The Campanile
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
Palo Alto Senior High School
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Since 1918
Vol. XCIV, No. 4
50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 • http://palyvoice.com/campanile
Student places
sixth at Siemens
national contest
Friday, December 16, 2011
back-to-back
champions
By Alvin Kim Staff Writer
Jeffrey Ling, a junior at Palo Alto High School, and his partner Helen Jiang, a junior at Henry M. Gunn High School, won $10,000 in scholarship money in the Siemens National Competition in Math, Science & Technology by placing sixth in the contest on Dec. 5. The Siemens competition is a highly regarded research competition in which high school students prepare and present science research projects to a panel of judges. Ling and Jiang went to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. for the national round, having won the regionals at the California Institute of Technology in November. They participated in a series of activities that culminated in a presentation in front of a panel of judges. “There are contest activities like the presentation and there was the poster session, where we have a poster and the public comes and looks at it,” Ling said. In their project, Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Utilities Integrating Clinical and Molecular Findings to Manage Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Neonatal Care, the pair developed a better method to deal with the disease called necrotizing enterocolitis, which is highly prevalent among prematurely born infants. They were assisted by Dr. Karl Sylvester, a professor at Stanford University, who played a significant role as a mentor for Ling and Jiang. “He basically guided us through our project,” Ling said. “He taught us what we were supposed to do.” Now that they have finished the Siemens competition, Ling and Jiang look to both further the research and also, possibly begin new research after winning. “Right now, we’re a little bit busy with school,” Ling said. “Starting in the spring, we can look and see what opportunities we can do, like furthering this research or doing a new [project].” They would further the research by helping with its implementation in hospitals. “We’re going to add in more data into our database and we’re helping to implement it to actually help patients so that doctors can actually use it,” Jiang said. According to both Ling and Jiang, the whole experience at the national competition was remarkably different than the one
See SIEMENS, page A3
Anya Grottel-Brown/The California Tech
On Dec. 5, junior Jeffrey Ling and Gunn junior Helen Jiang placed sixth at the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.
The Lady Vikes are the first team in Paly history to win consecutive CIF Division 1 State Titles. Read full story on page A10.
AP students raise money for art with Program 868 By Gracie Fang Technology Editor
The Palo Alto High School Advanced Placement Studio Art and Advanced Painting and Drawing students joined together in November to create Project 868, a fundraising project aimed towards raising money for the Paly Art Department. The Paly fine arts program has been deeply affected by budget cuts. Since the amount of money available to the department no longer meets the required amount, students are urged to compensate for the immense gap in order to keep the art program running. Project 868 aims to fill the gap by selling handmade watercolor holiday cards and bookmarks to fellow Paly students and residents of the Palo Alto community. “We just want to earn enough money to compensate for the budget cuts that the Art Department has to endure each year, and leave the studio art program with enough funds for future years to not have to worry about a specific budget that their art must remain under,” Chang said. “That’s not the spirit in which art should be made, so we hope that Project 868 can
ASB eliminates fourth period representatives
contribute toward, if not succeed completely in alleviating the problem, as there doesn’t seem to be much action happening in the administration.” According to senior AP Art Studio student Maddie Kau, the funds that McKenzie received from the government calculated out to only $8.68 per student for the entire year, when on average, an AP Studio Art student needs around $100 per year to fund the canvases, paints, brushes and other supplies that the student uses. “People outside the art department don’t realize just how expensive art supplies are,” senior and AP Art Studio student Samantha Chang said. “With $8.68 per person, that is hardly enough money to buy half a canvas or a tube of paint. It’s a desperate situation that the school puts [AP Studio Art teacher] Ms. McKenzie in every year, leaving her to plead for donations.” Another important factor that has contributed to the Art Department’s lack of funding is that the art program does not receive as much attention as other activities like sports and science.
See ART, page A3
By Will Kershner Staff Writer
The Associated Student Body (ASB) has decided to discontinue the fourth period representative system that was designed to provide Palo Alto students with an increased amount of awareness of ASB events, according to Student Activities Director Matt Hall. Former Fourth Period Rep Director, and now current Co-Treasurer, junior Josh Madej says the decision to cut the program was regrettable but necessary. “The system has never really worked out over the past few years when it’s been attempted, it is going to be ending this year,” Madej said. The decision to end the program has been in discussion by Madej and Hall. It was recently concluded that the system was not as effective as it needed to be. “We are very much about trying things and if they work great, if they don’t, well we’re not going to do that if it doesn’t seem like it’s effective,” Hall said. “It just hasn’t been effective.” Although at this moment there are no plans for the future ASB realizes that a better and more effective system needs to be put in place. “I think we might try something next year but at this point I am not fully sure of that,” Madej said. Hall was disappointed, but willing to work toward a better more active future program. “What we are looking for is a new system that is more effective,” Hall said.
Junior qualifies to compete at U.S. Figure Skating Championships Wilbur Ji will skate in San Jose at 2012 Nationals, places sixth at sectional competition By Elena Pinsker Technology Editor
Palo Alto High School junior Wilbur Ji will compete at the 2012 United States Figure Skating National Championships in San Jose, Calif. in late January. Ji placed fourth at the Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City in the novice level, which qualified him for the national competition. At Sectionals, Ji was in sixth place after the short program, but completed all his elements in his long program to move into fourth. Last year at Sectionals, held in Culver City, Calif., Ji placed [seventh missing] the cutoff for Nationals. That was his second year competing at the Novice Level. Ji will be skating in front of a hometown crowd, since the competition will be held at the HP Pavilion. In addition to Ji’s novice men section, there will also be junior and senior level skaters competing in singles, pairs and ice dance.
INSIDE News...................................A1-A3 Opinion..........................A5-A9 Sports..............................A10-A12 Lifestyles...................................B1 Features........................B2-B5, B8-B9 Spotlight...................................B6-B7 A&E...............................B10-B12
According to Ji, there are three skating sections in the country, from each of which four athletes are chosen to compete at Nationals per level. Although his competition may be unknown to him, Ji is aware of the expectations for his performance structure. “I’m going to have to do two routines [at the competition],” Ji said. “One is called the short program, which is two minutes and 30 [seconds], and the other one is called the freeskate, which is three minutes and 30 [seconds]. I do my choreographed programs which have a bunch of double and triple jumps. I also have to do required spins and footwork sequences.” Ji says he practices five to six times each week, waking up as early as 5:15 a.m. during the week to practice before school. He will focus the hours he spends on the ice on memorizing and perfecting his routine. “To prepare, I’ll probably have to run my program dozens of times [so that I]
know it like the back of my hand,” Ji said. Ji said that his coach choreographed the two programs he has competed with this year, which is the same pair he will use at Nationals. In order to get comfortable with them, he said he had to practice skating as well as train off the ice. “[My programs weren’t] difficult to learn,” Ji said. “The hard part was landing all my triples and building up enough stamina to get through it without looking like I’m about to die on the ice. I have to stretch, too, because there’s a lot of flexibility stuff to ice skating, because it helps to prevent me from getting hurt.” While Ji is skating competitively, he said he is looking at the competition as a way to enjoy himself and to skate to the best of his abilities. “My [goal] for this competition is to just have fun,” Ji said. “I mean, how many people can actually say they skated at Nationals? Only 11 other guys throughout the US at my level will be competing against me.”
Courtesy of Wilbur Ji
Wilbur Ji placed fourth at Sectionals and is qualified to compete at the national level in San Jose in 2012.
SPORTS
A SIDELINE PERSPECTIVE Take a closer look at football games with a different perspective shot from the sidelines. LOGAN MENDENHALL/Campanile
PAGE A12
Anna Mcgarrigle/Campanile
NEWS
TOLL FREE PARKING Administration clarifies “no parking enforcement” days.
PAGE A2
Alex Lin/CAMPANILE
RIKI RATTNER/CAMPANILE
OPINION
OPINION
GOT MORE SPIRIT?
PRESSURED TO CHEAT
Students debate over secondsemester spirit week.
SAT cheating scandals pose security issues during testing.
PAGE A8
PAGE A9
NEWS
A2 • December 16, 2011
Palo Alto modifies anti-bullying programs
ASB Update By Michael Wang Staff Writer
Associated Student Body Student Activities Director Matthew Hall recently implemented specialized committees within ASB to increase efficiency and productivity in order to tackle larger projects. “The system needs some revision, because it is often unclear what comes first, our committee tasks or our elected positions,” ASB’s School Board Representative Alex Carter said. Despite that challenge, ASB members agree that it is a step in the right direction for the planning and executing of student-run events. “It increases accountability for students whose jobs do not need them to work much in the second quarter,” junior social commissioner Quinn Rockwell said. ASB members are planning and deciding on a date for the Winter Rally, complete with the yearly studentstaff basketball game. The Prom Committee, led by senior class president Sam Blake, has selected a venue and is currently picking a prom theme. ASB members were not able to comment on the exact venue location. “Prom planning is going well. The committee is meeting up with the planner to finalize details,” junior Vice President Soo Song said. An opinion poll will also be released by ASB concerning the new schedule proposal coming into effect next year. The date of release is to be determined.
School Board Update By Gina Scarpino Staff Writer
The Palo Alto School Board held a meeting on Dec. 13 to discuss the approval of the performing arts center that is set to be built at Palo Alto High School. The school board also discussed the project budget for the performing arts center. In June 2010, the board approved the conceptual design of performing arts center — a design that included a 29,000 square foot building which would include an auditorium that would have two levels and sit 600 people, an orchestra pit and a new drama classroom. This plan for the building brought the cost of the project to $22,400,000. The School Board met on June 6, 2011 to discuss a design for the auditorium that would reduce the seating capacity to 466. The estimated budget for this design was $22,400,000. But after the board discussion, they worked with campus committees to look at designs that could have a seating capacity closer to 600 seats. The Performing Arts faculty has recommended that the auditorium be one single level and sit 550 to 575 people. This new plan is estimated to cost $24,395,049. The school board met to approve the new design for the Palo Alto High School performing arts center, and also to pass the new proposed project budget of $24,395,049. The board also approved Architect Addendum no. 12, with the cost of architects from Deems Lewis McKinley Architecture ($207,600), in order to represent the new construction budget for this project.
UpcomingEvents
Jan. 4: Jim Fruchterman, founder of Benetech, will be speaking at Paly in room P15 during 7th period*
Jan. 6: Ro Khanna, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Operations, International Trade Administration, will be speaking at Paly in room P15 during 7th period*
Jan. 17, 18, 19: Finals will occur after winter break. School ends at 12:45 p.m. on the 17th, 3:30 p.m. on the 18th and 12:45 p.m. on the 19th
*Students interested in hearing the speakers on Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 must contact Esther Wojcicki at heywoj@gmail.com
News Briefs ADMINISTRATION TACKLES BULLYING
Project Safety Net (PNS), created by the city of Palo Alto in cooperation with Palo Alto High School, is a program that assists teenagers who feel depressed, left out or abused. Principal Phil Winston has worked on this project with guidance counselors, teachers and School Board representatives to make sure Paly is the best environment for students to be in. “Project Safety Net is a community based project that involves helping teenagers who need help in dealing with depression, abuse and many other conflicts to better the environment here at Palo Alto High School,” Winston said. “My goal with this project was to make Palo Alto High School the safest and most secure, and maintain that standard.” Winston has had several meetings with the school board concerning the progress of this project. Paly’s representative for the project Kimberly Diorio has been an important figure in the process of reporting to the school board and new advances on the project. “Ms. Diorio is our representative for all the meetings,” Winston said. “Without her, this project wouldn’t be making progress like it has the past couple years when it was implemented.” After the death of a former Paly senior, the whole Paly campus came together to mourn as one student body and faculty. “[Her] death was so tragic, it really hit home that life is filled with ups and downs, and sadly the lows sometimes at this campus outweigh the ups,” Winston said. “It taught me a lot about student safety and that we need to be in connection with the students, especially me as
The Campanile
Research presents new coping tactics for teachers By Jacob Zenger Staff Writer
All three of the Palo Alto Unified School District middle schools have adopted new programs to build camaraderie between the students in an effort to eliminate all forms of physical and emotional bullying in the schools. These schools have shifted their attention for the 2011-2012 school year from attempting to change the actions of the bullies to focusing on the victims of bullying. “There’s been a lot of research that’s been done in sort of shifting the philosophy towards the consequence model towards a more of a focus not on the bully so much as on the recipient of the bully to try to change their behavior to stop the bullying from happening in the first place,” David Starr Jordan Middle School Principal Gregory Barnes said. “A lot of programs are sort of based on a consequence model,” Barnes said. “Where there’s an incident of bullying there’s usually a recipient of bullying and then there’s the bully themselves. In most cases, historically, the bully would get a consequence and that would be it. It didn’t do a really good job of sort of stopping the bullying. Research would show that it would sort of continue after that point.” This new approach tries to deal with both the bullies and the recipients to eliminate bullying. The bullies are encouraged to set goals for themselves to improve their previously negative actions towards the people they bully. The recipients are shown things that people enjoy about them to lift their spirits and are also shown the reasons why people are picking on them.
AntiBullying ls to goa ve my ro imp gative ne ions? act
social
kindness
wh peo at do abo ple like ut m e?
Lea ders hip
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“The main idea is to prevent bullying, but it is not [limited to] bullying,” Terman Middle School principal Katherine Baker said. “It is teaching empathy and leadership and getting kids to be leaders so they stand up to bullying and anything that is not fair at school. We called it our social kindness program, and has been evolving for about three or four years.” Each grade level has its own emphasis for the year. For sixth graders, the main point is transition from elementary school to middle school. Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School and Terman have programs that serve as an introduction to middle school for the incoming sixth graders. The first week of school for sixth graders is like a boot camp for middle school, showing the sixth graders that middle school is not a harsh environment and that the older students are kind. Jordan plans to adopt a similar program to this. At Terman, in the seventh grade the administration ties their “social
an how c a i be ? r leade why mig ht i get bullied?
kindness” program to actual content and curriculum in the classes. For example, in their English classes they write “I poems” which state who they are and what they stand for. In eighth grade the emphasis is more on leadership because the students are the oldest on campus. A group of about 60 eighth graders volunteers to become part of TASK (Tigers Achieving Social Kindness). They are the leaders of the school, especially for the younger students. This program always has room for improvement and the administration of the middle schools are constantly trying to find the best system for their students. This program is always changing depending on the needs and wants of the students. “It’s completely different from its original year in terms of the character-education component,” JLS principal Sharon Ofek said. “Every aspect is revised based on surveys of students, parents and staff.”
Free student parking condoned on special days Ticketing to not be enforced on Club Day, PiE tours, Turkey Trot By Perri Pond Staff Writer
The Palo Alto High School administration mandates that students purchase a parking permit each year to park in both of the school’s parking lots. Occasionally, however, there are designated as no parking enforcement days throughout the school year. Each year, Paly students must pay for a new parking permit so they will not be ticketed by the city. On “no parking enforcement” days, Paly administration asks the city to not ticket the Paly parking lots. These days are titled as “no parking enforcement” on the school calendar on paly.net. However, this policy can be confusing towards students. “I don’t understand why if they have these no parking days, why we [the Paly student body] can’t just park for free in the [parking] lots,” junior Abbey Kinnaman said.
the principal of the school. I feel as the principal my job is not to sit in the office all day. I need to be interacting with the students as much as possible.” Winston enjoys interacting with students on the Paly campus and these relationships with students have improved the way Project Safety Net can be utilized since students open up to him about their feelings. “If I see a student who is not looking happy or seems to be out of sorts, I go up to the student and ask them ‘what’s going on? Why are you so down?,’ stuff like that because it’s important to know that your students are doing fine because of the pressure and stress that they all experience on this campus,” Winston said. Not only is Winston checking in on the students, all of the teachers have been trained to QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) if they see anything unusual behavior in a student. “I always have the safety of the students in my mind, although more suicides will happen, my goal with Project Safety Net is to get the help to the students who feel like suicide maybe their last resort to fixing the problem, because it isn’t at all,” Winston said.
—Brandon Byer
Staff Writer
PLAY IN A DAY TO DEBUT ON DEC. 17 The annual theater event “Play in a Day” will debut this Saturday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. Current students, alumni and teachers will come together to write and fully produce plays on the last day of winter break. This year, Palo Alto High School theater teacher Kathleen Woods and Thespian President Grace Barry will be organizing the event by choosing the general theme the plays will revolve around,
Various students share the same reaction as Kinnaman does when they first heard of these days: Why are there “no parking enforcement” days, yet students still have to pay for a parking permit? “They are not necessarily ‘free’ parking days, they are just days [when] the ticketing isn’t enforced,” Principal Phil Winston said. “So that might be interpreted as free parking, but I’ve never thought of it that way.” The administration creates no parking enforcement days when it knows that certain special events will be happening. “Parking is not enforced on days like Club Day, PIE Tours and Turkey Trot when we have large amounts of volunteers on campus,” Paly’s Student Activities Director Matthew Hall said. “No parking enforcement” days were only created for specific days when the administration knows there
will be many visitors at Paly who will need a parking space without previously attaining a permit. Some students feel that a section of the parking lot designated for students that carpool would be a good idea. “I definitely think it would be good to encourage carpooling because it is better for the environment,” Kinnaman said. However, in past years, Paly has offered the option of a carpooling permit, that would allow for drivers who carpool each morning to be designated with a special carpool pass.
“Carpool passes have been offered at Paly in the past, but were discontinued due to abuse of the system by students,” Hall said. Paly’s administration found a problem with the carpool permits: that many people were purchasing them, as they was a lower price, but then proceeding to park in the regular parking. “Single drivers [were] parking in carpool spaces or students signing up for a carpool pass but then driving solo,” Hall said. “It’s simply too hard to enforce the solo/carpool dichotomy.”
Anna mcgarrigle/campanile
Student parking permits required to park on campus are not enforced by Paly administration during several special events throughout the school year.
NEW BIKE LANES HELP COMMUNITY
and managing the volunteer playwrights and actors. After Woods and Barry pick the theme, each playwright will draw a specific topic relating to the theme. Playwrights must also incorporate a group of 7 to 8 actors, out of the 60 to 100 volunteered actors. Once the playwrights are done, the cast will come back together Saturday morning to practice from 9 a.m. until showtime to develop and perfect their play. “Each group gets two rehearsals on stage with tech people,” Woods said. “And then they have the whole rest of the day to work out or run their lines, change their scripts [or] figure out other props and costume pieces.” Woods is excited for what the cast this year will bring to the table. “The creativity is just so far out there,” Woods said. “It’s just so fun every year to see since its always different. Most of the plays are humorous, but sometimes they are a little more serious.” President Barry is also enjoying the process of producing Play in a Day for the first time and feels comfortable in taking on the leadership role. “It’s kind of a big task to take on, but it’s also been fun,” Barry said. “I’ve been participating in Play in a Day for years now, so the whole system is very familiar to me and since I’ve been doing theater since my freshman year, I’m also familiar with the people participating, which makes assigning groups a lot easier.” Woods hopes that Paly students and families will be able to make it to the onenight-only performance Saturday night. “It’s really amazing to see what people can come up with in 24 hours, trying to learn their lines and make a play,” Woods said. “It’s very fresh and fun, and a great way to start the Holiday season.”
The City of Palo Alto’s plan to create bicycle and pedestrian friendly intersections and restore pathways was halted and sent back to the committee to be revised at the City Council meeting on Nov. 7. If successfully passed, the City of Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP) would create bicycle boulevards, new bike lanes and a divider between pedestrians and bikers at intersections, among others. The plan focuses on five main objectives, the first being to double the rate of biker commuters by 2020, which would reduce the amount of commuter congestion in the city and increase the efficiency of the roads. Since work commute trips are a significant reason for street congestion, increasing the amount of bicyclists during commuter hours would help keep the roads efficient. The BPTP’s second goal is to reduce Palo Alto’s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent by 2020 by changing the city’s main mode of transportation to walking or bicycling. The development of pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians leading to parks, schools, shopping centers and other destinations would help to promote biking or walking. The third objective is to create a network of bicycle lanes, pathways and bike boulevards. According to the city’s plan, doing so would promote a healthy and active lifestyle. The BPTP was first introduced to the city in the early 2003, and has since been updated several times. The BPTP plan will be revised and presented again to the Palo Alto City Council at an unknown date.
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
—Chrissie Cheng
—Anna Norimoto
NEWS
The Campanile
December 16, 2011 • A3
PTSA-approved grant Occupy Wall Street protests to be put towards 60 reach Palo Alto community Supporters meet downtown to discuss issues new Kindle tablets By Caroline Martignetti Staff Writer
Henry M. Gunn High School and Palo Alto High School have recently been collaborating on a common goal: incorporating the Kindle Touch tablet reading device into their library’s book collections. Both schools’ libraries entered an online application months ago on the Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) website in hopes of receiving a grant from the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) for the purchasing of 60 new Kindle Touches to split between the two libraries. PTSA recently approved the grant, adding to it an $11,000 budget to build a downloaded book library filled with hundreds of novels, textbooks and nonfiction texts. Students will be able to select any of these various books on their Kindles, and read them instantly at their convenience. The Kindle Touch has a number of features such as built-in WiFi to make downloading books a 60-second process and an audiobook feature. “You can carry many books around with you in one single, small device,” Paly librarian Rachel Kellerman said. In the Paly library, the 30 Kindles will be added to a previously existing collection of three iPads. There are also many Apple computers and thousands of traditional books in the library, creating a diverse learning environment with many available options. Although the iPads are kept only within the vicinity, the Kindles will be much like the paper books throughout the library, available to be checked out and taken home by any Paly student. Last year, a survey was conducted throughout Paly’s student body asking students which reading device was most desired. Kindles were one of the students’ top choices, so Kellerman is excited for the most recent addition to the library’s reading material. Through the library’s advances in technology, Kellerman hopes that kids who do not have the technology they need or desire at home will have the ability to access it at school. “Tutorials and classes are to be held to make sure everyone who wants to have the opportunity to learn how to use one of these devices [will],” Kellerman said. “The training shouldn’t be hard, but you do have to set up an Amazon account.” According to Kellerman, one of the many benefits that Kindles will bring to Paly’s community will come into play during the future remodel of the library. “This way we have a virtual collection of books, so we can still continue to provide books and resources for students even when we are in the midst of our remodel,” Kellerman said. In terms of how these Kindles will compare to paper books, Kellerman says that everyone has a different way of learning and different resources and tools are better than others for different purposes. Kellerman says one perspective is that Kindles are better for long novels compared to iPads because they are easier on the eyes. However, she says many could argue that the iPad has different, helpful features that the Kindle lacks; it truly depends on the person. Paly’s librarians are focusing on getting the word out about this new technology, and are hoping to help find yet another way to provide resources and promote the enjoyment of reading.
By Ben Krasnow Features Editor
Transition Palo Alto and Films of Vision & Hope co-sponsored an Occupy Wall Street Discussion on Dec. 9 at World Centric, where about 35 citizens expressed support for the movement. The discussion yielded many varying opinions. All present were supportive of the Occupy movement, despite their varying levels of involvement. Some wanted to pitch tents in front of City Hall, while others were content to support the movement from a distance. One topic that was brought up during the discussion was the name of the movement. Some felt that the term “Occupy” gave it a military-like connotation, while others felt that it was a perfect name for the protest movement. Others pointed out that Occupy is not used internationally (for example, Spain’s Occupy movement is called Real Democracy Now). Other topics that were brought up in the meeting included the buildup to the movement and how people hoped that it would inspire
fundamental changes to the eco- ic, then choosing six movies to view based on that topic. At the nomic system. Josh Wolf, a participant in end of the series, a potluck is Occupy Mountain View who held to discuss the topic. That marched in Oakland during the is what the discussion on Dec. 9 general strike, talked about his was for. The goals of Transition experience during the Oakland Palo Alto, the other sponsor of the event, are to explore practistrike. “[You could] look back on a cal ways for Palo Alto to respond six lane road and see nothing to climate change, among other goals. but people for 500 “[The] transiyards,” Wolf said. “[You could] look tion movement is “It was powerful.” focused on buildWolf said that back on a six lane ing local resilhis experience all road and see nothience in the face along has been a of climate change positive one, de- ing but people for and resource despite the negative 500 yards. It was pletion,” Occupy connotations some powerful.” event planner Barhave associated bara Weinstein with the movement. Oakland General said. According to According to Strike participant Transition’s broDavid Coale, who chure, “change is involved with the Films of Vision & Hope, the is inevitable but if we act as organization puts on documen- communities, it must just be taries that are focused on solu- enough, just in time.” World Centric provides comtions to problems rather than postable food service disposjust problems. The most recent film includ- ables as well as food packaging ed clips discussing the Occupy products. For more information on movement. The process of selecting films Transition Palo Alto, go to tranis first done by selecting a top- sitionpaloalto.org.
Josh Wolf
Ling wins $10,000 in science contest SIEMENS, from page A1
Adam mansour/campanile
The PTSA has recently voted in favor of an $11,000 grant that will allow PAUSD high school libraries to purchase dozens of new Kindle tablets.
they had at the regional competitions. “At regionals, I never got to get to know the competitors until pretty much the last day, so I wasn’t really as close to them,” Jiang said. “At nationals, you meet [the competitors] on the first day, and you’re with them 15 hours, 16 hours per day the entire weekend. There are also a lot more judges.”
Ling enjoyed his time in D.C. as well. The competition in the capital presented a different experience, as he was followed constantly by cameramen. “It’s a great experience,” Ling said. “All of [the competitors] are really smart at what they do. They’re also really interesting at what they do. They’re not just nerdy people. Some are good at dancing and singing. It’s surprising because they’re scientists. People wouldn’t expect that.”
Art department receives less funding UC tuitions steadily rising than other fields, fewer school credits Students affected by increase in college costs By Olivia Cornfield
ART, continued from A1 “The arts at Paly are hugely underrepresented,” senior Cheyenne Woodward said. “We are swept under the rug.” Rather than concentrating on what needs to be done, the administration has put its funding into other activities that do not need the extra funding. “We just got a huge new field for soccer and lacrosse and are doing a major construction job so we have money for that, but the art kids still only get $8.68 per year,” Woodward said. “I’ve seen a small tube of oil [paint] go for $32. A small single tube.” In addition to receiving insufficient funds, the art classes themselves do not receive the same level of credibility as other Visual and Performing Arts classes. “Along with that, Advanced Photo counts as Career/Vocational Education credit and so do the upper theater classes, while Advanced Painting and Drawing doesn’t give that credit,” Woodward said. Project 868 hopes to combat these issues by raising the necessary funds and continuing to fight for their representation in the Paly community. According to art teacher Kate McKenzie, art is an important aspect of every student’s life
Staff Writer
alex lin/campanile
Paly arts receive less emphasis and funding than other fields. AP art classes do not receive Career/Vocational Education credit. because it fosters imagination and creativity. The program, however, is at the point where the people who care about art as part of their lives are forced to pay for their own supplies in order to keep the art program going. Because raising funds to fill such a big gap will take a long period of time, Project 868 members are hoping that their project will continue for many years until the goal is met.
“I hope underclassmen will inherit Project 868 and keep it going for future art classes since the debt crisis and funding cuts do not look too bright for art programs in the near future either,” Kau said. If the project becomes a huge success and more than enough money is raised, Project 868 will donate all of the extra funds they possess to nonprofit charities, according to Chang.
High school and college students across the state of California are becoming increasingly concerned about the rising cost of higher education across the University of California (UC) system. According to the Los Angeles Times, the UC system will be given 650 million dollars less in state funding this year compared to last year. Due to this dramatic decrease in funds, UC students could potentially experience a tuition increase of eight to 16 percent in the next four years, bringing the tuition fee as high as $22,068 for the 2015-16 school year compared to the current price of $12,192. Brenda Ortiz, Senior Public Information Representative at University of California, Merced, addressed concerns about tuition for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. “I know there has been some current talk with the media about tuition raise, but we aren’t implementing any new fee increases at this point,” Ortiz said. Though UC President Mark G. Yudof seeks to ultimately put a cap on fees for the upcoming year and stabilize UC tuition fees, many individuals question his strategy for dealing with the financial issues. “Some people found it promising that the UC president ended up deciding against [raising tuition fees],” College and Career Center College Advisor Sandra Cernobori said. “I think the concern is how else are they [coming] up with that money.”
One of the suggested approaches to dealing with the current budget situation is to increase enrollment by 1 percent and to increase the out-ofstate admits. Cernobori suggests that the increase in tuition at the UCs has affected Paly applicants. “If you look on Naviance, there’s an application trend,” Cernobori said. “It’s not a huge number, but over the past three years there’s been more students who’ve applied to out of state schools.” According to some seniors, the costs of an education at a UC have significant implications for students at Paly. “If the tuition was a lot lower I feel like the UCs would probably be more desirable for me,” senior Arun Varma said. Varma adds that the UCs’ current increase in tuition has compromised the appeal of the UC system. “Going to a private school might actually be a better option than the UC system,” Varma said. The steady increase in UC tuition has triggered a bitter response from current UC applicants. “It’s inconvenient and I’m not very happy about it,” senior Rina Hung said. Although tuition hikes are necessary in order to cover the costs of pensions, healthcare, energy and salaries, current seniors are becoming increasingly concerned with the ultimate effects of the rise in the tuition in UC schools. “I know it’s rough, but I feel like increasing rates might actually hurt [UCs] in the long run,” Varma said.
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THE ASB POST
The Official Newsletter of the Palo Alto High School Associated Student Body
CABINET OFFICERS Uma Veerappan
CLASS OFFICERS Senior Class
ASB President
Hi Paly! First off, I would like to thank the Campanile for helping us launch this publication. Over the past month, I’ve been thinking very hard about how to increase the role of the ASB on our campus. I decided to set up various committees within the class in order to increase the scope of our efforts, including a communications committee and a dance committee. This will allow officers to take on responsibilities apart from those assigned to them in the ASB constitution. If you have any suggestions for projects you would like to see us execute, please let me know. This year is all about change!
Maddie Kuppe
ASB Vice President
Recently, I have been most active in the organization of prom and club-related events that we will have in the future. Because there are not many events in the short-term to focus on, most of my energy has been devoted to planning for second semester. This will continue to be the bulk of my work, until new events occur--and hopefully become a success. Until then, the student body can look forward to the possibilities of a second club day, various senior events, and of course, the promise of a fabulous and unforgettable prom.
Hey seniors, it’s Sam Blake and Zora Singh, your class president and VP. The class of 2012 came together beautifully during spirit week. We saw more kids dressing up and cramming into our bleacher during lunch than ever before and our class performed exquisitely during the rallies. The seniors showed Palo Alto High School what spirit week is all about. In ASB, the both of us are working hard to improve the school and ASB transparency with committees. Both of us are on the prom committee. Separately, Sam is also working on improving the senior deck with Scotty McComas and Zora is on the sports committee and helping with the Mytonomy project.
Junior Class
Jared Swezey-Gleason ASB Secretary
As ASB Secretary I have continued to take minutes and record in class votes during the day in order to post them on the ASB website. I have also started to help coordinate the new student activity events to be held in the coming months, such as prom and the winter rally. As a Cabinet member I help out where I can in order to ensure that all of ASB is running smoothly.
Tremaine Kirkman and Josh Madej ASB Treasurers
We have elected Senior Tremaine Kirkman and Junior Josh Madej as our Co-Treasurers for the rest of the school year. We can’t wait to see the changes they plan to make to ASB!
Hi juniors, it's Jessica Tam and Soo Song, your class president and VP. We are so proud to be your officers and words cannot describe how amazing our class did during spirit week. The enthusiasm and spirit the juniors had during cheers and games-especially our I believe chant-was unmatched. Even though we got 2nd this year, we know that with the spirit and unity our class has, we can win next year! Cur-
rently in ASB, both of us have been working hard to expand involvement and communication with classes and administration. We are helping in various committees but mainly: Jessica, the class bonding committee and Soo, the communications committee. Through these groups, we hope to bring you guys more events and keep everyone updated!
Sophomore Class
Hey Sophomores, Alex Hammer and Curtis Wu here, your class officers. We wanted to take a moment to talk about Spirit Week. We know the result wasn’t what wanted, but you all handled the situation in the best way possible. We couldn’t be more proud to be the President and Vice President of this extraordinary class and we know we’ll get them next year. Currently, both of us are working on the yearly underclassmen fundraiser. Typically, this has been the Pancake Breakfast. However this year, we are working in collaboration with the freshmen class officers to come up with a new and fresh idea for a fundraiser. If anybody has any ideas don’t hesitate to send them in! The fundraiser will be sometime in the Spring. The two of us have also joined other groups: Curtis
is involved in the communications committee, and Alex is part of the dance committee.
Freshman Class Hey Paly, It’s Claire Liu your class president, and Rick Takeuchi, your class vice president. We want to let all of you know that although we did come in last, our effort and success for underclassmen was definitely recognized by staff and the upperclassmen alike. We were told multiple times throughout and after Spirit Week that our class was doing a “pretty good job, considering it’s our first year.” So, great spirit everyone! We’ll be looking forward to next year. What we’re currently working on in ASB is the yearly underclassmen fundraiser. Traditionally, this has been the Pancake Breakfast but it has been agreed upon by the freshmen and sophomore officers that it might be interesting to try something new this year. We’ve been working together to brainstorm a list of possible events, and a date is set for sometime in Spring. If you have any ideas, let us know! Aside from these class duties, Claire has chosen to be a part of the Class Bonding and Dance committee, and Rick has chosen to focus on the Sports Committee.
COMMISSIONERS A ND REPRESENTATIVES School Board Representative Alex Carter
The board recently had a long debate about the pros and cons of the new school calendar which will move finals before winter break. You can view the proposal at pausd. org, and if you have any feedback on how it would affect you, that would be greatly appreciated. If you have anything you want me to tell the board, send me a message at carterable@gmail.com, or send an email directly to board members through the PAUSD website.
Communications Officer Charlie Dulik
ASB Advisor Matt Hall, here with Junior President Jessica Tam and Vice President Soo Song, enjoys his first Spirit Week at Paly.
My work in ASB has recently been light. After Spirit Week, in which I uploaded scores daily as well as pictures for the week, I have focused my efforts on providing quick updates on ASB work using our new social media. I helped shape the debate on the formation of our new committee system, by which ASB hopes to become more transparent. I am working with Senior class President Sam Blake on this year’s Prom to plan our publicizing of this event. Although elections are still relatively far in the future, I am working on creating a new voting system to maximize each student’s voice. Together with Ms. Diorio, I am leading a committee to plan a big event related to Mytonomy in early January. Overall, although my position’s work in ASB is not overly stressful during this stretch of the year, I am still working hard to uphold my duties and provide help in other important areas of ASB.
Multicultural Commissioner Tremaine Kirkman
This quarter I have been hard at work on a variety of tasks. Other than being an active member of prom committee, I have been organizing activities for Black history month as Multicultural Commissioner. I have been carefully reviewing the successes and failures of previous years to prepare a calendar. The goal is a complete, thorough calendar of activities and events before we leave for Winter Break. Also, I am pleased to announce that I have been appointed Co-Treasurer along with Josh Madej. The Co-Treasurer system will allow for both of us to fulfill all of the responsibilities of the Treasurer, while still performing our original appointed duties. I hope to bring a needed level of experience to ASB financial decisions, which is especially important in the context of using and decreasing our surplus in a way that is financially sound and useful to the campus.
Freshman President Claire Liu and Vice President Rick Takeuchi help clean up during Spirit Week.
Social Commissioners
COMMITTEE UPDATES Dance Committee
We will be planning some more amazing dances for all the students. We have decided to bring back the Sadie Hawkins dance, which will be happening on Saturday, February 11, 2012 in place of Winter Formal. The theme will be couples costumes, such as salt and pepper, or famous couples. See you there!
Sports Committee
Headed by the sports commissioners-Sasha Robinson, Josh Stabinsky, Shannon Scheel-we are currently working on hiring a food truck for the quad night for varsity men. We are also assisting in the planning of the winter rally-which is the student staff basketball game! We hope to bring more sports events for the student body which will boost PALY spirit and pride!
Prom Committee
Communications Committee
We have plans to have an active role in the planning of the execution of the Mytonomy website at Paly. We also plan on having a second schoolwide club event.
Class Bonding Committee
We hope to create events for the classes that bring all four together in fun ways and boost general unity in the student body. The first project is a “Post-Finals Hot Cocoa and Cookies Social” that will take place on Thursday, January 19th following the last finals period.
Performances Committee
The prom committee is working on the venue, theme, and general logistics for prom. It has been talking to a prom planner and will soon meet with
The ASB Post Edition Two December 2011
the prom planner to finalize details. The theme has been picked as well and though we can’t release details now-stay tuned.
We are planning some great stuff for this year, including Airbands and cultural dance, and more serious talks on foreign policy and politics, led by Paly’s own Foreign Affairs club.
Editor-in-Chief: Uma Veerappan Cabinet Editor: Jared Swezey-Gleason Class/Committee Editor: Soo Song Commissioner/Representative Editor: Charlie Dulik Design: Brian Benton
Emma Ketchum, Elisabeth Black, Tesha Shalon, Quinn Rockwell Homecoming 2011 was a huge success! We would like to thank everyone who came out to support their class and show their Paly spirit. Homecoming couldn’t have been so great without you guys. For the past few weeks, the Social Commissioners have been working diligently on preparing for future Paly social events. Other than heading the dance committee, we are all also involved in different groups, such as the prom, technology and class bonding committees.
Cheer Representatives
Kiki Schlegel, Sophie Parker
As cheer representatives, we would like to start by congratulating the football team for a great season. We also want to congratulate Girls Volleyball on their two-time state championship title. We are aiming to go to nationals this year, so for the past few weeks the cheer squad has been selling Palo Alto High School lanyards for $5 to fund our trip to Nationals in Las Vegas. We are also working to improve communications between the school and the cheer squad about the Winter Rally, in which we will be performing. We have been working hard this year to help the cheer team overall this year. The cheer season is going strong and we are excited for basketball season to begin!
Fourth Period Representative Josh Madej
In ASB Tesha and I have been asked to work on several PSA announcements for Mr. Tuana that will be airing on Infocus. In addition to working on PSAs for staff members I will be working with Tremaine Kirkman as the new co-treasurers for ASB. Both Tremaine and I have begun our training in accounting, book keeping and other treasurer duties to assure that ASB funds are used properly and are accounted for in a timely, detailed fashion.
Spirit Commissioners
Lindsay Black, Kiki Schlegel, Kimmie Flather
Spirit commissioners are currently busy on perfecting the Winter rally for this year. Winter rally is a celebration of all of the winter sports with a staff versus student basketball as some entertainment. We are currently working on setting a date sometime after first semester finals week. There will be goodies given out at rally and we hope to make it as fun as possible.
The Campanile
OPINION
Friday, October 28, 2011 • A5
Editorials
Arts should be treated like other core subjects, have sufficient funding For many students, art classes are the most useful and most enjoyable. Yet, for some reason, schools nationwide are cutting the funding for their art departments and treating art like it is less important than other core subjects. Since art is a core academic subject, as stated in the No Child Left Behind Act and Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it should be treated as one and should not have to be funded by community donations or fundraisers like Project 868. Art is a legitimate career choice, and though most artists do not make a lot of money, they love what they do and they should be respected for that. People worry too much about first world problems and have immersed themselves way too much in the capitalist side of America, but people have neglected to just stop and think about the simple things of life that make one happy. If you look at everything around you - each and everything that is manufactured by a human is designed by an artist - water bottles, cars, and even food packages. Art is an important aspect of our lives, yet people oftentimes forget to appreciate the wonderful environment of art and culture around them. This view was echoed by current Secretary of Education Arne Duncan when he said that arts education “can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively” in 2009, but funding for the arts is still lower than it should be. The fact that AP Art Studio students get less than $10 a year to use for supplies - the equivalent of about one low-quality canvas to paint on - is simply unacceptable. Art classes are often viewed as a privilege or as unnecessary, perhaps because they do not directly teach students “book smarts.” As emeritus professor of art at Stanford University Elliot Eisner states in his “10 Lessons the Arts Teach,” art teaches children to make good judgments, rather than just find correct answers and follow rules. Eisner also expresses the importance of arts and their ability to teach that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. By teaching students to be more open minded and to fully utilize their creativity, the arts prove to be just as, if not more, important as math and science to students’ development. We are not arguing that students should only take art classes, or that math and science are unimportant, however each core subject, including art, should hold a more equal value in course offerings as well as graduation requirements. Instead of requiring three or four years of math and science, as most high schools do, and only one year of art, students should take two years of each at appropriately challenging levels, and then have the flexibility to choose what area they want to focus on. Encouraging students to utilize their critical thinking and creative skills would help produce more well rounded students, and greatly prepare them for the real world, where not all problems have one definitive solution. Instead of offering only general art classes, a school could offer a wider selection of classes, which would allow students to take an art class they felt more drawn to. The reason for the lack of funding is possibly that nothing can be done on a national level and the state and community leaders who are responsible for distributing school funds do not seem to realize that it is their responsibility to support the arts. “Decisions about the content of curricula, instruction and local budgeting are reserved for State and local officials,” Edith Harvey, the Director of Improvement Programs at the United States Office of Innovation and Improvement said. “In fact, the U.S. Department of Education is prohibited by law from exercising any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum” Schools, especially Paly, should take advantage of their freedom in providing funds and structuring curricula, realize the importance of art education and be more gracious in their funding of our art department. While at times cutting art classes may seem like an easy way to solve school budget problems, they are a tremendously vital part of a school’s core curriculum. I hope that the National Center for Education Statistics survey will help strengthen arts in schools and reinforce the importance of art in the classroom. Art provides students with the opportunity to see that creativity allows other areas of thought to grow and helps prepare them for the real world. Above all else, as Winston Churchill once said, “armed with a paint box, one cannot be bored.”
Letter to the Editor
It was disappointing to read the article on the advantages of delaning the freshmen English classes at Paly. I understand that accuracy and fairness are key traits of good reporting, and because your article is missing data from any studies conducted on laning in high schools, as well as the perspectives of students and teachers of the classes that you mention in your article, I find the article both inaccurate and unfair. This is an extremely hot topic in our community right now and it deserves more attention via thorough research and reporting. There are a few points that I’d like to make clear regarding a mixed-lane ninth grade English class, such as the TEAM English classes that you mention in your article. First, a TEAM English class is not a true representation of what a delaned English class would look like at Paly. This year, the ratio of Critical Thinking students to Exploratory Thinking students in TEAM is close to 1:1, and in a truly mixed-lane class, there would be fewer Exploratory students to Critical (since we have more Critical Thinking sections in ninth grade). Second, people should remember that mixed-lane classes are still laned, which means that a single class period has two grade books in which students are sometimes given different assignments and different point values. The teacher’s expectations of students’ skills directly affect the amount of time, structure, and support given to students as they work to achieve an objective. English teachers of both lanes have high expectations of their students and our goal is always to help our students reach those expectations.
Third, while it is true that students of mixed lane classes work together on important learning objectives, and the more motivated students are in fact positive role models that “rub off” on less-motivated students, never is there an expectation that Critical Thinking students teach Exploratory Thinking students nor the assumption that Critical Thinking students can make Exploratory Thinking students “better at English” as you suggest in your article. Finally, in any classroom, (and especially those with 30+ students), engaging all students in learning is an enormous challenge for even the most talented of teachers. In your article, you state that delaning would “make life easier on teachers because they would not have to be constantly bouncing from a high lane’s curriculum to a low lane’s curriculum.” This is far from the truth, and in fact, the opposite is true. Effective teachers will differentiate their lessons, which means that they must create activities and assignments that reach the needs of all kinds of learners. To teach a room full of students with varying needs and interest levels takes a considerable amount of time, energy, creativity and critical thinking. The bottom line is that your article contains some interesting and generally true points about the pros of delaning, but I didn’t want the Paly community to get the impression that delaning would be an easy change, by any means, based on what you believe might be happening in the current mixed-lane classes.
— Ms. Shaw / English Teacher
They Want Me, They Want Me Not
Students should be aware of the current events that effect their lives
While events taking place around the world may seem remote to Paly students swamped with homework, tests and college applications, The Campanile feels that students need to maintain a basic knowledge of the current events taking place around the world. Since all Paly students will be able to vote within a few years, it is vital for them to be knowledgeable about the issues of the world. In order to make an informed decision when voting and to better fulfill the civic duties that come with being a citizen of the United States, one must have an understanding of current events. Further, these seemingly distant issues actually have direct effects on students. For example, even though the budget crisis in Greece may seem foreign and unimportant, a collapse of the Greek economy would be detrimental around the world, negatively effecting everyone — even families in Palo Alto. Similarly, the killing of Anwar al-Aulaqi could seem irrelevant to a student’s every-day life, but the precedent set by this government action could change the way our government interprets the Constitution in the near and distant future. The Campanile believes that students could benefit from checking an array of news sources on a daily basis. With so many news sources putting their material online, it has become easier than ever to stay informed about the events that take place around the world. In addition, understanding current events helps students analyze history and literature with a fresh and informed position. With the next election approaching, it is critical that students begin to prepare for one of the most important decisions they will make during their lives, and The Campanile hopes that students will begin to see the effects that politics have on their everyday lives.
SOPA, Protect IP would lead to internet censorship, limit creativity The United States has always been a supporter of freedom of speech and expression, whether it be through the form of a protest, an article or online. However, this could change if the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the Protect IP Act are changed. The two are bills currently moving through Congress. In a nutshell, they give the government and corporations the ability to censor anything on the internet that infringes copyrights. This can include YouTube videos with music in the background, Tumblr blogs, start up websites or legal music sharing websites like SoundCloud. The argument for the bills is that copyright infringement is a serious problem that steals millions from the entertainment industry. However, if either of these bills passed even more millions would be lost. A perfect example of this is Justin Bieber, who rose to internet stardom by recording his favorite songs and putting them online. Under SOPA and Protest IP, not only would Bieber’s videos be removed, but all of Youtube would be taken down and Bieber would be prosecuted. Even if this seems reasonable, consider that the measures outlined in these bills would not be effective. One could merely enter a website’s IP address instead of its URL and the infringing site could be found. The negative consequences of these bills are endless. The overly broad language used could affect every site from Facebook to Youtube, no matter how legitimate or legal the site is. That language has extreme effects on investment in new startups, and could cripple the internet industry, one that adds $2 trillion to the national GDP and 3.1 million jobs. If these bills had been around when YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were starting, all of those websites would have been illegal. Multitudes of experts have stated that meddling with the internet’s inner functions as layed out in this bill would destabilize the internet and undermine web security. In addition, the prescribed method of site blocking (DNS blocking) is exactly how the Chinese government censors their internet. Finally, Secretary of State Clinton and Vice President Biden have recently made speeches condemning any and every type of internet censorship abroad — will the US listen to its own advice? Overall SOPA and Protest IP would not fix the original problem and would open up a Pandora’s box of other issues.
The Campanile Editors in Chief Michael Abrams • Brian Benton • Kirah Ingram Annabel Snow • Hannah Totte • Lauren Wong News Editor Layla Memar
Opinion Editor Meghan Byrd
Spotlight Editor Madeline Berger
Lifestyles Editor Nikki Whitson
Sports Editors Michael Augustine Mayssen Labidi
A&E Editor Clara Chang
Features Editors Bailey Cassidy Ben Krasnow
Advertising Managers Hannah Park Tanvi Varma
Tech Editors Gracie Fang Elena Pinsker
Photography Editors Alex Lin Riki Rattner
Staff Writers Kate Apostolou Joshua Arfin Charlotte Barry Isabel Benatar Elizabeth Bowman Josie Butler Brandon Byer Jillian Chacon Gavin Chan Chrissie Cheng Olivia Cole Benjamin Cook Olivia Cornfield
Laura Cui Chayla Cummings Ryan Deslauriers Samuel Dodson Charles Dulik Marie Ezran Rose Fitzgerald James Foug Yasna Haghdoost Ben Hawthorne Grace Keller Jake Kerman William Kershner
Alvin Kim Nira Krasnow Caroline Martignetti Anna McGarrigle Logan Mendenhall Matthew Morton Anna Norimoto Sophie Parker Perri Pond Julia Poppy Emily Rosenthal Gina Scarpino Abha Sharma
Wesley Shiau Ashley Shin Jordan Smith Kelly Stern Kyle Stewart Alex Taussig Emily Tran Alex Van Der Veen Michael Wang Eric Wang Rachel Wilson Beth Yan Jacob Zenger
Photographers Charlotte Barry Chrissie Cheng Samuel Dodson
Adam Mansour Anna McGarrigle Logan Mendenhall
Yael Palmon Gina Scarpino Emily Tran
Advisor Esther Wojcicki Letters to the Editors: Email all letters to editors to campanile.opinion@gmail.com. The Campanile prints letters on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit submissions. The Campanile only prints signed letters. Advertisements: Advertisements with The Campanile are printed with signed contracts. For more information regarding advertisements in
The Campanile and their size options and prices, please contact The Campanile Business Managers by email at campanile.ads@gmail.com. Note: It is the policy of the Campanile to refrain from printing articles that misrepresent or alienate specific individuals within the Palo Alto community.
OPINION
A6 • December 16, 2011
The Campanile
NEWS TO KNOW: THE TOP STORIES OF 2011 By Josh Arfin, Jake Kerman and Elena Pinsker
Staff Writers & Technology Editor With classes, tests and an array of extra-curricular activities, it can be difficult to stay updated on what is happening around the world. However, it is important to be aware of major international events, which is why The Campanile has compiled the top ten most important events of the past year, with comments from various students and teachers. Stay focused, but stay aware.
7 10
4 2
5 3
9
6
1 8
What were your reactions to the biggest stories of 2011?
“[Killing Osama Bin Laden] was a foreign policy victory for Obama. I was happy to see that we were finally able to locate him.” Adam Yonkers U.S. Government teacher
“I’m fascinated by Turkey’s response to the Euro [crisis], and the Greece response to the Euro crisis. I find [it] pretty scary.” Benjamin Bolaños World History teacher
1. DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN 5/1, Abottabad, Pakistan The al-Qaeda leader was assassinated in Pakistan by Navy Seal Team 6 in a risky mission approved by the president. Thousands gathered outside the White House that night to celebrate the news. “I was happy, but I didn’t feel as enthusiastic as other people,” junior Jean Yang said. “I guess it’s one step towards the right direction.” 2. ARAB SPRING 12/18/10 - present, Middle East A man set himself on fire in Tunisia, catalyzing the uprisings that have exploded throughout the Middle East. Many of the countries’ leaders have been forced out of power by populous movements. “It is symptomatic of a changing Middle East,” senior Foreign Affairs Club president Nassim Fedel said. “In some place it’s been successful, in some places it has not, and in some places the revolutions haven’t even been completed.” 3. GADDAFI KILLED 10/20, T ripoli, Libya Rebels who broke through the defenses of the Tripoli government captured and killed the former leader after finding him hiding from the protesters underground.
4. OCCUPY MOVEMENT 9/17 - present, New York City and beyond Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered in major financial centers around the world to protest greed in America’s mass corporations, that they called the “1 percent.” The protesters demanded a more egalitarian distribution of wealth. 5. EURO ZONE CRISIS September, Europe With Greece about to default on its credit, the Euro zone is on the verge of collapse. The global economy is dependent on solving the crisis in Europe. Germany has taken a leading role in attempting to solve Greece’s debt problem with austerity measures. “It sounds like deeper integration in the Euro zone would help so that no country can create a policy that will hurt other countries,” foreign policy club member senior Max Siegelman said. “I don’t think that there will be a default and things will get better.”
6. OVERTHROW OF MUBARACK
2/11, Cairo, Egypt Hosni Mubarack, the thirty-year president of Egypt, was forced out of office after protests against corruption erupted in late Jan. The protests began in Cairo and later spread all around the country.
7. OSLO TERRORIST ATTACKS 7/22, Oslo, Norway Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik bombed Norway’s parliament building and killed 69 children at a youth camp. 8. ANWAR AL-AULAQI KILLED 9/30 Al-Jawf Governorate, Yemen Islamic cleric and U.S. citizen Anwar al Aulaqi was killed by a U.S. drone strike. Some have argued that he was denied his Constitutional right to a fair trial. 9. JAPAN TSUNAMI 3/11, Tokyo, Japan Thousands were killed when an earthquake magnitude 9.0 and tsunami hit Japan followed closely by an explosion occurred at the Fukushima nuclear power plant resulting in high levels of radiation. 10. BUDGET CRISIS 8/2, Washington, D.C. As the U.S. neared its debt ceiling in July, political tension skyrocketed and an inability to compromise caused the first-ever down grade in the U.S. credit rating. OTHER EVENTS TO REMEMBER Steve Jobs’s death • Palestine requests to join the UN • Royal Wedding • Casey Anthony Trial • Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repealed
“I’m not sure [the Occupy movement is] really evolved into anything very focused, but it’s [an] interesting measure of discontent.” Debbie Whitson Economics teacher
Student reaction By Charlie Dulik & Ben Hawthorne Staff Writers
CD: There is no doubt that the killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Aulaqi was one of the most important events of the past year. It set the precedent that the government can arbitrarily assassinate American citizens it deems to be a threat to national security. This logic was used by the Gaddafi administration to justify the slaughter of Libyan protesters. BH: Al-Aulaqi was a direct threat to our citizens. He organized many attacks, including the Fort Hood attack and the 2010 Christmas bombing. Since we are at war with al-Qaeda, his organization, he is an enemy combatant under U.S. and international law, making his killing just. Although some argue that this killing establishes a dangerous precedent, this is not the first time an American-born enemy has been killed.
The Campanile
OPINION
“WHY I CHEAT”
Friday, December 16, 2011 • A7
The following was written by an anonymous student at Palo Alto High School. The views expressed herein belong to this student and do not necessarily represent the views of The Campanile.
WHY I CHEAT There are studies done on why I cheat, but they are wrong. There is scientific evidence that says I do it because I need to. They say I cheat because I am stressed out about school and did not have time to study, but that is not the case. I had more than enough time to study. I just chose not to. Studies say that teenagers cheat because the fear of failing a test is bigger than the fear of getting caught. They say only students who view grades as more important than learning cheat, but that is not me at all. And I am not the exception. I am rarely stressed. My parents encourage me in the right ways and do not pressure me to succeed. Neither do my friends, most of whom discourage cheating. But I still cheat, not because I need to but because I can. Cheating goes against every code, rule and set of morals I pretend to follow. It goes against everything I have learned and everything I have been told. I have been told that cheaters never prosper more times than I can count, but when it comes down to it, I got an A- on the last test I cheated on and I think that means I won. When you cheat, your teacher is supposed to catch you. And I admit, I have been caught a few times — three I believe — but so what? All three times were in different classes with different teachers. I may have had to stay after class and pretend I was sorry, I may have lost the respect and trust of my teacher, but not once did I receive any form of real punishment. And for that reason, I keep doing it. “I got a zero out of 15 on a quiz once, but that was the worst that’s ever happened,” an anonymous Paly student said. “I really don’t think any teacher wants to get their kids in trouble. No teacher wants to be the teacher that kept a kid from getting into a good college.”
WHEN IS CHEATING WORTH IT I personally only cheat when it matters. I have never copied math homework or asked someone for their lab data. I do not see the point. But as a whole, I am probably one of Palo Alto High School’s biggest offenders. Multiple choice tests are my favorite. Anyone with good eyesight or a few friends can cheat on those. And anyone with experience, who has figured out what works and what does not, can cheat even more efficiently. But really, any kind of test works. There are techniques for each kind, and the more comfortable you get with cheating, the eas-
Two Campanile staff members, whose names have been withheld, offered their own opinion on this issue. I feel naked when someone cheats off of me. I feel exposed when someone watches me so intently, observing each stroke of my pencil and punch on my calculator, as he or she mirrors my bubbling on their scantron. I feel helpless, I feel anxious and I want it to end. Even in those fleeting moments of pure desperation as I sit at my desk, thinking, ‘I have never seen this type of problem before in my entire high school career,’ I do not cheat. Put simply, I do so because I have respect for both the rules and my own academic confidence. Cheating hurts cheaters in the long run. A final worth 20 percent of one’s grade can easily drop a student from an A to a B if he or she fails it. What if every other person has test form B so the cheater ends up with test form A? What if both forms are completely different from the test taken the period before? There is absolutely no point in facing a terrifying yet plausible hypothetical situation such as this when it is complete-
ier it becomes and the less likely you are to get caught. It is kind of funny, actually. The only people that get caught are the ones that rarely do it. “I’ve gotten to the point where I have a way to feed myself answers on basically any kind of test,” another anonymous Paly student said. “I know teachers try to prevent cheating by having different test forms, giving essay tests and in a lot of other ways, but there are ways to cheat for all those kinds of tests.” When I choose to cheat, I tell myself that the information I am being tested on is useless and my time is better. That perspective is what keeps me from feeling guilty. What do I classify as useless information? Generally, this includes things that I can look up in a book or online quicker than it would take me to memorize. I do not know the distance formula for example, partially because I know I can find it in a book but also because I know everyone else knows it, so I can just rely on them. Another category of useless information consists of things that I think I am purely being tested on as a way for my teacher to see if I listen during class.
MY MOTIVE My decision to cheat is completely my own, but if I wanted to, I could easily argue that my teachers bring it upon themselves. I am a better student than most small -scale cheaters. I can learn the material, I just choose not to. I do most of the work, I just skip the final step. And why do I think that is? Because I never hesitate to cheat. Studies on cheating apply to low-scale cheaters, not me. Low-scale cheaters would never cheat on a final or a standardized test, even if they wish they could. They are the talkers and the reasons why cheaters do get caught. But they are not the ones who rely on cheating and are not the ones the administration should be focused on. The administration should focus on students who think cheating is almost fun. Cheating tests my limits and my tolerance for risk. It feels good. It makes me feel independent and some of the techniques I have succeeded with are so complex that it makes me feel even smarter than I would if I rightfully earned an A on a test. My reliance on cheating is not to say I approve of the act. In fact, I wish the administration would find a way to stop people like me, because although I try to tell myself not to be, I am a bit afraid that some
day I will get caught and it will ruin my academic career.
WHY I WON’T STOP Right now, cheating is not being handled how it should be. It is not being treated at the roots. Ways to cut out certain kinds of cheating are enacted, but hundreds more ways to cheat are available. For example, teachers often take students’ phones when they ask to use the restroom during a test. When I leave the classroom, I have access to other students, the textbook and the internet and you are worried about my phone? Teachers also often put up manila folders to prevent traveling eyes, but most of these folders can be seen around by a student who has a desire to cheat “My math final last year was a multiple choice test, but there was only one form and I could completely see around the folder and get all the answers I needed from the person next to me,” a student said. “I studied for the test and went into it confident, but I thought a little bit of extra help couldn’t hurt.” Cheating is like a weed. You can cut it down as much as you like, but until you get your hands dirty and pull that weed entirely out of the ground, it will not go away. The administration, as far as I know, has yet to get its hands dirty. The administration is standing in their garden, wearing gloves and using a Weed-Whacker (on a very low setting I might add) and thinking that simply doing this will stop cheating. But clearly, it has not and it will not. I will not stop cheating until I have a reason to do so and I will not have a reason until the administration figures out to be effective in preventing academic dishonesty. Simply repeating over and over that I should not cheat does nothing, nor does having an in depth academic honesty code that is never actually taken into effect. Last week, before a test, one of my teachers gave the usual speech on cheating. It is not worth it, we will get caught and so on. The test was incredibly easy. I probably would have been able to get a pretty good grade without cheating. But I chose to get some help on it anyway, taking advantage of when my teacher chose to take attendance and stopped focusing on our wandering eyes. On that day, and on most days, I did not cheat because I needed to. I cheated because I could. And because I had no reason not to.
A Different Perspective
ly avoidable in the first place. Students should not leave their futures in limbo when it comes down to academic integrity. After all, we are in school to learn, and an education improperly utilized is an education wasted. We attend a nationally ranked school renowned for its academic prowess and there are thousands of children around the world who would give anything to have the quality of education that we at Paly take for granted. Cheaters, do not abuse these opportunities just because you can, and if you ask, “Why not?” there is a deeper issue at hand. As students at Paly, we complete hundreds of graded assignments a year—it’s safe to say we are experienced with school. It is natural and completely acceptable to have a moral gut reaction to cheating, a concept that is part of our daily lives. Faced almost minute-by-minute with the decision of whether or not to cheat, we have developed a moral understanding of cheating that is indeed just as abstract as a cheater’s ode to gratifying wiliness and thrills yet more powerful in its glorious simplicity: it is wrong to cheat.
Cheaters also deliberately provoke unrest among the student body and Paly community. Psychologist Roy Baumeister believes that the biological purpose of morality is to “enable social harmony.” Cheaters who break the rules merely out of convenience or for a thrill go against the very rules intended to bring Paly closer together in the first place. The consequences of cheating extend beyond just a ruined curve or the notion of unfairness, as the inevitable result of defying our morals is a fragmented community. The cheater who peers over a divider to check his work, who exchanges solutions with other students between periods, or who takes pictures of test questions and sends to other students does so at the risk of their friends, their relationships with their teachers, and the integrity of the Paly community as a whole. Is it worth the extra few points? When I am not prepared for a test, I know it is because I did not prepare adequately or efficiently for the test, and so I have to deal with the consequences. Life is about learning from mistakes so they can
be prevented in the future, but cheating disables this growth, a bad precursor for a future in which there are no answer keys. By cheating their way through school, cheaters are cheating themselves out of an education — they are attaining superficial scores and essentially meaningless grades through the well-earned success of others. If students become accustomed to cheating then they will be confronted with a rude awakening when, later in life, they need to perform yet do not know how to do so. What happens when they have to write workplace reports when much of their high school essays were paraphrased or copy-pasted? What happens when there are no manila folders to look over or scantron answers to take a peek at? Real life requires complex problem solving, creativity and, most importantly, genuine, first-hand, utilizable knowledge. When it comes to this test, cheaters will find themselves very embarrassed when they do not pass.
A8• December 16, 2011
OPINION
The Campanile
Second Spirit Week could benefit or distract students
Each October, Palo Alto High School students come together to celebrate school pride. This annual event brings the school together and promotes inter-grade bonding, raising student morale and allowing for friendly competition. Many students enjoy Spirit Week so much that they feel that a second Spirit Week during second semester would be beneficial. However, others feel that the tradition should remain annual.
PRO
Spirit Week is a chance to relax, laugh and have fun with friends, an opportunity to focus on other things aside from school stress and an experience that unifies the grades. When Spirit Week happens annually all these benefits also only happen once a year. However, this would change if Paly had another Spirit Week in the spring, making second semester more exciting. “Personally I think that it is totally necessary to have another [Spirit Week] because I love dressing up and it’s fun because it is a competition between all the grades,” freshman Brooke Santana said. Having an additional Spirit Week could also resolve conflicts sophieparker between grades and serve as a rematch to challenge the class in my opinion that had won earlier in the year. Most people love the original ideas from Spirit Week. So they could be used to create a similar week but with different activities and different dress-up days to change it up. “We need another spirit week this year, one that’s unbiased and doesn’t put in fake ‘unity points,’” sophomore Hillel Zand said. A second Spirit Week could be focused on grade unity where competitions consist of everyone participating to win. Junior Walker Mees says that an additional Spirit Week will give students time to unite even more than beforehand, as both a grade, and as a school. “I think it would be awesome to have another Spirit Week later in the year because then the classes would have more time to bond,” Mees said. Spirit Week, being a competitive time, caused controversy in the past, which can easily be settled by another Spirit Week. Something lively such as a “Spirit Week Rematch” where grades fight to win, but this time dressed with different themes and games, including possibly with a new “sports week” consisting of Powderpuff, Ultimate Frisbee and even a schoolwide game of Capture the Flag, could capture people’s attention in a new way. It would be interesting to approach Spirit Week from a different angle than usual. The competition could be two grades against two other grades, or even staff versus students, to spice up the week. “Spirit Week Remake” would be a twisted Spirit Week full of not necessarily grade-by-grade competitions against other rephrase, not necessarily gradeby-grade. This would make the school more unified. “It would be cool to have another Spirit Week because we could do something different like upperclassmen versus [underclassmen],” sophomore Sophia Moss said. With another crazy, energetic, amusing Spirit Week, students and the Associate Student Body would have more time to prepare than they do for the October Spirit Week, making Spirit Week overall run more smoothly. Additionally, it would allow grades the opportunity to unify throughout the year. Whether it is “Spirit Week Round Two” or “Spirit Week Rematch” there are many possibilities which could make second semester spirited, which would increase student happiness throughout the year.
CON
Spirit Week is undoubtedly one of the most exciting weeks at Paly, but one of the reasons why it is so fun is because it happens only once a year, making it unique and special. Creating a second Spirit Week would not only take away from its originality but also distract students from other important events taking place during the spring semester. Junior Aldis Petriceks believes that Spirit Week should remain an annual event because it is more memorable that way. “[A second Spirit Week] takes the novelty away from it,” Petriceks said. “It’s a fun week and people get pumped up about it but it might get kind of boring doing it again.” The current Spirit Week has themes that date way back in marieezran Paly history, allowing students to look forward to dressing up in my opinion in these traditional costumes each year. A second Spirit Week would imply creating new themes that students would not be accustomed to or may not like, ultimately lowering the student body participation. Junior Shaheen Essabhoy loves spirit week but thinks that the creation of new dress-up themes would not be as exciting. “Everyone waits for the traditional Spirit Week themes, so making new ones just wouldn’t be the same,” Essabhoy said. Part of the fun of this event is that each year, the class has gotten one year older and can create new cheers associated with their new grade. A Spirit Week in the same year would result in the repetition of a lot of cheers causing it to be less interesting and exciting. In addition, Spirit Week takes a lot of time and energy to organize for the Associated Student Body officers and creating one during the second semester would distract them from planning other important events or activities like prom. Although ASB Commissioner Sasha Robinson loves Spirit Week, she knows that it is very time-consuming and thinks that it is unnecessary to make another one in the same year. “Spirit Week is a lot of work and it’s very stressful for all of ASB especially the Spirit Week Commissioners so I think having to redo it would put a ton of stress on them,” Robinson said. The excitement of Spirit Week for students can also be a distraction and may make keeping up with academics difficult, especially since many teachers do not reduce their homework load. More importantly, second semester is full of Standardized Aptitude Tests, Advanced Placement exams and finals, and students need to remain focused to finish the year strongly. Essabhoy also believes that the second semester becomes too busy to fit in another spirit week. “Spring is such a busy time of the year, especially for upperclassmen with finals coming up, and AP testing and all the other college stuff,” Essabhoy said. Spirit Week is a great time at Paly for the school to come together and have fun, but like everything in life, it is fun in moderation and should remain an annual event. Another Spirit Week would take away from the originality of this school event.
Video camera surveillance system monitors students’ actions
Security system serves community, but students should know about it What do you think about the administration’s surveillance cameras on campus? “I am not keen on the idea.” Ms. Filppu English teacher
“I don’t know but that makes me really uncomfortable.” Jake Dagan sophomore
Cameras gaze down across students, with every action they do being reported immediately back to an iron ruler who decides their fate. Does this sound like a plot summary of George Orwell’s benhawthorne 1984? in my opinion Think again. This situation might resemble life for students here at Palo Alto High School. We conducted a survey of ten students, which revealed that only one of the ten knew that cameras were in place around the school. Nevertheless, the administration maintains that they informed the student body when the cameras were initially installed. “There were articles in the publications [about the cameras],” Vice Principal Jerry Berkson said. The Campanile published an article in 2006 entitled “Security cameras coming to Paly.” However, that article was published five years ago, and it constitutes the entirety of the press that the cameras have received. Almost no students know about these cameras, which is problematic because members of any institution in a democratic society, including a school, must have a say in the policies of the institution, as per the groundwork at Palo Alto High School our nation laid out in the Constitution. Thus, although the cameras themselves are both useful and constitutional, the administration should make the existence of the cameras public. The school should make its policies well known to its students, as any governmental organization, including a school, benefits from this input. This is especially true for Paly, because the purpose of our school is to benefit the students attending it.
Although governmental organizations usually require some kind of secrecy to function normally, as evidenced by the fallout from the Wikileaks scandal, declining to tell students that they are under constant surveillance is more than just creepy — it is wrong. This does not mean that the cameras must be removed, however. Video monitoring is useful insofar as it is for a good purpose, such as prevention of crime, and actually ends up achieving that purpose. The cameras were installed to prevent theft from locker rooms, so they are not inherently wrong. “The purpose [of the cameras] is deterrent and [is] helping us track down who steals or commits crimes in areas of campus,” Principal Phil Winston said. Winston declined to disclose the location of the cameras, however, Berkson explained that there are at least four cameras in place, all of them outside of the locker rooms, with the purpose of stopping crime. Berkson also repeatedly stressed that the cameras are outside the locker rooms, not inside them, so there is no potential for the cameras being used to produce child pornography. “I am only aware of the four cameras that I am responsible for, which are located outside the locker rooms,” Berkson said. So the system clearly has good intentions. But does it work? It appears that the system has been able to apprehend criminals, albeit with limited success. “Have they been effective at catching or identifying thieves or other criminals?” Winston said. “Yes, a lot.” However, others members of the Paly community are more skeptical. The system has been criticized in the past for its high cost, which some estimates placed as high as $100,000. “The cameras are kind of effective; they’ve helped a few times,” Berkson said. “We would be better off taking other security measures, such as just keeping an eye on things better.”
Outside experts have confirmed the effectiveness of security cameras in reducing crime in schools. A 2003 study published by Missy Baxter, a researcher at Duke University, found that video monitoring leads to good behavior and less crime. “Sometimes just the idea in kids’ minds that there’s a camera recording them keeps them from causing trouble or being difficult,” Baxter wrote in the study, which is entitled Surveillance in Schools: Safety vs. Personal Privacy. Thus, though security cameras are not inherently ineffective, the problem is simply that Paly is using its cameras poorly. One possible solution would be to alert students to the presence of the cameras to deter them from stealing. In addition, some students have raised objections to the supposed intrusiveness of the cameras. “I don’t like the idea of being looked at all the time,” junior Niassan Beyzaie said. However, cameras are not exactly a violation of privacy, especially in a public place such as a school, where the administrators can see what everyone on campus is doing, with or without cameras. Further, social networking tools have led to most teenagers on campus having their face plastered all across the Internet. Privacy is largely dead in today’s modern age, for better or worse. Those who dislike being seen by the cameras should remember that they are in a public place, where they would be able to be seen anyway. There is also a legal aspect to the issue of surveillance. Since those who run schools are responsible for any losses of property or damages that occur on school grounds, they ought to have a right to take means to protect against such losses out of their own interest. The Supreme Court has been silent about the issue of surveillance cameras in schools, although it has been very vocal about the issue of privacy in schools in general. In the 1985 case New Jersey v. T.L.O., in which a student named T.L.O. (not his/
“I was unaware that there were cameras, but I don’t have anything against it.” Lindsay Black senior
“It is an invasion of privacy.” Max Chen freshman her real name; his/her privacy is protected because he/she was a minor) was suspended for drug use after being suspected to a search of her handbag, the Court ruled 6-3 that the school’s interests of maintaining order and discipline came before the student’s right to privacy under the Fourth Amendment. Although there is the possible objection that the Fourth Amendment maintains that authorities need to establish a “probable cause” to search a student, New Jersey v. T.L.O. established that schools only need a “reasonable suspicion” to search a student, and that searches are acceptable if the crime occurs “in plain view,” or visible for all to see. Since one can observe theft at the locker rooms using nothing but their own two eyes, and since the locker rooms are public places, bike and locker room theft is clearly in plain view, so the cameras are thus constitutional. Despite their constitutionality, good intentions, and mostly successful results, the camera system is problematic because nobody knows about it. If their purpose is to deter crime, then it would be wise for the school to inform all incoming freshmen about the locations of these cameras, so that students know that there is a 100 percent chance of them being caught for stealing. Even a $10 “This area is under video surveillance” sign would be sufficient. All of the students interviewed agreed that they should have been told about the cameras.
OPINION
The Campanile
December 16, 2011 • A9
Cheating scandals result from pressure to excel Standardized tests do not reflect true scholastic achievements In the last few weeks, the Standardized Aptitude Test (SAT) cheating scandal unraveling in Long Island, New York has been all over the media. As more students plead guilty to paying imposmaddieberger tors to take their in my opinion exams for them in exchange for money, message boards all over the Internet have been filled with angry adults screaming about spoiled children. While what happened in New York is the first time students have been caught cheating by authorities, the reality is that this kind of thing happens all over the country. They should be punished, but the prosecutors should keep in mind that there are plenty of students who have gotten away with cheating scot-free. The core issue is whether the way the SATs are taken and scored is effective. The scandal obviously exposes flaws in the security measures used during the testing sessions, but also raises questions about the entire system as a whole. These students were willing to pay a lot of money — between $500 and $3600 — and risk criminal charges for a score. A number. The problem is that in today’s educational system, that one number can determine someone’s future. It is not a secret that colleges put a lot of emphasis on the SAT or American College Test (ACT) when considering admissions, and what happened in Long Island proves that these standardized tests have far too much influence on whether a student gets accepted or rejected. And that is what needs to change. Anyone who has taken the SAT or ACT most likely agrees that they are not are accurate representations of a person’s true intelligence or his or her readiness for col-
lege. The SAT is the worst offender, and seems to mainly test whether one can recognize a trick question. One teacher at Palo Alto High School has even been known to tell the class, “The SAT is not testing how smart you are, it is testing how well you can test.” It almost seems to depend on what kind of thinker one is; some people are good with tests and some people are not. There are plenty of people at Paly who have excellent grades, but have had to take standardized tests over and over again just to get an acceptable score. In a society that encourages all different kinds of thinking and creativity, one test should not fit all. Or, one test should not have such a heavy weight in college admissions. Even those students who only had to take the test one time probably paid for SAT prep classes outside of school or bought expensive workbooks to prepare. It makes no sense that students from one of the best public high schools in the country should have to waste so much time and money preparing for a test that only tests testing abilities. Furthermore, the cheating scandal reveals another major flaw in the standardized testing procedure. These students paid for good scores, and while doing so was very unethical, is that not essentially what everyone else is doing when they hire pricey SAT tutors? Either way, money gives students an obvious advantage. That should absolutely not be the case for a test that anyone applying to college is required to take. No matter one’s economic status, every student should be able to walk into the test feeling just as prepared as the millionaire’s son sitting next to him. It is also important to realize that the College Board is a corporation, not part of the public education sector. Taking the SAT costs money, and the more times one takes it, the more money College Board makes. They profit off students’ failure, which in essence means they want one to do poorly. It is the epitome of a flawed system.
ALEX LIN/CAMPANILE
Recent SAT scandals expose flaws in the security measures used during the testing sessions. However, students gravitate towards cheating due to pressure to excel in school. Money aside, students who have to take the SAT over and over again also may suffer from something called “learned helplessness.” As any Advanced Placement Psychology student may recall, this refers to a passive resignation after being repeatedly faced with trauma or failure. A person comes to feel as if he or she cannot control negative events. There are countless students at Paly who have experienced this effect when their scores did not improve. It seems like no matter what they do, they cannot control their score on the test, even if they study and practice. Psychologically, this can lead to a defeated, resigned belief that they are “stupid,” when really it is the test to blame. Overall, while cheating in any form is never acceptable, for students who are bad at the SAT or ACT, cheating might seem like the only option. Perhaps the students in the New York scandal were really the spoiled brats the furious message board-posters on NBC.com
accuses them to be, but maybe they were just desperate, and saw no other way to ensure a college admission. Thankfully, many colleges have already lessened emphasis on SAT scores, but obviously there is still an enormous pressure to score well, as the New York scandal has revealed. So what should we do? We could attempt an Occupy College Board movement, but trying to bring down an institution that has tested students for over 80 years may not be the best solution. Instead, colleges should continue to look more carefully at grades and essays instead of focusing on scores to assess a student’s intelligence. In the long run, what the College Board should do is change the test so that it is not necessary to prepare so extensively outside of school and is appropriate for all kinds of thinkers. While it is unfortunate so many students in New York cheated, the one positive aspect is it may be the wake up call generations of students have been waiting for.
Advisory should incorporate detailed college planning
Teachers need to focus on helping kids prepare for SAT, ACT Fourty-five minutes after the end of sixth period on Thursday. 45 minutes that will help stuabhasharma d e n t s in my opinion p l a n their futures. 45 minutes that are supposed to make the first semester of senior year a walk in the park. Does this sound familiar? These 45 minutes are spent in advisory, a class that is supposed to help students plan out their lives in an orderly fashion and smooth out the tedious process of applying to colleges, taking Standardized Aptitude Tests and other entrance exams and also providing us with a time to talk to our teacher advisors, whose job it is to guide us through the perilous twists and turns of high school. However, the advisory system at Palo Alto High School needs serious changes in order to achieve its goal of helping students plan life beyond high school. Most students in high school take college entrance exams some time during their junior year. This being said,
it makes sense that we should begin to receive information about these tests at the end of sophomore year. However, this is not the case. During advisory we begin to receive information about these vital tests during our junior year, by which time many students do not have adequate time to prepare for the tests they want to take. Although it is true that most students do not want to spend their summer taking prep classes for these tests, sometimes that can be a better option than having to prepare for them during a very stressful junior year. Also, many students are capable of taking various SAT IIs at the end of their sophomore year, including the SAT II Subject Tests for math, chemistry and english. Unfortunately, they are not made aware of this fact until their junior year and it just adds onto a enormous list of things they have to complete before applying to college. Teacher advisors should start giving us information about tests like the PSAT, SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Tests during our sophomore year so students have ample time to prepare for them. “It would help to know about upcoming tests a couple months in advance,” junior Sarah McCann said. “That way you can
start finding tutors or classes if you need them.” In addition to information about entrance exams, advisory should also include a few sessions in which students are explained the meaning and procedures of Early Action, Early Decision and scholarship programs that many universities and colleges offer. This should be done during early junior year. Students should also be given time during advisory in which they make a list of four to five colleges and research these schools and what kinds of programs they offer. Doing this will help students narrow down their top choices. Also, students who are interested in getting recruited for collegiate-level athletics and applying for sports scholarships should be accommodated for and given extra information on how to best go about their college applications. The same goes for students who are interested in applying to Visual and Performing Arts, because currently advisory is structured for students who want to go down an academic-centered path. “I think advisory should be a one-on-one interaction that gives us individual attention and preparation,” senior Austin Braff said. “Everyone is at different stages with their college application and wants explore different fields in
college so it’s hard for a teacher to guide everyone on a uniform path which might not apply to them.” The most vital part of the advisory system is one’s teacher advisor. Some students may be unaware of the fact that their teacher advisor will be writing them a college recommendation letter during their senior year. This puts some students in a very awkward position because they have never had a class with their teacher advisor. This is not an intentional flaw created by the advisory system, as students are told to pick a teacher advisor whom they are most likely to have a class with when they choose their advisers at the end of freshmen year. Sometimes, teachers go on leave, or students end up with an advisor they did not choose, so it should be easier for them to transfer to one they are likely to have a class with. Currently, it is near-impossible to switch teacher advisors, as some students may already have discovered. It is important to recognize that despite these flaws, the current advisory system is extremely helpful and we as a student body should be thankful that we even have advisory, seeing as some schools do not. However, if these minor changes could be made, those 45 minutes that we spend in advisory would be much more beneficial.
What would you change about what happens during advisory? “I think it should be less dry and have more material.” Mieko Temple senior
“There should be different sections for each grade.” Justin Robinson
senior
“It should be less repetitive.”
Keara Ford senior
No homework nights would ameloriate student anxiety
Respite from workload decreases stress levels, improves health
Students in the Palo Alto Unified School District are accustomed to having hours of homework every night, consequently causing high stress levels among them. The idea of no homework nights has ginascarpino been worked into the PAUSD calin my opinion endar for middle school students. However, high schoolers receive a much greater amount per night, whereas middle school students receive a significantly smaller amount per night than high schoolers do. The homework load that high school students obtain shows that they also deserve no homework nights for stress relief. The homework load that high school students obtain per night always seems to be more than is expected. According to paly. net, students are supposed to receive 30 minutes of homework from every subject
However, Solway said that he does not each night, which rounds out to about two think that the stress level of most students hours per night for the four core subjects. However, most students find this unre- would go down because teachers would asalistic. Palo Alto High School junior An- sign more homework other nights to get drew Solway says that on average, he re- through their curriculum. “For me personally, though, I’d do nothceives three to four hours of homework every night — almost double of what the ing on no-homework nights and my stress Paly nightly standard is. Hours of home- level would probably go way down [on those work are often the greatest cause of stress nights],” Solway said. No-homework nights would likely beneamong teenagers. Students would benefit from no-homework nights because it would fit seniors the most out of the Paly student body because give them of having to a night balance colto take a lege applibreak from junior cations and schoolwork schoolwork at and re“Seniors have more important lax, which things on their plate than class- the same time. Winston would rees during app season. They said that if duce stress should definitely get nights off.” h o m e w o r k levels. nights were to Palo Alto happen at PaHigh School Principal Phil Winston said that no home- ly, he would make them around college apwork nights could make a difference for plication deadlines to reduce senior stress some students, as long as that homework and anxiety. Even though no-homework that was meant for that night does not nights would be implemented into PAUSD high school schedules with the idea that show up at some point.
Andrew Solway
they are a night for students to relax, nohomework nights could also provide an opportunity for students to work on projects and catch up on homework. If one is sick for a day and feels like he or she missed an entire week of school because he or she has so much work to catch up on, no-homework nights could be the perfect oppurtunity for him or she to catch up on what they missed. “Seniors have more important things on their plate than classes during app season,” Solway said. “They should definitely get nights off.” Although students at Paly are pushed to work to their highest potential, everyone needs an evening off now and then. Giving students a stress-free night would allow them to revive themselves and be refreshed and prepared to learn the next day. Being stressed raises the issue of students having a number of things on their mind and not being able to concentrate 100 percent in class. It is important to have the sleep and relaxation that one needs in order to function correctly the following day. Everyone could strongly benefit from no homework nights now and then.
A10 • December 16, 2011
SPORTS
The Campanile
Junior qualifies for 2012 Olympic diving trials Cole Plambeck uses prior gymnastic experience to excel By Chrissie Cheng Staff Writer
As junior Cole Plambeck walks down the platform, the crowd gets silent and watches him turn his back to the pool. He stands at the very edge of the diving board, making it bounce as he puts his hands straight up into the air. He suddenly flips backward, and lands a perfect dive headfirst into the water. Cole, 16, currently dives with the Stanford Diving Team, a club team at Stanford. This summer, Cole qualified to dive in the 2012 Olympic Trials. Since then, he has been working diligently by nailing the dives he needs in order to compete in such an advanced competition. Cole, however, did not begin his love for and career of diving until he was 12 years old. Instead, he was into a different sport — gymnastics. “I was in gymnastics for five years after first grade,” Cole said. But by the end of sixth grade, Cole realized he wanted to try something new and participate in an uncommon sport. “I wasn’t having as much fun as I used to,” Cole said. “I started going to gymnastics less and less.” Luckily, Cole’s gymnastic abilities did not go to waste when his coach thought he might be interested in diving. Cole immediately joined Stanford Diving on the beginner team. Starting with no previous diving experience this team allowed him to learn the basic diving technique. There was much for him to learn but he was happy with the transition. “I needed to learn the technique of getting the most bounce off the board and entering the water headfirst which is completely
the opposite of what you need to do in gymnastics,” Cole said. But as Cole practiced, his prior gymnastic knowledge and technique helped diving come more naturally to him. “I had to get over my bad gymnastic habits, like jumping too soon off the board,” Cole said. “[But] I already knew some of the basics like the flip and twist.” After only one year, Cole was able to advance to the competitive level when asked by his current coach to join the competitive team. “The coach who is one of my coaches now wanted me on the team,” Cole said. “The first practice was very intimidating.” However, Cole’s teammates welcomed Plambeck with open arms, and enjoy having him on their team. “Cole is an exceptional diver, and definitely a good role model in diving ability,” junior and teammate Alex Francis said. “Having him on the diving team is really fun.” Since then, Cole has been practicing year-round at Stanford for two hours a day, getting him in shape for his competitions. “It never gets boring, since I practice something new every day,” Cole said. “We do dryland on the trampolines at practice, which is just flips on the trampoline to mimic what we do in the water.” After an hour, Cole and his teammates get into the pool to practice their diving on a tall diving board. Over the past four years, Cole has accomplished many great achievements. He has progressed to higher dives, and joined numerous diving competitions. “Cole has grown into doing much more scary dives,” Cole’s
COURTESTY OF COLE PLAMBECK
Cole Plambeck finishes his routine at the Diving Spring Regionals 2010 in Beaverton, Oregon. He qualified for the 2012 Olympic Diving Trials and is now training with the Stanford Diving Team in order to prepare. mother Gloria said. “It’s kind of like watching your kid jump off a three story building over and over again.” Cole has entered 25 diving competitions, including every Junior Olympics since 2008. Cole has attended meets all around the country, including Oregon, Texas and many more “I think he’s really good at not letting a poor dive in a competition bother him,” Gloria said. “Even when he’s competing he steps up to the edge of the tower like he is about to do a dive he’s done a thousand times.” Cole’s most recent competition was the Junior Olympics last Au-
gust in Knoxville, Tenn. Cole finished in sixth place in the final top 12, diving off of a 30-meter diving board, which met the qualifications needed to enter the June 2012 Olympic Trials in Seattle. “I had no idea about the Olympic Trials until someone told me I qualified for it,” Cole said. His next task is to prepare the dives needed for the trials. “Qualifying by getting top six at [Junior Olympics] was part of the difficulty, but now I have to get the dives down,” Cole said. The most difficult dives he must perfect in time for the Olympic Trials include the “back three and a half,” “handstand twister”
Football loses CCS Championship game
Loss concludes 2011 season, ends hope for states By James Foug and Wesley Shiau Staff Writers
The Palo Alto High School varsity football team’s season came to a close with a loss to Bellarmine High School in the Central Coast Section Open Division Championship with a score of 41-13 on Dec. 2. The Vikings ended their season 10-3-0. “I think we had an outstanding season this year,” junior wide receiver Jayshawn Gates-Mouton said. “We set goals and we were able to accomplish them, even though we did fall short at the championship. Next year we are going to lose a lot of seniors so we have to find players who can fill those positions, but I’m looking forward to another great season and a possible state title.” The Vikings played Leland High School to open CCS, coming out on top with a score of 20-6 while playing for a small crowd. Leland scored the first points with a 40-yard field goal, giving it a lead 3-0. It went on to score another field goal ten minutes later, giving it the lead 6-0. With two minutes left in the half, sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst passed to senior Austin Braff, but after his third interception, Leland kneeled the ball. The Vikings headed to the locker room behind 6-0. Paly went on to dominate the second half as it scored 20 unanswered points. With just under four minutes left in the third quarter, Chryst finally completed to senior running back Bijon Boyd for a touchdown and with the extra point, Paly got its first lead of the night 7-6. Senior Dre Hill scored next from the one-yard line and Paly took another seven points, extending its lead to 14-6. After another touchdown to Boyd off a 42-yard pass, Paly led 20-6 after missing the extra point. The score remained the same, and Paly advanced to the CCS semifinals against St. Francis High School. Paly played St. Francis at the CCS semi-finals on Nov. 25, beating them with a score of 29-23. Four minutes into the game St. Francis opened the scoring with a quick run, leading 7-0. Paly retaliated with a 76-yard drive followed by a short eight-yard touchdown pass to Gates-Mouton. Paly went on to dominate the rest of the half, with a one-yard touchdown from a QB sneak by Chryst and a two-yard touchdown by senior running back Morris GatesMouton.
and “reverse two and a half,” according to Cole. However, Cole is excited to train and get ready for the Olympic Trials. “I’m still really far away from getting all my dives I need to complete in the trials down, but if I get to go it’ll be a great experience,” Cole said. According to Cole, he plans on continuing his diving career for a long time, enjoying the thrills and flips from outrageous heights and the free fall, things most people do not get to do daily. “One of my goals is to be competitive in college,” Cole said. “And maybe after college.”
Volleyball team wins second consecutive State Championship By Brian Benton and Kirah Ingram Editors in Chief
BRIAN BENTON/CAMPANILE
Senior running back Morris Gates Mouton rushes against the Bellarmine defense. The Vikings lost in a final score of 41-13, ending their playoff run. When the Vikings came out for the second half, the game started much like the first half ended when senior running back Bijon Boyd quickly scored a touchdown from a 50-yard touchdown pass. However, the Lancers scored off a 54-yard touchdown and a sloppy safety by the Vikes, giving the Vikings the lead with a score of 33-16. The Vikings scored again when Gates-Mouton made a touchdown, but with three seconds left in the game St. Francis scored another touchdown, ending the game with a score of 39-23. Paly showed determination in its final CCS game of the year against Bellarmine College Preparatory at San Jose City College, ultimately losing to the Bells 41-13. Bellarmine’s only loss was to De La Salle High School, currently ranked fifth in the state. Bellarmine struck first when quarterback Travis McHugh ran 50 yards down the middle untouched. As the kicker as well, McHugh missed the extra point, giving the Bells a lead of 6-0. On the ensuing kick, Boyd responded, scoring a 98-yard return. It looked like it would be a close game. Bellarmine scored again after McHugh made another run for a touchdown off a five-yard drive. Staying true to its running game, Bellarmine scored once again on a handoff after Paly was forced to punt, giving the Bells the ball on their 20-yard line. It seemed like McHugh was unstoppable as he once again ran the ball for 20 yards into the Viking’s end zone. With two minutes left in the game Bellarmine led 20-7, but
it would not stop there as it forced Paly to give up the ball again. With a one and a half minutes left in the game, the Bells scored again, ending the half with a dominating lead 27-7. Though Bellarmine won the coin toss at the beginning of the game, it deferred, so the Bells received the second half’s opening kickoff. The third quarter was Bellarmine’s game as it limited Boyd with excellent pass coverage and also shut down Dre Hill and Gates Mouton with a solid run-defense. With seven and a half minutes remaining in the game, Chryst threw a pass to Boyd that was headed directly for Boyd’s hands but ended up bouncing off his shoulder pads and directly into the hands of a Bell safety. “The ball just bounced off my pads, but I wasn’t too worried about it because we worked hard all season and the game just wasn’t going our way,” Boyd said. McHugh was subbed in with around four minutes left in the game and Paly was able to force a Bellarmine punt, the first since the first quarter. Boyd scored Paly’s second touchdown with three minutes left in the game, but by then the Bells had scored two additional touchdowns. The game ended with a Bellarmine victory, 41-13. “We would always rather play in the CCS final than not,” Head Coach Earl Hansen said. “But Bellarmine is a very good football team. We had a great run but we did not finish like we wanted to.” The Bells will play Santa Margarita Catholic High School on Friday, Dec. 16 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
When the Palo Alto High School Lady Vikes took on the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits in the 2010 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division I State Championship, they were supposed to lose. The Jackrabbits were ranked first in the nation and the Vikes, despite a triumphant undefeated season, were the clear underdogs. But we all know what happened. In a five-game thriller, Paly fought off the highly-favored Long Beach Poly team and, playing to a home crowd at San Jose State University, won the first volleyball State Championship in Paly history This year was the same. Marymount High School (34-4-1 overall) was ranked number 1 in the nation by the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings, while Paly (35-3-0) sat at number 20. The Lady Vikes knew what they were up against. And once again, they came out as State Champions. Maybe it’s time we stop thinking of the Lady Vikes as the underdogs. Paly started the game on a strong note. Both offense and defense were on point and the Lady Vikes took instant control of the game. After a series of long volleys with few mistakes on either side, Paly pulled out a 25-17 victory in the first set. Set two was more of the same, with Paly remaining confidence and taking advantage of their opponents’ few errors. In this set, the Sailors seemed to be getting more comfortable, picking apart the Paly defense and offense just as the Vikings picked apart the Sailors in the first set. Thanks to strong blocking from senior Melanie Wade and sophomore Becca Raffel though, the Vikings were able to hold on and win a close set two by the narrow margin of 25-23. In the third set, Paly took an initial lead, leading 7-6 at their first timeout, but began to make a few more mistakes as well. Much to both teams’ chagrin, the game remained neckand-neck with the score increasing by increments of one as sideouts kept coming from both teams. “[Marymount] served a lot tougher and stopped missing their serves [in the third set],” Winn said. “Their coach did a nice job adjusting to our offense. It took us a while to get through that.” Paly played well in the third set, but Marymount played better and came out on top, 25-22. Set four was a repeat of set three, with more strong serves from both teams, but Marymount continued to find Paly’s weak spots and get easy points. Marymount came out on top again, 25-20, tying the match at two sets a piece. “None of us ever doubted it,” junior Shelby Knowles said. Paly made three mistakes to start off the set, but quickly redeemed themselves, gaining a bit of ground and taking a timeout when the score was 8-5. Paly took another timeout at 11-7 and then Marymount took one at 13-10. With senior Maddie Kuppe serving, Paly began to catch up. 13-11. 13-12. 13-13. 13-14. The impossible was becoming possible. “When we sided out and it was [13-8], I walked back to the end line, I got the ball and I was like ‘wait, we can do this,’” Kuppe said. “It was literally a second switch for me.” Her teammates also shared the same confidence. “[Kuppe] is the best pressure server ever,” Wade said. Marymount fought hard and the next few points literally went back and forth. At 16-15, with Paly in front, senior Jackie Koenig set up to serve. She had served so many times already in this game, but this one was different. This one was for the State Championship title. Marymount’s outside hitter missed her target, the ball flew out and the rest was history. “We’re just pumped,” Wade said. “Last year was great, this year to do it again was great. We’re all just really happy to be here.”
SPORTS
The Campanile
Palo Alto gyms promote healthy lifestyles Students utilize local gyms such as YMCA, Equinox
December 16, 2011•A11
Got Intramurals? We Don’t!
By Logan Mendenhall Staff Writer
Palo Alto prides itself on being one of the most healthy and environmentally friendly cities in the world. The city is able to claim this due largely to the fact that the people of Palo Alto work out and do outdoor activities to stay active. Many Palo Altans are members of gyms, which can alter their lifestyles to be more healthy by changing the way they get active. There are many gyms in the area. Palo Alto High School students tend to use the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), Equinox, the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and the Palo Alto High School gym. The two YMCAs in Palo Alto are located on Ross Road and Page Mill Road. Both offer extensive training equipment and a gym to play basketball, badminton or volleyball. They both contain indoor pools for aquatic sports, and the Page Mill YMCA even has a racquetball court. Many students tend to become members of the YMCA because of its friendly atmosphere. The YMCA prides itself on integrating family with community whenever possible. “The best part about the YMCA is the gym, it offers you a great chance to work on your game and just ball,” junior Kenny Jones said. “The rim lowers so you can always get a good dunk contest going.” The YMCA offers advanced training equipment and has everything from rowing machines to bench presses to a rock-climbing wall. “The YMCA has some good equipment in there and it stays relatively uncrowded,” Jones said. Another gym is Equinox, which is located on El Camino Real. Equinox offers a large area filled with equipment for training. There is also a dance studio, a yoga room and a pool. The gym has an open lounge with a delicatessen for its members to enjoy before and after working out.
ryandeslauriers
Logan mendenhall/ The campanile
The Jewish Community Center offers many types of exercise machines to its members in its luxury gym. The JCC gym has over one hundred cardiovascular and weight machines. Many students use Equinox because it offers them a place to train and become healthier. “I like Equinox a lot because the equipment is in good condition and there is enough so you usually don’t have to wait for somebody to get off the treadmill,” junior Emma Ketchum said. “I also like that the whole environment makes you want to work out and push yourself.” Another Palo Alto gym that students tend to use is the JCC, which is located on Fabian Way. The JCC offers advanced training equipment, a basketball gym and a pool. Despite the religious denotation of the gym, anyone is welcome to join and train. “The JCC is a great place to work out because it has a friendly environment and great equipment,” junior Skyler Anderson said. Many students use the Paly weight room because it is on campus, located behind the
pool, and is very easy to get to after school or during a prep.. The weight room houses a good amount of exercise equipment and also offers a friendly environment where students can work out with friends. “I like that you can yell and feel at home at Paly’s [weight room],” junior Erik Anderson said. “At other gyms if you yell people look at you funny. The Paly [weight room] is fun because all of my friends go there and we all feed off each other’s energy.” However, the Paly weight room suffers from outdated equipment in a small area. “Paly’s [weight room] needs some serious renovation because my brother got injured on some old equipment that happened to fail while he was using it,” Anderson said. In general, Paly students are grateful for their local gyms. “Gyms are a great place to go to get stronger for sports,” sophomore Andrew Frick said.
Girls’ varsity basketball Talented players added reloads for new season to boys’ basketball team By Kate Apostolou and Matt Morton
By Brandon Byer and Emily Tran
The Palo Alto High School Lady Vikes are gearing up for another strong season after their historic victory in the Central Coast Section (CCS) championship last year. The varsity girls’ basketball team challenged rival Henry M. Gunn High School in the CCS Division I finals and earned its first section title ever. However, the team lost to Lincoln High School during the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) NorCal playoffs, preventing it from continuing on to a state title. With preseason practices and tournaments underway, Head Coach Scott Peters looks forward to another season filled with hard work and strong performances by the girls. “I feel pretty good [about the season],” Peters said. “I really like the girls we have on this team. They’re working hard, and the goal for our team is that we will work to get better as the season goes on until we’re peaking by the end of the year. That falls into being the best team you can be, and when you do that, you’ll have a lot of success along the way.” Peters hopes to help the team lead a successful season by building upon their strengths from last year, as well as improving in other areas such as offensive play. “Defense is where we won last year and it really was the key,” Peters said. “We’re putting a little more emphasis on offensive rebounding this year, so we’re going to try to attack the boards more, and we’re hoping that will show up in what we do.” Point guard and offensive leader Sydney Davis graduated last year, and the team is still looking for someone to take her place. “She allowed us to have a sense of calmness when we had the ball, but there are a lot of girls here that could step up to fill that role,” Peters said. Peters notes many promising players for this year such as senior Emilee Osagiede, last year’s league MVP, junior Josie Butler, a strong defensive player and senior Lindsay Black, a starting shooting guard. Black also feels confident about the strength of individual players, but she emphasizes
The Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity basketball team is starting off its season with some solid new talent as junior Aubrey Dawkins and sophomore Keller Chryst join an already impressive squad lead by seniors Alec Wong, Israel Hakim, Tory Prati and Michael Augustine. The Vikings look to improve with a shortened roster this year, with only ten active players on the team. The lack of depth may be a problem for the basketball team this season, but one thing is certain — the talent that the team possesses is some of the best Paly has seen in years. The Vikings are returning from a good season last year, coming off a 19-7 record last season under first-year Head Coach Adam Sax. Unfortunately, the Vikings were ousted last season in the semifinal game of the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs by Archbishop Mitty 61-39. This year the Vikings hope to hoist the CCS trophy and proudly bring it back to Palo Alto. If there has ever been a season to reach for the goal of the CCS trophy, then this is. New teammates Aubrey Dawkins, who transferred to Paly from St. Francis High School this year, and Keller Chryst, who just finished an impressive sophomore campaign as quarterback for the Vikings, will bring their size, skills and strength to the front line. With these new additions, combined with leadership from senior Alec Wong, Paly is on an upward trend as they go into the new season. Junior Mathias Schmutz has been working hard this offseason to prepare for his second year on varsity. “I just want to contribute any way I can to help us win this year,” Schmutz said. “As far as the team’s goal, I think it’s to improve on last season. We’ve got a lot of guys back from last year and we definitely want to win league and see if we can get a CCS Championship as well.” Senior point guard Alec Wong has been heralded as a leader on and off the court. Wong is always pushing his teammates to become better players better people. He is constantly setting a great
Staff Writers
Staff Writers
Riki rattner/ The campanile
The girls basketball teams’ intense practices have helped them start off the season with a 2-1 record.
the need to focus on playing as a team. “We all have potential to do well and to be successful, but we need to work on our chemistry on the court,” Black said. “When we play we’re not as connected as we could be with more practice.” Despite entering the season as CCS champions, the team has to stay dedicated and continue working hard to have a season as just as favorable.
GIRLS BASKETBALL Recent Scores @ Oak Grove Dec. 13, W 71-52 vs. Scotts Valley Dec. 14, Not reported
Upcoming Games vs. Grant (Sac) Tournament Dec. 16-17, 19, TBA vs. Lincoln Dec. 22, TBA vs. Saratoga Shootout Dec. 29-30, TBA
Adam mansour/ The campanile
Junior EJ Floreal slams his dunk at a varsity basketball practice. example for his fellow teammates. Wong says he expects a lot from himself out on the court as well. As one of the senior point guards on the squad, it is important to him that he assumes a leadership role for this team. “On this team, my role is the leader, I don’t score much but I am responsible for taking control and being vocal on and off the court,” Wong said. With the true leadership, stability, and the incredible athleticism that these Vikings possess this season, the squad is sure to make a deep run in the CCS playoffs once again.
BOYS BASKETBALL Recent Scores @ Granada Dec. 10, L 54-57 @ Oak Grove Dec. 13, L 52-71
Upcoming Games vs. Willow Glen Dec. 22, 6:00 p.m. vs. Bellarmine Tournament Dec. 23, TBA vs. Willow Glen Dec. 30, 7:00 p.m.
Palo Alto High School does not have intramural sports and this needs to change. Intramural sports are great for students who don’t play varsity athletics or just don’t have time to practice every day but still enjoy playing sports and only want to play for fun. As juniors and seniors are no longer required to take Physical Education, intramurals would keep more kids active and involved in school. They would also keep underclassmen who are required to take Physical Education to stay more active. Students who do not do much in school except go to school and do homework would greatly benefit from having intramural sports. They would greatly benefit from having intramural sports because it would bring the kids together and allow them to make new friends who share the same interest. Intramural sports would also give kids many opportunities to make new friends and participate in new activities. Participating in intramural sports can lead to doing other activities with new friends and having a fun time playing sports and hanging out with other people. “Paly should absolutely have intramural sports,” junior Austin Poore said. “They provide a fun way for students to compete with one another in a relaxed environment. I would suggest something like an intramural dodge ball tournament.” Austin’s thoughts were agreed upon and reiterated by many students. “[Paly] could probably get a lot of people to participate and it gives people who do not participate in afterschool sports a chance to play sports if they wanted to,” junior Mathias Schmutz said. Intramurals would also provide teenagers a way to exercise, build muscles and have fun. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), almost 50 percent of people age 12 to 21 do not participate in physical activity daily. This number is too high for a healthy civilization and having intramural sports would be one way to help reduce obesity in America. Physical activity among high schoolers has declined in recent years due to the increased stress placed on academic achievement in schools. By having intramurals in school they would provide a fun way to keep kids active and healthier. The CDC also noted that 17 percent of children ages two to 19 are obese. Giving kids a chance to play sports with their friends could keep them active and healthier while they are having a fun time doing what they love. Intramurals would give these students a fun way to exercise and hang out with friends instead of munching on a bag of chips and drinking a soda at home. Intramural sports would be a great way to get kids to exercise and have fun with new and old friends alike, all while they are having fun competing and having fun all in a no stress environment. Intramurals could also provide students who do not participate in school sports or who have never participated in school sports the opportunity to learn sportsmanship, experience intense competition and learn to deal with the emotions that come with winning and losing. These students could learn these valuable life lessons while having a fantastic time in a incredibly fun environment playing sports that they love. “Sports actually mirrors the real world a lot,” senior Sam Borsos said. “If you have a bad game or have conflict with a team you’re playing, you have to learn how to shake it off and the same thing goes for every day life. You have to use the same mentality on the court as off because both cases are unpredictable and you have to be able to adjust to things you can’t control.” Intramural sports would also allow non-athletes and athletes alike to participate in sports not offered by the school such as dodge ball, kickball, wiffle ball while still providing the classics like flag football and soccer. Paly as well as most schools in general should have intramural sports because it would benefit the students in more ways than one. At lunchtime it could help you forget about that math test you may have gotten a “C” on or your SAT prep you need to take care of. Intramural sports at lunchtime would provide students with fun activities to keep students both mentally and physically healthy over the course of a long school year.
A12 • December 16, 2011
Pick-Up The Games
SPORTS THE VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES A closer look at the action you might miss at Paly football games.
The Campanile
Every Friday night, hundreds of Palo Alto High School football fans pile into the stands to watch their beloved Vikings battle it out on the grid iron. But while the fans eyes’ are all on the field, there is action on the sidelines as well. For two games, The Campanile’s Brian Benton, Logan Mendenhall and Kirah Ingram stopped aiming their cameras at the field and instead shot the view from the sidelines.
alvinkim In the beginning of the year, I found myself in an emotional turmoil. Due to some arising complications with school and life, I decided to no longer participate in a Paly sport. I struggled to figure out where I could find another outlet to let out my restive spirit and boundless energy. While watching Cops and playing Mario Kart provided some relief, these activities simply can’t match the feeling that you get from sports. The solution to my overwhelming problem is a pickup game. Whether it is a game of ultimate frisbee, football, wiffleball or basketball, a pickup game — a game that is played outside of any organized league — can provide the same excitement, thrills, and exercise of a normally regulated sports game, all at a lower stress level and time commitment. Now I’ll detail how you can get involved in pickup games in a couple steps. 1. Find a group to play with. This part should be easy. If you’re friends with people on a sports team, then you guys can simply play together on your own time. If you are not in this situation (or have no friends), then look around for prospective classmates and other acquaintances who you know enjoy sports and ask them to play. And if you have classmates and friends who simply detest sports, then just keep your eye out for pickup games. People are generally pretty accepting of newcomers as long as you don’t act like a scrub. You can ask them when they play again and just join in. 2. Get organized. Once you find your group, you need to be able to find a time and location that is convenient for enough people to hold a game. The two most reliable options are making a Facebook group or having someone mass text. Of course, there will always be someone who either doesn’t have a Facebook (I see you Charlie Dulik) or doesn’t have a cell phone (or parents who don’t let them text, or even worse, a phone that can’t text). However, these people must have some other, cryptic way in which they communicate with others, so you just need to discover their methods and accommodate for them. 3. Divide up the teams. Once everyone is there, you need to pick teams. The best way to create teams is to elect two captains (these people should be similar in skill, size, or intelligence), and have them choose teams. Alternative methods include dividing teams by race, by grade or by clothing apparel, but the resulting teams do not have as good of a chance as being fair. If you’re playing with a small group of people, it should be easy to recognize your teammates. However, sometimes the circumstances arise so that it’s harder to distinguish between the teams. Solutions include shirts vs. skins (which means that one team wears shirts and the other does not), or if you’re feeling exceptionally bold, shirts vs. pants (I think you can work this out in your head). 4. Play the game. This is the greatest part and the reason for having a pickup game in the first place. Expect silly arguments to arise (such as whether or not the teams are fair) and also some very serious ones (like who has a superior touchdown celebration). Also expect flaring tempers, unbelievable plays and severe soreness the next morning. However, the key part is to enjoy yourself. The outcome of pickup games, unlike those of school sports, does not actually matter (excluding bragging rights). Additionally, no one is actually keeping track of wins and losses. As former Paly student and pickup frisbee virtuoso Avi Arfin once said, the score should be “fun to fun.” While this adage doesn’t hold true for everyone, the main point is that overall, a pickup game should be a pleasant experience. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 at least once a week. These five steps are all you need to consistently play in pickup games and enjoy yourself at the same time. You might ask yourself, is it really worth all of this trouble to simply play a pick up game? Or maybe, how does Alvin utilize parentheses so well? (The answer to that is unknown even to myself.) The answer to the first question is a resounding yes. You’ll see after a few times the glories of pickup games and you’ll thank me a million times over.
Soccer teams work for successful seasons Girls improve with new coach, underclassmen By Marie Ezran and Will Kershner Staff Writers
After a disappointing finish last season, the Palo Alto high school varsity girls’ soccer team is looking to make major improvements with this year’s promising new additions. With five new freshmen and a new coach, Kurt Devlin, the team is poised to make advancements and turn a 180 for the results of the forthcoming season. Junior Nina Kelty is extremely excited with the new direction the team is going in this year. “Compared to last year every aspect of Paly soccer is at a new level,” Kelty said. Kelty also believes that the replacement of last year’s coach Ernesto Cruz with first year coach Kurt Devlin is already making an impact on the overall morale of the team. “Kurt Devlin definitely brings a new style of coaching to our team,” Kelty said. “Our practices are longer and harder than last season consisting of faster pace drills and running. Above all Coach Kurt has encouraged us to put last year’s losing streak behind us and to go in with a winning mind set to make a statement in our league this year.”
Despite a preseason loss to Homestead, the Vikings scored, their next non-conference meeting with Santa Clara, triumphing by a score of 6-1. Every year the Viking host the Palo Alto Winter Classic Tournament on their turf. For Paly, the early games were successful but close. The Vikings edged out Castilleja in their first group game 3-1. Paly’s stingy defense kept the Vikings in the games both against Carlmont and Aragon. Palo Alto won both games in penalty shoot outs, finished with the score tied 0-0. Aided by penalty goals from seniors Terra Jones, Mayssen Labidi and Emy Kelty, the Vikings improved to 3-0 in the tournament and advanced to the championship game against the Los Altos Eagles. Junior Erin Chang won the game for Paly with her penalty kick saves. The Winter Classic ended with a disappointing loss in penalty kicks to a deserving Los Altos side in the championship game Dec. 10. Goals from seniors Jones, Labidi and Kelty again were unable to keep up with the Eagles who barely defeated the Lady Vikings 4-3 in the shoot out. A huge factor for Paly has been junior Jordan Smith, who leads the squad with four goals this season. Smith had games against Santa Clara and Castilleja in which she scored two goals. Kelty noted much optimism as she expressed her thoughts for the upcoming games. “I hope we will have a fresh start this season [to be] ready to win some games,” Kelty said. “I want us to go in hard to all of our opponents and show them that Paly soccer has changed.” The next challenge for Paly comes after winter break on Jan. 1 when they take on the Monta Vista High School in an important road match-up that will set the tone for the beginning of this promising season.
GIRL’S SOCCER Recent Scores vs. Castilleja W 3-1 vs. Los Altos L 0-0 (3-4 P.K.)
BRIAN BENTON/THE CAMPANILE
Senior Suzanna Ackroyd fends off a Los Altos defender during Paly’s loss in the Winter Classic Tournament final game.
Upcoming Game @ Monta Vista Jan. 4, 3:30 p.m.
Despite slow start, Varsity boys team shows potential By Olivia Cornfield and Jordan Smith Staff Writers
The Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity soccer team began the 2011 season with a slow start, but is hoping for a rewarding season. Despite it’s early losses, the team has plenty of young talent and high hopes for this season. The varsity boys recently played a game against Saint Ignatius College Preparatory on Dec. 5. The team played well both defensively and offensively, trailing only by one goal until the last four minutes. In the remaining time, Saint Ignatius scored a surprising two goals resulting in the final score of 0-3. SI ap- “It’s obvious when peared to have the ad- we take the field how vantage because most much [younger] we are of their team is composed of upperclass- as a team.” men. Paly’s lack of experience proved to be a junior major disadvantage in their preseason games. “We were playing decently, but we have a young team and the [players on the] St. Ignatius team [were] all juniors and seniors,” junior Perry Kolias said. With a total of four freshman players and several sophomores, Paly’s varsity team is one of the youngest in the league. “Its obvious when we take the field how [young] we are as a team,” junior Paul Stefanski said. Some believe it was the boys’ lack of confidence on the soccer field that led to their preseason losses. On Dec. 9, the boys put up a good fight against Menlo-Atherton High School, preventing the opposing team from scoring in the first half. In the last 20 minutes of the game MA scored two goals, ending the game with the final score of 0-2. It seems as though Paly’s defensive focus disappears in the second half of every game. Luckily, the boys have time to improve before their first league game, which is on Jan. 6 versus Mountain View. Though the varsity boys have experienced recent losses, players are still hopeful for a winning season. BOYS’ SOCCER “We have a lot of new young players that are pretty Recent Scores talented,” junior @ Amador Valley Michael Sullivan L 0-5 said. “We have vs. Menlo-Atherton [had] a rough start L 2-0 during the preseason but as we Upcoming Game grow as a team @ Mountain View through the seaJan. 6, 3:30 p.m. son we will get better and have a good run.”
Paul Stefanski
Lifest yles The Campanile
Features • A&E • People
Friday, December 16 , 2011• B1
You Gotta Fight For Your Rights
michaelwang If you have ever been to a major sports event, you have probably had to stand for the national anthem. Despite that the song is based off of the tone of a British drinking song, it never fails to move me. It begins softly, and slowly builds and builds. You can almost feel the electricity building in the audience as the anthem reaches its climax. “Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave: O’er the land of the free...” Wait a second. Land of the free? If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you would know that “land of the free” is not really true anymore. As I write this, police across the nation dressed in riot gear wielding “less than lethal” weapons are gunning down peaceful protesters, who are simply protesting for equality. Our government, while oppressing the common man, is using taxpayer money to bail out corrupt Wall Street and banking executives. Congress has recently uncovered an additional $16 trillion dollars (yes, trillion) in interest-free bailout loans to the major banks of the world, ranging from the Lehman Brothers to a couple banks in Scotland. This is truly, as Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi said, “welfare for the rich.” The US defense budget is being expanded to five percent of our GDP, and is over five times the size of the next biggest spender. And while most people believe it goes straight to our soldiers, the fact is it doesn’t. Our money also happens to go towards CIA shrimp treadmills, Napa Valley wine trains, Wall Street trophy wives and marijuana-laced malt liquor, all the while our government insists it cannot pay the half-penny per dollar tax for NASA. Congress continues to conduct insider trading after voting down STOCK, a bill that would have addressed and regulated stock investments of the members of congress. The ugly truth is that our “Land of the Free” is pretty messed up and it does not seem like we are going to get better anytime soon. Congress has just passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that allows the military, on US soil, to secretly arrest, detain, interrogate, or assassinate US citizens that are deemed terrorists. If a chill has run down your spine, you are not alone. There is a startling symmetry in this bill to the way countries like China deal with their dissidents. To me, this bill reminds me of the Tiananmen Square massacre, an event that eventually convinced my parents to move to the U.S. The Tiananmen Square massacre started as a protest against the government that was led and constituted by students who wanted liberty and an end to corruption in the government. Hmm, sounds familiar. After my parents saw some of their classmates get flattened by tanks and others disappear, they decided that they could not live in China anymore and that is why they moved to the US. And here we are, 22 years later, and government legislation has just been passed that essentially allows the same thing that the communists allowed two decades ago. What the heck? Wasn’t our government based on the writ of Habeas Corpus and the idea of natural rights? Is it not the government’s responsibility to protect and serve us? I guess not. America’s middle and lower classes are boxed in from all sides. We cannot protest without getting shot at, our own banks cannot manage our money, our military has just received a blanket authorization to kill us with impunity — all financed at the expense of the 99 percent. The current state of affairs paints a grim picture for the United States of America. What is there to do when electoral fraud is rampant, congress is full of self-serving bureaucrats, and the armed forces have become the weapon for our heavy-handed government? We are running out of options. It is time to exercise the rights we still do have. Our government may have struck down the first amendment, but we still have the second.
A group of Paly students are out on the water with their rods, bait and tackle. By Ben Cook Staff Writer
Among the many cultures of Palo Alto High School, there are some students that share an interest in fishing. To some, fishing may seem dull and time consuming. However, there is more to it than waiting and luck — it requires a good understanding of different ecosystems combined with strategic thinking. Fishing is not a hobby that requires strict devotion, as just about anybody can pick it up and it may not be long before they’re hooked. Fishing can take on many different forms, whether it be a pastime, a competitive sport or, if need be, a tool for survival. Junior Andre Kouchekey started fishing with his family as a hobby, but has developed a passion for it and is working hard to turn it into a possible career. Kouchekey has continued to develop his skills as he fishes for bass competitively. This year, Kouchekey has competed in several Bass fishing tournaments. With little preparation, Kouchekey placed fourth in the Angler’s Choice Pro Teen Fishing Tournament. Recently he has learned the tricks of the trade and plans to fish in a tournament circuit some time in the upcoming months. Paly students that fish embark on unique excursions in search of different fishing experiences. Junior Luke Prioleau has traveled to the coast of South Carolina for shark fishing. He has also traveled to Alaska for salmon fishing and Mexico to fish barracuda. When Prioleau has time he tries to go on fishing trips with his friends, seniors Jack Witte, Joey Christopherson, and Charlie Kelsey. According to Witte, fishing is a laid-back yet exciting activity, making it a great way to spend time with friends. “I like fishing with my friends because it’s relaxing and we all have a good time — some quality ‘bro’ time basically,” senior Jack Witte said. “There is definitely something more rewarding about catching a fish than having a high scoring game in Call of Duty.” Fishing can combine two very different emotional extremes that can alternate at any moment: a feeling of relaxation and sheer excitement.
A&E
“Fishing is an incredibly exciting sport and can range from a very relaxing experience to one of the most thrilling moments of your life,” Prioleau said. “Nothing beats the feeling of hooking a big one.” According to Witte, there is nothing like the feeling of the tug on the line when a large fish “[Fishing] can is hooked. range from a Although fishvery relaxing ing may seem like experience a rather sedentary activity, there to one of the are actually mamost thrilling ny strategies that moments of one must considyour life.” er while fishing in order to increase one’s chances of Jack Witte landing a large senior fish. The fisherman has to constantly play with different variables, from the weather and time of year to the bait and the knot used to tie the hook to the line. To be successful, fishing requires one to problem solve and use one’s knowledge of the environment in order to predict the best way to attract fish. Despite the misconceptions about fishing, the sport appeals to many different types of people. It can be a great way to socialize and spend time with friends, an exciting hobby or possibly a more competitive activity. Take it from the fishing community at Paly; fishing can be an honest and peaceful activity that makes for a one-of-akind experience.
FEATURES
SPOTLIGHT
The Campanile
F E AT U R E S
December 16, 2011 • B3
TEACHER FEATURES: an inside look This issue, The Campanile learns how teachers’ backgrounds influence their career choice. From discovering a passion for teaching while abroad, to transitioning from the military to simply following the path that you love teachers find inspiration.
English teacher Sima Thomas shares teaching experience, travel accounts
New Jersey native David Peters finds new opportunities at Paly By Sophie Parker Staff Writer
Anna mcgarrigle/CAMPANILE
Thomas taught English in France and Prague before deciding to return to Palo Alto, working as a long-term substitute then teaching ninth and eleventh grade English.
By Anna Norimoto
are certain teachers being very supportive and really encouraging, which probaThe Campanile: How did you become in- bly had a lot to do with me wanting to come back and teach here. terested in teaching? Sima Thomas: The first time I thought TC: What did you do after high school? about being a teacher was in high school ST: I went to Villanova University in Pennwhen I had an English teacher who I re- sylvania. I studied abroad my entire Junior ally liked. After college, I had zero idea of year in Paris, which was one of the most what I wanted to do, so I got a job teaching fun experiences of my life. English to adults in the Czech Republic, in TC: How was it to live in France for a year? Prague. I found that I liked working with ST: I was dreaming in French, I could go students and having that kind of interac- to the movies and listen to the radio and tion. But as a teacher for these business watch T.V. in French. schools, you don’t get much power of over TC: What was college like for you? what you’re teaching or how you’re teach- ST: Well I had these two best friends, and one of them died at the beginning of my seing, so I came back to the states. nior year. She was in a drunk driving acciTC: How did you end up as a teacher? ST: I was kind of torn, and was choosing dent. We were 21 and at that age you just between being a nurse practitioner and a don’t think about death. There were three teacher. It came down to the fact that I had of them in the car and the driver was the some teaching experience and my major only one to survive the accident. To me, drinking and was directed driving is so stutowards teachpid and so easy ing. So, I went English teacher to avoid because up to San Jothere are taxse State [Uni“The main thing I rememversity] where ber, when I think about be- is and your parents. they reviewed ing here, are certain teach- TC: After gradmy transcript uating from Viland got back ers being very supportive lanova, why in touch with and really encouraging.” did you move to Trinity Klein, Prague? who was at the time the head of the English department ST: The friend who died, I had met her here. She said there was a long term sub freshman year because we lived down the position opening up at Paly, teaching ninth hall from each other. This whole group of and 11th grade. It was challenging but I us became friends, so that’s why I decidreally enjoyed it. I came back to Paly to be a ed “I need to get out of here.” [In Prague] student teacher. [In 2009] I started teach- I taught English as a second language. [I] was in my early twenties and working on ing ninth and 11th grades. TC: Why did you choose to come back to my own. It wasn’t the most productive year of my life but it was a very fun year. Paly to teach? ST: Paly’s just a really nice place to teach. TC: Where did you go after Prague? There are a lot of resources, the parents are ST: I was going to move to France to work generally really supportive, the students as an elementary school teacher. [But] I met this guy and we fell in love — he’s are lovely, and the campus is really nice. TC: You grew up in Palo Alto; how was now my husband. I was supposed to move to Europe and he was living in Palo Alto. your experience as a Paly student? ST: I didn’t love high school and I wasn’t I could’ve gone to France and traveled the that into it, especially my freshman and world, but I never would’ve found my soulsophomore year. I turned myself around mate again. So I ended up staying and not my junior and senior year because I real- going to France. ized I wanted to go to college and make TC: How would you describe yourself in something of my life. The main thing I re- three words? member, when I think about being here, ST: Enthusiastic, demanding and warm.
Staff Writer
The Campanile: What did you want to do when you were a kid? Did you always think you wanted to be a math teacher? David Peters: When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. When I was in high school and applying to college, I always thought, “I am going to be doctor.” One day I figured out, as I was taking the math courses, that people would come to me for help, not because I was necessarily the best math student in my class, but because I was really good at explaining things. It kind of naturally came together. I am good at math, I am good at explaining things, I should be a math teacher. TC: What’s different here in Palo Alto from New Jersey? DP: Definitely the weather. This time in New Jersey it is in the teens at night and the 30s in the day, if you’re lucky. But here it never gets down to freezing. Football starts three hours earlier out here so that’s a big reason we moved. [My wife and I] spent most of our lives living in New Jersey and so we could have stayed there. Our parents, for instance, already bought their retirement homes elsewhere. Five years from now, most of the people we knew wouldn’t be in New Jersey anymore. So we weren’t held to it for any reason. We said, “Let’s not live in New Jersey our whole lives.” TC: How is Paly different from the high school you went to? DP: My high school, again, wasn’t too different from [Paly]. It was well to do. I would go to high school there or here and I feel like I would come out the same. TC: What brought you to Palo Alto? DP: My wife had just finished grad school before she got a job we said, “where do we want to live for the rest of our lives?” It wouldn’t make sense for her to get a job and us to put our roots down where we were so we picked the Bay Area because I thought it was beautiful, and I got a job at Paly, so we moved. TC: Tell us about your style. DP: I don’t know, I think I always was a person who wasn’t a terrible dresser. When I met my wife, I could get a second opinion on things from a woman [which] helps. I walked into H&M and bought a bunch of stuff when we moved to California because we couldn’t take our clothes with us. My style is very H&M and I don’t know what that says about me but that is probably where I get most of my clothes. TC: What are you hobbies outside of teaching? DP: Back when I had time for hobbies, I played the piano, I played the guitar, I used to sing in a band, and I also like to run. I even own an Xbox and used to play it all the time but now I usually end up hanging out with my wife and we catch up on TV. TC: Do you remember a teacher who stood out to you in high school? DP: Yeah, I had a couple. I guess part of the reason I’m a math teacher is because I had good teachers. Part of what really turns a student off of math is if they have a bad teacher. I think one bad teacher in a subject can spoil any love of that subject you have or may have had. All my math teachers happened to be good, which translated into me being good at math, taking it in college and then becoming a math teacher. I had other teachers even in subjects I wasn’t great at, who were particularly good and inspired me. I remember I had a history teacher named Mr. Closan. I was terrible at history, I got C’s, but he was such a great teacher, he’s someone I will never forget.
Sima thomas
Anna mcgarrigle/CAMPANILE
David Peters, a new addition to the Paly math department, moved from New Jersey to San Francisco. Peters loves teaching math, finding motivation from his students, past and present who have returned to visit and thank him.
TC: What drives you to wake up every morning? DP: I do like my job. But at the end of the day if I had a choice between waking up and watching TV, I would certainly choose the latter. With that said, I think a lot of people end up in jobs that they don’t like. I am fortunate in that I really do like my job and at the end of the day, there isn’t much I’d rather be doing. If I had a billion dollars and never had to work, I probably wouldn’t come to school everyday. Maybe I’d pop in and talk to the kids and stuff. But I think I am pretty lucky because I do love my job. TC: What do you hope to get out of your job as a teacher? DP: I think I’m pretty good at my job, so what I get out of it are students who come at the end of the year and thank me. I like when students who return from college for a visit and say “Oh you’re such a good teacher.” I could be the guy who comes to school every day and puts his feet up on the desk and reads the newspaper while the kids do a worksheet, but I’m not that guy. They get the sense that I know what I’m talking about and that I want them to do well.
Jack Bungarden brings military experiences to history classes
AP U.S. History teacher offers new perspective on intriguing past, achievements
CHRISSIE CHENG/CAMPANILE
Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Jack Bungarden teaches the class about Johnson, his role in Reconstruction and the Amendments.
By Michael Wang Staff Writer
Advanced Placement United States History is one of the most challenging classes for Palo Alto High School juniors. Quizzes by day, chapter readings by night and hard work in between is the cycle of life of most APUSH students. The APUSH textbook is thicker than the bible, and while its den-
sity is broken up by various photos, daguerreotypes, diagrams and artwork, few would consider the curriculum light reading. At the head of this institution is Jack Bungarden, a Paly teacher of over a decade, and the sole teacher of the class. If one knew Bungarden professionally 20 years ago, one would not have called him Mr. Bungarden — that would have been an insult.
A more proper form of address would probably have been “Sir,” or at best, “Lieutenant Corporal.” Bungarden has not always been the AP U.S. History teacher with a seemingly endless number of cool ties. In fact, Bungarden, or “Bungs” as he is sometimes affectionately called, was at different points in his life a Silicon Valley businessman, a substitute teacher and a military man for over 20 years. Bungarden was born and raised in Southern California, where he then attended and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following his graduation, he decided to enter the United States Army. After completing basic training in Fort Pendleton in San Diego, Bungarden was deployed to Germany as part of the “Persian” missile system managed by the Luftwaffe and the army. Later, Bungarden was deployed to Korea, where he was sent as part of an artillery unit to support the American brigade that was closest to the Korean DeMilitarized Zone, or DMZ, where he endured many tense moments against the North Koreans.
“[Korea] was an interesting place to serve,” Bungarden said. “When Reagan came to visit, we were deployed to the field, we had no idea what we were preparing for. We were worried that the North Koreans had, when Reagan was being briefed, done something to the DMZ. We had cannons pointing to the North just waiting for something to happen.” Thankfully, nothing did, and Bungarden continued to serve in the military. Following active duty, Bungarden returned to California, where he became the commander of the 40th Division Battalion of Northern California as a Lieutenant Colonel. Yet despite his extensive record of military service, he has never been shot at. “Yeah, I missed that opportunity,” Bungarden said. Following his military service, Bungarden joined an electronics startup company. After “doing a lot of job-type stuff,” Bungarden began teaching. First, he served as a long-term substitute at Menlo-Atherton High School, and then as a fulltime teacher at Mission San Jo-
se High School. After two years, Bungarden was hired at Paly, where he has taught ever since. Aside from teaching at Paly, Bungarden is also one of Paly’s junior varsity soccer coaches, which he describes as being one of his long time hobbies. So while most Paly students only know him as the APUSH teacher, Bungarden was not always just that. And while most Paly students view teachers as teachers and nothing else, there is always more than what meets the eye.
CHRISSIE CHENG/CAMPANILE
Bungarden reviews an assignment in an AP U.S. History class at Paly.
B4 • December 16, 2011
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
Women discuss new job opportunities in design Kate Aronowitz describes varying ways to overcome male-dominance in the contemporary business world By Kate Apostolou Staff Writer
“It’s a really awesome time to be a designer as a woman,” (Director of Design at Facebook) Kate Aronowitz said in the opening speech at an event called Women in Design. Aronowitz sat perched on a stool, facing an eager crowd of designers, artists and entrepreneurs alike. With her enthusiasm and poise, Aronowitz set the tone for an inspiring evening which joined women together to celebrate the intersection of design and technology. Held on Castro Street in Mountain View on Dec. 9 and sponsored by The Designer Fund, a network of designers that invests in designer-founders, the event included speakers from Twitter, YouTube, IDEO and Culture Kitchen SF. Also featuring freelance artists, entrepreneurs and design educators, the night touched on themes such as seizing job opportunities, the effects of working in a maledominated industry and changing technologies in the design field. Aronowitz and Twitter Design Lead Nancy Broden had two of the most memorable presentations. Aronowitz humbly described her journey from retouching men for Muscle Magazine to leading the design team at Facebook. She credits much of her success to always accepting work opportunities, collaborating well with others and having strong business skills. “I try to be the one that always says yes,” Aronowitz said. “I try to be the one that listens a little bit more than everyone else and tries to be the one who sits at the intersection of what does the business need, what does the user need and what does the design team need.” Similarly, Broden described her path to her position of power at Twitter. She humorously explained the process of narrowing down her interests, which started in the beginning as just about everything. Broden said she originally wanted to be a museum curator but believes her current job fulfills these same desires. “I wanted to change the world in my own little way, and I’m doing that with Twitter,” Broden said. Broden believes that anyone with enough passion and determination can achieve such dreams. “Working at Twitter has shown me that there are really smart people, but they are no different than you and I,” Broden said. “They make bad decisions, and they fail sometimes. But the difference is that [the people at Twitter] are persistent and believe in what they’re doing”. Many speakers also addressed the challenges and benefits of being a woman in the design field. Especially powerful was a presentation by Janice Frasier, founder of LUXr, a design residency program for Lean Startups.
Courtesy of Maria Molfino
Clockwise from left: Kate Aronowitz, Director of Design at Facebook, lectures; people gather at The Designer Fundsponsored event; Elle Luna, Senior Communication Designer at IDEO, talks to the audience at the design event. Fraser spoke passionately about a concept called stereotype threat, which she believes prevents many women from asserting themselves in male-dominated situations. “Women enter the [design] field, and they leave because of the fear of stereotypes,” Fraser said. Fraser said that according to studies, women along with other underrepresented demographics must see themselves represented in at least 33 percent of a group to feel comfortable. To help combat stereotype threat, she recommends that businesses create more diverse work spaces and use gender-neutral language. She suggests they change their internal narrative by realizing their fear of being different and standing up to it. “If there’s an opportunity to write or speak in public, say yes,” Fraser said. Jessica Hische, a young freelance illustrator, letterer and designer who spoke at the event, believes people appreciate when women speak up. Her bubbly and outspoken personality translated well in her presentation and has helped her gain popularity on Twitter and on her website and blog. “People are hungry for outspoken ladies,” Hische said. “So if you put yourself out there, people are like, ‘Please, more.’” In addition to advising females to express confidence, many speakers emphasized the importance of understanding technology.
“Go into technology; learn how to code,” Aronowitz said. “It makes you a better designer if you know how to talk to engineers and actually understand how something works.” Still, Aronowitz stressed that a designer must always remember her title and reflect it in her portfolio. “I see a lot of sloppy portfolios,” Aronowitz said. “You’re a designer. Every pixel should be beautiful and perfect in your portfolio. That is your face; you must take care of it.” Elle Luna, Senior Communication Designer at the innovation and design firm IDEO, said even more important than a portfolio are stories. As designers must master storytelling through visual communication, she believes having interesting stories to tell is the most valuable asset to a designer. “Stories are currency,” Luna said. “Build your story repertoire.” The combination of the various stories told throughout the night wove an inspiring tale. Many of the speakers started their careers with little experience and now sit at the top of their fields as powerful and talented women. Luna left the audience with words encompassing the beauty and power of being a designer: the ability to design one’s life. “Answer what makes you happy; answer what gives you meaning,” Luna said. “Orient your life around these two things, and you will be guaranteed to grow.”
F E AT U R E S
The Campanile
December 16, 2011 • B5
PARENTAL CONTROL
Paly parents’ views on drinking, curfew, grades and sex By Nira Krasnow and Josie Butler Staff Writers
From permissive to restrictive and everything in between, Palo Alto High School parents each have their own techniques and styles when it comes to parenting their children. There are many ways to deal with the issues of drinking, drugs, curfew, grades and sex and few parents have the same views.
DRINKING AND DRUGS
There are 10.8 million underage drinkers in the United States, according to ABC World News. It is an undeniable fact that drinking occurs at the high school level. While many parents recognize this fact, some are more willing to accept it than others. One anonymous Palo Alto High School parent, “Sarah,” acknowledges the use of alcohol as part of teenage life but does not encourage drinking. This particular parent chooses to educate her teen on the detrimental effects of excessive alcohol use. “[My husband and I] know that drinking is out there,” Sarah said. “We’re not naive. But we encourage our daughter not to drink and when she was younger we tried to educate her on the difference between alcohol like beer where you can drink eight ounces and maybe feel something but not be debilitated by it versus a smaller amount of something like vodka where you can only drink two ounces and that would be equivalent to eight ounces of beer.” Other parents not only permit drinking and drug use but allow it in their own house under adult supervision. The idea is to provide a safe environment for teenage experimentation to ensure that they do not cause harm to themselves or others when drinking alcohol. “If your parents let you [experiment] occasionally and they say ‘Do it around us and be safe,’ then when you’re older you’re not going to do it a lot and become an alcoholic or a druggy or a sex addict,” an anonymous Paly student said. “Both of my parents know that I drink alcoholic beverages. They provide me with a safe place to experiment so I don’t make dangerous choices and get hurt. Whenever I’m not in that safe place [that my parents provide for me] they will come pick me up.” Many parents disagree with this standpoint because they find that it encourag-
es the use of alcohol and drug use. On the opposite side of the spectrum, one anonymous Paly student, “Jim”, receives little understanding from his parents about substance abuse. “My parents are strictly against [drug use] and would not tolerate any usage,” Jim said. “[If I got caught using drugs] I would most likely get a lot of privileges taken away. They deal with issues of drinking in the same way. They would be very strict and they would be very against it, with no room for compromise. If I asked to try alcohol in the safety of our own home they would be against it.” Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist Kate Viret advises parents to prohibit teenage alcohol and drug use. “I counsel parents that they should not be allowing their children to do anything illegal,” Viret said. “Drinking in high school is illegal and drugs as well. Allowing the consequences to fall as they may on [these activities] is a good idea and not letting [teenagers] do those behaviors in their homes. It’s one thing to give your 17 or 18 year old a glass of wine at a family dinner, but it’s another [for parents] to allow them to have a party and supply the liquor. The former is probably okay but the latter is not okay.”
CURFEW Safety is a major factor in most rules made for teenagers. Two parents of Paly students choose to enforce a strict curfew to ensure that the safety of their children. “[My husband and I] are pretty strict on curfew,” Sarah said. “We have an 11:30 p.m. curfew and we’re not that flexible on it. [Our teenager] can occasionally ask if she can come home half an hour later and we might say yes and we might say no but we don’t like her to ask that every time, so we tend to enforce the curfew.” Another anonymous Paly parent, “Barbara,” agrees that having a strict curfew is a necessary restriction for teenagers. “We have a zero tolerance curfew policy,” Barbara said. “You are home, especially with the car, at curfew.” Although many parents enforce strict curfews, most are not hesitant to recognize the importance of giving teenagers responsibilities and independence. “I think that [maintaining a balance between giving a teen rules and freedoms] is one of the hardest things for both parents and teens,” Sarah said. “It’s really important for teens to feel they have control over their lives, but I also know, because there’s research done that teens’ brains aren’t fully developed so that’s why there are rules.” Viret often sees parents who struggle to differentiate between being protective of their teens and being invasive in their lives. She finds that such tension is usually a result of parents’ personal anxiety issues. “The biggest thing that I see in the Silicon Valley is that parents have so much
anxiety,” Viret said. “They tend to be like helicopter parents. Getting your own support as a parent and managing your own anxiety so that you’re not intrusive [with your teenager] is very important. [Parents should be] in tune but not intrusive.” Two parents of Paly students choose to give their teenagers freedom by not implementing a curfew. These parents of these students find it an appropriate administration of independence due to the strong trust they have in their teenager. “I do not have a curfew,” a different anonymous Paly student said. “It’s mostly because [my parents] have [a lot of] trust in me and know that I make the right decisions, so I can stay out as late as I want.” Peter agrees that he will have the privilege of independence and freedom as long as he upholds an open, honest communication with his parents. “As long as I’m honest, I will pretty much be allowed to do what I want if I tell [my parents] everything that I’m doing when I’m doing it,” Peter said. “I don’t have a curfew.”
GRADES In the high-stress environment of Palo Alto High School, the way parents deal with grades and academics can have a huge impact on a student’s ability to succeed. Jim admits that his parents have high expectations for him, making academics a very stressful aspect of his teenage life. “[My parents] hold me to a very high standard [academically],” Jim said. “Either I am achieving my full potential or I am failing.” Although many Paly parents agree that teenagers should try their best in school, many do not want grades to have a negative effect on their childrens’ lives. Sarah asks her daughter to put great effort into her schoolwork, but not to sacrifice her well-being for a better grade. “I ask [my daughter] to do her best and work to her full potential but I also never want getting good grades to break her spirit so I just ask that she work hard and stay interested in the subjects but we want her to remember that a grade can never make or break your life,” Sarah said. Barbara feels strongly that grades are insignificant and that a teenager’s happiness should be valued over a good grade. “[As parents] we don’t give a s*** [about grades],” Barbara said. “We really don’t. I really would much prefer a happy person and a person that is liking what they’re studying. As long as they are doing their best and not blowing off the work, then I am completely pleased with whatever grade they come home with.” SEX Sex is a prevalent issue for parents which is addressed from many different standpoints. Many parents do not promote sexual activity but prefer their teenagers to be safe. They choose to educate their children to ensure their safety.
“[My parents] know I’m going to [have sex], so they want me to be protected,” Peter said. “Occasionally [they provide protection for me]. I think this is an effective way to parent.” However, other parents outright prohibit sex and strongly encourage their teenagers to remain abstinent. “When I was in a more serious relationship, [my parents] gave me an abstinence talk,” Jim said. “They would not provide me with any safety materials. They promote abstinence.” When giving counseling on how to deal with teenagers engaging in sexual activity, Viret encourages parents to be open with their kids. Although she guides parents towards open communication, Viret acknowledges the difficulty in getting teens to do so. “I personally am a mother of two teenage boys so [I know] it’s different with boys [than girls],” Viret said. “I have no idea what they’re doing [sexually] and there’s no way I could know. Girls are a little more open and parents seem to be a little more protective of their daughters. If you’re a parent and you think your daughter is being promiscuous then you need to intervene and probably get professional help for the teenager.” One reason why parents choose to discourage sexual activity is that it goes against certain religious beliefs. “We parent from a biblical perspective so kind of the idea that purity is an important thing and your body is a temple,” one Paly parent said. “The holy spirit said you should treat it in a way that is godly. And that goes along with drinking, drugs, sex and anything that would not be good for your body.” Sarah found this point of view to be unrealistic. “We do not say that you are not allowed to have sex before you’re married or anything like that,” Sarah said. “I think that’s very naive and I don’t think that’s realistic. We try to accept the reality of life and how it is for teenagers today. I would support [the buying of protection] 100 percent. I would help [my daughter] make a doctor’s appointment.” Viret does not believe there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to the issue of buying protection for teens. Viret thinks that this is a decision that all parents must deal with based on their own personal beliefs. “I would not advise [parents] whether to [buy their teens protection] or not, I think that is a value issue,” Viret said, “Some religious people might not do that, while if you’re not religious you might provide condoms. I do think mothers and daughters should be talking about sex and they should be having checkups.”
Yu-Gi-Oh! fans bond through appreciation of game Freshmen interact by pursuing trading card hobby during lunch at Paly By Alvin Kim Staff Writer
The Paly handbook explicitly states that “gambling, dominoes and card games of any variety” are prohibited on campus. However, there are students who play cards regularly throughout the campus. The students play at the tables between the math building and the library during lunch. Each group plays a different game, with one playing the classic game of Big Two and another playing Magic. In addition to these two groups is a third one consisting primarily of freshmen. These freshmen, who multitask everyday eating lunch while revealing trap cards and attacking with monster cards, are the Yu-Gi-Oh! players of Paly. “How Yu-Gi-Oh! works is that you need a deck of cards, an opponent and 8,000 life points,” freshman Peter Nishimura said. “You go back and forth playing cards, inflicting damage to get your opponent’s life points to zero. You play cards called monsters and you use them to attack your opponent’s monsters to deal damage. There are certain card effects as well.” Yu-Gi-Oh! is a popular game that many students have played from an early age. Freshman Brian Santa Gadea said that he has been playing since he was six “When I was little I was interested in trying out new things and once I saw this card game [and] I wanted to test it out,” Gadea said. “Once I started playing, I really enjoyed the game.” Nishimura began playing when he was in fourth grade. He said that he enjoys playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for multiple reasons. “It’s fun and somewhat strategical,” Nishimura said. “You have to make the most out of the cards you have at the moment. You have to think ahead to find out what you have to do to win the game, and analyze what your opponents are doing or has.” While strategy plays an important role, another key component of the game is the cards themselves. The players said that the 50 cards in a player’s deck should complement each other with their abilities but that it takes a significant amount of time and money to build a strong deck. “[Building decks] gets expensive, costing a lot if you want good cards,” freshman Shelton Cai said. “We build decks on the moment but collecting the cards takes a lot longer. The price of the deck really depends on rarity. I
have a card that costs 50 cents and another one that costs $160 to $190.” Cai managed to get expensive cards without paying the full price by going to Target to buy “booster packs,” which are sets of nine cards that he buys at the store. Since the cards are randomly put together, he does not know if there are good cards in the pack, but the rewards sometimes merit the risks, as he obtained his most valuable cards through buying booster packs. Ebay is an alternative method for buying specific cards, but the prices of the cards are at full value. Also, the aesthetic quality of the cards, which are usually used, are worse than storebought ones. “I try to get my cards by luck,” Cai said. “You can always get really good cards. I got one of my $140 cards from a booster pack.” Nishimura recommended that new players start off with buying “structure decks” if they want to dive into the Yu-Gi-Oh! playing scene. Structure decks are already themed and can be used right away in games. “[Structure decks] give you your basic deck to begin with,” Gadea said. “After, you can get booster packs and trade with others. [My first deck] was a structure deck.” Players choose how many decks they want to have on them, with some like Nishimura holding multiple decks while Cai prefers holding a single deck with all of his good cards. They each have their own themed decks, sometimes posting on online forums to get feedback from fellow players. “Shelton [Cai’s] deck is dinosaur swarm themed, which means that he uses dinosaur type monsters while trying to get as many monsters on the field at the same time,” Nishimura said. Since the game requires an opponent to play, players enjoy the social atmosphere that can change at any moment with the addition of new players. “It’s really just meeting the new people, making the rivals,” Gadea said. “We’re trying to find other people who’ve probably played the game and still do.” This group of players all played Yu-Gi-Oh! by themselves and then discovered each other, some meeting in middle school and others this year. Some, such as Nishimura, have also played different players from outside of school. While the Paly group is open to new players, they realize that Yu-Gi-Oh! will probably not expand greatly throughout the community. “It might get a little bit bigger, but it’s not going to get huge,” Nishimura said. “I kind of like it as it is.”
What is your favorite card game and why? “Texas Hold ‘Em because you can bluff”
Tim Tran sophomore
“Blackjack cause it has money involved.”
Simon Wood freshman
“Goldfish, because other card games are too challenging.” Drew Chalmers sophomore
“B.S. because you feel like a spy.”
Genevieve Lucas-Conwell junior
B6•December 16, 2011
SPOTLIGHT
A LOOK BACK AT 2011
Compiled by Brian Benton, Sam Dodson + Michael Wang
Designed by Maddie Berger, Kate Apostolou + Nira Krasnow
POP CULTURE
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We asked Paly students to tell us what they were talking about and what made an impact in their lives in 2011. The results were compiled into Word Clouds, so the most popular results appear the largest.
“Palo Alto High School graduate James Franco, now an Oscar-nominated actor and burgeoning director, electrified campus June 2, 2011 with a visit made primarily to film parts of the school day as a starting point for an upcoming documentary about high school.” — The Paly Voice
PALY EVENTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II was the third highest grossing film of all time.
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SPOTLIGHT
“When we sided out, and it was [13-8], and I walked back to the end line, I got the ball, and I was like, ‘Wait, we can do this.’ It was literally a second switch for me.” — Maddie Kuppe, senior outside hitter
“I thought 11/11/11 was pretty exciting. I did [make a special wish], but I couldn’t tell you what it was because then I’d ruin it.” — Sarah Miller, senior
WORLD EVENTS
“I think the Occupy movement [was the most important] because it shows that our country’s value of free speech is actually real, and people can express their opinions freely and openly.” — Hillel Zand, sophomore
December 16, 2011•B7
B8 • December 16, 2011
F E AT U R E S
Speech Team helps students improve improvisation, public speaking skills
Senior to pursue culinary career
Isabel White hopes to run own business By Emily Tran
low through with her plan of attending culinary school based on the advice of Usually, the average baker takes her fellow co-workers. Luckily, Isabel White’s parents up to two hours baking approximately two to three dozen chocolate chip cook- have supported her decision to not aties. However, Palo Alto High School tend college after graduation and have senior Isabel White must make 600 decided that it is best for Isabel White chocolate chip cookies in a small kitch- to follow her ultimate dream of being en surrounded by a sea of pastry chefs a baker. “I wanted her to go to culinary in one hour. She has learned how to complete school because I thought that would this feat through her 12-week pastry be an acceptable alternative to colinternship at Mayfield Bakery and lege,” Anna White said. “I now think Cafe, located in Palo Alto’s Town and the right choice is for her to work at different bakeries and restaurants and Country Village. Her devotion to the art of food be- hone her cooking and baking skills gan early, dating back to elementary that way.” According to Isabel White, bakeries school when Isabel started her own small business through which she sold are less likely to hire culinary graduher baked goods to her classmates, ates due to their inexperience with working in a crowded kitchen and family and neighbors. “Isabel has shown an interest in their inability to produce large quantirunning her own bakery since she was ties of baked goods, skills Isabel White in second grade,” mother Anna White has learned behind Mayfield’s kitchen said. “She did pretty well. She made doors. “Most culinary schools don’t teach $500 in six months.” Throughout her years, Isabel you how to work in big batches, so it’s Whitehas persistently continued her not very applicable,” Isabel White said. dedication to the kitchen and has re- “For example, I normally make a batch cently decided to seriously pursue her of 60 cookies, but now I’m making 600 passion and go after a career in the cu- cookies at work in a short amount of time.” linary arts. Isabel White’s parents believe that “I’ve been cooking since I was really little,” Isabel White said. “Last year, this internship will teach her the funI realized I didn’t really want to go to damentals of running one’s own busicollege and I wanted to just continue ness, specifically a bakery. “I think it baking and cooking.” Because Isabel will help her learn what it is like to White decided to not attend college af- bake in bulk, the economics of a bakter graduation, she wanted to attain ery and technical skills. It will also more culinary experience through an give her contacts, build her resume internship and later received an offer and let her learn from others in that from Mayfield Bakery and Cafe with industry. She has improved as a baker the help of Paly Principal Phil Win- as a result,” Anna said. To put herself out in the culinary ston. “I was going to look for an intern- world, Isabel White’s parents had her ship once I graduated, because I’m create a cooking blog, isabelskitchen. graduating early, but then I was ac- wordpress.com, which includes certually doing a project where I had to tain dishes that she has made and aninterview Mr. Winston,” Isabel White ecdotes about her experience in the said. “He asked me about my plans for kitchen. “Her blog is a great reflection of college and I was thinking about culinary school, so he told me he knew all [her] — spirited, a good friend, loving, the restaurant managers at Town and funny, smart, creative, hardworking, Country and gave me all their emails. entrepreneurial and very talented,” Anna said. Mayfield was O n c e my top choice Isabel white White’s and they told senior 12-week me they had internship an intern“I realized I didn’t really is completship open so want to go to college and ed, she will I came in, inI wanted to just continue then reterviewed and baking and cooking.” ceive a job I got the job.” as a pasIsabel was offered an unpaid pastry chef intern- try chef at Mayfield Bakery and Cafe ship at the bakery. It was an opportu- where she will be able to use the skills nity to not only acquire more culinary she has learned. “We are incredibly proud of her,” techniques, but to also learn the business side of the bakery as well, with Anna White said. “Isabel White is a the hope of opening her own business very talented as a baker and an artist. in the future. After gaining more in- She is picking a path different than sight on the business aspect of the many Palo Alto kids, which requires a bakery, Isabel has decided to not fol- strong will and confidence.”
Staff Writer
By Yasna Haghdoost Staff Writer
It is 7 p.m. The Palo Alto High School campus is completely dark and mostly quiet, but the English Department is not. Several of the rooms are fully lit, host to the many students who participate in Paly debate. Parents walk in to serve as judges for debates between students, while others stand by and observe. Students talk, discuss and laughingly joke with each other as their coaches walk in and out of the rooms. Paly is host to the LincolnDouglas, Policy and Public Forum debate teams as well as the Speech Team. The room where the Speech Team gathers to practice is slightly more quiet. The coaches, Jay Musen and Brandon Silberstein, willingly discuss how Speech functions and its distinctions from the other debate teams. As they explain the workings of the Speech Team, the rest of the members listen and chime in, showing an eagerness that is not dampened by the fact that few people on campus know that the Paly Speech Team even exists. Paly Debate Coach Jennie Savage expressed her enthusiasm for the Speech Team, describing it as something different from what other debaters are used to. “The Speech Team got introduced to Paly about a year ago and it was amazing,” Savage said. “It draws in a different segment than debate does. You’re not going head-to-head against an opponent, [and] I think that’s the biggest difference. In Speech you just go in sequence, [and] you’re not in the room while [your opponents] are competing.” Musen adds that Speech consists of a variety of different events in which individuals can participate. “Speech is actually a conglomeration of a number of individual events. One subcategory of Speech includes interpretation events,” Musen said. “We do a number of [interpretation events],” Musen said. “We do dramatic interpretation, which is where you have ten minutes to perform a piece from a play or a book or
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any published screenplay as long as it’s print. If you want to do humorous stuff you can do H.I. — humorous interpretation. If you want to work with a partner you can do duo interpretation.” Another more popular event within the Paly team is Impromptu. “Impromptu is where you’re given a topic,” Musen said. “It’s actually your choice of three, which can be nouns, quotations or current events. You pick one and have two minutes to prepare a fiveminute speech. We have a lot of people who do Impromptu here. It’s probably the most popular event.” Speech Team captain junior Evelyn Wang, who became captain when the team was first created, discussed her own experiences. “Last year, I did original prose and poetry and dramatic interpretation,” Wang said. “This year I am doing dramatic interpretation and probably humorous interpretation because I act. I do a lot of theater outside of school and dramatic interpretation is essentially acting. I also really love writing, so original prose and
poetry really appealed to me, because it’s writing a ten minute piece and performing it.” Before being on the Speech Team, Wang participated in Policy debate. “Speech requires a lot less preparation and constant work than debate,” Wang said. “Debate was constantly prepping; it was constantly having to do new things. For speech you just write, or you prepare one piece and you keep on practicing.” As a part of the Speech Team, Wang sometimes encountered negative comments from other debate teams. “A few people have been very condescending, because we’ve just started,” Wang “It’s been two years [since the speech team started] and so it’s just not been a very good feeling.” However, Wang adds that the negativity has not been a huge issue for the team. “It’s not as though we have a huge competition going on,” Wang says. “A few individuals have been giving us negative some comments, but it is certainly not indicative of the entire debate team’s opinion of us at all.”
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F E AT U R E S
Local parent animates feature films
Rex Grignon to vote for upcoming Academy Awards By Kate Apostolou
Rex Grignon attended the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles with his daughter Grace Grignon. He also attended the 2008 Academy Awards with his wife. He was chosen to nominate movies for the Oscars by his colleagues in 2006. He hopes to attend more Oscar ceremonies in the future with his family.
Staff Writer
As December passes and the year comes to a close, many people will reflect on the highlights of the past 12 months. This year, as he has for the past five, Rex Grignon, father of Palo Alto High School sophomore Grace Grignon, will focus on the outstanding movies of 2011. As a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Rex Grignon plans to spend much of the next few months watching films to prepare to vote for the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards. Rex Grignon joined the Academy in 2006 after two of his colleagues nominated him. He passed such admission requirements as having a leadership role in three films. As the current head of character animation at DreamWorks Animation, Rex has an extensive background in film. Though he is an experienced animator now, his passion for film started with a high school experience. “A friend of mine was in a band, and he got invited to this talent show on a local station,” Rex Grignon said. “He asked me if I’d like to go along to the taping, and I went along to support him. Then I got in this [television] studio, and I was just fascinated by all this work that was off camera. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, you can make a living off of doing these things.’” Rex Grignon’s interests developed from television to motion pictures to animation. After studying film and animation in college, he worked for Pacific Data Images, a small computer animation studio that was eventually bought by DreamWorks. Ever since, Rex Grignon has worked on films such as Ants, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. By contributing significantly to his field, Rex Grignon now enjoys the privilege of belonging to the Academy. “I love it,” Rex Grignon said. “It’s a real honor, and I take it very seriously. I think what makes the Academy great and great to be a
COURTESY OF REX GRIGNON
part of is that the standards are very high. You do that by being really honest about what the best work is.” Rex Grignon had the chance to attend the Oscars in 2008 and 2009 after the Academy selected his name in a raffle. He was allowed to bring along one guest each time, and he chose to bring his wife the first year and his daughter the second year. Grace Grignon recalls walking on the red carpet with various celebrities and feeling starstruck throughout the experience. “Amanda Seyfried said ‘Hi’ to me, and I talked a little bit to Queen Latifah,” Grace Grignon said. “I could have talked to Meryl Streep, but I was so shy.” Grace Grignon admits that watching the show live was quite a different experience from watching it on television. “The year that I went, [2009], they had the big crystal decoration around the stage, which looked so much cooler in person,” Grace Grignon said. Likewise, Rex Grignon remembers unique experiences from attending the Academy Awards show, such as the funny off-camera moments.
“Hugh Jackman, [who hosted], came out when the commercials were on and he’d talk to everybody,” Grignon said. “He came out one time with this whole tray of cookies, and he was like, ‘Would anyone like some cookies? I got some cookies here.’ And he started handing out cookies to people.” Rex Grignon does not plan to attend the awards ceremony this year, but wishes to attend again in the future, perhaps along with Grace Grignon. As for now, Rex Grignon will juggle his job at DreamWorks with his moviewatching duties. Though now an accomplished animator, Rex Grignon was once a wide-eyed teenager with a creative dream. He recommends that teenagers with the same curiosity start exploring and learning about their interest now. “The best thing you can do is learn how to do [what you’re interested in] well and ask lots of questions,” Rex Grignon said. “I waited a long time until I realized that asking questions is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. Don’t wait to start learning. You have to be ready when the opportunity comes.”
December 16, 2011 • B9
Elementary school encourages alternative approach to learning By Perri Pond Staff Writer
Remember learning how to spell your name or how to add and subtract? You were probably sitting at a traditional desk, next to your elementary friends, excited for recess. What if you were outside with your classmates, learning the same basic skills at the school farm? Opened in 1976, Ohlone focuses on the “whole child,” using alternative teaching methods that were created around a belief in trust and respect. Ohlone’s mission is to address all aspects of the child, helping to build a responsible, independent and creative learner. “My parents just really liked the fact that it was so different,” junior Emma Levine Sporer said. “It was more about lifestyle [choices], not as much [about] academic [choices].” Ohlone fulfills all Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) requirements but its main objective is to educate all aspects of the child. “The mission of Ohlone is to educate the whole child, not only educationally but [also] physically and emotionally,” Ohlone Principal Bill Overton said. Ohlone bases its curriculum around its “Core Values,” a set values that its philosophy derived from, including The “Core Values” includes seven points that the staff hopes to incorporate into their curriculum each day. “The philosophy goes well beyond the classroom though,” according to The Ohlone Philosophy. “It can be seen in the tremendous effort that is given to including everyone and working together for the benefit of both the whole of the community and all of its components.” One of the major aspects of Ohlone is its farm. They learn a lot of skills on the farm. “The farm was started to support the core values,” Overton said. “[It is] a way to practice the relationship of the freedom and responsibility.”
The farm is used as an outdoor classroom. Science classes use the farm as a resource when studying organisms, plant cycles, and other science lessons. “The farm’s purpose was teaching you how to take care of living things,” Levine Sporer said. Each year, Ohlone harvests their crops from the farm and has a harvest festival. Another way Ohlone widely differentiates from the traditional public school system by not assigning homework. Homework at Ohlone has a different name: opportunities. Opportunities are ways to make up work or school projects that a student has missed. In 2008, Ohlone opened a Mandarin Immersion program for students. This program aligns with the Ohlone philosophy. According to Ohlone’s website, The Mandarin Immersion program’s purpose is to “develop bilingual proficiency and literacy in Mandarin and English, promote academic achievement at or above grade level in both languages and foster positive cross-cultural attitudes.” Some parents may be concerned about their fifth grader transitioning to middle school because PAUSD middle schools focus heavily on traditional academics. Overton hopes that Ohlone can provide students with skills in problem solving and adjusting to new environments, such as that of middle school. “Most of the returning alumni feel like they were prepared well for middle school,” Overton said in letter he wrote to Ohlone families. “Even a few say that they really didn’t even learn anything new for a long time.” Some students, however, still have a hard time adjusting. “I wasn’t as prepared for middle school as other people were who went to more academic elementary schools,” Levine Sporer said. Ohlone allows parents to have a choice in their child’s elementary curriculum, while focusing on the “whole child.”
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Friday, December 16, 2011
How to Goodwill
Do-It-Yourself Holiday Gifts By Julia Poppy Staff Writer
The holidays are a joyous time when people are seen dashing from store to store laden with gifts and goodies. But, as teenagers who have little financial aid available, gift shopping can be difficult. Here is a gift guide just for the financially challenged. Each gift can be made with everyday items and will last your loved ones a lifetime.
yaelpalmon Last Tuesday, I endured a traumatic experience. I walked into Urban Outfitters and there, as if by fate, stood the most amazing sweater. My heart stopped and sped up at the same time. I broke out in hives. Basically, I had the typical response to seeing any absolutely stellar item of clothing. However, upon glancing at the ridiculously high price tag, part of me died inside. Yes, I am a clothing enthusiast, but I am also one of the most stingy people you will ever meet (though my mother begs to differ). And that, my friends, is why I shop at Goodwill. The most common misconception of Goodwill is that it is impossible to find anything good among the rubbish. For many this is true, but it most certainly is not for me. I have a thrifting gift, if you will, and pride myself in the pure gold that has emerged from those dirty metal racks. Count yourselves among the lucky, Paly, because I am about to share my secrets with you. The first key to Goodwill shopping is to never say no... immediately. If you see something that relatively catches your eye, even if it raises doubts upon closer examination, take it anyways! Goodwill is the epitome of not judging something by its cover. On a glorious occasion, your intuition will surprise you and you will have found a must-have. If you do this correctly, you will automatically accomplish the second rule. In order to be a successful Goodwill shopper, you must grab as much as you can hold. There is comfort in numbers, ladies and gentlemen, and the more items you have the higher the chance of you finding something wonderful! The sign on the front of the changing room says you can only take in five items at a time, but luckily for you there are racks right outside to put the other 20 items while you try them on. Just make sure you have a friend guarding them — it is a sad, sad day when an employee takes your extras away. The third and maybe most important key to striking gold is patience. For the best results, you must look through every piece on the rack, carefully deciding whether or not the item in question is suitable. This sounds excessive, and it is. Even I am not that thorough — but I am thorough! Goodwill is not like Urban Outfitters. You have to hunt for the good stuff, but that’s what makes it rewarding. This fourth rule is not about ruthlessness and determination, but about manners. There is an etiquette for us thrifters, and I can think of many instances (yes, it’s personal) when it has been disgraced. If someone finds something, it is theirs! You cannot mope or beg because you think it would look better on you — just accept defeat and hit the racks. And on the opposing side, if you do decide to give a friend your find, you cannot take it back. Maybe they thought of a more creative way to wear it and turned an ugly smock into a gorgeous sundress, but that was their realization and therefore your loss. Lastly, do not forget the accessories. Half of my belts and bags (and trust me, there are many), have come from Goodwill, and a good percentage of the time they are actually really good quality. We can ignore the gorgeous skinny silver belt I got whose buckle broke off the first time I tried to put it on, and instead focus on the gorgeous Pollini (look it up, people!) bag I got for only $8. But beware: excessive thrifting can be dangerous. You must remain alert for the inevitable arrival of what I like to call the Goodwill brain. After a certain amount of time spent browsing, trying on, and deliberating, you will find yourself getting ready to pick the final pieces to be bought. Now, as you read this, I am sure you would marvel at the fact that a dress at Goodwill (and yes, I have found a Vera Wang there) costs a mere $7. However, once surrounded by shirts, pants, jackets, and other dresses starting at $3, the former begins to look a little bit expensive. It sounds crazy, but many a time I have tossed aside $5 pants because they seemed too much. It will happen to you too. So there you have it, my abridged yet still effective guide for the Goodwill shopper. There will be sweat. I have seen tears. You might even get some blood. Just don’t take all the good stuff, Paly, because I have taught you my ways and I call dibs.
FOR YOUR MOTHER SCRAPBOOK
An easy and sentimental gift for Mom is a scrapbook. All you need is a larger-sized journal, some markers and family photos. Place photos of special memories and write little anecdotes on the side. On the pages you can write poems, rhymes or all the reasons why she is the greatest mom. She will adore and appreciate your precious homemade gift. “I APPRECIATE YOU” JAR
Another great homemade gift for Mom is an “I appreciate you” jar. All you need for this dandy gift is a mason jar, some colored paper and some fun pens. Next, decorate the jar. Put on stickers or make a homemade tag that has “Mom” written nicely on it. The final step is to write down a bunch of lovely reasons why your mom is so great. Make sure to fill up the jar. Warning: your mother may begin to cry out of happiness and love when she opens this dear gift.
FOR YOUR BOYFRIEND OR BOY FRIEND MIX CD
A sweet gift for a boyfriend, or a perfect gift for a “bro,” is a mixtape. It is a fact of life that everyone just adores free music, and who better to receive some from than a friend? A sweet touch is a homemade casing. Grab a brown paper lunch bag and place the CD inside. Then fold that bag in half, hamburger style, to the size of the CD. Write an original title and wrap it with a bow, and there you go: a lovely gift. JAR OF COOKIE/CAKE MIX
What man does not love homemade cookies or cake? Well, here is how to give the man in your life a sweet surprise. Layer all of the dry ingredients of a homemade cookie or cake recipe in a mason jar. Top with a lid, bow and a tag with the rest of the baking instructions and, perhaps, a lovely note.
FOR YOUR GIRLFRIEND OR GIRL FRIEND RECYCLED SWEATER BLANKET
A splendid idea for the lady in your life is a recycled sweater blanket. First, go to Goodwill and buy a bunch of sweaters, preferably all in similar colors or colors that look swell together. Once you have returned home, get to work. Wash all of the sweaters and dry on a high heat. Do not worry if they shrink; that is supposed to happen. Then cut out a template from a piece of cardboard. Next, use this template to cut out as many squares as you can from all of the sweaters. Lay all of the squares on the ground until you find a pattern and size that suits you. Do not forget to take a picture, and do not worry; you are almost done. Now sew all of the pieces together by placing the fronts together and sewing the edge with either a sewing machine or a needle and thread. In simpler words, keep the layout of the squares the same and sew them side by side along all of the edges. The last step is to use a large needle and some yarn to stitch around the entire blanket’s edge. Voila — cozy perfection.
FOR YOUR DAD COASTERS
You know how dads are always worrying about coasters to protect their precious tables? Well, now you can finally put him at ease with some lovely customized coasters. All you need are 4-by-4 inch tile coasters, white tissue paper, a printer, Scotch tape, scissors, Mod Podge, a paintbrush, Krylon acrylic clear coat and black felt with adhesive backing. Print out a 4-by-6 photo onto white tissue paper by taping a piece of tissue paper on a piece of card stock and feeding it through your printer. Once it is printed, cut the tissue to 4-by-4. Then, paint a thin coat of Mod Podge over the tile and paste the photo onto the tile. Once the Mod Podge has dried completely brush a thin coat of Mod Podge over the photo and let it dry completely. After repeating this step two more times, seal with Kylon acrylic clear coat. Now just attach a 4-by-4 inch piece of black felt and attach it to the back. It is always fun to make multiple coasters and tie them together in a neat stack with a festive ribbon.
Creative scholarships essays show students’ potential Alternative sources, tips may help in one’s essay’s originality By Bailey Cassidy
STEPS TO SUCCESS
Features Editor
With the cost of attending college rapidly increasing and the economy in an unpredictable state, the scholarship search process is more important for students planning to pursue higher education than ever before. Since winning scholarships has become increasingly competitive and many scholarship contests require some sort of essay, it is crucial to know how to write a winning scholarship essay. In order to discover scholarship opportunities, there are several resources available. Online scholarship databases such as fastweb.com or zinch.com match students with scholarships that they are eligible to apply for. Students can also find local scholarship opportunities. “National scholarships have so much competition,” Palo Alto High School college advisor Sandra Cernobori said. “Oftentimes the scholarships students have a better chance of winning are more local ones that students have some kind of connection with, through extracurricular activities, religious organizations, places they volunteer or a parent’s workplace.” After finding a scholarship contest to enter, it is key to research the organization sponsoring the scholarship. Being knowledgeable about the organization’s mission and goals can help students tailor essays to align closely with the organization’s values and thus increase the chances that the essay will be a winner. Also, reading past winning essays on the sponsor’s website if they are available gives applicants the opportunity to note any common, winning features that could possibly be incorporated into their own essays. Once the student has done a little research, it is time to begin writing the essay. Firstly, it is crucial to read and understand the prompt in order to ensure that the essay will address and answer the question. Just as English teachers always say, the brainstorm is a step that can never be skipped. Create an outline before writing. Most scholarship competitions require essays to be under a certain word count, which does not give applicants much space to make an impression. Thus, ap-
STEP 1: Find a scholarship opportunity STEP 3: Read past winning essays on the sponsors website
STEP 2: Research about the organization sponsoring the scholarship
STEP 4: Brainstorm and outline
STEP 5: Write it!
plicants must make every word count and not go off-track. When writing the essay, an applicant must be original in order for his or her essay to stand out amongst the hundreds or thousands of other essays judges will read. This can be accomplished by sprinkling authentic anecdotes from one’s life into the essay where appropriate. Everyone has unique life experiences that can add flavor to scholarship essays. Including specific details, such as referencing one moment in time as opposed to trying to address everything about one’s life in general terms will eliminate vagueness and make a stronger impression on readers. Consider whether another applicant could have written this exact essay; if so, it may need a little more personality in order to stand out to judges. Another important writing tip is a favorite of many English teachers: “Show, don’t tell.” Rather than writing a list of accomplishments and positive traits, applicants should develop a story that shows what is great about them. For example, instead of saying “I am a very determined person,” an applicant could tell a story about a class at school that was difficult and how he or she
STEP 6: Proofread and submit!
went to the teacher for help, studied hard outside of class and ended up doing well. While the first example plainly tells the judges what is good about the applicant, the second example shows them, which ultimately makes a stronger impression. Finally, proofread the essay out loud, as this is an effective way to catch grammatical and other errors. It is also ideal to have someone else proofread the piece. Before submitting, double-check the essay to ensure that all required materials are included and that the essay is formatted per any formatting instructions that may be outlined in the scholarship’s instructions. This may be easier said than done, as scholarship money is highly in demand today. However, incorporating the scholarship search process into one’s routine by vowing to work on applications for, say, a certain amount of time each month and following the tips above for an effective scholarship essay can have favorable results. “Every year, I hear stories about how many scholarships go unclaimed,” Cernobori said. “I realize how busy students are with college applications, but when they can carve out some time to work on scholarship essays, their effort can go a long way.”
A&E
The Campanile
December 16, 2011 • B11
Paly recipes add spice to holidays
“One set of my grandparents, on my mom’s side, was from Florida so when they came to CaliStaff Writers fornia they kept making SouthAs the temperature begins ern food,” Papakipos said. “Since to drop, ovens everywhere start my mom’s family came from the to heat up and frenzied holiday South, she grew up having a lot cooking begins. of that food, so she carried on Each Palo Alto High School the tradition with us. Every New family has its own traditions and Year’s we make Southern food.” foods with delicious recipes to The Papakipos family usualshare, drawing from its unique ly makes black-eyed peas, greens background and culture to put a and ham, all of which are typicalcreative spin on the holidays. ly served during New Year’s in the South. MS. SYLVESTRI’S Cicerchiata Each food has a specifCICERCHIATA ic significance. The blackFor Paly chemistry Large deep frying pot eyed peas resemble coins teacher Carolina SylvesCanola or peanut oil and are thought to tri, the beginning of the Juice of 1 to 2 oranges bring good luck and holiday season means Jar of honey prosperity, while returning to her Ital4/5 lb. flour the greens are a 1 egg ian roots. symbol of money. For Calabrese Ital1. Put the eggs in a large bowl, add the flour a bit at a time, mixThe ham repreians like Sylvestri, ing each time. Work the dough, adding a little water as needed unsents positive mothere are certain custil the dough is not sticky, but not hard. tion in the upcom2. Cover the dough and let it stand for about 30 min. When you toms and Christmas ing year. press the dough down with your finger it should spring back. foods unique to their 3. Put 3 to 4 inches of oil in the pot and begin heating. It is important “We’ve [made holiday celebrations. the oil does not become too hot. this food] for as 4. Open the jar of honey and put in a warm water bath. “On Dec. 13, long as I can re5. Cut the dough into four parts. Keep one and cover the other three. which is the feast of 6. Roll out the dough with your hands and separate it into small piecmember,” PapakSanta Lucia, Saint es. Work each into a small cord, ¼ inch in diameter. Cut the cords ipos said. “It’s into ¼ inch long pieces. Lucy—Lucia, luce, in just a part of New 7. Repeat with the remaining sections of dough. Italian is light—that’s 8. Test the oil by putting one piece of dough it. It should turn Year’s [for me].” the day we put up our
By Elizabeth Bowman and Emily Rosenthal
The second dish, cicerchiata, is found all throughout Italy and is a dessert made from a dough of eggs, water and flour. The dough is then cut into tiny balls and fried. The pieces are then covered in warm honey and shaped into a wreath. Both dishes are only made during Christmas and have become symbolic of the traditions of the holiday season for Sylvestri.
Dorothy Sugar Cookies
but we only made the roll-out cook2 eggs 2/3 cups margarine ies at Christ2/3 cups butter mas so even the 1 1/2 cups sugar Shamrock, al3 1/2 cups flour ways with 2 tsp. baking powder green frost1 tsp. salt ing, natu2 tsp. vanilla extract rally, meant 1. Heat oven to 375 F. Christmas to 2. Beat eggs slightly me.” then add remaining inE v e r y gredients. 3. Blend on low year, his speed for 30 seconds mom would then mix on medium help him roll until ingredients are well blended. out the dough 4. Gather dough together and form into a ball. If and use cook- dough doesn’t hold, add 1 or 2 tbsp. cream. Roll dough 1/8” thick on floured surface. Cut dough ie cutters of difwith 2” or 3” cutters. ferent shapes (in5. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to10 minutes until light brown. Makes cluding shamrocks 7 dozen cookies. and other unseasonal and shapes) to frost with soon red and green-dyed frostbecame a ing. Mr. Duffy was especially tradition they fond of making these cookies. made sure to repeat each year. “I always wanted to help my “My mom learned the recipe mom make them when I was lit- from a friend of hers named Dortle and when I got older,” Duffy othy, so we always called them said. “The entire process was the “‘Dorothy Christmas Cookies.’” best part. It took all afternoon as I Duffy said. recall and I think we made about According to Duffy, the cookfive dozen cookies and frosted ies helped to reign in his home’s them all.” Christmas spirit. Duffy started making these “It was a simple cookie but golden brown. cookies when he was three until it always tasted like Christmas Christmas tree and 9. When the oil is ready, put as many pieces in it as you can. MR. DUFFY’S he went to college treasuring the to me,” Duffy said. “We left out 10. Continue this until all the little pieces have been fried. light it, for Santa Lucia,” Remove the pieces and let the excess oil drain. Put the experience every time. two cookies for Santa on Christ“DOROTHY” COOKIES Sylvestri said. “We also pieces in a large bowl and drizzle the honey over them so “I can remember having the mas Eve and I always made sure “What’s not to like have a very nice meal that each is covered in honey. about a sweet cookie?” cookies at Christmas time,” Duffy to pick out the ones I thought he 12. Dip your hands in the juice and use your hands evening, and that’s how we to mix all the balls so they are covered in honey. Paly Spanish teacher said. “I don’t think I started help- would like. The next morning start showing the light and 13. Dip your hands again, move the piecing until I was four, when I got to both cookies would have a big bite Kevin Duffy said. the hope of Christmas.” es to a platter, arrange them into a frost them.” taken out of them!” When Duffy was a child, wreath then let the honeyed balls Christmas Eve is a generally stand a few hours in a dry Duffy made the cookies for one he enjoyed making sugar considered a day of fasting for Caplace. of the last time during his colcookies, specifically the labrese Italians, with a very simlege years, using them “Dorothy” cookies. ple meal that evening. No meat Black Eyed Peas “I have the most beauti- Baking as a way to spend these is served during this time, and ful memories of my mother and some time with his cookies was a all other foods are bland and un 1 lb. dried black-eyed peas my grandmother cooking all those big producmom and cheer adorned. 4 oz. ham hock, salt pork, himself up. “[On Christmas Eve] we eat things, of sitting at the table with tion when rind removed, diced, or thick the family,” Sylvestri said. “All “My mom he was nine things and the nine is signifbacon or hog jowl, diced (opand I were icant because the Blessed Mother through my childhood my moth- young. tional) not in a hap“My carried the baby for nine months,” er, my grandmother and my fa1 cup chopped onion ther every year talked to us about mom had py mood, and Sylvestri said. Apple cider vinegar for some reaTabasco sauce (or other hot sauce) On Christmas Day, they share the meaning. Even though I don’t a collecson we both two traditional Italian Christmas have a lot of people anymore to tion of celebrate with, every year I still c o o k i e went to the 1. Soak the black-eyed peas overnight or cover with water, boil for 2 minutes, then let desserts. kitchen and stand for 1 hour. Drain peas. The first is unique to the Ca- follow these [traditions], because cutters, 2. In a small skillet, sauté the diced salt pork with onion until onion is browned. [their meaning] has been instilled started taking only a few labria region, and consists of a 3. Combine pork and onions with the drained peas and remaining ingrediout the ingrediof which simple yeast dough that is fash- in me. It’s close to me.” ents, except vinegar and Tabasco. ents for the Dorowere relat4. Add water just to cover. Simmer gently for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 ioned into small, long pieces and hours, or until tender, checking and adding a little more thy Cookies,” Duffy ZOE PAPAKIPOS’ ed to Christthen fried, to make grispeddi. water if necessary. Add salt, pepper, cider vinesaid. “By the time we mas and the rest BLACK EYED PEAS These can be eaten plain, as a degar and Tabasco. finished, we were both in were a heart, a shamSophomore Zoe Papakipos’ licious bread accompaniment to a much happier holiday mood! the Christmas dinner, or they can family celebrates its southern rock, a diamond, and an odd Some of my happiest memories also be covered in powdered sug- roots during the holidays, making assortment of animals,” Duffy The Duffy tradition of making of time spent with my mom were said. “People used to look at the foods typical of the South during ar and made into a dessert, one that is often eaten with coffee af- New Year’s. This tradition has heart with red frosting of course these special sugar cookies every when we cooked something tobeen a part of the family for years. and say ‘It’s not Valentines Day!’ holiday season came from a friend gether in our kitchen.” ter dinner.
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
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A&E
B12 •December 16, 2011
Healthy, delicious foods easy to make By Brian Benton Editor in Chief
A burrito from Chipotle has 1,000 calories and over 2,000 mg of sodium. A trip to Panda Express can total 50 grams of fat, almost as much as the recommended daily value. Most readers will not stop eating these foods — they are delicious — but there is a healthier route one can take every once in a while. There are many “superfoods” that are easy to make and amazing to eat. Because after all, if you live in Palo Alto, it is practically a requirement that you eat healthy every once in a while.
QUINOA
Comedian Mitch Hedburg once said, “Rice is great when you’re hungry and you want 2,000 of something.” Quinoa, a small, round grain, is great when you are hungry, want 2,000 of something and also want one of the healthiest foods out there. Quinoa is known as “the gold of the Incas” and was the primary source of protein for Incan warriors. Unlike most other sources of protein, quinoa provides complete protein, meaning it includes all nine of the essential amino acids and will provide energy for a lot longer than most other sources of protein. It also has a ton of iron (35 percent), folate (46 percent), magnesium (55 percent) and phosphorus (65 percent) which will keep you healthy and strong. Plain quinoa is a little bland, but it is easy to find an already-made blend that includes pre-mixed spices (but check the sodium content, some are pretty high). One good blend includes red pepper and basil mixed with brown rice (another superfood) to add flavor. After 15 minutes in a boiling pot of water, or even less time in the microwave, it was crunchy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. Anything that would be served with rice will go well with quinoa. It can be found at most supermarkets, but for a bigger selection try Whole Foods, Country Sun or any health food store. And remember, to avoid being made fun of by foodies, it is “keen-wah.”
YAMS
1
The Campanile
in
1900
This edition featuring
Alex Carter
The more color a vegetable has, the better it is for you. And yams are pretty darn colorful. Like their fellow orange vegetable, the carrot, yams are packed with beta-carotene, which is good for vision, helps prevent some kinds of cancer and can boost immunity. They are also a good source of vitamins B6, C and E. Pick the small- or medium-sized ones that are firm and heavy. They keep longer and will result in a sweeter, less starchy taste. The obvious way to cook a sweet potato is to bake it whole like any other type of potato. It can also be baked or lightly fried as a healthy, sweeter alternative to french fries or cut thinly and baked to make sweet potato chips. My personal favorite is a southern specialty, mashed and then mixed with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Most recipes will suggest including butter or cream, but they taste just as good without it. To save time, put the potato in the microwave for about eight minutes instead of using the stove top. Then slice it longways, carve out the inside into a bowl, add a pinch of cinnamon sugar and a splash of low fat milk and then mash the mixture with a metal fork until it gets to the desired texture.
KALE
Kale is the Superman of vegetables, without any weakness like Kryptonite. It is packed with vitamins A, B6 and C, and a one-cup serving has 210 percent of one’s daily vitamin A and 130 percent of one’s vitamin C. It also has incredibly high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which prevent eye problems. When most people think of a healthy, leafy green, spinach comes to mind, but kale is better. There are lots of simple recipes for kale online, but one of the best is sauteing the entire thing, coarsely chopped, with a little bit of olive oil, garlic and vegetable stock. In less than 10 minutes, it will wither down while the stalks keep their natural crunch. Kale chips are another variation. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces, stick them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees later, one will have delightful snacks.
An Artist in the Rough Photos and Text by Adam Mansour
Amidst AP classes, sports practices and SAT prep, many students don’t have time to find a creative outlet. However, at a school that prides itself on academics and athletics, the artistic talents of students are often overlooked. Despite a budget of only $8.68 for each art student for supplies, Paly’s skilled artists still produce fantastic work. However, with the help of generous donations, the art program has powered through the budget cuts, to continue producing beautiful art. No matter if it is painting, or photography or glassblowing, art students continue to express themselves in unique ways. The vibrant colors, attention to detail and passion for art these students have make the outspoken Paly art program truly amazing.
with The Campanile’s own Hannah Totte and Lauren Wong The Campanile: Tell us a little about yourself, like a preface to your life. Did your previous life in Florida induce you to constantly wear flip flops in Palo Alto even when it’s 20 degrees outside? AC: I just like flip flops for the convenience, which I think is def something that all Palo Altans share, a love of convenience. TC: Speaking of California, how do you feel about your recent rejection? AC: Well, you know, sometimes you just get rejected from one place only to find yourself accepted to another, and I think that everything happens for a reason. TC: So wise. Tell us a little about your lunch box. AC: Ah, yes. The lunch box. The lunch box is a magnificent tool and I’m surprised that so many high school students shirk its usefulness. TC: You may or may not know that you are a very desirable guy in the senior class. We hope you’re not intimidated. AC: Well, yes. I am intimidated by myself. I’m sorry, what was the question? TC: What has been your favorite part of senior year so far? AC: The easy classes, absolutely. I only get homework in math pretty much, which is awesome. I get to explore my interests more, like Foreign Policy and Biotechnology. TC: That’s excellent. How do you feel about winning Never Stressed? AC: I think it’s understandable. Being never stressed is a mixed blessing. It’s a double-edged sword in that I am not fearful of the future, things like tests and whatnot, but that also has its negative connotations in that I don’t work. TC: Any love interests? Besides the Campanile lab, because you’re always in here. AC: Well, you already interviewed my loving brother, John Carter. TC: What’s your favorite word? AC: Louche. It has many uses. I think it’s defined as questionable moral or aesthetic taste, so you can say pretty much anything is louche. Clara Chang, why are you so louche? Clara Chang (walking by): What does that mean? AC: Google it! CC: Loose?! AC: Louche! Nobody even knows what it means. TC: What’s your most embarrassing moment? AC: Being late for the School Board [meeting]. On television! It’s on TV, it’s recorded forever. You can look at it on the Internet. That’s real. TC: What is your sleeping at home to sleeping at school ratio? AC: 1:1. TC: How many hours on average do you sleep at home? AC: Four. I get a full night over the course of the day. TC: Tell us about one of your craziest escapades. Perhaps one of your 4 a.m. experiences at [senior Max Siegelman]’s house. AC: You know, every once in a while you just feel the need to leap your balcony, walk to another person’s home and just chew the fat and play a little billiards, you know? TC: How’s Bhangra this year? AC: I enjoy being the only senior member of the Bhangra team. A lot of people look to me for guidance and life advice, and, you know, it’s taxing on my psyche. But it’s such a fun activity that I couldn’t possibly leave it. TC: Tell us about debate and your eloquence. AC: I am so eloquent. I never lose debate. TC: That was just hubris. AC: You may think me hubristical, but... TC: Arrogant would be a better word. AC: You may think me Aragon, but I never lose. I’ve never lost a debate round that I didn’t want to lose. I’ve lost many debate rounds. Okay, okay, I can put it into good words. I’ve never lost a debate round that I didn’t intend to lose, and I intend to lose many debate rounds. TC: What do you want your legacy at Paly to be? AC: I hope that I don’t have a legacy at Paly. I don’t want people to remember me for very long because I think that you shouldn’t look to the past. TC: So wise. AC: I never look back. TC: Tell us about your v-neck sweaters. AC: They are the only clothing that I own. TC: Top and bottom? That may have been the weirdest thing I’ve ever said. Have you ever thought about taking a risk and just not wearing pants to school? AC: Many times, but I just don’t think that would be legal. TC: Any last words? AC: Blessed are those with low expectations, for they shall not be disappointed. That quote will lead kids to the promised land. Right, Ben? Ben Hawthorne (walking by): Indeed. AC: Ben, has there ever been any advice that I’ve given you that hasn’t led you to great victory? BH: Ah, no.