Issue 5: February 14, 2024

In eforts to help improve campus culture and encourage dialogue between students, Breaking Down the Walls, an event sponsored by Ignite2Unite, took place during the school day from Jan. 23 to 25 in the Peery Center.

According to Ignite2Unite’s website, BDTW aims to create a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a “play, trust, learn” model.

Principal Brent Kline said the event was a place for students to put aside their diferences and create connections.

“I wanted to give the students of Palo Alto an opportunity to learn more about who they are and what they can bring to our school,” Kline said. “It was a chance to connect and to stop, pause and fnd out more about your peers.”

Junior Ethan Wang, a student leader for the event, said BDTW gave students the chance to see their peers in a diferent light and recognize shared experiences.

“ Te students in our school community are more alike than you may think,” Wang said. “You're not alone in certain situations.”

Junior Akiva Okumoto-Forrester, who attended BDTW, said the interactive activities at the event were structured to cultivate bonds within the student body.

“I (enjoyed) the team-building activities because they were very competitive, and I think competitions are (important) in

order to build those deeper relationships,” OkumotoForrester said.

Freshman Clara Manolache, who also attended the event, said she enjoyed the chance to meet new people.

“My favorite part was meeting all the people because you had deep conversations with them,” Manolache said. “It was really nice to connect with people who I never would have talked to, and then get friends that you would never, never expect.”

However, not all students felt like their expectations of the event were met.

A Social Justice Pathway senior, who asked to remain anonymous because of potential backlash from teachers and administrators, said she was required to attend the event as a part of her grade.

“

Te only reason I did it was because I had to do it,” she said. “I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

SJP History teacher Cait Drewes said the SJP staf team for seniors saw the event as an opportunity for students to engage in more communal activities.

“We are piloting a new community-based grading category, and we are trying it out with our second semester seniors and sort of seeing how it works out,” Drewes said.

Te anonymous senior, though, said many students were repeatedly encouraged to sign up, which decreased the appeal of the activity.

“(Administration) made it seem like something that wouldn't be fun,” she said. “People had to do it, so then you got people who didn’t want to be there.”

An ASB member, who asked to remain anonymous also because of potential backlash from teachers and administrators, said the presentation of the event to the ASB class was rushed and unclear.

“Part of ASB is having (good) communication with the students and helping the staf and

admin when (we) need to,” the ASB member said. “It would have been nice if we had more warning or expectations for the (event).”

Tis senior was also surprised that every member of ASB needed to recruit 10 students to attend the event as part of their grade.

“I think it was surprising that this assignment was made,” they said. “At frst, all the students were stressing about it. Overall, it worked out pretty well, and ASB ended up recruiting a decent number of students to attend.”

Manolache said despite being told BDTW would not resemble Challenge Day, it ultimately did. Challenge Day is an event where students share emotional experiences with one another. Manolache said toward the end of the day, BDTW contained a “Cross the Line” activity where students step across a line drawn on the ground when an experience applies to them.

“It was the exact same,” Manolache said. “You cross the line, then compliment or apologize to your peers.”

Despite these student concerns, Kline said the event was an overall success.

“I’ve heard tons of positive comments from students day after day,” Kline said. “I think the more we connect, the stronger and more efcient we can be as (a community).”

students,” Ling said. “ Te more students we can get, the longer (the program) is going to thrive, the longer it’s going to run.”

Ling, as a representative of one of the publications, said of all the reasons students join publications, his favorite part is the independence and fexibility.

Junior and

Ling said he volun-

as a

he wanted to

back to the

nalism community and let prospective students know about the variety of choices they have when it comes to courses in the media arts center.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to contribute to my community because ultimately, our program depends on the

“It's about all the diferent stories, all the diferent perspectives and all the diferent cultures I can learn about,” Ling said. “You aren’t confned to one type of journalism. You can pursue what you think is important in the world.”

Jackie Wong, a parent of an eighth-grader, said the event opened her eyes to the numerous opportunities at Paly and made her consider encouraging her son to join one of the media arts programs.

“My son is a STEM kid, but it is a good way for him to get out of his comfort zone, to be able to present and (improve his) public speaking,” Wong said.

Eighth-grader Mateo Rosas said he enjoyed seeing the InFocus studio during a tour of the MAC.

“I really liked going up and seeing the recording room of InFocus,” Rosas said. “ Tey have a lot of cool equipment. I'm going to take one of the journalism classes, so I can join one of (the publications).”

Eighth-grader Ian Harvie said he was drawn to the opportunities he hears about in photojournalism.

“My favorite (publications) so far are probably Proof and Via Verde,” Harvie said. “You take nice photos and you put them in the paper.”

Harvie said the open house was a success, and that he left the event excited about potentially joining a media arts class.

Harvie said, “It just seems like one of the most fun electives (high schools) can ofer.”

ALEX ISAYAMA/THE CAMPANILE

Sophomores Kevin Fong, Max Soparkar, and Luke Lew stand together to participate in Breaking Down the Walls. "Te students in our school community are more alike than you may think," Junior Ethan Wang said.

Meryem Orazova & Alex Isayama Staf Writers

Eshoo retirement leaves opening in congressional ofce

House Representative Anna Eshoo’s planned retirement after 32 years in Congress is making the 2024 congressional elections a competitive race, with 11 candidates running to represent the 16th district, encompassing Palo Alto, most West Bay Area cities and part of South Bay.

Joby Bernstein is the youngest candidate in the race at 28 years old, and he said on his campaign website that his major focus is environmental policy. He has experience from his time as an investor and advisor in climate policy and sustainability, as well as founding various corporate sustainability programs. While the environment is his primary focus, he has declared education and immigration protection to be other priorities. In an interview with the Stanford Daily, Bernstein said his age will help his fght for the environment.

“I’m scared that the way things are set up right now, we are not going down a path that will be attainable in the next few decades,” Bernstein said. “We need someone who’s young, who’s willing to stick up for what they believe in and willing to stick up to ensure that future generations are protected.”

Candidate Peter Dixon, according to his website, joined the Marine Corps after 9/11, where his experience led him to fghting corruption in the Pentagon, before becoming co-founder and former CEO of Second Front Systems, a Silicon Valley cybersecurity company.

Dixon said given his background in the Marines his priority is ensuring the protection of democracy, with protecting reproductive rights and addressing the cost of living being other priorities.

Candidate Rishi Kumar, a former Saratoga city council member and Silicon Valley tech executive, ran for the seat in 2020 and 2022. During both elections, he placed second in the primary behind Eshoo, and lost in the general election.

In an email to Te Campanile, Kumar said he has experience in the economy and technology through his past work, but also has other priorities for the district.

“I will leverage the extraordinary technical and fnancial resources of the richest, most innovative congressional district in America to act on the issues unaddressed for decades such as Medicare for All, reproductive rights, climate change, and stopping the senseless deaths of our children at school,” Kumar said.

Candidate Liccardo, San Jose mayor from 2014 to 2022, said on his campaign website that his priorities include homelessness and afordable housing. In a guest article in San Jose Inside, Liccardo said he has practical experience combating homelessness in his time in political ofce.

“By the time I left ofce in 2022, we had constructed fve quick-build communities.” Liccardo said. “ Tat year, the number of San Jose’s unsheltered homeless population dropped 11% – while increasing in the rest of the county.”

Candidate Evan Low, former member of Campbell City’s city council from 2006 to 2014, and former State Assemblymember from 2014 to 2022, said in a candidate debate hosted by Embarcadero Media on Jan. 31 that one of his campaign’s priorities is achieving equality.

“As an openly LGBT candidate, I refused to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation,” Low said. “You cannot legislate people like me out of existence, and that is what we’re standing up and fghting for.”

Candidate Julie Lythcott-Haims is currently on the Palo Alto City Council. According to her website, she is biracial, bisexual, and the only woman in the race for the 16th Congressional District.

She said one of her campaign priorities is protecting the bodily autonomy of women.

“(After) Anna Eshoo announced her retirement, 10 men stepped up. I’m looking for the women, and I didn’t see any, so I said, ‘Alright, I’ll do it,’” LythcottHaims said. “ Te Supreme Court has just overturned Roe V. Wade. In this moment, we do not want to be sending fewer women to Congress, we want more.”

Candidate Ahmed Mostafa, former policy leader at Google and Director of the Stanford Survivors’ Pro Bono Clinic, said that his campaign priorities are reform-

ART BY SOPHIA KELLY

After a door plug of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet detached while the plane was mid-fight over Oregon on Jan. 6, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a grounding of the plane model the next day, afectings thousands of individuals, including Paly jetsetters.

Te FAA lifted the grounding of more than 170 domestic Boeing 737 Max 9 jets on Jan. 26, allowing airlines to resume fying the airplanes after weeks.

Junior Karthi Gottipatti, whose return fight to San Francisco was grounded after attending a school debate tournament in Arizona, said his debate team scrambled to rebook their tickets the day before school resumed after winter break.

“We were supposed to fy back a day before the end of winter break,” Gottipatti said. “As it turns out, our plane was the same model as the one (in which) the door few of, so they grounded it, and we were delayed by about 24 hours and had to reschedule for another fight. Te biggest difculty was it interrupted the plans I had made before school and prevented me from being able to get ready to go back.”

Senior Eric Sun, who was in Puerto Rico when he heard the news of the falling door plug, said he made it to his layover in Houston before the planes were grounded.

However, aircraft maintenance staf discovered problems on his second fight, leading to a two-day delay.

“Our original fight Monday morning was on a Max 9,” Sun said. “(First), they just scheduled fights for later, but unfortunately, that plane had some issues. Tey ended up sending us to Salt Lake City. Ten I went to Oakland, and my mom went to Sacramento because they couldn’t actually fnd two tickets.”

A decades-long United employee, who worked on the Boeing planes, including Max 9s, for several years and requested anonymity to avoid backlash from their employer, said United outsources most of the assembly and manufacturing of their airplanes to aircraft manufacturers, ultimately lowering the quality of their planes despite pushback from the engineering department.

Te airline was trying to save money and they really put a lot of people’s lives and the company in danger, ignoring their engineering department,” the employee said.

Te employee said United had a troubled history with the door plug, which is installed when an emergency exit is not employed per FAA regulations.

Tis plug seems a little dinky to me,” the employee said. “It doesn’t seem like something that a lot of thought was put into compared to other doors. Te real exit door they put in there for escape would probably be a lot more sophisticated and complicated.

ing Title IX to be more supportive to survivors, calling for a ceasefre between Israel and Hamas and protecting afordable housing.

Mostafa said his experience in the technology sector translates to his ability to represent Silicon Valley.

“Congress is so illiterate when it comes to tech,” Mostafa said. “We need people who actually know what they’re talking about, when it comes to science and tech and innovation, who can actually bring forth that promise.”

Peter Ohtaki, one of two Republican candidates listed on the ballot for this year’s primary and former Menlo Park mayor, said rather than solely focusing on Republican issues, he prioritizes fnding solutions to pressing problems.

“I am Republican because I’m fscally conservative,” Ohtaki said. “I don’t always agree with the Republican Party on every issue. I don’t follow ideologies as much as common sense. I’m willing to be an aggressive, bipartisan problem solver.”

Ohtaki said his primary issues are addressing rising crime, national security, and incentivizing renewables before banning natural gas subsidies. Business owner Karl Ryan is the second Republican listed on the ballot. However, Ryan has not participated in any candidate forums, has no contact information, and has no listed priorities on his campaign website.

Candidate Joe Simitian received Congresswoman Eshoo’s endorsement for his extensive political experience. According to his Linkedin profle, Simitian has been on Palo Alto’s School Board, Palo Alto’s City Council, California State Assembly

and State Senate since 1983. Most recently, he’s been on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors from 2013 to the present.

Simitian’s campaign website said he has taken action against climate change in the State Senate, and that he supports afordable housing and protecting reproductive rights. In an interview with NBC, Simitian said his experience translates to results.

“

Tere’s only one reason to run and that’s to improve the lives of the people you represent,” Simitian said. “ Tat’s how I viewed my work in the state legislature, how I view my work on the Board of Supervisors. It has to be about real results.”

Greg Tanaka, a member of Palo Alto’s City Council, said his priorities are tackling the environment, the economy, and ensuring justice and democracy. Tanaka said he prioritizes unique solutions, such as his underground Caltrain proposal.

“I tend not to go with the pack, I tend to be very independent,” Tanaka said.

Joby Bernstein, Sam Liccardo, Evan Low, and Joe Simitian did not respond to requests for comment.

Bhatia

Tis thing was like an afterthought. I don’t know if this was announced in the press, but (United) had a problem with it. And for some reason, they had to take it out and somebody put it back in.”

Te employee said they thought there was a lack of critical foresight while the plug was being installed on the plane. “You just got this one little rinky-dink bolt holding this thing in,” the employee said. “You’d think something that critical would have a better safety backup system. Even if the guy (who) put it in missed it, it should have been inspected by others.”

While the plane was below the average cruising altitude of around 40,000 feet at only 16,000 feet, the inside of the plane was still pressurized. When the door plug opened, there was a rapid pressure loss in the cabin as air inside of the plane rushed out.

“It’s enough to suck somebody out of a seatbelt,” the employee said. “If they were sitting in those seats (near to the door), especially with a hole that size, you’re talking (about) a lot of air going out.”

For the frst time in over a decade, seniors claimed a victory against staf during the annual Winter Rally, which featured a studentvs-staf basketball game and revealed the upcoming Prom venue.

Senior Kara Vetter scored a three-point buzzer beater, ending the game with a fnal score of 27-25

Vetter said the energy of the crowd contributed to the liveliness of the game.

“Airline technology is not really a place where you can innovate and do whatever because it leads to (accidents),” Gottipatti said. Senior Raine Zhong, who was vacationing in Mexico over winter break, said his family rushed to rebook their Alaska Airlines return fight after hearing the plane they were originally supposed to fy home on was the same model as the plane with the lost door.

Teir systems could be designed better,” Zhong said. “ Tis is not the frst time Boeing’s planes (have) had something fall of. (Te airlines) should just plan for emergencies like this better.”

Te employee said Boeing will most likely heavily upgrade its safety systems in light of the incident.

In the wake of these dangers, Gottipatti said the airlines should do more to regulate future incidents.

“I’m sure Boeing’s gonna come up with some solution to make this thing,” the employee said. “ Tey usually go above what is needed to make (the plane) safe because they don’t want that to happen again. But that’s not really the point. Te point is, this (accident) should have never happened in the frst place.”

“All the seniors just really wanted to have fun and beat the staf, so having the support of the crowd really boosted us up there,” Vetter said. “I didn’t expect (my last shot) to go in, but as soon as it did, I (went) crazy.”

At the end of the second quarter, the game paused at a tie of 10-10, allowing for ASB to cast a video revealing the Prom site as Gilroy Gardens.

Junior class Vice President Kennedy Do said she was excited for Prom at Gilroy Gardens.

“I think (Gilroy Gardens) is really fun and diferent because it is an outdoor venue, while typically most Prom venues are indoors,” Do said. Tere’s going to be a lot of other activities as well as games and rides, so (Prom) will be more interactive.”

Paly special education therapist Ryan Fabie said the rally game provided a unique opportunity to bring students and staf together.

“I think kids enjoy seeing teachers doing normal things that even kids do,” Fabie said. “It builds out (mutual) connections.”

Annika Chu & Meryem Orazova

Senior Watson Koegler said he expected the seniors to dominate the game despite the initial tie. “I came in thinking it was going to be a shoot around,” Koegler said. “But once you get the 10-10, it’s like ‘OK, let’s turn it on a little bit.’”

Staf Writers

Rohan

Sports Editor

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Full of energy, seniors run onto the court after a close victory against staf. “I didn’t expect (my last shot) to go in, but as soon as it did, I (went) crazy,” Vetter said.

A United Airlines employee, who worked with Boeing, captures a plane during maintenance before it takes fight. “You’d think something that critical would have a better safety backup system,” the employee said.

UNITED AIRLINES EMPLOYEE/USED WITH PERMISSION

Holden Lee Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

City works with Friends, residents to form plan for new fexible public gym

Palo Alto’s Community Services Department and the Friends of Palo Alto Recreation & Wellness Center are collaborating to build the city’s frst public gym.

Te construction of the gym will be a publicprivate partnership where the city would provide the land, while the Friends group would fundraise to support the estimated $33 million construction cost of the gym.

While the location of the gym and the construction schedule have not yet been decided, the city is currently considering building the gym at Greer Park or Cubberley.

Jef LaMere, a former Parks and Recreation commissioner, Friends board member and varsity basketball coach, said the new exercise area should fulfll the city’s need for an indoor public space, which was proposed in the 2017 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

And Palo Alto Director of Community Services Kristen O’Kane said the city envisions the center to be a multi-use space.

“We could host a variety of diferent programs and classes in those spaces from yoga to Zumba to programs for people with diferent abilities,” O’Kane said. “We’re really hoping to provide programs to as many people in the city as possible.”

O’Kane also said the gyms used by the city of Palo Alto’s recreational programs are at Cubberley and leased from PAUSD.

“We don’t own any of our own gyms to provide programs and services to residents of Palo Alto for youth and adults,” O’Kane said. “It would be a great beneft to the community by providing more space for wellness programs for people of all ages and abili-

ties to have space to gather to develop their ftness, both physically and their overall mental health.”

Judy Kleinberg, a member of Friends, said the organization will work with the city, the residents of Palo Alto and various athletic groups to decide on the type and location of the gym.

“We’re going to make it as fexible a building as possible so that it can grow with the interests of the community and the needs of the community,” Kleinberg said. “It would be the kind of building that would not age out in terms of use.”

Senior and varsity basketball player Aiden Hangebrauck said he thinks a public gym could increase the physical and mental well-being of the community, especially impacting students.

“A lot of people, both in high school and middle school, want an afordable option that is open good hours,” Hangebrauck said. “ Tey don’t want to go to a gym where they’d see a lot of their classmates — they want something more private. Spacing out where everybody in Palo Alto goes to the gym would have a good impact.”

O’Kane said location is an important consideration for the project and that each site, Greer Park and Cubberly, both have their pros and cons.

“A downside with using Greer Park is that we would be putting a building in an existing park,”

O’Kane said. “ Te downside of Cubberley is that it’s a big site, and ideally we would want to develop the whole site at one time. But the beneft of Cubberley is that there’s already access (and) parking there. It’s already a developed site, so it wouldn’t be taking existing parkland, it would just be improving the site from where it is today.”

According to Kleinberg, teenagers in Palo Alto 30 years ago had no access to public gyms after school hours, which is what inspired her to join the Friends group to help build a public gym. “We are such an asset-rich community,” Kleinberg said “It is really quite amazing and disappointing that we don’t have a public facility that we own and can control to make available to our residents for their physical well-being.”

Kleinberg also said it is a core part of the community to have an empowering space open to all, which is why creating this gym is necessary.

“We’ve been waiting 30 years and longer for a place, particularly for youth, to work out,” Kleinberg said. “It’s high time.”

Annika Chu Staf Writer

To

Alto, Mayor Greer Stone has announced the creation of a youth mental health task force.

Te frst meeting of the Youth Wellbeing & Mental Health Taskforce meeting was on Jan. 29.

Stone said the frst meeting served as a kickof to the force.

“We’re hoping to have a recommendation from the task force by April in order to be able to meet the deadline to have any recommendations included in next year’s city budget,” Stone said. Board Trustee Shana Segal said she decided to join the task force to increase the number of safe spaces for teens.

“But by partnering with the city, I’m hoping we can fnd more ways for youth to have a sense of belonging,” Segal said. As a parent, Segal said she recognizes the need for early mental health resources.

“I’m an advocate for early intervention, whether it’s academics or mental health, and so I’m really pleased that all of the elementary schools have a therapist because it is clear that we need to be addressing concerns early so that by the time students get to middle school, they have tools in the toolkit and bigger issues have been addressed in elementary schools,” Segal said.

Segal also said the task force wants to bring more awareness to already existing resources.

“It seems like (resources are) underutilized,” Segal said. “And so how do we make it either more accessible or more of a desirable place for kids to hang out?”

Stone said the group also hopes to bring together Palo Alto’s nonprofts, medical experts, parents and students to collectively improve mental health. Te task force is also made up of one student representative from Paly, Gunn, and Castilleja.

Stone said he chose Palo Alto High School’s student representative, Brendan Giang, based on Stone’s past experience.

“(I) had been very impressed with him as a student leader, and he has brought a lot of really great ideas,” Stone said.

According to Giang, the task force wants to discover underlying causes of poor youth mental health.

“We really want to look at what’s the root cause of this problem. What can we do to support these kids but also fgure out what’s causing the depression or anxiety or other mental health issues,” Giang said.

Ella Bishop, president of the Bring Change to Mind club, which is focused on supporting student mental health, said she hopes that the task force will receive more student input and involvement.

“I hope that they actively work with the actual students and do outreach at Paly and Gunn to see what the students are looking for and see what we need,” Bishop said.

According to Stone, the task force has no intent to increase the number of student representatives on it due to concerns about inefciency.

Tere is no intent to add any additional student representatives at this time,” Stone wrote. “ Te more participants we include, the less time each member gets to share their views and add to the discussion. In my experience meetings with over 15 members tend to be inefcient and struggle to fnd solutions.”

Bishop said a main stressor for Palo Alto students is academic pressure.

Tere’s no clear way to pin what is the cause of someone’s mental health issues be-

Olivia Atkinson News/Opinion Editor

Following Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s loss in New Hampshire, she attended a fundraiser event in Atherton on Feb. 6 to gain support for her 2024 elections campaign. According to Venture Capital investor Timothy Draper, one of two organizers of the Luncheon, the event was successful.

“She has done well,” Draper said. “As a startup that is doing well would attract my capital, so will she continue to attract my capital.”

Freshman Tessa Berney, who became interested in the 2024 elections through Speech and Debate, said Haley’s decision to continue fundraising is surprising.

“It’s a waste of her time honestly,” Berney said. “She’s going to drop out pretty soon because she’s losing state after state in places she should have won, which is kind of embarrassing.”

Despite disagreeing with Haley’s stance on multiple policies such as reproductive rights, Berney said she admires Haley’s resilience in opposing Trump.

“I commend her for continuing to run,” Berney said. “I know a lot of people say Donald Trump is going to win the Republican primaries, but she’s still (staying in the election).”

U.S. Foreign Policy teacher John Bungarden said he presumes Haley is still in the race on the of chance that Trump’s legal trials go amiss.

“She’ll be the person still there,” Bundargen said. “If the legal trouble for Trump continues (she could step in).”

As of Jan 26. Draper said the polls are still in Haley’s favor and he thinks Haley has a strong chance of winning.

“She has gone from 2% to 43% of the vote (in New Hampshire) while all the other candidates have fallen of,” Draper said. “Trump is clearly afraid to debate her. As people get to know her, they want to join her efort. She will win.”

Gunn senior Chris Lee is Editor-in-Chief of the political magazine “ Te Chariot.” Lee said although he does not think Haley will win, he does think she will attract voters who are dissatisfed with other candidates.

“A lot of voters have expressed dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden, whether it’s the legal troubles (or) the age,” Lee said. “Nikki Haley has positioned herself and said, ‘I’m more moderate than Trump or I am younger than both candidates.’”

Lee also said students should follow the 2024 elections to learn more about crucial topics including abortion or the Israel-Hamas confict as students’ votes in the elections can make a diference.

“If you look at people’s Instagram stories, there is a good amount of political dissatisfaction with a bunch of diferent things that are going on,” Lee said. “It’s almost hypocritical if we’re posting those things, and we’re not voting if you’re eligible.”

U.S. History teacher Stephen Foug said students can get involved by tracking specifc issues and comparing what each candidate proposes.

“Find out which issue is most important to you and match that up with a candidate,” Foug said. “It takes the noise away and strips it down to like what (you) think is most important. Te person in the White House (you) want is the person who refects (your) values now in terms of keeping peace internationally, providing for people of our own country (and) fnding the right people to do the right jobs.”

Freshman Avroh Shah said he is following each platform’s long-term goals and previous actions regarding climate change. “I would like to see more progress being made (for climate change),” Shah said. “It’s something that candidates have overlooked. Biden, he has done a lot in his earlier presidency, but nothing really major has happened. Tere just needs to be some more momentum, especially among Republican candidates.”

Foug said regardless of which candidates are chosen for either party, voters should pay close attention to this election and not take anything for granted as sudden changes can always happen.

And while some students may think voting is futile, Foug said it is an important habit to develop.

“Even if you think it’s gonna be a foregone conclusion, like, whoever the Democrat is (will) win California, you get into that habit of having your voice – like brushing your teeth,” Foug said.

cause it is so versatile and variable,” Bishop said.“But the pure academic pressures that we face as students ramps up junior and senior year. Tere’s always that academic competition, and that is just a weight on everyone’s shoulders.”

Stone said his experiences as both a

dent and a teacher in PAUSD

ART BY RIVER WU

Isabella Bian Staf Writer

Students should engage in local politics, pre-register to vote to spark change

Sofa Singer Staf Writer

I remember the frst time I took my dog, Charlie, on a walk to the park. I went to our elementary school, Duveneck, arriving at around 5:30 p.m. — the prime time for dogs to play. As soon as we arrived, Charlie lunged toward the pack of dogs playing on the feld. While Charlie was content, I quickly got nervous and was eager to leave as I noticed a swarm of little kids biking around and an open gate just waiting for Charlie to escape. A few weeks later, I was back at Duveneck with Charlie. But when he sprung toward a fufy Samoyed, chaos erupted. A bike whizzed past, and Charlie raced after the biker, who proceeded to accelerate. Eventually, the biker stopped, along with Charlie, whose barking attracted other dogs. Although he didn’t bite the kid, the circumstances were dangerous for both of them.

Years later, this encounter is still engraved in my mind — every time I’m at Duveneck, I closely watch Charlie, ensuring he doesn’t lash out at someone else. Before getting Charlie, the signifcance of dog parks and the controlled environments they provide had never crossed my mind. However, now that I’m more experienced, I realize every Palo Alto neighborhood should have a dog park, including my own. Palo Alto has a few dog parks: Peers Park, Greer Park and others, but the Duveneck/St. Francis and Crescent Park areas have none.

If you’re 16 or older, scan this QR code to pre-register to vote on the California Secretary of State’s website.

Although the city has parks and schools for pets to roam, dogs need a designated place where they can socialize with each other in a safe environment.

I bring Charlie to the park instead of walking him because it is simply the healthiest option for him. According to the Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, exercise is necessary for dogs to get rid of excess energy, build muscle mass, and maintain their cardiovascular health.

Walks don’t promote these health bene limit social interaction for dogs, and don’t provide the “play time” that is integral to their behavioral development.

Furthermore, unleashing dogs can be unsafe and even illegal in many parks. Situations similar to the one with Charlie happen al most every day, and they can lead to human injuries or hurt dogs.

When a dog injures a human, it can be marked as ‘aggressive,’ and with enough warnings, put down. If dogs had a safe place to play, how ever, they wouldn’t be put in situations where they could be tempted to attack others. From there, the number of injuries would sig nifcantly drop, decreasing worries

Occasionally, Animal Control O drive to diferent schools and parks, those who have their dogs unleashed. If Duveneck/St. Francis and Crescent Park had a dog park, dogs would legally be able to be of-leash and play with each other.

People who don’t have dogs or don’t live in this part of Palo

On the eve of Palo Alto’s mayoral election, the foor of City Hall opened to allow residents to inform the city council about the candidates for the city’s highest offce. Residents apprised candidates on representation, character and past track record — essential areas of focus and qualities for any mayor or vice mayor.

Yet, I felt a lack of diversity in those who spoke out. For our leaders to properly represent us –– 68,572 residents according to the 2020 census –– all perspectives should be spoken for. Yet, from the 23 speakers, only two people were under 20.

Most teenagers think mayoral selections have little consequence in their daily routines. Tey might even think it isn’t worth speaking in a public forum, which takes time away from their already busy lives. Yet, local policy afects everyone. For example, newly-selected Mayor Greer Stone has a policy objective for his one-year term to create a mental health task force involving PAUSD students, educators and experts.

Even though Stone ran unopposed for ofce, Vice Mayor was decided by a close 4-3 vote, where passionate student voices could have completely changed the outcome of the election.

At the school level, administrators’ decisions afect course availability, how transcripts are calculated, and ways to increase benefts for our classifed staf and educators.

Tese topics are evidently important to the student body; as seen last year, there has been a surge in student attendance at board meetings, specifcally to represent student opinions on a variety of issues, including regarding the math pathway. However, speaking out at board meetings is only a surface-level way of engaging with an education policy.

Most in-depth discussions, involving board trustees, union representatives, administrators, and Parent Teacher Student Association members happen in committee meetings.

In these discussions, I’ve noted a persistent lack of student involvement.For instance, on the Secondary Bell Schedule Ad Hoc Committee, which presents fnal schedule options that afect over 6,000 students to the superintendent, I was the sole high school representative.

Often, students complain about the schedule, that our days start too late or are too long.

However, they don’t know that our days have to be a certain length because of state minute requirements, of the site traveling that teachers do, and of the multitude of other concerns adminis-

Alto might not see the importance of dog parks, as they are expensive and frankly not aesthetic.

I understand that building dog parks on new plots of land would be costly, but there are many existing parks that have room to include a dog-specifc area.

All the parks need are gates, a water fountain close to the ground and preferably some grass.

For example, Eleanor Pardee Park has a small section of grass in the back corner which would be perfect for a dog park. I rarely see

trators and committee members must consider.

If students were to engage, they would know that.

One major criticism of the district in the past was its handling of math.

However, on committees such as the dual enrollment committee, which includes the Foothill College staf, only one student representative was present.

Te community outrage around multivariable calculus could have been mitigated if students who believed strongly in the issue were engaging with committees making recommendations.

If students want to shape policy to beneft us, we need to engage with policymakers at the district level.

Having this representation during these selections can inform our leaders that our perspective matters and that we are all striving for a future that improves our city.

Without input from students, policymakers won’t be able to anticipate our needs, and we won’t have the opportunity to disagree with the policies either.

If you’re unable to speak at local city meetings or participate in district committees, the easiest way to make sure your voice is heard is by pre-registering to vote.

In California, all residents can preregister when they turn 16, a process that takes less than 10 minutes to accomplish and ensures that you’re civically involved as soon as possible.

Pre-registering is especially important as Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Engagement and Learning found that only 54% of California’s eligible teenage voters cast ballots.

Some believe that our vote in 2024 won’t matter, and there’s some validity to their opinion as California has consistently voted for the Democratic nominee since 1988.

However, it is important to remember that voters can afect local elections — choosing our school board trustees, city council members, county supervisors and more.

Tese local elections are incredibly important to upholding our democracy, where students can stand up to select candidates that refect our youth. Students need to participate in our local elections and pre-register to vote to improve our community.

Without our voices, local politics will continue to lack youth opinion and perspective.

Julian Hong News/Opinion Editor

As for the aesthetics, there are already gates surrounding the two playgrounds, and if the same gate was added around the area, it wouldn’t change the aesthetic cohesion of the park.

While dog parks are not the top priority for nonowners, the addition of one would signifcantly improve animal and human welfare. Considering this, the Duveneck/St. Francis and Crescent Park areas should have a dog park.

Courses shouldn’t be restricted to grade levels

In the evolving landscape of education, high school is a critical period for intellectual development and personal

However, some traditions resulting from the competitive nature of PAUSD’s narrow learning pathways force students to follow diffcult predetermined tracks that restrict them from exploring other felds. Students should have the opportunity to take AP courses earlier in high school to foster academic exploration and personal growth, and shouldn’t be prevented from striving farther or trying courses that rst-years. is early access not only enables students to pursue their interests but also allows students to have a taste of the rigor expected of such courses. For instance, AP courses are often reserved for upperclassmen, making it seem that younger students are for such rigorous academic challenges. But this overlooks the potential of Social science courses such as Sociology are only available for 11th and 12th

graders despite having no prerequisite, and AP Psychology is restricted to only 12th graders.

Allowing younger students to take AP courses gives them early exposure to college-level material and expands their intellectual curiosity.

Tis early engagement allows students to delve deeper into subjects they are passionate about, or realize certain pathways were not as compelling as they seemed.

Although it is emphasized in the course catalog that students should not take more than two AP courses per year to maintain a healthy school-life balance, there should still be opportunities for students to challenge themselves regardless of their grade level, with AP contracts that inform the many expectations.

Te only AP course currently ofered to freshmen is AP Computer Science Principles, and only a few others are open for sophomores.

Compared to the broader array of the dozens of AP courses ofered to juniors and seniors, this feels way too limiting.

Te current educational model often puts up artifcial barriers that prevent students from advancing according to their abilities, but when you look at math lanes, there is fexibility in progression that makes it far easier for students to fnd the classes that ft them best.

Te math lanes demonstrate that students can successfully engage with material that matches their skill level, regardless of age.

Applying this fexibility to AP courses would mirror the adaptability seen in math courses. I am not arguing for the elimination of prerequisites. Tey are valuable classes that prepare students for more advanced courses.

For example, students need to take courses such as in biology or chemistry to enroll in their respective advanced versions, as these prerequisites cover material that is integral to understanding the courses.

Instead, I propose classes that have prerequisites based on grade level should

be accessible to all students, allowing every student, regardless of their grade, a chance to engage with advanced materi als when they feel ready to take on the challenge.

Allowing earlier access to try out all courses, including APs, without invisible walls can enable stu dents to discover and pursue their passions sooner, leading to more informed decisions about college majors and career paths.

By carefully providing op portunities for advancement with appropriate support and a clear understanding of course prerequisites and challenges, we can o a more engaging, challenging and fulflling high school experience.

PAUSD should aim to integrate a four day school week and lengthen school days by 35 minutes.

On Mondays, Paly lacks productivity.

Students drag their heavy backpacks from class to class for short lectures that barely cover material, enduring seven consecutive and pointless periods.

Once they arrive home, students are already exhausted on the frst day of a new week.

Instead of our current fve-schooldays-perweek schedule, PAUSD should implement four day school weeks and three day weekends to adjust for the current teacher shortage, providing more time to students to complete assignments and also allowing much-needed downtime to further explore out-of-school interests and hobbies.

To account for the lost instructional time for a four-day week, Paly could add 35 minutes to each school day, and bring back the 8:30 a.m. start time.

While the district unilaterally adjusted the start time of the high schools to 9 a.m. in 2021 in what they said was an efort to improve the mental and physical health of students, starting earlier allows students to attend after-school extracurricular activities while it is still light outside.

And though many students are opposed to waking up early, having Mondays of would provide students with extra time to sleep and relax before each new school week.

Transforming Monday into a weekend day would also assist in preserving the energy levels of students throughout the week through fewer, but more productive, periods to study. Currently, the Monday schedule puts students through seven 45-minute periods with lessons that don’t cover substantive material –– and with late start Mondays, periods fall to only 35 minutes of learning. A four-day week also helps solve the teacher shortage the state faces by making the job more lucrative.

If being a teacher requires only four days of work, more people will be in-

centivized to get teaching credentials and apply for jobs.

In schools in Missouri where the teacher shortage has deeply afected schools, a four-day schedule has helped make teaching a more lucrative job choice and opened up more opportunities for students. Because PAUSD is also a wellpaying school district, adding a more lenient job schedule might help solve the current teacher shortage.

For elementary and middle school students, childcare becomes a problem for parents during four-day weeks because they can’t simply leave their children at home when they go of to work.

One method used by schools in the Midwest is a subsidy given out by the school every Monday in order to pay for childcare programs or kid’s day clubs.

Having four-day school weeks would increase efciency for teaching students, help solve the teacher shortage and allow students to explore their passions outside of school with their newfound free time.

Albert Jung Staf Writer

Neel Sharma Sports Editor

Breaking Down the Walls program crosses a line

Btook place in the Peery Center from Jan. 23 to 25 during school hours. According to the Ignite2Unite website, BDTW creates a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a “play, trust, learn” model. BDTW featured bonding activities and friendly competition to develop deeper connections between students who may not have previously known each other. While Te Campanile commends administrative eforts to bring the student body closer, we think the event was marred by excessive administrative pressure placed on students to attend the event and recruit for it. We also hope this efort to improve Paly school culture will not be a one-time occurrence, as a six-hour program is not sufcient to enact lasting change on campus.

Te confict between attending BDTW and coursework was also a problem. Despite Principal Brent Kline’s appeals for teachers to lighten their course load the week of the event, many did not, creating even more stress for attending students. In addition, some students, including Social Justice Pathway seniors, were required to attend BDTW as part of their grade. Tis is unfair to those who would rather attend their other classes. Social Justice classes, for example, only account for English and history credit, so SJP students who attended BDTW were forced to miss their other classes.

Not only can this potentially lead to students falling behind in class, but forcing someone to attend BDTW decreases their desire to fully participate and discourages them from enjoying the event, contradicting the point of BDTW.

In another administrative mistake, all members of ASB were required to attain 10 signups as part of their grade, according to an anonymous ASB member who only agreed to be interviewed if their name wasn’t used out of fear of repercussions. ASB was also not notifed of BDTW until Jan. 11, only a few days after coming back from winter break.

Members of ASB should not have been forced to help execute something they were barely involved in on such short notice. Additionally, the excess stress placed on ASB members having to essentially beg students to sign up places an unfair burden on them and takes away from the authenticity of the activity.

Kline does deserve credit for trying. Appearing on InFocus, he told the student body that he asked teachers to reduce their course load for the week of BDTW, including pushing back tests so students could attend the event without missing much. But Te Campanile is aware of teachers who had scheduled unit tests during the week of Breaking Down Te Walls, forcing students to choose

between attending the event or having to retake tests on their personal time.

Additionally, Economics and Advanced Placement Macroeconomics teacher Grant Blackburn told Te Campanile that while he knew about Breaking Down the Walls, he only learned the specifcs of the event in January, minimizing the amount of time he had to change his curriculum.

Since he said he didn’t have enough time to alter his class schedule, he gave a test during the week of Breaking Down the Walls.

Kline also told the student body in his InFocus message that Breaking Down Te Walls would be nothing like Challenge Day, an event held at Greene Middle School where students shared personal information about sensitive topics with their peers.

However, Breaking Down Te Walls contained a “Cross the Line” activity toward the end of the day that asked students to cross a line if a certain scenario ft them.

Questions for this event included, “Is one of your parents deceased?” and “Have you ever saved someone’s life?”, bearing a striking resemblance to Challenge Day without any prior warning.

Questions of this caliber are not only inappropriate and overly invasive for unsuspecting students but also fail to consider how peers might view or judge those who confrm incredibly personal facts and cross the line.

Such questions consequently fail to help accomplish the school’s goal of creating deep relationships in a safe space. Instead, they do the opposite.

Kline did not respond to an email sent by Te Campanile asking for the cost of BDTW, but the Saratoga Falcon, a student newspaper at Saratoga High School, reported that Breaking Down the Walls cost their school $40,000 for one day of training and four days of the program. Even if the cost wasn’t $40,000, even half that amount is too much money to spend on something students only attended for a single day.

While the idea behind BDTW – to foster a more inclusive and closer school community – was praiseworthy, the number of teachers who didn’t change their plans for the week, students being forced to be involved, misleading marketing and the likely considerable cost resulted does not outweigh the benefts of BDTW for Te Campanile.

In the future, we encourage administrators to not only involve ASB and the student body in the planning process sooner for events like this one but also to refrain from putting pressure on students to attend them.

By planning further in advance and opening up the event to only those who are genuinely interested, the chance of students being deeply impacted greatly increases.

Dear Editors,

Our team was troubled by the opinion piece published online on Oct. 15, titled “Guidance should adjust student appointment system,” for myriad reasons. I have spoken with the author twice now, and also with the editors, and have been invited to share our concerns in response.

Te piece states that “... counselors did not respond to interview requests for this story,” but none of the counselors were ever actually invited to respond. Tis has since been confrmed with members of Te Campanile.

We expect any reputable publication to verify the stories they publish, particularly stories that level a bevy of criticisms at professionals that may harm their reputations and impact their livelihood. Tere were a handful of other verifable inaccuracies in this story that we would have preferred an opportunity to refute and/or clarify before they were published for the public to read. I will address some of these here.

Te implication in the sub-headline that there are issues due to a “lack of organization” is one that we take exception with. We can verify every sign-in via Google Forms and have a column in the resulting sheet where we mark that we have followed up. We also have access to every email that was sent to us and our responses to those emails. Personally, I am not missing student requests for meetings and have confrmed that none were missed here. I almost always agree to meet with students unless it is determined through communication that the issue may

be resolved in a more efcient manner, or that the meeting should actually be with another adult.

Te story goes on to critique the three-tiered guidance system, stating that Advisors do not “have the information that students need” and that Guidance should clarify the three-tiered guidance system, both implications that we again do not agree with. Our Teacher Advisors hold meetings regularly with the counselors, approximately twice per month for each grade group (9/10 & 11/12). We are always providing our Advisors with new information and giving them space to bring questions/issues that come up for them; they are all well-trained and well-informed on how to guide students through course selection, course changes, our 11/12 Advisors actually write our students’ counselor letter of recommendation, and they work directly with students on the entire college-application process.

If there is anything they do not know, they will reach out directly to the student’s counselor or college Advisor. No student should ever feel that their Advisor cannot help them, or direct them to the right place for assistance. Furthermore, the roles of the Advisor and the description of the three-tiered guidance system can be found in the student handbook, on our Guidance web page, and is communicated at every parent night presentation. Te process for course changing is thoroughly described in the course catalog, as well. To state that it is not clearly defned or communicated is inaccurate. We welcome constructive feedback to improve our practices and take recommendations into consideration.

Calendly was ofered in this story as one such option we can use, but we already do use Calendly to ofer annual 504 reviews with families, and it flls quickly. Ofering Calendly to all students to sign up at any time would mean there would be little to no time available ever. We cannot have our calendars completely flled because there is other work that needs to be done outside of student schedule-concern meetings. While we would love to meet with each and every student as often as they wished, it simply is not practical, especially, when we have an Advisory process that has proven efective and efcient for this purpose since its inception.

We recognize that seeing a counselor can at times be challenging in the moment. Unless it is a crisis situation, we may not be readily available when a student walks in and would like to meet. School Counselors have large caseloads that have ranged from 400 to almost 600 families per counselor, depending on the year.

We also have a plethora of job responsibilities outside of just student schedule concerns. Tis is part of the purpose of having an Advisor with a much smaller caseload. Additionally, we can always get a student on the calendar if we determine there is a need for a meeting. To be clear, any student ever in need of a meeting for any reason will be seen either by their school counselor or referred to the appropriate staf member.

Sincerely, James Hamilton, guidance counselor

Amaya Bharadwaj Isabella Bian

Isabelle Carlsen

Annika Chu Elizabeth Gulman

Letters

Note:

Alex Isayama

Albert Jung Lea Kwan Henry Liu Meryem Orazova

Adviser

Rahul Shetty Sofa Singer Shamsheer Singh

Luca Vostrejs

Cherianne Yoon

Naveen Narayanaswami

Lifestyle

Love languages appeal to students navigating self-identity, relationships

As second semester opens, many students face a life-altering conundrum that even Shakespeare would admire: picking a prom date among fve diferent boys, each armed with a unique love language, bearing colorful corsages and hopeful expressions on their faces. In this moment of absolute teenage drama, a love language test — a blessing, really — looks like the ultimate solution to selecting the perfect date.

Te concept of love languages was coined by Baptist Pastor Gary Chapman decades ago, who said love languages were an intuitive and simple way to teach couples how to understand each other’s ways of expressing love ection.

According to Chapman’s book, e Five Love Languages,” the love languages are physical touch, words of rmation, quality time, acts of service and gift giving.

Chapman’s book said people experienced more satisfaction when they shared a common primary love language compared to when both partners did not. He also said couples would feel happier knowing they were in tune with being able to cater to each other’s wants and needs.

Over the past decade, social media and pop culture have spread the concept of love languages and erent ways to test them for understanding and expressing love in relationships. Many treat the tests as a way to “fx” conficts with their romantic partners, while others fnd it a fun, lighthearted way to learn more about themselves and others in their lives.

Psychology teacher Chris Farina said love languages seem to be more of a general idea, rather than an ofcial scienc concept backed with evidence. He also said there are no specifc formulas that can identify or create the compatibility of two people.

“When you hear ‘opposites attract,’ it’s right to a certain degree,” Farina said. “ Tere are areas of the relationship where if you guys are relatively opposite, that does work. And there are areas of relationship where if you guys are pretty opposite, that actually is going to cause a lot ict.”

Farina said similar or complementary traits are a more signifcant factor in a relationship than love languages.

“One of the things that research seems to bear out is that in both platonic and especially

romantic partnerships, one of the things that you’re looking for is a balance of both what they call, complementarity and similarity,” Farina said. “Similarity (is where) you guys want to share certain values and interests, while complementarity is where one of you is a little bit more dominant.”

Senior Athya Paramesh said the concept of love languages has infuenced student relationships at Paly.

“Love languages are defnitely something that was popularized on the internet,” Paramesh said. “A lot of relationships are really infuenced by the internet and online dating, and there seems to be a connection between technology and the way that we get into and fnd relationships.”

For Paramesh, being able to identify and communicate what your love language is to a partner or loved one is important in maintaining a healthy relationship.

“Because love languages are obviously about communication, if you are communicating with someone you care about in one way, and they’re communicating with you back in another way, you might not perceive (it) as being afectionate,” Paramesh said. “I think understanding how someone communicates is really important, and then also understanding how you communicate is refective of how you want to be loved.”

Senior Carlin Lee, who has taken a love language test, said understanding her love language is integral to gaining awareness of how to make other people happier.

“My love language is acts of service, which is a little complex because, to others, acts of service means doing small things for people,” Lee said. “But for me, it kind of manifests in that I’ll make time for you or make plans, and genuinely (try to) make the other person’s life a little easier or a little better for them.”

Junior Samantha Fan has also taken a love language test. Tough her result seemed accurate to her, Fan said fguring out how one expresses afection should be a self-discovery process, rather than one relying on surface-level tests.

“Oftentimes, the components that make up the idea of love languages is just the bare minimum to have a relationship,” Fan said. “Yes, someone can prefer to have quality time over receiving gifts, but you still need to spend time together to keep a relationship healthy.”

Moreover, Fan said when someone’s love language clashes with their partner’s, it may come of as invasive or as a “red fag” in the relationship.

“Sometimes love languages are used in a way that promotes toxic behavior, especially when someone’s love language (is) physical touch or physical intima cy,” Fan said. “(In that way), it can be used in a way that doesn’t promote a healthy relationship.”

Tough there are not many prominent drawbacks to analyzing love languages, Lee said when people start to scrutinize someone’s love language, they may then start to use that as justifcation for categorizing and boxing people into specifc cliches.

“With personality tests like these, people can really over-exaggerate or spread misinformation and can make it out to be something that’s more serious when it’s just meant to be something that’s really light and fun to do for the purpose of a little bit of insight,” Lee said. “But when you base your entire personality on your love language, or just talk about it constantly, it can get a little toxic.”

Paramesh said focusing too much on one part of these tests or concepts can reduce the original intent of trying to become more open-minded and learning more about yourself and your love languages.

“We, as humans, try to quantify and categorize love in a lot of ways,” Paramesh said. “We see that with things like the MBTI tests, and it’s like, ‘how can I break myself into as many little boxes as I can so that I can see whose boxes match mine?’ Once you start fxating on love languages as a part of your relationship, you miss the whole other multifaceted aspects of it.”

Tough the concept of love languages is not an immediate fx to relationship problems, Lee said they can be an encouraging frst push for those who are pursu ing a healthier relationship.

“Love languages are really good for putting labels on stuf that’s hard to explain out loud,” Lee said. “It helped me learn a little bit more about myself and how I express my love to other people. So take a love language test if you haven’t yet, because they’re really fun.”

Cherianne Yoon Staf Writer

Game developing provides student with engaging platform for programming

Henry Liu Staf Writer

For some, video games serve as an entertaining pastime — vibrant graphics ranging from leafy green forests to alien worlds shrouded in fog, rapid-paced music shifting with every step or a call to adventure from a list of seemingly unimaginable objectives.

Most people, however, overlook the other side of video games: lines of code running through a program, mixtures of 2D and 3D graphic design, and sessions with friends trying and retrying certain features.

Student game designer and senior Dennis Fomichev considers himself a stranger to neither. Driven by his passion for video games and inspiration from real-world developers, Fomichev said he started his journey into programming video games in middle school.

“In 2018, when I started creating video games. Tere was a game called Raft in development,” Fomichev said. “I took an interest in how they created the game and the steps they were taking. Raft reached a point where it went on to Steam, and I felt wowed. Tey did that with a small team of three people, three college students.”

His friend, senior Evan Mazurov said observing Fomichev’s programming put into perspective the complexity of designing games.

“You don’t really think about what goes into a video game until you see it,” Mazurov said. “It was enlightening to see how simple things that you might just like look over (are made).”

Most of his journey, Fomichev said, followed a self-guided path, creating games on his own.

“ Te game had maps, game modes and the setup, but I was struggling with artifcial intelligence or how they can move,” Fomichev said.

Fomichev said he experimented with multiple programming languages.

“I started with the Unity game engine,” Fomichev said. “For programming, I use C sharp, a pretty complex language. I wouldn’t say it’s good for beginners, which was interesting because it was my frst language. Using it as an introduction to computer science is like learning to ride a bike without any training wheels and with its seats on fre.”

Fomichev said his repertoire goes beyond a single coding language due to his past experience.

“I also learned Java,” Fomichev said.

“(And) all the C languages I use — C++, especially C. Tere’s also Lua, Python and the web dev languages like CSS JavaScript.”

Above all, Fomichev said prospective game developers should seek to discover a passion for their work.

“If you want to become a game developer, you have got to have fun,” Fomichev said. “Regarding coding in general, I see a lot of beginner coders and developers working on general tasks that they aren’t interested in, saying, ‘Oh my God, why am I doing this?’”

“ Te frst three or four years I was just using online tutorials on YouTube and copying code,” Fomichev said. “It wasn’t until eighth grade before I became more profcient.

My main passion for creating games is coding — I like programming.”

Among Fomichev’s projects includes his frst game “Survived,” which he said features elements from the popular sandbox game Minecraft.

“For my unity games, I didn’t create small projects that teachers would recommend or for my frst games,” Fomichev said. “Essentially, I wanted to create a survival game. It was a hard task and I did not get far, but I had fun doing it.”

While the games may seem straightforward, Mazurov said he enjoyed playing them, especially Fomichev’s racing game. “I’d say they’re simple, but they can be fun,” Mazurov said. “ My favorite one out of the bunch was CarX.” Fomichev said his next endeavor, a frstperson shooting game called “Infection,” will serve as what he considers his greatest leap yet.

“It’s probably my biggest project to date,” Fomichev said. “I started working on it in the middle of ninth grade and during the summer. It involved a lot of programming and a lot of art. I play-tested and a bunch of my friends played it. Granted, it’s not complete yet. It has guns, menus (and) player movement…everything.” However, Fomichev said he still has areas in game programming to work on and continues to learn new development techniques and skills along the way.

Te learning curve behind developing games can prove challenging, but Fomichev said perseverance can pay of “Learning to code even beyond just game development follows this graph called the Dunning-Kruger efect,” Fomichev said. “You start coding by taking baby steps. It seems easy so far. Ten as you get exposed to more and more elements, you realize, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ Your motivation goes down. But if you keep pushing you will slowly get that motivation back. You will realize how far you’ve come.”

HENRY LIU/THE CAMPANILE

Student game designer and senior Dennis Fomichev works on coding his latest project, Infection. “It’s probably my biggest project to date,” Fomichev said. “I started worked on it in the middle of ninth grade and during the summer. It involved a lot of programming and a lot of art.”

Fast-casual restaurants increase in popularity

The familiar, tantalizing aroma of refried beans and spiced, peppery chicken hitting the sizzling grill greets freshman Melody Xu and a few of her friends as they walk into Chipotle, ready to order. She steps forward to the assembly line, where an employee begins to guide Xu along the counter, scooping various vegetables and proteins up into a bowl along the way.

Fast-casual restaurant chains such as Chipotle, which say they ofer fresher ingredients with limited service, have expanded steadily since 2007, as shown in a 2023 Statista Research Department graph.

Despite both fast-casual and fast-food restaurants marketing their quick service and low prices, fast-casual restaurants tend to focus on healthier ingredients and customization, while also incorporating some aspects of casual restaurants like dine-in service.

According to a 2023 Allied Market Research article, the fast-casual restaurant market share is estimated to grow by 55.4 billion from 2022 to 2027. Xu said she appreciates how fast-casual restaurants ofer more nutritious options.

“Fast-casual restaurants ofer a lot of healthier options, such as vegetables or more protein, and I really appreciate that because I think living a healthy lifestyle is really important,” Xu said.

Barbara Castiglia, an Executive Editor for Modern Restaurant Management, an online publication focused on covering the restaurant industry, said fast-casual restaurants are centered around customization.

“ Tey are more focused on fresh products and personalization,” Castiglia said. “ Tey defnitely appeal to people who are interested in the ingredients that they’re putting in their body. You have the menu items, but then it’s customizable, and there’s a transparency to it.”

Xu also said the ability to customize her meals is an important factor in her choice of restaurants.

“Personalization gives people a say in what they want to eat,” Xu said. “Especially nowadays with so much in the world where it feels like you can do very little to control it, having your own say over food is defnitely important.”

World Wrapps owner Matthew Blair said his fast-casual restaurant serves dishes inspired from cuisines from around the world, which helps them stand out against competitors.

“We’re all sorts of things to all sorts of people,” Blair said. “You can come into World Wrapps and get a burrito, a bowl or a wrap. As opposed to just a burger joint or a pizza place, we try to do a lot more than just a specifc concept. You can go get a burger at millions of places, but there’s a lot of unique items (at) World Wrapps where you have to come to us.”

Similarly, Danielle Moore, director of communications and marketing at Noodles & Company, said their menu’s diversity attracts guests.

“We pride ourselves on being a pretty uncommon place,” Moore said. “Our diverse and craveable dishes range from Italian to Tai, from indulgent to healthy and ofers fresh takes on comfort food classics. I think guests crave quality, convenience and value. Our food is made-to-order and freshly cooked when you order it — it’s an experience that leaves guests feeling satisfed.”

AsianBox CEO Chuck Imerson said his fast-casual restaurant chain tries to buy local ingredients and serve seasonal items.

“Local sourcing is something we try to strive for,” Imerson said. “Locality and seasonality translates to (ingredients) being more afordable (for us), which then becomes more afordable for the customer, so it’s a win-win.”

Not only do many fast-casual restaurants market their fresh ingredients and personalization, they also have a unique service model. Castiglia said fast-casual restaurants have dine-in options, online ordering and an assembly line, all of which are distinctive from traditional restaurants.

Tey meet a lot of needs for a lot of diferent people,” Castiglia said. “Because there is an assembly line type of way of doing things, it’s very trainable and easy to run. Tey’re also leading the way with diferent auto-

mations and fnding ways of doing things to be very efcient, because a lot of it is built on efciency.”

Castiglia also said COVID-19 hit all restaurants hard, forcing them to adapt in new ways. “ Te food industry prior to the pandemic was not necessarily known as being a tech innovator, and then it turned to tech as a necessity,” Castiglia said. “(Technology) was a big savior for helping (restaurants) just stay alive, like QR code menus. Tat was something that fell out of favor but came back because, all of a sudden, people didn’t want to touch a menu. (Restaurants) saw the returns and the necessity, so they’re more willing to invest in technology now.”

And Moore said Noodles & Company has continued working on improving ordering efciency through their app even after the pandemic.

“We know guests are more likely to complete an order if the process is seamless, so we continue to focus on making sure our digital platform is a great experience,” Moore said. “We utilize social media for top-of-funnel brand awareness and engagement. Tere are always challenges in the restaurant world, but that is what makes it exciting for those of us who love bringing people together over food.”

Imerson said that as fast-casual restaurants experiment with technology and grow in popularity, he thinks many will begin to incorporate parts of fast-food models and vice versa.

“Consumers are looking to be able to order more efciently,” Imerson said. “It’s a faster experience (in fast-casual restaurants), but you’re still getting a high quality product. You’re going to see fast food restaurants increase the quality of some of their items, and then you’re going to see the fast-casuals try to be more efcient with the service model.”

Regardless of how both restaurant models change, Castiglia said fastcasual restaurants won’t overtake fast-food.

Te smart brands are always innovative, and they’re always looking for how they could understand their guests better,” Castiglia said. “ Tey feed of one another and make each other better through that innovation. Tere’s a place for everyone in the marketplace.”

As she sat at her desk for hours on end, she couldn’t come up with an answer to her English assignment. She thinks about writing an answer herself but doesn’t want to risk a bad grade. She could also go to PRIME and ask her teacher, but the assignment is due in a few hours. Instead, she turns to ChatGPT, a quick and easy fx to all of her problems.

A female sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous because she doesn’t want others to know she cheated, said she has used ChatGPT to complete challenging parts of assignments and later faced the consequences of her actions as she was made to drop a letter grade.

“I was a little lazy, and I didn’t want to write it out myself, so I pasted the poem that I wrote into ChatGPT and asked, ‘What are the poetry devices used?’” she said.

In a 2023 study conducted by Study.com, 89% of over 1,000 students surveyed admitted to using ChatGPT to help with homework assignments while 53% of respondents said they used AI to write an essay. To help them identify students who are cheating, English teacher Lindsay Cohen said many teachers use AI detection programs like Draftback, Revision History and Turnitin, to ensure the work students turn in is their own. While the sites are reliable, Cohen said teachers are cognizant of a chance of error when reading reports.

“In some cases, (Revision History) is not perfect,” Cohen said. “You have to make sure you’re watching it, which is actually a mistake I made really early on because when I saw people pasting things, I just assumed it was plagiarism, but it’s not always the case.”

Cohen also said even if plagiarism is detected, she would frst consult the student instead of immediately punishing them.

“If you see a bunch of pastes, I think it’s absolutely appropriate to have a conversation with a student before presuming a student is plagiarizing,” Cohen said. Cohen said a spike in AI resources prompted teachers to start using measures to ensure the situation would not escalate and get out of hand.

“A lot of teachers downloaded software as soon as ChatGPT came out,” Cohen said. “In many cases, people are fearful of the unknown.”

Senior Alexandra Difede said errors made by AI detection platforms can have enduring consequences for students, and can negatively impact their experience in the classroom.

“AI checkers can be too much too fast because they can be wrong, and when they are, the efects can be more longlasting than people think,” Difede said. “(AI detection programs) create a weird relationship between you and your teachers because they’re like, ‘Oh, you cheated here.’ It just creates a bit of distrust.’”

Teachers handle plagiarism accusations on a case-bycase basis. Te anonymous sophomore said her teacher emailed her regarding the signs of plagiarism in her assignment.

“When I submitted the document to Schoology, (my teacher) sent an email saying this document had signs of copy and pasting,” she said. “I talked to her and she said, ‘If you have proof that you copy-pasted this text from somewhere else, I’d be more than willing to give you credit.’”

Cohen said using AI for inspiration is acceptable as long as students complete the rest of the process themselves.

“I don’t necessarily have any problem with a student being like, ‘Hey, I don’t know how to outline something,’ or ‘How do I integrate a quote efectively?’” Cohen said.

Having used ChatGPT herself, the anonymous sophomore said students have gotten better at hiding their use of AI programs.

“I think ChatGPT is getting out of hand,” she said. “I’ve seen kids ChatGPT their fnals. It’s so hard to tell who wrote what and how much ChatGPT was used.”

To ensure students are not using AI unfairly, Cohen said students should follow their teachers’ instructions and work on provided documents.

“I would say the best choice is to work on the document that the teacher provides,” Cohen said. “Having that ready to show your teacher and saying, ‘Hey, here’s my drafting process,’ mitigates any issues.”

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But the anonymous student said it is easier to get around being caught by AI detection platforms when teachers explain how they work. “ Te issue with our teacher is she told us exactly how it works, so there’s loopholes you can (jump through),” she said. “It doesn’t actually show what’s ChatGPT or not. It shows your process of editing the document, and what you typed when you copy-pasted.”

Difede said with the development of technology, AI detection platforms may be the most efective way to prevent students from plagiarizing.

“Other than having your students completely write an essay in class, which can be even more stressful and not let the students show their best work, I think AI checkers are the best option right now,” Difede said. Despite being punished for using ChatGPT, the anonymous student said AI checkers do more good than harm as they assist in the development of writing skills.

“In the long run, (AI checkers) will be better for students because instead of using ChatGPT, they are actually doing it themselves and learning more,” the anonymous student said. “If they continue to use ChatGPT, that ends up hurting themself and stunting their growth in terms of writing and English.”

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Barbie: feminist icon or just a plastic doll?

Olivia Atkinson News/Opinion Editor

First person to touch foot on the moon, holder of 250 careers and counting, voted president in every consecutive election since 1992. She’s smart. She’s innovative. She’s a global sensation. She’s Barbie.

Last summer, the blockbuster movie “Barbie” came to theaters, attracting millions of viewers, while teens and adults alike dolled up in bright pink outfts. Clips of the movie fooded social media platforms as creators marveled at the movie, applauding it for promoting feminism.

Yet, beyond the fare and pizazz, this flm didn’t actually make an inroad in the fght for gender equality. While I thought the premise and message of the flm had great intentions of pointing out the sexism and misogyny against women in today’s society, I don’t think the flm truly made an impact.

During the Golden Globes a couple weeks ago, host Jo Koy introduced “Barbie” as “a movie about dolls with big boobies” along with a string of other highly ofensive lines.

While I did not love the movie, I was disappointed to see a supposedly mature man make such disgusting comments. It doesn’t get more ironic than this: a movie about feminism is subjected to childish, sexist jokes.

Although Barbie was nominated for eight awards at the Oscars including Best Picture, neither the female director Greta Gerwig nor lead female actor Margot Robbie received any individual nominations.

Instead, Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Male Supporting Actor and Best Original Song due to his performance singing “I’m Just Ken.”

Yes, you heard that right. Te song about men feeling like an accessory, a throwaway comedic reference to the female experience, is being considered for awards over the heart-wrenching masterpiece “What Was I Made For?” created by Billie Eilish that was woven throughout the entire flm. Fittingly, this song was about feeling lost and unfulflled in a world pressing down on her.

While I found these events utterly disappointing, I do not think the flm truly was as sensational as it was talked up to be. Upon rewatching “Barbie,” I was underwhelmed.

As a woman, I feel as though the movie didn’t go into enough depth on necessary issues.

Sure, it pointed out the glaring double standards and blatant misogyny present in today’s society, but it never went further beyond that. Points about hypersexualization, the wage gap, disrespect and so forth have been touched upon again and again over the past years.

Sadly, it seems as if society still hasn’t learned its lesson, as we continue to repeatedly struggle with these same issues while ignoring the critical nuances within them.

Instead, I would have enjoyed watching the “Barbie” movie if it dove into the dichotomy of the female experience; showcasing how it feels to be ignored, undermined and undervalued by society, yet we remain resilient, empathetic, creative and intelligent.

I think one reason feminist movements aren’t taken seriously is the nuances of misogyny aren’t always apparent. It isn’t just being catcalled on the street.

Misogyny is also the deeper, internal feeling of disrespect from men because of your gender. Tese issues are much more complex and harder to portray, especially with only two hours on a screen.

Another issue with “Barbie” is the target audience is not clear. Te playful and shallow plot appears as though it was made for young children. Yet, the underlying messages and jokes were directed toward a more mature audience.

If the creators of the flm had stuck to targeting an older audience, they might have been able to successfully deliver a deeper plot.

In addition, the glaring motif of motherhood fell fat. Speaking to my own mother, she was not impressed by the way “Barbie” showed the mother-daughter relationship as performative and rehearsed.

I don’t know whether this was due to casting, but there was no emotional connection between the mother and daughter in the flm.

Leaving the theater after watching “Barbie,” I felt unfulflled, as it never reached the core of my personal experience. Despite the flm being written and directed by a female, Greta Gretwig, it seemed like an attempt by men to illustrate the struggles of women.

Tis could be the result of Hollywood’s maledominated perspective or the collaboration with toy company Mattel – both of whom might have seen this flm as a way to increase profts and boost their image over conveying a deep message.

“Barbie” is defnitely a start, but I think we are capable of achieving much more. I would like to see more creativity and emotional depth in media depictions of the issues females face, especially in flms applauded for being empowering.

Activism is not about rehashing surface-level stereotypes, but about promoting lasting change.

Julian Hong News/Opinion Editor

Inside the Library of Tings, a community initiative at Mitchell Park Library, residents can fnd food canning gear, games and free passes to Foothill Park. Mitchell Park Senior Teen Librarian Molly Wallner said the Library of Tings is one of many initiatives, including teen events and adult workshops, that libraries have adopted to serve Palo Alto’s needs.

“(For teens), we have our E-library where we have tons of databases for researching,” Wallner said. “For looking for jobs, we have help with resumes through our E-library and free tutoring ofered through Brainfuse. We also (run) mentorship programs to help teens put on programs for people within our community. We’ve done a cryptology class which was teen led, and we’ve done crochet workshops that the Paly Crochet Club led.”

For adults, Wallner said a diverse range of programs are ofered to meet diferent needs.

“We have our tax help program and our English Language Learner club where folks who have just moved to America and are practicing their English can meet up and discuss all sorts of cultural aspects of living in America, which is a great way to build community and connection,” Wallner said.

Another event the libraries host are book talks. Stanford Political Science Professor Josiah Ober, who spoke at the Rinconada Library in November about his new book, “ Te Civic Bargain,” said the staf was accommo-

dating and the audience asked good questions.

“Any author who is interested in getting feedback on their book should certainly take advantage of this program by the library,” Ober said.

Wallner said library spaces are an essential public service since they are free and accessible to everyone.

“(Te accessibility) creates that kind of safety net for folks because when they don’t know where else to go, they go to the library,” Wallner said. “And so while they’re here, we can get to know them and get to know what types of things they might need help with.”

During COVID-19, Wallner said the library provided extra services to the community.

“(During the pandemic), the internet in our buildings was on so people could come and use the internet in our parking lots, and we shifted everything that was able to be shifted to the virtual world,” Wallner said. “We also started a virtual volunteering opportunity where teens could read books and then write reviews about them. I think it really helps to bring the teen community together and fnd likeminded folks to help them through some tough times.”

In addition to volunteering and workshops for both kids and adults, Gunn junior Owen Dahl said many students go to the library to study.

“(At the library, I can) get away from the distractions at home, and I can concentrate better,” Dahl said. “I feel obligated to put my phone away when I’m working.”

Senior and co-president of the Palo Alto Teen Arts Council David Tomz said Palo Alto teens are fortunate to have free spaces like the Mitchell Park Library, which provide amenities and support for student groups.

As senior Cal Currier arrives at the bleachers flled with his fellow classmates, he doesn’t go to fnd an empty seat. Instead, he pushes his way to the front, dressed in Paly’s locally renowned green and white, ready to lead his class to a win during spirit week. From the spirit week’s color-flled annual festivities to the seniors iconically decked out in camo, Currier said Paly’s traditions always become cherished memories after a student’s journey on campus.

School traditions can help foster a sense of community within a large student body like Paly’s that has students from many backgrounds. And while Paly does have well-established traditions, some on campus believe new traditions would further help students’ paths cross outside of classes.

Economics teacher Eric Bloom, who has taught at Paly for 26 years, said a day dedicated to caring for the campus would unite all grades and beneft the campus.

“We need something that all classes do together,” Bloom said. “It would be great to have a day that all classes came together and deep cleaned the campus.”

Senior and Spirit Commissioner Hannah Jensen said she attended several activities during Gunn’s spirit week and found three notable traditions there: night rallies, homecoming and prom court.

“For Gunn, what I really like is their indoor night rally,” Jensen said. “We actually had some ASB ofcers go over there to judge their rallies, and they were like ‘Woah, Paly should do that.’”

Jensen also said she would like to see Paly incorporate homecoming or prom court as an annual tradition, like Gunn.

Tere should defnitely be a way to implement prom king and queen without the labels,” Jensen said. “Whether that’s prom royalty or a royal court.”

Gunn sophomore Eda Ertas said the energy at this year’s night rally was remarkable.

“My frst night rally was this year, and I’m actually upset that I didn’t go last year,” Ertas said. “It was such a crazy experience where everyone’s in a good mood, people doing fips.”

Jensen said the spirit and sense of unity at Paly is irreplaceable, but the addition of more traditions would certainly boost a sense of community, ultimately allowing for a new era of students to greater appreciate school spirit.

And Currier said Paly should take inspiration from other schools when it comes to traditions.

“We need a tradition that allows teenagers to have freedom (to) do what they want to do,” Currier said. “I would like to create more traditions around sports games, like a song. Imagine if every student knew a couple of songs that we just started belting out during a game.”

“We use the library space pretty frequently just to hold our meetings,” Tomz said. “But on top of that, we sometimes have our events there. A while back, we had an open mic in the courtyard area, and we always have our big event at the end of the year called Wave Fest.”

With the wide variety of events the library ofers, Wallner said the library is for everyone.

“If you’re unsure about the library, come and fnd out,” Wallner said. “I

Meryem Orazova

Staf Writer

ARTBYAMYZHAO

Hidden behind Stanford Shopping Center’s main block lies Nordstrom Rack, a sister store to the fashion retailer Nordstrom.

Most shoppers visit Nordstrom Rack to browse an array of Nordstrom’s luxury clothes at discount prices.

However, as accomplished food critics, we embarked on a mission to review the restaurant hidden on the top floor of the store: Bazille, Nordstrom Rack’s specialty restaurant.

For lazy shoppers too hungry to walk 500 meters to other restaurants, Bazille offers a convenient, though probably more expensive, option.

After riding up four flights of escalators, we arrived at Bazille.

The dimly-lit restaurant was decorated like a simple wooden cabin on the prairie but encompassed two dozen tables.

Though holding enough space for 20 tables, only four other groups of people had found the restaurant when we arrived at 6 p.m.

When we sat down, we had a great view of the online order pickup counter on the opposite side of the floor and the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant.

Suspiciously, one of the chefs proceeded to deposit a steak and salad in the pizza oven, setting our expectations higher than ever.

Bazille offers a wide variety of typical western cuisine including soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza, pasta and steak.

However, the menu has a conspicuous lack of drinks, and we had to interrogate our waiter to order a simple lemonade.

We remained ready to order for 15 minutes, our excitement levels diminishing with each ticking minute like a capacitor discharging electricity.

Despite the slow service at the start even with the general lack of customers, our waiter was nice enough to check in several times and even offered to refill our lemonade, free of charge.

Rating: 4/7

TACO

We started with Nordstrom Rack’s signature Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco appetizer.

While the name might be a mouthful, the dish was anything but: we were surprised both by the diminutive dimensions of our starter and the intense corn flavor that overpowered the chicken.

The dish consisted of two tiny corn chip shells filled with chicken, lettuce and cheese.

Adding the lime wedges that came with the tacos added the much-needed second flavor — a 100% improvement.

The dish could be more aptly named “Corn and Lime Tacos” and was not worth the $9 we paid for it.

Rating: 2.75/7

CRAB MAC N’ CHEESE

The Crab Mac N’ Cheese arrived in a miniature pot, making the dish feel freshly baked.

A crispy layer of breadcrumbs provided a satisfying texture and the white cheese sauce was creamy, nailing the classic “Mac N’ Cheese” flavor.

While having no shortage of crab, the pasta somehow did not have much of a seafood flavor and was as exciting as a blank page.

Luckily, the portion size was much larger than the tacos, though still not worth $22 hard-earned dollars.

Rating: 5/7

SPICY WILD SHRIMP POMODORO

According to the Cambridge dictionary, pomodoro is an Italian word for “tomato,” but Bazille’s Spicy Wild Shrimp Pomodoro did not remind us of Italy.

After waiting for so long, we were disappointed when the pasta tasted like it could have been cooked from an instant package.

However, the tomato sauce’s savoriness and hint of spice gave the dish an extra dimension.

While the shrimps looked like shrimps and had the chewy texture of shrimps, they did not taste like shrimps. It seemed as though the chefs had played an elaborate game of culinary hide and seek but forgot to come out of hiding. For $22, the Shrimp

The Crossword

Pomodoro fell short of the Crab Mac N’ Cheese and was also not worth the price.

Rating: 3.5/7

CONCLUSION

While we thought a restaurant inside a budget luxury store would serve premium food at a discount, we found ourselves on the other side of the spectrum: discount food at premium prices. With passable design, inconsistent service and, ironically, generally poor deals, Bazille cannot compete with the other restaurants just a block away including the classic student-favorite The Melt.

Though we received complimentary refills of our lemonade, the restaurant’s questionable practices of cooking everything inside their pizza oven should have been enough of a red flag.

Next time you’re picking up your online orders at Nordstrom Rack, do not go to Bazille. We recommend this hidden restaurant remain hidden.

Erik Feng & Jerry Xia Guest Writers

Skiing and shooting to victory

Snowfakes gently drift across the sky, and the snow-capped mountain range lies still, scattered with trees decorating the horizon –– a gust of wind suddenly cuts through the air as junior Megan Lemoine fashes by, an eightpound rife strapped to her back. Gripping her poles, Lemoine sweeps through the snow on her skis before fipping onto her stomach, rife in hand.

With her eyes fxed on the target and her fnger resting on the trigger of her rife, Lemoine lies on a biathlon range in Lake Tahoe, California’s only one. Biathlon, an Olympic sport that combines cross country skiing and rife shooting, caught Lemoine’s interest when she and her family moved to Lake Tahoe during her 7th grade year in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We preferred to be in Tahoe and in the mountains around the snow,” Lemoine said. “When the pandemic happened and everything switched to online, we took the opportunity to spend more time in the mountains and get more time skiing.”

Prior to moving to Lake Tahoe, Lemoine skied downhill with her family almost every weekend, and she said her dad grew up cross-country skiing in the woods behind his childhood home.

“I discovered biathlon because of my dad,” Lemoine said. “He was super into watching the Biathlon World Cup, so I started watching it with him. We found out there was a biathlon range in Tahoe not too far away from our house, so I signed up for a clinic.”

Although that clinic was ultimately canceled, Lemoine said she eventually joined Auburn Ski Club, a biathlon team.

“ Te frst time I held my rife, I was a little bit afraid of it,” Lemoine said.

“But my coach had a one-on-one session with me to get me situated with the rife. Tat helped me learn really quickly, and then within a few weeks, I got into the rhythm.”

As she built familiarity with her rife, Lemoine said she practiced diferent race formats, including two shooting positions –– prone, which is done lying down, and standing –– and four main biathlon events: the pursuit, sprint, individual and mass start, which are diferentiated by race length and shooting stages. Lemoine said learning these formats became in-

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strumental to mastering the sport because of the intricate rules of biathlon.

“You get penalties for missed shots,” Lemoine said. “For every shot you miss, you get a minute added to your time, which is a huge penalty, and it can be really detrimental. For people in the World Cup, one shot can ruin their whole individual race because it adds a minute to their time.”

Lemoine also said combatting the stress involved in biathlon requires diligence and control to ensure both speed and accuracy.

“During crosscountry skiing, your heartbeat is super elevated,” Lemoine said. “When you come in to shoot, you have to deal with a super high heart rate, and you have to really focus on recovering from the efort and lowering your heart rate quickly so that you can focus on the targets.”

While shooting, Lemoine said she focuses on switching her mindset from racing, which requires being perceptive of her opponents, to precision, which necessitates focus and clarity.

“If you start shooting and you start missing targets, then you need to be in a mindset where you’re not getting distracted from those missed targets,” Lemoine said. “And if I’m more aware of how the people beside me are shooting, it will really afect me and usually make my shooting a lot worse. It’s all about focusing on my own race and trying to tune out the other people.”

And Lemoine said this mindset has improved her work ethic at school.

“Biathlon really helps my mental discipline,” Lemoine said. “It’s helped me a lot with trying to stop procrastinating because the skills I’ve learned from biathlon have really helped me focus on my school work so that I can get it done quickly.”

Since starting in-person school again at Paly, Lemoine said it has become more difcult to train in Lake Tahoe, but she said running on the cross country and track team help her maintain her endurance and stamina.

“Practice for me is a bit of a juggling act because I can’t be in Tahoe every day to practice,” Lemoine said. “ Te cross country season and the track season are really helpful because it helps me stay in shape. Especially as I get closer to bigger races and during the winter, I try to go out and roller ski around Palo Alto.”

To provide athletic teams with a competitive advantage, the Physical Education department introduced a Strength and Conditioning program on Jan. 29 that runs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school.

Because of this new program, the weight room will go from being open four days per week to only being open on Tuesdays and Tursdays.

Athletic Director Jennifer Crane said training will be tailored to the specifc needs of each sport, and coaches will be required to request time slots based on their desired schedule.

Assistant Principal LaDonna Butler who over sees the PE department said the athletic depart ment has been allocated a stipend they used for the Athletic Weight Room Manager.

Tis money will now support implementation of the Strength and Conditioning program. “ Tis year, we were able to fnd an individual who can come after school and support our athletic programs,” Butler said. “By having strength in power, mobility and fexibility, it will enable (student athletes) to decrease injuries and have a competitive

Despite her distance from the range, Lemoine still drives up to Lake Tahoe every weekend, training with her cross country ski team on Saturdays and her biathlon team on Sundays.

“It has been really challenging, but when I’m training, it helps me wake up and get more focused, so that it’s easier to do the things that I want to do later on,” Lemoine said.

Although Lemoine has had experience in running and downhill skiing from a young age, she said she lacks experience in cross country skiing compared to others on her ski team.

“ Te biggest difculty for me is that I started skiing really late,” Lemoine said. “I started shooting around the same time as a lot of kids doing biathlon do, but a lot of the people doing biathlon start cross country skiing when they’re 5, and they have access to snow every day during the winter. But I’ve made a ton of progress and I’m getting more competitive with people skiing in my age group.”

But through targeted practice, Lemoine said she is building strength in cross country skiing.

“Downhill skiing helped me because I was kind of used to being on snow, but cross country skiing is still very diferent,” Lemoine said. “I had the physical strength and endurance from running, but cross country skiing is a very diferent technique, and it uses diferent muscles, so having that discipline while I was starting to train and get more seriously into biathlon was really important for me to improve.”

And by progressing quickly, Lemoine said she has already been able to compete in several national biathlon races.

“My frst time going to biathlon nationals was my most memorable experience,” Lemoine said. “It might have been the biggest biathlon nationals hosted before, and I got to race against a ton of different people. I also got to meet a ton of the U.S. national team members and race on the Olympic facilities, which was super special.”

Of the American biathletes, Lemoine said she is particularly inspired by Joanne

Reid, who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics.

“She’s a former U.S. national biathlon team member and also a former Olympian,” Lemoine said. “But what is inspiring to me is that she became super successful in biathlon even though she also grew up in Palo Alto and did not have access to snow all the time.”

Lemoine said learning about and connecting with individuals like Reid helped her form deeper connections within the sport.

Te most rewarding aspect of biathlon is honestly the community,” Lemoine said. “It is a super supportive and super nice community, and I’ve gotten to meet so many people across the country that are all proud of biathlon and promot-

ing it, so it’s really valuable to make those connections between people.”

After making strides only four years into biathlon, Lemoine said she is excited for the future of biathlon for herself and new athletes interested in the budding sport. “ Tis year, I thought maybe I would try to ski in college, whether that’s at a school or just club skiing,” Lemoine said. “I’m hoping that I can keep doing biathlon and continue meeting new people and getting more involved in the sport wherever I end up in the future.”

Kate Xia Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

edge with a lot of the surrounding schools who have a strength and conditioning coach.”

Te newly hired Strength and Conditioning Coach, Anthony Tomas, has extensive experience with personal training and success as Strength and Conditioning Coach at Leigh High School .

“(Tomas has) worked with diferent colleges, and he’s worked with professional sports,” Butler said. “He is actually coming to us from another team in which he helped to build their program. Teir football team actually did a lot better in this season after he was a part of the team. We’re looking for that to happen with not just football but with all of our teams.” Crane said the Strength and Conditioning program will incorporate specially designed training, helping teams gain the necessary skills to succeed and work on specialized movements.

“ Te coach will work closely with our teams to design comprehensive training regimens that align with the demands of their respective sports,” she said.

But, junior Vincent Wong said he is concerned the limited weight room hours that come with the program will limit his access to a convenient gym, disrupting his daily routine.

“I was very surprised and annoyed when I found out about the gym schedule change,” Wong said. “To me, the weight room is a place of escape from

the pressures of school. I believe partially losing this outlet will be a major hit on my mental health. I also think if I don’t do any physical activity, I get restless and it makes it hard to concentrate on studying.”

And based on his experience on the water polo team, Wong said having excessive strength and conditioning can be detrimental to an athlete’s performance.

“Depending on the sport, strength and conditioning can be pretty useful, but it can be more important to just be well rested and not sore for the game,” Wong said. “In water polo we had two games a week and practice in between. During those times I almost never lifted because if I did I knew I would perform way worse in the games.”

Wong also said the program needs to be revised, mainly through altering the current schedule.

“Most strength and conditioning programs are not lifting for a whole hour straight because if they did they would be too sore for their games,” Wong said. “ Te gym was (previously) open two hours after school, so what if they gave the frst hour to all Paly students and the second to the sports teams?” Butler said she understands these concerns but the weight room needs to go back to the intended purpose.

“I’m glad that we were able to ofer the weight room to the general population until we were able to get the strength and conditioning component up and running,” Butler said. “We’re steering our resources and our stipend toward what it was originally created for, which is the athletics program,” Butler said. She also said she hopes the Strength and Conditioning program will attract students who may decide to attend private schools because of their abundant athletic resources and that athletes will get a morale boost by advancing their performance during the season.

“ Te program lends itself to a bit more confdence,” Butler said. “You have a diferent attitude. You feel strong and ready for the season.”

A goal for the track and feld team heading into the season is to increase the size of the team and to increase student participation, head coach Michael Davidson said.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces, (with) some coming out to track and feld for the frst time,” Davidson said. “A lot of young crop, but there’s also a lot of talent still mixed in there, and they’re excited to be out here.”

To mitigate the challenges of injury and participation faced last season, Davidson said he wants to expand athlete dedication and development.

Te hardest part is so many kids don’t recognize track and feld is built upon the work you do, because how you perform tomorrow is predicated on the work that you do today,” Davidson said. “It’s a downer for them with their many commitments to other communities, and it’s slowing them from being the best athletes in the feld.”

Junior Akiva Forrester, a varsity runner, said he is excited to participate in highly competitive travel races in the upcoming season.

“I just want to be able to get to travel races and CCS, and to get farther up there in varsity,” Forrester said.

Senior and track runner Ian Chao said his goals are to have an enjoyable and competitive season with minimal injuries.

“One of my main goals is just to have fun and currently just get in shape (while) being more aware of my body,” Chao said. Tis means a combination of eating healthy, doing stretches and icing after practice –– though this might seem obvious, its importance is often overlooked.”

Davidson said his goals focus on competitive success with both the new runners and veteran members, while pushing everyone to try their best and improve their abilities in the new spring season.

“Our biggest goal is to get as many people as we can to lead sections and state championships this season,” Davidson said. “You don’t have to have a lot of talent, but you got to have a lot of determination, perseverance and patience to come out and do the work that you need to do.”

Albert Jung Staf Writer

Junior Megan Lemoine trains endurance in cross country skiing. “I discovered biathlon because of my dad,” Lemoine said. “He was super into watching the Biathlon World Cup, so I started watching it with him. We found out there was a biathlon range in Tahoe not too far away from our house, so I signed up for a clinic.”

Junior Ramses Luna lifts a bar of the rack. “By having strength in power, mobility and fexibility, it will enable (student athletes) to decrease injuries and to have a competitive edge,” Butler said.

Formula 1 season begins late February, more circuits added

Ajunior Amelia Finnis carefully balances her breakfast bowl on the cofee table, slipping slowly into sleep.

But as her brother presses play on a TV remote to begin watching a Formula 1 race while warm sunrise peeks through the curtains, her body flls with energy watching the brightly colored cars fash by in staccatos around the track.

Within 45 minutes, Finnis begins to yawn, feeling her eyes futter as the colorful fash of diferent cars light up the screen. But she jolts forward quickly when her team suddenly overtakes another car and becomes a serious competitor for the race win. Finnis said the excitement and hopefulness she felt while watching suspenseful moments during the race have her and her family staring wide-eyed, hooked onto the screen in anticipation of what will happen next.

“

Te cars quite literally fy by you and while you, as a viewer, feel like these drivers are endlessly zooming across your screen, you don’t realize how quickly unexpected things can happen, such as crashes or overtakes,” Finnis said. “You are always held in suspense, which is why I love this sport so much.”

Tough Formula 1 has traditionally been a sport where many of its fans reside in Europe, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body of F1, started branching the sport into America by constructing new circuits in Miami and Las Vegas within the last year. In 2023, American viewership of F1 nearly doubled

from 554K in 2018 to 1.11 million, according to ESPN Press Room.

According to junior Otto Kiss Meyerfreund, both old and new fans agree that while adding new circuits increases viewership and fan base, the decision will also hurt drivers’ health, increase their fatigue and exhaustion, and carry adverse efects on the environment. With older F1 fans, many believe the expansion of circuits to the United States is unnecessary and detrimental to the sport itself.

“Many of the circuits are being placed in countries with a lot of money but no tradition, making the addition of these circuits feel added for the purpose of more publicity and viewership than for the actual sport,” Meyerfreund said. “Drivers and their teams have to travel by fying and recover within a week to compete, not to mention the efects fying and building new circuits has on the environment and carbon emissions.”

Tough Finnis thinks adding new circuits would add an edge to F1, she also thinks a rotation between circuits each year would help F1 become more interesting while reducing harm to the drivers and their team’s health.

“ Tese increased number of circuits will take the tradition out of the sport as the addition of circuits in countries who don’t have this culture makes it feel as if these circuits are added for

more publicity than for the actual sport,” Meyerfreund said.

However, some fans including junior Lara Dumanli said the expansion is promising because it will make the race more interesting and relatable. Dumanli’s parents are immigrants and while she wasn’t brought up in racing culture, once she started watching the sport on TV, she felt more a part of the F1 American community while still being connected to her parents’ home.

“After F1 came to the U.S. I felt more attached and interested in it as some of the drivers were from the U.S.,” Dumanli said. “I felt when drivers can drive circuits in their own country their fan base increases which allows F1 to reach more communities and gain viewership.” Overall, F1 is an international auto-racing event encompassing 10 ofcial teams and two drivers per team.

Te teams range from big-name car companies like Mercedes and Ferrari to notable sporting companies like Red Bull.

“ Te ability for these teams to already have a lot of sponsors and money allows them to fnd the best, newest technology and create innovative racing cars which is the real reason these teams are the top three,” Meyerfreund said. “Not to mention their tradition for this event which puts them at an advantage against other teams.”

Each year, F1 holds 25 events, each hosted at a diferent location for a specifc circuit or racetrack.

Te frst event of the season in Bahrain from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 is called Testing, to allow drivers and their teams to test their new technology. After this event, each team competes in races consisting of two events to ultimately qualify in the Grand Prix. Te Prix is 190 miles long and lasts for two hours, serving as the magnum opus of F1. For junior Anika Nair, an F1 fan, the time it takes to complete the race can make it difcult to focus and can discourage viewers from watching even part of the race, especially when races are broadcast at often scattered, inconvenient times. “It was always hard to wake up early and rush to be on time to watch the races,” Nair said. “ Tey would be broadcasted at times as early as 6:25 a.m. and as late as midnight. Having to wake up so early demotivated me and I would often miss the races.”

Tough it can be hard for beginners to understand, Dumanli said once someone becomes familiar with the drivers of F1, the sport becomes exhilarating to watch.

“While I love the race itself, the major reason I became so hooked on the sport is the culture and the relationship between the driver and the team,” Dumanli said.

And while unexpected crashes, overtakes during the race and the speed factor are all a part of why she loves the sport, these things don’t even scratch the surface of her love for it.

Dumanli said, “I hope they incorporate a live radio system so fans can hear what the team is saying to the driver as it would elevate the sport and make it more entertaining for the fans and make the whole experience so much more fulflling and fun.”

Even though senior defender Richie Ogawa said his team prepared well for the game, boys soccer (1-6-2) fell to Fremont (5-3-1) 2-1 in its second league matchup of the season last Tuesday.

“We watched flm from the last game and looked at what we were doing wrong and what we could improve on,” Ogawa said. “We had a lot of time to refect (and) prepare mentally on the bus.”

But in the frst half, Ogawa said the team did not have the right mindset.

“I think in the frst half we were a bit scared, because for the most part, (Fremont was) a very energetic team that had a lot of seniors and juniors,” Ogawa said. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, so they’re a bit younger, and they got us in the frst half.”

Senior attacking midfelder Anzel Zhen made Paly’s only goal of the game.

“It’s always great to score, and I don’t get that very often,” Zhen said. “So obviously, good individual shooting for me, but at that moment I was focused on getting the team back into the game.”

Despite the loss, Ogawa said he thinks the team can make it to Central Coast Section playofs.

“We don’t have any chance to take frst in the league just like last year,” Ogawa said. “But if we can win these next two games against Homestead and Mountain View, we should be ready for CCS Playofs.”

Basketball splits rivalry series with Gunn, loses at home

Te Gunn Titans hosted the Palo Alto Vikings in varsity boys’ basketball in what was anticipated to be the biggest rivalry game of the season. Heading into the game, Paly claimed a third-place spot in the league with a 2-1 record, and Gunn was fourth with a record of 1-1.

Senior co-captain and starting power forward Alaap Nair said the team’s preparation for the game entailed being mentally ready for their opponents.

“Coming of a loss last week, we were already in the headspace where we were telling ourselves, ‘Losing is not an option,’” Nair said. “We also knew the atmosphere was loud, we were mentally prepared to use the energy to fuel us.”

Nair also said the team’s physical preparation extended beyond the court.

“Physically, it’s all about how well we spent our time during practice by watching flm and analyzing our matchups,” Nair said. “At the end of the day, we knew our ofense would fall into place, so it was up to our defensive intensity to win the game.”

As the game picked up during the 3rd and 4th quarters with the Vikings trailing, the student section picked up with lots of energy inside the stadium, both sets of fans

going back and forth cheering their team.

Sophomore small forward Keiondre Warfeld said the energy levels of fans and players impacted his performance.

“When energy levels are high, it makes (you play) better because you’re having more fun,” Warfeld said. “When energy levels are low, it makes you try harder to get it back.”

Te Vikings took a late lead coming of constant back and forth in the 4th quarter, and held the Titans to 55 points ending the game 61-55.

Causing them to drop to 7-3 in the league, the varsity boys basketball team lost to Gunn 65-63 in overtime on Feb. 3.

Head coach Jef LaMere said the team’s goal of winning the league is still achievable.

“We’re still in good shape, 7-3 in league,” LaMere said. “If we win the next two games, we win league… but we got to be better.”

LaMere said one thing the Paly team could improve on is defense.

“Defensively, we were really poor, especially guarding the drives,” LaMere said. “We need to improve that if we want to win more games.”

Senior Riley Yuen said the team had a weak start but made good progress in the second half of the game.

“I think we came out super slow,” Yuen said. “We could have made a lot of better adjustments, but I think we fought back in the second half. I’m really proud of the team for that.”

Yuen said though he regrets ending his last Gunn game with a loss, he enjoyed playing.

“It’s really fun to play Gunn, but it really sucks to lose,” Yuen said. “I’ve played Gunn all my years in high school, so it really sucks to end on a loss, but it was a great game.”

LaMere said the intense competition and close score kept crowd energy high throughout the game.

Te town rivalry is awesome,” LaMere said. Te crowd here is tremendous. Tere was great student support.”

Paly alumni and former varsity basketball player Nikolas Ajagu said the atmosphere was similar to when he played. “ Tere was a huge rivalry,” Ajagu said. “ Tis reminded me of … the Paly section going crazy.”

Tough Paly lost, the game was close, going into overtime after a 61-61 tie at the end of the fourth quarter. LaMere said he commends Gunn on their gameplay and defensive intensity. “Gunn played a great game, and they scored the ball really easily against us,” LaMere said. “ Tey scored the ball. Tey hit tough shots, and we were climbing uphill the entire game. Hats of to Gunn. It was a great game.”

Isabelle Carlsen Staf Writer

Gavin Lin & Meryem Orazova Assistant Managing Editor & Staf Writer

Senior Redmond Haynes kicks the ball. “We don’t have any chance to take frst in the league just like last year,” senior Richie Ogawa said.

TYLER WONG/THE CAMPANILE

Senior co-captain Aiden Hangebrauck makes a shot. “ Te town rivalry is awesome,” Hangebrauck said. “ Te crowd here is tremendous.”

LUCA VOSTREJS/THE CAMPANILE

Senior shooting guard Riley Yuen dribbles his way around a defender. “We also knew the atmosphere was loud, we were mentally prepared to use the energy to fuel us,” Yuen said.

THIEN-AN TRUONG/USED WITH PERSMISSION

Rahul Shetty Staf Writer ART BY KATIE WU

Tyler Wong Photo Editor

Retirement of legendary football coaches heralds era of analytics

ART BY RACHEL LEE

Growing up in the 2010s, football fans were exposed to the reign of coaches like Pete Caroll, Nick Saban, and Bill Belicheck. Tey represented a dying breed of coaches who kept their style of play away from the sway of analytics. Analytics in the context of football represent how mathematicians fnd the best possible plays to call in specifc situations.

Since the popularization of the blockbuster flm “Moneyball” which showed how analytic strategies are used in baseball, every sport has followed in its footsteps to take a certain amount of analytics under its wing.

Football is seen as the one sport in which analytics can be shaky and oftentimes risky –– even to the trained eye. However, because of the recent retirement of legendary coaches Nick Saban, Pete Carrol and Bill Belicheck, senior and football enthusiast Avi Verma said it’s likely NFL teams will lean toward becoming more oriented towards analytics.

Tis also raises the potential for the NFL to see analytics become the central backbone for new coaches.

“Analytics is everything now –– the type of ofense and defense you run, and how you exploit matchups and beat the unexpected needs analytics,” Verma said. “You can have great talent, but in order to efciently use it, you need to use analytics too.”

Verma also said the now-retired Bellicheck doesn’t ft into the current scheme of the NFL, even if he was to be picked up by the Atlanta Falcons as some of the rumors say.

“Even if he was hired and had access to the elite talent the Falcons have, his lack of analytics usage would not allow him to be as good as other teams,” Verma said.

Verma also said he thinks the power of the head coach position will start to decrease and turn into more of a public fgure, as opposed to a play caller.

“When some players are so skilled, they can eventually reach a point where they impact play calling like how we see it in the NBA today,” Verma said. “I think that we are going to see more of this in the NFL, and the coach will become more of a persona. ”

Senior Beau Revenaugh, though, said he thinks the opposite will occur. Revenaugh said he thinks the retirement of veteran coaches will cause analytics to play a smaller role in the future of football.

“I believe that we are going to see a version of football in which ofenses are geared toward more scoring, and defenses will be weaker,” Revenaugh said. “Football (might) lose a lot of the analytics just due to this.”

Revenaugh also said a team’s use of analytics will depend on their coach’s strengths.

“I think that the role of analytics will play a varied role depending on how good coaches are within their scheme,” Revenaugh said. “Some coaches who are play callers might make it a smaller part of their system just because play calling is such a human concept.”

History teacher Stephen Foug said football is far too analyticsbased at times and the emotional connection a coach can have to his team is a much more meaningful factor in being a good coach and winning games than analytics might be.

“What interests me is the emotion of the game and the rollercoaster,” Foug said. “You can analyze Dan Campbell’s decisions against the Niners and maybe you can pick at something.”

Foug also said coaches are trying to develop an attitude and a style of play when they make decisions that go against analytics.

“Coaches are trying to establish an ethos there and an attitude,” Foug said. “ Tat is such a big part of the sport, and analytics should come in as tiebreakers when you don’t know what to do.”

Even though girls basketball fell 57-32 to Los Altos High on Jan. 26 in their 20th game of the season, head coach Kevin Blunt said the team performed well, especially because they are still trying to develop their players.

“We’re still trying to build our foundation, and it’s going to take time,” Blunt said. Blunt said it is important for the team to be able to play in uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations.

“It’s just about getting out of their comfort zones, and (being) more confdent,” Blunt said.

Freshman and captain Eliana Miao said the team is rapidly improving but lacked physicality against Los Altos.

“We’ve been improving a lot this season,”

Miao said. “I think one thing that was harder for us in this game was that they were physical, but I see how our team keeps fghting back –– we keep going in there and just showing up.”

Miao also said the team is learning how to work in better unison and developing better teamwork skills.

“We’re putting down more points and learning how to work together as a team,” Miao said.

Miao also said the team can improve by relaxing on the court and communicating during games.

“I think we always have to just communicate more on the court, and we also just have to calm down and play basketball because we practice a lot and we just want to show on the court,” Miao said.

Blunt said the team should work on fnetuning and perfecting specifc basketball skills.

“We need to improve on our ball handling, limiting our turnovers, limiting transition points and also boxing out and just rebounding,” Blunt said.

Miao said even though the team is fairly young, they’re working hard.

“We’re a new team, so I think the odds have been stacked against us,” Miao said. “I think we’re just trying to learn how to just get better every day and keep working because eventually the work will pay of.”

Prediction: Manchester City will win UEFA Champions League

Tough

title will not be bestowed upon Manchester United and their $100 million fdget spinner after their embarrassing group stage, the competition is looking fercer than ever. For novice soccer fans, the Champions League is the tournament competition for the top teams in Europe. Highly regarded teams from all over Europe, typically competing in their own countries’ leagues, face of in a ruthless determination of skill, and in Real Madrid’s case, match fxing. Unlike tournaments in America, those in Europe don’t follow a traditional bracket. After the Round of 16, the remaining fxtures will be decided by a draw.

Just as Manchester will not appear in the Champions League, Sports Editor Neel Sharma, who came down with a bad case of senioritis, will not co-author this piece, as per usual. Instead, protégé staf writer Naveen Narayanaswami and sports editor Rohan Bhatia will fulfll his legacy by predicting the Round of 16 results, and discuss the strength of the remaining eight teams.

Te frst fxture, scheduled for Feb. 13, should end up as the following: Manchester City will show no mercy to FC København. Sure, we appreciate the latter for the memories, sending Man United tumbling out of Europe. But they’re facing the reigning champs of Europe, who have just had their best players, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, return from injury. Te second fxture is almost as easy: Bayern Munich will annihilate S.S. Lazio. Freed from trophy-starved Tottenham, Harry Kane is having a historic season. Manager Tomas Tuchel is leading his team with the same precision as when you give Kane an open goal (barring that penalty in the World Cup).

After losing to Manchester City last year in the semi fnals, we think Madrid will have a light knockout round. Although Leipzig was able to make it out of the group stage, there is virtually no chance they beat the 14 time champions of Europe.

Next, we have no idea how Paris-Saint-Germain have managed to hold on to Kylian Mbappé for this long, but the story remains the same: they will best Real Sociedad in the RO16 thanks to an Mbappé masterclass before bottling it in a later round.

To be honest, Inter Milan are better of without Romelu Lukaku, who was a brilliant defender for Manchester City in last year’s fnal. However, Lukaku’s former striking partner, Lautaro Martinez has 18 goals in 18 matches. His incredible goal scoring almost makes up for his haircut. Atlético Madrid is also having a fne season, with its 4-2 win over Real Madrid being a highlight.

However, we think Martinez, with his brilliant right foot, will lead Inter over Atlético in the tightest match of the RO16.

We can’t have a true year of the Champions League without a decent upset, so we have no doubt that PSV Eindhoven will leave the Black and Yellow Army of Dortmund in tears.

PSV have silently had a fantastic season, 10 points clear at the top of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.

Even though Dortmund won the “Group of Death,” they’ve been drowning in the Bundesliga.

Perhaps Manchester United deadwood Jadon Sancho wasn’t an adequate replacement for Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland.

After bottling the league once again, Arsenal have fnally managed to make it into the RO16.

Although Porto is having quite the season in 3rd place in Liga Portugal with 41 points in just 18 matches, the Portuguese side is no match for the mighty Gunners.

We predict they won’t actually win, but Arsenal have proved themselves a contender for the Premier League, and should be able to make quick work of Pepe and Porto.

SSC Napoli vs. Barcelona is a battle between two winners of their respective leagues in 2023. However, both teams had a fallof that would put Eden Hazard’s to shame. You would think Todd Boehly is Barca’s owner the way they make fnancial decisions. Despite Barcelona’s crippling debt and subsequent reliance on child laborers like Lamine Yamal and Marc Guiu, we doubt they’d lose to Napoli. After all, ever since their social media manager posted the infamous coconut Osimhen video, Napoli has been rotting in the mid table. While we won’t have any idea of the Quarterfnal fxtures until the draw, we can measure the relative strength of the remaining teams. Manchester City may not have been dominating the Premier League like some expected, but they’ve still been lurking in reach, and we know Pep Guardiola always has a contingency plan, especially with De Bruyne and Haaland back in the roster.

With any luck, Manchester City will lift the trophy with English fans behind them at Wembley this June and due to their team’s talent and depth, they are our strongest team. When VAR is involved, Madrid is the best. Without referee involvement, it’s a diferent scenario: Madrid will come up second. Although another year goes by without Los Blancos having Kylian Mbappé, their overall team strength, especially with Jude Bellingham, proves them to be a prominent threat.

On the other hand, Bayern’s addition of Harry Kane ensured they never win due to the trophy curse, especially with Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen looking ready to snatch the Bundesliga title.

However, their overall team strength is the third best in the Champions League behind that of City’s and Madrid’s.

In fourth place, we have Paris Saint-Germain. Barely making it out, the French champions went second in the group of death.

With their one billion Euro team, they are defnitely in the race for the trophy. We think the ffth place title sits on the reigning Spanish champions, Barcelona. Barcelona had a strong performance in the group stage, but are now in shambles as Xavi prepares for his departure.

However, they are keeping afoat in La Liga, and still maintain a strong presence in the Champions League.

We then think the sixth place “trophy” goes to Arsenal. Teir best trophy they have won since the Community Shield.

Finally Arsenal is doing well in the Premier League, however, considering Arsenal’s history with winning when expected.

Tey are a decent team, but do not pose the biggest threat at this moment. In seventh place, we think the crown goes to Inter Milan, if there even is a crown at this point.

Tey had a good run in the Champions League last year, incredibly ending with a second place fnish.

After getting rid of Lukaku and Onana, you would think they would have improved, but they are yet to show potential to be a top team in the Champions League.

Last of the quarter fnal teams is PSV. Despite dominating the Eredivisie, PSV is not a top fve league team and, if we’re being honest, we think they have no chances of getting the Champions League trophy.

With that being said, anything can happen, especially with the draw of the quarter fnals. With a draw, any quarterfnalist can play any other quarterfnalist, with teams’ hopes and dreams in the hands of the scriptwriters.

Any team can fnd themselves grasping the trophy, with all the upsets that we know and love with the Champions League.

However, one thing we know for sure is that the winning team does not have a $100 million fdget spinner.

NAVEEN NARAYANASWAMI/THE CAMPANILE

Naveen Narayanaswami

Staf Writer

Junior Karina Ashford dribbles the ball past a defender. Freshman and captain Eliana Miao said, “We’re just trying to learn how to just get better every day and then keep working because eventually the work will pay of.”

Neel Sharma

Sports Editor

Science & Tech

NASA debuts quiet supersonic plane

Designed to show the merits of quiet Supersonic Transport, NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted their X-59 experimental plane on Jan. 12.

Supersonic transport over the continental US has been illegal since 1974 because of sonic booms, which occurs when a plane travels faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms can cause property damage, as demonstrated by the 10,000 complaints of damage during Operation Bongo II –– an experiment that subjected the citizens of Oklahoma City to daily sonic booms in 1964.

Te X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA and Lockheed Martin’s joint venture, the QueSST project. In an interview with Technology YouTuber Cleo Abrams, the NASA Project Lead Catherine Baum said the project’s goal is to reinstate legal supersonic transport.

“Our goal is to change that regulation so that as long you’re below (75 dB), you can fy supersonically over land,” Baum said.

However, supersonic passenger transport existed through the Concorde, a supersonic passenger plane operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003. It operated at speeds above Mach 2, or more than twice the speed of sound.

Junior Jack Madwed, an aviation enthusiast, said the Concorde was a marvel of engineering at the time.

“Concorde truly is an inspiration,” Madwed said. “It represents an immense technological achievement.”

Te Concorde ultimately failed due to its unsustainable economic model including issues with rising fuel prices, stalled travel rates after 9/11, aging technology and high maintenance costs. Yet one of the largest factors in the Concorde’s demise was its inability to fy through proftable routes it was illegal for it to fy over much of the mainland because of the sonic booms it created.

As a result, the QueSST project began in December 2016, with the intent of demonstrating the ability to lower noise levels from sonic booms. NASA and Lockheed Martin will conduct research using the X-59 plane throughout the next few years.

Te X-59 intends to reduce the infamous sonic boom to a “sonic thump” below 75 dB, whereas the Concorde produced sonic booms as loud as 110 dB, according to William Jefrey Doebler from the NASA Langley Research Center. Tis comparison is roughly equivalent to hearing an alarm clock versus hearing a chainsaw three feet away.

In Cleo Abrams’ interview, Lockheed Martin Project Lead David Richardson said the X-59 accomplishes the lowered volume thanks to the plane’s unique shape.

“ Te bottom of the airplane is very smooth and clean,” Richardson said. “Anything that creates a bump that makes a shock that would (usually) go down, they’re all on the top,” Richardson said. With aerodynamic components being on top, the airwaves are sent upward rather than down toward the ground, reducing the efect of sonic boom noise.

Te T-tail on the rear of the plane creates its own smaller sonic boom and the airwaves of it work to help cancel out the main boom. Te comically large nose, which takes up over a third of the plane’s overall length, also helps dissipate shockwaves and keeps the plane aerodynamic enough to maintain Mach 1.4 (925 mph).

Unlike the Concorde, the X-59 is only a single-seater in its current confguration. However, the research it will conduct on its missions through 2027 may prove the merit of a quiet supersonic plane, and ultimately legalizing quiet supersonic fight over the US. Te research and technologies from this plane can then be transferred to a passenger supersonic plane.

However, Madwed said he is pessimistic about the future of supersonic fight. “Bringing back supersonic transport to the modern day and age is simply neither feasible nor scalable,” Madwed said. “Even if the prospect of a speedy journey seems tempting, supersonic aircraft carry too few passengers and cost far too much.”

Rohan Bhatia Sports Editor

Solar panel legislation increases price, leads to decline in users

Holden Lee Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor

Te California Public Utilities Commission implemented multiple changes in April 2023 for California’s solar panel energy net metering programs, resulting in the reduction of the number of solar panel users by over 70%.

Cailee Underhill, the Advocacy and Development Director of Solar Rights Alliance –– a nonproft organization dedicated to representing California solar panel users –– said net metering programs, where solar panel users receive money for the excess solar energy they generate, substantially increased the afordability of solar panels in the past.

“About 10 years ago, you had to be pretty rich, technical or determined to go solar,” Underhill said. “ Tere were only about 10,000 Solar rooftops. Enter net metering: the solar market blossomed, and in just about 10 years, we have just under two million solar rooftops.”

Ten in April, the CPUC cut solar credit in the net metering program by around 75% under a policy called NEM 3.0. Conducted by the California Solar and Storage Association, a 2023 survey with 208 respondents from solar panel companies across the state, found that over a ffth of the state’s solar workers lost their jobs as a result of the cuts.

Underhill said the new policy makes it unafordable for some people to buy solar panels by increasing the amount of time it takes to pay of their investment.

Junior Ethan Wang, whose family installed solar panels two years ago, said the new policies contradict the state’s original goal of transitioning to green energy.

“I thought the original point of paying people to install solar panels was to incentivize people to actually do it because (it’s) obviously good for the environment,” Wang said. “I feel like (the policy) does the opposite.”

Additionally, while solar energy on apartment buildings can still be distributed to individual apartments, the CPUC updated its

onsite solar and storage tarifs for multifamily residential buildings in November restricting solar energy from being used to power general areas of the building.

“Landlords can’t use solar to power any common areas, like a laundry room, a gym, a lobby or a pool,” Underhill said. “So if you’re a landlord, you’re not going to put solar on the roof, (and) the renters aren’t going to beneft from it anyway.”

Naomie Chien, the Silicon Valley North chapter lead of the Citizens Climate Lobby –– a nonproft grassroots national climate organization –– said cutbacks on solar credits only stife the transition to green energy.

“In order to transition into the green transition, we need things to be proft-driven because we’re in a capitalist economy,” Chien said. “For something to be sustainable long term, we need to make renewable energy proftable.”

In the November policy, the CPUC also cut solar energy incentives to schools, farms and most renters.

“ Te natural place to put solar panels (in a school) would be the roof of the gym. You need to run the energy from the gym to the high school and the middle school, all on the same property,” Underhill said.

“(Te CPUC) said because the electron has to travel from the gym, it touches the grid for an instant, and therefore it’s ours and the school has to buy it back at full retail rate.”

Chien said this policy also disproportionately afects lower-income communities, due to the lack of proft incentives.

“Without the fnancial support that rebates ofer, installing solar panels which require a drastic (payment) at the forefront, which is impossible for these families even though they would be the ones afected the most by rising energy prices,” Chien said. “It’s disappointing to hear that this policy might lead California to have regressions in how we can achieve 100% electrifcation by 2045.”

Underhill said the CPUC decided to push through with these policies despite a large public backlash.

“People reached out in droves to the governor and CPUC in protest,” Underhill

said. “170,000 people wrote and marched, protested and testifed against this cut to solar credit –– the CPUC and the governor chose not to listen. All those people were joined by a coalition of over 600 organizations and elected ofcials and businesses and schools who all were standing together saying ‘Don’t cut this solar credit.’”

Te CPUC said the rate cuts were implemented because the production of batteries to store solar energy was not keeping up with the number of solar panels installed.

Under the new policy enacted in April, people receive higher compensation for the energy they put into the grid between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., incentivizing users to invest in solar batteries to store the energy they generate during the day and sell it during these peak consumption hours.

“One of the problems with renewable energy and solar panels is that the demand for energy is very diferent throughout the day,” Chien said. “It’s hard to keep a steady stream of constant energy. At night, we use a lot of energy, but in the morning, we don’t use much energy at all, and the grid is forced to accommodate that maximum of energy output.”

As a result of the policy, the percentage of consumers buying batteries with solar panels has increased from 5% to as much as 50%.

However, batteries in California cost around $13,202 after federal tax benefts, according to Energy Sage, which means fewer consumers can to pay for batteries at all.

According to a 2021 study conducted by Vibrant Clean Energy, solar energy has the potential to save $120 billion over the next 30 years if it can keep growing at its previous rate. Underhill attributes these savings to a decline in tax-payer-funded utilities.

“In California, the investor-owned utilities get a guaranteed rate of return on every longdistance power line they build, usually 8 to 12%,” Underhill said. “ Tey are incentivized to build as many long distance power lines and utility-scale infrastructure as they can. If someone puts a rooftop solar panel on their home, that’s one less long-distance power line that the utilities get to build, but it’s actually better for all of us.”

For many of us, the New Year signifes a new chapter in our journey. Te idea of starting of with a blank canvas gives us motivation to pursue change and embrace growth. People make plans to live healthier, save money and strengthen their mental health. And while it is commendable to see their desire to improve, people often underestimate the necessary steps to actually achieve their goals.

According to Fisher College of Business, around 23% of Americans fail to achieve their resolutions by the end of the frst week of the year, 43% fail by the end of January and only 9% complete their goals.

Advanced Placement Psychology teacher Christopher Farina said there are three major challenges people face when trying to keep their New Year’s resolutions: entrenched habits, overly ambitious goals and discouraging environments.

Farina said current habits people have built up over time can afect their lifestyle and commitment to goals.

“(One) roadblock could be that the habits that they have currently are just so deeply ingrained that it’s really, really tough to change,” Farina said.

Another reason many people do not keep their resolutions is their goals are too ambitious and broad.

Stanford Professor of Organizational Behavior Charles O’Reilly said more precise goals are easier to accomplish.

“Specifc, difcult goals that are attainable, realistic and set in a way that you get some feedback about how you’re doing on the goal is the goal-setting literature,” O’Reilly said.

And Farina said restrictive environments and working conditions can make it harder for people to adhere to their goals.

“A third issue is if the environment you’re in isn’t conducive to whatever that goal is,” Farina said.

Freshman Melody Xu said it is difcult to stick with her resolutions because of academic pressure and time constraints.

“I have a lot of honors classes and extracurricular activities that take up a lot of my time,” Xu said. “I often fnd myself working late into the night because I have to fnish so much work after coming home from a sport or a club.”

Farina said a strategy for achieving New Year’s resolutions is breaking broader goals into more specifc ones.

“You want to start extremely small,” Farina said. “People are more likely to follow through on that because of the traction that they get from doing it consistently. Tat helps them build it up over the long-term.”

To maintain New Year’s resolutions, O’Reilly said it is crucial to create pressure to complete your goals such as being open with them to social groups and purchasing gym memberships for motivation.

“A characteristic of commitment is a sense of irrevocability, a sense that you had invested something in it,” O’Reilly said.

To reinforce good habits, O’Reilly said it’s also important to establish a reward system in pursuit of your goals.

“ Tey (should consider) what positive reinforcements they can set for themselves, so if they make these small, incremental achievements, they get rewarded for it,” O’Reilly said.

Farina also said it is important to celebrate small achievements to maintain motivation and resilience.

“Whenever you are making any kind of progress, you should celebrate it because it helps you feel successful,” Farina said. “It keeps your energy up for it.”

Alex Isayama Staf Writer