of filling E.J.’s role, and I still think we’re going to do great, just a bit differently than how we played last year,” Petriceks said.

Last year, Paly reached the second round of the CCS playoffs, losing a close contest to powerhouse Saint Francis High School. However, Palo Alto was able to win the De Anza league title over Mountain View High School.

“Personally, I just want to do what I can to help the team win,” Petriceks said. “I’m not really concerned with any of the stats or individual awards.

As a team our goal is the same as every year: we definitely have to win our league. We’re going to try to make a run at a CCS title, and see where it takes us from there.”

Paly plays this week at the Fukushima Invitational, starting with a game against Mission High School at Independence High School.

Brian benton/the campanile

Senior guard Mathias Schmutz goes for a layup in a game against crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High School last year. The team has six seniors this year and hopes to continue the program’s success after compiling a 21-5 record last season.

Young girls’ soccer team hopes Boys’ soccer rebounds with new squad, better to improve as season begins

After some preseason injuries, the team is looking to rebuild and learn to play better together as one unit.

Stephenie Zhang Blake Smith Staff writers

T

he winter season has just begun, and difficulties such as injuries and illnesses are already plaguing the girls’ varsity soccer team as players transition from fall sports and their club soccer teams.

However, the girls remain optimistic as they work on improving game plays in hopes of winning the league title and reaching Central Coast Section (CCS) for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.

“Right now, it’s been a little touch-and-go because we have a lot of injuries, and we have a lot of kids that have just come to us from fall sports,” assistant coach Eric Seedman said. “We expect right after the Thanksgiving holiday for things to be able to settle in so that we actually get the kids for five days a week to train.”

So far, the varsity team has been working on unity and building bonds

andrew choi/the campanile

Junior Sunny Lyu dribbles a ball during a girls’ soccer team practice.

Lyu and the few other returning players will be counted on to provide leadership for the young team.

in the short amount of time before their upcoming tournaments.

According to Seedman, the team had to use the first game to learn to play together as cohesive unit.

“We hope to focus on cohesive play, playing for each other, working hard for each other, defending well and finishing off chances and opportunities that we make,” head coach Kurt Devlin said.

The team is currently focusing on improving those specific aspects of the game after last year’s performance, which concluded with an overall record of 5-8-5 and a league record of 2-7-2.

“You can’t win if you can’t score, and last season we didn’t score very many goals,” senior Erin Chang said. “We hope to improve on finishing opportunities so that our results doesn’t rely solely on our defense.”

The team only has 11 returning players; nine girls graduated last year and two chose not to return for the season.

“Since we lost 11 players from last season, we’ve been playing a lot of possession games during practice to get a better feel for each person’s style of play and ultimately click together as a team,” Chang said.

According to Seedman, this year’s team is more eager and focused on competing in soccer, with talented senior leadership and an exceptional group of freshmen.

“We gained a fair amount of strong new players,” Chang said.

“We lost most of our central players, but with so many new faces and talent, I’m confident that we have girls who can fill the gaps. I know we have some especially strong additions to our team.”

For now, the team is not only focusing on game plays but also staying healthy, in preparation for their upcoming games and tournaments.

“There’s a lot of good competition, and it’ll be interesting to see how [the] team has changed from last season,” Chang said.

team chemistry After a disappointing season last year, the team has bounced back with two wins in their opening games.

Jonathan ziegler Lily zhang staff writers

T

he Paly boys’ soccer team looks to restart the program this year after last year’s disappointing record.

Hoping to turn last season into a thing of the past, the new captains of this years’ team, seniors Alex Chin and Kirby Gee, are starting to get the team ready both physically and emotionally for this upcoming season.

“With every captain role there is always responsibility and that’s my job: to motivate the team,” Gee said.

Additionally, Gee has set concrete goals for this season.

“Last year, we didn’t do too well,” Gee said. “We didn’t perform up to our highest potential.

Our first goal is to at least win more games than we did last year, so at least win one, which will happen. I want to improve our team chemistry. We are all really good friends, but we can improve that by learning each others’ play and get back up to the De Anza league because we got relegated last year.”

Co-captain Alex Chin, who plays centerback in the team, agrees that although they are good friends, the team still needs to work on their chemistry together.

“We have quite a few returning players and team bonding events like haircuts and pasta feeds strengthen the overall team chemistry,” Chin said. “I would say that we work well together overall, but sometimes our team chemistry

results in a less serious attitude at practices, which is an issue we hope to avoid.”

Chin believes that the team needs to make many improvements on the field in order to achieve their goal.

“A major weakness for our team is that we have trouble keeping possession of the ball, which results in counter attacks and can cause defensive problems,” Chin said. “I would also say that our offense was a weakness last year, but with a few added players, especially [senior] Chris Meredith, I hope it will turn into a strength this year.”

To win at least one match, Gee hopes that the star players will perform to the best of their ability.

I want to improve our team chemistry. We are all really good friends, but we can improve that by learning each others’ play and get back up to the De Anza league because we got relegated last year.

Kirby Gee Senior

“Our other captain, Alex Chin, he plays defense, and you could call him the great wall because nothing gets passed him,” Gee said. “Then we have Gen Murphy up at the top of the field. I hope that he scores at least once every game. And then Wesley Woo, he’s a sophomore and he has good things to come for [the team].”

The team also looks forward to its game against its biggest rival, Henry M. Gunn High School (Gunn).

“We have a scrimmage with Gunn in January and that’s also one our main goals, beat Gunn,” Gee said.

“We only play them once this year and we have to beat them.”

The boy’s soccer team looks forward to their first home match against Mountain View High School on Dec. 11 at 3:30 p.m.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

SPORTS C7 Jeremy Lin to continue NBA career in Houston

Nick Sullivan staff writer

A

fter Linsanity emerged in Madison Square Garden and quickly became an international sensation last season, Paly grad Jeremy Lin secured a three-year $25 million contract with the Houston Rockets during the off-season as a restricted free agent. Since Lin was a restricted free agent he could sign anywhere else and New York would have the opportunity to match the contract.

During the off-season, the Knicks had said that they would match any offer sheet for Jeremy Lin up to $1 billion according to ESPN’s Mark Stein. The Houston Rockets then put together an offer that would pay Lin $5 million and $5.225 million the first two seasons respectively and then load last year with $14 million knowing that it would be hard for the Knicks to match that offer.

Unsurprisingly, the Knicks did not match the offer and Lin became a Houston Rocket.

To Lin, this sequence was very unusual because he initially signed the offer sheet with the Rockets, thinking that the Knicks would match their offer but that was not the case. Lin even came out after he signed and said he would have preferred to have stayed in New York, according to an interview he had with New York Daily News.

Lin was very busy this off-season not only with contract negotiations but also with rehabbing his injured knee and training. He spent a large part of his off-season at home in Palo Alto, working out with Pinewood girls’ varsity coach Doc Scheppler.

The Houston Rockets have gotten off to a mediocre 8-8 start with Lin at point guard. He has averaged 10.9 points per game, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He has started a new chapter of his life in Houston as one of the featured players: a level that he would have never been able to achieve playing behind Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York.

This is just the beginning of what should be a fabulous career.

Ark hilario/Creative COmmons

Jeremy Lin taking on the Knicks at home in his first game against his former team since his signing.

Wrestlers looking to return to CCS and State this year hillel zand

angela stern staff writers

T

he Paly wrestling squad is looking to improve even more, despite graduating experienced seniors last year.

The team, led by head coach David Duran, placed fourth out of 15 teams in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) final last year. Crosstown rival Henry M. Gunn High School won the tournament, but the Vikings rebounded by finishing sixth out of 40 teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships.

“We didn’t wrestle well in league finals,” Duran said. “But the most important thing is CCS and states, and we wrestled well at CCS.” Duran believes that last year’s squad could have placed as high as second in CCS last year and aims for a high finish again this year, but acknowledges that “no one’s going to beat Gilroy [High School].” Gilroy traditionally places first, making them the favorites for this year as well.

However, before reaching CCS, the team will have to compete against the other teams in SCVAL, which Duran cites as one of the better leagues in the section.

“Our league is good,” Duran said.

“It’s probably the best league in the section for wrestling from top to bottom. There’s no clear favorite this year

Junior Andrew Frick and senior Trenton Marshall prepare to run drills during practice.

It’s probably the best league in the section for wrestling from top to bottom.

There’s no clear favorite this year [in SCVAL]. A lot of times there is, but this year there really isn’t.

David Duran Head Coach

[in SCVAL]. A lot of times there is, but this year there really isn’t.”

Assistant coach Tony Brewer has returned to the team, which has also

welcomed Braumon Creighton as an additional assistant coach. Creighton was a two-time Division II national champion and four-time AllAmerican wrestler at the University of Nebraska.

Despite losing junior Gunnar Felt for the season due to an ACL injury sustained during football season, Duran remains optimistic that the rest of the team will still perform well.

Seniors Trent Marshall, Alex Taussig, Gary Hohbach, Erik Anderson and Jordan Smith are set to return to lead the team. Juniors Andrew Frick and Jordan Gans also

ANDREW CHOI/THE CAMPANILE

look to go deep in the postseason and aid the team’s success “Our goals for this season is to go as far as possible as a team,” Gans said. “It would be great to win SCVAL and CCS, but we have a young team, so we will see how that plays out.”

Duran believes that Marshall, Anderson and Frick have a strong shot at winning CCS titles in their respective weight categories. Anderson and Frick are both returning from the football season and Duran was confident saying that football players are “strong wrestlers and extremely competitive kids.”

In addition, Frick is the only one out of the three wrestlers who qualified for the CIF state championships last year to return this year since the other two, Kalen Gans and Nick Ortiz, having graduated. The team is looking to fill some voids in some of the lower weight classes, but Duran does not perceive that as being a major issue.

“We’re going to be a good tournament team, we know that already, because we have some guys that can wrestle deep into tournaments and place high,” Duran said. “[For] dual meets, we have to fill some holes.

That happens to us every few years.”

Nevertheless, Marshall believes that the team has the determination to keep improving and believes that certain intangibles could contribute to the team’s success this year.

“A lot of guys are stepping up this year,” Marshall said. “Everyone in the room is committed to getting better, from our veterans to our new guys. The team looks good this year and we’re ready to dominate in [the] league and throughout the state of California.”

The team has its first league dual meet at home against Los Altos High School on Thursday Dec. 20. Duran likes his team’s chances in their league opener and would be very disappointed if they came away with a loss “We should beat them,” Duran said. “If we don’t beat them, I’ll be very upset.”

Girls’ basketball begins leagues with a strong start to season Sid Venkatasubramaniam

Heather strathearn Staff Writers

T

he Paly girls’ basketball team changed up their preseason workouts this year by implementing a new training system and witnessed a consistent commitment throughout the preseason. The girls now hope their work has paid off and have their eyes set to return to leagues this season.

The team saw a consistently good turnout of both of new and returning players throughout the preseason practices, which helped out strengthen team chemistry, according to junior Hope Crockett.

“We saw some pretty good commitment throughout the preseason,” Crockett said. “Some people had some conflicts, but overall it seemed like we had a dedicated group heading into the season.”

Furthermore, the start of the preseason witnessed a deviation from the training approach that the team has been using for the past few years.

The team began utilizing “crossfit,” a program which seeks to improve the holistic fitness of the team.

With this new program a trainer comes to work with the team and prepare players for the physical demands of the game through agility drills, and lifting.

“We had a trainer come down twice a week to help us with drills like lifting and agility,” Crockett said.

“We hoped to make better athletes of ourselves this way to boost or performance in-game.”

According to Crockett, the team has also worked on developing strategies in accordance with the loss of the senior players and the addition of new players.

“We’re starting to come together [as a team] and perfect the plays we’ve been working on,” Crockett

CouRtesy of Josie Butler

Josie Butler, number 34, tips off against Los Gatos High School in their game last year.

said. “We’ve been working on incorporating ourselves as a team into our new strategy.”

The team played their first official tournament this past weekend on Nov.27 with their first game against

the Kehillah Jewish Rams. Paly made it to the semifinals and finish in 4th place. The team is looking at the tournament as means to improve and do better in their upcoming tournament this weekend.

However the team is still maintaining their focus on their first league game, which is on Jan. 2 against Milpitas High School.

The girls basketball team is ready to fight for a great year.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Campanile

C8 SPORTS

Wanna Ruck?

Sid VenkatAsubramaniam Staff Writer

T

he long-standing tradition of excellence in basketball, volleyball and other “mainstream” sports that is typically associated with Paly draws attention away from students who participate, often with much success, in more unusual sports. A handful of students at Paly have received many accolades for their participation in rugby, a sport similar to American football that originated and is popular in the Commonwealth of Nations.

In comparison to football, rugby is a much more fluid sport that often requires more stamina, according to junior Max Eberhart, who plays in the Bay Area Rugby League (BARL) for the Woodside Beavers/Peninsula Greens.

“Rugby is a lot more continuous and draws out a lot longer than football,” Eberhart said. “Over the course of the average football game, a player may run for 16 to 20 minutes, whereas in rugby players are running continuously for around sixty minutes.”

Junior Jake Norman, a former football and a current rugby player for the Beavers, also stressed his affinity for the less disjoint structure of rugby.

“Every time I was starting to get warmed up and excited [in football] the game would pause,” Norman said.

“In that sense, I enjoy the less disjoint structure of rugby that always keeps me moving.”

Rugby also emphasizes more skill than mere brawniness in comparison to football due to the differing amount of protective padding allowed, according to Norman.

Rugby rules place bans on padding, which leads to changes in the strategy for tackling one’s opponents.

“In rugby, you aren’t allowed to wear padding, so running at your opponent like a bull will hurt you more [than] it will hurt him,” Norman said. “There’s more technique involved, ensuring that your tackles are still effective without [inflicting] too much pain on yourself.”

According to Eberhart, the lack of traction that rugby has enjoyed in the United States can be attributed to the perception of football as a “safer” sport for people to play.

I really enjoy the sort of culturally diverse experience that Rugby can give.

Jake Norman Junior

Although rugby experienced a surge in popularity in the early 1900s, strings of injuries and laws being passed to enforce safety in sporting events led to the decline of the rugby culture, which was replaced with football as it stands today.

Despite this, there are still pockets in the United States, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, that have active rugby leagues.

“We have quite a few teams participating in our Bay Area league,” Eberhart said. “We also have several younger players who are keen on getting involved, so it looks like the league won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

While football season is set to take place during the fall, rugby season is from January to May. The general

Exploring student rugby leagues in the Bay Area

commitment varies from three to five practices a week, with one or two games a week on top of that.

Despite the similarity of the rigor of rugby training to that of other sports, Eberhart mentioned that he had to cope with stereotypes revolving about it being “inferior” to and not as rigorous as other mainstream sports, namely football, due to the lack of awareness about rugby in a culture dominated by other sports.

On the contrary, rugby is very physically strenuous, especially when the players participate in a ruck, which is when they wrestle for the ball.

“A lot of my friends have expressed incorrect impression that rugby is somewhat like a ‘softcore’ version of football,” Eberhart said. “It can be quite frustrating at time, especially when we are training as hard as the football team in the peak of the season.”

Another benefit of participating in rugby is the diversity and social exposure that it offers.

“Unlike other sports, which are mainly dominated by a certain group of people, the different skills needed for rugby result in a very diverse group of people who come together to play games,” Norman said. “I really enjoy the sort of culturally diverse experience that Rugby can give.”

Eberhart also expressed his liking for the team spirit and sense of community that his participation in rugby has afforded him.

“There’s a really strong sense of community that rugby can offer since everyone’s team spirit invariably becomes a part of their lives,” Eberhart said. “Everyone is looking out for each other, and there is a lot of brotherly love.”

clockwise from top left: paolo camera/creative commons, GiaDaPhotoFactory/creative commons., k4dordy/creative commons. Henrico Prins/creative commons, paddynapper/creative commons