The Campanile
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
Palo Alto Senior High School
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
Since 1918
50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://palyvoice.com/campanile
Vol. XCIV, No. 7
Paly more satisfied than Gunn with school’s guidance system
Friday, March 30, 2012
Community Service Day revamped On-campus activities to foster student involvement By Sophie Parker Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School is making major reforms to the yearly Community Service Day to reach out to more students, which will take place on Tuesday, May 22. The Vice President of Community Service for Paly’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), Calisa Cole-Gouyet, is working closely with Christina Owens and Megan Fogarty to create the most involved service day yet. “We are going to have an assortment of activities, including off-campus activities, so we will have buses going places,” ColeGouyet said. “This year we felt it was [also] very important to have on-campus activities because not
all students want to go off campus.” Last year the service day was called Caesar Chavez Day and students were only presented with off-campus offers to get involved. Changes are being made for this year’s service day. “One thing I learned from my own students at Paly is that students would like on-campus activities; they don’t always feel comfortable going offcampus depending on what their classes are like for the day,” Cole-Gouyet said. “[With] on-campus activities we can offer students the chance to do something during lunch for 45 minutes and that way they don’t have to worry about missing an important test.”
Community service is a big part of the Paly community, as Cole-Gouyet emphasized. The students are always searching for ways to get involved so the Paly Service Day is planned to reach out to these students. “I think that Paly students have a lot of passion about different areas and it would be great for them to be able to connect that passion to helping society,” Cole-Gouyet said. “This year we are looking to provide a full range of activities for them to participate in.” Last year involvement ranged in the 100s to 200s, but this year there is a more ambitious goal made by the community service
See SERVICE, page A3
Junior qualifies for state debate tournament By Isabel Benatar Staff Writer
By Elena Pinsker Technology Editor
After the results of the survey given out during advisory were revealed, students at Palo Alto High School proved, similarly to years past, to be happier with their guidance system than students from Henry M. Gunn High School. The survey asked students to evaluate different aspects of the Paly guidance system, ranging from statements such as “My guidance counselor makes time for me if I need help” to “I feel comfortable going to my Teacher Advisor about personal issues I might be struggling with.” Students were given five choices and asked to mark how strongly they agreed with the statements. Paly students’ results showed that they agreed with almost every statement more than students at Gunn, bringing previous
questions of whether or not Gunn should reconsider Paly’s advisory system. At Gunn, six advisors deal with the entire student population, whereas Paly’s Teacher Advisor system allows students to meet with their advisors (whom they remain with for three years) a few times each month in small, class-size groups. This allows students to have a personal, more direct connection with their teachers, an aspect some people think Gunn lacks. One of the widest disparities in the answers to the survey dealt with the types of issues with which students felt their guidance counselors could help them. An average of 77 percent of all Paly students felt that the guidance counselors could help them with emotional issues, health problems and issues in their personal lives, versus Gunn’s results of just
See GUIDANCE, page A3
HIGH SPEED RAIL PLANS UPDATED
By Anna McGarrigle Staff Writer
The fourth installment of a series of Open Mics sponsored by the Teen Arts Council (TAC) has been announced for April 20 at the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. Turnout has grown dramatically since the first event. “This one will be even bigger than the last one, and so we’re thinking about moving locations because the room is getting crowded,” junior Leah Bleich, the Open Mic event coordinator, said. Past Open Mics have featured acts from juggling to stand up comedy to original compositions, but this time around, Bleich is looking for more variety. “I’m encouraging people to perform things that will add variety to the night,” Bleich said. “Everyone enjoys comedy, but I’m also looking for groups with more experience.” At this point, Open Mics have culminated regular performers, such as comedian junior Margaux Furter. “It’s going to be another great opportunity for kids to showcase
Staff Writer
California State Senators Joe Simitian and Alan Lowenthal hosted an informational hearing previewing the High Speed Rail Authority’s new plan on March 13 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Simitian and Lowenthal, members of the Senate Budget Subcommittee for Transportation, were also joined by Senator Mark DeSaulnier and Senator Lou Correa. The public and senators also heard from the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA or the Authority), their Peer Review Group and the Legislative Analyst’s office. The Authority was represented by Chairman Dan Richard and member Jim Hartnett. The plan for California’s High Speed Rail has been widely debated over the past few years, a problem which didn’t subside after the Authority produced its draft plan in November 2011. The draft left many people worried about the funding for the project and the location of the first installment, set to be in the Central Valley. This first segment is set to cost $6 billion, about half of the $13 billion budget that the state currently has. However, the completed project was estimated in the draft to cost $98 billion, though in discussion, it sounded as if that initial projection may go down when the final plan is released.
See RAIL, page A3
News...................................A1-A3 Opinion...............................A5, A8-A9 Spotlight...................................A6-A7 Sports....................................A10- A12 Lifestyles.....................................B1 Features................................B2-B6 A&E...................................B7-B10
anna mcGarrigle/campanile
Junior Meha Bakshi prepares for a debate competition. She will participate in states. Savage can vouch for the Bakshi’s persistence. “She put many hours of work in doing practice debates, research and working with her coaches,” Savage said. “Her work
See DEBATE, page A3
Open Mic Nights to showcase student talent again
By Rachel Wilson
INSIDE
Junior Meha Bakshi will represent the Palo Alto High School debate team in the upcoming state championship in San Francisco from April 27 to 29. In order to compete in this tournament, debaters must win five out of five rounds during the state qualifying tournament which took place March 16 and 17. Debaters like Bakshi who won four out of five rounds must debate one or two additional times in order to make it to the state championship. Bakshi qualified after winning two additional debates. As a third-year member of the team, Bakshi has been working her way to the state championship level. “Meha has always been a strong debater,” debate coach Jennie Savage said. “When she was a novice she got to the elimination rounds of one of her very first tournaments and she has steadily improved since then. In [the state qualifiers] she was absolutely on fire.” This year will be Bakshi’s first time in the state championship and she is going into the tournament with a plan. “My strategy is mostly [to do] research on the topic,” Bakshi said. “The debates are in front of parent judges [and] they tend to be convinced by numbers and statistics so I try to find a lot of that.” She also uses resources from home. “My dad helps out by telling me which arguments would compel parents or not,” she said.
their talent,” Furter said. “I expect it to be just as fun because people keep coming. I’ll stick to what I’ve been doing.” Open Mic has helped Furter’s dream to be a comedian. “Open Mic has expanded my horizons as a performer,” Furter said. The quality of performances has exceeded expectations, something everyone hopes to see continue. “People are blown away by the talent of the performers, we want to see more of that,” Bleich said. The ambiance of the performances is very inviting. “We put black curtains all around the room and put carpets on the floor, with beanbags and couches,” junior TAC treasurer Spencer Carlson said. “It’s a cozy, relaxing environment.” The atmosphere welcomes aspiring musicians, or those who enjoy hearing good music. “We love to have people come,” Carlson said. “Just come and Anna McGarrigle/Campanile enjoy yourself and bring your Sophomore Aaron Slipper and senior Elias Berezin sing in friends. Spots are filling up fast, an Open Mic Night featuring musicians and comedians. so get in contact with us.”
FEATURES
RE-MEME-BER ME? Memes, specifically Paly Memes, have taken the school by storm. Students enjoy having a good laugh about others’ experiYael palmon/Campanile ences, good or bad, here at Palo Alto High SPORTS School. POOL PARTY Students and staff members play pool in their spare time. courtesy of paly memes
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RIKI RATTNER/campanile
LIFESTYLES
A&E
DROP IT LIKE IT’S BLOCK CULTURAL GOODIES Battle Royale: Paly students face Experience tastes of diversity with unique cuisine options. off in online Tetris duels.
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NEWS
A2 • March 30, 2012
UCSC changes admissions criteria
ASB Update By Charlie Dulik Staff Writer
Associated Student Body officers are currently involved in elections for 2012-2013 school year positions. ASB members that are running for office work on their campaigns during class while the whole group works on ballots, voting area organization and publicity involved in the process. Election winners will be announced after school today once all campaign flyers and materials are removed from the school. After elections occur, Advisor Matt Hall and current ASB students will begin interviewing candidates for appointed positions like Spirit Commissioner and School Board Representative. Today members of Woodlawn High School’s student government will be visiting the ASB class to exchange ideas about school events. ASB members will give tours to the students visiting from Texas. Earlier in the week the visitors spent a day at Henry M. Gunn High School and were entertained by the Gunn Student Events Committee (SEC). Senior Class President Sam Blake is leading a group of ASB members working on Prom. The students are finalizing logistics and monitoring the table seating. For the first year ever, table assignments for Prom will be handled online. Attendees can find the forms on line at the Paly Webstore.
School Board Update By William Kershner Staff Writer
The Palo Alto Unified School District Board met this past Tuesday, March 27. Two prominent topics up for discussion were the annual Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) donation to the board and an update on the improved parcel tax benefiting Palo Alto schools. PiE campaigned effectively over the past year and raised a total of $4.4 million for donation, just $16,000 short of the initial projection. This number is much larger than that of past years and will be a great help in providing funding for the school. The leaders of the parcel tax board came to present a quarterly measurement of the usefulness of the parcel tax within the Palo Alto Unified School District. This update was warmly received as the parcel tax has been a consistent fundraiser (7 percent of the total budget) that the board of PAUSD can count on. Another major issue under contention was the examination of the effectiveness of the Guidance program at Palo Alto High School and Henry M. Gunn High School. Consultant Kelun Zhang of the Rocketship Education group presented the results of the study conducted over the past month. Zhang prominently displayed the differences between the guidance systems at Gunn with those of Palo Alto. The board examined the findings and was extremely impressed with the depth with which the study was conducted, but also found some areas for improvement. The number of interactions, as well as the reasoning for the interactions, a student has with a guidance counselor was an extremely hot issue. The last major issue discussed was the transition plans for the 2012-2013 school calendar. Staff presented a report on school planning and evaluation efforts to date for the 2012-2013 calendar transition that involves the change of dates for finals to decrease stress of college-bound seniors and juniors.
UpcomingEvents April 14: ACT
Make sure to bring #2 pencils, a calculator and a healthy snack for the test. Good luck!
April 16-20: NIOS Week
Come to the quad during lunch every day this week for Not In Our Schools Week activities.
April 28: Prom
Upperclassman boys, make sure to start asking around! Get Prom tickets online at the Paly Web Store before it is too late.
NewsBriefs SCHOOL BUDGET CUT BY $808 PER STUDENT
The Palo Alto Board of Education approved $2.1 million in school cuts on March 13 mostly from personnel, utilities, food service, maintenance and staff development. Cuts approved the week of March 13 included $889,000 in personnel, utilities and food service, $389,000 in maintenance, $200,000 in staff development budget for summer activities and $338,000 in allocation of school site funds. $2.1 million in mid-year cuts from the $162.4 million budget started with $2.7 million in reductions made at the beginning of the 2011-2012 year. The site-specific reductions will not affect this year’s classrooms because they will come from site reserve funds. Business Official Cathy Mak talked about the subject and stated that she will return to the board in May with proposed cuts for the 2012-2013 school year. On Feb. 28, Mak shared that school funding for Palo Alto has declined by $808 per student, 6 percent, since 20082009, including locally raised money. The district realized that the perstudent reduction is a consequence of three trends: over-enrollment, increasing growth in property tax receipts and state funding cuts. Mak said she expects the school district will face “large structural deficits”
The Campanile
New method hurts chances for students to get accepted By Elizabeth Bowman Staff Writer
The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) is becoming increasingly selective and is changing its admissions policy according to the San Jose Mercury News. UCSC will be having people rather than computers read all of the applications so that there will be a more holistic review, which does makes the school harder to get into for some students. Using the old method, a B student taking many Advanced Placement (AP) classes would rank higher at UCSC than an A student taking fewer AP classes. “The downside is that [this criteria makes UCSC] more selective so fewer people have the opportunity to go to college,” Palo Alto High School senior Alex Carter said. “I don’t like [this change] especially since Santa Cruz is a really important safety school for a lot of people and a lot of people really want to go there.” Junior Jessica Tam believes that it makes more sense to rank students who have a B in an AP class higher than students with A’s in regular classes. “I think that it is fair that people who challenge themselves over people who [take easier classes should be ranked higher],” Tam said. “I personally think that it is better to get a B in a higher class than an A in a lower class because you learn more and you challenge yourself more.” The Mercury News stated that UCSC will be using a holistic review like University of California, Berkeley (Cal) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) because of increased competition and their acceptance rate has dropped to 68 percent as a result. Tam believes that it is unfair that different UC colleges might have the same admissions criteria. “How it should be is that some people can get into some UCs and some people can get into other UCs so that [the UC schools] can reach out to a
UCSC and other UC schools are becoming increasingly selective due to changes in admissions policy and will use the UCB and UCLA criteria for applicants. greater amount of people,” Tam said. Staff at Paly have also learned of the change for UCSC. “I only recently read online that the UCSC Academic Senate proposed, in an effort to save time and money, not to read those applicants who also applied to UCLA and UC Berkeley if those applicants were read by those campuses and were not admitted,” Palo Alto High School college counselor Sandra Cernobori said. According to the UCSC senate meeting notes, students who apply to Cal and UCLA will not be read again for UCSC. UCSC will accept UCLA and Cal readings to be equivalent to any scoring they may make, so they will spend more time on applicants who did not apply to UCLA and Cal. This potentially gives students who applied to UCLA and Cal a lower chance of getting into UCSC because UCLA and Cal are known to have higher admissions standards than UCSC, yet the readings from these colleges will be used to determine which applicants will be accepted into UCSC. Cernobori sees that this change might be perceived as unfair to some
because UCSC is not as selective as the other two campuses. “It appears that being denied admission at Cal and UCLA diminished a student’s chance of being admitted to UCSC,” Cernobori said. “Perhaps there are Paly students who were denied admission at UCSC that might not have been if they hadn’t already been denied admission at Cal and UCLA. I don’t think it’s a great plan and it seems like UCSC will reconsider it during their next application cycle.” Cernobori recommends that Paly students who were denied at Cal and UCLA as well as UCSC appeal their admission to UCSC. “Normally, when I am asked about appealing denials at the UC campuses, I remind students that the conditions for [appealing denials] are pretty clear, there must be new and compelling information that was not included in the regular application, such as omitting reporting a required course; new senior grades don’t count because they weren’t available at the time of application,” Cernobori said. “But, it’s worth a shot, if they are still interested in attending UCSC.”
City Council votes on new energy initiative Program aims to encourage solar panel use by Palo Alto citizens By Ryan Deslauriers Staff Writer
Homeowners in Palo Alto now have a compelling incentive to add solar panels to their rooftops in part due to an initiative voted on by City Council on March 5. With the City Council vote to initiate the Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) program, Palo Alto homeowners will have the ability to sell back unused energy, which is generated by the solar panels to the city. The ability to sell back unused energy is often referred to as a “feed-in tariff” and this builds on the city’s current sell back program for solar panel homeowners. “The goal for the first year of CLEAN is to purchase four megawatts of electricity from large com-
for the next five years, particularly if proposed tax measures are not on this year’s November ballot. The district has also decided to grow its “undesignated fund balance” from $3.1 million at the end of 2008-2009 to $12.9 million at the end of 2010-2011. The district has used the surplus to support the reductions and uncertainties in the state profit. Mak and the district are hoping that these school cuts will not change the way school is run. — Sophie Parker
Staff Writer
LIBRARY TO BE RENOVATED With a budget of over $9 million, Palo Alto High School plans to turn the 1970sera, 26,500 sq. ft. library into “the hub” of campus, according to Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman. In June 2008, Palo Alto voters approved the Strong Schools Bond, enabling Paly to build new classrooms and renovate existing buildings to provide for student population growth and improve student services. Although plans are still only under way and much of the ideas of the new layout are only discussion, Kellerman has some goals that she would like to see accomplished. “Our goal is to make a student-friendly environment,” Kellerman said. “It will be a place to get help, to hang out and to work.” Among the ideas proposed are silent study rooms encased in glass walls, guaranteeing a separate, quiet place to work
mercial rooftops, which would be enough to power 1,000 homes,” Palo Alto City Manager James Keene said in an interview with Palo Alto Patch. “That would also work toward the city goal of obtaining 33 percent of its power from renewable sources.” Craig Lewis, the Executive Director of Clean Coalition, a Palo Alto based company which creates renewable energy ideas and programs across the United States, was enthusiastic about Palo Alto’s plan to promote solar panel use. “I want to congratulate the Palo Alto Utility’s staff for designing the best clean energy program we have seen to date,” Lewis said in an interview with Palo Alto Patch. “The example being set is a beautiful example for the country to follow.”
Lewis said that CLEAN is different from other cities green energy programs because homeowners will not see a major increase in their electricity bill. CLEAN will also keep costs low because all the energy is being generated within city limits so there is no need for expensive power lines that transport the energy around, to be built. “This is actually a really significant program,” Council Member Pat Burt said in an interview with Palo Alto Patch. “It’s the primary method by which renewable energy has been adopted in Europe and elsewhere.” Burt also noted that CLEAN is valuable for any citizen of Palo Alto because the rate structure is one of the lowest rates in the country for a feed-in tariff program.
while ensuring supervision by the librarians. For students who need to work in groups, there will also be work rooms where talking and collaboration will be allowed, also with glass walls. Kellerman hopes that with the new library plan there will be less foot traffic, allowing for a quiet study place where students can get their work done efficiently. For those students who wish to just have a spot to socialize there is talk of a “casual reading area” at the entrance, where students would be allowed to sit on couches or comfy chairs and hang out with friends. Through both observation and discussion with students, Kellerman has come to the conclusion that having a place to eat in the library might be a necessary change that will be factored into the new floor plan. This, along with a student productivity center with copiers and printers, could potentially be located in its own separate section of the library. More windows and an improved divided sections technique of the library are attempts at making it a more appealing center. The earliest the renovation could begin is in 2013. While construction is underway, the library will move its 3,000-volume paper book collection along with its already mobile 1,000-volume digital library to a yetto-be-assigned location, keeping some books available in a temporary space others in a storage unit that can be accessed when necessary. Kellerman urged that this is a center for the students and she hopes that people will come talk about ideas that they believe will be beneficial for the library to consider. Through much research and
He continued on to say that CLEAN helps fill the three goals which the city has had. Not only does CLEAN offer more jobs available to installers, but it dispels the myth that using renewable energy ramps up the cost of electricity bills. It creates the basis of green electricity that is generated within city limits which could prove very valuable in the unlikely event of a long power outage. CLEAN is intended to be brought into the residential life over a time span of many years, but for 2012 the minimum requirements for applicants is 100 kilowatts and Palo Alto will pay residents in between 12.36 and 14.003 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on the span of the contract.
trips to visit other libraries, Kellerman hopes to bring the best aspects of each library together to create a center where students can come together as one community in “the hub” of campus. — Caroline Martignetti
Staff Writer
VOICE ANNOUNCES NEW EDITORS The Paly Voice has announced its editorial staff for the 2012-2013 school year, according to Aaron Zelinger, a current Voice Editor-in-Chief. Next year’s Editors-in-Chief will be current juniors Grant Raffel, Hae-Lin Cho, Aaron Chum and Juliana Moraes-Liu. Zelinger is excited for the new and talented staff. “I think we have a great bunch for next year,” Zelinger said. “We have full confidence in their ability to continue the Voice’s ascendance and move us forward in the realm of scholastic journalism.” In addition to the Editors-in-Chief, the Voice has also selected sophomore Edward Mei as Sports Editor, junior Matt Ersted as Photography Editor and sophomore Noa Braun as News Editor. “We all look forward to watching these editors implement their plans for the Voice and bring more, faster content to the Paly community,” Zelinger said. Voice recently won a Gold Crown award at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. More information on this award and the Voice’s new editors can be found at www.palyvoice.com. — Brian Benton
Editor in Chief
NEWS
The Campanile
March 30, 2012 • A3
Cubberley renovation postponed Students attend Spanish District decides against plans to reopen school camp to enrich learning Grace Fang
Technology Editor
Charlotte barry/ campanile
The Cubberly Center will not be immediately reopened as a high school despite the recent considerations to accommodate students. This is mainly due to the districts reliance on leasing the center.
By Ben Hawthorne Staff Writer
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has yet to decide on the fate of the Cubberley Community Center according to District Superintendent Dr. Kevin Skelly. Cubberley, which PAUSD has been leasing to the City of Palo Alto since 1987, is set to have its lease end in December 2013. “There are currently conversations at the school board and city council levels about the future of Cubberley,” Skelly said. “Right now, the conversations are about to enter a new phase; we’re bringing the community and school board members to look at the work that is being done regarding Cubberley.” The two options are having the school board terminate the lease and using Cubberley as the site of a new school, or leaving Cubberley in city hands. “The scenarios of what the site would look like are currently based on our enrollment needs and the city’s current possessive uses and existing programs at the city,” Skelly said. The school board is currently considering opening a new school at Cubberley in order to manage the flood of incoming students, as it hopes to prevent overcrowding in schools. However, it is unlikely that Cubberley High School would reopen because Palo Alto High School and Gunn High School are expected to handle all high school enrollment until 2019. Instead, PAUSD is looking to open a middle school there. “High school enrollment is
not an issue for us; current construction at Gunn and Paly will let each support 3300 students, which should be sufficient,” Skelly said. “The immediate challenge is the middle schools.” Although work is being done to handle the increased middle school capacity, the PAUSD predicts that the Palo Alto middle schools will [a] have too many students soon. “At present, it is our expectation that planned construction at our three middle schools will result in capacity for approximately 2900 students,” PAUSD facilities manager Bob Golton and chief business official Cathy Mak wrote in a brief for Skelly. “The moderate enrollment growth projections suggest that enrollment growth [total middle school enrollment] will reach 2900 students in 2015.” An alternative to using Cubberley as a middle school would be to build a new school on PAUSD’s recently acquired 7.6 acre plot of land at 525 San Antonio road. However, some board officials dismiss this alternative because of its expense. “While there may ultimately be a need for a fourth middle school, staff recommends that the board explore other, less costly options for the medium term,” Golton and Mak wrote. The main problem with turning Cubberley into a school again is PAUSD’s reliance on leasing Cubberley as a source of income. Since the City of Palo Alto has cut per-student funding by six percent to $788 over the past four years, PAUSD is becoming more aware of the
need to protect its income. Since Cubberley generates four percent of the district’s income, it is of great value. “The fact is that seven million dollars from city taxes go to the district from leasing space at Cubberley,” Skelly said. The money aspect of the lease is even more critical considering De Anza College’s recent interest in renting space at Cubberley, which provides PAUSD with valuable income. “De Anza is interested in establishing a [new] satellite campus at Cubberley,” Skelly said. “However, this would just be the status quo with a small part of the [Cubberley] campus owned by De Anza.” In addition to revenue generated by Cubberly, the district would have to expend money to renovate the center. Many of Cubberley’s facilities, particularly athletic facilities, are in disrepair, and the district would have to sacrifice much needed money to renovate them. “It would be very expensive, but I don’t have any exact figures,” Skelly said. The board has decided to wait until 2019 to make a decision regarding Cubberly. “The board has already essentially all school bond funds for other needed projects in the district at the elementary, middle and high school level, construction of a new school or program would require either an additional school bond or the reallocation of district funds,” Golton and Mak wrote. “Staff can recommend either alternative at this time.”
Junior going to state debate tournament DEBATE, continued from A1 certainly paid off.” All of the preparation is not for nothing; there will be plenty of tough competition for Bakshi. “Every school with a debate program in California is eligible to try to get to the state championship,” Savage said. “Obviously only a minority of them qualify. I’d estimate that there will be 40 to 50 schools represented across the various categories of the competition.” Although this tournament is Bakshi’s first time at the state championship, Paly has been there before. “Paly won the State Championship in LD debate — Meha’s kind — three years ago and we got to the quarterfinals in Policy Debate last year,” Savage said. “We have qualified five out
Meha bakshi junior
“Debates are in front of parent judges so they tend to be convinced by numbers and statistics.” of the last 5 years. It’s a thrill to be up there in the big leagues with other schools across California who offer debate instruction in the classroom and a big debate budget given to them by the school or district.” The state championship winners will go on to nationals, but the tournament marks the winding down of this year’s debate season.
Guidance survey supports advisory system GUIDANCE, continued from A1 41 percent. Critics of Gunn’s advisory system look to this information to support their claims that their advisory system is in need of reform. Jeffrey Liu, a junior at Gunn, agreed that Gunn’s advisory system is in need of changing. “I wish they [the guidance counselors] would have helped me with a game plan of what exactly to do to hit my goal colleges instead of talking about career choices and graduate school stuff,” Liu said. He said that while he was given good information, it was “not on the things I really wanted to know about.” Unlike Paly’s advisory system, which requires students to meet with their advisors a few times each month, Gunn freshman, sophomores and juniors are only required to meet with their counselors once each year. Seniors, however, meet with the counselors more frequently during their college admissions
process. According to Gunn junior Emily Cottle, seniors meet with their counselors anywhere from five to eight times during their admissions process. But despite these more frequent meetings (which are still fewer than the number of times Paly students meet with their teacher advisors), only 55 percent of Gunn students reported feel-
Gunn students are only required to meet with their counselors once each year. ing like they understood the requirements of the college application process, compared to 64 percent of Paly students. “I think it [the meetings] would be extremely helpful to someone who is the oldest child in their family,” Cottle said. “But considering I have an older brother who just went through this process, I already knew a lot of the things my counselor was telling me.” Other students feel similarly to Cottle, and wish to get information to suit individual needs.
“[The guidance counselors should work] more with the individual student rather than trying to give the same information to every student,” Liu said. “After all, every student has a different scenario.” Paly sophomore Daniella Ivey also thought that the system should be better tailored to specific student needs. “I think it would be nice to meet with them [the advisors] a bit more,” Ivey said. “Maybe have something like tutorial where you can go to them [outside of advisory]. You have a schedule that you have to follow. They have to hand you out papers, explain them — but I think that we should have at least a 20 minute period where you can just go if you want to.” This year’s results show that neither system is perfect, but there are clear, student-driven changes that could be made to improve the guidance and teacher advisor system. Both schools can use this direct feedback to improve guidance programs in the future.
El Campamento de Espanol, a Spanish sleepaway camp aimed to help students from throughout the Bay Area, was held from March 2 to 4 at the Saratoga Walden West Science Center in Saratoga, Calif. About 65 students from schools in and around Santa Clara County attended the camp, while around 120 attended the camp last year, according to Spanish Kevin Duffy, one of the lead organizers of the camp. “The purpose of the camp is to give students an immersion experience so that they have the whole weekend in which they promise that they will speak entirely in Spanish,” Duffy said. The camp was originally founded in 1974 by a group of Spanish teachers from the Bay Area that were members of the Foreign Language Association of Santa Clara County (FLASCC). Duffy has been volunteering at the camp since 1999. Students are required to pay a fee in order to attend the camp, but FLASCC sets aside funds to support students who cannot afford it. “[We] don’t want finances to be the reasons students must miss out on this wonderful opportunity,” Duffy said. Only a limited number of students were able to attend the camp and were invited through invitation by their teachers, primarily from high lane Spanish classe, because the camp organizers want to keep a small teacher to student ratio. “The ratio of teachers to students [is] to be very small, about probably one teacher for every eight students,” Duffy said. “It enables students to have their voices be heard.” Students were organized in random groups of kids from every school so they could meet new people, while teachers from other locations around the Bay Area vol-
unteered their time to enrich the students with fun and interactive curricula. “The goal is to make people more comfortable speaking the language,” senior Mira Ahmad, who attended camp in 2011, said. Cell phone usage and English were prohibited at the camp in an effort to encourage students to work on their Spanish and stay focused on activities. “There are no cell phones allowed and students are really encouraged to try their best to speak in only Spanish throughout the weekend,” Ahmad said. Students who attend the camp must first go through “la aduana,” or customs, before entering the camp. All prohibited materials like cell phones and anything that had English were taken away. “In the cafeteria we have a little wooden fencing set up in a corner and that’s the jail, or ‘carcel’ and [students] would have to go there and say a tongue twister in Spanish if they ever spoke English at the camp,” Duffy said. The camp stressed more handson and group activities rather than a traditional classroom experience. “At the camp we sang songs and danced, we planned and performed skits, we played all sorts of games,” junior Spencer Carlson, who attended the camp this year, said. “On Saturday night the 3rd we had a dance, followed by a campfire. Then one of the workers at the school where the camp is held let us use his telescopes to look at the moon because the night was really clear.” In addition to these activities, students selected two classes to take, such as cooking, dancing, arts and crafts or nature hikes. According to Duffy, the camp was all in all a very enriching educational experience for the students. He hopes that in the future there will be more teacher volunteers so that more students will be able to attend the camp.
Forum finalizes high speed rail plans RAIL, continued from A1 “We view an investment in the Central Valley as having a great risk, or a potential to be a stranded investment,” High Speed Rail Peer Review Group chairman Will Kempton said, attributing the risk to the relatively low ridership projected and the large percentage of funding that this initial segment would consume. Others share these worries, although Chairman Dan Richards emphasized that the Authority’s new plan would focus on developing the “bookends” of the route, around Los Angeles and San Francisco, by improving their current transportation systems to make way for the new rail. “We are being very responsive to this notion that there must
be early investments in the bookends of the system to advance those improvements to provide immediate benefits for the regions and also long-term benefits for high speed rail,” Richards said. One question that came up multiple times was the issue of why the Authority wants to start in the Central Valley. The valley is the best place to start because, according to Richards, it fulfills the purpose of high speed rail: to connect cities. “The purpose of the regional transportation systems is to move people around in those regions, but the purpose of high speed rail is to connect the cities,” Richards said. Also in the meeting, the question of federal funds arose. Federal funding has been offered, however it is intended for the Central Valley segment.
The money also has a time limit, so the state must make full use of the federal money. The financial aspect of the project is tricky, since the Authority only has 13 billion dollars towards its 98 billion dollar projected cost. The project is also partially funded by 2008’s Prop 1A, which allocates 9.95 billion dollars to new rail lines. During the meeting, the representatives of the HSRA failed to indicate exactly where the rest of the funding may come from, suggesting donations from donors or the federal government. Although many of these issues were not solved at the meeting, the audience saw some issues with the high speed rail plan, as outlined in the draft. Major problems to be addressed in the final plan due at the end of March.
Paly service day to include more variety SERVICE, continued from A1
service department of PTSA. “We have a stretch goal of 500 students to participate in some way, whether 45 minutes or all day, for this event,” Cole-Gouyet said. There are many community service groups. Among the organizations represented on Service Day are Actera, Half-Moon Bay Restore off campus and cards for troops on campus. “Paly students have a lot of advantages and a lot of great ideas and I think it’s natural for them to want to contribute to their community,” Cole-Gouyet said.
The Community Service department of the PTSA is working towards creating a successful Service Day which will require a lot of active participation from service-oriented clubs at Paly. “We are still in the planning stages so we would love to hear from students about their ideas for activities whether it is off campus or on campus,” Cole-Gouyet said. “In the end this day is about the students and the more student input we have, the better.” Paly Service Day is a time for students to reflect on their unique passions and use that to better the community around them.
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THE ASB POST
The Official Newsletter of the Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body
Today is the last day to vote in the ASB elections! Learn more about the candidates and come out to the quad at lunch to vote. ASB VICE PRESIDENT Quinn Rockwell
Hey Paly! Right now you are probably asking yourself “who is Quinn Rockwell and why should I vote for him?” Well, to answer your questions simply, I am Quinn Rockwell and you should vote for me because I’m the best candidate for the job. As a current member of ASB, I have the knowledge of how things work. I have aided in the process of planning and execution of numerous schoolwide events such as Club Day #1, Club Day #2, and Spirit Week to name a few. However, qualifications alone are not what make a candidate. What really makes a candidate is integrity and I believe I have just that. I have no ulterior motives. No resume to improve, no highdemanding parents to appease, solely the desire to represent the Paly community in all matters of Student Government. If you’d like to know more visit my campaign page at www.facebook.com/ QuinnRockwellForAsbVp.
Soo Song
Hi everybody! I’m Soo Song and I aim to be your ASB VP because I have the dedication, enthusiasm, and qualifications to make a great change within our club community and campus next year. As the junior class VP this past year, I’ve helped boost communication with the student body and admin, and directly organized new events like Club Day 2! One of the VP’s main duties is to monitor clubs, a responsibility I plan to fulfill by working directly with clubs to increase the number of events and student activities. I am absolutely passionate about working with you, responsible, and determined to represent your interests and voices. I promise to give 100% of my effort and commitment to this position and its responsibilities. A vote for Soo is a vote for YOU, so make sure to check out www.facebook.com/SooforASBVP for more info.
ASB SECRETARY Charlie Dulik
Hey Paly! I have been on ASB for two years, as Sophomore Vice President and Communications Officer. I have been involved in planning Prom, running Spirit Week and creating ASB’s social networking websites. I will continue to work as hard as I can to fulfill the role of secretary and work for ASB. If you want an experienced candidate with a history of working hard in ASB, vote Charlie Dulik for ASB Secretary!
Dahlia Salem
My name is Dahlia Salem, and I am running for ASB Secretary. I think that Paly is one of the best schools in the district and has potential to be even better. I really care about this school and have many goals set in mind for it. I’d love to hear any suggestions or ideas from students that would also like to contribute to Paly’s community. I believe that I am fit for secretary because I’m responsible, committed, and cooperative. I believe that there is a lack of cultural sense at Paly, that’s why I think we should have “culture week” in which students or clubs get to sign up and host activities at lunch that represent a certain country or ethnic group. Paly students have the right for their demands to be met and I will make sure that that happens. Vote Salem for Secretary!
ASB TREASURER Lorraine Chen
I’m Lorraine Chen, and I would like to run for ASB treasurer. I think it takes three ideas to change the school and to promote efficiency and responsibility. I believe that I have what it takes. However, I believe in the end it is not about me. It is about you: the innovators, the leaders, the dreamers. It will be my priority to execute a policy of cooperation, communication and clarity. Firstly, I will work on putting the money back into your hands; you will have a say on how the money is spent. Secondly, I will communicate with you; I will always be available to talk and to help when clubs need funds. Thirdly, I will work on a policy of transparency so that you know exactly how your money is spent and how it will impact you. It is my duty and my honor to always represent you.
Josh Madej
Hi my name is Josh Madej and I’m running for ASB Treasurer for the 2012-2013 school year. What makes me qualified for the position is that I’m the current ASB Treasurer and I have been working with Ms. Sing to have an organized budget for ASB to keep track of its money for the year. Also I have prior experience of working with school admin and I have learned a lot about how ASB runs, and how to improve it from the past year of being on ASB. I think you should vote for me in the upcoming election since I am the only candidate that has the proper training to be a treasurer, and I will do all that is within my power to help make your school year great.
SENIOR PRESIDENT Sophie Parker
Vote Sophie Parker for Senior Class President! This year, I was a Spirit Commissioner and Cheer Representative on ASB as well as a member of the Prom Committee. This past year, I worked hard to plan spirit week and encourage my grade to participate. I really look forward to acquiring a bigger position next year so I can play more of a role in deciding what goes on around Paly. As President, I will do what’s best for the class, not only during spirit week, but also throughout the year. I hope to represent the senior class and help make decisions that will be most beneficial to the seniors of 2013 and also to the rest of the school. Remember to vote Sophie for Senior Class President from March 25-30th. Park your vote with Sophie!
Michael Wang
As sophomore class president, I’ve gained lots of experience in ASB as a leader, planner, executor, and most importantly, as a representative for you in ASB. During my stint two years ago, we pulled off an awesome spirit week with a one-of-a-kind float, all the while having some awesome class spirit. Furthermore, I was an active contributor in ASB, where I led the or-
ganization of the pancake breakfast, the winter rally, and most importantly, spirit week. The opportunity for me to undertake such projects has left me with a skill set and level of experience that is beyond that of the other candidates, and I want you to take advantage of that by voting for Michael Wang this coming election. If you’d like more info, check my Facebook page at /michaelwangforseniorclassprez.
Jacob Zenger
My name is Jacob Zenger and I am running for senior class president. I feel that I would be a great candidate for class president because I have great school spirit and I am a good leader. I am extremely determined to make our senior year really fun. As many of you have seen I go over the top during spirit week and I plan to make spirit week this year better than before and actually have the seniors win legitimately for once. I also will make sure that all Paly events are fun activities that people would want to go to. So overall your senior year will be more fun and enjoyable if you vote me for class president.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Wardah Chowdhry
Hi class of 2013! I am Wardah Chowdhry. Because I moved here a few months ago from Pakistan, many of you may not know me. I will be helping everyone as a part of ASB just not the senior class. I am running for Senior Vice President because I want to bring my perspective as an American Muslim to Paly’s ASB. Some people may think that Muslims are not strong enough to take part in school activities. I want to show them that I can stand up with my school even though I am a Muslim. I want to end this racism in which people think some races are nothing and can not do anything. Second thing I want to represent my class and their spirit everywhere. I also want to make spirit week even better by adding some more fun into them. By showing more spirit of my class. I hope you will trust me and support me.
Jamie Livingston
If I am elected Senior Class Vice President I will work with Mr. Berkson and the rest of Paly staff to fix the lack of parking available to students by increasing the number of spots students are aloud to park in. I will also strive to create more enjoyable dances, by encouraging higher attendance. I have never been a part of ASB counsel, allowing me to see what has been working and what has not. Paly dances are in the words of a Paly student; “awkwardly boring”, causing less people to go, making the dances even duller. Overall I hope to improve upon the school as a whole. I promise to always listen & respect your opinions as well as represent you to the best of my ability.
Josh Stabinsky
My name is Josh Stabinsky, and I’d like to be your Senior Class Vice President. “Why”,
ASB PRESIDENT Tony Awaida
Why vote for me? To be honest I do not have “book smarts”. However, I have learned a lot through the many people I have met, from cowboys in the desert to the teachers at our own school. I have overcome enormous difficulties that I have been faced with. I have been beat up multiple times, failed many classes, been sent to hospitals, been arrested, fought addiction, and to this day I still strugle with living in harmony with the world around me. I feel that I can change the little game known as high school and together we can accomplish anything. Real Talk, Tony
Jessica Tam
Dedication. Support. Enthusiasm. These are the traits that the student body deserves from Paly’s ASB. As Junior Class President this year, I have been involved in numerous aspects of Paly and ASB, thus my experiences have shown me the best parts of Paly as well as what needs to be improved. I LOVE Paly. My greatest goal for next year is to increase ASB’s interaction with the student body so that ASB can be a more supportive group for the whole school. I hope to continue ASB’s current efforts of transparency as well as integrate more events geared for the student body throughout the year. ASB also has the responsibility to take care of each student when it comes to controversial issues such as academic and social pressures, thus I hope to find new methods of relieving such stresses in the Paly community.
Matthew Plant
Please consider I, Matthew Plant, as your choice for ASB President. Although I have no experience in Student Council positions, I have a fair amount of experience in other areas that could be considered by some to be similar to politics. Additionally, I have a pretty neat three-part plan for improving our student body’s welfare. I promise a more transparent ASB and student body, to provide unparalleled support for new and existing clubs, and improve the school lives of each student dramatically. Vote Matthew Plant’’ for ASB president, and plant the seeds for a better tomorrow.
you ask? I care about you. Your time at Paly is almost up. We can make this a special year together, you and me. I’ve been in Palo Alto my whole life. I know exactly how this “life-thing” works in all its scandalous trickery. I believe that our class will become stronger as a whole through solid leadership, and can guarantee prom will be a memorable one if elected. I take spirit week far too seriously, and I believe my passion for all things spirit will help lock up the win you all deserve. We must emblematically rise as a nation. This year will truly be magical if I, a fellow beautiful soul, help guide you through this journey as a united force.YOLO.
JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT Andrea Clerici-Hermandinger
Everyone has their own definition of class spirit, for some it may involve dressing up for spirit week or maybe showing up to a school dance. But for me, spirit’s more than that, it is the immense passion I feel for our class, with which I seek to help show the school that there are no Vikings as great as those of the class of 2014! As president of the junior class, I will strive to represent the voice of every single junior on campus. I have many ideas to improve our junior experience including making dances more fun and inclusive! But the truth is my supply of ideas is infinite, because I will seek the input of everyone who wishes to give it. A vote for me is a vote for you and the entire class of 2014!
Audrey DeBruine
Hello sophomores, my name is Audrey And you want me on ASB. I want to be your Junior Class President; The class of 2014 I yearn to represent. Our class has spirit, charm, and poise and I hope to unite the girls and boys. Everyone knows we won 2011’s Spirit Week Next year we will make the other classes look weak. We’ll write good cheers and build great floats We’ll do even better in 2012 if I get your vote! For the rest of the year, I have some plans So we can raise money, have fun, and dance. Junior year is going to be stressful But together we will make it less so. If you remember nothing else, remember this, The qualities of leadership I do possess: I am organized, energetic, spirited and dedicated, Considerate, positive, eager, and motivated. You know I’ll do more for the class of 2-0-1-4!
Jensen Hsiao
Because your voice and ideas matter, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will listen to you the most – and be most effective in putting your ideas into action. I’m Jensen Hsiao, running for junior class president. If I am elected to serve you, my main goal will be to listen to everyone’s individual thoughts and incorporate them into ideas to benefit the student body – fairly, efficiently, and effectively.
Through class unity and an open community where everyone can share their thoughts, we will be able to achieve the goals we want. I want to unite our class to win Spirit Week. With your ideas and my leadership, we will become the class we want to be, and do the things we want to as a class. I hope you believe I’m the right candidate to listen to you. I would appreciate your support.
SOPHOMORE PRESIDENT Rick Takeuchi
Hi, I am Rick Takeuchi, the current Class Vice-President. I want to continue serving in ASB next year, with my experiences and passion. Let me work to make our class’s bonding even stronger. The theme color for sophomore is RED; R for Resilient, E for Enthusiastic, and D for Dynamic. Just like vivid RED color, we will stand out in this Paly community! Through working together with our current president, Claire, I learned two key factors; “strong sense of belonging” and “lots of communication”. On previous Spirit Week, we demonstrated our pride as Class of 2015. Now, we are going to make even bigger differences. The key is, “It’s not only me, not only ASB…but ALL of us!” I ask each of you, to bring your heart, your ideas, even your questions! Let us walk together and enhance our group identity, as one Resilient, Enthusiastic, and Dynamic community!
SOPHOMORE VICE PRES. Ankita Avadhani
I am Ankita Avadhani and I am running for sophomore class vice president. As sophomore class vice president I will always be supportive and help the students of the sophomore class. My main goals for next year are too improve paly dances, create a safe environment for the incoming freshman class, and most of all… have more school spirit! My past experiences include being on the school’s debate team and student council in middle school. As sophomore class vice president I would make sure that every one would have tons of spirit during spirit week, but most of all I would make sure that everyone would have tons of fun as a sophomore!
The ASB Post Edition Four March 2012 Editor-in-Chief: Uma Veerappan Cabinet Editor: Jared Swezey-Gleason Class/Committee Editor: Soo Song Comm./Rep Editor: Charlie Dulik Design: Brian Benton
The Campanile
OPINION
Friday, March 30, 2012
Editorials
Testing should be held in Tower Building, not Academic Resource Center Students are lucky to have the Academic Resource Center as a watering hole for those who need to use a textbook, tutor or be tutored by their peers and feel free to eat while diligently working. While we love the ARC for its atmosphere, which encourages collaboration between students, making up tests in the ARC is not ideal. Contrary to the focused, quiet environment in the library, the ARC’s noise level contributes to the distractions that students find difficult to cope with while taking a test. The current test taking room in the ARC is a thoroughfare for students leaving the main study room, especially now that the door connecting the ARC to the library is often locked. In addition, it is where students check in for tutoring, which makes it loud and often crowded. The Campanile feels lucky to have a space dedicated to students specifically but would greatly appreciate a more isolated area to make up tests. Changing the location where tests are taken to an empty room in the Tower Building could avoid problems faced by students. Having a room respected as a testing room specifically would change the attitude of those in that room. The Tower Building also receives less visitors than the ARC, which could avoid the problem of foot traffic and noise entirely, as students would only go to such a room if they wanted to take a test. Although this would require more parent volunteers, it would benefit students in all grades who seek a relaxed test taking area where they can succeed to their full potential. Not only is the ARC connected to a loud, busy work room, but it is also next to the hallway leading into the library where other students make excessive amounts of noise and do not realize how thin the walls separating the those two sections of the library are. The Campanile feels that the ARC volunteers are very kind and try a good amount to keep the noise down, but nonetheless noise seems inevitable in such an area. The librarians have created great accommodations in the past such as the silent study room which is a separate section, and though this is a valid room to have it would be beneficial to dedicate a room like that to taking tests where most students require absolute silence. The tower building is very spread out and has an ample amount of rooms, and The Campanile hopes that more test taking locations can be made available for students in order to ensure that all students in need of taking a test have a place to go and that the location actually fits the description of a peaceful test taking environment.
District should seek students’ opinions on budget priorities
Students living in Palo Alto are lucky to have access to some of the most new-age technology, much of which is developed in this area. Learning is enhanced with the ability to develop creativity through use of computers, projectors and SMART Boards. However, students feel that too much money is being spent on these resources in lieu of replacing necessities. Torn, stained textbooks and rickety desks are starting to impair students’ experience in a way that is not compensated for by use of bright screens. The Campanile thinks that the administration should focus more on improving everyday tools before developing more advanced classroom technologies. While students appreciate modernization in classrooms, they would appreciate more visible improvements in traditional methods if teachers are more prone to using them. SMART Boards are innovative and attractive but hardly any classrooms use them on a regular basis. Textbooks, however, are needed daily to complete current curriculum. Without a sufficient amount of textbooks, teachers are forced to adapt their styles to accommodate Paly’s large student population. In the Silent Study Room, a scramble ensues to claim the limited number of high-demand books. Books in the Language Arts department are hastily passed from classroom to classroom since there are not enough books for two or more classes to study the same book at the same time. While we realize that grants dedicated to improvements in technology cannot be transferred to replenishing basic necessities, students should have more of an impact on deciding what grant money should be requested for. Students have first-hand experience in the classroom, giving them an advantage in determining what is needed to enhance their day-to-day learning. The Campanile has also noticed teachers mentioning the lack of textbooks, literary novels and paper in the library. Uniting the students and teachers to combat this issue could result in a more cohesive environment with facilitated teacher-to-student understanding. This allocation of money is reflective of the attitude of the entire state of California; in a time when California is seriously lacking in money, even considering projects like a high-speed rail system is inappropriate. While advancing technology is enjoyable on any level, the priorities of the state and, more importantly, the school systems need to shift towards maintaining the quality of basic school supplies before attempting to improve what is already above-average quality. Given the opportunity, students could provide valuable feedback as to what improvements are truly needed in order to give everyone a better school experience. With more attention paid to what Paly is actually lacking, money can be better spent on projects that will positively impact the school.
Courses should prepare students for real world, incorporate life skills
One of Palo Alto High School’s strengths is that the school provides a large variety of unique courses that students can take. From Business Law to United States Foreign Policy, classes at Paly provide students with the opportunity to learn about a broad range of issues and explore possible future professions. However, a majority of classes stick to the textbook, focusing more on formulas than the future. Schools have an obligation to teach to tests, but they also have an obligation to prepare students for the world they will face once they graduate. The Campanile would like to see teachers incorporate more life skills into their curriculum. Economics and Living Skills are two required courses at Paly. Because all students must go through these courses to graduate, they also have the biggest opportunity for preparing students for the future. In Economics, students could be taught everyday things like how to balance a textbook or what the difference between a checking account and savings account is. Students usually learn these things eventually through their parents or from firsthand experiences, but they could be an interesting and easy addition to the current curriculum. To make Economics even more relevant for the future, students could be taught more about the job search or entrepreneurial process. By inviting guest investment bankers or entrepreneurs to speak about their experiences, students could learn about this first hand. Finding a speaker would not be hard, considering so many Paly graduates and Paly parents are in these fields. In Living Skills could include things like using a washing machine or buying a car. These skills may seem simple, but they show up in almost every student’s life sooner or later and are things every adult should know how to do. Adding information like this to the curriculum of Living Skills would not require additional training for a teacher, because as mentioned, they are things every adult should know how to do. In addition to this, although it might be harder, other classes could include preparation for the future that ties into the regular curriculum. English teachers could teach their students how to write a cover letter for a resume. Science teachers could teach their students what medicine to take if they have a headache. History teachers, especially in election years, could include a quick unit on what will show up on ballots. Classes like Foreign Policy do this already, but all students could benefit from a bit of education on who exactly Rick Santorum is. The list of ways to help students prepare for their post-high school life goes on and on. Teachers, when planning their curriculums, should think “what did I not learn in high school that I wish I had been taught.” Then, they should teach those things. It is that simple. We acknowledge that a chief goal of high school is to provide students with a solid base of knowledge, but preparing us for what comes after school is just as important.
Letters to the Editors
Kony 2012 video sparks debate Within the last month, the name Joseph Kony has become infamous among young adults around the world. The movement to shut him down has become known as Kony 2012 and aims its campaigning toward the younger generations through a documentary on the situation in Uganda. When this video went viral, the internet exploded with student posting it all over social networking sites such as Facebook. The purpose of this film is to unite everyone together and bring much needed government attention to the cause. For those who don’t know, Joseph Kony is the leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) which started as a rebel movement to end oppression of the north and has developed into a brutal child army. When the LRA lost regional support, they began to abduct children from their homes and forced them to kill their parents through violent ways. He turned the girls into sex slaves for his officers and manipulated the children by claiming he had spiritual pow-
ers. More than 30,000 children have been abducted by this group. No one is disputing that this is an issue which needs to be addressed but some are wondering what is actually being done. The video makes a point of buying an “action kit” which includes bracelets, posters and tshirts. On April 20th people are supposed to put all these posters up around their neighborhood so that when people wake the next day they find everything covered by Kony 2012 posters. The cause is good, and reasoning wonderful, but where is our money being put? Many argue that most of this being spent on paying salaries instead of being sent to Uganda. This movement seemed to last for one week and is now forgotten. I find myself wondering how this will play out in the future and if it will remain an important cause to people. The internet explosion has ended but hopefully the fight to end Kony won’t.
—Julia Saul, sophomore
Scheduled meditation could help students focus As an exhausted and overworked high school student, I think I have credibility when I say there is a problem with our daily school schedule. It is not an uncommon problem that students feel sleep deprived, overwhelmed with work, and unenthusiastic about going to school in general. Although, the more desirable option would be to fix all these problems directly, I think the more rational option, would be to alter the school day itself. At Paly, we have hour and a half long periods all days except Mondays. I think most people would agree that although, the long periods can sometimes be beneficial, often they are boring and the teachers run out of things to do. For some people this may be a time to nap, talk or get work done, but somehow, most of this time consists of kids sitting around doing nothing and therefore, wasting their time. The idea of meditation in school has been tried and kept in many schools where there is a great amount of violence and poverty. The required meditation forces
the kids who often goof off and misbehave, to sit quietly and calm themselves. Meditation helps the kids gain focus in the classroom so that they can be able to perform better. The majority of Paly students may not be challenged with overwhelming violence and poverty, but we do suffer from incredible pressure and stress from Paly itself. Students are fatigued because the amount of work they have, in addition to any extracurricular they have, forces them to stay up into the morning hours. When students get to school and are forced to sit for an hour and a half and learn, they can’t perform to their best ability because they are fatigued and stressed. In conclusion, if Paly was to instate a few minutes of meditation per period or even in just a few periods a day, I strongly believe it would both improve the performance of the students and decrease the overall stress of the student body. —Talia Brown, sophomore
Keep combined sports leagues for both private, public schools The Sacramento Bee published a story on Sunday about a movement to make public schools and private schools different divisions in the CCS playoffs and tournament for a state championship. During basketball season, 15 out of the 20 final teams (girls and boys) in California’s battle to bring home a state title to their school were private schools. With so many high schools in California, and 92 percent of them being public, it seems silly for the 8 percent of private schools to be able to recruit from out of the area and field incredible teams that ultimately beat public schools in the end. However, I don’t think making different divi-
sions is a perfect solution. Schools like Paly take pride in beating private schools and being held to the standard of high performing play that teams with resources like private schools have. The slogan “You just got public schooled!” is written across the back of countless Paly t-shirts, expressing the pride and honor Paly possesses in being good at sports regardless of funding and rights to recruitment. Although private schools have an unfair advantage in the postseason tournament, completely separating divisions gives public schools a sense of inferiority.
—Becca Raffel, sophomore
The Campanile Editors in Chief Michael Abrams • Brian Benton • Kirah Ingram Annabel Snow • Hannah Totte • Lauren Wong News Editor Layla Memar
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Ashley Shin Jordan Smith Kelly Stern Kyle Stewart Alex Taussig Emily Tran Sidhanth Venkatasubramaniam Michael Wang Eric Wang Rachel Wilson Beth Yan Jacob Zenger Jonathan Ziegler
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Adam Mansour Anna McGarrigle Logan Mendenhall
Yael Palmon Gina Scarpino Emily Tran
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B6•March 30, 2012
SPOTLIGHT
The Campanile
See that $100 bill up there? by Brian Bento
It could buy you two iPod Shuffles or a nice new pair of Nike Jordans. You could donate it to Feed the Children and provide a child with meals for a month’ or invest it and buy a single share of stock in Nike. Or, if you are a student at Palo Alto High School, you could use it to buy yourself a ticket to Prom, which will be held April 28 at the San Francisco Design Center.
n with additional re porting by David Lim of th e Pa Design by Maddie Bly Voice erger, Yasna Haghdoost and Chrissie Chen g
The Campanile paired up with The Paly Voice to look into the price of Paly’s prom and Henry M. Gunn High School’s prom. Here’s what we found out.
$
the budget breakdown
Prom is a $75,000-plus project. Between the venue ($15,000), the dinner ($45,000) and the transportation (another $15,000), the price adds up. If, as estimated, 600 students attend, tickets would have to cost $125 a person just for ASB to break even. That is why the Paly Associated Student Body knows it cannot make a profit off Prom. In fact, according to Prom Committee members Sam Blake and Sophie Parker, Paly loses money on the event each year. The money for Prom comes directly out of the ASB budget. Neither The Campanile nor The Paly Voice received a comprehensive budget for the Paly Prom, as much of the cost depends upon how many students plan to attend, but an approximate estimate for Paly’s entire Prom would be around $75,000, according to the budget reported by ASB. This includes everything that you see — the venue, the food, the transportation — as well as the behind-
the-scenes costs that can go unnoticed as well, including anything from janitorial staff to hangers to the coat check. ASB subsidizes the event, meaning part of the total cost is paid for by funds that were not raised through ticket sales. This allows the tickets to cost about $20
more than they would without subsidizing. Students with an ASB card will receive a $10 discount, bringing the cost of the ticket from $100 to $90.
SPOTLIGHT
The Campanile
PAly Vs Gunn
“Gunn subsidizes their Paly dances have grossed prom with profits from $2,127 and cost $5,328. their dances throughout Those dances, as well as the year,” Blake said. Prom, are subsidized par“Obviously, we don’t tially by money raised from make profits on any of selling parking spaces durour dances so we can’t ing Stanford University footsubsidize with that ball games. However, the money.” amount raised is nowhere Paly’s prom tickets are Unlike Gunn, which near what Gunn makes off consistently more expensive typically only loses money dances. than Gunn’s. This year the on Prom, Paly loses money “At Gunn, Homecomdifference is only $5, though on most of its other dances ing is one of our biggest in the past Gunn’s tickets as well. According to a subsidies,” Gunn Student have been as much as Feb. 24 Campanile article, Body President Malik Gill $35 less than Paly’s. However, Paly is spending more money on the event than its crosstown counterpart. Gunn provides lowerpriced tickets because it is able to subsidize Prom with funds that were raised from ticket sales of earlier dances. Every ticket sold for their Homecoming or Sadie Hawkins dances chips away Paly Senior Class President Sam Blake and at the price of Gunn’s prom Gunn Student Body President Malik Gill led the tickets. planning of their respective schools’ proms.
Princes of Prom
March 30, 2012 • B7
said. “I’m not 100 percent sure about the numbers, but I would guess it covers 10 percent of the prom ticket price.” Homecoming, paired with Gunn’s other dances, “subsidizes our Prom between 15 percent and 25 percent, depending on the year,” Gunn ASB Advisor Lisa Hall said. Had Gunn not underpriced their tickets last year (they were only $65, according to Gill) and found themselves with less in the dance fund than expected, Gunn’s tickets could have been even less expensive this year. If Paly were able to subsidize its Prom with money raised from ticket sales of other dances throughout the year, tickets could be 15 to 25 percent less expensive as well each year, putting them at a price identical to Gunn’s.
qHow to decrease prices
The obvious way to decrease ticket tee began to find possible prices is to find a way to further subsilocations “about two years dize the cost. Paly has long attempted to before the actual event.” increase dance ticket sales but has had Gunn’s Prom will little success, so a new way to find money be held for subsidizing might be needed. at San Francisco Some schools, such as Menlo-Ather- City Hall. ton High School, host additional fundrais- Food, anothers prior to Prom and then use the money er chief concern, is raised to subsidize their ticket costs. Acone of the largest costs that cording to a Feb. 27 Menlo-Atherton Bear goes into Prom. News article, Menlo-Atherton is looking to “Last year, people fundraisers “such as bake sales [or] car didn’t like the food so that’s washes” to help its Prom budget. one thing we’re working hard Other ways to decrease costs, like to make better,” Parker said. finding a venue, caterer or DJ with a lower Paly is provided with rate, are harder than they seem. a caterer through their event planner, so Venues have little variety in price. there is little freedom to find a less expenWhile the Prom Committee could sacrifice sive company. the quality of a venue to decrease the “We have a lump fund for the venue, price of tickets, it is refood, decorations — basiluctant to do so as venue cally everything that our If Paly was able to has always been one of prom planner is doing,” subsidize its Prom with the chief concerns of the Blake said. “We don’t know money raised from ticket exactly how much each committee. “The venue [this meal is.” sales of other dances year] is not as expensive, throughout the year, A final element of Prom but the venue is actually tickets could be 15 to 25 is the entertainment. Paly cooler than last year,” percent less expensive. has lucked out and reBlake said. ceived special offers on For next year’s some of these aspects. Prom, ASB hopes to begin looking for a However, things like the DJ can still be location earlier, which would primarily pricey. increase location possibilities, but might It has been suggested that Paly also decrease cost. simply hire a student DJ for the event, but This is a technique Gunn employs. Blake pointed out the problem with this According to Gill, the Gunn Prom Commit- proposal.
*
“Student DJs are actually not that much less expensive,” Blake said. “And as far as student DJs go if the person is not good, everyone is going to know him and people will get mad. And you’d have students rushing up [to the DJ booth] with their iPods saying ‘play this song’! That’s [what you want at] a party, not a Prom.” Aside from these three elements, there is not much leniency in price. Security, insurance and other safety measures must be provided. Although unlikely, bus transportation could be removed, which would decrease ticket prices by anywhere from $15 to $25, although this would mean students would have to spend the money saved on their own transportation. It is additionally unlikely because Principal Phil Winston is a proponent of former principal Jacqueline McEvoy’s policy of students taking buses to the event.
The good News
According to Blake, Parker and ASB Advisor Matt Hall, this year’s Prom should be more enjoyable than last year’s, with “better food and a good DJ,” accord-
ing to Blake, and more activities, according to Hall. $90 is undoubtedly a high price for one night, but assistance in paying for a ticket is available for all students
who need it, according to Winston. In the end, Prom, while expensive, is at a justified price at Paly. While planning the venue further in advance and the use
of student DJs may be steps to lower the cost, they are only part of the picture. The next step for the student body, in order to have lower
ticket prices for Prom, is to have students go to other school dances to subsidize the cost further. Only time will tell if a change in Paly culture will allow that to occur.
A8 • March 30, 2012
OPINION
The Campanile
Homework load conflicts with SAT, ACT testing dates
Teachers should factor major standardized exams into homework schedules T h e SAT is an important s t a n d a r d ized test that is required for college admissions. gavinchan D o i n g well on in my opinion the fourhour-long test requires both mental endurance and a clear mind. Accordingly, students should get plenty of rest and relaxation the week before taking the test. Therefore, teachers should strive to give less work on the weeks right before standardized tests. Perhaps unaware of the situation of many test-taking students, numerous teachers have given big tests or assigned heavy homework loads or large projects due the week before the SAT, eating up the precious time students need for resting and last-minute preparing. How can a student who is swamped with homework, preparation for upcoming tests and multiple extracurriculars also find time to get some rest before the SAT? “The previous week, I had no tests, and I felt a lot more relaxed than the week of the SAT,” junior Julisia Chau said. “Then, the next week I had a test every single day.” Some other students had better luck than others, since they took
the SAT at an optimal time when there was less homework. “I think I got lucky, since I took the SAT right after finals in January,” junior Thomas Lin said. “We just started the second semester, so I didn’t have so much work. But it would have sucked if I had had a lot of tests that week, since I slept a lot every day that week to prepare.” Although it may be possible to get lucky and avoid heavy homework loads and testing before the SAT, it is impossible to anticipate which dates will have less homework before them and which will have more. This means that some students will be swamped with work during testing weeks while others will have plenty of time to study for the standardized test, all because of sheer luck. This gives all teachers a good reason to reconfigure the curriculum to accommodate students who are taking the SAT. Some students do not agree, and feel that accomodating these students is difficult and would be a large hassle for the teachers. “There are five or six SATs per year, so to ask teachers to change their schedules that many times might be a little bit too much,” junior Brian Chen said. “It’s hard to cram for the SAT during the last week anyways, so I think not worrying about it is probably the best option.” Although redesigning schedules to work around testing dates may be difficult for teachers, it is not unreasonable, since teachers’ jobs are to help their students
learn. They should therefore try to make any and all reasonable sacrifices that would benefit their students. Additionally, since the SAT dates are already predetermined and will not change, altering the curriculum slightly would not be a terribly huge sacrifice for teachers to make. These benefits include reduced stress, more time for students to learn and review material for both school and the SAT test and potentially better scores on the SAT. Notably, the reduced quantites of schoolwork will help relieve student stress, and may in turn catalyze better scores. An increase in grades and test scores or anything that boosts the reputation of the school district could potentially boost property values, which could lead to higher salaries for teachers. Therefore, it would be mutually beneficial for both students and teachers if these adjustments were made. “I wish the teachers would move the tests one week before the SAT, or give us a little less homework,” Chau said. “I ended up doing badly on my both [school] tests and the SAT.” A minor change in the curriculum schedule made by teachers would make a major difference for students. In an environment where success on standardized tests are equally as important as success in the classroom, students would benefit from having less schoolwork before standardized tests.
Students need to verify sources for more balanced information You are only as good as your resources. A true statement indeed, yet it is one that is often overlooked in high schools. Even though students are told time and time again not to plagiarize and to juliapoppy check multiple in my opinion sources, students are not taught quick and effective ways to make sure the information they are getting is credible. Students are unaware of two things: one, how easy it is to check if a source is credible and two, how serious the consequences of not checking the credibility of a source can be. Teenagers simply do not understand the importance of checking and reviewing source credibility. In a digital age, where the Internet serves as every teenager’s virtual encyclopedia, it is extremely important that students be wary of where they get their information from. The biggest challenge facing students today is the fact that teenagers are overwhelmed and do not have the time to “waste” checking a source’s credibility. “I usually never check the credibility [of a website] unless it is a very weird source,” sophomore Kristen Destefano said. Yet according to the University of California, Berkeley Library website, “it is easy to be fooled [by internet resources], and this can make you look foolish in turn.” We have the opportunity to become a very well-informed generation. Spreading around false information not only sabotages our knowledge, but also perpetuates the idea that the only place students get their information is Wikipedia, Facebook and other social networking sites, so students lose all of their credibility in academics. Checking to see if a website or resource is credible is easy and something that all students can do in a few simple steps. After verifying the credentials of the website’s author, publisher and date, one can use this source with soundness of mind of the information in it being true. In order to ensure that students do verify sources, teachers should implement more strict requirements on research projects and if needed, homework. Currently, teachers usually require students to complete a bibliography of cited resources when completing a research paper or a presentation. However, usually these bibliographies are not stringent enough, as students are allowed to copy and paste the website link and still receive full credit. Students are not forced to evaluate the credibility of the sources and therefore many times sources with inadequate information are used. Some teachers require students to write annotated bibliographies, which take much more work but makes students decide whether or not they are using good sources. This policy, while it may seem inconvenient for both students and teachers in the short term, teaches a valuable lesson that will definitely pay off in the long run.
While this policy should be enacted on major projects and presentations, it should not be used for minor homework questions and other simple tasks. There is a difference between being cautious and being overbearingly careful. The lessons learned from verifying sources on major projects should be enough for students to remember. On one more note, students should teach themselves about internet website credibility. Anyone can create a .org site and students of colleges can create .edu domains. Just because a website ends with either one of these does not mean it is a credible source in any way. Also, do not rely on unverified personal blogs or home pages as a main source of information, as the information can potentially be completely opionated and not true. With the help of teachers, students can easily discern between the good and the bad information in this digital age. Make sure you are getting balanced information. Make sure the author cites his or her sources or offers more articles to read. Look out for any form of bias and be skeptical. Remember: a source is not credible until proven otherwise.
Why is it important to verify sources when gaining information for research projects and essays?
“So you can voice the truth.”
Benson Chen
senior
“To make sure that false information doesn’t get spread.” Anne Hildebrand
senior
“If you start looking at wrong information you’ll keep learning the wrong stuff.” Hillel Zand
sophomore
The Campanile
OPINION
March 30, 2012 • A9
Administration should offer greater variety of classes Increased options would build interest in English, social studies History electives also are composed solePalo Alto High School is an ex- ly of social sciences. While there is nothing cellent school, wrong with this, per se, it is rather limitproviding stu- ing to seniors, whose course options consist dents with many solely of social sciences, be it electives or academic oppor- Advanced Placement courses. There ought to be both electives and AP tunities. However, in the history classes in history as well as in the social and English de- sciences, providing students a wider range partments, the of options. At present, the history department ofclasses offered are limiting and fers only AP U.S. History and AP Psycholdo not provide a ogy. rachelwilson The College Board provides students wide enough selection of topics with many other AP courses in social sciyasnahaghdoost for students to ences ranging from AP European History emilyrosenthal and AP U.S. Government and Politics to pursue. in our opinion Certain cours- AP Human Geography. Senior Benson Chen notes that if a es, for instance, usually do not receive high enough enroll- greater variety of AP classes were offered in social studies, he would definitely conment to even be offered. At the same time, other, more popular sider them. “I would be interested in taking AP Eucourses are often too full to allow all interropean History or U.S. Government and ested students a spot. The administration should consider re- Politics if they were offered at Paly,” Chen placing under-enrolled courses with oth- said. “There is not a lot of variety regarder classes that would appeal to a broader ing history courses during my senior year, so I would have liked the opportunity to exrange of students. In the history department, for example, plore those topics that I studied in my earsome elective classes that are included in lier years in more depth.” While the English department made a the course catalog are not actually taught. Students can sign up for Gender Studies, good decision in offering Escape Literathough very few ever do. There is no Gender ture, a class which has garnered popularity Studies class running this year nor Ethnic among students, it should continue finding new subjects that students are interested Studies due to low enrollment. Henry M. Gunn High School offers sev- in or that its current curriculum is lacking. eral semester-long history electives that are For instance, none of the current English focused on a single theme or event in histo- classes are required to read Charles Dickens, Jane Austen or any of the Bronte sisry, such as the Cold War or the Holocaust. This allows students to get an in-depth ters’ novels, all classic works of 19th centuview of certain historical events that are ry British literature. Even though these books are not part of hard to cover in detail during a World History class with curriculum spanning several the curriculum, students should have the opportunity to be centuries and contiexposed to these nents. books in classProviding a more rooms. concentrated theme senior These books, to the class gives a I would be interested in like many of the larger sense of purtaking AP European His- other classic novpose to the course, tory or U.S. Government els that make up allowing students and Politics if they were the curriculum, to fully immerse offered at Paly. feature many timethemselves in a topless themes that ic. pertain to modern Though general classes such as World History and United life and offer students a chance to improve States History are needed as a foundation, their vocabulary and writing ability. There are many different periods of litonce the foundation has been established it is more interesting to cover single events or erature that are completely ignored at Pathemes in greater detail as opposed to going ly, preventing students from experiencing many different styles of writing. For exama mile wide and an inch deep.
Benson chen
ERIC WANG/CAMPANILE
ple, Gunn offers classes such as Greek Mythology and Modern California Literature as English electives, both of which offer a variety of literature that pertains to a specific time period and is often written in a unique style. Being surrounded by Silicon Valley, Paly is understandably a very science- and math-oriented high school. While there is nothing wrong with having strong programs in these areas, Paly should also make an additional effort in its English and history courses. Currently the range of courses offered on a consistent basis is limited to an array of advanced classes in areas of math and science. While students who demonstrate proficiency and passion in subjects such as
chemistry, biology, environmental science, statistics and calculus are blessed with the option to take advanced placement courses in those areas of studies, others with different areas of interest are not so lucky. Providing students with a variety of choices in these subjects exposes them to different aspects of the area. High school should be a time when people are introduced to many different subjects. As Paly is so strong in different math and science subjects, the administration should concentrate on English and history electives, as well as developing a wider selection of possible AP courses in the latter, in order to give students the most enriching high school experience.
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SPORTS
The Campanile
Friday, March 30, 2012
Linspiration. Thoughts from Peter Diepenbrock, the coach behind the phenomenon.
> It’s been a fun ride for me and I love Jeremy to death but it’s Jeremy’s deal. I just know what I went through the last two months, six weeks, and just the attention that I got and the amount of people I had to deal with and people talking about me and to me, and how hard it was for me, being a well-rounded 48-year-old, let alone a 23-yearold kid. The fact of how he handled it really speaks to — and I say this totally sincerely — how much he was ready for it and expected it and was surprised it didn’t happen a year ago. That really is the only way a person in his position could have handled it that way. If it was as much of a shock to him as it was to all of us, there’s no way a guy could handle it. > I’m kind of reinvigorated as his mentor, his coach still. Now that he’s going to have a 10 to 15 year NBA career, I’m like okay, we’ve got some things we gotta work on here, because the fact of the matter is, [during] his high school experience he did not work as hard as he should have and he was not the practice player that he could and should have been. Because of that, a lot of basic fundamental skills that he could have right now he doesn’t have and I’m looking forward to having some refresher courses and getting him working on some things that will really help him. > I would like it to expand [our relationship] where we do talk more about life. > I’m a basketball guy and he’s doing his thing and it’s just so enjoyable for me. Every couple of days I get a couple of hours of pure enjoyment to watch and try to give feedback and help coach an NBA player. > I’ve always kind of been the Mr. Positive to helping him when he’s a little bit frustrated. When you take your same personality into all these different challenges, his [personality] has always been one where there’s been a little bit of a “woe-is-me” type personality, and I, being 25 years older and having lived more, I keep just trying to help him see his personality and acknowledge and put this in perspective. > We all have challenges regardless of where we’re at. > Perseverance to me in an NBA player is the guy who got cut in Turkey and then he was in Belgium and then he went to Germany and then he went to the D league for two years and, I mean, [going] from one NBA team to another NBA team is not exactly the adversity that a lot of people have dealt with. > He just kept working and kept working and that’s really his story. I’m just very excited, as he is, yes the season has a month left and we’ll see what happens but [in] this
next off-season he’s just going to get even better. > We have always seen the game the same way, it’s just that he didn’t totally appreciate what his true talents were. You can really see that when he came out of the Paly games, when he goes out of the Knicks games, he’s not that person that’s the leader, that’s running the show. He’s always had that ability but I just don’t think he appreciated it as much as he does now. He learned to appreciate. > There wasn’t a lot of screw-around time in high school for Jeremy. He wasn’t always the happiest kid because obviously kids like to have their freedom and he was on a pretty strict schedule and he always had a lot to do and everything was for a espn.com purpose. Not a lot of just Former Paly basketball Peter Diepenbrock recieved a sudden influx of media requests after play time. It was a lot of Jeremy Lin, the star point-guard on his 2006-2007 team, broke out as a New York Knick. basketball. > As far as his numberone quality, I just struggle between two. One is his confi- guys is going to lose his spot to start.” That was very telldence in himself and the other one is his fearlessness, cour- ing [of] his loyalty and his caring about his friends. He just age. put that [on] a higher level than a chance to have a better > That one play that he did, people talk about it but basketball team. That was definitely one of my very favorI don’t think they talk about it near enough, during his ite moments. fourth or fifth game when he was just starting, when he > He played on my night league team and obviously I held the ball the last 20 seconds during this particular had a lot of fun, got to play with him, people got a kick out game, the score was tied, and he just waited until the last of it. Another person heard about this and [Jeremy] said second to shoot it. It’s like, okay fine if you’re a senior in “Well, I don’t really want to run around doing the night high school and everybody knows you’re the man, I could league thing.” And I said well, does that mean your time see you doing that. In that situation, just getting a starting with our night league is limited?” [Jeremy said] “No way, job, you’re on the biggest stage in our country, it’s absolute- that’s a chance for me to revisit high school. Being his high ly unbelievable, the amount of guts. school coach, that definitely meant a lot, it must have been > Any time there is an opportunity, he just goes for it. a positive experience. > One of the most educational conversations with > I’m learning all about the business, how it works, him was the summer going into his senior year. We’d lost kind of getting a glimpse, a feel for how people in the mea lot of really good players, our team was really much bet- dia go through what they go through. What an experience. ter the year before. There was a chance that a local guy > I’d come in and [my phone] would be full. Every sinfrom another school was going to transfer, he was a center, gle state just calling for a story. I just kind of had to stop 6’5”, 6’6”, and the natural thing would be to be really ex- talking to people and catch my breath. cited; now we can be good again if this guy comes. I’ll nev- > It’s been unbelievable. er forget Jeremy saying, “Yeah, I mean I like this guy, he’s --------------------------------------------------------------------------------a good player, but if he comes that means one of our other As told to Hannah Totte, Editor in Chief, 3/20/2012
Athletes reveal pregame rituals used to maximize performance By Logan Mendenhall, Jake Kerman and Weston Preising Staff Writers
The most successful athletes are not acclaimed because of one-time accomplishments. Professionals in today’s athletic spotlight gain notoriety due to the fact that they have attained tremendous results over an extended period of time. These stars will attribute their on-field prowess to extensive practice and an undying passion for the game they play. However, one aspect of an athlete’s recipe for success that sometimes goes largely unnoticed is the pregame ritual. Routines that competitors perform before games can help out in various fashions, whether it be satisfying a superstition or simply calming nerves. Some of these habits have been well documented, from the Lebron James chalk toss to the Saints “Who Dat!” chant. The Campanile took a closer look into some of the pregame rituals that past and present Paly athletes have carried out to help aid them when game time comes near. One important aspect of a pregame ritual is the food that players eat before taking the field. Some Paly athletes like junior Spencer Drazovich pay attention to nutrition and consume lots of protein before the game. “I always have a steak filet from La Morenita before the game,” Drazovich said. Another way athletes get ready for the game is by popping in their headphones and cranking out some favorite tunes. Lots of students have that one song that they stick on repeat and rock out to for hours on end.
Logan Mendenhall/Campanile
Junior lacrosse player Andre Koucheky writes Farsi on his face using eye-black paint to help his performance in games. The first time Koucheky tried using this technique he found he played better, so he has made this strategy a routine. “I always listen to the song ‘Ready for War’ a bunch of times,” junior Eren Kiris said. Some students use music not as a way to relax, but rather to collect their thoughts and concentrate on the task ahead helping them and focus and channel their energy. “When I get to Paly I put in my ear buds and get heavy metal going,” senior Sam Moses said. “This gets me mad and focused and I don’t talk to anyone.” Some athletes engage in pregame fitness so they don’t walk onto the field cold turkey. A famous example of this is basketball star Dwayne Wade doing pull ups through
the hoop right before tip off. Paly athletes have found the same value in getting active before their games as well. Junior Erik Anderson always completes several sets of push ups before any of his sporting events. “This gets the blood flowing through my muscles,” Anderson said. Pregame rituals are not necessarily individual affairs. Entire Paly teams get together the night before to have a meal together. “The soccer team likes to have a pasta feed the night before game time for bonding and protein,” junior Peter Laminette said. Finally, a small group of athletes engage in various superstitions to give them a
mental edge going into games. While other competitors may look upon these superstitions with skepticism, most athletes swear by their rituals. Junior Andre Kouchekey can relate to this technique. “The first time I ever wrote Farsi on my face before game time, it seemed I got a lot of lucky saves,” Kouchekey said. “So now I do it every game. I’m Christian but would like to think that Persian writing on my face helps me out one way or another.” Many of Paly’s athletes have maintained special pre-game routines for the entirety of their high school careers.
Ultimate Frisbee club dominates competition in first tournament By Josh Arfin Staff Writer
Brian benton/Campanile
Senior Greg Dunn (right) defends senior Max Siegelman’s (left) pass as the two practice for the now competitive Palo Alto Frisbee club.
Palo Alto High School has a new competitive sports team. This year, the Paly Frisbee Club has started going to tournaments to compete against other schools. Paly often has ultimate frisbee on the quad, especially as second semester seniors find more time in their schedules. For years there have been daily games of frisbee but never a team that competed. After months of playing friendly games of ultimate on the quad or on the lacrosse field, seniors Xavier Mignot and Max Siegelman decided that they wanted to do more. “We thought that it would be fun to play in one group,” Mignot said. “We also wanted to see how we would measure up against other schools.” The team is very new and has only competed in one tournament
so far. They won one of their three games in the first tournament. “We haven’t done much practice on strategy yet, so in that respect there is room for improvement but we have a solid base to work off of,” Mignot said. The Paly Frisbee Club has many athletes with potential that compete at Paly. “We are a great deal more athletic than most other teams, our team is made up of great athletes from other sports at Paly,” senior Alex Lenail said. The team is also extremely fun for its members. It is an enjoyable group that loves to play together. “We have a great team dynamic,” Lenail said. While the team has plenty of talent and athleticism, they are inexperienced compared to their competition. “We have not been a team for all that long and we’re a little low
on cohesion and strategy,” Lenail said. “We are occasionally out maneuvered.” Though supported by the administration, the frisbee club does not get fields very often. “The administration has been very supportive,” senior Greg Dunn said, “They found a coach us (Mr. Farina) as well as giving us as much field time as is available.” Not all members of the team are happy about the way the administration deals with the club. “The administration is reluctant to give us field space which means we don’t get to practice as often as we would like,” Lenail said. “We are sort of treated like second-class citizens because our sport does not play in any official league,” After years of after school and weekend games and playing during tutorial or advisory, Paly frisbee has found a competitive way to play.
S P ORT S
The Campanile
March 30, 2012 • A11
Gunn to be potentially replaced in sport rivalry Dual competitors motivate athletes to combine team effort By Brandon Byer Staff Writer
The rivalry game: the game that players circle on their calendars as one they feel they must win in order to fulfill the expectations of their teammates, school and fans. In recent years, two main rivals have emerged across Palo Alto High School’s sports teams. The Campanile asked which rivalry means more to the student athletes of Paly: Henry M. Gunn High School or Los Gatos High School? During the baseball season, senior left fielder John Dickerson is always excited for the matchup against Los Gatos High School. He says it gets him and his teammates more energized and more focused as a team to win when they play against another school that is just as good as them. As for the Gunn Titans, according to Dickerson, they have posed less of a threat over the past few years. “Gunn needs to get more competitive,” Dickerson said. “If we played them every year and it was a dogfight, it would be different.” For now, in baseball, Gatos controls the rivalry scene, but on the hardwood, Paly’s crosstown rival takes center stage in the matchup that involves the entire community of Palo Alto. Junior EJ Floreal has been a part of the Palo Alto varsity basketball team since his freshman year and has had multiple opportunities to battle against the Titans. With all these experiences over the past three years, Floreal has enjoyed every minute that he has had to play Gunn because he knows that if the Vikings win, his
team and school will be celebrated for the effort they gave. “If [Gunn] were to beat us, we would have to hear about it the whole year,” Floreal said. “Plus we’re the ‘better athletic school,’ we like to uphold that so Gunn can’t say anything.” Heading back outside the talk of the town in Palo Alto is the huge rivalry week leading up to Gunn taking on the Vikings in football. Junior center Spencer Drazovich has participated in two Gunn games and thinks it is one of the best games of the year because of the passion both schools have for their teams. “The week leading up to the rivalry games, we are generally more focused in practice,” Drazovich said. “The games mean more to us personally, especially against Gunn, so we play harder in that game.” Junior Nora Rosati has had plenty of experience against the Titans by running varsity for the past three years and understands what it means for the Paly athletes who beat Gunn. “The Gunn rivalry is fun, it gives us extra motivation to race hard for that particular meet because there is more at stake, we want to win,” Rosati said. Rosati enjoys the taste of victory, with the knowledge that her teammates left their arch rivals in the dust after giving it their all, but acknowledges that a great rivalry needs to be competitive in order for it to mean something to the schools. “A great rivalry is one that adds excitement to whatever the sport is and one that brings out the best in athletic performance,” Rosati said. “For track, it helps you get
COURTESY OF PALY VOICE
Senior Keychaundre Hill runs and blocks a Gunn High School defensive back as he heads for the endzone. Though Los Gatos High School is becoming a huge competitor of Paly, Gunn is still our biggest sports rival. more pumped to race harder and do the best you can.” Lacrosse has been in a major rivalry with Los Gatos over the past few seasons because both teams are competitive when they play against each other in league matchups. Tensions have been on the rise over the past few games. Junior Tyler Valenti has played in many games against Gatos and knows that the two teams do not like each other at all. “When we play Gatos you can feel the tension between the two teams in the way that the fans
are, the players interact and how bitter the game turns [out],” Valenti said. Last year on the junior varsity team, Paly had an incident with Gatos that has escalated the rivalry even more between these two teams, as some of the players from both teams are now competing on the varsity level. “ When our JV team played Gatos last year, we did have a bit of an incident between some Gatos attack players and our defenders talking smack for most of the game. At one point, the referee
had to talk to both coaches about it, but we ended up winning the game,” Valenti said. “We were accused of playing dirty, but we were just playing at a high level intensity trying to win. There’s a fine line, but it just seemed dirty because there was so much emotion in that game.” Overall, Paly athletes still think that Gunn still maintains the spot as the top rival in most sports. Over the next few years Gatos may very well take over the Titans as the biggest rival on Paly’s campus.
Siblings in sports exchange mutual Baseball team beats support, help one another on team Santa Clara High 4-0 By Perri Pond Staff Writer
“I would beat up whoever injured her,” Junior at Palo Alto High School, Erin Chang said. “Actually though, no one touches my sister.” Not too many teammates would react the same if you got injured, unless your teammate was your sibling. Playing with your sibling not only provides an instant bodyguard, but loyal ally who will always watch your back. At Paly multiple pairs of siblings who play together on the same team agree that their “sibling-hood” has brought them closer together and a healthy environment. According to the Kelty sisters, having your sister as a teammate is a great experience. One always has instant workout buddy, and it is especially beneficial when your sibling is at the same level as the other. Thus, one can easily improve their skills or do one final workout, becoming an even better player. “It is definitely fun [playing on the same team] because we [have] become a lot closer,” senior Emy Kelty said. “We are always working out together and pushing each other more.”
Naturally, one sibling might want to stand out more than the other, but this only propels each athlete to prove themselves. “It definitely makes me [perform] better because I want to be better than Emy,” junior Nina Kelty said. “It drives me to work harder.” However, according to the Kelty’s, a sense of competition only creates a sense of motivation. “I definitely think we have become better athletes because we are one the same team,” Emy Kelty said. “We play similar positions, so we are always competing and trying to make each other better.” On the other side of the spectrum, according to Sasha and Sophie Robinson, having your sibling on the same team is extremely benficial, as it gives you an automatic support system and a work out partner. “Because Sasha knows me [the] best, [she’ll] know what I need [if something goes wrong,]” sophomore Sophie Robinson said.
If one sibling gets injured, the other sibling will always be there comforting the injured a nice bonus. However, older siblings feel responsible for setting a good example, as they are the first impression of the family. Also, once their younger sibling arrives, they feel inclined to watch after them. senior “I felt I had It is definitely a standard to fun because we set,” E. Kelty said. [have] become a Having an lot closer. older sibling can often feel like a double edged sword. Even though one’s sibling is an entirely different person, when playing the same sport, coaches can presume or expect a lot from the younger sibling. Moreover, teammates and coaches will often compare the siblings, forgetting that they are two separate athletes. “People compare you as siblings,” Sasha Robinson said. “[For example, if one of them] did better, and it is not like you are your own person [who is achieving] your own goals.”
Emy Kelty
By Brandon Byer Staff Writer
The Palo Alto High School varsity baseball team beat Santa Clara High School’s team 4-0 on March 26 in Washington Park, San Jose. Paly’s senior starting center fielder Bj Boyd went four for four with a double and a run batted in (RBI) for the Vikings, as they beat the Bruins 4-0. Sophomore Danny Erlich picked up the win for the Vikings, as junior Rohit Ramkumar and senior reliever Arun Varma came out of the bullpen to preserve the victory. The Vikings have been playing well all season, despite suffering defeats to the Campolindo High School and a close battle against league opponent Mountain View High School. The Vikings also tied with Wilcox earlier this season in league play. Boyd has compiled a batting average (BA) of .500 while slugging .737 and scoring a team leading of 18 runs. His speed on the basepaths has been daunting towards opposing pitchers as he stole 21 out of 25 bases throughout the year. The pitching staff has also been pulling its weight this year as it has compiled a 2.47 Earned Run Average (ERA). Senior pitching staff Ben Sneider has been the anchor for all the pitchers as he has amassed a 1.50 ERA over 32.2 innings pitched. Paly continues with their regular season schedule with future matchups against schools such as Westmont, Saint Ignatius, and Los Altos. These teams will challenge Palo Alto when they head toward the league tournament and gearing them up for Central Coast Sectional (CCS) playoffs down the line.
Softball beats Fremont Track improves after strong start after rough beginning By Michael Wang Staff Writer
By Rachel Wilson Fact Checker
The varsity softball team has been struggling due to a shortage of returning players. They lost their first league game to Wilcox High School on March 15 by a score of 10-2 and their second league game to Homestead by a score of 14-1. In their third league game, on the other hand, they beat Fremont 12-2, thanks to stellar pitching by sophomore Julia Saul and a stronger offensive effort. “The season has gotten off to a rocky start, but as long as we keep working hard at practice and executing what we need to, then we should be fine,” returning junior Anna Rizza said. Rizza is joined by fellow junior Maya Padilla, sophomores Hannah Bundy and Julia Saul, and seniors Caitlin Warmack-Tirador and Emily Swanson; however, the new players have proved largely successful, and they contribute positively to the team, according to Rizza. “Our team is mostly underclassmen, so we’re gonna have the next couple years to become the team I know we really have,” Padilla said. “And I do think we have a chance to do well this year, especially in league.” Both Padilla and sophomore Tori DeStefano agree that the team has a great amount of potential; they just need to execute on the field and play to their ability. “I believe our team has so much potential and that we just need to keep on working hard to improve our performance,” DeStefano said. According to Rizza, the team is hoping to improve by being more effective at the plate and committing fewer errors on the field. “The goals for the team would have to be to start being more aggressive offensively and minimizing on errors as well as we can,” Rizza said. “And as always, we are definitely aiming for CCS.”
After claiming its first two wins over Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School, the Palo Alto High School track team has high hopes to continue its strong season. The team has shown much improvement since last year’s season and boasts a strong lineup of athletes. “We definitely worked really hard to prepare for the season, and I think we’ll do really well,” sophomore YJ Lee said. “We have a lot of good athletes like Victor Du, Grant Shorin and Lydia Guo.” “Boys’ distance is doing well; some of our members have stepped up from the last track season,” junior Ben May said. “Our new coach has helped us with improving our performance a lot. I think all of us are really going to see a big improvement when we start tapering and focusing on the final races.” The new distance coach, Jonathan Hubbs, has prepared the team well for a promising season.
“[Hubbs’] coaching style is quite different from last Ginnani’s last year,” May said. “Ben Hawthorne is doing well, [Sam] Carilli had a good time at Los Altos of 10:24 in the two mile, which is a 25 second PR [personal record],” May said, “everyone’s doing really well since fewer people are getting injured.”
“We can try to improve our mentality going into races; that will really bring down our times. Our distance team is different this year because of the new coach and his new coaching style,” May said. “The only thing we can improve on is our mentality in meets and running every single day.”
COURTESY OF JEFF HAWTHORNE
Junior Justin Zhang holds the baton while running the 800 meter leg of the varsity distance medley relay at the Saint Francis invitational.
A12•March 30, 2012 Thanks, but no thanks
SPORTS Shooting pool with Paly masters The Campanile
Billiards provides stress release and fun for staff and students By Michael Augustine Sports Editor
yaelpalmon What I am going to say in this column is going to upset many members of the Palo Alto High School community, so I am starting with a disclaimer. I recognize that sports provide the necessary exercise that everyone needs to stay healthy. I respect sports, and I respect people who play sports. I know that they do what they do for a very good reason; however, even with all of this overflowing respect, I have never quite understood exactly what that reason is. When I tell people from around the Bay Area where I go to school, their first question is almost always what sport I play. Paly is known for its supreme athleticism, and people are not wrong for assuming that I contribute to that — I will go as far as saying that a majority of the Paly community does some form of athletic activity. However, I am part of the minority. For the most part, I blame the many permanent injuries that have made me quit every sport I have ever played (so maybe I’m just bitter), but there exists a part of me that just doesn’t get what the fuss is all about. You may all be wondering what is wrong with me. Why I am so impartial to this national obsession? It’s not that I am uncompetitive, and any of my close friends will vouch for the fact that my inability to lose can be obnoxiously redundant. It’s not that I am lazy because I jam-pack my schedule with a multitude of activities that leave me with little time to breathe. In fact, I’m going to go as far as say that I’m completely normal! I am normal for not being an athlete. I am normal for missing out on all the fun. And...let the drums roll...I am not the only one. So here I am, speaking for the seemingly few, but probably many Paly students who just don’t get sports. We’re here! We exist! We do not read the Viking (except for the “10 Questions with...” page; that’s awesome). If we go to games at all, it’s for social reasons, and we spend the whole game trying to understand what the heck is going on, and more importantly, why anyone really cares. To me, sports are just people running around with a ball, unless it’s track or swimming. In these sports they’re running or swimming, respectively, for no reason whatsoever other than to run or swim. And while I have begun to understand the joy of participating in these activities (through extremely in-depth discussions with a multitude of athletes), watching people run up and down a field/court/track is something I doubt I will ever like to do. In Mr. McNulty’s Sport’s Lit class, a Paly favorite that I was enrolled in for a good two days before I realized how ill-fitting a match it was, he emphasized the wondrous motto “You Never Know.” Sports, he said, are great because the underdog can always win, the tables can always turn, and you can never be sure of what will happen at the end when you walk in at its beginning. I’m going to be honest, this concept sparked my interest, but only in the way that a pinch of salt can make a bland plate of meatloaf slightly more palatable. I love a good old fairy tale as much as anyone, but I prefer hearing about the rise of Vincent Van Gogh, whose genius was only discovered after his death, over Lin-derella’s recent rise to fame as the first American Asian in the NBA. Both of these people are inspiring, yet only one has inspired me, and here’s a hint: he has never been compared to Tim Tebow. I’m not quite sure why I don’t get sports. To be honest, I wish I did because I see the positive impact sports has had on so many of my friends’ lives. But the facts remain the same. If it were not for the fact that almost all of my friends participate in a Paly sport, you better believe that my cheers would be missing from any sporting event. And while I dabble in team managing. I do not see myself ever participating in any form of organized athleticism, no matter how casual. So while you go on and on about the Raiders game this weekend, or how terrible the Sharks are (are they even bad? I don’t know what I’m talking about), just know that I am tuning out. And if you want to start a pickup basketball/volleyball/soccer game, you can count on my not being there. I do not get sports, Paly, and after four years of trying, I have accepted the not-so-shocking conclusion that I never will.
At first glance, the colored velvet, smooth wooden edges and symmetrically placed pockets make the game of eight-ball pool look very facile; the objective is to knock in distinguished balls before one’s opponent and seal the game by calling the illustrious black eight-ball into a specific pocket. Despite what people think, the game of pool has a lot more to it. Likened to the countless tactics and counter moves that chess grandmasters have ingrained in their game, pool sharks require foresight and intangible skills to achieve proficiency. While pool is never glorified to the extent that Paly’s state champion football and volleyball teams are, a selection of Paly students are interested in the game of billiards. Pool is appreciated by members of the Paly community not for the tradition and attention it lacks but the unique qualities and strategy it embodies. While most students have only seen the Sci-
ence Department’s Josh Bloom talk about the projection of a ball being shot into the air, Bloom is also quite familiar with the shot of a cue ball. Bloom, whose pool nickname is Big Sauce, has been casually playing pool since high school. Bloom’s interest in the game runs deep as he emphasizes the abstract skills pool demands. “A good pool player can think many moves ahead, ” Bloom said. “It is not only a game of technical mastery but also of strategic mastery. Pool played correctly is a mental workout.” Bloom’s passion merges with his work as a Physics teacher as many ideas taught in the 1700 classrooms can be seen in pool. Physics and pool strategy merge in a blend of intellect and strength precession. Bloom relies on the Angle of Reflection, a physics law, to visually judge how a ball will bounce off the sides of the table. “You have to know something about what the ball will do after the shot — what angle will it move at, what speed, and how will the spin you put
Yael Palmon/Campanile
Junior Brandon Douty aims at the cue ball, hoping to knock home a difficult shot. Douty plays pool to relax and entertain himself after a stressful day at school. on the ball affect that,” Bloom said. “There’s a lot of physics in the game of pool, speed, angles, spin, but ultimately, good shooting comes from a lot of practice.” Not all of Paly pool enthusiasts share Bloom’s seasoned theory. Junior Brandon Douty portrays a more casual take on the game of eight-ball pool. “[Pool is] pretty chill and laid back,” Douty said. “I think of it as a
gentlemen’s sport. There is a lot more strategy than you would think.” Senior Xavier Mignot shares a similar take on what he sees as a casual game. “I play, but it’s more for fun than anything,” Mignot said. “Pool is really cool because it’s relaxed. You can chill with your friends, but at the same time, there’s some competition involved.” For any up-and-coming pool sharks worried
Girls’ lacrosse proceeds with league season, securing numerous victories
about the commitment picking up pool as a hobby might mean to your Conceptual Physics book, incorporating angles and speed is not a prerequisite to playing pool casually. Mignot takes a much more relaxed approach to the game compared to others. “My go-to [strategy] is just to hit the cue [ball] hard and see what happens,” Mignot said. “Generally [it] doesn’t work.”
Paly swim teams work persistently to continue current winning streaks By Wesley Shiau Staff Writer
cis have had trouble defending us because they come into games and face guard players they know are good like Nina Kelty, expecting to slow down our attack,” Beckstrom said. “Our less-praised attackers like [ junior] Lisie Sabbag and [junior] Anna Dairaghi have used that chance to surprise other teams and sneak in goals. It is impossible to face guard on our team because we are all capable of scoring. Every single player on our team is a threat to our opponents,” Beckstrom said. Despite their overall success so far, the team looks to make improvements in ball handling and overall athleticism. “Even though we did well on our catching and throwing. There were definitely some passes that we dropped which can’t happen anymore,” Kelty said. “I think we can also work on being in better shape so we can have most of our players stay in for longer time.”
The Palo Alto High School boys’ and girls’ varsity swim team started their season strong with both teams winning all of their dual meets so far this year. The Paly varsity boys’ team is hoping to end Bellarmine High School’s 27 year CCS winning streak this year with their current team, featuring standouts senior Byron Sanborn, sophomores Andrew Liang and William Lee and junior Eren Kiris. Standout performance came from varsity water polo player Daniel Armintano who does not swim year round with Central Coast Section time in the 100 breast stroke. Even non-club swimmers such as senior Rollin Lau, who only swims during Paly’s swimming season have performed well so far. This coupled with the addition of strong freshman Winston Wang, Kiris feels Paly will have a rare opportunity of defeating Bellarmine; however, despite having such a strong team, Kiris acknowledges that the team will have to do even better in the coming weeks to be able to seriously contend for a CCS first place finish. “This year we probably have the best chance of beating Bellarmine because our team is extremely strong, even stronger than last year,” Kiris said. “Even though we’re still underdogs, we won’t have another opportunity like this in a while. As long as we continue with the work ethic we currently have, we’ll be on track to beat Bellarmine.” The girls’ team has done equally well this season and has also won every single dual meet this year. The team hopes to ride off the strength of swimmers like senior Jasmine Tosky, who has already been accepted to University of Southern California for swimming. The girls hope to dethrone last year’s CCS victors, Archbishop Mitty High School, despite being league victors for the seventh time in a row. Paly is motivated and knows what it takes to win this year.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
VARSITY SWIMMING
BRIAN BENTON/Campanile
Junior Charlotte Biffar runs with the ball while junior Simone Buteau stays behind for support. The Paly girls’ lacrosse team continues to work hard for success this season.
By Nira Krasnow Staff Writer
The Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse team is off to a positive start to the season with victories over schools such as Sacred Heart Preparatory, Henry M. Gunn High School, and Saint Francis High School. The team is currently undefeated in league but lost to Menlo in a non-league game with a score of 15-8. The Lady Vikes also suffered a loss to the fifth ranked team in the country, Cherry Hill of Greenwood, Colorado with a final score of 20-8. “We did well [in the Menlo game],” Kelty said. “We redeemed ourselves from last year. [Last year] we lost to them by three or four goals. Next time it will be a better game because they were missing one of their star players.” Kelty is positive about the team’s overall performance in the game against Saint Francis. “We really picked it up and played well,” Kelty said. “It was definitely the toughest competition we’ll be seeing in league this season. We did a good job connecting on most of our passes and running most of our plays. For the most part we did a good job running our new plays on offense and finding players and making good cuts.” Junior Emma Beckstrom believes that the team’s success is partially due to its well-roundedness and the overall skill level of each of the players. “Although we definitely do have a few star players, other teams like Saint Fran-
Recent Scores
Recent Score
@ Los Gatos Mar. 28, W 12-9
3rd place 334 points
Upcoming Game
Upcoming Meet
vs. Leland Mar. 30, 7:00 pm.
vs. Los Gatos Mar. 30, 3:30 p.m.
Boys’ lacrosse off to a mixed start as season continues By Julia Poppy and Caroline Martignetti Staff Writers
The Palo Alto High School boys’ lacrosse team has dropped down to third place in their Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) standings. On Tuesday, the boys battled Menlo-Atherton High School in the rain and won. Despite the brutal conditions, the boys played well. “We had good ball movement and our slides came really quick,” junior Gen Murphy said. “We pressured the ball up top, which forced a lot of turnovers.”
Recently, the team has won four of their last seven games. The boys lost to Sacred Heart Prep (8-10), Bellarmine High School (8-11) and Granite Bay High School (7-11) in three very close games last week. However, there is still hope for the team as two of these three games were against teams that are not in the same league as Paly, and the next couple match ups are also considered winnable games by many of the players. “We had a three loss streak,” Murphy said. “I think we were in a slump and it was raining;
our sticks were not dialed in.” The boys’ league record is currently 2-1-0 and they still have about nine games left in the season. “We are definitely back on our groove now,” Murphy said. Despite the team’s effort, Menlo is still above Paly in the league’s standings. Menlo is one of Paly’s biggest lacrosse rivals, and Paly will host the Knights on April 26th. Last night, Paly got a preview of April 26th by winning a momentous game against Menlo. Junior Logan Mendenhall scored the decisive goal in
overtime as Paly moved to (6-3) overall. Junior Jonathan Glazier had a career high six goals for the Vikings in their triumph.
BOYS’ LACROSSE Recent Scores @ Menlo Mar. 29. W 15-14 (OT)
Upcoming Game @ Mountain View Apr. 2, 4:00 p.m.
Lifest yles Features • A&E • People
The Campanile
Friday, March 30, 2012
That’s So Racist!!
yasnahaghdoost It is a little known fact that there are toxic levels of mercury in Palo Alto. OK that’s a lie. It’s not mercury. It is a substance much more dangerous, abused, and contagious. What is this hazardous substance, you may ask? Well, it’s generally known by its street name “political correctness.” Allow me to demonstrate, with an example, the widespread presence of this pestilence within our community. The setting: 7th period Advanced Journalism at the beginning of this year. The staff, Woj and Mr. Winston, are eating ice cream. Thrill-seeker that I am, I try something exotic-flavored. Campy Member of Chinese Origin: Oh Yasna, is that flavor good? Me: Yeah I really like it, but you might not since you’re Asian and I’m Middle Eastern, so we probably have different tastes in food. [Audible gasps] Another student staff member: Yasna, so racist! Mr. Winston: [to me] Wow! You clearly haven’t gone to Camp Everytown! Me: … Mr. Winston, I now speak to you directly. I respect you tremendously,I appreciate all the hard work you do for community, and we at The Campanile value your cooperation. But... Really? Does the fact that I pointed out a difference between me and someone else of a different ethnic background make my remark racist or insensitive? Because that isn’t political correctness. That’s political correctness gone mad. Such is the crazy extent of PC here that a person can’t even say “Statistically, there are mostly Asians in Paly’s BC Calculus classes” or “Statistically, most taco trucks are owned by Mexicans” without being accused of racism by at least ten different people. We act as if race doesn’t exist, that a person’s religion or culture doesn’t affect him or her, and that everyone is created exactly the same. But that’s not the case. I’m not implying that certain groups are superior, that Chinese food is disgusting, that Muslims have an affinity for explosives or that Catholics have an inappropriate fondness for small boys (hehe). However, our cultural or religious backgrounds often affect who we are as individuals, so instead of pretending that we’re all the same and that race doesn’t exist (no more “only one human race” bulls**t please), we should realize that every culture has different aspects, and we must strive to learn from that in order to become more aware and well-rounded individuals. This may include, perhaps, asking our Asian friends in calculus how to succeed in mathematics, or asking our Mexican friends with taco trucks how to run a successful tacomaking enterprise. In fact, part of what comes from celebrating our differences is also poking fun at each other. Of course, political correctness tolerates no such humor, as evidenced by my racist puns occasionally falling flat (#whitepeopleproblems). But using humor to display the absurdity of stereotypes is a much more effective way of dispelling them than if we pretended that they don’t exist. As a Muslim, I make fun of myself and my religion more than everyone else in Palo Alto combined. But whenever someone does scathingly call me a terrorist (*cough* Chris Xu) — I take it all in good stride, because ultimately, words only have as much power as we choose to give them. So Paly, instead of taking everything race-related so seriously, or shoving it under the rug, maybe we should reconsider our priorities. Maybe we should realize that this world, with all the crazy hodgepodge of religions, ethnicities, and cultures, is just one grand comedy. Maybe we should laugh along with our peers as we share uniquely cultural experiences such as incurring the wrath of Tiger Mom (Asians), being pulled over by cops for no apparent reason (Blacks), or undergoing unwanted sexual confrontations at airports (Muslims). Maybe we should stop being so... what’s the word...ANAL. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if I hear an unfounded accusation of “OMIGOSH THAT’S SO RAAACISSSTTT!” one more freaking time, somebody’s gonna get hurt real bad... And since I’m a Muslim, you can definitely take my word for it. (I jest, I jest).
Ah, the ‘80s: a time when synthesized pop music and spandex leotards reigned supreme. Though the fashion and music have mostly faded out of style, there is a relic from that decade — a simple game called Tetris — that is still around and flourishing. Tetris is a tile-matching puzzle game developed by Alexey Pajitnov of Russia in 1984. The objective of the game is to eliminate blocks before they stack up to the top of the screen. This is achieved by matching game pieces up into lines as they fall down. Getting rid of four lines at once with a single block is called “Tetris.” Pajitnov’s game has always been a popular hobby for many people, shown through the hundreds of different Tetris games for all sorts of game consoles. There is even a Tetris World Championship tournament
“[Tetris] is enjoyable and easygoing, you have no worries when you play it.” Josh Tang
junior Tetris player
held every year. Recently, there has been a huge surge in the number of casual players, thanks to multiplayer Tetris apps on Facebook. The most popular of these, Tetris Battles, allows gamers to challenge friends or strangers to duels. Winners gain levels and unlock new content while posting updates on their recent unlocks and wins. The craze over this simple game from the ‘80s is not just restricted to Paly. In fact, over 15 million Facebook users use Tetris Battles monthly, not to mention the countless others who play it on their phones. Other applications on Facebook featuring the game include Tetris Friends, Tetris Friends and just plain Tetris. Though no one on campus plays the game at a professional level, there are certainly many that play the game almost religiously. Paly junior Josh Tang feels that the whole fad is due to its simplicity and accessibility. “I first started playing in sophomore year, when my friend showed me the app on Facebook,”
A&E
Tang said. “Tetris is just a game to blow a few minutes on, something to play for fun. It’s enjoyable and easygoing, you have no worries when you play it.” Tetris has always been a popular hobby among Paly students, but there are some who no longer play it feverishly. Senior Andrea More used to use the Tetris Friends app frequently during her freshman year, but has since gone on to other activities. “Freshman year I had quite the standing [on Tetris Friends], but it got boring,” More said. “I discovered what having a social life meant, and I grew out of playing the game. I admire [current Tetris players’] dedication, but they should try going outside, especially while the weather is nice.” Even our rivals over at Henry M. Gunn High School are enjoying the Tetris trend. Gunn junior Julia Sun is one of many students who plays on a regular basis.
FEATURES
“I pretty much play whenever I don’t have a lot of homework,” Sun says. “I don’t play online but I use a Tetris console. I’m pretty crazy about it.” Students at Gunn play the game to the point of spending lunches in the Academic Center (AC) crowding around computers. “If you walk into the AC or the library here, about a quarter or half of the students inside are either playing the actual Tetris game, or crowding around someone who is,” Gunn junior Tony Yau said. “It can get really crowded and hectic during lunch.” Yau believes that the increased popularity of the game stems mostly in part from the somewhat new multiplayer aspect of the game. “I guess it’s a lot different now compared to the 80s since you can play against other people, while back then it was mostly a single player puzzle game,” Yau said. Because of how easy it is to find an opponent or just play a singleplayer game, many students have made it a way to spend time. But be warned, if you spend all your time playing Tetris, you’ll find that both the colored blocks and your homework will start to stack up.
FEATURES
FEA U RES
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Campanile
LGBTQ ON CAMPUS
From left: LGBTQ protestors at the 2009 Chicago Pride Parade demonstrate in support of acceptance of LGBTQ people and rights for LGBTQ people, students at Palo Alto High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance pose for a picture in front of the Paly theater.
charles dastod/creative commons
By Nira Krasnow and Olivia Cole Staff Writers
“I always knew that I was gay in the back of my mind,” an anonymous junior at Palo Alto High School said. “But it’s something that I only recently came to terms with.” At Palo Alto High School there is a group of students that identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Even in a tolerant community, such as Palo Alto, there are still actions people can take to increase the overall tolerance of the community.
Self-Discovery
a fact that they have known their entire lives. Another Paly student, junior Chandler Mok, realized his sexuality at an early age, although he was initially unable to accept it. “In elementary school [I] kind of got that feeling,” Mok said. “Then in middle school I kind of knew for sure, but [I sub-consciously thought] that it was weird so I tried to ease into it by saying I’m [bisexual], but I really knew for sure that I was gay.” After becoming aware of and accepting his or her own gender and sexuality, the next decision a teenager can grapple with is how to tell his or her family and friends. Some choose to keep this information private and remain ‘in the closet.’ Others feel comfortable enough to share this part of themselves with those around them.
All teenagers face the challenging process of discovering their identity. It is a process that involves exploring many aspects of oneself, including one’s gender and sexuality. During this period of self-discovery, Coming Out some realize their gender to be different than what is written on their birth certifiJamason felt confident enough with his cate or their sexuality to be different than peers and family to share that he is not that of their peers. Discovering one’s iden- straight. He had kept this information intity can be a process of realization, or some- side for almost a year before choosing to thing inherent that they have been aware come out. According to Jamason, it was a of their entire life. very hard year and he is much happier now Junior Jace Jamason, who was born fe- that he is open about it. male, now identifies as male. In 2011, Jace “It was getting really difficult to keep it decided to change his name since he no lon- in, just feeling a lot of really bad emotions,” ger connected with his birth name, Clio. He Jamason said. “I just needed to let it out to is transgenstay healthy der and gay. and sane and “I am not do sometransgender, thing bad.” junior so I go by Jace Jamason’s I think [people] just [need to] now,” Japarents are be more aware and less binary very tolerant mason said. “Transgender in their gender sections. There and supportis when someive, but are is a lot of ‘boys do this’ and one is born instill adjusting ‘girls do that.’ If people could to a sex that to the fairly just be more aware, it’d be a they do not new informaidentify with. tion. lot easier. I was born “I started female, but coming out [mentally], I identify better as male. Gen- earlier this year, in the fall,” Jamason said. der is the mental identification and sex is “My parents are as accepting as I expected the reproduction organs.” them to be, which isn’t much. They’re kind Jamason did not always consider him- of just letting me do my thing. They keep self transgender and gay. His decision to their opinions to themselves. They’re toleridentify as transgender is the result of a ant, but not as welcoming as [parents that] long process of exploring and questioning. a lot of other kids have.” “It’s been a slow discovery,” Jamason At school, Jamason found a more invitsaid. “I don’t know how I discovered it real- ing and welcoming environment. ly, I just did some research and figured out “[My friends] don’t care,” Jamason said. that I feel like a lot of people do.” “They love me for who I am. Everyone [at Although he has felt uncomfortable be- school] has been accepting and loving and ing identified as a female throughout his amazing.” entire life, Jamason realized that he identiMok has been open with his peers for fies as a transgender while in high school. many years, but only recently came out “I felt awkward when I was placed with to his parents. He said that opening up to girls and told to do the girl thing when his family was a very liberating experience it’s not supposed to [be awkward],” Jama- since he is now able to be himself at school son said. “I’d rather do the boy thing. I just as well as at home. found a lot of differences over time and I re“My mom wasn’t very surprised,” Mok alized I was somewhere in the middle.” said. “She said she still loved me, but that For other students, recognizing their she was disappointed because she didn’t sexual orientation was not a process, but want me to live that kind of life that’s full
Jace jamason
courtesy of paly gsa
of prejudice. And she started talking about how she thinks when it comes to sexual orientation, we make a choice to some extent, which I disagree with. But she eventually accepted it and said I should just try to be the best person I could be.” Mok emphasized the importance of openness and has no hesitation to identify himself as gay. “If the topic comes up, I’ll talk about me being gay,” Mok said. “It’s really nice to be yourself around other people.”
Discrimination/Tolerance Discrimination is virtually non-existent at Paly, according to gay sophomore John, whose name has been changed. The only major issue currently is the use of derogatory names. “We’re a pretty tolerant community,” John said. “I’ve had a little bit of controversial name calling, but I don’t think it’s ever with specific malintent.” Mok agrees that Paly is an accepting school. He has experienced verbal discrimination, although he does not take it personally. “I haven’t experienced any direct discrimination,” Mok said. “I’ve had a really good life here at Paly. I’ve heard from some of my friends that people have [said bad things] about me just because I’m gay, but it doesn’t really bother me because usually it’s people I don’t even know, so it’s not worth my time getting upset over.”
Spreading Awareness Palo Alto as a whole is known for its tolerance regarding differing ways of life and people, including the LGBTQ community. However, sometimes when a community tries hard to be sensitive towards an issue, it becomes harder to be open. John finds that in Palo Alto people are overly sensitive about derogatory terms about LGBTQ people, heightening the issue of discrimination rather than ameliorating the issue. “[People should] be less sensitive about [derogatory terms] or less offended as an advocate whenever someone steps out of line or an [offensive] word is used,” John said. “When it becomes re-appropriated and people become comfortable with different terminology, it becomes part of everyday life, it’s less of an issue to talk about and it’s less uncomfortable.” Jamason agrees that Palo Alto is sensitive towards the LGBTQ community, but he thinks that the community still needs to work on being more aware and informed of certain issues, particularly those of the transgender community, which she says endures particularly brutal discrimination. “I think [people] just [need to] be more aware and less binary in their gender sections,” Jamason said. “There is a lot of ‘boys do this’ and ‘girls do that’ in the entire Palo Alto community. People are very sensitive because they’re not sure how to act and
how to talk, [but] they are not as aware as they should be. So they’re sensitive of issues, but they don’t know anything about them. If people could just be more aware, it’d be a lot easier.” John also stresses the importance of openness. “[When people are overly sensitive] it becomes sheltered and even the fact that we’re having this interview [shows that it is an issue],” John said. “We’re lucky to live in a community where it can be part of your everyday life and not something that you have to be face-to-face with constantly.”
The Other Side
Although discrimination is rare at Paly, some students are unfriendly to the LGBTQ community. These students are rarely openly discriminatory, but they may not feel comfortable with the LGBTQ lifestyle. Junior David, whose name was changed, has no problem with the LGBTQ community so long as they stay closeted. “I have nothing against being gay,” David said. “But I do have a ton against flaunting it and acting victimized. If you don’t want to be made fun of then don’t alter your voice or fashion just to make people aware of your sexual preference.” David says public demonstrations of sexuality are offensive and unnecessary. “I believe that gay parades are some of the most counterproductive things on earth,” David said. “They portray gays as abnormal, insane people, which is exactly what they don’t want. They want the same things that straight people want like marriage for example. They don’t want to be societal outcasts and they can easily achieve that if they don’t seek attention. They would not be attacked and harassed if they minded their own business and went on with their lives.” Sophomore Calvin, whose name has been changed, says that while he does not oppose the LGBTQ community, he does not like it when they flaunt their sexuality or try to impose their views on others. “Part of the reason why I show any distaste towards gays is because a student who is gay at Paly thinks it’s funny to slap my a** or ask me to hookup at a party or try to hug me because he knows I’m uncomfortable with it,” Calvin said. “That is where I developed my view [that you can] do what you want to do and make your own choices, just don’t involve me in it.” David also feels that he would not be able to remain close friends with someone if they came out. According to David, if he found out that one of his friends was gay, he would view them in a very different light. “If one of my friends came out and said that they were gay I would not hate them, but that person would have to understand that our relationship would never be the same,” David said. “I wouldn’t be able to connect with them like I do with my friends who are straight and exactly like me.”
Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 viral video creates controversy By Elena Pinsker and Kate Apostolou Technology Editor and Staff Writer
In the past few weeks, “Joseph Kony” has become a household name. The Kony 2012 campaign video, which now has 84 million views on YouTube, is a recent internet phenomenon and a source of hot debate between people of all ages. But until March 5, the upload date of the video, many current supporters of the Stop Kony campaign had never heard of Joseph Kony, let alone Invisible Children, the organization which produced it. The 30 minute-long film about Joseph Kony’s rebel army, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), first sparked sympathy from many viewers. But as time progressed, Invisible Children has faced a strong resistance as controversial information surfaces. The charity, which is dedicated to bringing Kony to justice, has been under speculation since the video exploded online. As the
number one Most Wanted by the International Criminal Court, Kony was indicted in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is famous for capturing children and using them as soldiers, and has evaded capture. While most agree that Kony must be brought to justice, critics have claimed that the video (directed, written and narrated by Jason Russell et al.) has oversimplified the issue, providing outdated information in order to sensationalize the story and gain more support for the charity. “My major problem with this video is that it simplifies the story of millions of people in Northern Uganda,” Ugandan blogger Rosebell Kagumire said in a YouTube video. “It [talks] about how hopeless people are in times of conflict — that only people of this continent [America] can help. Yet [that] is not entirely true. There have been local [Ugandan] initiatives in this war. The war is much more complex than just one man called Joseph Kony.”
Because most people in Northern Uganda do not have internet access, a public screening of Russell’s video was set up in Lira, Uganda. In a report by Al Jazeera, Qatar’s state-owned TV network, viewers of the video were shown confused by its initial focus on Russell and his son, Gavin. This confusion soon turned into anger at the outdated information being presented, and the screening was stopped after some of the viewers began to throw rocks. “If people in [other] countries [cared] about us, they would not wear t-shirts with pictures of Joseph Kony for any reason,” one escaped member of the LRA said in the video. “That would celebrate our suffering.” He is referring to the video’s campaign to “make [Kony] famous.” Invisible Children’s primary focus is to shed light on the situation in Uganda, and they aim to do this by “[making] Kony a household name. Not to celebrate him, but to bring his crimes to the light.”
united nations/creative commons
A mother and child who were displaced by a Lord’s Resistance Army attack wait in a United Nations refugee camp in South Sudan. There has also been a focus on the finances of Invisible Children, as the charity sends less than half of its money towards funding programs in Africa. According to the Invisible Children website, www. invisiblechildren.com, only 37 percent of the organization’s expenses go towards “Central Africa Programs,” which include Legacy
Scholarship Fund, two charities which aim to provide schooling for Ugandan children. Almost all of the remaining money goes towards awareness programs for the charity itself: namely, the clothing, bracelets and posters that are sold on the See palyvoice.com/campanile for full story
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
March 30, 2012 • B3
GRAVE DANGER
The pounding electronica music is not the only attraction young people have for raves, Drugs also attract youth, but cause severe consequences. By Colin Kelly Staff Writer
I have been at a rave where a girl overdosed. It was an underground rave, so it was illegal, and the cops had to be called for an ambulance. Everyone had to clear out so they wouldn’t get caught. The girl overdosed on ten tabs of acid and Vicodin. It was her first time doing it and going to a rave. She was only 15. That is the story told by Sarah, a senior whose name has been changed to protect her identity. At a rave, people gather to listen and dance to music, usually electronic or techno accompanied by light shows and other visuals to create its typical atmosphere. There is often a DJ who plays the music and Dmxjs who controls the light show should the rave have one. Raves can be held anywhere from a sports stadium to an open field in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, raves are notorious for their attendees’ excessive drug usage, which can often have deadly consequences. This rings especially true for underground raves. Raves are sometimes similar to concerts in that attendees must purchase tickets. They differ, though, in that drugs used at raves are generally more diverse and dangerous, and the amount of the substances taken is more excessive. Lily, another senior whose name has been changed, and Sarah have both been
“The one where that girl overdosed was in some guy’s large basement, other ones have been at warehouses,” Sarah said. “You never know exactly where it is going to be until the day of the rave, most of the time you learn an hour before it actually happens.” Many attendees decide to do drugs during the rave to enhance their experience. “Everyone does ecstasy,” Lily said. “Almost all of the time when people die from ecstasy, they die because the drugs make them feel like they are really dehydrated or they worry that they are becoming really dehydrated even though they are not. So they will just keep chugging water until it kills them, it’s all in their head.” Ecstasy is a street name for MDMA which provides intense feelings of euphoria. “I know a lot of people who drop acid,” Lily said. “Obviously a lot of people drink too and some people do Ketamine.” Acid and Ketamine are both hallucinogens that cause hallucinations. Hallucinations can be described by seeing something that is not actually there. In large doses, hallucinogens can cause a “bad trip,” which is when the hallucinatory experience becomes overwhelming and the user has a severe panic attack. Despite the amount of evidence showing the danger of doing such drugs, drug use is one of the most appealing parts of raves, according to Lily. She remains a strong defender of raves and describes the two dif-
to multiple underground and non-underground raves. “It’s a place to do drugs and not be judged,” Lily said. “The music is good and the people are nice.” Although raves may provide immediate fun and entertainment for rave-goers, the consequences of drug use and abuse of them can be deadly. For example, in June 2011, according to CNN, a 19-year-old man and over two dozen others were hospitalized during the Electric Daisy Carnival in Dallas. Many raves have also been closer to home such as the Steve Aoki rave which occurred on Jan. 22. Many Paly students attended the rave and despite the presence of security, some participated in drug use. Miranda, a junior whose name has been changed, described her friends’ drug usage throughout the rave. “Some of my friends who are juniors were doing ecstasy, drinking, eating edibles and smoking [marijuana],” Miranda said. “Some of them even did all four of those.” While the amount of drugs described by Miranda is a large amount, it pales in comparison to the diversity of drugs done at underground raves. An underground rave is one that has not been officially planned and attendees do not have to buy tickets beforehand. The locations of underground raves are usually kept secret and only those with connections can get in.
ferent kinds of people who attend raves as “people who believe in love and ideals or a person who just wants to do lots of drugs, although a person can have aspects of both,” she said. “The people who go to raves just to do drugs are usually the ones that end up hurting themselves,” Lily said. “If you go have a good time and don’t do way too much stuff you will have a fun and safe time.” Sarah says she is worried about the people who go to raves just to do hard core drugs, especially when they are young and do not know the consequences. The deaths and hospitalizations of rave attendees elicited legal response on Dec. 21, 2010 when California state Assemblywoman Fiona Ma attempted to pass Assembly Bill AB-74. Ma’s bill was never passed. It was found to be unconstitutional because it attempted to single out and ban one type of music. “To single out and attack rave culture because one girl broke the rules is unfair to everyone else,” Sarah said. “Many people attend raves and have fun and are safe. I feel horrible for her, but had she followed the rules and not attended, nothing would have happened.” Despite the opposition to them, Sarah has no doubts about the future of raves. “I don’t think rave culture is going anywhere soon, they are really fun and make a lot of people happy,” Sarah said. “It’s only going to keep growing and becoming more popular.”
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F E AT U R E S
B4 • March 30, 2012
The Campanile
Sophomore starts Eating Disorder Awareness Club
Emily Willick hopes to educate Palo Alto through her organization By Hollie Kool and Angela Stern Guest Writers
Every bite was a struggle filled with tears, refusal and hours of patience for Jane, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. Biweekly hospital visits and weekly trips to the therapist became routine. Her family spent hours persistently trying to coax food into her empty stomach each meal. They could not leave her alone, in fear that she would injure herself from over-exercising. Anorexia did not solely affect her physically but also caused Jane to develop a severe depression and low self-esteem. After the long, tiring and stressful year, Jane, thankfully, began to progress and improve her body image through therapy and other means. For friends and family, life was dominated by Jane’s mental and physical struggle with an eating disorder. The hardships, worries and difficulties that came with it took a toll on them all. “Watching Jane go through anorexia was completely terrifying,” sophomore Emily Willick said. “Seeing someone you love go through so much pain and adversity is just indescribable.” From that year, Willick knew that she needed to do something about destructive disorder that affects Jane and millions of others. Presently, eleven million people in the U.S. are afflicted by eating disorders and they have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, according to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) and the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Willick realized that eating disorders are a serious and widespread issue, yet there is a negative stigma associated with them that prevents many from fully understanding their gravity. “People may view eating disorders as trivial, unimportant diseases, but I can assure you that they are quite the opposite,” Willick said. Willick decided to take action and founded the Eating Disorder Awareness Club (EDAC) this year at Paly. The ultimate goal of this club is just as the name describes: to create a cultural change in the community around eating disorders and body image where people are more aware and supportive.
“I hope to educate the Palo Alto community about the severe nature of eating disorders and make sure that people are aware of how prevalent in our society they are,” Willick said. Along with spreading knowledge, Willick hopes that her club can break through some of the misconceptions that come with eating disorders. “Many people think that an eating disorder is simply an extreme diet or a way to get attention, when it in reality, it is an incredibly dangerous disease,” Willick said. “There are so many high-school aged people who are suffering from eating disorders and many receive backlash from their communities regarding the severity and damaging nature of these disorders.” With the average female model standing 5 feet 11 inches and weighing just 117 pounds and the average American woman is five feet, four inches and 140 pounds, it is understandable how so many high school students especially are becoming targets of eating disorders. “Standards of what is ‘pretty’ have Emily Tran/campanile been stretched to the extreme and many young women, even men, have been The chalk board at the Paly library helps spread awareness to the community. President pushed psychologically by the constant Emily Willick began the club after witnessing a friend fight through a similar hardship. bombardment of ridiculously skinny people we are expected to admire like models that “46 percent of 9 to 11 year olds are throughout Paly’s history; however, this topic been brought up many times in the ‘sometimes’ or ‘very often’ on diets.” and celebrities,” Willick said. NEDA also explains that “eating dis- past. This year, EDAC has focused on esIn 1996, Megan Taylor, a Paly gradutablishing itself and planning for future orders arise from a variety of factors, inyears. They began the year with a sale of cluding physical, psychological, interper- ate, conducted a survey about eating dissonal and social issues,” but that poor or orders and published an article called, ‘I <3 My Body’ wristbands. Eventually, they hope to inform Paly distorted body image puts people at much “Eating disorders affect 11 percent of female students” in The Campanile. Taylor students through various activities and higher risk to developing a disorder. Presently, the club has roughly 25 con- released the results of the survey. possibly collaborate with Stanford Uni“It is so important [that] people that versity’s eating disorder research group sistent members who show up every other Tuesday during lunch in Mrs. Filppu’s are talking about how they see themselves of the Department of Psychiatry. and others in terms of body image,” TayNot only will EDAC direct efforts to- room for the club meetings. “The club is lor said. wards high Although they did not immediately really effective, school stubut also fun be- form a club after the survey results, Taydents, the cause every- lor supported the idea of one at Paly durclub hopes sophomore body in it tru- ing her high school years. to expand Everybody in [the club] truly “One of the big things that came out of ly cares about their range cares about [it] and [is] able what we are do- the survey I gave was that we needed one. and tarto put their ideas into action ing and are ac- I’m guessing every school needs one, sadget younger tually able to ly,” Taylor said. populations quickly and efficiently. EDAC hopes to reach out to anorexics put their ideas as well. into action like Jane and to harbor a community that Statistics show that eating disorders are affect- quickly and efficiently,” sophomore club is supportive, knowledgeable, confident, and in control of their body. ing younger and younger children every member Emily Semba said. “It’s time to realize that our worth does There has never been a club formed year. According to NEDA, “81 percent of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat” and with relevance to eating disorders not lie in our size,” Willick said.
Emily Semba
Films enrich English, history classes, help students grasp academic material By Gracie Fang
as Macbeth. Students often find watching the visual motion interpretation of the Many students complain about how book helps solidify their comprehension of boring films and documentaries are; ma- the events that happen in the book as well ny of which use them to their advantage as the personalities of the characters. to sleep or do other work in class. “Watching the movie of Macbeth helped The truth is, not all films watched in me because I missed some things when I class are boring — in fact, some students was reading the book,” sophomore Youngeven find them entertaining. Teachers Ju Lee said. “But when we watched the who implement films and movies in the movie, it went over it, and reinforced as class curriculum do so in efforts to make well as strengthened my views and opineducation more fun and enrich student ions on the characters.” learning. In addition, the films help students reIn Mrs. Filppu’s Humanities class, member important parts of the book by restudents watched The Truman Show, inforcing certain scenes, enabling them to which supplemented the questioning re- understand crucial parts better. ality unit and Plato’s ‘Allegory of the “For example, if I need to refer back to Cave’ reading. a particular part in the novel, and it cor“I thought [The Truman Show] was responds to a similar part in the movie, I both funny and entertaining while play- usually remember the scene in the movie ing with deep questions of reality that better than the chapter in the book,” sophtied very well into our topic of Plato’s Al- omore Sophia Howard said. legory of the Cave,” junior Alex Pope said. Though many students may find docuThough the movie’s educational con- mentaries boring, there are certain docnections pertained to just the Humani- umentaries that inspire and move stuties class, it has opened up new ways of dents. In Adam Yonker’s Contemporary interpreting philosophical ideas. World History class, students watched a “Watching The Truman Show has im- film called Frontline Ghosts of Rwanda, a pacted me positively,” Pope said. “Though documentary on the Rwandan genocide in I don’t think it traveled to other classes, 1994. it definitely helped me grasp and gain a “[Ghosts of Rwanda] definitely helped new perspective on the topic of question- me appreciate the magnitude of what ing reality.” had happened,” sophomore Max BernFilms that are related to the subject stein said. “I was actually distraught after currently studied by the students have watching that.” the potential to Likewise, in help students Michael Mcgain a deeper Govern’s World understanding History class in sophomore of the material, students [Ghosts of Rwanda] def- 2007, especially for watched Savinitely helped me appre- ing Private Ryan visual learners. It is helpful to during the World ciate the magnitude of have both the War ll unit as a what had happened. written and the supplement to visual sources their class readfor students to learn from so that they ing and lectures. can obtain a broader scope of the mate“[The film] gave me a deeper underrial. standing to a certain extent,” 2010 gradIn some ways, films and movies hold uate Daniel Jones said. “It allowed me to more reality‚ than do the words of text have a perspective I didn’t have, and, with that merely describe the story. Fluid im- the history movies in particular, empaages better illustrate the significance of thize.” the material. Jones believes that solely reading the “In general, when you see something events of World War ll does not enable stuvisual, it can have much more force than dents to fully understand and picture the when you read it,” junior Masha Andreye- war, and that watching supplementary va said. “Your mind might be able to tone movies or films can give them a better idea down the writing, but your eyes can’t tone of the magnitude of the war. down the image so it hits you and lets you “It’s one thing to read about D-Day and understand the reality.” the invasion of Normandy”, Jones said. In Melissa McGrath’s sophomore Criti- “You can see the casualty counts, you can cal Thinking ll class, students watch mov- read about the tactics, and not have any ies based on certain books they read, such real understanding of it.”
Technology Editor
Max Bernstein
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
March 30, 2012 • B5
The Art of Pen Spinning By Yasna Haghdoost Staff Writer
It is 3 o’clock. Pencils furiously fly across paper as panicking students attempt to complete their exams while the teacher paces back and forth, on the lookout for wandering eyes and less-than-innocent “stretches.” However, in each class, there is invariably at least one student who diligently studied for weeks and who breezed through the test with over 20 minutes to spare. With nothing to ease the dull passing of time and no other activity with which to become preoccupied, the student turns to his idle hands, reaches for the pen for which he has no other purpose and begins to spin. Faster, and faster, the momentum increases, until the writing utensil is nothing more than a barely-visible blur. The brainchild of ennui, pen spinning has gained momentum (analogous to the force that propels the pens themselves) among students at Palo Alto High School who find themselves bored and on the lookout for an intriguing activity. In the search to find Paly’s best pen spinners, The Campanile spoke to many students to ask them if they knew anyone with the talent. One senior in particular attracted the most attention. He’s the first person virtually everyone named when asked about pen spinning, and he has apparently taught a few of them the tricks up his sleeve, or rather, in his hands. When not referred to as “monster,” “legendary,” or “beast,” he goes by the name of Hu. Steven Hu.
Steven Hu senior
“I spin whenever I don’t have something more important to do with my hands.” Adam Mansour/Campanile
Hu, a senior, said his pen spinning started in seventh grade. “When I started pen spinning, I didn’t know anyone else that did; although later on, it seemed that there actually were other people spinning at the same time I was getting into it,” Hu said. “The best resources for learning were tutorial videos online.” Indeed, the Internet, according to Hu, is where much of the discussion surrounding pen spinning takes place. “Due to a low population of pen spinners and the newness of pen spinning as a hobby, most communities are Internet-based,” Hu said. “However, on the Internet there is a dedicated following that discusses theory, learning order, tutorials, pen modifi-
While pen spinning is solely a classroom activity at Paly, there are Internet-based communities from around the world dedicated to learning tricks and developing techniques. cations, collaboration videos and competitions.” Upon exposure to the premise of pencil spinning, most of Hu’s practice took place in the classroom. “When I started, I would dedicate time to practice,” Hu said. “However, even then, I did spin mostly at school, in class. Now, I spin whenever I don’t have something more important to do with my hands.” Some of Hu’s teachers have complained about pen spinning being a distraction.
“In middle school, some of my teachers didn’t like it, but most wouldn’t care unless I dropped my pen and made noise often,” Hu said. “Now, very few teachers care at all.” Junior Jeffrey Yan, who learned pencil spinning by watching other people during class, also practices mainly during school. “[I spin pencils] in class when there is nothing better to do,” Yan said. “No one gets mad, and people sometimes ask me to teach them.”
Junior Allen Zheng, who initially asked Hu to teach him his freshman year, agrees that pencil spinning is a quiet classroom activity. “Teachers generally don’t care unless I drop it or make a big fuss,” Zheng said. Practice, according to Hu, is key to his, and anyone else’s, success at spinning pens. “It definitely takes more practice than anything else,” Hu said. “It’s a skill that anybody can pick up with some degree of success if you put in the time. Due to the nature of the activity, you can get a lot of practice in at school, in class, hence the relative popularity of pen spinning among students.” According to Hu, the most difficult part of pen spinning is building muscle memory. “It just takes a lot of time to build muscle memory and get the feel of each trick and to link them together,” Hu said. “Thus, I’d probably say that there is no real difficulty barrier.” Senior Matt Miller agrees that practice is crucial. “The basics don’t take that long to learn but more advanced stuff takes practice,” Miller said. “Also you can always practice more to improve speed and transitions.” Hu also described pencil spinning as a way to keep busy during class and added that he was interested by its novelty. “I was motivated because I like the aesthetics and feeling of a spinning pen, and, well, why not learn?” Hu said. “My hands would be idle otherwise. It’s also a fairly good way to relieve stress for me.” One striking attribute of pen spinning is its dominance by Asian male students, including all of the pen spinners interviewed here. “Pen spinning as an organized hobby is generally said to have originated in Asia, Japan in particular,” Hu said. “I’m not sure about the particular appeal to Asians here, but I do know that pen spinning is most popular among students in Asia, and there are large Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai language online communities.” Pen spinning even has a place in many Asian cultures. Miller echoes Hu’s comments regarding the popularity of pencil spinning in Asian countries. “I believe it originated in Asia,” Miller said. “It also has much more recognition there with clubs and social media.” However, regardless of its origins, this demographic does seem self-perpetuating, according to sophomore Travis Chen. “Many of my [Asian] peers know how to spin very well,” Chen said. “So I guess there’s an element of peer pressure.” Though the origins of this demographic remains a mystery, the dexterity of pen spinners intrigues many students, regardless of ethnicity. “It is insanely cool,” white sophomore Thomas Goroshko said.
Memes unite students, provide chance to share opinion Paly Memes Facebook page provides universal, humorous social critique By Lauren Wong Editor in Chief
Since Feb. 12 it has gained 862 Facebook likes, amassed 176 contributions and maintained a student following steadier than that of iPhone application Draw Something. Black-outlined, all-caps messages on backgrounds ranging from the popularly hashtagged First World Problems to Palo Alto High School teacher Kenyon Scott take a crack at anything from math homework to the “Colleges Missing Out” Wall to Austrian exchange students. Although it may not be unique in concept, the Paly Memes Facebook page is certainly making its mark, especially on our News Feeds. The creators of Paly Memes, who asked to remain anonymous, created it after looking at other schools that had started their own meme pages. “We thought that we had funny things to say about Paly, and we thought that it would be a healthy outlet,” one of the three page administrators said. “It caught on that night, actually. The other person posted a really popular one which went pretty viral, the Stanford one, and we started getting a lot of fans, and then people started posting their own memes and it took off from there.” Memes are so powerful because, as senior Aaron Bajor put it, “it doesn’t matter your background or cultural tendencies” – they are universally enjoyable. As a social phenomenon, a meme is a transmitted cultural element. On the Internet, a meme is essentially a shared idea in the form of an image that spreads rapidly through social media. The page creator described the Internet meme as something “a lot of people latch onto because it’s a funny, kind of crude way to describe problems.” The memes on the Facebook page with the most likes, which can be inferred as being the most
resonant with the student body, are those that the whole school can appreciate, rather than those pertaining to a certain teacher or event. Often, these are the ones that point out school-wide problems or inconsistencies. “The appeal is that it’s an outlet for frustrations that students have with certain aspects of Paly life or life in general, and it’s a healthy way to share that experience with other people,” the page creator said. “I don’t want to say it dumbs [the problems] down, but it reduces [them] to a level where people can realize, ‘Oh, other people think what I think,’ and they can latch onto that and maybe create real, actual change. There’s an attitude that people can’t really talk about problems that they have publicly, and memes get around that issue and help people express their [opinions].” Both senior Aaron Bajor and the page creator say the main appeal of the Internet meme is its humor. “[The main purpose of a meme is] to unite the meme’s audience,” Bajor said. “When I see a meme, I should be able to relate to it humorously or have that moment of, ‘Wait, someone else thinks that too?’” While the Internet meme, whose origins are disputable, is fairly new, the meme itself as an idea or a symbol reaches back much further, back even to the beginnings of religion. Memes are not just Reddit images nor troll faces; they are phenomenons, catch phrases, melodies, traditions or fads that have lasted for generations, even millennia. In their book “A Theory of Architecture,” Nikos Salingaros and Michael Mehaffy say that the longevity of memes is due much in part to their great psychological appeal. According to Salingaros and Mehaffy, advertisements, which could be interpreted as memes, appeal to sex, lust and
Memes on the page generally focus on issues pertaining to Paly lifestyle and culture. Students use memes to bring the community together by voicing problems publicly with humor. The page is quickly gaining popularity. power, while “religious memes about justice in the afterlife offer...hope.” Memes are like viruses, for better or for worse, and while the infectiousness of memes explains why they are so inviting, it may also explain why they are so uniting. The page creator admitted that although he or she does not believe memes are inherently good because of the certain mentality they create, “[memes do] help peo-
ple come together as a community and deal with the issues that they have in a healthy way.” Memes are just as effective at creating communities as they are at influencing them. Ones that mix cultic worship with extremist political ideals can lead to mass fatality, in the case of the Peoples Temple in 1978. Those memes that are catchy tend to live on and replicate by garnering many shares, and in this way memes dictate how technology, art and
music evolve over time. For proof, see The Axis of Awesome’s Four Chord Song on YouTube. Inevitably, memes that are not catchy or timeless will die out, as did ancient ballads and anklelength hemlines, and just as Draw Something will eventually have its run. But from the Dos Equis Man to the Christian religion, the influence of memes, whether it is centered around Facebook groups or cultural traditions, will continue for generations.
B6 • March 30, 2012
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
Celebrated Indian festival, Holi, brings color to Stanford
Students, families gather to celebrate spring with Hindu holiday By Rose Fitzgerald Staff Writer
Through a haze of powdered color and amidst the pumping bass of Bollywood music, one can vaguely see the outlines of people on the exhilarating battlefield that is Holi. Holi, the Indian festival of color, is one of the most uniting holidays of the Hindu calendar. Despite being one of the less important Hindu holidays, the festival breaks down the social barriers of age, gender, economic status and class, bringing people together in a flurry of color. Holi is celebrated at the beginning of spring on the Hindu calendar. The season is brought to life by throwing powdered pigments at other festival attendees. The origins of the holiday differ throughout the regions of India because they center around different mythological stories. One of those is centered around the god Krishna, who survived and overcame the attack of the demon Putana, ultimately killing her. Putana’s death has come to represent the end of winter. People from around the Bay Area can experience the excitement of Holi by attending Asha Holi, a charitable event held on the Stanford University campus at the Sandhill Fields on April 7 and 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Junior Michelle Friedlander attended the event last year with some friends. “You go dressed all in white and then [there is a] station where they have powdered paint and [you can take as much as you want] and throw it at people,” Friedlander said. “Then people with water guns spray water at you so it all spreads out and everyone ends up looking colorful.” The normally quiet and serene Sandhill Fields become a color explosion when Holi arrives. “[It gets] really crazy — there’s music playing and people dancing and running around,” Friedlander said. “[You throw paint] at everyone.” The color, a starch-based vegetable powder, is called “gulal,” and turns festival participants a myriad of colors. “It feels kind of like baking soda, but it’s colored in bright colors like green, orange [and] pink, and it gets in your mouth and stains your teeth,” Friedlander said. The colorful clouds of paint can cause slight inconveniences for people who drive to the event. Junior Abbey Kinnaman, who attended the event with a group of friends, experienced this issue. “[Getting home covered in paint] was an issue because I drove there in my dad’s car and I didn’t know what it entailed, so I didn’t bring any towels,” Kinnaman said. “I had to drive home covered from head to toe in paint. I didn’t have a towel to sit on. My dad was not happy about that. Some of it may stain your skin a little bit, but besides that it comes off pretty easily.” The event is very welcoming to families and has a designated kids area for children of all ages. Palo Alto resident Ruma Nandi attended the event in 2010 with her children and relayed her experience to the Palo Alto Weekly. “At my kids’ first [Holi festival], I told them, ‘You can throw anything on anyone and they won’t mind,’ so that’s great for them,” Nandi said.
Lauren wong/Campanile
Left: Volunteers pass out an array of colored powders for the participants to throw at each other during the festival. Top Right: Students laugh as they fling powder and water. Bottom Right: Festival attendees dance to traditional Indian music. Junior Meha Bakshi, who went with Friedlander and friends last year, says she and her family enjoy Stanford’s Asha Holi. “[My family] used to go to the same party every year, but [we thought the Stanford event] was more fun, so now we just go to Stanford,” Bakshi said. Stanford’s Asha Holi is hosted by the charity Asha for Education, which seeks to bring education to rural parts of India. This year, Asha’s project is Education Park, a non-profit organization that helps the District of Madhya Pradesh in India. “Edupark is a rural education project in the Khargone District of Madhya Pradesh,” the mission statement says on their website, www.edupark.org. “The coordinators of this project are people with several years of experience in academics and business. In India, quality of education in a rural area is very poor. A student trained in a government is not able to compete with [his or her] counterpart trained in an urban school. Furthermore, many people in a rural area are economically weak to be able to afford the education of their children in good private schools.”
The project targets children ages three to 15, with 530 students from rural and low income families benefiting from the project, according to the website. They have ambitious plans and want to expand to have more classes running until 10th grade. Thus, the unifying factor of Holi is translated from one country to another, benefiting people who live halfway around the world. “Everyone is there for the same reason and that makes it a more united environment,” Friedlander said. Asha for Education volunteer Akanksha Bapna said to Palo Alto Online that covering passersby with gulal represents “a celebration of brotherhood, of putting aside differences.” When Kinnaman attented the event she was able to witness the unity of strangers created by the Holi celebration. “Everyone there was having a really good time and random people would come throw paint at me and it was fine,” Kinnaman said. “It was cool because everyone is there celebrating together. Hopefully, I can go back this year during spring break.”
The history of prom: from debutante ball to high school tradition By Sam Dodson Staff Writer
The CHEAPEST hot lunch in Town & Country! Get a slice of pizza and a drink for $5! Town & Country Village 855 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA 94301
It is that time of year again. Juniors and seniors anxiously await prom night, when couples dress up to look their best and dance the night away until the break of dawn. High schoolers gather to pose for endless photographs that inevitably end up on Facebook, spend hours dancing with their friends and enjoy the festivities of the night. The rest of the night is filled with unpredictable drama that one could remember for a lifetime, for better or worse. Amid all the hype and confusion that comes with prom night, one may wonder how it got to be such a significant event in an American teenager’s life. Prom is short for promenade, which means a march of guests into a formal meeting room, such as a ballroom. It evolves from an upper-class tradition dating back to the late 19th century, which consisted of teenage girls dressing up to “come out” into the dating world. These were called debutante balls. Prom can also be traced to co-ed balls held for graduating university students. It was not until the early to mid-20th century, however, that prom was transformed into an event for high school students. The “Roaring Twenties” brought vast social change to America, which included more independence for teenagers and thus more liberty to congregate at large social gatherings. Middle-class communities and high schools began to adopt prom as an annual tradition, although the Great Depression that followed the prosperous decade slowed the growth in popularity of the dance. The significance of prom skyrocketed in the 1950s, when the average American enjoyed relative prosperity as a result of the post-World War II economy. Gradually, the dance was relocated from the typical high school gymnasium to a more formal setting and high schools throughout the nation began to adopt prom. Ever since, prom has been a major event in an American teenager’s high school career, especially when the age of consumerism returned to America in the 1980s. The unfortunate reality that came with prom was the segregation of students into “white only” and “black only” dances. Even after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), which provided that public schools segregated by race were unconstitutional, prom still continued to be segregated in many areas of the United States, especially the deep South. In 1990, The New York Times reported that ten counties in Georgia still held segregated proms. In 2009, Morgan Freeman starred in a documentary called Prom Night in Missis-
sippi. The film featured a senior class of 2008 from Charleston, Miss. that held its first interracial prom in school history with the help of Morgan Freeman and his film crew members. For most people, prom has not always been so backwards, and in many aspects prom is very similar to the way it was 20 to 30 years ago. Science teacher Josh Bloom’s prom experience was similar to what Paly students experience today. “The only difference is attention paid to alcohol consumption,” Bloom said. “I think it is attention well-paid. Other than that, I don’t think prom is too different, it was definitely as big a part of high school life as it is today.” English teacher Kirk Hinton also experienced something similar to what Paly students experience today, despire growing up in a smaller town than Palo Alto. “We would go in small groups that would drive together and go out to dinner together,” Hinton said. “It was pretty rare to have limos or buses and tickets were a lot cheaper.” Today, prom remains a significant event in a teenager’s life. It is different from all the other school dances one might experience in high school and middle school in that it forces one to indulge in the dating world in a mature environment. Thus, it is a stepping stone toward college life and adulthood. Prom is, as a leisure activity, at the mercy of the economy. Palo Alto’s economy has managed to remain vibrant even through the tough economic times of today, which allows for extravagant dresses, themes and venues.
Creative Commons
1945 debutantes pose before attending their first ball, “coming out” into dating.
A&E
The Campanile
Friday, March 30, 2012
how to prom Prom is often considered a very time-consuming, confusing experience by many students. The Campanile investigated where to get the best deals and how to dress up for prom the proper way. Text by Anna McGarrigle Drawings by Yael Palmon
the dress
the Suit Black suits are the best and most common choice, but certain brave souls may deviate with white or other colored suits. There are different styles of jackets available that you can mix it up with. For example, rounded collars and trimmed lapel jackets stand out; however, these embellished jackets are slightly more expensive than the standard-issue tuxedo jacket. Selix (164 University Ave.) has full packages that range in price from $80 to $90. Go for initial measurements two weeks in advance and also select the pieces of your tuxedo outfit. You will need to return a week later to try on your tux, then again to pick it up the day before prom. Do not put this off until the last minute, or you will not get the correct sizes or colors. Selix offers a variety of packages of prom attire for boys, which include the key components of the outfit. From head to toe, Campanile provides advice on each component.
vest and tie
Websites such as Rent The Runway (www.renttherunway.com), Bluefly (www.bluefly. com), Nordstrom Rack (www.nordstromrack.com) and Loehmann’s (www.loehmanns.com) often have special deals around prom. We love Rent The Runway because it is easy to find a wide assortment of dresses at incredibly reasonable prices to rent for a select number of days. Bluefly and Nordstrom Rack also feature designer dresses at huge discounts with frequent additional sales. But be careful when ordering from wholesale sites such as Light in the Box (www. lightinthebox), whose quality is unpredictable. “Just be cautious when buying things online because you don’t know the quality,” senior Mieko Temple said after a less than satisfactory purchase from Light in the Box. Thrifting your dress works also, but the selections are often limited. Vintage shops in the Haight such as Held Over, La Rosa and Wasteland or Palo Alto’s Empire Vintage Clothing (443 Waverley St.) sell authentic vintage garments. Junior Annie Vainshtein sought a vintage dress but found the process difficult. “It was luck that I could find mine,” Vainshtein said. For a more contemporary consignment option, try Crossroads Trading Co. with various locations in San Francisco and San Jose.
The color of your vest and tie can match with your date’s dress for maximum coordination; however, we warn against matching your date exactly and recommend contrasting instead. The classic black-and-white look is a simple solution to this dilemma if it becomes a point of contention between you and your date. Another more traditional option is the cummerbund and bow tie combination. Although fewer boys go this route, it is a very classy option.
flowers The boys usually need some guidance with flowers, so it is not a bad idea to ask your date what type of corsage she wants. Prices for corsages and boutonnieres are all approximately the same for various Palo Alto florists. Order your corsage a week in advance because Paly Prom weekend is among the busiest of the year. Try Mills Florist (235 University Ave.), Michaela’s Flower Shop (453 Waverley St.) or Stanford Florists (620 Emerson St.).
boys
pocket Square Selix offers pocket squares for purchase, which can coordinate with the tie and vest color. It is a cheap yet classy addition to any prom outfit.
Cuff links Selix includes simple cuff links in the full package, a key touch to your outfit. They also have fancier ones available for purchase at Selix, and any men’s store should carry cuff links if you wish to purchase your own; however, borrowing from your dad or other family member will conserve this expense while adding a nostalgic touch.
Suspenders A bold style choice but only the most fashionforward promgoers can pull them off. Although they are not included in the Selix package, suspenders can be purchased at any men’s store. Alternatively, ask your dad if he has an old pair of suspenders that you can wear.
Shirt
These crisp, white tuxedo shirts will surely attract the ladies. Most outfits come with a white shirt; however, black shirts are available if you want a different look.
hair
Girls
Getting your hair done by a professional for prom is by no means necessary, but there are many inexpensive options available. Halo Blow Dry Bar at Town and Country Village charges $35 for a variety of styles and even offers discounts for special occasions like prom, and Homecoming. Halo is our favorite because it is local, offers lots of options and lists extremely reasonable prices compared to other salons like Hair International at Stanford Shopping Center, which may charge upwards of $100 for styling. Another option is to schedule a haircut around the date of prom so you are not wasting an appointment. But make sure you do not do anything drastic, because you do not want to make a mistake you will remember forever. Also, do not underestimate the ability of your friends to do your own hair. It costs nothing if you mess up and can turn out better than doing it yourself. Just make sure to practice once or twice before the actual prom so you, or they, can get your hairstyle just right.
makeup Although getting your makeup done may sound like a frivolous and costly experience, it does not have to be. Nearly every makeup counter at department stores, such as Nordstrom or Macy’s, will do your makeup for free or for a relatively minimal charge in the form of products. Just call or visit the counter in person to make an appointment in advance, and do not forget to ask if they have a minimum purchase. So to make this work economically, do not buy any makeup in the few months before if you are running out.
accessories Accessories are a key component to any girl’s prom style. You might have your eyes set on a fancy designer clutch or charming earrings that are just too expensive, but, it is easy to get a chic look without busting your budget. Rent The Runway leases designer jewelry and accessories for limited-time rentals. For other affordable and fun pieces, check out Forever 21, H&M and Nordstrom B.P. They sell bright necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and clutches at great prices. But if you do not want to spend precious cash on accessories, borrowing always works. Ask your mom, grandma, sister, cousin or friends for prom jewelry.
nails
Shoes Classic black patent leather shoes are the same for all rented tuxes. Although they can be uncomfortable, girls and boys can suffer together in podalic misery. Some boys, although, choose to go with a more comfortable and casual look with flashy sneakers. Both can be appropriate, depending on the promgoer’s personal style.
prom is april 28 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the San Francisco Design Center. Tickets will be sold until April 21. $90 with ASB card $100 without ASB card
Getting a manicure and pedicure for prom is a special treat that does not need to be excessively expensive. Our favorites are Kim’s Nail Care in downtown Palo Alto (540 Emerson St.) and La Jolie Nail Spa (364 South California Ave.), both of which charge $40 for a mani-pedi and provide quality services. Other inexpensive salons include Central Nails (101 S California Ave.), which offers a great mani-pedi for $45. We recommend making an appointment for a few days prior to prom so you have one less thing to worry about come Saturday.
Shoes Obviously, you will not be wearing shoes for that long, but you still want to be comfortable for picture-taking and riding the bus. If you are buying new shoes, try to get a pair that you would wear for other occasions. Borrowing from friends is a great alternative as well. We love Nordstrom Rack, Aldo and Bluefly for big discounts on fun heels. Rent The Runway also features designer shoes to rent at reasonable prices. Steve Madden shoes are popular selections, but the high prices are deceiving. Often, the quality is unsatisfactory, as the may shoes fall apart after a few outings.
A&E
The Campanile
March 30, 2011 • B8
Former Foods teacher now operates food truck Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile makes many authentic Mexican dishes By Kelly Stern and Emily Tran Staff Writers
What originally began as a small cooking class at Palo Alto High School eventually became a popular food truck and catering service. Since Jan. 2011, Palo Alto’s Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile began to cruise the streets of the Bay Area with numerous stops around Palo Alto such as Downtown Palo Alto, Stanford University and the Palo Alto Farmer’s Market. The owner of The Oaxacan Kitchen, Chef Ron Kent, is not new to the culinary world as he has been a chef for over thirty years. His interest in Oaxacan food began when he married an Oaxaqueña (a woman of Oaxacan descent). “[The idea] started after we got married and the family down there wanted to meet us. We started a travel program [where] we did a little fly around with Bon Appétit, a little gallery endeavor [where] we got some people down to Oaxaca,” Kent said. “I had actually never been to Oaxaca at that point and kind of just wrote up the menu and subsequently every trip I’ve taken down there, I’ve learned how to make something.” It took many stages for Kent to get to where he is now with his food truck, starting with his travel program, which eventually influenced Kent to teach Oaxacan cooking classes to students at Palo Alto High School using many the recipes he’d learned during his trips to Oaxaca. After that, Kent started to expand his business and began to sell authentic Oaxacan dishes at Palo Alto Farmer’s market. Kent’s business continued to grow as he finally found a location to open his own small restaurant. “We were looking for a commercial kitchen and it was really hard at the time to find a place, but we found a spot and we called it the Oaxacan Kitchen because it was primarily a kitchen, not really a restaurant per se, but it worked out well,” Kent said. “That’s where we started and we pretty much cooked around the clock, we made moles on Monday and we would close the restaurant and have farmer’s markets on Sundays.” In 2010, Kent decided to sell his restaurant and he is now opening a new food facility that is three times the size of his old restaurant. It has the commercial kitchen that he had been looking for. It was also this same year when Kent had the idea of the food truck and to cater to local events around the Bay Area. “We decided rather than having a restaurant and commercial kitchen that we’d just have a commercial kitchen,” Kent said. “So in the mean time, we wondered, ‘well what can we do to still be out there, and have food for our customers who love the restaurant, who travel around,’ and so we came up with [the food truck]. It made sense to have our truck for catering and it kind of took off, we put a wrap on it.” The Oaxacan Kitchen puts an emphasis on using fresh produce obtained from local sources. Most of the produce they use in their dishes come from the nearby farmer’s markets. “[Most of the food served is] dictated by the farmer’s market, whatever’s in season, because we buy at seven different farmer’s markets,” Kent said. “[The food is] all seasonal stuff.”
EMILY TRAN/CAMPANILE
Clockwise from top left: A woman prepares traditional Oaxacan food inside the truck. The Oaxacan Kitchen makes and sells various types of Mexican food, such as this entree. They also are famous for their authentic Mexican churros. The truck serves as a mobile kitchen and restaurant, selling food at many different locations across Palo Alto, including Page Mill Road, Stanford University and Downtown Palo Alto. As far as what else goes on the menu, Kent says that mostly everything is authentic Oaxacan food. The truck even has its own tortilla press, and they make their masa (dough for the tortillas) in molinos that they purchased in Oaxaca. “A lot of people have a misconception of what Mexican Food is,” Kent said. “Something we found out from going to Oaxaca is that the Oaxacan food is nothing like any other food that you find here because [the food here is] Americanized. With our food we try and make it authentic, we keep the practices they have.”
The Oaxacan Kitchen keeps a two week schedule online on their website (www.oaxacankitchenmobile.com/), which informs customers where they will be at what time. They also keep a daily menu posted online for each location. Their current stops take place around certain areas of Palo Alto such as Page Mill Road and Stanford University. “Cooking is cooking; it doesn’t matter where you are,” Kent said. “You can use whatever you’ve got and whatever ingredients you have. The only thing that’s different is that you’re on wheels and the ability to cook where you want is pretty amazing.”
Scott W. Kaloust, D.D.S, M.S 1300 University Dr. Suite 2 Menlo Park, CA 94025 Phone: (650) 326-0250 Fax: (650) 326-0507
Joel B. Spolin (650) 529 - 4700 office (650) 618 - 2004 fax To send large files:
https://dropbox.yousendit.com/JoelSpolin
You are on the brink of your future. I can help you find your path to purpose ...and college admissions success. Marci Reichelstein Certified College Admissions Advisor www.compasstocollege.org
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels is expanding! Check out the new store at the end of April!
2220-B University Ave, East Palo Alto Hours Mon-Thurs: 6am-5pm Fri: 6am-4pm Sat, Sun: 7am-3pm
A&E
The Campanile
March 30, 2012 • B9 CRISSY FIELD
By Anna McGarrigle Staff Writer
HALF MOON BAY By Wesley Shiau Staff Writer
For a scenic location, Half Moon Bay State Beach is perfect in all ways but one — the weather, which is most often gray. Constantly under a gray forecast with a cold-biting wind that chills to the bones, Half Moon Bay State Beach can range from an amazing experience to a horrible one. Consisting of four miles of beautiful sand devoid of garbage, the beach is an ideal getaway for all, from surfers looking for an exciting day on the water to families looking for a calming getaway. A $10 parking fee is required at all state beaches in California and Half Moon Bay is no different. However, the wide range of activities that Half Moon Bay compensates for the cost. For people looking for a leisurely walk, a coastside trail runs parallel along the eastern portion of the beach providing a pleasant three-mile walk, jog or bike. Horse lovers also have their say as the pedestrian trail is accompanied by an equestrian trail; however, horses are not allowed anywhere but the trail. Dogs are allowed on the trail as well but are prohibited from entering the beach. For people looking for a relaxing afternoon, the beach provides a large gathering area complete with picnic tables, seating and barbeque pits. California stays true to its motif of environmental friendliness and as a result this Half Moon Bay beach provides various rubbish bins for compost, recycling or garbage. Split into three smaller beaches (Francis Beach, Venice Beach and Dunes Beach), Half Moon Bay State Beach can be the ideal getaway for those who are willing to adventure to a destination whose variable weather can very well determine the quality of one’s experience.
Different from any other beaches in the Bay Area, Crissy Field is an excellent beach, park and picnic destination with a captivating history. Crissy Field is located in the Presidio in San Francisco at the former military air base. The weathered white wooden military officers’ homes are scattered throughout the grounds. Among joggers and kite-flyers, visitors can enjoy the beautiful view of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from the shore. On a clear day, one can even see the jagged skyline of San Francisco. The expansive green lawn scattered with picnic benches provides a lovely spot for a picnic or game of frisbee. If one wishes to stroll along the beach, the walk stretches for miles alongside the ocean. One might see the fisherman casting lines into the surf while wading into the ocean, but not everyone can withstand the cold and wet Pacific. This beach is for recreational activities, which do not include swimming. Visitors can walk along the seawall to view the historic Fort Point, an important military fort dating back to the Civil War. Fort Point also played an important role in developing military aviation technology during World War I and II. Since the base was turned over to the Park Service in 1974, hiking trails, birding ponds and native plant restoration areas have been created. The Warming Hut is a popular cafe and bookstore along this route, perfect for a snack and a rest with its incredible view of the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate. Other attractions exist at Crissy Field if you happen to visit on an overcast day. Museums such as the Disney Museum and the California Military Museum occupy grounds along the beach. Across from the park, businesses have taken over former airplane hangars. Planet Granite, a popular indoor climbing facility and House of Air, a trampoline bouncing house, occupy these locations. On beautiful days, both are known to open their hangar doors to the expansive view of the ocean. So if you wish to make an outing to San Francisco, Crissy Field provides a relaxing outdoor experience separate from the hussle and bustle of the city. Among all of the joggers and park-goers, one is guaranteed to have a pleasant experience.
ANNA MCGARRIGLE/CAMPANILE.
CAPITOLA
By Alex Taussig Staff Writer
WESLEY SHIAU/CAMPANILE
PANTHER BEACH
Capitola, a quaint village on the Northeast shore of the Monterey Bay, has a warm, sandy beach, which makes it a perfect spring break destination. You can park your car upon arrival and not worry about it, and get to pretty much anywhere by walking. The village and beach sit in a depression between two cliffs. Hotels, surf shops and outdoor cafes line the beachfront while the slopes leading up to the clifftops are covered with boutiques, fancier restaurants and even an art gallery. The colorful Venetian Hotel, located on the beachfront, was built in 1924 and is a historic landmark and happens to be California’s oldest beachfront condominiums. Seals, sea lions and sea otters can be seen close the shore. A pier extends out into the sea from the beach, providing an excellent spot for fishing or watching sea life. The waves are big enough for surfing but bring or rent a wetsuit if you want to surf, as the water is very cold throughout the year. The waves closest to the village are reasonably tame, making the beach an excellent place for novice surfers to learn. More experienced surfers can walk west along the coast to “The Hook,” a renowned surfing spot. However, some of the areas are away from the village are very dangerous, and should be avoided by all except the most hardened veteran surfers.
By Jacob Zenger and Ryan Deslauriers Staff Writers
A location twenty minutes north of Santa Cruz is a great option for people interested in a classic beach day. Panther Beach may be small but what it lacks in size it makes up for in a beautiful set-up. Finding one’s way down to the actual beach may seem daunting due to high cliffs, but the area is well worth the extra effort. Initially, the beach may appear to be nothing special, but there is more to Panther Beach than meets the eye. By keeping close to the cliff and walking to the right, toward what seems to be a dead end, one can find a hidden gem of a beach. After continuing through a vaulted rock overpass, the true destination presents itself. This beach itself is a long stretch which is about half a mile. Along one side there is a large cliff that one can scale with relative ease. Climbers will enjoy this portion of the beach. Near the end of the beach rises a large and craggy rock formation which provides several levels to walk and climb on. These rocks are a fun way to pass hours at the beach. Although climbing to the higher levels may require a certain level of skill, this challenge can entertain more serious climbers. Along these rocks are small tide pools which contain a plethora of wildlife. However, at high tide these pools can become slippery and consequently quite dangerous to cavort about on. Although the beach provides top notch climbing, it also has some drawbacks. Chiefly among these are the waves, which are not optimal for boogie boarding, body boarding or surfing. Also there are not any restrooms at this beach which can be problematic. Overall, this beach deserves a visit because of exceptional climbing walls and pleasantly picturesque landscape.
LAUREN WONG/CAMPANILE
A&E
B10 • March 30, 2012
What is “real” ethnic food?
By Benjamin Hawthorne, Bailey Cassidy, Nira Krasnow, Marie Ezran and Michael Wang
CHINESE Palo Alto has a large Chi-
ALEX LIN/CAMPANILE
FRENCH According to French
natives, the “authentic” French food in the Bay Area is not comparable to true authentic French cuisine due to differences in portion size, texture and quality in general. The food in France has a unique texture and taste that cannot be found in America. “The French food in France is served in reasonable portions and it tastes much richer because they don’t go easy on the butter,”
nese community. But does this mean good Chinese food? “Firstly, food here is pretty much incomparable to food in China,” junior Brian Chen said. “Secondly, food in Palo Alto sucks compared to food elsewhere in the Bay Area.” There are clear differences between food in the United States and China. “Chinese food in the U.S. has way too much soy sauce
junior Genevieve Lucas-Conwell said. “Everything you have in France, you can count on it being good. The French food here is kind of light and normally served in either small portions or really large portions and it doesn’t taste the same. It doesn’t have the same texture as it does in France.” Although the food at local French restaurants and bakeries is usually a tasty treat, one must travel to France in order to experience authentic French cuisine.
INDIAN Indian restaurants are ex-
tremely popular all around Palo Alto. From University Avenue to Town and Country Village, there are many opportunities to try traditional cuisine. According to junior Shaheen Essabhoy, southern Indian food is more prominent in restaurants than northern Indian food. “Restaurants serve more south Indian food, and we are more from the north, so
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Savion Black and Keesean Johnson with The Campanile’s own Kirah Ingram and Chayla Cummings
RIKI RATTNER/CAMPANILE
a large bowl of pasta marinara with Parmesan cheese and a generous side of garlic bread. The appeal of Italian food is prevalent in the many restaurants that Palo Alto offers. But according to junior Nora Rosati, these restaurants do not represent authentic Italian cuisine. “It’s hard to find an Italian restaurant that gives you a good reflection on Italian food,” Rosati said.
it is totally different than what we get at home because [here] you get thicker rotis and more meat versus we have lighter curry,” Essabhoy said. In addition, most of the Indian food Essabhoy eats at home comes from her grandmother’s recipes, something she has not been able to find in local Indian restaurants. “I also feel like the Indian food at restaurants is a lot more oily and unhealthy than what you would cook at home,” Essabhoy said.
Because her dad is a firstgeneration Italian who grew up in Italy, Rosati is no stranger to the foreign cuisine. She says the difference between the food in Italy and America is the ingredients. “Part of what makes a good [Italian] dish is good ingredients, which tend not to be heavy, buttery and fattening,” Rosati said. “The way that an American Italian restaurant Americanizes foods is by using grease, oil and butter which are not staple ingredients in Italian foods.”
ALEX LIN/CAMPANILE
MEXICAN Mexican food is the love of
PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES/CREATIVE COMMONS
2
in
This edition featuring
ITALIAN Few people can turn down
ELENA PINSKER/CAMPANILE
and oil, whereas real Chinese food in Asia, while oily, is much more authentic,” senior Toby Lee said. In America, most Chinese food is what is called “Asian Fusion,” which mixes dishes from many countries in the Far East, while most food in China is exclusively Chinese. “We kind of eat fusion food, and most of my friends do, too,” senior Emily Ahn said. While Chinese restaurants may be abundant, there is no substitution for real ethnic food.
The Campanile
many Californians. It draws us like moths to a light and rightfully so. With vibrant colors and zesty flavors, Mexican food possesses a quality that few other cuisines have. “When most people think Mexican [food], they think Chipotle, but there’s more out there,” junior Gabe Morales said. And he could not be more right. From the savory moles of Oaxaca to the poc chuc of
Flower Power By Riki Rattner and Alex Lin Photography Editors Spring has sprung, which means two things for Palo Alto High School: beautiful flowers and prama. Palo Alto is filled with not only breathtaking blooming buds but also rose bouquets and prom signs. The Facebook groups have been made, girls are frantically searching for dresses and boys are (hopefully) planning the perfect way to “pop the question.” Paly’s prom will be held at the San Francisco Design Center on Sat., April 28. As this date approaches, prepare for more prama and more stunning flowers.
Yucatan, there is a mouthwatering breadth to Mexican food that few know about. Foods like ceviche and tlayudas embody a lesserknown aspect of Mexican cuisine, one that deserves to be more recognized. With the variation of flavors across Mexico, there is much to be discovered. So next time you are at your favorite Mexican food joint, opt out of the typical Carne Asada Burrito and pick up some salbutes y panuchos instead. It will probably be pretty good.
The Campanile: Why are you wearing Nike Elite socks with your Sperrys? Keesean Johnson: ‘Cause brah, I don’t [wear them without socks]. TC: What’s so special about Elites? SB: They’re $14. That’s pretty special if your socks are $14. KJ: Elites are $14 and they have swag. They don’t just have like a Nike sign on the side. They’re mostly used for like basketball, football sometimes. SB: Sports, tennis. KJ: It’s just for swag, pretty much. TC: So on a level of 1-10 how much swag do you think you have? KJ: On a level [of] 1-10, Keesean got a ten, you already know. SB: Savion is off the charts — what people would consider off the charts. Senior Dre Hill comes over. TC: So what number would that be? Dre Hill: Negative one. TC: Now since both of you have girlfriends as of recent, how is the whipped life treating you? KJ: What do you mean by whipped? TC: Would you say you are whipped? KJ: Would I say I was whipped? No, I’ve never been whipped. They’re whipped over me, let’s put it that way. TC: Savion, are you whipped? SB: Not at all. TC: Would you consider yourselves tied down “temporarily?” KJ: Yes. TC: How’s that going? SB: It’s great. I like it. KJ: I like it. TC: Why do you say “temporarily” tied down? SB: Because you can break up at any point in life. KJ: It’s not like you guys are like... KJ & SB: married. SB: And you have to like file divorce papers and stuff like that. KJ: You can break up at any point in time — she can break up with you, you can break up with her, that’s just how it goes. TC: What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever been in, and what grade was it in? DH: Seventh [grade], like six months or something like that. TC: And who was the girl? SB: Erica. TC: What about you Keesean? KJ: Sixth grade, on and off for like a year. TC: Who? KJ: No one. Can’t tell you the name. TC: Oh, “she who must not be named?” KJ: Ok, Louisa alright. TC: What do you look for in girls? KJ: Alright, lookin’ for girls that have a nice personality. SB: Ditto. What he says, no matter what. KJ: Parents have to be nice, not so strict. TC: ...Can you be honest now? KJ: I am honest... and looks. Definitely. TC: What kind of girl would you bring home to your mom? SB: A girlfriend. KJ: A girlfriend with a nice personality, nice looks. SB: If she’s respectful and has good manners she can meet my mom. TC: Do you feel like you have to follow in the footsteps of your siblings? SB: I feel like I would like to follow in [senior Lindsay Black’s] footsteps, but I don’t want to take her place. Lindsay has really good grades and I would like to have that, but I wouldn’t like to be just like her. KJ: Well me, with my brother playing college football, that’s one thing I’ve been wanting to do. so I would like to follow what he does. But it’s a work in progress. TC: Do you feel like your parents have certain expectations for you because of your siblings? SB: Hell yeah! Man, I’m the bad child in the family, man they always comparing me to Lindsay. Lindsay gets to do whatever she wants. KJ: My mom and my dad, they don’t like comparing us because they know that me and my brother are doing like pretty good, both of us are doing good in school, always have been doing good, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do anything. TC: If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? (Black requested to have his original comments on this question removed.) KJ: If I was gonna die, I would just have the best day of my life! TC: What does that entail? SB: I would run out naked and stuff. KJ: The thing I would do is I would like go to a hotel, pick up random girls, do what I do... TC: Which is what? KJ: What you mean which is what?