Issue 6 by The Campanile

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PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44

The Campanile

Vol. XCV, No. 6

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

Metreon set as prom venue Prom will be held at the Metreon on the City View roof terrace, located on 4th and Mission Street in San Francisco. Tickets begin at $100 with an ASB sticker and are $110 without one.

Kate apostolou editor-in-chief

editor-in-chief

aly’s Associated Student Body (ASB) revealed today that Paly’s 2013 prom dance will be held in the City View event space at the Metreon in San Francisco on Saturday, April 25. The theme will be “When The Lights Go Down In the City,” in reference to the Journey song “Lights” about San Francisco. The space where prom will be held is on the fourth floor of the Metreon and has a long balcony from which students will be able to enjoy the view of the surrounding city. According to ASB President senior Jessica Tam, this year’s prom venue will have a very different feel from last year’s, which was held at the San Francisco Design Center. “The venue itself is really different from last year,” Tam said. “The whole shape of the building and everything [are different], so [prom is] going to have a very different feel as you go in and it’s probably going to be a different atmosphere. But we’re going to have the same DJ as last year because a lot of people really liked him.” Tickets will be $100 with an ASB card and $110 without an ASB card. The expensive tickets are largely due to the district wide mandate that all students take buses to prom according to Tam.

Parent considers historic donation for sports facilities A major donation in combination with $5.5 million in district funds could help finance renovation of school athletic structures.

nira krasnow

Josh bancroft/Creative Commons

The event will be held on the top floor of the Metreon. The terrace provides a large outdoors area in addition to indoor seating.

“Our proms are especially expensive because we have to pay for buses,” Tam said. “That’s an additional 15 dollars on our prom tickets and that’s something that we can’t negotiate around. We tried but it’s set, everyone has to pay for that bus fee. Other parts of the prom ticket price are add ons like the photo booth from last year and the card table. [Additional costs include] paying for the DJ, the rental fees and security.”

Tam and senior class president Michael Wang began planning prom last May when they reserved this year’s venue. Tam and Wang received the help of a professional prom planner to assist in the planning process. “We use a company that helps us find the venue and the caterers,” Tam said. “It’s all kind of a package deal so we get our DJ through the prom planner; he does a lot of their events.”

Friday, February 19, 2013

n anonymous Paly parent is considering making the “largest single donation” in Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) history to improve Paly’s indoor athletic facilities for the 20152016 school year, according to a memo from Bond Program Manager Bob Golton. The current plan under discussion involves combining this “major” donation with $5.47 million in district funds previously allocated to a new Paly fitness center. The proposal includes two gyms, a wrestling room, weight room, dance room, classrooms, lockers and offices. According to Golton, the disparity between Paly’s athletic facilities and those of surrounding high schools, including Gunn High School, led the board to set aside funds to transform Paly’s current structures. “[Paly]’s indoor physical education and athletic facilities are some of the least adequate facilities in the Peninsula,” Golton said.

Currently, a second gym at Gunn is under construction and once completed, Gunn will have two gyms superior to both of Paly’s.However, the plan for Paly’s new fitness center outlines a space with comparable seating capacity and square footage to Gunn’s facility. “[The new athletic facility] is a historical opportunity for the whole community and for this whole part of town,” Principal Phil Winston said. “When you look at the facilities differences between both high schools, we had some catching up to do.” The donor would work closely with an architect and Vance Brown Builders and would consider “architectural consistency” when designing the building’s structure. After approval from the state Division of the State Architect, “the district would enter into a leaseleaseback arrangement whereby the building would be constructed and then conveyed back to the district.” District officials and Paly leadership members predict possible challenges such as integrating the Paly Aquatic Center into the new facility. The fate of the large gym is also under discussion, although the general consensus is to demolish and rebuild the small gym and incorporate it into the new structure.

See GYM, A3

Administration suspends InFocus broadcasts

Baccalaureate confusion upsets families

Changes in the scheduling of the Baccalaureate celebration cause controversy amongst the families of graduating seniors. charlie dulik editor-in-chief

fter being finalized twice, the date, time and location of this year’s Baccalaureate ceremonies are up in the air, according to Principal Phil Winston. Possible locations include the Flint Center in Cupertino and Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View.

“Now we’re back at the drawing board we’re talking to Flint we’re talking to Shoreline, because those are really the only facilities big enough to accommodate this year’s senior class,” Winston said. Controversy has plagued the selection of a location. On Dec. 17, senior class parents received an email from Rebecca Fox, a senior class parent representative, stating “definitive” dates and times for senior class events such as Baccalaureate, which was listed as occurring on May 27. These messages were “according to [Student Activities Director] Matt Hall.” Two months later, on Feb. 7, senior class parents received an email from Winston, stating “it gives me

great pleasure to inform you that we have finalized the date, time, and location for this year’s Baccalaureate.” The email further listed the date and time as Sunday, May 19, over a week from the previously announced date. In addition, the email announced that only two tickets would be provided for each family. The email made no mention of any change of date. This upset many families of graduating seniors. Those who had already made plans to fly in relatives would have had to change flight plans, and those whose more extended families wished to come to the event would no longer have been able to, due to

See BACCALAUREATE, A3

adam mansour/the campanile

Senior Alexia Garcia operates a camera for a recent InFocus broadcast.

The administration hopes broadcasts over the intercom will improve communication. Maya kitayama staff writer

or the first time since its inception, Paly’s broadcast publication InFocus has been cut from the air and announcements are

now delivered via school intercom. The choice to eliminate InFocus was instigated by the administration, who argue that InFocus’s communication element was experiencing serious issues. “Nobody’s cutting InFocus’s airtime, there were substantial technical issues and we weren’t being able to communicate with our student body on a daily basis,” Principal Phil Winston said.

See INFOCUS, A3

Science Bowl team heads to nationals after big regional victory Five students will continue to sharpen their skills for the next round of competition.

Claire liu staff writer

fter winning the regional Science Bowl competition at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Paly’s Science Bowl team prepares for the national tournament coming up in the spring. This annual event will be held in Washington, DC, from April 25 to 29. Science Bowl is a buzzer competition in which two schools face one

INSIDE

News.....................................A1-A4 ASB Post......................................A5 Spotlight.................................A6-A7 Opinion............................A8-A12 Lifestyle....................................B1 Student Life.................................B2 Community.................................B3 Music..........................................B4 Entertainment..........................B5 Food......................................B6-B7 Dating....................................B8 Sports...................................C1-C8

another, each striving to correctly answer the reader’s question before the other school. There are six categories for questions: physics, chemistry, biology, math, earth/space science and energy. The reader’s scientific trivia questions get increasingly difficult as the game goes on. All teams are limited to five members. This year’s group is made up of Science Olympiad Club members who demonstrated a strong understanding of scientific concepts in a test written for Sci-Bowl tryouts. The students who received the highest test scores, who consequently become members of this year’s

Spotlight

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Sci-Bowl team, are senior Jeffrey Ling, juniors Jared Filseth and Grace Lin and sophomores Gary Chen and Jasen Liu. The five Paly students train approximately two hours a week, reviewing past competition questions and sharpening their understanding of specific topics. The students also practice by simulating testing conditions by splitting into groups and assigning one member to act as the designated question reader. “I would accredit our success to many things but would have to say the greatest factor would be our weekly practices,” Liu said.

Filseth recognizes Ling as a strong leader who helped the team achieve their regional victory. “[Ling] answered at least 60 percent of the toss up questions we got right,” Filseth said. Ling believes the team’s “specialized approach to the competition” gives them an extra edge. He focuses on chemistry, physics and math, whereas Liu and Chen concentrate on biology and earth science. This strategy allows members to develop a deep understanding of their own topic and create a strong dynamic. Until the competition in April, team members plan to continue

studying independently, as well as meeting weekly to train. Ling, Filseth and Liu all see the competing teams at nationals as extremely advanced and the competition as fierce. “To do well in DC, we need to increase our buzzing speed in addition to practicing,” Liu said. “This will help us put up a fight against the crazy good schools at nationals.” Ling expresses the feelings of fulfillment that come with the Sci-Bowl team’s hard earned success. “I’ve been dreaming about making it to nationals this whole year,” Ling said. “It’s amazing that everything is happening.”

Sports

News

Best sports cities across the country

New, different classes at Paly and Gunn

The Campanile ranks the top

Controversy rises over

ten sports cities in the nation.

providing students at the two

The Campanile conducted

high schools with unequal

a survey asking Paly

opportunity.

students what they want

C4-5

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

A2 NEWS

ASB Update Wesley Shiau Technology editor

he Associated Study Body of Palo Alto Senior High School recently hosted a Valentine’s Day Movie Night in the Paly Library on Feb. 14 in which they aired the movie 500 Days of Summer. Admission to the showing was free. However, movie snacks and drinks were available only for purchase. ASB is also getting ready to release its prom plans. In addition ASB plans on continuing its support for student bands. In the future, ASB is looking forward to continue its efforts to provide new events for students and find new ways for students to get further involved. “I am very excited about the Valentine’s movie night,” sophomore class president Rick Takeuchi said. “It is because I can give an opportunity to share a celebration of romantic love by showing the [movie] ‘500 Days of Summer. In this way, I am able to share my love towards the soulmate I want to be with.”

School Board Update emily rosenthal News editor

uring the PAUSD School Board meeting on Feb. 12, Bob Golton, the Bond Program manager, presented potential improvements to the Paly athletic facilities. Two months earlier, a PAUSD parent came forward with the possibility of making a major donation to the district. The money would be used to build a new physical education and athletic facility for Paly. The donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) would work closely on the design with the architect, while Paly staff and School Board will provide input. The School Board presented basic plans to the Facilities Steering Committee on Feb. 13. The School Board discussed supporting the Protect Our Children Gun Buyback Event. Protect Our Children is a group formed by local parents in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook. The group, with the Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park police departments is sponsoring a gun buyback event to remove guns from the streets and hopefully improve safety. The event will take place Feb. 23 at the East Palo Alto City Hall and all guns that are turned in will be destroyed. On Tuesday Feb. 12 the School Board voted to formally endorse the program.

Science Olympiad team places first in regional tournament gracie fang features editor

he Paly Science Olympiad Team (Scioly) received first place at the Bay Area Regional Science Olympiad (BARSO) last Saturday, Feb. 9 at Foothill High School in Pleasanton and included most Bay Area schools including Lynbrook, Milpitas and Mission San Jose. Scioly competitions encompass all science subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The competition is split into 23 events in which two people compete in each, and the individual rankings in each event combine to determine the team’s total ranking. Overall rankings are based off of individual event ranking points; that is, first place finishers receive one point for the team, second places finishers receive two, and so on. At the end of all the events, points are added up and the team with the lowest number of points wins the competition. The top four finishers qualify for the North California Science Olympiad State Finals at the College of the Sequoias on April 23. For the past three years, Paly has placed first at regionals. This year, they received their fourth consecutive victory with 95 points, beating the second place winner by 81 points. Some events are simply written tests, and others require team members to build a project beforehand and bring it in to test on the day of the competition. For example, one of the events, Elastic Launched Glider, requires the team to build a glider out of wood and compete to see how long it can stay in the air, according to Scioly Engineering President Jeffrey Ling. “Engineering has in the past been our weaker point, but so far, this year,

engineering is going according to schedule,” Scioly Logistics President Grace Lin said. “The bio and chembased study events in particular are very strong this year, thanks in part to some new team members.” Preparation for the competitions consists of a lot of studying and practice, and for engineering, planning and building. The presidents organize study meetings, lead build meetings, organize logistics and usually also provide some tips or good books for each event, according to Lin. Sophomore Max Krawczyk competed in the events Remote Sensing and Rocks & Minerals. In the latter event, teams of two are given samples of rocks to identify and answer questions about their properties, uses and composition. Overall, he believes the team did extremely well. “The results as a team were extremely positive,” Krawczyk said. “We finished by an 80 point margin which is a lot. Some people were really worried but some of the people who have been on the team for a while already were pretty confident,” he said.“[The team] has won consistently for the past few years.”

courtesy of gary chen

Top: Scioly poses with the gold after receiving first place. Bottom: Scioly members prepare to test their elastic plane gliders.

Lin competed in Water Quality with sophomore Jasen Liu as well as in Circuit Lab and Technical Problem Solving with senior Jeffrey Yan, in which they placed third and second. She also participated in Write it Do It with senior Sonia Targ, in which they are asked to follow a series of instructions and placed first.

English 12A removed from 2013-’14 curriculum Daniel Tachna-fram Staff writer

fter much consideration, the Paly English Department has decided to discontinue the advanced english class for seniors, according to Instructional Supervisor of the English Department, Shirley Tokheim. Instead of choosing between English 12A, AP English and English 12, seniors will now only have the latter two to choose from. According to Tokheim, the current system made it seem as if there were three lanes for senior english, rather than a two lane system with

the option of a yearlong AP class for students who choose to challenge themselves. “We don’t think of it as de-laning,” Tokheim said. “We think of it as collapsing the two sections. It didn’t seem necessary to have three separate lanes.” The decision to combine the two classes resulted after teachers from both the 12 and 12A classes met and decided that having one lane instead of two would be a better choice for both students and teachers. “We realized that the classes that had a wider range of ability were more interesting to teach and the students benefited from having mixed classes,

so that drove our decision,” Tokheim said. The process of collapsing the two 12th grade English sections began with a discussion between Tokheim and the rest of the English Department before Principal Phil Winston and the Director of Secondary Education Michael Milliken approved of the decision. The decision was also made in collaboration with English Department Instructional Supervisors from other schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District. “The decision went through lots of different levels of approval,” Tokheim said.

Changes made to Plastic bags banned Common Application in Menlo Park

Construction Update

Albert lee

angela stern

emily lee

staff writer

ingle-use plastic bags will be banned from all retail stores in Menlo Park this April 22. Palo Alto passed a similar bill in 2009. 24 Peninsula cities are also looking to pass similar bills this year, according to cityofpaloalto.org. Menlo Park will charge 10 cents for paper bags, and on Jan. 1, 2015, the price will increase to 25 cents. City staff will give out free reusable bags to citizens and retailers, according to Palo Alto Online. Retailers that do not comply will be fined $100 for the first violation and $200 for a second offense. Further violations will result in a $500 fine every day until compliance, according to Palo Alto Online. The organization Save the Bay estimates that “Bay Area residents throw away more than 100 bags per second after using each for about 12 minutes.” The Bay Area is now the most pro-active area in California regarding plastic bag bans, according to KQED.

Tokheim also noted that the decision to combine the two senior classes is not related to a similar decision that was made to de-lane the freshman english classes. Despite having one fewer option, Tokheim is not concerned about seniors having sufficient English course options to meet their academic abilities. Tokheim feels that AP English and World Lit will still provide students with the necessary literature and writing skills. “There’s still college prep,” Tokheim said. “For students who want to push themselves, they can take AP [English],” she said.

Upcoming Events

NEWS BRIEFS

he new Common App is removing the “topic of your choice” essay option, an announcement that was met with gasps from educators, The Chronicle reported. Instead, there will be four or five topics that may change from year to year. Some educators have expressed concerns that the new change, more reliant on quantitative scores than qualitative characteristics, may make many applications seem similar to others. “These changes are going to stop us from being creative,” junior Max Gara said. Though it is unclear why the Common Application decided to eliminate the “topic of your choice” prompt, some supporters have applauded the move. Opponents of the new proposal may find some solace. Despite the expected removal of the “topic of your choice” prompt, there is expectation that the four or five other essay questions may allow much flexibility in interpretation.

Ling completed in events including Astronomy, Remote Sensing, Experimental Design, and Maglev. “I suppose astronomy is my favorite since the subject is really interesting,” Ling said. “I get to learn about the stars and the universe and all of that. Maglev was interesting too since [we] built a magnetically levitating racecar.”

onstruction on the new media arts and shared math and social science buildings is about 55 to 65 percent complete, according to assistant principal Kim Diorio; the deadline is set for September 2013. The new two-level journalism and media arts building will house Photography, Video Production and Advanced Journalism classes. The outside of the building will run a news ticker, featuring breaking news and announcements. The track field bleachers will likely be completed by the end of February. At the end of the season, resurfacing of the track will begin, a process that will take from three to six weeks starting at the end of May to the beginning of June. New gymnasium plans are currently under discussion. The tentative plans are to knock down the small gym, large gym and the pool and start from scratch to make a larger gym. Upon approval, the project would take about eight months to a year to complete.

MAR

into the woods premiere

MAR

PROM TICKETS GO ON SALE

MAR

CAHSEE TESTING

MAR

LAST DAY OF THIRD QUARTER

MAR

CAREER MONTH BEGINS

12 15

You need to go into the theatre before you can go Into the Woods!

Time to pick up those flowers, gents!

Sucks to be a sophomore––everyone else, enjoy your extra sleep.

Failing a class? This is the last day to drop it like it’s hot.

Undecided about your future? Don’t worry––speakers will stop by Paly to help!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

NEWS

Career month offers opportunities for students

Innovative speakers will be introduced on the Paly campus this coming March, and will speak on a variety of non-traditional career focuses. Elizabeth Bowman Business Manager

areer Month this March at Paly will offer several events including a series of lunchtime speakers, a field trip to IDEO product design, a Women in Business Forum, a Job Fair, a Specialty Schools Fair and a Community College Forum. “The idea is for people to start thinking about things they are interested in rather than just ‘where do I want to go to school,’” Career Advisor and Community Service Coordinator Christina Owen said. Career Month Committee volunteer Linda Ziegler agrees that Career Month activities can help open up students’ minds to other options and opportunities. “There’s such pressure on the kids in high school [to decide] what you want to do for the rest of your life and who knows what you want to do. Even if you know, you can still change,” Ziegler said. “You’re not set, which I think is important.” During the lunchtime speaker series, local professionals will come to the English Resource Center (ERC) or Social Studies Resource Center (SSRC) during lunch to share their career stories and talk about what they do for a living, what led them to where they are now and any challenges they overcame along the way. During two weeks at the end of March, different speakers will talk about their careers in fields such as public service, video gaming, marketing, product design, app development, cooking, interior design, sports and nursing. Owen states that Career Month changes the focus from the perfect SAT score, perfect GPA and perfect school, to pursuing what one is interested in, and where one’s talents lie.

“The attorney who’s coming this year got accepted to a big-name Ivy League school and chose to go to a different school because of his interests and he’s ended up in a really good spot,” Owen said. “You don’t have to pursue a certain prescribed path, go to an Ivy League school, to be successful. He pursued the path that was best for him and he became successful just by staying with that and working at it.” Some of the speakers have followed unique or non-traditional paths, which can open up students’ mind to different possibilities. “Remember that guy from Apple last year?” Owen said, “Apple loved him as an applicant because he had been a Smoke Jumper, a firefighter who jumps out of airplanes and puts out forest fires. They really like his rich breadth of experience and daring personality. Your first job doesn’t have to be an internship at Google.” Another speaker last year went to college then realized that she wanted to do something different with her life, and ended up opening a solar company called Solar Planet, which has now added a store at Town and Country Village.

March 2013 5 Women in Business Forum

Job Fair

7 Specialty Schools Fair

8 Community College Forum

Career Month Speaker Series Week 1

Career Month Speaker Series Week 2

Anna McGarrigle/The Campanile

The idea is for people to start thinking about things they are interested in. Christina Owen Community Service Coordinator

“After she finished her college graduate school she realized it wasn’t really leading her somewhere she wanted to, so she opened up this energy solar business,” Career Month Committee Volunteer Janie Farn said. “Sometimes you need the foundation education to lead you, but then you can venture [on a fully different career path].” Julie Cardillo, another volunteer, believes that students might be surprised at what inspires them. “Quickly [students] get into what the speaker is talking about and

there’s actually not enough time, and the half hour blows by really fast,” Cardillo said. As an extension of the lunch speaker series, several local women entrepreneurs will come to the during a tutorial in early March for a Women in Business Forum. They will talk about their careers and tell students what it is like being a woman in their field of work. A second Women in Business Forum is planned for April, where students can learn more about how to start their own businesses. During the first week of March, local employers will come during the Job Fair on the quad, looking for high school students to hire. Later that week, the Specialty Schools Fair will also be held in the quad, including vocational schools

that are career focused, some offering two year programs, four year programs or specialty certificates. “[For example] if I know I want to become a paralegal then I get a paralegal training through a specialty school or community college,” Owen said. Programs include those in dental hygiene, law, respiratory therapy, automotive specialty, cosmetology and other career-focused fields. The Community College Forum is informative for students if they want to go to a University of California (UC) that is impacted, or receives many more applicants than they can accommodate and accept. “[Community college is] not necessarily for students who can’t get into another kind of school,” Owen said. “One classic example is a former Paly student who’s just about to graduate

Baccalaureate date change announced

BACCALAUREATE,continued from A1

the ticket limit. “Since many of my family members are nearby, they can all come and they all want to, but two tickets just wouldn’t be enough,” senior Olivia Cole said. “Even if none of my extended family came, that would mean my little sister couldn’t go either.” As Baccalaureate has traditionally been a more family-oriented celebration, this change alarmed many students. “I understand that [Winston is] trying to please everyone and make sure everyone’s opinions are heard, but at the same time it’s a little bit hard because families have been getting yanked around, and a lot of people are flying in grandparents,” senior Emma Ketchum said. “When [administrators] make these plans and then they change, and [families] can’t reschedule, it’s rough.” Emails began to flood Winston’s office, complaining about the date change and ticket limit. “We tried to go based on tradition and history and past practice, and the

feedback from the parent network was that they encouraged us to think a little differently, which is terrific,” Winston said. “I would have loved to do that from the beginning so now we’re back at the drawing board.” I understand that [Winston is] trying to please everyone and make sure everyone’s opinions are heard, but at the same time it’s a little bit hard because families have been getting yanked around Emma Ketchum Senior

According to Winston, the date had to be changed because Stanford event planners bumped Paly’s booking of Memorial Theater, where Baccalaureate has traditionally been held. Changes in the amount of tickets allowed also occurred at the request of Stanford officials, who no longer wanted to accommodate excess event attendees. “Because of the way they do facilities, Stanford professors get

priority,” Winston said. “So then we got bumped, and then went back to what is tradition, which is important in this community, and it was to have it at [Memorial Theater]... Right then you just do some simple division, and it was pretty tough to meet everyone’s needs, so it was a tradeoff.” When Stanford mandated the change, which occurred in January, according to Hall, neither Winston nor Hall communicated the changing scenario to seniors or parents until the Feb. 7 email. On Feb. 11, a group of six senior parent representatives met with Winston to voice concerns over the unexpected changes. Then, Winston sent an email to senior parents alerting them that Baccalaureate plans were still yet to be finalized. He is working with a group of senior class parents on planning. “I think it’s an awfully enormous task for just. . . the administration to be involved in, so we’re asking for some help,” Winston said. “I thought we were doing what was tradition and in the community’s best interest, and people were very clear that they were okay moving the location, so I was

like ‘Hey cool we’ve got a little more work to do.’” Previously, Winston and Hall had worked on the event alone. “There’s never been a planning committee,” Winston said. By the time this article is printed, Winston hopes to have the final date locked down. We tried to go based on tradition and history and past practice, and the feedback from the parent network was that they encouraged us to think a little differently, which is terrific. Phil Winston Principal

“I like to move fast, and sometimes you have to slow things down, we don’t have control of everything,” Winston said. Some students’ concerns remain, regardless of Winston’s new plans for transparency. “How do we know that this is the final one for sure this time?” senior Dana Donnelly said.

from Cal Poly that’s quite impacted and he transferred from nearby Cuesta College. In certain majors you can transfer from Foothill to UCLA, and the community college forum can help students find out about this type of post-high school path.” The Career Month events are open to all grades, except the Community College Forum which is open to juniors and seniors. They must turn in signed slip to the College and Career Center to be excused from their third period class. If students want to further explore career interests, Owen suggests students use the extra time they have away from campus during the week of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to sign onto their Naviance account and try out the Career Interest and Personality Type surveys there.

Possible new gym GYM continued from A1

The donor comes from a family with three generations of Paly alumni and with a long history of philanthropy, according to Golton. Although the size of the donation remains undisclosed, the amount is considered extremely generous and significant in the district’s history. “We are fortunate there is a family that’s willing to be involved in that and it’s really just epic in so many ways,” Winston said. “When [I] think about the amount of money and the generosity, it truly blows my mind.” So far, discussions of the project have been limited to PAUSD members and the Paly administration. In the upcoming weeks, leaders from Paly and the district will be presenting this program to the various community groups including the Paly Site Facilities Committee, the Paly Athletic Booster Club, staff members, the School Site Council and the PTA. A community meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 21 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

InFocus announces end to live video broadcasts INFOCUS, continued from A1

According to Winston, InFocus was essential in relaying important information to the student body, and when that channel of communication started to experience delays, he felt it necessary for the administration to step in. “InFocus had developed into the means by which as a school campus we would communicate information,” Winston said. “What we decided to do is take a break from that, and do it on the PA system to ensure that everyone got all the information, and we’re hoping to fire InFocus back up at a later time.” However, only the visual aspect

of the broadcast is lost. Executive Producer Ethan Cohen explained the ways in which InFocus is continuing to work and keep InFocus thriving. “We have a website launching probably this week,” Cohen said. “We’re still doing a daily show, it’s on YouTube everyday and hopefully we’ll be back up broadcasting to the school at large.” Cohen is eager to make the point clear that InFocus has in no way dissolved or disappeared from the school completely. “The issue isn’t that we’re not doing the show anymore, it’s important to make that distinction, the issue is that we’re reading over the PA system now,” Cohen said. “The show is still

happening, it’s just happening simultaneously with the PA broadcast.” One point that is quite apparent among all the parties involved is the need for a better solution to the actual broadcast problem. The current system uses the Media Center to broadcast the daily show to each and every classrooms on campus, but more recently, the Media Center has been experiencing severe technical difficulties. “The Media Center was not broadcasting for three weeks, you can’t watch it on TV anymore because there’s no cable,” InFocus advisor Mr. McNulty said. Currently, the only way that InFocus can broadcast relies on complete dependence on the Media Center.

“The way it works is that we send out a signal to [the Media Center] that has our show in it, and they kind of loop that into their signal.” Cohen said. The InFocus staff is currently looking into different options for broadcasting the show, mainly so they can eliminate any excess room for error. “We’re trying to come up with new ways to get the show out that don’t involve TV and don’t involve [the] use of third parties,” Cohen said. “That way we’ll have a lot more control and the issues will be a lot easier to fix.” The other issue that plagues the broadcast journalism program is the

staff’s often unwillingness to take the five minutes allocated at the end of third and fourth period and spend it watching the announcements. InFocus is working hard to not only ensure that their publication once more reaches all students, but also is viewed daily by teachers and students “I understand it’s a problem if [teachers] can’t see it, if they allocate the time, turn the TV on and it’s not there, that’s not good for them, that’s not good for us,” McNulty said. “We have to get to a point where we consistently [broadcast.] If we do, and we keep in contact with [teachers], and work hand in hand, then I think [InFocus] would be much better than it’s been before.”

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

NEWS

New post-AP Computer Science class available

stephenie zhang staff writer

tudents have the option to take a post-Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science class next school year to develop project management skills in computer science, according to computer science teacher Chris Kuszmaul. In the class, students will establish a computer science project to work on (most likely an extension of their work in AP Computer Science), assemble a team from other computer science classes and lead the team in completing the project. Students from the post-AP Computer Science class will be project managers and figure out the scope of the project and create a schedule of tasks. “This [class] is an experiment,” Kuszmaul said. “[Principal Phil] Winston has strongly encouraged the teachers to try new things and to innovate, and this certainly is [something new].” Students interested in the class must sign up for Teaching Seminar and Practicum and will receive Career Technical Education elective credit. Since this course is officially part of Teaching Seminar and Practicum, Denise Shaw will be the official teacher and Kuszmaul will be a cooperating teacher. Once enrolled, students have the autonomy to choose their own project and the only restrictions are that the project is legal, school appropriate and in the appropriate programming language for the class. “The project they’re going to be engaged in is going to span a year, but there is not a deadline per se for completion,” Kuszmaul said. “My goal is that the students will continue the project once the course is over.”

Charlotte barry/ the campanile

AP Computer Science teacher Chris Kuszmaul will teach students project management skills in a course which will begin in the 2013-14 school year.

Kuzmaul will assess students’ progress by requiring them to deliver regular reports. The deadlines will be set by the project managers with some input from Kuzmaul. “Our goal here fundamentally is to have students learn things, and that’s what I’ll be assessing,” Kuszmaul said. “By having students issue regular

reports in a variety of forms, I will be able to determine how well they’re doing. Generally speaking, if people are working hard, they’ll get a good grade in the class.” According to Kuszmaul, ideally, each project manager will have three or four people in a team and all students from other computer science

classes would participate in one of the teams. However, the likelihood of this goal will depend on the number of project managers in the class. Kuszmaul previously implemented a similar course called Computer Science Project Management at The Bay School in San Francisco, where past students have worked on a variety

of projects ranging from detecting the number of cell phones in a room to creating a set of linear system solver packages. “[This class] is different from other classes in that there isn’t a set curriculum,” Kuszmaul said. “There is a set of behaviors to learn, and they have to be repeated to be honed.”

Students pursue Courses added to Paly and Gunn alternative education The PAUSD School Board adds new classes to Paly and Gunn to course selections.

Alternative education programs provide students with classes more tailored to their interests.

Sid VEnkatsubramaniam Staff Writer

espite the diversity in the selection of courses Paly affords to its students, some students find themselves restricted by a lack of classes that cater to their specific interests or academic capabilities. However, a wide array of options for online education has provided such students with the means to explore their interests. Junior Jared Filseth, who recently completed Multivariable Calculus H, the most advanced course offered by the Paly Math Department, found himself unable to further pursue his passion for mathematics in any brickand-mortar setting. After exploring various options at Stanford University without success, Filseth decided the best course of action would be to continue his studies through the Enriched Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), an online program run by Stanford University, which offers university-level courses in a number of academic disciplines such as Physics, English and Mathematics. “I wasn’t able to find any local classes that I could do, so I decided to look into EPGY since I had done [AP Physics B] with them in the past,” Filseth said. “It ended up working out quite nicely, as I found a course in Linear Algebra that was appropriate for my level.” In addition to having found a course suited to his background, Filseth also appreciated the flexibility such a course offered in pacing and submitting assignments. “[With EPGY] one can work at one’s own pace as long as he or she finishes the course in a predetermined amount of time,” Filseth said. “I can ease off during my busy periods and get caught up later when I have less work for other classes.” Unlike Filseth, who turned to online education to look for classes suited for his level, senior John Kim explored online options in order to pursue interests that are altogether absent from Paly’s course catalog. Interested in learning more about a branch of

Computer Science known as algorithms, Kim has signed up for an online class in the subject offered by Coursera, an organization that has recently come into the spotlight for offering Massive Online Open Classes (MOOCs) to students all around the world that are based on courses taught at various academic institutions around the world. Kim’s class, entitled “Algorithms: Design and Analysis” is based on a course taught by Professor Tim Roughgarden at Stanford university. As MOOCs involve thousands of students from all around the world, there is no face-to-face instruction for the participants. Rather, students watch lectures prerecorded by academic experts in the field and submit online assignments for automatic evaluation. Despite the impersonal nature of the classes, Kim still enjoys the content they present. “Although the absence of a live teachers lecturing and answering questions is definitely a drawback, I think the system overall leaves us better off than we would be with nothing at all,” Kim said. Although Kim will not receive any credit for the work he is doing, he maintains that the intellectual enrichment more than compensates. “I suppose it would be nice to get credit for courses like this, but it is not something I lose much sleep over,” Kim said. “It’s affording me the opportunity to get a taste for some ideas and concepts that I otherwise wouldn’t get to experience until college, which is something I definitely appreciate.”

Leslie wan staff writer

he Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) School Board decided on Jan. 29 to add new courses such as The Literature of Comedy, Senior Projects, Positive Psychology and Programming for Mobile Devices to Paly and Gunn High School for the 2013-2014 school year. A final vote and approval of all courses will take place on Feb. 12 at the next school board meeting. The ideas for the new classes originated from PAUSD teachers and staff who listened to student interests and tried to apply them to the classroom “The board was very favorable to all of the new classes, was of course interested in the requirements being met,” School Board member Camille Townsend said. “Each class was introduced and discussed by the teacher expecting to teach the class.” The Literature of Comedy, taught by English teacher Lucy Filppu, will be added to the Paly English Department and offered only to juniors and seniors. This new English elective serves to help students’ desires to study literature from the perspective of comedy and satire. Students will study the history, traditions and different writing styles of comedy from ancient Greece to present day. This semester-long course will help students understand the effect of comedy on certain audiences and comprehend when and why is something is considered funny. This course fulfills the required English elective course selection for juniors and seniors. Filppu hopes the class will help students loosen up and enjoy their English elective experience. “I suggest that students can laugh and learn simultaneously,” Filppu said to Palo Alto Weekly. Junior Camila Vasquez selected the course as her first choice for her senior English elective. “The whole idea of what is funny and why and studying satire and comedy throughout history just seems very interesting and intriguing to me,” Vasquez said. “And I’ve

heard many good things about the teacher, so I am really excited for this new course.” Although the Literature of Comedy will be the only new course to the Paly curriculum, Gunn will introduce several new courses next year. One of the new courses, Senior Projects, was proposed by Gunn librarian Meg Omainsky. This semester-long course allows juniors and seniors to research, analyze and develop communication skills useful to students in later years. The course is designed to teach juniors and seniors lifelong research and information literacy skills needed to be successful researchers in college and work. Positive Psychology will be taught by Gunn AP Macroeconomics teacher Ronan Habib. The course will help students reduce stress, become more aware of students change in emotion or actions and give students the opportunity of putting their newly acquired theoretical aspects into practice. Students will analyze text from textbooks and articles and apply the theories they learn in class into their own lives. Students who have taken similar courses in other high schools have reported an increase in positive outlook, creativity, self-confidence and happiness. “For many of those students it’s really been an incredible transformation-I’ve seen the power of it,” Habib told Palo Alto Weekly. “I

had one student tell me some lessons she learned actually saved her life. As a teacher there’s no better compensation.” Gunn junior Stacy Chang looks forward to the addition of Positive Psychology to next year’s curriculum. “The course seems like a good break from all of the stress and pressure from school and college talk,” Chang said. “It’d be nice to have a course that allows me to not only help my friends cope with their own stresses but also to help me actually look at life from a different and positive perspective.” The final new course titled Programming for Mobile Devices was developed by Gunn math and computer science teacher Chris Bell. This semester-long course allows students to prepare for AP Computer Science and helps the Gunn Computer Science Department work toward its goal of creating a four-year computer science pathway. Programming for Mobile Devices covers many topics that are not covered in other computer science courses such as databases, background threading and memoryefficient coding. Teachers, board members and students look forward to the addition of new high school courses in the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. “I would guess from the favorable discussion, all the classes will be approved without further discussion,” Townsend said.

New Classes at Paly

New Classes at Gunn

Literature of Comedy

Senior Project

Study of literature from the perspective of comedy and satire from all time periods

For juniors and seniors to build useful communication and research skills

Positive Psychology

Class made to help students reduce stress and become aware of change in emotion and to put this knowledge into use

Programming for Mobile Devices

Preparatory class for the AP Computer Science class and covers databases, background threading and memory efficient coding

The Campanile

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

NEWS

Arab Spring: two years later

polls, power transitioned smoothly and a moderate Islamic party with a focus on inclusion and human rights, the National Forces Alliances, took power. The economy is growing once again, as oil exports, which make up half of the Libyan economy, returned to pre-revolution levels this January. And, most importantly, Libyans have realized a real increase in both human rights and economic freedoms.

Ben hawthorne business manager

wo years ago, Mohammed Boazizi, a fruit vendor in Tunisia, frustrated by the recent confiscation of his fruit cart by the government and the abuse he suffered at the hands of a government inspector, walked into a street and set himself on fire. Boazizi’s act of desperation opened the eyes of the Tunisian people to the sheer human cost of Tunisia’s dictatorship, and they revolted. The fires of democracy soon spread from Tunisia to the rest of the Arab world, and while most Middle Eastern countries did not become liberal democracies overnight, all had to adjust to the new reality that ignoring the demands of their people was impossible. The Middle East’s dictators handled this new reality and the demands of human rights and democracy from their people in a variety of ways: some, like Tunisia’s Ben Ali, acquiesced to the demands of the people and allowed democracy to develop; others, like Morocco’s Mohammed VI, paid lip-service to the demands of protesters while cementing their power and cracking down on freedom of the press and a few, notably Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Bahrain’s King Hamad, ignored the new reality and responded to protesters with violence. Though the Arab Spring affected many countries, space permits that we focus on only three: Egypt, Syria and Libya.

Syria

Egypt

From Tunisia, the Arab Spring quickly spread to Egypt. Antigovernment Protest, which were mostly coordinated using social media, broke out in January. The revolution was largely peaceful, and its aims, democracy, human rights and an end to dictator Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt and inefficient government, were transparent. The protesters met some resistance from soldiers, though Tahrir Square, the revolution’s epicenter, was largely peaceful. Pressure from the Obama administration, in the form of both diplomatic pressure and threats to cut military aid, and the overwhelming demands of the protesters led Mubarak to step down in February 2011, just one month after the revolution began. Unfortunately, Egypt’s revolution had only just begun. After Mubarak fell, he delegated power to the military, which controlled the government until a new constitution was drafted. The military dissolved parliament, declared the Constitution invalid and began cracking down on protests and strikes, although it stated that it would continue to abide by international treaties, including the 1979 peace agreement with Israel. This power grab was described as a coup by many protesters. Although the revolution was led by liberals (“liberal” does not mean pro-big government, as it does here; rather, in this case, it means support for civil rights and opposition to authoritarianism and Islamism), One thing remains clear: the Egyptian people will not rest until Egypt becomes a true democracy. Egypt’s liberals were poorly organized and failed to select a leader. As a result, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was robustly organized and had a network of supporters to get out the vote, swept Egypt’s elections. The Brotherhood is an underground pan-Arab world movement that aims to make Islam the cornerstone of public affairs and family life. Despite the Brotherhood’s shadowy status, it is a moderate organization, and they reject terrorism. It must be noted, of course, that the Brotherhood is considered moderate relative to other Islamist groups, which does not exactly make it enlightened: discrimination against Coptic Christians is common and women are dramatically underrepresented in government.

Micheal wang/the campanile

Although Egypt’s government has not confirmed the fears of the worst Islamophobes, the notion that the Brotherhood represents the best interests of Egyptians is now dubious. Since Islamists control the presidency and 71 percent of parliament, they have not cooperated with liberals and centrists (a fact that is contributing to the current protests against them). Like most groups with a firm hold on power, the Brotherhood has begun to cement their power. More important is the Brotherhood’s attempt to solidify its power. In November of 2012, President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member, declared himself to be above judicial review and discharged the Egyptian Chief Justice. Although Morsi later retracted the declaration after facing criticism, the Judicial Branch has not yet fully recovered from this attack. The most recent power-grab came in late December, when Morsi declared that no one could run against him. This declaration led to widespread protests and riots against the government. Brotherhood offices have been torched and 48 have been killed. Egypt’s Defense Minister said that the protests threatened “the collapse of the state,” as the government was reported to have lost control of Port Said, the Suez’s northern terminus. Though power has changed hands repeatedly during the revolution, one thing remains clear: the Egyptian people will not rest until Egypt becomes a true democracy. Libya

When the Libyan revolution broke out in February 2011, the country appeared as if it was going to end up like Syria. When protesters swarmed the streets of Benghazi, they were greeted by armed soldiers and warplanes. This violent overreaction gave the protesters widespread support and sparked even more protests. Gaddafi’s use of violence led to armed rebellion and mass military defections, especially in Eastern Libya, which soon fell to rebel forces and became the rebellion’s

stronghold. This was the beginning of the Libyan Civil War, in which rebels attempted to push west along the coast to take the capital, Tripoli, while government forces relied on airpower to hold the rebels back. The government’s reliance on airpower, and the rebels’ lack of anti-aircraft weapons, led to calls from Libyans for imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. The UN Security Council voted to do so in March 2011, and NATO forces launched an air and naval campaign against Gaddafi later that month. Contrary to accusations that the Obama administration “led from behind,” the United States led NATO’s intervention in Libya. We fired the opening shots of the war and initially commanded the NATO forces in Libya. By the end of March, NATO took command from America, although the United States continued to supply most of the munitions fired, in addition to intelligence, air traffic control, reconnaissance and communications. The NATO operation was successful in grounding Gaddafi’s air force, boosting rebel morale and breaking the back of Gaddafi’s offensive (which is why the Libyan rebels’ leaders give NATO much credit for toppling Gaddafi), although it later struggled to have much of an impact on the war because Gaddafi’s forces adapted and started using pickup trucks identical to the rebels’ trucks, preventing NATO aircraft from determining who to bomb. Libya’s rebels benefitted from having set up a transitional government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), after Gaddafi fell to ensure that Libya did not lapse into chaos after the revolution. Although the NTC’s work was largely successful, as Libya has a functioning government that it is representative of its people, it was not perfectly successful. Although some of Libya’s current problems are a result of the devastation of the revolution, such as the financial uncertainty that is limiting foreign investment into the country and

a dearth of infrastructure, most of Libya’s current problems stem from the fact that most fighting during the civil war was done by militias that had little oversight from the NTC. Some of these militia members, who were affiliated with Islamist groups, looted weapons from Gaddafi’s armories and dispersed It is important to realize that revolutions are process, not events. We must thos continue to hope, for the battle for democracy in the Arab world is not yet over. throughout North Africa to wreck havoc. The impact of this wave of Islamist fighters was mainly felt in Mali, where the influx of heavily armed Islamists started the revolution in northern Mali that eventually led to the takeover of northern Mali by an oppressive Islamist government. However, the scope of this problem is often overstated, as few militants have appeared outside of Mali, and no anti-aircraft weapons, the main concern of most Western analysts, have been used by Islamic terrorists. Libya’s militia problem also has effects within the country itself. Because few militias have been broken up or integrated into the Libyan military, the Libyan state remains weak and parts of Libya are under militia control. The militia group Ansar al-Sharia was found to have carried out the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed four, including ambassador Christopher Stevens, for instance. However, the Benghazi attack turned public opinion in Libya turned against the militias, which has led to militia disarmament protests in several major cities and a mob attack on Ansar al-Sharia’s headquarters. Despite these problems, Libya’s revolution was a victory for the Libyan people. The government is functioning, a fact that is underscored by Libya’s successful first elections in 2012: there was little violence or intimidation at the

The most notable country where the Arab Spring never really ended is Syria. Like in most other Arab countries, the Syrian revolution started with peaceful protests against a long-ruling dictatorship. The primary reason for the protests was demographics: Syria’s rulers and the supporters of the regime are Alawites (a branch of Shia Islam), whereas most Syrians are Sunnis. Assad, Syria’s dictator, was quick to use the few instances of protests turning violent to paint the protesters as terrorists, which he used as a rationale for deploying the military against them. Violence begat violence, and the revolution quickly devolved into a civil war that has claimed 60,000 lives and displaced two million people. The Syrian Civil War more closely resembles the Iraq War than Gettysburg. There is no defined front line, with both sides controlling scattered pockets of territory (although most Alawites are clustered in coastal cities and Damascus while the rebels control the inland desert). Though the rebels do occasionally fight government forces in the open, they primarily use hit-andrun tactics associated with classical guerrillas, much like the Viet Cong, in addition to tactics borrowed from terrorists, such as suicide bombing and use of checkpoints to control neighborhoods. Syria’s main allies are Russia and Iran, who send weapons and soldiers. Russia has also used its veto in the UN Security Council to frustrate multilateral sanctions. The rebels, despite having the nominal support of most countries, including the United States, receive much less help. Several major Sunni countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, provide some weapons and training, though the West is limited to “non-lethal assistance” (diplomatic support and supplies like bulletproof vests) and imposing sanctions. Most rebel organizations are calling on the United States to initiate a no-fly zone in Syria, although the American public’s distaste for war after Iraq and Obama’s focus on domestic issues mean that a no-fly zone is unlikely. Despite several signs that the war might be drawing to a close—such as a bombing attack in July that penetrated the Syrian defenses in the capital and killed several top government leaders and the flight of Russian citizens from Syria, a sign that Russia, Syria’s ally, is losing faith in Assad’s ability to govern–the war has continued apace. As the war continues to drag on, Islamist groups, some with al-Qaeda ties, are beginning to enter the war on the rebels’ side. Since these groups have extensive bomb-making training, and are thus more effective fighters than the native Syrian rebels, they are gaining influence among the rebels. This further compounds the main problem with Syria’s rebels: they have no single representative. Currently, there is nobody prepared to take control over Syria once Assad’s regime falls (as most predict it eventually will), so Syria’s messy conflict will continue after Assad falls. This violent stalemate, combined with the lack of a viable prospect for a Syrian government after Assad falls, makes Syria’s spring more like a winter. Final Note

It is important to realize that revolutions are processes, not events. Dramatic political change like the Arab Spring takes time. Our own revolution was long, bloody and beset by numerous setbacks. We must thus continue to hope, for the battle for democracy in the Arab world is not yet over.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

SPOTLIGHT

WHEN I GROW UP Written by Stephenie Zhang & Shivonne Logan

hat do you want to do when you grow up? Adults have incessantly asked this question to children and teenagers. When we were younger, our aspirations ranged from the President of the United States to firemen, but back then, the question was trivial. We could answer what we wanted without any ramification or commitment. But now, as we edge closer and closer to entering the job market and starting our own careers, the same question bears much more weight. Many high school students in Palo Alto started planning their futures at a very young age. Junior Lande Watson believed as early as eight-years-old that she wanted to be a politician. “I was positive I was going to be President of the United States,” Watson said. “[But] when you get to high school you realize that there are a lot of other people who are in harder classes who are going to go to ‘better’ universities, and you have to adjust your plans accordingly.” Senior Sonia Targ, on the other hand, has changed her mind multiple times. When she was in elementary school, she wanted to be a teacher. When she was in middle school, she wanted to be a marine biologist. And now, though she has not yet fully decided on what exactly she wants to be, she has developed an interest in science and is seriously considering a field related to medical research. “I think the Palo Alto community has had an impact on my career decisions, even if I wasn’t completely aware of its effects,” Targ said. “People in this area definitely encourage an ambition and are very educationally centered.” While some students change their future plans as they grow up, others choose to pursue the same careers they dreamed about when they were young. But in Palo Alto, having a successful career seems to be the norm due to the availability of resources and opportunities as well as all the success that surrounds us. “The Bay Area has an enormous wealth of talent and resources in almost any field you can imagine,” Paly alumna (‘09) Sasha Targ said. “The most direct impact I see from having a Palo Alto upbringing is the strength of the education here.”

When I was a little kid I was positive I was going to be President of the United States. [But] when you get to high school you realize that there are a lot of other people who are in harder classes who are going to go to ‘better’ universities, and you have to adjust your plans accordingly. Lande Watson Junior

Targ is pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. Through combining research and medicine, she hopes to improve people’s lives by developing new ways to prevent and cure disease. “My parents are both doctors, so I was exposed to medicine from a young age,” Targ said. “Research didn’t come until later — high school biology and chemistry were when I first thought I might want to pursue science either instead of or alongside a health profession.” We have a lot to live up to. According to the California Department of Education, 74.8 percent of the expected class of 2010 graduated from high school. However, PAUSD reported that Paly had a 98.17 percent graduation rate for the same school year. And high school graduation is only step one of our idea of the road to success. In fact, rarely do students deviate from the

Design by Chrissie Cheng & Alvina Zou

traditional path we believe we must follow to reach our goals: graduate from from high school, attend a “good” college — preferably an Ivy League — and get a job as a doctor, businessperson or something of an equally high caliber. This path to “success,” while not necessarily incorrect, is a limited view built off those we see around us. Our role models, such as our parents and neighboring professors at Stanford University, have often built their careers from a traditional career path, and we feel compelled to follow their example.

You have to evolve. You have to look at the global market. You have to understand the complexities about what’s happening in other parts of the world. We work and live in a global society. James Andrews Paly Alumni and Founder of Social People

But more and more we see that academic skills do not always fully equip us to succeed in the real world. Getting a 2400 on the SAT, taking five AP classes and loading up on extracurriculars may help us get into college, but this narrow approach to success often fails to provide us with the creative and critical thinking skills necessary to lead fruitful modern careers. We currently embody what the esteemed journalist David Brooks has coined as the generation of “organization kids.” We play by the rules, load up our schedules to their maximum capacities and are increasingly task-oriented. Whether we are occupied with academic courses, varsity sports, school orchestra or SAT preparation, we schedule nearly every single minute of every single day. We focus on these activities so we can go to college and get a desired career, but our narrow mindset often leaves us oblivious to how careers are developing and the new types of skills they require. We cannot be the outdated “organization kids” anymore, at least not in the constantly evolving job market of today. Paly alumni (‘88) James Andrews founded the innovative social networking companies Social People in 2010 and Everywhere in 2009. Though he began by following a typical career path by attending college, the rest of his journey was far from traditional. Social networking did not exist when he graduated high school, and there is no way he could have imagined himself ending up where he is now. “You have to evolve,” Andrews said. “You have to look at the global market. You have to understand the complexities about what is happening in other parts of the world. We work and live in a global society.” The job market we are going into is anything but conventional, with new fields developing every day, and Silicon Valley is the epicenter for these changes. We see jobs that were not available twenty, sometimes even 10 years ago. With experts in fields like social media, biotechnology, software and hardware, our area thrives on novel ideas that lead to companies like Google, Apple and Facebook. As students living in the Silicon Valley, it is time we change our approach to success to one that emphasizes creativity and innovative thinking. “Companies want innovators,” Andrews said. “Technology is pushing in so many areas you have to be innovative. They don’t teach networking, and they don’t teach innovation [in schools].”

Our generation has the potential to shape a new age of entrepreneurship and revolutionary ideas, which is seldom achieved through following a formulated process and a strict path. For many students, sticking to the traditional career path, which stresses getting good grades and going to college, routinely takes precedence over innovating and learning.Paly students appear to be well prepared overall, but in reality, they stress too much on grades rather than growth. Learning is not limited to the classroom. We learn more by taking risks out in the real world than in the isolation we call school. Sometimes, students have to put themselves out there and take chances, even risking the chance of failing. “Failure [was my best learning experience],” Andrews said. “Going bankrupt with a dot-com. Personal failure, falling on my face, having to start over, having financial turmoil. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.” Learning from failure is an essential stepping stone to success and a necessary, however difficult, method for those preparing for future careers. We need to experience criticism, and we need to fail in order to grow. Being told we are perfect and on the right path to success does not teach us anything. We need to be told where we are going wrong and where we need to improve—that is a practical way for us to learn. Ultimately, we need to take risks and immerse ourselves in the job market starting now. Whether this requires getting a job or an internship, there are countless opportunities available in the Silicon Valley, especially in Palo Alto. “[Palo Alto] is one of the epicenters of green technology and innovation, and I think that because I have been exposed to so

My ultimate dream is to become an entrepreneur and have my own business in green technology—but anything can happen between now and then so I know I’ll be happy with whatever comes my way. Jessica Tam Senior

many different opportunities here, I have truly been able to find what I am interested in and explore my passions in depth,” senior Jessica Tam said. “My ultimate dream is to become an entrepreneur and have my own business in green technology. But anything can happen between now and then, so I know I’ll be happy with whatever comes my way.” In Palo Alto, learning opportunities extend beyond the classroom. We have the ability to share our ideas and turn them into reality because of the incredible intellectual and technological resources surrounding us. Students here have shown admirable initiative by starting nonprofits, doing internships, working in labs and much more. Palo Alto should be the place for students to deviate from tradition and use the many resources available to us to explore creativity and innovation. “Palo Alto for me was an inspiring place in so many ways,” Andrews said. “Everybody here was really smart. It’s a great playground for knowledge.” But as we grow older, many of us stop valuing creativity and leave the playground. If we truly want to succeed in today’s world, it is imperative that we deviate from the traditional path, broaden our horizons and “play” a little bit longer.

What did you want to be when you wer Journalism

Technology

Transportation

Arts

Athletics

Pub Serv

5% 0%

Technol-

20%

7% 5%

5% 0%

8% 3%

The Campanile

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT SURVEY

Wh a

The Campanile conducted a Paly student survey about potential career paths students are planning to achieve. Here's what they had to say:

e lu

o y d e nc

l cia s o S rm no

% 8 9

ur career ch oic e?

s t n e d u t s d e l l a g of po n i d n te t a n o e g plan e l l o c ar e y r u fo ol o h c S h g i H r afte

6t% her O

31%

Personal passion, interests, and experience

27%

Close friends, parents, and role models

15%

13%

Online media, television, & current events

School

77%

of polled students have sha ped their college pl an to the ir desired c areer

4 f o t u o

eir h t r side their n o c ents reers for d u t s ca s t n re pare futu

re five vs What do you want to be now?

blic vice

Politics

Fantasy

Entertainment

Other

Science

25% 20% 15%

15%

13%

12%

10%

9% 0%

Sci-

15%

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

OPINION

Students should determine own political beliefs

Shivonne Logan Staff Writer

ne of the greatest birthdays as a teenager is your 18th birthday. Yeah, you are not able to drink legally, and you have the potential to be drafted. But you also get to do something many people all over the world will never have a chance to do: vote. We often take our right to vote for granted; we just assume that it is fair for us to have it, and that is the end of it. Something that is not often talked about, however, is what influences the way we vote. People on the news talk about social class, economics, etc., but that does not affect teenagers quite as much on a day-to-day basis. Instead, we have different influences. One of these influences is the opinions of our families and our community. When we turn 18 and go to the voting booth, we take with us everything that has been drilled into us by our parents, grandparents and older siblings. While all of these outside influences are well and good and pretty unavoidable, it is important to remember to educate ourselves about political issues. In Palo Alto politics, drastically different opinions are rare. According to junior Brian Kannapan, who identifies with the Republican party, he is “an outlier in a prominently democratic area.” His experience has led him to value open political discussion, and he believes Paly students should “respect opposition [and] respect a firm opinion.”

Courtesy of US.Gov

Political decision making, such as that done on Capitol Hill, is heavily reliant on individualism of thought and independence in one’s convictions.

“It’s gotta go both ways,” Kannapan said. “We have to voice both sides.” That being said, people’s different political ideas are not always wellknown, because those few who try to express them are often shot down or viciously attacked for their opinions. Take the example of the Paly Republican club. They were not asking anyone to do anything against their beliefs: they just wanted to be able to share ideas. Because of the harsh lines we draw between staunch Republicans and staunch Democrats, Paly students

often seem to lose sight of the big picture. You should not support Obama because that is what your friends are doing. If you are going to support a political figure, do it because of your own convictions. Do not vote in the elections along the party lines you are restricted to; vote for the laws or candidates you believe in! It is easy to take something you hear on the news or from a friend at face value, but it is important to consider the biases that might be hidden in the information you are receiving, according to freshman Isabella Saliba-Long.

“A good majority of the teenagers in Palo Alto are mostly influenced by their parents... If they don’t take it to the extreme it could be a good thing,” Long said. Now, we have all heard one side of an issue and immediately thought, “Oh yeah, that must be right.” And it very well could be. But how can you know it is the right thing if you have not heard the opposite? Debating the issue is the best way to figure out if you truly believe in something, freshman Brynn Carlson said. “It would be really cool if Paly had a current events class... that would be

a really good way for students to be exposed to what’s going on politically in an unbiased way,” Carlson said. So Paly, next time you hear someone complaining about Obamacare, do not harass them for their belief. Ask them why they oppose it, and try to express your beliefs reasonably, instead of throwing out the typical snide comment on Romney’s binders full of women. Paly students are well-rounded and educated, and we have been given everything we need to learn, so there is no reason why we can not step it up to improve our political awareness.

Stress can have both positive, negative effects on mental health

stephenie Zhang Staff writer

t is two o’clock Monday morning and there is still calculus homework to do and an Advanced Placement U.S. History chapter to read. The SAT is on Saturday, and finals are the week after. This type of situation is what students deem as stressful, an insight into many people’s myopic perception of stress and its effects. We place a stigma on stress, and while this

caliber of stress is evidently detrimental to health, certain types of stress can actually be beneficial. In a psychological context, stress is defined by endocrinologist Hans Selye as three “essentially dissimilar” concepts: a stimulus, a response to a stimulus or the physical effects of the response. And under the vague umbrella of stress, the response to an uncontrollable stressor, exists two branches: eustress and distress, in other words, good stress and bad stress. When students typically think of stress, they think of distress: frustration, high tension, depression and anxiety. Many students face considerable distress in their academic lives from having to manage school and extracurriculars while still somehow finding time for a social life—a tour de force by any standard. And in response to this overwhelming stressor students call

academia, the physiological and psychological systems react negatively to the stressors in an attempt to cope with the stress. When people are distressed, they become forgetful, feel nervous and Eustress can act as an impetus, a stimulant sharpening our senses and motivating us to face a challenge or achieve a goal.

experience dozens of other psychological and physical effects. While these effects seem transitory, stress does have adverse long-term effects. The irony is that ongoing stress high schoolers experience because of their grades hinders many processes. The “fight-or-flight” response developed by Walter Cannon in the

Courtesy of American Public Health Association

Stress can have a double-sided effect on humans, both putting stress on the body and also serving as a motivator.

1930s is perhaps the most widely known theory describing the autonomic nervous system’s response to stress: faster heart beat, higher blood pressure and higher glucose level. Encountering and dealing with stressors has temporary effects, but repeated exposure causes bodies to adapt and continue acting as if there were a stressor present. Long-term stress adversely affects both the psychological and physiological systems, changing mood, behavior, emotion as well as bodily systems. And to compensate for the distress, many people resort to detrimental coping mechanisms such as drug abuse, social isolation, procrastination, overeating or undereating, to name a few. With the possible negative effects to physical and mental health, why do certain people believe some stress should be celebrated? Though counterintuitive, not all forms of stress are bad. The distinction between distress and eustress depends on a person’s perception of a threat or a challenge. According to psychologists Jim Blascovich and Joseph Tomaka, the distinction between a threat and a challenge lies in the relationship between demands and resources: when there are more resources than demands, we sense a challenge, but when there are more demands than resources, we sense a threat. Distress, the response to a perceived threat and what students encounter most often during the academic school year is unhealthy in the long run, but eustress, the response to a challenge, is a different branch of stress. Eustress can act as an impetus, a stimulant sharpening our senses and motivating us to face a challenge or achieve a goal. In addition, eustress helps students, and other people in general, focus their energy on the challenge at hand and ultimately improve their performance. It is, as many say, a form of “healthy” stress. Students experience eustress in many different contexts, such as when playing sports or participating in competitions in order to lend power to one’s physical self.

The former helps the mind fight irritability and depression. Enough sleep, good grades or a social life: pick any two. To many students, this aphorism is the truth. Each student picks a different pair, and many choose enough sleep—well probably not what they should be getting—and good grades. A social life can wait. But according to co-founder of the concept of social neuroscience John Cacioppo, our social lives play a major role in the stress we have or do not have. Unhealthy or healthy relationships and even dominance and submission determines our levels of social stress, the most common form in students. The relationship between academic relationship and stress is grey:

To compensate for the distress, many people resort to detrimental coping mechanisms such as drug abuse, social isolation, procrastination, overeating or undereating, to name a few. constant stress over grades hinders our academic performance, an inverse relationship, while acute stress to face a challenge can be beneficial, a direct relationship. Though it is possible for stress to inversely affect our GPA, this is not to say students should completely relax and just neglect their responsibilities and commitments, but rather to say students should stay reasonable and not completely overwhelm themselves. “Stress is bad.” Well, it is not that simple. Each student has a different level of self-confidence, and each student chooses a different coping mechanism. Under the same circumstances, different people react differently. Being “stressed” is not all bad, as many think, nor is it all good. But a piece of advice: break the cycle of procrastination, get work done early and you will relieve yourself of huge amounts of distress.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

OPINION

Cost of prom tickets should be lower

Irene Ezran Staff Writer

or many people, prom is one of the most memorable days of high school—it is an event one remembers when looking back on his or her time at Paly. Although I agree this is an important tradition and that it should be a memorable night, the prom tickets at Paly are much too expensive. Paly’s Associated Student Body (ASB) should modify prom planning in order to make this an enjoyable event without making it too costly for students. Last year, prom was $100 per ticket, which is already very expensive, and this year, the cost is expected to increase. According to Matt Hall, the Student Activities Director, this year “[prom] will be about a 10 to 15 percent increase over last year.” That means that the ticket is expected to be between $110 and $115 per person. As a result of the costly tickets, students with financial difficulties might have to miss out on prom night. This is why ASB should consider decreasing the price to somewhere between $90 and $100 in order to allow more students to participate in this enjoyable experience without having to worry about the financial aspect. Although it may seem difficult to make prom less expensive, there are several solutions that would decrease the prom budget. According to ASB President Jessica Tam, the majority of the prom budget goes to rental fees for the venue. To decrease expenditures in the future, ASB could book the venue earlier in order to have more options. Last year, ASB booked the prom venue in May of the year before the event, which is the earliest Paly has ever booked prom. However, even in May, many other high schools in the Bay Area have already chosen a location, limiting Paly’s options.

For instance, Henry M. Gunn High School (Gunn) often books their prom venue one or two years before the event, which is always before Paly, thus giving Gunn more options for the venue. In addition, once Gunn books their venue, the possible dates of prom are limited for Paly because Paly cannot have prom on the same night as Gunn, since some students attend both. In the future, ASB should book the venue at least a year or two in advance in order to have more options for the location. If ASB has more venues with different rental prices to

choose from, it will be able to pick a less pricey but still enjoyable location, which will decrease the price of prom tickets significantly. Another important factor that determines the cost of prom tickets is how much ASB subsidizes throughout the year. Gunn’s ASB generates a significant revenue through dances, especially Homecoming, and the proceeds go directly to the prom budget. As a result, last year, prom tickets at Gunn were $90, which is more reasonable than the price of Paly tickets. A simple answer to this problem would be to have more dance

attendance at Paly. However, although ASB puts in a lot of effort to better the Paly dances, the attendance is nowhere near as impressive as Gunn’s, and the dances are unable to subsidize Paly’s prom budget. However, there are many other ways to fundraise money to subsidize the prom budget. For example, the junior and senior class could have a car wash, bake sale, pancake breakfast or even a marathon, and have the proceeds go toward decreasing the price of prom. Also, an important element in fundraising is to announce where

the funds are being used. In the past, ASB has done fundraisers, but most students were not aware that the proceeds went to subsidizing the prom budget. If ASB tells the students that the proceeds of the fundraising events will decrease prom ticket’s cost, student participation could increase. By booking the venue earlier and organizing various fundraisers throughout the year, ASB, along with help from the students, can significantly lower the price of the prom ticket, which will make prom an enjoyable and affordable experience for all students.

Teachers should implement ‘flipped classroom’ system

Josefin Kenrick Staff Writer

s a student, I can say that the hardest part of school for me is homework. It is time consuming, boring and sometimes I do not even understand it. Sometimes it is easier to “forget” about homework than legitimately doing it, and other times, although it is wrong, students simply copy others’ homework. I understand that homework is an important tool in the learning process, but there could be a more effective way to implement it to ensure successful learning. This way is through a flipped classroom model. A flipped classroom essentially means that students learn their lectures by watching videos online for homework (or in class if a student does not have internet access). These online lectures would either be made by teachers or taken from a website, such as Khan Academy. These lecture videos are usually five to 15 minutes long and cover

main concepts that students need to be learning. Students can write down any questions they may have to be answered during class and they can also watch the lecture multiple times for maximum comprehension. During class time, students do practice problems, use educational technology or learn through different activities; essentially students do their homework in class where they have their teachers and peers to help them if they need it. It is easy to get discouraged when doing homework by oneself at home, but in the classroom homework can be much more effective and efficient practice. The flipped classroom model allows class time to be utilized in a way that is interactive for students, rather than using the time for lectures that can be easily viewed at home. Teachers can exemplify concepts that students have already learned on their own through hands-on activities, labs, more extensive presentations and other interactive methods of teaching that are supplemental to the online lectures. Some teachers may say that certain concepts are too complex to teach in a video. However, if students learn the fundamentals of these concepts through the online videos, it will be easier for teachers to clarify the concepts in class as students will have obtained a basic knowledge on their own. As a student, I believe that it would be very helpful if teachers at Paly began to implement the flipped classroom technique. I have watched

Ahmed Awadallah/The Campanile

Students work on circuits in Physics Honors. A flipped classroom model would allow for more labs and practice in the classroom and less lecturing, allowing students to use their teachers and peers to a higher level.

Khan Academy videos in order to help me better understand concepts taught in class and I find them very helpful. Moreover, in a growing technological world, it makes sense that we should integrate more educational technology into the curriculum. Using computers during class can enhance learning by letting students view subject matter in a different light, such as using interactive online

games to understand math and science concepts. A flipped classroom model at Paly would greatly help student learning, especially in hard science classes. In geometry it could allow for 3-D examples of theorems so that students can visualize what they are learning. For science classes, this model would allow for more lab time. In history classes it could be used to reenact historical moments or debates.

Although it will be difficult to fully integrate the flipped classroom model into Paly life, it is possible for students to have less problem-oriented homework and more videos of lectures to watch online for homework. The amount of interactive studentteacher activities are endless, and this new model would also allot more student-teacher question time and minimize homework that needs to be done outside of class.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A10 OPINION Country music undeserving of criticism

The Campanile

OH CRAP!

HILLEL ZAND

Eric wang/campanile

emily semba Staff writer

ountry music is a major target for criticism these days, especially within the Palo Alto community. Many hold the firm belief that the genre is made by and for ignorant Southern rednecks with a minimal amount of teeth, holding no redeeming qualities for the financially stable, well-educated population. However, coming from the west coast in one of the most liberal cities in the nation, I can certainly attest to the fact that these stereotypes hold little truth. After being introduced to country music during my middle school years, I was instantly hooked despite the mocking I received from friends and family alike. Though most of my

friends are disgusted with my “country crap” and refuse to let me choose the radio station in the car, I am proud to have gotten a few to truly appreciate the genre (okay, more like one or two songs). Here are a few reasons why country should be viewed as a genre not inferior to other styles of music, but rather one just as deserving of respect and appreciation as any other type of music. 1. Everybody can relate.

Country songwriters create music based off personal experiences, making it easy for listeners to connect with the lyrics. Whether you have a desire for a new car (Brad Paisley), don’t want the night to end (Luke Bryan), or have trouble with girls (Scotty McCreery), it is practically a guarantee that there will be a song for your situation. 2. There are many valuable life tips to be learned.

Among them, creative ways to utilize Red Solo cups. 3. You can actually listen to it with your parents in the room.

Rarely will a song contain vulgar language, something that cannot be

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said about many Billboard Top 40 songs. The radio versions of country songs will actually resemble the unedited version; they do not have to be bleeped out and remixed to cover up every swear word to make them radio-friendly, simply because no swear words are present on the original. 4. Country concerts.

As much of the Paly population has discovered, summer country concerts at Shoreline are the place to be. The inexpensive tickets and outdoor atmosphere guarantee a fantastic experience. Though most are in attendance for its reputation of being a “rager with country music in the background,” the music will not disappoint, leading to... 5. What you hear is what you get.

Because most country music is free of major Autotune usage, the singers sound the same (if not, better) in concert and on the record. When you listen to a song, you can trust that what you are hearing is legitimate talent and not simply computer-manufactured noise. 6. Country singers are real.

Despite the massive crowds that

flock to see them in concert, even the most popular country singers are fairly down to earth. After being introduced to country music during my middle school years, I was instantly hooked despite the mocking I received from friends and family alike. They will rarely be spotted inside supermarket tabloids, primarily because they do not differ drastically from the average American, not choosing to spend their time getting caught up in the latest scandal or publicity stunt. To illustrate, Miranda Lambert was proposed to by Blake Shelton in her backyard wearing camo, sans makeup. 7. There is no need to analyze AP-level lyrics.

I, for one, do not appreciate overly poetic lyrics to the point where they make no sense. Country music is simple; its point is not to be fancy, but to appreciate and recognize the ordinary things in life, and it is made for the average Joe to understand without having to ask Google.

An epidemic that has long plagued Paly’s campus has gone overlooked for too long. This school must soon confront its greatest flaw so that students can finally live in peace. No, this flaw is not the amount of homework, nor is it students’ stress levels. In fact, it can be found in our notorious bathrooms. Enter any stall and you will find the problem hanging on the wall. Simply put, Paly needs to change its toilet paper supply from one-ply to two-ply. Changing to two-ply bathroom tissue would make a student’s public bathroom experience less like a horror film. Many students have long “held it in” while at school because of the stigma associated with sometimes gross and hazardous public bathrooms. Furthermore, these restrooms fail to provide adequate accessories necessary to do our business. One-ply toilet paper is also referred to as “John Wayne toilet paper” since “it’s rough and it’s tough and don’t take s*** off no one.” Going to the bathroom can be a pleasant experience, but Paly has ruined this by not having comfortable bathroom tissue. Without double-ply toilet paper, students fear “dropping the kids off at the lake” or “taking the Browns to the Super Bowl.” The use of double-ply toilet paper is often associated with the cute and cuddly bear from the Charmin commercials. On the contrary, the use of single-ply toilet paper to decontaminate one’s behind is equivalent to journeying to hell and back. Going to take a number two is one of the most personal acts one can experience, but this daily ritual is ruined when one realizes they must use low-grade, painful material to clean up. To those who argue changing to double-ply toilet paper will leave a bigger carbon footprint because of the extra material needed to produce it, I pose to you a counterargument. With today’s bathroom tissue status quo, many use double the amount of single-ply toilet paper just so they can suffice their wiping needs and to replicate the experience of using the angelic double-ply. So yes, it may cost more, but doubling up on single-ply is just the same. In August 2012, the University of Kansas changed its bathroom policy from one-ply to two-ply toilet paper. It had provided higher quality bathroom tissue a decade earlier, but students had begun to steal it to bring back to their dorms. You see, we wouldn’t have that problem (or at least, I would hope not) so this change is in fact feasible. Changing to two-ply toilet paper is something the Paly administration and janitorial staff must consider. I’m not asking for three-ply. I’m just asking for an easy improvement to student bathroom comfort. Next time you take a dump at home, don’t take the soft, soothing toilet paper you have for granted. Once you come to school, it’s all over.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

OPINION A11

Student cyclists should receive tickets for unsafe practices

Jack Paladin staff writer

In 2010, 618 people were killed in bicycle accidents and more than 50,000 were injured in the United States. In total, the medical cost for all these injuries was over four billion dollars. Of these fatalities, 85 percent were due to people not wearing their helmets, and the risk of brain damage is reduced 88 percent while wearing a helmet. These shocking and horrible statistics demonstrate a need for change in U.S. bicycle safety. The Palo Alto Police Department has been working hard to combat this issue by pulling over students who are not wearing their helmets. Though California state law declares that all people under the age of 18 must wear a helWhile students may find getting pulled over annoying, the policemen are simply doing their jobs in protecting the people of Palo Alto. met while operating a bicycle or other non-motorized vehicle, it is common practice especially among teenagers to not follow this rule. Even after seeing these horrible numbers, students are still willing

to risk their lives by not wearing a helmet for seemingly unimportant reasons. Keeping hair neat or listening to music are not comparable trade-offs to serious injury or death. Students should be more concerned for their own safety and the safety of others around them by wearing their helmets whenever on a bike or on another vehicle (scooter, skateboard, etc). The United States has implemented a program called Operation Safe Passage to help increase safety among bikers. The program works with both bikers and drivers to help educate them on safety procedures and eventually help lower the injury rate of bicyclists. “Operation Safe Passage is a nationwide program that helps promote safety and elevates driver awareness,” Palo Alto Police Department officer Marco Estrada said. Throughout the nation policemen are teaching people to follow the rules of the road and most importantly protect those not driving cars. But it is important that bikers do their part as well and wear helmets. It is difficult for police officers to fix the issue at hand by just teaching students what they should be doing through lectures at school or through pamphlets. Instead, there seems to be a need for consequences when biking without a helmet, otherwise people will continue to break the law and see no issue. “One way [of increasing safety] is enforcing bike helmets [through ticketing],” Estrada said. “There have been a lot of accidents and wearing a helmet is a law and a requirement.” People who do not wish to wear their helmets are putting themselves at a risk for serious injury or even death. In the interest of student safety, the officers from Palo Alto Police Department have been pulling over

students biking to school without helmets, often stationing themselves at busy intersections, nearby school grounds and sometimes even inside of the schools. Students who are pulled over are given a citation and can be fined for breaking the law for up to $25. If paying the fine does not appeal to students, they have a separate option of going to a class to learn about the safety issues of not wearing a helmet. In this scenario they will not have to pay a fine or be marked with a citation. Going to class cancels the first citation but after a second infraction the class is no longer an alternative and the student is required to pay the fine. Recently, junior Fionn Ruder was pulled over by a Palo Alto Police Department officer while biking to school without a helmet.

“I could either attend the biking safety class for two hours or pay the fine,” Ruder said. “Obviously I didn't want to pay the fine so I attended the class.” In this class, people learn the importance of wearing a helmet as well as other general safety information about biking such as the rules of the road. While the class is required if the fine is not paid, some students complain that the topics taught contain obvious information and are not always helpful. “It was quite boring,” Ruder said. “[The class was] about 30 kids in a community center getting lectured by temperamental cops. It was all common sense and basic rules of the road [such as] do not cross the street unless you are at a crosswalk.’” While students may find getting pulled over annoying, the policemen are simply doing their jobs in

protecting the people of Palo Alto and teaching them the importance of wearing a helmet while biking. At first glance it may seem burdensome, but in the long run it is important that students and others learn more about being safe. Policemen are even giving people who do decide to break the law and extra chance with the class. Why not take one extra minute every day just to put on a helmet? This small task is so simple. An unfateful day could result in a tragedy with a huge impact on every individual’s life and their network of friends of family. So rise above what seems to be the new social norm and put on a helmet and avoid a tragedy. For more information on the issue call the non-emergency line of the Palo Alto Police Department at (650)-329-2413 to talk with an officer.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A12

The Campanile

EDITORIALS

Administration response to gun incident sends right message about safety

ecently two Paly students were arrested by the Palo Alto Police Department for the possession of various weapons on campus. Fortunately, there was no evidence that either student planned to use the weapons for any sort of “mass casualty incident,” according to Palo Alto Online. Despite this, due to the incident’s close proximity to the tragic Newton shootings, a harsh response by the Paly administration would be understandable; however the administration chose to respond fairly: by suspending each student involved for five days. The Campanile commends the administration for its sensible response and level-headedness, especially at a time when gun violence and security in schools is being sensationalized by the media. In addition, the Campanile believes that it is imperative that the administration look into viable security measures that will reduce the possibility of such a tragic occurrence

here at Paly, such as mental health services. The importance of such safety measures is undeniable, and the administration should expedite the implementation of any initiatives that have the potential to protect Paly students. However, the administration should be mindful of the fact that many students here value the freedom and openness of the Paly campus if efforts are made to increase safety; security should not come at the cost of student freedoms. A starting point should be preventative mental health services, in which Paly already has a strong framework. We must leverage such services and reach out to students who may face mental disorders. It has already been established that those who are most likely to harm other students in a high school setting fit a certain mental profile. As a preemptive measure, proper care should be taken to aid with counseling any such students with this profile.

We also appreciate the prompt response by the Palo Alto police in dealing with these extraordinary circumstances. The levelheaded approach that the administration has shown in dealing with this situation is also notable. Especially in the wake of the many high-profile gun-related incidents, the simple act of bringing a weapon of any kind to a school would be fertile grounds of overreaction. Fortunately, the penalties levied against the parties indicate the contrary. Education of weapons safety and self-defense will also serve the Paly community well. A well-informed public can make all the difference when it comes to any contentious issue. Finally, to the student body. The Campanile fully supports students exercising their freedoms. However, weapons are not allowed on campus, and pushing back against long-standing safety rules in the wake of national tragedies is insensitive and unnecessary.

Winston’s responsiveness key in correcting errors

fter changed plans, miscommunication and many emails, Principal Winston, Mr. Hall and senior class parent representatives are close to finalizing a location and time for this year’s Baccalaureate. The Campanile could fill up a many an editorial admonishing Winston and Hall for such mistakes as attempting to make plans for the event without input from families of seniors, not alerting parents when Stanford officials forced a change of date and guessing that students and parents would value keeping the traditional Stanford Memorial Theater venue at the cost of a date change. These problems could have all been avoided if senior class parents or seniors themselves were involved in the planning process from the beginning. However, these are moot points for planning this year. Senior class parents are now involved in Baccalaureate planning, and Winston has stated that they will be a part of the process from hereon out, which is an excellent step forward. As such, the Campanile commends Principal Winston for a timely, flexible and fair response to families’ complaints. He could have easily stayed the course and stuck by his earlier decision, but he showed true leadership by quickly meeting with a committee of parents to alleviate the concerns of many.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, senior class parents received an email alerting them that Baccalaureate would change back to the original date, without ticket restrictions, but that a venue is still being located. This is the type of transparency a principal should be employing in all matters related to students and families. Although parents weren’t offered a final plan, keeping them in the honest loop of communication allows them to plan accordingly. In addition, the Campanile, and especially its senior members, would like to thank the senior parent group that met with Winston on Monday, Feb. 11 for its dedication to all events senior-related. For the future, a committee comprised of seniors, parents and administrators would be the optimal group to plan events like Baccalaureate, in order to offer input from everyone affected by end of the year festivities. Seniors could volunteer, or be selected out of organizations like ASB. Planning large-scale, important events are never simple to pull off. But by creating a dialogue around the planning process, Winston can employ the full resources of the Palo Alto community to plan events that will please the largest portion of the school.

Sports attendance disservice to athletic accomplishments

aly prides itself on its high level of success both in the classroom and on the sports fields. However, this year there has been a noticeable lack of students in the stands cheering on our sports teams. Despite recent successes in the last few years such as state championship victories and current ones such as the varsity boys’ basketball team’s undefeated league record, attendance has flagged. Sports players thrive off the atmosphere, and a loud, boisterous crowd can really prove helpful to players wishing for that extra source of energy. Especially with many teams entering the playoffs where each game grows increasingly important, players would benefit greatly from having as many people cheering as loud as possible. Teams could use the boost from their fans even more during road games, but the commute might drive potential fans away. However, the Campanile urges students to attend as many games as possible to help prevent players from feeling intimidated by a large opposing crowd and also to act as the intimidating crowd for other schools coming to play at Paly. A good fan showing can spook opposing teams and give an advantage to our Paly teams.

In addition, high school sports games act as a hub for social life, allowing students to interact with not only fellow school members but also students from other schools. Games increase students’ sense of pride and also unifies them by giving everyone a common bond. To even further students’ pride for sports team, the Associated Student Body (ASB) ought to work on organizing rallies and other spirit-related events before major games. Other possibilities include having free gear passed around during games and utilizing the mascot in more activities. Also, fans would be intrigued by raffles and other prize winning activities. The School Board in addition to generous donors have recognize the importance of high school sports,voting to create a new state of the art gym and also rebuilding the bleachers at the football field. It would be a waste to not use these facilities to their fullest capacity since these locations were renovated to showcase our sports. We have built the culture of having strong sports teams through incredible amounts of effort and time. Therefore, we must build a corresponding culture of fans who attend as many games as possible to elevate our teams.

FEBRUARY’S TOP TEN LIST Hipster Bands That Should Exist 10) A Bad Day to Live Well 9) Brotherhood of the Traveling Ants 8) Maroon π

7) I-Ran to Iraq 6) The Flaming Crystal Beths 5) Lactose Tolerance 4) Jerry and the Berksons 3) Big Black Caucus 2) A$AP Balboa 1) Male Pattern Baldwins -JAKE KERMAN with guest writer QUINN ROCKWELL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Got something on your mind?

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

COMIC OF THE MONTH

Apparently, the role of Santa changes hands every few years.

The Campanile Editors-in-Chief Kate Apostolou • Charlie Dulik• Yasna Haghdoost Alvin Kim • Nira Krasnow • Michael Wang News Editors Elena Pinsker Emily Rosenthal

Opinion Editor Jake Kerman

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Business Managers Ben Hawthorne Elizabeth Bowman

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Jensen Hsiao Josefin Kenrick William Kershner Maya Kitayama Julia Kwasnick Albert Lee Emily Lee Claire Liu Shivonne Logan Kian McHugh Will Mendenhall Jack Paladin

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The Campanile

LIFESTYLE

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Who is the mystery quad dancer? The Campanile Reports B5

McGiggles Gets Serious

A Modern

Quinceañera text by Josefin Kenrick design & illustration by Anna McGarrigle

The traditional Latin American coming of age celebration is not lost on Paly students, as certain young women participate in this night of dancing, family & friends and lots of sparkles.

history of the Quinceañera dates back to Aztec culture in 500 B.C.

the court is comprised of 14 couples, plus the birthday girl and her escort.

mass is held in the morning, as the young woman asserts her faith.

the celebration begins as the young woman waltzes with her father.

weet Sixteen. One of the biggest birthdays in an American girl’s life, up there with 18th, 21st and 50th celebrations. However, for Hispanics, 16 is nothing compared to 15, an age which deserves a large commemoration and festivities called a quinceañera. A quinceañera is a celebration for latina girls who have reached the age of 15 and have maintained their virginity, which is an honor that “deserves to be celebrated,” according to quinceanera.com. Quinceañeras originated from the Aztec culture at around 500 B.C. 15 was the age that boys became warriors in Aztec society, and girls were also viewed as important at that age because they could become mothers of future warriors. When a girl turned 15 that was the age that she truly became a woman. Over time, the quinceañera has continued to represent the symbolic change of girl to woman, yet birthing new warriors is not a new woman’s primary occupation anymore. Although boys can also have quinceañeras, they are traditionally for girls and it is unusual, although not unheard of, for a boy to have a “quince.” Senior Stephanie Sanchez had her quinceañera April 9, 2011, during spring break. “It turned out great and I’m grateful for having one [although] it was a lot of work,” Sanchez said. “I personally didn’t see this much as [a womanhood] thing, I just really wanted to have the Mexican traditional quince.” Most quinceañeras begin in a Catholic church with close relatives and friends for mass. Afterwards, pictures are taken of the Quinceañera (the girl who turns fifteen) and her friends. Junior Jiin Park went to a friend’s quinceañera and enjoyed the new cultural experience. “I enjoyed it a lot,” Park said. “I got to dance with my friends, eat delicious food and [take pictures].” In a traditional Mexican quinceañera there are damas and chambelanes, the people who do the dances at the quinceañera along with the Quinceañera. The Quinceañera also has a “man of honor,” or accompanying male, to dance with her at her quinceañera. The Quinceañera is sometimes awarded a tiara to be a reminder that she will always be considered a princess by her family. Quinceañeras can also have different special celebrations depending on the country they are in. For example, in countries such as Argentina and Paraguay they have a special ceremony called “The 15 candles.” In this ceremony, the Quinceañera gives 15 candles to people who she thinks were most influential during her 15 years of life. Usually, this is then followed by a speech dedicated to the candle receivers. The 15 candles symbolize the 15 years of life that the girl has “left behind” and special memories that the birthday girl had with family and friends. In Cuba, the party includes a choreographed group dance in which 14 couples waltz around the girl, who is dancing with a boy of her choice. There

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are four to six dancers called experts who dance around the Quinceañera. These experts are also known as escorts and are actually inexperienced dancers who highlight the central couple. The male dancers sometimes wear tuxedos in different colors for a more vibrant dance number. In the Dominican Republic the quinceañera celebration is very common, and it also begins with a mass and then goes to a dance party. After the quinceañera girl finishes her customary dances, a buffet and drinks are served. The

“There were about nine hundred to one thousand people [at my quinceañera] that day.”

Senior Stephanie Sanchez

main attraction in the Dominican Republic is an immense cake that is very colorful and delicious which is cut after the dancing ends. Another general rule for quinceañearas is that none of the guests should ever overshadow the quinceañeara by wearing brighter or prettier dresses. “I really enjoyed having practices with all my dancers and most of all performing three dances at my party,” Sanchez said. “The traditional thing I enjoyed most was having the father-daughter dance with my dad.” After traditional dances, the rest of the quinceañera is a social event to celebrate the transformation of the Quinceañera. There is an elegant dinner served and many festive decorations. Bands play and people dance as well as socialize, essentially it is a birthday party on a grand scale, with everyone close to the birthday girl invited. “I’d describe it as a birthday celebration that is way bigger than a ‘Sweet Sixteen,’” Park said. “I believe that quinceañeras are more serious than just a birthday party because of the time, money and effort that go into the event.” Sanchez sent out over four hundred invitations to her quinceañera and made a facebook event to invited people. “There were about nine hundred to one thousand people that day,” Sanchez said. “I enjoyed taking pictures with everyone and dancing and seeing people I hadn’t seen in awhile.”

INSIDE

Anna mcgarrigle

Deserving.

A word that seems to be thrown around far too often in the context of college admissions. It is heard with both congratulatory remarks on college acceptances and pitying condolences regarding rejections. “Congratulations, you deserve it!” Or “I’m so sorry, you totally deserved it.” Worse yet, “you deserve it more than him.” We brand each other with judgements based on what we see of others: appearance, behavior, extracurricular activities, all to generate some sort of biased mock-up identity about peers. We think we know the credentials of a certain other student applying to the same university, and it is so easy to compare ourselves to each other. But instead of only criticizing others as peers, we also see them in the eyes of a college admissions officer evaluating their application. It’s simple self-deprecation. Unproductive and detrimental, this comparative evaluation we subject ourselves to is inherently wrong for so many reasons. But mostly, it stems from the realm of what we think we know. College admissions are a crapshoot. It’s scientifically proven by the same statistics that are supposed to provide applicant security. No one will ever know why they were not admitted to that school they statistically should have been, or why they were accepted to one that they were not expecting to. We are all going to end up somewhere, whether it be at a four year university, a community college, the Peace Corps or bumming on our parents’ couch as we “figure things out” for a while. Lets drop this idea of deserving. We all came into this world, entitled to nothing but what we make for ourselves. Each student may have his or her own impressive academic record and personal accomplishments, but still nothing entitles someone to a seat at a certain university. Our focus as media-driven teenagers often tends to point inwards, not only to ourselves, but to the limits of what we think we know. Being educated and successful isn’t about the college you go to or the job you get. It’s about what you do with any single opportunity you are confronted with, and every single opportunity that you seek out for yourself. This world don’t owe us anything as young adults — we will only go as far as we are driven to go. Palo Alto may seem to us like a stifling bubble right now (especially to us seniors on the brink of escape), but to other parts of the world, it’s paradise. Silicon Valley is an international symbol for innovation and success, but I feel that in the middle of the viral fame, we often forget how success is made. And it is most certainly not made by standing still, waiting to be recognized for what we “deserve.”

Julian Hornik: Red Carpet by Emily Rosenthal B5

The Paly senior’s work for the It Gets Better Project recently took him to L.A. for the tour’s debut.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

STUDENT LIFE

Senior uses creative blogging to share talents

chrissie cheng/the campanile

Senior Micayla Brewster shows off her variety of jewelry, head wear and other accessories. Brewster creates trinkets and posts them on her blog howdoyoumakethatblog.blogspot.com

Chrissie Cheng Spotlight editor

ften, Micayla Brewster receives complements on her stylish jewelry such as “Oh, I love your necklace! Where did you get it?” Usually, one would respond with the name of a department store, or perhaps say that it was a gift, but for Brewster, her response is simply, “I made it myself.” Brewster, a 17 year old senior, has what one could call a ‘crafty mind’—going back to the good old days of arts and crafts with a twist, using her creative skills to share with the world on her blogspot “How’d You Make That?” However, Brewster’s blogging did not start at the same time of her crafting. She came up with the idea after many people asked how she made her accessories. “I’ve crafted before and people would always ask me how to make it,” Brewster said. “So, I figured I should just make a blog and share it with everyone at once.” And with that, Brewster has designed her “How’d You Make That?” blog to share with her friends and social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The title fits her blog, as Brewster takes her own pictures, writes her own directions and uploads the latest do-it-yourself crafts. Not only does she share her crafts with others, but it is also where she gets her inspiration. “I’ll either be watching TV or [be on] Instagram or Pinterest—whatever I see something I like,” Brewster said. “That’s where I get my inspiration from.” Brewster also states that she will create something if it is normally too expensive at its

retail value or difficult to find at common stores around the area. “If it’s something that I’ve been searching for and can’t find or something that’s way overpriced, I’ll also decide to make it,” Brewster said. After Brewster decides on her idea, that’s when the planning begins. She researches online, or guesses from prior experience on the tools and supplies she’ll need in order to make her pieces. “I usually make a list of all the materials I need, and go to a craft store like Michael’s , [which is] one of my favorite places,” Brewster said. Afterwards, both the crafting and the blogging take place. Brewster starts with the crafting, and simultaneously takes notes in order to make sure her do-it-yourself blog has every detail. “I usually start by making it, and then I take notes,” Brewster said. “I note specific details such as number of stitches when knitting and take pictures while I make them.” Afterwards, Brewster places it on her blog to share with the rest of the internet. Some of her favorite pieces she has handmade and displayed on her blog have been cross earrings made out of headpins and knitted bows. “The cross earrings I really like because I have been searching for them for a long time and they were the first ones I shared on my blog,” Brewster said. “It was my first non-knitting craft.” Brewster also favors her knitted bow headbands because not only were they the building blocks to her knitting hobby, but also because they were so simple to make. With the hustle and bustle of senior year, Brewster still finds time in creating her DIY

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crafts and continues to blog them. With college coming up, Brewster says that she plans on continuing working on her DIY blog throughout her future schooling. “Right now it’s just a fun thing to do, I really love showing people the things I make. I’m definitely going to continue doing it as a hobby in college,” Brewster said.

Brewster is currently working on a new knitting project surprise that will be on her blog soon and is continuing to share her creation with the world. “I like being able to share my crafts more than just posting it onto Facebook,” Brewster said. “I love sharing it with people who love to craft just as much as I do.”

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

COMMUNITY

Palo Alto Adult School offers variety of night classes

Adam Mansour/The Campanile

Elizabeth Bales-Stutes teaches English and Grammar for the Advanced ESL Student course during adult school held once a week at night. The class is intended to improve speaking and writing skills.

rachel cui sTaff writer

hat are night classes? Are they similar to supplementary classes that provide extra help and guidance to students struggling in the fast-paced day classes at Paly? Or are they created to help assimilate teachers-in-training into a real high school setting? These misconceptions and questions are perhaps associated with night classes because the darkly lit campus, abandoned by teenagers until the next sunrise, creates a slightly mysterious mood. These night classes taught at Paly are not for teenagers or training teachers, but for adults over the age of 18 to pursue their hobbies or hone their skills through classes such as Creative Arts, Birding, Computer tech and Language. The Palo Alto Adult School embodies three goals for its

students, according to Principal Kara Rosenberg. The three goals are for students to set goals for themselves, to make progress towards those goals and to be able to demonstrate what they have learned. “[Students] have to be able to determine their own goals and make progress toward them,” Rosenberg said. “We want them to learn something and then use it.” Rosenberg stresses the range of the adult school’s intensive English Enrichment classes. According to the adult school’s website, the English as a Second Language Program focuses on improving students’ English language skills to help them prepare for both personal and professional goals. Students take the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) before they enter the English as a Second Language Program, and take reading tests three times during the year to assess their progress, according to Rosenberg.

Final exams in some classes are required to enforce the level of rigor and to assess the students’ progresses. The most appealing characteristic of the adult school is that it offers a wide range of classes that are not available during the daytime at Paly. These classes offer a whole new dimension of classes that stimulate creativity and refine the skills needed in some areas of profession. According to Rosenberg, the adult school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which is the same organization that accredits high schools. According to Rosenberg, she and the adult school teachers, who have different credentials and standards than the daytime teachers at Paly, meet a couple of times every year to ensure that the teaching methods stay true to the adult school’s goals in allowing the students to learn in an environment that offers them the opportunity to achieve their future

goals. Although classes such as art and cooking are more recreational, Rosenberg stresses that students should still be able to learn a lot about the area that they chose to take classes in. These classes offer a whole new dimension of classes that stimulate creativity and refine the skills needed in some areas of profession. “In all of our classes, we want students to set goals and make progress,” Rosenberg said. “[Classes such as art and cooking] are a little more hobbiest and recreational, but we still expect them to learn something. It’s not just fun.” With 20 culinary classes listed on the adult school’s website, the adult school offers classes that specialize in

ethnic foods from the Pacific Rim to street foods from Mexico. The culinary classes also focus on helping adult students to learn how to cook dishes like flourless chocolate cake, gnocchi and sushi. The adult school also offers classes to refine watercolor, acrylic and oil painting skills, and crafty activities like knitting and creating bath products. For the not-so-artistic adult, the Palo Alto Adult School has classes in business and finance, computer skills, English enrichment and career training, such as training to be medical and veterinary assistants. Zumba, tai-chi and specialty classes for senior citizens over the age of 55 or adults with disabilities are also offered. The winter quarter is almost ending, but registration for the spring quarter begins soon. According to the adult school’s website, registration begins Feb. 22, and the spring quarter begins March 18 and ends May 24.

Sophomores pursue law enforcement profession

Hillel zand sTaff writer

hile most students spend their time pursuing sports, music and other conventional hobbies, two Paly sophomores spend their time pursuing a more unique interest: law enforcement. Sophomore twins Bianca and Priscilla Aboytes are members of the San Mateo County Sheriff Department’s Explorer program, which is designed to give teenagers the opportunity to volunteer in the community and experience the life of a sheriff deputy. The post is composed of around 20 explorers who meet twice a month, in addition to attending an entry-level law enforcement academy and assisting in community-wide events. Both sisters have always been interested in law enforcement, so when they heard about the opportunity, they excited to check out what the program had to offer. “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since I was younger,” Priscilla Aboytes said. After going to one meeting, Priscilla and Bianca were immediately interested in becoming full-fledged explorers; but before joining the post, they had to acclimate themselves to the program by attending more meetings and going to a law enforcement academy in order to officially enter the post. “You have to go two meetings before you can actually become an explorer,” Priscilla Aboytes said. “Once you’re in the post, you go to a basic academy where you learn how to use a firearm first aid, CPR and a whole bunch of other things while taking classes.” While at the academy, the two took classes on criminal justice, in addition to grueling Physical Training (PT) with their drill instructors (DI’s), who are police officers or SWAT team members. In addition,

hILLEL ZAND/ tHE cAMPANILE

Sophomores Bianca and Priscilla Aboytes serve as teenage volunteers as part of the the San Mateo Country Sheriff Department’s Explorer program.

they practiced shooting firearms and even performed mock search and rescue missions during the night at nearby parks. However, it was not all fun and games, as the highly-regulated lifestyle of law enforcement follows their every move throughout their daily life. “[Explorers] have three rules [on discipline],” Priscilla Aboytes said. “We have rule number one, which is never quit. Rule number two: be responsible and rule number three: look after your own. And if you don’t follow the rules, you will get disciplined by doing pushups. It might be tough at first, but once you get into it, it’s fun.” The two have learned that although certain aspects of being a sheriff explorer can be physically demanding,

the rewards can be even more meaningful. Every January, their post goes skiing and snowboarding at Lake We have rule number one, which is never quit. Rule number two: be responsible and rule number three: look after your own. And if you don’t follow the rules, you will get disciplined by doing pushups. It might be tough at first, but once you get into it, it’s fun. Priscilla Aboytes Sophomore

Tahoe and sometimes take trips to Disneyland in the summer. Priscilla

Aboytes says that their post is “like a family.” Another reward is the experience to spend time working in the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City. Although they are not allowed to work hands-on with the inmates, explorers are allowed to assist with certain correctional officer duties once a month. Priscilla usually helps with taking fingerprints and photos of booked inmates, while Brianca usually will help with classification work. “The jail can get pretty nasty,” Priscilla Aboytes said. “They look at us like actual police officers since we have our uniform on.” The twins believe that their experiences in the jail will prepare themselves for their goal of someday

working in law enforcement as a career. “It’s better if you go to college and get your degree in criminal justice and then go work [in the Sheriff department] because you get more pay and you will know more,” Priscilla Aboytes said. Further law enforcement training comes from the post’s two monthly meetings, where explorers do SWAT training, learn about traffic patrol, as well as certain tactics and codes they can see in play when they do ridealongs with sheriff deputies. Both Bianca and Priscilla hope to continue their experiences in law enforcement and highly encourage others to join if they are interested, with Bianca noting, “You make great memories, that’s for sure.”

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

MUSIC

The Campanile

Festival provides opportunity to explore new music

courtesy of

Fans listen to a band play during Coachella 2012. This three-day music festival represents a musical mecca for fans around the world.

Kian Mchugh Staff Writer

oachella is a three-day festival famous for its ability to produce lineups that both change lives and blow the minds of music fans all over the world. This year Paly was buzzing over all the musicians, but little do most students know hidden deep in these lineups are bands ludicrously brilliant and often overlooked. These are the sleeper bands of Coachella. Each year they surprise the people attending the festival and often times make for the best acts. Some of these bands may not have the same sheer talent or radio friendly music that the headliners produce, but their stage presence alone will dig deep into the audience members’ souls and release emotions never before experienced. Here are your 2013 Coachella sleeper bands.

Day 1:

From the depths of Tokyo comes a clan arguably as tight as Wu Tang known as Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. This Japanese group adopted the genre of Ska music, a precursor to reggae music, which was founded in Jamaica in the 1950s, and put their own twist to it. Founded in the late ‘80s by the group’s drummer, Asa-Chang, the group has been around for quite a while and is always adding and dropping members from its quite large group. The band almost always has at least ten members on stage with ten different instruments to go along with them. The multitude of instruments makes for an upbeat orchestra sound unlike anything ever created before. The beauty of this group is the passion they put into the music. The band sings in Japanese as well as in perfectly pronounced English, switching between language as they perform. If you miss out on this act, you might as well not even attend the concert because Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra is thoroughly prepared to give you what could be the most chaotic energetic live set you have seen in your life. Song to check out: Skaravan and Pride Of Lions.

spectacular. Fedde le Grand is also famous for his unbelievable lighting displays. At Coachella, he is scheduled to play in one of the party tents; anyone who attends his show is in for a pleasant surprise. His music, lights and lasers will be radiating from the tent and attracting people to join in on a euphoric experience. After seeing Fedde le Grand live, your previous views of the electronic music scene will transform into a love without limits. Songs to check out: Put Your Hands Up For Detroit and Raw. Day 3:

Much like rooting for your home team, it is only right to root for your hometown bands. This brings us to the San Francisco band the Thee Oh Sees, which is currently working to put the rock back in rock ‘n’ roll. With a lineup of three electric guitarists, a drummer and someone jamming on the keyboard, what could go wrong? This band seems to be resurrecting the music the teens of the early ‘70s would be jamming to, and nobody is complaining. The lead singer has a unique voice that is seemingly perfect for the loud vocals needed to belt out over the sound of guitar riffs flying through the air. In a review of one of their concerts an audience member once said, “See this band before you die. Die while seeing this band.” Seeing this band live will be both musically spiritual and downright awesome. With the sweat and tears of these men pouring down into the crowd, it can only be assumed that seeing them live would be similar to seeing the Stones before they became immensely popular. And you wouldn’t want to miss out on an experience like that would you? Songs to check out: Meat Step Lively and Lupine Dominus.

Day 2:

Fedde le Grand is one of the best at what he does. And what does he do you may ask? Fedde le Grand makes people dance. This Dutch DJ is not like every other electronic music artist trying to create a catchy bass-infused track, for he is far more superior. His songs all seem to be equally beautiful, and this results in his live sets being one constant pleasure-filled

clockwise from top: courtesy of coachella.com, courtesy of brixtonrecords.blogspot.com, courtesy of Feddelegrand.com, courtesy of lifeisnoise.com

Top: The line-up for this year’s Coachella festival features both well known bands and less popular artists. Middle: The band Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra produces ska music with an Asian infused twist. Bottom Left: The Dutch DJ Fedde le Grand is known for his electronic music and light display, creating a surrealistic experience. Bottom Right: The San Franciscan band, Thee Oh Sees, bring back rock and roll from the ‘70s with a grunge feel.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

ENTERTAINMENT

Senior’s song debuts in It Gets Better Tour

courtesy of Julian Hornik

Left: Julian Hornik on the red carpet of the Los Angeles debut for his song, “The Solution.” Right: Julian Hornik stands with his mentor Jeff Marx, who also collaborated on the project.

Senior Julian Hornik wrote a song which will have a music video made by the It Gets Better tour, a collaboration between the It Gets Better Project and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Emily Rosenthal News editor

eb. 1 marked the west coast premier of the the It Gets Better tour, a collaboration between the It Gets Better Project and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Senior Julian Hornik attended the event, as he wrote a song that is being used as part of the community outreach portion of the show. The It Gets Better Project is

meant to offer hope and support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. This multi-media musical performance will visit different colleges and performance spaces across the country, staying for about a week in each town. The main part of the show is similar to a musical, with a cast of six members of the Los Angeles’ Gay Men’s Chorus. The tour also has community outreach programs planned to connect with the local students. Hornik first became involved in the tour when he submitted the beginnings of a song to the chorus for them to potentially use in future performances. “They contacted me at the beginning of the summer saying we chose your song, now we need a whole song,” Hornik said. “So I drafted

the rest of the song, and then they flew me out to LA in the summer. I worked with them in Los Angeles at their studios, working the song and figuring out what to do with it.” While working in LA, they came up with the idea of making a music video out of his song “The Solution” and involving that in the community outreach portion. Hornik returned home to rerecord the song, going through multiple drafts until the director was satisfied with the video. Now at each location the tour customizes the music video, including clips of local students. “[The tour does] outreach programs with local [Gay-Straight Alliances] and students, on top of performing this show,” Hornik said. “What they use my song for is they go to these local [Gay-Straight

Alliances] and film clips to make this big communal music video, and they

The tour does outreach programs with local GayStraight Alliances and students, on top of performing this show. What they use my song for is they go to these local GayStraight Alliances and film clips to make this big communal music video, and they scatter clips of me singing my song through it. Julian Hornik Senior

scatter clips of me singing my song through it.”

The entire video is of Hornik’s song, which he wrote specifically for the tour, with clips of local students lip syncing inserted into the music video Hornik made. So far the tour has made one music video in Iowa and is currently in Pennsylvania working on another. “The plan is to just amass this collection of music videos, all with the same song with me singing but with different people,” Hornik said. “It’s more about making them for that specific community.” There is also community outreach planned, such singing with the towns’ church choirs as well as initiating more serious discussions with local groups on topics such as social empowerment. The music video from Iowa can be seen on the It Gets Better tour website, itgetsbettertour. org.

Freshman’s lunchtime dancing entertains students Junior Anthony McFadden dances away school pressures in front of others on the Paly quad during lunch. Maya Kitayama Staff Writer

mong the sea of students lounging in plastic lawn chairs, returning from Town and Country and enjoying their few minutes of freedom, one freshman weaves through the crowd, completely entranced by the music blasting from his headphones, as he dances away the last minutes of lunch. Anthony McFadden has found one of the most simple yet original ways to make his mark on the Paly community. He has decided to take up dancing on the Quad during lunch breaks. “I started dancing the second month of school,” McFadden said. “I was just like, ‘I want to try this.’ The first time I danced, I had my earplugs in, took off my backpack and I started.” Listening mainly to hip hop, specifically Usher, Chris Brown or anything with a “good dance beat,” McFadden dances by himself as much of the Paly community watches with curiosity. He combines several styles of dance, including popping, jerking and breaking to create his own specific style of movement. Though McFadden seems to stay in his own little world, he often receives reactions and responses from other students. “Sometimes I’m embarrassed, and I can hear people [over the

music from] my ear buds saying ‘Go Anthony,’ and I’m like, ‘You don’t even know me,’” McFadden said. McFadden credits his older sister for being the original proponent of his dancing talent. “My sister taught me how to dance because I was very stiff. I couldn’t do any moves at all, and my sister unstiffened me [by teaching] me a little bit,” McFadden said. McFadden’s passion for dance shines through in his performances, which have received wide recognition. “He’s an excellent dancer and seems to have genuine happiness behind his movements,” freshman Catherine Yu said. “I’m happy for the dude,” junior William Queen said. “He’s doing what he wants to do and doesn’t care about what other people think.” McFadden’s impromptu performances on the quad have been well-received by many students. McFadden’s performances have also provided a way for Anthony to temporarily escape from the academic pressure Paly places on its student population. McFadden explains how his love for dancing motivates him to dance whether he feels pressured or not. “I just love dancing,” McFadden said. “It makes me feel good, [and] it makes others feel good around me. I’ll have hard work at school, and then when I dance at lunch it just feels good. I like dancing for others, but I [also] like dancing for myself.” McFadden struggled socially in previous years and never felt able to freely express himself or his talent. “Before I knew dancing was my form of expression, I had a lot of anger inside of me,” McFadden said.

His negative experiences with bullying at past schools often discouraged him from fostering his passion for movement and dance. “I had a bad first half of middle school,” McFadden said. “In sixth

I just love dancing. It makes me feel good, and it makes others feel good around me. I’ll have hard work at school, and then when I dance at lunch it just feels good. Anthony McFadden Freshman

and seventh grade I was in Special Education classes, and everyone made fun of me because I was in Special Education. I learned from my past years that I’m a good kid. No one [understood] that I’m a good kid, [and] they just [took] advantage that I’m weak.” Despite the hardship he faced in middle school, McFadden still recalls that he had some good memories in middle school, when he danced for the sixth grade dance. “[The] sixth grade [dance] was the bomb for me,” McFadden said. “Everyone saw me dancing, and they were like ‘Anthony I’ve never seen you dance like that.’ A lot of people don’t know I dance a lot because I don’t show it that much.” However, after transitioning to Paly, McFadden realized that students encouraged him to continue sharing his talents. “Kids that sit by ‘The Wall’ all have opened up to me, and I’m just like ‘this is weird,’” McFadden said.

Adam mansour/The Campanile

Anthony McFadden dances among students on the quad at lunch.

“It used to be the other way around. I used to be picked on.” McFadden’s experience at Paly has fortunately been unlike anything he

has ever experienced at his previous middle school. “I was afraid, but when I got here I was like, ‘Oh this is great place.’”

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

food

Vegan restaurants offer healthful, alternative options Local vegan restaurants in Palo Alto supply a wide variety of options that are healthy and delicious. julia kwasnick staff writer

s an avid carnivore, advocating for veganism seemed laughable at first. However, I soon discovered the sheer quantity of vegan cuisine in the Palo Alto area, some of which even surpassed their non-vegan counterparts. Garden Fresh Location: 460 Ramona St Hours: Mon-Sun 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mon-Sun 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Price: $$ Stars: 4 The words “Chinese food” and “vegan” hardly ever occur in the same sentence. However, there is a place in downtown Palo Alto where this is a way of life: Garden Fresh, a small, quaint, restaurant tucked away in downtown Palo Alto. Although the menu does have vegan options that differ from a regular Chinese restaurant’s menu, they attempt to make meat dishes without meat, generally using some kind of vegetable instead. A general rule of thumb when eating at any vegan restaurant is avoid dishes that use meat substitutes. At Garden Fresh, the Veggie Duck, $11.95, was one such dish; if you are craving duck, the Veggie Duck will not satisfy your desire. It was a tad on the dry side, and did not taste at

all like the sweet, moist, duck I was hoping for. The best dishes at Garden Fresh are the ones made from all-natural veggies! This is verified by the Orange Veggie Chicken, $10.95, which, instead of using meat substitute for the “chicken” uses shiitake mushroom. Imagine a mushroom veggie mix, fried and coated with a sweet sauce—there is no way to go wrong. This dish is a definite must order, and is delicious, albeit different from orange chicken that uses real chicken. The best dish at Garden Fresh is the Scallion Pancakes, $5.95. This appetizer consists of fried, thin, salty, pancakes with thinly grated scallions in their interior with a sweet sauce drizzled across it. Although they may sounds unusual, they are definitely worth a try. A general rule of thumb when eating at any vegan restaurant is avoid dishes that use meat substitute. When I walked into Garden Fresh for the first time, I was greeted with a smile and was seated promptly. When it became apparent that I had never eaten at the restaurant before, my waitress (who is also the hostess) was happy to recommend dishes to me. The prices are a bit expensive for a casual lunch for the typical group of high schoolers, but the food is definitely worth a slight splurge into your allowance funds for a special occasion.

anna McGarrigle/ the Campanile

Garden Fresh is one of the unique restaurants that offer an entirely vegan menu, attracting diners looking for something different and healthy.

Loving Hut Location: 165 University Ave Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Price: $$ Stars: 3.5 The location: 165 University Ave, the appeal: PMT that is to die for— as well as other vegan food that is pretty delectable as well if I do say so myself. In most vegan restaurants, the meat dishes (which, instead of including real meat because it’s a

vegan restaurant, use meat substitutes) are far worse than the vegan options. However, at Loving Hut, the Avocado BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato for those of you who grew up in a cave) is delicious. You can hardly tell that the bacon is not real meat. I came into Loving Hut expecting the “meat” dishes to be terrible, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they were not at all. The staff at Loving Hut is friendly, the food is delicious and vegan (whoopie!) and (some) of the

meat substitute dishes, including the Avocado BLT, are tasty and barely distinguishable from their non vegan counterparts. It wins all around. The food is slightly on the more expensive side, but that tends to be the case with vegan cuisine; therefore, compared to other vegan restaurants it is not too overpriced. I, personally, would be rather content to eat the aforementioned vegan food every day (even though I would, admittedly, miss meat and dairy).

New Mexican restaurant Freebirds combines relaxed rocker atmosphere with freedom to customize food heather strathearn rachel cui staff writers

alo Alto has anything but a shortage of Mexican eateries to dine at. So many, in fact, that the restaurants almost blend into one another. However, Freebirds takes a refreshing rock ‘n roll twist on the classic design-your-own burrito bar. Originally established near the beaches of Santa Barbara, Freebirds, named after Lynyrd Skynyrd’s hit song “Free Bird,” embodies a relaxed sixties vibe. To add to its sixties vibe, Freebirds plays rock and alternative music; the restaurant offers an eclectic playlist filled with throwbacks and new jams that replace the overrated mainstream music plaguing the majority of mainstream radio stations.

The restaurant’s rocker interpretation of the Statue of Liberty, found in all Freebirds franchises, also contributes to its rebellious vibe. Every representation is designed to highlight Freebirds’ motto: freedom of choice. In the Palo Alto location, “Libby” is found hanging from the ceiling riding a Harley motorcycle. As Freebirds is a restaurant, food obviously outweighs atmosphere. And, when it comes to food, Freebirds neither makes nor breaks it. Although Freebirds offers some options that cannot be found at your local Chipotle, the overall diversity of the ingredients is mediocre. Freebirds operates similarly to Chipotle in that the patron can personalize his order. With a choice of cayenne pepper, spinach, flour or wheat tortilla, the number of ways to build a burrito seems almost endless. The sense of power that a patron

may feel when given total control over what he puts in his dish further reflects the restaurant’s theme of freedom. The Freebird chicken burrito ($6.79) includes Freebirds’ chicken in particular, giving the patron the option between dark meat, light meat or a mixture, perfect for picky eaters. In addition the patron can select rice, cheese, salsa, etc. based on preference. Having the ability to hand pick ingredients can come at a price as it can sometimes be difficult to balance flavors; for example choosing cilantro rice with jack cheese and the mild salsa is too bland for most people and if one is not educated in what ingredients work together the burrito can easily go astray and end up mediocre. The meat choices Freebirds offers includes steak, chicken and carnitas. However, for vegetarians, the options are quite limited.

The Veggie Burrito Bowl ($6.49) features Freebirds’ lightly spiced guacamole. Because the burrito bowl is built accordingly to the patron’s personal preferences, the guacamole should have been the spotlight of the dish. Despite this, the guacamole’s presentation was unappetizing; it was squirted out of syringe-like bottle and had a texture so smooth that it resembled paste—a misleading reality that contrasted with the restaurant’s claim of having freshly-made guacamole. But if the aesthetically displeasing characteristic of the guacamole is ignored, the guacamole adds a greatly-needed oomph to the dish’s flavor palette. The veggie bowl consists of Spanish rice, Jack cheese, black beans, lettuce and various other toppings. Despite the diversity of the toppings added, the bowl’s overall flavor is bland, perhaps due to the

lack of seasonings in the individual ingredients. True to the restaurant’s theme, there were a number of toppings and bases that allowed the patron to take full liberty in deciding how to customize the veggie bowl. From unique choices of Spanish or cilantro rice to deciding among three types of beans, freedom clearly prevails in almost every aspect of Freebirds. Despite the other restaurants that offer Mexican food in Palo Alto, Freebirds is definitely worth looking into. The restaurant’s decor and concept was pleasing and impressive and the employees were upbeat and eager to please. However, the actual dishes were more of a disappointment; they could have used more flavor in order to set its food apart from other mediocre eateries.

Top Left: The signature Statue of Liberty hangs from the ceiling at the Freebirds Palo Alto location. The establishment incorporates a 60’s rock vibe into their atmosphere, and promotes their underlying theme of “freedom.” Lower Left/Right: Freebirds allows customers to customize their food in order to maximize customer satisfaction. rachel cui/ the campanile

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

FOOD

Workplaces provide quality dining

Gina Scarpino/the campanile

Employees from their respective companies enjoy scrumptious yet healthy food from diverse selections in the Facebook, Google and Stanford Hospital cafeterias which are all highly ranked.

Largely improved cafeterias like that of Google and Facebook are now offering a large variety of cuisines and are receiving high ratings by Yelp reviewers.

Sophie parker sports editor

ome may say company cafeterias have always had the reputation of having unappealing food that workers have to eat because they only have a short lunch break. However, despite popular belief, company cafeterias are actually beginning to be more and more well-known, preparing delicious food that many people who are not employees also enjoy. Yelp reviews these cafeterias just like any other restaurants and they receive four to five stars for their food and service. Examples of cafeterias that are highly ranked aside from

the classic Google and Facebook are TICBO software, Stanford Hospital and VMware. These cafeterias are most ideal for employees who have easy and free access to the food and guaranteed satisfaction; however, many restaurant critics and other people have begun to explore the cafeterias for a lunch or dinner meal, like they would at a normal restaurant. Debra Strichartz, a nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH) at Stanford has noticed a major change in the cafeteria at The quality of the food [at Google] is outstanding and there is such a variety that you can never have a bad meal. Caroline Rubin Google Employee

work, noting that the quality of the food is equal to the food at any other restaurant.

“Recently LPCH made big advances on improving the health content of the food,” Strichartz said. “There has been major efforts to improve recycling and composting of garbage as well to be sure we don’t waste food.” Many company cafeterias have made huge improvements in their quality of the food but Strichartz also noticed an improvement in the health content of the food they serve. “Packard serves pediatric patients and families; it’s trying to make a step to fight against obesity,” Strichartz said. “For example, all calorie, fat and sodium contents are posted for the foods, and they have decreased the amount of unhealthy food they sell.” Packard specifically, is a company that serves to all types of people because they have hundreds of patients on a daily basis. Because of this, the cafeteria in the hospital serves healthy food for the patients, food that anyone is willing to eat and enjoy. “I noticed that they have no more potato chips, they only have

baked chips,” Strichartz said. “They increased the food and salad but the main thing it is known for is reasonable pricing.” Strichartz agrees with the Yelp reviewers who have stated that the new company cafeterias serve delicious food and reasonable prices. Aside from the employees at these restaurants, normal customers are beginning to eat at company cafeterias to enjoy a meal. From another point of view, a Google employee, Caroline Rubin, shares her opinions about the new Google cafeteria in the Mountain View campus. “The food at Google is above and beyond most local restaurants,” Rubin said. “The quality of the food is outstanding and there is such a variety that you can never have a bad meal.” Rubin explains that there is a variety of options in the Google cafeteria. She says that each cafe has its own specialty ranging from Mexican to Sushi to Indian to vegan options to only organic, local ingredients. No matter the craving, there is an option

with that type of food, ranging from burgers to Indian cuisine. However, unfortunately, this amazing cafeteria is not open to the wide public. “Google employees can bring a certain number of guests per month for meals,” Rubin said. “When you go as a guest you can eat in any cafe, but you must be with your Google host at all times.” Unlike the food at LPCH, the food at a place like Google has a lot more variety and is free to all employees. Rubin shares that Google is focusing on sustainable practices, similar to what Strichartz said about their new compost and recycling bins. These similarities are seen across many company cafeterias that are changing and reconstructing to focus more on healthy and delicious foods rather than something that will get employees by at work. Despite what many people think, Yelp has reviewed these cafeterias with really high ratings to prove that things cafeterias offer the same, or even more than a normal restaurant does.

Red Mango, Auntie Anne’s to open at Stanford Mall michelle yin staff writer

e on the alert for Red Mango, the number one rated frozen yogurt chain in the United States for the 2011 Zagat ratings, and Auntie Anne’s, a Pennsylvania based pretzel chain, which are both opening in the near future at Stanford Shopping Center according to John Benvenuto, the general manager of the mall. Red Mango, which unfortunately closed its one and only location on University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto last year, will be returning to Palo Alto shortly in order to satisfy the yearnings of all-natural food lovers once again. “I am so excited for the re-opening of Red Mango in Palo Alto,” junior Savannah Moss said. “I have definitely felt deprived for the last year especially because Pinkberry and Fraiche are so unreasonably expensive.” Its return last year left health conscious “fro-yo” fans to dwell on only Fraiche since Pinkberry and Yogurtland simply do not deliver the

healthy punch because of their lack the all-natural, organic and probiotic ingredients and use of artificial flavors and colors. In fact, according to the ingredient lists on their official websites, Yogurtland uses corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin in most yogurt flavors and Pinkberry also uses fructose and maltodextrin in its yogurts, which are both artificially produced from starch, whereas Red Mango uses pure cane sugar. Red Mango’s return will once again expand the options for healthy desserts. “I hate having to pay so much for Fraiche or having to eat really unhealthy ice cream like frozen yogurt,” junior Shiri Arnon said. “I am excited for Red Mango to come to Stanford especially since I’m gluten-free.” Soft baked pretzels, one of the only food items unavailable to be found in Palo Alto eateries, will soon be available with Auntie Anne’s grand opening at the Stanford Shopping Center. Now pretzel lovers will be saved the lengthy trip to nearby malls such as Hillsdale or Valley Fair for a taste

Red Mango’s all-natural probiotic frozen yogurts provide healthy dessert options.

certified gluten -free calcium, protein and live active cultures to support immune system all natural, non-fat frozen yogurt

Michelle yin/the campanile

of one of these popular pretzels. In addition, Auntie Anne’s has just launched its new honey whole grain pretzel, which will fit in perfectly

with the healthy Red Mango frozen yogurts opening at the same time. “I’m so excited because I have so many memories of mall pretzel from

when I was younger and now I don’t have to drive all the way to Valley Fair or Hillsdale to eat them,” junior Megan Rohrer said.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

B8 DATING Five Best Places to go on a Date Jensen Hsiao Staff Writer

Wooing a romantic partner is not always an easy feat. You must keep him or her entertained and engaged in any activity the two of you partake in. Make sure that wherever you take your date has romantic ambiance to set the tone for your (hopefully) ensuing relationship, and that the activity you choose is fun because laughter is the key to happiness. If you are struggling to come up with ideas, here are just a few of the many accessible places around

Winter Lodge 3009 Middlefield An ice skating date is a classy winter activity. And luckily for us, we have our very own ice skating rink here in Palo Alto. At $26 for two admission tickets to the Winter Lodge and two skate rentals, a romantic and fun-filled night is relatively affordable. Though there are few places to get away from the crowd of skaters to have your special moments, spinning together while holding hands will be more than perfect. Don’t worry if you have never skated before, anyone can pick up skating and grow comfortable on the ice. If you are struggling to stay upright, hold your date’s hand and let him or her help you. Working together is something that strengthens any relationship. Winter Lodge is great for double dates as well. The more the merrier, and having friends around is sure to alleviate any awkwardness with your date. Ice skating is an especially great activity for a first date, because if it’s uncomfortable or something goes wrong, you can always skate away. Be wary though, Winter Lodge is not open all year round. Take your date Century 16 over fast because the rink will Cinemark Century close for the season 500 N Shoreline Blvd on April 14! Movies theaters are dark and cozy and make a great place for a more intimate experience with your special someone. Although certain people may find the inherent lack of conversation frustrating, many others enjoy the classic movie date. Take your date to a funny movie or a scary movie but most importantly something you both want to watch. If you and your date are up for a scary movie, you will find a great excuse to cuddle as you endure the suspenseful plot line together. Be careful though: at Cinemark Century theaters, only half the seats allow the arm rests to fall into the seats. The other half of the seats recline. If possible, snatch a couple seats with no armrests because they allow for a more intimate experience. Getting to the movies can sometimes be problematic, especially if you cannot drive and do not want your parents to meet your date just yet. You may also not want your parents to continuously ask you questions about your date in the near future. Also be wary that tickets and food prices can add up quickly. To save some money for your next date, sneak your own food Beach Picnic in. Candy easily fits Pescadero, CA in pockets. Imagine the sound of waves crashing in the background, the sun warming your skin, the scent of the salty ocean air filling your nostrils and your beautifully prepared picnic lying before you. This is the picturesque beach picnic. If your date is not impressed, there is something wrong. Ditch him or her now. Beaches up here in NorCal are not the warmest, but they are still extremely beautiful. From Palo Alto, you can get to a beautiful beach in the Pescadero area in about 45 minutes. There are many beaches along Cabrillo Highway, most of which will be your personal private beach. A private setting in nature with food is an unbeatable combination. There are endless activities to do with your date at the beach. Enjoying the tide pools together is always fun if you come at the right time. Although slightly childish, building sand castles and forts is another great interactive activity. Be prepared to get sandy though! To clean off, swim together in the frigid Pacific water; it’s another fantastic bonding experience. Most importantly, bring good food to Yogurtland the beach. Food is the key to your 494 University Ave lover’s heart so pack a wellLocated on the edge of downthought out picnic! town Palo Alto is Yogurtland, which offers great post-dinner treats. It has a wide range of flavored yogurt and an even wider range of goodies such as candy and fruits to top off your yogurt. It’s fun, it’s hip and it’s well-lit. Though not quite a romantic getaway, Yogurtland is easily accessible to almost everyone in Palo Alto and is quite a lively place. If you don’t want to stay, yogurt is transportable and doesn’t melt too quickly, so you can take it back home together and eat in private if you wish. At night, Yogurtland can become a madhouse, but you are sure to see someone you know, which can be a plus or minus depending on whether you want to be seen with your date or not. Yogurtland is also cheap at about $3 for an average sized serving, so don’t refrain from piling on that extra yogurt or those delicious gummy bears. Some say the yogurt is too sweet, but on a date, the sweeter the better. It almost tastes like ice cream, but nevertheless it’s a great place to go for dessert after a night downtown. For an extra surprise, get the squishy orange balls toppings. Coupa Cafe 538 Ramona St Also downtown is the small and quaint Coupa Café. Though it is well-known for its elegant drinks, it also offers delicious foods, which are perfect for a romantic night in a cute cafe or a day time extravagance with your lover. The pomme frites are divine. Coupa Café is a true cafe; it features a small outdoor patio and a large table with fire place at the end in the main room. It is packed full of small tables for two or four, but due to its small size, the tables are often full. This can be a downside: standing while eating is not hard to do but also not very attractive. While Coupa Café can be pricey, you can impress your date by paying for his or her expensive meal. Coupa Café gets its magic from its cuteness. It has an earthy tropical feel due to its Venezuelan roots. Everyone is calm despite the numerous caffinated drinks. It is a relaxing environment where you can go to do your work or have a conversation with your beautiful date.

Jensen hsiao And Niiki Freyermuth/The Campanile

2 in

2000

This edition featuring

Karina Dutra and Matt Waymouth with The Campanile’s own Jensen Hsiao

Matt Waymouth: I don’t want to tell you anything. The Campanile: How did you guys meet? Karina Dutra: We can’t put it in Campy. MW: She was at a party and and me and Michael came to pick them up because they had to leave. KD: We met because of Michael. TC: So you meet at Michael’s? KD: No! Um, lets start this over. MW: This story is too confusing. KD: Oh this is good: Michael was having a reception at his house and I happened to attend. MW: Bulls**t, and she attended on a white stallion. TC: So what happened after that? MW: What do you mean? Oh, I don’t know. TC: And was this love at first sight for you Matt? MW: Uhhhh. KD: He didn’t even know me! MW: I didn’t even know who she was! TC: How did it spark? MW: I don’t know… [chuckles] Actually I do know. She was pretty. KD: I thought he was pretty so… MW: It just happened. [chuckles again]. Oh crap someone is calling me! It’s Michael! [On the phone] Hey what’s up dude, where are you? TC: How is your relationship going right now? KD: Good, I guess. MW: Yeah? Where? I’m over by… [walks away] TC: What do you want to tell Matt while he is away? KD: I just want to tell him that it would be really useful if he could drive. And to get his license. MW: To get my license? [chuckles]. [Yelling]: I don’t have my license and there is no way I can get it faster so that’s bulls**t. [Chuckles]. TC: What do you want to tell her? MW: What. Oh. That she should get a car. KD: I’m going to get a car andMW: I’ll drive your car! KD: You can’t drive! MW: I can! It’s fun. TC: What was your favorite date together? MW: We have only been on like one real date, and it wasn’t even real. [Chuckles] We went to the movies. KD: I like movies. TC: What do you like about each other? KD: This is really weird. MW: I don’t know. Wait, what was the question again? TC: What do you like about Karina? MW: I don’t know she is just amazing. Karina is a splendid young lady. TC: Why do you say that? MW: She’s just chill and mellow and fun. KD: That’s pretty accurate. TC: What are your favorite things to do together? KD: Watch movies together, that’s our thing. MW: What she said. TC: What’s the favorite movie you’ve watched together? MW: Django. KD: Wait, no, the Last Song. I made him watch the Last Song with me. MW: It was fine, it was kind of dumb. KD: Well it’s a chick flick. But I liked it. MW: This is a terrible interview. This is awkward too. I’ve got to go. [To Karina] Bye. KD: Bye.

The Campanile

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

SPORTS

Want to be swole? Learn all the tips and tricks to getting yoked for spring. see C8

I thought it was really cool to see what people could do with their bodies. Chloe Finley Sophomore

Paly Gymnastics takes off see C6

Not just a flash in the pan

Boys’ basketball continues their winning streak

brandon byer senior staff writer

jensen hsiao staff writer

inning 20 games in a row is quite a feat, and that is exactly what the Vikings varsity boys’ basketball team has done over the past couple months. The team shows no inclination to stop winning games as they have not lost since December. Their latest matchup came on the road against rival Henry M. Gunn High School Feb. 9, which ended up being another rivalry victory for the Vikings ending with a final score of 54-41. Senior guard Aubrey Dawkins came up big scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Senior forwards Aldis Petriceks and Eilon Tzur combined with Dawkins to score in double figures adding 16 and 10 points respectively. Over the entire season, Dawkins has been the most consistent player,

averaging 18.7 points per game (PPG) while rebounding at a high clip of 7.0 rebounds per game (RPG). Petriceks and Dawkins are the only two players to average double figures over the entire 24 game season; Petriceks averages 13.4 PPG. The team also dominated their three league games prior to their win at Gunn, defeating Homestead High School, Cupertino High School and Los Gatos High School all by wide margins. Paly’s biggest blowout of the season came in their second matchup against Cupertino just over a week ago with the final score ending up being 60-19. “I think ending up finishing undefeated and first place in league when people projected us to finish third or even fourth is the most satisfying part about the season we have had,” senior guard Scotty Peery said. The Vikings are one game away from sweeping the entire league schedule as they sit pretty atop the De Anza League division at 11-0. These past four games of the year did not prove to be very difficult as

this team has been steam rolling opponents in league for about two months. On top of that, the team hasn’t received a close game since early January in their first matchup with Saratoga where Paly won by 10. “I’m most proud of the way we’ve been able to paly as a team and using that to win both in dominant fashion, as well as in close games,” senior guard Mathias Schmutz said. Even though this team has won so many games this season it is still tough to gauge how good Paly may really be due to the fact that the league this year is down. On the other hand, Paly has dominated essentially every game since their loss to St. Francis, and even though this league has been down this year to win 22 games up to this point is impressive. “I think we have a great chance to do well in postseason play,” Schmutz said. “It will be a bit of an adjustment having not played an elite team like the ones we will see in the playoffs for a while, but hopefully we can exploit our opponents’ weaknesses and end up with a title.”

jensen hsiao/the campanile

Left: Senior Mathias Schmutz dribbles past a Mountain View High School defender. Above: Junior Keller Chryst jumps to score a basket for the Vikings.

A National View What are the best sports areas in the country?

Find the top 10 most athletic and energetic cities in America. C4-5

INSIDE Boys lacrosse

To the league championship! Lacrosse has high aspirations for their upcoming season, including the end goal of going for league championship. C4

Baseball

Take me out to the ball game

Baseball’s pre-season shows promise for the future. C6

wrestling

Don’t be rash Bleached hair is not the only thing that these wrestlers share. C4

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

C2 SPORTS

Skin infection epidemic affects wrestling team

ERIC WANG/THE CAMPANILE

Nick Sullivan staff writer

he Paly wrestling team has been hit hard this year by skin infection diseases, caused by skin to skin contact, and skin contact with the mat. According to sophomore James Giaccia, almost the whole team has been diagnosed with various skin infections, with foot infections also known as ringworms being the most common. “Basically the whole team has been infected at one point,” Giaccia said. “Except we’ve all had different types of infections.”

Currently, seniors Erik Anderson, Gary Hohbach, Alex Taussig, Jordan Smith, and sophomores Kevin Schumacher, Chioke BryantAnderson and James Giaccia are absent with skin infections. Those who suffer a skin infection use cream and sometimes antibiotics to cure the infection. They also must sit out of practice until they are fully healed which can take anywhere from ten days or longer depending on how quickly they get treatment and the degree of the infection. “It was just annoying more than anything and I had to stay out until it got better,” junior Andrew Frick said of his infection that he suffered from last year.

With so many wrestlers out, the Paly team has only been able to send our four people to most tournaments which has really hurt their ability to win duals. “This experience has caused [Head Coach] Duran to be a lot more vocal about skin infections this year,” Giaccia said. Skin infections have also affected wrestling practice. Practice partners have had to change and those with the skin infections have had to do workouts out on the field, separate from the team. As of now, there are more wrestlers working out on the field than in wrestling practice. According to Head Coach Duran there have been more people with

skin infections these past two years than there have been since he was in high school. “It’s really unfortunate because with the number of wrestlers getting the disease now it can ruin a team’s season,” Duran said. “I know it has hurt our team and a few other schools around here, some schools have even shut down their gyms for a week.” Because teams are now more prone to skin infections than ever before, wrestlers need to ensure that they keep themselves clean and urge others to do the same. “We put on protective cream before every practice, clean the mats before every practice and make sure everyone takes showers frequently,” Frick said.

However, even with the team keeping clean, Paly wrestlers cannot control what other schools do to keep clean. Every time they have a dual against another school they are making themselves extremely susceptible to skin disease, because wrestlers do not know if the other school has kept their mat clean. As long as Paly wrestlers keep going through their regular routines of showering, putting cream on and keeping their mats clean, they should be able to limit the amount of skin infections. By doing this they will put themselves in the best position to have the most success by keeping all their wrestlers on the mat.

Boys’ varsity swim team prepares for first league meet Michelle Yin Nick Sullivan STAFF WRITERS

Andrew Choi/The Campanile

Junior Rajiv Vasudevan swims long distance freestyle during practice to prepare for the team’s first meet.

ith their first meet right around the corner on Feb. 28 against MenloAtherton High School and Menlo School, the Paly swim team is looking strong and ready to dominate the season once again in order to defend their SCVAL league champion title. Led by a medley of strong swimmers, including senior captains Eren Kiris and Bret Pinsker as well as junior swimming prodigies Willy Lee and Andrew Liang, the team is headed toward a promising season. “I think that we have a strong team this year and although we lost quite a few seniors last year, we definitely have leagues locked down,” Lee said. In order to prepare for the season, the swimmers have dedicated their time to both morning practices

for yoga exercises and weight lifting and after school practices for in water training according to senior Quinn Rockwell, to get into shape and shave time off their respective events. “We are splitting up into sprint, stroke and distance groups this year for training,” Kiris said. “We are bringing up the yardage now to around 8.5k-9k and around 10k for the distance group.” Furthermore, in order to increase team chemistry, swimmers have gathered together outside of practice for team bonding activities like bonfires to build personal connections. “As a captain, I try to bring the team together on a more personal level and I believe that our teammates should get to know the people that their spending time with,” Kiris said. “I also try to lead sets and let others know what is expected of them in the pool.” With Lee looking faster than ever on 100 meter backstroke and the

200 IM (individual medley which includes butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) events and Liang able to win on nearly any event the team needs him to swim according to junior teammate Rajiv Vasudevan, the team feels quite confident in succeeding this season. “I think we have a lot of strong swimmers and I think we are poised to easily win leagues this year,” Rockwell said. “This is the best team we have had in a long time.” The main goal for the team according to Kiris is to win the CCS championship title although in order to do so, the team must dethrone Bellarmine, the defending CCS swimming champions. “We need most swimmers frequently placing top eight and 16 to beat out Bellarmine,” Kiris said. “I think it’s a reasonable goal if the whole team really focuses on what they need to do in order for us to be successful.”

VERBATIM

Do you think crew is a legitimate sport?

“Yes, it’s the hardest sport you can do! It even works out your face!”

“No, I have a boat! I can row boats but I’m not considered a sports man!”

“Yeah it is, I would never wake up at five for a morning practice.”

“Yes, because you have to train for it and it takes a lot of dedication.”

“Of course not! Do you consider doing a canoe a sport?

Genevieve Lucas Conwell

Brent Schroder

Karina Dutra

Alec Sullivan

Christian Lanztch

Senior

Junior

Sophomore

Junior

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

SPORTS C3

Track team optimistic about season, new distance coach emily semba

julia kwasnick staff writers

layers and coaches alike are excited to get back into the cleat-tying, water bottle-filling routine as the 2013 track season begins. “[I’m excited to be] seeing these guys run and how much we have improved this year as a team,” senior captain Justin Zhang said.“Our biggest competitor this year is probably Mountain View High School. We beat them last year but we lost a few key players like EJ Floreal, who moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and Tremaine Kirkman, so it will be more of a challenge this year.” Other track members will be focusing on improving their own times rather than with other schools this season. “I’m looking forward to coming back and beating my personal records that I made last year,” senior Camden Santo said. Some athletes also look forward to the social aspect track brings. “I am looking forward to making new friends and running the 800 [meter event],” junior Angela Pomeroy said.

There are a few changes that will be implemented this season including a new coaching addition. The new coach, Kelsey Felley, is a Henry M. Gunn High School alum and recent San Francisco State graduate. She is looking forward to coaching the distance runners this season, and is optimistic about the team and its strong leadership. “I just want to see everybody improve and have fun,” Felley said. “People think track is all about running circles around a track, but I want to show people that it’s fun.”

track Meets Saratoga

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Mtn. View

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Los Altos

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Lynbrook

[I’m excited to be] seeing these guys run and how much we have improved this year as a team.

Justin Zhang Senior captain

The first meet will take place on March 7 at Saratoga High School. Zhang is optimistic about the meet. “I think that we have a very good chance of winning this meet,” Zhang said. “But we should not let our guard down. I am excited; if we listen to our bodies and eat and sleep well, we should be able to do great this season.”

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jensen hsiao/The campanile

Top: Members of the girls’ hurdle team compete in the 110 meters race. Bottom: Junior Jackson Hansen leads the pack in an 800 meter time trial.

Saratoga HS 3:15 p.m.

Mtn. View HS 3:15 p.m.

Palo Alto HS 3:15 p.m.

Lynbrook HS 3:15 p.m.

Girls’ lacrosse prepares for new season Girls’ soccer anticipates The final rosters have been set and the Lady Vikes hope to start off the season strong in the hopes of making it all the way to the CCS championships. maya kitayama emily lee staff writers

irls’ lacrosse has been using the past weeks to prepare for the upcoming season. After finishing off tryouts at the end of January, they have been using the more recent practices to train the new team and get the dynamic of the group together in order to create the best team possible. The team did not end on a positive note last year, with the girls being forced to forfeit their chance at Central Coast Section (CCS) glory. Complications from one player who had recently transferred to Paly and the player’s lack of residency forms caused the rest of the team to miss out on venturing further into the league. Despite the less than thrilling end, the new team has kept a positive outlook for the upcoming season. Junior returning player Kristen DeStefano believes that the team

shows a lot of great potential for the upcoming season. “I think we are looking very good because we all are in very good athletic shape and are already playing like we have played for years,” DeStefano said. DeStefano also holds high hopes for the team’s overall performance this season. “I think that we will make it all the way to CCS championship,” DeStefano said. The currrent team is in preparation for the season, but many of the players are currently involved in the wrap up of their winter sports. For instance, many returning players for the team are still involved in Paly soccer. In the near future, the team will start working together full-time as a cohesive group. In order to prepare for the season, the team has chosen to use a different method of training than what they are normally accustomed to. “Instead of dividing up varsity and [junior varsity] like usual, these past few weeks we have been playing as a combined team, which helps improve a lot of the younger girls’ skills,” DeStefano said. The girls play their first official game against Leland High School at Leland on Feb. 26.

upcoming games

CCS tournament

stephenie zhang blake smith staff writers

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Sacred Heart Prep

Palo Alto HS 6:30 p.m. Menlo Atherton

Palo Alto HS 5:30 p.m.

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Saratoga

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Gunn

Saratoga HS 5:30 p.m.

Gunn HS 7:00 p.m.

or the first time since the 2009-2010 season, the girls’ varsity soccer has made Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs after winning their league (SCVAL) with a record of 10-0-1 and an ongoing overall record of 12-4-2. “The coaches are very happy with the team’s progress, from our early struggles to where we are an accomplished and confident group,” assistant coach Eric Seedman said. “It has been lots of hard work for the girls, but they have stepped up to the task.” The team has won all of its league games but one and has improved from last year, primarily on scoring. The team is also still working to improve its consistency in games which has been a goal since the beginning of the season. “We need to improve upon our consistency,” Seedman said. “We also need to refine some details, like our set plays on both offense and on defense.”

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The team is focusing on working hard an on fixing small details, which, totalling up, can play a large role in the outcome of a performance. “Small details become the stuff of success when performed properly,” Seedman said. “Hopes for both the team and the coaches are high. We believe that if we can avoid injuries, illnesses and distractions that we are good enough to make a deep run into the playoffs.” Since the beginning of the season, the team has been able to build a cohesive unit after playing together for a full season. “It seems like we’ve figured each other out and hopefully we can potentially compete with the higher level teams in CCS,” senior Erin Chang said. After having disappointing seasons in the past few years and moving to a lower division, the team is looking forward to playing once again in CCS. “After limited success over the past two seasons, and recalling our history of great successes in previous seasons in the Paly girls soccer program, we are elated that the team has come back to good form this year,” Seedman said.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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C4 SPORTS

Anna McGarrigle/The Campanile

Top 10 Sports A

Bay Area

by Ryan Deslauriers and James Foug

No team in any sport has won two of the three past championships besides the Giants, leading the Bay Area to be ranked the number one sports area in the nation. The 49ers have gone deep into the NFL playoffs back last season and then in the Super Bowl most recently. The San Jose Sharks have not won a championship but have made the NHL playoffs each of the last three years and were off to a hot start in the 2013 season but have not cooled off. Even the Golden State Warriors, a team that has severely struggled the last few years, is on pace to earn a playoff spot for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. Even with the Super Bowl loss, San Francisco ranks number one.

design by Anna McGarrigle, Hillel Zand and Ziv Schwartz

e have compiled a list for the top sports areas in the country over the past three seasons across the our major sports. Leading the way is our wonderful Bay Area, with two sports championships in the past three seasons. From that we travel east to Boston, New York, then back West to Los Angeles, over to Dallas, North to Chicago, back east to the Baltimore/Washington D.C. Area., St. Louis and Philadelphia, and rounding out our list is Detroit. Our search revealed a number of surprises and some expected but overall we feel this is a comprehensive list that shows the best areas to be a sports fan in America.

Boston

The New England Patriots, based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, have made the NFL playoffs each of the past three years including two Super Bowl appearances along with the Celtics reaching the NBA championship but losing to the Miami Heat. However, the main reason we rank Boston second is because of the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and have won their division three straight years. What keeps Boston out of the top spot is the fact that the Red Sox have not made the playoffs in the last three years and finished last place in the American League East division for the first time since 1994.

New York is used to being the best city for sports. However, with the lack of success from the Yankees the last few years along with a few down years by the New York Knicks, NYC is ranked third. The only championship won by the city was by the Giants winning the Super Bowl in 2012 over the New England Patriots. The Rangers have dominated in hockey, reaching the playoffs the last three years, but their counterpart the Islanders have struggled to match their crosstown foe. The only real success has been the New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl in 2012, and we wish to forget the other New York football team, the poor Jets.

1. Jerry Rice - 49ers & Raiders 2. Joe Montana - 49ers 3. Willie Mays - Giants 4. Steve Young - 49ers 5. Tim Lincecum - Giants 6. Rick Barry - Warriors 7. Dennis Eckersley - Athletics 8. Barry Bonds - Giants 9. Willie McCovey - Giants 10. Juan Marichal - Giants

courtesy of sportscovers.picturepush.com

Source: bleacherreport.com

Los Angeles

The Lakers have reached the play offs each of the last three years including an NBA championship in 2010 over the Boston Celtics. Not only have the Lakers dominated over the past three years, the Los Angeles Kings earned playoff spots the last three seasons and won a Stanley Cup in the last. This year, the Lakers are on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005. However, the Angels and Dodgers have recently spent millions of dollars acquiring numerous free agent acquisitions creating a bright future for both of these teams.

Top 10 Most Popular Bay Area Spor ts Stars of All-Time

New York City

Bay Area

Dallas/ Fort Worth

Dallas is ranked fourth due to the Mavericks reaching the playoffs the last three years including a NBA championship over the Miami Heat in 2011. Not to mention the Texas Rangers who have made the playoffs each of the last three years as well, including World Series appearances against the Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. As much press as the Dallas Cowboys get, known as “America’s Team,” there has not been much productivity from the city’s football team.

Los Angeles

courtesy of 49erswebzone.com

courtesy of brentdiggins.com

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

SPORTS C5

courtesy of Loretín/flickr

Areas in America 6

Chicago

Chicago’s lone championship over the past three years was in 2010 by Chicago’s hockey team, the Blackhawks. The Bears have had a few average seasons in the NFL and surprisingly fired their head coach after a 10-6 record this past season, barely missing the playoffs after making it the previous year. The Bulls have dominated the Eastern Conference in the NBA but have been plagued by the injuries of Derrick Rose, who won the league MVP in 2011 as the youngest player to ever do so. From the baseball aspect, the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908 and it does not look like they have a chance in the upcoming baseball season.

The Formula Championship + 5 points Championship Appearance + 4 points Conference Championship Appearance +3 points Each playoff win +2 points Each playoff appearance +1 point

(past 3 years for NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams)

This past year was a boost to the city of Baltimore as the Ravens won a Super Bowl after reach ing the playoffs each of the last three season under coach John Harbaugh. After a couple of horrendous seasons, the Washington Nationals dominated baseball last year, finishing the regular season with the best record in baseball but losing in the first round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Cardinals. Not to mention the Washington Capitals who have reached the NHL playoffs the last three years, but have failed to have any success in them.

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Baltimore/ Washington D.C.

St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals have made the playoffs the last two season including a dramatic World Series championship over the Texas Rangers in 2011 led by a red-hot World Series MVP David Freese. Besides St. Louis capturing a World Series title, there has been little success from the Rams in the NFL and Blues in the NHL who have combined one playoff appearance.

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Flyers have reached the NHL playoffs each of the past three years but have failed to win a Stanley Cup in the process. The 76ers and Phillies have made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons in the NHL and MLB. However, just like the Flyers both teams both failed to win a championship or even reach the NBA title or World Series.

5 New York

Chicago courtesy of espn.go.com

courtesy of ESPN.GO.COM

Detroit

The Detroit Tigers have made the MLB playoffs the last two years and reached the world series to be swept by the San Francisco Giants. Detroit, more famous for its hockey, boasts one of the more powerful hockey teams in the Red Wings, but they have not been able to win a Stanley Cup in the last few seasons. After a strong football year in 2011 by the Lions, they returned to misery this past season, finishing with a record of 4-12.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

C6 SPORTS

Varsity baseball starts anew without last year’s starters

andrew choi/The Campanile

Sophomore Will Snodgrass (left) and junior Jack Cleasby (right) field groundballs at baseball practice in anticipation of the upcoming season. The Vikings open their season up Monday, Feb. 18 against Evergreen Valley High School at San Jose Municipal Stadium, home of the San Jose Giants.

With no returning starters from last year’s league title team, the new seniors under fourth year coach Erik Raich hope to build and continue on their recent success. brandon byer senior staff writer

aseball, America’s favorite pastime, is set to once again debut in a few weeks as the varsity baseball team prepares to embark on their 2012-13 campaign in just a couple weeks. The team is coming off of a 27-7 season overall, with a 13-1 record in league play last year and is under manager of four years Erick Raich. This group knows it still carries high expectations due to the excellent performances of prior teams the past

couple seasons, especially because Paly is just two seasons removed from a CCS title when they defeated San Benito High School. Outfielder B.J. Boyd, infielder Austin Braff and starting pitcher Ben Sneider are among the many seniors from last year’s season who graduated. This team has loads of potential. We have high expectations for the season, and we want to build off the success we had from the year before by working hard to win a SCVAL title and do well in CCS. Isaac Feldstein Senior

Last year, Boyd and Braff could be relied upon to create explosive and momentum shifting plays once they stepped into the batters box. But since

the team now lacks a player on the roster that can make the impact that either Boyd or Braff can, this year’s team will have to play solid defense and compile strings of base hits more often now in order to score runs. “Losing B.J. [Boyd] and Ozzy [Braff] and the rest of the seniors is going to be tough for us, not just on offense, but on defense too,” senior third baseman and outfielder Austin Poore said. Among the returning players who are going to have the biggest impact on the diamond offensively this year include senior right fielder Isaac Feldstein, senior shortstop Michael Strong and senior third baseman and outfielder Austin Poore. These three are going to be highlighted as the go-to guys to jumpstart the line-up each game for the Vikings this year. “Isaac Feldstein is going to be a beast for us in the middle of the

order,” Poore said. “He has put in a lot of time and effort to get better each and every practice we’ve had so far.” When it comes to the pitching staff, senior Rohit Ramkumar, along with juniors Danny Erlich and Chris Smith will be counted on to be the team starters and to carry the load of the innings for the Vikings this season. Because this team lost their two previously mentioned sluggers, the equation this year to win games will have to include great pitching in order for the team to be successful. “Our playing style will have to change if we want to win,” right fielder Isaac Feldstein said. “In losing players like B.J. Boyd, John Dickerson and Ozzie [Braff], our offense just isn’t going to be as explosive, so we are going to all need to do our jobs and manufacture runs.” When it comes to the off-season workouts Feldstein has noticed a few

players who he believes could very well have huge seasons and explode onto the scene for the Vikings in the order and on the mound. “Austin Poore, Michael Strong and Rowan Thompson have put in work throughout the whole offseason to get better, so I think they are going to have huge years for us,” Feldstein said. “Rohit [Ramkumar] and Danny [Erlich] are going to be our leaders on the mound and will need to step up in order to replace our senior dominated pitching staff that has graduated.” Overall, Feldstein has high expectations for this team and sees lots of potential waiting to be tapped and uncorked as the season inches closer. “This team has loads of potential,” Feldstein said. “We have high expectations for the season, and we want to build off the success we had from the year before by working hard to win a SCVAL [Silicon Valley Athletic League] title and do well in CCS.”

Gymnastics selects varsity team after week-long tryouts

After a week of tryouts, gymnastics narrows down its team to five members and two alternates from a large turnout. Led by sophomores Chloe Finley and Mimi Lin, the team plans to set annual goals in order to improve. Sophie parker Sports editor

Jonathan ziegler Staff Writer

he week of Feb. 4 was torturous for the Paly gymnasts who hoped to represent Paly in the gymnastics community. Tryouts lasted the whole week, starting with more than 20 girls and ending with five members and two alternates. Team captain sophomore Chloe Finley has been practicing gymnastics for many years; she gets her inspiration for the sport from professional athletes. “I have been doing gymnastics on and off for a couple years as a kid, but I’ve been doing it continuously for the last two years,” Finley said, “Since it’s something that everyone does as a kid typically, I just did it because my mom and dad thought it was a good thing for me and I really enjoyed it.” Finley is on the fourth gymnastics team at Paly; the team started at Paly in 2009.

“Most kids dropped out when they were about six or seven but I kept going because I thought it was really cool to see what people could do with their bodies,” Finley said. Finley has been injured at multiple points, whether it be her bad back or sprained ankle, but after the injuries have recovered to a certain degree, she decided to come back to gymnastics and continue to compete. “It depends on how motivated you are [after an injury],” Finley said. “For me, I want to keep going and I am very motivated so I just take a lot of Advil and stretch a lot,” Finley said. This year, the Paly gymnastics team had an unusually big turnout according to Finley because of the lack of a junior varsity team, which forced the coach to take only five people from Paly and two alternates, as well as five people from Gunn High School and two alternates. The Paly team wants to increase its performance level by making key goals. “I want to see everyone be really satisfied with themselves and perform well in meets,” Finley said. The final team was decided last Friday, Feb. 8, including Michelle Yin, Sophia Moss, Sharissa Holopainen, Chloe Finley, Maya Ben-Efraim, Tiffany Liang, Victoria Dumas and Mimi Lin. Finley and Lin are the captains for this year as sophomores because the coach, Michaela Jane, hopes to continue having a strong team for

the next three years and is willing to sacrifice this year with a young team in order to have a strong one in the future. “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone on the team better and bonding,” Finley said. “I am also looking forward to competing.” Michaela Jane has been the coach for the past four years and though she was hired through the gym the girls practice at, Twisters, she still has a strong connection to the team. Finley cannot wait to watch the team grow as she improves herself and as the team improves. “As a team, a goal is to have everyone be happy with their performances and place at competitions,” Finley said. Finley is excited to have responsibility as captain and looks forward to stepping up to support the team. “As captain, I will be designing the team jackets, leading warmups and just helping lead the team in order to have a successful season,” Finley said. Juniors Yin and Moss have been doing gymnastics for the past two years and they are happy to come back for their third year on Paly’s gymnastics team, being on varsity for the first time. As there is only one varsity team, there are not as many slots on the team for people to fill, so all the members who made the team are excited to devote their time and energy to the team this year.

anna mcgarrigle/The Campanile

Sophomore Chloe Finley readies herself to do a cartwheel on the beam, a skill needed in the varsity beam routine.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

SPORTS C7

Boys’ varsity lacrosse opens season determined to avenge back-to-back semifinal defeats This year’s team, led by senior attacker Jonathan Glazier, is determined to end this season with its second championship after two years of early exits in the postseason.

Ziv Schwartz Staff Writer

fter losing in the semifinals of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic (SCVAL) playoffs for the last two years, the Paly boys’ lacrosse team looks to bounce back and win the championship this season, according to head coach Craig Conover. “We’ve lost the last two times but I can feel that this year is different,” Conover said. “So far, the team chemistry is great and we’re striving to be better than we were the previous years.” The team is using their loss in a thriller last year to Menlo-Atherton High School as motivation for this upcoming season. “Even though I didn’t actually play in the game, I could tell that this one hurt the team,” junior midfielder Zach Rizk said. “The guys played their hearts out, a few calls didn’t go our way and we came up just a bit short. It was tough but I think [that game] will help fuel us to reach our goal of a league championship this year, lets hope that the third time’s the charm.” This year’s captains have voiced similar goals for the time and are duly impressed with the way the season has began. “We held preseason workouts for the first time ever this year,” senior captain Walker Mees said. “We had a larger than expected turnout and we’re hoping to keep out the hard work.” Mees also expressed his views regarding the loss of key players who have graduated and how the underclassmen have been in replacing them on the team.

Adam Mansour/The Campanile

Junior Wayland Chiu dodges past sophomore Zach Levitan during a practice to prepare for an upcoming scrimmage against Saint Francis High School.

“We lost our main face-off guy and our main goal scorer this year,” Mees said. “As as a team we feel that the new juniors and even the underclassmen are going to step up and have a positive effect.” Junior and second captain James Harrison still has some reservations regarding the team chemistry thus far into the season. “So far [the team chemistry] has been alright,” Harrison said. “It’s only been a week and so everyone is not on the same page but I think we’ll get there soon.” With regards to the new juniors and underclassmen on the team,

Harrison is optimistic of the potential they could have on the team. As a team we feel that the new juniors and even the underclassmen are going to step up and have a positive effect. Walker Mees Senior Captain

“There are many good lacrosse players out there,” Harrison said. “I think they will be good contributors to the team.”

Some of the newer players on varsity simply cannot wait to get on the field and play, being ready at a moments notice to help the team in any way they can. “Right now I’m not expecting to get a lot of playing time,” freshman Matt Seligson said. “So far [the varsity team] is great, it’s nice to go out there and play on that level. I’m hoping to learn a lot this season and gain experience from the guys and follow the direction of our awesome captains.” Nonetheless, the Vikings do have a few setbacks with junior defensemen JP Flather out with a meniscus

tear for sixth months. Flather has been on varsity ever since freshman year and is a vital player for the team. “I’m bummed that [Flather] is out,” Conover said. “He was key to our whole plan.” Flather intends to stay involved with the team and make a strong comeback next season. “I’m hoping to return for next season,” Flather said. “I’ll probably help out with a few practices here and there but nothing serious.” The Vikings begin their regular season on the road at Carmel High School which will take place on Saturday, March 2.

Badminton excited about hiring of new coach, talented freshmen Claire Liu Staff Writer

fter ending last season just five points away from winning league championships, the varsity badminton team looks to this upcoming year with a newfound energy and a determination to succeed. Senior captain Oliver Wang talks about two new factors that will give the team an edge this season. “We have many incredibly strong freshman players joining the team,”

Wang said. “Additionally, we are lucky to have found a professional coach who will lead our team this season for the first time.” Wang predicts the motivated and experienced badminton players, mixed with the new freshmen teammates, as well as professional coach Wesley Hsieh, will create a team dynamic capable of making it to league championships—one of the team’s biggest goals. Sophomore Alec Deng echoes Wang’s excitement regarding the importance of the talented underclassmen.

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“We had a shortage of people last year, so the numerous new freshmen are a blessing,” Deng said. However, Deng does express some feelings of uncertainty when discussing the new team coach. “A new coach also means we have to start from scratch again in terms of respect and friendliness,” Deng said. “That will set us back a little, but I have faith that our season will go better than it did last year.” Last season, the team lost two crucial matches against Mountain View High School and ended third in the league. This year’s badminton players

plan to train hard during tryouts and practice to better their chances of success. They hope to win all matches and defeat Mountain View. Wang believes through intense training and focus, this season’s team is capable of beating their opponent with ease. “The first day of preseason conditioning was really tough, but the drills are really helpful and I have learned so much about the sport in the past few weeks,” freshman Carissa Zou said. In addition to training and practices, Zou believes the team will

benefit from its close-knit and helpful players. “The team is like a family and all the experienced varsity players are always willing to take time from their own practice to help out new players,” Zou said. “I definitely think that the team’s support will help everyone to succeed.” Badminton tryouts began Jan. 31 and are predicted to end Feb. 14. A predicted 50 or 60 of the 90 total athletes trying out will make the cut. The team’s first match of the season will be played at Homestead. High School on March 19.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Campanile

C8 SPORTS

how to ‘get swole’

Blake Smith, John Young / The Campanile

Campanile juniors John Young (top), Blake Smith (bottom left) and Will Mendenhall (bottom right) try their hand at various exercises in an attempt to “get swole.”

John Young Will Mendenhall Blake Smith Staff Writers

etting yoked— the key to putting on muscle and gaining strength. The secret to this art form has alluded the skinny people of the world for centuries. With a metabolism that could dismantle a bear in seconds, skinny people have a hard time getting swole. No matter the effort put into lifting weights, drinking protein shakes and carbo loading, putting on muscle seems impossible. But we are here to tell you to never lose faith. For one day, there will come a time when your metabolism slows down, and putting on muscle is within your grasp. When that day comes, prepare yourself because the road will be not only a hard one but a rewarding one as well. If you want to put on muscle and get yoked you can either try our “From Skinny to Swole” exercises or shoot yourself up with steroids every night before bedtime. The choice is yours.

Bench Press

What are the benefits of bench press? Bench press is a highly effective exercise that works a number of muscles, such as pectorals, deltoids, and abdominals. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the bench press actually exerts a higher bone density in one’s upper body. Not many activities require you to use the copious

amounts of muscles that bench press demands. Another benefit the bench press offers is the pride it comes with. Young people nowadays always ask “how much do you bench?” The weight quantity has become a benchmark for one’s strength and manliness. You can find bench presses at the Paly weight room, the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Jewish Community Center, as well as many other sport centers.

Swimming Half-naked and wet, swimmers engage many muscles, including the arms, back, shoulders, core and leg muscles, making swimming the only sport that uses every muscle of your body. These muscles will become stronger from use over time and can withstand longer periods of use as you become stronger. Muscular endurance is one of the key benefits of swimming for exercise. Swimming requires constant movement of the body. The activity can get your heart rate up fast and keep it there. Swimming can provide a great cardio workout, which is useful for preventing diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer, according to the American Heart Association. If swimming is your primary form of aerobic activity, do it three to five times per week for optimum conditioning. Your heart is the most critical organ in your body, and swimming for exercise strengthens and improves the endurance of this all-important muscle.

Unlike many exercises that only work a certain part of the body, swimming helps to improve muscle tone and overall endurance. Swimming uses the arms, the legs, the back, the shoulders and just about every other muscle in the body. More advanced strokes like the breaststroke and backstroke require different sets of muscles than the basic strokes as well, thereby improving your overall swimming workout. Swimming simply makes for a stronger, leaner body.

Diving The art of flight, is eloquently achieved in the sport of diving. Flipping, twisting and hurtling are but some of the many tricks performed after jumping off a diving board. But how does this seemly laid back sport get you the body you desire? It starts with the simple act of jumping off the board. In order to get the proper height, a person must use several leg muscles to propel a person off the board and into the air. This is one way to take those scrawny legs and turn them into living tree trunks. Once in the air, it takes superb abdominal strength to perform the acrobatic stunts and flips. Although just a few dives alone will not help the average person, the repeated process is a great way to maintain a strong core, as well as improve motor skills and balance. The best part about diving is that it comes free and can be practiced wherever a pool and a board can be found.

Pilates Have you ever tried turning yourself into a pretzel? It burns. Teenagers often ask the question, “how do you get a six pack?” Many would answer with “crunches or sit-ups.” But the secret answer is actually pilates. Not only will pilates give you a strong core, but it will also give you a balanced body. Pilates will strengthen your muscle flexibility as well as your joint mobility. After taking a couple of lessons, there is no doubt that you will be able to move your body more efficiently and perform better physically. Pilates may be listed as a “girls’ sport;” however it is probably the sport that will physically improve your body the most. So next time when you want to hopefully gain that six pack, do not waste your time on those crunche. Instead, go on YouTube and look up some pilate lessons. Pilates classes are also available at the YMCA and the JCC but YouTube might be the easiest way to find lessons at your wanted time for you lazy people.

Hot Yoga Sweat pours down your face as you painfully try to move your body into a position it obviously was not meant to be in. As you stuff yourself into a room that has been heated to a degree over one hundred, burning calories comes with ease. You must then force your body to twist and turn in order to perform poses such as the full locust pose, the rabbit pose, the half-turtle pose and many others. But the benefit to this agony is why hot yoga is a key step on the path to building muscle.

Yoga is a great way to strengthen the core, build up a rock hard six-pack and improve flexibility. With the heated environment characteristic to hot yoga, burning fat is simple. Bikram Yoga at 1910 El Camino Real, and Yoga Health Center at 636 El Camino Real, are two yoga studios located in the bay area that offer hot yoga. For relatively low prices, Bikram Yoga ($20) and Yoga Health Center ($15) offer onetime classes for an affordable price.

Cycling Steroids are not the only things that got Lance Armstrong yoked. Some may think cycling is repetitious and unentertaining, but it has a positive impact on your body. Cycling burns around the same number of calories per hour (600) as running or swimming, which means you can lose more than one pound of fat each week by cycling an hour each day. Expect great results in just a few weeks. Cycling enhances the aerobic energy capacity of your body— the maximum amount of oxygen, in millimeters, your body can consume per kilogram of your weight during each minute of aerobic activity. Cycling also improves your body’s cardiorespiratory endurance, which refers to the energy-supplying and waste-removing functions of your circulatory and respiratory systems. Enhancing your cardiorespiratory endurance means your heart and lungs can pump more oxygen and nutrients through your body with less effort, which reduces your risk of cardiovascular and respiratory problems.