Carlmont September 2014 Highlander

September 2014 Vol VI Issue I

the H GHLANDER www.scotscoop.com @scotscoopnews

What’s inside

The drought pg10&11

Watching our protectors

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

Kian Karamdashti Staff Writer

Living on the peninsula, it may be hard to comprehend the events that transpired in Ferguson, Missouri this past summer.

On Aug. 9, a black 18-year old named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white officer, Darren Wilson. The real controversy in this event came in the aftermath, as it was declared that Brown was unarmed and shot at least six times. Although there are conflicting reports between the police and witnesses whether Brown had his hands up or was assaulting Wilson, outraged citizens flocked to

the streets to protest. Their anger was mainly focused on the death, the way the police handled the situation, and the racial tensions between the twothirds black population and the mostly white police force.

The protests came into an even bigger spotlight after police started to use tear gas and other means of force to disperse protesters and appeared to unlawfully arrest citizens, including two national journalists.

“It’s amazing that this kind of stuff is happening in America today. The events that have occurred in Ferguson are very similar to the ones that occurred during the civil rights movement.” said junior Jay Russell.

However, this wasn’t even the first high-profile incident of the summer.

Twenty-three days earlier, Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man from New York City, was killed after a white police officer put him in a chokehold after he was accused of selling cigarettes illegally. A viral video taken during the altercation showed Garner, with his hands up, asking officers “not to touch him” moments before the 350 pound man was grabbed and pushed down.

Once on the ground, audio captures Garner screaming repeatedly, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” He died minutes later.

In a study taken by the United

Bullying pg20

Levi’s Stadium pg18

Continued on pg6

Carlmont exceeds national AP pass rates Sarah Schisla Staff Writer

1

Foreign Language

100%

Foreign Language

90%

US History

Language&Comp

89%

2

nal

92%

o Nati

t Carlmon

Carlmont students have consistently been scoring higher than the overall College Board average on all Advanced Placement (AP) exams in which Carlmont participates.

Based on preliminary data tweeted last summer by the College Board's Head of AP Trevor Packer, Carlmont's 2014 scores once again exceeded the overall College Board average. At press time, the College Board had not yet released the finalized overall score distributions.

English Language Composition is generally considered the most difficult AP test, having a College Board pass rate of only 56 percent. Carlmont, however, maintained a pass rate of 89.2 percent.

While this exam is largely based in student thinking skills, cultural capital plays a role in a student's ability to comprehend the readings.

AP Language and Composition teacher Martin Turkis said, "Often you can't even understand the text if you don't know something about history, economics, philosophy, music, who knows? A lot of kids at Carlmont, a relatively affluent community, already have lots of the experiences that [allow exposure to these subjects]."

While instilling cultural capital in his students, Turkis must also foster their skills in reading, ana-

Carlmont's AP Pass Rates vs. National Averages

Language&Comp

56%

US History

52%

*stats provided by Carlmont departments and College Board

lyzing, and composing complex essays.

He accomplishes this through frequent reading and writing exercises, including at least one in-class essay each week.

Turkis said, "We probably read more difficult and rigorous texts than other AP Language and Composition classes, and more of them as well. Whether or not students like that while it's happening, it definitely helps to prepare them for the AP exam."

The rest of Carlmont's language department stood out in last year's results as well.

Of 61 Carlmont students who took an AP foreign language test, each and every one passed, receiving

ASHLEY KAWAKAMI

a score of three or above.

AP Spanish teacher Bertalicia Godina attributed the 100 percent pass rate of Carlmont's World Languages Department to changes in the structure and rubrics of the AP exam, along with other factors.

"The new exam has changed dramatically. Now the focus is communication [rather than] accuracy and grammar. I think the exam is more realistic and more relevant to real-world situations now," she said.

Another reason for the department's success is that the foreign language teachers work to align the curriculum across all levels of each foreign lan-

Continued on pg7

Page 2

The Highlander

NEWS & OPINION

September 2014

Domi-Nation Five facts about ISIL Dominic Gialdini Features Editor

“Blessed is he that can laugh at himself, he will never cease to be amused.”- Anonymous

One year of P.E. is enough

The Sequoia Union High School District requires students to receive 20 P.E. credits in order to graduate, and I couldn’t agree more. After all, what could be more useful than being forced to run four laps in a glaring heat that radiates from the track below and the sky above, creating what some may consider to be a fairly accurate simulation of hell?

Oh yeah, plenty of things.

For those who do not partake in a school sport or enjoy dancing, the requirement for P.E. can be burdensome.

I, myself, was faced with this issue throughout my years at Carlmont. After shamefully being cut from the badminton team in a last ditch effort to avoid P.E. II or Weight Training, I came to the tragic realization that I would have to sacrifice an academic class in order to receive my diploma.

I could hardly bear the knowledge that I would have to spend another year’s worth of Wednesdays in a state of paranoia and distress, unable to concentrate on tests and lectures due to my overwhelming urge to get the dreaded mile over with.

So, like the proactive person that I am, I decided to put my P.E. problems off until the end of junior year.

At this point, in a rage of desperation, I concluded that I had two options before me: 1.) Pay someone to break my legs for me so that I could avoid P.E. altogether.

2.) Come up with a creative alternative.

I’m ashamed to say that option one looked exceedingly appealing to me. However, to the great joy of my legs, I found a way to beat the system. With a combination of visits to the Cañada College gym and online walking classes, I am able to gain the credits needed to graduate.

I understand the school district’s rationale that those who live inactive lives will be forced to get into healthier habits and learn to be more active. The problem is that those who didn’t see the value in one year of P.E. will likely not change their opinions after a second year. Furthermore, why should students have to take a second year if they passed the California State Fitness Test, which is the ultimate goal of taking P.E. I? It wouldn’t be fair to say that P.E. is useless -- it definitely has its place. After all, the swim unit teaches life-saving methods to stay afloat and the various sports taught allow students to interact and learn how to cooperate with others. Additionally, learning CPR can potentially save lives.

However, because this is all done in the first year, students don’t necessarily benefit a great deal from an additional year of P.E. From an academic standpoint, it is interesting that Carlmont’s requirement for P.E. credits is more than that of a world language and equal to that of science classes. Why is that? Perhaps it is to make sure that all of the graduates have enough stamina to walk across the stage and the strength to lift up a diploma during graduation. How embarrassing it would be for the school if the students couldn’t accomplish this feat!

It seems wrong that students must prioritize P.E. over electives which may have a greater influence in their lives.

Being forced to take a seventh class during senior year in order to keep Journalism, International Relations or a fine art class, or having to compromise a class altogether, just doesn’t seem right.

I would love to continue describing the injustice of having to take 20 credits of P.E., but I have to go walk for three hours in order to get enough credit from my online walking class so that I can partake in graduation. Maybe I’ll walk over to administration in order to voice my concerns.

Perhaps you should as well.

Taran Sun

Staff Writer

Middle East

ISIL, or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, is presently one of the most brutal and powerful jihadist terrorist organizations in the world.

To begin to understand ISIL and the potential threat it poses, there are five things that all people should know about this deadly and motivated organization.

ALYSSA ESPIRITU

ISIL’s objective

cause of the Mosul Dam, which is the dominant structure for water and electrical power in Iraq, ISIL’s ultimate goal is to set up an Islamic ca- according to BBC News. liphate in the Middle East. A caliphate is an Islamic state ruled by an indisputable religious and How ISIL sustains itself political leader known as the caliph, who is the successor to Muhammad.

As ISIL has increased in power, it has taken on the role of a governing organization, providing food and services to people within its control.

ISIL’S background Unlike other terrorist organizations, Vox News They have been called many names: ISIL, the reports that ISIL is self-sufficient in the financial Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, ISIS, the Is- department. It collects taxes from people in its lamic State in Iraq and Syria, and IS, the Islamic area of influence and sells electricity to finance State. ISIL is the name used by President Obama its military efforts. and his administration, as well as the name used by many major news organizations. The Levant is ISIL’s relevance to the United States a geographical and cultural region in the Eastern ISIL released a video on Aug. 19 directed toMediterranean. wards the United States and President Obama.

A former Al Qaeda affiliated organization, ISIL’s methods are, according to The Guardian, The video was of American journalist James so brutal that Al Qaeda disavowed any associa- Foley, a hostage of ISIL, being brutally executtion to the organization in February 2014. Their ed with a knife in the name of Islamic freedom. methods outside of direct military warfare in- Two additional videos were released on Sept. 2 and Sept. 13 by ISIL showing the murders of clude flogging, torture, and public beheading.

ISIL draws support and members from the con- American journalist Steven Sotloff and British flict between Iraqi Shias and Iraqi Sunnis. ISIL aid worker David Haines. ISIL still possesses fighters are Sunnis, and the tension between the hostages from different Western countries, but the exact number is unknown. two groups is a recruiting tool for ISIL. In response to threats issued by ISIL, Obama has said that the United States will “degrade and ISIL’s expansion destroy” ISIL, positioning America in direct opISIL plans to gain control over the entirety of position to the terrorist group from a military Iraq and Syria to form its caliphate. ISIL has in- and social standpoint.

Obama’s plan to combat ISIL includes calculatcreased their realm of influence exponentially ed airstrikes, as well as deploying ground forces within recent years, and currently has control over much of North Iraq, as well as portions of to train local groups resisting ISIL. Obama has explicitly stated that the American forces will North Syria.

A key target in ISIL’s expansion is the high- not have a ground mission, and that America ly contested city of Mosul, located in Northern will not get dragged into another ground war Iraq. This city is crucial to ISIL’s conquest be- in Iraq.

Editorial: conservation of water Contrary to the ALS ice bucket challenges this summer, and the green lawns up and down the Peninsula, California is in the middle of a serious drought.

Although the Crystal Springs Reservoir, right in our backyards, looks full of water and “normal,” it is extremely necessary that Californians begin to conserve water where they can now.

Seven percent of the Carlmont students we polled think that the drought is a one on a scale of ten, and think that the drought doesn’t affect them. In many viewpoints, without the physical proof of a drained reservoir, the drought isn’t real.

However this isn’t the case and if Californians continue to use water the way they are, we’re headed for serious trouble.

If we don’t begin to conserve water now,

the drought holds dire consequences. A study done

by Cornell University predicts the “megadrought” has the potential to last for 35 years and people will begin to mass migrate from California and the Southwestern United States.

Starting now, people need to do their part in helping to lessen the amount of water they use.

To start off the conservation, it is as simple as taking a few minutes off of your shower, watering your lawn less (and only watering at night), and dealing with driving a dirty car.

If every Californian made an effort to save a little bit of water everyday, collectivly California would be saving a lot more water, and making a dent in the overall water consumption.

People need to start taking the small steps to begin the conservation, and slowly build up to more long term goals and solutions for both conserving water and solving California’s drought.

September 2014

NEWS & OPINION

The invisibility of Palestine’s plight Ayesha Abbasi Staff Writer

“If you’re not careful the newspaper will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppression,” said Malcom X. The Palestinian narrative faces the challenge of invisibility in the U.S. Whether it’s in the American media, education, or government, the Palestinian cause is continuously excluded. Living in America and being surrounded by American news sources it begins to seem as if sympathy for Palestine is not even an option.

People question why American media would have this opinion of current events if they’re not truthful to what’s really happening on the ground. The answer is simple, it’s always a matter of politics.

America has strong ties to Israel and Zionism, as do major companies in America like Starbucks, whose CEO Howard Schultz has been praised by the Israeli government for sponsoring pro-Israel, antiPalestinian seminars on college campuses, according to Oxfam and Jerusalem news.

Zionism is the belief that Jewish people should be able to return to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel as defined by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.

Edward Said wrote about this bias in his article “Double Standards” posted on the Guardian website, “Worst of all is the U.S. media, completely cowed by the fearsome Israeli lobby, with commentators and anchors spinning distorted reports about “cross fire” and “Palestinian violence” that eliminate the fact that Israel is in military occupation and that Palestinians are fighting it, not ‘laying siege to Israel.’”

There is continuous censorship of any Palestinian voice or story that humanizes Palestine. They are often described as “terrorists,” bearing its own set of racist stereotypes.

A perfect example of this political bias being reflected into media is Newt Gingrich. During a Republican debate on ABC, he said, “These people (Palestinians) are terrorists, they teach terrorism in their schools.”

In the most recent Israeli offensive in Gaza, Hamas was portrayed by American media as being the archenemy in a biased image of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Then the entirety of conflict the Palestinian population was reduced to Hamas, as if no Palestinian exists beyond this political entity. U.S. headlines from news entities like CNN, Fox, and MSNBC blared, “Hamas launches rockets at Israeli civilians.”

These primary news sources for the average American focused only on Hamas rockets attacking Israeli people, but never humanized Palestinians, thus making it seem as though Israel was actually fighting against a viable military power.

The media has begun to render Palestinians invisible to the public. Palestinians are muted out of the media, and the monstrous pro-Israel PR campaign guarantees that this status quo is preserved by news organizations such as MSNBC who highlight titles such as “66 Israelis have been killed since July 7th,” claiming that this is what “war looks like,” without giving any statistics as to the Palestinians deaths.

This storyline assumes a false symmetry in power structure: Hamas is a political party that has been under military operation, along with the entirety of the Gaza Strip, for the last seven years and under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

News outlets such as CNN continuously puts Israeli concerns at the forefront and completely ignoring the mounting Palestinian death toll. In 2014 alone the violence left 2,218 Palestinians dead, the majority of whom were civilians, and 75 Israelis,

Page 3

The Highlander

Mike’s Corner Michael Bastaki News and Opinion Editor

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”- John Wooden

Why Officer Wilson is innocent

MAY JABAR

64 of whom were soldiers these statistics were retrieved from the Israeli Center of Human Rights in occupied territories.

Every Palestinian who was killed has a story, yet that seems to be something the US media chooses to ignore and in turn opts to sympathise with Israel’s claim to being victims.

This narrative distorts the facts on the ground and clears the Israeli state of any responsibility for its own war crimes.

It’s also time to clear up any misconceptions induced by the media about Palestinians using children as human shields.

Amnesty International found no evidence of children being used as human shields.They also investigated the matter of rocket launches by Israeli forces and the claim that Israeli military forewarns the Palestinians of an attack and found that, “in the cases of (Israeli) precision missiles or tank shells which killed (Palestinian) civilians in their homes, no fighters were present in the houses that were struck and Amnesty International delegates found no indication that there had been any armed confrontations or other military activity in the immediate vicinity at the time of the attack.”

The evidence suggests the fact that Israel, supported with American aid, attacked civilians and not Hamas fighters.

Many news organizations and even politicians take it even further by justifying the Israeli cause with nostalgic flashbacks to the Holocaust. Since Israel was established for Jews because of the Holocaust, why no other groups destroyed by genocide were given the same. The Holocaust was absolutely one of the worst crimes in history, but its victims weren’t just Jews. There were 5 million victims including Jehovah’s witnesses, gypsies, homosexuals, priests, disabled, and blacks. Where is their land?

According to the organization Project Aladin, “The Holocaust hastened the legitimacy of a Jewish homeland in the eyes of the world.” The question is why must the land be taken from Palestine and why Israel needs more land than what the United Nations sanctioned back in 1947.

It seems as if defendants of Israel justify its existence with the Holocaust because justice can only be served by having even more genocide committed.

The Serbians committed genocide against the Bosnians in 1992 in the aftermath of World War Two, which was described by the History Channel as being the worst in European history since the Holocaust, and yet the Serbs who committed genocide against Bosnians were given land and territory in Bosnia, the place where they committed the genocide.

Native Americans, African-Americans, so many other groups in this world that had genocide committed against them. Where is their land?

Try as you might, there really isn’t a way to justify Israel’s occupation of Palestine nor the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by mentioning reparations that need to be paid for the occurrence of the Holocaust.

With all of this in mind as a nation, we need to broaden our mindsets and seek unbiased news sources.

As we all (should) know, on Aug. 9, an unarmed African American teenager named Michael Brown was shot to death by a white Ferguson police officer named Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.

Regardless of whether or not you think this case is a tragedy, murder, or self-defense, one thing is for certain: Missouri state law helps Officer Wilson prove his innocence.

Here’s what happens when someone is charged with homicide (the unlawful killing of another human being) in the United States. First off, a district attorney, in this case St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, presents evidence to a grand jury.

A grand jury is a group of citizens (in Ferguson there are eleven) who will have the final say as to whether or not the person accused of criminal actions should face any criminal charges.

As with any criminal case, it is the responsibility of the prosecution (in Ferguson this will be the state of Missouri) to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt,” that the defendant (Officer Wilson) is guilty of homicide.

To prove something beyond a reasonable doubt means that the jurors will have to unanimously agree that the evidence points to the facts presented by the prosecution, and that there is no other logical or “reasonable” explanation for this evidence.

Typically, homicide is a two-step process: the first step is to prove that the defendant was the one who killed the victim, and the second step is to prove that the defendant has no “justification” for the homicide, such as self-defense or insanity.

But here is where it gets confusing.

Different states have different laws concerning this two-step process.

Take California, for instance, where prosecutors first have to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the defendant killed the victim. Once that is accomplished, if the defendant intends to argue that the killing was justified, he or she must make an affirmative defense. In an affirmative defense, the burden of proof is now on the defendant to prove his or her innocence, which he or she must do to a “preponderance of the evidence,” which is a lower standard than “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Now let’s go to Missouri. Under Missouri law, the prosecution (NOT the defendant) has the responsibility to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the defendant’s justification for his or her actions is false.

And, as according to Missouri State Law Section 556.051, if any reasonable doubt is found, this “requires a finding for the defendant” meaning that the defendant has to be found innocent.

In essence, if the defendant is able to bring in any evidence that even so much as plants a reasonable seed of doubt in the minds of the jurors, Missouri law instructs the jury to find the defendant innocent regardless of the fact that the prosecution has already proved that this individual deliberately and intentionally killed another human being.

Here’s my take on the shooting of Michael Brown.

In six months to two years time, Officer Wilson will be found innocent. I personally don’t think he is, but I believe Missouri law makes it too hard for the prosecution to find him guilty of any serious crime. It’s true that people kill people. But it sure doesn’t help when certain states’ laws make it so incredibly easy to get away with murder.

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The Highlander

NEWS

September 2014

The benefits of being a working student Shira Stein Scot Scoop Editor in Chief

After a year of my parents pestering me and lazy searching, I got my first job.

As a self-acknowledged headstrong person, it’s not surprising that it took me that long to agree with my parents (who are right most of the time), but I regret not listening to them sooner.

In the year that I have been working, I have been able to improve my independence. Before I started working, I rarely took the train or went places by myself, but since then I have done both regularly and much more.

At a school like Carlmont, the campus is divided between students who don’t have to work, students who do not have the money for frivolous purchases and feel the need to work, and students who need to work to support themselves or their family, but everyone can benefit from the job experience.

Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies released a study in 2012 that showed that people who work in high school have 10 to 15 percent higher wages when they graduate from college than people who did not work in high school Many college students are forced to get jobs while attending school to help pay for their education or living expenses, but some do not not have prior work experience to put on their resume, which makes finding that first job all the more difficult.

From personal experience, finding a job is not a quick feat. Unless a manager and a company is willing to risk

hiring someone with no experience, it can be difficult to find a job, but the rewards reaped are definitely worth it.

More than just the money, working teaches a variety of skills that can’t be taught by schools or parents.

When working, the employee is held accountable to their schedule and their co-workers, so they can not make split-second decisions not to go to work that day.

Especially when working in customer services, the employee learns to be polite and agree with everything the customer says so as to not cause problems, even if the employee does not like the situation. This is useful for future workplaces when the employee does not get along with their future co-workers or people with whom they have to do business, but still are required to do their job.

Although some of the jobs that high schoolers work do not influence their future plans, there is always the possibility that the jobs worked now expose the student to new possibilities for the future.

Working while in high school also teaches money management and monetary responsibility. When going to college, some students are required to budget their money to pay for their tuition, room and board, book, transportation, and personal items. If the student works during high school, then they will learn to budget their earnings, especially if saving up for something special, such as a trip.

Putting in effort into the work one does causes a sense of pride, especially when recognized by peers or managers. In sales positions especially, reach-

ing a sales goal or regularly meeting sales quotas will make the teenager feel better about their abilities and boost their confidence.

One concerns about working while in school is having enough time for studies and social interaction. Minors are only allowed to work a certain amount of hours depending on the time of year.

The California Child Labor Laws says that when school is in session students aged 16 and 17 may work four hours on any school day and eight hours on any non-school day, not exceeding more than 48 hours per week (although there are also California laws that state part-time employees may not work more than 25 hours per week).

The best way to combat this issue is to communicate with the manager about the amount of hours one wants to work, but only after being offered

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GIANNA SCHUSTER

the job.

If careful, the concern about lowered grades can be avoided if one does not work for an excessive amount each week, but that depends on how much the person can handle.

Another concern is that “problem behavior,” such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, early sexuality or doing drugs, will be picked up from older co-workers. In actuality, teenagers who already exhibit problematic behavior in their regular life gravitate towards these types of activities and sometimes use the money they earn to items that contribute to “problem behavior.” This “problem behavior” is attributed to self-selection by the teenager, not influence from co-workers.

Working as a teenager helps to smooth along the process from child to adult, especially for those who plan to go to college and become self-sufficient.

September 2014

NEWS

Page 5

The Highlander

YouTuber’s success comes from their ads Alisa Takahashi Staff Writer

It is 2 p.m., and the busy streets of Brighton, England are booming with working men and women. Felix Kjellberg is at home, not in a desk office.

Kjellberg is still in his pajamas, only leaving his house to walk his threelegged dog, Edgar.

The man sits upright in front of his laptop and a camera facing him, giving crude commentary on his latest video game find.

Kjellberg’s video game playing is not an obsession, it’s his job.

Kjellberg, like more and more rising stars, are all part of a group of entertainers who upload content on YouTube to make a living. According to The Wall Street Journal, Kjellberg, or better known as “Pewdiepie” makes an average of $4.7 million dollars a year for his gaming channel.

He has a fan base of a little over 30 million subscribers, and recently surpassed Rihanna’s YouTube channel for most-viewed of all time.

“It’s crazy that someone can make a living off a YouTube channel. I would think that it would be just a hobby, but it amazes me that YouTube can actually be a career,” said junior Sydney Cho. The most effective way to monetize views was created in 2012. YouTube announced a partners program to allow YouTubers with a set amount of subscribers to have a share of the income from their ad revenue.

YouTube allowed limited ad sharing in 2007, but the simplicity of the updated partners program allowed YouTubers to maintain a steady income through ad revenue. The simplicity of clicking a button agreeing to let Google sell advertising in return for a share of the profit attracted many potential “partners.”

The message was clear for aspiring YouTubers: film a video, attract an audience, promote your brand, and make money off of it.

“If they can generate an audience, they can start making money,” said Tom Pickett, YouTube’s vice president of global operations in an article

by the New York Times.

Once an outlet for funny animal videos or low quality home videos, the rapidly growing amount of viewers raises the bar for higher quality videos on YouTube.

The need for a YouTuber to be funny without sounding stupid, creative but being orginal, makes it increasingly difficult to even get a high amount of subscribers to be able to live off of the content they produce.

YouTube is vague on its numbers and says only that thousands of channels, among the million or so that collect revenue directly through the partners program, earn at least six figures in revenue.

“It’s a lot of work to become a successful YouTuber, posting consistently and having high-quality videos and interacting with fans on social media,” said junior Kayla Fong.

A typical misconception of content creators is that they make a set rate per view on their videos. Their income is not based upon the amount of views someone has on a video, but based on engagement with the ad.

Engagement with an ad on YouTube means clicking on it or watching it for more than thirty seconds. Advertisers can choose either a Cost per Click (CPC) or Cost per View (CPV) model.

CPC is when an advertiser pays money based on clicks. If an ad has a CPC of $3 and someone clicks on that ad, it will charge that advertiser $3, meaning the content creator profits $3. These text ads pop up in the lower part of the screen during the video and can also show up as a square banner on the right side of your channel.

CPV is when an advertiser pays money based on views. A view for the advertiser means someone watches an ad for 30 seconds or half of the ad; whichever comes first. That person could click that ad 50 times but it still wouldn’t charge the advertiser more because they’re paying for the view.

“I never knew that YouTubers made money off of ads. I always thought they made money per view. I definitely watch ads before videos all the

Channel with most subscribers 87,048,875+ YouTube Music

Most watched video

2,083,114,200+Gangnam style, PSY

Highest paid YouTuber $4.7 million Pewdiepie, gaming

Channel with most views

Average 1.8 million views a week 179 views per second Pewdiepie, gaming

First YouTuber to reach 1 million subscribers Fred April 2009

MIA HOGAN

Sources: StatSheep and Tubefilter way through if Spidergeck, they’re interesting investments in multimedia Images: flicker.comsubstantial LLC enough,” said freshman Cameron Ho. studios to enter the YouTube market, Ad revenue is not the only way to and stars like singer Rebecca Black make income through video making. and the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver Successful YouTubers can become have started channels. recognized and offered opportunities As a result, once-wary advertisers such as ad campaigns and sponsor- are pouring in. The company’s ad revships, which can be completely sepa- enue for last year, according to eMarrate from YouTube. keter, totaled about $5.6 billion, up 51 Google, which has owned YouTube percent from 2012. since 2006, has put its worldwide adIt’s a lot of money, but it is spread so vertising sales force of 12,000 behind thinly among the many content prothe platform. New investments allow viders that an increasing number are for high-quality video uploading from saying they aren’t so sure that the deal all over the world, even on cellphones makes sense for them financially. or other mobile devices.

Regardless of whether a person has All of this has made YouTube more one subscriber or one million, the main attractive to A-listers. Hollywood focus of YouTube should be about lovstudios like DreamWorks Animation ing and caring for fans that support and 21st Century Fox have each made and love your content.

NEWS

Page 6

The Highlander

Police

Continued from page 1

States Census Bureau, 87 percent of extrajudicial killings in New York City involved a black victim, while in Chicago, Illinois, the number rose to 91 percent.

“That statistic shows how much more work needs to be done on racial equality in this country,” said Russell.

“This country has come a long way in the last 150 years, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

Although the possible racial issues present in these two events prove worrisome, another huge issue to look at is the abuse of power shown by police.

According to the Cato Institute’s National Police Misconduct Reporting project in 2010, 25 percent of the reports involved excessive force. Murder was last on the list with a .4 percent occurrence in the 4,966 total reports filed. A larger number reported than in 2009.

Of the 1,242 officers involved in excessive force complaints, 60 percent were accused of physical force, while 14 percent were included in cases that involved the use of a firearm.

To combat these growing numbers, police in Rialto, Calif. provided their officers with tiny cameras to put on

their shirt collars, as part of a yearlong investigation. These cameras are able to record and monitor every action by those officers.

According to the investigation, police complaints in the town of 100,000 people, fell 88 percent; while incidents of “use of force’ fell 60 percent.

“That makes a lot of sense,” said junior Jake Kumamoto. “If the police department in Ferguson was required to wear cameras, we would know exactly what happened before Michael Brown was shot. People will act better if they know they’re on camera, that goes for both police officers and civilians.”

“The events that transpired in Ferguson and other parts of the country were all terrible tragedies,” said Belmont Police Officer Brian Vogel. “As officers, we try to do our best to treat everybody fairly and with respect.

There are more hours out of the day that I’m not a cop, then I am a cop, and I try to treat everybody how I want my family and I to be treated.”

Although these issues seem distant in a location with a relatively low crime-rate, the debate and issue has already headed home.

On July 8, 2014, before the two events from the summer occurred, the Redwood City Police Department announced that they had acquired a military style vehicle to use in “extreme emergency situations such as an active shooter.”

September 2014

Some people, such as Paul George of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, felt uneasy about the acquisition of the vehicle.

In a recent Kron 4 interview, George said, “When you start bringing in equipment like this, they become an army instead of a town police force.

I think it starts a separation between the police and the citizens. This is a military weapon used for fighting in wars, there is no place for it in a civilian environment.”

An even bigger twist was thrown into the debate when the city council in Davis, Calif. ordered their police to get rid of the military vehicle they had just recently acquired themselves.

“It’s the kind of thing that is used in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Davis mayor, Daniel Wolk. “Our community is the type of community that is not going to take well to having this kind of vehicle. We are not a crime-ridden city.”

After all these outcries, The Redwood Police Department is understanding of the city’s fears “It’s a reaction we understand and expected,because it is a military vehicle. But with the low cost available to us and unpredictable nature of the world these days, we like the idea of having an armored vehicle at our disposal,” said a representative of the department.

Despite the reassurance from Red-

wood City Police, some Carlmont students are still a bit wary about the recent acquisition.

“I understand where the police are coming from, especially in a time when tensions are high regarding public and school safety,” said junior Matt DeGraff. “I just feel that in the area we live in this machine is hardly going to be put in use and that makes it feel unnecessary.

The main worry coming from the acquisition of the vehicle seems to come from the fear of a militarized police.

“Of course it’s a worry,” said DeGraff. “We saw what happened in Ferguson, the people were not allowed the express themselves because of the actions taken by police. That’s not right. However, I do trust the police here to use the machine appropriately.

It makes me a little uncomfortable, but as long as it used correctly everything should be fine.”

Officer Vogel was also confident of the vehicle’s use.

“Everytime we train,the vehicle is used as a way to protect ourselves.

Remember, when everyone’s running away from danger, we’re the ones that have to run towards it. It will not be used in matter of treating people with a military style of police. It will be used make sure we go home to our families every night and to protect the people.”

The Highlander

Editor in Chief Ashley Kawakami

Features Dominic Gialdini

Business Manager Kristen Friis

Campus Claudia Leist

Center Karissa Tom

Sports Sarah Boro

Back Page Zoe Wildman

Entertainment Alyssa Fagel

News and Opinion Michael Bastaki

Art Director Veronika Dvorakova

Art and Graphics Ivy Nguyen Alyssa Espiritu Minh Han Vu Scot Scoop Shira Stein Faculty Advisor Justin Raisner

Staff Writers

Ayesha Abbasi Jessica Adair Arianna Bayangos Brooke Buckley Angelina Castillo Becca Fradkin Aria Frangos Ravina Gujral Danielle Hamer

Mia Hogan Miranda Irwin Kian Karamdashti Elena Mateus Jocelyn Moran Mateen Nozzari Kimiko Okumura Lara Ostroff Sonia Paulo

Justine Phipps Kat Savin Sarah Schisla Gianna Schuster Marco Sevilla Victoria Shanefelter Taran Sun Alisa Takahashi Lauren Tierney

The mission of The Highlander is to accurately and honestly cover communal as well as school events. As a student run open forum newspaper, we strive to incorporate multiple views and represent the diverse community at Carlmont.

September 2014

NEWS

Page 7

The Highlander

Carlmont exceeds national AP pass rates Continued from page 1

guage. This coordination ultimately works to assure that students in the same class level are learning the same material independent of who teaches the course.

This allows students to be well-prepared for the subsequent level if they choose to continue studying the language. Godina said, "Students from Spanish III Honors consistently have a good, solid foundation [for AP Spanish]. All teachers in the department have helped with the successful pass rate as they continue to prepare students for AP Spanish Language and Culture."

The AP exam for Spanish Language and Culture consists of reading, writing, speaking, and listening elements. Godina said, "We prepare for the exam by doing [all of these] activities in and outside of the classroom. That's where you really develop those [skills of] speaking and thinking in Spanish, which resulted in the 100 percent pass rate."

The Spanish exam was not the only AP test whose format recently changed.

The AP Chemistry exam changed last year, and the AP history tests (Carlmont's European History

and United States History tests included) will have a new format within the next two years.

AP European History teacher Jayson Waller said, "The content itself hasn't changed. What has changed is the way it is assessed. Since there's more document analysis, we'll go get trained on that. If you can teach your kids for the old test, the new one will be manageable."

And Carlmont's AP history teachers have definitely been able to teach students for the old test.

The school's AP US History maintains a 94 percent pass rate, while the overall College Board pass rate is only 52.9 percent.

The 2013-2014 school year was the first year that Carlmont offered AP European History. Until then, Carlmont offered Western Civilization, which was not considered an honors course.

In AP European History's first year at the school, 75.6 percent of Carlmont students passed the AP exam (which had an overall College Board pass rate of 59.6 percent.)

Waller said, "We have quality students and an improved textbook that is far easier to read and understand [than many others]. In AP European History,

we teachers tried to, in a collaborative way, develop common assessments and common instructional strategies to hit as many different learning modalities as possible."

Overall, the key factor in the course's success was practice that gave students a chance to experience the test format throughout the entire school year.

Waller said, "I developed a three-week routine, and in that routine we do the same basic assignments over and over again with new material. You do one thing [many] times before you master it."

Junior Alex Singer said, “I think there are a lot of motivated students at Carlmont, as well as great teachers who have lots of experience preparing students for these AP tests. It’s still surprising that some of Carlmont’s statistics are up to 40 percent higher than the country's."

Until recently, Singer, like many other Carlmont students, was unaware of the school’s success on the AP exams.

Junior Shayla Lusk said, “I feel like more students would take additional APs if they knew the pass rate for our school. They would feel more confident knowing that they had a greater chance for success.”

Seniors lack lockers and can’t use their cars Lara Ostroff Staff Writer

The great double negative of senior year is upon us.

Every year, most of the senior class has to give up their lockers to the incoming freshman, and in addition are not permitted to visit their cars during school hours.

There are a significant amount of seniors who are upset over either having to give up their locker, or not being able to visit their car during school hours.

“I need a locker in between my classes. It was nice being able to leave my textbooks there and not having to carry around all of my stuff,” said senior Quentin Gachot.

The solution to this problem that many seniors face is to request a locker with Anne Eggli, one of the administrative secretaries that deals with locker assignments.

The only problem with requesting a new locker is that seniors either will not have the same locker, or their new locker will be out of the way and inconvenient.

“I’m also mad because I spent such a long time putting stickers in there and making it my own,” continued Gachot.

Another senior, Morgan Manter, takes a different approach on how she feels about giving up her locker.

“It’s really not fair because we have the most textbooks and the biggest workload, not to mention sports and projects,” said Manter. “We have been here for a longer amount of time than the freshman, and we should have privilege on lockers.”

Grant Steunenberg, one of the administrative vice principals, explains why he believes freshman are

given priority when it comes to lockers.

“I don’t think that seniors should have preferential locker opportunities just because they have been here longer. We need to support our incoming ninth graders and provide them with a place to put their educational materials. Seniors have been here for four years, kind of got it,” said Steunenberg.

Steunenberg followed up with, “Also, I would say seniors have fewer academic classes. There are going to be less hardcore academic classes so many seniors might not have as many materials to carry.”

Steunenberg then goes on to say that administration supports and rewards the seniors, if not with lockers than with parking privileges.

“We give preferential treatment to seniors, giving them them the first shot at parking because they have been here the longest and we want to give seniors the opportunity to access parking under the assumption that because of your age, seniors would have cars,” said Steunenberg.

One privilege that many seniors feel they should have is the ability to visit their car during school hours.

“I’m also upset that seniors have to give up their lockers, especially since we aren’t even allowed to use our cars as one,” said senior Savannah Grech.

Steunenberg explained, “we do not allow people down to their cars during the school day because we cannot have students using their cars as lockers because they could also be using their car to hold on to things that we do not want them to have access to during the school day.”

While this is a satisfying reasoning for some, Grech still feels that there should be opportunities to visit car’s during school hours.

“It’s counterintuitive that the school takes seniors lockers away, and then doesn’t permit them to visit

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their cars, because after giving up a locker we all assume that we will use our cars, but now we can’t even do that,” continues Grech.

If seniors don’t have lockers, and there is a rule against using car’s as lockers, seniors don’t have a place to put their books.

When asked this question, Steunenberg responded with, “I would say that there is not a place. Backpacks or bags, but that creates a problem because bags become heavy and lugging them around all day becomes a problem. It is a problem that does not have a solution right now, and it is a valid problem with valid concern.”

Steunenberg wraps up his response with, “I really don’t have an answer to that question, other than hopefully the seniors have figured it out.”

FEATURES

Page 8

The Highlander

September 2014

Big changes: adjusting to high school Sonia Paulo Staff Writer

Any change of school brings with it new questions and concerns in addition to the transformation from being top dog to once again on the bottom.

A major change facing freshmen is the campus. However blatant this change may be, a lot of freshmen don’t realize how greatly the difference in topography will affect their everyday school life.

“I constantly feel like I’m going to be late,” said freshman Shae Rouland, who attended Ralston Middle School last year. “There is a lot more travel time needed to get from class to class because the campus is so big.”

Carlmont is notable for its large campus. In 2012, passing periods were extended to seven minutes so students could make it from U-Hall to F-Hall without being late.

Although the size may at first seem overwhelming, some freshmen view it as a positive rather than a negative.

Freshman Ryan Wilson, who attended Ralston Middle School last year, said, “I like the bigger campus. There is

more freedom to go where you want and there are more people to make friends with.”

Not only does the change in campus bring about a change in topography, but it also brings changes to things one wouldn’t typically consider when changing schools.

Senior Madison Norman recalls her dismay at the different schedule she was introduced to at Carlmont.

“At Tierra Linda we had a 15-minute snack break midmorning which helped rejuvenate ourselves until lunch.

I didn’t like how Carlmont doesn’t have that because it made the day seem longer, so now I just eat in my classes.”

Wilson also experiences difficulty towards the more demanding high school schedule. “I don’t like the earlier start time,” he said. “School makes me tired and then an earlier start time adds to that.”

Carlmont starts 20 minutes earlier than Ralston Middle School, which can make all the difference when incorporating commute time and when to wake up in the morning.

Although more up-front challenges such as schedules and campus size may seem the most alarming at first, deeper

things such as a newfound sense of responsibility often affect freshmen the most.

“Once I got into high school, I knew I had to work a lot harder than I did at Ralston,” said senior Christian Nahlinder. “Everyone took academics a lot more seriously here and it made me try more.”

This emphasis on grades is noticed among the freshmen as they adapt to Carlmont life. Not only is more work a reflection of the growing responsibility one is expected to have when attending high school, but it also begins to prepare students for the ultimate change: college.

“The biggest difference between middle school and high

IVY NGUYEN

school has been the homework load,” said Wilson. “I have to start my homework earlier and focus on it more than I had to in middle school.”

Rouland likes the academic challenge that has been presented with high school in comparison to the more relaxed academics of middle school. “There’s more work, but the teachers here are more focused than in middle school so we can just get all the things we need to done.”

Along with the challenges facing freshmen, many good things go along with the transition from middle school to high school. Although the massive amount of new people may seem overwhelming

at first, it ultimately makes the whole high school experience worthwhile.

“It’s weird not seeing familiar faces in the hallway all the time,” said Rouland, “but I like the fact that there are so many new people.”

With new people come new opportunities to create friendships that will last all four years.

“With all the group projects my freshman teachers assigned I was able to become really close friends with some of those people,” said Norman. “Some of the friends I made freshman year are still my best friends today.”

Although the transition from middle school to high school can be chaotic, it is filled with change, both good and bad. The challenges of the transition are ultimately what prepares one for high school and creates the foundations needed to build a great four years.

“In high school you will meet much cooler people than in middle school,” said Nahlinder, “They don’t care about petty drama like in middle school and ultimately allow you to develop into a more independent person.”

Common freshman fears and stereotypes debunked Kristen Friis Buisness Manager

Many students are all too familiar with the tell-tale freshman who wears his or her ID as he or she carries a huge backpack, with his or her eyes buried in their blue schedule while attempting to quickly maneuver through the halls.

The first year of high school can be intimidating, especially at Carlmont.

Transitioning to a school with over 2000 students can be a big step from middle school.

“The size of the school was a huge difference,” said freshman James Houston. “It’s so big and it’s easy to be late IVY NGUYEN

to class. Teachers are way more strict and there is way more homework.”

Middle school, also known as the most embarrassing three years of a person’s life, is where students are essentially treated like children. Homework extensions, test corrections and extra credit are handed out like candy on Halloween.

“In middle school, teachers don’t trust you as much,” said freshman Jade Sebti. “In high school, teachers still care about their students but also want to teach them to learn from their mistakes. You also have a lot more freedom to do different things that you couldn’t in middle school, but that also means more responsibility.”

Freshmen also express a great deal of fear about starting high school in general. Typical freshman fears include not getting to class on time, not fitting in and approaching upperclassmen.

“One thing I feared at first were the really big seniors and juniors,” said Houston, “but they are like wasps, if you don’t mess with them, they won’t sting.”

Freshmen are the ones who ultimately create these stereotypes for upperclassmen. The idea that seniors are big and scary and like to throw kids in dumpsters during “Freshmen Friday” is not true at all.

In reality, the only reason a lot of upperclassmen can come off this way is because they just get easily annoyed.

“Some of them need to learn how to tone it down,” said senior Sarah Anderson. “They need to chill and stop running to class. I mean, we have seven minutes.”

Though this may be stereotypically true, not all freshmen are viewed as completely reprehensible.

“Sometimes their level of maturity bothers me,” said senior Tori Hall,

“but for the most part once they learn their way around and how Carlmont works, I don’t really care that they’re around.”

Even though many upperclassmen can become easily annoyed by freshmen, some have more sympathy and a better understanding of what they’re going through.

“I honestly don’t care, they don’t really get in my way or say anything to me so they are kind of just there getting through their first year,” said senior Anthony Fischetti.

Not only are some people sympathetic towards freshmen, but some upperclassmen see them as a positive contribution to the school.

“I think freshmen are awesome,” said senior Nico Camerino. “They’re all super energetic about being in high school, and I love it. Their energy makes me feel excited to be at Carlmont.”

September 2014

FEATURES

Page 9

The Highlander

Freshmen have less academic choices Arianna Bayangos Staff Writer

During eighth grade, most were looking forward to going to high school; it would be a challenge as well as an opportunity to discover passions through taking more specialized classes related to a potential career.

However, for freshman year, the class selections are limited.

It was either AS English or English I and Biology for Biotechnology or Biology. With social studies, however, all freshmen were put into the same class with no advanced track. With electives, the options were even more scarce, especially since all freshmen are required to take P.E. Therefore, many freshmen found themselves in a lot of classes that weren’t up to their level or weren’t of interest to them.

Senior Brian Palma said, “During freshman year, there were classes I was expected to take in order to graduate, so I guess there are some limitations but nothing too drastic.”

Sophomore Cameron Kondo said, “I felt that freshman year I had limited options because I didn’t get to pick my level in two of my classes and I didn’t get to take art because I had to take P.E. and I didn’t want a seventh period.”

However, there are some benefits to the limited class options among freshmen.

Palma said, “I think that freshmen shouldn’t really have a variety of options as they are still adjusting

to a high school environment and, therefore, I think it’s in their best interest to stick with what they have in order to get a feel for high school.”

Freshman Henry Reich said, “Freshmen start almost on the same boat and then the older you get, there are so many more options you can take like a giant flow chart. If you take this, there are so many more branches when you are older.”

In the next few years, students get the chance to explore more fields of interests; they have more options in both core classes and electives. As a sophomore, a student can take different sciences, some of which are both AS and regular Chemistry and Physics, Biotech and Human Biology. In addition, there are more elective options such as Journalism, Photography, Ceramics, Web Design and an extra science or math. As juniors and seniors, the options are even more plentiful; there are more options in the advanced track with the numerous AP and AS courses at Carlmont.

IVY NGUYEN

Senior Chris Moon said, “I’m planning to major in some field of engineering. So taking two sciences during junior year and taking two math classes during my senior year helped. Taking AP Stats is helping me so that I could possibly get credit for it during college. Mechanical engineering is very physics based, so being able to get a lot of physics under my belt prior to college is helpful for my major.”

Even though the courses as freshmen may seem limited at Carlmont, the options grow and students are able to discover their passions by taking advantage of all the options given to them.

The faces of 2018 Every year, a quarter of the school’s population is brand new. Here are a few stories from the class of 2018.

Adrian Putz

Miles Bernstein

Mia Zidan

Dante Billeci

Q: What makes you different?

A: I play the bagpipes.

Q: What makes you different?

A: I was born with a condition called Arthrogryposis. It’s a condition where I’m missing muscles and I have contractions in my joints. It doesn’t affect me neurologically; it’s just harder for me to do things that most people can do easily.

Q: What makes you different?

A: I was born on Jan. 1, 2001. I was also born in Alexandria, Egypt. I moved here when I was three years old because my sister was born here and my family kind of split up; my parents wanted me to grow up and live here.

Q: What makes you different?

A: I have a lot of different interests and things I like. A lot of people like pop music, but I’m a big jazz guy and I play the saxophone. I will also be playing the saxophone and clarinet in the musical “Funny Girl” for Hillbarn Theatre. I’m really excited.

Q: What is it like with your condition at Carlmont?

A: People just see me as normal, which I really like. I use my scooter because I can’t really walk long distances. People don’t seem to be bothered by that, and some people even think it’s really cool.

Q: Was your birthday a coincidence?

A: My mom actually got to choose my birthday. I was due on Jan. 14, but the doctor told her that she had the option to be induced. She could choose from certain days beforehand, so she chose Jan. 1.

Q: How did you get into liking jazz?

A: I’ve always loved it. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a liking for it.

When I was three, my mom told me I was falling asleep in the car to Bossa Nova.

Q: How has making the adjustment from middle school to high school been?

A: I’ve been adjusting pretty well.

It’s a lot to get used to with the workload, and the size of the school -- it’s really big.

Q: Do you ever go back to visit Egypt?

A: The last time I was there was seven years ago, but I used to visit every summer. I think I’m going back this winter.

Q: How did you get into bagpiping?

A: I’ve liked the instrument for awhile and have always heard about bagpipes because I played with Scottish fiddlers. I saw one lying around one day and tried playing it. I didn’t know how to, so I found a teacher who gave me lessons. I couldn’t really play it for more than five minutes for the first month of learning.

Q: How are the bagpipes different from other instruments?

A: They’re a lot louder. The music and the culture behind them are really different. There is so much tradition behind them. It’s difficult to play things exactly the right way.

Q: Who is your favorite jazz artist?

A: He just passed away but my favorite is Yusef Lateef. He was a really great guy. But I pretty much love all types of jazz.

ELENA MATEUS

CALIFORNIA’

Page 10

The Highlander

All about the drought Naomi Asrir Staff Writer

In the wake of one of the worst dry spells in recent California history, residents question how the drought will affect them. These answers address common concerns, from crop damage to the future of the parched state.

What is a megadrought?

According to research meteorologist Martin Hoerling of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, megadroughts are “extreme dry spells that can last for a decade or longer.” California’s current drought is not its first.

“Researchers have documented multiple droughts in California that lasted 10 or 20 years in a row during the past 1,000 years,” said Paul Rogers of the San Jose Mercury News. “The two most severe megadroughts make the Dust Bowl of the 1930s look tame: a 240-year-long drought that started in 850 and, 50 years after the conclusion of that one, another that stretched at least 180 years.”

What are the drought’s effects?

Within the state of California, a major lack of water increases the amount of wildfires and crop damage.

Noah Rayman of TIME Magazine writes, “Wildfires in the south [of California] have burned down at least 30 homes.” Smoke from forest fires contains hazardous carbon aerosols that negatively impact air quality, and timber resources are destroyed from such massive burnings.

In an editorial, USA Today said, “This year’s agriculture revenue losses are estimated at $1 billion….with a loss of about 17,100 seasonal and part-time farm jobs.”

The cost of food will continue to rise nationwide without rainfall in California. With $42.6 billion of produce being exported across the country in the year 2012 alone, according to the California Agricultural Production Statistics, the midwest and east coast will be negatively affected by the west coast’s drought.

How serious is the drought in California?

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 82 percent of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought, up from 28 percent at the beginning of 2014.

Are you saving water for the drought?* * Poll of carlmont students

What is the state doing about the water shortage?

According to California’s government website, “Governor Brown declared a drought State of Emergency in January and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages.”

California residents now recognize the serious condition of the drought, looking to conserve precious water through breaking old habits.

LA Times writer Chris Megerian said, “During a speech at an environmental sustainability conference in Brentwood, Brown said he was calling on all Californians and municipal water agencies ‘to do everything humanly possible to conserve.’”

Are other states experiencing droughts?

Few other states are experiencing dry spells like California. On the contrary, regions of the east coast are flooding from excessive rainfall. AccuWeather’s Alex Sosnowski published on Sept. 10, “Rounds of heavy rain and flooding downpours will creep northward from the Carolinas to coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic.” Northeastern states will likely benefit from snowfall this winter while the west coast remains dry.

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How long will the drought in California last?

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A’S DROUGHT

Page 11

The Highlander

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1. Run your washer and dishwasher only when they are full.

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HOW 2 CONSERVE

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2. Take 5-minute ro showers -t i w p s on instead of s avin g baths. A full bathtub requires up to 70 gallons of water. Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 150 gallons per month. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.

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“I call on every city, every community, every Californian to conserve water in every way possible,” said California Gov. Jerry Brown.

On Jan. 17, 2014, Brown declared a state of emergency and implored Californians to cut back on their water by 20 percent. Five months after he issued this statement, water usage actually rose by one percent, according to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB.) It wasn’t until RYOT.org posted pictures of the dried-up Lake Oroville that many started to notice how bad the drought has really gotten.

“I personally didn’t see the danger directly happen every day, so it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. But when I look at pictures like that [Lake Oroville] I know that it’s a real problem,” said senior Andrew Wach.

Currently, water usage is down 7.5 percent, according to SWRCB, but some people still believe that Californians are underestimating the impact of the water shortage.

“California is taking the drought seriously, but not to the level of seriousness that it deserves. Everyone should know how bad of a situation we’re in, and California has not broadcasted the drought well enough for everyone to be informed,” said senior Lauren Pittock.

Californians might not be able to see the effects of the drought right now, but with the way things are progressing, significant changes to the quality of life will become evident in the next few decades.

“It may not seem so daunting now, but when we lose our water supply, we will no longer be able to support

agriculture. With nobody farming, not only do we have less food, but we are losing a lot of money. Less money and less food means that the quality of life decreases, and no one is happy in that situation,” said Pittock.

Pittock’s prediction is not far off as the drought is causing a “snowball effect” with all types of social, environmental, and economical problems.

According to the California Water Science Center, wildlife restoration projects may need to be stopped in order to conserve water, and likelihood of wildfires increases as the weather gets drier and drier.

Because of the dry weather and lack of water, the agriculture industry is suffering immensely, and a report from the UC Davis Center of Agriculture states that California is expected to lose $2.2 billion this year. As a result, 17,000 jobs in the Central Valley will be lost. Some school districts worry that the loss of jobs will cause parents to pull their kids out of school, according to National Public Radio, and their lack of attendance will cost school districts significant amounts of money.

“If I was a student put in that situation, I would be extremely upset with California as a whole. All of us can do our part to keep this drought from getting even more out of hand, and in turn keeping workers from losing their jobs,” said Pittock.

Currently, there are laws in place in place that aim to slow down this snowball effect. The most recent is a $500 fine law proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board last July. Under this law, Californians are not allowed to use drinkable water to hose off sidewalks, water lawns to the point of causing run-off, and wash cars without a shut-off nozzle.

Any person who sees an individual violating this law is obligated to report that individual to the local police department. The offender will subsequently be charged with a $500 fine.

“The idea for the law is right because they want to conserve water, but I don’t think people are going to want to turn each other in. I also think the law is bad for community cohesiveness because it’s just pitting neighbors against neighbors, and we don’t want that,” said senior Alan Yan. Yan added, “If we can get the companies that give us water to grant reductions to people who do save water, I think that would be a better idea. A monetary incentive would be much more effective.”

There are currently no laws in place that proCT E vide monetary Fincentive, so it is up to individuals F e to motivate themselves to conserve. “Every houseO hold shouldn be making an effort to conserve water because our water supply is without a doubt decreasing and if it keeps going, we won’t be able to live our lives comfortably,” said Pittock.

nO eFFECT

Jessica Adair Staff Writer

nATIONAL diSASTER

A glass half-empty: drought

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Extreme drought; Jerry Brown declares state of emergency

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One of the two longest droughts in the 20th century

2013

Less rain than any year since 1850

2014

No water to be delivered from the State Water Project to its 29 public water agency customers

2015

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California’s biggest flood in almost 90 years

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CALIFORNIA WATER HISTORY

CAMPUS

Page 12

The Highlander

September 2014

IC to School Loop: beneficial or detrimental?

Mateen Nozzari Staff Writer

For the 2014-2015 school year, Carlmont has changed their grade record platform from Infinite Campus to School Loop.

School Loop is an online application that allows students of all grade levels to view their grades and communicate with teachers.

Infinite Campus is a similar platform, however since the switch to School Loop, it is now mainly used only for attendance. Despite the large change, both platforms are used everyday by parents, teachers, students, and staff members.

School Loop provides daily emails that are sent to the student and his or her parents each time a grade is entered.

“School Loop is like a giant tattle-tail,” said junior Kelsey Ching. “I’m becoming more stressed because my parents keep bothering me about small errors in my grades which they have easy access to.”

Some students need time, space, and freedom to excel in their everyday classes. Therefore, the last thing a hard-working student needs is their parents to constantly badger them about errors they are well aware of.

Although the daily notification of a student’s grade to his or her parents can be an annoying occurrence, it can also be beneficial in that academic

issues can be dealt with before they spiral out of control and the semester finishes.

“Infinite Campus was a platform our school had been using for years, and parents always had access to the grades anyway,” junior Nick Notte said. “I think it’s important that parents know exactly what is going on with their children because the parents are being notified about their child’s future.”

When it comes to grades, however, teachers are the main users of School Loop and Infinite Campus.

“Infinite Campus was our school’s bread and butter,” said Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH), U.S History, and International Relations teacher Jarrod Harrison. “I can understand where administration was coming from when we made the switch, but we really could have used a little more training.”

Harrison, along with many other teachers, has been left in a state of confusion due to the lack of training they received about the new platform.

“The layout is extremely confusing and most of us teachers don’t have time to snoop around on some website trying to do our job,” Harrison said.

Teachers are very busy people. They are asked to teach and work anywhere from four to six hours a day, and enter and publish grades on top of that.

When there’s a hinderance in completing their work, stress levels rise and mistakes are made.

“It’s important for our teachers to able to use our grading platforms with ease. We’re putting our future in their hands and most of us would prefer our grades to not be tampered with just because of a confusing app,” said junior Shant Narkizian.

For most people, the problems seem to lie greatly within the layout of the app.

School Loop’s app contains four buttons located on the bottom upon entry, containing courses, news, LoopMail, and assignments. Occasionally, a message from the system bulletin will pop up onto the screen upon entry.

“Infinite Campus’ layout was more smooth,” said sophomore Dro Avetian. “The School Loop app is confusing and I have to find a computer just to check my grades or homework due within the next week.”

Having access to homework and grades is essential for any aspiring successful student, but School Loop seems to be doing quite the opposite whereas Infinite Campus was allegedly much more smooth, neat, and concise.

“I’m sure there’s been a lot of discussion about which is the better platform, but in reality, another change isn’t going to be happening anytime soon.

People should cope and use School Loop to their benefit because it’s undoubtedly the platform our school will use for many years to come,” Narkizian said.

Greek life or geek life; do you have to choose?

Lauren Tierney Staff Writer

“Academics, Administration, Athletics, Campus food, Campus housing, Campus quality, Diversity, Drug safety, Greek life, Guys & Girls, Health & Safety, Off-Campus dining, Off-Campus housing, Parking, Party scene, Technology, Transportation, Weather….”

Those are many, but not all, categories that make up “College Prowlers” website when looking up any college in America.

So how does one decide what they will prioritize in their college decision?

Senior Toni Lupilin said, “I think both aspects are equally as important to me personally because I want to get a good education while also enjoying myself. It’s college and that’s what you should be doing! My number one is definitely San Diego state because it’s a good school academically but at the same time it has a good social life, Greek life, and environment outside of the campus.”

Many seniors’ decisions come down to deciding between a school with a fun social life or a school that is strong in their academic field and predicted major.

Incoming college freshmen have many resources such as “I’m Shmacked” that show students party schools nationwide. Resources like this give students a way to choose a school based on purely how hard they party.

Greek life has been around forever, but is a continuously growing program on college campuses throughout all of America. As of May 2012, 9 million college students worldwide were

involved in fraternities and sororities.

Senior Jen Anthony said, “Greek life is pretty important but not everything. I think it’s a big part of meeting people and finding people you get along with.”

Greek life has been know for its immense amount of partying and sterotypical values. However, according to USA Today, all but three of the United States presidents have been members of a fraternity since 1825, and many fraternities focus on leadership and business.

Many students may not be looking for the party scene, but a school with strong focus and school spirit around the athletic program.

Senior Andrew Wach said, “I know that every school knows more (academically) than I do so I’m not too worried about the education status of the school; but I do want to go to a 4-year college. I want to go to a school with a lot of school spirit because I love all of the spirit days at Carlmont and I know at some colleges they have huge student sections at football games for the students to dress up and cheer. I also like big schools with a lot of different groups of people because you can always meet people and join programs with people that have similar interests as you.”

University of Tulsa is small with only 3,150 students, but it still has a ton of school spirit. Similarly, Gonzaga is another smaller school with 7,605 students currently enrolled, but is still filled with school spirit due to its well- known basketball team.

There are small schools all around the country with intense school spirit and a sense of school pride.

Senior Katelyn McGrath said, “I feel

Students weigh many factors when choosing colleges. it is important to have a balance between a fun environment and a strong academic setting, because both of these are strong factors to the balance of success and also being able to to have fun.”

Other schools choose to showcase the lead they have in academics in addition to a fun social environment.

A school like USC showcases immense academic strength, but also is known for its extremely fun social scene.

Since not all seniors will be eligible

MINH-HAN VU

to attend such a prestigious school with such athletic success, they must find other ways to create a balance in their college decision.

Senior Sydney Carlier said, “I want to go to UCSB because it has a great location, fun social life, and a good biology and chemistry program which I intend to study.”

Many schools may have the best of both worlds for one student and not for another student, so the college search is about finding the school that fits best for you.

September 2014

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The Highlander

RAVINA GUJRAL

Carlmont High School’s ‘Freshmen Survival Guide’ Becca Fradkin Staff Writer

“There are two gyms? Which pitstop has the shortest line? S-wing is a thing?”

While these may seem like questions of a lost and distraught freshman, Carlmont’s busy campus and student body can sometimes seem overwhelming.

Luckily, upperclassman know many tricks of the trade that can help make a school day more tolerable.

Immediately after schedules are released, students start to plan their route between classes. These seven minute passing periods can be a quick stride down D-hall or a treacherous hike up to the Spanish building.

“Sophomore year, I had a long walk from the end of C-hall up to Spanish; it took forever for me to cross the C-hall intersection, go through the student union, and then up the steps to Spanish,” said senior Jenna Mourad.

To avoid the chaos of student-packed hallways, there are some tricks to make passing periods less of a rush.

Senior Madi Hubbell said, “I try to use the outside hallways to get around C-hall because no one ever uses them.”

By avoiding C-hall, a potentially five-minute walk through a swarm of hurried students can be drastically reduced by walking through less popular walkways.

“By going through side hallways, or all the way around the top by E-hall, my passing periods are less crowded,” said senior Alex Pennes.

Shortcuts such as these can make passing periods easier, saving time and energy.

Another potentially crowded place at school is the inevitable bathroom run. Whether it be in the middle of class, during a passing period or at lunch, sometimes Carlmont bathroom trips can be timeconsuming and unsanitary.

“I only use the F-hall bathrooms and D-hall sometimes if I really need to,” said senior Amanda Breslauer.

While everyone can find their favorite bathrooms, lines can sometimes discourage students from their use.

“Also it’s completely unnecessary for people to hang out or change in the bathrooms. I could get in at the 10-minute bell and be waiting until class starts,” said Breslauer.

Long lines and toilet paper covered floors can make any student leave the bathroom line.

“If I don’t have time to get to U-hall, I try to use E-hall because it’s the second nicest,” said Pennes.

Between buying food at pitstops or the student store, lunch lines build up quickly. The search for a microwave to heat food with, and then finally being able to sit and eat, can waste half of a student’s lunch before starting to eat.

“I get out of my fourth period as fast as I can so I don’t have to wait in lines to get food during lunch.

If I get stuck in the back of the line, I could be there for ten minutes if not more,” said Hubbell.

The packed student store is not necessarily filled with students who want to buy food, but with those who want to heat food up. One of the few micro-

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waves accessible to students is in the student store, creating more of a mob.

“I never use the student store microwave because it’s gross and the wait is so long. I always use the ASB microwave because it’s cleaner and ASB is my fourth period, so I can eat lunch early with no line to heat my food,” said Breslauer.

Another trick to help freshmen is about the initial rush to get to school. Starting with a student’s morning, especially for those who drive themselves to school, it’s always best to leave enough time for parking and traffic. Because Carlmont only has two entrances, one on the San Carlos side and the other on the Belmont side, traffic builds easily.

“On a normal day I’ll try to be out of the house by 7:20, but if I’m running even five minutes late, Alameda is full of traffic and my ride is up to two times longer,” said Mourad.

Coming from the San Carlos entrance, Breslauer said, “I live two minutes away from school without traffic, but I have to leave my house at 7:30 to get to the senior parking lot on time for school.”

Other than the two student lots, some students choose to park off campus. While looking up Chula Vista or Club, one can see blocks of student-driven cars. The rush for a spot closest to campus can be stressful.

“I try to get to school early so I can find a good parking spot, so I don’t have to walk a long way after school,” said Pennes.

Leaving the house early, getting to school early, and leaving class right after the bell rings all make transitions through the day more tolerable.

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The Highlander

ENTERTAINMENT

September 2014

Investigating the ethics behind Sloppy Shoreline Miranda Irwin Staff Writer

Teenagers go to concerts for a number of reasons, but not everybody realizes that one inappropriate photo or post can alter the way individuals perceive each other.

“Sloppy Shoreline” is a social media account where people can send embarrassing photographs of their friends or strangers while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The Sloppy Shoreline Instagram and Twitter accounts got their names for two reasons: The first is because the photos being posted on the accounts are taken at concerts or other events at the Shoreline Amphitheatre venue in Mountain View, Calif.

The reason for the account’s adjective “sloppy,” is because the people in the pictures that appear on the account are under the influence to an extent that they often cannot control what they are doing.

“I think the accounts are demeaning and stupid but I find them hilarious,” said senior Nick Revior.

People are interested by accounts such as Sloppy Shore-

line because “it is entertaining to see how individuals act when they are under the influence,” said sophomore Lexi Posey.

Photos end up on Sloppy Shoreline when they are sent in to the accounts.

“I know of some people at Carlmont who have submitted pictures to the Twitter account. I think both accounts are dumb because they are putting up pictures on social media of people they don’t know for embarrassment and that’s not okay,” said senior Joseph Rodriguez.

While the embarrassment of others may prove entertaining to some, those actually being embarrassed do not always feel the same way.

“I know some students who have been on Sloppy Shoreline before. If I ever saw myself on it,I would be pissed and report the account,” said junior Emily Sevillia.

One of the main concerns of Sloppy Shoreline is that they post pictures of people without consent.

“I don’t think it’s okay to post photos of people without their permission because it’s an invasion of privacy,” said senior Emilie Andersson.

While there is no law stopping individuals from posting pictures without consent, the ethics of this is another concern.

The consequences of posting pictures of oneself or others on social media often goes unnoticed, especially by teens. Friends post pictures of each other all the time on

social media sites, but they often do not realize how it could negatively affect them.

Many students also don’t realize what action their school can take if presented with a photograph of ALYSSA ESPIRITU a student under the influencr or doing something else illegal.

“Our obligation falls within what is considered the school day, from the time a student leaves their door in the morning to the time they walk back through their door in the evening. Anything that may happen during these hours is technically within our realm.

If a student decided to go to a concert on a Friday after school but did not go home first, technically, we could follow up and provide consequences for the student. However, that is where we enter a sort of legal gray area,” said Administrative Vice Principal

Grant Steunenberg.

Underage drinking is illegal, whether it is done at a concert or not, so even if the school can not provide consequences for a student’s actions, the law still can.

“Sometimes, like on weekends, it is not our place to provide consequences for students’ actions, but ethically it would be okay for us to share any information brought to us about a student with that student’s parents. People just need to realize that everything you do is being recorded and that there are cameras everywhere,” said Steunenberg.

Plenty of students go to concerts at Shoreline knowing the possible consequences.

“If you are going to a concert and you’re planning on drinking, you’re putting yourself in a vulnerable position and need to be careful when it comes to your actions,” said Sevillia.

Society is filled with cameras and social media that capture moments and memories.

However, some of these moments are not ones that people want to be displayed on the Internet for anyone to access.

Si n c e 2 0 0 2 R

where education and dreams meet

September 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 15

The Highlander

Famous Viners become product advertisers Marco Sevilla Staff Writer

A year ago, many people wouldn’t have thought that someone could get rich by creating six-second videos on the Internet. Today, it seems that it’s more than possible with the popular social media app, Vine.

Corporations are finding new and innovative ways to reach larger audiences. Their latest technique has been through employing the most popular Vine users as advertisers to publicize products and events to their followers.

Senior Andrew Wach said, “Being one of the first few people to join Vine, I’m excited that the app has gotten so popular. I’ve definitely seen a change in the way Viners are using their publicity to promote other apps such as Badoo and the Hot Or Not app.”

Since Twitter launched the six-second video app in January 2012, it has gained over 2.6 million users all over the world. With the popularity of the social media platform came the popularity of some of its users such as comedians like Jerome Jarre, Marcus Johns and Brittany Furlan and teenage heartthrob Nash Grier.

Senior Brittany Zelnik said, “I think these Viners are largely popular because initially they had one Vine that became viral. I love Vine because of the funny content and the trends they

Students watch a Vine at lunch. set outside of the app.”

From dating apps to promoting television events like the 2014 MTV Music Awards, Vine celebrities are finding an easy way to turn comedy into profit, but many avid Vine users have found that they dislike this change saying that it gives Viners the reputation of “sell-outs.”

Senior Jenna Mourad, an avid Vine user said, “I extremely dislike the fact that most popular Viners try to sell other products to their followers. It’s annoying because they take up my feed and they’re often not funny. I prefer to follow Viners who are less popular and focus more on the quality of their content rather than using their popularity to gain profit.”

Like many advertising on social me-

ALYSSA ESPIRITU

dia, there are often negative reactions from its users.

For many it seems unappealing that some make five-figure salaries off of six-second videos.

Wach said, “I think Vines about promoting products couldn’t be anymore annoying. I’m more interested in the one-hit-wonder Vines that can be quoted in real life” One example of a large Vine campaign was run by Hewlitt-Packard, advertising their newest product, the x360 Pavilion, a convertible laptop computer. In the campaign, various Vine celebrities made videos demonstrating the computer’s functionality.

These short clips were compiled as an advertisement and was recently aired on television for millions to see.

The Vine community’s exposure to these brands have been profitable thus far and may reflect how corporations will go about advertising their brands in the future.

One notable Viner, who uses the handle “Ms. Cignoli”, said she was contacted by companies such as Puma, Lowe’s and eBay. Today she works with 14 marketers in total, utilizing Vines to take part in marketing campaigns and to advertise products to her 337,000 followers.

Senior Catherine Schulze said, “I think they have jobs that are more fun than most, while making easy money.

They’re public figures so people constantly want to see more of them.”

The MTV Movie Awards is the most recent awards show and biggest to use publicity through Vine. Viners were told to publicize the event of the popular award show through posting Vines of performances and the red carpet. These vines gained millions of loops (how many times a Vine is repeated) within hours and reportedly increased ratings on the West coast before the show was aired.

Companies are discovering that Vine has become a source for cheap and efficient publicity and will likely affect the ways corporations use social media and the Internet for advertising in the future.

Racial discrimination in social media Kimiko Okumura Staff Writer

Reaching out to vast regions of the world, social media allows for people to connect with one another, to share and create content. Yet it also opens a window for prejudice and racism.

Racism is often overlooked in social media because of the subtlety of it compared to the deeply rooted discrimination offline.

Twitter users angry about the shooting in Ferguson started the viral #iftheygunnedmedown hashtag in August, which jumped to the trending hashtags. Twitter users posted a tweet with two different pictures, portraying themselves on the two opposite ends of the spectrum.

For example, a black man posted a picture of himself at a party drinking alcohol and and a picture in his army uniform, asking if he was to be fatally shot, what picture would the media represent him with?

Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male was shot by police in Ferguson in early August. Media chose to portray Brown with a picture of him holding up a gang sign, which led to tweets calling him a thug.

A picture of Brown in his high school graduation cap and gown circulated around Twitter, questioning the media and why they didn’t choose the better picture to represent Brown.

Racism in the real world is hard to measure, but not that in social media.

According to a study in February 2014 by Demos, users posted an average of 14,000 tweets using racial slurs daily.

The research shows the lack of derogatory and abusive use of racial slurs. Seventy percent of these tweets used them in a casual manner.

Sophomore Liam Jocson said, “As an avid social media enthusiast, racial slurs like the n-word are thrown around on Twitter and Facebook. It’s not okay because it’s offensive to African American people.”

However, on Vine, many users say a variety of racial slurs in their 6-second comedic videos.

Sophomore Danny Kaplun said, “Some posts on Vine have captions that say black people be like, and they put a stereotype. Racism on Vine is okay because it’s not meant in a discriminating way.”

There is a blurred line between teasing and discriminating someone about race. For every person, they have a different definition of racism, and what is and is not acceptable.

Online, it’s difficult to determine whether someone is joking or intend-

ing to harm another individual. This creates issues when the reader cannot understand the tone the poster uses.

“Often people will bring up that I’m Filipino and that in the Phillipines they eat dog.

Sometimes ALYSSA ESPIRITU my friends say ‘shut up, you eat dog.’ At first I thought it was funny, but now I think that they might think all Filipinos actually eat dog,” said Jocson.

Not all experiences with racism can occur with friends or acquaintances, like in Jocson’s case. Sophomore Kahari Williams experienced discrimination in an intentionally aggressive manner. In early September, an anonymous person racially attacked Williams on ask.fm.

The anonymous sender told him “You’re a f-(expletive deleted) horse monkey. If you swim in the ocean, sharks won’t eat you because you look like whale s-(expletive deleted) or Obama’s a-(expletive deleted),” stated

by Williams.

Websites that allow anonymity like ask.fm and www.tumblr.com open a

near risk-free opportunity to discriminate against anyone.

Williams said, “It’s 2014, racism was supposed to be gone a long time ago.”

In the 1600’s, Europeans used racist ideologies to justify slave trade, and 400 years later, the racism of white society against black society is still widespread. Other races beyond black people struggle with the effects of past events, such as the Middle East dealing with the effects of 9/11.

Junior Seena Sebt said, “Certain groups are put into bad light in the media. They usually show the bad side of the Middle East; killings and terrorist acts, so it makes people think if you’re from the Middle East, you might be a terrorist.”

Racism and stereotyping on social media creates the danger of spreading ideas about races that are not true for everyone belonging to that specific race.

Although social media spreads negative ideas, users also use it to raise awareness for overlooked causes.

Racism on social media often spark groups to start campaigns and movements to bring awareness to a certain issue, such as the misrepresentation of minorities in media.

Social media helps fuel our lives, giving us a solid way to connect and share with others. It is prominent and powerful, and bringing awareness to the prevalence of racism within social media pushes everyone farther away from the corruption of the past.

Page 16

The Highlander

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SPORTS

Page 17

The Highlander

Carlmont welcomes new athletic trainer Tori Shanfelter Staff Writer

It’s around 8 p.m. on a Friday night, the bleachers are filled with boisterous fans of students and parents as they cheer on their home team.

Adrenaline rushes through his body as his ears fill with the sound of the crowd cheering his team on. Taking his position, he waits for the quarterback to put the ball into play by saying “hike.”

Within a matter of seconds, his hands cradle the ball and his feet move as fast as they can to break through the blockage of the opposing team.

He catches a glimpse of color out of the corner of his right eye before his body feels the hard impact of another player collide into him.

His body aches from the impact and despite his best efforts he can’t get up.

He feels agonizing pain and knows immediately that something is wrong.

It’s incidents like this that make having an athletic trainer available at all seasonal athletic games and practices crucial.

Senior varsity running back player Dominic Blanks broke the bottom part of his femur that connected to his knee and broke through the growth plate in his knee during practice. The next day Blanks had to undergo surgery for his knee and was out the whole season.

“I remember it hurting really badly.

Even though I was in a lot of pain, I felt pretty safe because I trusted the [athletic] trainer and knew she would was there to help me,” said Blanks.

According to SouthWest Athletic Trainers’ Association (SWATA) more than 62 percent of organized sportsrelated injuries occur during practice.

Having an athletic trainer available on campus during practice times as well as game days helps decrease the risk of future injuries for student athletes especially athletes with pre-existing injuries.

A popular misconception many athletic trainers face is confusing athletic training with personal training.

“I’m constantly explaining to people what exactly an athletic trainer does because many times we get confused with being personal trainers.

The main difference between the two is that personal trainers are required to have as much educational training as athletic trainers,” said new athletic trainer Arielle Carter.

Before working at Carlmont, Carter went on to work as the athletic trainer for Marter Dei a small, private, all girls’ high school in Chula Vista for two years.

Carter said, “I’ve always been really interested in going into the medical field. I had my first interaction with an athletic trainer when I dislocated my knee at cheer camp. They helped put my knee back into place and took care of me. I thought it seemed like a really cool profession because everyday’s different and you’re always learning something new.”

From then on, Carter committed and pursued a career as an athletic trainer. After graduating from East Lake High School in Chula Vista, San Diego in 2004, Carter attended San Jose State for three years and received her bachelor’s degree.

With the number of high school athletes experiencing moderate to severe injuries due to their sport increasing each year, the availability of athletic trainers in high schools has also increased.

More high schools nationwide are employing athletic trainers to ensure the health and safety of their athletes.

According to a recent study conducted by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), approximately two thirds of public high schools in the United States with an athletic program have access to either a part-time or full-time athletic trainer.

This recent study is a great improvement in comparison with a study conducted in 2005 by NATA that estimated about only 40 percent of high schools had access to services provided by an athletic trainer.

In an effort to increase the safety of

Arielle Carter treats Aaron Albaum at football practice while Sophia Faupusa assists.

student athletes, the district has created a new partnership with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for the 2014-2015 school year to provide PAMF employed athletic trainers.

PAMF has provided the district with a total of four athletic trainers, one trainer available at each of the four high schools in the district with an athletic program.

Carlmont is among the high schools in the district that has an extensive athletic program along with its very own athletic trainer.

Prior to the district’s partnership with PAMF it had a contract with BAK Therapy that employed Carlmont’s former athletic trainer of the past two years, Jessica Little.

“Having an athletic trainer is basically like having another mom,” said varsity strong safety senior Willie Teo. “It’s someone you can go to when you’re hurt, makes sure you’re healing property and cares for your safety.”

According to NATA, an athletic trainer provides physical medicine, rehabilitative, and preventative services.

To become a certified athletic trainer, a student must graduate from an accredited athletic training program receiving at least a bachelor’s degree.

However, according to data from NATA more than 70 percent of athletic trainers have received their master’s

TORI SHANEFELTER

degree. As well as obtaining a degree, a student must also pass a test from the Board of Certification and complete 800 or more internship hours.

“A big part of my graduation requirement was clinical experience. I was required to complete at least 800 hours with other athletic trainers,” said Carter.

Once certified, the athletic trainer must continue to advance their education and skills through educational workshops and courses in order to remain certified.

“The idea of having an athletic trainer is to help athletes properly heal when they get minor injuries. It’s also important to have an athletic trainer for more serious injuries because they can provide emergency treatment and work with the athlete’s [primary] doctor to help create a rehabilitation plan,” said Administrative Vice Principal Grant Steunenberg.

Athletic trainers provide a variety of services that help athletes with injury prevention as well as injury rehabilitation. Along with wrapping, icing, stretching, and first aid the most important service an athletic trainer can provide is proper education.

Essentially, athletic trainers educate athletes on the proper ways of taking care their body.

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The Highlander

SPORTS

September 2014

Farewell Candlestick, Hello Levi’s Kat Savin Staff Writer

The San Francisco 49ers take a big leap into football history with moving into the new Levi’s stadium.

The new home of the 49ers, located next to Great America opened July 17, 2014, and serves as one of the world’s greatest outdoor sports and entertainment venues. Costing around $1.2 billion, the stadium seats about 68,500, features 8,500 club seats and 165 luxury suites.

Levi’s Stadium covers about 1.85 million square feet, compared to Candlestick Park’s 1.35 million square feet.

“Levi’s Stadium is really high tech and spacious,” said senior Daryush Shahid who went to see the Earthquakes game. “Candlestick was really out of date.”

The environmentally friendly stadium was designed by Howard Needles Tammen and Bergendoff, most popularly known as HNTB, and was built

by Turner/Devcon.

The stadium is the first professional football stadium in the United States to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. LEED is a green building certification program that recognizes the best building strategies and practices. Saving money and resources, having a positive impact on health of occupants, and promot-

ing renewable clean energy are what makes up an LEED certified building.

In order to receive the certification, projects must satisfy certain conditions and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. Conditions and credits differ for each of the four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

“I was not aware of the award but I did notice the solar panels and other environmentally friendly technologies,” said Shahid.

The stadium includes many unique features such as a green roof on top

the building of the stadium was parking. The stadium houses more people than it has parking spaces.

“We parked in one of the businesses near the stadium which was about 10 minutes away,” said junior Theo Chatman. “It was very cluttered and took us about an hour and a half to get out when the game was over.”

To resolve this problem, the 49ers bought out Great America’s parking lot which is less than a mile away from the stadium.

“My dad and I parked in the lot at Great America, which was about a five minute walk from the stadium,” said Breslauer. “Walking out after the game took a long time because there were so many people squished on a small sidewalk and there was a lot of traffic because there is only one exit out IVY NGUYEN of that parking lot.” of the suite tower on the west side as Another issue was the transition for well as three solar bridges including season ticket holders. Many season hundreds of solar panels connecting ticket holders were promised the same the main parking area to the stadium. or similar seats as they had before, but Visitors will also be able to view a live were unfortunately disappointed. dashboard displaying current energy “Levi’s was definitely more spread measurements, water and air moniout and the seats were rounded around tors, as well as other green features. the stadium,” said senior Hannah Ri“I did see the board next to the jumley. “Candlestick had a section of seats botron,” said senior Amanda Breslauer where you could not see the field, but who also attended for an Earthquakes at Levi’s, the field was visible from evgame. “But, I had no idea what all the ery seat.” numbers meant, so I did not really pay Besides the couple setbacks, Levi’s attention to it.”

Stadium seems to be the place to be on One huge issue which arose after game day.

Juniors make it or break it on varsity Brooke Buckley Staff Writer

This year’s junior athletes are being given the chance to play on underclassman sports teams.

The district athletic board unanimously agreed that they would replace all freshman and sophomore (frosh-soph) athletic teams with junior varsity (JV) athletic teams.

Some sports including volleyball, and basketball will also be adding a freshman team for a total of three teams.

Originally a person of any grade could play for the varsity team, and only freshman and sophomores were allowed to play for the underclassman team. New rules however, allow juniors to be cut from varsity and placed on the JV teams.

“I think its bad news for the juniors because it could be embarrassing and add more pressure. Though the change will allow coaches to be more selective and improve the team,” said senior basketball player Rachel Lum. Head soccer coach Tina Smith said, “I think the change could be a really good thing because it can enable more players to be on the field. Especially for sports like basketball and volleyball that have three teams (freshman, JV, and varsity).”

Head varsity coach Chris Crader said, “Overall, the popularity of volleyball in our area rises every year.

We’re excited that Carlmont can give a lot more girls the chance to play by having three volleyball teams instead of just one or two.”

“It will give players that aren't good enough for the varsity level another

season to get reps at a less competitive level. It could make it harder for those players that got held back to prepare themselves for varsity the next season just because they didn't experience it as a junior,” said football and baseball player Nicky Thompson.

By creating a JV team, more opportunities have been opened to some junior players, but it has also caused pressure on others.

Junior Siena Rigatuso is trying out for varsity soccer this year, and said, “I’m more nervous, and stressed out for tryouts now that juniors can be cut from the team. I feel like I have a lot more to lose.”

When asked about added pressure to players Smith said, “I can see how juniors might feel added pressure to make varsity, but I’m hoping it won’t increase their stress because I already

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know there’s enough stress as it is.”

“I don’t think it puts more pressure on juniors. Either way, they really want to make varsity. Now, there could be a possibility of playing on JV instead. It’s either making varsity or not playing at all, so I think that’s less pressure,” said Crader.

Madi Hubbell is a senior who was unable to play as a junior on JV because no JV team existed. “I think it gives girls a chance to further their volleyball careers, keep them active, and help them stay in shape,” said Hubbell.

Returning senior Soha Said has been a part of varsity soccer since she was a freshman at Carlmont and said, “I think it will give our team more opportunity to be successful, and productive now that we can place some juniors on JV.”

SPORTS

September 2014

Page 19

The Highlander

Giants bandwagon fans return in 2014 season Jocelyn Moran Staff Writer

Everyone loves a winner.

After winning the 2010 and 2012 World Series, the San Francisco Giants fanbase has expanded with attendance increasing by over half a million.

However, as the Giants have been trailing behind the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, these “fans” have hopped off the bandwagon.

According to the “Baseball Almanac,” back in 2009, the attendance for the Giants season was a little over 2,860,000 people. After 2010, the attendance per season has increased to around 3,380,000.

“I became a fan of the Giants two years ago when the Giants won the World Series. Most of the Bay Area was overjoyed by their win,” said senior Shavon Minor. “In school, I saw that many people began to talk about the team and every person I knew loved them. I basically developed a liking for the team due to my friends at school.”

Since the Giants won the World Series in 2010, the Giants have had over 250 consecutive sell- out games.

Senior Julia Semmler said, “There definitely has been a lot of bandwagoners since the World Series, and you can see that when you go to Giants

games.”

Because of the increase in fandom, tickets, food, and merchandise prices have risen exponentially.

Junior John Bran said, “It is a bummer that ticket prices went up, but business is business, and that business is helping the Giants. We can’t do anything about it. A faithful fan does not care for pricey tickets as long as they are seeing their team play.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been leading the NL West for more than half of the season, leaving the Giants in second place.

Minor said, “I haven’t been paying much attention to the Giants this year. I know they’re not doing too well though.”

With the new pitchers in the rotation and the new batters in the lineup, the Giants seem to have a solid team playing on the field.

“I agree with the decision to take Tim Lincecum out of the rotation because he has been struggling as a starter and the Giants need strong pitching to win games, especially in September. Petit has had fairly good statistics as well,” said senior Madison Norman. “However, Lincecum can also be valuable as a long relief pitcher if needed. He pitched well as a reliever in the 2012 World Series.”

The Dodgers and Giants series on Sept. 12-14 did not go as expected for

the Giants. On the first game of the series, the Giants beat the Dodgers 9-0, giving them a head start in the series. However, because of the poor pitching on Sept. 13, the Giants fell to the Dodgers 17-0, followed by another loss of 4-2 on Sept. 14.

JOCELYN MORAN

“It’s going to be a close race to get to the playoffs either by the wildcard or winning the division, but I think they’ll pull it off with their solid lineup,” said senior Julia Semmler.

“Whether they make it or not, I’ll stay true to my team.”

ALS strikes the hearts of baseball fans TALK BACK Angelina Castillo Staff Writer

Before ice buckets, ALS was synonymous to baseball player, Lou Gehrig.

Gehrig struck the heart of baseball fans as he announced his farewell to his career with the New York Yankees.

According to lougehrig.com, Gehrig said, “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans… Sure, I’m lucky. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies that’s something...When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that’s the finest I know.”

Lougehrig.com said, “His accomplishments on the field made him an authentic American hero, and his tragic early death made him a legend.”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord functions.

Gehrig ended his goodbye to the park and the baseball game, he said, “So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.”

Gehrig died June 2,1941 of ALS. His legacy lives on in the heart of many fans and the game of baseball.

What do you know about Lou Gehrig?

Alex Pennes Senior

“

Lou Gehrig’s story is really inspirational.

He was such a great baseball player and because such a high athlete got such a horrible disease, it brought awareness to it. Lou Gehrig left baseball with great pride.

”

Jacey Phipps Junior

“

Lou Gehrig was a baseball player that was diagnosed with ALS and later became known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He means a great deal to the culture of baseball today, ALS, and baseball supporters.

”

Nick Gianuario Senior

The disease cut “ Gehrig down in his

prime. He was a pretty big baseball star, and I think that when famous people are faced with sickness, they become more well known and the disease receives more attention.

”

ANGELINA CASTILLO, SONIA PAULO, SARAH BORO

Temporary tears leave permanent scars

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Despite exstensive coverage and discussion, bullying still continues on- and off-line Gianna Schuster and Justine Phipps Staff Writers We know what you’re thinking: another article about bullying? Really?

Why are they still writing about this?

Because bullying doesn’t stop.

Bullying is very much alive and constant. We do it everyday, sometimes unintentionally, and frequently without hesitation.

You make a comment to someone, thinking it’s not offensive and won’t affect them. But when you see them the next day, their eyes are swollen, red and they look miserable. So what do you do? Pull out the traditional, cure-all phrase.

“I’m sorry.”

As if that takes back the hateful things that were said.

“I’m sorry,” you say half-heartedly, trying to make up for what you did.

As if that makes up for the tears and torment that person was put through.

The damage is already done­— you can’t take back what you’ve said.

In the 2010 movie “You Again,”

Marni, a high school bullying victim, said, “You can’t just ruin someone’s life and pretend like it didn’t happen.”

Apologies do not have the power to fix everything in an instant.

“The bully ruined that person’s life,” said sophomore Brett Fitzpatrick.

“Some bullying you just can’t apologize for.”

Our generation has become oblivious to the things we say to each other and post online. Instead of having the decency to confront people face-toface, bullies have the option of hiding behind a screen.

Although there are people that have the audacity to attack their victims in person, many teens prefer to use their keyboards to avoid dealing with the outcome of their mean-spirited actions.

“I think technology has affected bullying for the worse because with technology, what people post can go anywhere, and that person that the post is about can never escape. They will always see it, and it always come back to them,” said senior Nick Gianuario.

“They leave permanent scars.”

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After someone is bullied, “it lives with them for the rest of their life,” said sophomore Dominic Guerrero.

“It will always be in the back of their mind, and the memory will stay with them for a long time.”

Scientists and psychologists all struggle to answer the one question that many wonder: why do bullies do it?

In the article, “Behind Bullying: Why Kids Are So Cruel” from Live Science, René Veenstra, a sociologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, said, “Bullies go for admiration, for status, for dominance.

Unlike friendly teasing, bullying is long-term, unwanted and doesn’t occur between social equals.”

Schools dedicate time to raise awareness, promote anti-bullying campaigns, and spread the word that bullying is a serious issue that needs to be brought to an end. Despite these efforts, students and staff members often find themselves wondering why nothing seems to make a major change.

There is something that is not being done. Schools focus on simply the idea

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of bullying as a whole. The root of the issue is what needs to be addressed and dealt with.

“This is something that is really important for teachers and administrators to know: what are the hot spots, what are the issues that we need to address in terms of making schools safe?” said Ian Rivers, a study researcher at Brunel University in an interview with Live Science. “If the issue is that kids are being bullied because they’re poor at sports, then maybe we take the school emphasis away from sports.”

“Personally, I don’t think bullying is worth the trouble,” said Gianuario. “If someone was bullying you, how would you feel?”

Instead of being the bully, think before you speak. Realize that what you say could be affecting someone more than you know. Stand up for the victims who don’t have a voice. Get help for those who don’t think there’s another way out.

Be the one who makes a difference in someone’s life. In the end, “bullying is so worthless,” said Fitzpatrick.

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